Re: The Vivacious Deadlock: S3G6: Round Three: The Sable Masque
09-16-2012, 03:12 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pick Yer Poison.
The moment Klendel felt the foreign mind of the Kings - one far more ancient and powerful than his own - his first instinct was to lash out at it, trying to pry their deepest fears from their minds. The attempt was slapped aside without so much as an acknowledgement, and Klendel immediately knew he was drastically outclassed.
He quickly leapt to protect what was most important to him - the past he thought he'd buried lifetimes ago. He hurriedly crammed it into a mental lockbox and sunk it deep into his psyche, where he was certain the Kings would never be able to reach. As he packed it away, he failed to notice a thin, sinewy line of thought, emanating from a recently unearthed cluster of memories, drag Melissa Harmon's memory into the box along with it.
By this time, the Kings had managed to pry the knowledge of the other contestants out of his head. Klendel struck back viciously, biting and scratching at the invasive tendrils while he struggled to lock up everything else he knew about the battle and those involved. The Kings quickly withdrew their presence from his mind, but he suspected it was only because they'd already gotten all they wanted.
The pressure to defend his thoughts lifted, Klendel began to look over his surroundings. The pitch black room was as bright as day to his eyes, although that didn't make it look the least bit more inviting. He quickly took in the delipidated scenery and the three grotesque figures sitting on their thrones, then turned his head to the side and glared piercingly at Hematite, who seemed more than a little out of sorts.
After a moment, a sort of fuzzy memory of the Kings calling him by name floated to the forefront of his mind. He turned reluctantly back to them and forced a slightly pained wicked grin onto his face. "Yes, I'm Klendel. Can I help you?"
The Kings didn't even bat an eye. "You can."
"And you will."
The response meant something to Klendel. If he were in the habit of it, he'd have been rubbing his temples, but as it was he simply stood there silently until his brain, still reeling from the mental attack, caught up with itself. If they still needed his help, they hadn't gotten everything they wanted. If they knew everything he knew, they could easily summon the others like they had him and simply overpower them. As dangerous as it was to predict abilities he knew nothing about, he decided he could assume that if they could teleport him to them, they had an arsenal of similar, more powerful abilities at their disposal. Therefore, whatever they had gotten out of his head was either incorrect or incomplete to such a degree that they were reluctant to summon anyone else they didn't know they could overpower.
He knew what he said in this conversation would be of utmost important in establishing how these people viewed him. Were he to fold immediately, they would likely figure out he was trying to worm his way into their trust immediately. But if he were to resist initially, they would likely make a show of force to convince him it was in his own best interests. If they felt they'd scared him into helping them, they'd be less suspicious than if he had done it for no apparent reason. And as a bonus, he might be able to see a little of what they were capable of beyond teleporting others and looking grotesque.
"And what if I don't?" he asked, working a little annoyance into his voice.
One of the Kings - it was impossible to tell which one, really, they all sounded roughly the same - replied in a slightly bored voice. "Then we will incinerate you and find someone who will." The King on the left raised one of his hands, glowing figures forming in it. Klendel could tell it was incredibly hot by the air distortion above it, but the King waving the pattern didn't seem bothered by the heat at all.
Klendel bowed deeply, making it look just a little bit hasty and panicked. "A persuasive argument. I am yours to command."
The burning runes vanished and the Kings continued as if he had agreed from the start. "You will tell us all you know of the five others who arrived with you."
"Then you will tell us who sent you."
"And after that you will tell us why."
Klendel stood back up, allowing a rebellious smile to show on his face, a plan already forming. "Oh, I can do better than that."
"I can help you catch them."
The moment Klendel felt the foreign mind of the Kings - one far more ancient and powerful than his own - his first instinct was to lash out at it, trying to pry their deepest fears from their minds. The attempt was slapped aside without so much as an acknowledgement, and Klendel immediately knew he was drastically outclassed.
He quickly leapt to protect what was most important to him - the past he thought he'd buried lifetimes ago. He hurriedly crammed it into a mental lockbox and sunk it deep into his psyche, where he was certain the Kings would never be able to reach. As he packed it away, he failed to notice a thin, sinewy line of thought, emanating from a recently unearthed cluster of memories, drag Melissa Harmon's memory into the box along with it.
By this time, the Kings had managed to pry the knowledge of the other contestants out of his head. Klendel struck back viciously, biting and scratching at the invasive tendrils while he struggled to lock up everything else he knew about the battle and those involved. The Kings quickly withdrew their presence from his mind, but he suspected it was only because they'd already gotten all they wanted.
The pressure to defend his thoughts lifted, Klendel began to look over his surroundings. The pitch black room was as bright as day to his eyes, although that didn't make it look the least bit more inviting. He quickly took in the delipidated scenery and the three grotesque figures sitting on their thrones, then turned his head to the side and glared piercingly at Hematite, who seemed more than a little out of sorts.
After a moment, a sort of fuzzy memory of the Kings calling him by name floated to the forefront of his mind. He turned reluctantly back to them and forced a slightly pained wicked grin onto his face. "Yes, I'm Klendel. Can I help you?"
The Kings didn't even bat an eye. "You can."
"And you will."
The response meant something to Klendel. If he were in the habit of it, he'd have been rubbing his temples, but as it was he simply stood there silently until his brain, still reeling from the mental attack, caught up with itself. If they still needed his help, they hadn't gotten everything they wanted. If they knew everything he knew, they could easily summon the others like they had him and simply overpower them. As dangerous as it was to predict abilities he knew nothing about, he decided he could assume that if they could teleport him to them, they had an arsenal of similar, more powerful abilities at their disposal. Therefore, whatever they had gotten out of his head was either incorrect or incomplete to such a degree that they were reluctant to summon anyone else they didn't know they could overpower.
He knew what he said in this conversation would be of utmost important in establishing how these people viewed him. Were he to fold immediately, they would likely figure out he was trying to worm his way into their trust immediately. But if he were to resist initially, they would likely make a show of force to convince him it was in his own best interests. If they felt they'd scared him into helping them, they'd be less suspicious than if he had done it for no apparent reason. And as a bonus, he might be able to see a little of what they were capable of beyond teleporting others and looking grotesque.
"And what if I don't?" he asked, working a little annoyance into his voice.
One of the Kings - it was impossible to tell which one, really, they all sounded roughly the same - replied in a slightly bored voice. "Then we will incinerate you and find someone who will." The King on the left raised one of his hands, glowing figures forming in it. Klendel could tell it was incredibly hot by the air distortion above it, but the King waving the pattern didn't seem bothered by the heat at all.
Klendel bowed deeply, making it look just a little bit hasty and panicked. "A persuasive argument. I am yours to command."
The burning runes vanished and the Kings continued as if he had agreed from the start. "You will tell us all you know of the five others who arrived with you."
"Then you will tell us who sent you."
"And after that you will tell us why."
Klendel stood back up, allowing a rebellious smile to show on his face, a plan already forming. "Oh, I can do better than that."
"I can help you catch them."
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