[IC] Liseranna Academy For The Magically Gifted [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

[BlackPanther]

@GrafRoy Zeppeli

Cupido Morningstar

Cupido sighs and turns the paper around. Internally scolding himself for not doing that in the first place. He looks through the names then gets bumped. His wings snaps out pushing student away from him with slight force...to them feeling like they just got hit by a large swan. With enough breathing room he straightens his vest and his 6 foot tall self moves through the crowd with a look that was causing many to give him space. He then stops, a small smile erupting on his face when he spots Juliann with a sign around her neck. He strides over to her and shakes his head.

"Darling, why the sign? You could have just asked me to come over and I could have helped" he shakes his head. His eyes glow somewhat and what appears to be a black and white newspaper boy standing on a box appears next to her. "Extra! Extra! Teacher here to help Read all about it! Extra! Extra!" Cupido looks back to her and tilts his head. "Since I am waiting for Joulie, Victarian, Veraand and Meruin to find me...Would you mind if I stand over here darling?" He doesn't really interact with the other teachers, so he was curious of her reaction, especially since he just created an illusion next to her....it was a rather simple one for him, people could pass right through the newspaper boy holding his newspaper and shouting. However, he could never really gauge other's reactions.

Then again he did just toss all caution to the wind once again and can't help but not care too much. His pink eyes seeming to withhold any true emotions he feels, his wings tucking neatly and his hands slipping into his pants' pockets. If she told him off he would simply leave and let her go back to having a sign around her neck. If anything, he was saving her the embarrassment at the moment. Heck she should thank him a bit. How nice is he today, helping this poor woman with a sign....must be his good mood.

[Roleplayer001]

A Divine Week, Days 3-8

Iravis remembered an adventure, time in the forest with an old friend.

When Iravis woke up in the morning to arms tightly wrapped around herself, the Phoenix made her first priority tossing Lyssa out of the room with divine might. The goddess attended the morning classes, a little irritated that the hellion would take advantage of her drunken state.

Next time Lyssa showed up to the room, Iravis informed the pouting demon that she wasn't comfortable being touched so much, and the hellion surpsingly backed off. A lot.

For the next few days, the Phoenix would only see Lyssa sporadically. Something simply was wrong. The demon even came home with a bandage covering her wrist one night, which was very confusing ...

That didn't mean Lyssa fell off the face of the Earth. A trip to dinner, treating them to desert, and several attempts to teach the Goddess the magical 'Laptop' happened with varying degrees of success. And of course, Lyssa's half-hearted attempts at nightly cuddles once the Goddess bought more pillows.

Which had come as somewhat of a surprise. Five days after coming to school, Iravis had decreed at a merchant named 'Bed, Bath, & Beyond' that she demanded tribute of five pillows. When they asked if she wanted to put that on credit the Phoenix returned a confused glare.

Apparently, the school had decided paying monetary tribute to their resident goddess as a whole was an easier and more equitable than having their local diety wonder from store to store demanding random items from merchants lucky enough to be graced with her divine presence.

The tribute totaled five thousand a month, labeled 'Pocket Money'. Iravis was glad it was labeled that because the measly allowance was not worthy of her grace. The only condition on it was that the Phoenix wasn't allowed to leave the Closet without permission from the director himself.

She was told of an old friends arrival by someone someone she had run into, visited the the Library and ran into the Runed One and Sir Wick, and even had a tournament held in her honor.

Aside from that, the Phoenix practiced flying with new intensity. It was an infuriatingly slow process, but it was the only way to improve. When she met Sorcha, she wanted to be at the top of her game to teach that upstart dragon to stop being such a grouch. And maybe to go hunting together like they used to.

She continued to attend class and talk to Sir Wick and Mr. Alistar afterwards, trying to learn something more about this world she found herself in.

---

Iravis and Tancred finally arrived outside the metropolis. After raiding heathens around the countryside, Tancred had decided to arrive to aid in the siege of Antioch. Right now, the pair stood over a hill, viewing the Crusading camp.

"A state of despair before our eyes?" Before the Phoenix was the picture of poverty. The camps were filthy, supplies were low, and it was quite obvious by the burial ground nearby that some had died to due fighting between the besieged and the besiegers along with more natural causes.

"A test from God, souls sent to the holy ghost." Tancred responded, steadfast in his faith.
"Infedels sent shrieking straight to hell?" Iravis stated, hopeful that the armies intended to liberate her homeland were succeeding.

For now, the warrior to her right hadn't realized what the Phoenix really was, but he was fairly sure she wasn't normal. A blessing from god perhaps, the red hair representing the fire of Christ. The Southern Italian spoke with some anger. "Many more martyrs than hellbound, I believe." The pair turned their steeds and forces to the camp, rejoicing at the arrival of the rising warrior and his riders.

When they arrived in camp, Tancred of Hautville asked the leaders why they hadn't taken the city by storm yet. The Phoenix waited outside, wondering why they had failed so far. The Crusader returned, fury in his eyes.

"They say Antioch 'is so well fortified that it need not fear attack by machinery nor the assault of man, even if all mankind came together against it.' I asked what they had done so far. They have blocked the Dog's gate against a sortie, and have built Malregard," the nobleman gestured to a pitiful fortress of earth, "in order to establish a more permanent siege. I told them they were cowards, hesitant to die in the name of the lord."

Iravis always had to stop herself from laughing at this man. He took his faith very seriously, even insistent that the army bring as few mages as possible because God himself would grant victory to Christ's army, and crush the infidels.

Tancred's passionate fire was still ... inspiring though.

The way the Hautevillian fought ... the Goddess thought that perhaps he was right. Taking on ten enemies with only a single retainer was not a challenge for this well seasoned fighter, moving faster and striking harder than most mortals could managed. She wondered.

That night the camp decided to celebrate the arrival of a rising legend and his reinforcements. Iravis danced with Tancred again as the musicians' fingers bled. The Goddess convinced him later that night to hold off his assault until victory was certain, stating that patience was a virtue of the Bible, and the Heavens rewarded those who waited.

It would be months until they took the city, but that was time spent with a strong man. As the Phoenix's eyes opened, she saw that the hellion was still asleep, arms wrapped around one of the newly bought pillows, with only a few fingers on the Goddesses thigh as the girl still tried for some form of physical contact.

Those were a well purchased investment ... at least she's not holding me down. After the demon woke up, the pair headed off to hear their hint.

References

In this part I'm referring to the Siege of Antioch during the first crusade. The Guardman is named Firouz, and Bohemond later became the Prince of Antioch.

Malregard is the name of the fortress the crusaders built outside the city during the siege.

Tancredis of house Hauteville.

[TheHangedMan]

~Meruin Hazy~

1 Week Later

@RabidAnubis & @Rune_Alchemist

Meruin traced the glossy surface of the bow with a single, delicate finger. Even someone such as her, who had no use or interest in the art of the bow, had to admit that it was truly a thing of beauty. It was almost enough to make her want to reconsider giving it to Iravis.

Almost.

A pure silver bow wider than her entire wingspan, with a simple sleek design that accentuated the beautiful carvings of the forest along its surface. It hummed with a silent power, and was glowing with a faint white sheen of power. From her magic awareness, she could tell the spirits of nature in a wide radius were going wild. It was no surprise; an object like this, so sacred and revered of one of the most prominent goddesses of nature would undoubtedly arouse their excitement.

The small mage nearly giggled. With this, not only had she proven - to no one but herself really - that she was truly a genius, but she was also now one step closer to gathering all the necessary components for her experimental ritual. She really had to thank Iravis - and Lyssa too, now that she thought about it - thanks to her, she had proven one theory of hers correct, and had also managed to gain valuable data for future use. Really, the amount of useful information she had obtained from this one venture alone was almost equal in worth to the blood she was going to be getting from Iravis. Almost equal, anyway.

Then there was the quiver. Much, much easier to obtain than the bow, though undeniably just as interesting. For one, it never seemed to run out of arrows, and there was always one ready when she called out for it.

"Ugh," Meruin choked back a wave of nausea. Her body had yet to completely recover for the moment, and probably would not for a few months. She couldn't even ask Rollanda to heal her for this; even if she did, the price she paid to summon the spirits necessary to call upon the bow would simply exact itself on her once again. Not that she minded terribly - it was the price she had agreed to. She was at least ready to sacrifice this much.

Another wave hit her and this time Meruin could do little to hold it back. Lifting her hands to her mouth on reflex, Meruin began coughing violently. Drawing her hand back, she saw her arm coated in dark red liquid.

"Uuuuurgh," releasing a low moan, the small mage took a vial out from her cabinet filled with a dull yellow liquid and downed it in one gulp.

After she gave the bow and quiver to Iravis and got her blood, she was definitely sleeping for the next few days.

So Meruin began dragging herself out of her room, looking for the flame-headed firebird. She had to stop several times to stop the bleeding coming from her eyes, ears and lungs, but somehow, she made it to the classrooms. Hopefully Iravis was here for her lessons, because Meruin was getting irritated from her vision seeing double at this point.

Despite her less-than ideal state of health, there was something Meruin did notice. When Meruin passed by the cafeteria, the bow slung over her back seemed to resonate in some way. How strange . . .

[DELETED7282737]

Sometime during timeskip

Another day, another beating.

Arata sighed as he massaged his left shoulder, the phantom pain still lingering even though the wound itself had disappeared. Juliann really didn't know how to hold back, huh? Well, it was valuable combat experience regardless. At this point, he could probably almost track one of her sword swings...even if 'tracking' was essentially just noticing it an instant before it cleaved through his head. He was becoming more and more familiar with the route to Rollanda's clinic, but it was a bit of a shame that the good doctor wasn't capable of restoring food that had been spilled out of his stomach whenever Juliann cleaved through his guts.

Still hungering for something to eat, now that his stomach had been freshly emptied, the oni stomped past the dorms, towards the cafeteria. On the way, however, a familiar face was caught, and with an easy smile, the oni shouted, "Heyo, Shino-chan! Found your food yet?"

"Nyha nyha nyha."

Shino laughed lightly as she moved over the fence she was sitting on. She was lightly crouched as her fury white tail trailed behind her once she moved.

"If it isn't Arara-han. Shino greets you on very clear evening."

She sat down on one of the poles of the fence and folded one leg over the other. Her eyes twitched about picking up quite a lot of sounds on this wonderful evening. Lots of small animals and other predators were moving about. She even saw a giant moth walk past her at some point. She wondered what the thing all had to eat just to survive. Animals like her would probably be the answer. Just about the right size to swallow in one piece.

"Shino gets food from lot of humans. Shino let them pat head in return nya. Very poor deal for Shino but Shino has to survive nya."

Shino looked blankly at him as she tilted her head in question.

"Arara-han is hunting?"

"Eh, a nekomata that doesn't like head pats? Sounds like a win-win from my point of view, at least," Arata replied, cocking an eyebrow at Shino. It didn't sit too well that she was basically selling her body for food from a variety of strangers but he supposed it could be viewed as 'work'.

"Yeah, you can say that. Though I finally got some money from work, so it's more like me buying shit instead of hunting shit. Who knew that junk food from the past would be considered a luxury nowadays though...it's just fish on rice..."

He thought for a moment, before snapping his fingers.

"Oh, right, if you want, I could introduce you to my boss. It's just a food delivery service, but you get free meals if you work four hour shifts."

"Sometimes humans very violent, you need to handle Shino with care like this nya."

Shino gently rubbed her own two hands over her head and ears, softly brushing over them which made her ears lower as she went over them. Shino was very cautioness about this and only let others pat her when she was ready for it. If they only touched her ears she would be frightend.

"See? nya"

Shino dropped both her hands onto the fence again and slowly whiped around the fence a little in boredom.

"Shit..."

Shino pondered by raising a finger to her chin as she tilted her head but didn't talk any further. She didn't have to repeat the swear word a thousand times like human children did. Arata continued about how he had started a job.

"Hmm? Shino doesn't know why humans use money nya. Money gets food but is difficult to get. Shino saw human with money at food machine but Shino couldn't get money nya. Arara-han has money for Shino if Shino works nya? Shino will work for food and money then."

"Well, more like my boss has food if you work," Arata admitted, "But yeah, I'll talk to him about you next time I see him, and hopefully he still needs more hands."

Honestly, he couldn't understand what the big deal was with nekomatas and their ears. All things considered, weren't they just larger, softer ears? Maybe he was just an insensitive brute, but the oni didn't see why it mattered that much. Then again, his own past as a little oni boy was filled with roughhousing with his older brothers, so perhaps he really was just weird.

"And those food machines are awful. You're better off going into actual restaurants. Was that what you've been eating the whole time?"

Shino gave a brief nod at the oni.

"Shino needs food so food fine too nya."

Shino's ears instinctively twitched about to pick up as much noises as she could to hear if there was anything like food nearby. Nothing untill now but bugs so she might be better off not wasting that much enemy on them.

"Food is food, food machine has lot of food that taste very sweet nya. Shino likes sweet food nya."

Shino gave another brief nod and tilted her head again as to why Arata asked her. Restaurants were very expensive so it was hard to get in when you didn't even have money to spend food on.

"Sweet food? What a childish taste."

Then again, after yesterday's hellfire laceration of his tongue, sweet food might not actually be too bad. He had money for food, after all, and he didn't particularly need anything else when it came to daily essentials.

"Well then, wanna go to a proper desserts shop? Haven't found any of those 'traditional Japanese sweets' shops yet, but there was this 'frozen yogurt' place that I stumbled upon recently."

Of course, he had no idea what yogurt was, nor why it was frozen, but eh, culinary adventures and life-threatening battles was what made an oni's heart beat.

"What do you think Shino is nya? Don't tall people like sweet taste nya? Only coffee and mandarin? Shino feels sorry for you Arara-han"

Shino gave a slight sad look and lightly patted the shoulder of Arata from her seat for feeling sorry for him.

"Shino hopes she doesn't grow up then, if Shino is only able to live of mandarin Shino's world will collapse like sand mountain nya."

Arata came up with a great idea for a little adventure for sweets but Shino hadn't heard from yoghurt yet.

"Is yokurt something like mandarin? Shino doesn't like sour or too bitter food you know nya. Where is this desert shop you are talking about? And is it not closed at dark nya?"

Shino pushed herself of the fence and landed next to Arata with a light tud. Her tail slowly moved around as she stretched her back. She looked back up at Arata almost needing to bend her neck 90 degrees and made a soft curious sound for what he was about to say to her.

Arata laughed at Shino's overdone pity and ignorance. Definitely not a youkai who only chose to maintain a childish form then. "It's not that late at night. Just follow me, Shino-chan," he replied, walking off to the small city, "And I haven't eaten it yet, but it smelled sweet, so hey, adventure time!"

Arata had started leading the way and Shino almost immediatly followed the taller oni. She had difficulties keeping up with the pace of the oni since in every step he took she had to take two. Luckily she had a lot of stamina and wasn't such a lazy house kitten like the rest of them. Just as that was being said Shino had caught onto something. A firefly was flying astray and had taken the attention of Shino. Once it went past her nose her auto following system seemed to break down and followed another path. That of the bug. Shino simply walked behind the bug and sometimes tried catching it with her hands. She had been completely hypnotized by the thing and had completely forgotten about Arata.

As soon as she catched the bug she shook her head a little. She patiently looked around her and had completely lost track of what she was doing again. Shino tilted her head out of confusion and opened her hand again letting the bug fly away again.

Partway through, Arata noticed that the two quick steps that echoed his own had disappeared, fading away into something a little more irregular. Turning around and whistling to catch her attention, the oni said, "You know, if you're bored of walking, I can just carry you."

Probably would prevent her from getting separated whenever she sees anything shining dot in the night as well.

Shino definitly heard Arata's loud whistle with the giant ears of her and reactivily turned his way. She realised that she had been following Arata up till now and probably lost track halfway. Her attention spam wasn't all to great and especially when she didn't have to pay any attention it would cause disaster.

"Shino can walk herself, Shino never follows other people so Shino thinks it is hard and something new to Shino nya."

Just as she said that the same firefly flew past her, she pawed at it but immediatly shook her head again and looked away from Arata.

"Arara-han didn't see that."

Shino continued walking again with or without Arata knowing he would catch up anyway.

"I can res-"

Arata snorted, stifling his laughter as Shino swatted at the firefly that she had relinquished moments before. He could respect her outlaw ways, never following others and striving onwards, seeking her own path, but at the same time...

"See what? All I see is you going right, when you should be going left."

With that quip, he strolled onwards, this time walking beside the nekomata. It's good that she rebelled against the idea of being a follower, at least, even if it was a little more difficult to guide her from the side.

Eventually, after a few more detours, the odd pair made it to Menchies, a colorful, bright little spot that featured self-serve ice cream and a variety of extra condiments, from skittles to canned fruits to chocolate syrup. With the lack of customers and the moon shining high in the night sky, it was fairly obvious that the store was closing soon, but, well, the cashier couldn't exactly turn away paying customers even if said customers arrived five minutes before his shift was done, could he?

Pushing open the glass door, Arata flourished needlessly, and said, "Here we go, Shino-chan. Don't eat too much though. I need to eat too."

When Arata began laughing a red blush appeared on her face. She was being made fun off, she couldn't react to something like this and with a red face like this it was better not to react to it anyway. She made a small hmpf sound and turned her face the other way like she was mad... just a little.

"Shino goes the way she wants nya. Shino can handle on her own."

Arata began walking on the side of her so she wouldn't get lost so easily and Arata could react to it if it were to happen.

They arrived at the store rather quickly like no time had passed by. They opened the glass doors as a bell ringed above their heads just like the one on her tail letting the seller know there were customers. Shino stopped and looked up at the bell for a moment. She had been surprised by the thing but continued onwards towards the counter.

She watched the seller patiently and stared at him with an agape mouth like she had never seen such a creature before. Shino averted her gaze towards the icecream and looked over the names. The ice looked all the same but diffrent colors so that would mean diffrent flavours she blindly quessed.

Shino had to decide which flavours she wanted. Shino took a blind quess and took something that looked sweet. She asked the seller if she could get Lemon and he happily got it for her in a cup with a small spoon. He asked if she wanted whipped cream on top and she quietly nodded. Shino took the icecream from the man and waited for Arata before she started eating.

Taking a cup for himself and using his nose as a guide, Arata sniffed around until he finally found a machine that held the aroma he was hungry for. Though the scribblings above it didn't hold any meaning to him, there were also pictures of juicy plums, tantalizing enough that he pulled down the lever and filled his whole cup up with the pinkish dessert. After that, it was simply a matter of adding a scoop of every available condiment, and voila, dinner was served.

His wallet was emptied as well, but the oni could be satisfied with that.

Sitting down on one of the aluminum chairs near the windows, Arata appreciated the fact that Shino waited for him to get settled down before eating, and said, "Welp, haven't done this in some time, but...itadakimasu~"

It wasn't a contest, but after the first scoop, he was eating with wild abandon and calculated ferocity regardless. Ice cream was delicious, and brain freeze was but another challenge to take on.

Arata sat down on the opposite side of her with his own night snack in front of him. He soon began eating and Shino figured she should do so herself. She used the spoon to scoop up the whipped cream but soon found out it was not as handy as she might have thinked it would be. She placed the spoon with whipped cream into her mouth and immediately swallowed it. The sensation was so good it made her make a few small sounds of delight. Shino dropped the spoon onto the table and instead picked up the cup and licked the whipped cream off the ice cream. It soon grew colder and she figured that the ice cream was about the same idea as a cookie. Shino readied her teeth and bit into the ice cream with her sharp canines. Her eyes widened as she pulled her head back and let the cup drop neatly onto the table. She couldn't talk with half a mouth full but the ice cream was to cold to swallow. She moved the ice cream from one side to the other of her mouth and covered both her cheeks with her hands. It hurted, a whole bunch. Tears welled up in her eyes as the ice cream slowly melted away in her mouth. As soon as she could swallow she did. A saddened look was displayed on her face. Her tongue hurted from the cold. She didn't realise she would be eating something so cold.

"Arara-whan, I down't wike wice weam so muwch."

Her tongue was partly sticking out as she talked to heat it up a little again. Shino bended over lightly and blew some of her breath on the ice cream so it would melt faster. Then maybe she was able to eat it. She looked like a small child playing with her breath in the snow.

In record time, Arata finished his own cup, going out of his way to lick any sprinkles that still remained inside it up. The headache that pulsed on his forehead was a mighty, brutal one, as if he was having a hangover after a night of drinking and partying, but that pain too, must have been part of the experience of eating ice cream.

Of course, now that he knew of it, it looked fairly obvious that Shino didn't enjoy the sweet pain quite as much. Offering her a napkin, he suggested, "Maybe you eat it a little bit at a time? Don't think this is something you eat all at once...though I did that anyways...so...uh..."

He crossed his arms, deciding to switch the topic.

"Well, you're a student here now? Or what?"

Shino carefully took the napkin but wondered for what he gave it to her. She titled her head as her eyes told that she didn't get it why he gave it to her. Her face was full of leftover whipped cream but she clearly hadn't discovered that yet. Shino still wiped the whipped cream off of her face by pure luck. Arata had already finished his ice cream, didn't he have the same problem. Shino only became more confused, someone couldn't just eat this thing without dying. Shino pouted a little but did as he told her too. She took the spoon again and took a small bit of the ice cream stuffing it in her mouth. The feeling kept the same but it wasn't as brutal now. Shino still didn't like it however and patiently waited for it to melt.

"Shino will serve a master soon and help master with lot's of various tasks and gets paid with huge food nya."

She widened her arms to show Arata how big the food was gonna be and returned to blowing at the ice cream. Once it was molten a little she would put her lips at the edge of the cup and drink it a little. The taste was the same but it didn't hurt any more now. She managed to smile a little as she continued drinking.

"Oh?" Arata grinned teasingly. "I thought you didn't follow other people? Wouldn't serving a master mean that you did just that, Shino-chan?"

Shino froze, this hadn't be considered. She hadn't realised that it would mean to be following someone. Shino was quiet, very quiet and didn't even try to look at him. She knew he had won from her, this fight at least.

Shino punched her hand onto his face and looked away from him with both her hand between her lap. She looked rather pissed off at the moment.

"Shut up nya..."

Ah, did he go too far? Looked like the aloof nekomata didn't have as thick of a skin as he thought. He rubbed the back of his neck, her quick blow barely noticed, before the oni said, "Ahaha...sorry about that, Shino-chan. I suppose I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Were you looking for a relationship similar to that of a samurai and his shogun, not that of a master and his servant? "

Shino didn't have to be so mad at him, he treated her ice cream and only made the wrong comment on what she had said earlier. She looked up a little more as he apologised and regretted it a little that she had punched him in the face and got made at him in the first place. Her emotions went back to her usual self again as she shook her head.

"N-no, Arara-han doesn't need to be sorry. Shino act immature nya. Shino doesn't like to follow other people around but still needs to learn many things from other people nya."

Arata was right, she wanted something like a teacher student thing where she could learn from the very best to enhance her own skills.

"Well, looks like we both have things to get better at, eh?" The oni scratched his chin, temporarily falling into silence. After a bit, he spoke up once more, crumpling the paper cup into a small ball. "...Do you have anyone in mind? As a master and all that?"

"School said that they would find a master for Shino but Shino didn't hear anything yet nya. Shino also didn't meet many humans yet."

Shino stood up and walked over towards one of the trashbins were she trew the paper cup in. She then proceeded to wait for Arata to do the same so they could walk out at the same time through the glass door again. Shino stretched herself once more outside standing on the top of her toes with her hand stretched up into the air and then looked back at the oni.

"Does Arara-han need a master too nya?"

As Shino began to head to the door, Arata tossed his own paper-cup-ball-thing into the trash. Perhaps with a little too much strength, when the plastic trash can almost toppled over as a result. Heading out alongside the nekomata, the oni breathed in the cold air, stretching his arms above his head. A comforting crick could be heard from his spine, and the night air tasted a little better, now that he wasn't quite as hungry. The ice cream didn't fill him up as much as he had expected it to, but at the same time, he was feeling rather energetic too.

Looked like he wouldn't be needing much sleep tonight.

Turning to face Shino, he cocked his head upwards in thought. "Hm...well, I don't know how that whole contracting thing works, but I did find a really cool human as a sparring partner. She's a teacher at the school, which is weird, cause she's not much of a traditional mage at all...but hm, she's way stronger than me, so she probably wouldn't take either of us for a familiar, huh?"

"You know if there's any way to advertise yourself as a familiar, Shino-chan?"

"Shino doesn't know how if it's possible to do that nya. Shino thinks she is already being advertized by the school but maybe people don't need much familiars."

Shino looked down at the ground for a moment but looked back up at Arata again with her ussual lazy look on her face. Shino angled her head at him.

"Hey, hey Arara-han, what do we do now. I never been to the city at night nya. Is there food machines here too just like school nya? Shino didn't eat dinner yet and yokurt wasn't enough for Shino. Or, or bugs, are there bugs here? Shino can eat bugs nya."

"Maybe they just don't know how amazing we'll be as familiars," Arata shot back confidently. Arching an eyebrow at how Shino also wasn't exactly full, the oni made a prayer, checked his wallet once more, and began heading in another direction.

"I'm practically broke now, but there's this 'cup noodle' thing that's pretty cheap. Should be a food m- ah, there!"

Across the street, a dusty vending machine sat by an antique pay phone. Arata selected a few coins, slotted them in, and pressed a random button. Within, he could smell the steam and the dehydrated powders as unseen machinations prepared a lonely, artificial meal.

"You know of the Magus Games? It's a tournament and all, but you need a team. So if you want...how about we pair up, kill a bunch of other familiars, show off our superiority, and get all those masters begging to make us their familiars?"

Of course, Arata was more interested in the carnage and all, but seeing how he was the older youkai here, he should be a good role model and help Shino out. After all, she was pitiful enough that she ate bugs. When she was a nekomata. Who should have moved on to eating mice and rats by now.

Shino gave a small nod at the older youkai as her stomache violently growled. In fact she hadn't eaten properly for a few days now. It was always a tiny snack or a bit of bread that she got from the street.

"Shino will surprise them and they'll want Shino for sure."

Shino smiled a little and looked a little more confident then before, although her kuudere expresion never faded. Arata was talking about a food machine close by that would make and heat their dinner. Ideal woman to be married with. Arata pressed a few buttons but it went too fast for Shino to keep track off. Then a hot cup of insta noodle appeared on the spot. Shino was amazed by the technology that excisted in this world. She never imagined something like this would be at random on the streets.

Shino grabbed the hot cup of noodles with both hands and carefully moved it over to a small little platform she could put it on. She carefully removed the lid and started blowing to cool it down. She wasn't too fond of hot food either. Arata continued with his conversation as she kept blowing and ocasionally talking to him.

"Shino can join Arara-han's team nya? Shino would be glad to help Arara-han. Shino wants more food though in trade for helping Arara-han."

Shino took the cup and noticed it wasn't as hot anymore. With both hands she drank the noodles in one go. It was good food to fill the stomache but eating it every day would be bad.

"Shino almost full now. But Shino knows nya."

She turned her head over towards a nearby group of pidgeons. She had been chasing these damn things from the start that she could go around and hunt things on the island but never managed to fully aquire one. She would always barely scratch it. But with her hunger for more food she knew that this was the time. Without saying anything else to Arata her foccus lied on the group of pidgeons only. She carefully snook up to them and striked when she couldn't get any closer. With both her hands she tackled the thing down and her sharp fangs immediatly went for the neck of the beast. The bird immediatly stopped moving as blood dripped out of the wound Shino made. With a blunt look she walked back to Arata with the bird hanging by one of his wings to her mouth as she mumbled to him.

"Shino caught something for Arata to give in return nya."

There was a bit of blood on her face and mixed into her white bangs. Her shirt managed to stay clean. She placed the bird onto both her hands and raised it towards Arata's face.

Arata laughed at the nekomata's cheeky assumption. How cute, that she thought she'd be helping him, and not the other way around, but then again, that sort of confidence in her abilities was what he liked to see out of young kiddos. Accepting her pigeon with a bow, the oni graciously placed his hands together and said, "Itadakimasu."

With that, he tore the pigeon in half with his hands, its internal organs and congealed blood splattering on the ground. Placing one half into his mouth and swallowing it whole, the oni savoured the taste of warm, wet flesh, before offering the other half to Shino.

"Let this be our covenant of blood then, Shino-chan! And let us show these arrogant mages the true strength of the children of Izanami-no-mikoto!"

Shino was abosultly sure that his must have been the strongest youkai she had ever met. She hadn't see anyone that could rip a pigeon in half just as simple as that. She herself had to pull the wing off with help of her feet. He gave her half the bird, Shino graciously took it from him and simply started by pulling out the feathers and pealed out the left over organs with her finger nails.

Arata called out some ritual kind of thing and Shino followed by saying the same thing but a tad diffrent.

"Izananani no nikoto!"

She raised the bird into the air and moved it back over to her mouth again. She took the first bite and had to pull with her teeth and a lot of force for the flesh to come loose. She chewed it well and gulped down with a pleased look on her face.

She made a friend today.

[Zombehs]

First Out the Gates

So an Onmyouji, Runes, a Dragon, and Possessed walk into a store...

He could hear the grumbles of discontent around him, but Runik didn't pay them too much mind. While he could sympathize with the loss of their precious break for the Headmaster's shenanigans, he had spent the last two hours buried in yet another Neutra tome at the library. A change of pace was welcome, even if it came with the Headmaster’s presence.

A deep breath crushed any irritation that bubbled at the Headmaster’s voice and he tapped a foot slowly as he filtered the important bits. His expression twitched at the prospect of international travel, but it was not the immediate concern. He could figure out how he would arrive at his destination after he knew where it actually was. It was the Headmaster after all and Runik didn’t doubt the man’s words when it came to the difficulty of their tasks.

It seemed like he very well should have though. Naturally he went to the hints first and any expectations of difficulty quickly disappeared. Those hints were very specific after all, and he wasn’t unfamiliar with Japanese mythology. With the three hints in mind as he read through the message, Runik’s grin turned practically predatory. The target was clear as daylight since there was only one item the message could have referred to after all. Certainly it had been easy to determine what his objective was, but locating it and actually obtaining it was an entirely different task.

If he recalled correctly, and a quick check with his phone confirmed he did, the object might have very well been destroyed nearly a thousand years ago. If it had not, then it was likely under heavy guard in one of three locations and he had frankly no idea which of the three held the object he wanted. The moment he chose to test one, and it proved to be wrong, the security at the remaining two would no doubt reinforce and prepare themselves. All that was ignoring the possibility that none of the three held the authentic piece. In which case...

The prospect was daunting enough that he didn't focus on it for long, and it seemed that while he had been in thought the Headmaster had finished with the rest of his speech. Runik hadn’t caught everything, but two hours and next week stood out well enough. ‘Let’s get to it then.’ He pocketed the slip of paper carefully, took a deep breath, and felt mana race through his circuits, lighting them up.

There was a certain Amatsuhara Atara he had to touch bases with and see if he couldn’t obtain the other student’s assistance with all this. The onmyouji must have had greater knowledge about the workings of Japan’s spiritual side, not to say anything about what connections the Eraser’s boss may have had.

Even without the knowledge of whoever might have had the same objective as him, Runik spared a glance at the gathered crowd of students. A pair of red horns and brilliant white wings caught his attention for a moment, as they earnt their bearer a small circle of space, but he didn't let his eyes linger for too long. He had someone to try and recruit after all, and oh boy, it probably wouldn't be easy.

Atara, boss of the Erasers and occasional exorcist, was among the crowds too. He looked at his own assignment and smirked. Well, wasn't the director a darling?

This was going to be easy.

He stuffed the paper away in his pocket and turned around. He had two free hours now, what should he do? Perhaps go eat something?

Still, he stopped right on his tracks as he came across a familiar face.

He smiled, "Yo, kuso jarou. Issashiburi ja nai ka?" He greeted Runik in Japanese.

Damn, Atara's face was punchable, especially when he smiled. Probably a bit of bias still left over from last week's attempt on his life, but Runik ignored it without too much difficulty.

"Speak in English jackass, and save the Japanese for when we're in Japan." He didn't understand most of what was said, but words like kuso were understandable even if the Eraser's tone didn't convey his meanings clear enough.

"But hopefully you've got the same mission. Put aside our differences for now and work together?"

"I will. And I am not too averse of you, shithead." He said with a smile. "So, yes, I'm willing to put up with you for this mission. As long as you don't destroy fucking everything again, we might just work well together."

A retort died before it had even fully formed, and Runik simply quirked an eyebrow at Atara. "You're the subject matter expert here, but beyond that I don't think either of us stand a chance at an frontal raid on any of the Shrines. You do have an idea of which Shrine it's held at correct?"

He turned away from Atara for a moment and looked out over the crowds that had only begun to disperse. "Don't suppose any of your pals could point out whoever has the same objective as us?"

"One could look into their pockets and see what they are hiding. If another Pythones catches him, he might as well be done for, though. I think we shouldn't rush with that. In due time we'll see who also has to get that mirror."

He walked past Runik and started heading for the mall, where one of his mates could help him arrange a teleport for Japan even if the director had prohibited teleports at this time. He didn't really say he had, but Atara knew he could have done that anyway.

"Also, if you think that everything google says is correct, you are gonna have a hard time, dude. We'll need to look for it in every shrine of Ise. The actual location of it is unknown at the time. At least you've got me to point you in the right direction."

"De, hajaku, kuso Runiku. We are leaving at once."

"Huh, and I thought you would have approved of such tactics Eraser-san." Rollanda as an excuse that everything would be fine was probably not something he should get used to. The amount of notoriety such actions would have given him wasn't something he want to walk around with either.

Above the crowd, too high for regular eyes to see, lances of ice had begun to form. Each was large enough to pin a student in place like a bug, and the speed they would have fell at would almost guarantee such a result. Yet they did not fall, but crumbled away quickly. Small bits of frost shimmered against the sunlight as the wind caught them.

With a shrug, he turned to follow after his "teammate" and left the students to mill about. "I suppose that acts as the clarification I was after, so thanks dude. Want me to call you Eraser-sensei?" For all the sarcasm that his words might have implied, his tone was casual and even.

He didn't need to be told to hurry up either, and easily kept pace with the other 6th year.

"Call me that one more time and I'll have gashadokuro eat your insides." He said, though he let out a hearty laugh after that.

"Just Atara is cool. Calling me that in the middle of battle might end up badly for you."

"Hopefully it goes as well as last time," Runik quipped easily. "How are they anyway? Nothing permanent I hope?"

"It is permanent, actually. I specialize in exorcising spirits, before sealing them inside..." Atara reached for something inside his shirt, before pulling out what seemed to be a magatama "this. After that, I can call on them at will." He explained.

It was only for a moment, but Sorcha saw something in the air, far above in the air. Lances of ice. She only noticed them since she was perched atop the highest point in the school, casually observing the students. The dragon had really no intentions of joining, to start with, but the more she thought about it, the better an idea it sounded.

For one, it could gain her quite a bit of notoriety, which was why she was currently here at Liseranna. Not only that, she could potentially find a master as well. Most students were still milling about, trying to find someone with the same target as them. A few though, were setting out by themselves already, before the two hour prep time was even over with.

Well, someone was confident.

So the dragon left her perch, and headed right for a pair of students that was currently leaving. It took the dragon only moments to get to them.

“Most students would want a larger team and a bit or preparation before they left." She mused, a small smile on her lips as she landed in front of the pair. "Confidence or arrogance?” She asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. She’d find out soon enough.

“I am Sorcha, Radiant King of the Heavens. Perhaps you've already heard of my arrival here. If possible I would like to accompany you on your little adventure of yours since I believe our objectives are the same.”

'Oh, well shit.' While Runik still didn't regret what had happened that night, he hoped Atara had not been too close to any of the ones that fell. From what it sounded like the spirits came and went, replaced as they served their purpose or otherwise fell in combat. He didn't get to say anything before a rather abrupt interruption forced him to a halt.

His eyes narrowed slightly against the gusts of wind each flap of her wings caused, and Runik wondered what Atara thought of this newest development with a glance. It was technically the other student's show and he was along for the ride and maybe to provide a bit of firepower if necessary.

For now he simply addressed the dragon that had decided to approach the two. "Wandering Tempest of the North, what an honor." It wasn't quite the overwhelming pressure that the Headmaster exerted whenever something annoyed the prick, but there was a weight to the dragoness. One that he wasn't about to simply brush off.

Atara remained unaffected through the whole show of the dragon girl. He shrugged.

"A western dragon. I always wanted to see one since that time with the Ryuu-jin." Unimpressed by the 'Radiant King Of Heavens', the onmyouji walked past her.

"More firepower is always cool, but you should redirect that same question at yourself. Is is arrogance or confidence that guides you?" Atara said to Sorcha. "If you two don't hurry, I'm gonna leave you behind. I don't have all day to be checking every single shrine in Ise, you know?"

Not that his teammate felt the same way apparently. Runik quirked an eyebrow at Atara's response, but he was the Eraser's leader so the arrogance, pride, or whatever it was wasn't wholly unexpected. His attention shifted back to the dragon for her reaction, but he followed after the onmyouji without any hesitation.

Hopefully she wasn't offended, but hopefully Atara wasn't planning to fuck him over somewhere down the line as well. Which was to say Runik wasn't actually all that hopeful. Maybe it wouldn't be during this specific portion of the Games, but in all likelihood they would eventually clash.

Well.

The first one seemed to at least show her some proper respect. He even knew one of her other title. Curious. Perhaps word had been spread about her already.

The second one though…

She frowned, narrowing her eyes at his back as he walked away. Arrogant? Her? She was a dragon. Being arrogant came with the territory, in her opinion. Once upon a time she had perhaps learned what it meant to be humble, but she had long since given that notion up.

“Hmph. I am a dragon. Arrogance is in our very nature.” She growled. She quickly moved, strong wings creating more gusts of wind as she placed herself right in front of Atara.

“As is the urge to destroy everything that stands in our way or disrespects us, human.” She hadn’t yet drawn her glaive, but it was clear she was angry, or at least insulted at Atara’s behavior. “I am offering my help to you, human. Most would jump at the chance to have a powerful dragon on their side.”

"Most." The Eraser responded. "Not me, however. Having faced Lowe before, a dragon might as well be a pup. Don't misunderstand, you look powerful. Arrogant may come in the pack with western dragons, but eastern ones tend to be more humble, and still be really powerful."

He explained, stopping just centimeters before Sorcha.

"A barking dog almost always does nothing but bark. A quiet and confident person certainly imposes more than going on and on about your power." He seemed to speak from experience.

A slight sigh escaped Runik's lips as he was forced to hold onto his cap at the strong winds from each flap of Sorcha's wings. They were already some ways away from most of the other students, but the dragoness was hardly subtle and he did not like the attention they had begun to draw.

"Atara? Just keep walking please?" Motioning with his hand for the onmyouji to get out of the way, Runik took a deep breath before he met her red eyes. "Most are also milling about and trying to figure out where they're supposed to go," he pointed out with a jab at the crowd of students at his back.

"While neither of us doubt your power, even if Atara's a bit of an ass about it, that may very well be the opposite of what this task requires from us. Unless you can agree to follow commands, and work with us, your presence could very well be a hinderance."

A…barking dog?! Was that what he had just called her?!

Her wings flapped in annoyance as her tail slammed the ground. Such an insult from a human would not be tolerated.

“Listen here, human. I fought alongside King Arthur. Slayed both powerful gods and demons who have dared to insult me.” Electricity danced across her glaive, which was still safely undrawn for now.

“You should be kneeling before me, peasant.” She almost smote the man on the spot, and likely would have if Runik hadn’t managed to get her attention. He was right, of course, even she knew that.

With an annoyed grunt, she backed off of the man, fixing Runik with a cool, though not harsh gaze.

“Follow commands? The fact that you think you can command me alone is laughable.” She harrumphed. “However, working with you is not something I am against. I am the one who am asking to accompany you after all. I ask you simply show me proper respect.”

Runik's hand trembled at the overwhelming urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration and annoyance. Resisting it though, he instead waved for Atara to continue on his way and not rise up to the dragoness' boasts. The two of them could go compare figurative dick sizes when he wasn't involved and it didn't affect him.

Thankfully his words seemed to turn her aside from starting a fight right then and there. An eyebrow climbed before he sighed and shook his head slowly. "Killed him once, and I still get treated like this by him. He also happens to be the more knowledgeable about this specific subject though, so we will be acting as his subordinates for the moment. If that does not sit well with you Sorcha, then..." He gestured towards the many other students that had only now began to scatter from the stage.

This Atara sounded like an entirely unpleasant person. She had to wonder why Runik was even considering him as a partner, but she didn’t press it for now. However, despite him completely being insufferable, she took a bit of an interest in Runik.

Calm, composed for the most part, and didn’t seem to be put off by her presence. Perhaps it’d be an interesting idea to see where this went for now.

“Hmph. One such as him usually lacks confidence in other areas, but very well. I can tolerate his presence.”

Was it relief or resignation that caused Runik's shoulders to slump slightly? He tipped his head towards the dragoness and murmured, "Can't see this ending well otherwise." Now he didn't just have to worry about whatever plans Atara had in store for him, but also making sure his two "teammates" didn't tear each other apart. Ideally he'd only have to mother over them until the object was actually retrieved, but the onmyouji didn't seem like a fool...

Whatever the future held for the group, it didn't take too long for the three to arrive just outside the massive mall that most of the populace frequented. Ignoring the slight grumble that the various aromas in the air elicited since they would be in Japan soon enough, unless Atara pulled the rug out right now, Runik turned to the other student expectantly.

"Ah, the mall. This place has excellent food." Sorcha commented upon arrival. In her brief week here, this so far had been her favorite place for that simple reason. "We have enough time to buy something, do we not? Something to take with us? I am feeling a bit hungry."

Of course, she was always a bit hungry but they'd find that out later.

"You can have something here, or get a taste of Japan's food in a bit."

"Why not both?" She asked, apparently completely serious.

Atara raised an eyebrow, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, go get something. We'll meet in front of a Japanese fashion shop. There are kimonos, err, robes, and whatnot in display. Hard to miss actually." Atara explained, while shooing Sorcha away with his hand.

She wasn’t too amused with Atara’s behavior. How dare he insult her intelligence! He may not have been too wrong in assuming she didn’t know what a Kimono was, but that was rude of him to suggest that.

She gave him a frown, but the prospect of food distracted her from doing anything just yet.

So the dragon left, intending to get some of that delicious food.

---

In the meanwhile, in the mall, the small figure of Charlotte was kind of just looking at thing. Truthfully, she had already given up on the whole thing.

She was no good with riddles, and this 8 hands thing seemed really hard to find. So, Charlotte decided to instead look at pretty accessories in the mall.

Still, and as she was distracted with the things in display outside some store or other, the nagging voice at the back of her head made her turn her head to someone else.

"Hey, kid, kid! Look at that gal over there!" Belphegor urged her to.

"What you mean?" Charlotte turned her head to Sorcha, who was also walking around the mall.

The fact that she was tall, had wings and had a... somewhat motherly figure, made Charlotte stand up and start walking towards her.

Well, it started as a casual walk, then she started trotting. Before long, the girl was running, for some reason or other, before she leaped into the air and hooked herself on the dragon's back.

"Whoa! You are so pretty! Why you have wings like this? They are so cool! Hey, hey, what are you? Are you like those angels?!" The girl started rambling excitedly as she hung from Sorcha's back.

"I love ya, runt, have I ever told ya that?" Belphegor said. If someone could see him right now, he most probably would have a mental nosebleed.

Sorcha was so close to the delicious food she could almost taste it. She had to refrain from running up in a very undignified fashion. Not that she particularly cared if she did in the end, but she should try to keep herself from looking foolish.

She was almost there when something tackled her from behind.

“Gah!” Sorcha yelped out of surprise.

“W-what? W-who? I’m a dragon, not some pathetic angel! Get off me this instant!”

"Eeeeeh?" Charlotte replied. "Do I really need to? It's really fun here! You are so tall! And and, you look like, really powerful! And you are a dragon?! Oh my God, can you fly?!"

The girl was a bit too excited to heed what Sorcha had to say.

"Yes! Get off of me!" Sorcha repeated, trying to remove Charlotte by giving her wings a strong flap, much to the dismay of the people around her.

“And yes I can fly, so unless you want to find out how fast a human can fall from a hundred feet get off!”

"Hm..." Though a bit sad, Charlotte did comply to the dragon's request. "All right. I'm getting off now."

She let go of Sorcha and landed safely on the floor.

"I'm sorry." She looked down to her feet.

Sorcha stopped her flailing once the child let go of her. She turned around, getting a good look at her assailant and immediately felt horrible.

Really, she could have handled that much, much, better. She was probably getting some dirty looks from the other people now.

"No, no, that is…my fault.” She quietly grumbled, looking down at the child. She was small. Really small. Of course all humans looked small to her, usually, but this one even more so.

“You simply surprised me, child.” She continued. Ugh, she hadn’t dealt with children in a long time. How did…how did one interact with children? She couldn’t remember.

"So... you aren't mad?" Charlotte turned her eyes up to Sorcha. "That would be good, 'cause I don't like it when people are mad at me. Even more so when it is my fault." Charlotte explained, slowly smiling again.

“No, I am not angry.” She doubted she could ever truly be angry with a child, no matter how troublesome on could be. She knelt down, so she wouldn’t be standing so much taller than the child and gave the kid a soft smile. “I was simply surprised. Really, jumping onto a dragon isn’t a way to make your life last long.”

Even if she hadn’t done it in a long time, it quickly came back to her. Back when she was considered a god…she often dealt with children, as odd as that might sound.

“I am Sorcha. And who are you?”

"I'm Charlotte!" The girl smiled again. "What are you doing here, miss Sorcha? Are you going to eat?"

The girl guessed, since they were kind of at the fast food joints.

"Do they... sell humans here? Cause... dragons eat humans, don't they?" After realizing that, the girl gasped. "A-Are you going to eat me?! B-But I'm all skinny a-and and I don't think I taste good!"

Of course, instead of correcting her, the spirit inside her head simply laughed his head off.

Sorcha simply laughed as well.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to eat humans.” Just because she had threatened to eat a few humans here and there, didn’t mean she actually did such a thing…often.

“I am here to eat, though. Or at least buy something for the road. I am helping some students with the Magus games. We’re on our way to Japan to solve some riddle. So I apologize, but I can't stay long. They might actually leave without me.”

Of course, if they did leave without her, that meant they had decided they didn't want to live any more.

"Ah." The girl let out, before sighing with relief. "That's good then! Where are you going then? What did they tell you to do?" She asked the dragon, before thinking that she may actually be able to help her with her own riddle.

She produced her own piece of paper from her bag and showed it to the dragon.

"Miss dragon, do you know what this paper is talking about?"

This little girl was a mage, too? This small innocent looking girl? She could hardly believe it. Sorcha was perhaps a little concerned for the small child, but she said nothing, instead looking at the paper, a bit surprised to find the same riddle she had.

“Huh, well…” She hummed. “I don’t know what the paper is talking about myself. I’m not that familiar with Japanese myths, spending most of my time in Britain, Ireland and Norway.”

…was she really about to ask this?

“But, this is the same riddle I have. Perhaps you’d like to join us?” She offered. If the others didn’t like it, then they could get over it. She was a dragon – she could do whatever she wanted too, after all, and if she wanted to bring this child with them, she would.

"Can I? Can I really do that?! Yes, yes, please let me!" Charlotte started jumping around the dragon, seemingly excited at the prospect of being able to join the others to solve this riddle.

"I like you lots, miss dragon!" She shouted as she clung to Sorcha's arm. "We should get your food, or they will leave us!"

---

Given Sorcha had wandered completely out of sight, Runik felt that it could hardly take him more time to grab a small snack. He wasn't wrong either and found himself waiting with Atara outside the fashion shop eating a breakfast sandwich with another in hand. "So how long are we waiting for?"

After retrieving food from the stores, Sorcha walked back to where they said they were gonna meet up, easily finding the kimono’s. In one hand, Sorcha carried the remains of what was probably a hamburger from some fast food joint. She had already managed to quickly devour it before returning.

She hadn’t bothered to remove Charlotte from her arm for the whole duration either.

…in fact, she found Charlotte to be quite calming.

“Sorry, I was gonna share but I ended up eating it all, oops.” She replied with a somewhat nervous sounding chuckle. She didn't mention the human that was still clinging to her arm.

Atara raised a single eyebrow at the inclusion of a new team member. Seemingly.

"What's with the runt? And why ya letting her be so nonchalant when you get angry over every little thing I do?" Atara asked.

"I am not a runt! I'm Charlotte! Miss Sorcha said I could come with!" Charlotte answered, still clinging to the dragon's arm. "I don't know what the riddle in the paper means and miss Sorcha said she had the same, so she invited me over!"

"Tsk. As long as you stay outta the way, I don't care who you are. In any case, is everyone ready? My friend is ready to teleport us away." The eraser boss said.

“Hmph. This 'runt' is ten times more honorable than you.” She harshly replied to Atara. She’d have liked to added that if he tried anything, he was going to regret it, but she refrained from doing so. She said she’d tolerate his presence, so she would. Didn’t stop her from giving the Eraser a glare that could probably melt steel, though. "But yes, we are ready whenever you are.

Runik's expression twitched slightly at how Sorcha managed to find a new member in the, what, ten or fifteen minutes she had been separated? Appearances could be deceiving and all the more at this school, but Charlotte's attitude didn't exactly fill him with confidence. Looking down at the floor, he rubbed at his forehead and quietly grumbled, "Well then..."

He looked up quickly enough at Atara's question and just nodded in response, ready to follow him into the store or wherever their teleporter was at. For a moment he considered otherwise, but in the end Runik addressed Charlotte instead. "Now would be the time to speak up about any magic or skills you might have. If you can't contribute, then Miss. Sorcha's going to be babysitting you."

"Magic and skills...?" Charlotte turned her gaze to the ground, never letting go of Sorcha's arm. "Hm..... I have this guy living with me! His name is Belphegor! He kind of helps sometimes.... but he doesn't come out that often."

"A possessed mage?" Atara closed his eyes.

"Futatsu no tamashi..." He then turned to Runik. "She's telling the truth. There's a fairly powerful spirit inside of her."

"In any case, she might serve as cannon fodder. Let's go." He turned on his heel and entered the shop.

A woman bowed down to receive Atara, and he simply gave her a small wave with his hand.

After that, he guided the group to the back of the shop, where a magical circle of various layers was waiting for them.

"All right. Let's hop on it. Gay as it might sound, we need to hold hands so that we all end up in Ise. Otherwise, we'll end up scattered about Japan." He explained.

Certainly, it was a great hassle having to go the underground route. Usually, it was more of a one way route without delay when using the teleport stations, and having to hold hands was certainly something that only happened with low-level spells like this one right here.

Atara was the first one to step into the circle, and he waited for the others to hop on.

"Belphegor..." The name was vaguely familiar to Runik in that it was a demon's, but he wasn't sure of the details about the creature. Regardless, it didn't seem too useful if the demon acted on its whim and desires rather than the orders of a master. Taking Atara's word for it, he simply shrugged in response to the comment that was his follow up. Not that his teammate was incorrect, but hopefully it didn't come to that.

Following after Atara, he examined the circle to little success. Experience told him that there weren't any obviously discernible faults, but little towards the array's purpose. He cocked an eyebrow at Atara, and then shrugged dismissively. A bit of hand holding hardly qualified as gay after all. With that thought, he stepped in after the onmyouji and extended a hand towards Sorcha.

Demon? Hm…well, if the girl was alright then she wasn’t too worried. From the way the girl seemed, she was in control instead of the demon. Perhaps she was stronger than she looked, or this Belphegor demon was simply lazy.

But cannon fodder? If he tried something like that, she really would eat him. Well, she wouldn’t let anything happen to Charlotte anyways. Old instincts were hard to get rid of, it seemed, even for her.

Ha…well, there was no shame in making sure children were safe, after all, so she simply kept quiet and followed the others to the back of the shop.

“Hmm. Very well, I have no issues with this, but I refuse to touch that slimy fools hand.” She said, obviously indicating Atara. Well, Runik was extending her a hand anyways, and she was inclined to take it. Though, that meant Charlotte would be holding hands with Atara…

Gah, well, if he did anything she really would eat him.

So she took Runiks offered hand.

Atara finished the circle by taking Charlotte's hand. The girl that was at the front of the shop appeared, bowed down again, and with a flash of light, the group was gone.

[neogreggory]

Arthur Wick was in the main courtyard, assembling with the horde of students to hear the headmaster's words. Of course a small piece of paper found its way to his pocket, and he sighed when he read it. Riddles were something Arthur hated, he knew well enough to not even bother trying to figure it out he'd just get angry and burn something down.

Before he could make his way to the library to meet up with the students that were to make up his team however a hand rested on his shoulder as a beautiful women stood behind him. He hadn't even noticed her until she was right behind him, how could that happen, and she was talking to him as if she knew him. And then she mentioned that brief time after his battle with the dragon.

Dammit, Arthur thought he had managed to cut all the ties to that part of his life, it was a festering wound and now this women from it was talking to him. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" the pyromancer asked.

The Valkyrie let out a soft chuckle at his reaction and gently removed her hand from Arthur's shoulder. She smirkes slightly at his question yet let him stand guessing for a while before she illunined him with an answer. "Aahh... I'm but a ghost of the past... Don't worry your kids are well looked after while I ran off to find their foolish father" she replied sarcastically.

She then gently reached reached out her hand to him. "You've been living away from that moment for a long time haven't you?" she said as she walked past him slightly. She then glanced back to him and smirked again. "Come my Einherjar, let us see if we cannot refresh that memory of yours"she said and started walking off to a more private less crowded location.

Arthur stood there a moment as the women talked, nearly jumping at the mention of kids before catching himself, sarcasm. The women started to walk off, to lead Arthur somewhere. Arthur couldn't argue with that though, he hardly needed students seeing this, more so if this women was really from that part of the past. This couldn't be anything good Arthur decided as he followed the strange women.

As the two reached a more private place, seemingly an currently unused teachers lounge. Then the Valkyrie sank down by a table and looked at Arthur from across it. "Now... I suppose we can get down to business. I am... Hmm, how to put it... I Come from nordic tales, take warrior souls to my lord. I live in a castle of gold across the Rainbow bridge..." she would say.

Arthur would hold up one hand, before saying, "A Valkyrie." Going to get a cup of coffee Arthur calls over, "You drink coffee? I admit I've always loved norse tales, almost as much as the greek. Valkyrie though, don't tell me your here to collect my soul preemptively or something." Arthur joked as he brought the warmed pot over to the table where mugs were ready.

The Valkyrie let out a warm soft chuckle and gave Arthur a single nod in return. "Right you are~... No need for this guise anymore than" she said as she suddenly threw off her currently worn clothes to reveal her armor and wings that she had concealed earlier. "Well, yes... I suppose a cup of coffee or two won't defeat me..." she said and kicked back a notch to relax. "But no... You needeth not to worry my Einherjar, I am not here to collect your soul, yet. I've simply come here to remind you about our contract" she said and took her cup to drink.

Arthur drank from the cup as the angelic women spoke. She was truely beautiful that much was for certain, past him had good tastes. And the fact that she wasn't here for his soul was comforting as well, though her next sentence was far more of a shock. Contract. Either Arthur made a really bad buisness deal with her, or she was his familiar. At least he had something to drink this time. Arthur sat there emotionless for a few moments before taking a nice long sip, looking to the side, and spitting the liquid out. Regaining his composer the mage looked back to the Valkyrie, "Well, that explains why you keep calling me your Einherjar. So... I have no idea how to respond, how should I be responding again?" Arthur asked.

Joulie did quite understand his shock in this, yet found it very amusing as he took a while to spit his coffee out in realization. " Joulie... You can call me that if you wish" she replied and shrugged slightly before slipping at her cup for a while before turning her attention back to Arthur. "I left you to your own business in the past as I didn't want to meddle with your life choices... And now when you seem like a proper man, I have returned." she told him giving him a moment to take the information in before continuing.

"I promised to aid you in your struggles if you needed me, and you would serve me when I called for you in kind... But by the laws around here I would assume I would be your familiar or so to speak" she told him before flicking her hair back.

Arthur nodded slowly as the women confirmed what he had thought. "Yes that would be so. Frankly though I still have no idea what to think, to hear that so many years ago during a time I try to forget, not very hard to forget considering how much of that time was spent drunk, that I sealed a contract with a Valkyrie. It is a bit to process." Arthur said before taking another sip of coffee. "So, what now? Do you need anything or?..." Arthur asked.

She fell silent a while as she used her hand to conjure something out of light, a bottle materialized and she went ahead to pour its contents into her empty cup. "Yes, I understand that you might need some time, and I assure you that time, is a resource of which I have plenty." she said before sipping on her mug again. "But no, to put it simple I've come for no ulterior reasons than those I've already told you. I believe its high time you remember this bond we now share, and I don't doubt that your mature and wise enough to put this new... Asset to good use" she said as she sighed.

Arthur shared her sigh, before saying, "I know this will sound rude, but how did we meet again exactly, I'd like to think I'd remember something like that but my damn brain won't tell me." Arthur said between sips of coffee. He soon found his mug empty, and found himself asking, "And what's in that bottle if I may be so rude? Is it any good?"

Joulie glanced to the bottle in her hand then shrugged before reaching it over to pour its contents into Arthurs cup. "Its a long tale I would say, but the short version is that I attended the feast to the dragon slayer. I had been chasing it for some time and you were the hero who had slain it. she replied as she sipped on her drink once more. "It's a, well. Wine of the Gods you may call it... Drinking it may give you a hint of those memories... Or just get you tipsy. Who knows" she said and chuckled slightly.

She then leaned back and got comfy. "We spoke that night... I believe you were quite sober, and with nothing better to do you suggested for me to contract with you... It was strange thing to ask, but I let you none the less and we completed the bond..." she explained as she thought about it.

Arthur took a long drink, tasting the flavors of the alcohol. Curious, good certainly, but curious. "You'd think I remember something like that. You say completed the bond? We didn't... did we?... How do I say this without sounding like an awkward mortal?" Arthur asked as he took another sip from the curious liquor.

Joulie watched him drink the wine with curiosity, somewhat she had expected something more interesting to happen but she figured the tales about mortals and divine brews were just tall tales. As he questioned the bonding thing she raised a brow wondering what he wanted to imply, then she wanted to guess but refrained from it. "You may speak plainly, after all I am your familiar." she replied somewhat curious about what he would say.

Taking a long drink from his cup Arthur would say, in a hush tone, "I really don't like talking about this kind of thing. I did it a lot during that time though I really should ask." A swig, downing the last of the drink in his cup, "Did we, Joulie, have... intercourse?"

Well Joulie had to admit that the question per-se was a bit awkward even if her guess had mostly been on the point. She thought about it before replying as she didn't want to give any hasty replies to such a heavy question. "I'm uncertain if I can confirm or deny that question... What do you want to believe if I may ask?. Do you really seek the truth?. Or does your mind tell you something else?" she replied to his question with a question, perhaps she didn't want to meddle with what his head told him.

Arthur would then hang his head back, his hat somehow managing to hang on somehow despite what gravity might say otherwise. "I really just want to stop thinking about it to be honest, but without an honest answer I'll never stop guessing." Then Arthur would stand up, without any real warning.

"The Magus games are still a thing though. I'm sorry but we should cut this short, I've decided to team up with some students this year and it would be a shame if they begin to think I abandoned them. You could come along if you like." Arthur would then turn to walk out of the room before stopping at the door, if the Valkyrie intended to follow then he would hold the door upon for her, it was the gentlemanly thing to do after all.

The Valkyrie smiled to him as he replied, then nodded to him as he didn't seem to get over the question or guess enough for they to put it behind them. Then as he stood and explained the situation as she got up as well. "...Yes Arthur... Numerous times. I was only a shout away, and you were a lust filled man... The illusions of other females... Those were also all me as I didn't want to let you disgrace me by doing it with others." she replied and sighed.

She then walked over to him, "Its curious how you charmed me... You gave me something I haven't felt in a long time" she replied as she walked out the door. She then laughed softly. "Should we go see your students them?... I'm sure that will be fun." she mentioned before concealing her Vslkyrian features again with a Kimono.

"Just, just don't mention what I was like back then to the kids eh?" Arthur said as he stepped out of the room behind his familiar.

All Joulie added was a small laugh "That you've been young?..." she teased and walked off with him.

[Rune_Alchemist]

The rest of the week was rather less sucessful than his first two days. After seeing Iravis and Sorcha, it seemed most of the other ladies couldn't really compare. Not to say he didn't try for them as well, but his heart, fickle as it was, wasn't in it. Classes were slightly less boring than he'd anticipated, but not as exciting as he would've liked. No more eraser attacks happened, which came with a mix of relief and disappointment. Alucard's dorm was now a storehouse for all the cooking supplies he kept and the various trinkets which he used for wooing. He'd anticipated the start of the Magus Games to be some sort of massive deathmatch to weed out most of the competition but apparently it was some sort of riddle instead. Kind of boring, but at least he'd been paired with Iravis and Lyssa, keeping this in mind he made sure to pack plenty of sweets in his box. He never had gotten around to getting a date with the demon.

Lyssa and Iravis had just finished hearing the speech, Iravis' eagle eyes staring at the lances of ice high in the sky for a few moments. But as they disappeared in the sunlight the Phoenix's attention returned to the mission. Iravis looked at the note, the scholar working through her memories to see if she could figure it out. Lyssa, was completely confused. A riddle master, she was not, and the hint definitely wasn't much of a hint to her. So she looked at the paper, and simply frowned at it as she tried to make sense of it.

"Do any answers cross your thoughts?" Iravis said, looking up at her follower to see if she had any ideas.

"Well, I'm thoroughly confused, so if being confused is the answer I think I'm doing good." Lyssa replied. "Sorry, Iravis, riddles aren't really my thing."

"Its name does mean confusion, so perhaps you are the treasure." The goddess spoke with a sly grin on her face as the two began to walk towards the library, seeking answers. Lyssa only giggled in response as she followed Iravis towards the Library. She wondered if her spider friend was there today...she could definitely help with this little riddle, probably.

As they walked, Iravis spotted the Oni and began to greet her companion for this adventure. "Arata, the winds ..." But the Phoenix stopped speaking midway through her greeting as she noticed danger nearby.

Next to the Oni was a bird's natural enemy, a cat. Iravis wordlessly stepped behind Lyssa, hoping the beast would consume the hellion first and give herself time to escape it's vicious claws. You didn't have to be faster than your predator, just faster than the slowest prey.

---

WHERE. THE. FUCK. WAS. HIS. WAR.

A treasure hunt? They were supposed to be fucking vagrant bandits, hopping around the planet on the whims of the Director, solving a fucking riddle? What did this have to do with magic? What did this have to do with fighting? Adventuring was fine, but really? This was the 'festival of blood and violence' that the midget representative promised him?!

Arata seethed, his internal core raging with the flames of Yomi as he repressed his hatred. He couldn't even fucking read these bullshit scribbles, and out of pure spite, the oni crushed it in his hand and tossed it in his mouth, chomping up and down until it became mere scraps.

A frustrated scream erupted out of him, a howl of 1000 tortured souls, something that extended until his face turned blue.

The headmaster explained what they would be doing in the upcoming event and they all had gotten a piece of paper with a riddle wroten on it. Shino mindlessly looked at the piece of paper but couldn't make anything out of it. With her face covered in confusion she looked up at Arata that had been right besides her since the start of the game. She lightly tucked on his cloak as she asked him something.

"Hey hey Arara-han, what do these word mean. Shino doesn't understand."

The oni sighed, scratched the back of his head, and turned to Shino."No idea," he admitted, "Can't read and all."

Her face scrunched up once more when she tried figuring out what the piece of paper meant but nothing came out of her.

Shino felt like she was being watched from close by, her sixth sense must have figured that one out. Shino curiously looked up at the red haired woman. Why was she trying to hide behind the horned girl? Something wasn't right here. She could clearly smell a bird kind of smell from the girl or at least close by but there wasn't a bird nearby as far as she could see. Her expression became covered with only more confusion.

"Ara?"

Shino headed closer to the girl and walked around the bird and the demon girl once trying to find the bird. Her head swinging from left to right as she searched but still nothing. Shino had a troubled look on her face as she looked at the red haired woman. Iravis kept on walking around Lyssa, trying to maintain an object between herself and the cat. Lyssa, having no idea what was going on, simply stood there with a somewhat troubled expression.

"Hey hey miss fire, do you have birds at home? Shino smells bird."

Thankfully, there were people who could, in fact, read. Arata waved at Iravis and the pink-haired...oh, another oni? didn't look too strong though. "Heyo, Iravis and pink-hair. Mind reading the riddle out for us? Probably won't do me any good anyways, but hey, maybe it's a riddle of the Land of the Rising Sun."

Oni, it seemed, were rather bipolar. Maybe because there were only red oni and blue oni.

Iravis was a little too busy dancing around Lyssa to be able to pay attention to Arata. "Miss Fire cannot divine what you speak of little kitten, the gods might grant you better luck elsewhere."

"But aren't you a bird, Iravis?" Lyssa questioned, not realizing that was probably a bad idea. Iravis shot the demon a glare in an attempt to burn through the hellion with the fire of a thousand suns as a final act of vengeance before her demise.

"Ehhh, you talk funny nya."

Shino tilted her head and placed both her hands bundled together behind her back. How could she not have anything to do with birds if she completely lingered from the smell of them. Shino got a little closer to the pair and sniffed a little better. When the demon woman let something slip from her mouth.

"Bird? But Ivanis-han doesn't look like a bird nya. Birds have wings you know."

"See Lyssa, Promethus has blessed this girl with wisdom! You won't be able to fool her!" The Phoenix thought she had been saved, but Arata started a downward spiral in the conversation.

Arata smiled tersely. "So if you remove the wings from a bird, what does it become? Food?"

Shino flapped with both her hands pretending to be a bird just to make it clear and turned her head towards Arata while being in the same position.

"Land bird nya?"

"Chicken dinner."

"How do you make roasted chicken Arara-han?"

"Remove the wings and set it on fire, Shino-chan~"

"So you only have to make it stop flying and make it hot and it will be like the roasted bird in the advertisements nya?"

Arata wasn't helping, and it was clear Iravis was becoming a little nervous about becoming this little girl's next snack if they kept talking like this.

Lyssa didn't seem interested in the conversation about the best way to cook Iravis. She'd probably taste horrible anyways. Probably Spicy.

Instead, the demon focused on the cat-person in front of her. Leaving Iravis defenseless, she approached the cat, and did what she did to any adorable thing she met.

She attempted to wrap it in a hug.

"Eee, you're so adorable!~" She placed a hand on Shino's head, and started petting her. For once, Iravis was happy Lyssa had decided to hug something.

The demon girl suddenly began to make her move after she hadn't moved a horn up till now. Unexpectidly the girl started hugging Shino. She was close enough unable for Shino to even dodge. Shino immediatly tensed up and wasn't able to move a muscle anymore. How could she escape this woman her grip. Maybe if she just asked kindly to the woman and it would be all over.

"Please d-don't nya."

"Yeah," Arata echoed, placing a hand on the female oni's shoulder, "Please don't."

"But she's so adorable!" Lyssa replied, not immediately letting go, turning her head slightly to Arata. Why did all the things she found adorable, not like hugs?

"Shino-chan's been through some troubling times. Understand."

"Oh alright." Lyssa pouted, letting go of the cat.

Shino immediately jumped a few feet back covering both her ears and her tail between her legs.

"I don't mind nya but please don't be rash."

"Sorry, Shino." Lyssa apologized. "I'm Lyssa, by the way! Iravis' roommate."

After watching Lyssa completely fumble in handling a Child of Bastet, a little fire entered the Phoenix's blood and the fear was pushed down as the Goddess realized that such a tiny helpless kitten wouldn't be a threat to a magnificent bird such as herself.

Her culture had practically worshiped cats and seeing her hellion friend mishandle a chosen one made a little wrath enter her body despite her fears. Felines were essential for preventing death and disease, and households who had several tended to live longer and have less infants peril in their earliest years. But the understanding had soon been cleared up as an honest mistake, and Iravis forced herself not to hold it against Lyssa who had been acting like ... Lyssa.

Shino moved her hands away from her ears as they jumped up a little and twitched about a little. She saw that the girl felt sorry for Shino and carefully moved closer to her. When she was close enough she would lightly stroke her fluffy ears against the stomach of Lyssa.

"Shino sees that Lyssa-han wants Shino's service nya." Services? Lyssa wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about, but the other guy interrupted before she could ask.

Before things could escalate any further, the oni clapped his hands together, and said, "Shino-chan, are you still hungry? If you want something to eat, I'm willing to pay for it...after you hold your part of the bargain. You're going to get the wrong type of master if you do stuff like this, you know?"

Geez, was it spring already? He really didn't need a partner in the heat right now.

Shino moved her head over towards Arata as he startled her with quite a loud clap. Shino gave a quiet nod at him.

"Shino needs food to live, Momma taught Shino that."

Arata was talking about Shino doing the wrong thing but Shino didn't have a clue on what was wrong with it.

"Shino saw people with pretty clothes do it. They asked their master if they could be of service and got drinks and food for them. They also dance very pretty. Isn't that what people do to masters?"

The talk of Shino being possibly in a whorehouse sent her over the edge however. It was very obvious why the cat girl was uncomfortable being petted. The red haired girl kneeled down in front of the child and spoke as calmly as she could manage. "Shino, Child of Bast, do you know what those people were named?" If any fires were nearby, they would probably suddenly raise in height.

Off to the side, Arata let out a long sigh. He sorta wanted to say something, to set Shino's impression of what masters were right, but as it stood, looked like the flaming chicken was pissed now. What an unfocused team. At least the Night Parade knew when to party and when to fight.

Something in the back, something in the back smelled and felt like fire. Shino shivered from her sixth cat sense. What was this power. The red haired woman walked up to her after having evaded her up till now and talked to her.

"Shino doesn't know, why nya?"

Lyssa understood one thing now. She may have seriously hurt the poor cat from the way she understood the conversation. That made her a bit sad, but more than anything it made her a tad bit upset, even if her face was still plastered with her usual smile. If she ever met one of these people, she might actually make sure they never do such a thing again.

Iravis delivered as motherly of a smile as she could manage. "Curiousity filled me, I suppose." It was an obvious lie, but the Phoenix figured it might be better to not explain that her and her parents had possibly been sold into slavery.

"Hm...Shino-chan, does the term 'maiko' sound familiar to you?"

Shino gave a small nod at the bird.

"All right nya."

Arata had asked her quite an odd question, they all had been asking her weird questions. She gave a small nod.

"Yea a little nya."

Shino got a little distracted by the constant smell being so nearby. Shino felt the urge to... tooooo... tooooooooo. She couldn't hold it any longer. Shino jumped towards Iravis and immediatly bit her in her hand. Her sharp canine digging into her skin. She didn't know why but she felt that the girl gave off a weird vibe.

"Alright...well then, Shino-chan, basically, if you want to be a familiar, you want to be strong. Strong enough to protect them while they fight alongside you in the glorious fields of war." Arata grinned, relishing in recent, yet ancient memories. "So yeah, it's not about servicing them! It's a bond where you fight for them, and they fight for you, feasting on the flesh of your foe as you take on stronger and stronger enemies!"

He cringed when Shino then starting chomping on Iravis's hand, but, well, Iravis should be able to manage that at least, huh?

Maybe he shouldn't have said 'feasting on the flesh' though...

Iravis yelped as she felt the canines sink into her flesh. Her instincts as a bird told her to punch the little girl and fly. Her history told her that would be a high sin. The Goddesses' pain tolerance was high enough though that she maintained some degree of calm. Perhaps a more peaceful solution existed. "SHINO GET OFF." She said it as loudly as possible in the hope that would force the kitten to respond.

Lyssa’s eyes widened as she saw Shino take a bite out of Iravis.

“Ah! Shino, you can’t eat Iravis!” She almost grabbed the cat and attempted to pull her off of Iravis, but that’d probably be bad. “She probably tastes bad anyways!”

Shino immediatly let go off the girl when she yelled as loud as she could. Shino immediatly shrinked and cowered in a little ball towards the ground. She covered her ears with both hands and looked up at the girl with scaredy cat eyes. She didn't reply back to her but simply viewed her as a bad person now.

On one hand, things got quite awkward and confusing, and it really didn't help that Shino was now tasting the blood of Iravis on her teeth.

On the other hand, at least now Arata could do this.

"Alright, enough chitter-chatter, let's focus, shall we? What's the riddle, and who do I have to kill?"

Now that the neko had decided to back off, Iravis finally responded to the Yoni's first question. She repeated the riddle, blessing him with a look of confidence as her hand started to heal and blood dripped from the wound. "Any ideas, Sir Wick?" Iravis suddenly turned around to the feeling of Wick's fire.

Mr. Wick was walking down the halls, making his way to the library from the teacher lounge that he was in a moment prior. Tipping his hat to the students he pulled the small piece of paper from his pocket and looks it over. "I've not the foggiest, I've never cared for riddles. Have you any insight to spare?" Arthur asked as he handed the piece of paper to a women who had been behind him.

Joulie followed after Arthur, wearing a Kimono at the time to not attract unnecessary attention to her Valkyrie side that she had concealed. Yet as he suddenly handed her a note and asked for her opinion or clues to it she gave a light shrug. "Oh... Now now wouldn't it be cheating if I assisted you with this?... Your the teacher after all, and if your students look up to you for answers you should be the one who have found them and can provide them" she replied as she looked ahead to see what people he were going to meet.

Repeating back what Iravis read out loud, Arata tried to make sense of it...and decided that it was probably easier just to beat the answers out of someone else. Yeah, that sounded about right. He etched the senseless riddle in his memory, and was about to ask his latter question one more time, when the red-haired woman said something else.

Another individual appeared.

Not just anyone, though, but a teacher of the school.

Holding the same piece of paper that the rest of them had.

"Hey, Iravis, what's a teacher doing here?"

"I don't know who the ..." Iravis looked at the woman for a few moments, less familiar with the Norse Pantheon than the Mediterranean ones although she had paid a few visits. When she guessed what the woman was was, Iravis had little conviction behind it. While they might be able to read eachother's divine prescence, it wasn't an easy task. She was obviously Norse and related to combat, but that wasn't enough to narrow it down completely. "... Valkyrie ... Shieldmaiden ... is? The Pyromancer here is Sir Wick. If the rules allow, wisdom says we should bolster our forces with a teacher. Sir Wick, this is Arata."

"Oh, hi Mr Wick!~" Lyssa cheerily greeted the teacher. "Wow, if he's gonna be helping us then this should be easy!~" She was all for making something easier.

"Ohh It is human teacher again"
Arthur sighed as his new old familiar responded. "Hello again Arata, I'm here to help. It won't be as easy as it seems. I've got no idea what this riddle is about, so we'll still need to do a fair bit of research." Arthur said before stating, "That said, I can provide transportation, if wherever this treasure is is far though I'll be bringing my... cat."

Joulie looked to the odd bunch that Arthur had brought her too, surely enough by her usual standards they would be a very odd collection. Demons,Cats,Something else and humanish things...it made her chuckle slightly as she figure that such a weird group could only end up in a hilarious situation.

Yet as Arthur spoke to them she near expected him to take the time to introduce her, or the other way around. Yet no such thing happened yet, so in the end the Valkyrie chose to remain silent as she didn't really have much to add to the conversation for the time being.

Ah, so that's how it was.

It turns out that, for all her fancy words, the end result remained the same. Was it the lack of power that made Iravis seek more? Or was Juliann merely the exception in this convenient, gentle, wasteful world? A star in slothful darkness, perhaps.

Arata breathed. He massaged the back of his neck. He scratched his chin.

"Well, I must confess. If I had to say whether or not this was right or wrong, I will say that it is right. If you had to win via any means then this was a good decision."

The oni could feel his heart pounding.

"But you know, for me, this isn't about winning or losing. And if I had to say whether or not I liked this or disliked this, I would say that I dislike this. Very much. So, you know what?"

Arata smiled, a thin, fake one more suited for a tengu than an oni.

"Please enjoy your undeserved victory without me."

Lyssa was a bit annoyed that Wick didn’t even seem to acknowledge her, so she resigned herself to pout, folding her arms and simply wait for them to finish talking about whatever they were going to talk about. She’d resign herself to watching the adorable kitten known as Shino. She wondered if there was a cat-toy or something around here she could use to play with the kitten? The demon didn’t understand that Shino didn’t like being treated exactly like a cat.

She didn’t get long to look for one, however. Things started…escalating, instead and she was too slow to react to Arata.

Arata, seemingly angry that Iravis had decided to ask a teacher for help, decided he wasn’t having any of it.

Without almost any warning, the Oni attacked Iravis. His fist moved almost at a blindingly fast speed, slamming it right into the right side of Iravis’ face. The downward force of the blow sent the phoenix right to the ground, knocking her unconscious.

Lyssa reacted almost instantly, faster than some might have found possible for the demon considering she hated fighting.

But this was different. No one, and she meant no one, threatened her friends. Especially warm and cuddly Iravis~

Right as Aratas’ fist met Iravis’ face, she ran towards the Oni, closing the small distance between them in a handful of seconds. She prepared her magic. Fleshy things were all made of the same fundamental elements. It didn’t matter what sort of creature you were. Flesh was flesh, and it was easily destroyed.

She knew she couldn’t reduce him to a puddle of goo, such a thing was difficult to do in the middle of combat, but that didn’t mean her magic was useless. Instead, she focused all the magic power she could in her how hand and positioned herself right in front of the Oni, putting herself right between him and the downed Iravis.

In the next instant, she aimed her own strike upwards, towards the onis’ face. As soon as it connected, it would activate, the brief touch all she needed to send a powerful shock right to the Oni. It wouldn’t do any permanent or major damage, but the sheer amount of magic she poured into the strike would have made it feel like he had just gotten electrocuted, most likely even make his face numb as the cells in the area she touched were destroyed.

Arata's head jolted upwards as Lyssa's punch cracked against his chin. It was good, but he felt the drop in strength regardless, as if his limbs were suddenly restricted by invisible chains. But it didn't matter.

After all, this was now a fight.

Bringing his head downwards, the oni responded by smashing his own chin against Lyssa's still-raised fist, another painful impact that only fed his selfish wrath further, as he reached out with one hand to tear off her face.

Shino her bestie had started fighting with the fire girl and the horned girl because he didn't agree to helping them. Shino stood by the sidelines and watched the battle unfold. She was sure Arata was going to win this. He was strong he was sure to win.

Arthur watched as a conflict started. The man, the Oni, punched downward into the face of Arthur's favorite student in years. Then the demoness gave the oni an uppercut that clearly held more force in it then one would think capable.

It didn't stop the brutish Oni however, who merely changed targets. Arthur didn't like this, a shame his spear was elsewhere and it would take to long to teleport there and back. Iravis would survive some fire, but Arthur couldn't be sure for the demon and the cat girl, so he couldn't just throw an inferno into the mix mindlessly. So a idea came to mind. Arthur would tilt his head a bit to the side for a better angle down the hall and then he was gone, a good distance behind the Oni.

"Oi, you really want someone to fight, come over here you weakness filled dunderhead!" Arthur shouted to Arata.

Lyssa hadn't expected that sort of counter. The oni smashed his chin against her fist, and she was definitely feeling it. Gah, she hadn’t expected him to be quite that strong, but she wasn’t giving up just yet.

She didn't attempt to dodge the Oni's hand. Instead, she probably did something a bit reckless. Using her other hand, she grabbed the hand that was aiming for her, and activated her magic. As long as his arm was touching her, any part of her body, his arm would slowly start to dissolve into a puddle of fleshy goo.

Alucard walked in on a somewhat unusual scene. Apparantly what he had believed was going to be a study session to solve a somewhat interesting riddle had turned into some sort of brawl. He walked in upon someone he didn't know punching Iravis. The punch was quickly met by a counter attack, at nearly the same time by the demon girl's own. The girl's punch seemed to have a remarkable amount of power behind it but the unknown male simply slammed his head into the attack.

How rude, striking not just one, but two females in rapid sucession. Seeing as interfering was unlikely to help things Alucard simply watched the brawl with mild interest. This would perhaps let him get a better gauge of some of these student's strengths. After all now was not the time to bribe the demon girl, though after the fight seemed like as good a chance as any.

Joulie Raised a brow to how the conversation suddenly turned into a fight, this caused her to sigh as it seemed her version of fun didn't match this at all. However as Arthur teleported off to taunt the one who started the fight Joulie simply vanished and appeard next to the cat girl and the other weak ones. She gently touched them and spirited them away to safety in the distance before appearing again above the battle on a pillar. "...Well. This conversation sure turned violent fast" she muttered as she observed.

Shino was teleported away by the other bird person that had joined them. She wanted to eat her, she looked so filled and nice to eat. It kind of had a nice smell to it and the warmth when she touched Shino. She wanted to be sure to get this trophy in her stomach when she had free time. Her tongue slowly went over her lips as she sat on the side of the battlefield. Seemed more people had joined the fight with Arata. It still seemed like they were no match for the beast.

Arata was long gone by this point, replaced by a cacophony of blood-thirsty voices roaring out, feeding on his hatred and his disgust, his repressed desire for violence and his frustration. He couldn't hear anything outside of the blood rushing through his body, and he couldn't see anything outside of the enemy before him.

Drunk on violence, the oni didn't even register the flesh of his right arm melting off his bones, bubbling meat sliding off like an overcooked slab of beef.

It was a horrendous, delicious pain, and he could only respond with laughter, bony fingers clutching onto Lyssa's, an unnatural force moving his muscle-less arm as he pulled.

And pulled.

And pulled.

This was very not good, and Arthur's insult hadn't done much of anything. With a deep sigh Arthur held up one hand from which an orb of fire grew, and then with a great deal of force threw it at the back of the oni.
Arthur wasn't far behind his fireball though, closing the distance with Arata and giving a rather lackluster punch to the back of the Oni's head seconds after the orb of flame exploded on his back. Arthur ready to teleport past in case the Oni actually did care enough to turn around.

Just…what was this guy made out of?! His arm was definitely dissolving, and he should definitely be feeling it. Instead, he still had a death grip on her arm, and he was definitely attempting to pull it right off of her.

She needed to do something here, or she’d very well lose her arm, but what…she could just have Rollanda patch her back up, but…

Grraaagh, she was actually getting a bit pissed at this guy, which was likely clouding her good judgement just a bit…urgh, she was gonna do something that was gonna make her sick later.

Without regard for her arm, she used her other hand and slammed an open hand right into his chest, first destroying a small section of his clothing on his chest – right over his heart, and as soon as that was gone, she immediately started doing something that some might find rather macabre.

She began melting a hole, right in his chest over his heart, her free hand slowly sinking into the bubbling, melting flesh.

Joulie watched one of the supposed students turn into some kind of monster. Well he was definatly an impure soul if she had to pick one and to purify him would probably be a good thing for the world.

However he seemed to draw strength from battle and face him head on seemed rather pointless.

A surge of flame, and then...the chains disappeared.

Arata felt that, and it felt marvelous.

Splat.

Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat.

Arthur had leap back as Arata suddenly swung something vaguly in the pyromancer's direction, before Arthur realized with some amount of horror what it was the Oni wielded. The demon girl was being swung around as if a club, sickening smacks as the poor girl hit the tiles of the floor. The girl was getting bloody, her arm ripping from her body as her other hand held in a near deathgrip a chunk of half melted ribs. In a moment the poor demoness was separated from her arm, the lionshare of her flying and colliding with a small sickly man that had entered the fray from somewhere, the two flung a good distance away from the combat.

Arthur grinded his teeth and clenched his fists as the oni continued to swing the arm around as if it's owner was still attached, apartently lost somewhat in his, its, bloodlust. Then Arthur saw a chance, a possibility that was too good to pass up. Shouting at the Oni Arthur said while flinging a few embers at the creature's head, "Look over here so I can kill you dammit!"

Joulie decided to let Arthur handle this, and thus leaped down to him gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "...This is your student... So I let you discipline them... Here I infuse your fire with my Sacred light... That way it won't hurt those that are not compiled of a thousand impure souls. " she said letting Arthur borrow her sacred powers so he could let loose without worry. She then stepped away as she would be pretty useless.

She put on sunglasses while watching as she expected it to become a bit bright

Arata heaved, the scattering of flames catching the oni's attention once more. His chest was hollow, only his maddened spirit holding things together as he turned around. Unable to maintain strength in his skeletal arm, the bones finally fell apart, clattering on the shattered ground beside a mangled, barely recognizable arm.

There was nothing left now.

Only a shell of a monster, blindly chasing after the next enemy.

How far did he fall, to lose his sense of self?

Ah, was there even room in this shell for a question?

No.

With a roar that shattered all the windows of the hallway, the oni launched himself towards the man of flames, guts spilling out of the cavity in his torso.

Shino patiently sat on the sidelines. She was just able to see Arata as a small dot rampaging through the hallway. She cheered for Arata with one fist in the air but the distance wasn't gonna cut it. They would be barely able to hear it. Arata roared and even Shino could feel it through her bones. The windows shattered and it only made Shino cheer more. What was he cool.

"Thank you. I prefer people to know who killed them." Arthur whispered nearly to himself as he held his right arm outwards towards the oni, the monster nearly on top of the pyromaster. Then, fire. Near golden flames flew forth from Arthur Wick's hand, enveloping the entirety of the oni.

"Any and every bloody hell." Arthur said as he lowered his arm. That attack had done a number on him, his mana pool at least. But without doubt it was effective. The oni was gone, along with a fair bit of hallway. At least nobody else was-
Arthur ran over to the demon. Her arm was pretty gone, in fact Arthur was rather sure it was burnt away with the oni. At least she was still holding onto that bit of Arata rib, Arthur really hoped that was enough for Rollanda to bring the guy back, he seemed alright before. Arthur more immediate concern however was for the demon. Slowly hefting the girl up Arthur strained before teleporting to the infirmary, he would make such trips for everyone, Iravis, that catgirl. A bit of Arata ash in case the melted rib wasn't enough. Arthur then sat in the infirmary, his mana pool damn near empty and very much taxed.

Shino quietly watched... Her mouth a gape a little as her eyes widened. A small twitch kept bugging her eye as she looked at the scene... What happened? Arata was doing so well and he just kind of... exploded. Shino ran over towards the scene as fast as she could. Her eyes hidden by the lowering of her head and the shade that overwhelmed her eyes. She was trembling a little. Was this really all that was left of Arata. A small heap of ash and some part of his arm. Shino wasn't able to stand any longer and fell with her knees towards the ground. She helplessly gathered the burning ashes of Arata with her bare hands as tears gushed out of her eyes. She was quietly sobbing but did her best to get all of Arata. Even his leftover pieces of robe and organs that lied on the ground and were stuck on the walls. She put them all in one big plant pot and when she had all of it would quietly sob over it while hugging the plant pot on her knees. Why did they do this to her friend. Why were they all so mean. She softly cried while whispering.

"B-bakas!"

With the battle over Joulie went over to the purified souls and started collecting them one by one. After getting a bit lost in the moment she looked to Arthur. "Well... That was interesting" she said sarcastically. Looking to Arthurs other students she pondered if she shouldn't have taken that healing class... But then just shrugged as he teleported them.

[Zelosse]

Adrians voice (Use your imagination)


Adrian had put the girl down at her request, in a shaded area as his more human way of thinking finally decided to blossom and make the reality if the situation a little more known. The girl was young and in a short skirt and embarassed and Adrian realized he had likely just paraded her business to everyone below them. Normally such thoughts didn't occur to the moth man as he wasn't quite sure he had the necessary parts to feel embarrassed about. Such things were a mystery to him and may yet continue to be for many many years so was subsequently ignored. Adrian dropped to his knees and groveled at the young girls feet, cautious not to raise his eyes lest he raise even MORE anger from the youngling.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause you trouble!"

He stammered for words to say to clear his name but found it impossible to concentrate, the jumble of memories flooding his mind with guilt for what he had done, was doing, and likely was being accused of potentially doing.

"Forgive me. It is my nature to be curious, to be spontaneous, I didn't realize..."

He thought back to the incident that had started this whole mess and choked back a whimper at the profound sense of disgust he found. Normally he could eat a whole wardrobe and not even care but now it seemed he had grown a soft spot for the girl. Without another word he took to the skies, clearing the ground with a boom of dust and debree as Adrian tried to fly away from his problems.

-----------------------------------------

After time skip

-----------------------------------------

A week had gone by with the usual classes and events, fights, conversations, and hijinks you came to expect of a school with so many conflicting personalities placed in it, but all of it was at the back of the giant moths mind as he soared endlessly over the dorm room that had become his obsession since he had fled Reina in shame. The thoughts played over and over in his normally chaotic mind like clockwork now and it drove him to madness.
Day after day he circled the Dorm, at night he slept on a roof looking through her window, and in the mornings he watched her leave. More than once he had been tempted to crash through the window in a tumble and grovel again at her feet but could not muster the courage, a rare sense of pragmatism told him such a case would be a waste of energy.

The day of the Magus tournament came and found Adrian as utterly disinterested as always, he would fail the test and earn the ire of his team and anyone else participating on his supposed team because the moth cared nothing for it at all. His interest remained elsewhere usually. This time was quickly proving no different.

"Another year of games another year of not bothering.."

Adrian had become morose at the events, often times making eye contact with the intent to paralyze just so others would learn to stop staring at him. Truly now when he thought of his behavior he felt the words freak far too clearly.
The crowd of participating students took off in a rush to prepare, eager for the challenge it seemed, but all the bug could do was stare at the sky and stare blankly. Arms drooping, wings spread out but slack, eyes almost glazed over, he fell forward onto his stomach with a growl.
It had been days since he had last eaten anything he realized, so obsessed with the incident he had foregone even that basic requirement.

"I deserve this.." He heard himself whisper, drawing out a single piece of uneaten sleeve he had not bothered to finish, a gift from a classman named Roy he had not seen or heard from, or even bothered to look for for that matter.
He stuffed the garment in his mouth as his head lay on the dirt and chewed slowly.

[sakurasan]

Eli:

She had soon walked around nearly the whole building and went to the Magus tournament. The crowd was large and nearly caused her to nearly throw up. However,she was glad that it passed quickly once the assembly was over, leaving only a few people to move slowly over to search for their teams. Eli took a deep breath, the air through her lungs stinging her throat and making her realize that she was a bit thirsty.

Once Eli had decided to begin to search around, taking a look at the note that had appeared in her pocket. Riddles? She was quite a fan of riddles. However, her mind fluttered elsewhere when she saw a...mothman? Simply lying on the ground seemingly hungry with the loud growl that came out of him.

Eli walked over to him, bending over and pushing her hair behind her ear. She noticed that he was eating a single peice of cloth. "A-are you hungry? You dont seem too well.." She smiled kindly with her gentle eyes as she postured her self and looked down at her dress. It was quite long. She easily tore off a long peice of her dress, leaving her with a shorter version that had a large and uneven tear. The cloth was long as well as thick and would most likely suffice for a mothman to eat enough so that he wouldn't be as hungry. She smiled as she handed him the cloth. Hopefully he wouldn't think of it as a bother.

@Zelosse

[DELETED7282737]

Reina Izumi

After Reina's rampant in the air Adrian had been groveling at her feet ever since. People gave weird looks at the girl when they saw the giant moth lying defeated before her on his knees. She awkwardly looked around seeing at how disgusted the people looked at her for having done something to poor Adrian. Or just how the duo looked at the moment. Miss short skirt together with 8 feet hot topic.

Reina defyingly waved her hands at Adrian not having to do this for her but when she wanted to say something only more apologies sounded from him. What had she done. The poor creature looked devistated. Nothing seemed to cheer him up. Reina felt bad. Like really bad, she had forgiven him but he didn't seem satisfied with it. After having done all the trouble of helping Reina she couldn't help him back. A short spawn of time later he took off like a giant dragon soaring the skies. Reina sadly looked after him. She had to apologise when she would ser him again.

Reina entered the clothing store and didn't leave untill dawn. Her hands were stuffed with bags that would make up for all her lost clothes and she had cheered up a little. Nothing beat a day of shopping!~

---

It was the day, one week had passed since she entered the school and had nothing but hurted other people. Reina was wearing a white plated skirt with a black blouse on top of it and dark grey thigh socks. She had yet to find the courage to make it up for those people but now something else was on her mind. The magic games had just stared and it looked like they would be doing a treasure hunt among several groups. Now Reina didn't have a clue who to team up with from her section but she was sure about one thing. That was a giant mothman and it didn't look any better since the day she had beated it up so bad. It was sulking on the ground with a piece of sleeve hanging out of its mouth. She had a regretable look on her face as she began to head closer.

It was really him. Another girl was also trying to feed him a piece of dress she had just ripped off of her own dress. Hmm she must have felt bad for the mothman too. Well she couldn't imagine being Adrian. Only appetite for clothes and all these people finding you disgusting. Now this girl was something else. She actually was smiling besides Adrian. Someone that didn't go after appearances. Reina kicked out her shoes and took off both her socks. She put her shoes back on and walked around the other girl. She quietly stood next to the girl and crouched down at the head of Adrian with the socks. She gently smiled at him with a somewhat titled head hanging the socks above his head.

"You alright, I didn't know you would be so upset about a stranger"

Reina remained happy and kindly handed him over her socks along with the dress bit of the girl. She hoped Adrian would actually like it and otherwise she would get out his favourite treat just to make it up with him.

"Doesn't look like I'm the only who you paid a visit too?"

Reina curiously looked over towards the girl as she poked out her hand at her so she could introduce herself to her.

"Reina Izumi, sorry for the disturbance to your conversation with moth-san"

A kind smile remained on the face of Reina as she let go of the girl her hand again. She looked back at Adrian again.

"Now Adrian, how have you been holding up. I don't hope you still think i'm mad about the small accident you made. It was mostly my fault too so I herby apologise."

Reina looked a little more serious about the matter now. She didn't want Adrian to think she was making a joke or anything. Reina made quite a deep bow at Adrian with her school bag in front of her lap.

[GrafRoy Zeppeli]

Juliann

In her usual fashion, Juliann cut the illusion away in the blink of an eye.

The only thing that could be heard was the sound of her sword being sheathed again. Cupido. Another teacher around here.

"I need not your promotion, thank you very much." Juliann sighed and then turned a harsh glare to Cupido. "If you keep your mouth shut, then I will not mind your staying here."

Juliann then relaxed her posture again and remained attentive of whoever might come her way, asking for her services. In... the not perverted way of course. She'd probably slice anyone in half who dared suggest something like that.

"Okay... forgive my outburst. I just tend to get carried away when I believe someone is making fun of me, which you were clearly doing. As long as you can keep your stupid comments to yourself, I am sure I can put up with you for a while."

She was already feeling ashamed enough without this guy making fun of her and her, err, 'training'.

---

@BlackPanther

[BlackPanther]

@GrafRoy Zeppeli
Cupido's illusion gets slices through and his small amount of focus on it dissaptes with it. He blinks at her then blinks again before his hand goes to his chest. "darling of that is what you thought, that was not my intention" he he shakes his head and turns standing next to her his hands clasping behind him, causing his wings to re fold. He gets the small feeling that the ones assigned to the riddle likely are not participating....irritating, but waiting for a few couldn't hurt.

His eyes look over at her as he stands there. "I do apologize darling" he hardly ever apologizes...usually only when the apology is necessary. With this one the apology seems so...his eyes go back to facing forward as he waits. He didn't really recognize the names. This either means they aren't taking either of his classes or he simply didn't notice them well enough for the names to be remembered. He gets slightly antsy causing his hands to go to his aides again, causing his one tattoo to be visible.

He was called stupid....or at least his comments and that alone caused him to stay quiet. An oddity for him. Is this what it felt like to be put in one's place? How odd....this whole situation was odd. He decided to remain silent...just in case.

[Ashifili]

What is the meaning of power?

Is it a sword to slay your enemies, or a sword to protect your friends?

Is it something that you hid out of sight, a treasure that belongs only to yourself?

Or is it something to be flaunted, a bountiful wealth to elevate your own position?

Well? What do you think?

No, you idiot. You’re talking about the usage of power.

There is no meaning to power. You gather it up, but there’s always people who have more of it.

What matters though, is that you’re satisfied with how you will never have the most.

What matters though, is that you will use your own power.

Because you are a child of Izanami-no-Mikoto, the Mother of the Land of the Rising Sun, and the Mistress of the Underworld.

And she has not breathed life into you for you to live in the shadows of another.

After all, we’re oni.

It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about fighting.

Arata opened his eyes to a scene that he was becoming more and more accustomed to. A white ceiling with fluorescent lighting, and the sharp, septic stench of rubbing alcohol. The hard, clean bed felt good against his back, and the phantom pain of his missing arm and half-dissolved chest could still be felt. The oni hurt all over, but it wasn’t a crippling pain, nothing that could stop him from getting up. Rising up with a grunt, the sun-haired boy looked to the side. Looks like Rollanda restored his clothes too, huh? His white cloak hung on a coat rack, and his shirt and shorts, purchased from a second-hand store, remained as bland and simple as always.

The oni sighed, and closed his eyes.

He could catch vestiges of his memories, the hatred and the blood, the pain and the laughter, everything mixing together in a hodgepodge of glorious and inglorious violence. It should have been enjoyable, but at the same time, it was like every other fight that he had fought since arriving at the Academy.

It was too short, too sudden, and…too pointless.

Juliann’s skill was beautiful, but he couldn’t reciprocate that.

Victarian’s power was interesting, but both of them restrained themselves.

And this last fight...could it really be called a fight?

Another long sigh, before he got out of bed, removing the hospital scrubs and pulling on his own clothes once more. Resting his once-skeletal hand on the brass coat hanger, the oni reminisced, delving into his centuries-long memories of a different time. The meaning of power, huh? In the end, regardless of how that man had responded, it still didn’t answer the central question.

For what purpose should he wield his power? Was it fine just to fight for the sake of fighting? Or was that just his instincts as a warmongering oni speaking?

He desired a hard-fought, hard-won fight against someone equal or greater to him in strength, but was that all? Would he be satisfied just with that? Back when the Night Parade was still one thousand, and they ravaged the battlefields with their iron clubs and superhuman strength, did he truly enjoy fighting the armies of man? Or did he enjoy being together with his allies?

Without thinking, Arata’s grip tightened on the coat hanger, slowly deforming it.

Too many questions once more. He was thinking too hard, and thinking too hard was pointless. With a sigh, he draped his cloak around his shoulders, pulling the hood over his horns. With heavy steps, the oni walked out of Rollanda’s hospital.

If he decided between like or dislike, he’d have to say that he still liked punching Iravis in the face.

If he decided between right and wrong, he’d have to say that he believed his own convictions and ideals were right, that there was no purpose in strength if you relied on the overbearing strength of another.

But regardless, of all that, regret still clung onto him.

He was alone, even with 999 souls dormant within him.

And, alone, he headed towards Liseranna Academy’s library.

Iravis can have her army, her champions, her servants.

Arata will show her that one doesn't need any of that if they have themselves.

[Zelosse]

Victarian left the main courtyard after A had given his speech, walking with swift determination to the only place he knew there would be answers but usually at a cost of some sort. This particular fellow was always eccentric it seemed, surprising and clever and ultimately dangerous as no other foe could be. Memories of him flooded his mind and fear took Viktors heart for a brief moment but stubborn willpower forced him ever forward in seek of solution and definitive answers.
Victarian entered the waiting room with a knock and opened the door slowly to reveal the rather oddly decorated room. For one as powerful as A, Victarian had maybe expected some sort of horrible dungeon or the seats to be made of cast iron and pain. Irrational fear or valid thought was hard to determine but he did not dismiss it to be not within realm of possibility.

Victarian knocked on the office door softly before speaking softly.

"Excuse me, sir, I have come for an audience."

Without a response he sat down upon one of the chairs provided and simply waited patiently with eyes closed in light meditation.

"It is an irrational fear, my boy." A said from behind Victarian. "And my, aren't you quite the eager one? What can we do with someone like you?"

It was terrifying how the professor appeared just behind him, talked to his ear and even seemed to read his mind.

"Forgive me, but I was out, you see. In fact, I'm surprised anyone would be enough of a blockhead to come visit my office when they had just seen me in the courtyard. I don't like running you see. It is impossible for any normal person to reach my office before you if they are not running. Yes, indeed. Any normal person." He laughed a bit.

He then walked past Victarian and stood in front of his own office, before opening it.

"Then, to what do I owe the irony of your visit? I mean, you DO know that angels and I share a past, hm?"

Victarian visibly paled when the voice spoke, aware his thoughts had been seemingly violated but tried to remain calm in the face of overwhelming disadvantage in both physical and magical difference.
Instead he put on a smile and stood before dipping into a deep bow. There was no longer a doubt this man knew why Viktor was here.

"apologies. I hadn't meant to cause you trouble. I've come for a simple request from someone more knowledgeable."

A opened the door and ushered him into the office, closing the door before placing himself at his luxuriously appointed desk. Only when the man was seated did Victarian move forward to sit as he was instructed.

No sense playing games. "I wish to borrow the folders containing information on the family you mentioned, sir"

"I've got to praise your guts, then. Not only did you ignore completely the fact that I was clearly saying that I do not like my office filled with the whole radiance a pseudo angel like you throws out of his ass, but you are also bold enough to ask for the documents that I clearly said I would protect."

The director nodded and then turned his gaze upwards.

"If there is a God somewhere, I wonder if he plans for people to be this fucking stupid from the moment they are born." For once, the director seemed truly irritated, despite the never-fading smile in his face.

"If you truly want those documents, then what are you willing to do? What are you willing to exchange for a deal with this devil, hm? I won't accept your own body as a payment. It is tainted with that filthy book."

"I would imagine there are tasks no demon or man would dare try to accomplish. But I fear no such request. In exchange for the documents, offered in good will and not trying to be taken from you, I offer services for one such adventure."

Victarian ignored as best he could the blasphemy of the angels, ignoring any comment about then with stoic determination. Truly A was to be feared but even gods had limitations and this man seemed as close to the title than any.

It helped that the mans wording had been that any seeking to take it, meaning by force or theft, would be destroyed. Perhaps he secretly encouraged the bravado of young stupidity more than he let on.
Viktor wiped the thought away and simply believed he had caught this man in a relatively good mood.

"I will not stain your sacred place with my presence any longer than I must. So I ask if the bargain is acceptable, or if you have a different request in mind."

"I am tired of your ugly mug." The man sent the man away with a motion of his hand.

"Bring me a half-lamia. They are an odd occurrance once every century. They possess a set of legs where full lamias would have the tail of a snake. One was born about 18 years ago in the Amazon rainforest." He explained.

"I will allow you to use the teleportation pads to reach the place. Bring me back the girl unharmed and you shall have the documents." He then approached Victarian, taking his chin with two of his fingers. "However, if there's a single hair out of place, a single scale falling from the girl's body, a single scratch in her fair skin, I will flail you alive."

His fingers then extended to take the man's whole face into his hand. If he was wearing his usual set of armor, it would dent a bit when met with the impossible force of the director.

"So do me a favor and hurt her, will you? There's nothing I'd like better than killing yet another angel. I may have lost my edge over the years." He then pushed Victarian's head back, almost with enough force to send him stumbling back.

"Now, get out of my sight."

Gladly He thought, departing the building altogether in haste, eager to be away from such a monster as that. The force of his grip alone had threatened to crush his skull ass really as an egg. What some would give for a taste of that things power he might never know, the only thing he needed now was a Half-Lamia for the Headmaster. The sooner it was done the better. Victarian reached his dorm and entered the humble dwellings, grabbing a travel bag already loaded with rations, drinking water, matches, everything you would need for an extended journey like this had been kept on hand in case of emergency. Ironic that his life was at risk over an assignment but that was life here, to fail was death everyone knew that.

Viktor wasted no time heading for the teleportation pads, ignoring everything on his path to finishing his mission. The thought of danger in the amazon forest was all too real, if he were to succeed he would need to be quick and that meant doing this alone. The sooner the better.

Viktor stepped on the teleport pad and disappeared to the amazon forest.

-----------
THE AMAZON
-----------

A brief moment of extreme nausea almost put Viktor out of commission at the first leg of his journey, unused to such travel, but managed to keep himself upright and all stomach contents where they belonged. Victarian put down his travel bag and stretched out the kinks in his joints before his body took on a bright yellow glow and faded to reveal his armor, sword and shield on his back.

"Lets get this over with, then."

No idea where to look, this might have seemed daunting, but that did not matter at all. The gods would lead him or he would fail. Viktor took off in a run, brimming with holy energy with his shield on his arm he ran at a light pace, hot nor cold bothered him and he felt no fatigue when empowered by his energy. Granted it would slowly deplete but there was a time and a place to gather it all back as needed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Adrians voice (Use your imagination)


Adrian glanced up at the sound of tearing clothing, craning his neck to see the tantalizing bit of bribery dangling just inches from his face. For what felt like the first time ever he saw an offering and didn't feel the hunger or interest that always dominated the moment. His eyes were a dull red now, the inner fires almost extinguished from his own self torture. He laid his head on the dirt with a defeated stare and groaned, the half-eaten piece of sleeve still went untouched.

Words aimed his way met deaf ears as his interest sunk even further from the admittedly very kind girl who had come to him, yet all he felt was like he was being even more of a burden now. To share his problem with another person was torture and he bothered him not knowing why he cared all of a sudden.

Slow and steady he put both feet under him, standing at his full height and staring at the sky. It meant severe punishment to leave the schoolgrounds but he didn't care. He began to crouch, legs tensing and wings extending fully.

"Now Adrian, how have you been holding up. I don't hope you still think i'm mad about the small accident you made. It was mostly my fault too so I herby apologise."

@liferusher

Just as he was about to take off in flight he was rooted in place, not by magic or by command, but by a voice he had been longing to hear. It also dangled socks in her hands.
Adrian turned like a lightning bolt, suddenly standing at his full height, his eyes blazed with an intensity he had not felt in days.
He snatched the dress piece and the socks and devoured them hungrily, unable to resist his hunger as it took on a new height. He reached out and pulled both of the girls into a deep and appreciative hug at the gift, a smile full of sharp fangs and string greeted them. Oddly it did not stink like you would think it did.

He put both of them down and took a hasty step back, aware he had yet again caused trouble. Adrian chewed his fingers and had a sharp gasp at the realization, wings tensed.

"I did it again! I am sorry!"

The giant moth dropped to his knees and prostrated again before Reina.

"I stopped eating your clothes, and everyone elses, please forgive me!"

He clawed forward like a man gone crazed.

"Release me from your curse! I do not wish to feel this way any longer. I will serve you as a familiar, clean your room, anything!"

Poor Adrian believed himself put under a spell to show him the error of his ways.

[Roleplayer001]

Pre timeskip

~Third Day of School~

Meruin was heading home, supplies in hand. Or in cart, as the case may be. There was a whole cart load of things she needed to bring back, and Meruin was getting increasingly exhausted by having to haul the load over. At the very least, she was close to home now.

Inside her cart were objects that one would be hard pressed to find in huge quantities . . . or in possession of what some would call a little girl.

Raw animal livers, antlers, silver knives of various designs, wooden steaks, a marble goblet, various needles that were and were not of medicinal use, Flintstones, raw brimstone, concentrated methane, natural oils, a pack of concentrated vanilla, three pounds of deer hearts, three liters of olive oil, and various other strange items.

At the moment, Meruin stopped in front of her dorm. Now was the hard part; hauling the entire thing up to her room. She considered using magic to simply create a platform to bring it up, but was worried that the mana expenditure - though minuscule - would skew her calculations for the ritual. She wanted to start as soon as possible, and she did not need the extra effort.

Lyssa was a tiny bit upset. Iravis may have very well just kicked her out of her dorm after this morning. Permanently.

Mostly because apparently Iravis didn’t like being cuddled while she was asleep. Tsk, really! She was hugging that pillow awfully tight, so maybe she got a little jealous and pulled a little closer.

Ah well. She had bigger concerns for now. Like that bet she made with that…Meruin girl last night while drunk. That girl had Evil Mad Scientist written all over her. Now, she loved mad scientists as much as the next guy, but something about her didn’t sit well with Lyssa. A little nagging feeling that she was gonna try something funny.

And she couldn’t have her bestie roommate Iravis fall victim to any…machinations of some evil scientist. Not at all!~ Hehe~

So, she’d have to do something about that. But how to go about it?...

And just as she was leaving the dorms to form her plan of attack over some delicious cake at Neoka (And conveniently skip classes again for the second day in a row), she found a very good answer!

Meruin had apparently been doing some fairly heavy shopping in the morning. Lyssa wasn’t about to let this chance pass.

“Hiiii Meruin!~” she cheerfully greeted the human upon walking up to her cart. “Wow you’ve got a lot of stuff here.” She certainly had some…interesting stuff in there. She felt a little nauseous at recognizing bits of animals, but was mostly able to keep her composure and instead picked up an antler.

“You know, if I had horns shaped like this, It’d make me infinitely cuter.” She chuckled. She didn’t ask what Meruin was doing with all of it of course, no. Actively asking to help might seem a little suspicious. Just seeing her with all these…questionable things confirmed her suspicions of this girl being up to no good.

"Hello Iravis," stated Meruin in her same monotone, "good morning. No, not really. Objectively speaking those antlers would ill suite someone who already has horned appendages."

Having said that, Meruin turned to stare at the stares, her mind fixated on how to get her things up without having to use magic.

"Silly, I'm not Iravis." She replied with a giggle, replacing the antlers in the cart. "It's me, Lyssa! And I do have horned appendages. They're not cute though." She harrumphed, pouting just a bit.

"So what ya doing?" She asked. If Meruin wasn't going to ask for her help, she might as well ask.

Meruin stared at Lyssa for a good few seconds, before realizing it was in fact, not Iravis. Hm, looks like she was a little too focused on the upcoming ritual. Also, her hair was eye-catchingly pink. That must have been a reason as well. Pink was just a lighter spectrum of red, therefore it could be concluded that seeing pink would remind of red and if red was already the predominant thought on the mind then the mind would then replace pink with red causing her to-

"Hm? Oh, you asked a question. Apologies," said Meruin after a solid half-minute of silence, "I was lost in thought. I am currently figuring out a way to bring my things to my room. Without using magic, preferrably."

Should she carry them up one by one? It would take time, but at the very least she would have no need to use magic, but how long would it take and would it be within acceptable time-parameters? Moreover, there was no guarantee that someone would not steal her things while she was bringing them up.

Bring them to her…room?! What the hell was this girl going to be doing up there? Some sort of…satanic ritual or something with all of these things? Well, uh, not like she could really say much about satanic rituals being you know, actually a demon, but – meh, whatever.

“Oh?” Well, she might have well as asked then, so she saw no harm in offering. “That’s easy! I can help. At least a little. I am pretty strong, after all.” She chuckled. “I was gonna go eat an unhealthy amount of cake, but if you want some help, I can.”

A perfect opportunity to get in her home as well.

The small mage eyed Lyssa suspiciously. While she was normally not object to the demon-girls presence, some of these were very sensitive materials, and she did not strike her as particularly careful person.

"You . . . can help, if you wish," relented Meruin eventually. "Just try and be careful with some of the materials. Particularly the marble goblet. That was difficult to find and very expensive."

Meruin gave Lyssa the instructions to where her dorm room was, and said, "Just leave the things in front of the door, I'll stay here and guard the rest. Unless you can bring everything upstairs in one trip? That would be most helpful."

Well, she offered to help, so Meruin may as well make sure she helped in the most efficient way possible.

"Don't worry, It'll be fine." She replied with a confident grin. "I'm not a walking disaster or anything." Well, actually she kind of was considering she could basically destroy anything just by touching it, but Meruin didn't need to know that.

"I can indeedy!~" Lyssa replied, grabbing the sides of the cart, and lifting it without much trouble at all. "I'm stronger than my adorability suggests~" She gave Meruin a flity seeming wink, before starting upstairs to Meruin's dorm.

"According to my studies, most demons are born attractive in order to lure potential contractors and or victims," said Meruin matter-of-factly, "but still posses incredible strength. It's no surprise."

Once in front of her room, Meruin unlocked the door. She wondered if Jocelyn and Reina were here? Hopefully Reina recalled her request to keep her sexual activities outside her room. She would rather not have to clean up after her orgasms.

Lyssa simply giggled at Meruin’s response. Wow, way to kill a girls confidence in her appearance, saying that every one of her kind was equally cute. She said nothing though, and focused on bringing the cart upstairs to Meruins dorm. However, she did make sure to take careful note over the items she could see. She didn't know what all of them were, but she could at least quickly at a glance make an educated guess about the chemical and elemental make up of the objects.

If she wanted too, she could probably just dissolve everything. That'd solve everything quite quickly. If worst came to worst...she could do something she'd rather not, but where would the fun in that be, hmm? Nothing like a good hero thwarting the plan of a mad scientist through the use of her mind!~

"Want me to set this stuff inside anywhere?" She asked once in front of the room. It'd be a good idea to at least get a look at the place, if she could. She had already scored major points here, just finding the place though, so if not she'd leave and...well, sneaky ninja time later that night!~

"My room is the one on the far right," said Meruin, unloading the items from the cart. She was glad that Lyssa was strong enough to bring them up in one trip, and even more grateful that she hadn't broken anything. If she had, Meruin would have demanded payment. Her blood would have been nice; demon blood had some potent effects.

Taking out a silver key with a cat for a design base, Meruin unlocked her room. From Lyssa's angle, there wasn't much to see as the room was covered in darkness.

"Please bring them in here," she said, as she hefted some of the lighter objects inside, "and please be careful where you step."

Lyssa followed Meruin with a smile. She found the dark room a little suspicious, but no risk no reward, right? Besides, fun stuff could also happen in the dark, heh~

“Yep, I’m being careful. Don’t worry so much. Nothing is going to spontaneously combust or anything~” She giggled, making sure to take extra careful steps.

"I was asking you to be careful for your own sake," stated Meruin bluntly. As the two stepped into the room, it's contents became visible.

Seven small animals - a rabbit, a mouse, a dove, a new born ram, a cat, and a pair of lovebirds - nailed to the walls, their blood dripping into silver basins with a single red candle inside, at the foot of their corpses. At the very center of the room, connected to the basins with a fine line of red string, was an intricately drawn circle.

Hanging from the top of the room was what looked like a person swinging from a noose, gaunt face staring in horror at the circle below her.

Meruin turned to Lyssa. "Please place the things next to the rabbit. I'll take it from there."

As soon as she walked through the door, she understood what Meruin meant that it was for her own sake. Ye gods it looked like the scene out of some horror movie. She was fine with dead animals. That didn't bother her that much. What bothered her, was the sight of blood.

"U-uh, n-nice place." She squeaked out, and she attempted to put the cart next to the rabbit, but didn't make it very far.

She dropped the box, possibly damaging a few things in the process. She could feel herself getting sick simply from the sheer amount of blood and dead animals she was seeing here. The only reason she hadn’t when Shikio ripped that guy to shreds, was because she was too shocked to react properly.

She turned around, intending to find her way out of Meruin’s room, but failed miserably.

Instead, she kneeled over, and proceeded to vomit on the floor – conveniently covering a small part of that magic circle.

“U-ugh…S-sorry…” Her voice was incredibly shaky, cracking just a bit. “Y-you should have…said something…” She shook her head. “I can’t…blood just makes me sick…”

In all seriousness, Lyssa probably should have mentioned her dislike for blood earlier, because as soon as she turned around, Meruin took a knife from her pocket and cut a vein on her wrist, splattering blood all over the rooms center circle.

Lyssa turned to see Meruin right as all the blood came pouring out. Only then did she notice that Lyssa had puked all over the floor.

Meruin frowned, looking slightly peeved. "Lyssa, could you at least have held it in until you were outside of the room?"

A few stray drops of blood splattered on Lyssa as Meruin continued to drain herself of blood - to a point where it was looking a little dangerous.

"No....I couldn't." There was no hesitation at all in her reply. "And did...you have to do that?" The demon sounded like she was about to puke again, but she managed to keep from doing it for the moment. Instead, she stood up. She really could use some sort of drink at the moment, or rather something to wash her mouth out. More importantly, though.

"Uhm...are you alright?" She asked, voice still a bit shaky. "You...why did you cut yourself?" It was then the demon noticed the few drops of blood on her, and thankfully most of it had gotten on her clothing. She fowned, trying to shove an unimportant thought out of her head and instead focus on Meruin.

Meruin ignored Lyssa for the better part of a minute, lifting her other, uncut hand as a request for silence. Meruin muttered a few words under her breath, and the circle beneath her came alive with a green glow.

The animals nailed animals began twitching horribly, and their corpses screeched as their trapped souls answered the call of Meruin's blood, following their own trail of crimson liquid down to the filled basin.

Each candle suddenly lit, and the strings on the floor were set on fire.

The hanged body on the ceiling began having spasms, arms flailing about and a hollow moan echoed from its dry lips.

Only afterwards did Meruin reply to Lyssa. "It was neccessary for the ritual," said Meruin, her face pale white. "Do not worry, I will be fine. It's what I bought the animal livers for."

Taking a deep breath, Meruin turned to look at Lyssa. "As you can see, I'm rather busy, so if you could please shut and lock the door behind you?"

She did not ask her to leave, but at the same time, there was not really much of a choice in the matter, for Lyssa anyway.

Well, what happened next almost made the situation ten times worse for the demon. The twitching, groaning...flowing blood. It was definitely bringing back some memories that were better left buried. If she was being forced to actually fight something, Meruin could very well be on the recieving end of something not so pleasant.

Either way, she was fairly sure some freaky Pythones magic was going on here. A little bit of help in her quest.

The display almost caused her to puke again, and maybe have actually done it on Meruin if she had. She managed to still control it for now, though and focused on what she was here for.

"R-ritual?" She questioned, though she quickly shook her head. "Uhm, yeah. Just let me rest for a second." She took that time to take another look around the room, taking a mental note of anything that might have been important. A bookshelf in the corner of the room. Looked like it had tons of odd...wards around it? She didn't entirely know. Some odd, very sharp tools on her bed, and box...labeled...corpse storage?!

She suddenly got the feeling she shouldn't linger here.

"Oh, I just realized, you could be of some use," stated Meruin suddenly. "If you could take the silver knife there - any of the unserrated ones - and leave some of your blood as tribute, that would make things easier."

It was a request, really.

Well, as much as she liked keeping her blood in her body where it belonged. The idea could possibly be used to her advantage just a little.

"My blood?" Lyssa groaned, though she gave Meruin a thoughtful look. Hmm...she needed to get as much information as she could from her that she could without trying to arouse suspicioun from Meruin, though she wasn't even sure if the girl was possible of being suspicious. Even so, however, she decided to go for it anyways. "You...want my blood." She repeated, sounding a bit unsure. "F-fine...buuut, you have to tell me what sort of magic you can do~"

She gave Meruin as friendly of a grin she could manage. "I'm an Alchimist myself." For all intents and purposes, she was simply appearing to be friendly, attempting to appear like talking was simply helping her recover from this probably somewhat traumatic event.

"Yes, your blood," said Meruin, trying to sound exasperated, but too tired to actually care, "demon blood. Highly potent. Very useful if used correctly."

And another question. Goodness, couldn't she just cut herself and get it over with? Sighing, Meruin covered her open wound with a bandage soaked in . . . some strong smelling liquid, like alcohol except sour.

"Huff, that's done, for now. The next steps will be more difficult . . ." muttered the small mage. Her attention returning to Lyssa, Meruin brandished a knife in what could probably pass as a threatening gesture - if only Meruin looked like she honestly didn't care what for what she was going to do with it.

"Ah, yes. My magic. I've got some measure of skill in Pythones and much more in Prestigae, but primarily, I am an Alchemy mage," she stated with no reservation. Not a lie. While she was most skilled as an Illusion Mage, she rarely saw the need to openly display her skills, and almost always used Alchemy in her daily life.

"So, I've answered your question. Blood?" Meruin again brandished her knife, before looking at it and then back to Lyssa. "Unless you'd rather do it yourself?"

An…alchemist and Prestigae mage? She frowned, only for a fraction of a second. That meant Meruin could do some pretty crafty things. Well, this certainly helped at least, but she’d put the pieces of the puzzle together later.

“N-no.” Lyssa replied, holding out her arm. “Get it over with, I’ll be fine. As uhm, long as I don’t look at it probably.”

Meruin gave a small smile and nodded. "How nice. Most Demons would be afraid of mages holding their blood on account of the possibility of eternal enslavement, so I suppose I should thank you for how easy you make it."

To trust her, she meant, but she was sure that she did not need to know that.

Placing the blade against Lyssa wrist, Meruin cut it in one swift motion, such that the pain didn't even register until half a moment later. As the blood dripped out, Meruin conjured a silver wine goblet and collected it until it was filled.

Lifting the goblet to her lips, Meruin downed a small drop, and closed her eyes. She felt the mana in her body jolt slightly, and her eyes were open again, slightly wider and more energetic - though still dull and bored looking by comparison to other people.

"How unusual. A virgin demoness. I was certain that you had sex with Iravis already," said Meruin, almost sounding surprised. "Well, it's a bonus for me, so I will not complain."

Lyssa only offered a quiet yelp as her wrist was cut. She made sure to look in the opposite direction. It wouldn’t be good for her to get sick again and mess this up.

As blood left her body, she began to feel slightly lightheaded, and only offered a small giggle to Meruin when she commented on her sex life.

“Hehe, Iravis would burn me alive if I did something like that.” She frowned again, still not looking at her wrist, which was still obviously bleeding and would likely continue to for some time.

“U-uhm, can you bandage this?”

"Really, you two looked quite close to me." Meruin left Lyssa for a moment to reach into a nearby cupboard. On the top shelf of the cupboard, a whole strew of bloody bandages were carelessly piled on top of each other. On the bottom half, neat roles of clean ones were aligned according to use.

Taking out a clean role, Meruin also swiped a bottle of alcohol. "Please stretch out your hand over the sink," she said, head tilting towards said sink. I'll clean the wound then bandage it."

"Heh, we're just friends." She replied, watching Meruin walk over to a cupboard. This girl seriously liked blood a bit too much. She would make sure to avoid this house of horrors after she wa done with her business here.

Lyssa stumbled to her feet, keeping her bleeding wrist as far away from herself as possible. The demon moved towards the sink, having a little difficulty but managed to make it and placed her wrist over it.

"She actually may have just kicked me out this morning though, heh~" Though she didn't sound too concerned with it.

Simply nodding in response, Meruin poured the alcohol all over the open wound, then bandaged it. Alcohol generally tended to burn everything - good and bad - but really, that was the beauty of using magic. The small mage handed Lyssa a small vial filled with glowing blue liquid.

"Here, to speed up the healing process. Afterwards, you may leave if you wish," afterwards, Meruin proceeded to the center of the room, sat down with her legs crossed, and closed her eyes. The bodies on the wall and the body on the ceiling seemed to inhale and exhale in concert with her own.

“Ah, uhm, thanks Meruin.” She replied, seemingly unbothered by the burning from the alcohol.

Creepy. If she was in a horror video game, this is when all the bad stuff started happening. At least Meruin had bandaged her wrist well, and even given her something to speed up the healing process. Well, that was nice of her. She maybe even felt a bit bad that she was trying to undermine whatever it was she was doing.

But well, Iravis was her roommate, and she wouldn’t have Meruin tricking her in some manner. Still, she needed to get out of here and get some fresh air for now. She had some things to think about over cake anyways.

“I’ll be leaving then. And uh, if you are summoning Cthulhu, tell him he owes me money~” She giggled, making a small joke though it was unlikely Meruin would get it. After that, she left and headed for the city. She’d attend her afternoon classes later.

As Lyssa left, Meruin muttered, "C'thulu's not very partial to summoning . . ."

And the door shut by itself.

---

-Night of the Third Day-

After leaving Meruin’s room, the demon made her way to the city, focusing on the thoughts of pastries and other delicious things. She had spent most of the morning eating them, and thinking about what exactly Meruin would attempt to be doing. It was obviously something shady, but she wasn’t sure what.

What she was sure, is that there was no way Meruin could get the actual bow, if it even existed. There was no way she could leave the academy and just find it by chance. Something like that wasn’t possible.

The obvious method when attempting to trick someone when giving them something valuable, was to make a replica or use some sort of fake something. If Meruin was an alchemist, then it would be easy for her to make a make-shift replica.

Assuming that was what she was even attempting to do. Whatever ritual she was doing was the unknown here. She doubted passing off a regular bow made with Alchemy would be enough to convince Iravis that it was the actual bow. Not to mention, learning what the bow was made of would be difficult and using anything other than that would probably not work.

So she had settled on one thing. She needed more information, so she was going to break into Meruin’s room while she was asleep. She was a little upset it probably looked like she was avoiding Iravis since she had spent most of the day doing other things then hanging out with the phoenix, but it'd pass.

Which was why she was currently outside the door to her dorm. This late at night, she was certain the others were asleep. With a little luck, she could find something that could help her. She'd have to be careful of her other roommates, if she had any, but she was confident in her sneaky ability. It wasn't the first time she had done such a thing, after all.

Meruin was completely zeroed in on the ritual. All of the mana she had managed to gather over the past few days was convalescing towards a single point of the center of the room. The best part was that no one could feel it unless they were inside the room itself - the spirits she had summoned made sure of that.

As an extra precaution to make sure her ritual was not disturbed, she had transmuted the door away. Now, where there was simply a blank, gray wall left behind.

There were three circles aligned in a triangle across the ceiling. As she began chanting, a single circle began lighting up. The body hanging on the ceiling shook slightly. A halo of light locked around its head, and a similar halo locked around Meruin's own.

"Haaaah," Meruin moaned, and her body tensed for a second.

It seemed the animals were taken down, to be replaced by diffirent sigils of Meruin's own making.

Lyssa opened the door to the dorm quietly. She wasn’t wearing her usual attire. Instead, she was wearing a black hoodie with some jeans and some well-worn sneakers. What she was doing with such shady looking clothing, was anyone’s guess.

She moved quietly, for someone like Lyssa who was usually rather loud and not so subtle at all, it’d be rather odd to see her sneaking about. She made her way to Meruin’s room, treading quietly across the floor and careful not to make any noise or alert anyone.

However, when she got there she was definitely surprised. The door had been removed, and replaced with a grey wall. Something to keep someone out? Just what sort of ritual could she be doing in there?

She pressed her ear against the stone wall, attempting to hear anything. She heard what sounded like a muffled moan, and Lyssa briefly wondered if she was just having….fun with a friend, but quickly dismissed the thought.

For now, though, she needed to get a good look in the room. She placed a fingertip on the wall, and activated her magic. She focused, and a small red-ring of magic flashed briefly on the wall. Good, it was made out of some fairly common elements and didn’t give her much trouble.

A small circular section of the wall crumbled, and the demon peered inside. She didn’t have much of a view, but it would do for now.

At this point, Meruin was kneeling on the ground, a long silver sacrificial dagger in hand. Taking a deep breath, the girl plunged it into her heart.

She convulsed for a few seconds before slumping.

An explosion of light erupted, and various green, blue and red wisps of light began dancing around the "corpse" of Meruin, entering and exiting the body at various intervals. A wave of vibrations passed through the room and could be fell through its walls.

Lyssa's eyes widened in shock when Meruin stabbed herself. What...she was thoroughly confused, but she wasn't a Pythones mage, so she couldn't tell what she was doing.

Still, she watched as the explosion of light erupted and began dancing around Meruin's body, a little put off by the vibrating walls but she didn't move. She took note of the various different sigils and open window as well. Perhaps another vantage point she could get to later, if she had too.

Then, the lights dimmed down, and the room went dark. From the darkness, as second person, too shrouded to see clearly, lifted the body of Meruin and laid it on the ground. Taking the knife from her hand, the person proceeded to carve up the body, dividing it into several pieces. Strands of smoke rose up from the open wounds, filling the room with a thickly sweet scent.

The following darkness was a bit unexpected. She couldn't clearly make anything out. She could make out vague shapes, like Meruin's body being moved. A person? No, more likely a spirit of sorts that she couldn't clearly see either. However, what she did know, is what she heard. The sound of a knife carving through flesh, and a thick, sweet scent came from the room.

Her imagination started going to places where it probably shouldn't.

Still, despite that and the darkness, she'd stay just a bit longer. If she couldn't get any more information in the next few seconds or so, she'd leave before she was discovered.

"The first sacrifice is complete."

Candles placed around the room lit up, and the figure stepped away from the bloody remnants of meat on the floor, and away from Lyssa's field of vision. The fire from the candles changed from bright orange to a deep blue, and lept from their wicks to surround the "corpse"; circling around it, they slowly but surely approached the offering, and once they touched it, the body burst into flames instantly.

The fire reached an abnormal height, almos two meters tall, and shadows without bodies danced in the background to the tune of the crackling flame.

At the site of the bloody remnants on the floor, Lyssa lost it.

She threw up for the second time that day. She leaned against the wall, trying to stop herself from loosing her footing and completely missing everything that happened after the figure stepped out of her field of vision.

Alright, that was it. She had to leave. She wasn't sure she could watch any longer.

So the demon did just that, and left just as quietly as she came.

---

~4th Night of School~

A yawn. The sun had been down for a while now, and Iravis felt the last vestiges of it's strength leave her body. The Phoenix was returning from one of her nightly talks with Ali, which of course had gone no where. When she entered the room, she found Lyssa sitting on the side of the bed, with heresy in her lap. The 'laptop'. "The Sun sets on the world, and you arrive before the moon is high in the sky. Not galavanting with your companions?"

Lyssa had decided against doing much today. After the house of horrors that was Meruin's room, she decided to go to classes like a good little adorable demon. So she had spent the day in class, doing her best not to fall asleep. Thankfully, the teachers let her record lessons with her laptop. Most of them, anyways. She did have a better time with watching them later.

She was, however, glad Iravis decided to show up just then. She had a few questions regarding the Bow Of Artemis.

"Hehe, I don't have to go hang out with a friend every night ya know." She replied with a grin. "Don't want to tire them out, eheh~" She closed what she was doing on the laptop, and closed the device itself moments after and stood up, getting off of the bed, the bandage on her arm clearly visible. The medicine Meruin had given her definitely had helped healing it, but she was still keeping it there for now.

"So, so, I have a thing I wanna ask ya."

Iravis noticed the bandage was still there from the previous night. These 'friends' of hers obviously played rough. Still though, they kept the hellion off the Phoenix's back and gave the Goddess a little time to herself. It wasn't that Iravis hated Lyssa, but morso that she just found it difficult to handle the bubbly personality on a constant basis.

"Knowledge and Widsom are two gifts that cost nothing to give." The firebird sat down in one of the desk chairs, giving a sly grin to the 'adorable little demon', a little relieved that the plan for the night wasn't going to be an attempt to teach the ancient woman how to use the blasted magical tablet.

"Alright, so. You know I'm an alchemist." She started. "And you mentioned the Bow of Artemis the other night, right? I was wondering if you knew what it was made of?" It was more than just idly curiosity, though there was a lot of that too. A weapon supposedly used by some old god? She'd love to find out what it was made of. Not like, in a crazy mad scientist way or anything, of course. "Like if it's made of anything special."

Anything special? The Goddess closed her eyes, raking her memories for information. Well it was made of ... It never appeared the same in any two different incarnations. Did she rotate between them? Now that she thought about it, the bows Artemis had used seemed to constantly change from being one rare material to another, updating her arsenal over time. "A bowyer I am not, I only know that the arrows fly true." A few more moments later Iravis decided that Lyssa's question deserved a more fullfiling answer. "If memory serves me well, as technology shifted her weapons did as well. More than one may be waiting to be found."

Well that wasn't the answer she had been hoping for. That meant that a fake could be more easily passed off as the real thing. Troubling, since she was fairly certain that's what Meruin was doing.

"Aww, really? No special properties at all?" She sighed. It made sense, though. Why would something considered a goddess just use one weapon? If she was, a god, she'd use all the weapons she could get her mitts on. "No unkown element waiting to be discovered or something? Something that could only be created with Alchemy?"

Iravis smiled at the demon knowingly. It was always strange to the Goddess how mortals couldn't seem to wrap their minds around the idea that things lied beyond the powers of magic and science, concepts easy to wrap the mind around. Despite being a minor scholar herself, Iravis understood that things lied beyond the knowledge of books.

"Vulcan forged them, Demeter sprouted them from Rhea, and Zeus blessed them. Powers of Alchemy alone would not be able to forge one of them." Iravis didn't think it was neccessary to mention that every time the bow was fired, a little bit of the spirit of the huntress remained.

Well, that helped a bit. That meant Alchemy alone wouldn't be able to make one. That's probably what Meruin was using the Pythones magic for. Hmm...well, she wouldn't ask about that. There was something else that she thought of asking after Iravis' explanation.

"Hmm...would that mean I wouldn't be able to destroy a real one with my deconstruction alchemy?"

Iravis looked at the ceiling. That confirmed her suspicions. In all the years she had lived, anytime someone asked something hypothetically including a specific person in a situation, it was because they were thinking about it. If I asked you to marry me, would you do it? Just curious? If I asked you, would you stay by my side? Just wondering?

After a few moments, the goddess made her decision. "Sharing wisdom is good, but not if the teacher knows it leads to disaster. Sometimes a trip in a desert is neccessary to making one more resilient to a lack of water."

"Aww come on Iravis." She pouted, taking a seat on the bed."I'm not actually going to destroy one. It's not like I can just go out and find one, and even if I did I'm not that careless."

She was honestly a bit confused as to why Iravis would withhold such information. Disaster? What sort of Disaster could that even bring?...well, unless someone had attempted it before and it ended badly. She couldn't figure out how it could possibly end badly, unless it involved some sort of divine wrath and smiting or something. Because that was definitely bad.

Iravis observed the demon. Really LOOKED at her. This 'adorable little demon' isn't capable of scheming, is she? The previous conversation about an unusued bottle of wine had shaken the phoenix's faith in the world somewhat, but that had probably been a misunderstanding.

"The might of the gods and the power of sorcery tend to balance out. I am not omnipotent, but one who seeks an artifact of heaven would normally employ it to their own causes." Mortals rarely turned to faith or belief until they were desperate. She didn't realize she had likely made the mistake of every tragedy.

"Ehe, thank you!" She replied, almost abit too happy sounding. She wasn't entirely happy with the answer, but it would do. She would assume that someone well trained - much better than she was, would be able to do something like that. Which meant, that no, she could not do such a thing as destroy a real Bow of Artemis. Now all she had to do, was find out what sort of bow Meruin was making. What it was made of...if she could find it, then she was confident she could destroy a fake.

"So so, how about tomorrow morning we cut classes and I buy you a cake? Maybe even try something new?"

"Further tribute to your resident Phoenix? I wonder what divine favor you'll request in return..." The red haired girl found herself yawning and heading towards the bathroom to get ready for the night, turning on the bath's warm water.

Feeling quite confident, Lyssa giggled but didn't reply to Iravis. Instead, she was feeling a bit tired herself. She might as well get ready for bed, too and get a pillow before Iravis hogged all of them. She'd take a bath in the morning before their little date~

---

~5th day of school~

After taking Iravis to the mall that morning for another 'tribute' Lyssa went off on her own again. She needed to find out what Meruin was making this replica out of. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to really go about that. Obviously Meruin had figured out a way to make one, but how? The only logical conclusion she could come too, brought a shudder to the demon.

it was in a book.

Of sorts at least. She doubted the information would be floating around on the internet, as powerful as the internet was. She supposed she could also go ask the Director if he knew anything about it. She did want to eventually meet the guy, he seemed like fun, but she'd save that for later.

That meant she was gonna have to go to the vast library, and try not to die of boredom within the first five seconds of walking in. Ah, the things she did for her friends...this might acutally be even worse than that house of horrors that was Meruins room.

So the demon steeled herself, and walked into the Library.

And at that time of the day, the librarian was putting back into their place some books left out of their shelves by unruly students.

"Why can't they be more careful, geez." The woman said with a sigh.

All eight of her long, spider like legs, moved across the floor, making a sound similar to the cane of an old man hitting the floor.

The woman's blue eyes seemed to be just two at a simple glance, but under her bangs were hidden another two sets of blue eyes, confirming the fact that she was actually an Arachne.

She then heard someone coming into the library, and she was quick to turn to whoever had arrived.

It never ended well, but it just might this time, "Welcome! What are you looking for?" The arachne turned to Lyssa, steering her big-spider like body towards Lyssa's direction.

Well, whatever Lyssa was expecting from a library, it was not the Arachne in front of her. Most people might have been scared of her due to them finding spiders scary for some reason, but she could never understand that. She always had found spiders cute.

She had always wanted a giant fuzzy spider as a pet, too. She'd name him Maurice.

Seeing the Arachne definitely made this trip to the library less boring. She wasn't going to die of boredom in five seconds, that was certain at least.

"Oh hi!~" She cheerifly replied with her usual friendly grin. "Are you the librarian?"

For once, someone wasn't entirely terrified by her appearance.

This brought a smile to the woman's face.

"Yes! That's me! If you need any book, any book at all, I will get it for you in a flash!" And then, she turned forlorn again as she looked away from Lyssa. "Nobody ever uses it because they are afraid of me. No one knows the perks of Ari-chan's great library system."

Ouch.

Seeing the Arachne look so sad was almost enough to make Lyssa feel a tad bit angry. How could someone that looked so adorable be so feared? She might say Ari-chan was even more adorable then she was, if such a thing was possible.

"Whaa? Afraid? Of you? But you're so adorable." Lyssa replied.

"I don't know, don't ask me." she let her shoulders drop. "But enough being so sad. What book were you looking for?"

She put both of her arms forward, both of them looking black and the tips of her finger looking extremely sharp.

Lyssa frowned, but said nothing else. She almost wanted to hug the spider lady, but well, that might be a bit much. She supposed she'd get onto why she was here then.

"Uhm, I acutally don't know what I'm looking for." She replied. "I'm looking for anything about the Bow of Artemis, though. Maybe something about how one can be made."

"The bow of Artemis, huh? Let me think..." Suddenly, she finally realized what kind of book might hold what the girl needed. "Ah, yes!"

She extended her hand to the side and pulled something. It seemed to be invisible, but if one were to look closely they would be able to see a fine thread that went on and on until it was lost out of sight.

"Oh, and I am Arianne, by the way." She smiled at Lyssa again.

She let go of the thread then and extended her hand to the side. A book landed on her open hand after that.

She opened it and started reading through it.

"Hm, let's see here.... Yes, this is it!" She closed the book then with a loud thud and handed it over to Lyssa, having to bend over some since Lyssa was so much smaller than herself. "Here, this is the book of Hephaestus. He was the one to forge the bow, and boy, was it a harsh and arduous task to do so. I hope this helps."

Lyssa was surprised again since coming to the library. Seriously, were libraries always this much fun and had she been missing out this entire time? Curse those eggheads for not telling her of such wonders before!

“I’m Lyssa!~” She replied with a grin. “Nice to meet ya.”

She watched as the Arachne went about her work, tugging on some small thread she didn't see. Soon after, a book landed on her hand, and she started skimming through it. And if Arianne was right, this was just what she was looking for.

Success! Take that evil mad scientist Meruin!~

With this, she could definitely foil Meruin's plans. Hopefully, this was the same book she learned how to make the replica from. Before grabbing the book though, she perhaps got a little too excited.

"Ahaha, yes yes! This helps a lot!" She reached up, wrapping Arianne in a bref, but tight hug before taking the book. "Really, thank you!" She was going to have to keep this book from Iravis after their discussion last night, but maybe she could attempt to read it in one sitting here at the library, she was good at memorizing stuff, so it was possible.

"If you don't mind, can I read it here?"

A slight blush appeared in the Arachne's face when Lyssa leaned over to hug her. It was... an odd feeling. One she had never experienced before. Most people were afraid of her, after all.

"I-It's nothing, just doing my job." The librarian said, a bit flustered.

Afterwards, Lyssa asked if she could stay to read. Another notion that Arianne most certainly liked.

"Of course! The library is a place to widen your knowledge! Stay for as long as you like! I kind of live here too, so don't worry about closing hours."

Hearing this, made Lyssa only more motivated. So she found a seat, and spent the rest of the day doing something she had never seriously done before in her life.

Read a book.

---

Two nights later, and Meruin had finally completed the ritual. She took a moment to inspect the outcome.

The sleek silver bow in her hand was the fruit of three sleepless days and nights, filled with her blood, mana, and bits of her magic circuits. Three days and three nights of modifying her own personality, cutting out bits of herself as sacrifice, and nearly dying more times than she cared to count.

Looking at the bow in her hand, however, Meruin would gladly admit that it was very, very worth it.

When Iravis had first mentioned her condition, she had considered carefully on how to fulfill it. Admittedly, she did not think it would be so difficult when she had first accepted it, and very nearly came close to failing - closer than she had ever had come to before.

She had agonized over how to obtain the Bow of Artemis for Iravis, and quickly came to the conclusion that finding the bow - the actual bow - would be impossible. Not only were there several in existance according to the book she received from the Director, but the original one that belonged to the goddess herself had long become lost to the pages of history, with nothing but speculation as to where it was now.

And that was when it hit Meruin, the solution to how to obtain the Bow.

She frowned. It was really just a theory at this point, but a weapon with that much significance to the World, moreover, a weapon that bore the name of a goddess . . .

A smile slowly crept into Meruins little face. A delighted, excited smirk of a smile that expressed nothing but satisfaction.

Yes, that could work.

Why look for the bow, when you could summon it?

Iravis was sure to know a fake from the genuine article, given her apparent age, and since there was no way for Meruin to actually create a forgery good enough to fool her, why bother?

No, she would get Nature herself to forge the bow for her. A forgery made from the original source was a forgery only so long as an original remained, and if the original could not be differentiated from the fake . . . then there was no need for either to be a fake.

And with that idea in mind, Meruin began drawing up plans and processes, spent countless hours going over every detail until finally, she managed to summon that which she held in her hands now.

"It's perfect."

The Infirmary, Day 9

"Lyssa, I swear upon Olympus that..." But Lyssa wasn't cuddling her. When the goddess opened her eyes, she realized she wasn't in the closet either. Iravis found herself in the infirmiry for the second time that month, but she didn't know why. Something was off about the experience though, but the Phoenix couldn't quite place it. Iravis stood up, getting out of the bed and heading between the beds when she noticed Lyssa laying down in one of them. "What injury befell you?"

Lyssa was laying quietly in bed, half asleep. She had taken quite the beating from Arata and was still feeling it just a bit. Even lost an arm and was basically used as an enraged Onis plaything. Really, she probably should have been dead if it wasn’t for Rollanda.

When she heard Iravis’ voice, she simply opened her eyes and didn't make much of an effort to get up just yet.

“Oh, uhm, Arata was really upset about you bringing a teacher.” She replied. “And well, uh, we got into a fight.” That was probably an understatement, but Iravis didn't really need to know that. She didn't think going into detail about her various injuries was needed either.

"My memory fails me for this incident ..." Iravis looked at her resting roomate, and started to debate whether or not she should stay, her eyes looking towards the door.

"Hehe, yeah, he got you pretty good." She gave Iravis a small smile. "I'm fine though, just a bit tired. We should probably get going soon if we wanna solve that riddle!~"

Iravis raised an eyebrow, looking at the exhausted hellion. "The fourteen year old is likely waiting for our trade. Rest for the exhausted is wise, so stay here and recover until our party meets."

“No, really, I’m fine!” Lyssa replied. No way was she letting Iravis go meet Meruin alone after the horrors she witnessed. The demon got up off the bed in her usual fashion, though she seemed to wobble a bit and almost lose her footing, but she quickly recovered.

“I need to get up and move around anyways. Sitting around isn’t gonna help me recover.” She gave Iraivs a grin before adding. "A hug would work wonders, too~"

Iravis raised an eyebrow at her annoying follower. Every religion had to start somewhere, so at least Lyssa was ... stubbornly loyal? Overly attatched? "Your decisions are your own, although I advised against them." The Phoenix ignored the request for a hug, and started to head out the building.

Lyssa pouted just for a moment as she was completely rejected again.

“Aww, come ooon. Just one. A tiny one? A pat on the head?” She quickly followed Iravis out of the infirmary, still attempting to get at least some form of affection from the Phoenix. Of course, she wasn’t actually expecting Iravis to do any of those things. She was just making a nuisance of herself at this point.

---

Meruin decided that waiting for Iravis was going to be difficult if she couldn't stand straight up or even see her clearly. In the interest of the both of them, Meruin decided to head off to the infirmary to see if they had anything to help her maintain some semblance of lucidity.

The small mage lurched for a moment, her body curling up as she swallowed back a wave of blood.

"Unpleasant.

Shaking her head, she plodded towards the infirmary on shaky legs.

Lyssa and Iravis were just leaving the infirmary themselves. The demon was definitely still feeling pretty bad after that fight with Arata, and was just abit slower than she usually was. Rollanda did wonders in making sure she didn't get seriously injured, but she probably should still be resting and she wasn't looking forward to this meeting with Meruin at all. She honestly hoped they could leave on this treasure hunt before Meruin found them. The Phoenix rolled her eyes at the stubborness of the hellion, but decided that it was the annoying creature's own choice to follow her.

So she was a bit dissapointed to see Meruin stumbling towards the infirmary herself.

"Uhm, Iravis can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked, voice taking a somewhat serious tone as she turned to her friend. She honestly had exhausted quite a bit of her magic during the fight, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to...attempt to destroy what she believed was a replica.

Iravis looked over at Lyssa, raising an eyebrow at the girl's ... serious tone? "One should attend buisness before pleasure, so to which is this related?" The phoenix wasn't up for having the demon ask her seriously if she wanted a hug.

"Well," Lyssa shot a look over to Meruin, lowering her voice just a bit before turning back to Iravis. "I think...the bow she's gonna give you is a fake."

Iravis nodded, not terribly surprised. "An accusation worthy of demanding satisfaction, what evidence do you have?"

"Ah, well...I don't have any...proof." Lyssa replied. "But uhm, well, I maybe have, uhm," Ah, what was a way she could put 'spying on someone' nicely? There wasn't much of a way she could make that sound not...sneaky. "Spying on her~"

Well, might as well say it with confidence. She really did hope Iravis trusted her.

Iravis' eyes widened a little bit at that statement. But now Meriun was approaching. "We are discussing this after the exchange." It wasn't the happiest of tones.

Lyssa simply frowned, but said nothing in reply and waited.

Meruin looked up from her stupor and was surprised to see Iravis and Lyssa there ahead of her. Did they somehow know she was heading for the infirmary? How convenient.

""Iravis, Lyssa," said Meruin with a nod to both, ""how convenient. I was planning to meet you after going to the infirmary, but I you've saved me the time."

She wondered what Lyssa was doing here, however. Well, the two of them were close, so she probably wasn't supposed to be surprised.

Without further preamble, Meruin closed her eyes, and willed the Bow into her hands. Wisps of silver light gathered around her palm until the bow was formed. Extending her hand out, she looked at Iravis with tired eyes.

""Here. I think you'll find that it's quite real. Though of course, I doubt it will prove as strong as in anyone else's hands except for those chosen, but you requested it, and here it is."

An original yet not an original. That was Meruin's solution. The spiritual form of the worshipped Artemis was bound to leave traces here on earth, as did anything she owned. So it stood that those loyal to the goddess would be blessed with her bow.

Or at least, those who thought they were loyal. It took Meruin quite awhile to figure out how to brainwash herself without destroying her original persona, but she did, in the end.

Iravis' eyes widened upon seeing the apparition. Something told her that Lyssa was right, and that there shouldn't have been one of her bows easily accessible enough for her to be spied on at the same time. But some fraction of the her old ... companions ... soul was indeed inside this weapon. The spirit of the hunt.

"Could you pull the string for me? I just want to see how easily it bends."

Meruin frowned. ""Would you like me to actually pull the string, or to pull it as I am now . . . ?" She asked.

"I believe Lyssa is a fair jury. Do you mind handing her the bow?"

The small mage nodded, and extended the bow to the she-demon.

Lyssa took the bow, giving Meruin a seemingly friendly smile as she did so. However, instead of doing as she was told, she instead decided to ask a question.

"Me~ru~in." She said in a rather oddly sweet tone. "Mind telling me how you...found this?~" She ran her hands over the bow, trying to find any sort of imperfections in it. She was certain it had been made with Alchemy, or rather she could definitely tell what it was made of.

Completely oblivious to Lyssa's scheming, Meruin responded without hesitation.

""I summoned it, as a favor from the Goddess herself. It was difficult, but not as harrowing as attempting to summon an Old God."

Iravis raised an eyebrow at the response. "You are more powerful than I imagined. Reviving a diety half a milennia beyond the void for such a ... trivial favor is rather impressive." If cycnism had a tone, the Phoenix would have just spoken it. Iravis didn't really notice how Lyssa looked at the bow.

"Is that so?~" Lyssa replied quietly with a hum, though she didn't say anything further for the moment and continued to focus on the Bow itself.

""Not really so powerful as much as stubborn,"shrugged Meruin. ""I think I crippled a few of my circuits permanently. I'll be seeing Miss Rollanda soon. And really, Iravis, this favor isn't half as trivial as you think. With your blood as a catalyst, I'm thinking of tearing a hole in reality. What do you think?"

Iravis clearly needed to explain further. "You've made a very powerful item indeed, a bow with the spirit of the hunt. But not a bow that Artemis actually wielded, considering she has been dead for five hundred years. So is it really a Bow of Artemis?" A sly grin spread across the Goddesses face. Lyssa had nothing to add, so she simply remained quiet, still holding on to the bow.

Tilting her head, Meruin wondering on what exactly Iravis meant. ""But . . . this is the Bow Artemis held, simply not the complete one. As a devoutee of Artemis, I was given the blessing of summoning the Bow in my time of need. This is all the spiritual remains of the same Bow - in other words, this is the faith of her followers made real, that which empowered her bow."

"You promised me the Bow of Artemis, Goddess of the Moonlit Hunt. Not half of one. Repent your failure now and I shall return your soul after a single task." The Goddesses eyes were confidence. As if she'd done this sort of deal many times over the centuries she had lived.

""So, to be clear, if the Bow was complete, you will consider the deal?" Meruin had no idea why Iravis was so hung up on the identity of the bow, but she realized that she did make a vow to bring her the bow - and that did not necessarily mean the bow by her own definition. She had no idea if what she would be attempting next would satisfy the firebird, but she would try.

"If you have faith that you can accomplish such a feat within the remaining minutes of the week you swore in, then I will accept that. Wisdom you simply settle this resonably now under my mercy rather than risking your soul under such hasty pursuit."

Meruin turned to Lyssa. ""A few minutes will suffice. The bow please?"

"hmm...nope~" Lyssa replied to Meruin. "You've already admitted that this is't even a bow used by Artemis. What exactly will you be doing with it?~"

A few thoughts crossed the red haired girls' mind. The goddess suddenly realized that that she had a lot to gain from this, and wrath flowed through her mind as the Phoenix wanted to punish this girl for trying to take advantage of her drunken state. The sly grin grew into a predatory smile.

Iravis shouted. "LYSSA, TAG! MERIUNS IT! IF YOU STAY AWAY THE ENTIRE TIME I PROMISE A HUG LATER!" Some games lasted the test of time for a reason, and 'keep away' was one of children's favorites. Iravis suddenly started sprinting away, holding up the sides of her dress. If Meriun could not fix the bow and deliver it to Iravis, the game was won.

So that was it then. Meruin initially thought that this was a simple exchange, but no, Iravis intended to treat this as a contest, and more than that, she intended to cheat her way to victory; Lyssa was a third party, not involved in their deal though she was her friend - and Meruin honestly thought the same friendship applied to her.Apparently not. For the first time in a long time, Meruin thought she was angry.

Fine then. If Iravis wanted to play games, then let the games begin.

Hugs. HUGS. GLORIOUS HUGS! SWEET WARM CUDDLY HUGS FROM IRAVIS!~ That was all the motivation Lyssa needed.

Keeping her deathgrip on the bow, she bolted in the opposite direction Iravis was heading in. She doubted Meruin could catch her, buuut, on the off chance she did she could at least make it difficult for Meruin to find Iravis.

Standing alone, Meruin's eyes overshadowed her face. Looking up at the sun, she recalled the last time she had felt this frustrated and . . . a little betrayed, if she had to admit. That was when she burnt down her room and left for Liseranna about five years ago.

Sighing, Meruin walked calmly towards the nearest flat surface and placed a seal tag on it.

""Very well. Tag, your it."

By now, Lyssa had managed to put quite a bit of distance between her and Meruin. The demon hoped this didn't end in another brawl like the one with Arata as she was still feeling a bit sick from that ordeal, but she wanted to be prepared either way. A breif flash of red surrounded her feet as her shoes suddenly poofed from existence, leaving her barefoot.

She slung the bow around her body, feet leaving the ground as she flew at a good pace just a few feet off the ground making her towards the city. It would be the easiest place to get lost, and lose someone.

Iravis ran, heading towards the north side of campus. The Phoenix knew how to guarantee her victory. Meriun seemed to have headed off in the direction of Lyssa, which was a fortune. The Goddess was fairly certain that she could escape the island first.

Fortuantly for the Phoenix, she had practiced flying the entire week. She ran straight into their dorm, grabbing the laptop in an effort to get frustrated by entering the password.

This was a bad time for Meruin. She hadn't yet recovered from the whole ritual to be playing this damn game, especially when it was going to cost her soul. She quickly calculated the chances of her winning. Disregarding outside factors, the chance was virtually nil.

That being the case, Meruin decided that at the very least, she'd make one of them suffer for it.

And she'd chosen Lyssa.

The outsider who wasn't supposed to be involved, who followed around Iravis like a dog led by the promise of snacks by its master. Who Meruin trusted with the bow but instead she ran out with it. Neutral party? What a joke.

---

Iravis set down the 'laptop' as calmly as possible, which may or may not have involved the table shaking. The first ten minutes were spent in a honest attempt to get frustrated. The next forty minutes were spent trying to enforce her divine will on the blasted piece of technology, not wanting to be beaten by this heresy. She realized what it was after fifty minutes of trying.

Caps Lock.

The Phoenix walked outside the dorm, a talon suddenly shaking the ground. Connected to this claw was a massive winged beast, colored orange with the tips of it's wings becoming first red then leading to blue ends that seemed to dance like fire. Its eyes were sapphires, the deepest blue of the Nile.

A storyteller could spend a thousand other lines describing the beast's majesty, the bird's divine prescence, but Iravis was too enraged allow the time for that. She flew off the opposite side of the island as Meriun, heading straight to England.

---

Pulling out a large vial of blood, Meruin glared at it. It contained some of the blood she acquired from Lyssa earlier on. It took an hour or so, but Meruin had set up her territory to cover the city. Now, all that was left was to find Lyssa.

Drawing a circle on the ground, Meruin summoned spirits of the wind and smashed the bottle into the circle.

""Find her," said Meruin, her voice forcefully devoid of emotion. She had to maintain control.

At once, the spirits took to the skies, their boundless eyes seeking the she-demon, wherever she went.

---

Lyssa, meanwhile was busy moving quietly through the city. Sticking to crowded places mostly, or the occasional alleyway. The demon didn't really have time to change into other clothes, but she was reasonably sure Meruin wasn't physically capable of catching her so it didn't matter. Still, she was going to be playing it safe. What did she know about Meruin and her magic? The other mage wasn't likely capable of doing any permanent damage with Alchimia and her Illusion magics. The one thing she had to watch for though, was her Pythones magic.

She wasn't physically capable of harming spirits she couldn't touch, so she'd have to get creative. Chances were though, she'd only be able to run.

Thankfully, she was good at that.

She just needed a place to hide. Somewhere indoors, preferably crowded. Crowded places tended to deter people from causing too much of a scene...So, she entered the nearest crowded looking building she could find. Some sort of restruant or something it smelled like.

"So she intended to hide in among the crowds. Was she thinking she wouldn't do anything while in there? Fine. Let's prove her wrong.

Hazy Moon.

Her beacon set up to float where Lyssa could see her, the projection of Meruin herself looked at the Little Demoness.

""You . . . I trusted you to be neutral in this deal, but instead, you intend to help Iravis cheat me out of my soul. Fine, let it be known that I rather death than damnation. Fix this mistake and return the bow to me, else you will find my body by your dorm room, throat slit and bowels hanged. You know me. I will do this. You have an hour."

At this, Lyssa simply chuckled, an odd grin forming on her lips.

"Cheat? Oh I do believe it was you who cheated first, little Me~ru~in." She replied to the...thing in front of her. It was probably an illusion of sorts.

"And really, you're the one who bet your soul in the first place. And I was simply looking out for my friend, wasn't I?~" An hour time limit? Through logical assumptions, she came to the conclusion that it was likely going to take Meruin an hour to actually find or do anything to her. She could be wrong, of course, but that's why she was going to keep moving.

"But go right ahead, maybe Rollanda won't find it and they'll be nothing left but a puddle of goo~"

Of course, she would actually never do that. That'd just be cruel.

And with that, Meruin cut the projection, already tired out of her mind. The Ritual really did take a lot out of her if that was all she could manage. The small mage walked towards the dorms, silver knife in hand.

---

Lyssa continued to move for the better part of two hours, stopping in various stores along the way to purchase sweets. However, so far Meruin hadn't kept her threat of attacking in an hour. At first she found this troubling, but after a little consideration she simply went back to Nekoa, and ordered one of every single sweet they had.

After another two hours, and probably eating them out of sweets for the second time that month, she realized that something was probably really, really, wrong. No sign of Meruin or any pesky spirits. Well, that was good but it was also bad. Was Meruin up to something? Or was she just not doing anything?

Eh, who cares. The cake was delicious. So after she finished, she decided to head back to the school. Meruin hadn't showed herself, and she was reasonably sure Iravis was far enough away so she could hand over the bow and wait for Iravis to get back so she could get her free hug.

Well, that was until she got back to their dorm, and opened the door.

It was definitely a grizzly sight to behold. Meruin had kept her word.

A large, jagged cut had nearly beheaded Meruin. The silver knife was still firmly lodged in her throat, creating a grizzly scene. The girl had somehow managed to also disembowel herself, guts and other bits and pieces of her insides laid on the floor, a large pool of blood collecting beneath where she the body had fallen.

Lyssa barely had enough time to register what she was looking at before slamming the door shut behind her, nausea and guilt hitting the demon like Arata punching Iravis. Immediately, the demon hurled, vommiting up the cake she had just spent the last two hours eating. Ugh, they definitely didn't taste so good coming back up. But this was bad, really bad. She had to go get Rollanda.

She had thought she meant like an illusion or something. Not actually...offing herself. That was...just...

Mustering what strength she could, she stumbled out of the building and headed to the infirmary

---

Iravis enjoyed her vacation to Wales, despite the two and a half hour flight in each direction. There was an Eisteddfod occuring at the time. For everything scary and terrifying about the way this new world was, this pulled her back to the past. There wasn't a laptop, the electronics were hidden.

Music played, songs were sung in a language the red haired girl remember again from her lives past. The Goddess danced with both young men and women, spinning in circles and acting as if the world was still a place of fantastic adventure, and not of peaceful moderninsm.

The Goddess arrived back in front of the dorms around one, still smiling with enjoyment. On her flight back, she could tell she had gained a vassal to command, a soul added to this Goddesses Quiver. A few moments of thought were spared for Lyssa, and the Phoenix questioned for a few moments if it was all worth a hug.

As she turned back to being a crimson haired girl, she noticed the hellion curled up in a ball outside the dorms. Her newest follower was incredibly loyal, although the Goddess decided she'd tell the demon that she could wait inside. There was loyalty, and there was being a pest. While the gesture was mildly appreciated, Lyssa did have homework that she wasn't doing and could probably use some sleep. "Did the gods grant you victory?"

Lyssa lifted her head from where it had been resting on her knees. She hadn’t heard Iravis return.

“O-oh…Iravis…” She replied, sounding almost as if she had just watch someone kick a puppy. “I…yeah, I guess…” She wasn’t entirely sure if this honestly counted as a victory. For one, Meruin had just killed herself and she felt completely horrible about it since she thought It was her fault.

Secondly, if someone was killed during anything, it just…could that really be called a victory?

The Goddess sat down next to Lyssa, raising an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you'll ask for my debt to be repaid then?" The hellion wasn't laughing or joking. Probably just needs sleep. The Phoenix rolled her eyes slightly at the thought of the demon staying up too late just to say hello. "Sleep for the body is power to the mind. Let's go."

Lyssa said nothing as Iravis took a seat next to her. "Ah, uhm, if that means I can get a hug...then please?" Lyssa replied, though she made no obvious effort to force a hug on Iravis. If she was in a better mood, she'd definitely do so."I...could really...kind of use one..."

Iravis was starting to realize something was wrong. Where was the bubbly Lyssa, treating the opportunity to cuddle as if it was a gift from a Goddess? Hugs with my blessing are a gift from a Goddess though ... The Phoenix became concerned Ragnarok had occured in her abscense. "Lyssa ... what troubles your soul?" A single arm lightly wrapped around her most loyal follower, making good on her promise.

The feeling of Iravis placing an arm around her, was definitely comforting. The demon looked over to Iravis, and gave her a small smile, though it held no joy.

“Ah…w-well…” How should she say this? It was difficult to explain what exactly she was upset about, since it was a combination of everything so far today. Arata, and now this.

“Meruin…” She quietly began, voice barely above a whisper. “W-well…she killed herself…And well, Rollanda is patching her up, b-but there was also that thing with Arata this morning and…” She shook her head, her smile slowly turning into a frown. “And with the Eraser last week, and what Shikio did…I…I just really don’t like fighting. And I g-guess, it’s just getting to me…”

Iravis' eyes widdened a bit. She'd have the talk she promised later, but for now ... "The cold is getting to me, let us head indoors." The Goddess led Lyssa into the dorm room which had fortuantly been cleaned, lowering her distressed ally to sit on the edge of the bed along side her. After a few moments, Iravis made the decision this lifetime to be kind to her followers.

The bow laid against the wall of the room, overlooking the first time the Phoenix held anyone out of concern, even if it was just a little.

The pink haired girl eventually fell asleep, head in Iravis' lap as the crimson haired girl sat against the back wall, book in her hands. After a quick discussion with her newest vassal the next day, Iravis planned on finding the treasure.

A Goddess always won.

[sakurasan]

Eli~

Eli was stunned once someone came up, not expecting anyone to be near her. She seemed to be an acquaintance of the moth man.

“It’s fine Izumi-san.” she smiled at him and looked back to the giant moth man that didn’t seem too happy.

Hmmm… She bent over to see his face and smiled at him, placing the dress in Reina’s hand. “M-make sure to take care of yourself, ok?” With that, she stood back up, turning to both of them with a light smile. “I-I’ll leave you two alone.” Eli came to the conclusion that it would be best for them to talk and clear up a misunderstanding that was obviously made. It would be nice if they made up…
---
After she had walked off, taking out the neatly folded paper and taking another look at it.
It was a cave.

The only thing you wouldn't expect to drag a shut-in out actually worked.

The gods reunited to help this goddess.

Ages have come and gone. The regalia of the goddess has since then fallen in the hands of her followers.

Bring me that which has Eight Hands.

You want a hint? I'll trade it for a kiss... No, but seriously.

Hints.

Japan, Regalia, The Gods Of Creation

All of a sudden, her head felt a sharp pain. She could feel her father’s presence somehow. She shouldn’t be able to. Eli simply brushed it off, deciding to head back over to the library.

Eli peeked her head into the room to luckily find that only one person had been occupying it. She smiled kindly at him as she entered “E-excuse me” she said as Eli began to look around the room, admiring the books all over again. The smell of the paper was divine.

Hm? “Y-your book is upside down?” She said to the man but then realized that it could easily be thought of as a snarky or rude comment so she quickly attempted to find new words to make up for that. “A-ah, U-unless that is how you r-read your books.” she looked down at the ground for a moment. How embarrassing. Eli couldn’t find words to make it seem like she hadn’t offended him. Would that come off as sarcasm?

She looked up at him one again, smiling sweetly but a bit nervously at the same time. “M-my apologies. Wh-what book are you reading?” The book was a good choice. It wasn’t sarcasm it was simply a thought and she was always interested in learning about a new book.

@Ashifili

[Rune_Alchemist]

Livia, Lin, Shikio, and Gall

Thankfully, it didn’t take the two long to find Lin and Shikio. Or rather, they found them. Shikio probably could find them easily, considering she could probably track fairly easily.

Hearing Shikio’s words, she offered a small look of confusion, though it lasted only a moment.

Family…jewel skills? Just…what?

“I am…unsure what you mean, Shikio.” She replied, seemingly unfazed by the odd phrasing. At any rate, it seemed like she didn’t remember what happened at the restaurant. That was good, she supposed. “But we did have fun, I guess.” She didn’t press the issue, considering that would probably cause more trouble than it was worth.

“At any rate, I suppose we all received the same task for the Magus games?”

"D-Don't take notice of her." Lin answered. "In any case, yes. I think we did. Something that has to do with a sword or something?"

"Yes" Gall said as he pulled the note from between two of his ribs. "A sword."

Shikio looked between the two of their parties then just smiled gleefully, something about the situation made her seem surprisingly satisfied.

"I know what a sword iis ~... Lin has one in his house on the wall. Several in fact, will they do?" Shikio said, then realized they were kinda far away to fetch any of them right at the moment.

Shikio started wondering if this was a task made so she couldn't complete it. Which was obviously some kind of scheme to make her not eat. She hated not eating... Hated books cause they didn't taste well and she also hated riddles.

"I doubt any of those swords would be the one we're looking for." She replied to Shikio. For a few moments she thought, trying to recall any british legends she could think of. The only sword she knew of, was the obvious one. Excalibur. Everyone has heard of that one. "Something dealing with British Mythology. Excalibur would be too easy since it's so well known, but mythology isn't my forte, unfortunately, so I don't know of any other legendary swords from the area."

The way to find the asnwer was easy, though. The library probably had all the information they would need to figure out what they were looking for.

"What Livia said. I doubt a holy British sword would be hanging on my wall anyway." Funny that Livia had nothing to say about him and the swords hanging around in his house. Most would find that odd.

"In any case, the library, yes? I suppose you are more adept with that... I suggest we split up. I think asking the pretentious British mage would have some insight into this too." Lin suggested.

Well Shikio mostly tilted her head while wondering why they needed some kind of special sword and how you knew the difference. "So... Books will help us find it?. How?... Books only hold words nothing you can track" she said in her usual Shikio logic approves tone. Shikio started wondering if this was a task made so she couldn't complete it. Which was obviously some kind of scheme to make her not eat. She hated not eating... Hated books cause they didn't taste well and she also hated riddles.

“Hmm…Very well. The Library would have everything we need. I have a…friend, there who could help immensely, I believe.” She didn’t think talking about anyone would help, in her opinion. She’d prefer to do it herself, but if that’s what Lin wanted to do, she had no reason to object. Plus, having multiple sources of information was good anyways.

“Books can be used for tracking as well.” Livia replied to Shikio. “If you have nothing physical to look for, books can give you a lead to where you can start looking.” She replied, though she wasn’t confident that the wolf would understand her words, but she supposed it didn’t matter.

Shikio honestly wasn’t the most intelligent of people, and she had little confidence that any attempts at explaining would end well.

“Shall we meet back out here later to discuss our findings?”

"That would be fine, yeah. Still, I can't say I like the British prick too much. And if you think it won't help much, I guess we can help you out in the library." Lin crossed his arms over his chest as he pondered about it.

"Chances are he will shoo us off too. Well, I guess we can just punch the info out of him. What ya think, Shikio?" He turned to his familiar.

Last time, it went real bad for him when he didn't consult his familiar. Better ask for her opinion now.

"Want to go to the library or look for a guy with a nasty glare named Felix Lowe?"

Shikio nodded to Livia and smiled as she educated her. "Oh... I guess I have to give books a new chance then if they csn help me find food." she replied as she thought about it, however when Lin spoke she tilted her head as he told her they could get information by fighting.

"What... We can do that?... Well lets waste no time" she replied as beating the information out sounded a lot faster than trying to beat books for help.

Shikio then blushed as Lin suddenly called her love

"huh... What are you saying Lin... I thought you didn't like saying embarassing things" she said flushing red.

"Well," Livia sighed. "Must you always resort to violence? It is kind of annoying." If that's what they wished to do though, she couldn't really say anything. Such a method had its merits, and she couldn't say she hadn't done something similar before, like with the Eraser.

"But if that's what you wish to do, then do it. I'll look in the Library. Arianne, the Librarian should be quite helpful."

"What are you even saying, Shikio? When did I... Ugh..." Lin shook his head. "It's Lo-we. A surname."

With an exasperated sigh, he turned back to Livia.

"Cool." Lin answered. "We'll go look for you after we are done with Lowe. Just lemme tell, you it is not like I want to beat the info out of him. You just have never talked with him."

While not entirely a dick like his rumored sister, Felix Lowe, the strongest magician in the academy was indeed somewhat insufferable.

Up in his own world and barely paying others the time of the day. They were all below him, worse than scum.

"Insufferable." He said with a sigh. "Then let's hurry up and find him, Shikio. We'll meet with you back at the library."

Shikio realized that she had messed up again... Lowering her head she sighed loudly. "Okay... From now on Lin should call Shikio mate when he refer to her lovingly so Shikio not getd confused by weird other names" she said pouting slightly. Yet as she let it slide off again she figured it was time to leave. "Lets go..." she said short and firmly as she walked off besides him, only glancing to Livia and Gall to wave to them.

Livia would take his word for it, then. Wasn't her business anyways. Her business lay in the library with Arianne, the Arachne.

"Alright, I'll see you then, Lin." She replied, and immediately turned to leave, not noticing Shikio waving at them. "Come then, Gall."

[GrafRoy Zeppeli]

Juliann

"I do wonder, then, how a man such as you was allowed to teach in this prestigious magic school. I at least wish that you hold any strength." She sighed again.

Honestly, why did she constantly get stuck with these kinds of people?

At least in her eyes, the man was flirtatous and vain. If he wanted to fix that mental image of Juliann's he'd have to work really hard.

And then there was silence. A long, uncomfortable silence. Even the swordsman could not handle this man being so eerily quiet. Was he planning on doing something? Was he going to make another illusion? Revenge for having shut him off in such a way.

No, Juliann would get the upper hand. She would put him in a talking mood again. He seemed to be the type to speak a word too much, after all. If he was planning on doing something, Juliann believed he would spout it out himself when he got to talking.

"In any case, Cupido... hm, that IS your name, right?" The woman tilted her head to the side. "I suppose you got a riddle of your own. If you do not mind my prying, what kind of riddle is it?"

---

@BlackPanther

[BlackPanther]

@GrafRoy Zeppeli

Cupido Morningstar

Cupido can't help but smile for a second at the slight zing aimed at him. The smile disappearing as he settles back into silence. By the feeling of it the silence was getting uncomfortable. Most would think that he is incapable of being this silent, that when he is he's up to something....like some sort of villianous character. Always quite fun to prove people wrong in that sense.

Where people are right are thinking that he is vain...that is correct. Not only vain, but egotistical. He knows it and therefore doesn't mind others thinking of him as such. Why try to pretend to be something you are not?

Then after a few more minutes pass of him being completly silent she speaks. He turns to face her as she speaks, his head slightly tilted. "Cupido Morningstar is my name, but call me Cupid darling" when asked about the riddle he gives a light shrug and holds out the paper for her. "it would appear that this riddle has to do with something here...possibly...and the information is in the director's office....so it appears I am part of the group that got the short straw so to speak" he shrugs again. Riddles are not really his strength, but he tries thinking through them anyway.

He is slightly curious as to what she thinks he is planning on doing besides waiting for his group. Which he still feels like either went ahead solo or decided not to participate. He would give them a bit longer and then move on.

[sakurasan]

The father, Akemi

Where is she? Where is she? She should be around here. My sweet angel. My sweet and perfect angel. Hopefully she isn't being taken advantage of... Ah, I found her. He walks near her but quickly turns around. I shouldn't show myself just yet. No. I should wait. Watch her for now. Understand what is going on in her life. She loves me and I need to hide myself for her. I need to make sure she doesn't know i'm here just yet.

Haah, haa, haa. He pants lightly, licking his lips as he stared at her. She looks perfect as always, simply beautiful. He could feel something in his pants grow as he looked down at his pants. Oops, I need a bit more self control, don't I. It's fine, soon. Soon, i'll get to meet with her. Soon, she will return to my side. She can't be without me. She CAN'T. Without me she'll break. Without me she'll shatter into a million pieces, like glass. And I can't have that happen. I have to protect her from anything defective that comes near her.

Calming down, he sighs as his... hard on goes back down. Akemi lifts his head, looking for her once again. She was just by that disgusting thing... Where the heck did she go? Haa, I have to start looking again. Don't worry, angel. I'll find you and you won't be alone anymore. Haha...HAHAHAHA... It's all going to be okay, my sweet Eli. Your father is here for you now. With that, he smiles and begins to look around discreetly as he steps into the shadows.

I cannot wait to see her again.