[The fight turns silent and feral. Alucard’s taunts have a very real effect- Isaac should retreat and come back with greater force, but he stays, taking damage in order to deal out punishment to Dracula’s son. One of his knifes goes flying and clatters in the burning wreckage as he stumbles back and over the corpse. He kicks out at Alucard as he tumbles, trying to push him back to gain the precious seconds he’ll need to right himself.
Hector renews his struggles, but at Sypha’s barked order, he drops. He’s always been inclined to take orders from people who sound more sure of themselves than he is. He’s frankly surprised the Speaker bothered. Hector and Alucard have an understanding, but to her, he doubts he is anything other than ‘the less dangerous necromancer”.
His constructs are within blasting range, but he orders them to keep attacking. Moving them to safety might disrupt the attack or lure the zombies out of the Speaker’s range. His creatures can’t ‘die’ so long as he lives, although the energy their destruction will drain from him is going to hurt. He curls his body around the fairy, shielding her as she unties him, and braces himself.]
[The ice plane tricks works both vertically and horizontially. It's useful, especially in moments like these. With just a few movements of her wrist, Sypha sends another plane of ice at the zombies. They're all about the same height, and so their heads are cleaved from their necks with a disturbing ease. Doubtlessly a few heads will land a little too close to Hector, but that is simply the side effect of an all too useful method.]
You can look up!
[If there is to be a second wave of the zombies, Sypha's prepared and not moving from her current spot.
As for Alucard, he's gone ferral in the most literal way possible. A wolf is what Isaac kicks, and a wolf is what lands a little sloppily a few feet back. Which is more than fine, because the sword is abandoned for barred teeth that lung at Isaac yet again. He'll have to bend down to get a good attack, and if that happens, well, there are options available to Alucard to respond in kind.]
[The rain of heads around Hector doesn’t phase him; he’s long since lost any aversion to dead parts. The energy displacement as his forged creatures dissolve back into spirit sends him staggering, though. That’s the drawback to using constructs tethered to his own life force.
He forces himself to stand, and he surveys the damage, blinking. Holy shit. Forget the Belmont. The Speaker girl is terrifying.
The zombies are summarily handled, so now all attention can turn to Isaac and the wolf. Isaac is a master of necromancy, but he’s still a human, and his stamina has limits. He has to end this quickly or the dhampir will wear him down.
Isaac spreads the fingers of his empty hand and sends glowing red power into the headless bodies of his zombies. They rise like slack puppets on strings, no longer able to move except by Isaac’s express order. He waves them toward Sypha.
He kicks out at the wolf again, a plot to sacrifice his leg to occupy the wolf’s teeth so he can drive his dagger into its neck.]
Isaac!
[Hector, finally unraveled from the bindings, calls out as he staggers forward, hoping to distract his rival long enough for Adrian to finish it.]
[When all of this is said and done, Alucard is going to stand next to Sypha all but beaming for that swift execution alone. Sypha is the tiniest, most terrifying powerhouse that no one ever anticipates, and they all take satisfaction in the unnerved reactions she tends to provoke.
But now is not that time. Sypha instead rushes over to Hector, mostly to assess his state. There's precious little in even distracting Isaac unless there's a real plan that can be had. But no. That's too late, and the zombies are moving again. There is an unsatisfied ugh! from Sypha about the particulars, and she resolves to disect them further.
The wolf does, indeed, sink it's teeth into Isaac's leg. It aims high, aware of the inner thigh being home to a major artery and intending to take full advantage of that fact. Isaac probably didn't intend that, and oh it's a greater risk, but the surprise of the angle might be to Alucard's benefit.
There's a cracking of bone under teeth. Pressure applied, and then a yank to rend flesh away from flesh.]
[With Sypha approaching on one side and the puppet zombies on the other, Hector tempted to step toward the zombies. It's the safer of the two options, although Hector realizes being between the Speaker and her targets is a big mistake.
He's scratched up, but it's nothing that needs attention at the moment. Looking around, he spots his hammer and dives for it. Blue light flashes. He can't control what Isaac already has under his thrall...but the zombies aren't the only undead on the island. The animals Hector experimented on are not beholden to his will, but they still might remember him and come when he calls them.
Isaac grunts as the wolf teeth maul him, but he still slams down the knife blade. The aim is disrupted by the shooting pain, but it still finds purchase, if lower than intended. With a wound like the one on this thigh, Isaac isn't walking away from this. His goal now it to cause as much damage as he can before the end. He gives the knife a twist as he stumbles.
From the treeline, creatures with glowing blue eyes appear. Rats, hawks, wild cats, a large fox. They rush in and launch themselves at the zombies, scratching and biting.]
[The knife finds purchase in what are shoulders on the wolf. The wolf dart around Isaac, and it takes the knife with it. Disarming the man is just as helpful as biting through his leg, and when Alucard takes his human form, it's clear that the damage is bloody. The wound in the upper portion of his shoulder, where it connects with his neck, is bleeding badly, and all Alucard does is remove the knife.
Three cheers for dhampir healing, because Alucard is quick to go back to Isaac, sword extended. It is a full lunge, aimed at the stomach. He already has an unstable leg. A gut wound works to end most of the madness.
Sypha's focus remains on the zombies, but it's crucial now to figure out the ones not being mauled by reanimated woodland creatures hector what are you snow white. The end result is a path for Hector to follow, should dealing with the last of Isaac be the real goal.]
hector's a dirty rotten kill-stealer and i'm so sorry
[Shhhh, let hector LIIIIIVE. With Isaac bleeding out and being eviscerated on Adrian's sword, the zombies he puppets begin to go slack again. It shouldn't matter who strikes the killing blow to Isaac, but Hector's feet propel him forward without conscious thoughts.]
Isaac, die!
[He doesn't do it in Rosaly's name. She would hate for any blood to be shed on her account, deserving though it is. He brings his hammer down hard on Isaac's head for his sake and no one else's.
It's messy, and there's no honor in it. There's no sudden weigh lifted from his shoulders, no ease from the pain in his chest. It just...it just is.]
Damn it! [His bloody hammer slips from his hands, and Hector collapses beside Isaac's crumpled body, shaking with adrenaline and frustration. This was supposed to help, supposed to make this gnawing emptiness subside. He balls a fist and punches the ground. The pain of the impact doesn't even register.
Behind him, the zombies drop, no longer being held up by Isaac's necromancy. Hector's creatures, less loyal than his kept pets, slink into shadow without their creator enticing them to stay.
He should...he should stand, check on Adrian and the terrifying Speaker. He should surrender himself to whatever judgment the Speaker and the Belmont will pass upon him. He blinks away tears. It's over. Everything is over. There's nothing left for him to do now, except live with the emptiness.]
DO NOT BE alucard's 200% fine with not having to do another murder
[Alucard doesn't have any words for Isaac as he withdraws the sword again. It'd be a mercy to end it here and now but--
--Hector.
No part of Alucard is surprised by the sudden burst of energy. Anger. Whatever it is. The ancient Greeks called it catharsis and that is very well earned. The most Alucard does is step back and look away, because the use of a hammer is likely to be gross and he has no desire to see the aftermath.
Hector can have his catharsis. Alucard goes to Sypha's side instead, far more concerned with her well being than his own. The forged wildlife don't have their attention as they conference quietly. There's a wave that puts out the fire on the boat (it's salvageable, they can get off the island), and then there's Sypha fussing at the dhampir's now healed shoulder.
Satisfied, the two let awkward silence settle instead. They're surrounded by corpses yet again, which shouldn't be their definition of normal, and yet.]
[Hector's breath comes in ragged sobs, and he's maybe crying and he wishes the earth would just open beneath him and swallow him up. It doesn't. He's still got a mountain of corpses and two vampire hunters to deal with.
The worst of the tremors pass and his heartbeat eventually slows to its normal beat. He drags his sleeve across his eyes, smearing blood and dirt across his face as he dries them, and stands. He leaves the hammer where it fell.]
I... [His throat feels like he's been screaming.] ...I have a boat, if that one isn't seaworthy. It's small, but it'll get you to one of the islands with people. You can book passage on a fishing boat from there.
[Focus on the mundane to ward off the looming existential crisis. This is fine. Hector can do this.]
There's a well near the cottage, if you need water. I have...something to eat, probably. Do you eat? I'll send you what I have. [He offers, not waiting for the response. His mind is already jumping to the next item on the checklist, eerily calm. Body clean-up. That's nothing new. He'll see to it when the others have left.]
[Alucard and Sypha's focus has been pointedly away from Hector. The ship can manage the seas, based on their inspection of the vessel, but the issue of food is another matter all together. (Water is never a problem with Sypha.) It's not ideal, especially with Alucard having little practical nautical knowledge. Sypha's people do, and it has been passed down, but there is still a gulf between that knowledge and true experience.
They exchange wary looks when Hector approaches. The underlying question of what are we supposed to do with Hector? has gone undiscussed in their little trio, in part because it was unclear how this confrontation was going to play out. There was a good chance of the man walking away but...
Sypha's always been the one with emotional intelligence. She's the one that takes the lead.]
I think that we can all use something in our stomachs. But perhaps--
[Alucard nods in agreement.]
For safety's sake, we need to destroy the body before we let it out of sight.
Right. That’s fair. [Emotionally, Hector is stripped bare, like the surviving trees in the wake of a hurricane whose leaves have been violently wrenched away. There’s nothing left to feel when he looks at Isaac’s body.]
It’s going to take a while to build a pyre large enough to incinerate the corpse.
[Bodies don’t burn easily. It takes effort to make it happen. Don’t think about that, his mind cautions through the numbness.
He turns to Sypha.]
Unless you can... [He wiggles his fingers to convey, ‘use your awesome and terrible fire magic to speed the process along’. Otherwise, they’ll likely not be able to set sail for another day, if they’re truly committed to seeing Isaac destroyed beyond recall.]
[Alucard and Sypha exchange a wordless glance at the wiggle of Hector's fingers. They understand, yes, but there's also a slight laugh that comes out of them both simply because the tension has to break somehow and...here it is.
The solemnity of the moment returns though, and Alucard follows after Sypha in order to make sure that all is said and done as properly as possible. There's precious little respect to give for a man like this, but Alucard's careful to roll Isaac's remains onto his back, and make sure that there's a little neatness before all is turned to ash.
He stands back after that though, at Sypha's side which is considerably away and downwind. There is no warning when the flames come either - only scorching heat. Alucard's eyes remain on the body, and even with Sypha's abilities, it takes a few awful minutes for all to be rendered to naught but dust. The smell is as disgusting as burnt human flesh always is, and that's all there is left. Ash.
Just as Dracula before him.
Tension goes out of Sypha all at once. Alucard takes her arm in his, the mindnfulness he's had about even mentioning relationships around Hector gone for a few moments. Alucard only lets out a long, tired breath.]
[Adrian and Sypha's stressed laughter doesn't touch him. Hector watches the cremation, feeling oddly removed from the situation now. He will not think about how Rosaly had been alive for this. He won't think about how Isaac is spared the agony she felt.
He's always been much stronger in biology than physics, but he concentrates in the mental conversions of heat and force as Sypha burns the other Forgemaster. He knows how long it should take, the relative temperature needed, if not the exact degrees. It confirms his suspicion that everyone in the night world has the threat level absolutely wrong. They fear the Belmont, when they should be running in terror from the tiny Speaker.
Well, if she decides to turn her power on him, he's got nothing to lose now.
He doesn't answer Adrian, but starts walking in the direction of his cottage, giving them a quick jerk of his head to bid them to follow.
The cottage suffers from several years of neglect, but it's a roof and four walls that are still mostly keeping the elements out, so it'll do. The last visitor this place has seen was Dracula. It had been a humble but decently maintained home and workshop back then. Now, he's pretty sure a family of squirrels have taken over the small bedroom off of the main room, and he's had not the energy nor the inclination to chase them off.
He's got a bedroll in one corner of the main room, and Adrian's travel satchel still partially full with the rations he bought on the last leg of his journey. He only had two chairs- the hazards of being a hermit- so he drags in a log from his woodpile to use as a stool.]
I suppose there's no point in saying 'make yourselves at home'...
[The two follow quietly, saying nothing at all. What comes next is a terribly long road home, and neither of them are excited for that journey. It's the curse of the viewing mirror in so many ways - it allows for rapid passage to point A, but good luck traveling from there.
Walking into the cottage, neither of them is particularly disturbed by the state of it. Sypha's fingers brush over the doorframe. It's a tiny gesture, but one that seems to be reaching out to the shelter itself in a form of greeting.
Alucard stands only just inside the door. They're years on. His father's presence has long since faded from this place, but it is still important. Coming here was one of the last acts of traveling hat he did in his life before plunging Wallachia into darkness. It is only appropriate to take a moment to acknowledge it.
It's Sypha who replies to Hector's statement about making themselves at home, it's a Thank you, before she goes about examining what is even available in terms of glasses or some kind of bucket and a ladle for drinking water.
[A bucket shouldn't be too hard for Sypha to find. Hector's fetched water since his arrival, and everything is just sort of out, no longer having a place to be properly stowed away.
Hector looks at Adrian.] You can come in [he murmurs. He doesn't think Alucard really needs an invitation, but sometimes it's the strangest old wives' tales that turn out to be true. Better safe than sorry.
He shrugs.]
Back to fetch Cesar and his brothers, then...I don't know. There's nothing to keep me here or there. Maybe I'll go across the ocean, see if things are any different there.
How far east is east enough? There are empires upon empires after the Ottomans.
[The bucket is found, and if when Sypha brings it over, it's a little heavier and there's ice floating in it to keep the water chilled, well, so be it. As terrifying as all of her magic is, it's sometimes the everyday uses that help to make hard moments easier.
It's Alucard who walks over to where the bucket was to see if there are any glasses though. He's careful as he looks around, not feeling welcome to touch unless he finds what he's looking for.]
I didn't see any glasses over there, Adrian. Are there...?
[Hector shrugs again.] Maybe I'll know once I get there.
[Likely, nowhere will be far enough to escape the past.
Sypha and Adrian have too high of expectations for Hector, a barely functioning excuse for an adult. He's just drunk straight from the bucket since he returned. He frowns, then tries checking the old shelves and cabinets that once held a bachelor's mismatch of dishes. He comes back with a single wooden cup, freshly dusted with the hem of his torn shirt. He offers it to Sypha, not quite meeting her eyes. He is a terrible host, and Rosaly would be horrified.]
Here. I'll check my old workshop. I may have another cup in there.
Perhaps. And then there's always Russia if your gaze turns north.
[Cold and alone instead of hot and alone. One is not better than the other - just different.
Alucard's not sure why he expected a man who lived alone to have more than a single cup but...well. This is something, and Sypha takes the old thing with real gratitude. It's dipped right into the bucket (never mind any dust, Speakers have always had worse).]
It's all right. This is more than enough.
[And there's a clear insistence in the tone that he really, really need not do more.]
[Alucard's quiet for a moment. What is the plan from here on out? It's clear Hector doesn't have one, and in theory, this isn't his problem. Not anymore. Isaac is gone and the threat he represents gone with him. If anyone else is stupid enough to attempt to ressurect Dracula, they'll find their way to Alucard's door sooner or later. All he need do is wait, like a spider at the center of a web.
But it is his problem, in it's own horrible little way that Alucard vaugely wants to label projection. This kind of loss is an impossible thing to weather and rebuild from. It's the right thing to try and help someone else through it. To make sure that no one else goes Full Dracula.
Sypha passes the cup over to Alucard, and he takes it automatically.]
[Hector assumes Adrian's reluctance is in taking all of the supplies. Hector can survive off of the land if he needs to. Just as months before at Castlevania, the idea of getting help from someone else doesn't occur to him. He assumes Adrian and Sypha will see themselves home and think on him no more. They're already extending him more mercy than he merits in letting him free.]
Really? You can regenerate that quickly?
[He's never had a good filter, and he's too exhausted to think it through before he remarks.]
I don't understand why there aren't more like you. You have the strengths of the vampires with none of their weaknesses or cruelty. You could... [What? Rule the world? Save it? Be what Hector hoped the vampires could be? He can't find the right words, and ends up just shaking his head.]
[He takes the pause to dip the cup into the water and drink. It buys moments to think, and had Hector's thoughts about more like you come a second too soon, there may have been a spit take. Alucard's aware that Trevor's still watching this through the mirror, and those words? Those are words that make all three of them deeply concerned.
The glass is drained and offered to Hector automatically.]
I could do as I please, and that is not tie myself down to the personality or expectations of anything - only a sense of morals long since taught to me. [And if that sounds a little arrogant, it's because Hector's words have begged another question:]
[Hector takes the cup and turns it back and forth in his hands, not drinking.]
You can do whatever you want. Just...you’re stronger and smarter than humans. Are they afraid of you? Is that it?
[It always comes back to fear, doesn’t it? Hector can imagine a world with dhampir doctors and scholars, longer lived and more studied, helping guide humanity out of the darkness. Humans aren’t all bad, he’s learned. They’re just...fragile, and so easily swayed.]
I can. That doesn't mean I want to. The opinions of others isn't the point.
[Alucard can't guess where Hector has gone with this thought - a world of dhampir shepherds leading humanity to a new age of understanding. He'd recoil at the concept if he truly understood.]
[Right. Adrian probably wants to deal with people about as much as Hector does, which is not at all.]
I forgot, you're going to hide away in your f...in the castle, for the rest of your life.
[He puts the cup down on the table and looks away as he realizes what he's doing. He's trying to keep the focus on to Adrian so he doesn't have to think about his own future.]
It doesn't matter. [The world is always going to be a mess, and he's a fool to still think after all this time that there's someone who could come along and change it. How can he still be so desperate to have faith in something when everything he's ever believed in has disappointed him?]
Do you plan to rest before you sail out? It doesn't get cold here, but I'll start a fire to keep the animals away if you plan to sleep. [It's by no means a subtle dismissal of the conversation.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Hector renews his struggles, but at Sypha’s barked order, he drops. He’s always been inclined to take orders from people who sound more sure of themselves than he is. He’s frankly surprised the Speaker bothered. Hector and Alucard have an understanding, but to her, he doubts he is anything other than ‘the less dangerous necromancer”.
His constructs are within blasting range, but he orders them to keep attacking. Moving them to safety might disrupt the attack or lure the zombies out of the Speaker’s range. His creatures can’t ‘die’ so long as he lives, although the energy their destruction will drain from him is going to hurt. He curls his body around the fairy, shielding her as she unties him, and braces himself.]
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You can look up!
[If there is to be a second wave of the zombies, Sypha's prepared and not moving from her current spot.
As for Alucard, he's gone ferral in the most literal way possible. A wolf is what Isaac kicks, and a wolf is what lands a little sloppily a few feet back. Which is more than fine, because the sword is abandoned for barred teeth that lung at Isaac yet again. He'll have to bend down to get a good attack, and if that happens, well, there are options available to Alucard to respond in kind.]
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He forces himself to stand, and he surveys the damage, blinking. Holy shit. Forget the Belmont. The Speaker girl is terrifying.
The zombies are summarily handled, so now all attention can turn to Isaac and the wolf. Isaac is a master of necromancy, but he’s still a human, and his stamina has limits. He has to end this quickly or the dhampir will wear him down.
Isaac spreads the fingers of his empty hand and sends glowing red power into the headless bodies of his zombies. They rise like slack puppets on strings, no longer able to move except by Isaac’s express order. He waves them toward Sypha.
He kicks out at the wolf again, a plot to sacrifice his leg to occupy the wolf’s teeth so he can drive his dagger into its neck.]
Isaac!
[Hector, finally unraveled from the bindings, calls out as he staggers forward, hoping to distract his rival long enough for Adrian to finish it.]
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But now is not that time. Sypha instead rushes over to Hector, mostly to assess his state. There's precious little in even distracting Isaac unless there's a real plan that can be had. But no. That's too late, and the zombies are moving again. There is an unsatisfied ugh! from Sypha about the particulars, and she resolves to disect them further.
The wolf does, indeed, sink it's teeth into Isaac's leg. It aims high, aware of the inner thigh being home to a major artery and intending to take full advantage of that fact. Isaac probably didn't intend that, and oh it's a greater risk, but the surprise of the angle might be to Alucard's benefit.
There's a cracking of bone under teeth. Pressure applied, and then a yank to rend flesh away from flesh.]
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He's scratched up, but it's nothing that needs attention at the moment. Looking around, he spots his hammer and dives for it. Blue light flashes. He can't control what Isaac already has under his thrall...but the zombies aren't the only undead on the island. The animals Hector experimented on are not beholden to his will, but they still might remember him and come when he calls them.
Isaac grunts as the wolf teeth maul him, but he still slams down the knife blade. The aim is disrupted by the shooting pain, but it still finds purchase, if lower than intended. With a wound like the one on this thigh, Isaac isn't walking away from this. His goal now it to cause as much damage as he can before the end. He gives the knife a twist as he stumbles.
From the treeline, creatures with glowing blue eyes appear. Rats, hawks, wild cats, a large fox. They rush in and launch themselves at the zombies, scratching and biting.]
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Three cheers for dhampir healing, because Alucard is quick to go back to Isaac, sword extended. It is a full lunge, aimed at the stomach. He already has an unstable leg. A gut wound works to end most of the madness.
Sypha's focus remains on the zombies, but it's crucial now to figure out the ones not being mauled by reanimated woodland creatures
hector what are you snow white. The end result is a path for Hector to follow, should dealing with the last of Isaac be the real goal.]hector's a dirty rotten kill-stealer and i'm so sorry
Shhhh, let hector LIIIIIVE. With Isaac bleeding out and being eviscerated on Adrian's sword, the zombies he puppets begin to go slack again. It shouldn't matter who strikes the killing blow to Isaac, but Hector's feet propel him forward without conscious thoughts.]Isaac, die!
[He doesn't do it in Rosaly's name. She would hate for any blood to be shed on her account, deserving though it is. He brings his hammer down hard on Isaac's head for his sake and no one else's.
It's messy, and there's no honor in it. There's no sudden weigh lifted from his shoulders, no ease from the pain in his chest. It just...it just is.]
Damn it! [His bloody hammer slips from his hands, and Hector collapses beside Isaac's crumpled body, shaking with adrenaline and frustration. This was supposed to help, supposed to make this gnawing emptiness subside. He balls a fist and punches the ground. The pain of the impact doesn't even register.
Behind him, the zombies drop, no longer being held up by Isaac's necromancy. Hector's creatures, less loyal than his kept pets, slink into shadow without their creator enticing them to stay.
He should...he should stand, check on Adrian and the terrifying Speaker. He should surrender himself to whatever judgment the Speaker and the Belmont will pass upon him. He blinks away tears. It's over. Everything is over. There's nothing left for him to do now, except live with the emptiness.]
DO NOT BE alucard's 200% fine with not having to do another murder
--Hector.
No part of Alucard is surprised by the sudden burst of energy. Anger. Whatever it is. The ancient Greeks called it catharsis and that is very well earned. The most Alucard does is step back and look away, because the use of a hammer is likely to be gross and he has no desire to see the aftermath.
Hector can have his catharsis. Alucard goes to Sypha's side instead, far more concerned with her well being than his own. The forged wildlife don't have their attention as they conference quietly. There's a wave that puts out the fire on the boat (it's salvageable, they can get off the island), and then there's Sypha fussing at the dhampir's now healed shoulder.
Satisfied, the two let awkward silence settle instead. They're surrounded by corpses yet again, which shouldn't be their definition of normal, and yet.]
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The worst of the tremors pass and his heartbeat eventually slows to its normal beat. He drags his sleeve across his eyes, smearing blood and dirt across his face as he dries them, and stands. He leaves the hammer where it fell.]
I... [His throat feels like he's been screaming.] ...I have a boat, if that one isn't seaworthy. It's small, but it'll get you to one of the islands with people. You can book passage on a fishing boat from there.
[Focus on the mundane to ward off the looming existential crisis. This is fine. Hector can do this.]
There's a well near the cottage, if you need water. I have...something to eat, probably. Do you eat? I'll send you what I have. [He offers, not waiting for the response. His mind is already jumping to the next item on the checklist, eerily calm. Body clean-up. That's nothing new. He'll see to it when the others have left.]
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They exchange wary looks when Hector approaches. The underlying question of what are we supposed to do with Hector? has gone undiscussed in their little trio, in part because it was unclear how this confrontation was going to play out. There was a good chance of the man walking away but...
Sypha's always been the one with emotional intelligence. She's the one that takes the lead.]
I think that we can all use something in our stomachs. But perhaps--
[Alucard nods in agreement.]
For safety's sake, we need to destroy the body before we let it out of sight.
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It’s going to take a while to build a pyre large enough to incinerate the corpse.
[Bodies don’t burn easily. It takes effort to make it happen. Don’t think about that, his mind cautions through the numbness.
He turns to Sypha.]
Unless you can... [He wiggles his fingers to convey, ‘use your awesome and terrible fire magic to speed the process along’. Otherwise, they’ll likely not be able to set sail for another day, if they’re truly committed to seeing Isaac destroyed beyond recall.]
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The solemnity of the moment returns though, and Alucard follows after Sypha in order to make sure that all is said and done as properly as possible. There's precious little respect to give for a man like this, but Alucard's careful to roll Isaac's remains onto his back, and make sure that there's a little neatness before all is turned to ash.
He stands back after that though, at Sypha's side which is considerably away and downwind. There is no warning when the flames come either - only scorching heat. Alucard's eyes remain on the body, and even with Sypha's abilities, it takes a few awful minutes for all to be rendered to naught but dust. The smell is as disgusting as burnt human flesh always is, and that's all there is left. Ash.
Just as Dracula before him.
Tension goes out of Sypha all at once. Alucard takes her arm in his, the mindnfulness he's had about even mentioning relationships around Hector gone for a few moments. Alucard only lets out a long, tired breath.]
Your home is which way, Hector?
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He's always been much stronger in biology than physics, but he concentrates in the mental conversions of heat and force as Sypha burns the other Forgemaster. He knows how long it should take, the relative temperature needed, if not the exact degrees. It confirms his suspicion that everyone in the night world has the threat level absolutely wrong. They fear the Belmont, when they should be running in terror from the tiny Speaker.
Well, if she decides to turn her power on him, he's got nothing to lose now.
He doesn't answer Adrian, but starts walking in the direction of his cottage, giving them a quick jerk of his head to bid them to follow.
The cottage suffers from several years of neglect, but it's a roof and four walls that are still mostly keeping the elements out, so it'll do. The last visitor this place has seen was Dracula. It had been a humble but decently maintained home and workshop back then. Now, he's pretty sure a family of squirrels have taken over the small bedroom off of the main room, and he's had not the energy nor the inclination to chase them off.
He's got a bedroll in one corner of the main room, and Adrian's travel satchel still partially full with the rations he bought on the last leg of his journey. He only had two chairs- the hazards of being a hermit- so he drags in a log from his woodpile to use as a stool.]
I suppose there's no point in saying 'make yourselves at home'...
no subject
Walking into the cottage, neither of them is particularly disturbed by the state of it. Sypha's fingers brush over the doorframe. It's a tiny gesture, but one that seems to be reaching out to the shelter itself in a form of greeting.
Alucard stands only just inside the door. They're years on. His father's presence has long since faded from this place, but it is still important. Coming here was one of the last acts of traveling hat he did in his life before plunging Wallachia into darkness. It is only appropriate to take a moment to acknowledge it.
It's Sypha who replies to Hector's statement about making themselves at home, it's a Thank you, before she goes about examining what is even available in terms of glasses or some kind of bucket and a ladle for drinking water.
Alucard is still in the doorway.]
Where shall you got next, Hector?
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Hector looks at Adrian.] You can come in [he murmurs. He doesn't think Alucard really needs an invitation, but sometimes it's the strangest old wives' tales that turn out to be true. Better safe than sorry.
He shrugs.]
Back to fetch Cesar and his brothers, then...I don't know. There's nothing to keep me here or there. Maybe I'll go across the ocean, see if things are any different there.
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[The bucket is found, and if when Sypha brings it over, it's a little heavier and there's ice floating in it to keep the water chilled, well, so be it. As terrifying as all of her magic is, it's sometimes the everyday uses that help to make hard moments easier.
It's Alucard who walks over to where the bucket was to see if there are any glasses though. He's careful as he looks around, not feeling welcome to touch unless he finds what he's looking for.]
I didn't see any glasses over there, Adrian. Are there...?
[Sypha's gaze turns to Hector.]
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[Likely, nowhere will be far enough to escape the past.
Sypha and Adrian have too high of expectations for Hector, a barely functioning excuse for an adult. He's just drunk straight from the bucket since he returned. He frowns, then tries checking the old shelves and cabinets that once held a bachelor's mismatch of dishes. He comes back with a single wooden cup, freshly dusted with the hem of his torn shirt. He offers it to Sypha, not quite meeting her eyes. He is a terrible host, and Rosaly would be horrified.]
Here. I'll check my old workshop. I may have another cup in there.
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[Cold and alone instead of hot and alone. One is not better than the other - just different.
Alucard's not sure why he expected a man who lived alone to have more than a single cup but...well. This is something, and Sypha takes the old thing with real gratitude. It's dipped right into the bucket (never mind any dust, Speakers have always had worse).]
It's all right. This is more than enough.
[And there's a clear insistence in the tone that he really, really need not do more.]
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Right. You two can take the supplies with you when you go. I bought them with Adrian's coin, they're yours by right.
He doesn't want to think about Russia, or the ocean, or anywhere. Adrian's seen how Hector plans, which is not at all.]
How's your back? I thought I saw you take a hit.
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[Alucard's quiet for a moment. What is the plan from here on out? It's clear Hector doesn't have one, and in theory, this isn't his problem. Not anymore. Isaac is gone and the threat he represents gone with him. If anyone else is stupid enough to attempt to ressurect Dracula, they'll find their way to Alucard's door sooner or later. All he need do is wait, like a spider at the center of a web.
But it is his problem, in it's own horrible little way that Alucard vaugely wants to label projection. This kind of loss is an impossible thing to weather and rebuild from. It's the right thing to try and help someone else through it. To make sure that no one else goes Full Dracula.
Sypha passes the cup over to Alucard, and he takes it automatically.]
It's healed, thank you.
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Really? You can regenerate that quickly?
[He's never had a good filter, and he's too exhausted to think it through before he remarks.]
I don't understand why there aren't more like you. You have the strengths of the vampires with none of their weaknesses or cruelty. You could... [What? Rule the world? Save it? Be what Hector hoped the vampires could be? He can't find the right words, and ends up just shaking his head.]
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[He takes the pause to dip the cup into the water and drink. It buys moments to think, and had Hector's thoughts about more like you come a second too soon, there may have been a spit take. Alucard's aware that Trevor's still watching this through the mirror, and those words? Those are words that make all three of them deeply concerned.
The glass is drained and offered to Hector automatically.]
I could do as I please, and that is not tie myself down to the personality or expectations of anything - only a sense of morals long since taught to me. [And if that sounds a little arrogant, it's because Hector's words have begged another question:]
Why would you want me to do anything else?
[Why did you follow after my father or Carmilla?]
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You can do whatever you want. Just...you’re stronger and smarter than humans. Are they afraid of you? Is that it?
[It always comes back to fear, doesn’t it? Hector can imagine a world with dhampir doctors and scholars, longer lived and more studied, helping guide humanity out of the darkness. Humans aren’t all bad, he’s learned. They’re just...fragile, and so easily swayed.]
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[Alucard can't guess where Hector has gone with this thought - a world of dhampir shepherds leading humanity to a new age of understanding. He'd recoil at the concept if he truly understood.]
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I forgot, you're going to hide away in your f...in the castle, for the rest of your life.
[He puts the cup down on the table and looks away as he realizes what he's doing. He's trying to keep the focus on to Adrian so he doesn't have to think about his own future.]
It doesn't matter. [The world is always going to be a mess, and he's a fool to still think after all this time that there's someone who could come along and change it. How can he still be so desperate to have faith in something when everything he's ever believed in has disappointed him?]
Do you plan to rest before you sail out? It doesn't get cold here, but I'll start a fire to keep the animals away if you plan to sleep. [It's by no means a subtle dismissal of the conversation.]
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