So, 24 hours past my deadline, I come back to check in, and no reply from Piper. So it's me now, I guess. God help you all.
So sorry everyone, I completely forgot to respond. Yeah, I'm gonna have to sit this one out. Sorry about that. Will be back next time.
Just to clarify ... I DIDN’T kill your character. That would be dumb as you can hardly continue your narrative from the perspective of character that has been disintegrated. I though it was a given that we cannot just kill off each others characters!
Meaning you already knew that I was going to have to take a break from this round, and I forgot that Some Guy had said he would wait a little longer before he started. I should be able to do the next, yes, but the way things were left for me this time I had no idea what to do with it, purely due to how confusing the entire story became. If it can be straightened out a little and left in a clear place to continue from, sure I'll be back. But it was a real struggle and I'm hoping *fingers crossed* the next round will be a little easier going.
Oh, ho! Tis not so. Not so. The vagabond has transitioned, per-previa, leaving questions that Piper may choose to address or not, at his pleasure. If he wants to step back in, it's fine. I'm stumperfied, too. But we'll all crack on... What say you, Pipes? I hadn't expected to hear from you so soon. Are you back?
Back in the real world, yes. Got a little more time on my hands now. Back to this project.. not quite, I'm afraid. I'm relying on you to clear things up for me if possible and then I'll make my dramatic return. Sorry to have let everyone down this time around.
Both the girl and (why are you saying ‘the vagabond’, that was just a word used?) the “Waysome thing’ are still alive. Read: “The scene was frantic with motion yet eerily quiet, apart from the occasional crack of energy and the rattling buzz of the Sacth Wielder’s power threads finally dissipating. It was then I realised that the thing Tulkan was atop was the Lurker. Just looking at it made me wish I was blind. It blinked from position to position, pulling and twisting the maddened form of Tulkan as it strobed this way and that, turning the rabid vepser’s body inside out and then back in on itself again, and again, and again. It then spun free from the fanged-grip and sprung upon Veso-un dragging him off up into the trees where a cacophony of screams, wails and screeches sounded out, from Veso-un’s weaponry as much as his trilling maw. By this point I had my energy bow readied and trained on Tulkan as his crazed and battered form slithered at me. I took several precise shots, aiming at, and hitting, the spiracles dead centre with each bolt. Tulken was no more, just a withered bag slick with noxious green juices. The greatest surprise of all was the ability of the half-living ‘Blessi’. Somehow that decomposing form held the attention of Oosh. I managed to catch the last of the battling exchange as Oosh literally tore the decrepit body in two with a point-blank crank-shot from a Spagoolie pistol he’d managed to fire a clean shot right into the chest cleaving her up to her crown and down to her crotch.”
'Waysome' was left in a hole with a bunch of quadrupeds, so I stand corrected. I'm stupified as to what a Realm Lurker is, other than what 'enemy' is scanning for, or if it's anything to do with my ethereal entity. I presume nothing as yet. It is established that it dispatched many of Oosh' team, possibly down to just he and Laysmither. It now falls to me to determine where the ethereal Entity actually is, and possibly resolve the encounter with the girl. I have a feeling I'm supposed to know more than I got, but it's not yet time to talk about that, so this next bit is probably going off the rails a skoosh.
I did try and leave it open to interpretation. Nevertheless it may help to quote the text rather than try to explain (I did cut quite a bit of text out to keep it a reasonable length so it is no wonder some of the key points were missed): Tulkan talking: “If there is an actual Realm Lurker on the loose we’ll need help... ...If it came through the Waysome Shift only the stars know what could be following it ... we need allow time for support to arrive and if nobody harries forth within the next cycle we’ll contact the Arbitrator. Maybe you should have killed it when it was down Laysmither, but we are here now.” The vapors of Tulkan’s voice spiraled back into exposed spiracles on his flanks. His concertinaed suit folded gracefully around his tapering form as he wound himself into a comfortable coil beside Laysmither.” Oosh talking: ““So,” his squeaking, raspy tone, both chilling and sharp - like the piercing squeal of air escaping from a balloon that was drowning beneath the thunderous cracks of a maelstrom - “looks like we have one!” Then it happened - something extraordinary - something never before seen by any member of their entire crew. He smiled.”
Well, I'm no more enlightened than I was, even though I've reread everything thrice. This is what I got. Don't say I didn't warn you. May Gohd have mercy on your ears (eyeballs?) I came to awareness in a strange place, as if I had been taken… the girl! I was in the girl! I recalled my vulnerable state. I touched her, to test her compatibility. She pulled me into her! Like some sort of reflex. The quadrupeds perished immediately. I had no choice but to go. She was unconscious, the result of an injury. Her father was present, holding us. His emotional attachment was strong. Protective. I touched her subconscious state, her deep memories, her dreams. She had frequent dreams. That was my place in her awareness, a dream Entity. I would remain at the fringe of her subconscious, an echo from the world of her childish past. That would protect her from the suspicions and fears of the primitive, xenophobic bipeds. She was artistically talented in drawing and painting, an outlet for expressing the wonder of our connection. I would have to appear in her dreams as a myth or opaque ambiguity that would be misinterpreted as childish notions. It would be non-threatening to begin, then perhaps a collaboration. I chose the form of a vaporous quadruped. “Who are you, little one?” she wondered. “I don’t know. Where am I? I’m scared. Can you be my friend?” “Sure! What’s your name? Are you real?” “I don’t know. I think you made me. I must be in your imagination. Can you make me a name?” “Ooh, hey, an imaginary friend! You tried to give me the rock, remember? I’ll call you Rocky!” “I like rocks! It’s a fine name. I remember the rock. You like them, too? I thought it was strange that you wanted it when you were upside down. I’ve never seen any of you build your houses upside down. I still wanted to give it to you, but then the dead one almost fell on us. That’s why I was scared. It tasted terrible, but we were so hungry. I’ve never seen any of you crawl in a hole to die before. You always put them in a hole after they die, but it's too hard to dig and find your meat. Do you play with rocks? We like to roll one down a hill if we don’t build our house with it. Sometimes they stop by themselves, and sometimes they roll forever and disappear!” The girl giggled. “You’re funny! I like you. I’ve never rolled a rock before. Sometimes I throw them. They disappear, too.” “We find them and take them down to make our houses stronger, unless they don’t fit. Then we roll them down a hill.” “Aha, so that’s where they go!” Her head dipped and her eyes darted in thought, then shot up. “Are you going to disappear when I wake up? Why can’t I wake up… ? I got hit in the head! Am I dead??” “No, silly! You’re dreaming, so you’re not dead. Did you fall? Is that how you hit your head?” “Um… No! A scary mean man hit me! I hope he went away. I remember running to find my father... there were people and creatures fighting! They were mean and scary. I hope they all went far away! I hope my father finds me. I hope he’s okay. I’m scared. Do you have to go away when I wake up? My father says I’m too old for fantasies and imaginary friends. It's not fair! He likes my artwork!” “You don’t have to tell him if you don’t want to. I can always be in your dreams. I’m part of your imagination, so when you think of me I’ll be there. Otherwise, I’ll be asleep. I like you, too. I promise I’ll never go away til the day you die, and that will be a long time away. Okay?” “Okay. Imaginary friends, forever.” “Good. I think your father found you. Can you feel him? Let’s sleep until you’re all better, then he won’t be scared that you’re hurt.” “Yeah, mmmm… “ She drifted off, and I set about repairing her form, and began making the way for her mind to share all that I knew. It was only fitting - she had chosen.. taken me, even though she didn’t know it. It would be years before she was ready for the reality of it. We would have a long and fulfilling journey together. We would sing together. I finished enhancing her healing, and listened to the squawks and squeals and the thoughts of the bipeds. No intrusion into their minds was required. Their thoughts were broadcasting at the top of their minds. Ironic, considering their claims of stealth. The pompous one was desperately squealing for help, trying to disguise it in its typical self-aggrandizing formality. It seemed more terrified of its rescuers than its present peril. The father was fearful for his daughter, and mistrustful of the others. Rightfully so, for they had no concern for anything but their own benefit. I would only intercede if there was immediate threat to the girl, or possibly her father. Either was imminently eventual. That was clear. The father was key to the girl’s stability, so they had both become my wards at this point in time. The priorities were to get them away from the other bipeds, or neutralize the other bipeds, or possibly both. I had no desire to create collateral damage. Just a miniscule exposure of my true form had set this region ablaze. It was to be avoided if at all possible. Possibilities… were grave. The most likely would be the return of the group of armed bipeds and the extraction of the girl and her father. Equally undesirable, the arrival of this Arbiter and a greater contingent of armed bipeds, and again the extraction of my charges. There was a possibility that the armed bipeds would not return or would be distracted from returning, leaving only the pompous biped and few others. I had escaped from it before. No attempt would be successful without collaboration from the father. The father was key to any escape attempt. At this point, there was no action to take until something changed the status-quo. Exhilarating.
You can take an extra bit of time if you want as I’m not writing anything until October 8-9. So you can have extra week and I’ll manage with just one week.
Just a quick reminder to both ... Piper will post next part on Mon or Sun. Some Guy be ready! You’re not up next I am, but I’m going to try and get it done within a day or two to keep on track.
Here we go. Tried to leave this in a place where there's a few options, but apologies if I've made that difficult. Not the best stuff I've ever done, but there you go. Enjoy! And good luck to whoever's following on. When I awoke, the bloody spots in my vision had cleared. The leg that had been caught up in the trap I had stumbled into wasn't aching anymore. The pain that shot up my side in white-hot rivers had stopped. And I was somewhere new, somewhere I'd never been before. There was a voice: 'The girl stirs. Time to move.' I frowned, half-asleep. I could remember a voice in my head, traces of a dream. Something shifted inside me and I swallowed, blinking in the half-light. I wasn't in that hole in the ground anymore, but I wasn't home. This place was surrounded by trees, and the smouldering husks of trees that had been burned down almost to nothing. A great, metal shape lingered in front of me but it was blotted out by figures, moving in the foliage around me. 'Can't you give her a second? Honestly.' Father. 'Tend to your daughter quickly. She's cost us enough. The Hunt is still on, man, and we need to move.' 'Then move without us, Laysmither. I need to take her home.' I sat up, looking about myself. Someone seemed to have hollowed out a curved, wide nest in the forest and we were camped out inside; me, my father, and the man he'd called Laysmither. There were others too, perched on toppled logs at the edge of the little dwelling, but I'd never seen them before. They looked like humans, but their faces were twisted up and mangled. One of them was about half the size of my father, with heavy belts of ammunition strapped across a bare, scarred chest. He had dark skin and he was bald. His eyes flashed a bitter kind of yellow as he looked across at me. 'I can't allow that,' the man called Laysmither said, shaking his head. 'She's a part of this now. She's involved. And...' He turned to me. His eyes were hungry. Not for me, but for something behind me. Inside me, maybe. It was like the broad-shouldered man was looking through my skin and into my skull. Like he could see... something. 'She's essential to our success,' he finished. 'Father?' I whispered. He appeared before me, laying a hand on my shoulder. 'I'm here, sweetie,' he said quietly, and I threw my arms around him. 'Where are we?' He pulled away, shaking his head. 'The fire, remember? You wouldn't listen. You went to help. And then this man found you. Saved you. As far as I can tell. You're right in the middle of it now, sweetie. The Hunt. We're right in the middle of it.' 'What are we hunting?' I said. Laysmither stood. 'No time,' he said. 'We must leave. Dawn is fast upon us. We can't afford to lose another moment, not if it's still out there.' 'The Realm Lurker?' my father said, turning his head. 'Yes,' Laysmither said. 'That, indeed. Now hurry. If we let it get too far ahead, we'll lose it altogether. More death will result. Let's move.' With that he stepped out of the nest, and a few of the others followed. My father looked into my eyes. 'We're not going with them,' he said. 'I'm taking you home, kid.' 'But he said...' He sighed. 'I know,' he said, closing his eyes. 'More will die. But I can't put you in danger, sweetie. This isn't some fire, you can't just drag people away and soak them and hope that puts it out. This thing is vicious, and it's terrible, and it's not safe. Let me take you home.' 'We should help,' I said, standing up with him. 'Of course we should,' father said. 'But... I've already lost your mother, kid. I'm not losing you too.' Let me talk. 'Let me talk,' I said. I frowned. 'Wait...' 'What?' father said. 'Sweetie, are you okay?' Tell him about me. Tell him why we're special. Why we can help. 'Who...' 'Who what?' I shook my head. 'There's... nothing.' Nothing? Tell him about me. 'I don't...' Father laid the back of his hand on my forehead. 'Shock,' he whispered. 'Maybe. Or you're coming down with a fever.' No. 'No,' I said. I smiled weakly up at him. 'Father, I can't explain this... but I think we should go with them. I think we can help.' He looked at me for a moment. We can. I'll keep you safe, little one. 'I promise,' I said. 'I'll stay safe.' 'You stay with me,' father said. 'And that Laysmither. He's good with a sword, so I'm told. Or a gun. I tell you, I've seen half his arsenal and it's all... gods know the kind of tech he's packing on that ship. I don't think even he knows what half of it does.' I smiled. 'So we can help?' 'We can help, sweetie. But the moment it gets too dangerous, the moment before that, I'm getting you out and I'm getting you home. You stay with me, you stay safe, and whatever this thing is that Laysmither thinks you're bringing to the fight... you make sure you use it well.' We will. 'We will,' I echoed. 'We?' 'I,' I said, shaking my head. 'I will.' With that, we stood up and left the nest, following Laysmither and his soldiers into the forest. * Laysmither told us about the thing as we walked, carving a path from the vines and the foliage as he led the group deep into the forest. He told us where it had come from, what it wanted. The danger we were all in. The soldiers seemed unfazed, but they were all on high alert, pointing their weapons into the trees and into the canopy of leaves above our heads. 'How do we kill it?' my father asked, walking alongside Laysmither. I kept a little behind, eyes darting between the trees. Every sound was a Realm Lurker, every snapping twig was the horrible, half-dead thing that I'd seen underground. 'We can't kill it,' Laysmither said. A weapon that looked a lot like a gun swung at his hip, tacked to a thick, leather belt. It was bulky, coated in rust. 'All we can do is trap it, send it up to the Arbiter. He'll dispose of it, and then he'll grant us our prize.' 'You're hunters,' my father said. 'Isn't the creature the prize?' Laysmither grinned. 'Such delightful innocence. No, good sir, money is the prize. Always, and forever. Money lasts.' 'I see,' my father said. 'So, trapping it - how do we go about that?' Something cracked behind us and I turned my head, peering into the dark. One of the soldiers turned too, but dismissed the noise and beckoned his troop to carry on. Must have been a rat, or a Leatherhead. 'With this,' Laysmither said. I walked forward, watching him as he patted another device on his belt. It was a slim, rectangular thing with a network of buttons on its surface, all red and blue and gold. A line of white, fizzing electricity crackled at its tip. 'One button on this machine releases a pulse strong enough to disable any living thing, temporarily at least.' 'And that's why we've all got these dampers?' I said, tapping the little pin badge that the broad-shouldered man had given me. A little button the size of the pad of my thumb, he'd told me I'd need to keep it on me at all times. I understood, now. 'Exactly,' he said, cutting through a swathe of vines and stepping through the mess of green on the ground. 'That'll keep you -' Listen, said the voice in my head. I paused, frowning. 'To what?' I whispered. 'Who are you?' Just listen. Can you hear it? I froze. All around me, the forest was silent. The soldiers' footsteps and Laysmither's low, husky voice were the only sounds. I opened my mouth to reply. Shh, said the voice. Listen. Then I heard it. Something was moving behind us. Something heavy. It was light-footed, but it stumbled. Like it was injured. Slowly, I turned around. There, said the voice. In the clearing... 'I can't go in there alone,' I whispered, turning to watch as Laysmither led the others through the forest. 'What if it's... the thing? The Realm Lurker?' Then we'll kill it, the voice said. 'How? He said -' He doesn't know about me. He might not be able to kill it, but we can. I stepped towards the clearing; a break in the trees, a dark pit between two trunks that looked as though it led to a hollowed-out glade. The thing was moving through there, trailing over broken branches and crisp, dry leaves. It was close. 'I'm scared,' I said. Good. Scared keeps you looking. I nodded, parting branches and stepping into the clearing. The thing turned around and saw me. I swallowed. Now, let's... oh, hang on. 'What?' I hissed, as the thing moved towards us. This is new, the voice said, and the creature in the clearing lunged for my face and raised its claws. I stepped back, shaking my head. 'You're not a Realm Lurker,' I said. The thing froze, claws still raised. It was dressed in clothes - some kind of costume, like armour. It had the skin of a snake, and its body was narrow and curled. 'What are you?' The creature shivered. It was covered in scales, but it stood like a man. There was a rifle attached to its armour. Its mouth opened and it spoke again, staring at me with something like curiosity in its eyes. 'My name is Tulkan,' it said. 'You know of the Lurker?' I nodded. 'Are you going to eat me?' The thing reeled, neck swelling as its head reared back. 'Eat you? No, I'm going to warn you.' 'What?' 'You're going after the Lurker,' Tulkan said, slithering about me and peering into the trees. 'Are you with him?' 'Him?' 'Laysmither.' 'Yes.' The thing's scales shivered. 'Stay away from that bastard,' it said. 'He will lead you only toward evil. He is evil.' 'What do you mean?' I said. 'He betrayed us,' the snake-creature said. 'All of us. And then he killed me.' * 'He's been leaving messages for the Arbiter all the while,' Tulkan explained. 'Fragments of information. Half-truths and blatant lies. Laysmither is an authority. One of the highest-commended hunters in the galaxy. They trust him. All those that will listen to his bastardised account of this Hunt.' 'You mean... he's been lying?' 'Not just in his report,' Tulkan said, shaking its scaly head. 'To you and your father as well. If what you're telling me is true, you're both in danger.' 'How did he betray you?' I said. 'How did he kill you? You're... well, you're right here.' 'Laysmither is a master of illusion,' Tulkan said. The creature's clawed hand moved to its hip, and I saw blood on its armour. 'He met with us, briefed us all on the Hunt. on the prize. Then he turned on me. Waited for everyone to leave, then he knocked me out and left me on the ship.' 'He said you left with them,' I said. 'That you betrayed the team and he had to kill you. If you're Tulkan... you're dead.' The thing grinned. Sharp teeth glittered in the dark of the clearing. 'Master of illusion. Of lies,' he said. 'Laysmither has a remote. A device he uses to create... visions. He left me on the ship and used the device to produce a replica, one he could use as a scapegoat when the mission went wrong. One he could kill, when it all turned sour.' 'So he left you here and the fake you went with the hunting party?' 'Exactly.' The remote, the voice in my head chimed in. Ask about the remote. 'This remote... what does it look like?' Tulkan narrowed his eyes. 'You'd know it,' he said, 'if you've seen it.' 'Tell me.' 'Well, it looks... like a remote,' the snake-creature hissed. 'A rectangular device. Buttons. And a little strip of lightning at the top.' I nodded. 'So the Tulkan that betrayed the team - that wasn't you? That wasn't real?' 'Laysmither is the traitor,' Tulkan insisted. 'If he can make illusions, like this... is the Realm Lurker real?' 'If it is, your whole world is in danger. If it isn't... anyone close to that man is going to die. He'll slaughter anyone for his prize. For the money.' 'My dad's still with him,' I whispered. 'No,' came a voice from the trees, 'he's not.' Tulkan whirled around as something crashed into the clearing. I stumbled back, shaking my head. 'How did you... how did you know I was here?' Laysmither grinned, raising his sword. He pointed the tip towards the pin badge on my chest and shook his head. 'Did you really think that was a damper?' he sneered. 'I've been listening to every damn word you and this shit-headed snake have been saying.' 'You've been lying to us all along,' I whispered. 'You're going to kill us all.' Laysmither looked up, pressing a button on the remote at his belt. 'No,' he said softly, 'but my friend is.' I looked up and a bright light broke out of the canopy over my head. Something screeched, in the swirling mist of energy, and I fell to my knees. And this is where I come in, said the voice in my head. Everything went black.
Thanks. I’ll give it a read in a minute then sleep on it. Some Guy - I’ll try and get my bit started and finished by tomorrow.
Mistakes? ETA: if you're talking plot holes, I apologise, but I might add that it's inevitable with three different writers and writing styles, especially with a "no discussion" rule. And plot holes, of course, are something that can be fixed in post.
I’ll do my best, but at this point I thinks it’s necessary to point out the inconsistencies so they don’t grow further. I’m going to have to write something carefully. This was an experiment after all. I’m going to write a VERY short piece (so I can edit it on the fly if need be) and then throw it back to you guys to amend the previous two parts and then write your final bits. Then I’ll finish the story as best I can - if anyone else wants the last ‘act’ they can, but I’m more than happy to do it
