nicholas d. wolfwood (
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[sermon ?] —if you wanna cry, use my heart
WHO: Nicholas D. Wolfwood and you.
WHERE: the Metaverse - Noman's Land
WHEN: the month of May
WHAT: sọ̸͒m̷̥̽ĕ̷̛̜̺t̶̐̃ͅ𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰
the Eye of Michael and Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Pastor of the St. Michael's Church, do hereby enter into the following contract with respect to their work. the Pastor agrees to faithfully perform all duties as commanded in the Eye of Michael, effective ████ ███, █.█. ███, and to abide by all rules and regulations swearing in the name of the two Angels sent by God.
the Pastor agrees to receive immortal glory from the Priest ███████ through the Suffering of the Holy Angels.
in the event of abandonment of his duties, or in the event that the Executive Board determines that there is sufficient cause, the Pastor shall be permanently expelled from the Eye of Michael and St. Michael's Church, and the family members of the Pastor shall be Subject to the same punishment.
WARNINGS: medical experimentation, insects, body horror, needles, religious trauma, gore, death.
♫ HUNGRY!
Are you ever going to be fast enough to outrun everything, Judas?
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOPELAND;
Hopeland Orphanage, in its good and not so good days. Shadow Wolfwood will tell you to go the Laboratories; the Eye of Michael's enforcers wait to inject you with the drugs in Wolfwood's vials and make you better. Livio wants you to find the other children and bring them back to safey, but will eventually leave to find Wolfwood himself no matter how fast you go. Fight your way through the lab or save the children; both choices deliver you to the belly of the Eye.
CHILD OF BLESSING;
The Eye of Michael's training facilities and Plant storage. Once you're far enough in, you'll meet another Wolfwood who wants nothing more than to shoot you dead; you can either confront him or go around him. Going around him leads to a repeating looping of classrooms and expendable young Eye of Michael goons; going through him will be a battle to not get shot by a skittish, defensive little gunman who's very good at what he does. Both paths will lead to Legato Bluesummers and an older, enhanced Livio. Disabling or killing Legato and Livio will let you out into Julai in the middle of its last hour.
HIGH NOON AT JULY;
The city of Julai in its final day. You're emerging from ground zero of the Eye of Michael's weird cult tower and the city is being overrun by a giant plant organism that looks like Vash's mother. The military think you're part of it and will try and stop you, and the people of Julai are being menaced and mulched by the plants. Help them, or run. If you linger for too long, Millions Knives will find you and attempt to reduce you to fertilizer despite the best efforts of the Humanoid Typhoon that Wolfwood remembers. Eventually, the twins will go up--and everything will go white when they come back down.
HUMANITY;
Trying to enter the Metaverse immediately after the July Incident is an exercise in futility. Wolfwood's space is just white static and the phantom feeling of coarse sand and unrelenting heat on your skin. You have been returned to Cathedral Hill for at least a night.
THE RUNNJING MAN;
Julai City is a hole that seems to span forever and all that's left are clouds of glimmering Worms and a rusted metallic scrapyard. In the center of the scrapyard, you'll find Nicholas D. Wolfwood at odds with Nicholas the Punisher. They're bound to the duty that they can't put down, the Cross Punisher standing like a tombstone in the middle of a sandy arena. The bigger, hungrier Worms will try their luck with bringing down all of you fresh hunks of meat. Save Wolfwood. End this.
WHERE: the Metaverse - Noman's Land
WHEN: the month of May
WHAT: sọ̸͒m̷̥̽ĕ̷̛̜̺t̶̐̃ͅ𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰
the Eye of Michael and Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Pastor of the St. Michael's Church, do hereby enter into the following contract with respect to their work. the Pastor agrees to faithfully perform all duties as commanded in the Eye of Michael, effective ████ ███, █.█. ███, and to abide by all rules and regulations swearing in the name of the two Angels sent by God.
the Pastor agrees to receive immortal glory from the Priest ███████ through the Suffering of the Holy Angels.
in the event of abandonment of his duties, or in the event that the Executive Board determines that there is sufficient cause, the Pastor shall be permanently expelled from the Eye of Michael and St. Michael's Church, and the family members of the Pastor shall be Subject to the same punishment.
WARNINGS: medical experimentation, insects, body horror, needles, religious trauma, gore, death.
??? — NOMAN'S LAND — summaries and links
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOPELAND;
The Dormitories and the Laboratories
Hopeland Orphanage, in its good and not so good days. Shadow Wolfwood will tell you to go the Laboratories; the Eye of Michael's enforcers wait to inject you with the drugs in Wolfwood's vials and make you better. Livio wants you to find the other children and bring them back to safey, but will eventually leave to find Wolfwood himself no matter how fast you go. Fight your way through the lab or save the children; both choices deliver you to the belly of the Eye.
CHILD OF BLESSING;
The Eye of Michael HQ
The Eye of Michael's training facilities and Plant storage. Once you're far enough in, you'll meet another Wolfwood who wants nothing more than to shoot you dead; you can either confront him or go around him. Going around him leads to a repeating looping of classrooms and expendable young Eye of Michael goons; going through him will be a battle to not get shot by a skittish, defensive little gunman who's very good at what he does. Both paths will lead to Legato Bluesummers and an older, enhanced Livio. Disabling or killing Legato and Livio will let you out into Julai in the middle of its last hour.
HIGH NOON AT JULY;
Julai
The city of Julai in its final day. You're emerging from ground zero of the Eye of Michael's weird cult tower and the city is being overrun by a giant plant organism that looks like Vash's mother. The military think you're part of it and will try and stop you, and the people of Julai are being menaced and mulched by the plants. Help them, or run. If you linger for too long, Millions Knives will find you and attempt to reduce you to fertilizer despite the best efforts of the Humanoid Typhoon that Wolfwood remembers. Eventually, the twins will go up--and everything will go white when they come back down.
HUMANITY;
In Kaisou
Trying to enter the Metaverse immediately after the July Incident is an exercise in futility. Wolfwood's space is just white static and the phantom feeling of coarse sand and unrelenting heat on your skin. You have been returned to Cathedral Hill for at least a night.
THE RUNNJING MAN;
THE the Outskirts of Julai;
Julai City is a hole that seems to span forever and all that's left are clouds of glimmering Worms and a rusted metallic scrapyard. In the center of the scrapyard, you'll find Nicholas D. Wolfwood at odds with Nicholas the Punisher. They're bound to the duty that they can't put down, the Cross Punisher standing like a tombstone in the middle of a sandy arena. The bigger, hungrier Worms will try their luck with bringing down all of you fresh hunks of meat. Save Wolfwood. End this.
no subject
[Yes, he is in fact ready to argue with a holy knight and a demon. Squishy and overconfident as he is over what he can handle. But he looks at them both and says,] I can handle myself. And I’m not going alone, either—whatever might be waiting for us, three can handle it better than two. Even a very capable two.
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I don't have time to be babysitting you, Ed. [ shroud can live through what is coming, dante can live through what is coming, but edward? as far as dante is concerned he is little more than a guy with a sharp knife. ] But fine, whatever. Do what you want, but don't go slowing us down.
[ with that he moves over to vash, taking the human typhoon's flesh hand in his own for a moment. ] I'll catch up with you later, angel. [ he brings it up to press a kiss to vash's knuckles before letting go, turning on his heel to walk back over to jun. ]
Come on, kid. Lets get moving.
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Fortunately for all, Dante speaks up before Shroud can follow through on the intrusive thoughts to break Ed's bones to keep him from coming along. Dante's right. They have to keep moving. There was a mission to complete. If Edward keeps insisting on coming, that's his own choice.
Attachments are obstacles, focus on the mission. Attachments are obstacles, focus on the-
He turns and starts following in the direction Wolfwood look. It's quiet, but if one listens close enough they can hear Shroud muttering a string of Japanese and Italian profanities.]
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I'm fast enough to keep up.
[As Mary Read, may her soul rest in peace, would attest: trying to talk Edward down from a choice he's made is like trying to talk to a brick wall. Or a drowning rat determined to get to the piece of cheese at the bottom of the pool. It'll be his own bullheaded spite that kills him if nothing else does, she would say.
At least this time he's fully aware what he's doing, what the consequences might be, even if he doesn't know exactly what's waiting for them. He can guess.
He falls in step right behind the two, taking up the rear and pulling his hood up over his head.]
no subject
it doesn't take long for the hallway of the orphanage to crack and crumble away, stark white replacing old walls. each step makes his stomach sink more and more. he can hazard a guess where the path is leading them, begging the question as to why shroud was so against company. the implication of him understanding, even on some level, the shit wolfwood's been through sits heavy on his shoulders.
fuck.
he pushes the thought aside, buries it deep, and decides to unpack that later. get nick out of here first, that's all that matters. ]
Only one way to go.
[ and that's the doors straight ahead. ]
no subject
But the tone aside, Jun had never doubted for a second what Wolfwood was saying was anything but the gospel truth. It'd been what made Jun feel comfortable around him - he understood.
The walls were now giving away to the look of medical labs. How many times had he been in places like this? If he didn't have a mission to complete, he'd probably run the other way. But knowing that's not an option, he's already prepping himself with the next best survival tactic: not letting his mind linger in the moment. Don't let himself think of his companions. Focus on his own survival.
As they walk through the doors, he eyes the cross-shaped tables. The audacity of them hit him in the face. Now in survival mode, the gallows humor once again comes out]
Oh cool. Never been crucified before.
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Well, uh, fuck. He flicks out both hidden blades.]
Get your weapons out, now. [This he says just as the doctors and soldiers are beginning to turn towards them.] They want us dead or worse!
no subject
[ dante almost wishes he could be surprised, but he isn't. not by the cross-shaped tables, not by the personnel with their creepy masks, and certainly not by the implications the room as a whole has. he glances to edward at his warning and laughs a bitter sound. ]
They don't want you dead, Ed. They want you 'remade'. [ with a surge of red energy devil sword dante appears in his hand and dante shifts his weight. ] We tried to warn you!
[ the devil hunter launches himself toward the horde of personnel moving toward them, his expression a mixture of manic joy and unbridled rage. if they have to cut down some assholes to get to wolfwood then he'll do just that. ]
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Wolfwood was a test subject in a cult's experiments to make the perfect soldier.
[Of course Dante would opt to fight. Jun on the other hand, doesn't summon his blade. Instead he stands back, knowing full well how this is going to end. How it always ends. Even now as Dante cuts through, more are taking their place.
The ones who openly fought the handlers never lasted long. ]
Last chance to turn back Edward. If these are his memories, we're not fighting through this.
[He's not going to waste his energy even trying. Instead, he's heading for that cross shaped table and the faceless personnel waiting there. He rather get this over with. ]
no subject
Edward calls rebellion and Dante charges in, weapon singing, and the Eye of Michael's faceless faithful will rush them in kind, with futuretech that could best be described as cattleprods--and regardless of however many of them are taken down and left to stain the floor red, another one-two-three will pop up in their place, working to herd the defiant to the tables--or at least close enough so that the needles can do their work, catch an unsuspecting ankle and start the process.
Jun, meanwhile, is treated comparatively gently as the personnel by the table he's approaching seem oblivious to the chaos happening by the door. one of the two taps on a few buttons to unlock the restraints while another gets the instruments ready, the faceless pair watching him patiently. they'll even let him keep his hood, since he's being so compliant with the rest of the work--he doesn't have to do the helmet for this session, as a reward.
(Edward and Dante, on the other hand--if they can strap them down long enough, they're getting the full gamut of the treatment. fuckers.) ]
no subject
[Life is hard when you’re a pirate from the first half of the 18th century and you’re facing down futuristic cattle-prods with like. Antique guns and fancy knives. The faithful rush after him and Dante, and to Edward’s credit, he puts up a hell of a fight. Stubborn and defiant till the end—perhaps that’s what the Assassins recognized in him.
With a natural 20, he even pulls off a flashy little dodge-kill, rolling over one of the faceless faithful and jamming his blade into their neck just as another tries to stun him.
Then he notices Shroud going quietly, and calls urgently out,] Shroud! Bloody hell, man, what are you—
[The problem with Eagle Vision is you can’t turn it on in the middle of a fight. Edward has never quite been able to muster the concentration and peace for that. It’s a shame, because perhaps then, he might’ve noticed the needle creeping up behind his ankle.
He doesn’t, not until it wraps around him and quite literally trips him.]
Dante, run! [is all he manages to get out, before he’s locked in, struggling and kicking all the way.]
no subject
it's just the kind of guy he is.
(4) but even the legendary devil hunter dante can get overwhelmed, he can make mistakes and stumble. shroud might have noticed how reckless he fought before the personnel finally managed to get one up on him, the devil sword dante hitting the metal floor with a heavy thunk. this was inevitable and it's then that the fight leaves his body. ]
I ain't running, Ed. But you should've. [ it's the last thing he says before the faceless personnel force him down onto the table and lock him in. ]
no subject
[Is all he'll answer to Ed as he gets himself up on the table. It's a mercy he's allowed to keep his hood. This way, he can maintain some dignity. His companions won't see the look of terror in Jun's eyes, or the way color has drained from his face.
As they strap him in, Jun will avoid looking at Edward. He doesn't want to see his friend genuine struggle for survival before he's overwhelmed and broken down. Instead, he focuses his gaze on Dante. The devil's hunter's movements are a lot more reckless than usual, with an air of defeat to them. It's as if it's more Dante lashing out with his own attempt to keep his dignity before the inevitable comes.
A Sparda through and through. Jun always admired that family's tenacity.
He'll turn his head away as he feels the last strap getting tied around his leg, letting his gaze go to the ceiling. No more thinking of the others, it'll only make what's to come more difficult. He draws in a few deep measured breaths, trying to calm himself. These experiments are always less painful if you manage to keep yourself calm.
Oh Lord, Father in heaven.
I have to admit, I'm terrified.
None of the prayers feel right in the moment.
So please-
He can feel the needle going into his arm, a burning sensation spreading as it's serum enters his veins.
Just... stay by my side, okay?
The burning spreads quickly through his body, making his organs feel like they are burned to cinders. His eyes will squeeze shut, and hallucinations of his loved ones will call out to him. Pay them no mind- he keeps telling himself. They're nothing more than siren songs.
He manages not to scream through the pain, but only just, unwilling to give these memories the satisfaction (19). ]
cw: this is the body horror section, marked by **
if Wolfwood, in his right mind and not a fragment of an angry, scared child had been here to see this, he would've been able to tell them that they're acting just like he did at various stages of his treatment
like a terrible Pokemon evolution that ends in a deeply angry assassin instead of a cute little apple pie dragon
Edward fights and struggles and thinks there's something to be done here--that if he tries hard enough, he can win, that others will fight back too and that there' a chance to end up anywhere but the inevitable. the IV coils around him as if it's alive and digs deep into his ankle to give him the first part of his dosage, and if the Eye of Michael's soldiers continue to hit Edward a little (a lot) it's because they know that the serum will heal him in the throes of what comes next
Dante's come to understand consequences, but there's still enough pride and vinegar in him that he has to try a little to cling onto what he was. the faceless can't do much to him other than a few petulant knocks here and there as they strap the metal around his limbs and work the helmet over his head, but it vents their frustration with his stubbornness as his clothes are rolled up to better find his veins.
and Jun? Jun's a good boy. Jun's seen what happens to the ones who fight--maybe he even had his own moment where the doctors showed him the children that were next up on the block because he was too defiant, too stubborn to give them good results--but whatever the process, he's behaving now and that's what matters as the chaos in the lab fades to a shrill whine that's broken up by people calling his name in joy, calling his name in fear, muddled colors and familiar shapes reaching out to him, beckoning and begging in equal measure.
and hey, Dante and Edward will also find themselves in a horrific kaleidoscope of sensation, fire in their nerves as their heads pulse like they're about to explode
** the serum heals completely and also encourages rapid, painful growth--bones splinter and heal and splinter again and muscles and sinew tear as they try to accommodate a new, rapidly growing frame, skin roiling to try and contain what's made too big for itself. when they said remade, they meant remade. maybe Wolfwood's jokes about losing years off his life make a little more sense in the middle of the agony.
(even if they're the lucky ones--since this is only a memory, only a dream; when the effects wear off they'll be physically unchanged, for all the good that mentally does.
sorry Jun. you still have to get taller the normal way.) ]
tw hallucinations, past character death, gore
Any thought of dignity or pride slips away from him as the sheer agony hits. He screams, a purely animalistic shriek of sheer pain and terror, this is so much fucking worse than any pain he's ever felt. Any words he might've had for anyone melt away in the face of this torment, worse than a gibbet in the hot sun or a broken nose or a broken bone, and his vision blurs—everyone around him in blood-red, with two streaks of blue in this sea of crimson that blurs and drowns him and—
If he turns his head he sees Caroline, her eyes bright, calling his name and reaching for him. When he tries to reach for her despite the restraints, she flinches away and weeps, weeps, weeps: you promised me, Edward, no more than two years, you promised, why are you leaving me what keeps you wandering don't I make you happy weren't we happy why didn't you come back for me—
He blinks, and Mary's there—Kidd—Mary, her form shifts in front of his eyes. Is her hair down, are her lips red, are her eyes bright and her mouth turned up in a grin or have they dulled in death? But they're fixed on him as she smiles at him and calls his name, calls him friend, says, I'll be with you—
(her corpse had been so cold)
—her head lolls and he's never seen her cry before, never heard her say, you spiteful lout, there's no one left in your life to care a whit for what you call courage—Adéwalé holding out his hand to lift him up only to let him go, only to let him fall, only to say, you run your schemes and your plans alone and lose the faith of your crew, your friends, those people you're holding on so tightly to, so how long will it take you to break their trust—Thatch, grinning at him through that long black beard of his, clapping him on the back, in this world or the one below—
(the sword had torn a gash right through Thatch's throat and it bled bled bled and he was dead before he hit the ground and had he been looking at Edward, the whole time, asking him save me)
—red blood on the Jackdaw's deck, red blood slicking his hands as he tried to stem the blood from Zulius's neck, Diarmuid calling for him to go and take Ritsuka with him, a glint of steel in the darkness, blue and red and gold blurring together, the crystal skull shining in Roberts' hand as he reaches for it before its teeth clamp down on him and send shockwaves of fiery agony through his entire being—
How can anyone survive this? How could Wolfwood survive this? You should've run, Dante had said, but Edward couldn't run—why? Because of his pride? Because of his own spiteful stubbornness? Because he was too damn curious for his own good? (Because he wanted to be good, and protect someone he cared about for once in his goddamned life?)
He thinks—
He thinks he sees Wolfwood.]
no subject
─then it isn't edward's screams echoing in his ears. he can hear his mother crying out as the demons descend, as flames lick at the closet she left him in. she sobs vergil's name begging him to come out of hiding. reds and oranges and yellows fill his vision as eva reaches out to him. be strong now, be a good boy, start again with a new name, a new life, help me, help your brother, if only you hadn't fought i would have lived i would have─ dante inhales sharply, eva's voice like knives in his ears. it isn't real, he tells himself, none of this is real. the dull burning in his limbs, his mother's voice in his ears. the visions of her and vergil laughing and waving and reaching out begging for him to save them.
grin and bear it, grin and bear it, it'll be over soon.
yet it feels like it goes on for hours, for days. the figures of his mother and vergil shift and melt and then it is the girls standing there, smiling. he can't hear them, not with his pulse thundering in his ears, but he is sure they call out to him. he left them behind after all, wrote a will and everything. trish smiles the same way his mother once did and lady waves. dante laughs a breathy and broken sound, fingers twitching and their smiles melt away─ they're fine, they're fine, don't let it overwhelm, it'll be over soon.
dante grits his teeth and clenches his fists, even as the girls shift and merge into an image of wolfwood. even as the grin on his face melts into pain, as the screams in his ears become cries for help, even as wolfwood begs and pleads and crumbles before his eyes. dante grins and bears it.
it is all he can do. ]
no subject
There were Greed in the Eclipse that'd lure humans in with the voices and appearances of people they cared about. Again and again, the Orden had drilled in this lesson. This was no different.
Pay them no mind, pay them no mind.
The pain was growing in intensity. It was like his regeneration ability when he forced it, but on overdrive. It both felt like an eternity and far too fast. Human bodies weren't meant to grow and heal this quickly. If he had more presence of mind, he'd think about what it means for Wolfwood. But right now? He's too much in survival mode to tap into empathy.
Just get through this, get through it. It'll be over soon. God, let it be over soon.]
no subject
it goes on forever and then some, infinite and agonizing as it burns through your veins and remakes them anew--you were supposed to be a better breed of human, made into something closer to a holy Plant so that you would stop devouring, stop taking, so you could finally give and live in the hot, empty world that the Angels and God had cast you all down on
and then the dose comes to an end, and with it, comes the quick bolt of sobriety
and Wolfwood smiles at Edward with all three-four-five-six of his mouths as he splits into fractals and reforms into one, raising half a dozen hands that are his and Mary's and Thatch's and Caroline's and Kidd's that collapse back down into just the Punisher's one as levels the pistol and fires--
and Wolfwood crawls to Dante, desperation and desire spinning cycles in his eyes as they bleed out of his head and as he smears between whole and hale and a burnt, ashen corpse, skeletal arm wrapping around Dante's neck as he draws him in close and nestles the gun under his chin, lips on his as he pulls the trigger--
and Wolfwood looks down at Jun, solemn and stoic as the knight refuses to meet his eyes, studying him with something like pity, like empathy, like understanding, like anger as he gives him an affectionate little pat on the top of his head to steady him, hand coming to rest over his eyes and render everything blissfully dark as the muzzle of the gun kisses his temple--
and all at once it ends.
the doctors in their darkened glass rooms go through the motions of people taking notes and numbers and filling out databases as most of the Eye of Michael's personnel stand along the walls in solemn, stoic rows. the restraints pop open, neat as you please. a few of the Eye's men stand closer with their cattle prods, in case the experiments need help moving along--but the far door will whoosh open with a pleasant pneumatic sound and await them, patiently.
the internal pain is receding, but not gone--never really gone, always aching at the back of your teeth and in the twist of your spine. there's no sign Dante or Edward were ever struck with clubs and prods to get them complacent, their external injuries returned to pristine skin. the Eye of Michael won't move towards the three unless they try to head back to the Orphanage.
time for the next phase of your education, little ones. ]
no subject
Edward comes back to himself with a hoarse gasp, eyes wild, nightmares receding into the back of his head. He's shaky on his feet when he gets up, which is odd coming from someone who's usually so fast and agile. He doesn't look at anyone, which is even odder coming from someone so stubborn and loud. He looks shaken, down to his core, like he'd really not expected to walk right into this and then to walk out of it alive again.
When he makes it out, bile rises in his throat as something tightens painfully around his chest, roils in his stomach. When the other two come out he's slumped against the wall, hand over his mouth, having what he thinks is a breakdown and what someone else might realize is a panic attack, and it takes him a moment longer than usual to shake his head and even register that anyone else is outside. He staggers to his feet, swallows the bile back.]
Where next?
[It's hoarse, but it's there, in his voice: a refusal to back down. He's thrown his lot in with these two and he'll keep going.
Just. Give him a second to recover. It's fine, he's fine, it's all just fine. Everything is fine.]
no subject
bang.
dante comes back to himself with hardly any noise, the restrains open with a pop almost too sharp against his ears and dante sits up slowly. there is a sharp pain behind his teeth that fades quickly into an unpleasant pressure, but he ignores it. unlike edward, dante is steady on his feet, getting up and walking out as though he hadn't just gone through any of that at all. he doesn't even look at edward when he exits the room, his gaze focused straight ahead as he listens for shroud to join them. ]
Forward, the only way we can go.
no subject
Feeling a gun against his head is a more welcomed experience. Just do it, he finds himself thinking.
Bang.
All at once, it's over. Jun jolts back to reality. Whatever twisted experiment these echoes wanted to put him through was now over. Part of him felt relieved, but the other part of him...
He's slow at getting out of restraints. He's smaller than the other two, so maybe the researchers reason he's struggling more with the after effects. They don't notice his eyes following the other two, making sure Edward and Dante are safely out of the room.
They are also too late to notice the holy blade manifest in Jun's hands.
As soon as Edward and Dante are clear of the door, there is massive explosion of light energy in the medical lab they just left. It nearly causes the door itself to get blasted off its hinges and whatever's in the room that doesn't get immediately incinerated gets thrown around with loud crashes.
Shroud comes out a moment later, his holy sword once again put away. He is steady on his feet, and he is not going to address what the fuck happened back there.]
Take slow, deep breaths, Edward. It'll help.
no subject
the doors that would've led into the researchers on either side of this hallway are likewise blocked, fully caught in the explosion, and Nicholas D. Wolfwood--the young one, the one who'd also come this way--looks up at the three men his head canted slightly to the side, looking perplexed in the wake of such a show of force. there's a set of elevators in the room connecting to the hallway behind him, all steampunk tubes to who the hell knows where. ]
... it doesn't change anything, you know? They'll always rebuild their workplaces. They'll keep taking others to try and make a better monster. What did that accomplish? You only broke off one little piece--and eventually the rest of the body will come to collect.
[ because Wolfwood had come to accept his shackles, over time--Edward's bravado given way to Dante's numb anger and Jun's apparent acceptance, but this last show of rebellion was... new. not something Wolfwood had really worked out for himself, yet. ]