open | The Walking Undead (July catch-all)

[emet_sulk]

🧙 WHO: Emet-Selch and anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: Summer fun? More like summer glum. Emet is shunning the festivities (mostly) in favour of investigating the earthquake and, later, throwing himself into the thick of the undead invasion. Unfortunately his display of death magic draws attention from less savoury types...
🕒 WHEN: July
🗺️ WHERE: Around Camelot City
⚠️ WARNINGS: Necromancy-related things?

(Will match format. The second prompt is setting up a personal plot which will happen in August later, in which someone close to Emet will be murdered and Emet will go on a destructive murder hunt in revenge.)


1. Farmers vs Zombies

Emet-Selch cautiously emerges from his shop, wary of other tremors. Outside, many residents of Camelot are doing the same: some glancing about curiously, others more fearfully. It has been a while since he felt the earth shake so violently and it is an unsettling reminder of ages past.

Since the tremors do not seem to repeat themselves, however, he silently tells himself off for being foolish and heads back inside. Just an act of nature. Nothing to be afraid of.

But then news filters to the city of undead roaming the farmlands to the north-east. Being one versed in death magic, Emet-Selch feels obliged to head there and at least investigate the disturbance. Perhaps he will be able to put some to rest as well?

The farm is in chaos. No time to seek out others for a briefing on what has happened - Emet-Selch is immediately forced to defend himself from a rotting zombie shuffling his and his familiar's way. He holds out a palm and focuses on the ghoul.

"Stop!" he commands sternly. The zombie halts, looking confused. But there are more approaching, and his command over this new magick is not nearly as developed as his alchemy. He is unable to hold back the lumbering crowd as they advance no matter how he tries to command them otherwise.

"By Zodiark," he hisses through gritted teeth. "What is going on?"

2. Eater of Worlds

Unfortunately the undead is but the tip of the iceberg. The ground quakes once more. The ground gives way beneath his feet without warning, dropping him to his knees. An enormous worm bursts out, sending giant clods of earth scattering in the vicinity. Emet-Selch narrowly misses being concussed by one as he kicks away the zombies which have slid down into the cavity with him and scrambles to reach safety. Once he's found stable footing, he pivots and faces the great worm, expression grim.

"This is utterly ridiculous!" he growls, readying his grimoire. "How is one supposed to fight against that?"

3. Rejected Proposition

Well. With all the excitement FINALLY over (he hopes), Emet-Selch returns to his shop and his home. Even then the peace and quiet do not last, for a few days later he is visited during business hours by someone with a sickly sweet smile that does not touch their eyes.

"Rumour has it that you deal with the dead," they say. "We come with an proposition that will surely benefit a man of your unique magicks. It is not every day you find a man so willing to use corpses as part of his art."

"I am sure I have not the faintest idea what you may be referring to," he responds coolly, face like stone.

Their laughter is like the soft sound of cascading bells. Are they fae? It seems like every other person is in this bloody city. "If you are not here to purchase something, I suggest you leave."

They do not leave. In fact, they take a step closer to the counter. "You make poisons. You collect the bodies of those with no family nor friends and use them in your alchemy. Few would use the dead in such a way. It is my master's belief that we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Emet-Selch stands. The stool scrapes across the floor as he jabs a finger towards the door, seething. "Out."

They ignore him. "Mr Polydegmon it would be in your best interest to cooperate. Especially if you do not wish your partner to join the bodies you harvest--"

"I said, 'Get out!'"

His gwiber familiar launches itself at the emissary, barking loudly. There is an ungainly scramble as the fae(?) or whatever they are rushes for the door. Emet-Selch stalks after them for good measure, standing upon the threshold to yell at their retreating back.

"Consider your kind barred from my store for the foreseeable future!"

4. Wildcard

Got an idea for something else this month? Quests or even silly summer festival things are okay. Emet won't be great company necessarily for the latter but people who know him can bully him into going. If you'd like to plot something, please send me a PM to either this account or to my plurk ch1ps0h0y.

Comments

3.

[menphina]

[ It's one of the days she's doing her own deliveries, bringing in an excellent load of plants and extra blossoms for him when the first arrival comes in, as usual telling him of all the exploits she made to get to where she needed to gather them.

She's also brought in some tea and snacks for him and whoever is here (sandwiches! - fortunately not made by her) so they can have them on break when the person starts talking and- she stares at them, not interrupting, because it seems like Emet-Selch has it under control but-

Oh. Oh no. She quickly gets off the stool she's seated on to rest her legs and runs up behind him, as the strangers retreat and she quickly places her hand on Emet-Selch's arm. ]

Hades, come back inside. They're gone.

[ Somehow doing this seems normal now. It's not the first time she's had to calm him down after all. ]

... who was that?

[emet_sulk]

[ He shakes off her hand and stalks back inside, fuming silently. He makes straight for his workbench behind the counter and plants himself on the stool, tightly clenched fists resting on the bench's surface. ]

I don't know. This is the first time I have seen them.

[ He fiddles with a half-finished piece then carefully puts it away in disgust. There will be no work done until he calms down. ]

[menphina]

[ She looks concerned, ears drooping when he seems this upset, but she looks back towards the doorway and her nose crinkles a bit as she looks unsettled by the scent the person left behind. ]

... they sent chills down my spine. Their scent was unbearable.

[ She looks back at him, concern in her gaze as she approaches the counter and sits opposite him again. ]

Don't let them get to you. It'll cloud your judgment.

[emet_sulk]

What judgement is there to cloud?! [ The words fired at her with hot anger. ] They came in, threatened Hythlodaeus' well-being, and have the nerve to ask me if I would co-operate with their questionable operation!

[ He feels intensely like breaking something but, unlike their world, he would not be able to conjure a replacement. So he settles for taking a piece of paper and tearing it into shreds.

It would be funny if he weren't so furious. ]

[menphina]

That's exactly it- a single threat to Hythlodaeus is setting you off like that. Don't you think that's giving them fodder to try provoking you further?


[ What he ends up doing is a little amusing though, but she's known him from when he did have his magic. That's something she doesn't want to challenge, even without the powers he used to.

She sighs and reaches out to cover his hand with hers, looking at him firmly. ]

... I don't blame you for being angry. I'd have reacted the same way in your place. Why don't you check on Hythlodaeus and make sure all is well?

[ She draws her hand back herself, ears drooping a bit. ]

Hades, what have you been doing here with your alchemy, anyroad?

[emet_sulk]

He's out at the moment, [ he says tersely. He wants to go out right now and make sure Hythlodaeus is safe. Would that be playing into their hands? Does he even care? He'll eliminate all threats to his bonded partner and damn the consequences. ]

My alchemy is none of your business. I have been refining it since 'tis the only avenue of creation left to me.

[ He doesn't seem best pleased to be reminded of that fact, growing more irate from her query. ]

1

[markedfordeath]

Elza had been out relaxing under the sky when the tremor was felt. Being in the city, our built up areas, was never get thing and she often took comfort in the peace the solitude of the wild brought.

While she wasn't near enough to the farm to be in danger, she was close enough to hear the trouble being caused in the area. Pushing herself up to rest on the elbows, the gunner rolled onto her stomach and peered down the hill and over the farmland at the disturbance.

Undead?

She'd thought they'd seen the last of them the other week... Or so she'd hoped.

The gunner almost rolled back over to get back to relaxing when she caught sight of something interesting. Had that man paused a zombie?

It certainly looked like it even from where she was, but it appeared that was where his ability ended.

Oh well, it is what it is really. The temptation to leave him to his ill conceived plans was high, but she figured she'd at least give him the opportunity to retreat if need be.

Reaching out for Sturm, Elza brought the rifle up close to her. She was laying comfortably on the grass while she lined up the shot. The gunner was a good mile out from all the action but to her shooting skill, this was considered all too easy.

Lining up the first rogue zombie heading in towards the man, she fired with perfect precision at her targets head.

cw: descriptions of gore

[emet_sulk]

He is about to draw his own weapon when the head of the zombie in front of him explodes into shattered bone, rotting flesh, and remnants of brain matter. He stiffens, resisting the urge to look behind him. That had been a very precise shot - from a distance as well, seeing as he hadn't heard the crack of gunfire. It's difficult to believe they missed him only to destroy the zombie like this.

Wiping flecks of old blood from his cheek, he draws the gunblade and takes a ready stance: angled to the side, finger on the trigger, one arm out to steady the long blade.

He'll just have to trust in the mysterious sniper.

Squeezing the trigger ignites a cartridge, and a small bullet wreathed in magical blue flame takes a second zombie squarely in the head. Then he's lunging into the horde, carving and shooting his opponents with the hybrid firearm. He keeps himself slightly lower than the zombies themselves, in case the shooter needs to take shots.

np

[markedfordeath]

The gunner had thought it to be a regular blade when she saw the flash of steel where her quarry stood. The odd flash though gave Elza pause as she considered the sight. Perhaps it was this person using magic?

Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, she turned her attention to another zombie in the area. If he had a weapon then he should be competent enough to use it. It was with that thought that she took a shot at a zombie a little further away from where he was. There was a light muzzle flash as Sturm fired again. The bullet whizzed through the air to slam into the next target's head.

The man in question had begun to dive right into the fore of zombies. It didn't escape Elza's notice that he kept lower than the other targets. Taking that as an invitation, she turned her sights to shoot at the targets in his area. The target practice would do her good.

sorry for wait, covid keeps messing up schedule and is tiring

[emet_sulk]

The zombies pose little challenge to him. Though great in number, their individual threat is minimal. He carves through them quickly and feels little remorse for it, for they clearly have no soul and are merely the reanimated dead. He no longer flinches when the sniper takes her shots. It seems he had been right to trust in them.

Still, there ARE a lot of enemies and even Emet-Selch has to admit to growing tired as the fight drags on. Perhaps it's time to retreat.

He starts to back away, holding his weapon defensively.

Hey no stress!

[markedfordeath]

Elza didn't back down from her taking her shots, but as she moved her sights along the battlefield, she took note of how the man in question seemed to be backing off. Being up close to the combat was something she could do, but her skills in question were better suited at further distances. Besides, she hated the mess that came with fighting up close and personal. The cleaning afterwards was always too much of a pain.

She stayed in her position. Seeing him accept that he needed to retreat was something she could acknowledge. Not many could admit to such things and so the gunner decided to reward that display with helping him withdraw. Taking her aim, Elza fired her rifle with just enough intent to keep the zombies away.

3 :3c

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus is used to just about any manner of visitor to Emet's shop at this point - and while it would be nice to say that he gets along with all of them, it would also be untrue. There are brusque people, strange visitors, those who only seem to enter shops to take out some personal frustrations on the shopkeeper, younglings - on a dare or to seem cool, angling to buy potions that are off the register or do not even exist sometimes...

But this particular visitor makes his hair stand on end almost from the start. There is something about their manner that's unsettling even for a fae - and their speech soon only confirms the suspicions.

Hythlodaeus goes pale as his partner has to shout to chase the "visitor" out - but rather than the fight itself, it's the brief threat they utter that terrifies him. He approaches Hades once the man returns, taking his arm to lead him to the little room off the main space that they use for quick breaks between work.

"Hades, are you alright?"

[emet_sulk]

His fingers flex and ball into fists. They're shaking. He's shaking. It's the first time anyone has dared threaten his partner and it cuts right to the heart of his greatest, underlying fear. Thoughts on how to protect Hythlodaeus whirl about - anything from refusing to let the man go out alone to hunting that fae down. Nothing is off the table. He'll do anything to preserve what he has.

It takes a few moments for him to realise the other man has asked him something. He looks up blankly. Then the words catch up with him and he shakes his head.

"I'm fine," he says shortly. He grasps his friend's wrist tightly. "I want you to stay in the city. Do not go anywhere alone. Do not follow anyone unfamiliar. Do you understand, Hythlodaeus?"

[weenwoon]

It is telling how shaken Hythlodaeus himself is when he just nods in return, without lazily arguing out of sheer contrariness or joking. Though, of course, he does realize that despite his words Hades is not fine at all, but there is little he can do about it right now.

"Of course. Please... You too, Hades. I worry that they may try to corner you outside the shop as well."

He takes one of Hades's hands in both of his own, as much for himself as for his friend. Though he's gotten a little more used to the cruel ways of the mortal worlds - although fae are often immortal, but very rarely even coming close to their people in benevolence, - most threats he's had to face so far were dictated by circumstance moreso than anything. Such... direct, personal danger is new and terrifying in a way he's never quite experienced before.

"Mayhap we... we ought to see to safeguarding the shop, as well."

[emet_sulk]

"I can protect myself," he says curtly. He had not been making a habit of carrying his weapon openly unless on a quest but perhaps he should. No, he isn't worried for himself. It is Hythlodaeus, after all, who cannot - one may even say will not - take up arms even in self-defence.

"My magic does not lie in wards." He covers his friend's hands with his remaining one, staring at them and realising, once more, how fragile their lives are. Either of them can die here with a single, careless misstep. "You, however - you should be able to craft something out of light."

[weenwoon]

He certainly can, of course, but in truth Hythlodaeus has been rather cautious in practicing his second magic, all too aware of the effect bright flashes of light have on his partner. He glances up at Hades.

"I can try, yes... But I worry what effect it might have on you."

also 4 because I am unstoppable; celliwig & summer solstice

[weenwoon]

The sudden arrival to Celliwig was... sudden, to say the least, but Hythlodaeus is nothing if not good at adapting to new situations - especially when there is such an abundance of novelty to explore. And while the city itself holds many wonders, something even Hades had to agree with, Hythlodaeus finds himself particularly curious about the solstice rituals. And he refuses to go back without seeing them - which in turn means that Hades has to see them, as well.

"Come now, Hades! 'Tis a rare occurrence by this world's metric, and we have taken part in all the previous celebrations. Celliwig will still be there for us to explore afterwards. And are you certain you will be able to endure the next twelve moons that I pester you about having missed these festivities?"

Of course, convincing his grumpy friend is not the easiest of tasks, but Hythlodaeus is not going to give up easily, as they stroll through the fae city with its oh-so-many surprises. In truth, the outing is something of a gamble on Hythlodaeus's part, as well - hoping that all the new sights and experiences will be enough to pique Hades's interest to the point that he would finally agree to attending the festival. Out of pure academic curiosity, of course.

[emet_sulk]

Hythlodaeus is in luck, for Hades is feeling in a more agreeable mood today. He has already seen the city before, and as much as he is longingly eyeing the shops which promise wares for alchemy practitioners, he is reluctant to dampen his friend's spirits.

"Heavens forbid you pester me to a greater degree than you already do," he laments with a dramatic roll of his eyes. But he offers his hand for Hythlodaeus to take. "Where to?"

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus's face lights up at the agreement. He takes his friend's hand and tugs on it excitedly, as though ready to set off right away.

"According to the message we've received, the rituals will be held at sundown at the Diamond Falls. But I thought we may arrive a little early to explore the place for ourselves, or mayhap simply speak with the other participants!"

[emet_sulk]

Look at Hythlodaeus, lighting up like a child on their nameday. He suppresses a smile but the feeling cannot help but leak out as a twitch of his lips as he dutifully allows himself to be dragged onwards.

"A sound idea. I would not want to be lost when the ceremony begins. But I will let you do the speaking, I think, since you never seem to run out of words."

3 (tw self-injury/blood magic)

[corpsewarblade]

It was the yell that got Mukuro's attention as she approached the street where Emet-Selch's shop was located- deciding it was high time she visit and see how it was all going.

I said, 'Get out!'

But that sounded like trouble. She dashed forward like a bolt, drawing her knife and cutting a shallow cut across her palm- she'd need her blood magic. That was the only way to stand a chance of hitting her target with the lead they had on her.

A clip of blood magic bullets rang out- past Emet-Selch and after the retreating target- impacting the wall down the street a split second after they escaped around the corner out of sight.

A frighteningly accurate shot.

It was then she ran over to her ally's side- gun in one hand, bloody combat knife in the other, scanning the area for any other hostiles.

"...They're gone." An uncharacteristically cold look in her eyes for just a few seconds, before she threw the act back up. "Uh- hey, I mean, what the Hell...are you okay? What happened?"

[emet_sulk]

The sound of shots firing has him glancing sharply in her direction. An unnecessary escalation, he thinks, but if it scares them away permanently then he can excuse it. So keyed up is she that for a few moments he can glimpse the assassin she truly is beneath the façade.

"I am fine. They simply came to level threats at me." He turns to head back inside his store, pushing the door open a little more roughly than usual. The glass pane rattles as the door hits the rubber bumper on the floor and bounces back.

He's clearly not fine.

[corpsewarblade]

...Was he angry with her? No- he was probably angry with whoever that was.

Wait, what did he just say?

She followed him inside, putting her hands on her hips.

"Okay wait what do you mean someone's threatening you? Do you, like, need backup or whatever?"

Already, she was trying to figure out how she could guard him without making her presence obvious. Mukuro didn't want anything to happen to him, after all.

[emet_sulk]

"They thought they could threaten my friend," he growls, stalking over to the counter where he starts putting away his current project. There will be no work done whilst he's riled up like this. "If they so much as lay a finger on him, I will destroy the lot of them. I will erase them from this world."

Hythlodaeus is all he has left to live for, and without him...he knows not what he'll do.

"I appreciate the offer but you cannot possibly keep watch on him all day," he says tersely.

[corpsewarblade]

In a reaction that would perhaps be strange for one who didn't know the truth, the fake Fashionista didn't seem at all perturbed by the threat of destroying every last one of the Fae.

"...Think it'd even be possible to go against all of them? They'd have the numbers advantage but- Anyway that's not the point, like, I'm not much but I can at least help keep an eye on things for a bit and take the pressure off you. It's not like you don't need to sleep either."

It wouldn't exactly be the first time she'd had long stretches on watch.

"Seriously, I'm worried about you."