Re: Epic Clash Round 3 - The Ascended City
06-12-2010, 03:05 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pinary.
A streak of flame rammed into Spender, filling his vision with stars and sending him tumbling through the air.
Minutes before, Thomas walked across the suspended walkway, its gentle sway calm and relaxing. The breeze picked up a bit, ruffling his hair and setting the bridge to swaying some more. It bobbed up and down, and Thomas just stood, staring out at the beautiful world below.
In the 2400's, planets were abandoned. At most, they were mined, their resources taken and used to produce more more human structures. They were seen as inefficient and impractical, and once humanity had left its cradle, it was largely ignored. Because of this, no-one had thought to test the effects of planetary vicinity on the various abilities granted by modern gene therapies. If they had, they would have been astonished, and planets would have seen a sharp rise in value.
With his recent exposure, Thomas' opinion had quickly changed- this place was a paradise for him. He stared out at the city, wanting to take in every detail. Each building was supported by several rotors, each with a different blade length and rotation speed. Each set made a slightly different noise as it rotated, and as the breeze grew stronger, they compensated, their voices rising together. There were more voices, too- the low, distant thrum of a multitude of reactors, the increasing rumbles of clouds from the coming storm. Each voice came to him, coming together inside him in a wondrous song.
The city sang to him as he stood there, the air currents making voices rise and fall in a majestic symphony of the winds. The song flowed through him, filling his entire being with peace and calm. He closed his eyes, feeling at one with the world around him. The ground below, the wind around, the seas and the skies- they embraced his souls, bringing him a sense of oneness. He felt one with himself, one with the city around him, and one with the glorious alien landscape below. The music resounded through him, and his souls sang with it, echoing its beauteous tones. A hard wall of wind raced past, bringing it to a magnificent crescendo.
And then the city screamed.
Several rotors were silenced as their payload was demolished. The walkways to and from it tore, metal screaming as they were rent apart.
Anger flashed through Thomas, bright and hot. The song changed, distorted by the fire rushing through him. A memory surfaced, and, driven by a deep rage, he started to run.
He ran along the walkway, feet pounding to the beat. The android offered him sunscreen as he ran past, but he paid it no heed, barrelling past, headed straight for the edge of the rooftop. He pulled a coin from his pocket, emblazoned with a winged triangle, and slid it into an invisible slot.
He reached the end of the roof and leapt forward, flames bursting behind him as he did. He flew straight and true, streaking directly towards the severed link, leaving a trail of fire in the sky, excess anger overflowing and manifesting through his power.
Spender was there, hanging in the sky, orchestrating the destruction of this wondrous place. Furious, Bern put on an extra burst of speed, his fists wreathing in twin gauntlets of fire.
He rammed into the EDF Agent, knocking him across the sky. Spender's careful arrangement of blows faltered, his focus broken. Before he could recover, Bern came back around, his fury wreathing him in incandescent flame.
This time, he grabbed Spender, one hand holding him and the other delivering blow after blow. The flames raged around them. Bern was untouched; Spender was not. The fire charred his clothes and seared his skin, agony burning through him.
Thomas' eyes blazed, and with a snarl, he released the agent, whose momentum carried him into and through a wall.
For a moment, there was calm, Thomas hanging in the air outside, still shrouded in flame. "Spender!", he shouted, rage filling his voice. "We will not allow you to destroy this place!"
A blast of pure force blew the wall out towards him. A burst of flame blew it apart, and the two halves tumbled towards the distant ground below. Spender stood there, three coins spent, his burns healed and clothes repaired.
The two stared at each other. There were no words, but plenty was said. Both were in the right in their own minds, and neither would back down.
The distant storm rumbled, and the flames around Thomas suddenly flicked off. A wall of wind flew towards Spender, meeting a similar wall of pure force. The two collided, pushing at each other, sparks flying where the two foreign powers met.
The storm raced forward, the winds driving it with unnatural speed. The raging tempest bore down on the Ascended City.
Spoiler
A streak of flame rammed into Spender, filling his vision with stars and sending him tumbling through the air.
Minutes before, Thomas walked across the suspended walkway, its gentle sway calm and relaxing. The breeze picked up a bit, ruffling his hair and setting the bridge to swaying some more. It bobbed up and down, and Thomas just stood, staring out at the beautiful world below.
In the 2400's, planets were abandoned. At most, they were mined, their resources taken and used to produce more more human structures. They were seen as inefficient and impractical, and once humanity had left its cradle, it was largely ignored. Because of this, no-one had thought to test the effects of planetary vicinity on the various abilities granted by modern gene therapies. If they had, they would have been astonished, and planets would have seen a sharp rise in value.
With his recent exposure, Thomas' opinion had quickly changed- this place was a paradise for him. He stared out at the city, wanting to take in every detail. Each building was supported by several rotors, each with a different blade length and rotation speed. Each set made a slightly different noise as it rotated, and as the breeze grew stronger, they compensated, their voices rising together. There were more voices, too- the low, distant thrum of a multitude of reactors, the increasing rumbles of clouds from the coming storm. Each voice came to him, coming together inside him in a wondrous song.
The city sang to him as he stood there, the air currents making voices rise and fall in a majestic symphony of the winds. The song flowed through him, filling his entire being with peace and calm. He closed his eyes, feeling at one with the world around him. The ground below, the wind around, the seas and the skies- they embraced his souls, bringing him a sense of oneness. He felt one with himself, one with the city around him, and one with the glorious alien landscape below. The music resounded through him, and his souls sang with it, echoing its beauteous tones. A hard wall of wind raced past, bringing it to a magnificent crescendo.
And then the city screamed.
Several rotors were silenced as their payload was demolished. The walkways to and from it tore, metal screaming as they were rent apart.
Anger flashed through Thomas, bright and hot. The song changed, distorted by the fire rushing through him. A memory surfaced, and, driven by a deep rage, he started to run.
He ran along the walkway, feet pounding to the beat. The android offered him sunscreen as he ran past, but he paid it no heed, barrelling past, headed straight for the edge of the rooftop. He pulled a coin from his pocket, emblazoned with a winged triangle, and slid it into an invisible slot.
He reached the end of the roof and leapt forward, flames bursting behind him as he did. He flew straight and true, streaking directly towards the severed link, leaving a trail of fire in the sky, excess anger overflowing and manifesting through his power.
Spender was there, hanging in the sky, orchestrating the destruction of this wondrous place. Furious, Bern put on an extra burst of speed, his fists wreathing in twin gauntlets of fire.
He rammed into the EDF Agent, knocking him across the sky. Spender's careful arrangement of blows faltered, his focus broken. Before he could recover, Bern came back around, his fury wreathing him in incandescent flame.
This time, he grabbed Spender, one hand holding him and the other delivering blow after blow. The flames raged around them. Bern was untouched; Spender was not. The fire charred his clothes and seared his skin, agony burning through him.
Thomas' eyes blazed, and with a snarl, he released the agent, whose momentum carried him into and through a wall.
For a moment, there was calm, Thomas hanging in the air outside, still shrouded in flame. "Spender!", he shouted, rage filling his voice. "We will not allow you to destroy this place!"
A blast of pure force blew the wall out towards him. A burst of flame blew it apart, and the two halves tumbled towards the distant ground below. Spender stood there, three coins spent, his burns healed and clothes repaired.
The two stared at each other. There were no words, but plenty was said. Both were in the right in their own minds, and neither would back down.
The distant storm rumbled, and the flames around Thomas suddenly flicked off. A wall of wind flew towards Spender, meeting a similar wall of pure force. The two collided, pushing at each other, sparks flying where the two foreign powers met.
The storm raced forward, the winds driving it with unnatural speed. The raging tempest bore down on the Ascended City.