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[It was not in him to back down. No retreat, no surrender, only commitment. People needed a firm and just hand to keep the foul cruelties of humanity in check, and it fell to the king to be so ironclad and unbending. This he knew, and never once did he entertain the idea that the king was no less flawed than those he led.]
[No matter how unpopular his methods, no matter how people had once spoken of their then-prince in hushed and fearful tones, his actions were all for their benefit. Every daemon put to the flame was one less prowling the night to slaughter the innocent.]
[Without hesitation he warped to meet Bryn, sword already swinging for her arm the second his hand grasped it in midair.]
[No matter the blood Somnus knew stained his hands, he would never ask forgiveness.]
[Neither would he expect to deserve it.]
[No matter how unpopular his methods, no matter how people had once spoken of their then-prince in hushed and fearful tones, his actions were all for their benefit. Every daemon put to the flame was one less prowling the night to slaughter the innocent.]
[Without hesitation he warped to meet Bryn, sword already swinging for her arm the second his hand grasped it in midair.]
[No matter the blood Somnus knew stained his hands, he would never ask forgiveness.]
[Neither would he expect to deserve it.]
[ Her mouth is open, flames still sputtering and teeth bared. Like this, she looks every inch the beast she'd acted all those weeks ago when they'd first been handed their motive envelopes. She's stronger now than she was then – but that doesn't make her invincible. The blade sings through the air and though there's the faintest snick of resistance – the sword wielded to kill daemons does just as it should and cuts her arm from her body.
And the pain... is familiar, in some odd way. Not her pain but – oh, this is ironic, isn't it? For her to lose an arm when she'd done the same to– when she'd come here to–
Oh, this is all wrong, isn't it?
For a fraction of a second, everything seems to still. Fire rages all around them, but there's an odd quiet in her head. The slitted red eye flutters and clears and for a moment, barely even long enough for a breath or a pause between breaths–
It's Bryn looking at him. ]
S–
[ And then that traitorous, ravenous part of her mind realizes, maybe even before Somnus does – like this, he's wide open. Take her arm, then. That's fine.
She has two.
Everything slams back into motion. Curled fingers made clawlike by bloodlust and raw strength thrust forward under his guard to his chest and
through it
her fingers breech the other side and her arm sinks into him up to the elbow, wet with blood and viscera. This time when she meets his gaze, it's with the cold satisfaction of a predator looming over a kill. ]
And the pain... is familiar, in some odd way. Not her pain but – oh, this is ironic, isn't it? For her to lose an arm when she'd done the same to– when she'd come here to–
Oh, this is all wrong, isn't it?
For a fraction of a second, everything seems to still. Fire rages all around them, but there's an odd quiet in her head. The slitted red eye flutters and clears and for a moment, barely even long enough for a breath or a pause between breaths–
It's Bryn looking at him. ]
S–
[ And then that traitorous, ravenous part of her mind realizes, maybe even before Somnus does – like this, he's wide open. Take her arm, then. That's fine.
She has two.
Everything slams back into motion. Curled fingers made clawlike by bloodlust and raw strength thrust forward under his guard to his chest and
through it
her fingers breech the other side and her arm sinks into him up to the elbow, wet with blood and viscera. This time when she meets his gaze, it's with the cold satisfaction of a predator looming over a kill. ]
[A choked sound of surprise left him as the force shattered flesh and bone, blood splattering across smoldering flowers and Bryn alike.]
Br-…
[He had been certain Brynhilde was not a match for him. Had hesitated to transform because of damnable worthless sentiment—Somnus could practically hear the voice of a man long dead saying checkmate with infuriating satisfaction. Always too focused on the larger pictures to see the details right before his eyes.]
[From the door came the terrible crack of ice threatening to break underfoot with only certain death on the other side. Spiderweb fissures began to form in crackling lines from the center, where a phantom impact almost seemed to have struck it. But it did not yet shatter—not yet, not so long as the Mystic whose life fueled it desperately clung to consciousness. Every second he could buy them was another that they might reach the others.]
[Surely…surely he had at least given them enough time. Nuadha and Felix could prevail where Somnus could not alone, even if it meant one of them executed instead. Surely there would still be a chance, as faint and flickering as it may have been, that this ritual could yet be stopped before their souls could be used up for some nefarious purpose.]
Br-…
[He had been certain Brynhilde was not a match for him. Had hesitated to transform because of damnable worthless sentiment—Somnus could practically hear the voice of a man long dead saying checkmate with infuriating satisfaction. Always too focused on the larger pictures to see the details right before his eyes.]
[From the door came the terrible crack of ice threatening to break underfoot with only certain death on the other side. Spiderweb fissures began to form in crackling lines from the center, where a phantom impact almost seemed to have struck it. But it did not yet shatter—not yet, not so long as the Mystic whose life fueled it desperately clung to consciousness. Every second he could buy them was another that they might reach the others.]
[Surely…surely he had at least given them enough time. Nuadha and Felix could prevail where Somnus could not alone, even if it meant one of them executed instead. Surely there would still be a chance, as faint and flickering as it may have been, that this ritual could yet be stopped before their souls could be used up for some nefarious purpose.]
[Ah—but this is ‘justice’, isn’t it, brother?]
[The Blade of the Mystic—the very sword that had long ago been driven through his brother’s chest—fell from its wielder’s hand and vanished into light. He staggered, back hitting a wall as he sank to the floor leaving a streak of blood behind. Of course…this was what he had deserved, on some level. What he had done could not be forgiven, but it could be repaid in kind.]
[Had there been anything of Ardyn left in the monster he had named Adagium? Had he ever bothered to wonder? Had his attempt to protect Bryn from execution only made the situation worse?]
[Would things have been better for them all, if Ardyn Lucis Caelum had been the one to awake in this hellish tower instead?]
I-…I-
[There was no breath in half-destroyed lungs to speak, yet he tried all the same. His words came out in a harsh choking sound, blood spilling from his mouth and staining black clothes. There was something he had to say, something he had never once conceded in all his life or afterlife.]
[His head dropped as though he had abruptly fallen asleep, the faintest traces of something bitter and pained remaining on his face. The shield blocking the door made one final creak and broke apart like shattering glass, shards coming apart in crystalline light. Vanishing and fading like the last traces of light in the sky.]
[I’m sorry I failed you.]
[The Blade of the Mystic—the very sword that had long ago been driven through his brother’s chest—fell from its wielder’s hand and vanished into light. He staggered, back hitting a wall as he sank to the floor leaving a streak of blood behind. Of course…this was what he had deserved, on some level. What he had done could not be forgiven, but it could be repaid in kind.]
[Had there been anything of Ardyn left in the monster he had named Adagium? Had he ever bothered to wonder? Had his attempt to protect Bryn from execution only made the situation worse?]
[Would things have been better for them all, if Ardyn Lucis Caelum had been the one to awake in this hellish tower instead?]
I-…I-
[There was no breath in half-destroyed lungs to speak, yet he tried all the same. His words came out in a harsh choking sound, blood spilling from his mouth and staining black clothes. There was something he had to say, something he had never once conceded in all his life or afterlife.]
[His head dropped as though he had abruptly fallen asleep, the faintest traces of something bitter and pained remaining on his face. The shield blocking the door made one final creak and broke apart like shattering glass, shards coming apart in crystalline light. Vanishing and fading like the last traces of light in the sky.]
[I’m sorry I failed you.]
[ It's so quiet, suddenly. Even the flames that seemed to be on the verge of swallowing the solarium seem fit to sputter out, dying down under the heavy weight of the silence that settles.
Blink. Like coming awake from one of those fever bed dreams, Bryn feels herself swimming to the surface. The physicality of the last few seconds – pain, blood, yielding flesh and heat and more blood, more blood – play out in her mind again but she can't – or refuses – to reconcile them with what she can see in front of her.
A fat droplet of blood rolls down her cheek and plips from her chin.
Somnus's blood.
Somnus's–
Something ruptures deep inside her head. Her heart. This high up the tower and so far away from the others, there's nobody around to hear the scream that erupts from her. Nobody around to hear when the scream turns into a choked sob, or when the next inhalation comes out in a long howl of dragonsong.
Bryn shuts her eyes. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of this, not even for a moment. The Pact had never been willingly made, knowingly made and if this is the price she has to pay for that foolishness, then she'll surrender. She can't fight this anymore. She can't.
Bryn slumps over, face buried in her bloodied hands and chokes out one last babble of dragonsong before falling silent at last.
Breath in.
Breathe out.
Wagner lifts its face from its hands and slowly, easily rises to its feet. The first few steps are tottering and uncertain but all too soon, the body cooperates. Each one becomes easier.
It lifts its face again and sniffs at the air once or twice. Eyes are unreliable, but from a distance away, it can pick up the scent of a dying man being dragged fruitlessly away. With the king taken care of, there's nothing to stop it from finishing the rest of its job.
Violet flames sputter and die as Wagner sets out to track what's left of its prey. ]
Blink. Like coming awake from one of those fever bed dreams, Bryn feels herself swimming to the surface. The physicality of the last few seconds – pain, blood, yielding flesh and heat and more blood, more blood – play out in her mind again but she can't – or refuses – to reconcile them with what she can see in front of her.
A fat droplet of blood rolls down her cheek and plips from her chin.
Somnus's blood.
Somnus's–
Something ruptures deep inside her head. Her heart. This high up the tower and so far away from the others, there's nobody around to hear the scream that erupts from her. Nobody around to hear when the scream turns into a choked sob, or when the next inhalation comes out in a long howl of dragonsong.
Bryn shuts her eyes. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of this, not even for a moment. The Pact had never been willingly made, knowingly made and if this is the price she has to pay for that foolishness, then she'll surrender. She can't fight this anymore. She can't.
Bryn slumps over, face buried in her bloodied hands and chokes out one last babble of dragonsong before falling silent at last.
Breath in.
Breathe out.
Wagner lifts its face from its hands and slowly, easily rises to its feet. The first few steps are tottering and uncertain but all too soon, the body cooperates. Each one becomes easier.
It lifts its face again and sniffs at the air once or twice. Eyes are unreliable, but from a distance away, it can pick up the scent of a dying man being dragged fruitlessly away. With the king taken care of, there's nothing to stop it from finishing the rest of its job.
Violet flames sputter and die as Wagner sets out to track what's left of its prey. ]
[ Orthrus keeps running. It's harder with his human legs and with Hubert to carry, but he can't trust Hubert to be able to stay on his backside in his current state so this'll have to do.
They get as far as the fifth floor, when Orthrus finds his own stamina and worry for Somnus AND Bryn starting to wear him down. ]
They get as far as the fifth floor, when Orthrus finds his own stamina and worry for Somnus AND Bryn starting to wear him down. ]
[For the first few minutes Hubert was, blessedly, unconscious. The fact that he wakes at all is an act of willpower alone, and 'aware' is pushing it]
Stop... listen.
Stop... listen.
[He has no idea where they are, honestly. He can barely see ORTHRUS let alone around them. He raises a hand to hush him, fingers trembling]
Sh.... shut up. Listen. She's coming. Fast. No time. Put me down.
Sh.... shut up. Listen. She's coming. Fast. No time. Put me down.
[ He shuts up as Hubert tells him to and then turns his head back to listen closer. His hearing may not be as strong when he's not a dog but it's still stronger than a human's and now that he doesn't have his own adrenaline distracting him he can hear it too.
Which means Somnus failed.
He doesn't have the time to mourn. He has to make sure no one else dies today, he looks back at Hubert. ]
Absolutely not!! I'm not going to just let you die!
[ But he has to think quick, so before Hubert can protest he quickly looks around and then bolts into the chapel. ]
Which means Somnus failed.
He doesn't have the time to mourn. He has to make sure no one else dies today, he looks back at Hubert. ]
Absolutely not!! I'm not going to just let you die!
[ But he has to think quick, so before Hubert can protest he quickly looks around and then bolts into the chapel. ]
I am dead man alr- guuah-!
[The sudden change of direction makes his hand drop and his stomach twist, returning him to a near faint]
[The sudden change of direction makes his hand drop and his stomach twist, returning him to a near faint]
Edited 2022-05-03 19:41 (UTC)
[ SORRY HUBIE...!!
Once he's inside the chapel he does another quick look around before making his way to the pews on one side of the room. He lays Hubert down on one closer to the wall, further away from the door and hopes that this is enough to hide him for now. ]
Just... stay here! Try to stay conscious!
Once he's inside the chapel he does another quick look around before making his way to the pews on one side of the room. He lays Hubert down on one closer to the wall, further away from the door and hopes that this is enough to hide him for now. ]
Just... stay here! Try to stay conscious!
[ With Hubert taken care of, he sets his harp aside as well, under the pew itself. Though having a token of Orpheus on his back may be its own source of strength for him, he doesn't want to risk anything happening to it. Once that's done he leaves the other and moves to the center of the chapel.
He crystalizes what mana he can draw on into two small shields, one in front of each hand so he's prepared for a fight and waits. ]
He crystalizes what mana he can draw on into two small shields, one in front of each hand so he's prepared for a fight and waits. ]
Edited 2022-05-03 20:18 (UTC)
[ The slow, unhurried footsteps that draw closer are much too light, much too at ease to be Somnus. Much too calm to be Bryn, either, considering the circumstances. Occasionally, the footsteps stop and then start up again a few seconds later, getting closer and closer every time.
Closer.
Right outside.
There's an agonizing moment of silence and then the doors come exploding open. Wagner lunges at Orthrus even as it enters, snarling the whole while. ]
Closer.
Right outside.
There's an agonizing moment of silence and then the doors come exploding open. Wagner lunges at Orthrus even as it enters, snarling the whole while. ]
[ He braces himself through that whole silence and when she lunges in he holds up his shields, blocking her from actually reaching him. ]
Brynhilde! Snap out of this, dear...!!
[ She has to be somewhere still in there, right? She's reminding him of what happens when a sentient life form succumbs to mana corruption - but that's not possible here. So if he just speaks to her... ]
Brynhilde! Snap out of this, dear...!!
[ She has to be somewhere still in there, right? She's reminding him of what happens when a sentient life form succumbs to mana corruption - but that's not possible here. So if he just speaks to her... ]
[ Its hands, curled into claws slam into each of the shields and its heads strains forward as if to try and take a bite at him. This close, almost face to face, they should be able to look each other in the eye, except...
What eye?
The one she'd had remaining is glassy, now, rolled back and unseeing – and most upsettingly, the slightest peek of greenery can be seen trying to bloom from under it. If there's anything left of Bryn in the beast, it isn't in the eyes.
As if enraged by his attempt, Wagner snarls again and draws both hands back before slamming its fists into the shields, trying to claw its way through. ]
What eye?
The one she'd had remaining is glassy, now, rolled back and unseeing – and most upsettingly, the slightest peek of greenery can be seen trying to bloom from under it. If there's anything left of Bryn in the beast, it isn't in the eyes.
As if enraged by his attempt, Wagner snarls again and draws both hands back before slamming its fists into the shields, trying to claw its way through. ]
[ The sight of her eye is enough to tell him everything. It may not be mana corruption exactly but it's close enough that he knows: Bryn really isn't in there anymore. All he can think of now is poor Artemis in her youth, futilely begging him not to kill a dogsheep she had befriended but had fallen to the corruption, only for the same "friend" to mindlessly attack her as she did. And what had he done?
He'd done what he had to. He put the monster down before it could even reach her, and held her small, sobbing body afterwards.
Bryn isn't in there anymore, and he knows. And he cares for her, even if he doesn't really know how she ultimately felt about him, if she thought him overbearing and annoying in his attempts to try and be there for her. And because he cares for her, for Hubert, for Somnus, for everyone else, he has to do what Somnus couldn't--
"But if this situation should arise again, I will put a stop to it however should be necessary."
"That's fine. I would do the same."
--and put down this monster wearing her skin.
In an instant he combines his shields together into one large one. He pushes her back with a burst of strength and then in the next second brings it down hard on her head, harder than he even did that first motive all so long ago.
It'll be easier once she's down. ]
He'd done what he had to. He put the monster down before it could even reach her, and held her small, sobbing body afterwards.
Bryn isn't in there anymore, and he knows. And he cares for her, even if he doesn't really know how she ultimately felt about him, if she thought him overbearing and annoying in his attempts to try and be there for her. And because he cares for her, for Hubert, for Somnus, for everyone else, he has to do what Somnus couldn't--
"But if this situation should arise again, I will put a stop to it however should be necessary."
"That's fine. I would do the same."
--and put down this monster wearing her skin.
In an instant he combines his shields together into one large one. He pushes her back with a burst of strength and then in the next second brings it down hard on her head, harder than he even did that first motive all so long ago.
It'll be easier once she's down. ]
Edited 2022-05-04 18:17 (UTC)
[ For all Wagner's strength, that brute force turns out to be a weakness, too. It's leaning so hard and so heavily on Orthrus's shields that when they reform, it's thrown off balance – enough so that it staggers back and doesn't have time to move out of the way when the shield cracks down on its head.
The impact is so forceful that Wagner goes down to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.
Everything goes quiet. ]
The impact is so forceful that Wagner goes down to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.
Everything goes quiet. ]
[It's so suddenly quiet, and even barely conscious Hubert grieves. But what's done is done, and with a grunt he struggles to his knees, peering over the pew]
Bryn...
Bryn...
[ A second is all it takes. Wagner might be a beast, but it's fast – and now that the body has stopped resisting, it's getting faster all the while. So in the instant Orthrus lifts his eyes, Wagner's hand snaps forward and the gauntleted hand closes in a crushing grip around his leg.
From the beast's mouth comes a purr of dragonsong that sounds almost like a laugh.
Got you.
It yanks Orthrus's leg to the side, not just knocking him to the ground but outright tossing him through the air. It doesn't even stop to see where he's landed before it surges back to its feet and lunges across the chapel once more
towards Hubert. ]
From the beast's mouth comes a purr of dragonsong that sounds almost like a laugh.
Got you.
It yanks Orthrus's leg to the side, not just knocking him to the ground but outright tossing him through the air. It doesn't even stop to see where he's landed before it surges back to its feet and lunges across the chapel once more
towards Hubert. ]
[ He should have known better. He really should have known better.
He doesn't always feel pain the way humans do, but this he does. The way the metal digs in and crushes his leg, and then rips through the skin as he's thrown. The way he eventually lands, crashing through the pews on the other side of the room, wood breaking beneath him.
He lays there in the wreckage, completely still on his side, in the perfect position for Bryn an Hubert to still be in his line of sight-- ]
He doesn't always feel pain the way humans do, but this he does. The way the metal digs in and crushes his leg, and then rips through the skin as he's thrown. The way he eventually lands, crashing through the pews on the other side of the room, wood breaking beneath him.
He lays there in the wreckage, completely still on his side, in the perfect position for Bryn an Hubert to still be in his line of sight-- ]
Edited 2022-05-04 19:43 (UTC)
[He realizes his mistake almost the instant it happens. But an instant is still not fast enough. If he was of sound body and mind he oculd have warped away. Could have attacked her with a spell. But he's not. He's down and eye an arm and a large amount of his own blood.
He's killed enough men to know, at this point help would not come fast enough, he was going to die. The next time he passed out, mostly likely. If he used any magic it would just come faster.
He told Karl before that he knew he was never leaving this tower. Spoken over Bruno's corpse like it's own dark prophecy. So like Bruno he closes his eye... and accepts it.
'Bryn... I am... so sorry.']
He's killed enough men to know, at this point help would not come fast enough, he was going to die. The next time he passed out, mostly likely. If he used any magic it would just come faster.
He told Karl before that he knew he was never leaving this tower. Spoken over Bruno's corpse like it's own dark prophecy. So like Bruno he closes his eye... and accepts it.
'Bryn... I am... so sorry.']
[ By all logic, Wagner should be lumbering and slow - it seems all too wrong that it's moving as quickly and gracefully as it is, darting across the chapel now that Orthrus is out of the way.
Ah. That's the blood it scented. That pale, half dead man is the one who started all of this. It only seems right that Wagner should end it in turn.
Even down to one arm, its strength is enough. It reaches Hubert and its hand shoots out to grab the bottom of his face and twist. There's the pop of bones and muscles giving way, giving all the way until both parts come apart from each other, as easily as snipping a bloom from the stem of a flower.
Hubert's head thumps to the floor.
Just one left to be done with.
The expression of its face twists into something that could be a snarl or a satisfied smirk and the beast turns towards Orthrus. ]
Ah. That's the blood it scented. That pale, half dead man is the one who started all of this. It only seems right that Wagner should end it in turn.
Even down to one arm, its strength is enough. It reaches Hubert and its hand shoots out to grab the bottom of his face and twist. There's the pop of bones and muscles giving way, giving all the way until both parts come apart from each other, as easily as snipping a bloom from the stem of a flower.
Hubert's head thumps to the floor.
Just one left to be done with.
The expression of its face twists into something that could be a snarl or a satisfied smirk and the beast turns towards Orthrus. ]
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