|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:06 pm
Her weapon - well it was difficult to explain in words. Sometimes she was a presence but more often than not she acted like an entity, moving and appearing as she pleased. It was a one-way ticket where her weapon knew everything about Sherry, but Sherry almost nothing about her own weapon than just the basics and that she was well-
- Everything.
The weapon had wandered again, it wasn't uncommon, and when she returned, she sat almost so fully visible at the edge of Sherry's desk, more cat-like than anything else and simply smiled. That was just how she was, no firm yeses or nos but just an endless curiousity wrapped up in the guise of servitude. And when she spoke- why-
- Well, she was everything.
"It is such a nice day," her weapon commented, bare legs dangling from the desk, "Should we not try again?"
At first, Sherry drew a blank at this-
- And then she suddenly remembered. Of course, the mission from yesterday. The one that seemed nearly impossible. It had involved - what was it again - a structure of sorts, a large mass, an Ancient that they were trying to resurrect, nameless and old and forgotten. It was a statue she had discovered, and no amount of science or Fear had made it shift even slightly. Today was a good day to test, to circle around, and try again. Bringing a team along would help too, more to see what they were looking at.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:14 pm
There was an odd sense about her weapon, when she was close, that after all these years Sherry took to be comfort. She had to smile when her weapon smiled - out of habit and just because it seemed like the right thing to do. "Hm?" Try again? It took Sherry a moment. Oh. Oh yes. How could she have forgotten that? "Yes, we should." Sherry was still nodding as she shuffled through her notes, both paper and digital, while she thought. She already knew if she was going to approve the funds proposals or not, and other things could be postponed another day or so. Sherry made some quick notes, sent off a few texts telling certain folks to meet her at the lighthouse, then stopped by her assistant's office. "Mr. Day, here is a list of funds approvals and non-approvals. Please see to it that the requesters know which side of the line they are on. Schedule all other appointments for a later date. I'll be back later." When she arrived at the lighthouse, most of her requested team had already arrived. Betsy, good with Fear research, Mitchell who had a thing for dead languages, Carol-Ann who was still a trainee but Sherry could see the potential there, and Caral-Ann's older brother Anthony, who was a Sun but if he found out Sherry had taken his little sister out without him he'd make a fuss later. "Alright," Sherry said, "Here are your scanners, oh, good Betsy you have yours. Here are your headsets, but keep your watches on, too." Sherry took a moment to hand things out. "We are going" she continued, shoving the Lighthouse tech aside so she could put in the coordinates herself, "to look at something very large and potentially amazing and likely a little bit dangerous." Sherry looked up at everyone and winked. "All in a days work, of course." "It is," she was now herding them towards the portal, "a statue, as you will see soon. We need to learn more. And potentially, well, see if it does anything besides sit there." Sherry led the way through the portal, her mind reaching out to make sure her weapon was near.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:45 am
They would arrive firmly on the the Northwest-Mediterranean Ocean sector, one one of their more recent bases. It had been propped up haphazardly for such research, and the languages that lined the cave base reaching downwards, deep deep downwards, were obscure and not human, closer to Horseman runes than anything else.
Someone had lit up some quick lamps strung along the entrance of the cave, but the rest of it spanned like a massive series of catacombs, going all directions. It had only been a coincidence that they had found the effigies the first time: if this had once been home to an Ancient, then the entire cave structure had been used to contain it. Through their watches and phones there were errant amounts of Fear at entirely spontaneous points in time.
Even with best intentions, the moment Sherry stepped into the cave, deeper past the guided path, she and her team would be lost. The place had a life of its own, and it could be either minutes, or even hours, before she found even a remotely close exit. Today, her path brought her past a series of colourless crystals so dark they reflected her image almost perfectly, and then funneling to a massive wide room of sorts that had what perhaps was once a massive rectangular courtyard of a fountain. At the center of the fountain a crumbled statue, easily five times the height of Sherry, with just the torso and legs remaining, perhaps of some ancient goddess of an even more ancient civilization.
"I know this story," her weapon resonated the moment Sherry had a moment to pause, and breathe, and really just look around. "Would you like me to share?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 6:33 pm
Mitchell was having a hard time keeping up, despite Sherry's reassurances that he'd have time to properly catalogue and document the runes after they looked at what she'd come to see. Carol-Ann all but clung to her brother. Anthony and Betsy did their very best to hide any apprehension they had. They were old hats at walking into strange places. Still, Sherry picked up on their worry, too, as they went deeper into the cave system. She pressed on, however. There was a need to see this statue again. She paused briefly at the crystals, so dark and well formed they were all but mirrors in the dim light. One hand trailed along their surface, before the pull to find it dragged her on, deeper into the cave. "Here," she whispered. Remnants of a fountain, a courtyard. So large it might have been for a palace, if not a whole city square. It was hard to believe it had been built underground, and Sherry imagined it shining in the sun, water glittering and reflecting light off of the huge statue. She almost felt sad to see it buried like it was. She was just beginning to wonder if it had been built underground, though. It was so hard to tell, with how old it was. Old and magnificent. She gave the smallest jump when her weapon spoke to her again. "Yes," Sherry replied aloud. "Please tell me this story." Her weapon always seemed to know more than she was telling.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 4:30 pm
And when she sang the story, everything else seemed to disappear.
"Long ago," the weapon began, "There were those that would call themselves gods and goddesses of this world, strong and powerful, feared and loved by all humans."
Sherry could see it, see shapes, shadows, moving in an endless ocean of blue. They laughed with each other, spoke, lifted shadow arms and legs and limbs and around them were hundreds, thousands of statues made of marble carved in the likeliness of humans.
"And then, a great war began - for humans began to fancy themselves their own gods, and this great divide did not weaken the gods - no, the war and Fear and power made the gods stronger. But not all, only some, only the chosen few, as others disappeared to obscurity until at last-"
Around them, everything was a statue. The shadows too in their strange, unusual shapes, and the humans as well. That too also faded and Sherry was staring at the ruins of the pavilions again and she felt cold, so, so cold.
"I know what you want," Sherry heard herself say, because it made sense, it made the most sense out of anything else, why she was here. "This is what we came here for."
"Yes," Echoed her weapon, "Now, shall we begin?"
Sherry couldn't say no. The weapon was already drawn and she was already moving towards the first of her own assistants with a slow hunger that she couldn't control. Her head pounded, throbbed, but she couldn't refuse-
- Slicing them down was so easy and then she felt like she was in a haze, a dream as she moved to the next. They were just statues - just statues for one far greater.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:01 pm
Sherry was enamoured. The song, the story, the images. Every single word, every aspect was all there was and it was all that mattered. She watched it, absorbing it all more than consciously comprehending. She knew, though. She knew what she needed to do. She knew what was needed. She didn't recall when the weapon appeared in her hand, but that didn't matter. It was where it needed to be. Sherry was aware of the pounding in her head, in sync with her heartbeat. She blinked as if that would help, but it didn't. It wouldn't stop her, though. It couldn't stop her. She needed to do this. The first to fall was Betsy. Always close at hand. Sherry registered her as Betsy, but Betsy wasn't much of anything besides a statue, which didn't seem strange at all. The statue fell - and what had once been Betsy fell in in two pieces to the ground, the pool of blood rapidly growing around it. She'd not even tried to run. Mitchell was second, stunned and still as any proper statue should be. He fell so easily, and Sherry was satisfied. His blood mixed with Betsy's. Anthony, ever quick to jump into battle was next. He came at her with a roar and his weapon out. Sherry didn't see at that as odd, she only knew that he had to be next. It was needed. His arm fell first weapon and all, and it took a second swing to bring the rest of him down. Through the torso, and he was done. There was a flash of light as his weapon reverted to it's tablet form. Carol-Ann was last. Sherry didn't see the girl so much as feel her. She didn't see the shock and betrayal and tears on her face. She didn't disbelief in those eyes as the girl tried to wipe her brother's blood off of her arms. She saw only the statue, the offering. A sacrifice, perhaps. The last offering fell with a whimper. The only sound was the faint squish of boots in blood as Sherry turned. Her head still pounded, and her thoughts were muddled. Only one thing was important. What she offered. "Is it enough?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 4:13 pm
There was a shrill ringing in Sherry's head. Something was wrong, someone was screaming. It felt like she was watching a scene unplay, a set where it was someone else screaming and yelling and there were bodies and blood and so much blood and more ringing and her head almost felt light, too light. She felt cold, colder still.
"Not yet," said the voice, and it felt like that it was Sherry herself saying it. "Not by far."
More.
She needed more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 11:09 pm
"More." She looked around - her free hand going to her head because it hurt - and she could see there was no more here. Everything was silent - except it wasn't. Sherry was breathing and she was screaming - the pain in her head growing. She'd done this. She'd killed them. She knew this. She knew it and it was breaking something inside her - and it didn't matter. She wasn't done. She had to ignore the pain as she pulled out her phone. Ignore the chill she could feel growing from within. More. More was needed. And when she had enough it would all be fine. It wouldn't. She had to do it anyway. They would come. They would come because she requested it. A simple message - and a new team would be one the way. A larger team. More offerings. More bodies. "They are needed," she whispered as she got to her feet - when had she fallen to her knees? She pushed herself up and forced herself to walk - the pounding in her head growing, each step somehow heavier than the last, the chill growing with each breath. The new team, would they be enough? She could always call for more. There was a village nearby, too. Sherry stumbled on the path, caught herself on the wall. She couldn't. She couldn't kill all those people. She had to stop. Tell them not to come, tell them - She'd meet them at the entrance. She'd kill them there is they wouldn't follow her down. She needed more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:55 pm
It hurt.
Not physical pain, but it almost felt like it, a strange gut-wrenching feeling that left her head pounding, aching, searing, and then an emptiness that only grew more and more hollow.
The world began to swim around her. This was wrong.
But she needed more.
But this was HORRIFICTERRIBLEWRONGSHAMEFULUNSPEAKABLE.
Both halves began to tug and pull at each other, and Sherry felt she couldn't move at all.
"What's wrong?," asked her weapon, "Is this not what you wanted?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 10:09 pm
Sherry slid down the wall, trying to sort through the pain and the need - and then there was only emptiness. Sherry sat? lay? leaned? there gasping - the cave walls in all their darkness were swirling and she wanted to throw up and split her head open and run away all at the same time. She wasn't finished - she needed more. She wanted to curl up and cry and die over what she'd already done. More was out there - but so was horror and oh this was wrong - but she needed to - "No." One small breath with a word force out in it. No. Even forming the thoughts was difficult. Everything was torn between the need and the horror. I don't want to kill them. Why do I want to kill them? A bloody hand clutched at a tear streaked face. "What..." What is this place? What is HERE? Zoobey NO HURRY YOU TAKE YOUR TIME ;-;
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
