06-27-2018, 07:24 PM
Jaixe flurried the scythe, flowing into a series of swipes, reverse thrusts, and jabs in a dancelike procession, focusing more on the fluidity and focus rather than effectiveness. It was a routine, for him, to train this way every so often, to flex his nonexistent muscles and refocus the mind. He had whittled away the last three days studying the books and his abilities with making and modifying the Heartless he created at the hotel, and was growing weary of the constant research.
It seemed that every datapad, every musty book, every parchment paper, and every experiment done to ascertain the boundaries of this new, foreign reality brought only more questions, more ideas to test, and never any certainties. It was, at this point, truly maddening, that he only found questions and answers in equal measure if he were fortunate, and elsewise nothing more substantial.
And so, in his frustration, he decided to recenter himself, and pushed away all the furniture until he had a clear spot within the center of the room. Or rather, he commanded other Heartless to do the menial labor he deigned not to, and was now observed by five ever-curious bulbous Shadows, their heads tilted slightly in confusion and, paradoxically, mindless wonderance.
He twirled the shaft of the scythe overhead and brought it down in a clean arc, smoothly flowing into the next motion as his body easily continued with the silent rhythm.
And these creatures, He thought, are proving to be rather elusive to my prodding and relentless scouting. And a lack of clear description is making it all the more challenging…
He continued with his routine, flourishing the scythe until it leveled vertically flat behind his arm, blade pointed behind him, held in a careful, purposeful position.
They are careful, perhaps more careful than myself, than to let themselves be seen directly. Only rumors and speculation, some of which point back to myself rather than them. He had been careful, selecting only the targets who he knew wouldn’t be missed. After the hotel incident, which barely registered to anyone but the Underworld, and even then, seemed far more suppressed, he deigned to play it cautiously until he could ascertain the reactions of the Inkeeper and her organization. So far, he has heard nothing. There were no messages, no hidden or coded letters, nobody spied upon him or dared to approach him with vapid conversations with clear “hidden” meanings. The sheer silence bothered him only slightly. If she didn’t want to continue playing, well, that was fine with him.
But that had left him waiting for reactions from something, anything. Someone had to respond to his actions, either her or these mysterious monsters. He didn’t mind the wait, in fact, patience played more into his favor than recklessly acting upon half-accurate or simply false information and vastly imperfect set-ups. Caution, here too in this world, would play into his favor as it always had.
Even if he simply despised waiting for someone to sit at the other side of the board he carefully and thoughtfully set-up, waiting for them to make their move.
He ran through the movements again, the black and scarlet blade of the scythe cleanly slicing through the air in fast, but fine-tuned movements. Idly, his mind traced the blade movements, as he moved with his eyes closed shut to allow him to focus. He could see the lines, like white marks in the blackness, as he felt his body move instinctually from one motion to the next, tension easing from his muscles now that they were properly stretched out and warmed. Any normal man might be strained to keep this routine up for the few hours he had been managing it, sweating profusely, but he was far from a normal human.
He could just barely feel the Shadows watching him, their beady eyes fixated upon their perplexing master. He could command them, like the others, to go out and search for the creatures, but he doubted five more Heartless, amongst a couple dozen, would make much more of a difference to such elusive creatures. And the feeling of being watched, even by such mindless creatures that were incapable of appreciating his training, only added to his routine to ensure he performed it flawlessly.
When he finally finished, breathing out a steady sigh as he relaxed completely, scythe held flat behind his right arm, blade pointed forward and just above the ground, he finally opened his eyes and took in his surroundings again. It was the same hotel room, rented for a pittance of Omnilium by comparison to his growing supply, only now the furniture was left in disarray, shoved to the side nonchalantly, with books and datapads strewn about in barely organized piles. History lay atop the desk, sciences, or what could constitute of such in this unusual reality, atop the bed alongside the theoretical and more obscure works that were hard to classify. Some philosophical and fantastical books were in their own pile on the floor, beside the short dresser. It pained him to treat them all so poorly, but space was suddenly at a premium within the increasingly cramped room. He would need to upgrade, and soon. In fact, it may be long past the time since he should have left this verse, given that the large quantities of text and strange rumors would have drawn the attention of the hotel staff by now. It would be problematic if rumors around his stay here were to become too accurate.
His orange eyes continued to scan the room, registering the five Heartless that sat in odd places. Two, the first two he had made since arriving in this reality, as denoted by their more developed and differently colored thought streams than the others, were nestled under a thin, plain blanket Jaixe had previously conjured as part of a previous experiment, hovering atop a mirror hanging above the dresser, partially molded into the wall. One was staring blankly into the mirror, regarding the parallel world that look so similar, and yet backwards to their own. They watched and explored with genuine interest and an ever-growing curiosity, seeking out what they saw as new. Unfortunately, that turned out to be most things to creatures that were typically simple-minded. This, in turn, led to more than a few broken pieces of furniture, including some light fixtures, and scared neighbors in other rooms, which worsened to the point that there simply weren’t any around Jaixe’s own room now. Though it was pleasant to not have others nearby to disturb him in any way, the sheer frequency by which the duo caused trouble made it seem hardly worthwhile. The other three, featuring substantially less personality than their seniors, were placed almost evenly across the room, sitting idle, waiting. Watching.
He breathed in and out again, more a gesture than a need really, given his lack of lungs, and unconjured his scythe, letting it fade into an array of colors and light that reabsorbed into him. He began to ponder what else he could do to occupy his thoughts while he waiting when he finally received the message he had been waiting for, delivered by a nearby Heartless he didn’t see, but registered the existence of all the same.
A meeting had been prepared, and a place selected.
Finally, Jaixe thought with a tinge of relief, I have been waiting for far too long.
------
It smiled, its sharp, almost needle-like teeth bared as it regarded the shaking, frightened man that stood before it, holding a knife flutily against itself.
“S-s-stay back! Stay back, m-m-monster!” He shouted, waving the knife in front of him.
Monster? That was harsh. It took careful strides to present itself as but a young, frail woman, with shoulder-length black hair tied back in a ponytail and a few stray locks in front of her face, with a young, attractive face and those signature deep, silvery eyes. Aside from the teeth, it felt that it had done more than just a passable impersonation.
Perhaps he simply failed to recognize art when it stood in front of him.
It couldn’t help but smile broader, somehow, its mouth growing larger than humanly possible as it drew closer to the man, who was trapped in the maze of alleyways with his back to a brick wall, blackened from the pollution and mold.
“Stay back!” He yelled again, striking out at itself.
It morphed, dodging the clumsy strike with ease as it bent itself in an impossible way, the blade slicing only air through a hole within its chest. He dropped the blade in shock and tried to hastily step back, but found himself bound, grabbed by the arm by tendrils of inky blackness protruding from its body, drawing him closer against his will.
“No, no no NO!” He protested, before ink covered his mouth and entire body, swallowing him whole before he was integrated into itself.
His terror and plight were exhilarating to it, adding to the fresh meal that it so desperately desired. It, of course, created another Shadow from the man, not seeking to hold onto his essence or disobey its master’s rather explicit orders. It only sought the crippling fear, the pure and blissful panic that it carefully stoked and stewed as its meal.
And it was more than pleased with how it came out.
That was, until it turned around to see a rather peculiar figure standing at its exit. It wondered who she was. She seemed rather ordinary looking, with a red hoodie, with the hood up, short blonde hair, and a young, but otherwise unassuming face and body, wearing a simple skirt and blouse, and kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket. It regarded her carefully, as she walked slowly up to it. If she heard the man’s screams, then it should take care of her immediately. Though, normally screaming humans were not uncommon in this tier in these dark alleyways, and made the others run or ignore it, not approach its source. This human was different.
She even looked unusual, somehow, in a strange way that it could not describe and found even more unsettling for it.
Nonetheless, its master advised caution, as it commanded the Shadow to morph and hide in the darkness, it stood stoically, waiting for the woman to get closer. Yes… closer, so it could see more of her and understand why she was here.
Though the darkness of the alley worked in her favor to obscure most of her features, the dim light still offered some illumination, allowing it to see what she wore and how she walked. Small details, things most humans would ignore but it found fascinating, as it had to be perfect in its emulation of these strange creatures it called prey.
She stopped a dozen or so feet from itself, standing confidently and unconcerned. Did she see the man it had just eaten? Why was she so unafraid? How boring… and confusing.
It decided to speak first, emulating a woman’s higher-pitched voice with a subtle accent,
“Can I help you? Are you lost, like me?” It asked, carefully thinking of how it should proceed if she were truly a threat.
It seemed that every datapad, every musty book, every parchment paper, and every experiment done to ascertain the boundaries of this new, foreign reality brought only more questions, more ideas to test, and never any certainties. It was, at this point, truly maddening, that he only found questions and answers in equal measure if he were fortunate, and elsewise nothing more substantial.
And so, in his frustration, he decided to recenter himself, and pushed away all the furniture until he had a clear spot within the center of the room. Or rather, he commanded other Heartless to do the menial labor he deigned not to, and was now observed by five ever-curious bulbous Shadows, their heads tilted slightly in confusion and, paradoxically, mindless wonderance.
He twirled the shaft of the scythe overhead and brought it down in a clean arc, smoothly flowing into the next motion as his body easily continued with the silent rhythm.
And these creatures, He thought, are proving to be rather elusive to my prodding and relentless scouting. And a lack of clear description is making it all the more challenging…
He continued with his routine, flourishing the scythe until it leveled vertically flat behind his arm, blade pointed behind him, held in a careful, purposeful position.
They are careful, perhaps more careful than myself, than to let themselves be seen directly. Only rumors and speculation, some of which point back to myself rather than them. He had been careful, selecting only the targets who he knew wouldn’t be missed. After the hotel incident, which barely registered to anyone but the Underworld, and even then, seemed far more suppressed, he deigned to play it cautiously until he could ascertain the reactions of the Inkeeper and her organization. So far, he has heard nothing. There were no messages, no hidden or coded letters, nobody spied upon him or dared to approach him with vapid conversations with clear “hidden” meanings. The sheer silence bothered him only slightly. If she didn’t want to continue playing, well, that was fine with him.
But that had left him waiting for reactions from something, anything. Someone had to respond to his actions, either her or these mysterious monsters. He didn’t mind the wait, in fact, patience played more into his favor than recklessly acting upon half-accurate or simply false information and vastly imperfect set-ups. Caution, here too in this world, would play into his favor as it always had.
Even if he simply despised waiting for someone to sit at the other side of the board he carefully and thoughtfully set-up, waiting for them to make their move.
He ran through the movements again, the black and scarlet blade of the scythe cleanly slicing through the air in fast, but fine-tuned movements. Idly, his mind traced the blade movements, as he moved with his eyes closed shut to allow him to focus. He could see the lines, like white marks in the blackness, as he felt his body move instinctually from one motion to the next, tension easing from his muscles now that they were properly stretched out and warmed. Any normal man might be strained to keep this routine up for the few hours he had been managing it, sweating profusely, but he was far from a normal human.
He could just barely feel the Shadows watching him, their beady eyes fixated upon their perplexing master. He could command them, like the others, to go out and search for the creatures, but he doubted five more Heartless, amongst a couple dozen, would make much more of a difference to such elusive creatures. And the feeling of being watched, even by such mindless creatures that were incapable of appreciating his training, only added to his routine to ensure he performed it flawlessly.
When he finally finished, breathing out a steady sigh as he relaxed completely, scythe held flat behind his right arm, blade pointed forward and just above the ground, he finally opened his eyes and took in his surroundings again. It was the same hotel room, rented for a pittance of Omnilium by comparison to his growing supply, only now the furniture was left in disarray, shoved to the side nonchalantly, with books and datapads strewn about in barely organized piles. History lay atop the desk, sciences, or what could constitute of such in this unusual reality, atop the bed alongside the theoretical and more obscure works that were hard to classify. Some philosophical and fantastical books were in their own pile on the floor, beside the short dresser. It pained him to treat them all so poorly, but space was suddenly at a premium within the increasingly cramped room. He would need to upgrade, and soon. In fact, it may be long past the time since he should have left this verse, given that the large quantities of text and strange rumors would have drawn the attention of the hotel staff by now. It would be problematic if rumors around his stay here were to become too accurate.
His orange eyes continued to scan the room, registering the five Heartless that sat in odd places. Two, the first two he had made since arriving in this reality, as denoted by their more developed and differently colored thought streams than the others, were nestled under a thin, plain blanket Jaixe had previously conjured as part of a previous experiment, hovering atop a mirror hanging above the dresser, partially molded into the wall. One was staring blankly into the mirror, regarding the parallel world that look so similar, and yet backwards to their own. They watched and explored with genuine interest and an ever-growing curiosity, seeking out what they saw as new. Unfortunately, that turned out to be most things to creatures that were typically simple-minded. This, in turn, led to more than a few broken pieces of furniture, including some light fixtures, and scared neighbors in other rooms, which worsened to the point that there simply weren’t any around Jaixe’s own room now. Though it was pleasant to not have others nearby to disturb him in any way, the sheer frequency by which the duo caused trouble made it seem hardly worthwhile. The other three, featuring substantially less personality than their seniors, were placed almost evenly across the room, sitting idle, waiting. Watching.
He breathed in and out again, more a gesture than a need really, given his lack of lungs, and unconjured his scythe, letting it fade into an array of colors and light that reabsorbed into him. He began to ponder what else he could do to occupy his thoughts while he waiting when he finally received the message he had been waiting for, delivered by a nearby Heartless he didn’t see, but registered the existence of all the same.
A meeting had been prepared, and a place selected.
Finally, Jaixe thought with a tinge of relief, I have been waiting for far too long.
------
Quote:Sometime earlier, in Tier 5.
It smiled, its sharp, almost needle-like teeth bared as it regarded the shaking, frightened man that stood before it, holding a knife flutily against itself.
“S-s-stay back! Stay back, m-m-monster!” He shouted, waving the knife in front of him.
Monster? That was harsh. It took careful strides to present itself as but a young, frail woman, with shoulder-length black hair tied back in a ponytail and a few stray locks in front of her face, with a young, attractive face and those signature deep, silvery eyes. Aside from the teeth, it felt that it had done more than just a passable impersonation.
Perhaps he simply failed to recognize art when it stood in front of him.
It couldn’t help but smile broader, somehow, its mouth growing larger than humanly possible as it drew closer to the man, who was trapped in the maze of alleyways with his back to a brick wall, blackened from the pollution and mold.
“Stay back!” He yelled again, striking out at itself.
It morphed, dodging the clumsy strike with ease as it bent itself in an impossible way, the blade slicing only air through a hole within its chest. He dropped the blade in shock and tried to hastily step back, but found himself bound, grabbed by the arm by tendrils of inky blackness protruding from its body, drawing him closer against his will.
“No, no no NO!” He protested, before ink covered his mouth and entire body, swallowing him whole before he was integrated into itself.
His terror and plight were exhilarating to it, adding to the fresh meal that it so desperately desired. It, of course, created another Shadow from the man, not seeking to hold onto his essence or disobey its master’s rather explicit orders. It only sought the crippling fear, the pure and blissful panic that it carefully stoked and stewed as its meal.
And it was more than pleased with how it came out.
That was, until it turned around to see a rather peculiar figure standing at its exit. It wondered who she was. She seemed rather ordinary looking, with a red hoodie, with the hood up, short blonde hair, and a young, but otherwise unassuming face and body, wearing a simple skirt and blouse, and kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket. It regarded her carefully, as she walked slowly up to it. If she heard the man’s screams, then it should take care of her immediately. Though, normally screaming humans were not uncommon in this tier in these dark alleyways, and made the others run or ignore it, not approach its source. This human was different.
She even looked unusual, somehow, in a strange way that it could not describe and found even more unsettling for it.
Nonetheless, its master advised caution, as it commanded the Shadow to morph and hide in the darkness, it stood stoically, waiting for the woman to get closer. Yes… closer, so it could see more of her and understand why she was here.
Though the darkness of the alley worked in her favor to obscure most of her features, the dim light still offered some illumination, allowing it to see what she wore and how she walked. Small details, things most humans would ignore but it found fascinating, as it had to be perfect in its emulation of these strange creatures it called prey.
She stopped a dozen or so feet from itself, standing confidently and unconcerned. Did she see the man it had just eaten? Why was she so unafraid? How boring… and confusing.
It decided to speak first, emulating a woman’s higher-pitched voice with a subtle accent,
“Can I help you? Are you lost, like me?” It asked, carefully thinking of how it should proceed if she were truly a threat.