The Blight Begins (Cipher/Open)

Normally, a bright morning with no disturbances was a good sign. However, as the sun shone overhead, a dark shadow lurked just under its gaze in plain sight. But the creature's ill presence was overshadowed by her human features and odd way of dressing. It was hard to miss her. She wore a much different attire than the inhabitants of this medieval world, and she was rightly being glanced at with caution and intrigue. Sticking out like a sore thumb, she walked down the street, passers-by stopping what they were doing to examine the strange visitor. But willing to err on the side of caution, a pair of soldiers equipped with sheathed swords and heavy, steal armor ordered her to halt. "Don't mind me. I am simply passing by. What's the name of this place, might I ask?" the stranger said, giving a pleasant smile that held a bad omen.

"This is Camelot," the guard answered, "I haven't seen you before. Who are you?"

"I am Meikai," she answered simply.

"Are you part of the caravans?"

"No."

"Then what is your business here?"

"Simply passing through. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to carry on."

When she looked into their eyes, they seemed to have winced, as if she had pierced through them. As chills ran down their spines, they backed away and didn't object to the woman simply walking off. They had such fine and strong bodies, and they could be useful in the future. But one mustn't get careless in a brand new world. She had to see the sights before the corruption can commence. Let a memory be stored before this whole world collapses under her reign.

If one were to look where she tread, they'd see black specks, which slowly rooted themselves into the ground, like proper seeds of destruction and decay. At a moment's notice, they'd bloom, but it still isn't their time yet.

Cipher was walking through this new world when he had a feeling that he thought hee would never get again (Oh no don't tell me that she's here too??) he thought to himself as he ran down the street. he stopped at a tavern to get a drink seeing how he didn't get a chance to pack any of his travel food "Hi could I get a bit of everything am not really picky."

"Sir, are you ill you don't seem well?"

"Um am fine just a bit hungry is all I would like to ask you something after I get my food sorry."

he told the server lady as he pulled out a book and started reading but quickly stopped as he still had the feeling that the blond women from before was in the tavern with him standing in darkness just looking at him waiting to do something creepy and evil. (Why am I so scared, there would be no way she could be here the same day that am here right...?) he thought to himself as he ruffled his hair.

The server lady walked back to him with his large order and placed it on the table "Here you go sir." hse said placing a cup of water on the table "That will be 100 coins please." she add-on just as Cipher began to eat his food "Oh umm could I pay you later? My money is really deep in my bag." he asked the lady with food stains all over his face. the women nods her head "Sure thing."

As people stepped on her seeds of blight, tiny parts of it clung on to the soles of their shoes and low dresses. The moment they made contact, they became carriers, leaving tiny bits of blight wherever they rested their feet on. With such a busy town, the blight seeds spread much quicker than anticipated. This was a good thing. At least for her.

Just a little longer and the blight would be ready to spread. The best thing about starting from the ground is the fact that its quite difficult to escape unless people could fly. "I sense one with two hearts," reported a dismembered voice directly into her mind. She looked to the weapon which was fastened to her side. Currently, it looked like a normal sword wrapped around some cloth, but underneath that cloth was something born from Meikai's own corruption. She called it Reaper. Fitting for one who eats Hearts, the very essence of Heartless and Somebodies.

With a calm, smooth voice, Meikai said, "Don't be so anxious. You will have your feast soon enough." It was a simple prediction with no way of failing to come true as the blight was very much spread out so much that this town would be doomed. She could feel them dotting every inch of cobblestone.

Her prediction would come true much earlier when she walked down an alley and was almost immediately closed in by a group of three fine gentlemen holding daggers. This cliche scene went about predictably, with one person telling her to drop everything valuable to her. To that, she said, "I'm afraid you won't need anything of mine." She looked them in the eye with her own red orbs which seemed to glow in the darkness. "You seem to have stepped on something."

The wannabe mugger looked down to see a gurgling mass under his boot, right before said mass quickly shot up as a spike which drilled through his head, killing him. His body would be useful in feeding the blight. Before any of the others could react, the black substance grabbed onto them, preventing escape. All they could do was scream hysterically. Those who peeked down the alley were greeted with a... charming sight. The blight crawled all over the two thugs, slowly draping their forms until they were completely covered. A girl screamed, seeing the events taking place, and ran away, stumbling as she tried to find guards to help her.

But little did she know that what she aimed to do would only make things much easier. She stepped back out into the open streets, and surely enough, the people there quickly distanced themselves from her, some of them crying out in panic. As she stood in the middle of the street, there was only the murmurs of bystanders. "Greetings," she said simply. She didn't want to make her move just yet. She was going to wait until the guards come. Then the real party will start.

Cipher finished his food and made his way through the town and when he felt the shiver again (She must be close or something.) he thought to himself as he picked up the pace "I really don't want deal with her today this world may have some really cool books." he says to aloud as walked down the street. Cipher tripped over his shoe lace and rolled down the street until he hit a wall head leaving him knocked out behind an outhouse. As he laid knocked out his body shivered, a small amount of blood ran down his face slowly dripping on the ground one drop after another.

And just like that, the guards who had interrogated her before, as well as some reinforcements they brought had arrived, brandishing their weapons, which were spotless, gleaming in the sun. Their armors were the same. "How disappointing. I was expecting more experienced soldiers." They charged, swinging their swords at her while the ones behind were evacuating people. But they had nowhere to go. The seeds of Blight sprouted, covering the whole street with black gunk that crawled up on everyone who were unlucky enough to be the curious type. Those that ran only served to spread the Blight faster.

She took her sword in hand and parried her assailants' blades, knocking them out of the inexperienced ones' hands. When the blight had rooted the guards in place, she uncovered her sword, and it morphed into the maw of an eldrich beast. Screams rung out as Reaper opened its gaping mouth to consume the soldiers in one bite. "Bleh, such weak hearts."

"Then shall we hunt the special one you sensed?" Meikai asked, and Reaper eagerly agreed. The creature pointed out where the new target was, and the girl followed until they found him, unconscious behind an outhouse. How unceremonious.

She tapped the ground once and the blight under her boiled and took the form of a fairly common heartless, the Neoshadow. She couldn't be bothered to give it more personality, because they were nothing but disposable minions anyway. The Blight Neoshadow picked up the boy by his collar and held him up in front of Meikai, her crimson eyes intently studying the boy. "Since this is the first one with two hearts, I want to to do a little experiment."

"What about my food?"

"You'll have it, but in the near future. I want to see if he can be useful to me." She lifted the boy's chin up before giving his cheek a few gentle taps to make him come to. "Boy. Wakey wakey~ This isn't a place for you to be sleeping in."

Cipher felt something touching his face and telling him to get up "Oww..." he muttered as he slowly opened his eyes to see a young women "Umm could you put me down Cipher really doesn't like to be man handled." he asked the women (Why do I get the strang feeling that she's not going to put me down willingly?) he told himself Looking at her [Runaway!] a voice told him but he was caught in the women's beautiful red eyes that remind him of the Twins.

"Oh? So your name is Cipher, is it?" she asked, giving him a deceptively sweet smile. To the person who was yelling out, it wouldn't be long before they too get assimilated into the blight. Just like all of the civilians who were inside the confines of this town. There was chaos and commotion around, as the people attempted to fight off the demonic powers that threatened to consume them.

"I'll order my pet to let you go, but first, I have a proposition for you. Are you willing to listen to it?" The question was nothing more than a way to toy with him, since saying either yes or no, or even turning down her generous offer, the outcome would have be the same. But despite the chaos that was happening just out of view, she held the sweet smile.

Cipher held his head as it hurt form hitting the outhouse "That would be really kind of you." he said fixing his small hat on his head "If you need help with something am willing to help you so long as its not anything using my body." he said the last part with a little chuckle. "Cipher was wondering if you know a girl at least I thinks its a girl named Pher or something like that?" he asked stilling holding his head as he pulled out some pills (I can still feel the shiver in my spin and its really creepy.) he thought to himself.

"Oh don't worry about it. I just want you to take care of my pet. It stays out of the way, and if you keep it nice and warm, it'll help you in return." She chose to ignore addressing the part about not using his body. That part would be a surprise. The boy asked her about a girl, and she couldn't help but chuckle. "No, I don't think I've met anyone like that. Why? Is she your special friend?"

Cipher petted her "Pet" and found himself weirded out by it "If that all Cipher has to do then consider it done." he said smiling at her as he throws a ball hoping the "Pet" would get it "Oh noo she's not a friend she just wants to use me as for a test subject is all." He told her shivering (I hope she never finds me.) he thinks to himself as he looks around for his small notebook (Oh well guess i left it at home.) he thinks to himself

"Oh? That's a shame. I would have liked to see if she could help me with something as well. Oh well, there are plenty of other people for that." She was amused to see the boy throw a ball in hopes of having the Blight Neoshadow go after it.

"That isn't the pet I'm talking about." She held out her hand and a blackish ball of biomass bubbled from her palm, taking shape of a flying creature the size of a hawk. Once the wings sprouted, it hovered in place for a moment before circling Cipher, its red eyes scanning for a place to attach itself to.

"Now don't move too much, or this might hurt," she warned him. But whether or not he flails or stays still, it was going to hurt nonetheless.

Cipher looked at the "Pet" flying around him (I wounder why she doesn't want me to move?) he asked himself as he stood in one place "Umm what's its name? I mean all pets have names right?" he asked spinning around to follow it but stopped as he got dizzy and fell to the floor (Oh man my head is all upside down right now.) he thought to himself as he tried to get back up several times but then decided to stay on the floor until he could stand again.

Still just a child. "It doesn't need a name. Not a personal one at least. This is an Infestor." Now that Cipher was on the ground, the the near-black purple biomass engulfed his lower body, like metallic putty onto a magnet, keeping him from escaping. The flying creature then would cling onto his back, sharp claws digging into his skin.

Smile not faltering, Meikai simply smiled by closing her eyes and tilting her head a little. "Now don't move too much. If it accidentally hits your spine, you'll be paralyzed for life. Better to simply hold your breath." He should feel something being pumped into his body in small doses from the claws, like worms digging through the earth, then spreading throughout his body. It was nothing lethal. Meikai still had a use for him after all.

While people fled, he charged forward toward the danger as he was known to do. Blonde hair that gleams in the sunlight like a halo, fair skin, kissed by the sun and sharp blue eyes blazing with determination cut through the haze of doubt and trepidation he's feeling the closer he nears the area.
A chill up his spine, a coldness in the pit of his stomach that feels like a weight which urges his feet to stop...But he is a Knight, not in name yet, but in spirit and if he can do something, then he must.

His frame is lean, coming into view with a naked blade in his right hand, and a scuffed shield in his left, braced against his forearm. A simple arming sword, and a white round shield with the symbol of a Sun upon it, his eyes flick from the young man pinned, the beast, the Woman standing above him with her eyes closed and he makes an assumption and immediately acts. An open palm and a burst of gleaming arcs fly from his curled fingertips, which form into a claw like position, intending to strike the woman's side and to cease whatever process she's forcing upon the boy.

"Halt! In the name of the Crown! You are under arrest for assault and black magics!"

He declares, and with a flick of his wrist, his shield is fastened into position again the grip around his blade tightening and his eyes fierce, to cleave through the sinking feeling in his gut as he stands before this..Sorceress, feeling much like an ant standing defiantly before a tidal wave, but perhaps he can stall for the rest of the Knights to arrive, they were on their way as well and should not be too far behind...Five minutes at most...Alone...
Why did he leave Fury at the stables today..?
He is Walt the Page, in training to become a Knight and today is the day he learns of true power, and what it takes to stand against it.

Cipher looked up at her and asked "What are you doing!? What is this thing on me get off of Cipher!?" he shouted as he sat on the floor trying to free himself when he fell to his side clutching his chest "My...chestis...killing..me!" he said as his vision started to fade (Why do I get the weird people am a nice guy I shouldn't be going through this.) he thought to himself  as he started to lose feeling in his whole body "Everythings going bl...ack." he said as he passed out from the pain. As he laid on the ground passed out he felt like he was about lose something important to him.

So they finally came. Meikai was seared by a weak bolt to the side, and her minion got shot trying to protect the flying creature she set upon the helpless boy. Turning to face the new people, she greeted them with a sweet grin. A young knight and a wanderer. She expected a lot more to come at her, but glancing at the people, civilian and soldiers alike, dancing to her tune as the Blight took over, she guessed it was good enough.

"I was beginning to wonder when the heroes were going to show up. Welcome. Your timing could have been better, but I guess I can't be a chooser in this scenario." The biomass around her feet began to bulge as two blighted minions in the form of Neoshadows emerged from the ground. It looked like the heartless version at first glance, but one can easily tell they were more.... organic.

The blight was crawling up from the interior of the buildings, but had yet to reach the top most elevation. Men, women, and children who went into their homes to escape the initial infestation were now being cornered. The streets were already fully covered by the time this intervention had begun, and it was still spreading in all directions.

A group of blighted Knights appeared, shambling into the scene, taking up arms against the young knight-to-be. "I think your friends would like to play, young warrior. And as for you..." she turned to the one with the gun, smiling as a young woman was forced through the wall behind her. She was clearly struggling and panicked, being held at the waist by a tentacle that emerged from the interior of the building. A young child could be heard exclaiming, "Mommy!" The young knight would be in a position to see the child struggling with the biomass as she tried so desperately not to get overwhelmed.

"You like big-breasted women, then? Then I'm sure this young woman has the goods for you. Catch." The tentacle whipped back before tossing the woman at the man's general direction. If not caught, the woman would either fly past the buildings and probably land somewhere else in the city, or hit the building the man was standing on. Either way, if the shrieking wench wasn't caught, she was sure to die. Let us see how much of a hero these people turn out to be.

Cipher wakes up with pain shouting in his back (Fuck my back hurts what happen to me?) he thinks to himself as he gets up and see's all the darkness around him "Well I'll have to figure that out later." he say running away from Meikai and her fight (My head is killing me what exactly happen to me just now and why am I always wakeing up to weird things!) he thinks to himself as he leaves the World.

Fear, Trepidation, Surprise, Disgust, Anger, Fury and Finally Determination all flash through his eyes as these events occur at a pace he can barely keep up with emotionally.
His eyes narrow and he steps back when the Order of Knights round the corner, clearly under the Witches spell and..
She intends for him to fight them, his eyes narrow before briefly, they flick to the sight of a woman being pulled away from her child which is trapped in the same fleshy substance that the Creatures seem to be made up of.
His mind is made up just as the woman is flung, he bursts forward course veering towards the hole created by the tentacle, which with a hoarse battle-cry he heaves his arm upwards over the rounded shield, diagonally attempting the slash into the substance to reach the girl and pull her away from what would certainly be a terrible fate.

His eyes twitch away, towards his brethren in arms, watching carefully as they near, prepared to defend himself, but he needs to get to that Witch to stop all of this.
Somehow, he has to fix all of this...And like in most Tales, to break a curse, one must simply defeat the caster of the curse.
Those actions decided upon in his mind, his fists clench and he draws back to swing again, legs tensing with his knee's bending in preparation for what's to come.
Something about this situation, these monsters and that boy running off safely, fills him with a sense of dread that he can't shake.

Something is wrong, very wrong...And he'll put a stop to it right here.

With Walter Siege hacking down the tentacle, the girl being flung was henceforth halted, though Capricorn wouldn't have saved her regardless, everyone here was dead already. The only thing left to do was stop this witch here before an outbreak across multiple worlds began, with the defeat of this 'blight' Capricorn would earn a greater understanding of power.

"Oh yeah, big breasts are the best. If you haven't considered them yet, you should!"

The swordsman had shouted and managed a chuckle, as he sped toward the edge of the second building and jumped off. This would ultimately, if successfully land him on yet another building across the narrow street. In mid-air, Capricorn would somersault, upside-down, his gun fell from it's pocket, but was caught before it could fall to the ground. As soon as it was gripped, his other hand pointed at Meikai's minions. A fairly large, blue ball flickered into existence and all the knights were flung into it. The ball should've exploded, and by that time they' all be stunned.

---

Stunner: Capricorn creates a ball [2 feet wide, 2 feet long] of humming blue energy. Targeted people or items are pulled suddenly towards it. The force behind this pull can be alarming to even strong opponents. It explodes when the enemy hits it- stunning them for an additional post
Cooldown: 6

---

Capricorn, if he hadn't been interrupted would land into a dodge roll, and would keep moving in and out of sight.

Her hostage was dropped thanks to the valiant efforts of the young knight, but unfortunately for her, she fell right back into the biomass and while she quickly scrambled to her feet, the substance shot up and gripped at her body, slowly weighing her down to the ground to be slowly picked apart in a much more painful process of death than a simple collision. What would the young knight do next? Tear the substance from the woman? Doing so would incite bleeding upon her as the substance clung quite closely to the flesh, invading the pores and hooking on to it as it drills into the meat.

The other one continued his speech about big breasts, which amused Meikai to a degree. He created a ball which sucked her minions towards it, and after touching it, it exploded, which seemed to make them unresponsive. Not that it mattered in the long run. "You both will make exceptional agents." Another group of fresh knights appeared, a few on the rooftops, and a few on the ground. Those at the rooftops had crossbows and fired upon the wanderer, and those on the ground had a mix of crossbows, swords and shields, all covering the exits of the street. A group charged at the young knight, expertly swinging their weapons with deadly proficiency. While they were being controlled, they didn't lose their skills. No, it be much more accurate to say that they had been improved upon. With their minds linked, their coordination was much more fluid, opening multiple tactics that would no doubt decimate the inexperienced.

The boy she been picking on had left, much to her pleasure. He'd be unwittingly spreading the Blight in her stead. The civilians gravitated towards the commotion, picking up whatever they could use as a weapon. Their skins had deteriorated-- no, it had assimilated with the blight, giving them a purple coloration which was still spreading throughout their bodies.

The biomass had nearly covered every building except for the highest ones, but even then it wouldn't take too long. As far as anyone was concerned, this settlement was lost. And confident of that fact, Meikai simply walked down the streets with a few knights escorting her, leaving the two 'heroes' to fight the populace. Hopefully, she'd find a few others willing to stand against her, then perhaps she could have a greater bounty from this place. Every fallen hero will make her army stronger, and should she lose a few bodies in the process, it would only take a day or so for those bodies to be reconstructed.

He can't do anything to stop this.

The thought digs into him worse than any dagger possibly could, and has his eyes gleaming in regret before desperately, as if in defiance of his own logical realization, he lashes out at the biomass covered floor, thunder crackling along his blade briefly before he reaches out and grasps at the woman, yanking her away and pulling her behind him, sweat beginning to pour at his brow from the exertion of his mana pool.
Her scream of pain has him wincing in sympathy, one more spell shouldn't hurt.. he can fix all of this.
He raises a hand to cast a spell, before he's forced to put up his guard, stepping backwards in a slow strafing motion as blades are parried by his own, and strikes are deflected with his shield, eyes wide as adrenaline burns through his veins and he's pushed back by the more experienced and greater number of possessed knights.
Arms thrum with pain as he deflects strikes, his black cracking under the force of these strikes, shield already denting causing him to grunt in pain as it digs into his arm.

The worst part is, how can he possibly strike back? He knows the names of these Knights, can recognize some of their stances, how they move, the moves they tried to teach him in the past being used against him with deadly efficiency which-

"ARGH!"

Finally land a blow on the Page, a thin red line running over his shoulder before he lashes out in instinct, and leaps back again, aborting the strike before he rolls over his unharmed shoulder, shield raised as he blocks the woman from the assault.
"Damn it.."
He seethes, in pain, anguish and anger, blue eyes burning with defiance, the edges of his blade are chipped, cracks running along the center. His shield can take probably a few more hits, before it too becomes worthless, and his fists and feet will be ineffective against the armor of his possessed comrades...And he's only got one spell left that he can use,
The Knights advance and Walter swings up, the sword being shattered with an almost careless strike from one of his former Brothers, his eyes widen, the sight not a surprise but still a shock to him nonetheless.

His home turns black, it's people morphed into monsters, it's light turning diseased as nothing but diseased looking flesh begins to spread along.
And he can do nothing to stop it, the thought causes his heart to twist inside of his chest, and he grits his teeth before his hand shoots backwards and his last spell is cast.
A simple healing spell, which should keep the woman alive, his feet are set down firmly and his shield raises, his other hand bracing it at the corner of the circle. He can't save the rest, he can't save his Brother's...But he can at least save one.

It was like watching a dance, the man sliding under the arms of his possessed brethren with a motion so smooth it looked choreographed, it has him gaping and wide-eyed for an instant before he composes himself, the sight of the arrows hitting the Possessed causing him to wince and grit his teeth, still holding the broken blade and dented shield tightly in his grasp.
They dropped to their knee's and Walter allows himself a moment of hope, but then more appear and his eyes widen in despair once more. How many are there..? Oh..How many escaped..?
The thought has him swallowing thickly, before his eyes cast a glance towards the man as he arrives at his side, and then he speaks a warning and raises his weapon.
Walter quickly shields his eyes, clenching them shut while stepping backwards once, the flaring light that's visible even beyond his arm making him glad he did, that surely would have blinded him..!

His gaze flicks over to the Man just as he picks up the Local Woman, and he runs off, Walter follows, the man's shout causes him to give a confused look before he shakes his head, brings his fingers up to his mouth and with a deep breath.
A whistle rings out  through the entire City of Camelot, and he keeps running, a few moments pass and then, from the rooftops, it jumps downward, Walter leaping up as it swoops underneath him.
A Gold feathered bipedal bird, with a saddle upon it's back, it's arrival has a moment where he grins, before he offers the man and his current charge a hand.

"You know somewhere safe?"

He asks, the broken blade held in his free hand, and if the man runs off, he's got no time for arguments, so he follows on Fury's back, if the man takes the offer? Well then there off, and Fury will follow his directions.

The wanderer was putting up a fight. Meikai wouldn't lie. He was starting to become... interesting. Through the eyes of her minion in the sky, she could see how he temporarily made some of her new minions blind. But with the unaffected working as their eyes, the soldiers were guided where to converge, and they continued their attack, attempting to corner them. Unlike they boy who ran away, those two heroes and the woman they saved, would be useful, whether or not they were dead or alive.

And while it seemed that they were going to escape regardless of the number of adversaries Meikai threw at them, she wasn't too particularly interested in them to make sure they didn't get away. They didn't know it, but the blight had already stuck to them on their soles and clothing. And with that explosion that caused a tremble in the earth, tiny particles would have splashed on to them. If they were to escape, they'd bring the blight with them. However, they'll have some breathing room, as the blight was extremely slow to spread when a herald such as Meikai herself wasn't nearby to oversee its growth. But should they be careless, the next world she visits might just fall much quicker, or may have already fallen if she was extremely lucky.

Well, that was a matter for the future. For now, she was heading towards the castle, where there was surely some more bodies ripe for the taking. Thanks to the careless soldiers who retreated to call for help, the courtyard was already teeming with blight. The castle walls had the stuff crawling up like devious vines. Meikai's soldiers, on her command, stormed the final bastion, cutting down the doors and survivors who, in a desperate attempt for survival, fought back. Unfortunately, they were bested by superior power. It won't be long now...

Camelot will be her's.