09-25-2015, 11:18 PM
Abner slowly stood up, his head spinning and his body screaming in pain. That situation had gone from zero to one hundred in a hurry, and he was still reeling from it. Standing there, still dazed, he looked down as he raised his hands up to eye level, making sure that he was still mostly intact after that experience. Suddenly, his hands clenched into fists, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn't told his body to do that, and it ignored his attempts to open his fists back up. Oh, this was not good.
The sounds of battle could be heard around him. He looked to see his allies beginning to fight amongst each other. It was a chaotic scene, with everyone's vastly different skills and weapons going against one another. Abner's first concern was figuring out who was on who's side. The difference between the possessed and the defenders was key. He dismissed that thought, somewhat longingly, as his feet took a few steps forward without his permission. Because on the other hand, who was on what side didn't actually matter to him too much, since he didn't have control over his own allegiance.
He couldn't help but mentally curse Clayton for getting them into this damned mess. The hunter had instigated this whole fight, and because of that idiot Abner was sharing a skull with some unwelcome presence. It hurt like hell just to think, as with every attempt to express the slightest bit of control over his body the rejection felt like his mind was going through a blender. He couldn't even scream out in agony at the unimaginable pain because of the lack of control over the slightest of functions. The screams just echoed in his brain, as if it weren't already crowded enough in there.
Despite that, he powered through the pain to find the small solace he could in slinging mental insult after mental insult towards the hunter. They obviously didn't make it too far, but Abner was a firm believer that it was the little things that mattered. He wished he could do more, but this angelic being was calling the rest of the shots. As he thought, though, he could feel his hand breaking the snap on his holster, and his palm wrapping around the handle of his pistol. At least he and his new roommate were on the same page about something.
But Abner knew the lesser of the two evils, or at least he had an opinion on them, and fought with all his heart to keep himself from shooting Clayton in the back. It was no use, though, as every fiber of his being ignored his simple demands, and he could only watch through his own eyes as he raised and aimed the firearm at his own reluctant teammate.
As he squeezed the trigger, he was surprised and relieved when his hand was struck by another being, and his aim ruined. Though his arm went across his chest he still pulled the trigger, but the bullet was projected off into infinity. Clayton was unharmed, and Abner slowly turned to see that Christa had been the one to hit his arm and deflect the shot. She looked at him with surprise and regret. He wanted to tell her that he was still here, but nothing would let him do that. Instead, he unwillingly brought his pistol back across his chest and struck the girl across the face with the bottom of it.
Christa fell backwards and landed in a seated position, using one arm to brace herself while the other clutched her bleeding cheek. She glared up at Abner, with plenty of emotions captured in a single facial expression. Abner could see the bewilderment, the betrayal, and the sadness in her eyes as she looked down the barrel of his pistol, which was now aimed directly between her eyes. Oh, and it was Christa, so there was a healthy dose of fury thrown in there, too. Though he hated every action his body made against his will, deep down Abner appreciated the irony of the fact that he had just managed to break free from subtly being a villain for all these years only to now have blatantly become one.
At the same time, though, he refused to let this happen. This being had seized control of his body, and had made even his thoughts feel like a violation of the natural order, but goddammit this was his life and the choices were his. He'd been a little quieter after watching Christa's insane display of power in the swamp simply because he was enamored with her in a way he'd never been before. He couldn't admit it until now, as he was struggling for control of himself, but he was more in awe of her than anyone he'd seen. There was something about every bit of her that he just wanted to know more about.
It was through that intense focus that he managed to gain just a bit of control over himself. In a swift movement he threw his pistol aside, so he was now simply towering over her completely unarmed. She looked relieved as she gazed up into his eyes, realizing that deep down he was still in there and that he was fighting for control. He stared back into hers and realized that she was looking through it all to see the real him.
But fuck, woman. She'd been more than ready to pummel any member of this team to a pulp this whole journey, and now, of all times, she wouldn't get up and beat his ass into the floor with any sort of urgency. He couldn't hold himself back all day. It was a little out of nowhere, but he was reminded of his lost zombie companion, Urg. How many times had the undead being elicited silent screams at the team, with the perfect answer to any problem? God, this was frustrating.
Against his will, he suddenly drew his combat knife from it's sheath. A low, primal roar escaped his mouth. He never would have imagined that he was capable of making such a horrific sound, and he probably outright wasn't without the help of the angel. He went to move in when he was suddenly struck by Crow's boot, which sent him stumbling aside.
He never lost his footing, and after a few awkward steps regained his balance. He stood and turned to see that Christa had manged to get up as well, but now Crow was his nearest friend. His body moved towards the pirate captain and swung the knife towards his throat, but Crow was quick to move aside. The swordsman had the obvious advantage in close quarters combat, but his attempts to not harm Abner as they struggled evened the playing field. He shouted and begged Abner to get a grip come to his senses. The ex-stormtrooper had to admit that he made some pretty good points, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
Crow managed to disarm him, and his knife fell to the floor of the Void. Abner was quick to note the pirate's decision to not draw his sword. He was grateful for that, even if he was showing it in the oddest of ways. He stepped in and swung his fist at Crow's face, rattling his jaw as he stepped into the powerful punch. The captain shoved him back and tried to stay defensive, but the one controlling Abner's body would have none of it.
He watched his body move helplessly, and yet everything seemed more distant every second. The creature was not only taking control of his body but slowly his mind as well. He felt the rush of battle surging through him. His rage boiled up towards his teammates as he slowly began to lose himself in the fight. He couldn't resist because he found himself with less of a desire to do so. He knew he had to fight this, as well, but it was just so overwhelming.
His head rattled as Crow landed a punch across his face, and he returned one in kind. The two's battle had dissolved into an outright brawl, and he felt the sting of every blow. That just made it even harder to focus, and he became more lost with every strike. The angel took full control of his abilities by then, mixed with it's own deep knowledge of this odd land.
"Wake up, matey!" Crow shouted as they exchanged punch after punch. He was able to block some while others connected. The captain was conflicted, as he was doing his best to survive, win, and somehow not harm Abner too badly. The best case scenario was getting him back to his senses, so he continued to yell at him as they battled. "I know yer stronger than this!"
Abner had nearly lost it completely, though. Every second that passed sent him further over the edge. Crow blocked another punch, and this time did hold him by the arm. Abner moved to grab the captain as well, but Crow had already taken a few steps and flung him forwards. Abner ran a few steps forward, not losing his balance like Crow had hoped. Instead he jumped up, with knowledge only the angel could have put in his head, and his left foot connected with a seemingly invisible wall. He pushed off of that and turned in the air, coming back down onto Crow with a powerful sucker punch.
The captain was sent sprawling backwards from the impact, and mixed back into the battle scene. Abner looked across the melee as well, before locking his eyes onto one of his previous targets. All of his thoughts from earlier felt so distant, so hazy. What the hell was this thing doing to him? Without any control, his eyes narrowed as he moved towards Christa.
The sounds of battle could be heard around him. He looked to see his allies beginning to fight amongst each other. It was a chaotic scene, with everyone's vastly different skills and weapons going against one another. Abner's first concern was figuring out who was on who's side. The difference between the possessed and the defenders was key. He dismissed that thought, somewhat longingly, as his feet took a few steps forward without his permission. Because on the other hand, who was on what side didn't actually matter to him too much, since he didn't have control over his own allegiance.
He couldn't help but mentally curse Clayton for getting them into this damned mess. The hunter had instigated this whole fight, and because of that idiot Abner was sharing a skull with some unwelcome presence. It hurt like hell just to think, as with every attempt to express the slightest bit of control over his body the rejection felt like his mind was going through a blender. He couldn't even scream out in agony at the unimaginable pain because of the lack of control over the slightest of functions. The screams just echoed in his brain, as if it weren't already crowded enough in there.
Despite that, he powered through the pain to find the small solace he could in slinging mental insult after mental insult towards the hunter. They obviously didn't make it too far, but Abner was a firm believer that it was the little things that mattered. He wished he could do more, but this angelic being was calling the rest of the shots. As he thought, though, he could feel his hand breaking the snap on his holster, and his palm wrapping around the handle of his pistol. At least he and his new roommate were on the same page about something.
But Abner knew the lesser of the two evils, or at least he had an opinion on them, and fought with all his heart to keep himself from shooting Clayton in the back. It was no use, though, as every fiber of his being ignored his simple demands, and he could only watch through his own eyes as he raised and aimed the firearm at his own reluctant teammate.
As he squeezed the trigger, he was surprised and relieved when his hand was struck by another being, and his aim ruined. Though his arm went across his chest he still pulled the trigger, but the bullet was projected off into infinity. Clayton was unharmed, and Abner slowly turned to see that Christa had been the one to hit his arm and deflect the shot. She looked at him with surprise and regret. He wanted to tell her that he was still here, but nothing would let him do that. Instead, he unwillingly brought his pistol back across his chest and struck the girl across the face with the bottom of it.
Christa fell backwards and landed in a seated position, using one arm to brace herself while the other clutched her bleeding cheek. She glared up at Abner, with plenty of emotions captured in a single facial expression. Abner could see the bewilderment, the betrayal, and the sadness in her eyes as she looked down the barrel of his pistol, which was now aimed directly between her eyes. Oh, and it was Christa, so there was a healthy dose of fury thrown in there, too. Though he hated every action his body made against his will, deep down Abner appreciated the irony of the fact that he had just managed to break free from subtly being a villain for all these years only to now have blatantly become one.
At the same time, though, he refused to let this happen. This being had seized control of his body, and had made even his thoughts feel like a violation of the natural order, but goddammit this was his life and the choices were his. He'd been a little quieter after watching Christa's insane display of power in the swamp simply because he was enamored with her in a way he'd never been before. He couldn't admit it until now, as he was struggling for control of himself, but he was more in awe of her than anyone he'd seen. There was something about every bit of her that he just wanted to know more about.
It was through that intense focus that he managed to gain just a bit of control over himself. In a swift movement he threw his pistol aside, so he was now simply towering over her completely unarmed. She looked relieved as she gazed up into his eyes, realizing that deep down he was still in there and that he was fighting for control. He stared back into hers and realized that she was looking through it all to see the real him.
But fuck, woman. She'd been more than ready to pummel any member of this team to a pulp this whole journey, and now, of all times, she wouldn't get up and beat his ass into the floor with any sort of urgency. He couldn't hold himself back all day. It was a little out of nowhere, but he was reminded of his lost zombie companion, Urg. How many times had the undead being elicited silent screams at the team, with the perfect answer to any problem? God, this was frustrating.
Against his will, he suddenly drew his combat knife from it's sheath. A low, primal roar escaped his mouth. He never would have imagined that he was capable of making such a horrific sound, and he probably outright wasn't without the help of the angel. He went to move in when he was suddenly struck by Crow's boot, which sent him stumbling aside.
He never lost his footing, and after a few awkward steps regained his balance. He stood and turned to see that Christa had manged to get up as well, but now Crow was his nearest friend. His body moved towards the pirate captain and swung the knife towards his throat, but Crow was quick to move aside. The swordsman had the obvious advantage in close quarters combat, but his attempts to not harm Abner as they struggled evened the playing field. He shouted and begged Abner to get a grip come to his senses. The ex-stormtrooper had to admit that he made some pretty good points, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
Crow managed to disarm him, and his knife fell to the floor of the Void. Abner was quick to note the pirate's decision to not draw his sword. He was grateful for that, even if he was showing it in the oddest of ways. He stepped in and swung his fist at Crow's face, rattling his jaw as he stepped into the powerful punch. The captain shoved him back and tried to stay defensive, but the one controlling Abner's body would have none of it.
He watched his body move helplessly, and yet everything seemed more distant every second. The creature was not only taking control of his body but slowly his mind as well. He felt the rush of battle surging through him. His rage boiled up towards his teammates as he slowly began to lose himself in the fight. He couldn't resist because he found himself with less of a desire to do so. He knew he had to fight this, as well, but it was just so overwhelming.
His head rattled as Crow landed a punch across his face, and he returned one in kind. The two's battle had dissolved into an outright brawl, and he felt the sting of every blow. That just made it even harder to focus, and he became more lost with every strike. The angel took full control of his abilities by then, mixed with it's own deep knowledge of this odd land.
"Wake up, matey!" Crow shouted as they exchanged punch after punch. He was able to block some while others connected. The captain was conflicted, as he was doing his best to survive, win, and somehow not harm Abner too badly. The best case scenario was getting him back to his senses, so he continued to yell at him as they battled. "I know yer stronger than this!"
Abner had nearly lost it completely, though. Every second that passed sent him further over the edge. Crow blocked another punch, and this time did hold him by the arm. Abner moved to grab the captain as well, but Crow had already taken a few steps and flung him forwards. Abner ran a few steps forward, not losing his balance like Crow had hoped. Instead he jumped up, with knowledge only the angel could have put in his head, and his left foot connected with a seemingly invisible wall. He pushed off of that and turned in the air, coming back down onto Crow with a powerful sucker punch.
The captain was sent sprawling backwards from the impact, and mixed back into the battle scene. Abner looked across the melee as well, before locking his eyes onto one of his previous targets. All of his thoughts from earlier felt so distant, so hazy. What the hell was this thing doing to him? Without any control, his eyes narrowed as he moved towards Christa.