Z O D I A C | Dawn of the Tarocchi

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Franz woke to the raging pain which enveloped his shoulder shortly after being freed from the trap of the meat hook. For the most part, the youth remained disoriented and confused; however, the growing pain was far too much to simply bode as tears quickly began pouring down his cheeks and pitiful cries escaped his lips. Reaching over with his uninjured arm, Franz placed a hand against his shoulder--at least until he felt the warmth which dampened his shirt with crimson red. He gulped, not daring to gaze upon his stained hand, but instead choosing to accept the local distraction which came from the rapid banging against the distant doorway. Gazing behind a mask of tears, he noticed the blurred appearances of human-like shapes--individuals he wished to call out towards...move towards...interact with; however, all of the above proved far more difficult than he ever imagined. Words fizzled in his throat...attempts of moving left him paralyzed in place...and altogether his vision began to fade.

The end?

The single thought coursed through his mind as darkness rapidly closed in on his eyes. Rather than resist, the youth simple began to chuckle in regards to the irony of the situation at hand. After fleeing the academy grounds, Franz remembered rushing to his house where he found his mother drunken-passed out in a pool of vomit and cheap liquor. Of course, such a scene was commonplace in the recent months, yet gazing at a human--his mother at that--in such a pathetic state only worsened the sense of hollowness that he felt within himself. There was little he could do to assist his mother without engaging her drunken anger, and as such, he relegated himself to his drab room where he inevitably gave into the fatigue which spawned from his tears and desire to gently pass on from his curse.

Now, here he was, immobilized on the ground with nothing but his auditory sense left functioning for himself. He heard the commotion of familiar voices speaking in the distance...the sound thuds from the other side of the door...yet none of it mattered. They were likely nothing but manifestations of his mind in the final hour of his life--or so he would have liked to believed if not for a peculiar sensation that welled within his body. Nothing about the present situation made sense for such feelings; however, he couldn't help but feel a connection with whatever laid on the opposite side of the doors. It wasn't a connection in an amicable sense, but rather one of familiarity--as if he faintly recognized the source of the voice...as if he could feel the annoyance that she expressed in her mind...as if he could discern the sadism which fueled her entire existence in the present plain.

Danger.

Red flashed in his mind as he slowly came to realize the evil which stood but a yards away from his current position. Panic began to well alongside of his anxiety; however, it was the talk of his potential peers which lightly brought his mind back to reality. On the off chance that this was not a dream; that the pain he felt in his shoulders was real; that the voices which spoke were indeed the fellow students that he met earlier in the day; then it was a fatal mistake they were about to step into.

Get away from the door!

Desperately, Franz attempted to shout his warning, yet the words remained caught in his throat.

Fuck! Why am I so useless!

Once again, tears began to fall down his cheeks as he realized he was capable of nothing else but failing at anything he tried. His birth had ruined his family's life, only to become a clinic's guinea pig for the unique disorders that he carried. Sure, he was smart, but what good was genii when he was incapable of interacting with society itself. Friends were beyond the scope of his capabilities...School was beyond the tolerance of his patience...Hell, he was lucky if he could function in his own home without angering his mother through the crazed antics of "shadows" or "supernatural stalkers."

A frustrated scream erupted in his mind--and the environment as well; a development which startled even himself into immediate silence. Nonetheless, his flustered state was temporary at best as he, once again, began to roar while forcing strength into his limbs. Stumbling across the misty ground, Franz soon found himself nearing the doors where he desperately reached for anyone he could grab. In doing so, he attempted to pull them away from the door, but given his lack of strength, all he managed was to fling himself forward into a stumblr against the doors--in particular the barricade which lightly shifted given the momentum of his body and its already haphazard placement against the doors.

It only took a moment for Franz to realize he had royally fucked up. With nothing to reverse the idiotic actions he had just performed, all he could manage was a small squeak as he spoke to his three peers who stood at their ready.

"Please run."
 
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Pain. A dull, throbbing pain, near his back. Intelligible sounds.

(“Ahhh...”)

Annoyed, Gerhard opened his eyes to a nightmareish scene. Blood red mist ominously drifted throughout the area. Meathooks stood menacingly.

“-t's on the other side of that door? Can we fight it?"

(“...”)

Gerhard recognized the situation as a dream. It was strange though, this dream felt somewhat… Realistic. Then again, most of even his most stupidest dreams felt realistic at the time. It was only when he woke up that he recognized how absurd it was.

He moved to stand up, and felt pain near his shoulders. He ignored it and looked around lazily. There seemed to be banging on the door in front of him, and it didn’t seem like it would hold. What interested him more was the other people present. They were all members of the astrology club.

Then, a scream. He turned slowly to find the source: Franz. His subsequent actions seemed to remove the barricade. A small sound, almost inaudible, came from Franz. A plea to run. Though it seemed foolish since Franz said to run, he moved to where Camilla, Jackson, and Hal were. He then waited to see what would happen in his dream; he was almost never proactive, but passive during dreams. Nightmares were different though… Or were they? Such memories were ephemeral. He calmly stood, seeing what would happen next.
 
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Aimi Minako | Nightmare Sequence|”We're all dead!”|
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A calm scenario floated through Aimi’s mind as she dreamt. A wide, open pasture laid before the petite girl as she brushed past patches of vivid wildflowers. A gentle breeze blew through, gently moving her hair as the sun shown down and kissed her skin. It was so nice; but weird. Unnatural, almost.. Yes, that was it. Something wasn’t right. The breeze was too cold, the grass was too green. The flowers’ sweet scent quickly became bitter and musty, as a bright flame appeared in the distant reaches of the meadow. Almost immediately, the scene changed from one of wonder to one of horror. The grass became fuel for a towering fire, which engulfed the browning field. Aimi staggered back and fell, squeezing her eyes shut. A distant voice spoke in her mind;
“..eryone! Wake up! Please!" That plea seemed to be just what she needed to wake. Aimi opened her eyes, and found herself in a different dreamscape.

The new scene which presented itself before the already-panicked girl was almost as terrible as the one she had awoken from. A thundering slam resounded through the room as several other people tried to push against it. They look familiar...wait a minute. Is that Camilla…? And Maggie? What the hell is going on here? "It's not going to hold!" Camilla called out. Aimi sat for a moment, staring at the people around her as her heavy limbs kicked into action. Get up, goddamnit! Slowly but surely, the petite girl found herself standing in this… meat locker sort of room. Everyone from the club was here.. Was this a dream? Or was this real? She squeezed her eyes shut once more, hoping to open them and be back in her dorm room. She opened them; no such luck.

Aimi let out a noise of exasperation. Fuck, fuck fuck! What am I supposed to do now? Um… The brunette looked around the room wildly. Door, people, hooks… The banging pierced through her thoughts every so often, and she winced. Fine, fine. I’ll take care of the door.

A fair amount of the other students had already risen, and were not nearly as disoriented or panicked as she was. Well, maybe Franz was pretty close. Aimi watched as he shifted the barricade which rested against the door, allowing for whatever was slamming against it on the other side to have some more room. His eyes widened, and Aimi’s heart stopped. The banging had become louder, more aggressive. It was almost as if the things on the other side were becoming frustrated. Not good. Franz eeked out a short phrase. "Please run." In this situation, running didn’t seem like that great of an idea. She had a feeling that whatever was on the opposite side was furious at this point, and running would only agitate it more. “N-no..I don’t think that’s the.. Best idea. Angry animals get angrier if you run… Assuming this is a-an animal… and this is… a really angry animal. Running w-would only lessen our chances. W-we have t-to… um…” She looked around nervously. “I-I...I don’t know… um… maybe… use what we already… have…? Those meat hooks… they’ve got to be… u-useful for something…? T-they might be too heavy though…” At this point, Aimi’s being was probably comprised of mostly nervous energy. She covered her face with her hands before mumbling, “I don’t know… Sorry, sorry sorry…”
 
One by one, the Astrology gang came to with one of the roughest awakenings yet. It was hard to believe that the current scene was real in anyway after they had just went to bed previously. Having just woken up, the entire situation was too convoluted to process fully, thus quelling the initial sense of danger for some. That said, even as a nightmare, it was terrifying to realize that the barricades were so simply skewered aside that it offered access to whatever mean-spirited creature stood on the other side.

Oddly enough, when the fortifications came down, so did the repetitive banging. The meat locker fell silent, only the rustlings of chains sounded. Camilla watched with baited breath, the faint thought of them being safe tugging at her mind. She looked over to the others and noticed their reactions. Among them was Gerhard, who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the nightmare was indeed real. Then again, who could blame him when he probably never experienced a supernatural occurrence in his life. For Camilla, she felt similar to how she did earlier that day, during the meeting. The atmosphere carried the same dreaded feel, minus the flames.

A low snarl sounded over by the double doors as it was pushed open lightly. Between the doors was a nasty-looking snout. Pushing further, the creature was clearly canine, perhaps a dire wolf. It's large frame pushed aside both doors as it stalked its way into the meat locker. The deceased creature was covered in the same black slime that made up for three quarters of it's missing flesh; a truly disgusting sight. If one had to guess, the black substance controlled the beast and kept it alive regardless of it's physical condition. Under the belly were fully functional organs made up of the questionable fluid.

As the beast's full body made it past the doors, two more figures emerged from it. These were mere humans - or what they used to be - though just like any other, they were covered in that corruption. Both of the two held long chain leashes that helped to restrain the larger beast.

"Mother is waiting." said one.

"She doesn't like waiting."

A grimy hand pointed towards Jackson.

"You take from us, we take from you."

A rusted chain moved of it's own accord and quickly wrapped itself around Franz's upper body and legs.

"This one will do just fine."

"A little on the skinnier side."

"Resist and you will be food too."


That kid.. It's the boy genius..

Camilla scanned the room for anything useful. The table was still loaded with sharp objects, such as knives and the like.

If we all had one of these, could we kill them?

Before acting, Camilla watched her club-mates' expressions and searched for any sign of morale.
 
-- | NIGHTMARE | --
[o]Collaboration[/o]
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TerraBooma
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Every time Jackson had previously fought with some supernatural, it had for better or for worse been cut short. Whether it was multiple fights with the illusionist hollow by cops, special forces, or mercs... or getting destroyed in the desert sands of the trial, where Magus most likely saved his life. He had been taken out of his home multiple times, and it seemed for yet another time his nightmares were becoming reality.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Jackson gave a wild grin and cracked his knuckles one at a time.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]This was going to be cathartic. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]As Camilla was searching for morale among the club members, Jackson locked eyes with her, and gave her a nod, still having a smirk on his face.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Sorry fuckheads, you’re going hungry tonight!”[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]With a loud roar, the teen charged forward toward the girl closest to the chained up Franz and delivered a high kick to her jaw before spinning and delivering a sinister punch to the dog’s snout. All the while shouting back towards his club members...his new friends.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“If you all want to live…” He shouted. “Stand and fight!”[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Kitt[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Aimi flinched as the sound of Jackson’s foot cracking into the evil girl’s jaw pierced through her thoughts. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!![/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]The petite girl scanned the nearby tables and floor for anything she could use as a weapon; there in front of her laid a surgical table covered in knives. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Oh.. well, I.. guess it’s time to fight.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]She quickly reached the table and took one of the weapons, her hands shaking slightly as she held it defensively in front of her. Aimi looked up at Jackson. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“Y-yeah…!”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Aimi replied, her voice shaking nervously. If the group needed anything right now, it was morale. [/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]IAmE[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]nzo[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]The raw force of Jackson's kick separated the hollow's head from it's body. As the second blow was delivered to the large hound and stunned the beast, dark tendrils began to lash out from the decapitated head's wound and wrapped itself around Jackson's body like a leech.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The ends of those same tendrils began to seek out Jackson's own blood. With every drop of blood, the head's vice grip grew stronger.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]With Jackson already in the fray and Aimi armed, it was up to Camilla to make sure the rest of them were equipped to fight.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Camilla's body flickered away, and in just half a second, there was a sizable kitchen knife laid in front of every Astrology Club member.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]"These are crude, but they should do the job." stated Camilla as she came to a stop in front of the others.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The second humanoid hollow- the male counterpart - focused his attention on the larger group.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The furious growl from the large creature made it clear that it was moreso interested in Jackson than the others. The male hollow extended it's rotten arm upward, and the black slime coating it slid upward to form a 20 foot tendril, which was swung downward in the direction of Aimi and Gerhard.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Illin [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Only one word came to Gerhard’s head as Aimi spoke.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent](“Cute...”)[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]For a moment, Gerhard had forgotten what sort of situation he was in. It came to a swift end, as unwanted guests broke through the door. A chill ran down his spine as he looked at them. The beast and the humans were repulsive.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent](“Gross...”)[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]As the battle started, Gerhard continued to stand there motionless, zoning out.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent](“Huh…?”)[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Gerhard noticed he had a knife in his hands, and then saw a tendril coming his way. He initially moved to dodge, but noticed Aimi was in its path too. He tossed aside the knife and ran to push her out of the way, using both of his hands. As he fell to the floor from the momentum, he yelped. The tendril didn’t hit him, but he had scraped his elbows once again. This pain was familiar and led him to a concern.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent](“Is this really a dream…?”)[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]The fog in his head seemed to be clearing out, but he showed no signs of waking up in his bed. He shook off the concern and looked at the male hollow, a smile on his face.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent](“Kill…”)[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Gerhard looked for the knife he had tossed aside earlier and found it a bit away from him. He grabbed it with both hands and charged towards the male hollow, aiming to slice him rather than stab. Gerhard had no special training as a soldier or anything like that and his physical stats were about average; he was normal. Yet he aimed to kill this creature, like all the foes he had encountered in nightmares.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]T[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]he J[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Everything happened around Hal, going by so fast, it seemed. Jackson alone was messing with his sense of reality. How did he… was that person alive? Some kind of zombie? He struggled to understand all of this as several of the others began to make their moves.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]It was then that Jackson kicked the… dog... in the head, and the decapitated head made weird tendrils that grasped his leg, getting bigger and thicker all the time. Was it… it was sucking his blood out! He realised that Jackson might not last long before passing out, so his brain finally kicked into fight-or-flight, and he gripped the knife in his hand firmly, running at the pair. With a short leap, he brought the knife down underhand, one hand on the handle and the other on the butt, stabbing as powerfully as he could into the tendril-covered head.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Aidee[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Frey didn’t remember falling asleep, in fact she didn’t really remember anything. Questions poured into her mind as she remembered that she was a bit of a heavy sleeper. The small clue sparked discussions within her own head as to what she was doing and where she was heading. The state of her body confused her even more, she was sore and tired despite waking up from a nap. Instinctively, her hands searched her own body. Rather than finding her phone, she found a hole with the size of her thumb in her left shoulder. Voicing her surprise, Frey snapped her attention to the sounds that had awaken her. A high pitched shrill pained her ears, her heart was still pulsing. Her face was momentarily flushed as her vision swirled like cotton candy.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Deafening noises surrounded her as she made an attempt to stand on her feet. She swallowed her saliva to pop her ears and to taste the damage done on her face. The damage on her face wasn’t something to talk about, just a cut on her lip or something along the lines. Frey scanned the room, reaching once again for a phone that was not there. Feeling hopelessly lost, she wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn’t until she noticed the other humans around her that she realized what type of predicament she was in.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]She was unable to recognize anyone, the clothes she was wearing was foreign to her and she had no idea where she was. Frey stared at the deeply red tint of the room, a large dog cornered the people...or was it the other way around? It seemed like the humans were just bullying the wolf-like creature into sublimation. At least it looked like that until the tendril shot out of the hounds and around a boy’s torso. Something was placed in front of her, Frey must have missed it before, but a knife appeared at her feet. The others were suddenly equipped with a knife of their own. Everything spun in a blur and she was suddenly watching a girl and a boy get attacked by the otherworldly being.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Impulsion settled into her mind as she tensed up, immobile to do anything to save the two. Thankfully, one of them managed to get their ass into gear and save themselves. Frey straightened her spine and knitted her eyebrows together. She let out a disgusted noise and held the knife in a defensive position, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“Down, shithead,”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She snarled at the direwolf. Frey scanned over the crowd of people and noticed a pair of humanoid figures. She couldn’t make out what they looked like or what they [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]were[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent], but it seemed as though they were the ones controlling the beast. Attacking the owners would just piss the dog off, attacking the [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]bitch[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] and the two would get what they want, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“Are you all sure that we should be focusing on the dog?”[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]She directly assumed that she was on the human’s side. Nothing was adding up, but she was willing to fight for her side. Frey must have mixed in with the wrong crowd or maybe this was some gang leaders’ new toy. Either way, she would have to deal with it. Frey lunged forward and stood near the girl that was attacked earlier. Protecting the strangers and trying to live should be her priority.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Tsu[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]In the case of Franz, the cries and commotion all around him only worsened the terror which plagued his mind as he was suddenly dragged along the ground. The rusted chain seemingly came out the blue and tightly wrapped itself around his torso; an action which knocked the breath out of his lungs from the bone crushing force it held. Even then, however, the youth remained somewhat focused on his peers who had blatantly ignored his pleas to flee. In his peril, he wished to call out to them--to once again urge them to run; however, with the lack of air reaching his lungs, all he could manage were pathetic, pained wheezes...At least until Jackson came to his partial aid. As the teen beheaded the creature responsible for his predicament, the chain was broken from her grasp; a result which slightly loosened the bindings, but still left him immobilized on the ground.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Nonetheless, the fight continued. All around him, the sounds of the battlefield left his mind in a dazed state of being. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the leech like behavior which slowly began eating away at Jackson’s body...In another direction, another peer was attempting to brutally murder a mutated canine...Others seemed entirely lost and scared towards the situation at hand...All together, everything was slowly becoming too much for his mind to handle. A sense of panic developed in his gut; cold sweats began to bead across his body; and gradually, it felt as if the chain was ever so slowly tightening in its grasp. Heavy, rapid pants escaped his lips until the entire situation eventually forced an eruption of his emotions. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“ GET ME OUT OF HERE!”[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Franz’s scream echoed across the area in a tone that perfectly conveyed the terror, panic, and mental frustration that represented his current state of being. More important, however, was the immediate reaction of the chain which partially unraveled itself off of his body and flew in the direction of the mutated man. The new endpoint wrapped itself around his free wrist and partially off balanced the creature as a whole. That being said, Franz noticed none of the occurrences as he instead remained focused on discarding the chain and desperately crawling in an arbitrary direction away from the action. As he moved, the same set of words were uttered in rapid succession-- at least until something or someone choose to further interact with the youth.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Get me away from here.[/BCOLOR]
 
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[BCOLOR=transparent]-- | NIGHTMARE | --
Collaboration
2/2
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[BCOLOR=transparent]I[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]AmEnzo[/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]To the male hollow, Gerhard’s charge was hardly a concern. As a result, it stood its ground free of worry. While one of the hollow’s arm had been transformed into the long tendril that almost crushed two of the students, the other was pointed directly at the charging Gerhard. The corrupted slime formed a long tipped spear that begged Gerhard to impale himself on it. With great speed, the spike extended towards the fastly approaching student’s body with intent to kill.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]However, one of the chains wrapped itself around the wrist of the hollow’s arm and redirected the spear just in time. The tip grazed the side of Gerhard’s face and left a long cut that would definitely need stitches.[/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]Meanwhile…[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As the seconds ticked away, the ‘headcrab’ that latched itself onto Jackson grew stronger and stronger with the blood it absorbed into itself. Its grip threatened to squeeze Jackson to death, and probably would have had it not been for his otherworldly abilities. Fortunately, Hal’s downward stab penetrated the head’s thick skull and in turn fell limp onto the tile floor, releasing Jackson from his predicament. [/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]Having been freed of its initial restraints, the morbid canine let out a deafening howl that alerted everyone to its presence. The overwhelming sense of lifeforce began to drive it into a bloodlust. With its massive body low to the ground, the hollow scanned potential targets, settling on the two students that crowded around each over. Those students were Aimi and Frey. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The hound easily broke into a sprint with its powerful hind legs, closing the distance between the two students and itself in mere seconds. Jaws open wide, the hollow leaped forward towards Frey, who stood in front of the grounded Aimi. Its true target wasn’t Frey however, but the smaller, more vulnerable student behind her. Before any action could be taken, Frey and Aimi were suddenly shifted out of harm’s way, leaving the canine to stumble several meters away.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“..That was too close.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Camilla had just enough time to pull the two away from the hungry jaws of the hollow, though her actions left her out of breath for the time being. The canine snarled, waiting for an opportunity to attack once more.[/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]TerraBooma[/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Try as he might, Jackson had been having a hell of a time getting the headcrab...thing, off of his arm. If it wasn’t for the timely intervention of Hal Jackson wasn’t quite sure what would have happened. He gave a nod to the other teen before taking off with a low guttural growl. To the astute observer, and most likely Hal, something had changed. In Jackson’s mind, he felt something enter, strange yet familiar. A new presence.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Long glowing lines span the length of Jackson’s arms, pulsing with energy as he charged forward. The teen’s stance had changed to become slightly more aggressive and less reserved as he ran forward. Jackson let out a frustrated and angry cry as he leapt supernaturally into the air, calling the hound’s attention to himself. As he started to fall towards the monster he balled his hands behind his head, bringing them down on the monster’s snout in a violent two handed meteor smash. Angrily Jackson let out a yell.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“You're dealing with me asshole! Leave them alone!”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Illi[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]n[/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]“Ah.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Death. An unforgettable feeling. He had experienced it four years ago and tried to avoid its grasp then. That didn’t change even now. But just like back then, the reaper seemed unavoidable, an inevitability despite his best efforts. Death in the form of a spear aimed to reap his life at an extraordinary speed; it was no small feat of Gerhard to be able to even say a pathetic “ah” before departing from this world.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“!”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]But, Gerhard was saved. By what, he had no idea; his mind was in disarray and was in no shape for rational thought. This near-death experience told him something: this was no dream. This was real.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Ah.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Gerhard’s voice cracked. Without looking away from the hollow, he placed a hand on his left cheek. He traced the straight cut all the way to just behind his earlobe. He felt blood oozing from the wound and staining his hand.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Ah.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Fear and panic started to flow into his once calm heart. He began hyperventilating. His hands trembled and dropped the knife. His teeth chattered together as if he was in a blizzard. His legs felt unsteady and unreliable. His vision began to cloud and all he could hear was a loud ringing sound. His head felt heavy and painful. And despite all this, he was still somehow standing and hadn’t broke eye contact with the hollow. Gerhard had been staring at him the whole time, not blinking at all. Not because he planned to intimidate the enemy, but more because of the feeling he would be dead the instant he took his eyes off him.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kitt[/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]“A-ah!”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Aimi yelped as the canine… [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]thing[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] leaped at her. But, she wasn’t hit when it came flying towards her; Camilla had somehow moved them far enough away from it to not be in the line of fire. Breathing heavily, Aimi scowled. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Still useless.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] The knife she had picked up earlier was still in hand, and she gripped it tightly. Her shaking stopped, now replaced by a determination to not be babysat by the others, but to stand up and fight as well. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Repositioning herself from where Camilla placed her, Aimi looked around the room to see how everyone was doing so far. Jackson and Hal seemed to know what they were doing, likewise for Camilla. Frey wasn’t in any position of danger, and Franz was still screaming and not really doing anything. Gerhard, however, was having a rough time. He was breathing rapidly, and blood was dripping down the side of his face onto his hand. Meanwhile, he continued to stare at the hollow in front of him. This didn’t look like it was going to end well. Gerhard had saved her life earlier; now she was going to return the favor, somehow. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Someone needed to help him, but it was a matter of how more than of who. Aimi knew that she wasn’t the best candidate for the job, but then again, she was the only one who wasn’t currently preoccupied. And, she was armed. A tiny, vulnerable thing like her was likely to seem easy prey for this creature. The petite girl made her way over to Gerhard, who was still staring steadily at the hollow in front of him. She placed a hand on his body and pushed him back gently. She was going to take his place. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Aimi gripped the knife even tighter to steady her nerves, and assumed a defensive position. She tried to make sure the weapon wasn’t visible to the creature in front of her, in case the sight of the sharp object would prompt it to attack. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“G-gerhard,”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she said to the boy behind her as calmly as she could,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] “Go… go and get someone else o-over here.. Please.” [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]What was she going to do if that thing attacked her? Stab it? Kick it? There were a few options here, but it was probably best if multiple people took it on at once; this thing had tried to kill her once already, and she was just a vulnerability right now. If she could be useful in any way, Aimi would take that chance. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]It seems to be sentient, right? Would it respond if I.. talked to it? I guess there’s only one way to really find out..! [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Aimi took a deep breath and readjusted herself once more, ready to defend herself if need be. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“U-um.. C-can you… understand me?”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She searched the creature for any sign of recognition or coherence. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“U-uh.. W-well, if y-you can.. Why are you.. Attacking u-us?”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She knew it was a silly question to ask a bloodthirsty creature, but it was worth a shot. It was already established that someone was controlling them. But who? [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“I-is it.. Y-your master..? M-mistress? Are they making you a-attack us?[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR]




[BCOLOR=transparent]IAmEnzo[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]
[/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]Had it not been for Jackson’s battlecry, the canine hollow’s brain matter would have been splattered across the tile flooring. However, it was his loud, echoing shout that alerted the beast to the attack. With a simple hop to the side, Jackson pulverized the ground instead of his intended target. The battle-ready hound slid back a few extra meters from the sudden attacker. It’s otherwise unnoticeable tail began to shift in its shape, mimicking that of a chainsaw without the motor noise.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]On the quieter end of the battle, the humanoid’s long, heavily manipulated arms returned to it’s original shape. Aimi’s attempts at communication was only returned with a dull stare. Despite that, the hollow remained passive.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Now, now. There’s no need for such a ruckus.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]There was no doubt about it. That voice belonged to the corrupted elder that tried to drag away Jackson earlier. Her presence was completely masked until she made herself known, standing in the middle of it all. The half woman, half snake-like abomination nonchalantly strolled over towards the large beast whilst humming a catchy tune. For everyone, it became increasingly harder to focus and retain consciousness, as if sleeping gas began to spread throughout the room.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Patience.” The woman whispered as she laid her hand on the snout of the beast. Oddly enough, the beast wasn’t calmed by her presence whatsoever. Another second and the woman’s hand would have been chomped off, that is if it weren’t for the fact that a sudden paralysis took over the creature. The protruding snake body had sunk it’s venomous teeth into the side of the larger creature, effectively pacifying it.[/BCOLOR]



[BCOLOR=transparent]At this point, even movement became difficult. The weight of the students’ own bodies would prevent them from taking any further action. This intensified until one by one, they fell unconscious. The main snake body extended to wrap Jackson in it’s embrace while a second body slithered after Franz. The final waking moments of the group were filled with the nameless tune she sung.[/BCOLOR]
 
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The overwhelming sense of paranoia and fear flooded the senses of the Astrology members as one by one, they fell into an inevitable dream-like state. Aside from the primal emotions, their consciousness flickered like a candle in a dark room as they were each brought to their awakening the next day.



-- | Morning | --
[o]Tuesday[/o]

Camilla's eyes shot wide open as the same feelings of distress in her nightmare forced her awake into a cold sweat. She could practically hear her own heartbeat thump in her chest. The sound of rushing water and the morning birds chirping outside helped to subdue her negative feelings.

It's.. morning?

The moment she glanced outside the nearby window, her retinas stung from the coming sun's harsh rays.

Was that a nightmare?

She couldn't fully visualize it, but there were certain moments during that event that stood out to her. Her acquaintances fighting, Franz screaming, and the creatures as well. Just the thought of it welled fear in her heart. She took one glance at the clock and saw that it was just about time for people to return to school. Club leaders usually arrived earlier to prep their assigned rooms for later use. Maggie and Camilla were no different.

Speaking of Maggie, she was in my dream as well.

With one heave to overpower her urge to remain in bed, both Camilla and Maggie performed their morning rituals. However, instead of eating breakfast with Maggie and her parents, Camilla opted out to get a 'head-start' on club preparation. Her true goal was to upkeep her morning habits and test her speed for the day. Once the front doors had been swung shut, Camilla took off towards the nearest apartment building with her superspeed. At the moment, she could only handle obtuse angles as anything smaller than that threatened her body as usual.

In nearly half a minute, Camilla was back at the same location she woke up at yesterday;in an alleyway between two towering apartment buildings. She climbed up to the top normally, being mindful of the physical toll she'd have to undoubtedly suffer later. Like last time, there was an arrangement of objects varying in weight and size that she stored on the roof. Taking a similar object from her last test, she dropped the said item over the ledge and raced it down to the ground. Again, she reached the bottom of the stairwell just as the object shattered on the cement.

"Hey! Who's breaking stuff out here? Cut it out or I'm calling the cops!" shouted a frustrated tenant from an elevated window. Camilla was certain she wasn't seen, so she simply took that as a sign to simply head to school.




It was a mere twenty minutes before the majority of the school's students filled the building. Camilla casually walked down the halls towards her assigned classroom when she came across their club room. The first thing she noticed was that their temporary sign had been upgraded to an official, etched sign that was just as polished as the others. This way, it was hard to miss and nobody could manipulate it. Secondly, from what she saw through the door window, a stack of papers sat neatly on their gathering table. It was obvious that it was something from the school staff, as there were no papers left after their initial gathering and the club remained locked after school hours. This meant only Camilla, Maggie, and the official staff had the key.

"Camilla? You're here early."

A curious face turned to see the gym teacher approaching her carrying large boxes.

"Mr. Castle! I was just going to see to it that my club's prepped for today."

"No need, that's already been taken care of. Do you mind helping me take these boxes to the lunchroom kitchen?"

"Uh, no, not at all!"

The original stack of boxes were split in half for the two, and they began to make their way across the school. The contents were much heavier than she had anticipated.

"Eugh, what's in these?"

"It's a completely new batch of condiments for the school."

"Isn't it a little too late to be resupplying..?"

"Be that as it may, the truck driver was late, so the Headmaster wants everyone who's physically able to help transport things."

"That's a lot of stuff for one kitchen."

Eventually the pair made it past the large push-doors and into the kitchen, where the atmosphere was cooler. A particularly familiar tune echoed throughout the kitchen as they set down the boxes. Camilla temporarily froze up as the notes eerily rubbed her the wrong way.

"That's the kitchen done."

"Oh, thank you Howard. They expected me to carry these myself."

The tune was clearly hummed from the old heavyset woman that approached them. A thick eastern accent coated her words as she spoke, and Camilla couldn't help but stand petrified with wide eyes.

"It's too soon to be thanking me, there's much more to be done for the rest of the school."

"Hopefully they count your hours - And who is this..? A student?"

It wasn't until the two of Camilla's superiors were staring at her that she realized she had been looking owl-eyed at the cooking lady.

"Y-yes, I'm Camilla Ferrari. President of the Astrology Club?" Camilla tagged her words with a bright smile that may or may not have been fake. Nonetheless the once motherly aura the cook lady had was replaced by a mundane stare.

"..The Astrology club, hm?"

...

"You and your followers get a tray of food. Free of charge for your hard work. Only for today!"

"Oh-..! Thank you, miss..?"

"They call me повар."

"..Right, Miss повар."




Twenty minutes later and the prediction was correct. Camilla stood within a sea of students, her presence was completely drowned by the mixing personalities, mostly extroverts. She sat down at her familiar desk and pondered if she was going to meet the same people who showed up at the club yesterday, today.
 
[???]

Gerhard jumped as he felt a hand on his body. Though Aimi told him to get someone else over here, it sounded like she was politely telling him to retreat. The thought of leaving her alone and running away like a coward overrode his fear of death. He composed himself as much as he could as Aimi spoke to the being, as if to buy time. Another new creature entered the room, whose presence seemed to make him drowsy. Before he fell unconscious, he was falling forward and reaching out a hand towards Aimi that would never reach her.

[Gerhard's Home]

A hallucination of Aimi and his incoming death played in his mind. Gerhard’s scream could not be described in words. His whole body was frozen solid. It felt as if a giant carnivore was breathing inches from his nose. The world was dyed in blood red, rendering him unable to blink, let alone move. It made him wonder whether even his heart had stopped beating. The fear passed though as he realized he was in his bed and not in that surreal world. However, his blood turned cold when he touched his face and realized the wound from the nightmare was still there.

After several minutes, Gerhard obtained the resolution to start his day. He was thankful his mother was a deep sleeper. He had a small breakfast by himself and prepared to go to school. Before he forgot, he left a note for his mom with some excuse of why he left early.

[Scentia, Gerhard's Classroom]

Gerhard’s facial wound was bandaged. This elicited some unwanted stares, but it was expected. He went to his classroom and waited for class to begin.
 
Hal's eyes gradually fluttered open, the thin curtains in his window allowing some of the sun's light in to wake him up. His mind slowly crawled to a start - until suddenly, he remembered the dream, sitting bolt upright with his right hand swinging in front of him, as if he still had the knife in his grip. After a moment of heavy breathing and confusion, he looked around, and realised that he was in his flat.
He'd gone to sleep last night, but had had a dream... it had been in the forefront of his mind for a brief moment, fully clear and remembered, but now it had gone to gradually come back in small patches of memory. His hand went to between his shoulders, feeling around for the gaping wound that had been there before. Nothing more than some soreness, but that alone scared him. Why was it sore in the exact spot that he remembered having the hook placed in his dream? There was no way it could be real. Maybe he'd just slightly pulled the muscle there yesterday in basketball, and hadn't felt it until now? His mind probably conjured that part of the dream from the soreness itself. That sounded sensible.
His mind now mostly at peace - save for the slightest of doubts - Hal went through his usual morning routine of a shower and breakfast, before going off back to Scentia.

When he arrived in class, he sat down at a desk nearby to another boy, and realised that he was a member of the astrology club, one of the people in his dream. He'd been hurt by one of the monsters... was it a cut on his face? He realised now, the boy had a bandage on, around his face, right where he'd been cut in the dream.
He dismissed this as coincidence, especially as he could have a wound in a different place, or of a different variety, anywhere that the bandage covered. The poor guy probably slipped and fell on his face, Hal supposed.
His mind was still mostly at peace, however, despite his reasoning, the modicum of doubt grew, gradually, and it wouldn't take much more until he seriously questioned the truth of the matter.
 
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