dappledleaves | THE WORLD: PSL LIFE

[ He should have known Kromer wasn't ever going to let him go. When he had gotten the call with the hauntingly familiar laugh and whistle, the entire world had turned red.

Morgan's words...Morgan had apologised for them. He had taken it back. But all Sinclair could think was that he really should have killed Kromer before she had a chance to touch anyone he loved.

There's no mercy for the guards when Sinclair cuts a bloody swathe through them. He leaves them alive. But they'll wish they were dead. Their words, their mockery all fuel Sinclair's frantic rush for Oria, despite everyone trying to tell him to cool his head.

His mind has never been clearer. He steps over the body of the final guard, keys in hand and opens the door.

He stares, at the blood, the body, at Oria...

He was too late.]

Oria...

[ Sinclair slips off his trench coat and drapes it over the body for some semblance of dignity. Then he's kneeling by Oria, hands trembling as he unlocks the collar. He feels sick. He feels angry.

Aah. Everyone involved in this should just ---. He should rip them to shreds and ----]

[ The collar unlocks and falls to the ground with a clank, but it doesn't help Oria's breathing problem despite his neck being free. It must have been an aftereffect of all the shocks. His neck feel raw and pain radiates throughout his body. He doesn't say anything until several seconds later when he puts a bloody hand over Sinclair's. ]

... Emil.

[ His voice is uncharacteristically quiet. No more words come out as he squeezes his hand so, so tightly before the grip loses its strength. He feels like crying again, but he already feels that he ran out of tears to cry. ]

[ Sinclair swallows back his own tears, squeezing Oria's hands. Those marks on his neck, the scars in his heart... He has Oria's and Arvel's things with him, glad the guards decided to make it simple. He's fine with leaving his coat behind. The equipment he had ready outside...it would be more than enough later.]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

[He wants to shield Oria from this. He wants to erase the last few hours, turn back the clock. But that's not in his power. That's not in any of their powers. So all he can do is hold Oria's hands, pull him close, and bind his own hateful thoughts together for a little longer.

"You need to PIT." Ryoshu's voice calls out from outside the cell, and there's the sickening gurgle from the guard as she puts him out of his misery. Sinclair feels numb. Pull it together? How could he? How could he make Oria move now, after everything. It wasn't right.]

Ryoshu...give us some time.

[Silence and then:

"Five minutes."]

Edited 2023-12-24 06:37 (UTC)

Stop.

[ Oria can barely get his voice out, the sound more air than voice. His throat is worn out and so is his voice box. While he'd like to talk with Sinclair some more, he doesn't want to stay in this room any longer.

And most of all, he doesn't want to hear apologies from someone who Oria firmly believes has nothing to do with his pain. In fact, it snaps Oria out of it. He wants to make Kromer suffer so badly and eradicate the entire group until nothing is left. He wants vengeance while he's still here.

Despite everything that happened today, he remembers his words with Sinclair: if his family died like Sinclair's did, he would also want to take revenge. However, his parents didn't raise him to be obsessed with such a short sighted goal that could ruin everything for long term. Even now, Oria thinks, he needs to keep his head on his shoulders even though he wants to scream and cry some more. Even through it all, Oria still isn't even twenty years old. ]

...

[ Sinclair's words die in his throat. He squeezes Oria's hands, nods and pulls him upright. Away from here, away from his father, away from the living nightmare they had descended into.

He can already see the way Oria tries to steel himself, build himself anew. It digs at him, sinking his thorns in. But Ryoshu was right. Time was limited here. Kindness was non-existent. When they had arrived, Effie had been strung up to die. He had scouted, dug into what he could and paid a price no one could ensure.

When they're far enough from that room, away from the dead bodies of the guards, he pulls Oria into a hug, desperately trying to put all his feelings into words. He presses the bag into Oria's hands. All of Oria's and Arvel's things were still within]

...your mother contacted us as soon as she knew. There's an escape route, with your family's people. If you want to take it...

[ It's there. Freedom, safety. But he knows that look in Oria's eyes]

... We're continuing on. I...we won't let her get away with this. Her, Nagel, Sarabi...

[ All of them will disappear. There's a cold realisation in that. This isn't the decision either of them wanted to make]

[ It would be the safest decision. It would be the recommended decision. Oria holds the bag tightly to his chest. Two sides fight inside of him—since Limbus Company is here, there's probably something else going on that involves abnornalities. Getting involved with that as he is right now would be nothing more than a burden to the others. Honor means nothing when you're dead, but if the hired work was already here, he's pretty sure that they'd be collecting his father's corpse so that he can be given a proper burial. Surely, his father wanted him to live, even though living is so much harder than dying. He believed in Oria. He knew he was strong enough—his own child that he had overseen the development of. It's a trial that neither of them asked for, but knew that it would come someday. Their mortality rates were too high. That's why Arvel's sacrifice would be a waste if Oria carked it here. To waste something like that... Oria wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

The hired help and portions of the SWAT team make it to the room that they were in and the loud sound that follows isn't normal—a loud crunching sound like trying to bite down on a jawbreaker after it melts enough to be bitten down on. The sound of hysteria follows. For a team that's so professional, there's no way that they would be begging for their lives so openly and loudly that Oria and Sinclair can clearly hear even from their distance.

What Ryoshu is dealing with right now is an abnornality that rose from Arvel's corpse, complete with the sawed off head that now has teeth, parts of the tattered suit embedded into its skin, and with the ever familiar blue eye that's multiplied itself all over the body.

There won't even be a body to bury, but at least Sinclair took Oria out of that room before the abnormality manifested while Oria was trapped inside. ]

[ The screams echo down the hall and Sinclair draws in a sharp breath. Ryoshu fills him in with a simple acronym.

"T.A.H.R"

The despair in that room had risen to a feverish pitch. The senseless horror. Everything contained within...

He cups Oria's face, and presses their foreheads together]

I'm here. I'll be with you no matter what. Whatever you choose, I'll support you.

[ He draws in a shaky breath and lets go with a small smile]

I love you more than anything. So, please, whatever you choose, you need to live.

[ And here, the remaining support has arrived. So Sinclair turns and runs back to Ryoshu, equipping some strangely shaped gloves. From an equipment case slung over his back, he takes out a strange weapon that glowed with a strange light.

It wasn't time to hold anything back anymore. ]

[ Even with all this, Oria has no intention to die. This is why he watches Sinclair go to where the abnormality is with Ryoshu. He holds the bag closer to himself, standing there in place. He should have expected this to happen sooner or later with how intensely his family was targeted, but to go further to this level, and being subjected to this level of torment without break--no, this was well within the realm of possibility. Oria was ill-prepared, he thinks, despite how this should not be something that someone should ever be preparing themselves for. The hold on the bag tightens.

The abnormality is a TETH level. While it doesn't look like it has much offense capability compared to other abnormalities other than chewing people off by its cranium teeth, its defenses seem to be outrageously sturdy. It has a vague humanoid shape with that single electric blue eye, almost bulging, looking this way and that as if frantic despite the calm movements. Perhaps this hideous form would say all about the source.

In order for Oria to go outside, he needs to go past the abnormality fight. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he'd get out regardless with how the exit caves in on itself, blocking the path beyond the fight. They'll have to find another way out.

However, Oria's eyes are on the abnormality even though he's at a distance away after trying to move on. His gaze moves past it to the open cell, where his father's corpse should be under Sinclair's coat, but there's nothing under said coat. He sees the familiar characteristics in the monster that's facing off against Sinclair and Ryoshu.

The mental damage feels like it's compounding. Again, with more air than voice, Oria mutters under his breath: ]

Dad...?

[ The abnormality strikes at Ryoshu first. ]

[This is not Arvel Severine. It is something born of the greatest depths of despair and horror. Whatever resemblance this now had...

Sinclair tightens his grip on his weapon, feeling the vines of it wrap around him. The designation wasn't the highest bur it was still dangerous. Sinclair grits his teeth as he swings his glaive, looking for an opening within.]

... I'm sorry.

[He tells the abnormality. Ryoshu parries the blow easily and Sinclair lunges forward, leaves and flowers scattering with the swing of his glaive]

[ The abnormality tries to catch the glaive with its teeth, but fails. The swing hits the mark, making the abnormality screech. Oria looks away, biting his bottom lip as he tries not to listen. He feels like he's hearing something he's not supposed to. A voice--

Fortunately, Oria still has enough sense to think that he's probably hallucinating and won't do anything that would get in their way. He stays far and hides behind the wall, lowering himself against it and curling up. This should keep him from doing something stupid. ]

[Sinclair and Ryoshu don't hesitate. Their own resistances, genetic, their training to improve it...

All of it is enough to bring the abnormality down. Sinclair just wishes Oria wasn't here to witness it. The abnormality falls, Ryoshu makes quick, efficient work of its remains, uncaring of who it had once been. It was an early abnormality, at least. Newly formed. It was sickeningly easy to destroy it again, reducing it to nothing more than a broken crystal egg.

He looks the blood staining the ground, the bodies of the SWAT team who had no idea what they had gone into. His coat, no longer giving any protection. His hands tremble, and he unequips his Fae Lantern weapon, stumbling over to Oria to help him back up]

...it's over. We need to get you out of here.

[But the exit had caved in, the route they had secured gone in an instant. The only other way was...]

Edited 2023-12-24 22:09 (UTC)

[ He hears the abnormality being defeated before Sinclair makes his way over to him. He stops curling up and lifts his head, taking Sinclair's hand to force himself to stand. He nods in response, but is still quiet. He doesn't feel like talking and the fact that it's very difficult to only deters him even more. His hold on Sinclair's hand is generally weak, and this isn't because his body feels physically weakened.

Oria Severine will always be fine, despite looking so lost at the moment. He isn't fine now, but he will be. That's how it always is. ]

... Let's go. I won't get in the way.

[ His gaze doesn't move away from the ground. ]

[Sinclair nods, squeezing Oria's hand harder. It's fine that Oria's grip is weak. Sinclair will keep hanging on anyway. He nods at Ryoshu, who has retrieved his coat - there's a pang there, but he accepts it, keeping it tucked under his elbow for now. The other equipment in there...he's never had to wear the full suit before]

We're going to meet up with the others. They've been tracking down Kromer and the Abnormality Sarabi and Nagel managed to take from Kayser.

[Sinclair holds Oria's hand close as they move out]

...whatever happens, the moment it starts looking bad, you need to run. We'll make an opening for you.

[ Oria wants to be selfish and tell Sinclair not to say that. It makes him think of the terrible nightmare when Sinclair died in the process of doing just that. With the loss that just occurred, he's not sure if he can handle Sinclair dying on top of his father dying and then turning into the monstrosity. He knows though, that this is the most logical step, and that's the protocol for hired help to inform the person that they're supposedly rescuing. It makes sense.

He hates how it makes sense, because he can't argue.

How many more loved ones will have to die in his presence? The mere thought of it severely depresses Oria. Here's your free gloom resource.

There won't be any words out of him unless he needs to speak to answer something. At least, until they catch up to the rest of the team. ]

[There's more in their way as they rejoin the main team, leading all the way to this underground tunnel. And all along the way are Christmas carols, the bodies of people - allies, enemies even - split apart in a mockery that have Sinclair gripping Oria's hand in a death grip, trying to keep his cool. Even Ryoshu seems unimpressed, her disdain for the 'kitsch' display evident.

They meet Dante and the others at the tunnel, and their expressions are grim as Sinclair fills them in with a few signs.

Then, Faust speaks.

"We must hurry. That abnormality may take over entirely if we tarry too long, rendering all our efforts useless."

Sinclair shivers, and nods.

Who would have thought Kromer would go this far in the end?]

...I'm ready. I wont lose myself this time.

[The memory of Fragment and what he saw with Michel...that wouldn't leave him any time soon]

[ Upon arriving, Oria looks at the others and shifts his gaze over to Sinclair. While they discuss among themselves, Oria brings something out from the bag after rummaging through it with a pause: a small spherical object that's the size of a marble. Oria knows what this is, but it wasn't his. It was a prototype that supposed passed its first trials. Before Sinclair heads out, Oria puts the marble-like object in his hand. ]

Emil.

[ His voice is quiet, barely a whisper. It's still mostly air. ]

Have you ever used a centrifuge in a lab class?

...not on my own. But the teacher gave us demos.

[ It was an expensive machine after all. He takes the marble like object, confusion written all over his face. But he knows what it's for and something like understanding begins to dawn on him]

What is this?

Edited 2023-12-25 00:17 (UTC)

If you put this inside a living thing, it'll split them into multiple layers of what makes them. If you need a gruesome example, if you put this inside a human, you'll be able to separate the skeleton, muscular, and nervous system of a single person. Obviously, this will kill them.

[ It's not meant to use on living things, but that's not the point. Anything that isn't meant to be used for its intended purpose is bound to be destructive for anything that's alive. ]

I don't know if it'll work against the things that you fight... but I think it'll be a useful tool one way or another.

[ Oria coughs a little. He's talking too much and his throat hurts. ]

You need to live too. If you leave me on top of my dad... I...

[ Oria can't find the words for once, but he sure looks upset. He tries to hide those sorts of expressions, but he can't bother doing that right now. ]

... I don't want you to be another person that I'll have to bury.

[ Physically and mentally. His voice gets quieter as he reaches the limit. ]

I won't make you promise me, since we know that's not realistic. Do your best to live... please.

[Sinclair squeezes the marble a little more tightly and nods. It's gruesome. It's nothing short of cruel, even. But they had reached their limit here, mentally and physically. ]

I wont be reckless. I intend on coming back from this no matter what.

[He lets out a shaky breath; he understood from the beginning why Limbus Company had selected those without homes, without people to return to. He doesn't want to be another nightmare for Oria to live through.

He wants to live, with Oria, with all his loved ones.

But this is the only promise he can offer. He pulls away at the impatient calls from Heathcliff and the others. If Oria meets Rodya's or Gregor's gaze, they give him a grim look and a nod.

No one here entered battle with the intention of dying. He pulls out the last bit of equipment from the case, a strange looking coat, that settled over him and had the vines twisting up further his arm.

As they descend down the stairs, he hears the movements, slithering and flesh like. And they descend into a cavern - Sinclair wondered if it had existed before this. No matter.

Kromer is there, hands stained with blood and whistles, as she reaches for the abnormality, eyes wide and fascinated, a flush of delight written all over her face. It's sickening. His grip on the Fae Lantern glaive tightens, and he trembles with barely restrained hatred]

Kromer...

["Ahaha...Sinclair. My Sinclair. You've finally come. I've been waiting such a long, long time for you."

He bites back a snarl, but the hatred in his eyes is all too obvious]

This ends today. No more.

[He's sorry Michel. But monsters were real here. And Kromer...

He watches in horror as the abnormality seems to reach out and draw Kromer in, bit by bit. Flesh, devouring flesh.

"The Fuck is that." That must have been Heathcliff.

"Soorrrryyyy Sinclair. You're too late. As always---"]

[ When Oria gets to the bottom with the others, he sees Kromer sink into the monster that he refuses to acknowledge. He feels that if he gives it a direct look, he won't come back from whatever hell it would send him to.

He won't wait for Kromer to finish her speaking or whatever monologue she planned while sinking into the abnormality. In fact, he gets out a specialized gun that looks like something between a specialized revolver, aiming and shooting an APHE (armor-piercing high-explosive) bullet right into the center of Kromer's body. He'll never wait for anyone to finish their speeches. They can die where they stand with their ego. ]

[Truth be told, no one was expecting that. Except for maybe Sinclair who was all the more aware of Oria's habits, as learned through their time in Fragment. Kromer screeches, an inhumane how before she laughs and laughs.

"Sinclair, I see that boy wishes to join his--"

Sinclair is already sprinting across the cavern, swinging up with his glaive to slice at an arm. The marble is within his pocket, seemingly burning a hole against his skin. He needed one opening. Just one]

Shut up---

[Venom drips from his lips, but his eyes are focused. If he lost himself now, then they would all pay the price. He needed to keep his calm, bind himself to the earth and focus. Kromer, who adored the rawness of humanity, was now beyond it. It was a little ironic. He's aware of the others falling into formation, taken aback by his sudden charge into the front lines. But they had seen more of this now, when his body said move, and his mind said guard everyone. They had just never seen how much hatred he had within him]

[ Despite his physical weakness, he holds his gun steady. He could be shaking with rage, but that's counterproductive to what he wants to do in the moment. So he fires another bullet at Kromer in junction with Sinclair's attacks so that Sinclair doesn't have to think twice about trying to dodge the bullets he fires. Oria meant it when he said that he wouldn't get in his way. He knows how Sinclair fights. He took notice of so many things about him in Fragment and whenever they were together. During Sinclair's possible openings when he doesn't attack, he fires at Kromer so that she can't make use of them. She'll continue to be barraged with attacks regardless of who they're from.

And that's what support really means--to have each other's backs and to cover for one another. ]

[There's a strange sense of steadiness that accompanies the knowledge that someone knew him so well had his back. Fragment had changed him, hone the knife's edge of his will, sharpened it with pain and blood.

He had been broken and remade so many times over. He falls back to allow Oria to shoot, he moves in to keep Kromer occupied. The rest are all scattered, whittling away at flesh, at accompanying creatures that spawned in response to the call of this inhumane creature who promised a rebirth with blood and flesh alone. They're exhausted. Sinclair is too. But he keeps fighting, carried forward by one thought alone.

In Fragment, fire had been his element. Burning cinders that threatened to reduce everything to ash. Here, he had asked for the Fae Lantern for a reason. Vines and flowers bloom in the Fae Lantern's path, little seeds of life against all the senseless death. He hears the call of the fae, gently welcoming all to the forest. Take care, take your steps carefully.

He shuts it all out.

He didn't need any of that.

He just needed one moment, one moment alone. When Kromer's arms reach out to strike him, he sees it. The gaping maw of the Abnormality, opening to consume and render all around her. And he tosses that marble inside, as he gets pinned to the ground. There's a shout. Someone yells.

"Weak, weak, weak. Sinclair. You are nothing without me. Nothing. You should have..."

The words die off, he feels the grip slacken on him, and he sees the moment that marble takes effect. Ah. So it activated that soon...]

...no. My choice was the right one all along. I needed nothing from you. And now, you'll be nothing too.

[There's a scream, inhumane, painful. And then flesh begins to twist and shift and--

This might haunt his nightmares too.

That's alright. He knew what he had to do]

Edited 2023-12-25 05:33 (UTC)

[ Kromer's "stage" seems to be gradually melting as the being fused with the abnormality separates into several layers of... flesh? And then there is an egg, but it's getting swallowed up by the melting area. Oria urges someone to get Sinclair since he's the furthest from them and near the epicenter of the melting environment.

During the meltdown, a path opens up. Surely it's an exit out of this cavern. It's their only way out, so they better take their chances!! Oria does his best to run with the group. ]

[Sinclair watches numbly as acid splashes down on the ground, lapping at his glaive, melting it away.

Oh. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. He sees the remnants of Kromer's body fall - alive? He's not sure - but he doesn't have time to wait. Gregor is grabbing him, hauling him over his shoulder as they all frantically flee the cavern and the world of the abnormality. He doesn't look back, fighting exhaustion every step of the way. They're all flagging now, adrenaline long gone. If Oria trips or stumbles, Don will be there to drag him up and off again, seemingly unburdened by the exhaustion afflicting the others.

But they emerge from the cavernous depths just as it collapses behind them - trapping the egg with it - and they all waver, and collapse, gasping as they remove their equipment - and they're met with Vergilius, and a team of Limbus Company medics. His red gaze studies each and every one of them, assessing their victories and failures in one swoop.

And Sinclair, aching from the battle, wonders if he had broken anything. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was...]

...Oria...

[ He moves across the field, from where Don had left Oria, as she goes to declare their hard won victory. His vision swims a little, but he stands tall, refusing to do anything else until Oria's hands are in his again]

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