MONTHLY MEETING [ FEBRUARY 2023 ]

[Romulus]

ROMULUS MALUS - KINGPIN - COTC

With Josiah slapped away, Romulus scrambled to his feet. The haunting yell of another scratched at his ears. Through their pants and words, the kingpin could only stare back. The daunting, red gaze Josiah had locked with his and with wracked his brain. The fur on his nape, hidden by his wild mane, began to stand up. Realization struck. He had not wronged this man, nor had he done anything wrong. Something else was afoot. Before him stood a madman. Someone who would not stop till they got what they wanted. Romulus had never faced such a foe, only dreamed of one.

At the other's words, Romulus snarled. Josiah was right. He would not kill the other animal standing before him, but Josiah would do the opposite. He would aim for the kill. Faced with a moral dilemma, the lion's body grew stiff in it's place. Paws planted firmly on the ground, claws scratching at the dirt beneath his feet. The Earth below started to rumble and shake. Sharp horn ends were aflame in hot fire in no time.

With an attempt to stop Josiah in his charge, dirt and light stone was quickly summoned up from the ground to form a wall between the two. Romulus stood rigidly behind it's contents, but, in surprise, he was blown back. Josiah's body had plowed straight through the wall. Debris exploded off to the sides, blowing into Romulus' face and around the area. All the force combined with his stiff position threw him onto the ground and onto his side with a massive thump. 

This time, Josiah was successful. Teeth planted down firmly onto his neck and clamped onto his jugular vein. A yowl of pain roared out from Romulus in response. It was all so quick. Sputtering and squirting, crimson liquids pooled onto the ground before them. Paws wildly scoured for anything to latch onto as blood started to gush down from his neck and onto his chest. They could find nothing to hold onto. Nothing to push away. Nothing to do.

The lion's head attempted to lurch forward to headbutt the other, but at the rate of the blood coming out, dizziness only led him forward and caused him to slouch onto the other's head. The fire on his horns swayed and swished for a path to take, but found no entry way. Neither did the earth that rumbled beneath his body, aching to quell around the canine that held him close. There was nothing more to do. Even so, he tried.

Blinded in the moment with his vision beginning to fade, thoughts rapidly rushed through the lion's head. What could he do? What options were there? Unable to escape, unable to find any help as they had left, there was nothing more to do. Nothing he could contemplate, at least. He leaned into the canine's grip. Head hanging low and his heart thumping, the lion knew there was nothing more to do.

Impulse took control. The unconscious desire to keep fighting when the chips were down kept him afloat. Consider this a last ditch effort and the unspeakable. With each exhale, the fire atop his horns started to swirl. With each inhale, the earth started to rumble. Romulus pulled his nauseated head up last one time and, with his periwinkle gaze, looked down at Josiah's bloodthirsty grip on his neck. Flames soared forth in a fury. They attempted to encapsulate the other's head in their burning contents, followed by a stone barrier to keep Josiah within. If successful, red hot flames would lick away at Josiah's flesh and tear into it, burning whatever they could. From outside to inside, the flames would take their place and a void of nothingness would form, except for the remains of ash and fleshy goop.

Shards of stone broke apart and scatted onto the floor followed by flames dissipating into the air. Josiah's floated off into the distance, but the rest of burned remains sloshed down onto Romulus' mane, singeing the ends. Some even ran down into his newfound wound, cauterizing some areas from the heat. A headless corpse fell to the ground in succession.

Face to face with the pool of blood and it's former owner, realization set in. Romulus had killed. Frantic paws combed through his mane and ended up gripping at his throat. Not to stop the bleeding, but out of shock. He gasped for air. Through ragged and quick breaths, the kingpin's eyes grew wide as he stared at the cauterized and bleeding neckline before him, only to realize his own moments later.

A shaky paw pulled away from his neck. He moved it in front of blurred vision and reeled at the clear sight of crimson within in his vision. Blood flowed between his pawpads and dark fur before his eyes, dripping down onto the debris-covered floor before him. A disgusted, tired groan exited the lion. His eyes rolled back into his head, the world growing dark as they did so.

Moments later, the scene came back. Then darkness again. Then back to reality. Then the abyss again. Despite going between worlds, Romulus struggled to stay with the living. As his head jolted back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness, a lousy growl exited the noble kingpin. "Not today," he pleaded to whatever laid above. 'Not now.'

Before slipping back into the dark, two familiar faces arrived. What appeared to be the spirits of his parents loomed above him with their paws extended. Romulus stared back at them with lousy eyes, tears starting to form. He wanted to reach out. Oh, how he dreamed of it for the past two years. A paw lazily lurched forward. 'Come to me, son,' the spirits beckoned, but he could not reach. Something was holding him back.

The Coalition of the Condemned held him close. Yet far off from the meeting ground, they were with them in his heart. The siblings that remained, yet distant, kept him afloat. The lover he leaned into, Merlin, held his paw and led him forward. The memory of his parents drove him to be different. The wanderers, his crew, kept him on his toes. Every day he looked back on his past, but kept his head high for the present and stature outstretched for the future. Romulus could not give up now. There was still so much to do and so much to live for.

And, yet, the darkness came once again. He felt cold. Oh so cold... His parents approached slowly and wrapped their bodies around his, the warmth seeping into his skin. Ninazu's flames brushed against his soul while Stryker's earthly vines wrapped around his body. They whispered words of hope and praise for their son. Although they missed him, their souls ached for him to live on and to make them proud. Romulus could only cry back as they leaned into him. For the first time in a long time, he felt small. He felt... safe.

With wavering voices of worry, his parents flames died out and vines moved away from his body until nothing was left. Romulus could feel their warmth begin to pull away and watched as they got up from their spot. Before wandering off, they looked back at him. Their eyes were full of sorrow, tears lining their cheeks. They were not of sadness, but of contentment. Through his wheezing, the lion called out for them one last time, but their spirits had disappeared into the darkness.

Then Romulus did too.

[Permission to powerplay Josiah from Dio. Only Romulus can see the spirits, as they are a hallucination.]