Re: The Battle Majestic (Round 1 - Bubble Universe)
02-20-2010, 01:43 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.
Blitz knelt in the shadows, a short distance away from the others. Their view of him was blocked by one of the large, lightly glowing limbs of the World Tree. He had left them because...something was wrong. Terribly wrong. His hands were on the sides of his head, pressing violently, like he was trying to squeeze something out...or keep something in. His eyes were wide, and if the light had been better, one would be able to see his blind eye swirling with red malevolence. It would turn almost completely, then the color would retreat again; it continued this back-and-forth as Blitz and Father waged a silent battle in their shared mind.
<Father...no...please...I don't->
You shut your ungrateful mouth, boy. I gave you your chance and it got nothing done except burn the hell out of that useless arm of yours. Now it's my turn. I'm done with this trickery nonsense. The next person I see, I'm going to fry them up like a 4th of July barbecue.
<Father...I can do this...just...give me a chance...>
A severe spasm shot through Blitz's body, and he slammed his head against the ground. Tears leaked from his eyes.
We're going to go find someone. And they are going to die. Do you understand?
<I-I don't...I don't want to!>
Another violent twitch; this time he banged into a nearby root (thankfully avoiding the several spines that sprouted from it) before rolling around on the ground, cramps all over his body making him give a short yelp. He quickly shut his mouth and hoped that his location hadn't been given away. He didn't want anyone finding him right now...he was finding it terribly hard to resist his father's orders. The physical punishment was only part of it; it was hard to retain any semblance of control, and he wasn't sure why.
Jacob, who was listening carefully for anything out of the ordinary (other than Alex's fiery outbursts, of course) heard Blitz cry out. His eyes narrowed and he gripped his sword tighter.
Vex had heard it, as well. He had grabbed the boy with Magog...it had only been for a moment, but given the child's erratic behavior from before, that could lead to a very bad situation. He took a step in the direction that the sound had come from. "Blitz?"
Jacob stopped the satyr with a raised hand. Vex looked at him, his expression slightly worried. Jacob's words were barely a whisper. "I don't feel good about this. He's been acting strange from the beginning. And now it's dim and hard to see...easy for someone sneak up on someone else, wouldn't you think?" He gestured to the area that the shout had come from. "And you called his name. Why didn't he respond?" His eyes darted about, looking for any signs of movement. "It's a trick, Vex. I can feel it. And you know what? I'm not going to be stupid enough to fall for it." He began walking in the direction of the escape pods, sword at the ready and senses alert.
"What if he's just hurt and can't talk?" Jacob stopped, turned, and glared at Steven, the strength of the gaze diluted by the limited light. Steven ignored the look and continued. "Look, he hasn't tried to kill anyone, like that Alex guy. He's only tried to help, at least from what I've seen. He is a little weird, but that's no reason to assume he's some sort of leper that we need to stay away from at all costs." He gave Jacob a glare of his own. "I don't see any reason to leave Blitz behind. We need to find those escape pods, and the other guys are busy fighting." Almost as if the brawlers had heard Steven say this and wanted to prove his point, a plume of flame erupted in the distance, and an unearthly scream reached the trio's ears.
Vex glanced in the direction of the fire, then back to Steven and Jacob. "I must agree with Steven." He closed his right hand into a fist, the action making a rough grinding sound. "Any pain he is in right now is probably my fault. I touched him with this." He raised the black and purple mass encasing his arm, a frown forming on his features as he looked at it, but quickly disappearing. He couldn't afford to be negative; not right now. "I feel responsible. I'll help him however I can, limited though my medical abilities may be." He looked at Jacob along with Steven. "Your powers could be of help."
Jacob looked at the two people before him. He slowly shook his head. "I'm not risking my life for someone I barely know. If you guys have somehow forgotten, we were brought here to kill eachother. And just because we're not playing along doesn't mean other people are." He nodded his head at the glow in the distance that signified the ongoing fight between Alex and the other three. "They're the prime example. But not everyone is so blatant about their violent tendencies. Blitz is hiding something. You wanna find out what that is? Fine. But leave me out." Jacob turned from them, raising one hand in a dismissive wave. He began walking, heading for the pods, and by proxy the glowing war that was being waged around them.
Vexmagog watched Jacob walking away, and shook his head. Unfortunate. They could have used his abilities to get to the escape pods faster. But, now to the task at hand. "You really think he could be dangerous?" Steven looked a little bit nervous in the twilight. Vex nodded, his expression grim. "When this arm touched him, it did something to him. I will not know what until I see him up close, but something is wrong with the boy, that is definite." He moved forward, stepping over and under humongous roots and branches. A quick glance backward told him that Steven was following.
It didn't take long for them to find a small clearing. Blitz was in the fetal position, head down, near the far side of the area. Vex moved forward slowly, his movements cautious. "Blitz?" No response. "Blitz, are you alright?" He saw Steven move past him, approaching Blitz at a faster pace. "Hey, Blitz, it's alright. We're here. We can help you."Steven reached out a hand, intending to tap Blitz on the shoulder. Vex called out to try and stop him, but it was too late. Blitz reacted to the touch immediately.
"SsssStAAY tT<font size="4">Hee FUUuckk AWayYY FrrrRRoM mEE!" Lightning erupted from his hand as he threw Steven's arm away from him. His face was ugly; insane, almost. His blind eye was a swirling miasma of white and blood red.</font> "No!"
Jacob was walking, nearing the edge of the battlefield, when something stopped him. Loud shouts and...oh, wonderful, a burst of lightning arcing through the sky. Jacob snarled and quickly cut a hole in space leading back to the group he had just left. I knew that bastard was laying a trap. Well, I'm going to make sure he doesn't lay any more.
Blitz knelt in the shadows, a short distance away from the others. Their view of him was blocked by one of the large, lightly glowing limbs of the World Tree. He had left them because...something was wrong. Terribly wrong. His hands were on the sides of his head, pressing violently, like he was trying to squeeze something out...or keep something in. His eyes were wide, and if the light had been better, one would be able to see his blind eye swirling with red malevolence. It would turn almost completely, then the color would retreat again; it continued this back-and-forth as Blitz and Father waged a silent battle in their shared mind.
<Father...no...please...I don't->
You shut your ungrateful mouth, boy. I gave you your chance and it got nothing done except burn the hell out of that useless arm of yours. Now it's my turn. I'm done with this trickery nonsense. The next person I see, I'm going to fry them up like a 4th of July barbecue.
<Father...I can do this...just...give me a chance...>
A severe spasm shot through Blitz's body, and he slammed his head against the ground. Tears leaked from his eyes.
We're going to go find someone. And they are going to die. Do you understand?
<I-I don't...I don't want to!>
Another violent twitch; this time he banged into a nearby root (thankfully avoiding the several spines that sprouted from it) before rolling around on the ground, cramps all over his body making him give a short yelp. He quickly shut his mouth and hoped that his location hadn't been given away. He didn't want anyone finding him right now...he was finding it terribly hard to resist his father's orders. The physical punishment was only part of it; it was hard to retain any semblance of control, and he wasn't sure why.
Jacob, who was listening carefully for anything out of the ordinary (other than Alex's fiery outbursts, of course) heard Blitz cry out. His eyes narrowed and he gripped his sword tighter.
Vex had heard it, as well. He had grabbed the boy with Magog...it had only been for a moment, but given the child's erratic behavior from before, that could lead to a very bad situation. He took a step in the direction that the sound had come from. "Blitz?"
Jacob stopped the satyr with a raised hand. Vex looked at him, his expression slightly worried. Jacob's words were barely a whisper. "I don't feel good about this. He's been acting strange from the beginning. And now it's dim and hard to see...easy for someone sneak up on someone else, wouldn't you think?" He gestured to the area that the shout had come from. "And you called his name. Why didn't he respond?" His eyes darted about, looking for any signs of movement. "It's a trick, Vex. I can feel it. And you know what? I'm not going to be stupid enough to fall for it." He began walking in the direction of the escape pods, sword at the ready and senses alert.
"What if he's just hurt and can't talk?" Jacob stopped, turned, and glared at Steven, the strength of the gaze diluted by the limited light. Steven ignored the look and continued. "Look, he hasn't tried to kill anyone, like that Alex guy. He's only tried to help, at least from what I've seen. He is a little weird, but that's no reason to assume he's some sort of leper that we need to stay away from at all costs." He gave Jacob a glare of his own. "I don't see any reason to leave Blitz behind. We need to find those escape pods, and the other guys are busy fighting." Almost as if the brawlers had heard Steven say this and wanted to prove his point, a plume of flame erupted in the distance, and an unearthly scream reached the trio's ears.
Vex glanced in the direction of the fire, then back to Steven and Jacob. "I must agree with Steven." He closed his right hand into a fist, the action making a rough grinding sound. "Any pain he is in right now is probably my fault. I touched him with this." He raised the black and purple mass encasing his arm, a frown forming on his features as he looked at it, but quickly disappearing. He couldn't afford to be negative; not right now. "I feel responsible. I'll help him however I can, limited though my medical abilities may be." He looked at Jacob along with Steven. "Your powers could be of help."
Jacob looked at the two people before him. He slowly shook his head. "I'm not risking my life for someone I barely know. If you guys have somehow forgotten, we were brought here to kill eachother. And just because we're not playing along doesn't mean other people are." He nodded his head at the glow in the distance that signified the ongoing fight between Alex and the other three. "They're the prime example. But not everyone is so blatant about their violent tendencies. Blitz is hiding something. You wanna find out what that is? Fine. But leave me out." Jacob turned from them, raising one hand in a dismissive wave. He began walking, heading for the pods, and by proxy the glowing war that was being waged around them.
Vexmagog watched Jacob walking away, and shook his head. Unfortunate. They could have used his abilities to get to the escape pods faster. But, now to the task at hand. "You really think he could be dangerous?" Steven looked a little bit nervous in the twilight. Vex nodded, his expression grim. "When this arm touched him, it did something to him. I will not know what until I see him up close, but something is wrong with the boy, that is definite." He moved forward, stepping over and under humongous roots and branches. A quick glance backward told him that Steven was following.
It didn't take long for them to find a small clearing. Blitz was in the fetal position, head down, near the far side of the area. Vex moved forward slowly, his movements cautious. "Blitz?" No response. "Blitz, are you alright?" He saw Steven move past him, approaching Blitz at a faster pace. "Hey, Blitz, it's alright. We're here. We can help you."Steven reached out a hand, intending to tap Blitz on the shoulder. Vex called out to try and stop him, but it was too late. Blitz reacted to the touch immediately.
"SsssStAAY tT<font size="4">Hee FUUuckk AWayYY FrrrRRoM mEE!" Lightning erupted from his hand as he threw Steven's arm away from him. His face was ugly; insane, almost. His blind eye was a swirling miasma of white and blood red.</font> "No!"
Jacob was walking, nearing the edge of the battlefield, when something stopped him. Loud shouts and...oh, wonderful, a burst of lightning arcing through the sky. Jacob snarled and quickly cut a hole in space leading back to the group he had just left. I knew that bastard was laying a trap. Well, I'm going to make sure he doesn't lay any more.
Spoiler