Fate - First Reply Finding Danger Before it Finds You

[Asta]

[cred]
The twilight sky brought everything beneath it in soft hues of blue and violets. Pneria, thank Kress, still had days before it would turn round and full with it’s ethereal blue light. The plans had given way to more of the rocky and expanses of mountain that were usually tied visually to the Spine. Yet the growth of the plains still made it’s way here. Tall, thin and swaying wildflowers with their subtle scent mixed with the sparse spattering of trees. Brambles could be seen here and there, but there was not a overly verdant feel to this place.

Especially as Asta crested up the steep hill to her destination: a small abandon castle that had once been used by the Allirian guard. The plains below it had once suitable for farming, but locusts and then a persistent drought caused the farmers to abandon it, and ultimately the Allirian guard had left this spot to go elsewhere. Years later, the earth seemed to be healing from it’s bad stroke of luck and things seemed to be going back to normal. Farmers would return soon enough, once the soil had another few years to recuperate.

What had seemed to come to this spot though was a stench that Asta couldn’t stand. This was hardly her territory, she had none nor did she need any as she was quite notably a wandering hunter of sorts, but once the stench found its way to her, she had to investigate.

A easy trail to the castle, the Sickened had left heaps upon heaps of dead rabbits and foxes and voles scattered around. It hadn’t even bothered feasting on them, just killing them and letting them rot instead. Based on the maggots that were covering over these bodies, Asta figured it had been at least three days. How long the Sickened would stay in this castle, away from people, she couldn’t say.

As it was, she could already be too late. Not that it leaving the castle meant she wouldn’t track and follow after it. It was now her prey and she wouldn’t stop hunting it until she had torn it to shreds.

The white haired woman marched on, the steel of her axe glinting in the soft moonlight, one hand on the thin golden rope tied to her hip. For the sake of people who lived nearby, she’d rather not waste any time in tracking the sick werewolf. It seemed at this point it was so aggravated it was killing on sight, which meant it was already in the final stages. Asta didn’t have time to waste, so she closed in on the castle, only stopping to pause and look at the empty windows.

No lights were on, but then again, beasts didn’t need lights.

 

[Rafael]

Bork! The sound of a large hound echoed over the plains beneath the castle, two figures stepping through the low brush as they stepped out of the forest.

"Yeah, look, I don't like it either." Rafael said to his trusty companion as they made their way towards the castle. "But you know the potion requires werewolf blood."

A low whine echoed from the hounds throat as he looked up at Rafael, his ears flicking slightly as though he had heard something. Something Rafael did not notice as he kept speaking to his companion. "I'd just as much not have to do it, especially because I'll probably have to kill the poor bugger."

As a rule he'd found that Lycanthropes tended to be the grumpy sort.

Not as bad as the werebears, but they were lonely and solitary fuckers. Which made asking for their blood a rather difficult to task. Most often, that meant Rafael had to hunt one of the more...rabid ones down. Not an easy task, even for someone like him. The last time he'd needed to make more of the serum it had lead to a torn wing and more gashes than he'd cared to count.

Tulio was right to worry, and truth be told Rafael was worried too. But without the blood he couldn't make more of the potion that kept his own transformation in check, and well...he wasn't about to go slaughtering every time he caught the scent of blood.

That'd pretty much kill his mercenary work.

So he'd followed rumor after rumor, and eventually happened on the same trail as Asta had.

The two companions continued their journey up the mountain, the smell of rot entering the air. A frown tugged at Raf's lips as the dark castle up ahead came into full view.

 

[Asta]

There was nothing blocking the door, at least not any more. Asta had been smart enough to walk around the perimeter of the castle, but nothing out of the ordinary had caught her eye. It was just the stench, and that didn’t change no matter where she walked.

The door had been broken down, the old wood inside the castle instead of outside of it, foretelling that something had clawed it’s way inside. Asta looked up and over at her shoulder. She almost thought she heard a dog barking. She took a strong whiff of the air, but the stench of the sick was all around her. She wouldn’t be able to smell shit unless it was close by.

Standing up, she looked down the hill and saw movement. The shapes weren’t clear, but she could figure things out enough: bi-pedal? Humanoid. And something beside him. The dog she thought she heard? Why on Arethil were they coming up here? Shelter? Finding treasure?

Asta narrowed her gold eyes, gritting her teeth hard as she grimaced at the approaching figures. What an idiot, did they miss all the dead animals scattered about or were they that desperate to loot this place?

The sun was sinking ever lower, shadows growing and hiding the fields below the castle in a deep indigo. As if on cue, a scream and howl echoed from within the castle as if there were two mouths able to make such a agonizing and primordial sound.

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

Rafael's rapier slipped from it's scabbard the moment he heard the howl. Tulio took half a step back, hiding behind his human's legs and letting out a quiet whimper. He glanced down at his companion, a frown touching his lips. "At least we know that we're in the right place."

If the stench hadn't been enough of a clue.

By now he would have ordinarily been able to scent the wolf they were here for, but the stench of rot drowned out even his senses. Thus he was not able to catch the trail of either the rabid Lycan or Asta herself, cloaked by the corpses which lay scattered over the mountains.

With a frown, Raf stepped forward.

The rapier wouldn't do much against a werewolf, but the silver dagger at the small of his back would. The trick, he'd always found, was to distract the beast long enough to bury the blade in it's throat. Hardly honorable, but then there wasn't much honor in two monsters trying to kill one another.

Slowly Rafael climbed the castle, until it's doorway came into view and a figure silhouetted within it. A frown plucked at his lips as sharp eyes flickered over the woman standing there. "Hello there!"

Raf said with a surprising amount of cheer.

"Don't suppose you've seen a rather large wolf around here, have you?" The Mercenary asked, already steeling himself for the woman's attack. He had no idea if she was the wolf or not.

 

[Asta]

She had decided it was better to wait than to go inside. If it had been closer to the full moon, perhaps she would have darted inside and sloppily gone after the lycan in this castle— or worse, attacked the man for daring to go after her prey. Now, Asta could be reasonable, or as reasonable as someone with her lycanthropy strain could be.

The woman noted the frown and how his tone didn’t match it. She looked over at the dog in armor. Interesting companion. Asta took a deep breath and her nostrils flared out. The dog was a dog, that much could be ascertained by her keen sense of smell. The man on the other hand? Not like her, or the prey she was after. Yet, there was something familiar. A tang of something pleasantly bitter and unpleasantly sweet. This man was not just human. Like her, he had the disease as well.

Just not her disease. He was lucky that was the case. Asta had never been kind to others like her, especially the men. A primal part of her that thought of nothing else but exerting dominance before it was too late.

Her hand went over and behind her back, and with practiced ease, she pulled forth her axe and pointed it at the man. Asta’s eyes narrowed. Was he talking of her or the Sickened? Either way, he was getting too close for Asta’s liking.

“Be still!” The headiness in her tone matched the look in her eyes. “You’re in over your head if you think you can come here and make it out alive.” She warned. For now, the reasonable part of her would give him the benefit of the doubt. “Turn around and be glad that I thought to waste my time in warning you. I won’t do it twice.”

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

Rafael took half a step back as the woman stepped out from beneath the cover of the darkened castle. Her axe rose, the blade glinting brightly in the moon-light. A frown touched his face as he tried to catch her scent, but the wind wasn't with him.

Fingers tightened on his rapier, the blade pointing down towards the ground as he looked up at her. "Would that I could!"

The Werebat answered.

"Unfortunately, madame, your caution is currently one that I cannot heed." He glanced down briefly at Tulio, wondering if this woman was acquainted to the Lycan that had just howled. Raf guessed not, but it was just that; a guess. "Honor precludes my departure from this place."

That might have been stretching the truth, unless honor equaled self preservation. In which case absolutely no lie had left his tongue. "At least until the callous beast which has been haunting this place is brought to justice."

Always better to dress up the intent than tell the truth.

'I'm here to kill the dangerous beast! Avenge the glorious dead!' Sounded a lot better than; 'I need some of the werewolves blood so I don't slaughter you all the moment someone gets a paper cut'.

 

[Asta]

“Ugh.” Asta rolled her eyes. “With that needle of a sword, you think you can handle a werebeast?” Whether it was a werewolf, werebear or even a werebunny if those existed, that rapier in his hand was going to do nothing but make the thing angrier. “Or maybe you want to become it’s dinner.” She pointed her axe at the dog in armor. “Is that the appetizer?” She asked, still blocking the doorway.

But then a moment later, just as it always happened to be, Asta got a wonderful idea. Clearly this man had a death wish. Maybe this was the foul creature who gave him the disease and he wanted revenge? Something wasn’t adding up if that was the case, but Asta couldn’t know everything.

Not like she was the sort to ask and clarify things either. And maybe this time she shouldn’t. If this man wanted to be her prey’s meal, who was she to stop him? Better yet, how could she use this to her advantage? He could be the perfect distraction, the perfect bait. While the lycan was busy, she could drop in and cut off it’s head with her axe.

She wouldn’t even have to break a sweat if that were the case. Asta stepped aside from the doorway, putting her axe behind her. She showed that her hands were free, holding them up and out before her with her palms facing Rafael.

“Go ahead then,” she said. “Be the big bad hunter that you are. I’m sure there’s less glamorous graves than this castle.”

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

Tulio's tail dropped as the stranger declared him an appetizer.

"This?!" Rafael said incredulously, gesturing to his rapier as he waggled the thin blade up and down.

Asta was right, obviously, but she didn't need to know that. Despite already knowing it.

"I'll have you know this was made in Tyr!" Rafael claimed, the lie slipping through his teeth as easily as wine. "The blade is of the finest steel money can buy! Even a dragon would have difficult snapping it!"

He had bought it off a vendor named Carlos, nice guy. "And you dare call Tulio an appetizer!?"

Rafael demanded, apparently forgetting that werewolves had rather good hearing.

"This...this is the fiercest war dog in all The Reach!" The mercenary claimed. "Why he is of the same stalk as the Black Hounds of Menalus! Great and beastly! Defiant and protective of their master until the end!"

Tulio wagged his tail. "You're lucky, my lady! I can take an insult and have it roll off my back, otherwise we would share words! I assure you!"

Back stiffened, a sniff at the air.

"Now if you'll excuse me." He stalked up towards her, for the first time catching that tell-tale scent. His eyes narrowed for just a brief moment, the comic-act dropping as he looked her up and down like a proper soldier. Then he continued, falling back into the character he played. "I have a monster to slay."

 

[Asta]

Asta thought the hardest thing about tonight would be defeating the Sickened. She hadn’t realized it would actually be keeping a straight face as someone lied to her about their sword and dog. Not that she cared much about this man that seemed keen on taking out a rabid werewolf. He would be the needed the distraction that she needed.

Although, the one thing that Asta wasn’t sure of was this man’s bravado. She hadn’t missed the look over he had given her.

“Sorry, should I have called him a hors d'oeuvres?” Asta shot back, but looked down at Tulio. She always had a soft spot for dogs, and this little guy was already nibbling away at her heart. “Instead of ‘great and beastly,’ I think ‘cute and friendly’ suit him better.” She said as she followed Raf inside the old castle, watching the way the dog wagged his tail as if he was merely going on a stroll with the fake hunter.

All of his shouting had confirmed to Asta that he was careless and reckless, two things one couldn’t afford to be while hunting fearsome monsters. The Sickened hadn’t howled yet, but Asta was certain that was because of all of the man’s shouting: it was now probably on the prowl, waiting or hunting.

“So, are you going to tell me your name so I can write it on your tombstone or will I have to write ‘the fool with a needle for a sword?’”

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

"Well, I suppose he is rather cute." Rafael relented, leaning down and patting his armored companion on the head.

In truth, the hound was a bit of a brainless fool. Not much of a warrior or a fighter, the little dog served more as a companion and warning sign than anything else. There were few, if any, that would be around a man like him. Despite having seen him transform more than once Tulio had always returned to his side.

A quality that alone had won his heart. "My name is Rafael Aresto Bolin Arendel De'Valenci."

Mouthful, admittedly, but he wasn't responsible for the naming customs of his homeland. His father had a name twice as long, and his own was only shorter because his mother had happened to be an out lander. Not that it had ever much mattered, most people just called him Rafael.

"And yourself?" He said, glancing over his shoulder. "It is not oft one stumbles upon another living soul in a place..."

Rafael frowned for a moment as he caught the click of claws on stone in the distance. "In a place like this."

He finished.

 

[Asta]

Rafael blah blah blah blah Valenci. Gods did this man make her work hard in not rolling her eyes all the way into the back of her head.

“So, Raf,” Asta said, not even bothering to call him Rafael if his name was going to take her a minute to say each and every time. “I’m Asta. Don’t try and shorten it to call me Ass.” She warned yet grinned impishly, her bright eyes glowing in the dark. The shadows in the castle were long and deep, and rooms seemed far bigger than they really were. Anything of value had been taken long ago, only broken furniture was scattered about now.

She slowed her step, letting Rafael walk three steps ahead of her now.

“And I tend to attract werewolves.” She didn’t clarify it was the males as it didn’t matter. Rafael was going to be a nice little meal for the Sickened that was already making its presence known. She was quick to her axe back in her hand, her free hand going to the special rope that she had resting on her hip.

There was a growl in a corner and the woman paused, looking over to it but seeing nothing but deep shadows.

“What can I say? I’m irresistible.” There was no need to whisper or even be quiet at this point. The Sickened was already here, hunting them. Asta breathed in the air. She only smelled herself, Rafael, Tulio and the gnarly smell of the diseased werewolf before her.

She could hear large globules of slobber dripping down into the ground and it began to show itself. First it’s golden eyes— or the two sets of golden eyes. When the beast showed itself even Asta wrinkled her nose in disgust. It was a body of a human and wolf, merged cruelly together and elongated as if still in mid-shift. Patches of fur were missing, and Asta could catch sight of a human hand sticking out from the top of a wolf’s paw.

It was a sad sight. She almost felt sorry for it.

It howled and Asta continued to step back, a bend in her knees. It either went after her first or Rafael. It’s feverish gaze looked from Rafael to her, and in the next second it was bounding after Asta. Well, that was the downside to attracting others like her, she supposed. Without missing a beat, Asta turned on her heel and began running away, heading down a hallway that she hoped wouldn’t be ending too soon.

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

"I couldn't imagine why." He said, a slight smile touching his lips for a brief moment. "Must be that perfume you're wearing. Makes you smell like one of them."

Rafael remarked, offering her an 'innocent' smile and readying another yet another quip. Only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of their query.

His lips pressed together almost instantly, a quiet curse ringing through his mind.

The beast was sickened, diseased and twisted somehow in a way that Rafael had never seen before. It's form was stricken somehow, more abomination and abhorrent than any transformation that the Cortosi had ever seen before. The sight reminded him more of a demon than a wolf.

In an instant he knew that the creatures blood would not work, or perhaps would have an entirely different effect upon his precious serum. The creature stepped forward, brackish saliva dripping onto the floor as slowly it's deformed paws came down onto the cobbles.

Tulio took half a step back behind Rafael, a low whine escaping his throat.

Rafael's fingers tightened on the hilt of his rapier, and slowly he reached to the small of his back. Wrapping his hand around the hilt of his silver dagger. He prepared for the thing to charge at him, but instead it leaped forward. In an instant it passed by him, ignoring the werebat and his faithful hound almost entirely and bucking in the direction of Asta without a moment of hesitation.

The woman turned and ran, rushing down the derelict corridors. "Shit!"

He called, not quite sure why he cared at all anymore, but instantly giving chase. Tulio letting out a loud bark as he bravely followed after...making sure never to get ahead of his human companion.

 

[Asta]

The musty hallway was filled with cobwebs and dust that rosed up and pillowed after Asta’s racing feet. Her long white hair flew behind her as with every step she seemed to race faster and faster down the pitch black hallway. With her darkvision, Asta was able to see shapes appear in grayscale that allowed her to not trip or stumble over them, like the series of broken chairs and wooden racks or chests.

In the hallway, she could hear the echo of her boots pounding the stone ground that matched the erratic staccato of the Sickened paws behind her. It’s deformed maw was parted and it’s labored breathing and foul breath filled her senses. But alongside the sounds of her pursuer she could hear another set of steps.

She looked over her shoulder. The diseased Lycan was large and filled the small hallway, but looking between it’s hairless legs she could see Rafael and Tulio following after it. She faced forward once again, making a quick left at a fork on the hallway to find the end of the corridor being a staircase.

She urged herself faster, moving much faster than any normal human could ever dream of, climbing the stairs three steps at a time. The staircase was small and narrow and to her delight, she discovered that the werewolf behind her couldn’t follow after her. She went to the second floor, being met with another hallway and grinned. Now if the werewolf couldn’t get to her, he’d surely turn around and attack Rafael instead.

Still gripping her axe in her hand, Asta began to walk out onto the hall, wondering if she should get wait until she heard the man’s cries or to set up a trap of some sort. A trap wouldn’t be a bad idea but—

Only a few meters before her, the old wooden floorboards burst open, the upper body of the lycan trying to climb up.

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

The girl-and the beast-were fast.

Both of them darted down the half sunken halls of the castle as quickly as they could, Rafael hot on their tail as Tulio slunk along behind him. He moved quickly, one hand clutching his rapier as the other held steadfast onto the silver dagger. He heard the crashing sound of Asta's steps, just barely catching sight of her as she wheeled and turned into a narrow staircase.

The malformed beast reached after her with one single sweep of it's claw, then quickly darted forward. Tracking through the hall and completely ignoring the hound and werebat behind it. "You'd swear we were those corpses outside."

Rafael murmured in confusion.

Usually a werewolf wasn't so…choosy about it's next meal. Why was this particular creature so enamored with Asta? Rafael had never quite seen anything like it, and he couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason for the Lycans attraction.

Inwardly he cursed, quietly wishing that the stink of rot hadn't been so heavy in the air. Perhaps then at least he could have gotten a better sense of the girl.

"Follow after her!" Rafael bellowed to Tulio, sending the hound quickly scrambling up the narrow steps as he continued his own chase. Up ahead he heard a loud crash as the werewolf threw itself up Into the rafters, it's claws shredding through the heavy wood floor as though it were paper. Through the broken and cracked ceiling Raf caught sight of his new companion. "Hello again"

The werebat shouted up through the broken floorboard, half obscured by the werewolf desperately trying to reach Asta. "Seems our friend here is quite enamored with you!"

 

[Asta]

Asta was still, glaring at the Sickened as it began pulling itself up through the hole it was making for itself. It’s heavy maw was intent on chewing up the floorboards while the humanoid face protruding from it’s hairless neck howled and growled in protest. The floorboards broke apart like it was nothing more than old dried twigs.

She heard Tulio climb up the stairs, could feel the armored dog slide up against her side.

Asta couldn’t see Rafael’s face, but she was certain he hardly looked serious if he was holding up that needle of a sword as if it were going to do anything.

“What can I say?” Asta shouted back, exasperated but hardly sounding fearful. “I’ve been having to beat men off of me with a stick all my life!” Or rather, a large heavy axe. A large, frustrated growl broke through from the maws of the wolf head, and Asta had precious seconds left.

“You might want to step back!” Asta warned and brought her arm back. This wasn’t the sort of axe one was supposed to throw, and if Asta was a normal human woman, she wouldn’t have been able to throw it very far. But she was far stronger than she looked and as she threw the axe towards the lycan that had made its way up through the floor, she saw her blade hit it in its neck.

Her gold eyes flashed with victory, the Sickened going still and then falling down the hole. It fell limply onto its back. Asta strutted over to the hole looking down so she could look down at her kill with a smug smile.

“A piece of—“ she began, but realized the axe was only lodged into the human face. The beast’s muscles began twitching, movement could be seen underneath the skin as if the beast were about to shift into something else.

“Shit.”

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

A thundering crash echoed out as the sickened werewolf fell from the rafters and to the ground. Rafael had leaped back a dozen paces, moving quickly enough that one would have missed him with a blink. A small cloud of dust rose from the fallen monster, the air not opaque, but dense enough that the Cortosi couldn't keep the cough from his lips.

Rapier scraped against the ancient hardwood floors as he glanced up towards the ceiling. "Well done. I though it'd be ha-"

A crunch echoed out, and almost immediately Rafael's eyes flickered down to the beast at his feet. He could see it's muscles begin to move, heard it's bones snap and move as yet another change began to take hold of it. Concern flickered over the werebat features, and he let out a curse.

Tulio began to bark.

"The bolts!" He called up to Asta. "The bolts are silver!"

He gestured wildly to Tulio and the small rack of bolts that were tied to his armor. Fingers flickered, pulling the silver dagger forward as he leaped and jumped towards the fallen werewolf. The blade coming up, and then slicing down towards the beast neck in one quick and fluid strike.

…only to suddenly stop when a viper like hand shot up and caught his wrist.

With a vice like grip fingers lashed around his skin. A twisted and malformed paw clutching him, a strange claw like hand jutting off of the monsters arm. It's fingers curling as it attempted to swipe at Rafael's face.

 

[Asta]

“I can’t touch those!” Asta shouted back, looking at Tulio and seeing the bolts attached to the dog’s armor. Asta looked back down at the hole, seeing the Sickened grabbing Raf and holding his hand up and away from its throat. The silver blade seemed to give a twinkle of warning to Asta. She could run away. This would be a excellent chance to do so. Run away and hide, have time to think and….

She groaned, but it soon turned into a frustrated growl.

“Don’t let it get any of your blood in it’s mouth!” She warned, ripping off the sleeve of her tight-fitted tunic and wrapping the black fabric around her hand. Asta grabbed a bolt front the rack, lip curling up in disdain. Ugh. Silver. The absolute worse. Her free hand went to the rope, untying it before she leapt down the hole.

With a roar of irritation, she pierced through the lumpy, hairless forearm of the beast. It screamed, mouth mouths opening wide in a animalistic howl of agony. It let go of Raf, and Asta left the silver there in the Sickened’s arm, reaching instead to grab the handle of her axe.

Before she realized it, she was knocked back. Asta hit a wall hard, dust and debris and spider web flying up in a heavy cloud around her.

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

Things were very clear now. Sure he'd had a theory, but as Asta shouted about her aversion to silver things fell into place. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, though it did beg the question.

Why was a werewolf hunting a werewolf.

A blighted werewolf, mind, but it did seem an odd occupation. Perhaps she was on a mission to rid the world of her own kind, a self-hating mission to cleanse this world of mo-

Rafael found his thoughts interrupted as Asta came crashing back into the fight. A silver bolt slammed through the Afflicted wrist, causing the creature to drop him and flail suddenly. Blood splattered over Rafael's hand, his steps sending him into a short retreat as he shouted.

"Don't-what?!" He asked. "Is this thing going to get me sick?"

Could it get him sick? Everything he knew about his own affliction said no, but then…he used the blood of werebeasts to stymie is own monster. If this creature was diseased it stood to reason that disease would affect in some way. "Fuck."

He swore, and then darted forward as the afflicted turned and launched himself at Asta.

Without really thinking, Rafael pounced. Moving with a shocking speed the werebat closed the distance between himself and the afflicted in just a few heartbeats. Throwing himself against the beast and sending him flying back and into a set of nearby pews.

The strength of his own affliction showing through.

 

[Asta]

Blood dripped from her nose. She could feel the warm rivulet slide down and over lip as she gritted her teeth together. She could taste the metallic tang. Using the back of her hand, she wiped away at it.

Slightly disoriented, she got to her feet, only understanding from the aftermath of Raf’s attack that he had helped her. Asta glanced at him once, but her gaze was back to were the sickened lycan was.

“I’m really fuckin’ pissed off now.” She growled, both of her hands taking hold of the golden rope. Her gold eyes were ablaze with rage as she began stomping towards the lycan, any ideas about logic or making a plan completely gone.

“Blood makes ‘em mutate. Too many strains of lycanthropy in one body. Usually doesn’t matter, but some people get the shit end of the genetic lottery and turn into those ugly things.” The crazed lycan was growling and howling once again, the feverish sounds grating Asta’s sensitive ears.

She could see nothing but the lycan, could focus on nothing but him and putting him now. She dashed forward, clearing readying the rope to use it and restrain him, but the lycan was fast. Faster than it had been before.

One of it’s eyes glowed gold, the same effervescent hue as Asta’s. Patches of white fur were stark against the gray coat.

Asta realized too late that her nose wasn’t bleeding. The tip of the beast’s claw had sliced right under her nose. All it needed was a drop. A drop of her blood and it had already mutated, or at least started to.

The lycan evaded Asta’s attack, dipping off to the side and sprinting to attack the exposed back, jaws parted wide. Asta spun, just fast enough to hold the rope out in front of her and ensnaring the mouth of the Sickened.

Veins were popping out along here skin, her features looking far more feral. Clothing seem to strain to keep the sudden bulge of her muscles in check as she exerted herself.

The lycan reared up, positioning itself to claw and swipe at Asta.

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

All he'd wanted was a little bit of blood! That was it, nothing more. Just enough to keep the monster in his own head at bay, just enough to keep fucking living.

It was getting worse.

Every single fucking time he scrambled for this shit it just got worse. Next time he'd end up in a fucking colony of Lycan's, all of them ready and eager to chomp through his head. It was unfair! Totally and completely unfair! All he wanted wa-

The beasts bones seemed to shift and change again twisting as Asta herself seemed to change. Rafael let out a string of curses, hearing Tulio barking from above as though he were actually doing anything. The werebat took half a step back, fingers clutching tightly at the weapons in his hand. Eyes practically glued to the creature that seemed to be getting bigger with every second.

It reared up, squaring against Asta.

"Oh fuck this." Rafael said, and for a moment it would look like the Mercenary was about to turn and run.

Then, suddenly, completely against his own better judgment Rafael broke Into a sprint. A flash of silver colored his eyes, and with a loud charging yell he rushed at the afflicted. His hands turned as he leaped Into the air, rapier aimed directly at the monsters spine while the silver dagger stabbed towards its side.

Rafael intending to mount the beast, using his blades as painful footholds in its flesh.

 

[Asta]

The beast couldn’t roar in pain as the silver pierced through it’s flesh like a hot knife through butter. Asta was firm with her hold of her rope that was tight around the beast’s muzzle. The seams along her the remaining sleeve of her shirt ripped apart, unable to contain her growing arms. Then it was her shoulders that got too big, fabric tearing once again.

“That toothpick of yours doing anything yet?!” Asta snarled, baring her teeth at the lycan that shook it’s head like a wolf trying to tear a particularly stubborn ligament from the bone. With Rafael on top of the Sickened, Asta’s only reprieve from the giant claws was from the monster trying to get the man off of it’s broad back.

It had been struck twice now with silver yet the lycan wasn’t stopping anytime soon. Did this thing have some sort of increased resistance to silver? Impossible. Asta’s lip was curled up just because the silver bolt in its arm was so close to her own being. If it touched her bare skin it would hurt like a bitch.

The diseased lycan’s arm raised up, Asta seemingly watching it in slow motion. She knew what it was trying to do, and at the angle it was trying at, it’s disgusting, oozing paw would be able to grab hold of Rafael. It could give her just the opening she needed, maybe just that second she needed to grab hold of her axe and chop it’s head off.

Instead she jumped and swung her feet towards the werewolf’s midsection, using it to give her the traction she needed in swinging herself up and over his shoulder. She lengthened the rope, but the lycan’s heavy head followed after Asta whether it wanted to or not. Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Asta was able to lock the Lycan’s head and shoulder in place.

She grunted, knuckles as white as her hair and the palms of her hands feeling like there was no skin left.

Asta didn’t move as the other arm of the lycan swung over, managing to grab her leg and try to swing her around in the air. She could feel the claws piercing her flesh but she held onto the rope no matter how the beast jostled her around. The world spun around her, her head lolling from side to side and sometimes hitting against the diseased creature.

“Hurry. The. Fuck. Up. Already!”

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

afael had no idea why he did it. He could have just turned around and left. Hell, he probably could have left the entire area while Asta was being chewed on by her new friend. It would've been easier, and it certainly would have meant that the claw that came swiping across his side wouldn't have dug through his flesh and ripped a bloody trail of crimson across his ribs.

A howl of pain escaped from the Werebat's lips as the afflicted slashed into him. The grip on his blades became knuckle white as a surge of agony dragged through him. His eyes flashing a deep silver. Tendons and muscles flexing as they grew. The beast Inside beginning to stretch at press at his flesh.

Tulio barked ever louder in warning and concern. Then seemed to hype himself up as he too bounced on his paws and launched himself forward.

His jaws clamping down on the Afflicted legs as Asta jumped and began to weave her net.

Beneath him Rafael could feel the twisted beast shift. It's weight forcibly moved as his new werewolf friend began to bind and tie it. Head and shoulder forced low and away from the werebat. "I'm fucking! Fuck-"

The cortosi cursed, yanking his silver dagger free from the werewolf's neck.

"Trying!" Rafael shouted as he stabbed the blade into the Afflicted throat once more. Then did so again, and again, and again until a spray of brackish crimson began to pour from the beasts neck.

 

[Asta]

“THEN TRY HARDER!” Asta screamed, her voice bouncing off of the stone walls and echoing all around them. But soon her voice was drowned out but the thrashing of the sickened beast beneath the two of them. With all three of them working together, Asta, Rafael and Tulio had gotten the werewolf down low to the ground— with Asta somehow ending partially underneath the beast.

It wasn’t able to attack any of them, Asta having used her rope to tie the beast and restrain him so even if he wanted to slash at Rafael then he’d have to break his bones first. It wasn’t long, with blood gushing from the wounds— much to Asta’s disdain as it splattered over her face and hair but that was her punishment for locking her legs underneath the beast’s broad chest.

Foam formed around the parted jaws and its gold eyes rolled back into it’s head. Finally, the Sickened had died. Asta could finally release her deathgrip on the rope and focused on pulling herself out from underneath the lycan. Her chest was heaving and for a long while all that anyone could hear were the were-beasts and Tulio’s heavy breathing.

“‘Callous beast’ my ass,” Asta gasped, referencing Rafael’s words from a half hour ago. “That thing was a—“ Asta couldn’t finish her words, snarling in annoyance the moment she heard the body relieve itself of its wastes. “Mother fu…!” She kicked at it’s head as she continued the colorful string of curses that was longer than Rafael’s fancy schmancy Cortosi name.

Rafael

 

[Rafael]

Rafael kept stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing until the damned thing finally stopped moving.

He felt relief flood him as the beast stopped it's twitching beneath him.

Relief flooded through him, eyes closing as he let out a quiet chuckle of glee. Having survived yet another death trap that he himself had walked into and triggered. His entire body slumping against the dead and twisted werewolf. "I can't fucki-"

The Cortosi found the words die on his tongue as the monster beneath him suddenly twitched. A spike of fear rushed through him, fingers flexing and muscles tensing as he thought the afflicted would once again come back to life.

Then, the sound of it's relief echoed through the chamber.

Tulio let out a bark of exasperated pain as the smell hit his nose, Asta began to swear up a storm that would have put a sailor to shame, but Raf?

Raf just laughed.

Almost uncontrollably the werebat began to cackle. Forgetting the wound on his side, the pain that was lancing through him, and everything else. He slumped into the great monsters fur and simply laughed, shaking his head.

"Kress fuck me." He complained finally. "I'm such an idiot."

 

[Asta]

“Kress was trying to fuck you over,” Asta said through her heavy panting, slowly her body beginning to look like that belonging to a normal woman. Her shoulders returned to something more slender than bulky, her arms still stronger but thinner than they had been before, and her chest lost that unnatural width and thickness that couldn’t ever possibly fit on the slender frame of a woman.

“And me over, and your dog over,” Asta pointed at Tulio before she went to collect the long glowing piece of rope. She began to loop it using her forearm and hand, making quick work of it. She put it back on the side of her hip and then went over to the begin the process of getting her axe back.

“Get your ass of it!” She snapped, her irritation beginning to spike up. Or rather it was already brimming too close to the edge, the fight having done little to relieve her of her aggression. “I can’t pick this thing up with you laughing on it! Which doesn’t make sense, this is hardly funny.”

Rafael