Re: Intense Struggle Season 2! (Round 1: Training Facility ONX)
08-17-2010, 08:59 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by GreyGabe.
Marcus began limping along a little faster. The lights were on up ahead. Finally. He had begun to think this powerless section just stretched on forever. Typically darkness didn’t particularly bother Marcus, but between the strange creatures he had seen, and intermittent rumbling noises echoing through the tunnel, he was far from comfortable. Besides, if it was well lit enough, maybe he could put down bird-girl and let his leg have a rest for a few minutes. He’d had more painful injuries before, but he’d be damned if this wasn’t one of the most annoying.
“Uh… Marcus?” Sarika muttured quietly, tightening her grip on his neck slightly.
“Look, you wanna get down and walk, princess? I’m doing the best I--”
“I thought I saw something move. On the wall.”
That stopped Marcus dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned, his gun held at the ready, peering into the darkness.
“Which wall?” He whispered.
“To the right. It was kind of a ripply motion.”
Marcus glared into the darkness, trying to spot any sign of motion. Nothing. Either the thing was on to them, or it was better at hiding than they thought. Or hell, maybe Sarika was seeing things. Who knew? Still, Marcus considered, it seemed like a good idea to err on the side of not having your head ripped off from behind in the dark. He glanced back over his shoulder. They weren’t very far from the light. But it was still a pretty good distance, and he definitely knew he shouldn’t run on his leg unless he absolutely had to.
“Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna start backing up. You’re going to keep an eye out to make sure I don’t trip over anything or get eaten or whatever. I’m going to keep an eye out this way. If anything moves, I fill it full of bullets.”
“Uh, okay. Sounds like a plan. Let’s go.”
Marcus backed up slowly, keeping alert for even the slightest movement. Occasionally Sarika muttered warnings or directions to get him past obstacles, but mostly there was silence.
“Hey, we’re almost there! Oh, watch out for that cable. Oh, and there’s some sort of bucket or something to the right. No, my right! Better. Good. Just a little further…”
Marcus tightened his grip on his pistol. Just a little further, sure. Like that thing was going to let them get away. It had tracked them this far, hadn’t it? He was just beginning to wonder just how patient that thing could be when he saw the rippling on the floor, moving towards them very, very quickly.
He guessed its patience had worn out.
The hateful prey was almost to the light again. Already the darkness of the tunnel was less oppressive, more gloomy than dark. Loathsome, revealing light, it hurt its eyes. If it did not catch them now, it might not have a chance again. It had to strike fast, kill or cripple the pale one and then it could take its time… it began moving, along the floor. Slowly, at first, until it realized it was unseen, and began to pick up speed. A scant few meters away, the pale one noticed it, but too late! Too late to flee! It would be on them soon!
Marcus fired quickly, trying just to wound it so that he could manage it better. One of his shots hit, causing the thing to scream and flinch, turning what would have been a deadly pounce into a head-long tumble, which hit Marcus in the knees and knocked him down. Marcus tried to catch himself, and would have if the ground hadn’t have gotten in the way of his face. His gun skittered away across the floor. Sarika was thrown a short way to the side, hitting the ground with her bad arm, gasping in pain. Marcus blinked twice, and started trying to stand up. A weight hit him from behind, knocking him down again. Strong, clawed hands started scrabbling at his armor and the back of his head, probably trying to get a grip on his neck. He threw an elbow behind him to try and throw the creature off. It flinched from his arm, but otherwise was unfazed. Marcus thrashed about, trying to throw it off. He was strong, but it seemed to be stronger, or at least had a stronger position.
Finally its dexterous fingers found their way around his neck and began to squeeze. Marcus began thrashing faster, but to no avail. He had just enough time to think something along the lines of ‘Wow, what an embarrassing way to die,’ before there was a loud thumping sound and the creature shrieked and flinched, trying to turn around. Marcus threw his weight as hard as he could, managing to tumble the creature off of him. Sarika half-sat awkwardly nearby, clutching her staff and glaring at the thing. Marcus looked at the creature, with its pale, slimy skin and a wiry, compact form. It stared back with large, pale eyes, that seemed to glow with their own unwholesome light. Marcus managed to stand never taking his eyes off the thing. It clutched at its side, where pale green ichor oozed out between its digits. Marcus pulled another pistol, and aimed directly for the thing’s head. It shrunk back slightly, malice and rage clear on its face. Marcus fired twice.
He holstered his weapon, and picked the other one up from where it dropped. He then knelt down next to Sarika.
“Thanks for the assist.”
“Well, you looked like you needed it.”
“You think? I’m guessing that you hit it where it was already wounded?”
“Yep.”
“It didn’t seem to appreciate it.”
“Nope.”
Marcus looked past her and towards the lighted area. The back and sides of his head were covered with a criss-cross of thin, red scratches, with a couple of larger gashes on the back of his head. A few bruises were beginning to make themselves manifest as well. His neck was scratched and bruised, but not as severely as his head. The scratches weren’t bleeding much, but they looked fairly ugly.
“Ouch. Looks like that thing did a number on you.”
Marcus gently ran a hand over his head. “Could be worse. At least it didn’t get my face. I would be beside myself if it had marred my perfect visage.”
Sarika was unsure whether she was supposed to laugh or agree with him. She settled for a blank stare.
“That was a joke.”
She continued staring blankly.
Marcus rolled his eyes and stood up again.
“Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to find out if that thing has any friends.”
“Yeah.”
Marcus picked Sarika up, this time opting for the easier and marginally less awkward bridal carry. He began hobbling towards the light once more.
Finally, they made it. The tunnel only continued on for a short way after that. A single door waited for them. As they approached, the doors silently slid open. Marcus slowly entered, checking the room carefully for any sign of approaching nasties. The only signs of life in the huge, circluar room were a few maintenance bots, trundling around and working on various pieces of equipment. Control panels, gauges, and screens took up most of the floor space, measuring things and showing readouts that Marcus wasn’t even going to pretend he understood.
What he could understand, however, was the lift near the center of the room, and the control panel sitting a few feet from it. He silently offered a prayer of thanks, to anyone who might be listening, that he didn’t have to climb any stairs. Slowly, he limped over to the side of one of the control panels, and gently set Sarika down next to it. He lowered himself to the ground with some difficulty, and stretched out his bad leg in front of him.
“Gimme a few minutes to rest, then we’ll check out the lift.”
“Right. Um… do you hear that rumbling sound?”
Marcus tilted his head and listened for a bit. “Yeah, it’s probably some big machine or something. Sounds pretty far away.”
Sarika frowned. “I think it sounds closer than it did before.”
Marcus shrugged. “Well, maybe we worked our way closer to it. It’s hard to tell where it’s coming from, these tunnels run all over the place. Big metal complex, vibrations travel pretty well, if they’re strong. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Hmm… Maybe. But I still think we shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary.”
"We won't." Marcus leaned against the cool, metal side of a console, shutting his eyes. "Just gimme a minute, and we'll go."
Sarika frowned and shifted uncomfortably. She knew Marcus was probably tired, but she couldn't help but feel that they should keep moving. And that rumbling sound... he might have thought it was just a machine, but it didn't sound mechanical to her. And... was it getting louder?
Marcus began limping along a little faster. The lights were on up ahead. Finally. He had begun to think this powerless section just stretched on forever. Typically darkness didn’t particularly bother Marcus, but between the strange creatures he had seen, and intermittent rumbling noises echoing through the tunnel, he was far from comfortable. Besides, if it was well lit enough, maybe he could put down bird-girl and let his leg have a rest for a few minutes. He’d had more painful injuries before, but he’d be damned if this wasn’t one of the most annoying.
“Uh… Marcus?” Sarika muttured quietly, tightening her grip on his neck slightly.
“Look, you wanna get down and walk, princess? I’m doing the best I--”
“I thought I saw something move. On the wall.”
That stopped Marcus dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned, his gun held at the ready, peering into the darkness.
“Which wall?” He whispered.
“To the right. It was kind of a ripply motion.”
Marcus glared into the darkness, trying to spot any sign of motion. Nothing. Either the thing was on to them, or it was better at hiding than they thought. Or hell, maybe Sarika was seeing things. Who knew? Still, Marcus considered, it seemed like a good idea to err on the side of not having your head ripped off from behind in the dark. He glanced back over his shoulder. They weren’t very far from the light. But it was still a pretty good distance, and he definitely knew he shouldn’t run on his leg unless he absolutely had to.
“Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna start backing up. You’re going to keep an eye out to make sure I don’t trip over anything or get eaten or whatever. I’m going to keep an eye out this way. If anything moves, I fill it full of bullets.”
“Uh, okay. Sounds like a plan. Let’s go.”
Marcus backed up slowly, keeping alert for even the slightest movement. Occasionally Sarika muttered warnings or directions to get him past obstacles, but mostly there was silence.
“Hey, we’re almost there! Oh, watch out for that cable. Oh, and there’s some sort of bucket or something to the right. No, my right! Better. Good. Just a little further…”
Marcus tightened his grip on his pistol. Just a little further, sure. Like that thing was going to let them get away. It had tracked them this far, hadn’t it? He was just beginning to wonder just how patient that thing could be when he saw the rippling on the floor, moving towards them very, very quickly.
He guessed its patience had worn out.
The hateful prey was almost to the light again. Already the darkness of the tunnel was less oppressive, more gloomy than dark. Loathsome, revealing light, it hurt its eyes. If it did not catch them now, it might not have a chance again. It had to strike fast, kill or cripple the pale one and then it could take its time… it began moving, along the floor. Slowly, at first, until it realized it was unseen, and began to pick up speed. A scant few meters away, the pale one noticed it, but too late! Too late to flee! It would be on them soon!
Marcus fired quickly, trying just to wound it so that he could manage it better. One of his shots hit, causing the thing to scream and flinch, turning what would have been a deadly pounce into a head-long tumble, which hit Marcus in the knees and knocked him down. Marcus tried to catch himself, and would have if the ground hadn’t have gotten in the way of his face. His gun skittered away across the floor. Sarika was thrown a short way to the side, hitting the ground with her bad arm, gasping in pain. Marcus blinked twice, and started trying to stand up. A weight hit him from behind, knocking him down again. Strong, clawed hands started scrabbling at his armor and the back of his head, probably trying to get a grip on his neck. He threw an elbow behind him to try and throw the creature off. It flinched from his arm, but otherwise was unfazed. Marcus thrashed about, trying to throw it off. He was strong, but it seemed to be stronger, or at least had a stronger position.
Finally its dexterous fingers found their way around his neck and began to squeeze. Marcus began thrashing faster, but to no avail. He had just enough time to think something along the lines of ‘Wow, what an embarrassing way to die,’ before there was a loud thumping sound and the creature shrieked and flinched, trying to turn around. Marcus threw his weight as hard as he could, managing to tumble the creature off of him. Sarika half-sat awkwardly nearby, clutching her staff and glaring at the thing. Marcus looked at the creature, with its pale, slimy skin and a wiry, compact form. It stared back with large, pale eyes, that seemed to glow with their own unwholesome light. Marcus managed to stand never taking his eyes off the thing. It clutched at its side, where pale green ichor oozed out between its digits. Marcus pulled another pistol, and aimed directly for the thing’s head. It shrunk back slightly, malice and rage clear on its face. Marcus fired twice.
He holstered his weapon, and picked the other one up from where it dropped. He then knelt down next to Sarika.
“Thanks for the assist.”
“Well, you looked like you needed it.”
“You think? I’m guessing that you hit it where it was already wounded?”
“Yep.”
“It didn’t seem to appreciate it.”
“Nope.”
Marcus looked past her and towards the lighted area. The back and sides of his head were covered with a criss-cross of thin, red scratches, with a couple of larger gashes on the back of his head. A few bruises were beginning to make themselves manifest as well. His neck was scratched and bruised, but not as severely as his head. The scratches weren’t bleeding much, but they looked fairly ugly.
“Ouch. Looks like that thing did a number on you.”
Marcus gently ran a hand over his head. “Could be worse. At least it didn’t get my face. I would be beside myself if it had marred my perfect visage.”
Sarika was unsure whether she was supposed to laugh or agree with him. She settled for a blank stare.
“That was a joke.”
She continued staring blankly.
Marcus rolled his eyes and stood up again.
“Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to find out if that thing has any friends.”
“Yeah.”
Marcus picked Sarika up, this time opting for the easier and marginally less awkward bridal carry. He began hobbling towards the light once more.
Finally, they made it. The tunnel only continued on for a short way after that. A single door waited for them. As they approached, the doors silently slid open. Marcus slowly entered, checking the room carefully for any sign of approaching nasties. The only signs of life in the huge, circluar room were a few maintenance bots, trundling around and working on various pieces of equipment. Control panels, gauges, and screens took up most of the floor space, measuring things and showing readouts that Marcus wasn’t even going to pretend he understood.
What he could understand, however, was the lift near the center of the room, and the control panel sitting a few feet from it. He silently offered a prayer of thanks, to anyone who might be listening, that he didn’t have to climb any stairs. Slowly, he limped over to the side of one of the control panels, and gently set Sarika down next to it. He lowered himself to the ground with some difficulty, and stretched out his bad leg in front of him.
“Gimme a few minutes to rest, then we’ll check out the lift.”
“Right. Um… do you hear that rumbling sound?”
Marcus tilted his head and listened for a bit. “Yeah, it’s probably some big machine or something. Sounds pretty far away.”
Sarika frowned. “I think it sounds closer than it did before.”
Marcus shrugged. “Well, maybe we worked our way closer to it. It’s hard to tell where it’s coming from, these tunnels run all over the place. Big metal complex, vibrations travel pretty well, if they’re strong. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Hmm… Maybe. But I still think we shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary.”
"We won't." Marcus leaned against the cool, metal side of a console, shutting his eyes. "Just gimme a minute, and we'll go."
Sarika frowned and shifted uncomfortably. She knew Marcus was probably tired, but she couldn't help but feel that they should keep moving. And that rumbling sound... he might have thought it was just a machine, but it didn't sound mechanical to her. And... was it getting louder?