• Major updates are done! We've squashed the nastier bugs, but there are probably a few smaller ones still scurrying about. Send us a DM on Twitter (@lowerworldtsw) or to @Custodian/@Voltigeur on this site if you catch one! We'll be tweaking the site's appearance and updating guides as the month goes on. :)

CAMPAIGN: It Watches

A glimpse of something greater than our comprehension

Quick Overview

Category
Completed Campaigns
Language
Total members
6
Total events
0
Total discussions
15
Total views
7K

The Murder of Knight-Captain Havelock

Requine

Requineverse DM-in-chief
Game Master
Cassandra announced her presence with the soft flop of a gym bag hitting carpet and padded feet coming in. “It’s our weekly session!” She called, smiling, heading into Anna’s gym. “Hope you’re not feelin’ soft.”

Anna’s dressed in simple athletic wear - nothing fancy. She looks at Cass, bleary-eyed - a million miles away - and quiet for a moment and … manages a half-smile. It… doesn’t look too sincere, “Me. Soft? Never.” She takes her position on the mat, doing a few stretches. She doesn’t seem to be paying an awful lot of attention to the other woman.

Cass whistles as she goes through her stretching routine, feeling no small amount of sympathy for Anna. But she was clear: “No pity.”

Anna exhales, crouching into her usual combat-ready pose. She says nothing, barely looking at Cassandra, though she begins to circle her, slowly…

The Knight-Captain turns to face Anna, keeping on the balls of her feet, hands up. “Got a little razzle dazzle to show you this time, a little somethin’ I picked up -” Cass grins and shuffles her feet playfully. “C’mere.”

Anna says with slight amusement, “... yeah?” She takes a step forwards and starts to throw a couple quick jabs at Cass, alternating between aiming at her face and her stomach.

The Knight-Captain parries, dodges, and then takes a quick step, pinning down Anna’s foot and wrapping an arm around her in an attempt to hurl her off her feet.

Anna is - caught - far easier than Cass would normally be able to manage it, and is hurled off her feet, landing on her back with a sharp, exhale. She lies there, seemingly not making any effort to get up, just… staring up at the ceiling.

“Hey.” Cass drops her martial stance and just lays down next to Anna, leaving herself undefended. “What’s - are you OK? I mean -”

Anna - rolls over onto her side, a sudden - hateful look in her eyes - like she’s been waiting to kill the woman her whole life - and a hand snaps up and grips down hard as humanly possible on Cass’s throat. She pushes herself up onto her knees and delivers one sudden, hard punch to Cass’s face. There is no technique. No attempt to exploit weakness. No attempt to find openings. Just a steadily tightening hand and a fist - hammering, over and over into her face.

“ANN - GK -” The Knight-Captain kicks, tries to push the mad woman off. “STOP - “ Her eyes are swelling. Just like they were in that fucking video tape, the fucking Dawnbreak one -

“Please - “ The Knight-Captain grabs out, manages to snag your wrist, but her breathing is coming shorter and shorter and she’s going red in the cheeks. “Why -”

No listening to her voice. She’s - one of them. She - carries that trace somewhere in her brain. She knows that.

The golden circuits lining Anna’s hand glow brighter, her fist lighting up, now carrying that extra charge of anima, further amplifying the impacts of her fist as she just tears it from Cass’s grip and just… starts hammering her again, even harder this time, the other hand tightening down further.

“I - AM - STRONGER!” she enunciates the words, loudly, like she’s trying to convince herself.

As you bring your fist down, there’s the familiar sensation of bone breaking. Blood spurts, partially obscuring the golden glow of your circuits from view. Cass kicks feebly. No more words. Just gurgling.

Anna just - keeps punching. Even the pain as she starts to damage her own fist through the repeated, hateful blows as she glares down, refusing to stop, not until she’s done kicking. Not until all that’s left is a bloody smear. Salt the fucking earth. Leave nothing. Leave nothing.

At some point, you realize Cass isn’t moving anymore, or struggling, or making any noise.

The next blow causes her face to flake away like a two day old pastry, and a Bee slowly buzzes out of what’s left, does a loop, and makes its way out through a vent.

Anna keeps punching for a little longer - until she feels the crack of a few of her own knuckles splintering and… withdraws her bloodsoaked fist, her other hand letting go. She looks down on what she’s done, expression blank. Yet another fucking d-

… no.

“...nononononono…”

The rest of Cass splinters and flakes away, fading away into the carpet like soap suds in the sun, leaving Anna in just a pool of blood.

Anna just… stares down, in slowly dawning horror. She can’t bring herself to do anything about it, though. She sucks in a ragged, shaky breath, exhaling the words again, “... no.” Blood soaks her legs and she continues to stare down not quite even finding the will to do … or even feel more besides a sort of… horrified numbness.

Even convincing herself that this matters is difficult.
 

Bloody-M

New Member
Anna is still hiding in her London flat. Doors locked. Trying to make sense of her own behavior and herself and everything. She may allow some visitors later once she's regained her composure a little.
 
Top