nearly human [ o, 500th post ]

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    It was time. Beck wasn't sure what it was time for, or even how exactly he was supposed to do this. But he knew that it was long overdue.


    A rattling exhale of stagnant air left his struggling lungs. He managed to find a dusky forest clearing not to far off from camp. A charcoal-drawn pentagram was scrawled out onto the soil in front of him, and the smudges from the material stained his paws. To his side was the blood-stained satchel of jars filled with fading souls. All he needed now was the trigger to open the gate. A demon's blood. With a slight tremble of abnormal hesitation, Beck raised one of his paws to his mouth, and bit down onto his wrist, recoiling as soon as the foul inky fluid made itself known. Swiping away black beads of his otherworldly blood from his snout, the boy limped forward, allowing some of the oily substance to drip into the center of the circle. The pentagram began to smoke, and Beck pulled the soul-satchel onto his shoulders in the short amount of time before he went to Hell itself.

    You would think a demon like him would be used to the darkness that flooded his senses and blotted them out. Shaking himself out, Beck didn't need to know he was in his original form, a scrawny boy with worn clothes hanging from his figure, as he rose to his feet, clutching the satchel's strap as he wheezed out boldly into the abyss. "Hey, asshat! I've got a deal to make with ya!"


    No sooner than the challenging demand rang out into nothingness, a force swept into the dim area, unseen and non-existant. "Oh, Beck, back so soon? It hasn't even been a millennium yet. How my least favorite brat been doing?"


    The boy steeled himself in the face of the Devil, straightening his slouch and setting his usual smirk into a grim line. "Listen, I ain't here for chit-chat, I'm here to-"


    "To trade in mortal souls for your own life and soul back? " Taken aback, the shadowed boy stumbled over his previous level-headed and business-like facade. "H-How'd ya know? "


    "It's called omnipotence, look it up. Maybe I'll be generous and agree, but show me your bargain first." Beck stiffened, regaining his confident composure. Slipping the satchel off his person, he held it up by the straps before tossing it in front of him. The glass jas shattered inside the bag upon impact with the cold and misty floor, and through the leather fabric, six faint wisps of light streaked out, floating above it before a cloud of darkness swooped hungerily upon them. "Only six? Pitiful. That would only give you... what, three weeks? I thought you could do better than that." The wiry boy's lanturn-like eyes widened in shock. There was a limit? Hugging his arms to his narrowed chest, Beck slumped forward, gazing up at the nothingness. "Whaddya mean only 'three weeks'? I got souls, I should get mine!" he snarled, an edge of anger worming its way into his already sharp voice.


    "That's not how things work, sweetheart. Do you want mortality or not? I will gladly cast you into limbo if not." The honeyed voice growled, causing the lesser demon to instinctively flinch. Three weeks was better than nothing. But what would BlizzardClan think? What would they say? Would they like him better if he was alive? Would Ska'arq be happy for him? Squeezing his arms in mental debate and his luminous gaze cast on the floor, Beck finally answered. "Fine." He couldn't remember anything afterwards as his vision was flooded with black.

    For once, the earth underneath him felt sun-baked and welcoming. There was moment when it seemed like nothing had changed at all, and in a frustrated intake of actual oxygen- wait. Beck inhaled again, his chest swelling with disbelief and joy as the air he breathed was actually being filtered into his lungs, being pumped into his living heart, being spread to the rest of his warming body. He opened his bright and vivid eyes, not caring that he was sprawled on his side in the middle of the pentagram, staring up at the sun with a honest smile of wordless glee spreading across his bluing lips. It was a moment of tranquilty before his mind allowed the searing nerves around his wound to affect him again. Beck was alive again, but he had been revived to the state he was hours before his death. That dirty bastard. Even though he tried to keep the smile perched on his maw, it was forced away by a blood-filled cough, the result of one of his lungs being punctured. Instead of being the sickly black, Beck noticed that his blood was red again. A beautiful, bold, crimson staining the earth in little dappled clots. A dizzying feeling of blood loss swept over him. Auburn eyes closed as his new body of flesh and bone struggled to function, but it simply couldn't without outside help. Every ragged gasp did nothing, like trying to inflate a torn balloon beyond repair. Although he couldn't see it, the old wound that cursed him was bleeding, bleeding, bleeding, the only thing slowing it was less blood to spill out onto the earth.


    Beck didn't care. Despite the pain being actual, real, familiar pain, it was nothing compared to the joy of being able to feel a pulse, being able to breathe even if it was hampered, being able to live again. Both of these emotions mixed and merged, and it wasn't long until tears of happiness and pain welled in his eyes, falling onto the earth and disturbing the growing pool of blood with tiny splashes. Maybe he would be found by a medic, maybe he would die again, but either way, he would be freed. Freed from limbo, freed from death, but it wouldn't last forever. If he were to die, maybe he would finally reunite with his long-dead family and be truly happy. But, he had the roots of family down here, didn't he? Aw, hell, philosophy didn't matter know! He was alive again, and he was going to spend his possible final hours happy. Beck briefly reared his head with unbalance and disorientation, looking around for anybody nearby before his neck gave up and he fell backwards, the humbled smile returning as he gave into fate.


    /ay yo, beck's basically in the same state he was that caused his death so he's got a punctured lung, an arrow wound in his back, spinal cord damage, and severe blood loss 三三ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

    The post was edited 1 time, last by old becky ().


    ***
    imperia

    Jacob Wickliff

    ISELOTTA
    ***
    In a strange, twisted way, he had become used to seeing Beck's blood and injuries. The ghost seemed to have a new scratch and scrape every day, and the one on his back never went away. He had mentioned it being the cause of his death, after all. Ska'arq always wondered about him. He hadn't really thought about the existence of ghosts before. He never ate, slept, or drank anything, right? But he seemed to breathe- he could hear him sighing often. His voice had a wheezy sound to it, on top of being echo-y. And he was always so... cold. The dragon tried his best not to pay any mind to it, as they were often right next to each other.


    He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever come to understand Beck's existence. Ska'arq continued to stroll through the trees, shaking his head. It didn't matter. He was happy to have him around. A smile grew as he thought about the quirky little cat. Moments after, a smell hit his nose, and all cheer died away. Beck. Blood. He couldn't quite explain it, but it was different from normal.


    Pushing his way through the trees, he froze, eyes widening. The blood was everywhere. A large black circle was scratched into the earth, and in the center-


    His figurative brows furrowed, but he hurried forward anyway. "Beck?" He was confused. Had there been a fight? Beck's blood was black... Reaching down, he nudged the limp feline. Immediately recoiling, he gawked. He was warm. He'd been expecting the familiar icy bite of the ghost's fur, but he was warm.


    Ska'arq looked around him again. The circle was...No. He didn't. The dragon wasn't well acquainted with satanic rituals of any kind, but this was self-explanatory. Heart racing, he sat down on his rump, cupping his hands around the dying cat as he pressed his palm against the fatal wound in an attempt to stop the blood. "Beck, you idiot!" he spat. Turning his head to the trees, he yelled, "We need a medic now!"

    ***

    ATTACK IN BOLD #6e65b5 - TAGS - EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

    February was almost frozen by now, she didn't find a point to exploring this paper of Blizzardclan. It was freezing, but she could pick up a scream of pain from a mile a way. She quickly ran over, only to see a big black circle and in the middle a close to dead Blizzardclanner. And of course Ska'arq was there too, panic in his eyes and he tried to keep the other alive. Many things where going through her mind. Who did this? Where are they. Why him. How? How do I help? She didn't know the last one, her powers could help but, the only way to heal him was to almost give her life away. It was hopeless but she could try.


    "Shit! We need the medics!" she would manage to panicky scream as she ran over, blood covering her paws as she touched the injured one. "My powers can keep him alive for a couple of minutes. We need the medics in that time though." she would say trying to keep calm. She then attempted to hold her paws onto beck, using her powers to give her blood to him, giving him more time to live. Although this was at a cost. She could feel her blood being pumped from her body into the others. Every second she grew weaker, although her attempts could give beck a couple more minutes to live. A couple more minutes for the medics to get there. She started to moan in pain, her eyes darting to the Ska'arq wanting him to do something. Please. Someone come soon.


    [ TAGS ]



    IF YOU LOVE ME RIGHT BACK, I COULD BE ANYTHING


    / this is trash but i wanna post


    World traveled fast in Blizzardclan, especially when someone was injured. "Somebody has been hurt bad! They need your help!" shouted an NPC into the medic hut, disturbing Imperia from where she sat organizing the newest shipment of herbs from one of their allying clans. Her thoughts raced immediately to Ezekiel or Aleksei bleeding out on the forest floor somewhere, for they were usually the most commonly injured, although Jerseyboy liked to give them a run for their money with his terrible drinking and smoking habits. However, the youthful she-wolf was most certainly surprised when she was informed that it was not the usual patients, but Beck. Was he not a demon? Undead? Incapable of dying? These thoughts only lasted for a moment or two, for her attention was directed elsewhere to collecting her emergency aid supplies before racing out the door to find the scene of the accident.


    It was not hard to find either, for the screams and shouts for a medic acted as a homing beacon, guiding her closer and closer to the distinctive coppery tang of blood in the air. "Mon dieu," she whispered under her breath as she skid to a halt beside Ska'arq and February, allowing only a fraction of a second to gape at the severity of the paladin commander's wounds before dropping to the ground beside him and preparing herself. There was not much that she could do without Iselotta or Jacob's assistance, but she could stabilize him until help arrived. Noticing the lynx next her transferring blood, Peri nearly choked.


    "Please stop!" she exclaimed in the midst of preparing a dose of golden rod to help stave the internal bleeding. "That could poison him," Imperia did not like shouting at people, especially when February only had the purest of intentions, but giving a blood transfusion using just any blood could have severe medical repercussions. "However, if you could help keep pressure on his wound with Ska'arq until my colleagues arrive, that would be fantastic," it was amazing how calm her voice sounded. Unfortunately, Peri was getting used to watching her friends bleed out in front of her so this was not nearly as shocking as the first. With a steady paw, she gave Beck a dose of Golden Rod to help clot the blood and stave the bleeding.


    TAGS / MEDIC REQUESTS

    The lynx was completely grateful for when one of the medics showed up. She actually wanted to thank her, although she did hear the quick comment about her giving blood. On a usual basis, the female wouldn't let a comment like this slide. Although someone was in the process of dying so she could wait for her constant arguing. Although she couldn't help but slipping a, "Its magic sweety. I'm giving my strength in exchange for his wounds. I promise the only thing it will do is make him stronger." she meant it with kindness though, not trying to argue in a situation like this. She did start to feel weak though. She started to breath differently and feel a pangs in a certain place on her back. Nothing happened to her to create this feeling, she just started to feel the pain of Beck and what he went through. Although she did follow the medics commands and followed Ska'arq, putting great pressure onto the wound.


    [ TAGS ]

    Maybe he wouldn't die alone like last time. Maybe he wouldn't die at all. He peeked open an amber eye when a familiar voice called him an idiot. Instead of retorting back, the boy gave a puppy-like wag of his tail, struggling to lift his head to speak. "Squawk! I've got... got a... heartbeat! Look!" Despite the mere act of talking causing more scarlet to trickle from his lips and onto his chin, Beck innocently rasped out the subtle fact, pressing a paw slick with crimson onto his chest just to feel his weakening heart throb against his ribcage. It made him want to jump for joy, despite numbness steadily growing in his legs. The boy actually appeared like a young child for once, there was no sinister or foreboding aura to him.


    When February attempted to place her paws on his back, the simple pressure hurt. Like, really bad. He'd forgotten how normal nerves functoned and this type of pain was all new. Coughing an "Ouch, don't do that, ya dingus!", Beck tried to lean away from her touch and apparent "powers", only sending him into a coughing fit. Through his coughing, he could tell that Imperia arrived, scolding the other girl. A moment of relief when nobody was making contact with his wound and he subconsciously grasped at one of Ska'arq's wrists with a shaking paw, twisting his neck around to watch Imperia work, a glaze settling over his optics as he tried to drown out the pain with thoughts of all the things he would finally be able to do. He couldn't help but be curious at what the she-wolf was doing. Mumbling with a slight lilt of a giggle, Beck fell limp again as he wheezed, "So, is there anyway to save a sorry bastard like me?"

    Like Imperia, Lottie had been in the Medic den when the NPC came bolting in, yelling for their help. It had taken the pale Leopard a couple seconds longer to abandon her task and grab her medic bag and some extra supplies before she was following her former Trainee out across the BlizzardClan territory, following the shouts of MEDIC being yelled at them. Well, they were the Medics. Still, one would t hink after this long that her heartbeat wouldn't increase at the yells, wouldn't feel a cold feeling of panic spreading down her limbs as she bolted, wondering what was wrong, how much time they had to save someone, who it was. It was always like diving into the unknown: like a cold, deep sea that dragged you down, further, and further, only spotting the little pinprick of light at the top of the world as the current dragged you down further, and further, and further.


    Beck. He was a ghost, he wasn't supposed to be bleeding.


    It was such a strange thought to think of how Beck was sitting there; it had taken Lottie a moment to spot him, and then another moment to notice the metallic scent in the air that was not only his blood, but of the pentagram that was beneath him, carefully laid upon the earth like a terrible scar. This place seemed unholy, if ever Lottie cared as much for such a thing. It was a sort of uneasiness that crept over her, settling into her bones, but she shoved it away as she joined Imperia at her side, looking down at the arrow wound in her back, and even managing a laugh at Beck's child-like words. Imperia was right about one thing: it was surprising how calm they could be in a situation like this, but they had trained for that. "You do have a heartbeat!" she would cheer along with Beck, if only to keep him complainant at someone agreeing with his celebration. "That's great, Beck, that's wonderful. We'll get you all patched up here, alright?" An empty promise, though Lottie intended to try and save him, but she knew a wound like this wasn't a good thing.


    She took a breath, looking up to Imperia as she made her assessment, speaking up really only to make sure they were on the same page- a team needed to work together, after all. "Arrow wound in the back, punctured lung, judging that he's coughing up blood; and where it's settled, I imagine there might be a back injury- spine injury- we need to worry about too. When we take this out we have to make sure we don't-" she cut herself short, knowing that Beck was still in earshot. Paralyze him was the word, though judging by the wound, being paralyzed was the least of his worries when he could die within a couple minutes if they didn't do anything. He had already been given something to help with the internal bleeding, but they'd be fighting the clock now. "If his lung is punctured then there's air in his chest cavity that shouldn't be there. We might be able to seal the area with a bandage so air can get out and not back in- or we might even have to try something else- but one thing at a time. If the arrow is completely in his lung then we just have to make sure it doesn't collapse; any internal injuries might be small enough to heal if the arrowhead is small. Sound like a plan?"

    [color='#ABC3DB'][b]


    ***
    OOC
    ***
    This was a stupid idea. He's just making himself suffer again. He's going to die again. Pity crushed his heart as he stared down at the pathetic form of Beck, at his blood-covered smile, the innocent wagging tail. He was surprised as he reached out and grabbed his ankle, and the dragon couldn't help but shake his head, brows furrowed. Along with Lottie, he forced a grin on his face. You idiot. "Yes, you have a heartbeat now. Let's keep that heart going, okay? Don't talk anymore- save your strength." His eyes flickered over to the head Medic as she rambled on about the gh- the boy's condition, and his feelings sank. "You can still stop the bleeding, right? Is there anything I can do?" The scarlet liquid was still flowing, despite his efforts to stop it, although it had slowed. Did that mean he was bleeding out or was the pressure working?
    ***
    ATTACK IN BOLD #6e65b5 - TAGS - EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

    IF YOU LOVE ME RIGHT BACK, I COULD BE ANYTHING


    /lame museless post im sorry


    Any hope of response to february was called off by the arrival of Iselotta. She breathed a sigh of relief, for the presence of her mentor--er, former mentor--was very calming. As much as she wanted to say that she was composed enough to do this sort of thing on her own, she wasn't. Imperia was still so new and her confidence in her abilities was minuscule, especially in terrible situations such as this. With Jacob captured and the memories of several of her other friends in a similar situation fresh in her mind, her nerves nearly got the best of her. As ashamed as she was not to be able to save Beck on her own, it comforted her to know that Lottie was here to help and that this was basically just another opportunity to learn. "A-alright," she affirmed simply, nodding to let the older female know that she was prepared to assist.


    TAGS / MEDIC REQUESTS