07-27-2016, 09:48 PM
The screams of the damned crescendoed in harmony as they encircled the music store, which forced Remilia to cover her ears as a few shapes from the shadows soon turned to a flood. They did not so much appeared as they did flowed out from the hidden streets of the city, called by the two’s well intended message like piranha to the smell of blood. The twisted creatures had laid siege to them and it would take little time for them to break through with numbers alone. As the vampire watched the assault only strengthen with each second, she glanced at the spell card in her hand and felt her heart clenched with hopelessness. Heart Break was meant to fell a single foe, and before her was an army. Even with Gin’s help, what chance did she have to fight through such overwhelming odds?
They had to find a way out. It was their only chance.
“Gin!” Remilia shouted again as she scrambled towards the stairs. The redhead himself had raced down from the floor above even before the vampire had even called for him. “We got monsters surrounding the place”
“I noticed” the redhead answered and looked down the stairs as the sound of more unearthly screams rip across the side of their new prison. “I don’t think we can fight our way through”
The situation was bleak. In reality, everything since they first started this rescue mission had turned to misery. Everything felt so heavy on Remilia’s mind and the abyss called to her as it neared.
But something caught her. Like a trapped animal, it thrashed against the doubt. It dragged Remilia back, a violent stirring as it reminded her of who she was. Was she going to stand here like a sniveling weakling, mewling for a strong man to save her? Was she not a creature of the night, scourge of both the western and eastern worlds? Weaver of fate and an unparallelled sorceress of magic? She was Remilia Scarlet! A fire burned in her heart as her youkai pride broke through the soft shell she had covered it with when she had treated Gin like a friend. She had willingly made herself vulnerable. But right now a friend wasn’t what was needed.
What was needed was the Scarlet Devil.
Gin noticed as the duo ran further down that the vampire seem distracted by something, uncharacteristically focused on something. In her mind she watched the strands of fate move and saw a hundred futures play out. Although she had lost the power to control fate itself, she still had control of her own. This would not be how it ends.
“Fire escape on the next floor down.” Remilia began to explain ” Player piano to right, bring it over to the stairs and throw it down to make it harder for them to chase us. They’re going to break through and we’re not going to get passed them” As if on cue, the sound of metal buckled before it was rended completely as far too many bodies forced their way through. “Follow me and live”
Gin was not a stranger to that phrase, his time under the service had him learn that it was the orders of those above you that kept you alive. But it seemed so surreal to hear it from the childish vampire. And yet he saw the devilish thoughts in those scarlet eyes, and that she had no tolerance for disobedience when she raised her claws up threatenly.
“Alright!” He shouted and split off towards the object in question. He figured that Remilia’s plan, whatever it was, would keep the horde away as they made their escape out of this. But Remilia knew it would only stall.
As the the horde dashed across the stairs once works of joy and contrasted harshly with their pelled and bleached skins, they found the scarlet devil stood defiantly before them with a hand raised up and a smirk across her face that spelled their doom. They kept on, uncared if their meal chose not to run. But they too did not care as the hand flashed with red power, a spear of pure energy formed from the will of Remilia, and in a powerful throw sent it hurling through the swarm. It pierced many of them, pain coursed through them and the blow sent them back against the bodies behind them, and out the wall they were pressed against with a bright beam a light seen momentarily by those outside like a beacon through the storm.
With her spell used, Remilia charged. The back of her shirt wrapped and expanded as her previously pressed wings tore their way through and the spine of one wing was thrusted forward to spear one ghoul in the skull. Her sharp claws swiped through skin and muscle as Remilia pushed them back, their ability to swarm her hampered by the railing of the stairs and each got in the way of the other. The hamstring of one was torn out and it fell back, ripped away but its fellow zombies as merely as an obstacle. Their attacks were furious, arms thrown wildly with boney fingers ready to pull the flesh toward to feast. But they were clumsy and telegraphed compared to the child, who danced away from the attacks and striked back just as quickly. But the monsters surged forwards, the vampire able to wound but rarely finish the blow while so limited without her flight, and once she had been pushed back to the top they would overwhelm her.
Were it not for the oncoming wall piano set to plow through them pushed towards them by Gin.
“Remilia!” He warned, but it was needless. Remilia had seen this, and with a practiced twirl the piano missed her by inches and obliterated the first ghoul it hit. Along with the others behind it. A cascade of horrible notes played as it toppled over the stairs, tightly strung wire stuck at random as it turned the stairs into a death zone and rested pitifully at the bottom along with a pile of bodies. The living now out a wall of their dead and they were ill fit for such more dextrous obstacles. It would takes some time for them to get over, and those that have survived and remain on the stairs were finished off with the heavier blows of shield fists.
Both of them bolted for the windows where the fire escape was as Remi had said. The glass was shattered as Remilia slammed the tip of her umbrella into it and she dived out. It was a few more cuts on her dress, but it was better than what the ghouls would do. Gin followed after, and looked up to see that there was actually more levels above them. He was ready to ask why they didn’t jump further, until his attention was taken with a quick jab with one of Remi’s nails and she pointed two bolts that held the fire escape in place.
It clicked. They couldn’t go down, the ravenous beasts were still below them and swayed around the building like water trying to go down a drain. But they could get across. With two hits from his powered attacks they bolts were knocked from the building, and he scrambled higher at the behest the vampire to get the ones there.
Remilia herself watched through the window they had crashed through, one hand held the railing tight as one foot on the wall. Their barricade did not last for long, but the simple minded creatures focused on what had brought them here and continued to run up toward the sound of Gin’s magnified voice. Some, perhaps those with some intelligence intact, twisted their body towards the little girl in the window and threw themselves across the room. But two more crack above the vampire’s head told her that it was here part and with all her might she still had the fire escape bent, with all its weight on only one set of support below and the primes dropped away.
Those underneath were crushed by a few hundred pounds of metal bars. With Remilia’s push, it leaned over across the street, a moan of creaking metal rang out until it slammed into the wall of the building across the street. The two held firm and scrambled for the top, an open window await them at the end. Once across, both of them shoved the fire escape away and let it crash onto the street below as they ducked into relative safety.
The room smelled of empty beer cans, used ammo casings, and cigarette butts, all of which here layered across the floor like an unseemly carpet. Four bodies sat in lawn chairs arranged in a semicircle in the middle of the room, wearing camo clothing and clutched high powered rifles close to them. A chalk board was near by, four names at the top and tally marks under each. They were kings and queens of whatever brief fantasy they lived in, but unfortunately none were as generous as a quick check over the wounds in their skulls meant their last shots were left for themselves.
“Okay, this gives us some breathing room. We can rest and-” Gin was interrupted as Remilia kicked down the door to the hallway and was already half way out “wait, where are you going”
“We have to leave. Something is chasing us” Was the vampire’s answer. Gin looked back. They had thrown the fire escape down specifically to avoid anything following them. But he could not see what Remi could see. The red chain that binded their fates to...something else. Something powerful. She was unsure what it was, but she knew what would happen if they stayed. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course” Gin answered immediately. Both of them have gone through too much together to not.
A backdoor at the ground level left them away from where the ghouls congregate, and ran for the tree line. The headed for the docks, and hopped that it would be their final destination.
They had to find a way out. It was their only chance.
“Gin!” Remilia shouted again as she scrambled towards the stairs. The redhead himself had raced down from the floor above even before the vampire had even called for him. “We got monsters surrounding the place”
“I noticed” the redhead answered and looked down the stairs as the sound of more unearthly screams rip across the side of their new prison. “I don’t think we can fight our way through”
The situation was bleak. In reality, everything since they first started this rescue mission had turned to misery. Everything felt so heavy on Remilia’s mind and the abyss called to her as it neared.
But something caught her. Like a trapped animal, it thrashed against the doubt. It dragged Remilia back, a violent stirring as it reminded her of who she was. Was she going to stand here like a sniveling weakling, mewling for a strong man to save her? Was she not a creature of the night, scourge of both the western and eastern worlds? Weaver of fate and an unparallelled sorceress of magic? She was Remilia Scarlet! A fire burned in her heart as her youkai pride broke through the soft shell she had covered it with when she had treated Gin like a friend. She had willingly made herself vulnerable. But right now a friend wasn’t what was needed.
What was needed was the Scarlet Devil.
Gin noticed as the duo ran further down that the vampire seem distracted by something, uncharacteristically focused on something. In her mind she watched the strands of fate move and saw a hundred futures play out. Although she had lost the power to control fate itself, she still had control of her own. This would not be how it ends.
“Fire escape on the next floor down.” Remilia began to explain ” Player piano to right, bring it over to the stairs and throw it down to make it harder for them to chase us. They’re going to break through and we’re not going to get passed them” As if on cue, the sound of metal buckled before it was rended completely as far too many bodies forced their way through. “Follow me and live”
Gin was not a stranger to that phrase, his time under the service had him learn that it was the orders of those above you that kept you alive. But it seemed so surreal to hear it from the childish vampire. And yet he saw the devilish thoughts in those scarlet eyes, and that she had no tolerance for disobedience when she raised her claws up threatenly.
“Alright!” He shouted and split off towards the object in question. He figured that Remilia’s plan, whatever it was, would keep the horde away as they made their escape out of this. But Remilia knew it would only stall.
As the the horde dashed across the stairs once works of joy and contrasted harshly with their pelled and bleached skins, they found the scarlet devil stood defiantly before them with a hand raised up and a smirk across her face that spelled their doom. They kept on, uncared if their meal chose not to run. But they too did not care as the hand flashed with red power, a spear of pure energy formed from the will of Remilia, and in a powerful throw sent it hurling through the swarm. It pierced many of them, pain coursed through them and the blow sent them back against the bodies behind them, and out the wall they were pressed against with a bright beam a light seen momentarily by those outside like a beacon through the storm.
With her spell used, Remilia charged. The back of her shirt wrapped and expanded as her previously pressed wings tore their way through and the spine of one wing was thrusted forward to spear one ghoul in the skull. Her sharp claws swiped through skin and muscle as Remilia pushed them back, their ability to swarm her hampered by the railing of the stairs and each got in the way of the other. The hamstring of one was torn out and it fell back, ripped away but its fellow zombies as merely as an obstacle. Their attacks were furious, arms thrown wildly with boney fingers ready to pull the flesh toward to feast. But they were clumsy and telegraphed compared to the child, who danced away from the attacks and striked back just as quickly. But the monsters surged forwards, the vampire able to wound but rarely finish the blow while so limited without her flight, and once she had been pushed back to the top they would overwhelm her.
Were it not for the oncoming wall piano set to plow through them pushed towards them by Gin.
“Remilia!” He warned, but it was needless. Remilia had seen this, and with a practiced twirl the piano missed her by inches and obliterated the first ghoul it hit. Along with the others behind it. A cascade of horrible notes played as it toppled over the stairs, tightly strung wire stuck at random as it turned the stairs into a death zone and rested pitifully at the bottom along with a pile of bodies. The living now out a wall of their dead and they were ill fit for such more dextrous obstacles. It would takes some time for them to get over, and those that have survived and remain on the stairs were finished off with the heavier blows of shield fists.
Both of them bolted for the windows where the fire escape was as Remi had said. The glass was shattered as Remilia slammed the tip of her umbrella into it and she dived out. It was a few more cuts on her dress, but it was better than what the ghouls would do. Gin followed after, and looked up to see that there was actually more levels above them. He was ready to ask why they didn’t jump further, until his attention was taken with a quick jab with one of Remi’s nails and she pointed two bolts that held the fire escape in place.
It clicked. They couldn’t go down, the ravenous beasts were still below them and swayed around the building like water trying to go down a drain. But they could get across. With two hits from his powered attacks they bolts were knocked from the building, and he scrambled higher at the behest the vampire to get the ones there.
Remilia herself watched through the window they had crashed through, one hand held the railing tight as one foot on the wall. Their barricade did not last for long, but the simple minded creatures focused on what had brought them here and continued to run up toward the sound of Gin’s magnified voice. Some, perhaps those with some intelligence intact, twisted their body towards the little girl in the window and threw themselves across the room. But two more crack above the vampire’s head told her that it was here part and with all her might she still had the fire escape bent, with all its weight on only one set of support below and the primes dropped away.
Those underneath were crushed by a few hundred pounds of metal bars. With Remilia’s push, it leaned over across the street, a moan of creaking metal rang out until it slammed into the wall of the building across the street. The two held firm and scrambled for the top, an open window await them at the end. Once across, both of them shoved the fire escape away and let it crash onto the street below as they ducked into relative safety.
The room smelled of empty beer cans, used ammo casings, and cigarette butts, all of which here layered across the floor like an unseemly carpet. Four bodies sat in lawn chairs arranged in a semicircle in the middle of the room, wearing camo clothing and clutched high powered rifles close to them. A chalk board was near by, four names at the top and tally marks under each. They were kings and queens of whatever brief fantasy they lived in, but unfortunately none were as generous as a quick check over the wounds in their skulls meant their last shots were left for themselves.
“Okay, this gives us some breathing room. We can rest and-” Gin was interrupted as Remilia kicked down the door to the hallway and was already half way out “wait, where are you going”
“We have to leave. Something is chasing us” Was the vampire’s answer. Gin looked back. They had thrown the fire escape down specifically to avoid anything following them. But he could not see what Remi could see. The red chain that binded their fates to...something else. Something powerful. She was unsure what it was, but she knew what would happen if they stayed. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course” Gin answered immediately. Both of them have gone through too much together to not.
A backdoor at the ground level left them away from where the ghouls congregate, and ran for the tree line. The headed for the docks, and hopped that it would be their final destination.
![[Image: XC51JWE.png]](http://i.imgur.com/XC51JWE.png)