Devil's Advocates' HQ

[adrienne]

"One sincerely hopes we won't end up dead when we're being put in the history books."
Adrienne said quietly with a slight smile. Her energy was waning again and she didn't have the option of stopping in this fight.
She briefly considered switching to her sword then was surprised to hear a click as her revolver turned out to be empty.
"Oh... damn." She muttered.

[Cindy Harker]

The 'one' talk confirmed it. Either, Adrienne had had some kind of upbringing Cindy could at least respect, or she tried to act like she had. Either way, it made Cindy feel much more at home with her. And therefore, more friendly towards her.

Yes, even more so than the fact Adrienne was all that was keeping Cindy alive at that point.

"Perhaps we should consider a strategic retreat?" Cindy asked nervously, eyeing the advancing demons. "Unless you can handle them with the sword..." She added hopefully.

[adrienne]

Adrienne nodded, her eyes worried.
"Cindy I'm not good with a sword. I can't do much but I'll do what I can to protect you. I gave Austin my word." She said quietly. She pulled a dagger from it's sheath and held it out hilt first to Cindy along with her medkit, removing her torn duster she tossed it onto the ground beside her.
"Use the dagger if I don't get the demons on the first try." She said grimly, drawing her sword again and holding the blade steady with a two handed grip, readying herself.

[Cindy Harker]

Cindy took the dagger, which to her, weighed more than it looked. Although she often found that with anything that wasn't a dainty piece of jewellery, given how unaccustomed she was to holding anything else.

She turned the dagger over a few times in her delicate hands, trying to work out exactly what she was supposed to do to a demon with it if Adrienne had failed with a sword.

"Oh." She said aloud as she realised, and found herself turning the dagger on herself, shaking.

She sighed, sagging. There was no way she was brave enough to do that. She'd ruin her clothes for starters. Sure, she'd be dead, but she wanted to die with dignity.

She held the dagger out to the approaching demons, shaking nervously, and praying Adrienne would come through...

[Austin]

"Famous last words"
Austin growled, his sword still clashing with Rino's
"When they make the biopic, they'll be talking about the demon who talked a good game, but that's all he was"
he ducked a head level swipe barely, gritting his teeth in a grim smile
"not to mention the werewolf who kicked the demon's ass"

[Kunoichi]

Kunoichi rolled backwards but she wasn't quite quick enough.
Carla's electricity caught Kunoichi in mid air and sent her tumbling to the ground again, her suit visibly smoking.

[Carla Glenn]

Carla grinned at the fallen ninja, and flung out her full force of electrical power. She was certain it was finished this time. That'd teach the little brat. Nobody messed with her. She might have got lucky once or twice but at the end of the day, Carla was part demon and more powerful than any petty human.

"You know, I'd say something witty..." She cackled over the blasts of electricity.

"...but the only thing that springs to mind is 'die, bitch, DIE!'"

[Rino]

Rino batted away Austin's sword, and drove his own at the werewolf.

This time, Austin's luck had run out.

A small, wry smirk crossed his face as his sword sunk into Austin's chest.

"Sorry. You were saying something about last words?" He said absent mindedly, as if Austin's death didn't even matter.

He kicked Austin's corpse to the floor, sword still inserted in it. He didn't need the sword anymore. The last person who could oppose him was gone.

Of course, he'd dwell on that later. For now, he didn't want to give Austin the dignity of an important death. He wanted him to die feeling worthless. He wanted him to die feeling completely pointless. He wanted his last vision to be Rino walking away without a care in the world.

Which was, of course, ending.

He turned around, open armed, to the Circle. The demons had stopped attacking. They knew Rino was picking his next target.

"Right. C'mon, who's next?" He asked, as if it was just a casual game. "Someone? Where's that little girl he liked so much? I could kill her. That'd be fun." Still no response.

"Come on, people! It's the apocalypse! I haven't got all day! Someone's gotta die next!"

[Austin]

Austin Note: Narrator mode activated

Rino bent down and picked up Austin's fallen sword, a predatory grin across his face. He watched their shocked reactions unfold in slow motion.

Before anyone could respond, there was a noise that could only be described as biological. Rino's grin faded as the tip of his own sword forced its way through his chest

"How about you?" Austin growled from behind him. Rino looked down, his face shocked as the sword began to glow with an ethereal light.

"Word of advice pal, if you're gonna have a mystical sword you use to fight werewolves, make sure it's silvered"
Austin added, his voice low and menacing.

Quickly the light began to spread through Rino's form until Rino was just a blinding mass of light.

"Well that's just-" Came his voice, distant and distorted in the last few moments before the light winked out and the sword fell to the floor.

Austin staggered and fell, blood flowing freely from the puncture wound in his chest.

“The portal gorramit; throw the sword through and close it” Austin called to the members of the circle, his voice weak but urgent.

[Alucard "Pyr0" Valentine]

Alucard barely heard Austin’s command. He knew there were only two bullets in the chambers of each gun, totalling four bullets, so he had to make them count. He finished off the Demon he was narrowing avoiding with a bullet to the centre of its form.

Three

Alucard sprinted towards Austin, shooting and destroying a Demon looking to finish off the downed Werewolf.

Two

He passed Austin, putting one of the guns in his pocket and grabbing the Sword with his spare hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this covered” He said to Austin with a smile. Alucard then walked up to the portal and realized how disturbing it really is. Trying not to let himself get distracted, he threw it towards the portal. Fortunately for him, his ability to throw swords had greatly increased for that moment in time, and the sword glided towards the portal like a spear.

Alucard noticed two Demons going to catch the sword before it went through the portal. They were moving pretty fast and they just looked like blurs. He took the second revolver out of his pocket and had to make a quick decision. His hands moved faster than the eye could see, aiming one pistol at the Demon closest to the sword, and the second pistol aiming at the sword. He fired his last two bullets at the same time. One found its mark in the Demon, knocking it back. The second bullet hit the hilt of the sword, causing it to gain velocity and fly though the portal.

The second Demon that was going to catch the sword missed it entirely and landed clumsily near Alucard. It took its anger out on him by pouncing on top of him with a massive hellish mace. He was pinned and the Demon repeatedly tried to hit Alucard, who was only narrowly dodging.

“Could I get a hand here!?” Alucard yelled out between the demons attack.

[Cindy Harker]

Most things were happening now too fast for Cindy to process, but she knew she had to act fast. There was one thing she could do here, and she'd be damned if she was going to miss it.

I've been a liability, I've nearly got Adrienne killed, but now, I can put things right...

She ran to the portal as fast as she could manage, perhaps for the first time in her life feeling rage at her dress and heels for slowing her down. She skidded to a stop where Alucard was still wrestling the demon. She knew she couldn't help him physically. But she still had a chance.

She began to chant, holding her hands high. It was only a basic closing ritual. The same kind of thing could be performed on a door, if you really wanted. But here, it'd work to close the portal. Or so she hoped.

She let the chant go on, feeling the power of the portal. It was monsterous.

Do not do this, girl!

She blinked, and faltered, but carried on.

I am not dead, and I will escape...

She gulped hard, not sure of what she was hearing.

If you trap me here I will hunt you down and destroy you!

She paused. Gaining the ire of any demon wasn't a good idea. Especially Caacrinolaas. But, she looked around. If he went free, everybody would die anyway, she figured. Why not?

She continued the chant, reaching the final words.

No! NO! You can't do this to me! I can't be defeated! Not by YOU! I swear, I will have my revenge. On you. On the entire Circle. And on Austin Darkora!

The portal began to fluxiate, and close. It flickered and broke. The demons began to wince.

Cindy grinned. The one part of the ritual she had made sure to learn. The reversal part. Anything that had come through had to go back through.

DO YOU HEAR ME, Austin DARKORA!? Bellowed the psychic force, suddenly visible to more than just Cindy's ears. DO YOU HEAR ME!? I WILL BE BACK! AND I WILL TAKE YOUR BELOVED ARA, AND I WILL RIP HER APART BEFORE YOUR EYES!

Cindy, for the first time in her life, actually found some fire within herself.

"Actually, I don't think so." She managed to say to the portal, and finished the final line.

The portal emitted a terrible shriek, pulling every demon on the rooftop back in. They flew past as a terrible wind kicked up. Cindy staggered away from it, watching as it closed. She couldn't keep her balance in the wind and fell, just watching from the rooftop.

She didn't even complain about how dirty it was!

THIS! ISN'T! OVER!

The portal closed.

She collapsed, panting.

[adrienne]

Adrienne dropped the sword she held and ran as fast as she was able to Austin's side. Listening to Rino's last words she felt a surge of anger mixed with fear and turned her face to where the portal had been moments ago.
"You can try." She said through gritted teeth, dropping to her knees and skidding the last foot she looked at Austin then the puncture wound in his chest.
"Don't you dare get up." She growled softly, her hand gently stroking his cheek as she searched her pockets for her medkit before remembering she'd given it to Cindy. Growling softly again at herself she looked at Austin, smiling faintly.
"Medkit please love." She said softly.

[Austin]

Austin kissed her hand softly, smiling at her
"I'll be fine"
he reached inside his jacket and pulled out the medkit before handing it to her, his eyes not leaving hers

"bastard ruined my jacket"
he chuckled softly, wincing from the pain that moment caused

"Silver your sword next time"
He called to the closing portal, watching as the demons were sucked back into it

[adrienne]

Adrienne opened the medkit.
"This is going to hurt love. And I'll buy you a new shirt too." She said softly, leaning down and kissing his lips softly before she cut away the fabric of his t-shirt gently, being careful not to bump the wound too much as she knew it hurt.
She cleaned and bandaged the wound, working gently but quickly and methodically, her eyes not leaving Austin's all the while. She could break down later.

[Austin]

Austin gritted his teeth against the pain, his eyes not leaving hers, willing her to be strong for him