Re: The Battle Royale S2 [Round 2: Prospect Creek]
09-12-2010, 06:09 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pinary.
The barstool hit Geoff in the shoulder, delivering a much stronger blow than he'd expected and sending him tumbling him to the sandy ground at the far end of the bar. He was rather thankful that the saloon's floor was mostly gone, really- sand was much more comfortable than wood, especially when approached at speed.
He lay there for a moment, content to relax on the warm, sandy floor, but the sight of the angel stalking towards him got him moving again. He rolled to his side, planted his hands, and pushed himself up- only to feel the sand sink a few inches and throw a load of gas in his face. He coughed a bit, tried again to stand, and decided to just crawl around the end of the bar, and as he did, a grin spread across his face.
Sirius moved toward the fallen crossbow, another stool held high. The crossbow was laying on the ground, and that meant the Hattallan wasn't far. A quick bash to the head, and they'd all be on their way, one fewer obstacle between Sirius and escape. Slowly, he raised the stool above his head-
"Are you familiar," Geoff asked, his voice coming from somewhere on the other side of the room, "with the rite of Kol's Flame?"
Sirius jerked his head around, looking for the source of the voice. He still couldn't see the Hattallan, but the candle floating near the middle of the bar seemed like an obvious giveaway. Willing away his spiritual senses, he confirmed it- the Hattallan stood behind the bar, looking a bit uncertainly at him, a mad grin plastered across his face.
"I'll take your frowny glare for a no," he said, wobbling a bit from side to side as he did.
Sirius just rolled his eyes. "You're drunk too. Terrific. Just-"
"No, not drunk," Geoff interrupted, eyes gleaming. "I just know what this smell is! But, before we get to that- Kol's Flame."
"What about it?!" The angel whirled his stool a time or two, getting a feel for the heft of it.
"It's a solemn ritual," Geoff replied, gesturing vaguely, "where two parties with a conflict can come together and discuss. As long as the flame burns, there is an understanding of peace between the parties. He who puts out the flame is seen as the aggressor and is therefore the guilty party. It's been Hattallan tradition for hundreds of years, and it's not something invoked lightly."
"And why are you telling me this?"
"Oh, right, yeah-" Geoff gestured to the candle he was holding, nearly losing his grip on it in the process. "This here is that. We're going to work this out calmly- unless, of course, you're going to fly in the face of a centuries-old tradition for some silly reason."
"No," Sirius said, sighing, "if it's a tradition of your people, then I will respect it."
"Excellent!" Geoff attempted to vault himself over the bar, managing only to roll awkwardly over it while holding the candle high above him the whole time. "Now! The smell!" Still grinning, he walked up to Sirius, passing him the candle. "I thought I recognized it when I arrived, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Now, though- now I know what it is!"
"And what would that be, exactly?"
"It's myna gas," Geoff laughed, vaguely walking his way around the room, "myna gas, can you believe it? I'm taken out of my home in the middle of an investigation, subjected to an insane meat-factory, and then what? I'm dropped in a place practically saturated with myna gas!"
Sirius gritted his teeth. "But what is this 'myna gas'?"
"Oh!" Geoff spun around to face the angel. "You don't know? It's a drug! It's a recreational drug commonly used by teens to get off their head! It forms underground, then seeps through sandy areas to the surface, where it's soaked into cloth, which is then burned, releasing it back into the air, where it can once more impair kids' judgment and motor skills!"
"And this gas is all over the town?"
"Oh, yes! It's everywhere! I mean, I have tracked a few myna-dealing rings back to their sources, but I've never seen anywhere with this much of the stuff!"
"Wait... Can this gas cause hallucinations?"
Geoff frowned at him. "Well, it's not known to in Hattallans, but I suppose it could for other types of people. That's not the important bit, though."
"And what is the-"
"The important bit is this:" Geoff walked up to the angel, standing before him and looking a bit more steady than he had. "I've got a fair bit of experience, and right now, that experience is telling me two things: One, you're standing on a sizeable pocket of myna gas right now, and two-" he grinned again- "myna gas is flammable."
Slamming his foot down, Geoff burst the pocket, releasing the trapped gas. With that same foot, he pushed off, throwing himself backwards just as the rising gas reached the candle.
In a great rush, the air around Sirius burst into flame, burning fast and bright. It only lasted a few seconds, but by the time they were gone, so was Geoff, out the door and into the street.
The barstool hit Geoff in the shoulder, delivering a much stronger blow than he'd expected and sending him tumbling him to the sandy ground at the far end of the bar. He was rather thankful that the saloon's floor was mostly gone, really- sand was much more comfortable than wood, especially when approached at speed.
He lay there for a moment, content to relax on the warm, sandy floor, but the sight of the angel stalking towards him got him moving again. He rolled to his side, planted his hands, and pushed himself up- only to feel the sand sink a few inches and throw a load of gas in his face. He coughed a bit, tried again to stand, and decided to just crawl around the end of the bar, and as he did, a grin spread across his face.
Sirius moved toward the fallen crossbow, another stool held high. The crossbow was laying on the ground, and that meant the Hattallan wasn't far. A quick bash to the head, and they'd all be on their way, one fewer obstacle between Sirius and escape. Slowly, he raised the stool above his head-
"Are you familiar," Geoff asked, his voice coming from somewhere on the other side of the room, "with the rite of Kol's Flame?"
Sirius jerked his head around, looking for the source of the voice. He still couldn't see the Hattallan, but the candle floating near the middle of the bar seemed like an obvious giveaway. Willing away his spiritual senses, he confirmed it- the Hattallan stood behind the bar, looking a bit uncertainly at him, a mad grin plastered across his face.
"I'll take your frowny glare for a no," he said, wobbling a bit from side to side as he did.
Sirius just rolled his eyes. "You're drunk too. Terrific. Just-"
"No, not drunk," Geoff interrupted, eyes gleaming. "I just know what this smell is! But, before we get to that- Kol's Flame."
"What about it?!" The angel whirled his stool a time or two, getting a feel for the heft of it.
"It's a solemn ritual," Geoff replied, gesturing vaguely, "where two parties with a conflict can come together and discuss. As long as the flame burns, there is an understanding of peace between the parties. He who puts out the flame is seen as the aggressor and is therefore the guilty party. It's been Hattallan tradition for hundreds of years, and it's not something invoked lightly."
"And why are you telling me this?"
"Oh, right, yeah-" Geoff gestured to the candle he was holding, nearly losing his grip on it in the process. "This here is that. We're going to work this out calmly- unless, of course, you're going to fly in the face of a centuries-old tradition for some silly reason."
"No," Sirius said, sighing, "if it's a tradition of your people, then I will respect it."
"Excellent!" Geoff attempted to vault himself over the bar, managing only to roll awkwardly over it while holding the candle high above him the whole time. "Now! The smell!" Still grinning, he walked up to Sirius, passing him the candle. "I thought I recognized it when I arrived, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Now, though- now I know what it is!"
"And what would that be, exactly?"
"It's myna gas," Geoff laughed, vaguely walking his way around the room, "myna gas, can you believe it? I'm taken out of my home in the middle of an investigation, subjected to an insane meat-factory, and then what? I'm dropped in a place practically saturated with myna gas!"
Sirius gritted his teeth. "But what is this 'myna gas'?"
"Oh!" Geoff spun around to face the angel. "You don't know? It's a drug! It's a recreational drug commonly used by teens to get off their head! It forms underground, then seeps through sandy areas to the surface, where it's soaked into cloth, which is then burned, releasing it back into the air, where it can once more impair kids' judgment and motor skills!"
"And this gas is all over the town?"
"Oh, yes! It's everywhere! I mean, I have tracked a few myna-dealing rings back to their sources, but I've never seen anywhere with this much of the stuff!"
"Wait... Can this gas cause hallucinations?"
Geoff frowned at him. "Well, it's not known to in Hattallans, but I suppose it could for other types of people. That's not the important bit, though."
"And what is the-"
"The important bit is this:" Geoff walked up to the angel, standing before him and looking a bit more steady than he had. "I've got a fair bit of experience, and right now, that experience is telling me two things: One, you're standing on a sizeable pocket of myna gas right now, and two-" he grinned again- "myna gas is flammable."
Slamming his foot down, Geoff burst the pocket, releasing the trapped gas. With that same foot, he pushed off, throwing himself backwards just as the rising gas reached the candle.
In a great rush, the air around Sirius burst into flame, burning fast and bright. It only lasted a few seconds, but by the time they were gone, so was Geoff, out the door and into the street.