06-06-2015, 05:45 PM
A thorough examination of his surroundings confirmed his earlier impression: there was nothing there. Not just an absence of anything notable, but literally nothing else besides the gates and the squeaky weather vane.
Creeeak.
Joseph glared at the latter. “Got any hints for me?” he asked.
Creeeak.
“Is that so?”
Creeeak.
“Fascinating.”
…
Creeeak.
“Well, you're no help.” Reaching out, Joseph flicked the tip of the vane's arrow with a finger. The top span wildly, eventually slowing and coming to a halt, pointing towards the southwest. Two palm trees bent towards one another to form the gate. If this was part of Avery's fruit, is was a bizarre one, to say the least. “I guess I could use a little fun in the sun.”
The walk to the gate took nearly two hours. The trees towered above him as he stared up at the tops, then back down to the shimmering portal between the trunks. Past the air that rippled like heat snakes was a town. The entrance in front of him promised an exit onto a wide road that cut down a main thoroughfare, running steadily down and away from him. In the distance, crystal blue waters lapped at white beaches.
Joseph fished in his pockets. Clasping one of his coins, he pulled it out, rolling it between his fingers as he contemplated. Deciding, he shifted it to rest on top of his thumb, then casually flicked it through.
His one beli note passed the lip of the gate with a faint shump. It landed on edge on the brick-paved street beyond, glittering and jingling before coming to a stop face up. Joseph adjusted his armor, rolled his neck, and made to step through.
The portal offered no real resistance. Instead, he felt like he was stepping through several layers of bubbles, the colors of the other side becoming clearer and sharper. His foot landed on solid ground, and the rest of his body followed. One of his ears popped from the pressure difference, and he worked his jaw in circles, trying to do the same for the other. The familiar smell of the sea filled his nostrils, the bustle and clatter of merchants trying to ply their trades not far off.
“Name?”
Joseph turned and stared. The request had come from a man dressed from head to toe in thick white armor. It wasn't any kind of armor that Joseph had ever seen, however. So much of it was angular, clearly manufactured somewhere. The helmet was the strangest, though. It had clearly been modeled to look like a face, similar to the masks the samurai from Wano kingdom would wear into battle to appear as a demon to their enemies. Perhaps the goal had been the same here, but whoever had designed it had botched the job badly. Instead of threatening, it looked like an overweight caveman with a bad case of underbite.
“Name?” the voice repeated. The flat black eyes of the mask stared at him as a hand impatiently tapped the front of a clipboard with a pen.
“Uh,” Joseph stared for a moment more, then straightened. “Hebi.”
“Hebi,” the man repeated, looking down at his board and tapping it. Looking closer, Joseph realized it wasn't a clipboard at all. A screen glowed on the front of it, and the man was scrolling through the list using the 'pen' in his hand. Joseph had seen projector snails display images before, but that had always been relaying footage that was real. This technology, whatever it was, was far beyond anything even Vegapunk had ever dreamed.
That settled it, then. This was not Avery's fruit at work.
“Hebi, Hebi... No. You're not on the list.” The armored man looked up. “Recent arrival?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“All new Primes seeking to enter Costa Del Sol must register themselves with the Empire,” the soldier – Joseph assumed he had to be with the mention of the Empire – stated. He turned the pad around. “Please place your hand on the screen. After that you can go.”
“And what if I don't want to, eh?” Joseph asked.
“Then my men will be forced to remove you from the verse.” The trooper pointed up and back with his pen.
Joseph followed the direction. In the windows of the buildings flanking the street were more of them, armored figures manning posts, some with large black – what he presumed were – guns pointed in his direction.
“Hmph,” Joseph grumbled. He must still have been groggy from the trip to have not noticed THAT. Putting his hand out, he placed it on the pad's screen. It burst into a flurry of color, flashing squares appearing at his fingertips. A green line swept from the top of the pad to the bottom.
There was a soft 'beep'ing sound that must've been the indication that it was finished, because the soldier nodded and pulled the pad away. “The Empire thanks you for your cooperation. Enjoy your stay in Costa Del Sol, Prime.”
“Uh, right,” Joseph said. “Just one question?”
“Yes?”
“What the fuck is a Prime?”
Creeeak.
Joseph glared at the latter. “Got any hints for me?” he asked.
Creeeak.
“Is that so?”
Creeeak.
“Fascinating.”
…
Creeeak.
“Well, you're no help.” Reaching out, Joseph flicked the tip of the vane's arrow with a finger. The top span wildly, eventually slowing and coming to a halt, pointing towards the southwest. Two palm trees bent towards one another to form the gate. If this was part of Avery's fruit, is was a bizarre one, to say the least. “I guess I could use a little fun in the sun.”
The walk to the gate took nearly two hours. The trees towered above him as he stared up at the tops, then back down to the shimmering portal between the trunks. Past the air that rippled like heat snakes was a town. The entrance in front of him promised an exit onto a wide road that cut down a main thoroughfare, running steadily down and away from him. In the distance, crystal blue waters lapped at white beaches.
Joseph fished in his pockets. Clasping one of his coins, he pulled it out, rolling it between his fingers as he contemplated. Deciding, he shifted it to rest on top of his thumb, then casually flicked it through.
His one beli note passed the lip of the gate with a faint shump. It landed on edge on the brick-paved street beyond, glittering and jingling before coming to a stop face up. Joseph adjusted his armor, rolled his neck, and made to step through.
The portal offered no real resistance. Instead, he felt like he was stepping through several layers of bubbles, the colors of the other side becoming clearer and sharper. His foot landed on solid ground, and the rest of his body followed. One of his ears popped from the pressure difference, and he worked his jaw in circles, trying to do the same for the other. The familiar smell of the sea filled his nostrils, the bustle and clatter of merchants trying to ply their trades not far off.
“Name?”
Joseph turned and stared. The request had come from a man dressed from head to toe in thick white armor. It wasn't any kind of armor that Joseph had ever seen, however. So much of it was angular, clearly manufactured somewhere. The helmet was the strangest, though. It had clearly been modeled to look like a face, similar to the masks the samurai from Wano kingdom would wear into battle to appear as a demon to their enemies. Perhaps the goal had been the same here, but whoever had designed it had botched the job badly. Instead of threatening, it looked like an overweight caveman with a bad case of underbite.
“Name?” the voice repeated. The flat black eyes of the mask stared at him as a hand impatiently tapped the front of a clipboard with a pen.
“Uh,” Joseph stared for a moment more, then straightened. “Hebi.”
“Hebi,” the man repeated, looking down at his board and tapping it. Looking closer, Joseph realized it wasn't a clipboard at all. A screen glowed on the front of it, and the man was scrolling through the list using the 'pen' in his hand. Joseph had seen projector snails display images before, but that had always been relaying footage that was real. This technology, whatever it was, was far beyond anything even Vegapunk had ever dreamed.
That settled it, then. This was not Avery's fruit at work.
“Hebi, Hebi... No. You're not on the list.” The armored man looked up. “Recent arrival?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“All new Primes seeking to enter Costa Del Sol must register themselves with the Empire,” the soldier – Joseph assumed he had to be with the mention of the Empire – stated. He turned the pad around. “Please place your hand on the screen. After that you can go.”
“And what if I don't want to, eh?” Joseph asked.
“Then my men will be forced to remove you from the verse.” The trooper pointed up and back with his pen.
Joseph followed the direction. In the windows of the buildings flanking the street were more of them, armored figures manning posts, some with large black – what he presumed were – guns pointed in his direction.
“Hmph,” Joseph grumbled. He must still have been groggy from the trip to have not noticed THAT. Putting his hand out, he placed it on the pad's screen. It burst into a flurry of color, flashing squares appearing at his fingertips. A green line swept from the top of the pad to the bottom.
There was a soft 'beep'ing sound that must've been the indication that it was finished, because the soldier nodded and pulled the pad away. “The Empire thanks you for your cooperation. Enjoy your stay in Costa Del Sol, Prime.”
“Uh, right,” Joseph said. “Just one question?”
“Yes?”
“What the fuck is a Prime?”
Uh oh. Those boys got me all tingly...
![[Image: ezgif-1-a370e630e1.gif]](https://s7.postimg.cc/elmiaogd7/ezgif-1-a370e630e1.gif)
I must calm it.
I must calm it.