09-12-2017, 05:03 PM
X was only faintly aware of the pain that racked through his battered form. Damaged components, severed wires, and strained servos all seemed to groan in dull complaint to the android's central nervous system. Being a living machine came with at least of couple of benefits, however, and the most prominent currently would be the ability to tune his own senses on a dime. A lack of pain meant a lack of mental inhibitions and distractions.
Of course, that didn't change the fact of how X was horrifically wounded and struggling to even run at his maximum clonking pace. At least the robot remained in one largely functional piece, for now. If nothing else, it meant he could try and devise a plan while running for dear life.
The problem was that X couldn't think of anything.
Nothing could compare to the nightmare that the Liberators found themselves in. All of the twisted existence around the two fleeing figures seemed to shrink and distort as it died, as if the entirety of this pocket universe intended to collapse into a singularity. The bleak plants and terrifying animals all decayed rapidly as they were drawn closer to the metaphorical event horizon, creating the illusion that X and Kelly were running through space and time to escape their end. No amount of training or simulations could have prepared for this, and the blue bomber found himself at a loss of how to ensure their odds of escape.
"I agree," X replied to his weary partner as he tugged the robot along, "This has definitely gotten out of control."
A giant beetle with human legs and an anteater snout tore through the remnants of underbrush, nearly colliding with the running Liberators. The Mega Man offered a clumsy attempt to swat the chimera away, only to stumble forward as a chunk of earth cracked beneath him. Kelly relented in his escape, sparing a mere moment to turn and yank at his ally's arm with both hands. However, the psychic's own footing began to crumble as well, the ground shifting and loosening as it prepared to fall away into nothingness.
In a moment of doubt, Kelly glanced into the yawning maw of the abyss and witnessed it gaze back in fury. The mutant insect faltered and then fell apart, flesh and hide melting off of it in black-rotted pieces.
A small swarm of insectoids each branding dog heads and different kinds of wings attempted to replace the dying creature. With no intention to stay and let them act, X pushed on the forest floor to desperately force himself upright. The psychic traveler turned again, using his movement to heave the robot's arm like a shotput. Lurching forward, the two of them fought to regain their pace, now with the edge of the world nipping at their heels with every footfall.
As if to prove that yes, it could get worse, the Liberators began to feel the world itself incline. Their battle became an uphill one, as the miniature universe began to dip and sink away into the growing void. The few nightmarish hybrids that still relied on solid ground began to to tumble and slip from the slant of the ground, turning them into victims of the abyss.
Despite the conditions, X couldn't bring himself to be worried about the tilting world. Instead, he feared the living maw of the void behind them, how it seemed to grow against the shrinking world, consuming exponentially more of the pocket dimension at a time. it seemed as if every moment threatened to break apart more and more of the earth until entire yards of the crust would be torn off at a time. Much to the android's dismay, his suspicions were confirmed by the sounds of a large crack coming from up ahead.
Large plates of the earth were breaking apart into islands, the very integrity of the ground as a whole becoming severed. The one the Liberators stood on began to sink and fall away into the waiting, angry face of the abyss. As their hope of an exit began to disappear from view, the two of them both bent their legs and leaped up as high as they could manage, landing on what solid whole of the forest remained.
The robot and human could barely start moving forward again when a new crack resounded. X could practically feel his burning heart drop, the calamity growing too big to keep running from. Thinking fast, the blue bomber's eye-cameras darted to the side and devised a spontaneous plan. "The trees!" he shouted, mustering another leap up into the canopy. Even dying and petrified trees could manage to be reasonably sturdy- they would only need a second each to use them as stepping stools.
Bringing his knees to his chest, X hit the trunk of a former redwood with all fours. Though the bark crunched weakly underfoot, the spine of the tree remained solid enough to withstand the impact. In the next moment, the android twisted his upper body and kicked away from the trunk, landing into another one at an angle. The dance of jumping from tree to tree proved a little awkward, especially for the stiff robot, but it was a necessity. This portion of the earth the Liberators lay in was falling away, and they needed the height of the trees in order to reach the edge.
Without a moment to lose, Kelly followed along, keeping pace with X's macabre acrobatics. Their limbs strained with the effort, but as the horizon they were racing for flew out of sight, they bit through the pain.
Of course, that didn't change the fact of how X was horrifically wounded and struggling to even run at his maximum clonking pace. At least the robot remained in one largely functional piece, for now. If nothing else, it meant he could try and devise a plan while running for dear life.
The problem was that X couldn't think of anything.
Nothing could compare to the nightmare that the Liberators found themselves in. All of the twisted existence around the two fleeing figures seemed to shrink and distort as it died, as if the entirety of this pocket universe intended to collapse into a singularity. The bleak plants and terrifying animals all decayed rapidly as they were drawn closer to the metaphorical event horizon, creating the illusion that X and Kelly were running through space and time to escape their end. No amount of training or simulations could have prepared for this, and the blue bomber found himself at a loss of how to ensure their odds of escape.
"I agree," X replied to his weary partner as he tugged the robot along, "This has definitely gotten out of control."
A giant beetle with human legs and an anteater snout tore through the remnants of underbrush, nearly colliding with the running Liberators. The Mega Man offered a clumsy attempt to swat the chimera away, only to stumble forward as a chunk of earth cracked beneath him. Kelly relented in his escape, sparing a mere moment to turn and yank at his ally's arm with both hands. However, the psychic's own footing began to crumble as well, the ground shifting and loosening as it prepared to fall away into nothingness.
In a moment of doubt, Kelly glanced into the yawning maw of the abyss and witnessed it gaze back in fury. The mutant insect faltered and then fell apart, flesh and hide melting off of it in black-rotted pieces.
A small swarm of insectoids each branding dog heads and different kinds of wings attempted to replace the dying creature. With no intention to stay and let them act, X pushed on the forest floor to desperately force himself upright. The psychic traveler turned again, using his movement to heave the robot's arm like a shotput. Lurching forward, the two of them fought to regain their pace, now with the edge of the world nipping at their heels with every footfall.
As if to prove that yes, it could get worse, the Liberators began to feel the world itself incline. Their battle became an uphill one, as the miniature universe began to dip and sink away into the growing void. The few nightmarish hybrids that still relied on solid ground began to to tumble and slip from the slant of the ground, turning them into victims of the abyss.
Despite the conditions, X couldn't bring himself to be worried about the tilting world. Instead, he feared the living maw of the void behind them, how it seemed to grow against the shrinking world, consuming exponentially more of the pocket dimension at a time. it seemed as if every moment threatened to break apart more and more of the earth until entire yards of the crust would be torn off at a time. Much to the android's dismay, his suspicions were confirmed by the sounds of a large crack coming from up ahead.
Large plates of the earth were breaking apart into islands, the very integrity of the ground as a whole becoming severed. The one the Liberators stood on began to sink and fall away into the waiting, angry face of the abyss. As their hope of an exit began to disappear from view, the two of them both bent their legs and leaped up as high as they could manage, landing on what solid whole of the forest remained.
The robot and human could barely start moving forward again when a new crack resounded. X could practically feel his burning heart drop, the calamity growing too big to keep running from. Thinking fast, the blue bomber's eye-cameras darted to the side and devised a spontaneous plan. "The trees!" he shouted, mustering another leap up into the canopy. Even dying and petrified trees could manage to be reasonably sturdy- they would only need a second each to use them as stepping stools.
Bringing his knees to his chest, X hit the trunk of a former redwood with all fours. Though the bark crunched weakly underfoot, the spine of the tree remained solid enough to withstand the impact. In the next moment, the android twisted his upper body and kicked away from the trunk, landing into another one at an angle. The dance of jumping from tree to tree proved a little awkward, especially for the stiff robot, but it was a necessity. This portion of the earth the Liberators lay in was falling away, and they needed the height of the trees in order to reach the edge.
Without a moment to lose, Kelly followed along, keeping pace with X's macabre acrobatics. Their limbs strained with the effort, but as the horizon they were racing for flew out of sight, they bit through the pain.
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