Chương 11: Character Extras Number One

"Hurts, doesn't it? That burning sensation, that feeling like you're going to die. It makes you feel alive, that torture is proof that you're real, that you're breathing. That's the cruelty of it. To make you reach that peak, only for the coin to flip and remind you that your end is near. You're a nasty bastard, you know that?"

Holden Cauthwell, a seventeen year old male standing at a height of Five feet, ten inches tall. A somewhat introverted character, he makes up for his lack of talk with his attitude and actions. Somewhat disillusioned with the world, he's learned to accept reality in such a way that grants him nigh-unparalleled clarity. Ability Name: Unknown Description: The supernatural ability he possesses allows him to absorb the properties of objects he touches, making them a part of himself. When pushed into high-stress/emotional situations, he tends to dip into a strange state in which his body acts on his own. This state seems to be preceded by flickering lights. Although these abilities seem clear, it still doesn't account for his ability to seemingly heal himself and others. Perhaps there's more to him and his power than he realizes.

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"What's the point, right kiddo? What's the point in manipulating the body... without understanding what the body is, fundamentally? Enhancements, alterations, restructuring, you don't need to get what the essence of the body is to do that. Only when you expand your mind, only when you think outside of the box, can you truly understand. Understand that the body is a web of systems, and each strand of that web is intricately tied to another. Ordering it, guiding it, maintaining it. The body is a machine. A computer. A program. A series of codes and mechanisms... Do you understand?"

Her name is Melony Harper, but you can just call her the best! This Six Foot, Two Inch cryptid hunter certainly wouldn't mind that. Sometimes those around her wish she would just shut up, but that doesn't mean she will. She's been hunting monsters and annoying people for years, and there's nothing else she'd rather do. Even still, when it's time to get serious, be it a fight or helping someone in a critical moment, there's hardly anyone better suited for the task.

Ability Name: Self Subjugation

Description: The supernatural ability to dictate the composition of the body on a molecular level. The applications of this are nearly endless. Alchemy, regeneration, limb growth. Enhancements of the body to increase its physical power. Even modifications to the brain and eyes to grant the user unrivaled perception of the environment and the events within it. All that withstanding, perhaps its most deadly usage is to program the body and its parts like a computer, enabling it to act in various ways in various situations regardless of the user's manual activation.

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"The best players in a game are the ones who shift the odds in their favor prior to the game commencing. Is it cheating? Maybe. But I won't deny its efficacy. In a game where the seeker faces almost impossible odds, what role should you play if you want the best chance at winning? The hider, right? Nah... not the hider. You'd still choose to be the seeker."

The Doll Cryptid is an intelligent, malicious foe which relies on trickery to defeat its victims. Its many body parts stick together the form an immense body, granting it an eerie gate as it glides along the walls, floors, and ceilings. By engaging in a ritualistic game of hide and seek, the Cryptid imposes universal rules which prevent it or its target from being harmed until each round is finished. It often lies about its true role in these games so as to disorient the victim. In exchange for its deceit, it must provide an equally disadvantageous rule to be administered to the game. Although the Doll must defeat its prey several times before the game ends, the Doll must only be defeated once for the opportunity of victory to present itself to the victim. Upon losing a round, the victims skin is peeled away and replaced with Doll-Material. Whenever the Doll loses a round, its Doll-Surface is replaced with human flesh, and is made extra vulnerable.

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"Despite not being able to process what was happening, the truth of the matter was simple. Many strands of seaweed had been extended from within the thing's throat, whipping around at blinding speeds, carving apart anything they came into contact with. Their quickness and power made the claw strikes the creature delivered earlier seem slow and impotent by comparison. For what felt like an eternity, the onslaught continued. Tables, chairs, walls, and windows, nothing was spared from complete annihilation as every object became diced and split apart. Everything except the singular couch Holden had thrown himself behind."

The Seaweed Cryptid is a largely instinctual predator which attacks its enemies at imagination-shattering speeds, its weapons of choice being its claws or the razor-sharp seaweed it can spew from its mouth. Although not exceptionally durable, its strong offensive compensates for that weakness and more. This Cryptid prefers to disarm its prey with its claws, rendering them helpless so that it may drag them into the murky depths contained within the television it originates from. From there, it will proceed to violently force its eggs into every orifice of the victim after ensnaring them in endless ropes of seaweed. As these eggs deliver her offspring, they will gnaw on the still-living victim's body from the inside out, using their fleshy host as sustenance until they eventually burst out of the prey's body.

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"Once the pup had devoured half of the sandwich, Holden meticulously reached forward, letting his fingers brush through its head and scratch behind its ears. As he confirmed its lack of aggression, he carefully picked the dog up and held it closely against his chest with one hand while retrieving the umbrella and holding it above them both using the other. Entering the complex, and then his apartment, he placed the still-shivering dog down on his bed, bundling it in blankets and sheets alike. For hours he spectated his new guest, watching until it finally stopped shivering and drifted off into sleep."

Pepper is a dog, and nothing more. There is little else to be said about her other than her pleasant attitude and tendency to nap.