She sat hide under the desk for a nap, not wanting to be shot or something when she vulnerable. She felt hazed of the way space folds around this judge lawyers government business building. Right as she was deep into natural rest, the office door awoke her with a startling bang.
"This is crazy, there is no way a soul is this far." The monotone depth with a fist knocking a clay surface.
"Yet there is, she is a living human that keeps flitting between this gap." She heard this one before, the stillness of a grim. She noticed Sigil panes up at her front as she grasps awareness. She crawls out from under the desk looking at how these two are hunched hiding from the open door. She stood perfectly of view to what they avoided about the corridor beyond this door.
"Luna go find another apple tree to drool under." She commands of the white clouded gas ball. It pulled shape into a cream white dog that pants happy of seeing her, front feet patting the floor. She walked around and lowered softly in offering open palm hand to this dog shape. It licked and mashed head to that hand. She soon making cuteness talks and around tail scratching as this one prefers most instead of belly. Once satisfied, stands with stomps. Eliza sees the dog shape trot off like a horse, left behind a tooth. She collected the tooth.
"Lady of the Abyss, I didn't know you had human attachments." The grim standing to greet her. She makes the needed hand gestures of signing. The fella at his side is another undertaker but no crest, no uniform and looks like a slow turned then a crafted kingdom body. The threads of this undertakers body are naturally lacing, not artificial tied. He has a sigil path walking greeting, adding to the lacking authority.
"I suspect there ties with Clothus at play for why the laws are loose between these curtain gaps. The reason of this version of the living lands is soulless and corpses. No human corpses. No media access to explaining what happened with humans." She looked about this empty office, more like a broken down office for ready move in. There is not a touch of life about it. the draws stuck, no pictures and not even a plugged in computer. Not even a tower for the computer to work, empty. actually the lacking of wall sockets was noticed, the room lights aren't wired base and although there is a thicken layer of dust. It isn't mouldy, damp or any signs of bacteria spreads. The air is stale and unchanged but she is breathing fine enough. Time isn't stopped, she would tell that from the tome's of her shadow library or her senses.
"It is toxic or radiation poisoning out there. Further, you are right about there is a lot of spirits affected by it too. Even soulless are affected." The grim nods, "When I was alive, I watched the news. I seen the devastation. Watched gates open with hell breaking loose. Corpse eat corpses. We choose the nuclear option... which worked to well. Sea monsters are all that occupy. Ash storms killed everyone else. Although if you are luck, travel to furthest corners like the ice poles and the last hit lands... there are human lives still going. Mixed among other beings." The grim expressed sorrow in slight lowered shoulders.
"Clothus merchants." She shrugs, "I can't fault them for thinking I wasn't aware of them here. Shame I have the tomes of their names." She stares the open door, "I have to flit back then, before I am straying to far. I am ill enough." She turned to the shadows of this office, "I will continue making pop up and checks. I can trade. No souls or names exchanges." She posed laws for sure.
"Here. I need wards against Clothus." The undertaker guy left hand posed over tomes and some dagger. Another copy... but of this side. Interesting. I am going to have to integrate these tomes some way. It also explains what my lawyers situation is a bit better. He was just saying something about him needing that undertaker to get him back safe.
"While we are." The grim gave his accessed aid too, "I know your trustworthy more then those Clothus we could meet." She takes those too. She gave both plenty of supplies, and walked backwards into shadow. She was soon lowering to a crawl and was out from under the desk.
"There you are!" She got up from her knees and picked up those tomes she had not stored yet, hugged to her chest tightly while standing. He stares of the skin leathers with pale shock, "Well he did say you are a book keeper. I just didn't know you were..." his voice strains at lacking words.
"My nickname is Trixie. You know my court stuff." She slips these tome pages to fold and flex as part of her body. Books melt as flesh and smoothed like spare skin. It was seamless and without traces. All but strange tattoos that aren't visible by normal means. Her lawyer shivered but shook from it.
"Not the first time watching a Seer." He reminds himself, "Where were you?" He checked her over.
"The other versions of this office. You know I can slip curtains. Although this isn't always at my will or control. I look after many a thing at these spaces."
She noticed her half unpacked bag at the chair and finishing to tucked away. She tilts in how the guy seems uncomfortable of such strange way she finds herself use to this disappearing act. She makes study of others now entering and stands aside for now as the undertakers are moving about the pinned walls of cases and added new notes.
"People are appearing and disappearing across Florida in the natural springs and some of the rural housing blocks. The entire site of the Ocean breeze university campus went off grid and came back empty." She was listening but not paying attention really. The cramped office had gained a sting of sweet aura from among those of spirits and this lawyer guy.
"Well now we're taking things at a time. You live the back behind one the Seer's properties. So having strange occurring phenomenon will be normal for you." She sits down all packed, "Then you have the no man street. The cemetery four roads over that keeps being dug up. This all being spooked stories to the university students that have a Facebook page for creep stuff happening around the area." She sees that he stared at her deeply while.
Pondering where her sudden prompt of accuracy of clues came from. But she then posed a thumb to his laptop and he sees she had been using it. He sits up and clicked through, making screen shots and prints of these things. The university page having a declaration of closure due to water damage being the human reasonable excuse for the building being empty. Everything needed for logical human assumptions, and then the idiot foil hat commentary. There things made worse by a brat group of Seer family accounts.
"That's how they sucker fools in." She huffed, "You have a family of mass murderers playing fishing on the Internet."
"And how do you know they are murderers?" He asked and she pulled further a tome, shakes it softly to alter its leather and opens it, "Jane deo on your wall by the left is currently not in fantastic condition but is barely alive." She closed the tome, "going by the tome editor mark, a Seer is play grim. I suspect is using a gap way to stop any death god interference with this editor changes. Sadly they don't realize that I allow my old friend access through me."
"You friends with gods?" He had to ask and she stares a long pause of him. It did cross her mind that his still a fragile minded person with no clue of the societies beyond life or those gates.
He would have the bare minimal about undertakers. Heck, even undertakers have the same disbelief of gods as humans do - as undertakers don't directly encounter gods. This is likely how god followers among undertakers came about. There veil of gods and non believers its tough call for any race. Its one those rules that I struggle a lot with. Particularly around Omens, Death and Erebus.
"Depends if you pray a lot. His a good man with purpose. I admire and respect beings of devoted purposes. It matters not how little or a lot you believe of them to me." At least the human guy thinks she's somewhat crazy, as she isn't convincing of the gods existence. Rather she seems only to speak gargled strange words. It was the undertakers around this room who shuffled at the same way and turned facing her in unison. No doubt they heard her every word fine. There it happened again, this universe's way of keeping its secrets when I clearly can't be trusted.
"Miss Trixie... you would happen to have any of your original items when you were living with your mother." She heard from the undertakers and she posed thinking, "The day of the fire that should have taken your grandfathers life. He was safe under a lime tree." She lifted up with surprise that this was that time line of events. Then she tilted confused again as that shouldn't be right. As they crossed over in the hospital with the gas or something attack. But then something snaps about her mind as forced time events are snapping together. The day of the gap widened between curtains was when they were in the hospital visiting the dying grandfather. She should be an not accounted soul in this sides tome.
"I have a lot of to much thinking to get over." She muttered with words dripping strong of many emotions. Even so, she sank her hand into her storage and brought up the clay mask her family wears when hosting undertakers. When they act together as human side party for contractual agreements, as a neutral faction.
By the order of the crown that day before her grandfather was in that horrible fire, they recognized her as a separate single. Given her tome and her Abyss connections, she couldn't be assumed with her mom, brother and grandfather. But since she is family, she shares the clay runic mask that mimics damned or clothus but painted as witchcraft of their own casting. She posed holding it to her face, and that she snaps magic to tie it properly. Once the mask is attached to the owner, the ink becomes her eyes and ears. A clay closed surface becomes her face.
"Proof enough." The undertakers turn away, one pulled the lawyers partner out of the room for a private chat. Likely giving advice and warning about her ties. She quickly takes off and hides this cult item back to shadow in how there is a very lively shouting from out this office. The lawyer quickly turned the light out and had them both hid from the door view. The undertakers seem to be fighting with whatever is going on, as the desk was crashed by them. She shadow sank her stuff away. The lawyer holds them to the wall tightly, and she wafted that all his pinned walls boards to be stored in her storage. The outside sounded like war, guns firing down the corridor and people being evacuated when possible.
"There is no saving us." He shivered with fear and she stares blankly of what really seems to her sight of what's going on. Watching her pets playing with the undertakers and smelling her out. But they aren't what is attacking people out the office. She does work out what eclsiping layers are active, given these are all god slayer for hell world materials. So the humans are attacking demon imps that become material to this living realm. Demons are just taking land that become reachable of untainted souls. She can even smell the fears and the title of a great sin in charge of this attack. The seven deadly sins do indeed have title hosts like gods do, this one was Envy. Envy isn't working alone but is the only one nearby. She can feel the cog keeping tome flickering as Envy is getting itself body host killed. Jumping bodies to attach for some chances.
"Everyone stop! Stop now!" Envy felt she accessed their name, "Get out of here now! Back! Now!" The flood of demon are retracting their forces and it made her god slayers get excited. So now the whole lot of god slayers are attacking the stragglers whom can't cross back. The humans lean with relief for now. She closed the tome for now.
"Can we go for a meal now?" She asked. He sighed in letting the stress ease a little down for now. He stares at his hands, twisting to his undertaker vow ring. He nods gently of it and looking at her.
"Time to go home." He got them up and looked about the empty walls.
"I have them, sorry."
"No." He pats her shoulder, "Set them up when we get to the house." He moved over to the desk and packed up all the hidden and not hidden desk bits. He pushed a cabinet of files and pushed the wall through, removing several weapons of hunter path walker gear. Belting them on. Chest plate that she had to help him belt. He finished off with an undertaker's uniform cloak. She nods impressed. She pulled her shadow from under her and then attached it as material over her. It soon burns as blacken square flakes in the air around her, leaving over her body gear that she normally wears for path walking. Belt poaches of stuff, the twin holstered short swords at either side of hips and that her cursed side veils her face. She wearing layers to hide her living status, so her breathing isn't visible by the metal sheet chest armour. Looking like a creepy haunted little lady.
He holds her wrist and cautious leaving the office, like others. This whole office is full of humans that are oath walkers. Everyone has a ranking she seeing with the sigil prompt.
"Damn!" Someone cursed profoundly loudly among the humans and was soon detained by those around them. As the cause of the strange event was due to them. The interviewer room at the end of the hall has a human corpse ritualistic flayed out and blood runes marking the walls. The mirrored window was smashed with other corpses. This mad man with wild eyes passed that he didn't become the next host of Envy. He was stripped of everything and carried detain criminal cells off the left of the t junction.
"Glad to see you've managed it alive in spite of being outside the protection." The local person in charge checking, "How are the undertakers?"
"Close calls, three ashed in protecting and no missing important information from the cases I worked on. No demons managed to get in to disrupt the cases." The leader nods.
"Well they took procession of Marian, Baggin, Cole and Samuel... they murdered their clients. Demons messed their heads up badly. Took their lives when the demons exited them." She looked at indeed there was people covered with coats on the floor, "What exactly am I going to say this was?"
"The cult of envy is at fault." She replies and pointed at the walls dripping with spreading blood print patterns, "They just went insane from influences of the investigation and drugs." She slides pointing to laying empty bags of something about.
"How did you do that?" Her friend asked.
"I am part undertaker myself, very proud of my abilities to smooth laws." She nods, "Since their wasn't someone here to make the work, I thought I lend a hand." He frowns at the drugs part, "I used your evidence locker. Sorry. But it makes sense that they would steal some stash while being influenced by the cult." They think deeply about this all, "Sweet lies are what demons are good at." They had to just take this blessing and work out the rest later. They move to the safety and the humans around here do the photos of the crime scene. She accepted being pulled by her right arm to the fire exit to the staff car park. She seated in the back seats of his car. He turned the air conditioning on, sat waiting for someone. His eyes on his ring, deep in his minds conversation and making nervous stares back to the building.
"He is currently walking among undertakers in whatever eclipse stable realm they have." She says while wafting a paper hand fan to cool down, "I haven't worked out what happened to the Undertaker realms but there is a stability surface area of kingdoms with active tomes. I can access and feel those tomes. I just don't know how the undertakers are and where those kingdoms are. Not without sleeping and sending a part of myself to seek answers."
"This side of the Atlantic has collapsed. There isn't anything afterlife realms here. What there is are empty of spirits but full of monsters. Monsters that keep crossing over and attacking us humans. Even death gods are dust here." He tells her, "But the European side of Atlantic has managed to be untouched." He brushed his stirring wheel with nerve and stares of how more are packing cars and leaving this office building. He sighed in relief with how someone was approaching with a big box. Another trail of five boxes and the car was closed up, this person sits on the drivers passenger side.
"That was close... how did you pack up the office?"
"If you haven't already, meet Miss Fallown. To be exact, Miss Trixie Trickster. She happens to be a school run away with being caught between guardianship battles. Be it her cult father of the tomes, her dream chasing grandmother, and ties of neutral partnership among red hands. The direct granddaughter of red mask." He started up the car properly as the guy slowly slides to look at her.
"Hi." She waved at them with her left hand. She tilted in noticed something interesting, and was because of her tome access. This second person is from the dead side, not here. More exactly; these are the same person but different tomes. Different souls naturally, but all the other details is matched. She has considered wondering if they have the same blood.
"Don't look at me like that." The guy shot facing forwards, "there something very wrong with that girl."
"I have a lot of wrongs but I am not going to do anything intentionally to these worlds. I am one many that is job title, tome keeper. My access makes people aware I am wrong." She stares out the window, "You know I can act as a death god if case is needed. So your instinct of fear to live is what you're acting on. But I haven't any intention of doing any tampering or acting against law. You will go when its time, as it should be." She hugging her rumbled tummy.
"I will take a drive through Burger King."
"Thank you." She smiles about that and back to watching the passing driving world out that window. Sometimes she stares listless of tome checks and maybe her reflection of her face.
"The Flea market has began being a hunting ground for monsters. Normal people are being time shuffled there. Some being there for their whole lives. It's become the black market in plain sight. But it has god eaters preventing not human access. Only private merchants are seemingly safe from those god eaters. There seems this in group of beings that have immunity." The topic between them, "The strange thing is that no families of humans claim ownership or are able to sweet up the merchants to spill the details."
The two of them felt frazzled as they take the turn of the drive through. She smiled in how he orders for three people but being the same basic burger meals. But he them hovered a little longer and further added to the order for another five people. She frowns confused of why such a massive order but minds not for free food.
"No eating in the car. We have to get home."
"But I don't mind if you have a few fries. No mess." She nods thankful and they both have that wavelength stare. She is very patient with how it's passed to the back seat, everyone here had drinks but the spare food had no spare drink orders. She had allowed herself to relax as they pulled away, taking a sip with a soften dazed peering.
"Why! How!" The driver hissed with punching his wheel, "What is going on?" She looked outside, how empty the world is and lacking the typical mid week traffic. She huffed right then too. She turned to the food in the brown delivery bags. She brought out a foil bag from storage and began packing carefully. She zips it up tight while the two men slam out the car with checking over the engine. She shadow packed the whole cars worth of goods. She gets out the car, taking the key.
"Its not going to work here." She announced to them both, "The way this engine works doesn't have functional use here." She tossed the key to them. Her shadow slams it all closed, and the whole car disappearing to her storage, "Come on, might as well get moving." They looked at her like she's nuts.
"And you know what happened?" then at the empty space that was the car with gapping mouth and posed finger.
"Not really but we have crossed to his tome." She pointed rudely, "this version of the world relies on mage science. Our current vehicles engine is dead here. The battery flat too." She stares looking at the weather, "We need to move before the energy storm moves in." She pats herself with throwing adapted masks for them both, "You're not adapted for this place. That radioactive energy will break down your lungs." She pose her hands over her own face and soon her face was covered with her cursed mask. She aged up quiet a bit, the clothing looking fitting to a wondering ghost woman. She posed them both a back pack and they both drop the floor with the weight. They checked and noticed she just packed their papers for them and hidden the items connected to the documents.
"Thank you." Helped each other with getting on everything, "So what do you know about this side?"
She waved for them to follow her, as she takes them to the business plaza this McDonalds shares car park with. They stick together and watched around for any sign of beings or life. They make it to the walk front of these stores along this plaza. Desolation of long emptied shop fronts and eroded walls by sea damages. Nothing will be worth it if their not desperate. Desperate measures could find value in the tin scrap shelving units. The broken hardware devices like the till. She hovered in pondering about the toilet here, if this place is doing what the mages do with summoning clear fresh water or if their purification technology. The two cautious men hover either side of her, squaring about the building value.
"The gates opened here in this version of the world as it had for ours. Yet they been at this gate business stuff longer, made technology with the recovered goods of the gate's. Using monsters parts to enhance world living. But it all has a cost. The altering the use of elements and changing the states of energy had depleted the energy the world used to rely with. So not even plants grow, there is no afterlife and often the sunlight pure straight from the sun. Not like the magnetic field layer that protects the atmosphere we came from. You could say the magnetic fields of this version of the world relies on the gates now." She speaks up, "even so, science messed where it shouldn't have. There is some fundamental laws that can't be broken, but to this world it thinks it had. Even if it hasn't." She crossed her arms, "This tome side is not open to the idea of energy changing states. Thus soon all fell behind and what little remains became monster lands. You will sometimes cross hybrid humans or settlements of extremist. They learnt to make do and play against each other for survival." She steps into the store and picked about the scraps here. She really did consider taking this strange mage science converter device, hesitation in holding a broken something.
"Back up, so you know about this world as if you were among those here." She puts the item down and exits back to them, "You have a tome of this world?"
"I told you already. You're scared of me with good reason. But I am will not do anything to break the rules unless it is a mercy and necessary to the protection of souls." She wafted her left hand about. They walked to the next shop doorway, she looks back of the place she disturbed and back forwards knowing the locals have spotted them. The back of that store.
She peers about the car park, spotting something wrong about the car nearest to them. The engine is her tome sides science, not this side. So there been others crossing. She has a feeling these two been here before, they are relaxed walking for being in the unknown. They wouldn't trust her for protecting them. They are expecting it to be a dead world of emptiness.