Re: Grand Battle S3G1! (Round One: Vio Maleficat)
12-29-2010, 08:51 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
The mushrooms, which had settled their differences and resprouted in a final seat-sized deathcap of solidarity against the Unity Barrier's attempts to evict them, yelped peevishly at the coalescing dust that kept nibbling at the edges of them. Even the alloy walls of the facility were looking rather eroded as the last of the matter gathered round Benjamin in a rather anticlimactic fashion. Instead of collapsing to the ground from floating, he just touched down into the centimetre-deep depression of soil he'd stirred up, and didn't part the cloud considering Jetsam had only taken what was necessary.
Atoning for this lack of action was the Unity Barrier, which wrapped intangibly round Benjamin like a bullwhip sheet before restoring its shape with an elastic snap and hurling him bodily from its field of protection.
The man just lay sprawled in the meadow for a while, absently watching the way its green phased into a deep plum colour when and where the breeze rippled its surface. The near-death experience he'd just had was worse than the several dozen times he'd actually suffered through the messy and ignoble chore of dying - at least to the point when that bastard would pick him up and deposit him somewhere, again -and it had clutched at somewhere in Benjamin that he hadn't been aware he'd miss. He absolutely didn't want to go back there, but the fading memory of the last world, of that look on triumph on his friend's face right as he was dragged away, left Benjamin too despondent to really get scared about it.
After a further minute or so ignoring the receding honks of concern from migratory geese overhead, Jetsam finally stood, and examined his hands. More specifically, claws, as this incarnation was that of a large, rather ferrous pangolin, scales aglint with sharp, metal edges. Bipedalism was proving awkward, and the lack of opposable thumbs on his person was leading Benjamin to the grouchy conclusion that this was one of those worlds, the kind where he'd have to count to a large number in his head to stop thinking the whole place was rigged to test his tolerance for the ludicrous.
Had he been in more of a screaming-at-the-heavens kind of mood, Jetsam would've railed at his tormentor. This new form was reminding him of Skorn even worse, though, and just made him feel even more miserable. He sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and turned to examine the Unity Plant. Save for the almost certainly human architecture, Benjamin couldn't discern much more from it. Something about it, though, seemed... intrusive. He couldn't put his metalloid talon on it, beyond a vague comprehension it was some aspect of his new shell planting these thoughts in his head. Maybe it was just the barrier, maybe it was that whole building. Regardless, it was setting him on edge.
The man struggled for a while as he tried to recall the likelihood of the captor in the mood to perform reverse psychology, subvert reverse psychology, or whatever other twisted game he was playing with Benjamin. The pangolin finally shrugged, and lumbered back toward the Unity Plant.
The mushrooms, which had settled their differences and resprouted in a final seat-sized deathcap of solidarity against the Unity Barrier's attempts to evict them, yelped peevishly at the coalescing dust that kept nibbling at the edges of them. Even the alloy walls of the facility were looking rather eroded as the last of the matter gathered round Benjamin in a rather anticlimactic fashion. Instead of collapsing to the ground from floating, he just touched down into the centimetre-deep depression of soil he'd stirred up, and didn't part the cloud considering Jetsam had only taken what was necessary.
Atoning for this lack of action was the Unity Barrier, which wrapped intangibly round Benjamin like a bullwhip sheet before restoring its shape with an elastic snap and hurling him bodily from its field of protection.
The man just lay sprawled in the meadow for a while, absently watching the way its green phased into a deep plum colour when and where the breeze rippled its surface. The near-death experience he'd just had was worse than the several dozen times he'd actually suffered through the messy and ignoble chore of dying - at least to the point when that bastard would pick him up and deposit him somewhere, again -and it had clutched at somewhere in Benjamin that he hadn't been aware he'd miss. He absolutely didn't want to go back there, but the fading memory of the last world, of that look on triumph on his friend's face right as he was dragged away, left Benjamin too despondent to really get scared about it.
After a further minute or so ignoring the receding honks of concern from migratory geese overhead, Jetsam finally stood, and examined his hands. More specifically, claws, as this incarnation was that of a large, rather ferrous pangolin, scales aglint with sharp, metal edges. Bipedalism was proving awkward, and the lack of opposable thumbs on his person was leading Benjamin to the grouchy conclusion that this was one of those worlds, the kind where he'd have to count to a large number in his head to stop thinking the whole place was rigged to test his tolerance for the ludicrous.
Had he been in more of a screaming-at-the-heavens kind of mood, Jetsam would've railed at his tormentor. This new form was reminding him of Skorn even worse, though, and just made him feel even more miserable. He sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and turned to examine the Unity Plant. Save for the almost certainly human architecture, Benjamin couldn't discern much more from it. Something about it, though, seemed... intrusive. He couldn't put his metalloid talon on it, beyond a vague comprehension it was some aspect of his new shell planting these thoughts in his head. Maybe it was just the barrier, maybe it was that whole building. Regardless, it was setting him on edge.
The man struggled for a while as he tried to recall the likelihood of the captor in the mood to perform reverse psychology, subvert reverse psychology, or whatever other twisted game he was playing with Benjamin. The pangolin finally shrugged, and lumbered back toward the Unity Plant.
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