[OOC] Royal Rumble!

[Letter Bee]

Two potential power upgrades for Ascot; they are mutually exclusive:

Gimlé, The Glittering Paradise that Survives Ragnarok - A special power that can only appear should William Ascot succeed in his quest to resurrect Vittorio's friends and family, Gimlé manifests as a single golden ring of power that reflects magical and physical attacks depending on how powerful they are. Basically, when Ascot is struck by a powerful spell or a high-caliber gun, he is not only left unharmed by the attack but the attacker, wherever he is, is struck by damage equal to his attack. The more powerful the attack, the more powerful the damage returned. This can be countered by 1.) Weak but damaging or fatal attacks, 2.) Anti-Magic, 3.) Chemical-based weapons or spells, which do not count as attacks to Gimlé, and 4.) Attacks launched from 50 feet away.

I Will Not Fail Again - A special power that can only appear if William Ascot fails in his quest to resurrect Vittorio's friends and family, I Will Not Fail Again manifests as an automatic curse that afflicts those who go near fifteen to twenty feet of Ascot and have the intention of killing him, harming him, or even just acting with an agenda directly counter to his'. This curse causes equipment to malfunction, weapons to slip out of their users' hands at the crucial moment, or just have the people in Ascot's way fall on sharp objects. Anti-Magic is not affected, neither are people who are immune to abilities that affect their luck, or are given a stronger luck-boosting effect.

New Version:

Share the Load - After easing Vittorio's burdens, those who seek to impede William must take on some of the pain they inflict upon him. Once a day, for one (or two?) hour(s), William may put on the ring Gimle and 50% of any damage received is returned to the sender, splitting it evenly between them. The ring may also be gifted (or stolen) for 10 minutes before it vanishes for the next 24 hours. If the ring is lost or discarded, it vanishes in about 30 seconds.

[Letter Bee]

Sorry for the short post.

[Letter Bee]

Waiting for @CavnderOHeart!

[Letter Bee]

Latest version of Ascot's potential power upgrade at the end of this Story Arc:

Determined Soul Transformation Method - By bringing himself to the border line of life and a hero's death, William Ascot has proclaimed his willingness to sacrifice his life for a cause that is worth it. Once he has returned to the land of the living, Ascot can now turn his body into a ghostly form much like Vittiorio's. As he directly transforms his body into the essence of souls, this is less and more vulnerable than Vittorio's Astral Projection. Less, because it can stay incorporeal and invisible indefinitely, as well as fly, and more, because it cannot shift into a semi-corporeal form; Ascot has to turn back into a full human in order to interact with anything that isn't ghostly.

Anti-Magic, Mana-Absorbing Sticky Foam, and attacks that can harm Spirits can also harm Ascot's ethereal body, and any damage caused by them manifests as burns when Ascot transforms back into a human. And of course, too much damage can kill Ascot permanently, sending him over the border of a heroic demise...

[Letter Bee]

"Alright. I won't get involved. " Vernon had decided to write that second part down on the reciept. Then handed it to William. It just seemed more intelligent that way. it read; In Vernon's hand writing. Sniper`s in position, also. MAy we build a love triangle? HE goes your school. I may have a fetish/kink for Heroes.

@CavnderOHeart

Posting in OOC as this will be only a one-liner: Ascot would thank Vernon, and then tell him that he'll accept polyamory if Cyan is willing and only if Cyan is willing.

[KillamriX88]

Name: Wolfram “Wolf” Koenigsmann
AKA: Crying Wolf, Rusty Knight, Sad Knight, “The Marquis”

Appearance

Age: 17

Grade: Vigilantes

Wolf is the son of a “knight,” or better put, an Arms Master. Thing is, there isn't much use for knights anymore. Not only has the world progressed past men in shining armor, but the ancient evil has been defeated and Wolf's family is riding on the last wave of renown and status his ancestors earned.

For the first fourteen years of his life, Wolf trained in his father's footsteps, but all the while couldn't help but question if he was doing the right thing. In fact, he felt he was probably wasting his time. He wasn't even a power user, what good would learning to fight do him?

Then, one day, things changed for him in a way he could never have expected. As he was simply wandering through the city, he saw a gorgeous girl perhaps a year older. It could be called nothing other than love at first sight. He had never been the most outgoing, but he felt compelled. An almost unnatural drive forced him to speak to her and express that he felt drawn to her.

Her name was Vera.

Perhaps more unusual was that she on the spot dumped her current boyfriend and said that she would date him. And, from that day forward, she was almost always with him – making his life absolutely miserable. She was controlling, insulting, needy, and aloof. She rarely showed him affection, often only enough to reel him back in for more abuse.

However, that same compulsion drives him to suffer through and stay with her. It was shortly after, at the pinnacle of his growing depression that it happened: his powers awakened. He had already begun high school, and so rather than look at a transfer to St. Laurels, he found his way to the Vigilantes, finding they quite appealed to him.

As a person, he is exceedingly polite and always wants to be helpful. Generally speaking, no matter how terrible of a day he's had, he'll go out of his way to be nice to people. While he won't often start a conversation, he isn't exactly shy. For the most part, his most negative trait is that he's a bit pessimistic... though this mostly started after he began his relationship with Vera. He also has a pretty terrible sense of humor, and many jokes will go over his head, and just in general he takes things rather literally. That said, he at least has enough common sense to not come across as an idiot even if he isn't exactly a genius.

Powers:
Core - Dark Embrace:
When deep in the throes of his most negative emotions, his powers manifest as a suit of armor that reflects how he feels. So far, he knows of two forms:

1. Impenetrable Sorrow:

Leftmost Armor

The first appears when he feels emotions that reflect sadness. This armor, in a word, is heavy. It is a massive suit of black, plated armor with a fully sealed visor. It is well insulated and little can penetrate it. Even light has trouble reaching him, which can make it a bit hard for him to see at times. It is, however, oddly vulnerable to cold.

Aside from its absurd protective qualities, it can temporarily emit a sort of gravitational field, slowing anything within five feet, with the effect growing stronger with proximity, but rapidly falling off farther away. This effect only manifests if his emotions are strong enough.

That said, he is not immune to the weight of his own armor, making him slow as well. However, the longer he wears it, the more he “adapts” and the easier it becomes to move and his offensive capabilities while wearing it increase. The only downside is that once he adapts too much, the armor and gravity field begin to weaken. Also, no matter how much he adapts, he will always be slower than normal.

2. Destructive Rage:

But Spikier

This one is rarely used, as he does not easily provoke to anger. Or perhaps he's just too smothered by depression to feel “hotter” emotions. This is a light suit of armor covered in spikes. Those who are touched by the spikes feel a burning pain. If someone should get past the armor and injure him, the armor will quickly grow more spikes where he was hurt. He can purge the spikes in a short-ranged area attack. After a short time, the default spikes will regrow.

The suit also grants him a sort of momentum. If his rage can be maintained, his strength and fury will build and build making him more vicious and dangerous... until he completely burns out and loses all ability to use any of his powers for a time. It is impossible to avoid this effect, as either his rage fades along with the armor, or he reaches his burnout.

That said, if he can survive the burnout, he can usually proceed activate "Impenetrable Sorrow" at maximum power.

First – Black Armory:
He also has learned to summon weaponry forged from his emotions. The weapons do not require emotions as strong, but do get stronger as his emotions do. If he is consumed by one emotion, it will dictate his weapon choice, but on occasion he can manipulate what he calls upon, but it is very difficult to switch from one to another.

1. Smothering Sadness: A trident and net combo, based on his sadness. The net grows heavier with his sorrow and the trident gains a paralytic effect at peak levels.

Trident

2. Violent Fury: a war-hammer with a pick. The angrier he is, the lighter it feels in his hand, allowing him to swing it harder and faster with little effort.

Smashing

3. Peon's Bane: A flamberge (serrated long sword) born when he feels strong contempt for his opponent. Strikes from it cause intense pain to and sap the strength of the target of his feelings, but the sword can barely even bruise anyone else.

That's gonna sting

4. Coward's Isolation: When feelings of terror overtake him, he manifests a war bow. When his fear begins to grip him more strongly, the arrows it fires begin to gain a weak homing effect that can even hurt the normally intangible.

Second – Consumed by Agony:

Run

Only ever experiencing it once, it manifested as black and crimson armor and a pure, black blade. The armor was ornate, but the sword simple. He felt a witness to his own actions. In the depths of sheer despair where his own heart saw fit to cease beating under the weight of his pain, it came forth. It was terrifying – but not for him.

Though it wasn't directed at her, it was the one time Vera apologized.

Third – ???:

Other:
He has his own, personal but totally mundane equipment. A pair of bracers, a simple, steel sword, and a small, wrist-mounted buckler.

Theme

Relationships:

Vera Goh

Appearance

Wolf's girlfriend. She is from a well-off family of merchants, mostly dealing in high-end machinery. She thinks the world of... herself. It's unclear what, if anything, she actually see's in Wolf. It's also unknown whether or not she has powers, or if her relationship with Wolf is purely arbitrary and coincidental. She has a very bad temper and a a bit of a crude demeanor, the worst of which is often directed at Wolf. That said, she can be downright composed and professional with others when need be, a trait learned from her family.

Aside from that, in general she is a bit eccentric and rebellious, often distancing herself from her family unless she wants something from them. Some may speculate that she uses Wolf as a distraction or escape from her home life.

She has, on rare occasion, been known to take Wolf's side if someone else sees fit to take her place and attempt to put Wolf down. Apparently she likes to reserve this right for herself. How, erm, romantic?

Meredith:
Wolf - "Our fathers were comrades in arms, so we've known each other for years!"
Vera - *glare*
Wolf - "V-Vera?"
Vera - *glaring intensifies*

Thobias:
Wolf - "Seems like an OK person. It's a shame he seems to be squandering his good fortune in favor of having fun."
Vera - "Prick."

Kath & Christine:
Vera - "Dumb and dumber."
Wolf - "They seem like good people. It doesn't look like they've let their wealth corrupt them. Is Christine really OK at Mephisto's? And that guy she's with... well I really shouldn't talk."
Vera - "Excuse me?"
Wolf - "N-n-nothing!"

Bak:
Wolf - "Wh-what-"
Vera - "-the hell?"

Brutus:
Wolf - "It's hard to talk to him. Neither of us are talkative people, really. Wish he'd open up."
Vera - *inhale* "Boooooooorriiiiiiiing!"

Aram:
Wolf - "We both like helping people. I think we'd get along pretty well... if Vera would stop being mean to him. I'm pretty sure they hate each other."
Vera - "So easy to make him squirm."

Michael:
Wolf - "I feel like life has really gotten him down. I can relate. I wish I could help, but I don't know how to help with something like that."
Vera - "I like his paintings."
Wolf - "Vera, be ni-. . . wait, what?"

Lise:
Wolf - "She seems-"
Vera - "She's literally a princess. A sheltered little princess. Holy shit I can't even..."
Wolf - "Uhh... O-OK..."

---

Justification for his power set:
Yes, he has a lot, but he can only use one of each at a time, and can't easily (if at all) switch between them. Also, if his emotions get manipulated, it can totally screw him over mid-fight.

Be gentle.

(Note: Vera would be the least rich rich person in this RP so far. Just fyi.)

[Scarifar]

Yo @Dezuel, the barrier was already long gone. Just so you know.

[AtomicNut]

Um, you people are still accepting newcomers, yes? Here's an insidious one.

ITS A TRAP

Hider

Name:

Celestine Lightbringer aka "The Fallen One" or "Lightbringer."

Age:

18

Grade:

Already Graduated, so not applicable. Masquerades as 3rd Grader in Mephisto's School for the Wickedly Inclined.

Biography:

Celestine was never a normal child. He grew up quicker than most, and no sooner had begun to talk, it didn't take much more to learn how to read. Some people suspect he started to read before he talked, but he has not dismissed not confirmed the rumour. His parents, seeing the mental acumen of the child, were overjoyed, and despite not being that much effluent, sent him to St Laurel's Academy of excellence. It was probably a little more than they could afford, but they didn't mind. Celestine was happy and he steamrolled through the lessons at the academy, becoming one of the top students of the class among many prodigies.

And then, hell was set upon him. For no matter how virtuous a school is, there is always darker shades on them. Every school has its share of bullying, and Celestine was a prime target. He didn't hit puberty as he should have like the rest of the people. He was excessively effeminate. A fact he was remembered upon by his bullies constantly. He cracked under the pressure, and his grades plummetted. His bullies grew bolder. Up until the day they forced him to wear clothes and tied him in the girl's dressing room. The bullies were arrested, the scandal silenced, and Celestine's family compensated, but the wounds in his soul remained. Celestine became jaded, cynical and cruel, and from that point on, he shut down his heart and did away with his upstanding morality.

Still, dropping out of School was not an option, and there were not many palatable choices after being a dropout of St Louis. This is when
a man called Mephisto made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. He would get his grades and diploma with just a few tests, no questions asked. He would warn him that he would recall the favour at any time, though. Celestine accepted the shade deal - who wouldn't in his case, and entered university at the tender age of 15. He became a doctor in record time, thanks to her mental acuity, and was a full fledged graduate by age 18. University also mended some of his wounds and boosted his ego. People were much more understanding of his appearance, and some of his fellow colleagues dared him in a drunken bet to cross-dress once again to master his fears. He didn't look half bad in girl clothes, he concluded. Probably better than boy ones.

And then... Mephisto's School for the Wickedly Inclined rang. There was some sort of project he could use some help with. When Celestine heard what it was about, he laughed with glee.

Finally a chance for payback.

Powers:

• Core Power: Eidetic Memory Celestine has the ability of perfect recall. He remembers everything she has ever seen, read, heard or witnessed without any need of memorization. This endows him with superb mental acumen and a disturbingly fast ability to learn new things quickly.
• 1st Power-Mimicry:Lightbringer only needs to see a manual skill once to perfectly replicate it. This means that fighting moves and techniques will be stolen rather quickly. He can't obviously, steal the superhuman or otherworldly abilities of other fighters, but this also allows him to develop counters quicker than anyone else when exposed to new attacks.
• 2nd-Power-Sense of Whole: By drawing on his knowledge and inner control techniques, Celestine can even control the bodyparts a human cannot usually control, endowing him with abilities that stretch the superhuman, such as heightened senses and reflexes, the ability to shunt the bloodflow on wounds, redirect the oxygen on his body, purge his brain of any kind of control and interference and hold his farts in public.
• 3rd-Power-Laplace's demon: Celestine achieves a state of higher thought where all paths and possibilities are present before him. He thus can tailor his actions to give him the most favourable outcome. This kind of prescience is limited to only what information his senses can give, and attacks outside his perception might get through. He can only see a few seconds in the future, and using this ability taxes him greatly and can put him in danger of dying, but is strong to defeat superhuman reflexes, luck affecting skills and even other kinds of clairvoyance. Practically no one knows about this ability.

Relationships:

TBD, but has resentment towards St Louis students. Rather loyal to Mephisto's School for obvious reasons.

---

[AtomicNut]

Big gal

Hider

Name:

Meredith Blackgate

Age:

16

Grade:

St Laurel's 1st Year.

Biography:

Meredith was born as a half-demon sacrifice in order to achieve a grand plan of opening a big portal to Hell. It didn't work. Mommy was a nasty succubus who had tricked father into having a fling with her, and raised Meredith as cattle. She did not even have a name back then. But there was one big flaw on the entire plan. Father was to be a man of powerful attributes, and when he caught wind of what was happening, he foiled the demon's plans and rescued the until then unknown and unwanted child.

While initially Meredith was as vicious and as bitter as a wild animal, the care and presence of other humans and having a loving father substantially mellowed her out. Also the fact that her otherwise demonic woman had been tamed by his father into becoming an actual mother did help a lot. No longer she was a snarling little half-demon, but became a rather gentle and happy-go-lucky soul who was always eager to share her things and make new friends. (Probably because of fear of being a lone half-demon again). Her half demonic inheritage also meant that her skill as power user was great, and his father, a known hero of several victories against demons, enrolled her in St. Laurel's, since it was the place where she would reach the most of her potential.

Since then, she has tried her best to help her fellow students, even if sometimes feels like her powers might outstay her welcome in the institution... She is extremely fond of food, and a hearty eater. She eats for five people, allegedly.

Powers:

Core Power:Demonic Heart: Meredith houses a particularly powerful demonic magic within herself. She has an unusual amount of raw demonic power for a half-demon or a demon, and she is able to shoot it in raw magic blasts or dissipate projectiles with counter blasts (both uses are extremely inefficient). The demonic energies also imbue her body and make her pretty strong, fast and durable, able to survive and heal wounds that don't affect her brain or heart.

• 1st Power- Shape of the Damned: Meredith can manifest her demonic traits, such as wings and a rather wiggly tail. It also enables her to fly quite proficiently (but it is quite ridiculous with all the bouncing).
  2nd Power-Demonic Glyphs: The ill gained art of her own mother, she knows how to employ demonic runes proficiently. To maximize the effect, they have to be drawn in blood, preferably that of a half-demon or a maiden. Given she is both (for now), she often uses her own blood. These runes have a variety of effects such as burning black flames, summoning small dog-sized imps, or more importantly, enchanting places or weapons and healing and purifying aswell.
  3rd Power-Empress of the Night.Being a powerful half-succubus, she can enter people's dreams and keep them in an asleep state while she can control the dream with nigh-godlike powers based in the character's worst fears. The target must be asleep and she has to have intimate touch with them. Of course, targets are able to be woken up, albeit it is harder to do so than normal (but still causing physical pain to the victim will cancel out this power). This ability also plunders the lifeforce of a target while it is trapped, and empowers Meredith, just like the succubi of legend.

Relationships:

She likes everyone. She doesn't really judge. Except perhaps Galbrek.

[Letter Bee]

I have decided not to submit this character idea, but will be preserving it for posterity.

Snow Sound

Name:

Snow Sound

Age:

14

Grade:

High School Freshman Year at another school entirely; child prodigy. Independent.

Biography:

Snow did not come from a divine bloodline, or a family of overachievers, nor did he have a special heritage. He may have been born a genius, but that was spontenously, a genetic accident that did not owe itself to a glorious past. And he was content with that, content with watching those with 'special' traits enter into various conflicts over points of personal and philosophical matters. Then, he was visited in his dreams by the Goddess of Truth and the God of Heroic Guile. They told him - or rather, the Goddess of Truth did - that the superpowered people of this day and age were resorting to brute force more often, and forgetting how to think. There were exceptions, but the art of Heroic Guile was being forgotten and he had to stop it.

Why did the Goddess of Truth want Snow to do something that required a lot of lying? Well, it's because she likes seeing Guile Heroes in action; it's a personal taste. Either way, Snow had to restore the art of intelligent heroism to the world, or superpowered youth society would collapse into brute-forcing each other. Snow refused; he contended that brute force and combat had a vital role in the functioning of superpowered society, and that while intelligence counted as well, someone had to do the grunt work. He further pressed his argument by saying that one can be both intelligent and strong at the same time, and that being a Guile Hero did not mean losing all ability to fight. So in response, the Goddess of Truth and the God of Heroic Guile gave him the power to fight and think at the same time, charging him to make the superpowered fighters of Rhea 'think harder' and be 'more intelligent'.

Powers:

Core Power - Primordial Truth: Snow can always tell whether someone is lying or not; this works on omissions, metaphorical truths, or turns of phrase. This is because his power is keyed to another person's desire to deceive, meaning that one has to think they are telling the truth in order to get one over on him. Not merely that, but this ability allows him to see through all illusions and mental effects meant to decieve; this is not a perfect defense, as brute-forcing him with a mental compulsion still works if Snow's willpower cannot deflect it.

First Power - Mana Burn: Snow can launch bolts of silvery-white light from his hands that do not physically harm the enemy (unless they're made of Magic); the bolts instead consume their Mana reserves. This slowly weakens the enemy's ability to use their magical powers and blessings, until they are either unable to use magic entirely or collapse from exhaustion caused by lack of magical energy.

Second Power: Speed of Thought - Snow can turn his body into a ghostly form much like Vittiorio's, only it works by turning himself into information, not astral matter. As he directly transforms his body into the essence of knowledge, this is less and more vulnerable than Vittorio's Astral Projection. Less, because it can stay incorporeal and invisible indefinitely, as well as fly, and more, because it cannot shift into a semi-corporeal form; Snow has to turn back into a full human in order to interact with anything that isn't ghostly.

And nor can Snow cast spells while incorporeal, or phase inside people and turn corporeal while still in them. Anti-Magic, Mana-Absorbing Sticky Foam, and attacks that can harm intangible beings can also harm Snow's ethereal body, and any damage caused by them manifests as burns when Snow transfers back into a human. And of course, too much damage can kill Snow permanently.

Third Power - Fusion Dance: A third power that requires the second one in order to function, Snow can 'fuse' with another person to become one being, gaining access to the memories and knowledge held by said other person. The latter, in turn, gains access to upgraded versions of Mana Burn and Speed of Thought; the former now inflicts physical as well as magical damage and the latter now allows one to be semi-incorporeal like Vittorio can be in order to attack; note that this also makes one vulnerable to being attacked, also like Vittorio's. The main drawback is that Snow can only fuse with people who give him permission to combine with them; on the plus side, this permission gets around Anti-Magic or Un-alterable forms and powers that prevent fusion.

Relationships:

No existing relationships yet.

[KillamriX88]

So Atomic and I talked, and decided that there was a link between Wolf and Meredith's families. This is a story I dreamed up stemming from that. Hopefully he, and the rest of you, enjoy it!

---

Romance Awaits...?

In a forest outside the great city of Rhea, two men were meeting. Both were in armor, with one of average stature and one decidedly not.

"I'm glad you called me, my friend. My sword was beginning to accrue rust. Retirement is surprisingly dull," the more average of the two spoke.

"You're late, Guntram" the other, nearly three times the first's size, responded gruffly.

"I assure you, Victor, I am ten minutes early," the first insisted. "I know how important this is to you." All he got back was a throaty grunt before the big man turned and began stomping deeper into the trees, a huge slab of metal, supposedly a sword, resting unsheathed on his well-armored shoulder. Apparently he was impatient this day. "Your armor looks a bit tight on you. Gained weight have we?"

Another half-grunt-half-growl.

"Ah, so just more muscle then..." Guntram rolled his eyes. Some things never changed, like the stone the man must have been carved from.

A feeling of unease grew as they proceeded. Their teeth seemed to buzz and the air tasted of metal. The more this feeling grew, the more Victor's thunderous pace increased. Soon, Guntram had to nearly jog to keep up with the mountain of a man's massive strides. At that pace, it didn't take much longer to reach their destination.

It was at the base of a smaller mountain; a cave set into the cliffs. The stone seemed to list away from them, allowing the trees room to grow almost right up to the cliff-side. There was no need to explore the cave before them just yet, as their target swayed out to meet them. A... provocatively dressed woman greeted them. No, not woman -- demon. Succubus.

"Ah, Victor, it's been too long," she ignored Guntram in the big man's favor.

"Not long enough for your sake." He let his sword fall from his shoulder to strike the ground, creating a tremor they could all feel shoot up their legs. "You'd have been better off not seeing me ever again. You knew who I was when you started this. I'm a fool for being tricked by you, but you're the far greater one for crossing me!"

Guntram raised an eyebrow. Victor was unusually talkative today. The demon truly had struck a nerve.

"Such cruel words! Do you not remember our time together... fondly?" The demon took a step back. It seemed she indeed knew exactly who, and what, she'd angered.

"No." Victor was icy in his resolved.

"Well then... in that case...!" The woman's arms shot out, and two glyphs burned to life on the nearby trees, one to each side of them. With a crack of crimson thunder, the trees exploded as portals opened. Wretched, lanky monstrosities crawled free. Over six feet tall and with razor-sharp claws. Ants before Victor, but Guntram wasn't blessed with such prodigious size.

Two of the seven beasts that had come forth rushed the smaller man. In a flash, Guntram's sword was pulled free and across the first's throat before it even knew what was happening. The next clawed with it's disturbingly long arms, but Guntram evaded and sliced through it's shoulder, dropping the arm limp. He was then behind it, severing the tendons in its knee next. The monster fell to it's good knee, but still twisted and reached with animal-like viciousness.

This time, Guntram simply relieved it of the limb before pulling his sword back and force-feeding it to the beast, ending its struggles.

No more had come for him, so they must have been ganging up on Victor. Of course, Guntram needn't have worried. One had been cleaved from head to waist, another impaled to the ground, but effectively cut in half by the giant sword. Even without his weapon, Victor hadn't slowed. The next two had simply been smashed by his steel-clad fists. The final was already trapped, his massive hand wrapped around its skull. It clawed futilely at the man's armor before its head was crushed like a ripe grape, leaving its limp, twitching body to drop to the forest floor.

Victor had donned his helm, leaving him a faceless, blood-spattered titan of death before the demoness.

"Bring. Her. To. Me," he commanded. The succubus's face had gone pale and she fled into the cavern. Honestly, Guntram wouldn't have blamed her if she'd never returned, but she did. She fell to her knees, a wailing child in her hands. She lifted the crying toddler high, an offering that she hoped would let her life be spared.

Victor took a step forward, but stopped. He looked down at his gauntlets, still dripping the blood of hell's creatures. He turned his head back at Guntram.

"Always so clean, Guntram." He clenched his fists, letting them drop to his sides. "Please..."

"Oh..." Guntram gathered his wits, caught off guard by the sudden request. He was seeing something quite new from the man that day. He hurried over and scooped up the child. She was big despite her age and she flailed like a fish out of water. "Definitely your child, Victor. She can't be more than three, but already my arms grow tired!" He grinned. "What do you say? A fine friend for Wolfram, eh?" He had never needed to don his own helmet, so he had to rapidly pull his head back as the child suddenly clawed at him. "Oh dear..."

"Perhaps when she has... calmed." Victor shook his head.

"So... I am free to go then, yes? You have your child, unharmed, and all is forgiven?" The succubus nodded frantically.

"No." The succubus shrunk back at Victor's answer. "A child... should have a mother."

"You can't be serious!" Guntram and the demoness spoke in dumbstruck unison at the suggestion.

"Don't be ridiculous! If I can't have my way, then I want nothing to do with that half-breed!" The succubus's true feelings bled through despite knowing better.

"A shame." Victor trod over to his sword, tearing it free from earth and hellspawn. "Guntram... how shall I explain to my daughter that her mother died in childbirth? Is there a good way to broach such topics?" He looked solemnly down at the blade, considering what he must do next...

"I... um... we-" Guntram swallowed hard, but then something caught his eye. He sighed tiredly when he saw the demoness hastily scrawling a glyph into the dirt. "Really? Is that a good idea?" He stepped over. The succubus's head snapped up, eyes wide with guilt at being caught. "Say he does raise the child alone... what do you think he'll teach her to do?"

". . .fight?" the demoness guessed.

"And?"

"K-kill... demons..." Her pupils shrunk to pinpoints. A demon-blooded demon killer. Terrifyingly effective, nigh unstoppable -- and traceable back to her. All of hell would be out for her blood!

"Cover the girl's eyes, Guntram." Victor had steeled himself it seemed.

"GAH!" The succubus screeched in alarm. She'd gotten distracted! Her glyph wasn't ready yet! She was screwed either way, though. Running was just a delay of the inevitable, but if she stayed, she was dead now! Guntram just looked down at her with a smug, knowing smile.

Unless... she... Well shit.

"M-m-motherhood! Such a wonderful thing!" The succubus laughed hysterically in terror as Victor turned back her way, hands clutched over her ample chest. "I-I've always wondered what it must be like! Such a rare opportunity!"

Victor lifted the visor on his helmet and looked at Guntram, "Oh... Good. Then the child shall have two parents." He then stroked his chin, a clanking noise as his gauntlets met his helmet, "My friend... should... I also prepare for a wedding?"

Guntram's jaw dropped. The man truly was an all-or-nothing kind of person. It seemed he really would bring the succubus home with him, "Let's, umm, let's just return home and discuss our options, shall we?"

. . .Twelve Years Later. . .

"And that's how it happened!" Meredith grinned.

"I... I... Um..."

"What the fu-"

The End

[Scarifar]

@Letter Bee, now that I read through everything, did Michael even meet with William? I've only drawn Body Arts on Alexander, right?

[Letter Bee]

@Letter Bee, now that I read through everything, did Michael even meet with William? I've only drawn Body Arts on Alexander, right?

@Scarifar

He did; close to the beginning of the game, right? And William copied Michael's Body Art from when he used it on himself to lift up a few pieces of rubble; it was during the Mephisto's investigation case.

[Scarifar]

<Snipped quote by Scarifar>

He did; close to the beginning of the game, right? And William copied Michael's Body Art from when he used it on himself to lift up a few pieces of rubble; it was during the Mephisto's investigation case.

@Letter Bee

Oh yeah, the copycat ability. Forgot he had that.

[Letter Bee]

@RoflsMazoy@Dezuel@Bartimaeus@Crowvette@KillamriX88:

Edited my IC post!

[Scarifar]

(deleted)

[Letter Bee]

@Crowvette@Bartimaeus@Dezuel@AtomicNut

Remind me to wait for you guys!

[RoflsMazoy]

Update is up. The Demoness will begin by attacking the three faction leaders currently on the roof by casting fire pillars. As people enter the scene, she'll split another clone off for each group and begin attacking them with fire pillars

[6slyboy6]

@RoflsMazoy What a one trick pony! We sure this is an actual greater demon and not just some wannabe?

[AtomicNut]

A snippet about Celestine

The Greatest Trick

"You know, I still remember how your voice trembled with emotion when you first told me the tale, father." The figure besides the hospital bed started his tirade, his deft hands rubbing the hand of the one laying tenderly. Moonlight seeped intermitently throught the window curtains, who swung back and forth allowing a gentle breeze to come in. It made those who were in the room forget for a brief second the smell of death and infirmity.

Beep. The various monitoring devices answered instead of the man broke the silence. He seemed sleeping. Of a dream he could not wake. Of a dream he would not ever wake. No matter how much the son caressed the father. No matter how warm it still felt to the skin. It was just borrowed time.

"That you, in a casino, performed a trick many one would envy. You snatched the heart of Angeline Watkins, the glorious Angel of the Stage, and made her consider other things in life that were not...ballet." The young man leaned in, his face centimeters away from his own progenitor. Still dressed in scrubs and a coat. "And then you outperformed yourself, and the both of you...made me." He said, his voice a bit shaky at times.

"Those were fun times. I always liked the both of you. Especially mother. Oh, how much I boasted I wanted to be a ballet star like she was, and dance her graceful dances." The man known as Celestine Lightbringer leaned back, memories flooding in to his mind. "And how, each time she would tell me that I would be doing the boy's dances instead. I still remember it clearly."

"Like I always do." He added after a few seconds. "Like when, given my body, my own classmates caught me imitating mother, and all hell broke loose. The incident. Thanks to my gift...I remember it all. The fear. The hopelessness. The pain. The... hatred."

He moved once again forward. "But we pulled through, somehow. I changed my ballet shoes for the scalpel, in an attempt to decipher why me, what kind of conditions had led to me becoming like this. I wish you could open your eyes and see me now, Father. I am a fully fledged doctor." He paused. "One that could not save you, but still a doctor. It's still sad, but I think that something could have been done. Even thought everything tells me that we cannot. You see, no matter how much of a healing power or immaterial skill people has...the spark that animated this body of yours was long gone by the time they could do anything."

He paused. "Was it worth trying to embezzle with your card tricks the wrong people, just to buy mother's a gift worth of a princess? You ...sometimes could be really foolish, father." The young man added. "She knows... I've asked her to come. But she doesn't want to see what you've become. She wants to remember you whole, bumbling and happy." Celestine sighed, as he stood up.

"Such a pity. Once again, the great Lucius Lightbringer will perform his..." The young man paused, as he swallowed, hesitating. Emotions welled up on his eyes. But his pulse and will once again became firm. "his..greatest trick. Tonight, only before the eyes of his only son...Lucius will disappear. Forever..." He ended, as the machine's signal drowned everything out.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

And silence reigned for a second.

The nurses and doctors rushed back in. He eyed them. Apathetic stares mostly, only a couple of them showing genuine sympathy. "Thank you for letting me do this in person." Celestine said in a muted voice. "Now...give me...a moment." He added, tears struggling to get out as he exited the room, and sent a curt message to his other still living parent.

IT IS DONE

Rage whirled inside him, as sadness was drowned out. The world full of blessings, but also full of darkness. If that thug didn't have superpowers, his father might as well have lived. If the society had not been so elitist, his own case of bullying might have seen justice.
But such was the way of the world.

You said me once, father, that the greatest trick of the Devil was letting the world believe it doesn't exist. Well then father... I shall do the opposite. I will make people believe that the Devil himself will come to exact his toll on this rotten world. So that they might fear what they now abuse wantomly.

He dried his tears with a napkin, as a second phone number rang. He answered immediately.

"Lightbringer here, Mister M."