10-13-2017, 01:51 PM
It's not fair.
Ebony wasn't sure how long the fighting had continued, she just wanted it to end. Her head ached, her ears were sore, and the wounds on her chest made it hard to breathe. Even through the crusty blood blocking her nose, she could still smell the rancid blood of the darklings and the searing of flesh - the stench was etched into her at this point. Finally given the freedom to examine her condition, she retched, covering her mouth with a palm as a thin trail of vomit trickled out. Following that, a small cough escaped her lips. Ebony gasped for breath, unable to inhale through her nose without clawing at the blood. Looking down at the ruined glove, she gagged, bent forwards, heaving; slimy chunks thudded against the floor.
Hastily, she shuffled backwards, tearing off her glove with magic and tossing it as far as she could to the side. She was already accustomed to Morene leaning on her, opting to keep her right arm supporting the woman where possible.
Vaguely aware of the sound of metal clashing against scales and the booming of gun barrels in the distance, Ebony glanced at Sonny as he headed back towards it.
She opened her mouth as if to call out, to yell at Sonny to come back. Only a dry cough came out, forcing her to bring her free hand back to her chest - jerky movements were painful. She wanted him with her. Not over there, not where he could get hurt.
Another set of vibrations ran through Ebony's body as Morene fired a burst of bullets from her gun. Each small jolt from the recoil left a sting in her gut, but none were potent enough override the overwhelming ache of the wound.
Ebony squealed and the unprotected hand gripping her chest slipped into a particularly sticky patch of darkling gore. She shook, trying to flick it off her hand to no avail. Her magic wasn't refined enough to ply it off, so with a shudder, she resorted to wiping it onto her cloak. Her head turned towards Morene while Morene looked back, sensing the whimpers and shaking from the girl. Determined and bloodshot eyes met briefly, before Ebony looked down, eyes rolling over Morene's freshest injury. It's my fault.
If I...
I could have...
She's hurt because of me.
A pang of guilt stung Ebony's mind. Morene was hit by the full force of the strike, and yet Ebony had still considered her own injuries and pain first. I'm so selfish. She flinched as Morene pulled her an inch closer. Ebony could feel the woman trying not to lean on her, but she inevitably did. What was I supposed to do?
She may have longed for home, but at this point, Ebony would have settled for almost anything: anything but this.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice was quiet, and while projected down at the floor, Morene heard it clearly.
It wasn't specifically aimed at her - it was for Sonny too, even if it didn't reach his ears. For everyone. I can't do this anymore.
She looked up, meeting her friend's eyes again. Opening her mouth once more, Ebony tried to speak, to apologise further, to show she really meant it. She couldn't. It was too much. Ebony stumbled, leaning into Morene's chest while still supporting her weight. Her muscles burned, but without the choker stopping it, her magic surrounded them, providing strength she didn't know how to use. The metal was warm and blood covering it smeared onto Ebony's face. Morene flinched from the sudden pressure against her injury, but nonetheless, Ebony arms wrapped around her, fingers weakly intertwined on Morene's back, bringing her into a one-sided hug.
Faint mutterings met Morene's ears, "I just wanna go home," and after a short pause, Morene reciprocated her gesture, gripping the mage's back as tightly as she dared. Despite her firm hold, she could still feel the shaking continue. "I'm useless."
"Honey, if you weren't carrying me right now, I wouldn't be alive."
Ebony mumbled, trying to speak through the wetness trickling down her face. "I-it's my... my f-f-fault. You're hurt because of m-meee-ee." Her voice cracked at the end, opening the floodgates. She trembled, sobbing into Morene's chest.
"Hey now, I didn't want to see the teen not wearing power armour get stabbed."
"...s n-not fai-" She moaned, lips quivering too much to talk coherently. "...t you t-to... huu-urrt." Her head dipped, looking straight down at the bloody floor. Black and red splatters swirled together in the dips between the harsh rocks.
It was too vivid.
Her stomach rumbled, and a hacking cough followed.
Another acidic string of bile trickled down to the floor, meshing with the other pool of fluids.
Disgust. Fear. Pain. She felt hot, faint, dizzy, oblivious to Morene's embrace.
Get away from me.
She pushed, shoving herself away from Morene and landing on a pile of rocks with a crash. Morene winced, not anticipating Ebony's actions and having to drop down to her knees to support her own weight.
Don't touch me.
Ebony leant back, bringing her gloved hand up to her face, frantically trying to wipe away the gore. Small clumps of sticky black blood fell to her sides, but much remained, only being smeared and displaced.
Get off me.
She shook, pushing herself up into a sitting position and trying to brush it off her arms with jerky, erratic movements. It was about as successful as trying to clean a dish with a dirty dishcloth.
I don't want this.
One last tear dripped from a bloodshot emerald eye, leaving a trail down her cheek before dropping down onto her bare leg. Ebony coughed, shaking her arms, trying to flick off the blood. A few specks flew off, some splashed into Morene or the surroundings, and others crashed back into Ebony. She yelped, swinging her head side to side.
A faint glint of metal caught her eye, distracting her for a split second, causing her gaze to linger.
A corpse, a bloody sword held perpendicular to the ground by its chest.
She screamed silently, scuttling backwards out of instinct, flailing her legs to push herself away. An armoured hand waved in front of her vision, groping at the air in front of her. She didn't stop, continuing to grind against the rocky ground.
Her back slammed into a sharp outcrop, grazing one of her shoulders and forcing her to a halt. She winced, heart pumping. The systematic thumping filled her ears.
For a moment she thought she heard someone call her name, someone talking to her. She forgot about it swiftly, placing both palms against her chest wound in an effort to stop the continuing bleeding. It may be been blocked off before, but her movements had ruined the quick fix.
It hurts.
Each breath delivered more pain than the last. Quick breaths, short breaths, long breaths, slow breaths, they were all the same. And in her panic, Ebony had shifted towards the first two.
Make it stop.
Her jaw lay slack as faint gusts of air rushed in and out. Again, she made the mistake of glancing around the battlefield, looking for friends. She could almost see Cap'n's bushy beard, hear his hearty laugh, smell his 'sailor essence' - yet the illusion was lost the moment her eyes strayed over yet another accumulation of carcasses. She jolted back, pushing herself into the outcropping rock in an attempt to move further away. Waving her arm, she willed them away. Wished such things didn't exist.
Her magic heeded her demands, sending a burst of mana spiralling towards the cluster, disintegrating all that remained in a shower of dust and rock.
Ebony stared down at her gloveless palm in shock, before clawing at her neck.
It's gone.
Grime quickly filled the gaps under her nails as the revelation as what she'd done hit her mind.
I'm dangerous.
She'd removed the one thing helping her control her magic.
It hurt to think. She'd carried Morene. One slightly unlucky motion could have...
Ebony didn't want to consider it.
Thoughts, concepts, emotions, feelings, pain. Everything swam through her mind, making it impossible to pick a singular thing out.
She looked around, idly watching a large lizard bat about small people. It looked cool, in a strange way.
Where am I?
She rubbed her temple with clammy hands. She knew where she was, but her most recent memories escaped her.
What happened?
Frowning, she leant back, pulling her knees tight against her chest. Her boots scraped against the floor, belts and buckles jangling. A nagging feeling pushed itself to the front of her addled brain, but even in her lapse of panic, she couldn't decipher its origin. She knew there was something she should be doing, but not what. Not why. Nor when or how.
Or who for.
Everything was too confusing.
Gripping with her arms, she pulled her cloak around her, tightly.
Squelch.
A bone-shattering scream echoed throughout the mountaintop.
Ebony wasn't sure how long the fighting had continued, she just wanted it to end. Her head ached, her ears were sore, and the wounds on her chest made it hard to breathe. Even through the crusty blood blocking her nose, she could still smell the rancid blood of the darklings and the searing of flesh - the stench was etched into her at this point. Finally given the freedom to examine her condition, she retched, covering her mouth with a palm as a thin trail of vomit trickled out. Following that, a small cough escaped her lips. Ebony gasped for breath, unable to inhale through her nose without clawing at the blood. Looking down at the ruined glove, she gagged, bent forwards, heaving; slimy chunks thudded against the floor.
Hastily, she shuffled backwards, tearing off her glove with magic and tossing it as far as she could to the side. She was already accustomed to Morene leaning on her, opting to keep her right arm supporting the woman where possible.
Vaguely aware of the sound of metal clashing against scales and the booming of gun barrels in the distance, Ebony glanced at Sonny as he headed back towards it.
She opened her mouth as if to call out, to yell at Sonny to come back. Only a dry cough came out, forcing her to bring her free hand back to her chest - jerky movements were painful. She wanted him with her. Not over there, not where he could get hurt.
Another set of vibrations ran through Ebony's body as Morene fired a burst of bullets from her gun. Each small jolt from the recoil left a sting in her gut, but none were potent enough override the overwhelming ache of the wound.
Ebony squealed and the unprotected hand gripping her chest slipped into a particularly sticky patch of darkling gore. She shook, trying to flick it off her hand to no avail. Her magic wasn't refined enough to ply it off, so with a shudder, she resorted to wiping it onto her cloak. Her head turned towards Morene while Morene looked back, sensing the whimpers and shaking from the girl. Determined and bloodshot eyes met briefly, before Ebony looked down, eyes rolling over Morene's freshest injury. It's my fault.
If I...
I could have...
She's hurt because of me.
A pang of guilt stung Ebony's mind. Morene was hit by the full force of the strike, and yet Ebony had still considered her own injuries and pain first. I'm so selfish. She flinched as Morene pulled her an inch closer. Ebony could feel the woman trying not to lean on her, but she inevitably did. What was I supposed to do?
She may have longed for home, but at this point, Ebony would have settled for almost anything: anything but this.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice was quiet, and while projected down at the floor, Morene heard it clearly.
It wasn't specifically aimed at her - it was for Sonny too, even if it didn't reach his ears. For everyone. I can't do this anymore.
She looked up, meeting her friend's eyes again. Opening her mouth once more, Ebony tried to speak, to apologise further, to show she really meant it. She couldn't. It was too much. Ebony stumbled, leaning into Morene's chest while still supporting her weight. Her muscles burned, but without the choker stopping it, her magic surrounded them, providing strength she didn't know how to use. The metal was warm and blood covering it smeared onto Ebony's face. Morene flinched from the sudden pressure against her injury, but nonetheless, Ebony arms wrapped around her, fingers weakly intertwined on Morene's back, bringing her into a one-sided hug.
Faint mutterings met Morene's ears, "I just wanna go home," and after a short pause, Morene reciprocated her gesture, gripping the mage's back as tightly as she dared. Despite her firm hold, she could still feel the shaking continue. "I'm useless."
"Honey, if you weren't carrying me right now, I wouldn't be alive."
Ebony mumbled, trying to speak through the wetness trickling down her face. "I-it's my... my f-f-fault. You're hurt because of m-meee-ee." Her voice cracked at the end, opening the floodgates. She trembled, sobbing into Morene's chest.
"Hey now, I didn't want to see the teen not wearing power armour get stabbed."
"...s n-not fai-" She moaned, lips quivering too much to talk coherently. "...t you t-to... huu-urrt." Her head dipped, looking straight down at the bloody floor. Black and red splatters swirled together in the dips between the harsh rocks.
It was too vivid.
Her stomach rumbled, and a hacking cough followed.
Another acidic string of bile trickled down to the floor, meshing with the other pool of fluids.
Disgust. Fear. Pain. She felt hot, faint, dizzy, oblivious to Morene's embrace.
Get away from me.
She pushed, shoving herself away from Morene and landing on a pile of rocks with a crash. Morene winced, not anticipating Ebony's actions and having to drop down to her knees to support her own weight.
Don't touch me.
Ebony leant back, bringing her gloved hand up to her face, frantically trying to wipe away the gore. Small clumps of sticky black blood fell to her sides, but much remained, only being smeared and displaced.
Get off me.
She shook, pushing herself up into a sitting position and trying to brush it off her arms with jerky, erratic movements. It was about as successful as trying to clean a dish with a dirty dishcloth.
I don't want this.
One last tear dripped from a bloodshot emerald eye, leaving a trail down her cheek before dropping down onto her bare leg. Ebony coughed, shaking her arms, trying to flick off the blood. A few specks flew off, some splashed into Morene or the surroundings, and others crashed back into Ebony. She yelped, swinging her head side to side.
A faint glint of metal caught her eye, distracting her for a split second, causing her gaze to linger.
A corpse, a bloody sword held perpendicular to the ground by its chest.
She screamed silently, scuttling backwards out of instinct, flailing her legs to push herself away. An armoured hand waved in front of her vision, groping at the air in front of her. She didn't stop, continuing to grind against the rocky ground.
Her back slammed into a sharp outcrop, grazing one of her shoulders and forcing her to a halt. She winced, heart pumping. The systematic thumping filled her ears.
For a moment she thought she heard someone call her name, someone talking to her. She forgot about it swiftly, placing both palms against her chest wound in an effort to stop the continuing bleeding. It may be been blocked off before, but her movements had ruined the quick fix.
It hurts.
Each breath delivered more pain than the last. Quick breaths, short breaths, long breaths, slow breaths, they were all the same. And in her panic, Ebony had shifted towards the first two.
Make it stop.
Her jaw lay slack as faint gusts of air rushed in and out. Again, she made the mistake of glancing around the battlefield, looking for friends. She could almost see Cap'n's bushy beard, hear his hearty laugh, smell his 'sailor essence' - yet the illusion was lost the moment her eyes strayed over yet another accumulation of carcasses. She jolted back, pushing herself into the outcropping rock in an attempt to move further away. Waving her arm, she willed them away. Wished such things didn't exist.
Her magic heeded her demands, sending a burst of mana spiralling towards the cluster, disintegrating all that remained in a shower of dust and rock.
Ebony stared down at her gloveless palm in shock, before clawing at her neck.
It's gone.
Grime quickly filled the gaps under her nails as the revelation as what she'd done hit her mind.
I'm dangerous.
She'd removed the one thing helping her control her magic.
It hurt to think. She'd carried Morene. One slightly unlucky motion could have...
Ebony didn't want to consider it.
Thoughts, concepts, emotions, feelings, pain. Everything swam through her mind, making it impossible to pick a singular thing out.
She looked around, idly watching a large lizard bat about small people. It looked cool, in a strange way.
Where am I?
She rubbed her temple with clammy hands. She knew where she was, but her most recent memories escaped her.
What happened?
Frowning, she leant back, pulling her knees tight against her chest. Her boots scraped against the floor, belts and buckles jangling. A nagging feeling pushed itself to the front of her addled brain, but even in her lapse of panic, she couldn't decipher its origin. She knew there was something she should be doing, but not what. Not why. Nor when or how.
Or who for.
Everything was too confusing.
Gripping with her arms, she pulled her cloak around her, tightly.
Squelch.
A bone-shattering scream echoed throughout the mountaintop.
Quote:1500 words.
Eb cries, then panicks after noticing she's literally covered in darkling blood (away from the fight).
Scrambles about, and leaves Morene while panicking.
Blows up some rocks and dead darklings (away from the fight).
Continues panicking.
Screams super loud.
n.b. Don't write her being useful. (Although if she gets attacked I don't mind you using an OP to make her use either of her super moves, as long as Blink is chill with it)