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 Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:31 pm
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24741839MonstersOne of the gargoyles on the rooftop of the old theater was not what it seemed. Instead of a two winged creature, hunched forward and etched in stone, there was a smaller being, one winged and horned, sitting upright on his haunches. he had his knees bent leisurely, his feet and hands gathered together with his arms between his legs. He had his one wing spread, looming out and giving him a larger look. Usually he had it curled against him, but it felt nice to let it stretch.
He sighed softly, looking out over the night, the city falling into its usual, quiet routine once the sun vanished. People still came out, but certainly not as many as in the day time. Most really considered it unsafe. Or they were… sleeping. Which was perfectly normal. Merlinite’s schedule had changed, ever since he lost his human side. He had no need for regular schedules, anyway.
It was not like he could walk down the street in the middle of the day any more.
These days, he slept during the day, for the most part, and wasted any other light waking hours to frivolous activities while living under the library. He had plenty of books to read, and Camelot did a lot to keep him from getting too bored or cooped up, which was very nice of him. It was also clear to Merlinite that the Royal Knight was not treating him like a pet, but as a house guest, which was more kindness than he could really ask for.
When he came out at night, he tried to stick close to Camelot. Sometimes, though, the two took separate patrol paths, though, and tonight was one of those night. Merlinite was looking for something to do, some way to help the White Moon and pay a little of the debt he had toward them back. It meant patrolling, but not like he was used to.
He was not out here looking for starseeds or energy, and he had no intention of attacking any senshi or knights for a cause he did not believe in. Though he was still of the Negaverse, a General technically in rank, he had no loyalty to Chaos any more. What he wanted to do was leave them, but he was forced to stay. That was not unusual for the Negaverse: forcing people to fight for them, to be their soldiers, to abandon their friends and families. Chaos corrupted everything, and Merlinite had not been an exception to that.
It worried him that the corruption inside him would continue to spread, and would consume him eventually. He was terrified that he would hurt all the friends he had been able to make, and prove that he had no choice but to be a tool for the Negaverse. He did not want to believe that his destiny was to be a monster.
He was drawn from his thoughts as he felt a strong aura nearby. Evil. Like his own, but not as twisted. He knew the aura without really needing to think about it, with such familiarity that it made him shudder inside. There were some things that one could never forget, even if they wanted to. He knew this aura, because it was the one person he did his best to avoid. The one person he would give anything to never see again. The person that had made him what he was, and destroyed his hope for the future.
She appeared behind him, teleporting gracefully and standing lightly on her small feet, ankles curled gently together, giving her an incredibly dainty appearance. She had a spear in her hand, but she held it loosely, almost casually, letting it tilt away from her as she stood with no visible tension in her body. Her eyes were fixed on him, and he turned slowly to face her, taking a slow breath as he looked her over.
“General Painite,” he said, not sure why he opted to include her rank. There was no love lost between them, so to speak. Or perhaps far too much. Either way, he owed her no respect, yet did not say her name with sarcasm in his tone. He watched her, his tail coiling around his legs as he remained hunched down.
She watched him passively, tilting her head to the side as she got a good look at him.
This was the first time Painite had really seen her work. That night had been such a blur, and her mind had already done a good job of pushing all those thoughts out of her consciousness. It was not a time she liked to revisit, and it had taken ages for her to be able to move on from it. To be herself again, for what it meant. There was not much of her left, beyond her anger and wickedness, but she did not like it when real emotions came in to the picture. Merlinite made her cry.
No one did that to her, not any more.
That was not why she had taken his starseed into her palm and filled it with her own Chaos, pushing him past his breaking point and turning him into the half dragon she had before him now. She wanted to take him, wanted to keep him for herself. She had fallen in love with him, and given him a part of herself that even she thought had been long lost. And what did he do to it? He betrayed her. He destroyed her. He took the few things that were good in her life, all of which were tied directly to him, and forced her to throw them away. She hated him now, because it was all she had left in her.
He destroyed the rest, and had suffered for it. But was it enough?
No.
And it never would be. Painite hated him more than she hated most others, and that was an incredible feat to accomplish. Her life was built around hatred and revenge, and she made enemies like most people made friends. It delighted her to build a list of targets, and to hunt and play with her prey until they were broken not just in body, but mind as well. Her currency was scars, and in that she was rich and yet extremely benevolent. She was all too happy to share with others. Painite hated freely and without bias: anyone that drew her attention deserved to be paid for their effort.
She thought she hated Camelot most of all, as he had been the one to try and kill her and had very nearly accomplished that goal. She did not even know that Merlinite had allied himself with the Royal Knight, actually, though if she did find that out it would not help her opinion. Either way, she felt that the current, burning, roiling anger in the pit of her stomach that flared to life at the sight of her former companion was much stronger than the kind she felt when she saw Camelot. That was duty: that was natural. They were cat and mouse, born to hate one another and living up to their roles. Merlinite had been her friend, her kind. And he left her.
Painite did not like being abandoned.
Now, though, she was watching him with a terrible calm, and he knew the thoughts that were running through her mind.
“Painite,” he said, again, this time with a stronger voice. He stood, much taller than her not just because he was standing on the railing of the roof, and she was not, but because being turned into this half youma form of his had given him a few more inches to his already fairly tall frame. He loomed, and she was not intimidated in the slightest, looking up at him like he was made out of cotton and fluff.
Merlinite had gotten used to people being afraid of him when they saw him, but this reaction, he realized, was worse. He kind of wished she would be afraid of him, like everyone else, so she might seem a little more normal. There was a human inside her, he knew that. He had seen it. When she was so weak and vulnerable, barely surviving her fight with Camelot, and he had been taking care of her… he saw how gentle and sweet she could be. Who she must have been before Chaos had its hold of her. Now, though, he only saw Chaos. There was no Gently left, and it was hard to him to realize that there had not been much of her before he found her. It was that short time that had been the fluke, the mistake. She showed him her vulnerability on accident and he wondered if that played into how much she hated him now. She did not fear him, no. If anything, it was quite the opposite.
Merlinite was terrified of her, and it felt pathetic in context. She was so small and innocent looking… but everyone knew better than to take that at face value these days. And she did not try to play to that, knowing who and what she was. If nothing else, she was at least true to herself, and to everyone around her, in her way.
Not really an endearing trait.
“Look at you,” Painite breathed, shaking her head slowly and taking a step toward him. He had nowhere to go, and could not step back like his instincts told him to do. She continued forward, until she was close enough to reach a hand up. She could not quite reach his face, but she held her hand up toward him and looked at him expectantly. Hesitating a moment, he slowly climbed down from the railing, so she could touch his face. Her hand was cold against his skin, which was not exactly warm these days at the best of time. It made him shudder as her fingers traced over the scales on his face, making their way up to his curled horns and exploring them with gentle touches. Merlinite had no sensation in his horns, but her touch still made him shut his eyes and shiver.
“You’re lovely,” Painite said, her voice shaking, “you’re so lovely. Oh why did you run away from me? My Merlinite… come back with me. Please. Be mine again.”
He pulled back from her, clambering less than gracefully back up onto the ledge, where he felt safer despite how precarious it was. He looked at her, eyes blazing, but his burning eyes were stinging with tears.
“I am not yours! You destroyed me, Painite. You made me a monster and took away my one chance at being what I was supposed to be. Now I’m stuck being this… whatever this is! A youma! I’ll probably end up a full one because of what you did. Just because you didn’t want to lose me?! That’s what you said. You wanted to keep me. I’m not yours to keep, and you had no right to try! I knew you were crazy, everyone does, but I never thought you would do that to me! How can you ask me to come back to that? To the horrors you think are so fun? I might look like this, but you’re the real monster. I shouldn’t have to hide and be afraid! You should be the one that’s chased and hated!You should be the one that suffers, instead of always being the one that has to torture others. I should never have gotten involved with you! I should never have saved you”
Painite watched him as he ranted, eyes on his face for the most part, though sometimes his wing spread out and she found herself unable not to look at it.
She did not miss any of his words, though.
“How long have you been practicing all that? You think about it before you go to sleep, I imagine, hiding wherever you’re hiding. That’s sweet. In a way, we’re sleeping together. I think about you, too, you know, at night. When I’m alone. But not all that. Not so mean. I just want you to come home.”
“You’re… you’re evil.”
Merlinite was not sure she even heard herself, most of the time, when she was speaking like that. He had seen her get into this kind of state before, quiet and vicious. Speaking in an almost normal tone, but there was nothing kind or gentle in her. Any moment she would snap, and she would attack him without restraint or regret. She was teasing him, pulling at his emotions, saying all the right things to send his emotions reeling.
She was under his skin.
He leaped off the roof, his muscular legs pushing him an impressive distance before he fell to a lower roof, some distance down the block. She teleported after him, cutting the length between them in a heartbeat, and appearing beside him. He snarled and turned on her, like a cat, down on all fours and coiling his body in a purely animalistic way. He lashed out at her with his massive claws.
Painite was surprised by his ferocity, not expecting it. He had always been a little on the cowardly side, after all, and he never had the guts to stand up to her when he was a Captain. Now, as a youma of her creation, he decided to get some balls and fight against her? She would never understand him, and had no real desire to anymore. He was just another target, though he deserved the worst she could give him. He might have been her number one target, but he was still just another face in the crowd now.
Well, not literally.
He would be pretty easy to spot.
Painite teleported again, managing to avoid his swipe, reappearing on his other side with her spear in hand. She let out a screech as she hauled her spear up, gripping it in both hands before she stabbed it at him. He hissed at her, moving with surprising speed to curl around the spear head, avoiding damage from it and cutting his own path closer to her, instead of running away. No, this was a fight he needed. Maybe he had been wanting it, without even knowing. Whatever the case, he was not going to run away from it now.
Leaping up at her, Merlinite raked his claws forward and grabbed on to her shoulders, digging the claws in as he hauled himself up and brought his one clawed foot forward. He managed to land a solid kick to her midsection as he continued with his forward momentum, hauling her backwards and off her feet even as she wanted to double up and fall forward instead. She slammed into the rooftop hard on her back, Merlinite landing on top of her. He sank his claws into her shoulders, but it was his clawed foot she had to worry about most. He slammed it down into her gut with the force of their landing, clenching his toes in preparation of ripping her open.
If he was doomed to be a youma, then he was going to at least fight her like one. Show her what she created.
His foot slammed into solid roofing, though, just as he clenched his claws and dragged them across what should have been her body, managing to create a deep line in the rooftop and even set off a few sparks from the contact. He was no longer holding on to her shoulders, instead standing alone on all fours, looking around wildly for his prey. She had teleported again, but this time she did not reappear, and he could not feel her aura.
There was no way this was over. She had to be biding her time, hiding from him: he knew her too well to expect anything else. He remained tense, snarling as he sniffed at the air, straining his ears and eyes, searching for any sign of her coming attack.
And he knew it was coming.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:34 pm
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24742237ChaosPainite needed a moment to catch her breath. She had powered down after teleporting away from Merlinite, hiding from him for a moment. It was a move he was well familiar with, but it hardly mattered: knowing she did it would not help him in figuring out where she was or where she would attack from. Just let him sit up there and worry about it for a moment. Gently took the time to look over her injuries. Superficial, but painful. He had gotten very close to doing something very serious, though. Would he really have ripped her open with those claws if she had given him the chance to?
The thought should have been a scary one, but instead she felt a jolt of adrenaline. It made her grin, and she looked up toward the roof where she had left him. Someone had his big boy pants on, now, and was ready to do what he had to do. It was a shame it took him so long to grow a pair, and his progress was wasted because he was white moon sympathetic now.
A damn shame.
Painite took a breath and powered up, teleporting immediately to launch her attack. She had her spear in hand as she reappeared next to Merlinite, who was clearly already looking for her. He had sensed her powering up, despite how fast she tried to be, but it was not enough to really help him. Her spear flashed as she stabbed it at him, finding a home in his upper thigh. He let out a vicious sound of pain and anger, decidedly not human, and grabbed on to the staff of her spear with one of his hands. She was surprised by how strong his grip was, but it was his other hand she really had to worry about.
The claws were sharp, and his will to use them even more so. He slashed at her without hesitating, his eyes flashing viciously as he raked his claws across her midsection. She let out a strangled scream of pain, banishing her spear and charging toward him rather than away. It gave him the chance to pull his hands forward, and he grabbed on to her midsection, claws sliding painfully between the ridges of her rib cage before he dug them in to her flesh. He held her fast for a moment, but she was not inclined to stop, pushing her hands forward, fists stacked one on top of the other, and summoned her spear to her again.
Pain exploded through Merlinite and he stared at her for a long moment before he looked down to see the pole of the spear embedded in his body, the metal tip sticking out the other side of him. He could not see it, but it was not difficult to guess what happened. She summoned her spear and impaled him while letting him get wrapped up in his own vicious attack. He still had her in his claws, the two bound by blood and murderous intention.
She looked at him, grinning, eyes dark and sunken as pain clearly took its toll. There was no fear in her eyes, however. Only malice.
“Wh… what did you think was going to happen?” she breathed, and he snarled at her. The sound was low and rumbling, meant to intimidate but neither one could move. They had each other trapped. “Did you think you could kill me, or were you hoping I’d dust you?”
Merlinite gripped his hands, digging his claws into her ribs, causing her to scream in agony as he felt one of the bones snap under the pressure. In retaliation, Painite tightened her grip on the staff of the spear, pushing it down and moving the spear head and pole. It was enough to bring Merlinite to one knee, though the sound of pain that escaped him was not a scream, like hers, but a roar.
Painite lost her balance and was dragged down with him, collapsing forward and landing against his shoulder. She let go of her spear, though it remained embedded in him, and rested her head against him as her body fell slack. Merlinite, too, was losing his grip on consciousness, feeling her pressed against him as they sat on their knees in front of each other. He realized he was leaning on her just as much as she was him, their heads touching at their ears. He let his claws drop away from her, knuckles dragging on the floor. Blood was pooling around them, thick and dark, from the two of them.
“Do you want to die together, my lovely Merlinite,” Painite whispered, with difficulty, into his ear. She was not bothered by the horns on his head, or the scales she was touching as she leaned on him. She reached up a shaking hand to cup the side of his face, running her thumb over his cheek as she mustered her strength to pull back from him, looking him in the eyes with a gentle pressure on his chin to make him turn his head toward her. His eyes were slow to rise and meet her gaze.
“I’m not dying here. Not for you. Not with you.”
“When did you get so stubborn, Merlinite? I loved you, you know. You were mine.”
“You didn’t love me. You loved my dedication to you. My company. You want someone you can rule over. I just wanted to help you, to save your life. You stole mine for it. I’ll never forgive you. And my name is not Merlinite.” His voice was growing in strength as he spoke, and he pushed her away from him, slowly getting to his feet. He grabbed the staff and snapped it with a vicious snarl, reaching behind him and pulling out the business end of it through his back. He threw both pieces at her feet, wobbling forward but keeping his footing by spreading his wing to balance himself.
Painite watched him, surprised. She saw him snap her spear and almost felt the pain of it, banishing the pieces after they bounced on the ground once, unable to see it broken. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up at Merlinite, but of course, it was not really about the spear.
“My name is Dennis. And you’re nothing to me anymore, Painite. I’m not scared of you. I don’t owe you anything. I don’t owe the Negaverse anything!”
He turned away from her, running toward the edge of the roof, as best as he could. He had one claw over his injury, running on three legs instead of two or four. Painite struggled to get to her feet, crawling for a moment before she got her two legs under her and forced her body after him. She managed a few stumbling steps before she leaped at him, grabbing on to his tail.
“Wait! You can’t run away from me! You can’t abandon me! Who do you think you are?! You can’t be a Knight: you’re a youma. You ARE Chaos. You can’t escape it, no matter what little mantra you chant to yourself at night! It will consume you, and you’ll come crawling back to me! I am all you have!”
Merlinite gripped the railing of the building, standing half way up on two feet when she had grabbed on to his tail. He turned to look at her, eyes wild, furious, and he bared his teeth at her in a hiss. With all the strength he had left, he swung his tail, with her on it, like a whip, over the edge of the roof. She yelped but had little time to react, losing her hold on his tail as he snapped it away from her and plummeting down to the street below. He heard her land heavily on something that crunched beneath her, but it was too dark for him to see where she went. Moments later, her power signature vanished.
Shaken, by her words more than the fight itself, Merlinite remained crouched on the roof for a few moment more, as if expecting another attack, before he struggled to get himself home. To the library. Maybe Camelot would be there, and would be able to help. Merlinite felt like his chest was going to cave in from the weight of his panic.
He needed help.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:46 pm
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24748195WonderShe could have killed him. She certainly came close. There was nothing to say he would not still die, and that just urged him on. He gripped his side, blood running between his claws, and he was not sure how much he had lost. How much could he lose? Would he have already been dead if he were all human? Maybe, for once, being half youma was actually useful to him. He could even be a little thankful for it, if he did not turn to dust or something on the way.
It was a mystery to him if his anatomy was still more human, where blood loss and internal damage was the biggest worry, or if he was going to turn into a pile of dust when his body met its limit. He needed energy to heal, that much he knew, but he could not think of anything more repulsive at the moment.
The last thing Merlinite wanted to do was resort to hurting someone for his own sake. Turn to the chaos inside him to aid him. That was the life he was trying to leave behind. He wanted to be Dennis, the friendly, if not a little confused, youma, if he could not just be Dennis.
He stumbled, getting dizzy, and leaned against a building. His claws scratched deep gouges into the brick as he pushed away from it, forcing himself forward again. There was no time for resting: that was just asking for trouble to catch up to him. Was he running from Painite still, or from the idea that this might be it? He doubted he could outrun the reaper, if it really was on his tail, but he was not going to leave anything to chance.
The very least he could do was try to survive.
And try he did. He had managed to get close to what he considered to be his safe haven. The large aura that at one time was repulsive to him, though it was still a little hard to stomach, beckoned welcomingly in the distance. If he could just make it to the library, maybe Camelot could help him.
Camelot always helped him.
Merlinite knew he owed far too much to the Royal Knight already. Camelot had taken him in when he was at his worst, trusted him despite having no reason to do so. In fact, Camelot should have hated Merlinite for all the things he did to help Painite, to tear Camelot’s family and friends apart. Even when he questioned working for her, he had not done anything to stop her. That inaction led to a lot of suffering for Camelot and his family. Merlinite was supposed to be the one making up for those sins, yet here he was, getting even more in debt.
Camelot gave him a home, a place to stay and hide, and he offered him protection. A youma, broken by Chaos, and something the White Moon soldier would probably have been better off dusting and being rid of instead of investing time and effort into him. Merlinite had wanted to be a knight, wanted to purify, but what if he had just been saying that to take advantage of Camelot’s kindness? It would not be the first long con he ever pulled, after all. That idea might have occurred to the Royal Knight, but it certainly had not stopped him from doing everything he could for his new dragon ally.
And allies they were. Merlinite would not be ruled by the chaos inside him: he was a knight, whether his body or aura reflected that or not. He was at the service of the Whte Moon, indebted over his sharp, coiled horns to them. Nothing would shake his loyalty, as long as he had the will and humanity in him to fight it.
Paying all the Senshi and Knights that had shown him kindness back, though, was going to be a long and difficult task. He absolutely could not let himself be killed now, when he was only just starting down this road of redemption. So he had to get a little more debt added on, and he looked up at the library woefully, but with hope in his chest. It was a long way up, and he was not sure he would make it, but he felt Camelot was standing up there, as he often was, on the roof.
Taking a deep, pained breath, he leaped at the building and did his best to climb his way up. He went one claw over the other, hauling himself up by inches, though his arms started to shake from the effort and he did not even reach the top of the first floor before he fell back down to the ground.
Camelot, thankfully, was looking down at him, waiting for him to climb up as he often did, so they could chat a bit. He wanted to catch up with the youma, see how he was doing, and, of course, ask him if there was anything more he could do. He’d brought some food for the other, courtesy of Kyndall, who had cooked up an extra serving for him as if he were part of the family. Even if he could never know who they were as civilians, and Camelot would never tell him of her. He always kept the safety of his home in the front of his mind.
He was surprised when he saw Merlinite’s pace. Usually the little dragon could claw his way up the side of the library in a matter of moments, but tonight it seemed like he was weighted down. When the youma fell off the building, Camelot’s protective instincts kicked into gear, and he moved to leap from the roof, landing heavily, but mostly without effort, on the ground nearby.
Soon enough, he was at Merlinite’s side, kneeling beside the half youma. It did not take long for him to see the wound to his side, as bloody and terrible as it was.
“Dennis,” he said, his voice filled with worry and ringing in Merlinite’s ear, echoing as if they were some great distance apart. Merlinite realized he was flat on his back, eyes closed but face toward the sky. When he opened his eyes, he was looking past Camelot, to the stars beyond. He groaned, shifting his gaze and doing his best to focus on the knight.
“Oh, hey.”
“What happened?!”
Camelot was not really in the mood for jokes, and he knew that was where Merlinite was going from his flippant, but tired and pained, tone. There was no way a half dragon would be admitted to the hospital, so Camelot’s go-to for helping the injured was immediately thrown out the window. He tore off some of the fabric of his cape, pressing it against the injury, though it was probably a bit late to try and stop the bleeding. It looked like it had already slowed on its own, which was not a great sign in itself.
“I-I ran into Painite,” Merlinite said, with a bitter laugh. The jerking motion of his chest that accompanied it made his wound burn angrily. It was like Painite was telling him to shut up. She always did like getting the last laugh. “Her spear ran into me, as well.”
“What can I do?”
Merlinite was not sure how to answer that, but it was not really something he needed to say. Camelot understood from experience alone how the Negaverse healed, and he knew what Merlinite needed most. Energy. A starseed, if he could get it. It was the only thing that would really help him, unless they could find a surgeon willing to ignore the fact that he was part monster.
Something told the Royal Knight that would be a little difficult, so the former option was the only viable one.
“I’m going to take you to Camelot,” he said, though that sounded a bit weird to Merlinite, who was drifting in and out of full consciousness now that his mind had settled on the fact that he was somewhere safe. It was like being on his feet for days on end and finally getting home to his familiar bed. The moment he hit that comfort, he was out like a light. His body stopped pushing, stopped fighting. He could let something else, or in this case someone else, take care of him.
Camelot picked youma up carefully, retreating from the side of the building to disappear down an alley. It did not take him much effort to call back to his Wonder these days, and soon enough he was standing on lush, green grass with a soft wind rustling through his armor and making his cape billow. Merlinite opened his eyes at the sudden change, no longer hearing the blaring horns of traffic, or the general rumble of day to day life in a city. Here, it was completely quiet, save for birds in the distance.
It was beautiful. His eyes widened as he looked around, shifting as best he could in Camelot’s arms, too wrapped up in what he was seeing to pay much mind to the pain that ripped through him in punishment for the movement. He spread his wing without noticing it, making it even more difficult for Camelot to carry him, since it was surprisingly difficult to walk in a straight line with a wing in his face.
But he could not blame Merlinite’s confusion and the way he seemed enraptured immediately. Most Negas never saw Wonders, or got to visit space or homeworlds. A few managed it, but always for nefarious purposes, and it was unlikely they enjoyed and valued the scenes they invaded during those times. This was different. This was peace, full bodied. Merlinite never thought he would ever see anything like it, as his chance to go to his own Wonder was stolen from him before he had ever learned what it was.
Camelot carried him into the castle, taking him to a familiar room where he sometimes stayed when he was taking some quiet time alone. Camelot, the wonder, was an incredible place for peace and for resting, and he had done what he could to fix up the rooms of the castle that he occupied the most. There was, of course, a ton of work left to do, but at least this place was starting to feel like a living home again, and not just a hollow corpse of something previously glorious. It might never make it to the status of grand castle again, but it was certainly an interesting project for Camelot in his down time.
Right now, though, he was focused on helping his half youma friend. He put Merlinite down on the bed, moving to dress the wound a bit better than he had before, now that he had some more supplies available to him. Always careful, one of the first things he did when he started his restoration process was bring a first aid kit. He was not exactly the most competent of handy men, after all, and was liable to hurt himself. His caution and self awareness was paying off now, at least.
“Dennis, I need you to take some energy from me. You can use it to help yourself heal, okay? And you can stay here while you recover. Painite cannot get you here.”
Merlinite woke up a bit from his daze at that, shaking his head.
“No way.”
“You have to.”
“No! I won’t use energy! I won’t be a Nega!” Merlinite struggled, as if Camelot was going to force him somehow by holding him to the bed, but of course there was no way he could. Instead, Camelot caught hold of him to stop him from hurting himself further, holding his claws down, but letting his tail whip around. Merlinite at least did not lash it at him, not willing to attack his friend, even in this moment of panic.
Camelot let him struggle for a bit, until he calmed and gave up, relaxing into the bed. He looked up at Camelot, silently indicating that he would behave, and the Royal Knight released him carefully. He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at Merlinite very seriously.
“I know you don’t want to. I understand, I really do. But this isn’t about being a Negaverse soldier, or fulfilling quotas, or hurting an innocent. This is about keeping you alive so you can do some good. Letting Painite win, letting her kill you, won’t mean anything. Being stubborn now is only going to hurt you, and you alone. There’s no room for pride or fear here: your life will always be more important. Do you understand that? Now I need you to take some of my energy, and rest here. I won’t hear any more protest.”
It was rare for Camelot to put his foot down, but that was certainly the tone he was using now. And his words rang home for Merlinite, making his chest sting and his eyes water, but he saw the meaning in them. Once again, he was going to have to owe Camelot a lot, and not just because of the energy. He was starting to think the Royal Knight would always be one step ahead of him, always understanding things better and seeing the bigger picture. That was probably a good thing, and just what he needed.
Even when it was hard to admit.
“I…”
“Go on, it’s fine. It’s not the first time for me, after all, and you can’t hurt me.”
Merlinite took a long moment before he finally lifted his claw up and carefully touched it to Camelot’s arm. He had at least learned how to control his mutated hands enough to not tear everything he touched to pieces. It was a good thing, as some of his senshi friends really liked hugs, and he did not want that to turn into a tragedy when it was meant to be a gentle show of affection. At the moment, though, he was only touching just enough to use the contact as a conduit. He focused on the energy he felt within Camelot, as he used to do when he was working to fill his quota for the Negaverse like a good little pawn. It moved toward him as he drew on it, and a little, glowing blue ball began to form.
It grew quickly, moreso than he thought it would or than he was used to. He had never drawn energy from a Royal before, of course, and certainly not from a willing victim. It was strange to not be met with any kind of resistance, and there was an incredible rush as he gathered one, then a second, and a third ball of energy before he could really stop himself. He pulled his hand away, looking in wonder at the glowing orbs, which had always seemed so beautiful to him and had not lost any of that splendor now despite his revulsion with the process and what it stood for.
Camelot seemed a little woozy, but no worse for wear, putting his head down and waiting for the strange rush of weakness to wash over him and his senses to restore themselves. He had energy to spare, in this stage, but he had given Merlinite a lot. He smiled at Merlinite’s nervous look, nodding his head and getting to his feet slowly.
“I’ll leave you here to rest, and to take that energy. I trust you to take care of yourself, Dennis. I’ll be back in a little while, okay?”
Merlinite knew what Camelot was doing, and nodded his head dutifully. Suddenly, this had become a test of his own character, as much as it was about saving his life. Everything seemed to be a learning experience these days, and he was growing in ways he had never anticipated, or even knew would be possible for him. He looked at Camelot and smiled, and the Royal Knight waved before he vanished, returning to Destiny City and letting Merlinite stay in this most sacred of places to him. The half youma looked around, the gravity of that fact settling on him, and the sheer amount of trust Camelot was putting in him with what might have seemed like a simple gesture.
He looked down at the balls of energy he had gathered, and they glimmered up at him in response.
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