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video. un: a_civil_serpent
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. )
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. )
no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
( 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?
no subject
[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.
no subject
Ah. ( He can kind of understand her explanation. ) Humans do enjoy telling stories to scare one another.
( Often stories that include him and his brothers. Or stories that include Death in some way. )
In this case, the documentary was of all real footage. It just happened to be potentially frightening.
no subject
[A beat.]
Just because you're hard to kill doesn't mean it's impossible.
[And she would be very sad if you died, ever mind having to deal with Emilia in the aftermath.]
no subject
He grimaces at the reminder, at the thought that anyone in the group may be seeing this conversation, and the idea that this entire video may have made him seem anything less than nearly invulnerable. )
I am a Prince of Hell, one of the Seven Wicked. ( And he gathers the tone of voice again of regality, of control. ) Fear bends to my will, and this world is lucky I do not unleash my full power upon it.
( In other words, there's no need to worry about him. It's this world that should be worried. )
no subject
You're right. My mistake.
[It's probably a problem that she's not more scared of him. But she's used to being surrounded by scary people, of being one of them. It'll take a lot more than Wrath's declarations of superiority to scare her.
But like most Hargreeves she's a little fucked in the head, so of course she doesn't react to things like a normal person. Or maybe it's just because Wrath is the one person here she knows she can't control.]
no subject
He did not intend to be scary, but he did want to emphasize that he is invulnerable to most permanent damage. Viewing him as someone who is vulnerable is dangerous to her, to the rest of the group, and it is not something he is comfortable with, being seen as someone who can be hurt or killed. He is not a fragile mortal, and he is not capable of dying like most. Most of this group ultimately would die if they were disembowled by and left on the floor of a tunnel after battling hordes of lesser demons.
Any horror show this world shoves their way is no cause for worry when it comes to him. There are times he genuinely misses when the stories of his brothers and him preceded his presence with every individual within this group. )
My point is your concern is unnecessary. Did you have inquiries about the room itself?
no subject
[Or is it magic? Part of her doesn't know if she wants the answer to be magic.]
no subject
When they had skin, they appeared entirely human, alive. As if nothing at all was wrong.
no subject
So what, they're making meat suits? And then this dark water brings them to life?
[She tips her head to the side.]
How sentient did they seem? Maybe the dark water is ... possessing them or something.
no subject
( The group must have come up with some method. )
There was little sentience in their current state. They reacted in fear as a group like prey animals might. No words, no thought. Simple fear.
no subject
[A long beat as a terrible thought crosses her mind.]
Do you think they could replace us with these?