‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ [center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjQ0LmZlZmNkZC5TR1Z0Ykc5amF3LCwuMAAA/velocity-demo.regular.png[/img][/center][center][sup][sup][sup][sup][sup][color=white]████████████████[/color][color=2e2c2c]. . .[/color][color=lightgoldenrodyellow]████████████████[/color][color=2e2c2c]. . .[/color][color=fff79a]████████████████[/color][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/sup][/center][center][sup][color=#ffffff]𝑁[/color][color=#fefefa]𝑜[/color] [color=#fdfdf0]𝑟[/color][color=#fdfdeb]𝑎[/color][color=#fcfce6]𝑖[/color][color=#fcfce1]𝑛[/color][color=#fbfbdc],[/color] [color=#fafad2]𝑛[/color][color=#fbfacc]𝑜[/color] [color=#fcf9bf]𝑓[/color][color=#fcf9b9]𝑙[/color][color=#fdf8b3]𝑜[/color][color=#fdf8ad]𝑤[/color][color=#fef8a6]𝑒[/color][color=#fef7a0]𝑟[/color][color=#fff79a].[/color] [/sup][/center] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"One, two, three, four, five, six—"[/color] Everything had gone as planned, Hemlock had used the glove appropriately, she had followed The Maelstroms instructions and had hopefully made The Maelstrom proud.. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven..."[/color] Her shack, this was her next destination. However, before she got there she would stop by the small, natural stream nearby. Her shack would sit snugly within the forest, the outskirts of town, an area not many ventured into. The red hooded girl slipped through the town, her pace quick, set on getting where she needed without interruption. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.."[/color] It wouldn't be long before gravel turned to soil, buildings turning to foliage. Hemlock scurried through the forest, checking trees for engraved "X's" that she had left long ago to find her way back and forth. Finally, the light trickle of the stream would catch her attention, the glistening of the water gleaming through the branches and brush before her. Hemlock would strip from her shift, hanging the cloak on a nearby branch before ridding her body of the rest of its garments. Now nude, she would step into the frigid water, kneeling so that it lapped at her waist. Her hands would cup, gingerly splashing the clear water across her form, palms scrubbing away at the loose dirt and blood that had speckled her skin. Content with the brief surface cleansing, Hemlock would rise to return to her cloak where she would retrieve a small pouch that held a handful of orange peels, a jar of ground salt, and a small vile of lavender oil. She had traded her poisons and hallucinogens for the salt and orange peels, the lavender oil something she had created herself. Gathering the items, Hemlock would find her spot in the water once more, pouring a small mound of salt onto her palm followed by a drop of lavender oil and an orange peel. This mixture would be rubbed against every portion of her skin, the roughness of the salt scratching away at any grim the water couldn't take off. She had to be pure for The Maelstrom, that meant striping her skin of any filth that had gathered throughout the day. It wasn't long before her skin was spotless, a red hue left behind from the intense scrubbing that had occurred. Her hair was next, a similar routine following before she was able to step out of the water. The items used for cleansing were then left by her cloak as she made her way towards her shack that sat only a few feet nearby. Clothes were unnecessary for the ritual, she was at her purist form when she was nude, vulnerable to The Maelstrom. Hemlock entered her shack, rummaging through a bin that held various items. She grasped a blade, its surface blackened, charred as if it had been caressed by a flame, over and over again. This, a candle, and another small pouch were the only items she needed, her body finding a place knelt in the center of the shack. The candle would come to life with the use of two stones, a spark lighting a piece of paper aflame, the paper used to light the wick. As the flame licked hungrily at the air, Hemlock began to speak, the same language she had muttered to the man when she wore the glove. The blade she held dipped into the fire, the metal heating, turning a bright vermilion color before it was withdrawn from the smoldering heat, used to rid the blade of potential infectious bacteria. Hemlock placed the scorching metal against her palm, slicing at the skin of her right hand before doing the same to the left. The blade clattered to the floor, her hands fumbling to pull out a sprig of salvia divinorum, which was then placed in her mouth and chewed. The sprig was a psychoactive, used to achieve an altered state of consciousness, perfect for contacting The Maelstrom and opening her mind... ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍[hr] [center]. . .𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏. . .[/center] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ [center][color=ivory][i]Fog ... thick, suffocating fog. It materializes out of thin air, rolling in at a painfully slow pace. It consumes everything around it, Hemlock is surrounded by a murky haze. It clings hungrily to her skin, sticky, so eager to grab at anything within its reach. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ [center][color=white]"𝑲𝑬𝒀 𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝑹𝑬𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑶𝑳𝑽𝑬𝑺," [/color][/center] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ The words are wept, rattling somewhere within the haze, the voice belonging to The Maelstrom, concealed by the fogs thick consistency. Suddenly, the fog splits, like a blade slicing through butter and a figure appears, a man adorning the head of a wolf, large antlers sprawling out proudly into the air. The mans jaws part in a sickening manner, unhinging like a serpent. As the man approaches a movement can be seen from his throat, within the darkness of the mans mouth a head appears, Key's head resting in the mans jaws. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ [center][color=white] "𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑮𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑨𝒕. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆. 𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔." [/color][/center] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Key's head disappears once more, retracting into the mans throat. Eerie silence follows before hands are abruptly placed on Hemlock's shoulders. The mans grip is harsh and without warning Hemlock's own head follows Key's, devoured by the jaws of The Maelstrom just as she is roused from her reverie.[/i][/color][/center] [hr] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ Hemlock's eyes open with abruptness, darting around the room as she attempted to regather her thoughts. Crimson trickled down her forearms and across her bare thighs, the slits in her palms the faucet. Hemlock's skin shifted to a ghastly hue, she appeared sickly, drained from what she had just seen and the loss of blood. Her chest heaved rapidly, perspiration beading over her forehead and breasts. It only took a short moment before her composure was recollected, her body shifting to stand on legs of jello. She stumbled towards a desk, clumsily fumbling to open a drawer to retrieve bandages. Before the wounds were cleansed and covered, her hands would shakily rise to her face, pressing against her skin to smear the blood from her hairline to her jaw. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Thank you Maelstrom.."[/color] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍[center][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][color=white]████████████████[/color][color=2e2c2c]. . .[/color][color=lightgoldenrodyellow]████████████████[/color][color=2e2c2c]. . .[/color][color=fff79a]████████████████[/color][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/center] ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/U1zNO7O.png?1[/img][/center]