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Post by The Sidhe on May 10, 2013 16:08:02 GMT -5
Her toes hit painfully against the roots and she had to dig her heels into the moss to keep from slipping too much. Annabel Lee was moving as fast as her small legs could carry her over the roots. She could barely see, pausing frequently to squint through the flickering lights of fireflies to try and see ahead of her. After a time, though, this stopped working. Slumping down against one of the larger roots, she drew her knees up to her chest and held them with her arms. Sitting still now, the dampness was getting to her, making the muggy air seem cold and causing her to shiver. Sniffling, Annabel looked out before her. The fireflies the lit the area had given her enough light that she could tell there was water all in front of her. The brief glows of gold would illuminate the gentle lapping of the currents just enough for her to see them glint and then disappear. That much let her know that pitching forwards was a bad idea. Annabel Lee had no way of knowing just how deep the water was, plus it was doubtlessly full of alligators. The splash would attract them and then she’d be finished. Shutting her eyes tight, she leaned her forehead against her knees. She was cold, wet, and scared. Maybe it’d be better if she just stayed put even for a little while. From above the sound of gears came again, louder this time than before. Annabel’s eyes were instantly glued to leaves and the eaves that made up the canopy high above her head. She saw nothing, but she certainly heard it. Gulping, she shakily got to her feet. No, staying put would land her in the same boat as Belle. The thought made a lump form in her throat, but this was not the time for crying. Squinting around and ignoring the rapid beating of her heart, she tried to see which tree was closest that she could hop to. A red light came from above and blinded her. Blinking and holding her hands up to try and shield her eyes from the light, she saw two familiar spikes descending from above. Annabel Lee froze. She couldn’t move, fear had her staring straight ahead as the joints moved in a rusted and jerky manner. As with Belle, one shot out far too close to her, pausing just under her chin before tilting her head up. The metal was oddly warm. Annabel could not see the other spike, but she could hear it moving as it retracted, hear the hinges whine as it prepared to strike. She closed her eyes and held her breath. Let it be quick, let it be painless, and above all let those big kids kill the stupid thing so no other children would fall to it. The spike shot out through the air before coming to a halt not even an inch from Annabel Lee’s chest. Through the blood rushing in her ears and the rotating of gears, she’d heard what had stopped it. Opening her eyes and turning her head, her eyes strained to see past what the red light illuminated. Spying the spike so near to her chest, she pressed herself back against the trunk o the tree, but there was no need. It retracted, moving quicker than before along with its counterpart up into the trees before the light went out. Annabel Lee could heart something big moving above her. It made the roots shiver and the air hum. Looking out into the darkness, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted after the voice she knew had belonged to Fritz, “Xenix, Fritz! Be careful, it’s after you!”Annabel Lee had heard the Weapon’s voice and been able to clearly make out his words. They couldn’t be far off, and she wasn’t the only one who knew this. In the canopy high, metal claws firmly grasped the higher branches and moved swiftly through the boughs. The sound of gears clattering against each other would leave Annabel Lee behind and grow closer to the boy with the shining soul. It drew its attention like a moth or a porch light left on in the middle of the night. High leaves shook and shivered and fell. However it would not directly attack, at least not yet. Baiting was its game of choice. Mechanical limbs winding around thick branches and it reared back. Something akin to spinnerets made of spools of thread, strong and sharp, wove their way into the skin of the children, rendering their corpses as little more than puppets. It was time to begin. Not fifteen feet from where the student team had landed, the first dropped from the eaves, landing clumsily on half rotten legs. The little girl’s back refused to stand straight no matter how sharply it tugged and so it had to settle for waving the arm that hadn’t yet fallen off at an angle, the movement causing her to sway, wisps of filthy once blonde hair covering the doll eyes she now possessed and the permanent smile created by her lips having been sewn back away from her teeth. Laurie. The next was more agile but far harder to look at. The boy’s body clambered up onto the roots, arms and legs pulling in a jerky manner before standing straight and waving both hands. His neck appeared to be broken, head hanging at an unnatural angle as glass eyes stared blankly out at them. The body had obviously spent some time in the water, appearing to be coated in a thin layer of algae and appeared slightly blue. Jimmy. Each had their ribs pried open and their insides removed, bones protruding from their chests at awkward angle and the smell of decay arriving with them. The red light returned, illuminating the corpse puppets for the team to see. If they were to be a lure, it may as well show them off.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2013 13:13:13 GMT -5
Following her weapon partner, Xenix crawled onto the same root after he had gotten the boat safely to stay put to one of the tree’s massive roots. It wasn’t the ideal way, but it would do. Turning to her weapon, she saw him position himself oddly. What he was doing she had no clue, but at least he had an idea of how they could find Annabel in this hell hole. Yet, once his arm changed into partial weapon form she better understood. He was going to bring the Kishin to them.
As the light radiated and dimmed, she could only pray and hope Annabel was alive. The girl had really grown on her. If she was dead Xenix wouldn’t be able to live with such a fact; her fists clenching at the thought. Her stomach also twisting with the burning anger that been building up since they got here and learned the situation. Anna’s disappearance only made this worse.
She was shaken out of her thoughts as her partner yelled out to their little friend. It made the raven-haired meister smirk a bit with pride. He definitely had his moments and she had grown to like Fritz. Not that he needed to know that just yet. Maybe one day soon.
It was then her ears perked and twitched at the familiar sound of Anna’s voice. This made a sigh of relief come from the meister. She was still alive, thank god. She was also not that far away. However, at the same time, Xen’s composure went into a more serious one. The small girl should stay safe and away from this battle or better yet the pair would need to move the fight away from her. As long as she stayed still and out of the water, they could go back and get Anna soon. It seemed like the best idea, but for now the Kishin was coming and Fritz had moved closer to her side; another slight smirk but it disappeared much more quickly from her lips. How soon till their enemy appeared, was running through her thoughts with more priority.
A clunk was heard not even fifteen feet from them. The meister turned her head in the direction and saw a young girl in the shadows. Something was wrong. The little child was standing oddly and let alone her back was not straight like usual. Not only that, but the girl was filthy like she had been out here a while and had a creepy as fuck smile. Again, this crossed through the meister’s mind as she tried to figure out just exactly what was going on. Another thud, but instead of from above, it came from below. Looking that way, Xen could see her eyes widen in a way that hadn’t been so for years. The boy was just as bad of a mess, if not worse. His neck broke, while his were eyes glassy and soulless. She finally knew what was going on and again, her fists were clenched but so much more than before as a red light emitted around the team. This Kishin was using his dead, innocent victims as puppets. What a sick fuck. Her eyes narrowed as Xen glanced at Fritz. He could see a flame of anger unlike before. It was clear the meister was very pissed. Normally, he wouldn’t see such a thing in her, but this Kishin was making her relive some old memories. The way the poor children’s ribs had been opened and vitals removed had all but made her forget how Zach had been killed. Now she had even more reason to kick this monster’s ass. Only issue was, could she keep her rage and hatred in check? Or would she endanger both their lives? Both questions ran through briefly and she closed her eyes. Reopening them, her weapon could see they were focused and clear; anger still present but in a way that was completely unseen to neither him nor Xen herself. ”Let’s go Fritz. We won’t want to keep this son of a bitch waiting since he decided to present his “lovely” puppets. Plus, I want to really punish this sick bastard.”
With that said, the meister waited for Fritz to go into weapon form. She held her hand open and arm out, ready to receive the Demon Key and end this reign of sick and twisted horror.
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Fritz Ingram
Weapon
Demon Key
My soul's a battleground
Posts: 25
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Post by Fritz Ingram on May 23, 2013 18:26:01 GMT -5
Fritz hoped they made it in time. He didn’t know if they were too late or if his actions had made a difference and that was weighing down on him. Mixed with the unusual environment and he was far from comfortable. Gazing out into the trees he hoped to get some sort of response, anything to ease his mind. The odd mechanical noises were quiet but noticeably out of place amidst the swamp atmosphere. This was not the noise Fritz was looking for but through it he heard something that did the trick. Annabel’s words broke through and that was all he needed to hear.
He had managed to save her. She was alive and not another victim of the kishin! Fritz wasn’t useless and that was the boost he desperately needed. He stiffened the desire to call back and reassure Annabel but at the moment he needed to focus on the more imminent threat, the kishin. Annabel had managed to survive so far so she would be able to take care of herself until they finished with the monster. It was somewhere in the darkness and that was enough to scare Fritz but it didn’t stop there by a long shot.
The first puppet dropped and Fritz didn’t know what to do. He never thought it was a human from the instant it appeared, it didn’t look like any human to him. That did prevent him from trying to help the poor child but didn’t make him feel any better. It didn’t take him long to figure out what they were after the second puppet dropped. His stomach twisted at the smell and his eyes widened in horror as the puppet moved in their unnatural way. When the light showed up it took conscious effort not to vomit.
Fritz saw something more than puppets though. Not puppets or children, these were failures. Around him were the children he wasn’t able to save, children a more competent weapon may have been able to save. The guilt crashed into him in waves and each made him feel worse than the last. This was the fate that would have befallen Annabel if they had failed. Fear and disgust swelled inside him before they were replaced with a simpler emotion, anger. They had to destroy the monster that did this to these poor children and make sure it never got the chance to hurt anyone like this again.
He couldn’t answer his meister. There was nothing more he needed to saw for one and he feared that opening his mouth would only assist in emptying his stomach. Glaring at the red light he filled the area with his own golden illumination as he transformed into his weapon form. The handle of his key falling into the grasp of Xenix and Fritz retreating into the darkness that accompanied his weapon form. The puppets were no longer human but he still felt horrible about the whole situation. The sooner they killed the monster and made sur everyone was safe the better.
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Post by The Sidhe on Jun 2, 2013 16:20:16 GMT -5
Whatever was above them, the loud clattering of gears became intermittent with what sounded like steam being released. The children ceased in their demented greetings, the little girl being forced to straighten. Her head jerked back, spine cracking audibly as she stood fully upright. Her arms raised and the threads pulled her fingers back in a clawing motion. The boy did much the same, his head flopping limply against his chest and shoulders. Dead blue eyes stared the students down, both puppets frozen in position for several minutes. The sound of mechanics grew louder, whirring mixing with the sound of metal hitting against metal. And then the puppets began to move.
Their movements were jerky and highly obscene, joints twisting too far back and limbs contorting into positions that should not have been possible. They moved forward like old marionettes, lifeless eyes and artificial smiles with their lips sewn back to their cheeks. Jerky though their movements were, the puppets were swift. They descended on the team with their hands reached out towards them. In place of fingernails were pristinely sharpened bits of shrapnel shoved back beneath their skin and apparently glued or nailed into place.
The boy lunged and slashed at Xenix’s ankles, arms over extending and the joints popping out of place as his head flung itself back to smile dementedly up through the canopy of the trees. The little girl was after the hand that held Fritz, making a swipe at her wrist with sharpened fingertips and a blank stare. The threads worked tirelessly, pulling this way and that to fully accomplish the best range of movement possible for the puppets.
From above, the red light watched, darting mere inches to the right and left. Not just for illumination, but for sight. Gears twisted in succession and the main extremities worked in a flurry of motion to keep the helpers moving. Such good friends they were to keep it company, but to fight for it was simply heartwarming. What good little children. Were its own face not fixed in a permanent grin already, its smile would have reached ear to ear, but then that also would have required it even have ears. That wasn’t to say that it was deaf, oh no, it could hear just fine.
It would dispatch the team as quickly as possible, perhaps toss them into the water, let the alligators feast upon them. They were too old to be friends; they were past the age of blind acceptance after all. They would never adore it as the children did. Keeping itself hoisted above in the trees, two spikes did jerkily lower behind the Meister, pausing in brief intervals before moving swiftly closer. Both moved back, the red light flickering just briefly as it took aim. The spikes jabbed out towards Xenix, one aimed at the middle of her back and the other at the nape of her neck. All it would take was one hit, that was it. Rusted though they were, they were still sharp enough. Oh how it hoped the children would last. If they did, it would need to reward them. Perhaps a new set of eyes, in green or purple maybe? But then there was the matter of the new girl. Surely they would want her to join their fun as well.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2013 6:04:04 GMT -5
Even though Fritz didn’t answer her, she knew that he was ready to engage against this vile being and put it in its place as he dropped into her hand as the Demon Key. Once in her hands the “puppets” began their assault on both of them; one headed right for her ankles and the other after her partner. This made the meister very frustrated since both attacks were trying to disarm her in various ways, one after her weapon so she had nothing to assault with and the other to make her vulnerable. Not wanting to be stuck on the ground, clearly the worse of the two situations, the meister leapt up as the arm of the male puppet went right next to where her ankles used to be.
Of course as she did the sound and sense of Fritz rang through her senses as he was knocked from her hand by the female as she landed back on the root, and yet at the same time the sound of something else; the sound of the still air being swiftly pierced through by small projectiles faintly hit her ears. Twisting around she saw the fast moving spikes aimed at vital areas of her body. Getting a disgusted look on her face, Xenix threw her body towards the Cyprus tree’s trunk, whilst grabbing Fritz as he flew through the air, and once the two objects flew past the female meister pulled away from the near death experience; it was too close for comfort.
Seeing as how the two impaling spikes had yet to retract, Xenix took the chance to slice Fritz down on them; after all the duo had a high chance of slicing them off and seeing what this “red light” being actually was. Well, they already knew it was a Kishin, but the appearance was still unknown, either way they also had the two minions to deal with too. Now the important question…to assault them as well or be more on the safer side and wait for a more proper moment to engage.
Thinking very briefly Xen believed she might as well engage these deceased children, starting with the one who tried to disarm her; she knew that if they wanted a chance to get the advantage now was the time. Turning slightly, knowing that these puppets were fast, the meister held Fritz in a tight grip as she brought him through a circular arc – aimed right at the center of the young dead female’s back. Sure, they thought they were fast, but she was quite the speed demon herself, hence if her target didn’t pull a very fast counter it was going to get hit fairly hard. Not only that but it would be one more step to protecting Annabele and other potential future victims; which that thought itself was not only good, but something both of the pair wanted the most.
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Fritz Ingram
Weapon
Demon Key
My soul's a battleground
Posts: 25
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Post by Fritz Ingram on Sept 25, 2013 12:46:24 GMT -5
The situation at hand was certainly worrying but Fritz needed to have faith in the skills of his meister. Attempting to not question himself and his potential as another weapon he stilled himself and focused. With two of the puppets attacking things were slightly more dangerous than just one so they needed to be on their guard. Allowing for a blind spot could mean a serious injury and losing footing could leave them open. There wasn’t much he could do in his weapon form but a light show wouldn’t be helpful right now anyway. Xenix would just have to make the most out of what he could do as a weapon.
Unfortunately he was the target of one of the puppets and Xenix wasn’t able to take him out of the way in time. Why the puppet attacked him instead of the more vulnerable meister wasn’t clear to him but it did work out for the best. He would rather get knocked away and be safe than have Xenix injured trying to guard him. In the process of being knocked away he noticed the projectiles headed for Xenix but couldn’t see more than a glimpse and couldn’t react either way.
Relief washed over him as Xenix managed to avoid the attack and return him to her grasp in the same movement. Calming himself to the best of his ability Fritz attempted to analyze what he could from the situation. Xenix used him to attack whatever had launched to attack her so that may be useful soon. What he had in mind were the puppets that caused such an opening to appear itself in the first place, if they could take them out only the kishin would need to be targeted. Forcing himself to focus he prepared himself for what they would do next.
“I think we should take care of the puppets first, that kishin seems like it will take all of our attention.”
It seemed they were thinking at least remotely the same as Xenix went in for an attack on the puppet that had hit him. Hopefully they managed to take it out with the hit so it wouldn’t become a problem later on. Letting these children rest, even if it was in such a crude way would be better for everyone in the long run. Of course they would all be better off once the kishin was taken care of and that was what they needed to do.
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Post by The Sidhe on Oct 19, 2013 14:51:52 GMT -5
From above, the darting red light watched the scene unfold. Ah, she was quick but it certainly cost her. The key was knocked from her grasp and the puppet halted almost immediately after the action completed. The boy that had made for the Meister’s ankles stood still also, crouched where he had landed. A moment later the two shifted, righting themselves with jerky movements with the sound of string pulled tight. Glints in the air shimmered in the light cast by fireflies as the two puppets began to move, shambling forward on uneasy feet.
The gears rumbled as the spikes had missed their target. The red quickly darted all around, focusing on the Meister only after she had her Weapon back in her hands. Tricky, these two. It would need to try harder, perhaps bring out a few of the stronger friends, newer and better built still. The two currently jerking towards them did look so very tired after all. Perhaps it should let them rest. But thought was distracting and would prove to be treacherous. The key came down upon the spikes in a downward arc, a metallic sound ringing through the air followed by a groaning sound as the hinges that constructed them pulled apart.
From the joints spilled a liquid too dark to be blood but too red to be oil, oozing onto the roots of the trees and seeping into the water. The sharp ends of the spikes lay useless, stuck in the damp wood as the shrill whirr of machinery from above spiked and the trees shook. The puppets halted briefly before collapsing, the string suddenly lax. There was the sound of branches snapping and then something big fell onto the roots of the cypress trees.
Burlap sewn near completely shut in a formation not unlike a snake, a great hood extended by metal boning over the Kishin Egg’s head. Shadowed by said hood was what appeared to be the modified head of a young girl, no older than ten. Her skin had been turned to porcelain, blonde hair unnaturally clean despite the surroundings with only a single artificial blue eye still left. The left half of her face was gone, replaced by metal bone structure and a gleaming red light for an eye replacement. Metal teeth that appeared to be sharp like razors were welding within a jaw that hung open, the shrill screeching of metal on metal filling the air.
Metal spikes, shorter than those used for attack, ran down the length of its body, jerking every which way as it struggled to right itself. Its entire body was perhaps twelve feet long, but perhaps the most disturbing part was that it was not the only body present. Its chest cavity was a cage that was visible through a break in the burlap, iron bars meshing haphazardly together. Within were the lost children in varying stages of decay, piled and slumped together, faces blank and eyes vacant as arms or legs dangled through the gaps in the bars. The stench was overpowering, and it was plainly obvious a few were more puppets while others appeared to be recently deceased. Belle was among them.
The creature flailed, whipping the end of its body where the two pikes had been broken off of and keening before finally righting itself. It rose in a serpentine fashion, most of its body used to stabilize it upon the ground while four larger and mechanical arms extended out, two ending in clamps, another scissors, and the last in a needle. All appeared to be laced with string the seemingly came from somewhere hidden in the burlap body of the Kishin Egg.
The puppets began to rise, but the Meister was ahead of them. The little girl’s torso was easily pierced with how decayed she was, impaled upon the key in such a way that her head fell backwards to stare at the dark haired girl. A mechanical shriek filled the air as the creature began to shake before cutting the thread that allowed it to control the little girl. So be it. The little boy was still up and running though, being yanked quickly towards the team and moving both hands in jerky slashing motions in an attack on them, aiming anywhere his small body could reach.
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