}{}{ Gas will now be administered. Chamber has been sealed, Cobalt is unaware. Begin recording data. }{}{
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A smell I didn't recognize entered the bitter chamber I resided, now stained with failed experiment after failed experiment the air within the room was turned cold and bitter as my frustration grew. Despite making heavy progress in weaponry, now possessing multiple calamities, I realise that without a fully functioning and kitted out work station I will never make a proper weapon capable of defeating Umbra.
He has negation, something I cannot deal without Crimson Saber's unique trait, as well as Void capabilities himself... and he has had it far longer than I have.
Alchemy was my forte, out of everyone at Origin I was the best at it, but Void? That title goes to Umbra... damn that kid, one of the only people in Origin to be that highly ranked without some sort of mineral or gemstone name.
Ugh... I remember Arch telling me about the rankings of Origin's corporation but that doesn't match my memory... is his info wrong or is my memory altered? I do not know.
That's when the room when pitch dark for me.
It didn't make much of a difference to me, considering I am blind anyhow, but it did make me angry anyhow. I got up from my wooden chair and leaned my hand against the wall, thought, pressing my hand against the wall my body gave way and collapsed against it.... or rather, I fell through.
Equally as painful, I felt as if I accidentally broken a bone... it must be my age, but rather than complain about it now, I sensed something was off. Call it a hunch, but I feel like the wall is gone. It would make sense though, I fell straight through it.
It would be much more interesting to actually be able to see, through combination of my blind eyes and completely dark surroundings I was prevented from understanding my new environment.
I was somewhere else, not within the ship, it was a lot like hell . . . but more... dark.
God damn it... what did I do this time...
That's when I saw a flicker of light.
Color as well.
My eyesight returned if for a brief moment, I considered why for a moment but then cast the thoughts aside. Clearly, something has brought me here, and clearly... it wants me to see it.
And see a horror I did...Ruby, along with many other recognizable members of Origin were surrounding me after flickering lights illuminated the darkness.
I responded the only way I knew how to.
With 10 Calamities now at my disposal, I marked as many as I could with the deadly status, some rushed at me as I fired my weapons, some got close only to be torn in half by Fantasm, others were lucky enough to be fought off with a combat knife... my vision restored, I easily tore through the horde of Origin.
Ruby surprisingly charged at me with her fists only to be caught by... Dice. They pulled her here too? What were they thinking? Ruby was tossed to the side effortlessly, crashing into a pile of enemies. It was over for whatever amount of Origin members surrounded us, though it didn't seem they stopped coming. Despite that, I didn't tire and neither did Dice, us together were strong enough to take on anyone.
But, they kept coming without break. Fire power, we needed some magic. Just as I began charging up a spell, a beam of light beside me evaporated a small group of enemies besides me, I turned and there stood Anise.. wings unfurled, she sent spell after spell into the ever growing horde. My attention was stolen, and with my distraction a soldier managed to break through our fight, just as his blade was about to come down onto me it was deflected by a piercing black sword.
Jotun had taken up arms with us now, easily whipping away any who dared to near Me or Anise while Dice took a more forward approach to our enemies.
We cut through hordes and hordes... as battle swayed forth, we came across Ruby's corpse... then Umbra's... hah, he must of gotten caught in the crossfire-! But... surely... they wouldn't of died here... would they?
A twinge of aching sadness hit my heart as I slowly walked away from the two corpses, my comrades worked to finish of the remaining hordes while I inspected the dead. More council members of Origin...
W... wai- wait... what. What. What the fuck?!
That's... Arch's swords... how did they... no.... nono fuck no... Arch... System, message Arch, NOW.
...
No.. fuck... no no no... fuck...
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Silence came in an overbearing weight on Cobalt, his mind filled with endless thoughts whole panic drilled into in soul, Arch was one of his only friends he ever made... and certainly, his best friend. Was he dead?
' That couldn't be ' echoed in his mind, though with no doubt there his swords lay... in the hands of a faceless enemy. Grief stricken, Cobalt needed to sit and think. That always worked for him, so, as he paraded through the endless bodies he desperately searched for a place to sit.
He made the mistake of looking at another corpse. Melody's staff, broken and smoldering, laid strewn within a faceless soldier. His eyes bugged and swelled up with tears, but he couldn't cry yet... he wasn't allowed to, after all, he had to be strong... he had to stand tall, right?
He noticed more and more familiar items among the bodies, face less soldiers carrying his friend's equipment liked they owned it... eventually, a fountain came into view, it was familiar, but it didn't matter to Cobalt... he rushed towards it to sit down and think... or rather, to grieve.
And so, Cobalt sat upon the fountain's rim, his mind filled with both regrets and prayers... he prayed but he didn't know how to... he called out mentally, to anything, anyone... to bring back his friends... but to no answer, not even the System batted him an eye.
' Why. ' He though, that word burning his mind like the sizzling pike of a demon, he wept into his worn and old hands, only to be interrupted by a cheerful trio making their way towards him. Dice, Anise, and Jotun carried a body individually as they talked... making their way towards the fountain, they took notice of Cobalt eventually.
They pondered over his condition, but they didn't know what to think of or what to say... they dropped the bodies eventually, Ruby... Umbra... and some third, unrecognizable figure. Cobalt prodded with furious eyes, why did they bring these bodies before him? Nothing about this mattered, not Origin, not StarDuster, not a single bit of this mattered. His friends were dead-! And they were cheerful? Had they not noticed?
Cobalt sighed and dried his face with his shirt, he pulled Ruby's hair as he lifted her dead body off the ground, but soon after seeing her face, he dropped her in shock. Though smoldered and bruised, it was a face he couldn't forget... it was Dice's face... her bountiful smile and cheerful attitude now nothing. He looked up in fear at who now stood in Dice's place, though, they were gone.
With cringing heart and puke building up in his throat, he slowly lifted up the other two bodies. As Umbra was pulled upwards, his body was revealed to be Anise... missing her lower half, her intestines were held only by stimulated bits of viscera. As the third body was held up, Jotun was revealed... no wounds were noticeable besides one, a bullet straight through her forehead.
Cobalt screamed in agony.
It didn't end, he gripped the side of his head and clutched himself while sitting upon the fountain, blood stained his hand, not just any blood now... it was his friends. He had just killed them, hadn't he? Those corpses wielding those familiar weapons... they were his friends, weren't they?
The thought drove him mad, violently he lashed out against everything he could... even himself, he desperately clawed at his skin in an insane fit of rage.
He twisted and turned upon the stone fountain, his sight catching upon those who pretended to be his companions, they laughed and monstrously desecrated the corpses. Cobalt couldn't help himself, he yelled in wrathful tones he never once uttered before at them.
He ran with an intent to kill them, but just as he was about to... they fell away into dust, as did the pseudo-world around him did, he fell, and violently hit the floor just before...
' Awaken. '
The thought crossed him and he banged his head against the wooden desk in front of him, his experiments laid before in the same cluttered way... his vision a pasty mix of colors once more... his shirt was covered in oil and drool.
They burst through the door, first came Dice, then Anise, then Jotun, and finally Syn... they stood before him wary and with an expression of exasperation, after a few seconds without action... they rushed towards him with sorrowful expressions and embraced him as Cobalt was hopelessly overpowered, a wrought iron expression on his face as he tried to piece together what had just happened.
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}{}{ Experiment canceled. Data Confirmed: fear toxin was immediately flushed from the room amd replaced by HI-Detox to neutralize it. Effect on Cobalt was deemed ' too powerful ', whether due to an incorrect dosage or simply the effects of the toxin on his mind... Cobalt was deemed too dangerous to continue this test... Void, Alchemy, and Magic levels spiked to unreasonable amounts, should he have been exposed for any longer major damage would have ensued. }{}{
}{}{ Data Logged: Final Attack }{}{
}{}{ In event Cobalt loses all emotional stability, it is imperative to have some form of emotional anchor to tie him down. Should failure ensue, Cobalt loses control of his immense power... he will detonate like a bomb, taking out an estimated 10% of StarDuster's world, such damage is also counted as Void and therefore removed from existence entirely. This will cause permanent death to even players. }{}{
}{}{ Largest threat to Cobalt updated }{}{
}{}{ Cobalt --> Loss of emotional anchorage }{}{
}{}{ Experiments with mental altering substances suspended, effects seem to be dramatically enhanced upon Cobalt. }{}{
}{}{ Setting reminder, do not administer the following under any condition : Fear Toxin, Aphrodisiacs of any kind, Beserker brews. }{}{