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. ]

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Dextera... Ryo...!

[Akira tries to pull himself up to keep fighting, try to draw the creature's attention for just a little longer by calling out, but he can't even get back to his knees before he collapses again, coughing up (now red) blood. His strength is fading by the second-- he's forced back into his human form, no longer able to sustain his Devilman appearance. He can do nothing now but hope the two of them can handle things without him.]

Akira— [ Dextera goes ignored, unsurprisingly. He puts himself between Akira and the guardian, raising his rifle once more to fire off a couple of bullets—until it knocks the weapon out of his hands, sending it clattering to the ground.

With nothing to defend himself with, the guardian quickly seizes the opportunity to drive an appendage through his abdomen and fling him to the side like a discarded piece of paper. ]

[ this is bad.

it isn’t going quite as wrong as the bogeyman fight, not yet, but that’s more a matter of proportion than actual casualties—akira looks like he’s fading fast, and ryo is at least close enough to a human to be affected by all those physical strikes and poison touches.

dextera’s shoulder burns, as he rips himself off one of the spikes. ]

Ryo…

[ of course ryo is the first person he worries about, even now, but then his attention is on akira. he’s not going to make it, is he?

it’s too hard to lift the rifle as he is, and so he ends up doing the very thing he didn’t want to resort to: he pulls the bullet from the weapon itself, and hisses through his teeth. ]

Akira, hold on.

Don't...

[Akira rasps, and reaches to try to get Ryo to stop. If Dextera can't take the shot, the best thing would be to run, not to try to defend him. But it's too late, and Ryo is already swatted aside.

He's in too much pain by now to try to pick himself up one last time. Dimly he's aware of Dextera telling him something-- hold on-- and he tries to keep his grip on consciousness for as long as he can, even if it's just long enough to see if Dextera can see this through.]

[ Slowly, Ryo gets back up on his feet, his legs unsteady and a hand pressed to the wound on his abdomen. It hurts like a thousand knives cutting into his flesh, but there's surprisingly little blood—his pendant did that, he assumes. It didn't completely heal him up like he had hoped it would in the event of a mortal injury, but it seems to have mitigated it. ]

Nghh... [ Gritting his teeth, he glares at the guardian with a positively frigid look that makes the blue of his eyes seem like ice. The creature's only response is to lunge at him, claws and appendages ready to finish him off this time—

—but then something sparkles like gold and a sudden bolt of lightning cuts through the air, knocking the guardian halfway across the clearing. ]

[ dextera watches.

there’s nothing else for him to do, when ryo manifests that strange light—he doesn’t know what it is, only that it’s powerful, and he wonders distantly if this is further proof of the person he suspects ryo to be. he doesn’t have time to dwell, though.

at the sound of the creature hitting solid ground after ryo manages to knock it away, dextera is snapped from his thoughts and remembers the weight of the bullet in his hand. the little shifts inside, unaware that its life will be given for what dextera hopes will be a meaningful purpose. with the rifle itself abandoned on the ground, he rushes the guardian and shoves the bullet against its form hard enough for the casing to break. ]

< O - wah! >

[ the little cries out, and then the purifying light suffuses the guardian. its very flesh seems to melt away, distorting around dextera’s hand, until the only thing that’s left is the crystal. ]

[ Ryo exhales a quiet sigh when he sees the light, some of the tension seeping from his body; they did it. The guardian is dead. But that lightning—something similar had happened at the end of the bogeyman fight, hadn't it?

He doesn't have the time to think about that, because there's something far more important. He rushes over to Akira and sinks to his knees, cradling him in his arms. Something stings in his chest and he doesn't know what it is but it hurts much more than his abdomen. ]

Akira—Akira, are you still conscious? [ There's a rare touch of desperation to his voice. ]

[It's difficult to tell what happened from Akira's perspective when he's clinging to consciousness. Even his devil body can't fight off this much poison, least of all when it was pumped straight into his heart and gut. So seeing the lightning created by Ryo is confusing: is it some sort of hallucination? Dextera purifying the creature, on the other hand, makes perfect sense, so maybe not...

As Ryo moves over to him and he feels arms around him, Akira winces. Breathing is too painful, and being moved, even moreso.]

Ryo...

[It's difficult to talk much, and his voice is faint. Instead, he reaches with a trembling, blood-slick hand to touch Ryo's cheek. Even now, he can sense his pain through his own.]

You beat it. Good job...

[ the crystal is practically vibrating in his hand with the contained malevolent energy, but dextera is also probably the only person who can hold onto this without going crazy. as curious as he is about what it says, he doesn’t want to ask shiho to touch it. if only the baroquemonger were here… but it’s something for later.

he pockets the crystal, and looks back to ryo and akira now that the moment has passed. his shoulder stings, and his vision is hazy, but he’s able to stand and can surely make it back to town, too. akira, however… ]

We have to get him back to town.

[ this is what he says, but akira doesn’t look like he’s in any shape to go, and neither of them can heal. ]

There's not enough time. [ He says it without looking up, one hand reaching up to slide over Akira's, squeezing it gently. Considering the blood loss, they'll have a couple of minutes left at best before Akira succumbs to his injuries, so unless they spontaneously learn how to teleport it just isn't possible.

All he can do is keep him as comfortable as possible until his life bleeds out of him. ]

We'll see each other again soon. Death isn't permanent here.

[ Even with the desperation coloring the edges of his voice, he speaks with conviction. His thumb sweeps along Akira's knuckles comfortingly while his other hand finds its way into his thick dark mane. ]

[Akira's heart aches, as he gently squeezes Ryo's hand in return. There's so much he wants to tell him, so much left for the two of them to do, and he can only wonder -- what if he doesn't come back? What if something goes wrong, and he never sees him again? He coughs, weakly, and looks over at Dextera.]

...Take care of each other. [In the forest, if they're in shape enough to explore further-- but also, if he really doesn't come back, this is his way of entrusting Ryo to Dextera. Ryo had been so lonely, once, but now he has someone besides just Akira.]

[ dextera doesn’t feel like he should be here. no matter how reasonable ryo is being about akira’s inevitable death, he’s witnessing the passing of a friend. akira is in pain. akira is dying, will be dead soon, and while dextera cares for him, he thinks he’s intruding, too— ]

…

[ —which is why it’s all the more surprising that akira would draw him in with a comment like that, asking them to take care of each other. his mouth parts like he’s going to say something, and then he thinks better of it. still, it’s enough for him to crouch next to them both, and in a moment of boldness, he places his hand on ryo’s back.

it’s support, of a kind. ]

[ It's barely perceptible, but Dextera might notice the slight tremble beneath the palm of his hand; Ryo isn't crying, but the sadness finds a way to show itself in a more subtle way. He doesn't look up or otherwise acknowledge the touch, but the touch isn't entirely unwelcome and keeps him somewhat grounded, anchored to reality. The pain in his chest is foreign to him, yet strangely familiar—like a fragment from a previous cycle of time and space, a fleeting sensation of déjà vu flits through his head like disjointed lightning.

He brushes his fingers through his hair, gently running his fingertips against his scalp when a sudden impulse takes possession of him, and he leans down to press his lips to Akira's forehead for a brief second before pulling away. ]

[Akira's breathing is growing shallower by the second, and he's colder to the touch. It's hard to focus now, his hand slackening in Ryo's and going limp. Yet somehow, seeing Dextera supporting Ryo gives him reassurance. His best friend isn't alone, and he can let go now -- maybe even, however briefly, see his parents again.

The kiss is like a final blossom of warmth against his skin, and his eyes, even as they well up with tears, flutter closed.]

It's okay... if you need to...

[Akira can't finish that half-formed thought. Soon, he falls still in Ryo's arms, the last breath leaving his body.]

[ dextera’s fingers twist into the back of ryo’s clothes—he’s much more susceptible to this than ryo is. although he’s died countless times, and he’s even murdered people with his own hands, it’s different seeing the death of a friend that was neither intentional nor necessary. it doesn’t matter if akira will come back.

it’s hard. ]

…Ryo.

[ he gives ryo a moment of silence, but they can’t stay here much longer. they’re injured and now akira is dead, too. the grimoire, though it’s in his care, doesn’t occur to him now as an option. ]

[ Ryo remains silent for a long moment, his hand continuing to card through dark hair, the motion mechanical and not driven by conscious thought. Everything will be fine, he tries to convince himself. Death is merely an inconvenience here, nothing more—but he cannot bring himself to let go, and the pain in his heart does not subside.

He stays like that for several minutes, feeling the warmth begin to leave Akira's form. All of Amon's power and he looks so frail like this. ]

Another creature might come to guard this part of the woods if we leave and come back later.

[ dextera doesn’t immediately make the connection, distracted by ryo’s motions as he is. he’s never seen ryo like this, but it’s not a surprise that it would take akira dying in his arms to get to this point. somehow, though, he seems to be retaining his chokehold on logic.

when dextera understands that ryo wants to keep going, he lets go. ]

We’re both hurt, and Akira is…

[ … ]

It’s not safe to stay here.

We have to keep going, or this might've been for nothing. [ He doesn't look at Dextera when he says it, speaking in a tone that suggests that he cannot be convinced to head back. He'll go alone if he has to, but he isn't leaving until he finds out what's beyond this place.

Reluctantly, he withdraws his hand from Akira's hair. ]

Help me carry him.

[ Akira's body is nothing but literal dead weight and the logical choice would be to leave him here, but the thought of doing so does not sit well with him. ]

[ dextera may be willing to argue with ryo on many other points, by now, but this is not one of them. he can sense the pain in ryo’s restrained way of talking and the slow extraction of his hand from akira’s hair, and so even if it will put them in danger to keep going… he wants to respect ryo’s wishes. ]

Okay.

[ that’s all. ]

Will you be all right?

Of course. [ His response is blunt, bordering on irritated. He's fine, the wound hurts but it will heal up and until then he'll just ignore the painful throbbing in his abdomen.

Ryo shifts, moving the body into a seated position and hooks his arms under Akira's from behind so he can be lifted up. ]

Take his legs.

[ dextera does exactly as he’s told, lifting akira’s legs as gingerly as possible. though when akira is a true dead body, it’s more difficult than dextera would like to keep a tactful touch. his own wound pulses angrily.

he’s grateful now that he has the use of his voice back, but he still feels oddly muted by the weight of something in his hands. it’s like lead on his tongue. ]

…

[ the only way to go from here is further in, so once he gets some kind of acknowledgment from ryo, he begins to move. ]

[ Ryo knows they probably can't carry Akira all the way back to town, but he tries not to think about it right now, focusing on getting out of the immediate area at least—away from guardian land, where the trees look twisted as if in agony and the very air feels ominous like it's screaming at them to leave.

As they move away from the clearing and deeper into the woods, the air starts feeling lighter somehow, the trees brimming with life instead of looking gnarly and on the verge of death. The path is surprisingly easy, wih nothing standing in their way, though they don't seem to be getting any closer.

Their surroundings are as colorless as ever, but it's oddly peaceful out here. ]

[ it is strangely peaceful. ]

…I had a dream like this once.

[ close to it, anyway. dextera is the first to break the silence with that thought, but his voice is so naturally quiet it practically blends into birdsong. he dreamed, once, of the forest open and welcoming but full of color, and he wonders if they’ve discovered something a little closer to what could be. he wishes akira could see it. ]

It feels safe here.

...I think we can put him down here.

[ He says it only somewhat reluctantly, fixing his gaze to a nearby tree. If he had to leave him in the woods, this would be a suitable resting place for him. It's too early to tell for sure, but something tells him they won't find any monsters or anything like it here. ]

[ dextera nods, and once he can time it, he gently lowers akira to the ground. it feels wrong, unsettling in unfamiliar ways, to be holding a dead body like this. the body of one of his friends. ]

…

[ something occurs to him, looking at akira’s face. it’s a point-by-point recollection—he thinks of what ryo must be feeling now. that’s first. inevitably, his mind jumps to all that he saw in ryo’s heart, and from there, all the memories that ryo has certainly left behind of a life that he may not be ready to reclaim. memories remind him, then, that they might lose pieces of their time with akira, and as someone who has been through that already…

he doesn’t want it. after a long silence, he offers something that he might not offer to anyone else. ]

…that book. The one we put together…

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

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