Re: The Grand Battle [Round Five: Battleopolis!]
01-11-2010, 03:55 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.
Aeon stood in a pool of blood once again. At first he thought that Nathan had reestablished the illusion, but he saw that that was not the case as soon as he looked up. The bone web was gone, and so was pretty much everything around him. Instead, they were replaced with a nauseating void, with seemingly random images floating among the wisps of red and black. In each image two people were always present: firstly, Nathan, who appeared in various ages, but was clearly recognizable. Secondly, the demon, standing nonchalantly behind Nathan, his face completely unreadable. Like a guardian angel...
At once Aeon snapped from his trance. He realized the images distracted him, and did not notice that the nauseating smell of fresh blood combined with a distinct smell of rust and corrosion pierce his nostrils. Reacting quickly, his adaptive tool dissolved, releasing all of the energy stored in it. In reality this would have been a very risky move, but as it seems that Aeon was still linked to Nathan's mind, he assumed that little changed in reality. The energies coalesced into an aura and formed around Aeon, lastly changing into an ornate suit of armor, not too dissimilar to that of Dorukomets, only the demonic symbols replaced with holy icons. At once the pool of blood parted around his feet, and the wisps of pink mist became agitated, moving around erratically as if blown by a turbulent breeze.
Well this certainly wasn't what I had in mind, Aeon thought. The armor was clearly made of the same metal as Emily's shield, but it seemed different... more lustrous... and seemed to radiate light into the void. Regardless, Aeon began to walk, and his footprints left holes in the pool of blood, which filled a few seconds later. He did not walk towards any particular direction, but merely hoped to get closer to the place in this metaphorical world where Nathan's mind was being held captive.
Aeon looked at Nathan's memories as he walked about. At first it seemed that they were simply random occurrences in Nathan's life that were being displayed, but it did not take long for Aeon to notice a pattern: childhood memories in one direction, images of daily life in another; Nathan's most memorable moments in one direction and his fears in another; dreams and nightmares placed in their own corner of the void. It did not take long for Aeon to decipher the pattern, and he began walking towards what appeared to be the center of this world.
As he walked, more modern memories began appearing around him. Soon, images of the first round began to appear, then the second, and then the third. He eventually found himself in the midst of images that only happened a few seconds ago. However, they stopped abruptly where Lutherion summoned the bone web. Aeon looked forwards, and could see the path narrow. He proceeded towards this direction.
Soon the void faded away, and were replaced with shifting structures made of solid blood. At this point very little of what Aeon saw had much connection to Nathan as a person, and became more focused towards the demon's persona. This is the demon's domain. "Trophies" of past victories of the demon appeared and disappeared constantly. Likewise, certain figures were consistently recognizable amongst the blood statues. The most prominent one was of a man with an uncanny resemblance with Nathan, only older and more... experienced. This man was portrayed in some parts as a virtuous hero, and in others suffering, with many elements of torture inflicted upon him. Proceeding further, he could recognize figures of all eight contestants in the Grand Battle, all of which were again presented in both what they actually did and in elements of torture, except for Nathan. Rather, he was sometimes portrayed as the person inflicting the torture; as the executioner. In some places the punishments were more intricate, with situations that seemed to be actually possible in the current setting in reality, or perhaps the future. This is... unsettling. I should proceed further, I need to get to Nathan as soon as possible.
After climbing a flight of stairs that had a torrent of blood flow down them, Aeon stopped walking. Before him was Nathan bound to an ornate throne by chains that dripped blood. The throne itself was the source of all of the blood that Aeon had encountered--it flowed out of gaps in the bottom. The demon stood to the side, arms casually held behind his back and looking eerily calm.
"Ah, you have finally arrived. Let's begin."
Aeon stood in a pool of blood once again. At first he thought that Nathan had reestablished the illusion, but he saw that that was not the case as soon as he looked up. The bone web was gone, and so was pretty much everything around him. Instead, they were replaced with a nauseating void, with seemingly random images floating among the wisps of red and black. In each image two people were always present: firstly, Nathan, who appeared in various ages, but was clearly recognizable. Secondly, the demon, standing nonchalantly behind Nathan, his face completely unreadable. Like a guardian angel...
At once Aeon snapped from his trance. He realized the images distracted him, and did not notice that the nauseating smell of fresh blood combined with a distinct smell of rust and corrosion pierce his nostrils. Reacting quickly, his adaptive tool dissolved, releasing all of the energy stored in it. In reality this would have been a very risky move, but as it seems that Aeon was still linked to Nathan's mind, he assumed that little changed in reality. The energies coalesced into an aura and formed around Aeon, lastly changing into an ornate suit of armor, not too dissimilar to that of Dorukomets, only the demonic symbols replaced with holy icons. At once the pool of blood parted around his feet, and the wisps of pink mist became agitated, moving around erratically as if blown by a turbulent breeze.
Well this certainly wasn't what I had in mind, Aeon thought. The armor was clearly made of the same metal as Emily's shield, but it seemed different... more lustrous... and seemed to radiate light into the void. Regardless, Aeon began to walk, and his footprints left holes in the pool of blood, which filled a few seconds later. He did not walk towards any particular direction, but merely hoped to get closer to the place in this metaphorical world where Nathan's mind was being held captive.
Aeon looked at Nathan's memories as he walked about. At first it seemed that they were simply random occurrences in Nathan's life that were being displayed, but it did not take long for Aeon to notice a pattern: childhood memories in one direction, images of daily life in another; Nathan's most memorable moments in one direction and his fears in another; dreams and nightmares placed in their own corner of the void. It did not take long for Aeon to decipher the pattern, and he began walking towards what appeared to be the center of this world.
As he walked, more modern memories began appearing around him. Soon, images of the first round began to appear, then the second, and then the third. He eventually found himself in the midst of images that only happened a few seconds ago. However, they stopped abruptly where Lutherion summoned the bone web. Aeon looked forwards, and could see the path narrow. He proceeded towards this direction.
Soon the void faded away, and were replaced with shifting structures made of solid blood. At this point very little of what Aeon saw had much connection to Nathan as a person, and became more focused towards the demon's persona. This is the demon's domain. "Trophies" of past victories of the demon appeared and disappeared constantly. Likewise, certain figures were consistently recognizable amongst the blood statues. The most prominent one was of a man with an uncanny resemblance with Nathan, only older and more... experienced. This man was portrayed in some parts as a virtuous hero, and in others suffering, with many elements of torture inflicted upon him. Proceeding further, he could recognize figures of all eight contestants in the Grand Battle, all of which were again presented in both what they actually did and in elements of torture, except for Nathan. Rather, he was sometimes portrayed as the person inflicting the torture; as the executioner. In some places the punishments were more intricate, with situations that seemed to be actually possible in the current setting in reality, or perhaps the future. This is... unsettling. I should proceed further, I need to get to Nathan as soon as possible.
After climbing a flight of stairs that had a torrent of blood flow down them, Aeon stopped walking. Before him was Nathan bound to an ornate throne by chains that dripped blood. The throne itself was the source of all of the blood that Aeon had encountered--it flowed out of gaps in the bottom. The demon stood to the side, arms casually held behind his back and looking eerily calm.
"Ah, you have finally arrived. Let's begin."