Stone digs into my chest, eyes glued to the writhing mass of the white fiends below, throat clenching shut. There's, oh my god, there's so many, why are there so many down there, where'd they all come from? When the hell did all these things get here? My ears twitch along with their ravenous snarling, the sound travelling upwards and rattling the insides of my skull. My cold feeling limbs clutch and grope at the stone ledge for dear life, vision swimming as the weight on my skull intensifies.
If these things see me then I'm completely fucked, aren't I? With the river of these feral looking bastards in front of me and the other thing behind me. The tips of my fingers twitches with the throbbing of my heart, beating and hammering in my chest. What would happen if I died here, would I just, pass away in my sleep out there?
I'm scared, fucking terrified, I can feel it weighing down on my bones. My vision blurs while my heartbeat quickens. I've died once and I want anything but to relive that experience, but I don't think that this little position here's a very common one, especially when I'm all alone.
I hate it, this was a mistake, I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The air around here feels cold, so so cold, like ice stabbing my lungs.
I squeeze my eyes shut and hold in my breath, counting in my head.
One, two, three. This place is just, it's getting to me is all, it's a nightmare and nothing more. There's places I need to be and people I need to see, people I can't leave behind by losing my mind here. I can't falter here.
Release. It's an unstable feeling breath that shudders as I let it go, the beating in my chest almost seems too stubborn to want to die down, but tempering it somewhat is better than letting it run wild and free. I need to keep my mind off of this, to stop myself from thinking myself half to death, I need to keep moving to fix this. I open my eyes and peer down to the seemingly ever squirming river of claws and ashen bone. It's far easier to think now, perhaps I'm in shock from the madness of the situation, or maybe it's a last ditch effort of my head to keep myself alive, but I'm thankful for it either way. Even as their ashen skulls twist upwards from the constant nudging of one another, they don't seem to react to seeing me, assuming they can. Maybe they do, and their continued agitation is just from being stuck in such a place?
Can't say I'm not too interested in finding out the specifics of why they're acting like they are, not at all.
I grunt as I force my cold limbs to heave myself upwards, the sound of my claws scratching and digging into stone barely audible over the growling of the monsters below, letting out a soft sigh as I finally stand on the ledge. I resist the urge to look down onto the street, choosing to look around instead, scrambling for some idea in my head. I nudge my way across the ledge and lean against a wooden beam, probably made to support the roof of the house, nerves stirring in my chest as I peer upwards, looking up to the roof itself. The dark tiles that make up the roof of the house leads up to a triangle tip, and it doesn't seem too unstable outside of the more ruined parts of it, splintered wooden tiles dangling off of. It could give me a better view of what's going on around me, unless I slip and fall...
A shiver runs up my spine, fingers gripping at the wooden beam beside me while I shuffle about. I sure hope I'm doing the right thing here, how the hell am I meant to get up there anyways? I wish I had my sword with me, it'd be sharp enough to dig into the wood to use as leverage, right? That's assuming that the roof can even hold my weight, or that I could even pull my ass up it. The roof isn't exactly the steepest looking thing, but it looks as if trying to walk upright on it would be more awkward than not, maybe I could force itself to work anyways?
God, I have no idea what the hell I'm trying to do. A soft sigh forces its way out of my chest as I raise my spare hand to eye level, looking over it as I flex my fingers, the tips of my claws glinting in the moonlight. Well, it's the best idea I got so far, so I might as well go with it. My legs tense for a moment before pushing myself off of the ledge, my grip on the wooden beam tightening as I use it to yank and swing myself upwards. Nerves seize my heart as my claws glances off of the wood before hastily clenching my fingers shut, my muscles straining as I catch the wooden tiles in my grasp. I can hear my blood beating in my ears as I let go of the beam, both hands digging into the wood like picks. I stay there to catch my breath, gathering my thoughts and blinking idly before twisting my neck to look behind me, my legs dangling off of the edge of the roof.
Holy shit, I nearly fucked that up immensely, you stupid stupid little bastard! I curse myself , quietly and under my breath, shaking my head and looking upwards once more. No, I can't let myself hesitate, I need to keep moving. I don't exactly have much time left to hang around, I can feel the muscles in my arms burning alongside the ache in my fingers. I purse my lips together and grunt, pulling myself upwards. The sound of claws jabbing and scraping against the wood fills my ears, I can feel the sweat beading on my forehead already. It takes longer than I feel comfortable with, but I finally throw my arm over the top of the roof with a triumphant grin, dragging myself up and over the ridge.
I twist around with a relieved sigh, taking a seat on the uncomfortable feeling wood, clenching and unclenching my pained hands with a wince as my legs lay against the tiles. I look over them, lips still set into a tense line, fingers rigid and shaky from digging and dragging. Gods, it fucking hurts, the ache in my fingers lingering with an almost wrathful determination. Maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do, but fuck, if only I had some more time to think of something. At least the plans worked so far.
I drop the shaky hands into my lap, turning my sight upwards. The street opposite to me is lined with wooden houses, not too dissimilar to the others that I've seen before, from the ruination that everything here seems to suffer from, to there being nary a gap between one house to the next, as if slammed together. It's such an odd way for these things to be placed, and I hadn't given it too much thought, but it's so… so strange, are there houses built like that in Mekkan, or is it like that for another reason?
I shake my head from those thoughts just for the moment before looking further upwards, to look into the town. A gloomy grey glow drapes itself over the town, wooden and straw houses alike litter the majority of the town, ruined and broken from something, and it's difficult to tell if those houses once stood tall or laid low given how they look now. The streets look as fucked as the houses themselves, the probably sturdy rocks they were once built of blown out and scattered along with the dirt underneath, most roads looking more dirt than stone at the moment. Oddly enough, there's a clear line of sight from right here to the center of it all with what looks to be the town center. Naturally, it isn't free from the ruin that's affected the rest of this place, what's left of broken wagons and stalls strewn across stone and other parts of shattered wood, the water fountain still spurts water from the tip of it however, weak and feeble as it may be.
A familiar looking church lies in the center, though for some reason that doesn't come as much of a surprise. The edges of it seems to shift and stir whenever I squint at the thing, standing tall and proud above it all despite everything, it looks as if that's at least been spared from the wreckage thats afflicted onto the rest of the town for some reason, though any potential reasoning for it doesn't spring to mind. Stained glass windows glimmer in the sombre light, illuminated by the moon that hangs above it.
I stay still and gather my thoughts, simply turning my sight from one thing to the next, taking in deep breaths to soothe my nerves. If this were any other place, and if the town wasn't in shambles, I'd almost consider the sight… peaceful, I suppose. But that isn't the case here.
Whatever's torn through the town seems to have redoubled its effort since I've last seen this place, twisting and tearing with a wild abandon. Something stirs in my chest as I continue to look over it all, an unsettling feeling. Despite how fucked all this looks, it still seems almost like something I've seen before, like it's a poorly done recreation of Dartwood that's been mashed together with other random bits of towns that I've probably seen before. It lingers in my chest no matter how hard I try to shake the feeling, as if it's some sort of perverted recreation of my own memories.
Maybe that's not too far off from the truth, given where I am and what I do know of this place. Such a thing doesn't seem too implausible I suppose.
And yet all that does is give me more questions as to what the fuck's going on. I shuffle onto my feet, heart racing as I stumble before correcting myself, twisting my neck from side to side to look for the end of the line of both the houses I stand atop and the ones in front of me. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to find it, turning into a mere dot in the distance, a seemingly never ending line of something. I hum to myself, my hands digging into my pockets, only half a mind given to the crystals that I wrap my fingers around for some comfort.
Something about all this seems so… conveniently placed to me, and it rubs me the wrong way. I'm chased by something and just so happen to find a house that hides me from it, that just so happens to have what I need to fulfil the plan I pulled out of my arse, what're the odds of that? And what the fuck's up with the tide of white that squirms just out of sight? Where did those things come from, were they just placed here? If this nightmare could just throw in whatever monsters it wished and it truly wanted me dead, why didn't it just plant them on top of my head and let them have their way with me?
Why are they down there specifically, why are these lines of houses placed here instead of anywhere else? If this place really wanted me to die immediately, it could've just put my ass somewhere where I don't have any possible way to escape, instead of a direct line of sight to where I ought to go.
Is this little nightmare half sentient in it's own unique way? A shiver runs up my spine as my lips twist into a small frown, it didn't seem very happy when I taunted it to let me in here, I can still recall the feeling of that cold scratching at my veins after all.
Maybe it took my challenge literally, then. Did purposefully put me into this situation after all just to see how I'd react and respond? Is it just giving me a chance if nothing else?
Tch, so many questions with no fucking answers, absolutely wonderful. I sigh to myself and shake my head, rubbing my hand over my face. I guess there's no point in trying to force an answer out of my head right now, is there? I've already gotten a good view on the layout of the town, so it's probably best that I just try to get to that church, I sure as shit hope that might lead to some explanation on what the fuck's going on.
That still leaves me with a rather small issue though. I can't exactly jump across a full street with leg power alone, so how the fuck am I meant to make it across to the other side? I hum in thought, a thought brushes across my mind as I absentmindedly clench my fists shut, yanking a hand from my pocket. I hold the crystal up to the faux moonlight, the wisps inside still glint with a blue even in the heavy grey light, the thrumming of the magic inside pressing into my arm.
Perhaps I could use magic, then? I guess I could attempt to teleport myself across the gap, but how would I even attempt to go about that? I don't think I've even thought about trying it myself, let alone practice it. I don't know how the process goes to begin with, I could always be wrong, but something tells me that it's not the simplest of things to do.
God, what if I fuck it up? That sounds like a real easy thing to do, I could end up teleporting myself straight into the pit below.
Or I could end up not teleporting a good chunk of my body, leaving parts of yourself behind doesn't sound like too impossible given the fact that it's magic. A shiver runs up my spine as a grim picture brushes forces itself into my mind. I'd rather have all my limbs intact, so that's a no go.
I knock my knuckles against the side of my head as I glare at the mana crystal, sight shifting from it to the roof tops opposite to me, I gotta think of something at least. Maybe I could levitate myself, is that something that you can do with magic? Pfeh, even if you can do that to yourself, I don't think that's something I could force myself to do. I don't trust my own control over magic to attempt it, I nearly knocked myself out trying to hold a metal ball up, let alone a body. The painful memory still lingers in my mind, my right arm twitching in response. I don't think I could concentrate without feeling as if my arm's being torched, either.
Gods, I wish I wasn't so shit at making plans.
My hand curls into a fist around the crystal, the blue light leaking through the gaps in my fingers. I can feel my lips twist further into a deepening frown, knuckles clunking against the side of my skull with a renewed vigor. My mind feels heavy, a dull jabbing pain lancing through it forcing me to wince, a grunt of pain slipping through my lips. Come on, think god dammit, you stupid stupid stupid mother fucker! I need to get across, I won't let myself die in a place like this, not a fucking chance, I don't care if I need to force my carcass into that church.
I let out a deep shuddering breath, closing my eyes shut as I unwrap my fist, rubbing it against my temple dulls the pain at least. Just breath Zeke, in, out.
One, two, three.
I need to think, I can't force an answer out of my head by beating it out. Part of me wants to find and break in the skull of whatever the fucks conjured up this nightmare, but that rage isn't going to help me right now, is it? I smother the fire that burns in my chest as I continue to breath in, slowly and methodically, letting my nerves simmer. My eyelids flicker open, sight flickering to the church in the distance.
Force, huh? I'd like to think I'm good enough at using straight up force to brute force my way through things, though the ability to control it over a long enough period eludes me, but in short bursts there shouldn't be much of a problem. My fingers twitch as I draw mana from the crystal, seeping through the cracks and swallowing my hand, a shiver running up my spine as the almost uncomfortable feeling takes hold of my heart. Blue wisps flare off of the orb of magic, as if twitching with the beating inside my chest, but it remains still otherwise. I don't know much about the specifics of it all, but as long as this doesn't touch my right arm it'll all be fine. What's stopping me from using other parts of my body?
If I can knock people on their ass with a forceful enough shove, why can't I channel it in a way that throws me through the air instead? I tap my fingers against my cheek while I hum, it's not as if I need to use my limbs as a catalyst, but it does seem to help at the very least. I could push myself upwards after taking a literal leap of faith.
...I feel like I could've thought of this a while ago if I actually decided to think, but better late than never I suppose. I let out a soft sigh as the magic slithers down my arm, shivering once more while it wraps and writhes around my legs. It feels both odd and uncomfortable, the thin blue hue blurs around the edges, the occasional small flares dissipating into the air.
The weight on my mind and chest is manageable at the very least, lifting up and shifting a leg to test the waters. Despite the chill, everything seems okay, I haven't blown off my own leg so it probably hasn't gone to shit just yet.
I've got a plan in mind on what I want to do, now I just gotta figure out how I'm meant to do that. Maybe I could practice a bit before making the jump? That'd probably be the wisest decision, wouldn't it? Could I actually transfer what I know in here to reality too? God, what else could I do here? A soft chuckle escapes my throat, lips twitch upwards into a small smile as I relax my leg, an odd light feeling stirring in my chest. Heh, I can't believe I actually feel excited for something in here.
A lance of pain that jabs through my skull cuts the feeling short, grunting and wincing while I bring my hand to my temple, kneading at the side while I look around. My connection to the crystal fades for a moment before I grasp at it, refusing to let that hold fade, even as my vision blurs and heart races.
What the fuck, what's going on- Is it back? Oh god, did it find me again? How did- that's not important, is it? If it's found me again, then I need to find somewhere to hide. My sight turns over to the hole to the house, lingering on it for a second before dismissing the thought, I don't think I can sneak past it while being within arms reach, I'm sure that it'd feel me out.
Fuck, no time like the present, huh? I do my best to stifle the nerves that jolt around inside me, letting out a shuddering breath to soothe it however I can, the cold feeling of magic flaring up and wrapping around my limbs, though I keep it away from my arm as best I can. My claws clip against the tiles as I borderline sliding down the roof, jaw clenched shut while I bend my knees.
Dead air brushes over my face as I launch myself off of the ledge, cloak jolting and floating for a moment before gravity takes its toll.
My sight shifts from the ledge to below, the sound of blood rushing through my ears along with the thundering of my heart.
I'm still so far.
But I have to make it, for it's the only choice I have, whatever the cost may be. The cold chill of magic curls up alongside my legs, sweat beading on my forehead as the pressure in my skull mounts.
Fucking.
Jump!
The wind that blows over my face bangs against my ear drums, vision blurring into a mix of brown and grey while my limbs flail wildly in the air. I barely have time to cover my face before smashing into the rooftop, quickly digging my claws into the wood to stick to it, pain lancing through both hands and arms. I grit my teeth and begin to drag myself up the slanted roof, ignoring the pain as best I can before throwing myself over the ridge, gasping for breath.
Holy shit, I fucking did it, I actually did it! I can still feel my legs twitching, so I haven't blown them off, and my muscles are screaming at me, but I made it, and I'm alive! My lips curl up into a smile before I roll onto my back, wincing and grunting as I pull myself into a seating position. Fear clutches my heart for a moment as I look over to the other side, that stoic figure standing atop the roof. It seems agitated, its fist shaking as it squeezes the head of its cane, chest heaving as it swivels to walk around. Hah! Eat shit, you fucking, whatever the hell you are. I feel the urge to yell out to the thing to gloat, but I stifle that want as quickly as I can. I don't want to gloat and have it immediately backfire, that'd be awful.
My grin widens as it almost walks off of the edge, the tip of its cane scraping against the wood before tapping the ledge. Hah, that would've been fucking hilarious, it might'nt have messed with it very long, but I'll take what emotional respite I can get from this mess that I can. I look over the figure while I have the change, my ears twitching with the sound of its can digging and scraping into the wood below. I'm still confused, how did it find me again, and how did I notice that it was coming? Was that just my heart trying to get me out of the way so it doesn't find me, as if a warning? I can still feel it beating even now, though not nearly as rapidly as before, so maybe that's possible.
That still doesn't explain how it found me, though, I didn't make that much noise did I? So how- I pause myself for a moment, blinking and raising my hand up to eyes view. My mana crystals still in my grasp, thankfully I haven't let go of it even during the jump, the blue wisps inside flickering every so often.
Can it sense magic, is that how it found me again? I look around the rooftop, there's no holes for me to drop through, and I'm less than willing to do another jump to go from rooftop to rooftop, especially if it can track me through me using it.
...I have a plan. An incredibly stupid and dangerous one, but a plan. Why don't I have it make me a hole to go through? I purse my lips together and shuffle about, fingers tightly gripping the crystal as I hold it at arm's length.
One, two, three.
I force the magic from the rock to flare up, blue clouding and filling my vision. I can still see the things skull snap to the side, my lips curling upwards into a grin. Come on you fuck, you know I'm here, don't you? It rolls its shoulders and bends its knees, the wood cracking underneath its robes before it launches itself through the air, its cane raised above its head. I dispel the magic and crawl down, claws digging into the wood to keep myself from sliding. The shattering of wood fills the air, the roof underneath me shaking from the force alone as it barrels through it, a tile zipping through the air, just passing an ear. My vision blurs and tears up as dust invades my lungs, stifling the encroaching coughing fit as best I can, laying low and pressing my chest against the wood, praying that my beating heart doesn't give me away.
I can't see the thing, but I can hear it, I can hear the canes tip dragging against wood, and the sound of its limbs moving about, like the cracking of bones. Even still I keep my voice silent, refusing to even breathe, squeezing my eyes shut to stop the flow of tears. It feels as if it takes an age, but I can finally hear it stop, a final thudding reverberating throughout the room, even from above. It's sounds slowly fade into silence, my heart following suit. I slowly crawl my way over the ridge, dipping my head into the enlarged hole to look about the room inside.
Plain and bare, it doesn't seem to have been used much, and the wood that's been scattered about is probably due to the monster. Holy shit, that worked too, thank god it's fucking blind.
A happy sigh escapes my lips as I fall limp, laying atop the roof, head and arm dangling through the hole.
I'll get to walking later, I feel like my heart's gonna explode, and I want to rest.
Just for a moment.
…
The silence of the streets only serves to put me on edge, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as my ears twitch wildly, I can feel it shifting from side to side. From so much action and tension to… this strange calm, I can't help but feel like this is just a trap from whatever's conducting this bullshit. Why would it let up at all? Maybe it has its own rules to follow, is it actually giving me a chance, to force me to learn things? What does it think it is, a fucking game, does it think I'm just a pawn to toy with!?
A heated huff leaves my lips before shaking my head, still keeping an ear out for anything that'd catch my attention, stamping over the holes that litter the street as I waltz into the town center. The church's so close now, I should be happy or thankful for reaching here without too much of an issue, all I feel is… apprehension and worry. The church looms high above, as if looking down on me, and the rest of the debris that's splattered across the ground.
I'm still not sure why it's like this, why it's gotten worse. I've got a small inkling as to why, though it's nothing more than that.
I pass over the remains, fingers twitching before balling into a fist, squeezing the crystal still stored in a pocket. I'm glad that I have it, it has helped me after all, though it's given me a heart attack at the same time. I pause for a moment in front of the broken water fountain, frown deepening with the sinking of my heart. The spurting water seems to have stopped from when I last saw it, the basins that'd hold it cracked and shattered, though water still stains the rock.
I'm not sure why, but I feel oddly sad about it, and I can't help but wonder why. Looking around doesn't really help the feeling either, it only makes the niggling at the back of my mind feel stronger. Maybe it's because this place reminds me so much of Dartwood? It's the only place I've really spent time wandering about, mostly willingly.
I actually don't know why I feel so melancholic just thinking about the place, I'm still technically near Dartwood, but still… Maybe I should take the time to embrace the place and walk around some more just for the hell of it, when I get out of here, especially with Mabel. I sniff softly, a sad smile crawling its way onto my face as I look over engravings in the base of the statue. Still indecipherable, the cracks that cover bits of it doesn't help, though it still reminds me of something. It's not an entirely comfortable feeling, but it's better than nothing.
I've spent too much time here, it's best to get a move on.
I shuffle past the fountain and approach the church, neck straining as I look up to it. Stained glass windows still glimmer in the dull light, and the look of it seems a bit more… complete than before, I suppose. The edges of it don't shift whenever I try to look at it, so that's a good sign of something I guess.
I swallow down the building spittle in my throat as I gaze upon the doors, the dark wood looming high above. I reach out and press my hand against the door, I can feel the chill of the wood even through my gloves. I hesitate, nerves bristling while I idly hum to myself.
Why do I feel so nervous? I've been here before, and I know where it leads, so why do I hesitate. I shake off the feeling as best I can, though I can still feel it in my gut, pressing forward into the door. It shakes and shudders, but doesn't budge.
"Eh?" I raise an eyebrow and shove once, then twice, letting go of the crystal to shove into it with both hands. It continues to shudder and partially swing inwards, but it remains still otherwise, unyielding to my efforts. I step away from the door and rub the back of my head, lips pursing into a thin frown.
I, what? Have I been locked out or something? That's… I can't say that's happened before, but why? Did I do something wrong, or is there something else to do? I sure as fuck hope not, I wasn't exactly given a checklist on what the hell I'm meant to do.
Another heated huff escapes my throat as I glare at the wooden door, lips curling into a sneer as my hand balls into a fist. I don't want to fucking be here any more than I have to god dammit, let me in!
"Fuck!" I hiss under my breath, taking a frustrated swing against the door. It replies with a dull noise as my fist connects with it, sinking inwards ever so slightly, a soft screeching of its hinges echoes in the silence. The heat in my chest dies down soon after, leaving disappointed embers as I step away from the unyielding door.
A clacking noise suddenly fills the air, my ears twitching before I twist around to face the source.
It stands there, unmoving like a statue, and I hadn't even heard it's approach. I freeze and hold my breath, fear clutching my heart as my eyes widen. How did it even get here, how did it find me? Why didn't I feel it coming? Time seems to slow as I stare at its smooth skull, its hands clasped together on the head of the cane.
..it almost seems calm, or at least, calmer than before. It remains still, hunched over its cane, it lacks the aggressive drive and air I've seen from it once before. I take a soft breath of air as I loosen up, arms falling to my side while I tilt my head.
"...Hello?" I call out to the figure, my voice barely above a whisper. It still seems to hear it nonetheless, judging from the way its head twitches and tilts. It doesn't move beyond that, though. Is it mocking me, mimicking me? Should I be doing something? "I-is there something you want? You're not completely mindless, so I know you can understand me. Or at least, I think so."
It doesn't react, head still tilted to the side. I guess I shouldn't have expected much from it. Can it even talk?
"I just wanna get out of here, preferably without a fight, so do you min-" It suddenly shifts its head upright, the sudden cracking noise that comes from it sounds like the snapping of bones, cutting me off as I flinch, my back pressing against the church doors. My jaw clammers shut before I gulp, a cold feeling washing over my limbs. What does it want from me? It knows I'm here, so why…?
It shuffles from side to side before dipping it's head to me, though its motions still seem unnaturally stiff. I blink, staring at the… the thing, what the fuck is it doing? It stays there for a while longer before pulling its head up again, still hunched over the cane. Silence reigns the air afterwards, the only sound I can hear being the beating of my heart.
Did it just bow?
"Wha- Who are you meant to be?" I know it's fruitless, but I ask the question anyways, furrowing my brow as I stare at it. Is it meant to resemble someone I know, or something else entirely? A hand of it slowly lets go of the cane's head, trembling for a moment before its arms fall limply to its side. The hand that grips the head like a vice shakes and shudders before sliding down, gripping just under it, jabbing the head towards me.
It lingers there for a moment, its head tilting to the side. Maybe I'm losing it, but the way it's teeth curls upwards at the end, it almost seems as if it's grinning. It doesn't feel like a malicious one, but what else could it be?
It nods.
And then plunges the sharpened tip of the cane into its chest.
Its ribs shatters immediately, blackened blood gushing out of the newly created hole, caking its emasculated looking flesh. It doesn't twitch or react to it beyond its hands shaking, letting go of the rod and turning its skull upwards, looking towards the sygtian sky. I'm not sure what I'm watching, and I can't seem to look away from the horrific thing, no matter how hard I try. The thing shudders one final time before finally keeling over, falling to its knees. It still stares even as it falls to the ground, the black blood that seeps out of its wounds covering and smothering the corpse.
The blood bubbles and boils over it, and the only thing I feel as if I could do is watch. Why can't I move, why can't I look away? My eyes widen once more with the shifting and squirming of the mess, twisting and building itself upwards on top of itself, like thickened sludge, even asblack wisps flaring off of its sides.
Is i- Please, please fucking don't. I grit my teeth and take in shortened breaths as the sludge continues its awful morphing, into a disgustingly familiar shape.
It swings its arms outwards, black cloak flinging to the side before dangling behind it, a dark sheen to its fleshy bladed edge. Inhumanly sharp teeth line where its mouth would be, visible through the shadow of its hood.
My blood runs cold as the monster stares, the bladed arm dropping to its side with an ever widening grin, the air filled with it's raspy breathing.
Fuck.
Authors note: Man, this chapter was a fucking hassle to do, I took my sweet ass time getting this out huh? Sorry about all that, I had my birthday, and then got sick, so a bundle of shit that didn't really help.
Speaking of birthdays, it's this fanfics birthday too, never thought I'd actually write so much to see it. As a present for the birthday I actually commissioned an artist for a cover image, I'm working on bundling a bunch of info somewhere else too so anyone can grab the link to have a refresher on characters, because I'm very aware that characters can disappear for a long time.
I'm also redoing the summary to better reflect the story, cause it needs a bit of an update. I'm also gonna be trying to put out chapters earlier to get into the regular schedule
Why am I putting money into a fanfic? Dunno really.
Could I have done any of this before the anniversary?
Yes.
See you next time.