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Post by Elvander on May 31, 2021 19:52:12 GMT
Once the prisoners were properly situated where she wanted them to be, she felt a lot more at ease with the task at hand. If Bellamy was close to forcing a mutation in Julian, she would have to work fast to ensure that his progress wasn't undone, and that she was there when it occurred. She needed to know exactly what he was going to become, and she needed to use every tool she had on him to bring Kinsley into the fold.
"Have the girl brought to a healer. I need her to have feet she can actually use," she shot a look at Bellamy. Not exactly a glare, but definitely a look of... disdain? Although he was successful at his job, his uncontrolled emotions made him a liability Reidna wasn't sure she wanted to keep around. But those higher up than her wanted him to stay, and so she would tolerate him, work with him, and try to guide him as best as possible. "And when she's done there, the tank."
Reidna was still holding up Julien, supporting the man's weight even as he tried to make it difficult for her to do so. She would see Kinsley later, but right now, she needed time alone with Julien.
The tanks were her own design- created to deprive those within of all sensory experiences and leave them vulnerable to her, and her alone. Kinsley would go to one when she was done with the healer, and Julien would be placed in one now. His wounds were not fatal, and could wait until a mutation had triggered. Bellamy was free to go for all she cared. In fact, she preferred it. As she approached one of the tanks, she handed Julien off to the waiting help. They stripped him of his clothing and helped him into the body temperature water within the tank. Once inside, Reidna moved into the observation room. Inside, Julien would experience pitch darkness and insulated sound. Her plan was to allow him to experience that for some time, before she would allow her voice to come through to him, before she joined him in the tank to begin her careful process.
She wondered how he would fare within. Most people lost their nerve after a few minutes without their senses. Some found it relaxed them to the point of suggestibility. Either result was perfectly fine with Reidna.
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Post by Val on Sept 30, 2021 19:59:12 GMT
They would all pay. It was the only consolation Julian could provide himself as he was lured back into captivity with a bloody face and an even bloodier Kinsley. He didn’t fight as they traveled from the outskirts of town and into the isolated landscape beyond. Rather, he took the opportunity to watch and listen and learn all that he could about the strangers that had caught him in their web like a couple of devious spiders.
Walking had become a struggle, even with Reidna’s steady assistance. Surely the brute had knocked something loose in his skull. Would he become an invalid? That simply wouldn’t do. Kinsley was crippled enough for the both of them. He needed to stay whole and strong, or they would be doomed to whatever wretched fate these people had in mind.
The next thing he knew, a sack was tossed over his head, blinding him to his surroundings. Despite the myriad of curses that filtered through his head, he remained cooperative as he was guided down a step. Another. And another. Down they went- so many steps he lost count. They had to be underground, although the structure seemed unimaginably large as they hit solid ground and began to navigate a system of tunnels. Dizzy and disoriented, he followed Reidna’s lead, barely able to keep himself upright as they traversed the mysterious cavern.
The tank. Julian’s interest in Kinsley’s wellbeing quickly diminished as he obsessively latched onto Reidna’s instructions. Suddenly, the cloth was removed from his head and his surroundings were unceremoniously revealed to him. His eyes adjusted slowly, scanning the dimly lit space before they landed on a large, human sized tank of water in the center of the room. Dread churned in his stomach, compounding his dizziness until he felt like he might topple at any moment. He flinched as unfamiliar hands grabbed at him, pulling at his clothes and touching his skin without permission. His muscles were unbelievably taut, veins straining against his skin as he resisted the urge to snap the stranger’s necks right then and there. Instead, he committed their faces to memory, staring at them through swollen eyes in an unsettling manner as he imagined how exactly he would enact his revenge.
Naked and exposed in every sense of the word, Julian shuffled closer to the tank with each prod. In the dark room, the water appeared as black as ink, waiting to swallow him whole. As he took the first step, he could feel his consciousness retreating to the far corners of his mind- a futile attempt to hide from the trauma that was about to be unleashed. He sunk slowly into the water, pausing only before his head sunk beneath the surface. The woman…where was she? His anger resurfaced as he prepared to demand her presence, but it was too late. The lid of the tank was swung closed, forcing his head beneath the water.
Julian sunk into the tank until his feet hit the bottom. His eyes shot open beneath the water, darting back and forth to seek out any point of light, but he was met with pure darkness. His hands flew outwards, and his palms slammed against the glass on either side of him. The tube was narrow, restricting him from extending his arms all the way out. He froze like a cornered animal and allowed the seconds to tick by until he was forced to address his most basic human instinct- air. He pushed off the ground, launching himself upwards where he instantly collided with the top of the tank, sending new shockwaves of pain through his skull. Panic was quick to take hold at the idea that he was meant to drown and die in this makeshift coffin- but he was eventually able to confirm that there was about an inch of air available at the top of the tank. He scrambled, struggling to tread water and get his mouth above water to inhale a deep breath. Just as soon as he found relief, he was forced to plunge back beneath the water to start the process all over again.
It was torture- plain and simple. Being on the other end of such suffering sent Julian spiraling in a matter of minutes. His blood had tainted the water, surrounding him with the repulsive metallic taste and smell. With nothing and no one to cling to for sanity, he felt like a helpless child all over again. He banged his fists against the glass, mirroring how he’d begged for release from the closet his mother had locked him in for punishment. It’s for your own good, she had said time and time again. But he knew the truth- that she locked him up because she was afraid of him and what he was capable of. For good reason. She had paid with her life, and the woman on the other side of the glass would meet the same fate.
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Post by Elvander on Sept 30, 2021 23:34:38 GMT
Reidna watched it all unfold from behind the glass, watching Julien struggle for life and air. One arm cross against her chest, the other rested the elbow against it, her chin supported by her hand as she pondered the man they had brought it. Kinsley was a thought that didn't even register for her- to be successful, Julien would need her undivided attention. She allowed this to go on for several more minutes, until Julien had lost the energy to beat his fists against the tank. "Lower the water," she commanded, and a valve was turned, releasing a few more inches of water, so that if Julien were to stand on the edges of his toes, he would be able to keep his head above water without sinking and having to swim back up.
The werewolf blood should be taking effect any minute, she thought to herself as she slowly approached the tank, climbing up top to the platform from which she would enter. She needed to be in there with him to use her powers; the tank blocked her from using them. And being in there with him, as a perceived savior, would only strengthen his bond to her. That bond was crucial. Without it, Julien would become a loose canon with new powers, and he would likely have to be put down if he couldn't be put to use right away. There were some instances within the Paragon where a longer game plan were used- Like with Desmond and Freya. But that was because Freya had powers to begin with, and had been brought in for other reasons. Those injected with werewolf blood to force a mutation were soldiers, and they needed to be brought to heel much more quickly. That was where Reidna's talents excelled.
Pulling her silver blonde hair back into a neat bun, she stripped down until she too was naked. Clothes would only weigh her down in there and provide Julien with an opportunity to use them against her, if he wasn't already breaking down. Slowly the hatch up top was open, allowing a thing sliver of light into the tank, enough to illuminate Reidna's wiry frame as she submerged herself into the water. The hatch slammed closed.
Reidna allowed the water to quiet, waiting with anticipation for Julien's response to her entry. She wouldn't speak to him just yet. Instead, she sent a tendril of pain shooting up the back of his neck to his temples, creating the pulse of a headache.
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Post by Val on Dec 18, 2021 0:35:43 GMT
Taking what felt like his final breath of air, Julian sunk beneath the water and pressed his forehead to the glass, peering out into nothingness. It was pathetic to die like this, but he would rather end it now than struggle to the very end like an animal caught in a trap. Julian had always been the predator before now, but becoming the prey did little to change his perspective. It only made him more certain that it was vital to be at the top of the food chain where he could ensure his survival.
As soon as he had calmed his panicked body, he felt a sudden pressure beneath his feet as the water began to drain. The sliver of opportunity was enough for Julian to shake off the skin of a defeated man and right himself, planting his toes to the floor so that he could stand and finally breath freely. He tilted his head backwards and inhaled deeply, watching as the lid to the tank was wrenched open. Even if he could have mustered the strength to climb out of the tank, he was too slow- the woman had already appeared like the silhouette of an angel descending to join him. He watched, stunned, as she willingly lowered herself to her certain death.
Like the cornered beast he was, Julian lashed out immediately. He lunged for her, locking his fingers around her throat with a practiced grip as he slammed her against the wall of the tank. He squeezed, cutting off her air, and leaned in so close that she would be able to see his eyes glowing in the darkness. He wanted-needed- to see fear in her eyes but was sorely disappointed. This woman was no fool, and she certainly wouldn’t join him if she were defenseless. She was toying with him.
“You like to play with your food too, hmm?” he drawled, voice raspy and breathless. It was then that the pain hit him, like the slow throbbing tendrils of a migraine that crawled up his neck and spread across his skull. He winced and loosened his fingers, granting her breath, but keeping her pinned to the glass.
“What the fuck do you want with me?” he demanded to know, drawing his tongue across his teeth in a state of agitation. His eyebrows had drawn together tightly as he struggled to concentrate over the growing pressure that was building in his head. His vision began to blur as the blood from his open wounds dripped into his eyes. All he could see was red, and he felt himself begin to sway.
An abrupt, stabbing pain registered in the side of his neck, sparking a moment of recollection as he thought back to the moment of his capture. He recalled the bag being thrown over his head, followed by a sharp prick to his neck. Fueled only by pain and adrenaline in that moment, he had written it off as a side effect of the beating he had received from Bellamy’s concrete fists. Now, paranoia gripped him by the neck, further loosening his hold of Reidna until he released her completely.
Julian slumped forward, planting his hands against the glass on either side of Reidna as he struggled to keep himself upright. His head felt impossibly heavy, making it difficult to look her in the eye, or even keep his head above water, “What the fuck did you do to me?” he rasped. Anxiety gave way to panic at the mere idea that he’d been injected with something sinister. He began trembling and gasping for air, but the more he fought against the assault to his senses, the worse the pain became.
Like the lighting of a match, his veins erupted with agonizing pain. His blood was on fire. Karma had come for him, and she was a bitch. Despite it all, Julian still clung to the intense need to live and die on his own terms. And so, he remained above water and submitted to his torturer out of desperation, for he knew that her goal was to break him. “Help me!” Unfortunately, the plea was too late. In the next breath, Julian collapsed and sunk to the bottom of the tank, settling at Reidna’s feet.
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Post by Elvander on Feb 8, 2022 15:57:16 GMT
They always panicked. At the end of the day, humans were nothing more than animals when they were cornered. Reidna felt her body sway with the force of Julien propelling into her, feeling the strength in his fingers as they reached for her throat. Even now, beaten and under transformation, drowned and in pain, the man before her displayed his strength and she felt a flicker of satisfaction. He would do very well beneath her careful guidance.
The glass of the tank against her back was a welcome sensation in this void. It kept her grounded. As her air began to run out, she felt his fingers loosen and she took a heaving breath. “I think you’ve misunderstood what you are to me, Julien.” Reidna felt a smile touch her lips as his body began to undergo the effects of the serum. His very blood was changing, turning him into something more useful, more powerful than he could have ever hoped to be on his own.
As his body swayed and slumped forward, she allowed their foreheads to touch and ceased her assault on his body. The pain he was experiencing wasn’t hers now. It was the mutation. It didn’t take long for his grip to release completely, and Reidna breathed easier, moving in the water towards him as he began to slip. “You aren’t a meal, and you are not a toy,” she murmured to him, unsure if he could even hear her due to the immense physical torture he was succumbing to. As Julien sunk beneath the waves, Reidna secured her arms beneath his armpits and pulled him up, so that his head was above water. His head flopped back against her belly and she could feel his hair against her skin, another sensation to keep her grounded.
“You’re a weapon,” She whispered to him, and then let out a sharp whistle, alerting those outside the tank that they were ready to exit. The lid of the tank was once again opened and Reidna handed Julien off to them to hoist him out. She came out last, dripping wet, and wrapped herself in a black robe that was extended to her. She smoothed back her silvery blonde hair, watching as Julien was dragged to a containment cell. Inside was a bed and nothing else. He would only be in there long enough to undergo the transformation in a safe environment. With the glass doors closing, Reidna nodded to one of the men waiting nearby. He was a mage, one of the few who worked for the Paragon. He nodded back to her and uttered a few works, drawing runes on the glass panes. It was a protection spell, rending the glass unbreakable so long as the runes lasted on the outside.
Reidna watched diligently as Julien was placed on the bed and the men who had hauled him in left. The glass door latched behind them. The cell walls were all made of this unbreakable glass, dotted with holes here and there to allow for proper airflow. She felt a shiver of anticipation go through her as she watched Julien. What would he become?
“Get the girl,” she barked out an order. Kinsley had been held down by a healer, healed of the fractures in her feet, and dumped into one of the tanks. If she was still alive, she would be ready to mutate soon too. When that happened, she wanted Julien and Kinsley to be near one another. She knew enough about Kinsley through observation that she knew the girl would never respond to a handler- only to someone she had a fucked up connection with. Julien would be bound to her, and she could use that to her advantage.
On her order, Kinsley was dragged out of her own tank and put in a glass cell next to Julian’s, and a protection spell was once again cast. With her two subjects secured, Reidna stood back and waited for it all to happen.
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