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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
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. )
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
You fought incredibly well, bravely in fact, all things considered. Did it cause you any harm, the dark water itself?
no subject
It wasn't difficult. ( Certainly, it was not frightening, but there is little that frightens him. ) In this instance, the dark water was draining Fei of her stamina and me of my magic.
no subject
Having not encountered this dark water before, the Doctor seeks to understand before making further inferences one way or another, particularly as it pertains to the mannequins. At times like this, in more dire situations, his frenetic mind works so quickly trying to find answers that he might seem almost distant or removed. But now that he has a better understanding and his thoughts have caught up where they need to be, he can let himself fully feel the deep concern he has for all of them. ]
It's almost an entity itself in a way, this dark water. What it's done in this instance, at least, is absolutely dreadful. Bringing life to those poor creatures and naturally, they would be terrified, awakening suddenly with no understanding of what's happened. You did the only thing you could do, of course, but it shouldn't have come to that at all. The way they awakened, I mean. There's more to be done, to help them, and everyone else of course, but especially anything or anyone who has seemingly no control over what's being done to them.
[ Whatever they were before, it seems they were forced to play a part, essentially, and the fear they felt was palpable and unsettling. ]
I've never encountered anything quite like this world in my travels, though unfortunately, I've seen...variations of this type of unnatural existence and control of people before.
no subject
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven as Milton so put it. )
I intend to stop them.
( There is a long pause following the statement given as if it were truth - a command from Death itself. ) As for the mannequins, I only sense them being human and alive when they are in the state of transition where their features are defined and skin is soft. Perhaps that is its own mercy.
( They do not know true life until then though their feelings were very real: the fear that poured off of them feeding into the darkness of his magic even as the water sought to drain. ) What travels were these?
no subject
Oh, you do? Good. So do I. The more of us, the better.
As for my travels, I've journeyed through time and space for oh, nearly a thousand years now. There's so much good out there, but occasionally, unfortunately, I run into the very, very bad. The worlds like this one, which contain suffering and those who seem to profit from it and delight in it.
no subject
...through time and space. ( It's the space that gives Wrath a moment's pause. Five travels through time, but he has yet to get into conversation with those within their group who travel through space itself. ) As in among the stars?
( His own world is not so developed to have traveled into space quite yet. A thousand years makes Wrath all the more certain that this individual is not human. ) I find the lines between good and bad tend to be more... blurred. There is rarely pure good, pure evil as much as the idea of either may make it easier for some. ( Humans do like to cling to their stories. )
no subject
Their conversation pivots, though, and he can appreciate the depth it suddenly takes. He can even accommodate it with the seriousness it deserves. ]
On that, we agree. When I say that I've only occasionally run into the "very, very bad," I do mean that. Though I believe in hope and I remain ever the optimist, I've seen enough to know it's not that simple.
[ Simplistic, black-and-white thinking only applies to the more uncomplicated matters in life, such as who has the best moonberry pie recipe in the Sesteen Galaxy. There's only one answer he'll accept on that. ]
It sounds all well and good, doesn't it, to say the hero has defeated the villain and everyone can live happily ever after. It's the cozy, comforting story that so many people want because it helps them sleep at night. Quite often, though - most times, in fact - the evil threat isn't at all what anyone thought.
[ His mercy has its limits, though. There is some genuine evil out there that cannot be tamed, reasoned with, or overcome in any other way except by fighting back, by total annihilation.
Still, if everyone only ever thought in black-and-white terms as it pertains to questions of morality, then how would he, himself, the Doctor be judged? ]
no subject
He considers the words then - the hero has defeated the villain, the evil threat isn't at all what anyone thought. There is an importance in following evidence, deciding for oneself what lies beyond the cover and stories told. It's still a curious position to take - not one many mortals can afford to take. They have limited lifespans, and they must believe what they are told to protect themselves.
Wrath is not the evil creature the stories make him out to be, but he is also no angel - not anymore. )
You are clearly not human if a thousand years is any indication.
Can I ask what you are?
no subject
I do love humans very much! But no, you're quite correct, I'm not one of them, though I've put a lot of work into protecting them and their planet, you might say. I'm a Time Lord. Two hearts, not one! And a few other things.
Now, can I ask the same of you?
no subject
( This is interesting to Wrath. He is, also, in a sense always protecting the planet, keeping it all in balance. It's different than how it was before when he was an angel - the angel of death. His responsibilities were similar, but different, and he has far more freedom as the devil than he ever did as an angel. )
A demon. ( It feels like an actual title might be more appropriate - he has stopped fully introducing himself given it has not appeared to matter. ) A prince of Hell, one of the Seven Wicked to be more precise.
no subject
Big universe, lots of different and new-to-us species knocking about out there. Take me, for example. A thousand years and I've never met anyone like you before. It's why traveling broadens the mind, from my perspective, though our time here isn't the journey most of us would have chosen willingly.
[ Though, he has a different perspective about this place than most. He doesn't like being controlled, told what to do by whomever believes they're an authority here; he loathes being separated from his ship, pulled away from everything he's ever known. But he's here now and there's too much work to be done for him to rush off even if he could. In his preferred scenario, he'd have his TARDIS with him, take everyone home, and stay behind to help the native inhabitants. More to the point, he knows his old girl would have brought him to this world eventually anyway. She always takes him where he needs to go. ]
I do come from another planet, but I was exiled to Earth once, a very long time ago. Grew quite fond of it then, and it's been a love story of sorts ever since. Otherwise, I just travel around. Sometimes people need help, I do what I can, rather like anyone would.
Back to you, though! The Seven Wicked - of the seven deadly sins. And you have authority over one of those. Do tell! I could probably guess, I would usually - no, it's a juicy cliffhanger, just need that last detail, turn of the page, final sentence.
no subject
( So this Time Lord may have traveled through space and time itself, seeing sights, meeting people, experiencing things Wrath cannot imagine, but without a way into Hell, it would be difficult to meet anyone like him. Princes of Hell need to be bound to someone on Earth to elongate their stay there. Otherwise, they have an incredibly limited time up above at least in his version of things.
Wrath is now aware there are other Hells, Underworlds, demon princes and kings, other versions of the Devil as well. It's very possible the Earth that that he was exiled to was one without demons or Hell at all, without an afterlife as this world's afterlife appears to elude him.
He highly doubts 'anyone' would go around simply helping people, but it may tie into the fact the Doctor was exiled - penance in a sense for whatever had him exiled to begin with. Wrath doesn't make that statement out loud for the moment though nor does he increase the suspense. )
...Wrath.
It's what you can call me. And your own name?
no subject
[ So many worlds he's been to have various concepts of Hell, eternal damnation, punishment. Hell is sometimes a literal place, or a concept, something equivalent to mental torment. Even still, he's never met anyone like Wrath. And so, naturally, he's even more fascinated. ]
I'm the Doctor! You can call me Doctor. Not 'The,' I just had to clarify. It's happened before. The Doctor, called Doctor. And can I say, I'm very glad to meet you. If you can call it that over these devices. We'll need to meet officially - properly - soon.
no subject
( Lust is more than simple sexual desire but the joy of living, of embracing anything fun and frivolous and happy. Wrath is still angry when he thinks of how Lust utilized his power against Emilia and left her in a hollowed state in the aftermath of it all.
Doctor. He wonders if that is a name he gave himself or a name given to him by the mortals he intends to save, help. Wrath watches him as he explains and then simply nods in acknowledgement: )
Until then, Doctor.