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 Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:47 pm
Blood and death had held the mares attention, but she startled at the sudden crack, head jerking up as she searched for a source, but her dark complexion paled, taking on a ashen appearance, as the world was swallowed up by the insanity and thrust into monochromatic uncertainty. For one brief second she stood in silence, then the voices boomed within her head. Louder then they'd ever been before. Loud enough to drive her to her knees with a pain filled cry as she uselessly clamped her palms over her ears.
She was deafened by the chorus of whispers, terrified. The last time they'd been so persistent she'd fallen to the insanity, and she feared the same now.
Yet when Death himself spoke rose above the din, not drowning it out. Instead amplified some how. Of course she tore the crystal from where it hung at her wrist and threw it towards the source of the sound. Anything to stop the noise, to get them away from this place.
As the dark gem spun away into the fog the mare closed her eyes tightly, curling over her own legs.
[Nergui earned 6 points. Distortion Total: 17]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:55 pm
The word was enough to break the horseman out of the staring contest with the human in front of him. The human that had a heart shaped face and eyes that seemed far too expressive for his own tastes, eyes of the pale green that reminded him of his own, a lot of what this person was seemed to be a mere mockery of what he was.
The notched arrow that trembled in his grasp, the piercing tip that was aim precariously at the hollow of the human's neck that lay below him, feebly resisting and awaiting the final shot in shameless rebellion and FEAR.
The chance was gone with the breaking of the ground and the sharp split of the middle ground between dark and light. the familiar sight of insanity tearing loose and taking all it can in its folds, the snakes of monochrome that reaches and writhes to pull on whatever it can wrap around in its volatile state that tugged mercilessly at his leg.
The word trap envoked strange feelings in Jing. Just the idea of being used yet again just made him feel hollow as he looked on for an answer alongside his sister. "Was this another ruse again, did we not matter?" he stated in a hush, the silent musings of one that had his aspirations about their homeland broken time and time again. All he wanted was their crystals, that much he could tell. it wasn't even them, just part of their power that could be compressed and controlled on his whim, that was what it felt like.
If that was what he wanted, the pale gem that sat in the ribbon for his hair was unraveled and relinquished. the pale gem was not vibrant, but the power that remained in there was suitable, it was a part of him and a part of what he believed in.
And it was now again, in Death's hands to do with as he wills.
[Jing has +2, take that death! Total Distortion: 19]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:37 pm
It seemed like she could’ve pondered forever, except there was a sharp crack beneath her. Jay furrowed her brows together and slowly looked down. It took her brain a moment to fully process the fact that the ground was split wide open, and by the time she realized the entire situation it was a smidge too late to spread her wings and conveniently fly out. “Oh for the love of—“ She stopped to grit her teeth, cover her ears with bandaged hands. No, not this s**t again. Not these voices again. Couldn’t they just stop already? “I got it! You want to go—“ Home.
Wispy curls of grey were familiar, but hardly comforting. They were jarring. She nearly stumbled through the fog as the voices hummed as one, over and over asking and yearning for what they could never seem to have. Jay sighed loudly to suppress the childish whining threatening to fly out. Death spoke calmly as ever, so calmly and normally she nearly failed to hear his request. She cracked open one eye. Feathers noticeably ruffled, she flung her crystal toward the horseman. Whatever he had in mind, it had to be good, right?
[ Jay earned 5 points. Total Distortion: 22 ]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:44 pm
His double didn't come back, though Mmur could see the human bandaging his neck in the distance. "Good riddance," he muttered, crossing his arms. It was only then that he noticed the silence. Had everyone stopped...
The ground parted beneath him and Mmur flipped in the air like a cat, grabbing at the edge of the crack to try to keep himself from falling in. The earth continued to split. He couldn't hold on for long. As he fell, his gaze met the hunter's. His copy was laughing.
The horseman landed in a puff of white ash and was on his feet again in an instant. Death's demand was the only thing he could hear and for a moment Mmur welcomed the booming voice, if only because it drowned out the cries of home that hissed in his ears. He started to paw through his hair, reaching for the small leather knot that held his crystal in its place against his forehead, but once it was loose and sitting in his palm, he hesitated. It was a part of him. He didn't want to give it up.
Hands picked at the beads and feathers wrapped around his arms and feet. Fingers ghosted across his skin. Something reached for the glowing gem as he closed his hand. Mmur let out a soft cry as he flung the crystal at Death, clapping his hands over his ears and bending forward. It was better that the Ancient have it than the figments of his imagination.
( Mmur got 6 points. Total Distortion: 28 )
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:01 pm
They were surrounded by Insanity--and he'd thought it was insane enough, Fai thought as he stared forward almost blindly. Was this his end? He almost didn't even hear Death telling him to give over the distortion crystal, his eyes were focused on the fate that awaited them--
Would he be reunited with his beloved Cairo if this took him? An almost unnatural longing rushed through him and he could hear his heart pounding against his chest and he took a tiny step forward. The anklet he wore chimed, almost jerking him back to focus.
He looked at Death. He lifted one hand, letting the distortion crystal dangle in front of him. This was the trick, Fai realized. One that he still wasn't quite sure what the punchline was. He reached up with his opposite hand and snapped the cord, handing over the crystal without a word. Of course, he thought with a hint of amusement. The punchline was obvious.
Win or lose, the joke was on them.
[Fai earned 5 points last round - total Distortion: 33]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:30 pm
Before Shaheen could even get a chance to seek out a certain executioner before the ground split open beneath her. Hell, she didn't even have time to finish the curse that was hissed out beneath her breath when said ground swallowed her, and the other horsemen up whole, leaving her in a world of devoid of true color, surrounded by the shades of grey she had so come to despise and fear in her life.
It was difficult for her, after all of her struggles with the taint she had been afflicted with after the fall of the isles. After the events at the haunted house, where insanity had overcome her. After Medea's task where it had overcome her once more. And then most recently, those horrible grey tendrils had wrapped themselves around her mind, suffocating out all rational thought, and had made her crazy with a desire to go home.
She felt the tell tale signs of panic born of a fear that nobody but her could understand, clawing at her chest, making it difficult to breathe, her eyes widening as she stared around. She opened her mouth as if to speak, maybe to even call out a name, but the words were choked off before even a sound could escape, her hand tightening around her dagger until her knuckles turned white. It was a terrible thing, for one so proud to be so affected by what surrounded her now. Whispers, that called to the voices in her head. Faces that rose up above, calling to her, grinning down at her. Hands that wrapped around her legs, threatening to pull her down, to consume her whole just One. More. Time.
She couldn't hear anything beyond the voices, and hands reached up to press themselves against her ears, eyes closing as though that would make it all stop, though she knew better. She knew what always happened in situations like these.
She was just too weak to stop it.
And then a voice, booming and loud, cutting through the fog and whispers. The voice of Death, demanding from her the one thing she relied on to keep her sane. Her distortion shard.
She had no idea if she should trust him. She had no idea if she even had a choice.
Hands lowering, she fumbled for the shard that was inlaid in a bangle of gold around her upper arm, it's yellow glow a beacon of hope. In the seconds it took her to finally manage to get it free, she continued to brace herself for the worst that she was sure was to come, the moment when her mind would be shattered once more, and consumed.
The moment didn't come. Not yet, at least. The war chieftain threw her shard towards the voice of Death, and to whatever gods she might have believed in, she prayed.
(( Shaheen earned 5 points, Total Distortion: 38 ))
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:17 pm
Crack.
Snap.
Moments seemed to be hours as reality appeared to fall from around them, Nkosazana falling to the ground in a heap, grace failing her as she lost her balance in the changed environment. The voices. They seemed to be coming from everywhere, but she saw nothing but fog. It seemed to go on for miles. Then again, there wasn't much she could determine other than the loud voices and the tendrils that were coming, sweeping towards her, reaching in an attempt to overtake her.
What was this?
This was ... insane.
Her mind had no way of comprehending it, no understanding of what she was truly looking at. She couldn't understand what was echoing in her ears, and why it was begging so much just to go home. What was home? Where was home? Was this home? Was Halloween home? Were the Isles home? Was she home? All her questions came with no answers and that alone was enough to paralyze the priestess, stuck in circles of thought she had no escape from--
Until she heard the voice of Death chime over everything else, demanding the Distortion Crystals.
Nkosazana did not even question it. Perhaps she did not get the same amount of time to become attached to hers as others may have, but she quickly worked on detaching the crystal from where it hung. It had gone nicely with the jewel that the jewelcrafters had made for her long ago, but if Death needed it, she fully believed that he could end the insanity that was boiling over around, threatening to consume--
She had no idea where Death was, but she knew where his voice was coming from. The crystal was tossed in that direction without another thought.
[ Nkosazana has earned 5 points. Total Distortion: 43 ]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:28 pm
There was barely any time for him to revel in his victory over his strange double, as soon there was an explosion of insanity. Tseng took a step back and away from the pit, put off by the raw source of tainted fear. It was strong; it was calling to them. Hard.
The only thing that had him snap out of things was Death's voice cutting through the fog, asking for their distortion crystals.
He didn't like this.
But heroes had to make sacrifices.
"Lord Death! Take my crystal!" he shouted before hurling his.
[Tseng's: 5 || Total: 48]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:57 pm
Both Mir and the hunter were locked into battle, their weapons clashing against one another in a fight for dominance. The ground opened up beneath them, Mir falling backwards without warning. "Times up." She heard the whisper of her clone, the hunter, before the insanity's voices swallowed her. It was not her first time seeing insanity but it was the first time to be enveloped by the insanity. She looked for Death, but could not locate him on the battlefield. Had he betrayed them? Had he brought them here for this purpose- these thoughts were drowned by the oncoming voices that threatened to overflow into her head.
What strange voices. "Home.." Mir repeated to herself, feeling that she could drown herself in their desires. Except.. there was no longer any home that existed. What do you want? She wanted to lash out to them, to demand what their shattered fragments desired, such pathetic things.. yet she felt that she herself would be soon broken by their desires.
Death's request was clearly voiced. A bitter smile came to Mir's lips. Did he even care for his fellow horsemen? Or was it simply the power they accumulated? Had the ancient used them? Mir couldn't believe that he was there to help them, but in this case, they simply did not have a choice.She let the string connecting her distortion crystal to her bracelet slip through her hands.
(Mir has earned 3 points. Total Distortion: 51)
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:56 am
Everything happened without warning. The ground beneath their feet split opened like a gigantic beast's maw to swallow them all whole, the look of surprise on the face of Yves' target the very last thing he saw before the Hunter disappeared into the oblivion that the War Horseman now found himself engulfed by as well. Not at all liking this turn of events, the Executioner snarled as he swung his kodachi at the hands that grabbed at him, his legs kicking out at the same time while he unfolded the wings on his back to beat them at a frantic speed, doing everything within his power to keep himself from being drawn in further.
The others. His remaining fellow brethren. His family.
He cast his gaze around him, trying to locate the others whilst he blocked out the voices and the way they threatened to break his concentration and mind by sheer will power alone. Looking around, he saw nothing. Not a single Horseman or Hunter in sight. Did this mean that they had all failed and were doomed to be consumed by this madness? He found himself contemplating, despair clawing at the edges of his mind and close to tearing the last of his resolve and shields down when he heard very unmistakably voice of Death resounding through the void and over the incessant voices around him.
The distortion crystals. That was right. They were all brought here by the Ancient for a purpose that was yet to be revealed to them. If there was anyone who could help get them out of this, it would have to be Death himself. Fumbling for the crystal that were handed out prior to their earlier clash with the Hunters, he palmed it in his hand, sparing no further thought as to whether he should be doubting the credibility of Death's actions now as he tossed it out towards where he thought the other might be.
Yves's Points: 4 || Total: 55
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:05 am
Eitri didn't like being taken by surprise and so when the ground quite literally swallowed all of them - hunters, horseman and himself - whole he let out a string of curses and angry yells. Oh yes, this would definitely call for a drink. If they survived til the end, that was. This time, he took the time to try and find Ying but she was lost in the chaos; her small frame no where to be found. Around him faces twisted and arms gripped at his legs; desperate as if his flesh would give them life. He kicked and clawed, sickle slicing through the air at foes that didn't seem to disappear now matter how hard he tried.
It was then he heard the voices; saw the form rising up to engulf them. He stalled; eyes widening and staring in disbelief. He had not seen insanity before and perhaps the fact that he had missed the destruction of his clan meant he was not desensitised to.. whatever was happening. What was happening? The end? His hand gripped tightly around the hilt of his weapon, nails digging in to the palm of his flesh and reminding him that he was not dead yet. He could feel pain and that meant he was alive.
Death's voice called to him and Eitri wasted no time. The crystal was perhaps their only chance of surviving and he wasn't ready to give up just yet. The gem was pulled lose from an arm guard; his arm rolled back and he hurled it through the air; a stream of blue reflecting on the fog as it sailed towards Death. And then he simply waited, clutching his weapon and preparing to fight no matter what; perhaps even saying a silent prayer to whatever Gods would listen.
Eitri's Points: 5 Total: 60
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:12 am
Manyara shrieked at the grey maelstrom around them - it was wrong, terrible, should not be allowed to exist. With a strangled hiss, she gave up the power she had collected, to fight this foe that she could not hope to best.
Manyara's Points: 5 Total: 65
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:58 am
Lan didn't expect a whole lot from hunters. Good sport, maybe, that of being weak spineless things that would flee in a fight only to use methods that showed their weakness in full. To have the island crack- she thought it might have been their work. Some sort of last defense. They would do that sort of thing wouldn't they? But no- what Lan got was back to a world of grey, a world that threatened to claim her friends. Insanity, such an ugly thing on it's own, she could see no beauty in it.
Still, as Death called for the distortion crystals, Lan had almost hesitance in relinquishing it. It had been an annoyance at best, a burden at worst. And if it would stop insanity? She'd happily be rid of it.
Lan's Points: 5
Total: 70
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 1:11 pm
Oh that was something that Khetyn was totally not expecting the ground opening up like that and swallowing them all whole and even a half attempt to fly up to get away was in vain.
Looking around taking it all in and then wings fluttered in surprise when hearing the voices when there had been none before. Khetyn eyes then grew big as the grayness started to grow and tried to grab a hold of her and she just wanted all those voices to stop ringing where she could think a little more straight. She was also found it strange that she was intrigued by the Insanity since all she had just heard about it when she had returned.
She also wanted to go home but this wasn’t the home that Khetyn wanted and was about to scream out for the voices to stop, when Khetyn heard Lord Death call out to them for there Distortion Crystals. Quickly she unlatched it from her left wrist guards. Glowing so blood red it was really beautiful that once it was totally free from its setting that Khetyn threw in it in the direction of where Lord Death was. The only thought to what different stone she could use in place of the one that was given up and to what Lord Death was going to do with all the Distortion crystals.
(Khetyn earned 6 points last round. Total Distortion: 76)
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:59 pm
She was not expecting to suddenly fall through the ground! Saiyuri squeaked and scrambled to try and hold on to something, the closest thing being her Ugly Twin... but she wasn't there. The Hunter was gone and it was only them. Horseman. And... a strange sight? She stared with her mouth agape, trying to play catch up on what just happened. This was not Deus any longer! Nor were they back on the grounds of Amityville.
"What is... this?" She whispered. And heard other whispers. Strange things swirling around.
Insanity.
Saiyuri took a step back, finding a solid body to huddle close to. She didn't pay any attention to whom it was, but her head snapped around when she heard Lord Death speaking. Her shines! He... but...
"... I sacrifice my shinies to you, Lord Death." The horseman said like a little kid giving up a gumball, handing over her crystals. She could get more, right? Or... or find a new shiny!
[ Saiyuri earned 5 points last round! Total Distortion: 81 ]
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