#zorana

[xenthosss]

Galaxy Princess Zorana really went "Okay if you want religious support you have to either get stabbed by a spear or make a ten year old who killed his entire family the pope"

[spaghetti-twerk]

HE'S SO CUTEEEEEE

[bei-credo]

[circuits-unending]

HB Intermission - Secrets Slipping Out

AO3 Link

(WARNING: BODY HORROR AND MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM)

Why do you trust them so much? You know they'll just leave you. Blame you for their problems and leave you, just like he did.

Shut up.

Why? Because I speak the truth? You know well what's going to happen, Sean. You're going to be left all alone.

All by yourself.

No one to save you.

No one to continue listening to your stuttering rambling, your nonsensical rants over nothing.

No one to care about the pathetic little half-breed you are.

You will be alone.

SHUT UP!

A fist gripped Sean's wrist, an arm wrapping around his waist to hold him in place. Sean breathed heavily, struggling to get away from whatever was holding him. Gloam's voice finally reached his ears, calling his name.

"Sean! You have to stop! You're okay, I'm right here!" Gloam held Sean tighter, until he slowly went limp in his arms. Sean was still breathing heavily, but was no longer fighting against Gloam's grip. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Sean didn't answer, and pulled his hands up towards his face, rubbing at his eyes. He brought his legs closer to his chest, curling into a ball in Gloam's lap. Gloam sighed, leaning back against the wall behind him.

The covers of Sean's bed were everywhere, one having been thrown to the other side of the room, the other halfway on the bed and halfway on the floor where the two of them sat. A pillow was wedged between Gloam's arm and the side of the bed, and Gloam grabbed it, placing it behind his own head against the wall.

"That Cremia girl has a weird sixth sense. She woke me up and just pulled me to your door, then left without a single word…" Gloam rambles, pressing his cheek against the top of Sean's head. "You've been having nightmares a lot, Sean. I wish you'd tell me what they were about."

"You don't ever tell me what your nightmares are about." Sean's voice is rough and raspy, barely above a whisper. Gloam sighs.

"Yeah, I know….But my dreams are usually nonsensical. I...can't really describe them well. Maybe that's what's going on with you too, but...I'm still going to worry."

"Why worry?"

"Because I can."

That answer made Sean tense up, one of his hands curling up into Gloam's shirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavy breathing filled the otherwise quiet room, light tapping against glass sounding every few minutes. Tear pressed his forehead against the floor-length mirror on the wall opposite his bed, one hand clasping around his other arm, nails digging into it, the other hand rhythmically tapping against the glass of the mirror.

Reflected in the mirror were silver eyes staring back at him, fiery red hair framing a ghostly pale face. A serene smile graced Ghost's face as she stared down at Tear through the mirror, tapping back every time he did.

Tear coughed, pitch black tar splattering onto the floor. He wretched and gagged, inky fingers weaved into his hair to pull it out of his face, crimson eyes glowing in the dark room. Tear's body twitched and convulsed as he continued to vomit the atramentous substance, it pooling on the floor and staining his paints.

"I'm surprised how well you managed to hold onto to that piece of Annira, little one, even with Ordona and the Silver Goddess breathing down your neck. Though I believe that Four Sword wielder is on to you." Vanity's voice was low, a sweet tone as he used one hand to pet Tear's head. "But you did a good job. I'm so proud."

"Shut the fuck up, Luculen." Tear heaved through ragged breathing, the tar continuing to pour out of his mouth. This earned a low chuckle from Vanity, who pressed his nose into Tear's hair, breathing in and out.

"Don't worry. You'll be rewarded well for your assistance. After this, we just need to get Zoey out of the way, and set the stage for Sid to capture DJ, and for you to help lure Soldier along."

"Why do...you want Soldier? Is it because...you miss him?" Tear smirked, his teeth stained a bluish-black. Vanity's fingers dug into Tear's scalp, yanking his head back, causing Tear to wince and begin to choke. Ghost stirred in the mirror, banging her fist on the glass.

"Easy, Ghost. He's fine, I just need to remind him who's in control." Vanity smiled, Ghost snarling back at him, but ceasing her assault on the glass. "My reasons for wanting you to bring Soldier is none of your concern. Just do as your told and you'll get what you want." Vanity shoves Tear's head back, it smacking into the glass with a light thud. Tear's body started to shake harder, and he braced himself against the mirror, starting to heave harder.

The black liquid started to sink into the wood, some of it slithering along to floor to slip out under the closed door. Vanity stood up, staring down at Tear with an annoyed expression.

"Do as you are told, Lurin. I won't tolerate defiance."

With that, Vanity disappeared, and wisps of dark smoke began to come off of the liquid, filling the quiet hallways, searching for their coveted target.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crack.

….

….

Wake up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey uh...DJ right?" Soldier's voice held a nervous tone as he peeked in the doorway of the young woman's room. "Zoey asked me to come check on you." DJ sat silently on her bed, staring at the wall across from her. She didn't look at Soldier when she spoke.

"I'm not supposed to be here." Her voice was strained, barely above a whisper.

"What...do you mean?" Soldier quietly shuffled over to the stool near DJ's bed, sitting down on it. Something felt off about her, and the air held a heavy sense of tension. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't figure out what.

He had a feeling he was about to find out.

"You have secrets, don't you, Link?" DJ spoke again, barely turning her head towards him. Her brown eyes looked black in the dim lighting of the room. To Soldier, her gaze felt as if it would tear a hole straight through him. "Are those secrets going to put your friends in danger?"

"What…"

"One of those secrets is here. And it is sending something after me. You need to wake up and help him."

~~~

A terrifyingly loud crash shook Soldier awake, causing him to shoot up from his bed, stumbling out onto the floor. He sprinted out into the hallway, eyes landing on the clearly just-awoken DJ who also stumbled out into the hallway. Torrent stumbled out of his own room, running up to the two of them.

"What happened? What was that noise?" DJ asked, staring at the two men with a confused look. A scream let out, followed by more crashes, and DJ ran down the hallway, Torrent and Soldier running back to their rooms for their weapons, before following her.

When they all made it out of the building, they were faced with a giant black creature covered in cracks that glowed a sickly green. It's face looked as though it had been burnt through, huge razor sharp teeth weighing down a loose jaw, wide sprawling horns curving outwards from its head. A massive clawed hand was being held back by the hooked chains Zoey wielded, Zoey herself standing with her arm wrapped around a beam of another building, trying to give herself leverage against the huge creature.

The creature thrashed wildly, and Soldier realized that whatever this was had managed to take down one of the smaller houses in the village, a very large wolf currently dragging an unconscious body out from the rubble. Sean and Lucas were close by it, moving debris out of the way.

"What's happening, where'd this thing come from?!" Soldier shouted, Shadow suddenly popping up beside him.

"It's a Caliga Rumenti, sometimes called a Rume. Basically a berserker for the Fayrin army. Its shadows are acidic, they can melt through anything that isn't Fayrin." Shadow was currently brushing his hair back, tying the massive curls up into a bun. "The first night I have my dreads out, and this happens....Let's hope they don't get chopped off this time…" He mumbled to himself, earning a raised eyebrow from Soldier.

"Wait...if it can melt through anything that isn't Fayrin, how are Zoey's chains keeping it back?"

Shadow scoffed, finishing the tie on his hair. "Guess."

He jumped in the air, shadows pooling beneath him, and disappeared down into them. Black tendrils spread out from the small pool, shooting towards the Rume, and encasing the giant trunks that seemed to function as its legs. Purple started to encase the legs, overriding the green. The Rume stumbled, roaring loudly.

"Don't just stand there, captain, help!" Ray's voice cut through the commotion, and Soldier whipped his head towards the direction it came from. Ray and Zorana both held semi-unconscious villagers on their arms, Four holding a small child in his own. He sprinted towards them.

"There are more people inside. Start guiding them out, we're heading up the hill to the ranch." Zorana said, casting worried glances as Luca and Rinku ran past, heading towards the Rume.

Four looked towards Zorana, shifting on his feet. "Does the Fayrin stipulation count if you have a piece of a Fayrin in you? Shadow said only something Fayrin can combat a Rume."

"Only if you were born like that." Zorana began towards the hill, keeping on the far edge of the buildings, as far from the Rume as she could get.  "Unless you were born with that piece, it wouldn't work."

Soldier flinched as he headed towards the inn he, Torrent, and DJ had just come out of, clenching his teeth.

Born like that, huh?

~~~~

Shadow gripped the giant horns that spread out of the Rume's head, digging his nails into the velveteen surface. The Rume whipped its head, trying to shake him off.

"COME ON YOU SLIMY BASTARD! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" He shouted, ripping his nails into its head, earning a screech of pain and another stumble that nearly threw him off.

Luca stood a few meters from the creature, her arms spread out to the side. Symbols began to form on the ground, a bright fuschia color burning into the ground, setting the grass around it on fire. As she raised her hands up, Rinku leaped above her, practically slingshotting himself into the Rume's stomach. His hands dug into the slimy flesh, bright red seeping into the green and causing the creature's skin to begin to harden and crack.

The symbols began to glow brighter, and a fuschia-colored barrier shot up, surrounding the Rume. Shadow and Rinku jumped off and away from the creature, passing through the barrier. Zoey tugged on the chains, the weapon loosening itself from the Rume's arm and swing back towards her. She caught them by the handles of the scythes that adorned the ends, and flopped back onto the porch of the building she had previously wrapped herself around. With the Rume's limbs free, it bolted towards Luca, but was thrown back by the magic barrier. It roared, pounding its fists against its cage.

"How are we supposed to kill this thing?" Rinku stared up at it, running his hand through his hair. "I've only even see the skinny little creatures that slink around the desert and the Shadow Temple, but those Caliga are pretty small, I've never seen any of them get this big."

"The Caliga that lurk in the desert are called Shells. They're often created by bigger Caliga, like Meviri and Paresits. Meviri are used solely for creating shells, while Paresits are like that thing Skylar and Ray fought in Termina before coming here. A Rumenti is for pure destruction, meant to melt and poison everything around it. We're lucky we caged it before it burst. Your water likely slowed to process as well, Zeir." Shadow sighed, glaring at the creature currently going ballistic in the cage. "Luca. Close off the cage, and start making it smaller. I want to try something before it bursts."

Luca nodded, spreading her arms again. Fuschia symbols formed in the air above the creature, and the barrier shifted to a dome-like form, completely encasing the Rume. It crouched on all fours, screeching as the barrier began close around it. Shadow approached the front of it, the Rume staring down angrily at the Catul.

"Caliga hevor rumenti, tas ichvir borevil kaji?" Shadow's voice took a low tone as he spoke, his lavendar eyes glowing brightly against the pink light of the magic barrier. The Rume stopped, its heavy breaths slowing as it laid on the ground. Gently, it pressed its horns against the barrier, weaving its claws together in front of it, as if it were praying.

The green sludge that moved beneath the cracks in its body got brighter, and a foul smell began to cover the area. The Rume raised its head, and its face broke into a wide grin, glowing green eyes narrowing in a delighted expression.

"Ichiv savti er luculentus. Wao wuy tev Campiso emita, Primor. Ichvir wuy nor liresa fei kiel massint." The Rume growled out, and before Shadow could respond, a bright green light blinded the group, and a loud wet noise sounded, splattering against the inside of the barrier. The smell was even worse now, causing Luca to cover her face.

"Oh that's worse than the Shells. What the fuck did it say?" Luca gagged, stepping back.

"It said...It was sent here by Luculen, another Pitch. It's after the Heir, that we can't hide them for long…" Shadow said, seemingly unaffected by the putrid smell that pervaded the entire village. "You three...check and make sure everyone got out safely, and then check on the ranch. I have to go find something…" Shadow's face was expressionless, but the look in his eyes was unsettling. They nodded, splitting up to check the buildings as Shadow disappeared into the pool of darkness that appeared beneath him.

~~~~~~

The Countdown begins.

1 left.

~~~~~~

DJ stood on top of the large wooden fence that lined the edge of the ranch, looking down on the village, an arm wrapped around one of the massive metal spikes. Suddenly, she felt a light tap on the back of her shirt. She turned, looking down. Soldier stood on the ground below, his arm cocked back with a small pebble in his fingers. He lowers it, dropping the rocks, and begins to climb the side of the fence connected to the rock of the hill, and slowly makes his way over to her. He leans on one of the spikes, an arm hooked around it, looking at her.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Could ask you the same thing." She stares back at him, a blank expression on her face. "Why'd you come all the way up here just to talk to me?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Last night, just before the Rume attacked...I saw in you in my dreams."

"Oooh, didn't know you felt that way about me, Mr. Knight." DJ smirked, winking at him, earning a chuckle from Soldier.

"You know what I mean. It was weird, though. You warned me about the Rume. Your eyes looked almost black in it, it was honestly kind of terrifying."

DJ looked at him in confusion, but said nothing. Soldier stared at her for a moment, but found no hint of knowing in her eyes. He sighed, crouching to sit on the edge of the fence, one leg wrapped around the spike, his arm still hooked around it.

"You really don't remember anything about yourself, do you? Nothing except your name." He looks out over the village, a burnt ring in the grass now the only remnant of the Rume's presence. Other than the lingering smell, of course. "So that'd mean you don't know anything about anyone here…"

"I wouldn't say I know nothing about you guys…" DJ whispered, suddenly very close to Soldier's ear. He jerked, whipping his head toward her, her face only a few inches from his, her having leaned down to be closer. He felt the same sense of dread he did in the dream, and DJ's eyes once more looked like small coals, boring into his.

"I don't know what it is, but I feel like I know the people here. Not personally, but I know of them. Like maybe I'd read about them in books. It's barely there, but there's enough that it feels like deja vu when I look at these people. Especially Zoey. But she has a weird feeling about her anyways, even outside of me feeling like I know her."

"Do you know me?"

"Maybe." She stands straight again, staring ahead. "There's something about to happen, but I don't know what it is. Someone here has brought something bad with them. It's someone no one expects. We only have a little time left."

"You're a strange girl, DJ."

"Well...I'm not a girl. That's something I did remember recently. I realized it when I felt like something was off every time you lot called me 'she'."

"Oh, sorry. What do you prefer?"

"Honestly not sure...just 'they' for now, until I can properly remember what I used to use."

"Alright...Do you have any other clues as to who it is that's brought something here?"

"I only know that it's someone no one expects. Someone everyone believes to be just a victim of something evil. I get the word 'cracks' a lot, or at least the sense of cracks."

"We should probably tell the others."

"I'm not sure if that's smart. We don't know who it is, and if we tip off the wrong person, then we might make it worse….Tell Zorana. She's alright."

"How do you know?"

DJ goes silent for a moment. "She feels okay."

"I'm not gonna pretend I know what you mean by that, but I'm going to trust what you're saying. Onto other topics, other then the possibility of more death monsters from the Dark World, how are you? You did get kinda dropped in here with no memory." Soldier taps his fingers against the spike, looking up at them.

"I'm alright. I keep feeling like there was something I'm supposed to do, and something bad might happen if I don't do it, but other than the anxiety I get from that. I'm alright. The people here are kind. You all have a sense of purpose, and even though you've been torn from your homes and thrown into others', you know there's something more you need to do."

"You're a very brooding person, DJ. I don't know if you realized that."

DJ laughs, surprising Soldier slightly. It's a light noise, and their face relaxes from its usual grimace or deadpan. "Something tells me I get that a lot. The way you said it felt very familiar." They lean their against the spike, closing their eyes.

I wonder who said it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

fight scenes fucking suck

[theannoyedskittle]

Wildstar OC - Zorana Tubol the Mordesh 3rd member of our Wildstar team! As a Mordesh, Zorana has cybernetics due to the disease her entire race has. She's logical with a wide knowledge of science. She's a strong warrior but wishes to settle down and continue her research for a cure.

[xenthosss]

Galaxy Princess Zorana is really a fucking game of all time

It is harder to drink yourself to death than it is to marry your own dad.

You're an orphan

[bei-credo]

Happy Halloween 🎃

[bei-credo]

Time keeps on ticking.