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 Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 11:38 pm
The misty-white figure, ironically the only thing resembling what should have been the Sahara as according to Mark, flickered again, reappearing several steps closer towards the ending of a corridor. As the Hunters continued to walk down the path, everything noticably narrowed. The sky grew dimmer, the rocks darker, casting long shadows. The stranged garbed apparitions also began to dwindle in number, just a few passing by-
-one walked with a basket full of discoloured vegetation into and right through Gale before they disappeared and continued to repeat themselves in the same blank expression.
Even the fake sun could not hide how cold it was, almost unbearably so. At the end of the path was a single entrance: a black ragged tunnel that curved downwards, quiet, ominous. The darkness seeped into the landscape around it, tainting even the sky a deep crimson red. And even then, the cave pulsated, a beating with unusual surges of Fear, neither physical nor psychological but simply there. Consistent.
Thump-thump.
It felt almost as if the trainees had very little control of their actions, forced forward step by step. There was something dangerous in that cave, something that set off all internal alarm bells and caused the mind to shriek in abject trepidation- DO NOT ENTER -
-And still they could not stop walking towards it, no matter how much they quavered and shook. Ants in a line. Waiting to die.
The few cloaked apparitions that littered the entrance took a second to look up at the sky, visibly recoiling in horror, raising spindly arms to ward off an invisible opponent before repeating the same action.
Thump-Thump.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 12:20 am
Fini fell fairly silent after her little...touching of Bix. That she was going to do her best to not think about. But was failing. Thankfully, Eva provided a distraction and Fini gave the other girl a rueful smile. She was definitely liking this trainee! "We can always hope, right?" She said dryly, still grinning at Eva.
Of course, that was asking way too friggin much. As things decided to get even more creepy. Like the headsets going out. And the strange fog-stuff. That formed shapes and looked like those creatures and Fini was not sure she liked this at all, sticking close to her teammates. It did make her feel only slightly better that Gale was leading them with Bix taking up the rear.
Even as Gale told them to have their weapons out, the comforting warmth in her hands told her that Vashi had summoned the instant she'd thought it. She gripped the sais tightly, keeping one partially raised and ready. Just in case the things in the fog jumped out at them.
Like the one that seemed to be gesturing to them and leading them somewhere.
The deep rumble in her mind was comforting, just like the feel of her weapons in her hands. Unable to cling to anyone - or willing to as it would make her look weak - Fini stuck close to the others in front of her.
At least until the cave.
Oh <********> no.
She hated caves thank you very much.
Except...she couldn't seem to make herself actually stop moving towards it. Or within it. Even as she tried to convince herself to slow her steps, there seemed to be something...off. Besides the fact her nerves were spiking.
"Am...I the only one...that doesn't like this one bit?" Fini meant to say it in a joking manner, but it came out in a whisper, belaying her nerves.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 9:44 am
“Oh…you’re not the only one, don’t worry…” Molly tried uttering back in what she hoped was a comforting tone to Fini, but really, she felt far from it. This mission to the Sahara was a lot more unnerving than the last one to her…
The young woman gasped as one of the figures approached but ended up going right through Gale, nearly having a heart attack. “Are you alright, Gale?” She asked in a hushed whisper, still moving along cautiously. Further and further, narrower and narrower…Vaska was restless on the edge of her mind and it didn’t help. Molly’s eyes snapped to the figures outside, recoiling in fear at something in the sky, and she bit her lip worriedly. What were they afraid of? Where were they going?
“Becareful everyone, please…” She murmured to her group.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 11:21 am
It was like walking into a funnel, of sorts, with everything getting narrower and darker. Shadows stretched along the ground in front of them. The fact that they could no longer hear Mark's voice - not even the faint crackle of a voice over the headsets - made Gale feel extraordinarily uneasy.
Something flickered - a whiteish, faint apparition carrying what looked like a basket of...fruit? Vegetables? Whatever it was, Gale did not have time to look too closely, since in the next second it passed straight through him. He gave an audible gasp, drawing in a sharp breath and putting his free hand to his chest. His heart was beating rapidly against his ribs, and Gale slowly calmed himself down, closing his eyes briefly.
"Yeah," he muttered, with a glance over at Molly. "Yeah, I'm fine. It didn't hurt, it was just...weird."
Jinhai?
<< I'm here. Steady, Gale, steady. >>
Nodding his head, Gale's fingers clenched tighter around the rifle, feeling the cold of the metal seeping through the gloves to the skin beneath, chilling him. It was much too cold, much too dark, and just ahead a thick smear of black that indicated a cave of sorts.
Gale did not want to go into that cave. He could feel something - FEAR, was it? reverberating through the air - or maybe it was in his mind - beating at his consciousness.
He kept walking - could he even stop now? - his feet kept moving -
"I'm not a big fan of it myself," he murmured to Fini, but he wasn't looking at her - instead his eyes were trained on the apparitions around them, staring upwards at something unseen, looks of horror in their eyes, on their faces.
He tried to slow down, stop walking. His brain was screaming at him to stop, but regardless he kept moving, kept walking, kept moving forward -
"Bloody hell," Gale muttered, feeling anger and something akin to panic begin to rise in his throat. All five of them were still moving, still walking forwards, as though they were all unable to stop. "What the hell's going on here?"
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 2:41 pm
Bix watched as one of the figures walked through Gale. He opened his mouth to say something but one of the girls beat him to it. The continued along, drawn by something he couldn't describe. Despite everything in his mind telling him no, despite the horrified faces of the figures around them, he continued to walk.
Bix's feet pulled him further. While the others debated, expressed that this was a bad idea, he hadn't felt he could speak. He was draw ahead, pushing past the girls because his own strides were longer.
He was supposed to be guarding the rear. Protecting their backs.
But he was pulled ahead, past Molly and Fini and Eva. He came abreast of Gale, the younger hunter a stark contrast in height, and then he was in front of Gale and still walking.
Perhaps it was his subconscious, putting him between the others and danger. Perhaps he was a bit more caught up than the others. Perhaps it was misguided stupidity.
Probably that.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 10:57 pm
Perhaps it was the trainees walking towards their slow-motion demise. Or perhaps, the landscape had simply warped and distorted around them, accomodating their insecurities, their fears. There was a stange quality to the air that could not be placed in words, a gnawing agitation that made everything crawl, itch, uncomfortable.
The cave was just in front of them, waiting. Nothing appeared at the entrance, no horrible nightmare creature, no insects or sand centipedes or -
- A flicker of something in the sand that only Gale could see, in the distance a body pegged on a hollow oversized ribcage, red hair matted, lifeless. For a single, drawn out second it looked up, right at the Death trainee-
-There was no face. Thousands of squirming insects retreated back into the hollow crevace of where its face might have been as hundreds more gushed out, dribbling into the sand. A voice, crackled and mocking that rang in his head. 'Gale, you left me and ...'
And then another suddenly cutting off the illusion. Bix. "Great Gale you lead us all into a trap. We are going to die because of you."
Eva chimed in. "Was Ben not enough for you? Do you need us to die for you as well?"
"He's too young anyway," Molly murmured, agreeing, "Who trusted him anyway?"
But the trainees, the real other trainees did not hear their own false words. No, instead they each heard something else from their group members, words that stole the voices of each other and reflected only their own insecurities.
"What's the point of fighting if I'm going to die anyway..."
"You put up a brave front but I can see right through it. Deep down inside, you only care for yourself.
"Everyone has gotten stronger but you... And you don't even know what you want.
"You're just a b*****d child anyway, so who cares about someone like you?
The trainees could still speak, they could still hear each other - but also the voices as well. Really, which words were real?OOC Your trainee is hearing VOICES. They soud exactly like the other trainees, so if you are party member A, you hear additional INSECURITY VOICES voices from party members B, C, D and E. they sound exactly like the other party members. In fact, its getting hard to tell if these voices are not the actual thing your party members are saying to you... - OOC: you can MAKE UP what your trainee hears from the INSECURITY VOICES of the other party members. These words simply reflect a trainee's personal fears and insecurities. For example, trainee A could hear the voice of trainee B calling them fat and write that into the rp. Please denotate the INSECURITY VOICES with italics so others know only the trainee themselves can hear those voices. - HOWEVER, trainees can still also hear each other normally, they just can't hear the OTHER insecurity voices as each set is unique to the player. They can still talk normally with each other but how do you know what they say is real? Really, which part is real? - This is an OPEN round, trainees can take however many turns they want to rp out this round. They can even fight with each other if they want (same PVP mechanics as usual) - Example post: Trainee A turns to trainee B. "Be careful", they whisper. " Oh," trainee B suddenly replies, " I would have to careful with you around." Trainee A frowns. "Why would you say that, Trainee B?" - Example post part 2: Trainee B raises an eyebrow. "Say what?" He wonders lately what is wrong with trainee A. " Everything." Trainee A suddenly replies, "Everything you say is immature.."
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 12:04 pm
"Bix."
Gale's voice was harsh, cutting through the darkness like a knife.
"Bix, what are you doing? I told you to stay ba - "
Something flickered, just ahead - something in the sand, the smell of hot wind and desert filling his senses. Gale's gaze swept across the distance, falling on something lying on the ground just ahead -
- something with red hair.
Dread filled his mind, a nausea thick and potent rising in his throat. His mouth felt dry, and he took an involuntary step backwards - or at least, he tried to - as the body on the ground twisted, turned its head to face him -
Gale could not hear the scream that he let out, but he knew he was screaming because his mouth was open and his chest felt tight. Jinhai was making a racket in his head, shouting at him to calm down, but the words were nonsensical, messy, distorted -
Bix's voice. Then Eva's. Then Molly's, Fini's, all in succession, as though reminding him of everything he had been trying to forget for the past six months.
"You're not very smart, for a hunter."
Fini's voice, snorting with disregard of his position, of him, of everything.
The screaming had stopped, and his throat felt raw, but Gale could still hear the voices - their voices in his head, all around him. They were all staring at him, all of their mistrust and irritation with him seeping into his veins.
"Why do you think I rejected you?"
Eva's voice. Gale took a step towards her, but she was already repulsing back, her voice filled with disgust.
"Even if you were my age, I would never have picked you."
"Stop it," he whispered, and his voice came out a low hiss, Gale's fingers clenched so tightly around the rifle in his hand that his knuckles were white beneath the gloves. Jinhai's voice felt like a tinny little murmur in his mind, Gale's gaze focused on Eva.
"It's not my fault," he said again, and his voice was hoarse. "It's not like I can help the way I feel about you - you know I wouldn't do this to you if I could help it - "
Laughter, somewhere behind him. Bix was laughing at him.
"Look, the little kid thinks he can get the big girl," he was saying. "Like that's ever gonna happen. You're just a kid, after all. And a murderer, look what you did to Ben - "
Anger seared through him, heavy and weighted, and Gale flung himself towards Bix, his fingers clenching in the collar of his shirt. Somewhere he could hear other voices, but he couldn't decipher what they were saying.
"SHUT UP!"
He felt drained.
"Not everyone is as lucky as you, Bix! We don't always get what we want! So just shut up!"
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:39 pm
Bix turned like slow motion when he heard his name called. His ears picked up the girls, giggling and talking behind him.
"....bought her a dress at a consignment shop." Eva sniggered.
Bix puzzled, frowning. He heard more giggles.
"...so lame. IHOP? Really? Who goes to IHOP on a date?"
"Tried to kiss you? Really? What a loser." He definitely heard that. It was Fini's voice.
"You told them?" Bix turned to Molly, his eyes reflecting only hurt. "Like everything? You told them the whole thing?"
Fini and Eva giggled at him and Molly put on a petulant face. "Well I had to warn them. I didn't kiss you back cause you are lame. The whole date was lame... and you can't even kiss to save your life."
Bix spun to Gale, expecting some help or backup from his friend but he found only derision. "I knew you were just some sort of pervert. I wanted to look up to you but I realized that will just lead me to getting killed. Or maybe kidnapped." The blonde shrugged dismissively." Like your brother."
Suddenly Gale's face shifted and he screamed at him. "What?" Bix grabbed his head. "Stop yelling! What are you talking about?"
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:15 pm
Molly rubbed her arm in discomfort as they moved along. No, she didn’t like it one bit, and everyone else’s uneasiness was fueling her own, despite any small attempts she was trying to make to stay positive. Any shred of comfort was shattered as Gale started to scream. “Gale!” Molly cried, alarmed and wide eyed. “What’s wrong?” She wanted to try pushing her way through some of the girl’s to get to him, to see what was wrong, but what sounded like wicked giggling cut her short.
It sounded like some of her team mates were whispering something…trying to keep it down, but not really putting that much effort into it. “She really needs to lose some weight. You don’t see fat hunters on Deus.” Molly’s head whipped around worried as she stared wide eyed at Eva. Did…did she just say…Another malicious murmur had her glancing in Fini’s direction. Why…why were they saying these things now…?
Then Gale was shouting at the others, and she wanted to go up to him again, but then Bix was looking at her like he was hurt. “…T-told who, what, Bix?” She squeaked, uncertain, pausing as she heard Gale’s voice again.
“You need to grow up. You’re ridiculous.”
She shot back to Gale, still wide eyed and looking hurt now. “But I…” Bix’s voice this time. “You’re a horrible older sibling. You failed that, and you’re going to fail this too.” Molly whipped her head back to stare at the albino, the color draining from her face, and she wanted to say something, but Gale leapt at Bix them, and Molly found herself de-summoning her weapon and frantically moved to get to the two, trying to come between them. She placed a hand on each of their shoulders and tried separating them. Whether she was stung by their words or not, she needed to try and stop them. “Bix, Gale!” Molly cried. “Please stop! We shouldn’t be fighting each other!”
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 9:49 pm
"You're such a pain in the a**. And weak. Not to mention a nuisance." Gale's bland voice informed her. She'd always thought that was the case. "I don't know why I continue hanging around you."
No. No that wasn't true. Was it? "I...I'm sorry. I didn't...realize.."
She should have known! It was always the same. Whenever she tried to grow closer to someone. Consider someone a friend. Trust someone.
"You'll never make it beyond a mere trainee." There was Eva's voice. The girl she'd thought she could grow to like.
She found herself clutching her sais to her chest, like they were a vital lifeline. Which is exactly what Fini considered them right now. Their solidity was probably the only thing keeping her sanity mostly in tact. Faint sounds in her mind may have been Vashi, but Vashi was never that quiet. Vashi... She could almost feel the deep rumble from her partner. Or was that her body shaking with emotions she was trying to suppress?
"Pathetic. That's what you are. I've heard from Gale how pathetic you are." Bix's almost bored tone, making it clear she was wasting his time.
"Your parents didn't even want you. Doesn't get any more pathetic then that."
"I...I AM NOT PATHETIC!" She shouted at both boys, arms crossed and Vashi pressed tightly against her chest, the warmth from the blades doing it's damn best to chase away the chill her body was feeling.
Why...why are we fighting? What was going on? I'm...not pathetic...
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 2:55 pm
What was going on? Eva clutched a hand to her head as a flurry of voices assaulted her, overlapping with each other. Gale, Bix, Fini, Molly--she could vaguely make out each of their voices as they spoke around her. Some of the things they said made little sense to her, but others...
"She's so clingy," A voice--Molly's--spoke up from behind her in a scandalized whisper, "Acting as she does...it's really annoying, isn't it?"
What? Was she...talking about her?
Bix chuckled, a cold, humorless sound. "Yeah, she's kind of like a kid that never grew up. It's like she doesn't have the ability to independent--she always has to rely on somebody to so anything."
Eva dropped her hand to her chest, her fingers clutching the fabric there. No. No, that wasn't true. It...it wasn't so much that she was dependent on others rather than the fact that she was just scared of being alone again. Her childhood had been awkward and lonely, but ever since she came here--ever since she had met these trainees...
"Maybe it's just a mask?" Fini chipped in from out of nowhere, emitting a bark of laughter, "You know, she probably puts on this face in order to get stuff from us--our time, attention, money--but deep down, she's really just this ugly, selfish person."
Eva shook her head and took a step forward, "No! Fini, I just--"
"Tsk."
"--Gale...?"
She turned to face him slowly, but kept her eyes lowered, afraid of what he would say. He...he was a friend, right? But she had thought the same of the others, and they had all said those terrible things. Would he also...?
The blonde boy sighed with exasperation. "Protect? Do you honestly think I need your protection? You can hardly even take care of yourself." Eva flinched, but whether he didn't notice or just didn't care, he continued on without hesitation. "Honestly, I'm tired of trying to look out for you. Sure, we all put up with you, but you're just an annoying burden more than anything else."
"I never knew you guys...I thought we were friends! Why couldn't you just tell me?"
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 6:57 pm
It was loud now, unbearably so. Loud, ringing, echoing, familiar voices overlapping with mocking laughter, the whites of smiling, mocking teeth, their eyes blue, then yellow, blue, yellowyellowyellowyellow-
- Who did the others think they were? No, it was clear now, as they looked at each other, their so-called team-mates that there was something very wrong with them. They were all sick. They just needed someone to make them better.OOC -This is now a PVP round. All players must select a TARGET: any other group member, based on their own insecurities. Roll melee as usual. - The Insanity is thick, it is driving the bond between Hunter and weapon strange as well: Hunters cannot hear their weapons. A very small part of the Hunter knows they are overreacting: why are they so angry and agitated themselves but they cannot control their anger: it feels as if they are being puppeted somehow. You can only attack ONCE per gm round but you have unlimited reaction posts!
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kuropeco rolled 2 10-sided dice:
3, 6
Total: 9 (2-20)
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:21 pm
His head was spinning. What felt like it was up felt as though it were down, what was left was right, and everything was chaotic, twisting around within his mind. Stepping away from Bix, Gale lifted his hands, the rifle in them disappearing as he clutched the side of his head, his fingers clenching in the blonde strands of his hair.
"You're the one who thinks your'e so great!" he shouted, teeth clenching. "We can't all get the girl, all right? It's not like we're all as fortunate as you are, so stop making fun of me!"
"Why should I?"
Bix was sneering at him now, lips curling upwards in a smirk. "You're just so easy to make fun of. And yeah, I got the girl - and you didn't. You're a kid, remember? Just a kid."
"Stop," Gale snapped, and his voice was like ice. "Cut it out. And you," he added, rounding on Fini. "Stop assuming that you're better than I am because you're older than I am. I know I'm only sixteen, but that doesn't make...make you..."
It was difficult to think. His head was pounding now. Gale stumbled over his words, lifting his hands again, this time pressing the heels of them against his temples and squeezing his eyes shut. There was a pressure building he couldn't understand, and there was a faint voice that seemed to emanate from somewhere in his thoughts...
...Jinhai?
It was difficult to hear him over the voices. Gale staggered a few steps to the side, anger pulsing through his veins. How could they say this to him after such a long time? Even Fini, whom he had thought he would get to know better and that he liked, that he hoped would get along well with Eva and Molly because all three of them were some of the nicest people he knew on Deus - and all three of them had treated him like he was an equal, not as though he were a kid.
Eva, who his heart ached for. And Bix, his best mate, in spite of the age difference between them.
And now they were turning on him?
"Gale, you left me - "
Ben's voice.
Stay out of my head.
Gale forced his eyes back open, gritting his teeth. I'm fighting with them - these are supposed to be my friends, and what am I even doing?
He couldn't think straight - that was what he was doing. Or not doing, as the case may have been. Somewhere he felt an inordinate sense of wrongness, but he couldn't figure out where everything was coming from.
Why were they saying all this stuff now?
"If you didn't want to come," said Gale bitterly. "Then you could have just stayed on the island instead of pretending to trust me. Disregarding me is a bloody hell of a lot better than mocking me by pretending to trust me."
Angry, he was so angry.
And Jinhai was gone and everything was gold, yellow - bright so bright -
With a roar of anger, Gale leapt forward, his fingers clenching in the front of Bix's shirt, and without a second thought in his mind, his fist had reared back and slammed into Bix's face.
[ HP: 50/50
Target: Bix
Damage: 3
Charge: 1/3 ]
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iloveyouDIE rolled 2 10-sided dice:
4, 8
Total: 12 (2-20)
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:28 pm
"Why would you?" Gale was screaming about getting the girl. "SHE HATES ME! You heard her!" And then he was punched. He wasn't quite expecting it and he stumbled backwards into Molly before hitting the ground. "Why would you?" He held his face and looked up at Molly's cruel smile. He filled with rage. He didn't even notice the lack of contact with Mina. He wasn't thinking about it. All he was thinking of was paying back the guy who hit him. "I thought we were friends!!" Bix leapt to his feet and threw himself at Gale, not a second thought to size, age or strength as he cracked his knuckles into the other hunter's jaw. [ HP: 47/50 Target: Gale Damage: 6 Charge: 1/3 ]
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Lucyal rolled 2 10-sided dice:
8, 7
Total: 15 (2-20)
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:39 pm
Any shred of hope or confidence or positivity she had been trying to cling to had left her now. Too many murmurs, too many heated and hateful, mean and malicious murmurs, all coming from her team mates it seemed. They’d say mean things, and then act like they wouldn’t, and she didn’t want to hear any of it anymore. Molly’s chest heaved as she stared wide eyed and frantic at everyone, darting between each and ever face. She didn’t think about her partner either as well, she was too caught up in the here and now that she just wanted to get away from. Molly’s head snapped up as Gale threw himself Bix, and she stumbled back with a surprised wail as Bix fell into her. She stared down at the albino hunter wide eyed, shaking, until he got up and went after Gale again. Molly, if in her right mind, would never attack her friends…but right now she was far from it. She was panicked. “ You’re scaring me!” She cried at Bix, and as he went after Gale and charged after him and shoved the young man, hard. HP: 50/50
DMG: 9
Target: Bix (Sorry : ‘ DDD)
Charge: 1/3 0/2
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