[ He can imagine what she's thinking. He saw plenty of them, too. Tied up, drained of blood, people helpless against what was happening to them ]
Anywhere. Staying put isn't going to help.
[ Even if moving might not, either. He can't just sit still and do nothing. But he glances back at her with a grimace ]
You got a better idea?
[ Just as he says it, there's a sound from down the hallway and he looks up with wide eyes, just in time to be lifted in the air by something he can't see. One of those guys, those zealots, stands there with her hands raised, clearly manipulating something around him. He feels like he's being squeezed tight, like he can't breathe. He can barely move against what has him, but he lets out a strangled: ]
[Lysithea might be lost in a distant recess of her mind, but the one thing she's always been able to do regardless of her mental state is fling out magic haphazardly. The incantation comes as smoothly as reciting her times tables, and the pillar of light that erupts around the cultist is startling enough to momentarily loosen the hold.]
Run! Run -- go!
[Panic is writ across her features as she grabs at Yuri, pulling him away.]
[ He stumbles after him, angry at himself that he let those guys get him again. Yeah, maybe he's not as strong as he should be, here, but he should still be able to defend himself.
But he can't say no to help, not right now. He wants to make it out of here alive, so he can do something about this place.
They manage to run, skidding around another corner, only to come upon more of the zealots, and Yuri curses under his breath, dropping down into a fighting stance, using what he can of his power to cover his fists in ice before he runs at the next pair of zealots with a roar, throwing a punch at one of them ]
[They're trapped. Just like she thought - they are trapped and now she will watch as they're captured - and restrained - and unthinkable things done for the sake of knowledge and power --
From her retreat in her mind, everything seems too far away. She watches Yuri leap straight at the zealots, knowing dimly that it was foolish to the extreme, watches as they respond with some sort of blood manipulation that sparks intense electricity to crackle through the air all around them, surging towards Yuri.]
Yuri --
[If they begged... no, why would that work? It hadn't worked. No amount of tears or pleading... not against these - people who were no longer people.]
Yuri, don't...
[An arc of shining light cuts through the closest zealot as Lysithea casts Nosferatu, draining its strength and making it her own. But still, there are too many.]
[ Yuri is, in fact, outnumbered. It's foolhardy, but there's a part of him that's convinced that if he can just save Lysithea, it'll be okay. He couldn't save Flynn, has no idea what happened to him, and that aches in his head, an ache he refuses to acknowledge because he has to more forward. Maybe he can do some good, here, before he's killed, or worse. Maybe he can help.
Her spell knocks a few of them back, and he's able to move, in, tossing a kick here, a punch there, his fists coating and re-coating in ice to make his hits more powerful, more impactful, and he yells back to her: ]
[Even if she were to run, there is nowhere to go. Footsteps behind her signal that the cultist startled by Abraxas has rounded the corner; before her, she watches Yuri continue to punch and kick desperately at their enemies. Spell options flash through her mind - but there is nothing in her arsenal that can stave off enemies on all sides, nothing in her arsenal that can save them.]
I'm still not strong enough...
[She is three years old and she is watching dark mages disassemble her brother, piece by piece. The cultist that Yuri punches with an icy fist rears back; next to him, another cultist makes a jerking hand motion as if crushing something between his two hands, and she knows, instinctively, that if he completes this bit of blood magic there will be a terrible outcome.
Time seems to slow as she watches the zealot leer at Yuri, his hands crushing and grinding and she thinks - she imagines - she is convinced she can see Yuri's head jerking as if a great force bears down upon it and the zealot's hands stained with glittering darkblood are on the verge of coming together -
[The world stops and everything is gray and indistinct or perhaps that was just her imagination for she feels incredibly lightheaded and incredibly strained, as if she is holding her breath. She looks down at her pale hands and looks back up and --
Everything is gray and indistinct except for her and except for Yuri, who is still carrying through his last punch.]
Yuri - Yuri!
[She doesn't really know what else to say after calling his name because she has no explanation.]
this is perfect, thank you! and go lysithea, so cool
[ His punch lands, and the zealot is pushed back, but it's like it's happening in slow motion as soon as the velocity of Yuri's punch ends. He watches the now-grey zealot fall back, his eyes wide.
Everything has stopped. Everything is still and he looks around, searching for Lysithea and she seems-- fine. She's okay. She's still moving, unlike everything else, and is yelling his name ]
Lysithea? What the-- what happened?
[ He takes a step back toward her, in awe of what's going on around them ]
[Lysithea's tone is somewhere between incredulity and wonder. She slowly walks down the hallway towards her friend, her words coming in a somewhat belabored manner, drawing great breaths between phrases.]
I feel... very odd. But I think... we have time to escape.
[Time to kick the darkblood zealot in the shins, too, as she passes, though she has no idea if it's effective or not.]
So this... is the power of blood... I almost thought...
[The monochrome world begins to slowly saturate with color as Lysithea tries to draw breath. ...They really need to go.]
[ Except, getting a few hits in doesn't seem like a bad idea, even if these guys are incapacitated for the moment. He doesn't care. They deserve it. He gives one of them a left hook to the body as he passes, and it feels good, really good. For capturing him, for taking Flynn away, for giving Lysithea that haunted look in her eyes.
He catches up with her, giving her a flicker of a smile as he starts to speed up, intent to run out of eye sight before they come back from wherever the hell they are ]
[Lysithea is gasping now as she staggers down the hallway, clutching at Yuri. The coloration around them now resembles an odd sepia photograph; it is clear that she is striving to keep this effect active as long as she is capable.
One turn, two turns...
'One more hallway...!' she thinks.
Five turns later, Lysithea releases a great gasp of breath and the world supersaturates in a great flash. She tries to take a step and topples sideways.]
[ Yuri's there a second later, grabbing her arm to stop her from falling over entirely. He hefts her back to her feet, biting back a laugh. Despite how dire their situation is, that felt good. It felt good to get away, it felt good to watch Lysithea do something seemingly impossible. They're away from the zealots, for now, they're safe, they have a head start. He feels like a kid who got away with something he shouldn't have ]
Watch it. You alright?
[ He doesn't know what magic like that might take out of someone ]
[Despite her words, there are two good signs here: she is breathing normally, and her brisk, matter-of-fact manner is much more reminiscent of her usual state of being. It appears that this unexpected development has jarred her back into something resembling normalcy.
If she could not rectify the regrets of her past, today, at least, it appears she will not be adding more to that list.
Lysithea backs up against a wall and allows herself a moment to regain her bearings.]
[ His body hurts, muscles straining and tired, but that doesn't matter. He's dealt with worse, and at least adrenalin is still keeping him going. He looks her over and, yeah, she looks, if not better, then more present. Like that shocked her back into the moment, which is good for him, because Lysithea is a good partner for something like this. She can hold her own, she can fight by his side, or, behind him, backing him up with magic. ]
Next step, we get the hell out of here. Okay?
[ But he doesn't move away, not yet. If she needs more time, well... he doesn't know how much they have, but at least it's quiet for now. ]
[Lysithea nods, taking one more breath before she stands upright. Her face is pale and drawn - though this is not a far departure from her usual appearance. At the very least, there is a note of resolution that had not been there previously.]
...I know where we are.
[Somehow, in their escape, they had returned to a familiar area. Lysithea looks ahead.]
There's a large chamber around a few more bends.
It has many people trapped. I was in the middle of pulling them out when those people...
[She trails off and her eyes flicker to the side. Obviously something had happened.]
I had to run. If we have a chance, there might still be... people who need us.
[ Which he really should have thought of. Flynn and him saw plenty of people, earlier. Tried to help them, too, but the same thing happened. The zealots fought them, chased them. Maybe the two of them stand a chance, but he isn't so sure.
But who would he be if he didn't try? It's better to die trying to help people than live knowing he could have done more. He nods to her and starts off in the direction she indicated. ]
Any of them conscious? Saw a few, earlier, who weren't. It's gonna be hard to drag a bunch of unconscious people out.
[This is a very unclear answer. Lysithea hesitates briefly -- ]
When I saw them, they were all connected to this... tubing. They were being used as fuel, I surmise. If we disconnect them, I should be able to revive them. Some of them.
[Again, this was provided that any of them were still alive. Lysithea leads them around a corner towards a closed door.]
If we're caught again...
Don't rush the enemy again, alright? Don't put yourself in a foolhardy situation.
[ Told off again. Well, she isn't really wrong. There isn't a reason to put himself in so much danger, especially if it then makes her have to take risks like whatever she did to make everything grey ]
Okay, okay. No rushing them. But I am gonna watch your back.
[ Since there are still only two of them, and he's more okay with putting himself in danger than anyone else ]
Alright, so we unhook them, you wake them up, then we find the exit.
[ Easy peasy! They've got this! Good thing there are no zealots on the way to this room. Smooth sailing. Almost like it's too easy.
When they get there, Yuri feels sick, seeing everyone strung up like that, tubes connected to their wrists, ankles, and stomaches. ]
This is fucked up.
[ It's said on a breath, and it doesn't stop him from getting to work because they can't leave people like this. ]
[Lysithea responds with a short shake of her head as they enter the chamber. And just as she remembers... before them lie the victims of these depraved creatures. Her breath catches in her throat as she feels a familiar heaviness settle over her senses.
...She must not falter again.]
...Quickly.
We must pull them free.
[She is fumbling with the first set of restraints already. There's no telling how much time they have - how quickly the zealots will discover them. Then, too, she ignores the nagging voice in the back of her mind that whispers, 'How are you to escape?'
[ Yuri unchains one person, then another, easing them to the ground. They aren't conscious, not enough to say anything or help. One person mumbles something indistinct, but Yuri can't pause. He doesn't have a plan either. Flynn would say to stop, think about it, make a plan, then act, but there's no time, to time to think. They just need to do what they can, help these people as best as they can.
There's so much blood, in the air, on the people, in the bags and buckets around the room. He's breathing it in, he can't not, there's no way around it. Blood pollution, it's called, he remembers vaguely, but he can't think about it too hard.
If Lysithea spares a glance at him, she'll see his skin fading, blue-ish and odd, his eyes bloodshot, fingers elongating. He doesn't notice, either, too focused.
They're left alone, for now, at least. The zealots must not have to check on this room just yet.
Yuri's got five of them down, then six, his fingers starting to go numb, they're so cold, and now there's blue blood on the people, too, blue blood slowly seeping from his nails as he works. The blood in the air is affecting him more and more, the corruption sinking into his lungs, his single-minded focus not really helping, seeing the horror in front of him, these people, who are no different than him, unconscious, hurting, being used for their blood. It's like Ragou all over again, people with power using those without for their own gain, against their will, using them, killing them, for-- for what? For their own pleasure? For power? He doesn't know, he doesn't want to know, but the horror sinks into him, too, the horror that this is happening, here, in Trench, that it's been happening, that he didn't know, didn't do anything about it.
Suddenly, Yuri wavers, halfway through unhooking an IV from someone's arm, and stares at what he's doing. He doesn't remember showing up here, doesn't remember what's happening, where he is, the corruption making him lose track of himself, his purpose here.
He looks around, seeing all of the bodies, propped against the walls, laying on tables, unmoving, sees another person, on the other side of the room. ]
Flynn--?
[ No, not Flynn. That isn't Flynn. White hair, he doesn't remember. He drops the IV and takes a staggering step back ]
[Lysithea is not as swift with her hands as Yuri nor as capable of removing them from their restraints. In physical matters, she is at a distinct disadvantage - but perhaps, in this case, it is a blessing that she has only released two victims when Yuri cries out. Her exposure to the blood is less prolonged, and though her mind races with panic and fear and horror, she has been in this room before - and as she had previously, she finds herself protecting her sanity subconsciously by disconnecting from her mind altogether.
Once more, she feels as if she is watching herself from a great distance, working as methodically and quickly as she can to save these people. It is when she is dragging her second released victim to the far wall that she hears Yuri and disengages her mental autopilot.
She registers a few things immediately: first, that Yuri has saved quite a few more, and second, that he appears to be in a bad way.]
Yuri --
[She approaches.]
What's wrong? What's happened?
((If I recall your intent was to have Yuri continue in the tower while his partner for this part also left him, right? If that's the case I'll have the Moon Presence come by and pick up Lysithea and the victims soon if that sounds good to you!))
[ Does he know her? He does, doesn't he? His mind flicks through his friends, trying to place her, and comes up short.
She feels more familiar than the rest of his place, which is full of horrors and unconscious people and he has a thought that he should be afraid, but he isn't. He isn't afraid, he's just angry. Angry that he's here, angry that these people have been hurt, angry that he's confused. ]
What happened to them?
[ She's helping them, though. She's helping them, and that has to mean something, but it doesn't stop the suspicion in his eyes.
He doesn't get time to get an answer, though, when the door to this strange, awful room opens, a group of people in robes stepping through, and letting out shouts as soon as they seen Yuri, the girl, and the people unhooked from these contraptions. Yuri whips around to face them, shifting so he's again between them and the girl, like muscle memory even if his mind doesn't remember right now, the memory lost for the time being.
He senses danger, and an ally, and he's far more likely to side with the person trying to save people than to hurt them. He growls under his breath, holding up his fists, those claws pressing into his palms ]
Try me.
(( That's perfect! Yes, leave him here for the rest of his terrible time at the tower with the zealots))
[There is a moment's confusion when Yuri responds like a caged dog, turning to stare with suspicious eyes and restrained fury in his demeanor. It feels as if he might start snarling. Lysithea takes a half step back - about to respond to his out-of-place question when the doors burst open.]
They're here!
[The people removed from the tubes are still unconscious. They can't leave now. She throws up a hand -- ]
Don't move!
[................Nothing happens. Truly, she had not believed that anything would, having very little idea of how she had accomplished the feat in the first place and feeling that if it happened again, she would simply topple over unconscious. Still, she can at least cast a spell. With the blood thick in the air, her native magic has at least returned to its full strength.
A pillar of light once more encircles the zealots.]
Yuri, if we can drive them out - we might be able to seal the door somehow. At least temporarily -- !
[ She's trying to do something, something that doesn't seem to be working, but, hell, at least she's doing it. Yuri only has his fists, and he can't feel much mana in the air here, but he steps forward, watching the zealots, his eyes flicking between them.
Drive them out. Yeah. He can do that.
He waits just a moment, trying to fake them out, then leaps forward to throw a kick at one of them, then a punch at another. He feels-- something. Strong. Fierce. Like the blood in the air is making him more powerful, like it's offering him something he needs to make it out of this, something he needs to survive.
He does his best to push them back, to take them on, but there are more zealots than there are of Yuri and Lysithea, and they don't seem too worried about his attempts to fight them with his hands and feet. One draws up magic around herself, distorting the air around Yuri and grasping his wrist with an unseen. He lets out a yell, trying to pull himself away, but it's like his arm is trapped in iron ]
I can't-- Get out of here! Get out!
[ He yells it to Lysithea, hoping she can find some way. He can't protect her, even as he tries, even as fire surged up his arm, trying to burn away whatever it is, but he can't. Flames and ice and flickers of electricity spark out of his body as he struggles against the bond, the zealots closing in on him. ]
[This was her fault. She had insisted that they free these people, thinking that her powers had bought them enough time. How foolish - to squander the second chance they had been given when they had already been in this position once before.
But still...
If there is any hope of helping these people... It might have been hubris to think that she could do so, but she cannot bring herself to feel regret. At least... if they are going to be captured - killed - drained of blood it will be because she tried to help and not because she got lost in a stupid maze.
Not much consolation.
Lysithea cannot cast enough spells to stave them off. She can concuss one with Abraxas, prevent too many from surging through the door with Dark Spikes, but she is one spellcaster and they are many. Flames erupt around her and interrupt her spellcasting, and she is forced backwards as her clothing burns. The flames follow.]
Goddess!
[She is backed against the two unconscious victims she had saved now, and she stumbles over one of their sprawled limbs, sliding to the floor. Something unseen presses against her chest -- her breath is forced out of her lungs as she finds herself incapable of screaming, even pleading.
Lysithea claws at her throat, and as she does so, something beneath her faintly stirs.
A hand moves.
They are alive.]
They can still be saved... Goddess, help us... Help us!
[And even as she slowly chokes, in the next moment, she thinks she sees something impossible -- the face of the Goddess over her... She blinks, and she sees nothing more.
Behind Yuri, there is a sound of rustling cloth as one after another, Lysithea and each of the freed victims in turn vanishes from the room.]
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no subject
Anywhere. Staying put isn't going to help.
[ Even if moving might not, either. He can't just sit still and do nothing. But he glances back at her with a grimace ]
You got a better idea?
[ Just as he says it, there's a sound from down the hallway and he looks up with wide eyes, just in time to be lifted in the air by something he can't see. One of those guys, those zealots, stands there with her hands raised, clearly manipulating something around him. He feels like he's being squeezed tight, like he can't breathe. He can barely move against what has him, but he lets out a strangled: ]
You-- bastard--
no subject
[Lysithea might be lost in a distant recess of her mind, but the one thing she's always been able to do regardless of her mental state is fling out magic haphazardly. The incantation comes as smoothly as reciting her times tables, and the pillar of light that erupts around the cultist is startling enough to momentarily loosen the hold.]
Run! Run -- go!
[Panic is writ across her features as she grabs at Yuri, pulling him away.]
no subject
But he can't say no to help, not right now. He wants to make it out of here alive, so he can do something about this place.
They manage to run, skidding around another corner, only to come upon more of the zealots, and Yuri curses under his breath, dropping down into a fighting stance, using what he can of his power to cover his fists in ice before he runs at the next pair of zealots with a roar, throwing a punch at one of them ]
no subject
From her retreat in her mind, everything seems too far away. She watches Yuri leap straight at the zealots, knowing dimly that it was foolish to the extreme, watches as they respond with some sort of blood manipulation that sparks intense electricity to crackle through the air all around them, surging towards Yuri.]
Yuri --
[If they begged... no, why would that work? It hadn't worked. No amount of tears or pleading... not against these - people who were no longer people.]
Yuri, don't...
[An arc of shining light cuts through the closest zealot as Lysithea casts Nosferatu, draining its strength and making it her own. But still, there are too many.]
no subject
Her spell knocks a few of them back, and he's able to move, in, tossing a kick here, a punch there, his fists coating and re-coating in ice to make his hits more powerful, more impactful, and he yells back to her: ]
Get the hell out of here! Just go!
1/2 hope this is ok let me know if it's too much
I'm still not strong enough...
[She is three years old and she is watching dark mages disassemble her brother, piece by piece. The cultist that Yuri punches with an icy fist rears back; next to him, another cultist makes a jerking hand motion as if crushing something between his two hands, and she knows, instinctively, that if he completes this bit of blood magic there will be a terrible outcome.
Time seems to slow as she watches the zealot leer at Yuri, his hands crushing and grinding and she thinks - she imagines - she is convinced she can see Yuri's head jerking as if a great force bears down upon it and the zealot's hands stained with glittering darkblood are on the verge of coming together -
Lysithea screams.]
Stop!
[And the world stops.]
no subject
Everything is gray and indistinct except for her and except for Yuri, who is still carrying through his last punch.]
Yuri - Yuri!
[She doesn't really know what else to say after calling his name because she has no explanation.]
this is perfect, thank you! and go lysithea, so cool
Everything has stopped. Everything is still and he looks around, searching for Lysithea and she seems-- fine. She's okay. She's still moving, unlike everything else, and is yelling his name ]
Lysithea? What the-- what happened?
[ He takes a step back toward her, in awe of what's going on around them ]
no subject
[Lysithea's tone is somewhere between incredulity and wonder. She slowly walks down the hallway towards her friend, her words coming in a somewhat belabored manner, drawing great breaths between phrases.]
I feel... very odd. But I think... we have time to escape.
[Time to kick the darkblood zealot in the shins, too, as she passes, though she has no idea if it's effective or not.]
So this... is the power of blood... I almost thought...
[The monochrome world begins to slowly saturate with color as Lysithea tries to draw breath. ...They really need to go.]
no subject
[ Except, getting a few hits in doesn't seem like a bad idea, even if these guys are incapacitated for the moment. He doesn't care. They deserve it. He gives one of them a left hook to the body as he passes, and it feels good, really good. For capturing him, for taking Flynn away, for giving Lysithea that haunted look in her eyes.
He catches up with her, giving her a flicker of a smile as he starts to speed up, intent to run out of eye sight before they come back from wherever the hell they are ]
Pretty cool. More useful than ice.
no subject
[Lysithea is gasping now as she staggers down the hallway, clutching at Yuri. The coloration around them now resembles an odd sepia photograph; it is clear that she is striving to keep this effect active as long as she is capable.
One turn, two turns...
'One more hallway...!' she thinks.
Five turns later, Lysithea releases a great gasp of breath and the world supersaturates in a great flash. She tries to take a step and topples sideways.]
no subject
Watch it. You alright?
[ He doesn't know what magic like that might take out of someone ]
no subject
[Despite her words, there are two good signs here: she is breathing normally, and her brisk, matter-of-fact manner is much more reminiscent of her usual state of being. It appears that this unexpected development has jarred her back into something resembling normalcy.
If she could not rectify the regrets of her past, today, at least, it appears she will not be adding more to that list.
Lysithea backs up against a wall and allows herself a moment to regain her bearings.]
...What of you? You took on too many on your own.
no subject
[ His body hurts, muscles straining and tired, but that doesn't matter. He's dealt with worse, and at least adrenalin is still keeping him going. He looks her over and, yeah, she looks, if not better, then more present. Like that shocked her back into the moment, which is good for him, because Lysithea is a good partner for something like this. She can hold her own, she can fight by his side, or, behind him, backing him up with magic. ]
Next step, we get the hell out of here. Okay?
[ But he doesn't move away, not yet. If she needs more time, well... he doesn't know how much they have, but at least it's quiet for now. ]
no subject
...I know where we are.
[Somehow, in their escape, they had returned to a familiar area. Lysithea looks ahead.]
There's a large chamber around a few more bends.
It has many people trapped. I was in the middle of pulling them out when those people...
[She trails off and her eyes flicker to the side. Obviously something had happened.]
I had to run. If we have a chance, there might still be... people who need us.
[If they weren't all dead.]
no subject
[ Which he really should have thought of. Flynn and him saw plenty of people, earlier. Tried to help them, too, but the same thing happened. The zealots fought them, chased them. Maybe the two of them stand a chance, but he isn't so sure.
But who would he be if he didn't try? It's better to die trying to help people than live knowing he could have done more. He nods to her and starts off in the direction she indicated. ]
Any of them conscious? Saw a few, earlier, who weren't. It's gonna be hard to drag a bunch of unconscious people out.
no subject
[This is a very unclear answer. Lysithea hesitates briefly -- ]
When I saw them, they were all connected to this... tubing. They were being used as fuel, I surmise. If we disconnect them, I should be able to revive them. Some of them.
[Again, this was provided that any of them were still alive. Lysithea leads them around a corner towards a closed door.]
If we're caught again...
Don't rush the enemy again, alright? Don't put yourself in a foolhardy situation.
no subject
Okay, okay. No rushing them. But I am gonna watch your back.
[ Since there are still only two of them, and he's more okay with putting himself in danger than anyone else ]
Alright, so we unhook them, you wake them up, then we find the exit.
[ Easy peasy! They've got this! Good thing there are no zealots on the way to this room. Smooth sailing. Almost like it's too easy.
When they get there, Yuri feels sick, seeing everyone strung up like that, tubes connected to their wrists, ankles, and stomaches. ]
This is fucked up.
[ It's said on a breath, and it doesn't stop him from getting to work because they can't leave people like this. ]
no subject
[Lysithea responds with a short shake of her head as they enter the chamber. And just as she remembers... before them lie the victims of these depraved creatures. Her breath catches in her throat as she feels a familiar heaviness settle over her senses.
...She must not falter again.]
...Quickly.
We must pull them free.
[She is fumbling with the first set of restraints already. There's no telling how much time they have - how quickly the zealots will discover them. Then, too, she ignores the nagging voice in the back of her mind that whispers, 'How are you to escape?'
She has no plan...]
cw: mild body horror
There's so much blood, in the air, on the people, in the bags and buckets around the room. He's breathing it in, he can't not, there's no way around it. Blood pollution, it's called, he remembers vaguely, but he can't think about it too hard.
If Lysithea spares a glance at him, she'll see his skin fading, blue-ish and odd, his eyes bloodshot, fingers elongating. He doesn't notice, either, too focused.
They're left alone, for now, at least. The zealots must not have to check on this room just yet.
Yuri's got five of them down, then six, his fingers starting to go numb, they're so cold, and now there's blue blood on the people, too, blue blood slowly seeping from his nails as he works. The blood in the air is affecting him more and more, the corruption sinking into his lungs, his single-minded focus not really helping, seeing the horror in front of him, these people, who are no different than him, unconscious, hurting, being used for their blood. It's like Ragou all over again, people with power using those without for their own gain, against their will, using them, killing them, for-- for what? For their own pleasure? For power? He doesn't know, he doesn't want to know, but the horror sinks into him, too, the horror that this is happening, here, in Trench, that it's been happening, that he didn't know, didn't do anything about it.
Suddenly, Yuri wavers, halfway through unhooking an IV from someone's arm, and stares at what he's doing. He doesn't remember showing up here, doesn't remember what's happening, where he is, the corruption making him lose track of himself, his purpose here.
He looks around, seeing all of the bodies, propped against the walls, laying on tables, unmoving, sees another person, on the other side of the room. ]
Flynn--?
[ No, not Flynn. That isn't Flynn. White hair, he doesn't remember. He drops the IV and takes a staggering step back ]
What the hell?
no subject
Once more, she feels as if she is watching herself from a great distance, working as methodically and quickly as she can to save these people. It is when she is dragging her second released victim to the far wall that she hears Yuri and disengages her mental autopilot.
She registers a few things immediately: first, that Yuri has saved quite a few more, and second, that he appears to be in a bad way.]
Yuri --
[She approaches.]
What's wrong? What's happened?
((If I recall your intent was to have Yuri continue in the tower while his partner for this part also left him, right? If that's the case I'll have the Moon Presence come by and pick up Lysithea and the victims soon if that sounds good to you!))
no subject
She feels more familiar than the rest of his place, which is full of horrors and unconscious people and he has a thought that he should be afraid, but he isn't. He isn't afraid, he's just angry. Angry that he's here, angry that these people have been hurt, angry that he's confused. ]
What happened to them?
[ She's helping them, though. She's helping them, and that has to mean something, but it doesn't stop the suspicion in his eyes.
He doesn't get time to get an answer, though, when the door to this strange, awful room opens, a group of people in robes stepping through, and letting out shouts as soon as they seen Yuri, the girl, and the people unhooked from these contraptions. Yuri whips around to face them, shifting so he's again between them and the girl, like muscle memory even if his mind doesn't remember right now, the memory lost for the time being.
He senses danger, and an ally, and he's far more likely to side with the person trying to save people than to hurt them. He growls under his breath, holding up his fists, those claws pressing into his palms ]
Try me.
(( That's perfect! Yes, leave him here for the rest of his terrible time at the tower with the zealots))
no subject
They're here!
[The people removed from the tubes are still unconscious. They can't leave now. She throws up a hand -- ]
Don't move!
[................Nothing happens. Truly, she had not believed that anything would, having very little idea of how she had accomplished the feat in the first place and feeling that if it happened again, she would simply topple over unconscious. Still, she can at least cast a spell. With the blood thick in the air, her native magic has at least returned to its full strength.
A pillar of light once more encircles the zealots.]
Yuri, if we can drive them out - we might be able to seal the door somehow. At least temporarily -- !
((Great, I'll pull her out next tag!))
no subject
Drive them out. Yeah. He can do that.
He waits just a moment, trying to fake them out, then leaps forward to throw a kick at one of them, then a punch at another. He feels-- something. Strong. Fierce. Like the blood in the air is making him more powerful, like it's offering him something he needs to make it out of this, something he needs to survive.
He does his best to push them back, to take them on, but there are more zealots than there are of Yuri and Lysithea, and they don't seem too worried about his attempts to fight them with his hands and feet. One draws up magic around herself, distorting the air around Yuri and grasping his wrist with an unseen. He lets out a yell, trying to pull himself away, but it's like his arm is trapped in iron ]
I can't-- Get out of here! Get out!
[ He yells it to Lysithea, hoping she can find some way. He can't protect her, even as he tries, even as fire surged up his arm, trying to burn away whatever it is, but he can't. Flames and ice and flickers of electricity spark out of his body as he struggles against the bond, the zealots closing in on him. ]
no subject
[This was her fault. She had insisted that they free these people, thinking that her powers had bought them enough time. How foolish - to squander the second chance they had been given when they had already been in this position once before.
But still...
If there is any hope of helping these people... It might have been hubris to think that she could do so, but she cannot bring herself to feel regret. At least... if they are going to be captured - killed - drained of blood it will be because she tried to help and not because she got lost in a stupid maze.
Not much consolation.
Lysithea cannot cast enough spells to stave them off. She can concuss one with Abraxas, prevent too many from surging through the door with Dark Spikes, but she is one spellcaster and they are many. Flames erupt around her and interrupt her spellcasting, and she is forced backwards as her clothing burns. The flames follow.]
Goddess!
[She is backed against the two unconscious victims she had saved now, and she stumbles over one of their sprawled limbs, sliding to the floor. Something unseen presses against her chest -- her breath is forced out of her lungs as she finds herself incapable of screaming, even pleading.
Lysithea claws at her throat, and as she does so, something beneath her faintly stirs.
A hand moves.
They are alive.]
They can still be saved... Goddess, help us... Help us!
[And even as she slowly chokes, in the next moment, she thinks she sees something impossible -- the face of the Goddess over her... She blinks, and she sees nothing more.
Behind Yuri, there is a sound of rustling cloth as one after another, Lysithea and each of the freed victims in turn vanishes from the room.]
(no subject)