Re: The Great Belligerency [Round 1: The Rainy Place]
11-01-2010, 05:01 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
Reinhardt stomped through the waving forest of hands. Sounds of a distant battle were muted in the dense limb-trees. All around him, the hands brushed against each other, producing a softly whispering silence.
Reinhardt.
He started. It was the girl's voice, but it hadn't come from any particular direction...
I neglected to mention that the field allows me to communicate with you directly. It will benefit us to have an untraceable line of communication. Also, I apologize for the lie of omission, and my apparent intrusion into your mind. Trust me, I cannot read your thoughts. I only hear what you want me to hear, and you can shut me out whenever you choose.
"Untraceable this may be for you, young one. But an eavesdropper may still glean my side of the conversation."
You can sub-vocalize. Speak without using your voice. Like a whisper, but without opening your mouth.
Like so?
Precisely. Now, I have some important information regarding the recruitment of Phil Girnham. As I mentioned before, he is feeling directionless, though closer examination has revealed how we might provide him with that direction. He is, in all things, self-serving.
I advise you to enter in a partnership with him. He will be your public bodyguard, the obvious one, further diverting attention from me. However, he will view this as a debt owed to him, by you, and therefore expect you to return that protection when required. Given your tactical and strategic acumen, I do not believe you will be overly challenged. Additionally, we can cut him loose if he becomes problematic.
I will leave the actual wording up to you.
The voice in his head fell silent, and Reinhardt allowed his unconscious mind to guide his feet, while he churned through ways to convince Phil to work with him. However, another portion of his mind occupied itself with this girl and her brother. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were merely using him. It made him... uncomfortable. It was a matter he would have to deal with at some point.
For the moment, though, he was content to play along. And so he continued walking...
---
"We should meet up with him and see see if we can't work out an alliance of some sort."
The girl removed her finger from Phil's chest, interpreting the data she'd gathered from that touch; heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, nervous system activity... a deluge of information on Phil's inner workings raced through her mind. She filtered the data into interpretable chunks, allowing her to get a closer read on Phil's true feelings. She let Phil continue to think aloud, and lead her towards what he deemed "safety", while she sent her advisements to Reinhardt.
Phil was leading them towards a knoll, in the middle of a slight clearing. The girl thought quickly; it would be suspicious if Reinhardt came upon them suddenly, with no obvious method for knowing their location. She had to act quickly.
"Here! When that angry man with the hammer cleared these hands for a while, Reinhardt saw this hill thing! He said we should meet here, la, but I don't really know what's so special about it..."
Phil looked around. "I do. It gives the first party to arrive a tactical advantage. The edge of the forest is a good distance away from the top of this knoll, and the elevation gives someone with a ranged weapon the advantage. A smart move, on Reinhardt's part. He's giving me the power to cut him down if I so choose. I can see why this... Executor guy complimented his tactical knowledge."
He turned back towards the girl. "Julia, do you remember which direction he'll be coming from?"
"Uhmmmm..." The girl looked around uncertainly, and pointed, "that way! I think..."
"Good enough. Get in front of me, and sit. While we wait I have some questions to ask you."
"Okay!"
The girl moved in front of Phil, who remained standing at the highest point.
"First, I saw you a good distance away, talking with Reinhardt. How did you get to me so quickly?"
"Ohh... I'm sorry Phil, but it's something that I've learned is best to hide! I should have trusted you, though!"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, in the world I come from, abnormalities, like my speed, were viewed as 'impure'. Whenever people found out I was punished! They would try to do terrible things to me, simply because I was different! Maybe that is why I was picked for this battle. I had to do some terrible things... such terrible things... just to survive. La, maybe I deserve this fate... a battle to the death."
She looked off, wistfully, at the waving hand-trees.
Phil stood there awkwardly, not exactly sure what to say. Before he could think of anything, the hand-trees parted, and Vandrel Reinhardt stepped out. The huge armored man spread his arms, showing his empty hands, and spoke.
"I come before you in peace, fellow warrior, in hopes that I might broach the subject of a partnership."
Phil, having instinctively assumed a combat position, lowered his weapon. "Continue."
Reinhardt, with a flourish of his cape, bowed. "I thank you for hearing me out."
He approached the base of the knoll, and stopped.
"Put simply, Phil Girnham, we need each other. I have no doubt of your combat capabilities, and I find myself at a disadvantage in this contest; a disadvantage which you have the ability to rectify. With your technological superiority, you can fill the role that I lack. I therefore ask for your protection against these aliens and magic-users. In return, I offer my protection, in the form of leadership, and my sword."
Phil relaxed his stance a bit. "Sounds like a fair deal. I'll be your bodyguard, but you'll owe me for the protection."
"Agreed."
Phil shifted his gun to his left hand, and stuck out his right. Reinhardt approached, and the two men shook, sealing the deal.
Phil put his gun back in both hands, and stepped back. "So, what's the plan now?"
"Dove."
The girl shuddered at the name, and Phil glanced her way. "Relax, Julia. We'll take care of that hippie bastard." He looked back towards his new ally. "I'll take point. My sensor suite is better suited to this place than... well, regular eyes and ears."
Reinhardt nodded, and the three of them set off; Phil in front, Reinhardt behind him and the girl taking up the rear.
Reinhardt.
He resisted the urge to jump at the sudden voice again.
This is as good an opportunity as any to make our first foray into the multiverse.
But we're walking.
Time flows differently in the Network. Phil won't notice.
Very well.
And just like that, he found himself in that familiar room, empty this time of the girl's brother.
"So how does this work, exactly?"
"Well... that's a bit complicated, and to be frank, I don't quite know. My brother left behind a recording to explain the basics. I suggest you listen to it while I make some last minute preparations."
Reinhardt turned to see a screen appear on one side of the room, where the Hand of Silver's face appeared.
"Greetings, Lord Reinhardt, dear sister. I have had some opportunity to study this multiversal link we've established, and I believe I can vaguely understand precisely what we will be doing, in contacting others."
The Hand of Silver's face was replaced by a dull bubble, floating in blackness.
"Let's say this bubble is a universe, and the blackness is... well I'm not sure at the moment, but we'll just call it 'The Void', for now."
A small, glowing bump protruded from the bubble.
"If the bubble is a universe, this bump would be... well, us. Specifically, either my sister or myself; an open line, if you will, ready to be contacted.
"If you remember my sister's explanation on how my civilization harnessed the power of lightning, you will remember that she mentioned something called a 'lightning rod'; a long piece of metal, meant to attract lightning. This 'node' acts in a similar fashion. It attracts signals sent through the Void; through the multiverse."
A bolt of red lightning suddenly struck the node.
"Like that. That red flash represents our message, going out through the multiverse. We are, at this point, unable to guide it; we must rely on these nodes randomly attracting our message. Therefore, we cannot be certain who will receive our messages when we send them."
The Hand of Silver's face returned to the screen.
"I therefore advise that you do not mention our true intentions of human dominance. Establish a more obvious and common enemy; the organizers of these battles. Ostensibly, this Network which we intend to found will have the goal of overthrowing these multiversal masters. And be wary; there is no telling who, or what, might return your call.
"Good luck."
The screen vanished, and Reinhardt looked to the girl, who looked back. "I'm ready", she said.
"So am I."
"Look at me; I'll begin recording once you start speaking. My eyes and ears will capture your face and your words."
Reinhardt took a deep breath, and began.
"If you are hearing this, then you, too, are a victim of the whims of an enigmatic master, whom has forced you into a battle to the death with many other strange beings. You are likely far from your home, far from your friends, far from your family.
"My name is Vandrel Reinhardt, and I am in a battle similar to yours. I seek allies, to overthrow these unworthy grandmasters. I assume that, if you can receive this message, then you have some way of reaching into the multiverse. Seek me out. Together, we can fight for our freedom."
The girl nodded. "Very good. Sending it now."
After a moment, she nodded again. "Done. Now, we should get back. I'll let you know if I get anything."
And with that, Reinhardt found himself back in the forest, still following Phil, with seemingly no time lost. He smiled to himself. Things were looking up.
Reinhardt stomped through the waving forest of hands. Sounds of a distant battle were muted in the dense limb-trees. All around him, the hands brushed against each other, producing a softly whispering silence.
Reinhardt.
He started. It was the girl's voice, but it hadn't come from any particular direction...
I neglected to mention that the field allows me to communicate with you directly. It will benefit us to have an untraceable line of communication. Also, I apologize for the lie of omission, and my apparent intrusion into your mind. Trust me, I cannot read your thoughts. I only hear what you want me to hear, and you can shut me out whenever you choose.
"Untraceable this may be for you, young one. But an eavesdropper may still glean my side of the conversation."
You can sub-vocalize. Speak without using your voice. Like a whisper, but without opening your mouth.
Like so?
Precisely. Now, I have some important information regarding the recruitment of Phil Girnham. As I mentioned before, he is feeling directionless, though closer examination has revealed how we might provide him with that direction. He is, in all things, self-serving.
I advise you to enter in a partnership with him. He will be your public bodyguard, the obvious one, further diverting attention from me. However, he will view this as a debt owed to him, by you, and therefore expect you to return that protection when required. Given your tactical and strategic acumen, I do not believe you will be overly challenged. Additionally, we can cut him loose if he becomes problematic.
I will leave the actual wording up to you.
The voice in his head fell silent, and Reinhardt allowed his unconscious mind to guide his feet, while he churned through ways to convince Phil to work with him. However, another portion of his mind occupied itself with this girl and her brother. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were merely using him. It made him... uncomfortable. It was a matter he would have to deal with at some point.
For the moment, though, he was content to play along. And so he continued walking...
---
"We should meet up with him and see see if we can't work out an alliance of some sort."
The girl removed her finger from Phil's chest, interpreting the data she'd gathered from that touch; heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, nervous system activity... a deluge of information on Phil's inner workings raced through her mind. She filtered the data into interpretable chunks, allowing her to get a closer read on Phil's true feelings. She let Phil continue to think aloud, and lead her towards what he deemed "safety", while she sent her advisements to Reinhardt.
Phil was leading them towards a knoll, in the middle of a slight clearing. The girl thought quickly; it would be suspicious if Reinhardt came upon them suddenly, with no obvious method for knowing their location. She had to act quickly.
"Here! When that angry man with the hammer cleared these hands for a while, Reinhardt saw this hill thing! He said we should meet here, la, but I don't really know what's so special about it..."
Phil looked around. "I do. It gives the first party to arrive a tactical advantage. The edge of the forest is a good distance away from the top of this knoll, and the elevation gives someone with a ranged weapon the advantage. A smart move, on Reinhardt's part. He's giving me the power to cut him down if I so choose. I can see why this... Executor guy complimented his tactical knowledge."
He turned back towards the girl. "Julia, do you remember which direction he'll be coming from?"
"Uhmmmm..." The girl looked around uncertainly, and pointed, "that way! I think..."
"Good enough. Get in front of me, and sit. While we wait I have some questions to ask you."
"Okay!"
The girl moved in front of Phil, who remained standing at the highest point.
"First, I saw you a good distance away, talking with Reinhardt. How did you get to me so quickly?"
"Ohh... I'm sorry Phil, but it's something that I've learned is best to hide! I should have trusted you, though!"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, in the world I come from, abnormalities, like my speed, were viewed as 'impure'. Whenever people found out I was punished! They would try to do terrible things to me, simply because I was different! Maybe that is why I was picked for this battle. I had to do some terrible things... such terrible things... just to survive. La, maybe I deserve this fate... a battle to the death."
She looked off, wistfully, at the waving hand-trees.
Phil stood there awkwardly, not exactly sure what to say. Before he could think of anything, the hand-trees parted, and Vandrel Reinhardt stepped out. The huge armored man spread his arms, showing his empty hands, and spoke.
"I come before you in peace, fellow warrior, in hopes that I might broach the subject of a partnership."
Phil, having instinctively assumed a combat position, lowered his weapon. "Continue."
Reinhardt, with a flourish of his cape, bowed. "I thank you for hearing me out."
He approached the base of the knoll, and stopped.
"Put simply, Phil Girnham, we need each other. I have no doubt of your combat capabilities, and I find myself at a disadvantage in this contest; a disadvantage which you have the ability to rectify. With your technological superiority, you can fill the role that I lack. I therefore ask for your protection against these aliens and magic-users. In return, I offer my protection, in the form of leadership, and my sword."
Phil relaxed his stance a bit. "Sounds like a fair deal. I'll be your bodyguard, but you'll owe me for the protection."
"Agreed."
Phil shifted his gun to his left hand, and stuck out his right. Reinhardt approached, and the two men shook, sealing the deal.
Phil put his gun back in both hands, and stepped back. "So, what's the plan now?"
"Dove."
The girl shuddered at the name, and Phil glanced her way. "Relax, Julia. We'll take care of that hippie bastard." He looked back towards his new ally. "I'll take point. My sensor suite is better suited to this place than... well, regular eyes and ears."
Reinhardt nodded, and the three of them set off; Phil in front, Reinhardt behind him and the girl taking up the rear.
Reinhardt.
He resisted the urge to jump at the sudden voice again.
This is as good an opportunity as any to make our first foray into the multiverse.
But we're walking.
Time flows differently in the Network. Phil won't notice.
Very well.
And just like that, he found himself in that familiar room, empty this time of the girl's brother.
"So how does this work, exactly?"
"Well... that's a bit complicated, and to be frank, I don't quite know. My brother left behind a recording to explain the basics. I suggest you listen to it while I make some last minute preparations."
Reinhardt turned to see a screen appear on one side of the room, where the Hand of Silver's face appeared.
"Greetings, Lord Reinhardt, dear sister. I have had some opportunity to study this multiversal link we've established, and I believe I can vaguely understand precisely what we will be doing, in contacting others."
The Hand of Silver's face was replaced by a dull bubble, floating in blackness.
"Let's say this bubble is a universe, and the blackness is... well I'm not sure at the moment, but we'll just call it 'The Void', for now."
A small, glowing bump protruded from the bubble.
"If the bubble is a universe, this bump would be... well, us. Specifically, either my sister or myself; an open line, if you will, ready to be contacted.
"If you remember my sister's explanation on how my civilization harnessed the power of lightning, you will remember that she mentioned something called a 'lightning rod'; a long piece of metal, meant to attract lightning. This 'node' acts in a similar fashion. It attracts signals sent through the Void; through the multiverse."
A bolt of red lightning suddenly struck the node.
"Like that. That red flash represents our message, going out through the multiverse. We are, at this point, unable to guide it; we must rely on these nodes randomly attracting our message. Therefore, we cannot be certain who will receive our messages when we send them."
The Hand of Silver's face returned to the screen.
"I therefore advise that you do not mention our true intentions of human dominance. Establish a more obvious and common enemy; the organizers of these battles. Ostensibly, this Network which we intend to found will have the goal of overthrowing these multiversal masters. And be wary; there is no telling who, or what, might return your call.
"Good luck."
The screen vanished, and Reinhardt looked to the girl, who looked back. "I'm ready", she said.
"So am I."
"Look at me; I'll begin recording once you start speaking. My eyes and ears will capture your face and your words."
Reinhardt took a deep breath, and began.
"If you are hearing this, then you, too, are a victim of the whims of an enigmatic master, whom has forced you into a battle to the death with many other strange beings. You are likely far from your home, far from your friends, far from your family.
"My name is Vandrel Reinhardt, and I am in a battle similar to yours. I seek allies, to overthrow these unworthy grandmasters. I assume that, if you can receive this message, then you have some way of reaching into the multiverse. Seek me out. Together, we can fight for our freedom."
The girl nodded. "Very good. Sending it now."
After a moment, she nodded again. "Done. Now, we should get back. I'll let you know if I get anything."
And with that, Reinhardt found himself back in the forest, still following Phil, with seemingly no time lost. He smiled to himself. Things were looking up.