With Cassius and Brian (spoofed by Seth)

Brian was just supposed to be out collecting herbs...until he meets Cassius

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Brian sighs. These stupid errands. Why did these doctors have to have so many dumb plants? The young rat idly kicks at a clump of grass and begins to walk farther out into the meadow, thinking of his big brother working with all the engineers back at the valley. Brian wants to be one of them, but he just isn't math-oriented, and stuck with medicine instead. He lazily looks out at the fields, wondering what exactly he was supposed to get again...

Cassius walks across the edge of the meadow, his hammer held tightly in his hands and his freshly washed fur shimming in the rays of sunlight. His clothes are still as frayed as ever, but his wounds seemed to have healed somewhat...or have been treated recently. He wears a small smile on his face, his grey eyes gleaming. He spots the rat through the foliage, licking at his muzzle as he walks to the edge. He's alone...this wouldn't be difficult... Soon, he would have purpose...

Brian idly picks at his blue vest when he senses someone else. His ears perk up a little, as he quickly scans the area around him. "Oy, anyone there?" He narrows his eyes, waiting for...for what? He shakes his head. "No, no, I'm not going crazy yet, that can wait..." He chuckles at his foolishness and continues on his path.

Cassius moves forward, stepping lightly out of the foliage with eyes alight with intent and...delight? He strides over with a strong gait, his smile widening to reveal his uneven teeth. "Hehe...hehehe... Another seeking...purpose?" he says, fiddling a little with his hammer. "Let me...give you...purpose... There is no more need...for pain." He does not bother to keep himself hidden. Both you and him are all alone.

The rat in front of him takes Brian by surprise. Those eyes...this guy is either famished or ecstatic. But either way, he's totally crazy. "Lookin' for ...wha? No, pal, I'm just lookin' for some herbs. That's it. Not tryin' to intrude or nuthin'." His throat bobs as he swallows, his frightened blue eyes looking at the hammer the rat is toying with.

Cassius smiles still more widely, his hammer shifting with each step. "No...you have no...purpose. Let me give you purpose." He makes his way still closer, his hammer lifting higher now... "Just let me... It might not hurt... Why won't you let me give you purpose? Why? Why..." He is nearly upon Brian by now, his eyes staring directly into his.

"N-no, I..." Brian starts to step backwards, and trips over himself he is shaking so hard. He tries to crawl away, keeping his eyes on the demented rat. "I don't want yer p-purpose, I just...I...oh, put it d-down, I don't want it, I don't want the 'purpose'. L-leave me a-alone..." Brian is now completely still, both frozen with fear and awestruck by the sight before him.

Cassius closes in until he is right over Brian, looking down upon him, "You...You -will- have purpose..." He brings his hammer suddenly up over his head, slamming it back down in an attempt to pierce through Brian's leg.

The clearest night could not contain the stars Brian sees right now. The hammer smashes down through his leg, twisting bone and muscle with inconceivable force. Brian howls in pain and reels around, turning to the other side, still trying to escape from this adversary. his injured leg shielding the other, "No...please," he sobs. "O-oh God, no..."
Cassius brings his hammer up again for another strike, staring down at Brian, "N-Now...be...quite..." He slams it down again, aiming this time for Brian's upper body, looking to crush the life out of him by any means he can.

Brian grits his teeth and twists, fast enough to move the hammers' striking his rib cage...but it's not quite fast enough. He lets out another agonized scream as the hammer tears off his arm at the socket, exposing the pearl of upper humerus, and also shredding most of his vest. He waits for his vision to clear, then looks through tear-stained eyes at Cassius, half-naked and half-limbed...

Cassius staggers a bit, recovering from the swing. He brings himself around, "Stay..still! STILL!" He swings his hammer around again, striking now at Brian's back with all the force he can muster.

Brian feels his spine arching from the blow, hears the crunch of bone shattering under his skin...and then...what? he can't feel the pain anymore, can't hear his own thoughts. Why can't he breathe? Why doesn't he care? Small tendrils of blackness entwine themselves around the corners of his vision, itself now hazy and discolored...and why is it so...cold? He tries once more to turn over and face this nightmare, but all the response he gets from his body is the forced stream of slimy blood he involuntarily hacks onto the earth...

Cassius kneels down next to the dying rat, not wasting any time. "Now be...released..." he says, thrusting his free paw forward, drawing back and ripping the eyes out of the rat's skull. He gets back up on his feet, staring at the bloodied orbs in his paw. "Find...peace..." he says, walking slowly off. He disappears into the foliage, leaving the rat behind to die.

Brian could almost feel his eyes being pulled out, but he was too tired to care. Now spotted crimson covered his field of vision, encased by a mass of the black tendrils pushing out the redness. The last thought to course through his mind was that it was supposed to be so ordinary, so simple... and he failed. He lost everything...but what did that matter? With the last few beatings of his heart, he watched the tendrils come closer, closer...until blackness. Silence.