[PRP] Death From Above [COMPLETE]

[Aphismet]

This is a Private Roleplay for

Lucia [Yuurei]
Rivener [Aphismet]
and
Zul [Chrystali]

NOTE
:: LUCIA'S GROWTH QUEST ::
See Lucia's Journal for all the events leading up to this PRP.

Time: 5pm
Location: Durem Caves North, on the road to the Delaran homestead
Weather: Cloudy and dreary, cool.

 

[Aphismet]

Another day, another fistful of dollars to be earned. Rivener was late by usual standards, but it had been Felix's idea: come in an hour later, because there might be need of Riv a little later in the night. Very fair, as usual from the crimeboss. Rivener was damned glad for his boss being so nice. Maybe that's why Felix was so successful: he wasn't your everyday crime lord.

Anyway, it was with a smile on his face and a song on his breath that Riv floated out onto his balcony and took to the skies. His leather coat (his favorite) was zipped only half-way in the evening air. It wasn't cold enough to close it all the way up, and it was easier to answer his cell if it rang. He kept the thing in the inside pocket, to make sure he never mistook it for his OWN cellphone. THAT one was in his outer lapel pocket. Wouldn't do to answer the phone and say "Hey boss, what's up?" when it was Aphismet calling.

Riv wondered what they'd do today. Why he'd be needed an hour later. Was it another mob war? Perhaps a shake-down of a new place refusing to pay protection fees? Whatever the case, the Scorpion was very much looking forward to it. Tonight was going to be a good night.

Grinning, the Scorpion zoomed away from the house, following the road to Durem.  

[Yuurei-dono]

The frei was waiting in the skies. She had been out here since ten in the morning, but neither the kitten’s nor the man inside her’s patience was waning. She looked as she normally did: her hair was up in pigtails and her lack of much clothing was raising goosebumps on her arms as the sun set, but the attentive Cat failed to notice. Her mind was on one thing: her goal today. When it passed 4 PM and there was no movement from the Scorpion’s balcony, she started to wonder if she missed him. Had Rivener left before she got there? If that was the case she would wait until he got home. Patience was a virtue that Lucia had grown to accept while dealing with Brian.

The weapon in her hand was getting heavier as she floated with her head just below the clouds so she could pop into hiding whenever she saw the strands of red and black hair emerge from the room she had been in as recently as November. The virus had caused it supposedly, but it didn’t change how she felt. Pushing those memories to the side, Lucia used them only as fuel for her plan. Now that Brian had shown her the truth, that was all that mattered.

As the door was pulled open, Lucia ducked up into the cloud enough that she could see through a translucent vapor. The frei watched Rivener fly out above the trees, and quickly matched his speed as he headed the normal route towards Durem. Her hands grasped the heavy wooden baseball bat and pulled back to swing.

Brian was madly excited. He could not wait. Lucia’s transformation, her blurring of his and her actions and emotions was so much better than he expected. And all he had needed to do was start with attacking her enemy. Now they were about to kill someone she had loved – or maybe still did – he didn’t know or care. He held Lucia’s breath so as not to warn the Scorpion of the imminent attack. He wasn’t going to laugh or scream and let Rivener know what was coming.

When they were a good distance from the house so that the Scorpion's screams wouldn’t be heard, she pounced. With a hard beat of her wings Lucia descended out of the clouds quickly to Rivener’s level and swung with all of Brian’s strength at his right wing. There was a sickening crack as the bat was swung through his wing. The bones turned at right angles, following the line of the bat.

Just as quickly, the frei dropped the bat and grabbed the top of his left wing with both of her hands. Her face only had a big smile as she began that sob-like laughter – a sobbing giggling, now that she had surprised him. Using all of the force Brian could muster, he focused on bending each wrist toward the other, pushing the center of Rivener's bone outward. This one, he mused, Lucia would break with her bare hands.  

[Aphismet]

Had the sun been out that day, things might have turned out very differently indeed. Rivener might have spotted Lucia waiting in the sky. He might have seen her shadow coming towards him. He could have heard her body zooming through the air like a knife. But none of this happened this evening.

Instead, what happened was a baseball bat connecting with Rivener's wing, snapping it nearly completely in two. "AAAAAGH!" The Sigel screamed from the crippling pain, flailing and dropping towards the ground in shock. He didn't even have time to wonder what the hell just happened before hands on his other wing snapped the bone there too, forcing another blinding wave of pain through the Scorpion's body. "AAUUUH!!"

Frantic, mindlessly moving for now, Rivener spun his body to try and fling his assailant off. Red eyes hazy with agony focused blearily on the world around him, and with a tightened fist Riv struck out towards the dark splotch that shouldn't be there, not quite realizing who had attacked him yet. His ring-bejeweled fist connected with something soft and Riv stumbled back, flapping his wings for balance and instantly regretting the reflexive action: new pain sparked through him and he inhaled sharply, tears gathering at his eyes from the sheer white-hot feeling stabbing through his back.

He tried to keep away, an arm extended in front. With a shake of his head he managed to focus long enough to see two black ponytails and a pair of lavender eyes... "L-Lucia?!" Riv squeaked, hiccuping from the pain. His eyebrows knotted up in confusion. "Wh-wha-... What the hell-?"  

[Yuurei-dono]

There it was, Lucia thought. The snap of bone between her hands as she physically bent his wing where there was no joint. His cries were like a violin’s soft legato, her ears only heard the musical qualities as he screamed out in pain. Lucia’s violet eyes seemed to glow in the waning light as the pair descended quickly towards the ground. The Kitten wasn’t about to hold her prey up when hitting the ground would help her towards her goal. Especially when he lashed out with fist covered by pretty rings. Watching it connect violently with her chest, the frei mused at how girly it was to wear rings, before Brian’s insane laughter covered up any cries of pain the kitten made internally.

The searing pain of the punch only made Brain laugh harder. His expression twisted Lucia’s face into a horrible crazy smile with her eyes wide. THIS was what he had wanted. He would destroy this raevan. If a strong Sigel couldn’t stop him, no one could. His laughter sounded like sobs were exploding from Lucia’s body, but there was nothing other than excitement and madness evident in her face. As the descended to the ground, the frei released Rivener, hoping for another crunch as his body collided with the hard asphalt of the road.

Instead of smashing into the ground, the frei was almost disappointed when Rivener steadied himself using his helpless wings and Lucia’s demeanor changed completely. ”You should know better than that Rivie.” With the laughter quelled for the moment, Lucia’s voice was normal and sweet. Her voice held concern, but her eyes had not changed as she watched her prey falter seeing his attacker. ”You can’t use your wings when they’re like that.” She smiled at him and tossed her hair over her shoulder as her smile melted into a pouty look as she played with her food. ”That must have really hurt, hun. Umm -- did you notice where I dropped my bat?” she asked her eyes not moving from his face as she batted her eyelashes at the Scorpion. Of course she knew that the baseball bat had fallen into the trees, but this was a game. Just like the one she played with Prajna. Just like the one she played with Delia. But this time, her prey would not get away.  

[Aphismet]

Rivener couldn't believe his eyes. Or his ears. This was Lucia? SHE was the one who'd done this? The sharp, painful throb of his wings pounded constantly through his brain, hazing it over with a fog, making it hard to think... Adrenaline was doing its job now, keeping him from screeching in agony, keeping him from passing out. Although... He was starting to think it might be best if he did. This had to be some kind of crazy nightmare! Lucia was angry at him, sure, Riv knew that... But not THIS angry! Was she? This was like... Like Insane-Angry!

She was taunting him, asking where the bat was, flipping her hair, looking so damned pleased... The Sigel was at a loss. He didn't want to fight her, but he couldn't get away fast enough with his wings out of commission! All he could do was hope to scare her enough that she'd back down. Or maybe manipulate her somehow. He had to try!

Frowning, baring his teeth, Riv floated higher to loom over Lucia (although he remained a good arm's length away). "Don't do something stupid, Lucia. You ******** broke my wings already and I should break your FACE to pay you back, but in memory of what I once felt for you, I'll let it slide if you leave NOW. Go! If you ever felt anything for me, then just go, right now." It was a damned desperate ploy, but short of punching the girl in the face it was the only thing Riv could think of to do.  

[Yuurei-dono]

Was this guy serious?! She had just broken the Scorpion’s bone with her bare hands and HE was trying to intimidate?! Lucia’s cool demeanor broke down as she erupted in giggles in response to his pathetic attempt. ”Oh my gosh!” she replied through laughter in a girly cry. ”Really?! You’ll let it slide?! Or – what was that – you’d do what to my face?”

She was flirty as she talked but then she stared at him deadpan, the giggling gone as she spread her wings and floated to his height. Her face descended into a sneer as she looked at his ridiculous attempt to get away with his life. Baring his teeth like an animal. Was he really planning on biting her? she thought incredulously. Idiot.

”You’re the one who shouldn’t do anything stupid, Rivie” her voice was flat as she stared at him. Looking at her, no one would be able to tell the emotion she had for the raevan before her had ever been anything but hatred. ”In memory of what I once felt for you,” she mocked, ”c’mere, babe.” Her body was loose, but her muscles tensed as adrenaline course through them and flooded her brain. That familiar feeling.

Smaller frame with his strength would come in handy with this one, Brian thought, sizing up the Sigel. Violet eyes glared at the man across from him. Pathetic. And anywhere you go, prey, I can follow.

Ironically he was playing like a cat. Attack to injure, and then wear him out. Physically or emotionally, Rivener would falter first.  

[Aphismet]

s**t, this wasn't working. Lucia was acting downright weird. It reminded Rivener of all the Raevans who'd been infected by the virus... Was Lucia suffering something like that, a sickness that made her- made her violent and crazy?

He should feel sorry for her. He should try to help her. But his temper kept flaring every time she called him "Rivie". His adrenaline was dimming slightly and the pain of his broken wings was dragging at him like the unrelenting tide, trying to pull him under. He didn't have time to try and figure this out!

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you Loosh, but-" Hoping to take her by surprise he swung mid-sentence, a powerful fist aiming for her ribs. If he could only knock her out or something, he could carry her to the Lab and have Dr Kyou look at her!  

[Yuurei-dono]

If Rivener had been thinking she was just waiting for him to lash out and punch her without being ready for an attack he was sadly mistaken. SHE had planned this attack. SHE had killed people. She was prepared and he had no ******** clue.

As he swung hard, she flew swiftly to the left, sidestepping his punch. A smile spread on her face as she pulled her arm back and swung it deftly forward and slapping him HARD across the face with an open palm. Her hand was red, but the stinging pain was only proof as to how HE must have felt. Not only would his face hurt, but his pride would be damaged too.

She floated back a few feet to maintain her strong position. ”Oh no, Rivie! Did that hurt?” The slap wouldn’t cause enough damage to really stop the Sigel, but it would certainly light his anger more. Anger always lead to irrationality.  

[Aphismet]

What the hell was that?!

The loud SLAP had echoed through Rivener's pounding skull like a thunderclap, stunning him. She'd moved so fast? She'd hurt him so much with just a ******** slap to the face? His entire cheek burned and tingled with pain, and he raised up a hand to touch the warmed flesh. His hand came away dabbed with blood from where her nails had accidentally scraped his skin.

She'd been wanting him angry and irrational, and it was quickly accomplished. The Scorpion was livid, and he threw all concern for Lucia out the window. Roaring with rage Rivener threw himself at the girl, tackling her to the ground and trying to bite at her neck, hands uncurling from fists into dangerous hooked claws that swiped at her skin.

As soon as they rolled once over, Rivener screamed with both rage and agony: his broken wings were being bent and misshapen beneath him as they turned, sending waves of crippling pain through him. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed to cover the sounds of pain coming from his throat, red eyes flashing with murderous intent that intermittently phased out to unfocused ruby. He was wavering already, his mind spasming from the pain in his wings as they wrestled on the ground.  

[Yuurei-dono]

At the sight of the blood excitement grew in Brian. It wasn’t enough to destroy his wing with a baseball bat. It wasn’t the same when you grabbed a bone and snapped it with your hands. Blood was the pulse of life and controlling who bled and when was the most amazing thing. The excitement wrought from that could not match anything else.

The look of surprise on the frei’s face as she was tackled to the ground quickly faded away into excitement as adrenaline surged further. The skin being torn as Rivener bit (really?…was he a 2 year-old human?) and scratched at her was insignificant as Lucia latched onto him with one arm and balled up the fist of her other. With a strength comparable to Rivener’s own, she began lashing at him, hitting his ribs, abs, and face with violent punches. She didn’t care that she was being slashed. She didn’t notice that their blood was smearing together as they struggled.

On top of Rivener, she used the position to her advantage, beating her wings down so that he stayed beneath her and she began slamming her fists into his face and head with all the force she could muster. She was laughing through his cries of pain. Just ******** pass out, ********, so you can die.

Though Lucia didn’t know it, Brian was a little impressed at Rivener’s pain tolerance. His broken wings were being twisted beneath his body and every time he flapped Lucia’s wings to push her downward, his wings were twisted with more and more pressure being put on them. But it wouldn’t save him.

Lucia was slamming her fists into the Scorpion. She was laughing madly. She was excited. She was full of adrenaline and every surge of energy was being pumped out through her fist into Rivener’s body.

And she was crying inside. She didn’t like that she was doing this. She didn’t want to hurt Rivener. But she didn’t have a choice. She had long since stopped trying to keep herself from hurting those she loved. But she couldn’t stop feeling despair, even if it wasn’t registered anywhere except inside of her soul. She knew Rivener didn’t care for her like she cared for him, but the look on his face – when she could see it – the anger and hatred from someone she loved hurt the Kitten more than any of the slashes he was putting in her skin.  

[Aphismet]

Since when had Lucia been so strong? The punches knocked the air out of Rivener at times, and very quickly the effect of blow after blow was compounding. Riv's vision was blurry, his entire body ached, his wings felt like they were on fire from the sharp ripping pain of the bones grinding together as he was pushed down and kept there...

At least he was landing blows of his own. Riv's fingers sank into skin that he couldn't even realize he was hitting. He had no conscious knowledge of where he'd made marks... her arm? Her chest, right above her breast? Her face? All he knew was that his fingers tingled from the impacts, and his hands were smeared with blood. Although that might be his own.

When the first wave of darkness washed over him, the Scorpion realized he couldn't win this fight. He scrambled to free himself from under her, twisting in place and pulling at his broken wings, ignoring the stab of pain that resulted. His consciousness was only barely hanging on anymore, and all the frantic Sigel could process was Have to get away! Have to escape!

Lucia's hold on him was too strong. He half-clawed his way out from under her, turned onto his stomach, but a strong punch to the back of the head sent Rivener crumpling like a rag doll to the ground, flat and motionless. His vision tunneled to black and with a pained groan the Scorpion passed out.

Am I going to die?...  

[Yuurei-dono]

The frei wasn’t without problems of her own. She was a bloody mess. It wasn’t apparent where all of the blood was coming from, but some was definitely hers, she knew as Rivener’s fingers tore at her skin, literally ripping it with the force of his scratches. And every time she breathed in there was a stabbing pain in her right side. He had put up quite a fight. But she had won.

That mad smile lit up Lucia’s face, her breathing heavy as Rivener began struggling, straining, desperate to get away. She grabbed onto him, pinning him down. Wrapping one arm around his body, his wings were crushed at strange angles between the two battling raevans. As he went limp with the blow, she let out a shrill cry of triumph. The scream was the only sound now, as the Scorpion had passed into oblivion.

Ignoring any pain in her own body, the Kitten flipped the Sigel over onto his back like he was a rag doll that she decided to play with. His body was loose as she stared into his face.

Her long slender fingers slipped around his neck and she pushed and squeezed at the same time. Rivener would not be able to fight. And she WOULD kill him. Her eyes glared at her prey, but despite the smile on her face and the look in her eye a warm wet tear rolled slowly down her cheek. She was strangling the Scorpion with her bare hands, and there was nothing he could do to fight for oxygen.  

[Chrystali]

He almost didn't hear the scream. The sound of music coming from the small but impressive speakers in the laptop wasn't loud - really just enough for him to hear the first few snippets of music to see it if caught his attention to move it onto his music player - but the distance of the scream was enough that it had a hard time penetrating the walls of the old house. Zul rested one arm neatly in front of the laptop, leaning forward and perking his long ears at the strain of piano, and as he'd touched the little pad in the low center of the contraption, he'd heard something.

It sounded suspiciously like the word 'kill' in a voice he knew rather well.

The demon froze, listening, but there were no other vocal cues that he could hear. There was an odd feeling of disquiet in his chest, and as much as he wanted to wave it off and get back to sorting his music, something told him to check. Just to make sure. What would a few minutes matter if it was a false alarm? Quietly, he floated out of the bedroom he occupied with Rivener and down the stairs, opening the front door and peering out into the darkness. Now that he was outside, Zul could hear something further up the road, but it was too dark to see anything but an odd glow. The longer he listened, the more it sounded like...female laughter?

Frowning more deeply, he flexed his marble-lined wings and pushed forward, realizing after a few minutes that the odd glow was a rune - but it wasn't just Rivener's. The red of the familiar rune...why was it so close to the ground? Zul picked up speed, and by the time his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he couldn't see the Scorpion, because something large and black with an inner purple glow was on top of him. He smelled blood.

Shock riddled his features at the unfamiliar feeling that swept through him, puzzled by the sense of familiarity but it didn't last for long, his eyes beginning to darken until they rivaled the night sky for defining the color black. His lips peeled away from his teeth, and with a snap of his wings, the demon lunged forward, his body low to the ground. Zul wanted to grab whatever it was and throw it off of Rivener, but by the time he reached the two, something else entirely happened: his fist struck out, coated in black magma, and struck where the head of the beast of black should have been.

It was off, off enough for Zul to look down and see --

My Rivener.

-- there was so much blood -- !

The demon roared in a voice that was hardly his own, rage making the inverted pentagram on his forehead burn bloody. He hunkered over the fallen Sigel's body like some twisted creature, chest horizontal over the Scorpion's with his arms bent, hands firm on the ground by Rivener's side and the fall of his dark hair. Zul felt his ability to reason falter and crumble under the pressing swell of anger that filled him; he didn't know fear, and thus he clung to the well-known sense of outrage that rarely formed but did so with dire consequence. The car that had nearly hit LuLu knew his rage; the people that threatened his woman in a far away village knew his ire; Lazarus, too, knew of his possessive nature. It was all-consuming and warm, unlocking the part of him that lorded over the molten earth of his essence.

The road began to hiss at the heat of the cooled magma that sprung to his defense, black scales colored with embers crawling up Zul's arms and neck, lining his jaw and brow like twisted armor. His ribbon draped over Rivener's body, his chin tilted up to stare unblinkingly at the attacker, the white light against his central horn burning blindingly bright. The stance he took was protective, but he was ready to attack, to chase, to destroy. The demon's mouth opened and issued a challenge, a sound akin to shattering glass and the roar of a waterfall. He is mine, he wanted to say, but it felt like his rage had filled his mouth so that words could not. You can't take him from me!

Had Alex seen him, he'd know he was acting just as he had when stricken by the virus. Zul knew only rapidly self-consuming rage and the form of his target, his fathomless black eyes locked on the being that had the scent of something familiar. He couldn't see Lucia, only the misty phantom that had her in his grasp with Rivener's blood still bright on her hands. He was Zul's prey, and he would not be gentle with his wrath.  

[Yuurei-dono]

Pain expanded from Lucia’s head through the rest of her body as she was punched in the head with such force that she was knocked off of Rivener. Her hands flew up to her head to cradle the pounding and try to make her eyes focus. The ******** was that?! Brian thought as he turned to face whatever attacked him. What is it?! Lucia’s breath was coming out of her body heavily as he tried to quickly examine the situation.

When Lucia’s eyes locked onto whatever knocked her off the Scorpion, she would have gasped if she could. Zul… But internally it was whispered. This didn’t look like the Zul she knew; his eyes, his skin, the look on his face. She knew it was no more than she deserved, but it startled her, even more than his intimidating appearance, to see the anger in his face. But, if she was lucky, he would kill her and this hell would be over with. Her mind went blank of anything except the despair for what she did. She killed people. She killed Delia when she burned her friend. She probably killed Rivener, she realized, as her own perception focused on her peripheral vision and saw how awful he looked. And she hated herself.

Brian paused, just watching what this new creature did. Zul – he was supposed to be a frei, but he certainly didn’t look anything like Lucia remembered. The ******** is he? he thought. Lava seemed to be pouring out from him. On his forehead – the sign of the devil was deepening in color until it was a deep red. He watched as the frei’s appearance changed as he was covered in magma. This ******** is crazy, he realized as he gauged the aggression evident in everything about him.

There was no way that he could fight and win right now. He was sure Lucia had a broken rib or two. Her body was bleeding from the gouges that the sigel’s claws left. Lucia’s purple eyes locked on Zul’s black ones as Brian made the decision. Get the hell out of there and deal with the crazy b***h later.

Without a word, Lucia zoomed into the woods her wings beating with a strength her muscles didn't possess. With every beat her face hardened more and more as moving her wings jostled her ribcage. She just needed to fly fast enough to get away from Zul and get to Durem. From there she could move to another again.