candybox | OPEN POST: V - Devil May Cry

[On his own, he can't handle a giant demon, but fortunately, he has help. Whenever Otome returns there are a few noticeable things: a towering, golem-like demon is battling the giant demon, while V, now with white hair instead of black, and a bleeding gash across one arm, is hunched over a glowing red orb whispering to it-- Come back to me. It's Shadow, or what's left of him.

V pauses in tending to his familiar only when he looks up and sees Otome emerge. So, she made it after all.]

[ She's not alone, either. She's got one child held tightly in her arms, and escorting five more adults out in front of her, all of them (Otome included) sooty and smoky and coughing. But very much alive and oddly with no burn marks, in the victims' cases. ]

You shouldn't be targeted now. There's a first-aid tent just a little ways ahead-- I'll be seeing you all again very shortly. Now-- [ as she passes the little boy off to an older man, she turns back towards V and... whatever the heck that is. ]

Thank you for holding it off! I'll lend a hand now.

Just in time. [V says with a small smile, and gets to his feet. As he does so, the red orb seems to swirl and regain shape, shifting back into the form of Shadow.

With a better fighting force now, V climbs up onto his giant's back to keep safely out of the fighting. His demon throws slow punches and slamming attacks-- holding off from using some of its flashier abilities for the sake of the fleeing civilians.l]

Kazfiel-- help me pin its movements, please!

[ One finger presses a button on her phone, and a angelic-looking demon sparks its way into existence beside her. ]

Distasteful... don't go near such an existence.

I don't intend to, if I can help it!

[ Kazfiel huffs slightly, winging up to join the giant in driving the demon back, as Otome narrows her eyes and calls forth a strong blast of wind to surround them and buffet the monster. ]

Edited (whoops) 2019-03-13 18:46 (UTC)

[V tightens his grip on the back of his giant familiar to avoid being blown off, and Shadow melds into the floor in a pool of inky black until the winds subside. Once they do, the big cat pounces from the floor, spike-like tendrils shooting from its body and impaling the demon.]

It's almost finished. [If Otome doesn't finish it off first, V will jump in and take care of it.]

[ With a quick breath (and an apologetic glance at the panther), Otome waits until she's sure it's out of the range of the next spell, though she makes absolutely sure to think hard enough-- the man, the giant, the panther, all allies.

When the Megido descends, the demon lets out a final bellow before it crashes down to the ground, its body crumbling and dissipating within seconds. ]

... Are you all right?

[ She might be addressing that question to all of them, though if his demons are anything like hers, they're a little more resilient than the average human. ]

[Shadow does move out of the way out the spell, avoiding any harm. Once the demon is defeated, the giant V had been riding on sinks back into the earth as if collapsing under its own weight. V hops from its back, using his cane to steady the landing. He looks a little tired from the exertion of summoning Nightmare, but otherwise unscathed.

He takes a moment to regain his breath, the panther padding silently back to his side.]

Yes... Fine. [He looks up at Otome, hair turning from white back to its usual inky black colour as he responds.] Thank you for your assistance.

You have my thanks, too. With all the demons that have been wreaking havoc lately, I could use all the help I can get.

[ With a polite dip of her head to the both of them. ]

... And you'll have to forgive me for the rudeness, but I think you could use a bit of a rest. Do you want to find somewhere to sit down?

[Much like Nightmare, Shadow vanishes into black mist, and returns to the tattoos on V's arm and torso. V considers the question, and looks up to where their other demons had been sent.]

Is now really the time to rest? There is more to be done.

[He turns to head into the building. He may not be able to reach the upper floors where Griffon is fighting, but if he can just find a few more survivors, even pick off a few more stray demons...]

If you push yourself past your limit, that's less you'll be able to do for others.

[ Otome glances at the building, squaring her shoulders. ]

But if you insist, then I'll be coming with you.

[ Less work for the guy who's already looking more frail than she would like. ]

Sitting by does nothing for others.

[He heads into the building, and he can feel through his connection to Griffon that he's approaching his limit. Whatever's happening on the upper floors, if any emergency rescue doesn't arrive quickly, the survivors up there aren't going to stand much of a chance.

He heads up the stairs, but the smoke is already thick and oppressive. He coughs, holding a hand over his mouth.]

...Did you check the rooms on this floor? There could be people unconscious or hiding still inside.

I checked every room, don't worry about-- [ Otome breaks off to cough, pressing an already soot-stained sleeve over her mouth. ] ... it.

We'll have to head further up before this gets much worse-- Kazfiel?

[ The demon flies on past her, generating a cooling wind with a flap of his wings and working to clear them more of a path free of flames. ]

Edited 2019-03-14 23:06 (UTC)

Convenient.

[He remarks quietly, as the flames are blown out. Yet some of the flame damage is already particularly bad, and as he heads through, a piece of the floor actually buckles and gives way underfoot--

Which is when Griffon materialises, grabbing V's hand and yanking him back up to safety. The bird drops him on the other side of the hole, and he grits his teeth before getting back to his feet.]

You can't do anything without me, huh? [Griffon quips, and V just shakes his head and turns to Otome.] Can you make it across?

[ Kazfiel's already gone ahead, to continue carving them out as much of a path as he can, so Otome gauges the distance she'd have to leap... and backs up, motioning for him to do the same. ]

Just a moment.

[ This sure is a young adult in scrubs doing a charge and flying leap, and she'll make it-- barely. A light touch down, but a little too close to the edge of that broken segment, sending one foot backwards and compromising her balance.

Please hold. ]

[V grabs her hand to prevent her fall, and while his arm trembles under her weight, he's still able to pull her to safety. He grimaces as he lets go of her hand, looking back down at the hole.]

If we intend to rescue anyone back down this route, we may have a problem. [He puffs, turning to press on. Well, they'll just have to find away to get both rescuers and rescuees safely back across.]

Let's see if there's anyone we can rescue first.

... And thank you.

[ She's keeping a cautious eye on him as they press on, just to make sure he isn't pushing himself entirely too much. ]

You're welcome. Let's mind our footing as we go on.

[Griffon disappears for now, the corridors being too narrow for such a large bird to move around easily. They reach the next floor, and it's getting harder to keep going in amongst all this smoke.

They decide to split the search in the interest of time, taking a room each. The first door he comes across is locked. He bangs on it a few times, and when that doesn't work, he forces the door open with a well-timed charge from Shadow. Stepping inside, the windows of the room are thrown open, but he can't find any occupants. The bathroom and bedroom yields no results either.

It's not promising. He leaves to move on to the next, calling to Otome.] Have you found anyone?

No--!

[ It's only been one room, and perhaps it means they managed to get out-- or that the Pyro Jacks have reduced them to ash, but Otome can't let herself dwell on that. She doesn't even care when turning a doorknob burns her hand, not when Hariti is suddenly beside her and murmuring rather urgently. ]

I hear crying from within. There are children.

[ Children. Plural.

It occurs to Otome that she doesn't know her fellow rescuer's name, so instead she calls out-- ]

There's more than one in here!

[ The door opens, and with Hariti's guidance, Otome finds-- a woman's body, near a bed. Following her instinct, she drops to her knees to peer under the bed and is greeted by two frightened little boys coughing and clutching each other. ]

Shh... it's okay, come on. We're here to help.

[V hurries in after her, and the sight of the woman on the ground, and the two boys, makes his grip on his cane tighten until his knuckles go white.

This is far too close to home. Though at least in this case, the children have each other. They have a rescuer. He swallows, trying to collect himself despite the tightness in his chest.]

They may be too scared to leave. If we carry one each, we can take them to safety.

[As Otome tries to coax the children out, V crouches to close the woman's eyes, then grabs a sheet from the bed to draw over her body. Someone will have to collect the bodies later for burial, after all, and it's a small sign of respect for both her and the children's plight. Softly, he recites:] "Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too?"

[ This is Otome's area of expertise, dealing with children, and it only takes a few soft words to get them to slowly wriggle their way towards her. Once they're out, she's quickly escorting them into the bathroom to wet a couple of cloths and get them tied over their mouths and noses before leading them back to V. ]

All right, boys. You've both been very brave. This very nice man is going to help me get you out of here, okay?

[ They look a little uncertainly at V, then down at their mother's sheet-covered body, but ultimately nod, one wandering closer and the other tightly clinging to Otome's hand until she lifts him up to rest on her hip. ]

[He's glad they'll listen to her, because he doubts they would even think of listening to him alone. He lacks the strength to carry a child for any period of time, particularly in these dangerous conditions, so he simply takes the boy's hand and holds it tight. If trouble happens, his demons can protect the boy better than his own strength.]

You've nothing to fear with us. Come.

[He leads the boy from the room, checking the corridor for any demon that might be lurking in the shadows. Nothing. Until-- there's a sound of something cracking and an explosion overhead that shakes the walls and floors. The boy he's leading whimpers and clings to V; he makes a hushing noise and urges him along.

The hole, of course, is still an obstacle. V picks up the child and takes a running leap across it this time: somehow he manages to clear it, just barely, though he has to set the boy down again immediately to cough and take a second to regain his breath. The smoke is making him dizzy and unfocused, on top of all this extra exertion, and seeing this, the boy he's leading begins to panic and cry again.]

[ As a doctor, Otome knows how to multitask-- not just when it comes to doing her job, but when it comes to thinking about what must absolutely come next. V's struggling, she can see that much. Hariti's MP had reached its limit just driving away the Pyro Jacks, and Kazfiel had returned to her phone after clearing that much of a path for them. She doesn't know the limit of her companion's familiars, but assuming that it will largely just be the two of them, she nods silently to herself.

With the boy clutched close, she makes it across, barely wincing as the building screeches and rumbles in protest. There's no real time to talk two scared little boys through this, but as she crouches, she presents her back to the other kid. ]

Here-- climb on my back. This is the easy part now.

[ Hopefully. This is far too much smoke inhalation for the adults, and V looks like he's not going to be able to move too quickly without overexerting himself. She's less drained, at least, and carrying both of them should take an additional burden off of him.

A pause to cough, and wipe her watering eyes with her free hand. ]

Shall we?

[V glances over his shoulder to see Otome helping the other boy onto her back. Not for the first time and not for the last, he has to curse his own uselessness, but for now, he has to focus on doing the best with what he has. If he goes first unburdened, he can focus on staving off any attacks that might block their path.]

Yes. [His voice is definitely hoarser now, but he turns to lead them back down the stairs with renewed determination, using the railings to avoid stumbling down. It feels like an eternity passes by the time they reach the doors, and once they're outside into the (slightly more) fresh air, he sags and drops to his knees, coughing and wheezing as he glances over his shoulder.]

The children... Are they safe...?

[ One is still clinging to her side like a koala bear, and she can feel the rapid heartbeat against her back from the other and the sniffling from both, prompting a sigh of relief as Otome's own legs wobble and threaten to follow V's stellar example. ]

... Yes, thanks to you. I need to... take them a little further away, get them seen to...

[ Of course it's now, once they're free from the building, that her steps forward are more like staggering movements, but she's trying. ]

[Seeing that Otome is struggling, and now that he's had a chance to get his breath back, he uses his cane to push himself back to his feet despite his body's protests. He helps the child clinging to her back to climb off, taking his hand once more. Most importantly, he does what he can to stop the child from looking back at the burning building.

The less he sees now, the less will be burned into his memory for later. V understands that all too well.]

Where? [As in-- where is the closest place to get them treated? She seems to know the area far better than he does, and her knowledge about how to treat the children hadn't escaped his notice back in the apartment.]

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