Re: Intense Struggle! (Round 5 - Cervaled Fall)
05-22-2011, 01:01 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.
“Welcome to Cervaled Fall. Who are you?”
“Huh?”
“You’re the first person I’ve seen in days. Who are you?”
Aegis was tied to a metal chair. The cuffs holdings his arms and legs were thin and flimsy, just strong enough—Aegis guessed—to hold a typical human in place. Moments before, he was frozen in mid-axe-swing, initially made to chop in half a rather stingy nymph that had conveniently fallen in front of him. The Monitor’s ignored rambling gave Aegis just enough information to deduce that the round transition happened.
He began to answer the voice that seemed to come just inches behind his head with his name before he realized it was familiar.
“Aeon?”
“…Aegis?”
“You’re alive!”
“Evidently. Do you have your gauntlets?”
“I thought you died in that battle you were in! How’d you survive?”
“The Director must’ve spared me for some reason.”
“Who’s the Director?”
“Do you have your gauntlets or not?”
Aegis looked at his hands. Underneath the cuffs were, in fact, his gauntlets.
“Of course.”
“Hurry up and get us out of he-eere-!”
Aegis stood up and swung around, taking the chair with him. After realizing he couldn’t see Aeon anywhere in the cell, he realized he was tied to the other end of the chair behind him. Taking little time to deliberate, Aegis pulled tore off his cuffs and let the double-sided chair fall to the floor, proceeding to help his friend from it shortly afterwards.
“You look like shit! How long have you been stuck here?”
“A week, I figure. There isn’t really any indicator of time in here.”
“So… why are you here?”
“Long story. I was in a Grand Battle, in the last round. The other contestant and I managed to challenge the host of our battle—the Director—but he overwhelmed us. Then I found myself in this cell. You?”
“Oh, it has been great. I’ve wrestled a bear, hit a home run—literally—with a little tentacled girl as the ball… so much more fun than the usual. I guess someone died so we’re here now.” Aegis noticed a distinct lack of anything inanimate in the room other than the chair. “Wait… how did you…?”
“Time doesn’t seem to move at all in here. I haven’t eaten, but I don’t feel hungry. Let’s get out of this cell.”
Aegis formed a sword and began to swing it at the electric bars. The sword passed right through, sending electrical shocks through Aegis in the process. After righting himself, Aegis muttered curses and started to swing again.
“Wait—why don’t you try stabbing through the floor under them?”
Aegis looked at Aeon with an annoyed face and did so, disabling one of the bars.
“You and your logic.”
After a few minutes, the pair found themselves in a hallway, cells strewn throughout both walls in several floors. They chose an arbitrary direction and began to walk.
“We’re in Sector D, for ‘Violent but Low-Risk’. Our best bet is probably to find a control center, then locate some machinery that’s capable of opening transdimensional links. We-”
“Where’s your silver, by the way?”
“I thought I was going to die, so I gave it away.”
“Figures.”
“Anyways, we should probably avoid the other sectors, since the more dangerous inmates will be found there. It doesn’t look like we’ve activated security by escaping…”
The two found themselves in a large open area, several identical hallways extending in a seemingly endless expanse, cells everywhere. At Aeon’s topological explanation, they went through the nearest hallway to their right. It opened to a walkway, rows of cells now extending both down and up.
“You know, you’ve always been the only one who could make me think.”
“And you’re the only one who can make me laugh.”
Aegis paused. “No ironic ‘heh’?”
“I think we’re a bit too deep in a life-threatening scenario at the moment to make wisecracking jokes.”
“Oh lighten up. I’ve had fun.”
“You’re you.”
Aegis grinned. “I’ll make you laugh within the next hour. I guarantee it.”
“Hold up, I hear something.”
A faint crack and thud echoed from the walls. Aeon leaned over the rails and looked down at what was presumably the source of the sound. Several floors underneath them, a person propped a bed against the door of a cell, disrupting a couple bars. The person crawled through the resulting hole. A girl, dressed in a long black dress.
“…Amethyst?”
“You know her?”
“She can’t be alive. She died. Twice.”
“I think I can make the jump.”
“…What round is this?”
“I’ve thrown around little sorceresses before. I’ll take care of her.”
“What round is this?”
“Welcome to Cervaled Fall. Who are you?”
“Huh?”
“You’re the first person I’ve seen in days. Who are you?”
Aegis was tied to a metal chair. The cuffs holdings his arms and legs were thin and flimsy, just strong enough—Aegis guessed—to hold a typical human in place. Moments before, he was frozen in mid-axe-swing, initially made to chop in half a rather stingy nymph that had conveniently fallen in front of him. The Monitor’s ignored rambling gave Aegis just enough information to deduce that the round transition happened.
He began to answer the voice that seemed to come just inches behind his head with his name before he realized it was familiar.
“Aeon?”
“…Aegis?”
“You’re alive!”
“Evidently. Do you have your gauntlets?”
“I thought you died in that battle you were in! How’d you survive?”
“The Director must’ve spared me for some reason.”
“Who’s the Director?”
“Do you have your gauntlets or not?”
Aegis looked at his hands. Underneath the cuffs were, in fact, his gauntlets.
“Of course.”
“Hurry up and get us out of he-eere-!”
Aegis stood up and swung around, taking the chair with him. After realizing he couldn’t see Aeon anywhere in the cell, he realized he was tied to the other end of the chair behind him. Taking little time to deliberate, Aegis pulled tore off his cuffs and let the double-sided chair fall to the floor, proceeding to help his friend from it shortly afterwards.
“You look like shit! How long have you been stuck here?”
“A week, I figure. There isn’t really any indicator of time in here.”
“So… why are you here?”
“Long story. I was in a Grand Battle, in the last round. The other contestant and I managed to challenge the host of our battle—the Director—but he overwhelmed us. Then I found myself in this cell. You?”
“Oh, it has been great. I’ve wrestled a bear, hit a home run—literally—with a little tentacled girl as the ball… so much more fun than the usual. I guess someone died so we’re here now.” Aegis noticed a distinct lack of anything inanimate in the room other than the chair. “Wait… how did you…?”
“Time doesn’t seem to move at all in here. I haven’t eaten, but I don’t feel hungry. Let’s get out of this cell.”
Aegis formed a sword and began to swing it at the electric bars. The sword passed right through, sending electrical shocks through Aegis in the process. After righting himself, Aegis muttered curses and started to swing again.
“Wait—why don’t you try stabbing through the floor under them?”
Aegis looked at Aeon with an annoyed face and did so, disabling one of the bars.
“You and your logic.”
After a few minutes, the pair found themselves in a hallway, cells strewn throughout both walls in several floors. They chose an arbitrary direction and began to walk.
“We’re in Sector D, for ‘Violent but Low-Risk’. Our best bet is probably to find a control center, then locate some machinery that’s capable of opening transdimensional links. We-”
“Where’s your silver, by the way?”
“I thought I was going to die, so I gave it away.”
“Figures.”
“Anyways, we should probably avoid the other sectors, since the more dangerous inmates will be found there. It doesn’t look like we’ve activated security by escaping…”
The two found themselves in a large open area, several identical hallways extending in a seemingly endless expanse, cells everywhere. At Aeon’s topological explanation, they went through the nearest hallway to their right. It opened to a walkway, rows of cells now extending both down and up.
“You know, you’ve always been the only one who could make me think.”
“And you’re the only one who can make me laugh.”
Aegis paused. “No ironic ‘heh’?”
“I think we’re a bit too deep in a life-threatening scenario at the moment to make wisecracking jokes.”
“Oh lighten up. I’ve had fun.”
“You’re you.”
Aegis grinned. “I’ll make you laugh within the next hour. I guarantee it.”
“Hold up, I hear something.”
A faint crack and thud echoed from the walls. Aeon leaned over the rails and looked down at what was presumably the source of the sound. Several floors underneath them, a person propped a bed against the door of a cell, disrupting a couple bars. The person crawled through the resulting hole. A girl, dressed in a long black dress.
“…Amethyst?”
“You know her?”
“She can’t be alive. She died. Twice.”
“I think I can make the jump.”
“…What round is this?”
“I’ve thrown around little sorceresses before. I’ll take care of her.”
“What round is this?”