Kyriakos: OVERFLOW

[justichthys]

Comments

[carptricks]

Tch--!

[Kaito's response isn't immediate as he fires off the final shot left in his laser gun. the shot strikes one of the tentacles and depletes all of its HP, causing it to glitch out and disappear as the other alien monsters had earlier. four more tentacles to go!1 and "One hundred points to player one" as well]

[squeezing the trigger again only produces a faint click, which signifies that the ammunition is gone. with a curse, he ducks his head and stuffs his hand into his inventory to reload his weapon]

Not yet, but I have an idea. . .!

[the "bullets" of his weapon emit a soft glow of light each time fires off a shot. maybe he could use that to shed a little bit of illumination onto their situation]

[justichthys]

[ The click of the gun running empty almost makes her panic, before she remembers—no, it’s fine, he brought extra ammo with him. Breathe, Aoko. It’s just a game, they can do this; even if they can’t find the main body, there’s only four tentacles left. Nothing can go wrong. ]

[ She shifts into a slightly steadier stance, uncapping a couple of the vials. Breathes, carefully, in and out. And then … she forces herself to look down. It’s not that she’s afraid of heights in particular, but between the gaping pit of darkness and the giant angry alien dwelling within it, it’s … o-oh god, no, focus. ]

[ Keeps her eyes down, watching like a hawk. It hadn’t been obvious in the earlier, better lit rooms, but here? The light from the laser ‘bullets’ stood out, if only a little. ]

[ And the moment Kaito manages to illuminate any faint sign of their target, Aoko wastes no time in throwing both vials straight at it! ]

[carptricks]

[Kaito reloads his weapon quickly, snapping the ammunition chamber shut-- and just in time, too. another tentacle comes whirling at them, and a red laser beam from his weapon zips through the air mere inches from Aoko's face to strike it and divert it away. she might even feel the heat from that shot]

[. . . he'll have to apologize later]

Ready!

[and without waiting for her to respond (because she is in sync with him, she has to be, and he has to trust her to be), he swings his firearm around and shoots at the pit below]

[. . .]

[the light from the red laser reveals this. a wide, gaping maw with serrated teeth circling the opening. terrifying]

[luckily, the creature gobbles up the blue vials without hesitation. there's a low rumbling noise. . .]

[soulping]

[a low rumbling noise quickly followed by a high-pitched, shrill shriek as the kraken (kraken????) suddenly bursts into flame. it begins with a few small explosions below, in the pit, but the fire quickly zooms up the creatures tentacles. the appendages shrivel and burn as the flames lick at the creature's skin, and due to the fact that they are not flailing about, a few tongues of fire might be flying in the direction of our brave protagonists]

[. . .]

[the kraken is reduced to ash within seconds. ash that, as before, glitches out and completely disappears]

Five hundred points to player two.

[carptricks]

[Kaito stands on the balance beam as he watches the entire incident, eyes wide. and then, when it's over. . .]

[silence]

[. . .]







This is getting kinda unfair.

[REFERRING TO HER KILL SNIPING ONE OF HIS TARGETS. AGAIN]

[justichthys]

[ Almost being shot in the face (it wouldn't hit, she knows he'd have never let it hit; his aim was too good for that) startles her so badly that she almost messes up. Almost. Can't afford to mess up, not now, she'll just have to kill him for it later. Now she has to move in sync with him; react and act in perfect alignment. ]

[ The monster below is like something from one of her worst nightmares. Good thing, then, that it doesn't last very long—within seconds the thing is a writhing, shrieking mass of fire, and Aoko can do nothing but gawk, stunned into silence. ]

[ … a silence that Kaito eventually breaks. ]

[ Opens her mouth. ]

[ Closes it again. ]

[ … and since she's still crouching next to him, she leans against his legs, gently (please ignore the faint, adrenaline-fueled tremor that seems to have overtaken her), and looks up at him with a shit eatingly innocent grin. ]

It's not my fault I'm the only one who knows how to get anything done around here~ ♥

[carptricks]

[she leans against him, and he crouches, placing his hand on her shoulder as he does so. he can feel the slight shiver that has taken over her body, but he in turn is perfectly still]

Don't sound so pleased with yourself! We're not done yet.

[his words are grumpy but let's be real here, if he were in Aoko's position he'd be bragging too]

[justichthys]

[ It's comforting to have him right there, a warm, solid and steady presence that she can rely on. As long as he's with her … everything will work out just fine. She can count on him. ]

If you were me, you'd be crowing non-stop! [ Rolls her eyes at him, even as she leans against him slightly. ] But … speaking of not being done, here. [ She offers him the grappling gun. ] I, uhm, I don't think I'll be steady enough to get us down.

[carptricks]

[she sure can. he gives her shoulder a squeeze as he holsters his laser gun. he lowers his voice slightly, teasing and light and perhaps a bit Kid-like]

Why, Nakamori-san, swinging from grappling hooks happens to be one of my specialties. ♥

[he shoots her a playful wink as he takes the grappling gun from her]

[justichthys]

... [ Is he really gonna go there? ]

[ Apparently, he is. He is really going to go there. ]

If there wasn't a giant gaping pit of darkness where the floor used to be, I'd shove you off this rafter right here and now.

[carptricks]

[HA HA]

[he snaps back into Kaito pretty quickly and snickers]

C'mere, you dork.

[slides one arm around her waist and grabs a hold of her tightly]

Hold on tightly, okay? I don't want you to slip and fall.

[justichthys]

[ Makes a grumpy sound when he wraps an arm around her, but she turns to face him slightly and grabs hold, clinging to him tightly. ]

I won't fall!

[carptricks]

I know you won't.

I've got you.

[the way he says that is a little dorky, but he gives her no time to respond before he levels the grappling hook at a rafter hanging above the open door. with a loud bang, he fires, and the hook and attached rope zip through the air and attach to said rafter. Kaito yanks on their anchor to ensure that it's steady, before he pinches Aoko's waist gently in warning]

Going down!

[AND THEN HE JUMPS]

[justichthys]

[ SSSSSCRREEEEEEEEE ]

[ … it is a very muffled scree, mostly because her face is buried against his shoulder, but it sure is an unmistakable scree all the same. ]

[carptricks]

[THIS IS AN ADVENTUUUUURE]

[he's surprisingly strong for a lanky teen who doesn't seem to be much at first glance, and he hangs onto her tightly as they swing through the air. and he really must be good at this whole grappling hook thing, because he manages to take them right through the open door and into the combat area. he lands on his feet, loosening his grip around Aoko's waist once they're on solid ground again]

[SUCCESS]

[justichthys]

O-Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god … [ THAT SURE. HAD. BEEN A THING. It had almost been thrilling, in a mildly terrifying, heart-pounding-out-of-her-chest way. ]

[ Except they're about to reach the final stage, and that means she needs to push all of that back and focus on supporting him. Takes a deep breath, reaching for the grappling gun and securing her grip on her staff. ]

[carptricks]

[now she understands why Kaito loves it so much]

You okay?

[he asks, and although he's still grinning like a loon, the question is sincere. before them, the combat hall is pitch black and dark. it's impossible to see what's further into the room from the entrance]

[justichthys]

I think you're crazy. [ She hisses, fervently, but there's a brightness in her eyes that suggests there's way more to it than just that. SHE LIKES ADVENTURE JUST AS MUCH AS HE DOES SOMETIMES, okay. It's a thing. ]

But, more importantly … [ Looks ahead, into the darkness. ]

[carptricks]

[he follows her gaze and sobers up significantly, though he doesn't step forward just yet. his hand drifts to his laser gun again]

Ominous, isn't it?

[justichthys]

Y-Yeah …

[ She shifts on her feet, bringing the staff up to a more guarded position. ]

But whatever's out there ... we can take it! Right?

[carptricks]

Right!

[no slip of confidence there. he draws his weapon and holds it out in front of him, but not before checking the ammunition just in case]

So let's go.

[and then he tilts his head to the side and flashes her a grin]

[justichthys]

[ She returns his grin with a more tentative smile of her own … and then steps forward, walking ahead into the DARKNESS UNKNOWN. ]

[soulping]

[as soon as the two step forward, the lights above them flicker on]

[they're in what looks like a large, spacious warehouse. there are obstacles strewn across the area, things like large wooden crates, barrel drums, and so on and so forth. as with others rooms, the floor and walls are made of chrome. there's a door on the opposite side of the room, which would be pretty easy to get to, except for one small problem]







[the warehouse area is filled with gun slinging aliens.]

[and not a single one of them looks happy to see either Kaito or Aoko]

[carptricks]

[annnnnnnnd as soon as it becomes evident that they aren't alone]






[Kaito freezes into place]

[justichthys]

[ … ooookay, so. the bickering and bantering drops like a stone into the ocean ]









Um.