sticksandbones | MINI EVENT: GHOST RESCUE

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MINI EVENT: GHOST RESCUE

A HEARTBEAT BENEATH THE STAIRS

As the season turns, and blood sinks into the ground of the Grove, as monsters with your face haunt the halls, waiting to pounce, something else is creeping into light. Distantly one might see a light in the forest at night, and the next it comes closer. And closer. Until in the treeline you can see it: a pitch black manor that looks as if it’s covered in ash. The trees act as its gates, rebuffing anyone who tries to investigate, and the air smells like rot. Something watches in the windows, but vanishes when you blink.

… But not even this dark manor can stand in the way of one very angry grandfather skeleton, who will, eventually, rattle his teeth and bones in a rallying cry and urge others to follow him, sword in hand. It’s time to storm the castle, and Mr. Bone-Jangles has had enough.

The air within the manor is frigid and biting, and the inside itself is as decrepit as you may expect. Lights and candles can light the way… but only for a few minutes. The wood creaks as if the building is breathing slowly, and sometimes you here a loud thum-thump, as if its unseen heart beats while you explore.

For an already imposing building, inside seems even larger and there’s almost no end in sight as it feels like the halls wind on forever and more and more rooms, from libraries to studies to bedrooms to- … is this room dedicated to WWE Wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? … Needless to say, there’s a lot to work through, but Bone-Jangles urges you onward.

Wisps of color drift through. Are they your friends? Or something else?

A NIGHTMARE ON YOUR LIPS

And to those who have been locked away for days, perhaps weeks, nothing in this house feels real. Is it a dream? Is it a nightmare? The mere mention of a potential addition from your lips manifests another new room within the manor, but you cannot touch anything. Light hurts and makes you dizzy, while the night is painfully cold. How long has it been? How long will it be?

The burst of life is- new. Exciting. Distantly, you know these people, but the urges of death are whimsical and cruel. Part of you wants to guide them to the attic, where your souls are chained in full to a portrait of you. Break those portraits, and you're free, coming back to life outside, which is what you want, isn't it? Another part of you wants to chase them out, how dare they intrude upon your afterlife? Another yet thinks it’s time to play, but no longer remembers what ‘play’ is- so surely they can dodge the plates and books, right? Right!

And another yet wants the intruders dead. And if not by your hands, then by the demons guarding this world alongside you.

(CODE)

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Well. Shit. The door is gone.

The cackling eventually seeps into his own brain, making Joshua wince, but the shield doesn't drop. Luckily for him, it seems like it may have been an intentional bluff to make him tense up. Better than the alternative. Still, he doesn't lower his guard. It would be a mistake to do so.

God, his arm and shoulder hurt. He holds the shield with his injured hand, just so that he can press his good hand to the wounds, even if just for a moment. Why won't they stop burning? What is this?

"You could at least buy me dinner first," he manages, with a sneering curl of his lips. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not on the menu."

OH HOLY ONE! OF COURSE YOU ARE.

Something flashes in the room, letting Joshua see his assailant- a tall, bone-thin wretch with skin too tight, a deer skull and too-big, too-sharp antlers masking it's dripping maw. It looks as if it's willingly broken itself into smaller pieces to fit into the room that's too small for it, crouching on disjointed legs and it's arms bending in far more places than a normal elbow would allow.

It cackles again, and vanishes once more. Indentations of claw marks rapidly spread around the walls and the floor, something scrapes against the ceiling and rapid strikes crash against the shield.

Ah. Hm! That's interesting! There is something extremely disconcerting about this entity he's found himself locked in a room with. Luckily, Joshua isn't easily disturbed, but boy does he have his work cut out for him. With no door to speak of, this could end very badly.

The shield deflects those strikes, and thankfully his injured arm doesn't draw away from its durability. Still, each strike is very much felt, and he grits his teeth against a pained noise. He needs to end this as quickly as possible.

A light gathers itself in his free hand, still at his shoulder. It does nothing for his wounds - it isn't meant to. It only has to gather for a moment, though, and then beams of light are manifesting from the air alongside a flurry of white feathers. Each beam seems to contain the form of a woman with a spear, and each beam slams down toward the being that is too big for the room it's in.

An agonized shriek rings through the entire house and Joshua knows that just as the wound it inflicted upon him burns, so does what he's done back. Agony gives way to manic laughter though and more claw marks scratch up the room all around, and the demon rapidly strikes down upon Joshua with all it's might.

DELICIOUS! GIVE ME MORE! MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE! LET ME TASTE DIVINITY!

Well! That's very concerning! Very concerning indeed! For the first time, Joshua's eyes widen in surprise. It sounded as though the attack hurt, but for the entity to not only seem further energized but eager for more--

The shield switches to his good hand for extra oomph, and his injured arm, burning as it is, takes over the assault. More light, more beams, more spears and feathers. As powerful as he can manifest them. If it wants to go out with a bang, he will certainly give it a bang.

And if he's wrong, if this is just giving more fuel to the fire and sealing his fate... well. At least death isn't permanent here, right?

But something catches his eye as he's focusing the attack, and he affords a rapid darting glance over to it. The door...! If he can get to it--

Edited 2024-10-16 17:30 (UTC)

The door is still there, yes!

But it's a bit out of reach. When did the floor sink? At least it's Joshua and not some other squishy-human-looking person.

But on the other hand, a demon with an addiction to divinity found him first, so maybe that's still a bad thing.

Joshua's doing good to maintain himself against the flurry of manic attacks, but eventually something's got to give and the shield shatters, with fourteen claws raking down Joshua's chest. The hellfire begins again and something makes his heartbeat stutter, and even with it invisible he can see the beast licking it's claws clean.

The floor could be actually, physically sinking, or it could be a distortion of Joshua's perception from the burning pain, he isn't entirely sure. All he knows is that getting to the door is not going to happen easily, not unless he flies.

And then his luck runs out, and his shield shatters.

He thought seven claw marks on his arm and shoulder were bad. Fourteen to his chest is so, so much worse. It's only now that he makes a genuine noise of pain, caught somewhere between a yelp and a cry, and he stumbles backwards two steps until his back hits a wall. Covering his chest with his hand does nothing, really, and yet he does it anyway, wincing hard and gasping at that stutter in his heart. Oh, this is not good. Not good at all.

Looking up, he can see those claws being licked clean, and something in his chest feels sick. Is it blood this thing is after, or energy? Either way, it seems intent on consuming him in some way, and he really doesn't want to fuck around and find out.

If his beams did nothing, then he only has one real option left. A last-ditch effort, but this is definitely a last-ditch situation.

Quickly, Joshua draws on the ability he needs, trying to ignore the agonizing burn and the uncomfortable stuttering to modify his own soul code. Within a matter of seconds, his own body begins to glow a bright, blinding white. If this thing wants to hide away in the dark, he'll rip that ability away from it and escape in the process.

The beast seems absolutely delighted about this, crowing with joy and excitement, even as it's form is brought back to light. Joshua can see that he's pierced it multiple times, and the burns seem to slowly be spreading- not unlike the burning sensation working through his body.

They seem to be true opposites, in the confines of the mansion. Heaven and Hell, and Hell wants nothing more than to drink the ichor and embrace pain, both inflicting it and experiencing it.

Being seen does not stop it though, and it brings another wicked claw down upon Joshua, trying to force him back.

Meanwhile, every claw mark on the wood seems to shift- as Joshua struggles onward, one by one the scratches turns into a thinly-opened eye, all turned on the man, leering, staring, watching.

The moment Josh had stepped through that door and the door had slammed in his face, Beat had been wailing on it. First with his fist, then with his body, then - as anger and fear took over - with claws. Then with a larger body, as he invokes his abilities, colliding with the door and wall.

Which is solidly built enough that all he gets for his troubles at first is a wretched shoulder and a headache. Oogh. NO!

"Fuck YOU, wall! GET OUTTA MY FUCKIN' WAY! THA'S MY HUSBAND!"

Finally something gives that isn't his stupid joints and the last collision slams the door open on it's hinges. Sure, he's greeted with hell right after, but that doesn't matter. Not as soon as his maddened eyes land on Josh. Bloody, glowing brilliantly white Josh.

He doesn't know if this will work, but he flings himself as his partner, activating that merge ability. The moment they collide, Beat is gone physically, but mentally and - more importantly - energy-wise he's merged with Josh.

Enjoy that massive power boost you've experienced before, Josh.

The thing just keeps attacking, and Joshua is going to quickly find that he's being pushed back toward the wall again. He manifests his wings, flaring them in preparation for flight, and--

And Beat is bursting through the door, breaking it open so hard he can hear the doorknob embedding into the wall. The explosion of movement catches his full attention, and for just a moment he really has no idea how to respond to this. But, in that second, Beat is flinging himself at him, and as he prepares for the impact, there's... nothing? No impact whatsoever, but one hell of a rush of an odd feeling he's never experienced before. Someone else in his head. Beat's presence all over him.

A sudden clarity, cutting through the fire threatening to consume him from those wounds. An energy, filling him to bursting.

Joshua doesn't know what this is exactly, didn't even know Beat was capable of this, but he understands the intention as if it's baked in. It's like the boost of power between partners when their sync is at maximum.

Conjuring the light in his hands again, he can feel how much stronger it is, how much easier it is to put forth more energy than he rightfully should have. And without hesitation, without mercy, a beam ten times as strong as the last ones slams down on the entity.

The divine and the infernal will always be at war. But love has it's own power, doesn't it? Though the Beast certainly is taken by surprise with Beat's arrival, even as it tries to tear into his flesh as well.

The empowering is- infuriating. The mortal should not mingle with the divine, the divine should not be tainted by man, that is the infernal's duty, privilege, RIGHT-

It rears back to give a furious mix of a roar, a screech and a howl before attacking again. Joshua fires his own attack as the tips of black claws pierce into his cheek, but the beam does it's job- little by little the Beast disintegrates into ash, and the eyes in the wood close. Listening carefully may reveal a guttural whisper beneath the cacophony, but...

You win!

You can't heal while within the mansion though. One final curse, because the mansion hungers.

The claws tear into his cheek, but Joshua barely flinches. The burst of power courses through him, funneling into that attack, and he won't let up until the thing is ashes in front of him. It wanted the righteous fury of the divine, and it will get more than it can handle.

Addiction is a hell of a disease.

As the Beast disappears, the beam of light wanes with it, fizzling out into nothing. Despite the boost, Joshua is still left breathing hard. When he looks down at his hands, he notices they're trembling. The wounds on his chest are oozing blood and simultaneously fizzling out tiny streams of static. It could be worse, but it could also be a hell of a lot better. The energy from the fusion must be like an adrenaline rush, because at least the pain isn't overwhelming.

Licking his lips, he closes his shaking hands into loose fists, and his eyelids follow suit.

"You can come out now."

"Nah," which rings in his head as a thought more so than an actual words in his ears, "'cuz if I do, yer gonna bleed out a lot heavier."

There's not much Beat can do like this, but while he's with Josh, Josh is also getting Beat's physical endurance. His ability to take fatal damage and get back up for round two. He doesn't feel the searing pain of the unholy fire working through those cuts, but he can see out of Josh's eyes. Can see the way the angels hands shake, the blood from his injuries, the static.

At least here, rather than on the Peninsula, Josh can much easier feel the other with him. As he's not had his divinity stripped from him. Beat is a warmth, a thought that pulses like a heart separate from his own, but oddly in tune. The music harmonizes. And it's not just a forced harmony the joining created, and not one that says Beat's been tuned by being in contact with Josh like Neku might have once been.

This is a tuning that has been done over time, and still rings true of Beat, but a Beat who has grown and matured, and has promised himself to be Josh's Conductor. A natural adjusting of his song to match more closely to Josh's.

"You still wanna play investigator or can we get the fuck out of here?"

If Beat's aware of this, he says nothing, just a faint disdain at the idea of being here still. Followed by, "Hold up, was that a demon?!"

It feels like a thought of his own, but Joshua is keenly aware that it's Beat. He's aware much more of Beat's presence, now that the Beast isn't bearing down on him. It's like a warm blanket around his shoulders on a cold morning, and he folds his arms over the wounds on his chest as though he's embracing someone.

It's like partners syncing, but different. A perfect harmonization that needs no sync, because the sync is built in. The sync that forms between two people that have been friends for a long, long time, long before playing in the Game. He's seen it before - not often, but enough.

Beat's love for him, his desire to protect, washes over him like a gentle wave, and he sighs.

"We can go."

He's catching the thought about the demon, too, but that can wait for when they're out of this mansion. For now, Joshua moves through the busted down door, making his way back out the way he came in. He can't trust his ability to teleport, and provided nothing moves on them, it should be a short walk. The burning can still be felt through everything else, but he's not letting it stop him.

"Thank fuck."

Because his husband is injured and if anything popped out at them, even with Beat empowering them, he's not sure Josh could take it on. Had they started the fight as a pair, it would have been different, and he feels bad he let himself get separated. Isn't that classic haunted house nono? Christ, and there he was, worried about ripping the stupid light off the wall.

He might come back later and rip more of them off. Maybe pee on the walls. Fuck this house. Scoot his butt across the floor. It'd serve it right.

Josh's senses will keep him safe as they move, heightened by the werewolves own. The smell of dust untouched through the ages except for recently. Wood rotting. The only scent being their own as he heads back towards the front door. The sound of rats skittering in the walls, the creak of the floor groaning under them.

"Bruh, I hate this place, Ima take a dump on the front step and light it on fire, I swear."

It's a haunted house nono, for sure, but Josh hadn't exactly expected to be, you know, locked in a room with an angel-addicted demon. In fact, he'd only really intended to poke his head in, get an idea of what the next room might hold! It's not his fault, and it's not Beat's, either.

The thoughts from Beat make him chuckle, in a sort of 'I'm in immense pain but it's still funny' sort of chuffing way. "Destroy to your heart's content. I'm not opposed."

The fun part about this fusion, though, is that weirdly? He can scent himself. He picks up on his own scent, on Beat's, trailing through the hallways and leading back to the front door. Not a sensation that he's used to, but he'll get used to it. It's only temporary.

Once they're outside, though, he's taking a very shaky breath and sitting right down on the grass. Not even on the porch. He wants nothing to do with this house anymore, but even his legs are getting shaky now.

"Give me a second. I'll teleport us to the inn."

"No, you won't."

Now Beat can leave Josh, once he's sure they're safe. They might not be, they're still in the edge of the forest, but this is Beat's territory. He's far more acquainted with this than Josh is.

It feels like the blanket drawing away, adrenaline easing away to be replaced by cold reality of injuries and pain. Beat is immediately starving, because he loaned all his energy to Josh, but he has enough left to walk. He promptly takes his shirt off and stuffs it against Josh's chest to help ease that bleeding, then gets his arms under the other to lift him up.

Bridal style, baby.

God, he can't think of how good Josh smells or he's going to want to sink his teeth in for the wrong reasons.

"Come on, man. Ready fer the run of yer life? This my yard, now."

Holding his husband tight, Beat takes off, head lifting a little into the air as he runs to sniff gleefully.

Oh. Ugh, that is not a pleasant sensation. He wants the blanket back, please. As Beat pulls away and manifests next to him, Josh can feel the draw on himself, the intense fire of those gashes returning tenfold after being dulled down for so long. He tenses, wincing and gasping in pain before he can catch himself. What a day to leave Revati back at the inn.

Beats shirt helps the bleeding, but it doesn't help the pain. Being seen as vulnerable is the last thing he wants, though, and so he tries to mask it as much as possible. Still, when he's scooped up, he can't help a soft noise.

"Just don't jolt me."

Which is... not guaranteed, clearly, by the way Beat just takes off. Josh closes his eyes tightly, tensing up on reflex to try to quiet himself. Beat doesn't know that his wounds feel like they're literally on fire.

Surprisingly? Beat's movements are smooth. He's a runner, always has been, and with his time in the forest he's learned how to avoid certain things. The way a tree root might suddenly curl up in an attempt to trip them, or a branch might suddenly swing lower than normal to hit them. Two months running through the woods.

He may not remember, but his instinct does. And he doesn't hesitate to growl at a tree or two. A deep, snarling sound that vibrates in his chest, and promises violence to whatever may be lurking there. Then they reach the Grove proper, and he slows but doesn't stop. Trots them right towards the Clinic, bypassing the Inn without even batting his eye.

"You gonna be checked up, yo, aight? 'Cuz even back in 'ninsula, Demons an' Angels didn't mix well. Holy hurt the demons and demons hurt the holy. So I ain't takin' no chances that the same here. Aight??"

It's definitely a smoother trip than expected. Enough that after a while, Josh feels comfortable enough to relax a little - not a lot! just a little, because the wounds still burn. Ugh, he's starting to believe that maybe that really was some kind of demon. What a house...

But as Beat trots right by the inn, Josh frowns, moving more than he's moved in the last minute or two. He pulls himself upright, wincing and hissing as he does, and tilts his head up toward Beat. He doesn't even have to ask, it seems, because Beat has an explanation at the ready.

"I'll be fine," he manages, voice clearly not fine. All he needs is Revati, and he'll be okay. He doesn't need medical attention.

"Nah, ya ain't," is the reply and the tone is clearly in a 'boy don't be lying' manner. "If you fine, why ain't you healin' right now? I know you, yo, I know you able to do that 'cuz this ain't yer real body."

Still holds him like it's his real body though, a precious thing that he loves, and he turns his head to frown down at Josh as well. "You can argue wid me all you want but the fact you still in my arms and barely stopped dangling like a limp noodle tells me I'm right."

At least there's healers at the Clinic, though Beat hasn't smelled Vanilla around for a bit. Or, well, he has. But it's the fake imitation scent of it, the type you get from cheap store bought cookies.

Ah. That sure is a tone that brooks no argument. Josh wants to argue anyway, though. Wants to tell Beat that he can't heal, that his physical body heals via deleting everything and starting fresh every time he swaps planes and plane-hopping is impossible here, he's tried. But he doesn't. He's barely able to choke out a couple of words here and there, and the pain is rapidly exhausting him, so he doesn't.

Instead, he gives up with a short sigh, turning his head to look away. Beat is going to take him to the clinic anyway. If it makes Beat feel better...

"Okay."

"Tha's what I thought," there's no pleasure in winning this argument, instead Beat sighs and lowers his muzzle a little to nudge it against Josh's head in a little nuzzle. Soft comfort. At least he seems used to carrying Josh like this, and even manages to open the clinic door without shuffling him too hard, finding an empty bed to lay him in.

"YO! Anyone here? Got someone fer you!" Then lower, for Josh. "Hold on half a sec, aight? I'll be right back."

Then he takes off back towards the Inn, ripping away like the demon is on his heels instead.

[Mayoi would not consider himself a healer, but his first-aid training and general state of having lived in a hellscape where he's had to learn to patch up loved ones on the fly make him useful in a pinch. He and Mafuyu decided that with everyone storming the mansion, it might be best to set up the clinic in case of emergency.]

[When someone actually comes in, he jolts, but the urgent clicking of his shoes means he's coming in a hurry.]

H-Here! I'm coming!

[He's already got his hair pinned back and gloves on as he comes to see the damage. How bad a state are you in Josh- Oh god that Wolf man is just tear-assing back out the door isn't he.]

[ Boy he sure is, don't bother trying to stop him, he's apparently a man on a mission.

ANYWAY. Currently, Josh is in a bad enough state to just sort of seem like he's zen chilling on this bed with his eyes closed, because his whole body feels like it is filled with fire and it's more intense around the wounds, and he is simply trying not to react. Now that Beat's gone, though, he's trembling like he's freezing! So that's fun.

There are fourteen claw-mark gashes on his chest, seven of the same on his arm and shoulder, and a small handful on his cheek. While the wounds are definitely still bleeding and Beat's poor wadded up shirt is just ruined, they are also emitting a thin stream of what looks like... TV static?

What do you do, Mayoi? ]

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cw: body horror

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cw: eye horror, ommetaphobia

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Y-You called-

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