[ 09 ] ✿✿ [ Open ]

[angramaintsu]

Characters: Dark Rin & YOU!
Setting: Dormitories, Floors 25, 41, 90, 99, and room 1-15.
Time: Backdated to May 23rd and the 26th during the event when this rumor manifests itself.
Format: Quick to start, will match.
Summary: Archer keeps screwing things up and unfortunately Rin suffers for it. He just needs to get a hint already.
Warnings: Character death, also angst.
Note: Her death is already decided on, so even if your character would like to kill Rin specifically, I ask we find a way around that somehow. You can PM this account if you need to discuss how a thread may go as a result of this. Additionally, this is kind of an open-log where if you want to make your own prompts to have your CR respond to in reaction to these monsters, that's cool too. Just be sure to label if it's open or not.

    ►►► DORMITORIES;
[ Sometime during the day of the 23rd, Rin notices that there's something wrong with her. Something that's always lay dormant within her seems to be stirring to life now and while she always ended up rejecting those thoughts (because how can something evil be inside of her, that's just silly), today is proven otherwise. When it manifests itself into a physical form before her, at first she's in too much shock to react properly. This initial reaction lasts for approximately ten seconds before she identifies the creature as a threat and eliminates it herself with a burst of flame from her palms. In between the crackle of flame she hears the drips and sees coagulated mud forming around her feet. No, it's coming from her feet?

Funny.

This entire time she thought she couldn't be a monster. Wasn't her life here in the tower proof that she can be something non-destructive? All those images she saw in her mind--that was really her, wasn't it? Taking responsibility for an unknown monster seemed the right thing to do, but now that she's starting to see with her own two eyes just how real the monster was?

What a serious pain in the ass. ]

    ►►► FLOOR 25;
[ When she decides that this "corruption" pouring out of her is a hostile threat, Rin retreats the best she can, eliminating what tries to get away from her. So far she's doing well, but when she makes it to this floor, she's already showing signs of exhaustion. It must be from using magecraft over and over again while keeping up this hastened pace to get away. She takes a small breather here in order to clear her head, to come to a better idea of how to combat this. She'll need to go to a floor more secluded than the others just to keep it out of the sight and mind of those who have associated themselves as her ally. A frustrating task, but better than the alternative of asking for their help. When she does leave, there's a smaller monster left behind in her absence. ]

    ►►► FLOORS 41, 90;
[ Much like on floor 25, the process continues to repeat itself. Rin's growing sloppy in her tiresome attempt to contain these foul evil, but once again she finds asking for help to be something that she can't do. Traveling through a floor that disables powers doesn't seem to stop it, so why? Why does this keep happening?

She doesn't spend much time on this floor however. There's a guilt that infests her much like the vermin around her (those conversations with the bug girl are starting to show) and when even they suffer due to her, she's quick to retreat. She might spare an apology later for anyone who happens to find something here for being sloppy, but it really isn't her fault.

... Although she does let loose a couple in the lagoon for good measure on her way up the tower. Fuck you, mermaids. ]

    ►►► FLOOR 99;
[ When all else fails, retreat to the highest point of the tower and corner them. If there's a floor Rin can call her personal battlefield, it's the one where she's created crystallized stone familiars to do her bidding. For the first hour, she puts up a good fight, killing each and every monster that emerges from her with howling laughter and a taunt to boot.

Something begins to wear her down though.

This is when she begins to realize that her efforts are futile. She's not sure why this is happening to her (or why it's happening now), but this has to be why she has no allies in this place. They all saw what was within her when she herself was unable to. Here is when her emotions get the better of her. A significant chunk of the cavern is covered in thick goop that's clearly come from her (but how much of it is actually from her, one might wonder) and even herself lays in the middle of it in a lethargic manner. Murmuring about how pointless it is or that she should just give up might be warning sign enough, but don't let that distract you from the fiends swarming around her. Even the crystallized bats and owls she's created are covered and seem to be just as ominously threatening; a possible influence of the disgusting mud that's around her perhaps?

One thing's for sure. People who are familiar with all the evils of the world just might recognize this presence high up in the tower. At this point, she's really not doing much to hide it. ]

    ►►► ROOM 1-15 (May 26);
[ Rin's gone for the next couple days. She doesn't return like many of the other inhabitants do after their death, but when she does revive, it's still with the same problem as before. Once more, this corruption of her's begins to seep out, but this time she doesn't even care to fight it. If this is going to become the norm, she's decided, why not just sit here and let the people who supposedly care about her just come kill her?

Fortunately for her, it doesn't last long. Did she return in time for the end of whatever madness plagues the tower or is it because she now accepts who she truly is that it decides to remain within her? Uncertain, she doesn't seem to draw the attention of the few strays that have wandered off to wreak havoc on the first floor dormitory. Sorry roommates, she's been a very messy person this week. It goes well with the mess that are her emotions. ]

Comments

Floor 99

[scorchedchivalry]

[It resonated within her. She could feel it and her rage grew. She mentally clamped a hand on it, suppressed it as much as she could, though the red lines marking her spread more across her as she headed directly toward the source of that energy.

It was Rin. She knew it had to be Rin. Something had happened and she had a duty, given to her by her master, and of her own accord.

Clad in full armor minus the visor, Saber entered the crystal floor and steadily headed toward the center. The darkness, the vileness, the evils... They were all there.

And she walked straight through the mud, unaffected as she was a tainted as the magus laying on the floor. Standing over her, Saber looked down at her.]

Rin.

[angramaintsu]

Saber?

[ Her voice is weak, a strong enough indication that very little of Rin Matou remains. Even now she ought to hold her head up with pride, but there's none of that here. There's only a tired obligation to respond when she's addressed. ]

What are you doing here? [ Mentally, she's not all there either. She can't comprehend why Saber of all people might be here just yet as lithe arms push herself up among the pooling mud. Her hair is black from having been soaked in it and for once, she may resemble what she might have looked prior to the infestation. ] You could get seriously hurt... The crystals, they really hurt the eyes sometimes.

[ Because that's what she's concerned about. More than the monsters who seemingly ignore the two women in the midst of them. ]

[scorchedchivalry]

I will endeavor not look at them.

[Kneeling down, Saber went to scoop the girl up out of the mud, one hand brushing her hair back from her face.]

You need to tell me what has happened.

[angramaintsu]

I'm not sure.

[ More confusion, honest at least, flickers in her expression. ] I thought I could handle it on my own, but I think, no, I know it's just too much.

[ Raising a hand weakly to hold onto Saber the best she can, Rin doesn't shy away from a moment of affection. Right now, she has Saber she can trust in, so she will place her faith in the knightly woman. ]

I must have done something wrong, but I don't know what.

[scorchedchivalry]

[One arm cradling Rin, Saber reaches her other into the mud and brings a handful of it up. She watches it slip through her fingers to drip back down.]

I am uncertain what you could have done. Can you control the mud?

[Sakura had been able to control it. Saber distinctly remembered it engulfing her when she was the silver knight.]

Floor 99

[destructiveprinciples]

[ Familiar? Yes, this presence was innately familiar to Avenger. It had leaked from a few other individuals in this Tower, like a mass of threads or smears of paint, but never had it flowed so powerfully as this did. What had changed? This. evil vileness rancid vices darkness, he knew it quite well. It came from him, but it didn't.

Angra felt something heavy in him, tugging him towards it, that pulled for uneven breath. It pulled for the sudden hitch of inhales. So quiet, that it seemed indiscernible. Curious, he turns from his prior course, dematerializes and heads for the source of the taint radiating from the 99th floor.

He arrives early, shortly after Rin understands the futility of her efforts and fell down in the center of the cavern, but before a certain tainted knight comes to find the female magus. The revolting mud, he walks straight through, and if the sheer, sickening rejuvenation that thrummed through his form the moment his skin touched the inky blackness didn't confirm his status as a monster, nothing would. It felt like a breath of car fumes and general mugginess that tasted good. He crouched down several feet from her limp, worn-out body.

The fiends swirling around ignore him. ]

... This is a rare sight.

[ His comment is toneless, lacking either glee or accusation. Bare feet sink down into the dark goop as he idly dips his hands into the mud, relishing it. ]

[swordedpast]

[ Another shadow forms. This one's not black and muddy, though; it's red and bitter. ]

I'm not interested in how "rare" it is. You won't touch her.

[ Archer is on the brink of giving up on saving Rin. He can't do it. Hasn't he always known he can't do it? But he can at least protect her from more of the corruption, and that's what this being feels like. ]

[angramaintsu]

Emi... [ No, that's not right. Why did she think that at first? Whatever compelled her to imagine that it was her ally walking through the swirling darkness around her? ] You? That boy I saw?

[ Rin doesn't seem particularly threatened by Avenger's presence, but she's not all there mentally. Had she been, she might have questioned how he can touch it, but Archer himself takes great care to not dip a single toe within. ]

Archer, it'll be alright. [ She doesn't know the extent of her lie when she speaks it, but tries to alleviate his worry all the same. ] I know him.

[ Far better than she consciously knows. ]

[destructiveprinciples]

Yeah, yeah. It's me. Are you still mad about the fish? [ He cranes his neck, taking in the devastation the mud that had sought upon the floor. It'll be cleaned eventually, sure. The Tower maintained itself, but in the meantime: ] Wow, what a mess.

[ Then the magus' Servant speaks up, threateningly, hostile.

Archer's abrupt appearance, a phantom of dull red in the midst of the roiling darkness, earns him a disinterested look in his direction and a rather insolent grin. He doesn't back away, but he doesn't move any closer than where he's currently crouched. A mean-sprited snicker escaped him. ]

Down, boy.

[ Avenger had no reason nor intention of lying a finger on Rin. He'd came here because he was curious. ]

[swordedpast]

I hate to say it, Rin.

[ He doesn't sound like he hates to say it. His voice is toneless as he speaks to her. ]

But you're being an idiot. It's simple. This guy is everything that's wrong with you, can't you smell it on him?

[ But he can't get much closer. The darkness around Rin is no longer easy for him to step lightly around, slaying its manifestations. Like her, it's a mess. ]

floor 25

[puppy_lancer]

...Rin?

[Lancer has to fight to not cover his nose with a hand, or to shiver from disgust. The Grail smell was stronger and nastier than before.]

[Rin Matou's corruption will emerge and be slain]

[So why did she reeks even more strongly of corruption than before?]

[angramaintsu]

Lancer?

[ Initially she's alert to the presence of any Servant, so she's quick to turn to face him. ]

What do you want?

[puppy_lancer]

Just...checking up on you.

[He glances around the floor.]

Your corruption hasn't emerged yet?

[angramaintsu]

My corruption?

[ Now she's in a bad mood. There's enough problems for her to deal with "personally", but the way he talks about it so loosely? ]

What are you talking about? [ At least she can feign ignorance when she needs to. ]

floor 25;

[swordedpast]

[ Even in her weakened state she can feel his presence when Archer comes close, right?

Right. He materializes out of spirit form not far from her, his swords already in his hands as he lashes out at some of the amorphous monstrosities crawling around her. ]

I hope you haven't been too worried, Rin. I'll take care of this just fine.

[angramaintsu]

[ Only barely. When he strikes away at the objects around her, it makes her feel sick. Maybe this vertigo is just a result of overworking herself? ]

What are you doing? Those are my monsters to kill.

[swordedpast]

That's not right.

[ He ignores her; he keeps fighting. ]

It's the hero's job to fight the darkness for the princess. Don't tell anyone, but I don't mind playing the hero for you.

[angramaintsu]

Don't treat me like that.

[ With a small huff, Rin makes her way towards the man in red the best she can. ]

Oh, but if you don't mind... [ Her voice drops a bit at the thought of Archer doing this for her. ] No, stop that! They're mine to kill!

Floor 41 (I'm sorry this tag is so late!)

[wrigurun]

[Wriggle hadn't been doing much but napping, somehow she found herself tired out more frequently these days and she trusted her friends enough to not drag her into the abyss. The presence in the room stirs her from her slumber and she thought she recognised the person but with her memory she couldn't be sure.

Her antennae twitch. Something doesn't seem right]

Hey! Did you drop something?

haha no it's okay I've been running on late all month long!

[angramaintsu]

No?

[ Even Rin sounds unsure. In the dark it may be difficult to pick up on the shadowy mass that falls from her and lurks, so Rin herself can't really tell. ]

Unless... tch, you should be careful.

[wrigurun]

What is it? Is it dangerous?

[Dangerous or not she reaches out to touch it, being able to use her antennae to sense roughly where it is]

Room 1-15 (More setting details in the post for reference!)

[oathshackledbird]

(OOC: Thread is post event and post this log with Archer, but before the end of May.)


[Diarmuid had tried giving her space and time. Tried just letting the letters and talking to people like Lancelot be enough to convince him Rin would be okay, but as more time had passed, it had become harder and harder for Diarmuid let things remain as they were. He was not the kind of person who was comfortable asking others to watch over those he had a duty to. He had made a promise to her and he took that promise very seriously.

Once he had heard about the terrible rumor that had been going around the tower about her, he couldn't wait any longer. There was no more time for questioning. There was only time for action. However, it had been late in the experiment when he had heard the rumor, and he hadn't been able to find her, so he did the next best thing once everything had returned to normal...

Diarmuid went to her room. Since Rin had told him to always leave her letters there, it meant she was there at least once a day. If he had to wait all day for her, he would. He would also check to see if she had picked up the last letters he had left her. If those were still sitting there, he would know things were a lot worse off than he could have ever imagined.

Of course, when he arrives at the room the last thing he expects is for her to actually be there. His surprise is clear in his voice.]

R-Rin...is this a bad time? I would like to talk to you if I may...

thank you for setting it up <3

[angramaintsu]

Lancer?

[ It has been a while since they've spoken face-to-face that she's forgotten already that he prefers his name or maybe there's another reason why she falls back to his title. To be less personal?

Either way, she's in shock that he's come seeking her out intentionally.

The past few days have been an emotional roller-coaster, a never-ending turmoil of ups and downs, and this is another one of those turns she's not sure how her stomach will feel once it's over with. ]

What is it? It must have been of some importance for you to seek me out after saying we needed time apart. [ Even if her words are harsh, they're spoken with softness not like her. ]

NP! And sorry if I am a little slower on tagging then usual for a few days! RL stuff going on...

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid...

[The word is out before he can stop himself, though it's soft and might even pass unheard. Honestly, he would not be surprised if she didn't want to call him by name anymore. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had struck him down the moment she noticed he was there either. He feels she has the right considering how much he messed this all up.

Diarmuid is glad she doesn't, though. He really wants a chance to try again and he's missed her. Even if he has no right to after all he had done, he has missed and worried about her. It's why he had taken the time to talk to people like Sir Lancelot who he knew would be likely to see her, after all.]

I...heard the rumor. I was worried about you. No, even before that I was worried about you. When you stopped answering my letters..

[He looks away from her for a moment, almost seeming nervous.]

I wanted to give you time, but I had to know if you were all right. I made a promise. Everything else aside, I made a promise to you and I will not break it even if I have not done so well keeping it lately.

I understand completely after spending the past month covered in RL stuff <3

[angramaintsu]

[ Sitting up in the middle of her bed, she gives a nod, then: ] Diarmuid then.

[ At least she's willing to concede to calling him by his name over his title, a hint that she's not openly hostile. Then again, how can she be anything like that? The past few days have been horrendous towards her, so what thought she may have had to spare towards others have left her. With her hostile nature diminished, all she can do is accept that she is a monster with something (now) laying dormant within her. ]

That was rude of me, wasn't it? Well, don't expect me to apologize for it. I just had some other things come up that kept me from writing. [ Hmph. ] You sure took your time to checking up on me when I stopped replying though.

[ At least she hasn't lost most of her bark. ] That promise... you know you don't have to keep it now. I've made Archer my Servant again.

[ Yes, she's been without a Servant this entire time. The thought still annoys her and leaves the young magus with shame. How can her Servant abandon her and refuse to return to her side until she's shown the evil within her? ]