Fantasy The MPC Rushes Story, Cont.

[Arkadious]

-A faint cry from the far side of the room calls out: "Over here, quickly!!!"


Blott looks over her shoulder and sees a small child, possibly a girl, no more than twelve, dressed in dingy rags, her platinum hair covered in dirt. Her eyes are wide like a does she looks terrified. Urgently, she tries to wave everyone over before darting down the hallway and slipping into a narrow passage that one would not see if one were not looking

 

[ArtBlott]

She almost fell over at the abrupt change in direction, but Blott managed a hard right, waiting for Lisbeth, or anyone really, to decide whether to follow the suddenly appearing street rat. She looked to her bird, but it gave no indication of opinion. Of course not. She hesitated, staring at the rend in reality and swallowed nervously, a small dribble of black ichor oozing out the side of her mouth. Nope, not waiting. She took off towards the narrow hall, grabbing her hat to keep it firmly on her head.

 

[slee77]

"Wait!! I chose this place as a store house because this earth was abandoned!!"

 

[Genevieve Moulin]

Genevieve, panting as everyone came to a halt, pulled on the clothes she'd managed to grab before they broke into a run: a close fitting pair of chocolate-colored pants, a too-large linen peasant blouse that kept falling off one shoulder and a deep blue scarf she wrapped twice around her waist and tied at the hip.


"Fitz, do you have an extra dagger? Mine's gone missing. And I don't like the look of that little girl's eyes."

 

[Lisbeth Walpurgis]

"Whatever that kid is, we have to go after Blott!" Lisbeth protested as she started for the narrow hall that their friend had headed down.

 

[Genevieve Moulin]

Genevieve nodded. "Let's go. Fitz, a weapon?"

 

[slee77]

"Here!!" Just like in Istanbul" it was in fact the sword she trained with. He had gone back to get it.

 

[Arkadious]

-The small girl pokes her head out of the narrow passage to see if anyone is following, spots Blott and Lisbeth and waves urgently before darting back down the narrow passage, barely wide enough for a full grown adult. As Blott and Lisbeth come up to the narrow passage, the can see a whip of fabric as the girl scampers down the winding passage, which seems to have materialized from elsewhere for the stone and brickwork were replaced with barren earth, roots protruding haphazardly, waiting to snag on an uncareful soul's colthing. The rumbling from the fissure grows louder, as do the threats being bellowed from The Other.


RUN, MOTHER, BUT I WILL FIND YOU!!!! I WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU!!!!!

 

[Lisbeth Walpurgis]

The bellowing of Thanatos sparked something within Lisbeth: a cold defiance. Perhaps it was the swords in her hands, the Fangs of Arachne, just like she had Written them to be. They thrummed with icy power, wreathed in a fine mist.


"Go," she told Blott, then turned to the rest of her companions as they caught up, "All of you go. I'll be right behind you."


She smiled a crooked grin.


"And don't worry, I'm not foolish enough to sacrifice myself. I will be right behind you."

 

[ArtBlott]

Blott reached out and awkwardly patted Lisbeth's shoulder. She lingered, but the words wouldn't come. Good luck? Good bye? Another rumble shook the ground.


"We'll see you soon."


She nodded once, and turned on her heel, plunging into the dim light of the earthy tunnel. Her shoes caught the roots, and she almost fell as she ran. Her left arm throbbed, reacting, perhaps, to the darkness filling the room behind her, or maybe to whatever was up ahead. She sped up.

 

[Arkadious]

-The air splits again with the ungodly shrieking of Space/Time being torn apart and slowly, a figure pulls itself from the fissure. The Other steps into Fitz's once sacred retreat and turns toward Lisbeth, grinning maliciously.


Come now, Mother, you don't really believe you can hurt me, do you? Your own "Flesh" and "Blood"? Your Meddler thought he could put you away from Me, but he was only delaying the inevitable.


-With each arrogant word, The Other slowly strides towards Lisbeth, His form becoming more solid and corporeal. He raises one hand slowly and uncurls his fist, revealing in it a once beating human heart, savagely ripped from the breast in which it beat, crimson ichor dripping like sickly sweet molasses from His hand onto the floor, quickly soaked up by the layers of dust.

 

[Lisbeth Walpurgis]

Lisbeth gritted her teeth, her heart hammering... or at least, it should have been. Instead she felt... nothing. She was afraid, there was no denying that, but nothing was moving in her chest.


And she knew why. She had to laugh, it was so simple. So that was why she had fused with one of her characters: the girl made of snow, who had no beating heart.


"I know your weakness," she cried, grinning, "I Created you! And I made you full of pride and confidence. The classic fatal flaw: hubris."


She barely waited for the rest of her companions to pass before she struck. Her hair flowed out long in a shimmer of icy blue, all color left her skin until it was the pure white of fallen snow, and her eyes became the shade of bright aquamarines. A golden circlet sat upon her brow, the large jewel on the front encasing a scrap of blue silk fabric.


"I am the immortal Bodyguard and Assassin to the Throne of Snow!" she cried, "And I cannot die!"


She fired an icy blast from the twin swords, forming them into balls the size of canon shot. The first took the Other, Thanatos, full in the chest, though the second went wide and demolished a pile of wooden crates. Still, the hit pushed him back, even if it didn't seem to damage him much. In a blur she was on top of him, running on instinct, on the skills that were not her own. She lashed out with both blades, scoring a hit on his chest and thigh, thick blood oozing from the wounds.


She knew that she would have precious seconds to act. She was damn sure that he hadn't expected this, but he would only remain unbalanced for so long. She dropped one of the Fangs of Arachne and reached into her pack, drawing out the red stone and pressing it to the wound on the Other's chest.


"In the name of Blood and Bone I bind you.


In the name of Sun and Moon I bind you.


By Autumn, Summer, Winter, Spring I bind you.


Feronia! Oberon! Morana! Titania!


In thy names let this creature be bound!


THANATOS! I BIND THEE!"

 

[slee77]

Fitz turned back as he was making sure everyone was in to see a clash of light pure and white. Brilliant blue and white. "What the hell?!"

 

[Arkadious]

-Thanatos howls in pain and rage and throws Lisbeth off of Him. He staggers momentarily then rears back to deliver a powerful blow to Lisbeth, but before He can a sudden tremor racks his body. He stumbles and groans then looks about wildly as His body starts to become incorporeal once again. He staggers to His feet and frantically tries to rip the pulsating Stone from His chest. A torrential wind kicks up from the fissure and Thanatos is drug back in, almost as if an invisible person had reached out and snatched him violently. Wild, arcane energy starts spewing forth from the fissure as Thanatos is drug back in, screaming and cursing while stile trying to rip the Stone from His wound.


-The rest of the party, save Fitz, are following after the dirty raggamuffin, deeper and deeper down the winding passage. Blott has to pause frequently to wipe the ichor from her mouth, leaving grisly handprints on the bare earth walls when she has to reach out and steady herself. Fitz stands at the entrance to the narrow passage, mouth agape at what he just witnessed when suddenly the whole room gives a violent shudder, as if the reality upon which it is made is caving in on itself. He yells out to Lisbeth...


-As the walls start to crack and split, Lisbeth prepares to join her companions as Thanatos is jerked into the fissure. After is has completely consumed Him, the fissure spits out the Blood Stone, skipping across the floor towards Lisbeth as if it were flung from the other side...

 

[Lisbeth Walpurgis]

Lisbeth grabbed and pocketed the stone, her hair, skin, and eyes darkening to their normal shades as the power left her. She retrieved her swords and stumbled toward Fitz, but her body suddenly felt quite heavy, and she lost her balance as the floor shifted. She crashed to the ground, crawling, but the room was spinning and everything was getting so dark...

 

[Genevieve Moulin]

"Get Blott," Genevieve said, grabbing Altamonte's sleeve, her eyes set. "Take her and get out of here. I'll get Lisbeth."

 

[Genevieve Moulin]

She didn't give Altamonte time to react because she knew he would have stopped her. But they weren't going to get everyone out of the passage alive if they didn't split up. Genevieve raced down the passage, hands outstretched to keep her balance. The room shifted again, she fell, sliding toward Lisbeth. Both of them on their hands and knees, Genevieve put her arms around Lisbeth's midsection to drag her toward the door.


"Don't stop now, Writer. We're nearly there."


The rumbling grew louder. They dodged large chunks of earth and stone falling from above, Genevieve trying her best to shield Lisbeth from the worst of it.

 

[Lisbeth Walpurgis]

Lisbeth's body was ice cold to Genevieve's touch. Her limbs moved stiffly, but through sheer willpower she forced herself to keep crawling. She felt the wooden floor give way to dirt beneath her hands, and then she could feel roots tugging at her clothing. The fissure. They'd made it.

 

[Arkadious]

-From further down the passage, Lisbeth and Genevieve can hear the small voice of the young girl, echoed by Blott, "Hurry!!! It's not safe out there!!! The passage is going to close, you must get over here!!!


-The Blood Stone tucked away within Lisbeth's pouch glows brightly and she hears a familiar voice in her head, "MOVE, NOW!!! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!"

 

[slee77]

"Where are we and where are we going?!?

 

[Lisbeth Walpurgis]

Lisbeth nodded to Alaster. She knew better than to argue with a Reaper.


She reached deep, and for a moment saw the faces of those she had held dear. Even if all of the memories were not truly her own, they gave her strength, and she dragged herself to her feet, leaning heavily on Genevieve as the other woman helped her. Together they loped down the passageway, roots and vines tearing at them. Ahead, the narrow crack that marked the exit grew even narrower. With claustrophobia clawing at the edges of her mind, she burst through the tight opening into the freedom of the chamber beyond. She blew out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, and the passage closed with a bone-shaking thud.


After a moment she realized that she was still clutching Genevieve's hand, and her cheeks colored as she let it go.

 

[ArtBlott]

"We're in a tunnel, and we're going that way?" she said via crow, now running with a hand over her mouth to try and stop the near-constant dribble of slick black stain from oozing from her mouth. She didn't care it was smearing on the wall any more. It could spread and grow and if it became a problem, she would deal with it when she could breathe again.


And just as suddenly as she had ran into the hall, she ran out. Clearing the entryway and entering the...where ever she had fled to, she stumbled off to the side and braced against the wall to pull herself together again.

 

[Arkadious]

-After clearing the passage just before it sealed shut, Lisbeth and Genevieve collapse on the otherside, panting. Fitz rushes forward and scoops up Genevieve, clutching her tightly and berating her for trying to stay behind to save Lisbeth, calling her a brave fool. Lisbeth coughs then slowly stands to her feet, taking in their new surroundings. From an abandoned warehouse, thru and bare earth tunnel and out into, the back allies of England? That can't be right. But even as she shakes her head, Big Ben gongs in the distance, marking the hour as two in the morning. She glances around again, looking for something to give a clue as to the When in which they arrived. Off to the side, Blott coughs and spits up a nasty wad of black ichor. Scowling, she wipes her mouth as her Crow flits around, landing on a windowsill and looking down at her. After taking a moment to collect themselves, everyone turns to the opening of the alley, expecting to see the raggamuffin young girl, but find it completely deserted. From the rooftops above them, hidden in shadow, a solitary figure watches them...


-As the walls around him shudder and implode on themselves, Alaster strides boldly forward towards the shrinking fissure from whence Thanatos came. He removes one of his serrated scythes from his satchel and prepares to jump thru the quickly diminishing fissure. With one final look around the crumbling warehouse, the Reaper plunges headlong into the fissure, at the same time the narrow passage that his companions retreated through seals shut, vanishing as if it had never existed. Shortly after plunging into the fissure, it collapses in on itself, causing the rest of the warehouse to completely implode on itself, ceasing to exist in all of Space/Time. As he hurtles thru the fabric of reality, the Reaper grips his scythe tightly, preparing himself for whatever waits on the other side. His eyes glow crimson and the faintest of smile plays along his lips as the thought of catching and destroying The Other crosses his mind...

 

[Genevieve Moulin]

Genevieve didn't argue as Fitz called her a fool, his voice cracking. She buried her face in his chest, felt his rushing heartbeat against her cheek, tried to slow her own breathing.


When the wailing began, she looked around with concern to Blott and Lisbeth. But as the sound quickly grew, reverberating through her body, she recognized the piercing scream. Not a cry--a siren.


"No," she gasped. "I've made this jump before. London 1940. We have to get off the street NOW!"

 

[Arkadious]

-Just as Genevieve came to the realization as to the When that they were tossed into and yelled to warn her friends, the first of the shells began to drop and explosions started to erupt throughout the city as the Nazis bombed London. Suddenly, the lack of life in the streets made much clearer sense. Everyone was taking cover from the air raids. A flash of movement on one of the rooftops caught Genevieve's eye but before she could act upon it, Fitz and the others were taking her and rushing to find cover. Further down the alley and around the corner, a manhole was left uncovered, leading down into the subway system...


-Minutes? Hours? Days? Eons? The Reaper didn't know how long he was tumbling thru the void but just as suddenly as he had dived into it, he was expelled out. Raising himself to his feet and dusting himself off, Alaster cast an eye around this new Where that the void had vomited him up into. It was an arid desert, massive sand dunes off in the distance. Wind was wiping up grains of sand, pelting and stinging his exposed skin. Raising one arm to shield his face, he cast a glance upward and noted the sky was vastly different from Earth's. It was saturated a deep red, as if blood-stained, and it held not one but THREE suns, beaming down angrily. He shook his head a loosed his collar, already filling beads of sweat forming on his brow. Though he was a Reaper, and thereby typically not bothered with the trivialities of heat or cold, this Where with its three suns was different and he did not like it. As he glanced back down he noted a trail of footprints in the sand, heading off into the distance...