abraxaslogs | (closed) we will be as one. you will rise again...

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(closed) we will be as one. you will rise again...

Who: Nero, Steve, Lorelai
When: Mid-March
Where: Forests outside the Solvunn settlements and the resting place of Josselyn's bones
What: A god-hating Summoned finally sees the good side of the divine... to his detriment.
Warnings: Expect some blood, gore, and character death!

[You are awaited.

Cool. Ominous.

The forest is the same as ever, but even Nero can admit this ongoing storm is enough to feel like an omen. Yeah, if he believed in that shit. If anything, he's startin' to think leaving those daggers alone might've brought something worse into the world. Something that's about to fuck with it.

And he'll be here when it does.

But considering the storm, he's more than ready to offer Lorelai his help after she requests it on a trip. Sure, he can't exactly fight a tornado, but he can get her away from it fast enough that she doesn't get carried the hell off. Same with Steve -- he can just scruff him if he's gotta.

Sure, he could do this himself, but if Steve's gonna be a Certified Badass one day, he needs more experience. Nero's even shown up to give him a real sword, with his own Red Queen strapped to his back. Nero offers his spectral steed to Lorelai, in case she doesn't feel like walking. Otherwise, the stag doesn't give him the time of day.

Typical.

Nero's still lookin' up at the sky when they arrive at the remains of that chick that got eaten alive by vultures. Something inside him crawls under his skin, cold. He was on the island. He helped burn it down. But it didn't burn what rotted inside him.] All right, 'Lai. Do whatever it is you, uh, need to do.

[He didn't really ask too many questions. And if Steve asked what the whole trip's about, he just says "a favour to a friend." Sure, she's got a mushroom for a head, but she's chill otherwise.]

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[Oh, he'd be absolutely down to spar, if only 'cause this thing is going too well. He's so used to demons bursting out of every damn corner, but -- well, maybe used to it once. Even Solvunn has its rampaging giant boars sometimes, though. And Eli is enough of a threat on his own when he's having a bad mental health day.

Which is like. All the time. That goat is constantly pissed.

Nero folds his arms over his chest, shaking his head.] I dunno. Maybe she wants some closure. [Hard to argue that cultist is dead and gone after watching her get gnawed on, though.] Commune with the gods or whatever. Ask for the storms to stop. [He shrugs with his shoulders, moving up then dropping. He's sort of missing the rift monsters, man. Those were a good time.] Solvunn's dangerous enough without the storms, anyway.

[ Lorelai desired this trip many moons ago. When Nero asked what she needed on the tainted island of worship, she felt it was time to try, especially since the Summoned graciously offered to keep her safe. Though she planned to have her brother with her, she worried the storms would be too powerful. She's asked Esmond to stay home and look after the house.

She hoped to use the goat carts for their journey. When the weather proves too severe, Nero offers his unusual spectral stag, which she accepts. She's less familiar with the other young man Nero introduced to her as "Steve," but his eyes are kind, and he reminds her of Esmond.

Lorelai gives them each some fresh bread and apples picked from the orchard. Other than that, she's quiet - until they reach the altar. There, she places her offering: a small wooden box once buried beneath an old tree. The lid is decorated with a simple carving of a teacup. ]

I wanted to speak to you sooner, but I was afraid you'd turn me away...that I wasn't worthy of your wisdom anymore. I pray you'll still grant me your grace even after I've strayed.

[ She peers through the thick woods in anticipation. Her fingers twist together nervously. For several minutes, it appears her call will go unanswered, and disappointment and shame show on her face. Then the leaves stir. A miniature being, reaching no more than three feet in height, pops out of the bushes. Behind it comes a much larger, lumbering figure. His antlers blend into the tall branches. With slow and deliberate movements, he bends down to pick up the small green being and places it gently upon his shoulder. ]

Ah, dear wanderers! You've braved these terrible storms for the Trader's wares. A fine decision! I've got something special for you today.

[ The Trader spreads one large furry paw. In it are three round candies. With a tiny smile, Lorelai takes one. ]

[ nero says closer and steve can't help the way he frowns, thinking back to his conversation with eddie, to his trip with henry to the families of the missing locals. it leaves a curled, rotted feeling in his gut - but if steve's being honest, the feeling and smell of rot and decay has been pretty present with him since these storms began. he knows it's his own...what had dean called it? repressed trauma or some shit? but being here, knowing what happened here, doesn't really help.

steve's already eaten the bread and apples lorelai handed them at the start of the journey, giving her a small polite smile and a thanks when she has, but it isn't until she's back up at the alter that she speaks again - not to him, or nero, but to some god. this part of things steve is familiar with, has helped out with enough alters and prayers to at least not feel lost. still, he watches, equal parts wary and curious. ]

Yeah, but which god. [ is said kind of in afterthought. as if answering steve, a miniature creature pops out of the bushes. steve doesn't jump, exactly, but he does seem a bit startled by it, eyes going from the creature to nero and then back to the still-rustling tree branches. mere moments later a much larger figure, and steve's eyes widen. ]

Oh. Okay.

[ like that answers that. steve, absentmindedly, reaches down to his belt and fingers the crystal he keeps tied there. when the large paw is outstretched, steve notices the extra candles, but hesitates - glancing to nero first.

he'll take one, but only if nero does. ]

Does it matter?

[It isn't that Nero doesn't think the gods -- or whatever these people take as gods -- aren't around, but they're a hell of a lot more likely to not show, especially if it isn't benefiting them. And they're all the same to him, anyway. Just monsters powerful enough for people to think they have meaning.

Apparently Lorelei thinks a walking ball of moss is a god. Nero doesn't stop the scoff that comes from his mouth, staring the creature down --

Until something way bigger comes out. He takes a step back, hand half-raised like he's going to grab his sword. Instead, he crosses his arms.

That god, apparently. The Trader? Not one he's heard of. But to be honest, he doesn't try to listen. He glances at Steve, too. Thinks about it. It's only for Lorelai's sake that he reaches and takes one of the candies, pocketing it without trying it.

It's like Kyrie. He'd go to her performances, too, even if he didn't believe shit about the powers she sang about. No reason to hurt Lorelai's feelings 'cause she thinks a giant walking sloth is gonna save her.] What's it gonna do? Turn me into a newt?

[He's joking. Mostly. Though Wanda did threaten to do the same to him once.]

Edited 2024-03-17 18:13 (UTC)

[ The trader appears pleased when his offerings are accepted. He pats the small ball of moss. ]

I must apologize for my son. He's eager to meet new friends. Do you wish to be a newt?

[ The question is asked sincerely. As if to demonstrate how easy the process could be, the ball of moss stretches and pops, then turns into a small newt before springing back to its normal form with delight.

Lorelai sits to the side, observing the interaction with interest. Although she came here for her own reasons, she is also happy to introduce the Summoned to more of the Gods. They're an important part of Solvunn...and of her history. ]

He appeared when we were children, my brother and I. He's a great listener.

[ steve thinks it matters - because whatever you want to call these creatures (powerful people, gods, figments of their imaginations, really cool costumes, etc.) there are still good ones and not good ones. or, rather, not as good ones, and then also pretty freaking evil ones at that. steve feels like he's done a decent job at placing names along that spectrum, listening to what the locals have to say and going from there, so knowing who and why helps.

the little ball of green steve warms up to pretty quickly, if only because it reminds him of the little stone guardians he actually really liked. it's the much larger, lumbering thing that comes out of the forest after that he's still unsure of.

which is why he waits for nero to take one of the candles, waits to see if he will turn into a newt, before steve carefully is reaching forward and grabbing the third for himself. do you wish to be a newt? the trader asks, and steve is quick to answer for nero. ]

No! No he's good. It's uh- figure of speech. [ steve would have elbowed nero if he were close enough, but he happens to be just a step too far, and chooses instead to give him a look. the one that says not a time to joke, seriously before his attention is on lorelai. ] He did? [ and part of steve is genuinely curious, his own interaction with gods to be either indirect or...well. less than fantastic. ]

Listener? [ listen to what? steve can't help the sudden wave of guilt that rushes over him, a moment where he thinks about eddie, about being asked to talk. he doesn't know if he has it in him to be listened to any more right now, but there is something in the way lorelai says it that has him hesitating.

a beat, and then steve looks to the trader himself. itself. whatever. ] What if I don't have anything to trade...?

[Nero's eyes narrow, but there doesn't appear to be a follow-up joke besides the mossball being a little shit. He's about to answer with a maybe less than delicate question, but Steve speaks up way too fast in a way that's suspicious. Like he knew Nero's answer wasn't gonna be a nice one.] Like he said. I'm solid.

["Son"? Boy, that raises a fuckload of questions. What does a giant sloth have to procreate with to make a freaky ball of moss with legs? Guess it's better than the whole chicken house thing... and he hasn't lost any memories (yet, probably.)

His nose scrunches. He's clearly thinkin' of something that isn't the conversation at hand. Nero shoots a look at Lorelai, finding her... amused, maybe, but not tense or afraid, which is a sign considering he's seen her that more often than not.

He sighs through his nose. Tries not to think, of course it was when you were kids. When you'd be easy to impress. 'Cause she's still here, searching this thing out.]

And what kind of things are you listening for, huh?

[ Lorelai, who senses Nero's wariness, pats him gently on the arm. ]

Don't worry. He only listens to what you want to say. Sometimes it's hard to find someone to talk to in Solvunn. My neighbors, they worry a lot when you're ill at ease. The Trader isn't burdened the same.

[ The Trader bends low from his great height. He holds out his paw again. This time, he gives a bronze coin, which Lorelai accepts gratefully. ]

You need only offer your thoughts for that coin. Big or small, we can all use someone who hears us.

[ His massive form stands tall again. He beckons Lorelai forward, and she follows while he converses casually. ]

Come come, dear friend. Sit and tell me what's been on your mind. I was heartened to see you return home.

[ They find a shaded patch under the trees. The wind no longer howls in the small clearing around The Trader. Snippets of their conversation can be heard, drifting with the breeze. Lorelai confesses her guilt and shame, her regrets, and, most notably, that she is conflicted about feeling saddened by Josselyn's loss despite understanding she committed grave sins against many. The Trader opens up his bottomless sack while she talks, which the small grassy ball serves from: a hot cup of tea, a handkerchief to dry her eyes, and a plate of fresh-baked cookies. True to his nature, The Trader listens with the occasional kind word, but makes no judgment.

When all is said and done, Lorelai looks reassured, and she carries herself much lighter than before the journey. The Trader returns to Nero and Steve. ]

She tells me you've been looking after her. Thank you for keeping her safe, brave travelers. Can I give you anything else before you depart? Some fine chocolate, perchance? A very rare import! Well worth a taste.

[ nero is very obviously...maybe unimpressed isn't the word, but wary of this trader and his mossball son. steve can't say he blames him, he himself isn't entirely sure what to make of this dude. or rather, god. something about him feels oddly off-putting, if only because he seems so...kind and nice? it's not as though steve's had many interactions with gods in person, so he doesn't have a lot to work off of, but.

don't worry lorelai says as she pats nero on the arm, and steve...well, a part of him is still worrying, but he guesses there isn't a whole lot more to do about it. he watches as the trader leads lorelai off towards the edge of the clearing, beneath some of the trees, and steve just moves to stand a little closer to nero.

he realizes that if he listens hard enough, he could probably eavesdrop on the conversation, but when he picks up josselyn and guilty and decides that actually, he isn't sure he wants to know. so instead he turns to look at nero, because even the smallest glance towards where he assumes josselyn's remains are is starting to give him chills. ]

You gonna do it? Trade him thoughts and all that?

[ he's just trying to pass time, but also...he can't help that a part of him is curious. about the coin, about if it actually helps. he'd probably have done it himself if his last interaction with someone asking him to talk hadn't gone so poorly.

he still feels bad about the whole thing with eddie, honestly, but he'll get around to apologizing eventually. probably.

and then, before he knows it, they're back - and the trader, lorelai, and the little moss thing,. steve tries to give a polite smile, though it is probably more awkward than anything. for some reason, don't take candy from stragers is the only thing that pops up in his head when offered chocolate. ] Oh- uh. No, I'm good, thanks though.

[It probably says a lot about how Nero feels about Lorelai that her touch makes him relax, at least a bit -- perceptably. These gods aren't a threat to him, as Nero hasn't figured any of them are... but more importantly, they don't seem to be a threat to her, either.

It's hard to find people to talk to in Solvunn is an understatement. And her saying it outloud almost makes him go still -- it's the same thing he's felt, after he got out of the Pit. Why he got them to move away from the settlement in the first place.

Nero watches the exchange between her and the sloth with a frown. Not 'cause this is awful, or anything, but maybe... 'cause it isn't. 'Cause he can hear what she's confessing, and he can see the god actually... listening.

Maybe he gets how important it is to be heard.

He turns to Steve, rubbing the back of his neck, turning his back to Lorelai and the gods. Giving them some measure of privacy, but close enough in case something happens.]

I dunno. Feel kind of bad burdening the guy.

[He might be joking. Hard to tell. But the look Nero throws over his shoulder to Lorelai is meaningful, even if he doesn't think his face has changed at all.

When they're back, she does look better. He'd be fucking blind to not see it. So when the god offers the chocolate, he shakes his head, but he does answer:] Yeah. I'll trade for a coin, if you got time.

[Why not? Being heard isn't a luxury where he's from. And maybe... he's curious. If it really helps.]

[ The smile Lorelai turns toward Nero is encouraging. The Trader inclines his head, equally pleased. ]

The Trader can always make time for new friends.

[ Beckoning Nero to follow, The Trader lumbers to the same private spot he took Lorelai. Once there, he reveals the bronze coin. Though plain, it resonates with a gentle magic. ]

Sit, sit. A shame about the weather, but nothing a hot drink can't cure, eh? What shall it be? Lavender tea? Honey and lemon?

[ The mossy ball is poised over the bag, seemingly waiting for Nero's order. ]

[ something about the way that nero answers is all steve needs to know. a part of him is curious about the whole thing, and of course he can still hear eddie's voice in the back of his mind - about opening up, about talking, about letting someone else in...

but it also curls in his stomach, the way that had all made him feel. he still feels guilty, still feels ashamed, and the idea of talking to some...god? creature. thing. over someone he knows well and trusts...

steve isn't going to do it, he decides that pretty firmly right then and there. but when nero throws that look over his shoulder, steve can tell he might. probably will.

so he's not all that surprised when nero does mention the coin, watching him head off with the trader back to the same private space. he doesn't know lorelai nearly as well as nero, but he still gives her a small smile. ] I'm glad you feel better. It's- [ and then steve cuts himself off, because he catches sight of nero and the trader off in the private space, and see's nero very obviously waving him over.

for a moment he's not actually sure what that is supposed to mean, but when nero does it again, more emphatically, steve suddenly realizes what is happening. to lorelai, he says a quick: ] Oh! Um. I'll...be back. Sorry. [ before he's quickly closing the distance over to the other two.

part of him thinks nero just wants to tell him something before he talks to the trader, so steve is more prepared to listen and then head back to lorelai. what he's not prepared for is nero to turn back to the trader and start talking, leaving steve feeling... not out of place, exactly, but a little like he is intruding. just at first. ]

[Maybe it's not the best idea he's had (though debatable if any of his ideas are the best), but maybe after the whole chicken house thing, it bothers him a hell of a lot less. He'll never get the memory back that he gave to that thing. Lorelai trusts this thing, though, and he trusts Lorelai even if he probably shouldn't, considering she's not the best judge of character.

Hell if he is either, though.

He follows the Trader, sitting down, declining the tea. (No offense, but Lorelai's is probably better.) After he thinks on it, he gets Steve's attention and waves him over.

This doesn't need to be private anymore. Not like with someone he didn't know as well as Steve. Eventually, Nero thinks about throwing a rock at him, but Steve catches his drift before he has to resort to it.

With his tail wrapped around him, Nero squats down — not quite sitting, not as chill as Lorelai was — and waits for Steve to come by before he starts.]

I had a brother. Credo. When I was a kid, his family took me in. [He breathes. There's a lot of things that still linger with him. The Pit. Dante's shit. His father. And while his father might be a bastard, a shadow that stalks him, and V was — was a friend he'd had, and lost, and he still barely knows a thing about Vergil — his brother was someone he knew. He'd loved.]

He wasn't a great one, I guess. Kind of a real bastard. But he was the only one I had, so I don't really got anything to compare him to. [No, he was a good one. Not a nice one is what he meant, but he keeps going. And he does have comparisons now — a brother like Geralt, or Steve. Sisters like Wanda and Himeka.] And a few years ago, he died. 'Cause of me. 'Cause I wasn't strong enough to keep him alive, even if it was half his fault for being such a dumbass. I —

[And here Nero stops, and rubs his hand through his hair, and rubs at his nose, all the little things he does when his emotions don't know what the hell to do. They just curl up, boiling, under the surface, like they have for years. The end of his tail slaps against the ground.] I didn't talk about him for years 'cause I was ashamed of it. I get it's not my fault, but it is, too. I just... I guess I don't want him to be forgotten, even if somethin' happens to me. [If he sells the wrong memory. If some god fucks his brain up like scrambled eggs. Even if the Trader fucks with him... at least Steve's hearing it, too.] There's not a lot of people to remember him anymore.

[He holds his hand out for the coin. He's not leaving empty handed.] Anyway, that's it. Doesn't really mean anything now. [He starts getting up, brushing off his pants.] Just shit made me think of him lately.

[And he doesn't have much to remember Credo by. The Red Queen, the sword he gave Geralt... and now a single bronze coin. It isn't nothing.]

[ Ah. No tea, then. That's alright, The Trader puts his wares away and places down a cup of plain water instead, and a small bowl of salted peanuts to the side. A very simple setup for conversation, for there must be a setup of a kind for it to feel correct.

The great God listens attentively. His expression is sympathetic, but not pitying. Nero might get the sense that The Trader has done this many times for many days and years.

When the other Summoned stands, The Trader pats the moss ball at his side. ]

Every family looks a tad different, as you can see. Now we can remember him, too. And you know, you might find your brother in faces unexpected. Maybe...you already have?

[ The Trader offers what passes for a gentle smile. ]

I wish you a safe journey home. Come back any time; The Trader is open at all hours.

Edited 2024-04-03 22:04 (UTC)

[ Warm sentiments are cut short as a sharp turn in the gentle breeze spikes a sudden chill through the clearing. Clear skies darken without the shadow of clouds. A heaviness fills the spaces between the trees, unseen but felt, making each inhale a chore and exhale a painful relief.

The mossy ball shakes and ducks behind The Trader who stands at his full height, holding one clawed hand out to signal the others stay back. His long neck turns towards a growing gloom that builds from the shadow of a large tree, twisting in on itself like a pile of writhing snakes without form.

The world is silent. A breath waiting to happen. Or a scream.

The Trader's voice is strained. ]

...A journey you should make now. Go, friends. Leave this place.

[ steve hustles over the best he can, though he does recognize he's late. notices the slight hint of nero's annoyance. his mouth is open to apologize as he comes to stand next to the other, his im sorry very nearly already out, but that's when nero starts.

he squats down next to nero, unintentionally mirroring his stance as he does, and shuts his mouth to listen. because he does know when to do that, can pick up on body language and tone. and as nero begins, steve is doing just that - his eyes on nero, listening. really focuses.

on credo, on his family, on a life that nero led before abraxas. steve soaks in the information like water to a sponge, though he doesn't know why. there are things nero says that hit close to home, talks about how credo hadn't been a good brother, though steve has a feeling there's more to that story than what nero's saying aloud. doesn't take the 'comparing' comment to heart, either. instead, steve finds himself latching on to the and a few years ago, he died. 'cause of me. steve didn't know that... granted, he hadn't known much of everything nero's telling to the trader in this moment, but he hadn't known that.

and that feels important - to nero, most of all. steve isn't upset, necessarily, but he does feel a kind of weight settle on his shoulders. which is weirdly selfish, he knows, because none of this has anything to do with him, but...

cause I wasn't strong enough to keep him alive.

that sentence alone has steve stilling, has whatever it was he'd been worried about or thinking about or even upset about slipping away. nero pauses and steve stays quiet, doesn't so much as breathe, because some part of him knows that there's more to this. that there's more that nero wants to say. so steve's not surprised when he keeps talking, though it's hard for him to imagine nero ashamed of anything, it's the i don't want him to be forgotten that echoes for a bit longer in steve's mind. that's it, then. what this whole purpose of this has been. steve knows that magic in abraxas is wild, and things can happen to their brains as much as their bodies, and with nero telling him this...

he blinks, because the voice in his head speaks up before he means it to. a small voice, maybe, but loud enough that he hears it. i'll remember. and even as nero quickly wraps the whole thing up, offers his hand out for the coin, moves to stand (which steve joins), and that is that.

the trader speaks once nero is done, mentions now we can remember him, too and you might find your brother in faces unexpected and without meaning to, steve feels himself frown a little, confused. was there...someone back in solvunn that looked like nero's brother? is that why he's bringing this up? not that it matters, because if nero at all ends up looking to steve, all he's going to find is a supportive smile. a nod. yeah, family does look different, that much steve definitely agrees with.

and then everything shifts - the wind, the air, the light. steve's hand is on the sword at his hip instantly, his eyes scanning around the clearing and falling on the same gloom that seems to be coalescing at the base of one of the trees. he looks to lorelai, then back to the mass, resetting his feet where he stands. ]

Agreed. Dude- [ to nero. ] We need to get Lorelai and get out of here.

[He's not exactly sitting toe-to-toe with the god, but those words, they make him pull back. Quick, almost startled. Like a shudder. It hits like a gunshot, and he sniffs, rubbing his nose with a knuckle as he looks away.]

Maybe.

[Eventually, he turns back. He's not sure what the Trader gets out of this, if anything; maybe he'll wake up and not even remember Credo. In some ways, it'd be easier. But it's not what he wants. Just... it's a feeling, that's all. It's Lorelai's gentle nature and her trust in him that's convinced Nero of anything. Maybe she's trusted the wrong people in the past, but that gives her all the more reason not to trust anyone now. But... she does. Like he does.]

Yeah. Thanks.

[He pockets the coin. It's just enough time for him to lift his gaze, turning with the Trader, stepping in front of the god to approach the twisting dark thing that's sucking the oxygen outta the around them.

Sweet. He could use some action. Now he's feeling all loose, like this weight pulling on his tail's finally gone.

Credo would've bitched at him, said he was still too eager for fights. Yeah, he is! And it ain't gonna change!]

Shit. Never a dull moment around here, huh? [He stretches his fingers out in front of him, cracking his knuckles. He gives Steve a glance over his shoulder, rolling it as his eyes light up.] And let somethin' go straight for the settlement after? Or chase us down? Seriously, I don't dance that way. [He draws his sword, revving the engine in the hilt. The sword roars as Nero tosses the blade to lean against his shoulder, swaggering a few feet in front.] Just keep the kids safe, Steve! I got this.

[The sword roars as fluid rolls down the blade, sparks flying off his sword.] You hear me, asshole? Come on out! I don't got all day, and I really hate eavesdroppers.

[ The festering gloom twists in on itself, growing in size by the second. The pressure it exudes spreads out quietly like a hand slowly pushing you away. The Trader takes a hesitant step backwards as something stretches out in the darkness, the shadow of some hidden claw-like appendage. ]

These mortals have no quarrel with you.

[ Lorelai stands frozen with her gaze fixated on the shadow. Then in a burst she rushes back towards Nero and Steve, placing her hand on each of their shoulders and urging them to retreat. ]

Please, we have to go! She's coming!

[ The appendage materializes with a sudden and loud croak. Sinew covering decayed and fragile-looking bone stretch towards the Trader, joints clicking sporadically. The mossy ball pulls back, shaking in fear, and begins to flee, immediately redirecting the claw's attention with a sharp swipe. ]

[ steve should have known, really. the moment the trader tells them to leave, the moment that the shadow seems to grow out of nothing at all, it was never going to be that easy. he understands the feeling, too, that nero is currently harboring - the need to move, after talking about something so weighted. heavy. the need to do something with the new energy. it sinks in steve's gut like a rock, because no, no this wouldn't be easy. it was never going to be just a chaperoning mission. not when they live in a place like solvunn.

nero approaches the thing, and steve...steve knows something is wrong. about that thing and the growing shadow, the thickness in the air. so much that he doesn't even care all that much about nero correcting him. doesn't care that yeah, running back to the settlement probably would just draw whatever this thing is back with them. but they can't just fight it...can they? ]

What is that thing? [ steve asks the trader as he pulls out his sword, only moving once lorelai makes it over to them. he tugs her back away from nero, away from the thing, but keeps a step in front of her - sword drawn, protective. lorelai is terrified, and that is enough for steve, but the question comes to him again.

they can't just fight this, right?

except nero probably can. steve huffs, a little frustrated and a little impressed, as nero's sword roars to life. ] Who is she? [ he ends up asking lorelai, only half a second before the loud croak. and that's when steve smells it first, and it churns his stomach. the thickness, the rot, the decay. for a brief moment he's back in the pit - his skin crawling, aching, growing and the only thing he can breathe, he can smell, he can taste is the rot, the decay, the earth. they're dying, he's dying, they're not going to make it out of this - and he has to physically shake himself to lose the image.

his instincts move faster than his thoughts do, and before he realizes it he's pushing lorelai back another few feet away from the trader, out of reach from the sudden aggression - and he keeps between her and the thing, sword out, prepared to strike or parry or whatever it is he is going to be able to do against this moving, stretched, nightmarish creature. ]

Nero! [ steve yells, glancing at lorelai over his shoulder and then back to the thing. ] If you're gonna do something, now's the time!

[It's hardly the first time anyone's begged him to leave well enough alone. The thing is, has he ever listened? Like, maybe once. And something really pisses him off -- the fact that Lorelai is obviously shit-scared of this thing when she's already got plenty to fear.

He's been waiting for his moment. Waiting for the moment one of these fuckers would finally show their face without him having to drag them out from whatever hell they linger in.

For a moment, Nero goes still. Not with fear -- hell no -- but surprise. And then, he laughs. To him, this might as well be slow motion.]

You got some balls, showing up again after all this time. Like the taste of that arm, asshole? [He wrenches his sword out of the ground, moving faster than the shadow, faster than that claw -- his sword cutting straight through it as he lands in front of the moss ball of a god, in front of Steve, planting himself between ol' sticky fingers and his own little company, fire spilling from the blade. (A fucked up family, maybe.) His two, bright blue wings erupt from his back, one fist crushing into the other like a threat. A promise.] How about I give you something a little hotter to munch on?!

[Nero's not waiting around to give it a second time to ambush. He dives towards the demon -- the disgusting, rotting thing from the altar that ate his fucking arm, fuck you Thor -- to slice it apart, to burn the pieces, to take out every fucking thing that's happened to him since his arm was sucked clean like a chicken bone of the shit that had made him feel human once. But sword and his taloned wing hangs reach for it together, and it's clear that Nero isn't holding back. Much.

He doesn't need to be a demon to beat the shit out of this thing.]

Edited 2024-04-10 06:16 (UTC)

[ Lorelai resists at first, wanting to drag Steve and Nero back with her and as far away from the seeping shadow as possible. But she eventually stumbles a few steps backwards as she clings to Steve's sleeve. She inhales sharply, her words as shaky as her breath: ]

It's the Guardian of Last Rites...

[ With Nero's intervention, the Trader dives down to collect his son up into his long arms. The mossy ball wails and shakes in fear as it tries to bury itself into the messy fur of its elder.

The "demon" gasps and squawks as it tries to retaliate with a heavy slash of sharpened bone but falls quickly, its sagging flesh and brittle bone forming a heap of bubbling, burning fat and marrow. It twitches, broken but alive as shadows envelop it in a tight, dark blanket.

The oppressive aura in the clearing increases ten fold, making Lorelai bend to her knee. The Trader manages to stand his ground with some effort. A cold chill strikes towards the mortals like a knife cutting through silk, swift and easy. A feminine whisper echoes in all of their heads, but its hiss is loudest to Nero. ]

You gave yourself to me. You pledged yourself to ME.

[ The mound of desecrated flesh disappears into misty shadow that swirls around itself, building up into a figure that dwarfs the Trader. The demon's flesh has turned soot black as if burnt, but shiny like the carapace of an insect. Six eyes gleam and blink at Nero from out of the shadow as a half-woman, half-arachnid creature points a newly formed but bleeding claw towards him. ]

You break your covanent?

[ She turns slowly to the Trader and his son, still huddled protectively in his arms. ]

...Or do you take him from me?

[ She spits, raising four of her eight legs into the air. ]

Betrayer! All of you!

[ The Trader steps back, putting space between himself and the mortals as she leaps over Nero, sword-sharp limbs poised to take down the other God who dared impede on her territory. ]

[ the guardian of last rites. steve can feel lorelai cling to his sleeve, terrified and shaking, and really that's all that steve focuses on. he steps back again, keeps her behind him as they move back, trying to get away. the trader and his moss ball son seem just as scared, and steve knows, knows this isn't good. but nero doesn't seem phased at all - not when he calls out, when he recognizes her, when he mentions his arm. steve would feel entirely out of his league if that wasn't a feeling he was so used to by now, so instead he focuses on what he can do. so with his eyes still on the fight, he asks lorelai: ]

Last rites how? You mean like- burial? Is this thing here because of Josselyn?

[ find out what he can, keep lorelai safe, keep distance, watch for the woods around them in case this thing isn't alone but be ready in case it gets through nero. even with his massive wings that steve's only seen once before, and his giant sword, or all of the crazy, insane, impressive, amazing things he can do, steve has to do his job too. he has to help somehow. and as they keep talking, as this thing keeps yelling and seething and ugh, god. steve's face scrunches up, the smell of this- of all of this is giving him a headache, but he swallows it back.

steve doesn't like the sound of whatever this monster is saying (she? does it now sound like a woman?) but he can't quite take his eyes off her, either. the way the mound of flesh shifts, how the shadows build to something worse, something bigger. it makes his stomach plummet, but he doesn't lose focus - nero spent his whole life fighting demons, and the longer they're here, the more this looks like one. nero's probably more and more in his element with each passing moment.

the trader steps back, away from them, and steve takes the opportunity to push him and lorelai another couple of steps in the opposite direction - a good plan, considering the way the monster leaps over nero and after the trader. steve tenses, ready for something worse, and keeps lorelai behind him.

there's gotta be something else they can do, right? something more to all of this? steve curses under his breath, sword ready. ]

[The cold is brittle enough even Nero flinches; at once he’s reminded of that mountain, the storm, the giant hands that turned it upside down until he and Geralt fell. That kind of power — is that what this thing is?

Who is he kidding? Of course it is. These gods can’t wait to show themselves. To be complete assholes. To whip their power around and subjugate everyone around them to it. To control. Just like —

He looks back at Lorelai. Whatever the Guardian of Last Rites is, it’s not hers. Lorelai doesn’t belong to anyone. Not to any fucking god. Not under his watch. Nero didn’t put his life on the line for her so she could continue living under the yoke of a demon.

No one is going to. Not while he’s around.

Maybe it’d be nice if everything was her fault, but he doesn’t believe that. Josselyn is a human who made pacts with demons. There’s been plenty of those. And demons exist, whether humans wish them into being or not.

He’s fast. He’s nigh invincible. But he can only be in one place at one time — and this is why he works alone. He can protect people, has done it a thousand times. But two humans, two gods?

Demonic energy ripples across Nero. In between one human blink of the eye and the next, a demon has replaced where Nero was standing: connected to his two giant blue wings, curling horns around his head, scales across his body, and hair falling to his waist. His wings grab two of those spider legs with a snarl, but her momentum still has her moving forward —]

Steve —

[He can’t stop her, not quick enough she won’t impale at least one leg through the Trader. His right arm reaches for Steve as he screams —

And it disappears. Replacing Steve’s right arm is Nero’s Devil Bringer: an arm covered in scales, pulsating with power, equipped with wickedly curved claws and all the strength that comes from having demonic blood.

There’s no time to explain it. To even comprehend what the fuck is happening. Just:]

Legs! Her legs!

[He rips his hold on her back legs back at the same time, hoping Steve doesn’t freeze up — that he uses that power while Nero can maintain it, but he can already feel a sudden jolting tremble through his body, even when he’s devil triggered.]

[ Lorelai shakes her head, her attention darting between Steve, Nero, and the Trader and his son. ]

No...Josselyn wasn't given her last rites. That was the Council's judgment. She's here for—

[ The Trader braces for the impact and Lorelai shouts out, terrified but unsure of how to protect the deity that has only ever shown her kindness. The clawed appendage that impales his thigh drags a garbled gasp, but the Trader keeps his son close and protected against his chest.

With Nero holding her legs, the assault is frozen in time. The Guardian seethes, hissing at the Trader as he tries to pull away and she digs her claw in deeper. Then, her attention is focused on the fiery inhuman expression on Nero's face. She sneers down at him and presses her weight advantage. ]

You offer your arm freely yet again after you already gave it to me.

[ All of her eyes narrow with pale lids, the inky blackness of the entire bulbs as shiny as her carapace. ]

You give yourself to this peddler of mortal follies. And you break your promise without a drop of humility.

[ She lifts another pair of legs as he pushes her back and screeches, aiming for Nero's chest. ]

Then I will take what is owed to me by blood, Nero!

[ the monster jumps, nero is now more demon than nero, and everything is going. steve reacts when he hears his name, pushes lorelai back, gets her out of danger and his sword in his hands and god, god the trader isn't fast enough, is he? isn't going to make it out of this. lorelai screams for the trader but if steve's attention is on her, if can get lorelai-

that's when steve feels it, like a heat, like power, as is curls around his arm. his eyes are wide when he notices the scales, notices that it's nero's arm that's replaced his own. nero's power he feels pulsating through him. the trader's been stabbed through the leg, nero's got his hands around the things back legs, and everything seems to pause.

if he had more time, steve might have taken in a little more how cool this all kind of is. but he doesn't, because the guardian's attention is now all on nero and steve reacts without thinking. he drops his sword at lorelai's feet, hoping she understands and uses it, and dives across the space- pulling in as much power as he can to the arm and gripping onto the closest insect-leg he can reach. the power that surges through his arm is nothing steve's ever felt, and it's probably why he's not as effective as he otherwise could be. still, it's better than nothing, as he wraps the scaled fingers around one of her legs and jerks backwards, hoping to pull her off-balance, to make it so that her strike is off just enough that nero can dodge it. ]

You're not getting anything! [ he yells out through gritted teeth, tightening his grip, jerking the leg he's got ahold of backwards, away, at a wrong angle and hoping- praying- that it snaps.

steve just has to buy a second, just has to get her off-guard enough, and then nero will be fine. will have a better angle. can end this. ]

[If Nero had time, he'd congratulate the kid. It doesn't matter this is probably one of the most dangerous moments of his life, and he's not even been fully trained, not by him or Geralt. He hesitates, but he doesn't freeze.

That's the difference between being alive and being dead.

It's the thing that Nero doesn't quite remember, because the god's words throw him off so bad he does freeze. Gave it to her? What the fuck Kool Aid is she drinking? Not to mention... when the fuck could he do that?

His wing hands grip the legs hard enough to crush, but he doesn't move. Doesn't dodge. Because dodging gives her even more of an opening, and he's had worse --]

I didn't give you shit. [His voice, demonic now, is an echo that snarls with every syllable.] If you want it, then you'll have to take every damn piece!

[One arm down, hesitating too long -- and she's got too many damn legs. Several of them impale straight through him, blood spraying out his back. He grabs one with his remaining arm, gripping to crush it. And with her legs in his body, in his wings' grip, in his arm, he starts pulling her back -- away from the trader.

But one leg shifts inside him. He didn't move enough. And having felt this before, he knows what this is.

His heart. She managed to do what even that shit Agnus failed to do. She got his heart. He coughs, and blood dribbles out of his mouth.] Go to hell.

[He uses what dwindling strength he can feel -- his body alternating keeping him alive and trying desperately to heal the wounds her legs are still embedded in -- to punch his clawed hand into what he hopes is a softer underbelly.

But the damage is already done. Shit. Even Dante wouldn't have been so fucking stupid.]

[ Lorelai stumbles to the ground, instinctively grabbing the sword and holds it uneasily close to her breast. She calls out again to the Trader who stumbles himself as the insectoid-like leg is ripped free from his own. With Nero and Steve taking the Guardian's attention, he pulls himself next to Lorelai and places a protective hand at her shoulder. ]

Araneadis! [ The Trader calls out. ] Please put a stop to this!

[ She does not stop. She tries to push her size and weight advantage only for her legs to be pulled to their limit as Nero holds the pair upwards. She sneers an angry, toothy grin as she feels the serrated edge of her claw tear into his flesh and bone. ]

Yes, Nero. I'll take it all! Bleed for me one last time!

[ Her last word is cut short as she's ripped backwards and off balance by the human she had underestimated. It pulls the legs she has dug into Nero free, leaving his wounds open to the air. The Guardian whips her head around and hisses at Steve. ]

You little...!

[ Just as it snaps. A black ichor shoots explosively from the stump of her leg and she reels and screams, damning them all several times over. She tries to pull her legs free from all their holds, waving them wildly around to slash at anyone or anything that she can reach.

The Lorelai hugs the sword by the hilt as the Trader leans down to cover her from harm. ]

[ arandeadis. some part of steve is going to remember that, when all of his focus isn't otherwise occupied. but it's fine- it's okay. lorelai has his sword and his hand is on the monster's leg and nero's got a hold of her front ones and maybe- god, shit, this has to work. ]

Run! [ steve yells over his shoulder, back to the trader, to lorelai. there's a kind of desperate anger to his voice, because they have a chance now to get away, and that would mean that nero's attention wouldn't be split, that steve also wouldn't be worried about keeping the guardian contained, keeping her away from them. ] Get out of here!

[ that's when steve throws his weight into it, twisting and wrenching the segment of the leg he has a hold of. it feels like it takes ages, hours, but it does give with a horrible, sickening kind of ripping sound. he doesn't catch whatever it is that she and nero says to each other, and instead covers his eyes as the ichor sprays out, covering him in the process.

that's when the guardian finally turns on him, hisses, and steve spits some of the ichor back in her face. which may or may not be the right decision, but it feels appropriate, somehow. that's when she screams, waves her arms wildly, and steve manages to duck out of the way of one and dodge another, it's the third and fourth that he isn't able to get fully out of the way of, feeling the slash across one shoulder and then across his chest. with a yell of equal amounts of frustration as it is pain, steve dives off to the side and - watching out of the corner of his eyes as nero's clawed hand drives up into what steve also hopes is a soft underbelly.

his eyes flash back to the still-flailing guardian, trying to find some other gap, something else he can go after, and in a last-ditch effort, drives the piece of her leg he's still holding in nero's armored...arm. thing. through what he hopes is a chink in her outer sorta insect body. he yells as he does it, throwing everything he's got into the strike, the plunge, praying that it finds purchase anywhere. ]

Die already!

[Like, he always figured he'd go down fighting -- he wouldn't want it any other fuckin' way -- but to a giant spider? Protecting gods? Who the fuck would believe that was how it'd be?

And Dante --

Shit.

Maybe if he'd heard the name before, he could've asked Himeka. It's not a god he's heard of. Not a demon's. Not that their names have ever mattered before, but he would've gone in here swinging more than just his sword if she'd had other, easy weaknesses. Right now, her best skills are having nasty legs and screaming.

Maybe he's lucky, and it's just a soft, squishy, toothless tummy.

He digs his claws deep into her body, but it embeds him against her, cutting out any area for Nero to dodge. Her legs cut against him, spilling more and more blood beyond where the clear holes in his body already are. He feels his heart fluttering like he's holding it in his palm, squeezing it. The pain makes him see double -- and the blood makes him see red.

But he holds onto her. Digging with his claws, tearing at her with his wings, yelling a curse... until the blood loss makes his vision blur harder, his ears ringing, and he rips his claws out of her body and falls to the ground with a groan.

A fuckin' spider. Nico would never let him hear the end of it.]

[ Lorelai doesn't want to run with both Nero and Steve in harm's way, but the Trader can see where the fight is going and urges her onward. Though she resists at first, Lorelai eventually yields to be ushered back under the boughs of the trees. The Son hurries along after them, shaking and barely containing his sobs.

The Guardian continues her onslaught as she shrieks, accusing Nero of betrayal and Steve of being a nuisance. The audacity of their resistance to her judgment is enough to make her laugh, cruel and ragged. But her carapace is not invincible and just as much as she makes them bleed for her, it's the combination of one of Nero's winged hands tearing into her torso and Steve driving one of her own severed limbs into the vulnerable flesh around her joint that does her in. ]

You!

[ The Guardian cries out and stumbles, her entire body quivering. What had been hardened exoskeleton starts to shake and bubble like a thin membrane that is ready to burst. She sneers at her lost follower and the human who dared to defy her. She can hear the erratic beating of Nero's failing heart, so she turns her attention on Steve for a final declaration: ]

This... is not the end of me! We will meet again Steve Harrington!

[ With one final shout of anger, the Guardian erupts, skeleton bursting open. Ichor spreads into the air and across the entire clearing, staining the sides of trees in every direction. The bulk of her body still stands, her attached and severed limbs still whole. Whatever remains will need to be removed by hand but the Guardian is no more. For now. ]

[ a nuisance is hardly the worst thing steve’s been called. hardly the worst thing he’s been called while fighting something he shouldn’t, being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to, etc. etc. etc. the point is, it doesn’t bother him now. especially not when he can tell it’s working.

it’s working! nero’s claws in her underbelly and steve’s use of her other limb. she screams, something curling and off and shrieking. steve winces at the sound, and then pulls the limb away, the squelching of tissue and ichor schlepping to the ground under it the wound. she stumbles away, and steve follows her, eyes on her every move. he has a feeling that’s it, and the relief may be a little early as it floods him, but god- god. her body quivers, her exoskeleton starts to bubble, and as the god’s attention turns on him - steve is sneering back, the adrenaline giving him a kind of confidence he very rarely, truly feels. ]

Fuck you! [ he spats, watching her body swell, and then burst, ichor exploding outward in every direction.

it’s honestly…..disgusting. like. truly awful. steve’s heightened sense of smell has his stomach turning, threatening to hurl, but he swallows it back once, then twice, before he can’t hold it back anymore. just like the great heroes of old, steve turns to the side and feels his stomach revolt, puking out anything and everything he had left in him.

it takes a moment- actually, one or two. he breathes, heavy, feeling the exhaustion and the pain of the cuts and everything, all at once. his hands are on his knees, but he’s still upright when he huffs out a laugh. ] If we can- not mention the barfing, that’d be. Awesome. [ the words come without steve really thinking about it. assuming nero will be standing there, that he’ll be walking up any moment and holding out a hand to help steve stand back up. he’s never gonna hear the end of this, he knows, but even that embarrassment can’t cut through the thought, the reality-

they did it.

but the hand never comes, neither does the comment. one second passes, then another, and steve suddenly feels a kind of chill. ] Nero? [ he blinks, straightens, and then- ] Nero?

[ he bolts, lunging around the carcass of the old god and sliding to his knees where nero still lays, hot panic and a cold, hard, overwhelming fear replacing any relief he might have had.

steve falls to his knees at nero’s side, eyes darting between open wounds, at the blood, at what is the black goo of the monster and what isn’t. he’s trying to see what he needs to do, what’s even going on, but it’s starting to be hard to breathe.

his hands go to nero’s chest, trying to stop the bleeding. shouldn’t he be healing? why isn’t he healing? ]

Shit, shit- Nero. What’s- hey, hey man, you’re okay. Yeah? Hey, c’mon, you gotta get up. C’mon-

[Things swim in and out of his mind -- or is it his vision? He can't tell if he's got his eyes open or not. Of course there's Kyrie: the same way he left her, still dressed in some cozy sweater he traded for a day's worth of labour for back when he didn't have two dollars to rub together. And she'd loved it, even though it had a hole in the collar and yarn unravelling at the ends of the sleeves.

This is it, huh?

Just like that fuckin' statue of Sparda. He'd seen her there, too. He'd been so close to letting go.

His eyes open, and he tastes ichor mixed with his own blood. Ugh. His nose wrinkles and he tries to sit up, almost knocking his head into Steve's. He's back to human now, even his wings gone. His arm gone. He can't get a grip to sit up.] Fuck, that stinks. [His heart twists, a new bolt of pain through his body. When he reaches down, he's pretty sure he's touching organs. Her legs went straight through him.

There's no Yamato here. And even then... he can only heal so much.] She dead? [He spits blood.] Everyone okay?

[ part of steve feels like he should be better at this. better than this. it's hardly the first time his hands have been covered in blood, hardly the first time he's been exhausted from a fight and trying to get someone to wake up. but no matter how much experience he feels he should have where these moments are concerned, instead he feels lost. scared. young.

there's just so much blood, so much blood, and some of it is ichor- he knows some of it is ichor. but nero's eyes are closed and-

no, they're open now, and steve feels like someone's kicked him in the chest, air rushing out of him in partial relief, partial attempt to sound like he's more together than he is. nero tries to sit up and steve doesn't move back, which might be why they nearly collide, but it's fine. it's fine. nero's talking. ] Hey, hey- you're okay, man. Here- [ steve tries to put a hand behind nero's back, tries to help him sit up, or lay down, he doesn't even know.

nero twitched- or is he wincing? he's probably in a lot of pain, fuck. steve feels lost, overwhelmed, his eyes going from nero's face to the open hole in his chest to nero's hands as they press against it and- shit. shit shit shit. ]

What? Yeah- yeah, man. She's dead. She's- [ he glances over his shoulder at the husk, quiet and still, and the spot where the traveler and lorelai have disappeared off to. there's a quiet voice in the back of steve's head that wonders if that was the right move, if he shouldn't have kept lorelai here, but- no. no he has to focus. ] -gone. Everyone's fine, good even. Shit- we've gotta- we've gotta get you back to the settlement. Or get someone here. Or something.

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(closed) we will be as one. you will rise again...

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