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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
| + | #REDIRECT [[ADanceOfAngels]] |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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| − | | |
| − | == Feathers, Silence and Chaos ==
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| − | A dark room on the back of the clinic....
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| − | A supply room cleaned up, dark, damp, unpainted, the walls showing the effects of moisture and abandon... empty and dark, save for chair, table and lantern arranged there for their interrigation.
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| − | Outside high windows, birds perch, of the sorts that begun appearing on Spire so much after the takeover.... crows, cawing ominously as the Priest comes to his senses and sees those surrounding him...
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' Iselsis was sitting calmly on a crate, her arms crossed and her face invisible, staring at her lap. As if she were sleeping. Maybe she was. Maybe she was merely waiting. Like in the church, her scarf is done up over the lower half of her face, and her hat is drawn low. Even if her head wasn't lowered, not much but her eyes would be visible.
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| − | She looks up at the awakening of the 'priest'.
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| − | "Days. Our guest is awake."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Perfect."
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| − | Monkey kippups bonelessly and stretches, joints popping as he looks most hungrily at the priest. "So! Welcome back to the land of the living, my friend! You're going to be answering some questions for me and my friend here... if that isn't too much trouble, of course!" Days idly rubs at the bandages around his neck, momentarilly frowning. "Be thankful I'll save my promise until the end."
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "Don't bother trying to go immaterial. You've been chained twice, and you wouldn't get far anyhow without your personal effects. Thanks for those, by the way, I'm sure someone on our side will be able to make good use of those."
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| − | She hops off the crate and her wings flex visibly out from behind her, to their rather impressive full wingspan.
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| − | '''Priest: ''' The Priest looks up... very much like a monk, head shaved, most of his hair shaved... well fit. His eyes covered by dark bulges, poor sleep, terror. He looks up, testing his chains, then grunting something that shows he realises his predicament. "So, you have me. What now?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "We talk. Or, rather, you talk and we listen. You seem to know more of the situation than we do, so we're more than willing to hear what you know! All of it. And we are also completely unafraid to harm you to within a hair of your life should you be uncooperative. If you're a good boy, we '''might''' consider letting you live. If you're bad..."
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| − | Monkey smiles, looking in the man's eyes and seeing the strength of his soul. "Maybe I could have a taste of your soul..."
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "Either way", Ise quickly adds, "you'll be better off than had you succeeded. Do you really think beings like that give one whit about your life? When you had served your purpose it would've done things more horrifying than I can dream of and our raksha friend here could steal from dreams."
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| − | She narrows her eyes a bit "But don't let that make you think it'll be pleasant."
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| − | '''Priest: ''' "Harlot. I would die for what I believe. You wish to murder me? I would simply rise stronger than before. Give me murder! Release me from the mortal coil! But my lips shall remain sealed, monsters. We fight for the purity of the Underworld, not the mad, chaotic places that spawn creatures such as you!"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "Rise? Oh, you silly ghostblooded... you have no idea who you're dealing with...", the faceless figure giggles at him.
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| − | "Oh, Days, would you like to soften him up a bit? This one's a bit too fiesty for my tastes."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Very well." Days promptly seats himself right in the priest's lap, eyes glittering and hands clasping the sides of his head. "Now, my friend.. you are stout of heart and strong of will... I do not approve of this. I do not approve at all. So what we're going to do is very simple. Tell me... how much do these dead gods of yours fill you with courage, righteous indignation, fury? Tell me..."
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| − | His appearance suddenly becomes also fiendish. "Tell me so that I may suck the very marrow out of those dreams' bones...." He reverts, purring. "Or, you can calm down and tell us something interesting and useful! The choice is yours."
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| − | '''Priest: ''' "My choice is to '''not''' tell you anything you would find useful, vile creature! My lips are sealed! Do to me what you will, and I will say nothing! Nothing! I have already done something I should not... the worst you cna do to me is nothing compared to what Calobis will." He shivers only slightly at the sight of the thing in his lap, at the feeling of the immaculate snowy skin.... only slightly.
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She just giggles again when he says the worst they can do is nothing compared to what Calobis will. Rather disturbing, really.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Calobis! We have a name! Good, good..." Monkey coos, giving the priest's cheek a lick. "But that's not enough... so I will ask one last time. Speak... speak, or I will surely do what I have promised. Perhaps more... "
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| − | '''Priest: ''' "'''Never! '''" The priest calls out in anger, spitting on the Raksha's face!
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| − | "Wish I had not let my Lower Soul take control before... I should do so now, and rip your frozen heart from your chest!"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "Your lower soul would still be chained, silly little thing."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Monkey... calmly licks the spittle away as it trickles down, cackling.
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| − | "You were warned."
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| − | And then... a kiss. A full-on, growling kiss... but there is no passion in it. Merely anger, merely desire, merely '''hunger'''. Monkey surrenders, if but a moment, to that deep-down feeling that demands he suck the meat from this man's spiritual bones. He reaches, he grips, he pulls, he tears, maws gnashing at the priest's courage... the feel of him rising tall and brining devouring fire to those that would eventually defeat him... the smug satisfaction of enslaving the innocent with the cat-spirits... anything, everythimg, he metaphysically tears at, like a starved dog ripping into a meaty bone.
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| − | ''FEED ME! ''
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| − | '''Priest''': The birds caw.
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| − | Calling, joining more of them to watch the spetacle.
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| − | As a predator, a kin, begins to feast.
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| − | Feasting into his values. Feasting into his convictions, feasting into his courage. Feasting into his victories, as he broke opponents on a Circle for the title of High Priest. As he helped bend Virdynn to his will. As he was chosen for the task of serving the Great Hekatonkire. His desire for greatness. His pride in his own prowess. His arrogance in wielding the Eye of Destruction. All of... it tastes of power-lust, of fanatical fever of victory, of courage embittered by sacrifices, excused by blood. It tastes dirty and grim.
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| − | And his eyes, for the first time, tremble, as all is silent aside from the cawing of he birds...
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days''': Monkey slowly, slowly, suckles at the priest's tongue as he pulls back, rumbling deep in his chest. Once the tongue is free, he chuckles, staring into those fear-riddled eyes. "Do you see now? Do you understand? Does it all make sense now? I had warned you... and you didn't listen. Now your might is in my belly, and you are all alone."
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| − | '''Iselsis''': The faceless figure simply stands passively and watches this, arms crossed.
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| − | And when the raksha has had it's fill, she speaks.
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| − | "Now, should I show him exactly what it is he's dealing with? Exactly what ill fate it is he desires?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days''': Days rolls off of the man's lap, landing perfectly on his feet and brushing himself off. "Indeed you may, my friend! The floor, as they say, is all yours." He bows, offering the priest up to Iselsis.
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' And so it is.
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| − | The shadow looms over her, as she tosses her hat to the side and pulls the scarf from her face. It's not that she is horrific looking, even far from it, she would be quite presence if it wasn't for that... something. That unquantifiable presence that lingers, a presence that while invisible hints at something far more terrible in it's wrath. Something greater than even the greatest of those who dwell in Creation. Something greater even than Creation itself, something with wrath incomparable.
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| − | And as her wings stretch behind her, the shadow creeping over her features, she steps towards the priest. Slowly, but surely, she inches closer, like a predator toying with it's food. Her lips quirk into a smirk, and her fangs show. The horns on her head. The pointed unnaturally formed ears. The eyes.
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| − | Her eyes. Those cold blue eyes, windows. Windows to that terrifying presence that looms over her. And with every second that passes her features grow gaunt, terrifying, showing that she is the perfectly pure recepticle for retribution. For wrath. For death.
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| − | She leans down an inch away from the priests face, giving him a good look into the eyes, and the ''thing'' behind them, looking at him looking at it. "Look into the face of your wildest dreams, heretic priest. Is ''this'' what you wanted!?"
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| − | A claw snaps out as the shadow looms ever greater and clutches his throat "Is it!? Did you want to be the slave of something terrifying? ''Then behold what you wish for and despair! ''", she barks, her voice seeming to modulate and resonate with one that is not her own.
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| − | A twisted dragon, made of shadow and air slithers out from behind the back of the demon woman, seeming to lick it's lips as it stares at a potential meal.
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| − | "If I were to unmake you, you would not go to lethe, or see the horrors of the underworld! You would only feel the cold hands of ''oblivion'' as I ripped into your essence patterns and souls. All it would take is the merest ''thug''..."
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| − | The claws dig into his skin, drawing blood, to emphasize her point.
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| − | | |
| − | "And it would unravel like so much worthless ''thread''. You would be unmade, and the last thing you would see is these eyes..."
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| − | Her eyes. It was in her eyes! Watching, despairing, raging, wanting to bring silence to everything.
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| − | And now, the priest knew what exactly it was he had woken and stirred, what he had desired.
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| − | ... How much worse this woman could do to him than his master ever could.
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| − | | |
| − | ... How terrible in all it's beauty the price of power could be.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Monkey sees the unraveling thing, the void-like terror rising from her, within her.
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| − | Snow Monkey simply cannot hide the ensuing shudder, even as he continues to look smug and sated.
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| − | '''Priest: ''' His tongue disengaging from the monkey's, the Priest felt the... cold. The absence. All was so cold. Touching his naked skin, the cold. How come he had not felt the cold before? How come the birds' sounds and ruffling feathers hadn't made him uneasy before? How come? How come he hadn't noticed the fangs and muscles of Raksha and Demoness...? How come....? And the Monkey's touches... making him feel so used, just something to be thrown around, touched whenever the monkey wishes...
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| − | And like that, cold, shivering, humilliated, empty... he looked into Iselsis' eyes.
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| − | And his own trembled. Opening, blank. A silent wail on his lips, as they quivered, trembled, tried to scream without words... without a sound. Unmade. Wish. Despair. Thread. Unravel. Thug. Oblivion. Cold. He wished to repeat all of that, his mind doing so until they ''branded'' into the front of his forehead, burning in his mind...
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| − | Tears begun to flow freely, as he looks at them, breaking in little pieces, filled with wordless '''despair'''
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| − | And the birds caw, as if in enjoyment for his just desserts.
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' And as suddenly as it came, she steps back and does her scarf back up, picks up her hat, flicks some dust off the edge, and puts it back on again.
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| − | "You will tell us... everything."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "You heard the nice lady. It's time to fess up."
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| − | '''Priest: ''' He struggles to find the words. He tries. He fidgets. Shivers run through him so fast he seems to vibrate. He seems about to scream as he cannot find the words... "But... I... no... no... I don't know... I don't know where to begin, no, nooo, don't do that to me, noooo..."
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She glances to the side at Days quizically.
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| − | | |
| − | "Do you think we may have overdone it?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "It will take a little time for him to acclimate to lost strength." Days kneels in front of the priest, amiling. "It will not happen... simply calm and speak. Talk. Tell us, and it does not matter where you start. Do this, and the terror will not come to you. It is that simple. Your fate lies in your hands."
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| − | '''Priest: ''' "I... but... I do not know where to begin. I will tell you. Anything, everything! Just tell me what you want to know! I might bore you, annoy you, I... I don't want to! Just tell me. Please. I... I...." He looks at Days, pleading. As if she was the only ally he had in the whole wide word.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "We want to know more about who it is that you serve, why you serve, and that this being's goals and plans truly are. Take your time. It's alright..." He looks Iselsis' way for a moment.
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' Who simply nods sternly.
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| − | Good cop, bad cop, and all that.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "So... we are listening." Monkey idly pats the man's knee, almost as if comforting the poor, lost soul.
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| − | ''A pity I'm going to have to hurt you anyway. ''
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| − | '''Priest: ''' The Priest looks up at them... shaking.
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| − | "I... serve Calobis. I fought so much to get into his order... the Most Holy Crimson Knights. Learned the Murder Psalm by heart. We... we came into Spire to raise armies. We had this... this plan. While the Prophet brought gods to our side, the Disciple killed others... we... we were preparing the sacrifice. In each and every temple..."
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| − | "We wished... we were going to make this great ritual... and bring death to every single living person on Spire... an army of undead... a grand prayer to the Neverborn... and the final awakening of the seals in Spire, leading to it becoming our weapon.."
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| − | "But before we could set it up, you beat the General... who was going to receive the army... so... so we have been hiding... the ritual would now kill you... each and every one of you...."
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| − | His words are shaking.<br>
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| − | The birds begin to beat against the window.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "And, of course, that all went horribly awry. Exalts are good at ruining well-laid plans... others, and their own." Monkey chuckles, arms on his knees as he listens with perked ears. "In any case, things are boned up. Was there any sort of contingency plan in place? Any 'what if' that would happen if something went wrong?"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' Meanwhile Ise siddles up to Days and subtly nudges into... him. And whispers: "Which one is the Disciple again? I lose track of exalts trying to kill us."
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| − | '''Priest: ''' He looks up... a little embarassed... shy, even... like an army recruit who has to tell a grand general that he is... well... wrong. "... something... went wrong? I was not supposed to destroy the temple, no.... not in the least... we are supposed to be in the temples... praying... when the ceremony is done. But... but nothing went wrong there, did it? Have you already destroyed Calobis? Then why are you even asking me this...?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: '''"Does not ring a bell, aside from it not being one I've heard to have been horribly slaughtered." Days shrugs, then looks at the Priest, grinning. "Oh, the very fact that we're here means that something is wrong. Because, naturally, we won't stand for such actions, especially from the dead. Perhaps we're too late to stop one thing, but we will certainly halt the others... so, you're saying there's no retreat plans, nothing should even success not be enough? Heh, typical cocky graverobbing bastards... they think too much like faeries."
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| − | '''Priest: ''' "We ''are'' the contingency plan... we were here to raise the General's army, and if all failed, to kill all of you once you took over Spire. The last hope behind enemy lines. And good thing you have taken Calobis... I sent the Virdynn to take the books where knowledge of the Virdynn themselves, but more importantly, of the ritual we were about to make, were written... so when the skies ran red, you had no way to defend... and we were about to begin..."
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "Where are the other temples and hideouts inside Spire located?", she demands of the poor quivering naked man before her.
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| − | '''Priest: ''' "All over... I am not sure where. The other temples... and Calobis is on... he is..."
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| − | The birds continue to beat against the window. It begins to crack.
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| − | It's so many, there is no light coming into the room anymore.
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| − | The Priest is not able to look, chained as he is, but he just looks at his captors... "Is that... birds?"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' And then she ''finally'' notices the birds. The goddamn birds!
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| − | "Days! Get him out of here, now!", she snaps, her repeaters flipping up and spinning into her hands as they usually do whenever she perceives even the slightest threat.
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| − | '''????: ''' ... no, it is no Sorcery. Not any Sorcery she knows, it is not Flight of Separation...
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| − | | |
| − | ... but it is not wholly dissimilar. It is one entity... or maybe more...
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| − | | |
| − | ... and then they break through, cawing, breaking the window, pouring in like a broken dam...<br>
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| − | ...and not just from there, as beaks begin to slam against the door...
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Birds? Birds? Uh... oh, fuck all." Days is at attention and ready to fight in an instant, but frowns heavily at the sight of '''so fucking many birds'''. "I must admit... the dead things know how to make an entrance." That said, he quickly moves to snap the man up. "Shall we be off?"
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| − | '''Priest: ''' He sees the birds going in, cawing...
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| − | "Oh no... why... why didn't I... it's '''her'''..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' And then.... there is only snow and ice on the wind as Snow Monkey, injured and moderately annoyed Snow Monkey, bolts out and away as fast as his mighty semi-existant legs can take him, all while holding the priest tightly. "You know, your bosses are absolutely sore losers, and it's really a terrible thing to be! Now hold on tight!" Monkey suddenly bursts into a display of prismatic lights, even as he leaps out towards the door, Owl and Serpent extending in his striking hand to deal with the whole escaping problem.
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' A hand reaches briefly up to her hat and she flings it, sailing through the air like a chakram, for the monkey man to catch. "Hold that for me.", she says, her eyes still fixed on the window and the birds about to pour in and fill the room around her.
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| − | She stands serenely, repeaters in hand, waiting for them.
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| − | ''Come to me now, o servants of the dead''<br>
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| − | ''Come to me, and give me your stagnance''<br>
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| − | ''Come to me, and give me your gift''<br>
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| − | ''For the fire of the thousand hells course through my veins''<bR>
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| − | ''A vessel for purification''
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| − | ''Lets dance, o unholy ones''<br>
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| − | ''And see which of us is the greater power''<br>
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| − | ''See which triumphs; good, or evil''<br>
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| − | ''Tonight '''justice''' shall be meted out''<br>
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| − | ''Come to me now and despair''
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| − | ''For the Righteous Devil fears no evil''
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| − | And so she stands as the black birds pour in through the window, her anima starts swirling as the birds swirl around her like a black whirlpool of death, covering her in feathers.
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| − | | |
| − | And yet she stands serenely...
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| − | Waiting for the ''opportune moment''. She would only get one shot.
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| − | '''????: ''' All around them, the birds fly... pecking, wishing to peck out their eyes...
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| − | Crows, mostly.
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| − | Pecking, pecking, pecking, so many... only around Iselsis. Forgetting Days, flocking around Iselsis, called by the Righteous Devil... like the carrion birds of the desert, flocking around the Woman Whose Scent is Death... the incarnation of the Righteous Devil!
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| − | The Birds do not follow Days... and a figure begins to appear. The Birds flock, most of them, to a dark corner of the room.... forming a sillhouette with their feathers, a sillhouette of a humanoid bird, with large wings that seem to obscure all of the room... or are those the birds? No, it is the birds, but forming the figure.... all... both... but the two eyes, amidst the many birds, shine... "I am Monev. Knight of Avia, Northern Crow. Hand over the Priest, and I shall spare you. Deny... and I shall have your eyes."
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She waits as the birds peck at her, as blood seeps into her closed eyes, feeling the warmth of it on her face.
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| − | ''Steady... ''
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| − | She forces the pain to the back of her mind. Forces herself to wait...
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| − | ''Steady... ''
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| − | Wait until they're all clustered around her, ready to peck out her eyes. All just in reach of her fire, of her cleansing flame.
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| − | And then, the moment comes, her hands shoot out, the repeaters akimbo, sparks fly and suddenly...
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| − | Fire everywhere. Blinding white fire, exploding off her, rolling off her, consuming everything in the room and leaving nothing but ashes. Again she had to resort to the dreadful secrets that had charred her master.
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| − | She found him, his face bloody. Thought he was dead for a while.
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| − | She sobbed. Asked him for forgiveness. And he simply left, never to be seen again.
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| − | ''Did I fail you, master? ... Or was I simply better than either of us could have ever hoped? Will I ever find out? ''
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| − | All these thoughts roll through her head, the last stream of unconscious thought before the dragon of air forces her back, making her a mere spectator.
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| − | Her instincts kick in, she is no longer devil, person, or windian. Her mind consumed with a single thought:
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| − | '''''SURVIVE'''''
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| − | <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
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| − | Fire.
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| − | Ashes.
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| − | It all turns to ash.
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| − | * And behind her, Days can see the fireball coming.... scorched feathers flying through the air, as the death-scream of countless birds is uttered at once, and the compressed, heated air explodes all walls of the storage room as powerfully as a firedust grenade! The sound is deafening... and the clinic trembles under the roar of the Dragon Iselsis
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Days glances back, feeling the heat and moving the hell out of the way, eyes wide.
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| − | | |
| − | "... '''FUCK''', woman! If you're going to explode yourself, you could at least tell me first!"
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| − | ----
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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