Things didn't go too well in Daniel's subconscious. We beat the Grotesque, but I lost control and almost killed Daniel. I got kind of mopey, but Daniel knocked some sense into me. I think Dyson's right. I have to avoid using mana.
I saw the Ace Of Chaos when I woke up. At least, a phantom of him anyway.
"Hello," he said. "I see you've found what you were looking for."
"Yeah," I said. "But I can't control it."
"You'll learn," he said.
"How?" I demanded. "You gave me back my sanity, then told me to chase after a power that takes it away again."
"I know you can control it," he said. "You're just as stubborn as I was. I know you can overcome this."
"Why are you really here?" I asked.
"I come to give you my last secret," he said. "Mana can be used either for offense or defense. Defensive magic is referred to as light magic, while offensive magic is called dark magic. Both are equally harmful to a person's sanity."
"Why do I need to know this?" I asked.
"I told you before that I spent my life trying to blend darkness and light," he said. "I was successful. I created a new form of magic. Chaos magic. Magic that will soon save your life."
Then he vanished. Yeah, that was weird.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Cold Visions
We went to Toronto Canada to deal with the Cold Boy. We were wandering around trying to find the damn bastard when we bumped into Dyson.
"You possess mana," he said.
"Yes, what of it?" I asked.
"Do you understand how to use it?" he asked.
"No," I said. "And I don't have time to learn. I've got an apocalypse to prevent."
"It is a dangerous tool to use," he said. "You should avoid using it, if you can."
"Tell that to the Fears," I said. "I don't have time to sit around and chat. I have to find the Cold Boy before he freezes over the Earth."
"The children of the cold are active in a residential neighborhood three blocks South of here," he said. Then he left.
Crow and I went to where he directed us. Sure enough, we were greeted by a bunch of little kids chanting "We are cold". I scanned the area and found him, sitting inside a house. We ran through the children and kicked the door down. The inside of the house was covered in a thick layer of snow that made it really hard to move. That smug bastard just stared at us and laughed.
"I wouldn't be too happy if I were you," I said. "We're about to kick your ass."
I honestly don't remember what happened next. I think I was frozen or something. All I know is I woke up to Crow electrocuting my chest.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well, Slender Man showed up and some stuff went down... it's a long story."
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know dude," he replied. "But the Cold Boy's gone now. We've only got a few plagues left."
"Great," I said.
So... yeah, that happened. Daniel's going to be confronting the Grotesque inside his subconscious. I might lend him a hand.
"You possess mana," he said.
"Yes, what of it?" I asked.
"Do you understand how to use it?" he asked.
"No," I said. "And I don't have time to learn. I've got an apocalypse to prevent."
"It is a dangerous tool to use," he said. "You should avoid using it, if you can."
"Tell that to the Fears," I said. "I don't have time to sit around and chat. I have to find the Cold Boy before he freezes over the Earth."
"The children of the cold are active in a residential neighborhood three blocks South of here," he said. Then he left.
Crow and I went to where he directed us. Sure enough, we were greeted by a bunch of little kids chanting "We are cold". I scanned the area and found him, sitting inside a house. We ran through the children and kicked the door down. The inside of the house was covered in a thick layer of snow that made it really hard to move. That smug bastard just stared at us and laughed.
"I wouldn't be too happy if I were you," I said. "We're about to kick your ass."
I honestly don't remember what happened next. I think I was frozen or something. All I know is I woke up to Crow electrocuting my chest.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well, Slender Man showed up and some stuff went down... it's a long story."
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know dude," he replied. "But the Cold Boy's gone now. We've only got a few plagues left."
"Great," I said.
So... yeah, that happened. Daniel's going to be confronting the Grotesque inside his subconscious. I might lend him a hand.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
These Are The Droids I Am Looking For
I got to visit Tokyo today! It was surprisingly disappointing. I did get some Miku merchandise, so I guess I got something out of it.
I met up with Crow at a hotel last night. We soon realized that neither of us have any idea how to speak Japanese.I used my mask to access Google Translate, but I don't trust that program.
Crow sent his birds to scout for Newborn activity. We found some. A bunch of Towerborn were working in an abandoned robot factory. We entered and started blowing up every Towerborn we could find. Then I took a bullet to the thigh. It caught me by surprise and I went down. Then the bullet released an electric current and stunned me. Did you know they make bullets like that? I didn't.
I got a look at what fired it. It was an android, built from broken robots. It was holding a gun in one of its hands, and was glaring at us with camera-eyes.
"A Thoughtborn, I presume?" Crow asked.
"My name is Piksel," it said. "And yes, I an a Thoughborn. And I will not tolerate interference with the plan."
"Tough luck, I'm interfering anyway," Crow said.
Piksel started firing bullets, which Crow dodged pretty easily. Then it threw a flash grenade that nearly blinded all of us. As Crow shielded his eyes, Piksel raised its gun again, and pulled the trigger. There was a burst of feathers, and a small black body hit the floor in front of us.
"A-Alexander?" Crow stammered.
He was in shock for a few moments, but that shock quickly turned into rage. Sparks started flying from Crow's body, hitting the machinery around us. Piksel shot Crow multiple times, but he ignored the wounds. The electricity he generated continued to increase, and the warning lights began flashing.
"You killed the only bird I actually liked," Crow hissed. "Join him!" Crow shot a bolt of electricity straight into Piksel's chest. Piksel hit a button on its thigh just before it exploded. A voice came over the loudspeaker saying "MISSION ABORTED. SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED."
Shit. They had anticipated an attack, and had set it up so that if things went wrong, they could destroy themselves and the intruders. Crow had passed out after his attack, and I had to drag him through a portal to the Streams Of Destiny. I was about to close it, when I decided a burial might be in order. I shot one of my tongues out of the portal and grabbed Alexander's body. I closed the portal just as the factory exploded.
I turned back to Crow. He was wounded, and fatally. I need the first thing that came to mind, and started using my mana on him. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try. And fortunately, I was successful. I managed to heal him.
Alexander is dead though. I couldn't do anything for him. I tried. i really did. Something interesting though, is how powerful Crow became. He can use lightning from a distance now, like when his powers were amplified on the second layer.
That was the 5th plague. We're halfway there.
I met up with Crow at a hotel last night. We soon realized that neither of us have any idea how to speak Japanese.I used my mask to access Google Translate, but I don't trust that program.
Crow sent his birds to scout for Newborn activity. We found some. A bunch of Towerborn were working in an abandoned robot factory. We entered and started blowing up every Towerborn we could find. Then I took a bullet to the thigh. It caught me by surprise and I went down. Then the bullet released an electric current and stunned me. Did you know they make bullets like that? I didn't.
I got a look at what fired it. It was an android, built from broken robots. It was holding a gun in one of its hands, and was glaring at us with camera-eyes.
"A Thoughtborn, I presume?" Crow asked.
"My name is Piksel," it said. "And yes, I an a Thoughborn. And I will not tolerate interference with the plan."
"Tough luck, I'm interfering anyway," Crow said.
Piksel started firing bullets, which Crow dodged pretty easily. Then it threw a flash grenade that nearly blinded all of us. As Crow shielded his eyes, Piksel raised its gun again, and pulled the trigger. There was a burst of feathers, and a small black body hit the floor in front of us.
"A-Alexander?" Crow stammered.
He was in shock for a few moments, but that shock quickly turned into rage. Sparks started flying from Crow's body, hitting the machinery around us. Piksel shot Crow multiple times, but he ignored the wounds. The electricity he generated continued to increase, and the warning lights began flashing.
"You killed the only bird I actually liked," Crow hissed. "Join him!" Crow shot a bolt of electricity straight into Piksel's chest. Piksel hit a button on its thigh just before it exploded. A voice came over the loudspeaker saying "MISSION ABORTED. SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED."
Shit. They had anticipated an attack, and had set it up so that if things went wrong, they could destroy themselves and the intruders. Crow had passed out after his attack, and I had to drag him through a portal to the Streams Of Destiny. I was about to close it, when I decided a burial might be in order. I shot one of my tongues out of the portal and grabbed Alexander's body. I closed the portal just as the factory exploded.
I turned back to Crow. He was wounded, and fatally. I need the first thing that came to mind, and started using my mana on him. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try. And fortunately, I was successful. I managed to heal him.
Alexander is dead though. I couldn't do anything for him. I tried. i really did. Something interesting though, is how powerful Crow became. He can use lightning from a distance now, like when his powers were amplified on the second layer.
That was the 5th plague. We're halfway there.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Hunting The Hunter
The Black Dog appeared in the Four Corners of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. It was expecting me. As soon as I got there, it charged at me. I dodged and threw a fireball at it.. It vanished into the God's Way, and appeared behind me. It turned around in time to deflect its fangs with my sword. At least it wasn't running away. It snarled and tried to bite me again. I used the god's Way and appeared on its back. I grabbed it around the neck in an attempt to subdue it. Then a canine head sprouted from its shoulder and chomped at me.
I rolled off of its back as a smaller dog branched off from the main one. Then three more dogs sprouted from it. Five against one, with the odds against me. The smaller dogs charged at me all at once. I dodged between them and slashed one across the throat. One of them turned and jumped at me. I ducked under it and cut in open from underneath. The remaining two came at me from the sides. I jumped backwards, and they turned to attack me from the front. I charged up my mana and consumed them both in a column of fire.
With the miniature dogs dead, I turned back to the Black Dog. Then a pair of arms grabbed me from behind and attempted to put me in a sleeper hold. I surrounded myself with fire, and he released me. I turned to face the man.
"Not bad," he said, staring into my eyes with his crimson ones. "I don't see other mana users very often." A prowler. I could tell by his red eyes and jet black hair. And the fact that he was hanging out with the Black Dog.
"You can use mana too?" I asked.
"That's right," he said, and flames danced around his fingertips. "My senses are keen as a hound's. I can find entrances to the second layer easily."
"I don't have time for this," I said, turning around to charge at the dog again, but he was quick enough to get in front of me before I could.
The dog was starting to release more copies. If I didn't hurry up and get through the Prowler, there would be enough small dogs to ravage the world. I couldn't let that happen. I fought him. We both started throwing fireballs and lightning at each other. I was beginning to overuse my mana. I could my self control slipping away. I was consumed with a hunger. I wanted to beat him, no matter what. I started using the God's Way to get an edge in our fight. He dodged my sneak attack and grabbed me by the throat. His hand burned my skin. I grabbed his hand and channeled coldness into it. His grip loosened some, and I took the chance to knock it away and grabbed him by the throat with one hand and I grabbed his face with the other. I pumped his entire body full of cold mana, then I stepped back and hit him a fireball that shattered his frigid body into pieces.
I turned my attention back to the dog. There were at least a hundred now, and they were all snarling at me. The insanity I was feeling a minute before was replaced by terror. There was no way I could beat them all.
Of course, someone else decided to join the party. Something began shooting through the crowds of dogs, so fast I couldn't keep up. Hounds were dropping dead in mutilated heaps left and right. It wasn't until all the smaller dogs were dead that the newcomer slowed to a halt between me and the Black Dog. It was the Rake. I had no idea it could move that fast.
The Rake and the Black Dog. Two of the most brutal Fears, about to square off. They attacked each other. It was the freakiest thing I had ever seen. Fangs and claws, scratching and biting all over the place. One minute the Rake had the upper hand, the next minute the Black Dog was on top.
I stood there, trying to decide what to do. I could try firing a lightning bolt, but I was afraid I might hurt the Rake if I did that. Then I realized "Wait a minute, I don't like either of these guys, I should just blast them both". So I did. The Black Dog fled. The Rake stood up, crawled toward me on all fours, and whisper harshly "Never do that again" and then vanished.
4 down, 6 to go. I have to deal with the Newborn next.
I rolled off of its back as a smaller dog branched off from the main one. Then three more dogs sprouted from it. Five against one, with the odds against me. The smaller dogs charged at me all at once. I dodged between them and slashed one across the throat. One of them turned and jumped at me. I ducked under it and cut in open from underneath. The remaining two came at me from the sides. I jumped backwards, and they turned to attack me from the front. I charged up my mana and consumed them both in a column of fire.
With the miniature dogs dead, I turned back to the Black Dog. Then a pair of arms grabbed me from behind and attempted to put me in a sleeper hold. I surrounded myself with fire, and he released me. I turned to face the man.
"Not bad," he said, staring into my eyes with his crimson ones. "I don't see other mana users very often." A prowler. I could tell by his red eyes and jet black hair. And the fact that he was hanging out with the Black Dog.
"You can use mana too?" I asked.
"That's right," he said, and flames danced around his fingertips. "My senses are keen as a hound's. I can find entrances to the second layer easily."
"I don't have time for this," I said, turning around to charge at the dog again, but he was quick enough to get in front of me before I could.
The dog was starting to release more copies. If I didn't hurry up and get through the Prowler, there would be enough small dogs to ravage the world. I couldn't let that happen. I fought him. We both started throwing fireballs and lightning at each other. I was beginning to overuse my mana. I could my self control slipping away. I was consumed with a hunger. I wanted to beat him, no matter what. I started using the God's Way to get an edge in our fight. He dodged my sneak attack and grabbed me by the throat. His hand burned my skin. I grabbed his hand and channeled coldness into it. His grip loosened some, and I took the chance to knock it away and grabbed him by the throat with one hand and I grabbed his face with the other. I pumped his entire body full of cold mana, then I stepped back and hit him a fireball that shattered his frigid body into pieces.
I turned my attention back to the dog. There were at least a hundred now, and they were all snarling at me. The insanity I was feeling a minute before was replaced by terror. There was no way I could beat them all.
Of course, someone else decided to join the party. Something began shooting through the crowds of dogs, so fast I couldn't keep up. Hounds were dropping dead in mutilated heaps left and right. It wasn't until all the smaller dogs were dead that the newcomer slowed to a halt between me and the Black Dog. It was the Rake. I had no idea it could move that fast.
The Rake and the Black Dog. Two of the most brutal Fears, about to square off. They attacked each other. It was the freakiest thing I had ever seen. Fangs and claws, scratching and biting all over the place. One minute the Rake had the upper hand, the next minute the Black Dog was on top.
I stood there, trying to decide what to do. I could try firing a lightning bolt, but I was afraid I might hurt the Rake if I did that. Then I realized "Wait a minute, I don't like either of these guys, I should just blast them both". So I did. The Black Dog fled. The Rake stood up, crawled toward me on all fours, and whisper harshly "Never do that again" and then vanished.
4 down, 6 to go. I have to deal with the Newborn next.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Knowledge That Burns.
Daniel seemed to handle the Red Cap just fine. So then it was my turn.
Crow and I headed to Pittsburgh Texas, where the Burning Bride would be starting out. Wasn't hard to find her. It's pretty easy to notice a burning peach orchard. We ran in there and found her. She wasn't too friendly about it. Tried to fry us as soon as we found her.
Now, I had only practiced with mana a little bit, so I wasn't very good. But I did learn to freeze things, so I managed to put out the surrounding fire, which made the battle field a lot safer. But we were still facing a deadly opponent. I tried to freeze her, but she melted the ice effortlessly. And neither of us could get close enough to use our weapons.
"Any ideas?" Crow asked me.
"I have one, but it's gonna hurt," I told him. "Get your birds ready." Oh yeah, something I forgot to mention last post; Crow got his birds back after we left the second layer. I'm not sure how that works.
Anyway, I jumped into the God's Way real quick and stabbed my blade into her spine. It burnt being so close to her, but it distracted her long enough for the Convocation to get in and attack her. She was immune to lightning, but a barrage of iron-hard beaks are different. She vanished into the God's Way and I followed her. We wound up in a cow farm nearby. The sight of all those cattle fleeing in terror from the fiery woman and the weird guy with a stomach mouth was just hilarious. But I still had to focus. It would take a while for Crow to catch up, so I was on my own.
I kept fighting as long as I could, trying to ignore the heat. That's when she did it. She raised her hand and gave me more knowledge. Knowledge that I could hardly believe.
She showed me the Ace Of Chaos's identity. Who he really was. I collapsed. My head hurt. What she had just shown me was so hard to believe, and yet it made so much sense.
She began to leave. I got up, but I was still dizzy from disbelief. She passed a watering hole, and that's when EAT decided to get involved. The water rose into a giant tentacle, which trashed at the Bride. She screamed in agony, and after a short attempt and fighting the ink tentacle, she gave up and vanished. Then a Camper rose from the water and approached me.
"Thank you for luring her in," it said.
"You're welcome," I said. "You couldn't have jumped in sooner?"
"We chose to give you a chance to defeat her before we stepped in," it said. "Perhaps we were wrong about your strength. You have a long way to go if you expect to end the plagues."
"Two of them have already been prevented," I reminded it.
"Yes, but preventing two will not matter if you cannot avert the others as well," it said. "All you've managed to do so far in increase the workload for the other Heralds Of The Plagues."
"Whatever," I said. "I'll prove to you that I can do this."
And then I left. Crow already headed to Egypt to help stop the third plague. I'm gonna start preparing for the fourth and fifth plagues. I agreed to handle them both, in a row.
Crow and I headed to Pittsburgh Texas, where the Burning Bride would be starting out. Wasn't hard to find her. It's pretty easy to notice a burning peach orchard. We ran in there and found her. She wasn't too friendly about it. Tried to fry us as soon as we found her.
Now, I had only practiced with mana a little bit, so I wasn't very good. But I did learn to freeze things, so I managed to put out the surrounding fire, which made the battle field a lot safer. But we were still facing a deadly opponent. I tried to freeze her, but she melted the ice effortlessly. And neither of us could get close enough to use our weapons.
"Any ideas?" Crow asked me.
"I have one, but it's gonna hurt," I told him. "Get your birds ready." Oh yeah, something I forgot to mention last post; Crow got his birds back after we left the second layer. I'm not sure how that works.
Anyway, I jumped into the God's Way real quick and stabbed my blade into her spine. It burnt being so close to her, but it distracted her long enough for the Convocation to get in and attack her. She was immune to lightning, but a barrage of iron-hard beaks are different. She vanished into the God's Way and I followed her. We wound up in a cow farm nearby. The sight of all those cattle fleeing in terror from the fiery woman and the weird guy with a stomach mouth was just hilarious. But I still had to focus. It would take a while for Crow to catch up, so I was on my own.
I kept fighting as long as I could, trying to ignore the heat. That's when she did it. She raised her hand and gave me more knowledge. Knowledge that I could hardly believe.
She showed me the Ace Of Chaos's identity. Who he really was. I collapsed. My head hurt. What she had just shown me was so hard to believe, and yet it made so much sense.
She began to leave. I got up, but I was still dizzy from disbelief. She passed a watering hole, and that's when EAT decided to get involved. The water rose into a giant tentacle, which trashed at the Bride. She screamed in agony, and after a short attempt and fighting the ink tentacle, she gave up and vanished. Then a Camper rose from the water and approached me.
"Thank you for luring her in," it said.
"You're welcome," I said. "You couldn't have jumped in sooner?"
"We chose to give you a chance to defeat her before we stepped in," it said. "Perhaps we were wrong about your strength. You have a long way to go if you expect to end the plagues."
"Two of them have already been prevented," I reminded it.
"Yes, but preventing two will not matter if you cannot avert the others as well," it said. "All you've managed to do so far in increase the workload for the other Heralds Of The Plagues."
"Whatever," I said. "I'll prove to you that I can do this."
And then I left. Crow already headed to Egypt to help stop the third plague. I'm gonna start preparing for the fourth and fifth plagues. I agreed to handle them both, in a row.
Monday, November 19, 2012
The second layer
We met up with Daniel, as planned. As soon as we entered the meeting point, I felt something was off, but I couldn't quite place it.
The information he had was the locations that each of the plagues would start out at. we agreed to each handle 5 of them. Daniel chose the Red Cap, the Intrusion, the Plague Doctor, the Grotesque, and the Archangel. Except for the Intrusion, he has personal history with each of them. As for me and Crow, we'll be taking on the Burning Bride, the Black Dog, the Manufactured Newborn, the Cold Boy, and the Nightlanders.
As we were talking, the subject of Daniel's future self came up. Yes, it's true. The paradox I mentioned in one of my previous posts was another Daniel, from the future. That's why Daniel has 2 destinies. One of them will defeat the Fears, and the other will martyr themselves.
Then the other Daniel actually showed up, and while he was talking to Daniel, I realized why things felt off. I was feeling mana. I focused on the second layer of reality, and I was suddenly there. And I accidentally brought Crow with me. Whoops.
Anyway, it looked crazy. Dark, with gnarled trees. Imagine the spookiest forest you've ever seen in a movie. Now, imagine that, times a thousand, with a few added Lovecraftian monsters running around.
"Where are we?" Crow asked.
"The second layer," I said. "This is where the mana is."
"Great," crow sighed. "So where is this man?"
"Maybe you can send your birds to scout the area," I suggested.
"Yeah, maybe- oh crap!" He said.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I'm human..." he said.
"What?" I asked
"The birds are gone," he said. "Even Alexander! They're not inside me anymore! I'm not a Nest!"
"Oh shit...," I said. "Looks like we'll have to find it ourselves."
So we started wandering, occasionally having to hide from crazy looking monsters. After a while, Crow stopped me to ask a question.
"Hey dude, remember when you first started your blog, and you lied to that doctor about your name?" he asked.
"I vaguely recall," I said. "Why?"
"What was the name you used?" he asked.
"Marshall Smith," I said. "I use that alias every now and then."
"So are you the one who carved it into this tree?" he asked.
"Say what now?" I asked him.
"Take a look," he replied. Sure enough, the name Marshall Smith had been carved into a tree.
"Well, that's odd," I said.
"Gee, ya think?" he replied.
We heard something, so we had to cut that conversation short.
Anyway, a long time and several monster related near death experiences, we found it. A large chasm, with multi colored smoke billowing out of it. Mana. This was it.
"Thhis what we're looking for?" Crow asked.
"Yes," I said.
"So... now what?" he asked.
"I don't know...," I said. "I guess I... jump in or something?"
"Only one way to find out," he said, shoving me over the edge.
It felt weird. The flow of mana was so strong I was suspended in mid air. It soaked into my skin, into my muscles and bones. I felt so much stronger. I loved it. I wanted more. I wanted as much as my body could handle.
"Uh, dude, I think you've been in there long enough," Crow said.
"Shut up," I snapped at him. "I haven't had enough yet."
"Hey, you remember EAT's warning, right?" he said. "Your body can't handle too much of this! You need to get out of there."
"I can take more!" I said. "I can take it all!"
"Okay, that's it!" he said, bringing out his whip and pulling me out.
That made me mad. I channeled the mana through my body, allowing it to take the form of a fireball, which I hurled at him. He dodged it, and the rocks behind him blew up. It was incredible. I tried again, but this time, I conjured a lightning bolt. Instead of dodging it, he took the attack head on and fired it right back at me. I was knocked backwards into a tree. That snapped me out of my power-hungry trance.
"That's neat," Crow replied. "I don't have the birds anymore, but it looks like my Emissary power has been enhanced."
"Uh, sorry about that," I said. "Sort of lost my cool."
We were trapped there a little longer, but we eventually found a place where the barrier between layers was thin enough to get back. We contacted Daniel, and it looks like we still have time to deal with the plagues.
The information he had was the locations that each of the plagues would start out at. we agreed to each handle 5 of them. Daniel chose the Red Cap, the Intrusion, the Plague Doctor, the Grotesque, and the Archangel. Except for the Intrusion, he has personal history with each of them. As for me and Crow, we'll be taking on the Burning Bride, the Black Dog, the Manufactured Newborn, the Cold Boy, and the Nightlanders.
As we were talking, the subject of Daniel's future self came up. Yes, it's true. The paradox I mentioned in one of my previous posts was another Daniel, from the future. That's why Daniel has 2 destinies. One of them will defeat the Fears, and the other will martyr themselves.
Then the other Daniel actually showed up, and while he was talking to Daniel, I realized why things felt off. I was feeling mana. I focused on the second layer of reality, and I was suddenly there. And I accidentally brought Crow with me. Whoops.
Anyway, it looked crazy. Dark, with gnarled trees. Imagine the spookiest forest you've ever seen in a movie. Now, imagine that, times a thousand, with a few added Lovecraftian monsters running around.
"Where are we?" Crow asked.
"The second layer," I said. "This is where the mana is."
"Great," crow sighed. "So where is this man?"
"Maybe you can send your birds to scout the area," I suggested.
"Yeah, maybe- oh crap!" He said.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I'm human..." he said.
"What?" I asked
"The birds are gone," he said. "Even Alexander! They're not inside me anymore! I'm not a Nest!"
"Oh shit...," I said. "Looks like we'll have to find it ourselves."
So we started wandering, occasionally having to hide from crazy looking monsters. After a while, Crow stopped me to ask a question.
"Hey dude, remember when you first started your blog, and you lied to that doctor about your name?" he asked.
"I vaguely recall," I said. "Why?"
"What was the name you used?" he asked.
"Marshall Smith," I said. "I use that alias every now and then."
"So are you the one who carved it into this tree?" he asked.
"Say what now?" I asked him.
"Take a look," he replied. Sure enough, the name Marshall Smith had been carved into a tree.
"Well, that's odd," I said.
"Gee, ya think?" he replied.
We heard something, so we had to cut that conversation short.
Anyway, a long time and several monster related near death experiences, we found it. A large chasm, with multi colored smoke billowing out of it. Mana. This was it.
"Thhis what we're looking for?" Crow asked.
"Yes," I said.
"So... now what?" he asked.
"I don't know...," I said. "I guess I... jump in or something?"
"Only one way to find out," he said, shoving me over the edge.
It felt weird. The flow of mana was so strong I was suspended in mid air. It soaked into my skin, into my muscles and bones. I felt so much stronger. I loved it. I wanted more. I wanted as much as my body could handle.
"Uh, dude, I think you've been in there long enough," Crow said.
"Shut up," I snapped at him. "I haven't had enough yet."
"Hey, you remember EAT's warning, right?" he said. "Your body can't handle too much of this! You need to get out of there."
"I can take more!" I said. "I can take it all!"
"Okay, that's it!" he said, bringing out his whip and pulling me out.
That made me mad. I channeled the mana through my body, allowing it to take the form of a fireball, which I hurled at him. He dodged it, and the rocks behind him blew up. It was incredible. I tried again, but this time, I conjured a lightning bolt. Instead of dodging it, he took the attack head on and fired it right back at me. I was knocked backwards into a tree. That snapped me out of my power-hungry trance.
"That's neat," Crow replied. "I don't have the birds anymore, but it looks like my Emissary power has been enhanced."
"Uh, sorry about that," I said. "Sort of lost my cool."
We were trapped there a little longer, but we eventually found a place where the barrier between layers was thin enough to get back. We contacted Daniel, and it looks like we still have time to deal with the plagues.
Monday, November 12, 2012
The Order Of The Plagues
Bill Dawson posted the dates for all of his new plagues on his blog. He's challenging us. Daniel requested that we meet up. He has some information that might help us.
On the 23, the Red Cap will act. The day after is the Burning Bride's turn, then the Intrusion, the Black Dog, the Manufactured Newborn, the Plague Doctor, the Cold Boy, the Grotesque, the Nightlanders, and the Archangel. Each one on a different day. Although, I still don't know how we're gonna stop them. Hopefully Daniel's intel will help with that.
On the 23, the Red Cap will act. The day after is the Burning Bride's turn, then the Intrusion, the Black Dog, the Manufactured Newborn, the Plague Doctor, the Cold Boy, the Grotesque, the Nightlanders, and the Archangel. Each one on a different day. Although, I still don't know how we're gonna stop them. Hopefully Daniel's intel will help with that.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Fears Part 2
Wanna know how I spent Halloween? Wish I could say I spent it trick or treating, or partying, or even fighting crime. But know, I spent it watching horror movies with Crow and eating ice cream. Anyway, here's the rest of the Fears.
The Smiling Man
This guy is completely psychotic. He is the Fear of stalkers, who leaves his victims flowers before eventually killing them. These follows are using coded in the language of flowers, each flower meaning something different.
He is a killer, with no clear cause. He has his own proxies, which he sometimes forces to kill each other. He is able to summon razor sharp flower petals at will, which serve as incredibly deadly weapons.
He is most often seen wearing a torn straight jacket. He has scraggly red hair, a smile larger than his face, and eyes that are indescribably wrong. Artwork of him usually have his eyes blacked out, since it's so had to draw something like that. The only people who know what his eyes look like are those who have seen them up close, and they usually don't wanna talk about it.
His domain is the Flower fields, which may seem like a beautiful field of every flower imaginable, but beneath it all is the disgusting scent of rotting flesh.
The Burning Bride
I met her when I was young. I described the experience before. She is the Fear of fire, both the physical fire in the world, and the metaphorical fire within peoples hearts and minds.
Her appearance can vary, but she usually takes the form of a crimson woman in red bridal clothing. She can also disperse into a swarm of fireflies.
She not only has control over fire, but she can fill people with so much knowledge or emotions that their hearts and minds will metaphorically burn. I've had the experience, and I almost died.
Whose bride is she? That would be the Brute. I'll get to him later. She constantly seeks him out, trying to free him and rejoin his pieces.
The Red Cap
Oh boy, this one. By the way, I'm just doing these in a random order. Anyway, the Red Cap is the fear of everything sexual. Rape, masochism, blah blah blah I'm a virgin and I'm not comfortable talking about this.
She is basically a red goop, which can enter people's bodies and replace their blood. These people are called Blood Vessels. She can possess them at any time she wants, similar to the Dying Man, earning her the nickname of the Dying Man's Mother. She's not literally the Dying Man's mother, but whatever. While in a persons blood stream, she can stop blades and stuff like that from penetrating her, and she can heal most wounds on her host.
Blood Vessels can put a mark on people, turning them into Scarlet Marked. Scarlet Marked commonly experience nose bleeds and become really horny when they're near a Blood Vessel. They sometimes engage in giant blood orgies and- Oh god, I'm really not the guy for this. Screw it, I'm moving on to the next Fear.
The Mother Of snakes
This is another of my least favorite Fears. She lives behind mirrors and other reflective surfaces. She is the Fear of who we are, who we were, and who we are becoming. She tempts people to become darker versions of themselves.
Those who give into the darkness and join her become Lilim. Lilim are most often female, but there have been males. Lilim have snake-like features, such as poisoned fangs, scales, and sometimes tales. Some Lilim can pass as human, and some can willingly switch between having legs and tails.
Her domain is the Garden Of Desolation. It's a vast desert, which exists behind the mirrors. Lilim can enter and exit this world through mirrors.
Anyway, I hate this bitch. She has tried turning me to the dark side numerous times.
EAT
EAT is an aquatic being. It's unclear what the initials stand for. Some say it's Epping AquaTarkus, Some say it's Evolutionary Adverse Trigger, I honestly don't know. It is the Fear of drowning. Either literally, like drowning in water, or drowning in your own obsessions.
EAT's true form is unknown, but is is said to have thin white tentacles. It lives in the water, and replaces water with it's ink, which is completely identical. Drinking it causes people's obsessions to increase. They also become addicted to the ink, drinking more and more of it, until, like the Rad Cap, it replaces their blood.
When it replaces their blood, they become part of the hivemind called the Camper. Their are ten stages of being a camping. I don't remember how they go exactly, but early stage Campers are almost brain dead and copy whatever other people do. Late stage Campers are under the full control of EAT. Some are even able to manipulate water and ink for use as weapons.
The Quiet
The Quiet is the Fear of Nothingness. It is a being which replaces existence with nothingness, unmaking things. It will eventually unmake the entire universe, or so they say. I hope not. That would suck.
The Quiet has followers called hushed monks, but I know almost nothing about them because I don't really care.
The Manufactured Newborn
The Fear of the future and technology, this Fear is rarely seen in person. It's true form lives in its domain, the Towering Realm. It drops pieces of itself in the human world, usually disguised as trinkets, which absorb metal object to grow larger. These trinkets will embed themselves into human once they grow large enough. The Newborn gains control of these people, turning them into Towerborn. They will continue to absorb metal and flesh, becoming larger and more deforrmed. Once they are large enough, they are pulled into the Towering Realm, where they become part of the tower of flesh and steel which is supposedly the Newborn's body.
Sometimes, the Newborn will transform a person's mind into data and transfer them to the internet. These are Thought born. Most of them serve the Newborn, but some do their own thing.
The Brute
The Brute is the Fear of fire and war. Yes, there's two Fears of fire. the difference is that the Brute represents war while the Burning Bride represents knowledge. Kind of like Ares and that one goddess who was married to Ares.
The Brute was divided into pieces long ago, and sealed away. If the pieces are put back together, the Brute will return. There's a lot of pieces that have already been uncovered *coughcoughKallawaycoughcough* and there's probably more hidden out their.
The Brute is often accompanied by smoke, and it has the power to induce anger in others. It's domain is the Grove of Fetters, which I haven't been to, but I hear there's lots of chains.
It has servants called Crimson Knights, who wear armor and possess some of the Brutes powers, such as enhanced strength and rage inducement.
The Grotesque
The Grotesque is sort of like Freddy Krueger. It's the Fear of nightmares, and exists within peoples dreams. It can invoke nightmares in anyone it infects, and can take multiple forms, usually that of a circus. The main piece of the Grotesque is the Reverie, who usually takes the shape of a ringleader, and can summon demons.
The Grotesque can force people to go to sleep, and can even force people into a never ending coma. It can also take control of peoples bodies while they're asleep.
The Dying Man
The Dying Man was once a single being, which was somehow split into multiple pieces an unspecified amount of time ago. It is the Fear of Death, and is a powerful possessor. Each piece can gain control of a persons body. The body usually decays after a while, forcing the Dying Man to find a new one. The Dying Man is able to increase the physical abilities of its host, making it really dangerous. It is unknown how many pieces there are, but they each have their own personalities, and tactics. Some tries to absorb other pieces to become whole again, some don't, and some just like to fuck with people.
Anyway, that's all the Fears. I suppose I could discuss my granny, but I don't feel like it.
The Smiling Man
This guy is completely psychotic. He is the Fear of stalkers, who leaves his victims flowers before eventually killing them. These follows are using coded in the language of flowers, each flower meaning something different.
He is a killer, with no clear cause. He has his own proxies, which he sometimes forces to kill each other. He is able to summon razor sharp flower petals at will, which serve as incredibly deadly weapons.
He is most often seen wearing a torn straight jacket. He has scraggly red hair, a smile larger than his face, and eyes that are indescribably wrong. Artwork of him usually have his eyes blacked out, since it's so had to draw something like that. The only people who know what his eyes look like are those who have seen them up close, and they usually don't wanna talk about it.
His domain is the Flower fields, which may seem like a beautiful field of every flower imaginable, but beneath it all is the disgusting scent of rotting flesh.
The Burning Bride
I met her when I was young. I described the experience before. She is the Fear of fire, both the physical fire in the world, and the metaphorical fire within peoples hearts and minds.
Her appearance can vary, but she usually takes the form of a crimson woman in red bridal clothing. She can also disperse into a swarm of fireflies.
She not only has control over fire, but she can fill people with so much knowledge or emotions that their hearts and minds will metaphorically burn. I've had the experience, and I almost died.
Whose bride is she? That would be the Brute. I'll get to him later. She constantly seeks him out, trying to free him and rejoin his pieces.
The Red Cap
Oh boy, this one. By the way, I'm just doing these in a random order. Anyway, the Red Cap is the fear of everything sexual. Rape, masochism, blah blah blah I'm a virgin and I'm not comfortable talking about this.
She is basically a red goop, which can enter people's bodies and replace their blood. These people are called Blood Vessels. She can possess them at any time she wants, similar to the Dying Man, earning her the nickname of the Dying Man's Mother. She's not literally the Dying Man's mother, but whatever. While in a persons blood stream, she can stop blades and stuff like that from penetrating her, and she can heal most wounds on her host.
Blood Vessels can put a mark on people, turning them into Scarlet Marked. Scarlet Marked commonly experience nose bleeds and become really horny when they're near a Blood Vessel. They sometimes engage in giant blood orgies and- Oh god, I'm really not the guy for this. Screw it, I'm moving on to the next Fear.
The Mother Of snakes
This is another of my least favorite Fears. She lives behind mirrors and other reflective surfaces. She is the Fear of who we are, who we were, and who we are becoming. She tempts people to become darker versions of themselves.
Those who give into the darkness and join her become Lilim. Lilim are most often female, but there have been males. Lilim have snake-like features, such as poisoned fangs, scales, and sometimes tales. Some Lilim can pass as human, and some can willingly switch between having legs and tails.
Her domain is the Garden Of Desolation. It's a vast desert, which exists behind the mirrors. Lilim can enter and exit this world through mirrors.
Anyway, I hate this bitch. She has tried turning me to the dark side numerous times.
EAT
EAT is an aquatic being. It's unclear what the initials stand for. Some say it's Epping AquaTarkus, Some say it's Evolutionary Adverse Trigger, I honestly don't know. It is the Fear of drowning. Either literally, like drowning in water, or drowning in your own obsessions.
EAT's true form is unknown, but is is said to have thin white tentacles. It lives in the water, and replaces water with it's ink, which is completely identical. Drinking it causes people's obsessions to increase. They also become addicted to the ink, drinking more and more of it, until, like the Rad Cap, it replaces their blood.
When it replaces their blood, they become part of the hivemind called the Camper. Their are ten stages of being a camping. I don't remember how they go exactly, but early stage Campers are almost brain dead and copy whatever other people do. Late stage Campers are under the full control of EAT. Some are even able to manipulate water and ink for use as weapons.
The Quiet
The Quiet is the Fear of Nothingness. It is a being which replaces existence with nothingness, unmaking things. It will eventually unmake the entire universe, or so they say. I hope not. That would suck.
The Quiet has followers called hushed monks, but I know almost nothing about them because I don't really care.
The Manufactured Newborn
The Fear of the future and technology, this Fear is rarely seen in person. It's true form lives in its domain, the Towering Realm. It drops pieces of itself in the human world, usually disguised as trinkets, which absorb metal object to grow larger. These trinkets will embed themselves into human once they grow large enough. The Newborn gains control of these people, turning them into Towerborn. They will continue to absorb metal and flesh, becoming larger and more deforrmed. Once they are large enough, they are pulled into the Towering Realm, where they become part of the tower of flesh and steel which is supposedly the Newborn's body.
Sometimes, the Newborn will transform a person's mind into data and transfer them to the internet. These are Thought born. Most of them serve the Newborn, but some do their own thing.
The Brute
The Brute is the Fear of fire and war. Yes, there's two Fears of fire. the difference is that the Brute represents war while the Burning Bride represents knowledge. Kind of like Ares and that one goddess who was married to Ares.
The Brute was divided into pieces long ago, and sealed away. If the pieces are put back together, the Brute will return. There's a lot of pieces that have already been uncovered *coughcoughKallawaycoughcough* and there's probably more hidden out their.
The Brute is often accompanied by smoke, and it has the power to induce anger in others. It's domain is the Grove of Fetters, which I haven't been to, but I hear there's lots of chains.
It has servants called Crimson Knights, who wear armor and possess some of the Brutes powers, such as enhanced strength and rage inducement.
The Grotesque
The Grotesque is sort of like Freddy Krueger. It's the Fear of nightmares, and exists within peoples dreams. It can invoke nightmares in anyone it infects, and can take multiple forms, usually that of a circus. The main piece of the Grotesque is the Reverie, who usually takes the shape of a ringleader, and can summon demons.
The Grotesque can force people to go to sleep, and can even force people into a never ending coma. It can also take control of peoples bodies while they're asleep.
The Dying Man
The Dying Man was once a single being, which was somehow split into multiple pieces an unspecified amount of time ago. It is the Fear of Death, and is a powerful possessor. Each piece can gain control of a persons body. The body usually decays after a while, forcing the Dying Man to find a new one. The Dying Man is able to increase the physical abilities of its host, making it really dangerous. It is unknown how many pieces there are, but they each have their own personalities, and tactics. Some tries to absorb other pieces to become whole again, some don't, and some just like to fuck with people.
Anyway, that's all the Fears. I suppose I could discuss my granny, but I don't feel like it.
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