Vaas opened this mouth to say something as Armon closed on him, but forgot it after he felt the pinch and the lightness spreading through him. Strange thoughts were bouncing around the back of head. He shrugged, scratched his head one last time, drew his pistol on general principle, and jogged up to catch up with the man in the hood and mask. The idea was dawning on him that he might not be quite as fucked as he looked.
"Hey man." He said, slowing down to the same pace. He felt happier. A lot happier. He liked the idea that he wasn't going to have to kill everyone himself. "Mi hermano, you're not a shaman or anything under that mask, are you? Because I know I am not crazy, but I don't think that was just all smoke and mirrors and shit back there, huh?"
edited 22nd Dec '12 7:08:21 PM by TheMalignancy
"No, mi hermano," Amon said (with a poor imitation of Vaas' accent) without turning around. "I am not a shaman. I am simply well-taught in the arts of chi-manipulation. It's the energy that flows all over your body. By hitting several points I can either ease the flow of your chi- which is what I just did- or block it, and make you lose control over certain parts of your body. Temporarily, of course. If anything, I am a simple man under this mask."
Don and Rob both recoiled from Daido's sudden outburst.
"Okay.....keep it then!" Don assured.
"Dude talk 'bout some freaky Gollum shit here, Rob whispered.
Joker merely smiled at this latest development. It already gave him an idea.....but for now:
"Oh, now don't worry your pretty little head, pretty boy!" Joker said, walking past his mooks. "I doubt anyone would actually want a demonically possessed data stick!"
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!"Gooooooooood..." He hissed before snapping back to reality. "... What the fuck did he give to me!?" Daido said, looking at his Gaia Memory. The black speech stopped, and he was only left with the thought that the memory just fucked with his brain.
His mother, meanwhile, looked with huge discern that Ilya disappeared. A shame how the one person she ever became warm to for her entire life in this world had to leave on her. Shame. However, his... change was unlike himself. Especially when he was crazy and was in Futo. Miki smirked. "Daido... how long until the devil consumes you?" Miki said to herself as she left the area and went outside of the tower.
Molluck nodded. He had suspected as much, strange as it was. How else had the factory been nearly identical to the true Rupture Farms. Which also meant Molluck could automate it further. "Then, if you are willing to bring some more to my factory I shall begin mass-producing more types of weaponry right away. Now, what is the plan with the white psycho now that Ilya is gone?"
edited 22nd Dec '12 9:28:41 PM by Alleydodger
Megatron smiled.
"He has some sort of nerve gas... And you have a plant that crates weapons. I believe we can... diversify... our ammunition. The Joker seems to know things. He could be very useful."
The Decepticon's expression darkened.
"Still, the loss of Ilya is... Unfortunate, to say the least... Especially with the issue of Sauron at hand."
edited 22nd Dec '12 9:33:33 PM by Scrounge
Vaas laughed happily. The back of his mind had stopped itching. He felt like he was one one of those late-night American hidden camera shows, but knew he wasn't. Hoyt had never been able to get him to unlearn what he'd learnt in the Rakyat, even if the stuff about the giant was obviously bullshit. Hoyt didn't understand. He was a tough motherfucker, but he'd never been a warrior. He was a businessman. He'd never had to kill his own dinner. It was a cultural barrier, or some shit like that. The point was, whatever Hoyt or the imaginary hidden camera said, he'd been on enough mushroom-related spiritual journeys to know what magic felt like. Or ancestor spirits, or Chi, or whatever.
"Oh man, this shit just gets better and better. So you can just, like, get in there and make people's legs stop working? Because I think we might be having a lot of fun together. I think this could be the start of something very beautiful."
His head swiveled around to face Skeletor, who he couldn't help but notice was wearing purple spandex; he also seemed to be filling it with the kind of muscle most people only got after chugging a few years of steroids. The mask was pretty good, though. It had the right yellow-ey tint to it. Maybe he was on his way to a fancy-dress Pride party or something.
"I am not a lunatic, my friend. I am not insane, I am not mad, I am not crazy. Try to remember that, mi hermano. Someone might take offense, you know?" He looked him up and down again for a second, and wondered how the hell he saw out of a mask with no eye holes.
"I used to be part of a warrior tribe, did I ever tell you that? The Rakyat. Those guys are fucking crazy. They have these tattoos they put on to try and turn into better warriors; it doesn't fucking work, but once they're inked up the only way to kill them is to erase them complete. Stupid fuckers. They have no ideas about globalization, or capitalism, or any shit like that. They try to attack my camps, show their stupid fucking faces all around my island, and then we burn down their fucking villages until they fuck off. Then they try it again. They think it's gonna be different. The exact same fucking thing. Over and over and over again. Savages. Fucking insane savages. Now that is crazy, don't you think?"
edited 22nd Dec '12 9:47:22 PM by TheMalignancy
"Ah yes, that's the curse of anything from Sauron," Joker said to Daido. "That guy is such a control freak that he basically has zero trust in anyone with actual free will, even those who willingly decide to work for him! So what does he do? He schemes and scams them into becoming his loyal, willing, subservient lapdogs in anyway his devious little mind can concoct! He may take a bit longer on the drawing board to sucker those he deems to be his intellectual equal - *cough*likeme*cough*, for everyone else he instead gives them trinkets like that little flash drive thingy! I saw what it can do, and it was awesome! But at what cost, you ask? Why, your brain slowly being warped by said power giving object so you become horribly addicted it to! You reason to a simple question by one merely mook is proof enough of the hold it beginning to have on your mind.......
"Now, my mind is far to loopy for any brainwashing to happen, but I know when it being attempted on me," Joker continued. "Sauron dun give you some magic candy thar. He only does that to who he thinks are just Dumb Muscle."
edited 22nd Dec '12 9:39:02 PM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!"Yes, I can do that, and... it does sound crazy, Vaas." Amon said, nodding, understanding at least seventy five percent of what the man was uttering. Globalization? What in the world was that? "It seems as if they're the stone on your shoe that stops you and your people from getting into full speed. But... you have burned down their villages... and yet they remain. You must destroy the idea, Vaas. These madmen obviously do not care about the material side of things. But if you hurt their minds in a way they cannot heal, that is when they will know to not cause you anymore trouble. That is when they will fear you. Fear and paranoia and formidable tools, Vaas. If you use them, they won't dare to raise a finger against you, my friend."
He then noticed Vaas' vacant stares directed towards Skeletor. "Perhaps it's best if Skeletor explains how he got into his current state before you discover it by accident? Yes, our friend here is a skeleton. It's not a mask, and it's most certainly not a costume. Skeletor? Would you mind explaining?" He said, pointing his hand towards Vaas, as he glanced towards nowhere in particular. However, for a certain alligator chasing the group, it's clear that Amon was trying to see if they were being followed or watched.
"... So... That's why he values me as an ally?" Daido said as he looked at the Memory. He then recalled the melody he played on his harmonica to the one woman he truly loved. He then closed his eyes for a brief moment. Then placed the Memory in his pocket. "I see... If what you say is true, then this power shouldn't be used so lightly. I shall use this only when the situation calls for it. If I somehow become a slave to the memory..." Daido then snickered. "Well, that's probably another problem to my already broken sanity." Daido said.
Obligingly, Skeletor pulled back his hood to reveal his skull floating several inches
◊ above his body
◊.
edited 22nd Dec '12 10:01:32 PM by Vox
"Nerve gas? Pah, never been a fan. Too quick, too efficient. You can't prolong the suffering. But, any weaponry is welcome. Who knows, the putz might surprise us."
Molluck shrugged to adjust his gun. "I'll keep close watch on my cameras. This place seems to be as much about partnerships and alliances as it is about sole power. If we want to get anywhere, we'll need to pick up smucks before the others do."
"Aaah, that is what I meant by erasing them completely, hermano." Said Vaas, gesturing vaguely. It was astoundingly hard to make a hand movement for shock and awe. "You can't just shoot those crazy tattoo fucks. They got a bunch of martyrs and voodoo bullshit, and they don't scare too easy. See, they already know they're going to die. They don't give a shit. They think that means they will win. Which, uh, which does remarkably little to stop a bullet to the face, but it does make them into some pretty fucking stubborn cockroaches. You have to take them prisoner, show everyone who's really wearing the dick in the situation. Only way to stop those fuckers from acting like they got a martyr."
He followed Amon's glanced over to Skeletor; the skull took him off-guard. Spiritual voodoo kung-fu bullshit was one thing. He'd had enough experience with it to know it kind of worked, even if most of it seemed to be heavily dependent on various mushrooms.
Skull-man over there was something else. He looked like something the Rakyat dreamt up to keep their kids in line. Vaas had never had the esteemed opportunity to watch Saturday morning kids cartoons, but he couldn't help but feel he looked like his name was spelt with at least one X. He also looked like a hallucination, but that was impossible. Only pussies had hallucinations.
He walked up to him carefully, and passed his hand hand under it a few times, where the neck should have been. Reality seemed to taking a vacation. "That's... that's really something, man. Uh, how do you eat?"
Yet another villain exited the pods, a well-dressed
◊ young man with an incredibly foul expression on his face. Who dared to abduct the King of Heroes? Whatever insolent wretch was behind this would pay when he caught up with them.
Thoughts of vengeance were temporarily driven from Gilgamesh's head by the somewhat concerning sight before him. Though he had seen many strange things in his existence and knew of many more, he was certain that it was impossible to teleport anyone in such a way as this—that they could not recognise the surroundings in any capacity—without use of Command Seals or Magic. That either put this down to Kirei, who had better have a good reason if that was the case... or a Magician. Though supremely confident in his abilities, the King of Heroes knew better than to trifle with any user of True Magic without preparation.
Dismissing vengeance for the moment, the Golden Archer took stock of his surroundings properly. Tower, three humanoid figures heading for it... and a giant crocodile. A giant crocodile. Maybe he would have to thank whoever was responsible for this; Fuyuki had grown boring after ten years there and anyone who had the good sense to bring someone of his calibre to a location undoubtedly had enough taste to provide entertainment.
Leisurely, Gilgamesh followed the group as it was heading towards the tower, making no effort to conceal himself.
Just another girl"Now that all questions regarding ourselves have been answered, all that remains is for us to find out what exactly are we doing here." Amon said, turning around and pointing at the tower. "I'd suggest we continue on our way there, but perhaps it would be better if we were to somehow... attract attention to us?"
There was a shimmer in the air before Amon, Vaas, Skeletor, K.Rool and Gilgamesh.
A human- mere human, bald with a close clipped goate and dark knowing eyes stepped out in front of them was if appearing out of thin air. There was the mettalic click of a cloaking device deactivating and Kane stood revealed before the four new overlords, a smug smile on his face as he faced up beings that could make him look like a mere ant from under a stone.
Unfortunately Kane was no mere ant.
"Good day gentlemen".
Kane greeted Amon, Vaas, Skeletor with his melodious, calm- almost amused voice.
It was not the exact reaction Joker was hoping for, but it was a nice nudge in the right direction. "Or yes, of course," Joker said. "I mean, what's the nuclear bomb than just a really risky desperation move, or maybe weaponized black holes? The thing to always keep in mind is this:" He hooked his arm around Daido's shoulder. "When your sanity's gone and all that left is the void of udder madness, always make sure that void belongs to only you.....never let some other guy use the void to control you......."
The clown then unhooked his arm. "By way, has your girlfriend and your mother been getting along?" he asked.
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!"Don't worry, Joker. I am nothing but a lifeless shell. I have been a void from the very start. I'll fight for a tomorrow, even if there are people who wish to control it." Daido said.
"Haven't really heard much from Reika or Miki. Heck, Izumi hasn't really been hanging around me for a while. Wonder what's up with them..." Daido said.
Miki began to spy on the newcomers by hiding behind some rocks, going as far as writing down any sort of information they had given out.
"Hey, even the undead can be surprisingly sane," Joker said to Daido. "You should be lucky you already lost some of your marbles when you got back from the dead. I suggest checking back with your loved ones, cuz last time I was at your room your mother really didn't approve of the women you were bringing home, if ya know what I mean?" he said with an aside and a wink.
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!Vaas looked the bald man up and down. Reality still seemed to be taking maternity leave, but he was starting to notice a pattern to the insanity. The pods had been all bright lights and glass and brushed metal, general Star Trek bullshit. This man was dressed like an extra. Right down to the Predator cloak.
"I don't like your voice over there, mi hermano." He said, tightening his grip on the pistol. Twelve bullets to a magazine, minus the three for the prisoners and the two he'd spent disciplining a monkey back on the island. That made seven. He had a good feeling about seven. Baldy didn't look particularly bulletproof. "You sound real fucking happy for someone in a rocky shithole. Are those pods yours, huh? Are you fucking with us? STOP SMILING, YOU BALD FUCK!"
The pistol was up in an instant. Vaas scowled at the man for a second, before apparently calming himself down to a degree under screaming. His scowl receded a little, and the flares of his nostrils sank down. The pistol, however, did not.
"Do you think I am fucking joking with you, is that what you think? You think this is a joke? FUCK YOU! I don't know where the fuck I am, bald-ass hermano, and suddenly there's all kinds of bullshit happening and bald motherfuckers are just jumping out of the fucking air." He stopped for a second, but only because he'd run out of breath. There was a little fleck of spittle under his mouth. The pistol was, all things considered, far steadier than it had any right to be.
"Someone's fucking with me, and it's not these two, so who the fuck is it? Is it you, mi hermano? Is it someone you work for? Is that it, huh? Is it? Is it? Answer me, old man. FUCK!"
edited 24th Dec '12 6:19:07 PM by TheMalignancy

...A trap?
Just as Amon, Skeletor and Vaas left, from one of the pods emerged a gigantic reptile, standing at at least five meters tall and clad in a red trenchcoat and black bicorn. As he picked himself off the ground, his bulging left eye twitched with barely concealed rage.
Who had dared entrap the great King K. Rool? It had to be the Kongs... Those disgusting, fleabitten monkeys! It had to be them... Had to be them...
The collosal crocodile mentally noted yet another entry to his ever growing list of why the Kongs must die, and watched as the three humans (he assumed they were all human, at least; he could only see Skeletor from behind, after all) started to make their way to the castle.
"...So they think they'll find answers there, do they?" he hissed quietly to himself, as he began slithering off behind the three, trying his best to stay hidden. He was surprisingly skilled at keeping his presence concealed; something made even more remarkable by his size. "Then the great K. Rool shall follow, and if answers are not forthcoming... Well, then everyone shall be crushed, of course."
edited 22nd Dec '12 7:25:37 PM by Moerin