@Sho Minazuki@I-Am-X

Akoni silently observed the two demons negotiating with one another. It would have been in his best interest to stop this alliance from forming, but he doubted that they could take on a general of Mundus as well as a Madamma and come out of it unscathed. Had the demoness known as Blair spoken of recruiting Enepsigos for the benefit of Mundus himself, then the old mage would have no recourse but to attack. As it were, Blair had an agenda of her own, serving Mundus out of convenience. So it was to Blair herself that Enepsigos agreed to ally with. Inwardly, Akoni smirked. Yes it would have been better to have them both outright slain, but under the circumstances and the associated risks, he'd settle for an unpredictable element that would cause Mundus headaches of his own. Besides that, the Madammas of Sheba's Inferno certainly were not saints, but Sheba respected the balance. As far as infernal spawn of evil went they could do much worse.

"It was something of a pleasure meeting with you, Madamma Enepsigos," he complimented, only half-sincere. "I am relieved that you are more or less innocent of the crimes here, but understand that the Charred Council seeks a restoration of the balance. Thus, a word of caution. Do not strike out against their interests. Enjoy yourself." He then turned to address Blair. "That goes to you as well."

With his final thoughts out in the open, the two demonesses took their leave. The cathedral was now demon free, but there still existed the matter of that mist, and what it did to everyone here. Akoni drew out the grimoire he had collected in the crypt from his mini pocket dimension and opened it up for study. He had only figured out half of the story, and that was not acceptable. Perhaps the mist would dissipate on its own, perhaps it would not. It had been too late to save the residents but if he could spare any unlucky wanderers the same fate then he would do so. Then Fiameta spoke up.

"Your assistance will be appreciated, though I cannot hope to gauge the level of hospitality that will be shown by the Charred Council if you return with Silas and myself. That said, the Demon Hunters Organization is always eager for fresh meat and your skills surpass the great majority of those little crickets. Where you will go... Is your own decision." He then turned a page, continuing his studies. Once he had a general understanding, Akoni realized that it would be time to return to the Charred Citadel. He had spent enough time on DHO business.

Drawing a square in the air with his left index finger, a piece of paper materialized, already with words written upon it. The message was addressed to Lady of the DHO, and explained the general happenings that had occurred at the cathedral. With a wave of his hand, the paper folded up into an airplane and began to fly for its destination, seeking out Lady.

"I believe it is time to take our leave of this corrupted place." The old man wasted no more words and stood up to his full height. He then left without ceremony, heading back to the Charred Citadel.

Him the brief moment that Lily and Souta's eyes met each other, Lily's crinkled happily while the corners of her lips turned upwards in a kindly smile. She noted it all: How his eyes widened, the way his lips parted, and the look of utter surprise and amazement at what he saw flitting across his face, before it turned into is scepticism born of experience. But even if she knew, or could sense, that there was always more beneath the surface, men would be men. It was one of the first things that she had learnt, upon travelling to the human world. Women have power over men by simply being - able to strike them dumb and speechless with nothing more than poise and beauty. It was something that she had often used, to gain the admiration and trust of people around the world. She had always found it strange that by simply being physically attractive, people would trust you more. Strange as it was, however, she had never cared to try to correct it. Why would she? It gave her an advantage over so many others after all.

But at the end of the day, it was evident that man before he was not someone ordinary. His initial reaction has she had expected, but they spell her presence had cast on him had passed barely a second later. That only made her more interested.

As he resumed working, she turned to walk around in the smith itself, looking over the tools and items strewn about with the eyes of someone who knew the way around a blacksmith. She may not have been a master blacksmith like herself, maybe even inferior in skill to Souta, but she still knew how to work a forge, how was sword have to be constructed, the way to harden the edge of a blade, and the the way in which every part as a weapon came together perform something more than the sum of its parts. It was necessary, after all, to know such things otherwise her Projections would be a very little use. Magic though it may be, she was still mimicking metal craftsmanship, albeit far more durable and deadlier. It was but one of many skills she had attained throughout her long life.

She came buy a barrel of discarded swords. Some rusted, some warped, and others missing half the blade. She picked up one at random, ran the edge along the palm of her hand. Dull. Not even a scratch. She discarded the blade turned her attention back towards Souta. The clicks of her heels matched the tempo of the hammer blows as she walked up to him, placing yourself on the other side of the anvil, facing him with her hands behind her back. She didn't look him in the eyes, but focused instead on the battered and beaten sword between them.

"You'd better results by smelting the iron and then reforge it into a new blade." She nodded towards the barrel from which she had seen the broken swords. "In there are a few swords with broken blades. Forge welding those together would be a more fuitful endeavour than your current one. But if you do insist on working on that one, I suggest using a grindingwheel." She fought to make eye contact with him for a moment then, smiling warmly, she extended one hand towards him, holding a grinding mask between her fingers. "And you might find this useful."

What Lily did while Souta busied himself mattered not to him. He even felt as if he could reflexively create a barrier of rushing water to block any kind of standard attack that might come his way, perhaps in retaliation for how little fun he was to mess with. When she moved to stand opposite him as he worked, however, he suppressed a groan of frustration himself. Why couldn't this lady take a hint? And he still didn't know what she was. For all he knew, it could be an illusion conjured by the old geezer. The chance that she was a new team member, however, or that she was someone of great significance, meant that he couldn't get unpleasant. After all, if this gorgeous girl could whip out a concealed weapon or unleash some kind of eldritch smackdown if he so much as looked at her the wrong way. Souta hated not knowing; he hated having no control.

Lily spoke, and he glanced her way, eyes narrowed. Her focus lay on his sword, though. Did she think to try and play along with him? Warily, the smith considered what she had to say, but in the end he turned up a surprising abundance of not-caring. A reply bubbled to the surface, but before he could say anything, the demoness continued. She strove to meet his eyes, their uncanny, inhuman warmness sending paradoxical chills down Souta's spine, and she held up a forging mask. Unamused, Souta took a hand off his still-dodgy weapon for a moment and tapped the side of his head. A small spray of water flew out from the place where his finger made contact, evaporating almost instantly in the ambient heat. ”Thanks, but no thanks.” He removed the sword from the grindstone and lackadaisically tossed it toward he bucket of discards. It hit the barrel and fell to the floor with a clamor. ”Doesn't matter. I'm just getting a feel for it. Not making anything. It'd be hard to kill a sheep with anything in this room, let alone a monster. Nothing productive's coming out of this place until I get more tools and some half-decent materials. Still, I'm kinda busy...and I'm sure someone else would be a lot more fun.” Souta turned halfway away before holding his hand over the anvil. A torrent of water sprang from his jacket to swirl on top of the hunk of metal, and from it the firearm Deluge materialized. With quick hands and practiced precision, he began to take it apart and clean each piece with a little pipe brush he produced from a pocket.

Lily regarded Souta with a light frown on her face. She let her arms fall back to her sides, the mask disappearing in a puff of mist. There was something about Souta that made Lily think. For someone to so easily dismiss a woman of such beauty like herself, it spoke of a level of paranoia beyond even what would be considered healthy. Was he that scared of her? She took a few steps back, leaving a respectful distance between them, crossing her arms underneath her chest which inadvertently pushing it up and forward.

She watched him work silently, lips pursed thoughtfully as she contemplated his words and actions. What did she know of him? She knew that he was human, but one with a set of skills and abilities beyond what was possible for the ordinary man or woman. He was like Mary, us that she was certain, given that he smelled nothing like a demon. That left two possibilities that she knew of: He was either among those who fashioned themselves as demon hunters of sorts, or one of those mortal mages whose name she had forgotten.

She let her eyes fall to the puzzle that was the strange firearm, poring over each and every detail trying to memorize as much as possible. She had never seen the point are things like guns. Why use a weapon that could be so easily predicted? Watch for the muscles tensing in the lower arm, then step to the side and watch the bullet fly by. But his projectiles had been different. They weren't just a small bead of kinetic energy, but something far more versatile. Perhaps it would be worth looking into in the future - try and find some way to replicate it.

But she was getting distracted.

The gun had, somehow, come from his upper body garment which told her that it had something to do with his abilities. That it was focused around calling forth weapons, and not some kind of magic, told her that Souta was one of the self-proclaimed demon hunters. But he was still human, in a realm so far removed from his own, and working with demons to boot. This brought her back to her earlier question. If he was one of the demon hunters, was his after rejection of her appearance a result of training? Something told her otherwise. Trained men would not let themselves be caught by surprise no matter how beautiful the woman. A wounded heart, then? It seemed somehow more plausible. It would explain why he seemed so scornful, begrudging her mere presence.

I'll only get a clear answer by asking I suppose.

"Do you dislike me, Souta? Or is there some other reason for your contempt?" Lily asked earnestly. "I am not here to toy or manipulate, though you may think otherwise." She clicked her tongue then, after a quick down at herself, adopted a look of chagrin. "I see. You see this - This body, this face, but not the one behind it." She looked up again, smiling demurely. "I am Lily, if that helps your suspicion at all. I came here as a mere curiosity, wondering who was at the forge. And when I saw it was you, it brought to mind some questions. Will you allow me to ask them?"

Focus on his work came easily to Souta. Liking one's job was a quintessential aspect of a fulfilling life, and a good smith could find satisfaction in even the repetitive and uninteresting elements of his calling. At this moment, however, focus came at a premium. Souta 's battle to keep from showing interest in the beauteous newcomer was not growing any easier. She made no further comment, though, and after a few moments he was able to set into the routine of unbuilding, cleaning, and rebuilding as efficiently as if he were a machine himself.

For a time Lily watched in silence, ignored but intrigued. Eventually she opened her mouth to speak again, and from her lips issued a question meant to cut to the heart of the matter. Souta would have liked to pretend that he didn't hear anything, but again, he couldn't afford to be truly discourteous to an unknown being who could be capable of disemboweling him on the spot for all he knew. Instead, he lent her a begrudging ear. He could not bring himself to be convinced by her line about not being her to toy or manipulate; why else would she flaunting herself so efficaciously? Before he could reply, she gave herself a quick look before making what Souta interpreted as a dissatisfied noise, and let slip that she was someone he knew in an unfamiliar form. In short order, Lily introduced herself, and Souta made the connection.

During the mission, he'd seen her transform her appearance, but from prior experience he'd assumed it to be a sort of 'heat up' mode used to go berserk. Instead, it seemed she could completely alter her form. A pang of jealousy replaced his trepidation. Of course she had shapeshifting in addition to firepower and weapons mastery. Being born a half-decent demon must be like winning the lottery. He allowed himself to look at Lily, though making sure to stay attuned to her face and its modest expression, which did not mesh well with the showiness that the rest of her embodied. Now that he knew that this intruder was someone he'd be continuing to work with, he didn't want to come off as some perverted brute. Using a respectful, sincere tone, he answered, ”Oh, Lily. I'm sorry, I'm sure you know why I didn't recognize you. Your effort during the mission was commendable. I don't have anything against you. It's just that I don't trust strangers, or those who look like strangers. That's just the way I am.” With any luck, his attempt to play his dismissive, prickly attitude off as a character trait rather than the safest and easiest option when in doubt -or to make him feel better about his current situation- would convince her. He set aside his brush, interlocking his fingers and resting them on the anvil. As if reacting to his somewhat more relaxed mood, his veil of water ebbed away. A politely optimistic look settled over his features—the same face he put on to talk to his superiors at Regalia and Gilgamesh. ”I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.”

So it was not knowing who I was, after all. She should have been able to make the connection, but between the few hours she had spent with Mary and the time she had been wandering the citadel, the body and clothes she wore had started to feel natural. When one could change appearance at will, it was sometimes easy to forget that not everyone she knew would be able to recognise her. As it turned out, such was the case with Souta.

It was, however, interesting to see the change in demeanor that came with his realisation of who she was. Where before he had been resentful, and had only thinly veiled his contempt, he now sounded much more respectful. A tad too much, actually. Was it because he had witnessed her strength during the mission, worst defensive out of fear? Or at least acknowledgement that she was more powerful than he was? Some men disliked the idea of a woman being the stronger one, was he one of them? No, it didn't seem likely. For all his faults, Lily couldn't picture his pride being wounded by a woman proving the superior, no matter how great the gab.

She shook head briefly, forcefully dislodging the thoughts and musings from her mind. Souta had agreed to answer her questions, and letting him wait for too long was rude.

The click of her heels as she stepped closer, was the first thing to break the silence between them. Otherworldly green eyes met ordinary green, Lily's face both curious and earnest. Her lips parted as if she were to speak, but paused, seeming contemplative for a second, then finally asked, "Why are you here?" Short, simple, and straight to the point. Souta was a human, however gifted, and this was a conflict between titans such as the Demoness herself.

She knew, likely better than any other demon, that humanity was a force to be reckoned with, but their strengths came from ingenuity and numbers, not individual strength. Souta was but one man, and even with the dozens of men she had witnessed rise to the challenge, this was beyond anything previously witnessed. She could turn him to ashes, tear his body apart, or visit upon him any number of gruesome death. She outclassed him an order of magnitude, and so, when even she felt threatened by some of their adversaries, why would someone like him be in the fray of this conflict?

Now that he was watching, Souta discovered that Lily kept her thought process somewhat less hidden than most. Following his acceptance of her questioning, she remained silent for a moment, then shook her head for what Souta could only assume was no reason. He did suspect, though, that her gesture might be the rather human response to trying to sort through conflicting or troublesome thoughts. Then she stepped closer, obliging him to stop considering such things. Her eyes troubled him: their luster made them look like precious stones, and their owner a being even more unreal and enchanting. However, he could still remember her draconic rage, the fire and scales, and the visage of a demon, and the knowledge that they his behind those eyes kept him focused. Lily voiced her question, and Souta breathed a sigh.

It would have been easy to get angsty, but that seldom solved anything, and a simple answer to the simple question did exist. The smith frowned and replied, ”I didn't know what I was getting myself into and I didn't have a choice to return once I did. A watcher popped up in front of me, and I didn't know what to do. From there, I was carried on by the current. Now I'm here because the Council thinks I must be useful, I guess. Can't say I blame them. The only staff they have are the shadow-assholes and that loon in the library. Guess they thought all their peacekeepers would need someone to tend to their weapons.” He shrugged. ”That's about it. If the Council were to let me go, I'd be out of this place before my hammer hit the floor. I'm not cut out for this crap. Any moment I could end up like that little demon girl, and I expect I'd be forgotten just as quickly.” Not that he was feeling sorry for himself, or anything.

While the Council’s agents took advantage of their brief respite, a peculiar figure roamed the Citadel’s hallways. The thump of padded feet and a soft, constant murmur like a pelt being dragged over the castle’s stone floors announced its arrival, and the high pitched laughter of Watchers greeted it in some of the corners he turned before the specters faded away to attend to their duties.

The Hellhound stood on its hind legs as it walked, shoulders hunched forward. A dog bed much too large for even a bear was held on his right claw, dragging along the floor. Its other claw held two equally-large bowls, the material dented where he held it. Fenn wordlessly carried the absurd items throughout the Council Agents’ headquarters.

Soon enough, the beast shouldered the gates open and stepped out to the Core.

His slow march brought him to the edge of the path leading to the Citadel, where lava pooled like a boiling sea. A lazy motion saw the bed and bowls thrown into the lava, and the dog watched motionlessly as flame engulfed them as they sank.

One of the dog’s ears twitched. What had been nearly torn off from his head during his previous assignment had grown again with little trouble, leaving only a small notch at its top that would be filled in time.

“Do you see something interesting, mage?” Fenn rumbled.

Nearby, another of the Council’s agents worked tirelessly at the edge of the magma pool. Akoni held in one hand his new book, pilfered from the cursed cathedral, while in his other he made the necessary gestures for the summoning process. Though the Council’s blessing prevented him or his belongings from being broiled by the ambient heat of their realm, he preferred to practice this new, dark magic where the excess heat of the pool would weigh on his concentration. A literal trial by fire. Besides that, if any of the things he summoned went out of control it would be significantly easier to destroy them in this setting.

A small portal, quite similar to his own gates yet altogether different and strange, tore open through space to reveal an enormous reptilian eye. From this small tear in space a tremendous howling emanated, and Akoni closed shut the portal. Only then did he turn to face the enormous demon hound and reply.

”I would hardly call oversized pet accessories ‘interesting.’” he replied, largely uncaring. Whether these things had belonged to Fenn or not, it made no difference to the old mage. Bringing his focus back to the eldritch magic he had taken upon his soul, Akoni’s eyes glowed with power, but not the usual bright blue. Instead it was something dark and murky, like the depths of the ocean. A small mass of bloodied, green, rotting arms erupted from the ground, but very much alive and full of vigor as they flailed around in a failed attempt to grasp anything within reach.

“Good. To my chagrin, others would not share that thinking.” The ambient light of the lava and magic reflected off the dog’s eyes as he beheld the sinister spectacle. “It seems the watchers and the Imp have seen fit to make light of me,” he droned on. “So be it. I hoard grudges like coin, and there shall come a time to spend them.”

Fenn fell to all fours, and began to plod closer to the man. “But this is an opportune moment. I would talk, mage.”

As Fenn approached Akoni, the murky light faded from his eyes and the mass of limbs faded from existence. He briefly glanced to the hellhound and gave a curt but affirmative nod. ”So long as you do not mind my multitasking.”

He uttered a word, alien and unknowable, as the light returned to his eyes. Between the two a mouth with tentacles for teeth and mustard brown in color formed along the surface of the ground. It began to babble incoherently, speaking words that were not words, but impossible to drown out. “Nktchlu aoivtz challnu-akt vwenqkt talla-” And Akoni forcibly dispelled the apparition.

”... Apologies. Not the sort of talk you had in mind, I would assume.”

Fenn’s flattened ears raised at the removal of the offending object. “Nay. I already am at the mercy of enough incomprehensible babble in my day to day without the need to seek it of my own will.” He gave an irritated grunt. “Rather, I would ask about your thoughts on your situation. Your thoughts on the Council.”

Akoni thought about attempting another partial summon, but stopped himself mid-cast. The murky blue glow dissipated from his eyes and he instead turned to give Fenn his full attention. ”Curious,” he began, sincerely a bit interested. ”I would not have guessed that you would have been interested in the opinions of others. Or at least the thoughts of a human.”

“I find myself in need of a different perspective,” the dog admitted. “The Watchers would know more of this, but they will not speak freely.” His eyes narrowed. “Or rather, they will speak too readily, but not of anything I care to hear. Alas, a mage will have to do.”

The old mage took a moment to twist his neck, popping the joints, then continued. ”My situation is much the same as it had been for the majority of my life. The purpose is different, and there is a more clearly defined and attainable goal to be certain, but the road is the same. Angels, demons, anything in between, it doesn’t matter. Their lives are forfeit if they choose to threaten the balance.

“As for the Charred Council…” He trailed off a moment to look in the direction of the council statues, then around for any potentially hidden Watchers. ”I do not like them, nor do I trust them. Something of a standard policy of mine. However I cannot deny their power, and I do respect them. At the end of the day, I will defend the Third Kingdom to my dying breath. Especially since everything just got interesting.”

That final word had the sharp impact of a knife. He had placed an unnatural emphasis on it. Few could stand in the middle of this insanity and call it “interesting” as a manner of excitement, but here he was. The old mage then cocked his eyebrow, as if to gesture the hellhound for his own thoughts.

“Balance…” Fenn chuckled, laughter rumbling in the demon’s throat. “I do not comprehend the meaning the Council attached to the word. I suspect it differs from yours. Or mine.

“I came here seeking only a good battle, not to involve myself in the matters of the realms.” The hound sat, letting his rump fall on the stone as he looked down at the small human before him. A more comfortable position for protracted conversation. “Still, my curiosity is piqued. There are certain things I held to be true about this Charred Council, but seem doubtful now. Tell me, if you will, of the missions you have been sent on, and their objectives.”

Akoni couldn’t help but crack the smallest of grins at Fenn’s own motivations. A good battle, now that was definitely in line with what he had expected from the demon. Well there would be fewer ways to get the challenges sought than by joining this event, that was for sure. It was a simple desire, but one that the mage understood too well.

”I’ve only been on one mission for the Council as of now. I had been teamed with the sage, the blacksmith, the Order girl, and the youngling demoness to recover what knowledge we could from the Ancient Library. That is how we brought back the whereabouts of the Seal hidden in the Undersky. We also met the being possessing Sevrin there as well.” Akoni left out how he was able to at least partially peel back the veil hiding the creature within Sevrin’s body. The omission was largely irrelevant, at least in his opinion.

“Do you not find it odd?”

Akoni felt himself become irritated at the interruption, but made no mention of it. ”That the Charred Council, who are supposed to be the highest governing creatures in all the realms, who ordered the Seals of Armageddon be forged and watch over them, need agents to locate these cosmically important artifacts? Yes I do. As I said, I respect them, but I do not trust them.”

“Ah, the mage is not blind. I may gain some insight after all,” Fenn drawled. White glinted at the corners of the demon’s mouth. “What do you make of it?”

”I will choose to take that remark as a compliment,” Akoni shot back. ”In any case, it could mean any number of possibilities. Perhaps they hold an ulterior motive? Maybe the Seals were hidden by others they delegated to, and in the endless eons have lost track of them. Or, maybe, it is simply a prime example of an incompetent government on a cosmic scale. Regardless there is much going on as every different faction within the Three Kingdoms attempts to use the End War for their own gain. When one loses focus, he cannot see even the simplest of goals.”

The dog nodded. His gaze left him, and instead turned to the pools of lava that surrounded the path. Difficult to read as his animalistic features were, he seemed disappointed. “Aye, such ideas have crossed my mind as well. That said, I do not find them to be satisfying answers. Incompetence would not allow for an entity to sit at the center of Creation no matter the power they wielded, and certainly not for as long as this Council is rumored to have existed.” Fenn’s slitted eyes sharpened. “I shall take it as a personal insult should I find that to be the case. Neither do I believe them capable of entrusting the location of something important enough to move them into action to other beings. To lose them, too, and only attempt to find them when one is destroyed seems… Heh.”

Fenn bared his fangs. “I expected the Seals to reside on Earth, mage. Was that foolish?”

Akoni shook his head. ”None of those options are satisfying for myself either. But as to whether or not it was foolish to think all the Seals would be on earth… Short-sighted, perhaps, but it is an understandable expectation. After all, earth is where the End War is to take place. The battlefield the Seals protect. It would make some level of sense. Yet it also makes sense to spread them out as far as possible in order to ensure they are only destroyed when the time comes.”

“Short-sighted, you say…” the dog hummed, the sound reverberating in his throat. Something seemed to settle over the demon’s eyes. “Perhaps it is as you say.”

The mage looked back out over the lava. The landscape around felt eerily calming. Such a strange sensation in such a Hellish land. Odd that he felt so at peace here. Moreso than he ever did in that damn bar anyway. Once he had taken a moment to reflect he turned back to Fenn. ”Of everyone here, only Souta shares my mortality, and he has the advantage of youth. To be perfectly frank, I am far less likely to survive to the end of this war than you or any of our other peers. Whatever comes from this engagement, I won’t have to deal with the results for very long. I’ve no family, and exceptionally few friends to speak of. Yet here I am. I could say that I am protecting the greater good of all, but the reality, Fenn, is that it is something to do.”

He then shook his head in great frustration. ”Bah. I do not know why I am even babbling about this. Either way, you have my thanks for listening. I will keep an eye out for the Council’s hidden agenda and pass along anything I find.”

Fenn stewed on the offer for some time, as though his mind was elsewhere, but eventually nodded his head.

“A human that knows respect is a rare thing. The magpie could learn from you,” he said gruffly in acceptance. “I shall let you in on my suspicion, then. I have been told that the Seals’ purpose is to herald the End-War, but only at such a time that the Third Kingdom has achieved the strength needed to participate. I am certain this is no new knowledge. However, because of that I also assumed that the Seals would be placed on Earth, a realm separated from the others, for humanity to destroy the seals and announce their readiness. If that is truly their purpose, to have them elsewhere implies that humanity was not to be the ones to judge, advertently or not, when the right time would come. However, if the Council itself lacks information on the Seals and its safeguards, it would seem that they are not in fact interested judging themselves, or in enforcing this purpose. That they would only bother collecting this information once a Seal has been destroyed is stranger still.

“This makes me think that the Seals may not have the purpose we think. It is possible the Seals were not even forged by Council. Perhaps, even, the destruction of one or two Seals is something permissible, even beneficial to them. After all, it has already allowed them to gather a second team of enforcers to act on their behalf within the laws they themselves have set.” Fenn rolled his shoulders and gave Akoni a sidelong glance. “But these are simply wild guesses, are they not? Feel free to dismiss them as the ramblings of a short-sighted fool.” The dog nodded and stood, stretching in a strangely feline manner before he turned towards the Citadel.

Akoni listened very intently, then stretched himself out as Fenn stood, having felt his joints stiffen up due to the lack of movement. He gave a grunt of pain and annoyance, but followed it up by stopping Fenn before the demon took off. ”You may give yourself too little credit. In all earnesty you have provided some points I had not considered. You’ve a keen set of instincts that serve you well. Trust me, I do not pay such compliments easily. You may feel free to utilize my ear whenever the desire strikes you.”

The dog paused to regard the man. “I might consider it if you spare me the flattery. It suits neither of us.”

The mage was about to head back to the Citadel himself, no longer desiring to practice his new spells, when a watcher appeared before the duo from the very ground they stood upon. “Oy, lewk at yew gits awl makin’ merry togetha! Yew gots anutha mission, so quit wankin’ one anotha off, yeah?”

The watcher turned around to fly off, but quickly twisted back to face them. “Oy, wot’s all ‘is then? The pup an’ the ‘ermit? Very peculiar, yeah?”

The dog began to walk again. “Aye, peculiar,” he grumbled as he made for the Citadel.

Akoni did not give the watcher as much acknowledgment as even Fenn did, opting instead to ignore the creature completely. He strolled right by without so much as a glance, intent on getting to the Citadel expediently. Thus he made use of his Surge technique, flashing forward with tremendous speed and out of sight.

“Oy, ye rood geets! ‘Ow ‘bout some respekt to your frienlay messenga, ah?”

When Souta finally spoke make sure to the entirety of the question. His answer stayed true to the respect his tone bespoke of, and gave her what, to her, seemed like the entirety of the truth. She nodded as he continued, signifying both her understanding and attentiveness - it wouldn't do to not listen after she had asked him a question, after all. She remained at a respectful distance, but nevertheless rested her gaze on him, intense as it was.

Nothing he said came as much of a surprise. He was only human, and like every living being they acted within a certain set of parameters, the vast majority of times. The mention of the small demon girl, however, made her perk up. She lifted an eyebrow at his expectation of being forgotten as quickly as she had. Truthfully, Lily didn't know the name of that girl, but she hadn't attempted to distinguish herself, or even make her presence known. Her demise had, in all honesty, completely passed Lily by. Souta, however, was different.

"That's where you're wrong," she said, closing the distance between them so only the forge separated the two. "You've made yourself known, to me at least. You didn't willingly fade into the background and let your own death come for you. So no, you won't be forgotten were you to come face to face with your death while working with us." She let the corners of her lips turn upwards, giving him a reassuring smile.

Given the nature of its deliverer, Souta hadn’t known if Lily’s reply would be sympathetic, dismissive, or cutting. When it came and resolved itself to be encouragement, it nevertheless left him lukewarm. What her response boiled down to, at least in his mind, was ‘since you took the time to contribute and get to know us even if it wasn’t much, you’ll leave at least a little bit of an impression’. Such a statement didn’t exactly fill the smith with determination, but from a demon it could be about as good as he could hope to get for all he knew. Plus, her little smile told him that Lily was indeed trying to make him feel better. “It’s a start,” he said after a moment, his tone somewhat lighter than it had been.

"You almost make it sound like I have some quota of reassurances to fill," Lily jested, now openly grinning. She regarded him a moment, then, as what felt like a hundred different further replies flew through her head. Another question? Reassurances? Truths about herself? In the end she decided to ask another of the questions she had had in mind.

"I wonder, what do you think of present company? And I don't only mean myself, but also Mary, Fenn, and the rest. I realise the strange nature of the question, but please humour me."

A strange question, alright. Souta couldn’t imagine that such a powerful and long-lived being as Lily would have much regard for what a lowly human thought of herself and her other coworkers. Perhaps she was simply curious, but he had the sneaking suspicion that the inquiry was a kind of test. Either way, he found after a moment of thinking that he didn’t have too much of an opinion of most of the Agents. He began with what he knew best. “Well, Akoni’s an old fart, but he’s a good guy I think. Just helping out in his own annoying way.” That summed it up pretty well. Hopefully Lily wouldn’t blabber to the mage about Souta’s tolerance for him. “I don’t really know Wrath. He seemed surprisingly down-to-earth on that mission. “As for Fenn...well, I know you two are friends or something like that, so rest assured I respect his fighting ability. Might have saved me during the final fight. On the subject, I admit that I admire your skill and power. I bet you’re the strongest out of all of us.” The concession was fairly genuine, but he also hoped that if Lily had cast her net out for praise, this would be satisfactory. Meanwhile, he cast his mind further back. “Mary’s nicer than anyone has a right to be in a place like this, but I haven’t really seen much of her. In action, I mean.” Some boyish, idiotic part of him had imagined that he might have a chance with her, but the fight in the Library had convinced him that even one of the more human Agents was still far out of his league. Thoughts of the library returned visions of two more individuals he’d neglected to mention. “There was that other guy. I don’t remember much about him. He used...projected magic weapons? Midori was there too. That was the little demon girl’s name.”

He couldn’t drudge up much of anything else. “Uh, and I think it goes without saying that Pantoptos and the other watchers can suck a collective fat one. Even if they’re on our side, they’re living proof that power corrupts. That all about covers it, I guess. Is that...what you were looking for?”

Lily’s eyes widened imperceptibly, her smile seeming to wide with each word of his. His words were, to say the least, interesting. That he talked about their fellow agents as if they were people, individuals, and not demons or monsters, did not pass her by. It meant that, despite their appearances and their powers, he saw them as ’People’ first and foremost, looking past everything inhuman, even if only unconsciously. He was right, he had given her what she was looking for: An honest opinion.

There was only one problem, she thought, he hadn’t mentioned the proverbial elephant in the room. She gave him a nod, and said, in a tone as playful yet innocent as she could make it,“It is, but I was wondering what you thought of me, not as a fighter, but as an… individual. You only mentioned my strength, not your actual opinion of me. And don’t worry, I’m not gonna get angry whatever your opinion.”

The bushy black eyebrows of Souta furrowed. What was it that Lily was fishing for? “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to add that you’re enigmatic. Even without the whole shapeshifting deal, I’m sure you’d be the mysterious, tricksy type.” Perhaps she hadn’t heard him, juxtaposed as his reflection on her was next to Fenn’s in his dialogue. He felt an urge to return to work. “Y’know, I have a question of my own you might be able to help me with. What’s the deal with the Council? I never even heard of them before a few days ago, but now it seems like some kind of unknown primeval force is my boss.” He crossed his own arms, hoping that the demon might have some informative answers for him. As pointless as it was to think about changing his situation, it couldn’t hurt to know more about it. Knowledge was power, after all; depending on the precise angle of the hammer blow, its strength, and the thickness of the tool, a smith could mold a piece of metal into something greater or smash it to bits. Souta wanted to know where he could apply himself.

If Lily was annoyed at the sudden change of subject, she didn't show it. Much. Aside from a brief frown, she let the topic of their discussion change. So the human was unaware of the Charred Council? Not very surprising given that humans were ignorant of anything that wasn't right in front of their noses. She often found that, when people weren't in awe of her power and superhuman feats, they often tried to explain it away as something that, to them, was a rational explanation.

She mulled over the question for only a short moment, debating whether to answer the question or to withhold it. In the end she decided that there was nothing to gain by keeping it from him. "The Charred Council is the single most powerful faction in existence. They were the ones who forced a ceasefire between heaven and hell, constructed the Seals of the Apocalypse, among other things. They act as some sort of mediators, making certain that there is balance in the universe. The stories - and I am pretty certain they are the truth - say that they created the seals to allow mankind to grow in peace without fear, until such a time that they grow powerful enough to participate in the end war between heaven, hell, and now humanity. As it is, humanity is still woefully outmatched, and that is why we seek the seals to protect. Or that's the official job description. There are some things that are a little bit fishy, but those aren't important. Not right now at any rate." She fell silent, regarding Souta while he digested the information given to him.

A few quiet moments passed, with only the perennial ambiance of flowing lava filling the time the smith took to mull over the news. He rubbed his chin, where he felt his latest crop of stubble bend back and forth as his hand passed over. Shaving, like so many little things, was an inconvenient impracticality thanks to the situation in which he found himself embroiled. After considering what Lily said, he stated, “Huh. I don’t like the sound of ‘end war’. You made it sound inevitable. I knew a little about our mission, but now that I’ve got more of the picture, it seems to me like the Council could easily be hoarding the Seals to use as it sees fit, not necessarily for protection. But maybe I’m behind the curve.” Solitude called out to him, its allure hard to resist. Putting aside the other details Lily mentioned, he said, “Well, anything else I can help you with? I’m itching to figure out the rest of the forge’s abilities. Once I know what I need, I can start looking for materials and tools to really kick the place into gear.”

"But that's the point, it is inevitable. Hell and Heaven have been in constant conflict since millennia before I was born. A conflict such as that is not something that is quelled. Think of it like summer and winter: Polar opposites, you both have to exist for life to flourish. The relationship between heaven and hell is somewhat similar. Both have to exist, because they always have. And the war will always happen, because it has always been going on."

She stepped around the anvil, putting a hand on Souta's shoulder, saying, "But don't worry, it's won't happen for thousands of years yet." She let her other hand rise to cup his cheek, holding him in place with a gentle strength while once more seeking to look him in the eyes. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she fully wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him full on the mouth. She pulled away several seconds later, a large, genuine, grin on her face.

"Cross that off your bucket list," she whispered before letting go and heading towards one of the several exits from the Forge.

As much as ten seconds passed since Lily’s departure before Souta moved. The look on his face could not be described as anything less than dopey--a completely confused, overwhelmed, blank stare. Dimly, he tried to figure out what happened. All of his critique of Lily’s form and how its uncanny perfection surpassed feasibility had melted away. Along with them, thoughts of heaven and hell had been banished, and somewhere along the line Souta’s brain had turned to mush. Am I...cursed? he pondered ponderously. His head swam and his entire body felt red-hot despite the blessing of the Council and his aura of water. He couldn’t bring himself to move as he pieced his consciousness back together. No, he decided. She just kissed me. What the hell? I’m swooning like a teenaged girl.” A glance around the forge filled him with disinterest. He could only think of Lily. His gaze landed on the door to his room, and he made up his mind quickly. “Good night, everybody!” he told the tools, taking only one with him as he returned to his chamber.

The lush green jungle of Tabernacle, tucked away in a hidden corner of the world was filled with exotic animals, both in equal measures dangerous and intriguing. It's undisturbed state leads one to believe no man has ever set foot here, but should they explore further in, small ruins scattered about the jungle can be found, architecture dating back centuries, and some even beyond that. As a man in a suit walked along the cliff's edge, overlooking the lake, he heard a shrill cry, before draconic tendrils erupted from the lake. The cliff was completely destroyed and he was nowhere to be seen. It seemed as if he was crushed immediately, however before the tendrils now identified as dragon heads could retracted, he could be spotted landing and running along the neck. More heads flew out from the water as the whole body erupted from the lake. A stunning display of acrobatic and nimbleness as he darted and jumped between the dragon heads, slashing with each spin before jumping high above, forming a distinct katana, and diving down. The dragon heads attempted to intercept, only to be cut down each time, before landing on it's main body and slashing horizontally, ridding it of all of it's heads at once.

The demon cried in agony as his attack seemed to work, before twirling the blade around to plunge it into it's chest. The blade's sharpness was without equal, or doubt, this was the Yamato, and this man was Sevrin.

"I suppose you being here means an Umbran Witch is too... I may have to be a bit more careful around here, but a Hydra shouldn't be too much trouble", he commented. At that moment, all the heads grew back, causing him to leap away backwards, but smiled as all the heads came at him. He raised the sheathed Yamato in front of him. As the heads struck his blocking stance, a flash of light as well as a magic circle was the response they were given, and on the very last strike, Sevrin completely disappeared in a flash of purple light. The multi-headed demon was confused, but soon it found itself slowing, and then soon, silver lines formed all over it's body as it fell apart in neat slices. Standing behind it was Sevrin, sheathing the Yamato.

"My does that former general of Mundus make impressive weapons... As difficult to wield as they are powerful, there is so much focus required for this one", he muttered to himself. He longed to rid himself of needing this katana to fulfill his goals, the amount of discipline and focus required in it's forms frustrated him, moreover it's properties, he could not fully bring out. What he managed to do was but a fraction of it's power as he can sense.

"Hm?", he sensed the Hydra's presence, however not in physical form. He raised his free hand, the pieces of the Hydra that were cleanly cut began to turn into an aura, flying into Sevrin. Within moments, they began to form around his legs, and soon after a golden flash of light, gold-red leg armor adorned with blades were revealed.

"Now this is more like it", he said to himself. He dismissed the Yamato, then began to give the new pair of greaves a test run, each kick was like a blade, and considering the Hydra, he could easily double down on the speed of the assault at the drop of a hat, a fast weapon with some power to it.

"Hmmm, not bad... Well, I doubt that seal's going to destroy itself, besides, I'd rather be there before the angels", and with that he dismissed his new Devil Arm too, and headed off towards his destination.

---

@Lugubrious@kapuchu@Lazo@floodtalon

The Charred Council's agents were scattered for this mission, because of how many factions were converging into the area. Very few of them knew of the Charred Council or some of their allegiances to it, so it suited them to make use of any resources they could. In this case however, Fenn and Lily would find themselves paired up again. They had two options, try and pick up the trail on Sevrin, as they had gotten news that this area was found because he was spotted near here, or they try and find the Seal before him, and protect it. Likely the Angels were doing the latter, while the demons were more interested in destroying the seal to further their lord Mundus' goal.

It was entirely up to them what to do. The layout of this jungle gave no clear path way, but perhaps the density of these ruins could be of use. On observation one can figure out the ruins they were seeing on the outskirts were that of houses. Perhaps this used to be a great city of sorts?

The directives for Henry were the same too, his only allegiance thus far has been to the Charred Council and so he does their bidding. Find the Seal, and protect it, prevent apocalypse. His job was clear and straightforward, if only the way through the jungle to it was just as.

@Kafka Komedy@ProPro

Akoni was tasked by the DHO to track down Sevrin and bring him back to answer for what he has done, is the official statement. He feels many are aware that he is no longer in control of his body, and it was not Sevrin they should be focusing on, but the demon taking root within him. Regardless that was the task, Akoni was given some information on Sevrin's movements, and has been following that to reach this area, however as soon as the paths were gone, the tracks went cold. It was like this jungle was a natural shield against any kind of navigation, almost as if it was protecting something. This made a lot of sense, considering the Charred Council has also informed him of the existence of the next seal here.

Not far behind was Mary who was given the same information, however her directives were a bit different. Nero knows what the Yamato is being used for, and so the directives are to at least take it off of Sevrin, if they can manage that at least, then they can prevent him from doing what he's set out to do. Otherwise, everything else was the same. A few minutes walk from where they were now behind them was a small base camp set up by the Order of the Sword, and Nero has stated he's going to enter the battlefield later, as an 'old friend' seems to have contacted him. Mary had some idea who that may be, but if it was who she was thinking it was, it might be important. Regardless, it was their job to hold the fort until such a time has come.

@Zarkun

The forces of Heaven were deployed in full force from the other side of the jungle, and Wrath has been deployed there, the Archangel Kushiel is taking up command for this operation too, but is acting more as command than combatant, and so is counting on Wrath to be his ace on the battlefield. Though the other angels may not be aware of it, Kushiel is, Wrath is also an agent of the Charred Council. This may benefit them, but he feels the allegiance must be put into question when the time comes, as the interests of heaven and the charred council may come to odds, but for now it has not.

Wrath's directives were clear, to move in and protect the seal from Sevrin, or whatever demon he truly is. The angels have found an undercroft of sorts created by the low and thick canopies of this side of the jungle, but a minute into it, the angels observe ruins... Perhaps these ruins were part of what they were looking for? This area was huge and there was truly no way of knowing, but the likelihood seemed high here.

Alternatively he can take the over path, but the angels are covering that already, plus in not long there was announcement of demonic forces engaging them in combat. It may be messier to go above, but it would ensure he has allies to cover more area, but underground he may be able to find the objective sooner.

In the Angel base camp was also Fiametta, whom can be deployed as heaven pleases, but for now she defends the base camp, unless Wrath or Kushiel should choose to ask her to move out.

@I-Am-X

Blair having left the small camp made by the morphs on the outskirts of the jungle now observes a hidden battlefield. It was not visible, but her senses were going crazy, there was battle everywhere, as soon as it seemed as if her senses had been deceived, she beheld an angelic soldier emerge from the canopies, only to be grabbed and dragged down by a demon.

She was informed of this, but it was surreal that an entire battlefield was hidden beneath all this jungle.

Standing beside her was Gorgon and Madamma Enepsigos, only one or the other can accompany her into the thick of it, but another must remain on this point to observe the battlefield, and be prepared to back them up should things go badly. It was up to Blair who she would choose to accompany her, but the objective was clear. For the glory of Hell, find the Third Seal, and destroy it. As for Sevrin, despite their aims being the same, there was an unshakeable feeling that he should not be left alone.

Journey through the Lush Dark

Opting to take the lower path as to allow someone from Heaven's forces to move unhindered by Demons for at least a little while, Wrath walked the path with Death's Rain in hand. Sevrin and the seal were both here, one seal was already destroyed in Barlour, and one secured by the Council from the Undersky. The events and discovery of the existence of the Undersky still troubled the Nephilim greatly and he began to wonder if the Council was as all powerful as they had been construed to be. Thoughts for another time. For now, I need to focus.

The jungle path wasn't exactly glaringly bright like the forest path had been when he had been hunting Gorgon, but that was fine, because for once he could be the one to do the ambushing if he was attentive. The sounds of battle also seemed to be muted from here, as if the jungle around them didn't want anyone outside it to know what was happening. It set Wrath on edge and so he remained alert as he walked.

@Kafka Komedy

Akoni navigated the dense jungle with some measure of difficulty. The brush was too thick to simple Surge through, and even if he did Mary could not keep up with him, which posed problems all unto its own. That meant he had to wade through it all by the power of his own feet and hands, arthritis and all. Such a task was an annoyance, really, but he kept going under the motivation to end the being within Sevrin's plans once and for all. The DHO wanted to put him on trial for betrayal, but many of those young crickets knew the truth. Sevrin was no longer Sevrin. That the orders were to bring him back for trial and not bring him back for an exorcism was nothing short of idiotic, and so Akoni actually had no intention of doing so. Once he found Sevrin, the old mage would certainly detain him, but then would focus on finding a way to remove the fallen angel from possession. If such a magic was beyond him, then Akoni would have no choice. He'd have to kill Sevrin to get to the apocalypse-rousing beast within. If the DHO complained, well, technically Akoni was retired, so their orders meant jack shit.

"I do not have any magic to help track our target in this dense vegetation, and if you flew above I doubt you'd make anything out through the canopy of trees. Most frustrating. I cannot even clear a path with my gates as they cannot form where there is not enough space to contain them. Do you have any suggestions, cricket?" Akoni's voice was gruff, filled with irritation. Moreso than normal, anyway. He hated this jungle. As athletic as he was in his age this was all still a terrible chore. The young Order member would surely be having a more manageable time of it than he. Still, young and inexperienced as she was, she was leagues better company than Silas and he was grateful to have her with him. If both Sevrin and the Third Seal were in the area, it would be better to have all allies deployed.

Henry cursed vigorously as he pushed his way through the jungle, searching for his next target. He was looking for the Seal somewhere in this jungle, however it was proving itself to be quite difficult to navigate through this leafy hell. He had already been attacked by several birds, as evidenced by the frozen toucan he had perched on his shoulder, and it seemed like even the trees were out to get him as a branch that was previously unmoving had suddenly snapped and nearly fell on him. The thick brush was also annoying as he froze it whenever it got to be too unmanageable and then cut it in half. It probably wasn't a good idea to leave such an obvious trail behind him.

"This jungle fucking sucks." He muttered to himself as he froze some more brush and sliced a path for himself open. "Isn't that right Sam? You hated this jungle too, that's why you came to me to commit suicide." He made some fake baby talk at the dead toucan and pet it lightly. How the hell had his life come to this? He was petting a dead frozen bird in the middle of the jungle while trying to prevent the apocalypse. He should've listened to that one prostitute and gone to college.

Fenn clenched his paw, feeling the soft earth shift under his digits. Vegetation spread out around him, blanketing the area in myriad shades of brown and green only broken by the intrusive facades of long ruined structures. What he saw might have been an alley between dwellings many years past, but the jungle was quick to swallow the abandoned ruins.

The dense underbrush would no doubt prove troublesome for beings of human stature, but Fenn’s mass allowed him to flatten most obstacles with little concern. Fangs bared, ruefully. He had little doubt that clearing the path would fall to him.

They found themselves on Earth this time, searching for another Seal of the Apocalypse. The demon did not know what to make of the fact. He did not know what it meant for his misgivings regarding the Seals to confirm that multiple had indeed been hidden on the Third Realm, and their taskmasters saw little need offer explanations beyond their immediate desires. Perhaps the mage would see fit to share new insights if he came across anything new, but Fenn would not hold his breath. Peaceful as the encounter had been, it had been brought about on a whim, and the chances of it bearing unexpected fruit were slim. Perhaps he ought to wonder why this time they were spared the presence of the lead Watcher. Regardless, such thoughts could be put away for the time being. They were, after all, a mere puzzle to distract him while he awaited the next battlefield.

And Fenn had little doubt that there were battlefields to be found within this jungle. Its denizens were restless, the sounds of frightened cries and of scampering animals reaching him from afar, and the slight breeze that managed to snake its way past the trees brought with it the intermixed scents of hell and the heavenly host. It would not be long before the sounds of the fighting itself reached him, he well knew.

While he sensed no threats in the immediate vicinity, the anticipation made the demon’s posture vaguely threatening.

“Must I restrain myself?” The wording made the grumble seem like a complaint addressed to himself, but not far from him stood the woman who had brought him there.

Lily, still in the guise of the Sídhe lady, albeit wearing loosely fitted shirt and pants, let her gaze wander around them, not looking at Fenn as she answered, “Yes. The quieter we are, the better chance to surprise any opponent, and not be surprised ourselves. For now, don’t burn anything, or topple any trees.”

Easier said than done. The hound could be deceptively quiet when the mood struck him, but his hunting grounds had been rocky ridges and rugged plains with little to no vegetation. With the dense foliage, that kind of stealth would prove quite difficult for him, particularly when he was chasing after prey.

Nonetheless, he grunted his understanding. He could restrain his flames. The forest burning around him would not bother him one whit, but alas, he did not have the pleasure of working alone for this. Not to say, there was no reason to think that the snake they sought would not be able to use the confusion to its advantage.

Still, Fenn continued staring at the Imp even as she looked at their surroundings. The objective she was given by the Council was simple. Obstruct the snake and defend the seal. That said, while she had been given the freedom to operate as she wished, the location to the latter had not been revealed.

The dog was certain the order would come, but he was not good-natured enough to volunteer his services.

“Fenn,” Lily said, finally looking at him, “can you search for Sevrin’s scent?”

Only then did the hound move. Forcing this request served its own purpose, even if there were few to see. He had lent his loyalty to her, not to the Council. It was a matter of principle for this to be shown in action and not just in word.

The hound’s muzzle moved closer to the ground, sniffing along as he trudged forward. “Naught but animals have frequented these parts in a long time,” he rumbled, nose still close to the ground like a dowsing rod. “If the snake was seen here, finding a trail should not be difficult.”

The demoness sighed. Of course things wouldn’t be easy. “Keep alert for anything, be it new smells, birds suddenly being spooked, or other sounds. I’ll keep eyes and ears open as well, but your senses are still sharper.” She glanced around before focusing solely on a patch of trees where there was a relatively large amount of free space to move. “That way,” she declared, pointing. “It is, to my knowledge, towards the center of the ruins. I suspect anyone, and anything, to do with the Seal will head that way. We will have a higher chance finding our colleagues, as well as Sevrin, that way… wherever they may be.”

But Fenn was hardly paying attention to her at that point. Something had caught his notice. The dog lowered himself near a patch of vegetation behind one of the ruined houses, led by his nose. The clumps of green nearby had been disturbed, leaving bits of leaves and branches littering the path. Among the plants, he thought he could make out the shape of a shoeprint on the earth.

The dog’s nose twitched as he memorized the scent.

The trail seemed to lead vaguely in the direction the Imp had pointed at, and the hound found himself recalling the tunnels under the human settlement where he had come across her. There was something ironic regarding the idea that humans had built their dwellings around the artefacts meant to herald the end of their world.

The dog let out a heavy breath through his nose. “You may have the truth of it,” he called out to the woman. “Now follow.”

Fenn set out at a brisk pace, scent held fixed in his mind. Catching up to the snake would require some haste, and the dog was reluctant to let others steal his prize. Lily followed behind him, content to let him have the lead for the time being.

Since the early days of mankind, the unknown proffered a profound choice. Stricken by fear and a need for security, some would turn away and find refuge and solace in the familiar, but others would take the chance for adventure. Across the ages, sailors and pioneers pushed the boundaries on the known world over land and see, venturing into uncharted territories to discover new and amazing things. As humanity grew, however, the world shrunk. In the modern age a person could travel halfway around the world in a day, look up any information about the most exotic creatures or plants on the internet, and find a map to wherever they wished to go. There were no more blank spots on the map, captioned in the olden days 'here there be dragons!' Now, scientists looked for dragons in the reaches of space or the depths of the sea, but in their eyes the earth had been conquered.

Not so for the champions of humanity. Over the untouched, pristine expanse of leafy green, a military helicopter hovered along. Within, eight pairs of eyes peered down at the wilderness below, wondering what lay in wait beneath that verdant canopy. Only hours ago, an important contact let slip that heaven and hell had scrambled platoons of their respective warriors to a supposedly unremarkable spot in the open ocean, and Gilgamesh Corporation mobilized its own response team in reply. Humanity would not sit idly by, a clueless buffoon caught in the chaos of the eternal feud, as another Seal fell into the hands of another faction. In the helicopter lay a bizarre technological device with the rough dimensions of a smart car, bristling with wires and tanks. Inside its tubes, a yellow liquid glowed ever-so-slightly. Gilgamesh's mission was to find the seal and plant this gas bomb, then escape and set it off from safety. Once triggered, the alchemical necrotoxin contained within would eke into the terrain and the atmosphere, turning the Jungle Tabernacle into a wasteland so brutally, corrosively toxic that no angel, demon, or monster could set approach the Seal and live.

The helicopter passed over a towering grove, the trees began to shake. With unnatural speed, a pair of gangly, grotesquely hollow limbs shot out from the leaves and snatched at the vehicle. One hand missed, but the other clamped its claws around the chopper's tail. Like a caught fish, the helicopter struggled, its violent jerks throwing around everyone inside. Despite the pilot's best efforts to wrench his bird free, however, it was reeled inexorably in. A colossus emerged from the grove, a twisted giant whose form was a mockery of humanity. Its snaggle-toothed, lamprey-like maw opened up to reveal a human face within, frozen in a permanent open-mouthed jeer, as if laughing uproariously. Its other hands reached for the helicopter; one attempted to grab it by the rotors, but the spinning blade lopped off one finger and lodged itself in the next. As the monster reeled, even while its other hands clutched the vehicle like a toy, the chopper's side door slid open to reveal a woman with rotors of her own. Skylark soared from the interior and, after getting a few meters away, unloaded a barrage of missiles from the pod on her back. Several deviated off course and exploded against the creature's flesh, prompting it to bring its wounded hand in front of its face as protection, and the remaining missiles blew what was left of the limb into chunks.

A dark blur shot from inside the captured helicopter toward Skylark, stopped as it reached her just long enough to reveal its demonic features. Using his comrade as a springboard, Gloom launched himself toward the monster, blood swirling around him. Another hand released the helicopter in order to pluck the demon out of the air, but in mid-flight he turned around to coalesce his bloody aura into a javelin that propelled at the incoming hand with enough force to pierce straight though. Gloom then span back around, just in time to latch onto the surprised behemoth's face, bury his wrist-blade into its flesh, and start to run up and over its scalp. The skin parted with little resistance, and in only a few seconds a gushing vertical furrow had been carved into the monster's head. The resulting pain sent the freak into a frenzy, and it made to hurl the helicopter into the ground. Instead, a magic rune sprung to life in mid-air, catching the vehicle and slowing it to a crawl. With her hair and garment well mussed, Viola pulled herself from the now upward-facing door. On her heels came Macbeth, who wasted no time leaping from the stalled transport toward the enemy. Thanks to impeccable timing, he landed on one of his enemy's passing arms, and with a flourish he produced his blades before burying them in the offending limb. For the first time, the monster screeched, its high-pitched howl sending birds flapping in panic from nearby trees. From the point of penetration, a wave of petrification swept across the limb, and by the time the spread stopped the entire arm had been turned to stone.

Now possessing only one fully functional arm, the creature reached toward its head to tear Gloom off. The two remaining Gilgamesh operatives extracted themselves from their helicopter to see Gloom slip onto the monster's shoulder, and its hand claw at nothing but its own bleeding gash. Jekyll snickered and threw himself into the air, apelike in his appearance and strength, to crash into the beast's petrified arm. It cracked and tore free from its socket beneath his weight, and the agony sent the monster into a mindless spasmodic fit. With a clear shot, Silver opened fire on the exposed head, ripping into the wound there to create a vulnerability. Right on cue, Gloom reappeared, standing atop the creatures cranium, and with little ceremony he drove a blade of blood into the fracture made by Silver. The sudden intrusion into the brain did not go over well with the monster, who died instantly, and with a resounding crash it toppled over.

Viola, still standing atop the sideways helicopter alongside Silver, took great care as she lowered it to the ground. The other operatives made their way to the place she deposited it, forming a crude circle. Jekyll, his face hidden now that his helmet had misted up in the excitement, held a chunk of unidentifiable flesh, perhaps as a trophy. After cleaning his blades, Macbeth put them away, and stood with a wry smile on his face. Gloom, taciturn as ever, crouched in silence. After touching down, Skylark stood with her arms crossed. With her characteristic blank look etched on her features, Silver, hoisted herself from the chopper, and stood for a moment staring at the mud on her boosts before wiping them on her opposite pant legs one after another. A stirring noise from the helicopter's inside announced the survival of the pilot—though not many expected that she would have died. Hyobanshi Otsune appeared from the cockpit, sporting her everyday white augments, but as she walked toward her allies a white flash surrounded her. When it died down, it revealed her in her black battle-ready augments, looking every inch like a revenant. “Well,” she began. “That was disappointing. If you had responded two seconds sooner, Skylark, you could have kept it from damaging the rotors. As it is, we can no longer find the Seal from safety, and must wander through the jungle. Jekyll, please carry the bomb.” Tossing aside his scrap of monster, the hazmat man climbed into the helicopter to retrieve the device he'd so lovingly nicknamed 'the Defiler'. Otsune turned to examine some ruins in the distance, set into the side of a mountain. “Let us depart.”



In the heart of the area of the jungle occupied by hell's demonic legion, a lone woman stood upon a promontory. Beneath the lush canopy, a series of intense skirmishes raged back and forth, but she did not deign to participate. The rabble could die as far as she was concerned; to Gomory, a premier agent of Mundus, all that mattered was the mission. For the moment, however, the pain had distracted her. She held a hand to the right side of her face, gingerly brushing the edge of the grievous wound. For her failure to secure the Eidolic Cairn, her master had chosen to punish her without mercy. The baleful axe of his execution had cleaved diagonally through Gomory's head, taking off the upper-right fourth, including her right eye and horn. Since then, of course, the demoness had regenerated, but her missing features did not reappear. A black silk bandage lay across her face, covering the damaged parts. It still hurt to worry at the area.

Gomory did not blame her master. After all, a seventh of the fate of the world had laid in her hands, and she'd failed him. This punishment was hers to bear for her weakness—that much she understood completely. This time, however, would be different. Today, the Seal would belong to hell.

Gritting her teeth, Gomory snapped her fingers. Beside her, three Hell Vanguards that had been standing idle snapped to attention. At her command, they flung their cloaks over her, and the entire party disappeared in a cloud of darkness with the toll of a bell.



Until now, Souta had remained quiet in the presence of two demons. Not having Wrath along for the ride, however strange a Nephilim was, made him more uneasy. In a strange way he felt as though Wrath was one of the more normal paranormal beings he'd come in contact with. Now, however, he had only Lily and Fenn for company. A certain reason in particular could be found without too much reaching for why he wasn't keep to speak up, but Souta liked to think that he wouldn't have much to say anyway. A more prominent thought in his mind was why exactly he'd been thrown into a combat mission yet again when by all rights he should have been allowed to stay in the Citadel and keep working. Inspiration came to him the night before, after all, and one does not simply cut a man off right as he's gotten himself excited about a new project! Yet, the Council cared little for a lowly human's opinions -this was a presumption, for he'd thought it wiser to not voice them in the first place-, so here he was, on some jungle island looking for another Seal. This time, there was no helpful guide or hint-giving asshat to provide any kind of assistance; the agents were on their own.

Fortunately, it did not take long for the hellhound to improvise. By some miracle Fenn managed to catch an important scent, and after taking a moment to marvel at the convenience of it, Souta set off after him and Lily at a vigorous trot.

Having left the small camp, Blair made her way towards the jungle before stopping as she began observing her surroundings. Hidden within this jungle lies the third seal yet...nothing. Even one at her level wasn't able to tell what was going on, her senses were telling one thing while reality of it said another. Maybe that in itself goes to show what exactly lays in wait and as if to emphasize on that point, the figure of an angel broke through the canopy only to be grabbed and dragged down by a demon.

The morphs informed her about this, but seeing it for yourself was something else. A whole battlefield hidden within the confines of this jungle with hundreds if not thousands of beings with their sights on taking the power of the seal for themselves. Fortunate for her that none of them seem all that bright and making themselves known to the angels, seeing as it'll make it easier for her to find the seal and destroy it. Speaking of which, Blair decided on leaving Gorgon behind to observe and serve as back-up should anything go wrong.

Instead, she'll have her new ally, Madamma Enepsigos, come with her through the jungle. Given the nature of this mission and their location, Blair figured Enepsigos's illusions and zone control will come in quite handy in the jungle. Her abilities will also help lessen the amount of annoyances she has to deal with and if she manages to find the seal first, Enepsigos will be able to lock down the area and prevent unwelcomed guests. Especially him. They definitely cannot allow that man to take the seals power for himself, not again.

Decision made, Blair and Enepsigos enter the jungle and proceed after the seal.

Lily could feel her heart beating in her chest. Whether it was from apprehension or anticipation, she could not tell. She knew the power of the tongue, and as confident as she was in her own strength she wasn't stupid and knew that this Sevrin have more than enough power to kill her were she to face them alone. That she intended to, but even outnumbered she expected him to be a challenge.

She did not allow any of these thoughts to be reflected on her face. Fenn valued strength above all else, she feared that even a healthy amount of caution would be considered weakness in his mind. Another reason was there third individual of their small party - Souta. He walked a short distance behind Lily and Fenn, having stayed silent ever since their arrival in this obnoxious forest. A passing thought made her wonder what is his reaction to earlier kiss had been, beyond the stupor that she has left him in. She had promised that she wasn't there to manipulate, and while she so the kiss as just teasing perhaps he saw it differently? She glanced over her shoulder at him, lips pursed and brows set in a pensive frown.

Humans are predictable, she often said, and most times she could indeed predict reactions of individuals or groups of people. Every once in awhile, however, she came across someone who defied expectations. And once again she found herself reminded that Souta was one such person, as evident buy how quickly he dismissed her at their initial meeting the day before. The guise of the Sídhe Lady of Summer she had chosen was designed to induce awe, joy, and to stun on sight, yet he had managed to wrest his gaze from her. That made him interesting.

I really hard to focus and other things than who is interesting and who is not. Nevertheless she allowed herself to fall a few steps behind the Hellhound, letting him continue their search, and fell into step with the Smith. She walked with her hands clasped behind her back, looking deceptively carefree and off guard. "How are you doing, Souta?" She asked after a suitable amount of time, filled with silence, had passed between them. "Nervous?" she made an effort to sound welcoming rather than derisive. She only hoped that he so it not as her accusing him of frightfulness.

Journey through the Lush Dark

Wrath continued on through the underground passage, but as he walked, he began to try and figure out what purpose it might have served. All along the walls of the tunnel was various ruins, most of which looked to have served burial purposes. It would make sense, considering that what the Nephilim knew of the Third Kingdom had them burying their dead in such manners. He did wonder though, if they'd ever considered that should Hell ever really wish to, their buried dead would serve as rather fitting vessels for some of the lesser demons. Likely not, since the truth of both Heaven and Hell is recent news to them, so to speak. Still, should probably bring it up with Souta next time I see him.

---

An Unexpected Meeting

In the jungle above the tunnels, and even in the canopy above ground level, the forces of Heaven and Hell clashed for control of one of the Seven Seals of the Apocalypse. On the ground, a squad of Army of Light angels crossed blades with a group of Demons, dancing back and forth as fighters on both sides of the conflict. An Angel spits a Phantom Guard on his blade and throws him aside, only to be taken from behind by a Goreclaw, ripped apart by the demonic hound. This is but an example of the battles waging all across the jungle. However, a four man squad of Hell Guard angels avoid the bulk of these conflicts.

These particular angels were tasked with removing the smaller groups of more elite from the fight, and so far had managed to even out the fight in four different locations, removing Hell Lusts, Fausts, and others. The largest angel of the group bore a large shield and a sword of pure light, and appeared for all intents and purposes to be a standard champion. However, his shield also carried a cannon in it, which would unleash divine wrath on those in it's sights.

Flying some distance to his right, a female angel armed with a spear kept a careful watch for attacks from below them, her silver armor shining in what sun made it through the dense canopy. The third member of the squad carried an angelic sniper rifle, a rapier hanging from her hip. She also kept a sharp watch on the ground while the large angel watched for Fallen Angels. The final member, pulling up the rear, had a katana sheathed at his side and a shotgun in his hand, surveying for their targets.

The flight was mostly uneventful, the occasional Minion or Gorehound leaping up to try and pull them out of the sky, but often found themselves put down midair from either a cannon blast or sniper round. Spotting a group of Hell Lusts moving to ambush a patrol of Angel Soldiers, the champion turned. "Shall we Zarrath?" The angel in question, nodded, though he seemed distracted as he looked off to the right.

"Go, I can feel something stronger nearby. Ladonna." The spear wielding angel looked towards Zarrath, cocking her head slightly. "Take command and continue with our assignment. I will contact you if I need help. Bael, Sonna, follow her orders this time. Bael, the large angel, shrugged with an impish grin beneath his helm only to receive a jab to the gut from the blunt end of Ladonna's spear. While the three turned and ambushed the Lusts, Zarrath landed and approached the presence on foot. Something had felt familiar about it, but he had to be sure, as it had been several centuries since the battle with the White Woman of the Scottish Highlands. However, as he cleared the brush and came into sight of the presence's owner, accompanied by what appeared to be a Madamma of Inferno, he was able to confirm it was indeed who he thought it was.

Stepping into the open, he placed the shotgun on his back and drew his katana, a small handful of runes along it's length shimmering slightly. "The White Woman of the Scottish Highlands. It has been a long time, Layla."

The trip through the jungle along the trailed blazed by Fenn could hardly be called 'uneventful', even if nothing happened. Until now, the closest Souta had been to a jungle had been flying over southeast Asia on the way to Kuala Lumpur with his family. That city's immense tropical beauty hinted at the sheer bounty of life one might expect to find in a rainforest, but it did not in any way prepare him for the wilderness. Around him lay a myriad garden of interesting things to look at, from plants and animals nearby to breathtaking views of mountains or valleys in the distance. In terms of altitude, he judged that his party was about mid-level.

Having an eye for the scenery did not mean he failed to notice Lily slowing her pace. He glanced at her as she neared him, noticing her manner to be rather laidback given the whole end-of-the-world thing that their shared mission might impact. No fool, he suspected that her attitude had something to do with the remarkable happenings of yesterday. If he had thought of something appropriate or smart to say about that event, he would have done so already; he still didn't know what to make of it. Only an idiot could have said he didn't feel attracted to her, but in the hours since that mind-numbing occurrence, he'd had quite a lot of time to consider the downsides of mindlessly following his desire.

Lily was who-knows-how old, her experience and knowledge spanning centuries if not millenniums. Given her looks and obvious charms, she could have had any lovers she possibly wanted, and certainly mothered children. Souta couldn't determine why it might be a bad thing, but he felt a subtle wrongness about the preference he held for women who hadn't been with anyone else. Plus, anyone with a smidgen of sense about how the world worked knew that single mothers posed problems. Souta didn't even know if she was single; in addition to not being known for their restraint, demons weren't known for their fidelity. On that note there was, layered on top of everything else like a pile of melting icing eking down through the whole cake, the fact that she was a demon. Demons weren't all bad, Souta knew. Virtually everyone with knowledge of the three realms knew the tale of Sparda. One demon even served in Gilgamesh—Gloom, Bleeder of Jubilee. A quiet, skulking assassin-type, he seldom antagonized anyone, and despite heavy suspicion from his fellows he never gave any sign of ulterior motives. Lily could very well be another 'renegade of hell'. Then again, demons of her caliber were cunning as well as powerful. Souta didn't trust her, and relationships were founded on trust. He doubted he would have trusted her even if she were an angel.

Souta weighed all that in a few moments, thinking about the tradeoff. He had everything to lose, and what to gain? Lily was hot, and respected him for not breaking down beneath the pressure of his new 'job'. He didn't want to be here, to be facing these problems. A cubicle at Regalia did not seem so bad now. After a short time, Lily spoke to him, and he shrugged. ”I'm doing,” was his concise initial reply. ”Another combat mission, no doubt meant to build character. I wonder if the Council is having me come along to try and get materials for new weapons and armor? Panoptos must have told them how much I sucked yesterday.” She asked if he was nervous, and he gave a wry smile. ”Yeah. But either I make it somehow, or I die and I'm free of this mess. Win-win.” He rubbed a bead of sweat from his brow. Too grim. Dial it down.

Fenn flattened another small tree as he passed, nose pointed in the direction of the scent he had caught. Occasionally he caught sight of something that clearly indicated the presence of his quarry, such as footprints and crushed plants. Once he noticed a small clump of severed vines lying on the path, the ends cut so neatly he doubted it had been done with an ordinary weapon. The idea that an artefact of such unbelievable power as that sword could have been used as a machete made even Fenn, whose body was as a weapon in an of itself, distinctly uncomfortable.

As they marched, the hound found his attention diverted. Even as Fenn attempted to focus his ears on the sounds of the jungle, it was inevitable that he would catch the conversation that took place a few paces behind him. As he resolved to snap back at the Imp and the Magpie to quit their chatter, the human’s words reached his ears.

“But either I make it somehow, or I die and I’m free of this mess. Win-win.”

Fenn stopped very suddenly, though the reason was not that he had caught wind of a threat nearby. Much the opposite. The jungle around them was eerily quiet, the animals having retreated at his advance, and the sounds of battle that reached him were still distinctly far away.

“Hoh?” Even the slight breeze that made the underbrush rustle seemed to have frozen, as though the jungle was holding its breath.

It was the words that had given him pause. Fenn quickly recognized it as the bravado of an anxious youth, one attempting to ridicule their fears in order to make the burden easier to shoulder. However, the message conveyed by the words themselves struck painfully against something unsightly within the dog’s mind. Such words tossed out so carelessly made the whole of his being seethe.

How could he take that as anything other than an invitation?

The demon craned his neck towards Souta, a predator’s eye falling on him like an executioner's axe. Even with the flames that often surrounded Fenn’s dark coat notably absent, his body radiated oppressive heat. The towering behemoth began to turn with deliberate slowness, keen fangs bared in a lupine smile as he faced the young man. “In that case, you should not mind if I devour you here. Humans do not make for satisfying meals, but mayhaps those carcasses you carry will add to the flavor,” rumbled the words from the hellhound’s chest.

The large beast took a ponderous step towards the small human. And the other participant in the conversation stood in his path.

Lily stopped mid-stride and turned slowly away from Souta to face Fenn. She took a single step forward and looked up at the larger demon, eyes flickering dangerously but otherwise expressionless. When she spoke, she did so slowly as if choosing each word with care.

"Fenn," she began, “Did I not tell you to restrain yourself?" Her tone, neither threatening nor scolding, still managed to sound loaded with a single message: Do not cross me.

A light breeze swept over the proceedings, like an exhaled breath. Fenn’s still-alert ears twitched, and the spell was broken. The demon’s expression went from murderous to vaguely exasperated, as though slipping out of a mask, and the tense atmosphere vanished.

Lily gave him an irritating smile.

He glared at the Imp that saw fit to interrupt his game. For the demoness that stubbornly held onto her carefree demeanor, even the bulk of her commands rather pathetically taking the form requests, she had been oddly forthright in her interruption.

His eyes fell on the human again and comprehension dawned on him.

“Truly, Imp? This one? I thought you to have a more discerning palate.”

“Oh? What would you look for in a man, pray tell?” she asked with mock curiosity.

Fenn knew he was being made light of, so he replied in kind. “More meat on their bones, to start with.” Even as a joke, the words came out drenched in acid.

“Is that jealousy I hear, Fenn?” Lily asked, her smile becoming a grin.

The dog snorted, instantly dismissing the idea. "Hardly. I ought to pity the fool.” Then his brow furrowed, and his gaze was drawn away as he remembered himself. “Or perhaps not. 'Tis the folly of all males to happily fling themselves into such snares."

“Even you?”

“Once.” Fenn bared his fangs and gave her a sardonic look. “I tire of being trapped, I’m afraid.”

She nodded. “Understandable.” She then looked pointedly behind Fenn, to the trail he had been following. “Now, I believe we were trying to find someone?”

Fenn sniffed as the Imp none-too-subtly brought them back to more immediate concerns. “Be silent, then,” he admonished, returning to the path as though having lost interest. “I shall not bear the blame if the enemy hides the sound of their approach under your prattle.”