damned_institute | Nightshift 24: Recreational Field

"I'm afraid not all vampire-kind would agree with you. I happen to know several vampires who take quite well to my company." D smirked, adding as an afterthought, "They, of course, aren't children."

D was used to the arrogant sort of ribbing that they would occasionally grace him with, though, so he wasn't all that offended by Aidou's remarks. It was in their nature to feel superior, since they were in most ways, and Aidou was certainly no different, especially considering his age.

However, D's smirk quickly slipped into a frown when Aidou paused. "What is it?" Now he was terribly curious...and a little worried. What could make someone like him hesitate in such a manner?

If he'd been paying attention to him, Aidou would have warned this Count D about the use of the word 'child' in correlation to him, but as he wasn't, there was no response.

In fact, if Aidou even heard D's final question, he didn't respond to it either. He just moved farther down the ledge, away from Larsa's group, and passing over D's head to the left. Lowering himself just a little, an instinct in reducing his size, Aidou watched it.

That had to be the pyramid headed thing people were babbling about. The stench was absolutely rank. Whether truly impervious to some weapons or not, the thing was certainly huge. Larger than Aidou could have thought possible; it was probably even taller than the wall he was standing on. And that metal pylon on its head. What the hell?

If not for the spear and the evidence of earlier destruction, Aidou considered going over anyway.

D noticed the intensity with which Aidou was peering over the wall, both curiosity and worry increasing. What could hold a vampire's attention in such a way that he was oblivious to everything else?

Finally, D's curiosity won out, much to the dismay of his dignity. If Aidou wasn't going to tell him what it was, he would just have to see for himself... Even if it meant scaling the vine-covered wall.

Grasping a hold of the ivy, D pulled himself up--step by step--to the top of the wall. He didn't stand or crouch like Aidou, but swung his legs over the edge of the wall, seating himself on the top of the structure. What he saw on the other side left him speechless...

That colossal body, the speed and sheer power, was something D had never seen before in his life. Nothing even came close to this remarkable thing, and D couldn't help but stare, despite the distinctly human feel that the creature had to it. Once again, human-but-not-human... How could there be so many oddities that he had never witnessed before?!...

"What is it?" D finally asked in a soft voice, tearing his gaze away to look over at Aidou. Perhaps the boy had been here longer and could tell him?

When the ivy started rustling with activity, Aidou realized D was actually deigning to climb, and had not stayed below or wandered off as Aidou expected. He shot the other a considering glance as D came over the lip. His silence must have piqued some curiosity.

"Why are you asking me?" Aidou questioned innocuously. "I'm just a child." Well, that answered the question of whether or not he'd heard. His mien returned to reflecting his actual feelings, however: reservation. His maturity was in question during times of peace, but when it came to things like this, he wasn't so eager to goof off. "Listen, D. This is my free advice: follow what gets written on the bulletin board. Sometimes, there is useful information given. Like this creature. Allegedly it wanders, attacking whomever it comes across, and is not known to take much damage in return."

Aidou glanced back to D, one eyebrow cocked slightly. "Other than that, I have no interest in something that has no right to exist. It looks like it just came straight out of a horror film."

It was in that moment, Aidou stilled, rolling his shoulders ever so slightly like a chill had gone down them. He didn't bother looking over his shoulder; somehow, he knew Indra was coming.

The sounds of feasting had stopped.

"I told you so," was all he said to D, assuming the other would catch on. "They'll attack anyone, no matter the cause."

Indra was coming.

Its steps were silent as it strode towards the two, its mask still closed and its face expressionless as it advanced. Step by heavy, quiet step; it moved with unstated purpose, with a direction and a haste that it had not shown until that point.

Perhaps, just perhaps, it was afraid that its newest meals would escape over the walls, just as the last one had. Or perhaps it was jealous that its competitor would get two more dainty morsels.

Regardless, Indra strode towards them with its lance out, and when came within range it struck with all the rage and anger of a thunder god. Vajra, the great three-pronged spear that its right arm formed, struck at the wall like a lightning bolt, the stone cracking from the sheer force of the blow. Whether it was planning to knock both men off of said wall, or whether it was planning on breaking through if they ran, was difficult to say. What was obvious was its focused attention on the two of them, looking up at the wall like a hound that had driven its prey up a tree; even without the mask bared, even without any eyes or any means of expression, the demon exuded an almost palpable feeling of ravenous hunger.

Once he was done observing the creature, D's initial expression towards Aidou was a dry one. Well, perhaps he had deserved that for so blatantly pointing out Aidou's youth. He wasn't all that old himself, truth be told. Aidou probably outnumbered him in actual years, considering how long lived his species was.

Not that it mattered so much. Aidou's next words gave D reason to pause. Bulletin board? If others spoke of these creatures there, freely offering information, then perhaps he would have to keep a tab on it. As for the creature below them, yes, D agreed whole-heartedly that it should not exist. It looked remotely human, but upon closer inspection, it felt...warped. It was clear what the odd sensation about the building was now. Nature itself had been warped here. And this did not please D at all.

There was no time to consider what to do about this, though, as Aidou's comment alerted D to the other creature's approach. A moment was all it took to brace for the impact of the lance, and given his seated position, it didn't throw him too much. 'Too much' meaning 'off the wall', at least. Still, after the initial shudder in the wall and spray of chipped stone, D quickly got to his feet and ran along its length towards the door they had entered from. He had no intention of remaining where he was. He also had no intention of fighting with this thing. He would defend himself if attacked, but nothing more. It wasn't in his nature to cause needless harm, especially since the creature only seemed to be searching for a meal. That didn't mean D was going to willingly give himself up either, though.

Pausing where the wall met the building, D glanced back to Aidou to make sure the boy was following. Leaving the other behind just wasn't an option to him, despite his own desire for survival.

Aidou took a different approach to Indra's initial strike; to avoid being hit with any debris, he jumped clear, hitting the grass in the midst of a tight roll. It was an instinct to seeing lightning-based abilities before. There was no advantage to being in a high area, even with ice that would not conduct electricity.

Now separated from D by having moved in the opposite direction, Aidou had nothing but open field to his back. The only issue was getting around the beast to at least escape from open ground by heading inside; it was either that, or breach the wall again and take his chances with the pylon head thing.

If escape was coming at all.

Rolling back on his feet, Aidou unconsciously shifted into a stance suited for battle. It was an automatic response to seeing the creature - maw dripping with gore - turn on him, seeking to feed further. It was instinctual to put down a challenger; one didn't enter lightly into a fight with a vampire. He didn't like being menaced.

That's not to say Aidou was unable to resist his base impulses like humans seemed to think.

He moved backwards, putting even more space between himself and D. Either it would go after the other male... or come after him. And what was behind him but the wall leading to the grounds outside of Landel's? It was a thought worth exploring. He could dodge the attacks the Indra threw at him, of that he had no doubt.

"Keeping going," Aidou said, referring to D, even while his eyes stayed on Indra. "There's no need for you to pause."

Unlike the attack that had allowed Luke and Masaru to escape its clutches, this time Indra was able to recover shortly after the attack that had split part of the wall and showered its body with dust. Only a jagged scar in the face of the stone, little more than that, but enough to warn the two of what, exactly, they were facing.

When the two scattered, Indra followed Aidou with its sightless gaze; it didn't turn, it didn't do more than track the vampire's movements with its head, and the face mask remained, for the moment, closed.

But that fact did not mean that Indra was any less menacing. Once more, the air would tingle with the precursor to lightning. Once more, the mighty lance of Vajra was raised to the heavens in a slow arc, electricity crackling across and around the demon's body. Once more, the air would stink of ozone as the air was ionized, charged with unholy power.

Then Indra pointed its weapon directly at... Count D. In the instant where that man paused, suddenly the three-fold prongs of Indra's weapon snapped into position, lightning shooting across the field and over the wall, aimed directly at the one who had run away. Was it because Indra wished to paralyze one meal while the other seemed content to remain? Was it simple bad luck which had made one man the target and the other ignored?

...or was there an ancient enmity there, a hunt carried out that was older than either of the incarnations currently involved?

No need? D saw much need, considering that he wasn't going to be leaving Aidou behind for any reason. It wasn't so much that he cared for Aidou--they had just met, after all--but the fact that they were both entirely inhuman. D had always been taught to respect those that were like himself, things humans might refer to as beasts or legends. And with that respect in play, he couldn't turn his back and run without ensuring Aidou would be alright as well.

Much to his surprise, Aidou wasn't the focus of the creature's wrath, despite having been shaken from the wall. Realizing the weapon was being pointed at himself instead, D dove from the wall, just quickly enough to avoid the lightning that arched over where he had been. He could feel the heat from the strange attack moments before hitting the ground, dropping to one knee to absorb the shock.

That was a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous was the creature's apparent lack of logic when attacking. He had figured Aidou would be the more obvious target, but no. As if the creature had some vendetta against him. There was something perverse about this beast...

D stood, taking a step back. It felt human, but it was only a fleeting notion, like two substances combined into one with one overpowering the other. The dominating presence comforted D even less, though, which was an oddity in itself. Something worse than humans? It gave him a chill which he refused to visibly display.

D's gaze narrowed on the strange thing. This one violated nature by merely existing, judging by the strong sense of 'wrongness' that was wafting from it. Which made it difficult to simply turn his back on it and leave it to its own destructive devices.

That the fiend chose the one calling himself Count D over Aidou was at least confirmation of his non-human status. Had it only been attacking to attack, and had D been human, he would have been the preferred target as something easy to dispose of. But because it seemed to be after a repast... Aidou thought Indra must have been seeing something about D that he could not. Something that preceded Aidou himself.

He held his ground, balling his hands into fists absently. None of it explained just why the fool was not withdrawing. Aidou could deal with the situation alone, but he doubted - as he did with all creatures who were not one of his kind - that D would end up any better then the boy before him.

"What are you doing!? Do you really want to die?"

It was not helping that, despite a lack of thunder, the superheated air caused by discharge only hampered him further. Normally issues in temperature weren't a problem. But 'normally' was no longer a part of the deal.

For a moment, the two creatures stared at each other. D's gaze was met by that expressionless mask, both of them standing motionless and rigid.

But then Aidou spoke, and those words seemed to jolt Indra out of some reverie. Instantly the demon brought its left hand up, the discs on that hand and on both feet beginning to whirl, the edges glinting in the light as the bearer of Vajra began to stalk towards D, step by heavy step. Each time its feet touched the ground, the discs left deep gouges in the earth itself, trodding the grass and earth underfoot as though seeking dominance over all things, from the highest heavens to the entirety of the world.

And it yet hungered. Though D was its chosen target, Indra had not forgotten about Aidou, nor had it forgotten the vampire's arrogance. It would continue to feed until its ravenous hunger was fully satisfied.

While this being was not a part of his sworn revenge, D could not resist the strong urge to deliver retribution to it anyway. This thing that sought to dominate everything he held dear and protected.

Aidou's shout caused D's attention to shift to the vampire for a brief moment, breaking him away from his thoughts. There was reason in those words. Outside of this building, he might have been able to take this creature, or at least call upon some sort of aid. But here, he was virtually powerless. He was still agile and dangerous with his ~~claws~~ nails, but it would be no competition between the two of them...

This was a frustrating realization, but not one he could easily help. Once whatever was restraining his abilities was taken care of, he would come back and deal with this creature properly...

At the creature's advance, D continued to step back until he was a few feet from the door they had entered from, fully prepared to dart inside if any sudden movement occured. "Not really," D called back to Aidou. "Are you planning on coming or not? I'm not leaving you out here alone."

To avoid squabbling with monsters, there were only so many routes to take, and it seemed retreating back the way he'd come was the easiest. There was little chance of meeting his dinner face-to-face, but that didn't mean Aidou liked the idea. He'd just be going around in circles.

Aidou couldn't help rolling his eyes at D's proclamation. How self-sacrificing. "Thanks for the concern, but your presence is unnecessary. I'll follow at my own leisure."

What was D thinking? If he knew of vampires - any kind of vampire - then he shouldn't have felt the need to hover like a nursemaid. Not to mention the longer D hesitated, the more he let Indra block off Aidou's escape by letting it progress forward.

Picking up a piece of shattered stone that had come to rest in the grass, he hurled it, dead center, at the back of Indra's head. "Ugly bastard. Come this way, why don't you?"

Whatever propelled the demon into advancing towards D, its pace hadn't slowed down for a moment. It advanced like a conqueror, like a king going forth to slay and dominate and lay low all who would oppose it. Indra seemed either unaware, or uncaring, of the power that D possessed outside of the walls of the Institute.

But then a rock smacked into the back of the demon's helmet. And to, perhaps, the shock of everyone involved, Indra staggered. Only for a moment, and only until Vajra sunk into the earth to steady the demon, but Indra staggered to one knee.

When it arose, Indra was no longer paying attention to D. No longer was it acting upon that ancient anger. No, it turned to Aidou, and it raised its empty hand. Suddenly... the air would seem warmer for the vampire. More drowsy, more comfortable, more heavy. Wouldn't it be a good idea to take a brief rest? Just for a moment, and besides, wasn't the grass so luxurious and soft, perfect for resting on? No one would notice, and besides, it was perfectly safe...

Regardless, Indra began striding towards Aidou, the discs on its hand spinning even more rapidly than before. D was forgotten once more; now Indra was solely focused on the one who had dared attempt such a disgraceful, cowardly attack.

Well... D gave Aidou a rather displeased look, sorely tempted to leave him behind after that kind of remark. But with the beast's sudden change in direction towards the vampire, D found himself unsure. He hovered near the door still, his hand on the knob.

This wasn't something that D felt even Aidou could handle on his own, nonhuman or not. It would leave a very bad taste in his mouth to abandon the young vampire against something like this. And as long as the beast wasn't headed in his direction, there was no immediate reason to leave the field. Still, he was prepared to do so just as soon as he was sure Aidou would be following safely.

Aidou had had no intention of trying to take down a nightmare monster twice his height - that sort of stuff was better left to the moronic hero types - but he wasn't going to try and duck through either door while the thing closed in on the building. (For all he knew, it'd just destroy a wall and follow.)

As soon as Indra started turning on him, he'd taken off for the furthest door, much faster than Aidou expected the behemoth to keep pace with. Even if his faculties weren't working at full capacity, he was still at head of the pack in his opinion.

And he would've gotten away too, if not for that damned monster...

"More tricks, eh? Not bad for such an ugly thing," Aidou muttered. He tried not to stop. In fact, he gave his body an explicit order not to slow and put him asleep on his feet, but with the soft touch of another creature's enchantment on him, it seemed as though all his agility and grace just drained away. Better sense told him to stop before he went face down into the grass and couldn't get up again.

It still seemed like the ground wanted to come to him, anyway. His palms touched earth before he realized he was really going to be sink into unconsciousness before he could do something more facile to remedy the situation then -

"You're really going to pay for this." What had been normal fingertips were now hooked and clawed, as Aidou prepared to strike himself.

The demon stormed towards Aidou, each heavy step like thunder. D was forgotten as Indra advanced upon the one who had faltered and now struggled with his own mind and body, the three-pronged lance sliding into place in Indra's hand as it came with a rapid pace.

All those muttered words, the transformation of the vampire's body, even the group of other individuals clambering over the wall were ignored in favor for this suddenly defenseless morsel. Indra yet hungered, its famine was not yet ended, and therefore it yet sought to feed.

For that reason, once more Indra's mask opened, its maw yet dripped with gore and blood as it lunged. If it could only get close, it would happily draw that vampire into its jaws and consume him just as he had attempted to consume another. For one who blasphemed against the celestial laws was just as much an enemy of Indra as those who had earned its enmity ages ago...

D stood his ground by the door, watching Aidou head for the other exit. About time... He almost turned and went inside, but stopped himself. Something wasn't right. Aidou was slowing, and the creature was closing in on him. What was he doing?...Was it caused by this creature?

When D saw the mask open up, the door to safety nearby was forgotten for the moment. "Aidou!" he snapped, more worry in his tone than he had originally intended to show. As much as he hated to, if the vampire didn't get up, D would be forced to intervene. He would not let Aidou die.

It occurred to him, in that nebulous way the half-asleep mind has, that the only ones who would rightly worry over him were far away and lost, leaving him with an odd sense of disorientation at the sound of D's voice. He must've really been a sad sight, for a stranger to be calling his name in such a way.

Aidou twisted around, about to dig his claws in - and got a glimpse of a maw drawn wide open.

And the thing fell on him like a small mountain, prepared to dine on the vampire it'd ensnared in its soporific enchantment. Forget it, you monstrosity! Rolling out from under Indra - raking his diamond-hard claws at any area of flesh that looked the most vulnerable - Aidou made little more than a hiss at having teeth already smeared with the blood of others tear through the top of his right shoulder.

Pain, as he knew, was a potent jolt to the nervous system; the blood that began to flow down his chest and arm was hot, wet. His eyes flared a mercurial crimson as he rolled onto his heels. That blood... it was an odious violation. Aidou clamped a hand over the injury, upper lip halfway curled in a snarl.

Indra still seemed to ignore D for the moment, and for an instant, it even seemed to ignore Aidou. Instead it slowly straightened itself to its full height, its maw raised to the heavens as blood dripped down to the earth, both its own thick ichor and Aidou's crimson blood mingling together. For the moment that it remained in its ecstasy, the enchantment remained woven around Aidou.

Then it slowly looked down at Aidou, and the enchantment dissipated into pain. Though it had no eyes, it gazed at Aidou. Though it had no face, it seemed to smile in anticipation. The mask remained open as Indra suddenly lunged at the vampire once more, the massive three-pronged lance of its right arm thrust right at the vampire's shoulder.

The taste of vampiric blood seemed to be a greater factor by far than the group that had just escaped from Indra's attention.

At the sight of the creature bearing down on Aidou's form, D made a dash towards the two, hoping he wasn't already too late. It was with a small bit relief that he saw Aidou roll to avoid most of the damage, even if his shoulder had been torn open. It didn't seem nearly as serious as it could have been, considering how vicious it seemed. But still, Aidou didn't appear to be moving towards the door just yet.

As far as sprinting went, D could easily outpace most normal people if he had a desire to. ~~Even Leon had a hard time keeping up with him a few times.~~ Still, in the few seconds it took to reach Aidou, the creature was already turned around and lunging for the vampire once more. Grabbing Aidou's uninjured arm, he jerked the boy out of the way, in the direction of the door, trying to get him to run.

"Come on," D insisted, nearly hissing the words, but only out of concern. He knew perfectly well how prideful vampires could be, especially in the event of being assaulted. But pride was no reason to fight a battle that you were sure to lose.

If only, if only, if only. To be brought so low that he couldn't safely face opponents he should have been able to defeat easily. It was a humiliation. For someone like him to have allow himself to reach this condition was a humiliation.

Not just for himself, but his family. They'd raised him better than this - to surpass situations like this. Hadn't they?

Aidou wasn't sure who he more loathed - the institute, himself, the creature charging at him, the stranger suddenly at his side. D grabbed at him only milliseconds before he would have dodged on his own, and so when D pulled, he moved along. It didn't stop him from trying to shake off the clinging hand.

"What are you even still doing here?" Aidou snapped. "Once again, you're making yourself a target for no reason!"

It was obvious that D was making himself a target, and soon he would pay the price for getting between Indra and its chosen prey. The great lance was embedded in the ground, the sharp points having sunk into the earth as though it was made of butter. And yet Indra didn't bother tearing its weapon out of the ground quite yet.

Instead, a massive hand was raised to point at D, coarse and blunt inhuman fingers splayed out as though reaching for the protector of the natural order. Then, in a single brutal motion, that hand was clenched, so tightly that the razor sharp discs cut into the demon's palm.

Heavenly light surrounded D as the blood began to flow. As a single drop began falling to the ground, what seemed to be mystic ofuda, slips of prayer with blasphemous prayers written on them, swirled around the man like leaves blown by the wind. They glowed with power, with a might stolen- or was it granted?- by the heavens, and even a creature like D would be seared by their divine power.

As soon as the drop of blood fell to the earth, so to would the cleansing light fall upon the ancient foe.

D was glad that Aidou had intended to dodge in the first place. It made pulling him out of the way that much easier. As far as Aidou's remark went, D wasn't too fazed. "And you expect me to leave you out here? I know how your kind hates to retreat, but I would imagine your life would be more important than your pride."

D had no intention of making himself a target. His initial goal was to grab Aidou and run, but a vampire's stubbornness wasn't easy to overcome. From his own experience, their one weakness was being too firmly set in their own opinions. It led to Alexander's downfall, as well as Norma's broken heart.

But D's grip on Aidou's arm released at the onslaught of the sudden brightness, surprise evident in his expression. This was an unfortunate turn of events... one he wasn't sure how to respond to, having never been faced with it before.

So now it was about his kind and their ways? This Count D may have been able to pick him out of a crowd, but what did that really entail? Nothing. What could he possibly know of vampire kind? What pride they held was no one's business but their own.

Clutching the gouge in his shoulder with a free hand, he made to shove D further aside. The ragged material of his shirt was sticking to the wound; he wanted to cast it off as quickly as possible, before he ended up having to rip it out. "If you valued your own life, then of course," he said. Whatever abilities this thing had, they were as wide and varied as Aidou had hoped they wouldn't be. A creature that utilized lightning was one thing entirely. Going through a repertoire of attacks wasn't high on his list of priorities.

And so Aidou knew better than to combat the creature, obviously. He had not come out to this area seeking a fight, and wasn't going to leave it while in the middle of one either.

It was at that point Indra cast his blood to the ground - blood power - and Aidou bring the line of his forearm up into D's stomach, casting him away with as much strength as possible. The more he tried to 'help', the more he made Aidou cover for him! He didn't stop to consider the rest; he was an instinctual creature, too.

The water vapour was scarce after Indra's earlier onslaughts, but Aidou dragged at whatever he could, using the excess to help in rapidly freezing the expanse of Indra's face. What blood he had drawn earlier crystallized in the wounds.

All that really mattered was preventing that ofuda from reaching its pinnacle...

The consequences at using his powers came just as he knew it would, and Aidou staggered, both hands flying up to clutch at his head, smearing more blood on his china white skin.

Nightshift 24: Recreational Field

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