~ two

Nameless looks up at the night sky, lying alone in the grass, surrounded by bottles. The fire burns slowly out.  A woman, previously unseen lies now with her head inverted next to his, feet stretched the opposite way.

Woman - "What do we do now ?"

Nameless - Staring up in thought ... "You know ... I really like ... battle."

He gets up, the woman gone, walks past his hut toward the crater's valley to the beach.  The aged husk of Eleanore's ship lay still on it's side, the improvised finish refinery still intact and abandoned.

A few shanties, a few belongings, and the ramp leading to the sea.

Woman - Standing now behind him, "What is the sea, here ?"

Nameless - Looks back and takes a drink, passing the bottle which she conspicuously takes and drinks from.  Looking back to the sea, "A holographic universe exists in two dimensions.  So this ... will be topological I think.  Watch."

He holds his hand up and rotates the sky as if from inside a sphere, pulling directions, planets coming close and moved aside with the turning sky.

Nameless - Smiles back, "Where do you want to go ?"

Woman - Wrapping her arms around him from behind, as he reaches over his shoulder turning back to kiss, "I want to conquer the Hells with you."

He turns his body into the kiss while the beach explodes to action, sand swirling in dervishes, wind straining the shanties. The husk rises and pulls the sand to a smooth surface surrounding it, growing sides, mast and sail.

It lands before him in the sea with the ending storms, him standing alone as it's sides mount weapons. Holding the bottle, he takes a drink and walks into the water.
________________

Lucretia looks across the field at the gathered soldiers, eye by her side. The anthropomorphic types share an armor type, geared, vehicular alike, the eye still the eye.

The rest painted, specially matched with pieced armor, all regimented as a clear singular force (the beginnings of 'the uncountably large army').

The eye turns to her with a blink as the lead soldier approaches.

Lucretia - "We'll need to swarm him.  His power ... unknown.   These weapons disperse environmental fields ... and they draw from the environment by nature, whatever the standing program.  I'm thinking they draw from his lovely little land and will hurt him and anything in our way there too.

Apex - "And if he just stands there ?  You know I hate that."

Lucretia - With an eye roll of shared annoyance and a shudder, "Me too.  Then we draw them back here, to our territory.  Our rules.  Where we will hurt him."

Lucretia walks toward the army, followed by both.

Lucretia - "Then we go guerilla style while sneaking a division through the entry behind them while they're fucked.  Because why not.  But when this system we're on shuts down, we're either here or there while that door closes.  Just like he will be."

Apex - "Hm.  Shut the bastard down with the system."  Looks over the army with her, "Sounds good.  Where's the door ?"

Lucretia - "He likes to network. I know him.  He put it in the center of everything.  A theoretical point ... dimension ... which is equidistant from all things.  It's there.   I know it.  It's the best place for it.  And that means its always close."

Apex - Staring a moment, "All right.  Sound.  Where's the door ?"

Lucretia - Smiles, "At every single tear in every single universe."

Apex - Smiles back, then turns to the soldiers. "Everybody load !  We need to overload data on one single point to get between the world's refresh rate.  And into the abyss we go ... target ... "  He looks around at the world void of textures.  Looks at the soldiers, turning to look at him.  He shrugs and tosses his helmet into the field, then steps back raising his arm to order fire.

Apex - Looks at Lucretia suspiciously, "Now what's your beef with this guy ?"

Lucretia - "Hm ?  Oh.  He's my dad."

Apex drops hangs head, drops his arm slowly without command, wincing his eyes.

Apex - "Okay.  Tell me a story."

Lucretia - Rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, looking away. "That's fair. Though extremely insubordinate."
________

Nameless - Walks to the bow of the ship.  He rotates the sky and pulls close a burning place, sea washing through caves. Pulling his sword forward, "! Ruach !" with a wind and tidal wave washing the boat into the caverns.
________

A large fire demon who looks vaguely like an oversized nameless sits at a tiny computer and desk in a dark room, banging on the keys with his fists.

Nameless - "! Me do dumb things without consequence now !"

Apex - (voiced over) "Does he really look like that ?"

Lucretia (voiced over) "Who knows ?  I've never seen him before.  Or ... heard him speak."

Nameless raises his fist and roars destroying the keyboard in a cursing rage.
________

The tidal wave splashes the ship into the deep cavern temple, pillars and structures carved from the wall.  Guarded networks of cave entrances fill levels stacked high.

The ship crashes a skids into the chamber, nameless jumping of, landing his sword into the demon's chest without warning.

He draws the demon through the sword, growing stronger, as it fades.  He looks down at a small dark squirmy thing that drops and stomps it, while all around the cavern doors dissipate, sounds coming from behind. He roars to the cavern walls, crackling with the absorbed strength.

Nameless - "You are free !  And you are forgiven !  But there will be no cages ! And there will be no punishment, but death !  My ship needs crew !  We loot the hells ... tonight !"
________________

Apex - "Yeah ... he sounds like trouble.  Let's make that door."

He raises his arm again, all snap to point at the helmet.

Apex - "To the pit !"  He zooms into the helmet, a dot on the forehead, joined then by countless.  "Empty  one mag in ... 3, 2, 1."
____

An explosion fills the screens.   The gamers cheer.

Blue screen of death.  They moan ... "Fuck this game !"