The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 1, 2016 20:21:53 GMT -7
To say Unhallow was irritated would be an understatement. Just at what wasn't even clear to them anymore. So many things had piled up over the last week that Unhallow was just frustrated at everything and didn't know what to do about it. As much as they just wanted to crawl into a hole until they cooled down a little they knew that wouldn't be the solution here, because the second the next bad thing happened, and there would be more bad things, they would be right back in this state. It was a strange feeling. Not even creative blocks or school ever made them feel this bad, so Unhallow honestly had no idea how to handle it.
The most recent fight was one of Unhallow's worst. Unhallow always knew that they didn't have the head for tactics, had no idea how to fight in general, and couldn't even control their own superpower, so they didn't know what made them think they could do any of this. The only thing they could do was let people down, get in the way. They were useless. Worse than useless even, they were a liability, just as dangerous to their allies as they were to their foes, with only minimal skills to offer. Perhaps the thing they were most frustrated with was themselves. It was always one step forward and two steps back no matter what they did. Just when Unhallow thought they might be making some actual progress, might be getting better at something, might be able to do something useful, the world spit in their face and proved just how worthless they were. How many more chances were they going to get before everyone just gave up on them and they were on their own again?
Unhallow's arms were at their side, flopping about uselessly as they walked. Their steps were careful, if only so their arms didn't move strangely, so they could maybe pretend things weren't as bad as they were. It was a useless effort, Unhallow's senses gave them an extremely clear picture of their body and everything that was wrong with it. The bones in both their arms were completely shattered, with only a small part of the arm near the shoulder being in tact at all. In the end, Unhallow was just glad it happened to them instead of someone else, or worse happened to someone else because of them. At least they deserved it for that terrible performance. The only real problem was the blood. Not only were they losing it faster than they'd like, in fact they were already starting to feel a little light headed, but it was leaving a clear trail to where they were. Unhallow was intentionally sticking to alleys and the lesser traveled parts of the city to avoid the police, but once they found the trail it would only be a matter of time before the police caught up. They still refused to run, not just because their body was in so much pain that it would be difficult in the first place, but also because it would cause their power to go even more haywire than usual. They didn't want to damage the city more than they were forced to, and they were willing to risk the police for that.
Things were going smoothly at first. It seemed as though the police caught wind of something else and went in a different direction. That would at least delay the time it would take them to find the trail of Unhallow's blood. Soon enough, the police were well out of Unhallow's sensory range as they made their way back across the city. They had to get to the sanctum quickly. Wounds like this should not be left untreated for too long. Unfortunately, someone else entered their sensory range. It was Blue Jay. Why was it that their enemies always came to find them after their most humiliating defeats? Unhallow tensed and bit their lower lip out of a combination of fear and anger. It would be so easy to just send their power his way. If he was so intent of feeling the full brunt of it, maybe they should just let him. The idea was quickly dismissed. They were angry, but that was no reason to take it out on other people. Instead, they just kept walking, pretending like he wasn't there even as he got closer. After awhile, it became obvious that he knew exactly where they were and that he was likely seeking them out. Unhallow clenched their teeth, and spoke without slowing down or turning around.
"Are you here to mock me too?"
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 2, 2016 22:50:47 GMT -7
It was an odd mix of adrenaline and the past events of the night that were keeping Blue Jay awake. The sun was long since down, and after such a fight his energy would’ve been long since spent, but as he raced down the streets on his borrowed motorbike, Blue Jay found himself wide awake. Dully awake - his body felt like it desperately wanted to sleep, but he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t manage. So he focused his energy on the last of the evening's unfinished business. He let his mind numb out while wind and city lights raced past him. He wasn’t quite sure where they’d gone off to, but it couldn’t be far, could it? They didn’t seem to be the quickest of supers.
As he circled the blocks within a few miles of their battle, his eyes were set to try to find the black outline of the super, but it wasn’t this that he spotted first. Rather, it was the path of blood snaking down an alleyway. It wasn’t the first he’d seen that night. Blue Jay paused for just a moment at the mouth of the alley, and squeezed his eyes and rubbed his brow. Some part of him couldn’t believe what he was doing. Another part of him knew he had to. Blue Jay revved the motorcycle and followed the super’s tracks, putting aside the fact that he was, yet again, helping out an “enemy”.
Before long, he caught sight of a lone figure on the street. It had to be them - no one else would be out here in these back streets, at this time of night. Blue Jay pulled the motorcycle to the side of the road behind them (nearly running into a back alley door as an unskilled turn of the wheel made it veer a little too far to the right) and made several small hops to get off. After grabbing the first aid kit he’d been dragging around with him, he let the bike fall to the ground.
Blue Jay took a stride behind Unhallow only slightly faster than theirs. He was about to address them when they spoke first.
“I’m here to make sure you’re okay, Mr. Trail of Blood.” Blue Jay replied flatly.
Neither of them were in good shape. Blue Jay was covered in blood, not all of it his own. His cloths were in tatters - his pants looked like someone had thought the “ripped knee cap” thing wasn’t enough and taken scissors to the undeserving pair. He’d ditched his sweatshirt a while back, leaving him with a one-sleeved t-shirt that wasn’t deep red only because it was black. Besides the amount of evident blood loss, something was clearly wrong with Unhallow’s arms. The fact alone that they’d walked this far was both astounding and worrying. Had no other Keepers come to help them?
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 4, 2016 20:28:39 GMT -7
He claimed he wasn't here to mock them, but Unhallow was skeptical. Anonymous made the same claim last time, and he did anyway among other things. As much as Unhallow really wanted to do something about the bleeding, it's not like they could. They couldn't even take some of the torn parts of their costume to try to bandage it up until they got back to the sanctum. What were they supposed to use to do such things, their teeth and feet? Unhallow was not quite that coordinated. It was all because that Bulwark beast tore their arms apart that they were like this in the first place, so it hardly seemed fair to make fun of them for that. Unhallow let out a sigh, soundless because of the helmet.
"I'm walking, so I'm fine enough. I don't have to worry about injuries, I can get them healed."
It sounded like they were repeating something they were told more than anything else, but despite the severity of the wounds they didn't seem particularly concerned about them. Unhallow's voice still sounded staticy, worse than before even. Their voice modulator was falling apart pretty bad. They would have to get that fixed along with the rest of their costume.
"So, just...just stay over there. You don't need to come any closer."
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 6, 2016 9:16:43 GMT -7
Blue Jay crossed his arms, his face an expression of tired irritation. They were trying to shoo him away. Fine, if they didn’t want him to come any closer, he could obliged, but he wasn’t going to leave. He’d come this far. He had no intention of turning back.
“What kind of bullshit is that, ‘I’m walking so I’m fine enough’? You are obviously not fine. It’s okay to feel pain, you know. And to ask for help.” He sighed.
Too exhausted to realize the point may not get across, this was none the less his means of offering his help. What he could actually do he wasn’t sure, which was half the reason he was just standing there dumbly instead of making himself useful. Judging by the decay of his clothing, he doubted bandages would be of much use, and he feared the same may be true for the motorcycle (which would only make things worse if it broke while they were driving). But there had to be something, right? What were they supposed to do, walk all the way back to wherever the Keepers were by themself? He hadn’t much of an idea where the Keeper’s place was, but it couldn’t be a short walk - they were still in Bulwark territory here. He couldn’t imagine making that walk alone and in Unhallow’s state.
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The Keepers
Posts 206
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 6, 2016 19:59:08 GMT -7
"I don't feel pain. Your friend ripped apart my nervous system. It was excruciatingly painful while it was happening, but now I can't feel my arms at all. I'm also on my way to the people that can actually help me. I'd love to just call them, but the wires in my communication device have been fried because that's what my power does. This is a common occurrence, I'm used to dealing with it."
Unhallow wasn't normally quite that morbid, but she was approaching her wit's end. If he wanted to help, which they were dubious about believing in the first place, he was doing a terrible job. They were already feeling light headed, which just made them less inclined to be nice.
"You can't help me," they said simply. "You're just being a nuisance."
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 7, 2016 22:55:50 GMT -7
They weren’t feeling any pain? “That’s- that’s really not a good sign.” Blue Jay said. It meant something had gone really wrong - as though the blood wasn’t already enough of a sign of that - and they really shouldn’t be forcing themselves to walk back like this.
Blue Jay rubbed his brow. “You Keepers - what the hell are they doing? Wasn’t that robot one of you? Why aren’t they helping you?” Had he been in their condition, the first Bulwark who saw him would’ve dropped what they were doing to help him out. Hell, Velocity probably would’ve helped him out, no wandering into another Bulwark necessary. The Keepers were supposed to be a team like the Bulwarks were a team. “What’s wrong with them, making you get back yourself while in this state?”
Forget staying back. Blue Jay quickened his pace and making to catch up with the super. “Fine, if they aren’t going to send anyone, I guess I will have to be the one. Give me a number to call. Let me give you a ride. Something.” His voice was angry, but the anger wasn’t directed at them. Those Keepers - he really wanted to punch one of them right now if they thought this was okay.
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The Keepers
Posts 206
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 8, 2016 21:12:43 GMT -7
"Do not speak badly of HaLOS!" Unhallow snapped. "You have no idea what it's like to live with a power like this. If you did, you would immediately understand why maybe we're not comfortable having someone that relies on delicate circuitry fly me across town."
If Unhallow could have, they would have balled their hands into fists there. It was one thing to make fun of them, but it was another thing entirely to insult their comrades for things that were out of their control. HaLOS couldn't help Unhallow either, and it had more important things to do than to escort them home. The best that would have done would be to protect Unhallow from any further fights, but they didn't think they needed that. Given this pest was here, perhaps they were wrong. It would be nice to be able to just blast Blue Jay into the dirt right now. In the end, they were a little afraid of owing HaLOS any kind of favor, as they undoubtedly would if it continued following them.
Unhallow was also getting increasingly irritated at Blue Jay's naivety and lack of understanding of how the order worked. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't pretending like he knew everything, but the simple fact that he was acting that way was just irritating them further. As much as being able to contact someone was a relief, it wasn't something they could do in this circumstance. Unhallow was in serious condition, getting back to the sanctum was a big deal and everyone would know that. The Keepers traded in information and favors. Unhallow had next to no clout with in the organization given their track record, so they would have to owe someone a pretty big favor in addition to what they were already going to owe the person that was going to heal them. It just wasn't worth it. As much as they wanted to help their comrades, they weren't interested in being a slave. Arcanum would likely be more reasonable, and would likely berate Unhallow later for not contacting them, but even contacting Arcanum would require giving her number to a dangerous person. It's not like Unhallow would be able to dial the number on their own. Offering that glimmer of hope only for it to be a false hope just hurt.
"Get away from me! Do you want me to hurt you that much?" they were practically yelling at this point, their modulator crackling with each word. "Listen to me! You. Can't. Help. Me. So just go away! And you people wonder why no one ever seems to want the Bulwark around! You're not helping! You never do! Just leave me alone!"
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 12, 2016 22:22:06 GMT -7
HaLOS? Was that the robot’s name? Blue Jay filed away the name of the asshole, and with the animosity he was feeling towards the super currently, he was sure to remember it.
“No, I don’t know what it’s like to live with a power like yours.” Blue Jay retorted. “But that doesn’t mean shit, Unhallow! Not when you’re hurt and trying to play Sisyphus! Maybe you’re not comfortable with people helping you, but your teammates damn well should be! Who are they to call themselves your allies otherwise?” Blue Jay exhaled loudly. He was too tired to be yelling this much, but this whole scene - no one should be put through this. It really shouldn’t happen enough for it to become a “common occurrence”. Unhallow couldn’t be older than their mid-twenties - few supers were - so it wasn’t like they had maturity or age to guard them. He balled his fists. Blue Jay couldn’t imagine himself having to do this, knowing there were people who could be alleviating his pain if they just gave a damn. He’d rather work alone than with so called “allies”.
“Look, I don’t know how you Keepers work, but I’m not going to let you bleed out because your asshole teammates aren’t helping you.” He said, his pace quickening even further. His stride was wide and his posture stooped. His goal was to catch up and walk beside them, and he wasn’t far off from doing so. “If you were a Bulwark, we would’ve put effort into figuring out some kind of solution to this; found someone immune to your powers or built some vehicle that could withstand it. So, as a Bulwark, it looks like I’ve got to clean up another of the Keeper’s messes.” He said tiredly. “If I can’t help, then I’m at least going to make sure you make it back safe.”
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 14, 2016 10:41:19 GMT -7
"Then stop acting like you do!" Unhallow would have balled their hands into fists if they were physically able to. "It's so obvious that you don't, so laughably obvious. The fact that you can bludgeon people over the head and then walk up to an injured person and want to help like this is a perfectly normal thing to do shows how oblivious you are. It's obvious because you don't have to see it. You don't have to see any of the damage you cause. You don't have to see what happens inside of someone's body when you hit them. You don't have to see their bones break, their blood clot, their skin swell, what it does to their brain...you don't have to see any of it. You can justify hurting them like you're doing nothing wrong, you can justify tearing down buildings like you're doing nothing wrong. Meanwhile, I'm over here having to devote every second of my life to doing as little damage as possible. Having to choose the routes with the least amount of people so I don't hurt them. Having to pretend like I hate my own friends and family so they don't do something as simple as hug me or otherwise show their affection. Having to give up several of the things I love because it would make my power go wild or because my power would just destroy it. I can't even sleep at home anymore! And I have to watch every bit of damage I do. I have to watch everyone die around me, I have to watch buildings and roads slowly crumble around me, and I have to watch it in great detail. I see the damage done before the human eye could. Cell by cell, molecule by molecule, I have to watch them all fall apart."
Unhallow's voice started out loud, but gradually got quieter until the end where they might as well have been whispering. Their voice started cracking, not due to their voice being loud or high pitched, but because at some point they started crying. Unhallow tried to hold back the tears, but on some level they knew it was a miracle they even lasted this long. Everything that happened in the past week or so was just too much, but it was easy to push it out of their mind as long as they didn't have to think about it. Having parts of it shoved right back in their face on top of what happened tonight was enough to finally put them over the edge.
"You keep acting like my allies should just magically be able to do things. Do you have any idea how hard it was for them to design something even as simple as the costume I wear? They put so much effort into figuring out how to do it, and even then it isn't immune to my power, it just breaks in the right ways. It's the only reason I'm not stark naked after every battle! You act like they should just be able to invent anything and if they were worth anything my life should be just peachy! It's not that simple, stop acting like it is! And stop acting like they're not going to help me, I just have to get there first! People can only move so fast!
"And get away from me! How many times do I have to say it?" Unhallow practically screamed. "Why won't you listen to me? Why do you keep acting like this is helping? You did it before too! What if something happened to you? What if my power killed you? I'd have to watch every graphic detail, I'd have to deal with the fact that I killed someone despite my efforts to avoid it. Do you really think that's somehow better than being stuck in a hole? And now you want to follow me? Are you incapable of thinking about anyone but yourself? Do you really think I can get to where I need to go with someone following me? Or are you just trying to kill me without fighting me so you can keep your stupid misguided sense of honor?"
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 16, 2016 11:01:31 GMT -7
Blue Jay opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. This was not the time to be defensive.
He’d had a basic understanding of how Unhallow’s powers worked, jumbled together via information from the internet and his own experience. His he thought to the effects of Unhallow’s power on Lobisomem. Their whole face had been bloodied by just moments spent close to the super. They saw all that in detail whenever they fought? He tried to imagine that, seeing the internal effects his own abilities might have on a person. He felt a rush of queesyness and quickly pushed such images from his mind. He’d seen too much blood that evening. The picture was a bit too vivid. Unhallow saw that all the time? Not only that, but they were the one causing the damage. It’d be the consequences of their actions, displayed in full detail.
Even though their sound distorter, the pain in their voice was clear. Blue Jay sighed. All the tension in his brow and posture dropped. As angry as he was with the Keepers (and just because it takes time to get somewhere is no excuse for not coming; the well being of teammates is worth far more than some person’s hour), currently Unhallow’s well being was more important than venting his frustration.
“Yeah, but I’m not dead, am I?” He said. He didn’t know why he was fine, even though he had gotten just as close to them as Lobisomem had, for a longer amount of time than them. He wondered duly again why this was, but continued only to draw a blank. He’d worry about it later. “I’m pretty close to you right now.” He said, coming to pace alongside her. “Am I getting hurt?”
Strangely enough, he wasn’t. He remembered when he had first run into Unhallow that evening, in the alleyway, he’d felt the odd feeling of their power, but now he felt no different walking alongside them than he would anyone else. Though he would normally be worried about this, currently it was working in his favor and so didn’t question it.
As such, there was one thing he could do. Quickening his pace again, he walked until he was several feet in front of them and then paused. With his back still to them, he looked over his shoulder. “Here, let me give you a piggyback. I can walk faster than you can.” And with their injuries, he really didn't think they should be walking at all, let alone long distances. He motioned for them to do so.
“You’re not going to get rid of me, so you may as well give in.” He said cheerfully.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 18, 2016 1:20:32 GMT -7
He wasn't entirely right, but he might as well have been. Unhallow could tell they were doing damage still, but the way his body was handling it was almost disorientating. Ultimately, they were glad he wasn't getting hurt, but on some level they wished he would just drop dread right now. Unhallow didn't stop when he did, instead going out of their way to go around him. Keeping that much distance was done more out of habit than passive-aggressiveness in this case. They weren't thinking clearly anymore. No matter how hard they tried the tears just wouldn't stop, enough so that every so often their shoulders would quiver. They considered just ignoring Blue Jay entirely at this point. It was becoming increasingly difficult to string together words coherently, so it just seemed like a waste of energy. Given he would likely continue to follow them that wasn't really an option though. Unhallow couldn't go back to the sanctum with someone following them, so Blue Jay's actions meant certain death for them at this point.
"Why won't you listen to me?" Unhallow shouted practically choking on their words. "It's like I'm talking to a brick wall. I can't go back with you following me, you think I can go back with you carrying me? If you even could? You're not even 2/3s my size and probably weigh half as much as I do when I'm wearing this. I can't hold on, my power would likely destroy anything you tried to use to secure me, the odds of me staying on your back when you move really fast are slim to none! Do you even think?
"You think you can just come here, insult my allies, my friends, the people that have been helping me, the people that have given this thing a reason for being, something useful for it to do; you think you can just randomly attack people, hurt people you don't even know, who may not have even done anything wrong; you think you somehow know better, act like you understand everything, like I or the other people unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of your 'help,' should be forced to have it, or just don't know what's best for us; you do all these things, and you honestly expect me to trust you; to surrender myself to whatever you might decide to do?"
Unhallow spoke quickly without taking a breath, their voice cracking with each word. They continued walking, though it felt like the world was spinning at this point. As this conversation went on their mind felt less and less stable. They weren't even entirely sure what they were saying anymore.
"Just go away, I'd rather die!"
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 18, 2016 15:28:06 GMT -7
Thing? Blue Jay’s brow furrowed. Was that what Unhallow thought of themselves as?
Their shoulders shook, and though it was hard to tell without seeing their face and through their distorted voice, they seemed to be crying. He felt his own chest tighten. He wanted to try to comfort them, but he wasn’t sure how. He he simply watched Unhallow as they nonverbally turned down his offer. “Dying isn’t an option. You know it’s not. Do you really think you’ll make it back to Malachite Isle by yourself?” He asked, crossing his arms and shifting his weight back onto his good leg. And he was apparently a brick wall. “Don’t underestimate me; I’m fairly strong. And I’m not suggesting teleporting with you on my back. Even if that was viable, my powers aren’t working right now.”
He could understand the want to keep the location of the Keeper’s hideout a secret. He hadn’t been planning to go all the way there for that reason (and also because showing up at their front door sounded like a great way to be mobbed by a bunch of Keepers), and so his plan had been to get them most of the way to the isle and then pass them off to another Keeper or something.
The problem was, Blue Jay wasn’t sure if he could make it back to Malachite Isle carrying Unhallow. It was a long ways, and it’d been a long while since he’d rested. He’d also taken a beating from the fight, and while he was confident he could lift and carry them, he wasn’t sure if he'd last all the way to the island. Nor was it like they could go to a hospital. But, what else could they do?
“What if,” he hesitated, not sure if he wanted to suggest what he was thinking. But it was the only plan he had. “What if I take you back to the Bulwark’s headquarters?” It was a bad idea, for the same reason him going to the Keeper’s hideout was a bad idea. He doubted his teammates would appreciate him revealing the location to a Keeper, but as long as no one found out it would be okay, right? “There might be someone there who can help, or at the very least medical supplies. We could could go in through one of the back doors.”
At a trot, Blue Jay continued again after Unhallow. He slowed to match their pace once he was again walking alongside them. None of this was going to work if they didn’t let him help. “I’m not trying to hurt you or trick you or anything like that, honest. I’d offer to leave my sword here if I didn’t think it was the reason your power isn’t hurting me.” He said. “Not that I can attack you with it right now anyway.” He tried to figure out any other way to prove he had no ill will for them. It was hard to be sure someone from another faction could be trusted, he knew, and the Bulwarks and Keepers were not known for liking each other. He came up blank. “I still would if that’s what it would take for you, just,” he felt like he was begging at this point, “please, trust me a little.”
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 18, 2016 18:24:09 GMT -7
If Unhallow had any energy left they would have laughed. Death was always a possibility, it nearly happened tonight. It still could and Unhallow knew that. The inevitability of death was practically what their power was about, and as much as Unhallow hated their power that aspect of it was something they were at least somewhat grateful for. Because of their power, the idea bothered them less than it did before they got their power. It was necessary, they couldn't be afraid of it, not if they wanted to have any hope of fighting dragons without cowering in fear. More than just being a possibility, which was likely what Blue Jay was talking about, it was indeed always an option in the literal sense. The nature of their power made it an option they had to consider. Was their life worth more than the damage they caused? Unhallow shuddered, pushing those thoughts out of their mind. As much as they liked to think they accepted the idea of dying, thinking about it in those terms still made them sick. There was no need to respond to this. It wasn't worth it. Unhallow continued walking as though Blue Jay said nothing.
At this point, Unhallow was cursing that they couldn't walk any faster. Their heart rate was already far higher than what was safe for their power, adding more to it would be a problem. They could already feel the inner layer of their costume start to fray, and most of the armor in their chest was already dust. There was no good way to get away from Blue Jay at this point. They weren't bleeding a heavily, but it was enough. Walking across the city like this would be difficult, especially with this obnoxious person slowing them down. Yet, his offer was enough to get Unhallow to stop walking for a moment. Was he being serious? It wouldn't be something that was easy to bluff his way out of. Unhallow could see a great distance around them, attempting to take them to some remote area wouldn't work. It would probably be easy to tell if he was telling the truth based on the kinds of things inside the headquarters if it was anything like the sanctum. Unhallow didn't expect it to be as grand as the sanctum was, but the idea was likely the same. It did put Unhallow in a bit of an awkward situation. They either had to betray their own faction on a level to refuse, but accepting basically meant the same for Blue Jay, not to mention they would owe him later. Plus, how would the other members react to their presence especially given their weakened state? Given how the Bulwark generally acted, they didn't expect anything too bad to happen, but they thought that about the Bulwark's wolf-like creature too. Were things that simple? Unhallow couldn't handle another fight right now, but maybe they'd think twice about fighting in their own base? They probably wouldn't want to have Unhallow in there for longer than necessary given what would happen to it. Was it worth the risk?
"You...You are aware that I would be obligated to share its location right? I-I mean, it's like that anyone important already knows, but...I mean, I'm just saying..." Unhallow's voice got quiet. "D-Don't kill yourself or do anything that might. Just...don't. And don't put me near anything important. I'm not even sure how long the floor will last in my current state."
Unhallow would be lying if they said they trusted Blue Jay at this point. They fully expected this to go badly, but the prospect of doing something potentially useful in the face of being a liability was just not something they could pass up on. Not right now.
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Blue Jay on Jun 21, 2016 2:19:45 GMT -7
There was a front one put up when they were absolutely exhausted, ready to go home and become one with a bed for the next three days, but in the face of someone who needed it more, required the appearance of someone who seemed fine. Blue Jay had been attempting such an act, but when Unhallow finally accepted his offer, his expression was one of true relief.
“That’s fine.” He replied, coming to a stop with them. In all honesty, the Keepers probably did already know the location of the HQ. “Supers’ve got to look out for each other, right? No one else else is going to. This hesitancy to help someone in need because of some faction line is just silly.”
Unhallow was heavier than he’d expected. Granted, they had warned him, but this was not going to be quite as easy as he thought. At least it wasn’t like he was going to pass out from exhaustion on the way there. His body was rejecting the notion of sleep like some kind of plague.
“Sometimes I feel like we’re all just a bunch of kids who feel so proud about our exclusive clubs. The problem is, this isn’t some water balloon fight over neighborhood territory or a couple of nasty letters in someone’s locker. We’re putting our lives on the line here.” He chuckled.
He took a pace somewhere just below brisk, at as fast as he knew he could maintain for the ways it’d take to get back to the HQ. As he walked, a number of things Unhallow had said ran through his mind. “Do you have any friends in the Keepers?” He asked, not to prove any point he may have been trying to make, but out of concern. “I don’t mean friends by allyship, where they’re part of your faction so you call them that to be nice. I mean people you can talk to, or rely on when you need someone.”
Getting lost or taking a longer route than necessary was unlikely, as he’d been there earlier in the night and had a pretty good idea where in the city they were, so with any luck it wouldn’t take too long to arrive. With more luck, they wouldn’t be seen before then. Showing a Keeper the location of the HQ was not going to go over well with most Bulwarks. A couple he knew he could explain the situation to, but for the most part the fewer people they ran into the better.
But not running into people may not be an option. Taking into account their power, he worried normal medical supplies were not going to cut it and he was going to have to find someone who could heal Unhallow. He was not looking forward to having to explain this.
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Jun 22, 2016 5:28:12 GMT -7
How long had it been since Unhallow had actual human contact? Sometimes it was hard to believe that they only had their powers for less than a year at this point, it felt like so much longer. It wasn't so long that they couldn't remember what life was like before they manifested, but it was long enough that they were starved for contact. Enough so that even this situation was actually pleasant despite their personal circumstances and the fact that they were essentially at the mercy of someone that was legitimately dangerous. The contact made it obvious that they were still crying due to the hiccups and inconsistent rising and falling of their chest. It was a little embarrassing, but honestly they didn't even care much at this point. Nor did the blood from their arms that was starting to soak into his clothing. Everything felt so warm that Unhallow was willing to turn their brain off for a little while.
Unhallow heard Blue Jay speak, but between still feeling a little delirious and the nature of the question they remained silent for quite some time. Long enough that he felt the need to continue talking, and even then they still didn't respond for awhile. They considered not responding at all, and the second question was almost enough to make Unhallow push themselves off of his back. The subject matter was awkward and frustrating, and at this point Unhallow was wondering why he couldn't just keep his mouth shut for five minutes. Once they finally did speak, their voice was quiet and a little weak, but no less irritated than it was before.
"No, I don't understand how you can be so okay with betraying your allies like this. It's not about clubhouses or however you want to dismiss them, these are the people you're working with, the people you're fighting with. You're turning on them because you have a guilty conscience over something that shouldn't even be that unexpected. It was a fight, people get hurt during them. It's no different than your efforts to beat people over the head until they pass out. And you talk like that, but keep treating my own allies like they're the devil and are just using me for my power. That coming from someone who cares so little for his own allies..." Unhallow paused for a moment trying to think of the right words, but ultimately failing. "You're insufferable."
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