10-06-2015, 08:05 PM
"Goddamn it, why does this place need to be literally ONLY the color white? I mean, I'm not saying that I'm not used to it, but still, there are other colors out there that aren't white that could mix things up a bit. You know, red, orange, brown, green. Anything that doesn't make me feel like I've been staring into a pile of snow for fucking ages."
Ballad relayed his thoughts into words in an annoyed tone of voice. After about thirty minutes, he had sat down alongside the fountain, occasionally taking sips from his canteen as he continued staring out into the white void. Or at least it feels like a void. He was seriously starting to wonder whether or not it would've been better if he was just in the darkness void, rather than the white void, purely because he at least suspected he would suffer eternal torture in there. But here? He had a fountain which gave him water, the ability to move AND conjure up whatever the fuck he wanted. And he was able to see past his eyeballs, which may or may not be a positive.
"Hey, I just realized, how the hell AM I seeing out here? I don't see anything lighting up the place. At least back home, you had candles from the wick which could be used as a light source during blizzards. But nope. No blizzards here." Ballad said to himself, still annoyed as ever. He could probably go on and on for hours about this place, but at that point it wouldn't really matter. He was still stuck inside this place that looked like it had snowed and it wasn't even cold out.
Letting out a sigh, he caps his canteen again, strapping it back to his belt. He grabs his red scarf that he had set on the ground, taking a moment to make sure it hadn't fallen through the friggin ground itself. That was a big problem with the place. Everything was all white. No color changes anywhere. Only way he'd know if he had fallen off the edge of the place was if he already fell off it and felt his legs break underneath him. Continuing to talk to himself, his voice muffles slightly as he wraps the red scarf around his mouth and nose. He was discussing to himself whether or not the place he was in was a dream, or the afterlife.
"Well, let's say this IS the afterlife, hypothetically, even though no one has any logical proof that has been presented," Ballad says, "If so, which is it? Heaven or hell? I mean, the book the Church guys gave us never said anything about a smiling figure that gave us colorful orbs and transported us to a completely white realm with only a fountain for nourishment. Sure, it looks kind of pretty, but I can still feel thirst, which means I can still feel other things. Things like pain and hunger and other things like that. Typically, you'd think that sort of thing would be something you'd see in hell."
Ballad keeps on discussing with himself, moving his hands about as if discussing with some guy with an opposing view in a bar somewhere. If he was there, he'd probably keep talking until the guy simply ignored him, in which case he'd get himself a drink before walking out. Then again, those guys rarely ignored him, so he usually had to tell them off in other ways, not necessarily including punching them and threatening to bury them in ice or anything like that. Heh.. that would be something to see. Ballad was really enjoying his own imaginary argument, so much so that he didn't notice a few visitors coming from his right.
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A tall stormtrooper lets out a giant sigh. Why the hell did I volunteer for this crap? It takes friggin forever to walk around The Nexus, and half the time we don't even find any Primes, let alone anyone at all. And worst of all, we can't go back for who knows how many hours. We've already tried about three times, and command said we can come back and rest after one more goddamn search. I bet they'll blame our ineptitude once we come back with no Primes at all.
This tall stormtrooper was flanked by about four others, two on each side of him. They were walking in a variation of a column formation, with the tall stormtrooper taking the lead. In their hands were E-11 Blaster rifles, and despite their obviously intimidating physique and equipment, most of them were more or less new to their line of work, and the tall stormtrooper knew it. If they get attacked, he'll have to make sure they stay in formation and follow his orders, or it'll be his ass once he has to explain how he was the only survivor of a five man party.
Continuing to walk through the whiteout of The Nexus, the squad finally comes across the Fountain of Infinity after only two hours of walking. Seeing the fountain for himself, his heart softens slightly. If only he was a Prime. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about himself dying. He'd just come back here, to this fountain. A lot different than he remembered. Last time he was there, the Fountain was a giant geyser with a silver arch overhanging it.
Turning around, he was just about to tell the squad that they could rest when a muffled voice got his attention. Frowning underneath his helmet, he silently raises his left hand, gesturing for two of them to follow him as he raises his E-11. Two of the recruits looked at each other. Stuff like this could go either way. On one hand, if they caught a prime, they could brag to everyone else, especially if this one was dangerous and they got to kill him. But on the other hand, they might die themselves.
It was a risk they wanted to take. Raising their rifles, the three troopers slowly walk towards the sound of the talking. After what felt like an eternity, they turn the fountain and find
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Ballad couldn't even hear the stormtroopers approaching over the sound of his own imaginary argument. It wasn't until they walked in front of him did he give reality that much thought, and even then it wasn't until one of them said "Prime," in a nonchalant manner did he finally look upwards. What he saw took him by surprise, making him do a double-take.
Standing above him were three white figures, all pointing weapons at him. If it weren't for the guns, he probably wouldn't have even noticed them. Hold on, why the fuck would these guys just walk up to people at random, wearing all white no less, and point guns at him? His mood quickly goes from surprise to annoyance, and he is quick to express it.
"Seriously? Is THIS how you guys talk to people? At gun-point?!" Ballad says as he moves his left hand up to the top of the fountain, his glove getting wet as it touches the water, dragging himself up to his feet.
The tall stormtrooper said nothing, simply raising his E-11 blaster rifle as the... Prime stands up. His eyes were covered by the black visor of his helmet, as were everyone elses, so the Prime couldn't have seen past it no matter how hard he tried. However, behind his helmet, he was honestly perplexed by this one.
"No need to get upset. We'd like a word with you," the stormtrooper replies. He wanted to pick his words carefully. Didn't want to scare the recruits.
Ballad looks towards the stormtrooper, his eyebrows remaining in a frowning position that they never really left. He brings his arms up to his chest, saying "Little late for an apology, you know. If you didn't want me upset, you shouldn't have walked up to me with your gun drawn wearing only white without so much as a polite 'Hello, how are you doing?'" His rude tone cut like a knife, even if it was muffled. The tall stormtrooper frowned in response, keeping a tight grip on his E-11. He couldn't tell if this Prime was insane or just a plain retard.
"Watch what you say, Prime. You are vastly outnumbered, outgunned, and it wouldn't be good if we had to kill you," said the tall stormtrooper threateningly. He hoped that this made the Prime rethink his words a little bit.
All that did, however, was just make Ballad even more annoyed. He can see three of them right in front of him at the moment. He was pretty sure if one of them got too cocky, he could grab them and hold them hostage if needed. He couldn't quite remember how many people he could handle at once, but he was pretty sure it was more than three.
Ballad lowers his head slightly, staring at the tall stormtrooper. He raises his hands slightly in a mock surrender fashion, saying "I really do hope you realize that three of you isn't exactly that big of a deal for me. So please, for your sake... and your other friends sake.. just lower your weapons and be a bit more polite in what you say. That's all I'm asking." As he says this, he rolls his eyes to his left, seeing one of the stormtroopers aiming right at him. He keeps his gaze on him as he ends his sentence, seeing the trooper flinch a bit.
The tall stormtrooper shot a glance at the flinching trooper. He wasn't stupid. The Prime was trying to scare them, make them think he was more dangerous than he really was. That kind of leverage could help him, and it nearly worked on at least one of them. But he was smarter than that, and he wasn't letting some tall-tale teller threaten his men.
The tall stormtrooper replies "If you think you can threaten my men and expect to get away with it you are sorely mistaken." Looking behind the Prime, he saw the other two stormtroopers slowly sneaking up on the Prime from behind the fountain, rifle's aimed at him and ready to fire. The stormtrooper remained silent. He wanted to see how this played out, but if things got ugly, he wanted them ready.
Ballad did not look behind him, mostly because he didn't have much of a reason to. What he DID know, however, was that this idiot-savant was going to sigh his own death warrant soon if he didn't leave him alone. Not going to back down from a bunch of goons. Not a damn chance in hell.
Ballad slowly moves his left hand to his waist, parting his coat. As the stormtroopers flinch a bit, he holds his right hand outwards in an attempt to calm them, reverting his tone of voice to that of someone pleading as he says "Woah, woah, woah! No need to hold me at gun-point. I... realize the.. error of my ways.." As he says this, the other stormtroopers appear to calm down, though only the recruits lower their weapons. Good... make this a bit easier on me.
"As a... token of my appreciation, I'd like to give you a.. special something that we have back at home. It isn't a weapon.. rather a... valuable element.." he says, trying to keep them convinced. He then opens up one of his bags on his belt, brushing his revolver as he digs through it.
As the Prime digs through whatever was in his bag, the tall stormtrooper keeps his E-11 rifle aimed at him. He stares at the trooper to his right as he lowers his weapon, shaking his head a bit. He wanted to see what this guy had up his sleeve. He wasn't at all convinced this man didn't have a plan.
Finally finding what he needed, Ballad slowly takes out an object from the bag, zipping it back up. He then looks up at the tall stormtrooper, left hand clenched. As the tall stormtrooper looks down, he sees his hand open, revealing a
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A white, almost crystalline object. The tall stormtrooper frowned underneath his helmet. What the hell was he showing to us?
"This is a wick... from the world of eternal winter. If you break ice there, you can sometimes find this stuff encased inside. If you strike it against a hard object, it will ignite and make fire. This wick has created a revolution back home like you wouldn't believe. I'd like you to try it out.. to see its wonders.." Ballad explains as the stormtrooper gently grabs the wick. The tall stormtrooper inspects the wick, lowering his E-11 slightly as he stares at the wick. Ballad remains silent, though he is screaming through his thoughts. Just take the bait.... take the fucking bait..
Eventually, the stormtrooper nods, saying "Interesting... at ease.." before waving off the stormtroopers behind Ballad. Ballad turns around, seeing there were two more behind him. Good thing he took the bait... ambushes fucking suck.
The tall stormtrooper slowly walks past Ballad, moving towards the fountain. Holding the wick in his hand, he looks down towards the circular edges of the fountain. He didn't exactly know why, but something was compelling him to try to test out this theory. If the Prime's claims were true, he might be a useful ally to the Empire. Besides, wick encased in ice that can make fire isn't exactly the most far-fetched thing he had ever heard, much less seen.
Digging the wick against the stone fountain, he quickly slides it against the edges of the fountain, jumping back a bit as the tip of the wick erupts into fire. He stares into the fire for a few moments, with the two troopers beside him moving in for a closer look.
Meanwhile, Ballad was smiling behind his red scarf. His plan was working perfectly. The only two true threats were the ones behind the fountain, but they shouldn't be an issue. The plan was, as their attention was on the wick, he would push the trooper on the left into the two other troopers, causing them to fall down onto each other. As they get back up, he'll shoot and kill the other two standing.
The stormtroopers continue staring at the wick as Ballad moves to their left, right hand moving past his coat and grabbing the handle of his revolver. The tall stormtrooper, after a few more moments of staring, finally says, intrigued "Rather... interesting.. and you said this sparked a... revolution?"
"Of course," was all Ballad said before forcefully pushing the left trooper into the two others.
Ballad relayed his thoughts into words in an annoyed tone of voice. After about thirty minutes, he had sat down alongside the fountain, occasionally taking sips from his canteen as he continued staring out into the white void. Or at least it feels like a void. He was seriously starting to wonder whether or not it would've been better if he was just in the darkness void, rather than the white void, purely because he at least suspected he would suffer eternal torture in there. But here? He had a fountain which gave him water, the ability to move AND conjure up whatever the fuck he wanted. And he was able to see past his eyeballs, which may or may not be a positive.
"Hey, I just realized, how the hell AM I seeing out here? I don't see anything lighting up the place. At least back home, you had candles from the wick which could be used as a light source during blizzards. But nope. No blizzards here." Ballad said to himself, still annoyed as ever. He could probably go on and on for hours about this place, but at that point it wouldn't really matter. He was still stuck inside this place that looked like it had snowed and it wasn't even cold out.
Letting out a sigh, he caps his canteen again, strapping it back to his belt. He grabs his red scarf that he had set on the ground, taking a moment to make sure it hadn't fallen through the friggin ground itself. That was a big problem with the place. Everything was all white. No color changes anywhere. Only way he'd know if he had fallen off the edge of the place was if he already fell off it and felt his legs break underneath him. Continuing to talk to himself, his voice muffles slightly as he wraps the red scarf around his mouth and nose. He was discussing to himself whether or not the place he was in was a dream, or the afterlife.
"Well, let's say this IS the afterlife, hypothetically, even though no one has any logical proof that has been presented," Ballad says, "If so, which is it? Heaven or hell? I mean, the book the Church guys gave us never said anything about a smiling figure that gave us colorful orbs and transported us to a completely white realm with only a fountain for nourishment. Sure, it looks kind of pretty, but I can still feel thirst, which means I can still feel other things. Things like pain and hunger and other things like that. Typically, you'd think that sort of thing would be something you'd see in hell."
Ballad keeps on discussing with himself, moving his hands about as if discussing with some guy with an opposing view in a bar somewhere. If he was there, he'd probably keep talking until the guy simply ignored him, in which case he'd get himself a drink before walking out. Then again, those guys rarely ignored him, so he usually had to tell them off in other ways, not necessarily including punching them and threatening to bury them in ice or anything like that. Heh.. that would be something to see. Ballad was really enjoying his own imaginary argument, so much so that he didn't notice a few visitors coming from his right.
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A tall stormtrooper lets out a giant sigh. Why the hell did I volunteer for this crap? It takes friggin forever to walk around The Nexus, and half the time we don't even find any Primes, let alone anyone at all. And worst of all, we can't go back for who knows how many hours. We've already tried about three times, and command said we can come back and rest after one more goddamn search. I bet they'll blame our ineptitude once we come back with no Primes at all.
This tall stormtrooper was flanked by about four others, two on each side of him. They were walking in a variation of a column formation, with the tall stormtrooper taking the lead. In their hands were E-11 Blaster rifles, and despite their obviously intimidating physique and equipment, most of them were more or less new to their line of work, and the tall stormtrooper knew it. If they get attacked, he'll have to make sure they stay in formation and follow his orders, or it'll be his ass once he has to explain how he was the only survivor of a five man party.
Continuing to walk through the whiteout of The Nexus, the squad finally comes across the Fountain of Infinity after only two hours of walking. Seeing the fountain for himself, his heart softens slightly. If only he was a Prime. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about himself dying. He'd just come back here, to this fountain. A lot different than he remembered. Last time he was there, the Fountain was a giant geyser with a silver arch overhanging it.
Turning around, he was just about to tell the squad that they could rest when a muffled voice got his attention. Frowning underneath his helmet, he silently raises his left hand, gesturing for two of them to follow him as he raises his E-11. Two of the recruits looked at each other. Stuff like this could go either way. On one hand, if they caught a prime, they could brag to everyone else, especially if this one was dangerous and they got to kill him. But on the other hand, they might die themselves.
It was a risk they wanted to take. Raising their rifles, the three troopers slowly walk towards the sound of the talking. After what felt like an eternity, they turn the fountain and find
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Ballad couldn't even hear the stormtroopers approaching over the sound of his own imaginary argument. It wasn't until they walked in front of him did he give reality that much thought, and even then it wasn't until one of them said "Prime," in a nonchalant manner did he finally look upwards. What he saw took him by surprise, making him do a double-take.
Standing above him were three white figures, all pointing weapons at him. If it weren't for the guns, he probably wouldn't have even noticed them. Hold on, why the fuck would these guys just walk up to people at random, wearing all white no less, and point guns at him? His mood quickly goes from surprise to annoyance, and he is quick to express it.
"Seriously? Is THIS how you guys talk to people? At gun-point?!" Ballad says as he moves his left hand up to the top of the fountain, his glove getting wet as it touches the water, dragging himself up to his feet.
The tall stormtrooper said nothing, simply raising his E-11 blaster rifle as the... Prime stands up. His eyes were covered by the black visor of his helmet, as were everyone elses, so the Prime couldn't have seen past it no matter how hard he tried. However, behind his helmet, he was honestly perplexed by this one.
"No need to get upset. We'd like a word with you," the stormtrooper replies. He wanted to pick his words carefully. Didn't want to scare the recruits.
Ballad looks towards the stormtrooper, his eyebrows remaining in a frowning position that they never really left. He brings his arms up to his chest, saying "Little late for an apology, you know. If you didn't want me upset, you shouldn't have walked up to me with your gun drawn wearing only white without so much as a polite 'Hello, how are you doing?'" His rude tone cut like a knife, even if it was muffled. The tall stormtrooper frowned in response, keeping a tight grip on his E-11. He couldn't tell if this Prime was insane or just a plain retard.
"Watch what you say, Prime. You are vastly outnumbered, outgunned, and it wouldn't be good if we had to kill you," said the tall stormtrooper threateningly. He hoped that this made the Prime rethink his words a little bit.
All that did, however, was just make Ballad even more annoyed. He can see three of them right in front of him at the moment. He was pretty sure if one of them got too cocky, he could grab them and hold them hostage if needed. He couldn't quite remember how many people he could handle at once, but he was pretty sure it was more than three.
Ballad lowers his head slightly, staring at the tall stormtrooper. He raises his hands slightly in a mock surrender fashion, saying "I really do hope you realize that three of you isn't exactly that big of a deal for me. So please, for your sake... and your other friends sake.. just lower your weapons and be a bit more polite in what you say. That's all I'm asking." As he says this, he rolls his eyes to his left, seeing one of the stormtroopers aiming right at him. He keeps his gaze on him as he ends his sentence, seeing the trooper flinch a bit.
The tall stormtrooper shot a glance at the flinching trooper. He wasn't stupid. The Prime was trying to scare them, make them think he was more dangerous than he really was. That kind of leverage could help him, and it nearly worked on at least one of them. But he was smarter than that, and he wasn't letting some tall-tale teller threaten his men.
The tall stormtrooper replies "If you think you can threaten my men and expect to get away with it you are sorely mistaken." Looking behind the Prime, he saw the other two stormtroopers slowly sneaking up on the Prime from behind the fountain, rifle's aimed at him and ready to fire. The stormtrooper remained silent. He wanted to see how this played out, but if things got ugly, he wanted them ready.
Ballad did not look behind him, mostly because he didn't have much of a reason to. What he DID know, however, was that this idiot-savant was going to sigh his own death warrant soon if he didn't leave him alone. Not going to back down from a bunch of goons. Not a damn chance in hell.
Ballad slowly moves his left hand to his waist, parting his coat. As the stormtroopers flinch a bit, he holds his right hand outwards in an attempt to calm them, reverting his tone of voice to that of someone pleading as he says "Woah, woah, woah! No need to hold me at gun-point. I... realize the.. error of my ways.." As he says this, the other stormtroopers appear to calm down, though only the recruits lower their weapons. Good... make this a bit easier on me.
"As a... token of my appreciation, I'd like to give you a.. special something that we have back at home. It isn't a weapon.. rather a... valuable element.." he says, trying to keep them convinced. He then opens up one of his bags on his belt, brushing his revolver as he digs through it.
As the Prime digs through whatever was in his bag, the tall stormtrooper keeps his E-11 rifle aimed at him. He stares at the trooper to his right as he lowers his weapon, shaking his head a bit. He wanted to see what this guy had up his sleeve. He wasn't at all convinced this man didn't have a plan.
Finally finding what he needed, Ballad slowly takes out an object from the bag, zipping it back up. He then looks up at the tall stormtrooper, left hand clenched. As the tall stormtrooper looks down, he sees his hand open, revealing a
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A white, almost crystalline object. The tall stormtrooper frowned underneath his helmet. What the hell was he showing to us?
"This is a wick... from the world of eternal winter. If you break ice there, you can sometimes find this stuff encased inside. If you strike it against a hard object, it will ignite and make fire. This wick has created a revolution back home like you wouldn't believe. I'd like you to try it out.. to see its wonders.." Ballad explains as the stormtrooper gently grabs the wick. The tall stormtrooper inspects the wick, lowering his E-11 slightly as he stares at the wick. Ballad remains silent, though he is screaming through his thoughts. Just take the bait.... take the fucking bait..
Eventually, the stormtrooper nods, saying "Interesting... at ease.." before waving off the stormtroopers behind Ballad. Ballad turns around, seeing there were two more behind him. Good thing he took the bait... ambushes fucking suck.
The tall stormtrooper slowly walks past Ballad, moving towards the fountain. Holding the wick in his hand, he looks down towards the circular edges of the fountain. He didn't exactly know why, but something was compelling him to try to test out this theory. If the Prime's claims were true, he might be a useful ally to the Empire. Besides, wick encased in ice that can make fire isn't exactly the most far-fetched thing he had ever heard, much less seen.
Digging the wick against the stone fountain, he quickly slides it against the edges of the fountain, jumping back a bit as the tip of the wick erupts into fire. He stares into the fire for a few moments, with the two troopers beside him moving in for a closer look.
Meanwhile, Ballad was smiling behind his red scarf. His plan was working perfectly. The only two true threats were the ones behind the fountain, but they shouldn't be an issue. The plan was, as their attention was on the wick, he would push the trooper on the left into the two other troopers, causing them to fall down onto each other. As they get back up, he'll shoot and kill the other two standing.
The stormtroopers continue staring at the wick as Ballad moves to their left, right hand moving past his coat and grabbing the handle of his revolver. The tall stormtrooper, after a few more moments of staring, finally says, intrigued "Rather... interesting.. and you said this sparked a... revolution?"
"Of course," was all Ballad said before forcefully pushing the left trooper into the two others.
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