isleofavalon | Feel it right behind you, a grinning monster out to kill

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Feel it right behind you, a grinning monster out to kill

🧙 WHO: Darin Altway and You!
⚔️️ WHAT: Caster has cursed Darin and now he's using Familiar Fusion and going berserk
🕒 WHEN: Right after Caster's declaration against Archer and the aftermath a few days later!
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot and Darin's Forge
⚠️ WARNINGS: Potential Violence/Blood/Gore/Mild Body Horror

[He doesn't know how long it's been since he passed out. He remembers Caster's message. He remembers meeting her at the edge of Broceliande Woods. He remembers...]

[Pain.]

[He comes to in a sweat. Not from pain or nightmares or anything of that nature, but because the forest around him is currently ablaze. He tries to jump to his feet but his senses are off. Skewed. Something was very wrong and he could feel it. It felt like oil seeping into him, slowly gripping the very cockles of his heart.]

[Rationale gives way to panic and he's stumbling away from the treeline. He had to get back to Camelot. He had to get back for...some reason. Something inside of him screamed that he had to.]

[But his footsteps slowly grind to a halt as he crests that final hill. As Caster's dark curses finally find their hold and grip his very being, altering every bit of his perception and reasoning.]

[The witch's curse was a powerful one. In her grief, she hexed Darin to see his greatest fear. And to act on the rage that he spent his life tamping out; the one fire in his soul he refused to stoke.]

[He falls to his knees, staring at a ruined Camelot. Everything he'd come to know, the happiness he was so desperately seeking. You see, if Darin was as much of a monster as he claimed, then his fate should match that of the monster, the witch of betrayal, that he sought to defend. It's only fair, right?]

[There would be no peace. Not while monsters walked among the people of this world.]

A - Transformation (CW: Blood/Mild Body Horror)

[Camelot was gone. Or at least, Caster's curse made Darin believe that it was. And Darin, on his knees, was slamming his fists into the earth with all of his magical given might; each blow sounding like a cannon shot as it cracked the stone beneath his fists. Inconsolable, he screams, believing no one will hear him.]

[However, anyone making their way to the woods to try and stop Caster or the fire she's set might stumble upon him. Calling out to him draws his attention to you, but there's something...off...about his eyes. They're clouded over with a dark haze. And while he might be looking at you...what he sees is something different altogether.]

You...it was you!

[Enraged, Darin pushes himself to his feet, magic coursing through his body so sharply that it crackles in the air. The air becomes stifling. Oppressive.]

You've taken everything from me, Dromas! Everything! So, you want a monster?! I'LL GIVE YOU ONE

[His giant antlion familiar bursts from the ground behind him and latches onto Darin's back. For a moment, it looks like his familiar might actually attempt to subdue him. Unfortunately, those enormous, terrifying mandibles find purchase in Darin's back and, for a horrifying moment, the familiar begins to burrow. Writhing in pain as his magical power skyrockets faster than his body can compensate, Darin lets loose a blood-freezing scream. But just as quickly as it had begun, his familiar disappears into Darin's body as the two merge.]

[Darin slams his hands into the ground as he begins to grow and change. Two horns erupt from his temples, black and glinting in the light of the burning woods behind him. His torso swells; muscles grow massive as chitinous plates form around his extremities like armor. His body contorts, his back arches, until finally he's a hulking beast, towering at over ten feet tall.]

[Green eyes glowing ominously amidst the haze, the newly transformed Darin lets loose a bellow that sounds like it's three voices screaming in cacophonous harmony.]

[And then he rushes to attack.]

B - City Escape (CW: Blood/Violence)

[Believing Camelot to be nothing but wreckage, Darin storms the city chasing...something. In his cursed state, every person he sees looks exactly like the person he believes to have brought about this disaster. Unfortunately, in this state, Darin isn't much for conversing. He's barreling through Camelot, tearing through buildings like they weren't even there. And any person, resident or not, that crosses his vision is likely in for the fight of their lives as he presses the attack. After all, in his mind, Camelot is in ruins.]

[He tears up a chunk of the street and hefts it towards a group of terrified people, all of which scatter. Or attempt to. It might be too late for some.]

C - Lockdown

[It had been several days since Caster's message. Several days since he'd lost control and was set upon the good people of Camelot. He'd been keeping to himself in the forge almost the entire time, only going out occasionally in the evening for food or groceries. When he did, he wore a cloak with the hood drawn to hide his blue hair and he barely spoke.]

[Of course he did his best to help the city recover from the damages. For the first two days, he worked tirelessly to get supplies and forge tools for whatever reconstruction needed to be done. But he would always send then out anonymously or send them to whoever needed them via a proxy. It's clear that he's doing everything he can to avoid going into town himself and he hasn't been spotted in town since the incident.]

[He threw himself into his work after that but...he still seemed off. Anyone who stops by the forge might find him struggling; hammering away at something that just isn't taking shape properly or tinkering with, and subsequently screwing up, some detailed work. Finally, in frustration, Darin pitches his hammer across the forge with more strength than intended, burying it into the wall across the work space.]

[Frustrated, he sits down and buries his face in his hands.]

Wildcard

[Got another idea that you want to thread out? Go for it!]

(OOC: Feel free to threadjack as much as you want during the events of this log! It's going to be chaotic and people should definitely help each other! Got questions! Message me on the journal, my discord, or hit me up at

bitterbearface)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That's a frightful amount of noise outside. Adela can't help frowning as she moves to her window, only to stop as she now more clearly hears screaming, feels the ground trembling beneath her feet, and sees... Something. She really doesn't know how to describe it, it looks vaguely familiar but also so, so monstrous.

What it looks like doesn't matter as much as that it seems to be going after people and destroying the city. Without thought further than that, Adela grabs her sword and books it to where she sees it going. Maybe from here she can lure it to the training grounds?

She has to try. ]

HEY! This way!

[ In hindsight, Adela will probably berate herself on this being a terrible idea. For now, she figures she can at least be fast enough to evade this... Creature? Before trying to take it down. Who knows if getting its attention even worked, though. ]

[[ OoC: Darin, I'm sorry that one of your apprentices is a hard-head and does not look before she leaps. If someone's wanting to thread-jack, I'm planning on having Adela sustain a couple of injuries from this (dislocated shoulder and bruised ribs but nothing permanent). She's NOT going to be able to do much in terms of stopping Darin right now. ]]

[Adela's voice rises above the tumult of the screams and since it's directed at Darin, he cranes his head towards the source. Unfortunately, he doesn't see Adela. No, he sees the sneering visage of his brother, taunting him. The people running from him? Bloodied corpses in the ruined streets, some of which have familiar faces.]

[People he'd come to know and care for in Avalon.]

[The rage bubbles up from within once more and it almost feels like the air becomes hotter as his rage builds.]

[With one massive hand, Darin clutches the frame of the nearest structure and crushes it to splinters and gravel, then unleashes a bellow so unnerving that it sounds like the wailing damned. Magic crackles throughout his massive frame as he uses his healing magic to augment his strength, then springs off coiled legs, rushing Adela down like a freight train.]

[ Suddenly, the distance she has away from him doesn't seem like nearly enough. ]

[ Still, she's gotten what she wanted (... Is this what she wanted?), which was to get the creature's attention away from the fleeing townsfolk. It takes all of her willpower not to be frozen in place at that bellowing, however, and she almost hesitates too long to get out of the way. ]

[ Almost. ]

[ It doesn't take her even a moment to spot an alley (something likely too narrow for him to move quickly through in his current state, she hopes), and Adela's darting into it when she's sure that this creature has gotten too close. Something about this is bothering her, though... Why does it look so familiar? ]

[ There's no time to think on that. She has to keep running, forward and out the other side of the alley and towards the outskirts of town. It might buy her a little time if the creature has to go around, or -- Nehra, that's probably taxing on the townsfolk -- if he sees fit to simply smash through the buildings to get at her. That should still slow him down a little, right? ]

[ She can think of what to do about it afterwards, hopefully. ]

[Fortunately, Adela is right on the money; something of Darin's size can't exactly make sharp turns at the drop of a hat. Once she slips into an alleyway, Darin's hulking mass tears by. He reaches out to try and catch her before she slips away, but inertia has him.]

[Adela will likely hear the massive crash as Darin explodes through the building at the end of the street.]

[The city is on high alert now and as she puts more distance between them, it's harder to hear his roars. But she might feel a low rumbling. As if something big just ran and put all of its strength into one massive jump.]

[She'll see him then, passing overheard from one explosive jump, only to land atop one of the city's walls. He crashes down like a meteor; stone and mortar raining down as he finds his footing and cranes his head around towards Adela.]

[Light illuminates his stark blue hair and his jaw hangs open unnaturally as he lets out a chilling scream with enough force that his massive body shudders from the force.]

[ What in blazes has she gotten herself into? ]

[ She hasn't gotten nearly far enough away from the town proper, but now her path is blocked. Damn! She'd just have to fight this thing. This thing that can crush wood and stone to pieces in its hand. ]

[ Her hands aren't steady when she finally draws her sword, frowning and regretting that she hasn't really practiced with her magic more by this point. She's fairly sure she can't do more than create some rocks or small gusts of wind, but that might be enough. It has to be enough. ]

You truly seek to fight that badly? To kill the people here?

[ She knows her voice is trembling at that point, if only because she's really not seeing a way out. The city walls are there, but there really aren't many obstacles she can use to her advantage anymore. She'll just have to pray that her own agility is enough, or that maybe this thing can understand her. She probably shouldn't hold her breath after the senseless destruction she's just witnessed, but she has to try. ]

[ In spite of herself she's trying to keep from tensing up, taking a single step back to try and solidify her stance. This is probably going to be the fight of her life (so far), and she'd rather not go down here if she can help it. ]

[Darin levels his gaze at her, soulless eyes narrowing as a low growl rumbles in his chest and throat. The reality he's perceiving is skewed and warped, and he sees his greatest enemy daring him to attack. To show the world the monster that he is.]

[To end everything and bring about the prophecy.]

[He hunches over, clearly about to spring into action. And when he does, he hurtles forward, serrated, chitinous forearms leading the way. He curls himself up, almost like an armadillo, and bears down on poor Adela like a force of nature.]

[ Oh no.

It's all she can do to start running again, trying to dart out of his path if only because she has noticed that he can't turn that quickly (and hopefully not in mid-air). Unfortunately just as she's out of the way she winds up stumbling to the ground, grunting from the force of the impact Darin has on the ground near her and momentarily getting stunned from it. That she's essentially trying to evade a giant boulder is fairly taxing on her, but what's he going to do after that? Can she really do this? She can't just keep running, she's going to slow down eventually and... She really doesn't want to get hit by this. But what else can she do? If only she had her magic! ]

[ Unfortunately, while she's dodged the attack of him literally smashing into the ground, she knows she's far from safe and in fact is now well within reach. Sure, she still has her sword in hand, but she still has no idea if it'll even do her any good. Now that she's seeing it up close, that plating on him looks almost like armor -- possibly too hard to cut through. ]

[ It might be a good idea for her to get to her feet before he has a chance to try anything, but that's probably not going to work out the way Adela wants it to. ]

[Adela likely has a few minutes as Darin extracts himself from the crater he went ahead and created. But slowly but surely, he extracts himself from the pulverized street, locking eyes with Adela once more.]

[He's sustained some wounds, but they quickly regenerate with his healing magic kicked into overdrive. For the moment, it almost looks like he might not have any offensive magic.]

[The lumbering hulk finally pushes himself out of the crater and stands to his full, towering height, practically challenging Adela to attack him.]

[ Adela does manage to get herself to her feet, but as she does and meets Darin's eye a thought occurs to her, that she has not felt so small in a long time.

It's becoming more and more clear that she's gotten herself into a fight she can't win. But now that she can actually get a closer look at him, in this moment of stillness, something starts to fall into place. ]

[ Blue and other natural hair colours are a sign of tainted blood.

Somewhere in their lineage was a demon or beastkin. His is from the source. ]

[ It can't be. ]

Darin?

[ Oh Nehra no. If this is how he's supposed to destroy his world, then... How did this happen? Why did this happen? And... How is she supposed to fight Darin of all people? It just feels... Wrong.

It's a wonder she manages to keep a grip on her sword then, though it becomes looser and looser, threatening to slip right out of her hand at any moment. Now that she knows... Can she really raise a blade to him? Forget piercing whatever armor he seems to have, it's more that she knows this isn't just some violent or destructive monster now. ]

Edited (html error) 2021-06-10 08:13 (UTC)

[Darin takes a threatening step forward with all the confidence of a being that knows it can't be stopped. Like he's daring her to strike him.]

[For a moment, he almost looks as if he's attempting to speak, but something seems to be blocking the rational part of his brain.]

[Frustrated as words literally refuse to come to him, he lowers himself and lets loose a guttural roar of rage, as if he's about to charge at any second.]

[ That he's approaching hasn't gone unnoticed, and she can't help grimacing as he's roaring again. However, she does something that might seem surprising -- she sheathes her sword, instead holding the sheath and the sword within it in hand. It's not the best defense, but it's the best she's got right now.

Now she has to keep him busy. She doesn't know if he can change out of this, but if it really is Darin then just maybe... ]

Do you not see me? I am Adela, one of your apprentices, do you remember me?

[ There is a part of her convinced that this won't work, and a part of her that wants to try anyway. She's still shaky, still trying to keep her distance, and keeping an eye out for him to charge again. She can't run too far now or that might end up getting him to target someone else, but how can she get him out of this?

... If only she was better with siphoning magic. Damn, is she really this useless!? ]

What happened for you to be like this? Can you tell me?

[His upper lip curls into a snarl, as if the words he's hearing are prodding at him. Adela might be in for a clue as to what Darin is seeing...because he manages to bellow out a single word. A name.]

DRO...DROOOOMAAAAAAAS!

[Unable to contain his fury any longer, Darin steps forward and sends a devastating backhand right at Adela.]

[ What the-- ]

[ There's no time for her to finish her thought, and reflexively she tries to jump back and out of the way. Unfortunately, that only serves to change the target of the backhand from "face and shoulders" to "mid-torso", and Adela winds up crying out as she's sent flying into the town's walls. ]

[ After the rough landing from falling away from the wall, she's on all fours and coughing, wincing as she grabs at her chest. That's... Starting to hurt, badly. Not good. It's different from being winded, that's very not good. That is... Very, very bad. That hit did far more damage than she thought he would with a single strike. ]

I... I am not...

[ She's dizzy, too. But she still manages to stagger to her feet, one arm wrapping across her chest in the hopes that it will help relieve whatever is going on there. She really can't afford another hit like that, but can she even get enough air in her lungs to run? What to do, what to do... ]

I... I know not of Dromas...

[Gokudera had been in the crowd of people that had been attacked, had been working light magic to make shields and protect as many people as he can. He can't heal, unfortunately, but he's able to call out for healers until he notices someone playing Hero in trying to distract that strange monster tearing up New Camelot. He gets up, brushes his hands off and starts towards them when things take a violent turn quickly.

Of course, he can't keep up, and being uninvolved, he hears very little of the conversation. But the girl who'd been helping is hurt. Gokudera uses his magic to hide himself, all but invisible as he moves to Adela, and he's scattering smoke bombs to conceal them.]

Hang on.

[He's making himself visible, throws up a light shield for good measure, and turns to look on as she staggers to her feet. Gokudera will spend as much time as he can to make sure he can get her to safety, even if that means having his back to the strange monster and little more than a smokescreen and an invisible shield between them.]

Let's get you out of here.

[The smoke isn't close enough to her, but she doesn't look well, and he knows it could make matters worse. Getting her out of this monster's attack radius is the highest priority. Then he can fight it, or knock it out, or something. He hasn't thought that far ahead, yet.]

Who, [ Agh, hurts to breathe, give her a second. ] Who are you?

[ That she's rattled is an understatement, both from getting slammed into a wall and from the sudden appearance of the previously invisible person before her. She's still using one arm to support her chest, but when she tries to use her other she flinches and lets it fall back. That's not good, that hurt far too much... Now that she's looking, it looks misshapen under her cloak as well. Something's wrong with her shoulder, likely from the impact against the wall. She can't fight like this, can she? She can't defend herself or even run anymore. ]

... All right.

[ At least her legs still work, but the frustration she's holding with herself is an almost palpable aura around her. She knows she's not going to be able to keep her balance well either, so as much as she doesn't want to she has to rely on this stranger for now. ]

[Backlit by the destruction, Darin's hulking silhouette can be seen ominously through the smoke. He might not be able to see them, but that hardly stops his attack. Who needs a precise strike when you can just level the area in a rage?]

[And so, Darin clasps his hands above his head and swings them both down like a sledgehammer, only for the strike to connect with Gokudera's shield. It sounds like a boulder slamming into glass and while it stops the initial strike, the shockwave that reverberates from the strike is enough to shake lowertown.]

[Sensing that his attack was thwarted, Darin strikes again. And again. Slowly, the strikes build into a massive flurry of blows that can be felt throughout Camelot. Whether the shield holds out or not, the sounds of glass shattering from the force of impact can be heard throughout the area.]

[And he's just not stopping.]

Okay, so she's more injured than he can visibly see, so he'll move about her gently, moving to the side where her arm moves better than it's injured counterpart.

Gokudera. I'm here to help.

[It doesn't matter that he doesn't know who Adela is. He saw her try to distract this monster that's now targeting her. That's heroic and he's not going to let her get injured further if he can help it.]

Ah- I don't think I can keep this up much longer.

[Gokudera creates a new shield behind the first, then another behind the angry creature. As far as he's concerned, it can beat the alley in Camelot into a tunnel right to their world's core, and at the moment, he just needs to get them to safety. So long as Darin doesn't think to jump, this should be fine for the time being.]

Okay, I can make us invisible so we can get out of his range. Your pick... one or three?

[Gokudera lights a cigarette and turns his head away while awaiting her answer. He's starting to move them further away, each step cautious since the ground is shaking with the impact of those sledgehammer-like strikes]

[ Ah, she wishes she could just keep bracing her chest, and she's not a big fan of having to hang onto Gokudera, but right now there's no choice. She has no idea what he's doing, the smoke smells terrible and is doing nothing helpful for her lungs, she almost wants to use wind magic to--

Wait. ]

How do you think... He would handle smoke in his eyes?

[ She really doesn't know why he's speaking of numbers (thus why she hasn't answered), but hopefully temporarily blinding Darin sounds like a plan. With the little bit she could move her other hand, she started to show wind lifting some stray debris in her hand. Temporarily blinding him sounds like a smart plan in her head, at least. ]

[With the barriers temporarily sealing him off, it might appear that Darin is trapped for the moment.]

[But adaptability is one of his strengths, and his familiar is an antlion; a creature known for burrowing. And with those enormous forearms, it doesn't take much effort for Darin to tear through the street and burrow under the city.]

[The rumbling as he descends his substantial and the street buckles and ripples until everything is still.]

[Frighteningly still.]

I was talking about bombs-

[Gokudera replies, then his attention is cut off by the monster burrowing. That can't be good. How did it even penetrate the street like that?!

The boy keeps his cigarette burning, helping her walk with him. If he could put her on the back of his familiar, he would, but this is not water, and they seem to be at a disadvantage.]

Come on... I don't know if he's retreated or what...

[He's quiet, listening for any approach beneath or behind them. Not even his illusions will help them, since he has no idea what sense their enemy may be using while underground. Sound? Maybe it can feel vibrations?]

[ She's about to ask what in the world a bomb is, but she's thinking along the same lines as Gokudera -- that Darin burrowing underground is a very bad thing right now.

She's moving as quickly as she can manage, but she does have to use Gokudera as a support in order to move at more than a crawl, her breathing shallow and shaky for the moment. She really isn't going to be able to converse like this, which is just all the more frustrating. She won't even be able to sound a warning if she feels or hears something before Gokudera does, she's worse than useless right now! ]

Run without me. [ She hates that she's wheezing while saying this, but at this rate he's going to wind up hurt or worse because of her. She has to go through the words slowly, feeling dizzy again as she's using precious air just to get the words out. ] I will only slow you down. Do not hurt yourself over my foolish choice.

[The stillness continues. Honestly, at this point, it's possible that they're safe. That Darin's run off somewhere.]

[But Darin did have a sense that let him know where every living thing was. His blood magic could detect their heightened pulses. He didn't even have to surface.]

[Suddenly, ropey tendrils of viscous blood erupt from the street around them and start lashing, attempting to bind and ensnare them.]

Are you fucking crazy?! You'll just be a sitting duck! If I have to, I'll put you on my back.

[Which isn't too bad an idea, so long as he can support her weight rested against him and not have her bent in a way that strains her ribs. It's a guess as to what injuries she has, but the labored breathing speaks of some internal damage. He'll be cautious, but he'd rather this girl be injured and out of this trouble than dead.]

This isn't my first fight against something like this, so-

[Blood tendrils. Disgusting. Nothing he's seen before and nothing he wants to see again, thanks! Gokudera's pulling sticks of dynamite out and hurling them at those tendrils, then swiftly kneeling before her.]

Good arm around my neck. Grab on or I'm picking you up.

[They don't want to be around when the dynamite goes off.]

I know that! Is it wrong that... That I do not want you hurt for my sake!?

[ Raising her voice like that hurts and probably uses more air than she can spare, but she doesn't know what else she can say or do to get him to listen. Not that it seems to matter since he's gotten it into his head to carry her. ]

...

[ She hates this. She hates that she has to rely on him like this if there's a chance for her to survive, especially since she knows she's only slowing him down. And just like that he's robbing her of what little use she can make of herself. He seems to have faith in the strange sticks he's just thrown at the blood tendrils though, which has her frowning. Just what is he planning? ]

... Fine, but you must leave me behind if it becomes too much, all right?

[ Gingerly she's resting her weight against him, following his instruction to hang on with her good arm. Luckily for Gokudera she's quite small and consequently not very heavy, though she is going to be quite tense the entire time he's carrying her. Unfortunately, she hasn't quite noticed that one of those tendrils is maybe a few inches away from wrapping around one of her ankles by the time she finally decides to let Gokudera carry her. ]

[As the blood tendrils explode, the spray of blood goes everywhere like a fine, red mist. In fact, that's all Darin needs. The mist starts to congeal and create mesh barriers of blood, corralling Gokudera and Adela into increasingly narrower corridors.]

[And if that's not enough, one of the tendrils manages to slither around Adela's ankle. It doesn't pull with much force, preferring instead to let Gokudera separate them. And once they are, the ground begins shaking violently.]

[Like an eruption, Darin explodes from under the street, aiming to separate the two on either side of him.]

B - City Escape (Thread-Jacking Welcome)

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