towerofanimus | First Duel

Entry tags:

[au3] margulis

First Duel

Who: Margulis and OPEN.
Where: Room 1-06 and some other floors.
When: Varying parts of the day.
What: Margulis wakes up in the tower and is not happy, for multiple reasons.
Warnings: Potential violence and possible references to death/passive suicide. He came from a bad time into a bad situation and is very irate.

[Room 1-06]

The first thing Margulis noticed upon waking up was the cold. It was freezing, more than enough to be uncomfortable and easily enough to cause his scars, especially the exposed one on his face, to sting angrily. The second thing he noticed was that he wasn't in the Levi. Even if they'd been ambushed and he'd been knocked out, he should still be somewhere on Michtam, most likely with Albedo or Virgil lingering about to mock him for going down so quickly. The notes...cleared some things up. So he'd been abducted somehow. But to claim his world had been destroyed...he had to admit it was possible, given the Gnosis phenomenon's rate of expansion, but if that were the case, nobody could have saved him, or anyone else. That note got burned, set on fire with a gesture and dropped on the floor.

After that, finding his clothes and getting dressed was his top priority. He left the bodysuit on under his normal outfit for now, deciding that every bit would help in this weather, and habitually slipped his Crimson Ring on under his gloves. While he could replicate its effect with Ethers if he needed to, it was something of a relief to know it wouldn't be necessary even if he did wind up in a fight. Strapping his longsword at his waist and noting with no small amount of annoyance that his Connection Gear didn't actually have a connection, he dropped the computer back into his trunk and opened the door to find out exactly where he'd wound up.

[Floor Three]

The library was the first floor to catch Margulis' attention in a way that caused him to linger. He'd never seen so many books in one place before. In fact, this was probably more books than he'd seen in his entire lifetime. Despite the cold, he found himself looking through the shelves, possibly taking note of things he might come back for once he found a source of warmth. Though he'd already had to feed some energy into fire Ethers to warm himself up several times on his way down, and he doubted he would spend long here.

[Floor One]

Eventually he found his way to the bottom of the tower. The cafeteria at least held promise of some sort of warmth, and maybe something to eat after he'd used so many sustained fire Ethers, but what he found...was oatmeal, nutrition bars and water. He'd seen better food in military mess halls. At this point, he was just getting frustrated. With the temperature, with the tower, with recent events, with everything. But frustration wouldn't keep him warm, and he sat down for a moment to create a perfect sphere of flame above his hand for warmth before he forced himself to eat the oatmeal that seemed to barely qualify as food. At least it would be better than nothing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[chaos was in the mood for something good to read. While he had admired the bookshelves when he had wandered in before, he hadn't taken anything yet. So, he wandered into the library, hoping to find a story or two that was good. However, as he wandered the shelves..he sensed Margulis. However, his consciousness felt a little different, like this was a different Margulis. Perhaps he too was from an alternate universe. Curious, chaos turned the corner, and upon seeing the man, spoke.]

Good evening, Margulis. Are you cold?

*The familiar voice pulled his attention away from the shelves. He hadn't been expecting to run into chaos, but an ally, especially one who was something almost like a friend, was always a welcome sight in a situation like this.*

chaos, so they've brought you as well. I can't think of any human who wouldn't be cold in temperatures like this.

[Well, that sealed it. If his powers were wrong, than the fact that Margulis knew his name and didn't attack him or act hostile immediately meant that this had to be a Margulis from an alternate universe.]

They have..I have been here for about a month now.

[chaos nodded.] Then, pardon me for a moment..

[chaos then put his hand on Margulis's back, using his powers to warm him up. It wasn't strong enough to make him burst into flames, but it should have warmed him up for at least three hours.]

..Margulis, what was the last thing that happened to you before you came here? I know that this sounds odd, but it is an important question.

*The warmth was an incredible relief and he cracked his neck as he felt stiff muscles begin to thaw. chaos' words, however...odd was an understatement. But maybe if he answered he would get an explanation. As much as he didn't want to recount what had just happened...*

Michtam. We faced Pellegri and she allowed herself to die in her ES rather than accept defeat at our hands.

*His voice is tense, a mixture of angry and pained. Tread carefully on that topic, chaos.*

[Having warmed up Margulis, chaos let his hand fall back to his side, thinking of how to phrase the truth without hurting Margulis too much.]

That's horrible..I am so sorry for what happened there. However..I am from a different point in time..and a different universe.

[chaos paused for a moment, trying to make what he had to say gentle. He didn't want to hurt Margulis..especially after what had happened. Hopefully her consciousness would get some rest..and be reborn again into a happier life.]

Before I came here, I was at the bottom of the Elsa as KOS-MOS saved it from burning up in Second Miltia's atmosphere. Proto Merkabah had just been destroyed..and I am sorry to say this..but you were a member of U-TIC.

What?!

*Of all the things he expected to hear...that was not it. chaos being from right after the destruction of the Proto Merkabah was unusual, but to hear that he was supposedly still involved with U-TIC...*

If this is a joke, you're not amusing.

[In his head, chaos sighed.]

Sadly, I'm not joking. I'm sad to hear that your friend died like that..but I'm also sad to say that that event has not happened for me yet. It would appear that we are from alternate universes, as well as different points in time. I am from the past of one universe, and you are from the future of another. I am sorry about this..

*While he knows it's in chaos' nature to tease people, it's not like him to make cruel jokes like that...and it's not like him to tell pointless lies, either.*

Then I really have been taken from my universe? That note...

*But it can't be true, can it?*

Sadly, you have been. However..I wouldn't worry about your universe. It is probably fine. I got the same note, and if my universe was destroyed, I would be able to tell. So, don't worry about that.

*Add that to the list of strange things he's heard today. He'll have to ask about that once he has more details about urgent things.*

Then where are we now? If you've really been here for a month, you ought to have some details, at the very least.

[chaos nodded. While he didn't know everything about the Tower, he did know some things, which would be more than helpful to Margulis.]

This Tower is called Animus. As far as I know, four people run it: An immortal woman named Ruana who is rather childlike but has existed since before this Tower was made. However, she performs cruel experiments on the residents, thinking them mere games to be played and to have fun with.

A man named Riki seems to work with the records of this place, and it seems he was the one responsible for removing some books that were on the shelves here.

A man named Dax, who seems a bit..kinder than the other Administrators also runs the Tower, along with a man named Jason, who loves to perform cruel experiments on the residents here. Not even children are spared in his experiments or in Ruana's games..and it seems that Jason is the one to thank for the temperature drop.

As for what universe or even planet we are on, I cannot say. If there are any records that state exactly where we are in space, I have not seen them, and nor has anyone else. However, I do know one more thing: Monsters come out during the evenings and attack people. Be on your guard.

..And that, sadly, is all I know.

*chaos' description earns a scowl. He'd been responsible for a number of inhumane experiments prior to Miltia, but even then he'd never condoned deliberate cruelty.*

I see. Well, at least it seems I'll have a way to get some exercise here at the very least. Though I'll need to have a word with these administrators.

You won't have any problems with keeping fit here. However, while I myself would like to have a long chat with the Administrators, they have not appeared in person so far. Only on the computer network..and no one seems to know where they hide.

Then uncovering their hiding place should be high among our priorities.

*And then injuring the person responsible for the tower currently being on the verge of deadly from sheer temperature.*

Which many of the residents are working to find out. There is currently a plan to attack the mindless drones-androids that wear red collars-and destroy as many as possible in order to lure the Administrators out.

[chaos sighed.]

It is a foolish plan that is doomed to fail..but if that one fails, others will work on different plans, and I am sure that other people are working on much more solid plans.

[You and everyone else in the Tower, Margulis.]

If nothing else, the results should be informative in some way. And possibly teach those involved to consider the potential consequences of their actions.

I doubt they shall get any information out of that plan. They shall just be tossing their lives away and getting nothing in return. I, along with a few others, tried to get them to reconsider, but they were just too stubborn.

[chaos then realized something very important. He didn't know how he could have forgot..he must have been getting sleepy.]

..Margulis, you also cannot die in the Tower. If you die, you will just come right back to life.

Edited 2012-12-05 08:47 (UTC)

Then no wonder they didn't reconsider, if their lives aren't truly at stake. But regardless of the actual results, we will get to see how the administrators deal with an uprising.

Even if their lives are not truly at stake, dying and coming back takes time..and it wouldn't suprise me if the Administrators started punishing those who died too much.

And I suspect that the Administrators will just send out more drones that have better weapons..or come out themselves, kill everyone, and go back into hiding. However..if the Administrators do pop up, it shall be interesting to see how they handle something like that.

[Not that chaos is approving of the mobs plans.]

The latter possibility is what makes this worth paying attention to, if they truly won't be convinced of the recklessness of their actions or simply don't care.

*But yeah, it is absurdly reckless and most likely just going to be a case study in what not to do.*

That is true..if nothing else, their scheme will give others a good idea of what to expect in the future and what not to do later on.

[Not that chaos was happy about the loss of life, however temporary that loss was. However, if those people couldn't be convinced, they could at least learn from their mistakes, and others could learn from their experiences as well.]

*While Margulis prefers to avoid loss of innocent life ever since he got a clue, well...he can't help but feel a certain amount of 'bringing it on themselves' here.*

Is there any form of tracking technology available here?

If there is, the Administrators haven't brought it out so that we can use it. There is a computer network available so that people can talk to each other, but that's all it does. Sadly, we cannot track down this group and watch from a distance. If we want to know what happens, we must see for ourselves or hear about what happened later on.

Hmmm...limiting but ultimately unsurprising. Perhaps I will see about observing their efforts in person.

If you do go, be careful. I don't imagine that the Administrators or the drones will be easy targets. And if you do go, you may see me there. While I will not be fighting, I promised to take care of any medical problems people might have, if they wanted my help.

Floor Three

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