But now at last the time is here, the sun is hanging low...

[consultmybooks]

Who: consultmybooks , refinedmaestro , and last but not least, folkloristic
What: The horrors of war
When: Forward dated to late evening of the 5th
Where: Deep in the unknown, uncharted rain forest
Summary: Three friends walk into an ambush. Two walk out.
Rating: PG-13 to R, depending on how gory things get. Also, warning for character death.



Night had fallen over the rain forest. This did very little for the pace of the battle - the sounds of combat could be heard over the journals and off, as the villagers clashed with the Third Party and the decidedly hostile wildlife. You might almost fancy that there was an edge of desperation to the fighting now - their last sunrise in this nightmare was imminent. People could see the home stretch, and were even more determined to reach it.

The camp had been established and was well defended by now, with a variety of traps that Giles couldn't identify in his state but knew should give any members of the Third Party pause. He'd been careful to set his patrols well beyond the scope of the traps, just to avoid mishap. Kennedy had some more volunteers up at the cannons to take his place. Buffy had shaken off her incompatibilities and was back to fighting form.

Giles was letting himself hope. He was terrified of what might go wrong before they were all home and safe, but...one more sunrise. Less than thirty six more hours.

Helios and Frederic had passed by his perimeter patrol - he'd been starting to get worried about the two of them especially, despite himself, despite knowing all too well how strong they were. He'd heard from them over the journals, on and off, the three of them checking in with one another to ensure that each was still safe.

But this was the first time they'd crossed paths this close to home . They were both exhausted and battered, all three were, but...they were all alive. In this brief calm, over halfway through this war, that was important to know. Giles knew it was important to take your respites where you could.

"I still have some food left from camp. Have either of you eaten yet?"


((ooc: We have a decent amount of distance on the camp, so no one should hear the ambush that wouldn't hear it anyway over the journals. And who's to say that the Shift Hunters won't heard them away first?))

Comments

[folklorist]

He was always optimistic always looking at things half full rather than half empty. But there was no denying the sheer amount of unfortunate luck that had just crept upon them. He wouldn't let either one of them get hurt that he was certain of. No one was going to die tonight not while he still had the ability to move and cast magic.

They were getting bolder and more aware of the dying magical flames as they got lower. Helios let out a sigh looking back at the other two just as tired as either of them.

"It's our only option. It'll work, it has to."

[consultmybooks]

"It will work," Giles repeated.

But Buffy's voice was in his head again, Buffy's and his own - clear as bells despite the years that had passed since that talk in the cemetery.

Nobody ever dies, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Liar.

Two more shots rang out, but only one fell - they were getting smarter, catching on, learning to bound away or duck their heads at the sound of a gunshot ringing out. The muzzle flash was now the brightest thing in the clearing, Helios' flames little more but embers now.

"I'll try to keep them off of you as long as I can. Just..." The gun gave an ineffectual little pfft, signaling that it was out of bullets. Giles hastily reloaded it, in time to shoot one that was preparing to actually spring. Others looked ready to follow its example anyway. "...d-do your best."

[refinedmaestro.livejournal.com]

As the composer begins to concentrate for the teleportation spell, he gets knocked out of his concentration by one of the Shift Hunters who knocks him backwards to the ground. He groans a little when his body hits it, also making him lose a grip on his conductor's baton.

When he tries to get up along with reaching for his baton, there are some Shift Hunters surrounding him and very ready to strike him down.

[folklorist]

Damn. Damn, damn! That is not what was supposed to happen. How fate can be oh so fickle. His attention is entirely drawn to Frederic now and without so much as a hissed 'get away from him' those Hunters will be flung from their surrounding configuration and sent sliding and skidding across the forest floor. It's not so much an elemental spell but a burst of his own free magical energy. It was as if they planned the whole thing. Jumping Frederic, taking him down and encircling him. Looking as if they were about to kill him, and perhaps they were, but they had other plans in mind. Always one step ahead in this battle. It was a trap, mostly likely the whole thing was, but this one hurt and he couldn't come back from it. Helios' attention drawn away from the right hand side left him completely open so it was no wonder at what happened next.

He felt tooth and claw bite into his arm and dig into his leg. His back was turned he should have known that he was wide open. A strangled yell will issue from his throat as he tries to form some coherent spell in his head to get the two separate beasts off of him. The blood dripping from his arm and leg took on another form. Almost like his blood was bristling with energy like his body was its own weapon. This was the forbidden and the black magic his world condemned. Blood magic capable of using oneself as a perfect weapon. The spilled blood turned into spikes and in turn drove into the beast's mouth and claw respectively. Killing one outright the other leaping backwards away with a angry snarl as it watched one of its own die. A grunt as Helios pushed the dead Shift Hunter away from him his eyes glowing still. The air around him crackling as electricity snaked across his left uninjured arm.

He was panting almost losing his balance but adreneline kept him upright. His body's Fight or Flight mechanism kicking in to a dangerous level and he felt the blood rushing to every part of his body. He had expended too much energy and now on top of blood loss, it wasn't a very good outcome.

"Frederic...you-you need to finish that spell and get Giles and yourself to safety." He didn't want to sound like the martyr but he was just going to slow them down now. And whatever ounce of magic Frederic had left Helios rather him use it to save the both of them rather than have them all die. A deep intake of breath as he bit back the excruciating pain shooting through his right arm and right leg.

[consultmybooks]

Giles had been already moving to help Frederic when Helios lashed out - the force of the spell made him stumble back even as the Shift Hunters were flung away. But there was nowhere to stumble back that wasn't into the throng, and even if he wasn't what they were trained to hunt, like Helios was, the Shift Hunters knew a weaker, more nearby target when they saw it.

Helios yelling out in pain like that caused Giles far more pain that the Shift Hunter that sank its teeth into his leg - he had a sword, he beheaded it in short enough order. From there...from there it was all a matter of getting to Helios.

Giles saw...something happen to force the monsters off of Helios before he could get to him. He didn't know what, wasn't sure he'd even seen it right, and didn't care. His distraction cost him dearly - fangs sank into his wrist, the wrist holding his sword, and Giles felt a yell of pain ripped from his throat and heard the sword clatter to the ground. But he still heard Helios' words, his voice, exhausted and pain filled and hurt.

"I am not leaving you!"

It was a stupid, foolish, and above all sentimental thing to cry. But Giles did not care. All that mattered was getting to Helios, and if he could just get this thing to let go of him...

[refinedmaestro.livejournal.com]

Frederic's eyes become wide and he yells out Helios' name before getting up quicker while grabbing his conductor's baton to find himself at his friend's side to try healing him. "I'm not leaving you behind, Helios. You're my best friend and someone I care for so much, I...can't lose you."

Despite the fact he did not enjoy the sight of blood, he couldn't leave his friend this way and even small tears began to fall down his face because he wanted nothing more to keep him alive.

[folklorist]

Helios' eyes snap towards Giles. "Giles!" Not good, they can't possibly know he's partially blind. No, no, no that would just make Giles an even bigger target. All his mind could muster at this point was a simple wind spell; the incantation short enough in his head to recite on short notice. Giles will probably feel a brief gust of wind flicker by him and the sound of it colliding with the beast who currently had Giles' wrist clamped between its teeth. The warmth of that healing spelling overtook his senses for a few brief moments. The growling and gnashing of teeth around them did little in terms of awarding this reprieve. Helios' eyes darted to and from the multiple Shift Hunters, stalking, circling them. Too many, far too many.

"I-I can hold th-them off. I don't want-want either of you dying either."

He hated the pain and weariness in his voice. He hated how his vision was blurring and slowly darkening at the edges. Why were they making this so difficult? The situation was bad enough, but having Giles and Frederic getting hurt right before his eyes was more painful than anything. But he understood he didn't even realize until after he said those things how painful it must be for the both of them. But what else could he do? What else could they do? It wasn't fair, he didn't want to cause them both so much pain. He didn't even realize what happened next as the next attack tore him away from Frederic as a beast took their pausing in battle to charge right at them. Helios pushed the other man away just before it could land a vicious swipe at Frederic. It managed to nick Helios in the side and would have probably done more if he hadn't put up a poorly diluted barrier. A hiss of pain and then a stream of blood from Helios' wound arched into the air stabbing into the beast's head as it's attention was turned towards the two others.

[consultmybooks]

Giles couldn't run with teeth marks shredding his lower leg, making blood pool around his feet. He tried anyway, stumbling badly, nearly losing his balance and only just avoiding that fate because of his fierce need to get to Helios and the cold certainty that to fall in this throng was to die.

His sword had been lost behind him - Giles grabbed for his gun instead and began firing indiscriminately into the crowd of beasts. Even if he didn't kill them, it could keep them back, keep them away from him long enough to reach Helios. A few Shift Hunters did manage to land vicious swipes with their claws on his body, but adrenaline was doing its work and Giles managed to stumble within arm's reach of Helios.

He grabbed for his friend, holding fiercely onto his arm as though by clinging tightly enough to him he could disprove what he knew to be the truth.

"We won't," he panted. "You won't." The baying of the monsters grew even louder as Giles called hurriedly on Nala, making use of the increased power he had here in a desperate, despairing attempt to heal Helios of his gruesome wounds.

His eyes flickered black and the barrier around them strengthened slightly. "You can't..."

[refinedmaestro.livejournal.com]

Frederic fell backwards and watched what happened to his friend, but got jumped on by a Shift Hunter and scratched in a few places as he tried to get up, though before it could snack on him he used his magic to push the Shift Hunter away into a tree. Then he runs back to Helios' side and held his hand gently as not to hurt him.

"I escaped death once already Helios, I can do it again. And so can you along with Giles."

[folklorist]

Helios' head snapped towards Frederic and he was about to aid him but he nodded seeing him take care of that shift hunter. His attention was more focused on Giles at the moment. While the other man was healing him Helios let loose a few spears of ice from his hands hopefully piercing any and all beasts that got too close. Helios didn't like the tones of either of them. He didn't like the fact that he had to watch them go through this. While he stood there bleeding and beaten the harbingers of death snapping those fanged maws all around them. He flinches at Frederic's hand touching his ice cold one. He wasn't expecting it, he wasn't...wasn't prepared for this. Whatever this was about to become.

"I-I don't want to. But what other choices do we have? Frederic...I, I will try." Even if the odds were against them right now, even if this entire world felt like it was against them right now; there was still some glimmer of light at the end of that tunnel.

[consultmybooks]

Keeping a hand on Helios, Giles fired into the throng until he ran out of ammo. Then, with a growl of disgust, he pitched the pistol at a Shift Hunter preparing to leap at them - there would be no time to reload, not in this. It was the sword or nothing. The former Watcher swung the blade wildly in front of him, hoping to drive the beasts back while he tried to stop Helios bleeding more than anything else.

He couldn't help but smile grimly as he heard Helios' spell strike home with howls of pain. And yes, there was blood dripping down his arm, making his grip on the sword slick and hard to maintain. Helios was exhausted, Frederic was exhausted, they were all at the end of their ropes. But they were holding their own, standing their ground. There was hope.

A Shift Hunter, wounded and bleeding from a bullet that hadn't quite hit home, slunk its way into Helios and Giles' blind spots and leapt.