The world had indeed been black and white. It had been perfect this way, so systematically balance and organized. It had made sense: everything in the Death lead's grasp was simply a mechanism.
And despite the power, the show of difference, the promise of something else, always first and foremost a promise, he saw Red for exactly what she was, if the entity could indeed be still called the former Red. A walking contradiction, a blight. The dead never returned without repercussions and it permeated and clung to the air thick and invasive, the third force in two ends that had once been perfectly symmetrical.
He felt it, a pang of concern, not his own. Circe, calling to him from a distance. Perhaps he only imagined it, by pure will alone pushing the behemoth back, eye contact unbroken, showing only pure disdain even beyond words.
"So even imperfections can have hopes." A silent laugh, a mocking grimace. "Your kind, you truly do not change. Insanity is only a fragment of Fear, a base emotion of humanity. You should know best of everyone else -"
- He lunged for Red, or just one hand, leaning closer, accepting the inevitable. "The greatest change is the permanence of true death."
There was no fear now, as there had never been fear. The humming itself dulled, and then disappeared entirely. There were no goodbyes.
'-Are you coming with us?'
Everything stopped.
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:10 pm
She moved.
Aided by Insanity Red struck out, her talons slashing across Caelius' chest. In an instant she was upon him, her claws digging into his flesh. The sound of wet tearing was unnaturally loud as the gray ground beneath them grew darker and darker, the air permeated with a sharp coppery scent.
At last she stood, picking up the limp and now mostly crimson form of the hunter leader. She did not hold him over her head like a trophy. The werewolf merely picked him up and pitched him as far as she could, away from her and too far for anyone to get to.
The werewolf-weapon snatched Circe off the ground. Her black fur glistened with a sticky liquid as she pointed the scythe at the hunters. "Your leader is defeated," she growled. "You are weaponless. You are nothing more than a weak and pathetic human."
The great jaws opened as Red licked her chops, her gaze glowing brighter. "You are nothing. But I will be generous." She sliced the air with Circe. With a loud CLANK! the portal device landed in front of the hunters and flickered to life. "Run. Go back to your kind, go back to Deus Ex with a warning. And take your dead with you."
Another slice, and the bodies of Ceres and Bix were flung on the ground in front of the hunters, followed by the two thuds of their tablets. "Your leader is mine. I suggest you run while you can. While I myself will not kill you, there are some of mine that may decide to..." Her words trailed off as she glanced to the side, looking at those aligned with Amityville.
Alexander, Mort, Aymet, and Shehk were missing.
"Heed my words," Red growled, raising Circe up. The weapon flickered and dissipated, disappearing from her grasp. "Run while you can."
OOC
HUNTERS: Time to book it! When you go through the portal, you wind up here.
Also, those that were petrified are thrown in through the portal after the last of you passes through it.
AMITYVILLE: Something prevents you from attacking the retreating hunters. They cannot be attacked.
Ol-j-man
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SPOILER
Seussi
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SPOILER
Aymet
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SPOILER
demon_pachbel
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SPOILER
Red's howl was the last thing you hear. As she howls, you can feel a part of you being used to herd and guide something... But by the time the note fades, you too have faded away. You may post a death solo.
Dakota heaved a breath as he watched the showdown, the fight between a leader he couldn't respect and yet did...along with a werewolf that had infiltrated them before. Who to win was a mystery but it seemed to come to a impasse...until the werewolf spat out some fog out. It was bright, a flash as he felt his weapon shrill in his head.
And then she was gone, a presence he couldn't feel. Gone. Chama was gone. No, no no. His partner, the piece of himself. No.
He looked around as he saw the tablet on the ground, the one that held the eerie shape of a sword much like his on there. Dropping to his knee's he grabbed it and clutched it to his chest. No...No Chama, no Chama why.
He couldn't do this alone, he couldn't handle this alone. His head continued to look down at the tablet, even as the wolf shredded into their only leader, even as she threw him aside like a rag doll. Even when she spat her nonsense.
They were hunters...they had been hunters.
/Chama/
Her stared at the bodies that formed and it was then he snapped from his despair. The first time he felt it. The first time he knew. /run/
The tablet weapon was held in one hand as he scrambled up too the two bodies. Marcus was too heavy for him, stone for his cold human body.
But he could manage Ceres...He could manage taking one of his own back. He scooped her up, grunted as he shifted the dead weighted body in his arms and managed to grab her tablet as well.
“Hey Princess.” Dakota faked a smile at the cold body, “I can't take your boy home but someone will get him. I'm going to take you back first though okay? I'm going to take you back home. I'll take you back to the island...back to moon.” He held the first of tears back, “I'm sorry, I came too late. I couldn't protect you...I couldn't come in time for Marcus. I couldn't help Julie. Sorry Ceres...I'm really sorry...”
Chama, Chama help. I'm not a moon, I'm not the moon. Chama...My sun. What do I do?
The hunter barely glanced at Caelius as he walked to the portal, it was against the morals to leave a hunter, even a leader but...Ceres was coming back. Bix would come home. Marcus....
He had not stopped to think about the death of Caelius, Gale's mind far elsewhere, his heart beating slow, rhythmically against his chest. Everything around him had moved in slow motion, first with the feel of Jinhai being torn from his mind, next with the heavy scent of blood thick in the air, filling his lungs, his field of vision scarlet. He felt as though he was being suffocated from the inside out, his chest tight, and his legs were heavy.
But he had run for Bix's body the moment he had seen it, and nothing else had mattered.
Nothing else had been more important.
His hands were shaking, along with the rest of his body, trembling so violently that as he knelt over the broken and battered body of his comrade he was not quite certain he would be able to even move properly, to ever think properly ever again.
For a brief moment he just stared down at the pale face, the closed eyes that no longer saw, the short white hair, and Gale's bloodied and bruised fingers touched the cheek of the closest friend he had ever had.
For all of his strength, for all of his confidence, his stubborn resistance to being called young, Gale Gentry had never felt more like a child than he did at this very moment.
"You're not leaving that easily, you stupid, silly prat," he whispered, but the tremulous note to his voice belied his lighthearted comment as he leaned down, took Bix's arm, and wrapped it around his neck, his own arm around the other's waist to support his lifeless body. In the crook of his elbow he cradled the precious tablet that had once been Jinhai, and his mind felt horribly, awfully empty.
He felt hollow inside.
He was not strong enough to carry the fully grown hunter by himself, but then Eva was there, at his side, her expression pained. She said nothing, but squeezed his hand gently, and then slipped her arm around Bix's waist and took his other arm without being asked. Gale was grateful, his stubborn refusal to leave Bix behind preventing him from moving through the portal with the rest of the hunters.
He could not even speak anymore, but Eva's mere presence alone was enough to sustain him, just enough, to carry Bix through the portal back to the place where it had all started.
[ exit ]
[ I have permission to add Eva <3 ]
kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
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Bittiface
Sarcastic Hunter
Offline
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:18 pm
Otto could barely believe what he'd witnessed. Every single hunter.. was now weaponless. Merely human. Was that a bad thing? To be normal?
His thoughts were minimal as he watched. Caelius, of all people, had been seemingle taken down. Torn apart..
He felt sick..
A portal.. a way out.
Chaos consumed his mind, but he needed to run. He had nothing to defend himself with. None of them did. Staying.. was pointless. Otto had no intention of wasting his life by staying.
The teen booked it for the portal.
[[Exit]]
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:19 pm
Leon felt the pang of loss, one that hit far too close to home. Nid was far too light for his tastes. It was as if he went on that diet he always joked about to the dragon weapon. "You're like bones Nidhogg." he said dully as he carried the tablet around like a fragile piece of china. the silence was deafening.
Unnatural, the life hunter didn't like it, it was just not right. not right at all, he would imagine this was how it felt to lose a limb. Was it the same for Cass he had to wonder. his green eyes grew wide at the thought of his dear sister, that she was not here. the hunter trainee could only stare glumly at the statue that would need to be brought back to the former mist trainee.
And no dragon to help him with the right words to tell her. The hunter didn't run, he didn't want to show them any more fear. they already had Cael, they would not have anything else from him. The statue of marcus would not stay either. he gingerly placed the moon hunter in the portal before walking away himself.
If anything, this only slightly overshadowed the fact that he'd gotten his wish. Jezebel had only screamed once, when she was pulled forcefully away from him. He picked up the stone tablet, and grinned.
The grin was short lived, when he realized the position they were in, and he moved. Quickly.
Large hands wrapped around Mimsy's stone waist, and he heaved the girl up onto one shoulder. The other arm did the same with Lucky, though he kept the man under his arm instead. Robert looked like he was a hired hand on moving day, a very natural look for him.
"Peace, bitches." He gave Red a wink. "Hope I never see this place again."
She'd done him a favor. He hoped he'd never have to pay her back for it.
((Robert/Mimsy/Lucky OUT))
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:24 pm
Here eyes scanned the field worriedly for Marcus' statue. Leon was standing next to it, and instead of the normal irritation she felt when she saw him, Ami only felt relief. He was strong. He could carry it.
Ami helped Otto out the portal. Unlike the others, she felt completely indifferent to the weaponless situation. Now she wasn't alone, that was all it meant. Welcome to her world. "It's gonna be okay, darlin'."
Yeah, it would.
She had to believe that.
[ exit ]
chiickadee
Princess Hoarder
Offline
[A.V.]
Dangerous Hunter
Offline
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:25 pm
He couldn't do anything, as he only watched his weapons turn into a stone tablet.
"Chester, CHESTER!" He grit his teeth. DAMMIT! Just when he promised he wouldn't let anything happen to him.
CHESTER dammit, SAY SOMETHING. SCOLD ME. YELL AT ME. ANYTHING! His mind was quiet except for his own confused thoughts.
As if that wasn't enough, even Caelius, his division leader... DAMN IT ALL, what was going to happen now?
Clutching onto the tablet, he rushed towards the portal without another word.
[ EXIT ]
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:26 pm
Candace had been effectively stunned the moment her weapon had become a tablet. When her boots had disappeared and by her feet had been a slab of rock. She barely noticed the students around her, the bickering leaders, the hunters around her. Atropos..
There was no answer. The tablet was picked up in shaking hands as she stared down at the tablet and held it tightly against her chest. No..her Atropos. But she was still alive, right? So then how...
The sound around her finally returned to her senses as she looked up in time to watch Caelius' body get thrown and Circe picked up by her. Candace took a few cautious steps back. No...no, no. No! This was wrong! That b***h! That b***h! That b***h!
This was her fault.
Candace never took her eyes off Red as she made her way into the portal.
((Exit))
Eight
Fanatical Friend
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Carhop Cavalier
Familiar Teenager
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:29 pm
One second he'd been firing away, the next second Regal was a tablet in his hand, just like when he found the Gryphon a month ago. Mixed feelings flooded the Life trainee, and were even more muddled at the death of the Death division lead. He was a tactical mastermind; but a complete jerk from what Lex understood. And now the Devil woman was letting them go?
No time for questions. Move or die.
He moved; there'd been enough death already.
((Exit))
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:30 pm
If she'd had all of her memories back, this would have been the greatest moment of her life. As it were, however, Riley just felt a little vindicated when the head of the Hunters fell lifeless at Red's hand. Things were finally turning in their favor, and that was a position Riley loved to be in.
But it was an even more glorious moment when she realized that both Jordan, and Ro, were now weaponless. She tasted the weakness on them, and her tentacles came to life behind her, ready for more.
"While I myself will not kill you, there are some of mine that may decide to..."
If Riley had the ability to smile, she would have at that very moment - because nothing explained how she felt about her new best friends, the Hunters, than the very words Red had just uttered.
Don't go. She whispered, pushing herself up to her feet to walk towards Ro. Her voice sounded inviting. Sinister. And appealing all at once. We're just getting to know one another. You can stay for a little while, can't you?
Shun stood by Mitsu, watching as Red rushed towards the hunters. In one fell swoop, she had rendered all the underlings useless. Leaving them weaponless. Cael was still up and the battle had commenced between the two figures. Silently, he watched. There really wasn't anything else he could do right now. In the end, he really had nothing to offer her.
The battle raged on, and soon the scales had tipped in Red's favor. Before he knew it, he heard the squishy tearing of flesh. The ground below them pooled with darkness. It didn't last long, and the body was cast aside.
The reaper almost smirked at that. Almost. It didn't quite happen. Finally, the scythe master was dead. That was one less Hunter to deal with. And a powerful one at that. There were still many others, and his attention turned towards the small army of now rather weak humans. They were nothing without those weapons. And now they would be so easy to eliminate. A small bit of irritation was felt when Red instead told them to flee. They didn't deserve such mercy.
"Che."
Letting out a breath, he looked over Red, then turned towards Mitsu. With that, what would happen now with Red? He wasn't sure what to expect at this point. The hunters were no longer an immediate threat.. but there was still the matter of Insanity over all.
-----
Deryk couldn't help but stare in horror. Caelius...
He had no love for his division lead. He was afraid of the man. But.. this wasn't supposed to happen. How the hell did a failure like him outlive that man? And now Tooley was gone.
Shaking, he nodded with a sort of whimper before scampering through the portal as quickly as he could.
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