thenearshore | (no subject)

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Who: Axel the Accidental Ayakashi and you!
What: After a badly thought out conversation with Roxas, Axel succumbs to his memories and turns into a fiery ayakashi. (See the plotting post for details!)
Where: In a pretty park area in the Heavens, and rampaging around from there.
When: April 28, early afternoon
Warnings: Violence, character death, body horror

[A few hours after noon, a shriek spirals up into the still air of the Far Shore. Among the trees to one side of a path, purple limbs flail, backlit by a sullen lava glow, and something massive moves. The trees tremble.

Incoming.

Duck.]

(( This is an catchall mingle log for interactions with ayakashi!Axel and reactions! Axel will be tagging into the fight threads as well as the threads of anyone who asked for a quick interaction in the OOC log. ))

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( The entire temple is still incredibly overwhelmng for Urashima to be in. It's so rich and fancy that he just feels unworthy of being in a place like this, man. But it's been nice. It's like being in a castle from a story and it's been easy and great.... until now. Until he hears Pippa cry out in pain and he snaps to attention and rushes to her side. )

--What's wrong?! ( Aaah, he's here, he's here and he's trying to see if he can tell what's wrong. Why is she covering her face? Why-- what are those marks? He's completely unprepared for dealing with this, ) M-miss Pippa?

( He isn't going to just stand there useless forever, though, )

Tell me how I can help...!

[ She knows about blight; she knows that he should not touch her, so when he gets too close, she holds out a hand. ]

D-do not touch me! Quickly, we must-- [ Do what? She doesn't know, she's... she's never had to deal with this, and quite frankly, it's terrifying. Pippa's shaking from pain and fear, and she wants to curl in on herself and just... surrender to it. ]

W-we must-- find Axel-- [ she manages to gasp out. He's her only other shinki, after all. ]

( He stops completely when she holds up her hand. Why? Did he do something wrong? And then she explains and it doesn't really explain anything but at least he understands just the slightest bit more. This is scary. It's all so scary and Pippa is lucky that whether he remembers why or not, he knows that he shouldn't give into fear now of all times. )

Axel...? ( He tries to think quickly, ) I haven't seen him...!

( Keep it together, keep it together, even if you're so anxious you want to run away and find the nearest adult. )

[Outside, a snapping, crashing noise echoes from the edge of Pippa's forest. An ayakashi is fleeing: wounded, streaming fiery purple ichor from deep rents in its lower body and the more human torso, with only one of its limbs left intact to sweep down jeweled trees and clear its path.

It can barely manage to blend into the ground; it's just running, now, looking for a place to hide and regain its strength as it shudders, bleeds and leaves burned marks scattered across grass and trees alike.]

[ She hears it--hard not to, considering the absolutely terrible racket it's making. Pippa doubles over and coughs up black stuff. A lot of it. Pippa's shaking, but she manages to push herself up. ]

H-he is out there, [ she whispers, her voice hoarse and weak. ] Axel's other g-gods, they-- surely they must be suffering, too. We must--

[ More black stuff. Lovely. ]

( The crash is loud enough to make Urashima jump. What was that? That can't actually be Axel, can it? There's no way something like that could come from him! And then Pippa is coughing up something-- blood? No, it's to dark and Urashima starts to reach out to touch her-- to grab her shoulders and help keep her stable, to hug her, to do something-- but he freezes because he was told not to earlier.

He's left twisting his hands, wishing he had something to hold onto. )

Th-then let's go!

( But is it really okay to go? Pippa looks like she's in so much pain. He takes two steps forward and turns back to Pippa, hand held out for her to follow. Can she? Does he need to help her? But she said not to touch... aaaah, he doesn't care if it's to help. )

You have to fight, right? ( He understands and recalls this much, at least. It sure would be nice if Axel was here-- it still hasn't even crossed his mind that they actually have to fight Axel. He's naive and optimistic. Axel is clearly not the enemy here. He's clearly just someone else who needs help right now. ) Then use me.

( The words come out naturally as naturally and without hesitation. )

[There's something about this place that calls to him, even through a mind fogged by pain, rage and senseless hunger. This place says safety. Refuge. Ichor is still leaking from the torn wounds in his flanks, staining and searing the grass and the trees he brushes roughly by even as he weakens.

He's making his way towards the temple.

The air smells of strawberries here, and, under it, the sweeter, more enticing scent of uncorrupted spirits. Food. Food. Recovery. Axel picks up his pace as the temple itself comes into view through the metallic trees.]

[ She's never fought before, and the very thought of it terrifies her. She doesn't have Gemma's fire, her spirit; she isn't clever like Ann; she isn't anything like Felicity. Out of their little group of friends, Pippa has only her beauty. In all honestly, she's... really the least remarkable out of all of them, once you strip away that beauty.

But she has to try. Even as the blight spreads, even as she coughs up more of that black gunk and feels every inch of her burn, she manages to stumble her way over to Urashima. ]

Junki, [ she murmurs, hand outstretched and ready. ]

( Even if Pippa can't fight, there's no doubt in Urashima's mind that she can use him.

As she says his name, he reaches out for her hand as well, turning into his sword form in her hand just before they can touch. It's a small sword, only a foot or so in length and while heavier than it appears, he's light and easy enough to use. If Pippa's going to get stuck with a sword and having to fight, at least it's the type of sword even regular people could use to defend themselves. )

We'll be okay, Miss Pippa. ( Right, he's confident in Pippa right now and he's confident in himself. He knows she won't go down without a fight and he knows he can handle one. ) You can count on me!

( And when this is all over, someone's definitely going to be getting a hug. )

[Outside, the ayakashi lashes at the temple door with two of his spiked limbs. It won't open. He's exhausted and weakening, and inside, there's the food he needs, but the door won't open. It's scored deeply across by the blow, and he hisses in anger, but it still won't open.

Pulling back, he tilts his head to one side, blinking one human and one dinner-plate-sized golden eye. A ripple of confused blinks spreads across the eyeballs scattered down his chest.]

Let me in....

[The request is almost plaintive. He needs his food. He needs to rest. With all the fighting, the energy boost from devouring that god earlier is nearly gone.]

[ Urashima is a steady weight in her hand, and it helps to center her. Even with the pain of the blight, she can at least think now. She flinches back from the blow... but then she pushes the door open, and-- ]

My god...

[ It's so much worse than she could have ever imagined. Is this really Axel? All signs point to yes. The days of ice cream and silly banter are gone now, and Pippa... she genuinely fears for her life. She can't seem to find her breath, can't seem to raise her arm to attack the ayakashi... ]

( Actually seeing the monster behind the door is something else. He can feel a shiver go down his spine. Aaah, what is that? )

Is that...

( The thing hurting Pippa? It's so ugly and gross. It's not all monster though, is it? Because there's something familiar still and though Urashima has only been here a few days and he certainly isn't close with him or anything, he can see. Aaah... so there really is no "wait until Axel comes back" is there? It's just him and Pippa... Pippa--! )

--Miss Pippa! ( She's afraid. He understands because he's afraid too but now isn't the time. If they're too afraid to move, they're going to die and he can't let that happen to her. Like this, he's dependent on her, though, and he yells sharly, ) Please, fight!

[Refuge and sustenance, safety and life. Axel surges forward as the door is opened, his new, twisted body massive enough to fill the doorway and knock the heavy doors asunder, streaked with scorch marks from his guttering flame. The corridor is too narrow for him to effectively use his spiked limbs to disarm and ensnare the goddess beyond, and he's too wounded to flee into the walls or try strategy. He only lunges for her, mouth stretching wide and toothy, desperate to consume.]

[ Urashima's voice cuts through her thoughts, her fears. Pippa raises the sword, and she gives a sharp cry when Axel lunges. Oh, god. She's terrified, absolutely terrified, but she manages to swing the sword right at one of those limbs. ]

S-stay back! [ she cries, swinging the weapon wildly. ]

[The blade slashes deeply into his right arm, cutting half-through one of the purplish segments in a gush of gooey ichor, and Axel reels back, blundering against the wall. The floor smokes with heat, and he turns his head helplessly: inside, he has no way to maneuver. He's too big, the corridor too small, the ground unyielding to his weakened attempt to dive into it.

He cries out again, half a roar and half a pitiable noise of pain, and tries another simple lunge.]

[ She wants to run, wants to cover her eyes and see if she can turn back time and see if she can do anything--anything--to stop this from happening. But it's too late for that, and Pippa can only fight for her life, and Urashima's life. Pippa's vision is blurry, and she doesn't realize yet it's from her tears.

The attack connects, and Pippa cries out as it cuts through her shoulder. Her scream pierces through the air, the blight so much more potent from where she's injured. ]

P-please, listen to me! We can--we can fix this, can we not? Axel!

[His teeth tear into her shoulder, leaving a nasty half-crescent bite, and away again. He rears up, licking his lips with a long, purple tongue, and focuses on her face with both eyes. The green eye closes, and the purple stains around it shift and swell as it bursts open again, bulging out like a croquet ball, golden yellow and bloody scarlet. There's no skin left on his face, nothing recognizable at all.

His mouth opens and his voice emerges in an inhuman croon.]

Tastes good....

[ Another scream, and Pippa's head is so clouded with pain that she can't think straight. His teeth are what keep her upright, for the most part, and when he releases her, she falls in a heap to the ground. The blight's spreading rapidly, but not too rapidly that she can't summon an illusion.

Or several. Behind him, a line of girls appears, girls in corsets and petticoats. Pippa funnels her energy into making the illusion something almost tangible. Before long, they're waving their hands and crying for him to look over here, we're what you want, please play with us-- ]

[She's collapsing. Axel looms over her, ready to bite again, to pull in the bright energy of her life, but -- there's something else, right behind him in the narrow corridor. Something equally energy-bright and enticing. This one is down; those might escape, and he needs them. He's still wounded, he's still slow.

He turns, trying awkwardly to reach for them with his few limbs that are still responding. He's slow, half-trapped by the walls themselves, and the whole back of his torso is left utterly unguarded to her.

She's fallen. She's not a threat, and so he hardly spares a thought for her.]

[ Pippa stands, and she's hunched over from the sheer pain of the blight. But she has to stand, she has to fight, she has to... she has to do something. She has to gather herself and lift Urashima with trembling, heavy arms. ]

I'm so sorry. [ It's barely a whisper, and she stumbles her way closer to Ax--no, to the ayakashi. Because she can't think of this thing as her friend, as her partner...

Pippa manages to pull back, and then she plunges the blade through the ayakashi's unguarded back. ]

( This is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad and he wonders if it might be best to have Pippa call his name so that he can fight instead until he remembers he'd be unarmed. He might turn into a sword but he can't summon it on his own. If they want to fight-- which they need to do to survive right now, then they need to stay together.

Her blight is spreading, she's getting more and more hurt, and all he can do is urge her to fight. When she falls, he woners again if it's best that he took over. He's able-bodied, at least so maybe he can help her escape? He doesn't know. He doesn't know, he doesn't know. Where is someone to make a decision for him?

Before he can work up the nerve to suggest it, Axel is turning away. What? He can see the illusion and he understands enough and he tries to urge Pippa to rise, )

Now's our chance--!

( But she's ahead of him, already getting up onto her feet. Hurry, hurry, hurry. He doesn't say it out loud because he knows better than to assume she's taking her time but hurry. He isn't sure though, if Axel is going to struggle or not so he tries his best to encourage her right now, hoping his words can at least give her some strength, )

Hold on!

( Whatever she does, don't let him go. Don't lose him when she might still need to defend herself. )

[The blade plunges deep into Axel's back, and he arches, a scream spiraling up into agonized falsetto as blood mixes with the purple goo spewing from the wound. He collapses.

The ayakashi body steams, beginning to dissolve from the outside in, leaving a human body curled at the center of it. There's blight covering every inch of visible skin. Black smoke spirals up from the wounds scattered across his body: bitten shoulder, slashed arms and torso, and the deep stab wound between his ribs.

He doesn't speak; he's beyond that.

One last, shuddering breath sighs out of him, and all of his flesh goes to smoke at once, dissolving on the still indoor air.]

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