Collab, Hans, Mairyell, Mary, Julian, Solus, Sir.
With both Fredrick and Henry dead, Mairyell had been about to turn to Mary to see if she was entirely okay, however, this new individual...Hans, drew his attention away. As the small object flew out, Mairyell could not react. The blood curdling scream that was emitted from the poor human's throat made his entire body shudder...with rage. His eyes became a deeper crimson and seemed to swirl as if they too were made from blood. The wings on his back coalesced and melted into blood where they coated his body in a thick liquid, which then formed armor and solidified. Mairyell's head was, oddly, unprotected, though there was a sort of collar in the back that would guard his neck.
The vampire then began to walk towards Hans, almost in the same way that he had walked towards Henry, slowly and with the intent to absolutely destroy his aggressor. He knew he couldn't heal Mary and he knew how fast werewolves were, fast enough to keep up with him even when flying. He had a better chance of fighting it, winning, and then taking Mary to a hospital than trying to simply run and leave the creature to Julian. “I suggest you take that back,” Mairyell stated, his head tilting slightly, muscles in his neck twitching and claws moving a bit at his sides as if he were still exercising some form of restraint.
“Don't ask me why, demon,” he spat out venomously, “because if you do, I will have to teach you what terror feels like as it gradually rips your mind apart. You insufferable mutt.” The rage and hatred in his voice was extremely evident, having been unchanged from having killed Henry. For the werewolf's sake, a small part of Mairyell, one buried deep in his psyche, hoped that the demon would answer intelligently.
That small part of him was mercy.
Julian stared at the new arrival, his face taciturn and reserved for the bloodshed that would soon be seen. He grips his sword with both hands and prepares a mighty slash down the middle. That was he threw a dark bead up in the air at Mary's direction, he stretched his hand out, trying desperately to catch it before it latched onto her throat. Julian let out a vicious sneer at the werewolf, before jumping back a few feet to attend to Mary. He had enough "days of glory" to last for a lifetime, might as well give them to a younger person to show them how truly cursed they were.
“Take care of him” he shouted to Mairyell, “and I'll attend to her”. He slapped her face slightly in an attempt to rejuvenate her and began moving his hands across her neck, trying to locate the bead so that he could extract it.
“You know you could end this fight quickly” a voice echoed in his mind.
And the only thing Julian answered back was a resounding “No”.
Hans tilted his head at the young vampire that approached him(causing more pieces of the roof to fall), ignoring the human. He wouldn't be able to help the girl, but the longer he was kept busy, the better. Then, the ascended werewolf let out a chuckle. What an insolent little child he was. "Tell me, vampire. What do you care for the human? By all the accounts these two left before you killed them," He nodded towards the gore pile that was Henry and the headless corpse of Fredrick, "You hated her. A weak little whore, I believe is what they reported you screaming. The Angel could sense them, so they were a distance away, but you were quite loud. I realize you're at that age where you flip through moods quickly, but I don't think that quickly or strongly. Regardless, I can't take back what I've done even if I wanted to. It's permanent, and whoever undergoes it usually dies." If he had had lips, Hans would have grinned. As it was, tone of voice would have to suffice. "So, I'd be hoping that your 'weak little whore' is stronger than she appears. Wouldn't do for you to be proven right in this instance would it? And besides, I'd have to find another girl to do this work on and that's just frustrating and boring."
For a moment, Hans looked at the crimson eyes of the vampire. "I don't want this fight. Battling against Demons who should be working with me is...distasteful. Let it be, Vampire. Let what happens happen and allow a-," Hans glanced at Mary, whose clothes are stained with blood from her bones breaking skin. "most of us to leave here alive and in as good of health as we arrived."
At first, Mairyell's face darkened, but then the unthinkable occurred. The vampire smiled at Hans, and boy was it a devilish one. Teeth gleaming in all their glory, all sharp for the piercing of flesh. This was not a normal vampiric trait, and for someone like Hans who had likely seen many a vampire, it would be...confusing. The look in Mairyell's eyes darkened further as the crimson became almost black like dried blood. The aura of fury and violence did not however dissipate, in fact it only became worse as a deadly bloodlust seeped into the room. "I was born in bad health, demon," he spat the word out as if it were bile burning his mouth. Mairyell shook his head and raised one of his clawed hands somewhat, showing as it began to wreath itself in a blue energy.
"You know nothing, werewolf. My mood has little to do with my physical or emotional maturity. It is an entirely separate matter and you'd do well to remember that when I tear you throat out for hurting the last thing I can protect and defiling something that should not be." Mairyell's smile then vanished, "...for Innocence is sacred to me and those such as us have no right to twist it to our will."
The emotion seemed to bleed from his eyes as the dark crimson orbs became dull he slashed sending there blades of partially solidified blood surrounded in a blue glow towards the werewolf at highspeed.
Unlike Julian, who had once known glory, perhaps enjoyed it till it had ruined him, Mairyell did not enjoy any of what he was doing. Not really.
The only thing he might have enjoyed about it, was perhaps that he could try to protect something.
To save someone from sharing his fate...or one worse than even that.
He was a protector, he always had been, and even if he couldn't protect Aeris, he damn well wouldn't let them take someone else who had been put into his care, even if not directly.
It was a creed of sorts, he supposed....
A creed bound in blood.
His blood.
Hans snorted at the vampire. Innocence. He found innocence sacred. How.pathetic. How weak. For all his bravado and anger and power, the vampire was really nothing more than a pathetic child, still idealistic and throwing a tantrum at the one who showed him how cruel and hard the world is. As he saw Mairyell slashing at him and the blades of blood coming, he leapt aside. Not fast enough, however, to completely avoid damage. The flesh under his left arm was cut in addition to his side. Hans ignored it as mild damage, instead choosing to talk to the vampire before him. "A child." The werewolf sneered. "You're nothing more than an idealistic child! Innocence? What innocence!?" He gestured to the thrashing form of Mary, more and more blood soaking her clothes as her bones broke flesh in various different places. "Her? The bitch? The pathetic crybaby? I think you're mistaking innocence for weakness. Why do you think she was chosen? Because she looked pretty? No! She was weak. Less resistance. Now, since you've begun the fight, let me finish it." He gave another contemptuous sneer at the naive child before him. This was the one who killed Fredrick?
Hans drew in a deep breath, and held it for a moment. Then, his whole body seemed to vibrate, starting from the legs up. When the vibration reaches his jaws, he opened them and let loose a powerful roar that buckled the floor boards, breaking them, and tore pieces from the roof, in a eight foot wide area. Heading straight towards Mairyell.
Eyes narrowing and his ears picking up the vibration just as well as his eyes did, Mairyells shoes broke and claws formed from his feet, digging deep into the floor and right through the ceiling of the room below. The vampire growled and shook his head, before vanishing. The werewolf, during his roar, would have to be stable, so movement would be reduced. Mairyell took advantage of this, utilizing his armor, his speed, and his likely superior agility to not simply vanish, but to crash two walls as if he were escaping. Instead, Mairyell would bash through the window behind Hans and slam into his back, digging his bloody claws into the beast's flesh.
The werewolf would also notice that the places that Mairyell's blood had touched him were burning and that the burning was spreading throughout his body quicker than the demon would be able to remove it. "I am young, but I'm no child," Mairyell gritted through his clenched teeth. It wasn't the preservation of innocence that he fought for, it was life. It was the right of a person to lose their innocence through willful experience, not through torturous, violent, or malignant force.
Still, despite knowing how wrong Hans was, his words still grated against the rough edges of Mairyell's already raw nerves. It made a difference. Thus, Mairyell jumped back, if he had landed the strike --if not things would play out a bit differently--, leaving the blood forged claw to melt into liquid and push itself into the werewolf's bloodstream.
Oddly, it would move quickly as if being absorbed into the demon's body. Even worse was the fact that the external wounds would seal up as the blood entered as the werewolf's already likely impressive healing factor was being bolstered by Mairyell's Brisn, which was primarily a healing magic.
The result was deadly internal damage, primarily intense acid burns, damage that the werewolf's healing factor would only do so much against. The other effects would not initially be apparent.
Hans snarled as the vampire bolted, breaking through the walls. As his roar ended, he tracked the sounds of his opponent, turning around as they grew stronger and stronger. His ears picked up running footsteps a couple seconds before his eyes saw the vampire and he leapt backwards away from the claw that was trying it's hardest to give him new scars. It missed, but only barely. "You are a child. To fight for innocence is a sign of being a child, a naive, pathetic weakling. The only difference between you and an actual child is size and your mommy isn't here for you to hide behind. Come on, don't you want to kill the big bad wolf that's threatening to destroy her precious innocence?" He taunted, drawing in another breath. But, rather than a roar this was a bit..faster. The rune on the base of his neck flashed a blinding white, and Hans spat a lightning bolt at his antagonist. The girl and the human who had so eloquently beaten Fredrick forgotten in the annoyance before him. Still, this was drawing dangerously close to taking too long. If the girl bonded right here... Hans let out a snort. A subject hadn't bonded with Sir's little creation since the time it was made, centuries ago. It was unlikely that this weakling would be the one to bond.
Still, better to be on the safe side.
The blood claw glowed blue and slashed in a backhand motion in front of Mairyell wreathing the air before him with a blue light. Simultaneously the claw itself liquefied and spread out, forming a thin wall of blood. As the lightning hit the Brisn absorbed some of the impact and let the rest through...intentionally, to shatter the blood barrier, but never reach Mairyell himself. The vampire exhaled sharply and glared at the werewolf as the blue energy faded back and surrounded his right arm and newly forming claw. He made no reaction to Hans' words, nor actions other than what he'd done to defend himself. "You're the pathetic one, wolf," the vampire commented, "you, your master, and all of those under you could not handle capturing one little girl."
A small smile formed on the vampire's lips as he watched the demon closely so as to tell when he would act. "Foiled by her shotgun a vampire, and a human, one you'd think as lowly as the rest." Figuring it had been the wolf's sense of smell, which was no greater than his own. While there was indeed rage and hatred emanating off of him, there was also an amused air due to the werewolf's arrogance. It was actually rather hilarious to see the beast annoyed with him and failing so completely in his simple task. "I can see that look in your eyes, you know," Mairyell said a bit smugly as he channeled the Brisn around his body in small rotations. "Just here for the girl, eh? Too bad, because you'll not be taking anyone from the area unless my body lays on the ground...dead."
Most would think, likely including Hans, that he was being arrogant. However, Mairyell had faced many a demon, surface and otherwise, before. None of them had triumphed over him and none of them had ever successfully hurt him or his sister when it came down to it. He had reason to be assured of his ability to protect, after all, it was what he'd been doing since the moment his sister had freed him from the prison their father had set for him to dwell in with the intention to leave him there for the rest of his days.
It had not worked, just like every other attempt to suppress or end his life hadn't. So, one could call it arrogance, or they could look deeper and call it determination and assumption formed from a long time fact.
He would persist and as long as he did, so would those he protected.
Julian ignored the battle before him for now as he grabbed Mary's shoulders and pinned them down on the ground. He then put the weight of his knees on her legs and attempted to keep her from spasming, he could hear bones crack and muscles vibrate violently. She was transforming into something, that’s what the bead was for and he couldn't get it out. The room flashes as the werewolf unleashes a lightning bolt that Mairyell blocks with ease, protecting the group of them from being incinerated. The boy did have a lot of skill behind his shitty attitude. But for the moment he needed to focus on Mary
“hehehehehehe” a voice mumbled in his mind
“I told you, no” Julian countered back harshly.
“Poor girl, I've seen this ploy done before. She'll most likely die”
“shut up” Julian mumbled, out loud this time.
a large animal like growl radiated around his mind, the essence of something not demonic, but menacing began to emit from Julian. It was getting bolder, showing its colors when it had done so well hidden from sight.
“Put the sword in her hand” it growled
“Why would I ever give this curse to someone else?” Julian asked, a little shocked
“I can't stop this transformation. But my essence can slow it down a bit. And this blessing that you call a “curse” is only yours to bear. We belong to each other now.”
Julian grimaced at that last part, a sad but true statement that reminded him just how weak he truly was.
“Why? Why would you help some girl”
All seemed clear in Julian's mind, as if the essence had left his mind completely and the sword seemed to ease up on its malice. Becoming something softer, if that indeed was possible.
Suddenly The voice appeared, in all its disdain and malice, but also something else that Julian had never felt it before; ambition
“Someday very soon King Blackhawke, there will come a day where I will no longer have to watch my people become tools to the weakling below and above. I've watched as Man became subservient and frightened to relics of a bygone age.”
Julian, oblivious to the carnage before him could only become completely stunned at its words
“The time of watching is over, put the sword hilt in her hand. I will do what a can.”
Julian remained apprehensive, nervous and knowing what this thing was capable of. This essence, spirit, whatever it was, could ruin what was left in her mind. And he couldn't trust it to not just destroy whatever remained left of her conscious.
But then again what other choice did he have?
He slowly takes his sword and slides the hilt into her hand and wraps her fingers around it.
“P-please be safe Mary” he mumbled, knowing full well where her mind would be going.
Hans snarled at Mairyell, the vampire's words getting under his skin simply because they were true. And that irritated him. The burning sensation he had felt spreading was now in every part of his body, but he could ignore that in favor of satisfying the urge to crush the annoying bug before him. "Believe me, that is going to be arranged very shortly." Hans said. The rune on his neck glowed once more and twin lightning bolts arced from his hands at the vampire before him, quickly followed by Hans himself. If he caught the vampire, he'd start squeezing with his considerable strength, trying to break every bone Mairyell had. If he missed, well, it was doubtful he'd be able to stop himself...it's not that long of a drop from the apartment, is it?
Mary, on the other hand, was floating in a state of..detachment. She was dimly aware of something pushing her mind, her soul, into a dark corner of her body, taking control of it without her permission. It just felt wrong. Not natural. It revolted her. And the fact that it was in her body only made the revulsion grow and swell. But, she didn't really feel the need to do anything. She was being swept under a dark tide and a fate worse than death awaited her, she couldn't find enough in her to even be afraid. She was tired, so tired of this world and its horrors. She just wanted to go back to her old life. With friends and movies, and college. But of course, that was impossible now, wasn't it? She had tried fighting, she had tried to struggle...now, she just didn't want to anymore. Let the thing push her away, imprison her in her own body. At least the fear and the terror and the constant feeling of uselessness would fade. And as the invasive presence slowly but surely won the battle against her body's attempt at rejection, a new presence arrived. An aura of menace seemed to exude from it, and it was going straight for Mary. As it pushed back the darkness and drew ever closer to her, Mary realized, too late, what it's intention was. It reached her as she tried to push away. There was blackness, the feeling of moving at very high speeds..and suddenly she stopped.
And when she opened her eyes, she opened them to hell.
The vampire's grin grew as Hans made his proclamation, the rune glowed, a second time now, and the fool attacked. "Imbecile," Maiyell muttered before slamming his foot down and shattering the wooden floor beneath him. Blood tendrils shot out below from his ankles and he descended, letting the wolf pass over him before he shot up and stabbed his claws through the beast's feet and then channeled the electricity into him.
The shock would turn into a pulse of sorts and send the Wolf flying through the wall that Mairyell had stood before where he would tumble to the street below. As this maneuver finished, he rose from the floor, patching the person sized hole haphazardly and glancing out the large hole in the wall to see the beast fall to the street. Shaking his head he let out a long sigh and glanced back at Julian and Mary. "How's she doing," he asked, a considerably softer tone in his voice. To Mary, if she was even able to notice, there would be a notably kinder air about him, similar to when he had initially protected her in the alley. His mentality had shifted a lot in the past hours and, at least to an extent, he seemed to be more steady in his convictions now that things had come down to it.
Still, even though his tone was kind, his eyes were burning somewhat, appearing to writhe and swirl in strange patterns. Still they had returned to a purplish hue, implying that his essence was balanced for the moment. While waiting for his response, Mairyell noted that his blood had already spread quite far, having infiltrated the majority of his blood stream where it latched onto other blood cells and let itself be absorbed into the werewolf's organs, where it was most vulnerable. He would bide his time until the blood reached all of them, at which point he would eviscerate the beast from the inside-out.
Julian watched as Mairyell threw the werewolf through the building down below. He nodded his head and gave an expression of appreciation and being generally impressed. Kid had some guts backed up behind his attitude. Julian looks down at Mary with her fingers wrapped around the sword. The shaking and convulsing had slowed down considerably, seemed as if the whatever it was was actually doing its job and holding this transformation at bay. He looks up at Mairyell with a bit of worry on his face.
"She's alright for now. Go and finish that thing off. It's being a real pain in the ass." Something tugged at him to want to join and fight. He began to admit that he was relying more and more on this power that he knew was a curse and nothing else. but it was a curse he was starting to need more and more. And it hurt whatever remained of his soul.
Nodding briefly, a solemn look briefly passing through his eyes as he did so, Mairyell glanced at Mary and frowned. The furrows in his brow were not just sympathetic, they told of experience and the look in the young man's eyes shone with empathy before they hardened. The eyes quickly shifted colors, going from the brief blue, to a dark purple where they stayed as he turned from them. Walking towards the newly formed hole in the wall, Mairyell casually jumped down from it, his claws dissipating as the places he'd stabbed Hans absorbed the blood and then healed over, forming no lasting wounds. Still, the internal portions of the wolf would begin to sear him from the inside out, causing terrible pain that would soon become debilitating for any normal human. Of course, Hans was a demon so he'd have more time before the pain became unbearable...and it would become unbearable.
"Arranged? You have a funny way of organizing your priorities mutt," he said sarcastically with a rather smug look on his grim features, features that did not hold a smile on their lips, but held a gleam in the eyes. "As I see it, you've got two very pivotal priorities mixed up: Surviving and completing your task. I'll let you guess which one you're failing at...miserably." Mairyell's blood armor partially liquefied, forming several spikes jutting off of his back and shoulders. For what purpose exactly was unknown, but the imbecilic demon would soon find out.
Solus' ears were still ringing after Lily's temper tantrum. He never thought a Siren could scream so loudly. Either way, she came to learn the value of favors, which were worth much more than money. Her debt was what forced him to pull her out of the shit to begin with. He would never let a debt go unpayed, and now Lily owed him two favors. Solus patched her up and sent her on her way. He had wasted enough time, and Hans was his next stop, a moving stop that could get away at any moment with all the answers that Solus needed. He hoped he wasn't too late as he sped through the Loom Autobahn. Loom's own version of the European super highway with no speed restrictions. The rising cityscape pulled away behind him as he headed to one of the poorer parts of Loom, Serenity Row. It was where Hans was heading, and Solus needed to stop him in his tracks.
He pulled out of the Bahn via one of the exits, passing through Little Tokyo and Derelict Block, the local triad's domain, ran by the Oni, hellions of the South-East. Luckily without trouble. Then he passed through Carthage, a holy house district of sorts, consisting of mostly priests and pastors, as well as a few angels here and there. It was then when Solus reached Serenity Row, pulling out the phone Sir left him and reading through the address written in the text message. He was close, just a few more streets to pass.
It was after he rounded a few corners, when Solus slammed the car to a stop in surprise. As if right from heaven, an 11 foot tall creature fell from the sky and slammed face first into the asphalt in the middle of the street, right on the double white lines. Even though it was a decent distance away, a good 250 yards, he could still feel its taint. Solus quickly checked the address on the phone again and then glanced at the street sign above him. It seemed that he was at his destination. And that creature, it had to be Hans. Solus didn't have time to think or ask questions, such as: Where the hell Hans even fell from. He slammed the accelerator down to the floor, revving the car to life.
The car hit 60 before it even passed 100 yards, rolling towards Hans like a massive metal battering ram. It was twenty five yards before crashing into Hans when the car suddenly swerved and moved towards Hans sideways in a last second drift. The left side of the tail smashed Hans in the side, forcing him into a cartwheel in the air before landing back on the ground again. The force of the impact slowed the car down, with the Necromaster losing control of it as it span towards the left. On the 2nd spin, he opened the door, and did probably the stupidest thing in his life. While the car continued to spin out of control, he casually hopped out of the driver's side, his small leap immediately turned into a casual stroll as the car's tail brushed the back of his legs, barely missing him by mere milimeters. Solus, unphased and completely clueless to what he just pulled off, continued to stroll towards Hans, with his arms outstretched in greeting.
"Hans!" He called out with a shit eating grin. "I haven't had the chance to introduce myself before you scurried off..." The Mustang finally skidded to a stop after a couple more spins as Solus' face turned into something far more sinister. "I'm Solus Grim. Your Slayer..."
For the first time in his rather long life as an Ascended werewolf, Hans began to feel that he had bitten off more than he could chew. It began to start when he was suddenly flying through the air and crashing onto the pavement. Picking himself up, he heard the roar of an engine and the squealing of tires. Whirling around, he had only time to snarl something unintelligible, likely a curse, before the car slammed into his side breaking ribs that healed even as he flew through the air and crashed down back to the earth. He ignored the hunter's talking. Isabella was supposed to have killed him. Obviously, she failed. Picking himself up, he spat blood onto the ground. The burning sensation had increased, and seemed to be coming from every part of his body. He ignored it. He had to kill the hunter, even if he couldn't get the girl. Thus, without so much as a retort, he rushed Solus, slashing with one claw to open the hunter from shoulder to hip.
Here he comes... Solus thought to himself as Hans began his charge. He didn't move, he simply crossed his arms with an even wider grin on his face than before. As Hans' claw came, Solus uncrossed his arms and weaved his body towards the attack, ducking his head beneath the claw, which passed over his head. Hans' arm stopped halfway through his slash however, the force behind it decipating into what ever it had collided with. Him and the Necromaster had locked arms. Solus' right arm was wrapped around Hans' right arm, with Solus' right hand clutching Hans' throat like a vice. He pulled Hans closer with his hand still on his throat, to the point where they were both breathing into eachother's mouths. "I wonder..." He said quietly to him. "...what it feels like to be a slave for an incompetant master..." Solus' throat clutching hand began to squeeze. "Why don't you enlighten me...?"
The car's arrival did little to surprise the vampire and Mairyell simply watched with a frown as the werewolf was struck and the cocky hunt- no...this being was strange. Not human, but not demon either, despite its appearance. The furrows in his brow deepened somewhat as he observed the struggle that began anew, noting that the werewolf's movements were slowed and senses dulled to some extent. The blood was tearing his body apart from the inside-out. It was a terrible way to go, but Mairyell hardly cared about the brute's dignity. What he did care about was that someone was stealing his prey, a thought that, despite Mairyell's hatred for his vampiric self, bothered him nonetheless.
Thus he gritted his teeth slightly and then called out, sounding rather irritated and wary, to the strange man, "I had this taken care of so I'd appreciate it if you let the beast go so I can properly end his pitiful life. Perhaps then he'll reincarnate into a vessel that actually serves the world, rather than just itself." Involuntarily, his body shuddered and he stopped moving for a moment, letting the torrent pass. His vampiric aspect wanted control and he'd been focusing on it too much for him to entirely deny it. He'd need to feed soon, whether he liked it or not.
Julian watches as Mairyell jumps to the street below to hopefully kill that annoying nuisance. Making sure the sword is still clutched in Mary's hand, he picks her up and brings her over to the couch and lays her down gently. He grabs a blanket and wraps it around her. Julian sits down and puts her head on his lap. Right now she looked almost peaceful, the shaking had turned into small shivers and he cradled her closer. Protection. An instinct he thought he never possessed, it should have been impossible, after all the killing, the executions. The utterly reprehensible destruction he caused on what was the greatest country in the world. He had ruined everything, and now all he could do was try to help this young woman. He leans over and kisses her forehead, ignoring the fighting that waged on below; none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was keeping this woman safe, and making sure she kept believing in things. To never lose hope and to always struggle against the powers that fought to suppress and demean them.
That after all was what Mankind did, they gave themselves dignity in the face of those who tried to humiliate them.
“Stay strong Mary” he whispered to her.
It was then when Solus finally sensed the Vampire, who followed up with a snarky comment. He ignored the majority of it and replied, still glaring into Hans' eyes, their foreheads almost touching, and Solus' arm that was locked with Hans' slowly beginning to strain. "And I thank you for that, but I need this one alive. At least for a few moments before I impale him with his own spine..." The last sentence wasn't a lie, he would, and he probably could, given five minutes and a chainsaw. "So what do you say Hans?" He continued. "It seems you are outmatched..."
Hans bared his teeth in a grin at Solus. "I'm more free than you are, hunter." He gasped out, the arm not locked with Solus's wrapping around the hunter's back in a spine crushing bearhug. For whatever reason, it seemed that the vampire wasn't willing to attack him while he had the human. Hans was never one to just let go of an opportunity. His rune began to glow a blinding white light and flames shot from the werewolf's mouth in a stream, aimed directly at Solus's all too close face. He would kill the human. The hunter would know fear and pain before he would die. The hunter had killed Isabella, and that demanded Hans seek vengeance. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.
Noticing the rune's light, Mairyell's head tilted and the fingers of his right hand opened wide, controlling the blood within Hans' body. As the fire built up, the blood pumped through the arteries and cappillaries in the wolf's face, then as the fire entered the mouth, the blood shot up in spiked tendrils, tigging into the top of the wolf's jaw and gums, and then latched in with hooks. In seconds the mouth would be forced shut and the fire suppressed within the Wolf's mouth and neck. Mairyell than glanced to Solus, "Oh, you can try to keep him alive, but he won't last even for another five minutes. I hardly have to lift a finger." Mairyell was slightly annoyed as he continued, "Just make sure his blood is unsullied, as much as I rue the fact, I do require this type of sustenance to survive."
Mairyell then fell silent, making minor alterations to his blood's actions within the werewolf's body, such as having it begin to assimilate Hans' blood to manipulate as well.
"Noted, I only need 60 seconds." Solus replied, completely ignoring Hans' comment and the pain that surged in him back from the crushing arm that Hans wrapped him in, now a little curious about the Vampire, and why he even bothered to help Solus there and then. "PIR" That single unknown word that the Necromaster liked so much, he has been using it all day, further proving its usefulness. His right hand was still cut open from earlier in the day, and blood still slowly oozed out of it. The word drew power from the Necromaster's lifeforce and blew both Hans and Solus away from eachother and sent them in the air with an explosive BANG of a shockwave. Solus landed on his feet, his toes skidding along the ground a good 10 yards before his momentum dissipated. Now with his feet firmly in place, he straightened his back, and dusted himself off, leveling out the creases in his sleeves. "Do you really think that having a Magic Killswitch in your stomach is freedom? So naive." He drew one of his swords, and took a guarding stance. "Oh and by the way... It wasn't me who killed Isabella, it was Sir. He deemed her incompetant. Yet another eye-opener to how you are merely nothing but a tool in his eyes." He tightened his grip around the pommel of his sword. "En guard, asshole."
Watching the man, Mairyell closely observed what he could of his essence, trying to ascertain what exactly he was while maintaining the power of his blood within the werewolf's body. He noted the use of magic and chuckled lightly as Solus did what he had been doing moments before, degraded Hans. Shaking his head, Mairyell relaxed his hand, allowing his blood to flow back into the veins of the wolf and as such allowing him to once more have use of his mouth. "Consider yourself on your own now," Mairyell stated before turning his back to the two, walking towards the apartment building, and then leaning against its wall after he turned back to them. He continued to watch from there, seeming mildly amused by the proceedings, granted he was still getting quite...thirsty. It seemed the effect of his sister's blood had begun to wear off. A pity that was, a pity indeed.
Hans glared at the hunter, and opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by the ringing of a cell phone. It appeared to be coming from Solus's pocket.
Solus burst out laughing. "Oh speak of the Devil! It's your boss, Hans!" He grinned at the Wolf as he pulled out the phone and pointed the screen in Hans' direction so he could see the caller ID, which labeled the name "Sir" in the standard Arial font that seemed really common place these days. "Mind if I answer this?" Solus was really enjoying pissing the werewolf off, he only had five minutes left to live anyway, so the Necromaster might as well give him a Stand-up performance for the last few moments of Hans' life.
At the mention of Hans' master, Mairyell's eyes narrowed considerably, their coloration shifting from a dark purple to a light reddish coloration where specks of blue bristled at the edges. Gritting his razor sharp teeth together slightly, the vampire waited to see what kind of situation might play out. Regardless he had it in mind to find this 'Sir' fellow and gut him just like this miserable excuse for a being.
Hans gritted his teeth, but didn't respond, his head tilted as if listening to another. "He wants you to, and I quote, 'answer the damn phone already'." The werewolf spat, clearly displeased with the way things were going. The silence stretched on as the Hunter refused to answer the phone. Hans knew what the bastard was doing, and it irritated him to no end. But he didn't give Solus the satisfaction of seeing him speak again, just glared, and waited.
Solus chuckled along to the ringing, almost in sync as he watched Hans get more and more irritated as time went on. "You know... There is one thing I can admire about Sir. And that's his patience." Solus then pressed the green button on the screen and put the phone to his ear. "So the asshat decided to ring again. You really need to get some better minions. Unless you're really cheap and like to get them from thrift stores..."
There was a sigh at the other end of the line. Then, Hans's rune flared brightly once more and the werewolf let a strangled howl before slumping over on the ground, dead. Smoke rose from the rune on his neck. "Do I have your attention now? Good. You need to get into the apartment quickly, and tell the idiot with the sword to take it out of her hand because the Abyss is about to go too far and kill her soon if he doesn't! And then you'll lose the Abyss, because it'll die, and then you'll lose me, because this phone will disappear. Understand? Now, go!"
"First, you'll tell me what the Abyss is for, and then we will see if I even bother. I'm getting tired of chasing you, and immortality is just around the corner for me with just a single... very complex spell, with some sacrifices perhaps involved if need be. I can wait all eternity if I have to to kill you. So if you would care to share some information then perhaps I might give a damn." Solus' tone became far more serious. There was no joking, no humor, just a dark individual with a purpose.
Silence, there was silence on the phone. Finally, Sir spoke again. "So be it. I'll have to save the girl through another way." There was a click, and suddenly the phone was on speaker. "You! Vampire! The one with blood armor. If you don't take the sword from the girl's hand right now she will die! Innocence and protection and all that garbage you were speaking about will disappear, quite painfully and bloodily. Take the sword out of her hand now!.
"Don't listen to him... He's getting desperate. We have him cornered." Solus' voice was far more gentle this time. "Let me see the girl, I need to see her condition for myself."
Glancing to the now dead body of Hans Mairyell flicked his wrist and the body began to steam violently, as its essence had just been freed somewhat, allowing him to fully assimilate the beast's blood. "How unfortunate," he muttered with a slight frown as the blood evaporated the body and then flowed to Mairyell where it fluidly disipated into a light mist and was absorbed through his skin. Still, even with this he was itching to sink his teeth into something and it didn't seem like anyone here would be a good idea, especially because two out of three were his allies. However, when the phone switched over to speaker and the voice of Sir, the alleged boss of Hans, a slight smile grew on his features. "Now, let me get this straight, you send your lackeys to murder an innocent little girl, after killing her father. She ends up in my care, not to mention Julian's, after which point you send the wolf and two vampires to retrieve her. They all fail and you have the nerve to request the assistance of the-..." before he could finish, the man interrupted him. Mairyell glanced at him, seeming only slightly irritated by it.
"There was another Vampire." Solus interupted. "I killed her though, accidentally..."
"You're both idiots! Fools!"
"Now that's where you're wrong," he began. "You see, I never said no. The issue I have, is you are the cause of all this strife. All you seem to want is her body, you don't care about her, or her well being. You just want her body alive. Listening to you is unlikely to save what little sanity and mind she has left. However, listening to this one," he gestured towards Solus, knowing Sir couldn't see, "might give her a better chance. He seems...knowledgeable. Plus, I think he'll be able to provide me with something I've been craving for the last, what? Ten minutes." A dark smile then spread over Mairyell's features as he glanced directly into Solus' glowing sockets. "Does Sir place the runes on them with his own personal magic?"
Solus immediately threw the phone on the ground, it didn't break. But the Necromaster didn't give a damn. Then he suddenly rolled up his right arm sleeve, he knew a look of hunger on a Vampire when he saw one, and this one needed his fix. "Go ahead, but don't bleed me dry. If I don't have any blood I can't cast any spells to save the girl." Then his look became grim. "To answer your question, I don't know that yet. But if the girl lives, I can find that out. Now are you-"
"Your spells won't work fool! Let me exp-"
"GO EAT A CHODE!" He shouted back at the phone on the ground. "Now are you going to take me to the girl or not?"
"She's going to die. Centuries of work..gone. Because of two idiots."
"To be fair, you're the one who decided to use brute force first," Mairyell iterated as he briefly glanced at Solus' arm and then noted that he could smell the blood on his hand. Mairyell briefly shivered from head to toe and then narrowed his eyes at the man as he continued to speak to the phone. "Here, we can make a little[/} agreement. I'll [I]wait to track you down and you tell me the truth and how exactly listening to you will save her life, and her mind." Mairyell then glanced at Solus, completely ignoring the crude outburst from a moment before as he spoke. "You don't smell human, nor do you smell like a demon. You're like a mixing pot of scents, did you know that?" Shivering again he tried to dispel the feeling that he was in the presence of none other than an angel. Afterall, that was impossible, the man had no wings and he couldn't quite smell that in his essence...it was close though.
Regardless he walked across the distance, forming a claw as he did and then using it to draw a cut across his arm, lengthwise. "I'll try to contain myself, but I admit I'm rather thirsty after all this activity," Mairyell then laid his bare hand, the armor being absorbed into him so none of his blood made contact with Solus' body, and forcibly bonded a small portion of his Brisn with his will. He then pulled blood from Solus body, not too much, and absorbed it.
Still not quite parched, Mairyell lifted the arm and, sacrificing a bit of his human dignity for the better of the situation, he bit in. The pain would be unique, even for one such as Solus, as Mairyell's teeth were all fangs, a trait not the norm for vampires. Additionally, tiny portions of Mairyell's own acidic and poisonous blood would leak into him as he drank from the strange man. Still, not enough to cause his unique physiology any notable harm and to make sure of such, Mairyell withdrew after only ten seconds, as even another twenty of them would likely drain Solus to a dried husk, regardless of his power. Mairyell then forced his blood out of Solus' system through the cut and sealed it with his healing Brisn, wiping his mouth as he did and turning away.
He licked his lips subconsciously, noting a unique taste to the sanguine liquid. It was some of the best he'd ever tasted, likely with the sole exclusion of his sister's...which was as sweet and filling as was possible.
Solus felt woozy as he rolled his sleeve back down. "Honestly? I don't know how I can help her without knowing her condition. I need to see her, then we can make a deal."
Sir began laughing. It was a mad laugh, alternatively going high pitched and low pitched and every pitch in between. "The truth? Track me? Hahaa.." It was several more minutes before he regained control of himself, and even then he still giggled. "Sorry..Rune breaking down...hehehehee. Anyways, I've been telling you the truth, hehe. The girl is going to die, the Abyss is going to take over her soul, hehee. Her mind isn't there for the bonding process to complete! I can't promise that her mind will be saved, but her life certainly will, hahaha! So, make your decision innocence protector! Hehehe. Let the girl die, or go on the off chance she might not go insane!" Sir descended into mad giggling once more.
"Come with me," Mairyell stated simply, not even bothering to specify whether or not he would help the obviously deluded man on the phone, "oh and bring the phone, just incase." Mairyell then proceeded to walk into the building and began up the stairs, likely with Solus right behind him. As he climbed up he debated what exactly to tell Julian, afterall, neither of them really knew this person. In fact, he didn't even know his name. At this thought Mairyell spoke, not even turning to do so but trudging on. "What's your name, hunter?"
"Solus Grim, demon slayer, necromancer, exorsist, etcetera and etcetera..." He replied as he followed Mairyell up the stairs.
He simply nodded and continued going up, eventually getting to the third floor which he stopped ascending on in the interest of getting to the apartment. He then walked to the door and opened it, motioning for Solus to wait a moment as he called in to Julian. "I brought...someone, who might be able to help. His name is Solus Grim, he's an exorsist," he said, choosing which title to use very carefully. He then pushed the door open and let Solus walk in first, putting him inbetween himself and Julian, that way he would have to fight them from both sides if he proved to actually be a threat rather than an ally.
"Exorcism isn't going to work! Just take the sword out of her hand, and she'll live. Don't do it, and she'll die. Trust me, I created the damn thing!" Sir chimed in.
"Hey" Solus nodded towards the bearded man who... well, smelled really badly. Though he felt like he saw him before somewhere, he couldn't place where. But he paid that no mind. He then looked down at the girl. His eyes widened as he surveyed her state. His voice lowered down to a barely audible whisper. "Oh, she is so fucked." He rubbed his temples for a moment and then dragged his hand down his face as he knelt down next to the poor thing, she was still twisting and changing. "Level 3 possession..." He began mumbling to himself as he recited the symptoms and engraved them into his mind.
"Multiple fractures, Hypertension..." Solus put his hand to her face and opened one of her eyes.
"Minor insanity, Black eyes, possible chance of Death if you don't yank the sword out of her hand!"
Solus pulled out his flashlight and shone it right into her open eye. It hadn't fully dilated yet, but it was quickly going to turn into a full black eyeball if he didn't do something quickly. "...pupil dilation beyond 9 millimeter radius..." he continued. Her arms continued thrashing around, one almost punching through a wall. "...supernatural strength..." He didn't need to know anymore.
"This girl's essence is bonding." Solus said outloud. "Her body is changing with every second we waste. How'd she end up like this?"
"Correction. Her body isn't changing, the Abyss is just moving in. As for how she ended up like this, well, Hans gave her an activation bead and you can see the results for yourself. Sword boy. Take it out of her hand, or she'll die."
"Ignore him." Solus replied, still watching the girl. "Vampire, do you have access to any first aid kits? I need a Spazmolitic. Otherwise her body will tear itself apart. Also find a sterilized sharp knife, we will need it to cut her open to remove the bead." With the orders given he turned to the bearded male sitting beside him. "I was told this sword belongs to you. I need to know everything about it before I can enter her mind."
Julian should have looked shocked at the Human who obviously was tainted or imbedded with Demonic influence. But in all honesty he had seen far stranger things in his lifetime. With Mairyell close behind him, he could tell that this thing was at least no enemy. And due to the urgent nature of a bunch of people telling him conflicting orders. That now was not the time to be introducing one another. For now he kept the sword clasped in Mary's hand tightly and looks at the man.
“It's... its hard to explain what it is. The best explanation would be a one way portal in a sense. With something on the other side who is holding off the transformation right now. It seems she's been mind linked with him for the moment, something that is automatic when anybody touches this thing for the most part.”
Julian's description of it was vague, but it was effective as it could be. For one, explaining this sword in a 30 second blip would result in him telling his life story. Which he didn't really feel like doing. And secondly, he honestly didn't know what that sword was or what it was that had created it. He had never gotten a name or anything behind it. Just an alias: The Heretic
“Her mind is linked to somewhere in Hell now” he said slowly “Most likely having a conversation with something that could break her mind if it felt like it, but it seemed to want to help her.”
Julian looked down at Mary worriedly knowing full well what she was seeing, for he had seen it as well, and far worse
“I didn't want to put her mind through this. But it seemed to be the only way to hold off whatever is that's happening. I didn't know what else to do.”
"Help me hold her down..." Solus ordered as he pushed the thrashing body down onto the ground, trying to stop the spasming with his arms. "What's her name?" He asked.
"Mary" Julian barked back as he pinned her arms down.
Solus grabbed her head with his left hand, and dug the thumb of his right hand into its cut open palm to get some "ink" to draw with. He then took his bloody right thumb and started to draw symbols on Mary's forehead. Strange symbols. Each simple yet beyond understanding. Now with four bloody symbols on her forehead, Solus placed his bloody palm on it, and whispered soothingly. "Hold on Mary, just for a few moments longer" He then rubbed out the symbols and barked. "Where the hell is that first aid, Vampire?"
Mairyell listened to what he said and contemplated while Julian filled him in regarding the blade and the situation as well. When Solus barked an order at him a second time he jolted back to reality, the blood he had taken from Solus actually assuaging him more than normal. Feeling rejuvenated by it, Mairyell moved past the two and looked down at Mary, not immediately responding as he thought for a brief moment. Then, making a decision he closed his eyes and spoke as he focused, "I have something better," he stated as his body began to glow with a blue light. Then, opening his eyes and bending down over her body, Mairyell moved her shirt away from he stomach, leaving her chest covered, and placed both of his hands there. In a rush the blue light flowed from his body and surrounded her, wreathing her in its light.
In response her body would become mostly still as the energy permeated the rest of her form, calming her muscles and healing her at rates not normally possible for humans. It was a powerful magic, but the issue is he didn't know how long he could make it last. "I'll estimate that this will last anywhere between two hours and one minute, granted if I try and make it last even an hour I'll go into an uncontrollable blood rage. Regardless, it should calm her body, stop the spasms, and heal her faster than whateverthefuck can damage her. Hopefully that's enough."
Solus watched the Vampire with keen interest. He wanted to ask what kind of magic that was, but he would have to save that question for later.
He got his bloody thumb again and began to draw new symbols on Mary's head. On the forehead were the four symbols he drew earlier were, he drew a circle, and then within it, an upside-down star, it's edges toughing the perimeter of the circle. He then wrote a single character on each side, one on the left of the circle, and another on the right. He then moved his thumb to her right temple, and drew un upside-down cross. On her left temple he drew a cross that was the right side up. Underneath each eye, he wrote two symbols. With everything he needed marked on her head, the Necromaster then made a sequence of signs with his right hand, something akin to magic casting gestures.
The bloody markings lit up with red flames, with black lightning arcs of energy crackling out of them. Solus positioned his hands on each side of Mary's head with the palms facing her cheeks, careful not to touch her. "You can remove the sword now..."
Julian nodded worriedly as he watched the man do his work. He had heard of such magic before, but had never witnessed it himself. He grabs the sword from Mary and immediately his eyes widened in a very familiar horror and quickly yanked away the sword from the girl before she was forced to see anymore. He falls backwards onto the ground, as if the sword's energy pushed him back. For a moment, there was no feelings of malice that the sword was associated with. This time it was something more horrifying that Julian could briefly see in his mind's eye before he blocked out the image. He would deal with that thing later.
He rises up and quickly sheathes the blade and almost immediately the insanity that it exerted seemed distant from the world. His sword hand was red and steam was rolling off it was the blade, but it was sheathed now. It couldn't hurt anybody as long as Julian was there to resist it. Yet his face seemed haggard and gaunt. As if whatever he felt or saw was a painful reminder of something atrocious.
He stares at Mary and waits for a miracle to happen.
With the sword now removed, Solus could do his work. His hands that were hovering beside Mary's head now grabbed her. The Necromaster began to mutter something incomprehensible and Mary's eyes snapped open to reveal her now pitch black eyes. Solus lined up his eyes with her's, and the flames in his eyes suddenly extinguished, revealing his own, pure black eyes.
Mary's eyes set a flame with the same green fire that burned out of Solus' sockets. He was now in her body. His own body was nothing but a seemingly empty shell that just sat there, it's empty eyes staring into the still unconscious girl.
All the others in the room could do now was wait.
