People you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Grey's words washed over her head in a muffled tone. She grudgingly acknowledged that he wanted her to stand up, instead of denying that she was being talked to at all. She groaned, though it came out as more of a whimper. Get up, storm you! she thought to herself. It took a lot more mental cursing and berating for her to finally lift her head and see Grey's outstretched hand. 

She froze. 

They'd warned her about this. Both of them. She'd walked right into whatever blood cult this was, thrown her life into the hands of these radical crackpots. Not that her life was worth much anyway... And... the thought of hot and gooey cinnamon rolls. She hadn't had real food in a few days. And what food she had had, she had just thrown up. Her stomach rumbled in anger and she grudgingly took Grey's hand, her fingers trembling violently. After all, it was just pain. She could handle that.

@Snipexe @ZincAboutIt

[Snipexe]

As Sierra grabbed his hand, Grey whispered to Viv to watch for anything particularly unique. This would be key part. There had been physical modifications, and therefore there would be metaphysical ones as well. “Alley 457 should have some Cinnamon Buns fresh out of the oven,” he said to Viv, then Alleytraveled there, taking Sierra along with him.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Sierra nearly puked again. She was utterly unprepared to be hurled through spacetime. She doubled over, dry heaving and clutching her stomach. 

[+ZincAboutIt]

Vivica noted down Grey's measurement, then went and gently touched Sierra's other shoulder as she stood.

"It's marvelous," she whispered to Sierra, then giggled. "This is the best outcome I've seen in this experiment. And wait till you taste the Cinnamon Rolls. They are astounding! It's so lucky I found you out there - this is going to be wonderful. Once we get you into the lab and figure out what you can do. The transformation..."

Vivica giggled again. "There is nothing you cannot do, Sierra, if you simply refuse to accept the limits. And," she added, "if you have enough sugar."

Then they Alleytraveled; Sierra's reaction was about as expected. Vivica patted her on the back.

"This is why we save the rolls for after the temporal shifting, eh?"

In her mind, Vivica responded to Grey. This is the most fun I've had in weeks!

The smell of cinnamon wafted down the Alley, and she smiled wider. She could have cried.

Edited January 21, 2020 by ZincAboutIt
responding to more posts

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

"Water," Sierra managed to force out. "Please." 

Had she been on the streets experiencing pain like this she would have been curled up into a ball, praying to whatever diety was up there. She supposed she'd always believed in a God, when it came down to it. Most people did that because they'd felt something rescue them. She did so because nothing but some higher power could possibly punish so thoroughly.

[Snipexe]

“Well, more room for Cinnamon Rolls, eh?” Grey said, Soulcasting a glass of water and handing it to her. He peeked around the Alley, looking until he found it. Ah, the oven. He walked over and, after grabbing a pair of oven mitts, pulled out a pan of hot Cinnamon Roles, and set them on a nearby table, taking one off to serve as a hot pad in the process. He turned searching for plates and utensils, and after he found them, set them in the table as well. “Dig in!” 

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Sierra took the cup of water eagerly and took a big gulp of it. Half of it splashed onto her face and dripped down her chin, but she hardly cared. 

And then the smell hit her. 

She audibility sighed in relief, mouth watering. She licked her lips. They looked. So. Good. How long had it been since she'd had food like that? She hadn't been brave enough to steal such fare in a long time. In fact, memories of close calls stealing freshly baked goods held her back from taking one. She stretched out her hand and watched it tremble for a moment, ignoring her odd vision. It didn't take too long for her to decide to take one though. Grabbing a fork, she stabbed one of the sugary rolls and put it on her plate, ignoring the fact that such rich food was not exactly the kind of thing she should be eating after throwing up. She eagerly took off a piece with her fingers and shoved it into her mouth. 

Flavors exploded in her mouth and she almost started crying again. Food. Good food. Such a rarity now quite literally handed to her. It seemed like a dream, made her forget the pain for a moment. "Thank you," she whispered. 

[+Sorana]

On 18.1.2020 at 7:36 AM, Voidus said:

"Whenever you are ready." The construct politely intoned. "I can transport us to the city and answer any further questions you may have there."

"Thank you." Temeria nodded at the man as well and then turned around to leave. There was nothing left for her to say or do here, and she certainly didn't want to stretch his patience by asking another question, or trying to prolong this meeting. "Have a good day." She wished him and then turned to the construct.

"I am ready." She stated and made sure the spren was with her. She didn't want to leave it behind, especially not in a place like this. Somehow she doubted that she would be able to find it again if she lost it here. And she liked that it was here with her, the way it played with the candle adorable. It was something to hold on, a small reminder that despite the strangeness of this world, some things were the same. She held on to them, although she knew, that she would need time, a lot of time until she really understood how things were like here.

She eyed the symbol that had started to glow and wondered if she was supposed to do something, or if it was fine if she simply stood there and waited. Surely they would tell her, if she needed to do more than that - and if they didn't. In that case it was nothing she could change.

Quote

Do you want to rp the question part? I can easily cover it with a post on my part, but wanted to ask before I do.

 

[Voidus]

The construct gave a nod and raised one hand towards Temeria, giving a final nod towards Voidus before its hand made contact with her and the two vanished in a burst of silvery light, leaving Voidus behind in the study, alone.

He stared for a moment at the spot where they had vanished, eyes roaming over the lingering light as it faded. Wondering if he would see her figure again, if she would be able to learn her way in this strange and unfamiliar world and survive long enough to make further waves. He wondered what would become of the spren that followed her, would she manage to swear the oaths? Manage to hold to the ideals long enough to realise what it was, and what it meant?

But a moment later he dismissed the thoughts, he would hear from her again or he wouldn't, but he'd repayed the favour that was owed with a promise, all that was left was to wait until it was invoked. There were other things that needed attending to.

The air in the office warped faintly, much less bright and flashy than the previous blast of silvery light. And then the room stood empty once more.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Appearing near the center of the city in a flash of silver, the construct withdrew its hand from Temeria and gave another polite nod. It ignored the stares of onlookers from the streets and nearby buildings, focusing it's attention on Temeria.

"We have arrived in the city." It informed. "Approximately 2,000 feet North, north-west of the barrier. You may experience some brief discomfort if you are unfamiliar with Aonic teleportation but it should pass shortly."

The stares from their surroundings intensified as people's curiosity about the construct grew, but it determined that such matters were unimportant when it had a task to perform. It waited respectfully for any question or request, watching the small figure of light that Temeria held as it glanced about it in surprise, it seemed to stand atop the candle flame to look about it and see their surroundings.

"Please let me know if you have any questions." The construct continued. "Although my knowledge is primarily related to Investiture, my purpose and my creators I do have some general knowledge of the city."
 

Quote

Up to you if you want to roleplay it or not, could just skip over the basics if you have anywhere you wanted Temeria to be but otherwise happy to go through it.

 

[+ZincAboutIt]

On 1/20/2020 at 8:03 PM, Shard of Thought said:

Flavors exploded in her mouth and she almost started crying again. Food. Good food. Such a rarity now quite literally handed to her. It seemed like a dream, made her forget the pain for a moment. "Thank you," she whispered.

Vivica speared a roll of her own with a fork and set it onto a plate, smiling as she set about cutting the soft, spiced dough with the side of her fork.

”You’re welcome!” She replied, pleased that Sierra seemed more inclined toward gratitude now. There really was nothing like cresting the brink of total mental annihilation to get you excited about the simple things. 

More people should stumble into the void of madness and agony, she decided. Then they wouldn’t take fun things like cinnamon rolls or coffee or eviscerating test subjects for granted. Vivica pulled her notepad back in front of her and switched her pen to her left hand as she continued to eat with her right.

”So,” she said, leaning forward a little to inspect the small blades that had replaced Sierra’s eyes. “Have you noticed anything new? Can you remember anything you saw during the experiment? I know it’s a little bit raw but the moments just following a procedure like this are critical. I barely remember anything from my spiking, for example, but apparently I said a great deal during the event. Didn’t I Bennington?”

Bennington gave a loop, then wiggled his tentacles in the affirmative. Viv smiled at him fondly for a moment, then turned toward Grey.

”Do you want to monitor here at EHD, or should I take her back to R&D? We’ve got numbers on our side but if your interns are already working on those iridescent tears, perhaps she’s better suited here. Either way, it’s up to you.”

She stuffed more cinnamon roll into her mouth and doodled something in the corner of her notepad while she chewed. It was round yet sharp, and impossibly dark. The sensation was familiar, like she’d drawn it before. 

Odd, she thought, smearing blood and icing across her cheek with the back of one hand.

@Snipexe

[+Sorana]

Quote

I'm always happy to rp things, and I have nothing else planned for her anyway. (Well apart from spending some time with the spren.) Just didn't want to bind you for long, or assume that you're interested.

Temeria gagged when her stomach lurched and she pressed a hand to her mouth in an instinctive gesture. She felt slightly dizzy as if she had been hit on the head, or lost too much blood after a battle. All around her murmurs rose and she straightened, her hand reaching out for the handle of her swords. The program was there, talking about her feeling better soon, oblivious to the people standing around them.

Uneasily Temeria looked around, heard some move away at her gesture and others shift their weight. Hastily she removed her hand again, lifted her arms in a gestured that hopefully wasn't threatening at all. They were being watched, stared at and she stared back defiantly, tried to get them to walk away. Instead, while some left, more stopped and took a look, while others hastened by.

She forced herself to take a breath, shoved the quenching feeling in her stomach aside and concentrated. The spren was still here. It appeared to be surprised but unharmed, perched on it's flame and looking around it what appeared to be curiosity.

"Can you bring us to the boarding House?" She asked the program, naming the first place she could think of apart from the tomb. And you didn't train in a tomb. It was respectless. Despite the uneasy feeling of her stomach held out her hand again. Standing around here would lead them to nothing. They would only be stared at, and observed and she wasn't planning to play sole entertainer for everybody here. Who knew, in the end someone decided that she was a threat. "Or maybe somewhere else in the city where it is quieter than here?"

[Snipexe]

"I think it might be best to wait a little further, let the girl recover before we shove her into yet another perilous, mind bending situations. It would be a shame to burn her out just after we destroyed her chance at any normal human contact and indoctrinated her into our spike cult." Grey paused, counting down from five and watching Viv and Sierra enjoy their Cinnamon Rolls. "Alright, been long enough." He added Sierra to the conversations, "Sierra, while you are in fact thoroughly enjoying your Cinnamon Roll, we will at some point have to identify what those knives in your eyes actually do. It's for our safety and yours. We wouldn't want a repeat of the Incident 5665, Clearance: Mint Browning Required. It simply wouldn't roll off the tongue quite the same way as that one. While I'm all for mass-alley destruction, the incident number wouldn't be a palindrome and that is simply unacceptable. So, how would you like to investigate your new paranormal ability?!"

@Shard of Thought

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

The emaciated woman looked up from her food. Her face was a bit messy from her frantic way of eating - always before she had been forced to eat very quickly for one reason or another - and she seemed a bit shaken. She had utterly immersed herself in the wonderful fact that she was being allowed to eat freely and being snapped away from it was a bit unsettling. Her eyes throbbed. No, her whole head throbbed. And her vision still wasn't right... it bothered her. She lifted her sticky fingers up to her face to feel at her eyes and was deeply concerned to find something protruding there. She froze, trying to remember... Daggers. Yes, she knew that already, Grey had just said something about it. It was just... fuzzy. Everything was fuzzy. She shivered, trying to focus on her surroundings and bring herself back to reality. Tests. Right. 

"Umm," she said softly. She felt stupid. "Well... is there anything you usually look for? A baseline. Of skills." She swallowed, shaking herself. What was wrong with her today?!

@Snipexe

Edited January 23, 2020 by Shard of Thought

[+ZincAboutIt]

Vivica gently patted Sierra's arm.

"You can keep eating while we talk," she said, demonstrating this fact by popping the last bit of roll into her mouth and pulling another one off the tray. As she cut into it, she considered Sierra's question.

"Sometimes we look for a baseline," Vivica conceded. "But as I've never actually seen this effect before, I don't have a set of questions ready. Can you... perceive any new colors, perhaps? Do you see into my soul? Do you see Bennington?"

This last question brought her to the edge of her seat; the excitement of someone else being able to meet her friend would be remarkable!

@Shard of Thought

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Sierra shook her head. "Nothing looks that different," she said, still very subdued, on edge. "It just looks... off." 

@ZincAboutIt

[+Sorana]

Quote

Would you be alright with changing threads for your next reply? I had Temeria suggest a different place, but in the end it doesn't really matter, as they aren't the alleys anymore and it would make it a lot easier for me.

@Voidus

===================

A dull pain at the back of his neck, a throbbing feeling, his hands raw and open, an iron taste in his mouth. Mike sighed when the world moved around him, when it felt as if he was on a boat. Obviously he had fought Norn again. The other boy was a lot taller than he was. Taller and by far stronger. His tutors tended to pair the two of them, mostly to ensure to stay on Lord Ark's good side. Nobody wanted to be caught helping Mike and in the end he had ended in an endless cirlce of pain and more pain. And assignments that were designed to get you killed.

With a groan he lifted a hand, touched his face to see if he had broken some bones, and when everything felt alright opened an eye. A grey void stared back and he froze, his body going rigid at the sight. He would never forget that grey void. His eyes darted to the windows and the shadows behind them and while he had probably caught a blow to his head, it hadn't been about training. He had been kidnapped, carried into an alley again. By an old one, so old that he'd claimed nobody would stop him. Fear seized his throat and a lump formed in his stomach when he tried to breathe, tried to form the thoughts tumbling around his head into something coherent enough to be helpful. Instead there was nothing apart from one single thing, occupying everything he was, everything he thought about, only one thought and nothing else.

Run. Run. Run. Run. RUN. RUN. RUN.

I can't. He was trapped again, chained again, unable to flee, unable to get away.

RUN.

But his body wouldn't move.

@18th Shard

Edited January 27, 2020 by Sorana

[18th Shard]

Xanas moved through the Alleys, warping to one of the initial experiment rooms, Mike coming to behind him. Xanas didn't know where anyone who would know the important happenings, but here he would find newer researchers who probably would know where to look. Plus here he could get Mike some help.

Two Denizens in white coats stood in a room lit with gem lamps behind a one way mirror, observing a mistwraith who was being confronted with increasingly complex puzzles to receive food. The current one involved a lock with several large tumblers. Xanas strode into the lab with Mike following, who was trying to remain inconspicuous. 

"You, what is your name?" Xanas said, pointing at the first.

"Ttlarek. Who are you and what are you doing in the Alleys?" Ttlarek began to glow faintly, one of the Stormlight lamps on the wall dimming. "And why is -" he checked a tablet, "Experiment A-139115 with you? 

Xanas frowned. "I am Xanas, and Mike" - he stressed the name - "is accompanying me today. Please retrieve an unsealed aluminum medallion, as well as a nicrosil medallion granting Allomantic gold, immediately, Ttlarek. A mild sedative might be appropriate as well."

Ttlarek didn't move. His companion stood, tense, as if waiting for an attack. "This is the Dark Alley. We don't give out Invested objects to just anyone who claims to be a long-dead Denizen. We'd run out every week at that rate. I am going to need some positive identification."

Xanas tilted his head. "No respect for your elders, I see. Ttlarek, Thaylen, right? Hair indicates some Iriali blood, most likely. Rosharan, how is your knowledge of the history of the Final Empire?"

"Passable."

"Then, do you know Rashek came to power?"

"He Ascended when he took up the power of the Well of Ascension, and made himself into possibly the most powerful Metalborn of all time."

"Yes, but to be more precise, he had a knowledge of the workings of reality that others near him did not have, which gave him power." Xanas paused. "Do you know why he fell?"

"The Ascendant Warrior killed him by removing his atiumminds."

"No. That is how he fell, not why. He fell because he forgot that there were things he didn't know about, powers he didn't comprehend. Now, we could make a comparison between Rashek and you, here, today. You are here, in the Alleys, because you understand more of how reality works than others do. This gives you power. Beware lest you assume that your knowledge is the sum total of all there is to know. As the Survivor said, there is always another secret." Xanas tugged a glove off of one hand, and a darkness began to curl around his fingertips, twisting and warping in the air. He grasped for one of the lamps next to him, and the Stormlight vanished, the Void consuming the light like it was famished. The gem shattered, and the area around Xanas became dark. His white-gray robe silhouetted his figure amidst the darkness, and the Void swirling around his finger tips. Xanas smiled tightly. "Now, about those medallions."

Ttlarek fled for a storeroom.

@Sorana

Quote

Feel free to cut to Ttlarek giving Mike the medallions.

 

[Snipexe]

“Hmm, off you say. I’m afraid you’ll need to be a little more specific Sierra. When you say off, do you mean dull? Do you feel uncomfortable? We need the deats!?”

@Shard of Thought @ZincAboutIt

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Sierra still felt off put by their friendly nature. It scared her. She wasn't quite used to people being nice to her. Theresa had been nice. 

And Sierra had killed her. 

"It's..." Sierra considered, looking at her hand sitting beside her plate and fork. "Like a mirror. A cracked one. But... there's a kind of glare. It's like... it's brighter than it should be."

@Snipexe @ZincAboutIt

[Voidus]

Voidus rested a hand against the silvery wall of light in front of him, recalling with a grimace the years that he had spent within this dome with no easy means of escape. What would have changed if someone hadn't decided to help release him? What would Sudiov have done if Voidus had never returned? Would that entire affair with PlasmaCore have happened at all? Or would it have been worse if he hadn't been there to help end it?

With a sigh he removed the hand and stepped slowly towards the centre of the barrier, to the large spike that rested there. He barely even payed attention to the hulking shadow that loomed over him as the Guardian continued its rounds. He allowed his shoulders to sag under the weight that they carried, allowed his upright posture to collapse and his expression to crumble as he reached the Worldspike itself.

"Hello again." He said quietly, resting a hand against the cold, hard metal as it thrummed with power. "Sorry its been a while, things have been busy again."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At a point in either the distant past or future, the wheel of time turns and so on.

"I'm going home." The Professor said coldly.

Voidus turned with an amused expression, staring calmly back at the enraged face before him.

"You think you'll find what we're looking for there?" Voidus asked.

The Professor met his stare, cold fury burning within him as he stared at Voidus' eyes, crinkled at the edges as if in good humour, but the cold black depths of those eyes held no joy, humour or anything else within them.

"I think I'll find what I'm looking for there." The Professor snarled back. "I have a family there, friends. Which I now realise does not include you."

"I'm hurt." Voidus said, still smiling just as easily as before. "You're possibly the only friend I have you know."

"Then what about Laurelai!" The Professor yelled back, face growing red. "What about your child! You said you're afraid to find out how you feel but I think you've answered that question yourself. No parent could so completely remove themselves from their child's life out of their own fear unless they were completely incapable of caring anymore."

The room fell into silence as the two stared towards each other, Voidus with the same expression he'd held the entire conversation, the Professor red faced and breathing heavily. The tension that had been building up over months finally snapping as he'd read a message that he'd received on his phone.

"Money." The Professor said, spitting the word out at Voidus. "You sent her money and a one-sided goodbye that she can't reply to."

"It's better that way." Voidus said, eyes breaking off as he was unable to maintain the stare any longer. "Better for-"

"It's better for you." The Professor said. "You wouldn't know what's better for them, because you won't ask. Won't know what she's going through, what they're going through."

He began rapidly clearing his bed of the items strewn over it, hurling them roughly in a bag and collecting his other belongings from around the room. Moving in a furious wind he quickly cleared everything up and closed his bag before throwing it over one shoulder as Voidus speechlessly watched.

"We can cover more ground this way anyway." The Professor said,. "After I go home to check up on things I'll keep looking, I know how well enough by now. So I'll handle my side, and you can handle yours. Alone. It seems like that's best for you."

Wrenching the door open he shot Voidus one last look filled with loathing before slamming the door and storming away. Voidus continued to stare at the door, the same quiet smile ever present as he watched the Professor leave with cold, empty eyes.

[AonEne]

Quote

CRACKPOT THEORY ABOUT VOIDUS'S PAST #5,007: Mother!Laurelai is trapped inside the Worldspike. Or she was transformed into the Guardian and he's about to turn around and reveal that he was talking to her and they have a creepy conversation.

 

[Voidus]

Quote

Been a bit backlogged on these lately, so two for one backstory day as we approach the end of this arc.

Releasing a sigh that seemed to contain all the tension and worry that he'd been carrying, Voidus turned around, placing his back against the spike. He slid down until he was seated on the ground and stared out at the barrier, the bright silvery lines that obscured the outside from view. He watched the enormous figure of the Guardian as it looped back around, crossing in front of his vision once again.

"I found her. Did I tell you that already?" Voidus said, brow furrowing as he tried to recall. "Too much to remember, too much to keep track of."

He leaned his head back until it thudded against the cool metal of the spike, tilted upwards to let him see the top of the dome.

"She grew up without us, without me. Doesn't even know who I am to her, doesn't even know me at all anymore." Cold eyes stared at the light above, the deep inexpressible sadness within them seemed almost ready to swell into tears, but Voidus had none left to cry. "I wonder, do I even know who I am anymore?"

The skittering light overhead gave no response.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a time long ago, and I'm running out of new ways to do this now. But somewhere far away and long ago.

"It's been getting worse." The Professor said, frowning. "People vanishing without trace, meteorological disturbances from unexplained temperature drops. Astronomers reporting record numbers of black holes being created as stars vanish without a trace."

"I know you're worried." His wife said, placing a large chunk of meat onto his plate. "But not in front of the kids please."

"Sorry." He replied sheepishly, glancing over at a young boy and girl playing together by the lounge room as a young blonde woman watched over them.

Laurelai shot him the same look that his wife had, causing the professor to lower his head in apology before seeing her smile. She looked tired, worn out but the smile seemed to radiate out from her as she looked down at the two young ones playing together. It warmed the hearts of those who watch and seemed to lift the weariness from her face.

"It's fine." She said, waving a hand at the Professor. "They're too distracted to pay attention right now. Just happy to see you back again."

In the years since the Professor had stormed out of his trip with Voidus the children had grown, playing with each other and learning. During that time they'd heard barely anything from Voidus, just the brief message to the Professor of where he'd been and where he was going next, noting that wherever he went things seemed to be getting worse. The Professor had needed to travel as well, investigating strange events to see if they might be related to the looming end of the world, but when he could he made time to come home, to see his family, and Laurelai who had remained close friends with them even after everything that had happened.

"Mum." One of the children said, walking up to Laurelai and holding their arms aloft until she picked them up. "Is it time for dinner?"

"Just about." She replied, "We're just-"

The door swung unceremoniously open, clashing against the wall as it was forced inwards by a figure that waited outside. A tall man, a slight smile on his face as he stepped into the room, looking awkwardly, almost nervously downwards as he entered.

"I suppose this has been a long time coming." Voidus said.

All those inside the house froze, unable to process or understand what had happened. At almost the same time, the Professor and Laurelai lurched into motion, both wearing expressions of anger and confusion. But Laurelai took a step forward, cautiously, holding one hand up while the other held the child on her hip. The Professor glared furiously at Voidus, but his eyes jumped to Laurelai and he seemed unwilling to interrupt her.

"But I couldn't run forever. I needed to see." Voidus seemed to freeze mid-sentence, uncharacteristic uncertainty blooming on his face. "See if I can feel anything."

Laurelai paused, hand still held up but she looked at Voidus cautiously, confused and guarded at why he was here. Her eyes trailed down as he slowly lifted a hand in response, reaching out for her. The two took a step almost simultaneously towards each other, fingers outstretched. The Professor watched, fury subsiding to a slower rage. He would need answers, but for now he would let this play out. For Laurelai.

As the hands reached out, the Professor was too slow to see, too slow to react. He only felt a rush of foreboding as the room dimmed suddenly, darkness wreathing the tip of Voidus' hand as it touched Laurelai.

There was no sound, no explosion or dramatic flare. But both Laurelai and the child suddenly vanished into the darkness.

[Snipexe]

"Does this mirror, these shards, do they change based on what you are viewing?"

@Shard of Thought

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Sierra looked from her fractured-looking hand to Grey to Vivica, to the cinnamon rolls, then back to her hand again. "Vivica looks... burnt at the edges. Some things are blurry. Others aren't..." She shook her head. "I'm hallucinating," she decided. "I have knives in my eyes, I shouldn't be able to see anything!"

@Snipexe

[+Sorana]

Mike stood, his back pressed against a wall and listened, not-listened to the exchange. He was pale, felt as if the whole room was shaking, as if it was spinning around him. Another lab, another place where they would rip him apart. He could nearly feel the scar in his chest where porcupine's spike had been, before he had ripped it out. He should have ripped them all out.

Run.

His limbs twitched when his brain tried to get them to move, to leave but instead he remained frozen in place, unable to leave, unable to move at all. He stared at Xanas, eyes wide open, the words tumbling out of the man's mouth making no sense to his fear ridden mind. He flinched, whimpered in fear when the grey something flickered around the man's fingers the crytal shattered on its own.

"Please." He begged, the word tumbling out of his mouth. "Please let me go. I know nothing, Ko'Tiel never explained." He fell to his knees, tears streaming over his face and he continued to go on, words tumbling out of him, unable to be contained. "I won't speak about you. I won't tell anybody." But it wasn't about speaking, about telling. It was about something else.

"I've got them under control." he added, hoped that this was what the man wanted to hear, that this was what he needed to hear to let Mike go. Salmon's cool scales touched his hands and jerked away from the slimy fish, immediatly disgusted. Scales formed on his skin, but he didn't notice. Nor did he notice when they vanished again after a few seconds.

"Let me go." he repeated, his voice slightly blurred by the sobs in his throat. "Please, use someone else, anybody else, but let me go."

The man, Ttlarek, returned, held something out to Mike, but he moved away, covered his head with his arm. They wouldn't stop. They never stopped.

@18th Shard