Petrichor Chapter 57: Fracas
Chapter 57: Fracas
Note: Oh, I like this one. I like this one a lot.
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Stepping through the doorway to the coffee shop and back out onto the street, the duo followed their new escort as he made his way around the corner of the building and down a back alley. He snaked down several sets of intertwining alleyways, each a bit narrower than the last until they were more or less forced to go into a single fine formation.
Sirrus followed just behind V, covering his flank as they continued onward, the misty alleyway obscuring their vision slightly but not impeding them in any meaningful way. V wasn’t sure how Gustave could tell where they were going, but it seemed that Sirrus could as well, so at least they were at less of a risk of becoming dreadfully lost. Would he leave them behind if they did?
Gustave’s pace wasn’t exactly a jog, but it was certainly brisk, making no allotment for either of his companions. He wasn’t making an active effort to leave them behind, but he wasn’t checking to see if they were able to keep up with him, either. But oddly enough, V couldn’t say that he was really bothered by that. Perhaps Gustave was giving him the benefit of the doubt by not giving him any sort of special treatment? He’d certainly noticed that he walked with a cane, but he also didn’t seem to be taking that into account by assuming that he required a slower walking pace. And that was actually somewhat correct, given the circumstances, but it was a waiting game now to see how long the young summoner could keep up this pace before becoming tired. It was a strange duality. A fine line that he walked. It was situational. And for the moment, he was fine. But he was going to need to adjust his pace sooner or later.
Maybe this was another test?
Perhaps that was part of why Sirrus had opted to flank him instead of lead him. V had noticed that he’d made a point of hanging back since they had encountered Gustave. He wondered if there was more to it than he was letting on. He didn’t assume that Sirrus was keeping something from him; nothing of the sort. But he did wonder if he was giving Gustave better access to him so that he could come to his own conclusion about him, regardless of what those conclusions might be.
V did wish to be treated just as anyone else would, but he was curious as to their escort’s reason for behaving in the way that he did. It wasn’t something he expected to receive an explanation for, but he did indeed wonder. Perhaps he was just overthinking it and this was how Gustave reacted to everyone? Was he showing him a form of respect by just assuming that he could keep up and not making an attempt to accommodate him unless he asked him to do so? It was hard to say, but it seemed like a possibility. Another thing to ponder as they made their way up the alley. Something to help preoccupy his mind as he silently wondered where the hell they were going.
But as they continued along, V noticed something he hadn’t previously. A marking of some sort on one of the walls. And then another. As they came to the far side of the block. And shortly after another as they rounded the corner. They were as easily missed as they were unreadable to V, but they seemed strangely familiar. And not in a way that V necessarily liked, though he didn’t know the reason why.
“Are these symbols guides of some sort?” V said offhandedly as they continued down their pre-determined route, the gap between them and their escort actually narrowing as they had to turn more corners and were slowed down to more or less the same walking speed. But as they came into a much more open area filled with trees behind an old section of the city wall and an adjacent cliff made of what looked to be some sort of jagged grey limestone, Gustave slowed to an abrupt stop, turning around to face V before approaching him and giving him an intrigued if not disbelieving stare, looking him up and down again as his brow furrowed before his gaze settled upon V’s face. The older man was tall, more so than V had noticed previously. But it became much clearer now that he was standing so very close to him. They stooped at eye level with one another, something that V was only used to doing with Sirrus and his father, the former of the two being about two inches taller than him and the latter being only an inch or so shorter. Not that that actually meant much of anything when how inordinately tall they all were was taken into any sort of consideration. Nero was the shortest of them, and he still wasn’t short by any means.
“You can actually see them?” Gustave said, an air of amusement to his tone as he folded his arms around himself. He seemed to ponder the implications of that deeply before coming to some sort of conclusion that V wasn’t privy to. Out of the corner of his eye, the young summoner noticed Sirrus inch just a bit closer, perhaps under the impression that he might need to intervene. He didn’t seem threatened or otherwise bothered by their conversation, but something about how close Gustave stood to V seemed to make Sirrus physically uncomfortable. “Can you read them?”
Looking over at one of the nearest symbols, V attempted to focus, combing the deepest recesses of his mind to try and remember where he’d seen this before. Regardless, he could not read it. He wasn’t sure if this was a word or a letter, but he didn’t have enough information to make an informed decision either way.
“Not quite. But they seem familiar.” V said as he pivoted in place, turning his attention back to their escort. Truth be told, he wished that he could give him a more in-depth answer, but he just couldn’t. But there was no reason to start this relationship with deception. He wasn’t going to lead him on and make him think that he was knowledgeable on topics that he knew nothing about.
Gustave’s interest seemed piqued by that revelation. It was subtle, but something changed in his face, even if only for a moment. He’d obviously gleaned something from that information. Looking over towards Sirrus, the older gentleman gave him a stern look, picking up on how he’d subtly inched his way closer to them. They shared a serious but not quite threatening stare before the Adjudicator stopped, seemingly satisfied that whatever he’d assumed might happen would not come to pass. And as he did so, the older gentleman let out a barely perceptible sigh. He didn’t seem surprised or annoyed, but he did seem almost… disappointed?
V couldn’t help but wonder what had just happened, although he was doing his very best to not give that fact away. He’d noticed that Sirrus seemed to act rather peculiar around Gustave. Was he hiding something from him? Did the red-haired man see him as a potential threat? He seemed to be on high alert. He knew that Sirrus wouldn’t march him into a situation that he didn’t feel that he had control of, but it did make him wonder.
But as the summoner considered this, the older man did something that he did not expect. Not by a long shot.
“Are you left or right-handed?” Gustave asked curtly in a manner not dissimilar to the tone one might encounter in a government office. It wasn’t exactly cold, but it wasn’t what he’d call friendly, either. No, it was in this strange middle ground that could only be described as “exceptionally blunt and to the point”. Very transactional. V wondered for a moment why he wanted to know that. And he got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t just so that he could get to know him better.
V contemplated whether or not he should answer that question before pausing and then wondering what this was something that he felt so strange about. Perhaps it was the suddenness of the inquiry, but there was just something about the question that… he knew that he was going somewhere with this line of questioning. And maybe a part of him wanted to know where that somewhere was before he said anything. But for now, he pushed that feeling aside and settled on the conclusion that he would simply divulge the requested information. He trusted him with it. Well, as much as he trusted anyone he’d just met. He was just on edge, even if he wasn’t fully sure why just yet.
Clasping his fingers together in front of himself, Gustave waited for his answer, perhaps wondering why it was taking him such a long time to answer such a seemingly simple question. But he didn’t press the issue, perhaps reasoning that he had no grounds to do so, or maybe because it wasn’t that big of an issue to him. V couldn’t be sure. But before he could be asked anything else, he decided that being forthcoming could be to his benefit and he raised his left hand slightly, averting his eyes downward to look at it. And his wordless response seemed to get the message across.
Removing the black leather glove from his left hand, the older man placed it in his front pocket before extending his hand, indicating that he wanted to see V’s. The young summoner raised an eyebrow slightly at the idea, making a mental note of how surprised Sirrus seemed by the gesture. It seemed that they were both under the same assumption that this was not the sort of individual to offer friendly handshakes. V looked at his palm, wondering where his escort was going with this silently as Gustave shifted his standing position slightly so that he was standing at an angle that made grasping V’s hand with his own left hand less awkward.
Making a mental note of the fact that this odd awkwardness could have been avoided if Gustave had just chosen to use the opposite hand, V obliged him, if not hesitantly. He was under no illusion that the older man that stood before him might harm him in some way, so he had little reason not to other than general discomfort with the idea. He’d quickly arrived at the conclusion that this wasn’t just a friendly handshake. He had intentions of some sort. They were simply beyond his understanding just yet. And to be perfectly honest, V was curious to see where this was going.
But the moment that Gustave grasped his hand, V physically gasped as the sensation of what he could only liken to lightning coursed up his arm and through his body. He felt a similar sort of tingling sensation as he’d felt back in Fortuna Castle when the Blitz had taken him down, only without the pain. Although it was almost equally overwhelming. He took in a cavernous, involuntary breath and panted like he’d just been plunged into ice water as every nerve ending in his body came to life in that instant, barely able to process whatever this sensation actually was. And if he’d been more coherent at that moment in time, he might have been grateful for that in the absence of pain, but he was too focused on trying to focus on figuring out what the hell was going on.
He felt something touch the very back of his mind before the feeling dissipated and the capacity for breath returned to his lungs, his pupils dilating as he blinked and for a moment he saw nothing. But just an instant later, he felt his arm be released in a maner that he’d almost describe as gentle. But perhaps carefully was a better descriptor. He blinked as his eyes once again took in everything around him and his breath slowed in his chest, his shocked breathlessness abandoning him just as quickly as it had appeared.
And the first thing that his eyes managed to register was the sight of what appeared to be a demon barreling through the woods straight at him.
Jumping back and out of the path of danger, V watched as Sirrus materialized his blade from somewhere -perhaps literally out of thin air. He’d seen more preposterous things in his time- and harpoon the creature straight through the chest in a matter that was so no-nonsense, precise, and brutally efficient that it actually startled V for a split second before he turned his attention back to the new task at hand.
He wasn’t sure what this thing was, but he could rule out one thing: it certainly wasn’t human. Covered in shimmering, pearlescent, aquamarine, and turquoise scales, the creature looked to be something akin to a Frost. Well, if a Frost had translucent fish-like fins down its tail, back, and the backs of its arms and legs in place of their trademark spikes. But its claws were needle-sharp and at least nine inches long, easily enough to do deadly damage.
Sirrus pulled his sword arm out of the top of his winter coat, allowing more viable and less constricted combat to become possible as he finished off the demon he’d just stabbed with his blade, taking on another as it came crashing down off of the top of the cliff above them, it’s webbed, taloned feet aiming for his head but missing in mid-air as a direct result of his excellent dodging abilities and the fact that despite the fact that his back had been to it, he’d still sensed its approach.
But before the beast could make contact with the ground, Shadow harpooned it, puncturing it straight through its core and allowing an opening for V to teleport across the combat zone to finish it off. He immediately pivoted 180 degrees and came face to face with another demon, ducking backward just as its claws would have made contact with his throat. But now it was time for Griffon to return the favor. Opening his large, iridescent wings as he manifested from his resting place, he fired off a volley of lightning strikes before diving straight down with his claws open and snatching the demon right off of its feet and throwing it onto its back. Shadow rushed in just behind him and snatched the demon by its tail, thrashing it about against a tree as it began to glow a familiar hue of purple. And V was right behind her, ready to do what he did best.
Going in for the kill, V plunged his cane through the demon’s torso, pinning it to the tree and only realizing an instant too late that he hadn’t quite meant to stab it that hard. Twisting the cane firmly as he pulled back on it to dislodge it from the timber, he was instantly thrown for a loop as he stepped backward and the sound of a click followed by the distinct and unmistakable high-pitched ringing of metal echoed through the space and he was left standing there holding the handle of his cane.
And an impossibly well-hidden blade.
Utterly stunned in disbelief, he barely registered the demon that attacked him from behind until Sirrus planked it and blocked its attack with his own blade, his back to V’s as he cleaved the demon down the middle, his blade rendering what was left of it into two evenly bisected protons. He then glanced over at V, his eyes going wide before he turned to stand side by side with V, the pare both facing the cliff. That had all happened so fast, and it still wasn’t over.
Lightning quick five more demons raced down from the cliffs, more than likely hoping that their sheer numbers would manage to overwhelm them. Both V and Sirrus readied themselves to take on the first two, even if V was less than sure how exactly to actually use a blade. He focused, attempting to recall what he’d done with Yamato in the heat of the moment as the first demon slammed into Sirrus, managing to send him tumbling backward. He rolled back onto his feet and, with a speed that the demon clearly didn’t expect to encounter, he grabbed it by its throat, his palm igniting and burning with his signature black and white flame. The demon screeched as it was engulfed in flames, thrashing in an attempt to shake them off as Sirrus dealt a killing blow, unwilling to humor it any longer than he had to.
V took a quick breath and exhaled as the second demon reached him, rushing him head-on. Griffon threw a volley of lightning bolts at it as Shadow came from under the ground and nearly impaled it, but it just barely managed to sidestep her attack, earning it nothing more than a nick. But just as he considered stepping back and dodging the creature, he felt a tingle of something run through his body. Something eerily familiar. And just as the demon lunged at him he ducked its strike and stabbed it in the back, wounding it but not fully killing it. It came back with a flurry of strikes and quick jabs, missing him as he evaporated into mist, dodging it before stabbing his blade into the ground to come to a quick stop. And as he did so a trickle of the power that he’d felt within himself traveled down the blade and a miasma of black and purple energy cracked at the point of impact, causing a shockwave that all but killed the creature instantly. It keeled over and screeched as V rushed it down and finished it off, genuinely unsure as to how he’d just done that, but recognizing the source of that power. It was the power he’d tapped into down in Belial’s domain. His own power.
But he didn’t get to ponder the implications of that for long.
The last three demons barreled down the hill, zigzagging between one another in a maner that made it very difficult to follow any single one of them. And then a defining sound rang out. And both Sirrus and V instantly regretted having eardrums.
All at once, the sound utterly overcame him. It was as if every single fiber of his being had been submerged in its timbre. It was like a bell, but it resonated at several frequencies all at once, each of which made him wish that he could pluck his eardrums out and be done with it. The ringing sound alone nearly rendered him deaf as he teetered back in forth, grasping his hair as he covered his ears in pain. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d dropped his weapon in the process. Griffon and Shadow both retreated back into their tattooed forms, rendered useless by virtue of the sound as well. They simply couldn’t handle it. Genuinely, he’d never once before experienced a sound that made him want to fly into a gore-soaked rage like this did. He’d never been driven so absolutely feral by a tone in his entire life and he hated it. On an instinctual level.
Sirrus wasn’t fairing too much better, literally trembling from a combination of bloodlust and absolute disgust as his head snapped around in the direction of the sound. It was a balcony on the third story of the building just behind them. A balcony that Gustave currently occupied. And the source of that horrific sound was the gun he’d just fired off.
Two more times it sounded, each of the shots hitting their mark dead in the head just as the first shot had despite the fact that they’d been fired from what appeared to be a modified revolver of some sort from well over three dozen yards. And with each came a blinding flash of golden white light that was as nauseating to look at as the sound was rage-inducing to listen to. But as he raised the gun up into the air above himself and fired off one more round, the air finally fell quiet. In four shots he’d caused any and all demons who might remain to retreat back into the woods, no doubt as stupified by the awfulness of the gun’s sound as they had both been. They were wholly unwilling to tolerate the deafening sound any longer. The fight was over. For now, at least.
Heaving and reeling from the sheer awfulness of what they’d just experienced, the duo took a moment to compose themselves as Gustave casually made his way back down the catwalk and kicked down a ladder that connected the ground to the top walkway, making his way down as though he hadn’t just destroyed the eardrums of both of his companions. And as V grappled with the confusion and shock that came as a direct result of the confusion he felt over his own reaction, Sirrus broke his own composure slightly, not yelling but growling in a tone nearly lower than any V had ever heard him use before as Gustave approached.
“Of all the rites you could have used, you used that one, Gustave?!” Sirrus said through clenched teeth as he sheathed his blade and pulled his coat back up over his shoulder in annoyance. The blade disappeared back into the ether where it had come from, its master shaking his head as he reached up with both hands and rubbed the sides of his neck and head with his open palms, tilting his head backward as if he could shake the remnants of the sound loose from his skull. He could not.
Gustave took in the state of his two companions, his expression just as calm as it had been previously. He seemed almost surprised, but not especially concerned. V wondered through his reeling mind if he’d expected that reaction from them. He probably had. It was hard to imagine that he hadn’t. Whatever he’d just done seemed to have a very specific effect, but he didn’t know enough about what he’d just done to be sure just yet. He knew enough to be very quietly angry, however. Livid, in fact.
“It was a decision borne entirely of expedience and efficiency. Don’t take it personally.” He said in a softer tone than he’d said anything else in that day. Almost as though he were calmly lecturing a pet that he’d just caught doing something distasteful. Still, there was a note of something else in his voice. Dissatisfaction, perhaps? No, it carried a more apologetic tone despite the fact that he hadn’t actually formally apologized. He seemed to genuinely be sorry in his own subtle way, but he just wasn’t saying as much.
V gagged, breathing heavily as he collected one half of his cane off of the ground and held out his hand to summon the other, dislodging it from the tree where it had still been stuck this entire time. He took deep, shaky breaths as he placed the blade back into its hidden holster and heard another click, carefully testing it to see if it would stay together. Thankfully it did. And what a relief that was. He couldn’t exactly hand it to the person who had made this particular modification and ask them to just reset it for him. There were well over a thousand miles away.
Frankly, V was in disbelief that it had taken him this long to realize that he could open it.
“What exactly did you do to me?” V said as he made his way back over to the two of them. The feeling of mind-numbing rage was wearing off rapidly, but it was still somewhat shocking how quickly it had come out of seemingly nowhere. V couldn’t remember the last time he’d been that angry. “When you touched me? And just now.”
“Nothing of any concern. But it certainly did attract company.” He seemed almost annoyed at the mention of the demons. And the young summoner got the impression that was probably due more to the delay that the fight had caused them than anything else. He certainly wasn’t struggling to fight anything that they encountered, that much was for certain. “My powers are a beacon for demons. That was my mistake.”
Sirrus gave Gustave a cutting look as though to say that he was running out of patience with him. The older man hardly seemed bothered by the exchange, but he did stop for a moment to adjust his collar. He then regarded V with subtle curiosity, his reaction seemingly of interest to him. “I expected Sirrus to react that way, but from my judgment, I was under the impression that you did not possess enough demonic blood to be set off by that spell. I couldn’t have been more wrong. You conceal your true nature remarkably well. Effortlessly, even. However, it is impressive that you did not succumb to the bloodlust that rite instills. This would be a very different conversation, edgewise.”
“If what you did causes that reaction then why… “ V trailed off, taking a moment to attempt to fully compose himself. The nausea and general sense of being utterly overwhelmed that he’d felt meer moments ago was dissipating. He felt more like himself now. That was a considerable improvement. But the question still remained.
Understanding where he was going with that line of questioning, Gustave stepped somewhat closer. Not quite close enough to be touched, but close enough to make it clear that he was being serious about what he was saying. He placed his glove back on his hand and then clasped his hands together behind his back, turning his attention more to V than to Sirrus.
“Because if I did not expect you to be able to defy your nature just as I do myself, I would not associate with you. I will not pretend to understand what you are capable of. That is not my right. But I do expect that much. Always.” He stepped back towards the road, pausing for a moment to indicate that he was ready to proceed before starting off again. At a less punishing speed this time. It seemed that they were still on the clock. As expected. But as he started to walk off, he shot them both a look over his shoulder, a thoughtful look upon his face. “I have no right to another man’s secrets. You may do with them what you see fit. I am not owed an explanation. I learned from what you were willing to reveal. Nothing more, nothing less. What you felt was simply two opposing forces coming into contact. That is all.”
With that, he continued onward and the duo fell in line behind him, having mostly recovered by that point. V took a moment to ruminate on what he’d just been told as they walked along behind him, this time a bit closer than they had been. It made sense, even if he couldn’t pinpoint why. And for a moment he wondered if Gustave had felt the same thing that he had felt when they’d touched. If he was as unnerved by their presence as they were by his. There was clearly a conflict of some sort here, and he wished he understood more. But that explanation was sufficient for now. They could continue.
V shook his head, sighing as Sirrus came to his side. They were both disheveled and a bit agitated still, but they had escaped that interaction unscathed and none the worse for wear. That was something to be proud of. “I… need to call Nico as soon as possible.”
“Nico said she made some sort of modification to it”. V repeated to himself in his mind, recalling only then what Nero had said to him the day he’d returned his cane to him. He’d noticed a difference in the length of the cane, but something told him that neither of them had actually understood what she’d really been up to. And he couldn’t say that was complaining… it was a good idea. He was just… shocked. Genuinely.
“Yea, no kidding! Pretty cool, huh? Could be useful next time you get in a scrap if you learn house to use it. Ya need to find a teacher or something. ASAP!” Griffon chimed in despite the headache that he was nursing. He was going to need a little while to recover after that one. That had been one hell of a sneak attack. But at least they were both still alive and kicking. That was never a guarantee.
V smirked to himself as he nodded a single time, considering how useful that blade could have been in a handful of situations. And it seemed to make a good conduit for his power… Maybe she was on to something. It wasn’t that farfetched. He expected nothing less from the master artisan who had created Nero’s Devil Breakers, especially on such short notice. He wondered to himself if Nero had shown her the one that their great aunts had modified. Something told him that she’d get a kick out of that…
“That's not an awful idea. I’ll keep it in mind after we finish what we're coming here for today.” V responded, allowing his mind to once again return to silence. His brain was still a bit scrambled. He needed to have time to think. Or perhaps not think. For now, he turned his attention to Sirrus, quietly observing his companion as they walked together. He was both glad that he hadn’t been the only one to react in the way that he had and also mournful that Sirrus had gone through something similar. But as he considered this, Sirrus’s grey eyes shifted back towards him and he felt his demeanor relax more than it had since they’d arrived at the coffee shop. It had been a crazy morning, hadn’t it?
In spite of everything, Sirrus managed to crack a small smile, the tiredness in his eyes revealing that what had happened had probably taken more of a toll on him than he was letting on or perhaps even willing to admit to himself. He quietly hoped that he would be okay despite knowing that he would for a fact. It was simply what he did. He was tougher than that. Both of them were. And something told him that Sirrus could give him more answers than he was probably going to get otherwise. But that was a matter for later. He would worry about that once they arrived. The day was still young.
“Oh yes, I think you do. I’d love to hear that conversation. I truly would.” Sirrus said, a tired chuckle escaping his lips. This was going to be a long day. No doubt about it.
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I was really inspired to write this one! This one ran late into the night, so I’m sorry if I missed anything in editing. And as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will see you next Friday! Take care and thanks for reading! See you in the comments! Bye bye!