Chapter 2 - A Dying Land
Marcellus Grandeur drank alone once again in his tiny woodland cabin. A rich, soft, and silky red sofa in the living room was what he lounged upon, it was about the only nicest looking thing in there. The couch was before a lit fireplace, giving off pleasant heat which washed over his body like a warm blanket, whilst he popped open another bottle of beer, placing his newly emptied one next to an array of other drained bottles sitting next to the couch.
This was how most of his days went as soon as he dropped into this world; go to work, come back home, drink till he couldn't, pass out, and wake up with a killer hangover. Rinse and repeat for the past five years. He couldn't say it was a positively healthy lifestyle or a good one for that matter, but it was a life nonetheless, and it was the best it was going to get he reckoned.
He downed half of the newly opened bottle through the heart-shaped mask that concealed most of his face, three spikes protruded on either side of the umber red wooden vizard, and its eyes, lively and strangely organic, fully able to move and express a wide range of emotions.
His piercing optics were half-lidded at the moment, his mind coming under the heavy spell most fall into when on their ninth bottle.
Marcellus sighed to himself, humming tunelessly while trying to gather his misaligned thoughts, he was thinking about something, but then his brain just went dead.
"Agh...Dammit..." He mumbled, slinking into the sofa with an exhausted noise. He couldn't process anything, but when could he really? It was all the bloody same to him, days melding together into mere blinks. The same old tired process he was all too familiar with, but at least it made money, right? Wait–who the hell was he asking?
"ugh...this sucks" Marcellus groaned, shaking his head and giving out another tired sigh, placing a hand against his aching temple.
There had to be something around here he could ponder over aside his sorry self.
He swept his dizzied gaze over the living room, nothing but empty glass bottles strewn about, and a pile of firewood by the fireplace, everything else was barren.
Oh, how nice.
He had a struggle standing to his feet, feeling the urge to do something other than this, he had to keep his mind occupied, anything would do. Then his train of thought rumbled across a recent memory. A Sword of unblemished silver and a sun-shaped hilt of lavish white, concealed within a snow-colored scabbard with a pattern of golden lines emblazoned upon it. He came across this, alongside that strange unconscious woman, to whom he had taken in just a few days ago, whilst on one of his occasional strolls through the seaside wilderness.
He found her in a clearing, with the extravagant blade lying next to her naked body, which the masked man did best to not stare at. Marcellus pondered on leaving her there, thinking he'd be seen as a creep if he just took this random unconscious chick to his house, but if he didn't she'd be some ghoulish Hellion's lunch most likely. So ultimately, he took her in, and placed her in his bed, taking to sleeping on the sofa in the living room while she recovered.
Marcellus wondered what she could have been doing with a sword of all things, or why she was laying naked in the forest for that matter.
"...hmmm... must've been one hell of a party" he concluded to himself with a light chuckle, sauntering over into the hallway near the end of the living room, swinging open the door to a closet beside him. Inside was the fanciful blade he acquired from the woman, it's pristine not unlike many swords he's seen before. He took it, shut the closet door, and retreated to his sofa, where he admired the Swords craftsmanship by the fire's light.
He hadn't had a chance to closely inspect this weapon, but looking at it now, he figured it would sell for a fortune. So articulate and refined, this wasn't just any type of sword, whoever forged it must have meant business. But this would surely net him a hefty sum, one that he dare not refuse; more beer money for the road!
But there was one thing that didn't seem quite right, and that was a strange painted carved wooden pendant dangling on the end of the hilt by some firm string, two feathers chipped into it made up most of its design.
He hadn't noticed it before at his first glance, but what was this doing on here? A good luck charm mayhaps? Well, whatever it was it had to go, ain't No one gonna want that on when he decides to sell it. Marcellus's hand made to remove the crudely carved charm, but as it neared, another hand, concealed in white bandages latched hard on his fingers, nearly breaking them in the process, causing him to yelp in surprise.
He spun his head round, the eyes of his mask locking into the burning ambers of one Velvet Crowe, her expression read of violent intent, teeth slightly barred like a snarl.
Marcellus gasped " ...Oh hey!" He greeted cheekily before Velvet dug a fist into his face, launching the masked man into the nearest wall, The Prestigious Sword clattered upon the floor along with the scabbard.
Velvet moved to pick it up, making sure the pendant was still intact before sheathing it and casting a deathly glare at the masked man, lying against the wall in a heap, groaning in pain.
"I don't believe this belongs to you," she said coldly, eyes of bubbling anger set upon Marcellus.
"Ahhh...shit man! What gives!?" He asked, and to Velvet's surprise, he quickly rose to his feet, pain ringing in his head "I go out of my way, to take you in, and this is what I get? The hell!" He raged.
Velvet narrowed her gaze, putting a hand on her hip "So you're the one who sheltered me. But what reason could you have for doing so?" She asked, giving a hum of suspicion.
"What? You rather I left your sorry carcass to be Monster food?" Marcellus shot back "I took you in, specifically because of that reason. I don't need that sort of thing hanging on my mind like that. Honestly, you should be grateful..." he paused, reading the palm of his hand, a list of names crudely scrawled upon it"...Cassandra"
Velvet blinked for a moment "Who?"
"You," Marcellus answered.
"That's not my na-"
"Rina?"
"No, it's-"
"Oh, Cristina right? You sound like a Cristina" Marcellus interrupted again, and Velvet punched him into the wall once more out of frustration.
"It's Velvet!" She corrected in a huff, exhaling and holding her fist, trying to reign in her rage "Velvet Crowe."
"Ugh...got it..." the masked man lifted a weak thumb, laying on the floor a mess.
Seeing as this man showed no hostile tendencies to her, Velvet let her guard down a slight, finding herself quite confused by this strange character, not to mention the situation entirely, but she had no time for these kinds of antics.
She made to leave with Arthur's Sword in tow, but realizing she had no clue where she was, she asked the crumpled Marcellus on the floor "Where is this place exactly?."
Marcellus glared up at her "Really? After attacking me, in my house, and after I saved your ass, you demand answers? Yeah, no dice girlfriend, you're a real class act!" He declined.
The Raven-haired woman cursed herself internally for her rash actions, knowing full well she wasn't leaving a good impression to ask for assistance, but another part of her couldn't care less.
"ugh...I'm sorry I punched you...twice...and...I am grateful you took me in while I slept, but I have urgent business to take care of, and I think it would be in our best interest if you give me directions." she apologized, half-heartedly at best.
Marcellus nodded firmly, appreciating the apology "Well thank you...buuuut...I too don't really know where I am, to be honest" he shrugged.
Velvet glared at the masked man with a stare promising a pain most excruciating.
Marcellus waved his arms in a panic "ok ok, look...listen, I know that this entire area exists within the border of a Kingdom called Hyland, and is sitting right next to another kingdom called Rolance, and near our current vicinity is a lil sea town called Karaez, I run a tavern there, but if imma be honest, that's all I know of the general working of things here. I'm as much a stranger here as you, lady."
Velvet sighed to herself "Well, that's as good of a start as any. It'll have to do for now."
"Also you're naked by the way"
"What?" Velvet looked down upon her bare body, intensely blushing at such an oversight, she didn't even notice, and instinctively covered herself with her long enveloping hair. "Why the hell am I naked!?" Her suspicions grew once again for Marcellus, who gave an honest shrug.
"Don't ask me, that's how I found you! I should be asking you about that, honestly!" He explained.
Velvet put a palm to her face at her situation, this was stupid, the fact she was even being held back by these things irritated her even more.
Marcellus got up from the floor, steadying himself and looking away from the naked lady standing just across from him "Ehhh...look, I have some suits in my closet...you can... probably dress yourself with them...I guess" he offered reluctantly, even if he'd rather not lend his cherished clothes to some complete stranger "They're hanging in the closet of my room...but you're only taking one set, ya hear."
Velvet nodded in thanks, awkwardly walking back to his room where she had slept in, shutting the door behind her. Inside, she groaned to herself, to be inconvenienced by such trivial things, while everything could be going to hell right about now. She made to the closet, opening it up to reveal a rack of black suit jackets, coupled with white dress shirts and black pants.
While putting on the clothing, it gave her mind time to wander. Hyland and Rolance? What happened to Midgand? Unless she was somehow spat out on some other part of Desolation. The far continent perhaps? Though times have most definitely changed while she was out, so that could also be a possibility.
She buttoned up the white silk dress shirt around herself.
And there was that Masked magician, Lani. He managed to infiltrate her dreamscape and wake her from the endless slumber. For what reason he wouldn't clearly say, she knew he held the answers to her questions, and she would get them one way or another.
Swiftly she fitted the suit jacket over the dress shirt.
Her mind then went to Innominat, having been stuck in an unending loop of consumption, it would lead her to believe that he was now weakened somewhat, yet that wasn't enough to ease her any less, he could gain his strength back with new Therions if he wanted, and when that happens, all hell will break loose. She was going to stop it before it got there and seal him with her once more. Nothing would stand in her way.
Finally, she slipped on the black pants, completing the outfit.
The nearby standing mirror provided a good enough reflection, and Velvet checked herself in it, making sure everything was on right. It was weird, to wear something so refined and formal, a stark contrast from her tattered clothing back then, and it was a suit no less. But Considering it was all she had for now, it would have to do. Before leaving, she considered what the man had said, of the two kingdoms, and a seaside town nearby. Since she hardly even knew where she was, she would have to seek his guidance, even if he supposedly was a stranger like her.
With it all sorted, Velvet left the room.
In the living room, she saw his figure slip into the kitchen just behind it and followed him into it where he saw him fish a bottle of beer out from a box, popping open the cap and guzzling down some of it.
"Listen up" Velvet spoke up, commanding in tone "Lead me to this Karaez you mentioned, and I'll be out of your hair."
"Oh yeah,?" Marcellus looked at her "You sure? Don't wanna get to know me for a bit, crack open a cold one, and step into my dark and twisted world?"
"No," she answered flatly.
"Fair enough" he shrugged, downing the bottle in hand and fetching one more before heading for the door "Lessgo then. Allow me to be your faithful tour guide, Me, Marcellus D. Grandeur!"
Velvet walked out the door without a glance, eyes set upon the task at hand "Get moving" she groaned, holding Arthur's blade close to her side as she left.
Leaving the quaint homestead nestled within a thicket of trees, Velvet stepped into the darkened world before her. All around was a vast valley, rolling hills surrounding the lower land accompanied by blankets of forest, humming with the sounds of nature. They took a path from the house going down deeper into the valley, Marcellus leading every step of the way, with it all slightly illuminated by the crescent moon overhead.
She saw all around her as they trekked through the moonlit wilderness, a ravaging death that encompassed the surrounding nature. Splotches of brown and dying gray upon the verdant fields of shining jade, and the countless leaves fallen from hollowed trees littering their path crunched beneath every footstep.
"So..." Marcellus began, turning around and walking backward to face his mysterious guest "...What's your story huh? You seem quite peculiar, to say the least" he scratched his chin.
Velvet gave out a tired sigh, the task of explaining her entire experience would be a taxing one, one she would rather not indulge, and so she only gave a dismissive wave of a bandaged hand "It's none of your concern, is it? I'm only asking you to take me where I need to go, that's all."
"Yeah, for FREE, mind you. Least you could do is make this trip a little less boring" Marcellus replied, hands clasped behind his head, giving a Lazed drunken stare to the Daemon woman's sharp eyes.
"I'm not wasting my breath, Marcellus, just move" she ordered.
The masked man sighed, turning back to walk forward properly "Mum's the word I guess" he mumbled.
He tapped his chin in brief collected thought, and paced back, walking alongside the gloomy lady "Well WHAT do you wanna talk about?" Marcellus prodded.
"To be honest..." Velvet began.
"Yeah?"
"... Nothing" she finished, continuing on her walk into a dark forest standing ahead, the path showing them deeper through its twilight depths.
"Oh come oooon!."
Velvet groaned at his pestering, staring back with a growing disdain for her new partner "Why don't you tell me about yourself? You seem like someone who has 'much' to say" she offered with a roll of her eyes. She hoped his ramblings would be at least a sort of white noise to her trip. Marcellus took time to ponder it, whilst they both walked onto a bridge of tree stumps, further in, poking out of a small lake within the pit they crossed, leading them over it to the other side, all while a small waterfall provided to the lake right beside them.
He glanced at the falling water as they passed, remembering back to finding some hidden treasure behind one, during his many escapades
"Well, I am quite the treasure hunter, dontcha know? I can recount as many tales of my intrepid life as the fingers on my hands" he boasted.
"Funny, because I don't remember seeing a scrap of any treasure in your house" Velvet responded looking to disprove the strange man despite her previous disinterest.
"Ah, well that's because you didn't look hard enough. It was there, lemme assure you" Marcellus answered back without missing a beat, though it was quite obvious he had no such riches. "Listen, you don't know me, Velvet Crowe. I've seen things only heard of in legends, things that are just too crazy to comprehend, treasure hunting, that's just a side gig, not my style!."
She hummed in response, focusing still on the road before her, taking them across a small clearing doused in serene moonlight, before going back into the blackened trees.
" I'm mainly the adventurous type since I seem to get roped into so many in all of these worlds" He went on to further explain, getting some of Velvet's attention upon the implications of his origins " I'm the slayer of God's here...well, I mean...not really...b-but I was there for it though. I had a part to play. Let's just say, I have some interplanetary connections here! I'm uh, heh, kind of a big deal" he boasted.
"Is that right?" She droned, rolling her eyes at his incessant bragging.
"Yeah, take my galavanting through the realm of Rieze Maxia for example. Quite the journey that was, and a real colorful cast of characters to boot. We all went on a globe-trotting journey, fighting countries, terrorists from another world, and God himself, before finally uniting two worlds into one. And then some multiversal, timeline nonsense happened afterward, which was also fun" Marcellus casually explained.
Velvet was more than weirded out by his ramblings, even looking back at the man with a questioning expression "Really?" She asked, disbelieving.
Marcellus nodded "Yeah, really! You shoulda been there man, some crazy shit went down."
Rieze Maxia, why did that sound familiar? Velvet thought a hand held her chin in contemplation before her thoughts were briefly shaken by a piercing scream echoing out from the faraway wilderness.
Marcellus scratched his head "Huh, I don't hear much of that...but then again I never leave the house that much either, except for work. Maybe it's a bird or something" he shrugged with a passive glance to the noise.
The Daemoness chose to ignore whatever that was, though her guard was definitely heightened. They continued as the forest ascended upwards out of the valley, taking the path through quiet pines, accompanied by the dwindling noises of wildlife.
Finally exiting from the shaded woods, Velvet was met with a wide open plain of dying green, moonlight providing a clear view of the sorry state of the environment. The emerald canvas was stained by streaks of death, the greenery withering away into dead earth beneath. Thickets dotting the land were also touched by this plague, trees stripped of any leaf and hollowed to the very root stood like skeletons over the dying fields.
Velvet could sense Malevolence lingering in the air, though it wasn't anywhere near dangerous enough to start affecting much. Still, it did little to avert her assumption, wherever she looked, life had begun to peel away from the world.
Desolation was on the brink.
Ahead of them, the road dipped down from the hill they stood on, and through the fields it reached a large town bustling with lights and a large clock tower poking from the middle of it, nestled within daunting fortress walls of stone. It sat next to the sea, where she could vaguely make out a port and some ships, a lighthouse towered near it all by the waters, waves crashing into the rocky outcropping it stood upon.
"Yep, that there's Karaez, Hylands Seaside Beacon, and also one of the few ports on the Continent, so I've heard," Marcellus explained, his eyes then focused on the dawn creeping in from the horizon, bringing blue skies behind it. "Man, morning already?"
Velvet moved past, making her way down the mound, her eyes set on the town just ahead.
Marcellus quickly joined her after noticing her walk away, picking up his pace which drew exasperated breath from him as he did " Hey so, what exactly do you...huff...plan on doing in town anyway?"
Velvet gave a glance to him before answering "Getting some proper directions, and a few resources I'll need on my travels" Though truth be told, she could probably devour some unlucky sap and that would be enough, but she was willing to not spill too much blood so soon, perhaps she could hunt out some Daemons and feast on them instead.
"Hmmm, well hey, maybe you can stop by the Tavern eh? Come check it out since you'll probably be here for a little while. Wouldn't hurt, yeah?" the drunkard suggested, though it sounded like some poor man's advertising rather than an invitation.
Velvet pondered on the offer as they traveled, Taverns are hot spots for information after all, she would be keyed into the current events "...fine. if it will get you to shut up" she answered.
"Mmmm, probably not"
She shot a glare his way, and the masked man relented with a worried chuckle, looking away from the burning eyes. The path took them through a hall of arching branches leading straight ahead to the town.
Before another mindless conversation with this idiot could be drummed up, Velvet and Marcellus both snapped their attention to the right of the road, where a forest lay nearby just across from their position, hearing a scream come from within.
A woman in a frilly pink village dress–torn and bloodied, huffed in exhaustion as she clambered away from the woods towards the path, and on her trail were a pack of rabid wolves, snarling and barking viciously, the fangs bared were stained red.
The feral beasts came in five, and akin to the fiends Velvet had slain before, these clearly showed signs of Daemonization, with eyes of feral vermillion, and teeth just a slight more jagged than the common hound, it looked like they were running on pure instinct and nothing more. The wounded woman scrambled to Velvet and Marcellus, eyes full of tears pleading for rescue.
"Help! Please! Get them away from me!" She screamed out to the two, the wolves gaining on her.
Velvet watched her approach with irritation, having not an ounce of patience for what was to come. Marcellus looked on, humming to himself, watching the wolves close in from behind the fleeing woman.
"Welp, good ol monster thrashing didn't hurt anybody! Leave em' to me!" He insisted nonchalantly, before sauntering his way to the incoming enemies, the wounded lady dashing past him.
The growling Daemons surged forth at the Masked man in their way, jaws opening ready to tear into flesh. Before this strange man collided with his opponents, he splayed his right hand out to his side, reaching into the very ether itself to yank out a shining scythe of black, the curved metal sang as he grasped the handle with two hands, reeling it back before swinging upward into the foes lunging at him.
The scythe blade screamed up and ripped through three of the wolves meant to do him harm. Cleanly were they separated, blood and insides spilled onto the dead grass until suddenly their bodies faded away into corrupted ash sent into the chilled air by a breeze.
"Hoo yeah, still got it!" cheered Marcellus, too caught in his glory to notice the other two beasts making tracks for Velvet and the woman who cowered behind her.
"They're going to kill us, they're going to kill us! I'm going to die, I'm going to die!" The shaken woman began to back away seeing them advance to them.
Velvet checked Arthur's blade, unsheathing some of it from the scabbard and inspecting the metal, her reflection gave a burning glare back. She was trained in the art of Swordsmanship, yes, but she had gone with a more unconventional method, using a retractable bladed gauntlet on her right hand, and a pair of steel knived boots in battles before. This would be the first time in forever that she had to use an actual sword.
Without a second to spare, she unsheathed the blade fully and tossed the scabbard aside, holding it out before her, pointed to the ground in one of the stances Arthur taught her all those years ago, knees bent, shoulders relaxed, and torso straightened. Facing the Wolves unshaken, Velvet waited for them to lunge before moving in to strike.
One of the Daemon's front flipped close to Velvet, eyes lost in Malevolence bore into hers, and then it leaped in at her, ready to tear through flesh with bloodied teeth. Velvet cleaved the animal apart, slashing it horizontally in one motion, its two pieces splattering across the dirt before it was gone in a black puff.
The second wolf was next to fall, attempting to catch Velvet unawares, only for the Daemoness to spin around, sword flipped upside down in her grip, jamming it through its skull as it made to pounce, and its body fell limp afterward.
Marcellus whistled "Well shit, sure showed those critters, huh?" He scratched his chin, returning to her as he relinquished his scythe away into thin air "A Swordslady. Guess that's why you were carrying that blade around"
Velvet sheathed the blade, and held it close once more "You could say that" Her eyes quickly swept to the quivering lady behind her. She was a mess, clothes torn, showing bloodied scratches and wounds underneath, but none too lethal. The lady held her head in her hands, shaking from the near-death experience.
"Hey lady, sorry to be a bother, but since we saved your hide and all, we expect due compensation, y'know? I say about...Fifty Gald?" Marcellus waltzed to the woman's side, crouching down to her level. Velvet gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she turned away "I don't need payment. They were in my way that's all..." she said.
But the wounded woman gave no reply, only whimpers and sobs, recalling the grim events leading up to this.
"Those monsters a-and more...t-they...broke into the house...my parents distracted them...while me and my brother got away ..." she mumbled, clutching her hair "I could hear them screaming...it was horrible!"
"Ahh well ... maybe you don't have to pay us..." Marcellus looked down, feeling inconsiderate for asking such a thing from her now. Velvet looked back over her shoulder. Something was off...
" More of those creatures chased us down...and he couldn't keep up...I heard more screaming after...he was calling for me...but why...why!?" The woman continued, hunching over as misery wracked her very being "...Why did this happen...why couldn't they kill me instead!?... Why am I left to live!?" She shouted, looking up directly into Marcellus's eyes, making him flinch back as he saw a red flash behind welling irises.
Velvet winced a little, her words hitting deep for one who has asked herself the very same from time to time, even now. Her attention was brought back to the scene, an influx of Malevolence seemed to brim from the distraught woman, darkness swelling to the surface in black wisps. Knowing what befalls this set of circumstances, Velvet raced to put an end to the woman as quickly as possible before-
Boom!
The woman yelled to the sky as Malevolence swirled around her body, before bursting out in a grand explosion, forcing Velvet and Marcellus away from the transforming monstrosity cloaked in the black mist of the eruption's aftermath.
"Woah Nelly, this party's just getting started eh?" The Scythe wielder was surprised, to which Velvet ignored, drawing the sword once more, and heading in to slay this damned soul before her.
From the curtain of dispersing black mist, large spiders rushed out to take the defense of their newly crowned queen, revealing herself from the cover of darkness. The woman's lower half now took the form of a giant arachnid, with eight hellish legs propping her to a looming height, her piercing inky eyes with reddened pupils pinned the charging Velvet under an enraged glare.
Slashing through the middle of the swarm without effort, Velvet lunged forward, sword raised overhead, bringing it down on the Spider Queen. The Daemon met this attack with a swipe of her claws, batting away the strike, and forcing Velvet back herself, as she attempted to drive her other claw down to where she had stood. The Ravenette leaned in, attempting to slash once more from the side, but the Daemon raised one of its sharpened legs and clashed against the sword.
"Oh hell no! This is someone else's problem now!" Marcellus yelped, running from the remaining spiders scurrying after him.
Velvet sighed as she and the Queen pushed away from the clash, staring each other down for a moment until the Daemon raked its claws through the air at her. Velvet rolled aside and then launched in to jam the blade through one of its legs, tearing it off, slinking past the Daemon's retaliating swipes, and slicing apart another one.
The now six-legged abomination roared in agony, backing away from the fierce woman before her, her eyes displaying a fury only seen in battle. Grimacing, the queen shot a web up into the canopy hanging over them, taking to the trees, away from Velvet.
She glared up into the foliage, trying to anticipate an attack of any kind, until her ears were suddenly bombarded by a hysterical, but fearful scream from behind. Looking in that direction, she was faced with disappointment. The Spider Queen landed right onto a screaming Marcellus from the trees, having him pinned under her, crushing him into the dirt further back down the road.
Velvet dashed ahead, looking to end this as soon as possible. She witnessed Marcellus being spun in spider silk, and then, with a great heave, the Queen swung her webbed-wrapped prey right her way, thinking this would surely halt her.
To the Hellion's dismay, The Daemoness showed no care for Marcellus's plight, kicking him aside as his body crashed towards her, and she kept her mad run at the insectoid monarch. In a panic, she began to charge a spell, an aura of red appearing around her to herald it.
Velvet could only spare a glance up, leaping to the side of a well of crushing gravity conjured by the Daemon, the attack only managing to bend the ground inward, unearthing rock and stone in the process. Looking back to her target and finding nothing, Velvet had little time to react again, jumping away in time to avoid the Spider Queen's flattening descent from the treetops.
The two Daemons locked eyes, and Velvet could see the desperation on the face of her opponent, who could only growl at her failed attempts to land even a single blow. Velvet proceeded to her instantly, closing the distance in a blink, swinging the blade up across the Daemon's chest in a swift motion, blood spraying from the lethal wound inflicted.
The Queen screeched to the air, bending backward from the pain sinking in. But she was not done yet, clawing wildly at Velvet in a blind rage, only for the Daemoness to move over, under, and aside without effort. She was running out of tricks, and would soon be at Velvet's mercy.
With a huff, the Queen surged at Velvet with a sweep of one of her sharpened legs, the Ravenette blocked against it with her sword, but the impact was enough to send her flying back a bit.
Velvet skidded to a stop, halting herself with grounded feet through dirt, but before she was able to readjust, The Queen raised her abdomen, slamming it into the ground where it spewed out a web that splayed far out around it, reaching Velvet and ensnaring her legs.
With her prey caught, she had the abdomen retract the web back to her, taking Velvet with it. She could almost see her victory, with the woman's guard having been most likely thrown off, leaving her open enough for the queen to land the killing blow. A sickly smile stretched across her face in anticipation.
Yet when Velvet felt herself get pulled by the web, she only readied in response, clutching tightly to Arthur's blade in her right hand, and with a pulse of hunger in her bandaged left, she faced the Spider Queen without a worry, seeing the frantic Daemon raise it's claws, standing on four legs, whilst the other two were poised to strike.
The two enemies were now mere inches away, and upon the brink of collision, did they launch their respective attacks to each other. The Arachnid sent her claws and legs stabbing down onto Velvet.
The Daemoness, scoffing at the onslaught, raised the flat end of the blade to incur the brunt of the sharpened appendages, managing to slip aside them all with ease. She moved in and time seemed to slow, Sword lowered at her side, looking up into the Daemons widened eyes, Velvet bounded off the ground, hoisting her blade up with great force, in doing so, she cleaved the Queen's right arm, and leg off.
The separated limbs landed upon the dirt next to Velvet, twitching, while the one who they once belonged to screamed, blood spraying from the wounds, staining the ground in its sickening color. She saw Velvet behind her, and in a bout of rage, brought her left claw down in any hope of killing this heathen.
The claw was stopped suddenly, Velvet's bandaged arm holding it in place without strain, despite the Queen's flailing and panic. Gripping onto the fiend's claw, she snapped the bones within into nothing, watching it writhe and shout in pain, fear growing in its black heart.
Then, her arm began to change, morphing into something one would only see in nightmares. What The Queen beheld was nothing more but horrific, a blood-red, jagged claw exploded from the bandages around Velvet's left arm, the unleashing of which brought forth a calamitous aura of raging crimson, enveloping their surroundings in a miasmic torrent. Malevolence swirling through the choking air in blackened streams, gathered around the one at its epicenter cloaking the Lord of Calamity in a foul malice. Without struggle, the Queen's gripped arm was ripped from its socket, disappearing with a squelch into the Therion's all-devouring palm, crimson spraying from the forceful removal, and the Hellion bellowed crazily, stumbling away on her shaken remaining legs
The Queen's fearful orbs met Velvet's burning gaze, who marched forward through the howling storm towards her prey. It's been quite a while since she last ate, hasn't it? Her arm certainly agreed, twitching and pulsing from that familiar taste of blood, the hunger of a Monster, aTherion!.
"I know how it feels...to lose the people most important to you... it's awful...it gets into your head, and you can't let go of it no matter how hard you try...it ruins you..." she began, creeping to the frozen Daemon in her way "...So I'll spare you the pain of going through it all...for your sake" then, without another word she reached out, crushing the Spider Queen into the monstrous appendage, and devouring all of her into it's hungering maw in a matter of seconds.
The last of what this Daemon saw was the visage of a wrathful soul wrapped in black and hatred, eyes of burning gold pierced through her being in her final moments, until finally, death swept her soul into eternal rest. A darkness everlasting.
Marcellus, sitting up on the ground, witnessed everything unfold, surrounded by reddened sky and malevolent wisps, he was silent in awe and slight fear. Velvet consumed the Hellion with her devilish arm, along with the monster, did the encompassing darkness receded to whence it came, the claw itself returning to normal, wrapped in fabric once more.
"Bloody hell..."
There she stood, giving out a disappointed sigh, and moving on, looking at Marcellus while she continued down the road "So, what do you think of me now?" She asked, expecting him to run away from such a sight.
To some surprise, Marcellus shrugged, standing up to dust himself off " I dunno, cool I guess...what?" he tilted his head, Velvet stood in wait thinking there would be more of a reaction, but she guessed that a man like him who supposedly "traverses worlds" would probably have seen it all by now.
Velvet shook her head with an indifferent huff, keeping on her route towards Karaez just ahead, but not before Marcellus began to scream again. She glanced back, watching the masked man roll along the ground in a panic.
"Holy shit! There's a spider still on me! Woah! Ahhhh!" He blithered, patting himself down, the spider in question, crawling onto his head unbeknownst to him.
" Velvet hey, please! Help a homie ou-" Before he said another word, Velvet delivered a firm chop directly onto his head, obliterating the Arachnid, and indirectly slamming the man into the ground, leaving him crumpled in shattered earth.
"Got it" she stated, and set forth to the port town, leaving behind carnage in her wake, the corpses of wolves, and the stench of blood hung heavy in the dreary morning. A Storm was approaching from the sea, just in time to welcome the reawakened Calamity back into the world with booming thunder and snaps of lightning.
"ah...thank you..."