Re: The Phenomenal Fracas! (GBS2G6): [Round One: Afterparty]
09-05-2010, 10:14 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Anomaly.
"Now, who the hell're you and what the hell're you doing all the way out here?"
Eureka began to give an answer, but Syvex quickly reoriented himself and cut her off. "Ugh... I'm Syvex, she's Finch. She got lost, so I had to trail her and save her from that thing."
Finch glared at him. "I didn't get lost, snake."
"Well, then, what were you doing down here?"
"Why do you care? I needed to get away from the bar."
"You mean the bar that just exploded? Ever heard of using the door?"
"I couldn't use the door, idiot! There wa-"
"Stop! Enough!"
They both froze at the shout of the now-very-irate brigada member. "Don't you two know that it's dangerous down here? This place's crawling with those goddamned Lock monsters! Only way up's through one of these buildings. Follow me."
As she turned to start toward a building, Syvex's grin widened again. "I have a better idea."
"Oh, wonderful. Does this one involve running off to save a dumpster?" retorted Finch.
"You two comin' or not?"
"I don't think that'll be necessary." Syvex began channeling dark energy and forming a large portal on the ground, kicking up nearby sands and small particles of debris. Gravitational anomalies seemed to increase in strength in proportion to the size of the portal. At this point, the brigada member couldn't help but notice. Noticeably shocked, she slowly backed away, hands on her harpoon gun. "What... what ARE you?"
"Relax. It's just a portal. Do you want to go up quickly, or take your little elevator or whatever it is you're headed for? Better hurry if you're coming. Seems a few more of those monsters have heard us. Wouldn't want to get surrounded."
"I... I'll pass."
"Suit yourself." With a grin, Syvex grabbed Eureka and jumped into the portal, which forcefully deposited them to the ground from several feet up. They had landed right next to the same building the brigada member ran for, but much higher. As soon as he let her go, she began to yell at him about recklessness or something. He wasn't really paying attention. Rather, he was focused instead on the sky, which was brightening too quickly for comfort. Sun's coming up. Need to find somewhere darker that isn't monster-infested.
"Are you even listening to me?!"
"I get it. You think I'm reckless, and you hate me all the more for it. I think we have more to worry about than bickering at each other, don't you?"
"Like what, killing everyone else?"
"Actually, I was talking about the sun. The night's almost over."
"Oh no, not the sun! Maybe it'll make you not abandon me at every turn!"
"You two done?"
Finch turned to look, noticing the brigada member who had probably been standing there fore quite a while. Syvex had noticed her, but didn't bother to say anything. "Darkness? Don't know why you would want darkness in a place like this, but I guess if you're determined you can go to the Far Periphery. It's pretty dangerous over there, so I wouldn't recommend it. It's a part of the city leaking into Caliginosity, not that you'd know what that is. Then again..." She turned to look at Syvex. "...Maybe you'd fit in just fine. Just try not to die."
"Excellent. We'll be heading that way then."
Finch turned and gave him a dumbstruck look. "Are you crazy??"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Didn't you hear her? If we go there we'll both get killed! Not all of us are crazy shadow snake things!"
"And that's exactly why we need to go over there. I've had to save you what, three times now? I can't really be of much use in broad daylight, and then if one of those monsters strikes, we'll definitely both die."
Finch stopped for a moment to think. Sure, he was probably going to betray her at some point. But he had definitely saved her at least once, in that back alley. But would it be safer than staying back? In daytime it'd be harder for her to hide from the others, and there were no doubt more of those monsters around...
"Okay. I'll go. But if things get bad, we are leaving, not staying and fighting. Got it?"
"Sure." Syvex opened a portal on the ground, then another down-facing one about 50 feet directly above it. "Grab on. You wouldn't want to get thrown out of the loop." His smile seemed to get even wider than before, if that was even possible. Reluctantly, Finch took hold of the ridges on his back, anchoring herself with bandages. She didn't like where this was going. Before she could be prepared, Syvex leapt into the portal, dropping them from the top one and back into the bottom again, forming a sort of infinite loop. As they accelerated to terminal velocity, Finch began to panic and yell at Syvex, who simply laughed.
Syvex began to widen the distance between the portals, more than doubling the original gap. Then, as soon as they left the top one, he quickly changed its angle to provide maximum launching distance. As they reached the bottom again, they were launched through the air at high speeds, traveling over a mile within seconds. Their surroundings grew darker at perhaps an alarming rate, but Finch failed to take notice, her eyes clamped shut. She hated Syvex even more now.
"Hold on tight." As they began to approach the ground, Finch's yelling and swearing seemed to increase in volume. The moment before they collided, however, a shadowy opening formed, propelling them back into the air, but straight up. Syvex straightened the two portals, flew up and down through them until their velocity was low enough, then dispelled them entirely, hitting the ground with a loud thump. Finch groggily slid off of his back, disoriented.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Syvex was answered by a series of incoherant yelling and swearing. "Hey, don't give yourself an aneurysm. This was a lot faster and safer than walking." She quickly trailed off into seething. Around them, the aqueduct - and the entire city - broke apart into a twisted parody of itself. Not far ahead, the ground was completely replaced by a series of mysterious, giant cables...
----
Miq silently observed from the shadows, hoping not to be discovered. Snake had righted himself, and the other woman immediately continued yelling at him. He seemed to take it in stride, though, and then the taller woman said something about "Lock monsters" and started off towards a building.
"I have a better idea."
The serpent concentrated, and a purplish-black, shadowy hole appeared on the ground - more of his shadow magic? Dust and sand blew around everywhere, and small pieces of debris began pelting Miq. The woman with the machine backed away and then ran, and Snake grabbed the other. But what Miq didn't see until it was too late was another portal, forming directly below her...
Miq crashed to the ground elsewhere. She seemed to be on some sort of catwalk-alleyway, high above the ground where she had been previously. The aqueduct wasn't far off, so she moved in that direction. Had the serpent seen her? He must've, unless it was some kind of strange coincidence or something. Either way, he didn't make any indication of it. And here they were now. Miq stayed still, observing them from a distance. The other woman came out of a building, and he almost immediately asked her about darkness.
"Don't know why you would want darkness in a place like this, but I guess if you're determined you can go to the Far Periphery. It's pretty dangerous over there, so I wouldn't recommend it. It's a part of the city leaking into Caliginosity, not that you'd know what that is."
They began yelling at each other again, then Snake opened another portal on the ground, and... another in the air? The woman (reluctantly) grabbed onto him with a bunch of bandages, then he jumped in. ...Then began falling from the top one... and falling from the top one again... and again... This went on for a while, the woman practically in hysterics by this point. Then they began falling from higher with each loop, and finally... they rocketed through the air above the aqueducts at ridiculous speeds, flying off into the distance.
This sufficiently piqued Miq's curiosity. She waited until no one was around, then started out along the aqueduct. They flew this direction, surely she would run into them if she kept going. Ahead in the distance, she could make out a vaguely-familiar figure, wearing a hat and coat...
----
Tamerlane followed the sandy footprints, twisting through the dark lower regions of Afterparty. Unsurprisingly, there was also a large, slithering trail around them, much easier to follow. The serpent had been this way. After a while, he ran into a humongous monster's bloody, still form. Dead. Must've slowed them down, though. They can't be far away. He continued along, stymied by the lack of sand the further he went.
In short order, Tamerlane gave up and went into a nearby seemingly abandoned building. The only thing of note in the dimly-lit room was an elevator, still functioning somehow. He pushed the cracked "up" button, which emitted large amounts of static. Nevertheless, the rickety elevator soon emerged. Guess I need to take it if I want to catch them. He stepped inside, but the control panel of the elevator made very little sense. Taking a chance, he pushed a button with a large "A" on it. Aqueduct? Worth a shot. The elevator creaked as it accelerated upwards at a rapid pace, and decelerated just as quickly. As the door opened, Tamerlane discovered that he had been lucky. He could see the aqueduct out of the windows next to the door of the lobby-like area he stepped out into.
Tamerlane forcefully pushed the doors open, coming out onto the aqueduct. Glancing behind him, he immediately noticed the faint figures of the serpent and the cloth witch, arguing with each other. There was a third person there as well, but he didn't recognize her. Bickering among themselves again? This should be an easy kill.
Without hesitation, Tamerlane drew the pirate's sword. This far into the city, there wasn't nearly enough sand to make a viable weapon. The cutlass would do just fine for the witch, at the very least. He looked down at Syvex's hand again, wondering how he could use it to ensure he actually died. Looking back up, he noticed something odd. Namely, that Finch was clinging onto the serpent desperately as they fell over and over through an endless loop, gaining speed very quickly. Before he could get closer, the top portal turned and the two of them rocketed over Tamerlane's head, into the darkness that lay deep within the city.
Trying to run, serpent? You can't hide from me. You have the way out of here, and you're not getting out of this alive. He started to walk steadily down the twisting aqueduct, not in any particular hurry. Knowing them, they would just end up arguing or fighting another monster. But not long after he had started out, he noticed something moving behind him. Tamerlane turned around. The trash can. You're only alive because the snake got in the way last time. But no, I can't afford to kill anyone else right now. I know where he is right now... where the Core is. Killing someone would send us somewhere different, and then I'd have to seek him out once again. And the sand might not stay forever.
Just before he could turn around and continue on, he noticed something odd. A point of light appeared in the sky, then another, and several more. Especially an odd occurance on the verge of sunrise. Also odd because they seemed to be getting closer... Fairly soon Tamerlane could make out faint metallic figures, unusual lights and contours which briefly puzzled him. No. Can't get distracted by this light show. The longer I wait, the further away my goal gets. ...And if he gets killed before I can take the Core... His eyes widened as the sudden realization struck him. ...then the only way out of here is lost forever.
Tamerlane began to run.
"Now, who the hell're you and what the hell're you doing all the way out here?"
Eureka began to give an answer, but Syvex quickly reoriented himself and cut her off. "Ugh... I'm Syvex, she's Finch. She got lost, so I had to trail her and save her from that thing."
Finch glared at him. "I didn't get lost, snake."
"Well, then, what were you doing down here?"
"Why do you care? I needed to get away from the bar."
"You mean the bar that just exploded? Ever heard of using the door?"
"I couldn't use the door, idiot! There wa-"
"Stop! Enough!"
They both froze at the shout of the now-very-irate brigada member. "Don't you two know that it's dangerous down here? This place's crawling with those goddamned Lock monsters! Only way up's through one of these buildings. Follow me."
As she turned to start toward a building, Syvex's grin widened again. "I have a better idea."
"Oh, wonderful. Does this one involve running off to save a dumpster?" retorted Finch.
"You two comin' or not?"
"I don't think that'll be necessary." Syvex began channeling dark energy and forming a large portal on the ground, kicking up nearby sands and small particles of debris. Gravitational anomalies seemed to increase in strength in proportion to the size of the portal. At this point, the brigada member couldn't help but notice. Noticeably shocked, she slowly backed away, hands on her harpoon gun. "What... what ARE you?"
"Relax. It's just a portal. Do you want to go up quickly, or take your little elevator or whatever it is you're headed for? Better hurry if you're coming. Seems a few more of those monsters have heard us. Wouldn't want to get surrounded."
"I... I'll pass."
"Suit yourself." With a grin, Syvex grabbed Eureka and jumped into the portal, which forcefully deposited them to the ground from several feet up. They had landed right next to the same building the brigada member ran for, but much higher. As soon as he let her go, she began to yell at him about recklessness or something. He wasn't really paying attention. Rather, he was focused instead on the sky, which was brightening too quickly for comfort. Sun's coming up. Need to find somewhere darker that isn't monster-infested.
"Are you even listening to me?!"
"I get it. You think I'm reckless, and you hate me all the more for it. I think we have more to worry about than bickering at each other, don't you?"
"Like what, killing everyone else?"
"Actually, I was talking about the sun. The night's almost over."
"Oh no, not the sun! Maybe it'll make you not abandon me at every turn!"
"You two done?"
Finch turned to look, noticing the brigada member who had probably been standing there fore quite a while. Syvex had noticed her, but didn't bother to say anything. "Darkness? Don't know why you would want darkness in a place like this, but I guess if you're determined you can go to the Far Periphery. It's pretty dangerous over there, so I wouldn't recommend it. It's a part of the city leaking into Caliginosity, not that you'd know what that is. Then again..." She turned to look at Syvex. "...Maybe you'd fit in just fine. Just try not to die."
"Excellent. We'll be heading that way then."
Finch turned and gave him a dumbstruck look. "Are you crazy??"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Didn't you hear her? If we go there we'll both get killed! Not all of us are crazy shadow snake things!"
"And that's exactly why we need to go over there. I've had to save you what, three times now? I can't really be of much use in broad daylight, and then if one of those monsters strikes, we'll definitely both die."
Finch stopped for a moment to think. Sure, he was probably going to betray her at some point. But he had definitely saved her at least once, in that back alley. But would it be safer than staying back? In daytime it'd be harder for her to hide from the others, and there were no doubt more of those monsters around...
"Okay. I'll go. But if things get bad, we are leaving, not staying and fighting. Got it?"
"Sure." Syvex opened a portal on the ground, then another down-facing one about 50 feet directly above it. "Grab on. You wouldn't want to get thrown out of the loop." His smile seemed to get even wider than before, if that was even possible. Reluctantly, Finch took hold of the ridges on his back, anchoring herself with bandages. She didn't like where this was going. Before she could be prepared, Syvex leapt into the portal, dropping them from the top one and back into the bottom again, forming a sort of infinite loop. As they accelerated to terminal velocity, Finch began to panic and yell at Syvex, who simply laughed.
Syvex began to widen the distance between the portals, more than doubling the original gap. Then, as soon as they left the top one, he quickly changed its angle to provide maximum launching distance. As they reached the bottom again, they were launched through the air at high speeds, traveling over a mile within seconds. Their surroundings grew darker at perhaps an alarming rate, but Finch failed to take notice, her eyes clamped shut. She hated Syvex even more now.
"Hold on tight." As they began to approach the ground, Finch's yelling and swearing seemed to increase in volume. The moment before they collided, however, a shadowy opening formed, propelling them back into the air, but straight up. Syvex straightened the two portals, flew up and down through them until their velocity was low enough, then dispelled them entirely, hitting the ground with a loud thump. Finch groggily slid off of his back, disoriented.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Syvex was answered by a series of incoherant yelling and swearing. "Hey, don't give yourself an aneurysm. This was a lot faster and safer than walking." She quickly trailed off into seething. Around them, the aqueduct - and the entire city - broke apart into a twisted parody of itself. Not far ahead, the ground was completely replaced by a series of mysterious, giant cables...
----
Miq silently observed from the shadows, hoping not to be discovered. Snake had righted himself, and the other woman immediately continued yelling at him. He seemed to take it in stride, though, and then the taller woman said something about "Lock monsters" and started off towards a building.
"I have a better idea."
The serpent concentrated, and a purplish-black, shadowy hole appeared on the ground - more of his shadow magic? Dust and sand blew around everywhere, and small pieces of debris began pelting Miq. The woman with the machine backed away and then ran, and Snake grabbed the other. But what Miq didn't see until it was too late was another portal, forming directly below her...
Miq crashed to the ground elsewhere. She seemed to be on some sort of catwalk-alleyway, high above the ground where she had been previously. The aqueduct wasn't far off, so she moved in that direction. Had the serpent seen her? He must've, unless it was some kind of strange coincidence or something. Either way, he didn't make any indication of it. And here they were now. Miq stayed still, observing them from a distance. The other woman came out of a building, and he almost immediately asked her about darkness.
"Don't know why you would want darkness in a place like this, but I guess if you're determined you can go to the Far Periphery. It's pretty dangerous over there, so I wouldn't recommend it. It's a part of the city leaking into Caliginosity, not that you'd know what that is."
They began yelling at each other again, then Snake opened another portal on the ground, and... another in the air? The woman (reluctantly) grabbed onto him with a bunch of bandages, then he jumped in. ...Then began falling from the top one... and falling from the top one again... and again... This went on for a while, the woman practically in hysterics by this point. Then they began falling from higher with each loop, and finally... they rocketed through the air above the aqueducts at ridiculous speeds, flying off into the distance.
This sufficiently piqued Miq's curiosity. She waited until no one was around, then started out along the aqueduct. They flew this direction, surely she would run into them if she kept going. Ahead in the distance, she could make out a vaguely-familiar figure, wearing a hat and coat...
----
Tamerlane followed the sandy footprints, twisting through the dark lower regions of Afterparty. Unsurprisingly, there was also a large, slithering trail around them, much easier to follow. The serpent had been this way. After a while, he ran into a humongous monster's bloody, still form. Dead. Must've slowed them down, though. They can't be far away. He continued along, stymied by the lack of sand the further he went.
In short order, Tamerlane gave up and went into a nearby seemingly abandoned building. The only thing of note in the dimly-lit room was an elevator, still functioning somehow. He pushed the cracked "up" button, which emitted large amounts of static. Nevertheless, the rickety elevator soon emerged. Guess I need to take it if I want to catch them. He stepped inside, but the control panel of the elevator made very little sense. Taking a chance, he pushed a button with a large "A" on it. Aqueduct? Worth a shot. The elevator creaked as it accelerated upwards at a rapid pace, and decelerated just as quickly. As the door opened, Tamerlane discovered that he had been lucky. He could see the aqueduct out of the windows next to the door of the lobby-like area he stepped out into.
Tamerlane forcefully pushed the doors open, coming out onto the aqueduct. Glancing behind him, he immediately noticed the faint figures of the serpent and the cloth witch, arguing with each other. There was a third person there as well, but he didn't recognize her. Bickering among themselves again? This should be an easy kill.
Without hesitation, Tamerlane drew the pirate's sword. This far into the city, there wasn't nearly enough sand to make a viable weapon. The cutlass would do just fine for the witch, at the very least. He looked down at Syvex's hand again, wondering how he could use it to ensure he actually died. Looking back up, he noticed something odd. Namely, that Finch was clinging onto the serpent desperately as they fell over and over through an endless loop, gaining speed very quickly. Before he could get closer, the top portal turned and the two of them rocketed over Tamerlane's head, into the darkness that lay deep within the city.
Trying to run, serpent? You can't hide from me. You have the way out of here, and you're not getting out of this alive. He started to walk steadily down the twisting aqueduct, not in any particular hurry. Knowing them, they would just end up arguing or fighting another monster. But not long after he had started out, he noticed something moving behind him. Tamerlane turned around. The trash can. You're only alive because the snake got in the way last time. But no, I can't afford to kill anyone else right now. I know where he is right now... where the Core is. Killing someone would send us somewhere different, and then I'd have to seek him out once again. And the sand might not stay forever.
Just before he could turn around and continue on, he noticed something odd. A point of light appeared in the sky, then another, and several more. Especially an odd occurance on the verge of sunrise. Also odd because they seemed to be getting closer... Fairly soon Tamerlane could make out faint metallic figures, unusual lights and contours which briefly puzzled him. No. Can't get distracted by this light show. The longer I wait, the further away my goal gets. ...And if he gets killed before I can take the Core... His eyes widened as the sudden realization struck him. ...then the only way out of here is lost forever.
Tamerlane began to run.