|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 4, 2016 0:24:59 GMT -5
Despite the damage that had been dealt and the sprite-shaped indent in the wall, Brendon hardly looked perturbed. If anything, he just seemed annoyed by Alex's fury, as well as his own. He had quickly exhausted all of his rage in the heat of the moment, leaving nothing but cold apathy. Now all he could do was peel himself free, float there and glower down at the sobbing heap on his friend's quest bed.
"Thank f*** mine's a Prospit dreamer..."
"...The heck is going on in there?!"
Brendon sharply turned at the sound of voices coming from the temple entrance. Then he turned back around and frowned at Alex again. "Great. Ya ruined the surprise. I hope you're proud of yourself." Finally, he flew up, phased through a wall and vanished.
Immediately after his departure, Evan sprinted into the room, the rest of the team tagging along closely behind him. He came to a brief halt, sparing only a few seconds to survey the damage, then he ran up to Alex and worriedly knelt down beside him, too concerned about the thief to give the room's décor much thought. "Alex, hey... What happened in here?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 4, 2016 0:38:30 GMT -5
Swift was right behind Evan as he charged into the Quest Bed room, keeping herself firmly rooted in the room's entrance as Evan went to inspect Alex. The first thing she noticed was an odd scent lingering in the air, one that made her raise an eyebrow and lower an ear. "What smells like Hasbro in here?"
Of course, the next thing she noticed was the bed-like stone structure that Evan and Alex were hunched over, upon and above which was the emblem representing hope players. Her other ear drooped as she took this in, not knowing what this foreboding room was for but certainly not liking it.
Thirdly, she noticed that between the structural damage, the noise that had just died down, and Alex's emotional state, this was clearly not going to end well. "Uh... Evan?"
|
|
|
|
Post by DMis on Jan 4, 2016 0:49:24 GMT -5
Todd floated in with Yang right behind him.
The blonde had convinced Forsaken to come along as a mean for her to keep up with the others. Forsaken quietly hovered along as she sat on her cube.
Inadvertently Todd was singing 'Ballad of Mona Lisa' to tune out his roommate's complaining.
"Say what you mean
Tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign
I want to believe
Woah, Mona Lisa,
You're guaranteed to run this town
Woah, Mona Lisa,
I'd pay to see you frown"
Forsaken glared at the musician. "You okay, Alex?" she asked.
|
|
|
|
Post by gantzgun74 on Jan 4, 2016 1:04:58 GMT -5
Erin and Lizzie had followed in... But both stopped at the doorway when they saw the quest bed...
No-one needed to read their expressions too deeply to see the horror on their faces... This...
This confirmed everything didn't it-?
This island truly was a destroyed version of their session. And there... There was the proof... And Alex had discovered it first...
Alex... Whom had spent all of this time in the hopes of preventing the need for this game to ever exist... He had found proof positive that not only did this game still exist... It was ready and active... It was waiting for someone to complete it. Now, Erin had been around Alex and Lizzie enough to realize that neither of them were up to do as such... And knowing how SHE'D react in this case... Well, she stayed back...
Honestly...
She knew what was going to happen...
It HAD to happen.
She would never fully understand how Alex felt... Not entirely... And neither would anyone else.
Not until this moment...
----------------------
Alex's reaction was delayed. When he felt Evan's hand on his shoulder, he instantly knew who it was... Then he heard HER voice... The very reason why they were investigating this maddening game to begin with.
They were willing to put to risk the lives of thousands.....
And for WHAT?
HIS HEAD SHOT UP.
.............
Evan and Forsaken were taken aback by a tiny shockwave of void energy. It wasn't much, it didn't even push them back... But it... IT AND ALEX'S INFURIATED EXPRESSION SAID EVERYTHING.
"YOU.........."
HE ACTUALLY FLOATED OFF THE BED AS THE GLARING CONTINUED. It almost sold the two on the belief they weren't speaking to Alex anymore.
They were speaking to a vengeful god of nothingness.
".... ARE YOU BOTH HAPPY NOW? LOOK WHAT I'VE FOUND... PROOF POSITIVE." HE motioned to the Quest bed. "CONGRATULATIONS. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR CONCLUSION.... BUT... THAT'S SOMETHING I HAVE TO WONDER... A CONCLUSION TOWARDS WHAT?"
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 4, 2016 1:21:35 GMT -5
Evan wisely backed off when Alex responded to his approach with hostility. He kept silent during the thief's outburst, looking simultaneously unnerved and defensive. Likewise, sensing the threat potentially aimed at his master, Carter stood by Evan and growled up at Alex. If Evan noticed this, he didn't make any mention of it, as he suddenly found himself more frustrated than anything.
"E-Excuse me...?"
He then stood up and balled his fists, looking up at Alex firmly yet calmly. "Alright, listen. I understand that this game put you through a lot of tough stuff. I'm not going to downplay that, and I'm not going to take advantage of that. I'm not here to prove anything. I'm here because a friend asked for my help. That's all. And yeah, today we found out that there's more to this than we thought, but I'm going along with it because one, I still really want to help, and two... darn it, this is important! I feel it!"
Evan took a deep breath and softly continued, "Whatever the case, though... we're in this together. Everyone's had a part in this. So don't take it out on me, and don't take it out on her."
|
|
|
|
Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 4, 2016 1:28:29 GMT -5
"W... HEY!"
As soon as Alex had risen off the quest bed, Swift rushed in and stood by Evan so that she and Carter were flanking him. She took on a fighting posture, claws and fangs bared, ears erect with aggression. "Listen, buddy, after that trip through the emotional wringer we all went through, you got some nerve pinning this whole wrap on him!"
Though she kept quiet while Evan calmly said his peace, Swift's harsh amber eyes remained locked on Alex, just daring him to move another inch closer to her boyfriend.
|
|
|
|
Post by DMis on Jan 4, 2016 1:41:03 GMT -5
Forsaken gulped. "Swift. Alex has every right to be mad at me. But not Evan. It was my stupid idea to even look into this session. If Alex needs to be mad... Then let him direct it at me," the woman admitted as Yang peaked out from behind Todd. "So what sprite got thrashed?" Forsaken noticed the looks. "It's a sprite shaped hole!" she pointed out.
|
|
|
|
Post by gantzgun74 on Jan 4, 2016 1:58:24 GMT -5
Alex had so much to be mad about. He had so much he had to say, so much he wanted to just let out in that moment...
Forsaken.... No... He couldn't be mad at her. Even in his weakest moment she didn't deserve his rage.
But....
HIM.... EVEN NOW... EVEN NOW HE WAS-!!!
"SHUT UP!!!!
STOMP!!!! ANOTHER VOID SHOCKWAVE, THIS TIME KNOCKING BOTH BETH AND SWIFT BACK... And when they looked up, they found Alex grabbing Evan by the collar.
"EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT BEFORE YOU CAME AROUND!!!
...... The anger seemed to die away a bit.... Some was still apparent, as Alex held the collar tighter, the other fist reeled back... But...
Alex's breathing was uneven, enraged, tempered... ".... WHY EVEN TALK LIKE YOU HAVE ANY REASON TO BE IN THIS FIGHT?" HE GROWLED. "WE ALL KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WITH YOU WAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. IT'S THE VERY REASON WHY FORSAKEN HELD OFF ON OUR GOING TO THE GAME TO INVESTIGATE. IT'S THE VERY REASON WHY WE'RE RIGHT HERE." His breathing was getting ragged. "YOU... ARE NOT... OUR EVAN. YOU ARE NOT THE EVAN I KNEW. YOU ARE NOT AN EVAN I WOULD'VE EVER KNOWN IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES HAD BEEN DIFFERENT." His grip tightened..... The fist was lower but not raised.
"Why don't you think about it a second KID? Why don't you give EVERYTHING YOU JUST HEARD A SECOND OF THOUGHT?"
Alex was silent... All was silent.
"This island expects a hero... But it DOESN'T AND NEVER WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH... WHAT... WHAT A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE HAD TO GO THROUGH JUST CREATE THIS DAMN PLACE!!!! THINK ABOUT IT KID. WHAT IF SOMETHING DOES GO WRONG HUH??? IF WE DO RESTART THIS SESSION AND SOMETHING GOES WRONG. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE!!!!!! AND WORST OF ALL, THEIR NEVER GOING TO KNOW WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
.......................
The grip loosened.
"But we'll know... All of us. Do you want to know why I don't want to start this again? START THIS BULLSHIT AGAIN!?!?! BECAUSE, THERE'S NO HOPE IN STARTING SUCH AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY!!!! AND EVEN IF THERE WAS, EVEN IF THERE EXISTED SOME HELLBENT WAY THAT THERE COULD BE, YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE IT TO US!!!!! YOU... ARE NO... ROGUE OF HOPE..."
................
........
He let go.
"And I see no reason why or HOW you ever could be... But at the same time, I know you're not going to rethink this. You are going to willingly put this ENTIRE ISLAND AT RISK... JUST SO YOU CAN SATISFY A COUPLE OF MISERABLE SOULS LIKE US..."
............ He let out a haggard breath.
"You're a fool... And so was I once... I want to hope but... I can't."
...............
The thief turned... then took to the air... opening up a void portal to fly into...
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 4, 2016 2:29:34 GMT -5
"Swift... Carter... don't... it's fine..." Evan placed a hand on Swift's shoulder and motioned his dog away with the other, hoping to calm them down and approach this rationally. He couldn't blame Alex for being upset, but it was still no excuse to treat Forsaken and himself like this. He was fully prepared to plead his case and try to inject some logic...
But of course it wasn't going to be that easy.
The entire time Alex gripped his sweatshirt and screamed in his face, Carter barking hostile obscenities all the while, Evan did his best to maintain a calm, stern expression. He had to be the bigger man here, seeing as how no one else was. He kept silent, letting Alex get his anger out, never once letting his own emotions take over or the thief's words cut him too deeply. Nonetheless, as the bile was dished to him, between contemplating the best response to this outburst, Evan couldn't help but mentally sum up the situation in one adequate phrase:
THIS IS STUPID.
Eventually, Alex let him go, at which point Evan shook himself off and took a deep breath, once again preparing to justify himself. But then Alex turned and prepared to fly off into the void.
Oh no.
Heck no.
If he thought for a SECOND that he was going to chew Evan out like that and just LEAVE...!
"I..."
Evan whipped out the Paramount Key, stuck it in his own chest and turned it.
"...SAID..."
Surrounded by a golden aura, he then jumped onto the quest bed, spring-boarded into the air and grabbed Alex.
"...LISTEN!!!"
And finally, he shoved the key into Alex's chest, and with a series of clicks, the thief was locked in place.
The duo dropped back down onto the quest bed, with Evan landing on his feet and gripping Alex's stony form tight. He then held Alex out at eye level, making darn sure he could see and hear him clearly.
"I get it, okay?! I get that there are dangers involved that I will never be able to fully anticipate! Did I rush into things without fully considering the consequences? Yes! I admit that! But it's not like I was just about to jump-start this whole thing without a hitch! I knew there would be consequences, and I was more than willing to take precautions and just study these events before setting anything into motion! Don't talk to me like I don't know what I'm doing!"
A deep breath, and he continued.
"Furthermore, I am not trying to replace anybody! I know I'm not the same Evan! I'm not trying to be the same Evan! I don't care if you can't see me in the same light, because I don't expect you to! I'm not here to fulfill some grand purpose the game had for your Evan! I'm not here to be a Rogue of Hope or Kitomo or whatever the heck you think I'm trying to be! I'm just here because I felt like it was the right thing to do! I told you I wasn't expecting to gain anything for myself, and I God dang MEANT it!"
Another deep breath. Slowly, he held up the Paramount Key.
"I understand that you're angry. It's only natural. But I would appreciate it if you didn't take it out on the people who care about you and the wellbeing of everyone on this island. Now I'm going to unlock you... and when I do... I trust that we can sort this whole ordeal out like mature, rational adults. That's not too much to ask, now is it?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 4, 2016 2:38:25 GMT -5
"GAH-!!!" Though she took the hit pretty hard, Swift managed to get back on her feet relatively quickly. And when she did, she found Alex holding Evan at a dangerous proximity.
"OH, HELL NO!"
It apparently didn't take much to completely break her, as now, with the entire situation leading her to fear for her lover's life more than ever, Swift did something she swore she would never do. In one rapid movement, she ripped her ring off her finger and tossed it across the room, removing the one thing that kept her yokai blood in check. She then prepared to launch herself at Alex and give the brat a taste of what a Miko of Rage could do (despite not really being a thing), only to find herself held back and swinging wildly in an insane attempt at breaking free and tearing into the thief.
"YOU SELF-ENTITLED TWIT, LEMME AT 'IM!!! GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF HIM!!! I'LL BITE YOUR HEAD OFF!!! DON'T THINK I WON'T!!!"
|
|
|
|
Post by DMis on Jan 4, 2016 2:52:27 GMT -5
"What the beowulf bile did you just do to my boyfriend?" the blonde seemed to growl as she held the back of Swift's shirt. "HArm him and I won't hold back, Swift."
Todd blinked. "It wears off after an hour Yang. Alex is just frozen for a bit," he offered as he walked more into the sanctuary.
"Wait... What? YAng.... why?" Forsaken asked as she recovered from the blowback.
"Alex is my boyfriend," Yang replied dryly.
"Great the two theoretical Rage players are pissed at each other.... This is almost as bad as when your counterpart had to kill me, Forsaken," Todd offered.
|
|
|
|
Post by gantzgun74 on Jan 4, 2016 3:00:29 GMT -5
...................
Erin groaned... She knew exactly how she'd respond to that...
Lizzie facepalmed... She knew too...
........
Alex couldn't speak... Hell, he could barely even breathe. All of his muscles felt stiff and his body ached. One second he was going to the portal, the next he was on the quest bed once more, Evan holding him. Evan with... With that key...
He couldn't move...
... But he was fairly sure that if he could...
==>
(Alex's skin starts turning jet-black, Rage subtlely mounting in a blood lust that felt terrifyingly familiar... Terrifyingly familiar, and yet he was in a situation much more terrifying. A situation that prompted it.)
YOU WERE GOING TO RIP EVAN'S GODDAMN HEAD OFF AND HANG HIS REMAINS OFF THE SIDE OF MT. BONSAI.
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 4, 2016 10:37:37 GMT -5
With his dog on high alert and his girlfriend held back before she could do anything stupid, Evan took a moment to stare into Alex's eyes. He wasn't expecting everything to be magically resolved the moment he unlocked the thief, but at the very least, he hoped everyone could calm down and explain their rationale without fear of retribution. Things were bad enough as they were. What this group needed more than anything was a reevaluation of personal values and a discussion regarding history, plans and potential outcomes.
Because if there was one point to be made, it was that none of these players actually told Evan what this game was really about.
He gently drove the key into Alex's chest...
"EVAN MOVE!!!"
If you blinked, you would have missed the whole thing.
In a split second, Kendall appeared out of a rift in space-time and shoved Evan and Alex off the quest bed. The two toppled to the floor. The Paramount Key went flying.
Simultaneously, a second figure appeared out of nowhere at the foot of the bed and thrust a strange-looking sword into the space where Evan once stood. The blade drove into Kendall's back, generating a pained scream, a sickly squish, and the oddly jarring sound of metal hitting metal.
Evan sat up just as the Angel of Time collapsed in a bloody heap. "KENDALL!!!"
He then turned to look up at the figure, who, likewise, turned to look down at him. He had a humanoid appearance beneath the bizarre attire, consisting of a black hooded cape that covered his mop of untamed, dull white hair, a grey overcoat covered in steampunk gears, black pants and black boots. In his hand was what looked to be a bloodstained keyblade, silver and copper in color, slightly tarnished from years of service. His face was covered by dark, tinted goggles and, perhaps most hauntingly, a long scarf knitted from pieces of torn fabrics. And each piece... all eleven of them... bore a different aspect symbol.
The two exchanged only a second's worth of glances before the scarfed figure thrust his key sword at Evan again.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 4, 2016 12:06:48 GMT -5
"RRRRAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!! LEMME GO LEMME GO LEMME GO!!!!"
Defiantly and in blind fury, Swift whipped around and slashed Yang's arm with her claws. Once free, she then charged at the quest bed, ready to tackle and tear into the thief the moment he was unlocked.
Before she had a chance, however, Kendall and the scarf guy appeared.
Swift was appropriately taken aback, but her confusion only further ignited her wrath. She was sick to death of all this malarkey! First Alex turned against Evan, and oh GOD was he asking for a heaping dose of SUCKITUP! But now Kendall was here... and dying... and the more she thought about it, if anyone was responsible for this half-baked mission, it was HIM! Evan would never do anything this stupid if not for the angel's stupid timey-wimey stuff! And now there was THIS scarf-wearing douchebag! WHO'S THIS DOUCHEBAG?! AND HELL NO, HE DID NOT JUST TRY TO KILL EVAN!!
The whites of her eyes glowed a fierce yellow. Her fangs and claws grew longer and sharper. Black vein-like markings snaked across her face.
With a shrieking howl that could shake the foundations of paradox space itself, the yokai threw herself at the man in the scarf and swung her yoki-charged claws at him. This creep was DEAD!
|
|
|
|
Post by DMis on Jan 4, 2016 17:55:33 GMT -5
Yang only gave a slight smirk as she went to persue Swift.
Only to have Forsaken catch her mid step with a tendril from the cube girl's pouch. "Not loosing you to that thing that just killed Kendall," She growled as a few droplets of Kendall's blood floated towards her.
"She has a point. We have bigger fish to fry than each other. Erin. Lizzie. Mind helping?" Todd asked as he pulled out Derse's Dirge.
|
|
