Comments | realmofmother: Teams 1, 2, 3: From the Hook in the Egalgina

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Teams 1, 2, 3: From the Hook in the Egalgina

Jul 19, 2006 17:03

You find yourselves in a strange, impossible dome. Enormous, with red ribbed peeling walls and a harsh red light streaming down from a hole at the very top of the thing. Your voices echo, though your footsteps do not, and there is the loud and distracting sound of a heartbeat coming from what seems to be all sides of you. On the wall ahead of ( Read more... )

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Into the Labyrinth domina_igne July 20 2006, 02:06:45 UTC

The very last thing Liz wanted to do in here was actually seek Walter out, because she has spent enough time with him to last her for several lifetimes, thank you.

But this is what they have to do, and as the ritual goes, fire comes first. She casts what she fervently hopes is not a last look at this band of buggered happy few and moves, telling her feet every step that yes, of course this is the direction they want to be going, toward the doors.

They swing open with a yawning shriek before she can touch them, which is definitely not a good sign.

Beyond the double-doors lies darkness, and multiple pathways before them. This is something of a labyrinth, of wet flesh underfoot, rusted grating and walls, and the omnipresent suffocating atmosphere.

Of course this is how it is. Maybe at this point brightly lit, linear hallways would have just caused her brain to implode. She looks at John and Warren and wants to tell them to be ready, but there is no ready, and there never was. Now there is not even the illusion.

"This is it."

Re: Into the Labyrinth red_rooms_child July 20 2006, 02:09:56 UTC

"Yes."

The sound of guns being cocked beside her.

"IT IS."

Re: Into the Labyrinth thefireofasaint July 20 2006, 02:16:59 UTC

Tapped out? John grimaces and unleashes an abrupt spray of fire, not unlike the result of wrenching the cap off a fire hydrant. It really hurts to do this, and not in a helpful way, but the satisfaction of burning Walter -- even if it does very little -- is what he's focusing on.

Re: Into the Labyrinth red_rooms_child July 20 2006, 02:22:54 UTC

Walter is knocked against a wall by the flames, his only shot fired going off in a wild direction. He pushes himself up and takes aim again, from farther away, firing rapidly at them.

Re: Into the Labyrinth venus_afflicted July 20 2006, 02:31:29 UTC

Tense, his shoulder tight as Warren waits for it. He doesn't expect Walter to make it easy. Hell, he half wasn't expecting him to show at all, just to make them sweat.

His whole body snapping too as he brings both hands up and flings the fire at Walter, carefully angling himself to try and not, you know, throw it in John's face or anything stupidly lame like that.

Re: Into the Labyrinth red_rooms_child July 20 2006, 02:35:56 UTC

The fireball hits his shoulder, sending his spinning around twice. He continues firing during it, sending bullets all around. He puts a hand out and stops himself on the wall, then starts to charge them, still on fire.

"Now you burn, stupid fire-persons."

Re: Into the Labyrinth unbroken July 20 2006, 02:50:01 UTC

He's doing his best not to just start shooting at the monster- if they're going to hit him with the fire, now's the time to do it. Henry needs to be ready to say the words and be the 'holy one' for this.

So that's what he does. He doesn't close his eyes this time- he doesn't quite need to. The connections between him and this place and that man are so keenly felt already. He tugs on the link, feeling it rip through his scars again, those numbers of "21121" on his chest. The pain starts up in his head again.

Focus, Henry. Focus. You know what you need to do.

The pain fades slightly, or maybe it's just a shifting of priorities. Chanting nonsense words fill his head, a constant whispering that sounds almost like humming, coming from everywhere. It's louder this time, but he doesn't spend any effort wondering why.

He starts speaking, and it comes out in the same gutteral muttering that only he hears. But according to him, he's speaking the words: "Hear the cries of the sinner, Oh God, and by my command, look upon him!"

Re: Into the Labyrinth red_rooms_child July 20 2006, 02:56:50 UTC

Walter seems confused for a moment, hearing the words. He shakes his head for a moment, then continues to charge.

Re: Into the Labyrinth thefireofasaint July 20 2006, 03:02:35 UTC

John can see Walter vaguely through the heat shimmer and the glazed focus he has on maintaining his stream of fire. He carefully lifts the lighter so that Liz and Warren can see it.

"Wanna see if he goes explodey again?" He's still using very-very-quiet voice, as if speaking normally would disturb his effort.

Re: Into the Labyrinth domina_igne July 20 2006, 03:06:55 UTC

"He will," Liz tells him grimly, and that's all that there's time for.

If Liz were still in any way Catholic, or maybe if she had the spare thought either way, she'd be crossing herself. She'd never quite managed to forget those strange, mumbling sounds, but hearing them again still sends a shiver of fascinated nausea rippling through her.

Don't pass out. Don't pass out.

She grips John and Warren by the shoulders, hoping really hard that she didn't just grab Warren's bullet-wound. The last time they'd done this Henry had hit hers, but this is not making way for an angry Hindu goddess.

In truth, she has no idea what this is doing, she just knows it has to be done now. The words without the fire mean nothing, and fire without the words to amplify them is less than that ( ... )

Re: Into the Labyrinth venus_afflicted July 20 2006, 03:15:36 UTC

Whether she took hold of the bullet wound or not shall not be mentioned. Even if she did, he wasn't saying a damn word. Wouldn't like feel it at this point. He's worn and tired and feels charred from the inside out.

Looking over at John, not even sure how his fire works now but he knew it couldn't hurt. He could feel it, sense it, the air suddenly thick in his mouth and stinging his eyes. And he feeds it.

Growling, a low rumble as the flames crawl. No fast snap, no blast, not anymore. But they're there. Up his arms, lapping over his chest and back until he's pretty sure his hair's singed and the ink itself has been evaporated from his back. And he feeds that fire into this thing, giving it to whatever power it is growing between them, to John and drawing from it at the same time.

Re: Into the Labyrinth red_rooms_child July 20 2006, 03:35:34 UTC

Walter reaches the 20 ft. mark and pulls a hatchet from his jacket. He still seems a bit unsteady.

Re: Into the Labyrinth thefireofasaint July 20 2006, 03:41:40 UTC

Screw the lighter, this is -- he actually holds onto it for a second, feeling what Liz gave him as a tangible high, like fire might come out his eyeballs and he'd be okay with that. But it occurs to him, distantly, that Helena might be a little upset about that, and he absently reaches up and presses the ring against the bruise on his chest.

And the fire simply slams out of him, no gestures, uncontrolled except for the implacable target that is Walter. He can feel Warren, too, and it's funny, he finally realizes how little of what Liz taught him he'd been using this entire time. He'd taken the power for ignition, and ... used it only for that. But now, with what she feels, what she can call up when she needs it, he can understand better why control is hardly even a factor.

It's probably a good thing this will never happen again, and that he'll never be able to open himself to this kind of flow, because the control he's had all his life makes this virtually effortless. He even pushes a little at Warren, like nudging shoulders but ( ... )

Re: Into the Labyrinth red_rooms_child July 20 2006, 03:47:40 UTC

The inferno hits Walter at point-blank range, incinerating a good deal of his body and sending him flying straight through a section of wall, then skidding along the ground, several times, to come to rest as a flaming heap of charred flesh.

"Mrrghgh...brblgh.." is all he can get out.

The leprous mass is currently trying to reform the damage done. If one would look closely, they could see faces and hands trying to claw their way out, only to be held fast and suppressed.

Re: Into the Labyrinth unbroken July 21 2006, 00:30:47 UTC

Good. That was enough. He had a feeling it would be. That's about as much thought as he can put into it. He has to stay focused; if he doesn't, he's going to slip one way or another. Slipping means being useless or dangerous and both of those mean death for everyone here.

Water next...he fishes the ampoule out of his pocket. It's such a small amount. But then they didn't have very much last time, either.

But he has to get close enough- he doesn't trust his aim. He starts running towards that mass of hands and faces. "Get back!" he manages to blurt out to his family.

Re: Into the Labyrinth thefireofasaint July 21 2006, 00:47:53 UTC

John gives Henry the patented Sherman-Townshend splutter that passes for communication in their household, primarily during situations that require shouting 'are you crazy?!' but shouting isn't feasible/warranted/desirable.

Technically, theoretically, he should be able to just walk away and not have any problems continuing to long distance pummel Walter's scorched remains. In practice, though -- oh, fuck it. He breaks away from Liz and Warren to follow Henry, adding the traditional instruction of 'do as I say, not as I do' by shooting a "stay there" look at Warren.

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