escordvi | closed 🪶⚡ i'll be the light to lead you home

Perhaps a nice little storm to ruin their day?

[He can feel her unease, and he gives her a reassuring squeeze in return, giving her a brush of his levin as he knows that usually helps soothe her.]

A bit of wind to break them apart and some lightning to stop them further should do.

I do quite like the sound of that.

[As that touch of levin brushes over her hand, she smiles knowingly at him. At least she knows and trusts that if her wind is not as effective, he will have her back.

At that, a spark of green lights her fingertips as she slowly rises to her feet.]

Shall we?

Ladies first.

[A grin and slight nod of his head as his own aether starts to gather more around his hand.]

Ever the gentleman.

[She flashes him a crooked smile and turns her attention carefully to the gathered souls in front of them. They are still a bit of a distance away, but she should be able to manage something. A wind stirs the air, rustling their hair. It starts out warm but turns into something cooler, sharper. It's not enough to gain their attention yet, but it is enough for her to gather it all into one single point of magic...

...

Only to suddenly let it loose, the wind bursting in all directions from where it was centered beneath them. It throws them all back, scattering them as their surprised cries echo, leaving them all open to Cid's strikes. How very efficient of them.]

I've warmed them up for you.

Lovely.

[A grin as by now he's gathered enough aether to release it all with a snap, the bolts of lightning raining down upon the fallen cultist souls. They scream, some disappearing upon struck while some still try to stagger up.]

Better move in while they're down—

[And it's then they'll hear the ghastly wails of some disfigured soul that had been hidden within the circle of cultist souls.]

[The horrible wailing of the soul has Benedikta's hands going to her ear to shield it, her face crumpling with a wince at the sound.]

What in Greagor's name... Shut that thing up!

[As soon as it finishes its ghastly cried, Cid is finally able to register what it is as he can see its erratic movements as if trying escape from restraints he can't see.]

...Fuck me, were they trying to send that thing outside?

[He doesn't know if they should try to save it or destroy it, but for now his only option is to try and stop it from going through that crack. Suddenly jumping down, he shouts back at Benedikta—]

Close the rift, I'll focus on that thing!

[—and flings several levin bolts to divert the monstrosity's attention.]

Ugh, it is never simply a walk in the park with you.

[It's something of a complaint, said with a click of her tongue, but if he looks, he won't miss the glint in her eye. A fondness beneath the weariness of it all.

She does groan a bit as she leaps down after him and rushes forward and past Cid, trying to get closer to the crack itself while he has the wailing creature's attention.]

A bit of magic, was it?

Whatever works!

[Another large bolt of lightning strikes the figure, which continues to try and break through the bindings. But he has at least made it turn towards him instead as he wonders if he needs to semi-prime for this.]

[She sure as hell hopes not, or she'll have several words to say to these cultist souls when they're finished.]

Helpful.

[She shouts back at him before she's forced to shove one soul lightning-charred soul that's clambering towards her away with some wind, hoping that he will see it and strike it down. A blink of an eye, a flash of wind, and she's at the crack. She needs a moment to try and catch her breath before she's flinging her magic at it, all while fighting against the pull that her body feels to escape through it. It's as if some magical force is grabbing her and tugging her...]

Shit...

[Seeing the cultist she had to deal with, he'll finish it off as she hopes, lightning ripping through it to make it disappear with a swear. He really has no idea if this is just making them run or destroying them, and he's not sure which he would prefer. But then he has to actually draw his sword to cut down another that had suddenly risen up in front of him.

Now closer to the disfigured soul, he can now tell that it is in pain, screaming in anger and agony... No it's not one. It's several.]

The devil are they trying to do?

[They were trying to send this thing through? Why? For what purpose? Well none of it good, clearly, and he just channels more of his aether to create several orbs of light that surround it with a chain of lightning before it explodes.]

Cidolfus, a little help—!

[She's right at the edge now, clinging to the only thing that separates the Farplane from the land of the living, her nails digging into the wall of distorted sea on the other side. She grits her teeth, pushes more of her magic outward not to close it but to try and destroy it completely.

A glance back, and she swears under her breath again when she sees that thing writhing and screaming, flailing until it's freed from the invisible constraints that had held it down. One of its many arms swings at Cid, but it barely has any fight left in it, charged only by what it has been fed... which, judging from the many screaming faces, are... other souls...]

[He had been preoccupied focusing on the soul that he didn't notice Benedikta's precarious position until she calls out to him. After avoiding that arm, he swears under his breath and dashes past the soul, narrowly avoiding another swing of arms before grabbing onto Benedikta's arm to pull her away from the rift.

But it's tough as he can feel the pull now, mustering his strength to dart away.]

I have no idea...

[Her fingers grab around his wrist, securing a grip on him as well, a silent plea for him to hold on tight because she is about to—]

... what the fuck they did to this thing!

[—whip them back from the crack with a powerful wind. It sends them flying down and to the ground, and she takes him in her arms to help break their fall, having been prepared for the impact before it even came. On the bright side, that burst of magic had done something, the pull from it lessening.

From somewhere else, there's a cry. "No—! It must stay open!"]

[His arms will instinctively go around her, one around her head to help cradle it before he feels the impact of the ground and they roll a bit. With a grunt he shakes his head and stares up at the crack slowly closing as more shouts can be heard.

"Quickly open it—!"

"It's not enough we need more souls!"

"Use theirs!!"

"Die for the Great One!"

It's the last voice that suddenly appears from beside them, a ghastly soul rushing out from the ground to try and strike them. Immediately Cid lurches back and pulls her while slamming it with a powerful burst of lightning, the explosion like thunder roaring around them.]

What in the world are they trying to do...

[A question that she doesn't realize she voices aloud as she watches them rush for the crack, shouting things at each other. The thought is broken when she is suddenly pulled back along with him, heat and lightning flashing all around them as Cid dashes away from the ghost that tries to grab them.

It takes a moment for her to register what is going on before she flicks a wrist and slams her hand shut, guiding the winds to the others that are left out of the lightning.]

Stay down!

[It knocks them all to the ground, heavy winds pressing down on them to keep them from getting to their feet. The abomination roars and she watches, horrified, as they all start to crawl towards it. Flickers of magic pass between them when one of them cuts open their palm with a knife.]

Are they feeding it?

Fucking hell—

[Not that just, but some of the weakened ones scream as they rush the beast, arms spread out as if to offer themselves before they are grabbed by one of the grotesque arms and shoved into one of the mouths on what might be the stomach.

Yet the horror doesn't end when a new scream is heard from higher above, and a soul can be seen thrown through the rift, flailing.]

No!

[Desperately he casts out several bolts of lightning on the creature as it reaches out to grab the new soul, trying to thwart it and keep it at bay to save it.]

[As if it could not get any worse, somehow it does. Benedikta has seen plenty in both Valisthea and this one, but there is something very different and very horrifying about seeing souls give themselves up, and to this... thing, whatever it is. She isn't sure that she has a name for it. She does nothing to help those ones, simply clinging to Cid as it swallows them down like they are a mere snack. She swears she still hears them calling for the resurrection of the Great One as blood sprays across the ground at the creature's feet.

But of course that isn't just the end. She sees movement from above, hears the screams, and she is just as quick to act on it as he is.]

Gods damn it...!

[Alongside his lightning, the wind spreads with the heat, immediately creating a small storm around them, everything darkening with clouds. As his lightning strikes the beast, her wind sweeps up to knock the soul off course as it falls. The hands of the beast strike it, smacking this soul to the ground, and the impact is messy, their body bouncing and sliding until it comes to a stop. She can't tell from here if they have survived, but as the monster turns on them, they have far bigger things to worry about at the moment.

The beast shrieks, louder than before, carrying so many different voices. It tries to dodge the lightning, but Cid's power strikes it. Its body must have grown from those offered souls, but at least it makes it an easy target.]

One more hit should do the trick.

[She rears her hand back, winding up her magic, and it picks up around Cid's feet—]

Edited 2024-11-28 07:22 (UTC)

[He's grateful for Benedikta's winds at least sweeping it away, even if it does end up falling. A hard landing is better than getting eaten.]

Together then!

[Seeing the souls consumed by the creature along with how one was almost taken, there is a renewed vigor, a motivation to get this done now. Gathering his aether into his fist, almost to the point of semi-priming, he just trusts that Benedikta will follow suit in whatever way she seems fit as he rushes at the creature. Using her winds to help increase his speed, he covers the distance quickly, letting Benedikta do her work before lightning surrounds him to make that final dash, fist raised back as he prepares for the final hit...]

[It is always nice when he picks up on what she is putting down, quite literally, with the wind under his feet. She watches him move, always in awe, like a streak of lightning passing through the clouds. She has to shake herself out of it for a moment, long enough that she can strike it too.

There's a sharper wind, the kind that can weather stone and cut through a tide, that descends upon the creature. Its many hands continue to fling about, searching for its purple target. To no avail of course, but they might prove to be a problem when Cid gets close enough. In a single motion, swift and quick, the wind shifts direction, and like a hundred sharp, invisible shards been flung at it, its limbs are severed from its body in dozens of clean cuts.

Its screams are ghastly, loud and shrill, blood spattering everywhere. Its heads turn, trying now to look for her. For Cid. For the one fallen to the ground. A soul. Any soul that it can devour to strengthen itself again like they had seen before.]

Not today, you!

[Cid will feel himself pick up speed now as clouds grow around him, giving him the momentum and the extra power he needs to make that final strike.]

[With Benedikta's winds clearing the way and slicing off those limbs, Cid can only smirk in pride and admiration as he now has a clear shot of his target. Seeing his approach as he darts through, cutting down cultists that try to get in his way, the creature slowly turns to him. Without its limbs, it now relies on its giant mouth and with an ear piercing wail it opens wide, sucking in everything around it like a vacuum and aimed right at Cid.

For a moment, it looks as if Cid is caught in the vacuum, but there will be a sudden burst of lightning that hurtles him faster to its gaping maw. With a loud shout, Cid slams his fist right into opening, but before it can sink its teeth into him, there is an explosion of lightning and thunder that booms over the area as it rips up from the inside. Screams fill the air as it can no longer hold onto its form, numerous souls flying out like shooting stars.

And in the center of it all, covered in the black residue and chunks and bits of the now destroyed creature, is Cid kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily before coughing a bit. But even then he doesn't think about himself but instead looks up as if searching for soemthing. By now they had surely caught the attention of others in the area, and sure enough, there are streaks of light and shouts of the guardians that were making their way.]

[The screams send Benedikta's hand darting up to shield her ear again as she turns away from it, a sharp groan under a breath. She glances back just in time to see him streaking towards it at lightning speed, another flash of purple levin before she sees him again. She fumbles forward a step, wondering if she needs to help him, but he answers that within seconds with the explosion of his power that comes after, tearing the monster apart from the inside out. She only has a moment to watch before she's forced to dodge the flying remainders... with little success.

The sound of his coughing makes her heart jolt, and she cares little for the things that cling to her, shaking off what she can as she rushes to his side, her hand gripping his arm, her eyes filled with both worry and pride as she looks him over. She doesn't even look up to see the souls that are screaming and scattering, or the guardians that are coming to their aid.]

You are alright?

[Ignoring the fact that she sounds a little winded herself.]

[There's another cough into his hand, and as he opens to look there is some relief that it's not stained in blood. Then again, would he as a soul here? But it's around then that Benedikta appears, and he tries to give her a reassuring smile.]

Better than they are.

[A grim look around the souls that continue to writhe in misshapen forms, the one that had recently been pushed through the rift still cowering on the ground unable to comprehend anything.

But more white lights appear around them, keeping the souls from flying further away. Seeing this, he slowly gets to his feet.]

Best be out of their way.

[She helps him get to his feet, her hands holding him to help herself as well when she feels her knees nearly wobble and buckle under this new kind of exhaustion. She glances around at the other souls, wincing with pity, and then at the lights that start to flutter closer.]

The guardians? Do you suppose we can leave the souls to them?

[At least the crack has been sealed, so that's a plus.]

Aye, I'd say so...

[He appreciates her help, needing her support for the moment as he stands. But it's just as he steadies himself and is lending his own support to help her that there is a shout from not too far from them.

"Oy, you there! What happened here??"

Perhaps not so surprising they would he questioned, and Cid just glances at Benedikta with a wry grin.]

No rest for the wicked, eh? Better get this over with so they know what's going on.

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