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5hfanfiction · 6 years ago

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Camren: At First Sight (Chapter 4)

Trigger Warning: mention of sexual assault

A/N: Hi guys! If you want to start from the beginning, it’s posted on Wattpad (@paigejv). Enjoy :)

“UGHHHH,” I groaned into my pillow, fumbling to silence the alarm. Ms. Philips wouldn’t mind if I came late to first period, right? Surely a top student deserves a little leeway…

I jolted up in bed.

“Guys,” I rasped, my eyes squinting against the sunlight pouring through the cabin window. “It’s elimination day.”

No response. Turning to my right, I ran my fingers over the now vacant space beside me. I sighed when I found the sheets cold.

Before I could wonder further, Lauren came striding through the bunk door, her notebook tucked under her arm. “No shit, Sherlock,” she grinned. “How’s your leg?”

“Throbbing,” I winced. “But I’ll live.” I scrunched my blankets to the bottom of the bed and climbed to my feet. With a hiss, I managed to limp forward, over to Dinah’s sleeping form.

She lay curled beneath her covers, her head turned away from the wall. I cupped my hands around my mouth.

“Are you sure that’s—” Lauren started, her eyes wide.

“IT’S TIME TO GET UP,” I shouted into Dinah’s ear, my voice echoing through the cabin.

She sat up so fast, she nearly banged her head on the bedpost. “What the hell, Mila!” The younger girl grabbed for her heart, jabbing an accusing finger in my face. “You little shit.”

I shrugged, grinning. “You looked so peaceful.”

“And you, Lauren? I would have thought you knew better,” Dinah glared.

She raised her hands protectively. “Hey, hey. Don’t drag me into this. That was all Camz.”

“So when I pummel her, you won’t stop me?”

Ally’s moan saved Lauren from answering. “Remind me again why we went to bed so late?”

“Hot guys,” Lauren smirked.

“Assholes.”

I raised my eyebrow, turning toward Normani. “What?”

“Hm?”

“I thought you said—“

“We need to get ready,” she mumbled, not meeting my gaze. “There’s no time to shower.”

I nodded and limped back to my cubby. Lost in thoughts of the impending elimination, we dressed in silence, well-aware that our next trip to the cabin could be to pack our suitcases.

My hair was a disaster, so I tied it up in a ponytail before hurrying onto the porch.

“Camz—”

“Right, right, shoes.”

Lauren shook her head, smirking, as I limped back and stuffed them onto my feet.

“Don’t judge me. I’m so nervous.”

We headed toward the main building, trudging through the cold morning air. I took a deep breath.

“It will be over soon,” Ally smiled, throwing her arm across my shoulder. “Don’t worry. If anyone’s getting through, it’s going to be the five of us.”

I giggled. “Yeah, obviously, we’re—”

“All five? Those odds aren’t too hot,” Normani blurted.

Piercing green eyes turned a shade darker as Lauren glared at the older girl. “Not helping,” she spat.

“Hey, I’m just being realistic.”

I slipped my hand into Lauren’s and pulled her into the cafeteria before she could respond. “Let’s get some oatmeal.”

She followed reluctantly. “Mush, you mean.”

“Not when you add bananas.”

“Banana mush.”

I placed my hand over my heart. “And I thought we were friends.”

The corner of her mouth lifted. “Just because you have a weird obsession with bananas doesn’t mean I have to like eating them.”

“There’s a joke there somewhere,” Dinah smirked, joining us at the table.

I flushed slightly as Lauren poked my cheek.

“Hey look,” I announced, quickly changing the subject. “It’s Arin.” He stumbled into the cafeteria, half-asleep, and slid into the chair next to Keaton’s.

“Normaniiiii,” Ally sang. “You should go say hello.”

I giggled.

“Fuck off,” Normani muttered under her breath. Dinah gasped, and Ally looked hurt.

“What has gotten into you today?” Lauren asked angrily.

“Or last night, for that matter,” Dinah blurted. “Why’d you leave so early?”

I swung my eyes in her direction. Under our scrutiny, she fidgeted, her face turning red. “I—”

“Quiet, please.” Demi’s voice echoed around the cafeteria.

We had been too distracted to notice her entrance. I whipped my head around to face her, my heart already pounding. She stood with Simon at her side and tapped the microphone until the room fell silent. My stomach dropped as I braced myself for what she had to say.

“We’ll talk later,” Ally whispered.

Normani merely nodded, her eyes downcast.

“Will the following people please stand?” Demi cleared her throat and unfolded a piece of paper, preparing to read.

“Really?” Lauren whispered. “They’re going to do this here?”

“Shush,” I hissed.

“Emma Dover,” she read. “Catherine Edwards. Nate Elsen. Sam Gorman.”

My heart nearly stopped when I realized the list was alphabetical. I tuned out the rest of the names. “She skipped me.” I could feel the tears building behind my eyes, my face turning red.

Lauren squeezed my hand hard. “She’s skipped all of us, Camz.”

It was true. Demi was already past “M,” and not one of our five names had been called. Normani muttered to herself, looking as heartbroken as I felt.

“And Abby Williams,” Demi finished, replacing the mic in its stand. “Please follow me.”

We watched them leave the cafeteria mutely, gathering their things. Simon stayed at the front of the room, scanning our faces.

“She didn’t say what the names meant,” Ally whispered.

I closed my eyes.

The cafeteria door screeched shut, and we all turned to stare at Simon. He surveyed us in silence. And then the corner of his mouth lifted. “Relax. You all made it.”

The roar was deafening. I cried as Lauren’s arms came around my own, followed by Dinah, and Ally, and even Normani, who squeezed into the giant group hug so tight I could barely breathe.

Simon chuckled, then cleared his throat to call our attention. Twice. Three times. It wasn’t until Demi had returned, a good ten minutes later, that we reclaimed our seats and quieted down. My smile was so big, it felt like my cheeks were going to break.

“Congratulations,” Demi grinned. “You’ve really earned it.” Another round of applause shook the room.

“Should we explain the third challenge?” Simon murmured.

Demi considered for a moment, then turned her head and spoke into the mic. “Challenge 3 will be tomorrow afternoon. All you need to know for now,“ and she waved her hand over a stack of papers on the front table, “is the song you will perform. Once you finish breakfast, pick up your assignment and head to rehearsal straightaway.”

As the judges took their leave, Demi’s eyes met mine. She winked quickly, and like the weirdo I am, my hand raised in a thumbs-up. I flushed when she smiled knowingly.

Itching to get started, we hurried to the trashcan and dumped our bowls of mush.

I was in such a hurry to escape the rehearsal room that I left through a back door. Expecting to be alone, I was surprised to find a familiar shape sitting in the grass.

“Camz?” Lauren closed her notebook quickly when I walked toward her. She leaned forward, squinting against the sun. “What’s wrong?”

I wiped the tears from my eyes with shaking hands. “Nothing. I’m just being stupid.”

“Come here,” she implored, holding out her arms.

I scooted into them gratefully. As she stroked my hair, I let out a sigh, relaxing into her embrace. My eyelids slid shut.

“How do you do it?” I murmured.

“Do what?”

“Make me feel so good.”

I felt Lauren’s hand freeze on my hair. Then she laughed lightly, and I could breathe again. What the fuck, Camila.

“I guess I just understand where you’re coming from.”

I bit my lip. “Don’t tell me you also forgot the words when Simon walked by? No wait—you definitely didn’t knock over the music stand and spill your drink all over the floor. Only I could do that.”

She grimaced. “Sounds like a great practice.”

“The best.”

We fell into a comfortable silence. I wiggled slightly and moved down her body to rest my head in her lap. Stretching my legs across the grass, I watched as the shapes in the clouds raced through the sky, joining with the treetops when I couldn’t see any further.

These arms of mine, they are lonely / Lonely and feeling blue

My breath hitched when Lauren began to sing. At barely more than a whisper, I strained my ears, needing to hear every word.

These arms of mine, they are yearning / Yearning from wanting you

I lifted my chin to look at her, but those green eyes stared straight ahead, refusing to meet my gaze.

And if you would let them hold you / Oh, how grateful I will be

When I ran my fingers over her hand, her cheeks took on a red tinge, but her voice didn’t waver.

These arms of mine, they are burning / Burning from wanting you

She stopped as abruptly as she started. Of their own accord, my fingers reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “That was amazing,” I breathed.

“Thanks.” She finally dropped her eyes to meet mine, a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips. I had never seen her so vulnerable. Those green orbs consumed me, and I couldn’t look away, desperate to decipher her expression.

“Lauren?” I murmured.

“Yeah?” she breathed, her eyes still on mine.

“Can you tell me what you’re thinking?”

I watched her blush up to the roots of her dark hair. She broke our eye contact and stared straight ahead, across the open field. “That I have to learn the end of that song if I’m going to have a shot at making it to the Judges’ Houses.” She gently pushed me off her lap and climbed to her feet, lifting her notebook from the grass. “We’d better go before lunch ends.”

I nodded mutely and wiped the dirt off my shorts.

“What,” Dinah pushed her food around her plate angrily, “has gotten into you guys?”

I looked up to see Lauren frowning into her spaghetti. She offered a vague shrug and merely rolled her eyes, avoiding my gaze completely.

“First Normani,” Dinah huffed, “and now you two.” She waved her fork between us. “No one’s saying anything.”

I reached for my napkin and let my fingers tear it to strips, too anxious to sit still.

“That’s it.” Dinah banged her cup on the table. “We’re gonna play a game. Outside, all of you, now.”

No one moved.

“We’re still eating,” Ally finally protested.

Dinah crossed her arms. “Fine. Then we’ll play right here. Truth or dare.”

“What do you want to know, Dinah? That I’m not as nice as you thought I was? That I don’t give a fuck about any of you?” Normani blurted.

I flinched and found myself leaning away from the older girl. She was my competitor, and there was a decent chance I wouldn’t see her after this week, but it hurt all the same.

“Fuck you.” Lauren finally said, her tone flat.

Instead of shooting back an insult, Normani dropped her head into her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

I sat there, frozen, as Dinah stretched her hand across the table and placed it reassuringly on the older girl’s arm. “Actually…I wanted to know what Arin did to you.”

My mouth dropped open. Lauren looked just as surprised as I felt; she turned in my direction, crinkling her nose in confusion. It was the first time she had looked at me since we came inside.

“Wait…” Ally sighed. “This has to do with—"

But Dinah ignored her, focusing her attention on Normani. “He didn’t, like, you know…”

I held my breath as we waited for her reply, a sick feeling settling in my stomach.

“No,” she finally murmured in a thick voice. She wiped her eyes roughly. “But if his friend hadn’t seen us…I don’t know. He could have.”

Dinah stood up so quickly her chair skidded against the wall. “I’m going to fucking kill him,” she snarled.

“No,” Normani repeated weakly. Lauren grabbed Dinah’s arm to stop her from charging across the cafeteria and attacking Arin then and there. “I mean…it just happened so fast. I’m not sure…”

“Not sure of what, Normani?” Ally asked softly.

But she just shook her head. “Never mind. Can we talk about something else?”

“No,” Lauren and Dinah scowled. “You’ve got to report him.”

Normani just shook her head. “And say what? He kissed me?” She scoffed. “It would be weirder if he hadn’t.”

I cleared my throat. “Wait, I don’t understand. So what happened?”

The older girl reached for her fork, pushing the food across her plate. “I don’t…know.” Her voice cracked.

We fell silent at that. I replayed the conversation, barely paying attention to Dinah as she walked around the table and wrapped Normani in a hug.

“It was fucking terrible,” she older girl mumbled, her gaze fixed on a speck of dirt beside her cup. “Whether I wanted him or not didn’t seem to matter.”

Lauren’s eyes turned a full shade darker. She clenched her fists, clearly itching to…well, I wasn’t really sure. But Arin wouldn’t like it.

“There’s only two days left, Normani,” Ally said softly. “Let’s hope he gets eliminated.”

“And we make it,” Normani hiccupped. “I’m sorry, guys. Really. You’re the best.”

“Duh,” Dinah grinned. “And from now on, no boys. We stick together.”

I looked at Lauren quickly, thinking about Keaton. But the corner of her mouth quirked. “No boys,” she echoed, her green eyes settling on my own. She smiled tentatively. I think my answering grin spoke for itself.

Lauren laced our fingers and pulled me into the auditorium. “What do you think the meeting’s about?”

“Maybe they’ll explain the final challenge?” The other contestants milled around the stage, and with a jolt, I remembered the first time I had come through those doors. Just as uncertain, just as nervous…but now I had the green-eyed girl beside me. That made all the difference.

“Earth to Camila,” Lauren sang.

I blushed, realizing I had been staring at her. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

She just shook her head, a grin pulling at her lips. “Never mind.”

We sat behind our bunkmates. Dinah was still consoling a distressed Normani, but Ally smiled at us in acknowledgement. When she turned back around, I leaned into Lauren’s side, sighing happily as her fingers rubbed patterns into my arm.

“Alright, listen up.” Demi spoke into the mic. I did a double take. Beside her stood…holy hell. “As you can see, we have two new judges joining us for the third challenge and the remainder of the season. Please welcome…Britney Spears and L.A. Reid!”

The applause was deafening. I grabbed Lauren’s arm, my mouth open, too starstruck to form words.

I loved the way her eyes sparkled under the stage lights. She laughed, giddy, and ran her hand through her hair. “As if things couldn’t get any crazier.”

“Cue flashback to seven-year-old me rocking it out to ‘Toxic,’” I giggled. “If you’d told me that I’d be singing in front of Britney Spears for real…”

“So you’ve always been a dork?” Lauren teased.

“Hey,” I whined. “I—"

“Shut it, lovebirds,” Dinah called over her shoulder. I didn’t register what she had said until Lauren jumped away from me, pushing my arm off hers. My wrist crashed into the floor to support my weight. “Oof,” I winced.

“Sorry,” she muttered, refusing to meet my gaze.

I tried to listen to L.A. Reid when he stepped up to the mic, but my mind was working in overdrive, spinning out of control. It was a joke I know Dinah didn’t mean anything by it but oh god Lauren sure thought she did I could see it written all over her face the way she pushed me away in disgust like she wanted nothing to do with me—

“Coming, Mila?” Ally asked. I shook my head slowly, staring around the room, surprised to find most of the contestants standing in four columns. I blinked, confused, before spotting Lauren and the girls lined up in front of Britney. She held a sign over her head that read “Teens,” so I scrambled to my feet and moved to join them.

When Arin ambled in front of me, I curled my lip, wishing I could shove him off the stage. Assuming Ally shared the same sentiment, I turned around…and was surprised to see she had joined Demi’s line. I raised my eyebrow, frowning.

“I’m 19,” she mouthed, pointing to the sign above Demi’s head. “Young adult.”

Hm. I hadn’t known that. I smiled weakly and raised my hand, giving her a thumbs-up.

“Alright. Here’s what we’re going to do.” Demi spoke into the mic once more, dropping her sign at her feet. “The lines you’re in now are your competition. For the third challenge, you’ll be singing for one of six available spots in your age group.”

I gulped, my stomach dropping, as I looked up my line. No way in hell could I beat all those people. Not to mention…Lauren. I watched as she ran her hand through her long black hair. I willed her to turn around, but she kept her eyes trained on the judges.

“We want to give you the chance to work with other singers,” Demi continued. “Some of your coaches have complained that they can’t get through to you guys.”

I bit my lip. Whoops.

“If you look to your right and left, you’ll see your new group members. Not in your age category, of course, so help each other as much as you can, please. You’ll have the afternoon to run through your songs. After dinner, you’ll meet with your coaches and show them what you’ve learned.” Demi beckoned the first contestants forward and spoke to them briefly before sending them off to a rehearsal room.

My line moved slowly, and I tried to count across the rows to figure out who I would end up with. Lauren never turned around, but I glanced at her periodically, noting the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

When Ally was paired with Arin, I smiled sympathetically at her scowl, waving to her sadly as she left the auditorium. And then it was my turn.

“Room 12, guys,” Demi consulted her notes. “Make sure you know your lyrics by tonight’s practice.” She smirked at me briefly, and I sighed, knowing that was for my benefit.

“Will do,” I nodded quickly, with all the confidence I could muster.

We trudged through the auditorium doors.

I threw my arm over my eyes and collapsed into my bed, my stomach full to bursting from dinner with our small groups. “I’m never getting up,” I croaked aloud, assuming it was Dinah on the stairs.

Wrong. Lauren chuckled as she pushed through the bunk door, stumbling slightly in the dark. “Tell me about it.”

I fidgeted nervously. Her damn mood swings were giving me whiplash, and my heart thudded as she came straight for me. Those green eyes didn’t quite meet mine. “Scoot, will you?”

I wasn’t about to question it. My bed dipped under her weight, and she curled into my side, tucking her arm behind my head. I stiffened when her fingers grazed my collarbone.

“You know we have practice in forty-five minutes?” Dinah thumped into the cabin and flicked on the light, making us both jump. “Weren’t you going to shower, Mila?”

I sighed. “Yeah.” But I burrowed further into Lauren’s neck, pressing my body flush against hers, feeling reckless.

“She smells good.”

I opened one eye, squinting against the light. My lips quirked when Lauren turned red. I didn’t bother hiding my smirk.

“I mean you could probably wait until after rehearsal to shower,” she mumbled, rolling onto her stomach and out of my arms. “If you’ll be awake enough at midnight.”

I groaned and shoved a pillow over my face. Though working with the other contestants had proved surprisingly useful—I’d fully memorized the lyrics, and Tate had suggested a genius note change to serve as my redemption—I wanted nothing more than to stay in this bed. For eternity.

But I squeezed my eyes shut and let my better sense win out. Deep breath. I counted to five and sat up slowly, reaching for my towel. “If I’m this tired now, I’m going to pass out later.” I stumbled into the bathroom and turned the tap to scalding.

I wished I could shut my brain off, just for a minute. So I wouldn’t have to remember the way my body responded to Lauren’s raspy voice, the way those green eyes bared so much, even as she said nothing at all. I hated the power she held, able to turn my day from good to bad to good again with nothing more than a well-timed smile…or a well-placed shove.

Shut it, lovebirds.

I especially refused to think about why I cared so much.

Instead, I tipped my chin toward the shower head, letting the water mingle with my tears and wash them down my skin. They pooled behind the rim of my shower shoes and only spilled over when I shook them free, spraying water across the tub. My fingers had wrinkled to prunes before I found the energy to cut the tap.

When I reached for my towel, my hand hit the wall with a painful smack. I muttered a curse, groping blindly from behind the shower curtain, certain I had hooked it on the door. I reluctantly pulled the curtain aside, shivering, and searched the tile floor. My clothes lay in a messy pile, and I tried not to drip water on them as I stepped out of the tub.

“Guys?” I cracked the bathroom door open. “Can someone pass me a towel?”

No response.

I peered around the door and into the cabin. It was completely empty…and there was my towel, crumpled on my bed. I bit my lip. Ten steps, max, and I’d be back in the bathroom, warm and dry. I shivered when I inched further around the door, half my body already into the bunk, ready to make a run for it…

“AHHHHHHH!”

I slammed the door on my toe as I jumped back, petrified. “What the fuck, guys!” I slid my hands to my knees and bent over, waiting for my heart to stop pounding.

“That was fucking hilarious!” Dinah called. “And payback for this morning. You really should have known better, Mila.”

“Oh yeah?” I gasped through the door. “You just wait, Dinah Jane Hansen. Just. You. Wait. You’re so done.”

“Hey, you can’t only blame me. It was Lauren’s idea!” she shouted back.

I blushed, wondering how much of my body had been visible when the girls jumped out from behind their cubbies. “You’re both fucked, then.”

Normani and Ally giggled. Traitors. “Still want that towel, Mila?”

“No.” I crossed my arms, even though she couldn’t see me through the door. “I’m just fine, thank you very much.” I slipped on clean clothes and ran my comb through my hair, taking care to spray water over the other girls’ belongings. “That’s what you get,” I muttered.

“Stop talking to yourself and come out here,” Lauren called. “You’re going to be late.”

Hearing footsteps pounding down the stairs, I flung the door aside and stepped into the cabin. Lauren was alone. Her hand was in her hair, and she bit her lip as her gaze traveled down my body, over my chest, and lingered on the sliver of skin peeking out from beneath the hem of my shirt. Our eyes locked.

“Come on,” she muttered, and spun on her heel. The back of her ears turned bright red as we pushed through the door.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! As always, more chapters are posted on Wattpad (@paigejv). Skip directly to chapter 5.0 <3

#UPDATE #series #x factor #non AU #slash #trigger warning #camren #angst drama #humour #romance fluff #submission #At First Sight

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mamagabi-s-corner · 8 years ago

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Where did you get the ideas for making Shedder and the rabbit? are they connected in some way? I want to know more

mmmmmm it’s almost 2 am, I should be asleep, but since you’re a curious person, I might as well ‘shed’ a bit of light.. No pun intended..

Technically n’yall remember that one design that shedder had at one point?

aka this design? yea, I asked a friend of mine to help me out (since they go to art school and they know much more better with character design than I do ghgfjhhgj), so one day we did a drawpile and several hours later, after debating what we would add on the character..

This thicc thigh lady was born, and I decided to give her another name “Shedder”, I thought of naming her “Skinner”, which is like a person who ‘skins’ the corpses of dead animals for the sole purpose of obtaining fur, but it wouldn’t make much sense for her because she actually ‘sheds her own skin’ (as mainly seen in the game where you see an Elsen rip their skin off their face in that park cutscene hah) hence the name Shedder. Her abilities is that of a copy cat, she sees someone, and she immediately sheds her skin in order to COMPLETELY MIMIC THE OTHER! and I mean to a T! Personality wise, appearance, even competence! Yea, even that! Major downside is that she’s colorblind, so when she mimics someone, the colors on the mimic are very bland and dull, (which obv give away that she’s shedder, BUT there are people who are rather gullible and/or not aware of shedder’s existence, and also since we’re going with the original OFF, the only color is the outside pattern, not people who inhabit said colorful land, so it’s more easier for Shedder to trick people.) Now as I developed Shedder overtime, I also ended up developing her lore, which will be revealed once you complete Zone 4, and if you’re the person who loves snooping around to find secrets, then good for you, cuz you’re in for a treat…

as for Erika aka rekt rabbit.. That design just popped up one day after me watching too many dank videos. Erika is your potty mouth temper bitch who tries to bomb the whole mall but fails, in the previous update she constantly says “I will rip her dick if I see her” (as I redid the dialogue she doesn’t say it), which she is actually talking about Shedder in a vague manner. As for the connections, well, this is where you come in. I know OFF revolves around theories per say, and I’d HONESTLY LOVE TO HEAR SOME THEORIES REGARDING MY GAME, the characters, the lore, the what ever, idk, I just want to hear what people have to theorize, because the game might explain a bit of things (which has since been edited completely until Max finishes his deliveries), there are most of the things that leave you with more questions than answers, so.. asks are open, go crazy.

#mama birb speaks #humble stranger #aaa tysm for taking interest in asking this question #but if you want to make up a theory regarding those two go right ahead #i already have something set up for erika when i start to work on the final update #but for now I'd love to hear what you guys have to dish out ;w;

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the-dorothinquisiton-blog · 8 years ago

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The Front Gate - Chapter XXIII

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Okay, so, I’m posting again! Surprise, surprise! I didn’t actually think anyone would be interested in my work, but I got a ton of likes and even a few people messaging me wanting to see more! This is chapter 23 of my novel, and personally one of the only chapters I prefer over the chapter I posted last time! This chapter features Enoch, and Zone Three as a whole! I would’ve loved to post a chapter on Dedan too, but unfortunately I’d like to take more time to strengthen his role in the story before I post any of the chapters he’s a part of! hope you all get a kick out of it either way I really hope you enjoy! There still might be a few spelling errors, so just leave a comment if you find any! If you’re curious about the cliffhanger at the end, I’ll totally post chapter 24 next! I have up to chapter 31 done so far, so no worries! Thanks a bigillion for all the support on my first post! I’ll see you all in the next one!

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The Batter walked casually through the empty streets of Vesper once more, back on track towards the center of colossal city. He was nearing his destination by now, he was certain of that. He had been walking in solitude through the dead streets for at least an hour now. However, as he carried on casually, he began feeling an odd feeling. One as though he might be being pursued by someone, or something. Despite the creeping feeling, the Batter still managed to feel no fear. His face was stern and cold, still showing no visible remorse for his recent actions. Why should he be? All he carried about now were answers he deserved; and of course, his sacred mission also floated within his mind. Considering The Nothingness visited him to check on his process after the defeat of each Holy Guardian, all he had to do was continue onward now. He held his cold-steel bat firmly in his right hand, just itching for an excuse for combat.

All of these constant mysteries and unanswered questions were beginning to weigh heavily down on his mood. As the pale sun came ever so close to setting below the bleak horizon, a rather large, melancholy building came into view. It loomed far above the industrial bulk of Vesper, casting an oddly huge shadow done upon the Batter as he approached. The building’s colossal smoke stacks rose far into the pale evening sky, spewing rather dark, putrid smoke into the air. Pipes ran throughout the building’s surface, harshly entangling its already melancholic appearance. A large, metal-plated sign hung above the two colossal doors that led inside. It read as follows: “Welcome to – Vesper’s Very Own Sugar Treatment Vats. All new Elsen personnel please report straight to The Director’s Office for further details on possible job selections. All further payment will be distributed in Sugar.” The Batter had indeed arrived at his long awaited destination, as the sign plainly gave away. Various Elsen walked in and out of the building, carrying what seemed to be small plastic baggies filled with a rather strange powdery substance, Sugar. It had to be. As the Batter continued towards the towering building, he stopped one of the many exiting Elsen with a forebodingly outstretched arm.

"Excuse me, what is that you're holding, sir." The Batter blurted out brashly; obviously in a hurry to get this up-coming encounter with this Zone’s Holy Guardian over with as soon as humanly possible. The Elsen looked up at him nervously before responding.

"Oh... you must mean my Sugar...? I’m sorry, but you can’t have any, mister… You must be new here, I guess. We love our Sugar, here… The Director gives us all Sugar as a reward for a job well done." The Elsen retorted softly, towing his baggie of Sugar into his back pocket. The Batter slightly cocked his head to the side, expressing his interest.

“I don’t want any of your Sugar; don’t flatter yourself. Now you must tell me, just what goes on around here?" The Batter inquired. The Elsen began pacing in place, most likely due to the Batter’s overwhelmingly frightening presence.

"Well, It’s simple... we produce Sugar. If we don’t produce enough, however… we’re punished severely.” The Elsen stuttered quietly. The Batter need not question any further, considering he already knew what oppressive force was at work behind the scenes here.

“Alright, thanks for the information, I suppose. I’ll be on my way now.” The Batter uttered calmly; having gotten the information he required. As the Elsen prepared to walk past casually, he made the mistake of looking down towards the ground; the Batter’s shadow twitched and convulsed devilishly in the dull evening sunset as he looked in disbelief down at its form. Letting out an uncomfortable gasp, the Elsen quickly moved around the Batter and sprinted away without any hesitation. The Batter turned back in confusion to watch the suited man flee from him in fear.

“I wonder what had him so afraid.” The Batter mumbled begrudgingly under his breath. As he let out a deep, calloused sigh, the Batted turned back to face the entry way of the colossal building once more. Whatever was inside must be genuinely huge to warrant such a massive structure. The towering complex stood around at least fifty feet tall. Placing his firm hands against each of the dismal, yet extensively large orange doors, the Batter began to push inward.

“Stop.” A sudden voice sounded sternly from directly behind him. The voice was all too familiar to the Batter, as he let out yet another sigh. This time it was not a sigh of disgust, but yet a sigh of disappointment. Without even turning his head to see who stood behind him, the Batter addressed the voice resentfully.

“Hello again, Zacharie.” There was a long, drawn out pause before the voice sounded yet again.

“Ciao.” Zacharie’s voice seemed somewhat different to the Batter’s ears, however. Even in the two words he had spoken so far, the Batter could tell something was completely off about him. He sounded… bolder. As if he knew something the Batter didn’t.

“It appears as though I was being pursued after all. I had a creeping feeling that someone was out there, although, I certainly didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you here to Zone Three, old friend?” The Batter gave an emphasis of sarcastic malice as he spoke in his calloused, hatred fueled voice. Suddenly, Zacharie place a single hand on the Batter’s shoulder, and spun him around gently. Even though the Batter now starred directly into the eye-holes of Zacharie’s lifeless mask, he still couldn’t manage to see Zacharie’s eyes on the other side.

��Batter, I trusted you… What have you done? Do you even know what’s going on?” Zacharie apprehensively proclaimed; His smooth voice now riddled with a primal sense of panic. The Batter was instantly put off by such a strange series of questions.

“What? What the hell are you talking about, Zacharie? Explain yourself, now.” The Batter implied calmly; trying desperately to keep his cool. He could still feel the festering anger welling from deep within the recesses of his mind. Removing his hand from the Batter’s firm shoulder, Zacharie looked directly into his shaded eyes. The Batter still couldn’t see through Zacharie’s awkward headwear, but he could easily sense the fear that lingered in his gaze. It was almost contagious.

“I know I cannot stop your sacred mission from coming to fruition, Batter. I’ve seen you fight before, and you’re obviously much too strong for me to apprehend on my own. And now I truly realize that you know not of your own maniacal[H1] actions; but you need to stop this, Batter. I don’t know how else to break this to you, but this fruitless crusade can go on no longer. I’ve seen what your “purification” truly is… You’re not saving these Zones, Batter. You’re eradicating them, wiping them into a pristine nothingness. Not only that, but you’ve managed to murder the thousands of innocent civilians that resided within the confines of the first two Zones. After you left Zone Two, and gave me your condolences over Valerie’s untimely death, I lingered behind for a while. As soon as you left, the world just… went white. Every essence of life was eradicated before my very eyes. Now I’m positive that the exact same event took place after you slayed the Holy Guardian of the First Zone as well. It took the Judge and I much too long to realize… and now it’s too late to save the people who once lived there. After a Holy Guardian is destroyed, the fabric of reality comes crashing down onto the Zone itself, wiping out all life within it… What we were too thick skulled to realize is that the Holy Guardians were created by The Thousand Faced Queen for more than we originally had thought… They were created to tether reality down to the Zones themselves. Without a Holy Guardian to hold down a Zone, it… falls apart at the seams. You’re not ‘purifying’ anyone by doing what you’re doing, Batter. You’re an executioner, whether you realize it or not. You have become death, the destroyer of worlds. I saw what you did to that poor, mourning girl back there. I’ve never seen such cold and heartless actions in my entire life. Just… just look at your shadow…” Zacharie blurted out profusely, as he pointed down towards the ground at the Batter’s feet. The Batter was completely dumbfounded, and for a long moment, he just stood starring back at Zacharie. He had no clue what to make of Zacharie’s sudden claim.

Slowly but surely, the Batter followed Zacharie’s finger down to the ground where it pointed. There he saw it for the first time, a gnarled, grotesque shadow of a beast long forgotten. The Batter’s shadow had become a horrifying reflection of himself; A twisted monster of uncontrollable malice. Its arms were much too long and smooth, ending in huge, clawed hands of unrealistic size. His shadow, oddly enough, held no bat, but instead rose up its hands of sharp talons and spiked claws. As the Batter starred in disbelief, he began to turn his head to the side. As he did so, the shadow turned its head as well. Only now, he could truly see a visage of what he was on the road to becoming. The shadows head was much too long, almost crocodilian in nature. The ball cap still sat comfortably atop its head; now appearing quite small in comparison with the beast’s reptilian skull. As it opened its gapping maw, the Batter could see rows and rows of smoothly aligned teeth; not a single tooth out of place. Suddenly, just as he thought the horrifying sight couldn’t get any worse, the shadow somehow seemed to open its one, visible eye. Its ocular eye was very large, as it almost took up a fifth of the shadow’s skull. The eye was perfectly round in shape. As it set its gaze upon the caster of itself, it did something the Batter would never be able to forget. It smiled back up at him. For the first time, the Batter was utterly mortified. He took a few steps backwards towards the doors in a hopeless confusion, before gripping the top of his baseball cap to keep the wind from blowing it away. As the Batter continued to stare in sheer distrust, he brought his hands quickly to his face. Much to his relief, his face hadn’t changed in the slightest. No serrated rows of fangs lined his jaw, nor did smoothed, sharpened claws sprout from his fingernails. He was exactly the same as before Zacharie had arrived to speak with him.

“What is this? What is this horrid demon that has appeared before me? This demonic abomination that has dared to pose as my shadow has you fooled, Zacharie. It must not be this way; I refuse to believe it. You’re lying to me. You must be lying to me. You’ve been lying to me since the very beginning, haven’t you, Zacharie?! It cannot be… I cannot be this, this monster you’ve made me out to be. I am helping people, you fool... The Holy Guardians, and The Thousand Faced Queen… They’ve all stepped out of line. It’s my job and my job only to make sure that never happens again. By purifying these corrupted Guardians and these fields of tainted happiness, I am freeing this world from the chains that bind it. I won’t fall for any more of your deluded trickery, Zacharie. Be gone now, lest you become the next foe I must slay in the name of divine justice. Don’t make me kill you, Zacharie.” The Batter’s words were hardened with anger and fueled by a primal sense of fear. Zacharie lifted his head upward slowly, making eye contact with the Batter once again. He seemed to let go of his tension, as if giving up all together.

“Kill me if you must, Batter. If it means a stop to this senseless slaughter, I’d sacrifice myself a thousand times over just to stop your savage killing spree. It’s almost funny… A few days ago, I would’ve been much too scared to say anything, that’s for certain. But this… this is unacceptable and unjust in every conceivable way. Again, I know I can’t stop you with force, but I beg of you to listen to reason, amigo… I know madness is spreading across this world like a disease, but there has to be a better way of solving our problems then… then this.” Before Zacharie had a chance to finish his panicked flurry of words, he was swiftly interrupted.

“Fool, I’ve heard enough of your childish lies. You obviously know not of what you speak. I am helping people, and I will continue to do so. This shadow you’ve summoned forth in an attempt to trick me isn’t going to work any longer. I’ll spare you this time, and this time only. Don’t get in my way again, or I’ll be sure to kill you where you stand. I never wish to see your masked face again.” The Batter spoke firmly; His trust in Zacharie quickly fading. Turning away abruptly from the masked man, the Batter returned his attention back to the towering doors that stood before him once more. In one final attempt to break through to the Batter, Zacharie took in one deep, shaky breath.

“Batter…. Can you not see what you’re becoming? Can you not see yourself? You’ve… You’ve changed. I’m not trying to trick you amigo; I solemnly promise on my life! It’s just… you’ve convinced yourself of your nefarious goals so well, that I think you can’t even see what I now see in you. You’ve convinced me of your goal as well, I’m afraid. Until now, I couldn’t see this blackened side of you. There’s a dark flame burning in your heart, and I can finally sense it now. Now I finally see what you’re truly becoming…” Zacharie quietly begged; His soft voice seemingly on the verge of tears. The Batter stopped abruptly once again, slightly taken aback by Zacharie’s desperate speech. Without turning his head to address his concerned comrade, the Batter pushed open the doors of the massive factory. As he proceeded quickly inside; Zacharie was left hopelessly behind in the dying sunlight. As the Batter disappeared within, the colossal doors slammed shut behind him.

Zacharie stood in the same place completely motionless, allowing the situation at hand to fully sink in. He inhaled deeply, his voice shaking feverously as he did so... “That’s it then, huh? I’ve done all I could stop this cold blooded killer at last, and still I’ve failed. I’ve exhausted all of the possible options at my disposal. It isn’t like I had many chances to begin with… but now it seems, the world is on a one-way collision course with the apocalypse itself. I fear it’s all up to the Judge and Her Royal Highness Tisiphone to save this world now. I’ve miserably failed this world’s very future. May The Thousand Faced Queen have mercy on me…?” Zacharie softly whispered, his head falling desperately into his hands.

The Batter had no time left for Zacharie’s foolish accusations. However, his thoughts were heavily clouded by the various pleas his masked comrade had tried so desperately to have him come to terms with. The Batter thought deeply about his actions, scouring his mind for any sort of reasonable explanation.

“Zacharie had to be mistaken. That shadow must’ve been some sort of trick or illusion, a simple semblance of misconception, and nothing more. My goals are of the upmost importance to the safety of this entire world. Just the thought of my purely divine actions causing the innocent civilians of this kingdom harm is so very far from the truth. There is simply no way Zacharie can be trusted any longer; seeing as though he is now in total doubt of my ideals.” The Batter thought to himself reassuringly. He was beginning to overcome the shock imbued into him by the sinister shadow, and now his calming thoughts began to reassure him once more. As he pushed those perplexing troubles back into the recesses of his mind, he began to acknowledge his uncanny surroundings for the first time since he entered the Sugar Treatment Vats.

The inside of the Treatment Factory was covered heavily in metal pipes, wires, and large glass tubes of what seemed to be circulating Sugar. Large, overhead light bulbs flickered dismally against the darkened factory ceiling, while a stale yet pungent odor resonated heavily in the pale hallways. The room seemed to consist of an immensely long hallway leading to two extremely large and quite intimidating doors at the far end. The large tanks of circulating Sugar seemed to distribute an ample amount of their contents to the various metal pipes that clung to the metal-plated walls. The pipes then seemed to travel down the hall towards the two colossal doors, probably where it’d be processed and distributed to the workers of the Zone. Massive control panels lined the walls in between the various tubes and pipes, as their buttons brightly flashed all sorts of different colors. Worker-Class Elsen were scattered from glass tube to glass tube checking and adding certain unknown elements to the powdery compounds; possibly perfecting the delectably deceptive Sugar before it would be processed any further. The dull, flickering lights that hung high above the workers seemed like they could fall out of place at any moment.

The focus of this compound seemed to revolve more around the production of the maddening substance then the personal safety of its workers. As the Batter took in his surroundings further, he began to hastily approach one of the Elsen that was shakily adding various ingredients to one of the vats of Sugar.

"Excuse me, Sir, where can I find The Director; The Holy Guardian of this Zone?" The Batter spoke out, hoping to make his presence known to the worker. All of the Elsen turned their heads to face the Batter at relatively the same time; seemingly interested in what the Batter had to say upon hearing the name of their Royal Guardian. They all seemed quite sickly, just as the Elsen he had first greeted upon entering Zone Three had. One of them slowly approached the Batter, his shaky hands shivering nervously from within his pockets.

"Oh, you must be referring to Enoch…? Yeah, his office is located right down the end of the hall. You can’t miss it.” The Elsen proclaimed. The Batter hadn’t yet heard that term used to describe The Director before that was for certain.

“Enoch? Is that the true identity of this Zone’s Holy Guardian?” As the Batter spoke, he struggled to have his voice be heard over the mechanical workings of the various surrounding machines. The Elsen looked up into the Batter’s eyes, as a concerned look spread across his face.

“Yes, it is, sir. He allows us to call him by his birth name, as a matter of fact. None of the other workers from the other factories have that luxury. He always says it’s because we’re the workers of his most important factory, and that we’re like family to him.” The Elsen slowly stuttered, shivering as he did so. The Batter gave a quick nod of his head, and began to walk down the hall towards the towering doorway. All of the Elsen that had been stationed around the walls bowed their heads as he went, as if deep in prayer. It was almost as if they were giving their condolences to the Batter as they passed. However, the Batter thought nothing of this strange behavior, and continued further down the dingily lit hall. At this point, nothing odd seemed to faze him anymore, although the Batter found it quite difficult to shake off the sense of uneasiness this putrid place imbued within him. This Zone’s Holy Guardian couldn’t be that dangerous, could he? The Batter had dispatched the other two Holy Guardians without an overabundance of effort; this one couldn’t be too much different, right? Either way, the Batter was about to found out.

Suddenly, the hallway seemed to split off into two different directions. The Batter hadn’t even realized a branching path existed until now, probably due to the immense amount of loudly cranking machinery and churning Sugar vats that clouded his view. As the Batter quietly peered down into the darkened hallway to his immediate left, what he saw wasn’t of much surprise to him. Large metal furnaces shone brightly in the darkness, seemingly the only light source illuminating the room. Several Worker-Class Elsen struggled tragically as they heaved grotesque corpses of their own kind into the broiling fires that erupted from the metal furnaces. As the lifeless corpses came into contact with each other within the dancing flames, they began to broil and sizzle into fine layers of ash. The ashes produced by the burning bodies seemed to flow into various metal pipes, all leading straight out of the sickening room and directly towards the towering doors to the far end of the main hallway. It appeared that whatever both of these substances were being used for, the answers lay behind those menacing pair of huge doors. The Batter shook his head in disgust, watching the vibrant flames dancing in the darkness.

“This Zone has truly gone too far in its corrupt actions. The Holy Guardian of this Zone has delved too far into insanity to be saved, that is for certain. As if The Nothingness would even want me to spare his life in the first place, that is. Either way, he must be severely punished for such repulsive and disturbing acts against his people. Purification will be his only salvation.” The Batter thought furiously to himself. As the Batter turned his gaze back upon the main hallway, he realized just how close he was to his next grand conflict. The thought of such a seemingly dangerous fight unnerved him slightly, but not nearly enough to will himself to turn back now. Not after coming all this way, and struggling so valiantly.

As he casually approached the pair of towering doors, only a single thought seemed to enter his clouded mind. "Now why would anyone need doors this huge? It seems quite anti-productive to say the least. Unless… Oh no. I don’t like the looks of this." As the Batter stood before the doors, he began hearing the faint sound of music emanating beautifully from behind the closed doors. The Batter immediately recognized the piece. “Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.” It certainly seemed off-putting to the overall industrial pretrial of the factory, while still giving off a rather saddening tone. It seemed as though The Director had a taste for the fine arts of music. As the Batter pressed his cold hands against the colossal doors, he heaved them open with a firm push. The now un-muffled sound of the elegant music spread out into the rest of the putrid factory, causing several Elsen to turn their heads in confusion. With a deep sigh of preparation, the Batter slowly walked inside the room that lay beyond the colossal metal doors. As the Batter stepped within the darkened office space, the towering doorway creaked shut slowly; As if the Batter was caught in a cliché, 1990’s horror film. The doors pressed together with a seemingly deafening crash, and the sound of the door’s locking mechanism kicked into gear within seconds. It was clear the Batter wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon.

Turning his attention back to the room that stood before him, the Batter began to notice that the office space itself was quite neat and organized compared to the rest of the factory. Metal pipes and wires lined the steel-plated walls, leading to two menacingly large glass tanks towards the end of the room. Each tank stood at around fifteen feet tall, and was covered in control panels and flashing lights of all varieties. The tank to the left was filled to the brim with pounds of tantalizing Sugar, while the tank to the right was filled with the burnt ashes of thousands of tragically deceased citizens. It appeared as though this was the room in which the ashes were processed directly into Sugar. Large, flickering headlights hung depressingly against the ceiling of the towering room; effectively masking the room in a hazy gloom. Off to the far left side of the office structure, another huge, darkened hallway was located towards the center of the wall. Next to it was a rather large, metal-plated sign that was effectively nailed into the wall’s surface. “The Director’s Personal Washroom.” Below the inscription was a blacked-out image of a rather large, rounded man; opposed to the male and female figures bathroom signs usually have. Not only did The Director rule over the entire Third Zone itself, but it appeared as though he had his own personal bathroom installed as well; along with a personalized bathroom sign. Judging by the utter size of the washroom hallway and the rounded figure, The Director might just be a rather large fellow indeed. His own personal washroom might’ve been completely necessary due to his colossal size, as utterly strange as that sounds.

At the direct center of the room stood a rather large, metal-plated desk. The industrialized desk was adorned with a small, flickering table lamp, as well as with a various assortment of ballpoint pens and evenly-sharpened pencils. To the far right side of the metal-plated desk sat an old radio, which was surprisingly the source of the beautiful music that now flooded the entire office space itself. Cracks and muffled pauses caused by the age of the radio plagued the graceful melody as it came forth from the speakers; heavily distorting the beautiful music in the process. This heavily industrialized office might be neater than the rest of the grimly-lit facility, but it certainly wasn’t any less unnerving to say the least. Much to the Batter’s surprise, The Director was nowhere in sight; which was quite odd considering the fact that he ‘supposedly’ never leaves the confines of his dungeon-like office.

Suddenly, as if by pure coincidence and perfect timing, the ground all around the Batter’s feet began to shake spastically. The thundering booms sounded quite similar to the footsteps of something utterly colossal in proportion. Something utterly huge was coming. They sounded from all directions, growing louder and louder as whatever horrid abomination that produced them slowly drew closer and closer. The Batter instinctively directed his attention to the washroom hallway, which was most likely where the earthshattering footsteps emanated from. Suddenly, a menacingly huge shadow seemed to spread across the wall to the Batter’s right. The caster of the enormous shadow still hung just out of the Batter’s view from within the washroom hallway, however. Whatever it was that stomped the metal-plated earth with so much sheer force had arrived through the eerily-lit, washroom hallway. The footsteps seemed to stop dead in their tracks for a brief moment. Whatever it was that hid just beyond the shadows had only now noticed the Batter’s presence within the office space. All was eerily silent for a few seconds, before an utterly huge figured stepped out from within the confides of the washroom hallway.

The Batter abruptly came face to face with the towering Guardian of the Third Zone. The Director was undeniably enormous, standing at least twenty feet above the Batter. His rounded head was totally bald, with no visible nose in sight. Only a pair of large, circular eyes, and a hideous maw of calloused, ill-aligned teeth seemed to paint his face in the murky darkness. At either end of the abomination’s colossal mouth appeared to be black, painted-on dimples; Similar to that of a circus clown’s childish makeup. His smooth, plastic-like skin was a bleach-white pigment; causing him to shimmer like a ghastly apparition under the dismal ceiling lights that flickered ever-so faintly. When it came down to his attire, The Director appeared to be wearing a fine, white suit that encased his entire upper region, with an awkwardly small, yet neatly-folded tie to compensate. The towering man’s button-down suit was just barely able to overcome the sheer size of his massive body; yet never seemed in danger of ripping or tearing. He wore black, shining boots upon his feet that shimmered faintly in the murky office lighting. His body itself was almost as round and pudgy as a circle, and even that was being generous. The Guardian’s rounded, bloodshot eyes starred menacingly down towards the Batter; a mere flea to his towering build. A wide, malicious smile of jagged, blood-stained teeth spread across his pale face upon noticing his new ‘visitor’. As he began to speak, the metal-plated walls seemed to vibrate rhythmically with the rebound of his monstrously deep voice.

“Oh, It appears as though I have a new visitor. I could’ve sworn that I heard the doors to my office opening, as a matter of fact. Well, either way, how can I be of service to you, young gentleman? Are you here to be rewarded with your daily dose of sugary desert? If that’s why you’re here, you’ve come to the right place, young man. Although, I must say, you don’t exactly look like one of my citizens, to be frankly honest.” His voice sounded extraordinarily deep and surprisingly dopey for that of a Holy Guardian. He sounded as if he belonged in a children’s Saturday morning cartoon rather than protecting thousands upon thousands of secrets necessary for the survival of the Zone itself. As dopey and childish sounding as the colossal Guardian appeared, even the Batter had to admit to his absolutely mortifying appearance. He was definitely taken aback by the monstrously huge abomination of a man that stood before him, that was for certain. Nevertheless, he responded as calmly as he possible could to The Director’s inquiry.

"I am not your visitor, Enoch. I am the Batter, and I’ve heard tale of the grave injustices you have put forth against your people. It appears as though you have only brought pain and misery to the inhabitance of this now withering Zone. That being said, I have come to de-throne you from your reign of terror; thus ending this fruitless cycle of torment once and for all. Once you die, the power of the Holy Guardians will finally fade away into nothing. I’m afraid the final sands have drained from the hourglass of your life, Enoch." The Batter proclaimed fearlessly; expecting an almost immediate and brutal retaliation to follow. A long moment of eerie silence drew by, as the towering monster that stood before him seemed to squint its ocular eyes in confusion. After a brief moment, The Director’s pupils seemed to dilate suddenly, before the silence was broken by the immense sound of heinous laughter. The Director had busted into an uncontrollable fit of booming laughter; as it appeared as though he had found the Batter’s threatening proposal down right hilarious. As he did so, large puffs of what appeared to be a sugary haze erupted from his gapping maw; as sheets of dust and pieces of decayed rust fell down from the heavily archaic ceiling. As the Guardian began to regain control over his laughter, the sugary haze seemed to dissipate into the heavily populated atmosphere upon reaching the ceiling of office.

“That’s very, very funny, young man. You’ve given me quite the laugh. You've certainly got a great sense of humor! But, I digress. So you’re this ‘Batter’ I’ve heard so much about, yes? My security agents confirmed your arrival in my domain quite a while ago, I’m afraid; in fact, I believe you’re the one who gave my second in command quite the vicious beating, correct? Poor, little Sucre didn’t deserve what you did to her, Mr. Batter. Yet you still beat her senseless in front of her friends and family. I have cameras located all over the city, you see. I’ve been watching your entire trek through this Zone since I was informed of your arrival. Unfortunately for you, that injustice you committed towards Sucre won’t go unpunished. So please, allow us to become a little more ‘acquainted’ before I’m forced to crush the ever-loving faith out of you. Let’s start simple, shall we? You can call me Mr. Director." The Holy Guardian responded, wiping away the tears of laughter from his eyes. The Batter was quickly growing agitated by his foe’s overly self-assured tone.

"No one else is laughing, Enoch. I’ll call you whatever the hell I please, as a matter of fact. Sucre stood in my way one time too many; Even if it was just once. The reasons for what I’ve done and those I’ve discarded are completely justified. I think your little ‘guard dog’ should be the least of your worries, to be perfectly clear. I have already defeated the other two Holy Guardians who ever-so-carelessly let their individual Zones fall into utter chaos, and now I’ve come for you. All of you foolish entities of so called ‘divinity’ have destroyed the good name of your Zones within the span of a single week. This Zone will become purified, just as the others that almost had fallen into an irretrievable chaos. Only then can this world finally be at peace once more." The Batter uttered coldheartedly; as he began quickly losing all of the patience he once briefly held on to. The Director’s gluttonous smile slowly began to drain from his bleached face.

"Well, it’s certainly a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Batter. However, it’s obvious to me that you’re unfortunately mistaken. You really believe in that ‘purification’ rubbish? I’ll have you know, kind sir, I haven’t destroyed my own Zone; nor do I care for the lives of the other pitiful Guardians. They had their chance to soak up the spot light, and if they failed their duties, that’s their own business. Not mine. I have done this Zone nothing but its due-diligence. To stop my wonderful Sugar Production Factories after all of this hard work would be a crime. Well, I’m assuming that’s why you threaten to kill me, am I correct, because you want to stop the ‘killings’, huh? And the Sugar Production Factories? Am I right? Well, allow me to let you in on a little, teeny-tiny secret…” The Director paused for a brief moment to lean down closer to where the Batter stood; still not giving him a chance to respond.

“I was the one who convinced The Queen to release the Zones to their own free will. You see, I was waiting so very patiently for the day that lousy Queen would finally let her guard down. For so many long years I was forced to bare a fake smile, and silently nod my head in agreement gaining her trust little by little each day; every day a little bit closer to my goal. Well, it looks like all that ass-kissing really got me into a great position, don’t ya’ think? She actually trusted me enough to rule over the Zone she created for me without going against her ‘better judgment’. What a laugh. Her better judgment was the key factor in holding us back from real, concrete progress. In the one week since The Queen released the Zones to our control, I have made more progress than I ever could have in an entire year. And I owe it all to The Queen’s soft, weak, ‘goody-two-shoes’ heart, that poor, poor, unfortunate Queen. I bet she’s balling her eyes out right this very moment. She can still hear us, if ya’ didn’t know. She can see and hear everything we’re saying right this very second, but now that I’m in control here, she can’t do a single thing to stop me! She can still watch over her kingdom like the babysitter she is, isn’t that right, Your Highness Tisiphone?!” The Director looked up towards the ceiling, as if expecting The Queen herself to reply from far above.

After a moment of utter silence, the Batter had finally begun to realize the severity of what The Director had just said. He had seen that very same name before, and not too long ago as a matter of fact. ‘Tisiphone.’ It just so happened to be the very same name that had been carved ever so delicately into the withered bark of the last remaining oak tree. The exact same name that had once instilled an almost unnoticeable sense of joy into the Batter’s crippled heart. It might’ve been quite an insignificant sensation, but it was the first inkling of joy he had felt since the day he was wrought into existence by The Nothingness. A sensation such as that had to mean something more, no matter the amount. Suddenly, It finally began to dawn on him. The Director had used that strangely familiar name in reference to The Queen of a Thousand Faces. Could it possibly be that the very same Queen who was fooled into releasing the Zones, was this so called ‘Tisiphone?’ The very same Queen who the Batter was sent to purify by The Nothingness all those long, grueling days ago? Suddenly, the Batter was shot back into reality with a sudden jolt. The Director was turning back to face him once again, causing the Batter to lose his train of thought in a flash. Now certainly wasn’t the time to be focusing on fitting the pieces of his memory together; for there were much more pressing matters at hand.

#off mortis ghost #writing

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magnoliasandbeardedtooth · 8 years ago

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you should talk about your ocs! please... tell me about them...

hooh boy you don’t know what you just started

rubs hands together

Oliver, Julian, and Lucus are part of a kind-of-real-life universe that my friend made up for his elsen oc’s (I made them specifically for that new universe, out I also rly rly love elsen so they have OFF versions too) These are my main ones, the ones I think about daily, the ones I will cherish forever

I had literal paragraphs for these guys but I cut them down cause it was a fuckin book

Oliver is my top #1 oc, I love him so much. He’s really fuckin tall, and is the softest nicest person ever. He’s that one guy that is terrifying when he’s angry because he rarely ever is. He wears nothing but sweater and will die of heatstroke before he takes one off. His favorite color is pink. He doesn’t get enough sleep and works 2 full time jobs, at a hardware store in the mornings and at an arcade evenings. When the fair comes around in summer, he works weekends there too. He’s bad at cooking cause he only has time for coffee, microwave diners, and his girlfriend (who is teaching him how to cook).In OFF, he’s a carnival worker in Zone 2, and is dead insideHe was created specifically for my friend’s oc, Eli, who is his girlfriend and they love each other so gosh dang much. He is also Lucus’s and Julian’s kind-of-father-figure (and used to be their cushion, until Eli told him she wasn’t comfortable with seeing them so physically intimate without her, and he respected her and asked them to stop, which they did)

Lucus is Loud Boy. He has severe ADHD and is Gay As Fuck. He is almost always smiling and laughing. He’s the one who always gets in trouble, but everyone loves him cause he’s super nice and rambunctious. He’s the one who goes to Pride almost naked. He’s even worse at cooking than Oliver. Like, most people who are bad at cooking get the reaction “Oh whatever, it’s a mess, but it’s mostly edible.” His is “God jesus please don’t let him touch anything in the kitchen, please lord.” He works as a mailman, but only the guy who takes the package and puts it next to the door, cause he can’t drive, even he knows it’s a bad idea for him to try. He also can’t remember if his name is actually Lucas or Lucus, but he’s been writing “Lucus” for as long as he could remember, and no one corrected him, so he just rode with it.In OFF, he’s one of the postal workers in Zone 1, and he opens letters, reads them, throws them out, and steals from his coworkers’ quotas.

Julian is Sour Boy. He’s quiet, anxious, depressed, bitter, and guarded. He’s not mean, but he’s very scared of people as has become bitter as a sort of defense for when people dislike him, which he thinks is often. He’s very quietly polite, though, and though he has a lot of trouble being close to someone, and once he does he’s very warm. He’s also very witty and has insane clap backs, like he’s the one that destroys people (Lucus fucking loves it). He rly loves hanging things like mobiles, and his ceiling is covered with them. He works at a butcher’s shop, but because of how cheap and terrible his boss is, he cuts himself on the bad equipment a lot, so his arms are covered in small scars (not from self harm though).In OFF, he works as one of those people who take the metal from the cow halves, which is where he cuts his hands. When he finds a piece he rly likes, he’ll take it and hang it up in his home.

Julian and Lucus are qpp, they’re so fucking tight. They met in college, and have been roommates ever since, but soon after they got an apartment, they started sleeping in the same bed. Lucus used to have a crazy crush on Julian, but Julian is ace aro, and Lucus respected his boundaries and values him too much to be away from him. In turn, Julian respects when Lucus rly needs sexual attention and goes to pick someone up. Julian supports Lucus, and Lucus encourages Julian, to the point where they save each other’s lives. I like to say that Julian keep Lucus from burning alive, and Lucus keep Julian from freezing to death.

I could write a WHOLE LOT MORE about them but that’d be nutsALRIGHT then there’s also Jamie and Annie, who are a couple that met online, and now either visit each other often, or have moved in together, I can’t rly decide which.

Jamie is a trans boy, and started transitioning back in middle school. He’s fully transitioned now, with top and bottom surgery, with strong support from his mother, who is dead now. He LOVES anything nautical, absolutely loves it. He sings sea shanties to himself, he has tattoos, he’s saving up for his own boat, the works. He especially loves pirates, and reads anything he can on them. He’s kind of condescending, especially at first glance, but he’s strongly supportive of Annie.

Annie is a very very shy girl, and super insecure. She rly doesn’t like herself, especially her body. Like at all. She only wears baggy clothing, and is constantly doubting if she’s worth Jamie. She’s also an amputee with one of her legs, though I don’t know to what extent, from the knee at the highest I think. Back when she was a kid, her father moved to alaska and brought her with, cause he was super into shit like alaskan reality TV and Call of the Wild and stuff. He prepared as much as he could, even lived with a local for a while to get the hang of it. But one time, when Annie was out hunting, a blizzard came in and trapped her way away from their home. She nearly died and ended up losing some of her leg. That’s what made her father decide that it wasn’t worth it, and moved them back.

Jamie super admired her courage, not only in that, but in her surviving day to day, and Annie really admires Jamie’s confidence and ambition. They also both greatly appreciate the love they give each other, since they both feel super alone.

Amour is a poly girl who just wants to find the loves of her life. Her name isn’t legally Amour, but that’s the one she likes using (I can’t remember which legal name I decided for her) She’s also socially anxious, kind of like Annie, but not because of self loathing. She’s more scared of outside opinion than herself. She’s also a sort of sex worker who caters especially to those with a “fat kink,” though she’s also a fan of doing lingerie and other stuff that I haven’t decided. She’s a very new oc, so there’s not much about her yet, but I know she runs an nsfw blog with at least a few other people, one of which being a girl she looks up to highly.

I also have a Starbound oc whose name I can’t quite remember. She’s a novakid and she’s awesome. She’s all cheery and silly until she kicks ass. She loves her crew and thinks they’re all awesome.

Whisper was created for my by a friend, he’s based on the will-o-the-wisps. He’s a teeny little being made out of like plasma, and he wears a hooded cloak and has a crescent moon shaped mask that covers all but one eye. He leads humans deep into the forest to feed… other things. He loves shiny things and LOVES soda, and can create minor illusions.

Whisper’s friend is the same species as him, but she hates humans hates being around them, hates hearing about them. They only thing they’re good for is feeding… other things. And also using certain body parts for spells n shit. She’s a very angry little witch. She has long spiky twigs coming out of her head, and she can make and control brambles. She wears a lil witchy cloak and a big hat, and a scrap of cloth covering one eye that’s snagged on some of her head twigs. I’ve been calling her Bramble Witch, but she still needs an actual name.

Rei’orin was created to rp with a friend of mine, but he’s kind of grown into a universe of his own. He was originally a djinn in the rp, but has since become a strong magical mass with highly destructive tendencies. His power can be compared to that of our sun, but beings who are more like the size of Rigel decided he was too much of an asshole and trapped him on earth, just when it was being formed. He was so pissed, he delayed the cooling of the crust and formation of the first cells by a fuckin while. When he calmed down, he participated in whatever life popped up, especially human civilization. Then humans discovered him and found out he was being held there against his will, and used it to develop trapping mechanisms of their own, which they used to trap other djinns/star beings on earth for their own purposes. When they thoroughly understood how to do it, they trapped him not just on earth, but a teeny little object that they could manipulate him with as well. Also he’s genderfluid!! As far as human identities go

Bois is a demon who’s job it is to corrupt souls and bring them to hell. Most demons have a different methods, and Bois’s is to pose as a potential victim of the person’s worst desires and have them take it out on him. Once they do, he’s able to take their newly corrupted souls to hell. He’s a very sassy boy, and doesn’t get along with one demon in particular, whose abilities I can’t quite remember.

I also used to have a mer oc named Ahti that lived in a mangrove forest, befriended a young pheonix girl, and traveled around with her after another, older, more powerful pheonix lady gave him legs and turned him into a wizard. He grows old and after the pheonix girl dies and is reborn, he continues to travel with her despite the loss of her memories, and kind of raises her. This happens multiple times, until he grows old and dies. I don’t rly rp with him anymore tho…

ALRIGHT AND THIS IS THE BIG DOOZYThese next ones are all for the universe I’ve been developing for a while. I can’t say much about them cause to do that I would need to explain the rest of the world along with them

FIRST is the cyclops lady (wth 6 arms), who is a seer and STILL after all this time, doesn’t have a name. She used to just be a regular old cyclops lady who got married to someone of another species (he was a big boy). Soon after they got married, however, one of the divine forces of their world bestowed her with an eye that could see the future. All was fine for a while and she was learning to deal with it with her husband’s support, until a few years later when they were caught in a fire. Something took over her, kind of like a divine instinct, and forced her to sacrifice half of her body and her husband to keep her eye undamaged. She completely lost the use of 3 of her arms, and partially on the other 3, and she can only really do stuff with her top right arm. She also keeps the femur bone of her husband as a keepsake, and uses it as a cane (it’s still a bit too big for her). Now she works as the seer for the royal council of the 5 other nations, as well as owning a magical items shop. She also sells potions (which are very dangerous and outlawed) on the black market

One of the Royal Council members is a queen called The Silenced. She is very very intimidating. She wears a mask and doesn’t speak a word. Before she became queen by herself, she used to rule with her husband, but bad shit happened and she ended up getting exposed to divine magic. Unlike the cyclops seer, she wasn’t given the ability to deal with it, and instead was severely wounded. Her face was disfigured and she mentally lost the ability to speak.

Another of the Royal council is the Bramble King, who is a partial floating skeleton with an animal skull, spiral horns, field grass growing out of his skull, and a big ol cloak. He looks intimidating but he is just the friendly grandpa.

Another of the Royal council is Loch Raven, who is a beast covered in feather, with a raven’s head and 6 arms, though she walks quadrupedal. Despite being a bird thing, she sends the vast majority of her time in the water, and is only comfortable in the swamp that is most of her kingdom. She is always wet, and never dry ever. Like you could try and dry her off and she would never be dry. Her kingdom’s leadership is based on a tournament style overtaking every few years or so. Someone who wants to be ruler challenges the current ruler and they fight to the death. Whoever wins gets to be ruler from then until someone challenges them. Loch Raven has the 2nd or 3rd longest lasting rule so far, lasting a could decades.

A recent addition to the royal council is a pair of twin magitech robots (kind-of object heads) Their kingdom was previously ruled by a dictator who would not be let into the council, and has recently gone through a civil war that has left most of their land a wasteland. Once the resistance won, the twins, who had been strong leaders in the war, took over and asked to be part of the council.

The last member is a friend’s oc, a big fuckin mantis whose kingdom is on the other side of nearly impenetrable mountains.

All the monarchs get to bring two advisors to the council, and no one else.

there was another old character that I included in this universe, that used to be the guardian of an unknown forest somewhere, without knowing who made them or why they were created, only that their purpose was to defend the forest. Since then, I’ve moved them to this universe, where they defend the forest that was where life first began on the planet. They’re this big thing, like at least 20 ft. They have a face made out of wood and long straight black hair, and two long feathers on their forehead, kind of like antenna that point backward. They don’t have a body, but a big sheet of moss, leaves, vines, etc swoop down like a cloak from where their shoulders should be.

WELL THAT’S ALL MY MAJOR CHARACTERS I THINK

gosh I love oc’s, they’re so rad

I rly rly appreciate you asking about them, thank you so much 💖💖💖

#speaks #oc's #asks #gosh I've been writing for so long I hope it's not too late #Anonymous #I have been waiting YEARS for someone to ask about oc's

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