Things went wrong very...very fast. As the noose tightened and the otherworldly sensation flooded through him, Alex was keenly aware of the commotion happening among his friends. It seemed as if he were observing them each at the same time, collaborating their experiences into a more wholistic view. Louise had eaten a bat, Phil morphed into Louise, each of these things happening in disjointed but rapid succession. Seb was down for the count, Milo's ring had seared into his flesh whilst Jake and Izzy seemed transfixed by their objects. Seven of them, Seven objects seemingly suited to them. What was he missing? The answer hung just out of his mental reach, the situation clouding his mind.
Someone's quick aren't they? So close. Though the words came from within his mind, they were most certainly not his. The presence seemed to smirk from within his subconscious, amused by his attempts to find order in the chaos around them.
I don't remember letting you in, whoever you are, not the strongest retort but it was all he had. What he did have however, was will. He fought the smokey tendrils of the presence within him, keeping it contained with only minimal success.
Now now, play nice.. You're going to need me in a moment. Alexander didn't have time to retort before the the door started to crack open, the room quaking around them. Eyes flicking around the room, he realized there was no other option than the doorway before them and even that didn't look promising. Within a moment he had flipped through every physics research paper he could think of and came up with nothing to explain it, again to the amusement of the voice.
Do you really have time for this?. Considering the state of the room they were in, alex decided he didn't, in fact, have the time. Sparing only a second to make sure the rest went through the door, he hurled himself through. The world fell away from him in an instant, sense of direction lost.
*Smack*For a moment Alex lay on the ground breathing dust and heat. Everything immediately felt...
wrong and after lifting his head to survey their surrounding, his assumptions were immediately confirmed.
"Looks like we're not in Kansas anymore..", the words breathed from him. Before them lay a wasteland of ash and a writhing sea of monsters. They seemed endless and even from a distance, hungry. He barely had the thought through his head before he was up on his feet, meticulously dusting off his far too expensive clothes. It was as if he moved at a blur.
Now isn't that a nice trick?. Abilities? Superhuman abilities?
"Is this hell..?" Alex glanced up in time to see Jake..well.. go ape. He was tearing through the demons like nothing in his own world could have.
The others, his eyes snapped around taking note of his friends. Izzy lay sprawled on the ground, screaming to a voice he hadn't heard. Perhaps they all had their own voice? Surely connected to the artifacts?
Demons Alexander, don't forget the demons. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his head, focusing on the task at hand. Even with Jake rampaging through the demons like paper, they were still two down. There was nothing he could think of to help Seb for the moment but perhaps he could help Louise bring Izzy back to...could he even call this reality? Problem was, there were more than a couple of the beasts between himself and the girls.
Allow me to just... A path plotted out before him, etheral and entirely made from within his mind. With a moment he had calculated a route through the demons, depicting which had to be taken out and which could be avoided. He watched the whole scene play out based on probability within a fraction of a second. With no time for questions, for they could come later if they lived, Alexander slid the curved knife he carried for protection from it's secret place running horizontally behind him in his belt. The blade slid perfectly into a reverse position in Alex's left hand, it's every dimension tailored to fit him. The world slowed around him as he took his first steps, or rather, he sped up. Following the predicted map in his mind, Alex dodged and weaved a few of the demons, each time he did, the blade flashed out like a silver blur. Demons paused each with barely a cut forming on them. The cuts appeared across the backs of knees and the backs of necks, leaving demons paralyzed and frothing in anger. Within the space of a second Alex was kneeling before Izzy and Eloise, the monsters hitting the ground a moment after and his blade slide back in its home.
"Isabel, Listen to me", he allowed a touch of his previous life's attention commanding tone, aided by a touch of Pride itself. He lifted Izzy's, eyes meeting hers, with a couple fingers.
"Iz, Need you with us now", He wasn't much for nicknames but they helped in stressful situations. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, so as to act as a grounding point in the chaotic situation he spoke to Louise in a forced calm,
"We need to find somewhere safe. If she won't move, I'll carry her.". Something piked up in the back of his mind, reminding him of Louise's apparently ability to consume.
"Those creatures look appetising don't you think?", he was betting on assumptions made about her new condition but it seemed reasonable that if she could eat a bat whole, she could put a dent in the demons. Considering how many of the monsters there were, Alex didn't particularly want to hang around. With another quick glance about he decided on the nearest high place, a series of boulders stacked and carved what must have been eons ago, forming a pillar.
Again the map formed before his eyes as he scooped Isabel up in his arms, trusting Louise to keep their backs clear and protect herself for the moment.
"Don't you dare ruin this Vest", he chided the limp Izzy in his arms before vaulting ahead. The world around them slowed as he blurred between the monsters before they could so much as react. As he ducked and weaved, a shockwave from Seb's new onslaught hit him, sending him sprawling over the top of a demon. He managed to keep ahold of Isabel through reaction along but had to re adjust his course. Not to mentioned he was pretty sure the mishap had cost him a tear in his favourite pants. Reaching close to the pillar, he kicked off the back of one of the frothing monstrouseties to launch them both up towards the top.
Why do I always get the Chauvernists, this would be easier without the extra weight you know.. Not that this isn't easy, again he forced the voice into the back of his mind before he landed in a crouch atop the pillar. The voice would have to be dealt with but for now, surviving would do.
"Izzy, are you with me?", the question escaped him as he looked down to the poor girl. Today was not a good day.