Thread: A Monster: Now and Forever (Razgriz x kuro_bara)

Selena remained near the warlock as they entered the cavern, shuddering at the oppressive feel of the place. Witches were pretty sensitive to fluctuations in the energy around them whether they were aware of it or not. What the Gorgon had done, the amount of negative energy created by its monstrous kills saturated this place and seeped into her body, making her feel heavy and worn out. She hadnt considered the fact that one of the Gorgons victims might have been a spellcaster, Selena wondered if put in a situation where she couldnt escape the monster if she would resort to trying to barter for her life. She frowned deep in thought as they continued deeper, there was only one caster in the area she knew of. The sound of their feet crunching over the bones of the creatures victims made her wince. The young witch did her best to not to stare too hard at the bones and broken statues as they walked, too afraid she would see something familiar. Speaking of the familiar, the shroud still bothered her, why would any caster, even in desperation help a monster like this. It wasnt until they entered the main cavern, where the monster was coiled around the pillar that Selena realized why the spell seemed familiar. Her eyes roamed the cave, being careful to avoid looking at the Gorgon and half listening to the exchange between the monster and the warlock. At least until her eyes landed on a statue hidden near the edge of the cavern. It was surprisingly unmarred, not a scratch or crack on it. The voice of the Gorgon faded out in a buzz of white noise as the blood pounded in her ears. Its agonizing screams barely registered as she reached out a shaking hand and touched one smooth stone cheek. The boy couldnt have been more than fifteen, seventeen at most, the look of absolute terror on his face was heart wrenching. His eyes were cast upwards, a look of desperation in them as the Gorgon loomed over him. The shroud was a result of a terrified kid, trying anything he could to survive. Selena could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she dropped to her knees beside the statue, gripping his hand. Her brother, her baby brother, she had discovered last time she was home that he had an aptitude for magic involving the weather and was searching for a teacher for him through the Coven. Now he would never have the chance to learn, that monster had taken it away from him. There was no sound behind her anymore, the snake was barely moving, its form unrecognizable thanks to the warlocks torturous fire magic. Selena pushed herself to her feet, her gaze unfocused as she trudged over to where the warlock had dropped to his knees. Her unseeing eyes fixed on the glimmering edge of the sword and she stopped, reaching down and picking it up in one hand. The monster was sprawled on the floor, twitching occasionally as pain wracked its body. Still it summoned up enough strength to talk. Ssssuch a fine boy.sssooo pretty I kept him assss a pet It hissed weakly, trying to goad her into a quick death. He cried for you The Gorgon laughed hoarsely and Selena could hear the liquid in its lungs, choking the monster with each rattling breath. She stood over the monster, staring numbly down at it. It felt as though all her blood had been replaced with ice. The warlock had tortured it, caused it immense pain but it wasnt enough for Selena. She wanted to feel that monster die. She hefted the sword like it weighed a thousand pounds, it truly felt like a heavy burden, and set the blade against the Gorgons torso, where the burned flesh became scale. Selena could hear the creature try to pull itself away from the wicked edge so she drove her knee into the scaled muscle just below the torso using her body weight to hold the weakened monster in place. The Gorgon let out a gurgling screech of pain and fear as Selena pressed her knee down. The volume and pitch increased to an almost ear splitting level when she very slowly started to slice the beast through the middle, sawing back and forth as if slicing off a piece of bread. The witch didnt flinch as the Gorgon flail weakly, blood splattering from the gaping wound and over her face and body. Eventually she hit the spine and finding she lacked the strength to cut through the bone she stood up and viciously ripped the blade out of the monsters body. It had long since ceased to move but just to be sure, she unceremoniously decapitated it. The head rolled to the side, the horrified expression on the monsters face not unlike that of its victims. All the energy she had to complete her task, seeped out of her body and she dropped the sword onto the floor before sinking to the cold stone herself. Her gaze remained fixed on the statue across the room, the tears leaking from her eyes cutting a trail through the blood that stained her cheeks. Venice, Italy Selena would never forget that fight, it still haunted her all these years later and seeing the very same warlock who had made it possible for her to kill that monster had brought the memory rushing forward. She immediately felt a conflicting wave of emotion swirl through her. She knew with certainty that this man was a definite threat to Cassandra. If anyone could succeed at bringing the vampiress down, it would be him. As a loyal supporter of the Baroness, she knew it was her duty to remove the threat while he was weak...but she couldnt prevent the pang of guilt in her chest. He had saved her once, albeit grudgingly and only because it coincided with his goals. Still, killing a man who had once helped her just did not sit well with her. Look, we can stand here all day and banter or you can let me out, I will remove the curse and we can both walk away. There was an unspoken addition to her words, sure they could both walk away. Today. After that whatever happened would be on equal footing and quite likely as enemies. Unless of course he decided they were already enemies. She stood inside the ring of fire, watching him silently.