logs | Hacking Up Posies (CATCH-ALL/OPEN)

[ Cedrik didn't mean to goad Augustine into joining the guild...but since he did, it's only fair that he be the one to step up and help the dhampir on his requests. Plus, this one's for Serene again, and Cedrik's already proven he can navigate the forest well.

Of course, Augustine has to actually ask him first. Instead it's just like their last adventure together in Serene, with Cedrik finding the other by chance. Hopefully the rest of this visit will go better than the last. ]

We're apt to make a habit of this. [ Finding the hollowed cairn was easy for him--honestly he's a little surprised Augustine beat him here. He holds up his hands reassuringly as he approaches. ] Send word next time, eh? Then I'll be able to meet you properly.

[Serene seems to be their usual stomping grounds of late. Maybe it's because they're both drawn to the unusual magics that keep these woods hale and whole. Augustine honestly didn't expect to return to Serene so soon but Fate loves toying with him.]

Cedrik. [Try as he might not to stare, he still can't help but look upa little. Those tall rabbit-like ears are truly something to behold.]

I feared Puck would be making another grand appearance.

[He grumbles as he regards what happened the last time they ran into the boy.]

Yes, I shall remember to do so next time. [He chuckles before glancing towards the cave's entrance once more.] It seems our quarry has led us here.

'Puck', was that the boy's name...?

[ Cedrik muses aloud, not really expecting an answer as he strides up to stand alongside Augustine, arms folded across his chest as he assesses the cave's entrance. He can't see any better than Augustine, but those tall ears can hear...not that there's anything making a lot of noise at the moment.

Still, he lowers his voice some when he next speaks, not wanting it to carry and give their presence away. ]

A gargoyle, do you think?

According to the locals.

[He mutters as he spares Cedrik another glance. Two heads are better than one for a quest of this magnitude but if gargoyles here are anything like the monsters in his world, they're going to need a small army to kill it.]

Perhaps. [Augustine whispers before daring to inch closer towards the mouth of the cave.] However, we won't know unless we see it for ourselves.

[He just about to enter the cave before glancing over his shoulder at Cedrik.]

Scared?

[ The gargoyles Cedrik knows are certainly a threat, but he's put down enough of them to know how to fight them. The trouble is that it's highly unlikely that this 'gargoyle' is anything like what he knows...if it's one at all. Not that he'll be intimidated. And as if sensing his thoughts, Augustine asks if he's scared.

His brow lifts--and he almost laughs. ]

Do not worry. This time I'll be the one protecting you.

[ He reaches over and clasps the dhampir's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze and pat before striding forward into the cave. The sunlight glints off the steel of his greatsword before falling into shadow, his silhouette pausing to glance back, waiting for Augustine to follow before going deeper. ]

[Augustine can't help but smirk a little at the reply. It's been a long time since he had a "friend" of some sorts. Most of the people in his life are mere acquaintances despite seeing them often enough to suggest otherwise. Friends don't come easily, especially when you're some sort of immortal vampire. Nevertheless, Augustine doesn't hesitate viewing Cedrik as a friend even if he still doesn't everything about the Viera.]

We shall see if this holds true.

[He states before following into the cavern behind him. It's pretty dark in here, blindingly so. Even though he's quite used to living in darkness, Augustine cannot help but feel a bit leery. As the darkness worsens, he finds himself relying less on his sight and more on his hearing. Similar to a bat, his hearing is a bit better than his sight. No one can trust their eyes within the dark, the same for him.

However, he would balk if anyone ever referred to him as a bat.]

Do you hear that? [His voice drops to a whisper once he hears something like stone mashing together. It's rather faint but distinct enough to be noticeable.] It has a rhythm to it.

[That means whatever is causing that sound isn't just ambient noise.]

Edited 2022-11-09 03:46 (UTC)

I do...

[ With one hand stretched out to keep in contact with the wall, Cedrik pauses and lifts his head, long ears picking up the steady sound.

Crack...crack...crack...

The sound changes, a briefly louder noise followed by a clattering echo. And underneath all that Cedrik swears he can hear someone draw in a sharp breath. He turns sharply to Augustine, barely able to make out his features in the light but hopefully he'll see the same realization Cedrik's come to.

One hand reaches for the hilt of his sword, readying to draw it the moment he needs to. ]

We're close.

[ A few more steps and there's a bend in the cavern walls, behind which Cedrik can finally see light--but it's unnatural, a pale blue-green that sways as the cracking noise picks up again, faster than before. ]

[Augustine follows Cedrik's lead as they wander deeper into the cavern. Even he has to use the cavern's walls to help guide them as they sink deeper within this darkness. It's too easy to lose your footing in caves like these, especially ones that sink deeper into the earth. His biggest fear is that they'll stray too far from the light and find themselves trapped in here for days.

However, that goes completely out the window the second he hears that sharp intake. Someone is in here with them and he suspects it's the gargoyle itself. He could barely make out Cedrik within his darkness but he could feel their eyes upon him. If they're about to do battle here, they need to ensure that they don't accidentally harm each other.]

Let's be swift about it.

[He suggests once they spot an eerie light within the distance. Their quarry must be in possession of some sort of magic to produce such a light. While it's difficult to tell what it could be, Augustine cannot help but be on edge.

The second they crossed into the threshold, they are welcomed with the sight of this overgrown monster dressed in gray rags smashing stone statures of random men and women with abandon. There's all sorts of paint and drawings sketched upon the cavern walls along with an alarming number of easels scattered about.]

Edited 2022-11-09 19:56 (UTC)

[ It's not at all what Cedrik was expecting... Strewn among the rubble are emptied cans of paint and frayed brushes. The creature hasn't so much as paused its work, let alone turn to confront the pair of Restless who found it. Instead it's methodically smashing one stone against a freshly painted sculpture, watching the cracks that form, following them with its long fingers as he reduces what was once an eerily realistic statue down to rubble. ]

...

[ Cedrik takes his hand off his weapon, naked confused on his face as he steps further into the room. ]

What is all this...?

[ At the sound the creature stops, whipping around as it finally realizes it isn't alone. With all the indignity it can muster it gestures at the mess around it and bellows: ]

ART! Can't you see?! I must create ART!

This isn't art.

[The dhampir nearly snarls once he gets a better look at the rumble before them. One of those stone chucks look like it has something akin to bones wedged within them. While he might not know much about sculpting, he doubts that forming an entire skeletal frame is necessary. That could only mean one thing---]

What we're witnessing is a mass murder!

[He wastes no time summoning forth his magic this time around. Diplomacy is out the question for him and always will be in regards of such matters. In just mere seconds, a dozen or so floating red shards appear all around the gargoyle. The creature hisses at them as the shards quickly morphs into large blood-red swords.]

Begone!

[With just the snap of his fingers, those massive red blades dart right towards the gargoyle in hopes of piercing its stone-like flesh. Unfortunately, it's not going to be that easy. Every blade Augustine summoned phases right through the gargoyle one by one. They get wedged within the walls of the cave and one such blade nearly stabbed Cedrik in the process as it ricochets from the cavern floor.]

Wait, what?!

[ Cedrik is reaching the same conclusion as Augustine, the raw horror of it driving him to react in much the same way. He reaches for his sword again and draws it, taking a step forward to demand answers--but the dhampir's magic is faster.

Augustine was not aiming at him, but a brief flash of warning told him to move all the same--he jumps back, a heart's beat before the ricocheting blade slices through the air where he once stood. ]

...

[ He turns back to give Augustine a brief look. That wasn't his fault, of course, but Cedrik thinks he's allowed to be a little annoyed.

Weapon still drawn he aims it at the creature to confirm what they'd just seen. He jabs the blade forward into the thing's side--there's no reaction, no resistance. It's as if it isn't there...but how is it interacting with the stone? ]

Damn. [ Cedrik sheathes his sword, frown deepening. ] Do you know of any magic that could do this, Augustine...?

[Augustine lets out a slight cough as he averts his gaze from Cedrik. It's not like he was initially trying to skewer the poor rabbit. No, that was definitely a mistake that could've ended on a really bad note. That little blunder aside, Augustine cannot help but growl in frustration as the gargoyle continues with its massacre.

The beast picks up another stature and slams it onto the cavern floor with all its might. It seems completely disinterested in dealing with the two of them and more focused on its "art". As the beast continues with its violent antics, Augustine finds him struggling to answer Cedrik's inquiry.]

I don't know. [He mutters quietly as he circles around the gargoyle.] This could be an illusion of some sort but I'm uncertain.

[It's uncommon for such an ability to be able to interact with corporeal forms like this. Very, usual. This is why Augustine cannot help but stare in confusion as the creature smashes away at its latest victim. It's almost like this entire encounter is a simulation of some sort---]

He's not real. [The dhampir mutters as he leans close to get a better look at the gargoyle.] It's some form...of spirit, perhaps?

Not like us, though...

[ Side stepping a flying piece of stone, Cedrik makes for the edge of the cavern. The light the creature puts out isn't much, barely enough to see, and he has to squint to make anything out. ]

There must be some source. Help me--

[ For a moment he thinks he's found someone alive, that's how perfect the sculpture is. A figure, crouching behind a stack of crates, clutching their head in fear. It isn't painted like the others, in fact it's been gathering dust. Did the creature miss this one somehow?

As Cedrik kneels down for a better look, a sudden and familiar pain behind his eyes strikes. He feels the sudden pulse of a heartbeat not his own before it all starts to go black. ]

--gods damn it...

[ The Echo really has the worst timing. ]

[Augustine was lost in thought when Cedrik made a shocking discovery. He turns towards the adventurer with an expectant gaze, one that quickly morphs into worry as Cedrik suddenly starts to slouch a little. Unaware of what just transpired, Augustine quickly makes his way over towards his companion.]

Has something gone awry? [He questions while trying to steady the Viera with a gentle hand on the shoulder.] Cedrik?

[He falls silent when there's no reply. Cedrik seems to be in a daze of some sort, almost like he's no longer here with them. It's strange, far too strange for comfort. However, what's even stranger is the oddly realistic stature of a man crouching behind the crates nearby. It's completely colorless, stark white like alabaster.]

[ He's experienced enough with the Echo that he no longer passes out completely, able to keep himself from tipping over where he's crouched, but he's wholly unaware of Augustine's voice and touch.

The memories are not pleasant.

The mage's fear is palpable, bleeding into him through the vision. The desperation to escape, to silence the voice in his head by any means--there are questions the memory doesn't answer, but it shows him enough.

After a long, uncomfortable minute Cedrik snaps back to the present with a sharp breath, head lifting. The simulacrum is still doggedly smashing away in the background and Augustine is there, looking worried...

Ah. Right. ]

I saw what happened, or at least enough of it. This statue was the start of it...he turned himself to stone, trying to escape his Shadow. That thing there-- [ He nods past Augustine to the creature. ] --was meant to carry on in his stead, I think, but something must have gone wrong with the spell...

[For a second there, he feared the worst. Nothing he could say or do broke Cedrik out of that bizarre trance. It's like the man was a million miles away from here in spirit alone. If it weren't for the quiet thumping of Cedrik's heart, he would've assumed the Viera died somehow. It was a frightening affair but thankfully, it has passed.]

You're awake now? [He mutters in slight awe. Whatever happened here is beyond his understanding but it seems Cedirk is unharmed. That's...a relief.] Thank goodness, I feared that creature did something to you.

[Augustine turns his gaze towards the gargoyle with a slight growl. That stupid thing is still destroying everything within its path but thankfully, it doesn't seem interested in dealing with them.]

You saw what?

[He gives Cedrik a skeptical glance. While he has so many questions to ask, now isn't the time to ask them.]

I knew something was off about it but I didn't expect it to be a simulacrum of some sort.

[ Augustine's initial questions are answered with an apologetic smile. He's fine, yes, he's glad to reassure his friend of that much, but a full explanation will have to wait.

Though for a moment Cedrik wonders if he is fine as the memory seems to linger. The mage's dread still sits in his chest and he realizes that his own Shadow was stirred up by it. The fool tried to have it both ways, the dark thoughts murmur. To escape and still carry on...

Futile.

Cedrik's brow furrows and he gives his head a slight shake. He doesn't want to worry Augustine further. He just has to ignore it. ]

If there's some way to break the spell...but I did not see anything that would hint at how.

[ He looks to Augustine, a little hopeful that the mage will have a better idea. ]

[There doesn't seem to be a way to break this spell, at least not to the naked eye. Augustine falls silent as he observes the gargoyle. They simply can't afford to allow this creature to continue terrorizing Serene. While he can't help but feel a little sorry for it, Augustine silently refuses to leave here without some resolution. That would be reckless of him, especially since the gargoyle itself will continue with this madness.]

Maybe we can convince it to rest. [He suggests once he feels Cedrik's gaze upon him.] Convince it to end its futile attempts at 'art'.

After all, he's dead.

[He murmurs that last bit loud enough for the gargoyle to here. The creature pauses briefly before glancing towards them. Now directly facing the monster, Augustine stares directly at it as he speaks.]

You heard correctly, you're already dead.

[The dhampir gestures towards the stone figures nearby. His finger pointing towards the crouched stature of the man the gargoyle once was.]

Isn't that you? Or rather what was left of you?

[His tone is almost playful now, mocking even. He's trying to get a rise out of the creature.]

Perhaps...

[ It's the most reaction they've gotten out of the thing so far. It follows Augustine's gesture and what could possible be a worried look crosses its twisted features. Does it recognize the statue? There must be at least some awareness if it apparently hasn't even touched it in all this time.

Cedrik's brow furrows at Augustine's choice of words. Even if this works, it feels cruel--

It's a kindness. You should know that by now...here, let me h e l p...

The simulacrum shakes its head, though hesitant, and returns to its smashing. ]

...I must create art!

[ Cedrik hunches, one hand clutching at his head as his Shadow's 'help' becomes more and more insistent. It's not threatening to seize control, not like it had that day in the maze, but it won't shut up. Is this what the mage was dealing with all the time?

You want to help, don't you? Then let me talk to it. The creature will be at peace, people will stop being killed--at least for a while--everybody wins. I thought you liked happy endings...

...

If it would help...

Cedrik stands up straight, his expression placid as he calmly steps up next to Augustine, addressing the creature. ]

What good will your art be when there's no one left to see it? They'll be forgotten. Just as you will. And even then...eventually the paint will chip away and the stones will erode to dust.

It will all amount to naught, in the end. Why bother at all?

[Sometimes kindness is anything but kind, especially when wrapped within the truth.

This is Augustine’s intention as he verbally spits his venom. He wants to shake the very core of this simulacrum, he wants to break it apart and shatter it with the truth of its being. That’s the only way to put an end to this curse, the only way to put this undying soul at peace. While it might seem a bit cruel to Cedrik, there’s no better antidote than the bitter draught of truth. ]

Your art is meaningless! [He shouts at the creature with a slight hiss at the end of his words.] If you can’t perceive the principles of creation, then what makes you think your ‘art’ will be valued beyond mere vandalism?

[That monster is no artist. No, it’s nothing more than a feckless destroyer. While Augustine isn’t at all without sympathy, he cannot allow such villainy to continue. This is why he offers such bitter truth in hopes of sending this malevolent soul away. However, his words won’t be the ones to reach this wayward soul.]

Cedrik?

[There’s a hint of confusion in his tone as he regards the Viera. Something feels off, painfully off about Cedrik now. While the other always acted as a pillar of strength and undying optimism, something about Cedrik now makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.]

[ Augustine's on the right track. What the creature needs is truth, but it has to be a deeper truth than what the dhampir is giving. 'Cedrik' looks across his shoulder at Augustine, answering the questioning tone with a wan smile.

He looks so tired.

The creature, meanwhile, has stopped cold, looking around the scattered stones. It reaches for one, clutching and turning it over in his hands. It's part of a woman's face, her lovingly painted eye the only recognizable feature. A very soft shade of green. ]

I...I must...?

[ Cedrik comes closer, close enough to cover the thing's hands with his own. It's a phantom touch, he's still not able to physically interact, but the gesture is what matters.

His voice is so terribly gentle... ]

It's all right. Even if you stayed, kept creating until time's end, it would still all fade to nothing. Why continue?

[ The creature is wavering, its formerly vehement protests are gone, faded into whimpering uncertainty. Cedrik asks him one last question, full of concern. ]

Haven't you suffered enough?

[ The simulacrum breaks in a silent crash of dust, the stone it clung to falling to the ground. ]

[It’s the melancholy in Cedrik’s words that gives Augustine pause. While he has witnessed something similar from others, it’s almost as if Cedrik has been swallowed by grief. His entire demeanor feels like a mélange of anguish and gloom. He feels so much colder and distant now. Gone is the familiar warmth in his eyes and his usual cheerful little smirk. It’s all been replaced by this oppressive gloom that threatens to push the man towards the brink of the void. While he’s fully aware that each of them possess a “shadow” version of themselves, Augustine simply can’t rationalize what he feels right now.

This feels…wrong. Horribly wrong.

The Cedrik he knows isn’t this glum or morbid. Yes, the adventurer can be a bit of a rascal at times but he’s not like this. He doesn’t like whatever “this” is and he plans on saving Cedrik from it.]

Enough.

[He commands once the last remnants of the simulacrum suddenly fades into nothingness.]

While their prolonged existence didn’t serve any reason beyond destruction, you are not the same as them.

[Augustine chooses his words carefully as he regards Cedrik. He feels as if the man is teetering over a knife’s edge right now. One false move and the Cedrik he knows will cease to be.]

[ The gentle expression fades as 'Cedrik' regards Augustine, slowly twisting into a wicked smirk. The dhampir has been a fine comrade to Cedrik these past weeks. He'd go as far as to call him a friend, in fact.

That won't do. That won't do at all. ]

Aren't I? Or...oh, was that too much?

[ He gestures carelessly behind him to where the simulacrum once stood. ]

All we've ever done is destroy. Merely being close to us is begging for death. He doesn't like to talk about that, though...

...but if you're still so 'fascinated', oh, the stories I could tell...

[Augustine meets his smirk with a glare. This is no longer the mild-mannered adventurer he has come to respect but rather the man's awful shadow born from his sorrow and self-doubts. He has learned much about those shadowy entities that lurk within them but this marks the first time he ever seen one emerge. It’s a little unsettling to say the least, especially since this entity seems to loathe its host.]

Even if you were the world’s greatest raconteur, I know better than to believe in your tall tales since you’ll twist the truth.

[While he’s certain that Cedrik has a couple of skeletons in his metaphorical closet, he doesn’t believe the man to be anything but genial and well meaning. That’s why he’s so willing to stare that malevolent entity down with such a rueful gaze. He trusts Cedrik.]

The road of good intentions is often paved in blood and I trust Cedrik was only doing what he deemed right throughout his journeys.

[His thoughts stray back to that one tale regarding the young girl he found within the forest. Cedrik could’ve easily shooed the child and her family away but he didn’t. Instead, he chose to help them and acted as their stalwart protector. How can anyone that kind and generous be anything but good?]

'Intentions', tsk...as if they matter.

[ The Shadow's distaste is obvious. It's just so frustrating. This is something Cedrik knows to be true but continues to deny. To hear it from his 'friend' is just as irritating. He's never going to learn if he keeps hanging around such blind, foolish people. ]

Tell me, what were your intentions when you defied the Empire? What did they amount to? Naught.

I know--none know better, in fact--what his intentions were. Whatever good he managed was ephemeral, his victories hollow, his righteousness a lie, because it does. Not. Matter.

[ Something slips in the Shadow's expression. A flash of anger instead of the calm acceptance it had been showing so far. If its control were to falter further, maybe...? ]

Hacking Up Posies (CATCH-ALL/OPEN)

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