Another time, another place / Some paradimensional race (Active / CLOSED)

[bluecanopener]

Characters: Seymour, Elphaba, Sora, and Wiccan
Content: Seymour gets into trouble and others have to bail him out
Location: The 505 on West 47th
Time of Day: Midday (day after Dahlia's log?)
Warnings: violence, possibly swearing, Seymour being a creep and character death at the end 8D
Notes: The contents of this log have been approved by the mods. Also

Comments

[optimistickey]

In all the things he'd had to deal with in Manhattan, he never thought one of them would be fighting someone who didn't want to be healed of a horrible infection. That wasn't going to stop him, though...if they had to knock Seymour unconscious and then heal him, then so be it. There was a lot more than just his health at stake.

This was clearly upsetting Elphaba a lot. "I think he does!" Sora yelled, hoping this would help explain their sudden fight.

Their weapons clashed, and Sora saw Seymour wince...the bite mark was on his arm. He wanted to avoid hitting it, but he also wanted to keep Seymour fighting with him. His magic couldn't get through this long-term Reflect spell...but if he distracted him long enough, maybe Billy's magic could. He didn't use spells the same way Sora did.

Sora was forced backwards by the huge guado's considerable size and strength, even while wounded. Billy's lightning spell surprised him for a bit, and he very nearly got hit by the swing of Seymour's pipe. He leaped at the last minute, suddenly remembering that he did still have those wings, and his leap took him up into the air much higher and longer than he could have normally. He tried to fly around behind him and clock him upside the head with the Keyblade. If Seymour couldn't reach him, perhaps he could use this temporary magic to his advantage.

[inmyothertights]

"It sure looks like it," Billy agreed through gritted teeth, drawing the same conclusion as Sora - they'd have to knock him out before they could heal him. That would still mean they'd have to be careful, though; it'd be no good to get Seymour to the point where they'd be able to heal him without him stopping them if they were both too exhausted to actually do it.

It was a good thing that there were two of them, and that Sora wasn't a Squishy Wizard like he was, Billy thought as he watched Sora fight.

He'd finally managed to get a hold of his staff again, and he used it to help himself up, lightning sparking around his hands as he shut his eyes and focused on Seymour. "I want him to go to sleep I want him to go to sleep I want him to go to sleep - "

[bluecanopener]

The only thing Seymour offered Elphaba was a short laugh, something that came out as more of a cackle than anything else, before he was distracted by the sight of Sora's wings and Billy's new spell.

Drastic times called for drastic measures. Pulling back slightly, he called up the magic he could, putting all of his effort into the casting of one Multi-Fire. It wouldn't do much damage to either, but it would certainly be enough to hopefully distract them while he attempted to again knock the stupid staff out of Billy's hands.

Stupid Healers.

[wingsformonkeys]

Elphaba tried to think of a spell, or anything that she could possibly do to stop this. All of her spells were useless for combat; the testing of her limits had left her with only that conclusion. Besides, what the witch wanted wasn't a battle-spell but a spell to end battle, without the nastier possible endings.

Armed with her broom, the witch stepped between Seymour and the Healers, arms out in both directions as if to push them apart. Her semblance of a weapon was located in the hand nearer Seymour not by chance but because she had the least idea what to expect from him. At least the two boys would heal her afterwards. "Stop this!" she demanded, turning her gaze to Seymour and adding her very last attempt to verbally stop him, a terribly sincere, "Please," imbued with warning. Elphaba would never again trust the Guado, but she still wanted this to come to a happier conclusion than she anticipated.

[optimistickey]

Before Sora could get in another swing, a sudden burst of flame in his face threw him off balance. He jumped back, but still got a little singed by the magic fire, and landed hard on the ground with a yell. If he was burned that badly ,he wasn't going to pay attention to that now. Brushing the remaining cinders off his clothes, he jumped back to his feet, Keyblade ready.

But before he could make another move, Elphaba stepped between them. Was she still thinking that Seymour would listen to her? He was laughing maniacally and attacking the people who had come to help them! He was obviously insane! "Elphaba!"

Sora threw another glance at Billy, silently directing him to keep casting any spell that would either heal him or put him to sleep so that they could get this sorted out. Maybe if Elphaba kept him distracted enough they could actually get that spell to work...

[inmyothertights]

One of the worst things about being powered down here was that Billy had to concentrate much harder if he wanted to do any magic beyond flinging a bolt of lightning at someone, and it was practically impossible to focus enough to actually bring a spell into effect when the target was hurling fire at him what the hell. He had to keep his mind completely on the spell to cast it, and with the guy right there attacking him and - setting his cape on fire -

"- Damn it!" Billy practically let Seymour knock the staff from his grip, backing away so quickly he was levitating for some of it, for now occupied with trying to stamp out the flames. Maybe Edna Mode had had a point after all, damn.

[bluecanopener]

It was unfortunate for them that Seymour had had to deal with much worse things in his day. However, just as he was winding back to launch himself forward toward Billy again, he noticed Elphaba... She had stepped between them. Looking from her to the two boys, he paused.

"I am afraid that is not an option, Elphaba," he told her, eyes mostly focusing on Billy, who posed the biggest threat to him at the moment. "This is the only way to save all of you, to save everyone who has come to live here in this city. And save you I must, for you cannot be allowed to suffer like this."

Yet, he still didn't move, mostly calculating how much energy it would take to get Billy down and out first. If only he still had access to his mother's summon... that would certainly turn the odds of this battle.

[wingsformonkeys]

"Save us! Saving us from the monsters is one thing. I don't know what you're doing! I don't know about anyone else in this city, but I'm not suffering. It may not be the best place, but it was nicer than home in a lot of ways!" There was a delicate balance between anger and just plain hurt in her voice. Seymour's next words would probably be the determining factor in which way that balance toppled.

"It sounds... like you're talking about putting people out of their supposed misery. That's not your choice to make, Seymour! After everything, don't I deserve a little more of an explanation!" More strains of desperation crept into each subsequent syllable she uttered. This was the end of a friendship, and she hadn't had very many of those. If all she could take from it was an explanation, she would get at least that much.

There was no room in her attention for the Healers. She didn't think they'd attack her, and she was too upset to really care if they did. Elphaba had been hurt before, and physical pain would have been preferable to the emotional pain she was currently experiencing. It probably couldn't be worse, in any case.

[optimistickey]

This proved it: Seymour really was insane. He just wanted to kill everyone because he thought that it would somehow get rid of suffering! And Sora knew that that couldn't be the answer to life's problems.

Sora wanted to shout something at the blue-haired guado, but Elphaba was still between them and it looked like she was having a tough enough time of this as it was. Besides, it was obvious that the most important thing now was to get him healed. Seymour had to be wearing down by now!

He glanced back towards Billy, nodding urgently for him to go for his staff and try again. He didn't want to use a spell unless absolutely necessary, and he didn't know if that Reflect spell was still working. But if Seymour tried anything again, he might just have to get really rough...

[inmyothertights]

Having just managed to extinguish the fire - his cape was ruined, but worse things had happened - Billy stared back at Seymour in furious disbelief.

He shouldn't have been surprised, he thought. It was hardly the first he'd heard of someone who genuinely thought that destroying fucking everything was the right way to go about bringing peace to the world. Hell, he'd fought more than one would-be-supervillain idiot with more ambition than powers who thought they were the one to do it. And here ... it was easy to see how someone could be driven to think that everyone dying would be easier than having to keep on living in this hell. But Elphaba was right - this wasn't hell for everyone. And even if it was, that wasn't Seymour's choice to make. And if he honestly thought just his becoming a monster was enough to achieve it ...

"Are you kidding me?" Billy yelled, not taking his eyes off Seymour. "You seriously think letting them turn you into one of those things is gonna be the end of this? There's already three of them! What the hell makes you think suddenly everyone in the city would die just because there was one more?" He was glowing, now; when he met Sora's backward glance there was blue light starting to spark from his eyes. He didn't go to pick up the staff, though. He didn't need it. It was helpful for aiming, and good as a focus, and good to whack things with when magic, for whatever reason, wasn't an option, but that didn't mean that he needed to have it in order to spread his fingers wide with the blue crackle of magic dancing between them. "You know they want these things to use as weapons, right?" he said; he was looking at Seymour again and somehow it was possible to tell that even though Billy's pupils were now obscured by a sharp blue glow. "You know they control them? If you become one of them, they'll just use you to fight for them! More people will suffer! No one will be saved! If you went through with this ... you'd just be getting in the way of the people who really do want to save everyone. And you're not going to get the chance to go through with it. I want you to stop." He only said it once, but the words were uttered with total focus and conviction.

[bluecanopener]

Seymour paused, glancing indifferently from one person to another. His arm was starting to throb painfully at this point and it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate... but concentrate he must or die trying. He would not allow them to ruin his plans any longer.

Elphaba was still standing between them, though she appeared to be focusing on him more than anyone else. That was fine. He didn't care at this point. She was no longer a concern, no longer necessary, as the Maester was beginning to realize that no one in this room was going to allow him his freedom.

If only he still had access to his mother's summon... Anima would have put them all to shame.

And of course, no matter how many times he tried to explain, no matter how much he told them, they would not understand. A frown tugged at his mouth then and he turned back to Billy, focusing on the glowing blue eyes. So fierce... everyone in the room at that moment was fierce and full of a beautiful fire...

"I care not for your own ideals," Seymour responded, as he began to bring up his own magic. "If I do indeed become one of these creatures, then I, too, may help. For you cannot suffer if you are not alive enough to feel it."

Whatever magic Billy held did indeed work this time, for the blue-haired man faltered, fighting the stop spell with all the power he had. It lasted long enough that his arm began to sting more painfully and when he did blast it apart long enough to get off a three-part lightning spell at them, one bolt per person in the room, he staggered backwards a bit, bringing the pipe upwards to shield himself from whatever might be coming next.

Billy's spell had certainly done more than its job description called for. Seymour was reaching his limit very quickly... If this didn't work... he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. One thing was certain, though: They would not Heal him, not while he was alive.

[wingsformonkeys]

Elphaba staggered backward with a cry of pain as Seymour's spell lanced through her shoulder, leaving burns over her skin. Off-balance, she toppled to the floor, but remained there for only a few seconds before pulling herself back to her feet with a wince and a hiss of pain. "AHYAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The witch's sudden burst of cackling put Seymour's villainous laugh a few moments previous to shame.

A venomous glare in Seymour's direction was all the warning he received before Elphaba's emotion-driven power flung him away from the other occupants of the room to crash against a wall.

[optimistickey]

"How stupid can you be? Aren't you listening?!" Sora shouted back. "If you're a monster, you'll just be under their control! You won't be able to end any suffering, because they don't want to kill us with those things!"

But that didn't stop him at all. Sora had been struck by thunder spells on a number of occasions, from Heartless or other enemies, but that didn't make them any less sudden or painful. He cried out in pain and dropped onto one knee, wincing from the burn marks left on his chest and side. For a second he couldn't breathe, but his fighting instincts had kicked in hard and he forced himself to continue going. He was going to have to use cure spells on this later. But right now...

Sora wondered if Elphaba had finally cracked, because that laugh of hers had sounded downright wicked. At least, it was a laugh he had always associated with bad witches, like Maleficent. But whatever she was doing now, it completely threw Seymour across the room and into the opposite wall. He must have landed on his bitten arm, because he cried out in pain the same way he did when Sora had struck his bitten leg the first time they'd fought.

This was it...they would have to heal him when he was unconscious, and nothing less. Gathering what strength he had left, Sora rushed forward and swung the Keyblade towards the side of Seymour's head, hoping to knock him out. Even a pipe wouldn't stand up too long against the Keyblade.

[inmyothertights]

Now Billy wished he had kept the staff - he was used to channeling his own lightning through it, and it would've been easier to cope with Seymour's if he'd still had it. As it was, he managed to catch the thunderbolt aimed at him in his still-glowing hands, but it wasn't his magic and it didn't work the way he'd hoped - it could have been worse, but he still buckled under it, and sharp, painful heat seared across his palms and fingertips. He cried out and clutched his hands to his chest for a few helpless seconds; like Sora, he'd be willing the burns away later, but he didn't have the time for it now.

Elphaba's laugh was what made him look up; for a moment it worried him, but then Seymour was slammed against the far wall and there was no way Billy couldn't be grateful for that. He managed to straighten up a little but Sora had already darted to Seymour, brandishing his weapon, and Billy decided it was probably better for him to stay back. "I want Sora to win," he murmured, raising one hand and wincing at the feeling of raw magic sparking off his raw skin. "I want Sora to win, I want Sora to win, I want Sora to win ..."

I think this'll be it from me

[bluecanopener]

Elphaba's laugh caught Seymour off-guard. He hadn't even been considering answering Sora's shouts, thinking that the little boy looked quite dashing while he was being fried to a pulp by a lightning spell no larger than a kid's spell at home. But then his one-time ally's cackle made his focus and attention falter... and that was enough to distract him from guarding himself. He wasn't aware of the magic until he found himself being thrown backwards against the wall, barely hanging onto the pipe. Unfortunately for him, the way he'd been thrown made his arm, on the side where the bite wound was, slam into the wall and he howled in pain, reaching over to grip it. This action lessened his ability to deal with what came next from the group of adversaries. Before he could even think of reacting, Sora had rushed at him, keyblade raised, and in that instant, Seymour knew what was going to happen before it did.

Keyblade struck pipe first, but the latter was so weakened already that it snapped cleanly in half, leaving Seymour's head wide open for the follow-up. Sora's weapon struck its mark hard, knocking Seymour sideways and to the ground. Energy drained completely now, the maester allowed himself to fall unceremoniously onto his back, arms sprawled out to the sides.

They were crazy, the lot of them. They couldn't understand the complexity, the honesty and truth of his words. And because of that, they would never shed their suffering... never to reach paradise.

"No..." This wasn't how it was supposed to end. But Seymour didn't even have the energy to move, let alone stop them. His breathing was slowing down, still coming shallow, and after a while, stopped completely. His eyes remained open, mirroring the last thoughts that flickered through his head, thoughts of saving the world, thoughts of taking the pain with him... thoughts of ending it all and bringing everyone to paradise safely. Yet, the Spiral continued... no matter how hard he had tried, even in this new place, he had still failed in his duty to his people. They would still suffer, would still live to see another tragedy.

And he... he would go on without them. He had no choice.

This time, Billy's spell would work. This time, there would be no other chance for Seymour, no other option but the iron cold grip of death.

[wingsformonkeys]

"SEYMOUR!" screamed the witch as she watched the keyblade descend toward its mark for the final blow. She sprinted across the room toward the pair, but not nearly fast enough. Without a thought to Sora, she simply shoved him out of the way with raw power, flinging herself to the ground next to her formerly trusted friend.

Elphaba was torn apart inside. While he had become something, someone, other than the man she'd known, she still cared about the Guado. And she had helped to kill him. Sora would not have managed that final blow if she hadn't lost control yet again! The Witch of the West was angry with Seymour, with Sora and Billy, with herself; there was no room in her for anything but anger and pain.

When his chest stopped rising, tears streamed down her face. She began chanting. She watched closely, but he didn't move, didn't transform. It was too late, and even if it hadn't been, any spell she might use could only purchase him an hour or two's reprieve here. This time, when Elphaba shouted out his name, it was more song than scream, as if plain speech were no longer enough to contain all of her feeling, "SEEEEEYMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUR!"