The Fifteen Strangers Mods (
strangerpeople) wrote in
15strangers2023-07-21 10:18 pm
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FINAL TRIAL
(1 of Hekatombaion)
[When the time comes, Charon arrives on a boat, hrrhrrhrring a little tune as he rows. No need to worry about space, even with all of the shades coming with. Fluffles, unsurprisingly, doesn't go; he does see everyone off, at least, before he falls asleep.
With a final hnnnngrrrgh, they're off. Charon is the master of the Styx, in his own way, deftly avoiding roots and branches from the Qliphoth as he guides his charges up through the layers of the underworld. From the dark and gloomy green of Tartarus, to the lava-flooded Asphodel and it's giant many-headed bone snake, sadly snarled in demonic roots (without thinking, Zack waves to it), on through the lazy rivers of Elysium, and lastly through the pitch stink of the corridors of a temple separating the underworld from the living world.
Throughout, there is eerie quiet. No shades appear to watch their procession-indeed the few wisps around seem to be fleeing, hiding. No rats try to bite Zack's face off. Aside from Lernie, there's truly nothing but tree, tree, and more tree.
Finally, though, the surface air hits, and it is...not cold, but not warm, either. Though, as everyone disembarks, that's probably not what catches everyone's attention. No-it is the barren fields of ancient Greece, just outside the entrance to the underworld-and there is only one thing alive in the area.
It is late afternoon, and the silhouette of the new moon is the only thing that emits real light now in the grey. Indeed, if there is a sun, it is blocked out by the massive, massive roots in the sky, swirling into the stratosphere. The roots in the underworld were in fact more akin to greedy branches; the roots in the sky of the world of life, however, are far more massive, and it's clear the tree is fully grown. And-if the dead grass and trees and barren lands around the Temple of Styx are any indication-it isn't simply feeding on human blood-it's affecting the life of the earth itself, greedily lapping up what it can as it further embeds itself, further spreads, further grows. Further destroys.
It won't stop. There is obsession and power, and Delta is right-it will never stop unless someone intervenes.
Wordlessly Delta points to a Spire of blood in front of them. Yup-they need to enter it to get to where they need to go. Lovely.]
Through here is the core of the tree where the fruit of the Qliphoth is being cultivated. Come.
[Well, no turning back. With luck, the Catillac has some extra towels.
So, immediately after squishing into the...blood elevator?...everyone is schllllorped on a ride akin to w water slide, going up and down, left and right, up, up, up, then down, down, down....down.......
d
o
w
n
into the depths.
And when they emerge...]

[Bright flowers grow on the vines. There is distant birdsong, and the sun shines among fat, lazy clouds. But you can see the shine of glass in the corner of your eye; the air is too perfect to breath, too cold to touch. You don't feel the grass or dirt underfoot that you can clearly see The smell of blood is everywhere.
An illusion? A dream? A delusion? Something else? Who knows. There is a patio table laid out with tea, and four seats. It's almost as if the owner simply got up and left for a moment. It's all strange, all...wrong.
Still. You're finally here. You're in the core. You freed a possible god from the grip of forced ignorance. And you have-you hope-everything you need to end this. But there is still one question:
It is time, Strangers. By the seas, the heavens and the earth, by blood and darkness, it's up to you.
Good luck.]
s t o p
[The façade falters. The words drill into the illusion and splinter like tinkling glass.
Then, two spirits speak.]
Mom?
Mother-
[She screams, her hands clawing at her head.]
NO!
N̵̯̿̈́͐O̴̮̾O̷͎̞̕̚O̴̳͒Ö̷̲̼̖O̵͉̊̆̑O̷̗͖̐͜O̴̹̐Ó̵̘̱̔̚O̵̲̍Ő̸̼͙̯͊!!!!
[Window breaking. World tumbling. The living might mind the shards as they tumble down, the idyllic scene replaced by nothing but roots and a barren boulevard of spirals and whorls. It's cold, cold, and behind her is the final branch, the branch that would bear the fruit of the Qilphoth.
It's not there. It's gone. Possibly it was eaten. Possibly it never took fruit-the round's intended bounty of blood never came, after all.
But really, it doesn't matter now as the creature collapses into brambles-and immediately, despite what she'd done and said, the shades of her two sons go to her, to try and comfort her.
She doesn't answer them. She really can't, because all she can do is cry, red tears streaming down her face as she buries herself in her claws.
Sometimes even a mother's love isn't enough to save anyone.
But at least there's a chance to help here.]
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Moriarty, your portals! Get her out of the spikey branches!
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He can't help but think of things said in this trial. Of what's been said and told here. Of all of this family drama...and their own connection.
A sword that separated the Human and Demon worlds.
Even as he moves to use the portal...he can't help but send a thought to that Devil Arm who's power he can use.
'Eva is suffering, locked between those two worlds that should have never met. Though you are not Sparda, you are from him, no matter how distant it may be. If it is at all possible...no matter the cost to myself, if she can be severed from that tree, then let it be so.'
He doesn't expect an answer - in fact, he's assuming all he will be able to do is create a portal to let her get some distance from the tree.
But, hell. He's seen impossible things happen with his own eyes before, all because someone merely asked first.]
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But-it is funny how things work, sometimes. Moriarty can never hope to sever the link between the human and demon worlds. He certainly can't cut the tree down with a single swipe. He simply doesn't have the blood to do it.
But he's separated good from evil before, in his own way. And a simple portal job to sever Eva's soul from the Qiphoth?
Moriarty might glow, just a little, and Eva, for her part, lets out a shuddering gasp, then a moan, as she jerks her hands down her face-before the demonic brambles suddenly flinch, richochet away with a sickening, bloody snap.
The tree-the very ground they stand on-shudders.]
Sparda?...what have you done to me...
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Sparda...isn't here. But I'm not sure there's time to figure out the details of what just happened, something's happening with the tree.
[Whether it's about to collapse or go all in on trying to kill them...he doesn't know. Either way, they don't want to stay here.]
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Is it time, Alastor...?
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We need to get her away and make sure she's safe. I get the feeling the tree may start to lash out at us soon.
[ Given it seems like her soul was separated from the tree so they probably could kill it now but that seemed like a plan they had to figure out and quick with what was going on. ]
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He almost stumble-floats a little when he shines for just that faint moment, a deep exhale coming from him as the weight of what just happened settles on him.]
It...it's done. She's free from the tree.
[There's a faint wonder to his voice, as he shakes his head to will the feeling away, trusting the others to help in this situation.]
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Makima is getting the hell onto Kira's motorcycle and down the boulevard.]
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I'll go wherever you want.
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You can't give up, Eva. You're so close. They're already here-
[NO! she screams and there is a rush of power and energy and the world dissolving in a rush, cracks and chimes like glass breaking as the house and everything around it shatters and Akane is thrown away from her. Her own scream is lost in Eva's, and in the dissolving of the world, but she hits something, hard, and her breath is knocked out of her as she crumples down.]
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The bow is raised and aimed at Eva as he kneels over her form. Give him a goddess damned excuse]
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But when she sees him she shakes her head, eyes wide as she looks up at him, and then back at the scene-
Not yet not yet not yet-
Firing at her too soon like that could still ruin everything.
She reaches up, a little weakly, and touches his hand, though she doesn't say anything, not now, not yet.]
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[he doesnt drop the pull, though]
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Thank you, Hubert.
[It's still too soon to give up.]
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- and then Akane stops Hubert, and it all fades away.
...No. Of course, the Goal is the most important, not momentary emotions. Truly, she was greater than he could be, his Akane.
So without saying anything, he turns back to his task - all of this only taking a second or two in real-time for him to process, all that could be seen is his wide eyes before his head turned.
But that would be enough for her to realize, wouldn't it?]
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But he turned away again, after, and that was enough. The end result, right now, was the most important thing.]
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[Like Hubert, Gai has his eyes fixed on the scene in front of him, and the other man will no doubt be able to recognize the tension in his muscles, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
But for now? He's holding back.]
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This guy. It was this guy. He also falls, and is beneath Akane when all is said and done.]
Akane!
[He checks her.
Please don't be dead because of his pecs.]no subject
Ow.... ow ow ow ow ow......
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...It seems we managed to get through to her. I'm glad.
[ Yeah they still had to deal with how to kill the tree itself but it was all going to happen in time. Maybe there was a way to separate her from the Qliphoth tree so she didn't have to die again. ]