-______ and Lillian : ???-
______ was bewildered by the strength of the young lady as she denied his offer to assist in getting her off the murky, repulsive ground which was stained with a few dead insects and filth. Even so, ______ pondered on if aiding her was the most intelligent choice as she seemed relatively unfazed by the transpiring events. It launched off a series of mental questions as he slowly began his ascent to straighten his spine once more. The mans arm was reclaimed as it began to lazily recline back to its former position by the torso, swinging in the absent wind upon arrival.
This young lady is... completely unperturbed by the events that recently occurred... I can't tell if she is just brave or oblivious, but it is kinda scaring me how mentally unstable some of these people are," he thought to himself, closing his eyes as if to ward off some menace causing physical turmoil to others around him. A sigh escaped the mans lungs as his posture began to lag downwards with his eyes coming into contact with the grimy floor. This was certainly a pickle he was in; a pale, physically attractive but horrifying woman who harbored little to no emotion, a kid with glasses pretending to be rough and tumble as a possible way of dealing with this whole predicament, some random stooge who looked like a predator grasping for meat (he was plenty certain that this guy screeched), the woman who looked like a half-hobo, half-noble, and a few other characters.
Turning his head, he noticed another man departing from the vicinity, and to be honest, he didn't blame the guy. Who would want to stay in a dank, noxious area with a cannibal who he was pretty sure succumbed to his wounds at this point and dipped his rancid body into the pool of insanity since he failed to distinguish fantasy from reality over praising some false god for delivering him a meal. At most, it was surprising to see so many dealing with this horrifying situation as if they were unaffected... ______ shivered as if a cold wind wafted and seeped into the underground, teasing his skin to get some reaction.
And all he could do was put up a failing false bravado... ______ wondered if he was truly ever sane with the madness around, seemingly consuming everything in it's glutinous wake. A perturbed frown took shape on his face, becoming ensnared by a mental trance, before undergoing an awakening by a familiar, cheerful females voice. His head shot up like a bullet as he rotated it to look at the shorter young lady who began to introduce herself. To him, this was kind of a life saver to his mental health, despite her possibly either being completely unaware or just mad - she had a welcoming attitude, like a kitten mewling at a dog caring over it. It left his with some reassurance...
And then he was completely positive that she was unaware. As he began to form a smile in response to the optimistic response, the girl immediately fell quicker than a large tree cut by a lumberjack. Eh?! Hey you o..." ______ was completely taken back by how she remained unaffected by the uneventful trip she took to the ground. A small giggle escaped as her face slowly moved up to look up at ______ with wide, upbeat eyes, as if they were to reassure him for her flop after she completely introduced herself.
"Guess you weren't ok as you said; don't overextend yourself kid as that can lead to ruin at unprecedented times," ______ said, extending both of his hands out, as if to embrace her, despite the tactfulness of it in such a room. The man stared, his eyes dull and unpolished from worry. The way he thrust both of his arms out was rather forcibly, as if he or her were devoid of any choice on the subject. "Here, I'll help you up this time, as I'm... unsure how well you might fare after that little descent and I prefer not to dare take any chances, especially with what is currently transpiring..."
A series of coughs erupted from Lillian as she lied on the floor but she merely wiped her mouth off and smiled. It seemed not even in a dream could she lose her clumsiness. That’s what Lillian chose to believe anyway, all of this, everything that had happened, was a dream she’d eventually wake up from. There was no point to sit around and cry about it, she would try her best to get through it, even if it meant pretending it was okay.
The man reached out his hand to Lillian, who gladly took it and once again attempted the impossible feat of standing. She wobbled a bit at first and latched on to the man, whom had yet to introduce himself, for support. Eventually, after jiggling her asleep legs for a while, she could stand on her own. Up ahead near the woman who had appeared from nowhere, she could hear the disturbing occurrence and smell the scent of death but she continued to stare at the man standing beside her as if it was the only thing keeping her from adjusting to this cold reality. It was just a dream. Everything was just a dream.
Lillian held out her small hand. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for helping me again! I'm kind of a klutz if you couldn't tell..." She said while ruffling her blonde hair.
With his extended reach towards the lass, ______ easily made swift work hauling the girl up to her previous position. As she ascended once more, ______ felt her grip tighten on his bulging arm. From what he discerned, the shorter girl still displayed signs of struggling to stand upwards without her legs jiggling as if they were jello for more than two seconds. With Lillian latching on to him, he began to squeeze her arm to assist in the girls endeavors. ______ was plenty sure that the lady should of recovered by now... maybe there was some unnoticeable thing going on within her lower limbs that he neglected to identify.
"I really do wonder what's up with her physique; I can't say it's hemophilia yet, but I know I can identify her as not crippled," ______ assessed as he began tipping his head to the side, as if he was nudging another being. With this dimly lighten room, it was baffling to examine the young girls legs to identify any signs that she might be a moderate or severe hemophiliac. The only thing he found were markings akin to tire tracks embedded in the mud.
So why did she reply that in a way that fabricated her as primed and ready for action? It was a simple puzzle to retort to, as in possibly stemmed from the will of the indomitable human nature... even though such spirit could lead such adamant people spiraling towards their downfall. Nevertheless, ______ stopped glancing at the girls legs thoroughly to avert the off chance of an accusation of a creep scouring for the flesh of others.
Eventually, the rock and rambling over the young woman's legs ceased, and her clutch loosened completely from the mans arms. ______ sought to perform the same action as he freed his own grip, and allowed his arms to droop once more by his torso. Once balanced, ______ noticed her extending a petite, delicate hand towards him. The girl then began explaining to her justification for such a struggle to stand for more than a couple of seconds.
It was rather surprising to identify her as clumsy, but she did timber over like a tree on her initial stride. ______ eyes widened slightly, his right eyebrow nicking upwards to exasperate his befuddlement. "Lillian is a klutz... well, I don't think that's a favorable trait in myriads of concurring moments... especially with the stairs, and the added benefit of being secured with loonies. At most, I anticipate Lillian having the impression of a regular young lady, but only time will tell..."
At any rate, he extended his right hand towards Lillian, and firmly grasped her hand, shaking it as a customary way of being polite. Forcing his eyes to ignite in a flame of affability, he began his assurance to quell the girl of her worries. "Hey, we all have our shortcomings Lillian, so try not to fret that much over it; I'm certain you can overcome it." As he finished his handshake and reassuring reply, he turned his eyes towards the exit of this disgusting room.
"I'm sorry, but is it ok if we continue introductions later when we escape this prison-like area? I do not believe this is a very sanitary place to continue conversing, plus that pale, almost lifeless lady is probably one who doesn't like waiting, considering a few facets," ______ said as he ceased holding the girls soft hand. He anxiously fidgeted as he approached the steps, beckoning the young woman to follow after him through waggling his left hand and fingers back and forth. He was of course also embarrassed to admit that he failed to recollect that name, but alas, all ______ was doing was delaying the inevitable.
Something about the man made Lillian feel peaceful and calm. He reminded her of someone..but the more she tried to remember, the more the aching pain in her head flared. Why couldn’t she remember anything? Did she hit her head or something? Lillian wanted to know almost as much as she wanted to wake up from this awful dream. Things could be much worse though and she had to be at least grateful that it wasn’t.
Lillian energetically saluted the man at his request to hold introductions later. "Roger that!" She called out and hurried after him to venture out of the dump they had been placed in. The graceful woman led the group where, at the sound of a soft grumble from Lillian’s stomach, she could only hope had food. The woman had introduced herself as Maria and spoke of the group as... hunters? She must have overloaded on candy or chocolate cake because this was one strange dream.
When Maria finally stopped, an elder appeared before the group. An endless wave of wrinkles covered his face and Lillian couldn't help but giggle. She knew it was cruel and that she should treat the elderly with respect but with , Lillian needed a laugh more than anything. Call her physiologically insane or just plain naive but Lillian truly believed a laugh or a smile could cure anything, even the most darkest of thoughts.
Soon after appearing, the old man gave an entire speech about their job of hunting monsters for him and an array of weapons were placed near them. Lillian raised her eyebrow and glanced back at the man standing beside her for reassurance. Weapons were foreign to Lillian. She would probably shoot herself should she even come in contact with a gun. No one as clumsy as her could possibly wield a weapon. Deep within the killing creations, a shade of deep brown caught her hazel eyes. Upon closely looking at it, she realized it was a bow. She hesitated again before taking a step toward it, waiting for the man’s approval.
As he gazed back at the young woman, ______ found the lady raising her arm up towards her temple, as if she was a new recruit within an army of sorts. Along with that, she spoke as if ______ had the qualifications of being a perfect guide, to say the least. At most, he felt a bit pressured by this thought since there was the forlorn fact of accidentally leading Lillian astray... maybe. ______ turned his head away, looking upwards at the steps above. He recalled the few minutes ago, and how Lillian claimed she was a klutz.
As she hurried after the man, he moved as swiftly with the wind beneath his feet, climbing until they met up with the rest of the group. Eventually, he emerged from the murky depths with the young woman in tow, finding that the group was down one figure. He pondered on the possibility as the ivory skinned woman began a fleeting, yet convoluted explanation which left the man lagging behind mentally as he became slack jawed from her tainted words.
They were dead.
Dead? No, impossible, that couldn't be it, it had to be a lie. ______ metronomic head began ticking back and forth, denying each of the woman's passing words. It had to be a mere trick of the mind; lucid dreaming perhaps? It was a slight possibility as the flesh he felt was too inexplicably real, plus he just acknowledged himself as dreaming. The two qualifications justified his belief as ______ further inquired quietly to himself. To further test this conjecture, he began gazing over the forlorn area for an object he could mentally manipulate...
...
Was that a... tongue on the floor with some crimson covering it? Ok, this was getting pretty frightening as his face scrunched up in a mixture of alarm and repugnance. He could seldom glimpse at the transpiring events, before snapping himself back to the real trial at hand. ______ eyes squinted, focused completely on that mans tongue... even though it was a simple item, it didn't transform into a tiny puppy who would bounce around gleefully before licking his face.
Eventually, the experiment fell short, which left the man even more frightened of the certain implications before him. As the woman continued on, he found each word tearing at the enigma before him, before creating another mystery in its wake. They were all to be acknowledged as hunter - people who slaughtered 'beasts'; whatever they might be in this... place. Or Jaegers - the german word for hunters... now that he thought about it, the corpses explanation was a bit misleading.
"No recollection of our previous life means we cannot even recall the words we speak, and rather, we would be reduced to mere children, newborn, etc. So this woman - Maria - she might be toying with us... however, we honestly have no choice but to obey since this area seems forlorn to the eye." The mans eyes shut for a second as he came up with a theory he possibly did not wish to accept - they were possibly dead... or maybe they (or ______, himself) was in a coma and within purgatory. He gleaned at the lesser hypothesis as it basked in the shadow of dread, yet it could be also gleaned as a glimmering hope within the sky. ______ did not really believe in any sort of religion, yet he felt the need to pick a god and pray - pray that it was the latter, pray that he wasn't dead, as if he was dead, he was fairly certain everyone else was.
Standing stalwart, physically unmoving as a rock, his eyes shot open as he heard the ruffling steps of the group being led away. Breaking from his position, ______ trudged onward with everyone else. With each grim step, ______ felt like he was walking through quick sand, and sinking at every turn. Whether it came from weariness or the revelation, it did not matter as they all found themselves before a chapel. All that was truly sinking now was irony as the group marched into the church, ______ going on from feeling the earthy below to feeling the floor in this window stained area.
Next came some growling from the man with the hidden visage, denying ______ the ability to properly identify if he was cut close to the apparition of death. Of course, all he found was his hands were mere sticks, and he was a withering flora with naught a single leaf or bud. The man continued to ramble on, speaking of a faith he was unfamiliar with - The Church of the Absolute; the absolute what? The absolute terror and lunacy of this place? The absolute nightmarish landscape and Victorian setting?
...
At any rate, the tree of a man delivered more information than the preserved cadaver, location wise, and gave a few hints to the coming storm. There was a possibility of escape, and from what ______ inferred - this realm known as The World of Wasted Dreams. How he perceived it as was waking up and returning to what former life he garnered before diving into such an ominous place. ______ was not to be deceived and torn away from what was truly real - he would escape this coma, all while keeping his morality and sanity. Of course, the next catch was understandable, and yet insanely demented to the point where this could be noted as the ultimate form of hazing.
Well, after the dying oak managed to bring back myriads of sharp instruments and strange baubles from wherever they were stored. The man began to complete his speech by commending them with an objective of accumulating a large body count of dead beasts and whimsical creatures. That sounded like something he did not want to involve himself in, yet ______ found himself powerless to deny this mission. If ______ did not accomplish seeking the way out, he might be permanently locked in this sleep and eventually be euthanized.
The pressure came as his foot slid back bit, a frown of disproportionate irritation seethed as he bit his lip to avoid breaking into questions of vindictive terror... before seeing the shorter woman looking up to the man, as if she wanted parental guidance, or someone just to look up to. His teeth no longer latched onto his lips, and his scrunched face began to form back to its regular shape. ______ remembered he was to save his sanity and his own morality as he resolved to do so that he could be freed from any absolution.
So he forced an awkward smile at the young woman to reassure her, even if there was a chance of Lillian being fabricated. Yellow roses all about, yet what rose would he be? This limit was to be tested within each passing moment as the man completely ended his little chat, before making the final request of seeking his granddaughter.
Then he was gone.
"... my my, such a peculiar man... and even more peculiar backdrop for this uneventful eve," ______ muttered to the girl in a calm, serene voice which clashed with the despair in the air. Of course, he noticed everyone was diving into a weapon, as if they were eager to satiate their hunger and devour each challenge, Lillian included. Of course, she appeared to be less sure as she wobbled like a top towards the dangerous items that could easily rend flesh, crush bones, or poke eyes out.
Feeling no choice in the matter, ______ joined with the others around the weapons as he searched for the perfect match for him... despite the lack of a firearm that could hold more than one bullet. Struggling to identify what he might wield, ______ gave up and procured what he believed was a crimson dueling pistol and blade that appeared rather ravishing. Engraved on the handle were the words 'Oblivion' and the gun... he had no clue what the name was... should he even give a damn?
At most, he brandished the shining blade and felt the weight of the blade as it attempted to take his arm downwards by force. ______ denied gravity its chance to fall the man as his arm wiggled while keeping it up... This was a solid blade, ornate, but could easily hack and slash through any fiend from what ______ discerned. It would take a while getting used to slicing with it before he was no longer encumbered... but he had enough time, right?
Next was the gun he grabbed; ______ attempted to twirl the beautifully crafted gun around before clumsily dropping it back into the pile. Putting the hardy and handsome blade down, he immediately retrieved the red firearm before practicing aiming as if he was a sheriff of the law. Securing his hands onto the grip, ______ aimed it away from another person, lest he might pull the trigger with something loaded within.
Setting the aged firearm beside the blade, ______ found a... book. Why it was here, who knew, but he could use it to record previous events and other peculiar instances. The leather was rough and fear was ever more imminent when he glanced at the title when opening the 'Crimson Sabbath.' Some of the pages appeared almost rust-like, which made ______ wonder if someone was beaten to death with such a mystifying and blood soaked book... that or it was dipped into some tangy tasting wine.
After making his selection, he noticed the same wide eyes begging for assistance, the same eyes you would identify with an adorable animal clenching at hope for a treat. Lillian was looking for some approval of a weapon. As ______ looked down, he assumed that she was talking about the bow near her well-being. Of course, as dangerous the weapon was, he honestly was torn between the truth and making the lady feel more confident about her choice in munitions. Glancing to the side, deep in thought, ______ returned his gaze to her with a positive nod, in hopes that might raise her moral.
Because god knows they all needed some hope right now instead of helplessness...
