Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

LXXI. Demon Desire

With an expert flip, Syl holds his dagger in a reverse grip, hypnotically moving his hands around as he grins confidently.

Syl: Sorry I brought my knife to the fistfight...!

With a couple of quicksteps, Syl quickly closes the distance between his adversary and strikes with a lightning-fast stab. Jargen instinctively dodges to the side as his hands follow with proficient precision to grab Syl's knife arm. Unfortunately, he was too quick to retreat his hand, leaving Jargen grasping the air.

Jargen: Still as slippery as you were back then...

Jargen puts his hands up, keeping himself light on his feet as he braces for Syl's next advance.

Syl: Look who's talkin'! Your reflexes are as sharp as ever, first the traps, now my knife... Can't seem to get the jump on ya. Though I 'spose it's not so surprising when it's just one thing to keep your eyes on... But how quick can you move when everything around you is trying to kill you at the same time?

Syl retreats, reaching for a small book in the bookshelf behind him. Aiming towards a floor lamp just behind Jargen and slightly to his right, he performs a sidearm throw, launching the book at the lamp. As its thick cover hits the shade, it is knocked over, causing a hidden pressure plate beneath it to raise under the absence of its load. Jargen is briefly distracted by the trigger of the mechanism, quickly looking around to determine what kind of trap would be activated. As soon as his eyes dart away from Syl, he seized the opportunity.

Syl: Fatal mistake, my friend...!

Using the bookshelf behind him to gain momentum, Syl pushes himself off it and unexpectedly dashes toward Jargen's left side, preparing to slice him. By the time Jargen realizes Syl is making a move, the floor around the lamp begins to collapse, forcing Jargen to take a step away from it. With the floor to his right and behind him now giving way, he had no option but to move left... Exactly where Syl was headed.

Jargen: Heh... Not bad.

With no chance to dodge, Syl thrusts his knife and pierces Jargen cleanly...

Syl: You really have a couple of screws lose, don't ya?!

... Though not where he had hoped. At the last moment, Jargen had raised his left hand, blocking Syl's deadly attack by sacrificing his palm, which had been pierced from side to side.

Jargen: After all the shit I've seen it'd be more surprising if I didn't...

Syl tries to free his blade, but Jargen clenches his large fist, gripping his hand with his fingers.

Syl: Dammit, you freak...!

Jargen: Should've let go, Syl.

Jargen pulls his hand toward him, dragging Syl along for the ride. Gripping his clothes with his right hand, Jargen begins lifting him up. Slightly panicking as his feet lift off the ground, Syl lets go of his knife in an attempt to release himself, but it was too late. Though he had managed to release his knife hand, Jargen wasn't letting him go anywhere.

Syl: NO! STOP, JARGEN! NOT LIKE THIS!

Jargen approaches the bottomless pit that had recently formed around the lamp's pressure plate, ready to throw Syl into it.

Jargen: What? This is where you draw the line...? Ya tried to murder me with traps, then drew your blade when I was unarmed. Think ya deserve any mercy?

Hanging above the pit, Syl bargained for his life.

Syl: H-how are you going to find Cabdan's fortune without me, huh?! You have no idea where it is! Might as well end up killing yourself with one of his traps as you search for it...!

He squirmed and twisted his body, desperately trying to free himself.

Jargen: Eh, you got me this far. I don't want to be too much of a bother to ya, Syl. Feel like you've done enough for me already... It's time I let you go.

Syl clenches his teeth in fury, as he readies an all-or-nothing move.

Syl: Fine... But you'll be coming with me!

Syl twists his body violently one final time, causing the worn fabric around Jargen's grip to tear. Sinking his nails onto Jargen's forearm, he pulls his legs up, wrapping his entire body around Jargen's arm.

Jargen: Fucker...!

With Syl concentrating the entirety of his weight around his arm and pulling him into the pit, Jargen is thrown off-balance, and begins falling toward it himself.

Syl: Don't lose your footing now, big guy!

Jargen tips forward slightly, feeling the weight under his grip to lighten almost immediately after Syl's sudden outburst. The area around his grip had ripped to the point of rendering his grab useless. Letting go of what was left of his shirt, the roles had now reversed, and it was he who wanted to get rid of Syl's clutches.

Jargen: Grnhh!

As soon as he realizes that he could not pull Syl away from the pit before succumbing to the fall himself, Jargen musters all of his strength to arch his back away from the hole, then drops to his knees as fast as he can, making it much easier to manage the weight at the tip of his right arm.

Syl: Hang in there, Jargen... Don't wanna fall, do ya?!

Syl nimbly shifts his body's position while holding onto Jargen, and begins climbing up his arm. All the while, Jargen does his best to keep himself from tipping over and falling down as the weight at the end of his arm shifts and pulls with Syl's movements.

Jargen: B-bastard...

Syl purposefully pinched, scratched and bit his skin as he slowly made his way up, trying to weaken Jargen as much as possible.

Jargen: COWARD!

Syl: Save it, Jargen... You're beating at the wrong door!

Jargen grits his teeth in anger, accidentally biting his lip and drawing blood.

Jargen: Y'know, Syl... I am. I keep treating you like there's any hope left. Like you can somehow change... But the truth of the matter is you were, are, and always will be...

Syl was now reaching Jargen's shoulder, his weight becoming much more manageable.

Jargen: A goddamn animal.

In a flash, Jargen moves the left hand that was pushing against the floor to help keep himself from falling, and swings it toward Syl. Anticipating the blow, Syl hunkers down, adopting a turtle stance to shield himself from damage as much as possible.

Syl: AARGHH!

But skin is an awful shield against steel.

Jargen: Deep down... So am I.

Jargen had taken Syl's blade and stabbed him in the back with it. Once. Twice. Thrice. He wouldn't stop.

Jargen: And now I'm going to gut you just like one.

Syl was forced to jump away from Jargen as soon as he had made it close enough to the top to avoid falling, though his breath was severely laboured and he was bleeding profusely from several stab wounds.

Syl: P-please... Please...!

Grinning from ear to ear, Jargen approached him. Blood dripped from his mouth and right arm, as he held Syl's bloody dagger in the other hand. In that moment, Syl felt as if he was staring at a demon, a man possessed, one whose singular driver was bloodlust.

Jargen: It'll truly be just like old times now, Syl... Except you're on the receiving end for the first time.