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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 14, 2016 18:26:32 GMT -5
H̵̨̛è͞l̀͟͟l̶҉o̴̸͢͝ ̨̀͟͜͞a̢̧̡͟͝ģ͜͡͞a͘͟í̛̛̀́ń̴,̵̵̧̕͝ ͘̕̕͜͝E͡v̢͠a̶̶̴͞n̸̢͘.̨҉
Evan's eyes shot open, drowsy and yet wide awake. He sure had fallen asleep quickly, and it felt like he hadn't been out for very long. It took him a moment to realize what was going on. The fact that he was sleeping in a yellow, crooked version of his childhood bedroom was enough to bring him to his senses.
He sat up in bed, taking a good look around at the familiar surroundings. Then, knowing what was coming and what had to be done, he jumped to his feet, climbed out the window and stepped out into the open space of the dark prison he was trapped in.
The gate was right there.
Prospit awaited him beyond it.
He wanted nothing more than to break free and see it all.
His only question was what was in here.
"Okay... Who are you really?"
Y̨͠ớ̷ư̵͡͞ ̸͘͢͠ķ̵̷́ņ̨̧͢͝o̶͢w҉͟҉̡ ̷̶w̨͜͠h̸̶o̴̶̵͠ ̢͢͞I̴̸̴ ̢̛͘͜͟a҉̴̴̨̕m̵͜͢.̷͢͢͠͝
Evan scowled. He had a good idea who it was. He just hoped he was wrong. Turning around to glare into the darkness, he continued, "What'll happen if I unlock the gate and let us out?"
E͢҉v̢͢ȩ̷̕͢r̛͞҉͜y͏͡t̶̀͡h̶̸̵i̵̷̕͡͝ń̢̨g͢͡ ̷t̴̕͠҉h̢͢a͏̡t̕͞ ̢̢̧́͡i̷̢҉s͢͝͏ ̴͘͞ḿ̕͟e̕͏ą̴̴́͢ń͡͞t̡̡́ ̧͏̕͘t҉̢͘o҉̧́ ̶̧͠h̶͟͞͏̧ą̶̸̛͠p̵̡̕͞p̷̀è҉҉̨ņ̷͜͜͡.̢͢͝͞
"What'll happen if I don't?"
I͏͘f̷̸ ͏̸͢͢͢y͟҉͜ò̴͠ù̷̢͡ ̷̵̛́͠s̸̶̢͟t͜͡áỳ̢͜͞ ̸̨̀͠i̵͞n̵̴̕ ̧̕҉̸̨h̴̨̢é̵͟͠r̵̕e͝͏,̵̧͘͟͠ ̢̀͞͞y͢͏͠o͟͝͡u͏͜͠ ̷̴̀͘w͢͠i̵̴̛̕͜l͞͞l̵͢͢͢ ͜͝d͜͝i̢̡e̡̧̨.̶͏͏
He faced the gate again. Deep down, Evan knew that there was so much riding on this decision. He needed to get out of there, to know that what he was seeing was real and that he was meant to be a part of this game. But if he did... would he only be making things worse? Were he and his cellmate trapped in here for a reason? Would his freedom mean certain doom for his friends and their session?
Well... things were already bad enough. And somehow, Evan could tell that this was an inevitability. He was only playing into the grand scheme.
Evan pulled the Paramount Key out of the neck of his pajama shirt. He stared at it, curious as to how it could have ended up in here with him. There was only one Paramount Key, and he hadn't seen it in days. Just one of many questions he was too nervous to answer.
He inserted the key into the gate's lock...
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Patrick: Behold puffy oracle.
The mage had been doing so for quite a while now. He had begun to lose track of time. While Ace explored the checkerboard battlefield, Patrick pretty much stayed rooted on one square, staring at the Skaian clouds, mouth open, eyes rarely blinking. Well, really, he was only staring at one cloud, but it was so bizarrely haunting that his brain refused to look away until it had deduced what exactly the image within the white fluff was supposed to be.
It looked like... the grim reaper. It was the best way to describe the shadowy man in the cloud. Black cloak? Scythe? Who wouldn't automatically assume it was the grim reaper? But what was the white light he was holding in his other hand? A miniature star? Magical energy? That crystal ball that David Bowie carried around in Labyrinth? ...Well, crap. Too soon.
Recent tragic loses aside... what did this vision mean?
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 14, 2016 18:50:49 GMT -5
Ace was starting to get the impression that this was a bad idea. Wandering around the battlefield, studying the black and white soldiers frozen in place... not only was it all particularly eerie and made her worry that one wrong move would set everything back into motion, but without context, none of it meant anything to her. This field study had provided them with virtually no information. Sure, they had gotten a feel for what the game's stage was like, but they were still no closer to determining what they were supposed to do here.
At least the visions in the clouds seemed to be informative. If frustratingly cryptic.
Eventually, Ace decided that there was nothing left to see. Now was as good a time as any to go home. "Hey Pat! I don't think we're getting anywhere like this! We might as well head back!"
When she received no response, she turned around and stared across the landscape. "Pat?"
Patrick was standing a few dozen yards away, still staring at that same cloud. Ace sighed and flew over to him, touching down and nudging him to snap him out of his stupor. "Patrick, didja hear me? We should get going."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 14, 2016 19:40:03 GMT -5
CLICK
CLANK
Creaaaaaak...
The golden gates opened with a gentle push. Slowly, cautiously, Evan hung the key around his neck again and stepped out into the open. Immediately, he felt a sense of relief and freedom, as if he had just burst free from a tiny box. He felt so light, so liberated... so happy. Suddenly, he felt like he could so anything.
And this city... it was just so beautiful.
Everywhere he looked, there were glistening golden streets and magnificent golden towers, shimmering in the blue light cast from above by the wondrous atmosphere of Skaia. Evan walked in a circle, taking it all in with a wide, open-mouth smile and a twinkle in his eyes. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. So strange, so heavenly, so peaceful.
Then, all of a sudden, Prospit seemed to disappear from Evan's line of vision as he found himself hoisted off the ground by his pajama shirt. When he pulled himself together, he saw the city again, only... darker. Dimmed in the reflection on the lenses of a pair of black goggles.
"YIPE-!"
It was him. Clad in the exact same steampunk jacket, goggles, hood and god tier scarf. Just as Evan hoped it wouldn't be.
Clockwork held Evan's stare from behind the dark lenses, though he did not move. Evan was too petrified to move much either. For the longest time, they just stared at each other, not speaking, barely breathing, locked in place with Clockwork holding Evan by the collar. It was impossible to know what the monster was thinking, but whatever it was, it scared Evan senseless.
Finally, Clockwork tossed Evan aside, letting him crumble to the ground and stare up at him in shock.
"̸̵̷̡̛U͘͏͜͡ś̡ȩ̴̨͜l̷̶͢͏͡e̵̛͜͝s̸̕s̀͢͟͞.̧̧̡̕"̴̡̀
Then Clockwork turned around and took to the sky, disappearing into the black horizon.
Evan sat up and watched him go, confused and concerned. If anything, he was relieved that Clockwork had not hurt him, but that just raised the question of what he was flying off to do now. Perhaps only time would tell. Shakily, Evan stood up and looked towards the building they had just escaped from, quickly realizing that he still was not alone.
"Who are you?"
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"What?" Patrick blinked a few times, finally snapping back to reality and looking away from the cloud.
"Oh! Oh yeah, uh... Are you sure we have to go?" He asked as he and Ace started walking. "There's gotta be something else we haven't checked out yet!"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 14, 2016 21:12:50 GMT -5
"I don't think there is," Ace replied, shrugging and looking around in their walk. "We already checked out all the asteroids with the beaches and ink and forests and stuff, the golden city planet, and every square inch of this checkered rock. Unless there's something past that asteroid belt, I don't think we're gonna find anything else."
She stared up into the sky. "Seeing everything paused like this... it's kinda creepy. At least the clouds here have given us some insight."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 14, 2016 22:16:35 GMT -5
For a while, the two just stared at each other. Evan smiled and tilted his head inquisitively. The girl with grey skin and orange horns just gazed up at him timidly. Her hands were raised to the room Evan was just released from, the sleeves of her oversized white jacket rolled back. Her yellow eyes met his brown, though she had not spoken since Evan first addressed her.
"What, uh... Whatcha doing there?" Evan asked in a sweet and friendly tone.
"Oh... Um..." The girl looked up at the building and dropped her hands. "I was, uh... r-restoring time. Th-That whole room had been displaced from the timeline to keep Clockwork from escaping."
"Ohhhh..." Evan nodded slowly in understanding. "So what was I doing in there?"
"Well... Here, look..." She stepped back a bit and pointed upwards. "See that tower just above us?"
Evan followed her finger and stared up the tower, the top of which looked as if it had broken and fallen off. "Yeah?"
"A-Another iteration of him... from another point in time... knocked your dream room off its tower and caused it to fall into his cell, trapping you in there with him so that you would be compelled to unlock the gate for him."
"Well, that's... underhanded."
"Just about everything Clockwork does is underhanded..." she mumbled, sadly looking down at her feet.
Evan just shrugged it off. Clockwork was already free before Evan even let him out. No sense in complaining. "Well, my name's Evan!"
"O-Oh, I know." She looked up and gave him a bashful grin. "I... I-I've been keeping an eye on your progress... a-as requested by a friend."
"Huh! Okay then!" In any other situation, that might have been considered weird, but Evan was just too spellbound and free-spirited to care. "What's your name?"
"L... Lagola."
"Aww, that's cute! Nice to meet you, Lagola!"
Lagola's smile widened a little, her cheeks flushing brown. It seemed like they had gotten off on the right foot.
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"Well, it is pretty. And unsettling. Pretty unsettling." Patrick glanced over his shoulder, then took to staring into the sky, not necessarily looking for anything. "But... what WAS that? Where does the grim reaper factor into whatever the frig is going on here?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 14, 2016 22:26:05 GMT -5
Ace sighed, exasperated despite her amused smile. "Patrick, you weren't listening earlier, were you? I told you, that was probably Samael, the Angel of Death. These days, he mostly takes wayward souls to the afterlife... and yes, he was the inspiration for the grim reaper character, but his history goes well beyond that. When Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, that was Sam. When the flood wiped out all life on Earth save for Noah and his menagerie, that was Sam."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 14, 2016 22:56:16 GMT -5
"So you were a player in another session?" Evan asked as he and Lagola strolled through the golden streets of Prospit's moon.
Lagola nodded. "Y-Yes. The other trolls and I... we successfully completed our game and created your... well... um... the human players' universe."
"Oh, so it's like a full-circle kinda thing! Neat!"
"I-I suppose so... But after we won, our hope player suggested that we keep off of Earth and stay in a meteor in the Veil. It certainly saved our lives when the humans began their session... A-And from there, some of us contacted the humans while they played."
"Did you talk to other me?"
"N-No... I watched you onscreen, b-but I was too afraid to talk."
"Awww... How come? I'm sure you and he would've been great friends!"
"I-I wanted to believe that... I just didn't want to risk rejection. Y-You were kinda grumpy whenever any of the other trolls contacted you."
"Really? Huh... Well, I guess in that situation, I would be a little... upset." He shrugged once and continued. "So what was your thing?"
"...My thing?"
"Y'know, like Alex is the Thief of Void, Forsaken is the Witch of Blood, other me was the Rogue of Hope... What about you?"
"Oh! Actually, I'm a rogue too. The Rogue of Time."
"Ahhh, that's so cool! So we got the Rogue of Hope, the Rogue of Time, and the Angel of Time! All we need is an Angel of Hope and we'll be a quartet of HOPE-TIME!" Evan decreed, throwing his arms out as if to praise the sun.
Lagola giggled at his silly behavior. "Yeah, that is funny... Kendall's such a nice guy. He's helped me so much."
"Yeah, Kendall is completely awesome," Evan agreed. "Good angel. Best friend. I wonder where he's gotten off to lately. I wanted to talk to him about something."
"Actually, he told me he'd be up in Skaia right now! He should be here pretty soon!"
"Really??"
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"Samael?" Patrick tilted his head and blankly stared at Ace as she exposited her knowledge on this supposed Angel of Death. The more she went on, the more he understood. "Oh, okay, I gotcha! So like... when the tenth plague wiped out all the first-born children of Egypt, that was Sam?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 14, 2016 23:02:44 GMT -5
Ace had to laugh when Patrick caught on. "Tell a person you personally know the Angel of Death and they stare at you blankly. Mention something out of a Charlton Heston movie and suddenly everybody's a theology scholar." She playfully bumped Patrick and continued, "But yeah, that's Sam. I know it sounds like he has a pretty negative reputation... but when you get to know him, he's actually a really nice guy! Who knows? Maybe I'll introduce you to him someday! If that cloud is anything to go by, he just might get involved in..."
She slowed to a halt and squinted her eyes when she noticed something over the horizon. "Hey... I think someone else is here!"
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Post by gantzgun74 on Jan 14, 2016 23:36:16 GMT -5
It had been about hour three into the game playing and Alex was already very thankful that he had found Ryan. Even though the two played their game on a generator in the middle of the Skaian battlefield, on an old TV, they had a heck of a time just messing around on Ryan's Wii-U, playing Smash Bros and Mario Kart all they liked. Whenever they did any talking it was either to trash talk or begrudgingly praise each other for their mad skillz. Poor Kendall went forgotten nearby... But meh, Alex needed the rise in spirits, and Ryan needed to see that, regardless of the circumstances, this new Alex was a friend.
As the two explorers approached however, Alex's generator finally went out. As did the TV and the Video game console.
"Awww!! And I was just about to win too!" He elbowed Ryan playfully. "You know what we should do? We should move this to my new place~. We'll have lots of electricity there, and some food to eat too~."
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Post by ryocker on Jan 15, 2016 0:13:28 GMT -5
The excitement on Ryan's face screamed with pure joy. "Food? Why didn't you say that first!" he cheered. But soon pouted, glaring. "And what do you mean you were about to win? The last item on the bingo card was almost mine! Koppai represent!
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 15, 2016 0:33:23 GMT -5
"Kendall's here?! You're sure about that?!"
"He should be..." Lagola nodded. "He told me that he'd talk to us after you got out and he finished up his business on the battlefield. So... I guess we could just keep walking and talking until he shows up."
"Aw... Is there no way we can go there ourselves?" Evan semi-mused, semi-pouted. "Prospit's awesome and all, but it'd be cool to check out Skaia too!"
Lagola tried and failed to hide her nervous expression. She didn't dare tell Evan that he could fly as his dream self, let alone that she could potentially fly, being a god tier. Excited as she was to see Kendall again, she was content here on Prospit. On solid ground. "Um... I-I'm not sure. W-We're probably just better off waiting for him here!"
Evan sighed and nodded. All of his built-up excitement prompted him to bounce back and forth on his toes like a boxer.
Despite Lagola's concerns, Evan still felt oddly empowered and free. Perhaps even a bit spacey. Here on Prospit, clad in these dorky pajamas, it really did feel like he could do anything he wanted. Come to think of it, he still wasn't entirely sure what he could do as his dream self other than use it to explore Prospit and potentially become his permanent vessel in the off chance that he was actually capable of tiering. Maybe there was some potential yet to be found. After all, this was a dream self. This was all just one big lucid dream! Who's to say he couldn't let dream logic take over?
"Hey... I wanna try something."
"Hmm? What's tha- EEP!!!"
All of a sudden, Evan scooped Lagola up bridal style, then he took a mighty leap into the air, soaring high above the golden towers and making a beeline for Skaia.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NO NO NO NO NO NO NO PUT ME DOWN PUT ME DOWN PUT ME DOWN PUT ME DOWN!!!"
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As he stood off to the side listening to Alex and Ryan's playful banter, Kendall maintained watch over the battlefield until he finally spotted two figures on the horizon. He knew exactly who it was, and he couldn't be happier to see them, waving his arm high in the air to get the couple's attention.
"Heheh... Yeah that sounds, uh..." Patrick was somewhat grateful for the interruption, seeing as how he didn't know how to react to the prospect of meeting the Angel of Death. He followed Ace's line of sight, spotting the waving figure in the distance. "Who dat?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jan 15, 2016 0:44:19 GMT -5
In the vast reaches of the Medium, a lone figure floated amongst the rubble, turning around sharply when he heard a cry ring out through the open space. He groaned in utter disdain. He'd know that cry anywhere.
"Son of a b****..."
The blue soles of his hover skates ignited as he blasted off towards Skaia, the void behind him appearing to crack and splinter in his wake. He had to know what the brat was doing out here...
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"It's..." Ace perked up when she realized who it was waving at them. "It's Kendall! Ha! Dang time angel! I should've known he'd wind up here! C'mon!"
She leaned over slightly, positioning herself to allow Patrick to climb onto her back. Once he was on board, Ace excitedly flew towards the rendezvous point, eager to have found another familiar face. "Hey! Kendall!"
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Post by gantzgun74 on Jan 15, 2016 0:58:55 GMT -5
The voice calling out was enough to catch Alex and Ryan's attention. Turning to the new arrivals, the two god-tiers took in what appeared to be a fallen angel with black wings and a human quickly approaching Kendall, another angel... Alex honestly had to admit, he had almost forgotten that Kendall was still here..... Well, he and Ryan needed just a moment to enjoy each other's company, get reacquainted, become friends. That kind of thing. He could honestly say he was confident that that had been done. Having Ryan back, ANY RYAN, was just such a relief...
Alex was the first one up to his feet to take in the new arrivals more carefully... His hands went to the pockets on his jacket, he tilted his head to the side curiously. "Hmmmm.... More of your friends Kendall?" He scowled a bit. "Right on schedule right? That's likely what you're thinking right now? He scoffed...
Then he turned to the other two, taking them in. "So... What brings you two here? There's really not that much to see here as you've likely gathered."
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Post by ryocker on Jan 15, 2016 1:15:08 GMT -5
Ryan got up as well, but seemed to be hiding behind Alex, a look of fear or apprehension on his face as he quietly stared at them. "Hi," he squeaked, still acting like a shy child.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jan 15, 2016 9:50:38 GMT -5
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOO HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!"
Never before had Evan felt so ALIVE. He had always dreamed of this, and in a way he still was dreaming of it, and yet this was really happening. Flying was just as much of a high-energy, free-spirited thrill ride as he had always hoped it would be, if not more so. And soaring through the blue skies of Skaia, passing by clouds that offered him brief glimpses of the past and future, to say that Evan was having the time of his life wouldn't quite describe the unbridled joy in his heart.
"THIS IS SO FRICKIN' AWESOME!"
It seemed that the troll in his arms disagreed. Lagola was frozen in utter terror, eyes wide, teeth gritted, clinging to Evan as if the very fabric of paradox space depended on it.
As he approached the battlefield, Evan gleefully asked his new companion, "So those clouds... They show, like, the past and future and stuff, right?"
Lagola was too petrified to respond.
"That's pretty cool! Did your clouds do that too?"
Again, no response.
"You ever get to do anything this FRICKIN' AWESOME?"
"N-NO, I WAS A DERSE DREAMER!!!"
"Oh! That's weird! Sweet little girl like you who deals with the timeline? Seems like Prospit would make more sense in that case! Why would the game stick you on the nasty dark kingdom planet?"
"...P-Please put me down..."
"Oh well... Let's just find Kendall!" Evan laughed as he flew high above the paused game of chess going on down below.
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Kendall chuckled at Alex's remark. "Well, I certainly knew when to expect them." Then he turned back around to greet his companions when they landed. "Hi guys! So good to see you again!"
"Greetings, non-frozen-chess people!" Patrick boldly decreed as he climbed off of Ace's back and took on a dramatic pose for the new faces. "I am the Mage of Stuff and Things! Name's Patrick!"
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