TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The Garden of Everything

Go To

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#551: Jun 9th 2011 at 2:54:36 PM

Aldrin didn't want the garden turning them against him. That would be bad especially since, techniacally speaking, the truth would probably get him torn limb from limb. So he said, "we should find them... in case this place is luring them away..." He closed his eyes, feeling for their presence, and made a run in their direction as soon as his Master pointed him in the right direction, showing far more strength and endurance than his frail appearance suggested.

Asau raised an eyebrow, impressed by the old man's abilities. She turned to Wesley, said, "yeah, I had fun. Jealous?" Then she ran after Aldrin, curious to see how this would all end.

edited 9th Jun '11 3:39:30 PM by KillerClowns

Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#552: Jun 9th 2011 at 3:03:27 PM

Wesley looked as if he was going to pass comment, but he had acted prematurely. His brain hadn’t actually come up with a witty retort by the time he had opened his mouth. It didn’t help that Asau was in reality completely correct. So he just stood there looking dazed, closed his mouth and followed the other two with his rifle in hand into the foliage muttering “I wish I had some fun…”

yey
Chubert highly secure from California Since: Jan, 2010
highly secure
#553: Jun 9th 2011 at 3:19:36 PM

I see that you're running now.

Without pausing, Hector looked around for the voice's source. He couldn't find anything. "Yeah?" he asked. "Is that a problem?"

Run faster.

Hector closed his eyes for a second. Everything was unraveling. It was like watching the video feeds from Malone Carnival in slow motion.

But Malone Carnival hadn't spoke to him. He hadn't played a game of chess with the Malone Carnival. Malone Carnival would have tried to kill him. The garden had provided nothing but a vacation.

And he had promised a rematch.

"Is there something wrong?" Hector asked, acutely aware of the strange looks that the others were sending his way.

Trouble is coming.

Hector skidded to a halt. "Go on ahead," he said. "It seems we have company. You guys figure out what's going on. Find out how the garden works and the source of the disturbance. I'll meet up with you guys later. I, for one, intend on fixing this problem."

He had been ensnared. Now, he was unnecessarily invested in the garden's continued survival. It was most unprofessional.

But then again, he had always wanted to work separate from the OPD, saddled with red tape as it was. If he found a problem, and he had the means (or he was arrogant enough to delude himself into thinking he had the means) by which to solve it, then wasn't it his job to start working?

I am not a threat.

This time, Hector wasn't trying to avoid pushing a PTSD-stricken veteran farther over the edge. It wasn't a man reaching out to his comrade. This time, it was business. Whatever trouble was coming had most likely never seen his face; it was common courtesy to present a good first impression.

The sound of footsteps pounding against the path drew ever closer.

edited 9th Jun '11 3:56:45 PM by Chubert

Whatcha gonna do, little buckaroo? | i be pimpin' madoka fics
Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#554: Jun 9th 2011 at 3:33:27 PM

September nodded. She too could hear the garden's voice when it spoke to Hector, although she couldn't make out what it was saying. Its voice made her realize fully that it meant them no harm. It reminded her so very much of the 'voice' her own home spoke with. If Hector was the one the garden had chosen to speak to, she intended to listen to what he had to say, regardless of any misgivings she might have had about him before (which she did have, although they were not numerous.)

She turned and continued into the woods, still giving off that odd impression of almost being a different person as she called up the memory of one of her past lives, living in the wilds and selling pre-Upheaval artifacts to survive.

She didn't remember the name that woman had used, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that woman's keen senses and knowledge of the woods. If there was something out of the ordinary out there, (well, moreso than the rest of this decidedly extraordinary place,) she would find it.

Lasty Lucaruka!! from Auld Lang Syne Since: Jan, 2010
Lucaruka!!
#555: Jun 9th 2011 at 4:13:17 PM

Something was coming.

Hector was talking. Not to anybody in the group, but to the Garden. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he understood the message nonetheless. As Hector stopped, so did Leitha. They would have plenty of time to find out how the Garden worked if it was safe, and he had a sneaking suspicion whatever was headed towards them was the

redmalice

and he knew that if it was allowed to propagate itself, there was no hope left for this place. Besides, Leitha didn't trust Hector to not do something stupid. Nothing seemed particularly violent yet, and the last thing he wanted was for them to be the first to become so.

"Ha HA! You cannot fix a problem you are not fully aware of!"

Cry for the moon!
Chubert highly secure from California Since: Jan, 2010
highly secure
#556: Jun 9th 2011 at 4:25:15 PM

Hector shot a glance at the dog. It was strange, feeling simultaneously annoyed and perturbed that he was being laughed at by a talking dog.

"Indeed," he said. "But if you are aware of the existence of a problem but not the specifics, you can determine the specifics and then solve the problem, no?"

The rhythm of September's feet hitting the ground grew more and more faint.

"Why did you stay behind, anyways? You don't have any particular reason to do so."

edited 9th Jun '11 4:25:33 PM by Chubert

Whatcha gonna do, little buckaroo? | i be pimpin' madoka fics
TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#557: Jun 9th 2011 at 4:46:41 PM

Xavier flinched as several more bolts of thought whipped through the air, and stumbled a bit. He could make out a bit more of whatever was behind them, and it was terrifying. Something of vast power, murderous intent, and few scruples. And yet, it wasn't here in the garden...

Was it?

He shook the thought off. If it was here, he'd probably be writhing on the ground, clawing his scales off. Which meant it was powerful enough to send its thoughts across dimensions.

But if it wasn't here, and sending something anyway, then... there was someone else in the garden. Its servant.

Something pulsed through his mind. A female voice, telling him to keep running. The garden? Harold stopped, and told them to keep going. Xavier didn't bother arguing with him; it was probably the servant, and Xavier couldn't imagine what it would be like. Following September, he ran into the forest.

Lasty Lucaruka!! from Auld Lang Syne Since: Jan, 2010
Lucaruka!!
#558: Jun 9th 2011 at 5:30:19 PM

"Perhaps, but I had no particular reason to go on, either!"

September and Xavier had passed out of earshot. Leitha wondered if he'd ever see them again.

"It is times like this where it is best to sit and watch the world spin, don't you think?"

Cry for the moon!
BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
vigilantly taxonomish
#559: Jun 9th 2011 at 6:53:16 PM

Danparan ran along behind September, noticing as she did that the forest was growing ever darker and more tangled the further in they went. Did this mean they had left the garden proper now? But by the way those candles had changed, it was obvious that something had gone badly wrong.

What had Harold been talking to back there? September and Xavier had evidently heard it, judging by their expressions, so why hadn't Danparan? She knew that Harold and the dog must already be a long way behind them...

"Why are we running?" she asked, gaining speed to bring herself level with September. "Is it the garden? Was the garden talking?"

She stumbled slightly as her foot grazed a tree root. It was very awkward, trying to run with a piece of alien technology wrapped in each arm. She looked down at the lantern, and saw that was now emitting only a faint red light and a low humming sound. Was it their unease that was affecting the environment so? Or was it the other way around?

Welcome To TV Tropes | How To Write An Example | Text Formatting Rules | List Of Shows That Need Summary | TV Tropes Forum | Know The Staff
Sofa499 RAEP-FACE ENGAGE from under your sink Since: Apr, 2011
RAEP-FACE ENGAGE
#560: Jun 9th 2011 at 6:54:07 PM

Utaar hadn't payed a great deal of attention to any of the others, as he considered their talk of the "garden" all the while. One among them- the Cold Man who carried a strangely shaped object in addition to a metal stick- had attempted to address him, but he gave him no heed. Utaar was, however, listening to the ragged man that approached them, telling them of this place's intentions; his words were sensible, but he had difficulty applying trust to his face.

A grunt seeped from under the rags and shadows that cloaked Utaar's face, at the sound of having to locate the others- one of the Cold Men from before among them. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the man with the stick standing beside him. He turned, his eyes thinning beneath their opaque protection. "You continue to linger?"

Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#561: Jun 9th 2011 at 6:57:14 PM

"Yes. I couldn't hear exactly what it was saying, but Harold did."

She slowed a little bit as she saw how much trouble Danparan was having.

"Give me one of those."

TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#562: Jun 9th 2011 at 7:09:48 PM

"I heard it, too," said Xavier. "There's something bad going on here. It told us to run, but Harold and Leitha stayed behind for some reason. I think there might be another person in here, now, with hostile intentions."

He glanced at her and saw she was still carrying the lantern and the sphere. "If you're tired of carrying it, I can take the sphere," he offered. The lantern, he noted, was now red.

CrystalGlacia from at least we're not detroit (Living Relic)
#563: Jun 9th 2011 at 7:13:01 PM

"I'll have to say that I'm not exactly interested in trying to understand the Garden," he began.

He stopped twirling his cane.

"And... that odd man who joined the others... I don't exactly feel at ease whenever he tries to prove that the Garden is sentient."

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Chubert highly secure from California Since: Jan, 2010
highly secure
#564: Jun 9th 2011 at 7:34:34 PM

"I'm in the business of making the world spin to my personal preferences," Hector said, folding his legs into a manageable cross-legged position as he sat down. "Not a huge fan of watching it do so outside of my control. Sometimes you can't do anything but watch, and nothing I do can change that. But when fortune presents the opportunity—isn't it times like those when it's best to take control of the situation and forge our own path?"

Hector turned his head to look into the malamute's eyes. The black marble stared back. Leitha's carefree, unmotivated, disinterested attitude—was it all a facade? Or was the dog legitimately unconcerned about most things, save his immediate friends and loved ones?

And Hector didn't even know who those friends and loved ones might even be.

edited 10th Jun '11 11:07:36 AM by Chubert

Whatcha gonna do, little buckaroo? | i be pimpin' madoka fics
BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
vigilantly taxonomish
#565: Jun 9th 2011 at 7:49:12 PM

"Thanks," said Danparan, giving Xavier his sphere back. It seemed like the sensible thing to do, since it was his sphere.

"I can manage with the lantern," she told September, "it's pretty light." She gave it an experimental shake, wondering whether it would light up again as it had the last time, but it stayed resolutely dim and red.

"Is there any particular reason why we're running?" she asked September. "Unless you're headed anywhere specific, wouldn't it be a better idea to slow down and have a proper look around?"

Welcome To TV Tropes | How To Write An Example | Text Formatting Rules | List Of Shows That Need Summary | TV Tropes Forum | Know The Staff
Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#566: Jun 9th 2011 at 7:55:03 PM

There was a rustling in the trees. It began to grow in volume as it shrunk in distance before Wesley, eyes wide, came bursting through the underbrush. He looked around, his head on a swivel, scanning the trees. This place- it was different, it- he stopped, suddenly. It was darker. Wesley cast around looking for the others he had followed into here. He had just jumped up and followed the old man and the priestess into the forest. Had the man said there was danger for the group that had left exploring? How did he know that? How could he have known?

It was just then that Wesley realized he was lost. Shit. Looking around at the trees, it was clear that this was not a place you wanted to be. Pressing on, rifle at the ready, he spied a haze of red up in the trees ahead. He set off towards them again, crashing through the undergrowth. This place was strange. What was happening to it? He didn’t notice anything of the sort on the entirety of his way in, but perhaps this was another section of the Garden entirely. Or it could be something new. If this area was only a recent development, then in reaction to what? The fight between Uthaar, Harold and him? Or- or perhaps the old man’s arrival?! His professed knowledge of the Garden did seem suspicious, and he was nothing if not out of place. None of the others had purposely got here, or known why they were transported here.

“Hey! Harold! Xavier! Any of you out there!?”

yey
Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#567: Jun 9th 2011 at 8:02:34 PM

"I think that what we're moving away from is just as important as where we're going in this case. Just a bit longer, then we can stop and get our bearings. Somewhere out there is something we need to find. So that's precisely what I intend to do."

Lasty Lucaruka!! from Auld Lang Syne Since: Jan, 2010
Lucaruka!!
#568: Jun 9th 2011 at 10:41:29 PM

The soldier wasn't content to let the chips fall as they would. Very few people were, though Leitha supposed existence would be a lot more boring if people didn't have ambition. "I do, for the most part, what amuses me! Taking situations into my own hands is not quite a thing I like to do, because what's the fun in doing things if what's going to happen has already been planned?"

Harold sat down, and stared into Leitha's eyes. Leitha grinned.

"My eyes, unfortunately, are not a portal to my soul! Do you want me to throw you a bone?"

Despite himself, Leitha threw his head back and began to laugh. The situation be damned - it'd still be there when he was done.

"See, because - because I'm a dog and...oh, oh right this is not a good time! I honestly have no idea how Vuka deals with being so serious all the time! It's good to smile! Even when you're trapped in an unhappy garden and being approached by what is possibly an unspeakable evil!"

Cry for the moon!
Chubert highly secure from California Since: Jan, 2010
highly secure
#569: Jun 9th 2011 at 11:01:44 PM

Wesley's cries were faint, but Hector could still hear them, carried over by the wind.

"Over here!" he shouted back, standing up to wave a candle back and forth. The sound of Wesley making his way through the trees grew louder.

Hector sat back down and looked back into Leitha's eyes for a second, two seconds...

The dead leaves beneath Hector crackled as he wrenched his gaze away from the abyss. Oh, Leitha was insane, no doubt about it. It was the insanity he was very familiar with, the one that lurked behind the eyes of the Paranormals and those that worked with them. Something, long ago, had shifted out of place and cracked

yet all they had done was look around, shrug, and continue on their merry way.

Whatcha gonna do, little buckaroo? | i be pimpin' madoka fics
Dealan Since: Feb, 2010
#570: Jun 10th 2011 at 4:56:08 AM

The old man runs fast.

Yeah, and so did practically everyone else- except her. There wasn't any point in following them; she'd just be left behind and eventually get lost. If she was going inside that forest, she'd have to bring someone else with her. And this, unfortunately, left only one choice.

Leah went to Carmina, who had just gotten out of the lake. Fucking had not ensued, surprisingly.

Shoots once, Wesley follows, shoots twice. Exactly the same.

"I don't know if you've heard, but the old man -his name is Aldrin- says that the others inside the forest are in danger. Well, I can't catch up with them, and I don't want to go in there alone. So, you know, Matthias and Utaar seem busy, so... I'm not too eager to run into a trap. How about we go there, by walking, preferably?

CrystalGlacia from at least we're not detroit (Living Relic)
#571: Jun 10th 2011 at 9:49:53 AM

Matthias looked up. He lowered his cane, letting his arm drop to his side.

The old man was coming for him.

There was something about him that simply did not feel right. The fact that he was moving as agilely as someone his own age was curious, indeed, seeming to hint at more lurking beneath the surface.

He figured that it would be in his best interests to stay where he was. He wasn't exactly a typical harmless blind man, no, but after hearing what happened to this soldier's weapons- from the sound of it, a divine force splintered them -he didn't exactly feel inclined to lose his pair of knives if something occurred. Exactly why he decided to learn how to use them was not something to be thinking about right now.

Breathing lightly to ensure that the man wouldn't notice him doing so, he let his muscles relax. Every stray thought was silenced.

Turning towards the source of his oddly quick footsteps, he blankly eyed the approaching old man, any semblance of fear from before drained away.

"Hm? Who might that be...?"

Even his London accent was gone.

edited 10th Jun '11 12:44:52 PM by CrystalGlacia

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#572: Jun 10th 2011 at 4:12:34 PM

Xavier peered through the dark forest. "Well, there's not much else we can do besides follow this path," he said to Danparan and September. "There's got to something at the end of it. After all, why else would the garden make it? In fact..." He squinted, attempting to make objects out through the darkness. "I think I see something now. It looks like a big stone temple of some kind. Maybe it's dedicated to the garden?"

Is it possible to be in your element and out of your league simultaneously? It's not like I haven't dealt with ruins in my time as an arcanoarchaeologist, but this is totally different. I don't have anything to base it on or compare it to, assuming it is a temple. And who built it? I haven't seen any other buildings here. It could be a self-contained settlement; it's not like they'd have to work hard to stay alive, especially if they're on good terms with the garden. Or maybe it's a monument or a folly.

BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
vigilantly taxonomish
#573: Jun 10th 2011 at 5:33:09 PM

Danparan followed the line of Xavier's gaze. "Definitely some sort of artificial structure," she said. It did look rather like a temple, though not one belonging to any culture she'd ever seen. The exact size of the building was impossible to discern from this distance, as so many mosses and so much ivy stretched across its surface that it was exceedingly difficult to see where the temple ended and the forest began.

Danparan broke into a sprint, all caution quite forgotten, and stopped at the building's entrance only to admire its magnificence. It appeared to be constructed from oolitic limestone, and proportioned according to the golden ratio. The entrance was marked by a great stone arch, and the candles stopped there; beyond, Danparan could see only darkness. She paused, listening. From inside she could hear a faint ticking and, distantly, what sounded like running water.

"Anybody home?" she called. Her words echoed through the blackness before her.

edited 10th Jun '11 5:34:00 PM by BobbyG

Welcome To TV Tropes | How To Write An Example | Text Formatting Rules | List Of Shows That Need Summary | TV Tropes Forum | Know The Staff
TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#574: Jun 10th 2011 at 6:55:31 PM

"Hey, wait up!" yelled Xavier. He ran to catch up with her.

The temple was similar to styles of architecture he had seen before, but not to any single style. It was an odd mishmash of cultures. Some of the more obvious styles seemed to be classical Greek and Roman, Khmer, Aztec, and possibly Achaemenid.

He shook himself. Here he was, imposing values from his experience on something from another dimension. But he couldn't help himself; it was what he did.

The temple was covered in overgrowth, but for something that had apparently been abandoned for quite some time, it was surprisingly intact. He pulled some vines and moss off to get a closer look at the stones. They were limestone, smooth, and very finely and precisely cut. He stepped into the entrance with Danparan. Faint noises sounded from inside. Whoever had built this temple evidently had some form of knowledge with mechanisms.

The room was very dark inside. Xavier muttered, "Lhenyyr," and a ball of soft, blue light pulsed in his hands, illuminating some of the room beyond.

Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#575: Jun 10th 2011 at 6:59:33 PM

September recoiled from the bright light. Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness inside the temple. When she recovered, she saw a passage sloped slightly downwards leading into the structure's depths.

"Well, I guess now we know what we were supposed to find."


Total posts: 678
Top