09-14-2017, 04:33 PM
Just as training entailed. Kick from wall to wall, surface to surface. Climb your way up, always look ahead, be aware of your surrounds, do not hesitate. A series of advice, memories from the past, loaded into X's stream of consciousness. Perhaps it was an attempt to reinforce his ability even by the smallest degree. Perhaps it meant to serve as a distraction from to the living hell descending in depth around him. X couldn't be sure of this himself-
No, rather, he couldn't afford to be sure. Every fiber of his being wanted to escape this place, and to devote any one piece of himself to any objective otherwise would be a waste of time and effort.
The debris of the forest fell away into nothingness as X made his final leap towards the edge of what remained. His left arm swung desperately for the surface, managing to reach over the precipice and hold fast. Commanding his right arm to act, the damaged limb heaved itself up lethargically, fingers twitching with virtual arthritis. The digits dug into the mess of roots and grit nonetheless, letting the android yank his body away from the abyss.
X did not spare a single moment to rest or confirm himself, pushing against the ground and running with all his might. The Mega Man bore no intention of dying, not while other places such as this existed. They needed to be destroyed. This was a responsibility to see through to the bitter end!
Yet how weak could the robot manage to be right now, reduced to nothing but an X-Buster and his own wits? All those upgrades, those accumulations of new equipment and abilities over time swept away in a single moment. How could he afford to defend anyone if he could not defend himself?
The blue bomber's boot hit the ground, and the ground broke away. X lost his balance, stumbled, and hit the ground with his hands. X did not spare a single moment to rest or confirm himself, pushing against the ground and running with all his might.
This had already happened.
The forest around the Liberators was no longer real. Yet X could still somehow observe it, see the animated idols in their last moments against him. He witnessed Hornet man charging, unleashing all his energy into a storm of shockwaves.
The illusions fell away as the android acknowledged them, and the truth became clear. A lone portal, a twisting and unstable vortex, an escape from this nightmare. Earth and sky were naught but mere solid images, meeting in a horizon that bent and stretched. X ran, sprinted through the shrinking tunnel, as if the pocket universe were being sucked through some inter-dimensional straw.
How would he ever make it? Even such a simple ability as the dash boosters would be more than enough- the android would kill to have that back right now!
Plant Man appeared- rather, the images of his vines did. They crept at the edge of X's vision, a silhouette stark against the twisting world he sought to escape. Cries and shouts echoed out from behind, willing the android to give in, to die, to cease his opposition.
His wits would simply have to make do.
In his right arm, the X-Buster formed. Among a nigh-overwhelming glare of red lights in his eyes, another warning appeared.
ALERT: Power Critical!
Core Power Status... 11%
The robot would use it all, if he had to.
One second. The moments stretched to incredible lengths, as the fabric of existence began to tear under the pressure. The alert blared again. Hornet Man buzzed in shrill defiance. Plant Man screamed.
Two seconds. It was now too late. X estimated that at his current rate of travel, it was now impossible to reach the swindling portal in time before it disappeared. Plant Man's voice rang out again, practically begging X to die.
Three seconds. The android bent, and threw himself forward in a last flying jump. He twisted his body around, laying flat, looking back into the abyss. X's cameras stared for a moment too long, and beheld a million gazes in return, the sights of a thousand hands filling his vision.
He took aim. He fired his last shot.
And he prayed the recoil would be enough to send him through the gap.
No, rather, he couldn't afford to be sure. Every fiber of his being wanted to escape this place, and to devote any one piece of himself to any objective otherwise would be a waste of time and effort.
The debris of the forest fell away into nothingness as X made his final leap towards the edge of what remained. His left arm swung desperately for the surface, managing to reach over the precipice and hold fast. Commanding his right arm to act, the damaged limb heaved itself up lethargically, fingers twitching with virtual arthritis. The digits dug into the mess of roots and grit nonetheless, letting the android yank his body away from the abyss.
X did not spare a single moment to rest or confirm himself, pushing against the ground and running with all his might. The Mega Man bore no intention of dying, not while other places such as this existed. They needed to be destroyed. This was a responsibility to see through to the bitter end!
Yet how weak could the robot manage to be right now, reduced to nothing but an X-Buster and his own wits? All those upgrades, those accumulations of new equipment and abilities over time swept away in a single moment. How could he afford to defend anyone if he could not defend himself?
The blue bomber's boot hit the ground, and the ground broke away. X lost his balance, stumbled, and hit the ground with his hands. X did not spare a single moment to rest or confirm himself, pushing against the ground and running with all his might.
This had already happened.
The forest around the Liberators was no longer real. Yet X could still somehow observe it, see the animated idols in their last moments against him. He witnessed Hornet man charging, unleashing all his energy into a storm of shockwaves.
The illusions fell away as the android acknowledged them, and the truth became clear. A lone portal, a twisting and unstable vortex, an escape from this nightmare. Earth and sky were naught but mere solid images, meeting in a horizon that bent and stretched. X ran, sprinted through the shrinking tunnel, as if the pocket universe were being sucked through some inter-dimensional straw.
How would he ever make it? Even such a simple ability as the dash boosters would be more than enough- the android would kill to have that back right now!
Plant Man appeared- rather, the images of his vines did. They crept at the edge of X's vision, a silhouette stark against the twisting world he sought to escape. Cries and shouts echoed out from behind, willing the android to give in, to die, to cease his opposition.
His wits would simply have to make do.
In his right arm, the X-Buster formed. Among a nigh-overwhelming glare of red lights in his eyes, another warning appeared.
ALERT: Power Critical!
Core Power Status... 11%
The robot would use it all, if he had to.
One second. The moments stretched to incredible lengths, as the fabric of existence began to tear under the pressure. The alert blared again. Hornet Man buzzed in shrill defiance. Plant Man screamed.
Two seconds. It was now too late. X estimated that at his current rate of travel, it was now impossible to reach the swindling portal in time before it disappeared. Plant Man's voice rang out again, practically begging X to die.
Three seconds. The android bent, and threw himself forward in a last flying jump. He twisted his body around, laying flat, looking back into the abyss. X's cameras stared for a moment too long, and beheld a million gazes in return, the sights of a thousand hands filling his vision.
He took aim. He fired his last shot.
And he prayed the recoil would be enough to send him through the gap.
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