PITCH BLACK〔M〕「Hoef & Hannelorian」

[Dire Hoef]

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Nothing.

An accurate term to describe the absence of something. This was the feeling as Hachi lifted his face from up off the cold floor of this once energetic place.

Everything about those last few moments were a blur to him. The only thing that remained pertinent in his mind was the heat that was felt along the back half of his body. He half-rolled over onto the broken crystal and saw the devastation that Nora had wrought upon Shiva. It was brutal. All of it.

However Hachi didn't give a fuck.

He felt his head was going to explode, and his body fall apart. He was unaware of how attacks in the mindscape translated to reality. As such, he took a deep breath, trudged over and propped her up. He kept her upright with [Mage Hand].

"Good morning," he candidly said as he relaxed up next her, resting his head upon her. He held her hand tightly taking this quiet to really admire her.

"Did you sleep well?" There was a mischievous smile upon his face as he realized that she was unstoppable. A true force of psionic nature. Was there a name for someone like her?

Hachi thought about it as he lauded her silently with his expressions. He didn't need to say too much. He instead opted to look her over to check for any serious outward injuries. "How's that brain cavity of yours? Think you can stand or should we take it easy?"

They still had a journey to complete.

[Hannelorian]

Nora awoke properly to the sensation of Hachi leaning curling up against her. The warmth from him was pleasant and reassuring. A gentle reminder that their brief interlude, their ordeal in the mindscape of Nemesis had come to an end. His words of morning greeting were soft, enough to bring a smile to her face and draw a bit of a laugh from deep within Nora. "I've had better." Nora said, her voice just a bit hoarse as she came to. She held onto his hand, Hachi was the literal singular person left on this planet that received her kindness, her gentleness, her love and affections. Everyone else was subject to the new Nora, the Nora that had changed.

It was important to acknowledge that it wasn't merely Nora's personality that had changed. Nora was coming into the true nature of her power. She had consumed Shiva's energy for her own. Nora's body was practically vibrating with psionic energy. Nora was a force to be reckoned with, she had been transformed.

"My head... it's fine." Nora was in a degree of pain, but through her continued exertion she was training herself into becoming stronger. The recovery was slowly but surely becoming easier. "Are you alright?" Nora was naturally, more concerned about Hachi and his wellbeing. After all he had been tethered to her and dragged through that nightmare alongside her. "I'm sorry... you had to... be brought into it." Nora smiled softly and leaned against Hachi, her arms moving to wrap around him and hold him close to her.

"Hachi..." Nora turned serious for a moment. "You... live in my head. Always. You are a part of me now. I won't let you be hurt... not if I can help it." Nora wondered if her focus in this world was not to save it, but rather to be the one who protected the man who would save it. Nora was comfortable as the supporting player, it seemed so ironic that for all the generations that women had been the guiding hand, it would be a man who would finally take up their responsibility and serve, lead. "We can't go just yet." Nora smirked softly, moving herself to sit upon Hachi's lap. She leaned in and whispered quietly into his ear. "I'm perfectly willing to be seduced." Nora was becoming selfish, she would take what she wanted.

Nora was for the first time in her life...

Free.

[Dire Hoef]

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"I'm well and good," he chuckled seeing that she had taken a serious tone at first. And to that tone, he nodded. He understood, all too well, that he's set up residence inside her head. Where she goes he'll follow, and vice versa. They were a singular person in both thought and emotion. Truly a psionic anomaly of those beloved kind.

But now, in the quiet shadows of the cave, this woman of immense psionic prowess will take what she is owed. She took control of the situation, and opened that door once again. And Hachi could never be anymore excited.

Hachi, enraptured by her invigoration, gripped her tightly. He felt as a seasoned sailor would, riding a chaotic sea of passion and love. And from this, did she pour her energy upon him like waves crashing against the bow. This activated the abundant arkonic energy within him.

This came forth in the form of his tattoos and eyes glowing with power.

Instinctively, his hands waved incantations that appeared be inline with ancient druidic dance. As it turns out, [Enhance Fertility] was casted silently, almost imperceptibly.

In the coming seconds, the consequence of Nora's awareness in her body was of no import. All she would care for, in those seconds, was the man she now straddled. Her body, from her head down to her toes, was filled with an awesome power. A power that came from the from very depths of the universe itself.

She held, in her, true primordial passion and Hachi, being the self-evident instigator, allowed himself to be swept up by her chaotic waves.

But, instead of capsizing, he rode those waves like a true sailor.

And time was lost in these moments, for God only knew how long it was before Hachi found himself among her calm waters once more.

This left the two nestled gently among conjured hands; those same hands acting as bedding for the two.

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[Hannelorian]

Nora and Hachi had an all consuming passion for one another. As though ultimately they were the only two people in the world who mattered at all. In a very real sense that was likely the truth, the two of them were responsible for the fate of their world and perhaps something more beyond it. Nora was the personification of psionic power. She was a vessel for the energy of something far greater than her and slowly but surely she had begun to unleash it, to claim her identity for herself. Hachi and Nora were one, they occupied space in each other's minds, and now once more they had united their physical bodies in an act of pleasure, something only enhanced but their respective abilities. The force of which could have brought the building down around them.

Nora could feel his power surging through her, his body glowing, his power emanating from within. And Nora got to benefit from it, she got to experience a pleasure like no other because of him, and she was greedy, hungry, insatiable when it came to Hachi. She craved him in every way. Nora needed to be connected to him. This is what was between them, a kind of endless love and respect, a deep reverence for one another.

It had never occurred to Nora, not even now that she held within her the power to bring worlds an end. It never occurred to her during her entire life that she was special. Yes, she had incredible aptitude, had always been the top of her class, the leader of one of the best performing departments at the Institute. She had been a secret keeper, a confidant for many, but never did she feel that it was truly her that stood out and was worth more than the rest. Nora alone knew that Hachi was powerful, but those they encountered would seldom see what she did. Nora was outwardly flippant to others, downright cruel to most and caring little for the consequences. And it was with her toes curling, her voice trembling at the moment of her own climax she could see the two of them for what they were, a terrifying duo who only cared for one another, and would change the fate of their world on their own terms.

The conclusion of the act left Nora breathless in the bed of conjured hands. They were surrounded by evidence of her power, and her own revelation that the only thing controlling her power was Hachi, had it not been for him, there was no telling what she would have done, or what she would do should something happen to him. It was the passing thought that should their union lead to a child, a real and distinct possibility independent of the fertility incantation that Nora had not clocked, that child would inherit enough power in a unified body to eclipse the both of its parents. A being so powerful and so terrifying, one that had almost limitless potential.

"They're praying we died down here." Nora said softly as she nodded toward the ceiling. "That group that's taking refuge upstairs." Nora was a large part of their fear, the way she so easily hurt one of them. But that didn't bother her. "I can't imagine going through life like that." For a moment she seemed a bit lost in her own thoughts, which would appear as little more than a jumbled and unordered mess to Hachi. "You have spent your entire life defying expectation because you were born a man. You've spent your entire life being doubted, second guessed, dismissed. All so women like me could succeed." Nora wondered if she could have been a kinder person, probably. "And the entire time... you've been the most powerful being they could dream of. But they don't fear you because men aren't threats to women... but then when they see the smallest glimpse of what you can do... their blood runs cold." Nora turned to Hachi, truly enamored with him, all of him. "I'm sorry I never noticed you until circumstances made me see what had been right in front of me all along."

[Dire Hoef]

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A genuine laugh escaped his lips. To hear her spill her heart brought him a euphoria that was indiscernible. All the joys one can find in life were no more special than what she just said. And so, Hachi kept her words close to his heart; letting them reverberate in his soul like a gong that had been struck. He caressed her soft cheek with his thumb, and kissed her right on her forehead. "You're forgiven."

And that's all that was uttered in those vacant seconds. He'd let silence fill it for the next few moments. But he broke it by saying that, "Those people never understood the horrors that awaited them. They're powerless, and as expected of the powerless, they fear what they can't control." He held a look of pure contempt.

He stared at his right hand, taking in the ambient thoughts of what he can do now. She was right yet again. The two had become an unmatched force. Which inspired Hachi to say, "We'll show them.. All of them.. But first," his attention shifted back to Nora, "Feeling better to stand? We can stay like this for a while, but I believe all the noise we've been making down here may have attracted the uglies to the museum."

That's the last thing he wanted to deal with. He wagered that Nora's exertion of power acted like a beacon for any creature looking to have Nora as their next meal. Although, in his mind, this was not possible, but the people around them certainly were better meals. So, he'd like to be gone before this place gets turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet.

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[Hannelorian]

Nora slowly rose to a standing position, her eyes focusing now on the destruction that lay around them, all of which had been her doing. Shrugging it off and raising her arms into the air, stretching toward the heavens she let out a sigh as she contemplated the words Hachi had spoken to her. "Standing, no problem." Nora said with something of a smirk. Her energy had been sufficiently recovered, allowing her to take in thoughts of their next steps.

"Best not to dawdle." Nora said after a brief silence. "I've called them all here." Nora, of course, had not intended for this, but it seemed almost inevitable. It was better to happen here, where the people above could serve as a distraction than if both Hachi and Nora had been isolated. They would be searching for the source of energy they felt. The creations that dwelled in the darkness and slowly overtook the remains of their world. "They all talk to each other." Nora spoke of the monsters. "It isn't in words... but in vibrations, jolts of what feel like static electricity. Sounds like it too." Though it perhaps was not sophisticated, perhaps something more primitive, a desire to survive, there was something about the creatures that was intriguing and still threatening.

"Even now they come, and our friends upstairs fear for their lives. They felt the ground shake when we emerged from the crystal cage." Nora stared up at the ceiling. "Are you ready?" Nora had no need to worry for Hachi in this moment. He had proven that he was just fine, roaring even to continue. With a swipe of her hand through the air the door that once held them inside had opened with relative ease, creaking a bit, the hinges having been damaged in the explosion of energy. Nora silently left the space knowing Hachi was behind her, when they emerged back into the museum proper, they were met with hushed voices and sorrowful, long faces. Disappointment they hadn't perished, or at the very least, left the property for good.

And like a ringing bell, clear as day Nora's voice would hammer each person from within their skulls a piece of advice. "You might want to batten down the hatches. A storm is coming." Her words were perfectly clear and yet each one would cause an intolerable pain in the cages of their brains like an assault. She would say nothing further, simply proceed to locate the exit ahead.

[Dire Hoef]

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'They all talk to each other.' Communication, although primitive, was still an intriguing tidbit. However, she was right. They needed to leave, yesterday. So he rose to his own feet, dusted off some the stress from the crystal situation and roared in behind her back into the museum proper.

Hachi, of course, said and did nothing while Nora exercised dominance over the survivors who were hoping for their quiet death. Unfortunately for them, this storm was going to create flash flooding that they were not going to be prepared for.

But while on their knees or on the ground in pain, one of the survivors reached out trying to utter something but he had already beaten her to speaking. He was right there, staring the woman dead in her eyes. He said, verbally for all to hear, "And if you value your lives.. You won't follow."

As a response the woman only groaned, falling back down into a fetal position; clenching her head.

He sighed of course, and stared at the other people who suffered the same fate before following Nora to the exit. And on that, the two found themselves in a back corridor where the ooze had sought fit to make its home. There, on the other end, is the exit to the outside.

"From here, we move on to the ancient site.." Hachi pushed onto the secondary exit, and casted [LIGHT] before opening the door.

The cold air of the outside leaked into the corridor when he cracked it opened. But what chilled Hachi, to his core, was the fact that an eye, of a size equal to him, locked with his own.

Silence filled the corridor, and then he proceeded to slam the door shut. He, then spun on his heels and stared at Nora with a soft smile.

"As it turns out... They're already here."

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[Hannelorian]

The sound of the door slamming shut, the smile on Hachi's face. Nora nodded and returned the warmth with a smile of her own. "Well, we're going to need a new plan then." Nora looked around the corridor, the remains of a display case not far from them. Raising a hand she swiped a finger through the air, Hachi was moved aside as the case slammed against the door, creating a barrier. Though it would not be sufficient if whatever was out there decided it wanted in.

"There is an option." It was a cruel option. "I could open the top of the building, like a can... expose our... guests. Let them serve as a distraction while we escape." Nora truly had no concern for the lives of anyone but Hachi, it wold be easy for her to pull back the roof, let the survivors run like rats, terrified, panicking and the like. But if it bought the two of them time, it didn't matter. All that mattered was their odds against everything.

"Or we take a chance and use another exit, perhaps the freight entrance. It'd be wide, a lot of space to make a break for it." That was the kinder option, but once again it was simply an option. Hachi deserved input, even though they didn't have a lot of time. "Or... we fight." Nora wasn't opposed to fighting, though she wasn't sure how far she would get, still somewhat exhausted from the mind based battle against Nemesis.

"Our survival is the only thing that matters." Nora's thoughts to his thoughts, she nodded affirmatively, but firmly. From outside there were a series of loud noises. And then the walls of building began to shake, something was prowling, prodding against the building. Nora smirked as she felt the vibrations rise up from the ground. Nora was no longer afraid of the darkness, in fact, she welcomed it. She challenged it. It hadn't stopped them yet and she would damned to see it do so. Let the monsters try. They too would find a monster waiting.

[Dire Hoef]

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A monster in waiting. . .

Hachi had an plan. Which, was his strong suit.

The details of this plan were shared instantly with Nora. Of which, its goal was a simple one: Fight.

This museum, and by extension this city, will become their battleground.

He was going to test not only them, but this threat that loomed among the infinite expanse of darkness.

And to start, he pointed up. "Do it."

By removing the roof from the museum it will cause enough chaos for those wretched things to be preoccupied. Thus, giving Hachi the time necessary to attempt a new spell. With it, they may be able to deal a lethal blow to these beasts of a foul umbra.

As such, he stepped past Nora and pointed back into the museum. Without skipping much of a beat, he pushed his way back in and turned right. He broke out into a dead sprint, sending out the suggestion to start the party. He had slid around corners, and slammed into several furniture in order to count down the amount of time left before this plan really kicks into first gear.

The abominable darklings that dwelt outside, were now in a state of pure restlessness. The rumbling and shaking had intensified as cracks started to appear upon the walls of the building. These cracks allowed darkness to ooze in, and take root in the shadows of various rooms. All the while, the large creature sought fit to punch holes in several areas of the building. Blood-curdling screams, the tearing of flesh, and the snapping of bones were heard as the large beast took victims into its maw.

The smaller things sought fit to begin crowding the museum like loud locusts circling a field of crops. And what was audible, but muffled, were scream-like roars of the city-crawler echoing across a desolated cityscape. The battle starts now.

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[Hannelorian]

Nora moved silently behind Hachi back into the museum. The others and their terror didn't deter her, or even really phase her. The screams in absolute terror registered as little more than a blip on a radar screen. Slowly Nora raised her hands to the sides she wriggled the tips of her fingers. The walls of the building began to shake, but it was a marked difference from the shaking that had been caused by the creatures outside. It was methodical, almost electric. Nora was only getting started.

As her hands slowly moved upward toward the ceiling, the shaking moved with her, the walls at this point were beginning to fracture, cracks exploding outward. And all she was doing thus far, was wiggling her fingers. Such was the power that radiated through Nora. The terrified strangers could feel their bones beginning to tingle and vibrate. And in some of the weaker ones, their bones would shatter causing immense pain the likes of which they had never felt before. Like a symphony, joining them were the screams of the creatures which were growing louder outside of these walls. Nora was smiling.

Her fingers finally straightened and creating a channel between her hand the furtherest corners of the museum. Nora began to pull her hands toward her, the rumbling of the building intensified. The roof was being torn from the building and pulling backward, peeling off the walls just like the lid upon a can of sardines. Nora met little to no resistance, when her hands were drawn back behind her, she dropped them and the roof fell to the ground beside the building, leaving Nora slightly out of breath.

The snarling, screaming creatures outside were now peering in to the shell of the museum. One more flourish of her arms, accompanied by a scream of her own as she sent a wave of energy hurdling outward from her body, the crumbling walls around her exploded outward with violent force. Sending pieces of building material raining down upon them and shrouding them briefly in a cloud of tremendous dust.

It was just Nora, Hachi and the monsters now.