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Post by Kyubey on Feb 12, 2013 2:53:18 GMT -5
If Moisant was the type who would choose an easy victory over an honorable one, the fight might have been over there, as there were now several attempts for the old man to finish off the younger king. However, as this was a formal duel, and Asuza was so reasonable before the fighting began, Moisant held himself back. The winner would be the best fighter, not the one most eager to take advantage of a helpless enemy.
Breaking off a chunk of the black rocks that made up the spiral would have been difficult by itself, seeing how hard it was, but the King had already demonstrated his incredible strength quite a bit. Moisant didn't have time to dodge the throw properly. He was fast enough to block, but the force of the throw was too great, especially since Moisant was already hurt from Asuza's earlier attack. He stood firm, but he felt his knees close to buckling, and his back screaming with hurt. What a fierce man was Asuza, to cause such damage with only a couple of successful strikes! But Moisant, not eager to lose the challenge, would respond with more blows still.
He nearly tripped over as he ran to his suitcase, still sitting still on the spiral, and dug deep into it. From the suitcase, he retrieved six more metal spheres, just like the one that hit Asuza before, and tossed them all up into the air. As he did so, he turned the knob once more, and then began to turn his trident in a slow, circling movement. Rather than flying at him or Asuza like before, the spheres stopped and hovered in midair, bobbing lightly up and down around the trident, like servants waiting loyally for orders from their master. Two of these spheres had a slightly reddish tint to them, but it was only very slight, and the King might not have even noticed. Being a gentlemen, Moisant did not do anything with these wondrous hovering spheres, but kept them floating, waiting for the King to hoist himself back up and resume the battle.
Meanwhile, the storm only grew more intense. The winds grew stronger, and the rain was pounding down. The dark clouds remained overhead, and seemed perfectly willing to stay. Perhaps they would never disperse.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 13, 2013 12:04:15 GMT -5
With some difficulty, mostly due to the rain, the King managed to struggle back onto the formation. Not so much that the storm was making the rock slippery, or that the wind was blowing against him. Instead, it was more that the rain pouring down on him was starting to soak into his bandages, and seep across the wounds underneath. For someone who had been burned near to a crisp over most of his body, the pain was like no other.
Managing to hoist a leg up, he rolled onto the formation once more, face down and breathing heavily. Once Moisant had his floating spheres all set up, the King pushed himself off the ground, cringing as he went. Rising to his feet, he saw the old man ready to attack once more, only this time he had "allies". In response the King drew a rocket from the clutter on his back and went to light it, holding the launcher underslung. His head turned to the side though when nothing happened, and raising the launcher up he realized why; the storm and specifically the rain made the lighting and firing of such a weapon impossible.
"Stupid, stupid. Should have realized sooner."
Muttering to himself, he instead lifted the launcher to hold it with both hands like a baseball bat. Sure it couldn't fulfill its main purpose, but it was still a long metal pole, and in Asuza's hands it could certainly do some damage.
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Post by Kyubey on Feb 15, 2013 2:38:36 GMT -5
Moisant was a little amused when Asuza seemed to seriously think that a rocket could possibly be used in that weather, almost amused enough to let his guard down. Thankfully for him, he still kept his wits enough to once again block the attack with his trident. Unfortunately, that still didn't change that Moisant was by far not the stronger of the two, and was went almost sprawling back from the blow, pain from the blows Asuza landed earlier stinging worse than before. Now, he was the one in danger of falling, having been knocked dangerously close to the edge. Taking another similar hit might have a strong chance of knocking him completely off, at that point.
Moisant may have lost ground, but he wasn't out yet. The spheres wavered in the air after the old man was hit, but with a motion from the trident they righted themselves and returned next to the source of the magnetic signal that controlled them. Despite the damage from the last attack, Moisant hadn't lost his focus or composure, and thrust his trident forward. The jab wouldn't have connected with Asuza unless he had charged forward right at that moment, but two of the black spheres flew right at the King, with a force similar to the one that connected with Asuza earlier.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 20, 2013 11:31:02 GMT -5
Being that he was god modded into action, Asuza didn't charge further beyond smacking at Moisant with the rocket. He could have possibly knocked him off the formation, but that wasn't what he was going for. He didn't mind though, because he was in a better position than before; when the spheres flew at him he was ready. Rather than getting hit by both, he managed to smack one away by swinging the rocket like a baseball bat. Dropping the rocket for what was to come next (the weapon clattered against the stone ground and rolled off), he got hit in the chest by the second sphere but he managed to catch it with his hands. The force of the device sent him flying back into the formation, smashing him into the rock and leaving a cracked body-sized indent.
Struggling to clamor out, he had some difficulty moving with his injuries but he did manage to reach his feet again. As hard as he could, he spiked the sphere against the floor with the intent of it simply bouncing off and flying away from the formation. Finally he drew forth another two rockets from the tangle on his back, actually holding one in reverse. During the time it took him to do all this however, Moisant would certainly have a chance to recuperate and launch another attack against the King.
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Post by CJ on Feb 23, 2013 13:51:41 GMT -5
A woman stared outside of a window. The sun beat on her face as her sunglasses reflected the clouds of the sky. She scratched the back of her ear and turned suddenly.
---
"Caw-ack! Ack! Ack! Bacon greeeeease! It burrrrrrns!"
Henri Alain licked his fingers and brushed his hands over his apron. He washed his hands and nearly squeaked when he noticed something about the bacon sizzling on the stove.
He moved across the kitchen area of Light von Feuer's mobile home, flipping the bacon as the bleeps and bloops fluttered from the video game on the television nearby.
"There are none alive on the blue sea who can stop me," Henri said in a poor imitation of King Asuza, looking back at the Grand Path participant. "That's what you say, but I'm not sure you're going to be able to take care of this one."
Another video game character fell victim to a horrible death, dying from a stray missile from a tank fall away. Light licked her lips and started the 8 bit level all over again.
"Moisant was dramatic, yeah, but this one's merciless."
Henri placed yet another meal in front of Asuza. Scrambled eggs and nearly burnt bacon. "Zuzu" was written in ketchup on top of the scrambled eggs.
"Listen very carefully, Zuzu," his voice fell low as he leaned over the table. "This one's killed every single person. On their knees, her pistol in their hand. BAM! Bullet straight through their head. And the scary part? No force. They die with a smile.
"I was so close to thinking it was the perfect death until I realized she kills them all in the exact same way. She's so uncreative. Too uncreative."
His usually happy eyes grew cold.
"Number Three, do you think you can stop the manipulator? Because I really hope you can."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 23, 2013 18:09:09 GMT -5
"Number Three, do you think you can stop the manipulator? Because I really hope you can."
Asuza looked at the plate of food as though it were an insult. There was no way Henri wasn't doing it on purpose, he must have known by now that the King couldn't eat conventional food, and yet here was a plate of eggs and bacon before him.
"Stop calling me Zuzu, and don't call me Three."
It was worth noting that Asuza was more heavily bandaged than usual; on a good day he looked like a mummy, but now the medical wrappings were quite thick in places. Another reason for his displeasure with Henri, that since his head was near completely bandaged up, there was no way he could have eaten anything even if he wanted to. The fight with Moisant had been visibly detrimental, but the King for whatever reason had not taken any time off to recuperate. This was mere days after the previous fight, all spent in travel to return to the mobile home. Once he knew where the next location was, he'd be leaving for there immediately as well. He had no time spare on waiting for such menial things such as his body healing back up.
"You don't have to be sure if this one can be taken care of, I can be sure of it. If there isn't force, then this can only end one way. See if she can manipulate a rocket to the head."
Pushing the plate away, Asuza hefted the mass of rockets and explosives in his arm, and grabbed the strap attached to the top and bottom of a large rectangular box. A new addition to the arsenal, somewhat inspired by Moisant's fighting style. He waited for the relevant information, so that he could leave this bothersome man and continue to pursue his ambition. If only he could do it without meeting Henri at all, but this was not the case. Realistically, he'd rather not deal with anyone, but Henri was particularly irksome to the King.
"Force unmatched. That was only what this was ever about."
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Post by CJ on Feb 24, 2013 11:18:06 GMT -5
Light's nose twitched at the smell of bacon. If King Asuza wasn't going to eat it, someone else would. But it was confusing as to why Henri kept making him food. It could have a formality, for his own enjoyment or maybe he was simply showing off.
"Force unmatched, eh?" Henri asked, leaning ever more forward. "Well, I hope you don't bring balance to that insane force any time soon. That would be tragic."
The coordinator removed his apron and brought up a suitcase hidden behind the counter and set it on the table in front of him.
"This next one's a freeloader, lives with her brother in a really ritzy mansion. I would give you directions and send you on your way like usual, but, the thing is, she hasn't responded to any of my calls and messages."
A devious smile came over his face. A spark twinkled in one of his pale green eyes.
"So this time, I'm coming with you."
---
After Henri pitifully crashed yet another one of his Rent-A-Ships, the two finally on Revelation Island, a private location set some distance east of Little Garden.
It was the home of a prestigious family, earning their success from sea stone brokerage. The small island was home only to a grand red brick mansion. Tall white windows lined the sides of it, decorated by elaborate golden curtains. These three stories of pomp and circumstance were set on the single hill of the island surrounded by evergreen trees with square apples dangling off them. It was picturesque.
But there was something wrong with this place. At first, Asuza might have first felt a strange sinking feeling when getting onto the island. There were many ships of various sizes docked at an unattended harbor but there were no guards at a station set to watch them. The, perhaps visiting, ships themselves were quiet and silent.
"The rule is if you don't respond for three days with the communication method of your choice, we can up and bring the fight to you," Henri said, juggling a Den Den Mushi in his hands as he and King Asuza walked up a stone path. "It might be a little strange this time but once we get things settled with Obviate, I'll leave you two lovelies to yourselves. Though I wonder if she's even here at all. It's pretty quiet."
They past oddly open, unguarded metal gates and eventually came to the expansive front doors. Balloons were taped to the sides of them in several obnoxious colors. Asuza might have noticed from here a bullet shaped, cracked hole in the window next to the door. The glare of the sun obscured whatever lied beyond inside.
"That's weird. The doors are open, Zuzu."
Henri pushed in one of double doors further. They entered a grand open room, framed by two spiraling sets of stairs that went up into a balcony leading to two single doors. A gigantic portrait hung in the center of the back of the room of the mansion owner's face. His curled mustache would take up the length of Asuza. Three more closed double doors led to rooms beyond, one in the back and two on either side.
"Oh, are you kidding me? Someone up and killed Obviate!"
The coordinator ran over to a feeble figure on the ground near the broken window. The tone of her skin and the general air about her seemed to indicate she had been dead for a while. A dark hole was present in the center of her forehead. Her thick sunglasses covered whatever expression she might have had upon dying. Dust flew about as Henri tried to make sense of the situation.
It was no surprise the woman was already dead. She built up quite a reputation and killed many people in the course of the many adventures of her life. It would be a good idea to snipe the woman from far away in one of the trees, given the nature of the way she killed her opponents. But this didn't explain the silence of the island or why no one had found Obivate's body in days.
"This is horrible!" Henri wailed. "And such a lame death too. The killer's probably too far gone to track by now. This sucks! What are we going to do now? I really thought I was going to see a cool death today!"
If King Asuza paid attention to anything else, he would notice the faint sound of chirping from the upstairs door to the right. Nearer to him was a stain of blood underneath the left set of double doors with a bright yellow sign that read: Party This Way. He would find that these two, along with all of the other doors, would open easily. He had the choice to continue searching through the house... or...
Asuza could simply leave through the front door.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 24, 2013 11:33:40 GMT -5
The King stood in the doorway, merely watching the scene in silence. Henri was annoyed so by the woman's death, but Asuza was concerned of an altogether different matter.
"We should bury her. Did she have any family here, somewhere else maybe? Someone who might want to hold a proper funeral? Otherwise, we should bury her."
He had never intended to kill anyone, that was never his way. So seeing the person dead like this, despite that he had never known her, he felt sorry. Not that he wouldn't be able to fight her or anything, that she had died in such a way and simply been ignored. It didn't matter that she probably would have tried to kill him, she could have been his greatest nemesis and it would be the same, she deserved some dignity.
Thus, the King set off to look for a shovel. Henri's response would change the purpose obviously, but it wouldn't negate the need. Either they'd bury her here, or they'd have to move her, for which the tool could help in either respect to make a stretcher or a grave. Turning back to the atrium, he noticed the sign but made nothing of it, and given the bandages about his head it was difficult for him to hear most things. So he proceeded outside to stand on the front steps, to look about the grounds for some sort of gardening house or tool shed.
"I hate brick, tacky looking house."
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Post by CJ on Feb 24, 2013 14:32:29 GMT -5
Henri sighed when Asuza suggested contacting some family members.
"Yeah, that's the thing. Her family lives here. Seems odd to leave during a party. Maybe they didn't want to clean up. But that doesn't explain why they would leave her here, unless they left before it happened. I suppose you're right, let's see what we can do. I wonder if they bury their dead here."
It was a strange twist of sympathy coming from Henri. Given how obsessed with death that he was, one might think he'd have no qualms about ditching Obviate there. Maybe he was only a psycho in certain aspects.
"I'm going to go look around for anything that can help, Zuzu," he said, getting up. His eyes fell on the door leading to the party again. He walked up to it and noticed the stain of blood at the bottom of the door. With a little hesitation, Henri opened them.
It was a small banquet hall and, inside, were the guests. The corpses were as old as Obviate's, though their deaths were of a highly different manner. Steak knives, strangulation, choking, blunt force trauma, these people died in all sorts of ways. Their bodies were placed around the room, some on tables, others on the floor. One woman who had her head bashed in caused the blood stain near the door. The victims numbered thirteen, ranging in ages from fifteen to fifty-two, the last being the master of the house. He, in particular, had a cake knife smashed over and over into the center of his chest.
The master's hand was gripping the knife, as if he had killed him and some of the others himself.
The monster sized birthday cake was almost completely gone. The last pieces looked torn into, like someone ate them with their bare hands. Crumbs and pieces led from the main table to a group of knocked over tables, set up like a small fort. The table cloths concealed whoever or whatever might have lied beyond.
There was a basket of the square apple fruit of the trees near the cake. One was bitten into, rolled off onto the ground near the rest. Black swirls lined the entire fruit.
Henri slumped forward dramatically, as though someone had pushed him from behind. He stood still by the entrance of the banquet hall with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Lust, greed, gluttony, hate, wrath, pride, theft, homicide, patricide," he said in a monotone voice. "This one too. Why isn't there anyone who deserves to live? The world doesn't need rotten filth anymore."
The coordinator meandered back toward Obviate's body. He knelt down and brushed her hair back, as though she was someone he truly cared about. He took her trademark pistol and opened the magazine. Two of the six bullets fell but he didn't seem to care. He spun it and shoved it back. He loaded the chamber and pressed the weapon to his temple.
He turned and glared at Asuza. Tears flowed down his face as his mouth seemed forcefully pulled into a painful grin.
"Stay right there, Asuza," he said in the same tone. "You're next."
Henri's finger strained to pull the trigger.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 24, 2013 22:14:34 GMT -5
"Couldn't find a tool shed or anything, might be that they keep that kind of the stuff in the crawlspace under the house. I know some people on the blue sea do that..."
Walking back into the house, Asuza had returned from his unsuccessful trek to locate a shovel. Perhaps he hadn't been looking too hard though, as it was a gorgeous sunny day out on this small paradise of an island with a beautiful view of the sea. The King could appreciate the serenity of this, and for once in a longer time than he could remember, he felt at ease. He had to remember why they were here though and what had to be done, and he was harshly drawn back to reality. The sense of ease was of course done away with when he returned to the side room, to see Henri there with the gun.
"Stay right there, Asuza, you're next."
The King's brow furrowed, though this would be impossible to see from the mass of bandages about his head. In seeing the scene before him, he wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, but he knew something was up. When Henri called him by his actual name, that was what gave it away, as otherwise his eyesight was not good enough to make out the man's regret or struggle in executing himself. Backing away a few steps, he knew where he had to look for answers, and he promptly threw himself up the stairs for where the party was directed to take place.
"What's going on here, who's responsible for thi-"
Practically falling into the room, he began to loudly speak up. He couldn't make out the scene at first, but moving closer to the massacre and straining his eyes to try and see clearly, he stopped dead. He was having a flashback to that time, and he fell to his knees, clutching at his head.
The Crossroads of the Second Sun. That's what they'll call that place, and it's name is written in the ash that falls.
This was an evil place, and something happened here. Something bad.
Immediately he backed out of the room, looking down from the landing to the still open front door. Once more he looked back into that horrific room, and he now knew what he had to do. Hefting a number of the rockets from his back, he began to remove the explosive heads from them and chucked a couple through the doorway of the room rather than going back inside. He then went back towards the stairs, dropping more explosives as he went and stopping to throw them into any other rooms he came across as he returned to the ground floor. He lobbed a few more across the atrium before he returned to the waiting room once more.
Whether or not Henri had done himself in yet was of little concern to the King, but he was back to get Obviate's body and finish what he started. He was going to get it outside, and then he was going to blow the house to kingdom come. Lord knew he had spread more than enough explosives for the job already, but for a place like this, he felt there was no such thing as enough.
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Post by CJ on Feb 25, 2013 1:06:41 GMT -5
As Azusa decorated the mansion with explosives, Henri failed to put a bullet in his head. The pistol jammed as he incorrectly operated it. The puppet master couldn't even load and shoot a simple pistol.
"I told you to stay still," Henri spoke again.
Asuza would feel something grip the back of his head as he went to leave the mansion with Obviate's body. His eyes would feel heavy, his skin itchy and course. Something in his deepest, strongest thoughts was keeping from leaving the mansion. He didn't want to leave, lest his brains fall out the back of his head. Why Asuza would ever think something like that was strange. The evil he sensed was closer to him than he thought, opening his mind like the pages of a cheap book.
"You would you bury Obviate and not the others?" Henri asked as his facial expression grew cold. "I'm glad, I must say. I didn't know her like the others, but I'd like to imagine she didn't deserve death."
The coordinator stood and looked about the hall. He turned back to Asuza. The King would feel like Henri was standing right next to him. His pale green eyes were inches away from Asuza and situated across the hall at the same time in his mind's eye.
"You're going to blow up my house now. That's fine, I guess. I'm tired of living. I'm guessing Aunt Obi was too, hearing people's voices in her mind all the time. But there's someone here who should live, my caretaker. She's closer to me than my mother was. I'd like you to get her out if you would."
Asuza would see a flash of light in his mind. A young woman was peacefully asleep on an expensive couch. A pillow was under her head and blanket over the lower half of her body. Her long hair was draped about her form. Despite not seeing clearly from his bandages, he would see this elegant figure quite clearly. His ears would hear the sweet classical seeping from the record player. He would understand this scene was beyond the door right near them.
"Could you please wait?" Henri asked, bringing Asuza's mind back to reality. "I'll fetch her using Hikaru."
Blinking, the coordinator tilted his head.
"Oh, this one calls himself Henri."
The pistol dropped to the ground. Henri let out an exasperated sigh of relief as a few more tears trickled down his face. It seemed he was still conscious of his actions.
Asuza would notice he had free reign over his own actions. Henri, or the being controlling Henri, waited for his response.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 25, 2013 2:25:37 GMT -5
The King wasn't sure what was going on, but he was speechless, even if somehow he was able to speak. At first he was consumed by anger, an intense rage at whomever would do this to him. He'd find them, and he'd rip them apart, it was not enough to just blow them up at this point. From this, his jaw was clenched so surely, that blood could be seen seeping through the bandages around where his mouth was. His demeanor changed though, when his senses were taken over. In fact he actually dropped to his knees, not because of any sort of action or control that could be prevented, his mind just gave out here and he lost control of his legs.
He could see. And he could hear. Perfectly.
The cataclysm had left him nearly blind, it was the same with everyone whom survived it. On top of that, his work with explosives after so long had permanently damaged his hearing. He was only twenty eight years old, but he was nearly blind and nearly deaf. For this though, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It didn't matter that it wasn't actually what he was seeing or hearing, what mattered was that it was a clear picture and a sharp sound. He couldn't remember what it used to be like, but this changed that. He didn't care that this entity was controlling him without his consent, or whatever it had done in the past. The purpose of the vision and the sound was lost on the King, because he simply took it as a gift. When they were subsequently taken away however, the bandages as usual hid any reaction he may have had in being forced back to cruel reality. He merely stood up and turned back towards the house, speaking to Henri as he went past to the indicated room where the caretaker was said to be.
"I don't know the other people, but I would bury this woman, because she believed in something and fought for it. Just like I do. I'm not about to kill someone though, someone not involved. I'll get her."
With that he went for the door to the room he believed had the intended occupant. He would carry Obviate and the caretaker both out if need be, before he took this place down.
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Post by CJ on Feb 25, 2013 23:59:10 GMT -5
"You'll get her?" Henri asked. Again, his face fell in absolute confusion.
With hesitant steps, the coordinator followed Asuza into the study room. Lined with shelves and art, this place was once a sanctuary of knowledge and peace. Now it seemed a bitter reminder of the precious things that would be lost once this house burned to the ground.
Asuza would notice as soon as he entered the room that his vision would become obscured. Not in the sense that it already was. No, one side of the room was completely unavailable to him, almost as if it didn't exist. However, he would feel weirdly comfortable taking the innocent woman in his other arm.
The King wouldn't know how or when he ended up sitting on that same couch, but there he was. Obviate's corpse was placed seated on another chair, the girl was seated asleep to the right of her. It might feel like a conversation or a story skipped to another part of the tale without his understanding. Henri was unconscious lying near the door of the room. He, unlike everyone else, seemed entirely separated. The puppet master clearly did not care for him as he did for the others.
The strangest thing about the scene would be that, like before, Asuza wouldn't be seeing it through his own vision. Someone else was in the room, seated next to the record player. As violin strings fluttered through the still air, the manipulator's eyes glared at Asuza. Asuza, essentially, would be looking at himself.
"I'm not sure if I want you taking Miss Mouse or my Aunt with you," the owner of the eyes said cautiously. "I'm starting to think I'm getting the wrong impression of you. I need to know more. Let's start from where you're least comfortable. What makes Asuza, Asuza?"
The world went dark and Asuza would find himself reliving whatever moment or moments made him feel most guilty, the least proud of himself in the darkest corner of his mind. In his vision, a small figure stood next to him with his or her head held low, constantly observing with huge, round globes of eyes, tangible yet broken, real but ghostly. A picture pasted in a printed textbook. The being watched carefully.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Feb 26, 2013 18:27:06 GMT -5
There were visions of other places, other times. Countless ranks of marines charged, only to crash against Asuza and fall against such force. The man himself was significantly less bandaged, to the extent that one could actually make out what he looked like underneath it all. Explosions, a battlefield covered in craters, and littered with injured or dying soldiers. The conflict was resolved, but at what cost? The others of the crew only stood by, though many could not bring themselves to watch. There was shouting, arguing. How could he do such a thing, asked the Captain. What was the alternative, asked the King. He had done something like this, and he couldn't stay. He had been with the crew for six years, but that time was over now. Rather than take the crew down with him though, he would draw all attention to himself. The Grand Path? That would do, it had to.
---
A blurring, as everything changed once more. Where and when this was, well it wasn't all that clear at first. In this time, Asuza was a young man, and he wasn't bandaged at all. Heck he wasn't even burned, he looked completely normal. The place though, was dark. A bedroom maybe, though the place was ransacked. And there was a body on the floor. The only way to see was a dim light pouring in through the window. Visibly, the King was distressed as he tried to take care of the body in any way he could, as were the six people with him.
Now he was at the docks, only it wasn't water from which the wood of the docks themselves stood from, but clouds. The ship sat cushioned in the clouds and rocked up and down, but it was the same scene as before, with signs of a struggle and another person dead. Arguing with the other people, Asuza tried to make sense of what was happening while a couple of the others tried to move the body. Along with the king, there were only five others now. It was worth noting as well, that they all looked rather red, sunburned. The dim light in the distance was a bit brighter now.
The scenes kept changing like this, a city park, a bar, the steps of a museum. Asuza and those same others finding the scene with yet another dead person each time, arriving only just too late. Each time, there was one less person with the King. Each time, they were all visibly more afraid and worse for the wear, cuts or bruises or their clothes ripped. Each time, they were all a bit more burned than the last, and the light in the distance grew brighter. The temperature, the air, it was getting hotter and by now it was impossible to tell night from day.
Finally there was no one else besides the King, and he dug through the ruins of a city block, at a place where a busy market had once been. At this point his skin was blistered and peeling off, but he continued on, ripping up his hands and arms as he dug. Picked up timber, pushed aside stone, tore away glass. Eventually he stopped when he found the last body, a young girl, and it looked like he had just had his heart ripped out. Carefully he went to pull her from the rubble, and carried her from that place, away from the burning light now very close to them. It looked now as though the sun itself was glowing only just off in the distance, gleaming, growing. It was broad daylight, despite being close to midnight.
---
"Take her, Illora."
"And do what, hold onto her while you get away?"
"Take her, please. Take her, and lead everyone away from this place."
Crowds of people were fleeing en masse, and it seemed like the very air was on fire. At the center of the city there burned a second sun, and getting close enough even the stone was on fire. They people here were many miles away, but the light was almost blinding and the latent heat pouring off the glowing sphere in the distance was unbearable. There was much screaming, yet Asuza stood amidst the crowd as people pushed past in their hopes of escaping the growing fire. He was carrying the girl from the market, and was opposed by a young woman about his age (and similarly burned as he was, everyone was really), dressed in a military officer's uniform of this place with a sword drawn. He had specifically sought her out though, and instead, simply held out the injured girl for the woman to take.
"Oh really? And what place is there, that is safe from this? Where would we go?"
"I don't know, the blue sea if you have to. Just get everyone out of here."
"...and what are you going to do? What can you do?"
"I'm going to stop this."
"Go on then, tell me, how? How are you going to stop... this?
"I have no idea, but I have to try. If someone doesn't, then not even the blue sea will be safe."
Illora seemed indignant, and still wholly unwilling to trust the King or his words. When he actually went as far as to mention the blue sea however, her demeanor changed completely. She had a hard time trying to find the right words for what she was thinking and feeling, and eventually ended up taking the girl in her arms from Asuza. She watched as the King nodded to her, before turning to walk against the crowd towards the burning light beyond. She tried to make him out against the backdrop, but it was far too bright and she had to be careful for the girls sake when she brought an arm up to try an shield herself from the increasing glow. She shouted after him before he got too far away, but all she could make out of him was a silhouette.
"I can help. Let me come with you, listen I know we've never seen eye to eye, but Latien is as much my home as it is yours-"
"Latien is gone."
As hot as it was, it felt like he had driven a wedge of ice through her, the realization was that powerful. He stopped and turned back one last time to say what he needed so that she would not wait for him any longer, and lead the populace to safety. Beneath the clouds or wherever else they might find shelter from the cataclysm.
"Only it's people are left, but you can still save them. I'll give you time you need, now go."
With that he turned back again, and soon disappeared into the light.
---
The city was empty. Not just of people, of everything. Plants, wood, even the glass of the windows had melted. Only the brick and stone of the buildings remained, and it was unclear for how much longer that would be the case, as everything looked blasted by the heat and charred black. Only cinders blew through the street and ash snowing from down above. Devoid of life, there was only fire now, and of course the sun now. Impossibly large, blindingly bright, and growing. At this range it was enough to fully encompass one's field of vision, and even with their eyes closed they would still see only light, as bright as it was. Simply breathing was enough to burn the lungs, and as Asuza drew closer with each step, the intensity at which he was being burned was moving up by degrees every few minutes. Right now he was at second, about. He trudged on though, carrying a glaive behind him.
"Hello."
Asuza stopped dead. He didn't turn to face the speaker, he just stood there, to respond.
"You don't know what you're doing, take a look around you."
"What's your name?"
Whomever it was, stood against the backdrop of the second sun, so it was impossible to make them out beyond a pair of equally bright eyes.
"And how many have are dead because of this, do you even know?"
Something wasn't right. For whatever reason, Asuza wasn't answering the stranger's questions. He continued to speak, and even brought the glaive forward as he went to remove the sheath. The stranger didn't respond to him though, so it seemed unclear how they could be having this conversation, if you could call it that given how disjointed it was. After awhile though the stranger approached, and walked right past Asuza towards the observing puppeteer. Of course the King went right on talking and hadn't changed his stance at all. He had the glaive out even, and now it was clear that whomever he was speaking to was not the stranger. This was just one of his memories and it was happening just as it had in the past. The stranger though was not part of this memory, and was in fact speaking to the puppeteer and had been all along.
"What are you doing here?"
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Post by CJ on Feb 26, 2013 22:42:45 GMT -5
"You're not supposed to notice me," the puppeteer answered without acknowledging his questions. "Memories aren't people. Stop messing with me, Asuza. Submit."
The being was close to light, pure white with a yellow stroke. There were two dark indents where its eyes should have been. They were burned into the light.
"You're not submitting," the voice continued. Its hand stretched out and extended its palm toward the stranger.
Walking around, it passed through the ash and cinder as smoothly as the stranger did. Looking at Asuza's failure of a reaction, it realized the stranger was not a part of this memory.
"Why aren't you submitting to me? What are you!" he nearly squeaked. His true voice started to come through.
It was a boy, barely five feet tall.
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