Welcome to Gaia! ::

The dracolich craned his neck down to Alex's level. He was still reeling from losing control. Mort had reappeared, and with him much of Aymet's will to regain sanity. His mind was the center of a very conflicted battlefield. He wanted to run away and destroy everything he could get his claws on all at the same time. He wanted revenge, he wanted to go home, he didn't know what he wanted. He felt even more hollow than usual.

"I don't know any more, Alex..." He toyed with the skull pin and shrank back down to size. He ran his hands over his face, not even being particularly careful about the claws. He looked a mess - his dreadlocks still had smoke curling off of them from the blast of blue fire, his skeleton arranged hastily as he'd reclaimed his scattered pieces. "I thought we could help her, but she didn't want our help, she almost - you know -"

Alex's gaze continued to bore into him, urgent. They'd made a promise to get their crystals, a promise that he wouldn't be honoring if he didn't offer Red help when she finally came to her senses. With an audible sigh, Aymet was forced to concede that Alex had the right idea.

The dracolich had said he would protect Amityville from the hunters, whatever the cost. Time to put his money, or at the very least, his fragment, where his mouth was.

As soon as they parted ways, Aymet took to the air again. He found the red cloak as easy to spot as ever, and came in for a hard landing on metal boots. Clanking his way to the center of the chaos, he got a few seconds to get up close to Red in between barrages of enemy fire.

The crystal was embedded firmly in the center of his gauntlet. With the thousand other bright blue gems all over him, it called very little attention to itself, though it did seem faintly dimmed. Skipping any need to be dextrous, he twisted his claws into the setting and bent it right out of the metal. It was offered, but not without a moment of hesitation. For the way she had rejected his help only minutes ago.

Aymet's expression all throughout was unreadable, but more because his face was permanently frozen in a grim expression. This time, though, he felt it finally fit his attitude toward the situation. All the while he was trying to stamp out the paranoid thoughts that continued to flare up every time the whispering escalated. He held back the torrent of words he had for her, and what she had done, what she had almost done, as well as what he had done and what he regretted doing. He felt guilty, and it was a strange and twisted emotion inside him. But they were all here and they were all okay, and he couldn't refute that Mort was okay. Aymet trusted, against the whispering Insanity and the raging Distortion, that everything would always be all right in the end.

He dropped the blue gem in her hand. His transaction was brief. "Kill him."

Every dead hunter was a triumph, but that guy would be especially. He couldn't quite bring himself to make her promise to come out of it alive in the process.




Stats:

The fog around them had started to grow thicker and for a moment Mitsu was certain she was going to be claimed by the insanity again. Eyes wide she watched but the fog came to a stand still and she was left alone with a few other students, Shun...and Red.

Crimson eyes turned up toward the Professor, feeling anxious for her fellow werewolf. The news she gave them about Caelius was rather...outdated. Mitsu knew that he was dangerous, knew that they didn't stand a chance. At least not while he had that scythe. Maybe without it they could take him down but taking it from him was an entirely different challenge.

Her eyes focused on Red again and her last request had the lycan's heart dropping. She knew what it was like to miss the moon, to be trapped where she couldn't see it. With a nod she agreed. One way or another she would get Red back to Halloween. "I will."




Stats:

"You're not a joke." Belladonna almost snapped, but was able to curb the odd culmination of emotions that made her want to yell more. Instead she put her anger toward glaring at the Hunters that stepped forward toward them, quick to tense, afraid of more torment. Already she could feel her resolve cracking, could feel her hands shaking far more than they'd even quivered from emotional strain alone. As the Hunters turned away, the witch could not stop herself as she grabbed Mort and pulled him close. Her mouth opened and closed to say words, to say something, anything but when she looked up at him, another shout drowned out her little note. With a snap she looked up at Alexander, still clinging to her zombie. The look Alexander gave her did nothing to settle her nerves and his words only made her shake her head violently, unable to speak for a moment. So much wanted to be said, so many words vied for attention as she pulled at Mort, as though her action would be able to keep him with her.
"Please, please Mort, no. If you… Whatever she wants, it'll be too much I can't… I just…" A sob choked her as she pressed her forehead to his chest. The tears overtook her for a brief moment as she clawed at him back in attempt to bring him closer. This would be it, she knew it. This would be the end and she'd have to say goodbye and it just wasn't fair.

The feeling of finality crawled across her skin, but Belladonna only pulled her shaking hands back and up to his face, quickly pulling him down for a kiss.
"Mort, I… Please, you do not have to do this…" Her eyes stared up at him, not sure what else to do or say. Because she knew if he didn't have to, even if there was another way, this was the hero's way, so he would take it. A scared note left the witch as she reached to press one more kiss to him, finally loosing the panic for one moment as she made it tender. Scared enough that she knew the moment he let go she would fall, Belladonna managed a sad smile, one last little bit of light for him.
"I'll find you again. I will do what it takes to get you back. I will do whatever it takes, for you." She took a breath and her smile cracked, her face flushed amid the tears but her smile grew just the tiniest bit.
"Mort, I love you."

Alex’s shout made him turn his head with a weary look in his eyes. More crossroads, more decisions, more . . . always just more. Always something. Always a trade off that he needed to make. Power for secrecy. Resources for revenge. He had already traded himself twice, though . . . so what was a third time? If anything had been made clear today, it was that Halloween was a terribly resilient thing.

Ah boil. His goodbyes had been hasty last time and so they had to be once more. And it was worse, he knew, because this time he had to do this of his own volition; and it would be a far greater betrayal to her because of it. He turned to the witch, at those wide pleading eyes, and grasped her shoulders gently. For a moment, all he could do was memorize her face, struggling to find the correct words. It was funny how when being dragged away it was easier to speak than it was when he was simply on the spot. ”Have to,” he quietly said as she pressed her head to his chest, glad that for a moment she could see his saddened expression, the reluctant look of one who knew this was a decision where even saying no would only make things come to a stand still until one said yes. And he held her close and breathed in that strange and lovely mix of scents from her candles, caught within the memories they retrieved from him unbidden; the pang of memories threatened to overwhelm his resolve and make him stay, but somehow, someway, he didn't give in.

The choked sob, the panicked sound, it was enough to make him feel pain rip through when his body had endured its fair share already, and after both kisses he tried a smile even as its bittersweetness easily shined through. Her last statement made his mouth twitch into a better smile, though, one that on a sub level of consciousness he had known was coming and yet was not capable of fully comprehending when he was just so exhausted.

”I-I know. M'doing this because've love, not just duty; none've us can leave until menace is killed, n' I can't . . . I-I can't stand by if know there is way out, way to bring everyone out of hell. M’sorry, m’so sorry took so long to say . . . But still remember what said before too, yes? Promise me.” And he gave her a third kiss as if to make her seal the deal, bind her to the paperless contract. "P-Promise me won't despair. Halloween cannot die. All took was calling n' was there, remember?" His logic told him exactly why, but logic had no place here. Not in this moment, not in this damned fog, not in this haunted house. He brushed a bit of her hair back in an affectionate gesture - as one might do to soothe a loved one - before stepping back, arms sliding away from her with great reluctance.

”’So . . . Knowing that, 've already died a few times. Think can handle bit more, no?” There it was, the little grin he could muster when strained, when trying to convince himself that this wasn’t both the worst and best decision in this situation. ”Stay safe n'stay back, Bells. S’only gonna be a few, promise.”

And he forced himself to turn around before something stopped him, marched right up to the professor, and offered her back his fragment, the soft light blue glow lighting his palm and casting a small shadow on his determined face. ”N-Never got to know you, but . . . Give ‘em hell for us. End this.” And he thought to himself that if there was ever a way to repay the favor, if indeed he did come back safe and sound somehow from this madness, he would do so.

Astra thought that she was doing a good job, but when Red began pushing students out of the way, the fae felt crestfallen at the gym teacher not accepting their help. But what was worse, she even dissipated a student!

Why would Red do something like that? She was so confused...

As soon as the teacher dissipated, she looked around, confused as to what she should do. Should she try and fight off the hunters? She backed off, wishing that she knew where Yuki had run off too, and if he was safe.

But then Red was back, but it looked as if she couldn't offer the same assistance as before. Something to do with those daggers was preventing them from defending her. She felt like she could cry. What if they would lose Red again?

When the teacher asked for assistance, she was quick to fly over. "Yes, I'll help you Red!" She said eagerly, before appearing doubtful "...Why did you hurt that student Professor? He's not part of the hunters.." At least she didn't think he was.



Stats:

She snapped the blades back and went for a second strike, pouring all the strength and speed she'd trained herself so hard to get into her movements. The Insanity wracked her lungs with every breath, but she kept her expression of pain to a hissed exhale between her teeth, unconsciously mimicking Kouki's own sounds of encouragement that echoed only in her mind.

Bix's weapon had decided her, too.

Attacking: Red

Damage done: 7
Total damage done: 187

Stats:

Harrison shook him off, holding B0nez's larger blade out in front of him and keeping Rep behind him. He kept backing up. "Don't you have a cat to chase? Bad dog. Heel."

Defending: Himself

Stats:

"Madison!" Jerry gave a sudden yelp as an arrow pierced his already wild-dog-mangled shoulder and Roar bucked in his grip. Keep your eye on the target.

He grit his teeth, "It's... she's up to something!" He had only caught part of Caelius's theorizing, too far away to really make sense of it.

But he was a Sun and he knew what Suns must do.

"Are you fairing alright?" No more friends vanishing in smoke and stone. That wasn't... he was already confused, but with sanity returning the horrors on the battlefield were that much sharper.

Concentrate on shooting.


Attacking: Red
Damage done: 13
Total damage done: 200
Stats: