Re: Grand Battle S3G1! (Round Three: Caelo Ruinam)
05-26-2012, 11:21 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Solaris.
"Good! So, a strange man who called himself the Fool abducted myself and eight others for what his 'social circle' calls a 'Grand Battle.' In this event, multiple beings are taken from their homes and trust into other places around the cosmos, very similar to what you apparently do, only without the transformations. Actually... he mentioned that a being much like himself causes your shifts.
Anyway, starting with you, he informed us about each other. Second was Tengeri, then Murdoch Miles, Tor, Scofflaw, Kerak, myself, TinTen Naamxe, and lastly, Huebert Henderson. So far the information seems like it was accurate, it was at least for me. After the explanations, we all spawned in the so-called Unity Plant, in the world of Vio.
Here..."
<font color="#4B647D">As he let the cube go on with his explanation, Jetsam wondered which of Velobo's words were fact, and which were fiction. While obviously a being capable of forcing someone else to traverse the multiverse was not unknown to him, this Fool character seemed too different from his bastard initiator. From the second hand descriptions, he seemed too flimsy, too predictable, and too personal. If he were to believe them, he would have to accept not only that a second higher being was fucking with him, but that he was exclusively fucking with him as Jetsam was the only one who hadn't seen this Fool. To the paranoid shifter, it seemed much more reasonable that this was still the doing of the first asshole who had been messing with him.
Velobo was oblivious to Jetsam's mistrust. From his perspective, the growly grumpy act was entirely legitimate given what he knew. Jetsam was out of the loop. He hadn't seen The Fool, he hadn't felt the energy, and he hadn't been told about the intricacies of the battle. From Jetsam's perspective, the only thing that had changed was that he had tag-a-longs. And Velobo imagined that with how long Jetsam has been jumping, tag-a-longs did not seem like a very good thing.
"Now, after I split off from you, I met Tengeri and the two of us beat up Scofflaw and decided to work together. Tremors began to shake the room, and we went toward the source. A large wave of chaos beasts descended down and attacked the two of us, and then Tor found us as well. We continued to fight them until the tremors caused the crystals above to shatter, decimating many of the chaos beasts, but awakening a much more formidable foe in the process.
It was the most indescribably large creature I've ever seen, it had tentacles and claws and eyes and mouths everywhere. It was just weird. It probably would have defeated us all, had I not noticed that there was some sand coming down from the roof. I leaped upward, propelled by Tor, in an attempt to cause a cave in, however the creature intercepted and ate me. Luckily, I was able to escape with my tongue," Velobo stretched out his tongue in demonstration.
"I succeeded in reaching the top, but the creature rose with me, foolishly breaking through the top of the cavern and eating all of the sediment above! I am a little fuzzy on what happened next, but I remember being carried by Tor and receiving a message from an Eric T. Reinhardt, telling me that this was not the only battle that existed and that there would be another one for whoever survived this one. Then I accidentally licked Scofflaw's face. After that most of us remained in a bunker before Murdoch died and we were transported to another round. I wonder what killed him..."
Jetsam was somewhat taken aback at Velobo's casual mention of the battle and it's pairing with the comment on Scofflaw's face. Everything that the cube was saying felt weird. He obviously knew that some bits were true, and he didn't find other things that hard to believe, but something about his tone of voice in regards to the battle and this second battle only aided in his belief that the cube was bullshitting him.
Still, he was proving to be a somewhat useful reference on the other so-called contestants, who Fool or no, were following him. At the same time, there was something about Velobo's frankness and obliviousness that made it hard for Jetsam to think that his intentions were bad.
Still moving forward, neither of them noticed that the rock and stone was slowly becoming more metallic.
===
Lady Midday's bathroom was a new addition to the Caelo Ruinam. For ages, she had to deal with making a camp near some important cave, without any normal facilities. It was utterly barbaric, which is why she had her minions work on this marvel of a portable room. Everything in her living quarters in the area was created with her magic superior and technology except for the tears that she was showering in. The magic made stuff just didn't have the same feeling as a few tears from some little kid that she had just destroyed the home town of. It felt really good.
Finishing with her shower, she dried herself off and put on another luxurious robe, this one skinned from the last Maximi Bear alive. THe thing deserved it too, considering that it was helping that ragtag group of fools who thought that they could defeat her. Unlike them, Lady Midday was not a fool. She didn't have delusions of grandeur, she wasn't cocky, she was not in over her head. She didn't have a secret agenda, she wasn't aiming to absorb a higher power, and she was firmly at the top of the food chain. No, Lady Midday knew exactly what she was doing, exactly how she would do it, and exactly why she was doing it, no ifs ands or buts. True, there were a few unexpected interruptions like her new scientist, and the reports of far too many of the local monsters being destroyed, but she didn't really need the Ruinam to win, it just saved time.
===
"-at which point I learned that the Great Battlefield was actually a computer simulation, and that the Benefactors would reset the entire battlefield, killing us and everyone in it!"
Jetsam had to admit one thing about the cube, truth or not, he was pretty good at not shutting up. Up until now, Jetsam didn't think much about the cube that he had perched on top of him, sure he had helped him before and seemed to want to help him now, but besides a few tricks what could he do? Apparently he could take out a Secret Agent, infiltrate a military base, defeat giant monsters, and effectively take command. One Velobo was a fool whereas the other was a warrior. Which of the two was the truth?
"With the threat this serious and the opponent with as much control as they had, we had no choice but to enlist Scofflaw. Along with TinTen and Huebert, the five of us made our way to the center of the battlefield, where TinTen and Tengeri infiltrated the base of the Benefactors while you we tried to boost the signal of the converter nullifier and waited for you and Tor.
When they returned, they informed us of the nuke locations and we made a plan. I believe that you joined the group shortly after I began to make my way to the yellow base to implant one of Scofflaw's resonators on the nuke there. After what I thought was our success, but was truly a vile betrayal by Scofflaw, the Benefactors abducted me and surrendered. While his machinations disrupted my thoughts, changed the way my mind worked, and left me under Scofflaws control, they told me of a desire to work with us, to improve their world. Though at the time, I couldn't express anything, I wonder, even though The Fool has taken us for his own purposes, and wishes our death, has taken us from our homes and destinies, I wonder... could we aid the worlds that we are thrust into?
What do you think Jetsam?"
Jetsam twitched for a little as he thought about the question that Velobo asked. It just wasn't something that made sense to ask, not to him. Eventually, Jetsam let out a low "I don't know," but absentmindedly followed it up with, "Ask me later."
A bit dejected, but not enough to pursue it further, Velobo only replied with an, "I see."
The two remained in their silence until Velobo opted to continue his story.
"After that, they deposited me in front of Scofflaw, where he was fighting a renegade soldier, under his control, I instinctively dispatched of him, a-" Velobo ceased speaking so that he could hold on to Jetsam tighter.
Unlike the previous stops by the dragonoid, this one had more of an oomph. Jetsam jerked as two dots connected into one angry line. Swirling in his mind was the thought, a single one, about how close he was to offing that wretched bastard that had the gall to invade and fuck with his mind.
Velobo looked down at the obviously distressed Jetsam and connected similar dots. "Oh no... Jetsam, you were the soldier who tried to kill Scofflaw, weren't you? I am sorry, I had no cho-"
Jetsam raised his claw and after bucking him off, grabbed Velobo and pinned him to one of the grey walls. "I almost had that bastard and then you stopped me! I knew that you were just like them. That all of your are out here for a hidden agenda. What do you want with me? Who sent you?"
"Jetsam..." Velobo was shaking a little as the wanderer kept him clutched him against the wall. He probably could have used his tongue or band to stop Jetsam's escape or grip, but then what would happen in the long run? Jetsam was an angry ball of confusion and hatred, not some villainous force who wanted to end everyone's lives.
"I'm sorry."
"SHUT UP! Stop talking!" His words came out in half snarls and growls. "Why do you keep doing that? Why do you keep doing that, apologizing and smiling and treating me lik-"
"Like what? Like a friend? Like a fellow living being? You may look like a monster right now, but that isn't who you are."
"And what do you know about me? You don't know what it's like, to lose everything you had, to constantly lose everything you build! To try to make the best of things only to have it all crumbling down! To not even have a sense of privacy, knowing that you are being constantly watched by something that you'll never be able to beat. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!"
Struggling against Jetsam’s clawed grip, Velobo tried to speak but failed. After a few tries, the two silently staring at each other, Velobo finally let out a hoarse, "N-n-no." Heavily breathing for a while longer, the grip around Velobo’s body slightly loosened and the Plazmuth saw it fit to begin.
"No. I will not pretend that I have any, or even a fraction, of the experiences that you have been forced through. But I know what it is like to be trapped, to be out of control. When a man subjugates you and your brothers and sisters and forces them to do whatever he wants. When a monster decides that you are a lesser being, a toy to bend and break and dispose of en masse! To finally free your people and promise to lead them to a better life, a new life, free from living with the knowledge that only death lies ahead, and then to have it ripped away from you in the final moment of glory."
Velobo started to cry as he thought of the other Plazmuths, back on Muer Moon, likely waiting for him to return, if that wretched host hadn't killed them all. He needed to live, to get back to them, and free them for real. Velobo didn't even know he could cry, but he didn't know a lot of things. He didn't know why he was different, why he had to be the one to save his race. What had happened to the man in black's promise? Why he was chosen to be in this Grand Battle or why he was here, trying to convince Jetsam to stand down and let him go or if anything he was saying would do anything.
But even if he didn't know any of these things, he was determined to make the best of it. Whether he would admit it or not, Jetsam was a good person, an angry one, yes, but still fundamentally good, just in need of help. "I don't want to hurt you and I don't think you want to hurt me. I just want to help you. I want to help all of us."
The sight of multiple eyes letting out the green(?) tears was not something that Jetsam really enjoyed. What was he doing? As far as he had seen, Velobo didn't want to harm him, the cube was barley capable of identifying him. Even if he didn't seem like much, Velobo words and actions matched up. Did he really mean it? Did Velobo really want to help everyone that he could, to help him. Velobo wasn't scared of him, was it because he secretly had an edge or because the alien really did think that he was a good person?
Velobo had finished talking. As Jetsam contemplated his words he didn't hope, he knew that it would be the right thing. He was breathing heavily, still pinned and still crying. The claw gripping him let loose he slid down into a puddle of his own tears.
"I don't know who you really are, and maybe you are right. Maybe you do want to help me, out of some kinship and shared past of manipulation and failure. Maybe you're right about everything you've said. But I don't know."
Jetsam turned around and faced the floor. He looked to his claw, wet from Plazmuth tears and then turned to the source, full of resolve and smiling once more. Jetsam had to admit another thing. If Velobo had anything, he had hope.
"I still don't trust you completely... but I don't think we're enemies. Let's go."
Velobo stood straight and perched himself upon Jetsam once more, content that even if he hadn't earned Jetsam's trust, he had made a small step in breaking through to what he knew was a shining interior. Velobo nodded and said, "Let's."
===
"Lady Midday does not wish to be disturbed. If you have anything important to tell her, I will send word."
"Oh come on boy, that would ruin the surprise." I like surprises, do you?
"Negative."
That is quite the shame, because my monster back there really does.
As the two guards turned around to the empty corridor, Soul Scofflaw knocked the two of them out and continued on his merry way.
"Never fails to work, that trick." He let out a cackle as he continued on his way.
While the Scofflaw probably shouldn't have been taking down Midday's protectors willy-nilly, it wasn't like she really needed them. And even so, he wasn't killing them, so he didn't see any downside to it! All it meant is that maybe a few sleeping guards would be mauled by monsters, but it wasn't like his other thirds would let the likes of TinTen or Tor this far without doing anything. No, he was firmly safe from everything that wasn't the crazy sorceress that he was about to breif-slash-seduce.
Creeping closer to Midday's bedchamber and full of bravado and glee, along with a few dirty thoughts (Oh, what if she isn't done showering yet?). The Soul Scofflaw cleared the hallway of guards) This meant that Lady Midday was helpless, but that didn't mean much as she didn't really need it when it came to protection.
What it did mean, that the unlikely pair of a cube and a dragon, both emotionally confused and very willing to smash Scofflaw shaped targets, had nothing stopping them from rounding the corner and making their way very close to the Lady's bedchamber. They were smoothly walking and ignoring the unconscious guards and were in the middle of wondering what caused their untimely slumber when they found the blue source cheerfully entering Lady Midday's bedchamber.
At the same time, but with very different feelings behind it, the two of them let out his name and charged forward.</font>
"Good! So, a strange man who called himself the Fool abducted myself and eight others for what his 'social circle' calls a 'Grand Battle.' In this event, multiple beings are taken from their homes and trust into other places around the cosmos, very similar to what you apparently do, only without the transformations. Actually... he mentioned that a being much like himself causes your shifts.
Anyway, starting with you, he informed us about each other. Second was Tengeri, then Murdoch Miles, Tor, Scofflaw, Kerak, myself, TinTen Naamxe, and lastly, Huebert Henderson. So far the information seems like it was accurate, it was at least for me. After the explanations, we all spawned in the so-called Unity Plant, in the world of Vio.
Here..."
<font color="#4B647D">As he let the cube go on with his explanation, Jetsam wondered which of Velobo's words were fact, and which were fiction. While obviously a being capable of forcing someone else to traverse the multiverse was not unknown to him, this Fool character seemed too different from his bastard initiator. From the second hand descriptions, he seemed too flimsy, too predictable, and too personal. If he were to believe them, he would have to accept not only that a second higher being was fucking with him, but that he was exclusively fucking with him as Jetsam was the only one who hadn't seen this Fool. To the paranoid shifter, it seemed much more reasonable that this was still the doing of the first asshole who had been messing with him.
Velobo was oblivious to Jetsam's mistrust. From his perspective, the growly grumpy act was entirely legitimate given what he knew. Jetsam was out of the loop. He hadn't seen The Fool, he hadn't felt the energy, and he hadn't been told about the intricacies of the battle. From Jetsam's perspective, the only thing that had changed was that he had tag-a-longs. And Velobo imagined that with how long Jetsam has been jumping, tag-a-longs did not seem like a very good thing.
"Now, after I split off from you, I met Tengeri and the two of us beat up Scofflaw and decided to work together. Tremors began to shake the room, and we went toward the source. A large wave of chaos beasts descended down and attacked the two of us, and then Tor found us as well. We continued to fight them until the tremors caused the crystals above to shatter, decimating many of the chaos beasts, but awakening a much more formidable foe in the process.
It was the most indescribably large creature I've ever seen, it had tentacles and claws and eyes and mouths everywhere. It was just weird. It probably would have defeated us all, had I not noticed that there was some sand coming down from the roof. I leaped upward, propelled by Tor, in an attempt to cause a cave in, however the creature intercepted and ate me. Luckily, I was able to escape with my tongue," Velobo stretched out his tongue in demonstration.
"I succeeded in reaching the top, but the creature rose with me, foolishly breaking through the top of the cavern and eating all of the sediment above! I am a little fuzzy on what happened next, but I remember being carried by Tor and receiving a message from an Eric T. Reinhardt, telling me that this was not the only battle that existed and that there would be another one for whoever survived this one. Then I accidentally licked Scofflaw's face. After that most of us remained in a bunker before Murdoch died and we were transported to another round. I wonder what killed him..."
Jetsam was somewhat taken aback at Velobo's casual mention of the battle and it's pairing with the comment on Scofflaw's face. Everything that the cube was saying felt weird. He obviously knew that some bits were true, and he didn't find other things that hard to believe, but something about his tone of voice in regards to the battle and this second battle only aided in his belief that the cube was bullshitting him.
Still, he was proving to be a somewhat useful reference on the other so-called contestants, who Fool or no, were following him. At the same time, there was something about Velobo's frankness and obliviousness that made it hard for Jetsam to think that his intentions were bad.
Still moving forward, neither of them noticed that the rock and stone was slowly becoming more metallic.
===
Lady Midday's bathroom was a new addition to the Caelo Ruinam. For ages, she had to deal with making a camp near some important cave, without any normal facilities. It was utterly barbaric, which is why she had her minions work on this marvel of a portable room. Everything in her living quarters in the area was created with her magic superior and technology except for the tears that she was showering in. The magic made stuff just didn't have the same feeling as a few tears from some little kid that she had just destroyed the home town of. It felt really good.
Finishing with her shower, she dried herself off and put on another luxurious robe, this one skinned from the last Maximi Bear alive. THe thing deserved it too, considering that it was helping that ragtag group of fools who thought that they could defeat her. Unlike them, Lady Midday was not a fool. She didn't have delusions of grandeur, she wasn't cocky, she was not in over her head. She didn't have a secret agenda, she wasn't aiming to absorb a higher power, and she was firmly at the top of the food chain. No, Lady Midday knew exactly what she was doing, exactly how she would do it, and exactly why she was doing it, no ifs ands or buts. True, there were a few unexpected interruptions like her new scientist, and the reports of far too many of the local monsters being destroyed, but she didn't really need the Ruinam to win, it just saved time.
===
"-at which point I learned that the Great Battlefield was actually a computer simulation, and that the Benefactors would reset the entire battlefield, killing us and everyone in it!"
Jetsam had to admit one thing about the cube, truth or not, he was pretty good at not shutting up. Up until now, Jetsam didn't think much about the cube that he had perched on top of him, sure he had helped him before and seemed to want to help him now, but besides a few tricks what could he do? Apparently he could take out a Secret Agent, infiltrate a military base, defeat giant monsters, and effectively take command. One Velobo was a fool whereas the other was a warrior. Which of the two was the truth?
"With the threat this serious and the opponent with as much control as they had, we had no choice but to enlist Scofflaw. Along with TinTen and Huebert, the five of us made our way to the center of the battlefield, where TinTen and Tengeri infiltrated the base of the Benefactors while you we tried to boost the signal of the converter nullifier and waited for you and Tor.
When they returned, they informed us of the nuke locations and we made a plan. I believe that you joined the group shortly after I began to make my way to the yellow base to implant one of Scofflaw's resonators on the nuke there. After what I thought was our success, but was truly a vile betrayal by Scofflaw, the Benefactors abducted me and surrendered. While his machinations disrupted my thoughts, changed the way my mind worked, and left me under Scofflaws control, they told me of a desire to work with us, to improve their world. Though at the time, I couldn't express anything, I wonder, even though The Fool has taken us for his own purposes, and wishes our death, has taken us from our homes and destinies, I wonder... could we aid the worlds that we are thrust into?
What do you think Jetsam?"
Jetsam twitched for a little as he thought about the question that Velobo asked. It just wasn't something that made sense to ask, not to him. Eventually, Jetsam let out a low "I don't know," but absentmindedly followed it up with, "Ask me later."
A bit dejected, but not enough to pursue it further, Velobo only replied with an, "I see."
The two remained in their silence until Velobo opted to continue his story.
"After that, they deposited me in front of Scofflaw, where he was fighting a renegade soldier, under his control, I instinctively dispatched of him, a-" Velobo ceased speaking so that he could hold on to Jetsam tighter.
Unlike the previous stops by the dragonoid, this one had more of an oomph. Jetsam jerked as two dots connected into one angry line. Swirling in his mind was the thought, a single one, about how close he was to offing that wretched bastard that had the gall to invade and fuck with his mind.
Velobo looked down at the obviously distressed Jetsam and connected similar dots. "Oh no... Jetsam, you were the soldier who tried to kill Scofflaw, weren't you? I am sorry, I had no cho-"
Jetsam raised his claw and after bucking him off, grabbed Velobo and pinned him to one of the grey walls. "I almost had that bastard and then you stopped me! I knew that you were just like them. That all of your are out here for a hidden agenda. What do you want with me? Who sent you?"
"Jetsam..." Velobo was shaking a little as the wanderer kept him clutched him against the wall. He probably could have used his tongue or band to stop Jetsam's escape or grip, but then what would happen in the long run? Jetsam was an angry ball of confusion and hatred, not some villainous force who wanted to end everyone's lives.
"I'm sorry."
"SHUT UP! Stop talking!" His words came out in half snarls and growls. "Why do you keep doing that? Why do you keep doing that, apologizing and smiling and treating me lik-"
"Like what? Like a friend? Like a fellow living being? You may look like a monster right now, but that isn't who you are."
"And what do you know about me? You don't know what it's like, to lose everything you had, to constantly lose everything you build! To try to make the best of things only to have it all crumbling down! To not even have a sense of privacy, knowing that you are being constantly watched by something that you'll never be able to beat. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!"
Struggling against Jetsam’s clawed grip, Velobo tried to speak but failed. After a few tries, the two silently staring at each other, Velobo finally let out a hoarse, "N-n-no." Heavily breathing for a while longer, the grip around Velobo’s body slightly loosened and the Plazmuth saw it fit to begin.
"No. I will not pretend that I have any, or even a fraction, of the experiences that you have been forced through. But I know what it is like to be trapped, to be out of control. When a man subjugates you and your brothers and sisters and forces them to do whatever he wants. When a monster decides that you are a lesser being, a toy to bend and break and dispose of en masse! To finally free your people and promise to lead them to a better life, a new life, free from living with the knowledge that only death lies ahead, and then to have it ripped away from you in the final moment of glory."
Velobo started to cry as he thought of the other Plazmuths, back on Muer Moon, likely waiting for him to return, if that wretched host hadn't killed them all. He needed to live, to get back to them, and free them for real. Velobo didn't even know he could cry, but he didn't know a lot of things. He didn't know why he was different, why he had to be the one to save his race. What had happened to the man in black's promise? Why he was chosen to be in this Grand Battle or why he was here, trying to convince Jetsam to stand down and let him go or if anything he was saying would do anything.
But even if he didn't know any of these things, he was determined to make the best of it. Whether he would admit it or not, Jetsam was a good person, an angry one, yes, but still fundamentally good, just in need of help. "I don't want to hurt you and I don't think you want to hurt me. I just want to help you. I want to help all of us."
The sight of multiple eyes letting out the green(?) tears was not something that Jetsam really enjoyed. What was he doing? As far as he had seen, Velobo didn't want to harm him, the cube was barley capable of identifying him. Even if he didn't seem like much, Velobo words and actions matched up. Did he really mean it? Did Velobo really want to help everyone that he could, to help him. Velobo wasn't scared of him, was it because he secretly had an edge or because the alien really did think that he was a good person?
Velobo had finished talking. As Jetsam contemplated his words he didn't hope, he knew that it would be the right thing. He was breathing heavily, still pinned and still crying. The claw gripping him let loose he slid down into a puddle of his own tears.
"I don't know who you really are, and maybe you are right. Maybe you do want to help me, out of some kinship and shared past of manipulation and failure. Maybe you're right about everything you've said. But I don't know."
Jetsam turned around and faced the floor. He looked to his claw, wet from Plazmuth tears and then turned to the source, full of resolve and smiling once more. Jetsam had to admit another thing. If Velobo had anything, he had hope.
"I still don't trust you completely... but I don't think we're enemies. Let's go."
Velobo stood straight and perched himself upon Jetsam once more, content that even if he hadn't earned Jetsam's trust, he had made a small step in breaking through to what he knew was a shining interior. Velobo nodded and said, "Let's."
===
"Lady Midday does not wish to be disturbed. If you have anything important to tell her, I will send word."
"Oh come on boy, that would ruin the surprise." I like surprises, do you?
"Negative."
That is quite the shame, because my monster back there really does.
As the two guards turned around to the empty corridor, Soul Scofflaw knocked the two of them out and continued on his merry way.
"Never fails to work, that trick." He let out a cackle as he continued on his way.
While the Scofflaw probably shouldn't have been taking down Midday's protectors willy-nilly, it wasn't like she really needed them. And even so, he wasn't killing them, so he didn't see any downside to it! All it meant is that maybe a few sleeping guards would be mauled by monsters, but it wasn't like his other thirds would let the likes of TinTen or Tor this far without doing anything. No, he was firmly safe from everything that wasn't the crazy sorceress that he was about to breif-slash-seduce.
Creeping closer to Midday's bedchamber and full of bravado and glee, along with a few dirty thoughts (Oh, what if she isn't done showering yet?). The Soul Scofflaw cleared the hallway of guards) This meant that Lady Midday was helpless, but that didn't mean much as she didn't really need it when it came to protection.
What it did mean, that the unlikely pair of a cube and a dragon, both emotionally confused and very willing to smash Scofflaw shaped targets, had nothing stopping them from rounding the corner and making their way very close to the Lady's bedchamber. They were smoothly walking and ignoring the unconscious guards and were in the middle of wondering what caused their untimely slumber when they found the blue source cheerfully entering Lady Midday's bedchamber.
At the same time, but with very different feelings behind it, the two of them let out his name and charged forward.</font>