RE: Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen
07-17-2017, 12:16 AM
The Universe Wrote:"freeze... talk... draw them out... scan... wall yourself... save viss... avert your eyes... book em... flaming sword... summon the hands from the void.... breathe... defend yourself... do not attack... turn the tides..."
Spoiler
. . . The Universe vibrated, it shivered, with the voices that spoke to her, quivering individual molecules nearby to produce the sounds she heard- along with another signal. . . More words- But not for Empty Alice-
Spoiler
The universe strained and buckled as a wave of pure hate buffeted the room, knocking books off of the tall shelves, shaking the ground, and blowing Empty Alice's cloak around. That scream, that pure and unfiltered desire to kill- For a few moments, the universe became still and silent. For a few moments, Empty Alice would act.
Empty Alice grew a number of arms, clutching orbs of pale grey fog. She brought all those limbs back, and threw them forward, launching a powerful attack- The air straining under the weight of the energy being channeled through it. Sadly, her mastery over these abilities was hardly even a novice's level- But as one of her Masters told her-
One does not learn by not doing.
- Empty Alice harnesses the depths of space. The emptiness. The cold, harsh distance that lay between our hearts. . . We will bridge it with Absolute Ice! -
The air around the Muse EXPLODED into ice, a shell growing around them, constantly cracking, breaking and reforming as their burning hate continue to radiate outwards. . .
( DID YOU THINK THAT YOUR EFFORTS TO COOL MY BURNING HATRED WOULD BE ANYTHING BUT FUTILE? )
- MUSE touched the bonds of the ice. The only bond that mattered was the bond between itself and their treasured one- All other bonds will become shattered before our Atomizing Fire! -
MUSE's blade cleaved through the ice with barely a thought- The ice sublimating under the intense heat of the blade- splitting into gasses and- Igniting. The ice shell was consumed in a explosive fire, chunks of burning ice being thrown in all directions- MUSE charged forward, hissing, and barely had a moment to register the large yellow projectile punching through the cloud of steam and smoke.
- Empty Alice fired off a thought: BECOME BLIND. -
( GGNNGARAAAGGGH! YOU- >NOVICE< DO YOU THINK THIS WILL SLOW ME?! I CAN STILL SENSE YOUR HEART BEATING! IT RINGS IN OUR EARS! THAT HEART WHICH DARED GET CLOSE TO OUR PRECIOUS- DARED TO GET CLOSE TO >US<! DEATH IS TOO GOOD FOR YOU! )
Empty Alice flew backwards, avoiding a burst of flames from the MUSE, limbs burning away as they even touched that hate, hands slapping against the floor and propelling them backwards, until finally they came to rest, and Alice opened her eyes.
Spoiler
Grey, but metallic. Monochromatic. Alice seized the gun. It was perfect. This gun, formed of their combined wills. It would do the job. It would have to.
Pointing the gun straight up, Alice opened the bolt and opened her mind. Closed her eyes, and closed her heart. She would build armor, if she thought she had the time. As it was. . . She began to breathe rhythmically, each breath inwards pulling in some of the fog that hung around her, each breath outwards exhaling that fog upwards, into the chamber of the rifle.
At the other end of this battlefield, lay Viss. Viss was hurting. Viss clearly loved Qhen, but it did not mean anything. Viss did not love herself. This envy, it was going to keep feeding on her happiness until it finally consumed her. . . Alice didn't understand any of it. She felt odd, around Qhen. But she also felt odd around Viss. Did she love Qhen? Did she love Viss? Does one love a stranger? Does one know a stranger? . . . Did she even know herself? All of these thoughts left her, and entered the gun. Finally, she closed the bolt. The gun hummed, thrummed, and became warm in her hands.
Spoiler
If the universe could still hear her, even now, even past the sound of suffering, and hate, and jealousy, and doubt. . .
Distract the MUSE. Distract Viss. Guide our bullet. We want to aim...
( ) Up!
( ) Down!
( ) Behind!
( ) Straight Ahead!
( ) [?]