every you, every me

so what, my friend, whatever will it be?
i can give you what you crave, just not for free

It’s the only shrine he hasn’t visited since coming back from stone. So, as the butcher decides to take a small trek (made shorter thanks to the portal) to the Climb with the intent of dropping by the hot springs after hopefully seeing Dygra, he wanders the familiar paths of the Obsidian Cathedral again and again. Happy to feel that the air here has changed, the butcher takes his time wandering through the center beside the pews, eyeing the bones around the shrine with curiosity and glancing toward the pews that had his and Danta’s names inscribed into the stone, faded from centuries of wear.

Reaching the shrine, the butcher straightens his clothes and takes a moment of the quiet in, placing a ruby he’d snagged along the way onto the shrine before he pricks his finger in practiced motion, dripping it along the ruby in the center of the basin with his quiet prayer. “My Dark Lady. Might I borrow another moment of your time?”

Astaroth

you know what's on the line

Dygra

"We do not borrow, sweet monster. We take what we desire and we do not apologise." Dygra's sensual voice seems somehow louder in the Obsidian Cathedral, vibrating up through Astaroth's feet and into his very bones. Within the bowl, more blood seems to bubble up, filling it entirely and submerging the ruby. When the goddess next speaks, each word will ripple across the surface of liquid crimson; a dark music for the butcher to watch.

"I sense that it is not merely time you want. Speak plain, and let us carve new pathways for you to walk." A brief sensation of pressure against Asta's back will urge him forward, to stare down into the bowl of blood and speak to the dark lady within.

Table coding by Sky <3

so what, my friend, whatever will it be?
i can give you what you crave, just not for free

“Ah, you are right as always.” He corrects the second he hears the sultry voice of his goddess arrive – vibrating through him and immensely relaxing each and every point of tension that’s been in his shoulders and through his chest – especially since that night with Danta, with the slip of silk that blocks a scar he knows is still there beneath it.

But it seems Dygra already knows about that – not that he can complain. He’s never been nothing but open and honest and up front with his goddess. Speaking plain is not an issue he has, and he finds it immensely easy to step forward as guided, peering down into the bowl of rippling blood with a sharp smile that’s a touch more somber than it typically was. “I am sure you recall how I came to meet you. I still harbor nightmares of the days prior to that where I was the main course for a variety of gore crows at the time. And it is often triggered by coming in proximity with crows of any kind.” Exhaling a softer sigh, his horned head tilts toward the bowl. “And it affects not only myself anymore, but Danta as well.” Which she likely knew Danta’s soul shift had been the gore crows that often caused him to spiral.

“I was curious if you might help me with a charm I can wear that shall help block those fears?” And he knows entirely that it would be a lot of work interacting with the crows in order to retrieve the required materials.

Danta’s worth every minute of it.

Astaroth

you know what's on the line

Dygra

"I recall the way all of my children found their way into my embrace," Dygra agrees, her voice seeming to fill the cavernous space of the cathedral around them whilst somehow remaining low and soft and intimate. "And I understand that your road was not a smooth one. It does not do to have a predator like you forced to cower under the memory of something that happened so long ago."

The blood in the bowl ripples long after Dygra finishes speaking, and though there is still no evidence of her physical presence, Asta will feel his face cupped by hands like sleek, hot onyx. "Your past is a large part of who you are, but we can certainly block the pain of it. Like the path that took you to me, it will not be easy. But it will be worth it."

---

Asta has received a quest from Dygra! He must:

1. Satisfy his bloodlust (hunting, killing, eating) on a gore crow.
2. Peacefully encounter one or more gore crows and collect their feathers.
3. Successfully complete a training thread in the presence of a murder of crows (gore or otherwise).
4. Spend a night at the place of his trauma. (i.e. out in the open in The Climb)

Table coding by Sky <3

so what, my friend, whatever will it be?
i can give you what you crave, just not for free

Her voice is full, in all the ways that matter. Soft and intimate, low yet all encompassing. He feels it move through him as much as he hears the words flit through him. “I agree.” The butcher murmurs, his stance quite brave in the face of it – having not wanted to burden her with what felt so trivial at the time, she brings up quite a good point. How could he be at his maximum potential for her if he was worried about something waiting behind a corner that had the option to make him run or become more feral, without any way of knowing which would come?

He aims to bow his head as he watches the ripples in the bowl, but before he can do so much as dip his chin, he feels the warmth injected into his face as its held and the butcher can’t help but to close his eyes and lean into it, relishing in feeling seen by his goddess. “Thank you, Dygra.” Comes the soft and grateful hum. The tasks would be difficult, yes, a bit of a lifestyle adjustment as well, but one that won’t last once he gets through the thick of it.

They say it’s always darkest before the dawn, right?

“I shall make you proud, as I always strive to do.” Comes the following hum, relishing in his goddess’ presence – the warmth, the belonging, the comfort in the chaos – until she dissipates and the butcher takes a few more moments to let the tension leak from his bones before he heads back home to fill it with so much more.

- FIN

Astaroth

you know what's on the line