[ It's gone then, his eye. He staggers a step as they arrive, a hand immediately going to the left side of his face. Where it used to be, in any case. Gone... A socket left empty, as if it had never been there at all. He's not sure how he'll explain this one to anyone, but that isn't a thought that he dwells on for long.
The stench of the dead and dying hit him, and he immediately moves his hand from his face to cover his mouth and nose. ]
This is...
[ This is what, Childermass? What he thinks won't matter, since he never has a chance to finish the thought. Sorry, Ludger, he recoils slightly, seeming to struggle for a moment, and then the wave of whispers takes control again. ]
[ Ludger doesn't quite register the change - his voice is thready, his eyes distant as he scans the land around them. surely there's nothing here, right...? ]
[ just so that the king will have some further insight to this massacre, the king will know that this is the power he had been seeking. this absolute destruction is what he'll need in order to make sure that other countries will kneel before great britian and that her borders and lands remain safe.
these are the extremes that will be necessary for great britian to reign supreme for generations to come. this is the knowledge that victor frankenstein has been hiding from you.
as for poor ludger...he'll see just see more and more dead bodies from where he stands. a horrible landscape of men, women, children, the old and the young... none of them look to be soldiers (not that it would matter). if there's anything else to be seen, then it would require the two of them to start moving. ]
[ As soon as the realization hits him, the king begins to laugh, just... laugh, and laugh. ]
Finally! This! This is it!
[ Forget being disgusted by the massacre, he's thrilled! He lowers his hand and steps forward, across the body of a child, then a woman, strolling out further into the putrefying mass of the dead. He throws his arms out, as if in a show and gesturing for all to see, almost... giddy. ]
This is what I need to defend my kingdom. This is what we will have Frakenstein do for us, to all those who dare... who...
[ He stops, suddenly snarling and nearly doubling over, a hand to his chest. ]
No, not yet. Stay back, you fiend, this is not yours to--! [ But Childermass will not have any more of this. The internal fight is brutal, but once again, he forces the whispers to near silence and gasps, coming back to himself. ] This is madness... England could never want this... What are you even blathering about, you fool?
[ What...? Childermass tries to straighten, but it would seem the king is not willing to settle down after all. ]
Ludger, it's m-- [ He doubles over again, a hand going to his head. Wait, don't...! ] ...what is wrong with me...? You ask? You would question your king?
[ It's the king that straightens up this time, not Childermass, and he sneers at Ludger. ]
That is the tragedy of youth, I suppose. You don't see at all. If we had this at our beck and call, who would dare stand against us? The world would be mine and those who would resist would be wiped out, just as this place was.
The world would be a melted ruin, and you'd be the maniac who caused it.
[ slowly, steadily, he approaches the madman before him. ]
No wonder all your subjects were afraid - but they were afraid of the wrong person, weren't they? The one they should have feared was you.
[ the knowledge that Childermass is in there, that it's his body restrains him. somewhat. but he'll still lunge forward to punch the temporarily revived tyrant. ]
[ Even though the king reacts, moving to try and block, it's too slow. Ludger's punch connects with his jaw, jerking his head to the side and forcing him to stagger back. His heel slips amongst the melting bodies, sending him falling to the ground, landing flat on his ass there in the bloody muck. ]
...will you... [ Dear God, what is happening? ] Not do that?!
[ Childermass snaps at Ludger, putting a hand to his jaw to rub it as he scowls up at the other man. ]
The king isn't the one who's going to feel it, you realize!
[ oh, he's back. and with no more noses broken this time! ]
Couldn't you hear what he said?! He was so- so- pleased with all of this!
[ Ludger flings his arms wide, unable to encompass the sheer horror of this field. the people, their lives, all draining away for what? some idea of superiority? ]
He grimaces as his attention turns back to the bodies around them, a shudder running through him, and he takes great care getting back to his feet so not to slip again. Well, looks like this set of clothing is doomed now, too. That's great, but he won't think of that until after this... after. If there is an after. ]
This is... we're in a bad place here. We shouldn't stay long, lest whatever did this to the rest begins to do it to us, too.
Zicterium, perhaps... It was what the king was so excited to find out more about before.
[ Childermass must steel himself to look closer at the field of death and dying. They cannot remain here; this is all he knows. ]
It was what those voices back in the lab were excited about, some substance that had come out of the experiments. They are seeking a philosopher's stone... and an elixir of eternal youth...
[ But it is time for grim work. He'll begin rolling back his sleeves and turn for the largest pile of corpses he can see. He will approach, intending to begin moving bodies, searching, though he will be very careful and touch one corpse with a fingertip first, to make sure it's fine to handle. ]
[ the largest pile of corpses will quickly give way in the most unfortunate way it could possibly way that he would never want to imagine it to do so. horrible that a single, careful touch could render an entire pile of bodies into nothing. though, perhaps there's some merit in doing this as it'll seem to "trigger" something.
shortly after the mound of corpses because less of a mound and before childremass can get his hands dirty approaching another, there'll be a blue glittering light in the distance that's either one of them can catch from the corner of their eyes. while the light does nothing else besides blink at them from the distance, maybe it might be worth their time to approach it even if it might be a walk. (and because maybe we don't have to stay here.) ]
[ There's a scoff from Childermass, and he steps back from the collapsing pile of bodies, watching them become nothing. ]
Who wouldn't spend everything they could for eternal youth...?
[ There's that manic edge to his voice, the same as every other time the whispers of the king have swooped in. They've taken advantage of the surprise of the mound of bodies simply vanishing at a touch, and while he is aware of the light blinking at them, he does not move to go towards it just yet.
Was that even what the king wanted, though? Eternal youth? That would not protect anything, would it? ]
To give one's life up in pursuit of that greatness... It's the most these sorry souls could have hoped for.
[ in preparation for the scuffle or argument between the king and ludger, the king will give childremass the knowledge of that zicterium in its current state will be used as a weapon to subdue any of those who resist them. that the people that they are walking over were just tests to see the effectiveness of frankenstein's invention. however, he'll also be keenly interested in the blue glittering light as well as the color will remind him of the compound itself.
(the color blue is thematic here.)
for ludger's woes, he'll get to hear the final cries of some of the people...some of them full of hatred for the queen (or i guess king) and others simply wishing that others are spared this horrors. that there will be people of their race that will have survived this. ]
[ Ludger grimaces. why is He here again. he's going to insist Childermass leaves him behind as soon as possible. ]
Yeah, being a helpless child sure is great. Who wouldn't want another round with that? I just love the idea of leaving everyone I've ever cared about behind because of a mid-life crisis.
[ ... ]
Most people don't care about greatness. They just want to live happily.
[ but they don't matter at all to His Highness, do they ]
[ Childermass— no, the king rolls his eyes and turns towards the blue light, watching it for a moment with a hand on his hip, considering it, but he isn't outright ignoring Ludger. ]
Happily? No. They want to live safely. We all sacrifice happiness for that, and unless Great Britain stays ahead of the rest of Europe, we'll no longer have that. If it means devastation for everyone else...
[ There's a pause, a frown, a sigh. ]
Really? This again?
[ And then Childermass squeezes his eyes shut for a moment and fights the king back once more. He lets out a growl of irritation as he comes back and opens his eyes again. ]
...yes, I'm getting as tired of it as you are. [ Who is talking to? Ludger? The king? Both? ] The king wants to know what that light is.
[ Which is all Childermass can offer. For the sake of moving along, I'll roll next tag for queenie. :') But for now, he heads off alongside Ludger, towards the blue light. ]
[ towards the blue light the two of them go, though an awful field that we no longer have to cw anymore because the bodies will start thinning the closer they get to the blue light. it'll still be a little bit but they'll see that the blue light is being emitted by a blue gem in the shape of a flower (a rose if it had to be a specific one). what it's connected to or anymore details about it aren't entirely clear. not yet.
as for ludger who wants to keep listening to the dead and suffering(?!?) will hear them simply all making wishes and praying for it to end. for someone to come save them. for friends and other family members to have escaped. for their king to be able to avenge them...though there are some softer voices. ones that wonder if things could be different if humans and vampires got along. ]
[ Yay, it continues to be Childermass as they close in on the source of the light. He has to wonder at it, for such a beautiful gem to form in such a horrific place, or...? Was it the source of that same horror?
While Ludger looks for the source of the flower, he will approach it carefully, no touching yet; he just wants a closer look. ]
[ it's not growing out of the pool of people, but instead embedded in the chest of small ball-jointed doll with brown hair and a pretty frilly dress. it definitely does not look like it belongs here give how it'll look untouched by the horrific scene around it. if anything, it'll look like it was placed here purposefully for someone to find.
the light itself seemingly harmless. probably harmless. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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the sounds
the smell
he can't help but recoil, gagging. spirits, these people -
he takes a step back, his foot catching on something soft that squelches, and he looks down ]
...
[ maybe the chromatus is kinder, in the end. he never had to see this kind of slaughter. (oh Fran, is this why you're so...?) ]
cw: eye gore
The stench of the dead and dying hit him, and he immediately moves his hand from his face to cover his mouth and nose. ]
This is...
[ This is what, Childermass? What he thinks won't matter, since he never has a chance to finish the thought. Sorry, Ludger, he recoils slightly, seeming to struggle for a moment, and then the wave of whispers takes control again. ]
What is this? I demand to know!
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[ Ludger doesn't quite register the change - his voice is thready, his eyes distant as he scans the land around them. surely there's nothing here, right...? ]
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these are the extremes that will be necessary for great britian to reign supreme for generations to come. this is the knowledge that victor frankenstein has been hiding from you.
as for poor ludger...he'll see just see more and more dead bodies from where he stands. a horrible landscape of men, women, children, the old and the young... none of them look to be soldiers (not that it would matter). if there's anything else to be seen, then it would require the two of them to start moving. ]
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Finally! This! This is it!
[ Forget being disgusted by the massacre, he's thrilled! He lowers his hand and steps forward, across the body of a child, then a woman, strolling out further into the putrefying mass of the dead. He throws his arms out, as if in a show and gesturing for all to see, almost... giddy. ]
This is what I need to defend my kingdom. This is what we will have Frakenstein do for us, to all those who dare... who...
[ He stops, suddenly snarling and nearly doubling over, a hand to his chest. ]
No, not yet. Stay back, you fiend, this is not yours to--! [ But Childermass will not have any more of this. The internal fight is brutal, but once again, he forces the whispers to near silence and gasps, coming back to himself. ] This is madness... England could never want this... What are you even blathering about, you fool?
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What is wrong with you?! You think this'll protect anything?! No one deserves this! How many innocent people are dead now because of this-!
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Ludger, it's m-- [ He doubles over again, a hand going to his head. Wait, don't...! ] ...what is wrong with me...? You ask? You would question your king?
[ It's the king that straightens up this time, not Childermass, and he sneers at Ludger. ]
That is the tragedy of youth, I suppose. You don't see at all. If we had this at our beck and call, who would dare stand against us? The world would be mine and those who would resist would be wiped out, just as this place was.
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[ slowly, steadily, he approaches the madman before him. ]
No wonder all your subjects were afraid - but they were afraid of the wrong person, weren't they? The one they should have feared was you.
[ the knowledge that Childermass is in there, that it's his body restrains him. somewhat. but he'll still lunge forward to punch the temporarily revived tyrant. ]
cw: gore
...will you... [ Dear God, what is happening? ] Not do that?!
[ Childermass snaps at Ludger, putting a hand to his jaw to rub it as he scowls up at the other man. ]
The king isn't the one who's going to feel it, you realize!
cw: gore
Couldn't you hear what he said?! He was so- so- pleased with all of this!
[ Ludger flings his arms wide, unable to encompass the sheer horror of this field. the people, their lives, all draining away for what? some idea of superiority? ]
Re: cw: gore
[ It's just Childermass he'll be hitting.
He grimaces as his attention turns back to the bodies around them, a shudder running through him, and he takes great care getting back to his feet so not to slip again. Well, looks like this set of clothing is doomed now, too. That's great, but he won't think of that until after this... after. If there is an after. ]
This is... we're in a bad place here. We shouldn't stay long, lest whatever did this to the rest begins to do it to us, too.
cw: gore
[ Ludger looks away, gaze falling upon a pool of.
...
he switches his gaze to the empty scraps of clothing instead. ]
... What could even do something like this? I've never... seen anything like it.
cw: gore
[ Childermass must steel himself to look closer at the field of death and dying. They cannot remain here; this is all he knows. ]
It was what those voices back in the lab were excited about, some substance that had come out of the experiments. They are seeking a philosopher's stone... and an elixir of eternal youth...
[ But it is time for grim work. He'll begin rolling back his sleeves and turn for the largest pile of corpses he can see. He will approach, intending to begin moving bodies, searching, though he will be very careful and touch one corpse with a fingertip first, to make sure it's fine to handle. ]
cw: gore AM I KEEPING IT HERE?
shortly after the mound of corpses because less of a mound and before childremass can get his hands dirty approaching another, there'll be a blue glittering light in the distance that's either one of them can catch from the corner of their eyes. while the light does nothing else besides blink at them from the distance, maybe it might be worth their time to approach it even if it might be a walk. (and because maybe we don't have to stay here.) ]
cw: gore - ya
... So they thought all of this was worth... eternal youth?
[ what a waste. what an awful, terrible waste. ]
... I don't understand people, sometimes.
[ ... what do their last words sound like? ]
cw: gore it's here forever now
Who wouldn't spend everything they could for eternal youth...?
[ There's that manic edge to his voice, the same as every other time the whispers of the king have swooped in. They've taken advantage of the surprise of the mound of bodies simply vanishing at a touch, and while he is aware of the light blinking at them, he does not move to go towards it just yet.
Was that even what the king wanted, though? Eternal youth? That would not protect anything, would it? ]
To give one's life up in pursuit of that greatness... It's the most these sorry souls could have hoped for.
cw: gore at least until we leave this room....
(the color blue is thematic here.)
for ludger's woes, he'll get to hear the final cries of some of the people...some of them full of hatred for the queen (or i guess king) and others simply wishing that others are spared this horrors. that there will be people of their race that will have survived this. ]
cw: gore no it's coming with us
Yeah, being a helpless child sure is great. Who wouldn't want another round with that? I just love the idea of leaving everyone I've ever cared about behind because of a mid-life crisis.
[ ... ]
Most people don't care about greatness. They just want to live happily.
[ but they don't matter at all to His Highness, do they ]
cw: gore we are choosing to bring the gore
Happily? No. They want to live safely. We all sacrifice happiness for that, and unless Great Britain stays ahead of the rest of Europe, we'll no longer have that. If it means devastation for everyone else...
[ There's a pause, a frown, a sigh. ]
Really? This again?
[ And then Childermass squeezes his eyes shut for a moment and fights the king back once more. He lets out a growl of irritation as he comes back and opens his eyes again. ]
...yes, I'm getting as tired of it as you are. [ Who is talking to? Ludger? The king? Both? ] The king wants to know what that light is.
cw: gore become as Gore
[ oh, Childermass is back again. Ludger sighs, choosing to believe the other man is speaking to him. ]
The source of all this maybe? An awful side product?
[ the intended result? but he won't say that outloud - if the king comes back just in time to hear that... ]
... We might as well go check it out.
[ and with that, Ludger will start making his way towards the light. he tries to take care to avoid stepping on anyone, but there's so many.
(it gives him an idea of how truly drenched his family is)
he will keep an ear bent to the suffering as they go. ]
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[ Which is all Childermass can offer. For the sake of moving along, I'll roll next tag for queenie. :') But for now, he heads off alongside Ludger, towards the blue light. ]
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as for ludger who wants to keep listening to the dead and suffering(?!?) will hear them simply all making wishes and praying for it to end. for someone to come save them. for friends and other family members to have escaped. for their king to be able to avenge them...though there are some softer voices. ones that wonder if things could be different if humans and vampires got along. ]
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anyways. That certainly looks important. ]
... Weird.
[ Ludger will scan the area, looking for the source of the flower. is it growing out of a pool of people? I bet it is. ]
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While Ludger looks for the source of the flower, he will approach it carefully, no touching yet; he just wants a closer look. ]
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the light itself seemingly harmless. probably harmless. ]
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cw: body horror(?)
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