Erin:...
...
...Those assholes really just left me here to get ice cream.
...
...Fucking typical.
"Damnit!" Hope shouted, just barely pulling Jade out of the way, unwilling to stop and stare at the flaming debri that almost crushed them, "How the hell do we get out of here!?"
As if to answer her question, a roar echoed through the fire-lit sky, Hope cursing as she gripped Jade's hand harder, running as fast as Jade's pace would allow her. More than once she tugged Jade's hand, as if to urge her to run faster.
The fire around them rose up into walls of inferno, trapping them in with whatever had killed Foraii. Hope shook the thought away, unable and unwilling to think about how that thing had broken and flung Foraii's body to the side. Instead, she pushed Jade up against what looked to be an overturned roof.
She took a quick peek over the side, checking to see if they could have a few seconds of safety, before turning back to Jade. She waved her hand in front of Jade's face, her frown growing frantic when she didn't get any sort of response, "Jade, come on, you need to snap out of it!"
When Jade didn't respond, Hope took a moment to psyche herself up before slapping her across the face, wincing when she got no reaction, "I need you in the here and now, come on!"
Jade continued to stare on, eyes unfocused and glossy. It was like she was watching the world without processing it, content to stand on the side rather than act.
Hope couldn't have that, not right now.
"We don't have time for this!" Hope shouted before grabbing Jade's cheeks, searching her eyes for some sign of life in them, "Come on, come back, Jade!"
For a split second, Jade's lips parted. Hope jumped when something flickered behind her eyes, waiting with bated breath for Jade to say something. Her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly, only to have her head slump over completely, sliding back into that complacent state.
"Shit." Hope popped her head back up, only to duck down when that thing whipped its head around. She took one last look at Jade before groaning, "Fuck it."
It took a lot of maneuvering, and while the mentally absent Jade didn't make it any easier, Hope finally got Jade on her back. Hope's knees shook as she rose, hands wrapping around and under Jade's thighs while her shoulders supported Jade's arms. Jade's cheek rested on the top of her own, and in her state, Hope was positive that she'd have a crown of drool by the time this was all over.
She took in as deep a breath as she dared, hands shaking ever so slightly as she stood up. She took in the burning wreckage of Swinford, the destroyed Main Hall, the crisp remains of Jade's shack-
No. Hope shook her head, forcing those feelings back down as she pushed on, grip subconsciously tightening on Jade as she ran. She couldn't give in to the slight swell of her throat, the smell of smoke, none of it. She couldn't afford it, Jade couldn't afford it, not when she was like this.
Hope nearly screamed when a hand wrapped around her wrist, nearly forcing her through a wall of flames. Hope did her best to flail about while keeping Jade on her, unwilling to go down without a fight.
"Easy, calm down!" A familiar voice grunted, "I'm 'ere to 'elp!"
The familiar accent calmed Hope down, just barely able to hear it over the heavy pounding in her chest, "Solgren?"
"No, I'm the fucking Easter Bunny." He grunted, hefting what Hope assumed to be an old broadsword over his shoulder as he peeked over the cover, "What do you think, 'ope?"
"Sorry, it's just…" Hope gestured to the shitstorm around them, "You know."
Solgren gave a grunt of agreement, seemingly confident in their spot before finally getting a good look at Hope. She could only imagine how she looked; a tiny soot-covered demon struggling to hold up the weight of a smaller but equally filthy shapeshifter.
Truly the epitome of demonic beauty. A succubus had nothing on her right now.
Hope allowed herself a small smirk at that sarcastic thought, a moment of pure happiness in the current situation.
"Damn, Lez…" She'd almost completely blanked out on Solgren, who's expression morphed into concern as he brushed some hair out of Jade's face, "What 'appened to 'er?"
"I don't know, I found her like this," Hope muttered, jumping ever so slightly as that thing roared once more, "She's alive, but she isn't responsive."
"Pity, I'm sure we could take that thing down." Solgren muttered, before shaking his head, hopping over their barricade of sorts, "Come on then, I'll lead you two out of 'ere. You can 'old Lez?"
"Yep." Hope insisted, unwilling to think about denying it. She could do it if that was the only choice, right?
"Good on you." Solgren nodded, doing his best to keep to the ground with that broadsword held tightly in his grip, "This way."
Hope's knees screamed at her as she trailed Solgren, only stopping when the other demanded it. He'd check around corners, always keeping an eye on that thing they were trapped in with. "What the hell is that thing?"
"Don't know, but it's 'uman." Hope shot the back of Solgren's head with a baffled look, "Yeah, confused me too, but that's what Foraii said. Said it was 'uman and smelled like a demon 'unter."
Hope forced her heart beat back down, ignoring the swelling in her throat as she took the information in, turning around ever so slowly to get a better look of the creature. No, there was no way that… That…
"Where'd it go?"
Solgren looked around as well, expression dropping as he cursed, "Bloody 'ell, it shouldn't be possible to lose sight of something that big!"
"Maybe it collapsed or something?" Hope's enthusiasm was about as useful if her claim had been sarcastic.
"Damnit." Solgren grumbled, continuing on at a quickened pace, "Hope just barely able to catch up, "Fuckin' Etri should 'ave been back by now, supposed to stick round me and 'elp me out. Where the 'ell is that twink of a bastard?"
Hope felt her mouth dry up, as if her body was refusing to give the answer Solgren deserved. How would you put it into words, her mind chided to her? How would she explain the body she'd nearly tripped over? The cold lifeless look in its eyes? The large gash that was most likely caused by the same sword in that thing's wrist?
"There we are." Solgren muttered, ushering Hope through an arch way of sorts, protecting them from the fire as they finally got out of the town, "Alright, why don't you just-Shit, MOVE!"
If it wasn't for Solgren's grip on her shoulder when he pulled her, Hope's knees would have buckled right then and there. Solgren pushed Hope's head down, forcing her to duck under the chunk of fire that flew over head, "Fuck, it's like it was waiting for us!"
"What's the plan?" Hope had to shout over the thing's roar, unable to look away from it. Now that she was close, she couldn't help the frantic voice in the back of her head, screaming at her to run from the familiar figure. Granted, she didn't think that the Denholm Hunter had been that bulked up in Penketh...
"Go!" Solgren shouted, planting himself between them and Swinford, shoulders set as he readied himself, "Get Lez to safety!"
"We can't just leave you behind!"
"Stop wasting time and RUN!" Solgren shouted, refusing to turn around as he faced Blythe down, hands refusing to shake as he gripped the handle of his sword, "OVER 'ERE YOU FAT FUCK!"
Hope forced herself to turn around and run the moment Solgren charged back in, his bellow ringing in her ears as she picked up the pace. Hope forced herself to run faster when that battle cry was cut in half, escaping into the trees.
She ran as fast as she could, nearly tripping over her own feet as she carried Jade along with her, unwilling to take a break and turn around.
She hopped over the fallen and burnt bodies she came across, each step throwing her feet into a screaming fit. She refused to stop and stare, to take in the situation as a whole, instead pressing on as she kept a tight hold on Jade.
No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much she wanted to, she didn't stop running.
As if things couldn't get any worse, Violet collapsed to her knees.
His foolish brother took the opportunity, the both of them knowing that he wouldn't have a chance without one. As if that wasn't already enough on Corvus' plate, the estranged woman laughed with delight, a grin on her own splitting her face as she too jumped into the fight.
He had no time to check on Violet, who was now convulsing on the ground behind him, eyes wide as her hands clawed at her own throat.
Not that he had much time to think on it, a bit too preoccupied at the moment.
"Would you look at that, the dirty bird can dance." Corvus rolled his eyes, smile betraying nothing as he fought the spider off, "And here I thought you'd simply fly away."
"Your one liners are garbage, but I'll give you an A for trying!" Corvus turned around just in time to catch the estranged woman's leg, flinging her to the side before grabbing Aranea's outstretched wrist, twisting the sword from his grip.
"Oh dear, he seems pretty skilled." Corvus grabbed the sword before Aranea could, one hand holding the sword out while the other stayed behind him, attempting to block Violet off with his injured shoulder. Corvus' eyes darted from his brother to the other woman, who seemed quite ecstatic with being thrown a few feet away, leisurely walking back over with a sort of skip in her step, "Do you need someone to tag you out, Claude?"
"Now is not the time, Cynthia." Claude huh? Corvus couldn't help but scoff at the human name his brother seemed to answer to.
Like a dog.
"Now now, let's not get too antsy here." Corvus hated how his voice nearly faltered, eyeing the two as he weighed his options. His brother was as good as useless without a weapon, so most of his attention went towards the woman; Cynthia, if he recalled correctly. Cynthia seemed to return his gaze with a flirty wink of her own, giggling behind the back of her hand, "I'm terribly sorry that we got off on the wrong foot, but I'm not going to allow either of you a step closer."
"Oh, a gentleman who isn't afraid to put his foot down. You don't tend to see a lot of those in the base." Cynthia grinned at that despite how lifeless her voice sounded, the twinkle in her eye lost to the robotic nature of her words, "As utterly intriguing as you seem, I'm going to have to hand you over to my accomplice here."
"Don't call me that."
"With all due respect, neither of you will be taking a step closer." The weight of the sword in his hand felt wrong no matter how he adjusted his grip, much to Aranea's amusement, if the slight smirk on his face was anything to go by.
"And what will you do to ensure that?" Corvus never was good with a sword. When he'd been pushed to learn all those years ago, nothing seemed to work. He'd change his grip, his sword, his instructor; nothing ever seemed to click. He just wasn't made to swordfight, plain and simple.
Aranea knew it, his sneer growing as he took a step forward, "You never were too good with a sword, Corvus. Now isn't a good time to pretend you are."
"And you're willing to fight me regardless?" Corvus scoffed, eyes locking onto Aranea's form as the spider demon took another step forward. That damn sneer on his face made Corvus' blood boil, the glint in those golden eyes more than anger-inducing. "I never thought you that foolish, 'Arc'."
Corvus felt the shift before he said it on Aranea's face, "I'm not." In hindsight, Corvus should have noticed the total lack of anger at his obvious prompting.
As if on cue, Cynthia made a mad dash straight for him, pupils blown out as she grinned, "You'll have to be faster than that!" Corvus had expected her to try and make a break past him, not come straight for him. He did his best to swipe at her, only to have her jump up.
If it were any other sort of encounter, Corvus would have been impressed with Cynthia's incredible self-control. She planted her hand on the flat on the blade, swinging her body about as if she were to attempt to break down on the blade itself, the heel of her foot connected with his face.
Corvus dropped the sword in his stupor, and as if that wasn't bad enough, she used his injured arm as a sort of springboard, tossing herself up and over Corvus, "He's all yours now, demon boy! I'd like a piece of this tasty little morsel over here."
"MY LADY!" Corvus didn't get the chance to turn around, Aranea tackling him to the ground instead. He came up to straddle Corvus down, holding each wrist down as he leered down on the other, "Why you little-."
"There's no need to begin throwing around ungentlemanly words here, Corvus." Aranae cooed down on him, those stupid glasses giving his eyes an almost demented gleam, one to match the grin on his
face, "I'd hate to subject the poor girl to your filthy mouth."
"You won't have her." Corvus spat, unable to move his injured arm under the strain, "You've already lost once, and I don't plan to let you win now."
"Ah, yes, how could I forget; you always did get what you wanted. Making a big fuss only to toss it away the moment it disinterests you." Aranea shifted so that his knees held Corvus' arms down, one hand moving to grab his chin, forcing Corvus to look at him, "I often wonder if you would have done the same to her, you know. Would you have done the same to her? Would you have thrown Kuro away the moment you grew bored, once something else more intriguing came by?"
Before Corvus could spit out a retort, a shrill scream filled the air. Aranea looked up just in time to have Cynthia fly into him, the force enough to knock him right off. The two went tumbling off, Cynthia landing the wrong way in the rubble, nearly pulling Aranea down with her.
In his stupor, Corvus had failed to notice the sheer power radiating from behind him, sweat growing cold as he finally managed to pull himself up.
He watched as Violet stood there, eyes white and cloudy, unfocused yet attentive. She didn't have the same white glow from Tarrin, nor did she have that insane demonic aura from Penketh. No, it looked like she had a little mix of both, almost fighting for control.
"...My lady?" Corvus tried to get her attention calmly, reaching out with his good hand. Her head flicked to the side, eyes meeting his own for a split second before twisting towards the sound of cackling.
Violet's gaze landed on something behind him, head tilting to the side as Aranea stood back up, hissing as he clutched his head. The spider demon tilted his head to the side, Violet mimicking him, "...My god, Corvus, what happened to her?"
Even if he had wanted to, Corvus didn't get a chance to answer him. Violet practically flew forth, aura flickering just a shade darker as she rushed Aranea, throwing her fist right into his abdomen. For a split second, Corvus could see Violet's face split into Kuro's grin, eyes flashing a deep purple the moment her fist connected.
Aranea all but crumpled over, just barely able to grab Violet's other fist before it could deck him in the chin, throwing her around before backing up. Not that he got too far, a single kick more than enough to send Aranea flying, her aura slowly but surely growing brighter with each second.
Honestly, it happened too fast for Corvus to comprehend it. One second, Cynthia was flying at Violet, a knife of sorts sliding into her hand as she whipped around, blade pointed for Violet's side, "No hard feelings, but I'm really not in the mood for-"
Cynthia was cut off by the sound of her own scream. Corvus blinked and, just like that, Cynthia was on her knees, clutching her awkwardly bent elbow. From where Corvus stood, dumbfounded, he could have sworn that all Violet did was turn to face her.
Corvus just stood there, clutching his injured side as he stared Violet. He watched as her aura shifted to something darker, something more akin to his own, as she turned to watch Aranea pick up his sword.
The foolish woman chose that moment to try and attack again, assuming that Violet had forgotten her the moment she turned her back. Not that her surprise attack mattered much, the blade sinking into Violet's side with little to no reaction.
Realization dawned on Cynthia's face too late, Violet twisting around in order to grab Cynthia's wrist, leaving the blade embedded in her side as she pulled Cynthia up, slamming her forehead into the other woman's.
Just like that, Cynthia crumpled to the floor, blood oozing from her forehead as Violet stepped over her.
Corvus wasn't sure if he'd ever seen that level of fear on his brother's face, how it seemed to seep into his stance and overall posture. He looked almost hesitant, concerned almost, "Kuro," Aranea murmured, her name coming out as a soft whisper, "Are you in there?"
Violet seemed to stop at the name, head tilting to the side, as if willing herself to remember. Corvus watched, unsure of what to do as Violet slowly took steps closer to Aranea, eyeing him like a confused child, "Kuro?"
Aranea's face nearly split with the smile that grew on his face, dropping the sword altogether as Violet came closer, "Yes, you remember, don't you? You remember me, right, Kuro?"
Corvus felt it before it happened, the sudden shift in the air. One second, Violet looks like the strongest being in the world, and the next, she's on her knees, screaming as she tore her hair out.
Corvus reacted before Aranea did, moving to kick his brother square in the chest, sending him flying into the rubble around them.
Once he was sure the spider demon wouldn't be a problem, Corvus rushed to Violet's side, unsure what to do. Violet writhed on the ground, an image that Corvus was all too familiar with at this point. Her aura seemed to flicker dangerously, one second too bright to look at, and the next, dark enough to feel. Corvus tried to touch Violet's shoulder, only to have the girl grab his gloved fingers, tears trailing down her eyes as she seemingly searched his own.
Corvus held his breath, waiting for Violet to bend them backwards in a moment of unbridled fury, only to have her grip soften, head lolling to the side. He nearly dropped her, catching her before she could bounce against the cold stone ground. He couldn't help but just take a moment to stare, Violet's breath coming out as white puffs of air.
Finally, Corvus pulled her up with his good arm, doing his best to hold her as a parent would with one arm, Violet's chin resting on his shoulder as he turned to Aranea, "I wouldn't recommend following us."
Aranea seemed to take a moment to breath, holding his arm before finally putting that damned sword away. The look he gave Corvus was the dirtiest thing he could manage, mouth curved into a scowl as his eyes dropped to Violet's smaller form.
"What did you do?" Aranea spat, blood trailing down from the side of his mouth, "I knew you did something, but I never thought her soul would be so… So damaged."
"That is none of your concern." Corvus all but growled, his good arm moving to support Violet's weight better while his other cradled Violet's head against his shoulder. He casted a pitiful look down at the human woman, "She, however, might be."
Aranea looked between him and Cynthia, as if weighing his options, before moving to collect the woman, "I will come for her. I will take her from you, and keep her safe from you."
"Keep lying to yourself." Corvus muttered, turning away as Aranea rose, carrying the woman bridal style as he glared at the back of Corvus' head, "We both know that you're just as bad as I am."
Aranea seemed to mutter something under his breath, before turning around, "...I only allow you to leave because I have more important things to attend to. Know that I WILL be back for Kuro, and I plan to do what you could not."
"I'd like to see you try." Corvus muttered, not bothering to turn around, knowing that Aranea was already long gone. He took a moment to look down at Violet, trying to access how she was doing, only to recoil ever so slightly as he noted the red stain on his hand. Checking once more confirmed it; Violet was bleeding from her side, that stupid knife finally falling out from her side.
"Oh dear." Corvus reached up to press Violet's face against his shoulder, wincing as his shoulder throbbed. He made sure Violet was secure before taking off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake as he sprinted back to the De Angelus manor.
"You're going to be okay." Corvus whispered under his breath, cursing how vulnerable and soft spoken he sounded, ignoring how his vest was beginning to warm with her blood, "Hang on now, my lady, you're going to be fine."
In hindsight, Hope had no idea how she ever managed to make it back.
Her knees were screaming well before they'd arrived at the base of the mountain, Jade still refusing to mentally return. Hope huffed as she stared up, her body protesting at just the idea of an inclination. Nevertheless, she bucked up and began to climb, nails threatening to scratch lines into jade's thighs.
Each step up felt like a literal hell had been placed on her knees. Every inch felt like a mile, and every mile felt like suicide with extra steps.
It felt like some sort of miracle when she'd finally found herself at the De Angelus manor, legs nearly giving out as she made her way up the first step. She barely noticed how the door had been left ajar, instead pushing her way in and nearly falling over at the first sight of a couch.
"Oh thank fuck." Hope muttered, wobbling over as quickly as possible. She didn't notice how dark the manor seemed, regardless of the sun outside. Hope did the best she could, really, but when her arms were limp and legs were on fire, she could only do so much.
Regardless, Hope finally managed to get Jade on the couch, the back of her mind nagging on about how much easier it would have been if Hope had just let go and let gravity figure it out. "There we are." Hope muttered, dusting off her hands, before looking around, "Now we wait, I guess."
Hope wanted nothing more than to sit down on the couch and pass out. She was sure that, the moment she closed her eyes, she'd go into hibernation for the next three years.
So, of course, before she could, something came running from down the hall.
Hope just barely had time to comprehend the tiny black blur dashing for her before she found herself knocked down to the ground, a wet nose pressed up against her cheek, "Fen, quit it, Fen-Oh my god, Fen!"
It only now hit her that (1) they'd been gone longer than she thought they'd be, which meant that (2) the poor dog was probably very hungry.
The moment she got back up to her feet, Fen bit down on the bottom of her pants, trying to tug her out of the room, "Okay, okay, I'll make you something." Hope stumbled along, nearly tripping over the puppy on her way to the door. Too tired to really think, she just followed where Fen led her, nearly stumbling over her own feet in her stupor.
In hindsight, Hope would note how Fen led her away from the kitchen and up another set of stairs. Much to the disappointment of her knees, Hope climbed up after Fen, scowling at how the puppy decided to bark at her from the top, "I didn't ask for a life coach, you know."
The moment she made it to the top, a sudden chill forced its way down her spine. She just barely noticed how Fen ran down the hallway, barking at her when she refused to move. Hope followed, each step feeling colder and colder, as if leeching the heat from the air around her.
Fen finally came to a stop, clawing and scratching at the door in an almost furious manner. Hope gave the door an odd look, just barely comprehending what's going on. She stared at the doorknob, hand tracing it before tightening around the cold metal.
Hope didn't wait for the dread to settle down on her spine, instead pushing the door open, nearly tripping over Fen on her way in. Fen made a wild dash past Hope and into the room, barking from the bedside before leaning forth to lick the red from the hand dangling over the side.
"Oh my god." Hope muttered, unable to really process what was happening in front of her. Corvus stood in front of a disheveled bed, the sheets he normally made a fuss over thrown about. His sleeves were rolled up, gloved hands seeming to press against Violet's pale body, "Oh my god, what happened!?"
"Ah, Hope, glad you finally made it." Hope didn't care much for his clearly sarcastic comment, instead moving to stand next to Corvus, taking in the issue as best as she could. Red bled from Violet's side into the bed, staining the white linen, "I do hope this isn't too much of a sight for you, I'd hate to have to deal with another unconscious child."
"Jesus, what on earth are you doing!?" She all but pushed Corvus aside, scowling at the mess on her hands before ripping away the sheet he'd been using, doing her best to inspect the wound without touching it directly, "Shit, it looks infected to all hell. What were you thinking, why didn't you clean the wound first!?"
"With all due respect, I had more pressing matters." Hope ignored him, scowling down at Violet's body as if it had insulted her directly, "I'm sure that, being how you're now dealing with it, you'll be able to put two and two together, yes?"
Hope turned around, ready to give Corvus a thorough tongue lashing, only to stop. It was only then she noticed the broken look in his eyes, how that shit eating smirk was just a little off. If she looked closely, she could see Corvus' hands shaking ever so slightly, as if the red on his gloves bothered him for once.
Taking a deep breath, Hope forced her mind to take a quick breather, "...Kitchen, the shelf on the right, there's a red bag. Get it." Corvus' eyes narrowed, looking like he was about to speak, only to have Hope turn back to Violet, "I swear to go if you start spewing some condescending shit, I'm going to rip your tongue out and make you eat it. You're doing a horrible job of taking care of Violet, so get your head out of your fucking ass and get. That. Bag."
Hope didn't bother to acknowledge Corvus walking out the door, instead doing what she could to stop the bleeding. She did her best to ignore the growing lump in her throat. She couldn't help but mentally chastise herself, willing her hands to still. . This wasn't too hard, she tried to reason with herself, ignoring the red warmth that threatened to take over her mind.
She shook her head, taking another moment to suck a breath of air in, eyes locked on the blood that seemed reluctant to stay put. No, this was okay, she assured herself, unwilling to slip. She wasn't going to give in, not now, not here.
She was snapped from her mind when the door behind her was all but kicked open, a red bag being thrown down to rest at her feet, "Do tell, are you planning to stare at the bag or will you be putting it to use?"
"Shut your mouth, Crow." Hope scowled, shaking her head as if it would help. Right, panicking and whatnot wouldn't help right now, regardless of the situation. She could panic after all of this was over, Hope reasoned with herself, moving quickly to rip the bag open.
"Crow, keep pressure on the wound." Hope said, her voice stern and controlled. Hope grabbed a bottle of alcohol, a sewing needle, and what she hoped were sutures. She sighed, looking over Violet with a cool look before moving to stand on the other side of the bed.
"God, when this is all over, I'm due for a mental breakdown."
Erin:...
...
...
Kuro: Just a pointer, I don't think that glaring on the floor will make it spit you out.
Erin: JESUS FAK-