Riggity Rekt

Jester was feeling particular peculiar today.

There was something in the air, it was lace with a sensation he had felt before, it was cheer. People were happy, they were smiling. Lover's were idly strolling by, holding hands, swooning over each other. Candies were being handled out all over the place, businesses were trying to lure in customers with this... romantic paraphernalia. Valentines...day? This celebration had always seemed to elude the understanding of the Clown. Having never understand love, he saw it as a pointless endeavour. A pathetic attempt for individuals to entice companionship from those they desired through symbolic items like roses or confections. It was just another reflection of how pathetic the human race were, they were using this day to pretend they were happy and the clown didn't like it one bit.  

One way or another he fully intended to ruin it, to start a game of suffering for the small pleasure. he had been playing a grande game as of lately, the dance he was ensuing with his White Queen. The masterpiece. It was getting there, but that game required much more patience, sure he was having fun with her. She was delightful gamemaster, capable of ensuring that she left chaos in her wake. But still, she could not satisfy every high. His Queen seemed to fantasize about having everything, including love. So he knew she would not join him in the ruining of such a day, or at least might not play the game the same way as he would. No, he would play a solo round today and enjoy the suffering he reaped by himself.

He was strolling through the streets, wearing his ringmaster costume. Donned with a red suit, and cloak, a black top hat, and even a cane. On his face he wore a white mask, the expression it bore was a wide smile, so wide it stretched from ear-to-ear. He strolled casually along, swinging his can, as he tried to formulate a plan.

"You there in the mask!"

Someone ran in front of him suddenly, a young woman, wearing a pink dress and an apron that bore what seemed to be some sweet companies logo. She stood there for a moment, catching her breath, before straightening up. "Sorry to bother you, I work for Fiore's Fantastic Sweets and Splendour, it's a candy store in the Rose Garden. We're hosting a big valentines event and we're unbelievably short staffed. You're a mage right, I don't suppose you would be interested in working for us for the day." Jester tilted her head at her, saying nothing. She looked at him, her expression growing more awkward with each moment of silence. "Well, if you're interested, please head to this location within the next hour, we'll be opening soon. We're just trying to grab any last  minute help we can." She handed him a flyer before running off in search of someone else to corner. Jester held the flyer up, his golden eyes scanning it. His lip curled into a smirk. It seemed the game he was searching for, had come to him.


The Circus mage arrived at the warehouse a short time later, still in the same suit. It was bustling with bodies, a man spotted him standing there holding a flyer. "Oh are you here to help cover? That's awesome, here I'll grab Sally and she can hand you the contract." He ran off, Jester stood there waiting, his fingers twiddled against the leaflet of the paper. Like a tick, Jester couldn't quite stand being still. A woman approached with a clipboard and some paperwork. "Make sure you read it thoroughly before signing," She told him before handing it over with a pen. Jester eyes skimmed the page, taking in the details it offered him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed a detail. Obviously what she was referring to when she said pay attention.

Still, once finished he lowered the pen to the page and signed away, his signature caused the woman to raise her brow. It was more like a doodle than a signature, the supposed 'letters' looked more like squiggly version of card suits. But, she began to go on, babbling nonsense about how the marriage worked and what they intended to do. He didn't care. It wouldn't effect his plan, the game would go on regardless. She lead him to a cart of confectionaries that needed transporting to the place. There were way more boxes left than there should have been, they clearly weren't organised. Not that it mattered. Jester clicked his fingers. Out of nowhere a small clown car appeared. Playing a bouncy little tune, it pulled up next to him. It's undersized door opened and climbing out was a clone of himself, followed by another, and then another. This when on until there were twenty of him out of the car. The clones got to work, loading the boxes of chocolates into the car. It wasn't long before the chocolates, and the clones were packed inside the car. Onlooked were baffled by the bizarre display of magic, but Jester said nothing. Sitting himself on the roof of the car, it set off towards the shop where the delivery needed to be taken too.

When he pulled up in front of the store, once again his clones climbed out of the clown car, unloaded the boxes into the store. Jester glanced around, under his mask his face carried a look of displeasure. The people were eagerly weaving into the store, excited to buy chocolates for the lovers, crushes and families. They practically radiated with happy energy. Jester clenched his fist, he wanted to crush it, all of it and he would. However he noticed in the alleyway next to the store, there was movement in the shadows. He would inch closed to it for a clearer view. The clones behind him finished there work, returning into the clown car it would vanish into the thin air as Jester returned it to his magical store. His eyes fell on a man lurking in the alleyway, he seemed to be trying to make up his mind about something. Jester noticed the weapons in his hands, his eyes lit up excitedly. He crept closer, catching wind of the man mumbling to himself.

"I shouldn't...I shouldn't... this is...bad...they are just buying chocolates...but then again... I should be buying chocolates... for Maria... it's not fair....it's not fair."

Jester's smiled grew wider under his mask. His plan has suddenly grown a little more intricate, this was not an opportunity he could waste.

"It really is...no fair." His voice was soft... his words less erratic than normal. He was trying to sound sane, it wasn't easy. He loved his rhymes, his riddles, the way it people looked at him when he spouted nonsense. But it was nonsense, it all made perfect sense... to him... "You lost someone?" The man looked up, his eyes brimming with the threat of tears.

"I did...my wife... Maria. We were so happy, so in love, then she grew suddenly sick, we thought it was just the flu but..." He began to sob heartily, before continuing, "It's not fair, it's just not fair. We were looking forward to this store's opening, we were going to come here a picked some treats together... but all this people get to come here and enjoy themselves while she... while she..."

"It makes you mad." The man looked at him, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes, It infuriates you, all these happy families get to come here and pretend that everything is okay whilst you stand here with a broken heart. They get to enjoy what Maria never will, it's so cruel. That's what these places do, they carelessly flaunt love and romance without a thought to those who have lost their loved ones. They push their ideals of a perfect world on everyone, but we know the truth. The words isn't perfect... the world is cruel."

"It is..."

He agreed, his tears were settling, Jester could feel the anger underneath the surface rising, "They're rubbing their happiness and love in everyones face, it's selfish. Someone should punish them," He said, the man looked down at his knives.

"Someone should."

"So, do you stand here and wallow in sadness over Maria, all the while these cold, heartless people go around flaunting the very thing you can't have, or do you show the the truth, teach the way the world really is. Open their eyes to the truth. So tell me, where is Maria?" His gaze returned to Jester, shocked by the question. Jester asked again, "Where is Maria?"

"She... she ..."

"Where is Maria!?"

"Please... I..."

"WHERE IS MARIA?"

"SHE'S DEAD." A blade shaped like a broken heart flew at Jester, fortunately, he had been expecting it so he was able to tilted his head enough for it to fly past his ear. The man ran out of the alleyway, turning towards the shops entrance. Jester smirked, shrieks and screams could suddenly be heard. This was perfect, now he could partake in the next part of his plan. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the syringe. Making his way back towards the shop, she tucked it into his sleeve, Heading towards the chocolates, he moved over to the free samples during the commotion, and began lacing them with a deadly poison. Using the commotion as a perfect distraction, imagining the end result. The widowed man was bound to cause quite a bit of chaos, and even if he were detained. Someone was bound to help themselves to a chocolate and then...the real fun would begin.


WC: 1621

How could such a simple plan, have evolved so deliciously into something as magnificent as this moment? Jester had only intended to satisfy an itch by causing a small dose of suffering, but now, now that suffering was escalated. Perhaps, this being, the widow of 'Maria' could make things reach levels of fun the clown had not quite anticipated. Not only was the likelihood of pain and suffering being escalate, but the close had a scapegoat. The weak, pathetic little human pining over his lost lover, his life was undoubtedly ruined. If it wasn't enough that he had lost the woman he loved, but he was now making a mark on the world that couldn't be undone. Were he to hurt someone, his reputation would be ruined. Were he to kill someone, it would be his entire future. He would become a target, running from the forces of law that sought to hunt him down. Jester was a smart clown. Jester rarely got caught, and if he did, he disappeared. Nothing but an awful memory that would hunt his victim for the rest of their lives. But this man he would get caught, it was just in his nature, either that or he would die. Either option was fine for the clown; either way, he would get to have his fun.

The sound of chaos and carnage was music to his ears. He slinked out of the alleyway, following the path of mayhem left by the widower. Skipping past the injured public happily. He twirled for a moment, glancing over a being made of 'jello' that seemed to be dancing. He had been in that alley for a while, was this a mage? He continued to twirl and decided that it didn't matter before moving towards the entrance of the store. He hummed casually amongst the shouting; he eyed the widower who was currently throwing his knives at a man with black hair and blue eyes. This was good; the whole store was distracted, meaning he could continue to move his pawns into place. He paused to wonder if that was the right analogy in this scenario; he only really had one pawn in this game. Still, he couldn't quite think of any other game to compare it to right now.

Entering the shop, he noticed how the crowd were watching the fight through the windows of the store. Like sheep, they stared outwards, think they were safe behind the glass. They could watch the fight and not get hurt, just like a show or a boxing match. Jester couldn't help but sneer behind his mask. Another display of how pathetic the human race really was, cowering away, happy to watch as others risked their lives for them but not willing to help. Why could so few see just how sad it really was? This species that dominated the earth, displaying such false morality. Not only did the clown was the remove that mirage, but he also wanted to obliterate it entirely, along with the disgusting humans that manifested it. Jester moved over to the samples, sliding them off the counter and out of view he began to inject them with the poisonous serum. Making quick work and leaving little trace of his work. He tucked away the needle, before moving around the room holding out the tray he offered the chocolates to those watching the fights. They were fools, snatching away at the chocolates like snacks at a movie theater. They scoffed themselves as they watched the fight, paying no attention to the man in the red suit as he delivered their fates on a silver platter. They were too busy looking out the windows of the store to notice what they were even putting in their mouth. Jester moved back, bobbing in the background.

The store was playing some upbeat melody, an attempt to liven to the mood in the shop. Jester would bend his knees, then straighten them, the bend them once again. A repetitive bob that occurred in sync with the music. Nearly empty sample tray balanced on one finger, and the other hand was resting on his cane. He looked almost like a robot, the smooth synchronisation of his movements. The mask that covered the excitement on his face, the thrill as he waited for the bodies to drop.

And drop they did.

One by one the customers began to start coughing; the cough would worsen to the point where they felt like they couldn't breathe. They would begin to spit up blood, their faces turning purple as they struggled to take in oxygen. It was then the panic started; people started running around, screaming. Terrified as they attempted to run away in hopes that whatever it was that had gotten the other people wouldn't get them. But there was no luck, only the ones that declined the chocolate would survive. The rest would be dead within minutes.

The black haired man from earlier entered the store. Jester tilted his head. He was continuing to bob up and down as he wondered. Had he defeated the widower? Or had he merely escaped? He could sense magic from the being; he was definitely a mage, which would make this interesting. Sometimes, mages reacted differently from non-magic folk. They were more inclined to play the hero, so would he? Play the hero? Jester was intrigued to watch. He had considered wandering out of the store to view the chaos from afar or perhaps to find another source of entertainment. But there was a temptation to wait; he wanted to watch the black haired mage and see just how he handled this moment. Would he cower and run, or would he take action? Jester smirked, he would only find out if he made a move. Suddenly the clown stopped bobbing up at down. The cane in his hand disappeared, and he reached out. Snatching a customer as they attempted to run past, he gripped the shirt of a teenage boy. Bringing him closer, he threw the tray into the air. His free hand swiped through the air, catching the chocolates as they went flying. He caught four as they fell and brought his hand to the teenager's face. He began forcing the chocolates into his open mouth. He held his hand there, moving his other arm around the boy's neck to hold him in a headlock so he couldn't move. He kept him there, staring at the mages in front of him. Moments later the boy began to cough violently as the same symptoms as the other victims. Jester would hold onto him, not allowing him to flee, the boy would fall limp in his grip as the life left his terrified eyes.

"Oh my, oh my, not a good sweet tooth that one!" He said excitedly to the other mage. Jester had made his move, and now it was his turn. Would he flee or would he fight?

WC: 1161
Total: 2782

Through the holes in his plain, smiling, white mask, Jester would watch the black haired fellow's face. As realisation seemed to dawn on him, exactly what it was that was killing all of these people and more importantly who it was responsible for it. Jester could feel his own excitement rising within, the adrenaline and thrill of this moment. He could have killed these folks and then disappeared into the shadows without a trace. Without them ever realising who it was that had sealed their fates and ruined this happy occasion for the rest of their lives. But instead, he had chosen for something a little different, after all, what good was a chase if there wasn't any risk of being caught.

The man would scream angrily at him, furious about his contamination of the chocolate and the fact he had used it to inflict this lethal punishment to those who had sought to taste him. Jester tilted his head, excited by the man's angry glare. He could feel the rage radiating off him, was he going to attack? How exciting! Jester rarely had anyone fight back, this was new, new and exciting. "Yes, Yes, spiked all the choccy-woccy. Isn't it wonderful? All these lives ended enjoying something as lovely as choccy-woccy. What a splendid way to die, say thank you, Jester." He reached down, grabbing the dead teenagers face. He would use his hands to manipulate his jaw. Thank ye, Jester!" He said, moving the kid's mouth as though he was the one said it, all the why putting on a goofy voice. He straightened up, only to be hit in the face with a blob of red jello, or at least his mask was. His head reeled back from the rebound of the blow. Jester brought his head down to eye the man, only he was gone.

Then there was a sharp blow to his back, Jester flew forward. Rolling along the floor, he didn't several rolly-pollies before crashing into a stack of chocolates. The chocolates crashed around him, burying him for a moment. He lay there, upside down, legs sticking out haphazardly. there was a moment of quiet before the legs disappeared suddenly under the mountain of chocolate boxes. There was a 'click' as Jester clicked his fingers. And suddenly around the room appeared several masked Harlequin, they were the same height as Jester, with no obvious gender to speak of. Dressed in jester costumes, they wore colourful red, blue and gold outfits. On their faces were white masks. Unlike Jester, they wore no smile, in fact, they had no mouth at all. Only eye slots, red eyebrows and a streak of red on their cheeks almost like a blush. There were six in total, three on either side of the 'jello man'. And each of them, carrying a rather sharp, ominous machete.

They would fly towards the black-haired man, swinging their weapons at him in an attempt to attack him. Jester would sit up in his pile of chocolates, the mask vanished. Revealing his actually face. His pale face, and golden eyes, the blue heart on his right cheek and the green clover on his left. His face was split into a wide grin, he giggles excitedly. Jumping to his feet, he would dance around the room. Snapping his fingers one more, a deck of cards appeared in his hands. He played with them for a moment, shuffling them, as he hopped around the room. Before launching them into the air. They would fly around the room, sliding between the mannequins in an attempt to slice away at the man.

All the while Jester would begin to sing, "Jelly-man! Jelly man! Do you perchance... Jelly-man! Jelly-man! Like to dance~"


WC: 623
Total: 3405

The room had quickly divulged into a display of chaos and mayhem, with blank-faced Harlequins moving around swiftly. They would swing their machete's smoothly, despite being entirely robotic in nature, their movements were surprisingly fluid. They aimed carefully as they swung at him, as though they actually had minds of their own. They didn't, every move they made; every swing and every slice was manipulated by the clown. The same went for the cards, that flew around almost like a swarm of birds, diving in and between them in an attempt to hack away at the Jelly man. It seemed however they hadn't come across just any mage. A normal human likely would've hacked to piece by now, but the Jelly-man was proving to be much more of a challenge.

Jester squealed in delight as he witnessed the Jelly-Man's dancing, his body swerving around sporadic in an attempt to avoid Jester's attacks. The clown felt his excitement grow as he watched from across the room. Jester who was standing a little way opposite of the black-haired man took it upon himself to mimic his moves, all the way cackling ecstatically. Keeping up enough to nearly mirror the man with his own comedic dance, it was quite the spectacle. Although there weren't many left around to witness such a curiously odd fight. Most of the stragglers had exited the shop at this point, although there were some bodies that had been left behind, seemingly unclaimed. Perhaps these individuals had come to the store alone in hopes of being their loved ones surprise gifts, or perhaps they had come with some company, but their company decided to flee rather than save them. There was also the likely possibility that those who had come together had all fallen to the poison-laced chocolate samples.

Despite his mocking dance of the Jelly-Man, his golden eyes never left the black-haired fellow, as he bobbed and weaved around the cuts and swift movements of the Harlequins. And even when Jester felt the weapons make contact, the Jelly-Man appeared to be entirely unfazed by it. He just continued on with his chaotic dancing, which only excited the clown more. His bleeding was curious too; it was like slicing away at a bowl of jelly rather than the hard satisfying of human flesh. The man's
unusual physiology intrigued the clown, just how much of the Jello form did the man have, were his bones made of jelly too? He wanted to know; he wanted to know so bad. He found himself fixated on his target, Not only that but just how much could he take before the pain got to him? Jester needed to find out.
"Tehehehee~" He giggled boisterously, "My, my Jelly-Man. You dance so well; I dare say if these people could, they'd be cheering for an encore. Shame they're dead, OH, but wait..." Jester clapped his hands together, and around the room manifested several faceless ghosts appeared, all wearing white gloves. The ghosts began applauding vigorously, as though highly amused by the sight before them. They didn't seek to attack, just floated there, clapping away. Although the sound did happen to have a draining effect on anyone within enough range. "They love you Jelly-Man! They really love you!" The clown cried at the man enthuisiatically. Jester's eyes were locked on the man's face with a fascinated gaze; the man seemed to be getting angry. Like a pot, he was beginning to boil, and soon the scalding water would come pouring out. Jester's laughter became even more high-pitched, his anticipation seeping out. He hadn't had this much fun in a fight for the longest time. In truth, his victims always fell so easily, and as fun as it was to cause chaos and suffering to the weak. This was a different type of fun, a type that he rarely found. The risk, the chaos, the factors that even the clown couldn't control. To find himself in a dangerous situation, against an opponent who could very well kill him brutally. It was the type of thrill that rocked him to the bone, and he could barely contain himself from salivating over the satisfaction of it.

The man seemed to growl in frustration, and suddenly something seems to form out of the nowhere. Reacting on instinct, Jester leapt back, using his acrobatically ability to backflip out of the way. He landed on a table full of the chocolate, pushing down with his hands, he flipped further back once more. He landed short of the doorway and backed out of it a few paces before stopped short of the store's entrance. His eyes rose up, falling on the giant red jello dragon who was far too large to fit in the store. Jester could feel all of his Harlequins crushed up the pressure; they're mechanical bodies unable to move under the pressure of the monster. They would chip and crunch with each passing seconds. Jester giggled hysterically. The man had summoned a ferocious beast, except he hadn't anticipated its size. Jester wondered how the man faired, was he alive or had he been crushed by his own spell. He sincerely hoped he was still alive; the clown wanted to play some more. There were some stragglers outside of the shop who hadn't fled yet, lingering to observe the fight. They shrieked in horror, as the building began to shake and crumble under the pressure of the giant beast inside The building started to crumble, and the walls crashed. Jester moved further back, twirling away from the building as he clapped excitedly. A train of faceless ghost's appearing behind him, clapping away in sync with him and rotating in the same manner as he.

As the building's crumbling settled down, the dust that seeped through the area created a bit of a cover. Jester calculated for a moment, this was fun, but that was quite a beast to face. He wondered what would be the best way to end the creature, or at least the most fun. The monster made quick work of his remaining Harlequins, which meant that his only target would be the clown himself. Jester tilted his head back and forth, still twirling away in and out of the crowd. Who shrieked whenever he passed them. A thought came to mind, and he snapped his fingers. There was a ripple in the air beside him, and suddenly he was running alongside a little clown car. BeepBeep, drove alongside him, playing a perky melody from its radio. The clown car was much like a small beetle car, painted an assortment of blue, yellow and hot pink. The on the opposite of Jester popped open, and once more his clones emerged. Moving towards the dragon, ten of them would circle the creature. Giggling away in the same way the clown was, they would send blasts of malevolent energy. If one was crushed, another clone appeared from the clown car  to take it's place. All the while the car drove around the area, chasing down any onlookers and ramming into them at full speed.

Meanwhile, the really Jester made a beeline for the Jelly-Man. Running at his, his eyes wide with insanity, "Does the Jelly-Man know the Cha-Cha, Clowns can do the Cha-Cha you know. Let's us do it, the Cha-Cha! Ha-Ha-Ha, Cha-Cha-Cha!" The clown said, grabbing at the man's hands almost as though he fully intended to dance with him, before pulling his head back and smashing it forward in an attempt to headbutt the man. Regardless of whether he hit he would attempt to drag the man along, hoping to twirl him around the remains of the store.




WC:1280
Total: 4685

The madness, the chaos, and the pure unadulterated insanity of the scene that have developed in the Rose Gardens. Jester was loving every second of it. This individual, the Jelly-Man, when the clown had laid eyes on him, despite being able to sense his magical prowess, he had never predicted that he would so much fun to toy with. Who knew someone this fun would just fall into his lap on a day like today. This day that had started off so dreary and sickening had mutated into something crazy and delightful. As much fun as Jester had been having since meeting his White Queen. He had long since forgotten the thrill of a real fight. In spite of the situations he put himself in, it was so rare for the clown to find himself in a situation that actually put him in any danger. The only occasional challenge he'd ever faced was the few times during which he had interacted with the Rune Knights. For a while that had been fun, but even that had become boring after all while. Their constantly attempts to capture him had failed. He had heard rumours some interesting characters taking over them policing organisation. But he had yet to see what they were made of. He had hoped that this change in employment might provide the clown with a little more entertainment in his future. Until then he would just wait and see. But for now this fight with the Jelly-Man; Jester found he was reminded of the juicy delight that was the risk of death at the hands of another. The to and fro they would engage in to see, who would kill the other. It was immeasurably delicious.

The dragon and the clones were engaged in quite the fight; the giant beast was able to crush and kill the Jester clones with ease. From which another would burst from the clown car and run towards the fray to replace it. They were running over to blast the creature with as many bursts of dark malovelent energy before they were crushed once more, continuing the cycle. The clown car was slamming into bodies left right and centre, taking no prisoners. It hit them at full force; some rolled over the top of the car, thrown to the earth roughly, which was awful but much less horrific than those who were crushed underneath. Their flesh and bones crushed under the weight of the vehicle, creating a symphony of sickening 'crunching' sounds. It was a flavour to the bouncy music blared from the cars radio that excited the clown even more. The music itself was causing the Clowns wounds to heal, the reversing some of the damage dealt by the man's earlier attack. The Jelly-Man quipped back at Jester remark to the audience's favour of him, causing the clown to throw his head back and cackle in delight. There was a clear discomfort in the man's words; Jester could only conclude that the chaos was getting to him, a factor in which he enjoyed thoroughly. He wanted to break him, break him physically and mentally in any way he could. He could only imagine what it would be like, to see someone so powerful snap completely. It was bound to be a wonderful showing.

"My, my, freakshow? Whatever do you mean, this is merely a festival of love. Lovey-wovey-dovey-love. Look at this splendid love. Can you see it, the truth that surrounds us? The truth behind love my dear Jelly-Man is devastation. Witness it in all its glory, how magnificent it is!" He chirped happily back, before continuing with his attack. Upon taking the dark-haired mans hands, he would lead him into a rather awkward cha-cha. Following the headbutt, the man's neck would rocket back in an unnatural way. Jester bobbed along with him, watching with intrigue as he had snapped back, headbutt the clown back. Jester's head flopped back from the force, causing him to look up at the scary. All the while the redhead would grin manically despite the blood now pouring down his face, continuing to spin the man along the grounds of the Rose Garden's streets. In the bizarre dance fight that it was.

Jester could feel the sticky jelly moving over his arms, holding him in place and making it impossible for him to get free even if he wanted to. It was such a clever tactic, which surely meant one of two things; He was either holding him in place as a means of restraining him and ending the fight. Or, there was a more exciting option, in which the man intended to use this as an opportunity to attack and potentially kill the clown. Jester saw the chest of the mage begin to turn red, and could only assume it was the latter. Without knowing what it was that would happen. He clicked his tongue, commanding one of the spells active to change its course of action. Suddenly the faceless ghosts shot towards them, moving around him. Surrounding him entirely, their gloves hands would place themselves over his body. Almost burying him in gloved hands, they would cover the clown just in time as the spell exploded from the Jelly Man's chest. The molten jelly hit the hands, searing away at the fabric. A few flecks of molten sugar had gotten through and was melting away at his suit, but for the most part, the hands had managed to cover the clown. He chuckled behind the gloved hands that were still gripping onto him protectively. One burnt glove would move away from Jesters face, revealing only half of what was still covered by burnt gloved hands. The hand floated over to the dark-haired, moving under his chin to tickle the dark-haired man.

"My turn! My turn!" He chirped eagerly, cards would begin to appear around him. Floating around the two men menacingly, more and more appearing until the full deck of fifty-two hovered around the Jelly-Man. The cards turned in mid-air, their sharpened steel edges turning toward the mage before flying towards the man. Jester was excited to see what he would do, would he release his hold on the clown or would he attempt to deflect the attack. Jester would wait with bated breathe, to see what his opponent would do.



WC:1055
Jester's Total: 5740
Thread Total: 9701 / 16,000

Jester had to commend the Jelly-Man's efforts, he was doing so well. So well compared to the normal 'troglodytes' the clown ended up facing. So many individuals who were so easy to kill, for a long time, it had been like crushing bugs under his foot. The ease and simplicity of the kills, becoming so easy that they had begun to lack a certain lustre. Had it not been for the clown's constant need to create suffering and pain, he'd have likely had gotten bored of it. But this Jelly-Man was different, so well had he thwarted dying by Jester's hand. Fighting back effectively all the while trying to save the innocent from Jester's relentless punishment, it was a humble effort. But whether they were saved by the Jelly Man, it mattered not, they were already marked. The trauma they'd endured today would haunt them for the rest of their lives, the loved one they abandoned for the sake of freedom. Save them he might, but as far as Jester was concerned, he had gotten exactly what he wanted. Sometimes, it was better not to kill all of your victims, fear couldn't fester if you were dead. There was bound to be an aftermath of sorts, every individual would be affected differently. Some might get over it, but they would never truly be the same. You didn't just endure such exposure and carry on with your lives as though nothing happened. The human brain was simply not designed to endure such things without a certain amount of ... scaring. On top of this, plans were still in motion, the clown had so much to do, and every petrified little mind that developed as a result of his work was all a part of the great plan.

Jester's eyes narrowed slightly at the Jelly-Man's reaction to his words, he could feel it, the aura around the man changed. His eyes were filled with pain and his words fueled with the despair the clown so relished. He licked his lips at the sight of it, the feel of it stirring a deep pleasure within the clown. Jester, chuckled deeply, leaning closer before whispering to the man. "But you know I'm right don't you, you've felt it. The devastation I speak of, it pulls at you, doesn't it? That pain, so tightly it tears you apart. Shan't be much longer before it becomes too much, perhaps you should give in? Give into it. If not, it'll build and build, until one day. It snaps you in half, and you lose yourself entirely." There was a sense of truth behind the clown's words, as though for once he wasn't toying with the man. There was... a sense of understanding behind what he was saying, as though he could relate very much to a feeling. Because they're had been a time when he had fought against such despair. And so it had kept building, and building until finally, he snapped.

And once you snapped, there was no going back.

In spite of the ferocity of the attack, Jester's gloved hand had managed to shield him proficiently enough. That was one of the perks of having magic with its own physicality, that regardless of the attack. If it stood in front of you. It simply would get hit first. Jester had no qualms about allowing the hands to take the damage for him either, they were merely ghosts after all. They felt no pain, they only adhered to his will. A set of tools to be used at his disposal, connected to his mind via a magical link of command. Which meant, although he felt no pain, he felt the melting fabric as it seared up from the hot of the Jelly-Man's attack. It was also this connection that allowed him to feel what his cards were doing. Every cut they delivered, the carving of flesh, the blood that spurted forth. Jester continued to grin excitedly at the man, peeking through at him from the only uncovered part of his face.

The dark-haired man would appear to be assessing the situations, before looking back at Jester and smirking as his body began to become translucent in nature. It was an effective way to avoid the cards, only proving to thrill the clown as he observed. Jester, who had full control over the cards, would sweep them throw his body. As though almost experiment with the mans curious form. A card would fly close to Jester's face, the gloves moving away. Jester would run his tongue along the flat surface of the card, licking the ace of spades as though to taste the residue jello. It was sweet, quite delightful in fact, his insides were certainly tasty. Jester would throw his head back and cackle once more, it was the first time, he'd ever contemplating cannibalism. Having never seen the appeal in it. Who knew such an interesting opponent would appear and lead him into such crazy thoughts. It was wholly amusing.

A smell would fill the air, sweeter than before. Almost sickly so. Jester felt an immediate wave of fatigue, his vision would begin to blur and he would feel the urgent craving to drink something. He would hear the Jelly-Man's words, realisation hitting him. The clown would smirk back, what a wonderfully awful spell. The Jelly-man had certainly gotten him, whatever it was that he had inhaled. It was affecting him quite severely, perhaps it was time to take this a little more...seriously. "Indeed... slow suffering... effective but..." the would be a popping sound, and the air around them would rain with clown horns. Some fell from the sky, landing at their feet. "I much prefer instantaneous carnage." A gloved hand suddenly flew over to cover the remainder of his face and lifting his leg up. Jester would stomp down hard on a red clown-horn, sensing its location through his magic. Upon contact, the red horn would suddenly explode with the full power and force of a grenade, and unless the Jelly-man let go. It would hit both men, at full force, and was likely to send them flying in opposite directions.

---

The Jelly-Man's words caused Jester to tilt his head, his breath catching slightly as he felt the tone of his words. The man was one who knew pain, it was clear from what he'd said and the signals in his behavior. Jester could not help but let out a soft giggle at the sight of it, savoring the pain in his blue eyes. It was a masterful sight, a work of art. A sadness so pure, Jester could only wish to know what it was that had manifested it. These yearnings would only stir a greater craving in the clown, for more pain and much more devastation. He wanted to see it more than anything; A broken Jelly-Man. He would lean forward, purring the following words to his opponent. "And to think, all of the things you did, all of it... was never good enough to stop it. Because it's what you deserved." Jester did not know of the man's past, what he'd done or others had done. But he knew pain, he knew pain very well, and whether the man was assigning guilt to himself already or not, Jester wanted to plant more seeds. He relished the thoughts of what delicious suffering they could grow to become. The darkness that had the potential to manifest, or perhaps was already there, there for him to feed.

Suddenly, there was a searing pain that drew the clowns attention, he had just about summoned the clown horns and was about to destroy one underfoot. When claws tore into the magical gloved hands that had been covering his arms, ripping through them and protruding from the palms to dig into the clown's forearms. The clown threw his head back, inhaling sharply. It was a strange reaction, anyone looking might assume the man was experiencing pleasure; particularly from the way his eyes rolled back and how his tongue darted across his lips in a flicker. Something about his opponent finding a way to break through his defenses and inflict actual pain on him was truly stimulating to the red-head. The pain of the demonic claws ripping through his flesh only fueled his enjoyment of their interaction.

Jester would exhale slowly, before lowering his gaze to the Jelly Man once more. His golden eyes widening as he began to witness the transformation the man was undertaking; the ways his sparkling blue eyes, that had only moments ago been riddled with pain and sadness, shifted in front of him in such a way that they now glared with threatening lethality, becoming colored with inhuman hues of black and gold. From the man's mouth, razor-sharp fangs would begin to protrude out menacingly. Jester still acting on the instinct of getting away from the lethal fumes he was inhaling due to the Jelly Mans magic, at that point, brought his foot crashing down on the red clown horn. The sole of his shoe crushing the red plastic balloon-shaped end forcibly, and from which the explosion magic erupted.

Jester flew backward, the claws tearing through the flesh of his arms as they were blown away by the force of the explosion. Flying through the air at tremendous speed, he's body spinning fervently from the effect of the blast, hitting the ground several yards away, and rolling along the ground a number of times until he eventually rolled to a stop. He would lie there in a crumpled heap, his body contorted in an unnatural fashion, with his spine and legs curled over his head, with his arms squashed underneath him. One might assume that the man was dead for a moment, for he was still for a moment, and his eyes were closed, blood poured from his gashes in his arms, around his body parts of him had been seared by his own spell, especially around his right foot. The foot he'd used to stomp on the bomb had as a result received the majority of the blast. His golden eyes opened, hearing the voice the Jelly Man calling to him. He sounded different, while his voice itself sounded the same, there was something about his tone that was more menacing than before, the sadness eradicated completely. The clown's body would uncurl slowly, his feet touched the floor and like a spring, he would lift himself up before straightening out. Distantly the clown car could be heard driving towards him, blasting out its ice-cream style music loudly enough for its owner to hear. As the sound of the song reached him, energy would stir around the clown. His wounds beginning to heal themselves, not completely, but enough to return him to a somewhat less fragile state. Had it not been for his own magical resistance, and the gloves he'd used to protect his body, the clown would surely be dead. Killed by his own spell, now that would've been an interesting ending, but not quite the one that he was seeking. Death would come later, there was still far too much to do.

The clown turned towards the sound of the Jelly Man's voice, who was now promising the carnage that he had claimed to seek. A new bout of excitement formed within the clown, this was proving to be such a thrilling exchange. With everything he'd thrown at the man, he'd offered something equally exciting in exchange, it had been years since the clown had enjoyed this much fun. And with each passing moment, he only wanted more. Perhaps he was being foolish, maybe a little greedy. There was such a thing as too much of a good thing. But he wasn't ready for it to end, not just yet. He knew if he could not best the man, it would be prudent to retreat. Maybe he wouldn't even kill the man, maybe he would spare him so that they could one day do this again. But first, he wanted to see what it was that had triggered this personality change in the Jelly-Man. What were its roots? The clown was curious. He brought his hands together like a prayer, then as he pulled them apart, several playing cards manifested between them. The entire deck of fifty-two cards shuffling between his fingers. This was rare, it wasn't often that Jester felt the need to summon the entire deck. But the Jelly-Man had proven a worthy opponent to warrant it.

"Yes! Let us play Jelly-Man, play to our heart's content!" He retorted excitably, twirling happily on the spot, before releasing his cards into the air. They would soar, like butterflies, except much faster. The swarm of cards darted towards the air-borne man, aiming to carve their way into his flesh.

---

Jester's hips wiggled as the cards sliced up the Jelly Man with little resistance, it seemed he was taking the attack, or rather choosing not to bother deflecting it. The clown wondered, had the man giving up on life, or was he simply choosing to accept the pain. It was an alluring sight at least, all the while this was happening, the clown car would pass by once more playing the music loudly. It was driving a little more idly now that it didn't have any more victims to mow down. Everyone in the vicinity had either been killed or escaped, the entire square looked like a war zone following a battle. Escape the battle was still going, just between the two of them, even onlookers had chosen that watching the scene was no longer worth it. Fleeing the area as fast as they could to get away from the danger. The music would heal the clown up a little more, his foot nearly back to normal now aside from a few light burns. This was good, it meant he got to dance a little longer.

The Jelly man would fly down landing on the ground, his body undergoing another curious change, covered in flames of black and gold. The energy Jester sensed from the man was darker, more ominous, the wings disappearing from behind him. He would create giant orbs of fire, holding them out on either side of him like a glorious deity. It was quite a sight, for a moment the clown was mesmerized by its raw power. He wanted to touch it, to feel it. As the Jelly Man spoke, his smile would widen, stretching across his face to eerie proportions.  As the orbs flew towards him, Jester snapped his fingers. Harlequins would appear, taking the attack in place of their master as they threw themselves at the orbs, and exploding as the cursed energy hit them. Jester could feel the energy through the dolls and would giggle delightedly. The man continued his onslaught of questions, the clown's face didn't change, all the while he continued to bare that creepy, disturbingly wide smile. This was good, excellent, magnifico!

"Would you really like to know?" He asked in the most excited tone, Jester clapped his hands and disappeared in a flash, no Harlequin took his place this time. The space in which he had been standing was empty, and all around, the area would change. The sky was gone, covered by the roof of the tent that would now surround the Jelly Man. The inside of the circus tent was very grande, reflective of the inside of a circus that existed many years ago. Except for the inside also had a sinister touch, the walls smeared with blood, and as one explored they might find broken bones and severed limbs. Jester was now sat on top of the tent, out of sight, the means to give himself an opportunity to speak. Around the Jelly man, more of the same colored horns would appear, landed softly on the ground around him. A warning should he attempt to move suddenly, that if he trod on one, they would have a repeat of the earlier incident with the horn.

"Then I shall tell you, dear Jelly Man, for you have earned a great tale..." His voice would boom around the tent as if from a speaker, the location of which could not be seen. The inside of the tent suddenly became dark, and towards the center of the where the performer's ring would be, a spotlight appeared. Two harlequins stood in a tight embrace, and a clown car circled them playing a different tune from before. Instead of carnival-like music, the sound that would play was a soft sweet melody, one with the air of a minstrel classical musician. The song was pleasant, perhaps even slightly romantic. "Once upon a time, there was a mama and a papa, they were happy people, deeply in love and content with themselves and their family..." Out of the clown car, Jester would step, except he wasn't Jester, but a small, child-like version of the red-head, no older than eight years old. Together he and the harlequins would dance along to the music, acting as they danced to portray the story as it was told. It was much like watching a ballet, the movement was skillful and the choreography so clean one would think it was well-rehearsed.

"A family of three, a picture of normality... or so one might think... but the boy was quirky, some might say a little odd...many found him concerning, kids felt him weird. There was talk, incidents, and slowly the family became ostracized..." The lighting grew more ominous and the music deeper and sadder. "The mama and papa became stressed, they would argue. The Papa began to stay out late and the Mama would cry. Such an unhealthy pattern of behavior would emerge and grow seemingly more difficult. Especially the Papa, who turned to the aid of intoxication, and so things took a turn for the worse." The Harlequin doll playing the papa would strike the mama doll, before turning to the child Jester with a belt. The scene would fade, "Things continued down this dark path for a while until finally, the family decided to take a break from reality and escape to the countryside." Jester could be seen skipping along, giggling happily, his expression was so real, so honest. It almost looked unnatural compared to the clown's usual face. "But of course, things can never be simple, and during a scolding on the cliff, an accident occurred..." Jester could be seen being shouted at by the papa doll, and the small child would run towards his papa, with outstretched arms in what appeared to be a hug. Except the force of the hug would knock the papa doll backward, the music would drop into a low repetitive beat and the papa doll would act as though he was falling in slow-motion. The thud to the ground with a loud boom, before the spotlight, faded once more.

"Some say it's the child's fault, that he pushed him, killing his father in a rebellious act of wanting to end the abuse. Some say the child simply wanting to embrace his father, to stop his shouting by showing him an act of love." The light came back on this time on the grieving mama doll, who appeared to weep incessantly. The young boy would try to comfort her, only to be forcibly shoved away. "Grief is a fickle thing, I've been told that it is a natural part of what happens when a loved one leaves us. And that over time it heals us, so we can move on and become stronger. That jagged wound carved into our hearts becomes but a small scar, except I've found, this is not always the case. That wound on your heart becomes infected and cannot heal, growing steadily more malignant as time goes on." Jesters' voice had become a little less playful at this point, but rather sounded quite void of emotion. "The Mama in this story, she could not heal, she could not accept. Instead, she could only blame, blame all her misfortune on the one thing she could not control... and so she decided to remove that source of blame from her life completely."

The scene changed, becoming much more lively, as several Harlequins moved into the light, performing, acting out the scene to show the Jelly Man what one could only assume was a Circus. Where she led little Jester through the midst of, little Jester appeared to look around with big excited golden eyes, now at the ripe age of twelve. And then the circus extras moved out of view, to another doll, playing the role of ringmaster. Jester was forced into the man's arms, and the Mama doll would turn away, leaving the two. The little boy struggling against the man's grip, crying desperately for his mother.  "Maybe she thought it was best, that he would be safer there, happier. They could both live their lives in peace, no longer haunted by their past. And maybe had she known what horrors her son would face, then perhaps she would never have left him there. Because it would be only here, here the boy would learn of pain, of suffering. The place where the already twisted parts of his soul would be pulled apart, again, again, again, and again."

The music would grow louder and louder, building to a mass crescendo, before coming to a sudden cease. The lights going out on the boy completely. "Now despite what you may be thinking, these experiences do not grant me a reason for my actions, I know what I am. I know what I've done. To answer your earlier questions; yes, I've killed lovers, yes, I was abandoned, I was wronged and twisted in ways you could only imagine, my circus didn't leave me, but rather I left them..." As the lights reappeared, the clone of Jester was older now, in his teens. The scene was chaos, Harlequins fled from him and one by one his chased them down, mutilating and killing them.

"So you wonder, if this is your fate. If at the end of it all, you will become me? Oh no, no, no Jelly Man. You could never become me. Because what you are right now, is already far worse than anything I could aspire for." He taunted, the spotlight would fade, and normal lighting would return to the tent once more. "Whilst we both carve our sufferings into the lives of others, I do so, without remorse, without care. Whereas you, you allow them to love you first, before drawing your curse upon them. Which some might consider to be; so much crueler." Jester's harlequins disappear as does his clone, and behind the Jelly man, the real Jester appeared, walking around the man almost casually. "This is your truth Jelly Man... now, I do believe, we had a dance to finish." And with a quick spin, he would lift his foot into the air to aim a kick at the man's face.

The battle that ensued following this was long and hard, the fighting dragged on for such a time. The exchange of moves and attacks being one that created a fantastic medley of pain. For each attack one made, the other countered and so it went on. And on... And on... Until the two could fight no more. At least, not properly. Jester looked up at the sky, his tent had since disappeared under the strain of battle, meaning he was unable to manifest it any longer. The same went for any of his equipment, it was all gone, leaving him just lying there alongside his rival. His chest rising up and down with haste, his breathing heavy and his red hair laced with sweet. Weakly he turned and reached over, unable to resist the urge to attempt to hit the man once more. Although all he could muster was a weak prod to the cheek with his finger. The clown snickered, before looking up the sky.

In the distance voices could be heard, the sounds of horses and soldiers moving towards them. Jester tilted his head upwards to eye the oncoming haggle of Rune Knights closing in to arrest him. "And that... Jelly Man, is where I... take my leave..." He whispered between haggard breaths. Tentatively turning towards the man, giggling at the ache his body was feeling. He moved his hand from the man's cheek to his chin, tickling his chin playfully. "It has been a ...wonderful dance, Jelly Man.... Maybe we can do it again sometime...Until then.." With one final giggle, the man would disappear, disappearing without a trace as he returned to that special place.

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