Re: The Grand Battle S2G1! [Round Three: Water...place!]
10-13-2010, 10:15 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
Navigating through water was proving impossible for Xadrez. He struggled, futilely, as he watched Kracht sink deeper into the murky water, finally losing sight of him after a few minutes. Xadrez sulked for a bit, staring after the anomalous mineral. Kracht had seemed... different, near the end. Desperate. Sincere. It worried the tactician to no small degree.
But he could not pursue Kracht, or at least he couldn't descend as quickly. His spectral arms were useless in this environment, so all he could do right now was sink and wa-
A strange light blossomed in the distance, in front of Xadrez. It was yet too far away to make out a source, but he could tell it was getting closer. Or, at least, brighter.
As it appeared to approach, Xadrez could discern a slight... sway to its motion. The light was originating from a single point, and was following him on his slow descent.
Xadrez, ever ready, evinced his knife; he knew too well the dangers of lights in the dark.
The light approached. Small glints of... something could be seen around it, as the light reflected off of mystery materials. Xadrez observed carefully; the glints resolved themselves into an eye, then two, then teeth, then a huge, gaping maw seeking to swallow him whole. He moved quickly, slicing the knife through the water. Its peculiar effects on matter sent a screech through the depths, startling the creature enough for Xadrez to plant the knife solidly in its side as it missed him.
It was at this point that he noticed its rider.
---
Kracht sunk. His efforts to get through to Xadrez were proving as useless as always; he'd just about given up on the spectral entity by now. But...
While Kracht did not know this round, he did know the Ovoid. On the rare occasion when the Ovoid lasted until round six, previously, he had discovered its natural inclination to seek out water. It would always immerse its appendages in huge bodies of water, often abducting large amounts of it into 4-space as well. So as he sank, he knew he would encounter the Ovoid. And, hopefully, this time he might finally get through to it.
Something sparkled beneath him; unearthly colors rose through the depths, somehow tangible in their serene dance. A vast network of amorphous tendrils were churning their way through the ocean's deep, but they were no longer the plain oily tan they had been. Their surfaces glowed. Miniature aurora played through their twisting waltz, neon lines pulsed along their surface in a dizzyingly inconsistent display. And in the midst of it all, Kracht descended, and spoke, using the same method as he'd used with Xadrez.
"I know you got my message from the last round. I was hoping for more of a reaction, though. Your message from the clone was... depressingly vague."
The tendrils continued to swirl, and Kracht, such as he could, frowned. He'd become fairly confident with the predicting the Ovoid's behavior by now, as much as anyone could be, at least. Still... he thought back to the previous round, and the pain and fear that had filled clone's face when they talked. Of everything, perhaps that small detail worried Kracht the most. The Ovoid had never before shown signs of hostility; at least, not directly. Now, though...
"You said 'Something has changed'. Tell me what it is! I have communicated with you enough through various iterations to have a more complete grasp on the way you see things! If you were unable to use the clone to translate, tell me directly!"
Light played across his body as he continued to sink through the network of tendrils, but he could discern no visible reaction. He decided to try a different track.
"You and Xadrez do... something. I've never been clear on what, but whatever it is, it is catastrophic. To everything! Please! I know you can understand me by now; I know you can understand all of us! You must listen! You must not continue... whatever it is you've been doing!"
Still, no reaction. Kracht steeled himself for this next bit; if anything, this would make an impact.
"You once told me you were trying to reach Omega. All of your actions in past iterations have been because you were trying to reach this goal, and the catastrophe you and Xadrez bring about is because of your efforts! This is not the way! You must find another way to reach Ome-"
The world was suddenly oily tan, with glimpses of something Other breaking through all around him. Kracht could not sense distance, or direction, or sound...
Then, pummeled through his being, a single, strong intention, summed up with one word:
NO
"-gaaawhoa."
And suddenly Kracht was on a boat. A big boat. Full of very confused-looking pirates. Kracht had bare seconds to work through the finality of the Ovoid's rejection - it had never displayed such... certainty, in anything - before the pirates broke the spell with a chorus of "ARRR!" and "AVAST" and other such predictable drivel.
Kracht wished he had lungs. A sigh would be so appropriate right now.
Navigating through water was proving impossible for Xadrez. He struggled, futilely, as he watched Kracht sink deeper into the murky water, finally losing sight of him after a few minutes. Xadrez sulked for a bit, staring after the anomalous mineral. Kracht had seemed... different, near the end. Desperate. Sincere. It worried the tactician to no small degree.
But he could not pursue Kracht, or at least he couldn't descend as quickly. His spectral arms were useless in this environment, so all he could do right now was sink and wa-
A strange light blossomed in the distance, in front of Xadrez. It was yet too far away to make out a source, but he could tell it was getting closer. Or, at least, brighter.
As it appeared to approach, Xadrez could discern a slight... sway to its motion. The light was originating from a single point, and was following him on his slow descent.
Xadrez, ever ready, evinced his knife; he knew too well the dangers of lights in the dark.
The light approached. Small glints of... something could be seen around it, as the light reflected off of mystery materials. Xadrez observed carefully; the glints resolved themselves into an eye, then two, then teeth, then a huge, gaping maw seeking to swallow him whole. He moved quickly, slicing the knife through the water. Its peculiar effects on matter sent a screech through the depths, startling the creature enough for Xadrez to plant the knife solidly in its side as it missed him.
It was at this point that he noticed its rider.
---
Kracht sunk. His efforts to get through to Xadrez were proving as useless as always; he'd just about given up on the spectral entity by now. But...
While Kracht did not know this round, he did know the Ovoid. On the rare occasion when the Ovoid lasted until round six, previously, he had discovered its natural inclination to seek out water. It would always immerse its appendages in huge bodies of water, often abducting large amounts of it into 4-space as well. So as he sank, he knew he would encounter the Ovoid. And, hopefully, this time he might finally get through to it.
Something sparkled beneath him; unearthly colors rose through the depths, somehow tangible in their serene dance. A vast network of amorphous tendrils were churning their way through the ocean's deep, but they were no longer the plain oily tan they had been. Their surfaces glowed. Miniature aurora played through their twisting waltz, neon lines pulsed along their surface in a dizzyingly inconsistent display. And in the midst of it all, Kracht descended, and spoke, using the same method as he'd used with Xadrez.
"I know you got my message from the last round. I was hoping for more of a reaction, though. Your message from the clone was... depressingly vague."
The tendrils continued to swirl, and Kracht, such as he could, frowned. He'd become fairly confident with the predicting the Ovoid's behavior by now, as much as anyone could be, at least. Still... he thought back to the previous round, and the pain and fear that had filled clone's face when they talked. Of everything, perhaps that small detail worried Kracht the most. The Ovoid had never before shown signs of hostility; at least, not directly. Now, though...
"You said 'Something has changed'. Tell me what it is! I have communicated with you enough through various iterations to have a more complete grasp on the way you see things! If you were unable to use the clone to translate, tell me directly!"
Light played across his body as he continued to sink through the network of tendrils, but he could discern no visible reaction. He decided to try a different track.
"You and Xadrez do... something. I've never been clear on what, but whatever it is, it is catastrophic. To everything! Please! I know you can understand me by now; I know you can understand all of us! You must listen! You must not continue... whatever it is you've been doing!"
Still, no reaction. Kracht steeled himself for this next bit; if anything, this would make an impact.
"You once told me you were trying to reach Omega. All of your actions in past iterations have been because you were trying to reach this goal, and the catastrophe you and Xadrez bring about is because of your efforts! This is not the way! You must find another way to reach Ome-"
The world was suddenly oily tan, with glimpses of something Other breaking through all around him. Kracht could not sense distance, or direction, or sound...
Then, pummeled through his being, a single, strong intention, summed up with one word:
NO
"-gaaawhoa."
And suddenly Kracht was on a boat. A big boat. Full of very confused-looking pirates. Kracht had bare seconds to work through the finality of the Ovoid's rejection - it had never displayed such... certainty, in anything - before the pirates broke the spell with a chorus of "ARRR!" and "AVAST" and other such predictable drivel.
Kracht wished he had lungs. A sigh would be so appropriate right now.