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 Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 4:21 pm
Nothing felt right about any of this. Ever since the nightmare last night, Anthony had been filled with doubts. And Jessi overhearing Anny and his' conversation last night afterward really didn't help. With her set to bring him into the church, he'd just had to get away. It had sounded like Jessie thought Anny was a ghost, or that he'd been possessed or something. And they were going to make it 'better.'
Anthony glanced over his shoulder as he walked as casually as he could through the early morning streets. Anny had been following behind him; trying to be cautious so that others don't see anything wrong - if they couldn't see her, then less interaction made it It was a Sunday, so not many people were up yet.
He wasn't sure where they were headed, neither did Anny. The town was small enough that word got around that he'd found a new place or person to stay with. He also had no idea how far the next town was, but from the chatter among the townsfolk it sounded far enough to be annoying. He'd gotten back into his normal-world clothes for once; usually they drew too much attention just going about his business, but he wanted them. They were his only normal things, aside from his seemingly broken watch. Besides, he'd needed pockets. He didn't want to steal anything from Jessi to get away, but he'd stuffed enough food in his cargo pockets to not go hungry for a day or two.
He just knew he needed to go.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:00 pm
Jimmy Black strolled down the street, breathing in the fresh morning air, his faithful terrier walking at his side and every so often wondering off to sniff or pee on something along the way. The ratcatcher was an early riser, even on a sunday; habits were hard to break.
He had heard the rumours floating about that most of the strangly dressed travellers have left the city as suddenly as they had come. Did it have something to do with the Baron? Was he paying these people to leave? Why?
Jimmy stopped, removed his top hat and scratched his head in thought. There was so many questions about these newcomers, ones which normally Jimmy would ignore and get on with his life, but it feels there's something deeper then what's on the surface. It was hard for him to shake it, it was something that niggled at his mind when he should really be minding his own. His mum would give him a hiding if she was still around, God bless her soul.
A growl from below shook the ratter from his inner musings. Dog's ears were pricked forward, his body tense and unsure and focus directly at a boy walking towards them. Was it something behind the boy he spotted? The tan and white terrier rarely growled at people unless they harrassed him first.
"Helo." Jimmy said to himself as he saw the child better, he was wearing a t-shirt of the brightest red he had ever seen. He certainly came from the same place as Alex and Miss Coren. Time to see if he could get more information about this strange rabble of misfits.
"Why gud morn'n lad, yer look like yer 'ave teh world on yer shoulders." He weren't lying either. Jimmy stood with his hat cradled in the crook of his arm, the terrier growled louder but was cut short with a gentle kick of the catcher's foot, the terrier grumbled in reply as his master gave his warmest smile.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:51 pm
As soon as a voice called out, Anthony raised his head and avoided wincing, just barely. Somebody was looking dead straight at him, and it looked like he was wanting a chat. He looked like an older guy, far older than Jessi. From personal experience, old people tended to be more religious - could he be with the Church? Usually people like that, though, didn't wear those cool hats.
The little dog beside him was growling insistently until the man had stopped it. That was kind of funny; pets usually loved him. Maybe it was raised wrong? He realized suddenly the man was expecting a reply. "Uh.. yeah, well. Getting firewood at this hour, Y'know? I'd like t'be in bed, but here I am, on my way to get the firewood from the forest! Heh!"
You dolt, he chided himself, He'll probably think you're up the boohai. Peachy. He had to break this off before this guy dragged him back to Jessi or something.
"Young one, you should be careful, you may not be safe there. Try to find the others in the forest."
"What? Not safe?" Anthony blurted before he realized it hadn't been in the man's voice, someone else... in his head? It had sounded really odd, anyway. And suddenly he had a feeling in his gut he needed to go. Now.
"Anyway, it's been fun." Humming feebly, he went to pass the guy, to the forest. Just a kid getting firewood. Yep.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 12:34 am
He wasn't going to be shrugged off this easily. Oh no, not ol' Jimmy! He was going to reply until the kid blurted out something about not being safe, which confused the ratcatcher, nobody said anything that the old man could hear, was this child hearing voices or was guilt riddling him? He frowned as the child walked briskly away, so donning his hat upon his grey head he fell into pace, the terrier kept his distance from the strange smelling short-person. Something wasn't right.
"Oh, yerh, tis not safe in the forest, there's a lot of beasts an' if rumours were to be true, monsters too. They like mooching around this early fer an unweary traveller or child. An' it does help ta cut wood when yer 'ave an axe, not wise ta leave it in teh woods." He gave an innocent grin of ignorance. He tried to strike up conversation, this boy looked as though something was bugging him, besides yours truely of course.
"Me name's Jimmy, by teh way, teh bes' ratcatcher you'd ever hear of in this city. Do yer know Alex an' Coren by chance? Ah met them both a while back, 'an lookn' at yer garbs ye look like yer could know 'em too. 'aven't seen 'em since though, don't supposed yer met wit' the Baron too? Where're yer from anyway? Those are some nicely coloured clothes, don't know noone who could make 'em that brightly." He couldn't help but pounce on anyone looking strange like these folks, for reasons unexplained, he needed answers to cure his own curiosity. Yer a nosey ol' git, Jimmy
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:20 am
Anthony was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. It happened the same time the man went astride him, though it was probably coincidence. "Jimmy, OK. Alex? Yeah - I mean, no, I have no clue, I..." Anthony was having a harder and harder time with a pained stomach. Jimmy was saying something about the Barren, and how it closed brightly, wah? He couldn't even hear him, anymore, but for the sound of his own heart. Thump-Thump. Thump...
And then his stomach started to swell. Oh God, he thought, It's like what happened to that other lady. But I was fine! That was a month ago! It's not fair! But even his thoughts were drowned by the sudden pain. Gripping his stomach with crossed arms, he tried to lock it in. Maybe the guy wouldn't notice. Maybe he could stop it. And maybe it didn't help that at some point he'd bent forward, almost doubling over.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:03 pm
The terrier started barking, he glanced at him and realised he was yapping at the boy and seemed very aggitated.
"Woah!" Suddenly the kid looked like he was going to be sick and almost doubling over, Jimmy reached out to hold the boy steady, but made sure if he were to be sick then the ratcatcher wouldn't get covered in it. "Yer alright lad? Maybe yer should forget teh wood 'an lay down fer a bit? Shr'up!" The last bit was to the yapping mutt, who were now whining as well as barking. "Ah could find a 'erbalist fer yer, I guess there's one at teh church. 'e could give yer something ta settle yer stomach."
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:55 pm
'Settle' was one thing that his stomach did NOT want to do. Losing his knees as Jimmy attempted to steady him, the moment he was upright he fell over backward onto his back. Groaning as loud as he could with the wind knocked from him, he had his eyes closed shut as he tried and failed to stop the swelling. Growing and gaining momentum, his gut shoved his arms out of the way as Anthony's torso burst forth, until it seemed he was hiding a pumpkin under his shirt - except rolling lairs of skin were erupting forth where his shirt met his breeches.
As almost a response not to be outdone, his upper torso and shoulders sprung forth with equal fervour - his once loosefitting shirt showing stresslines where the fabric was barely holding - and between them his breasts swelled under thickening skin and weight. Even his neck seemed to be pushing out in all directions.
So much for an escape attempt.
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:29 pm
"'ere, come on now." Said Jimmy staggering back to regain his own balance, almost stepping on the terrier whimpering behind him. "Let's ge-" Such a thing to dumbstruck the old ratter in his words was surely something to be taken notice of, and before his very eyes a foreign child started to expand in girth.
"Gghhhahahh! Jimmy's mouth was agape, his eyes bugged out at the gruesome spectacle, yet was unable to look away. This must be some sort of... of curse? A bewitchment or God forgive, the Devils work! He managed to find his voice after being spellbound from the changes, although it was merely a soft whisper.
"We're gonna need more than a 'erblist." He shivered, yet couldn't command his muscles to move more then that . He stayed staring at the expanding boy.
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 4:17 pm
Anthony's arms and hands began to bloat like the rest of his upper body like a wave - starting at his shoulders: like a wave over the shore, it seemed to have a visible crest as it creeped all the way out to his fingers, bloating them like sausages. When the tide had finally reached the tips, it suddenly darkened. Like the sound of sizzling bacon, his nails darkened, and then thickened.
And there was a pause. The nightmare was over. Through the pain, Anthony had been barely able to gasp. Now he drank in the air heavily, sweat pouring down from his brow, past his ears, and to the ground. "Wha-what..?"
With an unexpected surge of pain from his thighs, he cried out with refilled lungs, piercing the early morning air with a disturbing shriek. "Make it- Make it sto- AHH!" His hips seemed to be thrusting outward, leaving masses of muscle, fibre and fat in their wake.. Like his arms, it traveled along his legs, the pain lessened by the lack of clothes to contain it.
...Until it reached his ankles. Contained in size three, the gruesome widening of his feet were maddening. They pressed out everywhere, until suddenly there was a growing bubble at both of their ends, causing them to momentarily look like clown shoes. Up until they burst, anyway. Unnaturally fleshy pink toes stuck out, wriggling like worms in the light. A familiar sizzling ensued, and their nails turned dark also, though these grew out, past the edge of his toes and into the morning air.
And then his rump began to tingle.
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 4:44 pm
His face twisted in disgust, watching this bloated boy's arms and fingers expand in the same unexplained way as his body had, then the nails turned black like it was going rotten at the ends. A cold wave washed over Jimmy, what madness was this!? People don't spontaniously grow fat and go rotten like that!? It's not right!! Unless...
The sharp cry of pain shook the ratcatcher, catching his breath in his lungs, a cry of a child becoming possessed and his form twisted to suit some unseen master. The dog started up barking, but his voice was washed away from the child's own. Nothing outside this situation was acknowledged.
Rigid in fear, icy sweat dripped down his brow, there was nothing he could do, nothing he could say except cast a pray under his light breath and motion a tight cross with his hand that were held up protecting his body incase it should turn on him.
"Oh lord...."
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:52 pm
Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as Anthony once again was gasping hardly more than minimal for survival. More out of reflex than clever thinking, Anthony rolled onto his side. He would have rolled onto his stomach, but the new girth stopped the spin like a bike's kickstand. From inside his trousers, something was squirming like a worm looking for daybreak. Suddenly it fattened, and grew, and grew, and with a soft tearing sound, a great violet-blue sluglike appendage burst forth, sliding along the part between the boy's cheeks, still covered. At the same the strange growth ended, as if in response, his ears began growing, losing their inner distinction but thickening, so that they almost formed a sort of bowl. After a few moments, they were more than double the size of before.
Finally, his mouth and nose exploded in pain. Not evening managing a whimper now, Anthony watched in dismay as his nose began to eat up his peripheral vision. His nostrils seemed to widen to epic proportions. Below, his upper lip felt like it was being glued to his widening nose. But his teeth - oh GOD, his TEETH! It felt like a dentist was taking them out with a table vice.
And abruptly, it was all over. Anthony's muscles all relaxed at once, and he went limp on the ground, near passing out.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:11 pm
Jimmy stumbled back as the boy rolled over, facing him and looked very pained. It seemed things had calmed down as he leaned forward, although didn't dare to go closer, unaware that the changed hadn't stopped at all. Was what he witness real? Did he just see a child swell in size right before his eyes? What should he do now? Is it catching!?
The ratcatcher yelped, almost flying backwards, eyes boggled out of his head. His ears! His face! He's- He's- Terror held him with her touch, the Devil was certainly behind this, mutilating and twisting the child's form, becoming more like a beast! He remembered hearing stories of people turning into creatures, but never in his long life would he had believed he'd witness something like this with his own eyes. Suddenly he snapped out of the hold the grotesque changes had him in, taking control of his voice and body.
"Help." He croaked, "Help! 'E's - there's Devil! Help! Help! Wild magic! Teh boy!" He yelled louder, stumbling back, wildly looking around, then took off down the street towards the church where, no doubt, everyone were, his terrier close behind, tail between his legs. Neither of them looked back.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:30 pm
Anthony, though tired, was scared out of his mind by cries of devilry and whatever else the old coot was yelling about. People were coming, fast. And from the sound of the man, they were coming with pitchforks and torches. He had to go. Now. Struggling to get up with limbs strangely devoid of pain, Anthony tripped once - his center of balance had drifted dramatically upward, and weight distribution was way off. Somehow, though, he made it to the first tree, leaned for a moment, before heading to the next.
The voice had said to find others in the forest. It seemed the best bet, as far as he could tell.
Out of fear, Anny seemed stranded on the road somewhere behind him.
[FIN]
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