Re: The Grand Battle [Round Five: Battleopolis!]
01-24-2010, 07:47 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
After Amethyst's mockery, the demon lord was enraged, and his concentration had suffered for it. Eximo had thrown him off even more, and was now keeping him under a constant, direct barrage of attacks. It even had spare arms to fight off any puppets the demon sent to try to divert it.
Eximo fought like it had nothing to lose. Indeed, within its mind, it felt it did not. If it fell in this battle, it would be freed from the burden of carrying out its new orders.
But those same orders compelled it to fight with all its strength. The demon was constantly under attack by at least six of Eximo's arms, while struggling to send forces at Amethyst in the meantime.
He did not even see Aeon entering his mental realm.
Aeon watched from a distance. The demon, whose back was to Aeon, was holding a large key. Attached to the key were countless strings, which held up dozens of marionettes. As the demon moved the key, the marionettes moved as well. Aeon could see that some of them resembled the late contestants... Lutherion, Alcarith, Dorukomets... even Emily. This seemed the greatest insult of all.
Before, the demon had come across as a calm manipulator; a serpent with a silver tongue. The facade had fallen away, as now he was enraged. He shouted at the puppets, as if his current predicament was their fault.
"There's a saying, you know. It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools."
The demon turned to Aeon. He saw the knife in his hands.
"So. The boy is no longer mine. It matters not. I need only destroy one of you to invoke the Director's intervention. That will give me all I need."
The demon released his grip on the key as he turned to Aeon, but it continued to float and move the puppets on its own. A flaming sword emerged from nowhere to enter the demon's hand.
"Once the Director begins to move you, I will be able to manipulate this world to ensure the survivors are sent wherever I desire. Perhaps I will make them burn up in the center of a sun. Or buried under a mountain. It depends on what whim strikes me at the moment." He grinned wickedly. "Regardless, I will ensure that I remain here, even if the Director tries to move me. I will build this city into my new kingdom. And once I am ready, I will conquer as many dimensions as I wish." He glared at Aeon. "It all begins with your death. Once your mind is gone, your body will follow."
"Pretty ambitious plan you have there. But what happens if I destroy you here first?" Aeon set the knife in his adaptive tool. It grew into a mighty sword, and began to glow with a bright light.
The demon shielded his eyes. Even the light from it was hurting him. "Gah! What is this? That knife has no power to slay demons! It can only seal us!"
"Think of it as a gift from Emily, bastard." Aeon charged forward, stabbing the demon lord in the chest, where his heart would be. The demon tried to block, but the light had weakened him.
In the real world, a single word went through Eximo's mind. Spoken by all its mental voices in unison.
"Now."
Eximo struck the physical demon in the heart, at the same moment and place as Aeon's strike in the mental world. It could not explain why it attacked at that moment; it simply knew the time was right.
Both demons screamed, with a voice that seemed to echo across all realms, physical or otherwise.
As Aeon dealt the finishing blow, the demon turned to a pile of ashes. Then, Aeon saw the world around him slowly begin to vanish. He was about to run back for the door, but then he realized something.
The key!
From what the demon had suggested, it could be used to escape from this accursed game. Aeon had no idea how it could be used, but the reward would be worth the risk. He ran over to the demon's "theater" and pulled on the key. The puppets seemed to pull back; Aeon cut through as many strings as he could with the knife. This must be the demon's very last stand, he realized.
The puppets flew up, even without their strings, desperately trying to wrest control of the key. One of them, which appeared to be a cloaked skeleton, raised a metal arm. Countless guns appeared on its surface, prepared to fire...
And they were blocked by the puppet of Emily. She held up her shield. Many of the bullets were sent back at the strange puppet, but many others made it through the shield. Both puppets fell to the ground.
Aeon finally wrested the key free of the other puppets, and ran along the swiftly disappearing path, back to the door.
When he woke up, he was holding the key in his hand. Around him, Emily and the strange skeletal creature were lying dead on the ground; countless others seemed to be either dead, or dazed.
Nathan had awoken from his trance, as well. Amethyst turned to them.
"I believe this creature is Eximo's creator... or a copy of him, at any rate. When the demon died, it suddenly turned to fire on you, but Emily gave her life defending you."
"Just like her," Aeon sighed. "Even when given another chance at life, she'd give it away for another."
Nathan stared at the key in Aeon's hands.
"Where did you get that?"
"Apparently, the demon was using it to cause this mess. And it seems to provide a way for us to escape... somehow." He handed it over to Amethyst. "Damned if I know how to use it, though."
Meanwhile, Eximo stood in front of a pile of the demon's ashes.
Ordinarily, it would have simply vacuumed them up.
But it had an order. An order that took priority over the cleansing.
If it had tear ducts, it would have been crying as it approached the others.
"Greatest threat is calculated as... Amethyst..."
Amethyst puzzled over the key. "It appears to exert a great deal of control over this particular dimension. I do not believe it can create a portal, but it could redirect a transport... but for the Director to transport us, we would have to..."
There was an unpleasant pause.
Eximo took the gun out of storage, and readied it as it approached. The others were focused on the key, and had their backs turned to it for the moment.
Stop us... Please... it thought. We are right behind you! Stop us!
Once in range, it pulled the trigger.
Nathan saw it just in time, and pushed Amethyst out of the way, causing her to drop the key in surprise. The shot struck Nathan's heart.
As he collapsed to the ground, his fingers grasped the key. He whispered hoarsely.
"Can't send them... home... just be found again..."
"Send them... to a place... where they can fight back..."
As he died, there was a smug smile on his face. When the Director tried to retrieve them, he would be in for a surprise...
Spoiler
After Amethyst's mockery, the demon lord was enraged, and his concentration had suffered for it. Eximo had thrown him off even more, and was now keeping him under a constant, direct barrage of attacks. It even had spare arms to fight off any puppets the demon sent to try to divert it.
Eximo fought like it had nothing to lose. Indeed, within its mind, it felt it did not. If it fell in this battle, it would be freed from the burden of carrying out its new orders.
But those same orders compelled it to fight with all its strength. The demon was constantly under attack by at least six of Eximo's arms, while struggling to send forces at Amethyst in the meantime.
He did not even see Aeon entering his mental realm.
Aeon watched from a distance. The demon, whose back was to Aeon, was holding a large key. Attached to the key were countless strings, which held up dozens of marionettes. As the demon moved the key, the marionettes moved as well. Aeon could see that some of them resembled the late contestants... Lutherion, Alcarith, Dorukomets... even Emily. This seemed the greatest insult of all.
Before, the demon had come across as a calm manipulator; a serpent with a silver tongue. The facade had fallen away, as now he was enraged. He shouted at the puppets, as if his current predicament was their fault.
"There's a saying, you know. It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools."
The demon turned to Aeon. He saw the knife in his hands.
"So. The boy is no longer mine. It matters not. I need only destroy one of you to invoke the Director's intervention. That will give me all I need."
The demon released his grip on the key as he turned to Aeon, but it continued to float and move the puppets on its own. A flaming sword emerged from nowhere to enter the demon's hand.
"Once the Director begins to move you, I will be able to manipulate this world to ensure the survivors are sent wherever I desire. Perhaps I will make them burn up in the center of a sun. Or buried under a mountain. It depends on what whim strikes me at the moment." He grinned wickedly. "Regardless, I will ensure that I remain here, even if the Director tries to move me. I will build this city into my new kingdom. And once I am ready, I will conquer as many dimensions as I wish." He glared at Aeon. "It all begins with your death. Once your mind is gone, your body will follow."
"Pretty ambitious plan you have there. But what happens if I destroy you here first?" Aeon set the knife in his adaptive tool. It grew into a mighty sword, and began to glow with a bright light.
The demon shielded his eyes. Even the light from it was hurting him. "Gah! What is this? That knife has no power to slay demons! It can only seal us!"
"Think of it as a gift from Emily, bastard." Aeon charged forward, stabbing the demon lord in the chest, where his heart would be. The demon tried to block, but the light had weakened him.
In the real world, a single word went through Eximo's mind. Spoken by all its mental voices in unison.
"Now."
Eximo struck the physical demon in the heart, at the same moment and place as Aeon's strike in the mental world. It could not explain why it attacked at that moment; it simply knew the time was right.
Both demons screamed, with a voice that seemed to echo across all realms, physical or otherwise.
As Aeon dealt the finishing blow, the demon turned to a pile of ashes. Then, Aeon saw the world around him slowly begin to vanish. He was about to run back for the door, but then he realized something.
The key!
From what the demon had suggested, it could be used to escape from this accursed game. Aeon had no idea how it could be used, but the reward would be worth the risk. He ran over to the demon's "theater" and pulled on the key. The puppets seemed to pull back; Aeon cut through as many strings as he could with the knife. This must be the demon's very last stand, he realized.
The puppets flew up, even without their strings, desperately trying to wrest control of the key. One of them, which appeared to be a cloaked skeleton, raised a metal arm. Countless guns appeared on its surface, prepared to fire...
And they were blocked by the puppet of Emily. She held up her shield. Many of the bullets were sent back at the strange puppet, but many others made it through the shield. Both puppets fell to the ground.
Aeon finally wrested the key free of the other puppets, and ran along the swiftly disappearing path, back to the door.
When he woke up, he was holding the key in his hand. Around him, Emily and the strange skeletal creature were lying dead on the ground; countless others seemed to be either dead, or dazed.
Nathan had awoken from his trance, as well. Amethyst turned to them.
"I believe this creature is Eximo's creator... or a copy of him, at any rate. When the demon died, it suddenly turned to fire on you, but Emily gave her life defending you."
"Just like her," Aeon sighed. "Even when given another chance at life, she'd give it away for another."
Nathan stared at the key in Aeon's hands.
"Where did you get that?"
"Apparently, the demon was using it to cause this mess. And it seems to provide a way for us to escape... somehow." He handed it over to Amethyst. "Damned if I know how to use it, though."
Meanwhile, Eximo stood in front of a pile of the demon's ashes.
Ordinarily, it would have simply vacuumed them up.
But it had an order. An order that took priority over the cleansing.
If it had tear ducts, it would have been crying as it approached the others.
"Greatest threat is calculated as... Amethyst..."
Amethyst puzzled over the key. "It appears to exert a great deal of control over this particular dimension. I do not believe it can create a portal, but it could redirect a transport... but for the Director to transport us, we would have to..."
There was an unpleasant pause.
Eximo took the gun out of storage, and readied it as it approached. The others were focused on the key, and had their backs turned to it for the moment.
Stop us... Please... it thought. We are right behind you! Stop us!
Once in range, it pulled the trigger.
Nathan saw it just in time, and pushed Amethyst out of the way, causing her to drop the key in surprise. The shot struck Nathan's heart.
As he collapsed to the ground, his fingers grasped the key. He whispered hoarsely.
"Can't send them... home... just be found again..."
"Send them... to a place... where they can fight back..."
As he died, there was a smug smile on his face. When the Director tried to retrieve them, he would be in for a surprise...
There's no reason for this | Or this | Death is inevitable | You can't challenge fate | The smallest change | I'm overwhelmed
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse