Darkness Takes it's Own

#91

Markus watched Laxus recoil,and spun around himself to see the black goop not six feet away. Cursing in his head, he stepped back as well, and whilst watching the tar asked Laxus a question he felt was going to end badly either way.

"Okay... Do you want to do the smart thing, or the right thing?"

#92

"Whoh..."

Coolpikaaa gasped, in awe of Raven's garden. This place was massive! He couldn't even fathom it's size, or how she even managed to have such a varied array of plant life in these woods. Magic was mostly beyond the electric mouse, and even after Raven admitted to her means, he began trying to figure out scientifically how it could work.

Was that a cactus?!

Cp ran over to investigate. He could live here! This place was absolutely beautiful, and he was pretty sure Raven wouldn't mind. As he practically danced from plant to plant, Coolpikaaa daydreamed a solution. Hey could live in a tree! He had lived in a tree before, on Blackstar.

... and everyone had left.

The electric mouse looked around panicked, as both women had already gone inside. Hurrying after them, Coolpikaaa felt the strangest tingle as he passed through the gates. Raven's home was just as ornate as her garden!

"Whoh... It's certainly modern..." He breathed, checking out the furniture. "How did you get all this stuff..?"

In more wonder, Coolpikaaa made his way over to a shelf, picking up an odd trinket he found there.

"Do try not to break anything!"

The voice caught him off guard, and CP fumbled the item, only catching it last minute. He hastily replaced it on the shelf.

"Don't worry, Swix is safe with me! And you only wish you could wear a pelt like this..." He answered in a cheerful tone, before realizing what he said and shutting up. "So, Swix..."

Oh.

She was reading. That was fine.

In the meantime, Coolpikaaa occupied himself with more of Raven's things. Then the screaming started.

"Swix!" He yelled, rushing to her side. What happened?! She was just... sitting there. "Raven! RAVEN!" Coolpikaaa shouted, frantic. "Get down here! She was just sitting and then... I don't know! Get here!"

#93

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RAVEN
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'Shit, shit, shit, shit!' One thought crossed Raven's mind. She ran back out of the room to the kitchen, thrusting open a couple cupboards and pulling bottles out. Running back into the room, she looked at the flailing mess that was her subordinate. Of course she just HAD to bring them to her nice, neat home. Where she couldn't easily throw rocks.

Damn it all to hell. This Collector was starting to irritate the demoness.

She looked at the screaming Swix, and made a quick decision. "Quin!" she cried, hand outstretched, then clenched. The floor began to groan, then crack. A mound started to form near the back of the room before the wooden floor exploded in a shower of dust, wood and dirt - far enough away not to hit anyone. A large rock lifted from the hole, pushing its way forward. With a pull and a thrust and a twist of her arms, Raven moved and controlled it to wrap around the flailing limps - an attempt to keep Swix still so she could throw some potions down her throat.

Hopefully she hadn't destroyed her reading room for nothing.
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LAXUS
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Oh dear. Now that was a question knew the answer two, as unhappy as that made him feel. He heaved a great, big sigh. "The right thing." He groaned, running a hand down his face. "This is going to be awful, isn't it?" Her asked, turning to the other man.

#94

Swix flailed on the floor, her hands firmly glued to her head they relieved some of the pressure. Lucky for CP, the mouses sheer lack of height and his close proximity meant that the limbs didn't thrash him. Swix stopped screaming and gritted her teeth when she just heard his frantic yelling for Raven to get back in here and sort it out. "Stupid... rodent" she ground out, before it all became too much and she started screaming again. She could just hear Ravens voice now too. Just. Although she still had no idea what was going on.

The rock idea worked quite well, as the two dark limbs were caught around it thanks to the demoness control. Before long, both of them were snaked around the rock, squeezing on it rather tightly.

This did have the effect of making Swix a lot more still than before, less likely to destroy things in the nice room, but it also made the convulsions that wracked her body more apparent. The fact that every part of her had it's own dark counterpart meant that now, they were working against each other rather than mutually.

It also made one other thing rather apparent. The rise and fall of her chest had ceased. She'd suddenly stopped breathing.

Swix's mouth opened, she convulsed one more time, and the very same substance they could see over her eyes came pouring out of it.

((Just so you guys kmw, she's not dead, she just can't breathe right now

))

#95

The goop next to Markus and Laxus that had, so far, been doing nothing more than blocking their path back to The Encampment suddenly started showing renewed signs of life. That is, it started bubbling rather angrily before several 'pillars' rose out of the mess into the air, matching Markus height. The oily liquid then started slowly moving closer to them.

#96

"RUN!" Markus yelled, before dashing in the direction the metal spider had gone.

This was insane. He should have gone to the others. He should have gone to the people who knew what they were dealing with. He was counting on bloody murder machines to save his backside.

"Why did I walk down the bloody stairs!" He moaned, to no one in particular.

#97

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RAVEN
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Things just kept going from bad to worse, didn't they? Swix's lack of breath caused Raven to panic. She grabbed her wrist, checking for a pulse. Thankfully there was, so she did the only thing she could thing of. Something was blocking her lungs. She had to get it out. "Make yourself useful, rodent, and hold her down!" Raven snapped at CP, turning to her briefly before giving Swix her undivided attention.

"Linv. She whispered, her hands over Swix, swirling in patterns above her chest. She opened Swix's mouth, forced air down into her lungs and then... forced it, and whatever was blocked her lungs out. Swix's throat would most likely be a bit damaged. Nothing a potion couldn't fix!

Well, she hoped.

Grabbing the vials she'd taken from the kitchen, she tried pour each down Swix's throat. One for healing, one for cleansing, one for strength and another for regeneration. "Damn it rodent, if I hadn't given that other potion to you she'd be fine." Raven grumbled under her breath, wishing she hadn't given away that super-potion in a delirious haze. All she could do now was wait and see if she was alright.

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LAXUS
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"Oh SHIT!" Laxus cried as he turned and broke into a run. Of course this would have to happen. They were running towards a deadly killing machine in hopes of it being able to kill, for lack of a better term, another deadly killing machine - with a sick sense of humour. His day couldn't possibly get any worse.

Wait, no. Laxus realized that it can always get worse, and considering his track record since coming to Pax... well, it wasn't so good looking. His feet crunched on the ground, his heavy plate armour clanging with every step. Still, he ran with a surprising speed and stamina. I suppose one would have to have rather incredible stamina to use such an enormous sword

So, on he ran following his new 'friend', Laxus simply hoped he wouldn't die that day.

#98

Hold her down.

Raven knew CP was a mere fraction of Swix's size right?!

"Uhh... right. Yeah." He said, hopping up onto her midsection and trying to make himself look useful. Was Swix even breathing? She didn't look like she was breathing...

"Raven..." He mumbled, eyes full of worry for his friend.

Then she started rambling on about some potion he had only the slightest idea about.

'You lit me on fire! Then you felt bad, and poured it down my throat!" He argued, fed up with these delusions of the Demoness. "Whatever! Keep helping Swix.... please..."

#99

Swix's dark limbs that had been wrapped around Ravens rock faded from view and then disappeared completely as the liquid poured out. Their bracing hold released, the woman had fallen onto her back when Raven grabbed her wrist to check for a pulse. Swix was about ready to panic herself-she couldn't see, couldn't breathe, could barely hear and there was that crawling sensation that pervaded everything. Swix barely felt a pressure on her midsection when CP hopped onto it, barely heard the two of them talking. Then she felt the air being forcibly pushed down her throat, damaging it, but the initial shock of pain was soon lost in the all encompassing one.

Air that Raven had forced down into Swix's lungs pushed back up two large lumps of the essence that had been blocking them and preventing her breathing. The two lumps were forced out of her throat, causing more damage that way. But Swix could breathe again and the stuff over her eyes began to relinquish it's hold as well as it very slowly began to fade. The oily liquid that was coming out started to abate and so did the pain in her very being.

Still blind, but no longer in immediate danger of suffocating Ravens potions were poured down her throat. She nearly gagged on the first one when it touched the red raw inside of her neck but she knew who they were from, so one after the other were gulped down.

Suddenly her eyes returned to normal and Swix coughed, bringing up the last of the darkness that had resided in her for so long.

Ravens potions did their magic, healing her damaged throat and damaged insides. Swix blinked up at the two of them, finally back in control of herself. She went from feeling exhausted to feeling just fine in a matter of minutes.

Better than fine in fact, for as well as Ravens potions for the first time in forever she was alone in her own head.

"CP" she suddenly asked "why are you standing on me?"

Beside them, the stuff that been separated from Swix's body didn't move away from Ravens home as much as it was pushed away by the Demoness powerful spell.

#100

When Markus and Laxus started to run, the angry goop that had been slowly moving towards them started to increase it's speed. The pillars that had risen up out of it combined at the top as below, the liquid poured up the pillars. until they reached the growing lump at the top. Said lump spread draconic, reptilian wings, and developed a long, whiplike tail. It also developed a serpentine neck and a snakes head on the end. The last two pillars became wickedly curved talons, and the head opened it's glowing red eyes. The Collector was back, and her eyes were narrowed. She was mad, and when she caught up with the two of them, she was going to rip them apart piece by piece.

The entity, now in a Wyverns body, screeched behind them in rage as it gave chase.

#101

((Apologies for the extreme delay, I've got far too much shit to do!

))

"DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!"

Markus bolted as fast as his legs would let him, each breath getting harder to take. He had to become a master at long distance sprinting or die in the process. His mind was racing as well as his heart. The machines must have a plan. They must have. That whole thing about being employed, that can't have been so much bull... could it?

The buzzing answered his question. In the distance, a black cloud gathered. The cloud had gathered, and was emitting a whining, buzzing sound. The buzzing sound got louder as the cloud got bigger and then it began to approach, shimmering slightly as it did so.

"Oh god no. GET IN COVER!" Markus bellowed, diving into cover "NOW!"

The swarm hurtled towards the group, it's intent unknown and in a realm between realms, the Faceless Lady watched and waited.

#102

Behind the group, The Collector in her wyvern form saw them running and grinned in a serpentine way. Coldly, with a humour that some would get but certainly not the objects of her amusement. The entity really enjoyed it when lifeforms she wanted to destroy ran from her, it made the catch later all the sweeter. Sometimes they'd even show her something that surprised her on the way, and that was always interesting... and there was that surprise right now, forming a cloud in front of her... and at least one of them dived to the side.

The wyvern creature kept going forwards, talons out to try and grab Laxus, the one who'd hurt her first. Or at the very least, cause some damage before she found out what the cloud in front of her was and did.

The bladed tail was whipped to the side as passed, this one aiming to damage the mercenary.