Re: Mini-Grand 5111 [Round 3: Menagerie]
06-03-2012, 11:21 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pharmacy.
Kay was never the one for authority – or orders honestly. She was the type of obstinate person who flipped the middle finger to instructions for the sake of it. That predilection ran strong even when she was a wee (and alive) lass – where she threw a screaming tantrum at the toes of her bewildered master to express her displeasure at the offending task (which was every single task) he bequeathed upon her. This flippant attitude persisted to adulthood– with addtions of stabbings and slashings and the screamings but she was not feeling up to doing all three - probably because of the distressing string of encounters with the contestants.
And her loss of her saber.
And her near second-death.
And the incredibly heart-wrenching death of Batman.
And the return of ghost-Batman (???)
Oh look, there is some crystal dude asking her for a drink.
…And monsters pouring everywhere into the Menagerie. The sight of on-coming elderbeings, rippling inwards like some demonic ocean, felt like a task much too momentous for Kay, especially with her nonexistent bravado. The temptation go “screw it” and forcibly invite Rannus some needlessly expensive space-bar so to drown their sorrows in embarrassingly-named cocktails was too strong, but on the one hand, monsters. On the other hand, fucking monsters. Everywhere.
Man, she could not take this task. He could take that back. This problem was probably Rannus’s fault anyway. Probably. “Oh noo, thanks but no thanks.” The duelist made a waving gesture that was suspiciously more appropriate for a gift exchange party or a family reunion. “I appreciate this but I really do not think I am up to it.”
“Oh cooooooome on,” Archmage Rannus said in a very unarchmage-like manner. “You are perfect for this task of problem solving. You have the experience and that sword –“
<font color="#FF0000">
“Well, I don’t it have my sword right now. Also technically, it is a saber.”
“Same thing.” Rannus made a tut-tut gesture.” Anywaaaay, what am I saying here is that there is a lot of people in peril and the whole infrastructure is crumbling. WhatamIsaying everything is in danger. Anyway, what I mean IS.” Rannus lifted a dramatic spindly finger to the horizons.“YOU.” He pointed at a very confused duelist. “Can solve this.”
“What if I don’t want to.”
“What if you can?”
“Well, see this is the problem, I can’t do this and I don’t want to.”
“What if I give you a hug?”
“What the shit, why do I need a –"
Kay suddenly found herself unto an awkward embrace from the crystalline mage. The clasp between a dead ghost and a Venephim was a rare phenomenon, especially considering that Kay and Rannus were from two dimensions (or two different stimulations, depending on how this minigrand is viewed). Instead of counting herself fortunate that she was lucky enough to be hugged by a crystalman of high social standing, Kay was completely flummoxed. And cold. And uncomfortable because being surrounded by four arms did not give much for personal movement.
“Uh, can you let me go.”
”You smell gross.”
“I know, it’s blood. Well, symbolism blood.”
“That’s nice.”
“Um.”
</font>
A significant fog of silence descended between the two. The awkwardness was so thick it could practically be cut with a knife.
Syven was not having a great day. The job was stupid. The uniform was stupid. Hell, everything was stupid and it could only go more stupid from here. Hard to disprove that prediction, considering the dearly departed Frank was on the floor - no thanks to that oddly dressed stranger with a gun. Syven felt incredibly indignant - vindictive even - at his own apparent useless, at the unfair death of his co-worker, but especially to the eventual doom that seemed to lingered over everyone’s heads like some sick Sword of Damocles. However, that feeling was now long gone for the security guard –
Only fear – to put more exactly, a wall of suspicion that grew weaker which each exposure to the stress known as Frank His Dead Friend. There was something frightening strange on the prone body of his candle-like coworker. Frank was dead, but he looked kind of alive – and it was not because he just recently expired. His waxy flesh still emanated intense heat, his flames still flickered, and he looked like he was still breathing. No that is wrong, wrong, wrong, some voice scolded him in his head.
More like pulsating.
Suddenly, Frank exploded – not literally or comically though. Alarming gallons of mist (blacker than india ink distilled from tears of children) erupted out of his mouth, his nose, his ears, his open wound – any hole it could wrench from the cadaver prison. The ferocious fog (too turbulent to look directly) immediately condensed into monsters. A lot of them. They looked awfully like the monsters invading at the ports in the way that they are exactly the same thing. Needless to say, the sheer proximity of these elderbeasts caused alarm in everyone, especially the repulsed Syven, who dug fearful claws into himself at the desecration of his dead-coworker. Nearby visitors reacted just as expected - the weaker-minded civilians behaving like agitated herbivores, running and bumping into each other; the more stronger-minded slightly paused for a second then went along with the motions of the chaotic masses.
“OH MY GOD,” Syven screamed. “OH MY FUCKING GOD.” And so, the security worker continued his vociferous benedictions to whatever monotheistic entity existed in this Menagerie.
Meanwhile, Kay was alarmingly annoyed – or annoyingly alarmed. She could not really decide which sort of nuance she should choose but she figured that both are probably appropriate considering some monsters apparently teleported through some alien dude’s corpse. Sure, she was a horrific entity that bled and stalked victims, but the bodysurfing fog-spawn was a bit too much. “Wait, what.” Kay made frantic gestures. “How.”
“I would ask you the same thing.” Rannus gave a weak double-shrug.
<font color="#FF0000">“But you are a wizard. I'm not. Aren’t you supposed to know this.”
“I don’t know.”
“We are fucked.” Kay lifted her arms in the arm and let them drop. This was too much for her either.
“I don’t even know anymore.”</font>
“We are so fucked.”
Even with the crescendo of the crowd, the silence between the two was heavy. Their time in the same place had been filled with fallbacks and hindrances– and they felt the tremendous brunt of those reminders on their back of their respective heads. The memories were not pleasant. The progress was not excellent. Their accomplishments seemed to be doomed to eternal disappointments --
- not just yet.
Kay turned around, “Rannus.”
“Yes?”
<font color="#FF0000">“Do you know where the exit is?”
“Well, I am not familiar with the architecture of this place but I believe the ports are only way out. Unfortunately, they had been overrun by—“
Kay grabbed one of Rannus’s hands and dragged him against his mild protests. It could end in death of one of them, or both of them, or even everyone in this damned techno-place. The duelist felt incredibly overwhelmed at the prospect of solving everything personal and environmental, but she figured if she nicked off one problem (the fog monsters), her sanity might be thankful for this.
“I am not exactly sure why we get so close to danger.” The Archmage objected.
"Support."
"I do not think my skills are up to this support."</font>
She shrugged and continued forth.
Kay was never the one for authority – or orders honestly. She was the type of obstinate person who flipped the middle finger to instructions for the sake of it. That predilection ran strong even when she was a wee (and alive) lass – where she threw a screaming tantrum at the toes of her bewildered master to express her displeasure at the offending task (which was every single task) he bequeathed upon her. This flippant attitude persisted to adulthood– with addtions of stabbings and slashings and the screamings but she was not feeling up to doing all three - probably because of the distressing string of encounters with the contestants.
And her loss of her saber.
And her near second-death.
And the incredibly heart-wrenching death of Batman.
And the return of ghost-Batman (???)
Oh look, there is some crystal dude asking her for a drink.
…And monsters pouring everywhere into the Menagerie. The sight of on-coming elderbeings, rippling inwards like some demonic ocean, felt like a task much too momentous for Kay, especially with her nonexistent bravado. The temptation go “screw it” and forcibly invite Rannus some needlessly expensive space-bar so to drown their sorrows in embarrassingly-named cocktails was too strong, but on the one hand, monsters. On the other hand, fucking monsters. Everywhere.
Man, she could not take this task. He could take that back. This problem was probably Rannus’s fault anyway. Probably. “Oh noo, thanks but no thanks.” The duelist made a waving gesture that was suspiciously more appropriate for a gift exchange party or a family reunion. “I appreciate this but I really do not think I am up to it.”
“Oh cooooooome on,” Archmage Rannus said in a very unarchmage-like manner. “You are perfect for this task of problem solving. You have the experience and that sword –“
<font color="#FF0000">
“Well, I don’t it have my sword right now. Also technically, it is a saber.”
“Same thing.” Rannus made a tut-tut gesture.” Anywaaaay, what am I saying here is that there is a lot of people in peril and the whole infrastructure is crumbling. WhatamIsaying everything is in danger. Anyway, what I mean IS.” Rannus lifted a dramatic spindly finger to the horizons.“YOU.” He pointed at a very confused duelist. “Can solve this.”
“What if I don’t want to.”
“What if you can?”
“Well, see this is the problem, I can’t do this and I don’t want to.”
“What if I give you a hug?”
“What the shit, why do I need a –"
Kay suddenly found herself unto an awkward embrace from the crystalline mage. The clasp between a dead ghost and a Venephim was a rare phenomenon, especially considering that Kay and Rannus were from two dimensions (or two different stimulations, depending on how this minigrand is viewed). Instead of counting herself fortunate that she was lucky enough to be hugged by a crystalman of high social standing, Kay was completely flummoxed. And cold. And uncomfortable because being surrounded by four arms did not give much for personal movement.
“Uh, can you let me go.”
”You smell gross.”
“I know, it’s blood. Well, symbolism blood.”
“That’s nice.”
“Um.”
</font>
A significant fog of silence descended between the two. The awkwardness was so thick it could practically be cut with a knife.
Syven was not having a great day. The job was stupid. The uniform was stupid. Hell, everything was stupid and it could only go more stupid from here. Hard to disprove that prediction, considering the dearly departed Frank was on the floor - no thanks to that oddly dressed stranger with a gun. Syven felt incredibly indignant - vindictive even - at his own apparent useless, at the unfair death of his co-worker, but especially to the eventual doom that seemed to lingered over everyone’s heads like some sick Sword of Damocles. However, that feeling was now long gone for the security guard –
Only fear – to put more exactly, a wall of suspicion that grew weaker which each exposure to the stress known as Frank His Dead Friend. There was something frightening strange on the prone body of his candle-like coworker. Frank was dead, but he looked kind of alive – and it was not because he just recently expired. His waxy flesh still emanated intense heat, his flames still flickered, and he looked like he was still breathing. No that is wrong, wrong, wrong, some voice scolded him in his head.
More like pulsating.
Suddenly, Frank exploded – not literally or comically though. Alarming gallons of mist (blacker than india ink distilled from tears of children) erupted out of his mouth, his nose, his ears, his open wound – any hole it could wrench from the cadaver prison. The ferocious fog (too turbulent to look directly) immediately condensed into monsters. A lot of them. They looked awfully like the monsters invading at the ports in the way that they are exactly the same thing. Needless to say, the sheer proximity of these elderbeasts caused alarm in everyone, especially the repulsed Syven, who dug fearful claws into himself at the desecration of his dead-coworker. Nearby visitors reacted just as expected - the weaker-minded civilians behaving like agitated herbivores, running and bumping into each other; the more stronger-minded slightly paused for a second then went along with the motions of the chaotic masses.
“OH MY GOD,” Syven screamed. “OH MY FUCKING GOD.” And so, the security worker continued his vociferous benedictions to whatever monotheistic entity existed in this Menagerie.
Meanwhile, Kay was alarmingly annoyed – or annoyingly alarmed. She could not really decide which sort of nuance she should choose but she figured that both are probably appropriate considering some monsters apparently teleported through some alien dude’s corpse. Sure, she was a horrific entity that bled and stalked victims, but the bodysurfing fog-spawn was a bit too much. “Wait, what.” Kay made frantic gestures. “How.”
“I would ask you the same thing.” Rannus gave a weak double-shrug.
<font color="#FF0000">“But you are a wizard. I'm not. Aren’t you supposed to know this.”
“I don’t know.”
“We are fucked.” Kay lifted her arms in the arm and let them drop. This was too much for her either.
“I don’t even know anymore.”</font>
“We are so fucked.”
Even with the crescendo of the crowd, the silence between the two was heavy. Their time in the same place had been filled with fallbacks and hindrances– and they felt the tremendous brunt of those reminders on their back of their respective heads. The memories were not pleasant. The progress was not excellent. Their accomplishments seemed to be doomed to eternal disappointments --
- not just yet.
Kay turned around, “Rannus.”
“Yes?”
<font color="#FF0000">“Do you know where the exit is?”
“Well, I am not familiar with the architecture of this place but I believe the ports are only way out. Unfortunately, they had been overrun by—“
Kay grabbed one of Rannus’s hands and dragged him against his mild protests. It could end in death of one of them, or both of them, or even everyone in this damned techno-place. The duelist felt incredibly overwhelmed at the prospect of solving everything personal and environmental, but she figured if she nicked off one problem (the fog monsters), her sanity might be thankful for this.
“I am not exactly sure why we get so close to danger.” The Archmage objected.
"Support."
"I do not think my skills are up to this support."</font>
She shrugged and continued forth.