Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
I bit my thumbnail, listening to the clicking of my teeth against the thin-yet-hardened keratin. Tk-Tk-Chk-Tk. I stood, in the woods, not entirely in the shadows; I had noticed that humans did not notice things a certain way, at a certain angle. So I stood there as I continued to bite the middle fingernail of my left hand. Even if it ripped the nail off, using my teeth as pliers, at the root… it would regrow. My regeneration was fastest at my nails because of my biting. Lisa hates it, I hate it, but the sound sates something darker in me.
A metronome that occupied something normally unfocused. Tk, Tk, Tk.
In my pocket was a list, freshly printed not even three hours ago. Already worn and turned over until I had lost interest and began biting my nails as if it had been folded, unfolded, creased, and unfolded again incessantly for a year. I had done it in an hour. Tk, tk, tk, tk. The slow drumming of the names on the paper, ever-shrinking, had begun in my mind. I hated cities. I loathed cities. Cities were full of disgusting, rodent humans and their bullshit, their theories and ideas all regurgitated and twisted to seem ‘new and never thought of’. I would rather be gagged with a rusty spoon just to be spared the drivel… but one of them was supposed to be here. I tracked them as a far more disgusting and deplorable creature than the humans. A Lich who spat upon the gift they were given so graciously by the woman I bore altar to.
I snapped the nail in half in a small pop of focused rage. Damn it. I needed to stop, I know I did but then I began the task on the new thumbnail of my left hand as the nail regrew. They needed to be dead and gone, uplifted at the stem and root and then the smaller roots burned to extinction for their treachery, for their admonishment of her, for their fucking utter ungratefulness. I hate them. I hate humans. I hate the liches born from my Lisa’s hand more though. I was not lucky enough to be bestowed such a blessing and here they were; squandering it and laughing at her pain and anguish by their actions? The same actions that kept her quietly ostracized because she had been their maker and by some ridiculous human social and moral dilemma, she must also bear the weight of their mindless slaughterings? She could not thrive and grow like the bougainvillea she was, to the greatness and glory that she so rightfully deserved because their selfishness knew no bounds? Because they wished to use their longevity to kill rather than to create.
It was all she asked for; it was what they promised her in turn for the lichdom she so openly shared with them. I hate them. I bite at my nails harder in frustration. Tk, Tk, Tk, Tk.
Somewhere, there was supposed to be another… I felt it. I felt the emptiness, the hesitant vagueness in the air. I smelt it in the humidity and where it failed to cling. There was a lich around me… I could smell it. I left the woods and walked down an alley. Tk, Tk, Tk, Tk.
I took my human form as a male because the female was too much, too in-depth, and I was too lazy. Lisa hated the biting so I tried to restrain myself in this form and made my nails black, short stiletto. I drummed on my other hand, as the names did in my mind. Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta.
Names of the base liches. Ones that remained, just a handful today rather than the whole list. Names she remembered giving the blessing to. I couldn't stand it being called a ‘curse’ because they were chosen by her, by the goddess herself, to receive it and they did so by lying and deceit. Humans were trash; they could not be trusted. They were worthless, maggot-infested, and self-serving. No good. They were no good. No good, no good, no good, no good at all, undeserving, undeserving, undeserving… only deserving to fall.
I found a door to some type of shop. A sign in the window says ‘fortune teller’. I sneer inwardly. Liches hid in dark places, especially shameful ones. Another one here? ...Perhaps another one here. I opened the door and looked to find an area where someone sat, ready to give my fortune.
[attr="class","header"] WELCOME TO OUR HUMBLE SHOP, STRANGER
[attr="class","post"] Well, "shop" might be a generous term for it. We appreciate the sentiment, though. [break][break][break] "...Ebby, you gotta gimme something to work with. Why hasn't he come back?" [break][break] "Meow." [break][break] "No, Romeo. Rudah's on the Brewers shift this week. Romeo's on southside Prince, and he was supposed to report back by now." [break][break] "Mrow?" [break][break] "Oka—I'd rather not consider it, lady. Besides, Gossamer taught him to look both ways." [break][break][break] Thap thap thap thap. The hooded figure tapped a pencil impatiently against the small, cloth-covered folding table before her, petting the cat in her lap with her free hand. Ebby, the lithe tortie with the rather bird-like vocal tone, was new to the Whisperer's affairs, and helped attend indoors while the others went out on street and collection duty. She still got some of the names a little mixed up, bless her soul. As the figure wearing the large hooded jacket ran through the possibilities in her mind, a conspicuous thump sounded from behind her. [break][break] "Speak of the devil." [break][break] A slender orange tabby poked its head down into the room, eyes wide with adrenaline. It let out a guttural, grating hiss. Sinai felt a chill. She pulled her hood back to her shoulders and whirled around to face the door. Someone—no, something was coming. Something dangerous. [break][break] "Was it following one of us?" [break][break] "Mrargh." [break][break] That was all she needed to know. Sinai let out a shaky breath. Then how...? [break][break] "...You two, up. Romeo, show her the way." [break][break][break] At her command, the two cats leapt back up the small hidden tunnel, silently taking the nearest fire escape towards the rooftop. Sinai uselessly breathed into cupped hands, wincing at the sound of dry skin as she rubbed them together. Her eyes squeezed shut and her mind raced, making sure nothing was unaccounted for. [break][break] Okay Sinai, keep calm. It got this far alone, so it clearly knows about me. Then again, it wasn't tracking the Eyes, so my location could be all it knows. If it only wanted me dead, it would wait to catch me outside where I have blind spots, rather than coming here. That means... information. If it's coming here and now, information is its main goal. That means it has to play on my terms, at least to begin with. That means I can level the playing field. Find out what it wants. Make sure it has no reason to come back. [break][break] With a sharp breath, she sprung into action. Working out of a small, decrepit closet meant everything was within easy reach, never more than a step from her seat. Her ledger got stuffed beneath her pillow, along with the pencil. She lit her portable stove and put the kettle on, checking her small canister of tea leaves; enough for tonight, at least. She briefly inspected her cards, ensuring there were no easily visible tears or creases; well-kept, but crucially not flawless. Everything was arranged behind her side of the table—the pendulum, dice, beads, books, charts, bones... She made sure the cat tunnels were properly obscured. Dimmed the lantern. Lit a stick of incense and wafted the curling stream of smoke so that— [break][break] fweeeEEEEEEE— [break][break] She jumped, before realizing it was just the kettle. She quickly switched off the stove. Looking down at her shaking hand, she clasped her wrist and silently muttered a curse. She suddenly held her breath. [break][break][break] Footsteps. [break][break] Tup. Tup. Tup. [break][break] A gait she didn't recognize, quickly approaching. [break][break] Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. [break][break] A shadow passed in front of the small, clouded window. The loose door handle jangled clumsily in its socket. The door squeaked open, revealing... [break][break] ...A dark-haired man. [break][break] That is NOT what Romeo described. [break][break] A shiver nonetheless passed through her. Her instincts screamed at her that she wasn't mistaken. For all her fear, though, her setup was very deliberately designed; the lanterns above and behind her ensured that her hood cast a deep shadow over her face, keeping her expression well-hidden. With practiced fluidity, she pushed her hands forward and around atop the table, smoothing out the thin violet cloth adorning it. Levelling her voice, she quietly spoke: [break][break] "It isn't often that I get... unexpected visitors." [break][break] This was true. [break][break] "...However, you are still most welcome here." [break][break] This was not. [break][break] "The water's just boiled—do you take tea?" [break][break] Alright then, she thought to herself. [break][break][break] Showtime.
The first thoughts through my mind were unkind; tacky was her shop. Run down were the things around her. Downtrodden was the path to her even to the door and even to her little table. It was the smell.
Not the incense. The cats. And the familiar, unpleasant smell traits I had came to memorize to hunt down- even if it was strange here.
It was the smell of rancid meat and muddy, moldy earth. The smell of a Lich. Ugh the grand design truly made a fool out of me; putting some Lich-smelling being before me in a town where I had hoped there were no immortals, to buy some time for myself. To buy time for me and my God to come to even terms again; oh, how I longed to be in better graces with her than the fights we had. I couldn't help scrunching my nose, “Yes… Tea would be fine.” Something other than the smell of a Lich would be fine but that meant one promising thing;
I may have stumbled upon a barren, filthy and revolting little offspring of a Lich I was hunting. I forced myself to smile and sit down at the table- I put my hand on the table and the nails of my pointer and middle finger began to tap excitedly on the table. How exciting. The excitement was dulling the environment, making me forget about how deplorable it was to me. Tap,tap,tap,tap,tap. I need to remember to smile when I talk; show teeth. I pull my lips back and smile, “You do happen to know anything about… bone readings?” I asked and I made sure that this form had pronounced ‘canine teeth’, clear and pearly white; humans liked straight, kept teeth. They were put at ease by them since the dawn of my life when I had been feasting on them. I am always amused by how small things disarm them.
“I would very much like a reading into my... future.” I say and wonder how to word things a moment before I voice, “I am wondering if my overeagerness to take the unspoken initiative, is going to hinder the path I’m on.”
I didnt give a fuck about that; but I enjoyed the first few minutes of interactign with a Lich. There was never any deciding, I knew I was going to kill them but I liked watching them squirm knowing there was a difference between me and them.
I languished for the blessing of Lichdom from Lisa; but oh, I am so much more powerful as what I am. She is limited while I was limitless; every new breed I ate, only added to my pool of power and strength.
“I am wondering if these names appear in my future as well: Rasha. Vhilm. Wilhelm. Saph. Zuda. Jerome. Mohammad.” One of them was bound to be known by this lich. I needed to know which one.
[attr="class","post"] Bull, Sinai thought. No one keeps a list of names like that memorized for an innocent divination. She bit her lip, but kept her head as low as she could while still keeping an eye on this... person. Something about the way he moved was almost too perfectly human. Practiced. Mechanical. Each passing second with him only reassured her that she was in danger, and that she was running out of time to figure out exactly how and why. [break][break] Her legs felt... heavy. Not the jittering anxiety she was accustomed to in a fight-or-flight scenario; nothing more than mounting dread. If death had even slightly dulled her instincts, all the more reason to use her head. Keeping her eyes locked on her client, she reached for her small canister of tea leaves, depositing a measured spoonful in a small ceramic cup. She carefully retrieved the kettle and poured it over the leaves, the now-golden liquid emitting a strong aroma, before passing the steaming cup over to him. All the while, she studied his features, mulled over his words, and wondered: [break][break] What is he gaining? [break][break] They both knew this divination was a farce, at least in the asking. Nothing in his actions implied he intended to gain her trust. Whatever those names meant to him, it was clearly different from the first part of his question. Ignorance would breed suspicion; direct questioning, the same. [break][break] She assessed her situation once more: what were his advantages? Having more knowledge of her than she him, blocking the only exit, and, if Romeo was to be believed, possibly some manner of shapeshifting ability. Okay. What were hers? No doubt aware of his own advantages, he might get too comfortable and let something slip that she could use. Also, if she were quick enough, there was at least one more cat-sized escape route for her to use; then again, that could be rendered moot depending on his own shapeshifting. [break][break] Information. That was the biggest obstacle separating the two, and he was undoubtedly in a better position to gain it than she was. For a brief moment she allowed her eyes to stray from him as she retrieved what she would need. With one hand, she picked up a stick of rough, white chalk, with it drawing a circle nearly as wide as the table itself directly onto the cloth. With the other, she produced a small satin bag which rattled and shook ever so slightly as she moved it. [break][break] "I consult the wisdom of the bones often, my good friend." [break][break] Before she opened the bag, however, her hands stopped mid-movement. [break][break] "Your question is in two parts. Those names... are too many for me to examine at once without aid. If you could write them down for me, that would serve as a suitable focus for the reading."
I listened with all the caring I could as I have learned from the home. But this little lich was stalling me. It was taking her a few moments perhaps, to wonder how and why she should be; how to pretend like she wasn't stalling. How interesting. It had been a while since someone had done such a thing with me; normally they turned to their tried and trued methods of nature and organic response. Tk, tk,tk,tk,tk,tk,tk,tk.
Fight or flight.
I lifted the cup up and hatched the edge of the female’s hood; the fucking smell of the tea didnt help. The taste was horrendous; I smiled through it and set the cup down as they spoke, and let out a small, ‘softer’ smirk, something bordering on flirtatious I would imagine- tk,tk,tk,tk,tk, went my nails on the scarf that played tablecloth upon the table.
“Perhaps you’d like to get up and grab a pen and paper?” I offered and tilted my head slightly, regarding them with my red and black eyes; “I am more than willing to even sound them out for you; Unless you would like to toss the bones on the first inquiry alone. I’m a bit more… pressed on that one.” I breathed and sneered. Tk,tk,tk,tk,tk,tk, rapped my super short little claws.
“By the way… do you spend time with cats often?” I asked. From the smell, I knew they had been around; but it also seemed to hang around the person before me too. “Or do you just have a knack of drawing in vile rodents, since you smell so much like earth, dirt… and decay.” I let my tone drop to less emotional, more… distant and detached. Humans didn’t like that at all. Neither did Liches I hunted. Tk,tk,tk,tk,tk,tk, warned my momentary little prey.
They needed to know the difference between the two of us; whether I had walked in and they serviced me with this human-made-up-drivel. They needed to know that the only option where they could live; was to submit. As had the rest of them. I let my tone darken and harden just a bit and stopped tapping at I stared sharply into the dark of the hood, where I felt their eyes,
“Perhaps one of them would jog your memory if I were to spell them out oh slow and honey-like… do you think so, pet?” I asked.
[attr="class","post"] So the mask is finally coming off, huh. We're finally getting to know each other. [break][break] A precious moment of Sinai's time was simultaneously spent processing the slough of words her guest had just said, and also hoping he would never say them again. Despite the shiver shot down her spine by his last few words, however, she felt relieved that he'd been willing to give up so much precious information. He knew she was undead, for one, but didn't seem to know her as the Cat Whisperer like her usual clientèle. At the very least, that meant he hadn't been torturing her regulars for information. That was a relief. [break][break] ..."Jog my memory," huh? So the names were for me to know, after all. This guy's just looking for any undead who MIGHT know someone on his list. The only question is why. I guess it's my turn to go on the attack. [break][break] She swallowed her fear as best she could. Carefully raising her head to just the right angle—something she'd spent days practicing in the mirror—just enough to lift the obfuscatory brim of her hood, she allowed the light to catch the reflective film of her feline eyes, gleaming yellow-green from within the shadow enveloping her face. [break][break] "I must say, I'm relieved that you know so very little about me, my good friend. Here I was worried I had no more secrets." [break][break] She lowered her head again and obscured her face, her bag of bones in hand and ready to shift at the first sign of provocation. Even if he seemed dumber than she'd anticipated, she'd be just as much a fool to not have some kind of escape plan in mind, simplistic though it may be. [break][break] "Look—those names don't mean anything to me." [break][break] This was true. [break][break] "I'm sorry." [break][break] This was not. [break][break] "If you're looking for information on undead, I'm not the one to talk to. I don't even know who made me what I am now." [break][break] She shrugged slightly. If she was lucky, that'd be the end of it, and they could both walk away unharmed.
I watched the fortune-teller lift her head enough to let the light flicker off her feline-esque eyes; yellowish green. I bet if she was in the full light, they would shimmer like australian crystal opals; but that had nothing to do with now as I listened, and I began to drum my nails on the table once more.
Here is a lich; who isn't answering my questions. Here sits a lich who thinks that not knowing the names guarantees her another day. And here she was… lying to me?
“So you think that by telling me two truths and a lie, and slipping the lie in the middle, that you what… have tricked me?” I asked darkly as I chuckled,
“You are a thousand years too young, and I know for a fact that you are.” I said, and I thought about it.
My lord and savior had just relocated to this horrendous little town not too long ago- mere months- and she had refrained form blessing anyone for several hundred years. Her liches were more… hands on. That is how she taught them; to keep track of themselves. I had narrowed down each and every twisted little branch and though there was the… open-mindedness for the occasional discrepancy from society, there was no such leeway from my goddess. It had to be perfect before it got to her, no matter how many drafts as she deserved only the perfected version. There HAD been creatures given lichdom… not many recorded but it wasn't a preferred method.
So this one was either lying again, or pretending to cover for her liege, but then- “If you knew your maker; would you give them up to save yourself?” I asked before I stopped drumming my fingers and tapped on the table,
“Roll your bones and read my fortune as you answer; I’ll allow you that much more.”
[attr="class","header"] THIS SOUNDS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE A BARGAIN
[attr="class","post"] "How gracious." [break][break] Bingo, she thought. He's interested in lich makers. [break][break] Seeing her work was far from done here, Sinai steeled her nerve once more and gently tugged on the thin string keeping the bone-bag closed. She upturned the small sack over a cupped hand, catching the assortment of bones and other trinkets. [break][break] He's not bluffing about having to save myself; if I don't give him something he likes, this'll get ugly quick. I'm getting closer to figuring out what he is, though... That form of his is definitely a product of shapeshifting, not an illusion. Since he didn't respond to the holy water in the tea, I can be pretty sure he's not hellish. I don't doubt he can tell my youth—based on his words, he's much older than me, too old to be a human illusionist; not to mention he has no tome. That rules out all but the shapeshifting ones, and almost every shapeshifter makes use of an animalistic form rather than two humanoid ones, like Romeo described. Yeti have a human's lifespan, so that's out. The night hunting and teeth-baring would imply lycanthropy, but... I don't sense any animal connection to him. I didn't think I'd ever meet one, but that really only leaves... [break][break] The chances were low, but she had to gamble on what little she'd learned from local hearsay and her nights at the library. She loosely enveloped her hands around the pile of bones and focused all her senses on their texture against her skin. All her practice and research would have to come to bear in these next few moments. After half a second of carefully adjusting her fingers, she began gently shaking the bones in her hands, producing a hollowed clacking noise with every rise and fall. [break][break] "If my heritage matters, I'm more useful to you walking than not. I sincerely doubt my own feelings about whomever my maker is are of any real concern to you." [break][break] Just keep talking. Hold his interest. Old, wise, or dead, no one has unlimited attention. [break][break] She held her arms up before her, letting them fall as she split her hands open downwards, sending the bones and other trinkets clattering across the table. A handful bounced away and onto the floor with more clinks and rattles, but the majority stayed within the confines of the chalk circle. She gazed briefly at the aimless arrangement of objects before her, feeling her client's cold eyes staring through her. [break][break] "Since you requested it, I assume you know a bit about bone reading. It's not many people's first choice. If you'll indulge me, I can guide you through what I see before you." [break][break] All she could hope is that he was old enough to have lived through an age where fortune-tellers were seen as the wisest among them. She'd dealt with more than one immortal from darker times, and some still trusted in diviners. Moving her left hand down by her side, she gestured with her right towards the centre of the table, where a small grouping of objects had settled. [break][break] "The sand dollar occupies the centre. It speaks confidently of decisive action; it speaks to your nature. The hawk's bone and yew twig are crossed in conflict beside it, giving context to your actions: a hunt for those bonded by blood or spirit." [break][break] She pointed then to a curious happenstance: a small, bleached-white beak settled upright. Beside it, a small, translucent gemstone. [break][break] "I'd wager you might guess this one's meaning... the crow's beak likes liars. Here it points—as best it can—to us both. A creature wearing another's face such as you do has little right to condemn my own mask. The cat's eye beside it, conversely, speaks of truth and knowledge. This reassures us that truth and deceit are not mutually exclusive." [break][break] I'm running out of concrete information to work with. I'll have to settle for intuition. [break][break] "A pair of objects here, to your right, tell us a lot: the copper shrapnel entails luck and fortune. Unfortunately, it finds itself underfoot of the knucklebone—a sign of unresolved conflict, meaning fate has turned its kinder eye from you. Your battles are yours alone." [break][break] She pointed forward, towards her client's end of the table. She swallowed nervously before continuing. If her guess was off, everything would fall here. [break][break] "The dog's tooth favours you greatly—it pushed beyond the circle to be with you. In this, like attracts like, and the dog's tooth evokes loyalty. It speaks to your devotion... perhaps to a cause, perhaps to a person, perhaps to a group. However, at its root, between it and the rest of the table, the salt crystal: desertion. Abandonment. You asked if your eagerness would hinder your path, and the bones tell me thusly: the power you wield steadily carves a rift between you and that which you love. Without correction, without clarity, your path can end only in solitude."
I sat and I listened, bringing my right hand up and lightly tapping my nails upon my teeth then lowered my hand as I chuckled; something that had been recounted to me as a deep and throaty sound, less joyous and more unsettling than anything. Fascinating. I internally purred. Truly, I was fascinated. Humans never cease to amaze me, you think you know them and you do on a general scale as someone who has lived for so long.
Then she pointed at me almost theatrically to perhaps distract me again and did it. Again. Lied.
My power separated me and my god, Lisa? No. No, no, no. That couldn’t be right. It wasn’t right. Wrong, wrong, wrong- God needs no one on par. I had never strived to be Lisa’s equal; my power was vast and plentiful, near bottomless with few hindrance as I ate and ate. I needed it. I glowered at the female before me. How dare she? How could some worthless wretch have the audacity to throw out such a false narrative?
The false prophet. She is trying to dissuade us from the glory of being chosen.
There had been no purer god or goddess than mine; she was realism and growth embodied. She faulted and faced hardship and lived and endured. What in the fuck? What in the fuck. Abandonment? Never. “My. How unfortunate.” I mumbled and tapped my nails on my teeth. Tk,tk,tk,tk,tk. I smiled; it felt more like my lips were twisting into something darker, sadistic sneer. How exciting. How thrilling. How very, very refreshing… but perhaps not as refreshing as it was about to be to me.
“I am always fascinated by how humans use my created method for… what is it called? Divination? Everyone always has a different interpretation; no matter how vastly it misses the mark.” I said and looked at her as I sneered wider and began to laugh. I ran my hand through my bangs to comb them back. I even blinked and changed my eye color;
To hers.
“I find myself thrilled, pet; Do you think our eyes are similar now? Perhaps I should assume your identity instead of kill you.” I voiced before using my free hand to flip the table up and toward her, then used the hand that combed back my dark bangs, to slam the table against her and pin her against the wall if her reaction was any slower than mine. I took the time to change from my male form to that of the lycan I ate when I ran with my kin in my youth;
Hands turned to paws, nails turning to sharp talons; face to muzzle, soft flesh to thick, course greyish fur. Legs of lithe athleticism to power, bowed legs and my clothes faded off as did everything else; “Let’s play then, kitty.”
[attr="class","header"] THAT WAS MY ONLY TABLE YOU GOOBER
[attr="class","post"] FWOOM— [break][break] The table flew upward, turning end over end, scattering the trinkets atop it and the contents of its undercarriage alike—cards, beads, bones, rods, matches, incense, and all other manner of diviner's tools and baubles burst out in a cloud of detritus. The motion revealed a cardboard box about two feet long and half that width and height hidden beneath the table. Sinai leapt backward as best she could, keeping her hands shut in tight fists, but quickly found herself pressed up against the wall. The thin purple cloth from the table flapped and billowed in the air, obscuring her vision, forcing her to put her arms up in front of her face in case of an attack. The cloth suddenly bulged inward, colliding with the table and shoving it in her direction. As quickly as she could, Sinai lifted her elbows to avoid the flying furniture just in time for the loud bang of the narrow table legs slamming into the wall behind her, straddling her just beneath her armpits and keeping her thoroughly pinned in place. In the midst of the impact, her hood flipped back, revealing the nervous look on her face at last. [break][break] As the cloth settled and drooped, she glimpsed the freshly-shifted lycanthropic form of her client. She was surprised to find herself still capable of conscious thought in this situation; years prior, she'd have been running on instinct alone. She elected to use this mental processing power to think: [break][break] You moron. [break][break] He'd courteously confirmed her suspicions of his species with that unsettling eye trick. More than that, though, Sinai found it curious that he would choose to take a new form with such a well-known weakness. Was this some kind of test? In any event, it was one she had no intention of failing. As he snarled his warning at her, she peered through the fluttering snowfall of tarot cards and loosened her grip on the object held tight in her right hand. Two years of practicing sleight of hand would finally amount to more than forced card pulls. [break][break] "The reading's not over yet, you mutt." [break][break] While preparing her bone throwing, she had felt for a pair of specific objects and carefully held onto them before she threw—the first being her antique silver coin. She maneuvered the palmed coin between her thumb and forefinger, tensing them just as she whipped her wrist forward and flicked her thumb out, launching the coin at the wolfman. Bone thrower's silver coin, she thought to herself. Speaks of return on investments. He'd either have to waste time and attention avoiding the precious metal or suffer the consequences of getting hit by it. [break][break] Make your choice, doppelgänger.
I saw her face: mildly attractive but plain, with features that would blend in. I got hit with a pang of jealousy. Even a filthy little creature like this could blend into the humans better than someone such as I, could? No good. No, that wasn’t good at all; I strived for blending in to enact the will of God and to carry out her orders; to be the sword that moved at organic command. Bullshit.
It angered me and I clenched my teeth, my lips pulling back and a growl rolled forth. Oh, how it angered me that some trifling little creature such as this foul lich could even be marginally better than me in any way. Then I saw a slight flicker of movement and I moved to dodge it before something smacked me in the center of my forehead- pain from the impact, burning, burning- then fell to the ground and I raised a hand up as my head began to heat up. Blood rushing to the spot, wound, wound, bleeding? I rubbed my fingers against the spot and looked at them- no blood. But burning?
“Did…” I hesitated a moment to ask before I angrily locked eyes with the cat, “Did you flick silver at me?” I demanded as I bared my teeth and snarled,
Wait. I hesitate, Don’t fight here; home turf. True. Yes.
I chuckled and, “However are you going to get back to your little circus, kitty if you’re pinned here?” Then I grabbed the table and removed it, sneering down at the creature. “Tell you what; I’ll count to ten, give you a head start to run; if you make it to the woods before I’m done, you’re free to go- if not, then you’ll have to fight to leave.” I didn't wait but I lifted a hand and slashed the table in half in my Lycan form, destroying it so it couldn’t be used against me, and stepped back towards the door, opening it, “Consider it an… act of good faith, for you entertaining me for so long.” I purred darkly as I drummed my nails on the door handle.
[attr="class","header"] EXECUTE PLAN G-BETA WITH A LEMON TWIST
[attr="class","post"] Sinai, for the briefest of moments, froze. [break][break] Circus? He can't mean—no. Calm down. He's just trying to get to you. [break][break] At the same time, irritation had been steadily building up in her gut for a while now. Kill him, her appetite growled to her, kill him! I want to burn his fingernails! Without thinking, her lips stretched out into a snarl. She covered her mouth briefly and shut her eyes, collecting her thoughts. [break][break] This guy... has the nerve to come into my shop, threaten my life, trash the place, then call it entertainment? His reconnaissance task fell through, so he's taking it out on me, that's all. Fine then. End act one, exeunt Sinai. [break][break] At his count, she began walking towards him, but stopped after only a couple of steps. She crouched down and grabbed hold of the cardboard box, before standing up straight and levelling a glare at her guest. As she began transferring massive amounts of energy from her body, she had to struggle to keep up her poker face. [break][break] "Nice of you to get the door for me, but I don't plan on leaving just yet." [break][break] The box in her arms suddenly shuddered. Then again. It quickly began rattling quite loudly as a low, laboured growl emerged from within the package. [break][break] "Big Bertha? Visitor." [break][break] The front of the box exploded outward as a streak of dull white flew through the air, Sinai barely keeping upright from the recoil. A large white alleycat, eyes foggy with blindness, leapt across the room at the stranger with a piercing cry. It struck him, claws outstretched, and began a dizzying flurry of swipes, bites, and scratches, abound with pent-up rage. Its flesh was still partially reconstructing itself around the bleached-white bones which animated it. [break][break] Having loosed her distraction, Sinai bent low to the ground, exhaling deeply; a thick cloud of fog escaped her mouth and rolled along the ground as her form began to change. Skin and muscle peeled away from her eyes outward with a sound as of tearing paper, shadowy mist enveloping her in spiderwebbing rivulets before completely obscuring her. Her jacket flapped open, dissipating as though smouldering into black and green cinders, before vanishing entirely. Free of her jacket's enchantment, the decomposing feline form Sinai now took exuded her intense aura of famine, a pain of starvation borne only by her and the foe before her. Black dust played about her form, a lingering promise of plague clinging to her as she stalked slowly backward, ever further into the shadows. Soon, even the gleam of her milky white eyes disappeared into the darkness as she leapt up the hidden cat tunnel to the next floor, and finally to the fire escape headed even further upwards. [break][break] Moments later, a long, solemn yowl echoed across the darkened streets from far, far above.
I watched as her actions were to walk towards me and picked up a cardboard box- seemed empty, harmless enough. I am confused why would she need a box? She glared at me and a shiver went up my spine.
Thrill and excitement. Would the entertainment continue?
She thanked me for getting the door for her; I was expecting her to leave soon before she voiced a name. Then it happened-
A morbidly obese white cat launched itself from the box and fucking attacked me, slashing, clawing, yowling, biting; angry. “FUCK!” I screamed as I fell back into the alley, past the threshold of the door before catching myself, grabbing the cat by the scruff and went to smash it against the walls- but instead, I tossed it into a dumpster and the yowl escaped, as the lid slammed down on it and I composed myself. Not good, not good; I tripped, I fell back. How pathetic of me; how impressive of her, knocking me back. Yes, yes, most impressive. I could smell her; I could feel her.
A sensation of famine arises; not mine, not mine, but hers. It tried to overpower my own; but no. I was too old, too strong; Famine does not control me, not like this; I breathe the plague she tried to force on me too, but I toss aside my lycan form and change once more;
Body lengthening and giving way to a more powerful, feline-form, six-leg endowed and thick padded feet for my needs; silence. Power. I didn't know where she went; but she backed off into the house. Further; a secret passage? No time to tear it apart and look. I turn my head as my muzzle thickens and my teeth grow in size, changing, eyes giving away for more powerful ones. Maybe when I see her again I should take her form; give her bad luck? No, she has impressed us, she will be amiss with it. No need, no need; MAster had better not catch wind of me fighting in the city.
Oh how her holy furry would arise. I leap deftly onto a close roof top, land quietly, then move over to the rooftop where her filthy little sham was.
It was all in motion; all in plan. No matter what, she would need to leave yet I had the high ground; in all of my surroundings, I had the strength in this smaller, faster form than my favorite, larger one, to pounce and catch her or get close. PErhaps I should give myself venom glands too, from the cobra I ate some time back? No… I wanted to bat her around and I worked myself to not click or tick but I was very excited; very, very excited and thrilled indeed.
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The skin is created by Wolf of Adoxography and Gangnam Style. The thread and conversation remodels are by Kagney. The Strange Reality board list, Heal My Soul info center, I Remember Now mini profile and Electric Requiem profile remodel is made by Pharoah Leap. The Who's That Member member list remodel was made by Tictactoe. The Cbox.ws Shoutbox remodel was made by Trinity Blair. All templates used for claims, information sheets, applications, etc are credited to their owners; credits for these can be found in the threads the templates are use on. Images that are used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners, however, they have been edited by Zac with a few being edited by Chibi Magician. The plot, rules and various other information pieces for The Duality of Man are written by Chibi Magician with the assistence of her co-admins, Finnegan and Dremulf, alongside other unlisted people who were kind enough to give their input. The TRS, AP and face claim were all created by Fleur for specifically the use of TDOM. All plugins used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners. The templates my members use are credited to their maker, if you find a template that belongs to you, but is uncredited, please speak to Chibi Magician or the member themself. Characters created on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners and should not be used elsewhere without the creator's permission.
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