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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Mar 8, 2016 23:43:37 GMT -5
Sirion growled and tensed up, finally past the point of giving a crap about consequences. He knew what he had to do. He had known from the beginning. Someone had to show Lagola the cold, hard facts about what it truly meant to be a team player. To be a troll.
"Fine."
He reached into his sylladex.
"If you wanna do it the hard way..."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 9, 2016 0:03:16 GMT -5
Lagola sighed, arms shaking as she started to prop herself back up. "I-I'm sorry, Sirion... I-I'm trying my best here... I just... I don't think I'm ready for-"
Now... Lagola liked to believe that she knew Sirion well. Over sweeps of contact with him, she had deduced that he played the tough guy role not because he wanted to, but because he believed he had to. Not even for the sake of upholding the social stigma that came with his high blood class. There was a nice guy beneath that calloused exterior, and he had shown it to her –unintentionally or otherwise– a decent number of times. But it was a tough world, and the way Sirion saw it, you had to be tough to survive. An understandable philosophy to some degree, but he was such a voracious go-getter, always anxious to get things done, so determined to find a purpose in everything he did, that he tended to come across as forceful. And rude. And unpleasant.
She wanted to believe that if Sirion could find satisfaction in life... in whatever it was he was meant to do... he would find it in him to let his guard down and let the world see the kindness within.
But... circumstances soon led Lagola to believe that Sirion would never let that happen.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Mar 9, 2016 0:31:33 GMT -5
SMASH
A massive morning star came down like a bolt of lightning upon Lagola, cracking like thunder and punctuated by a bloody cry. Sirion stood over her on the stone slab, the livid scowl of a vengeful god blazing on his face as he repeatedly clubbed her frail little body. Swinging left and right upside her head. Raising it up as high as he could and slamming it down upon her chest and skull. The rogue's screams of agony did nothing to deter him as he delivered blow after blow, bronze blood spraying from each wound and splattering all over the bard.
Over and over... Sirion smashed the spiked club down on Lagola... Even after she stopped moving and fell silent, he continued to beat the sack of bronze fluid until he was absolutely certain it wasn't breathing anymore.
Finally, Sirion relaxed, taking deep, ragged breaths as he stared down at the bloodied, mutilated body that hardly resembled the girl it used to be.
And seeing this grey and brown mess that was once someone he... kind of tolerated... Sirion felt... nothing.
The deed was done. Now they could finally move along with this insane game.
Once he was straightened out, Sirion placed his club back in his strife deck, whipped out a pair of sunglasses, and wordlessly rocketed out of the quest cocoon. The glowing time symbol that floated overhead sunk down into the stone structure the moment he took his leave. He never even looked back as he hover skated over the waters of LOWAP, the cocoon lighting up until it finally exploded in a blinding red fireball behind him, shaking the planet to its core.
Nailed it.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 9, 2016 11:44:54 GMT -5
Elsewhere in the Medium... deep within Skaia... as war raged on the battlefield... time seemed to come to a momentary halt.
Lagola's dream self seemed to materialize from nowhere upon a grey, circular slab that stood atop a tall, chessboard tower, not unlike the quest cocoon her waking body rested within on LOWAP. Sprawled out, unconscious, unaware, the girl in the purple nightgown was bathed first in a pool of her own bronze blood, gently flowing from wounds that slowly opened all across her body, then in a circular pattern of red lights that danced around her still form. A white light engulfed the tower, casting its brilliant rays across the battlefield as the Prospitian and Dersite soldiers looked on in awe.
Her body slowly rose into the air, limply, guided by forces beyond her control or understanding, as the red shimmers continued to swirl around her.
The blood vanished. The wounds healed.
Her purple Derse robes faded away, replaced by new robes... a red tunic... a burgundy hood... a red mask... fingerless gloves... black boots...
If any of the other trolls out there in the Medium turned their gaze upwards, they might have noticed the symbol of the time player briefly flash across the bright blue atmosphere of Skaia.
...........................
Lagola opened her eyes...
She involuntarily sucked in a tiny gasp of air, startled by the revelation that she was alive. ...More alive than she had ever felt in her life.
When she looked down, Lagola was further shocked and intrigued by her new attire. These beautiful, intricate robes, radiating with majesty, adorned with her aspect symbol on the chest... It was a feeling of wonder she wasn't at all used to. And... they were pretty comfy too.
Of course, she didn't have long to study them before she noticed what was beneath her. WAY beneath her.
"AAH!!!" Having found herself in an undesirable airborne position, Lagola's aviophobia kicked in all too soon and she immediately started to flail about in a mortified and ridiculous attempt to get down from her suspended state. Sure enough, at her mental command, gravity suddenly kicked in, sending her tumbling haphazardly down the side of the tower and onto the battlefield's ground level.
"Ow..." She shakily picked herself back up and looked around... and to be fair, down here, she wasn't made any more comfortable as she found herself in an unfamiliar environment. For miles and miles in every direction, there was nothing but chessboard landscape and black and white soldiers engaged in gruesome battle over it.
Lagola swallowed hard and made a mad dash for the nearest bush, ducking down within the foliage. From there, her fascination quickly replaced with panic, she tried to wrack her think pan and figure out what the heck was going on.
The last thing she remembered before waking up here was... the excruciating pain and unparalleled terror as Sirion brutally beat her. She couldn't begin to fathom what would compel him to commit the act, but... more pressingly, how did she wind up here? Did she... die?? Was that what this was? She knew that dreams selves could be used as a second life in this game, so was that what happened to her? Did Sirion kill her so she could revive as a god tier? Judging by the robe, his plan had worked, but... that would've been nice to know beforehand! No one told her that players had to DIE on their quest cocoon to tier! She didn't know she was walking right into a deathtrap!!
The traumatic experience refused to leave Lagola's subconscious be, forcing bronze tears out of her eyes that quickly soaked up her new mask. Still, she did her best to focus on the present. Although she had never seen it before, it was easy to deduce that this was the battlefield. The current challenge at hand was figuring out how to get out of here without getting entangled in the war.
She... supposed she had some new Rogue of Time powers... but it wasn't like she knew how to use them! How was she supposed to test her new abilities and get off this rock inconspicuously?!
Maybe she could contact someone. Maybe one of her teammates could come and help her escape. She had her LapinTop in her sylladex. All she had to do was...
Wait, where was it? Where was her sylladex?? DID ALL OF HER STUFF SERIOUSLY GET LEFT BEHIND WITH HER ORIGINAL BODY?!
Lagola only had a few seconds to fret about it until her LapinTop quite literally appeared out of thin air right in front of her. She stared incredulously at her computer, baffled yet slowly finding relief, then she picked up the note that had been attached to it...
:B You can send things to your own past and future selves. You'll have time to learn when you get home. ~Future You
Well... Okay! That was good to know!
Opting to cross that bridge later, Lagola started up her LapinTop and opened Trollian, quickly scanning the trolltags of everyone currently online. There had to be someone out there who would be willing to come get her...
CH? Maybe... Cortem was generally open for whatever. If someone needed his help, he would help. She just wasn't certain how he would react to her new status...
UA? Aquila certainly had the means and the kindness to offer his services. He seemed like the best choice... but if he was with Orcana... well... She'd come back to him.
FC? Could Dzaneb even get up here? Would he want to come here just for a rescue mission?
CE? Kamulo had made it very clear that she was there to help... but again, could she? And how would she feel about Lagola now?
MH? No! Not Sirion! She was still reeling from that beating! She never wanted to see his stupid jerk face again!
Come on, think! What to do, WHAT TO DO?!
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jessie
Ghetto Posta
The fervor, the fire, the feathers, this fever defies measure.
Posts: 126
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Post by jessie on Mar 10, 2016 1:33:54 GMT -5
As it turned out, the decision would be made for her. Kamulo had been hiding in her respiteblock, imps pounding on her locked and barricaded entryboard. Huddled by her recuperacoon, she'd been clutching her CommuniCuff, brainstorming ways out of this mess while debating if she should send out a signal for help among her fellow players. She'd just been thinking of some way to get down to her Alchemiter without getting mobbed by imps, idly eyeing the online Trollian handles. And she noticed something. Lagola's activity. Just then. Lagola was there, then she was gone, then she was back. Just, blip, blip. It... shouldn't have struck Kamulo as strange. It didn't, even. From what she understood, Lagola was a non-mobile user, still keeping around a husktop. So it wasn't strange. Maybe she just put it away into her sylladex for a second. But it at least reminded her that they hadn't talked in a quick second, and damn her big blue heart, she was fond of Lagola. With imps roaring outside, their inky effluvium already smeared across her respiteblock's walls, Kamulo decided to put her friend first. -- cirrostratusEmulsifier started trolling phantomOwlsa -- CE: Hey Lagola! How's it shakin'? CE: I mean, um. CE: I hope nothing is actually shaking on your end. It's a figure of speech.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 10, 2016 9:26:26 GMT -5
With her mind racing as disjointedly as it was, it took Lagola a while to realize she was receiving an incoming message. She stared flabbergasted at cirrostratusEmulsifier's flashing name, momentarily forgetting what that meant. When it finally clicked, she was quick to recover and answer, simply desperate for someone... anyone to help her.
PO: :B Kamulo?! PO: :B OH MY GOD WHERE ARE YOU?! PO: :B I'M ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!
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jessie
Ghetto Posta
The fervor, the fire, the feathers, this fever defies measure.
Posts: 126
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Post by jessie on Mar 10, 2016 11:50:45 GMT -5
CE: Woah, okay. Let's take this calmly. Close our eyes, breathe slowly. Pretend like everything's okay for a second.CE: The Battlefield? Like, Skaia?CE: How did you get there? CE: Are you safe?
She'd told Lagola to calm down, but it was really for her own benefit, having difficult keeping composure. It wouldn't do any good to have them both hysterically yelling, that wouldn't fix anything. So it was required that she keep her cool. She hoped Lagola was safe.
Kamulo had seen the Battlefield in her dreams, on Prospit. Big blue, with checkered ground. Yeah, she knew where that was. It was one of the first things she'd seen upon waking up - looking out the window of her tower, it was there. But how did Lagola get there? Forgive her ignorance, she doesn't know the ins and outs of godtiering yet.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 10, 2016 17:41:42 GMT -5
Calming down was not exactly something Lagola was going to do in the immediate future. Her fingers shook as she anxiously typed away.
PO: :B Y-Yes, the Battlefield in Skaia! PO: :B Sirion... he... PO: :B He killed me on my quest cocoon and I woke up here! PO: :B NOW I'M SCARED AND ALONE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
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jessie
Ghetto Posta
The fervor, the fire, the feathers, this fever defies measure.
Posts: 126
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Post by jessie on Mar 10, 2016 18:16:49 GMT -5
CE: Hey, you're not alone. You're talking to m9.CE: *me. CE: Sirion... killed you? That's... CE: He always rubbed me a bit wrong, but I never thought he'd go that far. CE: What a dick. CE: Are you in a safe place right now?
The cogs were slowly turning in Kamulo's thinkpan, developing a plan. She wouldn't lie, this development did stress her a little. They were on a TEAM now, they didn't need to kill each other. Next time she ran into Sirion, he was getting an earful. At least Lagola was fine. What a surreal thing, having someone tell you about their death. A bit nostalgia for the times when that sort of thing was permanent. The deep bellow of a megaimp came from outside her entryboard, reminding her that despite its seeming impermanence, death was still very tangible.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 10, 2016 18:29:45 GMT -5
Lagola cautiously peaked out of the bush, briefly watching the Prospitian and Dersite soldiers locked in battle. She had to assume that they had seen her during her ascension, but at least no one was paying attention to her now. Turning back to her LapinTop, she shakily continued to type...
PO: :B I-I'm hiding as best I can right now... PO: :B Don't know what'll happen if... a soldier finds me... PO: :B And I don't wanna know! PO: :B I just wanna get outta here!!
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jessie
Ghetto Posta
The fervor, the fire, the feathers, this fever defies measure.
Posts: 126
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Post by jessie on Mar 10, 2016 19:17:14 GMT -5
CE: Okay.CE: I've got an idea.
Kamulo unfolded her legs and crossed her respiteblock, to put another few objects in front of her entryboard for good measure. She went back to her recuperacoon, standing by it, ready to climb in at any time.
CE: I'm a Prospit dreamer. I can see Skaia from my tower. If I go to sleep, I can get to you with my dreamself. CE: Then... we'll have to wing it. But two thinkpans are better than one. CE: Stay where you are, unless you're in danger. CE: I'll find you. Don't worry.
To be honest, Skaia was not as close to Prospit as she was assuring Lagola. It was reachable, but it could take her a while, not to mention the search for where on the surface Lagola could be. But she didn't want to make her panic anymore, so she just pretended as if it'd be a piece of cake. And she was still worried about the imps, but she would trust her Presidovesprite to keep her safe.
She clambered into her recuperacoon, felt the sopor seep in and relax her bones. She kept the Trollian log open, in case Lagola had anything else she wanted to say. Not that there was a likelihood that Kamulo would see it before... she drifted off, but...
Despite the stress and pressure, it wasn't long before Kamulo was opening her eyes to a golden world.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 10, 2016 19:42:37 GMT -5
PO: :B Okay...
Lagola set her computer aside and wrapped her arms around her legs, curling up in her hiding spot and rocking with wide-eyed fear.
So much was happening all at once... It was scary enough that she had been spontaneously transported to the middle of the warzone without everything else going on around her. Even if she didn't know how to use them yet, the realization that she now had time powers was mind-boggling, and the responsibility and burden that came with them was profoundly overwhelming. And that wouldn't have bothered her as much if not for... the means in which she received them.
Tears continued to slide down her cheeks, the image of Sirion's livid face still flashing before her eyes... the crushing pain of his club still aching her sense memory... the world around her a dull brown blur, as if the cascade of her own blood was still clouding her vision.
How did it come to this? What could've possibly compelled someone that Lagola once would've liked to consider a friend to do this?
What was going to happen to her now...?
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jessie
Ghetto Posta
The fervor, the fire, the feathers, this fever defies measure.
Posts: 126
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Post by jessie on Mar 11, 2016 19:50:38 GMT -5
Kamulo stared the the blue ceiling of her Prospitian respiteblock for a second, blearily blinking. She was always groggy after she fell asleep.
She stretched and floated up out of her recuperacoon, smoothing out the sopor after she was out. She looked around, idly scanning the neatly-kept room. She puttered to the window of the spire, and looked out on the beautiful golden moon and adjacent planet. The entire place was a metropolis, covered in buildings and towers, bustling with carapaced life. There were spires like hers nearby, in which slept other trolls playing this session. She knew this, because, maybe she had snuck a peek. Just a little. It wasn't weird.
She rested her arms on the sill, smiling as she looked. This place always made her so happy. And it was the best when the moon passed through Skaia's clouds, which were both pretty and informative. She could see Skaia from here right now, in fact, with its 10x prototyped Battlefield.
Skaia... The Battlefield...
9H SHIT x9 COMBO
Kamulo can't believe she forgot something so important! She flips the fuck out for a second, before zooming out her spire's window as fast as her dreamself flight ability allowed. She can't believe she wasted so much time on absolute nonsense. Why did she have to be some kind of like, legendary airhead, all the time?!
She zoomed through structures, denying little innocent Prospitian merchant's offers of free samples. Sorry, buddies, but she's got someone to save! She's left Lagola hanging long enough.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 11, 2016 20:22:40 GMT -5
Lagola sat in silence behind the bush, anxiously waiting, sadly pondering. She hoped Kamulo would get there soon. The sooner she got out of there, the better.
Still, she couldn't help but contemplate the events that had occurred up until this point. How exactly she had wound up in this mess. She really should've seen this coming. The mishaps that becoming a god tier would lead to, at least. She might have overlooked the immediate consequences of her ascension, but she had no way of anticipating her own death. The more she considered how easily she had been duped, the less amazing her new status seemed. There was no spectacle. This solved nothing. One of her only friends (and she used that term very lightly) had bludgeoned her to death just so she could revive and gain new powers. This didn't make her feel any more confident. If anything, Lagola was more terrified now than ever before.
She at least understood why Sirion did what he did. That didn't mean she could accept it. Regardless of intent... he still killed her. And he killed her so she would stop causing trouble.
He wasn't going to be happy when he found out that his efforts were for naught.
She still didn't want to play.
...........................
Lagola spared a quick peak at the sky. What was taking Kamulo so long?
Before she could retreat back into the bush, a cloud caught her attention.
So... these were the Skaian clouds. She had heard about how the clouds showed glimpses of the past and future, but she had no prior access to them being a Derse dreamer. Now that she could see them for herself, Lagola was fascinated. Mostly because the cloud right above her showed an image of her... on Prospit... standing before a strange, hornless being in yellow Prospitian pajamas.
"Wh...?"
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jessie
Ghetto Posta
The fervor, the fire, the feathers, this fever defies measure.
Posts: 126
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Post by jessie on Mar 11, 2016 21:45:44 GMT -5
Prospitian sleeptunic rippling in the high winds made from her flight, Kamulo made it to the Chain in record time. She plummeted down it, parallel descent adding to her velocity. This was going to take forever. She was getting impatient with her own speed, when Lagola could be killed by soldiers at any second. If she hadn't been already. Kamulo shook her head. No! No pessimism! Even if it was more like realism. Just get there. Freak out about it when you're there.
She was coming up on the end of the Chain, the rise of Prospit. She deftly swooped out of the dive to ride the curve of the golden planet, having to skirt dangerously around a couple obstacles, but she was well on her way. She did accidentally disturb a few carapaces, though at least she didn't knock into them. Skaia was nearing, right on the horizon. Kamulo kept flying straight, using the curvature of Prospit to slingshot her ever closer to her goal.
There was a stretch of time when she was neither nearer to Prospit or Skaia. It was... eerie. She didn't enjoy it. Something about the void, the dark of space, felt a bit off to her. Just get there. Land already.
Finally, she did reach her destination, ripping through a cloud or two as she came closer to the Battlefield. She slowed her descent and hovered a few feet above the ground, looking around. And now for Phase 2: Where on Skaia is Lagola Kippin? She wasn't around here, from what Kamulo could see, so she started flying, though much slower this time.
This could be ill-advised, but... "LAGOLA!"
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