The Terrible, Horrible, Not-So-Good Morning | OPEN LOG

[emet_sulk]

WHO: Emet-Selch + anyone
WHAT: A series of public and very gruesome murders, culminating in a flashy fight between Emet and a generic boss NPC that destroys much of a street
WHEN: From the start of August to mid-August
WHERE: Camelot City
WARNINGS: Violence, death, gore, mutilation of corpses etc. I will not write graphic descriptions of these for threads unless you opt-in to these details.

BASIC BYSTANDER INFO:

The bodies of the dead appear mysteriously during the night and are taken down by Camelot's law enforcement before next sunrise. Those who manage to see the display/s before they're taken down will note they are hung up as a deliberate, increasingly gruesome spectacle [think the 'art' in the TV show Hannibal] as the days go on. It is not a sight for the faint-hearted. If you smell the result, you will in all likelihood throw up the contents of your stomach.

The FIRST WEEK simply involves a single body hung up on a lamp post or some similar, convenient archway/overhang, with one or two more dead bodies below it. None of them are particularly special and all are eventually ID'd as lower tier thugs with shifty reputations.

On the SECOND WEEK, the bodies turn into more...artful displays. Prompt no.2 contains a very basic description of each one. DO NOT click on the links below if you are sensitive to descriptions of corpse mutilation and gore.

1st. "The Puppet"
2nd. "The Blood Eagle"
3rd. "Long-neck"
4th. "The Keyholder"

For those who have underworld/crime connections, you may hear whispers of a local smuggling ring being thrown into chaos. Members are disappearing without warning. Some attempt to go into hiding and turn up again during the first week of murders, dead. Others are simply never heard from after they disappear. Witnesses babble of some dark-cloaked figure who bursts in to places believed to be safe hideouts and slaughters anyone who attempts to escape. Those who DID escape swear up and down they had the luck of the fae on their side.

Emet-Selch finally locates the ringleader in the middle of August and launches into a very public, very destructive pursuit whilst fused with his familiar. Other characters can try and interfere with the chase but he will ultimately kill the ringleader with the help of reanimated corpses of their own subordinates, possessed by some of the spirits of their past victims. After about half an hour when the Soul Catcher he is using expires, he will collapse from his cumulative injuries and be taken into custody by Camelot law enforcement.


For any other questions, please send me a PM to this account or leave a comment here!

Comments

1. A Murder is Announced

[emet_sulk]

It's two hours past midnight when the first corpse appears.

A figure with a slow, shuffling gait drags out something heavy behind it across the street. It drops the thing at the base of a lamp post then starts to awkwardly begins to climb the post itself. Those watching will note some kind of rope swinging from around the figure's neck. Once it reaches the top, the figure throws the open loop around the tip of the lamp post and lets its grip goes slack. Gravity pulls the corpse down until it hangs, swinging gently from the lamp post from the rope's other end, waiting to be discovered by an oblivious passer-by.

...From the shadows, Emet-Selch watches his autonomous ruse play out. He wears a dark cloak with the hood drawn low over his eyes and a black mask that conceals his face. Once he is sure that things are settled, he turns and begins to walk away.

2. The Big Four

[emet_sulk]

Up until now, the corpses on display have simply been a grotesque nuisance. They are cleared away promptly by the city guard before sunrise and become the topic of gossip amongst the locals. That changes without warning on the start of the second week.

'The Puppet', someone calls it - for the way it dangles off wires strung to its arms. The perpetrator has hanged it from an archway so that the mangled, broken body is perfectly framed to welcome pre-dawn risers walking towards the market. It is quickly taken down, but not before some manage to catch a glimpse of it themselves.

As if to give the public a breather, there is no body found the following night. But on the night after--

'The Blood Eagle'. Someone has crucified this unfortunate fae face-down and then carved out their back, peeling back their flesh and their lungs to form grotesque 'wings'. It stands proudly overlooking the business district before being removed.

Two nights later, the corpse dubbed 'Long-Neck' appears. The best way to describe the overall piece would be 'like some horrific, land-based Loch Ness monster'. The 'neck' of the thing is actually the spinal column and it is attached to the base with a coating of lacquer - which explains the odd shine to this 'sculpture'. Its cranium has had the top sawn off and has been left hollow.

The final corpse has simply been staked on top of an iron fence, chest opened up to expose the ribs. Rings of keys hang from each rib, giving it the name of 'Keyholder'.

Emet-Selch is there to watch from afar as each one of these corpses is taken down. He hangs at the back of the small crowd of morbidly curious early risers, attempting not to draw attention to himself by simply observing the proceedings. If he notices someone making a deliberate beeline for him, he will slip into a side street and attempt to disappear.

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo has seen some gruesome stuff in his day, and while these killings sure were… something to behold, he’s seen worse. Hell, back during the war, he probably did worse, though all that’s long behind him now. What really strikes him is how out-of-place such extreme violence seems in Camelot - not saying it’s impossible, because obviously it’s not, but this is something he would expect out of the slums he called home, not a shining city of magic.

Obviously, when the call for help went out on the Quest Board, he had to answer. It was too much like home not to, and it wouldn’t do for him to get rusty while he was here.

By the time the more… purposefully heinous corpses are found, Juzo has already well-acquainted himself with the local authorities running the investigation. They’re busy in their own right and there’s not a lot of time for chit-chat, but at the very least they lend some measure of reassurance when Juzo steps in to question any eyewitnesses. He stays around the crime scenes to look for evidence, but more than that he simply watches. He has no eyes to speak of, so perhaps that makes it easier to scan the crowd without looking like he is. There’s not many of them - not many who can stomach the amount of gore on display - so that makes it easier to spot any repeat customers.

One in particular catches Juzo’s (proverbial) eye. Tall and lanky and sour-looking, always near the back. Always looking a little like he’s trying not to be noticed. By the time the last unfortunate fellow with a ribcage full of keys is being hoisted down from his fencepost, Juzo decides it’s time he and this mystery man have a little chat.

He waits for him to peel away from the crowd before casually following behind. The hard part about being an Extended in a city where there is no such thing, is Juzo rather sticks out like a sore thumb. It won’t take long for the man to realize he’s being followed, but that’s fine. He ducks into an alley, which is more or less what Juzo was hoping for - somewhere quiet and secluded. A few bounding, long-legged strides put him close behind, and rounds the same corner to call after him, casual as you please: ]

Hope you’re not in too much of a hurry. I was hoping you and I could have a talk.

[emet_sulk]

[ Rather than coming to a guilty or startled halt, Emet-Selch turns and eyes his pursuer warily. Just as this man has come to recognise him at each crime scene, so too does Emet-Selch know this man has been investigating each one. Maybe other criminals would worry about being caught, but he is fully prepared to fight his way out. Until he has found the leader, he cannot allow himself to be put away. ]

I do have somewhere to be. What do you want?

[ It's rude and blunt - but that should be an expected response from someone of his demeanour. ]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata, like many outworlders with warrior- or law enforcement backgrounds, has seen some grim shit in his time, but ritualistic murders are new to him. He wasn't there to see the initial murder site, nor the 'Puppet', but once he hears of the latter he starts patrolling the city at night to reinforce Camelot's police. Ultimately it's the locals who find the 'Blood Eagle' first, though. Hijikata, tall on the back of his horse, helps with the crowd control.]

Come on, people, go home! Do you really want to see this?!

[He spots Emet-Selch, and immediately he feels relieved. As a fellow knight and death mage he must be investigating the grisly ongoings too. Once the citizens are starting to hesitantly disperse Hijikata heads towards his friend, and when Emet-Selch briskly marches off despite his calls he drives his horse to catch up to him.]

Emet-Selch! Wait up!

[emet_sulk]

[ It would be impossible - and far too suspicious - to try to outrun Hijikata's horse. He halts and turns slightly, staring up at the other man coolly. Is it just one's imagination or does his expression look more stony than usual...? ]

What is it?

[ Being quite late into the night (or early in the day, depending on how you see it), it's a little cool. He has a hooded cloak on over his usual shirt and vest. ]

CORNERING

[apshot]

Don't tell me you're just gonna run off.

[ Bakugou's been watching, of course. Every single one of these incidents, he has noticed that Emet Selch has been nearby. If anyone catches sight of him, the old far seems to wander away. He's dodging people. Deliberately. The blonde knows what this guy is capable of, of course. Kinda has heard firsthand what he thinks of people that aren't his people. Knows the sacrifices that the guy is willing to make. And he is acting hella suspicious. Bakugou just doesn't entirely know why.

But he's not going to run off this time. Katsuki's cut him off the moment that the guy turned around and tried to walk off in a different direction.

Truth is, Bakugou thinks that the old man might have something to do with the murders. Call it being a little amped up from having to play "catch up" with his memories. Maybe he's just a little more sensitive at the moment because of everything that has transpired. Either way, he's looking a little worse for wear with bandages hidden under his shirt. They peek out a bit from under Bakugou's sleeve, but that's not going to stop him. ]

[fullgauntlet]

[As a new knight, Izuku found that it was more than his business to try and investigate. Trying to find the culprit to the chaos being ravaged. No matter where this sort of violence has come from, the why or how, or where it's going... He can't condone murder. Not just as a knight but as a hero he can't believe in murdering anyone.

Which has a lot of connotations on Izuku's mind now. He looks like he's gained some insight that makes Izuku look harder at the world. The heaviness in his eyes. Not as bright as we was last month.

He stands, looking over his shoulder to see Katsuki nearby. He's careful in approaching him at a run. Looking serious.]

Kacchan ...?!

[Emet-Selch...?]

3. And Then There Were None

[emet_sulk]

A loud BOOM heralds the start of the end. Someone scrambles to escape as Emet-Selch fuses with his familiar. The Ascian launches himself after them, creating instant, spontaneous eruptions of spikes and other hazards out of the street and surrounding buildings to slow his target down. Maniacal laughter follows.

"IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?!" he shouts, eyes gleaming with a poisonous yellow light. His body is wreathed in flickering neon violet particles, black scales running down his limbs and across his cheeks. He lashes out with his black, claw-tipped fingers and manages to tear the back of the ringleader's shirt.

"I'll kill you slowly!" The small wings on his back help him balance as he and the other man tear down the street, shoving bystanders out of the way. "And when I am through with you, I will eradicate your entire bloodline!"

(ooc: Anyone can fight him but the outcome of these fights will either be him escaping a losing/drawn-out battle or winning outright against those interfering. Injuries he sustains will be taken into account when his Soul Catcher expires later.)

lmk if you want me to change anything

[corpsewarblade]

A ripple of energy ran through Mukuro as she heard that bang in the distance- and immediately, she rushed toward the scene. Find the problem, observe, see if it concerned her and- if it wasn't, she could leave.

Not this time though.

Even with the strange, yellow light, the scales, and everything else that had been twisted by his fusion, she knew who that was.

Eyes growing cold, she drew her knife and dashed down a side street, aiming to cut off the fleeing man's escape. She had an idea what this stranger had done to her ally- but at this point, it didn't matter.

She was a loyal Soldier, after all.

it's good! /thumbs up

[emet_sulk]

The man comes to a stumbling halt, letting out a startled yell when his escape is abruptly cut off. Emet-Selch isn't far behind, a trail of ethereal purple following his limbs as he lashes out to try and grab hold of them before they can duck around Mukuro.

"You will not escape me!" he snarls. And then, upon realising who stands in his target's way: "He's MINE!"

hello I am late

[omnicrafter]

Once it becomes clear to her who committed the murders, she's immediately out to look for him. The disturbance is heard long before it is seen, but Irhya manages to cruise through some side streets, only to have to leap back as she almost hits one of the ground spikes herself.

She cuts the back of her hand so that the blood runs down her fingers. Projectiles fly, though they are but warning shots to get his attention.

"How many times must we go through this? Honestly..."

:eyes:

[emet_sulk]

"Get out of my way!"

Absolutely no hesitation in his retaliating strike: more stone spikes shooting up from the street to drive her back as he single-mindedly pursues his quarry. He doesn't even care if her blood strikes him, taking the hits with barely a flinch as he attempts to run past her.

[mayoninofukucho]

[When Hijikata arrives on the scene his steed immediately whinnies and turns around as a spike shoots out of the ground in front of it. Having gotten some riding practice by now he manages to stay in the saddle, but he can barely calm the horse down.]

Easy, easy!!

[That's when he gets a clear view of Emet-Selch, and... okay, this is bad. He unmounts and pats the stallion's side, knowing that it isn't cut out to be a bona fide battle horse.]

Go, Black Star.

[He runs up to the draconic-looking Ascian and the person he's threatening while dodging any magical fallout from their clash, sword drawn and shield equipped on his forearm.]

Emet-Selch!! What's going on?!

[The other man may be a fellow knight, but he's far from a policeman, and right now it doesn't look like he has any intention of merely subduing the fae... hold up, isn't this the ringleader whose photo Hijikata saw on the case information board at the police headquarters? Oh, shit. Suddenly it all falls into place in his head, but he can't quite believe it just yet.]

[emet_sulk]

[ With a fierce yell, Emet-Selch lunges for the fae as it attempts to dive into the crowd of innocent bystanders. They scatter as soon as they come near though, giving the Ascian's gunblade a wide berth as it carves through empty space in search of his target's flesh. The fae attempts to climb up the facade of one of the buildings, but Emet-Selch simply boosts himself up on a spontaneously created tower of earth and stone and smacks them back down, leaping down after them. ]

This doesn't concern you! [ he snarls at Hijikata without looking around. ] Go home!

late arrival, probably towards the end

[menphina]

Hades...

[ She didn't want to believe it. She wanted, so badly for it to not be anyone she knew, but the more Thancred and her investigated, the more things started to line up.

Emet-Selch's distance, the anger she initially saw-

And now she's gripping her spear, tight enough to leave imprints in her palm, and as someone gets flung, she quickly bolts forward to catch them before they crack their skull or worse. As some run off screaming, she finally bolts after Emet-Selch as time seems to stand still there. Whoever he's attacking doesn't stand a chance, she doesn't know who it is-

But she quickly gets in the way, bringing her spear up to block one of Emet-Selch's swipes and parries. ]

Hades, stop!! You've done enough!! Please!!

[emet_sulk]

[ He doesn't stop. Her words may as well be screamed in the face of an oncoming tempest, because he doesn't even hesitate before disengaging his weapon and lunging back in with another, stronger strike designed to completely overwhelm her defence and force her back.

No words either - just a harsh yell as he fixates on his quarry. ]

4. Cards on the Table (set much later in the month, after arrest)

[emet_sulk]

He's allowed a single hour of visitation each day. Emet-Selch does not expect to have many visitors save, perhaps, for those who already know him. He sits listlessly in his cell, staring at the wall, the ceiling, even blankly through the bars until the guard walks by and announces sternly that he has a visitor. It's then that he stirs, sitting up a little more straight only to hunch over almost immediately, as though the weight of existing is dragging his posture down.

He does not look at who it is.

Oh look I have an icon that conveniently features a barred door.

[angel_of_death]

The footsteps that follow are quiet, but crisp; no shuffling of the feet as the visitor makes his way to the cell door.

Walter stops when he reaches it, looking down for a few moments in silence. "......I heard you went on a rampage."

The boy's tone is flat, perhaps oddly devoid of judgement. Oh, he's heard about the murders, even followed the investigation as information was released bit by bit. He hadn't intervened personally because the targets were unsavoury characters themselves and there didn't appear to be any contagion or any attacks on the wider populace that would suggest it out of the league of Camelot's knights.

It was only when he'd heard who had been ultimately captured that he'd taken a greater interest.

Still, he doesn't immediately press for answers. Instead, he observes, gauging the man's demeanour while he waits for a response.

Walter really must stop making friends with murderers

[emet_sulk]

Emet-Selch lifts his head then. He looks like he hasn't slept well - or has he always looked that way? There are faint bags under his dull, yellow eyes and all the life and energy seems to have fled from him.

"Yes. And? Have you come here to gawk? Well, you have done so and now you may leave."

He drops his head into his arms again, drawing up more tightly in the hopes that would encourage the boy to go away.

IM LATE FORGIVE ME

[seasoflight]

Hades won't turn to look at him, but Felih's voice is recognizable enough.

"...I wanted to believe it wasn't you," he says softly, voice feeble. "I- I saw all the signs, and I... hells. What do they intend to do to you, my love?" He steps closer, settling down as close as he can to the cell, sitting on his hip as his long tail curls around him, eyes miserable. "Can I do anything to aid you? Please tell me they don't intend to take your life in return."

"And before you fret, Hythlodaeus is in good company while I'm here."

it's okay! <3

[emet_sulk]

"...If Hythlodaeus is safe then that is all I care about."

He doesn't look up. He doesn't acknowledge Felih in any way besides that muffled response. Will he die for this? He doesn't know. He doesn't care.

The people responsible for his friend's anguish are gone and that is what matters.

[weenwoon]

The days that pass before he's allowed to visit stretch into a torturous eternity for Hythlodaeus; it feels like he has not slept for weeks, it feels like both his body and his mind are on fire, it feels like there is no future and no past anymore, it feels like being buried alive, it feels, it feels...

There are the interrogations at first - as a witness at first, then as a possible accomplice, then as the closest person Hades has to next of kin. Hythlodaeus does not quite remember the answers he'd given, but he remembers pleading to be allowed to see Hades. Not yet, they'd said, and they had to make sure he was not drugged or manipulated somehow, that Hades did not hold him in some kind of thrall. Their shop had been turned upside down during the searches; the only upside of Hythlodaeus's feverish wakefulness is that he has enough time to start getting it back into shape. Trying to keep the house clean is better than dwelling on what might happen from here on.

Days pass. Hythlodaeus does not remember sleeping or eating; he must be doing so, at the Warriors of Light's insistence, because he would have collapsed already. But there is no memory of it. There is no memory of anything, no sense of reality. Days pass, or perhaps they don't.

But eventually there is another communication from the knights to inform Hades's friends that he is now allowed visitation. There is yet no verdict, and the possibility of an execution still hangs heavily over everyone, but here and now Hythlodaeus does not think about it. He does not think about anything except finally being allowed to see Hades again.

He arrives to the prison in a daze; the guard takes him through hallways and down to the cells, gruffly calling out to Hades to inform him he has a visitor, and stays nearby, watching intently in case either of them tries to pull anything.

Hythlodaeus does not notice. It feels like the accumulated exhaustion of the past days hits him all at once, and he sinks to his knees in front of the cell instantly. Hades is not sitting close enough for him to reach, but Hythlodaeus tries nevertheless, as though unaware of the distance, a hand stretching through the gap between the bars. Should he... He should speak, shouldn't he?

He swallows thickly, trying to force his vocal chords to work, and manages a name.

"Agesandros..."

[emet_sulk]

The last thing he remembers is cold steel being clasped around his wrists and ankles before he wakes up in this cold, underground cell. They've chained him to the walls here and temporarily removed his ability to call upon magic, lest he use alchemy to break out. They needn't have worried; Hades isn't in any state to stage a jailbreak. The length of the chains means he can move around enough to sleep on the cot in the cell, but nowhere near enough to reach the door or the bars.

They interrogate him thoroughly. He answers all their questions in a lifeless monotone. It's an open and shut case, frankly. He's obviously the culprit and he's even freely admitting to being responsible. But procedure must be observed.

They don't even tell him when they finally decide to allow him visitors until the guard marches in and announces the fact.

"Agesandros..."

He sucks in a sharp breath and curls up more tightly. His chains clink with the movement. Hythlodaeus is the last person he wants to see.

"Don't call me that," he whispers harshly.

and then, some time later...

[omnicrafter]

"I don't even get a hello?" Irhya says in a low, sarcastic tone, leaning against the wall by the bars. After a pause, she continues, "I... guess it must've been pretty one-sided, huh."

For all that she ought to be angry or nervous about being here, she doesn't seem that way at all, using the same sarcastic attitude as always. If there are marks on her neck from his grip, they're hidden by her cowl.