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 Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:12 am
Chailyn had intially been posed to try and answer some questions but with all the chaos, her mind couldn't think of what to say. Yes, she was hurt. The stupid crows had done it. If whatever was behind them got her, there was no telling what harm it could do. She wasn't planning to find out- she didn't want to see it either.
"Mm. Let's go with Sylvester, then we'll find Aido." She wasn't sure she should say they should stop the bad things, she didn't have a clue how they'd do it. She seriously wanted to just hide. She didn't understand what was going on or what she could do. Being only slightly older by Diae, having arrived in the Study earlier wasn't as much of an advantage. Sylvester on the other hand was older, maybe he had an idea.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:53 am
Elena had been facing away from the Gallu beast, still steadfast in her determination to ignore it, and so missed the death of Nen and the danger the other, closer Tales were in. The sudden shocked silence following was filled with cries from the more organized and combative of her fellows, and Donny's exclamation was what finally caught her attention.
Turning slightly to find him, Elena's eyes narrowed and she sighed internally. This was not the best way to go about defending her...and everyone else, of course.
Now what, princess?
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:46 pm
There was someone trying to help the two fallen figures. A girl, a girl he didn't recognize. A wordless sound cracked its way out of Blue's throat. She'd be prey too. That thought jolted him out of frozen shock, and he threw himself forward to tug at her. "Come on! Run, he'll get you!"
There were still ghosts hovering faintly around the older boy. That meant he was still alive. Maybe they could carry him out of the way.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:28 pm
Watching with an amused grin as the swarm reached out to envelope their prey, Ayden didn't have the chance to enjoy the spectacle as he had been found out. Clenching his new golden gaze tight, the dark Tale was thrown into a short trip that ended in a hard slam against the stone walls of the expansive tower. Gritting his teeth, the white haired boy struggles but finds himself imprisoned once more, just after it seemed he would be able to escape his last confinements. "Accursed old man," he grunts to himself, knowing that he was probably just talking to himself again. "Don't think I'll just sit here, and let you keep using me."
Calming his senses with a long breath, his two eyes remain closed but begins to imagine a third one in his forehead. Before long, his sight is returned to him through one of the inky black crows. Flying in place high above its breatheren, it takes stock of all the chaos that Ayden had rained down since his absense. "Good, they're weakened and in disaray." His flock was slowly thinning though. The nightmare Tale hadn't created them survive the kind of beating that the older Tales were delivering. But those same Tales had strewn about enough of his dark splotches onto the ground to move forward.
"What's that? What're you doin' now?" a tiny voice inside the boy's head calls out. "Quiet. If you ever want to get out of here, then stop pestering me," Ayden mutters to himself. Its then that his wrist moves a little. True his body was pinned down, but his wrist was still free enough and he had sight of the battlefield. His fingers position themselves as if they're holding a brush and begins stroking this way and that. "Now that I have a gateway between me and the other Tales, then I can borrow some energy and escape this old fool's clutches," the dark Tale thinks silently.
From one of the small pools of black ink and crow remains, a bubble pops. Then slowly, something begins to rise from the darkened mess. A small hand pushes its way into the tiny world made for the captured Tales. As the battle rages all around, a child sized ink covered body drags itself out of the tiny pool. Laying there a moment, its unseeing eyes try to seek out any nearby prey as its nostrils gurgle to suck in any scent that had magic about it. Zeroing in on the nearest Tale, it clumsily rises to its feet like a puppet being pulled up on a string and starts its slow walk to catch its victim. All around, other hands and heads begin to appear from the defeated crow corpses to join in on the slow zombie like march in search of living magic.
"Cut that out!" the young Tale cries out from inside his own head. "I dun wanna get free like this!" he continues to protest. "Quiet down," the golden eyed version snaps back. "You'll break my concentration."
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 11:06 am
Edict's healing did in fact draw the Gallu-beast's attention away from the unicorn-child and the brave boy trying to help save her; it dropped to all fours and lunged towards her - this was magic it had tasted and found lacking, this was magic that begged to be destroyed much the same way that the Wizard's magic begged to be destroyed. Saliva dripped from massive jaws as the creature's misshapen, distorted body approached the woman - so close, it would kill her then kill the others and then it would kill the one that had created it!.
Save for one thing: Adonis.
Gallu slowed to look at the brightly-shining boy-child raging at it but merely snarled and ripped at a shadow-crow that came too close. The boy wanted battle, but Gallu wanted death. It wanted the man using them all as living batteries. It wanted to plunge it's muzzle into the Wizards insides and rip with it's teeth; to feel blood and tissue and wet sliding over it's tongue and down it's throat. Yes, it would kill those in it's way (Donny included) but it was not targetting Tales...at least, it hadn't been until Miako appeared.
Miako didn't struggle against Jiro's man-handling her over his shoulder until he was running away; then she started kicking and thrashing -- her book! She couldn't leave the book! She could still see it despite the jostling - just as she could see that the wispy child with the bone-halo was laying limp and gone in the brown-haired lantern bearer's blood-splashed arms; just as she could see the woman with the 'white' magic holding the other boy gently while his chest rose and fell in a fluttery, half-broken manner.
"My book!" But there was no time to get it and Jiro wasn't putting her down; the unicorn girl could do naught but flail against him ineffectually.
Elana whimpered and curled over, her hands to her chest - it hurt. Ayden was doing something and it wasn't something he should be doing. She could feel it - and the moment the shadow-golems began forming, she felt a sickness wash over her body. "No, Ayden..." She couldn't see what was happening thanks to the spell that had been cast over her, but she knew what her twin was doing. He was trying to steal even more of their essence to escape, but it wouldn't work! The shadowy twin would only suceed in giving the Wizard more energy for his very nearly complete spell! Didn't he realize that? Couldn't he feel it the way she could?
Ayden's attempt at energy gathering only served to make the Wizard's thin lips draw into a smirk; yes yes - the child should be angry, should be trying to escape -- that was how he'd been made. With the spell swirling around him, energy being woven this way and that - pulled from the very marrow of his bones and clinging to his limbs to form a doorway between this world and the other realm he was trying to access - the additional energy from Ayden's little...toys would be most welcome.
As a matter of fact, that little bit of resistance from the nightmare Tale gave the old spell-caster just what he needed to complete the doorway. "Yes! I'm free of this god-forsaken world and that stupid, whining woman!" With those last parting words and a sneer on his face, the Wizard allowed himself to be enveloped by the spell; thick ropes of magic cocooning his body until there was nothing left of him to see. Seconds later a thunder-clap and a flash like a supernova slammed through the fabricated world.
Just like that, the old man was gone.
5....
4....
3....
2....
1...
For moments after, everything was still - even the Gallu. And then all hell broke loose; the world started shaking. Crumbling at the edges first but very likely it would soon be moving inward. The magic that had held this place together was no longer there, no longer balanced so the illusion of a place, the alternate pocket of space where they'd all been held, been battling for their lives, was now falling to pieces.
And to top it all off? The Gallu-beast's favored prey was gone. It was enraged and now went after the next most deliciously flavored item: Miako.
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:34 am
The girl was wailing about something but with him moving as he was, he could be quite honest in saying he wasn't paying attention. It took a bit before something pierced that thick skull of his. Hon? What? Blinking, he shifted his hearing to pay attention to what the girl had to say and he found he had heard right. Hon.. she's looking for her book? What book? "Stop kicking me.. if you don't mind." It was hard to not snarl at this little scared girl for many reasons. One: because he was getting kicked in the chest and right on his scar. Two: because he didn't like people wailing in his ear and three: because she was a scared girl who wasn't understanding what was going on, so he knew better. Turning his head, he saw what she was wailing about.. but it wasn't really that far away... hmm..
Shifting her carefully, he had to pause and set her down in order to do what he knew he was going to regret. Reaching inside his kimono, he was glad he had stashed that whip in there.. Pulling it out, he focused quickly on a spell, his amulet glowing in response before he let it fly. It had just wrapped itself around the book when everything seemed to just... stop. Like someone pressed pause on live tv to go get something to drink. But it didn't last long.. but it brought a whole new mess of trouble. His head wings were vibrating from the danger as he flicked his arm hard, sending the book flying back to him... and then a cold chill washed over him. Something... was different changed around here. Clutching the book as it came, he turned his head slowly, seeing that the Gallu...
His eyes widened a bit before he shoved the book in the girl's hands, picked her up again and took off. "Heres your book. Be quiet now!" The world was shattering and that thing was looking at them?! Oh hell no... he had to find a place to get this girl to safety but there was no longer such a place around there. The edges were cracking and splintering away and he soon found he had to stop.. there soon wouldn't be a place to go.. or else they'd all fall over the crumbling edge. s**t. But he couldn't stop moving.. he had to stay in a direction that was away from that beast.. but if he was looking for a fight, he would have to, now wouldn't he. If nothing else, he was going to protect this one... come hell and whatnot
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:47 pm
The others had magic, or claws, or weapons. Blue backed slowly away from the beast, not watching where he was going. Nothing he could do, nowhere he could go - useless - he couldn't save anybody, couldn't even help - if he could only be invisible, untouchable, if only he could do anything ...
The world was falling apart, and he too was distintegrating. Going transparent.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:22 pm
Jiro was correct: He was going to regret giving Miako her spellbook. Once it was in her hands, she used it to bludgeon the boy's head; cracking him neatly with the weighty tome just above his temple and causing his body to go slack, limp. It wasn't that Miako didn't appreciate what Jiro had tried to do - protect her - but...the young unicorn child couldnot allow him to be killed to save her - she knew that she had to get away from the others as quickly as possible.
She also knew that time was running out and that...well, something really did need to be done. Her instincts told her that the shaking was just the first sign that everything was going to fall apart and disappear.
Including the Tales themselves!
Elana knew -- that was why she'd tried so hard to bring in someone that might be able to help her...and it seemed that Miako might be that person. The white haired angelic Tale closed her eyes and pushed with all her might at the slowly weakening spell that was holding her captive and docile; even if she couldn't get free, she had to see if she could convince Miako of what to be done.
A blood-bond had been broken. The world was crumbling...they were crumbling. Without the negative energy to balance the positive, the Tales could not exist. Each and every Tale was fading - some more than others (Blue, for example). If nothing were done, then they would all perish. Somehow, Miako and the gallu had to be the key! Elana just knew it, deep in her bones!
But how could she ask a child made mostly from the light to offer herself to the darkness? Watching the beast bearing down on the girl - watching Miako fight Jiro off to save him from himself - gave Elena an idea and she immediately tried to communicate that to the unicorn; a wish that her words, whispered like a scream inside her head, would make it to Miako's ears.
The gallu beast was swaying with the world, it's claws extending to rip into the fabric of reality so that it could keep moving towards the young unicorn girl. Prey! Darkness was fading all around it, and yet it remained full and flush with blackened magic and dark purpose; it didn't know what Elana was trying to do - what the angelic Tale child's desperate plan would call for - all it knew was that Miako held the most pure light available and it wanted to rend tear destroy that light. It wanted it's jaws to clamp around her sweet young flesh and rip it from her bones, to drink the blood that came from her throat and imbibe in her essence.
It wanted...and it didn't care if the entire world fell apart, so long as it got it's prey first.
Miako felt Elana's wish -- not her words, but the wish. She was, well...a unicorn, after all (at least, she was unicorn enough to feel the wishes of pure young maidens). Elana wanted her to...offer herself to the monster? To balance out the worlds? The angelic Tale's wish was a hard one for Miako to understand fully -- terror kept her mind racing too much for the intent to be fully clear. She was running, running with her book clutched to her chest but she couldn't get away and the monster was coming and was going to get her! Each pounding step away from the others - endlessly away and yet she was going nowhere - jarred her bones and her body and she felt something fading from her very being. It was difficult to keep running with the gallu all but breathing down her neck; the little tears in the fabric of reality were like rips into her own flesh already -- and Elana's wish! It was battering at her conscious and sub-conscious.
There was too much to deal with at once: Miako tripped and fell, her book jamming into her stomach and knocking the wind out of her when she fell -- for a few seconds, while she was stunned. the other girl's wish finally made itself clear:
She was asking Miako to save them all.
Gallu watched the girl fall and howled it's victory; legs pumping faster, torso extending until it was very nearly atop Miako's prone form; the girl would twist around, holding her book up, just in time to see one massive paw sweeping down at her face -- the book deflected the claw and instead of splitting her in half, it simply tore out one of her eyes; vitreous humor leaking down her cheek like thick tears.
Rage! It had missed! The girl dropped her book and screamed - the sound music to the gallu's tufted ears; six eyes focused on Miako as it bent its head down to bite. Miako's arms - raised to protect her face from further harm - were the target, but as one was held in closer to cover her now empty right eye socket, it only got her left arm in it's massive jaws.
Bones snapped and tendons and muscle tore; Miako's blood flowed freely down her arm to pool at the hollow formed by her shoulder and neck before sliding down her front; staining her dress further.
There was no choice - Miako's life was forfeit now. She didn't understand and her mind was reeling from the agony in her eye and her arm. She could feel the monster's claws sliding around her throat, ripping at the flesh there in an attempt to detatch her arm from her body. Elana's wish...save them all. But how? Could she do it now? Was there a chance? The unicorn child's heart swelled -- she couldn't let it end like this! Her friends...her family...everything she'd ever known or loved might die because of what was happening -- who's to say that the monster wouldn't rip through this world and into the next? Who could promise her that it would end here?
It was those thoughts - that everything she loved so much, that everyone loved, might be left destroyed and charred that caused her to react finally. The small unicorn girl screamed one word out in a sharp, strident tone -- "No!!" Her horn began glowing; softly at first, and then with a brighter and brighter light. A blinding, pure light that would shield all from seeing what would come next and caused the gallu to hiss and attempt to release her arm...only, she wouldn't let it go. Now Miako knew what she must do: She had to destroy the beast!
Her horn was glowing white-hot when she canted her head forward and plunged it into the beast's chest - the spiral twisting and sucking in the monster's energy so that it would grow; eventually bursting from the blackened beast's back in a shower of blood and steaming tissue. The gallu screamed as it was pierced, it's black magic being sucked into the unicorn's horn, it's blood staining it red and black. Miako felt the creature's magic filling her body, felt herself changing.
Yes, this was how she could fulfill Elana's wish...how she could save them all. She would become bearer of the dark side, she would weild this fiercely wild magic and use it to weave their world into balance again. Miako's hair lengthened and horns burst from her skull much the way her horn had come from the slowly shrinking beasts's body moments before. She felt not only the light from her horn, bu the horn itself shrinking and pulled her head back to remove it from gallu's dwindling body.
Though Miako was still shakey and disoriented from the magic inside her, she extended herself to see if perhaps she couldn't stabilize their still shaking world. It took some work, but she made it happen; she bound herself by blood - blood on the ground, blood from the creature's bites - and made a pact with this half-realm. The others wouldnt' know of this, but she did it. Miako had been on the verge of death - they all had - and now? There was the chance for life again. That was alls she needed to know.
The body on the ground before her continued shrinking, it's great sides heaving and bloodstained; parts shifted into a form that would be...familiar to some of the others.
Khiarhu.
Khia with a gaping wound in his chest that went wholly through his body. Khia, with the light of life slowly slipping from his eyes - he was dying. He had been the beast and now he was dying because Miako had speared him with her horn. Blood pumped from his heart out of the ragged wound, puddling all around him. A naked, white-haired, horned woman with blue eyes knelt down beside the furry Tale, heedless of the blood that colored her pale hands and knees. She pulled him up into her lap with arms that were wounded but healing and pressed a kiss to his bloody muzzle.
"Would you live?" The teen couldn't speak but used the last of his energy to lick at her hand weakly; he would live. She could do this. She could make this happen -- he was pure blackness, just as Ayden was -- as the Wizard's magic had been. Edict would not be able to do anything for Khia...but she could. "You must return to a form yet innocent-- I'm sorry." Miako closed her eyes and felt the magic flowing from her fingers, shadowy spells weaving in and out of his flesh, pulling it back together -- taking Khia back to a stage where he was...not so big. Not so prone to violence.
Miako would give him another chance at life, just as she had given the others. As she healed Khia, shadows too weaved around her nude form, creating clothing fitting for her new status.
The world was no longer falling apart...but they were still...stuck. And now - though they had not seen what had transpired- one of their own was hurt, being healed and reverted to a younger stage by a woman that would likely be wholly unfamiliar. How would they get home? Perhaps this...horned woman with her arms around Khia would be able to assist?
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:36 pm
He hadn't expected her to hit him with her book so all he felt was a swift explosion of pain before he blacked out. But though he was out from the pain factor, inside of his head was a different matter. With everything that had been happening, he had sat back and watched. To see what this other self would do and that was it?! Save a dumb child who just knocked him out in 'thanks'?! Weak... completely unacceptable...
Like you have room to talk... Jiro's voice sounded irritated, if not incredibly groggy. You haven't been much help at all.
Heh didn't realize I was supposed to be doing something for you. After all, why help one who defies their true fate? A cold chuckle resounded in his head as Jiro didn't respond to that. That argument was old anyway.. in the end, he knew who would be the victor of it.A nd it wasn't going to be that child.... It seemed that he would have to do something about this.. heh good. It was time for Jiro to take a backseat this time around anyway.
It took some time before his body began to shift and stir, after everything had happened between Miako and the Gallu, naturally. Grunting, his fingers twitched before digging into the ground, his body shifting up on its own. That would be the last headache he was going to be taking today, thank you kindly! But that wasn't the only pain he felt. It felt like his entire chest had been ripped into.. that pain caused him to grit his teeth tightly, though he felt quickly and saw that he had no such injury. Then why... why would he...? As his eyes shifted open, the normal gold eye was gone as blood red eyes focused on the world around him. Heh what a mess. Turning his head slowly, his gaze focused on the girl... and the one she seemed to be holding onto. His true enemy... A cold smirk crossed his lips as he tried straightening up. It took a few tries since his body was a lot weaker than normal. Probably from being bashed upside of head too many times... this is what happens when you stick your neck out for other people. This is why it's best to not have anyone close to you or bother trusting in others. Useless sacks of flesh, all. His eyes narrowed and glowed.
Jiro was such a fool. He believed that helping others now would get him over his hermit nature?! Bah, not that any of these others would just accept one such as he without open arms. And despite Jiro's cold nature, he was trying to figure out how to be more open.. idiotic emotion. He'd wipe that out completely when everything was in place. But for now, that had to be placed aside. It baffled him to see Khia in a form he had shed so long ago... but of no matter. Because of him.... because of his meddling.. his plans had been set back! And in this world were they seemed to be trapped.. heh perhaps now is the best time to finish the battle they had once started. "Khia..." His voice was low but only hate resided in this being's heart when it came to Khia. All his setbacks were due to him! But even as he advanced towards them, his mind more intent on doing Khia harm than asking the odd naked woman any questions, the ring he bore on his ring finger began to burn and he heard Jiro's annoying voice in his head. Of course... this person was so important to him.. like he'd allow anything to happen to Khia...
Having to stop every so often as his body slowly worked on healing itself, his pendant glowing brightly, his fingers flexed and tensed, the spirit blades hidden in his gloves flaring into life. If he could kill Khia... heh.. then maybe he'd finally get his weaker self to shut up.. But Jiro wasn't one to do anything without a stubborn fight. And the other side of him wanted to figure a way out of this mess instead of causing more issues. Too bad this Other side didn't care for such things.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:49 am
Elena had - as per her strict 'lalalala I'm ignoring you' policy - missed out on what had caused the world to fall apart, although she had certainly noticed that it was doing so. Before she could really react to the fact that her fingers were turning transparent, everything stabilized. The first thing she did was poke herself to make sure she was still there. After all, that was the most important thing right now - making sure she survived.
Next up on the list? Getting out of here, of course! To that end, Elena surveyed the seemingly smaller area and immediately lighted upon the smaller form of the beast she'd been so steadfast in overlooking and the older woman now caring for him. "You," Elena barked out, striding over to the pair angrily, completely ignoring Jiro. "How do we get out of here?" Of course, Elena really meant 'how are you going to get ME out of this?' but the way she phrased it sounded much more polite and made it seem as though she really cared about the others. Which, outside of a handful of the Tales, wasn't really true.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:10 am
It was Khia. The monster had been Khia. Blue drifted over towards the woman and his friend's still form, feeling numb. Why?
He looked up at Elena and Jiro, barely recognizing that they were there, and went to his knees beside the woman, reaching out towards her and Khia (dead, not dead?).
"I want to go home," he said, plaintively.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:26 pm
Miako sensed something was coming, something dark and unwelcome after all their trials; she looked up to see that Jiro was approaching with weapons out, his eyes narrowed and expression one that called for blood. Even blind in one eye she could tell there was something not right about this -- and more than that, she could feel the child's intent for murder.
"We have suffered enough of our own blood spilled today--" The white-haired unicorn girl lifted one hand from the furry, black figure half hanging out of her shadow-clad lap and twisted her blood-stained fingers in the air at Jiro. "You will return from whence you came and cool your head, lest you lose it also." Miako's blue eye flashed white as tainted unicorn magic weaved it's way around Jiro, forming a binding and then a portal that whisked the red-haired boy away and out of sight.
That accomplished, she turned her head to face Blue and Elena, smiling sadly before she spoke. "Oh yes - of course you would not wish to remain. Give me but a moment and I can send you all home." Miako lowered her head and stroked Khia's soft, bloodied muzzle. He needed to stay for a bit - stay with them, with Miako and Edict - for a little longer; Khia had to heal before he could go home. He was alive, but his body was too fragile to make the return trip in one piece and again; Miako would not have any more of their kind reduced to nothingness.
Another gentle motion of her hand brought forth a charred and half-emptied Tome, which she offered to Elena. "Please see that this is taken care of. Nen has died, but there is yet energy in these pages...perhaps the right person will be able to write in this tome someday."
It was time to send them home. Miako couldn't help but feel a pang of bittersweet heartache that she would not be returning to her family, but knew that this was for the best. Her horn glowed from her bowed head and the shadows swirled around her, raising her hair with their wind; after a few moments this gentle wind expanded to fill the entire area -- not only was the unicorn sending the children back where they belonged, she was recreating the sub-dimension.
After all, she and Edict would need a place to continue their work, even after things were righted.
And so the metaplot comes to a close, but who knows what the future holds for Miako and Edict and all of the Tales?
OOC NOTES: You may, from here on out, role-play your children as returning home -- I leave each child's arrival to the author's discretion, but keep the returns fairly tame. No broken bones unless your Tale is super clumsy ;D.
The following Tales will appear paler/less solid than usual: Blue, Elana, Ayden
The following Tales will bear battle scars: Donny, Tybalt, Andrael
Everyone else will have small cuts/lacerations as per the rp - but will not be untowardly affected in a physical manner. Nightmares/Flashbacks/etc are each author's prerogative. If any participant would like to discuss some sort of after effect from the MP, feel free to PM the mule and we'll talk about it :3
Thank you all for your patience!
-Sy & the TT Staff
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