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Rurik Alexeev
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Bak Tsarevna
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The explosion sounded like the ringing of a boxing bell as the Demoness appeared out of the mist in beside of Katherine, a wary hate burning in its eyes. Streams of that same wicked fire traced the arc of its claw as it brought it across, toward her throat.
Kath barely had time to react to the attack. Even with her increased speed, the Demoness seemed like a faster combatant. She leaned back at the last moment, and the claws of the Demon cut a lock of Kath’s hair, missing their intended target.
Damn, she’s fast Kath quickly dashed back several feet to put distance between herself and the Demoness. She wasn’t about to die today, and that meant fighting this foe. Even though she was craving for a hard fight all day, the sight of the Demoness brought no respite for Kath. This fight was going to be different from the others; one of them won’t leave the roof.
Kath braced herself, raising her clenched fists in front of her face in a defensive position and finding her footing in the loose rubble below. For now she’d try to dodge the attacks of the Demoness and look for an opening to exploit. Only then would she have a chance to mortally wound something that could survive Bak’s entire salvo.
Just a few moments prior, Rurik had been snapped out of his shock, awe, and pain by Bak shouting and the sounds of missiles being loosed. He tried to sit up, only to find his left arm pinned beneath a slab of concrete. That was bad. Worse was the fact that he then saw the demon almost casually toss one of the missiles back at them.
“Oh good…” He watched it careen closer, but then had a thought. If the demon could do it, so could he! He flattened himself to the ground as best he could and as the missile began to pass over him, his free hand lashed out and grabbed it.
“Aha!” he sat up as best he could, ready to return the already returned favor-
BOOM!-until he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the missile detonating in his hand.
However, a few moments later, a familiar slab of concrete came hurtling out of the smoke, flying toward the Demoness. It was followed by a coughing Rurik. Fortunately, as painful as Bak’s missiles were, they still weren’t lethal. That said, he fell to a knee, hissing in pain. His hand was charred and bleeding and his arm was hanging somewhat limply by his side.
To say it would be sore in the morning would belie the fact that it really hurt right now.
“Rurik!” Bak said, stomping over to him with worry plastered all over her face. “Why in the world...why would you not deflect it? I know you can!” She looked down at him, then over at Yuuto, then turned back to the confrontation and placed herself like a wall between them and it.
The Demoness wasn’t paying any mind to them. She was sizing up Katherine, slowing stalking in a circle around her, probing for any sort of weakness. So when the huge rock flew out of the air towards her she only had enough time to raise her arm and catch it like a basketball.
The important bit, though, was that she had raised her arm to catch the falling stone. One arm. Singular. The other, charred back from hellfire and void energy, hung limply at her side not unlike Rurik’s was. The question was whether or not she could still defend herself with it. Was this opening real, or was she playing the wounded gazelle?
Kath watched closely as the Demoness circled around her. It looked like a terrifying predator that was about to leap on it’s prey. That was right until a large slab of concrete came flying towards the Demoness, forcing it to grab it with it’s free arm. Kath glanced to the side and noticed Rurik near the origin point of the projectile. She ground her teeth together and muttered something akin to “thank you” before pushing her momentary advantage. She blasted off from her position, rubble flying up behind her, and Kath dashed towards the Demoness to deliver her signature elbow strike.
The elbow caught the Demoness square in the stomach, spit and blood flying from between the remnants of its shattered teeth. But even then its eyes re-focussed. It gripped the rock, hard, and as it cracked orange fire ran through the crevices and seemed to cut apart the stone like some kind of heat saw. Scattered pieces rained down on Katherine as it brought its own hammer like fist down towards her.
Kath watched as the Demoness recoiled, spitting blood out of it’s mouth, but she wasn’t down yet. In fact, the demon seemed unfazed considering the strength of Kath’s punch, and it seemed even angrier now than before.
Shit, now I’ve done it On the other hand, Kath definitely felt the impact of her own punch, her elbow sore from hitting the enemy. Not only that, but she felt the fire inside burn more and more fierce, threatening to consume her. She knew that there was not much time left before she’d reach her limit and pass out. That’s it, she needed to end this fight in the next few minutes.
The punch of the Demoness was well telegraphed by her shattering the concrete slab and then swinging her arm in a wide arc. Kath was ready to block the attack, and she raised her block when the fist of the Demoness came crashing down on her like a train wreck. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and the concrete slab that she was standing on quite literally broke into a thousand pieces, but Kath was still standing. Just barely. Still, she had a big grin on her mouth.
“Bad move.” She grappled onto the Demoness’s arm, and pulled it towards her with all her force, her hind leg ready to serve as the anvil in the “hammer and anvil”.
The Demoness took the knee in the chest, actually eliciting a gasp of pain from the beast. Then she responded with her own strike, which the Demoness answered, which Kath countered and so on and so on and on and on. All semblances of strategy or grace had been lost at this point, the fighting devolving into the two just throwing punch after punch like two boxers who were still going long after the last bell. Neither willing to give even an inch of ground to the other. There was something happening here. On a spiritual level matter and antimatter were colliding.
Cassius was used to taking a beating, mostly from himself to be honest, but even for him that last fall had taken a bit out of him. Finally though, he was able to drag himself to his feet. He sort of staggered about in a daze until the titanic confrontation nearby brought him to his senses.
He swallowed hard, not just because of the intimidating sight before him, but because he’d wandered into the Mephisto’s group. Well, he probably didn’t have to worry too much. Common enemy and all that? The truce was still in effect right?
“Errr, you guys OK?” Cassius asked, despite probably looking worse than them. Rurik just sort of looked at him and frowned. Taking a look at his messed up arm, Cassius supposed that had been a dumb question.
However, it was at that moment that Rurik had an idea. Or rather, he remembered something. He’d been formulating a plan before the entire roof had caved in, and if Cassius was here… then maybe.
“Hey, how is your reaction time?” Rurik asked him.
“Me?” Cassius took a moment to realize the boy was actually speaking to him.
“Um, it’s good I guess.”“Cool. It’s impossible to say which one of them is winning this, so we’re gonna have to turn the tide here. If Kath loses, I don’t know if we can win without her,” Rurik told him. “I figure she’ll hit just about anything we put in front of her, so we just need to set up a perfect target for her.”
“How?”
“Simple. Give it everything you got, but with one caveat,” Rurik took a deep breath. This would probably hurt. “Aim at me.”“Wh-”“So you've got the plan? Good. Time’s running out so be ready.” And with that, Rurik dashed off, skirting the edge of the fight. Fortunately the Demoness seemed to be totally absorbed in its punch fest with Katherine.
“B-but, but-” Cassius was totally lost.
Rurik slid into position behind the demon and immediately fired two blasts. Neither were particularly strong. One was aimed at the demon’s back, just to aggravate her. The other was even weaker, aimed at Cassius.
Cassius felt the bolt ping off of his shoulder and just sighed. He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was clear. He needed to attack, and that was his signal.
He got a running start, the air distorting and crackling around his legs,
“INCOMING!” he shouted, more for Katherine’s benefit before he launched himself. The entire space took on an orange tint as the explosion propelled him forward like a blazing spear, aimed to go right through the Demoness.
First a strike to her back, and then suddenly an intruder spewing nearly as much fire as her opponent. She pulled back just a bit, lifting her arm to block Katherine’s next attack rather than wind up a reply. She threw Kath’s punch aside, momentarily bringing the fight to a halt just long enough to dodge Cassius’s rush. She leapt into the air, spreading her one wing and forging a temporary second out of flames, letting her hover as the attack passed beneath.
At that same moment, Rurik knelt down and deployed his shield with his left hand, right arm still feeling a bit useless. And then, finally, Cassius understood. He’d made sure his attack would be on course for Rurik if the demon dodge, and indeed she had. It made sense, no way was she going to be caught off guard by such a flashy entrance. But this?
He twisted midair and planted both feet on the shield, once more taking aim, and he was all warmed up this time. He could even feel Rurik adjusting the shield to keep him on target. Compared to the cold start he’d just had a second ago, this take-off rocked the whole building. He flew forward with such fury, it surprised even himself. Something about the shield had doubled his speed.
Uh oh… He didn’t even have time to line up his punch properly! He ended up corkscrewing through the air and throwing an uppercut. The blast sent the Demoness up, up and away… from Katherine.
Rurik, meanwhile, had lost control of his shield and been totally flattened by Cassius’s launch. He was left there, making a sound much like a slowly deflating balloon. Looking up into the air, though, he had a perfect view of his plan totally falling apart. Unless…
He sputtered at first, but he managed to get out two words that just might be able to salvage everything,
“THOBIAS! ELEVATOR!” If Thobias was buried under a pile of rubble, he was screwed. If not…
And then the next thing he knew he was in mid-air, above even the Demoness. He barely had time to process the fact that Thobias had heard him.
The Demoness, for her part, had almost no idea what was happening. There was pain, and then suddenly she was just...in the air for some reason. And there, right there, outlined between her and the Hellfire Seal, was a boy. He was up here, above her. Some stupid, insignificant boy.
She let out the roar of a crazed animal, all grace and pomp gone from her now. She was a beast. A great enemy of mankind, and there was a man right in front of her. She quickly gripped her broken arm with her good one and, with one motion and a spray of blood, tore it clean off her shoulder. This stump, this worthless appendage, still had a few small embers of the Seal burning upon it. She let out another scream, this one of wild agony, as she willed them to spread. The embers flared to life, the fire shooting up and consuming the arm as a sacrifice as it grew longer and longer, until what she held in her good arm was a sword made of that same destroying flame that would have overwhelmed Katherine. Unthinking the Demoness drew back her arm and made to swat the boy from the air with it.
The strike didn’t come, however. She there was a resistance on her arm. She looked down and saw it in the grip of a pair of thick, meaty tentacles. She followed them back to see them sprouting from some...creature...that was perched on the side of the building, grinning at her. She was about to pull through anyway, to rip these foul things from whatever vile orifices they sprang from when she felt to impacts in her back, and an explosion that rocked her body and disrupted her already floundering conversation.
From down below Bak looked up, the two barrels of her cannons smoking in the breeze. She cupped her heads around her mouth and shouted “Hit her!”
Rurik looked down at the screaming Demoness and willed his aching arm to obey and thrust both hands forward. He channeled all his energy into one point, immediately overloading it and turning it unstable.
“SHUT UP!” he shouted at the creature and with a sound like the crack of thunder, blasted her straight back down toward Katherine down below.
Kath watched as his opponent was sent flying upwards by Cassius. She smirked, the sight of her firebuddy participating in the fight bringing a strange sense of joy along with it. Now that he had a moment of respite, Kath caught herself staggered, and almost fell over as his head began to spin like some kinda wild merry-go-round. She clenched her fist and closed her eyes to regain her senses, and then looked up to see the Demoness already flying back towards her, propelled by Rurik’s attacks.
Just a little bit more Katherine, you can do this The fire inside burned like a blazing inferno, consuming her body. Every bone and muscle was sore inside her body, and she was taking heavy breaths.
Still, Kath readied to receive the Demoness and put her out of her misery with a final attack. A haymaker to be remembered for the ages. Kath’s right shoulder moved back as she readied the punch, her eyes clashing with that of the Demoness. It felt like the air between the two was about to self combust, but the moment only lasted a few seconds. The Demoness was falling at tremendous speeds, and Kath launched her attack in advance. She put her weight into the punch, hoping to end the fight with this one hit and then have time to GTFO before passing out. But as her fist connected with the face of the Demoness, she felt no resistance. In front of Kath’s very eyes, the body of the demon turned to the same dark substance that made up the copies, and her fist went straight through this cloud of black miasma.
Before Kath had time to react, the cloud of black material began seeping into her body through her skin, stopping her in place. The edges of her vision quickly faded to black as the material absorbed itself into her body near instantly. The last thing that she remembered was her hitting the ground and the world turning black. Then Kath passed out, her eyes turning black.
Kath awoke lying on the ground in a familiar landscape. She knew instantly where she was when she didn’t feel pain as she sat up.
Oh great, this place again As she looked around, trying to find the familiar images or the faraway light, she noticed that the land changed. Around her body was an aura of light that lit up the place in a small radius around her, revealing the floor to be made out of some material similar to plastic. But beyond this light, the same black stuff that was released by the Demoness oozed around in a chaotic manner. When she moved, the ooze moved away from her path, but reclaimed the place she left. Kath was soon overcome by anxiety strolled around this nightmarish landscape, looking for someone; or something.
“There’s no reason to be so skittish, human.” came an inviting voice from behind her. Suddenly, from behind her the landscape blazed to life. Visible, sitting amid the vile mud that coated the floor was the tattered, broken Demoness. She was in much the same state as she had been in the real world, he finery reduced to rags and he numerous wounds leaking the black gunk that spilled onto the floor. The defiant, prideful look she had born during the fighting was gone, and as she spoke it seemed as though her face grew gaunter and gaunter. Around her blazed fire, but not hers. Kath could recognize this fire anywhere. It had been with her all her life. As the gunk hit the edges of the blaze it dissolved into an acrid smoke that, just as quickly, disappeared in a shower of sparks above their heads.
“As you can see your master is very careful when it comes to parasites infesting their pets.” She spit into the fire which was steadily inching its way closer to her, the black gunk and bit of tooth dissolving like all the rest.
“It’s a shame. We could have been so beautiful together.”Kath was suspicious of the Demoness, but seeing her in this imprisoned state gave her the strength to reply in a more forceful manner. She swung her arm to the side dismissively, refusing to listen to the demon any longer.
“I have no master.” Kath walked closer to the Demoness, not afraid of the chained beast anymore. They looked eye to eye now, the same tensions present as before, but with a much weaker foe.
“We? There was never a we. You’re just some hellspawn who attacked my sister, and nothing more.” But the realization hit Kath just as soon as she ushered the words.
If they were inside her head, doesn’t that mean that the Demoness is inside her now? Maybe her own body wasn’t her own anymore. If this seeping black goo everywhere was a sign of anything, then she had just received a new roommate in her head. She turned to the Demoness, confused, unsure if asking a hellspawn deviant was the best way to receive answers.
“Wait, you say together. What do you mean? Are you in my head now?”“For the time being.” She replied as the ring slowly tightened.
“This was, unfortunately, a move of desperation. I was dying, and so I sought shelter. At least, for a short while. You need only wait until your fire consumes me.” She smiled.
“Of course, I don’t see any reason why we can’t get to know one another in the meantime. As a being a smoke and fire I must compliment you on the brightness of your flame, even if it is accursed. Why, even were I to face you alone, I can envision you putting up a valiant struggle. Of course, you would have been consumed in the end. Your flame couldn't ever hope to compare to mine in sheer power. But then, you’ve already realized that. I can tell.”Kath took another step forward, stopping within an arm’s reach of the Demoness.
“Pfft, babble all you want. My mouth wouldn’t be so big if I were in your place.” Kath reached out with her right hand, touching the face of the Demoness. She felt the black ooze attempt to grab hold of her, but it skittered away from her light.
“And now, to teach you some respect.” Kath’s palm went up in flames, and a sizzling place accompanied the quiet roaring of the demon’s shackles. When Kath removed her hand, her palm left behind a burn mark on the face of the Demoness, the wound untouched by the black ooze. “We’ll be seeing each other.” With that Kath turned away from the Demoness with a smirk on her face, leaving it to waste away in her fiery shackles.
The Demoness, for her part, just laughed mournfully as the burn stung her face.
“Hotter.” She whispered as Kath left, more to herself than anyone.
“You could burn so much hotter.” Still, there was one thing that was apparent. The flames had stopped advancing. And as they did, so did Kath.
Kath suddenly sprung to life, gasping for air. She yet again felt her aching body burn away as she lied amidst the rubble of the battlefield, surrounded by Cassius and Christine on either side. Their faces were filled with worry even as she sat up, her head still spinning and aching. She turned to Christine, and forced a smile on her face. She spoke up in a quiet and broken voice, but her usual bossy tone was still there.
“Hey, turn that frown upside down sis. I’m fine.” She turned to Cassius, her neck hurting as she did.
“Really, don’t worry I’m fine. I’m fiii-uhhhh.” The word seemed to take a sudden spin as she fell back on the floor, her vision fading away yet again. But this time she felt her power seeping away as well, the fire inside consuming the last of her stamina.
Great, I wake up to pass out again With that Kath passed out. Again.
Thobias broke the silence of the others with a loud sigh an shook his head.
“Great. Stand fast Cass, she’s gonna turn back to being completely naked.” He gestured towards Christine, before taking a 180 turn and disappearing through a freshly made portal.
Cassius had been, and was still, very confused. He’d skidded almost face-first to a halt next to Katherine, only to see her apparently vaporize the demon and then collapse while still on fire. And then she’d woken up. And then she’d un-woken up.
“Wh- naked!?” Oh right, she had that issue. Indeed, as she powered down her lack of clothing became more and more of an issue. He quickly whipped off his charred and filthy jacket and threw it over her before someone could see… it wasn’t quite big enough for her whole body but it was better than nothing.
As Cassius covered up Kath’s cooling body, which was looking more and more like her instead of some fire demon that loosely resembles Kath’s shape, Thobias came back with a batch of clothing in his arms. Women’s clothing. A St Laurels school uniform, complemented with underwear and bras. It was gleamingly suspicious that he managed to get them in such little time, so he immediately turned to Christine to clear any misunderstanding.
“Here, take these and try to dress your sis before everyone gets here.” He turned back to Cass and then pulled him away from Kath. Not too far, just enough to give Chris some space. Then he noticed the still confused faces of Christine and Cassius. Maybe he didn’t explain himself that well after all.
“Yes, It’s Kath’s school uniform. And yes, I may or may not have taken it from her wardrobe.” He finished, but then he added before it could turn awkward.
“It’s better than the alternatives, isn’t it?” Meanwhile, Rurik had not planned for one thing. Thobias had used a portal, meaning he was then stuck in free-fall once he was done. Fortunately, he supposed, a tentacle from Gilliam had managed to gently lower him to the ground. Adrenaline had kept teleportation from emptying his stomach,
again, but Gilliam touching him with such an otherworldly appendage had ruined all that.
“Th-thanks…” he swallowed nervously. He then walked stiffly over to where Bak was and promptly sat down, wrapping his arms around his knees. For a moment, silence reigned as he stared blankly off into space. Everything that had happened and that he had done slowly sank in.
“I… I think I’d like to-” he hiccuped as he tried to keep his stomach in order,
“-go home now…” Rurik finally spoke.
For a moment Bak had no idea what to say. She looked at him, dumbfounded, as million things raced through her head; the mission wasn’t over yet, they still hadn’t found Vittorio, Clara had gone somewhere while she was loopy, what had happened with that demon, now that the demon was dead wasn’t the truce over, who are you and what did you do with that slacker that I know, why did you choose today to be so heroic what is special about it, why did you get so hurt, why did every plan you have seem to involve you getting hurt, why did you step in front of me, why did you let me hurt you so badly….
Questions, admonishments, followed by more questions. In the end she couldn't seem to manage to put any of it into words, so she didn’t bother trying. Instead, with a metallic squeal and a light crunch, she sat down next to him. “So would I.” She said, staring down at her own clawed toes, her voice hollow. She realized instantly that that wasn’t good enough. That was no sort of thing to say. She dug around in the recesses of her mind for something. Finally she found it, from her days watching the sheep back home. It was the only praise her father ever had for her.
“Rurik?” She said, looking over at him. She waited, expectantly, for him to look up.
“Eh?” And so he did, still looking half out of it.
She reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes just like her father used to do for her. “Excellent work, Rurik. You did very well today. Sleep up. I will carry on from here.”
