Masa con Papas: Proxy's Memory

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

 

As soon as the match starts, what come next feels natural.

Shadows pour from underneath Bern and fill the arena. In all but voice she becomes unrecognizable as the square you picked a fight with you.

Kite around, hold your fire until you have a clear gauge of what she can do. Your plan is set.

Each shade that pours out leaves less and less room to fight, freely, each stretch of line another wall.

Her form warps, reminiscent of the horrors you’ve encountered since youth, until her body is just another shadow against the wall, revealing her true self.

A proxy stands before you, one with a streamlined frame different from those you encountered in your home world.

You take aim the moment you got the footing for it.

Opera: Paige?

Paige: Do it.

You take a shot, a burst of energy scatters across like a shotgun blast, the spread of bits making it impossible for Bern to dodge cleanly.

A distinct hiss can be heard.

Before she sinks into the nearest shadow.

There’s audible rumbling traveling across like a rat in your walls.

Opera: Cover me!

Paige envelops around in a swirl of movement to keep your movements ambiguous.

You can hear the thumping coming from two directions.

All you can do is try to anticipate correctly right now.

Paige: Now.

You’re able to successfully matador the proxy with a flourishing twirl, about to take fire only for Bern’s physical form to lunge at you.

Paige leaps off your shoulders to coil around her mid jump, immediately sniping her approach

She’s trapped, an easy target.

The proxy attempts to defend her physical form by rubberbanding back toward you with a heavy ricochet.

You’re barely able to defend by slamming the flat of your gun between her neck and shoulder, redirecting her motion away.

There’s a skid across the ground as she tries her best to maintain her footing, using this as an opportunity to scrap up close.

There’s another attempt to force its way in, the strips of walls around you becoming closer and more condensed to prevent you from being able dodging.
 
It’s too frantic to take the shot safely as she lunges at you full speed

You use the blunt of your gun once more to keep Bern off of you, guiding her movement toward one of the walls.

Bern: Stop holding back!

Opera: Paige!

Paige: Busy!

Paige was having to put everything into trapping her in place.

The proxy escapes, taking big swings at you that put you more and risk of being pinned to the wall with each attempt.

You decide to take the shot way too close for comfort, missing in the chaos but managing to startle.

You take the opportunity to shoulder tackle her into one of the large line, only for her to phase in.

You make the call and blast off a chunk to the left off where she entered, forcing her to travel the other way instead.

It’s easy to pin down the noise with only one opponent in the picture, blasting ahead of her and limiting her escape.

The proxy is forced to emerge, you grabbing her as she pops out and successfully pinning her to the ground.

Bern: Let go!

Opera: Scoop it up!

Another wall lunges at you, tearing through Paige’s bindings.

It manages to separate you from the proxy yet again.

Opera: A-are you okay?

Paige: M-Managing!

Paige is able to seal Bern back up and hobbling over toward you.

Opera: What are you-

Paige: Hostage routine, you know the deal!

You point directly the gun directly at your friend, the other proxy watching in horror

Bern: Wait, what are you doing??

Opera: Back down or I’m taking the shot!

There’s a clap in the background.

Bern’s proxy form repeated it without a moment of hesitation.

Geezer: Stand down, they’re calling a time out.

Opera:... She can’t seriously do that, right? Has it been long enough?

Geezer:.. Yeah. Just barely but… yeah.

Opera: She has to be free, yeah?

Opera: We pinned her..

Geezer looks Bern directly in the eye.

Geezer: She sees herself as the proxy, everything else is just a tool to get around.

Geezer: Ruling with a proxy is that the name entered is the one person that needs to be successfully pinned.

Opera: That’s kinda horseshit..

Geezer: Normally it’s a strategic element. Lots of proxies are brittle, but they’re powerful.

Geezer: A source isn’t going to phase out of existence after getting floored by an uppercut.

Geezer: So you can choose what wincon you wanna give the opponent, so to speak.

Geezer: But when you’re both at the same time…

Geezer: And the proxy’s this much of an oddball..

Geezer: Rules don’t account cause it hasn’t come up in a big enough duel for discussion to happen.

Geezer: New rules in a sport exist when someone causes a stir.

Opera: We were close..

Geezer: Yeah.

You call Paige back, she gives a little whimper as she climbs back onto your shoulder.

Paige: Sorry…

Opera: You did good, match isn’t lost yet.

Geezer: Yeah. Not sure if I’ll get as lucky as round 1 but-

Bern reverts back to her previous state as she approaches Bucket.

She reveals her shoulder.

Geezer: Ah… fuck.

Opera: What is it?

The dog takes a bite immediately, their eyes begin to spark.

Opera: No fucking way…

Geezer: That’s their plan.

The mist reforms around both of you with a stomach turning dread to it.

Bucket approaches, there’s a certain unkempt nature to their fur that gives them a ferocity you haven't seen before.

Bucket: Will there be a tag out for you two as well?

Their tone had a jagged hardness to it, the natural crackling echo of their fiendish voice intensified.

A sword made of twisted metal and bone formed in front of them as they slid their hand across the air as if it were a flat surface.

Opera: I mean I can-

Geezer: Don’t.

Opera: No?

Geezer: Right now any sort of touch makes them a danger to you.

Geezer: Can’t hurt me in the same ways.

Opera: Can you beat them?

Geezer: Yeah, but I’d have to really take one for the team here.. 

Bucket: Certainly you can keep up with this, no?

Bucket: If you're truly my mother's strongest pupil, she's prepped you for this plenty.

Geezer: Maybe.

Bucket: Did you not anticipate this?

Geezer: Course I did.

Geezer: Just.. thinking on this.

Bucket: Be quick about it, stall too long and it’s a forfeit.

Opera:  I think we can take it on.

Geezer: Yeah but..

Geezer: That’s not the gameplan.

Geezer: They can spring back over and over. Not forever but more than we can take.

Geezer: We put in the work, we’re not gonna be good for the rest of the gig.

Bucket: Mm, pieced it together.

Bucket: But… I know you’re holding back.

Geezer: I’m not here to see you die, course I am.

Bucket: If you’re so passionate about being in charge of this job, prove it. Show me your finest.

Geezer: Knight’s passion isn’t just about being strong, you know?

Geezer: It’s about being flexible, making opportunities out of what you have, doing anything and everything you can.

Geezer: And if you can’t, you find someone who can, and you give them the best shot possible.

Geezer: I’m by the book. Don’t pick fights that lead to nothing, know when to pack it up.

Geezer: Playing dirty, but it’s fair game. You know you don’t gotta be able to win the fight. Just gotta make sure we lose.

Bucket: Observant.

Geezer: Used to be big into this kind of theory. Really are as good as they say.

Bucket: Surely you must have something up your sleeve? If you’re to carry the next generation, you need to be able to surpass me.

Bucket: And you clearly have something about you that makes it clear why my mother picked you for the job.
 
Geezer: Don’t gotta build me up like that, I know who I am.

Bucket: So? Show me your best.

Geezer:Not seeing much use in continuing. You talk through your fists, don’t need to see the worst of you like that. 

Bucket: So you’re forfeiting?

Geezer: Can’t keep this up forever. And if I play it out? Neither of us are gonna be any good for the job ahead.

Geezer: Know my limits, got what I wanted out of this. I'm good.

Geezer: Him though? He doesn’t.
 
He tilts his head, gesturing toward the left

Bucket, turning to take a glance.

Bucket: Have you returned Charo-?

Charon swoops in from the right and decks the larger dog full force, launching them off their feet and into the sand.

Bern tries to jump in immediately only to be intercepted by a large and daunting proxy.

Opera: Rook....?

Bern: Fuckin- Let go!

???: Stand down and let it play out. This isn’t your fight.

 You don’t hesitate to take full advantage of the situation, taking aim directly at Bucket.

Opera: You plan this far ahead?

Geezer: Nah, just knew what I was working with.

Geezer: Charon?

Charon: Couldn’t wait for me to return before your coup?

Geezer: Figured you needed the rest. How you holding up?

Charon: Tired, furious.

Opera: Feel that.. Glad you could make it.

Bucket starts getting back to their feet.

Bucket: You’ve breached the rules, this is no longer a civil resolution.

Charon: Never was. Rules are fake and so are you. Every single part of you except for one thing.

Charon points to the sword in their hand.

Bucket: Back down, you don’t want this.

Charon: If this is what it takes to get to know you? So be it…

Charon: I’m going to bring you back home…

Charon reaches over and pulls you in for an awkward hug.

Opera: Are you-

Charon: Can I?

Bucket: Don’t do what I think you’re about to do-

Opera: Fuck them up, dude.

He bites down on your shoulder deep, taking in as much blood as he can get from a single gulp.

Every sensation in your head intensifies, feeling like an eternity before he releases you.

Charon: Thank you..

Opera: Hehe…

You nearly tip over, Geezer managing to catch you.

Geezer: I gotcha.

Opera: You guys never let me down..

You watch in a haze as the halo appears over Charon’s head, its glow burning violently.

Bucket: Your metamorphosis is advancing faster than I anticipated.. what have you become?

Charon: More than enough.

 

---

 

Love
[A New Day]
CW: Violence
Perspective: Charon Mar Judgment