First Trial [HUMANS!]

"Alright, you pieces of scum that the urchins of the universe wouldn't have picked up. It's time for your First Trial. All you have to do is complete the maze. I'm sure you can do it in time. Except for the fact, that you can't use your powers, no, you'll have to work with your own survival skills. I'll be monitoring every single thing you do, and if you even dare to use your powers, I can self-destruct this maze with a click of a button. Alliances are allowed, but only one person can reach the location first. There'll be a special prize for the one that does." He smirked devilishly, standing out side a sliding metal door that was rusted and beaten from long days of keeping the beasts under control. From Porxys to Xia, from Tendra to Vsk, they were all imprisoned here. And lying through that door, would be a maze. The biggest, and most dangerous maze in the world. Of course he had spared no expense, even importing a few extra animals to up the ante.

There were traps everywhere, ranging from slamming walls, to pits, and even the occasional flamethrower burning alive anyone that was unlucky to step upon it. The maze was at least a mile long, and with all the twists and turns, it would be difficult to navigate, even for him and knew where the exit was. In the center of the maze, not at the end. And the worst part was, that the maze moved. Every single tile, wall, and floorboard moved every five minutes. Not to mention, that their was hardly any light in the cavern, making it even more dangerous to see where the monsters were, or if they were near the exit or not. He snickered, they'd be dead in a few minutes. But this was only the First Trial, things got worse from here, much worse. In fact, he had already planned in advance all the trials, and there was seven. Of course, that was if they managed to survive this first one.

Looking them over, he knew they'd be nothing without their abilities. They weren't powerful, they weren't threatening. They were fleshy blobs holding 75% water. He was sure he could pop them with a poke from his claw. But, this would be much more enjoyable, watching them squirm around and around for his enjoyment. Oh, this would be rich. He couldn't wait. He felt as if he were a little Galaxior now, just waiting for Xyrtus Day to come where he could dig into all the prey he wanted. Fond memories. This would be much more enjoyable of course. Watching his worse enemies fight each other. "You'll also notice, your collars have been returned. They're made of a non-magnetic material and have no release mechanism. No password either. Once you finish the maze they will fall off of course." that was the small amount of mercy he allowed. Though he hated himself for it.

He clicked a button and the door flew open, revealing a dark void. "Have a nice time." he said with a smirk. They really had no choice but to go in, the horde of robots behind them and the collars around their neck, fighting back would kill them, and going in would kill them. It was tough decision, but such was life. "And try to survive a while, but not too long. The beasts don't like their meat stringy and unappetizing."

Lobo glared at Kargagna. She would love to rip his scaly throat out, and she was sure the others felt the same way. He was despicable, cruel without cause. Were all Galaxiors the same? The best way to get him back was to survive, and that's what she planned on doing. She'd help the others too, they all needed to stay alive if they were ever going to get out of this hellhole. Lobo was already imagining the look on Kargagna's face when she emerged from the maze, successful in keeping her counterparts alive. She wasn't scared, just cautious. She flitted her eyes between the other humans and the dark entrance to the maze. She took a step forward, then another until she was finally in. She didn't wander off yet, it would be suicide. They needed to keep together, but not in too large a group as that would attract monsters.

ooc: I HAD 4 MINUTES GUYS. I'M SORRY. DX

Cheryl stood there with her arms crossed and a sour look on her face. What was her problem this time? Oh Kargagna had just confiscated her VIZOR system, that’s all. That would have been a huge advantage here but no, the Lizard Man took that away from her. She brushed some blonde bangs out of her face and studied the entrance to the maze. It was made out of a special alien material and already had several different paths to choose from. Though it was hard to tell where everything was in the dark. She felt so vulnerable without her reliable VIZOR to back her up. Not to mention they couldn’t use their powers. But she knew how to fight, her father had taught her. Though he couldn’t have prepared her a psychotic alien’s maze that was probably filled with monsters and traps galore. Kargagna was just loving this, you could see it on his face. She sighed and clenched her teeth. Better get this started. Cautiously she stepped into the maze and stood next to Lobo. This was going to be bad. She liked the idea of fighting the Lizard Man and his robot goonies more than going into the maze.

OOC: Bleh. . .

Yang stared up at Kargagna. Then back at the little recreation of the gate that guarded Hades and the river Styx in Greek mythology. "We're supposed to follow his orders?" he muttered to no one under his breath. If he could use his power.... He flexed his fingers into a fist and then out again. Oh, if he could use his power, he would make Kargagna's life Hell. He'd turn the scaly idiot into a pile of bones so charred that no one would be able to identify him, even with the advanced biopsies they could conduct nowadays. He'd measured his fires up until the point that they melted bones. But, by that time, it was almost impossible to stop the fire-it had to burn out almost every time.

His eyes flickered like heated coals under a flame. He briefly wondered how Yin was doing. Since they were twins, he almost always knew if something was wrong. Even if they were far apart. There was... a feeling. A feeling that let you know when something was right or wrong. A day or so prior to this little shindig, the feeling was gone. It left a terrible ache in his heart. Relax, stupid. It's just the distance. You're on a water-logged star. She's.... Home. he scolded himself. Yang looked once more at the other humans. Since they could form alliances.... They'd need to stick together anyhow...

Taking a breath, he hastily followed the girls and stopped at their side. "Do you have a plan?" he asked, his voice it's normal dull undertone.

A maze? So simple, at least to Loki. He wasn't an expert on solving mazes, but with basic mathematical algorithms, he knew it would be simple. It was obvious that he was being too optimistic, there were variables he had to factor into the one big math problem known as the maze. Beasts, traps, and a self-destruct switch, what a tough challenge. It seemed like a basic fractal maze. There were various entrances, all locked off when you enter, and you had to find which maze was the correct one, tough, but not impossible. Remembering where he's going and where he's been would be the difficult part. He marched into the maze, stepping past the two girls and Yang. He had neither the time, nor the patience to follow them and wait for them to make a decision. Decisiveness was his forte. He was built for a job like this, something complicated that could match his mind. 'Don't you think you might need a bit of protection?' came a voice that Loki had heard thousands of times before, and often chose to ignore it. That truly was the only way to get rid of this mental schizophrenia.

This would be easier with some type of aerial view, a way to know the exact place where the exit was. He had a hunch that it wasn't in the center or even at the far side of the maze. That wouldn't be Kargagna's way. He'd put it somewhere where there would be no chance of reaching. Some place that was out of reach by humans without powers. That's it! he thought with a victorious smirk. The idea of this maze was for them to lose, Kargagna didn't wish victory on them at all. This maze was impossible. All these traps and monsters, the cold walls, it was all built so that they would have no chance of survival. At least not without their powers. And if they used their powers, Kargagna would win. Victory was unattainable. 'Where there's a will, there's a way, my friend...' it was strange how Loki and D. Loki had bonded since arriving on the torture chamber that was Varsia. They both knew that they lived in the same body, and surviving inside of it by helping each other was the only way out.

He paused, forcing himself to think about this. As a race of humans, they had too many differences to overcome if they wanted to survive. Everyone single one of them working together would be like a pack of monkeys trying to figure out a way to the moon. Each one had their own ideas, each one didn't want to follow the others. His eyes surveyed the groups of humans with a frown. They needed to get out of here, alive. The only way to do that, was to have the humans assist each other. How was he supposed to do that? Most of them hated each other, in their own unique ways. And they were all so volatile, damn these teenage hormones. They couldn't work together long enough to climb a tree much less solve a maze. 'Be their leader.' D. Loki again... He didn't want to be their leader, they didn't want him to be their leader. He might as well just go out by himself, and surely die.

He breathed a sigh... If they split up, they gave themselves the opporotunity to cover more ground and at least one of them might leave. Shaking his head, he marched on, not turning his back as he entered the darkness. Maybe he might actually succeed, Kargagna couldn't take away his brain and with the others not having any powers, he was a head of them, at least by a slim margin.

Game stepped into the maze and instantly wrapped his arms around himself. It was colder than in his room. They had to get through a maze with dangerous weaponry... And without their powers? He had come to rely on his powers for his means of survival, without having them he was nothing. Useless really. He found safety in the thought that he had the ability to cause enormous destruction at a whim, but now... He found no solace in that fact. Kargagna had ripped the fun out of it in a moment. But he still smiled through it all. Everyone else seemed to be so down about this, maybe this was the time for his famous comedic talents. Ha, as if he'd crack a joke about being inside of an endless maze. It was death for them all and a smile was all he could really muster at this point. A soulless smirk.

Do you have a plan? A gasp sounded in his head. "Finally the boy speaks to me on his own!" Ronny took that as a sarcastic negative. None of them had a plan, it seemed, and no one seemed to want to discuss anything, they just waltzed inside without a care. None of them seemed scared at all, him... he was frightened, terrified. Admittedly, he wasn't as scared as he was on the spaceship, but he was still petrified. There kids were crazy. No plan, no nothing. Go in and hope we make it. This wasn't a two dimensional picture on their desk! This was real! Darkness, cold, and nothing. No food and if there was water who knew what was in it. How could someone see in there?

Looking back all he saw were robots, fun pointed and slowly advancing to urge them to get a move on. He didn't have time to stand around. With no other choice he headed in, he had no plan and didn't want to waste the time of others. Most of them were up there anyways. Quickly assessing his options of whom he had in front of him, he speed to the one in the lead: Loki. Now, he'd probably already caused him troubles enough as it is, getting everyone stuck in this, but for that reason and his fears, he didn't really think about how he'd react to it. It was when he reached Loki that it occurred to him. He slowed down a pace, walking behind him, just in case he'd rather not see him or even know he was around.

"Good idea! If a monster comes they won't even see you! Kick him in the way and run for it!" He ignored the chipper ideas of that voice, deciding that he would live longer not.


Cezar decided after pondering not listed that this would be best gotten through. He walked into the maze, standing with the group of Yang, Cherly, and Lobo. He heard Yang's question and for a moment, thought about it. "I think, if we all go together, we can find a way out as we go." He couldn't think of much past that with nothing else to aid him.

If Kargagna's tone wasn't so cheerfully menacing, Nessa didn't think she would've paid any attention to the giant lizard-man. So, they were supposed to complete this... this, maze, without the aid of their powers but with the aid of each other. The teenaged girl didn't think this maze was one of those colouring-book styled ones. No, this maze would not allow simple backtracking if you went the wrong direction; in fact, a mistake like that could cost you your life. Something Nessa preferred to keep.

The cavern-like entryway spread open before her, like a flower. Or perhaps a venus flytrap would be a more appropriate term. Ignoring the forming group over to the side, she peered into the gaping hole, touching the re-applied "necklace" with her right hand. A tiny smirk spread across her lips, half out of spite for the lizard-like alien, and half out of amusement. It was almost... comical, how Kargagna took so many precautions. As if he were afraid of them, even.

Though she knew very well that there was nothing funny about this death sentence that was clearly just for Mr. Lizard Man's amusement. But what could she do but smile? There were robots behind them ushering her into the maze, ready to kill them if they didn't comply. There was Kargagna with his... maze-destroying button, literally holding their lives at the tips of his scaly fingers. There was nothing to do but to proceed forward and hope that they'd survive. The odds were not looking too great.

Cheryl’s eyes swept over her choices of entrances and teammates. This was all one big strategy game. Pick and choose then hope your luck holds out. Death would be at every turn and length of the maze. She bit lightly on her bottom lip. She couldn’t just stand here and wait around like a brainless moron. “Lobo, want to team up?” she asked, turning to the girl beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what she thought to be two people already starting off. “Maybe catch up with Loki and Ronny. At least I think that’s who they are,” she said, muttering the last part to herself. She took a step forward and then another one. “You can follow me or not, but I’m going.” She followed them, watching her surroundings. Her own thoughts echoed in her mind. Death would be at every turn and length of the maze. She kept walking, not knowing if Lobo was following or not and almost ran right into Ronny. She quickly regained her composure and whispered, “Hey, you two wouldn’t mind if I tagged along, would you?”

OOC: SHOOT ME IF YOU WANT TO! 8D

Yang looked over as Cezar joined them. The boy reminded him of his rommate, Tristan... He wondered how he was doing. He frowned lightly, but was glad for the new found company. "Maybe we could split up and meet at a certain point in the maze," he suggested flatly. "Then we'd know what was in the thing, monster-wise and trap-wise."

((Fail))

Lobo looked around, her eyes adjusting slowly to the suffocating darkness. No matter how long she stayed in this deathtrap, she wouldn't be able to see well. It was designed to instill fear. Just about the only thing she could see where the other humans, and some occasional movement out of the corner of her eye. At least she could tell when something was coming. It was an optimistic thought, she probably fall into a pit and die before something crept up on her. She turned to Cheryl, "Sure," she stated flatly. She didn't really care who she was with, so long as they weren't completely useless. She followed behind Cheryl for a few steps. "I doubt we could find each other again after splitting up." Meeting up at a point would be nice, but it would be nearly impossible. She tapped her foot. Judging by the sound, the floors were metal. This would be so simple if she could use her power... In a way it would almost be easier to have everyone just bombard Kargagna and his robots, but then what? They'd have nowhere to go.

ooc: >:l

Loki looked at Cheryl as she addressed him. Truth be told her name had been forgotten for the majority of a few months. She was just that girl. If he allowed her to come along, a monster would be attracted to their combined scents and attack, though... If she did come along it would cause a confusion with the beast resulting in a better chance of one of them escaping. Looking at her thin frame, short stature, and all around unthreatening features, he doubted that she could be of much use, especially without her powers. "No." was all he said, as he continued walking. He surveyed every crack and chip on the wall, glancing from floor to ceiling. There was usually a hint of a trap approaching. "Come on, Ronny..." he said in a low voice, continuing on his walk, with calculated attentiveness. Danger. There was always danger around him. He paused at a fork in the path, that split the hallway. He looked from right to left, wondering which way would be the better decision.

In human mazes the majority of the right paths were always right. But this was alien logic, he could take the left, but it might lead to trouble. Made obvious by the claw marks on the walls near it and the patches of fur. Which obviously meant that the right had more traps. He was willing to take his chances with a the monsters, a trap was much more sudden and dangerous, at least you'd know a monster was coming. He looked at Ronny, with a stare, and pointed towards the left. But... Maybe the monsters and the traps were mixed, in that cast, more beasts would end up ensnared than humans. It would only make sense to keep them both apart from each other. Okay, now he had his path, surviving was the only problem now.

Kargagna had all this figured out did he? Ah, but he didn't count on one thing. Agamemnon. That's how Game's personal action flick began, with him in this maze, about to do something awesome. But, really it was only awesome to him. He couldn't tell anyone what he was doing, if he did, then one of the cameras would pick him up. He didn't know if the aliens could read his lips, but didn't want to take the chance. Though, back on the topic at hand, Game was hacking. Using his own mental powers to hack into every single camera that surrounded the maze. Now, he had an aerial view of the whole maze. But, the problem was. He had never been good at mazes, even know that he could see every twist and turn, he couldn't tell how to reach the center. It seemed to be a circular maze, with the exit in the center. Game stood completely still, unable to actually physically see anything. His mind was too busy processing images of the maze.

Every twist and turn seemed to have a demon from his worst nightmares. But he couldn't see any traps. Maybe that was the point. He may be able to find the way there, but with all the mazes and beasts, what was the point? He would die if he couldn't use his powers. He wasn't a very athletic person to begin with, and without his abilities he was a nothing. Now, he really wished he had gone the extra mile to get abs, and not just blow off gym class so that he could have fun, sleeping in Health Class. He took a deep breath and sighed. Was he the only one, who was scared about going into this maze? It seemed like everyone already had their plans, and he was left all alone. Cezar with Yang, Lobo with Cheryl, Loki with Ronny. Everyone had paired off. Great, he was left alone, just like when he used to play Dodgeball, a timeless sport. They were splitting up. Why would they do that? In every way, his mind told him that working together was better, especially with his powers.

Game smiled, a lightbulb exploding above his head, as he dashed past Cezar and Yang. Cutting through the humans, until he stood in front of Loki's path. "Wait, a second." he began, "We've all had our differences, and problems but... We all want to survive." For various reasons. "No matter what 'plan' you might have in your head, there is strength in numbers. Are we going to let Kargagna just split us apart like this? Until we're at each others throats. This is the first trial and already we've thrown each other to the wayside. Think of what our families would have said if they could see us now. Being so selfish, and only wanting to save our own skins. If we all help each other, shore up your friends weaknesses, and listen to each other. We can fight Kargagna. He's just one, tall lizard. And we're seven superpowered humans." he stopped, clearing his voice and now continuing in a whisper. "This maze can't hold us, especially since I know every twist and turn Kargagna is going to throw at us. We can get through this, no matter what happens."

He snickered, "You know what they say. When the going gets tough, we put up our A-Game."

OOC: Member. You should be paid to write these things.

No... Loki's voice echoed in Ronny's head. He'd said it so conclusively, saying frankly that there were no turnarounds, if, ands, or buts. He had said it so... quickly, so sharply. There was no unsure hesitation or even a pause or blink of the eye. He had hardly turned around. Ronny marveled most, however, about his air of... sureness? Not a single wisp of emotion in the way he spoke, carried himself, or even in the bounce of his gait. Creepily robotic, and yet his attitude towards this stressing situation assured Ronny that he had his plan all figured out. It made it easier to believe that he knew exactly where he was going as if his eyes were just a map to follow. He looked back at Cheryl and gave her a feeble shrug. What could he do? Protest and get himself kicked to the curb or attract some beast? He didn't think it was worth it. He was just lucky Loki would let him tag along.

Ronny snapped his gaze away when Loki called him and paid more attention to the road ahead. The fork in the road made him nervous. Now what if they went the wrong way and fell into the guts of a beast or were hacked in half by some trap? That wasn't his cup of tea, but before he could even think about all that Loki seemed to have had an idea of which way to go. Man, what was with that kid? Gambling them away or just that good? But what positions was he to ask questions? Don't ask questions, just enjoy. It's what his sister always said.

"Wait!" Ronny hardly hesitated when the voice came to him mid-step. "That guy is going to ditch you as soon as you step a foot in! He's leading you to your death, man!" He really didn't know how he could believe this. "Look, if you die, I die and why would I want to kill myself?" That.. made sense, but he didn't quite trust the judgment. "When have I steered you wrong?" When--? That certainly took his mind off of it. The voice groaned at him as if he were a difficult child. "You're still mad about that? You're alive, aren't you?"

Hmphf. He would have continued on with the second step since the start of the very quick exchange, but he was cut off by another call to wait. Eugh. he was just glad it came from an actual person. But it was a short speech following, talking about the pride of their parents and how they should stick together and show that lizard toothed alien what's what.

How would his parents feel? Geez, thinking about that made him want to hang his head. His parents would probably think he was some freak from the things he's done and apparently did. They'd probably throw him to the first creature they ran into for getaway bait. But it didn't matter what they did since they were dead--another hollowing thought--and this would happen either way. He wanted to think of something say and tried to honestly, but it was just another interruption.

"Wait... wait." Ugh. What could it be. "How does he know how to get out of here exactly?" Well... "What is he? Some kind of inside agent? Did someone send for him to start going out and figuring out how tog et out of this placing without saying one word?" No... he has... well... "Eh?" He can look into technology or something. I don't know. "Oh, so he used his power then?" I supp- "So he's trying to blow us up then." Honestly that's just... "Or... maybe he's just an idiot trying to get us all killed. What's the use of knowing where to go if we're all ashes and body parts!?" Uh... Well geez. I guess that's a point, but... if he knows where to go. "Oh, now how selfish you sound."

Ugh! He just wanted to get out of here! Fear rising every moment he was in here and he was being criticized for it! Could he be blamed for wanting to be alive? Ronny, too conflicted to speak, kept to his silence, hoping Loki, or someone else, could speak instead. "And what the hell? A-Game? What is that? Another way to say he's a fucking douche bag?" He was positive that wasn't what was being said.

------

"They seemed to have already decided." Cezar said without much enthusiasm, watching both Lobo and Cherly going on their way. Girls. Couldn't even stop to negotiate one thing without leaving early. "I think out of the two of us, splitting up isn't that great of a deal." More chances of getting torn up with just one of them, especially without the use of their powers. He doubted he could protect himself with so little experience with going through mazes in the pitch black with wild animal-aliens lurking in the darkness like he was in some horror movie. If it was true, he hoped the camera wasn't on him, but he wouldn't mind being the main character. They never died, or at least died last. But did he really want to be the only one left? Worst case scenario, he ended up like the guy in The Killing Room. Best case scenario, he just did a punch of work the rest of his life and wasted away.

It would be Hell knowing that everyone he knew was on a completely different planet or forever dead in some maze built in the storage room of the place her worked in. But he wasn't up for the idea of dying or killing himself or something like that. He raised a brow when Game suddenly pushed in between them. Wow, he was in hurry to die...

But it didn't seem like he was going over there to gun it, instead to start negotiating like a freshly painted leader. Interested to an extent, Cezar wondered up there to get a better ear of what was going on. Parents? Going together? All good suggestions. He thought though, if his parents were here, they'd forbid him to go anywhere so furiously that he'd have to run to get away or they'd pair him with one of the girls for gentlemanly manner.

"Excuse me for being skeptical, but... How do I know you haven't cracked?" He'd been standing in his spot before he rushed up here quite some time... He was all for the stick together suggestion, especially since he didn't want to roam around this place by himself or with just one person for company. It would be easy to lose someone or have them killed. No, what made him think Game had beaten a few too many eggs was that he said that he knew how to get out of here. Now how did he know how to get out of a place such as this? Genie magic? Doubt it. The only other way he could think was if he used his power, but Kargagna couldn't have been so confident in himself to just allow that to happen so easily.


OOC: *sigh*

Yang nodded. "Well... we might as well get on with this. Hell can't be much worse, can it?" he asked, bemused. Oh boy... this looked fun. And there was a nagging, empty sense left over from where his Twin Awareness came in. He was starting to worry about Yin. It'd started growing dimmer as they got farther away. So... Maybe it was just distance? Who knew. But then Game shot up there, all high-and-mighty.

The boy narrowed his eyes, frowning. Parents? Yang scoffed at the idea of rules anymore... But maybe it would be better to listen? "Insane or not... He has a point. I don't give a crap if our parents would have approved or not... But we'd survive a lot longer if we'd stick together," he said flatly.

LASKDFJWHYDOIHAVETOEDITHIS?! D<
--

Before Nessa could take a single step forward into the maze, Game popped his way in front of all of them. With his brilliant idea. The thought of her mother almost sent her into a sinking depression, but she pushed the thought away and put one hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow. "And, how exactly do you know all these twists and turns?" She whispered, her tone more curious than accusing.
--

... >.<;

Understandable on Loki’s part. Cheryl could see reasons why he wouldn’t want her tagging along. She was going to choose a different path from this one. If they were going this way than she’d respect that. Though Lobo seemed to be trying to get them to let her follow. It was her choice to follow or not. But Game scampered on past Loki and stop them all and decided it was time for a little speech. What would her parents think? Well her father would be on the fence but her mother would drag him to her side. Normally being selfish got her weapons taken away for about a week. There was truth to those words, even if they were probably words spoken by someone being pulled into dementia. But he has always been one of the least sane ones. His voice dropped down as he whispered something. Though using powers was risky, something he ought to get punched for, she couldn’t help but to like it.

The maze was just a game—albeit a deadly one—and they could beat it. Beat Kargagna. She could just sit around fantasying about killing him in many different and painful ways. While his fail attempt at a pun with his own name almost made her laugh just because of how bad it was. Or something like that. She clapped her hands in a slow, patronizing way. But the sound was a great deal muted, you never know what might be attracted to a clapping noise. She walked up to him, shaking her head a bit, and saying, “Game, you’re crazy—no you’re beyond that—so much it’s surprising you’re not dead yet. But maybe these insane plans of yours have something to them.” Maybe, just maybe, she underestimated him. Because if not, he’d have been dead and gone a while ago. He’d have to actually prove himself before she’d even consider it, though. She could just be losing a bit of her own sanity by now.

OOC: Forgive me? D:

Game's little speech wasn't really inspirational to Lobo, but it was a nice idea. 'A-Game' Clever. She didn't laugh, or even smile at this little pun, no, the situation was much too grim. Or at least it was to her, neither Nessa or Game seemed to think so. Following behind Cheryl, they came to a fork in the path. Cheryl wanted to go to the right, where Lobo was sure traps would abound. She'd much rather take her chances with whatever beasts were on the left than risk falling into some sort of death pit. Then Cheryl went and attacked Game for what seemed like no real reason. What was her problem? Whatever it was, it wasn't making Lobo any more eager to 'tag along' with her. But she couldn't just leave her. "I think we should go with the others."

ooc: The whole time I was typing this there was this little... squiggly thing in the corner of my eye...

Insane!? I'm not insane! Irritated by these outrageous comments on his mental health. Albeit, they might be true, but he was far from falling off of his rocker. The most aggravating was Cheryl marching up. Surprisingly, he had to look down to see her face. Wow, I must have grown at least two inches! Wait... What did she say? He looked at her for a moment. Then smirked, "What?" he asked, then dismissed it as if it were absolutely nothing. Now, folding his arms over his chest and stepping back to look at everyone, he cleared his throat. "Well, since everyone seems to doubt my mental stability, I'll just tell you." Bunch of impatient retards... He pointed at his head for a second. "Cameras." It was a gesture that simply meant, technopathy + mechanical cameras = Maze busted. "Anyway. We go..." he paused for a moment checking both right and left paths. "The right way is the clear path... Not a single monster. But there's like a ton on the left." Man, if only he could sense when traps were coming, could he?

He ran a check through each and every mechanical object in the region but came up with nothing. Kargagna must have gone medieval then. These traps didn't have any sensors, or any kind of remote device. Great... But taking the right was the only clear option then. Sure some might die from the traps, but hopefully not very much. "And Cheryl... If you don't want to follow our group because you think I've gone 'crazy'," he said making air quotes, "You can always go first." That reply would probably be enough to make her join their group. If she led them, she'd encounter every single trap. And besides, Game wouldn't be telling her where to go, she'd probably die from eating those monsters or falling in a trap. Hopefully, she'd attract the monsters more, what with her girly perfume. Unless Kargagna had confiscated that too. He chuckled to himself. Girls were so funny.

Kargagna had not confiscated any perfume. But he had confiscated some very interesting glasses. He put these glasses onto his face, they were oddly shaped to be any aliens looking glass, so they were obviously a human girls. The fierce alien wearing purple glasses, oh so contrary to his brutish behavior. He had seen it all go down. Game hacking into his cameras, the way he constantly attempted to search for traps. He was using his powers. He wanted to just blow them up now, but what would be the fun in that? No. He had sent his soldiers to throughout the maze. They had special glasses that allowed them too see inside of the walls and see all of the traps. And also, he had clicked a button above where the humans were. Already poison gas was leaking down onto them like a massive cloud. Hopefully it would cause traffic in the small corridor, and to make them scatter even more, he had thrown in an extra surprise.

The walls were turning now, opening up new paths and closing old ones. He wondered how Game's "leadership" skills would pan out when his troops were scattering around him. The robot soldiers he had sent in activated their invisibility cloaks, making them disappear. His soldiers were not hunting the humans, attempting to pick them off one by one. With guns ready to blow their heads off. They would pay dearly for their attempt to doup him, and what had caused all of this? VIZOR of course. He'd crush these glasses the moment he got the chance, but the technopath wouldn't let him. VIZOR was the only thing that could combat his abilities. He chuckled to himself. "Add something at the very end. I want to crush them like the fleshy maggots they are!"

Loki blinked at Game, so strange was this boy. Though he chose to zone him out as everyone called him insane, 'Hey, you're insane too! Maybe we can be friends with him!' said the apparition of his 'right brain'. I'm not insane... He could almost feel the grim smirk that opened in his mind. He frowned, feeling D. Loki attempt to take over. With a shake of his head, he forced him back. Just as he did, a green smoke seemed to surround them. It felt like this had happened in the blink of the eye, as walls twisted around him. Almost immediately he felt himself being carried away from the area, thrown behind one of the changing walls. He looked around, the smoke was gone... But where was he? He looked around, feeling the walls. He'd have to find his way out of this mess all over again. Now that his location had changed, all because he had gotten distracted by Game's speech. Damn!

He looked at the ground, needing to be careful now that his surroundings were different. Something clicked on the floor, and he jumped back. Just in front of him, a square of tiles fell open. And almost instantly, and gradually a head began to pop out. The head of a beast. He couldn't scream, his voice was lost in front of the monstrosity. It's body was sleek with what he could describe as some type of slime, and it drooled, revealing a dual set of razor sharp teeth. It was a quadriped, and lizard like. It's tail elongated, flickering with anticipation. A collar was coupled around its neck, and Loki frowned, as he bent at the knees. It was time to run, and that was when the creature leaped at him.

Cheryl kept herself from rolling her eyes at Game’s underlying ‘high-and-mighty’ attitude. Well he did have a reason to gloat and all that. Though if she still had VIZOR she’d be able to know the entire layout of the map, including any traps from geoscans. But Kargagna confiscated it, as if knowing what it really was. Which was highly likely, along with him using it against them. “You know, I’m not particularly afraid of venturing in here alone,” she muttered under her breath. She’d go on by herself or join the group either way. Though Game’s little self-chuckle hinted to her about him thinking of her dying in many ways. She could do the same. But to be noted, there was no perfume to even get taken away. The closest thing she ever wore to it was a substance to mask any scents on her from guard animals and the like.

But right now there were more urgent matters to attend to than bickering about the relations of Cheryl and perfume. Something nagging in the back of her head made her look up. Only to spot the green smoke descending on them. She clenched her teeth as she threw herself past Game for she had silent bets that the substance was poisonous. And then something smacked her in the face. Well mentally, of course. Traps. She could have just moved herself into another trap. Life threatening situations can tend to make people careless. And that’s when the section of the maze she was on decided to move. She fought to stay upright as the sudden and quick movement tried to throw her on the ground. She had to get off of this thing! Stupid moving maze! She saw her chance as a section opened up. She leapt out just as a creature jumped past towards a target she couldn’t see. Her feet planted on its side, knocking it into the entranceway of a newly opened corridor but also knocked her back into the place in which she came. Both of the openings slid shut, though. Cheryl getting carried a bit farther away before her section came to a halt and the creature. Well its body was severed in two by the moving maze walls.

The blonde girl stood up cautiously, absorbing her surroundings. Nothing in sight. Not the best thing. But neither were monsters. Game had said back when they were together that there was a path covered in monsters and one that was void of anything. Most likely, to a margin of 99.9%, it was traps. And since he didn’t confirm it they must have no metal or technology in their workings. So they must be set off with other means. Right now she needed to think of why there was a slight prick at the top of her neck, right under her hairline. And like slamming into a brick wall a queasy feeling hit her. She was quickly losing motor controls. One of her hands flew up to her neck—the other was twitching uncontrollably—and she felt something that shouldn’t be there. Without thinking she grabbed the foreign object with her fingers and ripped it off. The thing squeaked in protest and she brought it to her face. It was an odd blue creature, about the size of a quarter. It squirmed in her grasp, protesting about how rudely it was pulled from its post. And apparently the sounds it was making also attracted another extremely unwanted guest. It was almost like what she had kicked earlier but it had some differences. One was it was bigger. Just her luck. Her eyes looked back down at the blue thing she still was holding. And it dawned on her what this little thing was. She had come across a file about this while surfing information on VIZOR. A Banaith, or more commonly, a “brainsucker”. They take control of your brain and slowly feed off your life. And inspiration sprung forth as she hurled the brainsucker right for the other monster. It landed right on the back of the neck, pure luck, and the monster tried to get at it. But soon it couldn’t move right and fell to the ground in a twitching mess. It soon calmed down though, and it stood right up. Its eyes were fixed right on Cheryl and its lips pulled back into a snarl.

That did not help at all.

The monster charged forward with murder in its eyes. At the last moment, the very last second she could make a move, she sidestepped. But it didn’t stop. It kept running right past her and straight at what was coming up behind her. It looked like some creature that had just dragged itself from a swamp. The brainsucker controlled monster leapt and attacked with all it had. The two duked it out in a battle of brawn. The swamp monster fell first; its throat had just been ripped out. But the brainsucker’s host had wounds spewing blood. It collapsed to the ground, life running out of it fast. Cheryl kneeled next to it and watched as it died. So it saved her, huh? Or at least the brainsucker did. Right before its host died she plucked it off its perch and brought it up close to her face. “You and me are going to go far,” she muttered to it. It let out a squeak, as if it could understand her—might be able to since it almost had preyed on her. She held it in her hand, knowing the two had come to a silent understanding, as she briskly walked away from the two dead bodies. More monsters were going to be coming with the smell of blood and death.

OOC: Even though it was long it probably still fails in content >-<

Yang listened to Game. Again. Which was sorta kinda stupid. Because, as it turned out, every time Game had a speech like this, someone got hurt. In this case killed. Yippee for logic. He rolled his eyes. "So, when do we get on with this and-" He cut himself off, noticing that a few people were missing. And still more were vanishing. "Oh great the walls are reconfiguring," he muttered, shaking his head. If Game wanted to lead, he'd have to do it now. Before there was the small issue of there being no more followers to lead.

And... that time just got shorter. As Game finished speaking (Hopefully, the boy could talk all day!) a nauseous green gas drifted around them. Yang instantly coughed when it burned his airways, and covered his mouth and nose with his arm. "Don't breathe it in!" he cried, coughing again. Stupid short-sleeved shirts... At least cloth would have filtered the poison a little!

Lobo watched as the deadly green gas descended upon them. Everything seemed to be happening at once; the walls, the poisoned air. The fog about them obscured her already limited vision. Damn. Thoughts ran like 1000 derailed exploding trains in her head. She groped the air. Stay away from the walls. A cold touch at her back told her that she'd done just the opposite. She jumped back as if the wall were death itself. For some reason the lack of stability in the maze scared her more than any monster. Being alone, away from the others, scared her.

Putting her hand over her mouth, she tried to see through the miasma. The stuff seared her lungs like gunpowder. "We gotta get out of here!" Her partner of sorts, Cheryl, was no where to be seen. Lobo called her name through coughing fits. "Cheryl? Anyone?" Sleeve over her mouth she stumbled out of the area.

ooc: I apologize. u-u

The scene looked like something ripped straight out of a video game. The group of characters pondering how to get through the maze while a cloud of poisonous gas trickled down through the ceiling, just crying to smother them in its deadly embrace.

Nessa glanced up and her knees immediately bent slightly as her arms lifted automatically to her head. "Oh, shit!" That stuff can't be good for you. She coughed into her arms, now wishing she hadn't looked up at all. Doing that had made the poison reach her eyes faster, and if they didn't get a move on, it would probably seep into their clothes and slowly drain them of life. Or enter their bloodstream and... Shut up! Think straight! She chided, forcing herself to walk forward.

Each breath felt like she was inhaling needles, like the first day she'd entered the apartment and found Cheryl's Bomb-of-Pain shards. Except the little prickles were fifty times worse. Yes, this was indeed like a video game, with its traps and beasts. Except in this game, you only have life. And then it's game over.

ooc: Um. Yeah...

"That child has quite the denial." Ronny frowned and glanced around. Cameras? There were cameras in here? He heard a groan in his head and felt the strain of patience. Well it isn't that obvious. Especially in this darkness. How could they see them anyways? Another feeling of dread that, in the center, he realized that they probably had some kind of night vision... thermal? "Electromagnetic fields..." Eh? What did that have to do with anything? You couldn't look at that through a camera anyways. A sigh before it spoke, "Out of the two of us, am I the only one that reads?" Excuse me? When the heck was he reading? Ronny hadn't read a single book since he got here. The thought made him shudder.

When he started bringing his attention back to reality he heard the click of turning walls and the bellows of monster. What just happened? "If you were paying attention you'd know." The roaring increased and suddenly he could see the head of the bumbling monster, looking ugly from the distance. Can't you just tell me!? What in the world was it running to? He couldn't quite tell. The wall was moving too fast, and in an instant itl came sliding smoothly down onto the monster's, crushing the thing in its middle. The crunch could be heard for miles, causing Ronny to wince as blood seemed from every crevice. Ronny gasped in fright, and the quick intake of breath burned the inside of his throat, making him aware of the visible gasses above them. That couldn't be good, whatever it was. Quickly he was beginning to feel sick, and the pained screeching of the alien-monster and the sound of it's scraping claws against the hard ground made it no better.

Why all this, why now? But past his queasiness, the shrieks of the dying, the shouts of the others, and the wreak of foreign blood, no answer came to his mind. "Well don't keep breathing it in, man!" The voice in his head shouted at him. "Use your shirt, it's the best filter you have." In an instant, Ronny complied. In a time like this, confused as he was, he had not much choice to follow whatever order someone gave him. While it did reek, his shirt did provide easier breathing, but his condition got no better. The longer he stood the more he felt like he was going to faint. The familiar buzzing to his ears, the flush of hot temperatures, and the appearance of black dots to his vision, along with a feeling of fatigue in his arms made the task of escape and listening to the instructions of the man in his very muddled mind quite difficult. He didn't feel like he could move anywhere here at a quick speed. He'd reached the wall, just like a man in a marathon. He didn't feel like he could walk another step before collapsing.

"Get to the wall-- to your right." Smog burning his eyes, he traveled with labored speed, feeling for whatever he could in the thickening haze that muddled his vision and the tears that welled up to block it out and protect his eyes. This wall? He thought when he touched a cold, rock surface. Without an ounce of brainpower, he detected the nod given to him. Well, this is it. Now what? He got to the wall, but it seemed like it could do no better for him but to stand there and watch perversely. "Hold on." Hold on!? He was over here, probably dying and he was told to hold on? Really? "Don't get your knickers in a twist. Just get your back to the wall so something doesn't get you from behind and wait." Ronny did so with irate movement. Wait? Wait for what? For some monster like the one screeching over there--screeching that had turned, by now, into weakened and feeble roars and whimpers--to come snatch his head off? It sure did seem like it.

Blinking the water from his eyes, he searched the room, taking a mental headcount. Cheryl, Lobo, he couldn't see them. Game was still there, Yang, Cezar... Loki. Loki? Looking left and right, he couldn't see him. He could only assume that he had been hurled somewhere else. Just his luck. "Weren't you standing right next to him?" I hope that means you have a plan. "Uhm, yes. Move to your left." This ought to be good. He sidestepped, keeping his back on the wall and his shirt over his nose. When he thought about asking how far he had to go, the ground under his foot suddenly gave away. The first thing he thought was that he had snuck his way into a trap, and his legs braces themselves to run. "Don't move!"

Geez, why not? He was about to die over here! Ronny's heart skipped a beat when he felt the wall behind him suddenly move. First, it was a slow push forward, but in an instant it pushed him at a much greater speed, thrusting him forward. His eyes widened as he tipped over towards the ground, but instead of falling into rock the surface slip open and he fell first into the dark abyss of the hole. Heart pounding and eyes wide he screamed. What the hell kind of plan was this?

-----

Oh, great. Poison gas and deranged animals. Thanks, Kargagna. Immediately he shielded himself from the gas as best he could by putting his shirt over his nose and mouth. The first person he spotted was Yang, shouting something about not breathing in the fumes and probably breathing them in doing so. Oh, well. He had to get the guy out of here, though, since he didn't seem to be making much progress by himself. He sprinted over to the Japanese boy and grabbed him by his shirt, hauling him forward.

Okay, now if the walls were turning, that that can be their only way of escape. There was no front entrance. At the movement of a near wall he sprinted towards it, Yang still in his clutches and jumped to it just as it flipped itself closed. Immediately they were thrust into a cooler, significantly darker room with clean air. He let his shirt fall, breathing easy now.

Okay... now where were they? Very faintly he caught the echos of something on the walls or on the ground in the far distance, but he wasn't sure if it was real or not. The sounds of the commotion behind them was enough to make it uncertain.

OOC: God, Cezar. >.>

One moment Game was wondering if Yang was going to rain on his parade with an agonizingly, emo, monotone monologue. And then poison gas was falling down. For a moment he looked up with stunned surprise, wondering what was happening. He didn't have to wonder for long, as a terrible groan escaped the walls of the maze as they ripped apart, grinding against each other. Game took a wary step backwards, unable to see in the strange gas that crept it's way into his lungs. Crawling down his throat and making him choke. He could already feel the poison weakening his senses, his brain seemed to move in a whirlpool of confusion, as he stumbled a final time, almost immediatly he knew this was the wrong moved. Behind him, the floor disappeared. With no clear comprehension of what was going on, he fell backward, disappearing into the dark void as the roof above him closed, blocking off the poison from attacking him again, but he had bigger things to worry about.

Game fell, his head still not clear from the toxins, and his limp body being taken by the updraft of air as gravity carried him down. He fell motionless, head first towards a sharpened rock floor. Game blinked his eyes open, watching the rocks come closer and closer, his heart pumping blood to his brain to react, but the poison told him not to even move. He could feel nerves giving up, his mind going blank. But in the back of his head he knew he had to move. If he didn't then he'd be impaled, or splattered on the ground. He glanced at the oncoming spikes, and almost instantly, he bounced off the air, like it was a trampoline. It was much more painful than Game had expected, after being shoved away from the spikes using his powers over magnetism, Game sailed through the air, surprised that the trap he had fallen into wasn't as small as he had expected. It almost looked like he had fallen into a Roman Colosseum.

He rotated through the air, his senses coming back enough for him to conjure up a hell of a scream. Though his flight was short lived as almost instantly he smashed into a puddle of milky gray liquid, splashing it all over his already dirty clothes. He could feel the hard granite underneath him, and with a shove he got to his knees. He coughed, unsure if what ever he had landed in was water or something disgusting. His soggy hair covered his eyes and his clothes hung closely to his spine. He felt cold all over his body, s if he had just been dumped into the arctic, but that wasn't the least of his worries. He had fallen into a trap. Technically, he was out of the game, he didn't know where he had come in from, and he couldn't see any exits all around him. "Just great... he murmured to himself, hugging himself tightly to harness warmth.

Moist and warm air rushed down his spine and Game froze. The snort of a beast behind him made his heart stop. Though he didn't know it, the name of the creature behind him was the Guesscui. It was enormous, it's head the size of a boulder and the threatening horn on its head rivaling a radio tower. From two pores on the end of its head, a snort of hot air rushed out, crystallizing in the air. Game took a hesitant step back, looking on this creature as fear ran through his blood. His whole body went numb at the thought of being crushed by the four rows of teeth, all sharpened to a point ready to gnash his bones into dust. Sea green scales that almost glowed in the darkness rippled as the beast moved it's arm snatching Game up from the ground and raising him too it's mouth. From this aerial view he could clearly see that even if he could run from the beast he'd end up racing in an endless circle. Sharp spikes rose on all sides of the pit, leaving only a small circle in the middle that the beast occupied. Piles of bones littered the ground around the creature, and a chain ran along it's neck, binding it to this place.

The Guesscui opened it's mouth, long strands of saliva being revealed. The breath of the beast felt like a spray of hot ashes on his face. The dark void of his death grew closer and closer.

Loki dodged yet another claw that grazed across his torso, slicing part of his cloak off. The beast that he was battling skidded past him, and Loki turned on it, gripping it's jaw and muzzle and pulling the two apart. The creature yelped and flailed helplessly, as it snapped at Loki, trying to get his head into it's jaws. The monster slammed against the rock wall, it's claws grinding on the surface as it tried to escape and Loki planted his foot against the wall. Feeling blood roll down his forehead and over his eye. Loki pulled back, causing the creatures neck to pop as it stretched to impossible angles. And then finally, a snap like a fire cracked exploding in his ear sounded. All life drained from the creature as it lay limp now, collapsing onto the ground in a gooey heap, it's haunting eyes still open but only staring into space. Loki slumped against the wall, panting with exhaustion. The movies made this stuff look so much easier, but Loki was covered in blood and scratches. 'Nice job, Crocodile Hunter.' Loki ignored the remark, as he grabbed the creatures head, noticing the eerie stench of death.

He dragged the creature behind him, it's slimy body squelching on the ground. 'Wha-what are you doing?' Loki frowned, hauling the dead weight onto his shoulder. This maze was littered with creatures that could kill him. They probably already had his scent. But what made the monsters not attack each other? Maybe they did. And so his decision was clear, all he needed to do was dump the body of this animal out of his path, it would attract these creatures away from him, and even if it didn't hopefully the smell of death would mask his own. Throwing the creatures off his trail. Simple hunters logic, mask your own scent so that your prey can't tell when you're coming. Loki released the creature, now happy that the Pariapuria was out of his path, Loki began to run, needing to make distance between himself and the bait.

What had happened to the other humans was very disturbing. It seemed Kargagna had a few tricks up his sleeve still, the way the walls moved, changing any already set plan. Never had he encountered a maze where the terrain would change. This was supposed to be a finite puzzle, if it kept on moving it would be impossible for him to actually solve it. Loki rounded a corner, shaking his head. There was an answer to every riddle, he just had to find it. Kargagna could switch the terrain all he wanted, all he had to do was time it right. There had to be a way to get close enough to the exit, so that even if the walls moved it wouldn't make any difference. But how? Just running along looking for some kind of exit would be stupid and dangerous. There were too many traps and monsters to worry about for this just to be a guessing game. There must be an algorithm for this. All he had to do was think...

A number of profanities filled Cheryl’s mind as she looked from side to side. She had been caught between a number of Mosineque, probably a pack. They all looked geared to tear her apart with their sharp teeth and spinal spikes. Not to mention their scorpion tail. One lurched forward, and earned a kick in the face. It retreated back and shook its face. But fighting back just agitated the pack even more. A scorpion tail shot at her head but by luck she had moved and it came with centimeters of scratching her across her face. Taking on seven Mosineque without any weapons was just hopeless. She only had one way in which she would survive. And that was running away. She tossed the small blue creature from her hand and into the midst of the four to her right. One of the scorpion tails went to smack it out of the air but that just knocked it right onto the head of another one. Only idiotic beasts and pure, pure luck would let that happen. The beast soon fell to the ground in a twitching mess. All the other ones seemed more interested in their pack member than the trapped prey. Though it calmed down and stood up, but in its eyes was something else. Not bloodlust. None at all. And as the others of the pack turned their attention back to Cheryl they were caught off guard. She leapt past the four to her right and took off running. Since so many of them were in the corridor it took them a bit to get after her. But the first one was on her in seconds. Though this one had a brainsucker on its head.

It laid the spines down on its back and ran up beside the human girl. She acted instantly and leaped onto its back. She wrapped her arms around its neck and braced her legs against its flanks. With the extra weight the other ones caught up quickly. But the first one to get within five feet of it got stung with the tip of the tail from the brainsucker controlled Mosineque. It fell to the ground, yelping in pain because one of its eyes had been jabbed from its socket. The next one got it even worse. A boom sounded from behind Cheryl and she looked over her shoulder at a big rock with spikes on the bottom. The dead body of one of the beasts lay speared in. She opened her mouth to tell the brainsucker to stop but it was already too late. Her luck had just ran out. A part of the floor opened up and the two fell right through. Then sensation of falling was terrible. She looked below at the spikes that rimmed the outside of the pit. She was falling over some. She snatched the brainsucker off the head of the beast and at the last second leaped off its back. She barely cleared the spikes and hit the ground with a thud. She rolled over and let out a groan as she looked up at the beast that shared the same pit. But its attention was focused on what was in its hand. She couldn’t tell what it was but she needed to get the Guesscui. The brainsucker was eager, too, seeing as it was just ripped off its last meal. It was tossed through the air right on the back of the beasts head. Its prey got dropped, well tossed a bit, as the beast started losing its motor controls. When it fell to the ground trashing and twitching the danger came back.

One of its limbs knocked Cheryl over. She laid there, trying to let the spinning go away. Though just laying there almost got her squished. Luckily, she had already started to get up and slightly stumble away. Though it settled down as the brainsucker got control of its brain fully. The beast picked her up and set her at the base of its neck. She looked down at the pit from her knew vantage point and caught sight of the Guesscui’s prey. “Game?” she asked, not really being able to tell if it was him in the lighting but it certainly looked like him.

He saw all the others struggling with the poison. Lovely... Then he was grabbed roughly by his shirt. And dragged/pulled somewhere. The green smog of poison was concealing everything and making tears burn his eyes. So he had no idea who the heck this was, or where they were taking him. 'Cause who really ever wanted to save him? No one really knew Yang. No one talked to him, and his usefulness as a human torch died out quickly when 'Brianna' came in with her laser-arm-thing. This could even have been one of those creatures, mistakenly grabbing his shirt instead of his throat...

The sudden cool rush of air hit him as he tumbled to the ground. His first breath brought in sweet oxygen, making the poison in his lungs burn more furiously. He coughed several times, squeezing his eyes shut. After a few moments he relaxed, his breath coming raspy but steadily. He wiped at his eyes, which had teared up due to the burning. Then he looked around. It was dark... But he could see someone. He spoke in a raspy tone, "Who's that?"

He ran over the list of possibilities in his head. Who was standing closest to him? Huh... That would have been Game. But Game was probably still back with the others... Yang frowned and wiped his eyes again. The likelyhood of it being a creature meaning to kill him was rising every second. Flames prickled over his skin, the comforting heat driving away the fear from these thoughts. It reminded him of Yin's last hug on Sigma... He again wondered how she was. If she was happy. He hadn't heard anything...

The fire seemed to evaporate the water in his eyes, and he could see clearly with the light of the flames. The orange fire twisted and licked at his skin as though it were a live thing, a soft glow emanating from it. "Oh, it's you, Cezar." he said as he saw the other boy, squinting to make out his shadowy features. "Did you manage to grab anyone else or just me?" He stood up, coughed one last time, and looked expectantly at Cezar.