|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:08 pm
Once of the worlds largest and most luxurious malls, it is now a shell of it's former self. A place known for being a hedonist's paradise, as prostitution and drugs run rampant along many of it's thoroughfares. It is also common hunting ground for those of the Thieves Guild. The mall opened up several years after the catholic take over, and has always been strongly aligned with them.
An interesting sight, the mall appears to be only one story and only around 2000 feet across. However, once one enters the building, one realizes that this is simply an entrance to the underground Goliath that is the USA mall.
The building itself is deeper in the earth than even the catacombs themselves, and even the speed elevators, which are placed throughout the entrance, take a minute to reach the bottom at 80 mph. Luckily, several gravity manipulation devices have made it possible to attain such vertical speeds without human bodies being tossed around like rag-dolls.
In case of fire, there are several emergency escapes. However, these are considered only for severe emergency use only, as they lead into the catacombs, though a safer area, as it is closer towards the entrance.
Once one is down on the ground floor, One sees the remnants of this once grand structure. While many stores are still open, others are simply husks waiting and wishing to be filled. Many of these are broken into and used as a hangout and home for rambunctious teenagers and those left homeless. The grandeur of the mall is masked by the near infinite amount of graffiti, which seems to cover every surface, not just limited to the walls. In recent years, security has been increased tenfold, so while crime still runs rampant, the general public has regained a feeling of safety within these walls. This has caused this mall to be overcrowded at various times, most notably on the weekends.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:25 pm
A busy weekend day at the mall. not the most busy day at the mall, but fairly crowded. And a very important detail that everyone who's went to this mall would do well to notice is being entirely overlooked. In the north-east corner of the mall, twenty-three tiny screws are causing an iron door to come apart. One of the few emergency doors leading out of the building. All the screws begin falling, now. All of them fall except, that is, for the last screw. This screw stops at around a foot of the ground for several seconds, spinning in a sedated manner. The screw then quickly flew off into the crowd.
The door followed, at roughly the same speed.
Around twenty people were slain, from this door. People panicked, rushing away from the sliding door that was not grinding, but slipping to a halt in a pool of blood. The people swarmed away from the opening in the door, and headed for the speed elevators. Unfortunately, there were similar screams emitting from the elevators, as they came speeding upwards, but they quickly fell silent. Similar screws had loosened themselves, and caused the failure of the gravity manipulating mechanism. As they went upwards, a slow trickle of red matter oozed down the wells.
At that moment, it seemed that all that was real were the screams. The bodies, pushing past each other, all trying to avoid the blood.
From the opening on the door, a figure finally emerged. It was that of a person. A man, if one wished to call it that. He calmly floated outwards several feet above the ground, the blood slowly flowing towards him. The screams fell in volume slowly, until it all disappeared. Men and women tried, fruitlessly, to make noise. Anywhere in the mall, any electronic communication would suddenly be made immediately useless.
"There, now that's much better, don't you all think?"
The man spoke it with a small smile on his face, showing a near reluctance to what he was about to do. The voice was gentle and quiet, yet it reached everyone throughout the mall.
"Now, let's begin."
Slowly but forcefully, the people around him would feel a tight compression inside their body. Each person began bleeding from various orifices, slowly collapsing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 2:27 pm
Aaron silently appeared behind a green graffiti covered dumpster. He stood there momentarily to straighten his tweed suit coat, which along with his matching dress pants, white collar shirt and black dress shoes, made him the image of upper management. Unless you knew who he was, which few did, one would never give him a second glance. Aaron wouldn’t have it any other way.
He headed towards the entrance of USA mall, noticing how no one was coming or going and finding this quite odd. Once inside, he found the main building to be equally deserted. He headed for the closest elevator, and once at it, pressed the down button. Not surprisingly, the doors reminded closed. With a slight frown he put his hands between the crack where the doors meet and pulled them apart. Blood flowed quickly out of the elevator once the doors opened and Aaron couldn’t help but feel he had found what he was looking for at last. Steeping inside, he waved his hand lazily, causing all remnants of blood to flow out of the elevator. He waved his hand once more, ensuring his suit was clean of bloodstains, before pulling a strange circular device from his coat. It was about the size of a coaster, with an odd blue glow about it. He laid it down, and stepped out of the elevator. A blue flash emanated from the strange device, and just like he suspected, the floor was gone upon reentry into the elevator.
He jump into the empty shaft.
He allowed himself to fall about halfway down the shaft, before pulling a metal stick, that was maybe a foot long, out of his coat. He held it in his hand for a few moments before it extended, sticking its now sharp ends into the sides of the elevator shaft. His fall slowed and when he reached the bottom of the shaft, he was completely ready. With one deep breath and a final straightening of his hair, he pried the doors open and steep into the main area of USA mall.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:30 pm
The flood of people around Gasten expanded tremendously. He began his slow progression through the silent mall. People fell at his feet, convulsing, until their body lay still and pale, the blood having been drained from it.
Gasten cocked his head, and looked around slowly during his progression. His gentle voice resonated throughout the entire mall now, speaking.
"Hello? Do we have a guest? Please make yourself known, Aaron. Friends always have a place at my..."
With this, a tiny pause, followed by a smirk.
"Table."
As of the moment, Aaron would seem un-touched by the wave of draining death oozing it's way through the mall.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:06 pm
"Ah so it is you Gaston.” Aaron replied, his voice carrying.
He took a step towards Gaston, then stopped, and looked around. A look of mild disappointment appeared on his face.
“So, this is where you chose to make your grand reappearance? I must say I’m surprised. While it suits your needs well enough, I thought you would chose someplace…..”
He stoped to pick an eyelash off of his suit .
“cleaner.” He finished, droping the eyelash to the ground.
He started calmly walking towards Gaston, making sure to step around any bodies that were near him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:58 pm
"Clean? You always were a b*****d, Aaron."
Gasten quickly moved towards Aaron, and stopped ten feet in front of him. His feet lightly touched the ground, and he slowly accepted gravity.
"Come. Give your old friend a hug."
Gasten's arms spread wide, asking for an embrace.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 10:21 pm
"Ah, come now Gaston. I don't know where you've been, and you know how I get. The Plague is currently my prime concern. It’s been on the rise for months now. Still, I’d love to talk; perhaps we could head to Bastion Labs? There are a few things we need to discuses.” Aaron slowly took a few more steps foward, almost as if he was waiting for Gaston to make a move, but made sure to make it not seem forced. It wasn't hard, he walked cautiously most of the time anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:16 am
"Oh, I've just spent my time in the place most of you suits are too ******** afraid to go."
With this sentence, the gentle voice slowly started to change. There was almost a growl in it now, a sort of gruffness ripping at the vocal chords.
"The sewers."
With that Gasten steadily continued his walk towards Aaron.
"I shall not be going back to Bastion, as I have found that their environment is only counterproductive towards my magic. Too... clean. Also, with that little trick they did, of deciding that my research was too dangerous, I'm not too fond of them anymore."
Gasten cracked a smile, holding his hand to one side of his face.
"But come. Give me a hug."
All of a sudden, to no one but Aaron, the world would seem to start... melting. Gasten being the first, his head bursting into flame and melting his torso, like some sort of macabre candle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:38 am
Aaron watched the world change, and smiled.
"Cute trick, and an overall excellent example of why you are bound to fail. So flashy, and not just this spell, but your plan as a whole, saying I understand it fully which, and you will have to pardon my arrogance, I believe I do. If it were me for example, I would have continued my research at Bastion, but in a way that would make the suits at Viasoft think I was engaging in other endeavors, ones they find more “image friendly”. That way, I would be able to fund my research. And while I may not have dived into the practical use as deeply as you, I do believe I understand the magic as a whole more then you do, and that is why….." His eyes closed and he looked as if he was having a minor headache, but in truth was useing a counter spell, to return the worl to normal, which it did for him.
“you should trust me when I say your effort will not net you the results you desire.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 1:21 pm
With the dis-spell, Aaron would find his face only an inch away from Gasten's. A warped smile had spread cheek to cheek, as he stared into Aaron's eyes.
"And who says you know that result?"
Ever so quickly, Gasten's hand would shoot for Aaron's throat, at a near blindingly fast speed. A jingle came along with it, and a silver bracelet with turquoise baubles hanging off of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:41 pm
The hand found it mark, and Aaron was not surprised, at least not as surprised as one would expect. He had run countless simulations on this meeting, and while Gaston was faster and stronger then the sim had accounted for, his action was one of those that had been predicted. Still, real life and something that happens on a screen are two very different things, and this caused Aaron to hesitate for a moment. But the moment passed, and without a word or an action to indicate his intentions, Aaron brought his staff upwards towards the chest with enough force to flip a semi. Saying it hit, he intend to pull back a few steps and get into a defensive position.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
