[The ghost is ready to strike when Takame draws his blade, but his charge catches her off guard. Not that it would matter much anyway, there’s little she can do in such a feeble body against an able opponent.]
Aww, that’s cute. You really think that’ll be enough to...
[The ghost stops abruptly. For all the taunting they made earlier, it’s clear Rose is still in there, and she’s fighting back. Like hell she’s going to let some ghost or demonic presence take over her body, with everything she’s been through. Just a little more and...]
[She blinks, and her eyes revert back to their normal shade. There are two things that are immediately clear to her: 1) Takame is pinning her down, and 2) she is in a lot of pain.]
[The first thing Rose might see in front of her is Takame with a deadly look in his eyes, though gone fast enough that one could mistake it for a trick of the light.
Intent to harm disappeared like someone flipping a switch when he saw Rose's eyes return to normal, heard the tone of her voice with her normal, characteristic bite rather than the playfully hostile condescension of whatever was possessing her just a moment ago.
But he still didn't let his guard down. He didn't get up, let go of her arm, or cease preparation for an assault. He choked down the sense of relief seeing her return to normal, he couldn't afford to feel that. And he didn't deserve to either.
[Rose is in enough pain that she doesn’t notice the change in Takame’s demeanor, nor does she sense that anything is off. The last thing she remembered, they’d both had the door shut on them. Why was she on the floor?]
Who bloody else would it be?
[The characteristic bite of hers is back, and so is her healing magic. She casts a quick cure on herself to numb the pain, that will need proper medical attention later, and looks at Takame. There’s a hole in his tunic, and a knife in her hand. What on earth?]
[Before she can say anything else though, she’s cut off. A voice reverberates throughout the room, as if coming from the walls themselves.]
Hey, no fair! You weren’t supposed to take your body back! But if that’s the way you’re going to be, I’ll just have to...
Kill. You. Both.
[This time, there’s no mistaking the malicious intent of the voice. Gone is the condescending tone. It’s replacement is cold and damning.]
[It's not until she confirms her identity herself that Takame relented, and even then only slightly. The guilt at injuring her while she was herself didn't even have the chance to set in before the demon that took her body spoke out.
It was something in the aether he hadn't a clue of how to vanquish, perhaps. Right now he was too angry to figure that out, nor to care about what this poltergeist's reasoning for its possession of the Warrior of Darkness.]
You'll not have the chance to. [Bold words from him, deathly tone be damned. He'll find a way to free Rose at the very least. Or die trying.]
[Rose is...very confused, but Takame seems set out to protect her, and that makes her feel a little better. She doesn’t know what’s happening, and she doesn’t know what they’re fighting. If she had to guess, it’s probably something akin to some kind of voidsent, but she’s never seen one so powerful before.]
[Before she has the chance to speak, a voice echoes from the walls again.]
You can’t do anything. You’re both nothing. You’ll die here, and they’ll never find your bodies.
[Gone again is the whimsical tone as all of the furniture in the room starts to rattle and shake. One by one, objects in the room start to levitate and fly towards the pair. Some of them are harmless, like pillows. Some of them, like knives, are not.]
Say what you will about me, but don't you dare insult her. [The way the furniture moved and hurled itself his way would be something Takame would dismiss as a ghost story had he not been living it. And had he not been somewhat blinded by anger and assaulted with furnishings.
Any pillows or even chairs he could redirect with his bare hands while the knives he had to parry precisely with his weapon.
If he could find an opening, he could get out. It wasn't easy when he was trying to keep everything away from himself and Rose.
With only raw intuition to guide his hands to protect their front, his back remained exposed.]
[‘Don’t you dare insult her.’ Had Rose been in a better mindset, she would have fired back at Takame about how he should have more self-confidence, and stand up for himself more. She’s grateful that he stands up for her, she really is, but enough is enough.]
[Unfortunately, she’s currently dealing with too much. There are objects flying around, and she’s doing her best to swat them away, but she clearly isn’t built for this. None of her combat training is of any help, either; she can’t cast magic on a target she can’t see, and the gun isn’t going to do much to deflect a knife.]
[She can barely squeak out a warning when she sees one heading for Takame. His back is exposed, something the spectre appeared to be counting on.]
... ?! [Takame's first instinct to move was brought about by Rose's warning. Soon after he sensed the threat of death from behind for a split second and he shifted his body to the side.
Even with two warnings, he wasn't fast enough.
The knife aimed at them drove deep into Takame's back, close to his right shoulder sending a jolt of burning pain through his body and spilling blood from the initial puncture around the two.]
GAHH!!! [The knife's proximity to his arm rendering it useless, he dropped his weapon from his hand with a hard thud and clash against hard wood. The pain left him in a brief daze.
All mental, he told himself. He wouldn't feel it if he told himself it didn't hurt.]
[Rose shouts instinctively. She can’t help but remember Haurchefaunt, bleeding out above the Vault. Takame’s wounds aren’t so deep, and they appear to have missed any vital areas, but there’s more similarities than Rose would like.]
[They’re also still under attack, and now Takame’s weapon arm is useless. Rose does what she can, erecting a barrier to stop the attacks for the time being, and pumping all the healing magic she can into Takame. She swiftly casts a benediction spell, frowning.]
You need not... waste energy... I'm fine, it doesn't hurt... [Said to assure her, but also to tell himself once again. Even repeating it again, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt.
It did. It felt as though the knife was being twisted in his arm, forcing that intrusive burning sensation so spread from the wound slowly clawing its way down throughout his entire right side like an infection.
Rose's healing magic relieved the sensation, but he did not deserve this kindness after he'd hurt her. Still, he had no room to protest, did he?
As more and more dangers were literally sent their way trying to pierce her barrier, Takame shook his head. They had no time. But he could still do something. With a low grown manifesting in his throat, he picked up his weapon once more, this time with his dominant left hand.]
... Move. [His only warning, to the ghost or Rose was unclear, stated with a notable grit in his tone. He still made a point to keep her out of the way. Raising his blade high over his head and channeling his aether into it, he swung it down with reckless abandon, a wave of crimson energy running seamlessly past the barrier, yet cutting straight through anything else running through them eventually colliding with the locked door, throwing it off its hinges.]
Go, now!! [Said with a more characteristic, yet no less dire tone. He did not deserve to be near her, but he would keep her safe, by the kami.] I will be right behind you.
[Rose is about to reply, ‘Of course I need to do this, I know it hurts,’ but she’s cut off. She’s only seen Takame like this once before, and like then, it’s a sight she’s grateful for. As he raises his sword up, she gets out of the way.]
[Only for him to blast the door off the hinges. She doesn’t mean to leave him behind; really, she doesn’t. But she recognizes this opening for what it is: Their only chance to escape. Without hesitating, she runs. Whatever it was that’s attacking them is still pelting things at her, and she ends up with a few bruises and cuts, but she keeps running.]
[She keeps running, and she keeps running. She keeps running past the skeleton at the front desk. She keeps running out the door. She keeps running into the woods, and only stops when she’s too exhausted to continue.]
[The adrenaline is starting to fade, and in its place, there’s a burning sensation. Right. Her arm is broken. She casts what healing spells she can while she waits. Takame should be following her shortly.]
[True to his word, Takame followed right behind her acting as what was essentially a meat shield against anything else thrown their way. How much chairs and even pieces of the broken door his his back he didn't care, even as heavier objects seemed to drive that knife deeper.
Still he kept moving, kept running after her as he promised. Even as whatever force was attacking them saw fit to snatch the knife out of his back, leaving an open wound free to spill blood for as long as he ran.
Everything he saw before him besides the fading image of Rose's figure as it ran further began to blur, leaving only muscle memory to guide him out. At some point, he didn't know when, his steps began to falter until he dropped to his knees some few fulms behind Rose with his vision alternating between black and reality.]
Move... move... [Said entirely to himself in a voice struggling to come through.]
[As Rose waits, the minutes begin to feel like hours. Eventually, she turns back. She knows she shouldn’t, who knows how far away their attacker can stray from the house, but she’s worried.]
[She doubles back, and it’s a good thing she does. When she finds Takame, he’s more than worse for wear. He’s dying. The knife that struck him was pulled out, and there’s blood everywhere.]
Takame? Takame!
[Stay calm. Breathe. Rose focuses her mana and channels as much healing magic into him as she can. It’s hard to concentrate, her hand is still in pain, but she manages.]
[As far as what could be seen, Takame was not followed.
But by the time Rose reached him all he left behind was a trail of his own blood while he dragged himself pathetically along the Greatwood's ground.
"Move... move..." he could only mouth the word with faint hints of sound coming out, barely resembling his voice. Despite the knife avoiding more vital areas, he's lost a lot of blood. He could barely see in front of him anymore and only registered Rose's presence by the sound of her voice and the familiar warmth of her healing magic that worked wonders in mending the wound.
A balm he didn't deserve. One he wanted to decline with all his heart.]
N...ngh... ["No" he wanted to tell her. "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt" he wanted to say genuinely. "You must focus on yourself, not me".
He could barely look up at her, but he did.] 'm s...ry...
[The pain in Rose’s arm subsides, but only because it’s replaced with an overpowering rage. Of all the...did Takame understand just how stupid he was being right now? Of course she’s going to cure him, he’s her friend!]
Don’t you dare apologize to me. You were the only reason we got out, so I don’t want to hear it.
[It’s far too easy to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t been there. Rose wouldn’t be here now, she’s sure. The ghost would have disposed of her after taking over her body, if they even would have bothered to do that. Everyone would be waiting for someone who wasn’t coming back.]
[Her voice is all he can register, he can't see her. Only a blur of her bright red hair and her yet brighter aether.
Normally he would oblige her request, cease his apologizing and accept that he helped in some way. But he couldn't this time, his logic was washed away by crushing guilt and overwhelming pain he kept telling himself wasn't there.]
...your arm... [He tried to reach for her injured hand but couldn't muster the strength. Tell her this truth now, Kesi, don't you dare lie to her about it.] ... I hurt you....
[Her arm...it was broken, wasn’t it? Come to think of it, they had been the only two in the room. She’s nowhere near strong enough to break it herself, so it would stand to reason that it must have been him.]
[But why would he? Sure, there were times she’d been terrified of him before, but every time he was in a blind rage. And she’d never seen him take his anger out on someone who didn’t deserve it.]
[She also doesn’t have any memory of the break itself. Just a vague memory of something else inside her.]
If you hurt me, I’m sure you had a good reason to do so. Now be quiet, and stop acting like it’s okay for you to die.
[He sensed someone daring to do him harm, that someone just happened to be Rose under the control of... whatever that was. Whoever...? He didn't know what it could possibly be... a sin eater or just some vengeful spirit.
It wasn't a good enough reason, it was still Rose. But he didn't have the energy to argue against her. He was baffled as to why she was being so kind to him here.
Baffled as to why someone aside from Zhian or Hina would say it isn't okay for him to die.]
...ok..ay... [There's the faintest hint of a nod before his vision went black and he fell to the ground stained with his own blood. He's lost too much of it and could stay conscious no longer.
For a mercy thanks to Rose's healing, he seems to be alive. If barely breathing.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Aww, that’s cute. You really think that’ll be enough to...
[The ghost stops abruptly. For all the taunting they made earlier, it’s clear Rose is still in there, and she’s fighting back. Like hell she’s going to let some ghost or demonic presence take over her body, with everything she’s been through. Just a little more and...]
[She blinks, and her eyes revert back to their normal shade. There are two things that are immediately clear to her: 1) Takame is pinning her down, and 2) she is in a lot of pain.]
Seven hells!
no subject
Intent to harm disappeared like someone flipping a switch when he saw Rose's eyes return to normal, heard the tone of her voice with her normal, characteristic bite rather than the playfully hostile condescension of whatever was possessing her just a moment ago.
But he still didn't let his guard down. He didn't get up, let go of her arm, or cease preparation for an assault. He choked down the sense of relief seeing her return to normal, he couldn't afford to feel that. And he didn't deserve to either.
If it was her, though...]
Rose? Is that you?
no subject
Who bloody else would it be?
[The characteristic bite of hers is back, and so is her healing magic. She casts a quick cure on herself to numb the pain, that will need proper medical attention later, and looks at Takame. There’s a hole in his tunic, and a knife in her hand. What on earth?]
[Before she can say anything else though, she’s cut off. A voice reverberates throughout the room, as if coming from the walls themselves.]
Hey, no fair! You weren’t supposed to take your body back! But if that’s the way you’re going to be, I’ll just have to...
Kill. You. Both.
[This time, there’s no mistaking the malicious intent of the voice. Gone is the condescending tone. It’s replacement is cold and damning.]
no subject
It was something in the aether he hadn't a clue of how to vanquish, perhaps. Right now he was too angry to figure that out, nor to care about what this poltergeist's reasoning for its possession of the Warrior of Darkness.]
You'll not have the chance to. [Bold words from him, deathly tone be damned. He'll find a way to free Rose at the very least. Or die trying.]
no subject
[Before she has the chance to speak, a voice echoes from the walls again.]
You can’t do anything. You’re both nothing. You’ll die here, and they’ll never find your bodies.
[Gone again is the whimsical tone as all of the furniture in the room starts to rattle and shake. One by one, objects in the room start to levitate and fly towards the pair. Some of them are harmless, like pillows. Some of them, like knives, are not.]
no subject
Any pillows or even chairs he could redirect with his bare hands while the knives he had to parry precisely with his weapon.
If he could find an opening, he could get out. It wasn't easy when he was trying to keep everything away from himself and Rose.
With only raw intuition to guide his hands to protect their front, his back remained exposed.]
no subject
[Unfortunately, she’s currently dealing with too much. There are objects flying around, and she’s doing her best to swat them away, but she clearly isn’t built for this. None of her combat training is of any help, either; she can’t cast magic on a target she can’t see, and the gun isn’t going to do much to deflect a knife.]
[She can barely squeak out a warning when she sees one heading for Takame. His back is exposed, something the spectre appeared to be counting on.]
Takame! Look out!
no subject
Even with two warnings, he wasn't fast enough.
The knife aimed at them drove deep into Takame's back, close to his right shoulder sending a jolt of burning pain through his body and spilling blood from the initial puncture around the two.]
GAHH!!! [The knife's proximity to his arm rendering it useless, he dropped his weapon from his hand with a hard thud and clash against hard wood. The pain left him in a brief daze.
All mental, he told himself. He wouldn't feel it if he told himself it didn't hurt.]
no subject
[Rose shouts instinctively. She can’t help but remember Haurchefaunt, bleeding out above the Vault. Takame’s wounds aren’t so deep, and they appear to have missed any vital areas, but there’s more similarities than Rose would like.]
[They’re also still under attack, and now Takame’s weapon arm is useless. Rose does what she can, erecting a barrier to stop the attacks for the time being, and pumping all the healing magic she can into Takame. She swiftly casts a benediction spell, frowning.]
We need a plan. This barrier won’t hold forever.
no subject
It did. It felt as though the knife was being twisted in his arm, forcing that intrusive burning sensation so spread from the wound slowly clawing its way down throughout his entire right side like an infection.
Rose's healing magic relieved the sensation, but he did not deserve this kindness after he'd hurt her. Still, he had no room to protest, did he?
As more and more dangers were literally sent their way trying to pierce her barrier, Takame shook his head. They had no time. But he could still do something. With a low grown manifesting in his throat, he picked up his weapon once more, this time with his dominant left hand.]
... Move. [His only warning, to the ghost or Rose was unclear, stated with a notable grit in his tone. He still made a point to keep her out of the way. Raising his blade high over his head and channeling his aether into it, he swung it down with reckless abandon, a wave of crimson energy running seamlessly past the barrier, yet cutting straight through anything else running through them eventually colliding with the locked door, throwing it off its hinges.]
Go, now!! [Said with a more characteristic, yet no less dire tone. He did not deserve to be near her, but he would keep her safe, by the kami.] I will be right behind you.
no subject
[Only for him to blast the door off the hinges. She doesn’t mean to leave him behind; really, she doesn’t. But she recognizes this opening for what it is: Their only chance to escape. Without hesitating, she runs. Whatever it was that’s attacking them is still pelting things at her, and she ends up with a few bruises and cuts, but she keeps running.]
[She keeps running, and she keeps running. She keeps running past the skeleton at the front desk. She keeps running out the door. She keeps running into the woods, and only stops when she’s too exhausted to continue.]
[The adrenaline is starting to fade, and in its place, there’s a burning sensation. Right. Her arm is broken. She casts what healing spells she can while she waits. Takame should be following her shortly.]
[...Shouldn’t he?]
no subject
Still he kept moving, kept running after her as he promised. Even as whatever force was attacking them saw fit to snatch the knife out of his back, leaving an open wound free to spill blood for as long as he ran.
Everything he saw before him besides the fading image of Rose's figure as it ran further began to blur, leaving only muscle memory to guide him out. At some point, he didn't know when, his steps began to falter until he dropped to his knees some few fulms behind Rose with his vision alternating between black and reality.]
Move... move... [Said entirely to himself in a voice struggling to come through.]
/slams back into this
[She doubles back, and it’s a good thing she does. When she finds Takame, he’s more than worse for wear. He’s dying. The knife that struck him was pulled out, and there’s blood everywhere.]
Takame? Takame!
[Stay calm. Breathe. Rose focuses her mana and channels as much healing magic into him as she can. It’s hard to concentrate, her hand is still in pain, but she manages.]
yeyeyeyeye
But by the time Rose reached him all he left behind was a trail of his own blood while he dragged himself pathetically along the Greatwood's ground.
"Move... move..." he could only mouth the word with faint hints of sound coming out, barely resembling his voice. Despite the knife avoiding more vital areas, he's lost a lot of blood. He could barely see in front of him anymore and only registered Rose's presence by the sound of her voice and the familiar warmth of her healing magic that worked wonders in mending the wound.
A balm he didn't deserve. One he wanted to decline with all his heart.]
N...ngh... ["No" he wanted to tell her. "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt" he wanted to say genuinely. "You must focus on yourself, not me".
He could barely look up at her, but he did.] 'm s...ry...
no subject
Don’t you dare apologize to me. You were the only reason we got out, so I don’t want to hear it.
[It’s far too easy to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t been there. Rose wouldn’t be here now, she’s sure. The ghost would have disposed of her after taking over her body, if they even would have bothered to do that. Everyone would be waiting for someone who wasn’t coming back.]
Stay with my voice.
no subject
Normally he would oblige her request, cease his apologizing and accept that he helped in some way. But he couldn't this time, his logic was washed away by crushing guilt and overwhelming pain he kept telling himself wasn't there.]
...your arm... [He tried to reach for her injured hand but couldn't muster the strength. Tell her this truth now, Kesi, don't you dare lie to her about it.] ... I hurt you....
no subject
[But why would he? Sure, there were times she’d been terrified of him before, but every time he was in a blind rage. And she’d never seen him take his anger out on someone who didn’t deserve it.]
[She also doesn’t have any memory of the break itself. Just a vague memory of something else inside her.]
If you hurt me, I’m sure you had a good reason to do so. Now be quiet, and stop acting like it’s okay for you to die.
no subject
It wasn't a good enough reason, it was still Rose. But he didn't have the energy to argue against her. He was baffled as to why she was being so kind to him here.
Baffled as to why someone aside from Zhian or Hina would say it isn't okay for him to die.]
...ok..ay... [There's the faintest hint of a nod before his vision went black and he fell to the ground stained with his own blood. He's lost too much of it and could stay conscious no longer.
For a mercy thanks to Rose's healing, he seems to be alive. If barely breathing.]