[2259] Search and Rescue

Mer:

I had barely laid down to get some rest when I am startled awake by Russia.

"Wha.. what is it?"

I squint at her in the dark of my bedroom.

(Russia) "Come, come you have to see this!"

She takes my hand and pulls me out of bed.

I trip over myself in response and groan.

"Rush, please.. I'm can't see in the dark like you can."

I remind her  she helps me up and turns on the lights.

Ow..

I squint as my eyes adjust to the change of lighting and quickly follow after.

She leads me outside.

Since Boron's destruction, we were getting a better handle on the remaining monsters in the city.

(Russia) "Look at the shield!"

She points towards the castle shield which seemed to be glitching.



Surprisingly, those inside never came out.

"What does that mean?"

My mind races thinking that perhaps Bash had finally lost his grip on those still inside.

We never did find Desmond and Meredith.

I think back to everyone else we brought with us instead.

All those orphans..

A loud crash interrupts my thoughts and the whole building goes down.

Oh my Dane..

I cover my mouth in shock.

"We need to go, we need to search for survivors!"

(Russia) "Yes, yes."

She takes my hand and leads me back inside.

(Russia) "But first we need to suit up. We don't know what happened and whoever is out there could be dangerous."

They were in there for a very long time.

My heart sinks.

What was Bash doing to them?

"What kind of protection are you thinking? Those Valerian shield devices we found last week? Or should we grab a few things from our weapons stash? We should definitely bring the medical gear."

I babble slightly.

We had stocked up on a few things while in hiding.

(Russia) "Everything. Including the hazmat suits."

I cringe.

I didn't even think about contaminants.

We both rush to get ready, informing Owlyn of our plans and getting ready to set out.

Once the van was loaded **A new one the old one was trashed** we set out to look for survivors.

Klaus:

"Tully?! MEREDITH!!!"

I flash around frantically in my desperate attempts to track down my sister.

*Tears accumulate around the corners of my eyes as I soon realize my mistake.*

I reacted too soon. They needed more time.

I dig through the rubble, discovering body after body and nothing else.  

It was gut wrenching.

I eventually fall to my knees in defeat.

I had achieved all that I wanted but at a heavy price.

Too heavy, a price..

I stare off for a moment in sorrow.

What could possibly be left after this?

Impossible pain soon interrupts my thoughts and I go down hard in the dust.

I scream, writhing around  in agony.

From what I did not know. Everything hurt.

Everything.

Someone in a hazmat suit soon approaches but before I could see who, I pass out from discomfort.

Dave:

*No longer an old man since dying and reviving with Sebastian's scales. Repeatedly.*

Months ago, I had spent a few days? Weeks? (I don't know anymore it was all a blur of being eaten and darkness,) in the King's holy pool.

It had been the only safety I had from Gale. She couldn't get in the water no matter how purified (putrid) it became. That evil she-demon. What did Jole ever see in something that burned in holy water? Must have been a beguiling demonness in disguise all along. No wonder their spawn was such a failure.

Using the holy pool came with a prince. The pure holy goldfish devoured me and my sins and revived me repeatedly being born anew, cleansed, and with the purity and body of innocence.

Eventually, I left the sacred pool. I do not remember why. I suppose it had just been my time. (Was crazy high on Sebastian Sienese scales), only to fall ill and have a horrible long-lasting joint nightmare brought on likely by the horrors committed outside the castle. (actually Sebastian's 'thing'.)

When I awoke and returned to the pool to be rid of the taint, the fish were gone! (Mer ate them.)

Time passes getting used to new found powers of empathy Dane has blessed me with. I may have been a priest in my youth, But I have never felt so in touch with god until now. I guess I no longer need the fish. (Sienese scale feels seb crazy then boren pride & whatnot.) As well as the ability to control the holy water.

Today, the pool's waves were choppy. The nurses that have come to do laundry in the pool to bathe their holy white sacraments in the purity, told me the King and Meredith were having a wedding and that it was today.

... What does it mean...?

Before I could decide if I should leave the pool to investigate there's a great crack!

The roof splits open!

Glowing rocks and debris fall from the sky!

I gaze up and around in shock as things slash about me in the pool.

Then suddenly the roof collapses.

"AHHHH!"

Suddenly my screams are drowned out in bubbled shrieks as I'm pushed down to the bottom of the pool, pinned by a great chunk of ceiling/floor and all that was above it!

Then the very floor I'm on goes down!

CRASH! SHOOOOSHHHHH!

Water spilling out!

I'm impaled through the stomach.

*Gargles ACK!* Steams of bubbles from my scream. Neck gills flailing.

My blood mixes in the water. But it's not the only thing being mixed...

Beyond the pain twisting in my gut, which a twist and thrash at futility like a flopping skewered fish, I feel a burning tingling in my lungs and on my skin.

My vision blurs in and out gazing up at the wreckage and swirling of ripples of water above my face as the water currents out of the broken pool, along with whispy trails of blood.

Blackish purple spots drip drip and splat above me, like drops of dye, off of the broken floor above, dripping from decaying vervain dipping and cascading over the rubble.

Soon the water is mostly gone and I'm left flopping weaker and weaker in a rubbled puddle. Wreckage groaning over me, surely to fall on me at any moment.

It's cold... So cold...

Drip Drip.

The ooze continues to drip, not directly on my body. Rolling across skin and scales. I hiss and cringe as it burns into the wound.

"Help!" I try to call out weaky. "Help!"

The groan and creak of more rubble. Dust rains down from above.

I hear a noise.

A loan blue rock rolls among the wreckage and drops like the stone it literally is near by.

My vision continues to blur in and out as I look at it. Spots enter my vision.

"Please!" Tears in my eyes. I grimace and lean back my head and tense as a wave of pain ripples through me. I gasp. "Please... Someone!... Anyone!..."

How could god get so close to me... Just to abandon me this way?...

I feel a splitting pain in my head and sharp stabbings at my scalp.

I choke and gasp as it feels like things are trying to piece and break through the top of my head.

I lean my head back again, eyes squeezed shut, body shaking as I yell as an extra set of horns break through. Hot blood soon cooled soaks my hair.

Drip. Drip.

It's the last thing I see before there's a telepathic choir of screams and I succumb to the darkness and pass out.

...

I don't know it yet.

But I shall become...

The goldfish.

Russia:

"Desmond?! DES!!!"

I yip a little catching his SCENT before digging away at the rocks.

A horrifying squid monster takes me by surprise partway through and tears open my hazmat suit.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I turn around and attack him, clawing away at its face before suddenly collapsing to the ground in complete AGONY.

*Screams.*

Mer comes rushing back, dragging someone else with her.

She shoots at the squid who attacked me but I hardly noticed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Desmond:

Everything had been so terrible that I don't think words could ever justify it.

First, there had been Mer's birthing pain... Which had been horrid enough, and then suddenly being crushed by a building right as I felt death tear at those in the link.

Everything felt like slow motion. Trying to process it all.

Then the link was gone.

Just.... gone.

Emptiness.

No... That... That word alone doesn't do it justice.

Missing. Yes. Missing.

Something that was once there was gone and it left its mark.

Where there once had been something, now was a void of yearning.

....

And then there was more agony.

My body burning away.

My undead guts churning in my chest. Spinning like a blender. Swimming under disintegrating skin.

And I was lost to it all.

I don't know for how long.

Just... In this void.

This own personal hell.

....

But it wasn't just... Me...

Was it?...

I was never just... Me, was I?

....

My thoughts drift to the others.

You liked Meredith, didn't you, Dane?... Maybe they all at least found peace in the nothingness.

....

Hopefully....

My name is called.... From so far away...

....

Sorry... I don't have time to chat.

Looks like it's time to wake up.

Perhaps you will wake up too now.

The vessel's 'eye's open'. Piercing slits of light whirling around black holes.

The wreckage around the vessel suddenly sucks into the constuct's body in a clear sphere radius, leaving the vessel hovering in its now vacant center.

What do we do now hovering like this? Not touching anything?

Twilight evening energy wings erupted from the back and then the vessel is teleported upright a little ways up into the sky, making a clear line of sight for the eye's to gaze around and look to see poor Russia and a hazmat person.

Flies down and see her. Mer.

The void. Pain. Still so fresh it hurts the whole being.

But this is not that Meredith.

.... Right... It had been so long. And here she was.

But right now Russia was screaming.

What awkward timing to say, "Nice to see you two again," while landing next to Russia and seeing more squids coming.

"But I assume the feeling the feeling is not entirely mutual at the moment," I add lightly but sigh at the morbid timing hollowness of it all, as I scoop up Russia under the armpits.

I wonder if 'I' will be here much longer.

Perhaps this is just hello and goodbye. One. Last. Time.

Then I too will fade at peace like the rest of the link while leaving this body to Dane. Perhaps he will use it better and for greater thing than I ever had or ever will.

Mer:

"Desmond?!"

I startle and nearly drop Klaus at his sudden appearance.

He looked so different

I couldn't reflect on what happened to him for too long as Russia's screams soon distract me.

No!

I drop Klaus anyways and rush over to them.

"W-we need to get them in the van!"

More of those horrible soldiers were on their way.

I take note of one carrying a woman away.

"I'll be back!"

I say desperately before running after Cersei with my weapon trying to shoot her captor DOWN.

(Russia) "Des, Des, do you know what is happening?!"

She whimpers before crying out again.

Desmond:

I look to Meri, listening, and take note of the van.

Then... Klaus...

I don't have time to think anything of that though as she goes off and I return my attention to poor Russia and do my best to bring her to the van. The way she had been writhing before I tried to pick her up... She was being a trooper.

"Um..."

So much had happened at once.

I wonder if I was just numb with shock to not be freaking out or if it was a sign that I was slipping away to be replaced.

I hesitantly nod then shake my head no with an puzzled expression because well I knew but also didn't...? Boren was an odd one.

I see how... Different my arms and chest looked. Sparkily, tiger-stripped, and transparent against her. And the vervain flowers...

Poor Russia... How do I explain any of it while she's going through this....

I feel my cat ears twitch at the predicament. Okay. Still had those.

Would it just make it worse or help... Distract her?... Like make her angry and sad instead of just in agony and the mystery of the unknown.

I try to... Give lighter vibes before dropping her with the heavy.

"Uh. I didnt... Look like a starry tiger before... The pain... Maybe you're just gonna look like a starry fox?"

That was still extremely heavy... Her whole body changing and all. But...

"Bash uh..."

The void... The pit. The emptiness.

I glance towards the rubble that had apparently once been the castle. Then return my attention to the task at hand.

"Turned out to be the Overlord and released something to change everyone right before the castle fell."

Tries to bring her into the van with that trauma dump.

Russia:

Desmond was moving me but I was in far too much pain to fully comprehend just how awkward it was

He looked.. like an angel.

Was I dead?

I whimper as more pain shoots through me.

No.... just dying.

My tale wraps around my leg trying to find something to latch ont.

Desmond then explains what was happening and how it impacted his appearance.

"That.. doesn't sound so bad."

I try to make a joke of it all instead until he mentions the Overlord.

.......

"I guess we really should have ditched.."

That's going to freak Mer out bad if she ever learns about it.

Desmond brings me into the van and I curl into a ball, shivering.

"T-thanks."

Desmond:

"....Yeah...."

She and Mer had managed out here. How much worse could the rest of the galaxy be in comparison?

I look at her shivering concerned. I take off my fuzzy jacket and drape it over her, hoping it helped and not just... hurt more.. with more stuff touching her body during this... process...

"No problem. 'Thank you' for coming back for me." I say genuinely.

Russia cared to find me after all these months...

And not she's infected because of it...

I do a quick concerned air pet over her, not actually touching, wanting to but not having the time to ask. That would have to be for later!

Mer was out there against Boren's squids!

"I'll be back.. I have a dead-ass vampire to pick up." I wink at her.

Am I still an undead blood drinker?...

No time!

I jog over to Klaus and drag him to the van.

There's another screech as something else responds to the red creature's screams.

The castle ruins shake.

It draws my attention to it and I cast glances over at it in case Mer has something else to deal with as I lift Klaus' body into the vehicle beside Russia.

A gold-scaled teen mermaid voice growing hoarse from his calls for help, crawls out of the rubble, bleeding from a stab wound and trailing blood along the snow, though it takes awhile to see with the whole fishtail body covering it.

Ginormous large purple squid tentacles burst from the rubble, vibing intensely.

The ground buckles and cracks and I slightly fall against the van as purple tentacle-like roots can be seen spreading.

Then fleshy squid-like flowers, upsideown, erupt with great sharp teeth in the centers of their writing willing fleshy tendrils, screaming to the harmony, then suddenly shut their jagged tooth traps and start to puff up, puff up, puff up, inflating like organic balloons, while squids look to be in a daze, their lamps flicking as their mental and photosynthetic light energies feed the flytrap horde squids.

The roots convulse and, rising from the ruins, a giant blob of purple-hued brain matter with the brain folds and creases thick of squid roots and smatterings of growing pulsating buds. Inside the flesh can be seen light-firing neurons.

Russia:

I whimper a little in acknowledgment to Desmond's 'thank you' before snuggling up in his warm fuzzy jacket.

He then says something funny and I choke back a laugh.

Dead-ass what?

I turn over and see him bring Klaus.

Why was he dressed like a male figure skater?

I pass out.

Mer:

"You are mistaken! These creature ar-"

A mutated creature bellows at us and that was enough to scare the woman back to my side.

"Come on!"

I take her hand and pull her with me, laying down cover fire should any more of the squids or that ugly, ugly BEAST choose to follow.

When we get to the van with the others I was not surprised Hep returned empty handed.

He seemed to lose all motivation at the site of our suits but it was all that we had! **all the AI would give Hybrid**

"We need to get back to the base!"

There were too many of them **too ugly to be saved**.  We would have to make another trip.

I see a poorly injured boy a ways off and grasp Desmond's arm.

"We need to take him too. Please, help me."

I was too weak to carry him alone.

"Hep please help this lady inside the van and start the vehicle."

Leviathan:

I come to my senses grimacing at a painful pressure in my head and my body feeling like tingly pins and needles.

I'm suddenly made aware of how hard it is for me to breathe, like a great crushing weight pinning me down.

I open my eyes confused for a moment. Everything is blurry, dark, yet tinted cyan. I let out a shallow pained breath from my lungs, bubbles tingle my lips and my vision fogs up slightly. I watch as it slowly dissipates.

There's a slight movement in the blurry haze to my left, with wet, slick, snapping sounds.

The sounds continue, and just slightly past those, I pick up more. There are sizzling, metal-tanging, and rolling rock sounds.

It's so.. So hard to breath. When is this weird nightmare vision going to end?

Darkness starts to tint my vision further adding to the surreal oddness of it all.

I'm startled by a sudden ferocious scream of frustration followed by a sob.

"W-what?" I croak out, but it just comes out as guggled bubbles in my ears, and gasp choking, unable to breathe as the weight continues to press down and take the space my fuller lungs had once occupied.

I see a dark blur rise, ahead of me. (Juliet rose and cocked her head and wing ears, listening, then shakes her head and starts to go back to trying to dig for her beloved. She knows where her sister and friends are due to the infection link but can't find or sense the Overlord!).

I watch the blur fade back away.

"Hey!" I try to call to the dream, hoping to change this lucid scenario. More sharper sounds of gurgles bubbling and just being there in my vision.

The blur comes back but now my vision is fully swallowed by the darkness.


I'm wet and cold. So cold. I shiver.

I open my eyes, and find despite it having only felt like a second and a blink of an eye, my body position and perception was suddenly altered. I had been on my back before... Now I was on my side. The cyan tint and blur was gone and instead was replaced by the view of a duck...

It's beak digging into and pulling out brain matter and ...flowers? from what looked like someone's head?... And eating it...

So that's what those weird sounds were.

I watch morbidly.

This is such a weird dream... Kinda cool though, now at least that I didn't feel like I was drowning and could actually see stuff.

Movement catches my peripherals. I look over and see a blonde woman with a metal rod of some sort and using it to poke and prod rubble. (Juliet had pulled the beam out of Cole's head while in shock.) She also had a weird head thing going on... Was her head melting?

Something about her nagged at me. She felt familiar...

I start to smell things. Rot, blood, dust, and crisp cold air.

Breathing. I take lung fulls. Glorious lungful despite the odor.

(Juliet): "Where are you!? Are THEY taking you!?"

Suddenly that foggy feeling in my head turns sharp.

I grimace, tensing, and curl up into a ball as it spreads over my body.

My scales are screaming at me. I get the sense of protect, defend, protect, chanting in my head and through my entire scaley being.

The pain. The pain is too much.

Then... a shout.

My heart stops.

Maud?!

It takes my foggy, painful head a moment to catch up and not think this is some weird lucid dream.

Oh... Oh...

I open my eyes in horror and truly take it all in for what it was.

The woman... The woman was the.. white queen?.. At cousins... Cousins...

Defend! Protect! The scales and thoughts chants.

The boy... The boy being eaten by the duck... It was that lyrat-hybrid boy! My mind whirls, wide-eyed.

"MAUD!"

If this is happening here what could be happening to her!? I panic.

My hands shake and my claws extend.

The scales reflect and pulsate. Defend! DEFEND! D E F E N D! 

The ground shakes beneath us and rubble and moon rocks rain down from above (as the squid brain roots grow).

My nails claw into a huge thick slab of mosaic glass from the castle's roof beside me though the pain as my body bucks and changes. (Ethan had been smashed under it before Juliet freed him and was disappointed it wasn't any of the ones she was looking for.)

Protect! PROTECT! P R O T E C T!

I shriek as my head mutates. 

Mer:

More monsters spring up and surround both ourselves and the vehicle.

I give Desmond a weary look and we both rush to get the last survivor into the van.

Once everyone was loaded inside, Hep drives us away and safe from danger.

While in transit, I  prop up Klaus and Russia in a more comfortable position as they were both unconscious.

"Everything is going to be ok, just, hold in there a little while longer. We are heading back to our base. There are more survivors there and we are well away from Sebastian."

I try to encourage the frightened woman before giving the one boy **Dave** an encouraging look.

Once there, we park in the alleyway and head through the door to the inside.

https://tlg-rp.rpg-board.net/t257-klaus-underground-mansion

A few children look up at us from their seated positions on a few chairs.

"We have empty beds should you require rest. Once you are ready, we would appreciate hearing from you what happened."

I look around stressed.

Another trip back may not be possible. At least for a little while.

"I will begin making dinner. We don't have much but we are hoping to make another supply run here soon."

What a disaster..

Amon:

Due to the Valerian amour I had on me through the entire ceremony, not only did I survive the explosion completely covered, but I was also safe from INFECTION.

I stumble across quite the scene of monsters and an escape vehicle.

"H-hey wait for me!"

I shout out as the van drives away.

Buggar.

I go to chase after them but stumble across a DAMSEL IN DISTRESSSSSS. **Doesn't notice head thing going on**

"I'LLLL SAVE YOU!"

I sling her over my shoulder whether she wanted me to or not and chase after the vehicle

Leviathan:

I make a sound back in relieved greeting that Maud and Gideon were here and fine.

The was a yell of alarm from the van. (Dave at the tail smack. He looks to Mer wide-eyed at her reassurances.) Protect! Defend! Protect! Defend! We needed to protect the hostages!!

I followed in the chase. Perhaps a little too fast as they started to bank into alleys of the surrounding standing shell of an empty city outside the more flattened and worse destroyed ruins.

Not used to this way of travel or my beast form yet at the very first turn I ended up turning and the tail end of my body smacked into a building so hard the glass shattered and rained over me.

Whoops...

Back at the destroyed castle, the brain pulsed with energy repeatedly in a rhythm getting faster and faster at the infected queen's sudden kidnapping.

(Juliet): "What!? What's happening!? Are you taking me to the Overlord??" She asks diztily confused since she couldn't sense this man taking her either.




As I kept following, my own brain raced.

Protect. Defend. Protect. Defend.

How do I get them back safely?

The compact streets and buildings of mosaic were claustrophobic and knit bound together. It was so hard to chase them through such messy tight turns.

I witnessed the city's waterways. There was water available... But what if they slid and everyone died on impact???

The van was probably metal, but I wasn't very experienced in metal bending. What if I grabbed them and the whiplash broke their necks or they crashed through the windows at the momentum and died??

Suddenly another tight turn turned into a zig-zag and I simply wasn't expecting it. I crashed head-first into a glass apartment building.

Ow...

I lifted my head up and shook it and looked left and right, trying to figure out how to back up and out of here in such a small room.

I growl at my own hesitation. This didn't matter! The people did!

Protect! Defend! It screamed in my head.

I whipped my tail around, causing more structural damage as I forced a turn and went back out.

I exited the zig-zag and tried to pick up the trail but found none.

The cold wind had erased what little scent there may have been.

How unfortunate. I feel a weight in my chest at the failure.

I make a noise to the others wondering if they had more luck.

Hmm...

Not wanting to give up just yet, I decide to try to maneuver my way up the buildings for a vantage point. It would probably be useless with how compact and glassed-over everything is, even after all the devastation that seemed to have hit this world during the siege but I had to give it a shot.

With my large tentacles, I climb up the apartment building and peer down from the top.

I feel the building shake underneath me and my gaze and head follows a new crack forming in the ground.

Then there's a great static feeling in the air so high up above ground.

I lift my head up to it. It feels good. It feels right.

A psychic neural pulse shoots through the air as Gale, the squid-brain bomb, went off. The last straw.

In a great arch, it rolls out from the squid brain's center.

Those that had survived the castle's collapse somehow uninfected but were trapped in it or had stayed to look and help others near it were obviously the first affected. Their brain's neural electrical signals suddenly affected causing people to fall into seizures.

The great psychic wave kept rolling, further and further, hitting those that had tried to run on foot.

Those of us like me already infected are left fine.

The tentacle flowers explode into more fresh chemicals in the air and more dark-purple goo in their fleshy plant remains. Fresh 'fertilizer' for the gardeners to give all their new seeds, just waiting to be sown.

Juliet:

Desmond glances back through the door at me and the man who was carrying me, while he helps carry Russia and then Klaus in.

(Desmond): "Looks like we have even more company." He says with a glance to Mer.

Wow... Des was a sparkly tiger man now.

I stare as Des closes the door after us.

...

After I moment of ....distraction, I tear my eyes away from him though. That can wait for later. I look around frantically for any sign of our King.

The place was admittedly very nice.

My gaze travels up the grand looking stairs.

Maybe they're here... Yes... Here and safe and not buried under rubble...

I want to scream out to them but what if they're resting after such an ordeal.

Right...

I swallow.

I don't want to wake them...

I imagine gazing at Sebastian as he sleeps... Smiling in his dreams... His torso exposed...

I feel an ache to touch and imagine running my hands over that exposed flesh...

Zones out in daydream.

Desmond:

The kid (Dave) gazes around taking it all in while another kid leads me to where the beds are for where I could put Klaus and Russia.

Once I have Klaus last onto his bed, I stretch, then pause in the darkroom to just take a moment. Now that I finally could... After everything.

...

My chest aches as my thoughts drift to Meredith.

Meredith...

I feel the sadness creep in.

I already had lost her once... And now... And now she's gone AGAIN. And this time there's no coming back is there?

Suddenly it's like I had been tempting fate not doing anything to keep my mind busy and that was my undoing as it all suddenly becomes overwhelming.

I sit on the floor, and wrap my arms and tail around my ankles and take sniffled shuttering breaths as I begin to cry.


Everything... *Swallows* Everything had been so happy...

Her wedding...

She was going to be a mother.... Have a husband... Be a queen...

She had her whole life ahead of her...

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. IT WASN'T FAIR.

I grimace, with a wet streaked face and smack the hardwood floor with my palm a few times in griefed anger and frustration, then put my head in my hands in sorrow.

 

Mer:

My handheld was not picking up any toxins.

I remove the mask and suit while the others settle in and head strait to work in the kitchen.

Hep vocalizes his discontent with our guests.

"Hep!"

I hush him in a scold at his rudeness.

"I don't know, but we can't keep going on like this. We need all the help we can get and.."

I turn to look at them.

"They are still our people, we need to remember that."

I keep stirring the pot of soup trying to think of a plan before a loud crash is heard followed by yelling.

(Klaus) "Bloody HELL?!?!?!"

Another crash sounds, loud squeaks and suddenly a pale bat goes flying out of  one of the rooms to go hide in the ceiling rafters.

"Desmond?!"

I run over to him to see if he was ok.

He looked unharmed with only a few fallen lamps on the floor.

Where is Klaus?

I didn't know we let a bat inside

Desmond:

Sniffles.

"I'm fine." Tries to lie and it's probably poorly with all these tears but tries for the sake of Veru and Mer.

Ruffles the buggy feline's mane gazing at him.

"Glad to see you're here too."

Hugs the green floof back.

Downstairs Juliet gapes at the ceiling.

(Juliet): "Twilight vampires are here! Lasha- Laith needs to know about this!"

She looks around torn and confused then runs upstairs looking for Bash and/or Boren and starts opening doors peering into rooms, deciding to look for him here real quick first before trying to run off to Laith.

Mer:

"Really? You don't look fine."

I go to touch his arm but stop myself from being smothering.

One of the women we brought back mentions something and I look back at her somewhat confused.

"Wha-"

I remember the movie.

"I don't think that's what that is."

I correct her before backing out of the room to look at the ceiling.

I couldn't see the bat anywhere, but I could hear it.

Hep tries to leave.

"Really Hep?! I hadn't realized you were so closed minded!"

I snap at him before stopping myself to try and control my temper.

Yes, we made our mistakes but we are going to improve. How can't we after something like this?

Hep lets some dirt in on his way out.

The bat finally reappears on the ledge of the fireplace and bitch squeaks him out

*Sighs.*

"Come on Hep, you can't be seriously taking off? You saw what it was like out there didn't you?"

I shake my head at him before wandering back to the bedroom to see to Desmond.

"Can I bring you something at least?"

Desmond:

I try to force at least one side of my mouth into a smile at her comment, but can't even hold it up for a full second.

Juliet just 'hums' and continues her search of the mansion.

I watch Mer go and let go of the hug.

I look back to the green floof and have some pets, then look back to Mer when she returns.

Glances down and shake my head at her offer.

How do I... explain everything...

Of Meredith... Of the connection... That now there was a void where once there wasn't and they are gone...

....Even if I could tell it in words...

She wouldn't truly understand...

Not really...

...

My chest aches thinking how I don't know if Ettie made it either...

I felt the urge to leave. To go look for her... But what if I just make things worse?... Monsters chased after us once causing a mess... What if she got hurt by accident. Crush under potentially even more debris in the process?... What good could I possibly bring her and not just more danger?...

...

I can only hope she isn't trapped somewhere and that she and her family are safe and together...

I wipe away a fresh tear with the heel of my palm and I look up at Mer.

"Do you... need help in the kitchen?..." I offer and sniffle. I don't know if I'd really be any help but... It would give me something to keep busy with.

 
 

Mer:

"I would love that actually."

I say finally remembering the soup I left on the stove.

Hep continues to complain about our visitors and I tense up not knowing what else to say to him.

*Shoots him a look but says NOTHING.*

The bat on the fireplace had had ENOUGH of Cersei's unsolicited PETS and flies off the mantle and far away



Meanwhile Russia finally awakens and comes out to join us.



My jaw drops at her many, many tales.

"Russia! How-how are you feeling???"

(Russia) "Like I have the weight of the world on my ass."

She grumps her way across the room to check out her reflection in an antique mirror.

Leviathan:

I whip my head in the direction of Maud's whining sounds and get off the building to join them on the ground.

Gideon asks a... Fair question, now that we were no longer running around caught up in the chase.

I Look them over truly taking in their forms now.

They did look.... Not just squid inkling kraken-y... There was oddly a dragon element to it as well... It make me think of my Zhang heritage. Had they been Zodithan cursed humans and hadn't known it given the whole.. Orphan thing?

I look over my tentacles and chest then look at a building we were next to, trying to catch my reflection to see what I looked like.

My blue eyes widen and I slightly gape. Woah. Sways slightly side to side taking it in.

Who knew I was so attuned to the family spirit? Er... That's not exactly a great thing, is it?.. At least it's not supposed to be... But I don't feel very monster-y at the moment...

I look back at them.

Wow, we all do look alike. Tentacle dragon-y...

(("Hmmm. Well you look like dragons... And the only real dragon-like thing I'm aware of is the Zodithan clan humans. Maybe you're both descended from the Zhang family like I am, and that's why your dragons, mixed with your... Squid and siren.")) I lift up my tentacles and lower them in a 'shrug'. (("Like.. Maybe us hanging out reconnected the family ancestral spirit to you? ...I dunno."))

I try to gaze at them with my genetic vision, but I didn't have much hope in that regard. Like I had said, I only was aware of Zodithan which was a 'curse'. If they were part other alien that I never met and knew of it wouldn't help at the moment.

As genetic sequences scrolled through my mind going, I wag my tail at Maud's compliment, then wince when it smacks against some building walls behind me.

(("Thanks. You look bad ass.")) Which I felt was the truth, though I wonder if that was the best compliment I should have given.. Either way my brain wont catch up with my mouth as I impulsively and bluntly continue. (("Like you look like you could eat someone but maybe you won't cause you're too nice about it. But you totally could. That kind of bad ass. Powerful but restrained. Bad ass.")) Gives a firm nod of conviction at my word.

I look to Gideon, one eye wincing at the shift of data in my head.

(("And you look cool too. Like a cool Water dragon.")) I know I said cool twice.. It just seemed like the only right word for it. Give me a break, genetic gaze multitasking is using up a lot of mind space here.

Weirdly I was picking up.... Goldfish?... Or well something like that... (My Zodithan genetic knowledge had unconsciously catalogued Goldfish that I ate it and I had know they were 'goldfish'.) The DNA was different though. Distant... Like an evolutionary ancestor. Maybe they were some other species that descended from goldfish?

Or... Was I just picking up the goldfish we all ate?.. And it was weird cause, I dunno, mixed up with other food stuff and was confusing it with their biologies?... Can I see the genetics of a person's stomach contents?? ...Maybe I'm not doing this right...

Even the other species I should know like Siren and human were off too... Reading like more evolutionary genetic drift to file away as updates to the ziro genetic knowledge bank. But then... They were experimented on... So maybe that's why they seem.. Off...

It's then I'm reminded of cousin's vague speech... He was trying to do something, right?... Everything had happened so fast I had forgotten about it. Change... Like the humans had been changed by the Overlord... And he had tried to take the title...

I shake my head, refocusing on the present at Gideon's question of turning back.

I bound up and down a little as Maud was able to do it. I watch, keeping quite. Not wanting to distract her. But it seems like it may have stalled out. Hmm..

It was ironic wasn't it? I was so many things that can change form I should know this. But my life was spent trying to look and act human. I wasn't like Lulu...

I feel a slight wave of illness thinking of the whole... Illumicero thing...

(("Um... Hmm... Uh.."))

I think we were calm and dry... So... That doesn't seem to help...

(("Lets go ask one of my cousins or my uncle. They'd know."))

I look around and try to Ziro-sense my family.

...

They were in different places...

Hmmm.

Takes the initiative and leads the way to the closest one.

Desmond:

Stares wide-eyed at Russia.

Tails... So many tails...

Feline instinct distracting me from the sadness.

Has a great impulse to give her a tongue grooming.

Eye twitches.

(Juliet): *In the distance muffled in the cellar.* "Wow! There are so many cells for reeducation conditioning here!" *She proceeded to have kinky thoughts.*

*The siren boy who had first been staring at the white bat and then at Russia, responds to Juliet's shout.

(Dave): "Ooo. Where's that?"

He proceeds to try to figure out where in the world to head off too given the size of the mansion.

Spellbound by Russia over at reeducation center mentioned.

"Wait, what!?"

Ugh... I feel sick. Why are they so happy about that.

Sits on the floor nausious.

 

Leviathan:

Wow, Dad's brother looked so cool! It was really unfortunate that I don't get long to witness his fascinating biology as we come across chaos!

There was some weird fleshy thing sinking into the ground along with a bunch of other people and stuff!

Suddenly water geysers up from the ground and- Ah! (("Gideon!"))

I instinctively reach out tentacles to him, as a slurry of mud current rushes past my scales going down into the depths that were sinking into the planet. I suddenly find myself sliding along with it!

Shrieks and flails tentacles about trying to claw into the mud wave to reach the ground underneath. I panic gasp and sputter and nearly choking on the mud. My breaths and coughs come out in cold puffs. The mud starts to freeze around my body (unknowingly caused by me due to my panic) and I start to feel trapped with ice forming around my tentacle limbs. AHHH!

Gotta stop the water! Gotta stop the water! My mind screams.

I gaze around freaking out and catching sight of the geyser again and forcing myself to focus on it. Water.

My body shakes in adrenalin, cold clouds of air coming from my nose, as I stare hard in concentration as I try to focus on keeping the water up. Up in the air, spinning and flowing in a sphere. The water ball gets bigger and bigger as more and more water is added and cold fumes radiate off the sphere.


I feel the ground wearing away underneath me, also slipping into the gorge. I get jostled and cold water from the sphere jostles and some spills.

Debris and things flew around in the wind. I wince and shut my eyes, but maintain the sensations of the cold water as I duck my head down while something flies fast directly this way. My head is big though, and I hear and feel an impact as it smacks into my horns and tumbles and flips away.

The current lightens up at Greg's bending as I reopen my eyes and gaze around wide-eyed desperately, reaching out tentacles to Gideon and Maud to help them away from the edge. But where was safe!? Even the way we came before at the rest of the city seemed to be going down!

The panic and dread build. No! No! No!

The water sphere suddenly freezes and drops like a stone, onto the gyser's hole like an ice plug. The ground cracks around it at the impact.

Leviathan:

I stare wide-eyed at the orb.

Where we all going to freeze to death!? Was the temperature dropping that quickly??

There was a lot of snow...

I look to Maud at her yell.

(("Sorry! Sorry!")) I apologize thinking how the water mud had even been freezing around me. I guess I should have- I dunno actually.

I spit out mud coughing. More icy air filled my vision.

I see movement and look over and gape at Gideon.

Gideon was... He was...

I don't understand it but I don't have to. He was flying regardless.

I struggle against the ice that has formed around my tentacles and manage to use my other tentacles to push the ringlets of ice off.

I use my tentacles in a shoving off to my sides pattern ahead of me through the icy sludge as I crawl slither to Maud and look up at the misty sky where Gideon had gone off to, then look around.

The ground continues cracking and more water seeps and spirts through.

The remains of the castle had sunk and more dirt and snow were filling in after it.

Panic churns in my stomach as I hyperventilate, more puffs of cold air around us.

Shoot! More ice starts forming and I bat it away with my tentacles.

I look to Maud and myself and try to think.

I think of water and blood bending. Could I do both of us at once??

Maybe I could pick her up and bend myself??

I don't know how long I could keep that up though before making myself pass out from lack of blood flow and I don't want to hurt Maud. But It's not like we had any other options.

(("Um, I'm gonna try something."))

My tentacles scoop up Maud and I try to focus on bending my body up.

I feel pressure and fluid compound up under my scales as I lift.

Up. Up.

I feel my body start to lift.

Then I made the mistake of looking down at my body.

Woah... My head sways and my body jerks back to the ground again.

(("Sorry.")) I wince, hoping I didn't hurt her.

It was so weird. It was hard to explain. Thinking and focusing on going up while looking down was just... confusing and nauseating and hurt my brain. Ow.

I tilt my head up and look to the sky towards Gideon and Uncle and try to bend up again and we rise up.

Russia:

I stare at my mutation for a long while not entirely sure what to think of it.

I should be happy. I did not simply gain one tail or the full 9, but 10, 10 tails!

It was unheard of! Too good to be true!

I choose to project grumpiness to the others while I process this new development, expecting something to go terribly wrong.

(Mer) "Desmond why don't you take a seat at the table?"

She suggests sensing his change of mood.

(Mer) "The soup is probably done now, I'll have it out in a second."

She runs out while I project myself several times over to round up the children and everyone else to come to the table.

Dinner was ready :/

Juliet:

(Desmond): "Alright... Thanks..." He pushes himself up and goes over to the table.

I come back upstairs with the others and breathe in the smell of soup.

"Ooo!"

I feel a pang of hunger pain in my gut.

Food... It's been so long....

I guess I should fuel up... Can't find the King on an empty stomach. Well.. I probably could... But I might pass out a lot on the way... Either way, I hope the soups edible!

I take out a chair.

The old lady and some dude were chatting. Something about a smokey feather?

I dunno what that's about.

Desmond looks distant in thought.

I jump when the old lady bangs on the table talking about a power grab of some kind. Then starts eyeing us.

...

I think the old lady is a Dom. Or maybe she's in charge of the reeducation cells here... Or both...

...

I look to the soup.

"What type is it?" I ask cheerily off topic.

Mer:

I rush into the kitchen and take the pot off the heat before it boils over.

After stirring a little while longer I take out a few bowls and mugs to divide what I can to each guest.

There wasn't much.

I decide not to dish out a serving for myself and it appeared the woman who somehow managed to make clothes from the bedding already wouldn't require one either.

I then remember Klaus not requiring a dish either - a completely separate issue I had yet to address.

I give the children the mugs and the adults the bowls.

When asked what the soup was I hesitate.

"Um a bit of everything I suppose."

Whatever we could find. Some meat, beans, maybe a potato-like vegetable or two.

I did not question the meat, Russia was the one to get it for us.

A familiar looking woman congratulates us on our success.

I appreciated the positivity despite such great loss. 

She then vocalizes her concerns on us remaining idle down here while the surface was open for takeover.

"Duly noted, perhaps now is as good a time as any for each of you to explain what went on in the castle? Along with any knowledge of what exactly is contaminating the air right now would be most helpful."

I suggest while handing out dinner to everyone who chose to be present at the table.

Hepaci:

I eye the female with 4 arms that could maybe be some fucked up experiment made out of Juliet's head at least. Her body I duno... the Overlord did like patchwork.

I remember the traumatizing monster and glad I wasnt on that gurney!

She seemed interesting in eating the soup.. maybe she wont rip our throat out.. .maybe...
Ah who am I kidding,this slop doesn't have enough nutrients for a normal bastard let alone some FREAK.

Mer asks what's going on in the castle prior the explosion.

"Outside clearly, generic experimentation....?"

I murmur.

"I want real conformation too that they are all DEAD. If just one royal made it, I bet they could make any of you rampage and kill us all hybrid mind fuck style. That's the price upgrades cost isnt it?"

Why would this be any different.

I shove the soup back to Meredith, not going to eat her food.

Must she be so annoyingly selfless ..blahhhhh

Veru enjoyed his mug purring and fluttering his wings.

Too bad Juliet's a super solider freak or I'd get free child care out of this...
*inner sigh*

Desmond:

I consider if I should start from the beginning of when I last saw Mer and tell her everything since or just get to the point.

As I ponder this, Juliet peers around her soup and brings it up to her lips to sip from her bowl.

Her eyes widen and she chokes and coughs her soup at Hep's talk of all the royals being dead.

She sniffs.

(Juliet): "Don't say such a thing!"

"They're gone..." I add in. "I... Had been linked to..."

I trail off for a moment looking down at the table wondering what do I even call him now.

I continue on slowly.

"Bash, Mer... and Beo.... Though the senses... I... I felt them die... The link is.. gone now."

(Juliet): "No! No we can't feel them but- But they have to be somewhere!" She says desperately. She hadn't seen a dead body which meant there had to be hope! Right?? He and Mer couldn't just have died right then right at the moment of their wedding and not come back like everyone else!... Right?

Dave just looks at us blankly, not knowing anything.

"It's... Possible they could revive..." Like I revived... "But I haven't felt anything... At least I don't think I have..."

I continue to look at nothing on the table in thought as I just feel...

"I was never very good at distinguishing whose emotions and pains were whose... But... I think I'm alone now... All there is is this... this aching void... Beyond myself."

Russia:

I watch the little mermaid try to copy her kitten friend with the soup.

It was really cute.

Unfortunately my attention is brought back to the main subject of the table.

What happened..

(Mer) "I'm so sorry Desmond. That must be hard."

She tries to push passed her own grief to be encouraging for him.

Klaus really needed to get out here and own up to the bomb thing.

I glance back but the guy was still hiding.

"So were you all just being experiment on the whole time?"

I ask trying to steer the conversation back to where it was originally intended.