Discontinued 18+ Private The Rosecross Sanctum

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Lilynette sans Giltine

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The Rosecross Sanctum

Afterblood


Hypokristalos.

A labyrinthine sanctum of forbidden research, located beneath the permacrystal layers of Zalra deep within the earth. A facility brought to life by a timeless monster, where many mortals work non-stop to maintain and expand its influence.

However, given the nature of recent developments, its future now rests upon the shoulders of a complete wildcard. One of the sanctum’s many cogs has been turning relentlessly in the past few hours, working on a room located deeper than the cultivation chambers, where significant events occurred.

The workshop is dimly lit, as expected of a facility afflicted with soul cancer. A subtle, sweet and metallic aroma permeates the air, while benign gases drift across the black-bone floor. It's a workshop filled with an array of tables and counters, some cluttered with paperwork, others hosting flesh specimens thriving in controlled environments. A large bulbous biolight hangs in the center, shining light upon the focal point of activity.

There, a lone woman with light gold hair works diligently at the operating table. Make no mistake, she's no contemporary surgeon; her hands, instead of wielding precision tools, feature long and sharp black nails. Her blue eyes sporadically blink as her fingers dance at speeds reminiscent to real world pianists. Sweat trickles down her youthful visage, yet she persists.

Saving this life takes precedence over her needs.

A pale man lies on the operating table. Though his head, arms, hips and legs seem intact, his torso is exposed, where vulnerable organs play to a tune unlike that of the Sanctum. His heart, in particular, has an elongated fingernail nailed into it, yet it continues beating.

Despite her sheer concentration, it appears the woman is at a loss, “There’s still some of it left, but where…?” she mutters to herself as her blues dart around, looking for signs of anything off while picking at his guts.

Nothing. His condition appears stable, so where…?

Something catches her attention. A small black dot pops up on the liver, and her focused eyes immediately catch the difference. “Found you…” she says, moving her right index towards it. The fingernail glows a faint dark red, before she makes a slow and meticulous incision on the organ.

From within, dozens of pitch-black centipede-like creatures crawl out of the incision like cockroaches. Her middle finger touches his gut, and a barrier of lifeforce prevents them from returning into the biological system that makes up the insides of Jin. The tension on her shoulders wash away as they sag in response, almost as though the poor woman has forgotten how to breathe.

“The last batch, probably…” she mutters to herself, slouching a bit on her own adjustable chair. “Now I just have to remove them and stitch him back u—?!” she gasps, her gentle blues widening in surprise. She looks straight at you, finally noticing your state of awareness.

“Milord! You’re awake?!” she says in surprise, pulling her chair closer. “Are you alright? How do you feel? How’s your head? Feel anything out of place?” she assaults him with one question after another, moving her face into different angles as if trying to notice anything off about the Bloodsworn.

“Ah, but please don’t move! We’re still in surgery!” should he try to move, Jin would feel his body numb. He would also notice Escathon by his side. “Carnifex injected many parasites into your body, so I’ve been removing them…!” she smiles, picking at his insides with her sharp nails and showing him one of the little buggers crawling all inside him.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! LILYNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTE—!” its words are barely audible, but its rage is familiar enough.

Lilynette extends the claw across the table, where a strange flesh contraption awaits; it’s a creature with a balloon-shaped head, fleshy cylindrical body, and a large singular eye at the center of its head. Under the eye, a proboscis twitches with anticipation. She tosses the small bug, as if disposing of trash. The creature's mouth snaps in the air like a frog's tongue, easily catching the parasite remnant and swallowing it.

“You remained unconscious for several hours. I was getting worried, milord.” she comments, continuing her work as if she is doing nothing wrong.

As if nothing happened in the first place.

Nope. Nu-uh.

Teehee?


@Jin
 
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Jin

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"Nnnnnnng..."

His last and most profound memories were of pain, but that was not his reality now. His head was a fog of war, so removed from reality that it dimmed both thought and vision. Something far away sent tremors through his central nervous system, but they registered as a dull ache. These effects were akin to those afflicted by an opiod or some other narcotic; but he had been incapacitated, so the extent of his condition remained a mystery.

Milord! You’re awake?!

His mouth made the first attempt to move, but succeeded in making only a slight shift. Words never formed. Jin tried to raise his head, to move his eyes, but his muscles failed him. Despite this, he slowly became aware of blood flowing through his veins. Pumping, though his heart...

...should not have been?

Something impeded the flow, something foreign. And yet, even as it impeded it, it seemed to force acute pulsations, mimicking an artificial heartbeat. It was no different than a machine meant to keep a patient alive while their heart was open.

The blood in his veins slowly began to shift.

Are you alright? How do you feel? How’s your head? Feel anything out of place?

His fingertips twitched, the first indication that his body was leaving its sedated state.

Ah, but please don’t move! We’re still in surgery!

Surgery?

Carnifex injected many parasites into your body, so I’ve been removing them…!

That lowly creature had attempted to perform a similar trick to what he had? Jin's eyes focused now on Lilynette, but could not intensify enough to convey his disgust. He was still not able to form words, slack as his jaw was, but he managed-

"...hy?"

Simple enough as a question. After trying to kill him at the parasite's behest, after working so hard to entrap him within Hypokristalos, to get him to where her 'Lord' could take his body from him, and for the entity to come so very close to success...

"Why?"

Why bother not only to save him, but undermine Carnifex so completely as well?

You remained unconscious for several hours. I was getting worried, milord.

And it had been a restless sleep. Tormented memories, only a handful of them his own, danced through his subconscious. As if to mock his own achievements, he was forced to see the dying moments of those who had been family to him. He had been forced to feel as they did, physically mentally, emotionally. He had seen formative moments in his life from the other side, and come to truly understand hatred in a way that made him sick.

Surely, he had never hated someone for simply existing the way that his father had with him.

Had he?

Jin's eyes remain on the woman, Lilynette. Her memories had also been present. Perhaps some manner of proximity effect? He had experienced the pain of her dying- though there had been no emotion in that. It was a blissful, painful experience over and again, many more times than a person ought to be allowed to feel it.

In that way, he couldn't believe that this woman was a Lander. But that was a thought for a different time.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

@Lilynette sans Giltine
 
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Lilynette sans Giltine

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Lilynette's entire demeanor undergoes a clear improvement, as if the confirmation of Jin's well-being gives her newfound energy. When he attempts to speak, she responds with a smile, a faint pink hue coloring her cheeks. "Try not to push yourself too much..." she says, reminding him of his current situation.

By now, she noticeably hastens her pace, dispatching the parasite creatures as if they have never been her master in the first place. They are consumed despite their vehement protests against their servant, ruthlessly digested by one of Lilynette's own creations.

If karma is a bitch, then fate is ironic.

In response to his question, the blonde can't help but chuckle. "What are you talking about, milord?" She momentarily ceases her assault on the creatures, focusing on him. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Lilynette sans Giltine, the central processing unit of Hypokristalos, at your service!" She then resumes her activity, giving him ample time to absorb the information she has just shared.

He needs the time, considering the nail in his heart acts as a sedative.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!11!!"

"And that’s the last one!"
Just like its predecessors, it meets its demise in the abomination’s mouth.

"This place is created by my magic! Most of the biomechanics you've seen are a mixture of my blood and flesh, altered by Carnifex," she resumes her explanation, clasping her hands around the nail in his heart in a prayer-like motion. Lifeforce pours into the nail, and organs, flesh, and bones respond in unison.

"When you took control of Hypokristalos, you essentially took over my pact of servitude with Carnifex." His flesh and skin sizzle and crackle as the opposite ends make contact, isolating his vulnerable insides from the outside world once again.

"Rozamen." In one swift motion, she extracts the nail. Jin would feel his faculties return instantly as the sedative effect dissipates, though the experience remains painless.

"Alright! I’m all done. Could you stand, please?" She stands up, taking a step back to give him plenty of space. Lilynette circles around the bloodsworn, her eyes seemingly able to discern the flow of something inside his body.

"Okay, you’re... good to go. You should... rest now…" Her smile is faint, as if hesitant of what's to come.

There is a clear sense of uncertainty in the air. Lilynette has served Carnifex diligently for the past seven years, and no matter how vicious, brutal, and inhumane of a master it was, she knew it well. A mix of expectations and fear swirl at the pit of her stomach, as she can't help but wonder what the man before her is like, compared to the thankless experience of serving the parasite. A part of her is optimistic, yet another is fearful; her optimism says things can't get any worse than being eaten alive, yet her fear reminds her that the Bloodsworn is the man that, ultimately, undermined Carnifex of his authority.

Alas, wondering would get her nowhere, and thus, she inhales deeply before speaking up again.

"My deepest apologies, milord." she says, bowing to him, and the batfolk wings on her hips fold in response. "I don't know exactly what happened, but I almost devoured you alive after you took over the pact." She keeps her head low, remaining silent for a couple of seconds before speaking up again. Her fingers clench the fabric of her skirt, a clear sign of ongoing distress.

"I could not control myself. It has been almost a decade since I've tasted any blood…“

“Forgive me." she would maintain her head low, unless told to do otherwise.​


@Jin
 
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