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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 3, 2016 21:43:09 GMT -5
"Uuuuuugh..."
Sirion cracked his eyes open, squinting at the harsh light shining down on him. Regaining his composure was hard enough already without every fiber of his being feeling as horrid as it did. For a painstakingly long time, all he could do was lie there on the cold, hard metal surface and groan out his symphony of soul-crushing despair. His nugbone was pounding. The world was spinning. Wave after wave of nausea consumed him, not at all aided by the abysmal taste lingering in his mouth.
"AUGH...! PFFT... PTH... BLECK...!" As soon as he had the energy, Sirion shot up into a sitting position and violently spat, desperate to rid his mouth of the disgusting taste. By the time his palate had run dry, there was still a foul, sharp tang that refused to leave him be, at which point he begrudgingly accepted that it wasn't going to go away so easily. Biting back his gag reflex for the time being, Sirion looked around...
He was still in the Land of Water and Pendulums, the metal platforms and endless ocean just as apparent as ever. He remembered coming here, but that was about it. Everything that happened between then and now was a complete blank to him. What compelled him to return to this planet? How did he pass out? Why did he feel like complete and utter garbage?
"The f*** is goin' on here?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 3, 2016 22:00:38 GMT -5
"Sirion?"
That soft, cracking voice, quiet as it might have been, was easily recognizable. Lagola sat on the opposite side of the platform, curled up with her arms around her legs, face soaked with bronze tears. Mortified as she might have been for whatever reason, she was clearly unnerved by Sirion's presence. Unnerved, but not particularly surprised.
When Sirion turned to face the meek Rogue of Time, he saw that her yellow eyes had been reduced to a blank, hollow white.
After sniffling a little and wiping her face with her sleeve, Lagola stared at Sirion with a calm, albeit sad expression, her fear and concern no less evident despite her vacant gaze. "Y-You too...?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 3, 2016 22:31:40 GMT -5
Upon hearing that tiny squeak of a voice, all Sirion could do was sigh and face her. This was not who he wanted to wake up and find, but he knew he had it coming. This was her planet, after all. Her presence here was kind of a given.
He was taken aback slightly when he saw Lagola's blank, lifeless eyes, confusion evident in his face for a few seconds before the reality of the situation dawned on him.
"Oh... Dream bubble." Sirion scowled at the horizon and rubbed his head. He wasn't particularly fond of the dream bubbles. They were just way too confusing for him, having to navigate through bizarre amalgamations of multiple people's memories and encounter God knows how many alternate timeline ghosts. Vague and dubious as the horrorterrors were back on Derse, at least they didn't bombard him with informational overhaul that the bubbles did. It almost made him pine for the days before he reached god tier.
Nevertheless, waking up in a dream bubble explained why his memory was so hazy, but it still didn't answer any of the questions gnawing at his think pan.
Sirion raised an eyebrow at Lagola. "Me too? Hell does that mean? You tryin' to tell me you know why I passed out?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 3, 2016 22:40:17 GMT -5
"P-Passed out...?" Lagola went tense for a moment, nervously questioning how best to approach this. No news was good news for Sirion, and this was especially bad news for all those involved. Her biggest concern, however, was whether or not this was the same Sirion from her timeline. She wanted to believe it was, if only to make this whole scenario less awkward, regardless of the storm it would no doubt bring about.
Shakily, she crawled across the platform, closer to the indigo blood. "Sirion... D... Do you remember... anything that happened before you... passed out?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 3, 2016 22:49:41 GMT -5
"No," Sirion answered bluntly. He figured his previous question would highlight his ignorance. "I just remember droppin' in on your planet for... some reason. Everything after that, drawin' a blank."
He slowly stood up and readjusted his torso pillar, groaning from just how sore his body felt. Then he stared down at Lagola, looking frustrated yet tired. "What about you, runt? Since I'm here, might as well hear your story."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 3, 2016 23:11:06 GMT -5
"About... how I... died...?" The thought chilled Lagola to her core, but she managed to keep it together. This could've actually proven to be beneficial. "O-Okay... That... might actually jog your memory... i-if you're the same Sirion I was with when... it happened..."
She rooted herself next to Sirion, seated once again with her arms on her knees, her gaze shifting between the horizon and her companion.
"You... Um... W-Well, okay... I was just... going about my business on LOWAP when... when this monster in a trench coat and multi-colored scarf appeared. H-He attacked me and... a-a-and I did my best to fight back, I really tried..." Certainly Sirion couldn't fault her for that. "B-But... he overpowered me... and... and then I remember him... kissing me..." She curled inward and suppressed a retch. "I felt sick... dizzy... a-aside from the nausea, my whole body felt numb. I couldn't think straight... though I... do vaguely remember contacting you in the midst of my daze... as if I was... being forced to do it against my will. Th-The last thing I remember before waking up here is you showing up to fight the demon... j... just as he... k... k-killed me..."
Lagola stood up on shaking legs. At her mental command, her typical black shirt and white jacket were replaced with her god tier robes, noticeably ripped and stained brown across the chest.
"M-My efforts to... combat him... I-I suppose they were enough to earn me a heroic death..." Her empty eyes stared up at Sirion. "Do you... remember seeing anything like that?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 3, 2016 23:26:01 GMT -5
"Monster in a scarf, huh?" Sirion mulled this over with an obvious air of skepticism. It seemed out of place and a bit far-fetched, even for this mind rape of a game... but to his own bafflement, it actually conjured feelings of deja vu. The description of this demon, minimalist as it was, was sounding more and more like something he only vaguely recalled.
He blinked and tilted his head at Lagola. "You actually fought something? S***. I guess miracles can happen. Pfft..." He scoffed at his own choice of words. While the thought of the bronze blood growing a pair satisfied him, he wouldn't go so far as to call it a miracle. In fact, those dumb purple blooded Faygo clowns could shove their miracles in their spinal crevices for all he cared.
But getting back on track, as he contemplated Lagola's story, pieces of Sirion's own memory started to come together. "Huh... Now that ya mention it, I do remember you asking me to help you with something on your planet. Thought it was weird that you weren't typing with your usual stutter. But..." He scratched behind his horn, his scowl tightening with strain. "I just... I kinda remember seeing some jacka** in a scarf, but I don't remember where, when or what the f*** happened...!"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 3, 2016 23:41:45 GMT -5
"So you did see him..." Lagola turned away and switched back into her normal clothes. At the very least, Sirion had apparently encountered the same person. That was a start. Now all that was left to figure out was whether or not this meant they actually were from the same timeline. Evidence seemed to point to this being the case, but for all she knew, this demon could've existed in a multitude of timelines.
Whatever the case was, Lagola was at least certain of one thing. If this demon had been as ruthless to Sirion as he had been to Lagola, then...
"Do you... remember... fighting him? D-Do you remember seeing him... using god tier powers and fraymotifs? W-When we fought... i-it seemed like he had powers of a multitude of aspects." She rubbed her arms in an attempt to comfort herself. "In fact... looking back... his scarf looked like it was... made from god tier robes. I-I don't know how many, but it looked like he had most of them... M-Maybe..."
An idea crossed her mind, one not particularly pleasant to her own psyche but potentially helpful for Sirion. Delving deep into her memory, Lagola conjured up an image of the demon in question. He appeared hovering before the platform the duo stood upon, fuzzy and distorted as if he were in motion when the freeze frame was taken. He had a similar anatomy as the trolls, albeit with a distinct lack of horns and paler grey skin, adorned with a steampunk trench coat, black hooded cape, black goggles, a scarf with multiple blurred colors, and a key-shaped sword reeled back and ready to swing.
"F... Familiar at all...?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 4, 2016 10:44:56 GMT -5
Sirion blinked at Lagola's projection, sucking in a tiny gasp of air. "Holy s***, I... I have seen this guy!" He scowled at the image, his anger increasing as the memories started flowing.
"I saw him once before... briefly. But I barely remembered it at the time." His knuckles popped as he gripped his fists. "It was when I tiered... I was asleep and flying around Derse when... right the f*** outta nowhere, I kept switching between my waking body and my dream body, like my normal self was fighting to stay conscious. And when I was in my normal body... just briefly, just barely... I saw him!"
Everything was starting to come together... and it was quickly making him furious.
"Next thing I know, the old me is dead and I'm on the battlefield, full-power void god. I pretty much forgot about that guy until..." His eyes widened slightly. "Yeah... I did see him kill you! Then he went after me, we squabbled for a bit and...!"
And that's when reality finally hit. It hit hard enough to make him sink slightly where he stood. Confusion was replaced with shock. Anger was replaced with disappointment.
In an instant, Sirion's bright orange eyes turned stark white and his tank top was covered in indigo blood.
"F***. I'm dead, aren't I?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 4, 2016 10:53:24 GMT -5
"It would... seem that way..." Lagola sadly noted as her memory projection of the assailant disappeared. "I'm sorry, Sirion... He was... just too powerful."
She inched away from Sirion, letting her legs dangle off the side of the platform as she stared at the tranquil waters below. "That's... odd, though. I-I had never seen this guy until... that very moment. But... you apparently saw him right as you were dying on your quest cocoon?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 5, 2016 22:19:37 GMT -5
"Yeah, but..." Sirion tugged at his tank top, scowling at the blood that was still damp and dripping. "Augh, I can't believe I didn't put two and two together earlier! I mean I fell asleep in my respiteblock like a normal-a** person! I had no idea how I went from sleeping there to dying on my quest cocoon!"
He gripped his fists, his fingertips stained blue. "Whoever this douchebag is... he musta dragged me there and killed me himself!" Then he sighed and relaxed slightly. Only slightly. "Guess I can't blame myself for forgetting about 'im. I only saw quick flashes of him at the time, and right after, I was a bit distracted by the fact that I was dressed like a giant blue throb stalk. But... BUT...!"
The righteous fury returned. "NO! NO, *** DAMN IT! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I CAN JUST LIE DOWN AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THIS PRICK HELPED ME TIER... JUST SO HE COULD KILL ME!!! AUGH!!! WHEN I GET MY PRONGS ON THAT SONAVA B****, I'M GONNA...!!!"
Sirion trailed off, his expression turning blank with dismay. What was he going to do? What could he do? He was dead.
"S***."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 5, 2016 22:30:46 GMT -5
Lagola's head drooped. She knew too well that Sirion would be furious about this, and she could only guess how long he would dwell on it. She wasn't any happier about their situation, and she was terrified of what this new foe was capable of and what he was doing out there amongst the living.
"Yeah... there... isn't much we can do here..." she sighed. It wasn't what Sirion wanted to hear, but it was the truth. "Wh-Whoever it was that attacked us... I... I-I think he... wanted our god tier powers. M-Maybe that's why he k-kissed me before k..." She gagged slightly, the memory still as fresh as the wretched taste in her mouth.
"But it doesn't matter now... He's our living counterparts' problem now..." Lagola turned slightly to look up at Sirion. "I'm sorry. I really am."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 20, 2016 21:20:10 GMT -5
"Yeah..." Sirion promptly hocked a loogie and spat it out on the metallic ground. "Would explain why my mouth tastes like a**..."
He then sat down on the edge of the platform next to Lagola, leaning on his knees and glaring ahead. He was... kind of shocked that he wasn't angrier at the circumstances. Of course he was absolutely furious that paradox space had seen it fit to do away with him, but ordinarily he would by flying so far off the handle that he'd be orbiting Skaia if he was still physically capable of traveling there. And yet despite this being his ultimate fate, he felt nothing more than frustration. An eternity wandering dream bubbles didn't sound like paradise to Sirion, but what else was there to look forward to? What else was there to do with himself?
Sirion sighed and scowled at himself, mentally switching his bloodied tank top back into his normal clothes. "So we're just another set of copies doomed to failure, huh? What a crock uh s***."
He turned slightly to look at Lagola. His expression, though just as firm and intense as ever, held an uncharacteristic level of empathy. "Guess it's pretty damn obvious this guy's tough. Tough enough that the alpha versions of us are gonna have to pull their s*** together if they wanna take 'im down. But hey... seeing as how you're here, you gotta be telling the truth about trying to fight back. So... kudos, runt. I mean that."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 20, 2016 21:32:08 GMT -5
Lagola turned to fully face Sirion, blinking in confusion at his statement. A genuine compliment? From Sirion?? "Um... Y-Yeah... Thank you..."
She stared at the horizon again, the glittering waters of her planet starting to drain into the midnight-drenched forests of Sirion's. Despite all the turmoil she had just endured, Lagola was surprisingly calm. Yes, that ordeal was terrifying, and yes, the thought of that beast running rampant in the world of the living was equally so, but she had more or less accepted her fate. As the time player, she had long come to terms with the fact that amongst the infinite timelines spawned by infinite possibilities, redundancy and failure were inevitable. She and this iteration of Sirion were simply among the unfortunate ones. There was nothing else to it.
"So... I suppose we just move on... leave our other selves to their business. Right?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on May 20, 2016 21:45:31 GMT -5
"No."
Sirion pounded a fist against the metal platform, though his expression and tone were low. At that given moment, he seemed more upset with himself than anything else. He couldn't just give up. He couldn't let death keep him from what was important.
"There's gotta be something we can do to stick it to this douche, even if it's just going around and getting info from other ghosts! Yeah, it sucks a** that I can't get back at him for what he's done, but hell if I'm gonna just sit around like a useless sack uh s*** wasting away in the void!"
He quickly stood up again, the soles of his shoes glowing blue.
"I'm gonna figure out what this sonova b****'s deal is and how he's gonna get taken the f*** down!"
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