awashlogs | o toi, le plus savant et le plus beau des anges

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o toi, le plus savant et le plus beau des anges

WHO: Akira, Dextera, Ryo (+ Pyra in the second thread)
WHERE: The woods
WHEN: 3/14ish
WHAT: Satan, a Devilman, and God walk into the forest to kill a guardian.
WARNINGS: Character death, violence; I'll update this if anything else comes up.

[ Link had cautioned him against harming the guardian, and while Ryo agreed that he had a point since the forest is sentient to some degree and that killing it could very well incur the forest's wrath, he decided to ignore the suggestion to leave it alone—he wants that thing dead, and he wants to know what it might be guarding. One must sometimes take risks in the pursuit of knowledge, after all.

A few weeks after learning about Dextera being in possession of a bullet capable of killing even even a god, Ryo, Dextera, and Akira decide to make the trip into the forest with the intention of tracking down and killing the creature.

It's been a couple of hours since they left town. Their surroundings are growing darker, the trees becoming more twisted and gnarly as they venture deeper. It can't be far now, and Ryo feels unease knot in his stomach—it's as though they're being ushered toward the creature, with nothing hindering their way. They haven't even seen a single animal since they left town. ]

I hope we're not being led into some sort of trap. [ He says, eyes scanning for movements between the trees, fingers tightening around his rifle. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ using the angelic rifle seems wrong now that dextera knows what it’s made of and what he did to ensure that the littles would never suffer again—but this one has been waiting in its chamber for months. the humane thing at this point would be to fire off the bullet, especially for a purpose like this, but dextera still hopes that he won’t have to use it after all. he can still hear their voices echoing around in his head. once calling him a murderer, once begging to be freed. “the man of this house is bedridden.”

the rifle hangs heavy on his back. ]

I don’t think the forest would lead us this far not to take us there, but…

[ what they’ll find when the forest decides they’ve walked far enough is another matter. it’s never been good. ]

[Akira might've shared Link's reservations about attacking the guardian, but when it had attacked them before and poisoned Ryo, he's a lot less willing to show restraint. It might not be a demon, but any creature willing to kill those he cares about needs to be destroyed.

As they walk, he keeps stealing glances at Dextera. He can sense something's bothering him, but he doesn't want to distract him further by asking what, when they have other things to focus on. The further they reach into the forest, Akira begins to lead the way up front, since he needs to be ready to take the brunt of an ambush if there is one. Still...]

If this was a trap, why would it take so long?

[The forest has had plenty of chances to mess with them already, why not just get it over and done with?]

To lull us into a false sense of security, maybe. [ Though he doubts that what's happening here since the forest generally tends to lead you to what you're looking for and there's no reason for it to start fucking with them now, but he can't shake off the feeling that sits in the pit of his stomach like lead. This is almost too easy. ]

I should take your shirt, Akira.

[ Can't have him ruin his clothes when he transforms; this isn't back home where he can have Jenny buy new ones. ]

[ it sounds like a non-sequitur to dextera, especially when he isn’t focusing on the conversation between them so much as he is thinking about the little sleeping peacefully, unknowing, in the bullet, but then he realizes ryo is probably referring to the way akira is able to transform into that other form.

it would rend his shirt, dextera supposes. instead of commenting on that directly, however— ]

We’re probably near the “end”… whatever that means for us.

[ if they run into the guardian after all, or something worse for trying. ]

Huh--? Oh, yeah. [Clothes are a lot more scarce here, so Akira lifts up his shirt over his head and tugs it off, then passes it to Ryo. He won't transform just yet though, preferring to stay quieter and smaller in his human form so whatever lurks in the shadows of the forest sees them as less of a threat.

Yet Dextera is right. Soon, they come across a familiar clearing, and he stops, tense.]

I recognise this-- it must be close. You two stay back, and I'll go in first.

[If the guardian thinks Akira is alone until it's too late, all the better. He begins to transform, fur growing from his skin, fangs replacing teeth, wings sprouting from his back. He's towering over them as he finishes the transformation, growling,] Ready?

[ Ryo takes the shirt when Akira passes it to him, tucking it away in the worn leather bag slung over his shoulder. He halts in his step when Akira stops, quietly watching the familiar transformation as Akira's body shifts into its demonic form. ]

Yeah. [ He nods, his hand moving to flick off the safety catch on the rifle. ] Remember to avoid the claws; the poison acts quickly once it's in your system.

[ dextera slings the rifle off his shoulder, when akira gives his orders. he’d need to stay back anyway to shoot it, unless he wanted to try simply shoving the bullet against it—but knowing what they know about the guardian, it’s best not to risk an unnecessary fight when dextera is the only one who can use this. ]

Be careful. I don’t think I can purify the monster’s poison.

[ he hasn’t tried, but the forest has safeguards against this kind of thing. for guren, too. ]

I know. I won't forgot what it did to you, Ryo.

[Akira steps out into the clearing, alert for any sudden movements. Suddenly there's rustling through the trees, and he ducks aside just in time to avoid a whip-like appendage. It misses, and buries itself into a tree behind him.

Darting forward, he ploughs into the monster, pouncing on it to try and pin it long enough for Dextera to get a shot. He won't bother trying to claw or bite at it when he knows it'll be impervious; he just has to subdue it.]

[ Ryo's eyes narrow slightly when he catches sight of the familiar appendages, his grip instinctively tightening around the rifle; he knows the bullets won't do much except possibly stun it for a second or two, but it makes him feel a little less vulnerable and that one second could make all the difference in ensuring that Dextera gets the shot in.

He motions for Dextera to stay close, moving to stand out of sight behind one of the nearby trees while waiting for an opening. ]

[ dextera does try to take aim, but the unfortunate part of his rifle is that despite how bulky it is, or perhaps because of it, getting a shot on even a target like this wouldn’t be easy. if he misses, they could all die.

he lowers it and moves to ryo’s side. the creature already knows they’re all here, surely, so he doesn’t need to worry about speaking too loudly, but his voice is naturally quiet. a warning. ]

I’m sorry. I need to get closer.

[Akira can't do much to avoid the creature's appendages at such a close range when he's trying to keep the guardian pinned; as a consequence, there's a few tears in his wings and shallow cuts on his arms already, oozing murky yellow blood. He understands without even looking over that Dextera hasn't been able to get a shot off yet, so if there's something he can do to speed this up...

Suddenly he's struck with a more creative idea than brute force. He lets go of the monster just long enough to grab two of its appendages instead, wrapping them around the tree until it's effectively tied in place by its own arms. If it wants to escape, it risks damaging or breaking them altogether.]

Dextera, now--! [Akira's cut off as one of the remaining appendages shoots forward, piercing him through the chest. Another plunges through his stomach and twists its way in, trapping him in place. The two are at a stalemate.]

[ Ryo nods, moving as carefully as possible toward a closer tree, trying not to draw attention towards them; even if the creature knows they're there, they should make sure it stays focused on Akira.

He winces when he sees the appendage plunge its way through Akira's stomach, and he hopes that the sun pendant will do its job at keeping him safe from mortal harm. He glances at Dextera, then back to Akira; they're closer now, but can he make the shot without hitting Akira? ]

I… I’ll kill him if I shoot now.

[ dextera looks to ryo in a wide-eyed panic. like an electric current, the purification will shoot through the guardian, but as long as it’s buried into akira’s abdomen like that, akira will feel the brunt of it as well. the sun pendant may be able to do its job once, but dextera can’t make himself responsible for killing someone twice over.

the metal of the rifle rattles in his straining arms. ]

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