Posted July 22, 2010 (edited) Snowflakes of hazy fatigue piled up in Breckin’s eyes as he watched the battle unfold, forcing him to blink them away. He watched for a moment the monstrous black dog he’d laid waste to, clinging to its last few moments of life. It’d be easy for any one of them to kill it now. Breckin bit his lip, having the energy to do only that to show his disappointment. All that show, and to come so close to killing the creature. But he didn’t know what had come over him. The whole time, played like a puppet, being the vessel for something otherworldly that’s only pleasure was carnage. He licked his lips, feeling that woman’s kiss still lingering like poison. His tounge tingled like he’d tasted something deadly. She wasn’t just a figment of his dreams. She was real. She was worming her way into his mind. And she was winning. As much as Breckin wanted to shut his mind to the world entirely, he knew she had answers. And he’d have to find her to get them. It disturbed him to think someone knew more of him than he himself. In that instant that he’d ceased his thoughts, A burst of flame from another source engulfed the cat demon that’d been biting chunks out of Sen. But where it came from was enough to wake Breckin up altogether. Back at the park, Sadine had been following him in a state of puppet-like trance so deep, he had begun to worry genuinely that something was wrong. The Umbralatronis and her no mind, as if they knew she’d snap of her state eventually. Physically, she had responded to the world around her, but moved with the mental awareness of the dead. He watched as she, in a fit of rage not unlike his own, lay waste to the purple demon and reduce it to a pile of smoulder. Burnt flesh hit his nose with the force of bricks, but surprisingly, he didn’t seem to mind it. She stood, life returned to her, letting loose a laugh that chilled him, and reminded him of the same disturbed force that had compelled him to destroy the Oschaert with little effort. But that too was short lived, as he watched her fall to her knees, blood and fatigue from the outburst of power seemingly picking the teens and Umbras off one by one. And still there remained the deadliest of the three; the nine foot, flesh dripping, beetle covered creature that single handedly led everyone into a corner of fear. And then her eyes met his, and all his fear and uncertainty met with hers. With every pain filled shudder, Breckin was reminded that he was living no dream, and while he dreamed of superpowers as a child, this was far from what he wanted. ”Whatever happened to you, it’s happening to all of us. These things are just going to keep coming to kill us. When it’s all said and done with, I think it’s high time we found out just what these people really want with us, and how a couple kids woke up with magical powers, and why we’re even worth all this trouble.” Something metallic ran down his mouth as he spoke, and Breckin paused to taste the liquid copper that leaked out his mouth. Blood. Turning his head to the side to spit, he took in just how pathetic they all seemed. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. ”I know this seems like a weird moment but Sadine…what happened back there? At the park? You just turned into some kind of zombie. You didn’t speak or blink and just stared off into space..” Sitting there in a pool of his own blood, Breckin had neither the strength nor the capacity to even care about the situation. That hideous wretch of a demon could spin around and pierce his heart for all he cared. He was just tired. Of being afraid, of being in pain, of staying in the unknown, and he was just tired of being tired. ”What I wouldn’t give to wake up in that damned subway. I’d look around, and smile, and sigh with relief that it was all just a bad dream. There are no such thing as demons, or Umbralatronis. I can’t spout fire. I’m just a normal, ordinary boy. As ordinary as you can get being homeless I guess. And then I’d venture into the city with the others, and we’d find breakfast. And all this is in my head..” As he thought, another wave of crippling pain from the gashes on his chest snapped him back to the bloody hallway. Edited July 22, 2010 by MURDERcomplexx Share this post Link to post
Posted July 22, 2010 (edited) Sadie was still panting hard as she felt the warm, sticky liquid under her hand. The smell of the cat's rotting flesh and her own blood hit her nose, but Sadie was too stunned to be affected by it. As she stared at Breckin, she began to feel the pain from her many chest wounds. She stared inching towards him, using her hand not covered in blood to push herself across the tile floor closer to him. She held his gaze as he spoke and what she saw there was bad. The same anger, desperation, fear, exhaustion she felt was locked in the gaze. She looked away when he started asking her questions, her mind still reeling from all that had happened since she had regained control. As she was looking away, Sadie's knees met with Breckin's pool of blood. She looked at him again, taking in his full appearance this time. His chest was bleeding badly and he was covered in his own blood. She could see each new wave of pain go through him and it made her flinch along with him. Sadie's cheek was now burning from the claw marks and her chest pain was increasing each passing moment. Sadie looked up at Breckin's eyes, her thoughts more stable now, but she was still having a hard time concentrating or making sense of everything. "I don't know Breckin." She said quietly, her eyes still pleading. She knew from the way he had questioned her that he was concerned, and she had to explain to him what happened. She looked down at the floor and stared at his expanding pool of blood. "One minute I'm watching some muddy guy come from the forest and in the next a girl is bleeding. And then she let out a bolt of lightning and I was gone Breckin." Sadine looked at him again, her eyes searching his."It was like everything I saw was a movie, it wasn't real. I mean it couldn't be real, Breckin." She looked away from him again, her eyes brimming with tears. "There was the lightning, and flying horses, and a boy with wings. And I saw your ears and so many scars all over you glowing. And I couldn't think Breckin. The whole time I couldn't think or feel anything or move really, I just had to watch. And we got to this mansion and our rooms and I laid in bed and I was watching people and following people. And I watched these creatures and everything. And then.." Sadie trailed off for a moment and looked up at him. Tears were now running down her cheeks and mixing with the blood. "And then I saw that dog thing lunge at you and all of a sudden I could feel again. All I could feel was...was terror for you. I didn't know what to do. And then you burst into flame and I felt the heat and I got angry Breckin. I got angry at those things for messing up my life and for hurting people and..." Sadie turned to look at the mass of flesh that had been the cat and turned back, her gaze now fixed on the floor. "I did that. I don't know what's going on Breckin. I don't know why I have this gut feeling that I can trust you and I don't know how I made flames appear and kill that purple cat. I don't know how or why any of this is happening." Sadie said. She stopped talking as quiet sobs shook her whole body. She couldn't think straight, all her thoughts were jumbled and she just felt...lost. Edited July 22, 2010 by Key2Universe Share this post Link to post
Posted July 22, 2010 HE WAS BURNING. Burning away. Burning in the flames of the very creature he hated. His limbs were as heavy as charcoal, and his lungs breathed in nothing but the ashes of his own body. His face had been seared away by the relentless flames, and every single ink-black fur on his pelt had crumbled to soot. Yet, where was the pain? He felt no pain . . . no. That was wrong. He did feel pain, but he was not the pain of the scorching fires that he felt. It was the pain of his own hatred that he felt, searing away at his heart, tormenting it beyond belief. Never before had he felt such pain, such agony, such hatred. From where did all these emotions come? Why were they eating away at him like this? His burning eyes came to rest upon the Summer boy before him, leaning heavily against the wall of the mansion. The hatred he felt for the boy was overwhelming. He wanted so badly to kill the boy, to slit his throat and let his blood run freely over the marble tiles. He wanted to bring death upon that boy, bring death before Death himself came and took the Oschaert away. The demon dog struggled to his feet. He didn’t ignore the pain that shot through his muscles and his flesh. There was no pain for him to ignore, except the pain of his own hatred, and that was the pain that gave him the strength to stand up. He lurched toward the Summer boy, intent only on one thing: to satisfy his lust for revenge. But just as he reached the feet at that hated hybrid, his burnt and broken limbs at last gave way beneath his weight, and he collapsed. Black blood, blacker than the blackest ink of the word, spilled from his mouth, mingling with the crimson blood of the Summer boy. His lip curled, revealing his blood-stained canines, and a weak but terrible growl began to emit from deep within his throat as he stared up at the teenager with nothing but hatred. The Oschaert’s vision flickered, and the image of the Summer boy, the one that would bring Death upon him, faded away. There was another person there now, a full-grown man with the shimmering golden light of the sun lighting his body up like a second star. The wind ran its fingers through his fair, blond hair and caressed his glowing cheeks. Beside him stood a woman, even lovelier than him, with her mane of bright red hair framing her gorgeous heart-shaped face. But their beauty was marred by the cruel, merciless smiles that stretched across their godlike faces, just as the beauty of a rose was marred by the thorns that adorned their frail stems. The demon’s hatred grew, swelling within him like a tsunami rising from the depths of the ocean. The image of the man and the woman dissolved, replaced by a dark-haired beauty, her ebony-black hair falling in a cascade far past her waist. She glanced in the demon’s direction with her dark, dark eyes and crumbled to dust. The sight of the Summer boy filled the demon’s eyes again, and his hatred spilled out of the container in his heart. He struggled to lurch to his feet again, but all he succeeded in doing was raising his large head from the ground. He glowered at the teenager with his crimson eyes, and even as the light quickly faded in those eyes, he began to snarl venomously, “I will never—” He broke off, coughing in pain. Black blood splattered at the Summer boy’s feet. “I will never forgive you. Never forgive. Never forgive. Never forgive the Summer Fey.” His head collapsed against the floor, and his body fell limp. The light faded from his wide-opened eyes, but the hatred did not die. No, the hatred remained, and it continued to burn as strongly as the day it had been born. ………………………………………………………………….☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ SOMETHING CLOSE TO A TREMOR of surprise ran through the Sidhian at the wrathful male voice that tore through the air, and the mass of rotting flesh and splintered bones almost did comply to the voice’s demand and drop the dark-haired girl. Still trapped in his ever-tightening grasp, the Umbralatronis female began to scream, a mad note of desperation and fear in her voice. Her words grew weaker and weaker as the darkness began to take hold of her, and very soon, she fell limp and unconscious in his grasp. If Marlow hadn’t been so distracted, he would have found it rather amusing that the girl had wasted her last breath before falling into unconsciousness to be this ‘Hadyn’ to flee, instead of crying for help. But he was distracted, so distracted that he barely heard another girl’s voice ring out, screaming: “Stop!” So distracted that he barely felt the burst of wind that struck him with the strength of its creator’s fear and anger. Something sliced cleanly through his rotting flesh, and his head whirled around on the mass of seething flesh and golden beetles. With his bottomless, shadowy eyes, he gazed down at the owner of the first voice, the one that he assumed to be called ‘Hadyn.’ Something yowled in pain and in fury, and with a jolt, Marlowe recognized the voice to be that of his companion, the Myr, Ancadel. A hiss began to slither out through his shapeless maw. That fool, he could do nothing at all. If he brought this mission to a failure, the Sidhian would be sure to make his last living seconds the most nightmarish of his life. But for now, the violet, long-limbed demon feline was spared from the exasperation and anger of the demon, Marlowe. The Sidhian’s fiery, soulless eyes were fixed upon the red-haired Umbralatronis. All of his attention was wrapped around that young man, so much that Marlowe did not even think to come to Ancadel’s aid until it was too late, until the Myr had already been engulfed in searing flames and burned to nothing but ashes and soot at the hands of a lovely flaming-haired woman. What was going on? ………………………………………………………………….☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ WAS IT SHOCK that Hadyn saw in the soulless eyes and faceless face of the Sidhian, or anger? Was it astonishment or confusion, hatred or dread, scorn or no emotion at all? Which was it that he saw etched upon the face of that rippling mass of seething flesh and immortal beetles? And what did it matter to him what he saw? All he cared about now was saving Rhiannon before the Sidhian tore her apart, as he had done with all his past victims. Where had all this fury, this rage, this ire come from? Hadyn couldn’t remember the last time he had felt such emotions eating at his heart like this before, not when his mother had forsaken him, not when Liliana had been found, dead and lifeless, not when Seth had drawn his last and final breath. This hatred . . . it couldn’t be his, could it? His rage stole all sense from him. He hardly remembered what he knew about the Sidhian, this demon from the pits of hell and the caverns of death, hardly remembered that there were no few ways to bring death upon such a foul creature, hardly remembered that his chances of slaying the Sidhian were nigh on zero. Someone had screamed, and then harsh gusts of wind had blown all around his body, whipping his red hair around his contorted face like the licking tongues of a raging fire. Footsteps resounded on the marble tiles as someone approached Hadyn from behind, but he didn’t turn his head. He was too intent on the Sidhian to care. Like a flash of lightning, he had lunged forward and swung his blade through the rotten mass of flesh. The blade had sliced right through, and immediately the flesh of the demon had reconnected with itself, as if no sword had been swept through the Sidhian’s body. Yet, Hadyn was satisfied. Somehow, it made him feel so much better to be able to release his wrath upon something. Suddenly, it seemed as if he no longer cared whom he would attack, as long as there was someone for him to release his fury upon. Is this . . . what it feels like to be a demon? The Sidh glared down at Hadyn with its horrible, bottomless eyes, eyes that could have stolen all the courage from any who gazed within them. And yet, Hadyn, Hadyn stared back at those eyes with a crazed, fearless light burning in his flaming emerald eyes. It was as if he himself had lost his soul already, and that there was nothing in the world that could take more from him. What’s . . . what’s wrong with me? A hiss crawled out from the demon’s shapeless mouth, and suddenly, the demon vanished, fled, disappeared. It was gone, and the other two demons, their tormentors, were lying in a heap of their own cinders. Rhiannon slid down from where she had been pinned up on the wall, and she struck the floor beside Seth’s rapier with a dull thud. Her long, jet black hair obscured her pale, bloodless face and fanned out in the steadily growing pool of crimson blood. Suddenly, Hadyn’s senses returned to him, and he was back. The lust to kill was gone, the fearlessness and insanity swept away by the sight of his adoptive sister lying crumpled and unconscious upon the bloody tiles. In a flash, he was by her side. He picked the rapier up slowly, feeling a wave of despair sweep over him as the image of Seth lying cold and dead upon the heartless ground emerged in his head. His hand shook, and he quickly sheathe the rapier. ”I’m sorry,” he murmured as he lifted Rhiannon’s limp, bloodied body into his arms. He turned his head, pained weariness etched upon his face, and it was then that he noticed the silver-haired hybrid who had approached him from behind. For a moment, he only stared at the girl, but before the seconds could tick away, he at last said, in almost a whisper, ”Her bow and her quiver, could you carry it for me please?” He bowed his head over Rhiannon’s body, biting his lip. The only thing that was allowing him to keep his sanity at the moment was the faint, but steady rise and fall of Rhiannon’s chest as she breathed, the only sign of life upon her seemingly lifeless body. Everything else seemed to scream out that Death had already taken the girl’s soul away. Her face was a chalky, bloodless pale, as if her cheeks had already been kissed by the lips of Death, and her lips were a pale blue, as if they hadn’t drawn breath for far too long. “Hadyn . . .” It was Brunor’s voice, Hadyn realized with a jolt. Relief flooded his heart, rekindling the dying light in his soul. Brunor was alive. That was something. That was something good. Hadyn cast an apologetic glance at the gray-haired girl whom he had addressed and struggled to his feet. For a second, it seemed as if he too was going to collapse, but he steadied himself against the wall. He limped over to Brunor’s bloodied and battered body and knelt beside it expectantly. To his alarm, the light in the older man’s eyes were fading rapidly, and the breath upon his lips was growing fainter and fainter. Denial roared in Hadyn’s head. Why, why was this happening? Why was the world killing everyone who was important to him? Why had the world saved him just to torment on his soul like this? Why? Why? “Hadyn . . . ,” Brunor gurgled weakly. The blood continued to trickle from his mouth. Hadyn stared, transfixed, at the stream of blood dripping down upon the marble tiles. “ . . . Hadyn, you mustn’t . . . let your hatred consume you.” “Like how you let yours consume you?” With a jolt, Hadyn realized that he couldn’t tell whether he had said those words teasingly or out of spite. He added quickly, before Brunor could reply: “Rhiannon’s alright.” A sob arose in his throat as he spoke those words, and he almost choked. Quickly, he swallowed it down. The light brightened briefly in Brunor’s eyes, and then it began to fade even more rapidly alarmingly rapidly. “I’m sorry,” he managed to choke out, “but . . . I’m glad that I’ll . . . be able to . . . see her after so long . . . “ Hadyn didn’t know what to say. What was one supposed to say to a dying man? “ I — I understand,” he said in defeat. Was that a smile growing upon the old man’s lips? Hadyn wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he heard the man breathe the word “Reli—“ before Brunor’s eyes glazed over and his head rolled to the side. He was dead. Hadyn couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. His mouth opened and closed, but he could find no words to summon to his tongue. The grief had torn at his heart for so long that he suddenly felt numb to the pain. Or maybe he just couldn’t believe it. Maybe he was hoping that it was all a dream, that he would wake up to find Liliana smile and chiding her children with that affectionate voice of hers, instead of being dead and gone. Maybe Seth would be pestering him to wake up so they could find Rhiannon a present, instead of pestering him only in memory. Maybe Rhiannon could still laugh; maybe she wouldn’t be weeping her heart out and taking her rage and grief out on others. Maybe Belinos wouldn’t be mad with grief, and maybe Brunor wouldn’t be lying here, in the middle of the hall, dead and lifeless. So many maybes, and yet . . . which of them was possible? Hadyn clutched Rhiannon closer to him, taking comfort in the sound of her shallow breathing. There was one maybe that could be possible. Oh, and how badly he wanted it to be possible. How badly he wanted the world to grant that one little wish, that one wish that seemed so impossible. “I just —” He broke off, feeling another sob well up in his throat. Again, he forced it down, and he bent his head over Rhiannon’s body. “I just want to see her smile again.” Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 ((*eagerly types up this post because manga's post was so amazing~*)) Danni didn't really know what she was going to do to get the demon off of Rhiannon. She simply wanted to do something which was what drove her forward towards this strange creature that was attacking. Her feelings were just a torrent of emotion, leaving her confused and frustrated. All she knew was something had to be done and fast before Rhiannon was hurt even more, or even worse, killed. Hadyn seemed to be distracted, but when Danni decided that she had to do something, she stopped looking at him. As she ran forward, wind whipped at her hair, but she barely noticed, just wishing she could do something. Just as she thought everything might be over soon, Hadyn ran forward and she watched as the cleaved the demon in two with his sword. Snapped out of her daze, she watched as the demon merely healed itself. However, it had dropped Rhiannon who crumpled to the ground in her unconscious state. Danni froze then, coming to a stop, and watched the scene. Was she crazy? How could she have done something to a monster that didn't seem to be affected by Hadyn's attack. This was crazy. What was she going to do now? Fear managed to settle in again as she remembered what the demon did to Rhiannon and how they could do the same thing to her as well. Then, the demon fled, and it seemed there were no more around them. Danni blinked a few times, glancing around to make sure nothing was going to attack her. When she heard Hadyn speak, she almost jumped at the sound, quickly snapping her head to look at him. He was with Rhiannon, obviously worried about her since she had lost so much blood and was hurt badly. He asked if she could carry Rhiannon's bow and quiver for him. After a moment's pause, Danni simply nodded. She managed to get her feet to respond finally and took a step towards Hadyn and Rhiannon, moving slowly, but eventually was near him. Danni had come over to him because she didn't exactly know where Rhiannon's bow and quiver were. In all this confusion with the demons, she hadn't exactly been paying attention to others' weapons. She nervously glanced around, looking a bit pale from fright, but as she calmed down the color began to return to her face. Hadyn had been speaking with the old man, lying severely injured on the ground, though Danni couldn't bring herself to look at him without feeling a bit nauseous. Instead, she kept her head down, standing near where Hadyn was with Rhiannon, waiting to see what would happen next. Looking up through her bangs, she tried to meet Hadyn's eyes, but he had his head bent over Rhiannon, saying some very sad and emotional things. Danni tried to distance herself from everything, and looked away from the two. It seemed he was a bit busy at the moment, and so she waited until he wasn't. Though, she thought he should move soon and get Rhiannon to the hospital to try and save her. She was still alive after all, but only barely, which was all the more reason to hurry. In an attempt to get Hadyn to tell her where the bow and quiver was and to make him move to get Rhiannon to safety, Danni cleared her throat a bit and glanced over at him. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 (edited) Breckin listened to Sadine’s story with all the strength he could muster, tilting his head back against the shudderingly cold walls he laid against. Her tears fell with steady drips into the pool of blood that slowly spread out between them. There was a feeling of isolation between them and the others, one that Breckin almost failed to notice, before finally all he could truly hear was her broken, confused sobs. Even his own thundering heartbeat had begun to silence in his ears, putting its haunting melody away for another time. He could not move his gaze with her. Those tired tawny eyes that desperately reached out to him for something to hold onto. Stability. Just as he was the only thing Sadine could trust, so too was she to him. At times he wondered what was it that compelled him so to agree to the Umbras in the first place. The complexity of the entire situation spun itself to form a conundrum not even Breckin could decipher. The hairs on his neck stood at end, and a motion in his peripheral garnered Breckin enough attention to break from Sadine and turn, only in time to see the Oschaert falling to the ground. In a final attempt to kill, the dog ended up expelling its final amounts of life, black blood mixing in with his own crimson. Breckin watches as the two colors merged, dancing together, struggling one last battle for survival. But both knew that the human had won, and as he watched the smouldering hatred burn in the hell hound’s dying eyes, his blood stained lips pulled back into a smile, as playful as a naïve child. His arm raised from its limp state, trembling as the damaged and tired nerves rose to pat the creature on its coarse, rounded snout. The color in his eyes had seemingly reversed; the pupils taking on a slitted yellow, and scleras fading to a hollow black. As he touched the creature, the Oschaert’s eyes became clouded, as if viewing the scene before him through another world. All the while Breckin toyed with it, as if petting a harmless domestic creature. His hand retracted soon after, and as it did, the dog’s clouded stare faded, a last moment of vitality giving it the strength to lift its head. “I will never forgive you. Never forgive. Never forgive. Never forgive the Summer Fey.” Breckin’s smile only grew at those words, as his lips parted with a grisly goodbye. The Oschaert’s eyes grew dim and listless, a neverending growl letting its hatred seed within and bloom from its carapace. “Live forever with your hatred, my beautiful creature. Hate it all. Touch your lips to the sound of their screaming as you wither away.” Another voice had taken hold of Breckin, forcing his own baritone to mix with another, feminine, yet deliciously vile tone. The sound of their voices intermingling left the dog demon with one last piteous, hate-filled growl, before finally being silenced forever. And not soon after, Breckin’s body fell limp, seemingly dead himself. Edited July 23, 2010 by MURDERcomplexx Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 When Sadine finally lifted her gaze from the floor and met Breckin's eyes, she couldn't look away. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and soft sobs came from her mouth, but she couldn't take her eyes from him. He grounded her, made her thoughts less jumbled. When she looked at him, things seemed less crazy and unbelievable. Just as her sobs were quieting away and the tears were slowing, something moved next to Breckin and caught his attention. His eyes locked on the dog creature, crawling towards him. Sadine watched the beast for a moment, then focused back on Breckin. Her instincts went on end when she looked at him again, and she could tell something was off. He was mocking the creature by petting it. That doesn't seem like him at all. Sadie thought, and she got very still as she watched. She kept her eyes on him and her breathing was barely audible as she listened to the sounds the dying Oschaert was making. Then, Breckin pulled his hand back and the creature's words surprised her, but her gaze was still on Breckin. And when he spoke in that disturbing voice, every hair on Sadie's body seemed to go on end. And then he fell, looking as still as the dead creature next to him. For a moment Sadie didn't move. Her eyes just focused on the pool of mixing black and red blood where Breckin had just been. Then, her attention snapped back to him. She couldn't understand what had happened. "Breckin?" She asked in a voice that showed how broken she felt looking at him like that. When he didn't respond she shook him. "Breckin! Breckin, stop it. You have to get up." She leaned closer to him, still shaking him. "Don't do this, don't leave me after I just got back. You're what brought me back. You're all I trust; you have to be okay." Sadine stopped shaking him and her vision got watery. More tears began pouring over her stained cheeks. The pain coursing through her body from her wounds was nothing compared to the pain coming from staring at Breckin. "No, no. Come on, Breckin. You can do this." Sadine looked up, away from Breckin's limp body, to the rest of the people in the hall. "Someone help him. Breckin's hurt and he passed out and someone help him. We have to do something." She said, looking around at everyone. She then looked back at Breckin and realized he was laying in his own blood. She wiped at the tears and blood on her face with the back of her hand, then leaned down to push Breckin off the floor. She positioned him so that his back was against the wall again. Blood coated the side of his face and was now dripping from his chin. Sadine took a deep breath and moved closer to him to use her sleeve to wipe the blood off. She managed to get most of it off and she just stared at his face. With tears still rolling down her cheeks she whispered, "Don't leave me." Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 (edited) It was so difficult to stay awake. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Kathy didn’t know how long she sat there for, motionless and silent against the wall beside Mark. She found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. The temptation of sleep was too great, and that lull only became greater paired with the fatigue that her body was experiencing. Yet she knew she couldn’t give in to it. Kathy didn’t want to have to be carried around like a rag doll. Or rather, she didn’t like not knowing. Not knowing what was going to happened to her if her released herself into comfort’s grip, not knowing why exactly she was able to summon a freaking bolt of lightning from the sky, not knowing if everyone else was okay… It was just too much. After a few more minutes, the blonde felt as if her mind and body were both more stable. For the first time since the red-haired boy carried her over to the sidelines, Kathy took a proper look around, again fearing for the worst. What she saw was drastically different. First of all, no demons. That was good. Demons were bad. The fact that she couldn’t see any more of those foul creatures sent a shudder of relief through the girl’s body. She didn’t care if they were killed, or if they fled; as long as they were gone, that would do. The next thing she noticed, however, almost stopped her heartbeat. Brunor. No. No. No, no, no, no, no! A choked sob arose in Kathy’s throat as she took in the scene of the old man, his head rolled to the side and his grey eyes sightless. In the end, she couldn’t do anything. Again. She had failed. Again. Her body wracked with stifled sobs and her chest convulsing heavily, Kathy could only weep silently for the lost kind soul. She felt so suffocated. She wanted to cry openly, but did not dare. So she took her eyes off of the lifeless body, and moved on to assess the rest. As she was looking for Danni, Kathy’s attention was diverted by an unfamiliar voice. Her eyebrows raised slightly in surprised as she caught sight of a tall, flame-haired girl. She had been the one that never even spoke once during the entire duration of their trip. She’d followed Breckin around like a puppet, so Kathy didn’t pay much attention to her. But now, now she was crying and shaking Breckin, whom Kathy just noticed to be unmoving. Seeing the rise and fall of his chest though, the blonde was glad that nothing worse happened to him. Hearing the girl’s plead for help, Kathy shifted her position and attempted to stand up. Her legs wobbled a bit, but soon, she was able to stand only trembling a little bit. Who knew summoning a lightning bolt could be this tiring, the blonde mused, somehow in better humor than she was before now that she’s found something useful to do. Half-hopping and half-limping over to the pair of teens, Kathy crouched down once she reached them. ”Don’t worry,” she attempted a smile at the girl, who was looking more than just a bit desperate. ”He’ll be just fine. Breckin’s strong. Besides, he’s still breathing, see?” she indicated his bloodied chest, “though that god awful wound should probably be treated to soon.” What she said wasn’t entirely untrue. Though she didn’t know Breckin, he seemed reasonable and cool-headed enough. He was fit too, so she figured he’d survive this. Kathy’s main worry right now was the course of action they’d take now. However, Kathy couldn’t be bothered -- and had no strength -- to find the lead Umbralatronis people, so she stayed where she was. ”By the way, I never got your name. I’m Kathy.” Edited July 24, 2010 by lilyice Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 Sound fluttered back into his ears in pieces. Sadine calling his name, sobbing harder than ever before. But he felt nothing, saw nothing. There was little Breckin wanted more than to just tell her he was still here, cease her cries. But he had no control over even himself. So he wandered. Explored the deepest crevices of what had given rise to his mind. But all he saw was inky blackness. Occasionally, the haunting laughter of a woman echoed across the space behind him. Laughing that he was seen, but could not see. The frustration had bubbled over to the point that even Breckin could not take. "Stop toying with me!!" Suddenly, the laughter ceased. Breckin looked around him, surprised, braced for the calm before the storm. And then he fell. He heard another voice speak in the overworld, calming the hysteric Sadine. Calmly, he let his eyes open, if only for the fear of the pain rushing back to him. And rush it did, hitting with such a force that nearly knocked the wind out of an already dead horse. At first, he stared past the two, at the Umbralatronis and the girl who'd summoned the wind gust. The hideous beetle creature had disappeared, leaving the battered humanoids the bittersweet victors of the battle. The situation they were left with hardly felt like a cause to celebrate. The injured outweighed the non, and whatever progress those people across the room had for the teens, it would undoubtedly be severely halted by this. Breckin focused in on the nearby girls, suppressing a groan as he moved his tired limbs. The other, Kathy as he heard her say, he instantly recognized as the girl who had summoned the lightning. Carefully he opened his mouth to speak, turning to spat out the blood that seeped out. How much had he lost? The deepening pool of crimson seemed to leak out from his injuries with no end, and the gaping wounds on his chest merely served as a fountain. He shuddered at the idea and slapped away the obligatory light-headedness that came with seeing just what had happened to him. The whole time Breckin had been in a daze, and finally things were peeking through that cover with clarity. "I'm here Sadie...I'm okay. Don't cry anymore on my behalf." A smile parted his lips again, but there was no childlike maliciousness about it. It was simply him. And however bloody, tired, and lightheaded he felt, it was no doubt evidenced in that smile, but it was the first time in a while Breckin really felt like himself. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 Sadie was staring hard at Breckin, tears still flowing, so she didn't hear the other girl approach. ”Don’t worry,” she attempted a smile. ”He’ll be just fine. Breckin’s strong. Besides, he’s still breathing, see?” she indicated his bloodied chest, “though that god awful wound should probably be treated to soon.” Sadie listened to the girl's words and rubbed her eyes with one of the relatively clean parts of her sleeve, while she attempted to process what the girl said. After a moment she nodded and looked back at Breckin's bleeding chest. I have no idea how to fix that...Sadie thought. She turned back to the spiky haired blond when she heard her speak again. ”By the way, I never got your name. I’m Kathy.” She said. Sadie looked at her for a moment, then nodded and tried to wipe at her face again. While her head was turned, Breckin's eyes opened, and before she could respond to Kathy, he spoke. Sadie's head snapped to his face immediately, and when she heard his words and saw his smile, her face lit up with a smile of her own. She looked like a girl on Christmas morning who had just seen the pony she was getting that she had wished for every year. She beamed at him for a few moments, then turned back to Kathy, still beaming. "You were right." She said to the girl, then turned back to Breckin. She leaned towards him and placed a soft kiss against his forehead. When she leaned back she was beaming again, and it seemed impossible for her to stop. "Thank god Breckin. Don't worry me like that again." She said, still unable to contain her smile. Soft laughter even bubbled out of her chest in relief. She turned to Kathy. "Like he said, I'm Sadie, Sadine really." She said, and smiled. She then turned back to Breckin and put her hand on his knee, despite the blood there. She looked into his eyes, her golden eyes concerned. "Breckin, are you alright? Before you fell, you said something disturbing and you're hurt and bleeding so much. How can I help you?" Mentioning his wounds seemed to draw her minds attention to her own. Sadine's pain had been like background noise through her worrying, dull, but unyielding. Now, heart beat of her heart seemed to increase the pain. She closed her eyes and put the hand not on Breckin over the wounds on her stomach and chest. She took several breaths and held the wounds, trying to get the pain under control again. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled a weak, forced smile at Breckin, her breathing still harsh. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 23, 2010 THERE WAS NO ANSWER. The world just couldn’t have been bothered to give him one. Had he expected one in the first place? Had he ever expected the world to have the tiniest drop of mercy to tell him why he was being tortured and tormented so? What did the world want with him? Why was it doing this to him? Why was it doing this to all of them? Why did it have to take such pleasure in their pain, in their spilled blood, their terrible laments, their broken hearts? Why was the world so sadistic? Why did it have to make life such a game for itself? Hadyn didn’t know the answer to any of the questions that relentlessly pummeled his broken mind. He had wondered these things for so long, ever since the first drop of black ink fell upon the pure white innocence of his short-lived childhood, and never had he even come close to an answer for anything. But he had thought so many years ago that the world had had its fill of destroying his mind and his soul, that it had moved on to torment another wretched, pitiful soul. Why, then, was it coming back to rip his heart to shreds? Had it decided that he had been happy and peaceful for long enough? He stared down at Rhiannon’s pallid, seemingly lifeless face. How he wished she would open her eyes again and tell him that she was okay. How he wished that tears would never have to pour from her eyes again, never have to mar her lovely face and tear her lovely cheeks. If that were to happen, he would never ask for anything more. The world could crumble all around them, be engulfed by the flames of the Summer Fey, the darkness of Dark Court, the malice of the demons. He wouldn’t care. He wouldn’t care at all, because he was selfish like that. A selfish, little brat. He was so absorbed in his doleful thoughts that he didn’t remember at all the current situation that they were all caught in until footsteps sounded, echoing off the walls of the bloody hall, and someone cleared their throat loudly. For a second, it seemed as if he hadn’t heard that sound at all, as if he was still lost in the deepening pool of his grief and despair. But then he raised his head and stared at the silver-haired girl he had addressed earlier with dead green eyes. The bright light had been extinguished, and to look at him was almost like looking at a dead man, or worse, a man that had lost everything he had loved and cherished and adored. At least a dead man had nothing left to worry about. He didn’t understand what she wanted with him. He didn’t even remember who she was or what she was doing here. The look he gave her was as blank as could be. Was she a demon, an assassin, an apparition? Had she come to help him, or to kill him? Did he even care if she killed him? What else did he have left to live for? Fool! At least she’s still breathing. At least she hasn’t been taken like you took him from me. Hadyn barely had time to register that hateful voice, barely had time to jolt in shock as that familiar voice caressed his ears with its venomous jealousy. Someone was talking, begging desperately for help. The words were rendered incoherent in his ears, but they were enough to snap him back to reality. It was almost as if an electric shock passed through his body, sending expression back into his face. He was no longer dead; he was just dying. That was all. And Rhiannon was alive, still. The world was merciful in that, he supposed with not a single note of bitterness. He swept his gaze across the hall, taking in the sight of the battered hybrid teens that were scattered all over the place. Most of them, if not all of them, seemed to barely be emerging from their shock. Was it pity that arose with Hadyn’s heart, or was it satisfaction, satisfaction that he wasn’t the only one that the world had targeted to torture? His attention at last returned to the silver-haired girl, and his mouth opened to ask her what she wanted it. In a flash, the realization struck him, and he quickly closed his mouth. He peered more closer at her, and he finally realized why she had failed to follow his request. His head swung around for a second time, this time with a different purpose. His keen eyes easily picked out where Rhiannon had dropped her bow and her quiver. Her arrows lay in a scattered mess around the bow, having been spilled from the quiver. In the midst of the chaos, a good number of them had been snapped in two, or broken in the least. Those would be of no use any longer, unless someone felt that it was a good idea to fight with arrowheads. “Her stuff, it’s over there,” he said softly. His voice was hoarse and pained from his successfully attempts to suppress his tears. He jerked his head slightly to the right, and then his eyes returned to Rhiannon’s motionless body. With his eyes still fix upon his adoptive sister, he murmured in an even quieter voice: “Thank you.” ………………………………………………………………….☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ Share this post Link to post
Posted July 25, 2010 Mark was definitely not expecting the guy to assign him the task of protecting the lightning girl. Looking between the battling demons and people and his location, he decided that he needed to move further away from the chaos before he tried to figure out what was going on. Leaning down, he hesitated, unsure if he should move the girl. He quickly scanned the battle again and changed his mind. They should far enough away from the demons to be safe, though part of him still wanted to be ensured his own safety. Watching the others, Mark saw the various magical actions they took. He noticed Sophia attacking the purple streak with water, after which she fell, looking exhausted. He observed as Breckin created a flaming layer around him and set the demon dog on fire. He felt the wind increase as a girl he didn't know ran towards the giant beetle zombie thing. Amidst the chaos of the battle and the wind and rain, he realized that the weird things the teens were doing must be a result of their faerie blood. At the same time, he realized that he was way in over his head if this is what 'his kind' had to face every day. Mark crouched next the girl, tense and wary, even though he knew that the girl would offer little protection should the demons attack. Hearing a voice that he did not recognize, not even faintly, he looked around and noticed that the silent girl that had followed Breckin throughout the entire trip had finally come back to herself. With the flames she produced that killed the violet cat, he noticed that her actions seemed to have, more or less, caused the end of the battle. It was odd how quiet everything seemed after the battle and yet, not. The sounds that he now heard felt muted somehow. Scanning the rest of the group, Mark saw that many of them were exhausted or at least tired. Unconsciously counting the other members, he paused when the number he got was different from the number he had just before the demons attacked. They were one short. He brushed it off though; it was not that important to him and he could tell the leader of this group later anyway. In his scan of the room and its occupants, he felt Kathy recover and make her way over to the two fire wielders. He managed to catch the small conversation that was occurring between Breckin, Kathy, and the fire girl, who was apparently named Sadine, while watching the interactions among the leader boy, the leader girl, and the wind girl. He also managed to see the small kiss Sadine gave Breckin and he shook his head minutely, amused, before looking away. Now that everything was relatively calm again, Mark became curious about where the missing teen went. There weren’t many places a person could hide in the room anyway. He supposed that the person could have run, but if that was the case, he wasn’t going to go looking for them. He got up from his crouch and started to walk lightly around the room, carefully watching his step next to the broken window and around the edges of the room. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 25, 2010 Danni waited for Hadyn's response, watching as the other seemed to have his mind distracted by other things. He didn't reply at first, as if he was in some kind of daze. She waited, watching as he looked about the place, before he turned his attention to her. Just before he spoke, it seemed he realized something, and he closed his mouth. Next, he was looking around, and Danni guessed he was searching for Rhiannon's bow and quiver. She followed his gaze to also know where Rhiannon's belongings were. When Hadyn spoke her eyes snapped to him as she listened. As she began walking over to Rhiannon's bow, she heard Hadyn's low, hoarse voice thank her. Danni just nodded her head slightly to Hadyn to let him know she heard him. Though, with those two words she saw how he was struggling, and felt a bit sympathetic towards him. She then looked to the bow, quiver and arrows before her. Some of the arrows were broken, strewn across the ground. Set with the task before her, Danni picked up all of the arrows, even the broken ones, and placed them back into the quiver. She then slung the quiver over her shoulder and then picked up to bow. These she carried back over to where Hadyn was with Rhiannon. As she walked back, she looked around at the others in the room to see how they had fared. It appeared that others hadn't been so lucky when dealing with these demons. When she stood before Hadyn, she thought she should say something, but her throat was dry and didn't let her speak at first. She swallowed once and tried again. "You should get her to the hospital," she said softly and simply, not meeting Hadyn's eyes. She didn't need to see whatever he was feeling through his eyes, because she she didn't want to become closer to them. It was best to keep herself distant. She had the bow and the quiver full of arrows with her to carry for Rhiannon. That was enough, and she wouldn't do anymore. Especially now that her head was clearing and the initial shock of the events were subsiding, leaving her feeling a bit numb to everything. Perhaps the numbness came from wanting to block this out, to keep it from making her panic. She didn't want to lose her cool like earlier. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 29, 2010 (edited) Just before the fire girl replied, Breckin stirred and opened his eyes. Other than the most obvious wounds and some tiredness, Kathy expected, he didn’t look too bad. Well, as good as he was going to get in this situation, at any rate. The blonde teen was glad. If Breckin never opened his eyes again… well… Kathy didn’t know what would have happened. She preferred not to think about it. After all, death wasn’t a pleasurable subject to have lingering in one’s mind. Anyways, the fact that Breckin could talk and even smile a little -- a very pleasant and natural smile, at that -- was clear indication that his life wasn’t in any kind of danger. Just as she was about to speak up and ask Breckin how he felt, the other girl bent down and planted a light kiss on the Summer hybrid’s forehead. Feeling like she was intruding on a very private moment, Kathy fidgeted uncomfortably and attempted to divert her eyes off of the pair. It wasn’t like she’d never seen anyone kissing before -- it’s just that this particular one seemed to be very… pure. Honest, innocent, and pure. Even though it barely lasted a second, Kathy could feel the relief that the emotional redhead transmitted though the one single act. Despite herself, the corners of her mouth lifted in a melancholic smile. The two of them would make a great couple. They would be happy when this was all over. When this was all over… ’And when would that be?’ The question inevitably popped up in Kathy’s head. She had no answer. “Like he said, I’m Sadie, Sadine really.” The girl, Sadine, had turned to her for a split second before she went back to addressing Breckin. Kathy nodded a little in response. It felt like she wasn’t needed here anymore, so the blonde started to stand up from her crouched position. Just as about she was going to leave, Kathy noticed that Sadine was breathing much more heavily, so much that it was audibly noticeable. It looked like she was in pain, accentuated by the fact that her free hand had moved to her chest and stomach. Kathy couldn’t remember much, but she faintly remembered this girl summoning fire, killing the purple cat in the end. She must be exhausted! ”Hey, Sadie, is it? Look, if you’re hurt, you have to speak up, ‘kay? Stop worrying about Breckin for a moment, and take a rest. I’ll go get the Umbrella or whatever people, and maybe they can fix you guys up real quick, like how they did with the other three that were injured before.” Kathy assumed a lecturing tone, but she really was concerned about the two. Breckin couldn’t afford to lose anymore blood, and Sadine looked like she could collapse as well. ”Stay here, don’t force yourselves to move. I’ll be right back,” she instructed the two. Upon taking a few steps, however, Kathy found herself limping and her breathing getting more ragged. Sitting back down onto the floor, Kathy allowed herself to rest a bit more. 'Heh, maybe I should stop being such a hypocrite,' a rueful smile appeared on her face. Realizing that she couldn’t possibly walk any further without any support, Kathy lifted her head and looked around. “Mark! Over here!” she hollered to the boy whom she had been sitting beside during the battle. ”Hey, um, can you get the people in charge here to take a look at those two over there?” she jabbed her finger towards the two teens who were a few meters away from her. ”They probably need someone to attend to them.” Edited July 29, 2010 by lilyice Share this post Link to post
Posted July 30, 2010 A black claw, cautious, slid hard against his near-metallic face. With red reflections in his brown eyes, he forced himself to peer through his fingers. The horror. The room was a roar around him. Gregor lay sprawled on the floor, propped on his hip and arm, a small, embarrasing puddle of vomit before him. He was frightened frozen by the beasts, unnerved by the elemental forces turning round the room. Why all this violence? He didn't understand at all. With his eyes locked on the giant beetle creature, all hope drained away from him. Those people - the girl Rhiannon and the boy Hadyn, they moved so swiftly, at almost superhuman speed, and still the monster was too much for them. He watched, in a state of shock, as the tide of battle turned slowly. An odd sound reached his ears. It was a hissing noise, and faint. He looked down at the floor, only a foot or so from his face. The sessant sound came from his vomit. It was boiling. His jaw fell open, and he nearly retched again. It was boiling, steaming hot, melting the stone away. Before his eyes, it evaporated, steamed away by its own heat. What world had he fallen into? Gregor couldn't understand how any of this was real. Transfixed by his own small wonder, he missed the exit of the beetle demon. He looked around, confused. The room was suddenly hushed, and a strong burning odor filled his nose, made him wrinkle his face in disgust. He pushed himself up to his knees. The redhaired girl had suddenly spoken up. He sneered at her outspoken ways and hysterics, conveniently forgetting his own fall to pieces moments ago. Was that it then? Was it over? Gregor dared not break the hush. The silence was consoling after all the craziness. The murmured voices quieted his boiling blood. As he took stock of the damage done to their party, Greg noticed blood everywhere. Was he the only one who excaped unscathed? No, he saw, there were others too who were free of blemishes. Greg was relieved to see he had managed not to get any vomit on his clothes, especially considering its odd properties. He glanced at his clawed hands briefly. What more did he have to discover about himself, now that he had changed? What were they to do now? Run and hide? Were there more beasts to come? Gregor found Rhiannon, across the way, lying unconscious, under the attention of Hadyn and Danni. Nearer to him were the summer pair. He watched mutely as Kathy stumbled to halt just a meter away from him. He glanced apprehensively at the puddle of vomit, wondering with shame how many had noticed. Fortunately for his vanity, all that was left was a shallow burnt crater in the beautiful marble. He sighed and looked back to Kathy. "Do you need help walking?" he asked her sympathetically. He held out a gnarled black hand toward her. "I don't know if we're leaving this building or if anywhere is safe anymore, but I think we passed by an infirmary of some sort back that way." Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) Feeling his vision haze, Breckin closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the short dialogue Sadine and Kathy shared. Whatever blood was left in his body pulsed loudly through his ears, as if he’d run the world’s most violent marathon. He struggled to comprehend what was going on around him, slowly, knowingly slipping into a sleep that would last days. Everything had gently muted itself again, coaxing Breckin to lay his head down on the cold ground, and never wake again. ”You were right.” Sadine’s voice, clearer than glass broke through Breckin’s injury induced stupor. Golden eyes fluttered open only for a short moment, to see her suddenly close to him, and feel a gentle sensation, so small it was almost unthinkable on his forehead. A kiss. Sadine, the girl who’s name left the taste of cinnamon spice and warmth on his tounge, who’s dances left him with goosebumps, had kissed him. Immideately, Breckin felt the blood rush to his face, leaving him feeling shiveringly cold on the rest of his body. Thanking the fact he never blushed noticeably, the flustered summer hybrid brought up a shaky hand to run through his blond locks. ”E-er…thanks Sadine…for t-the concern. But I’m fine, really!” Biting his lip to cease anymore awkward responces, Breckin darted his eyes off to the rest of the room. He was never given time to fortify a meaningful relationship with most, and given his background he was never exposed to others his age besides the ones he mainly considered family. They were constantly on his mind. Instead, Breckin noticed the others scattered around the room. The injured far outweighed the non, and though they seemingly won the battle, he couldn’t help but wonder at what cost was it all really worth, as his eyes settled on the fatally wounded Umbralatronis lying on the ground. Sadine spoke again, speaking of something he did not remember. He had only one response, but something stopped him from telling Sadine the truth. His own caution, or perhaps it was her pulling his strings get again. He only turned his head back to the other summer hybrid in time to see her clutch at her chest, a pain she ignored coming back to grip her with sheer malicious force. ”Sadine? Are you ok?” He found the strength within his legs to lift himself up, leaning heavily against the wall behind him for support. Every muscle in his body screamed, but Breckin simply endured, biting into his lip until his teeth cut open a fresh wound to invite more blood to seep out. ”Come on, take my hand. We’re gonna get everybody some help soon.” Edited August 13, 2010 by MURDERcomplexx Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2010 At this point, Carlie was overwhelmed by everything. So many emotions were warring inside his head, it made him dizzy. He watched everyone flail around the injured people like a bunch of idiots, saying and doing things that didn't really register in his mind. He wondered if he should be disturbed by the fact he took some grotesque joy in seeing Breckin helpless. Shrugging it off when Breckin stood up, he finally regained his wits when the Fairy Princess said, "Come on, take my hand. We’re gonna get everybody some help soon.” For a second Carlie felt almost normal again. Everything that had just happened was washed from his mind, replaced completely by his deep-rooted disdain for Breckin. Chuckling to himself, Carlie finally stopped being a spectator of what was happening and spoke up, saying in a sarcastic tone, "I hope I'm not a part of that everybody, cause I don't need help. Right now, the only thing I have to do is pee, and I don't want help with that. I'll go find a toilet now and take care of my business." With that, Carlie stormed out of the room. He really didn't plan on going to the restroom. Actually, his bladder was pretty low on his list of concerns right now, but he had needed an excuse to get out of there. He hoped his announcement would be enough to shock them into not following him or trying to sniff him out anytime soon. In the chaos, he doubted anyone would take the time to chase after him in his supposed escapade to the bathroom. In reality though, he hoped to find a way out. With the time he had bought, maybe he could track down an exit. Hurrying through the halls, Carlie looked for anything that would hint at an exit. He didn't want to push open random doors here of all places, not knowing what would be behind them. He has to be careful to be sure what he was opening would lead outside to freedom. Going as fast as his feet could carry him, he put more and more distance between him and the nightmare behind him. The further he got, the saner he felt. If he could just get out of this building, he felt as if he could just step back into ordinary life. Although he would never forget what had happened, there was a chance he could ignore it and live some semblance of a normal life. His panic increased as he found no way out. In desperation, he was thinking about breaking a window and jumping out. Even if he twisted his neck in the process, suicide might be better than this. Suddenly he was distracted by a flash in the corner of his eye. Blinking, he could have sworn he recognized the face, but when he turned to face it, there was nothing there. Shuddering, he turned his back, but he got the haunting sensation he was being watched. Turning back around, he jumped in surprise to see of all people there, Flin. His eyes widened to see the transformation of his former friend. His black skin had turned chalky as if death itself had settled over him, and his lips were cherry red, a stark contrast to his black skin. Not wanting to have to face another supernatural occurrence, Carlie decided, in order to maintain his remaining sanity, it was all just the effects of makeup. "Dude! What happened to you? Red is totally not your color. I'd suggest a pale pink lipstick next time you decide to raid your mother's makeup cabinet,"he said mockingly, Flin's earlier betrayal not yet forgotten. Flin hissed, stepping closer. Carlie felt a shudder going up his spine as he saw the look of murderous intention on Flin's face. Feeling himself go into fight mode, he crouched and prepared to throw the first blow, but he was startled out of his wits when he heard a childish voice behind him. "Down Flin. My apologies for my mate. He's a newborn and can't really control himself yet." Carlie whirled around on a dime to face the stranger behind him, seeing the outline of a young girl hidden in shadow. Not stopping to think, his sarcastic instincts got the better of him again. Speaking again, he said, "Your mate, you say? I always had my suspicions about Flin being a pedophile, but here is the proof." A hiss similar to the one that had escaped Flin emerged from the girl's lips. "Shut up you idiot. I could kill you easily for that, but thankfully for you, I just ate and have no appetite right now," she threatened, pausing before she began again. "So you're the one whose blood smells funny. Flin told me all about you. Living on the streets, hiding cause you couldn't stand the little pain of admitting you'd been as sick as a dog, no manners whatsoever, calling yourself by a girl's name. You're a coward, a disgusting one at that. I've satisfied my curiosity though. Let's go Flin." Rage immediately built up inside him at the girl's insults. Before he could manage to throw a punch though, the spot where she had been standing was empty as if she had just disappeared. Blinking in disbelief, he looked around, trying to find her. The hallway was empty. The only thing that had changed was an open window. Snorting, he decided it had all been a hallucination. No one could disappear that quickly, especially escaping out a window. ........................................................... Meanwhile, Lakshmi was still somewhere in dreamland, completely blissful and unaware of what was happening. She probably would have stayed here forever if a voice didn't cut through her dream, reawakening the human part of her mind. Surprised, she listened uncomprehendingly to the voice she had heard once before, the disembodied voice from her dream. 'Get out of the plant you twit!' it screamed at her. Trying to make sense of what was going on, only one thought crossed Lakshmi's mind. 'Huh?' 'You heard me you airhead. Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. The. Plant. Do I have to spell it out for you? I hate your guts but you annoy that other stupid idiot so I won't to keep you around! It's entertaining,' it replied angrily. Lakshmi was so startled by its vehemence, she somehow found herself doing just as the voice had ordered. In the blink of an eye, she was sitting back on the ground where she had been, staring wonderingly at the plant. The sounds of the room around her tuned her back into reality. Her breath whooshed out as she saw the chaos had ended, but there was so much blood and gore around it made her light-headed. Horror and sadness settled over her again like a blanket as she tried to choke back the tears. All the troubling thoughts she had been trying to hold back gripped her again with a new fervor, making everything seem ten times worse than it had been before. Her anguish only increased when she saw Carlie was not in the room. Despairingly, she stood up, looking at all the strangers. She wanted to escape again. Turning back to the plant, she prepared to touch it again and lose herself, but before she could manage that, she found herself tripping, crushing the plant underneath her. A small sob escaped her as the pot cracked under her weight. She had just killed something she had been a part of, something that had been a part of her. It felt as if she had murdered her own family. Scooting off the plant, she sat against the wall, curling her legs against her chest as if to hold herself together. The sadness was so great she forgot everything around her and once again drifted off into a state of unawareness, except this time she wasn't inside of a plant. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2010 She was getting sleepy again. That wasn’t good, was it? As tempting as it was to just sink into the blissfulness of oblivion, the group obviously didn’t need another person passed out. She’d just be one more to carry, and a burden on everyone. As Kathy waited for Mark’s answer, another voice snapped her head to a few meters beside her. The tall, scaly-looking boy -- the one with the tattered wings, Kathy remembered -- was speaking to her. At first, she couldn’t really make out what he was saying. Everything was getting so fuzzy… her head hurt like hell, her body ached all over… it was just so difficult to concentrate on a single sentence. Suddenly, Kathy realized that the other teen was offering her help, by the way he extended his hand. In a moment, the world suddenly became clearer, and she was back in reality. Kathy’s dulled senses started to come back to her; it was as if a corkscrew doll had just been repaired, and the mechanics inside her started to tick once more. ”Oh, help, yes. Thank you very much. Gr-gregor, was it?” she stammered his name at the last part as she bit back on her lips. While trying to stand up by grabbing onto the gnarly hand of the other boy, a wince of pain shot up the blonde’s right leg. It was the leg that she collapsed on after she shot that bolt of lightning… perhaps it’s been slightly sprained, somehow? ’We’ll all probably get fixed up soon. Just endure it, Kat, endure it.’ The first thing Kathy noticed about Gregor, now that she was up and supported by him, was just how tall the boy was. Barely reaching five feet two, the blonde was envious of the other party’s height. Her attention was soon diverted to his skin, though, as she registered the texture on his hand. Gregor’s hand was as thin as a bone, and looked wrinkly and old, but still slightly rough as his visible skin has been covered by a layer of scale-like outer shell. Realizing just how much each of them had changed, physically as well as… personally… left Kathy with a feeling of apprehension. She missed her brothers. She missed her old life. Heck, she even missed school. ’Kind of.’ Another voice, rough and sudden, was speaking out loud in response to something that Breckin must have said. Kathy wasn’t listening, so whatever it was made no sense to her. Something about the boy going to the toilet. Seriously, how old was he? Did he have to announce that? Besides that, another tiny voice emitted from the corner of the room, where Kathy only just noticed a girl had been. The one with the pink hair. She looked like she was crying, and she wasn’t even in the battle! There wasn’t a scratch on her, who had just been healed in the infirmary, so why was she crying now? God, that was annoying. ”What do we do now?” the question came out from her mouth as the teen asked nobody in particular. Her stare was directed in Danni’s direction, though, who accompanied the two Umbralatronis. They looked like they got the worst of the battle, though Kathy couldn’t see well from the distance. The raven-haired girl was unconscious, at best. Kathy didn’t want to think of the worst case scenario. Everything was just so messed up, and that doesn’t even begin to describe it. A feeling of suffocation overcame the girl, and she just felt like breaking down this very moment. Holding her own feelings inside, Kathy looked around once more, a hopeless expression beginning to appear on her delicate face. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 14, 2010 Sadine heard the blond girl's comments and nodded silently, her pain overwhelming her. Her brain could hardly focus enough to produce a response. Sadie smiled weakly at Breckin's stammering statement. She didn't really notice as the girl stumbled away because Breckin standing up and holding his hand out to her captured her full attention. Sadie rose, breathing hard to push away the pain. When she took Breckin's hand in her own it was like a cold wave of relief washed through her body for a moment. That was all she needed to regain her awareness and instincts. She looked at Breckin. "Girl, you've got it bad." Was all she could think. She then heard someone yell from behind her. She turned to see the mud-monster, now all clean but still yelling when it wasn't required, run off. Sadie turned back to the rest of the group to hear Kathy's last question. "We regroup." She said. Sadie was a trained fighter and dancer and she knew how to ignore pain until it was safe. All it took was a few more deep breaths before the puncture wounds were pushed to the back of her mind. She smiled when she realized she was still holding Breckin's hand, but turned her focus back to the group. Not a single person looked to be in good shape, and even the unwounded were crying. "Okay, so I can honestly say this has been the craziest day I've ever had, and not necessarily in the good way. Putting aside all of the things that shouldn't be possible based on commonly accepted beliefs, let's focus on what we can do now. Someone said the room we stopped at before was an infirmary, maybe we should go there and get bandages. Or we can bandage the wounds with whatever we can find or spare. Either way we need to do something, considering this group is in no shape to fight another round of those creepy things. Collecting everyone and getting away from this area, and possibly another attack, would be my suggestion." Sadie just let herself talk and the words seemed to flow out of her. It felt good to be in control again and not be a panic induced zombie. That was almost scarier than the bad guys. Almost. Sadie looked at Breckin again and offered a smile. "You just stay here for a second, okay? My wounds aren't nearly as bad as yours and I should go help everyone get ready to move." Sadie said to him. She squeezed his hand, pausing briefly for fear that if she let go or moved too far away from him something bad would happen. But, her words had rung true, at least in her mind, and Sadie needed to get everyone ready for action. She took another long, deep breath, then surveyed the room. She saw the girl with pink streaks in her hair crying, despite the fact that she seemed uninjured. That seemed to be the easiest place to start. Sadine kept the hand clutching her chest and slowly walked over to the crouched girl. "Hey, it's going to be alright. The bad guys are gone for now and if we can get everyone moving, maybe more won't come after us. So, why don't you come help bandage someone up? Or you can just get ready to get moving yourself. Whatever you need." Sadie said. She had leaned down to be closer to the girl and she was speaking in soft, even tones. She held out her hand as Breckin had done, hoping the gesture would help the girl as it had helped her. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 15, 2010 Sophia looked at the burned cat. Some of them had such destructive power... fire, thunder and who knew what. They could take on these demons and kill them while all she did was... hit a flying cat with water and lay sitting in a big puddle of it while feeling really weak and sick. She could hear voices, but she didn't focus on them concentrated as she was on not losing her breakfast. She could not believe she actually moved water though! She was amazed by such a feat! She could control water even if it was extremely taxing on her. Maybe... maybe she just wasted all of her energy because she didn't know how to use it. When the nausea finally went away she heard people talk and another girl crying. It was over now? Sophia glanced around the room unsure of who was still alive that could actually help them. She spoke weakly. "Where would we go? The demons here are beaten, but at what cost? Who died, who lived? Before moving we should take note of this. Is there an Umbralatonis still here? It should know what to do no? Too flee we could use the windows..." She pointed at the broken window. Outside it was still raining. ((Tried to make something :/)) Share this post Link to post
Posted August 21, 2010 (edited) [[i'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!! I think my writing's changed a bit since last time...]] You will know true beauty when you see it, because there is a fine line, if any at all, between beauty and terror.25th of June, 2010 The dungeon of the Aileach Estate He was so entrapped in his mad fears that he heard only fragments of the pale figure’s answer. “… a dungeon… planning something… They might’ve just thrown us in here to rot, for all I know.” “If only.” The morbid words slipped his mouth before he could stop them. He knew better than to hope that someone would have gone through the trouble to drag three or four unknown teenagers off to a dungeon for nothing more than to let them expire in the stagnant darkness. No human exerted effort on you unless they wanted something from you. Humans were capable of terrible things… and hesitated little to do them. Save a few… his mother, Elliot, the widow… And of those few, sometimes they should have wanted something. They had every right to. --- Said big wind to little wind Come fly away with me. “Come with me, El.” He let his fingers ghost over that thin, scarred palm, smiling slightly as it closed, holding him captive. “Must you really go?” To his surprise, he hesitated. ”The day my ma died—it’s coming soon. I need to be in New York by Midsummer’s Eve.” He pulled back slightly, looking down into the younger boy’s eyes. Large, Irish green like his own, and earnest—eyes he could trust. On a whim, he spoke suddenly, slipping into their native Gaelic. “Do you believe in the Sidhe, Elliot?” Elliot’s eyes widened in surprise, but more at the language than the words, for his expression held no trace of mockery. He answered in the same language, the words lilting and sweet. “Faeries?” He nodded. “Ma always believed. She used to leave milk on the kitchen windowsill, salt across my doorway and along the windows. A circle of white stones around my bed. When there was a storm she’d leave all the taps running—Father hated it.” Elliot’s head rested against his shoulder, seeking and giving comfort like a little brother. “Did she ever see them?” He laughed. It felt nice to laugh, like a cool breeze in the midst of a stifling summer. He hadn’t been able to laugh since… since Ma. “She said she was stolen.” “Mm… lucky.” “Now and again it would come back to her in dreams, fleeting visions, memories of beauty and terror. She was… touched …she said, a little wild, a little caught in Faerie.” “Did she taste of their banquets?” “No,” he said slowly. “No, she tasted of the lips of a fey.” Elliot sat up, startling him out of his reverie. “Your mother—was she—” “You really are a believer, aren’t you?” It wasn’t really a question, but Elliot nodded anyways. He laughed—there it was again, that carefree feeling!—and shook his head. “’twasn’t the Faerie King that stole her. That’s why she had to leave…” “I don’t understand.” “The Faerie King didn’t steal her. It was a bard, a riddler, a merry harpist who stole her away. She said she loved him madly.” “How could she ever leave, then?” “It wasn’t her own desire,” he said sadly. “The Faerie King envied his bard, wanted my mother for himself.” Things could have been so different. He gave her a cruel choice—wed him—the king—or leave Faerie forever. Either way, she lost her love.” “Then why did she choose to leave? At least be one with the most beautiful court in the world!” “Either way she lost him, but if she wed the Faerie King she was lost to him forever. Given over to another.” “Oh.” Elliot looked away, lost in thought. His hand crept up to his left shoulder again—that nervous habit that always betrayed his angst. Wordlessly he placed his own hand over it and drew it away. The cotton shirt pulled away slightly with the movement, exposing for an instant the bite marks and bruises that riddled the base of the boy’s neck. “Don’t let him do this to you anymore, El. Come away with me. Be free—to speak as your own tongue, to go where you please…” He hesitated, meeting the younger boy’s gaze earnestly. “…to love, as you choose.” “I’m not as strong as you, Concord.” Elliot’s eyes were large and pleading. “Don’t go.” A heavy silence fell between them, deafening. Afraid to let it go on, he spoke suddenly. “I’ve seen them, Elliot. I’ve seen the fey.” “Kidding, right?” The playful words were halfhearted. “The faerie bard—Ma’s lover. He comes on Midsummer’s Eve as well. A—and she does too. She—she’s fey now.” Elliot elbowed him, stopping up the tears that threatened to spill over. Silently he thanked the younger boy. “You have to die in one world to live fully in the other.” Elliot’s eyes were distant, thoughtful. “I—I’ll come with you.” It was then that O’Rourke had appeared, as if he’d materialized out of the morning mist. “You’ll go nowhere, Elliot,” he growled. The hours that followed were a nightmare. --- “Elliot,” he called softly. Elliot!” No answer came from the shadowed form. He was precariously leaning down from the rafters of the old barn, his back screaming as the position tore at freshly inflicted welts. The pain was enough to drive him down from his safe position, taking a risky jump through darkness. He landed clumsily in the damp straw and slipped, his left hand coming down on Elliot’s shin. Immediately he pulled away, his eyes flitting towards his motionless friend just visible in the darkness. A soft cry escaped him and was quickly stifled as he looked down at his bloodied hand, back at Elliot. His hands shook as he struck a match. The flame sputtered to life, spilling yellow light over the bloodstained form by his knee. All strength left his muscles. He’d been thrashed badly before O’Rourke threw him out onto the main road at the ranch’s border, but there was no comparison to the hellish scene that filled his vision. Scarlet, bleeding lashes snaked their way over the thin body, sparing no pain as they spread from neck to calves, seemingly writhing in the shaky light. The sweet, elfin features were mottled with purple and blue-black bruises, his lips and one eyebrow split open. One hand lay curled against the other, three fingers crooked and smeared with blood—so much blood. Worst of all, by the signs he read in the hay, in the bruises, in the way the small boy was bound and in the state of his clothing, in the places where blood dripped sluggishly—he doubled over, covering his mouth in horror and pressing back the urge to vomit. Elliot!! --- “Said little wind to big wind I would if I were free.” He risked a lantern, hanging it from the side of the old stall and praying O’Rourke was nowhere near to see it. Elliot’s striped shoulders were shaking, and against the roar in his ears he could hear a soft, muffled sobbing. Why didn’t he answer? “El, we’ve got to get you out of here,” he said urgently, gently easing him into his arms and rapidly severing the cords around the slender wrists with a quick stroke. Immediately the boy’s unbroken hand whipped out and struck him across the face. ”El?” He wiped blood from his lip, shocked. “Don’t touch me.” Panic seized him. “El, it’s me—Concord. We’re leaving, Elliot. He’ll never hurt you like this again.” He spoke urgently, perhaps because in his heart, he already knew the answer. “Leave me alone, Concord.” Green eyes blazed, not with hatred, not with fury towards him, but with desperation. “Go—get out of here.” “El—” “Go!” Elliot’s voice was hoarse and full of pain. Tears slid down his face. “Elliot, don’t do this. He’ll hurt you, so much more. He’ll never stop.” Elliot turned away. “He’ll kill me,” the boy said simply. No. No! “No! El, you can’t just give up! Look what he’s done to you. Don’t let him win--” Hesitantly, ever so gently, he pressed his lips to the back of Elliot’s neck, where the collar-like scar marred smooth, light skin. “Come with me, El.” “I can’t.” “Elliot—” “I can’t go!!” Elliot screamed, tears streaming down his face. “Get out of here, Concord. You can’t help me any longer.” Shaking, he stood and backed painfully away into the corner. Concord felt his heart cracking in two. Again Elliot screamed, “Get out of here!” Heavy footsteps sounded on the other side of the barn. He hesitated, wavering. Either way she lost him… He followed Elliot into the corner of the stall and took both abused hands in his own scarred ones. Look at me. As if he had heard the silent plea, the younger boy raised his head, met his eyes. “Don’t forget me.” Tenderly, deliberately, he pressed his lips against Elliot’s, pouring the months of silent adoration, his protectiveness, all he felt into one long kiss. He heard the stall door open behind him, heard O’Rourke’s sharp, angry breath. Take me with him. And then he was dragged back, hurled against the wall, his back flaming with pain once again. He fell to his knees, holding back a cry. Elliot. He looked up and saw love in those soft green eyes, just before the gunshot. You have to die in one world… Elliot! --- He opened his eyes, tears streaming, the names of the lost on his lips. When the flood of tears subsided, the lost stood in the shadows, scarcely visible. Impossible. “Ma—” The single syllable was torn from the innermost parts of his being, beyond his ability to restrain. Every wall was shattered. How—when—? “I saw you die,” he whispered. I saw the life leave you on Midsummer’s Eve. His mother smiled softly down at him, like she always had. She fingered a pendant that hung against her breast—a tiny forget-me-not encased forever in a droplet of glass… The tip of a sword ripped through her belly, drove upwards. A soundless howl erupted from his throat. Ma!!! His mother fell to her knees, and he knew the specter behind her to be his father. But what drew his attention was a mewling cry. A baby’s tiny hand slipped out of the gash in his mother’s body, and the baby’s hand was bleeding. [[Okay, that last bit with the Changelings... I so wanted to leave that out, but I don't think I can wait until the next post to deal with the Changelings, since things are moving along. So yeah... it looks insignificant and annoying next to all the stuff before it. -headdesk-]] Edited November 28, 2011 by Elsendor Share this post Link to post
Posted August 23, 2010 Mark heard Kathy call his name and started walking her way, not feeling like responding from where he was. This also gave him a chance to walk past the two of ‘his kind’ that had fought the giant beetle corpse thing and see whether they were in any condition to help anyone. The girl was unconscious and the boy was completely focused on her, so…no. Not in any condition to help anyone. As he got closer, he noticed that everyone seemed to congregate together in the same area. Well, except that guy that just walked out. Oh, and there's that girl that disappeared. He probably didn't see her during the fighting or something. Or maybe there was an ability that can hide people. He mentally shrugged and came close enough to the group to catch the last part of Sadine's speech. Something about getting people ready to move. She then went to try to comfort the disappearing girl who was crying over something. Mark wasn't sure over what, but he'd leave that for Sadine to figure out. "Well, the two in charge don't seem to be in any condition to be helping us. One's unconscious and the other, well, he seems completely focused on the girl. We're gonna have to deal with this ourselves and Sadine sounds pretty sensible." The first part was directed towards Kathy, as she was the one who asked, and the second part was just him offering his opinion. He wasn't exactly sure what to do, but Sadine did have a point. Getting people ready to move would get them out of there faster and Mark really wanted to leave this mansion. Leaning against the wall, he scanned the room again before he relaxed. A wave of sleepiness washed over him. The lack of sleep from before yesterday, the interrupted sleep he had just before this battle, and the fading adrenaline were all taking their toll on him. He yawned and blinked sleepily before shaking his head. Gotta stay awake and pay attention. Who knows what else is out there. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 25, 2010 (edited) Beauty is a sin... ... But Sin is beautiful... BYRNEDETTE HAD DIRT IN HER NAILS. The blonde wasn't particularly angry however, which was surprising for her male companion. Finally she had an excuse not to be that any further, and the mere thought brought a lusicious smile on her bright, full lips. It was a charming smile, really. The type that would have the boys tripping over their feet or practically kissing the floor she walked on. A smile that would captivate any being, whether they be male, female, or even human, and entice them into doing her bidding. So to speak, she could wrap almost anyone around her pinky finger - that is, if she still had her pinky finger. She never really liked to remember that incident. It was a very, very long time ago. Before she had met Alazie. Dark times they may have been (she even lost a whole joint!), they changed her life forever. In a way. Byrnedette was excited. Thrilled, even. Not only did she have an excuse to finally rid herself of that ugly and foresaken form, but she was also on the hunt. The hunt for delicious half bloods. Byrnedette didn't like to admit it but, it was true, she had never tasted halfblood blood before. Not many have - halfies were rare. Non-existant, even. If it weren't for the fact it was His Highness who had said it, she would've called it farce immediately. But no - he entrusted her and Zie to this job. So it must be completed. But the dirt really was aggravating. So she paused for a moment and picked at her nails. Nails she didn't remember painting red - but hey, she liked the colour. As she worked away, she couldn't help to notice her nails elongating slightly, returning back to normal- And with a glare to her companion who was currently nestled rather close to a 'forbidden area', her nails warped back to normal, human nails. "Thank you," she said as she continued her work. Alazie narrowed his eyes. The albino rat scrambled against her pearly skin - which ironically, felt like rock to him - in an attempt to break free from her iron grasp. His beady red eyes were hungry - starving - and he wanted to feed. Fast. 'Freaking Byrn,' he thought with high levels of distaste. 'How can she ignore the smell? She's crazy.' And glancing at his partner, he was convinced of so. It was the Hunt! If he could, he would've long scratched his way out of Byrnedette's grasps and raced forwards, ready to tear and devour at his prey. But Byrnedette was stubborn. Vanity was definitely something he should stay away from. Literally. It was his fault Byrn looked like this, anyways. The tall, painstakingly gorgeous female looked out of place in the sewers. But him? He blended in perfectly. He could've been on the ground, picking away at who knows what, and he'd look in place. No one would suspect him, the hunter, waiting for his prey. But alas, he was stuck here right between her ... arms, unable to move. His brain was whirling as the smell of blood suddenly flooded his nostrils. His eyes narrowed and his claws lengthened. 'Food. Blood. Slaughter. Byrnedette.' His mind process was already losing control, as it seemed. Nothing mattered anymore and Byrnedette could damn let go of him already so he could freaking eat. She was driving him crazy - insane -and he damn wished she would stop looking at her nails and oh carp that smells good and- Byrnedette's head snapped up. 'Finally,' he muttered as her face distorted. The once beautiful, perfect face of Byrnedette shifted - transmuted. Her perfectly acne-less skin suddenly grew horrid and deep lines, her perfect almond-shaped eyes turning red and beady. The luminious and healthy glow of her skin quickly turned sickly as her golden curls slicked and latched onto her head, frizzy and stringy. "Food," she snarled between her teeth. Alazie smiled. Finally, the hunt was on. ------------ HER FOOTSTEPS ECHOED LOUDLY through the sewer/dungeon mix. She could smell it now - three, four, maybe five of them. Halfies contained in this little, pitiful mansion. She hoped the demons had torn this place down as these delicious halfies damn well deserved it. They were coming closer, so close.... And then she stopped, slowing to a walking, leisurely pace. Alazie was right behind Byrn, leaping up on her hand and gliding up to her shoulder in ease. Years of practice made this little set up easy; it was a matter of their prey that made this game fun. She hoped one of them feared gorgeous women. She made sure her footsteps were loud. She was satisfied with the loud, distinct echoes of something approaching... coming. And she could feel it. Insecurity. Indecision. Fear. Perfect, she thought, as she opened her mouth. The blonde's appearance morphed once more, from the strangled, desperate, starving, crazy hunter to the perfect doll she was earlier. Her thin cracked lips suddenly plumped up and glazed over red. Her teeth changed from thin narrow needles back to a perfect row of teeth, with extended canines. The seemingly perfect female let out a screech. A roar that sent other wolves shivering in their spine. It was a predator call. It was only a matter of minutes until they reached the outside of the dungeon chambers. She took a hold of the door and wrenched it open effortlessly, blowing the entire door of its hinge. Zie peeked out from her blonde, decay-smelling hair. And instantly, he grinned. The familiar lifting sensation flooded through their senses. She could feel her perfect, vulpturous body thinning, pulling away. Soon, she'd change again into who knew what, but she didn't care. The smell of blood was enticing her, beckoning her, teasing her, aggravating her... As she felt the last shreds of her borrowed humanity fade, she managed one last perfect smile. The smile that came before a brutal slaughter. "You know, He did say not to play with our food," she drawled, her eyes scanning the teenagers around her. She smiled again, showing her decaying, needle teeth with strings of saliva and acid hanging out of her mouth. "But I never was one to play by the rules." Edited August 28, 2010 by Sesshia Share this post Link to post
Posted August 28, 2010 (edited) THE SECONDS TICKED AWAY with Hadyn staring numbly at Rhiannon and doing almost nothing else. It was almost as if he himself had turned into a statue—unmoving, unbreathing, lifeless in all but body. That silver-haired girl had said something to him, but he hadn’t registered the meaning of her words. Either she had simply spoken too softly, or he had somehow managed to completely shut the rest of the world out. All that remained in his own broken world was himself and the girl who lay limp and unconscious in his arms. You’re acting like a fool, that voice hissed again. Why don’t you snap out of it and spare yourself the humiliation? "Why don’t you leave me alone?” Hadyn snarled aloud. "After thirteen years, you pick now to talk to me again?” You should hardly talk to me like that, dear Hadyn! the voice cried, pretending to be hurt. The others will think you’re insane. "What others?” Hadyn retorted. His head whipped up, taking in the blurry forms of humans all about him. "What does it matter what they think? They’ve never done anything to help us! All they ever did was rip our happiness from us!” When has anyone ever done anything to help us? the voice asked, almost sadly. The only ones that have are cursed, and because of us. The words of the Oschaert flooded in Hadyn’s mind: ”The Áilleachs hold every treasure, just as they hold every curse.” The memory of it only enraged him, and his jaw clenched. "I won’t let you do this to us!” No sooner had the words left his mouth did a tremendous wave of pain sweep over his body. He bowed his head, pressing his forehead against Rhiannon’s body as he fought to hold back his screams. He could hear, in his mind, a woman shrieking and his own desperate pleading. He wasn’t sure what he was pleading for, though—whether to stop this unbearable pain or to end that unknown woman’s agony. It was unknown to him. That tormenting agony was gone just as mysteriously as it had come. Hadyn coughed painfully, struggling to breathe. He could taste the blood in his mouth, but to his relief, it wasn’t as much as it had been on his way to the infirmary. The voice spoke up again, but this time, it was softer, gentler, sweeter, with no hint of mocking contempt or anything of the like. Hadyn, I’m sorry, it murmured, its voice like a comforting breeze in his ear, though he took no comfort in it, whatsoever. In the end, we couldn’t protect like we had wanted. "What are you talking about?” Hadyn whispered, his voice still ragged with pain. But the rage still rang clearly in them. Hadyn, you need to snap out of it, before you lose yourself. A stern, commanding note grew in the voice. "Like how you lost yourself?” Hadyn asked bitterly. He hugged Rhiannon closer to his body, almost as if he were trying to protect her from that terrible feminine voice that echoed within the confines of his mind. The voice fell silent, and seconds—maybe even minutes—slipped by without an answer. Then, at last, it said, Get up, Hadyn. If you don’t know, they’ll tear your last shred of happiness from you. Fate isn’t so cruel that she will deny you it again. Snap out of it, now, before it’s too late. Almost instantly, the barrier around Hadyn and Rhiannon shattered, and the time of the real world flooded back to Hadyn. Everything was clear again: the figures of the hybrids were no longer blurry and their words no longer muted. A girl was talking at the moment, her voice calm and level. Hadyn caught the remainder of her words with ease, despite how broken his mind was at the moment. “at before was an infirmary, maybe we should go there and get bandages. Or we can bandage the wounds with whatever we can find or spare. Either way we need to do something, considering this group is in no shape to fight another round of those creepy things. Collecting everyone and getting away from this area, and possibly another attack, would be my suggestion." Another girl’s voice joined in before Hadyn could reply. "Where would we go? The demons here are beaten, but at what cost? Who died, who lived? Before moving we should take note of this. Is there an Umbralatonis still here? It should know what to do no? Too flee we could use the windows..." Hadyn forced himself to his feet. It was no easy task, what with Rhiannon a limp and heavy burden in his arms. Still, he wouldn’t leave her here no matter what, even if he would have to face death to keep that pledge. He turned around and swept his gaze over the discombobulated group of hybrids, all scattered about amidst the debris of the recent fray. His sharp eyes settled upon a green-haired girl, pointing at the shattered remains of a window. From that gaping hole, the wind and rain rushed into the room, dropping the temperature drastically. Hadyn sighed. He dropped his eyes back to Rhiannon’s face and began speaking in a soft, almost inaudible voice: "That’s impossible. There’s no time to go back to the infirmary. It’s a wonder that the others have managed to stall this long already for us.” He stopped as his throat constricted with the memory of Brunor’s passing away. He coughed in an attempt to clear it and began again. "By the time we get back, there’s no doubt that more demons would be here already, and it’s guaranteed that they would be able to overpower us that time. We can’t escape through the windows either. The whole estate’s teeming with demons. Using those windows as an escape route is only suicide.” He stepped backwards, carefully avoiding Brunor’s lifeless body, until his back hit the wall. He leaned heavily against it as he took a deep breath. ”There’s a secret tunnel hidden in the dungeons. If we can worry about our wounds later, we might be able to make it there, but that’s only if we don’t run into any problems. We’ve lost enough time already.” ………………………………................................................………………………………….☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ OoC// Meh, sorry for the fail post. Edited August 28, 2010 by Mangaholic Share this post Link to post
Posted August 29, 2010 (edited) What Sadine said made sense. Kathy ran the wrods over and over again in her head, and thought that it sounded like a reasonable and well thought out plan. She was surprised that the girl became so level-headed and calm in mere minutes. Compared to her blank trance in the first half of their trip, and her frenzied worry for Breckin just minutes ago, this act of leadership definitely put her in a better light with Kathy. As she walked over to the pink-headed girl, offering her reassurance, Kathy marveled at her ability to be patient with such an annoying and weak person. But regardless, it was true that they’d need to get everyone to an infirmary and healed. Wasn’t that a priority? Apparently not. Despite what two others said after Sadine, the male Umbralatronis seemed to have snapped out of his dead-like state. And back to his heartless, indifferent self. Obviously, he didn’t care that some of them were injured to the point where they can hardly walk. If Breckin didn’t get treatment, he’ll probably faint from the loss of blood. And Sen, Sen looked like he was in no condition to move, much less walk. That gash on his leg looked horrible, though Kathy didn’t see which demon caused the wound. She herself was getting a bit more tired and sleepy by the minute. No, they can’t afford to not rest up first. But with more demons on their tails, was is really safe to do so? She realized that the male Umbra was correct when he said that they were doomed if they ran into another bunch of demons. But the injuries… The blonde’s eyebrows knitted into a frown as the indecision took over. ”Well… can everybody walk? Even if you need people to support you, that’s fine. I guess we have to be honest; do you think you can go on without tending to your injuries first?” she addressed the majority of the teens gathered there. It was only fair that they get to voice out their own conditions. Then it’d be easier to decide on the course of action. ”I… I’m a little tired, but I’ve got no physical wounds and I can probably go on with another person’s support. Maybe we can help each other,” Kathy hesitated a little, not used to admitting her own weakness. But like she said, they needed to be honest with each other. Edited September 3, 2010 by lilyice Share this post Link to post
Posted September 6, 2010 (edited) Carlie stared for one more moment at the window, gazing dully at where the two had mysteriously disappeared. Blinking, he wondered why he was standing there like a dope. He had to get out of here. Turning away he continued his search for an exit. The longer he looked, the less hope he had of finding a way out himself. Frustration bubbled inside of him like a fountain, trying to claw it's way out of him. His last encounter had him brimming with rage, especially at the girl's comments. He had to find a way to unleash it. So focused on his rage, he didn't even notice that mud had begun to bubble up between the floor tiles again until he nearly slipped. Looking down in surprise, he wondered at the phenomenon. He knew he had done that, but how was the question. His brain couldn't wrap around it, just like it couldn't wrap around so many other things he had seen today. He wasn't quite sure why he did it, but bending down, he scooped up a ball of mud with his has hands. Revelling in the feeling of it, he felt like a kid in a candy store. Before he could stop to think about what he was doing, Carlie rubbed some of the mud onto his face, just like how native americans had once painted their faces before war. This certainly felt like war to him. The feel of cool mud on his face gave him a new found freedom. It felt as if he could drown the world in a mudslide. Laughing loudly, he scooped up more mud and started covering himself with it. With every inch of himself he covered, the more complete he felt. Soon the hallway was echoing with his slightly hysteric laughs. He had run out of room on his body, and so he was painting the floor instead. It was as if something had taken over his body, and perhaps it had. The floor was slowly becoming covered with strange symbols he couldn't decipher, written in his blood... 'My blood?' he thought. Trying to shake the strange vision that had entered his head, he paused and took a deep breath, glancing at the floor. It was definitely mud, so why had he it had looked bright red just moments before? He really must be going insane to think he was painting the world with his own blood. He still couldn't shake the feeling that this wet dirt was the same lifeblood pumping through his veins. Shaking, he felt himself becoming dizzy with terror. Before he could stop to think, he was tearing at his arm with his fingernails, trying to get at the blood beneath to prove to himself that it wasn't dirt. It took several minutes of desperate clawing, but eventually the blood started welling up, and when it did, Carlie's heart pounded fiercer than ever. For the first few seconds the blood looked brown and thick like the mud covering the floor, but a second later that vision vanished, once again resolving into ruby red liquid slowly streaking down his arm. His whole body was in convulsions now, the fear of the strange vision he had just saw eating away at him. He wasn't quite sure what made him do it, but he struggled to his feet and started hobbling through the hallways, not really looking at where he was going. Something was leading him along like an invisible puppeteer pulling his strings. The dull, rhythmic shuffling of his feet clouded out all thought. Instead, he let himself be led along by this irresistible force like a pet dog on a leash. It wasn't until he was standing at the door of the dungeon that he came back to his right mind. Blinking, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "How in the hell did I get here?!" He paused to scan the assembled group, shrugged, and stepped back into the room. He had already proved to himself that there was no way out of this fun house. With every turn he took, he only lost a bit more of his sanity. His anger at the group had dissolved. It was funny to him that he didn't even hate Breckin's guts at that particular moment. It was as if seeing the mud running through his veins had shocked him into realizing he had more to fear and hate in this world than a stupid fairy princess who didn't have his head screwed on straight. Smiling with internal amusement, he wandered over to Barbie, who had some pretty airhead next to her. Even though he wasn't really feeling vindictive, old habits died hard. With half-hearted venom, he hissed, "Back off airhead. I'll take care of this little plastic doll. Now, Barbie, get your perfect plastic bum off the ground and help carry a few of these pathetic losers out of here. It's not like we are at the Barbie factory and you are stuck to the ground in some mold that is shaping your bottom. If you can lift all 6 feet plus of me, I don't think helping lift mister fairy princess or one of the others would be a problem. Sitting around like your melted plastic posterior is stuck in a mold won't achieve anything." ................................. Barbie was shocked by both Carlie's voice and the girl's voice. Blinking, she tried to swim out of her misery back into reality. Her mind barely registered what Carlie was saying, but enough of it reached her to know she wasn't supposed to be sitting around anymore. Standing up, she smiled at the girl and Carlie half-heartedly. Her mind really wasn't there, but she had to act like it. Carlie wasn't too far off the mark when he called her a doll. She felt like that, a shape of a human but not really one. The emptiness inside her chest was enough to prove that. Without her constant cloud of happiness settled around her mind, she finally began to realize something. This situation was dangerous, and Carlie wasn't her friend. If anything, he was a jerkface with a capital J. Lakshmi's mind swirled in disbelief. It had been so long since she actually disliked someone that the sensation was startling, but now that she did, she began to wonder what had taken her so long to realize that Carlie was a jerk. Speaking of that, what had taken her so long to realize that life was stupid in general? She was so used to fooling herself into being blissfully happy, that this was all a new revelation to her. It was almost exciting. Hyped up on the feeling of pure hatred, she loped over to Carlie. Whispering as quietly as she could so no one else could hear, she muttered to him, "My father is dying jerkface." She hoped against hope it would hurt him, cut him to the bone, make him regret every mean thing he had said to everyone he'd ever met in his life. She wanted to see him squirm uncomfortably, double over at the mental pain, apologize profusely like a babbling idiot. She wanted him to do anything to prove he was a weak and miserable coward. .................................... Rage tore through Carlie again like a thunderstorm, the same murderous sensation he had felt when he had watched the creature tearing apart the others and being killed. More than anything, he wanted to crush Barbie's windpipe under his hand, see the last sparks of life die in her eyes as he cut off her supply of oxygen. How dare she mention death to him when he had danced with that villain through much of his childhood. Even if her father was dying, had she ever experienced the sensation of feeling herself die, slowly and painfully? Barbie knew nothing. She was a naive, young idiot. Before he could stop himself, Carlie had tackled her, flinging her against the wall, his hand pressed tightly against her neck. Instinctively, his hand tightened. He could already see the fear dancing in her eyes, only increasing his visceral need to eliminate her for her disrespect. Suddenly his mind shifted, another vision that lasted only for a matter of seconds crossing his mind. He saw Barbie dying, her mouth, eyes, and ears leaking decayed brown plants as she went. After she took her last breath, her body too withered and became brittle and brown like the dead plants that were still slowly oozing from her like a horrid disease. Blinking, his breath whooshed out when he flickered back into reality. Barbie wasn't withering, but her face was definitely turning blue, but he was surprised to see she wasn't struggling to get away. There was a hardness in her eyes that was challenging him to finish the job. He could have finished her off easily, but for some reason, he took a step back and let her slide to the ground. He watched quietly as she gasped like a fish, trying to get as much oxygen as she could. His face red, he didn't stop to think before talking. "Don't ever talk to me about death. I've survived cancer, so I know it better than you ever would!" It only took a moment for him to realize he'd just let his biggest secret slip. For goodness sake, not even Breckin knew that about him. His face paled as he tried to prevent himself from toppling over. Why had he said that in the heat of the moment? It was stupid, plain stupid. He wondered if they'd ask questions now, look at him differently, no longer see the person he was, instead seeing the poor boy who had struggled against leukemia. He knew he shouldn't care what the others thought, but instead it meant the world to him. He wanted them to think he was a bully and jerk. He wanted them to think he was rude and dirty. It was worth anything in the world if they wouldn't see him as the poor sick boy that had survived. .......................................... For once, it wasn't Carlie smiling vindictively. The small ghost of a smile fluttered across Laksmi's face between two great gasps for breath. It didn't even matter he'd just tried to kill her. She'd hurt him where it hurt most. That much she could tell by the blankness of his face. Turning away from Carlie, she looked at the girl next her, true gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you," she muttered before struggling to her feet. Taking a few more struggling breaths, she wheezed out, "Let's get going." Edited September 6, 2010 by Dashidragon Share this post Link to post
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