(shouting)

Grand Battle - Round Three: Channel Twenty-Nine

...or in other words: post-whoring
Mikkofier
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Mikkofier »

Rusto saw a human-like form stepping into the opening. It's Mato, trying to sneak up on me! he thought deliriously as he tore the page from his notebook and hurled it. The piece of paper rapidly turn into a ball of flame before it hit its target. You'll never harm another life again, you... wait, that scream... doesn't sound right... is that... fur?
As the burning, screeching baboon scambered away, Rusto started gathering his wits. What came over me? That could have been Twre or Dot! I shouldn't be throwing magical attacks like that wantonly...

Loraihosh... Acanani... Li'itho...
Hearing the screeches disappear somewhere in the distance, Rusto stepped outside the chamber. He saw the field of glowing mushrooms and the hill he had fallen down from. Resting on the foot of the hill he saw a knife, with a little bit of blood on it's blade. Looking around to make sure there weren't any rabbit creatures lurking around, he approached the knife.
That must be what stung me as I came down, he thought as he picked it up. Methuselah did say there would be cursed objects in this place. I'm pretty sure this thing won't be doing me any further harm, so it should be safe for me to take it. He slid the knife into his empty sleeve sheath. It fit well enough. Convenient...
Noticing a passageway leading further into the cave, he went on...

Loraihosh... Acanani... Li'itho...
Shortly he came across what looked almost like a nest, if not for the animalistic carving here and there. It looked to be very recently abandoned. Rusto saw a passageway leading into a larger room. From the outside he saw a pile of baboons. Are they... weeping? And what is that on their eyes?
As Rusto cautiously entered through the passageway, he could see that the red liquid on the primates eyes looked to be hot sauce. He also noticed some blue markings drawn on their bodies. It was then that he, for the first time in this maze, saw some familiar faces: Twre, Tobasco and Chibos! And they were talking to...
Loraihosh... Acanani... Li'itho...
A burning anger, which surprised even himself, swelled inside Rusto as he saw the figure his companions seemed to be conversing with. Mato! he thought as he pulled his rapier from its sheath, he thinks they can disguise themself from me? I'll show him! He charged at the robed figure in blind fury. So blind, that he didn't take much notice when Twre turned to him and quickly threw Rusto into the ground.
Loraihosh... Acanani... Li'itho...
"What the- Rusto?" Twre said to him, "What happened to you?"
Rusto gathered his senses. The figure they were talking to looked nothing like the figure he had seen moments before they were plucked away from the Cardboard City. What was that? I lost control again... Must be some influence of this place...
"I don't... Something came over me..." he stammered out, then indicated at the robed figure and asked "Who's that?"
Ho ho! It wasn't another player, it was just another baboon!
Many people need desperately to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.
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O'Largill
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by O'Largill »

hey!!! just a quick update: ive been super quiet but i am still here and i am still super invested in this game. i have my next post half written out and im hoping to finish it tomorrow if i can, and then hopefully after that ill be able to post with more regularity.

im going to try and see if i cant manage to meet up with fishy, i reckon - the "avoid all players, build scary monsters" strategy may work fine in populated areas, but if mato's gonna get anywhere with their plan to KILL GOD in these circumstances, theyre gonna have to try and force some kind of cooperation.

...which, not gonna lie, could be a bit of a challenge, considering most folks seem to have decided on murder as the appropriate course of action to take when running into them.

...whoops!

sorry for the delay, ill post again soon!
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i transformed into a half silkworm, half human anime girl, and caught you off guard. l-looks like... looks like you've been... tricked!!!
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Sorel
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Sorel »

oooh man I have so many great ideas but I can't use them since I got eliminated... well I suppose that is what I get from all the terrible mistakes I made.

Anyway, glad to see a "fight" already happened, quite early to be honest, but good.

I suppose that is all I have to say. For now that is.

"Good luck, fighters."
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sedron
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by sedron »

"I wash jusht tellin' 'em who I am," the djinn muttered to Rusto, swaying slightly as he spoke. "I'm Zunushuyum, Genie Exshtraodinaire! *Hic!* And I believe thish man here shummoned me, so let'sh get down to bu-*Hic!*... bushinesh..."

Tobasco looked at its companions. Twre was visibly off-put by the demeanor of his new ally. The orc fidgeted with his briefcase nervously. Chibos was, thankfully, once again conscious, sitting on his banana boat as he examined the genie. Rusto was also intently eying Zunushuyum, though a cursory glance at the rebellion leader proved quite alarming to Tobasco. His skin seemed to have rotted away in many places, particularly his exposed hands. The Rusto Tobasco remembered was very definitely not a walking corpse. Why hadn't anybody else noticed this?

"He'sh been curshed by the blade he carriesh, little bottle." Tobasco immediately turned to the djinn in shock. "Shorry, I shaw the way you were looking at him and jusht wanted to clear that up. *Hic!* Don't worry about him right now, I'm *Hic!* more important..."

Rusto examined the knife again, and looked back at the genie. "I take it you know a few things about this place, then," Rusto inquired.

Zunushuyum's bloodshot eyes pointed at the masked man.
"Of courshe, but I'm not -*Hic!*... not really a big fan of exposhition... I'd rather *Hic!* not get into it unlesh Twre here really wantsh to hear it." The genie reached into his robe and procured a flask, taking a swig of the liquid inside. Twre's pupils dilated and locked onto the drink.

"Twre, do you want to-"

"Sure, whatever." Twre was beginning to sweat at the sight of the flask.

"I don't get the feeling you're inveshted in thish convershation, sho let'sh make thish quick." The genie took another swig from the flask before continuing. "The main thing you should know ish that the labyrinth ish, for all intentsh and purpo-*Hic!*... pusposhesh, alive. It conshtantly movesh and changesh as people wander it'sh hallsh... I think it might be inshecure or shomething. Maybe it should take up drinking... Anyway, the labyrinth extendsh for milesh in every direction, sho I doubt you can eshcape without shome short of -*Hic!*... teleportation shpell."

Chibos, Rusto and Tobasco all silently pondered over the genies words for just a moment before he began speaking again. "All right, enough of that, Twre, let'sh get to wishesh! What can I do for you?" Twre was still eying the flask and trembling slightly. "Why sho nervoush?... Maybe if we were alone you could ashk me what you want?" He turned to the others. "Why don't you three go looking for Mato?"

"How did you-"

"Don't *Hic!* worry about it, just go down that hall a while and you'll probably reach them. I'd hurry, before they find Dot."

Tobasco didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a moment before bolting down the hallway Zunushuyum pointed at. Rusto and Chibos followed shortly after.

The djinn smiled.
"There, *Hic!* we're all alone now. Why don't you tell me what you really want, Twre?"

[spoiler]Fun fact: According to a friend of mine, "Zuh nuhshuh yum," is Pashto for "I am drunk." Hence the name.[/spoiler]
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Joseph Staleknight
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Joseph Staleknight »

Twre thought about his predicament. He had heard tales of otherworldly beings that were capable of granting wishes to those who found them with the right intentions. Somehow, he felt that such a thing would have helped him with a personal dilemma of his own. Yet, of all the entities that he could have summoned to achieve a solution to the problem, he had to get one that was far more underwhelming than expected. He wasn't sure how good the genie was at his job given his drunken demeanor and unattractive appearance. Even now, the drink in Zunushuyum's hand worried him. What if he was expected to drink with him? He became increasingly uncomfortable with how the situation was panning out.

Still, he felt he needed to see for himself how powerful Zunushuyum really was. So, he cautiously ventured a harmless wish of his own, one that hopefully did not involve any of the drink. "Okay, um, I think I have a wish. I'd like to see...a fine-bred Orobean pony doing a handstand."


"Ahhh, shomeshin'--hic!--shimple. Well then!" With that, Zunushuyum placed his flask back in his robes before making sweeping gestures and chanting words of a magical nature. "Doguz! Shelegeara! Mazuzh--hic!--Galspun' Qevel Orobiin!"

Once again, a giant puff of smoke and light materialized within the room they were standing. Twre held his breath and close his eyes to avert the potential suffocation and blindness he faced last time. Once it was safe to do so, he slowly opened his eyes. Standing right in the middle of the room, its hind hooves reaching the cracked ceiling, was a giant horse-like being. Its forelegs flanked the pedestal which once housed Zunushuyum's titanium band, dwarfing it in comparison. As Twre grimaced at the sight before him, he found to his dismay that the genie had somehow failed to properly grant the wish; not only was it too big for a pony, but its fur was pitch black and soaking wet--nothing at all like the Orobean ponies he knew of! And...he swore he saw some loose arteries and veins poking out of its back.

"What the...? This isn't...this isn't an Orobean pony!" Twre began ranting at Zunushuyum. "Dear Hallysreis, this isn't a pony at all. It's a chassis for a giant diretank! I don't believe this. You call yourself a Genie Extraordinaire? Then how could you mess up a simple wish like this? I...ugh..."

Twre inadvertently felt a little lightheaded. It was the same sensation he usually felt when he had started to drink a little too much, yet he was sure he had not allowed any alcohol into his system ever since he entered the game, especially not during that incident at the Cardboard City. He held a weary hand to himself as he struggled to understand how he managed to feel that way.

Suddenly, Twre heard some amused laughter. His eyes returning to Zunushuyum, he found that the genie had become even more flushed in his cheeks as he guffawed at the orc's predicament.
"Oh, pardon me, dear Twre! I--hic!-I forgot to menshion that every wish comes with a prishe! And in thish cashe, hic, my prishe is puttin' a little of my shpecial alcohol into your bloodshtream!"

Twre's eyes popped wide open. "...WHAT?!"

The genie began laughing even harder.
"Come on now! It'sh shome really high-quality alcohol! I shim--hic!--shimply cannot help but share it with my shummoners!" The genie jocularly elbowed Twre in the back as the latter began to feel under the weather. "Now shen, why don' we go catch up with she oshers? I'm shure they've found Mato by now! And beshides, she labyrinth might--hic!--shange itsh layout shoon, sho who knows how far shey'll be from ush afterwards!"

And so, with Zunushuyum's guidance, Twre began staggering towards the hall towards which the former had previosuly directed the other combatants, trying his hardest to weave carefully through the crowd of saddened baboons. He didn't know what the genie's deal was, and he started to regret putting on the band even out of simple curiosity.

[spoiler]Oh man, I finally managed to write something! I actually originally planned to write this post after Mikkofier's entry but wasn't sure about doing so since he had Chibos awake and talking with the genie, despite his being knocked unconscious by the baboons. Ah well, there's always planning ahead for next time.

Also, I had intended for the genie to be called Amstelius the Magnificent after a certain brand of light beer, but sedron's name also works. Not sure about the veracity of his namesake, but details.[/spoiler]
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O'Largill
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by O'Largill »

Mato didn't hear any footsteps. They had long since tuned out the sound of their own walking, and the monsters that made the other footstep sounds hadn't gotten to them yet. But they would, in time.

What Mato did hear were faint splashing sounds. Mato assumed that a section of the labyrinth must be flooded. And when you're stuck in a series of tight, pitch-dark corridors with nothing to comfort you but your own increasingly upsetting bodily odors... heck, why not head towards the underground lake?

Everything had gone awry. Mato was wrecked over it. It was the bloody banana boat fella, Cuban or something, he was the one that had done it. If not for him, that "Nostril the Sentence" guy wouldn't have been able to fight, Mato could've explained their plan, their Worm would still be... Oh, gods above, their Worm.

Mato wasn't a monster. They weren't heartless. Sure, they got carried away. Perhaps a bit too carried away, one might even say. Sure, their job hinged on tearing lives apart, disrupting all semblance of order, starting bloody civil wars that lasted for years... but it was all for the greater good, wasn't it? The people Mato preached to were the ones who society held at the lowest, and Mato helped raise them up. Gave them a purpose. Taught them the power they truly had. And really, Mato thought, I've never lied to anyone about what worshiping their gods would bring them. They really would inherit the wealth of the Earth and stars, see their loved ones grow old, find true justice and the purest bliss... if they. You know. Survived the onslaught of their own government's forces that were dispatched to kill them.

Some of them did, if it was any consolation.

Mato was a bad person. But they weren't a monster.

Mato had snowballed the worm up from just a seed-thought. Mato had twisted their own mind around the cracks dividing those thoughts and stitched them together, through sheer force of will and concentration. Weaving them first into a something like a basket, then a faith engine, and then a real, living thing. Mato remembered how delighted the Worm had felt, every time it found a new pocket of worshipers. How excited it was to provide for them in the future.

When Mato had taught it to speak in human language, it's first full sentence was "I love you."

It was a sweet, innocent, caring creature.

And Mato's own recklessness, their own flawed planning, had gotten it killed.

It would have loved these tunnels, Mato mused, running their hand along the labyrinth wall. A crack in a brick that could be twisted and split into a hollow, a cavern it could add to the maze. Patches of starlight shining from the surface through crevices and crystalline layers that the Worm could face when it was ready, and dark, damp soil to burrow into when it couldn't handle light any more. And...

Shit, Mato thought, feeling water seep into their shoes as they waited for their ear-tubes to stop reeling from the sudden drop in the dark. Yeah. That's what I was about to say. Plenty of reservoirs to drink from. Great. You got me, universe. Right on time.

Mato stooped down to take off their shoes, letting their hand brush behind them to feel for the drop off they just fell from. Well, not so much fell, per se - it was only about a foot and a half drop. It was something more like a trip than a fall, or perhaps, if one may, a gallumph. Like missing the bottom stair. Mato worked their index finger into the heel of their shoe - if they were going to tread through a flooded gods-forsaken labyrinth in the dark, they weren't going to risk trench foot as well.

"Nrgg," Mato grunted. One shoe off, one to go - the right one always stuck a little too much. Their fingers were starting to hurt from trying to pull it off. "Almost got it... shit!" In their frustration, Mato tugged just a little too hard - the shoe jerked violently off of their foot, hitting the brick of the labyrinth behind them and hitting the water with a loud, wet splash.

Mato had hardly gotten the curse out before they heard something else cry out in response, as well. The water shook and rippled with its moan, a baritone banshee filling the caverns with a roar like the sound of an oak tree screaming in pain over a thousand years.

Mato dropped their other shoe.


---

It had been something an hour, and Mato was shivering on a ledge above a few inches of water, barefoot, grasping a pack of matches and absolutely terrified out of their wits.

Ecom Sala wasn't a particularly maritime country. In Matom province, in fact, not a scrap of it touched the ocean. However, when Mato was just a child, they did in fact get the rare privilege to get their sea-legs, while visiting their Ne'bene* in the southern port town of R'wan-Slector. Their Ne'bene was a whaler - given how dangerous whaling in Ecom Sala was, and Mato's inexperience with the ocean, this should never have crossed their family's mind as a good idea for a fun outing. Especially considering that, pound for pound, Ecomsei whales weigh in far, far greater than the fleets of five to ten metal ships that are needed to hunt them.

Mato had never, ever gotten over that day. The blood in the water. The whales gaping maw and its teeth, each the size of a car. A whaler bitten in half, a person that suddenly stopped at the waist. A ship rendered into a crumpled scrap of iron. But... the worst part, was that at the end of it, Mato couldn't even tell which gore belonged to the catch. Out of all the viscera on the hull and deck of the ship, young Mato couldn't tell which was human and which was whale flesh. It was all the same.

It was all just meat. So, so much meat.

Mato's fist around the box of matches tightened, shaking like a washing machine with a brick in. Their teeth were bared, their breaths coming in short, sharp hisses. There was something out there. Something in the water. They could feel it. There was something out there, and it was big.

Mato's superego was furious. No, you idiot! it screamed. Fuck off, we don't have fucking time for this! There is nothing there, fuck off fuck off, you are going to light one of those fucking matches and there will be nothing there and you will feel so fucking stupid oh my god I hate you.

Mato's fist around the matchbox squirmed. The priest really wasn't used to having to deal with self criticism - the typical atmosphere inside Mato's head resembled something more like a fireworks display accompanied by the Imperial March. The small, terrified mouse of Mato's id (And their about cat-sized, anxious ego) was eager to get back to that head-space. Mato was not a fan of being powerless in a dangerous situation - or in any situation, come to think of it. Handling the box of matches like a pipe bomb liable to explode, they slid the matchbox open.

Mato's superego seized the opportunity and snatched a match out of the box faster than a dragonfly nymph catching a fish. If you could see it, it was one fluid motion - slide the matchbox open, the left hand opens while it's arm levers upward, feet push against the floor and their legs extend, eyes widen, left arm angles sharp towards the matchbox. Feet take root in the grime of the maze floor, digging in, fingers grasp at a match and miss, then shoot for the one under it and catch it. Shoulders tense, arm straightening like a soldier snapping into a salute, dragging the match along the side of the box and letting the flame catch.

The match burned bright in front of Mato. The parts of Mato's consciousness sunk back together, indistinguishable from one another again. Mato's pupils adjusted - contracted, widened, contracted again. Eyes like rust stared ahead, spears daring any figure in the dark to make itself known.

Mato was back in control again. There was nothing in the darkness, nothing in the water waiting to open it's hellish maw and swallow them whole. The flooded hallway just opened on to a dark, murky underground lake, too small to house even the tiniest of whales. There was nothing. Mato chastised themself.

Nothing.

Except...

Except a glint of yellow-gold - a small creature, beneath the dark, cloudy water of the flooded hallway below them. And a strange stirring, like a thread of Mato's own brain and thoughts and mind, curled and floating beside it.

"Fishy...?" Mato squinted further into the dying light of the match. Their eyes snapped open again. "Worm?!" Another sharp intake of breath, and finally, one more relieved cry of: "Fishy!"


---

Fishy was at first happy to be free of the filth of the silted water of the underground lake - but right now, he was debating whether or not it was worth it. "I'm very sorry," the Once-Great Worm said to him. "I promise it won't be much longer. The Priest... gets like this sometimes. They're very excitable."

Mato let out another shout of happiness, clutching the cup they put Fishy in to their chest again. "Aaah! My gods, Fishy! This is truly an auspicious day for both of us!"


"Please put me down," Fishy said, being as authoritative as he could manage. Mato shaking his cup wasn't doing much for his headache. Fishy had thought his luck had changed, when he saw Mato bring out cups and bowls and other things from their robe to house the tired fish. Now he wasn't so sure. The priest still didn't let go, blathering on and on.

"Praise the Auriferous One! The Fish of Dawn! Praise be to the Bringer of Salvation, the most Gracious and Glorious Golden Fish!"


"I'm so sorry. This is so embarrassing," the Worm apologized again. It had crawled up Mato's sleeve after Mato had discovered the pair in the water, but it's voice didn't seem to be limited in the way human or animal voices were. Fishy could still hear it just fine, even though by all rights it should have been muffled out by the layers of cloth that were covering it. "The Priest, it's just. They never were much good at listening to others," the Worm admitted. "Not as in... not in a cruel way. They don't mean any harm, honest! They just. I think the concept of a fish talking back to them isn't. Copacetic with their worldview. So, I think they might just be... tuning you out." Mato set the cup down again.

Fishy grumbled, as much as he could. The Worm was using those weird words again.
"What's that mean," he asked, "Coma-seated?"

"Like," the Worm paused. "It doesn't click?" It hoped that was simple enough for the goldfish to understand. If they were going to be traveling together, it would probably be for the best to try and establish some kind of reliable communication between them - even if Fishy wasn't its only believer anymore.

"There, done! That should be enough!" Mato exclaimed. For the past few minutes, they'd been working up and down some kind of pump they'd produced from their robe - that is, when they weren't hugging Fishy's cup. Fishy had seen something similar from the windows of the Shop-Mart, but people were using it on bicycles. The Worm had explained to him that it was sort of a manual, pump-action filter - Mato had been making clean water. "Okay, this might be uncomfortable for a second, so brace yourself." Before Fishy had a chance to consider what Mato could mean, a big, brown hand thrust itself into his cup and lifted him out into the air. The dryness alone was almost intolerable for the fish, but in just a second more, Fishy was back in the water again - this time in clean water, in a large metal pot. The feeling of the dirt and grime peeling off of Fishy's body was a much-needed comfort.

"There!" Mato said. "I bet that feels better, huh?" Mato gently stirred the surface of the pot's water with their finger. "I... I owe you a great debt, little fish." Fishy was nipping at Mato's finger, and wondering with increasing frustration why he couldn't eat this worm.

"Tell you what," Mato said, pulling their hand away and looking conspiratorially at the fish. "When all this is over, and that Mendeleev woman who brought us all here is dealt with. I have a town I'm supposed to be traveling to. A town in need of a god." Mato paused, mainly for effect. "How would you like to be that god?"

Fishy stopped circling in his pot, and looked up at the Priest.

"A big, spacious pond, a town of thousands of worshipers taking care of you. A lifespan of centuries, scales that shimmer like gold, a size and form to rival even the most glorious fish in the sea..." Mato said, "And all the food you could ever need. Shrimp and vegetables and worms and whatever else you want, as much as you could ever want." Mato brought their face closer, just a little. "Sound good?"

Fishy couldn't stop staring. It took a second or two for him to fully come to terms with what Mato was saying - him? A god? With all the power and life and food that would entail? Could... Mato really do that? Fishy's mind was clearer now, and he remembered the devastation of Cardboard City clearly. Could Mato really be trusted with this?

As if in response to Fishy's thoughts, Mato spoke again. "Ah, but what am I doing? I'm probably just making you hungry, right?" Mato rooted around in the folds of their cloak for a moment or two. "No... I think it's right... here we go!" The priest produced a small container, plastic, or something similar, filled with something small, squirming. If everyone had a robe as spacious as Mato's, problems would be solved before anyone even noticed they were there. "They're only tiny bloodworms," admitted Mato, "but it's something, I guess. Want some?"

Fishy rose to the surface, making small bubbles to show his enthusiasm. Mato softly chuckled. A few small worms at a time, the priest began dropping Fishy's meal into the pot. "Fishy, I think this could be a very good thing for us both. I'll start making the proper arrangements, okay?"

Everyone's trust has a price, and Mato had found Fishy's.

"Oh my," said the Worm. "I guess this means... we're going to be something like brothers, then. Gods from the same priest. How about that!" The Worm sounded so earnest and enthusiastic, Fishy couldn't help but feel... comforted, in some strange way. "I look forward to working with you in the future, Fishy!"

The goldfish ate heartily and happily, for the first time in a long while.
oooooh boy this one took me way way way too long i am so so sorry for holding everything up >< im not the most pleased with this post but i think i've managed to iron it out into something resembling a coherent narrative?? shit im so sorry
please accept this lil doodle i made of mato as a concession
maniacal androgynous priest with deicidal aspirations dot png
maniacal androgynous priest with deicidal aspirations dot png
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i transformed into a half silkworm, half human anime girl, and caught you off guard. l-looks like... looks like you've been... tricked!!!
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Dragon Fogel
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Dragon Fogel »

I realize I don't talk directly to the players here very often, so I just wanted to note that I'm enjoying the way this round is shaping up, and I'm glad to see that everyone's managed a post in this round now. Keep up the good work, everyone! Of course, it would be nice to see more posts, but honestly this has come pretty far considering the battle only started about a month ago.

Also, it's always neat to see pictures of battlers. I didn't really have a good mental picture of Mato until now, that's a pretty neat doodle.
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Sorel
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Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Sorel »

Ah, that reminds me. I wanted to ask how long a regular "match" lasts? So far it is one month and round 2.
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Dragon Fogel
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Dragon Fogel »

So far, the shortest time for an entire battle to finish has been a year, and the pace of posts has slowed down quite a bit since then. They don't tend to be quick, especially as the average post length creeps up as people get used to them.

The pace has honestly been pretty good by comparison over here.
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Sorel
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Sorel »

Dragon Fogel wrote:
So far, the shortest time for an entire battle to finish has been a year, and the pace of posts has slowed down quite a bit since then. They don't tend to be quick, especially as the average post length creeps up as people get used to them.

The pace has honestly been pretty good by comparison over here.
That sounds quite long ot be honest.

But the feeling is different when you are one of the writers yourself.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by pholtos »

An old man approached him, carrying the markers and boat he used. "Here, you'll need these someday." "Thanks, but... why? What reason could I need objects such as these now that I'm-" The old man raised his hand to silence him. "Trust me, when the time comes, you'll need these... Now to deal with your me-..."

Chibos was awoken suddenly by a soft nudge by the bottle, Tobasco. Wha... what are these visions? At least this time I know it was me, but who was that? How do I know him? Chibos was confused, he had never had these dreams before, and now they were appearing before him, and each time his body reacted strangely to them... each time, a cold sweat overtook his small form. Remembering what had happened prior to his losing consciousness, Chibos jumped up and looked around wildly.

To his relief, the baboons were well pacified. Chibos frowned. Odd... only a couple of swipes should have been enough to pacify the vast majority of the baboons... perhaps it's a proficiency thing... I definitely have more experience using the markers... His eyes were then drawn to the odd swaying blue man whom he had never seen before. Before much happened however, Rusto had suddenly appeared, charging into the room looking as though he was going to attack. After a brief struggle between Twre and Rusto, Rusto calmed down quite a bit. Chibos was shocked at how different Rusto looked since they had been together in the Cardboard City.... he looked... somewhat like a living skeleton... it was somewhat hard to put into words.

During the conversation he got a gist of what had happened... Twre had, after the battle, put on the silver covered band and caused a rather odd genie to appear. The genie introduced himself as a rather odd name Chibos had trouble remembering, it wasn't much concern to Chibos, he was still somewhat distracted by the dream he had had. After conversing for a while the Genie stated a rather disturbing fact, that Mato was close to Dot, and could meet her at anytime. Of all the people to meet... The most violent one and one of the more defenseless ones. Tobasco was quick to run down the hall, out of the room. Rusto followed along quickly, and after one last look, Chibos followed along. Chibos noticed that Twre still had his blue marker, but he didn't mind, he considered Twre to be one of the ones who seemed from his observations to need as much help as he could in a place like this.

There was soon a steady sound as both the bottle bounces and Rusto's footsteps created a constant rhythm to echo along the walls. Seconds turned to minutes as they continued to run down the hall, proceeding in the direction the genie had indicated. At last a light could be seen, possibly indicating an exit. All of a sudden, Rusto lost his balance and fell. At first, Chibos thought he fell simply because he was tired... they had run quite a bit at this point. Upon closer inspection, a wire could be seen, exactly where Rusto had fallen... a great rumbling could be heard, and at the same time, a door suddenly dropped behind Chibos. Wide-eyed, Chibos could simply yell "RUN!" and the three of them bolted down the hallway, a doorway beginning to close ahead of them. It's... it's closing too fast!

Chibos threw his markers, hoping one of them could possibly stop the door. Fortunately, his red marker managed to wedge itself awkwardly in place to allow a small 8-inch gap, which was just enough height for them. "GO!" Tobasco had managed to get through the gap without much issue, but Rusto was having a bit of trouble, the gap was barely wide enough for him. Thinking quickly, Chibos went around Rusto and pushed him with great force, and managed to get him fully through the gap. It was at this point, however, that his hastily thrown marker gave way to the door and he was trapped.

"This... isn't good."
Chibos! No! Chibos could hear Rusto pounding on the door. "Go, I'll be fine, keeping the young girl safe is more important." After a small pause, Chibos could hear Tobasco and Rusto running away, to a location unbeknownst to him. "Now then... how can I get out of here..." It was at this point that he could once again hear a rumbling... looking around wildly he noticed with horror that... the ceiling was falling down. "Is this... is this the end for me? ...No... I won't let it end like this, not when I feel as though I am slowly uncovering something about my own self. I must know... who am I? What happened to me?"

If there was one thing he was confident about, it was that his boat could take any abuse, no matter what it was. Fortunately he still had it with him, it had not been separated by the trap that had been sprung. So he ran to his boat and put it completely vertical, all 5 inches of it. Chibos braced himself for the worst, and soon the ceiling had reached him. The boat held strong, and equilibrium had been reached... til suddenly cracks could be heard.... More cracks... and then another... Chibos was beginning to fear something was about to break, and he was unsure what... and then it happened... the floor broke beneath him.

Falling ever downwards, Chibos had to quickly gain control of his boat so as to land safely once he was close to the ground. After wrestling his boat a bit to be facing the correct direction, Chibos soon landed. Closeby, a rock had landed as well, and so Chibos quickly moved out of the way of the falling debris caused by his own actions, then took a look at his new surroundings. Chibos coughed, it seemed as though there wasn't much fresh air in this place. How many years had this room remained still, untouched by any other? A small gleam caught his eye. Moving towards it, Chibos noticed what lay before him. A... sewing needle? No... that's not right, the eye is slightly larger than normal, the edges somewhat jagged. Chibos recalled what was said about this place... there were items hidden about, but they come at a price... would it be wise to touch such a thing?

His curiosity getting the better of him, Chibos grabbed the hilt of the needle, and pulled it out. The needle was about 3-4 inches in length, with a silver tone to it.
Hmm....? "Who... who said that?" Looking around, he couldn't find the source of the voice, he was alone. Yo.... Ochibi.
YEESH... That was a write. I wanted to get in the item into this update, hope it's not too long. Whew. (Also hope I didn't make any grammatical errors.)
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Mikkofier »

"Chibos! No!" Rusto yelled as he looked for a way to open the heavy door. Such a simple trap, I should have been able to see it!
Chibos' voice came from the other side.
"Go, I'll be fine, keeping the young girl safe is more important." Rusto hesitated for a moment and looked at Tobasco, then turned to run. As he came to the end of the corridor, he heard a loud rumbling looked back at the closed door. You wouldn't be in there if I had been more careful, he thought. Be safe, friend. He followed Tobasco out of the corridor.

Rusto examined his new knife, having made sure the passageway they had arrived in to be free of obvious traps. That curse really did a number on me. But it could've been worse if I hadn't performed that ritual as soon as I could. Though I fear I may have allowed something... other to enter my mind, he thought as he remembered the surge of fury he felt when he mistook the genie for Mato. There's always a risk when performing such rituals. I'll need to control myself better from now on.
Rusto slid his knife back into its hiding place and noticed that Tobasco had come to a stop, having seen something around the corner. "What is it?" Rusto went to see for himself and saw a pool of water in the middle of a large room. And at the shore of that pool, on their side of the room was...

"You!" Rusto growled as he saw Mato sitting on the water's edge, holding a pot of water... Wait, is that Fishy? Is he... feeding him? He felt a surge of fury again, but worked to keep it in check. Can't lose control at a time like this...
"Fancy meeting you here!" he said with mock friendliness "I seem to have misplaced one of my throwing knives, wonder if you might have seen it somewhere" He lowered his hand on the hilt of his rapier, but was taken aback when Fishy, unexpectedly, shouted
"Stop! They're not an evil guy!"
Still holding in the fury, Rusto looked at Mato, now standing. "Is that so?"
"Fishy is right. You see, I don't really have any interest in 'winning' this game. We may actually have a common goal..."
Then I ran out of ideas for today.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by sedron »

Were they really going to try and talk this out? It's true that Tobasco wasn't the most talkative bottle of hot sauce, but never before had it wanted to end a conversation more than this very moment. Was Mato, the person responsible for who knows how many senseless deaths, expecting to avoid a fight? Hell, was Rusto going to listen? Fishy seemed to genuinely believe it was the right course of action, but the goldfish didn't strike Tobasco as the most logical of combatants. It had been waiting for this moment since Cardboard City. A chance to destroy this monster and get one step closer to the end of Methuselah's game.

Tobasco lunged forward, landing the sauce bottle equivalent of a sucker punch directly to Mato's gut, and followed up with a quick jump into their jaw. Mato grabbed their mace and swung blindly into the air, but missed the bottle entirely as it retreated a few feet back towards Rusto.


"You couldn't just listen for a moment, Tomato?! Fuck, that hurt! I'm trying to cooperate with you!" Whether or not Mato was sincere or trying to save their own hide was none of Tobasco's concern, as it approached for another attack before the warrior-priest could even wipe the blood from their mouth. This time, Mato wasn't caught off-guard and had braced themselves for the surprisingly powerful impact of the sauce.

Meanwhile, the feeling of unbridled aggression Rusto felt inside himself reached a breaking point, and he couldn't resist his bloodlust any longer. Tightly gripping not his rapier, but for some reason the cursed knife, he ran into the fray.

Just trying to move things along a bit. It's a bit short, but it's accomplishing what I'm intending it to do.

Also since O'Largill put up a picture of Mato, here's one of Tobasco. Y'know, since a visual reference for this character was crucial.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Joseph Staleknight »

Footsteps echoed across the dark hall as their owner the orc trudged through, trying to find the others. It wasn't easy when he was worried about becoming overwhelmed with the curse that the band had placed upon him. Sure, he did have a genie to help him out when needed, but judging by his performance where he first found him, he could not be sure if he wanted his help as much as before. Not helping matters was that whenever there was something of interest--such as, say, a suspicious door that refused to open even with the orc's full strength--the genie would try to pique his curiosity and get him to wish for his power. Each time, he simply refused. After all, won't sidetrips defeat the purpose of catching up with the others?

Eventually, Twre grew tired. He was quite sure that the alcohol had left his bloodstream and began to detoxify in his liver, so he had a feeling that he would need to take a bathroom break of sorts soon. He stopped near a hole that was deep enough to be practically bottomless yet too small to act as a menacing trap for the unwary. Catching his breath, he could feel his bladder begin to fill with fluids and the remnants of the alcohol Zunushuyum "shared" with him. Crap, he thought, I haven't realized how long it's been since I used the bathroom. I really hope this is just a simple hole and not some sort of trap...

Just then, Zunushuyum caught sight of him squatting down and unzipping his pants.
"Shay, Twre, wouldn' you like to--hic!--have an acshual toilet inshtead of--?"

Twre froze. He turned his head cautiously toward the genie. "Um, no thanks. It's not like there are other people watching." Just to be sure of that himself, he surveyed the area around him. Sure enough, there weren't any suspicious eyes around, nor could he see any of the other combatants. As long as that held true, he wouldn't feel any more embarrassed at the moment.

"Well shen, shuit yourshelf." And so Zunushuyum covered his eyes and turned his back on the orc to give him some privacy. With that, Twre began to relieve himself.

Suddenly, in the midst of his break, the duo heard the sounds of some sort of scuffle in the distance. Fearing that someone could suddenly appear and catch him in a compromising situation, Twre zipped his pants back up and hastily stood, making sure he hadn't still exposed himself. The last thing he wanted was to die in such an embarrassing situation. With that, he and Zunushuyum ventured onward in the dark hall to see what sort of brawl was happening in the distance.

The minute they headed to the source of the fight, however, Twre caught sight of Tobasco as it flew past him, propelled by an unseen force. At the spur of the moment, he stopped time for a small instant and went up to the bottle to catch it in his hand. As time resumed, the bottle began to squirm in its hands, as if though it had been offended at something. Concerned for Tobasco's safety, Twre asked, "You okay, Tobasco? What happened?"

A haggard yet somehow androgynous voice interrupted before Tobasco could squirt out an answer.
"Ah, fancy meeting you here as well, Touris--Stand down, will you?!"

Twre found the source of the voice standing on the shore of a pool of grimy water, struggling with the living cadaver that Rusto had somehow become. As Mato struggled to hold their opponent still, the latter seethed with an uncanny rage as he attempted to free himself of the warrior-priest's grip. Continuing the struggle, Mato remarked to the orc and his genie companion, "As you can see, there are some people who will simply refuse to listen to reason. Like Toboggan, for example." They pointed a finger at the bottle of hot sauce, who struggled further to leap out of Twre's hand.

Twre held out his other hand in a pointing gesture, letting his briefcase fall to the ground. "Wait, you're that warrior-priest!" Then, a worrying thought came to him. "You...didn't harm Dot, did you?"


"Harm her?" They laughed scornfully. "Whatever gave you that idea? I have not even met her so far in this grim cave! But why worry about that when there are more pressing issues? Do you not remember the god who has locked us in this struggle in the first place?"

"Methuselah?"

The warrior-priest smiled.
"Yes, the one and the same. And do you not consider her reign over our lives to be cruel and tyrannical?"

As Mato spoke, Twre could feel Tobasco's squirms intensifying. The bottle wanted none of their sweet-talk and smooth lies. But Twre did not want the situation to become a volatile powder-keg of madness either. He tightened his grip further on it. "Well, as far as I know it's rather inconvenient..."

"'Inconvenient' is putting it mil--" They broke off as Rusto screamed at him, attempting to wrest himself from their hands. Mato simply elbowed him in the chest, whereupon he squawked. "Putting it mildly. She placed us in a fight to the death within dangerous environments, all only because of her severe boredom. We cannot leave her grasp, lest we deprive her of this cruel entertainment. Do you follow me?"

Twre did not respond. He had only started to consider Methuselah's motives for bringing everyone here to fight.

"What I'm saying is that she is a cruel, despotic god, and it would be in our best interests if we came together to kill her."

At that, Rusto attempted to break free yet again, his rage reaching a terrifying climax. Once again, Mato violently subdued him with their body. Meanwhile, Tobasco began to wriggle its way out of the orc's grasp as the latter stared dumbfounded at Mato's plan. "You're kidding, right?"

Zunushuyum interrupted.
"No, they shertainly don' look the type to--hic!--joke around." He then turned toward the warrior priest. "Sho, you're goin' to do the imposshible, aren' ya? I have to warn you, she's leaguesh beyond your power, shir or madam. Don' come cryin' at me if she jusht erashes you from ex--hic!--exshishtenshe!"

"Trust me, my mysterious being. Even she's not completely infallible. Not with our cooperation, at least."

"Well shen, I won' shtop you from gettin' in over your head! Hic!" With that, Zunushuyum staggered back to Twre's side as Mato rolled their eyes at the drunken entity.

"So, Toothpick," Mato continued, their fiery gaze back at the orc, "What will it be? Will you help me destroy this dangerous game and its host?"

Twre was at a loss for words. On the one hand, he remembered Rusto's teleportation ritual (with which he and Chibos assisted), and judging by the masked man's motivations he probably tried to use the makeshift portal to get back to his land. That, of course, failed due to Methuselah. Yet on the other, he saw how deranged Rusto had become; a pale, skeletal being with several fingers missing, his eyes and body language filled with an unnatural rage. If this place could really do that to him, he wondered, then I guess Mato does have a point. Still, I'm not that comfortable allying with someone who could destroy an entire town with his abuse of people's faith...

Then, Twre noticed something bouncing to the side of the struggling people. "Er..."


"Yes?!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is Fishy behind you two, right?"

Mato's smile vanished. They sharply turned in the direction the orc indicated. There, on the ground, was a pot of spilled water. And right next to it, the goldfish they had saved moments before, now flopping around blindly in the darkness.

Their eyes widened.
"Fishy! Oh no!" They immediately dived towards Fishy, letting go of Rusto in the process.

At that moment, all hell broke loose.

Man, wow, this took ages to write. Probably didn't help that I started this to follow Mikkofier's post. But here we are, a big scuffle with five of the seven contestants! I don't think this will be end-of-chapter material because of that, but it's definitely something.

Also, I've been meaning to work in that blue marker somehow, but I guess by this point Twre's probably put it away and forgot about it. Still, I'm hoping I can get the chance to bring it up again!
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by july »

Dot did not know how much time had passed since she had begun walking down the passageway. Hours, maybe. Possibly days. It was hard to tell. In all that time, she'd hit not a single corner, side path, or room. The passage stretched onward, straight as an arrow. Scooter in tow, she continued walking. The endless walking had given her more time to think, at least. For someone apparently locked in a life-or-death battle, she had a lot of thinking time.

The main topic on her mind was her current setting. "The Cursed Labyrinth". A decidedly ominous name. It wasn't living up to its name much so far, though; it was hard to call a single straight path "labyrinthine". The "cursed" part hadn't come up either, it seemed. Though maybe the curse was to walk down a never-ending corridor. Who knows. The labyrinth was also supposed to be filled with many cursed items and dangerous creatures. She had not found any of the former, and while she often heard skwarks and screeches echoing from somewhere in the distance, she had not encountered any of the latter either.

A number of questions bubbled in Dot's mind. What kinds of creatures lived here? How did they survive in this environment? Did they carry curses like the various items did? Why were there (supposedly) so many cursed items here? Was the labyrinth some sort of cursed item storehouse? And the biggest questions:

What was the labyrinth, and why was it here?

Dot ran her hand along the wall, feeling the rough stone studded with large crystals. The labyrinth seemed almost unfathomably ancient, but didn't seem like a natural formation. No, it had been built, but by who, and for what? In that ancient story with a labyrinth, it had been built to keep a monster in, so maybe-

Ow!

Dot let out a cry of pain. Lost in thought, she hadn't noticed the sharp turn the passageway now took, and had walked head-first into a wall. Dot rubbed her forehead. At least there was a corner now. Maybe the labyrinth would start living up to its name. Dot rounded the corner. The passageway here looked similar to the last, though the floor shook slightly below her as she walked.

Dot began to hear voices from somewhere in the maze. Straining her ears, she could make out separate voices. One was a heavily slurred one she didn't recognise. Another was the familiar voice of Twre, apparently arguing with a third voice, belonging to - was that Mato? Above this was another voice, incoherently screaming. It sounded like Rusto. Was he in pain? Was it Mato's doing?

Dot opened the scooter's compartment and took out the knife. It sounded like Mato was attacking Twre and Rusto, and while she didn't fancy her chances in combat, she hoped she could at least take them by surprise. First she had to figure out where they were though, as the path split in two before her, with one path climbing sharply upwards, and one downwards. The voices sounded like they were coming from generally below her. The downwards path then. Dot took one step forward-

The floor cracked open, and Dot tumbled downward.

woo don't worry dot's here too
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by pholtos »

"O-Ochibi? I have no idea who you are referring to, nor can I see you myself. I request you reveal yourself to me."
Hmph... ya haven't realized where I am yet... my my what a dense fellow. Well I have nothing to lose by tellin' ya, I'm in ya... ever since ya picked me up. Name's Nuihari, ya can call me Nui. We'll be stuck together from now on so ya better get used to it.
"I-inside me? I'm sorry but I can't have that. I prefer my solitude. So I'll just put you back where I found you and be on my way. It was nice meeting you nonetheless." Chibos placed the needle back where he found it and began to walk away, searching for an exit. He approached what looked to be an exit, however this exit was blocked by fallen debris, possibly from when he landed in this room in the first place. Sadly there was no area small enough for Chibos to slip through. It was then that he felt a slight increase in weight, and upon looking on his back noticed the needle had slipped itself into a sheath that he did not know he possessed. Chibos was dumbfounded, he was certain he had placed the needle back where it was originally. Looking back, it was like he had never placed it back in the first place.
Now now... didn't I say we'd be together from now on? I can't have ya leavin' me behind now can I? Chibos felt a chill as the last word came from Nui... Could it... could it be an evil spirit? A spirit? Hah... no no ya have it all wrong Ochibi... and if it wasn't apparent there's no use hidin' thoughts from me, I can hear everything ya think, see everything ya can see. I can even see into your pa-... what in tha world? Yer memories are a jumbled mess! My my...
"The name is Chibos, and I'd refer to you calling me as such. As for my memories, I am unsure why I can remember nothing before my time on in my mountain home." Chibos came to a realization, and was dejected by it. "So... I have no way to get rid of you, can I..."
Nope, sorry Ochibi, yer stuck with me. Since we'll be tagether from now on I might as well... now wait a minute... ya have abilities jus' like mine? Now what's this about? "What do you mean abilities just like yours? I always assumed my abilities were one of a kind, and no other being had the ability to affect a person's psych. Well ya'd be right there, Ochibi. I would say that's true, as for me, I don' effect a person's psych... I affect an object's. Looks like I'll take a bit of time ta explain it to ya. What you want ta do is focus on an emotion you want to imbue into an object, then strike tha object. Hmm... yella'll do nicely in this situation. Go ahead and give it a go.
"All right if you say so..." Chibos was slightly disbelieving of the one who now housed themselves within him that anything could possibly effect non-living creatures, but he was willing to give it a shot in this situation with no other way out. So he focused his mind towards the task of thinking of the effect of the color yellow, or the color of laughter. A minute passed... sweat began to drop from his brow. In the back of his mind he wondered whether Nui was just playing a trick on him, when suddenly the needle began to glow a bright yellow. Dumbfounded, Chibos stared at the needle... and at that moment, something inside him shifted... in a way Chibos could not describe...
"There ya go, ya managed ta do it. It took ya so long I managed ta take over ya, hope ya don't mind..." Nui smirked as he spoke. Wha... what have you done to me, return my body to me at once!
"Now now Ochibi, I've been wantin' to stretch my legs fer once. Even if they aren't mah own. Don' worry ya will get yer body back... when I feel up ta it." With this Nui lept forward and thrusted the tip of the needle square into each of the pieces of rubble blocking the lone exit. After a few moments, to Chibos' shock, the rocks began to shake wildly, as if in laughter, causing the pile to be reduced to nothing as the rocks spread all across the room. With this, the Nui-controlled body of Chibos ran down the hall, laughing heartily, as Chibos was forced to watch from within.
That was a lot more writing than I intended to again. Anyway to explain, Nuihari means sewing needle in Japanese. I also wanted to attempt to give Nui something close to an osakan accent but I think I made it closer to a Scottish accent... uhh... whoops? Nui is a lot more willing to use more violent means than Chibos is. (I think I based this idea a bit off of greed from FMA: Brotherhood.)
Question, should I spread out the colors a bit between Nui and Chibos? I'm also considering keeping the normal actions as the Chibos color even with Nui in control.
Also, a Nui controlled Chibos might end up running into Dot from the looks of this.
Last edited by pholtos 9 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by sedron »

"GRAAAAAAAAAH!"

Rusto lunged at the warrior-priest, who was frantically attempting to rescue Fishy. His dagger tore straight through Mato's cloak, but little else. Before Rusto could take another stab at his foe, Twre tackled him with all of his might, sending him a couple of feet away.

As the orc caught his breath, Tobasco saw its chance to free itself, and began to spray a fine mist of hot sauce. Within seconds, Twre's eyes stung and his mouth felt as if it had been lit aflame! He instinctively threw the bottle at Rusto, just to get rid of it, and ran to the water's edge in an attempt to drink away the heat.


"Ooh, looksh like you're not handlin' that shaucshe very well, are ya, Twre?" The djinn said, clearly enjoying the show. "Maybe I could--"

"JUST GET ME SOMETHING TO DRINK! MILK, WATER, ANYTHING! MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE!"

Zunushuyum smiled a mischievous smile. "Of courshe."

***

Dot slowly took in her new surroundings as she picked herself up. Luckily, she didn't hurt herself too badly on the way down, especially considering her knife was out.
Maybe I should put this away until I need it, she thought.

This hallway didn't look very different from the last, it seemed. In front of Dot it extended further than she could see. As she turned to look behind herself, she was surprised to see a familiar banana boat.


"Chibos?"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way, and they fell.

***

KER-SPLOOSH!

The frenzied battle between Tobasco, Mato and Rusto came to a halt. Twre put down an unlabeled bottle he'd been drinking from and took a step towards the source of the splash. Dot jumped out of the cold, murky water, and began shouting obscenities.

"SHIT, THAT'S COLD! WHAT KIND OF FUCKING LABYRINTH IS THIS?! I SWEAR IF I FALL THROUGH A FUCKING FLOOR ONE MORE TIME-"

A low rumbling came from beneath the pool. The water receded, as if the entire pond was being drained. Then, the floor split in two and everybody fell further into the dark depths of the Cursed Labyrinth.
There are two reasons I dropped everyone through the floor (and Dot like 3 times.) I think it'll give us more options with where to go from here. The other reason is because I find the idea of somebody falling through three floors in a row amusing. =P
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by pholtos »

So wait a minute. I'm trying to interpret heights here.
Ok so I fell through a floor, and then met up with Dot. Who I guess was even higher up to start off.
Meanwhile everyone else went further than me down a path since I got stuck. So should they not have been above us at the time? Or did you guys go down a fair distance to meet up with Mato?
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by sedron »

The Labyrinth is non-Euclidean, and constantly rearranges itself. It's entirely possible to fall into a room that, by all means, should have been higher up, due to the bizarre geometry and the Labyrinth moving rooms around at will anyway. Zunushuyum explains that the Labyrinth is alive earlier in Page 6, and I think one of my posts in Page 5 describes the Labyrinth as non-Euclidean.
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O'Largill
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by O'Largill »

Mato was in a dream. They knew this, very quickly - the mind of a warrior-priest is not one the world would like to wander in its sleep. Recruits were trained in oneirological control and recall long, long before they were allowed to do so much as breath on the Books of Sowing or a revelations parchment.

Things seemed fuzzy, and uncertain, as if Mato's brain was only half-invested in dreaming. They were in their old kitchen, from when they were a child - the windows looked onto green meadows, stretching kilometers into the distance, to the woods beyond their parents property. Some young children were playing with wooden swords out there, yelling and chasing each other without a care in the world... there was a salad spinner full of greens in the sink. People around Mato were moving from the icebox to the counter to the cutlery drawer, chopping vegetables and cooking something spicy on the stove. A cook with a cleaver chopped a raw slab of meat into smaller cubes. Mato just took up space, in the middle of the room, and the kitchen's chefs ignored them - it was like Mato wasn't even there.

I dropped it... Mato thought. Where did it go? Mato looked down at their feet. They had a feeling, like they had forgotten something very important. Mato searched their pockets, and their sleeves. They paused. What am I looking for? they thought.

Mato glanced at the frying pan on the stove, remembering the large wok they always kept secured in their cloak. They vaguely remembered a fight, someone cursing, and then... and then a long, dark fall. I hope the vegetables are okay, thought Mato. The vegetables were an important part of Mato's plan. A freshly cooked meal would really help bring them all together.

...Who's "them?" What plan?

A fight? Why was Mato fighting? With who?

What were they looking for?

A rumbling shook the kitchen. An earthquake? The cooks stayed calm. They picked up their knives and cutting boards and, like ants, they filed out of the kitchen. Wait, Mato wanted to say, but their tongue was gone. Did they even have a mouth? Their boots moved so slowly trying to follow the others to safety - but how could the cooks move so fast, when the kitchen was submerged? The water was practically half-way up the cupboards. It squelched in between Mato's toes.

The rumbling slowed, stopped. And then started up again, louder.

That's not an earthquake. No.

It's breathing.

There's something in the water.

---

Mato opened their eyes, belly-up and lying in a foot of water. Just in time to feel a shoe kick them, again, sharp underneath their ribs.

Fuck.

just a small post to sort of break the silence weve had this month. mato seems to have an affinity for head trauma.
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Joseph Staleknight
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Joseph Staleknight »

The cobblestone streets of Logzsarm were quite foggy in the morning, having been rained upon constantly the night before. People and vehicles of all kinds shuffled through the thick mist, carrying on their business casually. The bells of the Reformed Order Church rang with a succinct brass tone as they called for the devout to attend the day's sermon. Amidst the hustle and bustle, one could smell such foreign delicacies as fresh chickpea crepes and mulgwat being hawked by savvy entrepreneurs, most of whom--like their food--were from places as far away as the Seïr League and Samignia.

Amidst the crowd, a little child was searching for his parents. As he stumbled through various people, few of whom were concerned about a child being lost at such a time in the morning, he chided himself for getting distracted by the new games and other items the local toy shop had to offer. His eggplant hair scuffled in the rush, he looked through every potential building that his parents would likely have gone--the bakery, the greengrocer, even the bookstore with all the popular books. Sadly, they were in none of those places.

Dejected, the child walked plaintively toward a lonely bench on the sidewalk and sat down, his thoughts clouded by fear and loneliness. He desperately fought his tears as the fog drifted over the roads, not helping his mood in the slightest. Yet, just as he began to think of the horrors that would face him if he had to live on his own, a figure appeared from the corner of his eye. He took a better look and saw some familiar features--a felt fedora with a narrow brim, a neatly-ironed gray shirt and deep brown slacks, and a copy of
The Five Confessions in his hand. Realizing who he was, the child ran up to him, jostling through the crowd while trying to get his attention. When he finally made it to him, he asked with remorse in his voice, "Dad, is that you?"

The elder man turned toward the child...


***

To say that Rusto's pain had been aggravated by recent events was to claim roses smelled sweet without ever smelling one. The last thing he remembered was seeing the blood-red bottle of sauce launch itself toward the warrior-priest, and before he knew it that cursed voice began to quietly scream into his mind, attempting to overcome his willpower as everything faded into a frenzied blur. All he knew was that it kept saying those damned three words over and over again. Loraihosh... Acanani... Li'itho... The madness was simply too much to bear, and eventually only a thundering noise and the resultant darkness suppressed its insistent drone.

Struggling to open his eyes, he breathed as deeply as he could to regain his composure. As he got up uneasily, everything started to fade into view. He could make out a faint wail of wind and rushing water echoing throughout the rocky walls. An ethereal blue glow pierced the vast, empty enclosure. Looking around, Rusto realized that he had landed on the bow of a wrecked ship in the middle of an underground sea. Yet, as he found out, it did not appear to be an ordinary sea; the water did not reflect the glow, but remained dark and opaque. Nearby, there were a series of cascading waterfalls that rushed over the rocks into the abyssal surface. Needing a distraction to keep his mind off the curse he suffered, he decided to gaze at the water and its unrelenting majesty.

As he focused on the falls, however, he noticed something peculiar. The dark water did not always flow downwards at a constant rate. Some flowed faster than others...supernaturally faster, in fact. Others appeared frozen in time, and a rare few even flowed upwards, as if though time had been reversed.
Strange. These falls must have some potent magic to defy nature. Or perhaps they're always like that? I can never tell in this eldritch cavern...

Just then, he heard something. A subtle but distinct sound, like the voice of someone mumbling to himself. He turned cautiously back, his hand trying to locate one of the blades he knew wasn't cursed. The last thing he wanted was to face that damned warrior-priest again.

To his surprise, however, it wasn't Mato. Who he found was instead a familiar person in moderately damaged work clothes, shuffling about erratically as if he had seen a horrid demon in the flesh. His briefcase had landed near his foot, yet he did not seem to notice it. Concerned, Rusto walked over to him.
"Twre? Are you okay?"

Twre staggered around and caught sight of the resistance leader. The orc's response, however, was not something he expected. "Daaa'? Izzashuuu...?"

Rusto couldn't understand what he just said. Yet his body spoke his plight all too clearly. Bloodshot eyes, an inelegant posture that bordered on feral, and a voice that was unnaturally high-pitched for someone like him. If he didn't know those telltale signs, he wouldn't have survived long enough to have led the Court of Sewers.
"Twre," he answered with a sigh, "You're not drunk, are you?"
I actually had more written down, but by that point I realized I wasn't so much writing as I was droning on about things when I could have had the other characters experience it. Thus, I decided to keep the beginning of Twre's alcohol-induced nightmare while hinting at how much out of reality he's gone.

So yes, Twre's finally drunk thanks to Zunushuyum's mischief. I do have a full version of the nightmare, but (again because of showing vs. telling) I've decided to leave it up to the other writers if they want to adapt it and show how other characters might react. Just about the one thing I ask for is that at some point he ends up using his "time screw" ability his profile mentioned before passing out.

Looking forward to seeing how this goes!
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sedron
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by sedron »

I can try to write something up in the near future, though my last post is still recent in terms of how many came after it.

Would you wanna maybe bring this round to a close soon, Dragon Fogel? It's been dragging since October. Maybe a fresh start will help bring some life back into the game. I'd like to see this ball rolling again.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Dragon Fogel »

In general, I'm inclined to let the pace of the plot decide when the round ends. And while enticing things have happened so far, it doesn't feel to me like we're particularly near a climax.

That said, I'm not against wrapping things up sooner if that's what the players want. As far as I'm concerned, this is first and foremost about the players enjoying themselves.

Also, if the issue is that no one really has ideas for what to do from here, let me know and I can try to give you suggestions. If necessary, I can even make a post myself to give you something to work off of. I'd prefer to see what you all come up with, but this is an option if people think it's needed.

So I guess what this comes down to is, if anyone's stumped on where to take this round, let me know. And if anyone else would like this round to be wrapped up sooner, let me know that too. Feel free to either post it here or tell me in PMs, I don't have a particular preference.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by Mikkofier »

The drunken orc staggered around the shipwreck's floor, his mutterings approaching incoherence.
"Yooour... Not mah' Da'! I hafta... hafta..."
Rusto sighed. He's definitely drunk... He didn't seem like a drinking man... He took a deep, resignated breath. "Twre, how in Strangers' name have you managed to get drunk? At a time and place like this, too!"
Twre looked around frantically. "
I hafta... help mah' Da'!" he started to scream "Ma'! Da'! I'll save ya!"

"Twre? Are you okay?"
Twre staggered around and caught sight of the resistance leader. The orc's response, however, was not something he expected.
"Daaa'? Izzashuuu...?"


Twre's movements became faster. Unnaturally fast. His speech turned into an incoherent babble. Rusto didn't know how to approach him. Now that I think about it, I do seem to something about him having powers... He did seem to move unusually fast at times... But nothing like this!

Rusto couldn't understand what he just said. Yet his body spoke his plight all too clearly. Bloodshot eyes, an inelegant posture that bordered on feral, and a voice that was unnaturally high-pitched for someone like him. If he didn't know those telltale signs, he wouldn't have survived long enough to have led the Court of Sewers. "Twre," he answered with a sigh, "You're not drunk, are you?"

Wait, what was that? Rusto thought. Something wasn't right. He started to cautiously approach the orc, who was currently dashing aimlessly around the wrecked ship.

All Rusto could see was red, all he could hear were screams. Unnatural screams, screams for death, for vengeance. His prey had eluded his blade, but through perseverance he knew they couldn't hold him back for long. Through the howling rage inside his mind, he could still hear those whispers...

Loraihosh... Acanani... Li'itho...
Rusto was shaken. There's that voice again... He remembered the rage that took him over earlier.

"Twre, you have to take a hold of yourself!" Rusto commanded. "This place has had a terrible influence on us, we can't afford-"
Suddenly, Twre violently knocked Rusto to the floor, faster than his eye could see. "
Out of my way!"

Rusto's speech was interrupted by another odd vision, before he felt a blow to his stomach and sank to the floor.
"Out of my way! I need to save them!"
Had an idea to write something for this thing. Twre's uncontrolled Time Magic has some odd effects i.e: flashbacks and -forwards.
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Re: Grand Battle - Round Two: Cursed Labyrinth

Post by pholtos »

Last night I realized I accidentally in the first round incorrectly used one of my powers... oops? (Red marker shouldn't have effected the car I don't think.)
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