extermination | luce, blanche, winston, & nell
PREVIOUSLY: Plot Drop Page, Plot Overview
LOCATION: August’s Cave.
TIME: 8:28 PM
PARTIES: Luce Vural, Blanche Harlow, Winston Dane, Nell Vural
CONTENT: Sibling Death mention, Torture (briefly, as a treat)
It was time for one of the final steps before bringing Bea back to this world. Time to cash in on the sacrifice they’d decided on what seemed like forever ago in Bea’s necromancy clearing. Today would be August Thompson’s last day of freedom before they brought him in, and it was quickly coming to a close. Adam had given Nell the instructions on how to find the little rat, as well as set the stage for them, dismantling as many magical obstacles as he could with the genius idea of torple ooze when he’d been here to do recon. Now it was up to them. Nell had asked Blanche to cut the engine a fair distance from the cave August was meant to be hiding in, as there was no need to alert the man that they were coming. Even though he wasn’t a particularly accomplished caster, it would always be better to have the element of surprise. Adrenaline pumping, this wasn’t like Nell’s other hunts, the bounties she took and tracked to bring in for cash, this was personal. There was no talking as they approached the entrance to August's hideout, and as they neared the mouth of his pathetic hideout, she nodded to Luce, silently making sure her sister was ready to get the fire perimeter ready. Of course he’d been holed up in a cave. It was fitting for the filthy, cowardice worm he was.
The entire car ride over, Luce had sat in absolute silence, focusing on her breathing. Though the blood thrummed hot in her veins, the magic yearning to break free and destroy the earth around them, she had held it in check. She’d shut her eyes, practiced her meditation, and let Blanche drive them to the location Adam had given her sister. Adam. She never would have thought the frat boy hunter would be someone she felt indebted to, but here she was. She’d never be able to repay him for what he’d done for her, for her family. As they crept through the forest, Luce maintained her calm expression. She had to hold it together. If her magic went wrong, if her fire burned too hot, got too close-- August would be dead. And he couldn’t die, not just yet. Not until she’d made him suffer. Glancing over at Winston, she checked to make sure they were ready too. “Time to smoke out a rat.” She muttered under her breath before releasing her magic. Fire shot out from her fingertips, creating a semicircle of flames around the mouth of the cave. The flames weren’t high now, but with time, with power, she’d be able to create a wall of fire. He’d have nowhere to scurry off to then.
There wasn’t quite a word for how Blanche felt about August Thompson. Hatred was good, for what he did to Nell and for what ultimately happened to Bea, but it wasn’t exactly useful to focus on that as she cut the engine when directed. August was a means to an end - he deserved to die for what he had done, and his life could be used to bring back Bea. It was perfect, really. She was hot on Winston’s heels as they sped quietly through the forest on foot. They left the car behind, but it shouldn’t be too hard to drag the little worm back to it once they got their hands on him. Luce and Nell would distract him while her and Winston would go in and grab him. August likely wouldn’t go down without a fight and while she didn’t have magic or reliable telekinesis on her side, she did have acidic mace from Cece and her taser on her. Luce’s wall of fire went up, surrounding the perimeter to smoke the dickhead out. She swore in the distance that she heard some sort of shrill screech as they approached. Blanche scoffed. Worm boy, here they come. Blanche didn’t start worrying until she heard faint knocking sounds, like someone was rapping their knuckles hard on a wooden door. She paused, eyes narrowing in the darkness. “What the hell is that?” Blanche hissed quietly.
Watching the wall of fire explode around their target’s house, Winston swallowed and tried to keep their breathing even. A quick puff of their inhaler later and they were creeping closer and closer. They were well prepared with a variety of gadgets, the taser that they had been working on and even the hunting knife that Ariana had given them from Celeste’s collection. They weren’t sure why they needed a knife but it felt right. “I don’t know what the hell that was,” Winston paused as they listened for the knocking noise before it was joined by a shrill cry. Was that an old women? Winston wasn’t sure but they could definitely hear something. A sing song voice bouncing the wind. “Have you come to get me?” it asked playfully and then almost out of nowhere Winston spotted a small boulder the size of a basketball sailing towards Blanche’s head. “Watch out,” they shouted as they focussed on creating a barrier between Blanche and the boulder. A field of energy jumped to life between them and the boulder crunched against it with a crack before shattering into smaller pieces with a shower of dirt and gravel. “That was close, he’s got something here.” Winston said, looking around, the sing song voice and sound of knocking filling the air as they crept forward.
A smirk played on Nell’s lips as Luce’s fire sprang to life, blue flames reflecting in her eyes as she reveled in the fact that there was no escape for August now. She wasn’t nervous or scared, for she knew perhaps better than anyone the shortcomings of August Thompson. After being compared for most of their lives, it was hard not to. So no, she wasn’t worried about how smoothly this capture might go. Nell was eager to see the look on his face when he realized it was over, the way his fear would grip him as it dawned on him that he wouldn’t make it out of this, that he was a pig for slaughter. They’d make him hurt the way he’d hurt her, Luce, Winston, and Blanche. “His tommyknockers,” she said quietly as the things grew closer. It wasn’t all that much of a surprise to her, as they’d often been made to practice summoning together, and knew each other’s creatures of choice. So she’d come prepared, and quickly handed an iron dagger to everyone to help with the dispatching of the creatures. “We can make a path for you to get through to August, Winston,” she said as the hairless, wrinkly, creatures finally stepped into the light of the fires surrounding them and out of the maw of the cave, advancing quickly. “Happy hunting.” Then she was left to dodge a boulder that seemed to soar out of nowhere, rolling until her dagger was buried in the chest of a tommyknocker. One down, however many more to go.
“Of course that little piece of shit has Tommyknockers.” Luce grumbled, her hands outstretched, feeding the flames around them. She couldn’t lose her concentration, she had to make sure that the barrier remained secure. If August got through and escaped because of her, she’d never forgive herself. Concentrating on making sure that the flames continued to build and rise and burn, she watched as Winston deflected a boulder from smashing Blanche into the dirt. “Nice.” She nodded in their direction. As Nell pulled out her blade, Luce glanced over at Blanche. “Those fuckers don’t have nothing on us, but stay safe.” She said, not wanting the girl to get hurt. Blanche might have been able to talk to ghosts, but she was still just a human with no other major powers that could stop her from getting flattened by a boulder or stabbed by a knife. She didn’t want to be responsible for someone else getting hurt because of all this.
Blanche watched the boulder come soaring into her face, deadpanned, before Winston shattered it into pieces. If she got taken out by some wimpy ass tiny boulder, she was going to be so pissed. “Who the hell names a monster tommyknockers,” Blanche muttered, taking the iron dagger from Nell without a complaint. She looked to Luce, giving her a wry grin. “I’ll be alright, don’t worry about me,” Blanche promised. She felt the nervous tingle of adrenaline in her body, tingling under her skin as she stepped forward to sink the dagger into one of tommyknockers - sparring with Nell finally was paying off, it seemed. Or, hopefully. Maybe she was a little clumsy, but she could fare on her own from them, and long enough so Winston could get a path back into the cave to grab the little weasel. She planted her foot into one of their stomachs, sending it sprawling backwards - and then she felt it. A small burst of energy that she used to throw the teeny eyed hairless creature into another. Good. Good! And she didn’t pass out! But as Blanche rushed forward to start stabbing them, ducking under another flying boulder as she went. “Winston, go!”
As Blanche and Nell began clearing a path through something that they referred to as Tommyknockers, Winston forced themselves to choke back laughter at the name but sprinted off. The Tommyknockers were still pouring out of the cave and Winston jumped clear over the head of two before pulling out the knife that Nell had given them incase any decided to follow. They however seemed to have been kept relatively busy by their companions. Winston was glad that Nell and Blanche were here to keep everything busy and Winston was still incredibly impressed by everything that Luce was doing. That kind of magic would’ve knocked them out instantly. Hurrying into the cave, Winston followed it until the sound of the fighting behind them had faded away. There was a faint drip in the background that was almost too cliche for Winston to not say something, but there was no one to say something to. Instead, they reached up and whispered a quick spell. The runes on either side of their glasses glowed for a second before the lenses began to lighten and Winston could see much more clearly in the darkness. Night vision glasses were a cool idea, they just hoped it worked consistently. This was their first opportunity to really try them. Creeping forward, they began the search for August, who was apparently hidden.
Nell barely registered Blanche’s humor towards the creatures, far too focused on taking them out to take the time to laugh. She’d entered a mindset similar to that of the Ring or when she was after a bounty, but even more so sharpened, the stakes being much higher this time. As soon as one Tommyknocker fell under her knife it was on to the next, dodging rocks and the mangly arms of the summoned creatures alike as her knife kept finding targets, each kill making her bloodlust grow. She didn’t want these pitiful creatures, she wanted August. Somehow, in the middle of it all she managed to spare Blanche a prideful grin, still sharp with her desire to end this. But it was quite a ways Blanche had come with her telekinesis. Nell watched Winston disappear into the mouth of the cave, watching anxiously for them to return. For a moment the Tommyknockers stilled, the last of them pausing to join hands as their little bodies began to shake with effort. A low rumbling began, and slowly but surely, an avalanche of boulders began to fall from above. Shit. Instinctively, Nell dropped her knife, hands raising to the sky to form a shield-like dome not unlike the one she’d made when the Devil’s Gullet had exploded on her and Blanche. As each boulder hit and rolled off, it fell to the ground around them, spinning through Luce’s ring of fire to disappear.
Breathe, just breathe. Luce used her breathing as the tempo at which she set her magic, letting the flames rise and fall with every intake of breath. Sweat dripped down the side of her face as she lowered her hands to her side while the flames continued to burn. She didn’t need her hands to maintain control over the fire, she could hold it all the same. The flames continued to rise and burn, illuminating the mouth of the cave with their eerie blue glow. She watched as Blanche and Nell fought the tommyknockers-- her eyes growing wide as she watched two of the creatures go flying away from Blanche. The flames flickered a bit and Luce fought to maintain control. She’d ask about it later. Instead, she kept her eyes peeled, moving out of the way of boulders that flew towards her. It took every ounce of her concentration to maintain the five foot wall of flames, but this was the only way she could help. Shields and stealth, she couldn’t do any of that. But, she could keep August trapped here. She could make sure he couldn’t escape. “Nice one.” Luce called out to her sister with a nod of approval as the boulders went careening over the wall of flames. They’d get this son of a bitch. Then they’d be one step closer to getting Bea back.
“Oh shit!” Blanche could only gape at the avalanche of boulders. Nell too care of it instantly, her knife falling to the ground as the tommyknockers joined hands, vibrating with effort to keep the boulders coming. She saw that once before, way back in January. The official confirmation that Nell and the Vural’s were spellcasters. She shook her head, using her free hand to pull her trusty can of mace from her pocket. Flicking the cap off, she sprayed. Cece had been a gem, fixing Blanche up with another can of the deadly, sprayable acid. The concentration of the Tommyknockers broke as Blanche aimed for their eyes, the knocking sounds turning into wails, their voices turning into wails as the boulders slowly came to a halt. Their chained hands broke and Blanche scoffed, shoving the mace back in her pocket and taking her knife to one’s throat. Oh. Gross. Gross. Grossgrossgrossgross - her stomach churned Blanche shoved it away from her, disgusted. She would absolutely throw up, but like, maybe later. Definitely not now. “Ew, ew, ew!” She could fight these things for a while longer, but she cast a worried glance into the mouth of the cave. Should she go after Winston? Did Nell want to go after Winston? “Come on, Winston..” Blanche muttered, kicking another tommyknocker away from her. “Grab the little shithead and let’s go.”
Slipping through the cave, Winston was pretty sure that they heard an earthquake outside, but decided that it was more important to get August and to get out. They spotted them eventually, cowering at the end of the cave. He brought his hand up and looked at Winston. “You, please, help me, they’re psychopaths they’re going to kidnap me and kill me and,” Winston ignored August’s pleas. They knew that this wasn’t really the right thing. Killing someone in exchange for someone else wasn’t something that Winston could condone in their own head. But they didn’t care. They were taking control now. Winston fished in their pocket and threw a spherical object straight at August’s chest. It hit with a thud and latched on, seconds later thin wires exploded from the middle of the object as Winston forced the slender metal tendrils tightly around August, binding them in place. Fishing into their pocket, they slipped a ball gag into August’s mouth and secured it. Patting his cheek with a smile, Winston pulled him close. “August, I never knew you, we never met. But you fucked with Nell and you fucked with Bea, so I’m going to help them kill you and we’re going to bring her back. Then it’ll be like you never existed and the world will probably be a happier place for it.” Grabbing August’s skinny frame, Winston began dragging him from the cave, which was easier said then done because he was a little shit who wouldn’t stop wriggling and wouldn’t walk straight. “Uh, a little help, please.”
The avalanche finally came to a halt, and Nell released the magic of the shield, feeling it still sapping away at her energy. Blanche had done a lovely job continuing to cut their numbers as Nell kept the boulders at bay, and her pride surged once more. It looked like those sparring sessions with Blanche were paying off. She wiped at her brow, blood from her kills leaving a line on her forehead, and then she bent to pick up her knife once more. It was time to be done with these little gremlins. In a moment she’d retrieved the knives she’d given to Blanche and Luce, letting them join the ranks of the one she’d been using. She let her magic pool around her until it grew so bright that it was hard to look at, and promptly thrust it into the faces of the remaining Tommyknockers, stunning them in place. Nell ran on the heels of her magic, using it as a cover while she darted in, throwing a couple of the knives with enough force to pin the little shits against the rock of the wall. From there it was quick work to delve the last of the knives into their hearts, ending them then and there. As if on cue, Winston appeared from the cave as the light of Nell’s magic faded, and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief. But rage was quick to fill her once again at the sight of August, and she wasted no time in going up to the man Winston had gagged and bound before harshly kicking him between the legs, reveling in the way he crumbled to the ground in pain. “There we go. Did you miss us, Auggie?”
When Winston emerged from the cave, August bound, gagged, and trying to squirm away, Luce could feel her blood boiling in her veins. That little fucking bok çuvalı, thinking he could get away with this, that he could run off and pretend like he’d done nothing wrong? Cutting off the magic, the blue flames simmered and died down as she took a step towards him. The effort of it all had been immense, but she still had enough in the tank to walk. Watching as Nell kicked him between the legs, Luce bided her time. She had plans for August. Lydia still had her debt to pay and it was time for her to cash it. She didn’t know how the woman was going to help her get revenge on August and she didn’t really care. All that mattered is that she would. “Hey, August.” She growled from behind her sister, waving a hand at him. “Long time no see.”
Nell took care of the remaining gremlin things with swift magic, and right on time too. Paintings slightly, she squinted at Winston as they walked out with August bound and gagged. “Ouch,” Blanche said plainly, with a shrug. She bent to help get August back to his feet, though if she were being honest she wouldn’t have minded dragging him, letting his head hit every rock and tree branch on the way back to the car, but she was tired now and that would probably take a lot longer than forcing him to walk back to the jeep. “Come on,” Blanche grunted, shoving him forward. “We do not have all night.” The walk back to the jeep was relatively silent, save for the August’s feeble attempts at screaming. It didn’t seem to truly hit him that this was actually happening until Blanche unlocked her car. The beep caused August to dig his heels into the ground and Blanche to crash straight into him. Blanche scoffed, August’s muffled cries getting louder and louder until - He was sent straight to his knees with a long and violent zap and low wail of pain. She stared at him. And then did it again for good measure. Blanche looked down at him, unimpressed as she clicked the safety back into place and handed the taser off to Nell. She rounded to the trunk of her car, popping the trunk. “Do we want to stick him in here?” she jerked her thumb at the trunk. “I have blankets.”
Winston had made their threats. But they couldn’t help but wonder if they were really giving August enough of a hard time. Those fears were well and truly assuaged by the treatment that August got at the hands of Nell and Blanche. They hustled August towards the car and Winston slipped the trunk of the car open. “Well, considering that we can stick him in there and cover him with blankets, I’ll put a muffling spell on the trunk just in case anyone drives past.” Winston knew that they were going to need to get August from their cave back to the Vural’s without anyone seeing them and that seemed like the best way. “Get in,” Winston ordered as they shoved August into the car, “or my friend will zap you again.” That seemed to be more then enough encouragement for August and Winston slammed the door of the car shut as they slipped into the car next to Blanche. “He’s not going to get out of those wires without the magic key word and he can’t talk, Luce I’ll text it to you so he can’t hear it.” Winston said, already sending the message out to their group thread. “We should get going though, that made a lot of noise, those, Tommy…. Knockers.” It sounded sexual. Winston didn’t want to admit it but there it was.
“Does he deserve blankets?” Nell asked back haughtily, though the attitude was strictly aimed towards August. She still blamed herself for Bea’s death, but she could only emotionally beat herself up so much. Now that August was in front of her, another party that was responsible for Bea’s death, here was a physical being she could hurt, within reason, of course. He needed to be relatively intact for the ritual. She smiled sagely as Blanche tased August, looking to Blanche with shining eyes full of thanks as she was also handed the taser. Getting into the car, she made sure to place herself next to August, waving the taser in front of him for a moment with that same, jubilant and savoring grin. “Something to keep us entertained on the way, yeah?” she asked before jabbing it back against his skin, letting the electricity jolt through the sad excuse for a human. A soft chuckle fell from her as he convulsed again, relishing the feeling of finally having him in their grasp.
Watching as Blanche and Nell took turns tasing August, Luce stood behind them. She’d join in later. For now, they needed to get him out of here. They needed to get back to the house, where she’d make the transfer over to her car and drive him out to Lydia’s house. Pulling out her phone, Luce sent a quick text message to Lydia, telling her that she was cashing in her favor. “Doesn’t matter if he deserves them, I don’t want him knowing where I’m taking him.” She said and threw the blankets over his head. Settling next to Nell, she watched as her sister sent jolt after jolt of electricity into August. Luce’s fingers twitched at her side, small sparks of flame dancing across her hand. She wasn’t strong enough, not yet. But one day… Her hand curled into a fist at her side and she looked at August, at his squirming, twitching body, still struggling against the bindings. With a growl, Luce slammed her elbow into his back. By this time tomorrow, they’d have Bea back. By this time tomorrow, their family would be whole again. Three would be one again. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
Kidnapping was a new one for Winston. But as with everything that they had learned and done in the last six months, Winston couldn’t help but feel slightly out of their depth. The idea that they were about to embark on a journey to do something that was fundamentally against the law of nature and physics and biology and in so many ways seemed counterintuitive was not Winston’s favourite. However, they were pleased with how well the tech magic had worked so far and they were also pleased that they could help their friends. If nothing else this looked like it was entertaining to Nell. Winston didn’t get involved in the abuse of August, it wasn’t their style. He was going to get his just reward soon enough. Winston was sure that their friends were doing a good enough job anyway. Making sure that August was securely in place, Winston adjusted the blankets before turning as they set off into the night. Only one thing left to do.