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Varnalia
9. Cessation

9. Cessation

Illiya and Grune heard the scream, both running for the tavern when the front doors exploded violently, Hunuki was sent flying backwards and crashed into the ground, rolling into the muddy street. He landed on his stomach, coughing up golden blood onto the ground below, the scythe still clutched in his right hand. "Hunuki!" Illiya ran over, starting to help him up. The tavern walls collapsed as the horrid creature emerged, flesh and blood splattering around it, sliding off its body as it rose up fully. It looked to them, screaming. Debris flying outwards from the force of it yelling. Grune got in front of them both, aiming his spear at the creature. The protective bubbles shattered, the stench hitting them all at once. Grune coughed and gagged immediately, covering his nose and mouth. Illiya backed away coughing. A Rotten, acrid, and vile stench spread outwards from the mass of oozing flesh. Expulsions of gas from it's movements sending a miasma through the air, coating the area in a putrid stench that seemed to stick to everything, unwilling to relent. "BARU DEN NE!" Illiya yelled as a large bubble formed around the three, expanding outwards slowly, repelling the miasma around them.

'Get up!' Hunuki thought to himself. His hands shaking, his grip loosened on the scythe. 'I can't... I can't fight without spells!' He looked up to Illiya and Grune, watching them both standing above and in front of him. Protecting him. 'This scythe is to dangerous... I'm.. I'm useless.' His hands trembled more. "Boy!!" A voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up to Grune, who was kneeling over him. "Snap outta it! Get yer ass on yer damned feet!!" He grabbed Hunuki, pulling him up. "I'm sorry!" His voice was shaky. Grune watched him a moment before turning back to the fight. Hunuki wiped the blood from his mouth, clenching onto the scythe tightly again. The blade somehow felt even heavier. "BARU SHA" A wall of flames shot up, burning a spray of diseased blood and vomit before it could touch them. Illiya looking up at the monster, frowning. 'These were all the towns people..' She thought, staying in front of Hunuki while he regained his composure. She glanced back to him. "You have to land the killing blow! Only the Nail will cease their suffering. We'll create an opening for you" She looked over to Grune, who nodded, spinning his spear. He rushed at the mass, vanishing suddenly.

Hunuki nodded to her, lifting the scythe up, ready to swing. The blade sparking with black electricity. Grune was behind the creature, on the other side of it. "Hey! You pile of shit and filth over 'ere!!" He yelled, throwing his spear at it. The symbols spinning, locking into place just as it sank into it's body, seemingly doing nothing. It turned to him, shrieking at him, about to grab him when it's entire body rippled and doubled over. Multiple spears shot out of it's body in every direction, stabbing out of it, snapping bone, slicing skin, and rupturing organs. The amalgamation of flesh screamed in pain. Grune raised his hand above his head, palm open. A symbol tattooed onto it. "BARU PENTAM!" He clenched his fist, the spears twisted and spun in a flurry through its massive body, cutting and tearing it apart as the flew out, combining into each other until only one remained. It falling from the sky into his open hand. He jumped backwards, away from the falling bones and body parts, vanishing again. He appeared once again, this time behind Hunuki. "Go girl! that thing ain't recoverin' from that!" Illiya nodded, moving in front, starting to chant slowly. Her fingers glowing with blue light. The mass writhed, pieces of it's flesh falling off, splattering with wet squelches onto the muddy streets, turned crimson from the blood and bile it oozed constantly. The miasma still being dispelled from the bubble created. "BA DE MU KA SHO TU MHA FOS!" The symbols materialized in front of her, from one hand to another, each connected by a line of blue light. She took position, as if holding a bow, one hand drawing an unseen arrow backwards. The symbols morphed, forming into a arrow of blue energy. She aimed at it's open, dripping maw, closing one eye. "RELEASE!" She loosed the spell. It flying through the air, the arrow hitting its mark, burying deep into the void of it's mouth before exploding. Blue chains of energy spiraled outwards from it's mouth, stabbing into the ground, digging into it's flesh, constricting it's body tightly like a serpent, bones cracking and breaking. Blood spraying everywhere, burning up when it made contact with the wall of flame protecting them. The chains held it down, keeping it still as it screamed in agony. Dozens of voices crying out in torment. Illiya jumped back behind Hunuki. "Now!!" She yelled before bither he and Grune ducked down, as low as possible.

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Hunuki raised the scythe, drawing it back. Everything around him seemed to slow down. A mask materializing over his face. Wrapped in black cloth. A long bird like beak covering his nose and mouth. The cloth should have blinded him, but he could see clearly, even with it on. The scythe blade suddenly expanded outwards, turning into a blade of pure black energy. It now doubled in size. He drew back fully now. Everything around him was frozen in time, except for him. He looked around a moment, down to Illiya and Grune, who were crouched down, hands over their heads. He looked from them to the mass in front of him, suspended in time in a grotesque display. It's body crushed by the chains holding it, mangled body bent over in agony. Hunuki gritted his teeth, stepping forwards. His feet slamming into the crimson mud as his body twisted. A loud piercing shriek suddenly broke the silence as the scythe cut through the air from his swing. The massive blade slicing through the very matter around it, tearing it apart atom by atom. It destroying reality itself around it. Hunuki followed through as he swung the Nail of Cessation.

What seemed like minutes was only a few seconds in reality. Everything had gone pitch black for a moment before a deafening high pitched noise filled the air, then silence complete silence. Illiya and Grune both lifted their heads, Illiya gasping, Grune staring in silence, all to familiar with the Nails destructive ability.

Hunuki stood there, panting. The mask still on his face as he stared ahead, eyes wide in shock. In front of him the town, land, and even sky were torn asunder. A void cut everything it touched, disintegrating everything. No trace of the creature, or the town. The sky itself was black in a horizontal line. The distant mountains that had been in the horizon were completely gone. A black void was all that remained. Hunuki dropped the scythe, which vanished, back into the gem on his wrist. "What..? T..this is it's power?" He looked to his wrist. The mask also vanishing. Grune looked to him. "It's why I made em turn in that direction.. Nothing was in that direction to the horizon. But yes, this is the burden you have been given Prince." Illiya went over to Hunuki, still a bit stunned at the display of power. She had heard his father describe it before, but didn't realize how truly devastating it was. "Hunuki?" She put her hand on his. He flinched slightly, but looked to her, calming down. "I'm.. ok" He feigned a smile. His eyes still wide. His hand trembling. He looked back to the land ahead of them. The clouds cut perfectly as well. The land was nothing but black, no light reflecting off it. Like ink spilled and allowed to run free across a piece of parchment. The area around them was completely silent. "This nail completely and in totality destroys everything it's blade and the energy it's blade releases nothing will survive. Even the very fabric of the universe is destroyed leaving nothing but emptiness behind.. the absence of reality" Illiya said, sighing. "Least that's how yer father explained it." Grune replied. He looked to the sky, at the stars above from the sectioned cleaved. "That mass of flesh weren't gonna die. You remember Aslandus? Yer father used it there." Hunuki looked to him. "That's why it.." "Yep." Grune called the carriage over, petting and calming the Equids down. Hunuki looked at his wrist silently, clutching onto it tightly. Illiya watched him, putting her arms around him.

Lunadea turned her head back, seeming to look down the Sable Road, back towards Baldir. She smiled. "Now he knows the cost. I'm curios just how many times we can make him swing it." She giggled to herself, hurrying the Equid she was riding on.