Masquerade [Inactive]

"Man always tries to reach the places birds reach, to grasp at the celestial wonders above," he managed between breaths. "Most of the time they fall somewhere along the climb, but that's the beauty of a dream. If every dream were a certain success, then they would not be dreams, only knowledge of what will happen. Thus I will not comfort you with lies, only say that you don't let that dream die. Because if you do then you will fall too like a shooting star."
 
"Dreams die with their owners, do they not? I can feel myself slipping away, my mind has become hazy, of this I am aware. I know that if we do not find this laboratory soon, I will cease to exist and in my place will stand a beast. Then that beast will have to be killed." Wexley pulled her hand away from her face and placed it over her heart. "Is it wrong for me to feel afraid of becoming something so similar to me? The monster in a girl's skin, how befitting that she grow out of it and reveal her true face." Contrary to her words her heart was beating quite slowly, as if it were stopping. But it wasn't done yet and every few seconds she could feel the reliable pulse as her heart beat.
 
The grey skin that grew on Umbra's and Noah's hands had reached almost their shoulders by now, the more skin that turned grey, the quicker the corruption would grow, it seemed. Wexley's grey skin had grown over most of her neck and down her arms and the majority of her torso, small etching of the grey skin were advancing over Wexley's chin, and soon it looked like it would reach her mouth. By now, Wexley could hear just the faintest of voices, a sort of communication between her subconscious and something else... something nearby, she could tell, a certain ebb and flow as her body pulsed blood pulled her back towards the larger group of the Children. Though unfortunately for Umbra, Wexley's fully infected and strangling hands were quick to spread more of the grey onto Umbra's neck.


~~~~


Noah could tell something was wrong as soon as Umbra gave him a look, it was true that Wexley was acting strangely, Noah didn't really know what to do, he would have helped Umbra carry the girl, but he was basically frozen in fear. With Umbra holding Wexley in his arms, Noah looks around desperately. "N-not much t-time..." he says softly, before scratching his nose from beneath his mask and pointing towards the group of Children still in a trance. "We need t-to do s-something quick, we s-should check the Baron's quarters. L-last ditch e-effort." He says hesitantly, they had to do something before Wexley completely lost her mind. Seemingly at random, Noah flinches.


~~~~


A valiant protection from Liliah likely saved Clara's life, but the price was rather high. In three perfect scratch marks along her arm, the skin changes quickly from a blood-red to a dull grey... though surprisingly it didn't look like it was advancing, for whatever reason. Just as the Child attacking Matt was about to maul the boy, the speared Child lets out a bit of a low whine, grasping at its shoulder weakly before giving up on its efforts and exhaling deeply. The Child flinches for just a moment, giving Clara a few precious moments before the Child threw its claws into Matt.
 
"No, it's not wrong," Umbra uttered quietly with deeply sullen eyes. "It's not wrong for somebody so brilliant to feel so scared. Now come on, stay alive. Make this worthwhile."


Looking up to reply to Noah, he said, "And I imagine you installed the secret mansion SatNav before coming here, eh? How are we supposed to know where that place is?"
 
Noah gives Umbra a dirty look, a little flash of hate and malevolence dances in his eyes for a fraction of a second, but undeniably there, before being replaced again with his usual timid look. He keeps his hand pointed at the group of children through the glass pane as he speaks. "Maybe i-if we keep going along this h-hallway, we can s-sneak in the other side of that hall and s-search the room where the Baron f-first came from before he m-made that announcement."
 
"I will try my hardest to do that." Wexley murmured. She pulled her arms from around his neck and gripped the fabric of her dress with trembling fingers. The whispering was growing louder and it wasn't anything she recognized. She could barely keep her mind focused and it was beginning to worry her.


"Put me down Umbra, I believe I can walk on my own."
 
Umbra grunted unwillingly but his arms wavered too much and she slid from them. He examined his neck with a quivering finger; it was an alien substance. "Right, well, lead on whilst we're still here." Umbra was thankful that he was still largely in control, but he was beginning to get a headache, a huge headache that grew with every step...
 
Nodding at him, Wexley took a brisk pace forward and matched her step with Noah. Her face was as blank as it had been and showed no sign of any emotion. in contrast to the rapidly spreading grey, her skin had paled to a translucent white and it looked as though all the blood had been drained from her face. Suddenly the whispering grew quite loud and it made her spin. She reached out and caught Noah's shoulder to balance herself, but waves of nausea kept hitting her stomach and the liquor she had inhaled earlier threatened to make an appearance.
 
Noah gives a supporting arm to Wexley as she leans on him, he glances at Umbra briefly to let him know that something was wrong, before holding Wexley in his arms to comfort her as she looks as though she was going to turn out the contents of her stomach. He looks at Umbra with pleading eyes. "Wexley is too w-weak to go anywhere... you s-should go into the Baron's quarters yourself, I'll take c-care of her here."
 
Another wave hit her in sync with a loud bang of whispers and she cried out in pain as she sank to the ground. She hunched over and leaned into Noah's arms.


"It, it's getting worse. Maybe you should just, leave me here." She forced out and covered her ears. She slid her eyes closed and breathed deeply trying to regain some control over herself.
 
Clara rushed forward, stabbing her spear into the stomach of the child. It went a good bit threw, the momentum pushing her and it into the wall. Backing up, she watched it stare in intent at its own blood, until she deemed it close enough to death to use one of the dropped glass shards to slit its throat. Clara lifted up the hem of her dress and used her foot to keep the body still while she pulled the makeshift spear from its torso.


Turning to Lil and Matt her dress was not covered in blood but her face plastered with surprise.


"Lil.... good job." She said, smiling to her.
 
Umbra wanted to make a snarky comment, but he was short of energy an so simply grunted. With a cursory glance back, he began to limp across the hall, reaching the end and trudging out of sight.


You must keep an active brain. Keep focused on something important. He told himself that over and over again. And found the reserve to continue. Soon he found his way to the balcony doors and pushed his way through.
 
"Noah, I don't think you are safe with me. Please leave with Umbra and go somewhere safer than here." She refused to look him in the eyes in fear of what she would see reflected there. A wild animal? Or a mere echo of what she used to be? She certainly was not herself anymore, the whispers and pain and emptiness were clear indicators.
 
As Umbra makes it on the other side of the hall, he reaches the hall with the dazed Children just in time for them to shudder slightly in unison before returning to their neutral state. The door to the Baron's quarters was wide open, and Umbra could make out the flickering silhouette of a man's shadow fiddling with some sort of contraption. Curiously, Umbra feels less strain from his grey skin the closer he walks to the hall.


~~~


Noah helps Wexley up from her hunched position, holding her shoulders up so she was standing straight up facing him. The speaking in Wexley's head was crystal clear now, it was Noah's voice. "Oh. Poor, Poor Wexley... the real question is, are you safe with me?" he says in a growling, menacing voice. Freeing his hand from Wexley's shoulder, he moves it slowly up to his mask, before ripping it off in a swift motion. The skin under Noah's mask was completely covered in a deep grey, similar to the lighter grey of the Children, but different enough to be considered unique. He holds Wexley's head up and stares at her with bloodshot eyes. "Do not resist against it."
 
Wexley tried in vain to look away from Noah's face. His eyes. She did not expect this, the stuttering mess that he was, turning into some cruel puppet in the baron's show. Ah but of course, she should have expected it. It's always these people. With a last ditch effort, she pulled away from Noah and landed on the floor. She began to mutter incoherantly to herself as she attempted to stand and run away


"Noah, leave me be! I don't want to be monster, I never did!" She was shrieking hysterically at this point.
 
That's curious, thought Umbra as he got closer to the hall. Now I'm much more focused. He peered through the open door to spy on the Baron's actions. Questions flooded into his mind, but now that he was in greater control of himself, he was able to focus properly and think. I imagine he left the door open due to not expecting anybody to get here. Or... no, that's too obvious. Maybe he wants me to go in. Umbra remained there, watching, unaware of what was happening to Wexley further down the corridor.
 
As Umbra looks through the door, he can see a bit more clearly what the Baron was doing. Surprisingly, the man seemed to be working on some sort of large weapon... a Ballista maybe? It was a bit hard to tell, though it was certainly unclear what the Baron's motivations where in the building of it. The Baron seemed unaware that he was being watched.


~~~


Noah was hardly dissuaded by Wexley's feeble attempt to escape, he talks back over to her, like a predator finally catching its prey, and hoists her up easily in the air with a single hand. His whole body was a deep grey by now, though physically Noah didn't seem to have changed. With his free hand, however, he brings it up to her face before, on his whim, they lengthen into the long, sharp claws that the Children possessed. He looks again at Wexley, though this time his eyes had returned to normal, it looked very odd to have such crystal blue eyes against such alien skin. "The Human frame... so weak, lacking in strength, disease-prone, mortal, and only gets worse with age... but I offer release, you are the blank canvas, and I am the artist. With me, you are superior, you will have power, meaning, purpose." He speaks with a dominant tone, so strange from a man who could hardly speak a few moments ago. In a quick movement, he throws Wexley to the other side of the hall, a loud crash as shatters the glass, though it did not break. Wexley would hardly be able to feel the pain, the grey skin had enveloped everywhere around her body by now, except for her face. Noah picks her up again by the scruff of her outfit, eyes flooding with blood again as he stares into Wexley's eyes like he was examining her very soul. "DO NOT RESIST!" He shouts in her face.
 
She didn't feel impact and the completely grey skin made her want to scream. So she did. She clawed desperately at his vice-like grip. Defiantly, she makes eye contact with him and hisses,


"I will resist." She spit in his eye and continued to try to pry his fingers loose. When that did not work, she aimed repetitive kicks at his shins. Yowling in frustration, she beat fervently on his arm.


"Let me go! You filthy pig! You freak of nature!" She paused in her tangent and again spat at him.


"You traitor!"
 
Umbra peered through the door and watched the Baron work on his weapon. That's interesting. Why would he need a small weapon like that when he's already got an army of impossible monsters at his disposal. Then again, that last fact. It's probably something far greater than it appears here. And I imagine he has his sights on further goals, probably something fairly cliche. He remained there for a few moments, waiting for a confident remark from his host. When nothing came, he concluded that his first observation had been correct. So he has confidence in his creations. I imagine this means they'll be hard to beat. Only thing now then is what to do now?





Umbra scanned around the corridor for something he could use as a weapon; he needed to get the Baron in a position of weakness to question him. Or at least try; if all else failed he could at least execute his revenge before his demise. But then he heard a roar and a scream from down the corridor and, to his surprise, found a transformed Noah attacking Wexley. For the first time in his life, he felt a serge of panic in fear of another's life, but quickly controlled it with rationality. He transformed quickly, I wonder how. Anyway, I've got to stop him. They don't like pain, right? Then I need to hurt him. With a desperate scan around the corridor, Umbra found nothing suitable again. Gritting his teeth, he tiptoed into the doorway of the Baron's office in hope of finding a suitable weapon there, hoping not to be noticed.
 
Noah growls in frustration as Wexley spits in his eye. "Looks like I'll have to wear you down a bit, then." He says threateningly, before reeling Wexley back and throwing her through the weakened glass wall, tossing her into the Estate's garden. He hulks through the broken with ease. "You dont stand a chance, Wexley, surely you see that. Just submit, and I'll share my power." He says with a venomous smirk, though preparing for another attack.


~~~


Umbra may have been able to examine the Baron's equipment more quickly if Noah hadn't thrown Wexley through the glass and attracted his attention, he turns around with a start before noticing Umbra was in the room with him. He tries hiding whatever he was working on, but doesn't do a particularly good job, the cold silverish steel shining behind him as he speaks. "Oh, fancy seeing you here. You have some guts coming in here, you know." He seemed fairly calm about the whole situation, though something was a little off. "Mind closing the door behind you?"
 
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"I don't want your power and I most certainly do not want to submit." She growled bitterly. Rising unsteadily to her feet, she backed away from Noah while observing the damage. Not a scratch had been made on her that she could feel but the windows were shattered into nothing other than jagged edges. The shock of Noah's transformation, had knocked some sense back into Wexley and her mind became slightly clearer although the nausea and dullness of her eyes had not completely faded away.


"Do you like being like that Noah?" Of course he did, it was written all over his face and the way he kept mentioning power. She was only trying to buy herself some time to recuperate and find a way out of the mansion. But then again, that wasn't such a hot idea either. If she did manage to escape, where would she go? Back to her house, where she could still potentially turn into a raving beast? No. It was stupid to even consider escape. She would just have to beat Noah.......somehow.
 
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Noah circles Wexley, ever so slowly, like a cat playing with a mouse. "Who wouldn't? When I'm like this, I am the pinnacle, none can challenge me. And look at you, you have only the potential in you to be something greater, and you're already infinitely superior than a normal human." Even though Noah needed Wexley to be possessed by the grey skin in order to convert her, it may have been his detriment as well. Wexley would have easily had all her bones broken if it wasn't for the reinforced skin that now protected her, as long as she could keep a hold on her mind, she could use it to her advantage.
 
"Top of the morning to you too, sir," Umbra kept his cool. Interesting. Why is he hiding his contraption like a child may hide the toy they're banned from using? Then it hit him; of course! He could use the Baron's object as a weapon. Yet, this was a bare idea; how did it work anyway? And how could he get it from the Baron? He would have to be savvy.


"I was just admiring your handiwork. Quite the masterpiece, as with the creatures too." He heard another loud crash behind him and prayed himself for a faster weapon.
 
"I know exactly what you're thinking" He says with a smirk. "And its not going to work, you aren't the first person to find me here, nor will she be the first person that Noah... eats, for lack of a better word." The Baron says as he gestures towards Wexley's direction before turning back around and begins to tinker with the machine he was hiding behind him. "Now... could you close the door?"
 
"So he's one of your tools then, Noah?" Umbra closed the door, a little unsettled. "No point in smooth talking with you then, I see you're quite the precise little man. Don't suppose I'll get an answer to any of these, but why and how did you create these monsters? And what are you working on now?" His eyes restlessly scanned the room for something, anything, to use as a makeshift weapon.
 
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