Re: The Great Belligerency [Round 3: Eternity Plateau]
02-12-2012, 12:15 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
The viper coiled around the tree trunk, watching its target, slowly moving closer. It slithered up the tree to the branch where its victim lay.
It waited. Its prey would prove dangerous if provoked, but the viper was eager to sink its fangs into the succulent honey of the hive.
The bees flitting around their home moved inside. The viper moved closer, edging forward carefully.
Then, it opened its mouth wide, and lunged forward.
Its jaws snapped shut on empty air.
The viper looked around, puzzled, hungry, and frustrated. It slipped down to the ground and decided to hunt for easier prey.
Meanwhile, the hive reappeared on a rock some fifty feet away. A few drones flew out, and warped away, scouting for a better spot for the hive.
***
Cole's journey was suddenly interrupted as he found himself flying into absolutely nothing. Curious, he looked down; there seemed to be a village below.
A strikingly empty and familiar village, in fact. He had seen the layout of the huts before, and the lack of people outside of them suggested that this was the village where his journey had begun.
Wonderful. He had gone around in a circle. He dropped to the ground for a closer look.
He couldn't re-enter the village, not that he had a particular reason to; the invisible force keeping him from flying over seemed to extend to the ground, as well. That was strange.
Hadn't the old men mentioned something about a barrier? Perhaps they'd decided to simply keep the unknowns out of their own village, and not worry about the rest of the Plateau. Well, as long as they weren't playing gods to the place any more, Cole hardly cared.
He carefully walked around the village, reasoning it would be easier to work out where he couldn't go on the ground rather than the air, where there was nothing to navigate by except the beacon. As he felt his way around the barrier, he heard a buzzing sound; he sighed as he felt the now-familiar zap as whatever insect it was struck him. He had plenty of bees, wasps, and flies of all variety already; what use was another one?
Finally, he found his way to the other side of the barrier. He looked towards the beacon and readied his wings.
"And let me guess, that way is east," he muttered to himself as he took to the air once more.
The viper coiled around the tree trunk, watching its target, slowly moving closer. It slithered up the tree to the branch where its victim lay.
It waited. Its prey would prove dangerous if provoked, but the viper was eager to sink its fangs into the succulent honey of the hive.
The bees flitting around their home moved inside. The viper moved closer, edging forward carefully.
Then, it opened its mouth wide, and lunged forward.
Its jaws snapped shut on empty air.
The viper looked around, puzzled, hungry, and frustrated. It slipped down to the ground and decided to hunt for easier prey.
Meanwhile, the hive reappeared on a rock some fifty feet away. A few drones flew out, and warped away, scouting for a better spot for the hive.
***
Cole's journey was suddenly interrupted as he found himself flying into absolutely nothing. Curious, he looked down; there seemed to be a village below.
A strikingly empty and familiar village, in fact. He had seen the layout of the huts before, and the lack of people outside of them suggested that this was the village where his journey had begun.
Wonderful. He had gone around in a circle. He dropped to the ground for a closer look.
He couldn't re-enter the village, not that he had a particular reason to; the invisible force keeping him from flying over seemed to extend to the ground, as well. That was strange.
Hadn't the old men mentioned something about a barrier? Perhaps they'd decided to simply keep the unknowns out of their own village, and not worry about the rest of the Plateau. Well, as long as they weren't playing gods to the place any more, Cole hardly cared.
He carefully walked around the village, reasoning it would be easier to work out where he couldn't go on the ground rather than the air, where there was nothing to navigate by except the beacon. As he felt his way around the barrier, he heard a buzzing sound; he sighed as he felt the now-familiar zap as whatever insect it was struck him. He had plenty of bees, wasps, and flies of all variety already; what use was another one?
Finally, he found his way to the other side of the barrier. He looked towards the beacon and readied his wings.
"And let me guess, that way is east," he muttered to himself as he took to the air once more.
There's no reason for this | Or this | Death is inevitable | You can't challenge fate | The smallest change | I'm overwhelmed
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse