Under the Hill - Fourth Circle: Greed [IC]

[K_H]

"Smaug, are you forgetting something?"
Kenny then increased the Temperature of the Lake to the Boiling Point of Gold, causing the Lake to vaporize. Kenny then spoke again.
"I'm not, which is why I'm being brave enough to do THIS!"
Kenny then moved the Gold Vapor around the Room, causing the gold to mix into the Air. As he did so, he reduced the temperature of the Gold back to Room Temperature, allowing it to start accumulating on Dust Particles. this led to there being a "Rain Of Gold" in both Smaug's vault and the room Kenny was in. Kenny then felt the Headache begin, and there was also the Pain from Smaug's Fire coming on. this, and his massive expenditure of Auric Energy, led to Kenny's falling into a Coma, collapsing all of his Auric Constructs.

Edited December 23, 2014 by K_H

[CURIE]

"So, my little theory about alternate dimensions..."

"PARTIALLY CORRECT. BUT DON'T EXPECT TO MEET TWILIGHT SPARKLE OR ROSALINA DOWN THERE."

"What about up here?"

"THAT COULD BE ARRANGED"

Edward was about to ask Him what He meant by "partially correct" when he felt a tugging sensation in his chest cavity. "That means it's time for me to go back, isn't it?"

"INDEED. REMEMBER, I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU."

Then, at the last second, Edward had a crazy idea. "Hey, what if Smaug could-" but before he could finish his question, much less get an answer, he was alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt like he was waking up on a school morning. As usual, he moaned something about five more minutes, shifted his position, and tried to go back to sleep. He got woken up pretty quickly however, by being pelted by raining chunks of gold.

"OW OW OW OW OW" He yelled as he scrambled to his feet. As the "hailstorm" subsided, he looked around. Whatever weirdness Lucario guy had done, it had knocked him out (that or killed him?), and was probably responsible for the gold rain. There was Ethic and Taylor, and- oh that's right, his idea! He had to tell them!

"Guys," he called out as he stumbled toward them, still half asleep. "Ethic. Mr. Taylor the Time Lord. I need to, uh, tell you something. I just had an idea about, uhh, the, um, finding the entrance to, you know, the next circle." It seems that whenever he tries to say things he had planned out beforehand, he ends up stumbling over his words like that. Which is weird, because he never has this problem when talking to people normally.

[Sutoratosu]

Did he just call him Mr.Taylor the Time Lord? Ethic thought to himself as the boy suddenly stumbled over from out of nowhere, seeming to have a hard time organizing what he was trying to tell them. His eyes drifted over to 'Terry' in a lingering manner behind his specs as the boy finished sputtering something about an idea to getting out of this circle. The last parts of it he honestly didn't even catch with his suspicions now muddled like fog with this latest little shred of information. His lips pursed and his obstructed eyes narrowed as he found himself unsure of what to believe about the man standing before him now...

"Uh huh... is that right?" he asked, though most of his attention was on 'Terry' instead of Edward. "Yeah, real quick, repeat what you just called 'Terry' here, would you?"

[CURIE]

"Taylor the Time Lord? Oh that, I just call him that 'cuz of his time powers. Anyway, what was I going to say... Oh right, there was this big dragon named Smaug, and he claims that..."

((I left off there because I have a high chance of being interrupted lol))

[Sutoratosu]

"Taylor the time lord!" Ethic announced, throwing up his arms in what seemed to be a feeling of triumph. he fixed 'Terry?' with a questioning yet slightly smug look, crossing his arms. That confirmation right there had put his suspicions to bed at last.

"Taylor, the time lord, He called you," He said, not paying even a speck of attention to the boy scout anymore. "Taylor was the name of the gentleman I was talking about... and he had the power to manipulate time...and he brought me back from the dead once by using it, so It honestly isn't too far fetched to believe he could turn back the hands of time on his own body, if he so desired, which I'm guessing he apparently did from this...current appearance. I thought your facial structures looked kinda similar." He reached up one of his hands to the cold steel frame of his Aviators, taking the glasses off and holding them as he laid bare eyes on the man for the first time in this encounter. "So... Mr. Taylor, how long were you going to go around pretending to be this Terry guy? And what happened between you and the Serial Killer?"

[Notus]

Reil

... The boy was not making the job any easier. Marcus was about to snap when an idea crossed his mind. Still holding the boy's shoulder, he considered it for a moment and then grinned. "Well well, actually you can. There's a robber on the run here you see. If you can find and defeat him, I might let that little issue slip. His name Ethic and, unlike me, he is a rather unreasonable person so I don't suggest you try to speak to him. Might very well be your last chat. What do you say, can you do that?"

[Rielly987]

"Uhh..Yes Sir I..I can do that." Reil did his best to break free of the man's grip. He needed to find this Ethic person. Maybe he could get the guy to come in without an issue. At least the boy hoped. Either way he didn't want to see the Guard's ugly side if that was just his good side. Soon the boy began to roam the halls. "Just gotta find him" the boy whispered to him self. lord this was gonna take awhile.

Edited December 14, 2014 by Rielly987

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor shrugged. "I suppose, it's worthless to pretend to keep this Terry ruse up much longer." He said seemingly unphazed by the recent events. "It was for my own protection, you simply must understand my dear lads. You see on the previous circle I made a certain arrangement with a particular psycho killer. The deal was that he would help me make myself younger and for that I would help him trap you and kill you all." Mr. Taylor paused for a moment then looked each of the boys in the eyes. "Of course, I never planned to go through with it. The plan all along was to trick Marcus and trap him here. However, I needed to keep up the disguise at least when he was present to ensure my safety and well quite frankly all of our safety. If I had dropped the disguise for even a moment when he was around he may have started fighting again which, given the current predicament may have led to everyone's permanent imprisonment in this back." Mr. Taylor sighed then turned back to Edward. "So, my dear boy, you were saying you know of a way out of the bank?"

[CURIE]

Finally, they're ready to listen. "Okay, so I just earlier got my butt handed to me by this, uh, dragon, and he was like... oh yeah, his name is Smaug, you might recognize him from Lord of the Rings. Or actually just the prequel to the Lord of the Rings... anyway, he said he had, like, this psychic connection to all the treasure in the bank, and could, uh, tell where each piece is. So I was thinking, maybe he knows where the exit to this circle is?"

Hey, that gave him another idea. He bent down and picked a few of the gold hailstones off of the ground- four to be exact, the same number that was taken from him earlier. "Come to think of it, will his psychic powers work on these gold coins that have been pretty much destroyed and put back together?"

[Sutoratosu]

"I don't really follow why exactly you think that would be a reason for him to know where the exit is..." Ethic said, a very skeptical look on his face. "So he has some connection to all the currency held in this place; Well there's a few problems in your theory: 1, That honestly doesn't help us too much unless the entire damn gateway to the next circle is either in the biggest vault around here or made out of pure gold. 2, Even if that were the case and it was that easy as to ask him where it is using his gold sense, why the hell do you think he'd tell us anything and not just kill us all on the spot like we were just flies buzzing around his face? and lastly, 3, put that gold down right now, bucko; That's Hell money, God knows what it will do to you if you hold it too long or carry it around or something, probably cursed in some awful way."

A blur of movement nearby caught his attention from down the corridor. He turned his head to find a complete stranger wondering around the place... and the guy was rather big, and suspicious. "Hold that thought for a moment..." He said, drawing his blade from it's sheath slowly, the metal giving a keen cry as it slid easily from the black leather and wood housing it's deadly edge.

"You there," Ethic called out to the man, taking note of his every feature. 6 feet tall at least, looking a little lanky, with a blue and gray hoodie over his head with a pack on his bag... the individual looked like something who the cops would roll up by on the streets just out of plain suspicion. "Halt where you are!" he brought the weapon up and leveled it at the man's face in the distance as he gave the command, his mind prepared to either go activate Temperance or Death at a moment's need. "State your name and your business in this bank! If you do not stop, I will have no option but to follow orders and to stop you!"

[CURIE]

Edward was about to explain that down here, "treasure" doesn't mean just gold, but nope, Ethic wants to pick a fight with this guy now. Yeah, he was probs going to stay out of this one...

Oh and as for what Ethic said about the hell money, Edward didn't buy that for a second. He was sure that if there even was a curse on this stuff, he would be immune to it. You know, because... connections he has. Anyway, he WOULD drop the stuff if he found out Smaug's psychic connections still worked on it, but for now he'll just plop the shiny chunks into his backpack. Wait, the backpack respawns when he does!? And it has all the stuff in it too! This thing is like, the second best backpack ever! The best backpack ever is, of course, Dora the Explorer's talking backpack that can seem to spontaneously generate anything that is needed, along with three or four extra goodies. Well, come to think of it, it kinda makes sense that his backpack regenerates if say, his clothes do.

Anyway, now what should he do? Not get involved with the storm that's brewing around here, that's for sure. Maybe he could take Lucario guy's body and start looking for Enya?

[Rielly987]

"Wait! Please don't stab me! I... uh... I was told by a bank staff member to find a robber named Ethic and bring him to some guy working security, and if i don't then something really bad will happen to me and I don't want to get hurt so please don't stab me I swear im doing work" The entire sentence came out rushed and as a plea of mercy Reil just wanted to get through this hell and back to the farm. "Please Please don't hurt me."

Edited December 16, 2014 by Rielly987

[Sutoratosu]

Dafuq? and here I thought this guy was some full grown shady dude, yet he's just some scarred wimp who sounds like he's not much older than Kenny or Ixidor or even the random kid right here... in fact, It's beginning to seem as though it's mostly kids running around down here out of us live ones... "I'm Ethic," Ethic said, lowering his sword a bit at seeing the boy's fear. "What security man told you I was a robber? I'm one of the guys whose being forced to patrol the corridors and watch out for anything here..." He pulled out his radio and held it up for the teen to see "Did the man have one of these? What did he look like?"

[Rielly987]

"Um.. Well nothing stuck out about him... He was agressive and felt like he wanted to hurt me... YEAH he did have one of those things!" Reil exclaimed. "So, wait whats with him calling you a robber and such. Whatever I'm off see ya then." Reil immediately turned around and walked off hopefully this time AWAY from the danger.

[K_H]

When Edward picked up Kenny, their Auras accidentally Linked, and Auric Energy started flowing between them. This could be noticed as a small tingling sensation around where they made contact. Kenny, who was stuck in a locked-up body, was unable to react. Edward, however...

Edited December 16, 2014 by K_H

[Sutoratosu]

"Wait, you fool!" Ethic called out after the younger teen. He had a sneaking suspicion of who the man who had attempted to sic this kid on him was... who else could it be than one Sir Murdersalot? Who else would honestly have a reason too? Quincy, maybe, considering everything that had happened... but this kid had explicitly stated that it was a man, not a rat man. "If you go back to this guy who told you to find me and kill me, and I'm not dead and you're not holding my bloody stump of a head in your hands to present to his Royal Assness, what do you think is gonna happen to you? I'll tell you what, that man is crazy, he'll tear you apart and leave the pieces strewn about the corridor like a rabid wolf would; it won't be a graceful or even an honorable way to go out." He sheathed his sword back into the scabbard as he walked off behind the boy to stay within conversational distance, walking right past Edward where he was near Kenn'y remains, more interested in trying to keep this coward here from getting himself killed than inquiring as to what the fuck the boy scout was doing touching dead guys.

"Hey, you ever see walking dead?" Ethic called out behind the boy in the hoodie. "Think of it like this if you have; Me and my friends here? We're like Rick's Gang, we stick together and we get through shit like that. But this guy who sent you after me? He's like the Denizens of Terminus; he acts friendly and nice to lure you in, then when your guard is down, he will knock you out and butcher you like a pig, and the same goes for a few other people running around down here. Now tell me, you wanna end up being eaten by a Termite? Because that's basically what's gonna happen if you go back to whoever sent you."

[CURIE]

Okay, gonna pick up this guy and AHAJKEHINGACKLEB

As soon as Edward picked up Kenny, it felt as if he was getting an unusually powerful static shock. He instinctively dropped the body and inspected his hands, the area where he felt the shock. There were little tendrils of light blue electricity zapping around his fingers now, but they didn't hurt or anything. Come to think of it, they're the same color as the stuff Lucario man makes. Could it be that he's inherited the Green Lantern-esque abilities? He thought about the simplest thing he had seen Kenny make- a narrow, rectangular platform that floated in the air. He focused on the thought of it and held out his hands- and it worked! The electricity- like substance shot out of his fingers and formed a platform exactly like the one Edward had imagined! He made it disappear by... willing it to disappear, I guess... and tried again, this time to create a doughnut. Nothing happened. Okay, maybe he's not allowed to make food? He tried making a car, nothing. A statue of himself? Nope. The exact same platform he just now created? Okay what gives, why was his new power suddenly not working?

He checked his hands, and the electric stuff was no longer there. He nudged Kenny's body with his foot, and the power returned. So, he only gets to use this new superpower once huh? Better save it for a time when it really counts.

[Notus]

Kenny & Edward

Before Edward could pick Kenny again though, a trap-door randomly opened on the floor beneath the dead man, causing the body to fall through. It imediatelly closed again, and further inspection from Edward's side would only reveal solid ground were it had appeared.

***

Kenny's body was now lying on a metalic floor. The place seemed to be the interior of yet another vault, but this one didn't contain gold or jewels: there were archives - the type you used to see in offices before computers were a thing - covering the walls, dozens of them. The floor was covered by piles of paper, all neatly arranged with tags explaining the contents of each.

In the middle of the place though stood something not so harmless as these things: an really pissed off looking Gestas tapping his foot impatiently in the ground while he waited for Kenny to wake up.

[K_H]

Kenny and Gestas were waiting quite some time before Kenny finally responded, which he did by looking up slowly, then speaking in a much different voice than before, as if he'd suffered a lot of damage recently.

"you..."

Kenny then died, his Aura having been depleted too far for him to live because of the sudden cutoff from Edward, caused by the fall. Gestas had prematurely ripped Kenny away, damaging and depleting his Aura in the process.

Edited December 21, 2014 by K_H

[Notus]

Kenny

Gestas sighed, shook his head and looked into his watch. Then he stood up and started walking away, speaking to no one in particular. "Ok then, I'll add that you wasted my time by dying in your file. Unlucky for you, I've got time to wait today. "

[anethia]

A flare of anger grabbed her as she watched the tail snake around the corner. A small growl reached her lips, and she bit her thumb, using her power to make herself smaller, but then experiencing a tight, constricting pain as she slowly shrunk, quickly reverting the change.

"You godforsaken fool. Of course you can't be smaller. You can't change clothes or equipment." She silently berated herself, trying to think of another way. If there was one, it wasn't springing to mind. And she needed to move, now. Drawing a blade and boosting her speed, she rocketed forwards in a chase for Quincy's tail.

[Notus]

Annie

What Annie found when she arrived in the corridor was a miriad of people moving from one safe to another. Some of the vaults were closed, but many were open and bustling with activity. Despite that, one would think it would be easy to find Quincy's rat form, but the gunslinger wasn't anywhere to be seen. Perhaps he had entered in one of the vaults for cover...

***
Quincy & Ellaria

The rat-man grinned as he watched his prey... Now that's what he was made for! It had been piece of cake to get one of the guns from these lovey-dovey shooter wannabes without they even realizing it. (Note to self: go back to kill them and take the spoils. Those guys are an walking armory!) The gagged girl he carried on his back wasn't much of a trouble - luckily she was light as a plume for him - and the benefits far surpassed the slight movement issues.

Ellaria watched in terror, but kept quiet over Quincy's back. Not that she had much of a choice, with the gag over her mouth and Quincy's cane at ready for her... The girl still felt the a cutting pain from earlier, when the rat decided that it would be harder for her to run away with her legs broken. She was filled with regret for what she was about to do but, just as Quincy wanted, fear held her at bay.

[Rielly987]

Reil stopped in his tracks, twisted his feet and walked right back to Ethic. "Oh... Okay..um so don't talk to him... Thanks mister well im off!" with that Reil began to pick up his pace through the bank trying to learn as much about it as possible for tonight heist as possible.

[Sutoratosu]

"He's going to find you eventually, kid!" Ethic called out after the boy as the fool continued to try to leave his offer behind. "IT's a matter of WHEN, not IF! And when he finds you, if you're not with anyone to have your back and you're not capable of holding your own against him, which I don't think you are from how scared you are right now, no offense, then he's gonna tear your ass a new one and leave little bits and pieces of hoodied teenager kabobs scattered all over the floor. If the man who sent you is truly who I think he is, then you will never escape him, my friend. He will FIND you. He will KILL you. He has no soul and no morals, I'm 98% certain of it." Seeing that the kid still wasn't stopping even now, Ethic gave up with a shrug of his arms, sticking his hands into his fatigue pockets and turning back to young Taylor with a pivot step, all the while glancing at the figure as it grew smaller down the hall. "Alright, take the idiot's route and don't come with us then. Perhaps this is just natural selection running it's brutal course. Don't say no one warned you though, because someone did, and you didn't listen."

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor sighed. "You can't save them all my dear boy..." he said coolly, "But, perhaps this lad can be saved... I don't know about you my dear boy, but I believe it's about time we paid our host, Gestas a visit."