Interactions 🌑 None Mentions 🌑 None Location 🌑 New York Sewers
It was not a stretch to acknowledge the stench, nor was it unreasonable to inhale damp air in adequate disgust. With clenched teeth, Nello was certain that this stench he was forced to endure by far surpassed what could be considered little more than sewage. Indeed, this was something far fouler than mere waste, filth, and garbage. The boy could recall a similar reaction to such a revolting approach of disgust when walking across bones in a Necromancer's lair. Death, that was what he smelled, and it was most certainly what warranted the frown now making itself known on his features. "It's probably worse than we thought," Nello began. He maintained a constant presence at the sewer platform, as to not coat himself in a layer of aquatic filth.
"Think we're talking zombies? Ghouls?" Nocturne proceeded, listing a series of monstrous species, all of which were an unwelcomed addition to the supernatural world. They would both, however, halt their stride when ears caught wind of movement. A splash, a motion in otherwise still water, breathing like nails on a chalkboard, terror accompanied every single step which brought Nello deeper into the nightmare-inducing darkness ahead. He could only be thankful for the affinity Nello's new biological structure held for the dark. Where daylight was quite painful, his eyes allowed for sight in this horrific scenario, the purifying sun fully separated from these tunnels. "Watch out!" Nocturne exclaimed, only moments before still, waters erupted into an aggressive splash, and from its depths, a horrific creature latched onto the platform, attempting to pull Nello into nightmarish waters below. Nocturne's warning had been enough, however, to warrant attention. Most certainly, the shadowy entity was vigilant enough to wrap his hand around Nello's, pulling the boy away from a grappling claw.
"Oh shit..," Nello gulped, seeing the horrific beast's movements as it pulled itself onto the walkway, a large, hulking mess of flesh, sinew, and bone. If Nello was to analyze this creature with his Nexus device, it would reveal a disturbing nature. However, he could recall this beast from amongst a series of other monstrous creatures in the Monster Index. It was a Horror, plain and simple. It was almost as if the academy created this category as an excuse to bundle several types of entities into one group, with little effort, at first sight. However, the horrific feeling washing over the young agent would warrant one of the features required for a Horror to earn its name. They possessed an aura of fright, something which would paralyze a weak mind, which left victims frozen in fear, unable to move, as if shackled to the ground by a supernatural force.
Nello clenched his fist, ruby-red eyes fixing their gaze onto his beastly opponent. In an attempt to gather sufficient information about the Horror from reading its writhing, fleshy shape, Nello was able to calculate his manouver. A large, meaty appendage extended its length towards him in rapid haste, claws rowing its end like teeth.
Breaking out of his paralysis in the nick of time, Nello moved aside, his dodge a savior in its own right, as Calamity manifested within the boy's grip. With a vicious swing, Nello severed the appendage which had struck, his expression turning into one of absolute fear as another three growths erupted from the monster's frame, each one reminiscent of a tentacle, rowed with razor spikes.
Indeed, it was clear that the Horror was growing in size, filling the narrow tunnel with its revolting shape. Like spider web, it's elastic flesh clung to metal and stone alike, slithering appendages pulling the creature forward as its sunken, black eyes maintained a fixed gaze at the boy who had stepped into its lair.
"Nello!" Nocturne's voice echoed throughout the agent's mind, "the more afraid you are, the more powerful that thing gets!" Another criteria for a creature to be classified a Horror, the ability to grow in power, when feeding on fear.
"It's.., fucking terrifying.., " Nello whimpered, his fingers clenching around Calamity with a shaking hand. Another swing of the Horror's appendage filled the tunnel, hitting Nello in the chest before sending him to the ground with a crash.
"Get a fucking grip!" Nocturne shouted, manifesting as Calamity vanished after clanging against the hard surface, where it was knocked out of Nello's grasp. Not a second was wasted before Nocturne's aid allowed for Nello to return to his feet, a lumbering mass of flesh throwing yet another attack at the boy. Pushed aside by Nocturne, Nello was able to dodge the strike, but with every passing moment, the Horror grew in size. "We can't fight here! Come on!"
Pulling the boy along, Nocturne led Nello through the tunnels in a hurry, a massive Horror following each step with its humongous size tearing and ripping at the sewer structure. Turning to the right, Nello continued to run, avoiding pipes and obstacles along the way, all of which were but a minor inconvenience for the beast close in tow.
Luck would eventually bless the young agent, however, as they soon found themselves in a large, open space. Circular, with several streams of water flooding down the walls, this was likely a room which connected various tunnels throughout New York city. A perfect arena for the battle to come.
Spinning around, and raising Calamity as it shaped itself into existence in his grasp, Nello clenched his teeth. This Horror had initiated the bout with favor on its side, but Nocturne was right. Nello had to get a grip.
Interactions 🌑 None. Mentions 🌑 @baraquiel 🌑 @Ryteb Pymeroce Location 🌑 Academy Dorms. 🌑 Portal Room. 🌑 New York Sewer System.
Alert - Mission Briefing
Location 🔸 New York City. 🔸 East Side Sewer System.
Target 🔸 Unclear.
Alert 🔸 Disappearances. 🔸 No corpses located.
Procedure 🔸 Locate victims. 🔸 Destroy the target.
Presumed Mission Difficulty 🔸🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑
With an audible groan, a young demonic creature turned in his bed, a notable yawn escaping his snout as his small hand reached for the incessant sound of an alert. As far as Nello could recall, he had turned off notifications on his Nexus device, the handheld system afforded Nox Tenebrae's students, but this most unwelcome cancelation of blissful slumber proved otherwise.
Slowly opening his large, ruby eyes, Nello squinted at the screen he had changed from the original green color to a golden beige. A mission, and the announcement made itself known without care, nor empathy. "Ugh," Nello sighed, dropping his Nexus onto the bed before burying that pale snout into the softness of a most fluffy pillow.
It did, however, not stretch along any notable amount of time before an all too familiar voice trickled into Nello's ears. It was a close contact, indeed, with the warmth of an opposing breath trickling its way down the agent's scaled skin. "We cutting work?" Nocturne asked with teasing intent, the notion draping his every word. "Sometime has to be the first, I guess." The creature continued, moving closer still, until his snout bumped against Nello's temple, where a black tongue playfully traced itself across the soft, snake-like barrier coating Nello's pale frame.
"But sleep is important," the agent groaned once more, turning to face the shadowy creature at his side. It was then that Nello noted a wink from his significant annoyance, before he was promptly pushed out of the harmonic comfort he had grown ever so used to. Meeting the floor with a thud, Nello's tail thumped against the surface, soon after, sliding down the bed like a serpent. "You wound me, Noct..," Nello mumbled, placing a pair of dainty, clawed hands on the hard surface where he laid, and pushed himself up, as the boy's taloned feet finally accepted their role.
"Come on, dude!" Nocturne exclaimed, "the sewers! We can make it romantic, babe," he finished with a wide grin, shark-like teeth revealing themselves within that black maw, a perfect reflection of the boy meeting his gaze.
Though a pause lingered between the two, Nello eventually squinted at Nocturne, his finger poking the demon spirit's forehead. "You are insane."
"The word you are looking for is 'creative'," Nocturne countered, seeing how his better half reached for a pair of jeans sliding up slender legs with ease. The difficult part was related to the tail, as one might have imagined. It was something to grow used to, undoubtedly, but once a pair of scissors accompanied every new purchase, cutting out an appropriate section for the appendage became a habit. A reaction.
With a tank top draping itself over Nello's torso, one could only imagine the small size of this article, as it perfectly hugged the boy's scrawny frame. A beige leather jacket soon joined the fashion, and a pair of converse shoes would end this transformation, along with fingerless leather gloves. Seeing Nello without those gloves on a mission was unheard of, without deviation from this norm. "There," the agent yawned, rubbing his eyes. Another eighteen hours of sleep would have been highly appreciated.
Nocturne thumbed over his shoulder, at the Nexus device which still laid motionless on Nello's bed. "You intended to walk there? Screw your head on, Puffersnout." Without the Nexus, Nello had no means of opening a portal. Only students of transportation magic could manage the feat without a conduit. If one was to disassemble the Nexus, a small crystal would be spotted within its intricate, magical design. It was what reacted to portal magic, and a critical part of an agent's arsenal.
Clicking his small, black claws against the device, Nello slid it into his jacket pocket, before pulling the zipper all the way across. If he lost the Nexus, getting back home would be a hassle, and he would need to report it gone, whereas his next mission would be to retrieve it. A deterrent, one might add.
Nello reached for the doorknob, before pulling it open, and started towards Nox's portal room. It was in the basement area of Nox Tenebrae, where magical energies could flow freely without being disrupted by various opposing forces. Every architectural decision within the academy had a purpose, and a carefully calculated execution.
An elevator ride, accompanied by adequate music for a pleasant experience was what separated Nello from the target location, but was soon a distant memory as the boy's weightless steps brought him closer to initiating his mission.
"Isn't that Pups McGee?" Nocturne asked, his hand moving to Nello's shoulder where it halted his stride. He meant Zane, one of the many students at Nox Tenebrae, along with a girl neither Nello nor Nocturne could recall seeing, before. "Look at that, they are going on a date, too!"
Turning his attention to the shade at his side, Nello raised a brow, before simply shaking his head. They had their own mission to focus on. Wrapping his fingers around Nocturne's forearm, Nello pulled the creature along as they stepped through one of the many portals afforded Nox Tenebrae's agents.
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