Infernal Unity

It's me, Amy. Estren's been doing nothing but meditate since Al and I got here. Eventually, I kind of got sick of it.

“Damn it!” I snapped. “Are you two ever gonna do any actual training!? Silvermist and Dawson could be here any day now!”

“Minute,” Estren said.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“They'll be here soon,” he said.

“What!?” I said. “And you two haven't prepared at all!?”

“They have,” Al interrupted. “They've been training this whole time.”

“All they've done is sit there!” I said.

“We've realized that we can't beat them with strength alone,” Estren said. “That's why we've been working on a different tactic. We should be ready by the time they get here.”

“But-” I started to say.

“Enough,” Al said, interrupting me yet again.

“So, you have something you wanna ask me too, right Al?” Estren said.

“Not you,” He said. “But there is something I'd like to know from HELLFIRE.”

“And what would that be?” HELLFIRE asked.

“What's the deal between you and Silvermist,” he asked.

“What?” HELLFIRE asked.

“This is a personal thing isn't it?” Al asked. “What exactly happened between you two?”

HELLFIRE sighed before speaking again.

“Silvermist is, in a manner of speaking, my daughter,” He said.

“What?” Al asked.

“A long time ago, the Brute was on the verge of being revived,” HELLFIRE said. “I stood in its way. In order to give myself an edge, I broke off a piece of myself to fight with me. That piece was Silvermist. She helped me to stop the Brute's revival, but then she betrayed me by trapping me in the Grove Of Fetters, leaving me there to die.”

“How did you escape?” I asked.

“I had to do something drastic,” he said. “Something most of the other Fears have always hated me for.”

“And what would that be?” Al asked.

HELLFIRE raised one of Estren's hands, which burst into flames.

“I stole the Burning Bride's power,” he said.

“How?” I asked.

“That's not important,” HELLFIRE. “All that matters is that I've been on her bad side ever since. Now, you two should probably find cover. They'll be here right about...”

He turned away from us, throwing a fireball at one of the burned buildings, blowing it to pieces. Bill Dawson darted from the rubble at alarming speed, swinging a sword of ice at Estren.

“...Now,” Estren finished, drawing his cutlass and shattering Dawson's sword with a single slash, before kicking him away. Dawson landed a few feet a away and stood up to face Estren.

“I see you've improved a bit,” he said. Or maybe it was Silvermist talking. It's not as easy to tell as it is with Estren and HELLFIRE.

“A bit would be an understatement,” Estren said, removing his mask, which morphed into an ivory colored gauntlet on his left forearm.

“That can't be!” Al said, shocked.

“What is it?” I asked.

“That's an upgraded shield form!” he said. “Only four people have ever been able to use that!”

A large, transparent disk was projected from the gauntlet, displaying the symbols of the four card suites.

“Ready for this?” he asked. “You bet,” Dawson said, hungrily

They charged at each other. Dawson summoned a blade of ice in each hand and slashed wildly at Estren, who blocked the attacks with his shield before striking back with his own sword. Dawson was able to block pretty easily. Estren began teleporting all over the battlefield, trying to get the jump on Dawson. This seemed to get on his nerves. Eventually, Dawson found an opening, and turned one of his swords into a giant hammer, which he swung hard, hitting Estren in the chest and sending him flying into a burnt house. He then opened his mouth and let out a massive, thick cone of mist, freezing the entire house in a block of ice.

“Shit!” Al exclaimed.

“Looks like I win,” Dawson said. “Now...”

He turned and glared at Al.

“You carry a shard as well, right?” he asked. “Well, I think I'll devour yours first!”

Dawson charged at Al and attacked him. Al teleported behind him and tried to stab with his tanto, but Dawson turned quickly and caught him in the ribs with his hammer, knocking him to the ground.

“Is that the best you've got, Ace?” Dawson asked. “I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight than your pathetic brother did.”

Al tried to say something, but he was too damaged to form the words.

“What was that?” Dawson said. “You have something you wanna say to me?”

“K... ki...” Al panted.

“Come on, out with it!” Dawson said, stomping on Al's chest. “Speak!”

“KILL!!!” Al shouted.

He suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of Dawson, swinging his sword wildly. Dawson deflected all of his attacks and then engulfed him in a stream of mist which froze most of his body.

“K-ki-kill!” Al stuttered through the cold.

“Ah, yes, Killer,” Dawson said. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was Silvermist this time. “Been a while. I look forward to consuming you. But first, I have one more person to finish off.”

Dawson turned to me next, and started walking toward me slowing. I drew a gun from my belt, although I didn't think it would do much good. However, before Dawson could get close to me, the house that Estren had crashed into earlier exploded. Dawson stopped in his tracks and we both turned to look. Estren was walking toward Dawson. But he had changed. His red jacket now had black flame markings, as did his sword and gauntlet, and his hair was now longer and with red highlights. As he got closer, I could see his eyes. Their pupils were slit-like, with red outlines.

“Well, this is new,” Dawson/Silvermist said. “So which one are you? Estren or HELLFIRE?”

“Both,” he replied calmly.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Dawson asked.

“Unity,” he said simply.

“That's impossible!” Silvermist (I think) snapped. “No Dying Man shard has ever accomplished that!”

“There's a first time for everything,” he said. “But of course, HELLFIRE's no normal Dying Man shard, and Estren's no normal human. That's why we were able to unite like this. Allow us to introduce ourselves properly. We are Infernal!”

Infernal vanished in an explosion of both fire and lightning, which threw Dawson backwards. He reappeared right next to Al and placed a hand upon the ice which shattered instantly. Al slumped to the ground, and seemed to have regain control over Killer.

“You okay?” Infernal asked.

“I've been better,” Al said. “But I'll live.”

“Good,” Infernal said.

“Bastard!” Dawson exclaimed, getting to his feet and summoning a giant blade of ice.

He charged at Infernal angrily, raising the blade above his head. Infernal raised his hand and shot a blast of... something... at Dawson. I don't know if it was fir or lightning or some weird fusion of the two, but whatever it was sent him flying backwards, crashing into the sand several yards away. Infernal then teleported right above him and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air.

“Don't do this!” Dawson begged, terrified. “I still need her power!”

“Sorry, but no,” Infernal said.

With a single motion, he ripped Silvermist out of Dawson's soul, allowing him to fall to the ground. He had dragged her into the real world, and had her by the throat. She was terrifying. I had read about her on Malkator's blog before. He described her as a woman made of ice. But she was so much more horrifying in person. But worse than her appearance was her aura. I could feel her fear, her anger towards Infernal.

“You'll pay!” she screamed. “You'll pay dearly for all of this!”

“I doubt it,” Infernal said.

She cried out in horror as she dissolved, and was absorbed into him. He then turned to Dawson, who was looking up at him in horror. He crawled back, trying to escape, but he wasn't nearly fast enough.

“Drown in the river of death!” Infernal shouted, kicking Dawson into the River, where he was immediately swept away by the raging current.

Infernal turned back to face me and Al, and the flame markings vanished from his clothing. His hair became black again, and his eyes returned to normal.

“Are... are you back to normal now?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “HELLFIRE and I have separated again.”

“That was incredible!” I said. “So you two can fuse together to become that powerful Infernal thing whenever you want?”

“No,” he replied.

“What?” I asked.

“I don't think so, anyway,” he said. “This is the Dying Man's domain, so being here helps to improve my bond with HELLFIRE. I don't think union will work anywhere else.”

“Oh,” I said.

“So about your shield,” Al said. “How was it upgraded?”

“It happened when my mask was recalibrated,” Estren said. “I'm not sure why, but whoever did that modified the task that allows the mask to enter shield form.”

“The only people who could've modified your mask like that are the Jokers,” Al said

“I think the Red Joker all ready said that she didn't hack your mask,” I said.

“So that leaves Abdalin,” Al said.

“Whatever,” Estren said, putting his mask back on and turning away from us. “I don't really care.”

“Where are you going?” Al asked.

“Where do you think?” Estren replied. “I'm going back to the human world to relax. You two coming or what?”

“I guess so,” Al said.

“I have no where else to go,” I said.

So yeah, that's what happened. Estren said he has no interest in the blog anymore, so I'm having to type this out. I guess... this is our last post. So... good bye, readers. Have fun. Peace out.

---Amy

HELLFIRE's River

Amy again. We made it. We traveled to the River using Killer's power. Killer's section of the River... it was awful. Completely dilapidated buildings, with blood splattered on them. We left that place quickly, and started looking for HELLFIRE's section. It took us a couple days to find it, but we made it there. Estren was there, meditating with his mask on. I immediately noticed that the symbol on his mask had changed, displaying the four card suite symbols, arranged in a row and overlapping each other, and wreathed in black and red flames.

“What happened to his mask?” I whispered to Al.

“The same thing that happened to mine,” he said. “Most masks have a restriction placed on them that keeps the symbol displaying out ranking and class amongst the cards. Both me and Estren have had that restriction lifted, so now our masks display a symbol reflecting our soul.”

“But why that symbol?” I asked.

“I don't know,” Al said. “The symbols reflecting a person's soul can mean any number of things.”

“So, does that-”

I was cut off by a lightning bolt that struck the ground a few feet to my left.

Estren was still sitting in his meditative position, but he had one arm raised, with electricity dancing along it.

“Quiet, both of you,” he said. “We're trying to train here.”

We both stopped talking. Now, I guess we're waiting. I'm not sure what exactly Estren and HELLFIRE are trying to accomplish, but he's gotten better control over HELLFIRE's power. Before, HELLFIRE would have to be in control in order to control lightning or fire. Now, Estren seems to be able to do it on his own. I don't know how strong they've become exactly, but hopefully they'll be strong enough to defeat Silvermist soon.

The Ace Of Skulls and The Killer

Hi, it's Amy again. Al and I have been trying to find Estren for a while. Unfortunately, we had no way of entering the River. Not without the help of a Dying Man piece. And we've been unable to find one. At least, we have been. We've been hiding out in this abandoned apartment, and someone knocked on the door earlier tonight. It was Cleopatra.

“What do you want?” Al asked.

“I was asked to track you down,” she said.

“By who?” he asked.

“I'll show you in a minute,” she said. “But first, I need to fix that mask.”

“What do you mean fix it?” I asked.

“Shut up for a bit,” she said, putting on her own mask.

It was silent for a couple of minutes, before Al removed his mask and had a look at it. The 7 and spade were both gone, replaced by a new symbol. On the left half of the mask was a skull that was partially cut off by the mask's edge, with a large bat-like wing sprouting from its temple and taking up most of the right half. Overlapping the wing was a large, jagged A.

“You modified it,” he said.

“That's right,” she said. “The new symbol reflects your soul, and I half to say, it ooks quite nice, Alphonse.”

“Don't call me by my name,” he said. “From now on, call me...”

He stopped and thought for a moment.

“The Ace Of Skulls,” he said, after a while.

“Nice title,” she said. “Fitting.”

“Now tell me who sent you,” he asked.

“I did,” said a new voice.

We all turned to see a … figure, sitting on the couch. He was completely transparent, and was glowing softly. I couldn't make out his face, but his hair was really long and didn't seem to have any color. At least, no color that could be described in words.

“You,” Al said.

“Long time no see,” the transparent guy said.

“Why are you here?” Al asked.

“Because you need my help,” the figure said, simply. “You require the assistance of a Dyuing Man fragment, and it just so happens I know where to find one.”

“Why would you want to help me?” Al said. “I have my reasons,” the figure said. “Now, follow me.

Cleopatra left, and me and Al followed the weird glowing dude. We came to an alleyway.

“He should be around here pretty soon,” the glowing man said.

“And what shard is this?” Al asked.

“It's called Killer,” the man said. “It's important that you absorb it as quickly as you can. As a Card, you should be able to control it for the most part.”

“This sounds like a terrible idea,” Al said.

“Of course it is,” the glowing man said. “All my ideas are terrible.”

With that, the glowing man faded away. We waited or a few minutes, before a man came walking through the alley. He was moving slowly, as if he were a zombie, and was dragging a sword behind him. He had a weird smile on his face, and kept repeating the word “Kill”.

“I guess this is our guy,” Al said.

He charged, and knocked the man out effortlessly. He then absorbed the Dying Man from inside him. He immediately began clutching his head and screaming.

“Al!” I said. “Are you okay!?”

“Kill!” he exclaimed, rising to his feet. “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

“Are... you okay?” I asked, taking a step back.

He shook his head.

“I'm fine,” he said. “I... I think I have it under control now.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “I'm fine.”

So, now Al's possessed by a Dying Man shard. We're going to use it to get to the River, but we need to make some preparations first. I'm gonna have to keep an eye of Al for a while, in case Killer tries to take over again. Hopefully that won't happen.

Defeat.

Well, that could have gone better.

GEE, YA THINK!? THEY MOPPED THE FLOOR WITH US!

I know. Why were they so powerful?

PROBABLY BECAUSE OF ALL THE DYING MEN THEY'VE CONSUMED.

Just perfect. We made it out alive, at least.

BARELY.

Any ideas for round two?

WE COULD GO AROUND KILLING DYING MEN.

I suppose we could try that. It wouldn't be too hard to track down other Dying Men through their distortions.

OR...

Or what?

I HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA. SOMETHING A FOOLISH FRIEND OF MINE OCCASIONALLY ATTEMPTS.

A friend?

UNITY. YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T HEARD OF IT. BUT IF WE CAN SUCCEED WHERE IT HAS REPEATEDLY FAILED, WE MAY BE ABLE TO DEFEAT SILVERMIST.

And what are we trying to succeed with?

GIVE ME CONTROL OF THE BODY FOR A MOMENT. WE MUST GO SOMEWHERE.

Okay.

…

Where the fuck are we? It's like, this riverbank, with ashes falling from the sky... And there's a ton of burnt down houses. HELLFIRE, what is this place?

THE RIVER. THE DOMAIN OF THE DYING MAN.

The Dying Man has a domain?

YES. THE RIVER IS VAST, AND HAS A DIFFERENT BRANCH FOR EACH SHARD. THIS IS MY BRANCH. MY HOME. THE ARCHITECTURE REFLECTS MYSELF.

I see...

STAY STILL FOR A MOMENT. DO YOU FEEL THAT?

An Earthquake?

A BRANCH OF THE RIVER HAS VANISHED. A DYING MAN HAS BEEN KILLED.

Silvermist?

POSSIBLY.

So, when you die, this branch of the river will disappear?

YES.

So why did you bring me here?

THIS WILL BE OUR TRAINING GROUND. THIS IS WHERE WE WILL PRACTICE.

Practice what, exactly?

FUSION.

CONFRONTATION

HF; “FOUND YOU!”

BD; So you're HELLFIRE? Silvermist and I have been hoping to meet you.

HF; I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH WHERE YOU STAND.

BD; Is that so? I've heard a lot about you from Silvermist. A Dying Man with control over fire.

SM; Where as we control the cold. Who do you think will be victorious in a clash of the elements?

HF; I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT. LET'S END THIS!

SM; Very well.

ES; (I'm taking the mask off now. We may need the shield.)

HF; OKAY.

FOUND 'EM!

NEW YORK! THEY'RE IN NEW YORK!

Okay, let me clarify what HELLFIRE's trying to say. We checked Daniel's blog, and it turns out he had a nasty encounter with Bill Dawson and Silvermist in New York. Hopefully, they haven't gotten far.

AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE GOING THERE!

Yes. We'll go there, and check out every distortion til we find them.

LET'S GO!

STILL SEARCHING

THIS IS GETTING TIRESOME. WE'VE GONE THROUGH AT LEAST TWO DOZEN DISTORTIONS, AND WE STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE FUTURE GUY OR BILL DAWSON.

Be patient.

UGH, THIS IS RIDICULOUS!

We'll find them. I think we should try New York.

WHY?

There's a large number of distortions there. There's a lot of Fear activity in the area. It's possible that one or both of them are involved.

I GUESS IT'S WORTH A SHOT. BUT FIRST, WE HAVE A STOP TO MAKE.

Where?

I'LL EXPLAIN ONCE WE'RE THERE.

You're being cryptic. You know I hate it when you're cryptic.

DEAL WITH IT. TRUST ME, THE DETOUR WILL BE WORTH IT.

Awake

Al woke up a little while ago.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Where in my hideout,” Cleopatra said.

“You!” he said. “Why-?”

“You were cursed by the Game Master when you turned on him,” she said. “I'm the only one other than Abdalin who knows how to remove that kind of curse.”

“Why would you help me after I betrayed your master?” he demanded.

“My master?” she asked. “He's no master of mine. He's gone, and I say good riddance  I would have turned on him a long time ago, but you see what happened to you when you did that.”

Where's the mask?” he demanded.

“Right here,” she said, handing him the mask he took from the Seven Of Spades.

He put in on and sat there for a while.

“Estren's mask has been recalibrated,” he said. “Is this your doing?”

“No, “ she said.

“The only people who can remotely recalibrate a mask are the Game Master and the Jokers,” he said. “The Game Master's dead, so if it wasn't you, it was Abdalin.”

“That's probable,” she said.

“Why?” he asked. “What would he gain from doing that?”

“No clue,” she said, getting up. “You're better now, so I suggest you both leave as soon as you can. It's only a matter of time before they find out that I'm hiding out here.”

“Who's 'they'?” I asked.

“None of your business,” she said, leaving the room.

So, we're gonna be leaving in just a bit. We're gonna see if we can catch up with Estren. Til next time, good bye.

DAMN!

OKAY, WE'RE IN A CAVE. GARROT IS HERE, FROZEN IN A BLOCK OF ICE. WE ALSO HAVE HIDEAKI WITH US. WE'RE ABOUT TO TRY MELTING HIM.

HF; (ALRIGHT, ESTREN. READY?)

ES; (Yeah. Let's get started.)

WE ARE NOW MELTING THE ICE. OKAY, IT'S MELTED.

HF; (HE'S UNCONSCIOUS.)

ES; (Obviously.)

HK; Wake him up.

ES; I'm trying to. Wait, I think he's coming to.

HF; (LET ME SPEAK.)

ES; (Fine.)

GARROT IS NOW AWAKE.

GK; Who's there? Where am I?

HF; IT'S BEEN A WHILE, GARROT.

GK; Who are you?

HF; I AM THE FIRE THAT BURNS IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL.

GARROT HAS BACKED AWAY, TERRIFIED.

GK; The Dying Man! What are you doing here!?

HF; I AM JUST A PIECE OF WHAT USED TO BE THE DYING. AND I THINK YOU KNOW WHY I'M HERE.

GK; You're after IT, aren't you?

HF; TELL ME, GARROT. WHERE IS THE GODSLAYER?

GK; I don't know! I hid it away, then I forgot the location.

HF; LIAR!

GK; I'm telling the truth!

HF; WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!

DAMNATION! I ENTERED HIS MIND AND SEARCHED IT. HE HAS NO MEMORY OF THE GODSLAYER'S LOCATION. IT'S NOT JUST REPRESSED. IF THAT WERE THE CASE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UNCOVER IT. NO, THE MEMORIES HAVE BEEN ENTIRELY REMOVED. I SENSE THE WORK OF A CERTAIN OLD CROW INVOLVED HERE.

HF; ALRIGHT, HIDEAKI, DO WHAT YOU WILL.

GK; Hideaki!? My son is here!?

HK; Yes, father. I am here. And we need to discuss some things.

ESTREN AND I HAVE LEFT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING BETWEEN GARROT AND HIDEAKI, AND I DON'T CARE. ALL I CARE ABOUT RIGHT NOW IS THE FACT THAT MY FINAL LEAD IS GONE. I MAY NEVER DISCOVER THE LOCATION OF THE GODSLAYER. UNLESS... OF COURSE! THE PALE ONE! HE COMES FROM THE FUTURE! HE MAY HAVE KNOLEDGE OF ITS LOCATION!

ES; It's not that simple. I can't pick him up. His body contains too much eldritch energy. He'll just show up as another distortion on my mask.

HF; THEN LET'S START GOING THROUGH THESE DISTORTION. EVENTUALLY, WE SHOULD FIND EITHER HIM OR DAWSON. EITHER WAY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GROW CLOSER TO ONE OF OUR GOALS.

ES; Let's hope so...

The Pharoah

Alphonse and I were walking earlier. He was still weak. Still sick. I kept telling him to stop and rest, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept walking, until someone stood in his way. It was the Seven Of Spades.

“What are you doing here?” Al asked.

“I'm here to take you down,” Seven said.

“Is that so?” Al asked. “You think you can finally kill me now that I'm weak?”

“Die!” Seven yelled, charging.

I didn't even see what went down. It all happened so fast. In just a couple seconds, the Seven Of Spades was lying on the ground with no head. Al rached down and removed his mask, placing it on his own face.

“There's a reason I'm an Ace and you're a Seven,” Al said, before passing out.

I ran over to him and tried to wake him up. His sickness was getting worse. As I was trying to get him to regain consciousness, I noticed that there was a trail of star shaped symbols on the ground, leading down an alleyway. I remembered Pharoah's comment on the blog, and decided it was best that I take a chance and follow them. I dragged Al's body down the alley and found a doorway. I entered it to find someone waiting for me. A woman wearing loose fitting clothing, with tan skin and dark hair. There was a table in the middle of the room.

“Bring him in and set him down,” she said.

“Are you the Pharoah?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Nnow hurry up. I need to treat him.”

I got him up on the table.

“Are you sure you can cure him?” I asked.

“It's not a disease,” she said. “It's a curse placed on him by the Game Master.”

“What!?” I said.

“It's true,” she replied. “I can remove the curse, but it'll take time. Make yourself at home for now.”

I had a look around, and ended up coming across a mask. A black one with a reversed red question mark on it.

“You're the Red Joker!” I said, just realizing it.

“My name is Cleopatra,” she said. “I've left that life behind. I'm not a servant of that monster any more.”

“You were just as much of a monster as he was!” I said.

“I acted that way because of him!” She snapped. “I never liked serving him! He was a horrible, sexist pig! I'm glad he's dead!”

“If you felt that way about him, why did you serve him for so long?” I asked.

“Do you think I had a choice?” she asked. “I was in his debt. He revived me. He freed me from the Archangel's grasp. I had no choice but to serve him. I wanted to go free for so long, but he wouldn't let me. But now that he's dead, I don't have to work for him any more.”

“So you're on our side now?” I asked.

“For now,” she said. “Once I've repayed my debt to Estren, I plan to go on with my life and leave all this crap behind me.”

“You're in debted to Estren?” I asked.

“Of course I am,” she said. “Look, I'd rather not talk about it write now.”

So, that was the end of that conversation. She's still treating Al. Hopefully, he'll be better after this.

Mask upgrades

Estren; This is new.

HELLFIRE; WHAT'S GOING ON?

ES; Apparently, I can type things on my mask now.

HF; HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

ES; I don't... Wait, there's a post on my blog.

HF; LOOKS LIKE THE MASK WAS HACKED.

Es; Yeah.

HF; WHAT DO ALL THESE FUNCTION THINGIES DO?

ES; I have no idea, HELLFIRE.

HF; WELL, CLEARLY ONE OF THEM ALLOWS US TO WRITE OUR THOUGHTS DOWN USING THE MASK.

ES; I guess so... Let me try a few things. HOLY CRAP!!!

HF; WHAT'S WRONG?

ES; That glitch that's been preventing me from tracking people down is gone, plus the radius of that function has been increased.

HF; INCREASED BY HOW MUCH?

ES; Jupiter. All the way to Jupiter.

HF; YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT?

ES; No, I'm not. I can actually scan all the way to Jupiter. Holy crap, there's life there!

HF; DUH, EVERYONE KNOWS THERE'S ALIENS UP THERE.

ES; Actually, I don't think very many people know that.

HF; YOU'RE AN IDIOT.

ES; Shut up.

HF; CAN YOU TRACK DOWN DAWSON?

ES; Well, not exactly. This function can only locate humans, and as Dawson is possessed by a Dying Man shard, I can't pin him don. However...

HF; YES?

ES; I can pick up distortions caused by the Fears, all over the world. One of those distortions has to be Silvermist.

HE; GREAT! SO, HOW MANY OF THESE DISTORTIONS DO WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH?

ES; Um... a couple hundreds. There's God knows how many Dying Man shards, plus I'm pretty sure some of the things I'm picking up are Demi Gods... But I think we can narrow their location down to somewhere in the US... Still a lot to pick through...

HF; WELL, THIS COULD TAKE A WHILE...

ES; Yeah. Wait a minute... HELLFIRE, you'll never guess who I just found!

HF; IS IT GARROT KELTERRY?

ES; …Okay, you can guess, apparently... And get this, he's still alive!

HF; WELL, LET'S FIND HIM! SILVERMIST CAN WAIT JUST A BIT, RIGHT?

ES; Yeah. Think we should contact Hideaki first? It looks like he's somewhere in Tiajuana.

HF; WHAT'S HE DOING THERE?

ES; Beats me.

HF; WELL, I SUPPOSE WE MIGHT AS WELL.

ES; Where are we, anyway?

HF; PROXY HIDEOUT. I THINK I SAW MYRIR EARLIER.

ES; I see. Should we ditch this place without speaking to anyone here?

HF; I'D KIND OF LIKE TO KNOW WHY THEY BOTHERED SAVING US FROM THAT RED CREEP, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD AVOID CONTACT WITH THEM.

?; I see you're up.

HF; WHOA, WHO'S THAT!?

ES; Jerome Welric. Sound. He must have pathed in.

JW; You've recovered.

ES; (to Sound) Yes. And I'm afraid I have to leave now.

JW; Rather inconsiderate of you, considering how much we've done to you.

ES; I can't stick around. I have several things to take care of.

JW; I am aware of that. But before you leave, I have a request.

ES; What?

JW; I need information on the whereabouts of Valerie Thien.

HF; WHO?

ES; (mentally) An emissary. Code named Wildfire. Her emissary power makes her capable of Dragonic physiology.

HF; THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?

ES; (mentally) It means she has dragon-like powers.

HF; Oh...

ES; What do you want from her?

JW; That's none of your concern.

ES; Give me an explanation.

JW; I'm not allowed to disclose information regarding our reasons for seeking her out.

ES; Then I'm out of here.

ESTREN JUST TELEPORTED OUT OF THE HIDEOUT.

HF; YOU SURE YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST BAILED LIKE THAT?

ES; Why do you care?

HF; I DON'T. JUST WONDERING.

ES; Let's go find Hideaki.

HF; ALRIGHT. LET'S GO.

Outside source intercepting mask

mask controls overridden

beginning mask re-calibrations

entering phase 1 of re-calibration

adding function 00104

adding function 00105

adding function 00106

removing restriction 00047

removing restriction 00048

adding function 01892

adding function 01893

adding function 01894

adding function 01895

removing function 03761

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phase 1 complete

entering phase 2 of re-calibration

repairing glitch 028

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phase 2 complete

entering phase 3 of re-calibration

modifying task 445

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phase 3 complete

mask re-calibration complete

returning complete control to user

ending process in 3

2

1

That reckless bastard!

I am soooooo mad at Alphonse right now! He's barely recovered, and yet he still decided to up and leave the Hostel! Fortunately, I already paid off our rent by doing some work there, so they didn't really have a problem with us leaving.

Anyway. I guess Al saw HELLFIRE's last post, and now he's got in in his head that we have to find that Blood Vessel and kill him, no matter what. But I don't see how he's gonna manage to kill any one in his condition. The guys a wreck.

Sorry, Estren. I couldn't stop him.

-Amy

VESSEL

WE RAN INTO SOME TROUBLE. LIKE, HUGE TROUBLE.

WE CONTINUED OURSEARCH FOR SILVERMIST, WHEN THIS GUY SHOWED UP. HE WAS DRESSED ALL IN RED AND HAD RED EYES AND HAIR. HE LOOKED ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE DANIEL.

“Hey there, pal!” HE CALLED TO US. “You down for a little party I'm throwin'?”

“Who all's invited?” ESTREN ASKED SUSPIIOUSLY.

“Oh, that's the best part!” THE MAN SAID. “It's just gonna be you and me, big boy!”

“Doesn't sound like much of a party wityh just two people,” ESTREN SAID.

“Oh, trust me,” HE SAID. “It'll be a party!”

WE DIDN'T GET ANY TIME TO REACT. HE WAS UPON US ALMOST INSTANTLY. HE HAD HIS HAND AROUND ESTREN'S THROAT AND WAS SQUEEZING TIGHTLY. I TRIED FORCING MYSELF INTO HIS BODY, NUT IT FAILED. THERE WAS ALREADY ANOTHER POSSESSER INSIDE OF HIM, AND IT FORCED ME OUT. I WAS THROWN BACK INTO ESTREN'S BODY. IT WAS JUST AS I FEARED FROM THE BEGINNING. THIS GUY WAS A BLOOD VESSEL.

HE JERKED HIS HAND QUICKLY, AND ESTREN'S NECK SNAPPED. HE DROPPED US TO THE GROUND. I'M SURPRISED ESTREN WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE THAT. I GUESS CARDS CAN LIVE THROUGH A LOT OF PUNISHMENT.

“See?” THE GUY SAID. “One hell of a party, right?”

HE LIFTED HIS LEG AND SMASHED HIS FOOT DOWN ON ESTEEN'S CHEST, BREAKING SEVERAL RIBS. HE WAS LAUGHING LIKE A MANIAC. HE RAISED HIS LEG AND STOMPED ON US AGAIN. THIS TIME, SOME OF ESTREN'S BROKEN RIBS PIERCED INTO HS LUNG. ESTREN GRABBED HIS CUTLASS AND MADE A WEAK ATTEMPT TO SLASH AT OUR ASSAILANT, BUT HE SIMPLY GRABBED THE BLADE IN MID SWING, ALLOWING T TO CUT THROUGH HIS SKIN. HE TOSSED OUR SWORD ASIDE. BLOOD- OR, MORE ACCURATELY, THE RED CAP- BEGAN FLOWING FROM HIS OPEN WOUND. IT RE-SHAPED ITSELF IN MIDAIR, TAKING THE SHAPE OF A SWORD, BEFORE SOLIDIFYING INTO SHINING SCARLET CRYSTAL. HE STABBED US REPEATEDLY IN NONVITAL PLACES, TRYING TO MAKE US HURT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BEFORE HE POINTED THE TIP OF HIS CRYSTAL SWORD AT OUR HEART.

“Before I kill you, I'm going to tell you why I'm doing this,” HE SAID. “You see, I'm from another universe. In my world, I was forced into one of the Game Master's tournaments. While I was there, I met a man named Doug Franklin. We begame friends. Perhaps even more than that. However, as fate would have it, we were pitted against each other in the final battle. I beat him. I beat him black and blue. But I couldn't finish it. The rules dictated that I had to kill him, but I didn't have it in me. I just couldn't do it. So do you know what he did?”

“What?” ESTREN ASKED WEAKLY. A LOOK OF ABSOLUTE DISGUST CAME OVER THE MAN'S FACE.

“He had one of his servants hold my eyelids open while he slaughtered Doug in front of me,” HE SAID. “I wanted to kill him, but I got pulled nto this world before I got the chance. And od course, the Game Master in this universe is already dead, but I'll settle for the next best thing; His servants.”

“If that's true, why would you tell Amy about the Hostel so she could find help for Al?” ESTREN ASKED. 

OF COURSE. I  DIDN'T THINK OF IT AT FIRST, THIS MUST'VE BEEN THE SAME BLOOD VESSEL WHO ATTACKED AMY.

“Simple,” THE MAN SAID. “Your brother was the one holding my eyes open. I don't want him to die of some illness. I want his death to mean something. I was to fight him at the peak of his power. I want to face him in a battle of great proportions, in which only one of us will live to see the end. And once I kill you, he'll have all the mitivation he needs to face me. NOW DIE!!!”

HE WAS JUST ABOUT TO THRUST THE SWORD THROUGH US WHEN THE SOUND OF A GUNSHOT WAS HEARD, AND HIS NECK SNAPPED BACK. HE SEEMED CONFUSED. HE REMOVED THE BULLET FROM HIS FORHEAD, AS IF IT WAS NOTHING.

“Who the f--- just shot me?” HE DEMANDED.

MORE SHOTS WERE FIRED. HE SEEMED TO BARELY FEEL ANY OF THEM. HE RUSHED AT THE PERSON FIRING. ESTREN MOVED HIS HEAD AS MUCH AS HE COULD. WE COULD SEE HIM STANDING OVER A WOMAN, WITH A HAND AROUND HER THROAT.

“You're a feisty one, aren't you?” HE SAID. “I think I'll have some fun with you before I rip your face off and feed it to you.”

I TOOK OVER AND FIRED A BALL OF FIRE AT HIS BACK. I DON'T THINK IT DID HIM ANY DAMAGE, BUT IT GOT HIS ATTENTION AND ALLOWED THE WOMAN TO BREAK FREE. SHE RUSHED UP TO US AND KNOCKED US OUT WITH THE BUTT OF HER RIFLE. NEXT THING I KNOW, WE'RE WAKING UP IN A SLENDER PROXY HIDEOUT IN A BED. I TOOK CONTROL OF ONE OF THE PROXIES WHO WAS STUPID ENOUGH TO GET CLOSE SO THAT I COULD WRITE THIS POST. I THINK I'LL GO BACK TO ESTREN'S BODY AFTER THIS. WEARING THIS HUMAN BODY... IT SUCKS. THIS GUY IS PATHETIC WHEN COMPARED TO ESTREN'S STRENGTH. I DON'T CARE IF HIS BODY IS BROKEN TO BITS RIGHT NOW, I STILL PREFER IT TO A HUMAN BODY. BESIDES, HE'S GONNA NEED MY POWER TO RECOVER FROM THIS.

Treatment

We've been staying at the hostel for the past few days. Al's being treated, but we're still not sure what exactly is wrong with him. Hopefully, he'll get better soon. I don't wanna let Estren down.

Also, we've been keeping our powers hidden. I don't know how the people here would react to knowing that we're both former servants of the Game Master, but I have to keep them from finding out.

QUICK POST

IT'S ME, HELLFIRE. ESTREN AND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR DAWSON, BUT WE CAN'T FIND THE GUY. THE MASK ISN'T WORKING PROPERLY, SO TRACKING HIM USING IT ISN'T AN OPTION.

THOUGH WE CAN'T FIND SILVERMIST AND ITS NEW HOST, WE DID FIND SOMEONE. NOT SOMEONE WE WERE LOOKING FOR, BUT DEFINATELY SOMEONE WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT.

WE WERE WALKING DOWN THE STREET AT NIGHT. IT WAS QUIET, AND FOGGY. NOBODY AROUND AT ALL. AFTER A WHILE, WE SAW THIS GUY RUNNING DOWN THE STREET. AS HE CAME CLOSER, WE REALIZED THAT HIS LEG WAS INJURED BADLY, AND SOME OF THE BONE WAS STICKING OUT. DISPITE THIS, HE WAS RUNNING AS FAST AS HE COULD FROM SOMETHING. UNTIL HE TRIPPED AND FELL ON HIS FACE.

“Are you okay?” ESTREN ASKED, RUNNING UP TO THE GUY.

THE GUY ROLLED ONTO HIS BACK AND STARTED SCOOTING AWAY FROM WHATEVER HE WAS RUNNING FROM, STARING INTO THE DISTANCE WITH A TERRIFIED LOOK ON HIS FACE.

“Are you okay?” ESTREN REPEATED. “What are you running from?”

Hold on!

WHY ARE YOU INTERUPTING MY POST, ESTREN?

Why are you doing my dialog in pink?

IT'S NOT PINK, IT'S MAGENTA, YOU PEASANT.

Well, can you pick a different color?

FINE! GEEZ!

SO ANYWAY, WE SAW THIS GUY APPROACHING US FROM THE FOG. HE WAS CARRYING THIS GIANT AX WITH A TWISTED FACE ON IT. HE DRAGGED THE AX ALONG THE GROUND WHILE WHISTLING THIS WEIRD TUNE. THE GUY WITH THE BROKEN LEG WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED OF THIS NEW GUY.

“Who are you?” ESTREN ASKED.

Yellow? Really?

SHUT UP, ESTREN. I'M TYPING.

THE GUY JUST LOOKED AT US, THEN RAISED A HAND INTO THE AIR AND SNAPPED HIS FINGERS. A GIANT YELLOW DRAGON APPEARED IN THE SKY ABOVE US.

“Hastur Dragon,” HE SAID, “Kill him.”

THE DRAGON SWOOPED DOWN ON US, AND ESTREN WARPED OUT OF THE WAY. THE GUY RAN FORWARD REALLY QUICKLY AND SLASHED THE INJURED MAN'S THROAT WITH HIS AXE, THEN GRABBED HIM BY THE HAIR.

“I have what I came for,” HE SAID. “I'll let Hastur here handle you.”

THEN HE OPENED A PORTAL AND RAN THROUGH IT.

WE WERE LEFT ALONE WITH THE HUGE DRAGON. WE EVENTUALLY MANAGED TO CUT THE THING DOWN. ITS BODY VANISHED AFTER IT DIED.

“Who was that guy?” ESTREN ASKED.

“I DON'T KNOW,” I SAID. “HE CALLED THE DRAGON HASTUR, AFTER THE LOVECRAFTIAN WIND DEITY.”

“You think that means nything?” ESTREN ASKED.

“IT MIGHT,” I SAID. “WE'D BETTER LOOK INTO THIS. IF WE HAVE HIM AND THE SILVERMIST/DAWSON TEAM ON THE LOOSE, THERE COULD BE TROUBLE.”

Nearly there

We're almost there. Alphonse teleported us most of the way before passing out. I had to wait for him to wake up again, so we could start moving again. I'm having to act as his crutch.

We're taking a quick break so I can type this. Al's mask is shattered into pieces, but it still provides internet access for some reason.

We'd better get moving again soon. I wonder how these people will react to seeing a chick dressed like a vampire carrying a ninja with a giant slash across his face.

Hostel

It's me, Amy again.

I was out getting a few things when this crazy guy started following me. I didn't realize it at first, but I figured it out after a while. I picked up the pace. So did he. I tried to lose him in an alleyway, but he caught up and grabbed me by the throat, and pinned me to the wall. I tried kicking him in the solar plexus, but he just started laughing.

"You got some fight in you," he said, tightening his grip. "I like that."

I kicked him as hard as I could in the jaw. That got him to release me. As soon as I was free, I charged at him and sank my teeth into his neck. I instantly realized it wasn't blood I was tasting. I let him go and started spitting the red liquid out of my mouth.

"Oh, such a shame," he said. "I was hoping you'd swallow instead of spit. It would have been fun to give my boss a new Vessel."

I turned invisible, hoping it would give me a chance to escape.

"Oh no!" he said sarcastically, while pulling a bottle of wine from his jacket. "She's gone all invisible and shit! Whatever shall I do!?"

He took a swig of the wine, then he started spraying from his mouth in every direction, some of it hitting my face. I cried out in disgust. Bad idea on my part, because immediately afterwards I felt his hand around my throat again.

"There you are," he chuckled, slamming me to the ground and tightening his grip.

I couldn't breath, and my vision started to get blurry. I thought he was going to kill me, but instead, he let go, stood back up, and started chugging the rest of his wine. I started getting my breathe back.

"I've had my fun," he said, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket and dropping it on the ground in front of me. "This is the address of a hostel that might be able to help your friend. Go on and check the place out."


He left me alone in that alleyway. I eventually got my strength back, and returned to the place we're currently staying at.

I don't trust that guy, but Alphonse needs help, and if this hostel can do anything for him, I guess it's worth a shot.

Hey...

Hello, this is Amy.


I'm sorry Estren hasn't updated the blog. I can't blame him. He's been through a lot.


I'll try to get you guys up to speed as much as you can.


So, after the GM died, Estren came back, with HELLFIRE back in his possession.

Alphonse has gotten worse. I think it may be an infection, or some other kind of sickness. He's been coughing a lot, and he's been feverish, cranky, and he's conscious about 4 hours a day on average. We have no idea what's wrong with him.

We haven't gotten any closer to the thing HELLFIRE's been looking for. The Samurai was called away on business with the Wooden Girl, but he gave us a phone number, and said to call if we get any more leads on Garrot Kelterry. He also said he doesn't answer this umber at all, but he will respond if we leave him a message saying who we are and why we're calling.

and then we found out that Silver mist is still alive, and has possessed Bill Dawson. Two of the most evil people I know of (aside from the GM and some of his servants, of course) have teamed up. And, in addition, Silvermist is seeking to absorb more Dying Men to make itself stronger.

Seeing this as a problem, Estren and HELLFIRE told me to care for  Alphonse while they go and try to handle Silvermist and Dawson.


I normally wouldn't be worried. I mean, Estren's has grown as a fighter. He's pretty good in battle, and with HELLFIRE inside him, he's pretty badass. Not invincible, but still pretty awesome. I've seen the two of them fighting as a single unit, and they are... just fuckin' awesome. I am actually somewhat attracted to them.

However, I haven't heard from them in a couple weeks. I have no idea if they're okay. I'm worried about those two.
And to make it worse, Al's condition just keeps getting more horrible. He needs medical attention, and I can't help him much, aside from holding a wet rag to his head occasionally. He needs help.

Please, if anyone knows any hospitals that aren't infected with Oathbreakers, please let me know. He needs help, and I can't give it to him. Estren would kill me if I let him die...