< The Serpent Dies | Ex Pulplogs
ST The last obstacle between the Circle their goal, the complete and utter destruction of the Shadow Serpent for all time, smirks at Myrrh's comment. "Sure you do, boy."
Myrrh "No I mean it, I learned at the feet of Thousand-Thunder Ivory Scholar herself. Well...a few thousand years and lifetimes ago but still."
Myrrh "I mean do you even KNOW what holds the sub-motean particles together?!"
Myrrh "Evil is one thing, I suppose I can understand what turns a mans heart into a cold black thing. But IGNORANCE. There's no excuse for THAT."
ST "Why, the counter-reactive nature of binding forces, of course."
Carmine rolls her eyes.
Myrrh "Counter-reactive?! COUNTER-REACTIVE?! Now you're just being LAZY!"
ST "I suppose. But I have better uses for effort." And, so saying, the man stabs Myrrh in the face a few times
Carmine sighs, and flicks the train of her bloody dress into a more suitable form for running. Then she charges at the man, a contrail of black and gold sunlight behind her as she cuts through the cold desert air.
Myrrh is a blur of fire and essence as he avoids the many knife blows. "Clearly science is a calling."
Corve "I think you're both being petty." He sighs and raises his big ass gun.
ST Without warning, a shaft of blackness flies from the roof of a nearby building, almost invisible in the darkness of the ruined underground city. The only hint of its passage is a slight whistle in the air and glint of metal from one of the Solars' Animas. And then, it strikes! Carmine! Oh no!
Carmine ignores the attack and just keeps on charging.
Carmine The bolt of blackness tears through her, pulling a torrent of blood with it. She stumbles and then the gout pulls back into her, leaving her form rippling.
Xar`Rex stares sideways at Carmine in somewhat horrified fascination
Myrrh "Carmi-..ne. Ok that's just weird."
Corve says, with a bit of a grimace, "I'm gonna ask, later.k"
Carmine 's form solidifies a few moments later. What did I just do?
ST Ugly Tree doesn't seem bothered by Carmine's actions. At least, not until he unleashes a flurry of stabbing attacks at her, each burning with the blazing fury of the Sun. Warm golden light cascades around his body and burns Carmine, driving back the darkness she has embraced.
Carmine responsed to the enslaught with a fusillade of her own strikes, arcs of pure void left hanging in the air as she cuts at him.
ST The flashing exchange of light and darkness ends a moment after it began and both combatants come away bleeding, though Carmine looks the worse for wear. Her wounds are horrible burns, oozing blood rather then dripping it. Her flesh is blackened and burned as the Light of the Unconquered Sun rejects her darkness. Ugly Tree simply drips a bit on the ground as her void-edged blade sliced away bits of his flesh.
Xar`Rex roars in anger, "Carmine!" He launches himself in a flurry of attacks at Ugly Tree, moving so fast that his teeth and claws hit before the fireball catches up
Xar`Rex When the flare of the flame dies down, Xar has only managed to draw two long sets of scratches down either side of Ugly Tree's arms.
ST Ugly Tree snorts "Stupid lizard." He turns away, ignoring Xar to concentrate on Carmine.
Carmine takes the time of Xar's strikes to steady herself, fresh blood pouring from the dress to envelop the wounds, covering the burns in soothing blood. Her sword flashes in terrible arcs that leave holes in the world behind them, her anima spreading to engulf the group in the chill of death.
ST As Carmine's dark sword bleeds the life from Ugly Tree, Myrrh realizes that in a few minutes, the Spark within the man will realize its host has died and flee elsewhere, seeking a new host. And not only the spark of the Solar will escape, but the parasite spirit of the Black Serpent of Shadows.
ST They have only minutes to prevent this entire campaign from being a vain effort!
Myrrh "Well...I was going to save this for Carmine but imprisoning an evil monster might as well work!" He pulls out a soulsteel cage, merely holding it made him feel dirty. It was about the size of a Censer and it moaned occasional.
Carmine "No, Myrrh. You don't need that." She smiles, and her eyes flash pure black.
Xar`Rex "Carmine... you're scaring me."
Corve takes a step over towards Carmine, putting his hand on her elbow. "Carmine?"
Myrrh "But...what are you going to do?
Xar`Rex "Let Myrrh catch it."
Carmine "This ends now." She plunges the blade down, and it screams with the purest essence of void. She holds in there as the soul and the spark and the dragon are slowly consumed.
Myrrh starts and backs away.
ST There is no flash. The scream is silence so profound the mind tries to fill it in with a phantom noise. For a moment everyone is blind. And then, they can see again. And the horrible silence is passed. But Ugly Tree is gone. And none of the five has the least doubt where his body, soul and Spark have gone. Nor do they doubt that the threat of the Serpent is over.
ST But...
Carmine stands up, as the blade she uses fades into shadow and memory. Her eyes as she looks at Corves are black, and then she blinks and they are her own.
Xar`Rex turns away slowly from Carmine, and walks a few yards away.
Corve looks at Carmine with a long, slow swallow. "...Carmine?" He reaches forward, hands cupping her cheeks. "What did you do?"
Myrrh puts the cage away.
Carmine looks at him, sorrowful and guilty. "I took in the dark, I let it drive away the sun. I knew we would need the pure destruction of nothingness that only the void can bring." She looks down. "I'm sorry."
Myrrh "But...I thought you were fighting it."
Carmine "I was."
Corve wraps his fingers around Carmine's neck and pulls her closer, pressing his forehead against hers. "We could have found another way, Carmine." He's not sure of that, but..
Carmine wraps arms around him, lets the blood drain away, to reveal red ribbons and dusky skin. And the terrible burns of the sun. "But we didn't, we weren't."
Corve embraces Carmine with closed eyes and keeps her close. "Fine." He swallows. "So we'll fix you next. We'll bring the Sun back." There's gotta be a way. Some way. Somewhere. This Is So Not Fair.
Carmine "I don't know if I can be fixed." she whispers.
Myrrh "Nonsense! If I can kill a giant snake with an arrow I can cure you of a silly thing like...dark blood...stuff."
Corve says, "It has to be possible." He doesn't seem to be budging. "We'll figure it out." He kisses Carmine's forehead softly and smiles at her. "It's still you. It's still you, in there, and that's what matters."
Carmine smiles back.
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