eleventh rune; unholy; video

[deadelfwalking]

[He thought he could handle this situation on his own, somehow. He thought he would sort it out eventually, that it wouldn't matter to anyone but him -- these were creatures designed for his torment, meant to make him suffer. Their harsh murmurs tear at him more deeply and specifically than anyone else; unlike the others, he feels their burning claws slice into his back, their eyes boring into him. The demons curl around his ankles like unwanted cats; they settle in the chinks of his armor and hiss, their whispers as corrosive as acid. They don't tell him anything he hasn't heard before, which is partly why he's taken so long to say anything. He feels sure that the problem was contained--confined, even, to Koltira alone.

But recent posts on the network suggest that this is not the case.

Koltira stands in the center of his lake, on his platform of ice. Byfrost is stuck into the platform beside him, its blade completely invisible beneath the thick, writhing mass of miasma that envelops it.]

I apologize. If you have heard cruel whispers recently, or seen the shadows emerge from the dark and give chase, then I am to blame. They are demons meant for me, released by the evolution of my runeblade.

[He pauses a moment before continuing. His usually inscrutable expression is pained: his eyes are half-closed, his lips are thin, and his long eyebrows are drawn together in frustration. He hates that he has to do this, but there's no other choice.]

I cannot defeat them. They are reaching out from their own plane of existence, a realm of shadows.

[Another pause. He's getting there. It's happening.]

I ... I am powerless to enter this place. But if any of you are willing, I can send you to it. You could clear them away.

[His fingers close into a clenched fist over his chest. He exhales.]

Please.

Comments

video

[highhealplz]

You have a demon problem, huh.

[ he's trying so hard to sound serious, this is totally serious business, with koltira even asking for help!!

....if he's smiling a little it's almost definitely just your imagination. yes. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[Flatly.]

You seem strangely enthused.

Voice

[wilder]

Demons from a Realm of Shadows huh?

So just exactly how tough are they once someone gets there?

[deadelfwalking]

They have long claws and sharp teeth, and they move as quick as mist. But their bodies are not durable. The numbers are the problem.

video

[fintastic]

[ Well, Aradia did tell her about the shadows, and this all seems to make sense, so... ]

Those are yours? I'll help.

[deadelfwalking]

They are. I am sorry they became anyone else's.

[And he really is. The guilt is thick in his voice. As though he hasn't made enough mistakes with the people on this island.]

[whatsupcroc]

Wait, you can send people to them?

[deadelfwalking]

Yes. I am connected to the place where they are born, though I cannot send myself there.

video

[quisling]

[ This is a hard video to watch, more for the way the man seems to be struggling than anything else. ]

I don't know exactly what needs to be done there, but I'll help if I can...

[deadelfwalking]

Are you a warrior?

[He asks the question earnestly -- not with skepticism or contempt.]

Video

[icy_heavens]

Strange behaviour for a blade. [Shinigami and their zanpakutou don't always have the most agreeable relationships, but the spirits would never do something like this.]

[deadelfwalking]

[He shakes his head.] Byfrost is a wicked creation. I should have foreseen that its evolution would only worsen the problem.

permavideo;

[sithiche]

Took you long enough.

[deadelfwalking]

[There's a petulant response here, but Koltira's not that guy. Instead, he just mutters.]

I know.

audio;

[biwinning]

Oh. Is that what that wath? I wath wondering why the voices were whispering instead of screaming.

[deadelfwalking]

... screaming? Do you typically hear such voices?

[latkje]

Can blade ever really be banished by blade?

[ He shakes his head. ]

This is why I was never much of a swordsman.

[deadelfwalking]

I imagine magic will be involved as well.

[IS HE MAKING A JOKE? It's hard to tell, given his Darth Vader voice.]

video;

[moralperil]

[Mahdi's not looking too well. He looks... nervous, and somewhat chewed on: lips, the tips of his hair. And he hasn't been sleeping. And probably hasn't changed the clothes he's been not-sleeping in. But he smiles.]

I'm going!

[deadelfwalking]

[Koltira looks alarmed.]

You're not well.

voice;

[payback]

Your weapon is doing that?

[deadelfwalking]

[He glances at it, at the miasma continuing to smoke and stream from the blade's surface.]

It seems so.

voice;

[phaseshifts]

Would they be strong there?

[deadelfwalking]

Much stronger. They cannot touch anyone in this plane; they have only their foul whispering. But in their own realm, the demons can use their teeth.

Video;

[dragonlordbight]

If it will stop what has been released, I will aid in this endeavor.

[deadelfwalking]

Then I am grateful.

video;

[flashmaiden]

[After getting the message from Kaneis, she immediately went searching for a method to follow. So here she is!]

I... I'm going as well! Please send me there to fight.

[deadelfwalking]

You do not sound certain.

not here;

[miscreant]

[sweet (and also very petty) karma]

[deadelfwalking]

[fuck u sev. HE'LL GET YOU LATER.]

video;

[obliterating]

Brother.

You need only tell me what you want of me.

[There's hesitation. He hasn't seen the realm of shadows for some time, and he doesn't know if it's even wise for him to go there. But this is his brother. For him, he'd take that chance.]

I will go.

[And then, more certain of his words:] ...or I can stay in this realm and help you here.

Re: video;

[deadelfwalking]

There is little point in remaining here. I can do nothing to resolve this but send others to fight my battle for me.

[His tone makes his shame clear.]

video;

[recorden]

I was wonderin' what all that was about. [ He's well fed up and irritated by said cruel whispers, but he manages to mask it well. SO have a seemingly easygoing smile. ]

I'll lend ya a hand. How do they react to fire?

[deadelfwalking]

Just as well as anything else.

[That is, 'not well at all'.]

[thewhitepawn]

They are because of a runeblade?

[Color him surprised.]

Have people offered to help?

[deadelfwalking]

Some have. Enough, hopefully.

Voice

[wolfuncaged]

If you are unable to control them, then why did you allow them to be summoned in the first place?

[deadelfwalking]

[Scowl.]

I did not allow them to be summoned. They are an unforeseen byproduct of my runeblade's evolution.

Video;

[chore_boy]

You don't need to ask twice, sir. If you need assistance from me as well, I'll gladly help you rid yourself of this problem.

[NO. QUESTIONS. ASKED.]

[deadelfwalking]

[He's pretty grateful for all this assistance from strangers, but he's wary, too--he doesn't want to send anyone in unprepared.]

Have you any experience with necromancy? Demons?

audio;

[blossomgale]

[ Sophie is of course willing to help anyone in need. And especially after seeing both Cheria and Kaneis's reply above, Sophie wants to follow suit. ]

Let me help.

[deadelfwalking]

[This girl sounds young; delicate--but he well knows that surface qualities are just that. Even so.]

Ah--and you are?

video;

[notadamnvampire]

While I don't know what this is all about, I do find them to be enough of a pain in the ass to help. I can't seem to affect them on my own, but if you can really send us to the shadow realm, I should be of service. I have power over shadows. [He's... trying hard to not actually sound excited about this idea.]

[deadelfwalking]

Yes, I can really do that.

[He gives this young man a scrutinizing once-over.]

They are more precisely classified as undead or demons--some unholy mix of the two.

video

[needsteaplz]

Are you still looking for any more volunteers? I'd be happy to help.

[She could use some cathartic demon extermination right about now. She may have been able to ignore the whispers at first but they're getting out of hand right about now.]

[deadelfwalking]

I will take as much help as the other transports are willing to give.

[Video]

[pactfulfilled]

Please. If you're still sending people, let me go as well.

[He wants to help out, too. This guy looks like he's really suffering; the influence of these creatures around the city can't be a good thing either. And besides, he can't just let his friends head off into this shadow realm alone.]

...By the way, sir, could you tell us a little more about the demons? Do physical weapons work against them?

[deadelfwalking]

[So many of these volunteers appear to be children. It disquiets him.]

They are vulnerable to any kind of attack. The problem is that they can make themselves insubstantial, and they move very quickly.

video; i'm sorry for nitoh

[ringwizard]

[Something productive? Something productive! He looks interested, eyes bright. He hasn't been dealing with the overflow of Koltira's problem, himself--but then of late he's been largely concerned with his own demons.]

If going will help, then I'll be there with my-- [no, he's not going to call Nitoh his partner, not even his 'partner in crime'--] With Nitoh.

[In the background--] HEY HARUTO! ASK IF I CAN EAT THEM!

...he wants to know if they have magic he can consume.

[deadelfwalking]

[He raises an eyebrow.]

They are creatures of magic.