&̲.̲ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𝓒𝖧𝖤𝖢𝖪. ㅤㅤㅤㅤ …
ʽ ‥ ㅤ introducing #cesare for #nocturne , 2023. ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𝓬𝔀. graphic descriptions of violence, gore, decomposition, putting laughter in manslaughter. ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𝓶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. surprise surprise by iisac constantine. ㅤㅤㅤㅤ song insp. checkmate ft. jun jeongso, devita
ㅤ ㅤㅤ➴ ㅤ the taste of ash and adrenaline remains on his tongue as the smoke drags lazily from his lips.
cesare leans back from the edge of the rooftop where he perches, appreciating the view above in observing the lost little lambs looking for him. nightmire's slums do not compare to the luxury of evernight's gutters where its crooked alleys stench of shit and death; safe to say, it's the Devil's bowels in all its glory.
he pulls his hands from his pockets, remove the leather gloves that obscured them and storing them away within the inner coat of his black cloak. wrapping around his knuckles down to his wrists are fabric seemingly tested by time and dried blood, to which the man secures by its seams.
by the time his unknown pursuers discover that their trails are already marked from position, it's too late ―― Death has come for them, dressed in darkness and decay. everything that follows cesare's descent from nowhere is a blur. it's a trap. he drops on the first unsuspecting victim, slashing its head and neck apart with his silver blade; and in a second, while the rogue vampires head towards him in a frenzy, claws and fangs extended and aimed for his throat, cesare quickly impales the closest vampire, draws his sword back, and runs . . .
towards the remaining flock with a mad grin on his face.
using the momentum, he commences an aerial flip past the second vampire, lands behind it to impale its spine with his sword. a snarl from behind grabs his attention, and with quick reflexes, he pivots on his feet and aimed a double roundhouse kick to its head. the sounds of gurgles and struggles dull in the background as cesare ensures that the third one is going to be momentarily disoriented, before he turns to the second vampire who has his weapon lodged in its spinal disk.
〝 sorry, this is gon' hurt, 〞 cesare says cheekily as he holds the hilt and pushes the blade deeper as much as the shriek gets higher, abruptly halting when he forcefully drives the blade sideway, ripping through the gaps of flesh within the ribs and through its heart.
and as for the third and last vampire, he is unexpectedly caught off-guard; its strength is more evident than the other two, forcing the human in close combat when the vampire evades cesare's counterattack, causing him to lose his longsword. afterwards, cesare quickly attempted to recover with agility, targeting the other with low kicks to get it on its back, and the way the vampire seems to know what his attacks is becoming an inconvenience at its best. and so, before it becomes troublesome, cesare finally ends with a continuous barrage of punches, aimed to the area where he caused the vampire to lose its focus and be entrapped under his boot.
a stupid move to start a fistfight really, for someone whose never felt the impact of a forgeweapon before.
cesare spits blood while the cuts on his lip from the vampire's claws burns. he pushes the vampire against the wall, with his entire weight on one foot that he buried in the other's sternum, and followed by a ringing slap to the stranger's head to bid them awake.
〝 ...who sent you? 〞
the bastard lets a mocking cackle instead. raising an eyebrow, cesare laughs with it then, before grabbing its hair and bashing its head against a knee that he swiftly pulls up. snot and blood paints its face, nose broken in a different place. 〝 my bad, forgot to say i'm going to ask once. see, i'm not a patient man. 〞 cesare repeats nonchalantly, lifting its head to tap its cheek. 〝 who the fuck sent you? 〞
and when the vampire chooses to try ripping its own tongue out while cesare curses under his breath to stop its attempts, a connecting punch to jaw momentarily halts its petty tricks for rebellion. the man leans back and steps away from the broken vampire dropping to the floor, ragged breaths, broken bones and all.
〝 not that it matters but, you'll have to die anyway. 〞 sighing, he shakes the hand that delivered the blow. the dark clouds finally let up, allowing moonlight to shine through and cast shadows between the two men. the mercenary draws his silver pocketwatch to check the time before he places two fingers each from both hands in his mouth, blowing a high-pitched whistle.
from the darkness emerge two glowing eyes, the smell of rotting flesh decorates the bones it embraced. the vampire stirs to the sounds of growling and saliva drooling in its lap. a scream painfully stifles in its throat, while the undead hound scents its next meal and with a command from its owner,
〝 maul. 〞
the feast begins, at the same time that a certain ball at the undying castle has come to an eventful end.
...
cesare treks home.
as thunder growls behind the dark clouds gathering, he traverses in hidden paths exiting from the town outskirts and into the woods bound between nightmire and whitepeak. wings fluttering and crows flying overhead to find shelter prompts cesare to trudge with haste through the forest, with his endeared hound to lead his way.
however, there is one thing that stops him in his track.
a letter tied to a pigeon waiting by his cabin door, and his dog ready to pounce the poor thing.
cesare whistles a calm tune, extending a palm to which the dog circles back despite its threatened state. with another hand, he reaches to untie the message from the bird, its contents specifically handwritten in code, reserved only for his eyes.
〝 seems like we'll be paying selene a visit, hel. 〞 ㅤ ㅤ