(Written by Script, Faithy and CaerBear)
Jimmy nodded towards Val, heading off after him while trusting the bodyguards to protect them, though he knew the twins were their number one priority. Thankful for the assistance from one of the female bodyguard when the whole grouping of spawn surrounding them were suddenly torched, Jim made sure to keep behind Al and Val to keep them from being attacked from behind. He knew that they only had a limited time to get to Inarin and then get to the car and he hoped that Cam and the others had gotten out safely. He really didn’t want to have to come back and look for Aaro, so he hoped he went with the others as well at least to protect them.
"INCOMING!" Adam felt the charging monster's approach before he saw or heard it, spinning around to see the beast closing on them at impossible speeds. "Yuri, Tara!" he yelled.
Letting loose a guttural roar, Yuri swivelled to face the charge. White fur burst forth from the aanaran's tree-trunk arms and claws from his fingertips as he shifted on the spot, his eyes alight with the amber of the beast within. The roar became a howl of challenge, his feet digging into the ground with their now-massive claws as he prepared to meet the charging vampire head on. At his side, Tara propelled herself skywards once more, her eyes wide with panic at the sheer ferocity of their foe's approach. Pressing her palms together, she unleashed a torrent of fire from her palms as she rose, to wash over and consume the monstrosity before it could reach the twins.
And Adam, weighing his fragile, decidedly human countenance (his animancy far better suited to reading a crowd than to anything else) made the executive decision... to get out of the way. Releasing a torrent of terrified curses, he dived to the side and scrambled to avoid the unholy battering ram bearing down upon them all. Let his more battle-ready comrades do their part of the job, he was out of his element!
“Shit!” Jimmy’s eye widened at the sound nearing their location, taking in the quickly moving form of Nox, the creature putting off a disturbing amount of anger as he raced towards their location. He was thankful for the bodyguards, but moved himself in front of Al and Val, determined as hell to keep protecting them. Hopefully the two bodyguards would be able to stop the beast, but the Proselyte wasn’t counting on that. His heart was thudding in his chest and to say he was scared was putting it very lightly. He was terrified and wanted to flee, but could not leave his friends to die. No, today was the day that he stood up for something. Today was the day he would hopefully make a difference or at least die trying. He grasped the sword tightly in his hands, saying a silent prayer in the process.
Whilst their protectors moved to action, the twins looked around with horror to see death bearing down upon them once more. Valére froze whilst Alvére flinched half a step backwards, both of them tightening their grip on the other's hand. As Nox drew closer, Al grabbed his brother and pulled him close, letting Val bury his face against his chest in fear whilst he kept his eyes on the Caer’s charge. There was no point in running. The meagre distance they could cover would be meaningless if the others couldn't protect them.
There would be little any of them could do to stop his march! His jaw unhinged itself to release an earshattering roar of defiance to all those who would seek to impede his progress! At this point, so very little about Nox was recognizable as once human, so monstrous was his transformation. The tone of his skin, the shining beacons that were his eyes, every claw, fang, talon and hook protruding from his hands and feet and gums, the way his dislocated maw still seemed to form some kind of sadistic, shit-eating grin! One could even hardly call this a vampire, and now, for those who had not been born for the first Skirmish his family had unleashed against Lutetia, there was little doubt as to the reason the old veterans referred to the Caer as snow demons.
The first in his way, a bloody mongrel! How dare it show its mangey hide in his presence! With a snarl and a screech that was echoed by all his dear children within the park, Nox would sweep a massive hand across the werewolf’s midsection, snatching him off the ground as easily as he had done poor Arien! The mutt would share the same fate, but this time, the Caer had a target to launch Yuri at! The flamespewer! The lightning thrower! Nox would raise the lycan into the air in a rib crushing grip, forcing him to take the brunt of the fire intended for his glorious form before chucking him overhanded at the floating mage who so assailed him! His ears, now no more than slits against his malformed skull, picked up the sounds of bones cracking, flesh impacting flesh, and from the corner of his deadlights, he saw wolf hurtle through the air like a disk and impact shoulder-to-mouth with the uppity spellslinger!
But he did not stop to gloat! He did not pause to feast! There were still more in his way! Jimmy, Jimmy was next, another rude, uppity mortal who dared even speak in his presence! He would bear a worse fate than the two bodyguards, as Nox rammed into him fist first, driving the insolent brat into the dirt, where feet as heavy as boulders and claws as sharp as scythes would drive into his form, trampling and slicing and dragging until he was kicked behind him like a discarded piece of trash! Like he was! Like they all were!
And now the twins were his!
Shit hit the fan quicker than Jimmy was expecting and before he could do much of anything, the werewolf was thrown up into the air towards the female who had been gracious enough to torch the spawns earlier. Jimmy swallowed hard, but kept his position in front of the twins, wishing for a brief second that he was a trained Paladin, though he knew that wouldn’t do a bit of good, not against the demon that was hell-bent on getting to the twins. Still, he did what he could and as Nox rammed a fist towards his face, the Proselyte brought forward the sword, intending on impaling the bastard somewhere it would hurt. “You fuck!” As he hit the ground, he attempted to roll out of the way, but was more knocked for a loop than he thought. Ear piercing screams echoed across the land as he was trampled beneath the demon’s feet, the kick enough to send him flying quite a bit away from the twins, limply and very bloodied and torn asunder.
It wasn’t until Nox began to skid to a half that he realized a broadsword sticking out from between his third and fourth rib. The boy had wounded him, little good it did in terms of harm, but for a brief second the Caer did stop his unholy charge. Wrenching the blade from his chest, so small compared to his magnificent vastness it was like a toothpick, the Caer gifted the Castellanes with a rapid series of shrieking, bone chilling giggles…
As their guards were tossed aside like ragdolls and Jimmy disappeared beneath Nox’s taloned feet, Alvére felt the last vestiges of hope leave him. He noticed that Val was crying around the same time that a tear of pure terror ran down his own face, frozen to the spot and staring into the Caer’s demonic visage with nowhere left to run, and nobody left to hide behind. With the monster’s hideous laughter echoing through the air, Al clung to his brother, managing to whisper through the trembling and the tears just one thing. “I- I love you, Val.”
Val lifted his face from where he’d been trying to blot out the world against Al’s chest and looked up, breath almost catching in his throat upon seeing Nox’s looming form. “Y-yeah,” he stammered. “I- you too. I love you too.”
First would be Val, ripped from his brother’s grasp and held aloft with the hand that held no sword. Nox would not even look at his pitiful form, not even as he shoved their would-be protector's sword deep, deep into Al’s stomach. And twisted. And yanked. And twisted again, and again and again! Impaling the youth like a pig on a spit before dropping him and sword alike upon the ground.
He’d then grip the other twin’s head between his fingers, slicing cheek and shaving hair away with his razor sharp nails. Forcing him to gaze upon the monster that was Caeruleum. The growl could barely be understood, so low, like cold winter thunder. But Val would understand.
“Know. Your. Place.”
And then he too would be tossed, almost gently, to lie beside his dying brother. His fading other half. Nox could not help but release another series of cackling chortles before resuming his advance. Now that they were dealt with...it was time to move on to other, far more sustaining prey.
It was a good day for Nox.
Al had cried out with desperate anger as Val had been torn away from him, a cry that had been quickly silenced when the sword was plunged into his stomach. In Nox’s grip, Val had let loose a horrified scream, thrashing and kicking against the monster to no avail. Tears streamed down his face, watching helplessly as his brother was brutally disembowled before his eyes. “No! No! Al! STOP IT! STOP!”
Necrotic magic spilled forth from his hands as he clawed at Nox’s hand, rotting away at the monster’s flesh, but nothing he did so much as loosened his grasp. By the time Nox finished with his brother and closed his claws around Val’s face, it was all he could do to cry out with pain between the desperate sobs. He didn’t acknowledge the creature’s words. His struggles had died, but when he was tossed to the ground he scrambled, rushing to Alvére’s side.
“Oh god, no, no,” his words were choked out through sobs as he took in the bloody mess that Nox had made of his brother’s stomach. Bile gathered in his throat and he leaned away, retching onto the grass.
Al’s eyes were open wide, dilated with shock and pain. “V-val…” his voice was rasping and weak, blood dribbling from his mouth. “I- it… hurts… I can’t…”
“Shh, shh, no,” Val turned back, taking Al’s hand in his own and clutching it. “S-save your strength, don’t speak. You’re going to be fine. Just look at me, just, just stay with me!” Lifting his gaze from his brother, he screamed out as loud as he could muster. “HELP! SOMEBODY! Please! Anyone…”
“Don’t…” Al’s hand squeezed him back, and Val’s cry for help died in his throat as he turned back towards him. “I … I can’t feel… Everything is just…” he trembled, clutching at Val’s hand tightly. “Just pain… I … I’m going to die, aren’t I?”
“Don’t say that!” Val exclaimed, shaking his head furiously. “You’ll be fine, we just need… I’ll call mom, and she can get someone. We can get anyone, from anywhere on the planet! You just have to hold on!”
Alvére screwed his eyes shut briefly and shuddered. “No. No, Val. I… I can’t…” He coughed, spraying another small splatter of blood, and let out a pained hiss.
“Yes you can!” Val yelled, his voice breaking partway through. “You can! Don’t say... “ Tears were streaming freely down his face, twisted in an ugly sob. “No… you have to. Someone… Maybe Arien can…”
“Stop…” Al whispered, stretching to reach for Val’s face, brushing his fingers over his cheek. The trail of blood they left was warm. “All the blood… I can tell… I’m not gonna…”
“Al…” Valére interrupted, clasping his hand over his twin’s. “Please. You can’t leave me. Please don’t leave me on my own. I can’t… without you, I can’t…”
Al slowly, weakly shook his head. “You can. You’re gonna have to, heh. We have friends now, remember? Arien… Inarin… Jimmy…” A tear dripped from his own eyes, mingling with the blood as it ran down his face. “Tell them I said they have to… to take care of…” He was interrupted by another gasping cough, a shriek of pain forming only to dwindle for lack of air.
“No. No, Al, I can’t. You don’t understand. I need you…” Valére whimpered, hunching down closer to his brother. It was just like Al to be trying to comfort him, even as he lay there bleeding out onto the grass. “I love you. I love you so much. I’d give everything else up. Just don’t go. Please. Please…” His voice broke, and he sagged into Al’s chest, whimpering and bawling.
“I … love you too...” Al’s voice trailed off, but Val felt his hand move to weakly stroke his hair as he sobbed. As the world burned around them. None of it mattered anymore. Nothing else. One of the spawn could tear his throat out now, and it would be a mercy.
“Please…” he repeated again, speaking as much to the world at large as he was to his brother. “I don’t care what I have to give. Just don’t die. Don’t die...”
