EmKay
Well-Known Member
OBJECTIVE: BYO - LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE VOICE
LOCATION: THE SUB-AQUATIC FACILITY RUINS
ALLIES: SANITY, LIGHT
ENEMIES: THE UNKNOWN
[9/20]
Tachon then noticed that there was a light coming from behind him. He turned around to look, and found himself facing a corridor. He entered the corridor, and the lights flickered slightly. This struck him as particularly odd, since the power generator was ticking just fine. Then he felt another thrumming. This wasn't electrical, or even the horrible sound of water compressing hull. This seemed to rattle his bones. A soundless vibration that filled his being and drew him inexorably in. An invisible snare that had him in its clutch. He was vaguely aware of his legs still moving as he spectated the lure of being drawn through hallways, until he came to a straight drop. It was a twenty foot drop at least, with water flowing in from the side and pooling at the base. Before reason could dictate that continuing was an absurd idea, Tachon leaned forward and took the step.
Panic began to set in as wind rushed past his ears, but before he could give that fear much thought, he penetrated the water and sunk in. He scrambled his thoughts and swam up to the surface, then climbed up into a doorway. He suddenly felt very dizzy, and he leaned against the door frame. He started to see images swimming through his vision. Men in lab coats, a single adult male submerged in the tank before him. He slowly approached, and felt like each step was a step closer to something more. He reached up a hand and touched the glass, and the eyes of the man within snapped open and locked to his. They were spheres of pure light, and they had him locked.
The world around them dissolved, and then reformed as a barren plain. In the background was a writhing mass. Tentacled black tried to ensnare a pulsing metal sphere, and the sky was a shifting, tumultuous storm of grey. The ground was dry and cracked, with a few tufts of desert-like flora. Tachon felt the release of that grip, and he fell to his knees. The other man stood tall, and looked down on the Iridonian.
"Such a pity," he, the owner of the Voice, said, "You could be so much more than... this." he said, then lashed out with power born as electricity to send a jolt of agony through the Iridonian.
His wail of pain echoed through the area, but along with that, Tachon's nostrils flared and he gripped at the dirt. His muscles tensed and he could feel something stirring inside him. The battle above between the mass and the steel sphere raged on, but when the black mass shot a lightning bolt, the sphere absorbed it and used it to create a skittering field that warded off further assaults.
"You think you can defeat me?", the man said, "Your talents are nothing compared to my power. You squander your gifts on temperance while I achieve greater glory than you'll ever know!" he punctuated his monologue with another surge of electricity.
This one didn't draw a scream of terror, though. Tachon's muscles and nerves twitched under the assault, and he gritted his teeth in pain, but he forced himself up. His teeth ground against each other. His eyes locked onto the other's. His fists clenched and blood dripped down his knuckles from how tight his hands were. With each renewed surge of electricity, Tachon's resistance to his instincts faltered. Each time the enemy tried to wear him down, he was hardened.
"You... you can't be standing..." the man said, narrowing his eyes and twisting his wrist. The lightning turned to flames, "I am Sigma! I am born of the Force, I was made for this!"
The fire licked across Tachon, but the lightning still danced across his skin. Within himself, he transmuted the energy into a shield, and the fire danced around him like a pod. This battle of wills was a strong thing, but the Iridonian was inherently stronger than the human. Even if this Sigma, a name shared by one of the ones he defeated, was separately created for some form of victory, Tachon had gone through his own trials. He took a step forward against the fire, then another, until he was in a jog, then a run, then a charge.
Ksi knocked Sigma down. His shoulder collided with the man's chest, and the other went flying through the air and tumbling across the ground. Ksi approached now, his form bubbling with thirst and rage. The war within him had been ignited, and he wouldn't rest until he had fully reconciled the past. Sigma reached out a hand to launch another volley of power, but Ksi gripped the hand, crushed in in his own, then used his knee and broke the arm. This time it was Sigma who screamed in pain. Up above, the steel sphere had transformed into a ball of spikes, and every time the black mass attacked, it hurt itself and the ball began to spin.
"Your first mistake was mistaking my passivenes for weakness," Tachon said, gripping the Sigma by the throat, "Your second was bringing me here," he squeezed, "The third was thinking you could control me, when I barely control myself." Tachon head-butted the man. Horns met tender human tissue. One eye was popped, the nose was torn away, and there were several puncture marks. Tachon threw him again. He knew he wasn't this strong, but for some reason this strange place gave him the strength to carry on.
Sigma rolled up onto his feet, trying again to unleash power. His will had already faltered, however, and in this world where willpower represented actual power, he couldn't bring himself to lash out again. Fear filled his eyes, and he started to back away.
"Wait!" he yelled at the marching Iridonian with blood trickling down his head, "We can work together, become more!" he pleaded for his life, his existence. A hiss of disapproval filled the air, a third party's presence sifting through the gaps. Sigma looked even more doomed then, and Tachon planted a foot in his chest.
"No." was all he said, before he pressed his heel through Sigma's ribcage. The ground quaked, and Sigma's voice echoed in a dying screech. The steel ball shredded the writhing black mass, and the little flecks of remains scattered through the sky like stars. Sigma erupted into a bloom of blinding light, and Tachon's body thrummed. As Sigma disintegrated, the remains poured into Ksi's being. He felt the power course through him, and he gritted his teeth and reeled in into line. There would be no uprising of Sigma within him. He was his own master. He power quieted, and the flecks in the sky gathered to the ball. The remains entered through the spikes and, rather than coming together again as a separate body, dispersed and added a deadly sheen to an already menacing contstruct.
Tachon let out a long breath, the spiked ball returned to a tempered sphere. Then he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
LOCATION: THE SUB-AQUATIC FACILITY RUINS
ALLIES: SANITY, LIGHT
ENEMIES: THE UNKNOWN
[9/20]
Tachon then noticed that there was a light coming from behind him. He turned around to look, and found himself facing a corridor. He entered the corridor, and the lights flickered slightly. This struck him as particularly odd, since the power generator was ticking just fine. Then he felt another thrumming. This wasn't electrical, or even the horrible sound of water compressing hull. This seemed to rattle his bones. A soundless vibration that filled his being and drew him inexorably in. An invisible snare that had him in its clutch. He was vaguely aware of his legs still moving as he spectated the lure of being drawn through hallways, until he came to a straight drop. It was a twenty foot drop at least, with water flowing in from the side and pooling at the base. Before reason could dictate that continuing was an absurd idea, Tachon leaned forward and took the step.
Panic began to set in as wind rushed past his ears, but before he could give that fear much thought, he penetrated the water and sunk in. He scrambled his thoughts and swam up to the surface, then climbed up into a doorway. He suddenly felt very dizzy, and he leaned against the door frame. He started to see images swimming through his vision. Men in lab coats, a single adult male submerged in the tank before him. He slowly approached, and felt like each step was a step closer to something more. He reached up a hand and touched the glass, and the eyes of the man within snapped open and locked to his. They were spheres of pure light, and they had him locked.
The world around them dissolved, and then reformed as a barren plain. In the background was a writhing mass. Tentacled black tried to ensnare a pulsing metal sphere, and the sky was a shifting, tumultuous storm of grey. The ground was dry and cracked, with a few tufts of desert-like flora. Tachon felt the release of that grip, and he fell to his knees. The other man stood tall, and looked down on the Iridonian.
"Such a pity," he, the owner of the Voice, said, "You could be so much more than... this." he said, then lashed out with power born as electricity to send a jolt of agony through the Iridonian.
His wail of pain echoed through the area, but along with that, Tachon's nostrils flared and he gripped at the dirt. His muscles tensed and he could feel something stirring inside him. The battle above between the mass and the steel sphere raged on, but when the black mass shot a lightning bolt, the sphere absorbed it and used it to create a skittering field that warded off further assaults.
"You think you can defeat me?", the man said, "Your talents are nothing compared to my power. You squander your gifts on temperance while I achieve greater glory than you'll ever know!" he punctuated his monologue with another surge of electricity.
This one didn't draw a scream of terror, though. Tachon's muscles and nerves twitched under the assault, and he gritted his teeth in pain, but he forced himself up. His teeth ground against each other. His eyes locked onto the other's. His fists clenched and blood dripped down his knuckles from how tight his hands were. With each renewed surge of electricity, Tachon's resistance to his instincts faltered. Each time the enemy tried to wear him down, he was hardened.
"You... you can't be standing..." the man said, narrowing his eyes and twisting his wrist. The lightning turned to flames, "I am Sigma! I am born of the Force, I was made for this!"
The fire licked across Tachon, but the lightning still danced across his skin. Within himself, he transmuted the energy into a shield, and the fire danced around him like a pod. This battle of wills was a strong thing, but the Iridonian was inherently stronger than the human. Even if this Sigma, a name shared by one of the ones he defeated, was separately created for some form of victory, Tachon had gone through his own trials. He took a step forward against the fire, then another, until he was in a jog, then a run, then a charge.
Ksi knocked Sigma down. His shoulder collided with the man's chest, and the other went flying through the air and tumbling across the ground. Ksi approached now, his form bubbling with thirst and rage. The war within him had been ignited, and he wouldn't rest until he had fully reconciled the past. Sigma reached out a hand to launch another volley of power, but Ksi gripped the hand, crushed in in his own, then used his knee and broke the arm. This time it was Sigma who screamed in pain. Up above, the steel sphere had transformed into a ball of spikes, and every time the black mass attacked, it hurt itself and the ball began to spin.
"Your first mistake was mistaking my passivenes for weakness," Tachon said, gripping the Sigma by the throat, "Your second was bringing me here," he squeezed, "The third was thinking you could control me, when I barely control myself." Tachon head-butted the man. Horns met tender human tissue. One eye was popped, the nose was torn away, and there were several puncture marks. Tachon threw him again. He knew he wasn't this strong, but for some reason this strange place gave him the strength to carry on.
Sigma rolled up onto his feet, trying again to unleash power. His will had already faltered, however, and in this world where willpower represented actual power, he couldn't bring himself to lash out again. Fear filled his eyes, and he started to back away.
"Wait!" he yelled at the marching Iridonian with blood trickling down his head, "We can work together, become more!" he pleaded for his life, his existence. A hiss of disapproval filled the air, a third party's presence sifting through the gaps. Sigma looked even more doomed then, and Tachon planted a foot in his chest.
"No." was all he said, before he pressed his heel through Sigma's ribcage. The ground quaked, and Sigma's voice echoed in a dying screech. The steel ball shredded the writhing black mass, and the little flecks of remains scattered through the sky like stars. Sigma erupted into a bloom of blinding light, and Tachon's body thrummed. As Sigma disintegrated, the remains poured into Ksi's being. He felt the power course through him, and he gritted his teeth and reeled in into line. There would be no uprising of Sigma within him. He was his own master. He power quieted, and the flecks in the sky gathered to the ball. The remains entered through the spikes and, rather than coming together again as a separate body, dispersed and added a deadly sheen to an already menacing contstruct.
Tachon let out a long breath, the spiked ball returned to a tempered sphere. Then he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
