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Post by CJ on Jul 24, 2014 1:22:22 GMT -5
So Devastis never left.
Beth couldn't blame the crowd for acting the way it did toward her and others, but her suspicions were now confirmed that something still had been off. She clenched her teeth, feeling shame for running as they did. She thought Devastis had ran, but even knowing that, it just meant they were too ignorant to realize it otherwise.
"Thank you, Kaede," she said with another sigh. "I know I messed up back there and I'm sorry, but you have to understand that I don't see this game like you and Connor do. So next time, you probably want to explain things before the next contestant goes telling all their friends about how great and wonderful the Grand Path is."
She didn't like telling Kaede what to do, but she felt it necessary. How many people suffered from the untold horrors of the Grand Path, caught in a sick game they had no stake in?
"There's only one more thing I need to know. These beacons of his, they're people, right? All of those people back there were caught under some spell. If I defeat him, will they go back to being normal or are they doomed?"
Connor had been standing between Beth and Bader, prepared to take on the robot if necessary. Flames lit up on his hands and feet, but died quickly when Kaede stopped the situation. So now, he merely stood in silence, dreading having to leave Beth to continue the awful fight.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 25, 2014 4:19:47 GMT -5
"Agreed, though I hope next time, I'll be able to help the contestant from the beginning rather than continuing Solaine's work in her stead."
Again, Kaede agreed with everything Beth said, but a lot of the fault of the situation lie with her taking over from Solaine rather than starting from the beginning. She hadn't been involved long enough to know exactly how Solaine did things, but she knew if she were in charge, the first thing she'd do with any contestant would be to sit down with them and go over the rules extensively.
"Right. Normal people, just ones he spent more time with, so his control over them is stronger. It wasn't all of them though, in fact I'm pretty sure he didn't have anything to do with the crowd of people. After he was chased off, they were acting on their own, so you'd just have to look for the couple of people in the crowd who came back and were not doing what everyone else was." Her attention was averted for a second when she noticed Bader moving out of the corner of her eye, but was relieved when the robot turned its attention elsewhere. Having lost interest in the confrontation, seemingly as Beth had as well, it busied itself with trying to open a window and eventually just broke the glass. "If you can find him, and find a way to beat him? Then yes, they should be more than fine, like waking up from a strange dream. Not even Solaine would let someone like that into the game, if so many people could get hurt by what he did."
In truth she had next to no understand of how Devastis did what he did. She just knew, or rather correctly guessed, that if his ability could end up hurting or killing an entire town of people just from losing a fight then Solaine wouldn't let him play this long. Truth be told, there were Yonkou much more dangerous than that, but there was a difference between a concerted effort to destroy a country and collateral destruction just because of uncontrolled power.
Actually, was there?
"Just make sure if you find him, that you really do beat him. I imagine he'll do whatever he can to stop you or just distract you, and the longer you are closer to him, the greater the chances that he'll find his way into your head next. I doubt he'd want to give up a beacon like you, if he could manage it."
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Post by CJ on Jul 27, 2014 23:06:14 GMT -5
"I see," Beth said, pressing her hand to her chin. "So those really were people back there. After this fight, I'm going to have a little discussion with Solaine. It's bad enough there's a kid with Valentine. Innocents can't be involved in this sort of thing. It makes me wonder why Devastis was allowed in the first place."
When Kaede suggested evasive action, Connor spoke up. His face was twisted in worry and frustration.
"That reminds me... I heard something when I went to chase after those... beacons. I thought I heard you calling out to me, so I stopped chasing them. It's still my fault I let them get away, but he might try something like that on you."
"Good to know," Beth responded with several nods. "Thanks, guys. I'm looking to see you very soon. Oh, and one more thing..."
She quickly put away most of the jars, saving only a few select ones to place in a more convenientpocket. Standing up, she paced toward Connor and gave him a quick kiss.
"Love you," she said with a wavering smile and embraced him for what hopefully wouldn't be the last time.
---
Beth walked into town looking quite different than she was before.
Her cropped hair was stark blond and her eyes were an unnatural green. Her previous healthy tan was replaced with the palest of skin. All in all, it looked almost as though she was fused with Connor. Adding to that further, she had one of his metal gloves on her right hand and his boots uncomfortably fitted to her feet. She and her husband weren't all too different in height, but it seemed his feet were much bigger than hers.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," she scowled to herself as she stomped her way back into the fray.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 5, 2014 0:01:51 GMT -5
"Hello Beth. Thought you'd run off for good back then, I was about to leave myself."
With the departure of the Andersons, the general remaining crowd could properly see to helping the afflicted. By the time Beth made her return then, most of the people had been cleared out, and only a few remained to clean up the residual mess made by the indirect fighting. Needless to say, the celebration had been cancelled. One seemingly random person though, sitting nearby on a crate with a broom by their side, happened to call out to the new arrival.
Most people didn't seem to notice anything was wrong, but this one fellow in particular apparently knew who she was.
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Post by CJ on Aug 5, 2014 23:08:40 GMT -5
Beth wanted to tell the odd character to fuck off, but decided to show her feelings in her actions. She held her free hand forward and went to suck the energy clean out of him or her.
Despite the fellow's fair greeting, she didn't want to talk. Remembering Connor's warning, she tried to avoid any mind games. She wanted to settle this on her own terms. With others gone, she could at least lie about anyone who got hurt. She knew she was selfish, but she couldn't ignore that her family meant much more to her than these people.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 5, 2014 23:24:54 GMT -5
The fellow collapsed, a young woman who had been closing a booth nearby noticed, and with a gasp rushed over to to help him. Or at least, keep him from hitting the pavement. Thankfully she got there in time more or less, though had some initial difficulty hoisting him up and keeping him that way.
"Well that wasn't very nice. If you're going to play like that, I'll have to start getting mean. Is that what you want?"
She looked up to Beth with the same empty smile and blank expression that the fellow himself had not moments ago. How very odd...
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Post by CJ on Aug 5, 2014 23:49:08 GMT -5
Don't speak. Don't give him anything. Keep your face as smooth as a stone.
But even thinking that, Beth's face twitched in slight frustration as the nearby girl was caught in the same spell as the man before her. There had to be some solution to this trick. Why was it that these innocent people around her could be affected by this person, but not her? Why were Connor and Kaede exempt as well?
She had an idea, but she had to test it first. After dispersing the man's energy into the air (she dared not absorb what she didn't understand), she held out her hand and tried to suck the energy out of this girl as well.
Standing as she was, she watched very closely to see if by approaching these two, people would fall into the same spell. She suspected there was something affecting the two within their vicinity, maybe even in the crate the man had been sitting on.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 5, 2014 23:51:54 GMT -5
Without delay, the girl collapsed as well, taking the fellow to the ground with her. As of yet no one seemed to notice, being that already the area had all but cleared out, though it was a fairly suspicious sight.
Not as though Beth had time to interact with or even help them though, since without warning, out from underneath one of the booths nearby a fairly young child ran at her with a kitchen knife. They didn't announce themselves this time, and simply aimed to stab her from behind, though how stealthy they actually were was up to interpretation.
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Post by CJ on Aug 6, 2014 0:07:19 GMT -5
Beth sighed, seeing no one step up to follow the girl. Nothing was going according to plan. Then again, could she really expect the world to follow a plan she never even announced formally?
Suddenly, an urge took over her as she stepped to the side and saw a child trying to stab her with a kitchen knife. It was the same feeling she had when the other beacons tried to attack her before. She didn't understand what it was, but somehow she felt able to predict others' movements.
She threw her metal gloved hand forward in an attempt grab onto the child's hand wielding the knife and throw them to the ground. If successful, she'd simply steal their energy too. She felt confident against these beacons, but her heart felt heavy. This was the fight for the second rank. Despite their difficulties getting this far, she knew something like Tomahawk would have easily been able to rip through these people. And what was stopping Pet Shop from paralyzing this crowd in the time he spent as the third rank? She suspected there was more to this fight than she understood.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 6, 2014 0:11:38 GMT -5
The little boy fell to the ground in a slump, about the same time as a nearby teenager who had been watching, grabbed for a pot of simmering water. Perhaps it had been boiling not long ago, but it was still scalding hot, and they upended it in her direction in one motion and with another hurled the pot entire. Given the proximity, there was actually a real danger that even if Beth were not affected, the unconscious child could be injured by the hot water.
Either way, a middle aged fellow not too far away snorted to himself, watching and as if he already knew how things were going to turn out. Though he did not move in to act, or even raise any alarms. He just watched, and straightening his hat, turned to leave.
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Post by CJ on Aug 6, 2014 0:50:01 GMT -5
Beth could dodge the pot, but she knew she couldn't get the kid out of the way too. Barely thinking, she did the only thing she could fathom doing. In spite of all her previous thoughts, she couldn't help trying to save the kid's life, even if he was beyond saving under Devastis's power.
She brought him up and covered held him close, praying that not a splash would touch him. She expected severe pain, but was surprised to not feel any. Duh! She thought. She had just absorbed Connor's energy, so she would be incredibly tolerant to heat. Unfortunately, she was now highly susceptible to water. It was no wonder witches didn't want to be found out by normal people. Their weaknesses were so absurdly easy to exploit.
Her eyes drooped as she tried to fight off oncoming sleepiness. She felt herself hit the ground and struggled to keep awake. Energy was pulsing through her, but she couldn't help but close her eyes. For that moment, she was almost entirely vulnerable.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 9, 2014 22:16:45 GMT -5
Seeing the effect of the water, the girl grabbed for a cleaver and ran over in an attempt to hack at Beth with it, aiming for an arm. Soon another woman emerged from between the stands carrying a wok and aimed to join in and bash Beth on the head. It could be guessed in this way that soon, more people would be joining in to help attack her.
The middle aged man from before though, noticed this just before he departed, craning his neck back to see better. With a smirk, he paced back and decided to remain and watch what happened.
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Post by CJ on Aug 16, 2014 22:03:00 GMT -5
Beth felt lost.
Ever since she was young, she wanted to defend others. She used her Devil Fruit powers to control and hurt those who would hurt others.
Now the very people she was trying to save were attacking her outright.
She couldn't blame Connor for striking at the Valentine boy, for having night terrors, for never being able to forget the fights. If those fights were half as terrifying as this situation, he had every reason to live in the terror of the past.
For her, it was now. But unlike her husband, she intended to see things through and not regret her actions.
Beth barely moved her arm in time to miss the cleaver. She moved her other arm up in quick succession and permanently dented the wok, likely sending it flying away.
Feeling completely exhausted, she only had the energy to sit up. She moved her injured hand out and tried to completely absorb the girl's and the woman's energy.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 19, 2014 23:41:14 GMT -5
Beth's ploy worked, and the two collapsed like everyone else. The act served to stall the newcomers to the scene, if only for a moment though. A sizable adult man, and an older fellow approached, one hefting a grill and the other toting a fire poker. Again, it was pretty obvious what they intended to do, but Beth was certainly gathering a nice little pile of bodies about her.
Of note that those few remaining people who were far enough away, but not under any sort of spell, saw what was going on from afar and chose this time to vacate the area. After all, most anyone who needed help from before had been evacuated, so there was not much reason to stay and risk personal injury by who-knows-what.
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Post by CJ on Aug 21, 2014 23:57:20 GMT -5
This was going nowhere.
Beth felt like she was right back at the start of things. This fight was going round and round in circles. She suck out the energy of people, only to have more come and try to attack her again. This was getting tedious and she was starting to lose control over how much energy she was taking in and how much she was releasing. She never had to worry about absorbing too much, but if she didn't allocate it correctly, she could face a new problem.
She tried the same tactic again, grabbing the energy of the muscular man and older fellow before moving on.
"How many more do you got, Devastis?" Beth said with a twitching smile. "I can go all day!"
Her legs shook as she began to walk forward, hoping to get away from the growing amount of bodies. She prayed she wouldn't be caught in her lie.
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