”Yes, yes, we’re all very proud of doing the thing everyone can do. Get over here and kickstart this heart, would you? The savage has been keeping it warm for you.” The elder watcher's voice erased Kyle's self-confident smile. He had managed to transform, now he wanted to prove that he could actually control it without too much trouble. His own watcher had grown unusually quiet, but Kyle was not going to complain about that. He stepped over to Wrath, who was already heating up the heart using a flame that shot from his body. Kyle opened up his chest plate and started warming the structure with his own fire as well. It didn't take too long until the heart was functional again, giving off a rythmic beat and providing the whole place with energy. Just as the work was done, Kyle could feel the heat around him vanish, and a moment later he had turned back to his usual self.
Panoptos mentioned they would be receiving their missions soon enough, so taking a rest seemed the best idea. The transformation had taken its toll on the cyborg, who had already been pretty tired before the whole ordeal. Both Wrath and Panoptos left the hall, each one in a different direction. Being now alone with his shadowy companion, Kyle decided that he too should get moving and look for a room he could claim for himself. The duo silently walked down one of the many corridors, and shortly after found a small room that the cyborg liked. It was in an good condition, and a vein of magma that passed above it tinted the walls in a soft orange glow, making it feel at least somewhat welcoming. "Watcher, could you please arrange a bed for me?" the cyborg asked politely, and the shadow did as commanded. As soon as Kyle laid down he could feel how tired he really was, sleep would come very easily to him. "I'll be back with your mission soon tin-man..you did ok today." His watcher commented as he left. A few seconds later, Kyle was asleep, his mouth forming a little smile.
Wrath slammed Rage Bringer into another Assault Demon, piercing it's hide and killing it instantly. He looked around as he pulled the blade free, he sighed. "Well, we aren't going to cover much ground grouped up, but can't say it would be safe to go our separate ways. That said, I'd rather split up and cover more ground, get this done." The forest had an air about it that the Nephilim couldn't say he'd encountered before, dark in a way that only demons could give off, but not the dark of a Demon in the service of their leaders.
As he waited for the others to come to a decision, he took a closer look at the Assault Demon who's life he'd just ended, noticing that there was a severe lack of Mundus's markings to it, or even signs of the usual infighting that he'd seen in feral demons before. Whatever was up, he knew that it would raise hell if it wasn't handled the right way.
Several minutes had passed since the half demon, Mary, had left Lily and Fenn, during which the two of them had explored more of the citadel. The time had been spent in silence, save for the clinking of the hellhound’s chains and manacles, and the dull thumps of his steps. The hallways and rooms they went through were mostly empty, save for the whatever remnants of furniture dotted the various rooms.
“You’d think the most powerful beings in existence would know how to keep a castle properly furnished and clean,” she muttered in obvious distaste. They passed through a chamber in, perhaps, the worst condition yet. It was supposed to be a statue chamber of sorts, showcasing the various important and powerful creatures that had, she suspected, lived here at one point. Most prominent were a quadret of statues depicting incredibly large, humanoid, creatures. That they were not human was obvious, for the way they were portrayed gave off a feeling of power all on its own.
“The Horsemen?” Lily pondered aloud, hovering up to eye-level with one wielding a massive sword.
Fenn grunted disinterestedly. His attention seemed to be elsewhere. One of his ears suddenly twitched, and the dog looked towards one of the entrances. Lily felt it a moment later, a pulse like a heartbeat that thrummed into the room, followed by a sudden glow as lava spread around the walls from within vein-like indentations.
“This place takes its first breath in a long time,” the dog remarked.
“The first of many, if I am to be of any judge.”
The old demon let out another wordless grunt in response. The thought did not elicit much glee in him, it seemed.
“Don’t approve, Old Boy?” The demoness quipped, falling down to hover just above the ground once again. “I can see why. The deal we—or rather, I—made is not a fair one. Too many uncertainties, pit holes, and the like.” She turned to face him, seeming thoughtful. “But what I could gain from it was too much to simply say no to, especially because they’d likely just kill me if I refused.”
“I do not need to know the excuses you offer yourself, Imp,” he said, moving one arm in dismissive gesture, “but something tells me you will come to regret this choice.”
Lily sighed, hanging her head in defeat for all but a second. “I suspect that you are right, but the rewards were what tipped the scales.” She turned her back on him, ending the discussion of that particular topic. Instead she glided towards the next door, pushing it open and peered into room. “Food store.” She shut the door again, hovering over to the one in the corner and stuck her head through that one as well.
It looked to have been the remainders of a shop, but aside from that she could garner nothing. Directly ahead was another door which she immediately headed towards. “Coming, Fenn?” She called over her shoulder.
He studied the opening before letting out an irritated breath and ducking under the frame. With some difficulty, some undignified shuffling that brought a smile to her face, and some alarming groaning from the stone at his sides, the dog’s upper body passed through and he followed her in. “Not a word,” the dog groused as he reached her.
The Demoness eyed the hellhound critically for a moment, having either not heard, or not acknowledged, his demand. She ran a hand through her ethereal hair as she spoke. “You need to get a bit smaller. Or learn how to take on a humanoid disguise, at least. It would make everything so much easier, you know.”
“No,” he said, irritated, “this place should have been larger. One may think housing beings from the other realms was never a concern in its construction.”
The room they were in now was, as she had noted earlier, something of a shop. Broken pieces of wood and stone littered the area, the only thing even marking it as something of a shop were rotten shelves and a stone desk that was near collapsing in on itself.
She didn’t pause to look around, instead going directly for the next door and into a much larger hall, this one what she assumed to have been a place of commune, or something of the like. “This place is in tatters. These Watchers, and Council, are really bad at making anything hospitable…”
Fenn approached an old table of an odd-looking wood and nudged it slightly with an outstretched claw. The thing’s legs snapped and collapsed with a sudden crack and clatter, lifting up a cloud of dust. “The task must fall to the occupants. This place has not been properly lived in in a long time.” The dog sniffed at the table’s remains. “Where do you suppose the watchers reside?”
“The gutter, if my theory proves to be true.” She passed another table, barely standing, her fingers leaving scorch marks where they touched. “It’s strange, I thought, how these Watchers seem to like lording over us, and yet they speak about ‘their services’. My guess is that they are servants, both to the council and, now, to us.” It was a feeling she’d had ever since she had first been given the Council’s demand, and Panoptos had elaborated upon it. They were intangible, seemingly capable of being touched only when they wanted, and had done nothing but exactly what they were ordered to do. Not only that, but they seemed more than happy to insult those they saw as lesser, which was usually a sign of inferiority.
She shot a glance at Fenn over her shoulder. “What do you think?”
“That is a dangerous assumption.”
“Ooh?” She turned around fully, hands behind her back. “How come? Are you afraid they’re watching us right now?”
“Afraid? Certain, Imp,” he stated. “They are no more beholden to you than I am beholden to the Council. If this lead Watcher is in any way competent, he will have instructed his servants to keep tabs on each of those brought here. I would assume every conversation in this castle will reach the ears of your keepers.” The dog huffed. “Even this one.”
Even before Fenn was finished with his small tirade, Lily was all but laughing, giggling. “Do you seriously think I had not expected them to be loyal to the Council above all else? They’re likely enslaved by them through some means or other. Of course they’ll run to their stone-faced lords if they think we’re going to betray them.” She pivoted in the air, a whimsical smile on her fiery lips. “Doesn’t mean they don’t have to wipe our asses if we tell them to.”
The dog rolled his shoulders. “Your optimism is astounding.”
“Maybe so, maybe not, but you should know that I don’t often show my true emotions, right?” Her eyes twinkled at that. “But that’s not for now. What say you we find a room? And maybe a new set of clothes. The Half-Demon’s were pretty enough, but they don’t really work too well for fighting, and I have few doubts that they’re going to send us towards a battlefield within the next few hours.”
“I don’t understand why you bother with garments. They won’t change to fit you.” The dog walked past her, squeezing past the next opening.
“You’re just envious because I actually look good in them,” she countered with a grin, following after him. Speaking of clothes, I should return the ones I borrowed to the Half-Demon.
Surveying the city from their vantage point, Fenn could not help but muse on how glad he was that he was no longer within the walls of the Council’s castle. Lily, who was pacing nearby, had commented on the place not being hospitable, but the Hellhound found the rough stone and the heat suffusing the interior entirely too… soothing.
He despised the feeling, particularly when he thought of the circumstances behind his presence there. When he had told Lily about the watchers, he had hoped to hint at a warning. The watchers would monitor all within their domain, but there was a difference between her and all other agents the Council had recruited.
She had an agent of her own.
Fenn was unbranded, something he was convinced to have some hidden significance. As it stood, he was little more than a guest. Worse, he was a guest’s guest, allowed to remain solely on the condition that he proved useful. He was lower than the watchers in that regard, in the idea that he may have retained a larger measure of freedom than all others, and his actions would be monitored closely. Worse, any suspicions that fell on him would fall on Lily as well. Explicit betrayal may not be needed to make the Council act against them, and who better to give the task of purging dangerous elements than the lowly, ubiquitous servants? If that came to pass, he and Lily would be targeted first, the dog suspected.
There was also the possibility that he was being paranoid and the lead Watcher saw him as little more than a brainless savage, unworthy of concern, but complacency had rarely done much to assure Fenn’s survival.
One way or another, the demoness had not seemed to understand the larger implications of their circumstances. Or perhaps she understood all too well and had simply refused to say as much. Such a thing was not speculation they needed their keepers hearing.
The dog grimaced. He detested games of intrigue. That he had participated in such a thing before had no bearing. He hated them then, and hated them now, and participation only ever seemed to bring misery to all involved. Completely haphazardly. Another reason to be relieved at their new surroundings. The violence and aggression in a battle were raw and clear. All those involved knew that by the end of the day there would be the taste of blood in their mouths – if they remained to taste it, that was.
He could spy numerous angels from their position, patrolling the inner perimeter. The Army of Light dominated the city’s skyline, while numerous patrols of more bestial angels dotted the streets, their movements given away by the light reflecting off their armor and trinkets. Most of the fighting was currently taking place near a forested area, where small bands of demons kept trying to break through Heaven’s defenses in rabid but disorganized waves.
Were their objective to simply wreak havoc, Fenn might have suggested they circled around and destroyed the defenses keeping the demons at bay, leading them deeper into enemy territory. He frowned. Perhaps not. The streets and buildings would force the demons into funnels from which the enemy may whittle them down with projectile fire from atop the roofs. The angels were too well entrenched for a single assault to fold their entire defense. It was fortunate, then, that their actual objective was to eliminate but one of them.
“What are your thoughts, Imp?” he asked.
Lily gazed across what amounted to a battlefield, her eyes analytical and bereft of any of her usual playfulness. “Going by air is out of the question. I might be able to carry you, but I’ll be slow and prone to attack. We’d be dead within minutes. Going by ground is about the only option we have.” Her gaze swept towards line of angels holding the demons at bay. “I can create an opening for the demons to exploit, possibly break the line, and create a bit of confusion. We should be able to use that to our advantage and, despite your size, make our way to wherever their commander is.”
She had seen what he had seen, but perhaps not seen enough. “We have the advantage in that they do not know where we’re coming from, Imp. You would go where they expect resistance?” he hummed, a sound like crumbling rock. “Those angels are already engaged. No need to draw them towards us as well.”
“You underestimate my abilities to remain covert, but I see what you mean.” She played with a lock of her fiery hair, saying nothing for a while. “What would you have us do? Your size makes avoiding large confrontations unlikely,” she spoke at length.
The dog shrugged. “Leading is your responsibility, Imp.”
"I feel like you're testing me."
"Leadership is ever a test."
“Be that as it may, I am still asking you.”
The dog grunted. “You already stated the crux of the issue. I cannot avoid confrontation. The question thus is this: Do we move forward, eliminating all resistance before more can converge on our location, or does one of us cause havoc while the other slips through their defenses? The decision may come down to whether you prefer both of us to be present for a confrontation with the target.”
“I would prefer we stay together. I do not doubt your, or my own, strength, but this is still an angelic general we have to deal with, and I would not be surprised if the pompous bastards up above are sending their own covert reinforcements.” She hummed, watching one of the airborne angels intently for a moment. “I also doubt I can disguise myself well enough to simply slip past everything and get close enough to take down their general. I think our best choice is to simply eradicate all opposition, and move towards our goal. Regardless of everything, we are a force to be reckoned with, and they will likely have to—”
Fenn let out an amused snort. “Just state your orders, Warleader.”
The demoness actually chuckled at that, a sound both alien and familiar from her. “Warleader, really?” She gave him a wicked grin. “Very well, then—” her form shifted; legs breaking into digitigrades, ending in clawed paws with sand-coloured fur creeping up to her knees. A tail sprouted from behind her, as her pupils turned to slits and her ears moved up, becoming those of a feline. All the while her clothes tightened across her body, a result of her now more pronounced muscles “—Let us get started.”
With that, the pair jumped down to the streets below.
This place was very… very fun! Kosara was having a blast with all the demon killing in this forest since they arrived! Demons appeared in convenient smaller groups, they weren’t too strong and the occasional chimera just upped the challenge and fun of the fight. The mission itself was pretty nice as it overlapped between the DHO and the Council, but Kosara came mostly because it seemed fun… and she needed some money because she wanted to buy some new stuff.
As the nephelim obliterated an assault demon in one strike, Kosara just dodged to the side of another such demon, before showering him with few rapid strikes before jumping and attacking him with a whirl descend to deliver the finishing blow. Her attacks were admittedly a lot lighter than the nephelims, but what she lacked in raw strength, she made up with speed. Also her sword was better suited to speed fighting to begin with.
“I’m for splitting up~” She whistled as she sheathed her sword and pulled her crossbow, loading a bolt in place to be ready when she needs it.” I’m taking that way!” She finally said pointing a trail to the side of them.” That said… I expect something to be leading the demons here… These demons are way too organized and there exist the distinct possibility something is calling the shots around here… Anyone else who thinks so too?.. Anyhow be careful you all~” She added with a laugh before running of in the direction of the forest trail she pointed.
Akoni felt like an idiot. It didn't happen very often, so when it did he was especially infuriated, meaning his attitude was even more sour than normal. He had thought he found a library, disheveled and lacking, when in reality it was some hovel for that bird creature. Now here he was, while some of the others were on official missions from the Council, amongst a true library. Fantastic though it was, Akoni's appreciation was bit dimmed by the experience. Moreso considering his company. The child-demon's presence was an irritation at best, and the sage's presence meant he had to keep a healthy dose of paranoia about him just in case he was recognized and the sage decided an old feud was more important than their work as a "team." At least Mary and Souta were tolerable, fellow academics, even if they were still crickets. And thank all powers in the Three Kingdoms that the half-breed Kosara had been assigned elsewhere. Akoni didn't need her reckless behavior here.
The old mage walked at the front of the group, illuminating his way with an old cantrip, a single floating ball of light. Torches were for suckers. As the group entered the great dome with the skylight, Akoni noticed the books strewn about on the floor. Not again... Without waiting for the others he began levitating the books towards himself so that he could look them over, cross-reference their text, and generally inspect every possible detail. For the moment he would let the others look over the archways and their runes.
(Sorry for the short post but I prioritiez sleep. Futher post will be longer)
Midori was found a bit frightened by what the council did to the poor soul. He was burned alive and was kept alive in the progress. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to be burned to your own armour forever.
The council made a mark on her forhead which tingled quite a bit from the long pointy fingers of the head watcher. Midori closed her eyes and held her bangs aside for the council to complete it. Once it was finished she was foumd startled and had to blink a few times before knowing what was going on again.
The council suggested for them to make their way over towards the citidal and so the accepted members did. Midori felt a bit anxious knowning she had a new kind of home yet, it did not feel like home just yet. She looked rather uncomfortable and was definitly not in the mood to make friends with any of these mean looking people.
Upon entering she was instructed that she would be needed in a few hours together with the others so she decided to sit against one of the walls hugging her own knees as she sat waiting for something to happen. She was completely quite and honestly hoped that a somewhat softer person was among the group that could perhaps tolerate the whimpyness off Midori.
Having arrived at Vigrid, she looked on at the scene before her in silence. The angels weren't all that hard to spot since they were all over fighting a random collective of demons in different places all over. This was becoming a normal occurrence lately and seems to be spreading all over. They got a taste of it in Barlour City with weak lower demons coming out of everywhere getting full of themselves acting like human hoodlums. It was quite pitiful to be honest.
With that said, they were useful as distractions and fodder for the angels and will allow her to get in closer. Based on the direction of the troops, angel and demon alike, the skyscraper in the center of the city is looking to be her main objective. Though, she didn't have much time to think on it as she sensed fast approaching presences. Despite having the sense of surprise and numerical advantage, Blair easily avoided the 5 angels surprise attack via highly acrobatic flips.
Looking over at her guests, she wasn't exactly impressed. "Only 5 of you?" she said in her usual cold tone. Her foes were among the weakest in the angel's ranks. Usually in a situation like this, a normal demon would probably get arrogant and feel insulted at getting stuck with such weak foes, but Blair couldn't afford to waste time and besmirch her good name by acting in such a manner.
Given she was taking on multiple enemies, she decided to activate her Blood Oath and casted her 'Bloody Sunday' spell and blasted the area with miniature bloody spikes. The goal behind was to make it harder for them to group together and act them separately. If they get hit in the blasts by debris from the buildings and such, all the better. While they were weak, it could get annoying if they were allowed to work together and could potentially waste even more of her time.
Having successfully isolated them, she would shift into her Blood Rage form and engage them in Close Quarters Combat. While unable to use her magic or her devil trigger while in this form, her physical abilities are more than enough for these opponents. Her first target was one of the Affinities, ugly things they were. Taking out Zalmonah, the spear she has latched to her back, she charged in and struck with with Pierce. With the Affinity being unable to fly away due to the spear, Blair followed it up with a brutal Crunch Stomp and biting into their neck and replenishing her blood with Savage Thirst before finishing by snapping it's neck, bringing it to an end.
With one of them out of the way, she moved onto the other affinities, decided to pick off the weakest one firsts before moving onto the light angels. Though, when she got there one of the light angels managed to regroup with the affinity, not like it mattered in the end. Going after the affinity first, she struck it with Ragdoll and flung it at the Light Angel, catching it off guard long enough for Blair to charge in with an Uppercut, launching it upward into the air as she jumped up and dealt a crushing blow to it's face with her knee with Brain Damage, sending it crashing into the ground.
Grinning cruelly as she stood over the Light Angel, she thrusted her spear into his stomach, pinning him to the ground as she started ripping off his wings with her bare hands before removing the spear and finishing him. With 3 of them down, she moved to eliminate the final 2. She easily dispatch the remaining Affinity by pummeling it into paste with her Fists of Fury before moving onto the more annoying Light Angel. The Light Angel, using it's supposed advantage of flight, kept to the skies and began attacking from a long distance.
Not amused, Blair decided to abandon Blood Rage and Revert back to her original state. Playing it's game by also attacking from a distance, Through Blood Oath, she cast another Bloody Sunday spell, using it to bombard the Light Angel and as it was reeling from its attack, used Bloodline to pull it out of the sky and closer towards her before sucking it dry as it struggled to escape the barbs hold.
Having defeated the angels easily, and draining them of blood, Blair took to the streets and moved towards the skyscraper.
[Combat]
Powers and Abilities:
Haemokinesis: the ability to manipulate and control blood. Haemokinetic Construction: ability to solidify, namely, turn her blood into objects be it tools, weapons, structures or beings akin to golems. Seductress: Her enchanting beauty has been known to bewitch opponents. Increased chances to charm/influence opponents, causing them to hesitate/miss an attack
Style:
Blood Oath [Lv. 1]: Has access to abilities/magic/techniques that allows her to manipulate/control her own blood and blood absorbed/consumed/stolen from an enemy. Enhanced Magic Blood Rage [Lv. 1]: A pure physical form/style. A berserk like-state, her usual calm and collected state evaporates and thinks of nothing other than smashing the bones, breaking the will and creating a blood bath of her enemies. Though, not completely crazy as she still has her sense of self. In this form she is unable to use any magic or access her devil trigger, Only physical techniques. Enhances her Physical Strength.
Equipment:
Zalmonah [Lv. 1]: A long spear with countless barbs meant to cause internal damage/organ/flesh tearing upon insertion and pulling out. Sodom & Gomorrah [Lv. 1]: A pair of short swords with sharp blades/barbs attached to the flat side of the blade, causing some damage/bleading even when they block.
Techniques:
Devil Trigger: Releases a magical blast of red light that temporarily blinds her opponents upon activation as she takes to the skies. During Devil Trigger she is able to reproduce/regenerate blood steadily.
Self-puppetering [Lv. 1] she is able to manipulate her own body like a marionette to allow themselves to move freely even if they possess injuries or status affects that would impede their movements albeit not as effectively as they would normally
Blood Oath:
Blood Golem [Lv. 1]: The creation of a soldier made of her own or acquired/consumed/absorbed blood. Size and number is level dependent (currently can make about 3-4). Can be used in many ways, especially at scouting and mapping out areas. Blood Spike Projection [Lv. 1]: creates and projects needles/spikes of blood to impale targets. Bloody Sunday [Lv. 1]: another version of Blood Spikes in which she casts many spikes that splits into multiple fragments. A bit weaker than the original but causes more widespread destruction Blood Blast [Lv. 1]: An attack in which she spreads her blood over a targeted area and detonates it. Bloodline [Lv. 1]: creates a spear-like 'chain' that goes after and sinks into the enemy, dealing little to no damage as it clamps onto the enemy with it's spikes/barbs and absorbs their blood.
Blood Rage:
Savage Thirst [Lv. 1]: Close range grapple in where she grabs the enemy and bites into neck Fists Of Fury [Lv. 1]: a barrage of fists Uppercut [Lv. 1]: A simple but punishing uppercut to send the opponent into the air Crunch Stomp [Lv. 1]: a punishing below the waist kick, to the kneecap or lower leg. Brain Damage [Lv. 1]: An aerial in which she grabs her opponent mid-air and smashes them in the head with her knee.
Zalmonah:
Pierce [Lv. 1]: A simple piercing thrust with her spear Ragdoll [Lv. 1]: Strikes with spear and throws opponent into air, ripping up their insides Batter Up! [Lv. 1]: An attack where she simply uses the spear as a bat, with the focus being on the barbs of the spear sticking onto the foe and causing external wounds.
Sodom and/or Gomorroah:
Double Slash [Lv. 1]: Basic slash with both of the short swords Leaping Slash [Lv. 1]: A forward leaping slash that has her going airborne, used as a setup. Can be done with either blade Moon Fall [Lv. 1]: Slashes them up and down in an arc. Single blade attack Down Wind Slash [Lv. 1]: A downward aerial slash, can be done with either or both blades.
Mary sniffed around at her surroundings. They had made it to the ancient library that the Council had sent them to, and it was as ancient as she had thought it would be. The hall was covered in dust from obvious disuse, and it seemed the wall sconces were all out of wax. Luckily, an old magician lead the way with a small magical cantrip that produced a ball of light. If he wasn't around, they'd have to illuminate their way with gunfire, and Mary didn't want to ruin the clothing she had on right now. Somehow, it seemed Lily had gotten back Mary's light dress clothing that she borrowed. A trip to earth, or if Lily was simply lying Mary didn't know or care. She was wearing clean clothes now, even if she hadn't showered.
The old man abruptly came to a stop as the group entered a great dome. He seemed more interested in the books than the mission they were on, telekinetically bringing them closer too inspecting them. Still, the books held great knowledge, possibly of the seals. Even if she did wish he waited, she understood his point. For now, she would allow him a moment before moving forward. She wanted to talk to Souta, since she didn't get a chance after their meeting in Barlour.
"Hello, you're Souta, yes?" She asked of the man she was walking beside. "I believe we met in Barlour before the second seal was broken. You're a representative of Gilgamesh, right?"
The cyborg was having a rather pleasant dream when he was awoken by his watcher. Everyone was receiving their assignments, a first test as agents of the council. Kyle got nervous when he thought about going back out there, after all the world was being visited by every demonic and angelic being in existence, and he was sure him and the others were the only one's who would stand between them and complete anihilation. His first trial would take him to Mitis Forest, where he would have to find a demon of the "Gorgon" species and get rid of it. Apparently some other agents were going to the same location, which made Kyle feel a little bit better.
Everyone slowly made their way to the Tree, some like Kosara were wild as ever, others seemed concentrated on the mission, especially Fenn or the old man named Akoni. When it was his turn, Kyle stepped into the portal that appeared right in front of him. The sensation was similar to the feeling he had when he was taken to the Council, his surroundings became a void for a brief moment, then he was dropped into a forest. Wrath and his other companions had gone in before him, and by the look of things they were already skirmishing with various demons. His watcher had briefed him on what the situation would be like: The forest was overrun by "assault demons" and the occasional Chimera, which were dangerous in big numbers, but should not pose too much trouble for the group. The cyborg initiated his Cheetah Module and attacked a group of three demons that were about to engage Kosara from behind.
His movements were quick and smooth, too agile for the demons to keep up with. The first one received a massive amount of bullets right into his chest as the cyborg flew by, attracting the attention of the whole group. He made sure to stay mobile, circling trees and obstacles to stop the demons from catching up to him. Every now and then he pointed his Gatling gun behind him, shooting off a barrage of bullets. One demon was dead soon enough, and another seemed to have vanished. Kyle stopped in his tracks as the last one was catching up to him. He initiated his Rhino Module, taking aim at the demon's ugly face with his missile launcher. The cyborg was patient, and just as the demon was closing in he released 2 rockets into its gaping mouth, only a few feet away. The abomination's head was gone after a red hot explosion, covering Kyle in what seemed to be black blood.
He was about to go back to his group, thinking he was done, but out of nowhere the third demon that had vanished before jumped down from a tree, pinning the cyborg under him in the process. The demon was holding down his rocket arm, however Kyle had already a plan to counter-attack. The cyborgs chest plate opened and revealed a flamethrower. The demon jumped back when he was bathed in flames, giving Kyle a chance to follow up with a quick rocket.
When Kyle got back, Kosara was already taking off, and Wrath suggested they split up to cover more ground.
The cyborg nodded, his true trial by fire had just begun.
'Restless' couldn't even begin to describe the night's sleep enjoyed by Souta. While the Watchers dutifully provided some furnishings to spare the denizens of the Citadel the stone floor, they amounted to little more than a sleeping bag made of some sort of spongy material that, while not unpleasant, was a far cry from cotton, feathers, or much of anything familiar to Souta. He ended up sleeping on top of it, discovering instantly the intolerable warmth of the interior even with his jacket and shirt removed. Furthermore, sleeping in a new place always made Souta uncomfortable for a few nights, and these inhuman surroundings expounded upon his unhappiness. When he awoke to the sound of a Watcher's nagging, he found no way of figuring out how much time had passed, and he realized how badly he'd taken coffee and a morning shower for granted. Groaning, he summoned water from his hoodie to clear his head -literally and figuratively- before getting up. The mess hall, devoid of attendants, contained hard bread and meal with water. Why had he not thought of this before signing up?
Changing circumstance soon brought his mind off the tragedy that was his awakening. Donning his hoodie, he prepared along with others to enter a portal of the World Tree, though to be frank the briefing of Panoptos went in one ear and out the other. He did catch the word 'library', however, and in short order found himself in one—one about a billion times nicer than the sad, neglected excuse of a bookroom to be found in the Charred Citadel. He walked at the back of the small group, allowing the old one to lead the way with his little candlelight. Blinking at the sunlight, he knelt down to grab a book and open it, curious. Its text appeared indecipherable, though this didn't surprise him; be it an eldritch language or calculus, Souta did not have a gift for strange symbols. ”Ey,” he said out loud, calling for attention. ”If this place is abandoned, we oughta think about grabbin' some stuff for the Citadel library. All this stuff won't do anyone any good here.” To prove his point, he stuffed the tome into a side pocket, where it bulged conspicuously.
The sudden attention of Mary surprised him and left him unsure how to react. He seldom felt interest in or interacted with tall women, being of only average height himself, and even at his best he never quite approached the suave charmer seen in all the movies. Having not paid too much attention at the meeting the day prior, he did not instantly remember her name, though she seemed to recall his. ”Uh...yeah. That's me.” Scratching at his stubble, newly arisen for want of a razor, he said, ”Nah, I'm not with Gilgamesh. I'm a designer for Regalia, one of Gilg's partners. Like...a corporate blacksmith.” He smiled slightly, pleased that he could form words despite still being a little muggy. ”Sune's the Gig representative. Who are you?” He abruptly cleared his throat, as if his blunt question had been its fault. It also bought him time to try and remember her name. ”I mean, you're with the Demon Hunters, right, Muh, uh, Molly? So, a real fighter.” She certainly looked like a warrior, in a roundabout sort of way; he imagined that deadliness lurked beneath her elegance. Tales of prominent Demon Hunters often made him aware of his own combat ability.
At that moment, he also remembered that the Charred Council had sent him here to find something, not dally around and talk. He cast a glance at the rune-wreathed door, concluded that it must be important, and began toward it at a pace that indicated Mary should come along.
Wrath watched the Half-Demoness and the cyborg go off on their own and sighed, going off on another path himself. This was most definitely faster for exploring and locating the target faster, but as Wrath continued fighting off the stray demons that attacked, the groups not growing any larger just yet, he wondered if it wouldn't have been more prudent to stay together. Too late now I suppose. Guess we'll see how this goes. As he moved, another Chimera attacked and he caught the attack on Rage Bringer's flat, shoving the demon back before shearing it in two. As he finished the chimera, two more Assault Demons attacked. "This is getting old, real fast." Bringing Rage Bringer up, he charges an attack briefly and then slams the blade into the ground, unleashing an Earth Render that swallowed the two Assault Demons and several others coming up behind them before closing, crushing all the demons trapped inside.
Turning from where the crevasse had been, he found himself faced with another group of four Assault Demons and growled. Of course he wouldn't get off that lucky. Rushing forward, he engages the group, taking his time so as to try and see a pattern in their appearances.
Silas took a deep breath of the musty air in the room, savoring it. He'd been rather disappointed in the "library" he'd found in the Citadel, so when he heard he was assigned to this mission to another, fully-intact (if long abandoned) library, he'd been cautiously hopeful that he could find something to spruce up their sad excuse of a repository. He wasn't disappointed, thankfully- the place was enormous, and full of scrolls. He almost salivated at the amount of knowledge stored here, some of it even predating humanity. The things he could learn...
That was his favorite aspect of his agelessness- plenty of time to read. He quirked his head toward the boy in the hoodie as he called for attention, suggesting that they take some of the works back with them to the Citadel. Silas scoffed to himself. I believe we are a step ahead of you there, child. He was about to open his mouth to respond to the boy's sentiment when he jammed the tome in his hands into his pocket, most unceremoniously at that. Silas' mouth quirked in frustration. It would be a pity if that document had survived millennia in this library, only to be destroyed by carelessness now. Especially since it would then be his moral duty to maim or perhaps kill the whelp as punishment for destroying a piece of history.
"Have a care with these documents, child. They're older than you, the mage, or even I am. Possibly older than humanity itself. Such a thing deserves respect, does it not?" He turned then, ignoring any retort the boy might have, and walked over to said elderly-looking mage. Silas took a moment to remind himself that, despite being at least twice as old as the man, his appearance did not reflect such a thing, and resolved to tone down the "enlightened Sage" persona, so as to not appear patronizing. How irritating- angels were not nearly so complicated to deal with.
He walked over to the man, eyes already gliding over the text of the scrolls that he was levitating before him. Silas' eyebrow quirked in mild surprise as he read the scroll.
"Enochian," he said, indicating the floating scroll. "It appears my hypothesis was correct- this location is beyond ancient. A suitable find for scholars such as ourselves, no?"
He hadn't talked with the mage much. It seemed that he was avoiding Silas, for some unfathomable reason. Probably just his reputation as a result of dealing with Hierarchy agents on a regular basis. However, given the zeal in which the old man had guarded the strewn-about tomes in their library, he believed him to be a fellow pursuer of knowledge. A worthy pursuit, and therefore the mage was deemed worthy of his time.
Strange... he seemed familiar somehow... Silas shook his head- it was probably nothing. He had more important things to worry about. He glanced at the scroll again.
"This will be complicated, slightly, depending on the organization method the makers of this library used. Where would you suggest we look, in order to find knowledge about the Seals?"
Great, the crickets started chirping. Chirp chirp chirp by the powers that be would they shutup? No, and they wouldn't take the necessary precautions either. Did none of them notice the blatantly obvious? Again, the answer was no. There ere books and scrolls on the floor. That meant that something had to have been in here to do that, but did Mary and Souta care? Naw, they decided it was best to start getting to know one another (really, if you were the least bit interested shouldn't this have happened before leaving on the mission?) and start exploring what looked to be a potentially dangerous area of this ancient library.
Then Silas approached. Fan-tucking-fastic.
"'Suitable' is average. Run of the mill. Something you can work with but nothing special. We haven't deciphered enough yet to know for certain, but I believe that this place is marvelous for scholars such as ourselves. Now I know you Lumen have access to a basic dictionary." Akoni refused to make eye contact as he spoke, partially to be dismissive of Silas and partially to prevent jogging his memory. In the process he came off as more rude than he intended to, or at least more rude than he normally was, but perhaps it was for the better.
"In terms of finding about the seals, I'm more concerned with the immediate threats we'll be facing. Mary! Souta! Don't wander off. Looks like you crickets didn't notice, but these books didn't unshelve themselves. I'm checking to see what might be here with us and I'd rather you all not get yourselves killed." For the first time since entering the domed chamber, Akoni tore his eyes away from the tomes of knowledge. His eyes glowed blue as he barely whispered the incantation to a minor spell to Detect Life in the surrounding area. If anything was here, he should be able to make out its aura momentarily.
Souta found his short journey immediately hated by Silas, who confronted him with a condescendingly irate look that immediately rubbed the smith the wrong way. Then the Sage openly rebuked him, telling him that these dusty bits of writing demanded more respect than not only him, but human history. A switch flicked in Souta’s head and his eyes narrowed, but before he could send a few choice remarks Silas’ way, the prick span around and pranced away toward Akoni. For a second Souta’s mouth hung open in indignation, before he huffed and crossed his arms. ”Pompous snotwad,” he spat, not caring whether the other man listened or not. ”Find someone else to push around.” In his opinion, these books deserved no more personal respect than an exceptionally old rock. No matter how crusty and aged something was, if it couldn’t actually accomplish anything respectable, it meant nothing to him. Casting a glance past Silas at his target, he noticed a look of overblown exasperation on Akoni’s face, aimed in his direction. What was that guy’s problem?
Returning the favor of ignoring, he continued on toward the rune-lined double-doorway and paused on the threshold. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that any ill-informed messing with the protected doorway might create all sorts of unwanted problems, and so decided to turn his attention elsewhere after only a few moments of examining—even if he wanted to summon his warhammer and show Silas the extent of his respect for this place.
The sound of his name being called commandeered his attention, though at the same time he experienced a note of confusion. Exactly how did that old fogey know his name? He knew that he told Mary, but nobody else should have the slightest inclining. Regardless, Akoni’s tone roused his anger more effectively than Silas’. Wander off? He clenched his teeth together. Crickets? Get yourselves killed? Did this spotty simpleton think that he was some kind of kid? ”Cool it, bingo champ,” Souta told him from across the room. ”Play around with your books all you want, but last I checked this little tour group didn’t need a chaperone. I’ll wander wherever I please. What do you care whether we live or die, anyway? Two less crickets to chirp in your ear, yeah?” Souta held out his hand as he started to walk, and the oceanic designs on his hoodie glowed ever so softly. In his hand the Devil Arm Escre manifested from flowing water, and the smith laid it over his shoulder. He walked right by Akoni, watching him, and approached the door on the far right.
Mary smiled slightly as the man in front of her replied to her greeting. There was an air around him of normalcy, that he was just an average man. Even if he wasn't strong like Nero, or sly like Lily, he had a sort of face that said. 'Yeah, I'm a normal dude' with his slightly disheveled and lazy look. Even when he got her name wrong, there was a sort of awkward charm he had that brought him down to earth. With demons and angels and cyborgs in the mix, he seemed like he'd be nice to have around.
Before she could correct the man on her profession, and her name, the pair was stopped by a voice. An arrogant looking man commanded Souta to be more careful with the book he had picked up and stuffed in his pocket. Mary paid the book no mind until then, but she doubted it would crumble to dust before they read it. Even if it was torn, modern technology made it possible to decipher such documents. Mary was prepared to disregard the man and let bygones be bygones. The man appeared the part of a Lumen Sage, and she doubted they got out even as much as she did. Souta looked like he was about to blow a gasket. He called out some insults too the man before huffing and walking away. Mary, unsure of what to do, followed suit.
As the two of them reached the door, Souta examined it fairly haphazardly. There were various symbols strewn across it, runes of magic no doubt. She, unfortunately, could not remember what these symbols meant, or if she had even learned of them in the first place. She, too, disregarded it. It seemed another person would have to open it.
Mary's ears refocused automatically as she heard her name being called. Turning her head, she saw it was the old man. She distinctly remembered him knowing of the Demon at the second seal's name. He must have had a spell for that, or maybe he asked the Watchers. It didn't matter that much either way. Souta got fairly angry at him, berating the man for calling out to him. Mary personally couldn't spin it either way, if the geezer cared, or if he wanted more people to protect him. But that didn't matter. As Souta walked forward with his arm outstretched, his hoodie began to glow. A small excited gasp escaped from Mary's mouth as she saw the pretty light designs on the hoodie. That looked super cool! But she quickly regained control of herself and caught up to Souta. She guessed they were paired up now or something. Now seemed like a good time to try and diffuse.
"Lumen Sage," Mary said, focused on the young looking man. "I understand you do not interact with people much. Talking down to people is rude." She then shifted her focus to the older man. "I understand you're very old, but, again, talking down to people is rude." Now, she was preaching to the whole room. "Seniority or position don't matter anymore. We're all agents of the council. I'm willing to treat you all as equals if you are willing to do the same."
In a matter of several minutes, Kushiel was already in the old city of Vigrid, with Tzion Hill already in sight. There, he can see a task force of Angels guarding the hill, all in their shiny holy armor, with a Champion Archangel overseeing the ranks. The Angel of Judgement then slowly glides downwards, announcing his presence to the commander as he softly lands on the ground. With a smile, he nods at the Champion.
"Archangel Kushiel, it is an honor to have you with us this day", the Angel Champion, commanding this force of Army of Light angels, greeted.
"Likewise Champion." Kushiel responds as he takes a gander at the troops, "Your troops seem to be in fine order. I hear you are in need of defending this Hill?"
"I see, we are in your debt. Our scouts report a small force of demons, some of our men have come into contact with them already, but some of our other scouts say that much more powerful foes are coming too, and they seem more coordinated", he informed. Soon though, from behind the champion, a young man was being dragged to the front by some angels, he cursed a little but eventually gave in. Kushiel raised an eyebrow at him.
"That... I am sorry, that is Gene. He belongs to the Heirarchy, but seeing as he 'appeared' in this city, we thought we could ask for his help, although he seems to be reluctant... In any case, I will lead the defense here, bring Gene with you and try and intercept larger threats if you can. Me and my men will be counting on you", he said.
"No worries general." the Angel of Judgement responds, "Weather he helps or not, this hill shall not be consumed by the fire's of hell. This I guarantee."
And with that, he signals Gene to come along as he begins to briskly walk towards the opposite way, where the enemy should be approaching.
As soon as Blair would go outside for her own mission, Gideon would hear the words of the morph alerting him of a mission at hand, one that isn't too far from this very point. He would pause for a minute, letting Blair travel farther away, until he gets up and exits himself. He would walk for about a mile or so, until he suddenly sees some lowly Assault demons come towards him. As he tries to approach them, they didn't budge. They refused to let him pass, yet it seems as they didn't want to attack him immediately. Only when Gideon took a step closer did they attack. One tries to lash at his torso, only to get a sword stabbed through its skull. The rest didn't stand a chance. With a grunt, the half-demon would move on.
He then approaches a clearing in the forest, where he plans to figure out what his next move should be. He was slightly confused, until the morph would speak to him again within his mind.
"Our scouts have found something rare, and that is, a demon born here in the human world. Identified as Gorgon, she commands demons of the forest and acts as their queen. She is yet educated on the demon world, so we would like to send someone here as soon as possible. According to our sources, she is a powerful demon too, and would be a fine boon for our campaign here in the human world",
A demon born in the human world, huh? And not just a half demon, but a full demon. There was more information when he inquired, 3409 said that Gorgon was a child of another demon named Echidna who briefly lived in the forest some years back, before being slain. The forest was huge, and Echidna spread her seeds and her children far and wide, so this was a believable prospect. The Order of the Sword had no trouble traveling through it until recently. It looks like Gorgon may be on the move for one reason or another...
All very interesting to say the least. It was time for him to recruit some allies for Hell's cause. But where to start? However, that question was put aside as he finds a line of demons that seem to be flying towards her location. He smirks as he quickly follows the line of demons and towards Gorgon.
Kosara had a little bit of an advantage over the others in her group, just because her senses allowed her to 'see' energy a lot easier. She could see a bunch of power nodes around the forest. Clusters where there are more power sources gathered. She quickly discovered those to be places where there were more assault demons! She clashed with 3 more just at the area she sensed demonic power alright.
Without thinking much about it, she pointed her crossbow at the nearest and fired the bolt at the demon. Following that she dashed at him, using the surroundings to her advantage as she jumped from a tree next to the bolt struck demon to jump over him and slash at his back.” Die for my amusement~” She whistled as she dashed to the side to avoid a strike from the demon's mates. The three demons growled at her, keeping some distance, preparing for their attack.
“Hmmm... this requires some... music!” She shouted as she pulled her headphones from a pocket, the demons looking at her, expecting her to attack them. Instead she swiftly put on the headphones, pulled her mobile and with a push of a button the music starting ringing through her ears. It was her favorite song – 'Future in my hands' by Elena Huston. With a smile and head slightly nodding in tune with the music, she reacted just in time as the demons jumped on her.” Nooooowww is the time!” She called and punched the closest demon with her armored gauntlet before jumping backwards to avoid the other two demons. She followed htat with another jump forward and over the demons to concentrate her attacks on the one she already wounded. Being just above him, she pushed her sword down and stabbed the demon's head from above. Her sharp sword easily piercing through the skull as she pushed all her weight behind the attack. As the demon fell to the ground, she was forced to jump away without pulling her sword as the other two demons attacked her again.
Wasting no time, she loaded another bolt in the crossbow, before concentrating her energy into it as she dashed at the assault demon's body that still had her sword. Punching one demon out of her path, she pointed the crossbow at the other demon who had just jumped at her. The bolt was released along with a blast of wind around it. It impacted into the demon's head, forcing it to fall to the side as if hit by a blunt object. Not stopping her dash, she ran by the first demon she killed, pulled her sword from it's body and using all the speed she had built at this point stabbed at the demon she punched moments ago.
With those dead, she returned to the one she shot down from midair. It was just getting up from the ground as she kicked it full strength and followed by slashing at him multiple times without any regard or skill. When she was done, the demon crumbled on the ground and she ran forwards. Now that she had the vague idea of the energy of the assault demons, she sensed in the distant something that was not one or three of them. Seemed promising. Granted she had to pass through a bunch more of these demons till she reaches her target, but hey it was fun! With music in her head and giggle in her mouth, she dashed across the forest trail.
The group was idly standing around for a moment to inspect the citadel while Midori took a quick seat next to the wall. The poor girl looked lonely and she wasn't planning to make any friends here with all these angels and such. She had already humiliated herself before she could even introduce herself to the group. She was sure that no one would approach her with these conditions set in stone.
The group slowly began to move as they all headed towards the very old library in the citadel. It was a big hall with a high ceiling and a lot of book shelves that reached so high that a simple ladder almost could not reach the top shelves. She took a quick look around and stepped closer towards one of the rows of books. She looked them over and noticed how much dust was on them. Not only that but the shape was the worst. They were all dry and about to crumble from the heat. They had stored these books on the wrong place and even then they didn't maintain them properly. What a waste.
Just when Midori was about to pick up one of the books another person of the group was told to leave the books alone and not to break them any further. Well it might be true they are most worthy age wise but quality could go up a notch. She doubted these were mass printed.
Midori kept her distance from the rest of the group for now and wasn't saying a word to any of them. She doubted that everyone in the group would like demons. So she was better off according on her own for now.
Gideon's senses were put on high alert as he hears the faint screeches of demons coming from up the line, along with the clinking of what he hears to be arrows being fired from a crossbow. He was obviously not alone with his line of demons. He then hears the faint sound of a female singing wildly, while shooting at his troops perhaps.
That voice. Was it her again?
It had to be. It's the same voice he heard back at the antechamber. The female half-demon traitor. With a frown and an annoyed growl, he signals all the nearby demons with a flick of his arm, to fall back behind him. The demons began to slowly back away from the trail and behind him where they stood their ground. Gideon then walks down the trail, following the scent of this traitorous swine. And it was coming closer. He then hears a faint giggle, along with footsteps rapidly approaching his position. She's coming closer...
"Childish fool..." he whispers as his face stays cold and frozen in place.
The half-demon then ignites his Style as blades began to whirl around him at blinding speeds. Finally, he sees her faint shadow coming towards him. There was no time to loose. Instantly, he issues his Rising Spear move, attempting to pierce her feet and leave her crippled. If that didn't work, Gideon would wield one of Lucifer's Wings and fires a bullet straight for her head.
