video. un: a_civil_serpent

[inferus]

This is what lies beyond the living-but-not walls in Chricter's secret room. ( The video starts with the sharpness of Wrath's voice in the dark cavern. Wrath and Fei continue forward with dim magical. Fei's sword is drawn, Wrath's serpent-dagger is in his hand. There are 20-25 mannequins in various states: burlap to human-like with defined features and soft skin.

A splash is heard as they step into dark water, and Wrath's jaw clenches at the realization they are being drained from the contact, but they have little choice but to push onward. Fei looks similarly displeased but determined. ) It is the dark water as it was in the volcano, as it was under the sea, infusing into the burlap sacks and making beings who are-

( Wrong. Unnatural. The video lands on the dog tags on the mannequins with a name on one, with a phrase on the other: hello, birdie, squirrel, eat your nuts!, the train goes, choo-choo on the other. ) Like the phrase left for Arabella.

( Before more can be said, chaos. The mannequins wake in a panic. They attack, rushing forward. Wrath and Fei work together to fight them off. She has been drained of stamina, and he has been drained of magic. They are worn from the waters, but they work in tandem - two experienced fighters, slashing through the burlap and false skin. It'll be difficult to tell what exactly is happening through the flurry of movement and sharp blades and burlap and skin and blood and features but not.

The mannequins rush out through the opening. Screams and shouts are heard from outside the room - distant. Fei and Wrath (bloody, torn, dripping dark water) step out of the wall. Fei spits out blood and wipes it from her chin, and then the video focuses on Magnus and Xingchen, waiting on the other side. The two were protected by Xingchen's talisman, which prevented the dark water from going any further. Magnus has his portal ready, and he speaks sharply: "Everyone into the safety hole now," and through it they go.

The echoes of chaos are left behind, and then there is darkness and silence. )

Comments

@taken for granite | voice

[rumorate]

[Allison watches this intently, nerves flaring, and only exhaling when she sees the three of them escape. But that won't stop her from making a very pointed comment, mostly in Wrath's direction as this is twice in one narrative arc.]

You really have to stop doing shit like this on the network.

[You're going to give her an ulcer.]

[inferus]

( Wrath is generally not accustomed to anyone worrying about him. Given what he is, there is usually no need to especially when it comes to physical harm, but he can tell Allison is and that her comment is aimed at him. )

The first was Emilia's device. ( So he takes no responsibility over that instance even if he was involved. )

In this particular case, I doubted words would suffice to describe what was beyond the pulsing membranous walls.

[rumorate]

[You can't see it, because this is audio, but Allison is giving you such a look right now, Wrath.]

Who's device it is doesn't matter - you were in both situations.

[Let her be concerned about you!!

But she takes a breath, and can acknowledge that he's not wrong there.]

You're not wrong. But it's not fun to see one of your friends in a found footage horror movie in real time.

[Wrath probably doesn't know what that is. She'll explain later.]

[inferus]

They were situations that needed attending to.

( And Wrath is not as vulnerable as many in their group. It makes sense to involve himself in more than most would. )

...I am not easily harmed if that should help.

( Certainly, he is not like most mortals, most humans in how fragile they are. He can sustain plenty of damage. Death is impossible for one who is Death. )

Found footage horror movie?

[rumorate]

It does.

[But she's not going to stop worrying, just because "not easily" doesn't mean not at all.

But now she has to explain a modern thing.]

It's a movie where they treat it like a documentary?

[A beat.]

A documentary is kind of what you were trying to do - document things as they are happening and provide context for why certain things happened. But in the case of a found footage film, it's all fake, but filmed in a similar style, and intended to scare people.

un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

[ We're just going to... paper over the chaos of the end of this transmission and focus on the important part. ]

The dark water in its coldest form seemed to heal, it was only when warmed up that it caused mutations. However, it was equally used to form that mirror in the volcano which held back spirits if I recall. I wonder if it is this ability to... restrain or control spirits that is at play here.

[inferus]

( It doesn't take long for Wrath to respond. His intention had been to give everyone as good a look of what lies within the walls as he could, but he knew there would be questions. He is sighing as he stares at the tears in his clothing. )

It is possible. However, I did not currently sense any spirits within the dark water we stepped into. It had draining effects on Fei and I, but obviously, it has an opposite effect on the burlap mannequins. From what Kirk showed in his own video, it appears more than dark water alone is needed to complete the transformation. ( Otherwise why bother chaining the mannequin to the table as theirs had been? Why not keep it in the dark water? Not to mention the walls that appeared to be like that of an organ. )

[blackscales]

[ Listen, Wrathion chose text to allow Wrath time and also, privacy to tidy up without showing himself. You can take five, no hurry currently. ]

Obviously, since dark water alone did not infuse anything previously.

I don't suppose there was anything else in the room that might help connect up where they might have learned this trick?

[ He has a theory, but he doesn't want to lead what Wrath tells him. That's a bad form of evidence gathering. ]

[inferus]

( Wrath appreciates choosing the text option for this reason. Very polite. It does take him longer to respond this time as he finishes dressing and frees himself of the dirty, torn clothing. )

There were crude chalk drawings: stick figures, forests, dogs with foxes or rabbits in their mouths. They appeared to be drawn by a child.

One of them, however, was an eye with a sun for the pupil - the symbol of fallen Ellethia.

un: absterge

[downswing]

( No second wasted, no time to write — )

Healers stand among us. Where do we reinforce you?

[inferus]

( Wrath's shoulders roll back with unresolved tension. ) I am fine, but I will point Fei to this. ( And she can decide for herself if she would like healing. His accelerated healing is much slower than usual especially after that dip in the dark water, but he would prefer no one else see him in his current state of disarray - one of the benefits of being the one recording, the video was rarely on him. ) Magnus' portal led us to Emilia's house in Eidris for the time being.

( She is still with the dragons on their trip, but the house is safe, and Magnus stays there on occasion so he knew the location. )

[downswing]

What do you require?

[inferus]

Nothing presently. We are all accounted for, and the house is safe. ( And Five is bringing him new clothing while he gets out of these ones that are torn and stained with the same dark water that drains. )

My focus is on stopping this from happening again. ( So he will return as soon as he has recovered enough to do so, but he won't be surprised if they've left. The mannequins were rushing out the unlocked door into the rest of the headquarters. They'll know they've been found out. )

un: dollhouse | voice

[thedreamer]

[ There's so much to process in what they've just been shown; the clues, first, which he takes diligent note of. Every little detail serves to aid them in their cause, to move them further along.

When everything erupts into chaos, he's more unsettled than anything else. He rarely feels fear and he doesn't actually feel fear now, either, since they've made it out safely, but he is worried about those in their group and the risk of harm that was all too close. ]

Where are you now? Is everyone alright?

[inferus]

( Wrath sighs at the outfit that he is currently wearing. Once again, he finds himself lucky that none from his House or his brothers Houses are here to witness him with his suit in such disarray. Ultimately, he would have preferred to include an explanation, but it was more important to show what lied beyond than attempt to put it to words which likely would have failed. A visual might spark knowledge in someone else more. )

We are safe in a home in Eidris. No grave injuries to mention. ( Wrath's healing will kick in as soon as he spends enough time out of the dark water, and he is certain it isn't Fei's first time with injury either. But they will heal. )

[thedreamer]

I'm nearby, should you need any further assistance.

[ Their group was certainly more than capable, that much was clear from the video shown. With no critical injuries and a home to reside in, there's very little that he'd assume they would need, but he'll make the offer nonetheless. ]

This dark water that you've seen on other occasions, what has it done before? Much the same as it did to the mannequins? Something dark, unsettling, artificial, terrible, all of the above?

[inferus]

( The dark water has been encountered many times before, and the only thing that seems to link all these occurrences is the way it feels, the power it has. ) When we first encountered it in the villages near the volcano, it could be both healing at times, but it also had created mutations of the animal and plant life nearby.

Within the volcano which was threatening to erupt, a crystallized mirror of this same dark water held back a force of magical, fiery power and spirits, which had been sacrificed over time to the volcano. It was threatening to crack when we'd discovered it.

( A pause. ) ...and then beneath the sea - the dark water had been crystallized into coral at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by hollowed out dead bodies. The coral itself turned out to be a kraken, which came to life and attacked when a cursed tongue was wielded by the captain.

The dark water always feels the same like death and cold.

un: eclipse | audio

[soloritur]

[ The early days here when Marcos was enjoying a reprieve from the constant Weird Shit is a memory now. Most of what he's seeing and hearing on the network is secondhand, but clearly it's a matter of time before it spreads.

He didn't think that the next time he saw Fei, she'd be fighting for her life on a video transmission. Thank God they've got their own version of Clarice on the team to get them out of there.]

This keeps going from bad to worse. [ He's not a healer, but... ] Are you somewhere safe? Do you need help?

[inferus]

Magnus' portal was able to safely take us to Emilia's house in Eidris. ( She remains on her trip. He has not heard from her since he went down to investigate the group below, but today was supposed to be busy. )

The mannequins appeared to primarily be frightened and lashed out at us in an attempt to run more than do any harm. ( And both Wrath and Fei are experienced enough fighters even with the dark water taking its toll that they were not injured badly. )

[soloritur]

[ That's an upsetting thought. If they're giving them life, they can't just leave them there. ]

I know you haven't had time to process everything, but the way they were looks intentional. Almost like they were being manufactured there.

Do you think there's more of them?

[inferus]

I believe there may be many mannequins living throughout the city. It would explain the strange behavior we have seen from multiple citizens. They have not acted precisely human.

( Wrath had assumed perhaps they were an android given the prevalence of those machines, but now it seems like these mannequins are more likely. ) And here they can potentially make the mannequins to act in whatever way they wish. ( Though if Arabella is a mannequin - she does not wish the cities to be placed together, but this group claims to want that. It doesn't add up entirely. )

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Of course they went back to that room. Nothing like getting this message while Five has been searching everywhere for his missing brother. Apparently he needs to pay more attention to where Wrath goes during the day.

He saw the other mannequin in the earlier transmission, and seeing these others... he doesn't know how to feel. ]

They're alive?

[inferus]

They only feel alive when they are more flesh than burlap. ( But there is a distinct feeling of them being alive, which he dislikes. It's more mortals playing god, creating false life. ) It's as if they transition between the two states: inanimate and alive.

( Private. )

( Wrath does not ask for help easily or at all, but he is... in need at the moment. Five is at least one of the few people who he would willingly ask for help from or indicate any vulnerability to. ) Could you please bring an outfit from my room to Emilia's house?

Private

[somebadnews]

[ He's silent for a while, but it's rare Wrath asks for anything, and that distracts him from getting stuck on the mannequins. He didn't ask for his help infiltrating the room, but he'll ask for a delivery. Luckily, he's one of the few he'll give the benefit of the doubt to. Not like Five hasn't been busy.

And he understands the request, somewhat. He's never liked the feeling of being covered in blood after the fact. ]

Sure. I'll be by in a few minutes. [ A pause. ] You're all gathered there?

Private

[inferus]

Thank you.

( The dark water stains his clothing still, and he is certain its draining effects on his magic remain in place as well, which also means he isn't healing yet from what damage the mannequins managed to do which is more annoying than anything. He wants to transvenio back and watch what the group will do once they realize they've been found out. )

The four of us are. Emilia is still on her trip, and the rest of her housemates do not appear to be here at present.