She had caught her breath. The horseman had stopped throwing punches long enough to let the trainee wipe sweat off her brow, her weapon suddenly ponderous in her hands, glinting in the Saharan sun. Tuck was solid in stance before her, and so for the moment Stormy did feel safe. Her shield was still steady, Thane was almost filled with Fear, and if all else failed she still had bandages and that book handy. They could still do this. She had told Lucky during their many artifact adventures that having faith was integral to the job, and that applied here too.
Touching the moon hunter's sleeve, she passed him a grateful look and made a silent promise that Tuck would get a big ol' hug when this was over. Stormy at last saw the runic lettering along the viking ax he held and felt a small pang of familiarity past the numbness within. Was that--?
"Thanks, Tuck. I'm . . . okay now," she told her group quietly, trying at a smile. "No more freaking out." If Lifen really wanted to talk, now wasn't the time; all Stormy knew was that she needed to help her fellow hunters until Sam got the portal back up and they could get out of here, because Jake was right: something about these horsemen felt off . . .
In the midst of sand and sun, she watched as Evan charged the field and struck the horseman with a fond look. There went Hercules living up to his name! And if he could do it, so could she. There had been an instinct to strike and move, so if she could capitalize on that again--
The ground shook before the trainee could really get ahold of herself. Red light reflected off the pitch black steel of her greatsword, and the world around her erupted into chaos again.
The shadows Stormy had investigated suddenly became alive with tendrils of darkness, shooting out to the bony protrusions around the pedestals they were near. Creatures arose like zombies form their graves, and she couldn't help but cry out as several of theirs were struck with varying degrees of severity; Jake downed, Ofelia stabbed, Lucky pierced, all as if their shields meant nothing. The hiss of sand shifting right behind her was what stopped the trainee from speaking, however. It sounded eerily like the soft sounds of cracking cement in her ears.
She turned on her heel and there it was: a massive ivory set of jaws, one moment opened with a strangely blurry figure in its middle, the next snapped shut and chewing. Stormy stared blankly until she realized with a distant sort of pang the odd hair color sticking out of its mismatched teeth belonged to Mimsy, and that it was her blood she was feeling stain her clothes, and that it was her body being spat out despite being barely recognizable. Mimsy, the one who had looked revolted at being given a friendly touch of the arm maybe an hour before.
The dark liquid of dread settled in Stormy's stomach and consumed all other emotions. She stared into the creature's jaws as sand whirled into tight, sharp projections, and knew innately she was doomed. But in spite of the horror rising towards her, she couldn't help but have a silly thought: I should probably tell Gale and Lucky.
She touched her earpiece and got static. Unbidden, she began to pray. Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo--
The spines arced towards her in slow motion, she swore to God. How else would she notice Tori and Ami right in her line of vision, just a little beyond the incoming trajectory of those projectiles? Cap'n was judging her, wasn't she.
Scchk.
Good ol' Cap'n.
Schhk.
She touched the earpiece in hopes maybe it was working this time. Lex ought to know Ami was okay.
Schhk. Schhk.
And then the hunters fell away form her vision and there was only sky and an awkwardly lumpy ground from the four spines landing at uneven angles through her back. Funny how blood in her mouth somehow made it impossible to pray in her mind, because Stormy couldn't remember the words anymore, or if they mattered. Just a bright bright blue and a howling wind that she realized was Thane's shrieks. The last time she had vanished, there had been fog and chill and an aching sense of loneliness, so it was nice that this time she could die out in the sun and near comrades; something to warm her suddenly cold-sweating body.
Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo. What were the rest of the words again? "Our Father, who art in heaven." The sky, the sky was awfully blue today. Was He there, like Papi said? Was anyone?
Stormy sighed her last as the sunlight lulled her to sleep, hoping someone wouldn't mind her napping on the job just for a little bit longer.
The chaos seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Otto's attention on the horsemen was severed in favor of taking in what had happened around him. His stomach clenched in dread, his mouth as dry as the desert he stood in. Mimsy, and many others he did not know or recognize were maimed or worse. Death was everywhere, blood stained the sandy prison they were all trapped in. To his horror, Jordan seemed to have been killed, and turned into some disturbing hybrid of his weapon and insanity.
So many were injured. So many were dead.
His gaze hidden by a pair of shades flicked back to Mengyao, who looked odd. Terrifyingly odd.
s**t. He was in trouble. He was scared.
He was also Death. Throwing a weapon around would do little good. He was not a Sun, one trained for battle. He didn't wield power like they did. No. By some hilarious twist of fate he was in Death, a division known for intelligence. It really was a joke that he was in this division at all. He was reminded how incompetent he was everyday, and that was including days he didn't see Caelius.
Once again he just didn't know what to do. What place he had here at Deus. If only there was someone he could take out his aggression on. Where was Gale? He needed to be reminded of how horribly British he was.
But then again.. the smartest people didn't stick their noses in a beehive. In that respect, Otto was a genius. Heartless... but a very alive and not bleeding genius. But genius or not, he still felt useless.
Mark gave out a call. A portal? They were fleeing already? Had they even accomplished anything? What was the point of all this bloodshed if not to get something done? Thy were just going to turn tail because the ponies were that much stronger now... That made Otto sick to his ******** fled the Horsemen he had been fighting, mostly in self preservation. He had no interest in becoming a puppet.
The blonde skidded in front of Mark along with the others, holding Tenya out defensively. The assistant lead was a loser, but he was an IMPORTANT loser.
HP: 50/60 Target: Mark Damage: Defending for 4 Charge: 0/2 // 3/3 Runics Availlable: Torch
He didn't actually seem pleased - well, half of him did, actually - when the Hunter felt and ceased to move again, watching him for a brief moment until an unfamiliar (sorry, you still weren't on the radar, Rep) axe came swinging down onto him, the swing of the staff held by the other hunter fortunately brushed off by the destructive Heir, who instead turned one hand up towards Rep as he came down upon him. His fingers began to clench together, giving a brief tight sensation towards the once-sun hunter before movement suddenly attracted his attention.
His dead toy had come back to play some more. and Invi looked to the reanimated, grey, distorted, but quite perfect creature that he seemed to have created with murder, suddenly losing interest in both Rep and Al and pacing around the revived Jordan once.
"You're aiming the right way this time." he praised, pleased.
HP: 88/150 Target: Rep Damage: 3, GJ Invi FEAR: All of it.
Baneful
Saliru
Prolixity
medigel rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-6)
Posted: Sun May 05, 2013 4:52 pm
Shik's eyes slitted closed to crescents as he indicated several indentations around his collarbone; gifts from his last fight with the huntress. "I welcome her attempts to try again." A horseman of War asking for a fight? Who would have thought it?
He was not interested in the ongoings of his surroundings. The cracks, the hisses, the shouts or pain and chaotic ordering around, not even the one working on some form of escape. None of that mattered to Shik because they were all just details to his mind: as important as a person's blinking to his attention. What he wanted was the bloodthirsty fight, and a fight he did receive.
He snorted and waved off the slash a third hunter struck him with, finding himself smirking as several more surrounded the madly working one with the strange machine. How many was it now? He raised a finger and idly counted them. One . . . two . . . three . . . "Five," he announced casually as his dark skin became slowly leached of color in patches, flaking off to join the sea of sand. He was as still as a painted statued, teeth bared in a maniacal grin. "I like those odds, don't you? And yet--"
Five little pins in a row, all waiting to be destroyed. He would bring them Home one by one. But first, the sixth among them.
It was hard to say when the wicked glint of his dagger first showed, but like an extra fang in his mouth it hungered for blood. The executioner lifted off with a tremendous flap of his wings, kicking up more flakes and sand at the surrounding hunters as he took to the air over their heads. Shik had just enough mind to play with his food, barrelling over Kat with a fly-by kick to negate her pathetic little defense.
Like a needle inserted into the arm, so did his dagger cleanly part Mark's flesh through the back, past his ribs, and towards his heart. It was quick and simple only because the bloodlust didn't allow him to linger in place for too long, and with a howl Shik kicked off the Death hunter assistant and back into the air, frenzied for battle and ready for death: one way or another.
There was a reason Shikoba had become an executioner.
Quote:
HP: 87/100 Target: Mark Damage: using deathblow Fear: Y2 Chill LA: Speed Boost Distortion: 3
Okay, Sam was apparently alright, but it was probably time to move her defending priorities over to Mark, despite the fact he already had a nice herd over there. Then again, Cass couldn't help but be horrified at everybody beginning to drop.
She couldn't help but think to herself as she navigated the sands away from the ponies to go take a post with Mark and those who were defending him. However, Cass took post in front of Otto instead to start creating a second line of defense..
"You watch him and I'll watch you." she said, not even looking back over her shoulder as she sunk the heavy blade of Nicodemus into the ground and took hold of his pistol with both hands to start aiming.
Candace missed the twitching, the strange feeling that something was brushing against her back. She was too focused on trying to get closer to the portal so she could have a quick escape with Jordan. There had to be a way to save him..wait...what happened to Ferros? They needed Ferros, he needed to not become a ********. He already was. No, this couldn't be it. This couldn't be the end for Jordan. He had so much he needed to do.
But then the fog appeared and began to come toward her, traveling up her body and terrifying the woman to her very core. What was--
The weight on her back was gone for all of a second before something clawed down the length of her back. Candace let out a pained scream and fell forward, her fists clenched and trying to grab hold of anything, but the sand merely shifted through her fingers. She looked back over her shoulder and stared into the glowing yellow eyes of a monster.
No..
It was like with Ceres and Bix. No...nono..but..but wait! This was okay! Bix and Ceres were fine now! They could be saved! Please, oh please...there was still hope.
But just like then, she couldn't attack Jordan now. She knew she should. She should, she shouldn't hold back just because she was scared of hurting a friend, but she couldn't do it. Instead she scrambled to get up and away from the creature that had been Jordan, wincing at the pain in her back. ********. ********. ******** class="quote">
Even while held, Stormy's body twitched. It shuddered, and then jutted at an unnatural angle, head tilted to one side, spines still sticking out of each side, an impaled, twisted caricature that seemed to smile at Tuck, teeth splitting further back to reach both corners of the face unnaturally -
- before the entire top of the head simply tilted backwards, folding into itself. It was crimson inside, but it was also grey. The greys spread along her skin, down every corner, her body shaking violently, fingers splitting into twos, threes, fives, cracks, deep black gashes forming along it's path until -
- Something shrieked but it was just a body. Just a mess of a weapon and a body that might have been Stormy if the dissonance was not so absolute. It was terrible, repulsive and horrifying to look at and it moved with the deliberate slowness of one in confusion and pain, a whomever had denied it Home and created from a promise something so terribly hideous and deformed.
It lumbered once, twice, fog seeping out of it, it's multiple limbs, its twisted back head, it's continuous shifting, mutating appearance-
- And then moved in to attack.
What can fall will only get stronger.
Ol-j-man
Stormy is now part of the hive mind (horsemen). She/it has merged with its weapon to become simply a shell for the Insanity to wield. She/ it uses the same HP and stats as it originally had (carried over). If defeated, like any of the existing insanity horsemen (or fallen), she will dissipate and maybe then, finally find rest...
Zoobey Artist
Magical Incubator
Offline
kuropeco rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-6)
kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
Offline
Posted: Sun May 05, 2013 5:03 pm
And then Mengyao attempted to do something fantastical and failed miserably.
No hesitation, no sign that the creature built of shifting grays might have anything within it that could have known the woman it faced down. But it moved the way Jordan had, the same patterns, the same mannerisms, even though it was fighting bare-handed now.
His warning seemed to fall on deaf ears as the trainees rushed forward, he himself unable to do anything. Damn it... why was he so useless? "Stormy, Nevada, get back here!" He was somewhat grateful more trainees were stepping in to support the two mists, but still... mere numbers weren't going to help them. Something felt wrong. Felt... off.
As if in response to his paranoia, there was a strong humming sound, seeming to come from the runes itself, and he hesitated, apprehensive. What was...
He didn't get a chance to see sparks shooting up from the frayed wires, but had heard them, and when he spun around to see the shadow begin to distort, tendrils forming... he knew they were in trouble. He ran towards the trainees, trying to warn them, telling them to get away, when he felt something pierce him, the pain faint at first, growing into something so unbearable that he crumpled to the ground, gasping. A shaky hand brushed against the spike that had completely impaled his ribcage through the other side, blood already staining the dry sand.
Chester's screams grew faint, and his own vision began wavering. Oblivious to everything else happening around him, the only thing he saw were the spines impaling Stormy one by one, a silent scream on his lips.
s**t. s**t. Gale told him to look after the trainee, and yet... and yet... He let out a cry, sounding ragged and inhuman. Stormy. STORMY, you idiot...
He felt people touching him, voices, but none of it registered. This was his fault. He had... he couldn't protect Stormy. He had gotten her killed. Damn it, DAMN IT. Damn it all...
B0nez shield ate the gravity before flickering away but Rep's attention was no longer on Invi.
Jordan, desecrated like Bix, the way he had been in all those darkest nightmares. Unreal. None of this could be real. He was distant, everything was fine. He'd would wake up.
<Ferr. Ferr. Not again. Please, please don't leave me again.>
He watched the man that was him thrown like a ragdoll by Eris and felt nothing, coughing, he staggered to his feet.
"We have to wake up!" eerily calm he called out to Harrison. Just like blue kingdom. "Wake him up!"
Wake them all.
Save them all.
He turned on what was once Jordan and drew his weapon. Automatic. He'd said he would do it. He didn't lie.
As he brought the axe down, he was sure he heard it scream.
"Goddamnit..I'm sorry...I'm sorry..I'm so sorry." Candace winced as she stood again, a hand against her back as she summoned Atropos. The apology was for everyone; Rep and Harrison if they could hear her and for Jordan.
Rep attacked first and Candace decided to take advantage of this, hissing with pain the first few steps before forcing herself to suck it up and deal with it. One foot hit Tracey with a loud clang of metal against metal, pushing off the large blade with her other foot extended out toward the creature that had been Jordan. She hit him, but the fall to the ground nearly knocked the wind out of her as she landed on her back.
CANDACE!
I'm okay..I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll be okay. Who was Candace trying to convince? Atropos or herself?
"Alright.." Bix numbly responded to Ceres as he saw people dying. More dying. The Sun Hunter wasn't a stranger to it in the least but in an attempt to keep on with the mission, with living, all he could do was hold out until they were safe. His eyes searched for anything that could stop the horrific setting which turned against them. Anything that stood out.... but his eyes ended up drawn elsewhere.
His stomach hit his feet as Jordan rose as a twisted monstrosity. Not again. Was this how others felt when it had happened to him? To Ceres? Bix couldn't let Jordan stay that way. He was a good guy and while they weren't close friends, all the Sun Hunter were nakama. He felt foolish for using that word but he couldn't find another in it's place.
The archer unleashed a volley on Jordan's husk. His face was set with solemn determination. He'd help end this cruel puppetry.
Ofelia's foot hurt and that was enough to actually help her focus. Another thing that helped her focus was Stormy getting back up and turning into whatever Jordan was. There was no time to panic now, no time to sit back and think about what is and was.
Ofelia had no hesitated to attack Bix and Ceres when they turned like this, why should she stop now? Pennies was her friend, or sort of something she enjoyed talking to, and so Rue was raised up and ready. Let the others focus on Jordan, take them down on two fronts. Ofelia would go for the younger, the weaker. She needed to rend it down and destroy this abomination, it wasn't Stormy at all.
"Sorry Pennies." She said as she turned to look at Stormy, her blades moving to attack. "Sorry."
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