Re: The Battle Majestic (Round 3 - Oxbow Inc.)
09-11-2011, 04:44 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.
The place was flooded with guards.
‘The place’ was colloquially known as Crossroads for being the single largest intersection besides that at The Spire. Crossroads wasn’t heavily guarded because the human intruders were actually expected to come through, but because most roads in the sector ended up passing through there, and all the guards just managed to sort of end up there at some point or another anyway.
Crossroads was also home to at least four bars, giving security both off- and on-duty ample reason to stick around.
“Well, I have some good news, I think. We’re not actually stopping here.”
Jacob and Steven were hiding out on the rooftop of one such bar (Leech’s – tagline ‘100% BAC’, which about as many of its patrons didn’t get), scanning the streets for a route that wouldn’t get them killed. They weren’t doing very well.
“What’s the catch?”
“Oh, well, uh… I – that is, they – don’t… exactly know where to go.”
The chronomancer’s expression oscillated between incredulity and frustration, before settling on a gradually deepening scowl and exaggerated hand gestures.
“Great. Fantastic. Wonderful! Find the tiniest sliver of a chance to get us out of here, then manage both to get lost despite not needing a goddamned map earlier, and wind up in a big, open area filled with hostile robots and monsters. No, that’s fine. We were only wandering aimlessly for, what, a half-hour? Could’ve dealt with that psychotic fruit, but no! I decided to tag along with you. Ah well. No great loss, I’m sure.” His eye twitched a bit.
“Hey! It’s not that bad. We haven’t been spotted yet, and we’re not exactly lost. My gloves –”
“No, wait! Don’t tell me. They have a… feeeeeling… that somewhere around here is some clue or path that will put them back on the right track, but they can’t look around for it until all the guards are gone, mm?”
He received a disembodied thumbs-up.
“Two for fucking two.”
Jacob groaned and slumped over onto his back, staring blankly at the sky. Sea. Dome. Thing.
“Are you done?”
Steven was very decidedly not looking at his companion. “If you didn’t want to tag along you should have left sooner. Hell, if I’d known you were going to whine so much I’d have ditched you myself. I’ve been doing just fine on my own for most of my life and most of this round, and to hell with you if you’re going to give up here just because of a few setbacks. Yeah, things are hard right now. In my experience, things are always hard and will never stop being hard. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”
He sighed, expression softening some as he turned to face Jacob. “Look, I of all people know that this isn’t exactly the most foolproof plan. I’m running on a hunch and a cryptic message, but I’m going to press on and see where this goes. I want to get out of this battle, and I don’t want to kill everyone to do it. This is the only way I can see of doing that.”
The wanderer snatched up his binoculars and, shrugging, turned back to the scenic view of so many people that wanted him dead. “If you don’t want to help, fine by me. But don’t be an asshole about it.”
Jacob forced himself up from prone, quizzical expression falling flat against Steven’s back. “The hell happened to you?”
“It’s… a long story. I don’t really like to talk about it. …Uh?”
Irregular flashes of light shone from a far alley. A nearby neon sign flickered and died. Some curious Yagg wandered over only to receive arcs of lightning to the chest and head. They caught fire, and Steven recoiled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Looks like we have some… extra company. Only a matter of time before we ran into one of us, really, but… Blitz is here, and he doesn’t look… er, he looks more less-happy than, uh… well, he’s killing a bunch of people.”
There was a pause, and Steven turned to find the knight quite unexpectedly smiling. “What? No complaints this time?”
“Nope. He wants a fight, he’ll get a fight. Cant think of a better lure for these guards than two humans duking it out. Just stay safe until you and your gloves have an opportunity to explore freely. I’ll… catch up later. Somehow.”
The wanderer started to speak, but space bent and Jacob was gone.
And then he was back again.
“I, uh… Look after my chestpiece, would you? Poor choice to wear in a thunderstorm, y’know.”
“I was gonna say…”
***
The place was flooded with guards.
Lionel wasn’t expecting quite as many as there were – sure, maybe a few, since this place seemed vaguely important for reasons he couldn’t place, but… this was practically a small army. What was here that warranted so much protection?
Daddy, I’m scared…
Don’t worry, son. Everything will be-
He paused to electrocute a stray Yagg that had followed the trail of broken machines and charred corpses left in his wake.
-Just fine.
“Having fun?”
Lionel whipped around to find a rather familiar figure leaning casually against a wall, idly scanning his sword for flaws.
“You!”
Hey! He, he tried to kill me, at that tree!
I remember that, son. He will be… duly repaid.
The cripple's fingertips crackled with energy and his cast began to unravel. The knight would make a nice change of pace from this facility’s security detail. Those space-bending abilities were somewhat worrying, and he didn’t really understand how the man had been able to dodge lightning in plate armor earlier, but no matter. Lionel would kill him eventually.
All for his son’s safety, of course.
Mr. Wykerr had planned to gloat, but his train of thought was interrupted when collision with a burning, half-dead Yagg experiencing gravity at a 90 degree angle knocked him out of the alley and into the midst of Crossroads.
Jacob grinned.
“Me.”
The place was flooded with guards.
‘The place’ was colloquially known as Crossroads for being the single largest intersection besides that at The Spire. Crossroads wasn’t heavily guarded because the human intruders were actually expected to come through, but because most roads in the sector ended up passing through there, and all the guards just managed to sort of end up there at some point or another anyway.
Crossroads was also home to at least four bars, giving security both off- and on-duty ample reason to stick around.
“Well, I have some good news, I think. We’re not actually stopping here.”
Jacob and Steven were hiding out on the rooftop of one such bar (Leech’s – tagline ‘100% BAC’, which about as many of its patrons didn’t get), scanning the streets for a route that wouldn’t get them killed. They weren’t doing very well.
“What’s the catch?”
“Oh, well, uh… I – that is, they – don’t… exactly know where to go.”
The chronomancer’s expression oscillated between incredulity and frustration, before settling on a gradually deepening scowl and exaggerated hand gestures.
“Great. Fantastic. Wonderful! Find the tiniest sliver of a chance to get us out of here, then manage both to get lost despite not needing a goddamned map earlier, and wind up in a big, open area filled with hostile robots and monsters. No, that’s fine. We were only wandering aimlessly for, what, a half-hour? Could’ve dealt with that psychotic fruit, but no! I decided to tag along with you. Ah well. No great loss, I’m sure.” His eye twitched a bit.
“Hey! It’s not that bad. We haven’t been spotted yet, and we’re not exactly lost. My gloves –”
“No, wait! Don’t tell me. They have a… feeeeeling… that somewhere around here is some clue or path that will put them back on the right track, but they can’t look around for it until all the guards are gone, mm?”
He received a disembodied thumbs-up.
“Two for fucking two.”
Jacob groaned and slumped over onto his back, staring blankly at the sky. Sea. Dome. Thing.
“Are you done?”
Steven was very decidedly not looking at his companion. “If you didn’t want to tag along you should have left sooner. Hell, if I’d known you were going to whine so much I’d have ditched you myself. I’ve been doing just fine on my own for most of my life and most of this round, and to hell with you if you’re going to give up here just because of a few setbacks. Yeah, things are hard right now. In my experience, things are always hard and will never stop being hard. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”
He sighed, expression softening some as he turned to face Jacob. “Look, I of all people know that this isn’t exactly the most foolproof plan. I’m running on a hunch and a cryptic message, but I’m going to press on and see where this goes. I want to get out of this battle, and I don’t want to kill everyone to do it. This is the only way I can see of doing that.”
The wanderer snatched up his binoculars and, shrugging, turned back to the scenic view of so many people that wanted him dead. “If you don’t want to help, fine by me. But don’t be an asshole about it.”
Jacob forced himself up from prone, quizzical expression falling flat against Steven’s back. “The hell happened to you?”
“It’s… a long story. I don’t really like to talk about it. …Uh?”
Irregular flashes of light shone from a far alley. A nearby neon sign flickered and died. Some curious Yagg wandered over only to receive arcs of lightning to the chest and head. They caught fire, and Steven recoiled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Looks like we have some… extra company. Only a matter of time before we ran into one of us, really, but… Blitz is here, and he doesn’t look… er, he looks more less-happy than, uh… well, he’s killing a bunch of people.”
There was a pause, and Steven turned to find the knight quite unexpectedly smiling. “What? No complaints this time?”
“Nope. He wants a fight, he’ll get a fight. Cant think of a better lure for these guards than two humans duking it out. Just stay safe until you and your gloves have an opportunity to explore freely. I’ll… catch up later. Somehow.”
The wanderer started to speak, but space bent and Jacob was gone.
And then he was back again.
“I, uh… Look after my chestpiece, would you? Poor choice to wear in a thunderstorm, y’know.”
“I was gonna say…”
***
The place was flooded with guards.
Lionel wasn’t expecting quite as many as there were – sure, maybe a few, since this place seemed vaguely important for reasons he couldn’t place, but… this was practically a small army. What was here that warranted so much protection?
Daddy, I’m scared…
Don’t worry, son. Everything will be-
He paused to electrocute a stray Yagg that had followed the trail of broken machines and charred corpses left in his wake.
-Just fine.
“Having fun?”
Lionel whipped around to find a rather familiar figure leaning casually against a wall, idly scanning his sword for flaws.
“You!”
Hey! He, he tried to kill me, at that tree!
I remember that, son. He will be… duly repaid.
The cripple's fingertips crackled with energy and his cast began to unravel. The knight would make a nice change of pace from this facility’s security detail. Those space-bending abilities were somewhat worrying, and he didn’t really understand how the man had been able to dodge lightning in plate armor earlier, but no matter. Lionel would kill him eventually.
All for his son’s safety, of course.
Mr. Wykerr had planned to gloat, but his train of thought was interrupted when collision with a burning, half-dead Yagg experiencing gravity at a 90 degree angle knocked him out of the alley and into the midst of Crossroads.
Jacob grinned.
“Me.”