Re: The Vivacious Deadlock: S3G6: Round One: Genreshift
05-29-2011, 05:45 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Anomaly.
In an instant, Nalzaki found themselves locked in a cage, surrounded by total darkness. A musty scent wafted through the air, joined by a slight tinge of unidentified chemicals. Except for the breathing of the three, there was no sound whatsoever. A cursory kick at the bars revealed them to be quite solid, although rusted from disuse. The uneven concrete ground was covered in a smattering of cracks, dampened by the steady drip of water from above.
Alright, what the hell just happened, and where the hell are we? And who or what was that thing talking to us? Is this some kind of twisted game or something?
Razaran, calm down, Nalyg calmly replied. We've been taken hostage by a being possibly far beyond our comprehension, and are now being forced to fight to the death for its amusement. You and I both know that we in all likelihood have an advantage over the other...creatures in this twisted game.
Well, sure, I can kill all of them with no problems. That's what I'm going to do if you don't have any better ideas. Killing the shapeshifting thing that brought us here, for example.
And if we can't kill her? If we can't kill the others as easily as you think? Nalyg and Razaran turned to face Kanpeki, who wore an expression teetering between distress and determination. She continued, What makes you think that listening to something with this much power, something able to hold us captive so effortlessly, will actually help us?
We don't need to be hasty with killing, no. It'd be better if we forged some alliances with the others, who were presumably also forced into this battle. There are seven others, surely a few of them would join us in this.
We'll worry about that when we actually run into one of them. How about we get out of this cage first, and talk later? responded Razaran. Above his front leg, a bony framework rapidly burst from the skin, joined by an interwoven mass of muscle fibers and organic tissues, which swiftly knitted itself together. Razaran's newly-created hammer-arm smashed apart the bars of the cage effortlessly, and the Kryesan climbed out of the remnants.
It was nearly impossible to see anything in the musty room. No cracks of light revealing an exit, no electrical equipment giving off even the faintest of glows. Kanpeki immediately modified her legs and part of her body to glow brightly, giving off enough light for dim details of the room to be seen. The cage was shoved up against a dilapidated concrete wall of what appeared to be a long-abandoned laboratory. Dusty, cobweb-saturated equipment lay scattered about the room, complemented by a multitude of spilled-out vials, their contents long gone. A large sign on the wall happily announced that the laboratory was the property of "DR. MATIC'S GROUP OF SCIENTIFLIC INCLINED PROFESSIONALS".
The large room held only one entrance - a small doorway with its entrance covered in bricks. This brick wall, of course, was not designed to withstand an assault from a hydra's organic sledgehammer, as good a business model as it could have been. The bricks were smashed into dust, knocking to the ground on the other side a bright red "CONDEMNED" sign. The stairway that lay behind was equally ill-equipped for a nine-foot hydra - the Kryesan could barely fit in the stairwell, and climbing it was equally difficult. As they reached the steel door at the top, a well-placed air vent revealed to them a conversation taking place on the floor above.
"I trust you have acquired the tome, Fleischer?"
"Yes, sir. Found it in the hands of some wench uptown, just north of Good Bad Uglies territory. Made quick work of her, but she didn't go down without a fight. I've got the tome."
Nalzaki heard the distinct sound of a book being slammed down on a desk.
"Excellent, excellent. Now, then, Fleischer, I trust you have brought with you the Fantasy Bookmark as well?"
"Erm, no, sir. I didn't find it on the girl. Maybe it was stolen from her beforehand by one of Lord Horrorshow's henchmen."
"Lord Horrorshow? You damned fool, Horrorshow has no influence anymore! Are you saying that the bookmark has slipped past us?"
"Yes, sir, Dr. Matic, sir."
"Unacceptable, Fleischer. Get Kirsch and Jaeger at once, and comb the entire city if you have to, just bring me that bookmark!"
"Yes, sir!"
The tome?[i] began Nalyg. [i]I assume that's what our captor told us to find. From the sounds of it it has a great amount of power, and can affect all of us in some way. I think it would be prudent to retrieve that tome for ourselves.
What are we waiting for, then? On with it! Before the others could respond, Razaran had bashed the steel door open, narrowly missing one very surprised Mr. Fleischer.
In an instant, Nalzaki found themselves locked in a cage, surrounded by total darkness. A musty scent wafted through the air, joined by a slight tinge of unidentified chemicals. Except for the breathing of the three, there was no sound whatsoever. A cursory kick at the bars revealed them to be quite solid, although rusted from disuse. The uneven concrete ground was covered in a smattering of cracks, dampened by the steady drip of water from above.
Alright, what the hell just happened, and where the hell are we? And who or what was that thing talking to us? Is this some kind of twisted game or something?
Razaran, calm down, Nalyg calmly replied. We've been taken hostage by a being possibly far beyond our comprehension, and are now being forced to fight to the death for its amusement. You and I both know that we in all likelihood have an advantage over the other...creatures in this twisted game.
Well, sure, I can kill all of them with no problems. That's what I'm going to do if you don't have any better ideas. Killing the shapeshifting thing that brought us here, for example.
And if we can't kill her? If we can't kill the others as easily as you think? Nalyg and Razaran turned to face Kanpeki, who wore an expression teetering between distress and determination. She continued, What makes you think that listening to something with this much power, something able to hold us captive so effortlessly, will actually help us?
We don't need to be hasty with killing, no. It'd be better if we forged some alliances with the others, who were presumably also forced into this battle. There are seven others, surely a few of them would join us in this.
We'll worry about that when we actually run into one of them. How about we get out of this cage first, and talk later? responded Razaran. Above his front leg, a bony framework rapidly burst from the skin, joined by an interwoven mass of muscle fibers and organic tissues, which swiftly knitted itself together. Razaran's newly-created hammer-arm smashed apart the bars of the cage effortlessly, and the Kryesan climbed out of the remnants.
It was nearly impossible to see anything in the musty room. No cracks of light revealing an exit, no electrical equipment giving off even the faintest of glows. Kanpeki immediately modified her legs and part of her body to glow brightly, giving off enough light for dim details of the room to be seen. The cage was shoved up against a dilapidated concrete wall of what appeared to be a long-abandoned laboratory. Dusty, cobweb-saturated equipment lay scattered about the room, complemented by a multitude of spilled-out vials, their contents long gone. A large sign on the wall happily announced that the laboratory was the property of "DR. MATIC'S GROUP OF SCIENTIFLIC INCLINED PROFESSIONALS".
The large room held only one entrance - a small doorway with its entrance covered in bricks. This brick wall, of course, was not designed to withstand an assault from a hydra's organic sledgehammer, as good a business model as it could have been. The bricks were smashed into dust, knocking to the ground on the other side a bright red "CONDEMNED" sign. The stairway that lay behind was equally ill-equipped for a nine-foot hydra - the Kryesan could barely fit in the stairwell, and climbing it was equally difficult. As they reached the steel door at the top, a well-placed air vent revealed to them a conversation taking place on the floor above.
"I trust you have acquired the tome, Fleischer?"
"Yes, sir. Found it in the hands of some wench uptown, just north of Good Bad Uglies territory. Made quick work of her, but she didn't go down without a fight. I've got the tome."
Nalzaki heard the distinct sound of a book being slammed down on a desk.
"Excellent, excellent. Now, then, Fleischer, I trust you have brought with you the Fantasy Bookmark as well?"
"Erm, no, sir. I didn't find it on the girl. Maybe it was stolen from her beforehand by one of Lord Horrorshow's henchmen."
"Lord Horrorshow? You damned fool, Horrorshow has no influence anymore! Are you saying that the bookmark has slipped past us?"
"Yes, sir, Dr. Matic, sir."
"Unacceptable, Fleischer. Get Kirsch and Jaeger at once, and comb the entire city if you have to, just bring me that bookmark!"
"Yes, sir!"
The tome?[i] began Nalyg. [i]I assume that's what our captor told us to find. From the sounds of it it has a great amount of power, and can affect all of us in some way. I think it would be prudent to retrieve that tome for ourselves.
What are we waiting for, then? On with it! Before the others could respond, Razaran had bashed the steel door open, narrowly missing one very surprised Mr. Fleischer.