genessia | "We opened the door to the shadows...

"We opened the door to the shadows...

The man sat alone, back slumped against a wall as he stared down at the pistol in his hand, unloading and reloading it in silence. Over and over again. How long had he been here, ignoring the sounds of life around him and the chatter and racket from the communication device on the ground along with the discarded necklace? Days? Weeks? Months?

It didn't really matter. None of it did anymore.

Load. Unload. Reload.

"You look like crap."

The man looked up, staring upwards at his only companion for what felt like an eternity. Himself... only different, like seeing a photo negative version. The colors were all wrong and there were a few things off.

It had no eyes. He'd found that strange once before the feeling had been bled out of him.

Load. Unload.

It was this thing that had shown him the truth. It had started with whispers in his mind when he was alone and had grown from there, appearing in shadows, taking the place of his reflection and finally standing right there beside him exposing the plain, hopeless reality of where he'd found himself.

An ugly grin split the negative version's face.

"So, what's the hold up, jackass? You know what you have to do now."

Load.

Yeah, he did.

-------------------

In the early morning, it happened without warning. A shudder ran through the entire city and for just a moment it was almost as if reality itself... bent for a moment, warping out of shape before snapping out of place and one of the buildings of Genessia's skyline vanished into a rising cloud of smoke and dust.

The thing rose up out of the cloud, standing over the buildings around it. Misshapen, grotesque, it could only be called humanoid in the most generous of terms. Its body was colored in splotches of red and black, its limbs twisted with the right arm many times larger than the spindly left and it stood on legs that should have been bent and twisted too awkwardly to support it at all.

The head swiveled from side to side on a too-long twiglike neck, wide, blanket white eyes that seemed painted on searched the city and a toothless mouth opened wide in a low, groaning howl that rumbled over the city.

The creature’s body convulsed and with a chorus of sickening splits and cracks its body bristled with weapons, and they all fired as one, shearing the top floors off of the next several blocks and covering the rest of the town in burning debris.

Through the city, every communicator screamed out a deafening alert, which was followed by the voice of the AI.

“CORRUPTED ELEMENTS DETECTED. PLEASE ASSIST IN PURGING IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE CONTINUED SURVIVAL OF THE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS”

[OOC: Subthreads are up. Post in them for combat, or go nuts with planning/reactions through the rest of the comments.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Raye's head had fallen onto her arm, her eyes closed as the dizziness overtook her for several minutes. She wasn't panicking over what seemed like an inevitable doom; she'd died before. She hadn't enjoyed it, but there was no fear of the unknown. The only sickening feeling she knew was that she'd have to give up something important to her. What could she even surrender? Memories of her mother? Of Harry? Jaune? The other scouts? Not in a million years. She'd rather go bald, or lose a leg.

Dimly she was aware of someone calling her name. Her consciousness swam through thick darkness, and with a soft groan, she opened her eyes and raised her head. Someone was here. She could feel his hands on her shoulders.

"Jaune...?" She blinked blearily up at him. "I'm okay..." As okay as she could be. She wasn't dead in any case, so that was reassuring for the both of them.

Barely responsive, but responsive. That's good. That's very good. Jaune feels just a slight bit more at ease - well, actually really relieved. As cheesy as it was, he was scared he was going to lose his first--

No time to think about that!

"Okay, Raye, just stay with me, alright? I'll get you out! Just hang on, okay?" He may sound like he's trying to convince her of this, but he's really trying to convince himself. Raye's half buried under a fair bit of concrete... How's he supposed to move that?! He's no Yang, no Nora, he's not a heavy-hitter...

He can see that giant outside. It's coming towards them.

He has to try.

Sheathing his sword and putting away his shield, Jaune begins desperately trying to lift what he can off of of Raye's body. It really depends on the size and weight of what had fallen on her - if it's fifty pounds? Sure, he can haul that off her. If it's a hundred? Well that's tougher, but he may be able to shove it aside if he clears out some of the lesser stuff around it. And let's not forget, he's tired. His muscles were aching for him to stop, so every lift was shaky. His arms have started to feel like rubber, his lower back almost felt like he's pinched a nerve. It's not easy, but he has to get Raye out of there. It's either that, or die trying.

Edited 2014-01-21 06:14 (UTC)

The abomination outside was still heading toward the building, stopping only to deal with the citizens attacking it. It was hard to tell how the battle was going from where Jaune was looking out, but the city around it has been reduced to so much fire and smoke. Every once in awhile a deep, bellowing roar would come up from it or an arm would sweep through the smoke. Just to show that it was still coming their way.

But that problem was still far away yet, and Jaune had more current issues to deal with. As he tried to pry Raye loose from the rubble, a black, curled up shape dropped in front of the hole in the building dangling from one limb. Slowly, it unwrapped itself, teeth grinning at Jaune from a misshapen head as it swung in balancing on eight limbs like a spider although each one ended in a far too human hand.

The creature swung its head toward Raye, tilted it curiously and then zeroed in on Jaune, opening its mouth wide before lunging....

It wasn't enough. Jaune cleared a lot of the rubble off, but not enough to pull Raye free. Maybe she notices the weight feeling a little lighter, but unless he can work faster...

... Well then something like that would happen. Jaune hears the sick thud of one of those stupid monsters behind him, and he freezes for a moment.

"Crap."

Looking over his shoulder, he spots it unfurling its sickening maw, and he swallows hard. "Aw crap..."

You know what? No. To heck with this thing, to heck with that thing outside, to heck with all of it.

"Hang on just a bit longer Raye," Jaune says, reaching for his sword.

That thing was eyeing up Raye now. Okay, you could hurt Jaune. You could break his ribs or bruise his face. He's fine with that. But the one thing you never, ever do?

You don't mess with Jaune's friends.

With his sword and shield drawn and ready, Jaune's facing this thing down.

It's go time.

"Hgyah!"

Jaune's lunging right back, and doesn't hesitate to bring the business end of his sword across that thing's stupid, ugly face!

Jaune's sword thwacks across its face, turning its head aside and at least keeping it from biting him clean in half on its first lunge.

The monster falters a step and then snaps its head back around to Jaune and one of the rear legs whip around on multiple joints to smack him right back.

*Thunk!*

Maybe Jaune's actually learning, because he takes that hit not just with his shield, but by bracing his weight behind it. He hunkers behind the protective metal as it gets struck, and then quickly retaliates with a strong upward swing at that very leg to try and cut right it off. That'd show it what-for!

The monster's leg recoils when Jaune's sword comes at it, not quite succeeding in taking it off but cutting into it nonetheless. The head tilts again, glaring at Jaune from its eyeless face as it lets out a low hiss and springs upward, clinging to what's left of the ceiling.

From this new angle it skitters over to stop above him and swing downward with all eight of its legs, driving to break past that defense of his.

When that... thing hits the ceiling, Jaune's expression is pretty telling of what he was thinking. Something along the lines of "you've got to be freaking kidding me." He raises his shield immediately and attempts to turtle himself beneath it,but he can't defend completely against all that weight coming down on him. He gets taken off his feet pretty easily, and is knocked onto his back on the floor pretty hard.

Being so displaced makes him nervous. The apartment doesn't have many of its walls left from the giant's attack.

"Ngh... Yeowch..."

Edited 2014-01-26 06:25 (UTC)

The thing grins wider when Jaune gets knocked down and releases its hold, legs reversing mid-drop and landing above him. Two arms snatch at his weapons, trying to disarm him and the mouth opens up wide again, ready to chomp him right in half.

"AH! AHH!" Jaune's yelling as the thing descends upon him like that,, and he immediately tries rolling his body to keep its grabby hands from disarming him. He's purely panicking at this point, and on pure gut instinct, he closes up his shield before the thing had a chance to grab it, which allows him to slip it away. Unfortunately, his sword is tossed across the room.

As the creature's maw opens wide, Jaune barely manages to suck in a frightful gasp before thrusting his now-sword-sheath forwards into the creature's mouth...

... Then he makes the shield shoot back open inside.

When the sword is knocked across the room it seems all is lost for the would-be Huntsman. Down come those teeth, in for the kill when the shield springs open inside its mouth.

There's a crack and something that sounds like a gagging noise from the beast as its jaws are wedged wide open. There's a moment where it almost seems shocked... and then it lets out a gurgling rumble and starts tossing its head like a wild animal, feet-hands stomping as it tries to dislodge the painful wedge of metal.

OH THANK GOD.

Honestly it takes a moment for Jaune to even realize what's happening and what he'd done. But when it dawns on him that he had a moment, he bolts for it! He flops over onto his stomach and scramble-crawls away as fast as he can to get his sword. He even kicked it once with his feet before he snatches it up, like the class act he is.

Spinning back around, he grips his sword in both hands and charges back into the fray while the thing's distracted.

"GyaaaaaAAAHHH!!" His two-handed lunge is aimed right at the creature's throat. He's coming in low and hard, and he'd throw all his weight into a powerful stab towards its neck, near where it connects to its body.

Distracted by trying to pry the shield loose from its mouth, the monster is wide open for Jaune's follow-up. The sword sinks deep into the thick flesh on its neck, purplish blood spurting from around the wound.

But it isn't done for just yet, and the reaction is immediate. The thing lets loose a roar and rears up, thrashing its body around in a fury, trying to crush its enemy against the walls and debris around it.

"Gya-ha!"

A solid strike, right to the neck! But just as Jaune thinks he's won, the beast starts to thrash around with such impressive strength that it starts to swing him around. He smacks him into walls, crushes him between itself and various bits of the apartment, and all the while he's holding onto his sword for dear life.

"No! NO! I stabbed you in the-- Hyurk! Ugh... In the neck--! Oof! You're suppossed to be dead now-- Rhgnh!" He tries to plant his feet on the carpet as the creature swings him around, but his feet slide. "Oh come on!"

He looks back, and sees that it's heading towards the gaping hole in the wall that looked out over the city. Oh no you don't.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune slams the soles of his feet into the floor, and with a brief, firm stance, and a hard grip with both hands, he tears his blade sideways to slice through the being's neck and cause yet more of that sickening, dark violet blood to now spray from the open wound like some Japanese samurai movie.

The creature was grievously injured to be sure, but it wasn't about to give up the ghost just yet.

The creature shrieks and rears up, finally tearing the blade free as it writhes and thrashes around, smashing into walls and damaged supports in agonized abandon. One mighty slam even flips it over Jaune's head and with a loud crunch, the portion of the floor gives way, tilting wildly toward the gap in the wall.

Gravity takes its chance and the creature begins sliding toward the hole but it isn't giving up yet and its arms grab at Jaune even as it falls, trying to take him with it.

Jaune ducks and steps back, tyring to keep his distance from the monster as it wildly thrashes around. He even stumbles, and falls to one knee, which allows it to swing over his head. That's when its weight takes out a part of the floor and makes it sink down and create the worst slide Jaune has ever had the misfortune of being on.

"OH! GAH!" Jaune grabs wildly for the edge of the upturned floor, to keep himself from outright falling. His poor sword doesn't make it. It slides down the floor and off the edge of the building to fall into the city street below. (Don't worry, it's fine.) Given that he's got a firm, two-handed grip on the edge though, he creates a fine opportunity for the creature to hold on and also keep from falling.

It's grabbed onto his foot, and it's HEAVY. Jaune grits his teeth and tries desperately to haul himself up, while kicking down at the thing's hand and trying to knock it loose. "Come... on... just give it up already!"

The damned thing just won't give up! It clings tightly to Jaune's foot even as he kicks at it and drags itself up, opening its mouth up wide to take off his leg entirely.

But then it slips a bit, and then a bit more and finally with one last kick Jaune loses his shoe. But on the bright side, that means that the creature's grip is lost.

Too-human hands scrabble on the overturned floor and the monster slips away, finally vanishing over the edge with one last parting roar that fades out as it plummets to the street below.

Whew! Jaune, you're a leg up in the world today. That's what he's thinking as the creature falls to its death no doubt down below. It's scary how happy he is that something's dead... Then again, if it wasn't dead, he'd be dead, and then maybe Raye would be dead too...

Raye!

Jaune grunts and groans as he pulls himself up, crawling onto the more level flooring. "Raye... Raye?" As he gets onto level ground, he makes his way back to her, crawling a few steps, standing a couple, and checking to see if she was all right. Jaune himself is a little beat up - with all the slamming, his armour's even a little dented. He's got some bruises, and given that it hurts to breathe, probably a rib or two that's at the very least bruised. He's understandably on shaky feet, and as he reaches Raye he practically drops to his knees to check up on her.

"R-Raye, are you okay...?"

"Ugh..." Raye groaned, opening her eyes. Had she passed out again? The room was still spinning, and Jaune's face was zigzagging all over. She remembered something black spilling into the room, but beyond that...

She was a little disgusted with herself. Even if she was pinned down, she might have been able to contribute somehow, even if just to shout moral support or fling debris. But noooooooo, she had to go bleed and be unconscious. Lame.

"Sh...shouldn't I be asking you that...?" Her dazed smile was brief as she took in the sight of Jaune and how battered he looked.

"What, me? Nah... It just hurts to breathe. Here, I'll get you out of there," Jaune answers her. So, she missed his whole fight - everyone did. No one's gonna know what he did lest they take him at his word... Kinda lame, but hey, what can you do?

It's a while before Jaune can really get Raye out from under... what, half her bathroom? Shoving debris off her, it's several long minutes before he can finally haul her out of that mess.

The giant monster, in the meantime, seemed to have been effectively halted by the others. And Ruby was likely due to crash into it at any second. [Which we all know OOC at this point ends the whole dang thing.]

"Okay... Ooookay... this might hurt a little...!" Jaune says as he's rolled Raye onto her back, then he slips his arms under the girl and lifts her up off the floor. He carries her, yeah, but he's huffing and clumsy. He manages to carry her as far as leaving the apartment, but once out into the hallway, he ends up just slumping against a wall and sliding to a seat with her more or less in his lap.

"You're not heavy!" He insists, "I just hurt. Everywhere."

"I know."

There was no bite in her voice. She'd grunted with pain as they both collapsed, but she didn't try to shove herself off of his lap, or make a sharp or teasing retort. That thing had seen her, and as far as she knew, it was still coming. When it found them, it would tear the building down, and they would likely fall with it and die.

It happened. Death wasn't permanent, so that offered some small comfort, but not enough that she could find a reason to smile, or let embarrassment ruin what might be their last moments together. If he died, he might choose to give up his memories of her as a price to pay for his continued life. She'd have to give up something too. This might be the last time they were truly themselves, whole and complete.

"...I know," she said again, looking at his shoulder instead of his face. It was too painful to look into his eyes right now, so she just held to him, finding a dent in his armor to fix her gaze on. "You were super brave, Jaune. You risked everything to save me." It was difficult for her to put her tender feelings into words, but he deserved at least the attempt.

"...Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"We opened the door to the shadows...

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