Zombehs — Roleplayer Guild

First Out the Gates
So an Onmyouji, Runes, a Dragon, and Possessed walk into a store...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This was going to be easy. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, someone was confident.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well.

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

The second one though…

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

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

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

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

He explained, stopping just centimeters before Sorcha. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She was almost there when something tackled her from behind. 

“Gah!” Sorcha yelped out of surprise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I am Sorcha. And who are you?”

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

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

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

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

Sorcha simply laughed as well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…was she really about to ask this?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"A possessed mage?" Atara closed his eyes. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So she took Runiks offered hand.

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