Dante's prayer

[necroshmancer]

Who: Jade Curtiss
mention of dropped characters (with permission): Peony IX, Van Grants, Sync the tempest
What: Tragedy strikes the Keterburg trio.
When: I lost track.

Comments

[bearer_of_shame]

Basch had had a few other dance lessons with the princess Natalia, and even though he had improved through them, he was hardly able to dance well. And so they had decided to meet yet again. Though Basch had a feeling that Natalia was tiring of dealing with him. Having made his way to the designated place, almost the same as the last time, but it would be in a different part of the warehouse, Basch felt his feet slow as he walked.

Blood? Already narrowed eyes, as he seemed to have either bad vision and was always squinting, looked down at the trail of blood that seemed to lead into the warehouse. More a trail of blood drips. Like... someone had been bleeding as they walked. Basch's gloved hand moved to rest on the hilt of his blade, moving towards the entrance of the warehouse. Before even stepping into the home of the young princess and her reluctant helper, Basch could feel death.

Something he was use to. Something he had lived around most of his life. Drawing his sword as he walked in, the blonde captain's brows furrowed seeing the mess he was welcomed with. Slowly, cautiously following it to the source, Basch glanced around for any signs of someone living. Were the young princess and her companion well? That was his first thought. He then had to wonder who would do this. Not that he knew them well enough to know if they had any enemies... but when there was already enough going on this world, why did the people here feel the need to hurt those they should be banding together to help?

The blood inevitably led him to a sight he did not expect.

Basch was sure he made a small sound of surprise as he stood where he was. Blue eyes that had seen much blood and death in his time wandered around the room, before settling on Jade's back, watching him with his obviously deceased friend. Or he could only guess it was his friend. His sword lowering a bit, he didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything.

"Jade..." he finally managed to make his mouth work, taking a few steps in, Basch wondered if Natalia was safe. "Where is the princess? Is she well?" he felt bad for ignoring the grief the other must be going through, but if Natalia needed help, he wanted to make sure she was taken care of.

[necroshmancer]

Jade heard steps behind him. Or thought he did. Everything was so muffled and distorted and he wasn't sure that it wasn't his imagination.

He briefly wondered if he was dead, if it was Nebilim coming for him.
But through the numbness, he felt cold. And he didn't think the dead could feel cold.

Could it be another God-General? He tensed.
A familiar voice broke through his racing thoughts. A voice that sounded distorted to his ears, a voice that he couldn't place. What was it saying? Natalia? Something about Natalia? What about Natalia?

"Leave us alone..." was all he managed to whisper in response.

[bearer_of_shame]

Watching the man before him, Basch saw him tense up, wondered what he might do. Grief could make a man do strange and unexpected things. He almost didn't hear the whispered words, but caught them. Barely.

"..." What did one say to that? Moving closer behind Jade, Basch let his blade drop to hang at his side, loose in his right hand.

"I am sorry for your loss." the typical response to a situation like this, "Are there any more casualties?" the next part was asked after a slight pause. He hated to seem like he didn't care, but if danger still lurked one could not bother to let the dead stop them. It was times like this that Basch felt like he was heartless. War and fighting changed a man like that.

[necroshmancer]

"Are there any more casualties?"

The question hit right into Jade's military training, and without even thinking, he choked out an answer: "One Kimlascan male... One Daathic male... I killed them."

[bearer_of_shame]

He hadn't expected an answer, but when he got one, Basch nodded. He'd already taken note of the severed head else where in the room. Though he did not understand the meaning behind 'Kimlascan' nor 'Daathic'. He was not sure if that meant the man who's head was now resting away from them on the floor and the blonde man before them... or other men.

"There are no others then?" He just wanted to be sure that they were indeed safe. That he would not have to worry about anyone jumping from behind him to attack. It was then as he moved even closer, still cautious, that he noted the other was wounded.

"Jade, you are hurt." his worry was easy to hear in his voice as he then knelt beside the other, a gentle hand on his shoulder.

[necroshmancer]

Jade tried to shrug off the hand on his shoulder, but found that, somehow, he couldn't. He was so, so tired. He wished that whoever it was would just go and let him sleep.

"Peony..."

His fingers relaxed on the Emperor's shirt as he lost consciousness.

[bearer_of_shame]

Basch had to drop his sword as he moved to catch Jade before he fell onto his deceased friend. Shifting so he could hold the other and try to figure out where he was hurt exactly, without causing more harm to him, Basch remained rather calm, despite the situation. Finding the cause of the bleeding, and probably the reason why Jade had passed out, Basch held one hand over it, muttering to himself. Or that's what it would appear to be.

Granted his spells would not work much here, if not at all, Basch was still going to try and see what help a cure spell would do. It was better than nothing. When the spell was cast he sighed, seeing that it had not done a thing. Though with all the blood it was difficult to tell honestly. Carefully setting Jade on the floor, he slipped his vest off, before pulling the sleeveless cotton shirt off next. Tearing it into usable strips, Basch balled one up and pressed it against the open wound, before winding a few strips around it to hold it in place.

While doing this, his thoughts kept wondering where Natalia could be, and if she were well.

[ilikeredheads]

Natalia dropped her bag, which had, based on the noise it made as it hit floor, contained something made of glass -a bottle of red wine and some pastries she had gotten at the market before the dance lesson-.

Not even pausing to think how she was unarmed and running into possible danger, she swept into the Keterburg lofts, stopping dead as she skidded in to see Van's glassy eyes staring at her from the sunken orbits of his severed head.

She screamed.

[bearer_of_shame]

Basch had slipped his vest back on, and was working on trying to patch up a few other wounds that were bleeding a bit, though in all honesty, he was going to have to take him to a healer of some sort. Trying his hand at using his cure spell, as much as he can without exhausting himself, Basch feels it is not doing much to help, and is just about to ready himself to dragging Jade's unconscious body to the hospital when the scream catches him off guard.

Quickly standing, grabbing his sword and swiveling on his heel to turn towards it, he sees the young princess. Glad to see her unharmed, he lowers his sword a bit.

"Princess, please come here by my side. I am not sure if there are still enemies about. I could not get Jade to tell me much before he lost consciousness." beckons her over, wanting her close in case they happen to be attacked.

[ilikeredheads]

"What happened?" Natalia's green eyes were wide, but she made her way to Basch without fear. "Oh... Emperor Peony... Colonel Jade... are they..."

She swallowed, hard. She had seen her share of violence, since they had started on that travel to save the world, but never had people close to her been the ones to suffer.

And Peony... Peony was...
She started to cry.

[bearer_of_shame]

"Jade is alive, he will need more than what I can offer him to heal his wounds." Basch's blue eyes moved to look down at the one called Peony. There was no doubt what had befallen him. There was no way that man would ever breath again. It was a shame there was so much death in this world. Though it was not unlike his own, or any world he was sure. One could never escape death.

"I cannot say I know what happened, though it seems someone who had a grudge against you and your friends were here to do harm..." and they succeeded for the most part. Though Basch would not know friend from foe really. As the young princess began to cry, he watched her silently for a moment. He wanted to comfort her, but with Jade as he was, they would need to get him some help.

"I am sorry..." a gloved hand gently rested on her smaller shoulder, the small bit of comfort he could give her, "I do not mean to seem insensitive, but we must bring your friend who still draws breath to someone who can keep him in the land of living."

[ilikeredheads]

Natalia bit down on her lip. Hard. She was a princess, and a healer, and she shouldn't be falling apart, not like this. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, then scrubbed at them with her sleeve.

"I'm a healer. My powers aren't as good as in Auldrant but I should be able to stop the bleeding, if only for a little while."

She hunkered down, making sure not to kneel in the blood that covered the wooden floor, and touched the bandages with her hands, feeling the sickening gooey texture of clotting blood, calling upon the seventh fonon. She strained, as much as she could...

"I did my best..." she told Basch, her eyes riveted to the ground.

[bearer_of_shame]

Watching the young princess fight with herself to not weep, to get a hold of herself, Basch wondered how long it had been since he had done the same thing. He was sure it had been years... mostly do to Nalbina and his torturous stay there. After so much pain, one could feel numb and not need to weep anymore.

Standing behind her, he observes her working over Jade's bloodied and bruised body. She seems to have some sort of healing magic, much like in Ivalice, though not through the same means. From what he could tell at least.

"Tis as good as you can do." He pats her shoulder, before moving to kneel down beside her. Gently he lifts the brunette's broken body, not caring much that he's getting covered in blood, it doesn't bother him in all honesty.

"Come, you should not stay behind here, there could be danger still about." he would rather have her with him than stay here. As he knows not if there are others still around that might have it in for her and her other friends.

(ooc: Soooo... whut now? XD They bring him to get patched up?)

[dist_the_reaper]

"...what ARE-" Dist had entered the house, fully expecting to give that foul EMPEROR a peace of his mind over the journals- but instead- instead- the scent of blood. The silence that only comes from a corpse. Dist had experienced it many times before as a God-General, on the battlefield, in Keterburg...

Except this time, the bodies were much more familiar. And there were more of them. He found himself staring at his former Commandant, or what was left of him. The glassy eyes, devoid of life, burned into his memory. He wanted to scream, more out of surprise than anything, but his voice was caught in his throat as he stared deeper into the lofts.

An overwhelming feeling of guilt, sorrow, grief, tumbled over him like a tidal wave. "E-e...." His hands shook as he tried to come to terms with what he was seeing. Silver eyes traveled frantically between Peony's body and that of Jade's. He tried to say something, to cry out. All that escaped was a hysterical sob, a murderous shriek that got louder and louder until Dist's throat was raw and burning. Hands clutched at his face, at his hair, his knees buckled and slowly the scientist dropped to the floor.