[i]"..Alex.."[/i] [i]A voice whispered across windswept plains, dark and blackened like the veil of night that hung heavily upon it.[/i] [i]"..Alex.."[/i] It whispered again. Its voice was but a whisper, carried upon the tender arms of a breeze blowing softly through the tall, dying grass. Ruffling the barren branches of the scattered tress around the clearing. It was always the clearing. The beast stood, rather, it seemed to materialize from the earth itself. A roiling wave of dark smoke, travelling upwards, and slowly forming the shape of a person. Just the general, smokey silhouette, a mirrored reflection of the woman standing before it. It walked towards her slowly, so smoothly as if to appear it wasn't moving at all. [i]"..Alex.."[/i] It called, reaching out the wispy image of its arm. So close.. so very close- [hr] Alex took a sharp breath, oxygen flooding into her lungs as she woke with a start from her uneasy sleep. She sat up abruptly, feeling as if her face had slammed into a wall. Her small fists worked at her eyes as she rubbed out the sleep, memories of the morning slowly coming back to her in uncoordinated segments. [i]'Oh yea..'[/i] she thought to herself. She confirmed her suspicions by looking over at the sleeping body next to her. Alex's face quickly turned red as the more sensual images filled her mind. [i]'Oh.. yea..'[/i] she thought once more. Simply staring at the woman before her. Vladimira, she recalled. Her mind became a whirlwind of emotion as she failed to draw a proper feeling to actually... feel. Confusion, Embarrassment, Intrigue, and others battled for dominance within her mind. Her pulse quickened as she sat there, watching the sleeping body, as her chest rose and fell with each breath. The state of her own body finally registered in Alex's mind, and she turned an even deeper shade of crimson. She looked around, desperate to locate something to cover her nakedness without actually disturbing the woman currently sharing the vibrant blue blanket. She opted to grab one of her jet black pillows and try to somehow cover herself modestly, before feeling like an idiot. Her bed companion was still sleeping. Alex slithered out of the bed as gently as she could muster. Freezing at every audible sound the other woman made. Alex's eyes wandered back to the body in the bed, following the curves beneath the blanket, absorbing the sight before her. Until her embarrassment took over once more. She tiptoed across the room, silently picking up her garments, which were mixed with what would obviously be the other woman's closed. She tried to ignore the fact that the line of clothes led to the shower, or the fact that she was clean. Images of Vladimira came back into Alex's mind, though she did her best to push such things out, trying to keep herself focused on the task at hand. Which wasn't entirely easy, as a raging headache pounded against her skull, even though she'd never once experienced a hangover. She slipped on her clothes quickly, sighing softly as her bare flesh became confined within clothes once more. She didn't feel particularly in the clear yet however. She turned back to the form in the bed, still sleeping. Her gaze wandered again, and an inkling of lust formed within her, smothered by sheer discomfort and humiliation. She had made a fool of herself, acted inappropriately. Albeit she was drunk, presumably, at this very moment she wasn't entirely sure. She sighed heavily as the turmoil raged on inside her. She didn't know how to feel, and other memories, or thoughts kept plaguing her mind. The dream, Cassie. [color=red]"Oh god.."[/color] She whispered to herself, tears welling up under her eyes. She had tried so hard to forget, to bury it, to drown it in alcohol. She shuddered, a cold feeling washing over her. She was a monster, a murderer. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her mind suddenly feeling it appropriate to show her every face of every person she had killed, murdered. She didn't bother closing the door as she ran from the bedroom. She navigated the labyrinth of precariously positioned junk piles, some even viable to be considered towers. A moment later she was standing outside, her front door clicking softly behind her. On her way out she had grabbed her overcoat, which she slipped on over a white shirt she had swapped out for the one she had found on the floor. The latter was in no condition to be worn. She had also snatched her backpack, which she fished out a set of keys from. She needed to get away, she felt panicked, out of control. She really wasn't in control of her own life, she had murdered those she once loved or respected. For what? A rumor? A rumor.. [center]..A rumor..[/center] [right]...What rumor?[/right] She was halfway down the stairs but she felt frozen, unable to move. [color=red]"The rumor.."[/color] She spoke, trying to confirm it to herself. But for the life of her, she couldn't recall where she had heard it. It had been so long ago, and she had so completely given herself to it. It was the only ray of hope in her bleak existence. [color=red]"The rumor.."[/color] She whispered desperately. The rumor that Immortals were gathering, no, the desire. The need to not feel alone. She remember now, that soul crushing loneliness. She was alone, she had nobody, nothing. She felt just as she did when she was.. When she was a slave. Her body shook as she cried. An emptiness gathered itself inside of her, growing, consuming her. She stumbled from the steps, the keys to her truck clutched fervently in her hand. She had to leave, to get out. Claustrophobia tore at her. Anxiety overwhelmed her, and all the while that persistent pain in her head, that relentless pounding. She squeezed her eyes shut as she climbed behind the wheel of her truck. Her hands shook as she brought them up to her face. [i]Throb.. Throb... Throb..[/i], she whimpered, trying to breath, trying to coax the pain to go away. The truck roared to life as she turned the key in the ignition. The tires spun, sending a spray of dirt outwards in cone behind it. Distantly somebody shouted angrily, hollow sounds ringing against Alex's ears. Shutout by the tornado of emotion wracking her body. The realization had been too much for her. She felt broken, no.. She had always been broken. The rumor gave her hope, so she didn't have to live with herself. She had convinced herself that she wasn't the only one. Albeit, the information brokers did sell her information. But deep inside, even as she followed the leads, it had never been what she wanted. It had never been enough. The earth crunched as Alex flew around a corner turn, nearly hitting several pedestrians. The engine whined even higher as she accelerated. She could hardly see through the amount of tears on her face. Her eyes burned as she rubbed at them again. Another angry yell sounded out as she swerved, narrowly avoiding another vehicle traveling along the road. She finally understood what her dreams had been about. Subconsciously, she known she was a monster. She had murdered in cold blood, all so she could forget herself. [color=orange]"..Alex.."[/color] A familiar voice whispered. A recurring demon. [color=red]"I'M NOT YOURS ANYMORE,"[/color] She screamed. [color=cyan]" ..Alex!"[/color] A second, older voice yelled. [color=red]"I'm so sorry.."[/color] She wailed. The voice of Edgar laughed mercilessly, in union with the voice of Greya, as they were overshadowed by yet another voice. [color=pink]"..A-alex..?"[/color] The soft hearted voice of Cassie asked. [color=red]"I'm .. I'm so sorry.."[/color] Alex whispered hoarsely. She couldn't do this anymore. The weight of it all was too heavy. Even Cassie was replaced by other voices, those innocent and those not. Wings, Bandits, Regular People. They all whispered her name, they all laughed at her. [color=gainsboro]"..Alex.."[/color] Something whispered, like two rocks grating together. Her eyes went wide, her mouth worked but nothing came out. She didn't know this voice, but, she did. A feeling washed over her, a feeling she knew. A feeling she was afraid of. A hot rage boiled up beneath her. [color=red]"NO!"[/color] She screamed, the truck swerving as she tried to maintain control of herself. The voices kept laughing. Hauntingly mocking her as the sensation grew stronger. Another swerve, her vision faltering. She blinked, and saw nothing but blackness, another blink, and the world returned to her. She screamed, slamming her foot onto the brake. She was about to hit somebody, about to take another life. [hr] Vladimira gasped awake to the fading sound of the angry hiss of steam. She glanced about bewilderedly as her heart thudded in her chest like a power hammer, jarred by the change from hellish death to… a rather pleasant place, actually. She glanced about as her breathing and heart rate slowed to healthier levels, so she wasn’t dying horribly, presumably wasn’t a prisoner, what was she doing h- Her eyes widened and she fell back with a groan as the recollection of what had precluded her arrival here played in her mind. [i]Did I really…? That quickly…? In public…?[/i] Her face flushed red as she thought of what might’ve happened, and then turned even darker as she remembered what had actually happened. Instinctively she grabbed for the blanket she lay under to hide herself, but stopped as she realized nobody was there to see her. [i]Not like there’s anything she hasn’t seen anyway…[/i] She pushed herself up from the bed, eyeing the room’s relative emptiness compared to the rest of the apartment. The place was actually rather nice to be honest, much nicer than the hole in the ground she called home. She picked up up her clothes from the floor, slipping into them with an audible clinking noise. [i]Her clothes are gone, she in the main part of the building?[/i] She needed to talk with Alex, last time she’d been given alcohol it’d turned out disastrously. She was hoping for just not making a new mortal enemy, but ideally the other girl would actually be willing to speak with her. “Alex? You here?” She called out to the apartment, picking her way through the piles of miscellaneous items. She’d have to ask her about some of this stuff, if Alex was still willing to speak with her, a few of the random weapons visible in the piles piqued her interest. She reached the front door, looking around in growing agitation. “She’s not here.” she mumbled to herself, “She’s not here.” She looked back and saw the location she remembered Alex leaving her overcoat, only now it was empty. Her heartbeat skyrocketed, “No no no no no no no no…” she muttered to herself, rushing back to the bedroom and grabbing her own gear, hastily forcing the mask up and over her face. She rushed down the stairs and onto the streets, looking frantically back and forwards before she noticed the deep ruts in the ground, and the missing truck. She took off sprinting along the direction of the tracks, before tripping over her feet and lying sprawled in the dust after not even ten meters.“Fuck.” she swore to herself as she lurched upright, fingering her mask to make sure it was intact. She sighed, this wouldn’t get her anywhere. Her pockets and pouches flew open as thin rectangles of metal shot out and coalesced at her feet, seemingly melting together into a smooth sheet hovering in the air, with curious raised sections. Vladimira stepped onto the board, which swayed slightly at her weight, but stayed afloat. She flexed her hand and little bands of metal shot out from the sheet, wrapping around her feet. Another flex of her hand, and she shot off like a rocket, following the tracks. _________________ She zipped straight past the gate guard and out into Dust, still following the tracks. Nothing showed itself until she heard a screeching crash from somewhere. She poured on the speed, zipping towards the source of the sound as fast as she could. [hr] Evelina had stopped to take a drink of water from her canteen. The water was subpar at best, having probably been cooked thoroughly in its metal casing, amidst her medical supplies, during yesterday and what had already passed of today. If she had to choose one word to describe the taste of the water, she would probably choose ‘Foul’. One thing was for certain, it wasn’t any clear spring water, not that such a luxury was easy to come by. Heck, if anything springs were probably the rarest thing in the entirety of Dust. Except, perhaps, for Edenites without their coats and cowls. She kicked the break into place, allowing her bike to stand up without support, and started rummaging through her bags. What little fruit and waffles she had gotten to eat with Lucania and Lucy had been enough for a short while, but her fight with the hollow had made her hungry again, not to mention that fruit could only do so much. Dried meat, however, did far more to her. She pulled out a piece of dried meat from within, tearing a piece off of it almost before it was out of the bag. It wasn’t that she had anything against fruits, vegetables, and the like, but she far preferred her meat, be it roadkill or whatever else some random guy shot. If it didn’t kill her, it was usually something she would eat. She took another bite, fangs tearing through the tough piece of dried something. [i]I think the guy I bought it from said it was a Desert Wolf. Murderous things, but tasty.[/i] Another few bites and the meat was gone, fangs clean and stomach satisfied. She let out a satisfied sigh, preparing to resume her trek towards Russell Town when a rumbling caught her attention. It was a wonder she hadn’t noticed it before, as it was already close enough for her to see the driver. It was heading straight for her at breakneck speed, too fast for any normal person to run, but she wasn’t normal. She was about to dissolve into light and dash out of the way when she reminded herself of her bike. She registered the fact that were she to dash away, her bike and everything in it would be mowed down by the truck. It was a split second decision, taking place over no more than a fraction of a second. The truck was closing in. Evelina raised a hand. [b][i][h2]CRASH![/h2][/i][/b] The front end of the truck became a crumpled up block of steel compared to what it was before as it impacted with… nothing. The truck had come to a stop a scant two metres from Evelina, impacting against what seemed like thin air. The dust around them settled and Evelina lowered her hand, the truck having stopped as the engine had been damaged enough upon impact that it no longer worked. Alex’s panicked heart froze the moment gravity took over, seemingly in slow motion. Metal screeched as her face ricocheted off of the steering wheel, her goggles flying off and a large gash opening on her forehead. Her vision wavered again, the world around her becoming dark and black momentarily. She coughed, a splattering of blood hitting the steering wheel. The driver door, bent as it was, gave way with little effort. Actually falling from it’s heavily damaged hinges. Alex rolled from the cab, which was filling with a deep black smoke, as was the partially smashed engine block. She hit the ground with a thud, knocking the breath from her body, which had been shaky and filled with smoke anyways. She coughed out the toxic residue from her lungs, thankful there was no blood this time. Coherent thoughts starting forming within her rattled mind, [i]’What?..’[/i] She looked around, catching the lower end of a woman in front of her smashed vehicle. [color=red]”What did you..?”[/color] She started, cutting off as she tried to stand. “I should ask you the same thing,” Evelina muttered, eyes wide and face set in an expression of worry. Large gash in the forehead, several smaller cuts and bruises. She approached quickly, kneeling down to inspect her more carefully. Her trained eyes searched every inch of her body for signs of additional injuries. There were more than a few, however no broken bones and cut arteries, it looked like. But she couldn’t be sure quite yet, however. “I’ll have to turn you onto your side to see where you’re hurt,” she said, hands still firmly planted on the ground. No quick movements, she reminded herself. People in shock tended to act unpredictably. [i]And this is most definitely a case where going into shock would be possible.[/i] “Is that okay?” She asked, keeping her voice level and calm, and forcing her expression to become gentler, kinder, and rid of worry. Alex only felt pain of the crash for a few moments, her adrenaline washing it away, replacing it with a feeling that was becoming harder and harder to fight. She was losing control, that much was apparent. She took a breath, feeling strength return back to her body, feeling her lungs expand widely against her bruised ribs. [color=red]”No, It’s not,”[/color] She replied, pushing herself to her feet. She staggered once, catching herself on the side of the truck. Alex looked down at herself, her overcoat was hanging open revealing a multitude of small scratches on her. Other than smashing her face, she felt relatively fine. [color=red]”I don’t need your help,”[/color] She seethed. A small spark of anger building up inside of her. She tried to remind herself that this wasn’t herself, this wasn’t how she was supposed to feel. The other side of her didn’t care, the other side of her was angry. All the pain she had felt was being redirected into a boiling rage that took everything Alex had to fight it. She grit her teeth, looking at the woman before her. This person who had somehow stopped her vehicle, then turned to offer assistance. Was she an.. [i]Immortal?[/i] her mind questioned, though the woman’s tinted goggles prohibited her from finding any indicator that she was right. “Are you sure?” Evelina asked, standing up as well. Every instinct screamed at her to help the other woman, but she forced herself to remain exactly where she was. No matter how much she wanted to alleviate her pain she could not do it if she were not allowed. “I’m a healer, I can help. It won’t cost you if that’s what you’re concerned with.” She put on a small, friendly smile, hoping that it would help. She was fairly certain that she hadn’t yet opened her mouth enough to reveal her canines, nor could she see through her goggles, so unless she was capable of putting two and two together, she was fairly certain that her nature as an Immortal had been discovered. At least, given the nature and suddenness of the crash she found it hard to believe that how she had crashed was the most important thing. [i]But if she has, that explains why she doesn’t want any help… And if not, then why?[/i] Vladimira sped over the ground at a disorienting speed, sand kicking up in her wake. She didn’t know why she’d panicked like she had and bolted straight for the street, but it seemed to be a good thing she had, judging by the depth of the tracks and the sound of a crash. [i]Hope she’s not dead, or something worse.[/i] The heat of the desert was baking her, she usually traveled in the darker hours of the day to avoid heat stroke, but she didn’t have that luxury at the moment. She crested a small hill, her momentum sending her rocketing forward as she did so. With a quick hand movement she “grabbed” the metal sheet she was riding and held it -and herself by extension- in place. Dropping back down, Vladimira righted herself and glanced about to find the tracks. She was sure she’d be getting close now, that crash hadn’t sounded too far off… Oh, there it was. The truck was clearly evident against the relatively flat landscape. [i]What did it hit though? I don’t see anything big enough...[/i] She shot off like a rocket towards the vehicle, surroundings blurring into indistinguishable smears of dull color with her speed. There was someone who looked unmistakably like Alex, and another person who stood near her. She burst into the scene in a stumbling fall, pushing herself to her feet as the sheet of metal seemed to melt and hover about her head in small, wickedly sharp looking spikes. “What happened here?” She demanded. Alex looked behind herself bewilderedly as Vladimira arrived, a flood of new emotions arriving with her. Shame and regret burned upon her cheeks, but something else distracted her from that.[i]..Who is that with her?..[/i] Alex thought, wiping the blood from her eyes. A second later the man’s smiling face came into clarity, contorted with laughter. Then they were everywhere, the ghosts of everyone she had killed; Edgar, Cassie, Bandits, Slaves, Mothers, Fathers..; They crowded around her, each of their expressions seeming to ask [i]’Why?’[/i]. Their haunted eyes seemed to tear away at her, until they pierced her soul. [color=red]”GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!”[/color] Alex screamed, a torrent of lightning flying from her blood covered hand, smashing into the ground with enough force to send bits of earth and rock smoldering through the air. Evelina kept her distance from the white haired woman, although her eyes never left her. She had had difficult patients before, but none like this. There were those who were reluctant to be helped by an immortal, of course, but there weren’t yet any who had so flatly denied any offer of help. Let alone sounded borderline hostile while telling her. “Is something the matter?” She asked carefully. “Look, I’m no—” A sudden appearance and demanding question interrupted her, followed by a decidedly lethal looking metallic spikes pointed at her. She turned slowly to look at the second stranger she had met today, making sure to keep her hands straight down her sides, and nowhere near her gun or the handle of her sword to show that she was no threat. “She crashed,” she said, warily eyeing the large metal shards. “I’m a healer so I offered to help her, but she refused.” She trailed off then, waiting either for a response, or thinking of what else to say to diffuse the steadily more volatile situation. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but a scream and an explosion of sand and rick interrupted her. [i]”GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!”[/i] Evelina reacted more on instinct than anything else, throwing out her consciousness to the area around her, solidifying the light around her and the iron-wielding woman to the point where the sand and lightning was kept at a safe distance. “Calm down!” She urged, voice level although she was starting to get nervous on the inside. [i]Immortal, and lightning it looks like. I’m not sure if I could defend against that for long.[/i] “We’re not going to hurt you—” she shot the ironclad woman a meaningful look “—so please, don’t act rashly!” Vladimira scrambled back from the lightning, eyes wide. “Чё за галима?!” She hadn’t been expecting Alex to lash out like that, let alone shoot lightning. Though… something had stopped the sand and lightning, an invisible barrier or something. She put it out of her mind for the moment, she could search for whatever the source of magical walls was later. “I wasn’t planning on hurting her, actually I was looking for her… seems she might not share that sentiment though.” She grumbled to the other woman, glancing at her. She let the spikes orbiting her head ‘melt’ down and flow into her various pockets. “What happened? More detail.” The world was a blur to Alex as her focus shattered. There was a deep, emotional pain deep within her heart, so much so that she finally just let go. She gave up. Almost immediately the feeling of anger, of pure rage consumed her, overwhelming her personality. Her vision darkened as she lost concentration, instead, pulling inside herself mentally. She couldn’t fight it anymore, she had lost the strength, the will, to continue on. A tear rolled down her cheek as she let go. The electricity picked up around her, arcs of blue lightning warping around her body in a volatile spin. It snaked out of her, coiling around her arms. It fluctuated through her hair, which rose from the sheer force of the static her energy was given off. Her eyes changed from their pure white state, to completely black orbs. And as her new self regained proper footing and control, blackened veins began to spread along her arms and face, spider webbing from her eyes. She was beyond speech at this point, beyond control. Her hand shot out suddenly, tearing from her hand in a crackling torrent of hot energy. The arc parted through the dust, smashing into the invisible barrier Evelina had put up to protect Vladimira. Alex sneered, firing another arc, a quick flash of light, and another hollow boom as it smashed into the barrier once more. Vladimira backpedaled further as the lightning struck whatever invisible wall was in front of her. Her pockets flew open again, along with her rucksack, to form a crude Faraday Suit around herself. She glanced to her side, noting the other woman had no protection. She made a motion towards the ruined truck, the steel parts losing their form and flowing towards her. With another few deft motions she forced the metal into another cage in front of the stranger. “It’s a Faraday cage! It’ll keep you from being electrocuted!” She shouted over the noise. “Just stay behind it!” Evelina grimaced, lips pressed thin and eyes wide. She hadn’t expected to be attacked, let alone with such viciousness or bloodthirst. [i]Something’s not right.[/i] She put more effort into her barrier, strengthening it further. It mustn’t break, could not break. If it did she’d die instantly. Just when the strain was becoming more than she was comfortable with a cage of iron touched down in front of her, the metal-wielding Immortal shouting at her that it’d keep her from getting roasted. She gave her a shallow nod and relaxed her barrier, letting it fade in strength until the lightning bolt broke through it and hit the cage. The cage held firm, leading the electricity into the ground. “She looks like the third stage of the Sickness!” She said loudly to the other. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Is she becoming a hollow?” She didn’t know. By gods, she didn’t know, and for someone who usually knew the answer to every question asked of her it was terrifying. “I have no idea!” Vladimira shouted back, keeping her eyes on… Alex, just in case she made a lunge at them. “[b]What happened?![/b] She yelled, “Surely something happened to make her this angry or… whatever caused this!” She ran over to the woman so they could hear each other, “I wouldn’t think she could become a Hollow, or any Immortal could for that matter!” She looked uneasily at Alex, “I’d advise a tactical advance in the opposite direction right about now, personally.” Alex’s head rolled back as she let out a primal howl of rage, the energy whirling around her seeming to pick up in intensity. Arcs of electricity, albeit smaller, fired off from her body haphazardly, smashing into the remains of the truck and the earth around her, throwing up small columns of dust and dirt. She turned as the blackened veins continued to spread across her body, sneering towards the two woman behind their metal barriers. Alex’s hands rose, their proximity close enough for the two streams of lightning to merge together into a large, continuous blast. The energy smashed into the metal barriers, dispersing and spreading around the quickly heating metal. All caution was thrown to the wind as her heart rate increased, it was of little concern to her. She was nothing more than the manifested vessel of wrath. [hider=Translations and pronunciations] Чё за галима?! - What the fuck?! - chyo za ga-lima?! Ад - Hell - Ad Дерьмо! - Shit! - Derr-mo! Совкуоплятьшому му дак! - Fucking asshole! - Sovkuoplyatshomu mudak!) [/hider]