IN ANY CASE...
Madness's face bunched up in anger as he watched his own followers turn on him. "I liberated you! I set you free, and granted you the chance to become something greater! And you listen to this, this, this fiend of a woman! How dare you!"
"Enough, brother, it is time. Either come quietly, or return as nothing more then aether to our home." Sorrow stood, her hand outstretched, as Pain and Agony stood behind her, queitly observing.
"NOOOO! I was this close! Damn you, damn you to the infernal depths of the infinite layers of the hell of your own making!" Madness's body twitched, as it began to bulge and rip, aetheral light seeping through the holes and tears. "This will not be the last of me! I will create the universe in MY image! I will not be a slave to any of the self proclaimed Outer Gods!"
With Sorrow, Pain and Agony, the Doll Alexis, and Sasha looking on, Madness's body exploded into a shower of confetti and and candy, a last act of utter insanity, as his psychic essence ripped a whole through space and escaped before Sorrow could move.
"But...how?! Where...where did he come across such power! When was he no longer tied to phsyical form! Who gave him this power!"
A voice from everywhere answered in an English accent, "I did".
From the dark, hundreds of little hands came skittering towards the corpse throne, where they began to use spare body parts, a sewing needle, and thread to construct a body. The voice continued to anamenate from nowhere.
"I set this entire encounter up. It was I who set Madness free, I who had them select you to bring him back, I who gave you advice, I who was the whisper and conscience in everyone's ear. I controlled the variables of this game from start to finish, and each "cultist" bowed to my whims, and mine alone. I've been in control of this situation since the start..."
As the words had begun, a head head formed, and from there the sound began to originate from the deformed jaw. It's voice echoed, as if caught in a canyon with several other people. As it finally finished, so did the hands and thread. Cracking his neck, Deception stepped of of his throne and ran his hand through the Doll's hair.
"How sad...even now your mind has come back to you, but the knowledge revealed had shocked you right back to where you came. You are forever locked in your emptiness by your own fear - nothing more then a plaything or object. Worthless..." With a flick of his hands, Deception snapped the Doll's neck, which fell to the floor limply with a clatter.
He looked over at Sasha, who seemed perfectly fine. "Good, begone, live your life. My experiment is done. Your life need not be taken." Turning to Sorrow, disgust filled Deception's face. "You however, disappoint me! I had hoped you would have found him, that you would have done this on your own, but instead, you involved the rest of the crew in your sordid affairs and cost them their lives. You have managed to, in your completion of your task, to also utterly fail at it!"
Sorrow's eyes hardened. "I do what I must!"
"No, you did what you wanted to! Rules be damned! You are the reason we hvae met failure before, and I refuse to tolerate it. You have failed your rite of passage - it is time you are replaced with someone more competent." Sorrow's eyes widened. "Wait..what? Replaced? You can...you can't just replace me!"
Deception's frown turned to a smug smile. "I can, and will. Just as I enabled Madness, so thus I disable you, and trap you forever in your body. Enjoy what life is going to be left of you, mortal." Deception nodded to Pain and Agony, who bowed deeply. "I thank you for this opportunity to prove my worth to you master. Come, little sorrow, little wench, I am in need of entertainment." Sorrow did a double, then a triple take, suddenly lost in the confusion. until it dawned on her and she fell down and cried, her fate sealed.
Pain and Agony responded in their duel voice, "We are waiting..."
-----------------------------------------------------
Outside of the mining rig, Sasha Polzin contemplated what had gone on the the ill fated vessel. His hand idly tapped the brief case next to him, and as he locked in the coordinates to the nearest Combine controlled port, he thought better of it.
Second Serial Killer Victory, and Combine Victory!
Khaan and AVSM have won Dark Descent!
Second place winners - ATPG and Chaotix
Third place - the Town.
Bookmarks