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Post by The Sidhe on Aug 1, 2014 17:21:33 GMT -5
The sun lied about the temperature in Freiburg. As it hung low in the sky and grew lower by the hour, the last streaks of light shot over the sky in shades of purple and gold, giving way to darkest blue on the horizon. Clouds were painted in a dizzying array of colors as they sailed over the city. The gothic clock tower reached skyward over the second empire style houses. The only structure that could hope to try and catch up to it was the cathedral, the bell tolling within its tower and echoing through the city as it got ready for sleep. The cobblestone streets were filled with the late workers and the start of the night crowd. Haggard looking men and women journeying home from overtime yawned and dragged their feet. Younger adults weaved between them, wooping and hollering already to each other as they headed out for a night on the town, some dressed their best for the classier clubs and other dressed for drinks with friends at the local bars. There was an equal sense of life and peace. But not quite as peaceful as the Alter Friedhot Cemetary. Away from the city and silent as a graveyard should be, a small guard station for the groundskeeper lay beside heavy wrought iron gates. The bars twisted and turned in a style reminiscent of art nouveau, currently held closed by heavy chains and a heavier padlock. Giant willow trees with heavy, dangling branches obscured the view inside from the gates save for the paved pathway. The exterior was shielded by purposefully placed shrubs that reach up just before the high points of the iron fences. And in the little guard station to the left of the gates was groundskeeper Anselm…asleep at his post. Anselm knew full well to expect a Shibusen student arriving at the cemetery. He also knew they would be arriving in the evening after hours and that he would need to unlock the gates. But had covered for groundskeeper Magda on the graveyard shift for two days now with her sick as a dog with the flu. Working from eight pm to seven am, the breaking for breakfast before working eight am to five pm, and then having to wait long for a random teenager? Sleep had taken him the minute he’d flopped into the rickety wooden chair. It wasn’t like they couldn’t just wake him up. He was surprisingly young for a groundskeeper. Maybe nearing thirty with a tanned look to him and scruffy looking stubble on his face, he sat sagging back into the chair, arms crossed and with his head lulled to rest on his right shoulder. His brown hair appeared thoroughly mussed. He appeared very much dressed for his work, sporting a simple t shirt with a jacket thrown on over it, jeans and work boots, gloves sticking out of his left pocket. Not exactly the most put together individual, but at a glance he looked nice enough. The time frame the student could arrive in was shifty enough. Anselm could afford a few minutes to doze.
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Post by Avery Sovereign on Aug 4, 2014 0:27:44 GMT -5
To say that Avery was excited would be an understatement. She was off on her first mission as a Shibusen student and it was to a place in the world she had never been to before. Unfortunately the first aspect outweighed the second so she couldn’t be as much of a tourist as she would have liked. Instead she brought only the essentials and dressed in what she thought would be the most practical for combat, done with that it was to the Shibusen airport and on her way to Germany. Flights were nothing new to her so Avery spent the time preparing for what was to come. It was assumed that the kishin egg was old and that meant it probably was relatively powerful. Bodies were found with bite marks on their necks so that was most likely the target’s preferred method of killing. They had also managed to survive for so long without detection and place flowers on the corpses of victims so a human appearance was likely. On the plus side that meant it probably had the same weak spots that humans had but also that it was harder to detect, if only she had soul perception. By the time she landed the sun was about to begin its descent so there was little time to sight see before she had to get ready for the mission. With the lack of time Avery took the chance to simply walk around the city and stop at a place for some food before the action began. The mission had said she would need to wait for the kishin to show up so there was no point in showing up on an empty stomach. During her meal she too the chance to update her blog with the news that she was taking her first mission, leaving out specific details until the event was over. With the sun casting the sky in shades of purple and blue Avery headed through the crowds and towards the cemetery where the mission was to take place. The people seemed in rather high spirits with their being a monster not far from them. Of course she expected as much, if it was a large enough problem to worry the town than Shibusen would have been called much earlier. That did give her some hope, if it didn’t scare the people that much then she should be able to take care of it. The outside of the cemetery certainly looked interesting enough as she approached the gates. Looking into the guard station she saw who was probably the person who was supposed to open the gates for her. He was sound asleep and it seemed like a bother to wake him up just to let her in. Moving back she stood a distance away from a lower part of the gates and waited. Quickly taking out her phone she took a picture of the gates to upload before running at them and jumping up. With a mix of her jumping ability and the gloves on her hands it was no problem for her to get over and into the cemetery. Landing as softly as she could Avery looked around to see if there were any obvious signs of the kishin. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to find but there was no harm in trying. Getting on a path she headed in a direction that she thought would lead toward the grave in question and hopefully to the kishin egg.
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Post by The Sidhe on Aug 4, 2014 16:50:58 GMT -5
As the Weapon leapt over the cemetery, Anselm only stirred slightly, and not in waking. He merely shifted in his seat; head tilting to fall in towards is chest. The overworked young man slept on in what was likely a much needed reprieve. Older stones led the way into the cemetery. To the right was the correct direction. Through shade cast by one of the great willow trees and beyond its heavy branches laid a surprisingly closed in area. The path led between two sets of land. To the right were smaller plots, being that they were so close to the iron fence. To the left were more plentiful rows. The vast majority of the tombstones were worn and old, the writing appearing rickety. On some it had been worn away entirely. Others had survived a might better if only for their size. The area was tight, the tombstones surprisingly close together, only feet apart. The grass was taller, brushing the names as heartbroken fingertips may have long ago. Ivy grew over others, some were cracked and broken. More trees lined the pathway, ones not as tall with leaves that grew dull in color as the sun went down. Around a left corner things held more tombstones but also more statues, angels both praying and weeping over larger graves of the wealthy. More neatly kept flower beds surrounded them, and each possessed brief steps to reach them, their owners too good to simply be held at ground level. A little ways along after the turn was where Anna Schreier rested. Upon her death, her dear sister Adelaide had cast her form in bronze to honor her untimely death. It lay atop a low and hollow tablet, perhaps three feet wide and six feet long. Anna’s polished image lay as though she were merely sleeping, lying on her back with her lulled to the right with a slight but serene smile on her face. Her hair fanned out around her head and shoulders. On arm lay folded across her torso, the other outstretched and off the tablet, her attached hand just barely holding onto an open book. Anna had been cast in a long nightgown with capped sleeves and so long the skirt spilled over the sides of the tablet, pausing to gather at one point over the plaque. In loving memory of Anna Cecelia Schreier 1850 – 1867 There were day-old flowers tucked into the bend of her outstretched arm. Ivy clung to the bottom of the tablet Anna’s likeness was set upon, seated almost directly on the right side of the path. Directly across from her on the other side was a small crypt, no door to speak of. A simple gothic arch allowed the way in. The building was made of pale grey stone in a fashion that resembled an old cathedral, two stained glass windows marking either side of the little shelter. Inside was another sarcophagus, the plaque mounted on the wall behind it telling it belonged to Anna’s beloved sister Adelaide. Her final resting place had ample room for at least two people, and a perfect place to hide around corners or the sarcophagus itself. As the sun crept lower into the sky, the light fled the cemetery. Shadows grew longer until the grounds were blanketed by nothing but dark, only meager LED lights providing better light along corners and other potential tripping hazards. A few of the tombs sporting statues held floodlights that illuminated the sculptures once night fell, apparently in need of a spotlight even in death. Night dragged into morning with nothing but ringing silence. Wind rustling through trees and unseen nightlife occasionally disturbed it. Ten, eleven, midnight. But as one o’ clock arrived, so did a visitor. Dull footsteps could be heard, though still too soft to make out. They grew closer, though, very close, but still blocked somehow. The tall shrubs that lined the outside of the pointed iron gates shifted and swayed, the sound of shoes scuffing against metal. A figure jumped the fence with ease and landed on one knee only feet from the grave of Anna Schreier. Even in darkness, the young man seemed to stand out. Quite tall with a thin frame, well-dressed all in black from the open pea coat he wore to the shined shoes on his feet. The dark color palette of his clothes made his stand out more. The young man was exceptionally pale, almost glowing the in shadows. Tousled blonde hair halted at the nape of his neck, but the angle at which he was bent had his bangs falling forward and obscuring his face until he moved. His motions were fluid and graceful as he stood, moving slowly to Anna’s gave, flowers in hand. Pink carnations and forget-me-nots tied with white ribbon. With his face in full view, he really was quite young, barely mature enough to brush twenty going on looks alone. Sharp features and thin lips, and very, very red eyes that carefully scanned his surroundings before at Anna’s permanent bedside. As he placed the new flowers in the bend of her arm and put the old ones at her feet for the moment, he gently placed a pale hand over the one Anna’s likeness had folded over her torso. The young man's fingernails more resembled the beginnings of claws, clearly kept short purposefully but still sharp. His voice seemed to echo through the silence even though it was only a whisper. <<I miss you so much, my love. I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it in time.>>
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Post by Avery Sovereign on Aug 5, 2014 20:29:58 GMT -5
From her landing position it seemed like the stones that made the paths were oldest on the path that headed to the right. Considering the nature of her mission the older path seemed like the better one. Walking down the path Avery looked around for the grave in the briefing. The graves along the path certainly looked aged and the longer grass only added to the dated look. Sticking to the path she made sure to observe the graves and the states they were in in case there was anything useful for the advancement of the mission.
Following the path Avery kept with the turns along it as the sun continued to descend lower in the sky. Tombstones showing signs of age were nothing new to Avery and were mostly boring to look at, statues were a different matter. She knew they were made for those that had the money to afford them but knowing their purpose did nothing to diffuse the inherent creepiness of them. On their own statues were statues but when wandering through a graveyard with night approaching and something that killed people around it was unsettling at best. Making sure to keep her eyes on any angel statue she passed her body tensed in case there was movement and she had to activate her partial.
While no angel statues came to life she did come across the gravesite she was looking for quickly enough. Standing in front of the grave it was how she had heard it described. Clearly too new of a grave at the moment but having the full form of the person depicted would be a wonder on a dig site. Looking around the area was mostly open which made combat less likely to destroy anything but gave her few places to hide. Resigning to the crypt across from the grave Avery headed over and entered the arch.
Settling herself against a wall Avery muttered a soft ”Sorry.” to the inhabitant of the crypt and waited. For a time Avery admired the architecture of her shelter but as the light vanished so did her pastime. Huddling in the corner she regretted wearing jeans that were already ripped when the temperature dropped, it had seemed like a good idea for the combat aspect of the mission. As time went on her mind wandered to possible ways to handle the mission when the kishin egg appeared.
At some point Avery may have drifted to sleep but it all seemed like a blur of waiting. Her strategy had been decided for the most part at least as she drifted in and out of consciousness. With the ample space and the assumption that the kishin egg was mostly human her full weapon form could be useful if she could get them in it. Her partial could be useful as well but with the graves around she would need to be careful to avoid damaging them. Once she saw the kishin egg herself the details could be worked out.
The sound of shoes scuffing against something drew her attention and she peaked out from her corner to see what was going on. A figure had followed her example and jumped over the wall into the cemetery. It was harder to make out specifics in the dark and with so much distance between them but he clearly stood out. Seeing something in his hand meant he was probably the person she was looking for but she had to be sure. He approached the grave and set down flowers like had been told. He spoke in German so she didn’t understand but she had made out ‘I’ and ‘love’ in his words.
If he said he loved her than he must be a kishin egg to be alive but Avery wanted to make completely sure. Exhaling a breath she quickly turned her phone off silent and prepared to make her move. Raising up her phone Avery left the crypt and walked toward the figure. Switching to the camera option with night mode set prior she began to take pictures of the kishin egg, the sound of clicking loudly coming from the phone. Stopping a few feet away she kept the phone trained on him.
”The one placing flowers on the grave revealed!”
Waiting for a response she was ready to react. If he attacked her that would seal it that he was the kishin egg. Talking was a tad more complicated but it was her best bet to finding the truth at the moment.
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Post by The Sidhe on Aug 8, 2014 15:23:42 GMT -5
The sounds of digital clicks and the voice of a young woman didn’t startle the blond in the slightest. Instead he softly sighed, not turning around just yet. “I was curious as to where that heartbeat was coming from.” There wasn’t a hint of accent in calm but melancholy tone he spoke with. “Not the first to hide in Adelaide’s crypt, but veritably the first to succeed in catching me.”
Letting his hand fall from the side of Anna’s face, he slowly turned to face Avery. He truly did look young, not much older than her. He held a peaceful expression, though he did not smile, and there was an unmistakable sadness in his eyes. The red seemed to almost glow through the night’s shadows, clear and piercing. The sharp nails at the ends of his fingers were more obvious as he faced front. The blond lifted a hand to briefly cover his heart, bowing his head very slightly in greeting. “I am Engel Kaiser. I pray you listen to me for a time. This does not have to end in violence.”
Engel kept his eyes on her before turning to look over his shoulder to Anna’s likeness, a softer expression appearing, though still somber through a years old heartbreak. “Anna was my betrothed. I thought myself exceptionally fortuitous to have won her affections as I was far lower in both wealth and status than she. Her grandmother and sister never did give full countenance of me, but they wanted Anna to be happy, so they permitted it.” Engel placed a hand delicately atop the bronze cast of Anna’s that lay folded across her torso. There was fondness in his voice, but the underlying heartache almost ruined it.
“I loved Anna more than anything. I still do. But I was still a student studying medicine in Heidelberg a good ways North of here. When I received word that she had taken ill…” Engel paused, swallowing thickly and closing his eyes if only for a moment. When he opened them his expression was far more pained and laced with what could only be hatred.
“I left as soon as I heard the news. I tried to reach her as fast as I could even if I knew it would likely only be to say goodbye. But I was delayed.” Red flitted over to Avery as he spoke more tersely. “The carriage I was in was attacked by a monster. It ripped through the horses and tore into the driver. It didn’t even eat him; it just feasted off of his blood. It accosted me next, bit my neck, but it didn’t kill me. I could feel it pumping its own blood into me somehow. It turned me into a monster!” He turned his head to face Avery fully again, removing his hand from Anna’s to point to his mouth and the pointed fangs that had become visible while he was speaking.
“I went mad. I was so hungry all I could see was red. Anyone I saw through the cacophony of heartbeats, I slew. I needed their blood but I took their souls without even thinking, it was like a primal instinct that drew me to them. Anything I thought I could eat I did, I felt like I was in a constant state of starvation.” Engel stopped to lower his head into one hand, shutting his eyes tightly. “I couldn’t stop. For years, I couldn’t stop unless I kept myself isolated, which was precisely what I tried to do. The pain was maddening and I needed to feed to stay alive, but I tried to kill as little as possible. It took me so long to control it properly, but this cemetery, this place…became a sanctuary of sorts.”
“I know not how I managed to return to Freiburg or find this place. I’d dare to say my love for Anna guided me, but even I know that is absolutely preposterous. Even so, there was hardly ever anyone here. If I ventured deep enough I could hide and stay away from the heartbeats in the streets. I could be near Anna, make up for not being present at her deathbed where I should have been. For not being able to tell her I loved her once last time…”
Engel finally lifted his head to gaze pitifully at Avery, features weighted down with a potent mixture of guilt and sorrow. “I never desired this, but, I can control myself now, I have for years. I try not to hurt anyone for as long as possible. I have a job, I’m an ER doctor. I take what I can from blood IVs without being discovered, but sometimes it just isn’t enough. Even if I do bite, I don’t usually kill, but sometimes I need more to avoid starving to death or worse, reverting back into that maddened creature what stole my mind!”
He took on a pleading look, but his gaze held a different purpose. Engel kept determined eye contact, red eyes staring hard into hers. With his following words, the pull of persuasion that seemed to be housed in his gaze would hopefully take affect and persuade her to simply leave. “Please, I only wish to stay at Anna’s side, as penance for not being there when she needed me most. You leave me be, and I will leave you be. I will lessen my kills, even if it hurts me. I do not want this to end in violence, not if there is a compromise to be made somewhere.”
Red held a fierce temptation, compelling her to succumb to his pleading and agree to his terms. Whether the ability was successful or not depended entirely on the girl’s own resistance.
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Post by Avery Sovereign on Aug 15, 2014 3:09:31 GMT -5
As Avery approached the figure she could feel her heart beating harder in her chest. If this was the right person she was looking for they were a real kishin egg, a being that had gone off the path of order. She had heard of them but actually seeing one was a different thing entirely. The variety within kishin eggs made planning difficult and that uncertainty feed into her fear. Doubt would drag her down though so she had to relax and think clearly. All she needed to do was hope her plan worked and deal with anything that came up.
Her previous suspicion about whether he was the kishin egg or not vanished once he started talking. No human would begin speaking about hearing a person’s heartbeat. Knowing this was the kishin egg added to her anxiety but she kept it under control and remained in the role of the adventurous tourist. If he didn’t know that she was from Shibusen there was still a chance that she could surprise him and end the mission in one quick swoop. Keeping her eyes and phone on the kishin egg she watched and waited for an opening.
The kishin in front of her certainly looked human despite her knowing he wasn’t. With him turned to face her Avery kept her face passive and quickly looked him over. Age wise he was still in his late teens to early twenties but that was obviously deceptive of how old he really was. He looked human enough save for the sharp looking nails on his hands. His eyes were oddly vibrant but her attention was captured more by the nails. As far as she could tell the nails were his main means of attack and what she would need to look out for.
Standing where she was Avery made no move to attack or retreat, just to listen to the story he wanted to tell. He did say the confrontation didn’t have to end in violence so either he knew she was from Shibusen somehow or was threatening her as a normal person. Either way she said nothing and let him tell his story, perhaps there would be something in it that could help lead her to victory. As he spoke towards the remains of his lover Avery glanced at her phone and the pictures she had taken. A surprise attack may work but she risked the chance of damaging the area and if he was giving her time to strategize she was going to take it.
Listening to his story Avery attempted to plan a way to attack him while avoiding his nails when he turned around in the middle of his tale to reveal a new threat. So fangs and nails were things to look out for and if he possessed the same abilities as what attacked him she would need to rethink her plans. If whatever attacked him could rip through horses enhanced strength was certainly something to look out for along with the teeth and nails.
Putting what he had said with his remark from earlier and enhanced senses was also a likely ability in his arsenal. Knowing that she needed to remain calm and plan for surprise. If he picked up an attack before it hit he could dodge or turn it against her. While thinking of a plan she failed to expect his next move. He went for pity and reasons why he was changed, they had little effect on Avery’s opinion or decision though. He was a kishin egg and as such would hurt people again. Clearly he had slipped enough to get on Shibusen’s list so there was no reason to think he wouldn’t again.
The story however was sad and had she not been sent to kill him she may have felt somewhat sorry for him. Removed from the context of a kishin egg the story was rather romantic with a touch of tragedy to add to the appeal. Had he spent his time writing of his struggles she would have certainly picked up and read his story but the words coming from a murderous monster lost a great deal of their appeal.
With him pleading to her the least she could do was look him in the eyes but as soon as she did she realized her mistake. As the eyes glowed a stronger red she heard his words and felt them sway her judgment. No, she wanted to attack him not leave! Despite her efforts the words were stiffening her body and preventing her from disobeying. Thinking quickly she listened to the words and did what she could to use them to her favor.
”That sounds reasonable. I’m sure the pictures alone will be plenty to get me a journalism position once I get back and send them in. I’ll leave you to stay here.”
Done she gave in to the compulsion and turned back to the path and headed toward the exit. Returning her phone to her pocket she followed the path mindlessly. The words compelled her to leave him alone but of he came to her she could regain her will. If not she assumed it would wear off once she got a certain distance away and then she could think on a new plan to deal with the kishin egg.
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Post by The Sidhe on Aug 18, 2014 16:59:02 GMT -5
As Engel had recited his tale of lost love and misfortune, he had a hard time discerning what the girl standing before him thought of his words. He could hear her heart pounding. To him it was a good sign. If she wasn’t scared, then she was at the very least nervous. Understandable and also entirely valid. It would be odd for her to be calm in his presence. After all, he was over one hundred years old and needed to drink the blood of others to survive. He wasn’t exactly someone to be calm around when meeting in the middle of a cemetery.
Engel resisted the urge to smile when she made eye contact. Her body stiffened under the hypnotism he wove into his words, moving against her will. He tilted his head very slightly as he watched her thoughts race, they were so visible in her attempts to break free of the mental hold he had on her. How fortunate for him that she seemed of a weaker mentality. Had she been able to put up more of a fight or even break free, things may have grown troublesome. The quicker she left, the quicker he could have some privacy, no matter how short his visits with Anna usually were. Besides, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t make good on his promise. All he had to do was try a little harder next time to control his thirst.
And of course, he would forget specifics.
She was polite, at least, but there was a flaw in his sentence structure. Clever girl. A little too clever. Granted this was his fault, but he hadn’t had to use his hypnotism too much over the years. It made sense he would be sloppy, but unfortunately he couldn’t let this go. “And she’s so young, too,” he mused softly as he rose. “The least I can do is make it quick. I’ll be just a moment Anna. Please forgive me.”
Engel was in no hurry. She was walking, and he was taller and too longer strides. He would catch up to her in no time. It really was a shame, having to kill the poor girl. With wit like that, she would have gotten far in life, and Engel preferred to stick to criminals and others who actually deserved to die. Not children or teenagers or parents or anyone with obligations, anyone who were good and honest people. Unfortunately this girl would be an outlier, hopefully nothing more than a one-time occurrence from a slip of the tongue. Be direct in the future, Engel scolded himself, do not let this happen again.
Only a few steps away, Engel pulled back his sleeves just a bit to give his wrists more freedom to move, not that he’d need them for long. The effect would have begun to dull the moment she broke eye contact. It was different for everyone; hopefully she was still numbed and would merely freeze when he touched her. With practiced ease, Engel gracefully grabbed her from behind, gripping her left elbow tightly and yanking it back, his other hand reaching around her right shoulders and resting firmly against her throat. “Forgive me, young one, for my careless wording,” he whispered with sympathy just beside her ear, “I promise to be quick.”
There was a hiss and then there was fangs draw close to her neck.
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Post by Avery Sovereign on Aug 19, 2014 19:52:19 GMT -5
Being forced to walk away from the kishin egg did not sit well with Avery. It was bad enough that she was forced to do something against her will but knowing that she wouldn’t be able to understand how the power worked made it all the worse. The effects of the compulsion began to dim shortly after she started walking away but she followed it even when it grew extremely faint. Her fighting against it probably helped but once she could freely feel in control of her own body her aggravation with the situation lessened.
Despite the compulsion weakening Avery continued to walk and act as if it was in effect. She though he said something after she had left but the words weren’t clearly audible over the distance she had walked. Hearing footsteps she remain in pace and waited for him to make his move. As they drew closer Avery went over potential ways to fight but decided keeping the element of surprise was most likely to work in her favor. Waiting for his move Avery simply stopped moving when she felt his hands come into contact with her. His grip on her left arm was undesirable but his hand on her neck brought a grin to her face.
Keeping her limbs limp she remained acting like she was still under the effects of the compulsion. She kept still and allowed him to speak; his mention of wording caught her attention. If he felt the need to apologize for careless wording the compulsion must be tied directly to what he said. It wasn’t until he drew closer and she could feel his breath against her neck that she made her move. Quickly she yanked her left arm forward and shot her right hand to grab his wrist. Closing her hand into a vice-like grip she squeezed against his wrist to give her left arm enough freedom to reach and grab his right wrist in a similar fashion.
After she had a hold of both his wrist Avery wasted no time and her body was covered in a dark green light that maintained her human form for a moment before shooting behind Engel but keeping a cuff around each wrist. The light expanded into a rectangular form before the weapon began to form. First the leather restraints around his wrist and then the chains that attached to them. Engel would feel a pull as the rectangular light fell flat to the ground and brought the cuffs and the kishin egg with it. The wooden bed of the weapon formed under him and a second pair of restraints quickly launched out to grab his ankles. Light shot above him in a pyramid formation before solidifying into metal bars, the focal point of the pendulum, and finally the black blade of it. Avery’s face formed in the blade from just under her shoulders and she looked down on the restrained Engel.
”I’m sorry for you, your life and story re tragic. But the only way to be sure you don’t hurt anyone else is if you aren’t here. Maybe this will bring you closer to Anna.”
Her image vanished and the blade began to swing, slowly for the first few arcs before building speed and losing height. Five arcs brought the blade a few inches above Engel’s abdomen and seemed like it would slowly descend and slice through him. It was a crueler fate than Avery believed he deserved however and as it reached the zenith of its arc there was a clank and the blade dropped a significant amount. On the next descent it would cut deep into Engel as to not prolong his suffering.
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Post by The Sidhe on Aug 20, 2014 13:58:29 GMT -5
She was only one girl. Engel knew she must have been someone to have waited specifically for him, but given her demeanor and the phone…he’d been foolish. His only worry of being hunted had been of teams. The fixation on two had completely numbed the thought of just one, and now he was paying for his idiocy. He was hardly expecting her to fight back, mistaking her for having still been under the effects of the hypnosis. When she yanked his left arm forward, Engel was thrown off balance, surprise etching into his features. Her right hand gripped his wrist in a crushing grip he hadn’t expected of her. Engel narrowed his eyes and growled, trying to yank his arm free but she soon held him with both hands. But his left was free. He pulled it back and made to claw at her back, but he didn’t make the decision quite fast enough. Cuffs appears around his wrists. Again, Engel struggled. Panic was beginning to make him freeze up. The number of times anyone had gotten the jump on him was exactly zero since the incident, but now this girl was running circles around him and putting him in chains. What in the world? Confusion mixed with fear Engel hadn’t known in quite some time. It delayed his thoughts, made it impossible to think of a possible escape route. He pulled and pulled, but the cuffs weren’t the sort he could easily break out of. He was strong, but not strong enough to damage a Weapon. Chains yanked him back onto wood. Engel winced at the landing but recovered quickly, still struggling with all he had. He needed to, for Anna. But leather bound his wrists and ankles further. Movement was difficult. All he could do was squirm and shift around helplessly on what would be his death bed. When the pyramid shape formed and the blade appeared, Engel’s eyes widened in recognition. Ridiculous conversations from his school days made him recognize the tool. “No! Please no, don’t do this!” Begging for his life. It was certainly a familiar feeling, one that Engel had hoped never to feel again. But then, he couldn’t help but think in the back of his mind that he really did deserve this. After all, he was a monster. Engel heard her words from above him and a bitter smile formed on his face, small though it was. He ignored the stinging in his eyes. You’re so young. I highly doubt I will be going to the same place Anna is. The pendulum started to swing, and Engel stilled. What was the point? He was trapped, there was no getting out of this one, but that didn’t stop the fear from making him tremble, tears escaping him as it drew closer. He would be torn open just like he’d torn so many others. The irony almost killed him, but that was the blade’s job. When it drew close enough that he knew the last swing would end him, Engel turned his head away to try to hide it in his shoulder and shut his eyes tight, hating how pathetic he must look unable to face his own demise after killing so many others. He didn’t even hear himself speak but his last thoughts took the form of shaking, whispered words regardless. “I’m sorry Anna, but I must leave you again.”There was a clank and then the feeling of the blade slicing through him, cutting deep through him. He’d thought it to be higher. As Engel screamed through clenched teeth, he stiffened with the pain and managed to look at the blood-stained blade. It had been higher, he’d seen it. It took not even a minute for him to realize and his head fell back. Engel shut his eyes again, the sound of his own ragged breathing and dulling heartbeat filled his ears. Truly young. Mercy is more than I deserve. Engel could feel the blood draining from him, feel it spilling over the sides of the wooden bed and staining his clothing to render the color darker than black. He felt foggy, felt his body going numb. He felt cold, and not from the night air. Engel weakly tried to turn his head in a way that he could see Ana’s grave, but couldn’t quite accomplish it from where he was bound. In the end he breathed his last in a position where his head fell limply to the side, previously stiff limbs becoming lax and incapable of struggling any longer. Red eyes stared lifelessly at so many graves, but none were the one they had hoped to glimpse one final time. A similarly red soul appeared to float just over Engel's chest. Over one hundred years of undying love and devotion, all ended with a single cut.
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Post by Avery Sovereign on Aug 24, 2014 18:15:12 GMT -5
As soon as the cuffs were around Engel there was a distinct feeling of excitement that coursed through Avery. She had read about kishin eggs and teams hunting them and she had gone over strategies for fighting them herself but this was the first time she had ever done so in practice. As long as she followed through with her planning everything should work out and she would have her first soul on the way to death scythe. Catching Engel was also the first time she had entered her full weapon form since she discovered what her weapon form was.
The pleading wasn’t completely unexpected but it did nothing to dissuade her. He was a corrupt soul that hurt others, pleading for his life didn’t carry much merit. Hearing him plead however was mildly uncomfortable. Knowing that he was trapped and about to be killed by a weapon was one thing but knowing that part of his fear probably came from her weapon form being a torture device didn’t make her feel any better. Ignoring the thoughts as best as she could Avery focused on swinging the blade of the pendulum and taking out the target.
Lessening the torture element slightly she didn’t drag out the waiting and the cutting and went straight for a deep cut. It didn’t take long for the blade to end him with how deep the initial cut was. Once she knew it was over the blade came to a halt just touching the wood that made up the bed of the form. After he had been severed in two a more enticing red appeared in the form of his soul. Transforming back into her human form Avery noticed a line of red staining the midriff section of her jacket but luckily it was unlikely to stick to the material.
Grabbing the soul Avery walked toward Anna’s grave with the soul resting in her palm. When she reached the grave she placed the soul above it and stepped back. Closing her eyes she lowered her head at the grave out of respect. Giving a small smile at the grave she let the soul rest with the grave for a moment longer.
”Sorry I had to take your fiancée away, but it will be better this way.”
Finished with her respects the next thing she did was take out her phone and take a picture of the floating soul and grave. Uploading the picture to her blog she quickly typed a caption for it and called it good. ”The mystery of the appearing flowers is solved and my first mission is a success! One step closer to becoming a death scythe!” With her update done Avery put the phone away and picked the soul up off the grave. Bringing it close to her she looked it over for a moment before opening her mouth and consuming the soul. In one bite the soul was gone and the red glow vanished from the cemetery.
Closing her eyes for a moment she committed the taste of the soul to memory. It was an odd taste and texture but not anything that would be considered off-putting. Once she had consumed it she glanced back at the grave one final time. With the mission over Avery headed back down the path toward the gate and eventually on her way back to Shibusen. She did it! Once she got back she would need to call her parents and tell them of her success and write up more about the mission for her blog. Hopefully her future missions would go as well.
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Post by The Sidhe on Aug 25, 2014 13:56:44 GMT -5
The body of Engel Kaiser fell to the ground with surprisingly little sound. The two pieces of the unfortunate young man would be discovered come morning if Anselm ever awoke to tend to his grounds keeping duties. Or by whoever wandered in to visit their own lost loved ones. Whichever came first. The blood staining the path was minimal, bleeding no longer easy with no heartbeat to help it along. Dull, red eyes stared at nothing at all, Engel’s arms still positioned loosely above his head from how the restraints had held him. Given his severed state, one could only hope that whoever stumbled upon him would have a strong stomach. The soul cast a dim red glow over the grave of Anna Schreier. It tinted the bronze a darker color, making it appear far more sinister. The respects were honorable and kind, though of course Anna didn’t answer. She was quite dead, and she left behind no ghost upon her passing. Likely a good thing in the end, for something that may have comforted Engel may also have increased the difficulty and interference of hunting him down. Truly for the best that Anna rest in peace rather than linger in a world where her beloved was turned into a monster, burdened by the need for blood, and ultimately slain for his crimes. The red vanished from the surroundings and the bronze casting of the sleeping Anna regained a peaceful look. Accented by the dark blue shadows that clung to the form under the night sky, they fit the scene of her deathbed perfectly. They softened the edges of the metal, dulled the shine, made it appear as though Anna truly was just sleeping, waiting for morning to come and let her timeless form shine again. Maybe somewhere else she really would wake up to the morning sun, healthy again and beautiful as she always had been in life. Perhaps she was in a place where Engel would now wake up beside her. With the fight over and the unfortunate lying dead on the pathway, the cemetery grew silent once more save for the gentle soundtrack of the night. Soft winds rustling through the trees, stirring up the longer grass between close and old graves. The sound of the breeze traveling through spaces large and small between tombstones and crypts created a low sound, as though wishing Avery well for when she made her way out. Accompanying them was the nearly inaudible sound of flowers wrapped in tissue paper, thin ribbon barely disturbed from the small bouquet tucked into the bend of Anna’s outstretched arm. Perhaps another kind soul would bring Anna flowers out of sympathy upon seeing that the previous pattern had stopped. MISSION COMPLETE Congratulations! Spoils: 1 Kishin Egg soul + 90 Points
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