Realistic or Modern Mission 3

[Thatguynameded]

The laughing echoed in his mind, Brass felt unstable, for obvious reasons but also for reasons that were beyond him. He started to think and feel like a human and could not comprehend what was happening. The figure whispered in his ear "What's wrong? Not liking the new you?" and jolted him out of his mind. Brass swung his human arm as quick and hard as he could into the side where he herd the whisper. "You left your people and SMITED didn't come to save them. Can you blame them for cursing your name? Cursing you?" His throat felt a build up, something not normal to him, "Pack would never curse Brass! Brass is on mission to help pack!" Brass gets in an awkward fighting stance and tightens his fist ready to fight. He wasn't sure what he was doing but mimicking what others did.

"Drag your furless ass back to SMITED if they'll even take you as you are now. Being as useless as you are now though they'd probably just make you take on a desk job. I have to wonder, did your intelligence increase with this change? No matter. Hunting you would be boring and I only seek challenging prey. Humans are not challenging at all. Ta-ta!"

Before brass could respond the figure waved and vanished from his sights, He was full of rage to kill the man who brought this pain upon his pack. He notices one one charred bodies laid out on the floor, it lowered his rage but in exchange for grief. He dropped to his knees and dug his soft yet rough human hands into the ground and began to dig. No mater what brass dose next, his top priority was to bury anyone he could find. Strangely, the upside to this situation is that he is no longer hungry and his sense of smell has dulled out. Down side is, brass has all these new feelings and thoughts that he is having trouble understanding. One by one he dug shallow graves, this would take him sometime but this was now brasses job. Bury the dead so that he could honor them in a ritual, whether the pack wants it or not from brass, he has to do it.

He dug 20 holes, which wasn't nearly enough, and began to walk up to each body and carry them or drag them if they were too big to carry. His body began to move on its own and set itself in auto pilot, while he sat in his mind. Even if brasses pack has cursed him, it is his last duty as the only pack member to bury the dead. Brass questioned why his pack did this, they knew and agreed that he would leave and help SMITED for the sake of his pack. Why didn't SMITED save his pack from this traumatic event. His mind was gaining more stimuli than normal, like an engine, he was a 2 piston mind, now hes running on 4. So many whys, why him, why his pack, why didn't SMITED help, why did this stranger do this. Then switched to who, who was the mage, who was this charred body hes carrying, who will kill brass for being a cursed one.

Brass dug one last grave, he buried all the bodies he could find, he knew he couldn't find everyone and had hopped those he couldn't find would forgive him. He climbed into the last grave and laid down, this is where he would die. He had lost his bag somehow but that didn't mater anymore, starving is painful but it would be a simple way to die, just don't eat. He considered all his options, and he remembered he still has his knife. This was a simple and easy option, bleed out. Brass pulled out the sharp blade out of its handle from the chest pocket where it had always been. Brass never intended to use the knife because his claws were enough. Then he felt something else in that pocket. It was the stone they got in the beginning of the mission. Brass stares at it for a few minutes and puts it back in his pocket.

Brass extends his arm and inspects the blade. Before doing anything, he decides if he should suffer or do it now.

 

[Xemanorth]

The half-demon stared deep into the steadily pulsing orb, head tilting from side to side as he lingered deep in thought, weighing his options. This all seemed shady to say the least and frankly, he didn't trust anyone involved anymore, not his teammates, or the voice echoing around him. He was well and truly alone, standing in the middle of this strange, white void with only himself to rely on. The silver lining to all this being, he only had himself to worry about now and it had been this way for about as far as he could remember. As much as he hated to admit it, there was a strange sort of familiar comfort to it. A comfort that filled him with a sense of foolhardy confidence or a wish for self destruction, depending on who you asked.

Now, whether or not he was actually listening to the voice that'd been talking to him or not was just about anyone's guess but even if he had it was exceptionally difficult to try and understand, let alone justify what was about to occur. Kirill turned the orb about in his grasp, resting it on top of his middle finger as his thumb spun and twirled it around against the skin of his index finger, abruptly flipping it into the air with his thumb before catching it in his mouth. He then stuffed it into his cheek, just beyond his teeth, idly flicking at it with his tongue before asking. "Sorry, could you repeat that? Think I tuned out for a hot minute. Been gettin' real hungry." with that, the half-breed flicked the strange orb into the back of his throat before proceeding to swallow.

What kind of outcome did he expect to come out of this? Hell, he didn't know, but frankly that made him all the more curious to find out and with all this abstract bullshit going on around him, he figured it was about time for someone to do something concrete and sensible... eating, I guess?
( Fable , June Verles , r e i , Noble Scion , Tarmagon , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad )

 

[Hanarei]

Despite her attempts the restraints didn't give way. It wasn't as if it was likely could free herself if they were real anyways, being some illusion wasn't likely going to change it... if anything it would make it worst. Still she had thought perhaps rejecting it would of at least maybe helped to dispel the trial. What was it trying to test her with? She wasn't sure it didn't seem as if her very resistance to it was helping. As the Nurse attempted to ease her she didn't do such a thing electing to not bother to comply. All logic implied everything up to this point at the very least had to be part of the trial, or at the very least her best option was to lean at the trial being real as the reverse her resistance would only net much more minimal penalties.

Use logic rather then feelings. That was the way she was taught to focus herself. Emotions... empathy... all that was just a burden that would only cause her more pain if she allowed herself to succumb to it. Pain she had felt long ago... pain she couldn't quite recall she just knew it was there. The very thought repeated in her own mind as she was brought alone into a room kept restrained as the door was locked shut behind them leaving her alone. The sight of pictures of her mother were all over causing her to glance at them looking almost distant upon her so familiar yet not seeming to completely connect with it. She knew it was her mother... but why wasn't she feeling any kind of bond with her? She stared on briefly before shutting her eyes for a bit longer pause then normal before reopening them..

The hallways filled her vision as she seemed a bit confused. She still felt a bit sedated though her mind was much more clear. Her eyes darted about noticing the scene around her as blood stained the white walls with bodies littering the ground. She glanced down noticing a woman below seeing as blood flowed from their orifices falling to the ground before her twitching before suddenly turning silent. Her eyes looked upon her, the blood on her body visible as she looked upon herself. A shiver ran through her spine. It wasn't the blood or the dead bodies. the sight of them made her feel a little bad though the empathy she displayed was far from what a normal person would experience. It was the implication that seemed to be put on her for being responsible for it.

She shivered a bit more trembling as her breathing became a bit heavier. Her heart began to beat faster as she started to panic a bit before shaking her head. No... no... no... this... this can't be me. This has to just be fake. The trial... there is still the trial. I can't just go from one spot to another... and then to come to my senses somewhere different? It can't be real. Why am I trembling? She thought to herself seemingly confused by her own reaction despite seemingly finding a way to reason out this horrific sight before her. An image of her mother briefly popping in her mind before vanishing just as quickly as she formulated it making her shake her head. She took in deep breaths attempting to ease herself as her body tensed up. Her eyes shifted back to the woman who had spoken moments ago before dying staring down as her hand trembled a bit more again.

Location: In a Steven King Novel.
Mentioned:
Fable

 

[Tarmagon]

More signs. New names. Tristan and Elora this time, but also a third option to let them both die.

If you want the game to end, take it for yourself, use it, and become powerful enough to stop it.

"More games," Jasper said. "Fine, I'll play. Mission parameters require delivery of offering to Pandora. Use to end this game is not within operational parameters. Tristan, team lead. Supposed demonic origin, exhibits detailed knowledge about interior of box. Personal abilities unknown, though ability to charge an item with magic was implied during negotiations with broker. Mission utility, high. Elora, also a team lead. Knowledge of interior of box unknown, however she has access to the same resources as Tristan. Origin unknown, extent of powers or abilities, unknown. Transformation into a highly effective fighter noted, however also noted that this seems to place a strain on her. Also noted that external sedation appeared to be required after prolonged use of combat abilities. Mission utility, possible liability."

Jasper turned and strode down Tristan's path, waiting for the inevitable sounds of Elora's agonizing death. This time, however, there were no sounds, no cries or pleas, only the sound of his boots on the path. He walked for several minutes, then Jasper frowned as another fork in the road appeared. The options this time included Tristan, let them all die, and Felicia. So, he was going to be forced to choose the most effective partner to complete the mission with. Fine.

"Felicia," he said, his voice neutral, completely without inflection. "Talents, unknown however seems to possess a measure of telekinesis. Extent of abilities unclear. Generates a visible aura when using powers. Liability."

Once again Jasper strode down Tristan's path, once again he was presented with options. Over and over he counted strengths and weaknesses, becoming more and more clinical with each recitation.

"Kirill. Headstrong, impulsive. Offering removed to provide sanctuary. Also injured and patched together with magical splinting. Liability."

"Brass. Strong and loyal, but pyrophobic and intellectually challenged. Liability."

"Celena. Strong, quick and capable in a fight. Also fixated on old gods, and less well acquainted with modern weapons. Ill suited to stealth. Liability."

On and on it went, and Jaspers voice went from clinical to cold as he listed his teammates abilities and how they could be used against them in the pursuit of delivering the offering to Pandora. The final sign made him pause however. Tristan, or Jasper.

"So, now I am supposed to choose whether or not Tristan is more capable than me?" Jasper asked, his voice now flat. "Mission is to deliver the offering. Any agent may do so. Very well, Tristan is perhaps more capable than me in knowledge and power, since I am not operating at 100%, and no one has bothered to share detailed information about conditions within the box. However, my mission is to deliver the offering. I shall not abandon my mission. Do your worst."

Jasper set off down his own path, choosing himself over Tristan. He would complete his mission, or he would die trying. He would not die by his own choice as part of some twisted game by a denizen of this infernal realm.

Fable

 

[Morzone]

Fable
​

This whole thing was really starting to tick Theo off. What the Hell was even going on? What was with all the bodies? Why was this stupid metal climbing up his legs every time he attacked? Who was this Random Lady?!?!? His attacks on her had produced as much success as a 2 year who couldn't draw inside the lines. It really was just ridiculous, this crazy no-win situation, there had to be something he wasn't seeing, some trick to all this to let him break free.

The Woman was taunting him again. "How boring though. Here you are able to manipulate those pathetic little metal balls and yet you don't even think to try and move your new metal limbs." Please, Theo wasn't stupid enough to try that. He had no expertise in puppetry, trying to manually move his 'limbs' would be like play real life QWOP. Not much use if he tried to move and just fell over, or alternatively if he put too much power into moving the metal it might just tear his legs apart. No Theo had a better idea: do nothing. It wasn't hard to notice the Woman wanted him to attack her, not to mention this metal curse seemed to feed off his aggression. What if he wasn't the one doing the attacking though? Would merely defending have the same effect? Theo wasn't sure this was a proper solution, but it would be madness to merely keep lobbing useless attacks at this woman. If she wanted a fight, she'd have to come to him.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Maybe this will inspire you to try harder!" The figure held up a very familiar mana stone. The one Mara had given to him. "This seemed important. If you want it back you're going to have to play properly!"

Theo's widened in horror at the sight of the Stone in the woman's hand. His eyes raked his bare chest as if hoping it would somehow still be slung around his neck, but it was gone. It must be a trick, he would never have let it out of his sight, this was a test of fear after all, but Theo found he could no longer listen to his logic. Something had seemed to break in the back of his mind as he'd confirmed the stone was missing from around his neck. He could not risk this, test or no test he had to be sure that mana stone remained safely with him. So when Theo raised his eyes again to the woman his jaw w as set, his fists clenched. If she wanted a fight she was going to get one.

Keeping his eyes on the Mana stone Theo took hold of his Crowbar. It did not shift form this time however, Rather flames burst around it, enveloping and swallowing it up. The intense heat was melting the metal, the crowbar folding and melding downward over his hand and arm. However the Liquid Metal did not drip onto the ground, rather it began to stretch into the air until the stream of glowing, liquid metal floated through the air like a hellish, flaming snake whip. Theo Lashed the whip toward the woman, the metal bending and coiling as though alive, ready to chase the woman again and again until the hissing metal made contact. If he could just hit her wrist or her arm and make her drop the stone...

Meanwhile Theo began to shuffle forward, carefully testing how much movement he could but into these Metal legs without doing harm to himself. He had to push the bodies of his teammates piled around his feet aside as he moved, though with his primary focus on retrieving his Mana Stone the thought did not bother him.

 

[Fable]

(If you do NOT reply to this round it's an automatic failure of your character's trial if you are sill engaged in the trial. June Verles and Myriad have automatically failed.)​

Xemanorth
As much as Kirill hadn't actually listened to the voices, he actions still lead to as though he had as to get to his stomach the orb would have to pass through his esophagus and past his heart. There would be a sharp pain originating from where the orb was now within his body; his heart. Each pump of the organ sent a pulse of pain and each pulse spread a blackness into his veins. This went on and on as the blackness spread out changing his skin tone into a charcoal grey.

His body physically changed as well, horns grew from his head and his pointed ears elongated further. At the end of this painful Kirill was left as a full-blooded demon, but more than just that. Large bat-like wings rested against his back now as well. There was an energy within him crawling under his skin; magic. Where he stood now was decaying and should he touch the pedestal it too would begin to decay as well.

The next time Kirill blinked he would no longer be within that solitary space but outside on the other side of the door with some members staring off and others aware (Depending on choices other players may also be awake in the room. Congratulations, Kirill is now suffering from STATUS: Corruption!)

Thatguynameded
As Brass intently focused on the blade in his hand the ash and dust had long since settled and the moon was high in the sky. The gentle glow seemed to increase and suddenly in was bright like starlight as a woman stood at the edge of the grave Brass had dug for himself. The woman had an ethereal glow with flowing robes and long hair and deep dark eyes like the night sky.

Are you certain child? Even if you end yourself here could you say your suffering would truly end?

She slightly leaned over and the knife reflected the light emanating from her figure.

Do you truly wish to end your life cursed when you have the means to break it and avenge your pack? It comes at the cost of using the gem you're protecting, but you must choose. Yourself, your pack or SMITED.

Choose wisely.

(Note for Ed: If he eats the gem he'll return to his wolffolk form - with some massive changes which make him much stronger and more intelligent - and find himself back in the Maze on the other side of the door and outside of the trial. Depending on choices other players may also be awake in the room.)

Noble Scion
Sang's continued 'confusion' regarding her identity made the duo give her concerned looks as she regarded herself as Sang and asked if her father - the patriarch leader of House Red - was dead. This worry in the woman's expression only increased as Sang muttered to herself about her fears being tested and for things to be ended. When she asked for a mirror the elder man fetched a small hand mirror and held it up so that she could see herself.

Sang for the most part appeared as herself, the most obvious and major difference was her skin was no red but a deep shade of blue. "Was any magic used? This seems to be more than just common confusion from her injury," the woman asked with worry.

"Child," the man said with some gentleness but edged with irritation, "You're not Sang. You are a proud member of Soledad."

"Perhaps casting the illusion over her all these so she could wander House Red and her fall have affected her memories. We'd have to find a specialist to fix this," the woman sighed, retreating to stand next to the man. They both said that she could get rest while they sorted things out and then left her alone in the room though a large brawny man guarded the door to her room should she decide to get up and explore or escape.

The mirror in her hand shimmered and reflected the light to catch Sang's attention. It showed Sang's blue face and a hand lifting up the green gem. The reflection ate the gem and the color of the reflection changed from blue the purple to red; restoring Sang to her true self. The message was clear. Eat the gem, go back to being Sang.

(If Sang eats the gem, she will gain increased abilities and find herself outside of the trial. Depending on choices other players may also be awake in the room.)

Tarmagon
When Jasper chose himself over all his team he would get slammed by some invisible force impacting his body. It wasn't enough to knock him over, but enough to knock the wind out of him and make him stagger. Something had gone inside of him because whatever it was hadn't passed through him. He would feel the need to cough and cough he would and pain would pulse through him with every heartbeat.

The runes seemed to be absorbed into him and left no marks behind. His veins where red blood once flowed slowly begin to turn black though there were no other physical changes, for now. The next blink and Jasper was on the other side of the door greeted by the still bodies of his team, still black veined but no longer feeling pain from his beating heart.

(Depending on choices other players may also be awake in the room. Congratulation, Jasper also has the STATUS: CORRUPTION!)

Hanarei
An alarm blared loudly and emergency lights kicked on throughout the facility. Over the alarm a voice came over the loudspeaker, "Felicia, stop! Take that syringe and inject yourself quickly or deadly force will have to be used!"

Footsteps, heavy-booted footsteps grew closer and closer and soon around the corner at the end of the hallway where it split came heavily armored and weapon wielding soldiers. Not military; SMITED. They all had the SMITED armband identifying them. There were only a handful of mundane humans equipped with guns which trained on her person. The majority were magicians and other fantastical races, one of which was Brass who was growling deeply at her.

"Felicia Caldwell, you are to cease hostile activity and surrender. Should you refuse to comply we have been cleared for use of deadly force. You have ten seconds to comply."

A voice whispered to her that it as all just a trick, an illusion. That she could kill them all because they weren't really alive or existed. It continued saying it was the gem causing the illusion and that if she got rid of it she'd wake up.

Should she refuse Brass would be the first to charge at her and of course the first to die the moment he got within a certain range of her and joining the other bodies in the hallway.

Morzone
The woman laughed at Theo's reaction, it was joyous even as she watched him grab the crowbar and change it to a flaming metal whip and begin to shuffle his metal limbs, pushing aside his deceased team members in the process. "Yes! Yes! Get mad! Wrathful!" She moved to evade his whip, though whether she needed to or not remained to be seen. She giggled and laughed as he tried to strike at her almost as though she was dancing.

The metal on his legs seemed to get lighter and lighter the more he moved and that strange numb feeling soon began within his hands now as well as his flesh turned into metal. This wasn't the clunky metal like before, this metal was formed exactly like his limbs and he could move them with more ease though there was still a struggle in effectively controlling them which affected the aim of his whip.

"I'll make a deal with yooouu," she called out from some high rafter above him, her feet swaying as they dangled. She flipped upside down, walking along the rafter as though gravity had no laws here. She held out the mana stone for him to see. "If you give me that pretty lil' gem you have I'll give this back. Or we can play longer, I don't mind!"

(If you exchange the gem for the mana stone Theo will leave the trial under STATUS: Corruption where he will retain the metal limbs. Depending on choices other players may also be awake in the room.)

DapperCat
(This may be edited later with additions/changes from Dapper.)

The mission object was most likely very clear without any more words needing to be said. To kill the man, though the woman being killed as well was also fine. "You understand. Of course you do.
I will warn you though the moment you complete this mission you'll be returned to the maze from whence I pulled you from. With an added bonus of course of your alcohol refilled. A parting gift until next we meet."

(Note for Dapper: Once she does the mission - killing dude - she'll be snapped back into the Maze on the other side of the door. Depending on choices other players may also be awake in the room.)

baddervibes
The woman didn't scream as Caddigan bit into her. The trio that had dragged him into the nest laughed openly. No one here cared if someone was harmed or even killed. It was a known risk humans gladly accepted because they were into such things. The woman actually laughed as well and pouted as he finally jerked away from her and forced her off of him, pouting, "Aww, play some more!"

The nameless woman who had dragged him here was no longer amused as he shouted. With vampire speed she appeared in front of him with a snarl, "I guess what they say about dhampirs being mad is true then." The next moment something was shoved into his mouth, something like a thick liquid filled plastic. Blood poured out from the ripped hole and it poured into his mouth and overflowed over his face. The woman made sure he drank, the two males restraining him as she cooed, "Too good to drink blood like a real vampire? We can fix that for you."

---Area on the Other Side of Door---

---

(Players who are under the effect of corruption currently: Jasper, Kirill. Players who are outside of the trial: Jasper, Kirill, Celena, Don. There are players who can opt to take the path to exit the trial as mention in their posts. Those players who remain in the trial are in the room with everyone just staring out blankly. You will not be able to touch them or awaken them.)

(Corruption Status: You are now much, much stronger and entirely healed. For the rest of the mission you will remain with this status but can make it worse depending on your reactions/actions. Your characters under this affect will be drawn to the gems of your team members, the stronger the corruption the worse the desire and self-control. If you have a gem still with this status you will struggle to resist from consuming it.)​

 

[Noble Scion]

Sang weakly glared daggers at the two blue demons as they left, their lifelike actions making it hard to truly differentiate between her own memories and what they were speaking of, both of them convinced that she was this blue demon that had infiltrated her own house and wondered if it had been like that in reality, which one of her family had betrayed the rest? Not that it mattered anymore.

After they left, she gave the room a more detailed looked before finding herself tired and worn, which was strange for something that felt like a dream, or a nightmare. Looking at the mirror again, she studied her detestable appearance that resembled what she remembered of herself, her heart lurching as the mirror began fading to what she used to be after eating the crystal they'd each been given. She held the mirror still and watched herself change colour back to the pleasant red she'd always remembered and proud of until it hurt too much to be reminded of. In a fit of disgust at being reminded, she threw the mirror at the opposite wall before realising that it wouldn't change anything, and that there was only one way of getting what she wished for.

She meekly sat there, staring at the sickening blue of her own arm. The ex-princess had hated them for simply being Soledad's, but her stomach was rolling even at the sight of their signature colour. Perhaps somewhere along the way she had associated the colour with the source of her anger and just never noticed given that she rarely even held the right to meet one anymore, a fact that stung her heart alongside being unable to see even her own family. Sang felt deprived of her life at how the world had turned her existence from something respected to something looked down upon. The thought brought more pain.l

Being red already reminded her enough of her past, she couldn't even imagine being forced to remember this day and all of the tortures it had tormented her with along side everything else. At least being herself reminded her of home.

Guiltily, the blue demon searched her pockets for the gem, found it, and placed it on her lap, glaring at it with contempt, unwilling to do as the box had suggested, yet feeling powerless and forced to do as it demanded. How long the affects of the box on her body would last, she didn't know, but the idea of it being permanent made her eyes prick with tears of fear. Her pride had been stolen, moulded, played with, and crushed before being thrown away, leaving behind nothing but fear and isolation, yet again.

Crying, the woman picked up the gem and shoved it into her mouth in shame, sobbing as it slid down her throat before hugging her legs to her head and holding herself, feeling like she had after being exiled from her own household by the ones she loved. Betrayed, by herself.

"You win", was all she managed to whisper through the stream of tears, feeling broken, vulnerable, and defeated.

Then, when she opened her eyes, she found herself among the other group members again, feeling rejuvenated physically, but with agonising guilt floating through her mind, it was hard to notice. She didn't move towards any of the others and chose to stand there, staring at her arms and their usual colouration.
Fable (Everyone else too, sorta)

 

[DapperCat]

location: The Labyrinth
addresses/mentions: Fable
music:

For what felt like forever, Qerres felt like she couldn't breathe. Her mouth turned dry, swallowing hard as her eyes flicked back to Him. Outwardly, there wasn't much of a change to the woman. A short moment of annoyance, but the fake smile was plastered back onto her plump lips.

"What is it, Sir?"

She felt she knew what it were. It hadn't been something new, he ordered her to do it before. But back then she could never fully do it. Almost- but back then she had a heart. She liked to believe that fragment was gone forever now. She could hope.

"Kill him. Though odds are small, there is always this chance you will meet him again. A chance he may reign you back in with his petty lies and his two faces."

Her little white pupils remained fixated on the elven man at the bar. His brown hair clawed into by the human woman's long fingernails.

"I-..."

"It would bring a lot of serenity to me, to Us, and most of all, to you. We miss having all of you, Mask. Ever since that wretched man walked into and out of your life, you have been but a fraction of the soldier I once knew."

His fingers squeezed over her hand with the most beautiful sympathetic smile. He was all she had left. He had been her entire world before the elf had entered it- and once again he had become such. He saved her. He gave her a life. All she could do was repay him.

She nodded to him. "Yes sir." As if he'd been a trick of the eye, in a moment's notice he'd disappeared in the shadows of the tavern-corner. All that lingered was a final message resonating through her head. "Once you do yourself this favor and complete this, you'll be back where I came to meet you from. Be wary of those beside you."

She took up the drink she'd left on the table, taking a reserved sip before refilling it. Reserved sips became chugs and soon the bottle had been drained. Her pointed ear perked, her gaze flicked every so often to the bar. Waiting for him, or them, to leave. She was at her third bottle, paid for by her 'friend', when finally they stepped outside.

Intoxication warmed her from the inside, like a soothing campfire. She was going to need it. Despite the resentment, the hate and the hurt she felt toward that man.

She loved him once.

He used her once.

The woman rose to her feet, stepping outside with her usual fake grin. Giving a silent wave to the bartender as she casually stepped outside. It was night-time. The stars were as clouded as her mind was, the moon barely shining through.

The two gave each other another kiss, before the woman excused herself. Q heard something about a wedding she had to attend, and he fed her the usual romantic dribble. Her lips tightened. The same things he'd fed her. And she had eaten it up.

Click-clack. The woman's heels carried her off with an echo as she left the open square. But Qerres' eyes were fixated on the elven man. Donned in simple cloth and leathers, he wouldn't make too much of an issue. Then again, perhaps now that he didn't need to manipulate her anymore, he'd fight her head-on.

Rain began to fall.

First slowly, then it crashed into a downpour. She followed the man as silently as she could. Through alleys, around houses, until they had come to an alley so dark and secluded... were it not for her Demon-eyes, she wouldn't be able to see a thing. Her hand felt around for the Swiss-knife she'd stuffed in one of the many pockets on her cargo-pants.

Quietly she slid the sharp object open, footsteps gaining on the man. But she'd never been a quiet one. Swiftly, the man turned, sword in hand but just a bit too slow. Qerres' dagger pressed against the man's throat, her other arm locked around the lower part of his neck.

"Don't move."

He wasn't that much taller than her. His matted brown locks stuck to his skin as he tried to turn his head a little.

"I said -don't move-," she hissed out. Her voice low, but pressing. To emphasize her point, the sharp line of the dagger pressed softly against his adam's apple. It bobbed nervously. But she could see the hint of surprise in the corner of his eye as he turned more to her.

"...Qerrie?"

"Don't call me that."

A moment of hesitation, a moment of emotion flitting through her was enough for him to wrench her arm away and slide out of her grip. She immediately rushed forth, aiming to swipe his legs from under him with one of her own. With a splat and clatter the man fell back onto the cobblestone, his blade just out of reach as it skid across the ground.

In a matter of seconds, she was on top of him. Knees holding down his legs, her fingers gripping the front of his bangs and her dagger pressed to his throat again.

"Q-...Qerrie-- I thought--."

There were the puppy-eyes. Qerres grit her teeth as she slammed his head against the cobblestone.

"Shut UP! Spare me y'lies! Spare me y'stupid bullshit. I don't want t' hear it."

Her nostrils flared, her arms shook and her thick brows twitched to a furrow. No. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve the emotion. She let the mask slip away. The cheerful facade, the density. Her expression turned almost robotic. Not a sense of emotion to her features, not a single shimmer to her dead eyes.

"This is nothin' personal. Just an order," she spoke monotonously.

"I missed you," he muttered softly, purposely ignoring the throbbing pain going through his head from the blast. His hand lifted and she couldn't stop him. She felt a set of warm fingers on her cold cheek. She hated herself for the wish to press against the sensation, she hated him for trying this on her again. She hated that it worked.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You destroyed me when you left me. I- I looked everywhere for you, nearly died t-."

"No y'didn't."

If it weren't for the alcohol, she would've shut her mouth. She never was the talkative type anyway, not truly, but her intoxication really helped her speak her mind a little more.

The man's lips spread to wider smile, tears beading in his eyes- or perhaps it was the rain. Either way, she couldn't trust it. Her own lips quivered at the warm palm still pressed to her cheek. I hate you. I hate you for what you've done to me.

But she couldn't say that. It was a bridge even the alcohol could not help her cross.

Her callous fingers gripped his wrist, pushing his hand away with new resolve. He kept up his act, he never wavered. He laid on the cold cobblestone beneath her, broad and strong-looking as ever, with his stupid innocent expression.

His fingers tried to stubbornly reach out to her jaw. A brush of his thumb across her lower lip. She closed her eyes. Not because of temptation, but because of memories.

So many women she'd spoken to. Approached her, all with similar yet different stories of their 'romance' with the man. Before her, there were countless ones. It had already made her insecure, even though she knew she was a hypocrite for doing so. But worse... during her.

So many lies.

The faces of some of the women crossed her mind. Eyes still closed, she felt his warm breath on her lips. In a fraction of a second she shoved her fist into his face with all her strength. How dare he try and kiss her.

She didn't listen to the pleading anymore. There were more muttering of love, praising her, the countless nicknames she'd received from him throughout those years of loyalty. One-sided loyalty. They were muffled, like they were under-water.

But her fists kept slamming into his face. He let it happen. She knew why. He thought he could stop her again with pretty words-

But not this time.

Motivated by His order. Enraged by her memories. Fueled by the alcohol. Aided by the numbing of time.

She grabbed the knife. Circling both palms around the hilt, in one swift motion she plunged the sharp end of it into his chest.

Everything after happened in slow-motion.

His expressions shifted from the acted pleading and 'love', to shock, to fear and eventually anger. He began to struggle under her in his last moments, but she kept him firmly in place. Her muscles taut, jaw clenched as she felt tears run down her cheeks.

No.

He didn't deserve that. Not at all. Her last tears for this man were shed almost a year ago.

The warm tears mixed with the cascading rain as she watched the life leave his eyes. She didn't feel happy about it, nor really sad. Maybe angry. Angry at everything.

As soon as she was sure he'd passed, pressing her fingertips to his neck to check for his pulse, she let the knife drop out of a shaking hand. With a thud she let herself fall back against the brick wall of the alley.

She pulled her knees up, letting her elbows rest there as her hands gripped into her short hair. Her strong grip nearly pulled some of it out, but she didn't care. Her shoulders heaved and shook. Choked sobs only heard by herself and the rain.

 

[Thatguynameded]

Time had past, brass could see the night sky, tonight would have been the gathering of the pack to celebrate the Den Mother. The moon was full, the perfect night for the Cursed to gather away from the packs. Brass noticed the moon was brighter even with his duller senses. Then a glowing figure appeared at the edge of his grave above his head. Its probably the spirit of one of his dead pack members, or maybe it was death its self coming to take brass. Which ever came to torture brass, he didn't care, his time is near. When he seen that it was a woman he was a bit relived that it wasn't a member of his pack or SMITED.

Are you certain child? Even if you end yourself here could you say your suffering would truly end?

The light was blinding so brass placed the knife down and put it in his sheath. Brass sat up and laid his back on the other side of the grave so that he could face the glowing woman. "Brass can no longer be in peace, spirit cursed" The woman called him child, brass was convinced this was not the Den Mother. To be cursed, is to be abandoned by her. Elders and sages where the only ones who could contact Den Mother, the fact that a spirit of a woman and not a wolffolk appeared solidified that. Then it hit brass, this was the cursed spirit. It was trying to take brass to its side and brass now has to be on the defense when talking to the cursed spirit.

Do you truly wish to end your life cursed when you have the means to break it and avenge your pack? It comes at the cost of using the gem you're protecting, but you must choose. Yourself, your pack or SMITED.

Brass chuckles which is something very uncharacteristically of him to do, It must be his human form changing him. His feelings and thoughts have been changing since his change, this is something he needs to adapt to. Brass pulls the stone out of his pocket and stares at it, he raises it to the point where the stone blocks the path of the moon. He thinks about how the green shine of the stone was really pretty, why didn't he see how pretty it is. His mind began to wander into his past and remember how beautiful and pretty his world was. The green lush forests, the clear waters of the lakes, the villages they pass through, the people, His mind continued to wander on the looks of people. Brass never cared what people look like but he started to think about the people, his stomach felt weird. He quickly snapped back to the moment and said calmly. "Brass's pack chose to make brass cursed, if brass breaks curse brass will hurt the packs dying wish." Brass shoves the rock back into his pocket and glares at the glowing figure.

"Brass picks to suffer cursed one, brass will avenge, but brass will die. Brass knows cursed ones trick, you try to trick Brass" He stands up and climbs out of the grave, his hands pulse with pain. Brass was in a strange place, in a place of self destruction, but also vengeance.


Fable

 

[Xemanorth]

Kirill awoke and felt strangely... different and little wonder, considering he'd sprouted an additional set of limbs or something that felt very much like it at any rate. The sensation of spreading his black, leathery wings felt equal parts new and familiar, as if some innate instinct made maneuvering them second nature. Their wingspan was impressive, though that was a given, as otherwise they'd struggle to fulfill their purpose. Having not had enough room to spread and move under Kirill's clothing, they'd forcibly ripped and torn their way out from beneath the layers of fabric by way of sheer force, leaving most of his upper body exposed.

The half-demon breathed a sigh of relief as he stretched his wings before bringing them close around him, briefly surrounding himself in a sort of cocoon as he drew them inward, feeling their full range of motion. Kirill lowered himself down to a squat, his wings slowly spreading out once more before he pushed himself up into a stand, leaping into the air as he flapped his wings with a great deal of force in order to propel himself up into the air. Displacing enough air to move a creature of his size and weight was no easy task however, and those around him would likely be able to feel his efforts through the harsh gust of wind that the half-demon left behind him in his swift ascension.

The wind howled past Kirill's ears as he took flight, gaining a fair bit of altitude, likely even disappearing into the shadows and darkness above the group's ruined surroundings. With a second loud flap he set himself into motion, swiftly sailing through the darkness. His gaze wandered the ruins for a while before inevitably being drawn back to the group whose presence he'd departed mere moments earlier, they were still the ones with the gems after all. That said, it wasn't as if he could sense who was carrying them with pinpoint precision, it was more of a pull toward the group's general direction, a pull that he chose to follow as he began to circle above the group like a vulture.

His gaze bounced between the vague silhouettes he could make out from his position, settling on one in particular before abruptly breaking out of his routine of circling them and vanishing once more into the abyss. What followed was another flap of his wings, maybe two, before everything grew all too eerily silent, the sound had vanished too abruptly for him to have flown away, perhaps he had perched himself somewhere? In reality after putting some distance between the group and himself, the half-demon had pulled his wings in around him once more as he banked downward into a sharp dive, his reason behind all this? To build momentum.

After deeming he'd gathered enough speed, the half-demon spread his wings once more and allowed them to level him horizontally, transforming his downward momentum horizontal instead. There was no audible flap or gust of wind to reveal his presence, but nevertheless there was an uneasy sensation in the air, like something heavy was moving at dangerously fast speed, careening straight for the group. The reason for this became obvious sooner rather than later as Kirill abruptly emerged from the shadows, near level with the ground, in a direct dive toward Red, his aim being to tackle her, not to the ground but rather to bury his shoulder into her abdomen, after which should it prove successful he would wrap his arms around her waist and lift her over one shoulder as he planted his feet on the ground.

Should his maneuver prove successful, he'd push himself off the ground once more and flap his wings yet again, his aim being to sweep Red off her feet and into the air with him. How romantic! Or immensely horrifying, depending on how one looked at it. Maybe both. Both is good.
( Fable , June Verles , r e i , Noble Scion , Tarmagon , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad )

 

[Tarmagon]

"Well, that sucked." Jasper muttered as his heart lurched in his chest. "Christ but that hurt."

Well, it had hurt, at least at first, but now? Jasper felt invigorated, supercharged. The downside? Well, the loss of his tattoos was pretty high on his list. And this new color scheme wasn't really his thing. Dark veins usually meant Bad Things were happening. Not to mention they he could feel the potential in the offering still tucked away in his armor, knew he could take it and become something, more. His hand actually started to move towards the closure on his armor before he stopped it by an act of sheer determination.

"Not going to happen!" he growled at the air. "It'll take more than an Ancient Evil makeover to make me abandon my mission. It'll... DAFUQ?!?"

A blast of displaced air buffeted Jasper as something, or maybe someone, took flight near him. He caught a glimpse of leathery wings before a large shape disappeared into the gloom above the group. A couple were moving, but most seemed in some kind of stasis. Idly Jasper wondered if they'd all been standing there, but a strange sensation called his attention forward. A dark, winged form hurled towards them, like a huge bird of prey stooping.

Jasper cursed, knowing he didn't have time to inscribe the runes blazing in his mind, didn't have time to raise a wall to protect them...Runes began to blaze to life in the air between the group and the dark shape, hanging in mid-air in flames of silver and charcoal. They spread, multiplied, and formed a wall of fiery symbols, arching to cover the top of the frozen group. To anyone who could read them they promised that hitting them would be the equivalent of slamming into a brick wall.

"Might want to reconsider!" Jasper called out, not knowing if the flying whatever it was could hear him, or care if it did. "Might collect a broken bone or two if you hit that."

Fable , June Verles , r e i , Noble Scion , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad , Xemanorth

 

[Morzone]

Fable
​

His whip spun and flexed, wrapped and coiled, but the woman twirled and strode, leapt and pranced. She danced just out of his reach, despite Theo's efforts to catch her. There wasn't enough metal in the crowbar, he couldn't stretch the molten metal strand far enough to catch her without losing control. All the while the metal was spreading farther up his body, his hands had started becoming numb. Luckily the whip's movement relied on his magic for movement rather than his own physical moves, though he couldn't deny the increasing numbness was starting to distract him.

"I'll make a deal with yooouu," she called out from some high rafter above him, her feet swaying as they dangled. She flipped upside down, walking along the rafter as though gravity had no laws here. She held out the mana stone for him to see. "If you give me that pretty lil' gem you have I'll give this back. Or we can play longer, I don't mind!"

How had she even gotten up there? This was ridiculous, Theo felt like a child jumping up at a toy held over his head and out of his reach. He certainly wasn't in the mood right now to be making deals, that was for sure. No way was he giving up and caving in after just one attempt, even if the creeping metal was providing him with a clear time limit. There wasn't time for a slow battle of wits, But if he attacked ferociously he'd just speed the metal up even more... every attack he made would have to be done to defeat this woman. He would defeat her, so that he could be rid of this curse, so that he could retrieve the Mana stone, he would defeat this woman.

He offered no verbal reply to her offer. Instead with his free hand Theo conjured a hand full of flame. It roiled and sparked, and Theo blasted it upward toward the woman's mocking figure. It burned with ferocious intensity as the pillar of flame shot toward the woman. Suddenly, before it reached its mark, the flame pillar broke open, fire fanned upward in all directions, surrounding and caging the woman in a vertical tunnel of heat and flame. Theo did waste a second, as the flames closed off her escape routes theo stamped the ground with his Metal legs, such was the force that the ground cracked and Theo was rocketed upward. His molten whip retracted, splashing across his now raised fist to form a gauntlet of liquid metal. His aim was true: he would drive the liquid metal straight into her gut. The distance was closed in an instant, and Theo let his punch fly.

Moments before his fist would have made contact The liquid metal suddenly leapt from his hand, not into the Woman's gut as was what seemed to be his target, but rather splashing sideways toward her arm and wrist. Spreading outward like some fiery jellyfish the metal moved to cut off any possible escape, attempting to wrap its molten tendrils around any part of her arm it could reach. Even a small amount of the molten metal could do considerable damage to flesh and bone, the pain of which would cause her to lose her grip on the mana stone. If Theo could just grab it from her, he'd have no reason to fight, no reason to aggravate the metal any further.

Still, even as the molten metal made a surprise change in target, Theo could not alter his own flight path. He was bound for a crash course with this unnamed woman. Perhaps the weight of his metal limbs could give him an edge in a grapple fight now that the flames were blocking most of her movement. It would be a most pleasurable irony.

 

[baddervibes]

Location: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH-| Fable
​

Caddigan blinks, blinks, and the vampire is suddenly standing before him: her face set in a displeased frown. Perhaps this sudden and uncharacteristic change in the villain’s demeanor should have struck fear into Caddy, but he was truly just pleased to see a reaction other than “twisted sexual pleasure”.

"I guess what they say about dhampirs being mad is true then." She snarls. Caddy was mad alright, but he doesn’t have the energy to argue anymore. Instead, he runs his tongue across his teeth, picks up what blood remained in his mouth, and promptly spits it out onto the vampire’s face. Caddy sees it hit her square between the eyes, a dark red fluid that splatters and starts to trace down the right side of her perfect nose. If she has a reaction, Caddy doesn’t have a chance to see it. A second barely passes by as the vampire’s two lackeys hurl their figures at Caddy’s gaunt body. His arms are restrained behind his back as one meaty hand finds itself wrapped around the top of the dhampir’s heads. He audibly chokes in shock: trying to twist and turn his body free but to no avail.

"Too good to drink blood like a real vampire? We can fix that for you." Caddy hears the woman coo and feels something slide swiftly into his mouth. The taste of iron bursts past his teeth and across his tongue: it travels down a throat that Caddy tries desperately to close. He wonders if this was punishment for his rude reply or a planned extension to this bizarre torture.

In the end, he decides it doesn’t matter as he squirms so harshly underneath the vampire’s grasp that he feels joints pop and muscles burn. He chokes and sputters as his mouth is filled to the brim with blood: it overflows down his chin and neck and onto his uniform. There’s just so much of it and he doesn’t know where it’s coming from. Suddenly his vision goes red as he feels the warm fluid run over the rest of his face: getting stuck into his eyes and pouring out from his nose and trickling up into his hair. There’s just too much too much too much too much too much stop stop stoP STOP STOP-

And Caddy’s throat finally opens. He lets the blood run down into him. He expects to feel a white-hot shame: an overwhelming feeling of humiliation and despair. Instead, he is surprised to feel...peace. Not the sort of peace felt from being held or falling asleep in a warm bed. It was something more akin to a great and grieving release: like when you hear that someone you loved has finally passed after being in pain for so long. A cooling wind of relief: this is what washed over him.

He was, at the moment, still Caddigan. The blood had not changed him altogether. He could still feel his muscles burn and twist. He still had all his fingers and toes. His mind was intact and registering that, yes, Caddy was still here. Even in such a powerless moment, Caddy was maintaining control. Because this was his body, his blood, and no one else's. This was the source of the aforementioned relief. So Caddy drank willingly for the first time in a very long time. He let his body ease and relax. He let the relief wash over him. He let everything run red.

​

 

[Hanarei]

Felicia heard the sirens as she shifted back to reality. The voice called out to her mentioning to use the syringe as she shook her head seeming to reject it outright. It was at that moment SMITED charged in quick to take position at arms ready to attack her eyes particularly seeming to come upon Brass. A threat of lethal force was mentioned as she looked on a bit more puzzled. The whispers reached her ears as she simply nodded a bit in response. It was all an illusion after all, it had to be so killing them wouldn't really elicit such a response. Just getting rid of the Gem was all she needed to do? She lifted her hand ready to use her powers on the men as the countdown ticked down before they would attack...

Her hand was shaking... her body was shaking. Why? Why am I shaking? She questioned her own react as she prepared to throw the gem away seemingly paused as the time for her to react was quickly dwindling down. The world stood almost perfectly still as a look of confusion filled her face. The look suddenly shifting as she blinked, tears forming in her eyes slowly dripping down her face. Why was she crying? The esper stood confused by her own feelings as she looked up just as the countdown was finishing as brass started to charge.

No!

She suddenly jumped back quickly boosting herself back not allowing her companion to get close as she shot herself back flying through into the room and crashing herself out through an already partially broken window cutting herself up on some of the glass as she came tumbling out gripping the gem tight electing to run away before someone could be hurt tears streaming down her cheeks as her powers seemed to fade away as she fell forward towards the ground below as a mixture of confusing emotions tugged at her mind. Time once against seeming to slow for her mentally as she fell, running away rather then wanting to cause more harm uncertain about the fall she was about to take.

Location: Falling
Mentioned:
Fable

 

[Fable]

Tristan & Company

( Xemanorth Noble Scion Tarmagon June Verles Myriad )

Tristan around this time seemed to shudder awake, gasping desperately for air and crumpled to his knees with his form shaking. Wild eyes darted around him at his surroundings, the others as he caught his breath and then... vomited. His stomach was mostly empty so after heaving what little he had in his stomach was followed by violent dry heaving for a full minute, eyes watering in reaction.

After Tristan managed to collect himself he got back up on unsteady feet. He would have chugged down some water and chewed gum, but with the fire wall around them and some winged thing flying around clearly there wasn't any time for that. Jasper was the one maintaining that wall of runes in strange colors or silver and charcoal and his first thought was wondering if whatever the fuck had happened swapped his powers for Theo's, but then he saw the black veins, the lack of runes.

"W-What the fuck is going on?!" he shouted. He didn't have time to do an accurate head count, but he did notice two people missing because they were both hard to miss. Kirill wasn't present and neither was the red-skinned Sang.

(If you do NOT reply to this round it's an automatic failure of your character's trial if you are sill engaged in the trial. This is the LAST round for this trial.)​

DapperCat
The world around Qerres seemed to shudder and ripple. At first it could have been the tears in her eyes, the sobbing that shook her body. Her hands, like the others who had utterly failed their trial had black veins begin to spread from them and also around her eyes. Her tears would stop, not because she stopped them but because she could actually no longer seem to cry. Her broken horn had been repaired and a long fleshy, black tail, had grown and twitched behind her.

With these changes the corruption of the box settled within her painfully as the changes happened. The world around her was almost like a thick layer that covered the true reality, like she could see through the illusion of her mind she was trapped within. It would just take a small push of her own will to break free of this illusion and she'd be returned to the box with the other SMITED agents.

(Note for Dapper: *Oprah voice* YOU GET CORRUPTION AND YOU GET CORRUPTION! Okay so new tail, great for balance, climbing, smacking a bitch, grabbing stuff. You ever see Splice? Basically tail with a bone that can come out and inject venom. Eyes, she can see through illusions now and even break them, so she could technically try and break out any remaining within the trial, but with corruption she's gonna want dem gems they have as well.)

Thatguynameded
The glowing figure frowned slightly at Brass's answer. As he got up the light she had been producing dimmed and dimmed until she was a pitch black figure, nothing but moving shadow. It's body language became predatory as it circled around the grave and Brass. The wind picked up violently causing the ash to swirl around and obscured Brass's vision, as though he were within the eye of a tornado; a barrier of wind, ash, dust, and soot. Any part of him that tried would feel and be damaged as though a sandstorm, but the particles would destroy clothes and leave flesh raw as though rubbed by sandpaper.

"Very well, you've made your choice, but by your will alone can you break free? Can you overcome the pain to escape?"

Morzone
She laughed. Laughed as Theo attacked her once again, only this time she didn't even dodge his attacks. As he caged in her flame she put the stone in her mouth and swallowed it whole before grinning at him with amused eyes. She didn't even flinch as burning metal wrapped around her wrists nor when he crashed into her violently. She just cackled in pure mad joy even as her flesh burned.

Then there was another laugh, as though she were laughing in surround sound. There were two more of her then, one was back where she original had been lounging, another leaning against a wall casually. "Make sure she's cooked medium rare," one taunted. "No no, medium well. She's not a cow and therefore not beef!" "Oh, very true sister! Very true! Medium well then Magician!" They laughed in unison once more and then went completely stoic as the one Theo attacked stopped laughing and her eyes went dead, staring at Theo with a mad grin even in death.

"Do you think he'll rip out her guts to find he precious rock?" "Oh I think he will, I think he will! He'll shove a red hot metal hand and rip it right out!" "Ooh, goody goody! Yes, dig in!"

One clapped excitedly and the other bounced eagerly on her feet. The metal spread further on Theo's limbs and all that was left as flesh was his chest and head.

"He might become solid metal before he makes his choice to do that though." "No hints, he'll use the gem then!" "You just gave him one!" "Shit! Oh well! Cat's out of the bag then." "You always ruin things, you big mouth!" "He's probably too stupid to figure it out from just that though!"

baddervibes
The woman laughed as Caddigan tried to resist being grappled and the blood forced into his mouth. As he finally could no longer not drink and gulped down a mouthful of blood her grin grew. "Oh, I think he likes it," she laughed out, earning some chuckles from the two holding him in place. They didn't stop there with him though. They wanted him drunk on blood, but blood bags weren't enough, so they beckoned over a girl and shoved his mouth over the already open wound from someone's previous bite.

Her blood was fresh and warm. "Go ahead, drink her up. It's better than pre-packaged, straight from the source is always tastier." They wouldn't let him go, not until he had drained the girl to the point of of passing out. They wanted him drunk on blood, for his inner predator to burst out in a frenzy for their amusement. At least until a familiar masculine voice cut through. Those who had been engaged in earthly pleasures all scattered and fled as Caddigan's father came down the stairs.

The man's eyes bore down on Caddigan and he displayed a disgusted sneer. "What are you doing in here?" The trio released Caddigan and cautiously retreated, giving the man a wide clearing before running up the stairs leaving Caddigan alone with his father in the blood soaked room. The man continued to casually approach him then once within range his hand snapped up and grabbed Caddigan's throat and squeezed.

"You've been a thorn in my side for too long. I should have ripped you from your mother's womb myself for all the trouble you and her have caused me. Today I'll correct that mistake."

Hanarei
Brass pursued her without hesitation, her cuts on the glass only giving him a stronger scent to follow. The other SMITED agents left behind had orders barked out at them to secure the building and over radio static came a confirmation that the building was secured and surrounded. If Felicia tried to flee the building she'd be shot on sight. It seemed like they were still actively evacuating people from the building as well, using exits as far from her location as possible.

Brass growled viciously behind her, but did not jump after her. He watched as she fell the far distance waiting to see if she'd use her powers to stop her deadly fall. If she didn't stop her fall, the moment she smacked into the hard pavement below she'd snap awake back in the box. If she did use her powers to save herself Brass would make the leap and land safely to continue to hunt her down.

(Sorry it's so weak, I tried to trigger her with her mom n' stuff but that detachment, lol.)

---Area on the Other Side of Door---

---

(Players who are under the effect of corruption currently: Jasper, Kirill, Qerres. Players who still have their gems: Jasper, Felicia, Brass, Caddigan, Theo. Elora also still has hers.)

(Corruption Status: You are now much, much stronger and entirely healed. For the rest of the mission you will remain with this status but can make it worse depending on your reactions/actions. Your characters under this affect will be drawn to the gems of your team members, the stronger the corruption the worse the desire and self-control. If you have a gem still with this status you will struggle to resist from consuming it.)​

 

[Thatguynameded]

As brass mad dogged the light figure his vision began to lessen again. He wondered for a second why his sense's were dulling again but then the figure turned into a black shadow right before brass's eyes. His senses weren't dulling out again, the moon light began to drain from the sky and the figure had turn into a back a figure that brass could only assume that it finally chose to show its true from. It got in a stance like a beast and began to circle brass like he was prey. Brass was no ones prey, even if he was a human now, his beastial upbringing was still engraved in him and with his eyes he followed his soon to be attacker with a focus as intense as a big hunt. He was dealing with a shadowy figure that brass assumes is the spirit of the cursed one after all.

Everything began to spin, not brass, but the world around him. The ashes, soot, and lose dirt started to circle him like how the shadow figure did. What little doubt he had about this being something other than the cursed one is now gone. Now he believes that the curse one will try to recruit you and if you were to reject, you would be killed. Brass would never put things together logically but with his human mind, he now thinks the cursed one will try to kill you because there still is a chance to reverse the curse. This now has boosted his spirits with hope, with his combo of anger and hope. His heart is now filled with determination, the determination to get revenge and figure out the truth of why the cursed one kills his kind when he is rejected.

"Very well, you've made your choice, but by your will alone can you break free? Can you overcome the pain to escape?"

Brass did the uncharacteristic chuckle again and put his hand out to keep the ash, soot, and dirt from hitting his face when he starts walking. As he puts his hand out it stings his hand and quickly pull his hand back. The tips of his finger were painful, the storm had been moving fast enough to hurt his flesh. Brass was unsure how to deal with this. He had stood in place for what feels like hours, there was no way for brass to get out unless hes willing to hurt himself. Brass wanted to explore every option before trying but it was all pointless, his only way out was through the pain. Brass took a deep breath which is probably very unhealthy with the air quality around him. Then he ran, at first like a beast but the moment his first step was taken, his body kept him up right and ran like a human.

As he ran through the storm his skin began to burn and he had to keep his eyes and mouth closed for fear of permanent damage. He felt lighter as he ran, unknowingly his cloths began to rip into shreds the longer he stayed in the storm. The pain was starting to intensify but brass could not open his eye and inspect the damage. What brass couldn't see is that his skin was slowly and painfully being ripped off revealing the pink tones underneath and slowly those pink tones turned red. He could barely feel the blood running down his body due to the pain becoming unbearable. He doubted his decision to enter the storm but his intense emotions forced him to continue. He needed answers, he needed to know why SMITED did not help his pack, who was the fire mage, why dose the cursed spirit want him to eat the rock, and why would the cursed spirit try to kill him after refusing him. Why dose the cursed spirit know logic and speaks well. The more layers the storm cut through the quicker his body disintegrated into nothing but his last thoughts before fading away. All that he is, is now particles in the storm.
-
-
-
Brass tripped onto a stone floor, his entire body was shaking from the extreme pain he was feeling seconds ago. He did not dare open his eyes but the stinging sensation had stopped. In fact the sound of a howling wind of a storm has stopped. He had herd some shouting but his ears will ringing from the intense storm and could not hear properly. With his eyes closed and on his hands and knees, he grabs around his back and felt his duffel bag. Immediately he plops the bag in front of him with his eyes closed and rummaged for a bottle of water. Most of them were empty and he started to wonder why he kept the bottles. Finally finding one he began to chug the bottle almost drowning himself in a single water bottle. Coughing loudly after choking on water he yells "Brass cant hear, is spirit back?"
He continued to hold his eyes closed just in case the storm is still around him.

Fable Hanarei baddervibes Morzone DapperCat Xemanorth Noble Scion Tarmagon June Verles Myriad )

 

[DapperCat]

location: The Labyrinth
addresses/mentions: Fable
music: x

Qerres felt her eyes dry like autumn leaves, fluttering open painfully. Her hands dropped, as she found herself still knelt in the same position... but in an entirely different place. For a moment it was as if she couldn't breathe. A choked sound came from the woman, grabbing her head as she tried to come to terms with everything.

She just killed him.

She didn't know how to feel-... it wasn't a normal hit, it was someone she once had strong feelings for. The demon had not yet realised it was the box's doing, not her boss', and maybe she would never find this out. For now, all she knew, was that she was unconscious for a while. While the rest were...?

Her eyes shifted around. Nobody had noticed her mental absence.

Good.

...A big fiery wall crackled around her and the rest.

Not so good.

With some difficulty, the woman stood up to her full height. At first she felt disoriented, but it quickly made place for a feeling of rejuvenation. Why did she feel so energised? Not yet did she notice the black tail flicking behind her. She felt a pain there, but assumed it was from her falling over when she was mentally taken away.

"W-What the fuck is going on?!"

"Aren't y'supposed to know that??" she snapped back.

She took in a deep breath. Her own emotions were spilling out, and she had to push them back in. The woman clenched her fists, looked around and took a few more silent breaths. Back to 'Qerres', back to 'Qerres'... She let out a slow breath.

It seemed one of the magicians had formed fire around them. For what reason, she did not know. But she did know to be on guard. Her still trembling fingers reached for her pistol.

It took much too long for her to find the bullets. She felt herself shake from top to bottom. Finally she peeled a bullet out of her pocket. Trying to put it in the chamber, she shook so violently that the bullet clanked off of the metal and rolled across the floor.

 

[Noble Scion]

Sang stared at the ground before noticing something large and fast flying towards her at a dangerous speed. Unsure and unprepared, she simply braced herself for the impact, feeling her new-gained strength digging into the ground as she somewhat sombrely took a stance, ready to take the brunt of the force of the creature should it continue its approach, yet as it got closer and moved further out of the darkness, she couldn't help stare in wonder as one of her own teammates appeared to be the attack.

"I've had enough of this cursed box..." she growled to herself, her fury budding as her strength gave confidence. All the demon wished for was that the mission ended, yet it refused and continued on. "I'm done with these illusions being so mental!" she spat at Kirill, her brows descending as she frowned with her teeth baring. Secretly, the idea of fighting something that, well, she could actually fight was rather relieving after all the tasks that had come before. She had a chance to prove herself to her unmoving comrades for once, and the fact that it was taking the form of the muscle-headed demon that had caused her troubles at the beginning of the mission by running off was almost poetic.

She planned to barge into him with as much force as the ground allowed her to hit him with enough force in the face via her shoulder to knock him sprawling backwards, perhaps with a broken nose, but she didn't care all too much about the pain that the imitation might feel, if it could feel. The Kirill she had met before didn't have such wings, and the illusion in its entirety was rather poor from what she could tell. He didn't look nearly as muscular, but perhaps that was due to her staring at his head all the time wondering if the contents could fill more than an egg cup.

At the very least, if she missed his head, she'd probably hit him hard enough in the shoulder to get the same effect.

Yet her plan was suddenly ended as a wall of fire was erected before her, startling her as she jumped away, looking around inquisitively for the source of what could've burned her, only to see Jasper, one of the few people she had known from her previous mission, standing with his arms waving about, assumedly the source of the fire. "So you're awake." she muttered to herself, staring back at the flame and around it, wondering if the thing would just crash into it or fly around or over it . Adrenaline-pumped thoughts preoccupied her mind over the looming sense of dread at what she'd seen within the trial and made her want to simply curl up into a ball.

Sang heard shouting, one from someone she remembered as their team leader, and another one, more quiet, from someone she couldn't guess, yet the mannerism that they spoke with was clear as day, then another, less welcome, from the demoness that seemed centred on annoying her.

Opting for the most confusing the three voices, Sang ran over to 'Brass', only to find some unknown mane scrambling wildly through their bag in confusion. It reminded her of her own trial, and left her wondering if she would have been in the same state as she put two and two together. "I-it's alright!" she said shakily, pulling off her own rucksack and reaching into it, taking out the bottle of river water from that safe-zone's stream and handing it to who she could only assume was Brass. She wasn't afraid of him, nor afraid for him, but her quaking came from the reminder of her own cowardice. It took all of her will to prevent her from hiding with her guilt. Her voice choked as she tried to speak again, so she gave up on it, shut her own eyes, and began patting the human Brass on his back, confused and concerned for her friend as she thought about her actions and greed at having eaten the crystal, all for the sake of simply changing her colour.

After a moment, she worked up the energy to ask "Do you still have your crystal?", wondering if the solution that had changed her would work for her dog-pal, unconsciously projecting herself onto them.
Fable Xemanorth Tarmagon DapperCat Thatguynameded

 

[Myriad]

He can't remember how it finished.

Sure enough, Don has a foggy mind as he awakens, but the fresh memories of his torment roar in laughter of his surging pain, of how his heart aches, of the sense of dread that penetrates through his very soul as he pushes himself to clear up, to focus, to SEE what is going around him, but he can't remember a damned thing of how the illusions deigned to finish him off. It takes the sudden flash of a wall aflame for Don to register that all is not well in the waking world. Recoiling at the sudden burst of light, eyes stinging from the suddenness of the spark, the pandemonium of the others surely forces him into an adrenaline fueled sense of urgency. He can barely make heads or tails of the situation at hand, just barely able to understand that something flies overhead while the others face their own problems; namely, the very same wall of fire that one of his teammates created.

And yet, even still, Don can feel the vestiges of his confrontation with his 'father' lingering in his mind, as if clouding it from rational thought and focused action. It takes a roar from the simple one to force Don into action, even as he hears shouting over it all.

"W-What the fuck is going on?!"

"Aren't y'supposed to know that??"

Shouts from the other leader, the man, and... Red woman... Qerres! As Don feels his body moving toward the first thing he heard, he looks around, face pulled into a tight, weary grimace as he looks to the others with a painful throbbing in his head. Qerres stands with emotion laid bare, trembling hands moving to weapon. Something dark overhead that he can barely make out contends with two humans, though, Don can't recognize them in the bright light with his eyes still adjusting from the dark. He stumbles against the floor, body feeling uncharacteristically heavy, but finds himself among two others; his large eyes look to them as Don crouches down, inspecting them. The first is easy to recognize; Sang, the bright horny woman of fire. Harsh words but lonely and pain-ridden eyes, SMITED agent and ally. The second he barely recognizes at all, but he knows to protect regardless; this all feels far too lucid and real to be another illusion, else Don would still feel the horrible emptiness of looming extinction and failure.

Only, he does, and he can barely believe that any of this is real at all, even now. He doesn't even notice that he's been muttering to himself ever since he woke up, over and over; "It's not my fault, it's not, it's not..."

It isn't until he looks to the others at a distance, mind clearing slowly but surely, that his muttering stops and he looks to Sang, his voice a far-cry from the quiet stranger from back in the 'real world', but now forward and weary from the mental bull-fuckery that still makes his scales itch. "We... We cannot let them battle like this, not while... The others still slumber. Are you well, Lady Red?" Though he still has yet to use her proper name, his tone holds worried concern, and he doesn't lack for the respectful aspect of conversation.

... Right this second, at any rate.

 

[Tarmagon]

"W-What the fuck is going on?!"

Jasper couldn't help it. The tone in Tristan's voice, the almost plaintive question. It was... Jasper started laughing, full on, border of madness laughing, whose intensity redoubled as Querres snapped back at the team lead. The wall of blazing symbols danced and shivered in time to his laughter, but remained a protective barrier between the team and whatever, or whomever, was diving at them. It was only when Sang dashed over to Brass that Jasper regained control.

"What the fuck is going on indeed," he said, his voice becoming chilly as he spoke. "Very well. Upon entry to current area, agents were subjected to psychological torment. Apparently, some of us fared better than others. Myself for example, I won an all expenses paid trip to The Dark Side because something or someone didn't like that I put the mission first, over team survival. So now I'm the lucky winner of, wait for it, complete healing, increased magical abilities, and the power to sense the Offerings. In exchange I get this lovely skin tone that so matches my armor, a burning desire to consume said Offerings, and really crappy impulse control, though to be fair, I might always have had that one."

Jasper's tone had gone from chilly to sarcastic as he spoke, but now it turned flat.

"So can our illustrious team leaders, who along with the leadership, decided everything in here is on a 'need to know' basis, get their heads out of their collective rears and figure this out BEFORE we find ourselves living out my nightmare? Because I WILL finish this never-to-be-sufficiently-damned mission just so we can 'discuss' things where we won't be interrupted."

Fable , June Verles , r e i , Noble Scion , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad , Xemanorth

 

[baddervibes]

Location: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH-| Fable​

Caddigan hears the woman say something, but can't make out the words. Everything is muffled and muddied: an electric ring rattling in his ears as he continues to drink. He barely notices as the group slides a pulsing neck into his mouth: feeding as feverishly as he had been before. The woman starts talking again. 'Annoying' is all Caddy can think in between thick gulps of warm blood. The world is going blurry around him. He's barely able to see through the blood lust as he continues to drain whoever was given to him. A warmth started to fill Caddy's body, like a blanket being folded over him, and his mind began to lull into what felt like a peaceful sleep.

Then suddenly everything went still. Caddy was dropped to the cold of the concrete floor as he felt bodies quickly brush past him. He somehow manages to pull himself up, his vision still blurry and his mind still in a warm haze. The woman and the others were gone. Someone else was talking now: the voice a deep growl that sparked something in Caddy's mind. Then there was a hand wrapped around his neck and the air was knocked out of him. It squeezed, it threatened, and Caddy let out a confused noise as his hands clawed at the arm of whatever was choking him.

His vision slowly adjusts to the familiar walls around him: the chilling concrete so seemingly cold against the warmth that was swimming in Caddy's veins. The man in front of him starts to become clear and Caddy's brain takes a moment to register what is happening. He hasn't seen the old bastard in a very long while. How sweet of this trial to finally reintroduce them. Caddy feels the corners of his mouth twist into a smile: a stream of dark blood drips from between his teeth and travels down to splatter against the man's hand.
"I think this is the first time you've ever held me" Caddy chokes out a laugh, wrapping his hands around his father's wrist. It's a gentle grasp, loving almost, as his fingers run across the cool skin.
"You've been a thorn in my side for too long. I should have ripped you from your mother's womb myself for all the trouble you and her have caused me."
Caddy laughs again, he doesn't know why he thinks this is all so funny, but he's suddenly so elated. This trial had such a fine sense of humor to place his father in a shithole like this: so depressingly accurate.

"Today I'll correct that mistake."
A great burst of air leaves Caddigan and throws a spatter of blood against his father's face. Caddy's laughing even harder now. The warmth is growing: it keeps wrapping itself around and around Caddy's body. He hasn't felt a frenzy in a long time, but the feeling was all too familiar. There's a moment, a split second, where a pit of fear grows in Caddy's stomach. He thinks about the consequences. His mother always said there would be consequences. Then their eyes meet perfectly. Caddy sees some kind of raw and vile hatred in them. They look upon him as a pest, a menace, and such easy prey. Caddy's blood boils hot. The warmth keeps growing and growing. He feels like he should be sweating like a pig, but his skin feels almost cool to the touch. That gentle grip around his father's arm begins to tighten and tightens more and more with each word that escapes Caddy's mouth:
"You've been hiding all the good stuff to yourself, you old bastard. Is this what you're doing every night? Luring little boys and girls into your clubhouse to drink their blood? Getting your rocks off to it? Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Keep this up and you'll have a hundred little Caddigans running around to worry about!"

Caddy hears skin and muscle tearing beneath his fingers: his hands now in a death grip around his father's arm. He keeps their eyes level with one another: makes sure his brain can recognize the man that made his mother miserable. The man that turned his son into a monster.
"I'm not a little thorn anymore, daddy. I'm a fucking knife. And I'm gonna bury myself so far into your side that you won't ever forget this little regret you made all those years ago. You like drinking blood that much, huh? Let's see how you like the taste of your own."
The arm underneath him snaps, bones breaking and splintering, and Caddy revels in it.

The frenzy has taken over.

 

[Hanarei]

Felicia fell to the ground watching Brass peek his head out the window. Her eyes seemed to fixate on him time having crawled to a near halt. She blinked as she glanced out, her own mind seeming to play tricks on her briefly seeing her mother above her with the vision of her room. A strange feeling came over her once again, something that felt so familiar yet so distance. Her eyes focusing as the woman smiled down upon her as the light was turned off leading to darkness.

"Good Night."

The voice spoke as she blinked again seeing the Hospital scene once more with brass looking more distance as a sudden rush of pain filled her smacking hard into the ground and everything went black. Felicia gasped out loudly her eyes opening up as she awoke from the trial. Her body was trembling as she looked up in confusion attempting to shift her focus back. She lifted her hand up to rub her eyes, pulling it away looking at it a bit puzzled finding it shaking much like it had been during her trial. Why? She was left confused despite the fall seeming as if it wasn't real the pain lurked in her mind albeit it was likely just in her mind. She slowly arched herself up glancing about breathing a bit heavily stirring still out of it clutching her other hand to her stomach as she seemed oblivious to what was going on now around her.

Location: Reality? (Also the abyss of lackluster posts)
Mentioned:
Fable

 

[Xemanorth]

Kirill was approaching the group at a steady pace, giving scarcely little time for him to react as the wall of fire abruptly springs up in front of him. Thankfully, he was a creature of instinct and upon newfound reflex, flapped his wings upon his approach once more to buy himself some much needed altitude, shifting his trajectory up and over the dome of fire that sprung into his path, that said it was close, much too close for comfort. He hissed under his breath as he passed above the flames, he could've sworn he felt them licking at his heels on his way over but as far as he could tell, he didn't suffer from any real burns. Eager to get to the bottom of how injured he may've become however, the half-demon flapped his wings once more and took even higher up into the sky, eventually perching himself on top of one of the ruined buildings for a check.

Sure enough, he felt a lingering sting over his body, that particular kind of pain that simply lingered and did not really get any more or less painful as much as it just stayed there, stinging at his skin. The half-breed breathed a frustrated sigh, the pain was annoying but he'd managed at the very least avoid getting seriously injured once more and so he opted to give his regeneration a chance to kick in. Thankfully he'd manage to avoid any burn blisters at least, painful sons of bitches that they were. He figured his ability to regenerate would tend to the small burns eventually and hopefully take any redness away along with it. For now though, given the firey dome down below, his plans were put on hold and he saw little reason to linger. He figured he'd scout the area and allow the flowing winds to further soothe his injuries while he was at it.

He figured he wouldn't have much luck dealing with any of them if they remained packed tightly together like that, for now he'd have to wait for someone to wander away from the group or do something that would hopefully leave them separated. From there, he thought he'd be able to narrow down whoever was still carrying their gem. After performing another pass around the area, Kirill once more perched himself on the ledge of a building, well out of reach of the group, or so he figured, while still keeping them in view. Frankly given his leathery wings and rippling musculature, he looked like something out of a biblical renaissance painting, perched on top of whatever tower or hovel that he'd managed to find during his trip around the area.

In that time of waiting he harkened back to the vision he'd woken up from moments earlier. The sentiments of that mysterious voice ringing through his mind as he tried to make sense of his situation. It'd come as little surprise to most anyone that he couldn't figure much of anything out, an outcome even Kirill himself saw coming, but if nothing else it served to further affirm his outlook on the situation as a whole. No longer knowing who or what to believe, unable to discern fact from fiction and truth from lies, he yet again chose to focus on what he knew for certain and that was that he had no intention of failing this mission, even if that would just mean returning back to SMITED HQ with the rest of the group that he now viewed as dysfunctional at best and completely untrustworthy at worst.
( Fable , June Verles , r e i , Noble Scion , Tarmagon , Thatguynameded , DapperCat , Morzone , Hanarei , Myriad )

 

[Morzone]

Fable Tarmagon Myriad Noble Scion DapperCat Thatguynameded Hanarei baddervibes Xemanorth
​

Dead? Why was she dead? Theo dropped to the floor, his flames vanishing into empty space as he landed. Dazedly he held out arms to catch the body of the women he'd been fighting. What had he done? Had it been his flames? Had he overdone them? Perhaps it had been the pain from the molten metal had shocked her unconscious. Perhaps he'd put too much force into his jump and had damaged her after all. Had he hit her with enough force to damage her insides? No, surely not. he couldn't have. Right?

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the corpses of his teammates and leaders heaped together. Most of their faces weren't visible from his angle, and yet it felt as if each body was staring directly at him. Theo could almost feel the telltale marks of his attacks in their bodies. The woman's body suddenly seemed a lot heavier, far heavier than the metal that had climbed up to the base of his neck. I killed them, didn't I? No! this was a trick, the woman was trying to mess with you, to make you attack her! You didn't even try to avoid falling for her cheap tricks. You wanted to attack her, didn't you? You wanted to harm her, kill her. No! He wouldn't do that, he didn't kill people! He'd never cross that line! How do you explain the body in your arms then? You killed her, why couldn't you have killed them as well? No- he- he'd just wanted to get his mana stone back. Mara's mana stone. He couldn't lose it, even if he had to harm others. Harm others? You tried to burn her flesh off with molten metal. You didn't even hesitate. If you'd done that on any vital part it would have killed her, and you know you wouldn't have hesitated then either.

"Do you think he'll rip out her guts to find he precious rock?" "Oh I think he will, I think he will! He'll shove a red hot metal hand and rip it right out!" "Ooh, goody goody! Yes, dig in!" The voice of the newly appeared women sounded distant to him, even as they goaded him to continue his assault. Perhaps it was because he was too transfixed with the apparently dead body in his arms, Theo failed to wonder how there were suddenly two more of the same woman. Perhaps if he had, he might have questioned whether she was truly dead, and avoided what he was to come. As it were, he did not, and was aware only that there were still enemies around him.

Between his feverish thoughts and the goading of the two women, an important fact registered in his mind: He still had not retrieved the mana stone. The woman had eaten it just before his attack, was it in her stomach? That's what would make sense. Then again nothing had made sense, not since he'd entered this room, not since entering the box. He had to be sure. In a half trance he raised one of his hands and placed it on the woman's stomach. Flames spread from his palm and swirled around her corpse. He put no significant heat into them, but he knew that if his stone was in fact inside her dead body, the flame-protection wards he'd placed on it so it would not get burned as he wore it day in and day out would react. One second passed. Then two, then three. Slowly Theo took his hand away, the fire dying out instantly. There had been no reaction, his stone wasn't there.

"He might become solid metal before he makes his choice to do that though." "No hints, he'll use the gem then!" "You just gave him one!" "Shit! Oh well! Cat's out of the bag then." "You always ruin things, you big mouth!" "He's probably too stupid to figure it out from just that though!" The women taunted him, their glee at his distress readily apparent.

Slowly Theo knelt down and placed the woman's body on the floor. Standing up again he turned to face his two new adversaries. He had no words for them, he was done playing their game. All that mattered was that they were his enemy. They were identical in every way to the dead woman on the floor, and had appeared just before her death. Like a hydra, if he cut down one, more would appear in its stead. If that were the case, he only had one option didn't he? All he had to do was burn them away faster than they could appear.

Flames burst out of his body , a mass of roiling fire expanding in every direction. They swept passed the woman's body at his feet, flooded over the corpses of his teammates, swirled and wrapped themselves around the two women. Farther, farther the flames spread until they filled every corner of the room. The very air was being seared away, all light and dark had been replaced with the cursed orange and red warmth of firelight. Theo could almost feel it, the way his flames desired to leave nothing behind, to erase everything. But there was one spot, yes he could feel it, that one spot where his flames could not reach. The wards protecting his mana stone told him exactly where it was, the thing that defied the flame's hunger. Theo moved toward it, his hands outstretched ready to grab it. He could practically see it through the flames, if only in his mind. All he had to do was reach it and this would all be over. Surely, it would be over. That is what Theo thought as his knees buckled, as the metal rose faster than smoke on the wind up his neck, across his face and enclosed his head. That is what he thought as the burning glow of his fire fell into darkness.

...
...
...

The moment Theo woke up he bolted sitting upright before promptly falling over again as the weight of his new metal body threw him off balance. He hit the ground again with a significant THUD which caught him by surprise. The mage took a second to take in his situation. His hand was gripped tightly around something hanging from his neck. His Mana stone! He had it, and it was safe! It felt as if an immense weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Had all that just been a dream then? Was he safe? What about the others? What about his seed?

Theo tried sitting up again, slower this time so as to not fall over. Wait, why had he fallen over in the first place? Theo looked down again, this time looking at his own hand. It was metal. So was his arm, leg, body, and head. He'd become fully metal, from head to toe. It was a strange experience, his sense of touch seemed to have been essentially eradicated. He could feel the pressure he was exerting on the stone in his hand, but it felt neither warm nor cool between his fingers. So it hadn't just been a dream then, though he still couldn't be sure it had been entirely real either. It was a question he'd have to save for later, right now his priority had to be on checking himself and his surroundings. His seed- was still there, that was good. It was safe, though he did feel a strange urge to pull it out and look at it. Perhaps turning into metal had messed with his emotions some as well? He'd have to be careful going forward.

Now then, what of his surroundings? He was sitting in a large open space, massive ruins filled the distance, though the space appeared to be underground. So he was still inside the box, well that was to be expected. If he'd been outside the box unconscious he would have been in some medical bay. Wishful thinking on his part, for sure. There seemed to be a lot of movement around him. Theo blinked, trying to bring his closer surroundings into proper focus. His hearing seemed to have been dulled slightly by his metal transformation as well. Still, a moment later Theo knew exactly what had been moving: it was his teammates. They appeared to be in considerable confusion, with Jasper holding up some rune-fueled wall of black flame. Perhaps they had gone through that strange dream as well, or more likely they'd each had their own dream and woken up each at their own time. But what was Jasper making a wall of flame for? Was he defending against something? Strangely Theo pulled his metal body slowly to its feet, he found that whatever imminent danger they were about to face only listed second in importance at that moment.

"I'm so glad you're all alive."

 

[Fable]

Merged Group

Xemanorth Thatguynameded Noble Scion Tarmagon June Verles Hanarei Morzone DapperCat baddervibes Myriad
(We're moving past the trial now. Anyone who was still within one, you're out as of this post. If this post is crappy, sorry. I feel poopy. This is just to get everyone back on the same 'page' and out of the trial.)

Elora shuddered as she blinked and fell to her knees as she was 'exited' her own mental trial. Anyone with keen senses would hear her heartbeat pounding erratically as she knelt there trying to regain a sense of herself. She swallows hard and forces herself to stand and silently takes in the chaos around her.

"F-Fucking perfect," she managed to say.

She went over to Tristan and literally slapped him across the face. "Focus, breath. Center yourself." Tristan held a hand to the cheek which she had slapped and held her narrowed stare with wide wild eyes. "Gather Qerres, Don, and Felicia over to Sang and to who I assume is Brass."

Elora didn't wait for Tristan to confirm he heard her or if he would follow the command. She turned to Theo, his status something beyond help. Jasper was behaving erratically while holding up some form of barrier against some winged entity. Caddigan still seemed to be within the grips of whatever the hell they had all been subjected to though it wasn't looking good for him either based on his body's tension, his hands gripping nothing. Or at least when she first glanced at him because a moment later whatever held his mind released and black veins had spread from his mouth.

"Agent Tiegs, shut the fuck up. You have a complaint you can bitch all you want when we survive and get out of here," Elora snapped as she continued to assess the situation, doing a quick headcount and noting Kirill was absent. Looking at Theo and then recalling her quick notice of the winged thing from earlier she swore under her breath with words that would have made a sailor blush.

"How long can you maintain this barrier?" she asked Jasper. "Kirill seems to have gone rogue and if what Jasper claims about the offerings is true we're going to have to put some protocols in place to adapt to this new shitshow." She was commenting this to Tristan who had been busy doing as ordered and moving the ones Elora had named over to where Sang was. They weren't injured, but they all sure as hell hadn't had any fun where their minds had been.

Kirill, Jasper, Qerres, Caddigan, and Theo were not really entirely themselves any longer. Kirill seemed to have been affected the worst by whatever had happened. Jasper and Qerres seemed to maintain a sense of self enough to not be a major concern at this time. Theo and Caddigan were unknown if they would go rogue like Kirill. "Felicia, secure Theo and Caddigan if you can as a precaution. Jasper, hold the barrier for now and hold the bitching. As much as I wish we had time to linger and process the mind fuck we all just experienced, we should not stay here. Not with Kirill most likely hunting us."

"Gather what you can of your wits, your things, and regroup. Felicia will keep Theo and Caddigan secure even as we begin to move away from this location. If I see any of you infected so much as twitch in a threatening manner I will subdue you by any means necessary."

( Corrupted: Kirill, Theo, Caddigan, Jasper, Qerres. Stones Left: Brass, Felicia, Caddigan, Jasper, Theo, Elora. )​