10-23-2013, 12:58 PM
The blood mage surveyed the scene impassively. Van Helsing was sprawling on the cavern floor, reaching desperately towards a sprawling mass of children. The fallen cage had strewn its contents across the cavern floor, and the children were too weak to do anything but breathe and reach feebly towards their saviour. They seemed to clamour and scrabble among themselves, all wanting to thank the Professor in their own way, but none of them possessing the strength or the energy to adequately do so. It was a heart wrenching scene, by all accounts – but Nyx didn’t feel anything.
She turned her head towards Dobson, whose eyes were misty with tears. He rushed to the cage, his voice cracking as he reassured the children that “everything will be okay, I’m going to get you out of here, be strong for me, okay?” She saw the pain in his eyes as the children wept at his promises, their faces uttering a thousand ‘thank you’s that their tired and starved bodies couldn’t. She saw determination replace the sadness as Dobson used his sword to pry open the lock on the cage door, freeing the children. But still, Nyx felt nothing.
“You…” Van Helsing uttered huskily. His eyes were wide with fear. He cast a glance at Dobson, who was now helping children out of the cage and helping to steady them as they rose to stand. “Why did you bring her here?”
Dobson held out his arm for the first few children he had helped out of captivity. The youngest, a scrawny blonde girl, clung to his arm as though it was a lifeline. Her knees shook as though she would lose her balance if it wasn’t for his support. When he was satisfied she was stable, he turned back to look at Van Helsing. “Nyx is my friend.”
“She is not your friend,” Van Helsing warned, using every ounce of his strength to sit upright. “She is evil, and must be destroyed.”
The young guard’s brows furrowed into a frown. “You want to kill her?”
“What I want is irrelevant. It is what needs to be done.” Van Helsing’s eyes searched Dobson’s desperately.
Dobson finished guiding the last few children out of the cage, then turned to face the bedraggled Professor. “But why her? What has she done?”
“She is possessed by demons, child. You can see it in her eyes.”
Nyx tore her gaze away from the children and fixed it on the Professor. Still, she felt nothing: well, nothing positive, at any rate. The children writhing and squirming on the wet cavern floor disgusted her, and the fact that Dobson could touch them made her stomach turn. She did her best to keep up appearances, moulding her expression into one of concern and compassion, but she was certain it looked as forced as she felt.
“Can’t you help her?” Dobson pleaded, rising from the floor and standing in front of the blood mage. It was a decisively bold move, by all accounts. It was unusual for anyone to challenge the Professor, let alone a lowly guard like Dobson from Darkshire.
Van Helsing looked weary beyond words, but the hope and love this young boy had for what was essentially a stranger touched him. The aged hunter found himself questioning if he had grown jaded in all the years he had spent tracking and killing undead entities. As the boy’s eyes shone with hope, the older man let out a sigh, nodding in defeat. “I suppose there is one thing we can try.”
“Anything!” Dobson chirped, rushing to the Professor’s side.
“… But if it doesn’t work, I will destroy her,” the Professor warned gravely.
Dobson bit his lip, but nodded his agreement. “Just tell me how to help, and I’ll do it.”
The blood mage realized she had been silent for an awfully long time. With a very measured expression, she looked deeply into the Professor’s eyes, doing her best to channel the ‘old’ Nyx. “Do what you must, Professor. I want to be free of the demon’s influence as much as you do.”
Van Helsing wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to the blood mage’s admission, but didn’t seem to entirely trust her. With his eyes fixated on hers, he addressed Dobson. “Restrain her.”
The young guard’s eyes widened. His eyes searched the cavern for something to use, but found nothing. “What with?” he answered, the quiver in his voice revealing his fear of what the Professor had planned for his friend.
“Rope?” Van Helsing replied simply, as though there was no other alternative.
Dobson frowned. “But I don’t have a--”
“Relax, my friend,” Nyx said soothingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll take care of that.” She held her palm out, and concentrated on summoning a length of rope. Within a few minutes, it had materialized. She handed it to Dobson, regarding him kindly.
“… Thanks,” the young guard mumbled, tentatively binding Nyx’s hands behind her back. He was careful to wrap the rope around her skin tightly, but not so tight it would restrict her blood flow. All the while, he seemed apologetic for his actions. He was met with nothing but feigned compassion from the blood mage.
“Bind her ankles, too,” Van Helsing instructed coldly. He watched impassively as Dobson did so. Soon, the blood mage was fully bound. She sat on the floor with rope binding her wrists and ankles together. “Now take the children and get out of here.”
It was clear that it was intended as more of an instruction than a request, but Dobson of Darkshire didn’t need much prompting. The clumsy human began herding the children out of the room, quickly casting a backwards glance, fearing for Nyx. He had no idea what the Professor had planned for her, or what he intended to do – all he knew was that he wanted to get the children to safety and get back as quickly as possible.
When the Professor was satisfied that they were alone, he rose from the floor. His strength was slowly returning, but his movements were still laboured and impaired by his exhaustion. Straightening his long coat, he reached into one of the pockets, pulling out what looked like a small leather-bound journal. He drummed his fingers across its cover.
“This will be your salvation, my child,” he announced. “Assuming that you are still in there, and are capable of being saved. We will see.”
Nyx watched him carefully, making no attempts to fight against her restraints. She simply accepted that she was at his mercy – for now, at least.
‘You’re not seriously playing along with this, are you? This is ridiculous.’
“What are you going to do to me?” Nyx asked, sounding like a scared little girl as she gazed up at the towering man above her.
“I’m just going to read you a little something. It’ll lure the darkness out of you, if it hasn’t consumed you already. Only time will tell.”
‘He’s not seriously doing this, is he?’ The blood mage could practically hear the demon rolling its eyes.
Van Helsing regarded Nyx with pity as he flipped open his journal. He leafed through the pages until he found the one he wanted. A smile dragged across his lips, seeming almost sadistic in nature – it was clear that he enjoyed the thought of whatever he had planned for the blood mage, and with Dobson gone, he was making no effort to hide it. He slowly walked around to stand directly in front of Nyx, and squatted down until he was at her eye level. His dark eyes burned into hers, then he began to read.
“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus…”
‘He is. He really is. Oh seven hells… Does he really think this is going to work?’
‘Shut up and play along. I know what I’m doing.’
‘… You’re the boss. For the record, I still believe this is a ridiculous plan.’
The Professor paused to examine Nyx. She squirmed uncomfortably in her bonds. Satisfied, he continued to read.
“Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion inferalis adversarii…”
The blood mage shuddered violently, beginning to weep. She did her best to plead with the Professor, to encourage him to stop. “I don’t want this, please stop, it’s hurting me…” Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she squirmed against her bonds, fighting desperately to get free.
The older male simply stared at her, increasing the pace at which he read. The volume of his voice increased along with it, his voice beginning to rumble through the entirety of the cavern.
“Omnis legio, omnis congregation, ET SECTA DIABOLICA!”
As the last three words passed the hunter’s lips, Nyx’s irises and sclera flooded with black. She threw her head back and screamed. Pure shadow energy erupted from between her lips, flooding the cavern with a thick, smothering fog.
The shadows coalesced and swirled, darting around the cavern walls before eventually taking the form of a robed man. His eyes burned a fiery red and seemed to radiate a heat you’d expect from the very depths of Hell. Bony horns sprouted from either side of his forehead, and wings made of pure shadow unfurled from his shoulder blades. He had claws where his fingers should have been, and his entire presence seemed to darken the area around him. He almost seemed to be made of pure shadow.
He cricked his neck and rolled his shoulders as Nyx fell limp in her bonds. She keeled over and hit the cold cavern floor, unconscious. Casting a nonchalant look over his shoulder, the demon grinned wickedly. “Cheers for that, babe.”
She turned her head towards Dobson, whose eyes were misty with tears. He rushed to the cage, his voice cracking as he reassured the children that “everything will be okay, I’m going to get you out of here, be strong for me, okay?” She saw the pain in his eyes as the children wept at his promises, their faces uttering a thousand ‘thank you’s that their tired and starved bodies couldn’t. She saw determination replace the sadness as Dobson used his sword to pry open the lock on the cage door, freeing the children. But still, Nyx felt nothing.
“You…” Van Helsing uttered huskily. His eyes were wide with fear. He cast a glance at Dobson, who was now helping children out of the cage and helping to steady them as they rose to stand. “Why did you bring her here?”
Dobson held out his arm for the first few children he had helped out of captivity. The youngest, a scrawny blonde girl, clung to his arm as though it was a lifeline. Her knees shook as though she would lose her balance if it wasn’t for his support. When he was satisfied she was stable, he turned back to look at Van Helsing. “Nyx is my friend.”
“She is not your friend,” Van Helsing warned, using every ounce of his strength to sit upright. “She is evil, and must be destroyed.”
The young guard’s brows furrowed into a frown. “You want to kill her?”
“What I want is irrelevant. It is what needs to be done.” Van Helsing’s eyes searched Dobson’s desperately.
Dobson finished guiding the last few children out of the cage, then turned to face the bedraggled Professor. “But why her? What has she done?”
“She is possessed by demons, child. You can see it in her eyes.”
Nyx tore her gaze away from the children and fixed it on the Professor. Still, she felt nothing: well, nothing positive, at any rate. The children writhing and squirming on the wet cavern floor disgusted her, and the fact that Dobson could touch them made her stomach turn. She did her best to keep up appearances, moulding her expression into one of concern and compassion, but she was certain it looked as forced as she felt.
“Can’t you help her?” Dobson pleaded, rising from the floor and standing in front of the blood mage. It was a decisively bold move, by all accounts. It was unusual for anyone to challenge the Professor, let alone a lowly guard like Dobson from Darkshire.
Van Helsing looked weary beyond words, but the hope and love this young boy had for what was essentially a stranger touched him. The aged hunter found himself questioning if he had grown jaded in all the years he had spent tracking and killing undead entities. As the boy’s eyes shone with hope, the older man let out a sigh, nodding in defeat. “I suppose there is one thing we can try.”
“Anything!” Dobson chirped, rushing to the Professor’s side.
“… But if it doesn’t work, I will destroy her,” the Professor warned gravely.
Dobson bit his lip, but nodded his agreement. “Just tell me how to help, and I’ll do it.”
The blood mage realized she had been silent for an awfully long time. With a very measured expression, she looked deeply into the Professor’s eyes, doing her best to channel the ‘old’ Nyx. “Do what you must, Professor. I want to be free of the demon’s influence as much as you do.”
Van Helsing wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to the blood mage’s admission, but didn’t seem to entirely trust her. With his eyes fixated on hers, he addressed Dobson. “Restrain her.”
The young guard’s eyes widened. His eyes searched the cavern for something to use, but found nothing. “What with?” he answered, the quiver in his voice revealing his fear of what the Professor had planned for his friend.
“Rope?” Van Helsing replied simply, as though there was no other alternative.
Dobson frowned. “But I don’t have a--”
“Relax, my friend,” Nyx said soothingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll take care of that.” She held her palm out, and concentrated on summoning a length of rope. Within a few minutes, it had materialized. She handed it to Dobson, regarding him kindly.
“… Thanks,” the young guard mumbled, tentatively binding Nyx’s hands behind her back. He was careful to wrap the rope around her skin tightly, but not so tight it would restrict her blood flow. All the while, he seemed apologetic for his actions. He was met with nothing but feigned compassion from the blood mage.
“Bind her ankles, too,” Van Helsing instructed coldly. He watched impassively as Dobson did so. Soon, the blood mage was fully bound. She sat on the floor with rope binding her wrists and ankles together. “Now take the children and get out of here.”
It was clear that it was intended as more of an instruction than a request, but Dobson of Darkshire didn’t need much prompting. The clumsy human began herding the children out of the room, quickly casting a backwards glance, fearing for Nyx. He had no idea what the Professor had planned for her, or what he intended to do – all he knew was that he wanted to get the children to safety and get back as quickly as possible.
When the Professor was satisfied that they were alone, he rose from the floor. His strength was slowly returning, but his movements were still laboured and impaired by his exhaustion. Straightening his long coat, he reached into one of the pockets, pulling out what looked like a small leather-bound journal. He drummed his fingers across its cover.
“This will be your salvation, my child,” he announced. “Assuming that you are still in there, and are capable of being saved. We will see.”
Nyx watched him carefully, making no attempts to fight against her restraints. She simply accepted that she was at his mercy – for now, at least.
‘You’re not seriously playing along with this, are you? This is ridiculous.’
“What are you going to do to me?” Nyx asked, sounding like a scared little girl as she gazed up at the towering man above her.
“I’m just going to read you a little something. It’ll lure the darkness out of you, if it hasn’t consumed you already. Only time will tell.”
‘He’s not seriously doing this, is he?’ The blood mage could practically hear the demon rolling its eyes.
Van Helsing regarded Nyx with pity as he flipped open his journal. He leafed through the pages until he found the one he wanted. A smile dragged across his lips, seeming almost sadistic in nature – it was clear that he enjoyed the thought of whatever he had planned for the blood mage, and with Dobson gone, he was making no effort to hide it. He slowly walked around to stand directly in front of Nyx, and squatted down until he was at her eye level. His dark eyes burned into hers, then he began to read.
“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus…”
‘He is. He really is. Oh seven hells… Does he really think this is going to work?’
‘Shut up and play along. I know what I’m doing.’
‘… You’re the boss. For the record, I still believe this is a ridiculous plan.’
The Professor paused to examine Nyx. She squirmed uncomfortably in her bonds. Satisfied, he continued to read.
“Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion inferalis adversarii…”
The blood mage shuddered violently, beginning to weep. She did her best to plead with the Professor, to encourage him to stop. “I don’t want this, please stop, it’s hurting me…” Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she squirmed against her bonds, fighting desperately to get free.
The older male simply stared at her, increasing the pace at which he read. The volume of his voice increased along with it, his voice beginning to rumble through the entirety of the cavern.
“Omnis legio, omnis congregation, ET SECTA DIABOLICA!”
As the last three words passed the hunter’s lips, Nyx’s irises and sclera flooded with black. She threw her head back and screamed. Pure shadow energy erupted from between her lips, flooding the cavern with a thick, smothering fog.
The shadows coalesced and swirled, darting around the cavern walls before eventually taking the form of a robed man. His eyes burned a fiery red and seemed to radiate a heat you’d expect from the very depths of Hell. Bony horns sprouted from either side of his forehead, and wings made of pure shadow unfurled from his shoulder blades. He had claws where his fingers should have been, and his entire presence seemed to darken the area around him. He almost seemed to be made of pure shadow.
He cricked his neck and rolled his shoulders as Nyx fell limp in her bonds. She keeled over and hit the cold cavern floor, unconscious. Casting a nonchalant look over his shoulder, the demon grinned wickedly. “Cheers for that, babe.”