Oh, this is just a bump in the road.
don't worry this picks up again after the next chapter.
Lonely Star why are you far?
- Thread starter LazyFrog
- Start date
don't worry this picks up again after the next chapter.
Interlude 2
Interlude 2
Even the way Mama fixes Papa's clothes gently and without the sense of awkwardness made me feel better, especially with the series of days I just had. I still feel guilty about a few things. Things that my family seems to not give me fault for, but yet, I know I went too far. I know I just forced myself and my family suffered because of it.
"Hey… where's the smile?" Victoria asked as we helped each other fix my blazer.
I fidget with my fingers as I looked at her in apology. "I was thinking of something."
Victoria stops for a moment at my words before she inevitably smiles again.
"You already know what I'm going to say about it Ames…" she then chuckles. "…but didn't we already discuss this? I need you with full smiles, otherwise, I won't be able to uphold my promise to Taylor and her parents, alright?"
"Yes, but still… it hasn't been easy, sister," I said as she squeezed my hand.
"You've been apologizing for a lot lately, sis. You know you don't need to, and you know that we always have your back." My sister promises as she fixes the last touches for my appearance.
I nodded at her as I reciprocated the loving squeeze. "I'll do my best, f-for real this time."
She then poked my nose lightly as I blushed towards the gesture. "And no crying. Happy thoughts today… like you used to have. Depression is a no-no."
"But I didn't even-
"Ah, ah, ah… what did I say?" Victoria said as she placed a finger on my lips to silence me.
"No crying…" I said with a large, cute pout as she grinned smugly at me.
"That's better… I might actually call you officially a crybaby from now on… given your recent schtick." My eyes rapidly widened at her words as I grabbed her arm in reflex.
"Don't you dare!" I shout as Victoria laughs.
"Do you prefer shrew or kitty-cat?" she asks as I squeezed her arm tightly.
"No… don't you dare call me those names! I am neither of them, NEITHER!"
We continued to bicker in good faith and laugh as I noticed in between that Mama and Papa were looking at us, their smiles being much brighter than recent events as I grinned back at them.
Mama's smile becomes more prominent and Papa's grin becomes more pronounced. His shoulders no longer sagged and he once again returned to the Papa that made me feel what family truly meant. It was like none of the painful events in the last few days occurred…
We go into the Hebert's house together in a recovered sense of cheer.
I loved that.
Eventually, when we did get into the house, the quickest reaction I had was how, homely it felt. It was not like our own house, not by a lot, but the aura it exuded was the most lovely thing about it. The simplicity despite the age and the overall aesthetic that made me reminisce of the villages in my old world had the same quality as this. Though less in the guise of how the Fae acted but more so how a beautiful home and family felt in all earnest feelings. I embraced this feeling as it felt like I was not in a stranger's home. It had a familiarity that spoke to my senses.
One that I welcomed with open arms.
"You must be Amy…" Mrs. Hebert said with a genuine smile as my family introduced me. I find the camaraderie and established friendship between Mama and Papa with the Hebert's comforting as the adults traded smiles and greetings.
When it came to introducing me, I was so shy that I blushed wildly again, Victoria even smiled smugly at me for I knew she would make fun of me because of this. I was embarrassed because I felt so overwhelmed at how much positivity was thrown at me by the Hebert couple that I only managed a nod.
My family and giggled because of this as I felt Mama lightly stroke my back.
"You know I didn't expect you all to go wear like you're going on a meeting with someone important. I rather feel underdressed, Carol." Mrs. Hebert said, but despite that, I find her quite beautiful regardless. The woman felt like a basket of energy and love that I couldn't help but stare.
"Oh hush, you're pretty important to me, and that's what matters," Mama said.
"Plus, I'm sure she just did it as an excuse to dress up Amy," Papa said with a laugh as I watched Mama subtly elbow him at his sides. I snickered at the sight as the talks continued, only for Mrs. Hebert to ask our parents to get them situated in the dining room. Mama and Papa followed enthusiastically as me and Victoria were left with Mrs. Hebert.
"Where's Tay, Mrs. Hebert?" my sister asks.
"Oh, she's upstairs, got startled because she's still in those pajamas you gave her."
Victoria laughs as I look at her confusion. "O-Oh my God… she WORE those? I gave it to her because I had a ton of spares at home… didn't know she'd wear them. I thought she hated them?"
"MOM!" a muffled voice from upstairs says I continue to watch the scene.
Mrs. Hebert then snickers from her chair as she looks at my sister. "You know Taylor, Vicky… she's not the type to admit things out loud."
"Oh my God, Mom!" the voice from above shouts again as I giggle.
"Why don't you get her down here quickly Vicky, might do her some good to be less shy with friends." Mrs. Hebert offered as Victoria smiled wickedly, she nodded at me for a moment as I let her go. She flies up quickly up the stairs and towards a room above that I can no longer see.
The moment she did, I was now left with Mrs. Hebert.
The woman smiles at me as I fidget. "Y-You have a lovely home, ma'am," I say as we were left with an empty enough silence. Mrs. Hebert then has her smile fade quite a bit into a neutral one…
"Yes…"
Then I watch as she snaps her finger.
"…" I was stunned in complete silence the mere instant she did it.
I felt every fiber of my being grow stiff in fear and shock as I knew this sensation. I recognized what she had done. Mrs. Hebert's neutral expression gradually turned into an impassive one as she knew if I moved an inch within this… unknown bounded field would result in something that I would not like.
Every hair on my arms and back stands up as I suddenly tremble…
Not only because of fear, but because of the intense, controlled, and overwhelming sensation of mana surrounding her like… like the one that had burned my village to the ground just to kill me. Worse, I knew… I-I knew how powerful of a caster she was.
This entire action was far too casual.
Far too easy for her…
So much so that it took me a minute on my best day back then to even manage one out of the blue. Mrs. Hebert did it with a snap, and I knew that was just for show, she could have done it with a thought and I wouldn't have detected it at all until it was too late.
Who was Mrs. Hebert?
Why… why did she know how to cast magic, at the level she demonstrated?
I was too frightened to move or say anything as Mrs. Hebert's impassive face made me understand that she knew I was powerless to do anything at that moment. Even if… even if Mama, Papa, or Vicky were to come to my aid, the casual power difference I feel makes me uncertain of what outcome will play after…
I'm scared. Not just for myself, but for my family.
"You're not what I expected. Certainly not in the fashion that would cause you to manifest this way…" Mrs. Hebert said as she leaned closer to look at me. Her spectacles flared with a bit of mana as I felt unsure as to what she had done merely staring at me.
"Though, it is unprecedented for me to meet another such as myself."
I gulped, bracing on the arms of my chair as I felt raw fear invade me once more…
As if I was reliving the day of my death again.
"Follow me," Armsmaster said as a PRT trooper, by the name of Brandon walked in a steady pace behind the Protectorate hero. He wondered why the man asked for him personally but he chalked that up to availability or the simple fact that he was the closest one he could find at the moment.
Wordlessly he followed what was technically his superior as they walked along the hallways of the Rig. Recent events made it so that their work was less chaotic than usual due to the presence of Alexandria, but he always maintained his vigilance in case something bad occurred, unlike his comrades.
Even the presence of a triumvirate hero can still rouse some idiots to take the challenge and knowing this city, he was sure that it was not just Lung that was going to stir the hornet's nest.
"How long have you been working here, trooper?" Armsmaster asked.
"Three months sir… still new." He admitted.
"I see… can I ask if you feel good with this profession you've voluntarily taken?"
Brandon tilts his head in slight confusion to the question, but he answers it without hesitation.
"It's stressful sir, but nothing that I'm so far used to."
There was a small silence as they finally arrived at the door of the room where maximum security was placed until the hero looked at him. "Very well. That's a good enough answer."
"Pardon, sir?" Brandon asked but the man simply turned his back on him as he was allowed access into the room with him following behind. The moment they did, Brandon saw the injured and badly burned Tattletale on the bed.
Armsmaster moved to the side and through what little he could see of the man's face through his partially open helmet and mask… he suddenly realized that the hero was sweating. Intensely so.
He was also slightly trembling like he didn't want to be here in this roo-
"He will do." The abrupt, raspy voice of the young woman behind him said and Brandon froze on the spot, literally. He could not move… he could not say anything or even think as Armsmaster walked to his position and moved his frozen body right next to Tattletale's side.
The hero's visage was in pure agony as his teeth were gritted in a way of pure frustration and pain as more sweat trickled from his face. He was fighting it, severely and openly but he had no control over this situation at all. He did as the girl seemingly commanded wordlessly as the young woman looked at Brandon…
"I'm sorry about this, but I value my freedom more than I value your life at this moment." She rasped out as she reached for Brandon's arm and in mere seconds, Brandon's face and body graphically transformed from his rather young appearance to a hollowed-out corpse a moment later.
It was as if blood, muscle, and anything lively from his form was sucked out faster than a span of a minute as his skin became wrinkly, leathery, and stark white until nothing was left, except for a skeleton. The very disturbing nature of the rapid display of power forced Armsmaster to his legs and feet as he started vomiting sticky bile and blood on the floor due to the excess mana of the curse writhing through his veins.
The skeleton and its uniform fall harmlessly on the floor as the once wounded and raspy Tattletale was returned to her youthly appearance. An aura of shock appeared on her face but shock at her prowess rather than shock at what she just did to the man as she sat up from her bed and slowly stepped her feet on the floor to stand up. She looks at herself, examines herself, and feels the breath of her new memories and abilities acclimate faster than when she first woke up.
She sighs. Her mind which was once Sarah was now merging with the other.
It was not a pretty process but at that very moment, the prevailing persona was the one that was newly christened within this body. She was still Tattletale, she was still Lisa…
But the unbound emotions, feelings, and power coursing through her allowed her to evolve.
"Y-You're not escaping." Armsmaster managed from all the pain as he looked at her.
Lisa knelt in front of the man and touched both sides of his sweaty face.
"I always thought you were a dick… but you have uses. I appreciate that."
"You're not going to l-last once they see what you're doing in this room.. a-at this very moment. Y-you can't hide… y-you can't run… you w-won't escape."
Lisa's expression turns into a foxy smile.
"Who said anything about hiding?"
The hero looked disturbed at her words.
"Do you think… you're the only person that has that curse crawling under your skin?"
"W-What?"
"How many people have visited my room, Armsmaster… how many of them do you think will fight back once I step out of this room?"
TO BE CONTINUED…
AN: Yeah, this was the original ending of the previous chapter.
- Location
- Brazil
Ok, are these Morgan and Sith that I am seeing? It makes sense for Morgan to shield Taylor then. She has that sentimental side for these kind of downtrodden good girls.
Past Lives
Past Lives 1.1
The flare of her mana was still at its most mitigated output. She was not at full strength, yet. Given the memories she received and the application of the library of spells and concepts that were now basically etched into her mind as if they were there forever, she found herself at a happenstance that should the optimal flow of her progress resume, she would far outstrip any person she knew in Brockton Bay just by potential alone. Perhaps even more…
She looked at the scared little girl and quickly realized that she was escalating this a lot more than she previously thought. Annette let the flow of energy minimize to a much safer and more comfortable degree as she watched the girl visibly decompress from the fear quite a bit.
"I apologize, dear Amy. It was not my intention to scare you this way." She admitted it as a half-truth, while she watched the girl's expression turn confused. "It was just a precaution, given that I am very much sure you're like me."
"L-Like you, ma'am?" the girl wheezed out.
Annette smiled. Her expression created a duality between friendly and subtly intimidating at the same time. It had the air of someone with authority. Someone that had an air that was larger than life, confined but not imprisoned in a shell that was much less impressive than what she had before… in another life. Her personality as Annette Hebert remained, but the little subtle details that made up the inevitable rise of the life that she once walked were taking root, and due to her cunning ability to keep them situated behind a veil, none were able to notice anything off or different. She was an evolution of the two halves, one that lived as Annette and the other of a very checkered, violent, but powerful past.
So far, only Danny and Taylor, her sweet Taylor, knew about this other side of herself.
That was until now when she finally met Amy Dallon.
True enough, she was recognizable just from the very weak aura around her alone.
Pity and a shred of guilt enveloped Annette, but she retained her previous expression.
"Yes… do you not recognize me? The aura around me at least… or the signature stare that would render people to freeze in place? Or perhaps you don't recognize the flow of energy around me?" Annette challenged, as she looked at the girl, helplessly trying to piece together a puzzle she had no clue to start with. "I guess not." Annette finished with a smile as Amy clenched her fists.
"P-Please… don't hurt them. D-Don't hurt my family." Amy said fear was still in her expression but there was a determination there, and a shred of the iron will that Annette remembered from a memory long past.
"I'm not, Amy… certainly not. Didn't I already tell you that this was all just a precaution? One created so that nothing and no one would know about this little reunion of ours. I half-expected that some violence would occur, given the last time we met, but I suppose that's not on the cards anymore. Greatly so when I also have my own family within the house to care for."
"W-Who are you? You keep saying you know me, but I don't even know you." Amy said as fear still clung to her bones. Annette could only frown at the girl's words as her current hypothesis on both the other girl and Amy Dallon may need some revision.
"You should… at least I expected you to, but you're not her… aren't you? At least, not yet." Annette said with some amount of disappointment as she sighed.
"I don't understand… what's with all the cryptic words, the use of magic, t-the fact that you recognize me, despite my memory telling me that we have not met at all." Amy expressed, as she looked at Annette.
"Patience, Child of Prophecy, all will be told. In time."
Annette wanted to smile at how shocked the younger girl was, but she only found pity.
A pity that this was Artoria at her weakest point in life.
Alarms were blaring at full volume as the hallways of the Rig were forced to its backup generators. The lights were flickering constantly as the putrid smell proliferating in the halls was starting to make Hannah come close to vomiting. Communications were broken, technology was either stalled or fizzled out and the elapsed time since this entire disaster occurred was just in the manner of six minutes. The chain of command was broken quickly without warning as the scattered heroes around the base and the personnel who were either compromised or lost made the entire building into a maze of death.
Dragon and Alexandria would respond in due time. With the Canadian heroine having noticed the blackout and with Alexandria dealing with 'important matters' just within Brockton's borders, there was some level of hope…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhH!!!!"
Hope that was dwindling with each second as another smell filled the air.
Hannah swallowed deeply as she slowly peered through the corner and saw it. It was a trooper, she knew her as Vanessa struggling as she kept screaming and scratching her face and skin. The severe itch, pain, and just the sheer smell of it all drove her insane as blood started to emanate from the scratches. Her skin started turning purplish-black as she continued to howl.
Hannah tried turning away but she saw in horror as Vanessa ran to the nearest wall and started to ram her face wildly at it as blood smears started appearing. Her screams still continued even against the painful winces in-between ramming her face into the wall. Pure instinct forced her to irrationally commit suicide due to all of the pain seeping under her body, but before she can even reach death, the purplish-black influence managed to succumb her as the haunting screech of the damned followed.
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrghhh!!!
Hannah once again saw another comrade turn into one of those things. She manifested a shotgun within her grasp as she got out of the corner and aimed at its head.
THWOOM!
The proximity of the blast managed to blow off the transformed Vanessa's head as the smell continued to spread as wisps of purplish-black smoke came out of the aftermath. The body fell to the floor as the mass of wisps started to slowly reform the head once more.
Half a minute, last she saw as she tried to permanently kill these things. She made a mistake before trying to save them from themselves as she recalled poor Chris' cries as he was subsumed by two transformed comrades barely four minutes earlier. Everything after that went downhill…
The screams were loud at first, but each minute, the speed and proficiency of this strain or effect effectively destroyed the local Protectorate and PRT team without much of an issue. The attack was far too fast, far too calculated, and worst of all, had crippled them in a means that nobody detected it in the first place. Not even Dragon, Alexandria, Colin, or the like were able to, and Hannah was scared that maybe she too was next…
She shook her head as she quickly sped away, as fast, and as quiet as she could to try and get out of the building. She wondered where her comrades were, where everybody was, and who was ultimately to blame for all of this. There was only one culprit that she could think of quickly and it was the disabled Tattletale, but how? And why? She was never this dangerous, to begin with, and despite the analyst's work on determining how good she was a Thinker before the Lung incident, she was never this violent nor deadly. Must this be an outside factor? A person who wished her to be freed?
The level of terror this caused almost made her think of Bonesaw and the Nine. W-Were they here? Were they the cause of this? Certainly, a clean decapitating and debilitating strike as this would have been part of their M.O., and it would serve well to enact their chokehold on the local populace…
So many questions rattled her mind as she quickly got herself through the hallways.
Hallways were littered with the purplish-black ooze and the horrifying smell that was like a combination of a bloated corpse being burned through all of the decaying gases within it and the smell of sulfur and nitrogen oxide. Thankfully, her suit had given her a mask, otherwise, she was sure she would be unconscious in mere minutes. She would have run to get herself one of the gas masks from one of their departments, but her position and the fact that each minute became more dangerous than the previous, forced her to abandon that idea completely. Still, the smell got through her bandanna, and as time passed, she eventually stopped completely as she forcibly tore off her bandanna and vomited.
It made the entire atmosphere worse as the yellowish-brown complexion of the fluids ejected from her mouth only served to make Hannah sickly. She wiped her mouth, only to see a bit of red in her fingers. Her hands started trembling as that red was close to being purplish black.
She audibly yelped as she stepped away. The blinking, unresponsive lights of the hall started to make her feel unsure as she stared at the puddle of vomit she had released seconds earlier. Fear started to wrack her mind as she was horrified by the possibility of her turning.
Hannah began contemplating those thoughts until her experience and honed senses had all her alarms blazing at full.
THWANG!
A familiar spear landed just behind her, forcibly and with enough punch to break the floor into a small miniature crater as Hannah was lucky enough to duck and dodge the attack in the first place. She then realized, in horror that had the spear throw been more accurate and focused…
She would have died right then and there.
"M-Militia… g-get away…" Shawn, better known as Dauntless stood there at the end of the hall, trembling with great effort as red lines emanated from his face and skin. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at her with pain and complete agony.
"Shawn…" Hannah started until she was completely interrupted when the sound of soft, unbothered footsteps came into her ears. Hannah then turned her head behind her as she saw her.
Tattletale looked unharmed, clean, and uninjured from her former disabled state as her troubled expression turned into intrigue as they met eyes with each other. Armsmaster, sharing the fate as Dauntless was beside her left as he was forcing himself to stand upright, halberd in hand, and an unconscious Vista in his other. Velocity was to her right as well, holding a struggling Carlos who was looking scared at Hannah.
She manifested a rifle into her hands, but they were trembling so much due to the sickly state she was in and with the fear wracking down her whole body.
The flickering lights that seemed to make a demented spotlight under Tattletale only served to rile up the fears within her as the young woman's face seemingly radiated a sense of chill that accompanied the troubled, but unphased expression she wore.
"Miss Militia, you're in my way." The young woman stated as Hannah raised her gun.
"A-Are… are you from Britain?" Amy asked, scared to acknowledge the possibility, even if it was sitting in front of her now. Annette merely nodded in response as she looked at the girl who seemed to have a crisis of faith. As well as deep, unpronounced fear of what Annette could only assume was fear of her past coming back to get her.
It was amusing but at the same time sad. Her experience as Annette allowed a degree of care to come within her emotions as she reached for the mug on the table beside her and moved closer to the girl to offer it to her. "Drink."
Amy looked fearful at first, but Annette reached out and pressed a warm, motherly hand on the girl's own. Her face remained neutral, but the small gesture allowed Amy to relax and take it. The girl sipped and finished the drink in seconds as the nerves cooled for her in a more comfortable fashion.
"That was… tasteful. Thank you."
"There's no need. Like I said, there is no quarrel between us. Child of Prophecy. I'm simply here to make sure that whatever hate or animosity we had in our past lives, is by and large, behind us… pun intended." Annette explained as the girl's eyes widened.
"You're… you're her?" Amy stared with realization.
"Oh? Recognize me finally? I thought you never knew me, Artoria?" Annette said with a small smile as Amy visibly deflated and flinched from those words.
"Your majesty… I… I don't know what to say." Amy said, almost in a whisper with her conflicted words. "I… do you truly not wish harm against me? O-or for my family?"
"Yes. I very much do. I am no longer High Queen of Britain… Tyrant Ruler of the Faerie Isle, and once was the Child of Prophecy herself. I am merely Annette Hebert in this life. A simple English Professor of Brockton Bay's college... and wife to Danny Hebert. Loving Mother of her child, Taylor Hebert." Annette proclaimed with both a sense of pride as well as a form of melancholy as she approached the latter part. A wistful smile appeared on her face which was eventually replaced with genuine love and heart.
Amy, however, shamefully bowed her head as the uncertain emotions and fear despite the kindly aura and appearance Annette exuberated only served for her to grow meek in her presence. "T-Thank you for the a-assurance, Queen Morga- I-I mean Mrs. Hebert. Y-Your mercy is unequaled."
Annette giggled as she looked at the girl's attempt at respect. "Raise your head, Amy. I'm no longer Queen, nor was I ever in this life. You're free to see me as Annette, and nothing else. Understood?"
"Y-Yes your ma-, I mean… ma'am." Amy fumbled as Annette warmly smiled.
"You must have questions… more so now when we're here. Reunited."
Amy looked confused still as she looked at Annette. But some of the bravery that Annette recalled from a life long ago seeped through the lines. If not for herself, but for how much she cared for her own family this time. "How is this possible? And why do you imply that we know each other? When I was barely anything even to the day of my own death. I h-hardly think I was important at all."
"But you were. In the end, fate would always triumph for the part you needed to play. The part I abandoned completely." Annette said as she traced a finger on Amy's palm. "Your destiny was no fluke. The will of the world will always make sure of its desire to be a reality. In our case, it is for the destruction of Britain… and you dear child, succeeded at it. To the best of my memory."
"H-How? I was barely ten years old when I died… I never saw to its end. T-this fate you mention."
"Perhaps, but the you I remember succeeded despite all odds, and I'm afraid with your presence here, that could only mean one thing. A far younger Artoria than the one I knew, the one I exchanged words with, means that the dye is still yet to be cast."
"Y-you mean…"
"I have friends and ears around the city and the world, Amy. We are but three in this New World. Three individuals were sent for a reason greater than ourselves. We may live different lives now, but we are still bound to that fate as if we were married to it."
Annette watched as it started dawning on the girl what this all meant.
"B-But I am weak. Even if what you say is true, this world is not in danger compared to Britain. I don't see a reason for the Child of Prophecy to be relevant." Amy argued.
"Really? Is that what you see? Amy Dallon? Even if you were not to believe the reason for why we are here, you must understand that your awakening is no minor event. This is not a dream, it's simply reality and if I have to guess, it's no wish that was granted without consequence."
Amy looked affected by her words, especially when she mentioned the word, wish. Annette then proceeded to press a motherly hand on the nervous girl. It reminded her of Taylor at times. "Don't be afraid. I have seen you triumph before and with your will and determination, you can do it again."
Amy looked uncertain but she nodded in response. Annette simply stroked the scared girl's hair as she looked at her. "Your mother tells me, you don't remember your time as her daughter, Amy Dallon, yes?"
Amy shamefully nodded. "Fear not, I'm not accusing you of anything… but it is rather strange that I lived the life as Annette and was only reintroduced with memories of my last breath and you did not."
"L-Last breath?"
Annette nodded. "Yes. Pain. That's what I remember. A blunder. An obsession. My arms reaching towards a throne. A throne I would never again see."
Amy listened in rapt attention as Annette sighed. "Then I woke up. Just barely a year ago… right after a coma from my past accident while I was driving. I woke up and saw my little girl older by three years as my body, stuck in a stasis-like state, was miraculously able to sustain itself through the transition. Nobody could understand what happened, some even deemed me as triggered… but it all went away when they found nothing about me, except being a cripple."
Annette then smiled. "And everything started to be clear after." Annette then opened her palm and a gust of energy turned itself into a blue, beautiful flower as she placed it into Amy's hand. "Little bits and pieces of my past life were present in my life before the accident, but it was only after that every bit of detail was returned with full clarity. This is not Queen Morgan possessing a crippled mortal woman. This is Annette Hebert, a reincarnation of a Queen who's failed her own destiny."
Annette then patted the girl's head… "And I've never been happier ever since."
"Why are you so comfortable around me? If you admit I was once an enemy?" Amy curiously asked.
"Because I have nothing to gain from the hate… I have lived an entire simple life without thinking of being queen. Without obsessing over a throne or destiny that I never wanted. I don't wish to dwindle in a past that no longer exists… I'll just be exhausted if I chase for it still, I'll merely return to a cycle of hate and agony that was only ever justified by loving a throne and country that never loved me back."
The flower in Amy's hand disappears as Annette snaps her fingers again.
The bounded field vanishes instantly as Amy once more hears her family's voices around them.
She looked at the time and saw that barely a few seconds passed. The sheer mastery Annette had was baffling and she wondered if her words of her ever beating her in the past were true. Or perhaps it was just a lie to make her comfortable.
"You're pretty much in a reversed state compared to mine, Amy. Whatever that means is worth investigating, but at the same time we're all here to celebrate in good faith." Annette said, her accent and tone returning to a more natural state as Amy stared. The transition between expressions and mood was masterful, almost too quick, and spotless.
"We can talk further about this little situation after or in the future. At least with your mom's permission… for I do have a proposal that I believe we can both benefit from."
"A proposal of what kind, Mrs. Hebert?"
"A mutually benefiting one, of course! It includes Taylor in the mix… something that'll make sure that we both get what we desire at the end of everything." Annette said with a grin as Amy heard Victoria and what she assumed to be Taylor, talking as they headed down the stairs together.
The grin had a lot of layers to it and given what Amy experienced earlier, she was unsure of what it all meant. Especially since she could not gauge yet what Annette Hebert wanted.
"May I think about it?"
Annette giggled.
"Don't take too long… the last two girls who abused my patience got the short end of the stick."
Annette then saw Amy become frozen in fear. She continued giggling despite it while waving her hand.
"Oh, don't worry… they're not dead. They wish they were though…" Annette said, whispering the latter part of her statement as she smiled candidly as if nothing was wrong with that statement.
She was still vindictive after all, especially when it was for her family's happiness.
"M-Militia… just get out of here!" Armsmaster screamed as he tried to retake control of his body to no avail as Hannah stood in place with fear keeping her from taking any action completely. Especially with the apparent hostages on both sides of the hall, she was in the middle of. People she cared about, people that she always promised to save given that they were all her comrades, regardless of their position or rank. She had seen far too many people turn and die from the abominations that spawned out of their bodies in mere minutes and she was unsure of what move to do when faced with a position like this.
"Why are you doing this?!" Hannah shouted as she stared into Sarah Livsey's eyes.
Her expression was still unchanged as she aimed the barrel of her gun right at her head.
"I hate being chained down." The young woman replied as Hannah's eyes widened.
"At what cost?! You've already killed hundreds of people. Even if you get out of here, everything you've done is going to act against you. You've done too much damage to just simply be ignored."
The girl looked troubled at those words but remained unphased. Hannah then saw the young woman raise her hand and red translucent strings appeared on it before they transformed in mere seconds into a doll-like projection. That projection floated in front of her and Tattletale pointed a finger towards the doll's chest. Piercing it slightly…
Until pain surged through Hannah's own chest.
"AAARRRGHH!" She fell to her knees afterward as she felt as if her heart was being carved out all the while as the heroes Tattletale kept under her leash screamed in anger and pain at their comrade's torture. Hannah lurched and began screaming in pain on the ground as the doll continued to glow brightly in red as she suffered.
The pain continued to invade ferociously within Hannah's chest as even her own voice hurt from all the screaming as the pain reached a tipping point.
Blood started to tinge her lips, until…
BROOOOUMMM!!!
A heavy crash right in front of her was heard while the entire floor shook. The ground rumbled as Hannah blinked and found herself smiling as the visage of her mentor's cape flew in front of her.
Alexandria rose as Tattletale made the doll vanish.
"Cease. Otherwise, you know the consequences of further aggression." She stated as the young woman's frown deepened. "Remove your hold on these people and perhaps you won't be sent to the Birdcage."
Hannah watched as the young woman's face slowly curled into a sinister smile…
And all hell broke loose.
AN: Lisa chapter next… which means a lot of blood, personality disorders, and well… hey, Castamy might look into Annette's deal. 😊
Witch of the Lake
The Witch of the Lake…
Memories were scrambled beyond recognition as the scorched skin now melted with a thinly veiled, skin-tight suit was now deeply ingrained in her flesh. It only forced the transition to be a lot more painful than before as the forced memories and identity had directly clashed with the currently existing one. The sensations, overly present and abundant, were now seared into her mind as she weakly tried to claw her way out of her current predicament.
She screamed for names that no longer existed.
Names that were no longer alive as memories of a brother, a sister, a child, and a despised father started boiling over into one big pot. Their existences melded against each other in a very unwieldy way as the ill-paired personalities and incompatible memories started to break onto the surface. Her own name was now starting to blur. What survived from the cavalcade of invasive mixtures was a hodgepodge of a person that barely functioned, at least until self-survival instincts kicked in.
Survival instincts forced the poorly meddled freak of a persona to relive its most profound failures and defeats within mere seconds.
In this case, what survived from the memories of one Sarah Livsey had been at the forefront.
"…"
Sarah opened her eyes suddenly in pure panic as memories of a failed heist started dawning back on her. She could not remember the names of her comrades, nor why she was part of it in the first place, but she remembered the pure and utter pain caused by the flames of a false dragon that took offense to their actions.
She remembered the name Tattletale.
She remembered the memories of a running girl trying to erase the memory of her brother's death. Said torment led her to a place where a terrible man held her hostage and used her as a tool.
"Agh!"
She felt like she was underwater. Deep, dark blue water that was being crept by the darkness on all sides. Unfathomably deep darkness seemed to force an abrasive and powerful level of fear into her head as she saw glimpses of the cruelty, malice, and… love? Love that was as complicated as the true measure of the being that had now latched onto her mindscape.
The alien connection had been torn apart the moment her injuries, were life-threatening as they were beginning to be laid bare. It was like going through another trigger event, one that was much more invasive as the alien connection was literally burned at the same time she was exposed to the flames of the False Dragon. Her brain was in an absolute mess, both literally and figuratively as the sluggish deep dark 'ocean' that was her mindscape continued to riddle her with a spur of memories that seemed to clash in direct correspondence with each other.
Chief amongst them, with Sarah's already riddled mind, was the malicious voice in the back of her head, whispering in pure and utter anger along with disappointment at a 'ritual' that had lost its true destination and purpose. This voice held the memories of a burning countryside. A burning massacre and an entire kingdom being led to ruin due to both a complicated love and jealousy towards a country that was every bit as important as how Sarah valued the lost life of her brother.
She continued to grasp for air as the abrasive personalities…
Which constituted more than just that specific voice clamoring onto her like leeches.
One was soft and kind, wholistically being concerned and horrified at her current predicament.
The other was a fair, neutral, but caring judge who was concerned by the overall implications that came with this result. A result that had all three personalities arguing against each other as Sarah continued to drown.
Her memories were slowly but surely being overwritten by these overwhelming 'people' in her head as she raised her head up trying to reach for the surface of the dark, deep ocean she was in while she slowly sank. She tried everything, hoping to keep everything intact and afloat as the voices bickered.
Sarah only found herself drowning further as the light of the surface started to dwindle.
Until a hand grabs her arm.
Sarah looks up and sees a mirror image of herself. Only this time, it was far more warped and was wearing a different dress than what she figuratively had within the mindscape. Screams of her torture and torment from the hands of a man…
Of a snake continued to invade her mind.
Those memories coiled against her, even more than the memories of her brother, the only thing she truly cared about as everything around her slowly vanished. Her arm slowly lost its grip as the currents wanted her to sink downward. There was no longer any voice that prevailed. It was only complete silence. Silence as she started to tear up.
"I see… perhaps you do have some use. If only because I understand your plight."
The one who spoke used her own voice as Sarah's eyes opened slightly with some difficulty.
The mirrored face that looked back at her stared with a very conflicted but understanding expression. Sarah felt this entity, this voice pulled her upward as some clarity came back.
Though the chaos within their mindscape was still there.
"Why you, specifically… child?" the voice said.
The being pulled her in and placed a palm on her face as Sarah's eyes widened.
"Why was I pushed into your soul? Of all people?"
The being then stroked her hair as two other voices, the weaker ones echoed within the dark waters around them while Sarah stared with uncertainty.
"Your will is strong, however… it reminds me of a certain… son."
Sarah started to see memories of her brother as she shed a tear. That tear became an anchor as the memories of the invading personalities within her mind shared their own happy moments.
Of children that were now long gone.
Of a sister that was dear to their hearts.
Of a family that was broken apart by greed and ambition.
"Hm." The voice hums as Sarah feels a surge of pain surge through her head, much more errant this time as the being holding her frowns.
"Endure. If you wish to be free… after, I suggest you stop fighting back."
Sarah screamed.
"Or we will both perish because of it."
Tattletale's eyes opened.
Her mood was foul and uneasy as she quickly studied her surroundings in full. She was neither Lisa nor the many other personalities that were fighting within her head. She was simply Tattletale, a temporary amalgamation of what constituted Sarah Livsey or Lisa Wilbourn at that current moment. All minds allied against one goal. One purpose.
One that they all agreed with certainty and confidence that even Lisa deep down was still overwhelmed with the new revelations her body was subject to. Chief amongst them was the simple fact that with the amalgamation, she harnessed power and potential that was beyond anything she had ever dreamed of. Far more now, with how quickly her bodily neighbors had deduced the reality of what her brain was once connected to.
And all the implications placed therein.
She was still weak of course. Her power barely scratched that of a simple spell, due to the incompatibility of her body's reactions to it. Yet she adapted. She observed everything, even down to the smallest detail. She was not as efficient nor fast as she was back when she was a Thinker, but she was surprised to learn that with the amalgamation of minds working as one, she found herself being much more specific with what information and data she needed to synthesize. This data allowed her the upper hand against each and every person who visited her room and what information she found through in-depth analysis in a subtle and unnoticeable manner allowed her to basically know these people far more than they knew themselves.
It helped her adapt and succinctly understand what needed to be done in a simple but efficient, master plan. One that would allow her to gain more than just freedom.
"Are you doing alright?" Miss Militia, or Hana said from her position beside her as Tattletale turned her head slightly towards her direction. Her frown marred by her burnt face only made the woman wince. One of the voices within Tattletale smirked at that.
Given she already knew Hana almost as if she was a relative.
The fae deep within the amalgamation felt relatively pitiful and sad for Hana, but the rest remained particularly vigilant, and the one voice was decidedly amused at her expressions. How her eyes twinkled with full concern while she stared, how her background funneled into how she viewed Lisa now that she knew her age.
"…" Tattletale merely hummed as she returned to the book that the heroine had shared with her.
It was a good book. It was amusing how modern-day people colluded and twisted many myths. Strangely, this was a 'young adult' novel, one that prescribed the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon and dabbled a bit with their spells. The kind that she had little knowledge of.
"Do you enjoy the book at least?" Hana asked. Unsure of how to open the conversation given that she had failed multiple times throughout the span of days, only now when she picked up the book and started reading she found some progress.
"It's adequate. I'm entertained, at least." Tattletale relented in speaking.
Just from that, Hana perked up. Her eyes clearly showed a degree of happiness and relief after hearing her admittedly raspy voice finally reply back in a conversation.
"It is… the author is very well-versed in his craft. I quite love the protagonists."
"Hm," Tattletale replied again with a hum as Hannah winced, hoping to not lose the conversation.
"D-Did you like anything else? I can hopefully give you any sort of book you might like? It doesn't need to be anything I like." she offered.
Tattletale closed her book. She then moved her head towards her and gave an ominous smile.
One that would stick in Hana's head for a while.
"Why do you care so much, Miss Militia?"
"B-because… it's…" she paused, licking her lips as the stare Tattletale gave was so unnerving that she lost her own words. "…it's the r-right thing to do."
"Is it really… is that truly it?" Tattletale emphasized as Hana stiffened.
"Why are you… asking me?" Hana asked, steeling herself as Tattletale grinned.
The charred and exposed pieces of her cheeks curled into an unnerving effect while the grin continued. It only forced Hana to back down from her initial brave front as Tattletale relished that result.
"You're the loyal soldier… the loyal dog that follows every command with hesitation, I can't help but feel as if you're doing this just because you were ordered to."
Hana froze, her initial concern turned into frustration and stiff anger as she looked at the girl. She was briefed that the girl had lost her Thinker abilities, given the loss of the structures within her brain that allowed powers to manifest…
Yet how this all sounded made it seem it was a false assumption.
"Oh… struck a nerve, did I?"
"…" Hana felt her power transform into a particular handgun. One she held onto both as a memory of her leaving her past and as a symbol of the life she once had. Her fingers move slowly onto the surface of the weapon's side in a reflexive action as she stares at the young woman.
"Did you really… leave the life you were once bound to?"
"I did," Hana replied back, her voice filled with no ounce of hesitation. Her heart was calm.
Her belief in that very fact was solid and impregnable. If this Thinker wished to hinge onto it as a weakness she would give her no-
"Truly? Then why do you still act as the model soldier? Why do you still latch onto the chains that you were freed to, only to be chained to another again?" Tattletale's head was now fully turned to Hana's direction as the burnt skin and visage only helped the tension grow and for her reflexive light strokes on the side of her weapon increased in number.
"Did you not realize that you traded one master over another? Even with the good intentions it held, they still chose absolute control, above all else. The veil of freedom posed is only window-dressing and there will come a day where a decision, that you will choose to follow will be the very exact same thing that you loathed… as a child."
Hana froze at that proclamation. Questions started to dart through her head.
Still, she remained steadfast, not wishing for the girl to gain any further ground, until…
"What will happen when that day arrives? When you are asked by a superior, to raise a gun against a child. What if said orders were absolute? Will you realize then that you haven't changed since you left your country?" The tone of the words, Hana expected it to be negatively accusing or ridiculing but the words came out as if pity and concern were laced to it.
Hana's training kicked in as she knew, she was tipping up to being emotionally vulnerable with this conversation, thankfully due to how monitored the room was, help would burst the moment something bad would occur, but within that moment, it felt as if they were alone.
They were suddenly isolated from the rest of the world, and she was now forced to think the words that the young woman had told her.
"I don't have any doubt that once posed, you would use that same gun to end my life right here and now." Tattletale, the amalgamation then turns away and sighs heavily to Hana's surprise as she relaxes her hand that was holding her weapon.
"But that's always been the thing, isn't it? People can't run away from their own nature. It's what they were born to. It's what they were exposed to… and nobody can run away from it."
Hana wanted to say something, a rebuttal, or denial, but her words fell as she licked her lips.
Unable to say anything back Hana let the words sink in.
"Not even me." Tattletale finished, the amalgamation's words filled with regret, anger, sadness, and strangely, nostalgia. The complex plethora of emotions simmering underneath the surface for the amalgamation was clear only to them, but to Hana, the only thing she posed herself to do…
Was standing up and leaving the room.
Before she could leave entirely, however, she turned her head partially back towards the young woman one last time and began thinking about her words. Her dignity and beliefs still held, but the girl's words truly clung to her as questions and self-reflections now threatened to start within her mind.
She took a deep breath and left the room.
Leaving the amalgamation, Tattletale finally finished with her collection of samples from nearly every person within the Rig.
A part of Lisa was scared, but everyone else was confident.
Confident that with the temporary amalgamation of all their efforts, their freedom was close at hand.
PRESENT…
"Alexandria… why of all possible names, did you choose such an oxymoron, for your cheery self?" Tattletale said in jest as her smile widened. The triumvirate heroine, one of the pillars of the world hovered in place, protectively keeping Miss Militia beside her as her gaze was solely focused on her.
Even with the presence of the otherworldly alien presence latching onto the woman that every single parahuman had, Tattletale could still 'see' the surface memories. She would dig deeper if possible, but with the amount of power already being shared throughout their current endeavor she decided that a simple peak was all she needed at the current moment.
"I'm not here to treat with a villain, which is why I suggest ending it all here now, or there's a distinctly high possibility that I won't be pulling back anything."
"I doubt that." Tattletale, the amalgamation replied. Having already been used to such stiff people with holier-than-thou attitudes. the martyrs who thought everything they did had a meaning and purpose when it was all a façade to keep their darker interests in.
Tattletale felt the pull of Dauntless beside her through the link.
His potential was vast and powerful, but he lacked creativity, and he would not last against the foe that was Alexandria. That was the case, however, without her intervention. The woman was already poised to strike within the second, but Tattletale the amalgamation managed to stop her just in time while she began hearing the sounds of the technological puppet master's minions hovering outside.
"I have a question, before you theoretically drag my corpse down the bay, never to be seen again, did you not stop and think that the curses I lent to the people around you are reversible?"
The woman did not seem to visibly react nor think much of the proclamation.
Yet, she was on a tense amount of footing as a person she valued just enough was still beside her.
"W-What?" Miss Militia asked, concern flooding her face as a proverbial pin drop seemed to have manifested the very moment, she was sure that everything would be successfully averted for the better. Memories of a decent number of shades she had killed came back to her regardless of whether they rapidly healed as Tattletale's smile deepened.
"You're not bluffing." Alexandria pointed out, with Miss Militia beside her quickly turning in her direction in shock.
"Why would I? I know you can parse exactly as to why I did it. You already have experience with the Nine… though their penchant for wanton violence and death is not something I readily enjoy, the thought… of keeping enemies on their toes, with little to no choices is a sound strategy. One that I am sure you are well experienced in."
"B-But they heal… they're not dead, they just come back." Miss Militia argued.
"The injuries are not superficial. Should they revert, any fatal damage is permanent." Tattletale finished as the poor heroine's eyes widened almost to complete saucers. Gunfire echoed in her head as the most prominent of the voices within the amalgamation seemed pleased at the memory of the heroine gunning down one of her comrades, a turned Kid Win in particular.
She was already shaking in denial and fear.
"N-No… you're lying!" Miss Militia screamed as she aimed her gun, what weakness remained within her body was gone as she stood up hastily while Alexandria remained stoic and frozen in place. The older heroine's fists curled tightly as Tattletale knew she was boxed in.
"You're lying!" Miss Militia screamed again as her gun transformed into a large anti-material rifle.
Armsmaster and Velocity squirmed within the hold of their jailer while Carlos was looking at the floor in pure horror, knowing full well what he was forced to do when he confronted a turned Piggot.
"She's not," Alexandria spoke.
Miss Militia sharply turned her head at her mentor as more horror dawned on her face.
"I… I second Alexandria's assessment, Miss Militia." Dragon's voice said through the comms. "Many of these shades as she calls them no longer have a heartbeat compared to those that have them. The infection is merely… superficial."
Miss Militia is rendered speechless as Alexandria's frown deepens.
Tattletale the Amalgamation moves both her arms to her sides in a welcoming gesture as the prominent voice within the collective, the Witch of the Lake, smiles cruelly deep within.
"Check." She plainly says as her hands glow in red, projection of threads in a crimson color appear and she tugs at all of them as the entire Rig rumbles and screams of the shades echo throughout the dark halls. Armsmaster, Dauntless, and Velocity sweat further in intensity as they feel their hearts, their minds addled with severe pain unlike anything before. Miss Militia wails in pain before being forced back to her knees as Dragon's drones close in.
Tattletale then tugs on the thread that belonged to Dauntless…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHH!!!!
And suddenly a gust of power is released, so much so that even Alexandria was forced to take a step back as the ground cracked underneath the hero. His body turned into an unhealthy color of the purplish black that the shades had but there was a screeching sound so ear-splitting coming out of it, that parahumans felt it the most.
Miss Militia and Alexandria covered their ears as Dauntless' form glitched before spikes of unnatural color came out of his body, ranging from small to significantly large while his entire form darkened. His eyes turned into a glowing mass of sickly yellow and the mist of the curses clinging onto even his connection to the alien presence had distorted him rapidly.
Tattletale watched in avid attention as her experiment, uncouth and improper as it was yielded results that she was fascinated with. If not, outright pleased with even with the chaos it garnered.
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG!!!
The transformation finalized as a loud roar was heard across the building. Loud enough that lightbulbs around them shattered, even Miss Militia and the rest of the enslaved Parahumans were now deaf as their ears started to bleed. Alexandria's face widened in horror as they all saw the aftermath of what became of Dauntless.
A misshapen humanoid thing loomed over, even Alexandria as its glowing, sickly yellow eyes watched them like a predator ready to pounce. Its shield was already part of its arms as the purplish black 'roots' clung to it tightly.
It then roared again.
THROOUUUUUMMM!!!
It lunged into an attack, far faster than anything Alexandria had faced at such close range barring the Endbringers with the edge of its shield as the heroine caught it just in time with both her hands to protect Miss Militia. Only for the force of the clash to break and scatter everything around them due to the sheer amount of strength being met.
Alexandria buckled, the level of strength horrifyingly elevated to a level she did not expect. She could still match it, even overpower it somewhat, but the level of intensity was so large that she was forced to take this seriously…
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHH!!!
"Alexandria!" Dragon shouted through her drones and was about to engage until multiple places within the Rig burst as the shades leaped and attacked each of them with such ferocity that their numbers broke down the drones with startling efficiency.
Dragon's drones fired capture and stun weapons, ranging from nets to containment foam but as more came out of the rig, the more she was forced to pull her drones away further into the sky as the raging shades broke out of her attempts and forced themselves out like rabid animals.
Tattletale the amalgamation was partially aware of what was happening while she focused down on the tug she felt with Dauntless. The monstrous abomination broke the ground between Alexandria to the point that even Miss Militia was thrown away to Tattletale's feet.
She tugged it again as the monstrous abomination roared and threw a punch at the heroine's face.
THOOM!
A powerful shockwave rippled through them as the walls cracked around them and with it. Alexandria catapulted away towards the right of Tattletale's beast as she was forced like a battering ram from the impact of the punch while her body tore through the offices and rooms like paper.
Each impact of the walls behind her did little to stop her trajectory until she shook her head and stopped her momentum dead on with her flight, just shy of another room catapulting her out into the Bay. She steadied herself back to the ground as alarms blared into her head.
For the first time in her life, her body was shaking.
For the first time in her life, since she acquired the vial, she actually felt something.
There was a flare of pain rippling through her cheek as she removed her helmet, the broken and dented shards scattering on the floor as she touched her cheek.
Tattletale then tugged again from her position as her beast roared.
It tore off the spear that Dauntless threw on the ground near Miss Militia and moved with such speed and intensity that the heroine had little time to dodge as it desired to impale its target. She was barely able to push it to the side away as the thunderous newfound strength of the transformed Dauntless stabbed the ground next to Alexandria's head with enough force that parts of the Rig near the edge of the water where they were collapsed onto itself in a deafening charge.
Alexandria's eyes widened in shock as pieces of her hair were sheered from the action while the beast roared in her face. Quickly she angled her legs in a bursting motion and…
THOOM!
…and kicked off her assailant, and a loud and audible shockwave rang through her body as he was launched into the air. She then flew upwards with a burst of speed, ramming her body into the beast as another crack of the amount of force being thrown between them whistled into the air.
The beast roared at her and slammed her back with its shield arm as the air was forced out of Alexandria. She then initiated a counterattack by grabbing both sides of its head, losing any amount of hesitation she had left within the heat of battle to end it all quickly in order to crush its skull like a melon…
RAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!!!
…only for the beast to headbutt her.
THOUUM!!!
She saw stars for a moment as pain wracked her entire body from the impact. Her grip and mode of flight were scrambled and weakened as the beast bashed her body and head with several quick strikes with its shield arm that Alexandria barely defended against. It then raised its spear, ready to kill her as Alexandria blocked it with her hand passively as her focus was still dulled.
Then that same spear went through her palm with enough force that she FELT the pain tenfold.
"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGHH!!!" she screamed, the sensation forcing her focus back from its once dull state as she saw the beast roar at her face again. She then reared her free arm and punched the beast right into the head, breaking its teeth in the process and shutting its jaw with enough force it would dwarf being hit by a freight train at full speed. She then forced the spear off as she screamed in pain and threw it away before landing a blow into the beast's abdomen, sending it catapulting away into the clouds that just through the shockwave, she had cleared a decent chunk out of it.
She pursued, moving her flight at speeds that would be partially imperceptible to the naked eye as she went blow for blow into the beast in a flurry of attacks around it as air and the clouds parted with each contact. Yet despite the obvious damage, she was dealing to it…
The Dauntless shade caught her punch after seconds of being pelted.
KRAKA-THOOM!
It then slammed its shield into Alexandria…
Shattering into a dozen pieces from the power behind it as the woman was thrown downward back into the Earth from the distance, they were in the air prior. The beast then pushed itself downward and latched onto Alexandria punching her face over and over again as the woman tried to defend herself as they neared the Bay's waters near the Rig.
What remained of the shield on the Beast's arm, which was now fashioned with a sharp point, was then grabbed by it, tearing it off its own arm as Alexandria's eyes widened in danger.
THRSK!
It was too late however as it stabbed her into the side of her body, her arms stopping it enough that it would not go as deep as it could as she screamed out in pain.
Only for her to be silenced as they slammed into the water a second later.
BWOOOUUSHH!!!
Their impact made the water rise up at least four meters into the air as they rapidly sunk. Alexandria quickly lost oxygen with each action as the Beast continued to attack her while the surroundings of her vision darkened the deeper, they got.
Tattletale the amalgamation, controlling and seeing through her beast watched as the struggling woman tried to force herself out of its grip. She observed as she commanded the other shades to continue keeping Dragon away as her remaining thralls dragged Miss Militia with them as she neared her destination within the Rig.
Her feet took her to a closed door as she spoke.
"You have no power here to negotiate… do what I say, or you will share the same fate as these people." She said with a monotone voice as Miss Militia, completely deaf could only watch in confusion as the door opened. Her current state continued to be confused and alarmed as she saw who was on the other side of the door while Tattletale the amalgamation smiled in delight.
Meanwhile, as Alexandria and the Beast reached the bottom of Brockton's Bay, what willpower she had left was overcharged as she was finally able to tear off the shield fragment stabbed into her…
"RAAAAGHH!"
THRUM!
…and stabbed it through the Beast's chin and upwards.
With enough strength, she split the thing's head into two and grabbed its neck. She then proceeded to slam into the sea floor and raised both her fists.
BRWOOUUMMM!!!
Delivering a shattering blow that crushed its entire upper body into nothing with her strength.
Losing consciousness, Alexandria then flew upwards, bursting out of the water as she crashed into the Rig, trying to regain her breath as she heard the commotion of the other shades attacking Dragon's drones up above.
As her breath normalized and her adrenaline forced itself back into her veins, she shot up from her position and tore through the Rig, trying to find the mastermind of it all.
In mere minutes, she found Tattletale, still surrounded by her thralls as Miss Militia, heavily wounded and deaf widened her eyes in shock at the true identity of her mentor.
Regardless, they were now in the lobby of the Rig, near where the boats back to the Bay proper were and Tattletale looked poised to leave if only for her interruption. They were now yet again forced into a stalemate as Armsmaster and Velocity, along with two more hostages, Aegis and Miss Militia were at their sides.
Wet, miserable, and in pain, Alexandria's anger only doubled as she locked eyes with Tattletale.
Tattletale the amalgamation, merely looking impressed after the entire ordeal.
"Release them." She angrily said as Tattletale looked at her.
"As you wish," Tattletale said with a playful snap of her fingers.
The moment she did, screams started to howl through the air. Not screams of the rabid shades, but the screams of a dozen people falling to their deaths while Dragon's panicked voice rang onto the nearest comms system within the room, they were in.
She had released them all from her hold.
Tattletale watched with a neutral expression due to the discord occurring within her mind. Their goal was still fixed, but the methods that the most prominent voice had used to ensure their objective were now starting to become problematic. Lisa, in particular, was now coming to a stark realization as to who this prominent voice was in terms of personality and cruelty.
The sounds of heavy thuds littered around them as Dragon's panicked voice quickened.
Many were still unsaved and through the nearest window where a thud was heard, a stream of blood was already dripping down as a mangled arm was dangled atop of it.
The heroine, realizing what was occurring turned to Tattletale, or in this case, the Witch of the Lake. The dominant hold she had within the collective was steep and powerful as her dismissive face stared down at Alexandria, who was now tightening her fists.
"Do you understand now… that even if you leave here alive, a target will be permanently placed on your back for as long as you live," Alexandria stressed as her frown turned into a seething glare.
Lisa screamed at the collective, yet the Witch's hold was fierce…
"Yes. I understand that clearly."
…and unyielding.
"So be it then…"
Alexandria was about to attack until Tattletale conjoined her fingers, reciting a spell. The world instantly darkened around the heroine. Her vision was limited to absolute darkness and the singular instance of Tattletale right in front of her. Then a visible outline of what seemed like a shadow stretched outside of Tattletale's form and three more clones of similar faces appeared on all four quadrants of Alexandria's position. Rendering her surrounded as the one to her left recited another spell.
BRWOUSH!
Chains of golden color that appeared as projections due to their transparent visage burst out of the ground and it encircled the heroine's arms, legs, and neck as Alexandria tried freeing herself. Yet as she pushed enough effort and strength into them, the coils tightened exponentially, so much so that she was now reeling with pain as more and more weight dragged her down to the darkened ground.
Alexandria pulled with all available strength left in her arms but even as one chain snapped, multiple ones took its place and she was now forced into a kneeling position in front of the four Tattletales which were now staring in pity.
The one on the right then activated another spell. Blood red in color, an aura of a sheen started materializing around Alexandria as an ungodly amount of pain an intensifying quality that far outstripped anything she had ever felt in life soared through her entire body. She started screaming as the mental and physical torture it created burned through her like she was being scorched by the sun. Her body started to weaken bit by bit until the Tattletale behind her shot a beam of white light straight into her back.
Memories of various kinds started rapidly appearing in her head.
Pain, doubt, joy, and even indifference rapidly cycled through her mind as she was forced to relive every single moment of her life in the span of seconds all the while she was exposed to all the pain they were firing on her.
She screamed with all her might until a burst of strength, whether by adrenaline or any other means emanated from her form. Focus returned to her head as her eyes opened widely.
BRACKSH!
The chains snapped around her as she grabbed the Tattletale to her left by the leg and slammed her into the ground towards the one on the right. The impact smashed the two clones' heads into bloody pieces before she turned her head and with a burst of speed, her fist punched out the heart of the one behind her in one clean move.
Removing her fist from her recent kill she then flew forward in front of the original Tattletale and placed both her hands on the young woman's head. Despite her rage, however, the Witch of the Lake did not display any emotion even as Alexandria angrily crushed her head into mush.
Her breath became ragged, the heroine not even bothering with all the violence and blood she had spilled as she stepped back.
Then, the darkness instantly faded away. Revealing the real world again.
"Alexandria! Stand down!" Dragon's voice said as one of the drones appeared overhead through a destroyed section of the ceiling. The heroine was confused at first until she heard clapping. Tattletale was there, close to her, clapping with a dismissive glance as Alexandria looked around.
Two PRT agents were clubbed together with the top half of their bodies splattered into nothing.
Velocity had a hole in his chest.
And… Rennick, one of the deputy directors of the local PRT, was barely discernible as his head was crushed into red. Alexandria, shocked by the revelation then sprinted back into action without hesitation as she grabbed Tattletale's neck, wishing to strangle her to death…
All the while as said Tattletale was now begging, clawing, and screaming in fear in her grasp.
"ALEXANDRIA! STAND DOWN NOW!" Dragon shouted again as Tattletale's cries worsened.
The heroine would bring every bit of pain possible back to the young woman who caused all of this by giving her a slow, aggravating death. Yet as she kept blinking her eyes as a painful haze now invaded her head, the voice of Tattletale changed.
She blinked again…
And what she saw was Hana, or in this case, Miss Militia.
A torrent of containment foam was shot towards Alexandria's arm as the heroine quickly let go of the person she once mentored. The torrent trapped her arm towards the floor as she was now forced again into a kneeling position, her mind reeling in what just happened as the loud shouts of Dragon and eventually, Legend who just arrived started to turn chaotic.
Tattletale was nowhere to be seen.
Alexandria, with her face exposed, was now being stared at as a monster by even Miss Militia.
However, through all of the chaos as Alexandria was trapped on the floor, the heroine did not realize that she was bleeding. A puddle of her own blood now existed around her as a deep feeling of pain appeared on the side of her body, where the Dauntless shade stabbed her.
She looked at the only arm of hers that was free until she blacked out a second later.
Her body gave up as the pain had been too great, and her adrenaline was already spent.
Lisa felt her body drag itself across the shore.
A great amount of exhaustion, pain, and other problematic things were felt across her body. The Witch had left control… for now, as the other voices started to leave concerns with her position. The Witch had been oddly silent, but the aftermath of all the tricks Lisa and the rest had done garnered a large toll on her body.
She was still not acclimated to the changes these new passengers had done to her.
She may have done all of that easier if she had more days or weeks to spare, but her timetable was closing and despite the disastrous and chaotic means of how she achieved her freedom (to which the inescapable consequences brought by the cruelty of Witch would make for her situation) she found herself in awe that she was able to escape at all in the first place.
Being confident was one thing.
Being able to create such complexities of power despite being weaker than what the voices were capable of supposedly, scared her to every degree possible.
Even with all of that, the pain was just excruciating as she crawled onto the shoreline wet both through the sea and wet because of her blood. She had been coughing and barfing blood ever since the Witch had relinquished control back to her and all the pain brought by the aftermath just taxed her completely as bits of the 'curses' that lingered on her arms kept adding to the haze that she was feeling. Lisa recalled saying that those were Celtic in origin, based upon the kinds that a certain god would emit, and the Witch regularly incorporated them as a basis for some of her curses.
Impressive as that tidbit was, she was still reeling from its pain.
It was nearly sunset, and the Bay's sunlight would dim soon in order to give way to night.
As she arrived at concrete, her scheduled timetable for the next part of the plan was to happen in a few minutes while she recovered. She was unsure if she would be cognizant by that time as the pain was unbearable and she was losing focus.
Still, with the guidance of the other two voices, she touched the ground and made a chant.
The blood surrounding her transformed into a magical circle as Lisa no longer cared whoever she would call forth as pieces of the curses dripped down into the circle, creating an unintentional catalyst and with her blood being its basis, she projected what mana she had left in order to give life to someone who would protect her as she was slowly losing consciousness as she spoke the words.
Her surroundings glowed as the two other voices became silent.
Then Lisa fell to the ground as exhaustion overtook her.
All the while as the circle dimmed and a voice came forth…
"Hmph! What a pitiful master. You can't even provide me enough at my summoning to put me at full strength? You must be a novice, a simpleton that can- oh."
The boisterous, proud, and arrogant voice was instantly stopped as Lisa's vision darkened.
She saw red hair as the once arrogant voice turned into concern.
"M-Mother! N-No… what happened? Why-
Lisa no longer knew anything more as her consciousness faded away.
HEBERT HOUSE…
There was a knock on the door.
The party was going splendidly and while it was quite scary at first, due to who Mrs. Hebert was, I was enjoying it. Mama and Papa were smiling. Vicky and I were having fun as I began to slowly enjoy Taylor's presence. Despite my fear of her mother, I found the girl a lovely companion that Vicky was ultimately attached to as well.
There's also the fact that I was no longer focusing on the pain of my recent failures.
And while I was still recovering from it all, my family was there for me.
I watched them as I volunteered… *ahem, argued with Taylor to do it in her stead as they animatedly talked at the dining table cheerfully with Mr. and Mrs. Hebert. I smiled, hoping that this would continue back home even with all the issues surrounding us.
But if Vicky was optimistic and hopeful, then I should be too.
Even if my hopes and beliefs were tempered due to the many things I've experienced so far.
I moved my chair to the door and opened it as Taylor trailed behind me.
The moment I did, I was greeted by a sharply dressed woman in a fedora.
Her face was stern but frustrated and she looked at me for a moment as if assessing me.
"I wish to speak to Mrs. Hebert." She intoned as I heard Taylor call her mom in the other room.
The woman continued to stare at me, however, as if suspicious as I kept my bravery up.
At least to the best I can…
Because the aura this woman exuded was odd, and like Mrs. Heberts, dangerous.
AN: Yes, this is me basically referencing the Three Personalities within PHH Morgan in fic form. It's different here of course, with the three key Fae being Lb Aesc/Tonelico, Castoria, and PHH Morgan herself in all her complicated glory.
Also, I am sorry for not posting anything in a while here, I was about to post this after Lattice's second chapter, but due to vacation and the Holidays, plus me being sick through it all, I was never able to make this as my final written chapter of 2023.
Oh well, it's here regardless and just from this new chap alone, Castamy now has another problem looming over her head. Especially with how she's now starting to look like Artoria, visually.
Heh.