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Post by Seven on Oct 18, 2008 22:52:48 GMT -5
((I was originally going to have Shiku just cast fire at Zero, or for Sceatto to teleport (but that's not fun), but then I got another idea. I just hope it workds...cuz I don't want Sceatto to die. *Huggles sceatto plushie*))
Sceatto's eyes automatically shut, and Shiku's widened. Suddenly, it seems that Zero's target suddenly vanishes, and then Shiku vanishes as well, as if the darkness of the room suddenly swallowed them up, leaving only emptiness in their places. The whole room is blanketed with darkness, creating a strange feeling of vastness and lack of dimension, as if you could walk several miles without reaching a single thing. Still, there is a feeling of certainity in the air that whatever has just happened is not over yet. Sure enough, one click echoes through the black emptiness, and suddenly a spotlight turns on to the left of Zero. Standing beneath it seems be a lovely ballerina, radiating in the light, though with somber, lifeless expression. A mechanical, yet sweet tune begins to revirberate through the silence. A music box tune-the Nutcracker. The ballerina stretches her arms upwards to the heaven and raises one dainty leg. She sees nothing, hears nothing, feels nothing. She begins to dance. She is nothing and lives for nothing...except for in that single, endlessly repeating tune.
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Post by Rojo on Oct 19, 2008 5:15:22 GMT -5
The machine stops. It tries switching to night-vision, then heat-sensory, but nothing...only the ballerina dancing in the darkness. Zero stares at it, its (Zero) eyes transfixed on the twirling girl, moving around...and around...
Another metallic sigh escapes Zero's mouth, sounding almost sad. The prey is forgotten- only the ballerina exists...
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Post by Seven on Oct 19, 2008 11:15:30 GMT -5
Meanwhile....
The two boys stare dumbfounded at the creature just inches before them. Why did he stop the attack? What was he staring at? Sceatto slowly backs up, eyes still on Zero as he comments softly to Shiku. "What just happened?"
Before the second boy can respond, a small mew comes from the floor. Sceatto blinks, picking Keekoos up. "Merow!" Sceatto pauses, nodding thoughtfully.
"What does she say?" Shiku asked.
Sceatto smiles handsomely. "Just that we're idiots who can't handle their own fight, and it's about time we retreat, since it won't be much longer till Keekoos's illusion fades out."
"...Ah." Shiku nods, taking hold of Sceatto's arm. "Well then Sceatto, would you?"
Without a further word, Sceatto relaxes and concentrates, allowing his psychic energy to flow through him again (he had blocked it off to block off Zero's aura as well).
Sceatto teleports the three of them away, outside the building's area to where he senses a soft, peaceful (and safe) field. Still, in his last fading seconds, he notices Zero's melancholy look, and he can't help but wonder what sort of illusion Keekoos created, and what it meant to the strange being.
Shortly after the three would have left,the music begins to slow, as if the music box's crank had finished unwinding. The ballerina begins to stretch once more, first returning to her beginning position, then lowering herself in a low bow, her hands extended to her feet. The music stops, the light flashes off, and suddenly, the mystifying darkness of the room retreats, leaving Zero alone in the empty corridors.
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Post by Rojo on Oct 19, 2008 13:05:38 GMT -5
Zero watches as the illusion starts to fade and vanish.
It stands there, alone in the corridor, in shock that its target managed to evade it. Then it feels emotion, something against his programming, building up in him. Rage. ((FUUUUUUUUUUUU-))
It gets higher and higher, coursing through Zero's inner core until it rose up and out of its cold, frozen lips in a viscious, blood-hungering roar. The entire building shook. Part of the tunnels collapsed somewhere in the distance, and what little exhibts were left fell of their shelves. Zero stormed back off to its living chamber, putting out all the torches on its way.
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Post by Seven on Oct 19, 2008 20:19:06 GMT -5
Meanwhile, about a mile away, the trio stands an a cliff looking down upon the strange facility they had fallen into when the first arrived in this world.
"Mrow" Keekoos says.
"So the illusion is just about fading?" Sceatto asks, and the kitten nods.
"How do you think he'll take it?" Shiku asks. Almost as if answering him, the sudden roar comes. They're a good enough distance away not to be affected, it's still a disturbing sound to hear, and the two are shocked to see parts of the building collapse.
Shiku looks to Sceatto. "Don't you think we should go back and stop that thing? I mean, he's obviously bad news, and I doubt we would have been his first victims."
Sceatto looks down at Keekoos, who shakes her head, and then Sceatto looks back up at Shiku.
"I agree with Keekoos. I don't think we'd be able to defeat him...it." Shiku gives him a look of interjection, but Sceatto continues. "It's not that we're necessarily weaker than it, per say, just more inexperienced. I don't think we can handle a foe that is that intense right now...I can't even use my psychic abilities without having a meltdown!"
"But Sceatto--that thing has taken lives, we have to stop it!"
"...I know....we will.....just not right now or here. Especially now--it sounds REALLY angry. We should try to research this world first and see if we can learn anything that might better prepare us, or anything! Maybe there are others that know of that being, and would be willing to help us even. Butright now we should rest--we're all exhausted."
Shiku nods, giving into Sceatto's reasoning. The three turn away, both boys with a somber, heavy feeling in their hearts, knowing they might not have escaped that peril, feeling guilty for walking away, and hoping no one else crosses paths with that creature, for the time being. Shiku turns to Sceatto, abruptly asking, "You never did answer me--why did we come to this world anyways?"
Sceatto grins, winking. "It's a secret."
((Hey Rojo, I'm not sure where to go with this now. My characters are leaving, so unless you want to add something more, shall we call this thread more or less finished?))
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Post by Rojo on Oct 20, 2008 10:55:27 GMT -5
((Yarp))
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Post by Asila on Oct 25, 2008 0:25:36 GMT -5
((*is bringing this thread back to life for a little while longer*))
A diminutive girl dressed in a blood-stained white nightgown approached the boys on silent, bare feet. Dressed as she was she looked absolutely ghostly, and the pastiness of her already pale skin and large, vague eyes would only add to the illusion. She'd survived one hell of a trauma today, and she looked it. Well, actually, she didn't look as though she'd survived at all.
Ranging on the ground and in the air were three small demons, their red eyes glowing malevolently. But, at this point, Evening was just ignoring them. She was too tired and unhappy to try and chase them off now. It never worked, anyway. So why bother?
"That thing" She began, but paused before she continued, as though she had to chase down her thoughts again. "That thing is demonic." Her voice was quiet and slightly tentative. She was always nervous about approaching new people, but after listening to that fight, and feeling the flux of familiar dark energy, she felt that she should at least help these three a little by telling them something about the creature that they were up against. "I can tell, because I live around demons." She gestured at the small ones that circled them now, "And that thing felt like them. But I've never seen a demon like that before. It didn't even look...real." She leaned against a nearby tree and sighed. Over the past few hours she had run into so many extraordinary things that she was beginning to wonder what kind of rabbit hole she had fallen down. Or perhaps she was dreaming? She felt so tired that such an assumption almost seemed plausible...
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Post by Seven on Oct 25, 2008 1:13:13 GMT -5
Sceatto and Shiku spin around when they hear the voice. They see the strange girl in her ghostly appearance, and look at her curiously. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, the two hurry towards her, noting the blood she's covered in. "Never mind the demon, are you ok?" Sceatto asks.
"Yeah, you look injured," Shiku adds in. To the boys, the demon was a creature of the past. The girl, though she looked like death, was alive, and seemed to be in trouble. And now that he had crossed paths with her, the two felt as though her well-being became a part of their responsibility. Mostly because how she approached them. Her appearance played up to their inner, altruistic heros. If she was harmed, they weren't about to just let her walk away in pain.
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Post by Asila on Oct 25, 2008 1:53:41 GMT -5
Evening shook her head, a bit startled by their concern. And touched. She hadn't expected them to be so kind to her. They were just strangers, after all. And most strangers took one look at her red-eyed companions and ran. So why were these boys so nice? They must be really brave. She tried to reassure them. "No, I'm all right. I was just attacked by some kind of half demon, half something scary, a little while ago." She looked up at them, frowning slightly. "It seems like there's a lot of them around here, doesn't it? But my...friends healed me. And I...ran away." She winced. Phrased that way, her altruistic decision seemed pretty stupid. She had to explain, so that they could understand. "Look, there's something terrible happening here. And there are other monsters like that," She pointed in the direction of the mechanical demon "and they are all banding together. It's not safe here. Especially when I'm nearby. Sometimes, I can... influence demons, and the stronger ones want me either dead or captive. So I had to leave! No one can help me without risking harm to themselves!" She was so stressed, frightened, and exhausted, that at this point she wasn't making much sense. After the events of the day, she was beginning to feel as though her fate was closing in on her. As though all of the demons were converging on her now to take her to Xanthe. As though he had gotten tired of waiting for her to make her next mistake. She wiped at her eyes with one arm, since they had begun to tear up, and looked right and left in quick, automatic gestures to see if anything else was coming. "I think...I should leave," She said, and slowly backed away. ((You know, I've realized that Tallamous Evening was pretty much a spoof version of the original. I was just having so much fun with her new circumstances that I wasn't taking her as seriously.  )) |
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Post by Seven on Oct 25, 2008 19:08:00 GMT -5
The two boys looked skeptical for a moment, until Sceatto shut his eyes. Shiku looked over at him, and then Sceatto nodded. Both of them seemed to be more reassured about the fact that she was alright. Sceatto had just briefly scanned her aura to check if she was in pain anywhere, but she hadn't been.
Sceatto was about to comment on Evening's remark about the demons, when she announced that she wanted to leave. "Oh no, don't go yet. We just got here, and have lots of questions!" This was probably a weird way to put it, but he hadn't really thought too much when he said it. In any case, he reached out for her, his gloved hand reaching her shoulder.
Shiku also seemed to pick up on the fact that she probably wanted to leave to protect him, so he added in. "Besides, we're pretty strong, but we tend to attract trouble too. Maybe we can help each other?" Sceatto looked over at Shiku when he said this, and he started to grin, approving of his choice in words.
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Post by Asila on Oct 25, 2008 23:08:25 GMT -5
Evening tenses when one of the boys touched her. For understandable reasons, she was nervous about getting grabbed, no matter how friendly the gesture. Getting slammed into a tree by a strange demon man didn't exactly improve her mistrust of strangers. A touch of that feral gleam that was almost always present in her gaze returned, but was mostly lost in the mire of fear and exhaustion that dulled the wild gold orbs.
When they told her that she shouldn't go yet, and suggested the possibility that she could be useful to them, she frowned. "But I think..." She trailed off. She thought she really should go, that she would only bring them more trouble than they could dream of, but when they stood there looking so high-spirited and cheerful it was hard not listen to their suggestion and stay with them. Besides, staying with them sounded far more pleasant than remaining alone.
"Well, if you really think it will be all right," She murmured doubtfully, before moving on. "What kind of answers are you looking for? ...and shouldn't we go somewhere else? Is it really safe here?" She looked around her again, as though she genuinely thought that it was only a matter of time before something jumped them.
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Post by Seven on Oct 25, 2008 23:18:03 GMT -5
They looked to each other, and suddenly Keekoos gave a sleepy meow, being disturbed from her nap. For a moment, their seriousness was dispelled again, as Sceatto lifted the kitten off his head. She didn't seem to pleased at first from being moved--but she quickly forgot about it, scratching at Sceatto shirt before getting comfortable again in his arms and going back to sleep. Sceatto gave her a look, shook his head, then looked back up at Evening to respond. He smiled sheepishly--both the boys felt that the opposite of what she said was true; that she staying with them might end up more trouble for her than themselves.
"Yeah, getting out of here would be a good idea. We left an angry demon-thing behind in that abandoned building, and we rather not tempt The Fates by sticking around to see if he'll come after us. Another place is a splendid idea!" Sceatto grinned again and shrugged slightly.
"So...mm...do you any good places to get some food and drink?" Shiku suggested.
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Post by Asila on Oct 25, 2008 23:53:08 GMT -5
Evening eyed the kitten curiously when it stirred. It looked so pretty and nice, with it's soft white fur and pink feathers. Way different from the dark sphinx, with their cruel, goblin-esque faces and lusterless black fur. She had never seen anything quite like it.
She stared for a little while, then shook her head and answered the boys. "There's a city nearby. Metropolis. It's a pretty nice place, but I've never been there before in the day. The demons frighten people, and they don't listen to me." Evening rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I'm actually pretty useless as a demon manipulator. I don't know why they hate me so much." She shrugged, scanned the forest again, and said "But I can go back to my room to find something else to wear so that I'll at least blend in and maybe the demons will be good for once. They don't always draw attention to themselves."
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Post by Seven on Oct 26, 2008 0:09:37 GMT -5
A question begins to form in both of the boy's heads. It's Shiku who asks it first. "So...in this city, Metropolis, are the people there aware of the presence of magic and demons? Or do you conceal them somehow?"
Sceatto looks behind them, back at the building. "In either case, let's resume walking."
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Post by Asila on Oct 26, 2008 0:59:47 GMT -5
Evening began to walk toward the city, since Sceatto had wisely suggested that they keep moving, but she turned to look at them as she walked. She was surprised and puzzled by their question. Didn't they know that magic was relatively rare and that humans were not aware of it? "Of course they aren't aware of magic and demons! Don't you know what humans have done in the past to people who use magic? They burned them at the stake! And they honored individuals who killed magical creatures. And the sighting of a demon would have them in a homicidal frenzy!" She gestured wildly as she spoke, her eyes wide with fear. But with her next words, she grew a bit calmer. "But that was all centuries ago. Magical creatures and magic users have learned to keep their powers hidden, now. Humans no longer believe in magic or in 'monsters'. Which brings me to my three demon stalkers. They usually don't disguise themselves, so the people who see them become panicked. This doesn't always happen, because Six and Mar look kind of like cats, and since humans tend to see only what they expect to see, they see cats. And to them Zaltor is just a big creepy crow. But sometimes, they are more observant. And that's when I get into trouble."
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))