Mikael

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Hope you've read the collaboration I posted Rtron. Because Sir is near next on Slyre's "writ list"

-grins rictally-

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

"Once lost, twice found."

---

Nervous. So nervous. The fluttering in her stomach worsened the closer she got to Thorpe.

Aeris' heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings as thoughts about what could happen flooded her mind. What if she found him? What would he do? Was he still the same as 200 years ago? Was that even possible? What would he think? How much could he have changed in the last two centuries?

The whirring of her mind continued even as she passed over Thorpe, unintentionally pushing herself faster and faster. It was beginning to take a lot of focus to continue flying.

Calm down. The two words were curt and simple from a familiar female voice penetrating her mind.

Lisara.

But, but-- Aeris' thought was interrupted quickly.
No. Enough. Focus on him later. There was a warning growl that accompanied the words, causing Aeris to sigh.
All right, fine. With that, the voice in her head went silent.

Almost out of Thorpe's "air space", Little Kasio looked down at the small town. There was a rush of adrenaline that shot through her when she flew, and especially when she could see what she was flying over. Everything was so small... she could rule the world from up here.

A small giggle passed her lips as she did two flips in the air, pulling her wings close into her back so that she seemed to dive bomb toward the ground, only to open them and pull up at the last second. The reverse momentum she had gained from doing so sent her skyrocketing upward just as she was reaching Mt. Jigger. She straightened herself in the air, almost as if she were simply standing in the sky, her wings beating slowly to keep her airborne.

The blue-eyed vampire stared at the mountain for a few moments, taking in its size before looking at its peaks. It was covered in snow. And she was wearing a dress. "Great." The girl muttered to herself as she wove shadows around her legs to form relatively insulated leggings. She stared at the mountain for another few moments, its dense forests causing her to pout a little, how was she supposed to find anything from the air?

A huff started her descent toward the middle of the mountain, no way in hell was she walking up the entire thing.

Once on the ground, Aeris inhaled and pulled her hoodie closer to her, zipping it closed, and pulling the hood over her head. The horns on the top of the hood weighed it down a little, pushing it down over her eyes a little more than she liked, but they wouldn't really be hidden considering they were iridescent. After adjusting all of her garments, she inhaled again, and blinked.

Strange. She thought, to herself, breathing in again.

Nope. There was no mistaking it. There was a familiar scent in the air on this mountain, but she wasn't entirely sure who it was. It didn't really smell the way she thought Mai would, but then, the last time she saw him she was Human and didn't have the exaggerated senses she did now.

It didn't smell Human though, that was for sure.

Following the scent, Aeris began her trek up the mountain, weaving carefully through trees. The fog of her breath quickened the higher up she got, as it would have if she were human. Oxygen difference, and all that.

The closer to the top she got, the grumpier she became. Where the fuck was this person?

It was cold.

Really, fucking cold.

The scent she followed didn't let her down though, she found where it was coming from after wandering around for a while: A flora covered Mansion.

"Well, someone didn't take much care of their home..." Aeris mumbled to herself staring at the large house.

She'd almost forgotten how cold she was.

---

The Vault door slammed closed behind Solus and his, possibly temporary companion, Mairyell. "Well..." Solus began. "That was an experience." One that Mairyell will not soon forget anyway. He wondered what was going through the Vampire's head right now. Solus revealing not only the current, more pressing situation, but also a place that's horrifying enough to bring gods to their knees.

"Yeah, and I'm sure as hell glad it's over," the vampire stated, glancing around. He looked behind him, noting the door's closure, and then unhinged the gate on all his senses rather slowly for the next 10 seconds till he was back to his normal sensory abilities. A sigh of relief was then released from his mouth, he was glad to be out of that place, and glad not to have to suppress his senses anymore. It was very likely that no matter the need he would not go into that Vault again at any point unless it was absolutely necessary for him to do so for some reason. At present he could not fathom how or why that would come about, and he hoped it never would.

Shaking himself, Mairyell began to ascend the stairs out of the basement of Solus' mansion. He wanted be just a bit further away from the Vault, though he knew that he could never be quite as far away from it as he'd like...sadly. "So Solus, what's next on your bucket-list of shit to do? I hope it has nothing to do with anomalous things of any nature. If I am correct, perhaps I ca-..." he stopped mid-sentence and sniffed the air.

"Someone's here," he narrowed his eyes which briefly shone red before turning back to a stable purple. "Who the hell else knows about this place..." he said, thinking aloud, he wasn't in the mood for anymore bullshit, he'd had enough of that for one day.

"I have been away for two hundred years... anyone could have found this old ruin in that time." The essence that radiated from outside felt familiar, though Solus had sensed many familiar essences since his return, so that mere fact didn't really matter. Perhaps it was someone else seeking Solus, just like Mairyell did. Or maybe, seeking his hidden riches. "Feels like a surface demon..."

---

Aeris teetered back and forth from heel to toe staring at the mansion. The girl was debating on just bursting in, instead, however, she made her way slowly to the door, simply knocking on it.

"Hello?" Her voice chirped softly, the timidity in it blatantly obvious to anyone listening.

---

Mairyell frowned slightly, "I suppose that's true enough...what should we do about it?" He was feeling out the essence and while it was ever so vaguely familiar he didn't think much of it. Though it did feel sufficiently strong, "Probably a vampire," he smelled the air, "or...a chimera of some kind?" He shook his head a bit, dismissing it. "Should we let it in, or what?"

"Not just yet..." Solus said as he carefully listened with every sense he had.

---

Aeris paused looking around for a moment, inhaling. The scent was definitely here... but who was it? She closed her eyes for a moment and thought back... A strange man in a trench coat flashed across her closed eyelids and she opened them gasping a bit, "Solus, maybe? That was his name right...?" She muttered to herself, walking from the door to the side of the house, thinking she saw something for a moment. When she didn't find anything, she returned to the front door, having not strayed far from it in the first place.

---

Glancing to Solus and watching him...sense, Mairyell finally sighed, looking annoyed before he stalked towards the door. "Screw this, I've been listening to you for the past..." he stopped, realizing he had no idea how long they'd been in there. His eye twitched as for once he wished he had a watch. "Whatever," he walked to the door with the intention of opening it, unless Solus did something to stop him. "I'm sure the two of us are enough to deal with it if it's a threa-..." if Solus hadn't stopped him by now he'd have tried to open the door only to be interrupted mid-sentence by the fact that the door would not budge. Looking at its essence Mairyell gritted his teeth, turned around and glared through Solus.

"I've mentioned that I hate you sometimes right? Yeah, I'm sure I have..." Mairyell grumbled and walked past Solus, intentionally bumping into him out of irritation as he went to the back door. Before he disappeared from sight he yelled back, "...and I swear to Aaurus, if you fucking open that front door while I'm gone I will skin your chimeric ass." Mairyell then disappeared from the hallway and after a few moments Solus would hear Mairyell kick the broken back door out of his way.

Solus smirked as his and Mairyell's shoulders rubbed. Oh, I'm opening it alright.... He walked up to the door and placed his wounded hand on it, letting it take a small dab of his drying blood. Just like the door to the Vault, its rings began to turn. The essence that he could feel beyond it, was thicker now, and much easier to recognize. "It's that girl..." Then, the door opened, revealing a young female vampire, standing there, seemingly lost.

Aeris' eyes fell on the hunter before her, a nervous smile shown through the shadows surrounding her face. Little Kasio removed her hood, letting her dark locks fall around her back. "H-hi... Solus..?" Aeris mumbled, looking around when she saw a shadow slither quickly across the ground.

Mairyell could feel Solus open that damned door, so his pace quickened to reach the edge of the mansion before he got annoyed with that, formed his wings from his back, and slammed them downwards through the air, sending him straight upwards after which he angled off a bit so he'd end up arcing over the mansion. He noted the figure of the woman at their door before he plummeted from the sky and nearly slammed into the ground before flapping his wings once to dramatically slow his descent.

He did not appear pleased as he landed and his blood red wings first folded behind his back and then almost appeared to be absorbed by his body.

Aeris blinked as a rush of air caught her, holding her skirt down she found herself staring at some person that severely resembled Mairyell. Is that... "M-Mai...?" Aeris voice cracked a bit as she stared at him for a moment, and then looked at Solus again, if she wasn't lost before, now she definitely was.

"You know him, Aeris?" Solus said stoically, finally recognizing her. She joined him on his way out of the Western Realm after his botched and rather pathetic attempt at reaching the Citadel some 180 years ago.

Mairyell dusted himself off and began looking up as he heard his sister's name.

"Yeah... Pretty sure that's my big brother..." The vampire murmured, her eyes locking back on Mairyell. For a moment, the blue glow about them intensified, and then dimmed back to normal.

He froze for a moment as he heard the words 'big brother,' before he continued the motion and met with the eyes of a ghost. A ghost that Solus could also see and recognized for some reason. He stood there, frozen in place, unable to entirely process what was going on. It was like his surroundings became a grey scale, and then were altogether forgotten, his vision tunneling before him. His mouth opened and closed several times before his eye twitched and he clapped his hands onto his cheeks and shook his head.

When Aeris was still standing several feet in front of him after that he took a tentative step forward, a look of complete disbelief on his face. "What..." he said, thinking aloud, his mind barely functioning. It had to be an illusion, every other time he'd seen her that'd been what it was, an illusion that only he could see. However, now Solus could see it too. Could they both be hallucinating?

I mean they had just been through the vault...stress could cause hallucinations, right?

Yeah he didn't know what the fuck was going on.

"I remember you telling me you had a brother." Solus said as he turned to Mairyell. "You only missed him by 5 minutes when we met..."

"And then for another 180 years..." The girl muttered a little bitterly to herself. However, before she realized it, she had begun moving, running, actually. She didn't even realize what was happening until she was already hugging the elder vampire, her face buried in his chest. God dammit.... God, fucking dammit.

His arms remained somewhat open as she ran into him and then wrapped her arms around him, clutching at the back of his shirt like he'd disappear. He looked at Solus and for a moment he felt part of him want to hit the hunter for having never said anything. Then he realized that it's not like he'd ever told Solus the name of his sister. "What the hell," he said out loud, his arms almost instinctively wrapping back around her after a moment or two had passed. However, while his body knew what to do, his mind did not. He had long since stopped thinking of himself as a brother, not only had he thought himself unworthy of the title, but he had figured that his little sister was long dead, something he now regretted somewhat.

He knew it had been necessary for him to remain sane and in control. To remain emotionally stable, but now...he didn't know what to say. How to react, or how to treat her. It was too sudden. So he tried to trust his brotherly instincts, instincts that he had buried a long time ago. "W-...welcome back?" he said, a slight question in his voice, he had obviously not come to grips with reality just yet.

Aeris looked up at her brother, very obviously trying not to cry. The fuck. She hated crying. Always had. She was both happy and sad, though, and her brain wasn't sure how to process the emotions. "I... uhm.. Yeah, back... that's a good way to put it, I think..." After a moment, she finally relinquished her grip on him, and stepped back. "I... I'm sorry, this must be one hell of a shock, huh?"

Aaurus knows what he thought actually happened to me... she thought somberly.

As she tried to draw away he didn't let her. He didn't know why, but he wouldn't let go. After an additional moment of speechlessness he hugged her tightly and...kissed the top of her head after which point he let her go and took a step back. "I need to sit down..." he looked at Solus' mansion, but he really didn't want to go back into it, even if it was just the Vault that he didn't like. He needed to process this, and he didn't think he could quite do that standing up.

The doll nuzzled her brother's chest when he wouldn't let her go, hugging him again when he clung to her. When he finally let her go with a kiss atop her head, she turned to look around, only to see Solus wasn't standing at the door anymore. "I... what?" She looked back at Mai with a confused expression as if he could answer a question she hadn't even asked.

He shook his head, bringing a hand up to rub one of his temples. He could feel a headache coming on, but nonetheless he took a whiff of the air and noted Solus' essence nearby. He wondered where he'd wandered off to, but he didn't entirely care at the moment, though he knew he owed the man a swift hit to the stomach. "He's nearby, can't have wandered too far...ugh," he continued to rub his head despite knowing that doing so would not alleviate his headache.

Little Kasio watched as Mairyell rubbed his temples and smiled warmly. "Would he mind if we went in and sat down?" She questioned calmly, staving off tremulous emotions of her own.

"I doubt it, but it's just as bad inside as it is out here, not that I care much," he said sounding only a bit against the idea. He knew he needed to take a seat, despite not wanting to go back into that accursed house.

Aeris took her brother's arm gently and pulled him toward the door, letting go when she was inside the house herself. She looked around cautiously and then found a comfortable enough chair to sit in, waiting for Mairyell.

Before she sat down he spoke, "Make sure it's stable before you sit in it, the majority of this stuff hasn't been taken care of for at least as long as we've been apart," He then proceeded to sit down on a couch, one of the less...moldy looking ones.

Aeris nodded pushing on the chair with a little more strength than her sitting in it would be. It seemed stable enough, so she sat down, crossing her legs one over the other, her hands resting loosely on her thigh.

---

While the two siblings had their titillatingly touching reunion, Solus sneaked off into the old garage. The place was even more of a mess than the house. The roof had collapsed right in the middle, rubble and fine plaster covering what appeared to be a large car, hidden underneath a thick sheet of plastic. The shelves had fallen off the walls, and the tools were scattered along the edges. The floor itself had overgrown with thick weeds.

The faint feeling of guilt washed over Solus' being. Abandoning this place was hard, but returning to it was much harder. Just seeing the aftermath alone was enough to convince him of that. With a sigh, he stepped over weeds towards the old vehicle. He doubted it would be in any decent shape, especially after the amount of time it's been sitting here. He hoped, that the least he had to do was some restoration, and that it wasn't a write off. But even then it was probably a false hope.

That hope stayed in his mind as he began to remove the concrete and rusted, broken steel re-bar off the top of the old Mustang.

---

The porcelain doll fidgeted in her seat, not really sure what to do or say. The silence was palpable.

She hated it.

The shadows covering her legs wove themselves off and into the various dark corners of the dilapidated building, while she simply stared from her brother to the floor.

"So..." the reappointed big brother began, breaking the painful silence, "...What's up?" There was a distinctly awkward feeling in the room.

Aeris blinked, and then out of no where just... laughed. An uncontrollable sort of laughter. "What... what the fuck are we doing? Seriously, Mai. We're not strangers, we're blood. Why can't we just talk?" She questioned him, still sort of laughing at the awkwardness between them.

Mairyell chuckled a bit, and while the tension melted away somewhat, he retained the awkward expression on his face as he looked up at her. He looked almost...apologetic, but not quite. He was hunched over a bit now, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped. "I-..." he shook his head, he couldn't say that he'd thought she was dead, he just couldn't bring himself to. So instead he just shook his head and laughed at himself. He felt kind of pathetic for some reason. It was a bit unfamiliar, but at the same time he remembered the feeling well.

He'd often felt that way, but that had been 200 years ago and this was now. "Aeris, it's been 200 or so years since I last saw you. We're blood, but people change.... I've changed," he looked up at her, his eyes having been aimed at the ground initially. A small smile formed on his lips, a gentle smile, something he did not often wear. "I can't treat you like I did then...things are different now, but I'll do my best to...adapt," he almost met her eyes before looking away, he couldn't look her in the eyes yet.

Aeris stared at her brother, calmly observing his movements and words. Watching in a similar manner to how Szayeis had once watched her when he was teaching her how to use Brisn... Or when he turned her. "Heh..." She scoffed a bit, "I wish I could say I hadn't changed, because then I could have some semblance of normalcy, but life just isn't that lucky." Absently, her hands found their way through her hair, and she looked away.

Much like the brother she had once had, the little sister she had once been was gone. It was really time she faced up to that. She couldn't expect rainbows and sunshine, that wasn't fair to either of them. "Oh, the web we weave..." She murmured softly, resting her eyes upon him once more. "No matter how much you changed Mai, you'll always be my big brother. Just... don't forget that, yeah?"

The vampire nodded a bit, "Yeah..." for a moment he almost let the conversation fade back into silence, but then he followed up with, "Though it's hard to forget with that face," he smirked a bit, appearing to jeer slightly before laughing a bit and standing up. They'd have to just take things slowly, he figured. After all, it was just a matter of finding their new normal rather than abandoning the concept overall. Taking in a breath he then exhaled deeply and smiled at her before nodding at the door. "Should find Solus, not sure about you, but I may still have some business with him," in truth he just didn't want to be inside the mansion for too long, though he wasn't exactly lying when he said there might be more business to take care of.

A small smirk crossed Aeris' lips, "Oh, you got jokes, huh?" She snickered a little following him in standing. "No, I don't think I have anymore business with him, but I don't particularly wanna leave just yet." She smiled softly at him, consciously making an effort not to use shadows in front of him. When she looked at him for a moment, she began to notice something both of them had more or less been ignoring. Their Brisn was resonating slightly. It was faint, but she could feel it strengthening a bit the longer they were in proximity to each other.

Feeling the soothing warmth of Brisn on his skin he became aware of the occurrence as well, raising his hand to look at the blue energy before glancing at Aeris. "Well, that's neat," he then shrugged and began walking out of the room before he turned and smirked at her. "Oh, I've got jokes like you wouldn't believe," he winked and then continued on, likely with her in tow.

Smiling wider, Aeris wove some Brisn through the air as her brother looked at his own blue aura. "Yeah, s'pretty cool." She muttered a bit, forming a ball of the energy to play with as she started to follow him out of the room. When he stopped, she bumped into his back and looked up only to laugh at the words that came out of his mouth. "Oh, really now? You should share, I wanna laugh too!" she joked, making various shapes with the energy ball she was playing with as they walked.

With his back turned, he rolled his eyes, yeah, she really still was his little sister. With that settled he headed out of the mansion and tracked Solus towards wherever the hell he'd wandered off to. As he was trudging through the snow covered ground, which Mairyell found annoying despite the fact that he didn't feel cold in the least. At this point his blood basically kept him warm, it was an odd process that he didn't entirely understand. He didn't really care either.

Eventually the two happened upon a dilapidated looking structure, maybe a garage? "Well, Solus is in there," he gestured before putting the hand back into his pocket.

She could feel the eye roll her brother did as they walked, and couldn't help but giggle. Luckily for her when they went back outside, the resonance of their Brisn kept her sufficiently warm. Even then, Aeris slightly levitated off the ground, if only to not impede her own movement. As they reached the structure in which Solus' scent was coming from, she slid something around Mai's neck.

A crystalline blue necklace, completely comprised of the element they both wielded. She smiled softly, floating beside him.

Almost grabbing her hand as she slid the necklace on, Mairyell calmed his reflexes, which had become quite honed since their separation, and glanced down at it. "Did you make this?" He realized how silly the question was, but decided to ask it anyways. It was more rhetorical than anything. Smiling a bit he turned part way and ruffled her hair, "Thanks," he hoped she didn't recoil when he did that. He had done it more out of habit than anything, even if that habit was now 200 years old, one simply could not beat the brother out of someone, not even if that person was time.

Aeris smiled as he asked a question that didn't really need an answer. When he reached out to ruffle her hair, she lowered herself a little out of the air and laughed. "Mmmhmm." She murmured, hugging him again, letting go after only a moment.

"Y'know.." She spoke after a few moments of silence, "I find it funny we both know the same hunter. Though, it seems you're more friendly with him than I." Her eyes flickered purple a bit before returning to their blue hue as she stared at the garage.

"Yeah, you know what's even funnier?" He asked, with a look of wry amusement on his face.

"No, what?" She questioned him curiously, looking at him with her head tilted.

"The fact that I met him about...10 minutes after Szayeis took you, and then he encountered you 5 minutes after I'd left the Western realm. We were trying to rescue you by the way," he stared at her with a look said that he did not entirely appreciate reality's sense of humor in this instance.

Aeris laughed softly, pecking her brother on the cheek. "All's well that ends well?" She said with a slight shrug. She wanted to talk to him about what happened to her, but that opportunity would come in time, time that was definitely not right now.

Smiling a bit and then quickly looking away when she kissed his cheek, Mairyell walked towards what he was fairly certain was a garage and entered quietly. He knew he couldn't get the jump on someone like Solus, but he sure would love to punch the shit out of him for opening that damned door. As he entered, the Mustang from the time that he'd first met Solus came into view. It wasn't exactly in the best shape. "I hope you don't expect this thing to actually work. I mean, it's probably covered in at least 100 or so years of rust." His tone was amused, but similarly unsympathetic.

"Tech nowadays does wonders for things like that, Mai." Aeris said as she slid into the building behind him, staring at the wreck of a car. "I'm sure that was one hell of a vehicle in its prime though."

"Oh, you can say that again. When I met him he slammed it right into a werewolf, not even a dent. Don't even get me started on the drift that he did either." He shook his head a bit, glancing to Solus, interested as to what his response might be, if any.

"I don't expect it to work... No..." Solus said out of the driver's seat of the car, all its doors open. "Just assessing the amount of work it will need. And it's a lot..." He grumbled something unintelligible to himself as he stepped out of the car and moved over to the other end of the room toward the boot of the car. He placed his hand on the handle and pulled. Nothing. Probably locked... He pulled out the key he had in his pocket, and pushed it into the lock. The lock turned, unlocking the boot, and Solus pulled again. Nothing. The Chimera pulled again the handle a third time, harder, causing the back of the car to lift up slightly. Nothing. "Oh, come on!" Clearly, it was rusted shut.

He nodded, happy with that response. Solus still had some measure of sense about him, despite the house of horrors he kept in his basement. "Good," Taking to leaning against one of the walls, Mairyell watched with mild amusement as Solus attempted to open the trunk of the car. "You seem to be having trouble Solus. Do simple things give you trouble despite the amount of time you've had to get them right?" The vampire was smirking over at the hunter before he winked at his sister and waited to continue after the man's response.

Solus completely ignored the smartass as he placed his right foot on the steel plate for a back bumper, and this time, pulled the handle of the boot with some serious, unseen strength. The metal hinges began to buckle and the rust that glued the boot door began to crack. Suddenly, the trunk door was completely ripped off. Solus tossed it aside like trash. "Don't need that anyway..." Within the trunk, was a large metal canister. The Chimera placed his hands on either side of the vehicle's back side and tipped it from left to right a few times. Fluid slushed around within. "Hmm. Still has fuel..."

Aeris watched as the hunter tore off the door to the trunk of his car, wincing a little. She didn't know what the car originally looked like, but she did enjoy cars to some extent, and to see one being dismantled, well... she felt bad. When she heard the sloshing of the the fuel in the tank, her head tilted. "I'd have figured it would have dissipated or something. That's pretty cool." She muttered to herself, moving to stand directly beside Mairyell.

"Fuel doesn't evaporate, especially up here. It's too thick... It also has a sell by date of 3 months. It's 199 years and 9 months out of date, so it's useless. I'll have to drain this thing down to a vacuum..." Solus replied absentmindedly, staring at the half full fuel tank.

Mairyell chuckled at Solus when he was ignored, caring little if the man responded. He listened absentmindedly, his mind drifting to matters of sustenance for a while. He still needed to replenish the blood he'd lost from his trip through the Beyond....

Little Kasio looked from her brother to Solus, and then around the dilapidated building. Her mind wandered to and fro between topics, ideas, and food. "Hey Solus?" She spoke softly, her eyes on the hole in the ceiling. "Do you happen to have any demon blood around here?" She asked, her eyes coming to rest on the hunter calmly, an incline to her head causing her hair to fall away from her right eye.

"The blood that was here is dried up and undrinkable now..." Solus stared directly into Aeris' eyes. "Welcome to the House of Grim..."

His mind distracted by his thoughts of feeding, Mairyell only realized what the conversation was about when he heard Solus use the word 'blood,' causing him to look up. "Hmm?" He then glanced at Aeris, looking at her for a very long moment. "Demon blood..." he said a bit suspiciously.

"Mm?" Aeris mumbled looking at Mairyell confused for a moment. "What? It's all I've ever had, and all I'm willing to drink." She spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She forgot for a moment who she was talking to. When she realized what she had said she covered her mouth, and turned her head away so she didn't have to look at him. Oops.

Something clicked on the vampire's mind as his sister said that. "Well," he said, his eyes twitching as he looked away, masking his anger with a smile, "...there's another question I don't have to ask." He exhaled long and deep before taking air back in and speaking to Solus, holding the anger from his tone almost as well as he was from his face. "Anything I should stick around to help you with Solus? Considering what you told me that is," he asked, trying to distract himself somewhat. In actuality he wanted to collapse the building they were currently in, which was obviously a terrible idea regardless of how strong or durable the other two were. In terms of his question, he was referring to Szayeis, which didn't help his anger one bit.

"...Sorry Mai..." Aeris whispered through her still covered mouth, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Actually... There is..." Solus said, stepping away from the trunk of the car towards Mairyell. "Find an essence fragment named Zi, and bring her here. She is absolutely necessary to our success. If she dies... Well... you know what happens..." The Chimera let that sink in.

Aeris blinked, looking at Solus, curious about what he was talking about. She didn't ask, though, in part because she didn't want to say something else stupid in front of her already emotionally tremulous brother, and in part because she didn't think he'd tell her anything.

---

SO IT HAD begun, along with the little petty endings of most bitter fates. The preordained reunion flowed somewhat awkwardly, but such trivialities did not matter to him. Time was of the essence of this world, and they lacked it woefully; they all did, and never truly spent it wisely. Solus Grim... Mairyell Kasio... Aeris Kasio... It was their time now, and ITZAL SLYRE, the reaper of cultivated souls, was so very keen to allot it to them in his grand scheme of little subplots.

This should be fun...

Almost immediately as the young vampiress blinked, the House of Grim began to change; the mold retreated; plants faded away; the state of disrepair that was prevalent throughout the halls, doors, and walls began to reverse back to a finer time. The present day shifted little, the sun continuing to shine brilliantly upon the now fully restored house. But inside, the lights were on, and shadows fled to nooks and crannies, between ankles and backsides.

It almost seemed as though time itself was being rewound. But it wasn't. For that would be a most absurd (and unfortunate) event.

The illusive transformation that took place before the trio required very little time, perhaps leaving them with an eerie sense of stupor and anxiety. No sooner had their senses taken up the changes could the odd sounds of little pitter patter of tiny feet also be heard. A young 8-year-old boy, followed by a younger girl and boy, raced into the garage, mischievous grins leading their faces. They sought shelter behind where the Mustang had disappeared, which had been replaced by a suitably larger vehicle, one meant for a family. The source of voices, soft at first but then growing in volume, danced about the halls, and entered Solus Grim: father of four.

Like the little ones, this Solus paid no attention to Mairyell or Aeris, let alone the real version who was present. His voice once again inquired after the kids, a playful smirk on his warped (but smoother) visage. He almost seemed more human, but the scars of his past lingered. It would seem that he was in the middle of a game of hide-and-go-seek. He sauntered past Solus, his shoulder lightly phasing through him and leaving the real Solus with a heightened sense of warmth. Almost as soon as he maneuvered slowly around vehicle, his children ambushed him with hugs, kisses, and delightful squeals.

So much uncultivated innocence, it could make one gag.

A different voice, softer still and strong yet feminine, alerted Solus, the wee ones still trying to pin him to the floor. Jumping up to his feet and carrying all three kids (ushering in surprised little gasps), he started walking towards the door, once again, passing through the real Solus but also blocking his view of the womanly figure in the doorway, her belly slightly large and expecting.

But the illusion of Solus swept past him and in that spot right in front of the real Solus, was Slyre. And the illusion vanished just as Solus might see Rina's face clearly.

"Oh, what could have been..." the grim reaper droned, almost sadly.

Hunched over, Slyre stood at a much greater height than all three little gods. One might reckon him to be about 10 feet tall, broad shouldered (which faced Solus head on, almost with confrontational interest), and smelled exactly like poison and toxic slime, with a faint trace of a woman's perfume. From toe to head were the details of finely woven black boots, covered by a flowing robe with dark purple fabric, crimson trims, and white lettering adorning the material. An ornamental matching belt girdled Slyre, as did his large folded up collar. It seemed like the white lettering design became more extravagant closer to the head... and the face. The hooded, overshadowed eyes.

But his chin, barely seen even in the darkness of the garage, hovered just a foot above (and away) from the Necromaster's skull.

Slyre's voice croaked again, leaving not a true moment to respond. "Two hundred years, Solus Grim... and what do you really have to show for it. Hmm?"

His hooded face turned slightly towards Mairyell and Aeris to his right, though his unseen eyes weren't necessarily sizing them up. "Other than such dismal company," he added snidely.

The image of the illusion remained in Solus' mind for a few minor moments. His face remained unchanged as he replayed it all in his old and shattered mind. In the end it didn't matter. It was a future he never expected to live up to. Death has always been his path, with that rictus grin, waiting for him at the end. He had grown accustomed to being surrounded by misery that such happy illusions made him feel sick in his stomach. Such families were pathetic, weak, holding on to the illusion of a false hope. The evil that lived deep within him loved this weakness, fed from it. And his human side cared little for such trivialities.

So the illusion didn't truly faze him, just surprised him by its sudden appearance. It was a life that disgusted him, one he never wanted to experience. His only purpose was his work, and there was no better place to be than one that was surrounded by death.

Solus looked up at the Reaper, completely ignorant to what he truly was, and a smartass smirk appeared on his destroyed face. "Nothing... I achieved absolutely nothing..."

Slyre tilted his head back towards Solus, his rictus grin spreading like a rash. "Oh, really? I suppose then that you chronicle everything, too? Because nothing seems unlikely," he stated deceptively, letting slip a wee hint that he recorded everything and, in this case, jested at Solus's sense of appreciation towards his (lack) of achievements.

Aeris stared between the... thing? And the hunter. An eyebrow arched in confusion. She wasn't really sure how to react to the situation, and thus, remained mostly silent. Mostly, because she inhaled, as if she were about to speak, and then stopped, not finding the right words.

"Oh, don't hold back on my account, girl," Slyre retorted, and stood a little straighter (but not quite all the way). The added height shifted the shadows and light in the room, as though they were melded to the growing tension in the room.

"You might just miss another one hundred and eighty years," he added with a chuckle, his hooded gaze resting on Mairyell.

There was a small hiss as Aeris exhaled the breath she had taken in through her teeth, but she continued to remain silent, her eyes moving from the hooded creature to her brother.

"Oh, that's cute," Slyre whispered, clearly amused. "No wonder the Babysitter took on another child to molest. I find that surprising."

He turned back to Solus and crossed his arms, his runic robe sleeves slipping over each other. "On the contrary, Solus, you actually did achieve something that is rather... priceless."

Slyre paused for a moment before quickly lowering his arms and clasping his hands. His voice rose suddenly, making it echo in the room. "My mercy! ... Ri- ..."

Purposely stopping short of saying her name, the reaper slowly closed his mouth as his perpetually rictal grin returned to grace Solus's mind.

Solus' face still remained the same, but despite that, all kinds of thoughts raged through his mind. Thoughts that he was sure Slyre would hear in someway. "Finish..." He said, his voice low, and weary.

Oh. Predictable. Even Solus was not immune to such things, but of course, he was the one who amused Slyre the most. His unpredictability streak was without peer; everyone else might as well just be sock puppets. Slyre unclasped his hands, holding them behind his back as he tilted his head to his left, almost as if he wasn't sure if he should finish the sentence.

"Hmm... Rina," Slyre murmured, and then proceeded to enunciate carefully. "Ri...na... Al...lice...Gen...noo..."

Slyre inclined his head forward, obviously relishing in what he was doing. His mouth parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of bright red teeth. "I took her away from you, very similar to how Szayeis deprived Mairyell of his yummy little suck-toy here some time ago."

Those bright red teeth, Solus wanted to punch them all out. But that wouldn't get him anywhere. "Oh I remember. That's one thing I never forgot. Though I sometimes wish I did..." Solus' face still remained stoic. This was his silent, seething rage, held in for 200 years. Very few ever got to see that face, and they never lasted for long. "Asking if she is alive would be a stupid questio---"

"--Alive like a plant? Hmm?" Slyre interjected with a chuckle.

Secretly, or perhaps not, Solus was enjoying Slyre's retorts. They would give Solus more reasons to crush this being's skull with his own hands when the time finally came. "You wouldn't have mentioned her otherwise..."

"Oh, but wouldn't I? Judgement without knowing all the facts is the height of foolishness," Slyre shot back, revealing more of those bright red fangs and lightly curling his dark gray fingers at his side.

"Wait, wait, hold on a second... Uhh." Aeris paused a moment, "What even should we call you?" The doll queried almost politely.

Slyre smirked, glancing back at Aeris. "Hehehe... hahaha! Oh, so adorable. I like this one," he lied, completely ignoring her question.

Aeris' eye roll could be felt from across the room, and so, she continued. "Did--"

"Careful now, those things tend to fall out, you know," Slyre chuckled.

She smirked, continuing "--you just basically call The Chimeric Lord a child?"

"Oh, good grief. Look, you whimsical cunt. If you're going to talk with the grown-ups, please do pay attention. And no, the--" Slyre lied, but then turned to Mairyell who seemed to be suffering another case of hemorrhoids.

"Shut up," Mairyell's voice said in a quiet, but undeniably fierce tone. As he said it the room, previously occupied by Slyre, and the other's presence, now held a harsh malice as well. Having already been bothered by the events earlier in his shit of a day, Mairyell was not in a good mood. If finding out about what Szayeis had done to his sister had not been enough, then this surely was.

His fist hit the wall, and when it came away there was a hole in it despite the fact that he had not turned to the wall to hit it, but rather slammed his fist into it. The vampire was gritting his teeth and the blue that typically balanced his eyes at a stable purple appeared as if it had bled out, for there was a glow about him.

A glow that was seeping onto the walls of the garage even as trace amounts of searing red acidic blood dripped from his palms, forming small spheres. His eyes held the same crimson color as the blood that he grasped in his palms. He took in a deep breath and then let it out in not a hiss, but more of a terrible sneer. A smile curved onto his lips as his eyes looked up to the taller being. He wanted to kill it. He hadn't been this pissed since he'd failed to reclaim Aeris, and before that he had only been this angry once, and that time had been when he'd snapped on those shitstain excuses for vampires that had dared pose a threat to beings under his protection. Impressively enough, despite the sheer seething rage, an anger which practically burned him from the inside out, Mairyell managed not to lunge at the figure.

He couldn't read its essence, not the way that he could sense someone else's. In fact all he felt when he tried to detect the being was himself, which made no sense. However, in his state of anger all confusion did was piss him off more. If only he hadn't gone into the vault. Then he wouldn't be so damned hungry right now. Then perhaps the tall figure wouldn't look like a delicious fucking treat, teasing him with its presence.

Solus simply shook his head at the whole affair. "How about you two go outside... Hmm?" Solus asked calmly. "Get some air while I deal---"

"---Ah ah ah, slow down there. Let me clarify a little something..." Slyre grinned, wagging a finger at the enraged little blood god.

"There are no coincidences. Everything from our meeting back to your little 'mishap' of minutes... ooh yes. It was I who engineered that and this, and yes, you may not believe me," he continued, lowering his hand and putting them behind his back as he straightened to his full height.

He loomed over the three, no longer hunching over like some decrepit old giant. Even if they looked up into his face, the foreboding darkness of his hood would not reveal his eyes.

Aeris looked at her brother, her eyes widening a little. Welp. She thought to herself as she looked at Solus when he spoke. "I'll happily get the fuck away from that thing." She spoke candidly.

"--and quite frankly, if you do, you will never see your--" Slyre interrupted and quoted the air "--big brother again."

"Go fuck yourself." She growled, eyes darkening from their bright blue, very, very slowly. She wasn't easily angered, and it took her longer to get there, even as she spat out the three words she said, she wasn't angry, just yet.

"Solus," Mairyell begun, his eyes locked on Slyre even as they became an even darker shade of red. In fact if they got any darker they'd be black. "I'm going to kill it," His claws formed and his blood turned jet black as they did, to which Itzal Slyre laughed with an unabashed roar, his howls of delight ringing the very walls of the garage. "Well, isn't this a bit of fun--"

"--You can try..." Solus said to Mairyell. "I sure as hell did. And I died in every lifetime." Solus folded his arms. "Simmer down... You'll get your chance one day. Just not yet." Solus' words of wisdom, number 1874.

"So quoth the Necromaster," Slyre chuckled, extending his right arm out toward a space on the Kasio twins' left.

"I mean, if he wasn't so antagonistic, I'd be perfectly fine right now." Aeris spoke, only slightly opening her mouth to do so.

"It's give and take, child," he retorted, looking to his right. "For example, do give a glance to your left. The one and only..."

"And I did what to you? To deserve anything you've said?"

"Well, as Solus put it, 'absolutely nothing'... isn't that right, Layna Grace Kasio?" Slyre sneered deliciously.

All so very quietly, the shadows had delved and lights bent in the spot to their left, a good 5-ft away from Aeris and Mairyell, and perhaps twice that length from Solus and Slyre. Wearing nothing but a simple worker's dress and apron, Layna breathed air for the first time in ages, choking on its dustiness as she came to. Forces of power held her in place, but she could clearly see. Her eyes fell on Mairyell first, whom she hadn't seen for decades since their training sessions prior to Loom's occupation by Judas. Then she saw Solus: a person of interest to her husband, Ioi. And then Aeris... my daughter?

It didn't take a genius to figure out who had brought her here. "Oh no..." she rasped lowly, almost not audible. "It is my hour...?"

"Who's Layna Grace," The girl asked, obvious obliviousness written on her face. "Am I supposed to know that name?" The doll looked at the woman, her dimming blue eyes starting to become swallowed by purple hues. She didn't understand. She didn't remember anyone in her family with that name.

"Our mother," Mairyell said through gritted teeth. In an attempt to abide to Solus' words, the words of a man who was perhaps stronger than him, and likely wiser, Mairyell had began to claw at the flesh of his own palm, letting the pain of it mitigate his rage. If someone else had inflicted it then it would have made it worse, but since it was him...well, it helped. It was a meager supplement for blood or being removed from Slyre's presence. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't leave Aeris here, even if she were strong enough to defend herself.

Aeris' eyes immediately reverted, looking at Mai as if she had lost something. Something very important. She looked from the woman who was supposed to be her mother, back to the being who claimed to have caused all the turmoil in their lives. She didn't understand. That's when the shadows began to move. Swirl, writhe, and dance about the room as the girl unwittingly pulled them toward herself. She needed to get out of here. She needed to leave. She didn't care where.

"This is not fair, Slyre. This is my hour? I didn't think--" Layna said softly, glancing back and forth at her children.

"--Ah, ah, yes that's the part, 'didn't think'? I'm glad you understand your foolishness," Slyre interjected and folded his arms.

Solus realized what this was all about as he witnessed Layna Grace Kasio's arrival. His mentioning of Rina. Recreating an illusion of what could have been Solus' future with her. It all fell into place quickly. "You're here to make a deal...." His voice was quiet, as a deep feeling of dread sunk like a stone in his stomach. The being would make them all do something they might one day regret.

"As astute as a constable, that you are, Solus. Oh, how I thought you were about to break your unpredictability streak, but then, lo and behold, you surprise me yet again," Slyre replied deceptively, clapping his hands together as though he was some kind of fan of the Necromaster.

"I was waiting for the right moment, but now things seem to have become interesting enough for those involved, but in case one of you feel like calling my bluff..." he continued, before gesturing to the opposite side of the room from Layna.

The shadows delved again, along with the light that bent about. A metallic object about the size of a small trash can appeared. On top of it was a timer. It was ticking. Down. With about 30 seconds on the clock.

"That is a bomb," the reaper lied, "and not just any bomb... but one personally tailored to remove this pimple of a mountain off of Progaia's left ass cheek."

He turned to them, that rictus smirk ever present. "I have a proposition for all of you, but make one wrong move, and we're all going to Heaven. Wouldn't that just suck something awful? The vacancy of that place just gags me."

Pleased with himself, Slyre took a moment to wait and gauge their responses and reactions. Layna's face had fallen distraught, hanging there with her eyes half-shut and almost given up. She should have never made a deal with the grim reaper to see her children.

Solus simply walked past Slyre, his face had finally changed from its stoic nature to that of curiosity. He stopped beside the device, and began to inspect it carefully, just in case. The first thing he looked at was the timer. It was digital, a panel of an alarm clock, counting down from 30 seconds, now at 26. 6 wires ran from its back and along the large metal cylinder towards what looked like a tacked on circuit box. He easily pried it open, as it wasn't even locked. The box was empty, the 6 wires leading to nothing but thin air.

"Wow..." Solus said in amused astonishment. "A bomb that isn't even a bomb. How jolly of you. You're starting to remind me of the Joker..." The Chimera turned back to the Reaper.

"...Be that as it may, if any of you want to take the risk, be my guest. Anyone?" Slyre replied knowingly.

"You said you liked spending your time wisely. So how about you get to the point, and actually use said time wisely?" Solus stated.

He was done. The moment that the bastard simply made a bomb appear, he was done. Noting the shadows, Mairyell crossed the distance to Aeris, wrapped his arm around her waist, bent his knees, and leaped through the roof, an umbrella of blood dissolving the roof as he flew upwards, his sister in tow. He had failed to protect her from Szayeis, he had failed to rescue her from Szayeis, but he would not fail now. He was tired of that shit. Tired of being someone else's toy. In fact, because of his reaction, he never saw Solus inspect the bomb and prove it a dud, and if Aeris hadn't tried to resist his attempt to extricate her, then neither would she.

Presuming he weren't stopped, Mairyell's wings would spread near the apex of the jump as a silent thought went out to their mother, I'm sorry.

As Mai closed the gap between himself and Aeris, she stared up at him. She was completely lost. When his arm wrapped around her waist, she instinctively clung to his shirt, her eyes falling on their mother as he jumped upward, and began to fly. There was a solitary tear that slid down her cheek as the child part of her, the part of her that would always remember her mother, lost her for the second time. This time, she wouldn't forget.

Layna, as numb as her mind was, could sense what was going on and felt her last moments upon her. She watched her only son flee wisely with her daughter, her quivering eyes trained on them. He didn't look back. A light sigh left her nose at that thought. Good... he doesn't need more scars to carry. Just as the Kasio siblings vanished completely out of sight, Layna's vision toppled. It rolled. The room spun...

She did not feel a thing, even as the last few seconds of her mind perceived her body slumping sideways onto the ground. Her mouth parted, exhaling the final breath.

But something interrupted her vision: a pair of eyes with a black and white pupil each, all aligned. Slyre was reaping her soul, and into him it went.

And Layna died.

Slyre licked his fingers almost greedily, the blood swirling around in his mouth before being swallowed. "You know, if you hadn't been such a stiff, Solus, that might have been better handled," he lied.

"But their exodus means nothing. They were here, they saw me. Whether they want to or not, they will be tied into your fate," he continued, lowering his now cleaned hand.

"And you must ask yourself something: 'Do I want Rina to bear the same fate as Mairyell's mommy?' Hmm?" the reaper prompted rhetorically as his white pupils rested on the dead mother and his black pupils regarded Solus with interest.

"Everyone is tied to my fate in some way. Fate is an interesting thing..." Solus began staring at Mairyell's now deceased mother. What a damn fool, that Mairyell was. Always has been. "There are so many different branches it can take. You just never know where it's gonna take you. So I just close my eyes, and settle in for the ride of a lifetime..." He turned towards Slyre. "About Rina... You wanted to make a deal. So let's get to it."

Slyre's rictus grin spread from ear to ear.

COLLAB POST: Celaira, yoshua171, Synthorian, Mikael

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Peskay Genno
Orange-Nose Jon

Theme

BASIC INFORMATION

Real Name: Peskay Genno (peh-skaey jehn-noh)
Aliases:

EXPAND FOR LIST

• By the general population: Orange-Nose Jon


• By mutual acquaintances: Jonny-O, Nosey


• By Italian fans: Signore Spitfire


• By Chinese fans: White-Haired Spider


• By Iotans/Informed people: The Last Iotan

Age: 276 years
Apparent Age: late 40s
Race: Chimera
Subtype: Iotan Original

Social Standing - Wandering Mercenary / Teacher: Otherwise known as a freelance good, Genno goes by the name of Orange-Nose Jon, which is, without a doubt, due to his orange mask that he never seems to remove when in public. He is well known across all of Europe and even farther east in China and India. His status, of course, differs across the various regions, but for the most part, he remains a quiet, mysterious stranger who helps those in need and never demands an expensive price. The poor see him as a hero who gives more than he receives whilst the rich delight in his efficiency and discretion. But... the man is not without his enemies. Over the course of his career, many have tried to buy him into their crooked regime, but he wouldn't have any of it. Those with strong political clout have tried to label him as an insufferable scofflaw who mocks the law of the land.

Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn't.

In any case, he is becoming more active and seen, especially at Master Melody's Academy of Fine Arts. With Hazumi's relentless encouragements, he had finally submitted an application to the principal, Lily Quain. He was accepted on the condition that, given his mercenary job, he still teaches at least once a week. For the past few months, his classes have been known to include very strict combat training regimes that focus on survival and group tactics, whilst his lectures keep students on the edge of their seat as he shares stories with lessons to be learned. Although many students keep their distance from him in between classes, those who see past the mask realize that he's a gruff, lonely, but otherwise friendly old coot.

Relations: Genno has known several people over the course of his very long life. These are the most relevant ones for our story.

Rina Alice Genno

Long ago, in the town of Thorpe, which is located a mile between Loom and the Jiggerbark Forest below Jigger Mt. each way, Genno served dutifully as its sole constable (and governor). To keep a long dark story short, his niece, Rina, was given unto his care and for a time, they were the best of friends. Under the influence of a certain demonic soul stone, however, many things between them and in their lives were warped and perverted. Fortunately, it was stopped before it managed to destroy them completely. This is in part due to the influence of Mr. Solus Grim, for whom he has a lot of respect. In any case, he adores his niece and always seeks to protect her, and help her live a normal life that was better than the one she was initially raised in. But now he has no idea of her whereabouts, except that she is in the supernatural custody of Itzal Slyre...

Solus Grim

Solus and Genno first met in Thorpe, when the constable had hired out for help to defend the town against a growing threat that reeked with evidence of the undead. Genno was considerably hospitable to Mr. Grim, offering his private armory to him if he did a good job. He came to respect Solus greatly later that night when the Flesh Construct, Hodge, and his horde of spider-like flesh robots (Podges) assaulted Thorpe. In the end, the battle was won, even though Thorpe was horribly ravaged. The events had left him feeling very powerless and unable to truly make a real difference in the world. He was not content to leave it to the younger generations. It is for this reason that he sought a way to grow in power and be a beacon of safety for Rina. Of course, he had no idea that leaving her in Mr. Grim's care would help her fall in love with him.

Unfortunately, he has no knowledge of that fact.

Iotans

Near the end of the first Season of Essence, Genno mysteriously disappeared and left Rina alone, seeming to have abandoned her. But an Iotan known as Garnette sought out Solus Grim and delivered a message, along with written coordinates to a secret location somewhere in Progaia. In short, Genno had joined the Empty Lord's faction, known as the Iotans. Ioi himself had impressed Genno with his logic, sincerity, and gentle albeit assertive nature. It was within the realm of Iota that he began to become an Iotan himself, but little did he know that Itzal Slyre was about to trick his Lord into being shattered. Fortunately, when Iota was destroyed and its inhabitants cast out (save for the Reclaimer), he was least affected, having not been fully immersed within Ioi's nature-changing system.

In the aftermath of Judas Iscariot's death and the end of his tyrannical reign, the three highest Iotan elders took Genno and Layna Grace Kasio (Ioi's wife and Mairyell and Aeris' mother) to a local inn to conduct a meeting of what was to be done. The elders' names were Poe Medeth Kasteny, Aulder, and Ilana (Lucien's secret admirer and short-lived love). They sought to convince Genno to be entrusted with something called the Ark (a strange egg-cube device), which would restart the Iotans' system. While he had immense respect for his Iotan brethren and sympathy for their harmonic cause, he knew that he had to look out for himself (and his niece) first before anyone else. So they gave all that they could to him, everything he needed... including a favor that would grant an audience with Itzal Slyre...

So he obliged his new charge and bid farewell to the dying Iotans as they gave the rest of their essence to extend the man's life span.

Kasuto

Genno is very much aware of who Kasuto is and where he came from, unlike the rest of the world that finds his origins a complete mystery. He knew him before anyone else did. This is because Kasuto himself is the ARK of the Iotans. and over the course of 200 years, the man had succeeded in forming the path for Iotans to return (including Ioi). Genno, however, has mixed feelings towards Kasuto--he doesn't remember the one who took care of him when he was first hatched. And according to the instruction manual that Poe Kasteny had left behind, this was a scenario that was bound to happen: Kasuto's subconscious would be entirely consumed by everyone in him. Still, he hoped for the best anyway, having wanted to raise Kasuto as his son (to fill the aching hole in his heart that Rina once filled). Of course, the old man doesn't blame Kasuto--he knows of his mission and has kept tabs on him from a distance for decades.

Genno is, however, somewhat terrified of Kasuto's power... and hopes above all else that he does not fall to corruption.

Itzal Slyre

Never before had someone managed to frighten Genno to his core, his very soul. He had met many demons before in his time, but they were children's mere sock puppets compared to Slyre. The two beings have only known each other for a short time, but it was very intense. After he had been entrusted with Kasuto's care, one thing among others that he had been given to help him was a Favor. It belonged to Aulder and he had won it from Slyre long ago... but never used it. The old (old!) man suggested that Genno use it to secure Rina's safety. So... he summoned Itzal Slyre... and carefully worded a favor to ensure that his niece's livelihood, sanity, and sense of normalcy would remain intact, provided a certain condition was met.

Much to Slyre's amusement, he not only granted the wish, but remarked that Genno would live to see the ramifications of it.

Hazumi

Hazumi and Genno get along fairly well, with the former respecting what he does for a living, especially when it came to hunting Renegades and keeping the balance. They have a friendly rivalry that is lightly touched upon when it comes to combat. But at times, the man seems humorously enamored with Hazumi, addressing her proper as though she was some kind of royal queen or divine goddess. Of course, he had never tried anything rash, but always left her presence feeling much happier than before. She is also one of the few people who have seen him without his mask on, know his full name, and also about his sweetheart at home, Naomi Travolta.

As for the Musicians under her care, well, they really didn't like Genno at first. He was scary and unknown, smelled awful, and for some reason, was given access to visit the halls and borrow a bedroom as long as he didn't cause any trouble. Some students conspired to get him kicked out, but their various shenanigans were seen for what they were by Hazumi, much to his amusement. After all, he was human enough to pass as one. But as the decades went by, his presence became rare, but welcomed due to the fact that he had saved Musicians under fire and protected their Instruments, and never attempted to use them for his own gain. Of course, he doesn't know what to make of the young whippersnappers being given god-like tools to play constable all over the world.

He's probably a little bit jealous, but more likely he's grown tired of seeing them die needlessly due to rookie mistakes and sheer lack of combat experience.

Reates Saerne

Genno is fairly skeptical of Reates, although he does enjoy his company. They met under unusual circumstances, but over time, the old(er) man had come to accept the young pup's presence. Conversations are usually heavily one-sided, with him asking occasional questions or making an astute remark. However, like with Hazumi, Genno sees Reates as a friend, if not with a few unspoken inhibitions. Having become a teacher, Genno certainly has gotten to work closer with the odd man. And he's still not entirely sure how he feels about that.

Naomi Travolta

A quiet, caring, and loving woman whom Genno met on one of his missions in Italy. She was at first an innocent bystander, but got involved when she, her face streaming with tears, picked up one of his guns and shot a man who was about to stab him in the back whilst he was dealing with the other thugs. Soon after the incident, he sought her out to explain to her that she was in danger and that she would be hunted by his targets for interfering. She told him that was alright and that she thinks she's been living on "borrowed time" for most of her life anyway. He found her defeatist attitude appalling, but then he learned the reason why...

She had been blind a few years earlier and was struggling to cope.

Over the course of a few months, they've endured many trials and hardships, mostly involving his reputation attracting trouble as he continued his case against his targets. She allowed him to use her home as a safe house and she fed him, took care of his gear, etc. He learned that she had nobody else in her life, not even family, nor friends. She made small change in a few different specialist shops where she'd cleaned and assembled guns, jewelry, etc. It was all slow, excruciating work, but even then, she was often given wooden "coins" of no value. At first, Genno was hesitant to talk to her about his true identity and what he did, where he'd been. But Naomi's curiosity got the best of her; she pressed him for details and soon learned how extraordinarily complicated he was. But eventually, it was time for him to leave... and he offered her nothing but his company if she wanted it.

She said yes, and would continue to say yes to other things down the road.

Appearance: He is often seen as he appears in the above picture: trench coat, wide brim hat, orange mask, leather chaps and boots. The real typical western gunslinger type. He doesn't change much, never been a man of fashion. He does, however, have something interesting about his leather trench coat: it has 6 other sleeves on the back, with 3 going down the left and the other 3 going down the right. These sleeves are unnoticeable at first, since they are usually rolled up tightly and look like a some kind of under-padding. He wears body armor, albeit they are notably outdated and worn.

This is what he looks like without his mask on...


Personality: Will show in IC.

Biography: This is all about a life-weary, headstrong human whose (relatively) ancient familial legacy included soldiery, government, and peacekeeping. War and peace are bittersweet notions to him. Salacious sins of the flesh wrack his old nerves, bidding him to drink poison a second time. This is about a man who seeks redemption through his service, forgiveness through his bullets, and death through the solitary of his mind. He ever desires the return of old times, but those are long gone, and he knows it. Things will never be the same again. His memories, distant echoes of old joys fading, serve only to strengthen his resolve. It is the firmest of all resolves: laying down his life for others, only to find death ignoring him. Above all, this is about an uncle wanting the company of his niece again, to see her smile and laugh, converse and opine, live and grow older before his eyes.

It is a hope that some might find to be in vain, with their view on humanity all but tarnished and full of resentment toward the future. With only a fragmented (and mindless) demon (Ethaniel Baine) and angel (Gladius) counterpart both dormant in his chimeric psyche, his once invigorating triune relationship under the Empty Lord's plan remains to be an almost loathing reminder of his one mistake: leaving her behind... in the hands of another man. He knows not what's become of them, but he finds the death of his hope almost supernaturally fleeting. It is in this one path he travels, to and fro the world over, that chance (if one could dub it such) will unite them.

The fact that he once carried the fate of an entire religious group in his hands is just window dressing.


The Constable, as he was once photographed in Thorpe centuries ago...

Not much is known about the real Peskay Genno; his work has produced an addictive persona that hides him much like a mask for identities. But at times, it also hides him from his true desires, which are unfair things that he cannot seem to fulfill. Only certain people from 200 years before the Shattering of the Essence of the World may actually know a thing or two about him. His death as constable of Thorpe was never recorded, of course, but most presumed that the man had died of old age long ago.

In any case, there are several rumors about Genno's persona, Orange-Nose Jon: that he's a demon possessed man, or an angel playing as a human. But according to Hazumi (when pressed for details), the traveling mercenary is some kind of chimera, but not a traditional one. He is no Renegade, but has neither the aura of a demon or angel, just a human's. She even remarked that he had saved several Musicians' lives more than a few times and did not demand any pay of any kind. Perhaps the most egregious rumor is his number of deaths. To this day, several hundred people across the decades had sworn and bore witness that Orange-Nose Jon has been killed a (staggering) 507 times. But he just keeps coming back. So some think he is a ghost. Some think he is immortal. Others, confident of their rational superiority, believe that there is more than one Orange-Nose Jon and all work together for some elaborate ruse.

But who really knows? Nobody's bothered to ask the man himself.

CAPABILITIES

Equipment:

• 'Orange Mask': This is an enchanted mask by way of injection of a person's essence in it as described in the OOC's first post. In this case, it belongs to Mr. Ethaniel Baine: a dormant, fragmented demon of Genno's Iotan brethren. The mask stops people from reading the wearer's mind and messing with it with things like mind control, compulsions, and illusions. When people do make such attempts, it lights them up in his mind's eye and allows him to track them with ease. It does not prevent a Musician's IPC. The mask also auto-adjusts to be comfortable, snug, and resistant to just falling off. Lastly, it allows him to see in very low light settings, but not complete darkness. The small holes through which his nose and mouth breathe also prevent anything but air from getting inside. It takes 6 hours for the mask to become attuned to Genno again if he takes it off.


• 'Red Bracers': These protective garments are enchanted to completely absorb gun recoil; they are additionally enchanted to be lightweight and highly resistant to weathering, fire, acid, as well as destructive magicks that target clothing. The enchantments are recharged on a weekly basis and have no limit to how much recoil they can store. Additionally, Genno can transfer the recoil amounts between the bracers however he desires. This all builds up to prepare their lesser known function: the ability to repel an enemy's melee attack or enhance a melee attack of his own. Once a bracer's storage is activated, the energy within is unleashed all at once.
  
  As for how damaging these recoil unleashes can be, it all depends on the execution. But just know that Genno had these made with things like Hodge in mind. The Flesh Construct had 'Major Arms' that could lift up a tank and throw it accurately several yards away. These red bracers could not only repel a Major Arm's physical strike, but the backlash could most certainly rip off the appendage at the shoulder. As for his own melee enhancements, a single touch could send aforementioned tanks flipping over several yards.
  
  Of course, that's all depending on if they have enough gun recoil saved up for such feats.


• 'Gun Insurance': All of Genno's firearms are enchanted to dematerialize and teleport to his secret base. Special tweaks in the enchantments have been made to ensure that they cannot be tracked or dispelled en route. The enchantments last 3 times before they need to be recharged. Their activation key requires that they are away from his Iotan essence and either left unattended or being handled by a foreign essence. If, however, Genno seeks to retrieve them, the enchantments delay since they have the semi-intelligence to sense that. But a secondary activation key immediately activates the effect if someone attempts to destroy them, which the enchantments can also sense.


• 'Centenarian's Armory': At home, in his secret underground base, Genno has a massive armory of weapons, armor, equipment, and vehicles that he had created, found, and maintained over two centuries. In general, he has enough military ordinance to supply an entire army in almost every aspect and theater of traditional war. His main weapons consist of pistols, rifles, and shotguns, and have been modified to work with his Iotan abilities. However, I don't intend to write a list of everything he has, especially since he doesn't use too much of it. His armory is also looked after by his lady friend, Naomi Travolta. Lastly, somewhere deep within the armory is a hidden room that he refers to as the cache: it contains rescued documents and devices that regards everything on Ioi the Empty Lord, his followers, and the world of Iota. This room is also Kasuto's birth place.


• 'Podge Colony': They're back... and this time, they work for Genno. Having taken inspiration from the battle of Hodge at Thorpe (as well as learning how Iotan tech was stolen and put to use on the flesh constructs), the man has engineered complete robotic spiderlings (read: no flesh involved) that are about the size of a full-grown St. Bernard. Their sole function is to guard his secret base and capture anyone who invades it. Although they are also obedient to Miss Travolta, she really does not want anything to do with them, which is understandable, because, you know, spiders.
  
  A mini-CS will be rewritten for them if and when they are ever engaged, but for now, their exact powers and nature will remain secret (except in the minds of Essence veterans who wish they didn't have to remember them).

Iotan Body Modifications:

• 'Absorptive Skinweave': Genno's changes to his Iotan body has allowed him to reduce bludgeon and slash type attacks to a comfortable tolerance. However, stab attacks still work well, even though his skinweave is not particularly weak to it. The energy behind bludgeon and slash attacks are greatly diffused upon contact due to how the skinweave is built at the atomic level. However, half of the damage from those two types is actually absorbed into his body, which hurts him a little bit and, over time, ushers his body to a state of needed repairs. He uses the stored energy to fuel his 'Power Shots', but this energy is fleeting and slowly diminishes over the course of a minute. Lastly, his skinweave is not even identifiable without a very good microscope: in other words, his flesh looks no different than normal.
  
  Although beauty may be skin deep, this still does nothing to add to his questionably rugged charm.


• 'Soundproof Entity': Another change to his Iotan body is the absorption of energy related strictly to vibrations that are made in his personal space, which includes his body, clothing, but also his footsteps and hand actions. In other words, Genno never makes an unspoken sound or lets loose a stray pulse. Ever. Even beings with incredible hearing or sense of touch cannot perceive him simply because the energy is not allowed to travel across the physical medium (such as air, dirt, body of water) to their sensors. That being said, only Genno's voice can be heard and that is because he temporarily reverses the body modification whenever he speaks. That means any and all sources of vibrations are redirected to enhance his voice when used, making it louder and sound coarser. The absorbed noises are reserved for his 'Power Shots', albeit this bodily trait does not lend to that as much; however, they are stored indefinitely. This trait does not make Genno immune to extreme sonic or vibro attacks, whether magical or not. In fact, this trait makes him a bit weaker to them if he is not talking (because then the incoming attacks are redirected to his voice). That's not to say it would be a viable strategy for him to do, for the same reason you wouldn't want an awful amount of water to be suddenly propelled through an old, worn out water hose.
  
  Primarily the reason why people feel odd when they watch him up close: even if they don't realize it, their bodies sense that something is just, off about this man's ghost-like silence and existence.

Iotan Abilities: Reminiscent of the Iotans who, over 200 years ago, attempted to change the world under the plan of the Empty Lord. Anyone who had read about them in newspapers or encountered firsthand may very well be reminded of them when engaging Genno seriously in combat.

• 'Chain Limbs': Genno's primary ability. He has specially made non-magical, biological limbs that resemble metal chains in almost every way. Emerging anywhere out of his body, they move like limbs very easily, even if they are detached from him. Chain limbs that are left alone and unattended by Genno automatically shrink to a normal size and emit a beacon in his mind's eye in order to be located. Each link is oblong, 3 inches in length, torus-shaped, and weighs 100 lbs. each; however, they can proportionally grow up to 3 times in size and 27 times in weight; they can shrink down to subatomic plane. They are omni-buoyant, allowing them to float in (and glide across) common molecules (such as air) effortlessly. Each link can become a manacle if needed, allowing the chain itself to grasp and manipulate objects.
  
  Due to his limited time with the Empty Lord and his followers, Genno had to perform some makeshift changes to himself to be successful. Each link, as usual, is actually a person transformed into one, but in his case, he usually targets enemies, convicts, and unfortunately injured animals. When a link breaks, instead of releasing the body intact, it converts them into a 1-second long, highly powered laser that can cut a squad of armored tanks in half. The laser attempts to target the thing that broke it, but Genno can control it manually if he pays attention. He also cannot redirect the damage in chains through one another and onto a target.
  
  Another weakness is his lack of finesse when controlling the speed and dexterity of very enlarged chains; however, his sense of proprioception with his chain limbs is extremely strong and he has found a clever way to incorporate them into his fighting style. One final change is that the chains tend to gravitate towards sources of foreign essence and even more if the source is trying to handle them; in close proximity, the chains try to compact the foreign essence (even of friends and allies), solidifying them over time and, well, that's just gonna not be comfortable for most folks. Much to his frustration, he does not know how to turn this off.
  
  When it comes to turning living beings into chain links, they must be seized by one or more manacles depending on their body's size. The target must be considerably worn out, unconscious, or completely incapable of escaping the bondage of his chain limbs. The transformation process can take up to 30 seconds to complete, and is very loud and bright. Targets can never break out of their links (usually) and must be released manually by Genno, or destroyed.


• 'Chain Pinion': Unlike a normal Iotan's Surface Pinion that renders them unmovable whilst pinned to a surface, Genno's version is limited directly to chains, though not necessarily his own. To use the ability, he must do so with any part of his legs or his hands if they are free (specifically, capable of grasping). When using his Chain Pinion, he is no longer affected by Progaia's gravity (or any other gravitational source), just the chain's artificial gravity, which affects only him, his clothing, weapons, etc. Most importantly, he is able to zip up and down a chain's length incredibly fast without even exerting physical stamina.
  
  Rarely used, but certainly one of the more astonishing sights that had served only to spread Orange-Nose Jon's combat prowess.

Extraordinary Shots: A small list of shooting tactics that Genno has learned and mostly mastered over the centuries. These shots either use his innate Iotan abilities and body parts, or are actually enchanted by a user of the Art. Anti-magic fields and dispels can be used to deter the shots with enchantments, but not the ones relying on Iotan biological technology.

• 'Power Shot': His regular bullets take on an immense amount of kinetic energy straight from his body's reserves as described earlier. This ability tends to pulverize very small bullets upon impact. The shot forces a target's structural or bodily integrity to endure immense strain in that tiny surface area, and usually the target is not equipped to deal with that kind of force. When combined with explosive ordinance, the payload can cause some tremendous damage in a small area, leaving deep craters.


• 'Chain Shot': Perhaps Genno's most unnerving shot when seen for the first time, but it is also his most favored shot when he is significantly challenged. It requires a chain limb to be rolled up very tightly so that it resembles a bullet. When fired, it can, at his discretion, be unfurled extremely fast upon an unsuspecting target. The intense momentum of the bullet carries over to its true form, causing the chain to slow down proportionally as more of it unfolds. If Genno also increases the size of the chain links, even more of the momentum is taken. But, you know, big chains inbound to your currently foolish location are just plain scary, regardless of their reduced speed compared to a bullet.


• 'Torus Shot': This isn't so much a particular type of shot as it is a different way for him to fire. With the use of a chain, he can fire through the holes in its links (the torus-shaped openings) and let it come out of another chain link elsewhere. Obviously, the bullet must fit through the hole. Unfortunately, when a chain link is used like this, it temporarily becomes a dud that needs internal fixing, with which the company of other chain links helps by simply realigning it.


• 'Numb Shot': These shots must be made in advance, and are easier done at home than on the field. A single bullet contains a single chain link and when it strikes the target, that chain link bursts out instantly and embeds itself into the target. The chain link emits a 1-foot sphere of influence and prevents any kind of information from being passed through it. This includes a body's biological neurons. For example, getting shot in the wrist would prevent a person from using their hand. But shot in the shoulder? The whole arm becomes useless. Targets can attempt to remove the chain link but it is not unlike a barb. Plus add in the problematic fact that chain links try to compact foreign essence around them and you have a sticky situation that keeps trying to (slowly) make part of you painfully smaller.


• 'Beacon Shot': The first of Genno's actually enchanted shots. Each bullet is painstakingly carved with enchantments, and so he has a limited number of them. He cannot make these on the field, at least not without an assistant. The beacon shot is actually the most harmless attack he has... if you only consider immediate damage. When a beacon shot strikes a target, it does no damage whatsoever but actually sticks to them. The enchantment makes the bullet move around with a limited amount of energy for motion. It smartly looks for clever places to hide. So, besides being a molesting annoyance (if they even notice the bullet is on them), the beacon shot makes all other shots home in on the target. This drastic increase in uncanny accuracy can be quite absurd. The enchantment lasts for 30 minutes, but it immediately dissolves if the target can find the bullet and get rid of it effectively.
  
  Of course, if the bullet somehow makes it through an orifice and into the target's body...


• 'Force Shot': The second enchanted shot and one of Genno's commonly used ones when engaging other gun users. All this bullet does is emit a visible blue force shield around it when airborne. The shape and design of the force shield can change prior to being fired. It easily deflects incoming shots right back at their shooters, albeit they are not perfect rebounds. The force shield can also push back and catch up people in it, toting them with the bullet, but only for a while since their weight drastically reduces the bullet's momentum over a few seconds. The enchantment disappears after the bullet stops or after 1 minute, whichever comes first.


• 'Trick Shot': His final enchanted bullet type. And indeed, it is a nefarious one, for it has led to the undoing of many who had managed to best Genno in combat, lived to tell the tale, and came back to gloat about it. In short, the Trick Shot is actually a ring that fits onto another bullet and these can be prepared in advance or on the fly if he has time. When the chimeric bullet is fired, it basically tricks observant foes into thinking he had fired elsewhere, based simply where his gun had been pointing. In other words, he could have been pointing straight up (or down!) and someone to his right would possibly get bit. But this is no illusion. The enchantment makes the shot ethereal, allowing it to go through his gun's metal, but still be affected by the gunpowder. The direction of the shot's aim is chosen mentally. These are the hardest of enchanted bullets for him to get made.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

@ Wind: I plan to add to the opening ceremony as well, so I'll hurry as quick as I can, your Grace.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Lucius Cypher said
Excuses! That just means I have to write enough for two. WIP.

Ah. Well then

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Those previous posts are collabs. Two or more people wrote them. Hence their huge, swinging girth. Just saying so you know, sir.

In other news, my second PC should be finished and posted today: Peskay Genno, publicly known as Orange-Nose Jon.

I will also redoing Slyre's CS change logbook.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Well like I said last night, I was deeply impressed. And still am. And I especially like this part.



^^

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Cheese Essence.

Ty for approval, Wind. And yes, I do need some posterior rearrangement every now and then, but I do like to play fair as it's more pleasing for me when the other writer is happy too. Rtron knows that better than anyone here, perhaps.

#hodgevsluciana

Per our two Co-GM's wishes, I do need to refine Slyre, everyone. A log book of changes will be provided here. I also need to talk to Themerlinhawk about Lazarus and eternal loife. You can expect a group PM soon, sir.

EDIT: Group Pm is up.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Themerlinhawk said
Well this should be interesting

Lol I hope to not disappoint you and everyone else (like I've done in the past, sadly).

If you (or anyone) would like to see a post that debuts Slyre (just to get a taste), check this post out by Synthorian and I.

Be warned warn: it's long. But if you want to skip to the chase, look at the excerpt in the hider below. It's not as long and builds up like a roller coaster. Slyre enters the whole situation (even the writing itself!) very, very subtly.

Enjoy!

OPEN

Leading the way, the two of them zipped through many rooms and corners, staying low and stealthier than fuck. Actually, stealth wasn't even needed. Music was starting to blare loudly as though some party was going on. Everyone dancing, enjoying the lights, the swing of song... and there he was, in the back. She could see him from the shadowy area behind a pillar where she'd secured her and Solus's position. From here, they could spring into action...

"Damn this noise," she whispered in Solus's ear as she shifted her weight on her crouching legs. "Wish we could speak to each other's minds. Be easier, you know."

After a moment, she added, "What now?" . . . . . . . . A 'Rina Alice Genno' . . .

Solus assessed the situation. The noise could be used to their advantage to move in on the man. But Solus couldn't do anything from here. A shirtless man with a torso covered in bloody bullet holes would be a massive giveaway. But Ralice could definitely do something from here. The question was what...

"Alice..." He rarely called her that. "I need you to lure him out of this room, away from the crowd. The last thing we need is panic with people running around screaming. Don't want anyone running into stray bullets..."

She nodded to convey her understanding, but the very thought of going out there somewhat frightened her. It was so, well, just social. Even she was welcomed here, or at least she thought, if her recent 'joining them' was truly legit.

"Guess I could waltz in... all casual-like and sit eagle spread next to him? I dunno... Solus?" she replied before prompting him, her eyes squinting as she eyed someone.

"Who.. is that?" she whispered, her lips trembling.

In the distance across the dimly illuminated dance floor roughly 30 feet away, there was a table next to the head boss's table (where he was busy with several suited men, most likely discussing business, and a few armed guards who kept a professional vigil over the area). And at that table sat a couple people who dranked and chatted very lively, yet among them... somehow there yet not part of the conversation was a single, solitary person with a hood over his head. It didn't cover his face, in fact his face was visibly seen.

Dark gray as demon skin, with lighter white lines that trailed around his face like groomed facial hair.

He sat there very calmly, his one dark, motionless hand over the table, as though he was a quiet little wallflower and not at all concerned with the party. It seemed to the necromaster's protege that he was, in fact, staring right at him and her. Yet she could not make out his eyes, which seemed blacked out and thoroughly hidden... but his grin...

That rictus grin...

Ralice blinked, and then tilted her head. He was gone... and in his place was another person---just another party goer, holding a cup and smiling, and completely unaware of Ralice and Solus.

"Did you fucking see that?" Ralice whispered fiercely at Solus, her eyes searching his own. Left and right. Right and left.

He did. His face was emotionless and blank. But not his usual stoic emotionless. Just blank, like his soul bailed out of his body and ran for the hills. He felt deep down, that he knew this robed person. That grin, and that overshadowed gaze. Like a long lost memory. But he knew for a fact, that he never met this individual. The only thought that passed through his mind was, ...the hell...

A subconscious nervousness that he never felt before loomed over him. That figure just... vanished. He shock the thought away and said, "Let's... let's just carry on with what we were doing...." His gaze still fixated on exactly where the strange hooded man was.

"R-Right..." Ralice said, glancing up at Solus.

She couldn't see his emotions expressed through his body language, but in a way, she could feel his emotions. Maybe all beings became empathetic to each other over time? She knew now was not the right moment for soul searching, and so, she holstered her pistols and stood up, stepping out of sight by being completely behind the pillar.

"Let me think," she whispered, biting her lower lip. . . . . . . whose thinking oft-times gets her in trouble . . .

Ralice blinked, her focus dispersed. She felt like she was forgetting something. Sighing lightly, she struggled to focus her mental power into a single, efficient solution. But sometimes, effiency wasn't possible and you just had to go with the flow until your foes drop their cards. Steeling her nerves, Ralice closed her eyes and let out a slow breath...

And then she wrapped her arms around Solus for the last time, and pulled him behind the pillar and nuzzled him slightly. "Back me up okay? I got an idea," Ralice spoke to him for the last time...

The man nodded. "Yeah, I got your back."

Ralice gave Solus a wan smile, her eyes---the windows to her soul---misting up slightly, as though her soul knew something that she did not. She let go of him and adjusted her trench coat, the ends of up whipping about as she strolled into the dancing mob, her face all faked up and happy.

She was anything but.

Ralice let the armed guards see her approach, uncertainty on her face as to whether she could come closer, her intentions clearly to greet the Boss. After a moment, they let her through with a beckon. Smiling, she stepped forward and stopped short when she reached the boss's table. Her hands on her hips and tilted coyly to the left, her acting skills knew no equal. Well, maybe.

"Nice party y'got here, Boss. Throw these often?" she asked the owner.

As the boss got up, his hand clasping the shoulder of the man he was talking to, a gunshot, louder than the music and the noise of socialization, ran out across the hall. Blood sprayed onto Ralice's face as well as the mask of the Owner. And as Ralice would look at the Boss, she would notice that the man he was holding onto, was pulled out of his chair and his head was a mashed pulp, falling apart as the flesh of his skull began to settle and fall to floor. The Owner pulled him up, he saw this coming... And the panic of the crowd, was slowly beginning to rise as they realized what just happened.

Well, goddamn, Solus didn't waste time. But she kept her guise, acting surprised and wide eyed as she drew her '9 Lives' pistols and whipped around for the perp. In her mind's eye, she didn't worry about the guards behind her--she could see their movement with her scan spell, and a little blood inside her body vanished as payment. But Solus was gone, as had been expected. She crouched, her head turning left and right as she looked for targets.

And then, she felt the cold steel of a gun barrel on the back of her head. "Got to admit. Inducing a death like state in Solus could fool most... But not me..."

Ralice sighed lightly through her nose. Well shit. She wasn't even worried about the damage that a bullet in the back of her head could do. Her guardian angel was a nice buffer. But certainly her reputation was on the line here. She could slap someone's mama over this trite... error. Someone was gunna fucking lose their head over this.

"Well... that's one for the books, ain't it?" Ralice replied, standing up slowly and raising her hands in the air, her 9 Lives still firmly gripped.

. . . . and yet she remains uncultivated . . .

"Get the people out of here..." Ordered the owner to one of his men as he let got of the headless corpse that was once a living man mere seconds ago, letting the body slump to the ground.

The armed men began shouting and siphoning the panicking guests out of the room. Only for them to be replaced by more armed men. And yet... Still no sign of Solus.

"Where is he..." Wondered the Owner of this massive casino as he searched the room with his eyes. His men were doing the same, searching every corner of the room and even the ceiling with the iron sights and scopes of their automatic rifles and sub-machine guns.

. . . . like the dainty, little soul virgin she is . . .

Ralice wondered. Did he leave the room? A small part of her hoped that he didn't... that he would come rescue her. Which was a silly notion all by itself. These men... were no threat to her. Sure, she'd probably get scraped, punched, and stabbed. But eh.

. . . . and so confident of her own superiority . . .

Ralice balked. She kept sensing something that she was sure wasn't there. But something deep inside her... the inner most region of her essence... was screaming its proverbial head off.

She blinked, hearing the owner's thoughts spoken aloud. "You won't win," she muttered.

. . . . These weeds... are unfruitful... . . .

Then, an automatic burst from an assault rifle in the corner of the room echoed through the silence. One of the armed men crumpled to the floor, and the perp, was one of Owner's guards. His ballistic mask, something was off about it. The eye holes burned with a bright green flame. He turned his rifle to another armed guard who was simply just too slow to the punch, and got nailed with a burst of lead ripping into his chest. The rest of the guards though reacted just in time to let rip with their guns. From then on, it was pure chaos.

Sheesh. He even fooled me. Ralice couldn't help but smirk. As soon as he started blasting the guards, Ralice activated her pistols' 9 Lives enchantment. With her hands and guns already in the air, the enchantment locked them in place and her sense of gravity shifted. No longer affected by normal planet gravity, but instead her guns' own gravitational field, Ralice used the enchantment to then spin herself in the air right in place. She made a near 180 degree vertical spin and attempted to land on the guy who had taken her hostage, but he completely evaded the maneuver. Unfortunately for her, she'd been expecting success and had released her enchantment already to conserve its energy. This resulted in her falling down with a swear and accidentally letting go of her guns.

Her weapons clattered to the ground. "Ugh, dammit. Need more practice," she growled as she somewhat caught herself with her hands, but banged her knees.

She glanced up, seeing the man staggering backwards, presumably from her surprising aerial tactic. But then, her eyes still trained on him, her head bumped something as she tried to get on her feet. She looked up, still on her hands and feet. Her eyes took in the details of finely woven black boots, covered by a flowing robe with dark purple fabric, crimson trims, and white lettering adorning the material. Her throat dried as Ralice glared up at person. He wore an ornamental matching belt, with a large folded up collar. It seemed like the white lettering design became more over the top closer to the head... the face. The hooded, overshadowed eyes, and...

That rictus grin...

The guests of the party had long gone, yet the music blared on. This guest didn't care. Even as the guards continued firing at Solus in a desperate and yet hopeless attempt to kill him. This guest didn't care. The boss shouted obscenities at Solus and Ralice, cursing them for their stubbornness. This guest didn't care.

And Ralice somehow knew that fact, even as the guest bent over slightly, his utterly complacent smirk growing. He was here... for her... and only her. Even if she had been comatose, knocked out, or out of her mental facilities, she'd still know.

Because her soul would know.

Oh this world and its empty promises. So empty in fact that there is hardly a place to settle down. For them. Yes. These little godlings and their squabbles. So ... uncouth. But such is life. Hmm... oh yes. There I am. Yes. A Rina Alice... Genno. Whose thinking oft-times gets her in big trouble. And yet she remains uncultivated.. like the dainty, little soul virgin she is... and so confident of her own superiority... she has him to thank for that. Her eyes still captivated on him, unable to move, as if paralyzed... Itzal Slyre glanced at Solus Grim... even as he fought valiantly and with purpose. These weeds... are unfruitful. Except that one. I like that one. He is persistent. Hmm... oh yes, there we are... He looked down at Ralice, the shadowy element covering his eyes unsheathing itself only to reveal...

Blackness. Just more... blackness. And two little dots in his eyes... as though he had two sets of pupils.

That mouth... is empty. She has not eaten. This won't do. How disturbing. A little goddess like herself needs to eat... oh yes... everything is perfect. It will be perfect. Well, it was perfect. Hmm... oh, there it is. The guns. I'll leave them though. Solus will not die then. Maybe. It's a secret for sure. Itzal craned his head the other way, almost causing Ralice to follow suit, as though she was hypnotized. The guest here certainly did not seem concerned with what was going on around him.

And for that matter, none of them save for Solus and Ralice could see him. Funny how light works like that. It goes into the eyes. Disappears. Follow the light vanishings, follow the eyes. You're invisible. Nobody can see you. Well, except Him. But that's alright. Hmm... oh, okay, that should do it. Now then... a little whisper...

Itzal's little grin shrunk, but not too much. It was still there, even as he made lecherous eye-contact with Ralice. "Is your life flashing before your eyes, my sweet little goddess?" he whispered shrilly.

"Whu...what?" Ralice replied, chilled to the bone by the fact that this being just called her a goddess. She's cold. That won't do. This place is awful. But such is the world. A bunch of little awful places all hobbled together. Such a waste of spatial localities... hmm... oh, she's getting up now.

Itzal grinned wider, his unblinking black eyes with dark and white unaligned pupils following her. "You're not the right Ralice, Rina. You are still who you are... long ago. Oh yes, this... facade that you've created. Such an interesting pastime for an aspiring goddess like you, isn't it?"

Ralice shivered. Her whole body was trembling. She could see what this person was. Just a weirdo in a stupid robe and was either a demon or human with face paint. So why was she so scared out of her wits? Because, my little goddess, you will never know a greater fear than of the one who knows your potential. All potential. It is abstract. You little gods make it concrete. Fascinating. But... you will not live beyond what you are capable of. You will live many times. In fact, you've got quite a streak. Hmm... oh, she's not hearing my thoughts. How strategic of me.

"What.. I- .. Solus!!" Ralice cried and pissed herself as she fell back on her butt and did everything she can to get away from Itzal Slyre. Let him hear you. He needs more... pain. Rape. Destruction. He's not going to make it if he doesn't die. Sad... hmm... better move.

Ralice, her eyes streaked with copious amounts of tears, stopped crawling backwards and turned around, only to bump into Itzal's feet again. And again, that rictus grin and double-pupiled eyes greeted her.

"Are you still sore from last night? May I carry you, my saucy little goddess?" Itzal asked Ralice, his black teeth shining in the dim light. Oh, it's my turn. Let's see what happens... so much time has gone by.

Itzal would know, but Ralice would be completely clueless, she didn't even hear the screams. The fighting had ended. 38 bodies littered the room and a few feet behind Ralice, stood Solus, drenched in human and demon blood. The room, oh god, the room. The gore-fest that surrounded the young girl was enough to make a demon gag. Small bits of flesh dripped from the walls and ceiling, with with the very fluid that kept living being alive covering the walls and floor. What started as a mere firefight, turned into a bloodbath. And Solus, wasn't Solus. His green flames were extinguished and nothing but a black thick pus leaked out of his face and traveled down his neck.

Ralice had had never ever seen Solus'... monstrous side before. He had a combat shotgun in his right hand, which opened and let the weapon clatter on to the bloody floor. His voice was twisted and mutational, going from a higher pitch to lower one in a span of half a second each change. "Aaaannnddd... Yyyyyooouuuu Aaaarrrreeee?"

Ralice was somehow still conscious. All she could see was red. Feel red. Smell red. Taste... red. She blinked. In the middle of it all, stood Solus. Or what she thought was Solus. She knew he was a Chimera... but ... her thoughts fell apart. Her face slumped forward. She felt like she was dying. She grabbed her throat...

Itzal Slyre observed Ralice, his dark gray hand rising to cup his chin in thought. She doesn't know. How unfortunate. For her. So many fusions in this world. Won't last them next life. Or death even. Still as a statue, his black eyes, blacker than anything ExMortis had ever seen, slithered up briefly to acknowledge his presence. The white pupils in Slyre's eyes, however, danced about carelessly, looking at different things around the room. Or something like that.

"It's a common cliche humans use, but yes, if I told you, you'd become a little better god, and then, you'll probably die," Slyre retorted, chuckling at an inside joke. ExMortis he calls himself. Pathetic. To be trapped. As such. In this weed I like. One day though... the cleaver. Right down the center. That's a good soul.

"Solus..." Ralice mewed sorrowfully, laying down and clutching the side of her head. Oh, that's so adorable. She likes the weed, too! No... not like, love. Hmm... oh, there we go. ExMortis.

Seeing Solus's head do nothing but tilt in curiosity, yet completely ignoring the poor little goddess... well... This can't be helped. It's not good for either of them. Nutrition.

"You will never be more curious by anything ever again, ExMortis, than a conversation with me... and no, you're not getting one. Not a real one. Not today. Believe what you shall, for what you believe already, well, I'm sure you know the line. He'll tell you," Slyre said again, his voice drawling on in utter boredom.

"Come with me, my little goddess. I'm going to deflower your core," he whispered, crouching down and seizing her by her jacket.

And then... the lights bent and the shadows delved, the elements melted... and Itzal had vanished--along with Rowdy Ralice a.k.a Rina Alice Genno, otherwise known as Peskay's niece, Caeldrin's charge, Solus Grim's ... well, that'd be telling.

I'll be back. None of you will survive without the other. Keep it going. Oh yes... let the memories, experiences, and conflicts flow. All the way down to the Abstract. Thank you, gods.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Too late.

But I mean, it prolly won't be like this:



But more like this, maybe?



>:3