A City Adrift: An RP of Tyranny, Superhumans, and Eldritch Abominations

[Mechamorph]

"How can they be unforeseen if you seem to know what they are?" The thought raced through Edward's head and make a valiant attempt to escape it; only his innate courtesy and the very real suspicion that not only would this person before them never give them a straight answer but he or she was far more sinister than presented.

"Thank you very much for your candor, Tall One. I hope you don't mind if we intrude on your... domicile for just a little while longer as we have a little chat among ourselves."

Clipping the torchlight back to his belt, Edward addressed the rest of the team without turning around. Even if this particular entity proved to be not hostile, there was no sense in allowing one of the vanguard to have his weapons pointed in the wrong direction should any danger arise. Also addressing their leader directly would essentially be making the man a target. Something he hoped Rockefeller realized. "Your thoughts everyone? I have to warn you that prolonged exposure to the radiation can't be too healthy for us."

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"Not my domicile...you are inside me." The creature laughed, this time a low titter that developed into an almost insane cackle that abruptly stopped. "As for how I know you will face unforeseen consequences...existence is unforeseen. But you would not understand...you will all die if you go down that pathway, but then, you'll all die anyway...choked by the gnawing vine of your mortality."

 

[Avashka]

All the cryptic nonsense, all the laughter and chittering from the creature, wore ill on Crow Girl. The gangly mutate cowered a bit further behind Edward. "Inside.. you? But--" Those huge blue eyes bugged out a little. "I don't understand I don't understand.."

It's obvious that Crow Girl didn't want to be there anymore. Fighting crime? Doable. Being confronted with physics-breaking and mind-breaking anomalies? Not so much fun.

 

[dethklok114]

?Cu Loch,? Arthur said, moving to the front of the group. ?Thank you for your assistance. We?ll be out of? you? shortly, but if I may ask, what was it you mentioned earlier about a pillar? What is that? Is that what we?re heading toward?? As he was saying this Arthur snapped his fingers, sending out a light magnetic pulse he used to determine if there was anything he could manipulate in the immediate vicinity. The pulse caused a few shards to flake off of some nearby crystals, but otherwise had no effect, should something happen Arthur only had what he brought with him.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"How the fuck should I know?" The creature started forward, looking aggressive, then stopped. "I'm just the observer. Where you're going is your concern. But the Pillar will find you eventually."

 

[NeoAC]

Marika was glad the group would soon be taking their leave of this place. The being before them was talking in riddles, being outright creepy, saying they were inside it? Disgusting.

"So, vat are ve doing den?" She asked the "leader". "Are ve heading back out de vay ve came or ve actually taking dis ting at face value?"

 

[Avashka]

Crow Girl, lacking much else to add in this situation (and a bit afraid of the towering Creature), said nothing, remaining cowering behind Edward's mechanized bulk. Crow Girl was a writer, not a scientist, and when things start disobeying what she knows of physics, her imagination tends to run wild.

Which, when dealing with something like this, leads (as expected) to near paralysis from fear and alarm.

 

[Mechamorph]

Edward tensed and nearly shot the creature when it adopted an aggressive posture. The beauty of the half port posture was that he could spray an entire area with his Tesla Coil simply by shooting from the hip. Arthur's magnetic pulse did little more than add a faint buzz to the burning smell in the suit as the Faraday's cage Edward wore nullified the energy discharge. The first time Edward tried to use the MASC's magnetic levitation technology without some form of shielding for all his other devices was the kind of lesson you only want to learn once. After all one's hair can only grow back so many times before the scalp simply quit and burns tended to be quite unsightly if they were located in prominent locations.

Edward grimaced under his helment; the MASC armour which, while responsible for his protection, did make the man inside it feel somewhat claustrophic in these tight tunnels. In his eyes the sooner they were gone the better. Apparently the "Pillar" was mobile and was more likely a person rather than a thing if it could find them under its own violition. Tunnel fighting was a poor prospect in any case, few of them had much in way of projectile weaponry and as physics seemed to be somewhat warped in this strange place, Edward would not be too surprised if the laws of magic were similarly estranged from what they normally knew. Agent Morrigan seemed to share his unease as she took shelter behind the mobile wall of titanium that was his suit. At least Marika was trying to resolve the impasse by referring it to their appointed leader. If he wanted the title, the man ought to be able to live up to it.

 

[blaze96]

"It seems choice is something of an illusion in this place if cu loch is to be believed. What with it saying that the pillar will find us anyway no matter where we go, question is do we face it now or later. Really the only questions I can figure are what is the pillar; is it after just our group, every human in this realm, or simply everything; and why is it after what it is after? How many of those questions have answers that aren't just another riddle though, who knows?" Angela said to no one in particular as she kept an eye on the creature. The aggressive movement had her wary of the creature, and this strange area underground of all places had her extremely on edge.

 

[Captainguy42]

While the others talked, Murphy turned his attention to the strange protrusions from the ground. As his eyes traced the outline of the crystal nearest to him, he suddenly realized he was no longer looking at a line, but rather a single point. He wasn't entirely certain when or how his field of view shifted, or if it shifted at all. But it seemed like the only two parts of the crystal that Murphy could observe where the perfectly outlines of the shaft, and the impossibly small point at the end. No where could he observe a bend or kink that caused the lines to meet, but as soon as he shifted his focus, there they were, angled to a point. Murphy's brain was aching, as his mind tried to rap itself around the alien geometries. In an attempt to achieve some manner of clarity, Murphy prodded the crystal with his flash-light.

To his surprise, it made no sound, in fact it felt like he had struck the flash-light into a thick pool of mud. He pushed slightly harder, and to his surprise it began to get easier and easier, until it felt like he was pushing nothing at all. Then he felt a faint pull, Murphy tried to draw the flash-light back but to no avail. Faster and faster the flash-light sunk into the crystal, pulling Murphy's hand until the last minute where he finally let go. The flash-light disappeared into the crystal, leaving no trace of it's passing. Murphy looked at his hand, more confused then ever, he turned back to his team-mates. "I'd advise against touching the crystals, though I doubt any of you where thinking about doing that." Murphy told them as he grabbed the Flash-light he had stored in his brief-case and waving towards their entrance..

" I'd suggest we go back, back through that tunnel, and back to Manhattan. If this 'Pillar' really is coming for us I don't want to risk meeting it here."

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"The Crystals, yes. Best to avoid them. Not good for the skin. They'll freeze you to ashes." Cu Loch made some kind of chittering sound, drumming its fingers and toes together on the stones. "Make your move fast, think fast, little gentlemen - and lady." Cu Loch dropped onto all fours and ran away, scurrying into the passageway the creature had indicated prior.

 

[blaze96]

"I'd have to agree with that assessment. I don't think we are nearly ready to take on whatever the hell this thing is." Angela agreed. She was already making her way back towards the tunnel. Their leader wasn't giving orders, and if he wasn't willing to lead then she was more than happy to act of her own accord.

 

[NeoAC]

Marika was looking over at Rockefeller, waiting for an answer but the aristocrat seemed to be at a loss for words. Typical rich boy. Doesn't know vat he is doing. It was hard to think though. The pressure of the cave saw to that.

"Vell, if our leader has no suggestion, I propose ve go back out of dis cave," she offered. "I do not know vat dis is here dat ve are dealing vith, but dis is not de time nor de place to start guessing." With that she turned back towards the entrance of the cavern.