thenearshore | 011 | Black Parade

Entry tags:

011 | Black Parade

Who: Everyone!
What: Parade of the dead
When: All day May 26
Where: Shinjuku
Summary: The Near Shore needs a little protecting from the dead

The last few days have been filled with festival food, high energy, and lots and lots of parades. Near Shore residents really know how to enjoy their holidays, stopping up traffic for hours on end as floats and palanquins go by and filling the streets and courtyards in the area with food stands and festival treats. Many Far Shore residents may have found themselves drawn to this particular festival, as it is being held in honor of a shrine.

When an unexpected parade starts up, the people gather round to watch the impromptu spectacle. It's a little strange, yes, but nothing too terribly off-putting. That is until the parade reaches the shrine itself, at which point all hell breaks loose as the members of the parade start attacking anything and anyone in their way.

The Heavens will then call upon all the gods and shinki who are available to help, because these attackers are not normal at all - they are, in fact, the undead.

Let the Festivities Continue

The festival is a large, booming one. There are dozens upon dozens of food stalls set up all over the place with so many different kinds of foods that it could make your eyes go buggy, most of them fried in some way. On top of that, there is live entertainment walking around, stalls with souvenirs, and lots of excellent company nearby. Surely you'll be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

The Walking Dead

It is not immediately evident that the parade is being manned by corpses, but keen observers would be able to pick out the noticeable rotting elements of the dead. Anyone with a soul-sensing ability might even realize that they're not soulless, just lifeless. When the parade reaches the shrine, every god and shinki will be needed in order to protect the Near Shore from this menace. Corpses must either be exorcised or completely mutilated to the point where they can no longer move in order to release the soul.

Not Rootbeer Floats

On top of the mass of dead bodies being possessed by stray souls, some of the floats on wheels in the parade seem to have been taken over as well. They are moving slowly and with purpose towards anyone that crosses their path. At first, it may seem like the float is just veering a little off course, but it will soon become evident that it's headed towards you. They may be slow, but they're very large as well, meaning there's a lot more than needs to be destroyed to release the soul.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

In Summary:

Enjoy the festival
Help save Near Shore residents
Take down the dead bodies
Try not to cry
Cry lots
Have fun~

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He barely even feels the static anymore, not with the pain screaming in his leg and the prospect of Add in danger still looming ever closer, but desperation is enough to make him forgo dignity, to keep him from arguing with Add’s orders any further. All he wants now is for Add to come out of this alive and unscathed, and it hurts him that he wants that even more than he wants Roxas and Ludger to be free.

“Forgive me,” he mumbles, to Add and to the others both as he pulls away from that sudden embrace and sinks to the ground. He’d never really thought he’d ever bend the knee to Add like this, but troubled times…

“I can’t kill them.” And it’s not an easy decision to make, not when he’s crippled and lacking in proper butchering implements. Even if he could crawl his way to Roxas and dismember him, he’d still leave Add in the thick of this mess. And that…that irks him to no end. Must he always be too weak to protect his master?

“My powers are insufficient, and if I leave your side…”

He doesn’t know what to think, save that he’ll only fail Roxas a second time if he should ever let it happen. He lifts his eyes to meet Add’s then, resolve shining through despite the puffiness of emotion.

“We have another option left to us: you must use my vessel form to fight your way out of here and escape.” Jakob can’t be killed in that form anyway, unless someone deems to shatter him. And, pointedly, he avoids mentioning the whole freeing Roxas and Ludger part.

Can't; not won't. Unsurprising, considering their predicament, but...

"They're not insufficient," he states firmly, ignoring the growing quake in his arms from the energy coursing through him. Only a few more seconds left. "And I hate leaving things half-finished. This is something we have to do."

They can't just leave Roxas and Ludger like this, regardless of what choice they make. No, it's up to them to see this through. To end this.

Add takes in a deep breath, steeling himself. Jakob will be easier to deal with in his vessel form anyway. Hopefully he won't be too damaged from the broken leg in that state... but it should be at least enough to kill two corpses, if they rend them properly. Dynamo can hold back the rest with the remainder of his power. They may not be able to clear out the horde, but they'll be able to make a narrow escape if they're quick enough.

"Your vessel better not still be a teapot," he adds wryly. Probably should've checked that before deciding on this plan, but oh well. "This might be close, so give it everything you've got. Chaki!"

He drops the field to catch Jakob's vessel, the light below them quickly fading. They'll have barely more than a second before the corpses start moving again.

And if he ends up wielding a harmless teacup or an apron... well, maybe he'll still have enough time to cast a quick seal on himself.

The thought that he’ll be more useful as crockery than as himself is maddening enough, though not quite so much as the feeling of sheer helplessness that comes after, once he’s been made into an inanimate object. What if something goes wrong? What if he can’t keep the zombies back from him? What if—

“This…This is new.” And a welcome respite from the aches and pains of his human body, surely, but what appears in Add’s hands is hardly the teapot of old. In its place is an ornate tray with sharpened edges, and Jakob can hardly believe it. Has he become a weapon…? He doesn’t have long to dwell on that once the zombies start moving again, and with the pain gone his more martial instincts have resurfaced in one sharp command:

“Quick! Throw me—now!”

"Weapon" might be a bit of a stretch, but it's better than a teapot. He holds the tray a bit awkwardly, unsure of what to do with it. How is he supposed to use this thing?

But Jakob is kind enough to give him some guidance, even if the idea of throwing his shinki doesn't seem like the best idea. He's not in a position to argue right now. Gritting his teeth, Add pulls back and flings the vessel like a frisbee, praying that it'll be able to hit the right target—or at least land somewhere safely out of harm's way.

He can’t really say why or how he’d come to think of himself as more weapon than dishware, but thankfully Add doesn’t demand an explanation. And in spite of all appearances as a vessel Jakob manages to be sturdy enough to lop the head off of one zombie and slicing into another nearby before he finally loses momentum and clatters to the ground.

But as far as Jakob can tell, he hasn’t managed to reach far enough to decapitate his former liege lord. Damn it.

“I should train you later on,” he sighs, not at all minding if Add can’t hear him at the moment.

The throw ends up better than he expected it to be, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. It only damaged two corpses, and Roxas and Ludger are still unscathed.

"I should design a disc-shooting device later on," he mumbles to himself. Maybe Dynamo could be modified to use a railgun formation with Jakob's vessel as the projectile, or something like that...

Now isn't the time to be working on designs, however. Add is still surrounded by a horde of ravenous zombies, and with his shinki now several feet away as a plate on the ground, he's the only appetizing target left. Normally all these small fries wouldn't be a problem, but he needs time for his dynamos to recover after using so many huge attacks in a row. He hisses through his teeth, hastily shoving back a lunging corpse with a burst of electricity.

"If I have to retrieve you every time, throwing isn't going to work! Can't you do anything else?!"

“You were supposed to run away!” he retorts, his old temper swiftly returning with Add’s failure to fucking escape after what they’ve all been through. If he were back in his usual form again he might very well have shoved Add toward escape. Alas, for he is now at the mercy of an obstinate master who might soon leave this place of existence if Jakob doesn’t do something, and soon—

“Must I move your legs for you as well, milord?”

"I'm not done here yet, so shut up about running away!" Back to their usual antics could be seen as a good thing, at least, though it doesn't really help with their current situation. He forces another zombie out of his way, taking a half-step back towards more encroaching corpses. All that stalling for time left them heavily surrounded.

Or just Add, since Jakob is out of harm's way. Perhaps now would be a good time to activate the Seal of Time...

It'd be easier if he could just get Jakob's stupid plate back. At least throwing that doesn't drain his energy as much as using Dynamo. He peers through the barrier of bodies to where his shinki landed.

"Chaki!" It comes to him during the transformation, so it's worth a shot, right?

Jakob feels himself rising up off the ground then, and furthermore he finds himself spinning backward toward his master this time, lopping off the legs of zombies on his way over until he’s returned to Add’s grasp in short order.

And that…that’s pretty surprising for him, too, though he doesn’t say anything more articulate than a sigh of relief at having managed to decimate further zombies. Really, it feels as if he can cut things better than if he’d used his dagger or his flimsy borderlines.

He's a little surprised when his idea actually works, catching the plate with both hands when it reaches him. He almost drops Jakob a second later when he realizes its covered in the oozing rotten juices of their adversaries. He's wearing gloves, but still...

Ugh, he'll only do it because it's necessary. Hopefully Jakob doesn't mind the repulsed expression on Add's face when he grips the plate to give him another throw. This isn't a weapon he's used to, but now that the path is a bit clearer he'll try actually aiming it.

There's a moment of hesitation before he flings the vessel forward, vaguely in the direction of Roxas and Ludger's corpses. Part of him hopes it misses... but whatever happens, he's ready to call Jakob back again as soon as he's cut through the crowd.

If he could make a face at Add he would—who’s the one who’d been injured in the first place? And forced to serve up his attacks through such close quarters? Really, no one ever seems to appreciate the servants around here.

But spinning keeps him from focusing on any one zombie, and when he finds himself cutting through yet more rotting flesh, he can but hear the moans of someone familiar—maybe Roxas, or even Ludger? He can’t tell—before he finds himself smacking into the face of a nearby zombie and clattering to the ground once more.

The next time Add recalls him he’ll just tell him to clear a path to escape and run. The best they can do now is let the rest of the Heavens take care of the corpses.

The good news is that they actually land a hit on their targets this time! Unfortunately, they only sliced off Ludger's arm, and both he and Roxas are otherwise still intact. Add winces, briefly wondering if he feels any pain from that injury...

Probably better not to think about it. He sighs, calling his dynamos down so he can step onto them now that more space has been cleared. He nearly stumbles off a second later, a wave of dizziness rushing over him—damnit, he's really used too much power today. He manages to stay upright only thanks to the magnetism holding his feet in place.

"Chaki!" If his catch is a little sloppy this time, hopefully Jakob won't notice. He's not sure how many more attempts at this he can make before his body starts to give out on him. He just needs one good throw...!

“We must go,” Jakob declares once he’s safely back in Add’s possession. Sure, the firmness of his tone of voice might not come across as well when he’s in this form, but he’s seen what it’s like there. And he sees what Add is like now, and once again feels a twinge for how he’s failed his master.

Is this…really the end then? Are they just going to leave after so many sacrifices, without even accomplishing what either of them had been planning to do?

“The undead are pressing ever closer as we speak. Retreat—” the word is almost spat out, disgusted as Jakob is with himself for even considering it, given all that unfinished business approaching them. “Retreat is our only option.”

"I said shut up!" he growls, "It's your fault for being such a stupidly hard to aim weapon!" Which isn't very fair to bring up, since Jakob didn't choose his vessel, not to mention he's still doing a fine job of saving both their asses right now. But there's no way they could just give up after going through all this trouble. He's already decided they're both seeing this through to the end.

He just has to hit the damn target.

Add hisses out an irritable sigh, gripping the edge of Jakob's vessel tightly. To hell with this—he'll just move in closer before the horde starts crowding around them again. He takes a deep breath and leans forward, the dynamos responding automatically to his will. They glide unevenly as Add tries to avoid the grasping limbs of fallen corpses below them, or crashing into the standing ones still shambling on all sides of them, or crashing into the ground in general thanks to how exhausted he is, but Jakob will surely be pleased to see that they're going deeper into the horde rather than away from it.

Getting out might be a bit more tricky now, but more importantly, he's charging straight towards Roxas and Ludger. As the distance between them closes Add quickly cancels his momentum, throwing Jakob at the same time. At point blank, there's no way they'll miss this time. That plate is going clean through at least one of these corpses.

"Chaki!" ... and they'll hit the other one on the return trip!

In the end, Jakob really has no choice but to follow the whims of his master. Strange how reluctant it makes him feel anyway, where Add is concerned. It seems so much better that he refuse Add’s orders for his and everyone’s sake…

He feels the tension in Add’s fingers and then yelps out a feeble, “Add, please—” before off his master goes, charging in the wrong direction, until he’s finally flung straight at the agonized face of his previous master, slicing Roxas’s head off…

And despite himself, Jakob chokes out a sob, barely even hearing the wispy sound of “Thanks” as Roxas’s soul begins to flee from his vessel before he finds himself tearing through Ludger’s rotting ribcage, watching the ghoulish remnants of his soul fly out next.

This is going to give him horrible, horrible nightmares after this. Worse, Add might, too.

It takes an extra second or two for Add to stop himself fully, and by then he's well within range of getting splattered with rotted flesh and guts when Roxas' head goes flying. It's certainly not any better when Ludger's chest bursts open at him. He almost doesn't catch Jakob this time, clutching the plate with both hands to keep it from slipping, unable to tear his eyes away from the vision of his former god and fellow shinki crumpling once more into a lifeless heap of flesh. There's no ceremony, no heartfelt goodbyes, just a barely visible wisp of two souls that disappear in an instant, sucked into the air to join the hundreds of others like them. For something that was so difficult and draining to do, it's over all too quickly.

What's another nightmare...? As if he doesn't have enough of those already. Hell, what's another time he's had to kill the people important to him? Does it really matter anymore?

His hands are trembling, an unpleasant knot catching in his throat, and silently he draws Jakob flush against his aching chest.

... but this isn't the time to be getting emotional. An all-to-close groan from behind is enough to remind him of that. Add swerves away from a groping hand, still clinging to Jakob's vessel protectively as he scans for an opening—

They're surrounded, but there's a small gap in the crowd that they might just barely be able to escape through. He surges forward, pouring the last of his energy into one final charge towards the exit—if they don't make this, he won't have the strength left to fight anyway. More hands reach out to claw at them as they pass, a few managing to tear at his clothing and scrap against armour, but by a rare stroke of luck none are able to get a firm enough hold to drag him down.

They clear the final layer of corpses into open air. Add lets the momentum take them a safe distance away before tearing open a portal, plunging them both into a swirling darkness before erupting into reality once more, somewhere off in a park several blocks away.

With the immediate danger removed, the dynamos clatter to the ground as Add drops to his knees, bent over and heaving painful breaths. He's still clinging to Jakob.

And yet for Jakob this nightmare feels like it’s dragging on for far too long. Unceremonious though their comrades’ demise may be, at least it had been quick and painless—at least, he hopes so. But the finality of their deed still feels like a weight upon his (metaphorical) shoulders, and after all, there is still the very urgent matter of his own god’s safety…

“Add!” he cries, when his master clutches him close instead of using him as a proper weapon should be used—had he lost heart after what had happened to Roxas and Ludger? It’s not an uncommon reaction, not even from a veteran such as he, but Add…

He’d protest, urge him to fight, to leave him behind and escape if necessary, but then it’s all over, as they’re flung into a portal and Jakob can feel his master heaving—had the edges of his vessel cut him somehow? No, it can’t be—but Jakob knows he can get a better assessment of their situation now that they’re in relative safety. And even if he can’t heal himself he still has strength enough in him to utter the few words of a healing spell.

Though he wonders how he’ll manage even that, when he knows full well that he’ll break down the moment he regains his human faculties. Death doesn’t make it any easier for him to move on.

It's awhile before Add speaks again, struggling against the fatigue and nausea overwhelming his body. Catching his breath seems like a much more difficult task than it should be. He places Jakob's vessel gently on the ground, freeing up his hands so he can properly support himself as well as cover up his mouth once he starts coughing. As he gradually regains control of his breathing, though, he assesses that it's not that bad—nothing feels broken, he's mostly just tired from overexerting himself. He'll be fine once he gets some rest.

And if there's anything staining the hand he's coughing into, he's quick to rub it into the grass. He's fine, really.

"Jakob," he mutters a bit hoarsely, intending it simply to return his shinki to normal. There's a brief moment of hesitation before he continues anyway, too lightheaded to care how stupid the question is. "Are you alright?"

Every second that ticks by feels like an eternity, and Jakob is just about to speak up when Add finally makes a move, setting him gently onto the ground. Then a word, and all the sensations of his more human being come rushing back to him—among them the pain in his leg, as Jakob reforms into his original body, kneeling before Add and otherwise appearing unscathed.

Even like this he finds that words fail him. The pain aside, it’s incredibly tempting to simply break down and cry then and there, and each syllable becomes more agonizing to voice as he tries to choke back his sobs: “Please, let me…your wounds…”

He might not be visibly injured, but Jakob isn’t taking any chances, and already he’s pulling out his staff from where he’d holstered it to his side.

He stares at Jakob with a hazy look. Wounds... he's pretty sure he doesn't have any wounds. It's all just small scrapes and his insides liquefying, but nothing can really help with that last one.

"I'm fine, don't..."

The rest of his sentence trails off into nothing as he teeters sideways, collapsing onto his side and blacking out.

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011 | Black Parade

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