Under the Hill - Third Circle: Gluttony

[K_H]

Kenny Materialized a Fan, but was unable to Activate it before his Aura overloaded, causing him to glow brighter than the Sun before dying in an Explosion that was similar to a Nuke.

[CURIE]

So a lot of weird things had been happening around Edward lately. He'd fought a giant ninja turtle, a bunch of strangley dressed weirdos with superpowers, and a giant three headed dog with snakes for a mane and tail. At this point, not many things could catch him off guard. You know what could catch him off guard? Getting hit in the face by A NUKE.

The force of the explosion sent him flying into the wall- wait, was this the same exact spot he got flung into earlier? It totally was! Well, this time, he didn't let himself drop to the floor, and instead hung there in midair. His whole body was covered in ouch, like the time he fell off the golf cart while his sister was driving down the road. The explosion had probably killed Enya, and definitely killed that other girl. Guess it's for the better, since they'll respawn soon and both be fine.

As for him, he was in a bad spot. He was pretty sure he didn't have any broken stuff or serious injuries, but he was weakened from the battle and hurting all over. Maybe he should get out of sight. He pushed himself higher into the air, rising into a dark corner where the wall met the ceiling. There, he'll just rest for a while. With any luck, the others will assume he also perished in the explosion.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Eagleby18

[Notus]

((A moment before...))

While Edward tried to feel Ellaria's pulse, with no result, Panik walked near the group of adventurers in the edge of a fight, a puzzled look in his face. "Why are yousss angry little oness? Youss better be friendss in a place like thiss." the lizard Titan told them. "Bessidess, the exit iss jusst there..." As Panik turned to point at the door that Cerberus left open, he noticed Kenny started glowing in a way that meant no good. In a reflex, the gentle giant threw himself over the little man, taking most of the impact with his body to protect the little ones. A moment later- amidst the cloud of smoke and dust that raised from the explosion- he got up again, only to feel pain in his (now wounded, despite the armored skin) belly and be forced to seat down again, panting.

Quincy faked being dead a bit more, waiting for a distraction. Of course he was MAD as hell for having lost to a FREAKING GRANDPA, not to mention the loot of his weapons, but the rat-man was not dumb. He was surrounded, and although most of the prey was tired of the fight, he knew trying to take all of them down would be no fun...

Aand suddenly, BOOM. Welp, that was random, but would serve. In the mid of the dust, Quincy's movements were fast and almost undetectable. In the blink of an eye he had picked back most of his weapons from the pile Edward had made and, having listened to Panik's remark about the exit, started to go towards the open door. However, he almost bumped in something laying on the wall in the way there... And suddenly got an idea. Maybe that would be useful later on.

When the dust settled, there was no sign of Quickshot Quincy... Nor Ellaria Stonewall.

[anethia]

Annie's eyes lazily skimmed over the surroundings from afar, walking slowly up to the group with her blade drawn. New faces. And another giant. However, then again, surely if they were against them they'd have killed them by now? Too late for the giant to really do anything considering the exit was right there. She had heard the commotion regarding the one the old man was facing at the moment. She pricked herself on the blade in case anything was to happen, arming herself for any fights. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a dim glow, lighting up the area, and it was coming from Kenny. Instantly alarmed at the light, she hardened her body and threw herself on the ground, receiving nothing more than some scratches and scars from the debris after her armor cracked. Standing up, she covered her eyes as she waited for the dust to settle.

When it did, it took her a few moments to re-scan the area, finding the rat gone along with Ellaria. Mind clouded by a foggy rage, her eyes lit up in fury as she sprinted towards the open door, using her power to accelerate her.

[Chevaleresse]

Marcus grimaced. There was no way he could take on someone at gunpoint, especially slowed down to normal speed. Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the blast, Marcus backed out of the field and turned to run off at full speed, stealing glances over his shoulder to ensure he wasn't followed, whether it be by a man or a bullet.

[Sutoratosu]

It had all happened so fast. Ethic had barely enough time to process what was going on, let alone shield himself from the shockwave let out by the blast. The result of which was him now flat on his back, knocked off balance by the force.

"Kenny?" he asked as he slowly got back up to his feet, scanning the area, confused by what he saw. "What the hell just happened? Why did he...wait, is that another giant?" It indeed was from what Ethic could see. where kenny had been glowing only a moment ago, now stood another titan; badly wounded it seemed. Ethic went back over the last few minutes in his head, piecing together what had happened...

"He blocked most of the blast..." he said in realization. "The only question is; Why?" He began walking towards the scene as he spoke, scanning the area to see if anyone had survived this close. His eyes immediately spotted a girl laying unconscious on the floor with a teddy bear near her.

"Enya?" he called, rushing over to the child's side and kneeling down. "Enya!" The first thing he did was check for a pulse and breathing... luckily she seemed to still be alive, just out cold. That odd Giant had probably saved her life by taking the brunt of the explosion. That again raised the question...Why?

"Just who are you?" he asked, taking his attention off of the kid and turning it to the much larger being. "Why did you block that blast just now? Aren't you all supposed to be like the wardens down here or something? So why go out of your way and take so much physical risk to help Live ones like us?"

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor cursed under his breath. Why was this so hard to pull off? The old man did his best to chase after Marcus, knowing full well he wouldn't get another chance like this.

[Rosesong]

Rose left the circle, running to Enya and hovering over Ethic. "Oh no, this is all my fault," she whispered, staring at the child's unmoving body in dismay and horror. "If only I hadn't left them, if only I hadn't been so... So weak! I could have stopped this, I know it," she muttered, tears coming down her eyes. Looking around for Ellaria, the girl grew frantic as she realized her younger companion was missing. "Ellaria!" she called. "Where are you?" Turning to the others, she asked, "Was Ellaria here? Where did she go?"

[Sutoratosu]

"She wasn't here when I got over," Ethic said, casting a glance around the area. Actually, it seemed as though Enya was the only one besides Kenny who had even been around the area of the blast, if he went by the individuals he could currently see...or that he didn't see rather. "Was she here helping you guys fight Cerberus?"

[Notus]

"Why did you block that blast just now? Aren't you all supposed to be like the wardens down here or something? So why go out of your way and take so much physical risk to help Live ones like us?"

"You sspeak difficult, little one" Panik told Ethic, still breathing heavily. "Me only thinkss this iss the right thing. You little oness are different and more fun that the otherss. Me passsed my whole life eating little oness, and me never knew why, but me knowss you are not the ssame." Then, with visible effort, the Titan got up and turned to Rose. " Oh, the little-rat carried the little-girl out of here, me ssaw it from up here. Issn't he your friendss too?"

[Sutoratosu]

"Rat?" Ethic asked, his face lighting up in surprise. "Hold on... That's...that should be impossible. After what I did to him back in the gardens..." The memory flashed through his mind of the grusome butcher's job he had performed, though he wasn't much bothered by it any longer. What he was truly bothered about was the fact that Quincy was obviously still running around down here.

"Damn it," he growled. "That means I obviously failed... but fine, at least now I know that dismemberment won't prevent the whole revival effect down here." He stood from Enya's side and drew his weapon, looking at the doorway Cerberus had crashed through. "Rose..." he said, glaring off into the distance. He was going to find that damn rat, and he was going to make a pelt out of him this time. "Where are the others, we need to regroup quickly and get to the next circle... God help that Fucking rat when I spot him." Then he turned to look at the giant, almost forgetting he was even there.

"And no," he said. "That rat is NOT our friend. He's a psychopath who's trying to kill us all one by one... But I'm going to find a way to ensure he can never touch anyone again...It's all just a matter of time."

[Rosesong]

Rose fell to her knees in horror as the weight of what Panik said set in. "No, no..." she whispered brokenly. "I promised myself I was going to protect her..." Pulling herself to her feet, the woman walked over to Enya and gently brushed the girl's hair aside. "Stay safe, Enya," she murmured, before steeling her gaze and turning to Ethic. "Make sure everyone is okay and leaves this circle. I'm getting Ellaria back," she ordered. Without waiting to see if the boy had listened to her, she whipped around and strode away, her anger palpable to all those near.

(Rose has now left the third circle)

[Sutoratosu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csRuImS8e-M

"Rose, Wait!" Ethic called after the young woman in vane. "Great... just great." he turned around and picked up Enya's unconscious form from the ground along with her teddy bear, looking around the area. not a single other person was there, and it looked like Mr.Taylor and the Killer had gone off somewhere.

"You know, rose..." he sighed. "You could've at least told me where the fuck everyone is before you stormed off!" But even as he said it, he was pushing aside his frustration and focusing on trying to take roll of those he had seen earlier.

Alright... I know Enya, Mr.Taylor, Rose, Kenny, that Random Guy who helped me against the Keepers, Ellaria, and some other guy with a gun were all here when I looked over at the Cerberus fight earlier. He again looked around, taking note of just how messed up the place was now, stones broken and cracked and debris everywhere from the broken doors and what looked to be a stone wall. And of those 7, Mr.Taylor is...gone somewhere, Rose just headed off in a fury, Ellaria has apparently been kidnapped by the rat bastard, and Kenny blew up for some reason and is probably dead. I don't know what the hell happened to the guy with the large revolver, or the one that helped me and Kenny earlier... All that's left is Enya, and she was the only one still here when I arrived. She probably won't be able to answer any questions for a while though... He gazed up at the huge door way ahead of him, gaping open into the next circle. I'll have to just assume that either those two went ahead into the next circle already, or they both died fighting the three headed mut. As for Mr.Taylor... I could try finding him...no. no, he wouldn't want me to try that right now... and there's no way in hell I'm bringing Enya into that type of danger. I've got the hunch that the Psycho I torched earlier isn't above murdering innocent little girls. So with all these unknowns, I really only have one choice; wait for kenny to come back, if he is after that huge explosion, and then take Enya and him with me to the next circle... I don't think there's anyone else besides those two who I can possibly round up right now.

Again he sighed, this time at his sheer lack of possible choices right now. He still cradled Enya in his arms as he called out into the area around him. "Hey, Kenny! If you're gonna come back from the dead after that big bang, then hurry up and do it already!" He again had completely forgot about the Giant though, and just now realized it for the second time.

"And you," he said. "I don't know what's been going on or what's the story here, but if you're not going to try to kill any of us, then I'm fine with it. Are you going to be coming with us into the next Circle?"

[CURIE]

Edward must have at some point dozed off while up in the corner, because he had this weird dream. In it, he watched from above as a friendly giant used his body to shield everyone else from the Lucario nuke, and then everyone but Ethic (and of course Enya) ran off in different directions.

But it wasn't a dream, as he woke up to the exact same scene. Okay, guess Dante was right about one of the giants being friendly... No wait, the friendly giant wasn't until the ninth circle! Even when Dante got something right, he got it wrong!

Speaking of circles, apparently the door Cerberus came through leads to the next world. He was going to wait, however, for everyone else to move on before he did. He didn't like the idea of potential enemies being behind him. Not to mention, he wasn't exactly a people person anyway. Let's see, according to that (not) dream, most people went into the next circle. Stranger danger ran the opposite direction, and Mr. Taylor followed him. Ethic's still here, along with friendly giant and Enya, and apparently he's going to wait for Kenny to respawn before moving on. He might be up here for a while.

Well then, might as well have the in-between-circles snack break. Now with 500% more flan!

[Notus]

"Are you going to be coming with us into the next Circle?"

"Me can't leave here jussst yet... Bosss ssaid we die if we do that." Panik answered Ethic, looking down straight at him. "But me wishess you luck, esspecially to find the little girl." The giant now seemed to be recovering from the blast, and was breathing more normally. He looked around, walked to a empty place near the wall, and sat his huge body down there in order to wait for everyone to leave.

[Chevaleresse]

Marcus was slightly irritated. He liked to get up close and personal, but apparently he was going to have to rely on throwing his knife for a third time. He dove around the corner and held the weapon lightly by the tip of the blade, ready to hurl it at the old man.

[Sutoratosu]

"Figures," Ethic muttered. "Of course my luck isn't good enough to be able to have the hulking giant come with me to the next circle..." he glanced around one last time at the area, still not seeing hide nor hair of anyone else.

"Look, Kenny," he called again, not caring whether or not the younger teen could hear him. "I'm not gonna sit here and wait around for you to take you sweet ass time reviving. Once you finally come back, find me and Enya in the next circle, and tell any friends you run into do the same." with that little announcement, he turned around and carried Enya through into Doorway, leaving behind the Third Circle of hell without looking back.

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor stopped and called out to Marcus, he wasn't sure of where he had gone, but he knew the boy wouldn't have anything peaceful planned. "Marcus my dear boy, do you really think I intend to kill you? No, no that isn't the case at all quite the contrary really. You see Marcus I have a proposition for you, one that I believe a man of your disposition would be quite interested in. Show yourself and let's just have a chat, alright?" Mr. Taylor slowly put his weapon in his pocket and raised his hands to the sky. "You see my dear boy, I mean you no harm, now come on out and speak with me for a moment."

[Chevaleresse]

Marcus called out in reply. "I'm listening, but I'm not stupid. Explain your plan, THEN I'll decide if I want to come out."

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor smirked, it was good to see that even the most ruthless killer in Hell feared him.

"Fine. I'm not quite sure if you remember what my power is, but it's quite powerful in the right instances especially for a man in my predicament. You see I have the ability to change things back into the way they were, which for me is quite useful, because if you couldn't tell already my body could really use a slight change. However I've been hesitant to make this move. As you may also remember my ability comes at a stark price, the loss of memory. I've had a lot of time to think since I've been down here and I've been playing with how making myself younger effects my memory and I'm not all too happy with the results. From what I could determine, taking away just a few moments on my body will take away days, possibly even months of my mind. In order to drop my body back just a few years Marcus, would cause my mind to become that of an infant. That is unless, I die." Mr. Taylor paused her and sighed.

"You see Marcus I'm going to take about 50 years off of my body, or at least that's how much I'd like. After this is done, I'll forget everything. My entire life, gone in an instant. That is when you'll kill me and drag my body to the next level. You can leave me to die or you can wait until I awaken. Once I awaken from my nap if you wish I can set out a trap for you. I'll lead the entire group to you and then well... the rest is up to you I suppose." Mr. Taylor decided to step forward, hoping the killer would be too interested to drop him at this point.

"So what do you say? Shall we begin?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Fair enough." Marcus changed his grip on the blade to one suitable for close ranged work, then stepped out, maintaining a fair distance from Taylor.

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor smiled broadly, finally after all this time, he could be young again. The old man's hands turned green as he looked the killer in the eye. "All right boy, get ready. I'm not quite sure how long it will take, so just wait until I look like a younger man, perhaps in my twenties, then finish me I suppose I'll have to leave it to your own judgement."

With that the old man fully engulfed himself in the green light.

[Chevaleresse]

It was unsettling, watching the man age backward. After a time, however, he appeared to be around the right age - Marcus would have had to say twenty-five. He casually walked forward and plunged the knife into Taylor's ribcage, directly into the heart.

[CURIE]

Well, Ethic went on to the next world and took Enya with him. He was kinda sad to see Enya go, but he was almost positive that, at some point over the remaining circles, they would meet again. For now, at least, he wanted to go solo.

Speaking of remaining circles, what was next after Gluttony? Anger? That or Greed. No wait, it had to be Greed, since it's similar to Gluttony. Well, according to Dante's depiction of hell, the next circle was going to be a sort of turf war. There were two factions of lost souls, the hoarders and the squanderers, who were forced to fight each other with heavy weights (that may or may not be sacks of gold coins) for weapons. A never ending war between people who greedily stock up more money than they'll ever use and the people who stupidly waste all their money on pointless things. As awesome as that sounds, it was unlikley considering Dante's track record of being wrong about almost everything so far.

Guess we'll find out- once he's the last guy on the current circle. He'd have to wait for Kenny, Mr. Oldguy, and Stranger Danger. Apparently friendly giant will stay here. That meant he'd have to use his hyperspeed invisibility trick to get out of here when he's ready. By the way, he really needed to come up with a name for it. How about "Apparating"? It's the name given to the act of teleporting in Harry Potter. But unlike Harry's version, which is really just teleportation under a different name, his version was actually something different, and therefore deserving of a different title.

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor didn't scream as the knife penetrated him, hell he didn't even react. His young body simply staggered back and collapsed to the ground. The greenish glow dissipated as did any sign of life in his eyes.