Re: The Phenomenal Fracas! (GBS2G6): [Round One: Afterparty]
09-19-2010, 05:19 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Anomaly.
Not good. Not good! Not good! Syvex inched backwards up the wall, being pushed closer and closer to the unusually high ceiling. At the rate Tamerlane was advancing, he would be trapped within seconds. And then there was the pirate too... All for this thing. Was it even worth it? The thing only worked with treasure, after all. It seemed unlikely that there would be much of that in other "arenas" that had no doubt been worked out for their untimely demise. And there was a rather convenient escape passage in the wall now. Maybe they could just-
Syvex's frantic thought process was interrupted by a blade of sand slicing its way deep into his abdomen. He hissed again and attempted to clamber away, clutching desperately at the wound. His regeneration abilities had never ceased before; never had he felt pain before as he did now. Rather futilely, Syvex tried to retaliate with a swipe of his claws, but was swiftly interrupted by a slap of cold metal at the side of his head.
"Y'damned lizard," spat Ripper Blackmask, brandishing his pistol. His other hand was clasped over the tear in his collar, which had also managed to cut a small gash into his shoulder. Blood slowly trickled out. "Hand over th'core, and maybe ye'll live a wee bit longer."
"Give me the core, serpent. You have nowhere to run."
Syvex was cornered. The pirate one one side, Tamerlane on the other. Not enough room to turn around and slither down the wall, and jumping would be suicide. And to top it all off, Finch was gone... Wait, where was Finch? Syvex's wounding from the light had taken a toll on his vision, decreasing its omnidirectional properties greatly. Upon turning his focus downward, however, he was horrified by what he saw.
Finch!
"Here! Take it!" Syvex shouted desperately, blindly tossing the small device across the room and taking a dive from the wall. Without breaking her concentration, Hebris gazed up at the quickly approaching serpent.
So you come to face your death. So be it.
The bandages that held the hand back began to fray, rips and tears pockmarking the surface. In an instant, the bandages snapped and Hebris's hand flew forward... directly into Syvex, who had collided with Finch moments before. Tendrils of blue-green energy seeped in all directions, and time seemed to stand still. Almost paradoxically, Syvex felt calmed even as the energy seeped through him, easily the most painful experience of his life. A moment of peace, before everything slipped away into total darkness.
- - - - - - - - - -
Eureka crashed to the ground haphazardly, cushioned only by a few layers of cloth she managed to brace herself with on the way down. She barely had time to get to her feet before the massive form of Syvex hit the ground with a resonating crack. She watched for a few dazed moments as he lay unmoving on the ground.
"Hey! Get up!" No response. He wasn't breathing either. Did he even breathe before? She shook him. "Syvex! Damn it, we're going to die! ...Syvex?"
Such is the fate of all who come against balance. We do not have time for these obstructions.
Hebris descended from above Syvex's inert body, looking no worse than when the battle had begun. In her eyes was reflected not malice, but... apathy? One way or another, she held no remorse for those she killed, and she most certainly wasn't about to back down.
"I- You- He isn't- You didn't-" Finch stammered for a bit, then gave up any hope of being articulate and spouted a series of screams and profanities. Hebris looked on vacantly for a moment longer, then help forward her hand and launched another searing burst of light in Eureka's direction. She barely managed to duck out of the way, then ran around the room in an erratic manner, desperately trying to stay alive.
She paused at the hole that had been smashed in the wall, but beneath it was nothing but the infinite abyss of Caliginosity. Even the huge cable that led to the building's entrance was gone, no doubt snapped in half by Tamerlane right before he had entered. Still panting heavily from the battle before, she uttered another curse under her breath before running back in the opposite direction.
- - - - - - - - - -
The pirate gazed in momentarily disbelief as the core was flung across the room. He quickly snapped out of it when Tamerlane immediately took off in its direction, forming the sand platforms much more quickly than earlier. Blackmask wasted no time in catching up, attempting to ram into him and knock him into the fray below, but he was deftly sidestepped and knocked out of control by a sudden burst of sand. The pirate swiftly regained control and focused on the core, which had landed next to the still-sealed door of the room.
Given the nature of the device, Ripper's jetpack allowed him to easily surpass Tamerlane and acquire the Core. An instant before he could switch the pack back on and make him escape, he was hit hard by the cloth mage, who was still running in desperation from the Equalizer. He maintained his grip on the device, but nevertheless toppled over into a trash can, sending it rolling away.
"Watch where you're goin', lass!" The pirate got back to his feet, only to be greeted by a katana to his throat.
"The Core, pirate."
- - - - - - - - - -
Miq had been quietly watching the battle from next to the door, hoping to remain inconspicuous and not get involved. The snake, the pirate, sand guy, and the cloth lady were fighting over some sort of rather uninteresting metal device while also being attacked by the tall horned woman. It wasn't too long before Snake knocked the cloth mage out of the way and got hit by some sort of burst of light, then dropped to the ground. Was he dead? Miq couldn't tell from the other end of the room.
She wasn't really noticed at all until Pirate landed next to her and then knocked her away. The mimic rolled in an out-of-control manner until hitting the tall "woman"'s feet. Her concentration was broken for a moment as cloth lady ran away, until she waved one of her hands and sent Miq careening away in the other direction. The trash can rolled until it collided with one of the many pillars which adorned the room, then Miq came to her senses and righted herself. By this point she was understandably pissed, having done little for this battle but get tossed around. The next person to cross her would be in for a nasty surprise.
Surely enough, the pirate came dashing away from the sandman within moments. Only when he reached the pillar did he take note of the trashcan's numerous sharp teeth. Miq wasted no time in performing a sort of jump-tackle, knocking the pirate to the ground and sending the metal box thing flying right into the waiting hands of the sand guy.
- - - - - - - - - -
Syvex's body lay collapsed in a broken heap against the wall opposite the door. The dark energy which had once flown radiantly from between his scales was reduced to a trickle; a mere afterimage of his life force. His lungs and hearts had all but ceased their functioning, with no regeneration process to rejuvinate them. But then, the faint purple energy began to take on a bluish tint. Syvex twitched slightly. The glow slowly but steadily increased in caliber, somehow bright and yet the essense of pure darkness at the same time. Between scales, a heavier essence of this new darkness began to take form; glowing caliginous lines tracing their way along his body.
The faint field quickly reached its full intensity, radiating outwards wildly. The snake slowly rose from the ground, as his battle wounds sealed themselves once again. The only sign left that showed he had been in conflict was the small number of shattered ridges on his back, unable to regenerate after collision with the pure essence of light. Hebris had ceased the chase with Eureka to stare in utter disbelief.
Impossible...
Syvex had resumed his previous confident - perhaps overconfident - stance, as the influence of Caliginosity continued to spread through him. He lifted from the ground entirely, floating in the air in a similar manner as the Equalizer had used not long before. The long-absent smile slowly stretched across his face again. He slowly floated toward Hebris, growing accustomed to his newfound mobility.
"Did you just attack me with darkness? Did you seriously empower me instead of killing me? You have made a grave error, my friend."
That attack was not intended for-
"Leave."
I can still destroy you, ser-
"Leave."
I can still kill the girl you care so mu-
"Leave."
You still wish for dea-
"Leave."
You cannot stop m-
"Leave."
...
Hebris displayed a strange mixture of frustration, agitation, and, perhaps for just a moment, fear. In spite of this, she still launched her usual burst of light in his direction. However, it was simply refracted around the field, colliding harmlessly with the back wall.
"Is that it? Is that the best you can do? Honestly, I'm disappointed! Come on, actually try this time!" Syvex made a "come here" gesture with one of his hands. Several more light projectiles were sent his way; the wound caused by the one that managed to hit sealed nigh-instantaneously.
"Ooh, you got me that time! Good job! I almost felt that one!" Syvex threw back his head and laughed. "My turn!"
He held forward his hand and sent out a massive surge of dark energy, surprising even himself. Even when she tried to block with the hand which radiated the same energy, it still took a heavy toll on her.
...Very well. Your friend will die instead.
Hebris turned to Eureka, who had simply been staring in disbelief during the exchange. Tamerlane and Blackmask had long since fled. The Equalizer slowly approached her, red hand raised. She turned to run once more, but instead found herself surrounded by a dim blue sphere.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that again. I shouldn't have to constantly save her life from horrible monsters. You're no different. But this fight has gone on long enough. Let's bring it to a close, shall we?"
Blue energy crackled violently from the serpent's body. He held out his hands, and created a swirling, fluctuating rift in front of each. A strong wind kicked through the chamber as six corresponding portals appeared around the top of the room, pointed directly at Hebris. Dust and debris blew around more strongly than ever, and the nearby trashcan toppled over again. The glowing field around Syvex surged through his arms and built up in his hands, the veins of Caliginosity ever strengthening and pulsating.
"Party's over."
In a blinding flash, beams of Caliginosity were launched through and amplified by each portal, converging on Hebris with startling accuracy. A red field was projected around her, but it was weakening. She couldn't hold the siege back for more than a scant few seconds before the field collapsed and the beams collided with each other. The surge of energy at the convergence point burst outward in a gigantic explosion, filling most of the room and crumbling the numerous pillars which stood within. The sealed doors burst open, breaking free of their hinges and falling into the infinite abyss below.
The light faded away; the dust settled. The room had been charred black by the explosion. Strangely, the trash can had been shielded from the burst as well; it had also been righted somehow. Syvex dropped to the ground, his energy field having returned to its normal shade of deep purple, perhaps with a faint tinge of blue. A few of the glowing veins remained, but they had taken on a purple hue as well. Hebris kneeled where she had once stood, weakened severely but not quite dead.
Why do you... not finish me?
"I don't need to kill you. Maybe I just don't like killing sentient life. Besides, you remind me of someone I knew once." Syvex was clearly exhausted from the exertion. He had once again lost his portal use and x-ray-like vision, but at the very least the serpent retained some of his regeneration capabilities.
I... I have failed. No...
"I'll say it again. Maybe you'll listen to me for once. LEAVE."
Hebris slunk away into the darkness, her power drained; no longer a threat to anyone. Syvex was approached by the cloth mage.
"How did you... I thought you were... Damn it, Syvex." All things considered, she hadn't been hurt too badly in the fight, and the one major wound she received was bandaged fairly handily. "How are we supposed to get out of here? The cable's gone."
"Why bother? We'll get out of here as soon as someone else dies. Safer to just wait here..." Syvex trailed off, then collapsed to the ground, exhausted. A moment's peace for the first time since the "contest" started.
Not good. Not good! Not good! Syvex inched backwards up the wall, being pushed closer and closer to the unusually high ceiling. At the rate Tamerlane was advancing, he would be trapped within seconds. And then there was the pirate too... All for this thing. Was it even worth it? The thing only worked with treasure, after all. It seemed unlikely that there would be much of that in other "arenas" that had no doubt been worked out for their untimely demise. And there was a rather convenient escape passage in the wall now. Maybe they could just-
Syvex's frantic thought process was interrupted by a blade of sand slicing its way deep into his abdomen. He hissed again and attempted to clamber away, clutching desperately at the wound. His regeneration abilities had never ceased before; never had he felt pain before as he did now. Rather futilely, Syvex tried to retaliate with a swipe of his claws, but was swiftly interrupted by a slap of cold metal at the side of his head.
"Y'damned lizard," spat Ripper Blackmask, brandishing his pistol. His other hand was clasped over the tear in his collar, which had also managed to cut a small gash into his shoulder. Blood slowly trickled out. "Hand over th'core, and maybe ye'll live a wee bit longer."
"Give me the core, serpent. You have nowhere to run."
Syvex was cornered. The pirate one one side, Tamerlane on the other. Not enough room to turn around and slither down the wall, and jumping would be suicide. And to top it all off, Finch was gone... Wait, where was Finch? Syvex's wounding from the light had taken a toll on his vision, decreasing its omnidirectional properties greatly. Upon turning his focus downward, however, he was horrified by what he saw.
Finch!
"Here! Take it!" Syvex shouted desperately, blindly tossing the small device across the room and taking a dive from the wall. Without breaking her concentration, Hebris gazed up at the quickly approaching serpent.
So you come to face your death. So be it.
The bandages that held the hand back began to fray, rips and tears pockmarking the surface. In an instant, the bandages snapped and Hebris's hand flew forward... directly into Syvex, who had collided with Finch moments before. Tendrils of blue-green energy seeped in all directions, and time seemed to stand still. Almost paradoxically, Syvex felt calmed even as the energy seeped through him, easily the most painful experience of his life. A moment of peace, before everything slipped away into total darkness.
- - - - - - - - - -
Eureka crashed to the ground haphazardly, cushioned only by a few layers of cloth she managed to brace herself with on the way down. She barely had time to get to her feet before the massive form of Syvex hit the ground with a resonating crack. She watched for a few dazed moments as he lay unmoving on the ground.
"Hey! Get up!" No response. He wasn't breathing either. Did he even breathe before? She shook him. "Syvex! Damn it, we're going to die! ...Syvex?"
Such is the fate of all who come against balance. We do not have time for these obstructions.
Hebris descended from above Syvex's inert body, looking no worse than when the battle had begun. In her eyes was reflected not malice, but... apathy? One way or another, she held no remorse for those she killed, and she most certainly wasn't about to back down.
"I- You- He isn't- You didn't-" Finch stammered for a bit, then gave up any hope of being articulate and spouted a series of screams and profanities. Hebris looked on vacantly for a moment longer, then help forward her hand and launched another searing burst of light in Eureka's direction. She barely managed to duck out of the way, then ran around the room in an erratic manner, desperately trying to stay alive.
She paused at the hole that had been smashed in the wall, but beneath it was nothing but the infinite abyss of Caliginosity. Even the huge cable that led to the building's entrance was gone, no doubt snapped in half by Tamerlane right before he had entered. Still panting heavily from the battle before, she uttered another curse under her breath before running back in the opposite direction.
- - - - - - - - - -
The pirate gazed in momentarily disbelief as the core was flung across the room. He quickly snapped out of it when Tamerlane immediately took off in its direction, forming the sand platforms much more quickly than earlier. Blackmask wasted no time in catching up, attempting to ram into him and knock him into the fray below, but he was deftly sidestepped and knocked out of control by a sudden burst of sand. The pirate swiftly regained control and focused on the core, which had landed next to the still-sealed door of the room.
Given the nature of the device, Ripper's jetpack allowed him to easily surpass Tamerlane and acquire the Core. An instant before he could switch the pack back on and make him escape, he was hit hard by the cloth mage, who was still running in desperation from the Equalizer. He maintained his grip on the device, but nevertheless toppled over into a trash can, sending it rolling away.
"Watch where you're goin', lass!" The pirate got back to his feet, only to be greeted by a katana to his throat.
"The Core, pirate."
- - - - - - - - - -
Miq had been quietly watching the battle from next to the door, hoping to remain inconspicuous and not get involved. The snake, the pirate, sand guy, and the cloth lady were fighting over some sort of rather uninteresting metal device while also being attacked by the tall horned woman. It wasn't too long before Snake knocked the cloth mage out of the way and got hit by some sort of burst of light, then dropped to the ground. Was he dead? Miq couldn't tell from the other end of the room.
She wasn't really noticed at all until Pirate landed next to her and then knocked her away. The mimic rolled in an out-of-control manner until hitting the tall "woman"'s feet. Her concentration was broken for a moment as cloth lady ran away, until she waved one of her hands and sent Miq careening away in the other direction. The trash can rolled until it collided with one of the many pillars which adorned the room, then Miq came to her senses and righted herself. By this point she was understandably pissed, having done little for this battle but get tossed around. The next person to cross her would be in for a nasty surprise.
Surely enough, the pirate came dashing away from the sandman within moments. Only when he reached the pillar did he take note of the trashcan's numerous sharp teeth. Miq wasted no time in performing a sort of jump-tackle, knocking the pirate to the ground and sending the metal box thing flying right into the waiting hands of the sand guy.
- - - - - - - - - -
Syvex's body lay collapsed in a broken heap against the wall opposite the door. The dark energy which had once flown radiantly from between his scales was reduced to a trickle; a mere afterimage of his life force. His lungs and hearts had all but ceased their functioning, with no regeneration process to rejuvinate them. But then, the faint purple energy began to take on a bluish tint. Syvex twitched slightly. The glow slowly but steadily increased in caliber, somehow bright and yet the essense of pure darkness at the same time. Between scales, a heavier essence of this new darkness began to take form; glowing caliginous lines tracing their way along his body.
The faint field quickly reached its full intensity, radiating outwards wildly. The snake slowly rose from the ground, as his battle wounds sealed themselves once again. The only sign left that showed he had been in conflict was the small number of shattered ridges on his back, unable to regenerate after collision with the pure essence of light. Hebris had ceased the chase with Eureka to stare in utter disbelief.
Impossible...
Syvex had resumed his previous confident - perhaps overconfident - stance, as the influence of Caliginosity continued to spread through him. He lifted from the ground entirely, floating in the air in a similar manner as the Equalizer had used not long before. The long-absent smile slowly stretched across his face again. He slowly floated toward Hebris, growing accustomed to his newfound mobility.
"Did you just attack me with darkness? Did you seriously empower me instead of killing me? You have made a grave error, my friend."
That attack was not intended for-
"Leave."
I can still destroy you, ser-
"Leave."
I can still kill the girl you care so mu-
"Leave."
You still wish for dea-
"Leave."
You cannot stop m-
"Leave."
...
Hebris displayed a strange mixture of frustration, agitation, and, perhaps for just a moment, fear. In spite of this, she still launched her usual burst of light in his direction. However, it was simply refracted around the field, colliding harmlessly with the back wall.
"Is that it? Is that the best you can do? Honestly, I'm disappointed! Come on, actually try this time!" Syvex made a "come here" gesture with one of his hands. Several more light projectiles were sent his way; the wound caused by the one that managed to hit sealed nigh-instantaneously.
"Ooh, you got me that time! Good job! I almost felt that one!" Syvex threw back his head and laughed. "My turn!"
He held forward his hand and sent out a massive surge of dark energy, surprising even himself. Even when she tried to block with the hand which radiated the same energy, it still took a heavy toll on her.
...Very well. Your friend will die instead.
Hebris turned to Eureka, who had simply been staring in disbelief during the exchange. Tamerlane and Blackmask had long since fled. The Equalizer slowly approached her, red hand raised. She turned to run once more, but instead found herself surrounded by a dim blue sphere.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that again. I shouldn't have to constantly save her life from horrible monsters. You're no different. But this fight has gone on long enough. Let's bring it to a close, shall we?"
Blue energy crackled violently from the serpent's body. He held out his hands, and created a swirling, fluctuating rift in front of each. A strong wind kicked through the chamber as six corresponding portals appeared around the top of the room, pointed directly at Hebris. Dust and debris blew around more strongly than ever, and the nearby trashcan toppled over again. The glowing field around Syvex surged through his arms and built up in his hands, the veins of Caliginosity ever strengthening and pulsating.
"Party's over."
In a blinding flash, beams of Caliginosity were launched through and amplified by each portal, converging on Hebris with startling accuracy. A red field was projected around her, but it was weakening. She couldn't hold the siege back for more than a scant few seconds before the field collapsed and the beams collided with each other. The surge of energy at the convergence point burst outward in a gigantic explosion, filling most of the room and crumbling the numerous pillars which stood within. The sealed doors burst open, breaking free of their hinges and falling into the infinite abyss below.
The light faded away; the dust settled. The room had been charred black by the explosion. Strangely, the trash can had been shielded from the burst as well; it had also been righted somehow. Syvex dropped to the ground, his energy field having returned to its normal shade of deep purple, perhaps with a faint tinge of blue. A few of the glowing veins remained, but they had taken on a purple hue as well. Hebris kneeled where she had once stood, weakened severely but not quite dead.
Why do you... not finish me?
"I don't need to kill you. Maybe I just don't like killing sentient life. Besides, you remind me of someone I knew once." Syvex was clearly exhausted from the exertion. He had once again lost his portal use and x-ray-like vision, but at the very least the serpent retained some of his regeneration capabilities.
I... I have failed. No...
"I'll say it again. Maybe you'll listen to me for once. LEAVE."
Hebris slunk away into the darkness, her power drained; no longer a threat to anyone. Syvex was approached by the cloth mage.
"How did you... I thought you were... Damn it, Syvex." All things considered, she hadn't been hurt too badly in the fight, and the one major wound she received was bandaged fairly handily. "How are we supposed to get out of here? The cable's gone."
"Why bother? We'll get out of here as soon as someone else dies. Safer to just wait here..." Syvex trailed off, then collapsed to the ground, exhausted. A moment's peace for the first time since the "contest" started.