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.]

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[He clutches at his head, tearing at his scalp and skin with oversized claws. As he tears at his own flesh, his magic takes hold and immediately heals the damage...but that leaves his hands covered in blood. His blood.]

[There's another crackle of magic and the blood transforms into razor like, red filaments that he begins whipping around. These blood whips cut through stone, tree, and earth alike, mincing it and creating a barrier around him as he thrashes wildly.]

[As the blood filaments wear down and break, he steps forward and launches himself in the direction of Camelot.]

Quiznak...!!

[No one can say she didn't try. But whatever's going on here is too much for him to be simply talked out of it. He has to be brought under control by other means first.]

[After the encounter with the siren, she's already seen what things he can do with his own blood. Her cover is already gone, and there's no telling what form this attack will take, meaning dodging could be far more difficult — or even impossible.]

[Her bayard takes the form of the energy whip sword — a long, crackling lash of light with a sharp metal tip on the end, like a weighted blade. She swings it so that it crosses path with the whips of blood closest to her, helping them shatter and dissolve before they might reach her.]

[It's not a great counter against his attack. But thankfully, it's more of a defensive maneuver — one that aims to keep her back, rather than assault her.]

[And then the barrier breaks down on its own, and Allura charges forward to see if she can wrangle him — only to see him charge past, en route to Camelot.]

Darin! Wait!!

[Thanks to his the strength buffs in his extremities, he's covering ground much faster than Allura could ever hope to.]

[In fact, a few strides and some enormous leaps later, and he's already sailed over the wall and crashed into lowertown.]

[By the time Allura tracks him down, he's already begun tearing through buildings like they weren't even there with his bare hands.]

[It's almost embarrassing, how far she's lagging behind him right now. It feels like she's trying to chase a storm and wrangle it with her bare hands.]

[And her arrival in Camelot is... disheartening, to say the least. Hadn't Darin told her that he wanted to make this realm his new home? He would never tear it apart like this!]

[... and yet, that's not what she's watching. And watching this, feeling the grief in her own heart, she remembers the pain in his cry from before.]

... this is Caster's doing, isn't it?

[It's not a realization that just dawned upon her. Not after how heated her exchange was with Caster over the network. But it's a lot to take in, the sheer level of destruction that Caster's cruelty can wreak. The sheer shock is captivating, but that's not why Allura forces herself to look it over. It's also to formulate a plan.]

[Truthfully, she already has a few ideas in mind, but most of them are for later stages, when he's worn down enough to listen or even be approached. Right now, he seems to have plenty of energy left to burn.]

[Until then, she has to try to draw his attention from the architecture, at least. And so...]

Stop where you are, Darin! Don't force me to hurt you!

[And she cracks the whip on the ground in front of her, as if to challenge him like a bullfighter waving a flag.]

[... it is not the best idea she's ever had, but at least his larger form should be easier to dodge.]

[He flinches reflexively at the cracking of the wipe and snaps his attention to its source, letting out an enraged bellow. All he seems to truly register is the whip, and how it was cracked in challenge.]

[He reaches up then to one of his own horns and tears it free. His healing magic serves to regenerate the horn moments later, but the copious amounts of viscous blood dripping off the horn starts to congeal unsettlingly as his magic courses through it.]

[Moments later, he roars in defiance and snaps his own massive bloodwhip down; striking with such force that it tears the street between him and Allura asunder before he snaps it out at her.]

What sort of sick joke—

[Okay, no, that bloodwhip is coming at her way too quickly to berate him for it. Fun fact: Did you know that a whip cracks so loudly and with such force because part of it moves at supersonic speed? And even though she can see it coming, given its oversized length and distinctive red color, all that does is show her that she won't be able to dodge it, not with that momentum and the particular swath that it's about to cut.]

[Her best bet is to interrupt its course, and so she snaps her own whip out towards it as if to parry. When the two lashes connect, the weight at the end of hers causes it to twist and wrap around his, as if it were choking it like a snake. And by that point, she's already pulling her arm back.]

[She probably won't be able to pull his whip from his hand, but how durable is blood weaponry? Perhaps she might be able to damage it.]

[But she can't help but yell out her frustration at this particular maneuver:]

Was copying my abilities not enough?! Now you're copying my weapons, too?!

[He won't understand in this state, and surely won't remember the conversation that prompted this outburst, but at least she'll feel better.]

[She seems to assume he won't understand. But the twisted sneer he gives her when their whips lock says otherwise. There's another presence there, and it is not afraid of anything seen so far.]

[With their weapons locked, 'Darin' yanks with all of his unearthly might, attempting to reel Allura in with one sharp tug. And then, he kicks out with a massive clawed foot, with every intention of kicking her clear out of the air to the ground.]

[No matter how much she might brace for it, it only takes so much strength to pull Allura straight off the ground. As long as the whips are tangled like this, she's at his mercy.]

[So, naturally, she reverts her bayard, and then reforms it midair as a glaive. As she flies through the air towards him, she holds the glaive out ahead of her, aiming for the spot between the claws. She doesn't expect to pierce the armor, but if she can pivot the weapon off the edge of his foot...]

[Maybe she can vault over it, and grab hold of him. If she can make physical contact...]

[Well, she'll have a better path forward than she does now, at least.]

[While Darin misses with his forward kick, he does stomp forward. This gives Allura more than enough room to vault over his hulking mass...]

[Except that with both feet planted, it's easy for Darin to just leap straight up when she's at the apex of her vault. The good news is that he's coming to her. The bad news is that he's barreling straight up like a missile, the enormous arched shell over his back leading the way.]

[It's a good thing it's not serrated like those forearms of his.]

[The first attack she parried. No way to parry this one.]

[The second attack she dodged. No way to dodge this one.]

[... at least she'll be able to make that physical contact.]

[She holds her arms outstretched, as if preparing to catch him like a giant beach ball. But muscle alone isn't enough to stop this much force, and he pushes both arms back and hits her squarely in the chest. She hears something crack, and a sharp pain in her chest, and she can't help but give a strangled cry as all the air is pushed out of her lungs from the impact.]

[And then she cuts herself off by gritting her teeth — whatever injuries she has can be healed when this is over — and grabbing hold onto his back.]

[It's a terrible position to be in. There's so much damage he can do just by plowing into more buildings. But is there a better spot to hold onto him?]

[And with both hands on him, she starts siphoning magic energy. It won't be enough to drain him completely, since that takes a few minutes even under normal circumstances, but anything she can start to drain off will make this battle more fair. The fusion, the blood magic, the self-healing, whatever Caster did that's driven him mad — she takes whatever the siphoning can pull out of him.]

[The first thing she might notice when she taps into that well of power is that it doesn't seem to bottom out. This isn't Avalon's doing. Darin really wasn't joking when he said he was a reincarnated god; the level of power that should normally be at his fingertips is...]

[Well, it's alarming.]

[People shouldn't have this much power, especially when they lack focus and control. The reason for Darin losing himself so quickly to the fusion is becoming apparent. All of this had to go somewhere.]

[The second thing she might find? Maybe siphoning off that much power is not a good idea. His body is barely holding together as it is. In fact, its the healing magic that's keeping him alive right now. Every fiber of his being is getting broken down and rebuilt just to keep this well of power contained. If she starts siphoning off his healing...well...]

[She can see the repercussions already. She can hear his bones cracking under his own weight, mass, and strength. And that, in turn, causes him to cry out in pain even more.]

[Blood magic it is, then. But even doing that has unexpected consequences. Since blood magic users can transfer memories through their blood, she's got a front row seat to his mind. And it's...]

[...It's sad.]

[She sees what he saw before his transformation; Camelot as he believed it to be. Burned to the ground like the city she witnessed him fighting his brother in in his dream. But this time, she'll see the faces of the dead. Familiar faces; faces of people he had come to know and care for.]

[She'll see her face.]

[He hits the ground hard, his body spasming unnaturally as she siphons power from him. He begins to thrash wildly, rolling around, slamming into structures and walls. And if she's dislodged enough to get a look at his face, she'll find it contorted in pain.]

[And clear streaks running down his bloody and dirty cheeks.]

[So this was Caster's trick...]

[She doesn't get dislodged. Rather, once it's evident that there's only so much she'll be able to do with siphoning, she releases her grip and lets him shake her loose. At least then, she'll be able to have some control over her fall, tumbling as she lands to minimize further damage to her ribs.]

[It doesn't help much. Some of the impact of hitting the ground still travels through her body, and when it reaches her chest, there's a fresh wave of pain, stinging and hot. And underneath that, she can feel the dull stinging of magic power held in her body.]

[It's flowing differently than quintessence does. If only...]

[She needs to take a moment to recover from the fall anyway, so she focuses on the energy, the same way she would while channeling. She draws it into her chest and her arms, all still aching from the earlier impact... hoping beyond hope that it might repair the damage.]

[It doesn't. But the muscles absorb it anyway, and she feels... different. As if she can brace against that pain better. As if next time, she could catch that monster if it hurtled towards her.]

[As if given a magical second wind, which she uses to push herself back up into a sitting position, and turns her attention to Darin writhing in pain and sorrow. For now, she's shelving the idea of absorbing more power — and returning to her original plan of calling out to him with telepathy.]

Darin, please stop! I'm still here! Camelot is still here! You're being deceived!

[Perhaps now that she's glimpsed what's going on in his head, she can get through to him better.]

Edited 2021-06-11 08:53 (UTC)

[Darin beats his arms savagely into the ground and Allura can hear it more keenly now; the sounds of bones breaking.]

[He's not trying to destroy Camelot.]

[He's trying to destroy himself.]

[He doesn't even register people anymore. He's pivoting and sending his head smashing into whatever surface is available, trying in vain to burn through his healing magic so that he sustains enough damage to end it.]

[When he hears Allura's voice again he reaches up to his horns and tears them free. With blood pouring down his face, he slams those horns into the ground like anchors.]

[Then drives his head into earth with as much force as he can muster.]

[There's a snap that echoes through the ruined streets and when the dust settles, Darin's hulking form is prone on the ground. It's impossible to know what this means yet but it can't be good.]

Darin!!

[Heedless of the danger, and of the fact that telepathy has been working far better to reach him, she scrambles to her feet and runs over to where he collapsed. Over to his side, to inspect the damage...]

[What can she do, though? She has no way of healing him.]

[Siphoning off more of his power seems like the wrong option. If she could find the trace of Caster's magic, she might be able to absorb that and free his mind... but she hadn't been able to find it the first time. And with the sheer amount of energy in play, should she be so quick to try it again?]

[If he's unconscious, she might be able to dreamwalk and reach out to him in whatever nightmare is plaguing his mind. It could be more direct than the cognitive magic itself. It could show her where that dark magic has taken root...]

[But before she commits to casting anything, she needs to observe him up close.]

[The hulking form twitches and from the way his head is bent, it's clear he snapped his neck. But the god inside won't let Darin off that easy it seems. His body twists and contorts, and slowly his neck starts to heal.]

[But he's currently unconscious, so when Allura reaches out to dreamwalk...well, she'll find herself in a ruined Camelot, just like she glimpsed before. Darin is kneeling amidst the destruction, cradling a body in his arms. Every moment, the body changes into the form of someone different, cycling through all of the people he's come to know and care about in this world. The body is brutally broken and Allura will certainly recognize more than a few people.]

[Oddly enough, both she and Caster are among the people the body morphs into. It seems he's not even aware that Caster cursed him in the first place.]

It doesn't matter...does it...

No matter where I go...anyone who gets close to me is going to regret it...

[This is the first time Allura's attempted dreamwalking using her own power.]

[It's surprisingly different from the shared dream they had before. There's a wispy, ethereal quality to it, spots where the forms grow indistinct and shift with unstable fluidity, much like the body cradled in his arms. It's revealing to the true nature of all this, that it's all imagined rather than being born forth from a memory.]

[But that's not why she's taking a moment to admire the scenery, rather than rushing straight to his side. The more she considers it, the more likely it seems that whatever hex or curse has been placed on him might manifest here, given that it's infected his mind above all else. And if she can find it, she may yet be able to siphon it out, as if performing an exorcism on this tainted city.]

[It's a working theory, anyway.]

[But there's nothing obvious revealing itself, so she's instead going to crouch beside him, and reach out to place her hand over his, and grip it lightly.]

Now, I wouldn't say that.

You don't know me.

You don't know my life. And I'm afraid to talk about it because how can I compare my grief to the grief of losing an entire world?

You're so much stronger than I am. Any complaint I might have is weak and completely invalid against the kinds of things you've lived through.

[It's a surprisingly frank and honest admission, but then again, can one really not be true to themselves in a dream? This is Darin's very core; a being of memory and experience and Allura might notice that the hand she's gripping is scarred.]

[And if she looks at him more closely she'll see he's covered head to toe in scars. Vicious, jagged looking things; wounds that are cut deep and have only healed on the surface. These are the scars he's always carried.]

No wonder you couldn't stand me...

[Oh, she's studying him closely. And not just because it's a relief to see him in his human body again — she's inspecting him for anything that looks off or out of place, anything that might be a trace of the corruption. After all, the longer Caster's magic has hold of him, the longer he'll suffer.]

[But it's clear from his words that it's not the only thing that's been hurting him.]

That's not true at all. No matter what I had to face, I was never alone. That is a fate that I wouldn't wish on anyone...

[That still sounds cold, doesn't it? As if she's only associating with him out of pity. Her hand leaves his, but it's so she can wrap her arms around his shoulder, hugging him from the side.]

You don't have to be alone anymore, Darin. I'm here for you. Whenever you need me, I'm here.

Stop.

I don't 'have to' be alone anymore? Of course I don't have to be. I choose to be. I choose it because the alternative is this.

[He holds up the body in his arms, broken and consistently morphing into someone new.]

You all deserve a life that I won't darken with my presence. Don't you get it? My being here is a death sentence not just for my world but for all worlds.

Stop treating me like some...hurt animal seeking comfort. I'm a god and I was born to destroy everything you care for.

And if, for some reason, that includes me?

I'll destroy that too.

[His muscles tense and shudder as if something were pricking at him. And if she looks him over carefully she might notice something at the base of his skull. Something burrowing under the skin right at the brain stem.]

But that's not...

[Well, she didn't get far into that counterargument. She's still on high alert for something strange, and that definitely counts as something strange. Especially since that... thing isn't far from her arm. The proximity alone is enough to make her skin crawl.]

What is that thing?

[More importantly, she's going to have to pull it out, isn't she?]

[She briefly entertains the idea of using the dreamscape to manifest... some kind of grabbing tool. Maybe her bayard can turn into a giant pair of tweezers. Why not?]

[But it could be part of Caster's magic. And if she's going to siphon it away from him... well, she may have to touch it, even despite this being a dream.]

[Preemptively wincing, she reaches towards it, to see if it can be easily pulled off or if it puts up resistance.]

[Upon closer inspection...it looks skeletal and worm-like. If Allura takes hold and starts to pull, a thin spine like object will unfurl itself...ending in a small skeletal dragon head that appears as though it's trying to burrow into Darin's head.]

Why won't you leave me alone, Allura?!

Gods, I don't even like you! All you do is cause me grief!

[He moves to swat her hand away.]

[Well, all right then. If he wants to pull her hand away...]

Hold still!

[Then, while still holding the tail of this... undead serpent-worm, she's going to draw her hand back in one smooth, swift motion.]

[Does she get it off him? Or does it stay latched on?]

I said get off!!

[He grabs her wrist and wrenches it, trying to free the dragon tail from her grasp.]

Stop trying to help me!

STOP TRYING TO SAVE ME!

I DON'T DESERVE TO BE SAVED! I'M NOTHING LIKE WHO YOU THINK I AM OR WANT ME TO BE!

[His face matches the face he had that day when he told her off. Except for one key difference.]

[His eyes don't match his face. They're scared. Ashamed. There's so much hatred in them and it's all directed inward.]

[His eyes say it all and so do the tears running down his scarred cheeks.]

Why won't you let me go...?

[She resists, refusing to lose grip on the dragon's tail, as if she's afraid it might run and burrow even deeper if she does.]

[Holding her hand firm as he grips hers — it's both easier and more difficult than she would have expected. On one hand, his strength is immense, as if the fabric of the dream itself is bolstering it. On the other... dreams are born of perception. Even stronger than her hand's grip on the tail is her mind's grip on the idea that she will not let go. It keeps the muscles in her hands clutched, as if paralyzed.]

Because... no matter how much you try to tell me otherwise... I know in my heart that you do deserve it. It has nothing to do with who I want you to be...

But rather, who I've seen you to be.

[The pain is overwhelming, though. It's getting harder and harder to concentrate on that one anchoring thought... and her vision even blurs, just for a moment, as if she was losing her connection to the dream itself.]

... please, Darin... trust me?

You haven't seen anything. Everything you've known me to be is a lie! I act that way so people will trust me and you fell for it!

[She can feel the tail of the dragon whipping around fiercely.]

[Finally, his face twists into a sneer.]

You really fell for it...didn't you...

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

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warning: ow

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cw self harm

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