Not Too Long Ago

With the battle having concluded, the wasteland that was the grand graveyard had resorted back to its vigil silence. No living creature stirred these parts, not without the Angel of Death's blessing. Even now her lowers were assisting in the process of cleaning the stage in their own special way. Roses were dissipated by the mark of death and lingering souls ferried back to where they belonged. Surrounded by the dead, it made the Imperator's presence stand out all the brighter. Like a golden beacon, she was a bleeding warmth to the rest of the cold but her dull glare indicated she could and would purge those who dare lay finger on her form. For it was rare indeed for the Imperator to leave her palace of Heaven, her glowing form walking among the graves to the established meeting place.

If the Imperator of Celestia was a beacon, then the High Queen of Mankind was the Sun, shining upon this land of Death and Decay. Eos' form and purpose were anathema to the dead at their very core; being a being created to purge the world of their presence, wielding the hallowed majesty of Amaterasu. It was no wonder that, whatever vehemence they've shown towards Deva as she made her way through their ranks was turned into apprehension and dread in Eos' face. Regardless of the restless one's reactions, the High Queen too made her way to the appointed meeting place. She arrived there just as Deva did so and, for a moment, stared at the Imperator in stoic silence. Until she finally spoke, "It has been some time since we last met," out of courtesy to the other leader.

"You can save the greetings Eos. We both know this project has failed." The Imperator frowned, crossing her arms as she stood amongst their gathering point. Marianne had gave her word they would not be disturbed in this place and so Hell's leaders could not see beyond into their conversation. Speaking of which.... "Your plan to foil this new government of Hell has fallen. If anything, they've become more accustomed in their roles and have nothing to fear. This battle was a mistake," she said in accusation to Eos.

"Disregard will always be their defining characteristic. It's thanks to that we were able to sway away so many of their ranks' best. I did not expect that they would show any manner of reaction," Eos replied in a dull monotone. "Their lack of skill as rulers is remarkable. Just as much as the incompetence of any Demons who aren't the Blood Countess and Henry Avaritia, both of which aren't factors we need to consider for the time being, if my data regarding her is correct. At least, Roma will not allow Avaritia to flee, in case his mood suddenly swings back to Hell," she added, before doing a short pause. "The outcome of this engagement was still in your favor, I presume that —once they stop to think— the idea of having an Angelic enclave in the middle of their territory will bring unrest to Hell. It's just a matter of time," she concluded.

The Imperator was silent to ponder the android's words. "....yes. I suppose this victory was of some use," she said evenly, eyes flicking over to the snow-laden graves shifting all around them. "Even still, this little alliance of ours was much too risky. I can assure you many of my own soldiers were concerned with the lack of Machina pawns in this battle. Or perhaps you were expecting me to do all the work for you against this Team RILD," the Imperator said.

"That's something that's barely within my command. Despite being their Rulers, we still have to follow the Court's commands on how to manage our subjects. I was given a troublesome lot from the beginning. Most of the forces I sent to the battlefield are unreliable at even the most optimal circumstances. The still perform better than the Demons, however. I suppose that their Oligarchy will have to realize it soon enough: they are at a frank disadvantage," Eos replied before thinking of a proper answer to Deva's second statement. "Wasn't I supposed to rely on an ally, at temporary as she may be? That said, we still deployed more troops than your side, they just got... lost in the battle." One could almost taste the chagrin on Eos' voice as she admitted so.

"Our objective is to make sure they don't realize that fact," the Imperator said, mildy annoyed with the responses she got. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. Though this secret little alliance of ours is open for subjugation," she said, already moving to turn away. There was nothing left to discuss and if Eos wanted to spitball more ideas to deal with the growing threat of Team RILD, she knew how to contact Heaven's ruler. But given the half and half results of this battle, the Imperator was doubtful she'd be taking those chances again by throwing her lot with the Machina.

"I still do not understand," Eos said just as Deva began to walk away. "How is it that you, who are so favored by Them, has any need to bother yourself with such matters? Hell is almost irrelevant since they have no sponsors in this dispute and are ruled by those scorned by Court. Even their representative is little more than a mindless lizard who thinks that she can change the status quo by screaming out loud how awesome the 'Great Balancer' is. Hell has nothing going for them, so... why do you even care? Is it fear that, if they realize their potential, you may soon find yourself in one of their alcoves against your will? Or, do you have a great plan, regarding all of this?" Eos turned away to leave as well, not waiting to see if Deva would even bother to reply. She too had her doubts regarding the Imperator, after all. What was it that could make Deva pursue an objective with such passion?

The Imperator would have liked to remind Eos just how dangerous this Team RILD one. Given all four of them were powerful entities in their own way; but no, she would let the pompous leader of mankind find out for herself. Her only response to these statements, if Eos even bothered to see, was the Imperator shaking her head in disgust and closing her eyes before her body dismantled into many sparkles of radiating light. When she opened one eye again, she saw herself sitting in her throne once more among her loyal subjects. Pink had just walked in, no doubt eager to meet Ruxen. She gave her thoughts on the matter before closing her eyes once more, most likely away from the realm of Heaven.

She remained undisturbed even as Pink fell into Ruxen unceremoniously. The Beastkin was ready to give Pink more verbal denial when the other wolf was suddenly atop her. When the hell had that happened?!? "Ugh, get off!" Ruxen whined, trying to kick Pink away with her legs. When that didn't work, she resorted to trying to push her off and even slap her in the face with her tail. All the while, she felt...weird. She was still angry of course because Ruxen was always angry. But now she felt almost kind of excited too? It was weird and she definitely didn't want any more of it. "Hey come on, get off already!" she said with a cringed look on her face, kicking her face to avoid being licked anywhere else. "Chen quit fucking staring and do something you piece of shit!"

Within other Factions, this sort of spectacle was nowhere to be witnessed. Even in Hell's Throne Chambers, where one would expect these types of shenanigans to play out the most, only Ira was there to greet Khaine's presence. Dana was currently with Apia at the moment and probably pranking Victoire all at once, Rufus was too busy spent in his own activities, and Lucille was nowhere to be found. That left only the Great Demon to look at Khaine's arrival, her helmet resting on the table in front of Hell's couch. "And who are you?" she questioned, expression hard to decipher.

Chen said nothing as Pink went absolutely insane, practically molesting Ruxen as she fed off her practically unlimited anger. Chen's gaze was focused on the two of them as Ruxen freaked the fuck out. She was kicking the wolf multiple times, but Chen could tell that was doing less than nothing to the strange creature that seemed to feed off of Ruxen's rage. Judging by her lack of flinching, it didn't even look like she could feel pain. What an interesting creature, she would be quite useful in battle. Chen looked at her a bit more closely and shook his head, maybe not. She looked quite weak by Nexus standards upon closer observation, she needed to toughen up if she wanted to be useful to the Imperator.

"Chen quit fucking staring and do something you piece of shit!" Ruxen screeched as Chen simply watched the whole debacle with his usual impassive gaze. He thought about it for a moment and looked up at Deva, awaiting her orders on the matter. It wouldn't surprise him if she simply said nothing, she was a bit fond of animal girls and their antics. It's why she kept Si and Ruxen around, she was probably going to "adopt" this one too if things kept up.

Within Hell

Dana stared at the bee lady, blinking to clear her vision. It would have made more sense to wipe her ears and make sure she had heard Apia right, but that was not what she had done. Still reeking of something fowl, she soon frowned. "Wait, wait, wait, hang on..." Moving a step backwards left an after-image of the shark-toothed girl before it became real living flesh and blood; only without the scent or liquids. "Yeah, you go deal with it," Dana told the clone before giving Apia two thumbs up and disappearing from sight via teleportation. She made a mental note to also drop a clone atop Victoire's shoulders too while she was at it. The Dana clone nodded with her big sharky grin and looked at Apia. "Oh ho, a question for little old me? Wow, wow, oh wow!"

Apia's hands had crossed over one another as she tried to figure out what the hell she had just witnessed. They eventually found themselves and just held each other while Apia spoke. "I-I know this is going to s-sound bad, but I'm not really someone that fits in here... I want to... well... be a demon, or at least as close to one as I can be..." Apia trailed off, a little scared of the shark in front of her. "... I-I also want to be stronger than I am now... but I can't do this alone... at least, I don't think so..." Apia took a deep breath before she actually asked the question on her mind. "Could you make me a demon and stronger than I am...?"

"Eh? You're not a demon? You'd think with that kind of stripper get-up you flaunt around you would be, oh ho!" Dana said, confusion crafted into a smirk. "Weeeeeeel, I dunno Apia. Don't you have it hot and going on with Ira? You know, that stuck up sword in the ground? If you really, really, reeaaally, wanted to be a demon, why didn't you just ask her? Oh, I bet you think I'm second rate!" Dana said, slapping her palms to her cheeks and gasping. "Waaaah, is that why you came to me? For sloppy seconds? Ooh, you must really be a demon after all!"

The queen's face turned red with blush at the stripper comment, and even redder when Ira was brought up. "I-I'm afraid to ask her... she's just so... so... I'm afraid of what she'd think..." Apia's face kept it's reddened tone as she continued talking. "P-plus... you're a vampire... right? Victoire could do so much at that graveyard, and I want to be like her. Well... like you... you are stronger than her, right...?" the queen bee didn't actually know if the snaggle-toothed dame was stronger than the primordial wereloli.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess Ira can be suuuuuper scary when she can be. Ah, but that's the first step of being a demon!" Dana said, turning back to leer at Apia. "Ignoring orders and everything else told to you, oh ho! Oooh, who told you I was a vampire? Cause they're, like, totes going to get thrown in a blender. Was it Victoire? It was probably Victoire. Don't worry though, cause I totes just threw her in a blender just now. Did you know I was there when she was born? Poked her cheeks and threw her off a cliff and everything. Oh yeah, and I'm like, totes way better than her in every way."

A little bee came whizzing up to Apia's ear, telling her a secret it would seem. Though, it wouldn't be a secret for much longer. "My sweeties overheard it from Victoire... somewhere." Apia returned to the subject at hand before she got sidetracked gushing about bees. "You're actually stronger than Victoire? She's... like... the best demon here now, right?" Saying that word left Apia with a foul taste in her mouth. So... unlike her. So... inelegant. So... well... she'd have to get used to it, she guessed.

To this, Dana laughed in Apia's face. "Ahahahahahah!" Dana laughed in Apia's face, having to wrap her arms around herself to contain the mirth. "Oh wow, that's like the best joke I've heard all day....and I just got down fucking Rufus! Ahahaha! Victoire is like....applesauce? Yeah, totally like applesauce. And I'm....hmmm...going to say any soda ever. Yeah, that's the best way to differentiate us. Is she the best demon? Eh... I guess she's the one with the best brains and isn't a complete moron....oh ho! But you want the real good deal, dontcha Apia?" Dana took a pause in her snickeirng to look at the bee lady, a knowing gleam in her eyes.

"Yes. I would highly appreciate it," Apia said, back to her more regal dialect. "... should I be... scared at all? Because I feel like I should be more afraid of you than Ira right now..." Apia's hands folded behind her back, grabbing and massaging each other as a way to relieve what small amount of anxiety Apia had at that moment.

Dana shrugged. "Eh. Maybe? I mean, I did just fuck Queen Rufie-oh sorry, King Rufus silly all day long. You tell me if I'm scarier than Ira. Oh, do you think little old me is big and scary? Waaah, that really breaks my heart Apia. And just when we were's getting to be friends! Well now I have doubts making you a vampire after all," Dana said with a pout to her cheeks. Crossing her arms, she turned away and sulked.

"N-no no no no! I didn't mean it like that!" Apia apologized quickly to Dana, feeling like there were deceiving undertones to what was going on. "I'm just a little anxious right now is all! I didn't mean to offend you!" Apia had a small bee fly over to Dana's face, floating in front of it with a saddened smile. It seemed to beg for Dana to help Apia out, as if it wanted to not be a tiny little bee any more. Like it wanted to be a real strong demon bee. "Please, Dana. If it means anything, I can give you a lifetime supply of honey, without any questions asked."

"Hmmmmmm. Well, I dunno.....hey how does a bee smile anyway? That's like totally a freak of nature," Dana said, eyeing the saddened bee in front of her face. The honey offer did sweeten the deal a little and the blonde school girl was turning back to the queen bee. "Well, if you reeeeallly wanna go through with it...I guess I can give you a bit more oompf. You won't be as strong as Victoire cause she's a...what was the word....Prissy? No, no...Pringles? Primordial? Yeah, I think that's the one. A Pringle. She's a Pringle and you won't be nearly as strong as her. But you will get some nice vampire perks, oh ho!"

Something had suddenly snatched up the bee hovering around Dana's face, a distinct crunch following its departure. If Apia cared to look, she'd see a brown, ugly bat crawling on the wall next to her head. Like a spider, it skittered about, only to look up and glare at Apia with its beady yellow eyes. The bee was clenched within its fangs, another crunch marking the lose of its life. "Well, there's nothing wrong with being a vampire,"Dana said, turning fully around now. Her shark grin had devolved into a smirk and she waited for a response. "You really wanna be one Apia?"

"No turning back now." Apia gasped and shed a tear at the death of that one tiny bee (if it wasn't in front of Dana... hoo wee), but her face stayed on Dana as she spoke once more. "Yes." Her decision was final, and there was no turning back. "W-will I be able to be in the sun?" That was an important question. If she couldn't, she needed her sweeties to prepare something so she could be in the sunlight. Probably a nice hat and sweater.

"Nope! You'll be a Newborn so totes weak sauce at first. Oh, and you'll also be craving for blood so I reccomend you get that fixed. But you already made your decision so no turning back now! No take backs!" As Dana talked, several portals opened from the walls between them, chains shooting out and curling around Apia's form. She wasn't that much taller than Dana so she wouldn't need to get on her tip toes to reach. "Oh hey, did you know that bees are like, totally impossible animals?" she asked, uncaring of how much she was crushing Apia with her chains. "Like, According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible....like, are you sure you guys aren't demons already? Eh."

With that point made, Dana swiftly reared forward and latched her fangs into Apia's throat.

"That sounds famili-AGH FUCK!" Apia felt Dana's teeth sink right into her. It didn't help that the chains around Apia were tight, making her voice shift up a bit when she was bitten, but she had her head cut off a bit before. This felt more or less like a shot. Well... a persistent shot. With flaming teeth. It hurt a lot more than what she was anticipating. A lot more than the head thing. "I-I CHANGED MY MIND! IT HURTS WAY WORSE THAN THAT LAST BATTLE DID!" She was even still feeling the losses of that battle, but even now they seemed less painful than this.

Dana's only response was a little chuckle, prompting her to bite harder. Oh, the pain would sting and burn Apia's very blood; but soon it would be replacedwith an overarching weakness. A weakness so great it would make her knees tremble and give out. Only then did Dana move away, a string of crimson faintly connecting her fangs with two new holes in the bee lady's neck. Soon, the chains would move away too, slithering back to the realm where they came. Dana grinned, looking at the downed Apia. "You know in hindsight....Rufus is probably going to kiiiiiiill me for letting loose a Newborn in the middle of Hell....good~"

Apia's body, now laying on the ground limp, slowly came back up to a loose sitting position as she spoke, her skin turning pale rather quickly. "... god... damn do I have a headache... I-I need something to drink..." The down queen tried to stand back up, falling back on her face out of either pain or exhaustion. "W-where do I go... for this thirst?" Apia asked, seriously considering what would happen if she began to feast on random demons in Hell's streets and such. Maybe she could just go and find some vague human villages around. She could probably wipe those out and get a good drink going... provided it was nighttime.

"Hell do I know," Dana snickered, already teleporting out of there. "Catch you on the flipside newbie!" And then she was gone, just like that. Even the bat had disappeared with her, the bee that was once dead in its jaws now twitching on the ground next to its queen with new life. The thirst for nourishment tortured it just as much as it did Apia.

@Lmpkio

The damn showoff had vanished before the sister could take a shot at the heel, and the skidding feet of Flos stopped the angel from losing control. He turned only the see nothing but the thralls still merrily attacking the corpses of the men who had originally tried to contain him.

The Final Gaze made an appearance alongside the sister in his free hand, but before he could take another step, the loud sound of mechanized boosters flooded the angel's ears, and on instinct, he threw up his shield and took an unexpected force. It forced the angel to crouch to maintain a locked formation without losing control, but he was at a disadvantage. His left arm was feeling the extreme weight of the collision, and he didn't have much of a plan of action.

"And you're pathetic to think I'm giving it my all," the armored demon barked through the helmet, "I'm just getting started!"

Flos let out another deep chuckle at the egotistic demon. "I could do this all day...". The Final Gaze started to brighten up. "...then again, I'm sure you'd already know if you really are a competent king."

He swung the Gaze forward, breaking his lock and allowed the sharp, bright projectile of heaven to push towards it's commanded direction, and to follow up, Flos rose the Gaze into the aim, and pierced the floor with a commanding shockwave, before immediately and quickly swinging another slash towards Mephilis' suit.

Alexi’s lapse in memory about Wolf came as a shock to the Inquisitor. While he never considered to be the brightest of the Machina, he had assumed she could at least remember the names of her ally’s. How did she ever learn to cast magic with such a terrible memory anyway? Her friends in the sword must do a lot more than cloud her mind. “It’s Wolf.” He said not standing on ceremony and giving his full title. “I’m a bit surprised you don’t remember me, considering I’ve saved you from a bar fight and an elevator not too long ago.”

Curious about who Wolf knew, Alexi asked if he could remember any of the other Machina. With nothing better to do, he decided to humor the girl. “Well there’s the twins, Krieg, and an annoying pile of bones that keeps showing up near me.” Sensing his auro approach, Wolf waited until Bonesword was in earshot before saying the last part. The skeleton then began to lecture them on the dangers of talking about souls, a notion the Inquisitor had to scoff at.

“Please don't tell me you’re superstitious? Of all the things in the Nexus I believe bad karma is the last thing we should worry about.” Wolf stated plainly to Bonesword. ”But if it will put you at ease, I’m sure there is a rabbit demon whose leg we could take.”

@The 42nd Gecko@Banana

After all these years, it seemed that he had been forgotten. That certainly made this easier. "I am Khaine, former knight of Hell." A brief introduction, Khaine was a demon of few words. Most likely Ira would be able to sense his ability, but if necessary he was more than willing to demonstrate his abilities. There was no question as to whether or not he was qualified, and it seemed that his greatest worry had been rendered moot. "I will fight for you. You require more warriors." Both statements were true, as far as Khaine knew. The fact that he ulterior motives for joining with Hell didn't change his willingness to fight. So, having made his statement, Khaine just stood silently and waited.

An audible hmm murmured from Lucifus' mouth as he nods to himself in confirmation. He definitely didn't belong to his squad, let alone Iona's, yet he recognized where he's from. The 'First Heavenly Mechanized'... its a fairly new one to the angel, but regardless he has heard about them several times before. Furthermore, he also heard recently about the Battle of the Graveyard, a close victory for Heaven against Hell's forces. A close one indeed... Lucifus wishes he would've joined but he was taking a long break from battle just for the hell of it.

Of course, while he ponders that thought, he became eerily quiet as he watched what Saef was doing to the librarian. Looks like something mischievous may come to mind as the Captain continued to rub her shoulders. It's even stranger considering that he doesn't seem to think that he's still standing in the majesty of an angel like Lucifus. Did he think he left? Did his mind just switch off? Regardless of what and why, he knows what's going to happen. So when Saef began twirling out his unoccupied hand, the angel's left hand firmly grasped his wrist with a surprising jolt of strength. He then slowly leans down to position his head right next to his...

"Archangel Lucifus." he introduces himself in a strange sternful-calm voice as he seems to whisper in Saef's ear, "Second in Command of the Laguna Hierarchy and fought previously under Iona's command when I was a young lad."

He pauses as he glances at the vulnerable librarian before continuing.

"You should be preparing for the next battle, Captain Harken." he suggests sternly as he finally lets go of his hand, "There is no time to waste on your opportunity to train your men for the coming storm. Surely they aren't here trying to open a closed book so... friskily."

And with that, he simply turns around and swiftly heads for the exit.

---

Titanica's eyes simply glared at the Alchemist's response as she simply took only a single step to the side where she can view Zayata still sitting in the pool. Then the cat asked how the two vastly different people could be possible related to one another... faction-wise that is. In her usual smugness, the character responds to her in her 'glorious' viewpoint.

"Regarding your second question, let's just say that there's more between Heaven and Hell than a bunch of bolt buckets. I and Miss Curvy Lizard are related in a certain way. However, the whole lecture would likely be well beyond your cognitive faculties. It's best to save you from a migraine."

Again, the Saurian Vassal growls ominously at the Alchemist as a puff of smoke escaped her nostrils in a stream of blue wisps.

"I'm not simply what you would call a... 'curvy lizard'... lab-rat..." she replies to Hoho with one of her eyes glowing a hot-blue streak of energy that spews out for a few seconds before dissipating. Titanica then looks down at Zayata. "I am she who all Saurians draw upon. My name is Titanica... and we are both Vassals beyond Heaven or any other faction's control."

@KoL



So he was an Archangel. Touchy lot those. Hmmmm, the Laguna Hierarchy. Why do I get the feeling I'm not go into get along with those guys very well?

Whatever the case he was now free to continue his spell. One final twitch of a finger and the area was flooded with a smell that was, well...heavenly. The scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies assaulted the olfactory senses of anyone within a hundred feet, more depending on the sensitivity of their noses. It probably even reached the retreating Archangel.

Leaning down to the "sleeping" Librarian, Saef spoke calmly and warmly into her closest ear.

"Give me a few moments of your time and I'll make as maaaany as you want."

He couldn't keep the smile out of his voice. The comparatively young man wanted to see if her reaction was as adorable as her fake sleeping. Food was always a good motivator. And while he didn't know what the young looking girl/woman before him liked, come on who didn't like chocolate ship cookies?

As Wolf explained himself, Alexi nodded. "Oh.. Hmm.. You were that sword. A gracious and mighty sword, but never answered the question that mattered. I thank you anyway for your assistance in the room of many doors and the room of food and scary trees." It was if she remembered the events, but somehow had difficulty telling that Wolf was the same person throughout each event. "We’re surprised a Sword like you hasn’t seen more use. Unquestioning, loyal, unimaginative, and strong. Perfect qualities it would seem for a blade. Unlike the Exemplar Destroyer, more powerful, but unpredictable and unreliable, disloyal. Unlike the One Become Two, everything that could be wanted, but destined for tragedy, by the thread of unconquerable fate." Alexi tilted her head slightly confused. "Why haven’t you been mass produced? Out of all the replicable blades, you seem the best.”

As Bonesword disparaged talking about souls, Alexi shook her head, "”Souls are the only thing worth talking about. Nothing else matters. Swords are meaningless existences, that only serve as an extension of their Wielder’s soul. Trapped as your soul is, you are still more alive than we, Bone Sword." Alexi knew Bonesword’s name apparently. Though that gap between the words was almost like she was simply describing him, or what the voices told her about him, and it just so happened that Bonesword’s name was so descriptive of him that it worked. Like when she had called Ira the Ravenous Flame, only much, much more on the nose.

@Awesomoman64@Banana



"Now that you commented on the Angels. They did well.” Zyata gave a little fist pump into the air. Sure, she hadn’t been the most helpful warrior, but she’d still done more than any other Amazon on the scene save maybe Nyx. She kinda sorta helped. It was a win, no matter how small, and she was taking it.

"I am she who all Saurians draw upon. My name is Titanica... and we are both Vassals beyond Heaven or any other faction's control."

Zyata blinked, interrupting her gaze at Titanica. And then again. "Wait. What. I mean..." She looked down her thought process fairly easily transparent, its journey from shocked, to doubt, to consideration, to excitement. Titanica made a high flying claim. But well, she also seemed to be pretty powerful. So maybe she was telling the truth! "DOES THAT MEAN YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO ALL TIGERS DRAW UPON? COULD I MEET THEM?" Zyata splashed and stumbled her way forward a bit, half rising from the water, before falling back down into it, and then scrambling back up. She arrived at the point of Titanica and Hohenheim’s dramatic and sexy stand off, completely, interrupting it with her unabashed hopefulness and exuberance. She was practically out of breath from the combination of her unceasing babbling and uncoordinated effort brought on by her enthusiasm. "I mean, I could totally understand if you didn’t, or if like, you wouldn’t want to bring me to see them, cause you’re busy, or maybe you aren’t friends, but if I hang around you is there maybe a small chance I’d meet them someday?" And then she was out of breath, and could only gasp for air for a few moments, perhaps ill-advisedly reaching a hand out to lean against Titanica.

@KoL@Lmpkio





"I really haven't any certain ideas.. First we'll need to find out what's actually of value in this world. Maybe we can find a library?" Miyu expanded her senses once more, looking for high concentrations of books. She eventually found one, and, unlike her earlier attempt to sense for a beach, she was on the mark this time, and started leading her and Lillian there.

On the way, Miyu asked, "Say, is there any truth to those stories where like, demon’s horns or angels feathers are useful alchemical components? I could spare a few, if you think that’d help you make anything cool."

@TheWindel



Pink certainly did not have the physical strength to resist being pushed off by Ruxen, but she made up for it with dogged determination. Whatever Ruxen used to push her away, Pink then latched on to that to that. As Ruxen kicked Pink in the face, Pink simply clung to the foot that kicked her. She massaged around the pads on Ruxen’s feet with her thumbs as she gripped around the edges of Ruxen’s feet with her fingers. "Ah, you’re so beautiful," Pink sighed, completely unaware or not minding of her own bruised cheek, as she leaned in to lick between Ruxen’s toes. Ruxen seemed to have her own little worshipper. Now if only Pink listened to commands.

@Floodtalon

"Eh. Depends on th'item. Typically you'd want t'look fer things that were one-of-a-kind t'that person," Lillian explained as she followed behind Miyu, her brain picking at any alchemical knowledge she had. "Demon stuff is typically more specific, in my experiences. Angelic stuff is rather broad." Her experiences were actually quite often, as she had a guy back in Hyperion that was able to get her specific ingredients. Now, though, she didn't have that guy. "Lemme see what'cha have later."

---

"Superstition is different from experience, Inquisitor," Bonesword calmly stated as he sheathed his blade. The Machina were keeping things on lockdown, he had some time for chit chat. Alexi brought up how souls were important in the grand scheme of things, which she wasn't wrong about, not by any means. "Souls are incredibly critical, don't get me wrong, but in my experiences with necromancy they've been nothing but trouble. After all, I was like you two once," Bonesword explained as he patted the hilt of his Shroomblade firmly, making himself feel more... secure. "Now Marianne would rather do literally anything than deal with me."

Then a random question popped into his head. "Alexi. How good are you with a sword, anyway?"

Though he didn’t believe them himself, Wolf found the remarks from Alexi reassuring. Still, he had to be truthful in his reply. “I thank you for your words, but you are mistaken. I am not the best. I may have the qualities of a perfect blade, but not the skill nor experience to wield them. Even if it were possible to mass produce my kind, the queen would be better off using the resources to bolster her army ten fold rather than waste it on a few more like me.” Pushing himself up, Wolf turned from the others looking out on the frozen warzone around them. “As of now I am simply a man trying to prove he can fight among gods.”

As he stared out over the dead again contemplating his place in this world, his mind was able to let go of the subject when Bonesword brought up Alexi’s fighting ability. “He has a point, mage.” Wolf said looking back over his shoulder. “For all your talk of blades, I have yet to see yours in action. Perhaps it’s time we change that.”

@The 42nd Gecko@Banana

---

What passed itself for a clerk merely smiled, lips moving with a countenance like origami paper shifting into place, an inhuman but serviceable gesture that nonetheless set off Suparna's sense for the uncanny valley. Perhaps it was her time in the Oblivion Dungeon or Diana's own obliviousness that left her the only one perturbed in this bizarre temple to Death. From beneath the hood her eyes seemed to pass through them, observing every individual maggot and the dragon beside it with something akin to amusement.

"Oh yes, adventure." Suparna said with a start, jolted by the silence in Diana's wake to speak up. "I'm still new to this sword craft and I, well, kind of need some corpses-"

"For Necromancy?" The Clerk cut in with a terse frown, her town betraying a flicker of displeasure.

"No no no no! I'm not touching anyone's soul, I just need the meat and bone, all the locomotion is on me, I swear!" The Queen of Carrion was quick to assuage the clerks ire, and continued as she settled back into that unerringly precise rigor of mirth. "My friend here is amazing, and since I'd lost my last one, I thought I could find something strong like her to replace it. Maybe a dead dragon whose corpse I can take off the battlefield?"

"Hmm, I'm afraid to tell you it won't be that simple. Claiming trophies is part and parcel for the people here, but scavenging the kills of others is not something we can condone. Marianne may not busy herself with the desecration of the deceased, but those who rightly worship her may take offense on these lands. However, if you insist upon hunting the kin of your compatriot," The clerk said, gesturing back the way they came, "then the both of you shall find what you seek when you descend from this lofty pillar and trek across the wastes. Go straight forth an do not waver, and you shall come upon a kindred spire. What you seek may be found along such a path, should you survive."

"Hmm, uh huh. Okay, I think that's all the directions we need, let's go now." Suparna said with haste, grabbing the dragon girl's arm and tugging her out of the building with strength born from her well honed fight-or-flight response. It felt vindicated as she glanced back form the threshold and say not hide nor hair of the clerk, not even the desk she sat at, and found her hands tighten around Diana all the tighter. "Next time, we ask the drunks for directions."

Looking in either direction of the flow of foot traffic, she opted for the one sloping downwards and tugged at the dragon, her hand sliding down Diana's arm to pull upon her hand as the tension of the temple faded from her system. "Come on, the exit shouldn't be too hard to find once we get to the bottom."

---

---

"Oho, so you negate the thicc?" Hohenheim replied to Titanica while flashing her pearly whites shamelessly. "I know that it must be hard to not have a body crafted to be perfect in every way conceivable, but that's the strongest point of your figure. Negating it is like negating your own existence. By the way... I wouldn't be so hasty to make that claim of 'Queen of the Lizards' if I were you. You know very well who the top reptilian is. If there's anyone that can contest these words of your it's her." Hohenheim gestured towards the skies with her coconut, emphasizing her argument with the faint, yet ever-present silhouette of the Snake of the World crossing through the Nexus' celestial abode.

"Either way, if you are so eager to brag about being one of us, why is it that you are... you know... you?" The Alchemist tried her best to be subtle. It wasn't like she feared Titanica's reprisal but Hohenheim wasn't here to pick fights. She had much more important scientific research to do. "By definition, Vassal is one who serves a Lord, lest we forget. Yet, you are the one only of us that seems to not care for your Master or their whims. If you like to brag so much about being a being 'in a level above others', but has no intention of being a part of us, answer me. What are you here for?" Hohenheim added, seemingly not minding herself with Zyata for the time being. Whether this was good thing or not was yet to be seen.

---

@KoL



"Mhmm... is that so?" The Librarian replied to her 'guest', turning her head aside to face Saef with a cat-like smile stuck in her lips. "A cat's memory works better when they are feeling well," she added before spreading her arms against the table's cool surface and yawning majestically.

"As many cookies as you want while I'm here." Came the reply from the older looking man. Saef leaned back as she did a very good lazy cat impression. "A recipe from an old friend, passed down from mother to daughter for five generations. Quite good if I say so myself."

She reached for one of the cookies silently, gobbling it. She let out a seemingly satisfied purr before speaking, "Mmm... mmm... And what's it that you want of this place? It's rare to see anyone who fights in the frontline coming here as often as you."

That earned a wry smile. "I'm a Thaumaturge. Knowledge Is Power has a somewhat more literal meaning in my case. Besides I enjoy learning things. In my old life I was a scientist, a good one too. Discovering things is what I do. It's the only thing I still have to live for aside from killing Demons." He leaned back against a nearby bookshelf with a melancholy sigh.

"A scientist?" she replied with a voice that betrayed a bit of nostalgia. However, the next sentence carried much less emotion. "It must be a boring life to try to rid the Nexus of Demons."

A chuckle. "I'm not so jaded as to find combat boring, although I can see how endless eons might make one feel so. It is something of a hopeless endeavor at the moment though. Unless someone manages to find out how to capture souls and prevent rebirth." Saef's gaze roamed over the endless tomes that surrounded them. A small shake of his head and he looked back at the Librarian. A flick of his wrist and a plate full of oven soft cookies appeared between them. "Something you said last time I was here caught my interest. You said this place was full of dead tomes. What did you mean?"

The Librarian looked straight at Saef, a small measure of shock could be easily read in her expression as she spoke, "You probably don't want to risk yourself over that kind of knowledge. There are rules that govern this world and we are not supposed to change them."

The gravity left her voice as answered the actual question, "I meant what I said. Most of these," she looked around the library lazily, "are dead. Only lifeless Tomes that lost their purpose. You would understand it better if saw a live one like the one owned by Deva's 'guard'. Or this." She said, summoning a dark grey book, with silvery runes adorning its cover. It hovered a few centimeters over her palm, bound by silver chains as if it wasn't meant to be read by anyone.

If Saef still remembered part of the language in which the books detailing Deva's past were written, he would at least be able to discern the name of the Tome in the Librarian's hands: The First Apocrypha.

The Librarian's look of shock wasn't terribly surprising. This entire dimension was...wrong somehow. It was like the place had been set up by something or somethings and populated with all the champions of good and evil they could find. But who could manipulate gods like that?

Overgods?

A line of thought for another time. Saef could all but feel the thorns involved already. Of much more immediate interest was the book that his host had summoned from some pocket dimension or another. The First Apocrypha was unlike any book he had ever seen before. The magical aura around it was more than that of any magical relic he had ever seen up close. It was hard to describe it. More complex, more substance, just...more. He couldn't help but start to figure through its working as he stared.

"How is a living book different from a normal one?"

"How much different a factory robot is from Eos?" The Librarian replied with a question of her own.

"They are living because they are part of those who own them. Not this one, though. It's just an anomaly, a copy of something that shouldn't exist in first place and... a memento of a certain someone's folly." Her voice dragged into almost a whisper as she added, "Thinking that 'saving the world' was possible..."

"Most of the books here were just like this one, a long time ago. They belonged to many individuals and are the last proof of their existence. In a way, I'm as much of a gravekeeper as a librarian."

That was a sobering explanation. Saef's eyes went back to the untold numbers of books once more. Only this time he didn't just see stored knowledge. This time he saw the sum of people's lives. Gravestones that all but held the owner's soul within. You could fit an entire nation into this building. Or a world.

Again, sobering.

"Right, no dropping the books." The mage said as he idly grabbed a cookie from the plate. "What do they let you do? I'm assuming it varies from person to person but there must be some general description you could give. After all, they must have been pretty useful if so many people had them."

"Each had a unique way to express their owner's wishes. Now that they are no more, the Tomes are just registries. Each detailing whatever was most important to whoever owned them. You might find all the tabs of an accountant's life, or a housewife's best recipes as easily as the secrets of a long dead world," she replied. "Again, except for this one. It's a copy of the first Tome ever, produced using the best combination of magic and science. Crafted to be a tool of progress, turned into a weapon of revolution, and finally, spending the rest of its countless days besides its owner, after failing to achieve either of its reasons for existing."

Hmmmm, Saef couldn't help but wonder what such a book would allow him to do. And if what she said about The First Apocrypha was correct maybe he could tinker with his own. Add extra features. No way to know but ask.

"How many pounds of cookies would I need for you to show me how to make one of my own?" He couldn't keep the joking smile off his face.

"Mhmm~" The Librarian let out a long purr. Her eyes narrowed to thin slits about the same time as her lips curled into a genuine Cheshire Cat grin, before she spoke, "I don't know, a DIY Tome kit is rare these days. There's a lot of theory involved, unlike building plastic models," while twirling her tail around.

"You have the potential; if you are willing to spend the time, I can show you how to do it but... I guess that cookies are a bit too cheap for lessons from the Librarian, 'Father of all Modern Tomes', right?"

"Well lucky for us I have a whole cookbook." Come the amused response. "Including an absolutely divine quadruple layer peanut butter and chocolate cake. Just looking at the thing is enough to give the normal man diabetes. And if it helps, just think of this as an apprenticeship. I'd be will into help with any tasks you may have need of me for. When I'm not fulfilling my normal duties of course."

Father? She may not have had a fully developed body but he was pretty sure the person front of him was a female. Come to think of it he only knew her as The Librarian. It would be a bit awkward to keep calling her by her position.

"Sorry, but I don't think I ever got your name."

"Hohoho?" The Librarian looked at him with a curious gaze, almost as if she could read Saef's thoughts at that moment. "Are you having any second guesses now? If you want to know... when your Title is as misdirecting as The Librarian anyone who doesn't know you will assume you are a man by default. I don't suppose that you want to see for yourself, right~?" She teased with a malicious glint in her eyes, like a cat playing with a cornered prey.

"Anyway, you can call me Si, just like anyone else. I have abandoned my true name a long time ago... so long that even I don't recall the last time someone called me like that," Si twirled her tail some more before adding, "I would be happy to be called Teacher as well, if you feel specially pupil-like, someday."

"Maybe one day Si." Came the slightly strained answer. She may have been an eternity or two older than him but he could help but think jailbait when looking at her. "Now then, would you like that cake now or should we set a later date?"

Within Eve's room, the smoldering pile of ashes that made up of where she normally slept sat the female harpy, slowly caressing her neck where she killed herself to escape Hell. Why didn't she get declawed? She didn't know, but as happy as that made her, she still sat scared out of her mind. She felt unclean, unsafe, and violated. The ashes under her kept her a bit more secure, but she was still a bit shaky for the time being.

A soft knock echoed through the silent room. The person on the other side was careful to make it as friendly as one could make a knock

"Eve? It's Saef Harken. I don't know if you remember me but we were in the last battle together. I heard that you got captured and wanted to check up on you. Mind if I come in?"

The knock startled Eve at first, but as she came to realize who it was, she climbed off her bed and fell down to the floor... landing on her butt. Her bed hung in the air so you could fly to it, but with her wings clipped she couldn't fly. At least, she was still in that mentality. She figured her wings would take a bit to fix themselves, but they were good to go.

"Y-yeah! C-come in!" she shouted, trying not to make it sound like she fell.

The door opened and Saef stepped through. He was different from the last time she had seen him. Gone was the shining white armor and gleaming scepter. In its place were casual clothes that looked more like what one might on the streets of Hyperion. Muted tans and whites seemed to be the order of the day. Calming colors.

He momentarily glanced around the room before his gaze settled on the harpy on the floor. The paladin's gaze softened as he did so.

"Hey." He said. "How are you doing?"

She couldn't have made it out of Hell's prisons without a mental scar or two. And as he understood it, Eve was fairly young. Too young to just brush such things off.

"A-alright, considering I relived my worst fears," Eve bluntly said as she stood up from the ground, her wing shooting a flaming feather out of it and spooking her. "GAH!" A pile of ashes along the side of her wall showed that this wasn't the first time it had happened. "... that... that's also happening."

The room itself was quite warm. Fires were lit all over the room in forms of candles and such, seemingly surrounding the harpy in her element. Fires tended to calm her down to a point.

Saef's hand shot out and a small wall of light caught the feather before it could start any new fires. He glanced over at the harpy who had launched it, looking at her aura with his mage's eyes.

" Your stay in Hell changed you. Care to talk about it?"

"I-I guess I can..." Eve stuttered. "Well... from what I remember, I had my wings clipped and I woke up, chained and in a room full of nothing but water... then there was this woman, dressed in all red..." Eve trailed off as she felt something come to her face. Rain? Why was it raining in here? "... she stripped down and... kicked me into the w-water..." again, Eve trailed off and found herself choking on her words. "... I thought I was d-done with all of that. Done with that s-since the day we were freed..."

"#### it." Saef muttered under his breath, one hand clenching so hard it went white. He schooled his features though. This was a time for sympathy. The rage could come later, another atrocity to add to the cold rage in his soul. He moved closer to the battered fighter as symbols assembled in his head. He wasn't a therapist, not by any means of the imagination. But he could at least try to blunt the memory.

"You are done with it." Soft but with a titanium core. "I swear it on my soul."

"You aren't the first to say that..." Eve whispered as she recalled the events. "... after that was done, I found myself in a cell again. Wet. Used. Broken. I was faced with two options... stay there or find a way back..." the harpy found herself trailing off again, not wanting to say how she got out of Hell. It was kind of fitting, when she thought about it. A suicidal harpy doing what she knew best.

He knew how she had gotten back. "But you escaped. You didn't just stay there and let them use you. You are more than some Demon's toy. You took charge of your own fate and acted." He reached for a shoulder, the spell ready. It wasn't a memory wpie or anything of the sort. More of a local anesthetic for the mind. It would drain some of the color and emotion from the memory.

He wouldn't push forward if she drew back. This could hardly be called healing if he forced it on her. And rape victims tended to be a bit touch-shy.

"... it was a bloody escape, but I guess you're right..." Noticing the hand, she stepped back, pulling her shoulder away from Saef. "W-what are you doing...?" She was a bit afraid of the hand. This was a human in Heaven, after all. He could have some serious magic pulled back under that hand.

Not exactly a surprising result to an unwise action. Saef cursed himself for his idiocy as he drew back. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he spoke. "Physical contact is supposed to help sooth people and, well...it's easier to transmit spells that way. I know one, a subset of the healing arts, that blunts memory. If you wish I will do what I can here."

When you make a mistake you own up to it.

A deep sigh came out of Eve's mouth as she stepped forward again. "If this will help me forget, then you may do so as you please."

The hand came forward once more, this time with fingers resting on Eve's forehead. A small effort of will sent the spell flowing through the contact point in a sort of fuzzy rush. It was odd to say the least. The memory in question faded from prominence and intensity. Becoming less like an open wound and more like a months old scar. It wasn't a fix. The memory would still bring pain if dwelt upon for any length of time. Saef just hoped it would help the harpy properly recover faster.

A small "Thank you," was whispered as Eve felt the memory dampen, her more spontaneous and spunky self replacing her depressed state. She was still a bit depressed, but it was more or less an underlying feeling. Another feathers shot out of her wing as Eve was spooked again, leaping around to face the wall where the feather collided and fell into ash. "HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT?!"

Seems the memory dampening was a bit too strong.

It was difficult not to make a birdbrain comment at that. 'Memory removal,' was most certainly not in Saef's list of capabilities. Harpies and general or Eve in particular must posses a certain lack of mental stability for something important to just slip her mind. Whatever the case it would be best to draw her attention away from the more traumatic sections of her past.

"Ever since you recent trip to Hell. My professional opinion is that exposure to the mutative aura there has increased your previous affinity to flames. Launching fire bolts should be just the start. I would urge you to be cautious however. We don't know what else might have been changed. Unknown mutations are nothing to sneeze at."

"Oh yeahhhh... wait, you're saying that these feathers are only the beginning?!" Eve said as she remembered what had been happening for the last few hours. "... I think I'm gonna have fun with this."

The harpy leapt into the air and attempted to fly, managing to stay in the air for a bit longer than anticipated before simply flapping her wings in place, still airborne. "Oh man! Wings aren't busted anymore too! Saef, I'm back to myself!"

That was good to hear. She certainly had bounced by fast. Faster than he was certain was healthy to be honest. Sure magic could heal a flesh wound in moments but injuries to the soul felt like they should take more time and effort to heal.

"I'm glad to hear that. Just remember to be careful. If you have any weird Demon urges please tell me and we can deal with them together. Use this to contact me," He said setting a device down on the nearby couch. It looked like a rectangular piece of glass, although when Saef's hand touched it a blue dot appeared in the center. "Just press the blue dot and the tutorial will run you through how to use it via both audible and visual directions."

"Okay! Thanks for all the help Saef!" Eve flew down to where the device was, lifted it up, and calmly began to analyze it for every feature. "I-Is this unbreakable?" Eve had to ask. When your main method of doing damage came from colliding with an enemy as hard as you can, you'd traditionally not want glass on you. Then again, it'd suck for someone to graze their hand on it.

That brought a chuckle.

"It's certainly sturdy. One would need to be very determined to break it. Or have superpowers. I would suggest against bringing it into battle. That there is entirely technological and it would suck if it was hit with a blast of corruption or a stay bullet.

"Man, you'd think breaking windows would be solved with unbreakable glass by now," Eve said as she pressed the light on the device, a stray feather shooting out yet again, but not scaring her too bad. She definitely jumped a bit, but not to the point where she was defensive. "I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon."

"Well if someone invented unbreakable glass it would kind of kill the war business." Saef replied. "If you are feeling better I'm going to head out. I've been gone from my company for too long and the paperwork is likely to reach lethal levels if not dealt with soon."

With a nod of his head the Captain turned and left the room.

"A common lament." Alexi noted as Wolf spoke of man vs gods. "Even the gods here seem to share that cry."

As her own swordsmanship was questioned, Alexi tilted. "Truly? We are uncertain. We thought we were very good with the blade, but then we died when we came to the Nexus. I alone seem to have come back from death, but still, we were unable to avoid it." Alexi had died once, and never defeated an opponent. If Alexi had known how the Nexus worked and how only champions of their respective factions were revived, she would have been quite confused that she had been revived. But she didn't, so it was simply a mystery accepted calmly like all the other mysteries of the nexus.

"We are not certain I have fought anyone sword to sword since we came here. We clashed against the blade of the Ravenous Flame, but, that was simply a test of strength and speed and magic played out through the blade. We were found wanting with a single strike, and did not have any power left to contest her in skill." Alexi explained her previous defeat.

"If one of you wishes to test the strength of the Knights of Winter, we would be glad to accommodate. Though, by our reckoning, I would be helpless as a babe before the Anti-Magic of Wolf, as our strength and speed rely on magic, or the toxins of Bone Sword. You may have to restrain your power to my level if you wish to see my skill." Alexi rose from her seat, and raised her sword.

@Awesomoman64@Banana



"By the way... I wouldn't be so hasty to make that claim of 'Queen of the Lizards' if I were you. You know very well who the top reptilian is. If there's anyone that can contest these words of your it's her." Zyata's eyes, narrowed, as she concentrated. That.. didn't sound quite right.

"Hang on... I'm pretty sure she said 'Saurians'. And Miss Eclipse Princess is a Snake. I don't remember snakes being part of Saurians. Are you sure?” Zyata pulled out a smart phone from among her gear, long since disconnected from Machina networks, though Eos could probably still spy on it if she really cared what Zyata happened to be doing with the slightest sliver of effort. Zyata pulled up a few years out of data encyclopedia program. It was somewhat relaxing to have something to distract herself from... Focus! She interrupted the errant train of thought.

"Yeah, snakes aren't saurians. Different clades entirely. Wonder what a clade means. I'll check that later. Sure, they're both reptiles, though..” Zyata probably shouldn't have tried to 'correct' someone when she herself required the assistance of a smartphone to reference, especially when that someone was a Vassal. But as stated before, mouth shuting was not among Zyata's skills. "Snakes aren't lizards either, even if that was what she claimed.”

@KoL@Lmpkio

"Toxins? Because I'm a mushroom...?" Bonesword joked, unsheathing his Shroomblade and holding it tightly in his hands. "Well, do you want to test out Alexi's swordsmanship?" he asked Wolf. Bonesword would happily do it, but his powers might weigh the fight unfavorably. Wolf's antimagic would even out the playing field for the two, so if Bonesword had to get involved he could do that and likely level the field with Charlie... where was Charlie anyway?

Oh, there he was. The snake returned to the swordfighters with a large demon head in his mouth. He was busy killing some mooks to help the cause, or maybe he was just hungry. It could be either, in all honesty.

Alright, this was getting too weird. Ruxen’s fur bristled in spiky segments and she could only gawk at Pink’s sheer boldness and lack of shame. She considered kicking her in the face again but that would just spurn on the pink-haired wolf more. Stuck in a stupor, she begrudgingly allowed herself to take it while her discomfort grew with each passing second.

“That’s enough Pink. You’ve had your fill,” came Deva’s voice. A quick look confirmed her eyes were still closed, but her command had been given, much to Ruxen’s relief. If Pink would not stop of her own accord than it was to be expected for Chen to become involved. Neither of them wanted Iona to have to step in so it had better happen quickly for both fronts.

While that tension boiled in Heaven’s throne chambers, a much more literal approach to conflict would be greetings those that entered Valhalla’s veils. For while although Diana and Suparna found themselves alone for now, they would enjoy that luxury no longer, not when the weather began to pick up. Scathing winds kicked up the dust and ice around them until a vortex of snow blinded their vision on all sides.

The clerk had warned of horrors that dwelled in these lands, some who were all too willing to worship the Angel of Death. One could assume only the most ferocious of what the Nexus had to offer were blessed with eternal battle after all. Indeed, like a great maw that rose out from the snow came a lumbering shadow that easily towered over the two girls. They would be unable to see their new adversay until the massive war axe rained down on them like steel rain.

In other places, events were also unfolding, some with varying importance and some of leisure activity. Within Hell, Ira stared long and hard at Khaine before smirking. “Well, you’re not wrong on both of those accounts. Welcome back then fallen knight. It would be wise to prepare yourself for the next battle. Maybe even make a few…friends for your stay down here,” Ira said, smirk maintaining.

And in the Happy Verse, Miyu and Lilian would find the cafe that the glasses girl had mentioned to them before. Among the workers were…well, cats. Cats of the feline variety. There were also a bunch of monster girls and boys also filling out their orders, the scents of food and brewed caffeine wafting close to the library.

---

"What's up? Looks like you have seen a ghost," Diana asked to Suparna as the two of them sped away from the ominous attendant's presence.

It wouldn't take long for them to find their way to Valhalla's wilderness and begin the exploration part of their journey. Suparna needed to build her stamina as well so Diana took the lead, setting a slight hasty pace for their cross-country hike.

"This place is actually really cool, don't you think? Just look at how much stuff we can do around here," Diana said, extending her arms as if to embrace the whole scenery that unfolded before them.

It wasn't until a flash blizzard came upon them that the first actual piece of action of their adventure would begin. In fact, it found them, instead of the contrary.

Diana avoided the steel-cold reception of their... wait, was that an elephant giant? Where did that came from? Well, it didn't matter; now Diana was beginning to get fired up. Yet, she couldn't forget the reason why they were here. Taking a look at her, she checked to see if Suparna was alright before addressing their attacker —supposing that it was polite enough to not keep attacking while she did so. "Hey, I don't know what's your problem, but if you are willing to pick a fight with two girls, I hope you are also looking forward to getting your pachyderm butt kicked!"

"Let's do like I showed you, Suparna. You take the right," Diana said to Suparna right she run to the giant's flank, trying to draw it's attention to herself.

---

Victoire's stay at Hell's bastion was beginning to become downright depressive, thus the vampire noble returned to her own castle of endless, bloody moonlight.

By the time she arrived, the damage it suffered earlier had already been repaired by a legion of loyal servants. Victoire could finally rest at her throne room once more. She sat in solitude, petting a bat that flew to her lap as soon as she arrived while mulling over the events that took place at the Graveyard.

War has changed; and not in a way that pleased Victoire.

"I will get right back at you, Avaritia. Powerful you may be, nevertheless, a woman scorned is a force to be reckoned," she thought out loud in the vastness of her chamber. "That said, Avaritia can wait. There are much more important circumstances to take care of. Beginning with..." With a snap of Victoire's fingers, the whole throne room —no, the castle— got covered in a myriad of Halloween decorations. "This time of the year. I am sure that they will not let it go without celebration. My own subjects deserve a momentary indulgence as well."

"I suppose that I can extend this invitation to the remainder of the rabble. Noblesse Oblige compels me," Victoire said to no one else as she dispatched her familiars to the four corners of Hell, carrying invitations to a unique night of pleasure and festivities at the Blood Countess' castle to all of the major names in the Demon society. She even managed to find a way to deliver a missive to Marianne. After what happened in the Graveyard, this was the least Victoire could do, or so she thought.

After preparations were underway, Victoire got off her throne. For... reasons, she had to search for a certain lazy werewolf.

"My my, now that I think about it. Not being invited is a punishment in and of itself. Is it not, Avaritia? Ahahaha..."

Titanica would ignore the "compliments" regarding her all-natural curves, not like she cared for her bits anyways, but she would be reminded regarding who the real "Vassal of Reptiles" belongs to... why non-other does it belong to the Snake of the World herself. She didn't like her one bit. After all, she did defeat her once before... and it was utterly humiliating. But before she can say anything else though, Zayata would bring in her two cents... the first wondering if the Saurian Vassal knew of a "Person Who All Tigers Draw Upon" before crashing into the water. The Vassal ignored that question, though in truth she doesn't know or quite care.

Then Zayata begins to state how snakes are basically not quite related to dinosaurs, aka "Saurians" and brought out the science to combat Hoho's comment.

Yay... "friends".

Again Titanica doesn't speak anything regarding it, only glaring at the catwoman for a brief moment before turning back to the Alchemist.

"Either way, if you are so eager to brag about being one of us, why is it that you are... you know... you?"

Oh boy, not this shit-speech again. The Vassal's eyes began to glare silently, already in disapproval of where this is going.

"By definition, Vassal is one who serves a Lord, lest we forget. Yet, you are the one only of us that seems to not care for your Master or their whims. If you like to brag so much about being a being 'in a level above others', but has no intention of being a part of us, answer me. What are you here for?"

There was a momentary pause between the three figures. Titanica remained silent for a solid ten seconds, only snorting out the remaining water droplets in her nostrils, before responding bluntly.

"Wouldn't YOU like to know?"

With that, the clothing that covered her prior began to form back on her body as she turned her back on the alchemist.

"Every time I let one of you assholes have a whiff at what I'm doing, literally ANYTHING as long as I am conscious, you all try to force me down. Why take your friends Helena and Iona at that wretched Dungeon for an example... I wanted to be alone while they tried to force me into this stupid little conflict by picking a side... and I was met with a blade of the archangel for my denial of both."

She then looks into Hoho's eyes with rage echoing through her pupils.

"I've woken up early due to a PERSONAL issue," she continues solidly, "An issue I will deal with ALONE. That is all. Once it is done, I will head back to the ocean and sleep as I've always done for millennia. Let me do my thing and I will spare you... but get in my way, and you'll be pulverized."

She turns her head back and begins walking back into the bush, hoping they will respect her thoughts and ideals.