The Kraken

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

The radio cackled and Avani's voice rang through their ears double time as she tested out the radio's range and reliability here in the alternate universe that they seemed to be in. Barron put his hand on the radio in his pocket and tried to muffle the sound, which had a resonating echo due to the other team's close proximity to them. Kieron looked at Kasai and waited for her to formulate a response, but instead she said nothing. Her eyes were aimed forward and her feet kept a brisk pace as they marched forward to their destination. "Uh... not that I'm complaining, but..." Kieron held a curious expression and he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while he looked at Kasai. She did little more than glance his direction, "We have a task to complete, we know nothing about the spirit world or its dangers. I can't be distracted by her right now. If I give into it then I am admitting that she is a distraction, and that is not the case." Kasai didn't even blink as she continued forward. Barron looked past Kas to Kieron and shrugged his shoulders, wondering the same thing as he was. "Well... alright." He was a bit lost for words on the situation, as he didn't want to pry and cause Kasai to become even more irritated that she probably already was. Or was she? That was the thing, she was acting... strange. Kasai ignored the silent conversation occurring between her two companions and fixated on the dark matter that lie just a few hundred yards before them now. She was trying not to worry about Avani anymore, but all she could think about when she tried to ignore the teasing was Avani dancing around on a moving slice of earth, showing off her earthbending like she was so advanced she need not worry about combat. Soon, a thick, black liquid became present on the ground as they approached what now appeared to be a large, festering... egg sac? Roots of dark goop shot out from a center that held a large, broad orb-like sac that seemed to be pulsating with energy. "Ho-lee shit." Kieron gulped. The three of them stopped and gazed up at the thing, which was spurting out black goo and threatening to explode any second now. Barron knelt down and dipped a single finger into the liquid, finding that it had a tar-like consistency. However, it did not harm him in any way. He curiously tried to water-bend the stuff and discovered that while he could bend it, it took an incredible amount of concentration and strength. Kasai watched as Barron wiped the substance off of his finger and give them a shrug. "Well, that's reassuring... what the hell do we do now?" The... thing was almost appearing to grow more active and boisterous just since they arrived at it. Each of them looked at each other and then shrugged, all the while they were oblivious to the fact that the small vein of liquid that Barron had dipped his hand into was now slowly inching its way to his feet...

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

Kathryn watched as Claire stood up, almost as if she were drunk, and mosey on over and out of the cage. "I guess it's a good thing I have more food to bribe that animal with then." She grinned back and pulled another apple from her bag, but instead she took a bite out of it this time. When she saw Claire coming in for a hug, she tried to escape because she knew what would follow next. But by the time she tried to make a move, it was too late, and she was trapped in Claire's embrace as she rubbed her feline odor and mess all over her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her lips turned to a small smile and she shook her head. She began to pick the straw off of and dust herself off as Claire closed up the big cat's cage, but she noticed her friend pausing for a brief moment. She frowned for a second, knowing that Claire must be having another pain from memories long passed. However, she regained herself and Kate restored the smile back to her expression. "Just try to stay clean longer than five minutes this time, yeah?" Kate grinned and shook her head, knowing that almost as soon as she stepped foot outside again, she would find someway to return to the feline-like character that defined her. "Well, I'm sure my manly assistant would love it if I did not impale him in the chest with a blade, so yes we are off to train." She laughed a bit and twirled a knife between her fingers with ease before returning it to its sheathe. Then, Kate bowed, placing a hand behind her back, "Oh, yes, your highness. You are far too incredible to require regular practice." She didn't hold the pose for long because laughter escaped her. "However, I do believe you may want to give it a try, if for nothing more than to keep Elena off your back." Kathryn then waved goodbye to her friend, "I will see you later then. Best make yourself look useful today, you know how the boss gets when we have a big show coming up." This time she tossed a piece of jerky to her friend and made her way to the practice range. There, Elijah was already setting up the targets and laying out the arrangement of weapons to choose from for the night's performance. "Eli, look at you go. You impress me sometimes." Kate grinned at him and laid her blades on the table as well. It was no question that they would be part of the act, as they were her most prized possession and she felt as if they were an extension of herself whenever she threw them. Elijah shook his head and smiled, "You have so little faith in me Katie." He picked up a bow and placed an arrow on the string, taking in a deep breath before letting the arrow fly to its target. He grinned and raised his eyebrows. Kathryn merely shook her head. "Alright, alright. You impress me often. Now let's get to practicing." The two began to test out different weapons: a crossbow, spears, knives, and pretty much anything that was sharp and pointy and could be thrown or shot. There they would remain for a few hours until it was time to break for lunch.

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

No worries, I have stuff to take care of this weekend and an essay due next thursday, so I'll probably be delayed in response as well.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Posted but I'm editing it. I was over at a different dorm and my laptop was gonna die so I threw up a quick one, gonna add to it now that I'm back in my own room. I should really not stay out so late haha

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kasai wasn't really surprised at this point to see Avani emerging from the forest, since they were all headed to the same place anyways. What she wasn't expecting, however, was the sudden outburst from the rather quiet and reserved companion behind her. She sat there in silence as the young woman finished her outburst and laid the bag of goods at her food. She raised an eyebrow when Avani was left short for words, but she remained quiet. She may be too prideful, but she knew when to speak and when to remain silent. When Avani bent down to retrieve the bag, Kasai intended on letting her take it, but she stopped short. She raised an eyebrow as she parted ways with them again, and picked up the bag to reveal its contents. She smirked for a moment and handed the bag off to Barron, who quickly took an inventory of what they had and placed it in his pack with their other supplies. Kieron peered over the edge of the crater and looked down as Avani and her companions stepped hesitantly into the portal, the firebender being the most hesitant. He swallowed hard, and looked at his friends. "We gotta go in there don't we." He made a pouty face and looked back down the crater to the glowing portal. Barron was the first to climb down the slope, slowly descending towards the portal. Behind him followed Kasai and a hesitant Kieron, who kissed the solid ground as he stopped short of the portal. Barron shook his head and slowly entered the portal, followed again by Kasai and then Kieron as he placed a hand in first, then a foot, and finally his whole body. Within the portal, a whole new world opened up to them. Beside them, they could see the other team also taking in the strange new world. Brightly colored plants and creatures lurked around, but the beautiful scenery was soon interrupted by a dark, ominous, overcasting essence that soon turned the bright scene dark and purple. "That must be it..." Kieron noted, and stared at the strange source of energy not too far in the distance. The three did not speak to the other team, but instead stared at the scary scene before them and each evaluated the situation before them with careful detail. They had made it this far, and much to Kasai's surprise, she was not as terrified as she thought she would be. Instead, she was more in awe of the place. Sure, she had heard stories of the spirit world, and seen glimpses of what the spirits were like after the Avatar took care of Tarrlok and his intervention with the spirits. Could this be some left over negative energy from his ventures? Kasai was busy taking in the surroundings and formulating a plan, so Barron turned to the other team and spoke to no one in particular. "We need to be careful in here. It's a strange place, uncharted territory. As exciting as it is, this is also a dangerous venture. Remember the radio if you run into any trouble, and we shall do the same." He gave a single nod and turned his attention back to his team. There was no point in getting hurt over pride and bitter rivalry, and they all needed to remember that there was a chance of danger with this new enemy. Kieron checked to make sure the radio was still in his waistband and he handed it off to Barron. "Better if you keep hold of it." He nodded and Kasai looked at them both, with an unsure expression on her face. "Ready, boys?" Kieron gave a shrug, "Ready as I'll ever be." The three drew in a deep breath and stepped forward. Kasai looked over her shoulder at the others and gave a nod of mutual respect towards them, "Good luck." With that, they turned and began walking towards the dark object.

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

The rising sun peeked through the shutters of the wooden wagon, falling upon the face of the brunette who lie tangled in the sheets from the previous night's sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she squinted against the bright rays that invaded her living space, placing a hand up to block the blinding light from her face. She slowly sat up and stretched, yawning as she did so. Kathryn sleepily stood and stretched again, grumbling and rubbing her eyes. She lazily lit a flame of a lantern and placed a pot of water over it, placing tea leaves in to steep. As she waited for the warm liquid to boil, she walked to her closet and retrieved her clothes for the day, placing on a red top with worn brown trousers and black boots to finish it off. She poured herself a cup of tea and slowly sipped on the bitter liquid as she looked out her window. As she finished off her first cup, she heard the call from the boss, signaling that it was time to begin the day. Kathryn walked over and opened up a chest that sat in her floor, pulling from it a holster and a set of shining knives. She placed the holster over her head and fingered the sharp blades before placing them along her side. The blades were decorated with intricate Celtic knotting and shone like brand new silver from the blacksmith. As she walked outside, she took in a deep breath of cool English air and smiled to herself. She walked past the wagons that housed the traveling circus members to one very familiar to her. Stepping inside, she grinned. "Good morn---" Her face turned to a blank as she discovered her companion was not in her room. Well, she isn't one to rise early... Kathryn raised an eyebrow and closed the door to the wagon, walking past her next stop and banging on the door. "Elijah, I hope you're decent." She poked her head in and saw the young man sitting inside sipping on a cup of tea also. "Calm down, Katie. I'm up." She grinned and gave him a wave, "Alright, I'll see you at the practice ring then in twenty minutes. Don't be late." He laughed lightly and waved her off, sipping again on his tea and gathering his things for the day. Kathryn walked over towards the big cat enclosures, taking care not to make too much noise as she moved through. She made her way to Solomon's cage and peered inside. There she found Claire, cuddled up with the giant tiger in slumber. "Claire... Claire...!" She whispered. She noticed the big cat eyeing her, and from her pocket she pulled out a piece of jerky and slipped it to him. "Easy now, boy." After her friend had stirred, she gathered an apple from her satchel at her side, and held it up at her. "Good morning sunshine, time to get to work." She grinned wide and tossed the apple at her, placing a hand on her hip after she threw it.

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

Awesome sauce, I'll work on a post today in between classes :D

The Circus At The End Of The World (Engel X The Kraken)

Name: Kathryn McIntire Age: 23 Appearance: Profession: Impalement Artist Bio: Kathryn, or Kate as her friends call her, was an orphan from the night she was born. She was left on the front walk of an orphanage and nearly froze to death that night until a caretaker heard her weak cries and brought her in. She was raised there, becoming close friends with another young girl who had been taken in. At the age of 7, she and her friend ran away from the orphanage and found themselves as part of a traveling circus. That is where Kathryn was really raised, taking an interest early on in the art of impalement, specifically throwing knives. Eventually, she proved her worth and earned her own act in the show, though she had plenty of scars to show her journey. Name: Elijah Petrova Age: 27 Appearance: Profession: Animal Caretaker/Impalement arts assistant Bio: Eli grew up in the circus, his father being one of the main proprietors of the many animals the circus required for its shows. He knows many trades within the show, after all he basically lives and breathes the ring. After his father's passing, Elijah decided to remain with the circus and continue his legacy with the various animals. He also helps Kathryn with her knife throwing act, since they had met when they were both young, they learned the trade together. She convinced him eventually to let her thrown sharp pointy objects at him, and he eventually grew to trust her with his life.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Pushing forward, the trio walked in mostly silence, keeping a steady pace as they navigated through the varying forest. The radio sat at Kasai's hip, and she wondered when it would speak to her again. Kieron noticed her hand subconsciously resting on the radio every now and then, so he walked up beside her and grabbed in, placing it in his waistband behind him. Kasai turned around with a confused expression. "You need to focus on something else, Kas. So, this is mine for now." He waived the radio at her and placed it back in his waistband. Barron couldn't help but smile when he saw Kasai's expression, and as she went to take the device back from Kieron, he intervened. Picking her up, he placed her over his shoulder and walked forward several steps. "Alright, let's play a little game. We used to do this back in the Southern Water Tribe all the time during the spiritual events." He placed her down and turned her to face away from the two. "Okay, close your eyes and listen. Not to the trees, or the wind, but to the things that lurk within." Kasai rolled her eyes, but closed them anyway. She took in a deep breath and then sat silent for a second. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Barron. "I didn't hear anything." She raised an eyebrow towards him. He sighed and closed his eyes, remaining silent. Kieron stood to the side, trying his hardest not to make any sound. After a moment, Barron opened his eyes and pointed to the right. "There are two spirits over there, friendly ones, don't worry. You can't see them, but you can sense them." As Kasai had just closed her eyes to try again, the radio muffled from beneath Kieron's shirt. He quickly pulled it out and saw Kasai headed in a bee-line towards him. He shot himself up on a pillar of earth and pressed the button to respond. "I'm sorry, Kasai can't get to the radio right now, but I'll be sure to relay the message to her. Minus the cackling though, I don't cackle, I chuckle." He grinned and placed the radio behind him again and remained high on his column to avoid Kasai retrieving the radio. Barron turned Kasai around again and made sure she did not get to Kieron. "Try again, clear your mind and open it to them. If you do that then maybe we can better judge what is bothering them so." Kasai let out a huff, but reluctantly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. Soon, she could sense the two spirits Barron had mentioned. He was right, all she felt was light coming from them. But then, a different feeling became known to her, and her expression turned. She could sense a heavy presence, one not too far away. She opened her eyes and looked at the two, Kieron had finally lowered himself. Both the boys held a stern expression, and she followed their gaze until she saw it. A light emanated in the distance, and without speaking, they all moved forward towards it. Soon enough, they were upon it, and each of their mouths gaped with awe. In the ground was a crater, at least 20 feet in diameter. From it, an eerie glow escaped and bathed the surrounding vegetation with its light. "What the...?" They all stood, unsure of what this thing was or what to do about it. "I'm getting a bad vibe from this..." Kieron spoke up and shook his head with discontent. Barron looked forward and nodded to himself, "It's a spirit portal. There must be something sending out the disturbed spirits from within..." "Within? As in... we have to go in there?" Kieron swallowed hard and looked at Barron, who in return gave a shrug and a nod. "If whatever is disturbing them lies within... then we must go in to quell it. We can't do anything from right here." Kasai and Kieron both looked questionably at the portal, each gathering the courage to enter it. What if they did not return? What if it was a one way ticket? What if they found something beyond their capacity within? The questions raced through their minds as they stared into the ominous light.

Sacred World (Engel x The Kraken)

Kieron sent a palm to his face when Kasai egged on the other woman with more snide comments. Barron simply took the map that he retrieved from his pack and turned to determine their location and the direction they should head next. He knew better than to think the two's conversation was over just like that, but he figured Kas would have to lie in the bed that she made for herself. Kasai had paused a moment, still facing away from Avani. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath before turning back to the woman. "How could I notice my own thoughts with your voice filling the air waves?" She narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together in a thin line, holding her posture strong and steady. She let the hot headed woman have her word, then watched amusingly as her companion tried to restrain her. Kasai wasn't too worried, she wasn't looking for a fight anyways, that would only result in injury for both parties. Instead, she waited until the woman had had her fill of spewing words, and then turned away again. "With a temper like that, I might almost peg you as a hot headed firebender." Kasai took a step forward, but her path was disrupted when suddenly she felt the earth moving underneath her and the scenery spinning around. A bizarre look donned her face as her brain raced in an effort to find out what had happened to cause this phenomena. She suddenly became aware of Avani standing right next to her, twirling her around as if they were two figurines in a music box. When they slowed, Kas was tipped back and then released, sending her on her ass. She let out a humph as she hit the ground, but she swallowed hard and stood up calmly, wiping off her trousers and straightening her coat. She watched as the woman began to walk away, and she gathered a ball of flame in her hand, letting it grow in intensity until it glowed with a white hot fierceness. Barron quickly shot Kasai a look, and she shook her head at him. He took a step forward and she reared her arm back to launch the fireball towards Avani, but she stopped short, letting the flame die out in her hand. Kasai let out a hard sigh and spoke under her breath, "All I need to do to find you is follow the trail of half eaten food..." She turned on her heel and walked towards Kieron and Barron. "Don't let her get to you, Kas. She's trying to get in your head and psych you out." Kieron put a hand on Kasai's shoulder and gave her a goofy grin. She rolled her eyes at him, but he was persistent and began to poke her. "Okay, okay." She let out a light laugh and returned his grin. "Okay, let's focus on the mission, get the job done, and we can be out of here and relax." Barron opened up the map and pointed to a spot with a small clearing, "I think this is where we are." He shifted his finger, "This is where we came from, the spirits are pushing us towards the center of the forest. Maybe we should head there and see if that's also the center of the trouble here." Kasai nodded and picked up her back pack, slinging it over her shoulder and heading in the direction suggested by her comrade. She focused on trying to clear her mind and stay on task, but she had a nagging feeling that she would be running into Avani sooner or later.