Cutting into the wall-membrane, Wrath and Fei can enter a fully dark, cavernous, flesh-lined room of about 20m2. It feels ominously quiet, anticipatory, but also sleepily soothing as the pulls of the walls drone on. Wrath and Fei might feel calmer, rested, and healing, if they've suffered recent hurts.
The room is packed with some 20-25 mannequins, some standing, some collapsed on the floor, some fully strapped to the walls. They transit in between states of being: from burlap sack dolls to human beings with fully defined features and soft skin. In the latter phase, they feel 'human' and alive, no different than other Serthica citizens. Some mannequins fluctuate between these states in a matter of seconds, others take minutes.
Dark water comes to knee level and seems to be actively drenching and infusing the mannequins' burlap. The mannequins that are able to remain humanoid for longer have darker burlap skins that has visibly been immersed in the water extensively. Sometimes, when these mannequins become humanoid, they turn their poorly seeing eyes and ill hearing ears against the membrane-walls and attempt to touch beyond, because they perceive light or sound stimuli.
The longer Wrath and Fei remain in the water, the more they experience immense cold, fear, a feeling of stuffiness and claustrophobia. Wrath's magic and Fei's stamina slowly drain.
Up close, they find each mannequin has a chain with twin dog tags on their backs. One tag lists a name (irrelevant for plot purposes, handwave a name) and the other has an engraving with a different childish phrase, like, hello, birdie, squirrel, eat your nuts!, the train goes, choo-choo. There is no pattern to the phrases.
Suddenly, the mannequins swiftly wake, utterly panicked. They attack as much as they can, clawing and thrashing, possessed of enviable strength that dissipates as they exit the womb-walls and the waters' reach. Some will try to choke or pin down Wrath and Fei, but they will soon give up in favour of exiting. The mannequins are not malicious, as much as they are frantic, hurting those in their path out of fear they'll be hurt instead. Fei and Wrath mostly need to fend for themselves in narrow quarters, while the mannequins flee.
Xiao Xingchen's blood seal can contain the dark water from spilling out and protect Magnus and him from immediate harm. The mannequins will leave the room — and soon enough, after causing light carnage among Remembrance members, the headquarters.
Unfortunately, this isn't the end for Fei and Wrath — over the course of the Arc, they will go through Serthica and the Mouse House feeling watched — the mannequins will remember them, and that they were identified as a threat. Any future encounter with unsocialised mannequins (this excludes the one Finn and Jim might choose to bring home) will find Wrath and Fei either heavily surveilled or targeted. The mannequins cannot stop spying on them, when they are within reach.
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Cutting into the wall-membrane, Wrath and Fei can enter a fully dark, cavernous, flesh-lined room of about 20m2. It feels ominously quiet, anticipatory, but also sleepily soothing as the pulls of the walls drone on. Wrath and Fei might feel calmer, rested, and healing, if they've suffered recent hurts.
The room is packed with some 20-25 mannequins, some standing, some collapsed on the floor, some fully strapped to the walls. They transit in between states of being: from burlap sack dolls to human beings with fully defined features and soft skin. In the latter phase, they feel 'human' and alive, no different than other Serthica citizens. Some mannequins fluctuate between these states in a matter of seconds, others take minutes.
Dark water comes to knee level and seems to be actively drenching and infusing the mannequins' burlap. The mannequins that are able to remain humanoid for longer have darker burlap skins that has visibly been immersed in the water extensively. Sometimes, when these mannequins become humanoid, they turn their poorly seeing eyes and ill hearing ears against the membrane-walls and attempt to touch beyond, because they perceive light or sound stimuli.
The longer Wrath and Fei remain in the water, the more they experience immense cold, fear, a feeling of stuffiness and claustrophobia. Wrath's magic and Fei's stamina slowly drain.
Up close, they find each mannequin has a chain with twin dog tags on their backs. One tag lists a name (irrelevant for plot purposes, handwave a name) and the other has an engraving with a different childish phrase, like, hello, birdie, squirrel, eat your nuts!, the train goes, choo-choo. There is no pattern to the phrases.
Suddenly, the mannequins swiftly wake, utterly panicked. They attack as much as they can, clawing and thrashing, possessed of enviable strength that dissipates as they exit the womb-walls and the waters' reach. Some will try to choke or pin down Wrath and Fei, but they will soon give up in favour of exiting. The mannequins are not malicious, as much as they are frantic, hurting those in their path out of fear they'll be hurt instead. Fei and Wrath mostly need to fend for themselves in narrow quarters, while the mannequins flee.
Xiao Xingchen's blood seal can contain the dark water from spilling out and protect Magnus and him from immediate harm. The mannequins will leave the room — and soon enough, after causing light carnage among Remembrance members, the headquarters.
Unfortunately, this isn't the end for Fei and Wrath — over the course of the Arc, they will go through Serthica and the Mouse House feeling watched — the mannequins will remember them, and that they were identified as a threat. Any future encounter with unsocialised mannequins (this excludes the one Finn and Jim might choose to bring home) will find Wrath and Fei either heavily surveilled or targeted. The mannequins cannot stop spying on them, when they are within reach.