Re: The Gradual Massacre (GBS2G4) [Round 2: The Museum]
09-21-2010, 10:00 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
The Countess clashed her jaws together furiously at Holly’s retreating form, which she promptly lost at the first, smoke-filled intersection. She flicked the remnant steel tethers off by working a claw under them, considering and discarding the thought of devouring them.
You’re not doing a very good job at this.
The Controller sounded amused, but his cold voice was enough to bring the Countess down from her righteous fury. He sighed, and gave his distracted agent a few directives. The amalgam was studying a display of barbed hooks and considering whether to reshape her teeth to resemble them, but struck off as soon as she received her orders.
Pluck felt a little guilty about abandoning Algernon, but not enough to warrant going back and helping him face several reapers and a horde of flesh-eating insects. Catching his breath beneath some gallows and trying not to look at its swinging occupant, the werewolf took a look around to confirm there was nobody around, then double-checked by reaching out to any neighbouring minds.
Shit, it’s that creepy spider-woman!
Pluck was ready to run again, when an explosion rocked the museum. He swore and leapt out of the way of the collapsing display behind him; his heroic dive was met with the ominous ticking of an approaching clockwork nightmare.
“Please don’t run; I need your help.”
Experimentally, the werewolf reached into the Countess’ mind, and came back with a dagger. He swore and dropped it, then wished he hadn’t. The amalgam said nothing as she stared at the blade, before continuing in her eerily pleasant tones as if nothing had happened.
“You could make a key for a specific door if someone were thinking about it, yes?”
“I-I guess?” Pluck was inching away as fast as he could while looking like he was sticking around. The Countess continued patiently, knowing a false move on her part would make her quarry make a run for it.
“I found a door a while ago – it was marked ‘Staff Only’. I can only expect this Controller’s employees would be formidable monsters indeed, but I believe were they still here, we would’ve seen them. It may provide a means of escape – yes, that door,” said the Countess, as an identical copy materialised in front of Pluck like a shield. “I do wish you’d stop dipping into my mind like that.”
“Sorry.”
“As we can both see, the door exists – will you allow me to lead you to it so we may find a way out of here?” Sensing the werewolf was still reluctant to be anywhere near her, the Countess shrugged and raised her claws in an imploring fashion. Pluck, despite the amalgam’s earlier request, searched around for what he hoped would be the last time, before tossing a key at her and taking a few steps back.
“Look, Countess. Best of luck trying to get out, but I don’t think your plan’s gonna work - no offense. I, uh, guess you’ll be fine, but...”
“Wait.” The Countess called after Pluck, who reluctantly stopped hightailing it away from the clockwork woman to hear her out. “I said I needed your help, and I meant it. The door was beside the maintenance bay for these robots... and I’m rather certain that’s what exploded.”
“What? How do- hell no. Please- please don’t take offense at this, but you’re crazy. Or I don’t trust you. Or- look, I don’t even know, alright? How am I supposed to trust you!? As soon as we get any ideas, that Controller bastard’ll do to us what he did to that cop!”
The Countess said nothing, and the werewolf took that as his final overdue cue to flee. That awful skittering of metal striking the ground in pursuit was expected, but the hum of the dagger he’d only recently materialised, going right by his ear, was a bit more startling. There was a crash of breaking glass behind Pluck, who turned to see the Countess had grabbed several more nasty metal tools from a display. She’d loaded one into the clamp of fingers on one hand, her ambient ticking masking the ratcheting of a spring in her palm tightening.
Neither party moved. The Countess chirped levelly, with such tireless insistence it would’ve annoyed Pluck in any other situation, “I need your help.”
The Countess clashed her jaws together furiously at Holly’s retreating form, which she promptly lost at the first, smoke-filled intersection. She flicked the remnant steel tethers off by working a claw under them, considering and discarding the thought of devouring them.
You’re not doing a very good job at this.
The Controller sounded amused, but his cold voice was enough to bring the Countess down from her righteous fury. He sighed, and gave his distracted agent a few directives. The amalgam was studying a display of barbed hooks and considering whether to reshape her teeth to resemble them, but struck off as soon as she received her orders.
Pluck felt a little guilty about abandoning Algernon, but not enough to warrant going back and helping him face several reapers and a horde of flesh-eating insects. Catching his breath beneath some gallows and trying not to look at its swinging occupant, the werewolf took a look around to confirm there was nobody around, then double-checked by reaching out to any neighbouring minds.
Shit, it’s that creepy spider-woman!
Pluck was ready to run again, when an explosion rocked the museum. He swore and leapt out of the way of the collapsing display behind him; his heroic dive was met with the ominous ticking of an approaching clockwork nightmare.
“Please don’t run; I need your help.”
Experimentally, the werewolf reached into the Countess’ mind, and came back with a dagger. He swore and dropped it, then wished he hadn’t. The amalgam said nothing as she stared at the blade, before continuing in her eerily pleasant tones as if nothing had happened.
“You could make a key for a specific door if someone were thinking about it, yes?”
“I-I guess?” Pluck was inching away as fast as he could while looking like he was sticking around. The Countess continued patiently, knowing a false move on her part would make her quarry make a run for it.
“I found a door a while ago – it was marked ‘Staff Only’. I can only expect this Controller’s employees would be formidable monsters indeed, but I believe were they still here, we would’ve seen them. It may provide a means of escape – yes, that door,” said the Countess, as an identical copy materialised in front of Pluck like a shield. “I do wish you’d stop dipping into my mind like that.”
“Sorry.”
“As we can both see, the door exists – will you allow me to lead you to it so we may find a way out of here?” Sensing the werewolf was still reluctant to be anywhere near her, the Countess shrugged and raised her claws in an imploring fashion. Pluck, despite the amalgam’s earlier request, searched around for what he hoped would be the last time, before tossing a key at her and taking a few steps back.
“Look, Countess. Best of luck trying to get out, but I don’t think your plan’s gonna work - no offense. I, uh, guess you’ll be fine, but...”
“Wait.” The Countess called after Pluck, who reluctantly stopped hightailing it away from the clockwork woman to hear her out. “I said I needed your help, and I meant it. The door was beside the maintenance bay for these robots... and I’m rather certain that’s what exploded.”
“What? How do- hell no. Please- please don’t take offense at this, but you’re crazy. Or I don’t trust you. Or- look, I don’t even know, alright? How am I supposed to trust you!? As soon as we get any ideas, that Controller bastard’ll do to us what he did to that cop!”
The Countess said nothing, and the werewolf took that as his final overdue cue to flee. That awful skittering of metal striking the ground in pursuit was expected, but the hum of the dagger he’d only recently materialised, going right by his ear, was a bit more startling. There was a crash of breaking glass behind Pluck, who turned to see the Countess had grabbed several more nasty metal tools from a display. She’d loaded one into the clamp of fingers on one hand, her ambient ticking masking the ratcheting of a spring in her palm tightening.
Neither party moved. The Countess chirped levelly, with such tireless insistence it would’ve annoyed Pluck in any other situation, “I need your help.”
peace to the unsung peace to the martyrs | i'm johnny rotten appleseed
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow