Incipient Mortality- A Knock Off Course

Chapter 5- A Test of Morality and Consuming Past

As the night progressed, 'Teshita' and Ikorts still walked down sketchy alleys and long roads. Not much happened, however the vibe was not giving, leading Ikorts to feel insecure and stand closer to 'Tesh', soon right against their side, causing them to look down at him before staring back up ahead. Their hand went to his shoulder, their sharp claws securing onto the fabric of his shirt, both pushing him away and reassuring him before soon releasing him and bending down. They then give him a medium length, at best, stick. "S-sorry? what do you expect me to do with a stick??" Ikorts was bewildered. 'Tesh' just gestured 'defend', leading Iko to sigh as if sighing hadn't already been overused enough in this book. As if 'Tesh' just helped him, they pat him on the head before walking again. Despite Ikorts being unamused by this, he continued to follow, refusing to back down.

The walk was long, almost as if it had no end, the silence of the night making Ikorts' ears work overtime to find what he's missing while his eyes scanned the empty streets, illuminated by tall lamps trapping teal glowing crystals, the plants almost seemed to feed off that light source, in full bloom, facing the lamps they grow under. The view of nature somewhat calmed Ikorts' nerves, fueling his confidence in both himself and the stick..

Eventually, like any trip, the walk ended. 'Stay', 'Teshita' gestures in a mildly demanding tone before advancing on to a specific and rather luxurious estate, dimly lit by the street lamps and the red moon. "But- how do I help you just by staying here?" Ikorts whisper yelled, though 'Tesh' had already jumped over the gate to the estate, leaving him alone.

Ikorts didn't know what to do with himself, kicking rocks and twirling the stick, accidentally hitting himself with the stick, then just sitting down and waiting... and waiting.. more waiting.. till he was so bored he just decided to follow them anyway despite their wishes. He dragged himself over the fence and not so skillfully fell to the ground, picking himself off the grass before jogging his way to the estate. He approached the door and attempted to open it, trying very, very hard to open it before giving up and concluding that it was locked, before testing every window he found till he got in. Once again he wasn't very graceful, however he passed without making too loud of a noise, because if he did that would ruin the plot a little.

Ikorts took a second to look around, taking in the intricate designs of the wood on the walls, the shiny floors, the nice crystal island, seemingly he made it into the kitchen, a very large kitchen at that, the slightly more than average rich person's kitchen. He didn't spend too much time looking at it all, instead making his way to the next room, the just as fancy, if not more so, dining room with a long dark wood table. Despite how cool all of this seemed to him, he kept going, though still stealing glances at all the rooms as he went on.

Eventually, he finds himself in a hallway. More of those crystals lit up the paintings on the walls and all the antiques positioned on several small decorative tables, along with flower pots full of strange plants with cow looking heads. Some were wilting and the thorns on its stems were covered in a strange, thick liquid. With the mostly dim lighting, he couldn't get much detail about the liquid, so instead his curiosity led him to touch it.. however the plant bit him and sent him flinching back. He doubts he'd do that again, and soon goes back to walking down the hall, soon whisper yelling, "Teshitaaaaa. Tesh, where are youuuu?", for no response to come back to him. He softly sighs with a bit of worry before suddenly a door just in front of him burst open, some random guy falling to the ground in terror before he lifted himself and ran down the hall, 'Teshita' soon walking from that door, holding a reasonably sized sword that soon grew to a size nearing their own. As if it were a spear they aimed after the man before thrusting it after him.. unfortunately to miss.

Ikorts was full of uncertainty, and honestly a bit, if not a lot of fear. "T-Tesh- WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!! You can't just kill someone!" He spoke in distress, getting in front of them to stop them from going after the man. They respond by shoving him out of the way to advance after their prey. However, they got grabbed by Ikorts before slapping his hand away. 'Tesh' hissed in annoyance before then running after the man, grabbing their sword with haste. Ikorts rubbed his hand. The strike wasn't anything serious, but it still stung. For a moment he didn't know how to feel or what to do.. however he knew he should stop them from killing that man. He may not know what beef they both have, but surely it can't be serious enough to kill over. He shook himself out of his trance and ran after them, doing his best to not get too lost before it was too late.

Iko would occasionally trip over himself, however he still ran with haste before finally finding 'Tesh' and the man back in the dining room. 'Teshita' wielded their sword, cutting through whatever obstacle was thrown at them by said man, simply walking to their victim before once again being stopped by Ikorts. "Teshita, just calm down. What's wrong? What did he do? Whatever he did, people change, right? There's no reason to seek revenge, surely "Ikorts tries to reason with them. 'Tesh' tensed before they growled, manually going to grab Ikorts and push him out of the room, however he still tries to reason with them. "Wait- WAIT, WAIT- Don't- Just listen to me for a sec- "He says, attempting to slip from their grip to little avail, their claws digging into his skin. Despite his efforts, they continue to push him out of the room. 'Teshita's' anger left them less focused, giving the man time to try to escape.. however, as he got to the window he wanted to jump from, the vent from above him burst open, another strange figure pouncing on the man as if devouring him..

The sudden noise jolted both 'Tesh' and Iko from their conversation, leaving the two in confusion while the man lay screaming under the unfamiliar character as it tore at his flesh with its teeth, before suddenly the noise of his vocal cords being crushed under the being bite silenced him, soon ending his life. Ikorts was horrified, about to scream before 'Tesh' covered his mouth and shushed him. As soon the new being took attention away from its meal, turning its head towards the two and tilting its head too far to be considered human or natural in any light, its jaw slacking open to show its vicious teeth drenched with fresh blood as it makes a growly sound, gargling the blood in its throat while its body contorted into a backbend then tossed itself up to a stand. Its hair was long and unkept, the bright teal color of its hair and the dull bluish gray of its skin all discolored by rot and the blood, both dry and fresh. Its body seemed too thin to support itself, its skin breaking out and stretching with the movement. It tore like stringy fish meat. Its ribs were visible, however, in more branch like patterns.

Ikorts was a little frozen with fear while 'Teshita' was as calm as ever, standing in front of him like a knight's shield, holding their sword loosely as if simply waiting for the being to come at them. 'Teshita's' silence caused the other being to giggle, its body swaying sluggishly. The being continued to giggle as if this were a joke, making 'Tesh' only sigh. She giggled once more, walking closer and trying to pass 'Tesh' and go for Ikorts. Multiple more eyes surrounding her pure milky white ones set on him, however 'Tesh' pushed her away forcefully. 'Teshita' does their best to give Ikorts room to leave. However, he's too caught up in what just happened. He just stands there.. before 'Tesh' not-so-lightly shoved him, snapping him from his trance, responding with concern. "But- w-what about you?", 'Tesh' just kept pushing him out, locking the door so he couldn't get back in. The weird zombie girl glared, thrusting herself at 'Teshita', to only be met with their metal covered fist, sending her back, for her to just get up, growling at them like a rabid animal before once again running at them. In response, 'Tesh' hit her with the dull side of their sword like it was a baseball bat, once again sending her back. As she went to stand, they kicked her in the face, before retracting their kick to go right down onto her head, her head somewhat bouncing off the floor, causing her to stun.

'Teshita' was over this, still rather upset that their kill was stolen, however not angry enough to kill someone else. They went to walk away, however the girl grabbed their ankle and bit them, letting out a hiss. 'Tesh' slightly yelped before stomping her head to the floor, repeatedly cursing angrily under their breath before eventually kicking her off to the side, leaving her now entirely unconscious. 'Tesh' huffed slightly before storming off, however not towards the hotel, simply taking some time to clear their head and calm down with a walk, jumping down from the window.

On their walk, they paced in the estate's garden before finally soothing their nerves, reflecting on the recent events for a few moments before releasing a held breath. They looked up at the red moon before down at the water in the fountain, leaning over it to see their reflection before clicking their tongue and leaving, summoning a portal and walking through it to their spiritual domain. They placed their sword against the wall before taking off their cloak, hanging it on their coat hanger before walking down the overly decorated halls, deep in thought about the past and the future..