《Method Of Loci》Chapter 16 - Getting away with murder
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“Fuckin hell, Eliot why the hell did Anubis kill that guy!?” Thomas was freaking out, the scene looked really bad; it didn't matter that they were being robbed, Anubis just ripped that guy's throat out.
Eliot’s heart was pumping really fast and Thomas wasn't making it any better, he thought about all of the ramifications that go along with murder, even if it wasn't him, Anubis was his responsibility. Then he realised that this wasn't the same world that they were in two days ago, this was the apocalypse and people sometimes die in the apocalypse without any real reason. He looked at Genesis who looked a bit pale after seeing the brutality of the situation.
“Genesis can you knock this guy out please, i'm pretty sure he doesn't appreciate this gun in his face.” Eliot asked as calmly as possible, trying his best not to go mental.
She quickly came over and waved her hand through his head, sending him to hopefully a better place for the next few hours. ‘I wonder if doing that has any long term affects to their brain, not the fucking time El.’
“Blimey, I know this looks bad and Genesis you have some bloody explaining to do, but we have to get the fuck out of here before anyone comes back looking for these guys.” Eliot was talking really fast and was pacing, his nerves were fried, he looked at all the unconscious bodies and then the dead one who still had his eyes open looking at Eliot as if it was his fault they tried to rob them.
“Look guys it wasn't supposed to happen like this alright. I just wanted to get you the items. They wanted to rob you as soon as possible, I didn't have anytime to warn you!” Genesis was beginning to hyperventilate and was speaking just as fast as Eliot.
“Just be quiet and pick up the items, we need an empty room that they won’t try to come looking for us.” Eliot demanded looking directly at Genesis, she nodded her head rapidly. All the while Anubis just sat there looking confused at the situation, blood still dripped from the wet fur under his chin, he licked it up.
After quickly picking up all the items, they followed Genesis to the second floor where they rushed into one of the flats and locked the door. There was an uncomfortable silence between everyone in the dark flat, the only noise that could be heard where there heavy breaths.
“Okay, please explain what just happened.” Thomas said as he went towards the chair and collapsed in it.
Genesis took a deep breath while looking down at the floor. “...I kinda was sent to take all of your stuff, and bring it back to the guys down stairs; but I didn't want to do it believe me. The only reason I said yes was because they kept threatening to kick me out of building if I didn't do what they say. Look i'm really really sorry.”
“Is that why you wanted to join us?” Eliot inquired.
Genesis nodded her head her eyes were beginning to tear up. “..I understand if you don't want me anymore.”
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“Don't do that, don't make this all about you. A person just died because of us alright, i'm not going to blame you for what just happened and you could still come with us if you want; but not with this bullshit alright?” Eliot scolded, he knew Genesis wasn't a bad person and he believed her this time when she said she didn't have a choice; she also technically did get them the items.
“Yes, thank you.” Genesis said while tears began falling down her cheeks. ‘Damn it El.’
“Where did the items come from, one second nothing and the next Eliot has a blade at his neck?” Thomas questioned trying to make the situation a little less awkward.
“Vincent the blonde guy, had an ability to make things invisible including himself. I don't know what it's called but that's how they snuck the items in.” Genesis explained giving everyone a little insight into how they almost got robbed.
“You don't think that would have been important to mention?” Thomas asked
“I didn't know until earlier, i'm sorry.” Genesis replied
“Look there's no point in talking about this anymore, what’s done is done.” Eliot said and walked over to Anubis and knelled down looking him in his blue eyes. “Don’t you dare do some shit like that again, you can't just kill people Anu….Unless I tell you too okay.” Eliot whispered the last part so just Anubis could hear.
Anubis seemed to understand and had the decency to look sorry for it atleast. With that done, Eliot turned to the pile of items that they just collected. He picked up the black sleek looking reverse headband that controlled the hands and put it on, it started at his temples and went around the back of his head. The small intricate designs lit up a neon green after it made contact with Eliot's head; he could instantly feel the mental strain from the artifact but not much.
The four hands felt like they were his actual hands like they were apart of him, it was a weird feeling having an additional four hands all of a sudden but they weren't that hard to control. The hands looked normal enough with the same detailed neon green designs as tattoos; he let them float around him trying to get used to it, overall he was satisfied with them.
Thomas decided to pick up the engraved wooden staff, and the blue hooded cowl. The staff top was a huge golden ring that conjoined with the wooden part, and the cowl didn't look all that important, just seemed neet. After he put both of them on, he looked like some sort of adventurer mage, if Eliot said he wasn't a little jealous he would be lying. That left the metal buckler shield, the vibroblade, and that weird looking gun.
“You know you can choose something too.” Eliot said looking at Genesis.
She seemed to instantly perk up and ran to the pile, picking up just the gun and returned to her previous spot with a mischievous grin on her face.
Everyone seemed fine with their items, and didn't want any of the extras. That brought a smile to Eliot’s face, he didn't want to seem greedy but he did have the most hands to hold more items so why not. He let two of the floating hands go and pick up the other items, ‘Damn that's cool’ and brought them to him. The vibroblade came with a black thin metallic sheath that he he tied to his waist, he let one of the hands hold the shield as a way to protect himself. After equipping themselves in there plundered items, they all just stood there taking it all in.
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“So what now?” Thomas questioned, of course at that exact moment they heard a loud crash coming from down stairs. The stomping of feet and the screams of thrall could be heard echoing throughout the hallway. There had to be hundreds of them, Eliot felt his blood go cold at the thought. He looked at everyone and saw their faces pale and there hands go white from clutching their weapons so hard.
He gulped and drew his new vibroblade, he gave one of his hands his plasma pistol leaving the last two free so that he could have them enact his ‘force push’ spell. No one made a single noise, they could hear thralls stomping their way to there location, breaking doors looking for anything that moves. A woman's screams were heard down the hall before a loud explosion quickly silenced the poor women and shaking the building. ‘Heart thrall, fuck.’
“At any second, the thrall are going to destroy this door. Aim for the head, but if you see any thralls with glowing hearts hit that, if you don't they explode.” Eliot whispered mostly to Genesis, this would be her first battle after all. Thomas turned his staff into a spear with a wicked sharp ice blade at the top of the golden ring, the carvings of the staff were also filled in with ice giving it a whole new look. ‘Damn show off.’
Agonizing seconds went by as they waited for the inevitable onslaught of thrall, Eliot's palms were getting a bit sweaty, and he felt his heart pumping rapidly against his chest.
‘BAM! BAM! BAM!’ The thralls were bashing the door loosening the hinges with every slam. Eliot began his ‘force push’ spell with his two floating hands behind his back, hoping to whatever gods exist that it would work. He felt the cold tendrils of magic flow down his spine filling him with power he looked down and saw his hands illuminate with the inner glow. He smiled feeling more confident in their odds.
After two more bashes the door was ripped off its hinges, the eyeless, bone white thrall looked at the group of survivors and screamed in joy pushing their fellow brethren to get the morsels of food presented to them. Eliot aimed his left hand at the door opening and released his spell sending two of them spiraling back out the door, he positioned his hand with the pistol directly against the only heart thrall not trusting his aim and blew his heart to smithereens leaving a burning hole directly in its chest.
Heart thrall x1
30pts
Anubis didn't even wait, quickly making his way to the two thralls that where on the floor making quick work of the first one clawing its face and biting at its throat; then dragged the second one away to do the same. Thomas ran out the door and thrust his spear into the gut of one the thralls, Genesis followed and pointed her gun at its head and clicked the trigger nothing happened for a second and then a popping noise was made while the creature's head just blew up sending chunks of grey matter and skull into the opposite wall. ‘No wonder she wanted that gun, I should have took it, damn it.’
Eliot passed the two and activated the vibroblade, there was a soft humming noise but it didn't feel any different. He sliced the torso of the closest thrall easily bisecting the abnormal creature covering its allies in the black blood ‘Holy fuck’. Another one was coming towards him before Thomas’s spear impaled its head into the wall. He didn't even pull the ice blade out he just broke it off leaving it inside the creature's head connected to the wall; and just created a new blade.
“Guys we have to go upstairs, the mist outside will be our deaths!” Eliot screamed as he cut through another's creatures skull, he tried to prepared another ‘force push’ but he kept failing; he couldn’t concentrate enough.
Thrall x2
40pts
The thrall were beginning to bottleneck the entire hallway dozens of them were rushing them. There was no possible way they would be able to defeat that many thrall, Eliot spotted multiple heart thralls in the mix and instantly knew what needed to be done.
His plasma pistol aimed at the heart thrall and he released load after load into its head, his aim with the floating hand was abysmal and only one shot actually clipped its skull ‘perfect’.
“Everyone get down!” Eliot dived away just as the heart thrall blew up taking the lives of most of the creatures in its vicinity painting the walls black; but it was like a chain reaction after one heart thrall fell all the others hearts started beating faster and faster releasing multiple explosions in sequence.
Eliot ears were ringing and he felt disoriented, he looked around to make sure everyone else was alright. Genesis looked completely fine but she was coughing as dust was everywhere, Thomas made an ice shield to block most of the impact but there was some shrapnel embedded inside of it. ‘Blimey, I forgot I had a shield.’ Anubis was farther down the hall where less damage was done, Eliot couldn't tell if he was wounded or not; his fur was covered in gore.
The hallway was completely destroyed, there was no way they could go that way anymore. Everyone was looking at Eliot, waiting for him to make some sort of decision. Eliot was stuck at a crossed roads, he either finds some impossible way to get upstairs or he tells everyone to jump out of the window into the mist and ‘maybe’ survive.
Fuck it. “Go out the window!”
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