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 Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:10 pm
『 Location: Makai
xxxxxxx|↳ The Riftwood 』
 "This was a bad idea."
His concern was met with silence. Even birds did not make a noise in the Riftwood, likely for a very good reason. The young Majin clamped a hand over his mouth, his other hand holding a tiny wicker basket. A few herbs and ingredients lined the bottom, not nearly enough for his project.
Create a healing potion for Noxious Mumps. The book had listed the ingredients very clearly, indicating they would be found in various places around Makai. Yun was a busy kid, though, and had known of the Riftwood and its abundance in ingredients of all kinds. He knew it would be faster and easier to get it all out of the way in one place.
He had not, however, considered entirely the consequences of entering the forest alone. Blaming his clouded judgement on a lack of sleep - between school and working - he gripped his basket to his side and continued on. The very book that spoke of the ingredients was kept safely tucked away in his shoulder bag, as well as a set of small knives. Someone who saw them would think him laughable; how would he fight off beasts with those?
Sadly, his only true weapon he came equipped with was his own blood. He felt a little apprehension at the thought of having to fight off any creatures, but he needed that perfect grade.
There. Kneeling down, Yun gently snapped a translucent, glowing flower at its base. He glanced over his shoulder before taking the book out, thumbing through it until he found the page: Somnus Folium, a rare flower known for the phosphorescent dust that clung to its petals. One whiff of it would cause most to pass out for a spell. He wrinkled his nose and tucked it away in the bottom of the basket. Strangely enough, its sleeping properties would be mostly negated with the addition of the other ingredients, allowing it to give a calm, soothing, medicinal effect.
"Phew... about halfway done." Thus far, he hadn't suffered any interruptions. He wasn't terribly deep into the Riftwood, but he knew he should have been deep enough to encounter at least one creature. He cast an uneasy glance about the dark woods.
It was too quiet. Surely something would have harassed him by now? Perhaps he was just lucky this day.
No, he didn't believe in luck. The tingle that descended his spine told him otherwise; he was being watched. Hunted. Yun bit his lip and craned his neck to see into the dark expanse of the woods. His hand found one of the knives in his pack, and he gripped it tightly in his palm. He knew the scent of blood would make no difference to the lurking beasts; they knew he was here, they were only biding their time. Droplets trickled down his hand and onto the ground.
Prepare yourself, he thought, looking miserable. It would be horrible to die for the sake of school.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:46 am
Nine always liked to venture into the Riftwood. It was quiet, dark, and he had nothing to fear from it. Most creatures here seemed to stay away from him. Perhaps it was that he didn't register as human, as he had no real blood within him. His databases had noted that he once had it, and was O positive, a universal blood type that could have saved many had he donated it, but his creator had once told him he'd lost it all when he was killed. Killed...
How strange to have died, yet be here once more, though he wasn't what he once was. Artificial blood, a simulation of the real thing flowed through him, creating electrical energy to move his legs, arms, scroll his eyes and access his data. He was an android now. Though he'd come to accept that fact, it was always still interesting to him to see how the creatures here reacted to him. Some did attack though, but with a single pulse blast to the face, most either ran off, or died, depending on their own strength. So Nine kept walking, unafraid, and unamused.
He walked, listening to nothing but the sounds of his gears, and processors shifting electrical outputs and inputs. Though, his hearing detected another, and he zoomed in with his cybernetic eye, spotting a...student? There was no magical heart residing in this one either, so Nine couldn't feast upon him. He was majin, like Nine had once been. Curious, Nine watched him, too far away for the boy to see him, but with the help of his artificial parts, he could see the boy just fine.
A menu appeared in front of Nine's eyes, though it was an artificial image created within his mind, he could see it as if it were right there. Small identification scrolled as he accessed the Academy's files. Yes, this was a student, a good student... and he was very far away from home. Another screen popped up, zooming in on a few drops of blood. Curious, Nine moved with great speed, unseen by the human eye and appeared directly in front of the student. His facial expression remained completely stoic. His android eye analyzed the fibers of the boy's clothes, the basket of which he was carrying.
"You're trying to find ingredients for Noxious Mumps, yet my scans inform me you are clear of the affliction. I do not comprehend." His head twitched. "You must be desperate to come to this location. Or foolish. My scans retrieved little information about you. Thus I cannot accurately judge, yet."
There was a sure way to figure out this boy, but from what Nine has found, whenever he asked to sleep with people, they often hit him. He was still not sure why. He always explained it was to extract information. That usually earned him a slew of insults. People were strange.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 11:27 am
Yun's breath caught in his throat, and all he could muster was an awkward, "Er," at the sight of whoever had appeared in front of him. Taken completely off guard, he stumbled back a step and fell onto his rump, basket tumbling to the ground at his side.
The man who now towered over him did not seem to want him dead, at the very least. Yun had been expecting a beast, a giant warthog with a snake's head, something more... sinister. Not to say that this man couldn't snap him in half like a twig. He gulped and stammered, "I... er... th-this is... school project," looking visibly confused by his questioning.
The boy's lack of experience was painfully obvious; a better Majin would have attacked the instant he had seen the man appear, but he fell back like a coward. His face burned in shame. If he died this day, he probably deserved it for wandering into such a dangerous forest by himself.
Well, it would be okay. Nobody would miss him. The corner of his mouth twitched.
When it didn't appear that the man was going to kill him - and Yun did not understand why someone of the Riftwood wouldn't kill him on sight, as his readings had indicated otherwise - he pulled himself up to an awkward stand. He kept his eyes on the man, but then noticed the emptiness in his hand and looked this way and that for his basket.
In a time of crisis, he was acting surprisingly stupid, worrying about school like that. It seemed completely normal, for him; his mind was racing with worry, but he needed that damn basket. Without those ingredients, he'd fail, and.... Failing would be worse than death!
.... Er, almost.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:33 pm
Nine cocked his head to the side. School project? This student would come this far...for a school project? Nine stepped closer, watching the boy ruffling around for his basket that had rolled only a few feet away.
Nine moved to the basket, utilizing his speed once more so he reached it before the boy. He picked it up, looking inside. "I've observed your reaction. Your slow and inexperienced. I think I perceive you as foolish." Nine's muscles relaxed and he showed no signs of attack. "I see you as no threat."
He handed the basket back to Yun. Already knowing his name because of his accessing of the school's databases. "I am Subject Nine. I see you are missing several components to your potion. I know of their location. You were walking seven degrees to the right in the incorrect direction. Re-direct north, and you shall find them in exactly twenty seven point three paces."
Nine had no allegiances to anyone, nor a care if this child succeeded or did not. But, Nine also had no care to seek out and destroy anyone, especially a majin. Something deep inside, against even his coding, felt a strong...affiliation with other majin. A weak spot, so to speak. Though, that had not mattered when Nine slaughtered an entire clan of witch eaters who sought out his destruction because they only saw him as a threat. Nine wasn't the type to just lay down his life for anyone. Nor would he ever think to do so, even if he did remember who he was, one day.
"Actually, pause. I shall show you. I fear your survival out this way is unlikely. There are creatures close by, but they do not usually bother me." He walked in front of the boy now. "They do not understand what I am. I judge their insufficient data of me bothers them."
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:28 pm
Yun took the basket gingerly in his hand, staring down at its contests as if it were some alien substance. He was recovering from the shock of Nine's appearance, his mind only just now registering that this man clearly had no intent to kill him. Shaking his head, he sharpened his gaze. This man talked like he was some kind of machine, and it was the strangest thing he had ever come across.
"Subject Nine?" he repeated slowly, eying the man with growing interest. Whoever this man was, he seemed to want to help him. Yun clutched the basket close to his chest and frowned. Damn. He moved fast. He couldn't be human, not even Majin. So, what was he?
A normal response would have probably been to turn tail and leave the Riftwood he had so foolishly come to while he had the chance, but Yun had always had a boring life. Sometimes, even if it were deemed dangerous, the chance of something exciting or greater than his mundane life being dangled in front of him was sufficient enough to follow.
Besides, he really needed to finish this project, and it was due by tomorrow. It was getting close to dark and he didn't feel like being up too late on this herb-gathering goose chase. Tonight was supposed to be a night that he got actual sleep.
Against his better judgement, Yun began to walk behind the Subject Nine. He stared at his back, eyes tracing the designs on his clothing. He certainly looked like a machine, too. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. He worked his jaw, thinking.
"Why... are you helping me?" he asked, quickening his pace to walk beside the man. He looked up, expression quizzical. "You could killed me just as easily." Not that he was complaining.
"Ah! My name -- my name is Yun. Although you probably already knew that, from your..." He made a face. "Your 'scans'."
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 8:19 am
Nine had fixated himself on the location of the few other herbs that the boy required for completion of his assignment. He'd located several different bushels in the exact area he'd said they'd be in utilizing his android eye, zooming in, bringing up detail menus within his mind, making sure they were correct. He'd been so preoccupied, he almost didn't pay any attention to the boy trying to keep up with his inhuman strides as he walked.
"Why not kill you? Data accessing..." His processors hummed lightly from the base of his stomach, but enough for Yun to hear should he pay attention. "You are at my threat level of precisely .000000002%. Additional scans revealed you young, incapable of deactivating me." Though, that did not answer the question, and Nine knew that.
"Why am I helping you? And not killing you?" His processors whirled loudly, and his head twitched a few times. "Insufficient data... File...unknown." A small spark came out of Nine's neck as he walked, his blue lights that usually glowed strong flickered for a moment, and his body slowed. "Corrupt file. Restart task before last save."
His body readjusted itself before it tried to dig deeper than the processors that now sustained him. Every time he tried to access his humanity, it always did this. Did that mean it was still even there? But he could feel it! Was that...a soul? Was it still there?
He turned to Yun, stopping his strides, looking down at the boy, though he didn't have to look too far down. "I help...because..." He furrowed his brow as frustration overtook his mind. "Unknown." His face went back to its stoic appearance and he resumed walking once more. "Please follow me this way, Yun. And yes, I knew your name already. I have full access of the Academy's files. Their networking system is primitive."
He came upon the herbs, wrinkling his nose at the smell of them. "Previously, before I had approached. You'd cut yourself. Why? Contrary to his desire to overpower the boy and download all his knowledge, Nine opted to ask, feeling that this may spur small bits of information, at least for the time being. The android wasn't exactly sure if this student would know anything about a spiritus on a familiar basis, let alone one that had advanced knowledge of physics and biological magics. Nine had even forgotten his name. Yorik? Lorik? O...rik? No. He didn't remember. He didn't remember anything from the night he'd been "killed" or the night he'd been brought back to "life."
For all the men and women he'd slept with, of course to only download their memories and experiences, not one of them knew of a spiritus with a tear in his eye, and a clock...that ticked backwards...
For that was all Nine had remembered about him...
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 10:10 pm
God damn, he was fast. Yun was struggling to keep up with him as he walked. The way Nine moved and spoke, he definitely didn't seem human or Majin. Whatever he was, as long as he didn't kill Yun, all was well. For now.
He watched in mild horror as Nine began exhibiting strange traits; sparking, head twitches, lights flickering... Yes, he was a little freaked out. Concern for both his own well-being and for a possibly, impending forest fire (should the man short-circuit - that was the weirdest thought he had ever had) knit his brow. He was going to have some wrinkles when he was older.
The majin sucked in a breath and decided not to question him further, just yet. His main priority was to get out of here alive; evidently, this man was monster repellent, and that was good enough for him.
Still, the lack of solid answers unsettled him. He dropped his gaze to the ground as they walked, holding his basket in front of himself as if it might serve as some kind of shield in case of danger. It was uncanny how he managed to get himself into these situations. How many near-death experiences had he gone through, now? Eight? Sixteen? A million?
Guess I'm just lucky, he thought, mouth tucked into a tiny frown and eyes cast toward the sky. If he died...
He gulped. If he died - he was already going over his will in his head, trying to remember what he had written down - everything he owned would go to the school. He would give away his belongings so poorer students had a chance to get some nice things. He didn't have any family nearby, that he knew about, so may as well give back to the only real connections he'd had in his short life.
A question shook him out of his own head. He gave Nine a strange look, eyes going wide. "I... cut myself?" Holding up his free hand, he blinked. Oh. He had. The knife was still in his palm, and had cut quite deep, what with his death grip he'd had on it. He frowned deeply, face looking comical.
"Oh... this. Yes. I... do that. Sometimes." Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, "For practice." Still not good enough. He grew frustrated. "I mean! For my magic. I... have a disgusting power."
His head dropped a bit, arm hanging at his side. His hand was smarting, now that attention had been drawn to it. It was amazing how adrenaline made you forget about pain. Now that his heart rate had calmed, he noticed the red stain on his hand and sleeve. Another uniform down. He was really bad about that.
Searching for an escape from the topic, Yun looked around. "Oh! The herbs! Thank you, I suppose," he mused, cheering up visibly. Stooping down, he opened his book and began grabbing the relevant ones. Each was placed neatly in the basket, Yun being careful not to smoosh any or harm them. He needed them in perfect condition to make the perfect cure. Thus, earn the perfect grade.
Once he was done, he looked over his shoulder. "I'm done. What... what are you thinking about so deeply, if you don't mind me asking?"
Surely not how he was going to dismember and maim him, haha... ha...
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:09 pm
Nine had listened patiently as the boy went babbling about his reasons for the cut. He'd been rather sure that it simply because the boy was clumsy. Yun had a whimsical air about him, though it was more innocence in the ways of people over being foolish to elicit a cut just out of fear. The boy had been instinctual... He'd been preparing for battle.
Nine could respect that.
Just as this journey seemed to be coming to a rather uneventful end, Yun had asked a question that made Nine's neck spark. History was something interesting for Nine, for he had none. Flashes of memories... A raven... A laugh. His fingers twitched violently as he flared his processors, practically pleading them to give up the information they just did not have.
Sighing, Nine kicked at a root in the ground before speaking. "I can access your birth certificate, analyze the flow of your blood, get a statistical analysis of how many times you will blink this year, but I have no information on myself. I have an ability that would allow me to obtain all your knowledge. Though I do doubt you'd know the only man in this world who could give me my answers."
Despite what was culturally acceptable, Nine had no idea what it meant when people guarded their worries and troubles. Why not tell? Wouldn't someone eventually help them if they knew how? So Nine continued further. "I was ignorant when I was created. I didn't want to be a slave. I fed them all...countless hearts from those I slain, storing each witch's heart within my data storage. I did all I was told, as I was created to obey, yet there is something inside me...that often told me not to...and so I trusted it, and my journey with my creator and his harlot ended. I now have been searching for my creator, wanting to know who I once was, and if he could fix me again." The anatomical eye within Nine's skull sparked. "I've corrupted some of my files. I cannot retrieve them and I fear the only way to fix me is a system restart. If I restart, I'll lose all the information I've obtained and forget everything again. I don't want to do that. Thus I am...as people say...troubled. That is what I am "deep" in thought with. Though I have no other thoughts than the ones in my current registry, so I don't entirely know why "deep" must be used. Unless you are refering to my background programs, but they are not in my registry...so..." Nine allowed a quizzical look to grace his features before stepping closer to Yun.
He looked down at the boy's face, reading his heart rate and pheromone levels. Students learned things... Perhaps he'd learned something about someone who could do something. Or...perhaps not.
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:35 pm
Yun stared at the man with a confused look as he began his monologue; he hadn't been expecting a life story out of the android, but he got it anyway. It was actually a relief to hear him forfeit so much of himself. It made him feel more comfortable, knowing something about this man who seemed to have access to all of Yun's intimate details.
When he was done delving into his own thoughts, he looked up and saw Nine had become quite close. Too close for his comfort level; his heart sunk in his chest as if he had just witnessed the death of a puppy. If there was one thing Yun was not a fan of, it was his personal space being invaded, and this was about as invasive as it got for him before he hit reverse.
Instinct kicked in, Yun's eyes widening considerably as the blood lifted from his hand and formed an immediate barrier between the two of them. It was fragile - thick and sturdy, as it appeared, but it had been made hastily and he hadn't even expected it.
A rush to his head made him feel very light-headed; more blood than he was used to parting with had gone into that barrier. Backpedaling a few steps, the barrier shattered and liquefied, broken because of his lack of focus. The basket fell to the ground and a hand sought his hair, grasping at it.
There was not so much fear for his safety, now, as there was discomfort. No one got that close to him; he tried his best not to allow it. He felt nauseated from using so much blood - blood that now lay in a pool around his feet. It took him a few moments to catch his breath, a combination of how startled he had been and how much he had drained himself.
Breathing slowly normalizing, he looked up at Nine through his bangs and stammered, "I..."
His reaction to invasive actions had never been so severe, but his heart rate had already been up from the nerve-wracking journey through this forest. For all he knew, Nine could have wished his death at any point and had been luring him far out; he didn't quite believe that, but he was still wary and uncomfortable as hell. Resting his palms on his thighs and stooping to catch his breath, he gave himself a couple seconds and straightened again, looking pale but better.
"I'm not really... good at this," he confessed, pushing his bangs back out of his face. Embarrassed, he was incredibly embarrassed. Nine could have killed him the instant he had sensed him activating his magic, but he likely knew he would not cause him any harm. After all, his threat rate was, what... negative a million? He bit his thumb and glared away, at the ground.
He just wanted to go home. He really, really wanted to go home. The university was calling his name, his warm bed beckoning him. He also had desperate need for some sugar or something. Anything to give him back some energy. He could get that from his dorm.
If he ever got back to it, anyway.
After what felt like a very long pause, Yun sank to his knees and held his stomach.
"............. I'm hungry."
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