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 Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:45 pm
This wasn't about saving people. It wasn't about changing the world, or about doing the right thing, or about building up strength. Ilmenite wasn't an exterminator: he was just annoyed. So he was hunting the things down.
He'd found one already. It had swatted him and disappeared down a long length of alleyway and rounded a corner while he was shaking a dazed head and trying to regather scattered wits. By the time he'd gotten back to his feet it was well out of sight, left him snarling and grumbling and swiping dirt out of his hair as he followed. He really wasn't very good at this.
Now he'd found it again, as it lumbered down another alleyway. They'd started in the nearly-dead part of the city largely dominated by warehouses and parking lots, but now they were on the move toward more active areas where people moved about their nightly business, largely oblivious to the danger.
Ilmenite made a noise and stumbled to a halt in the alley, cursing the damned shoes one more time. He looked around for something to throw, stooped to grab an abandoned piece of pipe and toss it at the creature's head.
"Hey, rock head!" Not particularly clever. He made a note to work on his witty phrases. And his throwing, for that matter -- he missed the creature cleanly, and it only turned at the sound of his voice.
Then Ilmenite realized that duct tape was a pretty terrible weapon against a rock monster.
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:06 pm
Mica was trying out her Negaverse crystal thing for the first time. According to it, there was a fellow Nega somewhere nearby. Running along rooftops, she hoped the crystal was right, otherwise she’d be very annoyed.
Hearing a metallic ring and a shout, Mica leapt down from the roof and continued on foot, spying some sort of hulking creature – made of rock? – and what she would’ve mistaken for a giant leprechaun if not for the crystal telling her otherwise.
Looking up from the glowing crystal with an arched eyebrow, she took the boy in, him and his shiny weapon and muttered,“ Really?”
Duct tape? Mica wanted to see if a newly corrupted soldier wind up with a rubber chicken for a weapon. It wouldn’t surprise her. Anyway, since her comrade wasn't being beaten to a pulp...
" Go for its vulnerable spots."
She'd amuse herself with pop culture references. It's not that she didn't care, she just wasn't sure it he'd appreciate her cutting in. Okay, that and she didn't feeling like offering a hand unless necessary. After all, what did she have to gain from fighting a rock monster? Nothing, that's what.
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:13 pm
"...very helpful, thanks." It was a low grumble, only shooting a quick look up at her before he stooped for another segment of pipe and locked his eyes back on the shambling creature. It had turned -- ponderously, it had turned -- and now it opened a mouth full of stalactite teeth to moan at them and took one stumbling step forward.
In a moment, it would find its balance, find its pace, and the stumble would turn into a shamble and then a staggering sort of run. Ilmenite wrapped both hands around the pipe and shifted into an awkward-but-serviceable batter's pose. He was gawky, awkward, not built right for this, but someone at some point had obviously given him pointers.
"If you have any idea of what its weak points are..." He just took one step back. Not that he was retreating or anything, just bracing. "...or how it could be taken down with duct tape..." Okay. A second one. "...now would be a great time."
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:26 pm
“ Don’t think duct tape’ll do much good. Got a jack hammer?”
Alright, that particular comment was probably unnecessary, but to make up for it Mica had banished her crystal to her subspace pocket and summoned her pimp cane. It was better then duct tape, even if not by much. At least it was better then duct tape, or so Mica thought.
Walking forward slowly, she eyed its mouth before asking, “ Tried jamming something down its throat?”
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 7:58 am
"I saw someone destroy one, once." But he sounded skeptical, his eyes locked on the creature instead of on her, still holding the baseball bat rather firmly in his hands -- and the duct tape hanging loosely off his belt. Maybe he'd figure out some way to make use of it, someday. Not tonight.
"I missed what he did, though. I mean. He was small and standing behind..." Any more conversation was wiped out as the beast roared at them, a moaning roar that grated and vibrated. As it opened its mouth, Ilmenite threw the pipe again.
It bit down on it, spat it back toward them. So much for that idea. He made a small noise, ducking as the pipe flew past.
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:14 pm
So hitting the rock monster didn’t do any good, and it didn’t have much in the way of weak spots. Trying to drain its energy would be a stupid idea for several reasons. It could probably be blown up, but Mica wasn’t in the habit of carrying dynamite. To her mind, that left one course of action.
“ I don’t think we should bother fighting it. It’s a pile of rocks, we can outrun it or lose it in the city.”
Acrually, Mica wasn’t interested in losing it. She wanted to see how it ran, how it behaved. If there was any way she could use this monster to her advantage, she would.
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:43 am
"That's stupid." Direct, with another flick of a look up at her as Ilmenite scrambled back a few steps, and almost lost his balance. Heels. Heels. Damnit. They made him that much taller and more awkward. This time, after a moment's hesitation, he reached for a trash can lid.
"Za-Zink told me that he saw someone kill one of these things once. Out of uniform, I mean, not...yeah." So he steeled himself a little, drawing in a couple deep breaths, his eyes raking over her cane. "How about, instead, I distract it from the front and you knock it upside the head from behind?"
A solid plan. He beat once on the trash can lid; it rang out loud enough to get the creature's attention and draw it in another few steps. It was also loud enough that a young woman leaned out to peer down the alley at them with big, overly-made-up eyes, her boyfriend grumbling at her.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:50 pm
“ Alright, your call.”
The tone in Mica’s voice suggested she didn’t think it would work, but she’d go along with it… for now. As soon as the going got tough, Mica would get going. She wasn’t about to risk being crushed to death by a questionably intelligent rock when she could be doing better things, like collecting energy.
Mica began to inch around the side, keeping an eye on the monster in case the banging didn’t keep its attention.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:13 pm
At the end of the alleyway, the woman started talking to her boyfriend in a hushed tone of voice -- or, rather, what was meant to be a hushed tone of voice. Instead it carried, echoing down the alley, not quite loud enough to understand the words but definitely loud enough to get the creature's attention.
As its head turned, eyes just lighting on Mica, the unnatural light behind its expression narrowing to focused slits, Ilmenite growled out a low curse and hopped forward a few steps, banging on the lid again. "For Christ's sake, hit it or something!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 4:14 pm
Repressing the desire to roll her eyes – ungrateful and pushy – Mica paused long enough to gather herself, seeming to coil inwards before she sprang out and lashed out with her cane, whacking the monster where its neck met its shoulders.
CRACK!
Eyeing her cane, which was now held together by a splinter, she quickly sidled to the side and shot the other Lieutenant a sardonic look.
“ Good plan.” She muttered as she banished her broken weapon to her subspace pocket, watching the monster for its reaction. She suspected she had done more damage to her cane then to the rock creature.
Glancing down the alley, an idea struck Mica. Not too far past the chattering twit and her boyfriend, just a warehouse or two over, there was a fairly deep retention pond. Last Mica checked, rocks didn’t swim too well. Of course, convincing the creature to take a swim might be difficult.
Well, unless the monster had some… assistance. Mica’s eyes slid briefly to the gawkers.
“ Let’s drown the thing before it can hurt anyone else.”
Mica’s voice was just loud enough to be heard by the civilians. Hoping she had their attention - yes, look at the heroic vigilantes fighting the unnatural menace - Mica gave Ilmenite a look and walked to just outside the monster’s range.
“ Well, come on you stupid b*****d. Come get me.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:00 pm
It hadn't been much of a blow; the cane had snapped, perhaps, but at the same time, it knocked pebbles from the creatures back and made it groan out slowly in pain. Her strike had hit across one of the spines down the back of its neck, had caught against a protruding stone, and had shaken loose great hunks of the rock like tearing skin. She'd hurt it. Not necessarily wise, considering the furious way it turned on her.
She was looking at the gawkers when it started to advance on her, and just danced out of the reach of its fingertips, leaving it grasping at empty air. Again it moaned, the people at the end of the alley staring in wide-eyed fascination, even the boyfriend who'd been hoping to get his girl home fast...
"Uh." Ilmenite hopped and stumbled out of the way of falling stones, huffing out a breath as he shot them a look. They smashed almost to powder as they hit the earth. "Uh. Yeah. Right."
So he got his trash can lid and followed, not quite sure what he was supposed to do. "Make more noise. Or, uh, hit it again?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:13 pm
“ Hit it, annoy it, just keep its attention.”
Mica couldn’t give better suggestions because really, she wasn’t sure what would work. Picking up a rock, she threw it at the monster, not sure if it’d even feel it hit. Heck, knowing her luck, getting hit by a rock might heal the blasted rock monster.
Regardless, Mica didn’t want to split her attention for too long; for all she knew, the creature could be fast in short bursts. Leaning away from its grabbing hands, Mica took several steps back, trying to lure the monster into following. She almost wished the thing could move just a bit faster so this annoying dance could be done with.
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Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:47 am
Ilmenite didn't have half so many concerns. He froze just a moment and then, grumbling to himself and wondering why he'd thought this was a good idea he kicked into motion, throwing everything he could at the creature and running as fast as he could in those damned heels to catch up some with Mica.
It stumbled and grasped after them, groaning helplessly, pieces crumbling off every time they struck it. Not much good at grabbing, and it was falling apart, but it kept following them as they went.
At the end of the alley, the drunk girl stood in the way; Mica was probably going to have to elbow her and her boyfriend aside to get out and past and toward the water.
"Who are you?" Ilmenite sounded more annoyed than anything, as if she were more obstacle than aid. Or as if she were to blame for his failure so far.
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Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:36 pm
It was easier to tease the monster forward with help, meaning that surprisingly enough, the lanky soldier was proving useful. Mica would never have guessed that.
“ Lieutenant Mica.” She answered shortly before twisting her head slightly to look at the drunk girl and her attachment. As she drew even to the girl, she put a hand on her shoulder in was supposed to be a caring gesture and gave the girl a gentle shove back.
“ Y’all stay behind me, alright? ‘s better that way.”
Lieutenant Mica of the Negaverse, a hero; plausible, but unlikely. She had a plan, an idea of how to use the resources available, one that included drunk civilians. She could only hope that her comrade could think fast, because she had a suspicion one of the civilians wasn’t going to appreciate her plan.
“ Almost there.”
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 am
"Were you following me?" He ran out of things to throw and froze for a moment before hissing out a sigh. Ilmenite darted ahead a few more steps, mock-saluting the beefcake boyfriend and rooting around to pull out his weapon.
He wondered, idly, if his duct tape would forever refresh itself: would there always be more? Could he turn a profit on that?
For now, he just tore off long hunks and threw balls of the stuff at the monster. And he'd thought that the weapon had been useless. Fancy that. The creature continued lumbering down the street after them, growing and groaning, starting to fall to pieces more earnestly. Its integrity had been broken.
"Don't know how I feel about that..." His teasing, the mockery, was weakened some by the fact that the physical effort of this had left him somewhat breathless. That'd teach him to smoke.
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