Mikhail probably overheard Donovan introducing himself and his power to Clive. Also, everyone might have introduced themselves off screen while Clive was making plans with everyone.
Donovan stepped quietly through the newly whitened mist, checking occasionally to see that the nerd was still behind him. Only an idiot would have gotten lost, considering the fact that Donovan currently had two glaring lights on his person. Donovan didn't put it beneath the guy. However, those lights, as much as Donovan found them to be a comfort, were going to be a dead giveaway if left unchecked. He glanced back at Nico.
"Jacket." Donovan said out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Nico looked up at the asswipe--quickly correcting his mental designation for the guy to "Donovan," the name he had overheard earlier.
Donovan scowled in annoyance.
"Give me your jacket, idiot. Are you deaf and stupid? I need to hide my chest, I'm a walking lighthouse here!"
"What?" the tone of Nico's voice hardened a bit at the sudden verbal jab, but he stopped himself from continuing, blinking confusion away from his own reaction. After a brief moment, he shook his head as if to clear something from his thoughts and nodded hesitantly at Donovan, shaking hands fumbling slowly over the brass buttons of his black jacket.
Donovan rolled his eyes and snatched the jacket right off the smaller teen. What kinda casual jacket had buttons these days? Isn't that what zippers were invented for? He inspected it for a second, thinking how he was going to cover both his hand and his chest with it. He briefly considered wearing it backwards, but Nico was such a shrimp that the sleeves would have probably only reached halfway down his forearms. In the end, he wrapped it around his glowing hand and covered his chest with it. He only needed one hand to punch anyway, no biggie.
As they walked, Nico's breathing grew more ragged and his gait more unsteady. He had followed Donovan's example of hiding the glowing sigil, though in his case Nico had simply covered the back of his left hand with his right hand. Thin rays of vermilion light still peeked out from the small gaps between his fingers, but that was the best he could do with just his hands.
Worried about the slivers of light, Nico tucked the thread he had been carrying into his pocket and tried tugging at the long sleeves of the white dress shirt once hidden beneath his jacket, managing to pull the starched cuffs further towards his fingers. This covered up the sigil a bit better and he sighed quietly in relief as he laid his right hand over the glow again, a looming wall of exhaustion threatening the back of his consciousness even as he did his utmost to focus on the task at hand. He couldn't fail this trial, but he was reaching his limit. A quick stumble that he recovered from told him he wouldn't last for much longer.
Donovan noticed Nico starting to lag behind. What, was this guy so weak that even walking around with low visibility would tire him out? No, this was an unnatural looking fatigue. He looked at the sigil on Nico's hand. It was still glowing strongly.
"What's keeping you?" he demanded.
"...Huh?" Nico replied, his normally quiet voice barely audible this time.
Donovan grabbed the boy by his wrist, and inspected his mark of magic. It seemed to be fading ever so gradually.
"If you're tired then you need to tell someone. This rune is draining you, right?"
Nico blinked at Donovan, not quite processing what he had just said for several seconds. Then his eyes widened and he jerked his wrist away from Donovan's hand with a gasp, a flash of fear running across his face before he murmured something mostly to himself, looking at the ground.
"I don't want to be useless."
The taller boy frowned. Obviously there was some tragic backstory behind that statement, considering this guy's general demeanour, but Donovan wasn't interested in that at the moment. He sighed and scowled even further.
"Turn that damn thing off." he commanded, indicating at the sigil. "We'll need to save it for the big guy."
He paused for a moment, unsure if he needed to add anything else. But Donovan Horska had never been the self-doubting type. So he let it out.
"And you're nowhere near useless. But you will be if you just pass out while we're trying to get to Varus."
Nico's frown matched the severity of Donovan's scowl as he heard the other boy's words. Donovan was completely right, but...
Wasn't he supposed to be the universe's number one douchebag...?
I hate him. Right?
You hate that you can't be him.
Turning away from Donovan to hide his thoughts, as if he was afraid the irritated stare could read his mind, Nico looked down at his left hand, almost glaring at it. Cowed into submission, the sigil flickered off.
Now examining Donovan's shoes, Nico gritted his teeth, trying to resist what came next.
Fucking unfair.
"Thank you," he said, voice lower than a whisper.
Donovan rolled his eyes and looked ahead, pretending that he didn't hear Nico's last comment. Now that his hand glow was taken care of, he tied the jacket around his neck and tucked it into his shirt, concealing the glow from his chest. It would probably dim after Nico removed his buffs but he didn't want to take any chances.
There were a lot of new factors to take in. Despite the moisture in the air, small fires had started appearing around the place, preceded only by the sound of some guy running around in panic. The need to go around the fires might throw them off course, so Donovan made sure to stay extra vigilant about their path to Varus. Hopefully the changing colour of the mist wouldn't give away their position too much. Soon enough, they had made their way to Varus. Donovan crouched, gestured to Nico to do the same. Shapes moved around in the fog, making it uncertain whether or not their target was actually in proximity. Then suddenly, a roar resounded through the air and two dark figures leapt at the one they suspected was Varus, confirming it for Don and Nico. Mikhail could be heard, spouting something about justice. Strange choice in distraction, but it probably did its job.
Clive's plan had executed relatively smoothly. Mikhail's distraction was the signal to charge and that was all that mattered as Nico watched Donovan prepare to rush in for the punch the moment the smaller boy indicated with a quick nod that he would activate his sigil on Varus.
Come on...stop him or something...
The sigil shone feebly on Nico's hand, not even appearing on Varus at first.
Fucking stop him.
The circles flared up, both on his right hand and on Varus's left hand and for a brief moment Nico almost grinned.
Then a wall of fatigue slammed into him with as much force as the panther girl had earlier, surpassing the adrenaline that had been keeping him afloat throughout the entire plan. Already leaning forward, Nico's legs gave way as he collapsed onto his stomach, focusing the last vestiges of his consciousness on keeping the sigil activated on Varus. It remained steady, draining the last of Nico's energy far faster than before. Something like his gut told him it was the distance from Varus.
We have to win.
Please.
I want to stay here.
Donovan wiped his mouth and grinned, ready to charge in for the group attack, when he spied Nico flat on the ground. Wha- What did he fucking tell the guy a few minutes earlier? He grabbed the smaller boy by the shoulders and held him in a sitting position.
"You're being real useless on the ground right now, buddy." he snarled.
"...Too far...can't..." Nico breathed out, the words barely forming on his lips. The edges of the world were fading into a terrifying black and he held his failing gaze on the red rings still gleaming on his left hand.
Fuck. Not ideal. Donovan lifted the guy, holding him in a rough bridal carry. Far out, even the weekly groceries felt heavier than him. If Varus regained his powers, they would all get wiped out in a second. Nico needed to be closer, right? With Nico in his arms, he started towards the melee before stopping himself.
Aw hell no, he wasn't going to carry this little shit all the way to a fistfight. For one thing, it would place both of them in a vulnerable spot with little mobility. Secondly, Donovan Horska was no packhorse. He had a fucking reputation to uphold. He wasn't going to let his first day impressions be tainted by him carrying a wimp around (not that it wasn't already ruined by him getting jumped by a panther). He contemplated his course of action while adjusting Nico in his arms. Damn, did this guy eat properly? He was so bloody ...light. Oho, he was very light.
Donovan flashed a content smile, as gentle as Mother Theresa's and as horrifying as the Devil's.
"Say Nico, do you remember what I promised you at the entrance?" he beamed, "Your nose might be safe if you perform the right procedures. Head between your knees and all that. You did mess with my powers again after all."
Without further explanation, Donovan took a running start towards the battle, before hurling the weight in his arms towards Varus with a grunt of exertion that doubled as a battle cry.
Nico had only just wrapped his exhausted mind around the fact that Donovan had decided to carry him to Varus when he heard Donovan mention the threat to break his nose. Confused, he tried to gather the extra breath to speak again when a sudden shout from Donovan preluded a horrifying sensation of lift and wind.
I hate this guy.
Only sheer weariness kept him from screaming in terror as he realized Donovan had fucking thrown him at Varus.
The dumbest part of him noted that at least it relieved the spell's strain as Varus's face now came closer with every passing millisecond and the glow from his sigil increased in direct proportion.
Donovan watched for a second, marvelling at his own genius before joining the fray. Nico couldn't possibly blame him for anything. He was just lending the guy a chance to show off his powers after all. Donovan mentally saluted him.
Your sacrifice shall not be in vain, Glasses.
He rolled his shoulders before running in and launching his own magical barrage of power, this time trying to induce an apathy into Varus that would hopefully incapacitate him. And just for good measure he decided to take a swing at Varus too, while he was still distracted by Nico's...entrance.
*Donovan doing sneaky sneaking with Clive and Nico*
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No sooner had he undone the last button than DONOVAN TURNED INTO A GIANT POTATO.
With Donovan's sudden transformation, he furiously rolled at Varus. He was unstoppable.
---------------- Nico casually stuck his hand in the bundled jacket as well.
Donovan blushed nervously.
"B-baka. You haven't even asked me out yet..."
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[color=f6989d][/color] Waffle.
[color=ed145b][/color] Angry waffle.
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*SUPER INTENSE ACTION CLIMAX SCENE. IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE, DONOVAN USES HIS LAST RESORT*
AND PITCHES NICO LIKE A JAVELIN TOWARDS VARUS'S THROAT.
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banjoanjo: let's have nico turn it off for a bit so that he doesn't straight up die January: LIFE IS HARD WHEN YOU'RE A BUFF-POTATO WITH NO STAMINA.
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Donovan lifted the guy, holding him in a rough bridal carry, stepping proudly over the threshold of their new house.
----------------
Secondly, Donovan Horska was no packhorse. (Just an ass.)
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Nico sailed through the air with the grace of a swan, flying towards Varus with determination flashing in his eyes.
banjoanjo: (Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background)
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banjoanjo: just sayin, donovan's ability to find the douchiest way of doing anything is a magical power of its own January: Should ask Scio if you can add that to the "Skills" section. banjoanjo: nah mate, that ability is so incredible that it deserves its own section in the Magic section
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Pot-a-toe Aushuah, Ex-tina Stella: Racist Tree Killer Puisfish: WATCH VARUS CATCH HIM LIKE A BASEBALL JUST TO PITCH HIM BACK.
Heh I like the Killer Queen-esque power theory. Maybe he's just so adept at controlling his explosions that he can choose if it harms a person or not. Alice's arm was slightly numb afterwards but I'm not sure what that signifies exactly...
Snagglepuss89,
Dezuel,
Izurich,
AlteredTundra,
stone,
Little Bill
