Re: The Grand Battle S2G1! [Round Four: New Battleopolis!]
07-16-2011, 03:12 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
The Ovoid had been rather inactive since the round transition, its main mass content to hover nonchalantly approximately twenty feet above the ground of a ruined alleyway. The Amalgam to which it belonged, however, was not so calm.
In a space beyond spaces, oily tan shifted and pulsated in directions that should not exist. The vast four-dimensional structure of the Amalgam contorted itself frenetically, as Kracht's death was absorbed, and its implications realized. The structure continued to shift until, without warning, it resolved itself into something resembling order. A decision had been reached.
---
In an old, run-down shop, in a particularly uninhabitable section of the city, space ballooned into a humanoid shape, and a man was suddenly standing in the rubble. He didn't seem a particularly remarkable man; his clothes were well-fit, formal looking, but without standing out too much. He took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes, enjoying the ability to breathe once more. He let out a sigh, and looked around, gaze purposefully scanning every nearby object. Seeming to find nothing, the man pointed himself in a direction, and began to walk.
In another section of the city, humans bustled around a rebuilt apartment building. In an empty hallway of the building, space ballooned once more, and a woman appeared. Her clothes were more casual; tight-fitting white pants which cut off mid-thigh, and a white armless shirt with a large collar. She, too, took in a breath, and closed her eyes briefly before letting it out. She began to walk forwards, finding her way with eerie precision to an exit. She opened the door into a street, and, without wasting a beat, walked straight up to human nearest the door. "Excuse me!" she said, brightly. "Have you seen any silver orbs around?"
"Uh... no?" the man looked confused.
Unperturbed, the woman smiled. "I see. Thank you!" Before the man could protest, the woman strode off, appearing to know exactly where she was headed.
In yet another section of the city, space ballooned once more, and another human appeared. He stretched, seeming to take pleasure in the simple movement of limbs. Something rattled behind him, and he turned around. "Greetings!" he raised his hand. "Hello! Over there! How are you?"
A voice came from the rubble. "Human. How did you get past the perimeter? No, wait, it doesn't matter. You'll be dead soon anyway."
The man paused. "Well that's all very interesting but I think I should be going." He turned to leave.
"Halt!" A noodly appendage shot from the rubble, but before it could grasp the man, space ballooned around him once more, and he disappeared, only to reappear not twenty feet away, significantly out of reach. Gormand trundled out from behind the rubble, single eye glaring at the human. The meatball began to move towards the man.
"Uh, thanksforyourassistancebye!" the man waved and then ran off, navigating his way through the ruined city with relative ease. Gormand watched him leave, then turned to report the incident to the Captain of the Watch.
---
As Xadrez followed the chainsaw, the bit of Ovoid wrapped around his knife seemed to tighten its grip. Xadrez moved the knife experimentally; there was definitely resistance, now. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd say it was occasionally trying to pull him in seemingly random directions...
---
All across the city, humans began to appear. They all exhibited the same behavior upon arrival, and all began to start walking shortly afterwards. An outside observer would have noted their even distribution across the city, and, more importantly, would have noted their movements as an efficient search pattern.
On an individual level, this higher order was lost. Each human appeared to be wandering randomly. In fact, that was exactly what the first man to appear seemed to be doing when he ran into armed humans, guarding a barrier in the streets.
"Hello there!" he said, with far too much joviality. He waved, and began to stride purposefully towards the guards, who shifted uneasily. One of them raised a worn-looking rifle.
"Identify yourself!" he called.
"Oh no need for that, I'm not important. But you are! What's your name?"
"Um..." the guard looked to his partner for help, who could only shrug. "You... you first. You don't look like you're from around here."
"How astute! You are correct of course. I came from over there," the man pointed, roughly in the direction he'd come from, and continued. "But I came here because I am looking for someone. Actually, a lot of me is looking for someone. I mean, my friends. A lot of my friends. Are looking for someone. Yes." The man had reached the barrier now, and was standing rather awkwardly in front of it. The guards, both convinced this man was of no threat, lowered their weapons.
"And... just who is it that your... friends... are looking for?"
"Oh I doubt you know him. He's probably formed a secret society or something silly like that. So unless you're part of it...?" the two guards looked blank. "Well then, I'll know him when I see him. Mind letting me through?"
"Um... sure." The guards moved aside, and the man, nodding in thanks, continued through. The two guards looked after him. "That was strange."
"You sure letting him in was a good idea? He seemed a bit... off."
The first guard snorted. "We're all a bit 'off' here. If he causes trouble, he'll be dealt with."
The other guard nodded in agreement.
All across the city, the new humans began their search. One spatial dimension above them, the tendrils of the Amalgam hovered around them, staying in constant communication with its fragments.
The Ovoid had been rather inactive since the round transition, its main mass content to hover nonchalantly approximately twenty feet above the ground of a ruined alleyway. The Amalgam to which it belonged, however, was not so calm.
In a space beyond spaces, oily tan shifted and pulsated in directions that should not exist. The vast four-dimensional structure of the Amalgam contorted itself frenetically, as Kracht's death was absorbed, and its implications realized. The structure continued to shift until, without warning, it resolved itself into something resembling order. A decision had been reached.
---
In an old, run-down shop, in a particularly uninhabitable section of the city, space ballooned into a humanoid shape, and a man was suddenly standing in the rubble. He didn't seem a particularly remarkable man; his clothes were well-fit, formal looking, but without standing out too much. He took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes, enjoying the ability to breathe once more. He let out a sigh, and looked around, gaze purposefully scanning every nearby object. Seeming to find nothing, the man pointed himself in a direction, and began to walk.
In another section of the city, humans bustled around a rebuilt apartment building. In an empty hallway of the building, space ballooned once more, and a woman appeared. Her clothes were more casual; tight-fitting white pants which cut off mid-thigh, and a white armless shirt with a large collar. She, too, took in a breath, and closed her eyes briefly before letting it out. She began to walk forwards, finding her way with eerie precision to an exit. She opened the door into a street, and, without wasting a beat, walked straight up to human nearest the door. "Excuse me!" she said, brightly. "Have you seen any silver orbs around?"
"Uh... no?" the man looked confused.
Unperturbed, the woman smiled. "I see. Thank you!" Before the man could protest, the woman strode off, appearing to know exactly where she was headed.
In yet another section of the city, space ballooned once more, and another human appeared. He stretched, seeming to take pleasure in the simple movement of limbs. Something rattled behind him, and he turned around. "Greetings!" he raised his hand. "Hello! Over there! How are you?"
A voice came from the rubble. "Human. How did you get past the perimeter? No, wait, it doesn't matter. You'll be dead soon anyway."
The man paused. "Well that's all very interesting but I think I should be going." He turned to leave.
"Halt!" A noodly appendage shot from the rubble, but before it could grasp the man, space ballooned around him once more, and he disappeared, only to reappear not twenty feet away, significantly out of reach. Gormand trundled out from behind the rubble, single eye glaring at the human. The meatball began to move towards the man.
"Uh, thanksforyourassistancebye!" the man waved and then ran off, navigating his way through the ruined city with relative ease. Gormand watched him leave, then turned to report the incident to the Captain of the Watch.
---
As Xadrez followed the chainsaw, the bit of Ovoid wrapped around his knife seemed to tighten its grip. Xadrez moved the knife experimentally; there was definitely resistance, now. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd say it was occasionally trying to pull him in seemingly random directions...
---
All across the city, humans began to appear. They all exhibited the same behavior upon arrival, and all began to start walking shortly afterwards. An outside observer would have noted their even distribution across the city, and, more importantly, would have noted their movements as an efficient search pattern.
On an individual level, this higher order was lost. Each human appeared to be wandering randomly. In fact, that was exactly what the first man to appear seemed to be doing when he ran into armed humans, guarding a barrier in the streets.
"Hello there!" he said, with far too much joviality. He waved, and began to stride purposefully towards the guards, who shifted uneasily. One of them raised a worn-looking rifle.
"Identify yourself!" he called.
"Oh no need for that, I'm not important. But you are! What's your name?"
"Um..." the guard looked to his partner for help, who could only shrug. "You... you first. You don't look like you're from around here."
"How astute! You are correct of course. I came from over there," the man pointed, roughly in the direction he'd come from, and continued. "But I came here because I am looking for someone. Actually, a lot of me is looking for someone. I mean, my friends. A lot of my friends. Are looking for someone. Yes." The man had reached the barrier now, and was standing rather awkwardly in front of it. The guards, both convinced this man was of no threat, lowered their weapons.
"And... just who is it that your... friends... are looking for?"
"Oh I doubt you know him. He's probably formed a secret society or something silly like that. So unless you're part of it...?" the two guards looked blank. "Well then, I'll know him when I see him. Mind letting me through?"
"Um... sure." The guards moved aside, and the man, nodding in thanks, continued through. The two guards looked after him. "That was strange."
"You sure letting him in was a good idea? He seemed a bit... off."
The first guard snorted. "We're all a bit 'off' here. If he causes trouble, he'll be dealt with."
The other guard nodded in agreement.
All across the city, the new humans began their search. One spatial dimension above them, the tendrils of the Amalgam hovered around them, staying in constant communication with its fragments.