Comet visited Dunnstads every once in a while for a more peaceful experience in-game. To her, the people who occupied the limited amount of farms and cities were mostly welcoming and kind. She could easily find a place to eat and rest; though getting these things never proved to be a real problem for the charismatic beauty queen. Anxieties never went away completely, even while seemingly free of such overwhelming thoughts, but Dunnstads provided the best escape yet alongside hunting. Taking long walks while smelling the salty air when by the sea created a yearning inside of the young woman: to live by the sea. It'd be fairly easy as Violet to ask for the money and move out. However, without her parents little to no guidance would be available for her to follow and that meant truly becoming a helpless puppy. Life without control or restrictions and a familiarity far too close to the in-game experience would create an uncomfortable situation for the confused young woman. Thus she remained at home in New York, preferring to leave such a luxury location as a beloved rarity while roaming Terrasphere or on an exclusive vacation outside of virtual reality. Lately, however, an unrest settled inland in the hearts of the people. They were concerned about the widespread chanting heard at night by all. A small orphanage recently built quickly became the suspected culprit for the uneasiness of the innocent. One day it'd mysteriously appeared but no one questioned a building meant for protecting and taking care of children who desperately needed a home. When high-pitched screams and odd sightings and a misty fog surrounded the reputation of the orphanage, rumors began to spread like wildfire. Not a person in Dunnstads dared to investigate but instead worried from afar and expressed these worries through frightened expressions or hasty wording regarding the subject. Comet, being observant at heart, noticed this large difference in the generally calm atmosphere from the last time she'd visited the area. Whoever the pink-haired woman decided to ask about what exactly was going on became far too nervous to work with or would outright ignore her. After a day of futile investigating she shrugged off the idea of piecing clues together, deciding to visit the strange building herself. Supposedly it was haunted or actually a home for demons or possibly worse. Without an ounce of fear, more so feeling immense curiosity towards the ordeal, she headed uphill for the lone location. Overall Comet expected an underwhelming experience: an in-and-out "adventure" without much effort put in or taken. Though, as her long legs carried her up a winding path, her gut churned in response to the unidentifiable noises. The night sky sparkled with stars and a bright moon but failed to give off much light. Her sight, slightly enhanced, still remained poor in the dark but at least the small dot of a building could be seen with ease. Shuffling that had her head swiveling emitted from all directions and the expected chanting vibrated lowly as if coming within her ears. The aura of Dunnstads took an unexpected turn from that sea-side, friendly home to a creepy place with a sense of danger among the gloom that nighttime brought. The orphanage, in view, wasn't the first to make Comet jump; it was the silhouette of another person stalking nearby, too close for comfort. Clearing her throat she raised her voiced in a bold attempt to begin working for her proposed goal. "Excuse me... Are you looking for the orphanage too or maybe you're apart of it, and have what I'm looking for...?" the awkwardness plagued her tone of voice that exerted confusion rather than any sort of fear. Probably unusual behavior in comparison to the surroundings and short but ominous history that the people had such dread for. @Lucia Mierz
Lucia had been spending her time wandering as usual when arriving in the towns to hear the rumors about cultists. It was an unsettling thing for certain, those evil types of people easily gave dark magic users a bad name. With a burdened sigh, she knew that if she let them continue like that it would just continue to cause PR problems for her future ambitions. "Alice, how about we go for a walk? You don't get to see other children very often." Lucia mused, a faint smile on her face as she glanced to the side towards a large pile of flesh. The flesh writhed, throbbing from it's own roiling pulse and twitching from time to time mysteriously. It was only when Lucia raised her voice that it would begin to grow more alert. The mound suddenly jerking up revealing a disturbing and twisted creature, but it's contorted shape didn't last, almost as soon as it revealed itself, it began to change. The sounds of snapping bones and taring meat could be heard as it's large size began to tighten up and compress itself down. As if being forced into a tiny mold, it was forcing itself into a smaller shape little by little with a myriad of crunching and grinding noises before finally settling. It's final shape was that of a little humanoid, it's figure made it seem like a little girl at a glance. It's shape was that of a little girl, but it didn't have a face, didn't have ears. It's long blond hair grew over it's head covering it's empty face neatly as it twitched and tried to get used to it's new size. It's movements a little jerky, shaky from time to time as it approached Lucia at an off beat pace, staggering from time to time because it didn't have the rhythm for fluid movement yet. "Now now, let's go and see if we can't find them." Lucia spoke, encouraging the creature by reaching a hand out. Without hesitation the small creature in the shape of a child reached out for Lucia's hand to hold itself steady. Slowly that blond hair stretched out from other points in it's body, rapidly weaving and crossing until it took the shape of a simple summer's dress, the color changing from a silky blond to a cotton white as time passed creating a good disguise as it continued clinging. Seemingly pleased at the progress Alice was making, Lucia nodded, even if the girl didn't know to make shoes or a face for herself yet, she was making progress. "Let's go then." She urged walking with the creature as it tried to keep pace with it's uneven steps. Lucia made her way towards the orphanage without much effort, even if Lucia couldn't see all that well in the light herself she could sense and feel the life around her easily enough using that as a guide. If that wasn't enough she had a hand on Alice who led her around as well. The creature had a myriad of different sensory organs, sight was an obsolete one that wasn't needed in the dim light, it proceeded largely unaffected by the lack of light as they went. She intended to just step right in and cause a blood bath, but being approached by someone was new and different from the other cultist sects she'd broken up in the past. Usually people met up with her afterwards or were already in the thick of things. To be encountered just before the grand finale was uncommon. "Oh, hello~ I'm here for the orphanage, but... I don't see why I can't have some nice things you might be looking for as well." She spoke flashing an enchanting smile. Despite being a necromancer, Lucia had a warm and gentle atmosphere. Her gaze was welcoming and her smile enchanting, she had the image and poise of a very friendly and modest beauty, but for some that was less interesting then the little girl who had followed Lucia. The small child stood at the window, pressing what would have been it's face to the glass, though it's hair did a good job obscuring it's lack of a face from view, that didn't make it less strange to see it trying to smear it's head against the window for a better understanding of what was inside. It's hands were pressed firmly to the building, it's body inching closer as it's neck occasionally jerked making it's head twitch. It was a bizarre being, but it was clear it was trying to get a bead on what was gong on just out of sight.
The response, the appearance, the voice; Comet felt relief wash over her body upon taking in the sight and overall aura of the raven-haired woman that highly contrasted with the horror element surrounding the two players. She brushed a lock of hair behind an ear and offered and nod of the head along with a lop-sided grin out of politeness. If the stranger had answers to the questions that meant she would soon be one step closer to solving Dunnstads' problem. Helping the town currently was her main concern therefore she pried despite the fact that it could be a risky endeavor. Charm coated Comet's thin body effortlessly, but it didn't always work with everyone. Especially with those as naturally beautiful as the curvy woman before her who also held their own level of confidence and knowledge regarding social situations. For all she knew the other could be apart of the cult, or withholding answers, or simply looking for a little bit of fun by playing with those who ventured near the orphanage. But wouldn't figuring any of those possibilities out aid her in the self-made quest anyways? Yes, Comet decided, the stranger and her small slip of a friend - staring into the window - would be useful no matter how the tables turned. "They aren't necessarily nice things, but I suppose that depends on who you are and what you like," she inspected the woman, paused for a second to scan her almost equal length, before continuing with curiosity. "Have you heard of the cult that's supposed to be running the orphanage? I've heard a lot of rumors though I've decided that figuring things out on my own would be more productive that gossiping with townies," her relentless mind plucked at any clues, emerald eyes shifting to the girl in the window. "Who's your friend? She seems to have a good idea on what to do next." Comet chuckled deeply, boots scuffing the ground as she headed for the raven-haired woman's companion. "Hi th-" she'd begin to speak but lose the words due to a lack of thought for the split-second her eyes caught sight of the front of the girl's body. Without a face the girl, the creature, shocked Comet who backed up upon viewing the abnormality. Her heart skipped a beat as she double-checked the scene in order to ensure she wasn't seeing things that weren't there. But it really wasn't there at all, was it? She stared at the woman, jaw slack but lips pursed to avoid making any sort of rude display though her body language and reaction said enough. "I-Is... How?" she questioned aloud without any sort of context in order to avoid being rude. Comet assumed the girl wouldn't understand her surprise and would carry on with inspecting the orphanage. A sudden discomfort - one that sat next to Oikawa's use of dark magic to cause a pig to decay while still alive - had her limbs trembling more than they often did. Surely this led directly to what she wanted, right? The idea of cultists utilizing magic to manipulate and carelessly use and control children sickened her but managed to be intriguing all the same. How things worked in such a way were the source of her curiosity at heart, but sympathy and a method of defense deeply settled within her heart kept her from not wanting to act in some way. The child clearly wasn't real but it certainly gave her an idea of what horrid mysterious could be lying within the building. "What's going on here? What aren't you telling me? Frankly, I'm here to help not... hurt anymore innocent kids." her eyes trailed to the faceless girl in both concern and disgust.
Lucia couldn't help blinking at the woman who was suspicious of her. At Lucia's level and ability, normal things didn't particularly feel threatening to her. She'd long since grown beyond the point of being threatened by typical mobs or nameless characters, her skillset was just too vicious and cruel. Despite her warm gentle nature she was perhaps the strongest dark magic user among the players after all. "Hm, well, children are always nice aren't they? To think of them as not nice... Well, that's a little harsh perhaps?" Lucia mused with a dry smile. After all, what she came for was actually the children. The orphanage was using them for cruel and diabolical things, Lucia instead wanted to use them as a force for good-- her 'good' but still good right? A new generation of dark magic users who didn't discriminate or commit evil atrocious deeds would be a good boon to the future she was trying to make. Though when the talk about the cult came up, Lucia nodded. Though she only knew some cursory knowledge because of her identity as a spiritual leader and a noble, it was enough for her to know they were using darker magics with harsh and unreasonable requirements such as sacrifice. Though the specifics were lost on her, she knew that those children likely would not be the same after the ritual was completed and that would simply ruin her plan and ambition. "I haven't heard much more then the rumors. Fortunately my connections make it a bit easier to hear about details though, so I know they're summoning something particularly unsightly, just, I can't say exactly what it is. What about you Alice?" She asked glancing down at the little girl as she mused on the issue. Finding Cultists was easy for Lucia, purely because most of them worked for the very same churches she was a part of. Meanwhile the little girl simply remained pressed to the glass investigating thoroughly with those abnormal organs despite being questioned. Comet's reaction to Alice wasn't exactly uncommon though. At this point, Lucia wasn't flustered when people were bothered by the little girl's lack of a face or common human mannerisms. "This is Alice. A 4th Tier abomination, though the Bestiary would know her better as an Aberration." Lucia introduced the small creature with her name and title, though a little worried such things might not mean much to comet, Lucia explained that if asked 'what kind of monster is she' the answer would be 'aberration'. Undead after all, weren't typically a player friendly faction, instead, were treated by players as monsters and their names were no doubt collected into some kind of bestiary or primer. "Alice do you want to introduce yourself maybe?" Lucia asked, giving the small creature a soft pat. Unfortunately, the creature reacted in a way that was unexpected, certainly it made an effort to introduce itself and build some kind of understanding, but it's methods of doing so were poor. Immediately in reaction to Lucia's urging, an eye suddenly opened as a slit opened up from it's jaw-line to it's temple. Parting to reveal an eye the size of the small girl's forehead suddenly blinking out as it appeared. Initially darting around eradically, as if unused to sight before finally falling on Comet, the iris and pupil swiveling and changing directions as it contracted and expanded. Like a camera lens trying to focus it scanned Comet briefly before the second harrowing change began. A second slit opened up from the girl's neck down her chest to her stomach. It revealed a row of inhuman teeth, the girl's clothes parting for the slit, the fibers unwinding and pulling apart, making it clear that even her clothing was likely made from flesh and skin that were as much a part of her body as that eye was. It flashed a rueful grin briefly before opening to speak, despite it's harrowing appearance and unsightly size, the voice that came out was strangely normal, just the simple voice of a small and energetic child. "Organism 'Alice' greets Organism 'Female A'. Organism 'Alice' is product of specific design, created from the remains of hundreds of thousands of foreign organisms, carries myriad strains and sequences. This one provides genetic material for species wide evolutionary leaps and advancements." It spoke blankly, giving strange recounting of it's own creation process as well as it's responsibilities as Lucia's few high tiered undead. Despite it's best efforts though, Lucia couldn't help a dry and bitter laugh, she wanted the introduction to try and smooth things over... but this probably did little to help the situation. "Erm... I'm sorry. Alice is a little... Well... originally when I made her, it was to support the race as a researcher and combat specialist, I hadn't thought about the effect it would have on her personality. I've never really made one before her." Lucia tried her best to explain, but her expression and gaze made it clear that she fully expected the woman to flip out.
Her pink lips twisted in visible annoyance towards Lucia's words. "That not wh-" she shook her head, avoiding eye contact with the raven-haired woman. "Nevermind. I haven't heard much except the same thing over and over. They're... reanimated, if that makes sense, after being sacrificed. Other children are straight-up raised from the dead - there's a graveyard nearby - and ordered to work for the cultists. Whatever the truth is this place definitely screams suspicious. It came out of nowhere," Comet stared at the building curiously. She wondered what in the world was going on inside, but remained standing far from the ominous building. The atmosphere built around her and Lucia already seemed tense. As if invisible walls were closing in on her lithe frame, making it hard to breath. Anxieties plagued her heart heavy for worry with the poor children but also failure to find out the problem at hand sad alongside this sympathy. The horrified expression covering Comet's face dissipated quickly. She'd seen grotesque things. She'd faced terrible monstrosities. Alice wasn't like them other than in appearance, for sure. Lucia introduced the... "girl" softly. Enough so that Comet was taken back, and almost sorry for her own reaction. It seemed Alice hardly minded at all, though. Shifting in a way that had the pink-haired woman stepping backwards, eyes even wider than before, while taking the sight in with a rapid heart beat. Whatever Alice happened to be it wasn't normal. Her suspicions pointed towards the gorgeous Lucia who seemed to be in charge of the creature. Who else but her would raise children from the dead to control if the girl in front of her was made of connected remains? "That's... Is it Necromancy that you use?" she nodded towards the small girl, but couldn't look in Alice's direction, while thin brows lifted out of curiosity. A shade of uncertainty and unknown horror continued to loom over Comet's face. It appeared much more pale than the rest of her milky skin etched with bulging, blue veins. Blood flow nearly stopped despite the organ threatening to burst from her chest at any moment. A cold sweat followed in suit. Clearly, she was nervous and slightly disturbed and all sorts of confused in regard to the situation at hand. Lucia clearly wasn't apart of the cult... but her suspicious couldn't help but surround the beautiful Lucia who spoke about "making" the small girl without so much as a second thought. To clear her thoughts the pink-haired woman shook her head, and rubbed her tired eyes roughly. "At least your intentions aren't as evil as what I've heard. As long as Alice wasn't harmed and wasn't made to do anything terrible in the meantime," she paused before finally deciding to meet Lucia's gaze, wherever it may lay. Her's softened, and the near-obvious nervousness dulled. "Well, I trust you. I apologize for being so apprehensive. We should go in, an-" Comet's head jerked, sorry words cut off by a loud noise from the orphanage. Her ears perked up in reaction to the shrieks - cries and screams and cackles that mixed into a terrifying, ear piercing sound full of wrongness - while her body turned towards the entrance. "Did Alice see anything?" she questioned Lucia before drawing her bow and an arrow, shuffling towards the large door ahead covered in spider webs. "That must be a sign for us to take some action. If you're capable?" a small, small smirk covered up a deep chuckle that left itself behind in the midst of seriousness. @Lucia Mierz
