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  1. #11
    Apathy Elemental

    EXP: 114,186, Level: 14
    Level completed: 68%, EXP required for next Level: 4,814
    Level completed: 68%,
    EXP required for next Level: 4,814


    Briarheart's Avatar

    GP
    1,995

    Name
    Madison Freebird
    Race
    Briarheart
    Location
    Corone

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    I watched as the soggy half-chewed chunk of bloody meat hit the ground with an unceremonious plop! Dark juices ran off the strip of flesh, mixing in with the dust of time and dirt of patrons' boots that already layered the worn floorboards. What a waste of good food.

    Well, maybe I shouldn't judge her too harshly. It did have a bit of a musky, oaken aftertaste to it. That's what happens when dinner hasn't had a bath in a couple weeks.

    “Sure, we have a bit of time.” Tattered carcass in tow, I went around the bar and through the door leading to the kitchen area. I was greeted by a pair of cooks, a man and a woman. Fear in their eyes, tears staining their cheeks, piss in their pants.

    A quick cussing-out and a cloud of plague later, the two scattered out into the tavern as I was left to work the grill for a bit. It didn't take long to find a couple of pans, some salt and pepper, and a nasty set of knives. Cleaning off the prep area--making sure to wash and dry every surface and utensil, of course; I'm not a fucking monster--I hefted the dead patron off the floor and dropped him onto the polished steel surface.

    Careful not to sever my own briar-knit fingers, as they were still shaking from the adrenaline rush of finally being able to cut loose and be myself again, I began to fillet the corpse. I took long strips from the upper arm and thigh areas, setting them aside on the prep table. Blood started to run everywhere, but that did not stop me from working. Hell, I even hummed a little tune as I slid the knife through the body.

    Had I been Amari, I would've turned down my offer to try the snack in the first place. But I really appreciated that she took it. She may not have liked it, but I think I can make her come around to it.

    Flesh really is an acquired taste. I'd have to season the hell out of it, make it more palpable to her tastes. Some light veggies, maybe a bit of mustard. A fresh bun.

    Out from the tavern proper, the Ar'Tuel called for me. “What are you doing back there?”

    I rolled the patron's corpse off the table. He hit the ground with a sloppy, awkward thunk. “What do you think,” I hollered back.

    “We should probably leave, now!”

    I picked up one strip of the man's leg and set it on a clear spot of the table. “The one n'urd I let escape is rounding up the rest of the crew. Town this size, we probably have half an hour, tops. Plenty of time to prepare lunch.”

    A pause. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

    “We can't fight on empty stomachs, can we?” Truth is, I already had my fill of fresh meat for the day. But today was a day of indulgence.

    Flipping the steak over a couple times, I slid a sharpened knife through it, taking a quarter inch off the top. Had to get all the hair off it before I cooked it. Have you ever bitten into a sandwich only to find someone's hair in it? It sucks. And it feels weird on your tongue. Pretty fuckin' gross, really. Just that strand, dancing across your taste buds. You don't know the last time it met with soap and water. Days, maybe weeks of sweat and oil and maybe worse soaked into it. You try to pick at it with your fingers, but you miss the first three or four times.

    That's when the panic sets in and the bile rises in the back of your throat.

    “I'm not actually hungry,” she shouted in protest.

    Bullshit, fatty. “It's high in protein and will give you the energy to kill dozens more, Amari.”

    Having cut away the bad stuff on five or six strips of meat, I moved over to the stove. A healthy fire roared underneath the grill. Made sense, it was lunchtime after all. I snatched a skillet off a nearby hook at set it over the licking flames. Poured a bit of oil into it. Slapped down the thin strips of mercenary and began to pour on the salt and pepper.

    Grabbing a rag off the floor, I wiped my hands clean and left the kitchen.

    “While that's cooking, can I interest you in a real drink?” I motioned with the rag at the rows and rows of half-empty liquor bottles that lined the wall.

  2. #12
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
    Level completed: 98%, EXP required for next Level: 265
    Level completed: 98%,
    EXP required for next Level: 265


    Amari's Avatar

    GP
    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
    Location
    Corone

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    Scarlet groaned as she pulled up a seat. The place was littered in blood and mangled corpses. Scarlet at least had been someone clean with her disposals. Madison just tore everything apart. Completely ripping anything that moved to shreds. That is, everything but Scarlet. Madison wanted to wait for more people to gather, more people meant a bigger slaughter. Scarlet wasn't interested in that. She was painfully aware of how much time was ticking by.

    Drawing her fingers into her mouth she gave a sharp, shrill whistle. Yet another raven flew in through a broken window and landed in front of her on the table. She recognised this one as Tip, named thusly so for the tip of his beak that was missing. Scarlet sounded sincere, almost regretful as she spoke to the creature. "Please tell him I'm sorry. I'm doing my best to return on time." The raven tilted its head to the side and chanced a hop toward her. "I wouldn't. It'd kill you." The bird made a series of chirrups before jumping to the floor and ripping out an eyeball from a fallen soldier before flying out the window again.

    Scarlet already had the feeling she'd be late.

    "By that I assume you mean some piece of carcass that you stripped off of someone?" Scarlet muttered.

    "Hey now, I flayed off all the oily skin and hair." Madison hissed back. "So you better fuckin' appreciate the effort I'm putting in."

    Scarlet blinked, surprised. "Y-yes actually," she said in all honesty. "I'm surprised in you; if you've gone through that much effort, I'll have to give it a go." She scoffed. "It'd be better than what you tried to give me before."

    Madison seemed content. She clasped her briar-knit hands together as she headed to the bar. "Right. Now, about that drink. You like whiskey right? I'm sure they have some of that here."

    "Madison..."

    "Oh, hmm, no; not this one. I've had this one before." Madison threw it over her shoulder and it smashed against the floor.

    "Madison, I--"

    "This one?" Madison opened up the bottle, sniffed it and immediately threw it against the wall. "Nope.. Ah!" She picked up a small round bottle. "Yurik's Firewhiskey. You like that don't you?"

    "MADISON," Scarlet repeated, exasperated. "I don't want any. I need to--" She paused. "I need to keep my head clear. I'm still recovering from that whole almost exploding into a mass of writhing destructive energy thing."

    "Oh..." Madison said, and she stood there for a few minutes staring at Scarlet. She made a guttural noise before stomping to the kitchen. She seemed pissed that Scarlet wouldn't share a drink with her. What was the assassin supposed to do? The last thing she needed was Lye getting even angrier at her because she chose to go and get wasted whilst she was quite possibly carrying his child. He claimed it was his but she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. If not his, then whose?

    Madison returned shortly after with a plate and set it down in front of Scarlet before pulling up a dead carcass for herself. What was before her--well, IF she hadn't known it'd be hard to tell that it had just been stripped from a man. "Hell, Madison, never told me you could cook." The briarheart snorted in response. Clearly waiting for the assassin to eat.

    Well...

    May as well.

    The plate had a large, three-inch-thick slab of meat on it. Scarlet could tell that Madison had thrown an assortment of herbs on it, she could smell them, she could see them. If anything, it was in slight excess--no doubt due to her friends exuberance to make it taste good. It was shoved between two awkwardly cut rolls of bread and it almost reminded Scarlet of something called a 'Bhurgur' that Vincent had tried to make her eat.

    "You know... I think Vincent tried making something like this once. Yours looks and smells better than his." Scarlet picked up the bun and bit into it. The meat was still tough, but much easier to tear and chew through.

    How to explain it?

    How do you explain the taste of human flesh? Scarlet finished the meal, well, most of it. There were parts that were too gristly for her liking. "That was… decent," She finally said. "Once you get over the whole eating another human thing," She added. "Then again, neither of are exactly ones for morals right?"
    Last edited by Amari; 12-14-2017 at 06:02 AM.

  3. #13
    Apathy Elemental

    EXP: 114,186, Level: 14
    Level completed: 68%, EXP required for next Level: 4,814
    Level completed: 68%,
    EXP required for next Level: 4,814


    Briarheart's Avatar

    GP
    1,995

    Name
    Madison Freebird
    Race
    Briarheart
    Location
    Corone

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    I shot her a wink as I poured a small glass of Firewater. “Isn't that the truth.”

    The stench of blood and death was getting thicker in the tavern. Even with my sense of smell being absolutely shot, I could catch a stray whiff of the cocktail. I don't know how Amari was able to tolerate it. Perhaps being around it (and worse) all the time at the Sanctum, she had grown used to it.

    I motioned towards the broken window along the far wall with the rim of my glass. “Feel free to knock out more of that, if you want some fresher air in here.”

    There had been something stirring in the back of my mind ever since the assassin almost violently turned down the drink I offered her. Just a few little details I've picked up since she boarded the airship back at the Sanctum.

    A slightly but visibly bigger belly than the last time we spoke. Constantly hungry. Refusing some damn good whiskey. A kind of subdued, distant, maybe even wistful mood at times.

    Actually listening to Lye.

    Oh, gods. Did this mean what I thought it meant?

    --It had to be! That would explain everything! How she was borderline reluctant to join me on the airship, why Advent Calendar or whatever the fuck her name is insisted that she stay at the home, keeping Lye's bone throne warm for his return. Her careful movements as she danced around the tavern, picking her targets with her magical snake tentacle whatever things.

    “You're pregnant, aren't you.” It wasn't a question so much as it was a statement.

    Amari's pale features immediately turned as red as her hair. “Y-yes,” she said almost hesitantly.

    “Ha!” I clasped my hands together, forgetting that one of them still held the glass. Amber liquid splashed over the rim and onto my briar-knit hand. “That's wonderful!”

    Hang on, wait just a second. “Whose kid is it? Is it his? Lye's?”

    She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't force out the words. Instead, she broke my gaze and tried to focus on anything else in the tavern.

    “No,” I cried out, “no, if it is, that's great! It means he finally fucking listened to me!”

    A look of puzzlement flashed across her eyes. Clearly not the answer she was expecting.

    “That year I had him locked away in his own dungeon finally bearing fruit,” I continued. “All those lessons I beat into his thick skull, and he's finally realizing how right I am!”

    I rounded the bar and took a seat next to her at the table. I tightly clasped her hands in mind, giving them a quick squeeze.

    “And that message I sent, when you were having a bad time... I didn't mean for him to treat you well like that,” I said, motioning towards her expanding midsection and the lifeform that wiggled around inside. “But hey, as long as you are doing better, and you're happy, that's all that matters, right?”

  4. #14
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
    Level completed: 98%, EXP required for next Level: 265
    Level completed: 98%,
    EXP required for next Level: 265


    Amari's Avatar

    GP
    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
    Location
    Corone

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    Scarlet was worried that this would happen, that Madison would find out. She figured the briarheart would have given her a lecture on the do's and don't of sex (too late for that) or on why it’s bad to even think of sex, let alone copulate. Madison didn't seem like the person who would outright try to rip the thing out of her. Not that Scarlet would mind, but she'd probably mention it. Of all the scenarios that went through Scarlet’s head, she was not expecting the one that had just happened.

    Madison was not only accepting of the child--not any child, but one that was supposedly LYE'S--but she was happy?

    Something was definitely wrong. "Madison, I--" Scarlet found her words caught on her breath as Madison's giant briar-knit hands wrapped around Scarlet's much more smaller human hands. The action was very odd and not one Scarlet was used to still, a warmth buzzed and hummed within her and she accepted it. Hell, Scarlet even managed an actual smile. An earnest smile, good job Madison. Scarlet didn't have the heart to tell the woman that the kid was probably conceived before that, she didn't have the heart to tell Madison that she'd rather rip the writhing life form out and stomp on it’s not quite fully-formed head just for good measure.

    If anything, Madisons enthusiasm made Scarlet think that maybe the thing writhing inside of her wasn't all too bad after all. "Madison..." Scarlets voice took on a soft tone, one long forgotten. One she used before the mantle of 'Scarlet' and before everything inside of her turned to shit.

    "I… really appreciate you as a friend. You, and as much as I hate to say it, Lye... are the only two people who matter to me. I didn't really want to come on this trip and you know... that if I truly felt it, I would have stayed back but--a part of me decided to go. Only because it was you, Madison. You're very important to me. I know you don't do the touchy-feel things but..." She paused and took a deep breath. Scarlet thought she saw the slightest look of regret, then sadness flash across her multiple eyes. Still... it was difficult to tell. This felt surprisingly good. "Thank you... for everything." Scarlet gave Madison's hands one final squeeze before she let go and stood up.

    "Now, I think we have some White Blight Knights to ignite."

    Scarlet headed to the door and quite literally kicked it down. With the rot and bloodshed it fell away to an uproar of people. Villagers, Knights, men, all who decided to pay the girls a little visit. Scarlet grabbed the first man’s face. He screamed and thrashed as his veins darkened. He fell still and Scarlet pushed his corpse to the floor.

    "Did she just kill him with a touch?"

    "Where's the other one?"

    "Inside! Trap them! Set everything on fire!"

    Torches were lit, but just as quickly as people had tried to storm the blood-soaked bar they fell. Scarlet had drawn out her sword and whilst she wasn't very proficient with it, it was hers. It thrummed with the dark energy of 'She-the Snake' and its very strike felled those with a mighty toxin.

    "Come on out Maddy." Scarlet called behind her. "Yer missin' out!"
    Last edited by Amari; 12-14-2017 at 06:19 AM.

  5. #15
    Apathy Elemental

    EXP: 114,186, Level: 14
    Level completed: 68%, EXP required for next Level: 4,814
    Level completed: 68%,
    EXP required for next Level: 4,814


    Briarheart's Avatar

    GP
    1,995

    Name
    Madison Freebird
    Race
    Briarheart
    Location
    Corone

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    "You don't have to tell me twice," I hissed with unbridled glee as I leaped through the doorway of the desecrated tavern.

    I was immediately greeted by the sight of prey. Several dozen poorly-armed, barely organized n'urds; half wearing those damn matching cloaks, the other half looking like the bravest people that the rest of the villagers could put forth. So many juicy targets, waiting, begging for me to spill their blood all over the pristine snow.

    Gonna' give a girl some serious choice paralysis here, guys.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Amari wasn't having as much trouble picking her marks. She elegantly danced from person to person, channeling the dark energy that leaked out of her soul with one hand, ramming the sharpened tip of her blade into torsos with the other.

    Something stirred deep inside me. Something I hadn't felt in... shit, how long has it been? The way she moved, the way she threw herself into battle. How blood spurting from fresh wounds splattered on her clothes, masking her in crimson as she continued the slaughter.

    She was beautiful. My... my friend. Behold, blessed perfection.

    --That's the feeling: Respect. Admiration. That's what I felt for her, in that moment. Gone was the soft if not sassy bitch I first met prowling the depths of the Seventh Sanctum. In her place, a cold, calculating murderer. An expert of her craft, willing to practice it on anyone and anything in a moment's notice.

    I'm so proud of her. I know I can count on her to see this through.

    Two people broke from the crowd and tried to step up to me. With an ear-piercing scream, I fell upon the White Blight Knight. I moved to fast for him to react. I kicked the sword out of his hand, sending it back into the throng of people who couldn't decide whether to join the fight or run. Vines burst in quadruplicate from the sleeves of my longcoat, wrapping themselves around the exposed head of the fool. I squeezed with all my might as the man cried out in pain--noises that soon devolved into something more desperate and afraid as the bones in his noggin cracked and popped one by one. I threw the man's now limp form into his comrade, knocking him over.

    He couldn't shove the dead weight off his chest before I was at his throat, tearing away flesh and muscle with a snap of my jaws.

    I looked up at the town's remaining would-be saviors, amber eyes burning with bloodlust, bits of my latest victim dangling from my teeth. "Who's fucking next?"

  6. #16
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
    Level completed: 98%, EXP required for next Level: 265
    Level completed: 98%,
    EXP required for next Level: 265


    Amari's Avatar

    GP
    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
    Location
    Corone

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    FWOOOM--

    A burst of heat tickled Scarlets back and she turned to see-- "Well fuck," She hissed as she stomped hard on the fallen man’s chest, extra hard to exert her frustration. A big ass plume of thick, black smoke had risen, right from where they had parked the airship. Granted, Madison may have parked it atop a park and a few kids may have died but they were just necessary casualties.

    "Fuck!" Scarlet swore, and with each subsequent swear she rammed her foot down on the poor man’s jugular. He was long since dead, but it felt good to hear the sickening snaps of his bones. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! He's going to fucking kill me. Fuck." On airship it'd take barely an hour to get back to the Sanctum. Now? Now...? It'd be well into the night by the time she got back.

    "Fucking fuckers," Scarlet spat as she picked up the corpse and hurled it into a nearby shop window. Screams echoed from inside. Good. People were hiding. Fucking good. Good fucking riddance to them.

    Scarlet was vaguely aware of Madison’s anger too. The briarheart started screaming about how long it had taken her to get the ship and how important and valuable all the intricate maps and books were in it. Well, they each had their own priorities.

    Scarlet left Madison momentarily to head toward the shop, where people were hiding. They wanted fire? They could have it. They could fuckin' burn. The red-haired assassin picked up an oil-soaked torch which was far, far too conveniently held in a dead soldier’s hand. Great. Step one complete. She fished around in his clothes, pulling out odds and ends. A locket, boring. More oil? Great--she tossed it toward the shop and it splashed against the front door. Rusty sword… rations…

    Dammit where was that blonde half elf kid when she needed him? Oh yeah… Scarlet had ripped out one of Jake’s eyes and scarred him. Well, too bad. His fire magic would have been real handy right about now.

    The woman finally found what she was looking for, a small lighter, she lit the torch on fire then threw it toward the wooden door. It erupted into flames. Scarlet laughed. “That’s what you fucking get you god damn fuckers!”

    The people in the shop were innocent. They had nothing to do with the airship being set ablaze. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    Scarlet’s chest burned, and it wasn’t the fire. She glanced down at her hands and could practically see the cracks… well, cracking open. Oops…. So much for ‘fixing’ things. Scarlet still felt normal...she still felt emotions… so this… this was surely nothing, right?

    “Hey. Hey!”

    She turned to Madison who was busy ripping the arms off of a screaming man.

    “Madison!”

    “What!” She called back, having dropped the man, he was still screaming and crying, rolling around in a pile of his own blood. Madison grabbed another man as he tried to impale her with a spear and proceeded to do the same thing.

    Must have a thing for arms. Scarlet briefly wondered if it were good meat…

    She shook her head. No. Now was not the time.

    “Madison!”

    “WHAT! What the fuck do you want,” She spat back.

    “Wanna burn the whole place to the ground?”
    Last edited by Amari; 12-14-2017 at 06:20 AM.

  7. #17
    Apathy Elemental

    EXP: 114,186, Level: 14
    Level completed: 68%, EXP required for next Level: 4,814
    Level completed: 68%,
    EXP required for next Level: 4,814


    Briarheart's Avatar

    GP
    1,995

    Name
    Madison Freebird
    Race
    Briarheart
    Location
    Corone

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    "Yes. Yes, very much so. Let's do that."

    My airship.

    My beautiful airship.

    Up in flames.

    Do these backwoods inbred knuckle-dragging fucks have any idea how much effort I put into taking that damn thing? How much cordyceps I had to burn through in order to convert the crew to Team Maddy? How many more corpses I left in the shadows back in the depot in order to board the thing in the first place?

    And now, there it sits, a giant fireball in the middle of the fucking snowy wastes. A towering column of black smoke rising into the still air, a beacon that shit was going down right here, maybe someone should come help. Fucking let them--I would tear them all apart, limb by limb, and build a new airship out of them. Their lungs could be the balloons that hoisted the craft into the sky. The cabin could be made from the rest of their corpses. Walls crafted from legs and arms bound by intestines. A floor made of their rib cages. Buttons to operate the fucking thing made from eyeballs.

    A giant nightmare ship that would announce the arrival of your doom.

    I quite liked this idea.

    "Everything burns," I snapped at Amari. "Every building, and every man, woman, and child you can lay your hands on. Burn them all."

    I tightened my grip on the shattered arm of the man who begged for either death or mercy at my feet. I couldn't make out which one he wanted through all the tears, screams, and babbling.

    I called out to Amari, "Did you hear me?" When I didn't get an answer, I turned to see what the fuck she was doing stalling. She was doubled over, one arm clutching her waist, a trickle of black shit dripping from her mouth and collecting in a smoking puddle in at her feet.

    "I'll be fine," she croaked out, wiping her mouth clean with her arm.

    Turning away was all I could do to hide my smile. I quickly scanned the street as the broken Ar'Tuel picked her next target, looking for a suitable building to burn down--

    "--Oh, hey, a bookstore!"

    I dropped the tattered arm belonging to the man that I inadvertently dragged halfway across the road and walked up to the store. A quaint little sign that read Snowdrift Books hung over the doorway. This was great, Uril Narsted recently put out the last book in his Abyssal Archives series, and all the stores in Radasanth were always out of copies whenever I made the trek to the city. Perhaps this place had one.

    I tried the doorknob, It wouldn't budge. Locked. The proprietor was probably inside, hunkering down in a back room, hoping that the bloodshed would be over before long.

    Oh well, I'll just make my own entryway. Turning on my heels, I strode back towards the curled form of the man I left in the street. "Come here, I need your help," I snarled at him as dug my gnarled fingers into his thick, oily hair and lifted him up to his feet. He sobbed and stammered in protest as I threw him against the storefront window. The incessant noises blubbering from his mouth stopped on the fourth try, when the thick pane of glass finally gave way. Three more slams cleared out the rest of the glass, giving me ample space to waltz in. By this point, the poor fucker was perfectly still. Blood poured freely out of a deep gash that curved across his forehead and down his temple. Ha haaa, oops. I didn't even get to thank him for his help breaking in.

    "Helloooo~," I called out. The only response was the crunch of broken glass underfoot as I stepped through the window. "I was wondering if you had a copy of The Kings of Skullzfyre by Uril Narsted? Should've come out two months ago."

    No response. I started looking around. No copies of the book, either. Just a bunch of shitty romance novels and writings from various members of the fucking Ethereal Sway.

    I did eventually find a stash of matches and lamp oil, though. And the owner's family in the same room. Fearful, crying, defenseless.

    They burned just as well as the rest of the place.
    Last edited by Briarheart; 12-08-2017 at 03:14 PM.

  8. #18
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
    Level completed: 98%, EXP required for next Level: 265
    Level completed: 98%,
    EXP required for next Level: 265


    Amari's Avatar

    GP
    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
    Location
    Corone

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    And with Madison’s anger, another building was set ablaze. Scarlet laughed at the destruction, a strange warbled laugh that shook her body and ended in chokes as she felt....a horrid burning sensation from within her. It crackled and bubbled and tore at her, the sensation was all too familiar--it was similar to that time back in the bar, except this time Scarlet had a little more control. She didn't have the emotional shock of a man who supposedly loved her come back from the dead only to be canoodling with some brown haired doe eyed woman. Of course now Scarlet knew better. Took a few deep breaths and steadied herself. Then...

    An idea...

    Scarlet ran into the burning bookstore.

    "Amari! We're supposed to be burning them, not ourselves!" She heard Madison call out, but no--no, she needed this. Scarlet grabbed the first handful books she could find.

    They were hot, the were burning her hands, not the figurative burning she felt inside of her body but literal burning. Scarlet had been through worse. She had, with many thanks to a Mister Cuckold Seth Dissinger, felt the sensation of being burnt alive. Slowly. So, a few burning books? Pah! Nothing. The redheaded woman juggled them as she stepped back out of the burning library.

    "Amari what are you--"

    She answered Madison’s question by throwing a burning book right in the face of the screaming woman who was standing in front of her. Boom, headshot! Down she went to her knees, sobbing. Scarlet grinned as she turned and chucked another book at the back of another persons head. The thick heavy tomes had some weight behind them. And hey, being hit upside the head with a book hurt in the best of times; but when it was on fire, well. That was a fine howdy do.

    WHAM--

    BAM--

    BONK!

    Scarlet laughed as she hefted the several books at people and the remaining few onto flammables. A flowerbox, inside a potions shop--which were apparently highly flammable. There were a few hisses and fizzles before the entire shop literally exploded, sending Scarlet several feet back and throwing her body hard against the side of the shop opposite. There was a sickening crack as her body fell limp to the floor, her neck having snapped.

    "Fuck," Madison spat, but before the Briarheart could react there was a thunderous clap that rang loud through the streets, and a sudden drop in temperature despite the raging fires. Then, a flash of bright light and Scarlet rose with a groan. That revival...didn't feel too good. She hunched over and vomited again, black viscous liquid splattered the pavement. She groaned as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. This...wasn't good was it? She pushed herself up off the ground feeling groggy. Staggered footsteps sloshed in the dead carcasses of their massacre. "M-Madison… I think.. I need to go soon," Scarlet mumbled as she noticed the leather jacket she wore begin to fizzle away as a black smog began to emerge from the cracks in her skin.
    Last edited by Amari; 12-14-2017 at 06:22 AM.

  9. #19
    Apathy Elemental

    EXP: 114,186, Level: 14
    Level completed: 68%, EXP required for next Level: 4,814
    Level completed: 68%,
    EXP required for next Level: 4,814


    Briarheart's Avatar

    GP
    1,995

    Name
    Madison Freebird
    Race
    Briarheart
    Location
    Corone

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    Son of a bitch, ah shit, and other such obscenities.

    That explosion fucking hurt. Probably cracked a couple ribs on impact. Lost a couple teeth. Can't see out of one eye. I'll be okay soon enough.

    As I picked myself up from the snow and smoldering rubble that frosted the ground, I hear Amari wretch once more. Another puddle of smoking black goop, another horrible coughing fit.

    "You're fine," I groaned as I dusted off my longcoat.

    I slapped her lightly on the back. The skin of my fingers tingled, countless little sharp needles of dark energy poking me even through her thick leather jacket. "You're doing great, sweetie. Come on, we're almost finished. Only a little ways to go, now. Best friends see each other through to the end, yeah?"

    All around us, there was fire. Billowing columns of black smoke pouring into the bright afternoon sky, casting shadows on the bloodied streets of this nameless little town. Fire poured out of doorways and broken windows, destructive tendrils licking at the air and spreading quicker than I could have ever hoped. The heat was intense, almost unbearable. I was cooking alive in this thick-ass fucking coat.

    "I don't see anyone else," Amari hissed through the pain that was wracking her own body.

    Without a word, I knelt down and dug my vines into the frozen earth. I took a deep breath, and lost myself in the pulse of the world.

    In the black abyss of my mind, I saw several dozen pale little dots. Each of them growing distant. Each of them fading as they fled the burning wreckage of their lives.

    "Everyone is--" I began to say, but then... something weird appeared.

    Four bright red dots flared to life, one, maybe two-hundred yards away. They were approaching Amari and I with incredible speed.

    The vision faded from my eyes as I violently ripped my vines out of the ground. My jaw ached horribly, but I could not stop smiling. Teeth bared, a hungry grin splitting my face ear to ear, I welcomed our new arrivals.

    Four figures dressed in fur-lines leather coats and wide-brimmed hats emerged from the thick clouds of smoke. All those unnecessary buckles, the sigils that they wore on their collars, the crossbows and swords they brandished... Add the cold looks of determination that were etched on their stony faces.

    Witch hunters from the Sway.

    "Dessert's served," I muttered under my breath as I licked my remaining blood-stained teeth.

    One of the witch hunters stepped forth and opened his mouth to speak. "Murderers. Heretics. Saint Denebriel has judged you guilty--"

    "What took you guys so fucking long," I howled at him. "Too busy fingering your sisters to save these fuckers? Two in the pink, one in the stink? I hope you washed your hands before you swing them at us!"

    The hunter inclined his head slightly, his hands tightly gripping his crossbow and ever-so-slowly raising it into the air. I cut him off before he could continue his judgment rights or whatever the fuck they recited before they killed someone. "I don't have time for your religious horseshit. If you came to fight, then fight!"

    Without a wasted movement, the hunter brought up his crossbow, aimed down the sight, and pulled the trigger. I immediately juked to the left, but it wasn't enough. The bolt caught me in the bicep, ripping through thick cloth and vines. Just a flesh wound. You can still move your arm. Suck it up, Madison, fight through the pain. It's almost over. You've come this far. You can't let these knee-bending cocksuckers kill you. You're so close... You're so fucking close--

    Amari kept in step with me as we rushed the quartet. The hunter who shot at me moved to reload his crossbow. I went straight for him. One of his comrades stepped between us, sword drawn, ready to use my momentum against me and run me through to the hilt of his blade. I spat a mouthful of acid at the bastard, catching him in the face. He immediately dropped his weapon and ran off screaming bloody murder, and I was upon the first hunter. I could hear the curse on the tip of his tongue as he dropped back, planted a foot in my chest, and flipped me across the road.

    We both rose to our feet at the same time. He drew a steel dagger from inside his coat. My lungs filled with plague, ready to be unleashed on this asshole--but he swiftly ducked to the side as I exhaled a thick plume of purple miasma.

    I didn't have time to react before I felt the cold steel slip between my ribs. I screamed in pain, as one is wont to do when some of their juicy bits get a few extra unnecessary holes added to them. I desperately tried to grab him, but he snaked out my grasp before diving in and plunging his weapon into my side once more. This time, I caught him across the jaw with an elbow.

    Over his shoulder, I saw that Amari was faring well enough with her own two witch hunters. One had already succumbed to her, clutching his throat, trying to hold shut the massive hole in his throat as his life quickly spilled onto the ground.

    Actually, she was faring a little too well.

    She was so close. So close to breaking. The cracks in her skin that grew with each passing moment, the vomiting fits that took her with increasing frequency...

    She's so fucking close to blowing up.

    Why hasn't she blown up yet? Why why why why why?


    Amari's teetering on the edge. I can feel it. She's right fucking there. And yet, no matter how much hell she's being put through, no matter how much death and destruction she's spread today, she keeps hanging on.

    To what?

    What does she have to hold on to? What is giving her that spark of hope, that one thing she needs to keep going for?!

    Maybe the bitch just needs a little push.

    Wrapping my briar-knit hands around the wrist of the witch hunter and his dagger, I tore the thing from my flesh before falling in step behind him. Thankfully, he was still a bit stunned from having his jaw damn near broken, and I was able to push him across the battlefield closer to Amari. The Ar'Tuel had her back turned, occupied as she was by the remaining witch hunter.

    I had my opening.

    I guided the witch hunter's hand as he--we jammed it into Amari's shoulder. Her scream ripped through the cold air as a burst of black smoke erupted from the wound. It was a nasty, horrible, animalistic noise that felt like nails digging into my soul and hot knives carving up my flesh.

    So close. So close.

    It's almost over.

    I pulled the witch hunter away from Amari, finishing him off by latching onto his neck with my teeth and tossing his bleeding corpse aside.

  10. #20
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
    Level completed: 98%, EXP required for next Level: 265
    Level completed: 98%,
    EXP required for next Level: 265


    Amari's Avatar

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    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
    Location
    Corone

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    Scarlet reached around and pulled the knife from her shoulder. Her skin crackled in a golden light surrounded by blackened sparks that threatened to engulf it. Her wound sealed itself shut, painfully so. The corruption was getting worse and if it kept up she wouldn’t be able to regenerate as quickly. “Fuck...” She grit her teeth and used the momentum to shove the knife into the underside of the remaining hunter’s jaw. “You FUCKER,” the assassin swore. The man fell forward and Scarlet caught him. Using her fingers to sear into his flesh, she twisted them up into his ribcage. Her eyes widened at the sensation of his insides still wetly pulsing against the pads of her fingers.

    Why…

    Why did this feel so… right?

    Scarlets lips twisted into a lopsided grin as she pushed down, straddling him as the corpse fell to the floor. Since when was this so damn easy? Her fingers slid through his skin, his flesh, even bone as though it were nothing more than soft butter.

    Rip--

    Slash--

    Riiip--

    She tore at the dead carcass like a wild animal. Blood dripped from her face and caught in her mouth but she didn’t care. Her soul screamed at her to both stop and to continue to drive deeper and deeper into his flesh till he was nothing more than a husk.

    Then suddenly Madison broke down into a fit of hysterical laughter. Its shrill octaves pierced the crackling sound of the burning village around them. the sound momentarily snapped Scarlet out of her own maddening rage. She dropped the corpse she had been tearing her fingers through and glanced over her shoulder at Madison. The briarheart was on her knees, repeatedly slamming her fists into the ground. Her laughter died down into choked sobs. The harrowing scene plummeted Scarlet back to reality.

    Madison…

    A look of worry flickered across her face. Why was Madison acting like this? She had been... off the entire trip. Her emotions flipped from rage to happiness to bloodlust to sadness at such speeds Scarlet struggled to understand what lead Madison to this. Why Hyperion was absent. Why the insistence on all this destruction and death.

    Scarlet knew she couldn't keep this up, but what else was there? Everyone around them lay dead and dismembered in the burning rubble. Both women had literally torn through their adversaries with relative ease. There was nothing left. No one left. Just the two of them. Scarlet glanced down at her own wounds as black smoke hissed from the cracks in her skin.

    I’m beginning to lose sense of myself…

    Scarlet kicked a dismembered head out of her path as she approached Madison. "Oi. That's enough eh?" She wasn't good at this whole 'comforting’ thing, especially at times like these where she struggled to concentrate and keep hold onto a thought. Her soul raged and burned within her and she felt like she was going to quite literally explode if she wasn't careful. Her very skin couldn't contain the seething corruption that swelled within her. The only thing keeping her intact was the shriveled form of her only friend curled up in the rubble.

    Now only a few feet away from Madison, Scarlet kneeled down beside her. "C'mon. We're done here. Let's take a break and..." She furrowed her brows. Damnit… since when was it so hard to concentrate on mere words? "And... get you a new airship, shall we?" Scarlet went to reach out to Madison to help her up but the Briarheart slapped her hand away.

    Madison screamed in Scarlet's face, her acid-spit landing on the red headed assassin's cheeks, it stung, but not as much as the words that followed. "WHY haven't you EXPLODED YET!?"

    Scarlet felt her heart stop, pained at the outburst.

    Did Madison… want her to die?

    No--that couldn't be right. Not after everything. Scarlet lowered her head and took a few deep and shaken breaths to steady herself. She could feel herself losing her grip but she couldn't let that happen. If that happened....she'd cease to be, not only that, but Madison...
    Last edited by Amari; 12-14-2017 at 07:00 AM.

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