Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

The feeling, the presence in her mind that had called to her, made itself known to her even as it had bound itself as tightly as it could to her very essence, hummed with pleasure within her mind. This was right! This was perfect and true! How things were meant, how everything had always been fated to end... It's pleasure coursing through her, body and soul as she gave her consent to join.

She could feel it, running along her body, it's presence sinking into her mind more fully now that her last defense had faded and she gave in completely. She could feel it as it slowly crept over her face, covering her completely, blinding her in true darkness even as the wraith burrowed further into her mind, before... She felt it shatter. Like a glass wall that had kept them apart by the barest of margins, she felt the being spiral out as her own consciousness joined with it's completely, and she knew what it meant to thrive within shadow, to be a creature of will, she understood it all for the brightest, most fleeting of moments. And then... It was gone. She was alone in the cell, feeling more then seeing the things around her, her face free as she felt the covering across her flesh move at her very will.

River was in control, and as far as she could tell, still herself... But New... Whole... Complete as she never had been as this part of her new identity cemented into place. This was her power, her body, her will and most importantly.. this darkness... This lack of light, these shadows... They were Hers...

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

The remnant of wraith within her practically jumped the second River agreed, mentally startling the woman as it immediately started integrating deeper within her. A moment of panic filled her as it went on, fearful that the thing had lied to her, until at the last second it seemed to disperse, what felt one moment like a hungry advance completely losing the sense of hostility just before it overwhelmed her completely, the integration now building upon her consciousness, raising and enhancing it.

It was quite the rush, the woman shivering in the black room as the inky coating around her pulsed, covering her entire form, her hair collected into a single tail by the stuff and looped backwards to reattach to her shoulders at the tips, looking like some sort of alien second spine.

Finally the change was complete, the woman in full control of both halves of her new self. the coating slid back from her face, her expression one of mixed discovery and awe, looking down at her arms and fingers with amazement, before looking over to the camera and stopping the draw of light from it, the feed flickering to life again, River tapping her ear for the camera, waiting a few seconds before speaking. "Back. Miss anything important on your end?"

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

There was an unmistakable feeling of bliss, of well being that echoed out from River's very core as the integration finally ceased, River... felt good, she felt better then good, she felt as if everything in the world was perfect for that one blissful second, and then it was over and she was left in the dark, the cool, inviting dark....

She felt a slight tug to spread the black, to let others know that warm and inviting embrace within the shadows she could call home, but this time, she had no trouble pushing it back if she wished, and the whispers within the dark seemed broken, fragmented, as the creature had promised, as she had felt.

In the shadows... and the dark... and the deep places... Thank You... River Faulk. they coo'ed softly into her mind, filled with reverance and respect, before leaving her in peace as she turned on the camera, and gestured for them to turn the mics back on.

Jessica and Volran were silent for a moment, before Jessica answered first, Volran most likely taking notes on everything he saw, and waiting for any requests from River herself. As Jessica spoke, the nervousness in her voice was obvious, something had spooked her. Everythings fine... what Happened River? You were in the dark for over an hour, Volran had to convince me not to open the door...

It seemed that there was a gap of time missing, or that the integration had taken a great deal longer then it had seemed... but it was over now.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Longer than it felt, sorry about that." She answered, running a thumb along the pads of her fingers, feeling the unique sensation of the coating, willing it into a hard shell for a moment experimentally. "Something of the wraith survived, we had a chat. It's mine now, there's nothing left to fear from it." She explained, then cracked into a grin.

"Now all that's left is to test it." She said calmly, turning from the camera and striding confidently over to the table, clasping her hands over her head and bringing them down on the center of the metal surface, putting everything she could into the blow.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Here in the dark, she could feel her power calling to her, it's willingness to obey as her coating immediately hardened against her skin like armour, before shifting back into it's malleable form, and as she declared it time for proper testing, she could almost hear the anticipation, and even the fear through the microphones and the cameras...

Her hands raised high... she willed strength into the blow.... she willed the destruction of the table, and her power told her it was so! That she was a Queen among lesser beings here amongst the shadows that were her servants. Her hands came down like a thunderclap, and with all her power, she struck.

She watched as her shadows, her body writhed through the air, before cleaving the table clean in two, before the end of the blow carried her further, to the ground, where the shadows splashed out at the legs, and the remaining frame, a myriad of dark blades flaying out to slash the table into a pile of fractured scrap, nothing but the bolted legs, less then 3 inches of raised steel left, jutting from the ground as the remaining pieces flew into the walls with a cacophany of violent energy, and she felt the darkness around the walls ripple like a wave, clearer for a moment in her eyes, before all was still again...

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River jumped back as the strike completed, surprising herself with the amount of damage she just caused. "Shit!" She said, laughing. "Okay, way too much, that's going to take practice. Hey Volran, do you have like, just a solid chunk of metal, something big, heavy, and less... breakable, than the stuff in here?" She asked, scratching at the back of her head a moment as she waited for the answer.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Volran seemed a little hesitant to answer, before Jessica grabbed the Mic. That was incredible River, but... Your brainwaves have changed, they're gone, completely. So we're going to wait a littl... There was silence, and some whispering, presumably Volran pulling Jessica aside to say something before Jessica spoke again.

What's the name of my pet. She asked simply, they hadn't known eachother for very long, they couldn't be called the closest of friends, by Jessica seemed to be trying to verify that River was indeed herself by asking her a question that's answer had been given to her before she had been changed. Before asking another.

How was I changed. She asked simply, the nervousness apparent in her voice with the slight tremble, they were both afraid of opening that door after what they had seen, indeed they probably weren't even sure this room could hold her without flooding the place with light...

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Radiation is a form of light, right? I can see the stuff the camera let's off, but I think I'm absorbing my own before it can reach whatever you're using to... Jess? still there?" River asked, figuring out shortly that Volran had pulled her aside. Their fear was a sovering thought to the woman, a cold bucket of realization over her head that cut through the power trip she was having.

"Ah, I get it." The woman said, nodding slowly as Jess' voice reappeared. "Your pet is a demon bug named Slip, because he likes pulling houdinis and wandering off on his own. You found him in an old castle, and you wouldnt even know what he was if it wasn't for Hervo telling you." She started, taking a breath before continuing with the second answer.

"You dont actually remember your own changing, just waking up like that with the note left behind by your new father. You wandered for... months, I think i remember 3 months, yeah, before you actually found him like the note told you to. You also had to kill him when he went mad, somewhere around a thousand years old, on his side at least. You're about a third of that currently, yourself."

Then she held up a pointer finger, asking for a moment before Jess could respond. "I also told you on the elevator ride down not to let me out if I couldn't turn this off. It was never off to begin with, just hiding, but I can put it back to that, at least. give me a second." She said, dipping her head a bit. The coating on her quiverred once, then gave the appearance of boiling, shifting and bubbling as it thinned, retreating into her or dispersing into the air until it disappeared entirely, her hair flopping free across her shoulders once again.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River could hear the sigh of relief from Jessica as she answered the questions, and added her own to the answers, before pulling her strength back. Just showing that she could made the tension drain away quickly. Excellent River, Well done. This kind of control is rare for someone so freshly changed. Yes, I'll have Jessica bring you a solid block of Tungsten for you to test on. Door opening, please mind the light. Volran said, before the bars holding the door shut started to slide up and away, and the sound of heavy springs engaging heralded the first rays of light cutting into the room like the first light of dawn.

River found something out the second the light pierced the room, apart from her own suppression, the presence of just this small amount of light suddenly broke her connection to all the shadows in the room, save those closest to her, and there wasn't the pain that came before, before the reason cemented in her mind. She had pulled back her strength, it wasn't exposed like a raw nerve to the light like it had been before...

The door stood there, open now, before Jess appeared, hauling a massive block of shining metal, easily 4 feet across and tall, before setting it where the table used to be, and hugging River fiercly. Sorry... we were really worried for a moment, you scared us River, you really did. She said softly, before wandering out and closing the door again with a smile unless River stopped her.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River blinked when the door opened, surprised to find the only pain involved was her eyes having to adjust again. She smiled at Jess, accepting the hug and giving it back. "I'm sorry. I been pretty tweaked since I woke up yesterday, but I finally feel like I can handle what's happened now, like I know where I stand. I won't lie, it's one hell of a power trip, but I got it under my thumb, don't worry." She said softly, taking a step back.

"You can stay if ya want, but any light more than the room temerature you're giving off and it seems to stunt me pretty bad. I know you can see in the dark pretty decent, but what about in the black? Might be safer if ya just watch on the cams, to be honest. That table, I really only meant to flat up hit it, everything else was icing i hadn't figured out how to ask for, if that makes sense."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Jessica nodded, and backed out of the room, leaving one last comment before River was sealed once more in the black. I have Faith. she said simply, smiling before the door closed and relocked.

Inspecting the metal block, and feeling her power calling to her once again within the complete darkness, River found that the metal she was dealing with was incredibly hard, very dense, and very heavy. It was a decent target to test just how much damage she could, or anything else for that matter.

Ready to continue whenever you are River. Full recording going on as well, Corvinus wants to know if he can add all this, and your DNA info to the database, since you're a new breed, so to speak.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River waited until she heard the bolts lock home again before drawing the darkness out again, coating herself as before with just her face open and pacing slightly, considering the block. She paused when Volran spoke, sitting on the tungsten block as she considered. "Um... Yeah, I'd rather not. I'm not exactly sure who gets access to that in the first place. Tell him he's free to keep all this stuff somewhere only he can access, and he is of course free to pass it out after I'm gone, and of course to a murder squad if I ever become that much of a problem. Not like me asking him not to would change anything in that case, really." She said, chuckling as she stood again.

She took a few steps away from her intended target, playing through her attack on the table again in her head. The strike itself had done the job, but it sent a ripple effect around her that shredded the rest. Thinking she could copy just that, maybe hit things from a distance, she flattened her palm and fingers, changing the coating to shape a blade around it. large and unwieldly compared to her favourite knife, but right now that wasn't important. She swung at the air between her and the block, sending a ripple along that scored the tungsten along the line of her slash. And gouged the floor and wall to either side. "Well, shit, this is going to take some practice." She said with a chuckle.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Understood.

As River contemplated her attack, that familiar, warm rush of power cycling through her as soon as she decided to let it, her shadows... that's right, they all belonged to her, formed across her flesh once more, easier this time, more inviting, pulsing with a life she could feel and control.

The shadows leapt to her call as she backed away, the large and unwieldy blade forming quickly, and not weighing any more then the shadow it was comprised of, she could wield this like it was no heavier then a feather... And that thought sent a strange thrill up her spine.

Slashing at the block from a distance, she felt her will bind with that of the surrounding darkness in an instant, and the gouging, and dangerous strike lashed out against the block, indeed scoring deep cuts within the wall and floor, as well as knocking a massive chunk out of the block, the dense metal the first resistance to her strikes she had felt, before she felt and saw the strike pass through it completely, the block of tungsten cleaved, and sliding into two pieces against the floor.

Please don't destroy the Cell River. Vorlan said, in respone to the blow. Seriously! Mad woman! Though... Wow, I didn't think you'd be able to cut that... hell, I couldn't cut that... that's nuts. You said your powers weren't this strong in the light though right? I wonder if all of this is only possible in complete darkness. Jessica said, slight awe in her voice.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River stared openly as about a third of the block slid off and clunked to the floor, completely severed. “Shit, I didn‘t even put everything into that one.“ She said in reply to the pair over the intercom. “Sort of, Jess. I can feel all the darkness in the room,m will it into whatever. The light limits it, since there is less dark around, get it? I can still do stuff, but the reach and the amount I can collect from is less. I think that‘s how it works, anyways.“

Focusing on the block again, she coalesced a thick lash out of the darkness, sending it whipping out to the side of the larger chunk, sending it skipping across the room with the force of the blow. "Yeah, this place is my playground in the dark. Start turning the lights up, much as I'm not a fan of a repeat episode from that alley, I need to know how much I can take in a crunch." She said, letting her coating slide over her face as she braced herself.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Makes sense, still though, thats scary impressive. I remember how you screamed in the light... still sends shivers up my spine, Worried about is all I guess. Anything else you'd like to try? Jess sent back, River able to watch as the cameras panned around to survey the damage, Vorlan doubtless taking notes about everything.

If you say, slowly raising the levels now. he said, using that same, calm professional tone that he hadn't broken since they had started. The lights in the room started to pick up, and the pain was instantaneous with her power out like this. And because of the only shadow being left in the room being under the bed, River could feel the pull, she could be with that shadow, she could hide in that patch of safety from the light, and it was still no brighter then any well lit room by now. As if grew brighter, to something resembling daylight, River actually felt sick, on top of the pain still increasing. The urge to hide, or pull back her power getting stronger as she felt the shadows writhing across her body, like she was boiling away, the coating starting to shred and peel.

As it grew to something like the spotlight, there it was again, the agony, the absolute mind blanking pain, and this was something River could not ignore, she either needed to kill the lights, pull back, or hide, and it had to happen now.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River nodded at Vorlan's warning, cringing slightly as the lights turned on, starting low. "Okay, that is definitely not pleasant, but manageable." She said, starting to walk around the room, her motions a little jumpy as the light continued to rise.

As it got brighter, her travel kept her closer and closer to the bed, starting to grunt or groan every few seconds, biting her tongue as she focused on keeping in control, figuring out the point she felt she could still fight under. The lights hit about daylight intensity and her vision blurred almost immediately, bile rising in her throat as she planted a hand on the bed, visibly staggered.

"Son of a bitch, feels like I just went from sauna to oven." She said, panting heavily as the pain went from uncomfortable to truly painful, quickly rising to unbearable. A few seconds later, and she had reached her limit. "Aaah! Off, OFF!" She called out, diving under the bed.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

The lights immediately cut off, and the pain and nausea went away slowly, like a burn cooling. As River opened her eyes to look around the dark room once again, she felt the echo burrow through her mind, stronger then before. The light was bad, wrong... the darkness, she only wanted to cool, sweet, soft darkness. She didn't need the light anymore, the light hurt, why did she stay in it? Why why why why why?

That too faded in a few moments, and River was once again left with the quiet of her thoughts. River.... You okay? Jess asked, worried.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River stayed under the bed a moment, flat on her back and gasping for breath as the pain receded, stars flitting through her vision as the afterimage burned by the lights slowly faded. In the spur of the moment, she had grasped at the floor, tearing gouges into the steel. "Yeah! Yeah. Fuck, that hurt. How far did I get?"

Vorlan told her and she groaned, climbing out from under the bed. "Yeah, that was better than I was expecting, actually." She said, nodding and shifting the dark away and into herself again, sitting on the bed with hands on her knees. "One more tolerance test. I was pretty fine when Jess brought the block in, so let's see how far I get with it hidden. Stop at daylight this time, Doubt I'm ever going to have to worry about more than that normally."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River felt serious alarm for a moment, in the dark and on the bed as she hid her power, the covering not wanting to slide away, not where she was powerful, not after so much light and pain, and it took her a moment to realize that it wasn't anything trying to twist her mind, but HER mind telling her, No! No! That was a Bad Idea! The Light could come back! What if it did!? She was strong here! She had to destroy the bulbs!

It took several moments, but as soon as the dim lights turned on again, the resistance faded and she immediately felt more in control, the power fading away and with it, the pain. She could be in the daylight like this, hidden. She was hiding now, hiding her true self from the light, and the pain, and the sickness. She was okay now...

Despite this odd turn of events, River knew that such things would fade with time, little by little, it was part of it being new, these new fears and impulses, and they would remain powerful so long as she was inexperienced and unsure of herself, just like with her free running, and she knew some parts would never fade, like that gut wrenching hesitation before she made her first real jump. Just another part of her. Calming, she regarded the block, it seemed stronger to her now, like it should. The question was, what she'd do with it now...

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

There was a moment of panic as she willed the dark away, it taking the woman a moment to recognize it in the unfamiliar direction it was taking. She chuckled a bit as the lights started out again, the panic fading as she made her 'first jump', thumping her palm against the side of her head. "Smarten up, Ar." She muttered to herself, standing again and turning to the block, feeling fine in the daylight-level brightness without her powers in full view. "Yeah, this feels fine. A little apprehensive maybe, but no pain or anything." She explained. "Definitely too bright to try anything in, though. Cut it down about half." She told Vorlan.

Once the lights had dimmed, she called out her powers again, grunting a bit in pain. Wanting a proper comparison, she moved to about the same distance from the block she had been for her last test and repeated the process, summoning a blade and trying to cleave into it at range.