Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 3: Escheresque!]
11-19-2009, 07:26 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
The Sunset stared at the Faceless incredulously. Unbelievable, he thought.That this... beast only sees fit to reach a resolution through destruction.
The Balancer began to speak in a manner it fully intended to be reasonable and calm, but the Faceless shied away at the solid rumble, halting the Sunset with the fearful yelp which terminated their mental link.
Again, and again, these similarities and contrasts between the two entities only brought frustration to the Sunset. Despite that fundamental similarity in form, the two really couldn't have been less alike. Where the Sunset was a centuries-old being; Vyrm'n's conscious, sapient mind was less than a human lifetime old, despite it being knowledgeable beyond its years. While he was an agent of order, of Balance; the Faceless seemed the contestant most hell-bent on general motiveless destruction and chaos. The Balancer, bound and shackled into the suit; the shadow, free and unrestrained as - well - a shadow. He felt it was - he couldn't help himself - unfair. Unfair that Vyrm'n was so swift and ferocious and agile in form and motion and thought, and by comparison he was stuck. Powerful, yes, feared and indomitable and wise, but stuck.
Other frustrations, too - while he was ancient, degenerate, dying; Vyrm'n was in the prime of its indeterminately long life, rambunctious with youth in its mind and with a body, unlike the Balancer's, capable of enduring for possibly millennia wandering through deep space. It was fear that made the Balancer choose to endure for that little bit longer in this miserable state, a fear which in the past it had only considered in the most desperate of battles but now perpetually shrouded its mind.
Of course, the Sunset knew none of these as concrete certainties. He hardly even knew the creature. But their shared ancestry meant the Sunset and the Faceless possessed similar hallmarks of age and personality and intelligence. It wasn't much to go by. But it was enough to make the Balancer frustrated for all that it didn't know.
But most infuriating to this ancient sentinel of justice was that this evidently powerful, unquestionably intelligent creature could not see beyond the confines of this game set up by the Observer, did not grasp the true significance and implications of Amethyst's note.
He spoke again;"I-" again, Vyrm'n reflexively twitched away. More discrepancies, the Balancer thought, sighing internally. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS," he declared. "ATTEMPTING TO CONVERSE WITH YOU IS IMPOSSIBLE, FACELESS, WHEN YOU INSIST ON RETREATING FROM MY EVERY WORD."
I can't help it, Vyrm'n replied plaintively when it restored the link. It bounces around inside.
"SUGGEST A WAY, THEN, WE CAN COMMUNICATE FREELY. VYRM'N."
The Faceless made no reply, pondering for a moment. Then some facet of it shifted as its form approximated a crouch, engaging no external change, but the Balancer felt it. It was that endless, murderous void again. The Balancer took a step back, his Nightmare initiating the charging as the Faceless leapt at his chest. The Sunset raised an arm to stop it but this time it seemed more in control; it simply flowed past the arm until the crackling purple was drowned in darkness...
De ja vu as the Sunset caught a second glimpse of the whole universe, laid out beneath the star-studded exterior for the sole purpose of disproving you through comparison. This time, though, the impeccably timed reassertion of the Faceless' conscious self as it threw itself into the Balancer's mind came faster. As the two consciousnesses hurtled to the safety of the Sunset's mind, the Faceless seemed far more efficient and organised with its movements, coalescing with rapid efficiency into a dense amalgamation of its consciousness that prevented its presence from intruding upon the Sunset's mind more than was absolutely necessary.
The Sunset glanced around at this new territory; the last time he had been here it had been so full of Vyrm'n that it lacked the need for any other description. The Sunset's assessment of its mind was interrupted by the Faceless:
Will this do?
The Sunset wasn't too sure how to formulate a reply, before eventually figuring conscious thought was what was "audible." I dislike your manner of initiating it- the entire space intoned -but it appears to render you capable of finally engaging in intelligent conversation, Faceless.
Then convince me.
To escape the game? It should be obvious. If we do not defeat the Observer, nothing, anywhere, is safe.
I don't care. I'll win this.
And then what?
The Faceless found itself incapable of replying. It radiated a state of mind that would approximate a shrug.
And you are satisfied with that?
Should I not be?
... It causes no sick horror in your heart that there are beings who toy with our existence for mere sport?
Another infuriating gesture of uninterest. What? Do you want me to say I care?
The Sunset's psyche uttered a rumble reminiscent of its voice on the physical plane. The Faceless' involuntarily cowered a little. Yes. I do want you to care. Because your current logic you employ is so mind-bogglingly idiotic that were the situation less grave I would find it laughable. As it is, I find your obstinate stupidity infuriating.
The Faceless' flared up in a flurry of indignation, before settling with a snide air. With more venom than the Balancer would've expected from it, it replied snidely, six months. And I have no wish to fight the Observer, because Gestalt's right. It's suicide. You are so close to death, Balancer, I suppose it is of little concern to you, but I'll have better things to be doing with my life once I've won this.
Core damn that Faceless, thought the Sunset. It had an ego, and a touchy one at that. Under normal circumstances, the Balancer wouldn't have wasted his time with such an arrogant beast, but he needed this one. He wasn't sure if the Faceless had heard any of that; if it had, it made no indication. Forcing himself into careful courtesy, the Sunset asked,
What do you intend to do with your freedom, Faceless?
Well... I was under the impression the Observer has an extensive knowledge of the known universe. The Sunset made no response to this, Vyrm'n continued. I thought... he would be able to ascertain my origins and lay to rest a mystery which has been plaguing me since I was 'typed.
This raised more questions, but the Balancer had no time to rise to the riddle bait. So you are willing and ready to kill every contestant here, even your ally Gestalt? Matthews? Deakin? The Karm- it was nigh-imperceptible, but the Sunset saw it - a flicker of dismissal, hiding a more surprising emotion... guilt. The Sunset mulled it over; the Faceless was keeping its emotions hidden, but if anything it seemed relieved the interrogation had halted.
The only interpersonal(?) interactions the Balancer had observed the Faceless in was in the pursuit of the late Cabaret, and as the ally of the Schrotgolem - neither of those seemed to fit. The two spirits' relationship, to the Balancer, appeared purely for the sake of convenience and... well, call it professionalism. In the field... the shadow, a human, had joined forces to thwart Samuel's plans. The Urisian seemed an unlikely candidate for such a task. It had to be...
Maxwell, the byzantium being murmured triumphantly. The Faceless did not reply, its beaming emotions that it failed to disguise were enough. The Sunset didn't need to ask the nature of this arrangement, all that was needed for the Balancer's plan to work was its mere existence. If your intention is to leave this game, winning on the Observers terms, with the death of all seven other contestants, how do you propose the human survives?
I... don't know.
You must surely see my point now. You can not win this and keep him safe.
I'll find a way.
You will not. In fact, if you were to enter the final round, with Deakin at your side, a refusal to fight would most likely coerce the Observer into... dabbling even further than he has done to date.
...
Is that what you want? To protect him from the likes of Samuel, only to have him die at your feet with none to blame but yourself?
...
Or would you die for him?
SHUT UP. SHUT UP <font size="4">SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.</font> The Faceless' form trembled with agitation, losing cohesion and growing, flooding the Sunset's mindscape. The Sunset was forewarned, though, and with steely mental grip seized the Faceless and forcibly ejected its consciousness.
Upon return to the Escherscape, Vyrm'n leapt back as though physically thrown, scrambling into a corner like a wounded animal. The dark mass trembled, and thin spines kept flowing and fading, flowing and fading from the black core; punctuating its surface like the pillars formed in reply to drops of water hitting inky pools reflecting the night sky.
Neither contestant moved, the Faceless still calming down in the corner, the Sunset impassive as it stood on a conventional wall, waiting for Vyrm'n's reply.
Eventually, after an age, the Faceless stopped shaking and a tendril emerged, snaking over to cautiously grab a piece of purple.
It's this way. Vyrm'n floated, unbidden, into the air as it selected an appropriate down, before choosing a corridor to travel through to return to the fountain. Before it broke the connection, it added with equal parts bitterness and embarrassment,
This is for Maxwell, not you. Balancer. So saying that, it shot off down the corridor like - well, like someone had made that end of the corridor down. It decelerated in time to avoid a collision, and drifted impatiently, waiting for the Sunset to catch up, before repeating the motion down the next stretch of hallyway.
The Sunset stared at the Faceless incredulously. Unbelievable, he thought.That this... beast only sees fit to reach a resolution through destruction.
The Balancer began to speak in a manner it fully intended to be reasonable and calm, but the Faceless shied away at the solid rumble, halting the Sunset with the fearful yelp which terminated their mental link.
Again, and again, these similarities and contrasts between the two entities only brought frustration to the Sunset. Despite that fundamental similarity in form, the two really couldn't have been less alike. Where the Sunset was a centuries-old being; Vyrm'n's conscious, sapient mind was less than a human lifetime old, despite it being knowledgeable beyond its years. While he was an agent of order, of Balance; the Faceless seemed the contestant most hell-bent on general motiveless destruction and chaos. The Balancer, bound and shackled into the suit; the shadow, free and unrestrained as - well - a shadow. He felt it was - he couldn't help himself - unfair. Unfair that Vyrm'n was so swift and ferocious and agile in form and motion and thought, and by comparison he was stuck. Powerful, yes, feared and indomitable and wise, but stuck.
Other frustrations, too - while he was ancient, degenerate, dying; Vyrm'n was in the prime of its indeterminately long life, rambunctious with youth in its mind and with a body, unlike the Balancer's, capable of enduring for possibly millennia wandering through deep space. It was fear that made the Balancer choose to endure for that little bit longer in this miserable state, a fear which in the past it had only considered in the most desperate of battles but now perpetually shrouded its mind.
Of course, the Sunset knew none of these as concrete certainties. He hardly even knew the creature. But their shared ancestry meant the Sunset and the Faceless possessed similar hallmarks of age and personality and intelligence. It wasn't much to go by. But it was enough to make the Balancer frustrated for all that it didn't know.
But most infuriating to this ancient sentinel of justice was that this evidently powerful, unquestionably intelligent creature could not see beyond the confines of this game set up by the Observer, did not grasp the true significance and implications of Amethyst's note.
He spoke again;"I-" again, Vyrm'n reflexively twitched away. More discrepancies, the Balancer thought, sighing internally. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS," he declared. "ATTEMPTING TO CONVERSE WITH YOU IS IMPOSSIBLE, FACELESS, WHEN YOU INSIST ON RETREATING FROM MY EVERY WORD."
I can't help it, Vyrm'n replied plaintively when it restored the link. It bounces around inside.
"SUGGEST A WAY, THEN, WE CAN COMMUNICATE FREELY. VYRM'N."
The Faceless made no reply, pondering for a moment. Then some facet of it shifted as its form approximated a crouch, engaging no external change, but the Balancer felt it. It was that endless, murderous void again. The Balancer took a step back, his Nightmare initiating the charging as the Faceless leapt at his chest. The Sunset raised an arm to stop it but this time it seemed more in control; it simply flowed past the arm until the crackling purple was drowned in darkness...
De ja vu as the Sunset caught a second glimpse of the whole universe, laid out beneath the star-studded exterior for the sole purpose of disproving you through comparison. This time, though, the impeccably timed reassertion of the Faceless' conscious self as it threw itself into the Balancer's mind came faster. As the two consciousnesses hurtled to the safety of the Sunset's mind, the Faceless seemed far more efficient and organised with its movements, coalescing with rapid efficiency into a dense amalgamation of its consciousness that prevented its presence from intruding upon the Sunset's mind more than was absolutely necessary.
The Sunset glanced around at this new territory; the last time he had been here it had been so full of Vyrm'n that it lacked the need for any other description. The Sunset's assessment of its mind was interrupted by the Faceless:
Will this do?
The Sunset wasn't too sure how to formulate a reply, before eventually figuring conscious thought was what was "audible." I dislike your manner of initiating it- the entire space intoned -but it appears to render you capable of finally engaging in intelligent conversation, Faceless.
Then convince me.
To escape the game? It should be obvious. If we do not defeat the Observer, nothing, anywhere, is safe.
I don't care. I'll win this.
And then what?
The Faceless found itself incapable of replying. It radiated a state of mind that would approximate a shrug.
And you are satisfied with that?
Should I not be?
... It causes no sick horror in your heart that there are beings who toy with our existence for mere sport?
Another infuriating gesture of uninterest. What? Do you want me to say I care?
The Sunset's psyche uttered a rumble reminiscent of its voice on the physical plane. The Faceless' involuntarily cowered a little. Yes. I do want you to care. Because your current logic you employ is so mind-bogglingly idiotic that were the situation less grave I would find it laughable. As it is, I find your obstinate stupidity infuriating.
The Faceless' flared up in a flurry of indignation, before settling with a snide air. With more venom than the Balancer would've expected from it, it replied snidely, six months. And I have no wish to fight the Observer, because Gestalt's right. It's suicide. You are so close to death, Balancer, I suppose it is of little concern to you, but I'll have better things to be doing with my life once I've won this.
Core damn that Faceless, thought the Sunset. It had an ego, and a touchy one at that. Under normal circumstances, the Balancer wouldn't have wasted his time with such an arrogant beast, but he needed this one. He wasn't sure if the Faceless had heard any of that; if it had, it made no indication. Forcing himself into careful courtesy, the Sunset asked,
What do you intend to do with your freedom, Faceless?
Well... I was under the impression the Observer has an extensive knowledge of the known universe. The Sunset made no response to this, Vyrm'n continued. I thought... he would be able to ascertain my origins and lay to rest a mystery which has been plaguing me since I was 'typed.
This raised more questions, but the Balancer had no time to rise to the riddle bait. So you are willing and ready to kill every contestant here, even your ally Gestalt? Matthews? Deakin? The Karm- it was nigh-imperceptible, but the Sunset saw it - a flicker of dismissal, hiding a more surprising emotion... guilt. The Sunset mulled it over; the Faceless was keeping its emotions hidden, but if anything it seemed relieved the interrogation had halted.
The only interpersonal(?) interactions the Balancer had observed the Faceless in was in the pursuit of the late Cabaret, and as the ally of the Schrotgolem - neither of those seemed to fit. The two spirits' relationship, to the Balancer, appeared purely for the sake of convenience and... well, call it professionalism. In the field... the shadow, a human, had joined forces to thwart Samuel's plans. The Urisian seemed an unlikely candidate for such a task. It had to be...
Maxwell, the byzantium being murmured triumphantly. The Faceless did not reply, its beaming emotions that it failed to disguise were enough. The Sunset didn't need to ask the nature of this arrangement, all that was needed for the Balancer's plan to work was its mere existence. If your intention is to leave this game, winning on the Observers terms, with the death of all seven other contestants, how do you propose the human survives?
I... don't know.
You must surely see my point now. You can not win this and keep him safe.
I'll find a way.
You will not. In fact, if you were to enter the final round, with Deakin at your side, a refusal to fight would most likely coerce the Observer into... dabbling even further than he has done to date.
...
Is that what you want? To protect him from the likes of Samuel, only to have him die at your feet with none to blame but yourself?
...
Or would you die for him?
SHUT UP. SHUT UP <font size="4">SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.</font> The Faceless' form trembled with agitation, losing cohesion and growing, flooding the Sunset's mindscape. The Sunset was forewarned, though, and with steely mental grip seized the Faceless and forcibly ejected its consciousness.
Upon return to the Escherscape, Vyrm'n leapt back as though physically thrown, scrambling into a corner like a wounded animal. The dark mass trembled, and thin spines kept flowing and fading, flowing and fading from the black core; punctuating its surface like the pillars formed in reply to drops of water hitting inky pools reflecting the night sky.
Neither contestant moved, the Faceless still calming down in the corner, the Sunset impassive as it stood on a conventional wall, waiting for Vyrm'n's reply.
Eventually, after an age, the Faceless stopped shaking and a tendril emerged, snaking over to cautiously grab a piece of purple.
It's this way. Vyrm'n floated, unbidden, into the air as it selected an appropriate down, before choosing a corridor to travel through to return to the fountain. Before it broke the connection, it added with equal parts bitterness and embarrassment,
This is for Maxwell, not you. Balancer. So saying that, it shot off down the corridor like - well, like someone had made that end of the corridor down. It decelerated in time to avoid a collision, and drifted impatiently, waiting for the Sunset to catch up, before repeating the motion down the next stretch of hallyway.
peace to the unsung peace to the martyrs | i'm johnny rotten appleseed
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow