NIGHT 0 Posted Tuesday at 03:46 PM Author #21 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:46 PM Spoiler night knew things had gone awry the moment she noticed that demian hadn’t heard her. “what is that?” she had said. demian never needed to speak. ‘does it matter?’ he had said earlier. ‘it’s just an enemy,’ so he had believed. but she had heard its wishes and watched it shudder, the breeze that traced around the room but an echo of its horror expressed in its fate. no poker was necessary when they both had swords. when he drew his from the ashes, so too did she pull oathkeeper from the light. the unremarkable blade hit the sun in her hands, and in his eyes she saw once more that murderous intent. he had meant to kill again. “no,” she whispered, and repelled demian’s sword from their clash. he came down on her again, another blow to a glow manifested. each strike was precise, almost critical — it had caused oathkeeper to ring uncharacteristically, like a pawn obeying his commands, ripple after ripple after ripple. each time her sword sung, it but flooded the room with illumination; there, the shambling mess became visible. that thing was never meant to be seen, night soon realized. it was built tall of blinking eyes, caged in rusted banded metal, the door and subsequent lock to free it from its gaol unseen. the blood on the weapon it had once used had long dried. it was hard to pay attention to it against an onslaught, but night swore she caught the hue of it a dark velvety red. she pulled her blade away from a defensive stance once demian had decided to switch patterns. a sweep that would knock her away from his target — she followed through, rolling with it in a feint, before tackling the man in a rebound just as he raised his blade in a familiar sunder. night crashed into him — they skid and rolled, wrestling in a frenzy — night had struggled to fight his blade away and yet he had made oathkeeper come undone from her hands. the sword clattered to the floor once it bounced off the walls and dipped — she pinned his wrists to the floor thereafter, and his sword freed itself from his grasp at the unfolding violence. eyes of a beast unknown stared back at her. night straddled him in a way she was familiar, trying to ensure he wouldn’t perform a rolling maneuver to knock her off. he didn’t. “demian,” she tried. “demian. demian, what are you doing?” “you don’t know that thing,” he hissed, fighting out of her hold with his hands instead. “you don’t know what it could do!” “demian, it’s locked up inside a cage,” she returned, “i don’t think it could do anything.” “there’s something wrong about this floor!” “there’s been something wrong about this adventure ever since we started it,” she argued. “why did you have to take day’s place anyway?!” “what does it matter?” “why wouldn’t she come?!” “why can’t she just tell you herself?!” “well, that’s what we’re trying to find out here,” night yelled, “aren’t we?!” Link to post Share on other sites
Demian 0 Posted Tuesday at 03:49 PM #22 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:49 PM Spoiler they were plunged into darkness immediately thereafter. only the torch had remained kindled after flickering out, its feeble glow gently washing over the bodies on the floor. demian had watched her like a hound, having flinched at the dip in light, discovering her eyes too reflected no sheen of white nor purple the same way his would do so. lost in pitch black, he was sunk momentarily into the darkness that he would become. when her figure emerged, warmth hugging her form like an old friend, demian felt a surge of emotion. he wasn’t sure where the well of tears were threatening to come from. he had felt his heart swelled, as though enlightened by a saint of some kind from her presence, even though he knew night had nothing, nothing to do with any of his inclinations. day had put her faith in her. and, despite his own loss of trust in players, couldn’t he do so, too, just this once? he knew the gemini was not behind any of the adaptations in the lighthouse. but in that mellow glow, a sunset lustrous, he felt as though she had arrived but to speak to him directly; to intercept cardinal, as she once did in times long past. he swallowed. he allowed the sear of embarrassment to swallow him whole. but once he was done eating through his feelings internally, he released his fear and grief both, relaxing the expression on his face, once scrunched up in agony. demian would surrender this once to their mirrors. “... i’m sorry.” because the alternative, to return to an oppressor familiar and known, would be worse. “no, i’m sorry,” night returned, slowly pushing herself off of him. he let her. he closed his eyes and wondered in the moments that passed thereafter if this was what it must be like to be day. Link to post Share on other sites
NIGHT 0 Posted Tuesday at 03:50 PM Author #23 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:50 PM Spoiler “we’re not killing him,” she breathed, after scrambling to her feet. the enigmatic creature stared at them unwavering. “and that’s final. this is the keeper of the lighthouse; we both know this. we’ve found him. and that has to be enough for cardinal, right? this has to count for something.” she was reassured by the grace of the system, once that final flame went out, and the room was flooded with white. a stroke of lightning amidst the heavy downpour, and a rumble that followed but came as their answer. then, as the lights returned to them — all of them, candles alit once more — night found that the system had decided to mark their quests complete. “oh, thank goodness,” night sighed aloud, walking over to demian who seemed to have fallen asleep, “it’s over.” demian didn’t stir until night offered him a hand up. almost instinctively, he reached out for it, one eye open, before clambering up to his feet, weapon returned to his inventory. she did the same for oathkeeper. and though the storm carried on, and the shadow of the figure behind them eyed them warily, night found relief in the ability to text their allies. to: day night: we’re okay. Link to post Share on other sites
Demian 0 Posted Tuesday at 03:51 PM #24 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:51 PM thread closing. NIGHT + 6764 xp | (470 * 16 * 0.7) + 1500 + 2514 col | (xp * 0.15) + 1500 DEMIAN + 2487 xp | (470 * 3 * 0.7) + 1500 + 1900 col | 1500 + 400 Spoiler thread progression. 4706 words | 470 sects | x0.7 factor. | [paste.] +400 col quest reward. +1500 xp +1500 col Link to post Share on other sites
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