#convo:ezra&agus

[inframundc]

The second they set foot in that house, they were attacked by the unmistakeable stentch of death. As as Euthanatoi, Agustín was more than familiar with it. Not necessarily comfortable, but clearly not as affected as his companion.

Their investigation had led them to that house, although the rotting smell meant that the beast was long gone. Their victim would've been left here days ago. This likely wasn't the place they were looking for, but hopefully it would lead them in the right direction. So he walked in as well, his steps dead silent out of habit.

"Black spiral dancers sounds anything but intimidating. What is that, a strip club?" he asked in the same quiet whisper as Ezra, moving a bit through the living room to find one of the dead bodies. Those clawmarks seemed, indeed, rather dangerous. And enormous. Just how big could a werewolf be?

He turned to Ezra, inviting him to come to examine the corpse with him with a nod of his head.

"I'm an assassin, Ezra. I don't do heroics," he reassured him simply, knowing the other's concern was misplaced. Agus could be a lot of things, but rarely a hero. "But I do look after my partners. Worry not, your back is covered."

closed started for @inframundc

The smell of decay assaulted Ezra's nostrils the moment they stepped through the doorway. A putrid mixture of rot and rancid blood hung thick in the air, making his stomach churn. He fought back the urge to gag, nostrils flaring as he drew in a steadying breath.

Shafts of moonlight filtered through the shattered windows, casting an eerie glow over the scene of utter destruction that greeted them. Claw marks gouged deep into the walls, shredding the peeling wallpaper into macabre confetti. Ezra's gaze trailed along the vicious slashes, taking in the half-dried crimson smears that stained nearly every surface.

A disgusted snort escaped him as he crouched down, fingers reluctantly tracing the unmistakable marks. "Garou. The Black Spiral Dancers, by the looks of it," he spat out, the name that particular tribe of wolves tasted bitter on his tongue.

Rising to his feet, Ezra swept his eyes over the ravaged interior once more before turning to his companion.

"You ready for this?" Ezra kept his voice low, mindful of anything that might be lurking in the shadows. A bitter smile twisted his lips as he shook his head. "Fighting humans is one thing, but this..." He trailed off, letting the unfinished sentence hang heavy between them.

Ezra sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Okay," Ezra said finally, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do this. But we stick together, alright? No heroics, no splitting up. We watch each other's backs."

[inframundc]

Both were seeing their own kind of visions, it seemed. While Ezra was focused in the veil and the spirit world, and the consequences of such a savage attack, Agustín was also using his own power to gather intel.

When he first learned the Time sphere, he was only thinking about accelerating himself in combat. Being able to see the past of places was just an added perk, but it helped him to look around the room to see a ghastly recreation of the massacre that had unfold in that place. By the time Ezra was describing what a Crinos form was, Agustín was seeing it first hand, studying its size and the way it moved.

Even he had to admit that it was a remarkable beast.

"I just saw the crinos," he muttered simply as he followed Ezra outside of the house. "I'm confident I can take one of them. Two would be too much, unless I get the sneak attack. But I'm guessing sneaking on something with enhanced senses is near impossible."

He meant every word, but his confidence was not born out of pride. Agus wasn't a prideful man at all, but he was a mage who had trained relentlessly to be a weapon. He knew exactly what he was capable of. As an agent of the Euthanatoi, he had to right the wrongs of the beasts killing who they shouldn't... Whatever consequence came of it would just be the karmic wheel set back in motion. And thus, it would no longer be his problem.

"Let's check the other houses. After the massacre, one of the wolves broke that window and ran in that direction," he added, pointing towards the final two houses at the end of the street. "How do you know so much about werewolves, though? I thought the Order of Hermes forbid us all from being too friendly with monsters."

"You should say that to the face of one of the Black Spiral Dancers."

Ezra's fingers traced the gouges in the wall once more as he explained, "When a Garou shifts into Crinos form, they become a towering nightmare - nine, maybe ten feet of raw muscle, razor claws, and slavering jaws. They'd happily rip your head off and use it as a chew toy before you could finish the joke."

For a moment, Ezra's gaze lingered on Agustin, silently appraising the assassin's steely resolve. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, appreciating the man's unflinching calm.

Then, something caught Ezra's eye—a shimmering distortion in the air, like heat rippling off pavement on a scorching day. He squinted, focusing his sight as he tapped into the Spirit Sphere. Suddenly, and only in his vision, the world around him seemed to shift, the colors dulling as the veil between realms thinned. The room took on an ethereal, ghostly quality, and Ezra's breath caught in his throat.

There, reaching out towards him with pleading, insubstantial fingers, was the spirit of one of the homeowners—a wisp of energy, desperate and afraid. Before Ezra could react, a massive, spider-like spirit materialized, pinning the human soul with one of its elongated legs. Terror etched itself across the phantasmal face as the umbral creature dragged the helpless spirit away.

Ezra blinked, and the spirit realm faded from his vision, the world snapping back into sharp focus. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he fought down the surge of anger and disgust that roiled within him. Bane Spirits preying on the souls of the innocent—

"We need to move," he growled, his voice low and laced with urgency. "Before any more of those twisted bastards show up." Ezra cast one last glance around the ravaged room, his jaw set in a tense line. Then, without another word, he started towards the door, his steps heavy with grim determination.