Lol I hope to not disappoint you and everyone else (like I've done in the past, sadly).
If you (or anyone) would like to see a post that debuts Slyre (just to get a taste), check this
out by Synthorian and I.
Be warned warn: it's long. But if you want to skip to the chase, look at the excerpt in the hider below. It's not as long and builds up like a roller coaster. Slyre enters the whole situation (even the writing itself!) very, very subtly.
Leading the way, the two of them zipped through many rooms and corners, staying low and stealthier than fuck. Actually, stealth wasn't even needed. Music was starting to blare loudly as though some party was going on. Everyone dancing, enjoying the lights, the swing of song... and there he was, in the back. She could see him from the shadowy area behind a pillar where she'd secured her and Solus's position. From here, they could spring into action...
"Damn this noise," she whispered in Solus's ear as she shifted her weight on her crouching legs. "Wish we could speak to each other's minds. Be easier, you know."
After a moment, she added, "What now?" . . . . . . . . A 'Rina Alice Genno' . . .
Solus assessed the situation. The noise could be used to their advantage to move in on the man. But Solus couldn't do anything from here. A shirtless man with a torso covered in bloody bullet holes would be a massive giveaway. But Ralice could definitely do something from here. The question was what...
"Alice..." He rarely called her that. "I need you to lure him out of this room, away from the crowd. The last thing we need is panic with people running around screaming. Don't want anyone running into stray bullets..."
She nodded to convey her understanding, but the very thought of going out there somewhat frightened her. It was so, well, just social. Even she was welcomed here, or at least she thought, if her recent 'joining them' was truly legit.
"Guess I could waltz in... all casual-like and sit eagle spread next to him? I dunno... Solus?" she replied before prompting him, her eyes squinting as she eyed someone.
"Who.. is that?" she whispered, her lips trembling.
In the distance across the dimly illuminated dance floor roughly 30 feet away, there was a table next to the head boss's table (where he was busy with several suited men, most likely discussing business, and a few armed guards who kept a professional vigil over the area). And at that table sat a couple people who dranked and chatted very lively, yet among them... somehow there yet not part of the conversation was a single, solitary person with a hood over his head. It didn't cover his face, in fact his face was visibly seen.
Dark gray as demon skin, with lighter white lines that trailed around his face like groomed facial hair.
He sat there very calmly, his one dark, motionless hand over the table, as though he was a quiet little wallflower and not at all concerned with the party. It seemed to the necromaster's protege that he was, in fact, staring right at him and her. Yet she could not make out his eyes, which seemed blacked out and thoroughly hidden... but his grin...
That rictus grin...
Ralice blinked, and then tilted her head. He was gone... and in his place was another person---just another party goer, holding a cup and smiling, and completely unaware of Ralice and Solus.
"Did you fucking see that?" Ralice whispered fiercely at Solus, her eyes searching his own. Left and right. Right and left.
He did. His face was emotionless and blank. But not his usual stoic emotionless. Just blank, like his soul bailed out of his body and ran for the hills. He felt deep down, that he knew this robed person. That grin, and that overshadowed gaze. Like a long lost memory. But he knew for a fact, that he never met this individual. The only thought that passed through his mind was, ...the hell...
A subconscious nervousness that he never felt before loomed over him. That figure just... vanished. He shock the thought away and said, "Let's... let's just carry on with what we were doing...." His gaze still fixated on exactly where the strange hooded man was.
"R-Right..." Ralice said, glancing up at Solus.
She couldn't see his emotions expressed through his body language, but in a way, she could feel his emotions. Maybe all beings became empathetic to each other over time? She knew now was not the right moment for soul searching, and so, she holstered her pistols and stood up, stepping out of sight by being completely behind the pillar.
"Let me think," she whispered, biting her lower lip. . . . . . . whose thinking oft-times gets her in trouble . . .
Ralice blinked, her focus dispersed. She felt like she was forgetting something. Sighing lightly, she struggled to focus her mental power into a single, efficient solution. But sometimes, effiency wasn't possible and you just had to go with the flow until your foes drop their cards. Steeling her nerves, Ralice closed her eyes and let out a slow breath...
And then she wrapped her arms around Solus for the last time, and pulled him behind the pillar and nuzzled him slightly. "Back me up okay? I got an idea," Ralice spoke to him for the last time...
The man nodded. "Yeah, I got your back."
Ralice gave Solus a wan smile, her eyes---the windows to her soul---misting up slightly, as though her soul knew something that she did not. She let go of him and adjusted her trench coat, the ends of up whipping about as she strolled into the dancing mob, her face all faked up and happy.
She was anything but.
Ralice let the armed guards see her approach, uncertainty on her face as to whether she could come closer, her intentions clearly to greet the Boss. After a moment, they let her through with a beckon. Smiling, she stepped forward and stopped short when she reached the boss's table. Her hands on her hips and tilted coyly to the left, her acting skills knew no equal. Well, maybe.
"Nice party y'got here, Boss. Throw these often?" she asked the owner.
As the boss got up, his hand clasping the shoulder of the man he was talking to, a gunshot, louder than the music and the noise of socialization, ran out across the hall. Blood sprayed onto Ralice's face as well as the mask of the Owner. And as Ralice would look at the Boss, she would notice that the man he was holding onto, was pulled out of his chair and his head was a mashed pulp, falling apart as the flesh of his skull began to settle and fall to floor. The Owner pulled him up, he saw this coming... And the panic of the crowd, was slowly beginning to rise as they realized what just happened.
Well, goddamn, Solus didn't waste time. But she kept her guise, acting surprised and wide eyed as she drew her '9 Lives' pistols and whipped around for the perp. In her mind's eye, she didn't worry about the guards behind her--she could see their movement with her scan spell, and a little blood inside her body vanished as payment. But Solus was gone, as had been expected. She crouched, her head turning left and right as she looked for targets.
And then, she felt the cold steel of a gun barrel on the back of her head. "Got to admit. Inducing a death like state in Solus could fool most... But not me..."
Ralice sighed lightly through her nose. Well shit. She wasn't even worried about the damage that a bullet in the back of her head could do. Her guardian angel was a nice buffer. But certainly her reputation was on the line here. She could slap someone's mama over this trite... error. Someone was gunna fucking lose their head over this.
"Well... that's one for the books, ain't it?" Ralice replied, standing up slowly and raising her hands in the air, her 9 Lives still firmly gripped.
. . . . and yet she remains uncultivated . . .
"Get the people out of here..." Ordered the owner to one of his men as he let got of the headless corpse that was once a living man mere seconds ago, letting the body slump to the ground.
The armed men began shouting and siphoning the panicking guests out of the room. Only for them to be replaced by more armed men. And yet... Still no sign of Solus.
"Where is he..." Wondered the Owner of this massive casino as he searched the room with his eyes. His men were doing the same, searching every corner of the room and even the ceiling with the iron sights and scopes of their automatic rifles and sub-machine guns.
. . . . like the dainty, little soul virgin she is . . .
Ralice wondered. Did he leave the room? A small part of her hoped that he didn't... that he would come rescue her. Which was a silly notion all by itself. These men... were no threat to her. Sure, she'd probably get scraped, punched, and stabbed. But eh.
. . . . and so confident of her own superiority . . .
Ralice balked. She kept sensing something that she was sure wasn't there. But something deep inside her... the inner most region of her essence... was screaming its proverbial head off.
She blinked, hearing the owner's thoughts spoken aloud. "You won't win," she muttered.
. . . . These weeds... are unfruitful... . . .
Then, an automatic burst from an assault rifle in the corner of the room echoed through the silence. One of the armed men crumpled to the floor, and the perp, was one of Owner's guards. His ballistic mask, something was off about it. The eye holes burned with a bright green flame. He turned his rifle to another armed guard who was simply just too slow to the punch, and got nailed with a burst of lead ripping into his chest. The rest of the guards though reacted just in time to let rip with their guns. From then on, it was pure chaos.
Sheesh. He even fooled me. Ralice couldn't help but smirk. As soon as he started blasting the guards, Ralice activated her pistols' 9 Lives enchantment. With her hands and guns already in the air, the enchantment locked them in place and her sense of gravity shifted. No longer affected by normal planet gravity, but instead her guns' own gravitational field, Ralice used the enchantment to then spin herself in the air right in place. She made a near 180 degree vertical spin and attempted to land on the guy who had taken her hostage, but he completely evaded the maneuver. Unfortunately for her, she'd been expecting success and had released her enchantment already to conserve its energy. This resulted in her falling down with a swear and accidentally letting go of her guns.
Her weapons clattered to the ground. "Ugh, dammit. Need more practice," she growled as she somewhat caught herself with her hands, but banged her knees.
She glanced up, seeing the man staggering backwards, presumably from her surprising aerial tactic. But then, her eyes still trained on him, her head bumped something as she tried to get on her feet. She looked up, still on her hands and feet. Her eyes took in the details of finely woven black boots, covered by a flowing robe with dark purple fabric, crimson trims, and white lettering adorning the material. Her throat dried as Ralice glared up at person. He wore an ornamental matching belt, with a large folded up collar. It seemed like the white lettering design became more over the top closer to the head... the face. The hooded, overshadowed eyes, and...
That rictus grin...
The guests of the party had long gone, yet the music blared on. This guest didn't care. Even as the guards continued firing at Solus in a desperate and yet hopeless attempt to kill him. This guest didn't care. The boss shouted obscenities at Solus and Ralice, cursing them for their stubbornness. This guest didn't care.
And Ralice somehow knew that fact, even as the guest bent over slightly, his utterly complacent smirk growing. He was here... for her... and only her. Even if she had been comatose, knocked out, or out of her mental facilities, she'd still know.
Because her soul would know.
Oh this world and its empty promises. So empty in fact that there is hardly a place to settle down. For them. Yes. These little godlings and their squabbles. So ... uncouth. But such is life. Hmm... oh yes. There I am. Yes. A Rina Alice... Genno. Whose thinking oft-times gets her in big trouble. And yet she remains uncultivated.. like the dainty, little soul virgin she is... and so confident of her own superiority... she has him to thank for that. Her eyes still captivated on him, unable to move, as if paralyzed... Itzal Slyre glanced at Solus Grim... even as he fought valiantly and with purpose. These weeds... are unfruitful. Except that one. I like that one. He is persistent. Hmm... oh yes, there we are... He looked down at Ralice, the shadowy element covering his eyes unsheathing itself only to reveal...
Blackness. Just more... blackness. And two little dots in his eyes... as though he had two sets of pupils.
That mouth... is empty. She has not eaten. This won't do. How disturbing. A little goddess like herself needs to eat... oh yes... everything is perfect. It will be perfect. Well, it was perfect. Hmm... oh, there it is. The guns. I'll leave them though. Solus will not die then. Maybe. It's a secret for sure. Itzal craned his head the other way, almost causing Ralice to follow suit, as though she was hypnotized. The guest here certainly did not seem concerned with what was going on around him.
And for that matter, none of them save for Solus and Ralice could see him. Funny how light works like that. It goes into the eyes. Disappears. Follow the light vanishings, follow the eyes. You're invisible. Nobody can see you. Well, except Him. But that's alright. Hmm... oh, okay, that should do it. Now then... a little whisper...
Itzal's little grin shrunk, but not too much. It was still there, even as he made lecherous eye-contact with Ralice. "Is your life flashing before your eyes, my sweet little goddess?" he whispered shrilly.
"Whu...what?" Ralice replied, chilled to the bone by the fact that this being just called her a goddess. She's cold. That won't do. This place is awful. But such is the world. A bunch of little awful places all hobbled together. Such a waste of spatial localities... hmm... oh, she's getting up now.
Itzal grinned wider, his unblinking black eyes with dark and white unaligned pupils following her. "You're not the right Ralice, Rina. You are still who you are... long ago. Oh yes, this... facade that you've created. Such an interesting pastime for an aspiring goddess like you, isn't it?"
Ralice shivered. Her whole body was trembling. She could see what this person was. Just a weirdo in a stupid robe and was either a demon or human with face paint. So why was she so scared out of her wits? Because, my little goddess, you will never know a greater fear than of the one who knows your potential. All potential. It is abstract. You little gods make it concrete. Fascinating. But... you will not live beyond what you are capable of. You will live many times. In fact, you've got quite a streak. Hmm... oh, she's not hearing my thoughts. How strategic of me.
"What.. I- .. Solus!!" Ralice cried and pissed herself as she fell back on her butt and did everything she can to get away from Itzal Slyre. Let him hear you. He needs more... pain. Rape. Destruction. He's not going to make it if he doesn't die. Sad... hmm... better move.
Ralice, her eyes streaked with copious amounts of tears, stopped crawling backwards and turned around, only to bump into Itzal's feet again. And again, that rictus grin and double-pupiled eyes greeted her.
"Are you still sore from last night? May I carry you, my saucy little goddess?" Itzal asked Ralice, his black teeth shining in the dim light. Oh, it's my turn. Let's see what happens... so much time has gone by.
Itzal would know, but Ralice would be completely clueless, she didn't even hear the screams. The fighting had ended. 38 bodies littered the room and a few feet behind Ralice, stood Solus, drenched in human and demon blood. The room, oh god, the room. The gore-fest that surrounded the young girl was enough to make a demon gag. Small bits of flesh dripped from the walls and ceiling, with with the very fluid that kept living being alive covering the walls and floor. What started as a mere firefight, turned into a bloodbath. And Solus, wasn't Solus. His green flames were extinguished and nothing but a black thick pus leaked out of his face and traveled down his neck.
Ralice had had never ever seen Solus'... monstrous side before. He had a combat shotgun in his right hand, which opened and let the weapon clatter on to the bloody floor. His voice was twisted and mutational, going from a higher pitch to lower one in a span of half a second each change. "Aaaannnddd... Yyyyyooouuuu Aaaarrrreeee?"
Ralice was somehow still conscious. All she could see was red. Feel red. Smell red. Taste... red. She blinked. In the middle of it all, stood Solus. Or what she thought was Solus. She knew he was a Chimera... but ... her thoughts fell apart. Her face slumped forward. She felt like she was dying. She grabbed her throat...
Itzal Slyre observed Ralice, his dark gray hand rising to cup his chin in thought. She doesn't know. How unfortunate. For her. So many fusions in this world. Won't last them next life. Or death even. Still as a statue, his black eyes, blacker than anything ExMortis had ever seen, slithered up briefly to acknowledge his presence. The white pupils in Slyre's eyes, however, danced about carelessly, looking at different things around the room. Or something like that.
"It's a common cliche humans use, but yes, if I told you, you'd become a little better god, and then, you'll probably die," Slyre retorted, chuckling at an inside joke. ExMortis he calls himself. Pathetic. To be trapped. As such. In this weed I like. One day though... the cleaver. Right down the center. That's a good soul.
"Solus..." Ralice mewed sorrowfully, laying down and clutching the side of her head. Oh, that's so adorable. She likes the weed, too! No... not like, love. Hmm... oh, there we go. ExMortis.
Seeing Solus's head do nothing but tilt in curiosity, yet completely ignoring the poor little goddess... well... This can't be helped. It's not good for either of them. Nutrition.
"You will never be more curious by anything ever again, ExMortis, than a conversation with me... and no, you're not getting one. Not a real one. Not today. Believe what you shall, for what you believe already, well, I'm sure you know the line. He'll tell you," Slyre said again, his voice drawling on in utter boredom.
"Come with me, my little goddess. I'm going to deflower your core," he whispered, crouching down and seizing her by her jacket.
And then... the lights bent and the shadows delved, the elements melted... and Itzal had vanished--along with Rowdy Ralice a.k.a Rina Alice Genno, otherwise known as Peskay's niece, Caeldrin's charge, Solus Grim's ... well, that'd be telling.
I'll be back. None of you will survive without the other. Keep it going. Oh yes... let the memories, experiences, and conflicts flow. All the way down to the Abstract. Thank you, gods.
