Re: Intense Struggle Season 2! (Round 1: Training Facility ONX)
07-13-2010, 11:00 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by gloomyMoron.
Reudic floated slowly above the lush jungle ground; motionless but moving, unnoticed but in plain sight. Just a few more moments and its prey would be within the grasp of its strong and sturdy tendrils. Slowly, quietly the vines snaked out and down from the coiled mass at their base. Subtle was the illusion that had held the prey-beast steady. Subtle not so much because of expert control on the part of Reudic, but rather due to the simplicity its prey's mind. Another second, another millimeter and Reudic would have enough nourishment to last an eighth of a solar cycle, at least. Just a bit further... and then it was gone: out of Reudic's reach. Not because the prey-beast had noticed its impending end, nor because of some error made by the stalking predator.
The prey-beast was gone because it and Reudic no longer inhabited the same dimensional plane of existence. Instead of engorging itself upon a fresh kill as its roots burrowed and tore into the thick armored flesh of the prey-beast, Reudic found itself in a place most strange. Suddenly, a voice came from behind what, to Reudic, appeared to be various thick, gray and black rectangular leaves, though Reudic saw neither tree nor foliage around. A voice soon came from behind the leaves, and it spoke in gibberish. Reudic understood not a single word that the voice had spoken, and yet the message still came through clear. Reudic was far from home, and about to be placed in mortal peril for reasons beyond its understanding.
The voice continued to drone on and, seemingly, singled out every other entity within the room. Quickly, Reudic realized that introductions were taking place, a realization that was confirmed when it recognized its own name being called, albeit unskillfully. The voice suddenly finished speaking, and then Reudic was once again displaced from one location to another without prior notice.
The plant-being hovered above green sludge, and broken glass. Everything around it was new and strange. The concept of walls were foreign to it, as was the concept of a ceiling that other than the leaves of the great mother-forest. Idly it regarded its surroundings and reflected on the fast pace events that had led it to be in this position. First it thought upon its lost prey. Reudic, as it always did, resolved itself to indifference. Survival was as much luck as it was skill, and today that creature was luckier. It then thought upon the place it had found itself last, and once again was disinterested with the events that had transpired. Finally, it thought upon its current surrounding, to which Reudic once again failed to react too.
|Survival is all that matters, and even that is transitory, same as my location today it seems.| With no particularly strong thoughts on what to do next nor with any real emotion guiding it, Reudic moved towards the spot in its surroundings that seemed to be cracked. Upon reaching its destination, the crack in the wall parted and grew larger, allowing the floating plant to continue passage through the egress.
The new room was different from the first in that it seemed longer and that parts of the ground were missing. A somewhat narrow, winding path that stretched outwards into the distance, leading to another cracked wall. At the end of the hall, a medium sized creature stood on three legs in front of, what Reudic could only imagine was, a rocky outcropping of the wall. |Must be some form of test or trial, that leads to some form of primitive alter. Not that it really matters anyway.|
Stealthily Reudic crossed the path, and sneaked upon the creature. It unwound its mighty tendrils and floated forward slowly, probing the creatures mind as it went. This new prey was much smarter than the last, sentient even. Reudic would have to try to exert more control over the images the creature would see, pulling up information from its own mind at random usually served to disorient all but the most focused and determined of prey. This ploy proved to be successful as the new prey-beast failed to notice the vines that tightened around its neck until it snapped. The prey-beast was dead, killed quickly and ruthlessly. Reudic's vines wrapped around the carcass and pulled it toward Reudic's roots to be digested.
|"One beast spared; another ceased. The cycle goes on."| Reudic's mouth-fruit uttered, seemingly cold, indifferent. Bored, even. After fully pulling the creature into Reudic's mass of vines and roots, it continued to move onwards, towards the cracked wall. Silently, the plant floated out into a larger expanse, the cracked wall sealing behind it. Two other cracked walls were placed around the circular room, and Reudic was continually indifferent towards both of them. Indecisive on where to go next, it decided to take a moment to digest. To digest both the situation at hand, and the fresh flesh that now sat in its root and vine gullet.
Reudic floated slowly above the lush jungle ground; motionless but moving, unnoticed but in plain sight. Just a few more moments and its prey would be within the grasp of its strong and sturdy tendrils. Slowly, quietly the vines snaked out and down from the coiled mass at their base. Subtle was the illusion that had held the prey-beast steady. Subtle not so much because of expert control on the part of Reudic, but rather due to the simplicity its prey's mind. Another second, another millimeter and Reudic would have enough nourishment to last an eighth of a solar cycle, at least. Just a bit further... and then it was gone: out of Reudic's reach. Not because the prey-beast had noticed its impending end, nor because of some error made by the stalking predator.
The prey-beast was gone because it and Reudic no longer inhabited the same dimensional plane of existence. Instead of engorging itself upon a fresh kill as its roots burrowed and tore into the thick armored flesh of the prey-beast, Reudic found itself in a place most strange. Suddenly, a voice came from behind what, to Reudic, appeared to be various thick, gray and black rectangular leaves, though Reudic saw neither tree nor foliage around. A voice soon came from behind the leaves, and it spoke in gibberish. Reudic understood not a single word that the voice had spoken, and yet the message still came through clear. Reudic was far from home, and about to be placed in mortal peril for reasons beyond its understanding.
The voice continued to drone on and, seemingly, singled out every other entity within the room. Quickly, Reudic realized that introductions were taking place, a realization that was confirmed when it recognized its own name being called, albeit unskillfully. The voice suddenly finished speaking, and then Reudic was once again displaced from one location to another without prior notice.
The plant-being hovered above green sludge, and broken glass. Everything around it was new and strange. The concept of walls were foreign to it, as was the concept of a ceiling that other than the leaves of the great mother-forest. Idly it regarded its surroundings and reflected on the fast pace events that had led it to be in this position. First it thought upon its lost prey. Reudic, as it always did, resolved itself to indifference. Survival was as much luck as it was skill, and today that creature was luckier. It then thought upon the place it had found itself last, and once again was disinterested with the events that had transpired. Finally, it thought upon its current surrounding, to which Reudic once again failed to react too.
|Survival is all that matters, and even that is transitory, same as my location today it seems.| With no particularly strong thoughts on what to do next nor with any real emotion guiding it, Reudic moved towards the spot in its surroundings that seemed to be cracked. Upon reaching its destination, the crack in the wall parted and grew larger, allowing the floating plant to continue passage through the egress.
The new room was different from the first in that it seemed longer and that parts of the ground were missing. A somewhat narrow, winding path that stretched outwards into the distance, leading to another cracked wall. At the end of the hall, a medium sized creature stood on three legs in front of, what Reudic could only imagine was, a rocky outcropping of the wall. |Must be some form of test or trial, that leads to some form of primitive alter. Not that it really matters anyway.|
Stealthily Reudic crossed the path, and sneaked upon the creature. It unwound its mighty tendrils and floated forward slowly, probing the creatures mind as it went. This new prey was much smarter than the last, sentient even. Reudic would have to try to exert more control over the images the creature would see, pulling up information from its own mind at random usually served to disorient all but the most focused and determined of prey. This ploy proved to be successful as the new prey-beast failed to notice the vines that tightened around its neck until it snapped. The prey-beast was dead, killed quickly and ruthlessly. Reudic's vines wrapped around the carcass and pulled it toward Reudic's roots to be digested.
|"One beast spared; another ceased. The cycle goes on."| Reudic's mouth-fruit uttered, seemingly cold, indifferent. Bored, even. After fully pulling the creature into Reudic's mass of vines and roots, it continued to move onwards, towards the cracked wall. Silently, the plant floated out into a larger expanse, the cracked wall sealing behind it. Two other cracked walls were placed around the circular room, and Reudic was continually indifferent towards both of them. Indecisive on where to go next, it decided to take a moment to digest. To digest both the situation at hand, and the fresh flesh that now sat in its root and vine gullet.