Nero ☩ 004

[partlyblackened]

Who: partlyblackened and somarium
Where: Noctaerium
Style: Starts in third, but either works
Status: Open like my heart
Notes: Angst all over the place, Nero is dressed like this, Kyrie looks like this and if anyone tries to touch her, he might just flip.

Comments

[partlyblackened]

Nero didn't move at her words, he remained rigged in his kneeled position, still clutching tightly to her body. He said that he would become a demon to protect her, that he would do absolutely anything for her. But was he willing to become a demon and do anything to someone who may or may not have caused her death? No, he wasn't. He was against the slaughter of innocents too, after all.

He allowed himself a few moments to simply breath. In and out, deep and calming, yet still slightly harsher than normal. Lara was a friend, an innocent, and she was trying to solve his problem. Sure, being told that this was all fake was ludicrous to him, but what if she were right? He was put in a god damned stupid costume, so putting the idea passed this place would be ignorant.

"She... isn't real?" he asked with a shake of his head, his voice booming with a dual vocal cord. He moved his left hand to his head and laced his fingers tightly in his hair, looking as if he were currently fighting an internal battle. In fact, he kind of was. Part of him wanted to rip something to shreds because of this, but at the same time he knew that blind fury never yielded a positive outcome.

He placed the body gently to the floor before abruptly standing and giving Lara and almost sad look over his shoulder. His eyes were still tinted red, blue sparks still danced around his body, but that didn't matter, because he was going to do something to fix that. He walked away from her and away from Kyrie before reaching behind him to unsheathe Rebellion, and with a loud cry he cleaved the blade through a nearby piece of furniture. More pieces followed as he wildly slashed it to and fro, only stopping when all the furniture on that side of the room was shredded beyond repair.

"Damn this place!" he shouted as his energy began to gradually fade. He fell to the ground on his knees, hardly registering the fact that he was now kneeling amongst splintered wood. The blue sparks began to fade as his quick breathing calmed. The red in his eyes dimmed as he clutched the blade like a lifeline.

Was he calm? No, but he was calmer that before. Was he coming around? Yes, but it still pissed him off. He needed to get out of this room, but he couldn't bring himself to walk by Lara, almost ashamed at losing himself like that in front of her. So he simply stayed where he was, hugging his body, quivering in the aftermath of his episode.

[nvrtheeasyway]

"No, I don't think she is. I don't truly know what's happening, but I can tell you that something similar to this has happened to....a friend, in another room, before I found you." If she was talking about herself, concealing it under the guise of a friend, it didn't show on her face.

She watched him silently as the young man destroyed every piece of furniture in the room. She understood well the need to let out steam when one was angered even though this was beyond what she would have done. Relief coursed through her body as Nero's strange energy seemed to slowly fade away.

Once the young man had considerably calmed down, Lara walked back to him, offering him a small smile:

"Come on. We need to find a way to get out of this place. The longer we stay here, the most likely we're all to lose our sanity."

Offering him a hand to help him up, she made no comment on what had just happened in the room. But the look she temporarily gave him made clear that he would have to answer some questions once this whole ordeal was over, and that they would both be safely home.

[partlyblackened]

He gave her hand a long, somewhat confused look. After what he had just displayed and what he had just revealed, she was still willing to help? Still willing to actually stick around? It was baffling and yet, at the same time, touching. He took her hand with his left after a brief moment of hesitation and stood on unsteady legs.

"Thanks," he offered as he placed a hand to his head and kept his gaze glued to the floor. Not only was he trying his very best to dodge eye contact, he also didn't want to see the extent of the damage he had caused in his fit of rage. He didn't care about the furniture, he destroyed that crap in Fortuna all the time, he just didn't want to see what he could have possibly did to Lara were his control to have slipped any further.

He sighed softly as he made his way toward the exit, leaving an open invitation for Lara to follow behind him. He stepped passed the body of his dead lover, only giving it a short stare over his shoulder before leaving through the door.

"Have you tried looking for an exit yet, Lara?" he asked quietly as he paused in the corridor. He didn't want to talk about things just yet, so focusing on something else was the only way to keep his sanity intact. Focusing on an exit, focusing on survival and focusing on protecting his friend were his new goals here, and he would fulfill them.

[nvrtheeasyway]

She simply gave Nero a curt nod as he thanked her. It was easy to see how he was avoid eye contact with her, but she let it slide for now. She followed him out of the room, not unhappy to leave the place were her strange...friend had left the body of a woman that had seem to mean to world to him. The further they were away from this room, the better she would feel and the more reassured she'd be about Nero.

Shaking her head, she pointed to the opposite side of the hallway:

"Not really. This room was the second one I've been in since we all arrived here."

She looked back at the young man as screams and groans and screeches could be heard echoing throughout the hallway.

"...And I don't think there is a...right direction in this place..."

[partlyblackened]

"There has to be an exit around here somewhere. Screw directions," he responded to the screams echoing throughout the hallway by stepping in front of his new companion somewhat protectively. He started slowly making his way through the hall, gesturing for her to follow with a flick of his coat. "I'll take point."

As the screams and groans grew in size, he removed Ebony with his left hand and held in cocked and ready to fire. He had already seen the closest person to him die in his nightmares, seeing one he had just recently made die in front of him in reality was something he wasn't about to allow. He had to do something to make up for his previous display, so finding an exit would have to do.

Maybe he'd throw in another dinner when things settled down.

[nvrtheeasyway]

There was a flicker of wind, the smallest breath on their neck and Lara pulled out her own guns and walked behind Nero, her own back almost against his as she covered the angles he couldn't.

"I think we're in the crashed castle. My guess is the exit is probably somewhere in one of the towers."

Towers were usually at the four corners of a castle, so following the hallway would certainly lead to one of them. But the annoying feeling of being watched was slowly growing stronger, in sync with the screams and the groans. It was hard to see in the darkness and Lara cracked a light stick and threw it further down the hall. There was an unmistakable movement of shadows and the young woman gritted her teeth.

"Looks like we're not alone..." And she wasn't talking about the other Dreamworld residents that had been pulled under like them. As if on cue, a rather larger and black creature roared and charged at them, a few others following not too far.

Lara pressed her heels firmly on the ground and pressed the trigger of her guns, the muzzle flash the only light around them for a few moments. Bullets flew and hit their targets squarely, damaging the creatures without killing them.

"Tough little buggers, aren't you?" Lara said as she slid in another cartridge round in her gun, evading at the last minute the punch the Noctaere threw at her. Turning around, she kicked him before putting a bullet between what would have been its two eyes.

[partlyblackened]

Nero had felt the presence too, but he didn't pay it any mind considering the fact he felt that presence practically everywhere here. This place was just dripping with things to slay, but if they kept their distance and didn't get in his way then hunting them took second priority to escaping.

"Crashed castle, huh?" he answered nonchalantly, pulling Ivory out with his Bringer as a precaution. He wasn't here when the castle made its descent, so that wasn't any of his concern. "All we can do is follow these halls then, and exit will pop up eventually."

Ever the optimistic one, right? Wrong. He knew they were pulling at straws here, but he'd pulled a straws in more desperate situations before, so minus the hellish nightmare he had endured in that room, this place wasn't anything special.

He stood still, almost eerily as he heard the patter of claws on the ground through his advanced hearing. His suspicions were only confirmed as Lara made her somewhat obvious claim, and when the black onslaught of creatures made their way toward them.

He took down several of the smaller ones with a few well placed bullets, their bodies lading in pathetic heaps on the now blood streaked marble flooring. He spun Dante's guns in his hands and holstered them, pulling Rebellion out just in time to cleave cleanly through just a few more.

He turned to see Lara put a bullet in one of the creatures, sighing in relief when he noticed that she was capable of protecting herself to some degree. He was about to walk closer to make sure that she was truly alright when one of the creatures that had joined the fight late slipped passed him and made its way to ram it's talons into her.

"Behind you!!" he shouted, and his body seemed to move on its own as he ran passed the creature and moved to step in front of her protectively. The creature planted it's clawed hand right through his chest. He leaned forward, coughing and hacking out blood before pulling Ivory out and placing one right between its eyes.

As the claws left his chest he gasped wetly, falling to his hands and knees. He choked, clenched his eyes shut, sputtered and gasped for air. He placed a hand to his chest wounds, feeling them slowly knit themselves back together. All he had to do was wait, but for how long he couldn't judge.

[nvrtheeasyway]

It happened too fast for Lara to truly understand what had happened until she saw the dead creature fly away from them, a bullet splitting its skull. She heard the sound of blood being splattered on the floor and looked down at a kneeling Nero, a dark red stain pooling around him. Of course the young man had to play hero and sacrifice himself.

"You idiot...I could have evade it..." She scolded him as she knelt beside him, taking off her scarf in order to try and contain the hemorrhage. If Lara had truly been honest, she would have admitted that moving away from such a quick creature would have been a success out of sheer luck, but she preferred to focus on her friend.

"Let me see your wounds" she commanded more than asked, her hand searching for the medical supplies her backpack had. From the amount of blood spilled on the floor, it was hard to believe the young man was still alive, but she still could hear him wheeze and she could feel him tremble slightly from the pain.

The smell of blood was strong all around them, and from the sound of claws hitting marble, it had traveled to other parts of the castle as well. No doubt in a few moments, they would find themselves overwhelmed with black creatures again. Slipping her arm underneath Nero's, she pulled him up and started to walk towards the closest room to them, her gun cocked in her other hand.

"We need to get out of here" she groaned underneath his weight.

[partlyblackened]

"I didn't want to... take that chance," he responded through his gasps for breath. He didn't have to be told that it would've been out of sheer luck, he knew that if he couldn't make it there and dodge in time, then she wouldn't have been able to. He would've waved away her attempts at stopping the bleeding where the strength to do so available, instead he simply let her do what she wished with her scarf. "It's just... a scratch anyway."

It was nowhere near a scratch though, more like five deep stab wounds but despite the pain and his inability to breathe through his punctured lungs, it might as well have been. Given time, his body would heal to the point where the only evidence left would be blood stains and shredded clothing near the site. Piece of cake to his demon, torture to the human half.

His mid fogged out and his blood pumped loudly in his ears as his body began it's slow healing process, the pitter-patter of claws on the marble evading him in his momentary weakness. As his arm was lifted and his body pulled to its feet, he sagged against Lara, looking up with half-lidded eyes as they walked.

"Yeah... we do," he replied in his disorientation, walking along with her help. He focused his energy on his feet, allowing him to limp and assist in their move instead of let himself get dragged. When they entered the safe room, he sagged once more against the wall with her help.

"Barricade the door," he added breathlessly before he went back to clutching his chest and calming his inflamed nerves.

[nvrtheeasyway]

She slipped to the floor with him but quickly entangled herself from Nero and jogged back to slam the door shot. But even as quickly as she had been, it was almost too late and the door was pushed back before she could clicked it close. The door hit her forehead and Lara saw white spots for a short moment, barely managing to aim as she emptied her gun into the opening of the door. The first creature moved back, but not before trying to grab her arm. Claws dug into her skin as she yelled out and the young woman dropped her gun, pushing the door with her shoulder as she reached for the machete strapped to her thighs. In a fluid motion, the blade cut out the paw that was slowly tightening around her arm.

The resistance against the door loosened long enough for Lara to lock it. The Noctaeres pounded on the thick wooden door, but she ignored them as she slid heavy furniture in front of the entrance. It seemed that the barricade would hold, but now they were both stuck in a room, with seemingly no way out.

Lara slumped back on Nero's side once she was done, her hand clinging tightly to her own injuries. They were screwed, but instead of stating the obvious, she simply looked at the young man with a small smirk, her voice teasingly slightly:

"I hope you're good company, Nero."

[partlyblackened]

As all hell broke loose at the entrance, Nero tried his hand at aiming Ivory at the things threatening their way inside. His aim wasn't steady enough to secure a shot though, Lara being in close vicinity. He could've very well have hit her instead, but his fears were set aside as she cleaved through its arm and shut and seal the door. As she made her way over and sat down, he exhaled softly in relief.

"You should already know that... that I'm the b-best company around," he said through his pants, laughing a short, gurgle-like laugh that quickly developed into a hacking cough. He wiped his human hand over his lips and chin to rub the blood off, only succeeding in smearing it. He gave up with a tilt of his head, watching the woman as she clutched at her arm.

"You gonna be okay?" he addressed her through barely parted lips and half lidded eyes.

[nvrtheeasyway]

She couldn't help but chuckle at Nero's bad attempt at joking: "Between you and those creatures outside, yes, I'd say you're the best company around" she teased back as she tore up part of her scarf to bind the wound on her arm.

"Yeah, I'll survive. You, on the other hand, don't look so good. Come on, might as well take the time to make sure I'm not going to have to drag back your corpse."

Kneeling by his side, facing him, she pushed the coat off his shoulders to have a better view of his chest. The cut were deep and Lara swallowed slowly. While it was still a miracle the young man was still alive, there was no way he'd survive these wounds. She gritted her teeth together, feeling a surge of anger at this world: how dare it take a man barely out of his teens?

"You'll be all right. It's just a flesh wound, after all", she said, a small smile drawing itself on her lips, but never reaching her eyes. There was no doubt that Nero knew as her that his wounds were fatal.

[partlyblackened]

"I'll be fine... just give it some time," he offered in reassurance, his breathing finally catching up to his body's demands for it. He looked down, lifting his clawed hand up to gingerly point to one of his stab wounds. The bleeding was stopping, and sides were slowly but noticeable closing, leaving deep purple bruising on the repairing skin. "See, nothing to worry about."

He then dropped his Bringer gracelessly into his lap where the other was limply resting. He'd have some explaining to do about this, he knew that. He never fully gave her an explanation behind his arm, despite the fact that he had shown it to her. His earlier display and his rapid healing weren't natural, they weren't human qualities and the fact that she was still hanging around was enough for him to commend her bravery and strength. She was a strong one, indeed.

"That's why I took the attack," he added, the clouded film over his icy blue eyes lifting, replaced with more coherency. She was strong sure, but not to his level. If she had taken this attack, death would've been instant, at least with him the wounds would only weaken. "I can survive this... if a blade in the chest or a bullet in the skull couldn't kill me, then this won't."

He chuckled breathlessly. Reassuring, right?