[closed]

[marmoron]

Who: Keith + various closed starters
When: August
Where: Around
What: August catch all.
Warnings: Violence, death, vampire attack, inebriation


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[quintessent]

[The wail makes Allura shudder. It's hard not to think about how peaceful the day had been only seconds before, and now she's here, heart pounding hard in her chest as she mentally goes through the spells that she knows. Surely one of them would be enough to stop it.

She sucks in a breath, thinking about Keith's plan. Then nods.]

I'll draw it's attention with my magic. If you go around behind the trees, you can sneak up from behind.

[The sound of hoofs tells them they only have a few seconds more before they're out of time.]

[marmoron]

[ Keith wants to argue about who between them ought to be doing the distracting, but time is running dangerously low and he won't screw them both over with something like that. Allura may feel a flicker of frustration that quickly becomes resignation. He gives her a silent nod in response before turning away. Staying light on his feet, he quickly makes his way towards a cluster of evergreens located diagonally behind Allura. At this point though, the creature shifts course veering in Keith's direction with another ghostly wail.

As it passes Allura, the horse head head shrieks and attempts to snap at her with long serrated teeth, its flayed body oozing with decay and blood. The man's head likewise turns to look directly at her with bulging injected eyes. The two heads scream in unison, one hoof agitating the ground while it makes up its mind.

Keith doesn't know how long this apparent schism is going to last, but he inches a little closer from behind the horrible thing, knife raised. ]

[quintessent]

[It's terrible. The creature snaps and snarls at her, but she doesn't flinch, eyes focused on the creature but she can see Keith's dark shape moving beyond it. Distraction.]

Look this way-!

[She shouts, taking a few steps back as she waves her hand in the obvious shapes of casting another spell. But the creature is faster than she's anticipating. Smarter. And it lunges for her before she can finish the spell, two hoofbeats later and it's on top of her. Making her stumble backwards, down into the snow. Luckily, just in time to avoid her arm getting caught in one pair of snapping jaws, but unluckily, putting her in danger of getting trampled by hooves as the creature wheels it's head back around, looking for it's real target.]

[marmoron]

[ Keith's heart is in his throat the nanosecond he sees the princess fall backwards. ]

Allura!

[ Abandoning all pretense of a sneak attack, Keith charges right at the monster with his arm drawn back to drive the point of his knife deep into its back just as the beast swivels on its hind legs and rears up. Both horse and human heads scream as the knife slashes a jagged line down the side of the man's face and lop off half an ear before it manages to land a kick that connects with the side of his helmet and knocks him back several feet.

Dazed, though managing to keep his knife in hand, Keith gets back up onto his feet. Mere seconds later, the escapee from Dante's ninth circle of hell charges straight at him, enraged and frothing at the mouths. Keith is forced to roll out of the way, leaving yet another deep bloodless gash on the side of one leg. ]

Allura, do you have anything else that can slow it down? We need to get out of here!

[quintessent]

[Her breath is caught in her throat as she sees Keith take a blow to the head. Thanks the ancients when he stays standing, but she doesn't have the time to obsess over his condition. Instead she scrambles back and out of the way, keeping clear of getting trampled.]

I... [She struggles, then,] I do!

[And here she stands up to her full height, closing her eyes as she channels her energy through her, down into the ground, where a thick bramble bursts out of the snow, then another. Vines and wood combined surge out of the forest floor. She's always had an affinity for plants and life back when she couldn't control her magic, and she let that take her now, letting the magic flow through her - borrowing from Keith's energy through their bond - and into the vines that whip tightly around the mare's legs, lashing around it's torso. Vines snap as the beast thrashes, but more join it and it slows, screaming it's terrible scream as it repeatedly tears free only to be wrapped up once again.

And she stumbles. Dizzied from the sheer rush of magic that just went through her. But she shakes it off, then runs toward Keith, grabbing for his hand.]

Come on. I don't know how long it will hold it.

[marmoron]

[ They've been through worse. Whatever this is, it's not a Robeast and the stakes aren't as high as the entire universe. Keith knows these things, but when Allura grabs his hand, he grabs back tightly and starts running -- running where, he doesn't know, doesn't care so long as it's away. ]

I know -- let's go!

[ Under different circumstances, he'd have been in awe at just how far Allura's come with her magic, but there's a time and place for awe and right in the thick of danger is just not that time. His head is still reeling a little from that earlier blow, and it doesn't help a damn thing. He needs clarity and focus, but instead he feels adrenaline fueled panic. Not even for his own safety per se, but for Allura's.

He'd vowed to keep her safe at their bonding ceremony and the thought that maybe he won't be able to is more terrifying than the actual threat the beast presents. As they keep running, the trees start to thin out and they reach the banks of the frozen river. From behind them, a distant scream reverberates through the winter as the beast finally manages to tear through the enchantment.

Not knowing exactly how much time they'll have before it catches up to them, Keith turns to the princess. If magic, at best, is only slowing it down, but slashing at it with his knife is at least leaving wounds, then he knows what he has to try to do. It's an easy choice. Giving her hand a squeeze as they cross the river, he lets go. ]

Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. I promised.