Re: The Battle Majestic (Round 1 - Bubble Universe)
01-28-2010, 09:38 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.
Vexmagog decided it would be best, first, to make sure that his assumptions about Jacob's next course of action were correct before addressing the issue of Alex.
"We're going to the sun to find a way out of this place. Coming?" The man took another sip from whatever brew he had been concocting before replying.
"Lead the way."
Vexmagog suppressed a smile. Not only was everyone willing to see reason, but they also assumed him to be in a leadership role. The me of two centuries ago would have laughed at this.
He adjusted his cloak and began to reply with his reasoning. "I recall the director of this compet-"
John Swift interrupted, and tossed a handful of dark, dried seeds at Vexmagog. "Why the hell would someone leave half-eaten beans lying around?" To his surprise, they failed to fall to the floor, instead hovering in place.
This question would be ridiculous at face value. Perhaps these beans are some sort of humanoid cultural icon, or the question would not even be worth asking. "I do not know why anyone would do that. Why are these beans significant?"
"They're java beans," Jacob chimed in. "And they're significant to office workers and tired people everywhere."
Vexmagog's brow furrowed. "I am deeply sorry someone has desecrated your beans."
Several people suppressed laughter. Jacob chuckled into the first words of his reply. "No, look. I was joking. You brew a drink with them, and it wakes you up. They aren't really meant to be eaten, they don't taste very good. Alex tried to eat some and spit them out." Jacob walked around the counter.
Vexmagog didn't really get it, but smiled anyway. "Speaking of Alex, he has expressed disinterest in finding a means of escape from this place." The five left the building and began their trek towards the pylon as they spoke.
Jacob bore an expression indicating he was considering his reply carefully. He took another sip from his cup. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish here. What were you planning to do?"
"The humans who lived in this place prior to this game left. I would like to find out how they did it and, if possible, use their means of escape to take us somewhere where we can find a portal to take us each back to our respective homes."
"...And if there's not any escape pods left?"
Escape, to leave confinement. Pod, a small enclosure. So something you get inside, and it leaves. And there could be none left? So it must leave permanently. "Escape pods. I had assumed something more akin to a portal. Regardless, it seems foolish not to exhaust every contingency."
The gnawing in Vexmagog's gut grew. He knew he had been forcefully neglecting to consider certain possibilities. Two centuries of experience had taught him to. What will we do if there is no way to escape? Someone would have to die, and we would have to move on, I suppose. Hold out hope that eventually there would be a hole in S's defenses. If that doesn't come this round, it might not come the next, or the next. And then what? Eventually we will have to kill one of these four contestants. Or one of these four contestants will have to kill us. This is sick, but it's what we have to do. He winced only slightly as two more tendrils of purplish energy sputtered from his right arm and burned black chunks of coal into his flesh. He sighed audibly, and made sure he was sending the smell of clean air to everyone around him. This line of thought is bad for me. For everyone here. I need to relax.
The entire group had fallen silent, their journey becoming more somber. The only sound was their footfalls and muffled music from Jacob's coat pocket. Their cheer may be as low as mine, he thought. I could ask them to tell me about their home worlds, but it might hurt more than it helps. Or... he reached for the back of his belt, where he kept a small bag containing a few paltry personal possessions. He fumbled inside for a moment, and then withdrew an object made of wood with a bluish tint. Roughly spherical, fist-sized, with several protrusions in a row along one edge with holes in them. If Wolf is nearby, he may be alerted, he considered. We do not know his disposition. Though, there are five of us. I doubt the threat would be significant.
He raised the object to his mouth and blew into one of the protrusions, covering others with his fingers. A reverberating tone issued forth from it, and echoed through the alleyways of the business district as they passed through. With each breath of air issued, and each new configuration of covered holes, a new tone was produced. He blew a few notes, producing a short pattern, then began to play a cheerful, high-tempo song.
Spoiler
"We're going to the sun to find a way out of this place. Coming?" The man took another sip from whatever brew he had been concocting before replying.
"Lead the way."
Vexmagog suppressed a smile. Not only was everyone willing to see reason, but they also assumed him to be in a leadership role. The me of two centuries ago would have laughed at this.
He adjusted his cloak and began to reply with his reasoning. "I recall the director of this compet-"
John Swift interrupted, and tossed a handful of dark, dried seeds at Vexmagog. "Why the hell would someone leave half-eaten beans lying around?" To his surprise, they failed to fall to the floor, instead hovering in place.
This question would be ridiculous at face value. Perhaps these beans are some sort of humanoid cultural icon, or the question would not even be worth asking. "I do not know why anyone would do that. Why are these beans significant?"
"They're java beans," Jacob chimed in. "And they're significant to office workers and tired people everywhere."
Vexmagog's brow furrowed. "I am deeply sorry someone has desecrated your beans."
Several people suppressed laughter. Jacob chuckled into the first words of his reply. "No, look. I was joking. You brew a drink with them, and it wakes you up. They aren't really meant to be eaten, they don't taste very good. Alex tried to eat some and spit them out." Jacob walked around the counter.
Vexmagog didn't really get it, but smiled anyway. "Speaking of Alex, he has expressed disinterest in finding a means of escape from this place." The five left the building and began their trek towards the pylon as they spoke.
Jacob bore an expression indicating he was considering his reply carefully. He took another sip from his cup. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish here. What were you planning to do?"
"The humans who lived in this place prior to this game left. I would like to find out how they did it and, if possible, use their means of escape to take us somewhere where we can find a portal to take us each back to our respective homes."
"...And if there's not any escape pods left?"
Escape, to leave confinement. Pod, a small enclosure. So something you get inside, and it leaves. And there could be none left? So it must leave permanently. "Escape pods. I had assumed something more akin to a portal. Regardless, it seems foolish not to exhaust every contingency."
The gnawing in Vexmagog's gut grew. He knew he had been forcefully neglecting to consider certain possibilities. Two centuries of experience had taught him to. What will we do if there is no way to escape? Someone would have to die, and we would have to move on, I suppose. Hold out hope that eventually there would be a hole in S's defenses. If that doesn't come this round, it might not come the next, or the next. And then what? Eventually we will have to kill one of these four contestants. Or one of these four contestants will have to kill us. This is sick, but it's what we have to do. He winced only slightly as two more tendrils of purplish energy sputtered from his right arm and burned black chunks of coal into his flesh. He sighed audibly, and made sure he was sending the smell of clean air to everyone around him. This line of thought is bad for me. For everyone here. I need to relax.
The entire group had fallen silent, their journey becoming more somber. The only sound was their footfalls and muffled music from Jacob's coat pocket. Their cheer may be as low as mine, he thought. I could ask them to tell me about their home worlds, but it might hurt more than it helps. Or... he reached for the back of his belt, where he kept a small bag containing a few paltry personal possessions. He fumbled inside for a moment, and then withdrew an object made of wood with a bluish tint. Roughly spherical, fist-sized, with several protrusions in a row along one edge with holes in them. If Wolf is nearby, he may be alerted, he considered. We do not know his disposition. Though, there are five of us. I doubt the threat would be significant.
He raised the object to his mouth and blew into one of the protrusions, covering others with his fingers. A reverberating tone issued forth from it, and echoed through the alleyways of the business district as they passed through. With each breath of air issued, and each new configuration of covered holes, a new tone was produced. He blew a few notes, producing a short pattern, then began to play a cheerful, high-tempo song.
Spoiler