Echoes of the Requiem

[Nevvy]

Rin Takahashi was a bored with his life, content with the stability, sure, but bored, yes. This particular morning, he woke up, ready to do the same old drill that he did every day. Get up. Rush to class since he was already always on the brink of being late. Watch the people who were on the track to become flying samurai. Sigh because he had no realistic chance of being like them. Come home. Do homework. Eat. Do homework. Sleep, and get up again. The teachers called this a case of minor depression. He called it realism and in his opinion, the rest of the city was no different. The only thing that they did differently from him was that if they were skilled in something, they had something to do after class as opposed to just watching. Getting up, he walked outside and realized that he was late as usual... well, even later. Sprinting towards class, he managed to trip over someone and land in the nearest fountain with a splash. Lovely. Maybe the typical day wasn't so bad. By the end of it, he wouldn't be pleased with just how true he'd find that statement. Opting not to change as that would simply make him later, he thanked the sun for being out and walked into class with only damp pants. Luckily, his messy white hair was simply that day to day, messy. So despite being drenched, he didn't look all that abnormal. Then again, that might have been a bad thing too. Even in a city as perfect as Altimeria, short, weak, skinny kids still got the short end of the stick.

"Sorry I'm late," he panted, having done a bit more than his usual run. The fountain had been a decent sized detour.

"The one time you're on time, you somehow manage to come into class wet on a sunny day. How you manage these things amazes me," the teacher sighed.

"Fountain," he replied to the question that hadn't quite been asked. Several sighs across the room told him that those people had classed this as more information that they'd needed to know. Oddly enough, the day seemed to drag on just fine till the end of the day. Just as he was free to leave, a splitting headache hit, enough to send him stumbling to the floor. Unluckily enough for him, that happened to be right on his way out so more than a couple feet ended up trampling him.

"Just my luck," he groaned as he got up and dragged himself towards home. On his way there, another headache like the one before set in, though this one was slightly less violent. When he opened his eyes, the world around him had completely changed. Gone was the semi busy street and the people walking home. That was well behind him. Rather, he was seeing the side of his house and several soldiers knocking on the door. After a few moments of no answer, the door was busted down and the world faded back to normal. There was a sharp pain in the back of his head and a splash. Oh, hello again, fountain.

"Just my luck," he groaned once more, shaking his head. Looking back down the street towards his house, he hesitated, unsure of what had just happened. Taking a few steps towards it, he heard what sounded like a small scuffle. Several soldiers rushed out the door and around the side as through looking for something. One spotted him and yelled something inaudible to the others. Not needing any more convincing than that, Rin was off in the other direction. Two words echoed in his mind: Bad day. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong but he had the tugging feeling that sticking around to chat with the soldiers to see what they wanted was not to be the smartest of ideas. Picking up the pace, he headed in the opposite direction, trying not to be so obvious that he was avoiding them as he disappeared into a crowd of people but that wouldn't last long.

Rin turned around to look to see if the soldiers were still following. Yep. There they were, albeit he'd gained a little extra distance. That was about the time where he felt himself tipping over and not in a good way. No, it was the tripping over things kind of way. This time, luckily, it wasn't the fountain. That was back closer to his place. Oh, that part about being lucky? Scratch that. The glare from that wealthy businessman he'd just bowled right into told him that the fountain would have been far preferred. Rin picked himself up off the ground, high tailing it away from the businessman without looking back to see what had happened. All he knew was that the soldiers were still on his tail and that he was attracting more attention by the second.

--

"Yes, I understand," Kaze bowed, walking out of the temple, Kamikaze's temple. She'd lived there for as long as she could remember, probably orphaned as a child and taken in. By choice, she'd gone down the path of a priestess and finally she'd been given a dignifying assignment, albeit one that seemed pretty easy. In any case, it was time for her to finish this up and get her long awaited promotion to an actual priestess instead of one of the many intermediary positions on the path up there. Maybe once this was done, she could move on to more important tasks and less menial work. It was down the street, after some kid. It wasn't even someone dangerous, just a regular kid. It was baffling to think of why orders had come for such an ordinary person to be brought before the god but not harmed, meaning he was wanted for reasons other than something that he'd done wrong.

--

Rin took a sharp right turn into an alley, running over dumpsters and garbage cans on his way through. He could tell the soldiers were still following him but based on the sounds, he was pretty sure that their armor was making it harder for them to get through. That victory was short lived, though, as another soldier appeared to head him off at the other end, right in front of him. Frantically, he looked around for some way to escape but the alley was unforgiving, leaving him not so much as a ladder or some stairs. Without a better option, he ran for the one on the far side that had cut him off. Better to try to get around one than twenty. As the soldier in front of him reach out to grab him, Rin dived forwards, skidding out of reach but just barely. Scrambling back to his feet, he rounded the corner, trying to get past the guy who'd just walked by and hopefully force the soldiers to go around.

"Seriously, I didn't do anything! You've got the wrong guy here!" he called back over his shoulder at the soldier who had recovered and had drawn his sword.

"Sorry, kid. Its classified. Even we don't know. If you stop resisting, you might be let go after they check you out!" the soldier called back. Somehow, Rin highly doubted that whether the soldier believed it or not. He turned around just in time to see another group of soldiers approaching from the direction he was heading. Digging his heels into the ground, he grinded to a halt and took a right, not that that got him very far either as some of the soldiers had begun circling around that way too.

--

Kaze darted down the street, making sure to keep out of obvious sight of the soldiers. Stupid Kamikaze. She hadn't been informed of this. If they were after the one she was supposed to bring in too, maybe this wasn't going to be as simple as she'd thought. These soldiers like all the others were under the employment of one of the temples but she didn't have a way of knowing which one. Since she wasn't told, she couldn't exactly order them to hand to kid off to her. Or maybe it was just Kamikaze being the neglectful kind of god he was. Again. However, just observing wasn't going to cut it. Her target was just aimlessly running around, trying to keep away from the soldiers. He'd get caught eventually, probably soon. A good amount of shouting told her that it was going to be sooner, not later. Sure enough, he'd run into a soldier as he'd rounded a corner.

"I wanted a hands on job but getting into this kind of a fight was not the idea..." she groaned, dashing up behind the soldier and caught him in the back of the neck with one of her tessens. It was closed so it wouldn't cut but it hit hard enough to make him collapse, letting Rin drop back to the ground. He was naturally as confused as the approaching soldiers were. Kaze was short with long white hair and obviously dressed like a miko, not exactly the type that looked like the kind that was supposed to be fighting and was supposed to be on the same side as them but the passed out soldier on the ground spoke for itself.

"I've been ordered by the temple of Kamikaze to bring this boy in unharmed. There is no reason for you all to be drawing your swords," she tried to explain. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding of sorts. If it was an erroneous order that they'd been following, this would hopefully smooth things over and get her forgiven for knocking one of them flat on the ground. As things turned out, that was only wishful thinking. Swords were drawn and that was the signal to pick Rin up and run. It looked really awkward hauling him down the street considering that she was even shorter than he was but there wasn't a choice and she was beyond caring how many people were staring.

One massive gust of wind later that floored all the soldiers and civilians behind them, Rin wasn't sure whether if every priestess learned some of the ways of their gods or if she was just special or if it had been complete coincidence that the pile of soldiers back there had been knocked down. It was really hard to tell and his head was spinning too much to tell. About two blocks later, he was dropped on his face. It wasn't intentional. Probably. People who didn't know him probably didn't know just how bad his reaction time was along with every other physical trait there was to be had.

"Oh, get up and run. Do I look like I can carry you all the way to the temple?" Kaze ordered. Rin noticed that she was a bit out of breath. He was pretty light by normal standards but she wasn't exactly huge either.

"Rin. Rin Takahashi," he introduced himself, getting to his feet.

"Yes? I already know who you are," Kaze replied, dragging him after her. It took a whole block for things to click which left her feeling pretty silly afterwards.

"Kaze," she greeted. It was a simple greeting with undertones of "Shut up and run."

Rin sighed and tried his best to keep up as quickly as his slow, clumsy feet would take him. It dawned on him that this was the longest contact with a girl that he'd ever had in his life, that Kaze was someone that would have been completely swarmed in normal life, and that her interaction with him was purely due to this being a job and that he might as well savor what was only going to last for another four blocks. Sadly for him, those four blocks whizzed by pretty quickly. They rushed through the doors to the temple where the head priest was waiting for them. Or at least he assumed that the man was the head priest. He was old, flanked by two other priests, and was clearly much more ornately dressed than they were. Kaze walked over to the priest, giving him a small bow.

"I have brought the boy, Priest Hitogami," she told him, "Please inform Kamikaze."

"Perfect," he said, motioning to one of the mikos who disappeared off into another room, "Unfortunately, Kamikaze-sama is currently away on matters with Izanagi-sama. In the meantime, why don't you all rest in this blessed haven? I heard what was going on outside in the city."

Something in Kaze's head told her that something was off. Priest Hitogami was a good and devout man but not one who was usually so openly nice and accommodating. Rather, he was the gruff kind of man with a well of wisdom to share when he felt like it. He wasn't the most nice or gentle of the priests but certainly a respected one. Plus, Kamikaze wouldn't have just given her the order to bring the boy in to see him, then go off on business. Sure, the gods had urgent business at times but they were so close by. If Izanagi needed something, he could have just as easily done it here. Or it again could have been Kamikaze's chronic irresponsibility at work again. Still, it felt like she was missing something, something obvious.

Shouting sounded through the hall as the doors were flung open behind them. Soldiers poured in behind them, the soldiers that had been chasing them, following by more coming out from the doors behind Hitogami who didn't seem to be bothered at all. Kaze would have smacked her head on a wall if she had the luxury to. It was so obvious. She'd even thought about it before. The soldiers were under the employment of the gods. There shouldn't even be any that were against her to begin with. She should have gotten them out of there the moment that Hitogami had said that Kamikaze was out but her mind hadn't been working fast enough, leaving them completely trapped in the middle.

"Priest Hitogami, what is the meaning of this? Are you going to betray Kamikaze?" she thundered with a lot more authority than she actually had at the moment. Hitogami motioned to the soldiers behind him and the ten rushed towards them. Kaze stepped forwards, swinging her tessens upwards. A strong gale shot forth and Rin could have sworn that he saw a few dents in the armor of one of the soldiers before he collapsed. That just wasn't possible. Wind was powerful but it just wasn't possible to use a fan to blow hard enough to rip metal apart.

"This boy has something that he does not know the worth of. We are on a tight schedule and thus have no time for games," Hitogami growled, pushing the injured soldier aside. In his left hand was a ball of fire and in his right a ball of lightning. Kaze's eyes widened, understanding more from that than most of the others did. A typical priest would only learn the ways of his patron god. That was apparently not the case here. The soldiers circled around them while fire and lighting rained down in the middle of the floor. There was no mere armor cracking here. Each blast took chunks out of the marble floor. Without any good places to run, Kaze grabbed Rin and jumped over the soldiers, a surreal seeming feat and one that would have worked but the hair on his back seemed to stand up and he knew what was coming next. A bolt of lightning struck them and they crashed to the floor in a half cooked heap. Rin glanced back at Kaze who seemed to be completely worn out and rushed the priest, figuring that if he didn't, the old man was going to toast her, then take whatever it was he wanted and finish the job. By a stroke of luck or the lack of it, Hitogami reared back in shock and fired off another, much larger ball of fire than had been intended and had to send it off to the side, making it miss so he didn't destroy his prize. The floor creaked, moaned, cracked, and collapsed, leaving them both to fall through it down an abyss that shouldn't have been there. Hitogami glared down the hole after them, safely on the edge.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get the ropes!"

 

[Oni]

The Underground. A World under the city of false gods and idol worship. A world for those not afraid of the truth, and ultimately not much else. Thieves, Mobs, Mercenaries, Black Market dealers, you name it and someone could point you in the direction to look.. figuratively speaking of course. Everyone had a place and those who challenged rank were quickly "educated".

It was down here that they thrived. Among the heartless and the forsaken, where inhibitions were a thing of the past and all it took was one awkward glance from a stranger to get yourself into trouble.. and that wasn't always a bad thing. A bar was a place where the sharing of ideals was just as apt to enlighten and intrigue it's patrons as it was to start a brawl. This was their atmosphere, deliciously violent with just a touch of the thrill of the unknown.

The Twins. This was the name they'd been given...simple, and easy to remember And though no one gave them a second glance on the streets, You would do well to make sure to make your peace with the gods should you come along them in a dark alley. Dante, the Shadow, was known for her unparalleled beauty and insatiable appetite for exotic women. And then there was Ilarianna or "Ila"...The Blade.

The boisterous howls of drunks surrounded her, looking to be a woman around 25 years but standing no taller than the shortest man in attendance. Of course she stood out among the drunken brutes with her pale blond hair and brilliant eyes of a deep violet hue. They rooted and gave out loud hoo-ah!'s With every gulp taken of great pints of beer large enough for the girl to have to hold with both hands as no more than the slight dribble down the side of her mouth escaped. Across from her was her opponent, nearly 10 times her size with only one hand on the pint as his other palm rested upon the table top as if to keep the room from spinning as great sloshing amounts of beer spilled around his mouth and onto the tabletop.

A drinking game to settle differences was something of a talent. And though she wasn't the best in the world, Ilarianna had yet to find a man to handle the creature better than she.

"Come on Bartol! DRINK MAN! DRINK!" Hooted a man from the sidelines, and the giant of a man sped up his drinking while Ila continued her casual pace. She eyed the large man around the side of her own pint then the crowd grew more and more excited as the two neared the last few gulps.

With a great slam of the pint, Ila gave a triumphant wipe of her mouth and the bar give out a great roar in her name as the large man across from her dropped his drink to the tabletop with a woozy sort of grunt.

"Yoocheeetuhd" The large man slurred, flinging his drink off the side of the table. "Little Bitch!"

The roars stopped almost immediately. Everything falling silent and eyes rested on the shoulders of the woman who seemed unfazed. "No need to be a sore loser Bartol.. go ahead. Check my cup." she said calmly, red in the face but no where near as out of it as her opponent.

The large man reached over, missing the handle at first before swaying and finally gripped the cup about the rim and picked it up to take a closer look. There was a sudden flash of fluttering fabric and Ila was up on the table in a flash, one hand on the table top while her entire body flew toward the large man to deliver a vicious kick that drove the rim of the large cup into his face with the sound of crunching bone and the slow creek of the large body of the man forcing the chair slowly back onto it's rears before man and chair hit the ground on his back with a heavy and lifeless thump.

Ila stood on the table top with a huff, "Rule #1 of Underworld hospitality. Don't call me 'Little'." Ila spat, then turned to look at the men surrounding her. There was a silence that could back a camels back before very suddenly Ila gave a slight hiccup and a sway on her feet, before roaring with laughter. And the bar followed in suit before bursting into song and dance.

 

[Nevvy]

Rin and Kaze came crashing down from above, hitting almost every thinkable kind of disgusting thing on their way down, ranging from slimy muck to sewer pipes which hurt a lot on their way down. Honestly, he'd have liked to have said that he shielded her on the way down but if he did, that'd be a complete lie. Neither of them had any clue as to what was happening other than that it was dark, that they were falling, and that falling into stuff was painful. After a while, they managed to crash through a rather rickety roof and landed in the middle of a bar, something that should have been impossible. There were no bars a hundred feet below the temple... were there? Yet here they were. That or they had died on the way down and Hell was full of beer and bar stools. It was hard to tell which was more believable.

Rin slowly pushed himself up, surprised that he hadn't completely gone splat from the fall. As it turned out, Kaze had gone straight through a table and was completely still, breathing but obviously not moving any time soon. He had been a bit luckier... maybe. His fall had been broken by a big man and his rather large beer belly. The man did not look happy in the slightest, his pitcher shattered on the ground and beer soaking through his clothes. He was unlike any person Rin had seen before. Everyone else he'd known had two or three types of dress, casual, business, and religious for those with duties for the temple. This guy honestly looked like a bum, a really, really big bum. Then his eyes drifted down to the pair of oversized daggers on his belt. He wasn't even sure if they were small enough to still quality as daggers and not small swords. Anything like that outside the military was beyond illegal. They didn't really have any need to keep those kinds of weapons.

"Ah... Sorry," Rin apologized, trying to sound as sincere as possible as opposed to as baffled and confused as he was. The apology was not accepted as he was lifted up by the foot. Wasn't the guy or anyone even going to ask how they fell through the roof? It seemed like a reasonable thing to find out but the man did not seem to be in a question asking mood, nor was he in the mood to take excuses. Most of the others in the bar seemed pretty unconcerned too, like this was a normal occurrence which he just knew wasn't possible. People did not just fall from above and through roofs on a daily basis. He looked to Kaze for help. This guy wasn't wearing armor so some of that wind stuff she'd done before would probably at least get him to let go. But it wasn't happening. She was just laying there, trembling in pain from hitting all that stuff on the way down, probably not even awake right now.

 

[Oni]

It was in mid skip that her beloved bar's ceiling was crashed through. With a sway and an almost stupid gaze over her shoulder she caught glimpse of the table to her left smashed clean through by a girl dressed like some manner of priestess and whats more.. she was light on the eyes and even in her disheveled state was clearly beautiful. A mischievous grin played across her lips.. Dante always wanted a pet Miko.. and it seemed so did a couple other men who were beginning their approach.

At first she considered letting them have their way with the girl.. but even ila had morals, and couldn't watch someone so innocent fall prey to this band of brutes. She walked forward, and they backed down, but it was then she noticed the pathetic looking boy being held up by his foot. "Hey.." Ila called, but the brute hardly seemed to hear her. So she hopped over the Miko and vaulted over to the table top nearest the dangling boy to hold up a hand for the large male to keep the boy still. "One second before you beat this welps teeth in. Let me get a look at him.. Aye?"

 

[Nevvy]

The man looked at Ila, unsure of what she wanted. Maybe she knew him or perhaps he owed her money. It could have been a number of things but she hardly seemed like a friend of his so down Rin went, hurled into the ground. Rin was just as confused too but there wasn't much to think about other than the pain in his head once he was slammed into the floor, vaguely aware that he'd been "put down". Biting his lip, he tried to keep quiet and not attract any attention to himself, additional attention anyway. It seemed that Kaze had drawn herself quite a crowd too and not in a good looking way but she wasn't in any position to defend herself and he wasn't in any condition to help, not that he could even take one of them in his best condition. He was small, skinny, and just weak in general. Plus, he could feel the glare at his back. The man he'd fallen into surely had every intention of giving him a lot worse of a pounding as soon as he'd been looked at for whatever reason. He was pretty sure he could move but he wasn't going anywhere fast and especially not when he was carrying someone. Even though it was pure suicidal, his moral compass wasn't going to let him just ditch Kaze and run, not in a million years. If he did, he'd have to sink in a gutter and die afterwards for doing something so low.

 

[Oni]

Ila squatted on the edge of the table to look at the boy when he finally stood. Hell..he hardly stood taller than her. And THAT pissed her off, but for all her annoyance, there was the question the others of the bar lacked the awareness to consider. Even as Ila cocked her head to the side in a rude manner, she pointed with a gloved hand to the hole in the shabby ceiling, and violet eyes narrowed. "Now just where the hell did you come from with an entrance like that? And what were you planning to do to that Miko? Are you some kind of pervert or something? "

 

[Nevvy]

Rin would have facepalmed if he thought he could get away with it without getting killed. He probably couldn't. Couldn't they see just how scrawny he was? He had nothing special up his sleeve at all and probably couldn't have even overpowered Kaze when she wasn't using her wind thing. Plus, he was in a complete bind. His story was ludicrous but if no one bought it, he'd be labeled a pervert. In the middle of a room with prospective perverts. He was injured, not blind. And these looked like the territorial sort of them. But he couldn't come up with or pull off a lie to save his life.

"A fire ball broke the floor. We fell through and landed here. Look up."

He pointed at the hole in the ceiling and the hole that was above that one. It could have been a lot more obvious than it was but no luck. The answer was blunt, simple, to the point, and the truth. Really, why was he being grilled here? Did he really look like so much of a loser that just being in the same place as a rather attractive miko instantly caused the assumption that he'd abducted her? Wait, don't answer that.

 

[Oni]

Ila stood, raising a brow and casting a scrutinizing glare on Rin then to the Miko, then to Rin again, searching for any sign of a lie. The boy hardly looked capable.. besides, after taking a sniff of the boy she could tell it was true. The instincts of the hunter she was kicked in and sobered her up quick. She could smell fire magic on him. Smoke and Ash were hard to mistake even in the underground. Her hackles raised and even with her face being red, she looked every bit as serious as if she were sober.

Eyes glared up and through the hole in the roof. trails of dirt were still raining in through it. Something or someone was moving up there. Ila clicked her teeth, there was a lot of them.

There was a flaw in Ila that her sister couldn't stand. Though Dante loved ilarianna with all of her heart, Ila was often scolded for letting curiosity make her do incredibly reckless and stupid things. Perhaps it was the woman's thirst for adventure.. or perhaps it was something inside her that compelled her to take chances.. She was rude, crude, and perhaps a little too violent for Dante's liking, but Ila was in no way the type to run when fate came knocking.

"So many ..." She intoned, counting them mentally by the amount of rocks falling in through the hole. Then she plopped down flat on her ass with a slight grunt and her eyes looked suddenly very sleepy as she looked to Rin. "Ok.. I believe you. Now give me a reason not to hand you over to the people who are chasing you? I'm sure there's a nice bit of pay in it."

 

[Nevvy]

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Rin's face as Ila looked him over. Her call on this seemed to be the difference between him living two more seconds and two minutes. When he thought about it, it didn't make all that much of a difference in the end. It was obvious that the soldiers were pursuing them. Hitogami couldn't just let things go with one miko missing and a hole in the floor in the temple. So whatever happened, he had to go all in here and hopefully come up with a story before the god returned. When she finally did give her answer, it left him with nothing but dismay. The fact was that there was no good reason to not hand them over. From the looks of the crowd, they seemed like they'd be pretty happy with the idea of making some extra cash, cash which the priest would probably gladly fork over. There wasn't any moral compass to appeal to either, given the looks that they'd been receiving so far.

 

[Oni]

Ila watched Rin with unkind and almost careless eyes. Did she run the whole of the underground? Of course not.. but at least in this bar her word was law.. so long as Dante wasn't around at least. This meant she sometimes had sway over the decisions made, and those who opposed her wound up with a foot in the mouth, usually their own after she'd cut it off.

That being said, she wasn't entirely like the group she loved to be around so much. She had some humanity left in her, and it was this part of her that took note of the boys desperation. He was mulling over what to say... nervous and unsure about anything. She could see the dismay in the boys eyes, it wasn't the eyes of anyone but some punk kid who wasn't even out of school yet.

She couldn't just throw him to the wolves... and the Miko looked just as harmless if not more so.

After a few moments of debate, Ila looked to the large man who'd been ready to beat Rin's face in not too long ago, and moved to her feet. "Hide these two behind the bar, The rest of you? How about we show these soldiers a little underground hospitality?"

 

[Nevvy]

As soon as he got his answer, Rin pulled Kaze over his shoulder and was out to be back of the bar as fast as his legs would carry them which wasn't too impressive. He didn't stop to ask questions and especially, especially did not look back to see what the guy from before was going to do in case he decided that exchanging him for some gold was a good idea. Unfortunately for him, guess who his escort was? This really, really was not his day. As he walked out, he looked around, baffled by what was in front of him. Though he kind of got the idea before, actually seeing the massive city that sat under his own was a complete shock. It was different with seemingly less regulation than an Altimeria alley and everyone fending for themselves without a government to keep things in line.

 

[Oni]

Ila looked tot he hole in the ceiling as Rin and the others cleared out. Those less loyal or stable of the dirty men and women of the bar decided to follow suit of the young man and miko and high tailed it out of the bar and out into the streets with drinks in hand. Those who stayed weren't so many, but given a bar only had so much space, Ila thought it better this way. Less people to get in her way, but it wasn't enough space for her to use her sword which she just realized wasn't in her possession when she reached back and felt not only the handle gone, but the holster wasn't strapped about her either.

A sort of downtrodden look came over her, and the others stared before the hole was suddenly filled with the tail end of ropes, and the first soldier dropped down through it. Everything seemed to slow as Ila quickly stepped to the edge of the table she was on, lowered herself to the point of almost falling, then thrust her heels against it's side so hard the table reared and flipped toward him. "Catch!" Ila grinned, even as she fell on her back with a thud.

There was a flash of steel and the table was severed clean in half as the soldier stood resolute and the table split around him. He looked unimpressed, and the several soldiers that dropped down behind him looked even less amused than he did.

Ila narrowed her eyes and stood quickly to her feet, panic in her veins. These weren't the average guard. These soldiers were trained to take down someone stronger than a bar full of drunks. "...Tch~"

"Kill them all." The first soldier said, voice echoing menacingly through the his helmet. And the soldiers ruthlessly began slaughtering them one by one. Their steel was swift, and the patrons were far too far gone to defend themselves properly. A bad call...Ila knew that now. How was she to know this was the type of soldier chasing that little pervert and his miko-slave? What had the boy done? why were they chasing him?

No time.

A blade came for Ila's throat, but the woman's head shot backward, the edge barely catching a few strands of hair as she turned her head to keep away. Then a strong boot struck her in the stomach and Ila shot back into the counter of the bar wrenching a pained gasp from her before she hit the ground on all fours, coughing as some dirty dishes came crashing to the floor around her from the force of her body shaking the the wall. "...You're going to regret that.." She spat.

"Unlikely." The soldier shot back before lunging in for a second swing. She moved like a cat, moving to the side of the mans blade, snatching up a steak knife and driving it into the back of the mans knee. Crippling the soldier even as he tried to wheel around for another swing of his blade. She ducked this blow, balancing on one hand before thrusting her lower body up to deliver a powerful kick into the mans chin. knocking him up and over behind the bartop with a crash of bottles and the loud smashing of dishes.

When ila stood the red in her face was gone, and her eyes were cold and murderous. She knew it wouldn't be an easy fight, but if they thought they could just come in and kill off her business without so much as a warrant without her responding violently...they had the wrong sister. "Who wishes to die first."

~~~~

"You look lost..." Came a soft, accented voice as a raven haired woman came into view. Her steps deliberate, hips swaying to and fro with each step taken in thigh high black boots. The fabrics of her top weren't as easy to place. It looked like an odd sort of red silk blouse with billowing sleeves that doubled as a dress that nearly dragged the floor and was split up to her hip on either side giving her an elegance to her stride that was all her own, drawing all the attention right where she wanted at any given moment. Over the blouse she wore a black bodice that was drawn tight about her torso and the excess black ribbon was tied into a proper bow on her chest.

"What manner of trouble are you in?" She said while pushing her hair to the one side of her face to hide her left eye, her eyes just a violet as Ila's and her face nearly exactly the same, though there was a genuine kindness to her that Ila lacked. Her words weren't threatening, and as she stopped before the three of them pouty red lips curved into a friendly smile greeted Rin and the large man even though Rin was carrying a passed out miko over his shoulder. She wasn't going to question that however... not yet at least.

 

[Nevvy]

Rin whirled around, hearing the cool, soothing voice of someone who sounded like something other than a drunk or a thug. She seemed a little out of place compared to the ones at the bar yet at the same time seemed to know exactly where she was and what she was doing. Despite having had every intention to run for it like any smart person would, his attention gravitated towards her. She was simply elegant in a mature way but his feet refused to take him away from this place. He could already hear the sounds of fighting in the bar, meaning that the soldiers had come down and there were far too many to reasonably fight them all off. Plus, he was sure that if those died, the old priest would just get more. He had seemed desperate. Still, he found himself answering.

"There are a bunch of soldiers climbing down from above. They're after me and I don't know why. If you don't want to get caught up in it, you should leave too," he answered simply. As soon as he did, his feet felt like they could move again and off they went. He wondered if she cast some kind of spell on him or what? It was just unexplainable.

 

[Oni]

The womans interest was piqued, but Rin was just a boy running from the law. Who down here wasn't? So as she turned from him there was no interest in why he was being chased, or the disheveled mass of miko robes her was carrying over his shoulder. What did interest her was the fact Ila had it all centered in THEIR bar.

With a loud crash the backdoor was blown open by a man clad in armor. He groaned, glancing up to her and then seemed to keel over where he lay. No sign of struggle, and no sign of what happened to him. All she did was place her hands on her hips and narrow her gaze to her light haired counterpart standing in the doorway, exhausted and bloody from too many close calls.

"Why must you always draw trouble to this place?" She questioned, ignoring the sorry state Ila was in.

"..Shut up, Dante." Ila growled in response. "Where'd he go?"

"Who?"

"The boy with the miko over his shoulder." Ila answered, stealing a glance over her shoulder and sucking at her teeth when she heard the sound of more soldiers touching down with heavy thuds in the middle of the bar. "Ugh.. these bastards just keep coming!"

Dante gave a bored roll of her eyes before something black reached up from the ground behind Ila to push her outside at a stumble. Then there was a low scraping sound. Like thousands of tiny claws were tapping and searching for something under the heavy wood. Then the door lifted, throwing the soldier to the ground before moving into place on the door frame with a giant black hand holding it in place.

Ila scrambled to her feet, dusting off her pants before glaring over to Dante, silently. As she did, Dante held out a piece of paper and looked right back into Ila's face.

"The repairs have been finished. If you're going to follow that boy like a fool, you'll need to be properly armed or you'll likely end up dead." Dante said as Ila took the sheet of paper and tucked it into her shirt with a satisfied grin.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to stop me." Ila said with a suspicious glance to the side.

"It'll be easier to repair the damages of you and your nonsense without you being around for a while. Plus, there was something off about that boy. He was snared by my influence..but he broke free sooner than I'd expected of a normal kid." Dante said looking in the direction Rin headed off in. Her arms crossed in thought before the loud banging of soldiers on the opposite side of the door broke the silence, drawing bot their attention.

"I do enjoy our little talks, Dante. Always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." Ila scoffed, glancing from the door.

Dante gave a half smile and rolled her eyes, then nodded in the direction Rin ran off in. "Try not to get yourself killed, dear sister. You're a pain in my ass, but I'd rather you not Die."

"No promises!" And Ila was off in a flash.

 

[Nevvy]

Rin made it all of a few blocks before ducking into an alley with Kaze. This was no good. He was drawing way too much attention towards himself. A kid running around with a passed out miko was too obvious. Once the soldiers got through, all they'd have to do is ask around and they'd be back on their trail in no time at all. He needed to at least put some distance in where he was openly seen. Coming out on the other side, he slowed down enough to actually get a look at his surroundings. This entire place was dark and everywhere seemed to ooze of danger. In one shop to his left, a man tossed a severed head onto the counter and was in turn given several silver coins. A despondent looking girl was led down the street right past him. There was a chain around her neck and he'd have wondered why she wasn't fighting it at all if it wasn't for the fact that he could see them, the whip marks poking out from the holes in the back of her shirt.

"Feel like sharing what you've got there?" came a voice from behind. Rin whirled around to see a kid not too much older than himself but with a number of features that seemed more familiar than he'd have liked. He had worn and dirty clothes, complete with a few blood stains and was obviously a lot more fit than he was, probably from constant running and fighting to survive. In one hand, he held a half eaten apple which was no doubt stolen and in his other hand was a slightly worn dagger but it was a dagger nonetheless. Rin felt Kaze stir slightly on his back. If only she'd have been able to walk they might not have been so obvious a target. He was pretty sure that kids running away from others was no strange sight here, nothing worth calling attention to but dragging around passed out mikos seemed to be less common. Circling back a few steps, he dipped back into the alley, closer to the kid but he didn't have a choice. Having this scene in the middle of the street was just asking for more to join in.

"How about no?" he replied, swallowing hard and put on about as a serious look as he could muster. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to win if fists started swinging, though. To his surprise, the boy didn't go off and try to gut him like a fish. Instead, he tossed the apple core behind him and dug into his pocket, flipping a silver coin onto the ground.

"I'm feeling generous today so I'll even pay you," the boy offered. Rin glanced down at the coin on the ground. Kaze wasn't for sale but just what was he supposed to do? It probably didn't even cross the boy's mind that he wasn't carrying her around as a piece of property... though tying her up admittedly would have made him blend in a whole lot better. He didn't even need to think about what he was going to do despite how many levels of stupid it was. Slowly, he bend down and picked up the coin and gently slipped Kaze off his back, leaning her up against the wall. The boy took a step forwards and Rin hurled himself at him. The knife skidded across the ground and they both went tumbling down, leaving only the smallest of victories before a fist connected with the side of his face. Lesson of the day learned. Fighting hurts.

 

[Oni]

"And off she goes... so reckless." Dante sighed after her sister. Then glared toward the door when sensing a great deal of magic building up on the otherside. "..Be careful ila. These guys mean business."

The door exploded to splinters and ash with an explosion of fire and debris as the soldiers stampeded out into the alleyway. the large brute of a man and Dante? Both gone without a trace. Naught but the slight shifting of the shadows as Dante was smart enough not to tango with entire armies without knowing if they were in the right or wrong.

Observing from the shadows was a gift when used properly.

Ila ran the streets following Rins trail as best she could. Slaves weren't so uncommon in the underground, but thankfully there were a few who thought further to notice a girl in a miko uniform as a bit out of the ordinary and their turned heads lead her more or less on the right track. However, it slowed her down as time had passed and trails were liable to run cold much faster underground than on the surface. It wasn't a matter of "why" so much as it was an understanding that people came to the underground to hide so following someone could be difficult.

Then Ila growled under her breath, coming to a realization mid-stride. "She called ME a pain in her ass! The HELL does she-- Oh shit!" Ila growled, skidding to a stop as she reached a four-way road. A dead end...

"Better get to high ground." She thought out loud before slipping into an alleyway to use the fire escape.

 

[Nevvy]

Rin got hit again and was sent stumbling back. Another punch sent him to the floor. For some reason, he could see Ila running at them but she was upside down. That was weird... Or maybe he was just that disoriented. Hearing a scream, he looked over and blood splattered over his clothes. The boy he'd been fighting/gotten mauled by earlier was up against the wall with more than a few wounds. Kaze had one of her tessens out and it wasn't hard to put the math together.

"What part of get off don't you understand?!" she panted, clutching her right arm. Falling down from up there and seeming to hit all kinds of stuff on the way down hadn't been a pleasant experience at all. Somehow she'd been lucky enough to just be covered in bruises. Considering the chances she had to land on something sharp, it wasn't bad at all. Rin was on the ground but it didn't seem to be that bad. He looked like he wasn't dying at least. Now just where were they? Hadn't they fallen through the temple floor? So how were they back in the city now? Or maybe they were in a different one. Just how long had she been out? The boy had managed to recover his knife so she raised up her tessen, as if to warn him that she'd slice him open again if need be. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to get a full swing off again but it'd be enough to put him out of commission probably.

 

[Oni]

It wasn't until she was on her way into the damp alley that she'd noticed the commotion. And another moment still when she realized the people she was actually looking for just so happened to be ducked into the same exact alley. Gods.. maybe this was fate? Oh Ila couldn't wait to tell Dante the tale of how she missed out because she didn't take the journey when she had the chance!

The offender was backed against the wall, Rin was still on the floor after apparently playing hero, and the Miko was on her feet with a steel fan... a STEEL fan? Who used weapons like that? A master of blades? Not a chance, Fans required too much grace and Ila lacked the patience to learn. Too girly.. Let Dante handle that kind of stuff.

And Warnings? Pffft!

Ila flew in like a bat out of hell coming down at an angle with an assassins precision, striking the boy's wrist the disarm him given his wound from the Miko's tessen, and struck for that weak point with her other fist in hopes to force the boy to black out from the pain. They had no time.. those soldiers meant business and they needed to get out of the public eye.

 

[Nevvy]

Rin watched Ila rush past him and completely destroy the kid who he would have harbored ill feelings for were it not for the fact that he was getting the idea that this was the norm around here. Kaze was at least conscious now but was more than a little hurt from her fall. It wasn't too surprising given that he'd landed on a mound of fat. She'd landed through a table.

"Thanks," he said, hauling himself over. Some people were less than nice back up in Altimeria but no one really hit anyone else. He'd never known it would hurt this much. He could feel a bruise forming on the side of his face. Kaze on the other hand was looking around, completely confused, not sure whether she was supposed to say thank you or try to arrest the girl who has just committed assault. Even if the boy had been doing something wrong, assault wasn't tolerated... but were they even in Altimeria anymore? It was hard to tell. Everything looked so different. She was spared the need to ask that question.

"We're apparently not back in town. We're beneath it."

Sadly, Rin's answer spawned ten times as many questions as it answered.

 

[Oni]

"Don't mention it." Ila stood up straight, stretching her fingers for a moment before putting her hands on her hips and giving a nod. "That's right, you two two stand in one of the lesser alleyways of the great city underground, Lower Altimeria. Of course most people topside don't visit down here... and those that do get swallowed up." She smirked, knowing it would be a bit for the both of them to take in. "But we can have the grand tour when you don't have soldiers on your tail. Given that you both fell through the pipeworks, you'll need a safe place to rest up and check for any serious damage."

Ila then focused on Kaze with a careful eye. "You had a bit more of a rough landing than the boy did, I'm surprised you're still in one piece, for a miko you seem durable." she complimented, then looked to Rin next, noticing his bruised face, but at least his legs weren't broken. "And you should learn to pick your fights, kid.."