Post by Maya on Apr 4, 2015 14:44:41 GMT -5
The hissing of pressurized air was the only sound that could be heard in the chamber from the closing of the air lock behind Maya, the door acted like a barrier of peace between herself and the rest which bothered her so; though she had found herself somewhat more able to stand the constant moans of those that sent word or request they still couldn't compare to the overall relaxing nature of being by herself. Pressed up against the whitewashed wall with a subtle sigh her eyes glanced across the room which it now found herself in; the simulator chamber, for all intensive purposes it hadn't been so much as a mistake but by choice that she should find herself here, yet being the only one which currently occupied the room Maya hardly cared much at where it found herself to be. Eyes shutting for a time Maya let the slow gentle hums of the machines fill its senses, unlike those with organic parts the sweet tune of machines were easier on its mind, less harsh and the communication sped along much faster. How long had it been since it had last stepped foot within these walls? Maya had to think on the thought for a short while, eventually its thoughts of tampering with Nasu's own simulation came flooding back to her, and when he fell to the ground slightly delirious; Maya thought he might die... but he did not... shame at least from Maya's view point. During her tampering Maya had thought to enter the program herself and see what it would be like to take part in a world conceived of her own thoughts; was it controlled by the users whim or was there some deeper cause which drove the machine. It had long thought to dive into the machine further than its own prior encounters had let it... there was time now, was there not? All the plans for the invasion had been set in stone, hardly any changes could be made though she saw no reason as to why they should have been; troopers were well stocked, all transport vehicles were working at peak efficiency and the plans of attack were being taken care of by Akassa, her general and Nasu, with the latter of the two Maya was unsure their chances were very high in success but it wasn't one to second guess Akassa's choices... even if those choices were to keep Nasu around; at least he was good for taking hits and getting back up on his feet.
Eyes lids rising open Maya took stride away from the side of the room heading towards the main console which sat directly in the center of the room; various buttons and nobs rest on the face of the panel though she had altered the state of the simulations before Maya never directly touched the controls in times prior, she was unsure as to exactly each one did; random tests would surely adhered results but she wasn't about to find herself stuck in a unknown space and or time. Overall it was better if direct accesses was given, this way it would not be buttons which controlled the flow of operations but herself. Uncertainty held tight in Maya's chest with her hands approaching the base of the machine, pushing away such thoughts as lingering unknown possibilities her fingers shifted slowly into a silver like liquid as they stretched like strings down to the console; finding small cracks and other access ports in the machines exterior Maya connected with the hardware of the simulator. Like looking through a window Maya could see all that there was to offer within the codes of the machine, its mainframe now a part of her mind, yet only temporary till she disconnected herself from it. Maya was glad to see the stability of the machine still held in place from its latest repairs; after M1Y1 had removed a dangerous virus from within the palace walls the simulator was in deep need of repairs, of course having caused the majority of the damage the burden was left on its shoulders alone to see to its various repairs. While the rest of the systems within the palace and the Empire that sat around the building had been upgraded past that of which they held before Maya had left the simulator out of the operations, while it had dived into the machine on a few occasions the technology was still fresh in its mind, further study would need to be required in order to see any future improvements... maybe that could be the purpose of today's objective. Maya couldn't fight the fact that while witnessing the effects of Nasu's own simulation events it had wished to be a part of it as well; exploring places that never existed and see what they had to offer, mostly in the terms of information however.
There wasn't a doubt to hold in her mind that this was Maya wished to do... yet she was apprehensive about the whole ordeal, while it did seem like an experience which she should under go to expand its mind there was the fact the machine had show technical issues in the past though her main concern was with Nasu's own trail. During the course of his training Maya had witnessed and helped to craft a more difficult challenge for the "would be" king of Saiyans if ill fate were to ever befall Akassa, even still something had caused a disturbance within the chamber, something which Maya itself still could not find understanding in. Time and time again Maya had gone through the records of that day, the coding in which held all of what happened within the simulator of the occurrence... nothing showed as an error though, as if the duration of the event had never happened; her own data banks showed no anomalies of such event though her memory painted a much clearer picture. Test after test had been performed after the event in the moments between her work, without my solid result however, leading her into a dead end.
A choice was being formed on reward against gain, something which could be calculated in sheer numbers, as of late though Maya saw a change in its person which thought less of probability. A fork was forming within its mind, one side weighing towards going forward with the process without further concerns while the other wished to stay away from the machine entirely with so many unknown hanging in the air.
Shuffling her feet back and forth Maya felt unsettling within her mind but without taking steps out of her comfort zones then she would never learn more than what something on a screen could have told her; life was experience new things and learning from them, at least thats what she had come to expect. Nodding at the though Maya went on with the plan, she was going to use the machine, though what would lay beyond the realm she was in now was yet to be known. Having a front row seat to Nasu's own simulator mishaps Maya knew that whatever was generated within the walls of this room was all just bits of code that meshed together to form a mental image inside the person's mind, none of it was real, so there was no real physical threat... mentally however... that was another story. Maya wondered it Nasu was aware of such things while he was trapped within the chamber, death was only fake within its walls, that nothing mattered, each cut, every foot in the grave was just programmed into his thoughts... then again thinking that much would cause his brain to ignite like a star.
Kicking the gravity into effect of the room air escaped from her body from the quicken force it applied to her, it was but a small bump in the road, each time the gravities effect seemed to lessen slightly with her body becoming used to its pressures soon enough it would be like a normal stroll rather than walking with boulders strapped to her arms and legs. Maya had learned that Akassa went through trainings similar to those that Maya was about to preform, over time it strengthen her, making her able to within stand forces that would normally cripple a man but she... she could walk through them as if she was born that way... almost naturally.
"Start link."
Before the hum of the nearby machine could reach her ears a blinding flash of white filled Maya's eyes, over come with the intensity of the burning flare she covered her face and waited, like a flash bang going off in her face it took some time before the white splotches dissipated from within her eye lids leaving a dull shade of color to be seen through the thin fleshy skin of her eye lids. Not wanting another repeat of what had just happened Maya was slow uncoil herself from the guarded position she had placed herself in; eyes winching against the bright light beaming down on her Maya peaked through a gap in her protective arms to see a new lush world around her, though beauty was not its strong point. Gnarled roots each one tangled around the next as they tore through the soil in which the murky, muck cover trees rested in; thick sticky air lingered about making breathing all the more difficult, all in all it was one hell of a swamp. Unshielded herself Maya took a small rotation of the area, never before had she seen anything of the sort let alone this close before, it was quite the sight for the young alien especially with her feet soaked with the ankle high water. Dragonfly like creatures resting on stumps, moss caked rotten logs and the occasional chirp from some where deep beyond the building mist that filled the surrounding area; standing amongst it all Maya stood for a short time letting her new surrounding soak into her senses, while the place held an rustic beauty Maya needed to find her bearings before setting out to see what there was to offer her out here.
A deep tremor tore at the air with the trees shaking from the roots high up into their quiver leaves, a voice... no... a creature of sorts called out from within the swamp surroundings, it was unlike anything Maya ever heard before, there was more to it than what the surface told however. Wounding grunts could be heard in the wavering sound, like trapped with an world of unyielding pain but even worse the sound was moving, gaining in strength with every passing second. Crackling tree limbs and crushed earth could be heard with the creatures gait; each long stride within the area could be felt, as if its presence forced the air around it to shift; suddenly it stopped, the world was still, as if everything had ceased to exist for a moment. Having been frozen in place Maya shifted its feet in the soggy earth as she took in her surroundings, it was eerie; moments prior lovely song birds whistled sweet songs while small bugs flew around in the skies but now... there was not even the gentle lick of the wind on her cheek. Keeping her cool Maya watched and listened for anything out of the ordinary, any small sound could be heard now though all she could make out was her even smooth breathing, something that bothered her more than what loomed beyond her vision.
Ahh!
A flash of glittering red flung out across the open area splattering a fine trail of blood onto the nearby earth, gasping for breath Maya toppled over from the rendering wound on its backside. What was this... this... feeling... this pain? The over whelming sense fluttering inside Maya mind as it struggled to keep its focus from fading in and out, never before had such a sensation had the pleasure of resided within Maya's body. Hand reaching towards its backside Maya flinched at the presence of something warm leaking over its hand, moving her hand in front of her face her eyes grew wide at the sight she saw before; it was blood.
"How... how is this possible?"
Maya watched in awe; lips quiver Maya was at a loss of words for what she was experiencing. She was inorganic, she had no blood, she could not feel pain! What was happening? This was just a simulation... how could it seem as if this was real... Nasu had gone through something similar but Maya had no idea... it could seem so real. Having known what it was experience wasn't real Maya did her best to keep a level head but with the powerful new sensations it was difficult to keep focus on anything that wasn't pain or confusion.
Caught up in the powerful waves of nausea and pain Maya forgot about her surroundings and the the deep marks that tore into her flesh, most importantly the entity that inflicted so much pain into her. Thudding like a weight dropped on the floor the noise charged upon Maya as she lay huddled on the ground; just glancing up in time Maya saw the looming creature, its thick plated black skin, bulging muscular arms with sharp claws that extended from each finger, it was the yellow hellish flames that burst from its body that told Maya this thing was not natural and something which she needed to get away from and now! Pain surging through her body Maya managed to roll from the direct path of the charging beast, kicking mud and grass as she went the beast tore chucks from the mushy soil as its claws struck the spot where she was seconds ago. Not waiting to see if the creature would take its advance on her once more Maya jumped to her feet, taking long strides Maya ventured away from the beast and deeper into the swamp.
Running through the thick waters and in between the trees was difficult but all the more so as Maya tired to generate lift off from the ground, but try as she might no amount of focus seemed to active her abilities; with no other choice her feet were the best choice to transportation as of the moment. Every step sent shocks of suffering through her slender body; pain, how could anyone live with such a thing, it was unbearable, why would anyone in their right mind stand to exist with such a thing in their life? Keeping her hand placed on the gaping wound Maya kept to a quickened pace balancing her levels of pain with her speed, already she could hear the trudging movements of the creature moving upon her trail, there was no way of knowing if the beast could sniff her out but the blood marks she created were more than a dead give away. Leaning onto the limb of a broken tree Maya took a second to catch her breath, more than a few question needed to be asked of what was going on but she was only one there to ask them to.
"None of this is right, why- why can't I fly? Why does- Ah! Why does this hurt? What is all of this?"
The words echoed inside her head like a screeching bat only to be left unheard by another. Crashing down through the base of the rotting tree came the creature, its massive weight snapping the tree in half as if it was made of paper itself; having not heard it this time Maya fumbled backwards into the water with a slash, shocked it lay there soaking wet in a state of shock. Cringing in pain from the decaying, bacteria ridden waters she struggled to pull herself from the entanglement of roots and rotting plants. Grunting with an natural voice Maya turned to see the glowing yellow eyes of the creature upon her, its slack jaw expelled a black cloud from its corners; without another passing second it moved, its sharp claws glinting in the dull light of the sun. Closing its eyes Maya yelled out as her leg extending out from her body and struck the creature in its guts, moaning with the forceful kick the beast stopped for a moment; eyes cracking open slowly Maya saw its foot planted directly against the creatures body though no damage could be seen something had effected it. She kicked, again, and again and again and again! Maya kicked over and over each time the creature was pushed back a few inches from where it stood, the power was proving to do something but the pain seemed to be artificial; with one final kick Maya put everything she had into as the beast went falling onto his back into the twisting roots of the swamp.
There was no time to see if it was dead or even knocked out, untangling herself from the twisting roots Maya took off deeper into the swamp; Maya saw the creature fall but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it would be back on its feet in a matter of seconds, it anything she had just stalled its movement; she was the prey and it was the hunter.
"I feel... so weak... Did I want this... somewhere in my thoughts? To be challenged? Or is this the simulator?"
To much was holding on her mind without answers and the beast that followed her wasn't about to sit down for some tea and talk to her about them.
Stumbling over a root Maya collapsed out into an open area, unlike the one she had come from before the ground was not soil but a stone platform that stood out from the sunken waters of the swamp. With scrapped knees are elbows Maya pushed herself up letting her eyes scan over the area, compared to the packed surroundings of the swamp this was a godsend, an open area would give her advantage without the creature being able to sneak up upon her. Dripping with the brown waters of the swamp Maya crawled her way onto the stone area, her torn water soaked clothes sticking to her skin as she moved her way onto the higher sections by the means of a carved out staircase.
"What is this place? Why is there a structure in the middle a swamp like this?"
Looking around at the crumbling pillars which once held a roof above the stone area Maya studied the hand carved marks from the tools that had been used to create the structure; the ruins appeared to resemble some type of religious or place of ritual long passed. From the weathering and lack of any type of maintenance whoever used the structure had long moved on or the practice was well out of date, either way knowing wouldn't help her in the slightest bit.
Without the direct presence of the creature at her back side the adrenaline which pushed Maya was quickly dwindling down, pushing herself up to the nearest pillar Maya rested for a moment. Maya knew so little about those of organic nature, blood was a foreign concept but she understood that it was needed to live, with enough of a loss she would soon slip from conscience and then... well death was a mere shadow in this world for her, once that happened she would waken in the palace once more; at least she hoped.
The oddest feeling began to take over Maya, like pain and blood this was new... her eyes wished to close; she was... sleepy? Unlike the other two Maya sorta of enjoyed this one, it was gentle, it felt as though everything that once mattered was something of a another world; why didn't everyone just slip into a sleep and stay that way forever... it was so peaceful. It couldn't be over yet though, she had just come into this world, there was so much to explore with her own eyes to have it end this way and the beast was still out there, lurking beyond her vision... would it attack again or just wait till she collapsed into a pool of her own blood.
"Urrg"
A clawed foot slammed into the stone platform sending a shock wave through its surface, snapping Maya from her dream like state her eyes grew wide with the sudden appearance of the creature; being as heavy and muscular as the beast was Maya was impressed by its swift nature and its active ability to stay as silent as the winds. Eyes meeting Maya she watched and waited, having seen its speed Maya calculated how soon it could be upon her from where it stood and with distance of its arms it would have to be at least seven feet away from her before it could lash out at her directly. Narrowing her eyes Maya nodded her head just as the beast seemed to take flight through the air towards her, stumbling out of the way just as its reared its arm back Maya managed to barely dodge from its path as it struck the pillar directly. With the wear and tear from over the years it was only a matter of days before the pillar would have collapsed by itself but the added force from the creatures massive arm would do in this case, shrieking from the crushing force of the five ton pillar the beast rolled with the stone slab as it smacked it upon the head. Falling down the steps it was continuously hit by both the ground and the pillar till they came to a rolling stop at he bottom of the stairs; silence held heavy on the air as Maya watched the fallen figure... it wasn't dead. Small grunts came from the creature mouth with a plume of black mist coming from its nostrils, sparks of yellow flames erupted from its chest as it was slowly moving around on the ground; what was it that this thing was made of?
Stumbling up the staircase Maya made whatever distance that it could have away from the creature before it would recover from the massive blow it had taken, at this point it was hard to tell who was closer to death; as it fell Maya could have swore she heard a few snaps from its body, at least a few of its bones had been snapped... she hoped, given the creatures size and strength it was had to judge just what actually happened within its body. Coming to the top of the stairs Maya crawled with a blood trail that formed behind her, down on her hands and knees she took what few seconds she had to gather her breath; how others managed to fight with such fragile body was beyond the grasp of her mind. Eyes darting down the stairs they fell upon the beast, already he had managed to claw his way back onto his feet.
"This thing is about as smart as Nasu but its body is as thick as his skull...."
Maya shook its head back and forth as she looked ahead once more, it was unlikely that it would fall for another tumbling pillar on to its body... it was always worth a shot but if this creature had the potential to learn it would not fall for the same tacit twice and even as stupid as Nasu was he held the ability to understand simple maneuvers in combat and see through them. There needed to be someth- it was then that May's eyes fell onto the alter in the center of the platform- at least what appeared to be an alter of some sorts; a row of what was once candle holders were now rust covered from their years of sitting in the elements not even bits of wax could be seen left on their surfaces. Resting in the center of the stone table sat a worn out weapon of sorts... or what resembled one at least; unlike those made of steel or iron the long scythe was crafted from stone like those it sat on, an odd material to create any weapon out of; most likely it was for made for rituals and not for fighting... but what was to stop her from using it incorrectly.
Taking a wobbly step forward Maya took a grip in the middle of the stone shaft, it was cool to the touch as shivers were sent down Maya's backside, an odd but pleasurable feeling. A grunt passed Maya lips as she pulled the scythe from the table, with the damage that her body had taken her strength seemed to be slipping from the life that leaked from her back side even still the weapon should have been heavier than it appeared to be. Holding the weapon in both hands Maya shifted its weight from hand to the other allowing her to get a firm idea of what to expect of it as a weapon, light but the the edge of the blade seemed about as sharp as sponge, long since it had a good sharpening but who knew what effect it would have on the beast below.
With the scythe in had Maya hobbled down towards the lip of the stairs, glancing down at the beast it limped up the stairs, each step sending a grunt through the hazy black fog that enveloped its face, making it so that all that Maya could make out was the yellow splotches on its body. Gripping the stone shaft with her nimble finger Maya's eyes narrowed on the creature, there was only once chance here, already her view was fading in and out through the smokescreen that covered most of its body it was hard for her to tell just were it was in the mist. Having to compute the information it had on the creature the chances of a successful strike given its current status was hovering about seventy-eight percent and dropping every second, if she was going to strike it needed to be now and apparently the creature thought the same as it stopped in its tracks letting its black screen complete take over its form.
Crouching at her knees Maya turned the scythe blade towards the creature as it butt rested in front of her shoulder, accuracy was key here and with the length of the blade it was going to be a difficult strike and even more difficult to do it while both where moving. In a flash both moved, a blur of a glinting claw and the dull stone tore through the blacked veal; finishing a few steps down from where she was Maya stood above the final steps.
Yellow flames burst through the creature as it roared out into the swamp, like charges of C4 had been loaded inside its body small explosion were set off across its skin from a large tear in its flesh exposing its inside to the world around; gripping at the hole in its side the beast tried desperately to hold its body in half but the yellow flames where quick to completely take over its body. A final roar came from its mouth as a black slush rolled from its face and onto the ground, light streaming from its eyes the beast huddled over as its body exploded in a shower of blacked skin plates with a yellow light exploding into the sky.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs Maya stood hunched over, the scythe standing at attention gripped at her side ready to strike once more. Eye lids fluttering she sluggishly looked down at her side were a large portion of her body was tore to bits from the creatures racking claws on her side; blood gushing from her body the scythe slipped from her hand as its clattered on the stone ground. Falling onto the ground Maya spun on her back as she met the floor, dazed, the life was slipping from her body... but for once she felt at peace. Eyes shutting out the light from the outside Maya was left in a sensation less state, her mind was in a fog, no longer did she care of anything but this restful place she had found... but it was a voice that called out from the darkness shifted her mind before she slipped away.
"Oi, what de have 'ere? Ah... poor little lass... think she'll 'ake it Hir'ros?"
"Huuuuuuuuuurh...."
Like breaking from a nightmare Maya's jerked from the floor in a dazed and confused state; eyes darting around the white washed room she was quick to calm down but still she lingered on the cool floor. It had all been the simulation... but.... Reaching around to her backside she touched the wounds that no longer existed, not a slight scarp or cut could be found on her body. There was some relief to be hand with the knowledge that her body had not taken any damage, yet she still worried over what had just taken place. Clearing her mind of what had transpired Maya dusted herself off and stood from the chilly floor, enough had been done for one day, and there was still other items to take care of today.
Shutting down the program the gravity lifted from the room so that the next person to enter would not be crushed upon arrival. Leaving the console behind Maya crossed the door towards the pressurized door way, reaching out for the activation switch she paused though she wasn't sure why. Nervously she turned around to face the room once more, though she wished she hadn't. There on the floor it laid, the scythe, however it was no longer stone but pure black... just like the creature... just like the beast.
Tech learned-
Scythe of the Beast- A mystical scythe that Maya received from a simulation gone awry. Black as a starless sky the scythe is made of a dense unknown materiel, and is able to slice through most objects given the user has appropriate strength.
Tech learned-
Blitzlash- A wave of yellow energy emerges froth from Maya's scythe, unlike a normal slices from her weapon each one carries the same strength as herself. Can be used multiple times in a row creating a blitz of energy slashes through the air at her targets.
Word Count:
4978
Eyes lids rising open Maya took stride away from the side of the room heading towards the main console which sat directly in the center of the room; various buttons and nobs rest on the face of the panel though she had altered the state of the simulations before Maya never directly touched the controls in times prior, she was unsure as to exactly each one did; random tests would surely adhered results but she wasn't about to find herself stuck in a unknown space and or time. Overall it was better if direct accesses was given, this way it would not be buttons which controlled the flow of operations but herself. Uncertainty held tight in Maya's chest with her hands approaching the base of the machine, pushing away such thoughts as lingering unknown possibilities her fingers shifted slowly into a silver like liquid as they stretched like strings down to the console; finding small cracks and other access ports in the machines exterior Maya connected with the hardware of the simulator. Like looking through a window Maya could see all that there was to offer within the codes of the machine, its mainframe now a part of her mind, yet only temporary till she disconnected herself from it. Maya was glad to see the stability of the machine still held in place from its latest repairs; after M1Y1 had removed a dangerous virus from within the palace walls the simulator was in deep need of repairs, of course having caused the majority of the damage the burden was left on its shoulders alone to see to its various repairs. While the rest of the systems within the palace and the Empire that sat around the building had been upgraded past that of which they held before Maya had left the simulator out of the operations, while it had dived into the machine on a few occasions the technology was still fresh in its mind, further study would need to be required in order to see any future improvements... maybe that could be the purpose of today's objective. Maya couldn't fight the fact that while witnessing the effects of Nasu's own simulation events it had wished to be a part of it as well; exploring places that never existed and see what they had to offer, mostly in the terms of information however.
There wasn't a doubt to hold in her mind that this was Maya wished to do... yet she was apprehensive about the whole ordeal, while it did seem like an experience which she should under go to expand its mind there was the fact the machine had show technical issues in the past though her main concern was with Nasu's own trail. During the course of his training Maya had witnessed and helped to craft a more difficult challenge for the "would be" king of Saiyans if ill fate were to ever befall Akassa, even still something had caused a disturbance within the chamber, something which Maya itself still could not find understanding in. Time and time again Maya had gone through the records of that day, the coding in which held all of what happened within the simulator of the occurrence... nothing showed as an error though, as if the duration of the event had never happened; her own data banks showed no anomalies of such event though her memory painted a much clearer picture. Test after test had been performed after the event in the moments between her work, without my solid result however, leading her into a dead end.
A choice was being formed on reward against gain, something which could be calculated in sheer numbers, as of late though Maya saw a change in its person which thought less of probability. A fork was forming within its mind, one side weighing towards going forward with the process without further concerns while the other wished to stay away from the machine entirely with so many unknown hanging in the air.
Shuffling her feet back and forth Maya felt unsettling within her mind but without taking steps out of her comfort zones then she would never learn more than what something on a screen could have told her; life was experience new things and learning from them, at least thats what she had come to expect. Nodding at the though Maya went on with the plan, she was going to use the machine, though what would lay beyond the realm she was in now was yet to be known. Having a front row seat to Nasu's own simulator mishaps Maya knew that whatever was generated within the walls of this room was all just bits of code that meshed together to form a mental image inside the person's mind, none of it was real, so there was no real physical threat... mentally however... that was another story. Maya wondered it Nasu was aware of such things while he was trapped within the chamber, death was only fake within its walls, that nothing mattered, each cut, every foot in the grave was just programmed into his thoughts... then again thinking that much would cause his brain to ignite like a star.
Kicking the gravity into effect of the room air escaped from her body from the quicken force it applied to her, it was but a small bump in the road, each time the gravities effect seemed to lessen slightly with her body becoming used to its pressures soon enough it would be like a normal stroll rather than walking with boulders strapped to her arms and legs. Maya had learned that Akassa went through trainings similar to those that Maya was about to preform, over time it strengthen her, making her able to within stand forces that would normally cripple a man but she... she could walk through them as if she was born that way... almost naturally.
"Start link."
Before the hum of the nearby machine could reach her ears a blinding flash of white filled Maya's eyes, over come with the intensity of the burning flare she covered her face and waited, like a flash bang going off in her face it took some time before the white splotches dissipated from within her eye lids leaving a dull shade of color to be seen through the thin fleshy skin of her eye lids. Not wanting another repeat of what had just happened Maya was slow uncoil herself from the guarded position she had placed herself in; eyes winching against the bright light beaming down on her Maya peaked through a gap in her protective arms to see a new lush world around her, though beauty was not its strong point. Gnarled roots each one tangled around the next as they tore through the soil in which the murky, muck cover trees rested in; thick sticky air lingered about making breathing all the more difficult, all in all it was one hell of a swamp. Unshielded herself Maya took a small rotation of the area, never before had she seen anything of the sort let alone this close before, it was quite the sight for the young alien especially with her feet soaked with the ankle high water. Dragonfly like creatures resting on stumps, moss caked rotten logs and the occasional chirp from some where deep beyond the building mist that filled the surrounding area; standing amongst it all Maya stood for a short time letting her new surrounding soak into her senses, while the place held an rustic beauty Maya needed to find her bearings before setting out to see what there was to offer her out here.
A deep tremor tore at the air with the trees shaking from the roots high up into their quiver leaves, a voice... no... a creature of sorts called out from within the swamp surroundings, it was unlike anything Maya ever heard before, there was more to it than what the surface told however. Wounding grunts could be heard in the wavering sound, like trapped with an world of unyielding pain but even worse the sound was moving, gaining in strength with every passing second. Crackling tree limbs and crushed earth could be heard with the creatures gait; each long stride within the area could be felt, as if its presence forced the air around it to shift; suddenly it stopped, the world was still, as if everything had ceased to exist for a moment. Having been frozen in place Maya shifted its feet in the soggy earth as she took in her surroundings, it was eerie; moments prior lovely song birds whistled sweet songs while small bugs flew around in the skies but now... there was not even the gentle lick of the wind on her cheek. Keeping her cool Maya watched and listened for anything out of the ordinary, any small sound could be heard now though all she could make out was her even smooth breathing, something that bothered her more than what loomed beyond her vision.
Ahh!
A flash of glittering red flung out across the open area splattering a fine trail of blood onto the nearby earth, gasping for breath Maya toppled over from the rendering wound on its backside. What was this... this... feeling... this pain? The over whelming sense fluttering inside Maya mind as it struggled to keep its focus from fading in and out, never before had such a sensation had the pleasure of resided within Maya's body. Hand reaching towards its backside Maya flinched at the presence of something warm leaking over its hand, moving her hand in front of her face her eyes grew wide at the sight she saw before; it was blood.
"How... how is this possible?"
Maya watched in awe; lips quiver Maya was at a loss of words for what she was experiencing. She was inorganic, she had no blood, she could not feel pain! What was happening? This was just a simulation... how could it seem as if this was real... Nasu had gone through something similar but Maya had no idea... it could seem so real. Having known what it was experience wasn't real Maya did her best to keep a level head but with the powerful new sensations it was difficult to keep focus on anything that wasn't pain or confusion.
Caught up in the powerful waves of nausea and pain Maya forgot about her surroundings and the the deep marks that tore into her flesh, most importantly the entity that inflicted so much pain into her. Thudding like a weight dropped on the floor the noise charged upon Maya as she lay huddled on the ground; just glancing up in time Maya saw the looming creature, its thick plated black skin, bulging muscular arms with sharp claws that extended from each finger, it was the yellow hellish flames that burst from its body that told Maya this thing was not natural and something which she needed to get away from and now! Pain surging through her body Maya managed to roll from the direct path of the charging beast, kicking mud and grass as she went the beast tore chucks from the mushy soil as its claws struck the spot where she was seconds ago. Not waiting to see if the creature would take its advance on her once more Maya jumped to her feet, taking long strides Maya ventured away from the beast and deeper into the swamp.
Running through the thick waters and in between the trees was difficult but all the more so as Maya tired to generate lift off from the ground, but try as she might no amount of focus seemed to active her abilities; with no other choice her feet were the best choice to transportation as of the moment. Every step sent shocks of suffering through her slender body; pain, how could anyone live with such a thing, it was unbearable, why would anyone in their right mind stand to exist with such a thing in their life? Keeping her hand placed on the gaping wound Maya kept to a quickened pace balancing her levels of pain with her speed, already she could hear the trudging movements of the creature moving upon her trail, there was no way of knowing if the beast could sniff her out but the blood marks she created were more than a dead give away. Leaning onto the limb of a broken tree Maya took a second to catch her breath, more than a few question needed to be asked of what was going on but she was only one there to ask them to.
"None of this is right, why- why can't I fly? Why does- Ah! Why does this hurt? What is all of this?"
The words echoed inside her head like a screeching bat only to be left unheard by another. Crashing down through the base of the rotting tree came the creature, its massive weight snapping the tree in half as if it was made of paper itself; having not heard it this time Maya fumbled backwards into the water with a slash, shocked it lay there soaking wet in a state of shock. Cringing in pain from the decaying, bacteria ridden waters she struggled to pull herself from the entanglement of roots and rotting plants. Grunting with an natural voice Maya turned to see the glowing yellow eyes of the creature upon her, its slack jaw expelled a black cloud from its corners; without another passing second it moved, its sharp claws glinting in the dull light of the sun. Closing its eyes Maya yelled out as her leg extending out from her body and struck the creature in its guts, moaning with the forceful kick the beast stopped for a moment; eyes cracking open slowly Maya saw its foot planted directly against the creatures body though no damage could be seen something had effected it. She kicked, again, and again and again and again! Maya kicked over and over each time the creature was pushed back a few inches from where it stood, the power was proving to do something but the pain seemed to be artificial; with one final kick Maya put everything she had into as the beast went falling onto his back into the twisting roots of the swamp.
There was no time to see if it was dead or even knocked out, untangling herself from the twisting roots Maya took off deeper into the swamp; Maya saw the creature fall but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it would be back on its feet in a matter of seconds, it anything she had just stalled its movement; she was the prey and it was the hunter.
"I feel... so weak... Did I want this... somewhere in my thoughts? To be challenged? Or is this the simulator?"
To much was holding on her mind without answers and the beast that followed her wasn't about to sit down for some tea and talk to her about them.
Stumbling over a root Maya collapsed out into an open area, unlike the one she had come from before the ground was not soil but a stone platform that stood out from the sunken waters of the swamp. With scrapped knees are elbows Maya pushed herself up letting her eyes scan over the area, compared to the packed surroundings of the swamp this was a godsend, an open area would give her advantage without the creature being able to sneak up upon her. Dripping with the brown waters of the swamp Maya crawled her way onto the stone area, her torn water soaked clothes sticking to her skin as she moved her way onto the higher sections by the means of a carved out staircase.
"What is this place? Why is there a structure in the middle a swamp like this?"
Looking around at the crumbling pillars which once held a roof above the stone area Maya studied the hand carved marks from the tools that had been used to create the structure; the ruins appeared to resemble some type of religious or place of ritual long passed. From the weathering and lack of any type of maintenance whoever used the structure had long moved on or the practice was well out of date, either way knowing wouldn't help her in the slightest bit.
Without the direct presence of the creature at her back side the adrenaline which pushed Maya was quickly dwindling down, pushing herself up to the nearest pillar Maya rested for a moment. Maya knew so little about those of organic nature, blood was a foreign concept but she understood that it was needed to live, with enough of a loss she would soon slip from conscience and then... well death was a mere shadow in this world for her, once that happened she would waken in the palace once more; at least she hoped.
The oddest feeling began to take over Maya, like pain and blood this was new... her eyes wished to close; she was... sleepy? Unlike the other two Maya sorta of enjoyed this one, it was gentle, it felt as though everything that once mattered was something of a another world; why didn't everyone just slip into a sleep and stay that way forever... it was so peaceful. It couldn't be over yet though, she had just come into this world, there was so much to explore with her own eyes to have it end this way and the beast was still out there, lurking beyond her vision... would it attack again or just wait till she collapsed into a pool of her own blood.
"Urrg"
A clawed foot slammed into the stone platform sending a shock wave through its surface, snapping Maya from her dream like state her eyes grew wide with the sudden appearance of the creature; being as heavy and muscular as the beast was Maya was impressed by its swift nature and its active ability to stay as silent as the winds. Eyes meeting Maya she watched and waited, having seen its speed Maya calculated how soon it could be upon her from where it stood and with distance of its arms it would have to be at least seven feet away from her before it could lash out at her directly. Narrowing her eyes Maya nodded her head just as the beast seemed to take flight through the air towards her, stumbling out of the way just as its reared its arm back Maya managed to barely dodge from its path as it struck the pillar directly. With the wear and tear from over the years it was only a matter of days before the pillar would have collapsed by itself but the added force from the creatures massive arm would do in this case, shrieking from the crushing force of the five ton pillar the beast rolled with the stone slab as it smacked it upon the head. Falling down the steps it was continuously hit by both the ground and the pillar till they came to a rolling stop at he bottom of the stairs; silence held heavy on the air as Maya watched the fallen figure... it wasn't dead. Small grunts came from the creature mouth with a plume of black mist coming from its nostrils, sparks of yellow flames erupted from its chest as it was slowly moving around on the ground; what was it that this thing was made of?
Stumbling up the staircase Maya made whatever distance that it could have away from the creature before it would recover from the massive blow it had taken, at this point it was hard to tell who was closer to death; as it fell Maya could have swore she heard a few snaps from its body, at least a few of its bones had been snapped... she hoped, given the creatures size and strength it was had to judge just what actually happened within its body. Coming to the top of the stairs Maya crawled with a blood trail that formed behind her, down on her hands and knees she took what few seconds she had to gather her breath; how others managed to fight with such fragile body was beyond the grasp of her mind. Eyes darting down the stairs they fell upon the beast, already he had managed to claw his way back onto his feet.
"This thing is about as smart as Nasu but its body is as thick as his skull...."
Maya shook its head back and forth as she looked ahead once more, it was unlikely that it would fall for another tumbling pillar on to its body... it was always worth a shot but if this creature had the potential to learn it would not fall for the same tacit twice and even as stupid as Nasu was he held the ability to understand simple maneuvers in combat and see through them. There needed to be someth- it was then that May's eyes fell onto the alter in the center of the platform- at least what appeared to be an alter of some sorts; a row of what was once candle holders were now rust covered from their years of sitting in the elements not even bits of wax could be seen left on their surfaces. Resting in the center of the stone table sat a worn out weapon of sorts... or what resembled one at least; unlike those made of steel or iron the long scythe was crafted from stone like those it sat on, an odd material to create any weapon out of; most likely it was for made for rituals and not for fighting... but what was to stop her from using it incorrectly.
Taking a wobbly step forward Maya took a grip in the middle of the stone shaft, it was cool to the touch as shivers were sent down Maya's backside, an odd but pleasurable feeling. A grunt passed Maya lips as she pulled the scythe from the table, with the damage that her body had taken her strength seemed to be slipping from the life that leaked from her back side even still the weapon should have been heavier than it appeared to be. Holding the weapon in both hands Maya shifted its weight from hand to the other allowing her to get a firm idea of what to expect of it as a weapon, light but the the edge of the blade seemed about as sharp as sponge, long since it had a good sharpening but who knew what effect it would have on the beast below.
With the scythe in had Maya hobbled down towards the lip of the stairs, glancing down at the beast it limped up the stairs, each step sending a grunt through the hazy black fog that enveloped its face, making it so that all that Maya could make out was the yellow splotches on its body. Gripping the stone shaft with her nimble finger Maya's eyes narrowed on the creature, there was only once chance here, already her view was fading in and out through the smokescreen that covered most of its body it was hard for her to tell just were it was in the mist. Having to compute the information it had on the creature the chances of a successful strike given its current status was hovering about seventy-eight percent and dropping every second, if she was going to strike it needed to be now and apparently the creature thought the same as it stopped in its tracks letting its black screen complete take over its form.
Crouching at her knees Maya turned the scythe blade towards the creature as it butt rested in front of her shoulder, accuracy was key here and with the length of the blade it was going to be a difficult strike and even more difficult to do it while both where moving. In a flash both moved, a blur of a glinting claw and the dull stone tore through the blacked veal; finishing a few steps down from where she was Maya stood above the final steps.
Yellow flames burst through the creature as it roared out into the swamp, like charges of C4 had been loaded inside its body small explosion were set off across its skin from a large tear in its flesh exposing its inside to the world around; gripping at the hole in its side the beast tried desperately to hold its body in half but the yellow flames where quick to completely take over its body. A final roar came from its mouth as a black slush rolled from its face and onto the ground, light streaming from its eyes the beast huddled over as its body exploded in a shower of blacked skin plates with a yellow light exploding into the sky.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs Maya stood hunched over, the scythe standing at attention gripped at her side ready to strike once more. Eye lids fluttering she sluggishly looked down at her side were a large portion of her body was tore to bits from the creatures racking claws on her side; blood gushing from her body the scythe slipped from her hand as its clattered on the stone ground. Falling onto the ground Maya spun on her back as she met the floor, dazed, the life was slipping from her body... but for once she felt at peace. Eyes shutting out the light from the outside Maya was left in a sensation less state, her mind was in a fog, no longer did she care of anything but this restful place she had found... but it was a voice that called out from the darkness shifted her mind before she slipped away.
"Oi, what de have 'ere? Ah... poor little lass... think she'll 'ake it Hir'ros?"
"Huuuuuuuuuurh...."
Like breaking from a nightmare Maya's jerked from the floor in a dazed and confused state; eyes darting around the white washed room she was quick to calm down but still she lingered on the cool floor. It had all been the simulation... but.... Reaching around to her backside she touched the wounds that no longer existed, not a slight scarp or cut could be found on her body. There was some relief to be hand with the knowledge that her body had not taken any damage, yet she still worried over what had just taken place. Clearing her mind of what had transpired Maya dusted herself off and stood from the chilly floor, enough had been done for one day, and there was still other items to take care of today.
Shutting down the program the gravity lifted from the room so that the next person to enter would not be crushed upon arrival. Leaving the console behind Maya crossed the door towards the pressurized door way, reaching out for the activation switch she paused though she wasn't sure why. Nervously she turned around to face the room once more, though she wished she hadn't. There on the floor it laid, the scythe, however it was no longer stone but pure black... just like the creature... just like the beast.
Tech learned-
Scythe of the Beast- A mystical scythe that Maya received from a simulation gone awry. Black as a starless sky the scythe is made of a dense unknown materiel, and is able to slice through most objects given the user has appropriate strength.
Tech learned-
Blitzlash- A wave of yellow energy emerges froth from Maya's scythe, unlike a normal slices from her weapon each one carries the same strength as herself. Can be used multiple times in a row creating a blitz of energy slashes through the air at her targets.
Word Count:
4978