~The Bearers of the Stones~

[Nyx]

"La! Lalala-Lala-Lala, Lalalalala! Lala-lala!~ Doo! Doodoodoo-doodoo-doo-doo, doodoodoodoodoo! Doo-doo, doo-doo!~" The singer of this charming little song was none other than a Ms. Nyx, the same Nyx that was a member of RIOTE, the notorious archer of the Night. Funny, since Artemis was the Greek goddess with archery skills, and Nike had wings... No matter!~ The bright and sunny child was bouncing around her little cabin, a lushiously cozy little log house. She'd found it a while back, when RIOTE first came to Drachma, and ever since, it had been her favorite place in the country. Currently, she was decorating the snug abode fr Christmas, the best holday ever! The tree was up, lights were shining, and her calender was counting down until Christmas. Now the only thing left on her schedule was a fun party! Erm... At least, kind of like a party. She'd arranged for two of RIOTE's upper ranked members, like herself, to meet her at her cabin. Why, you would ask? Simply because Nyx was curious. Not only were these two of RIOTE's highest ranks, but they shared a striking feature with her- both were Bearers! One of the two was an old friend to the Fuhrers, and Nyx had seen him around before RIOTE came out to the public, as Hild and Aurel's butler, while the other was a newer member of RIOTE, whom she wished to meet. So as she put some brownies in the oven and climbed up onto a chair to pour herself some tea, Nyx waited for her guests to arrive...

[Guest]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The night was young. It was cold, too; a cold Drachman night. How typical.

Snowflakes drifted gently upon the winds. Breath was white smog against the ice-cold atmosphere; sky above, snow below. A white night. Hell, nearing even a white Christmas. Old folk tales drifted back into the mind of one man - if he could be called that - as he trudged along a path less-beaten and less-travelled through the freezing wastes that only the hardiest dared to brave - and even fewer managed to successfully traverse.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He could hear the crackling of the fires from the cabin, despite his distance from it. He could see the rough outlines of the logs, constructed and made out oh-so-simply; so structurally sound. A log cabin, in the Drachman wastes. Home to one of his newest friends-to-be.

Some would call his attire ill-befitting the night and its climate. However, the man was... hot-blooded. Animalistic. Primal. Savage. In more than one sense of the word. He was used to the freezing cold of the tundra. Born and raised Drachman. The only thing that bothered him was a niggling distaste in the back of his mind that his rather expensive suit might become damaged by the increasingly strong winds.

His tie flailed, slapping pitifully against the collar of his longcoat, sitting over an unbuttoned jacket. Two black coat tails billowing in the wind behind the man, who, himself, had donned a fedora, a white shirt, suit trousers, a loose-fitting tie, and dress shoes. The most ill-fitting attire for the situation, without a shadow of a doubt.

Tap. Tap. Crunch.

One hand was free; and balled into a fist, swinging in regular-sized arcs by his size. A pendulum. A sniff followed quickly into a low, short, abrupt chuckle, and the man's other hand revealed what exactly it was carrying, raising, and coming into full glow in the last of the sun's rays.

A scimitar. White-bladed. Shimmering; the light of the black-red Drachma sunset dancing along the blade. Blackened, sharp, coiled tribal markings. A blade almost too perfect and pure to be in possession of such a man... once more, if he could be called that.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

With each step, the blade tapped and carved through the snow, after being lowered from its period of admiration. Each swing made the markings flash blue for a split-second, filling the man's aura with an iridescent, beautiful, almost star-like light. It was easy to track him; one would simply have to follow the flat, expensive footprints, and take care to note the thin lines drawn by his side in a regular pattern.

As he drew closer to the clearing by the mountains where the log cabin sat, his very footsteps began to sound heavier. They carried weight. Gravity. With every step, the ground began to shake; before that shake turned into a rumble, and that rumble on into a tremor. A grin, and another sniff, the smirk having advanced and curved since the beginning of the man's journey, and he flipped the scimitar upwards, spinning it wildly in two revolutions, before the blade met the scabbard at his belt, sheathed in an instant. The crunch-like carving stopped, and the man drew to a halt outside the wooden door, black leather dress gloves straining beneath his touch as the last of the tremors caused from his steps faded from reverberation.

Raising his hands, he rapped his knuckles on the centre of the top half of the wooden, presumably hand-crafted door, three times, equidistant from each other when it came to time; he'd left an equal time between each separate knock. How well-planned and charismatic this man was; orderly, yet chaotic. A warm, welcoming smile on his face, with a metaphorical dagger behind his back.

Dipping his head, letting his blonde, snow-flecked hair be the only thing visible save for a grin and a thin, slanting nose, he let his hat obscure those beautiful pale grey eyes as he waited there for the door to open; and his new cohort, his newest friend, to welcome him in.

And as he did so, a single word came, a murmur, yet coming forth like a cry from trembling lips; strong enough to pass upon mountains through echoes, but quiet enough to be barely heard as a subsonic whisper.

"Balthazar."

[Guest]

Ahhhh twas the season it seemed. The smell of the crisp cold air. It only served to make Ogihci smile. Then again, when did he ever not smile? After all, the world was a wondrous place. Why was he here? To meet a couple of new friends or at least he hoped they might be friends. If not at the least they can be acquaintances right? He seemed to skip along as he walked, he was ever so excited. It was almost Christmas, a most magical time of year. A time of giving and receiving. He did however had a long list of people he had to get gifts though. Who knows maybe he would be adding two more to that list. Then again, he probably will anyway.

He also had come upon some footprints which happen to be heading the way he was going. How odd? Could they be from someone he was about to meet. The signs most likely pointed to yes. He quickly followed them and would eventually come across the sight of a man knocking upon a cabin door. Oh so he was right, how wonderful. He walked up to the man. "Why hello there, are you here for the party, I am sure its gonna be ever so much fun," He asked with his cheerful tone. You would never think he was Gaia a member of RIOTE, or for that matter the dark knight Sparda.

[Nyx]

As Nyx finished with her brownies, and once she had set the tea on the table, having fixed three cups, she heard a tapping on the door. Racing to the door so fast that her little Santa hat almost fell off, she hurriedly opened the door for his guests. "Why hello!~ You must be Mr. Balthazar, right? Come in, come in!~ I have brownies and tea if you want any. Glancing behind Balthazar, Nyx saw Ogihici, and grinned. "And you're Ogi!~ I remember seeing you around Central back when Hildy-poo was Fuhrer! C'mon in, take a seat." Grinning, she held the door open for them to come in, and raced to her Chrsitmas tree, whereupon, she had placed two colorfully wrapped boxes amongst a horde of others. THIS was the place where her Christmas presents were stored. Nyx honestly didn't want much for Christams FOR HERSELF; but of course, for OTHER people, she wanted EVERYONE to get something!So hurriedly it was thaty she grabbed two boxes and brought them forth to Balty and Ogi. Unbeknownst to them, contained within were a pair of shoes for Balty and Nyx's very own handmade Fuhrer plushies for OIgi. "Since I don't know if you guys willbe here for Christmas day, go ahead, open them!~" And the grinning little girl watched ineager anticipation as they opened their gifts.

[Guest]

"Why hello there, are you here for the party, I am sure its gonna be ever so much fun," He'd heard the footsteps coming a mile away. Unbeknownst to the newcomer, Balthazar, bearer of a philosopher's stone sitting in the pit of his stomach, rolled his eyes, and let one gloved hand fall to his side. Alert and ready. If this man was an assailant, the chimera could blow him away in an inst-

The door swung open. A stunted, petite girl stood there. Staring up at them with the largest eyes that Balthazar had ever seen in all his very years... and he brushed past, moving swiftly into the other room as she spoke. "Why hello!~ You must be Mr. Balthazar, right? Come in, come in!~ I have brownies and tea if you want any."

Ugh. Kids.

A falsified grin on his face as the door swung shut once more behind Ogihci - identified by the young girl, Nyx - leaving the cold Drachman winds outside. He rubbed his hands together, slowly pulled off his gloves, and set them down on the table, which were to be promptly joined by his hat, revealing a head of snow-specked, messy, long blonde hair. The longcoat and blazer found their way to be hung on the back of the chair.

Stretching his fingers ever so slowly, Balthazar moved to fumble into his shirt pocket, tie idly swinging and the silken sheen refracting the crackling embers of the fire off towards the young girl. Moments later, he retracted a half-empty pack of cigarettes, flipping them open and drawing a single one of the sticks, propping it up between his lips as he raised himself and moved towards the fire, still not having said a word.

He gently lowered his fingers, now bearing the cigarette, his ears still wise to everything the pair could say whilst his back was turned to them, before just gently letting the crisp tobacco begin to sparkle and burn with an orange-red glow, and slowly bringing it back, slipping it between his two, thin, pink lips, and taking what felt like the longest drag he had in a long time.

"Ahhhhh..." Finally, a word. Well; more a sound, but still. Accompanied with the long-awaited sigh came wispy tendrils of smoke, floating through the air to accompany the stray puffs and clouds of darker smoke from the fire, the two intermingling and creating a most... luscious scent to hang upon the air as it dissipated. "I'm very sorry," He said, flashing a strained smile towards Ogihci and Nyx. "The weather ain't been to kind to me, I needed to just kick back, y'know?" With that, his eyes flattened, and he raised one of the cups of tea to his thin nostrils, taking a long sniff, letting the smell bounce back and forth.

He took a sip, gently sloshing the liquid around in his mouth - it was hot, too - and just letting his palate adapt to the taste... but... hell, it wasn't bad. Especially not for the girl. "Great tea, here, Ms. Nyx," He said, raising his eyebrows and smiling, before taking another sip. There was no need for the pleasantries to be dispensed with just yet.

Huh. The other guy... just who the fuck does he think he is? Balthazar began to quickly - and analytically - scan Ogihci up and down. He needed to be sure of his environment... but the guy seemed alright for now... still, a bit offsetting... If he so much as fuckin' looks at me the wrong way, I'll blow his brains all over the cabin windows without so much as a fuckin' second thought... but, hell, that'd really ruin them brownies... The distasteful expression quickly formed into a still-falsified smile as his expression snapped back to Nyx.

"Since I don't know if you guys will be here for Christmas day, go ahead, open them!~" Balthazar beamed, doing his absolute best to hide his true colours. These were to be cohorts; not enemies, but even he knew that murderers would come with smiles. Even the little girl. If he was instructed to, or he saw the first glimpse of threat, he would cut the pair of them down without even thinking about it.

Staring at his fingertips around the cigarette, he finished the last of the mug, set it down on the table, and tapped the stick over the end of it, just to dispense with the ash that had accumulated at the end, before taking another drag, letting the creamy white smoke puff out of the side of his mouth. Still focused on his fingertips, Nyx's statement brought him quickly back to reality, and his vision snapped from her to the box, and his beam resumed, having taken a quick break to form into an almost wicked pensive expression as he'd sat there, deeply lost in thought.

"Aw, you shouldn't have," He smiled, reaching down with his free hand to tousle the girl's hair, before raising the box onto his lap, and beginning to pull the ribbon off... unbeknownst to Nyx, a gift with a good intention would quickly set the mood of the entire young night awry...

[Guest]

Ogihci greeted the girls most warm welcome with a genuine heartfelt smile. Though he found it a little odd she had seen him before but, then again that was always a possibility. "Why thank you I think I will, it is quite nippy outside," he said in a cheerful tone. He walked in eager to meet his two new compatriots. He looked around the cabin at the most wonderful display of Christmas cheer. The decor was absolutely beautiful. He quietly sat at the table and took some tea and maybe a brownie or two. After all, he didn't want to be rude.

That is when he learned that she had gotten him a present. His expression changed from happy to eager. He was ever so excited, what a wonderful thought. Truely, whatever she got him would make him happy, he wasn't one to be picky. As soon as he got the box the wrapping paper seemed to dematerialize with how fast he unwrapped it. "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ogihci had let out a high pitched expression of excitement. He had gotten small plushie versions of Hild and Aurel! "Thankyouthankyouthankyou," He continued as he ran up and brought Nyx up into a big hug. He had completely forgot Balthazar was there, but then again even if he remember he wouldn't of cared. He was a very open person.

[Nyx]

As Balthazar and Ogi entered the room, Nyx carried on smiling, even as Balthy just sort of entered without a word, until he lit a cigarette. Ogi, on the other hand, was a fair amount friendlier. As the two sat down, and Balty actually did speak up, Nyx smiled. "Oh, it's fine, I know what you mean~ It really is cold here!" Ah, well that made snese. At first, Nyx had wondered if he was just being rude, which really wouldn't do, no, no, no. Rudeness was not tolerated very well by Nyx. Instead, he was apparently just tired of the weather. Which made more sense to the poor, naiive little Nyx. And her belief that he wasn't contemplating how easily he could kill the other people in the room was only strengthened when he complimented her tea, to which effect, she smiled cheerfully. "Really, you like it? Thank you Mr. Balthazar!~" Well then! That was just wonderful, he seemed to be quite friendly, indeed!

Speaking of friendly, Nyx smiled as Ogi opened his present. Not really expecting such an enthusiastic thank you, she was rather surprised when Ogi squealed like an adorable little girl (AKA Nyx~ OwO), and then when he ran up and hugged her. "WHEEEE!!~ Glad you liked them, I made them myself! Oh, Mr. Balthazar, I didn't know exactly what you liked, so I hope you like what I got you." Still encaged in a ferocious hugging, Nyx woundered exactly how Balty would react to recieving shoes for Christmas. They were NICE shoes, so Nyx hoped he liked them.

[Guest]

Shoes. "WHEEEE!!~ Glad you liked them, I made them myself! Oh, Mr. Balthazar, I didn't know exactly what you liked, so I hope you like what I got you." He'd opened the box, and inside were a pair of shoes. Not even dress shoes, like the kind he wore already, with impeccably shined black soles and toeguards, but... sneakers. Horrific, tacky, brightly-coloured, disgustingly infantile sneakers.

The kind of thing a kid would wear.

Veins began to bulge on Balthazar's head. He dropped the butt of his cigarette in the half-drunk mug of tea, and in an instant, exploded in anger. He kicked the chair behind him, and let the open box fall to the ground, snarling at Nyx. "You tryna' say something, kid?!" His eyes contested hers, the pupils dilating and rage swirling in his irises. His nostrils flared, and he could smell it. Smell her coursing blood, just inches below her skin. So close, so near. "Huh?! Are ya'?!"

He'd been insulted. This was a gesture. The little fairy-girl was trying to subtly tell him that his dress wasn't appropriate. "You tryna' say that my fashion sense fuckin' sucks? You think I should wear these pieces a' shit?!" With the end of the rhetorical question, he booted one of the sneakers straight into the fire, where the plastic and rubber of the sole quickly began to crackle, bubble, and peel. A few logs shifted, and the black-orange embers drifted out into the room, but other than that, the fire was still precariously balanced.

"You think my attire ain't suitable for RIOTE? You tryna' say that I'm not suitable for this goddamn organisation?!" He moved in closer, pushing his face down, bright red like a tomato, and sneered down to the little girl. "Kid, I been blowin' shit up, murderin', torturin', extortin', and all that kinda' shit since before you were born. I know exactly what fuckin' gestures like this mean. You want me gone, don't you!?"

It was clear, now. Balthazar was at any given moment, a ticking timebomb. He would explode when lit, but eventually he would calm. He was armed and ready to go; volatile in personality and form. His hands were arched, and the leather around them crackling as his power began to come into play, the air swirling around his fingers courtesy of the compression powers working and exercising themselves.

And Nyx had just set off his fuse.

[Guest]

BUMP

[Guest]

Ogihci put the girl down and watched the reaction of their fellow member, surely he would like his gift too right? After all, even if one didn't like their gift it was still polite to at least act like you did. It was the thought that counted after all. But, on the contrary he had a reaction that was most unbecoming of someone, even for those of the bad sort. Ogihci watched as Balthazar threw his hissy fit, which is what it really was, like a stubborn child if anything, though not the behavior any parent would condone, and he knew that after all, be a father himself. The behavior of a spoiled brat. As the act of complete anarchy and utterly unprovoked hatred continued, Ogihci began to grow disgusted by the individual in front of him. This was not the best of first impressions to give, even to one as forgiving as Ogihci was.

All of it hit its boiling point at the moment he made his way towards Nyx, a child in Ogihci's eyes, with a most violent of undertones. When Balthazar got close to Nyx the shine of a blade pierced the cabins scene as it sank into the wall between the two of them, Nyx and Balthazar. Holding on to the grip of the sword stood not the form of the smiling ever loving Ogihci but, instead his true chimeran form. The Dark Knight, Sparda. The creature stared at Balthazar with cold eyes meant for those who dare try to harm a child in his presence. Though it was true he hadn't laid a finger on her...yet, the thought he might drove him to do this. "I am only going to say this once.....leave....the girl.....alone." The earth actually seemed and did shake along with hiss words, his alchemy taking effect.

He would stare the man down, he was sure by the description he gave of himself in the threat towards Nyx that his alchemy involved explosions, as to the full extent, he was not sure or cared. He would fight this man, even if he was a "comrade," for he was sure Aurel would not approve of his aggressiveness towards Nyx any more then he did. "Besides she was not trying to insult you, so calm down a bit, and think about it." He said his words having a kinder undertone but still firm and unforgiving. He didn't want to fight but, he was sure as hell ready for one.

[Nyx]

As Balty recieved his gift, Nyx released herself from Ogi to watch. She was unfazed as he mocked her gift, threw it in the fireplace, and proceeded to threaten her. Even as ogi stepped forward to tell Balthazar off on the matter, Nyx's blood boiled rather hot under her skin. "Balthazar. If you must know, I told the cashier to pick out a nice pair of shoes and wrap it for me. Had I known they were not to your liking, I would have gotten a better pair." She stepped closer to Balthazar. Her hand had moved to her hip and Hemera was grasped firmly, though she hadn't moved to draw an arrow yet. "Of course, if you want to express gratitude that I even got you something, that's a funny way of showing it." Ever stepping nearer. "And by the fact that you threatened me like that? After I invited you here, tried to be nice, and got you SOMETHING? This is the thanks I get? Well, maybe you aren't suitable for RIOTE."

Casually, threateningly, menacingly, Nyx drew an arrow from her wuiver and toyed with it in her hands for a minute. "You know, there's a pretty good reason that a child is among the top ranks of RIOTE. Unless you want to see firsthand, why I am where I am, I advise you listen, and listen good." Cocking an arrow to her bow, she fired faster than Balthazar could have ever predicted, striking the wall, mere millimeter's from his head, behind him. "I advise you either play nice, and we can have fun, or leave now, and never come back. If you choose not to go with either of these options? I'm sure Aurel will understand why a certain member of RIOTE is dead in my cabin. And you. Won't. Be. Missed. Do I make myself clear?"

[Guest]

"Besides she was not trying to insult you, so calm down a bit, and think about it." Who the fuck did this guy think he fucking was? Where the fuck did HE get off, telling Balthazar what to do!? Tartarus! HE WAS FUCKING TARTARUS! The deepest, blackest fucking pits of the underworld. Aurel sent people to HIM if they needed to be fucking OBLITERATED. And this guy... this... this fucking guy... he... did he...

Balthazar himself was panting. He had seen what had happened to Ogihci, the bastard, in all his fucking glory, when he'd taken on the chimeric form. Armour, blackened skin... he'd felt the bestial urges burning in his bloodstream, too, but... he'd not pulled off a transformation for a long time. Often, he lost control, and the transformation itself... well, that hurt. He was going to be careful how he played this-

"I advise you either play nice, and we can have fun, or leave now, and never come back. If you choose not to go with either of these options? I'm sure Aurel will understand why a certain member of RIOTE is dead in my cabin. And you. Won't. Be. Missed. Do I make myself clear?" Yes... yes. He was going to have to be careful.

"Crystal." Balthazar muttered quickly, and pushed past them, slaloming between Nyx and Ogihci without, seemingly, a care in the world, having retained some form of calm in between it all. Had their alleviations really worked? Had what they said really rang true? Had their threats dug to the most base level of his psyche, implanted themselves, taken root, and simulated as being true time and time again?

Fuck no. Who the fuck did they think he was?

He crouched by the fire; hungry orange tendrils, reflecting, shimmering, dancing across his eyes... and he strained. All of his worldly and earthly might, he forced into awakening this hidden, suppressed, latent, dormant power, that even his memories denied him... he knew little of it, and wanted to have at least one moment that he didn't black out at the end of... he knew... he knew he was powerful. And at the end of it all, if he beat these shitheads' faces in? Plausible deniability. 'I blacked out'. He'd be fine.

Pushing, heaving, all of his might... his heart even strained, his entire body feeling like it was on fire, wriggling and contorting under the impressive pressure of his will. He started straight off the bat; he tensed his whole, entire body, forcing, pushing himself... he felt the burning. It was there, so, it would make sense that he could access it... right? RIGHT?!

Snap. He heard it, but he knew the others hadn't. He knew it wouldn't be audible to them; subsonic. It was the crackling of something within him, him and him alone; a simulated noise, never quite real, not having taken on any actual form. It was a telltale sign; flaky memories and thoughts flushed back into him, and he remembered. It had been a LONG time since he'd turned... but now... now...

Similarly to Ogihci, his face darkened, taking on a blackened pallor; he felt his suit strain, and at least three or four inner, tighter seams rip. Buttons popped; his form began to engorge and thrum, his beating heart molten iron clasped and locked tight within his chest. The bestial urges were overpowering now. Shaking his head, feeling his ears take on that black colour, sharpen and elongate, along with his eyes... he knew... he knew... he knew...

He closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes.

Irises once grey were now yellow. Pupils once round were now slits. Reptilian. He felt a tongue morphed into a pointed, carved shape, odd and fleshy, within his mouth. He felt those all-too-familiar vats, deposits of poison at the back of his throat... oh, god, how he'd forgotten the hunger, the lust, the love... he hadn't turned for years. He wanted to murder, maim, rape, kill, burn, burn, burn burn burn BURN.

He shrugged off the jacket and cast it aside. Fumbling hands ripped a few more buttons off and rolled up cuffs, pulling the tie clean from his neck, letting the fabric rip. Stupid material possessions mattered naught to him. Oh, how those memories from those vile days of experimentation flooded back; noise... it was... noise... so clear; whistling upon the wind oh-so-loud. He could taste the fear as well as being able to smell it - and these two possessed none. If he fought them, there would be no holds barred... but... it wasn't like he gave a single solitary shit.

A laugh; the voice deeper, dilated, throaty, coarse... unusual, above all else. Unnatural... although the power laying just inches beneath the skin... oh, he loved it. He felt like he could smash a hole through the ground that emerged in Esparia; a hiss and he rose to full form, cocking his head from side to side. He laughed again, and it quickly turned to deep, rumbling chuckles. "'Crystal'. Of fucking course, little fucking girl. You have any idea?!" Rumbling tone escalating to booming, thudding, horrific... his stature had increased to that of around seven and a half feet, now. He was towering, looming, impending... he cared not of how drained he'd feel after this.

"ANY FUCKING IDEA... WHO I AM... OR WHAT I DO!?" Smack. He launched a punch; it hadn't been aimed at her, but the table. The rhinoceros' power behind him, he hit it dead-on and centre, at exactly the point he'd hoped. It split in half; two splintered sides clattered to the floor, and his teacup smashed. He snapped his fingers, and the floorboards cracked open and sprung upwards like javelins with a crack, lodging themselves in the roofing. As the earth rumbled, so did the heavens - two could play at this game. His eyes, irises now a ghastly yellow, locked with Ogihci's, and he growled.

"You want to dance, fuckhead?" He raised his arms, and roared, unleashing the most inhuman sound he could, pushing all of his raw, total power into it. The pair looked similar; his blonde, long hair, which he had previously allowed to grow out, had been constrained now to the back of his neck. It now no longer obscured his vision... evolution rejected his hairstyle, it seemed. Sucked. "You want to dance?!"

With another roar, this one more akin to a booming scream than anything else, gargling laughter hand-in-hand with it, he lowered his form, his posture, and broadened his shoulders, throwing his arms out, before charging into a tackle. Running as he did so, ready to smash the living shit out of this glorified manservant... he screamed. One more time. One final time.

"THEN LET'S FUCKING DANCE!"

[Guest]

Well, maybe you aren't suitable for RIOTE.

Ogihci knew that the situation was hopeless at this point... there was no fighting it there was gonna be a fight. He simply sighed, he really didn't want to have to do this, especially amongst comrades. When Balthazar seemed that he was finished and walking away, Ogihci still kept a suspicious eye on him. No one that worked up gave up that easily, out of his many years on this earth he knew that much. Of course his thoughts were realized as Balthazar begone his monstrous transformation. Though it seems to Ogi that he had trouble with it as he couldn't perform it quickly. Was it from malpractice? Of this he was not sure.

Ogi slowly drew his sword from the wall and looked at Balthazar, watching him lose it further. Things were looking increasingly worse as the went on and the pinnacle was when Balthazar was getting ready to charge. Sure it may have been possible for Ogi to possible halt his advance but, the first thing was first. He had to protect Nyx. Not because of some predeposed order or anything but, because he had to , needed to, and wanted to. A wall of earth shot up in between Balthazar and the two then, Ogi quickly turned and grabbed Nyx and leaped out the nearest window, guarding her from the shattered glass with his armored hide.

They landed outside the cabin, the wall probably wouldn't hold off Balthazar and maybe he would be able to find them soon but at least Ogi managed to put some distance between them. "Make you stay far away enough from him to be able to fire those arrows of yours effectively. If he gets too close to you, it could be over, I will take the direct approach and keep him away from you as long as I can." He said as he readied himself for the fight. His blade ready and waiting, his nose to the wind so he could follow that man's movements.

[Nyx]

The very moment he uttered the word crystal, Nyx knew something was up. Even trusting, innocent, little Nyx knew that nobody just caved like that. She'd been expecting more of a reaction to her telling him what to do, honestly. And moments later, she got it. As he transformed, she honestly wasn't impressed. There were far scarier things than a big monster-man in a ripped up suit. "What are you supposed to be, the freakin Incredible Hulk? I said get out or play nice. Growing six shirt sizes wasn't part of the deal." And she found his girly little hissy fit even more amusing. Not that her deadpanned comments allowed him to see that~ "I think I do know who you are and what you do. Oh, terrifying Balthazar, Tartarus of RIOTE, who is obviously more terrifying than Nyx and Gaia. Of course if you knew anything about the meanings of the codenames, you're pretending that Tartarus is stronger than the night and the Earth. And as you want a fight? If you live long enough, you'll need a night-light when I'm through with you." Yeah. She knew she was doing nothing more than riling up his anger. That was her intention. An angry enemy was easier to take care of than a logically thinking, SANE one. Which meant this loser would be easy to take down. Perhaps she could retrieve his stone, so Aurel could replace him more easily.

Yet, just as Nyx was preparing to fight the big bad scary Hulk, Ogi grabbed her, taking her by surprise, and jumped out the window(!?) with her. He then pulled her away from her cabin, much to the discomfort of her wings. Finally he set her down. "Ogi, I cou-" She was of course, interrupted by his instructions, so she sighed and nodded. No use going after him without a plan, ne? Speaking of going after him, Nyx had an idea. It was a longshot, and she really didn't want to do it. But her cabin was already torn up enough, sso would it make much difference? Drawing an arrow, she cocked it to the bow. Pulling it back, she let fly this deadly rod of steel. It collided with the cabin wall, but didn't stop its effectiveness there. Boom. The phosphorus arrowhead, of course, exploded, creating a nice bang anyway. But Nyx had gone further, using a bit more alchemy. A thin layer of oxygen around the cabin lit up, engulfing the building in flames. "Let's see Hulk-man escape that..." Nyx sounded rather weary after using that extra alchemy, but it couldn't be helped- she wanted him dead.

But in following Ogi's advice, she darted up a tree a good ways off, surrounding herself with the scent of the leaves that had clung to life at the top. Her scent had blended rather well into them, she'd be a bit harder to detect. And she now had a good sniper's perch. Joy.

[Guest]

The earth wall served as no real impediment; despite the fucktards' taunting, Balthazar was surprisingly intelligent despite his initial and modified appearance. He just had street smarts and tactics locked up in that vault-like mind of his alongside more... academic intellect. Either way, the man knew what he was doing - the chimera form enhanced everything, and left few weaknesses, save, perhaps, the aftermath in form of a huge draining sensation.

Snapping thick, muscular fingers together moments before he was ready to make contact with the earth wall, and moments before it had risen up to block his path, he felt the compression quickly tighten in the air around his shoulder muscles - already it was thrumming, buzzing, crackling. With enough speed and force behind him, coupled with the concussive effect of the outwards-bearing compression being released as the bestial man roared, everything slammed into the wall at once. It shattered on impact, sending shards of dagger-like stone-based shrapnel flying in pretty much every direction.

But it didn't stop there. The compression still had a full circle to complete - Balthazar smirked mid-way through his charge, having already more-or-less charged through a wall of solid, compacted rock, before his form, barely recoiling from the impact, continued to lumber forwards, arm raised, shoulder first. They'd used a window, and considering his newfound size, neither that solution or a door would work... so Tartarus knew from experience he'd have to make his own exit.

Wood and glass splintered outwards, and, finally, the man's engorged, black form, veins bulging and snaking across and atop his figure in a labyrinthine criss-cross of patterns, ground to a halt, grunting and snorting, before releasing a cascade-like torrent of roaring laughter. He turned to look into the distance at the presumably-hidden Nyx and the 'brave' Ogihci, who stood in plain view, before shaking his hands to dissipate the last of the energy, and releasing a short sigh; a stunted, dull ache - the source being his shoulder. With another low growl, the moved his hand to the armoured pauldron-like organic formation, grasped a piece of shattered, bloodied glass, jutting out from the armour, and pulled it out without, seemingly, any resistance. The wound stayed open, but seemed not to bleed, oozing barely a speck of blood in the deeper crevasse - it had been the only one he'd sustained, the man concluded, making a quick raincheck on health, before tossing the shard aside, and allowing further booming laughter to reverberate around the Drachman hills.

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" A snort. He threw his head down, ground his feet against the snow, earth set beneath it, and prepared to charge at the infinitely smaller form, toothpick of a weapon drawn, lowering his shoulders too, obviously taking on the same sort of barging pattern. Start it off simple - start it off slow. "TRY AND STOP ME-"

The last word would've been now, save for a whooshing sound far too close-by as what appeared to be an arrow, the same one Nyx had been holding in the cabin, struck the top of the opposite wall; the initial explosion was somewhat pathetic, but Balthazar could feel it, rumbling through the ground, not even shaking him or affecting his balance in the most miniscule of manners. However, the thin film of oxygen that the fucking fairy must've created ignited, and a blanket of fire beset the building - and Balthazar's right shoulder - in an instant, nearby flames eagerly lapping up at the helpless sheet of snow set upon the pale Drachman earth beneath.

Shaking his head in disbelief and lowering himself once more as the fire began to take hold, crackling as it ate away at the remains of the cabin remarkably quickly - and a realisation struck him, only angering him further, and aggravating the endless bloodlust of the bestial form. His jacket and hat were still inside. His scimitar would survive - the Nine Circles outlasted any natural test of constitution with ease - but the clothing would definitely be burnt to cinders. Expensive, Cerisian-knit jacket and fedora... these fucks would pay... especially that little fucking girl!

Beginning another charge, compressing the air around his shoulder - also removing an oxygen source for the flames, which quickly hissed out and turned to vapor-like wisps of smoke - Balthazar clenched both fists, this time, and nearby, an odd sound began to take hold. He had calculated, from the landing of the arrow, where the girl was suspended, a perfect perch... most likely a tree. He wouldn't put it past her to be adept at those sort of flexibility-dependent acrobatics required to scale the twisting branches of the frozen-over contorted figures in the distance. Hinges buckled on a charred, scorched door that wouldn't last much longer... manipulating particles at this range was difficult, but only took a few compressions before both hinges snapped.

Angling a few more shots to ready the door, throwing it into the air in just the right position, he took aim at Ogihci's gut, and aimed his shoulder forwards, grunting, before unleashing a growl. A walk turned to a run, a run to a sprint, and a sprint to the charge - a lash-like crack resonated, and the remains of the door were sent flying at Nyx's last known position, or thereabouts, as a warning, or if he were lucky, a little something more. The dual-pronged attack would begin... they would see who the idiots were now... tch...

"FUUUUCK... YOU!" Screaming madly in that distorted, crazed deep voice of his, Balthazar charged... he charged, Tartarus on Gaia, monster on ex-homunculus... only time would tell who would win this particular bout of the battle - but both, even Balthazar, knew it would have to settle first. It was just... good. It felt good, to cave in to his anger, his most primal and base of urges and natures. Rage.

[Shula Brighton]

{BUMP}

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