Iwaku World - The founding of the Crimson Cadre

[Asmodeus]

The house that once occupied an insane desert was now beseiged with snow. Arctic winds whipped around the column of stone and left naught but ice entombing the twisted house.

In the main hallway, a radio had come on, as if to play sweet lullabies for Soulless as he slept. But now the songs had ended and a single voice echoed through the rooms, climbing the labyrinthine stairways.

"...and now the delegates are descending from the ship. The crowd around the Castle numbers in the thousands - Iwakuans and Noobs standing shoulder to shoulder for this momentous event. We're going to try to get a little closer...

... and there she is, standing among her white-robed entourage. The ambassador has identified herself as Contessa Diana. She's waving now. A little smile. The crowd here is ecstatic. We understand that the Contessa has opened the castle to the public and is providing food and aid...

... a cheer has just gone up. Another Spider has collapsed in Tyler Park. That puts the count at eighty-nine, which we believe is now the full compliment of the occupying force. The people are waving banners...

... Victory. They're proclaiming victory...

....Ladies and Gentlemen, we think this is it...

...the Hero of Iwaku is with us.


The doors of the house flew open with a crash and the vibrations knocked the radio from its stall. A man, half-naked and bleeding man, tumbled down onto the freezing tiles., shivering as wind and snow galed around him.

"Aaaaaagh!"

Another figure rushed through the door, stepping around him like a shattered vase. "Stay still, damn you!" The Warmaster stooped and thrust his arms beneath the man's legs and neck, trying to pick him up again.

But Asmodeus twisted with another cry, falling clear and crawling in agony across the tiles. He sobbed and screamed, blinded by the pain and delirious to all attempts to help him.

"I'll get his legs," Tegan said as she came through the door after the Warmaster, shivering almost as violently as Asmodeus. The two of them made a fresh assault, seizing his limbs and scooping him forcefully from the floor. Asmodeus thrashed and screamed, even as the Warmaster swept his arm across the dining table and sent plates and candleholders crashing to the ground.

They set him down and the Warmaster locked his arm around Asmodeus's neck, pinning him as Tegan tried to look at the wounds. His back was oozing infected blood from the where the wings were severed. And then there was the issue of the bullet in his thigh.

Sakura had slipped in after them, keeping her distance and watching with a sense of helplessness. Then finally Kaze rushed in and used his magic to force the doors closed against the gale.

"Aaaaaaaaagh!"

The lights flickered and the wallpaper bled in symphony. From the windows around them blood dripped and every cry was turned to laughter in the unending stairways.

Tegan could see the bullet wound, deep and cavernous - an M40 round that had shredded the muscle, nicked the femoral artery and almost shattered the bone. Fluid was already pouring in around it and the tissue was trying to close over the embedded metal.

He was running a fever, his breath becoming ragged.

He would not last long...





[SUMMARY: At a house in Insanity, where Soulless sometimes takes refuge, Tegan, Kaze, Sakura and Warmaster Death bring the dying Asmodeus in a desperate effort to tend to his wounds.]

 

[soullesshuman]

Soulless flicked his eye open as the radio's broadcast ended, back to silence. He had just missed the news, perhaps to his benefit. Body exhausted beyond his comprehension, he forced himself upwards, instinctively hugging the piece of cloth to himself. For had he gotten here? He did not remember having come here. He remembered travelling in a ship, fallen feathers around, holding a woman to himself, searching for something... something... important. What it was, he could not truly tell. He also didn't remember these clothes, this eyepatch... who had clothed him so? Deciding to not question his surroundings, his body tried to get up to walk when he heard commotion.

However, his legs refused. Confused, he instead fell to his side and walked on all fours, keeping his cloak on with his teeth. It was a struggle to open the door, his own hands unable to quite grasp the metal. With a shove, the door opened and he more like fell down the stairs. Basically unharmed excepting his dignity. Once entering the main hall, he peeked his head to the hall and found many people that were of his memory. That girl, those men... familiar and yet not so to him. Afraid, he did not speak with them, for they were people he knew and felt that he at the same time did not quite know them. The only person he focused on was the feverish, bleeding man they brought in.

He knew that man. Feathers did not follow his trail but he knew that man... and that man was dying. He reached out one hand and, in both shock and a sense of urgency, forced his body to its feet and took a shaky step before falling to his side, the same legs that once supported him falling under his weight. Balance, muscle movement, these were all new to him and such complicated tasks such as walking were simply too difficult. however, what he did know was that he desperately did not want that man to die in this house. As to how and why... both of these he could not quite answer yet. Without hesitation, he took out his dagger and stabbed it into his pale arm, blood coursing out immediately. However... the blood did not flow as he willed it to. It remained on the floor, simple and unmoving. He was afraid of this.

Without warning his arm moved on its own and the eyepatch was lifted and similarly moved, shoving his mind into blackness and the darkness of himself. There he curled up, hugging himself and looking around in a fearful manner. Where was he?

Saneless snarled softly and got up easily, bounding to them. "Why did you bring that bastard here?" His growls made the wallpaper's flowers shiver. Blood rose and circled him in a manner ready to strike. "Why did you go here anyways? Didn't you all go to that fucking ship?" He asked, obviously suspicious and intent on finding offense to their presence. However, this could be seen more as a protective strategy more than anything else, deciding that taking the offense would better protect them both. His silver eye glared down at the shaking, dying man in the middle of this entire situation.

"Throw him outside to die."

[Soulless gets up and tries to help Asmo with blood manipulation only to find that he has no way to use it. Saneless forces himself to the surface to ask the group why they're here and he suggests leaving Asmo to die.]

 

[Jumi]

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[size=+2]Jumi[/size]

Through the windows, if one were to have a keen eye, a shadow would be seen in the howling blasts of snow, and frost. The dark figure's form couldn't be determined with the distance, however it was apparent that he wielded a staff of some sort as a shining light radiated from it's tip, and illuminated the path before the traveler, though nothing more.

The closer the individual got, those that looked upon him would get the feeling he seemed very much a Cleric of old. Adorned in flowing robes, with sections of plate across his body, and the metal mask secured over his face, the man seemed a being of myth and legend as many of the true Clerics had long since vanished. Once again, that small ember floated in the palm of his left hand, and released a soothing warmth through his bones.

Jumi had heard screams of agony,, the likes that would haunt his dreams. Such pain must have truly been a nightmare, and his old bones continued propelling him forward. Knowing not what he could do if he were to ever find the man who's screams floating on the cold winds, Jumi was determined to do his best, should he find this individual, but the more pressing matter of shelter laid before him.

It was then that a tiny little house seemed to suddenly appear before him in the twisting winds. Such an odd thing to see in the middle of what could easily be called Nowhere. Jumi's feet carried him towards it, up the treacherous stone stairs that wound around the colum, and once he reached the front door, he knocked on it heavily with the tip of Sky's Hammer.

Summary: Having heard Asmodeus screams of Agony, Jumi followed them, and was guided to Soulless's house. Hoping to be of some help, while also avoiding the chill, Jumi approaches the door, and knocks.

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[Warmaster Death]

The Warmaster, though clad only in a towel lurched from where he was holding Asmodeus, moving for the door, the space marine marching straight through souless/saneless in a wordless retort that made the smaller man stumble.

he moved swiftly to the door and wrenched it open, his eyes appraising the robed figure as his free hand tightly gripped a lead pipe

"state your business" he barked, a sense of urgency entering his voice.

 

[Jumi]

[bg=#7e3517]

[size=+2]Jumi[/size]

The door opened, and Jumi was greated by a very gruff sounding individual... holding an object that looked quite unwelcoming.

"My business? I'm a teacher by trade, a doctor by talent, and a weaver of the Arcane by choice. Now might you at least try answering the door with a Hello next time?" Jumi answered respectfully, and fixed The Warmaster with the intensely blue eyes that peered out from the slots of the metal mask he wore. "I have come to ask if I can be granted shelter for the night as the storm outside will begin to worse."

His hand remained gripped to the Sky's Hammer, and his other hand, then extinguished the flame that was floating in it's palm, the warmth it was generating was washed away, and left the man in the heat that poured out of the house through the doorway. "A man is screaming, and in pain. This is also a reason for this chanced meeting. I believe the voice comes from this house, and I offer my services for what it's worth, though I doubt I would be much use if I'm to be kept at suspicions knife point in these arctic winds."

[/bg]

 

[Warmaster Death]

"Good, enter" the Warmaster beckoned the Robed figure in, and led him to the Table, and pointed to Asmo's wounds
"Whilst i am no Apocathary, I beleive an atrery or vein has been severed in Lord Asmodeus' leg, time is of the essence" he uttered, moving back to restrain the angel
"And his survival, i should inform you, is paramount to the survival of all" he added, before slowly, and as gently as possible, moving to restrain the angel.

 

[Mainstream Hipster]

Kaze wiped his head as he managed to close the door, the storm outside blowing fierce. It had taken a lot out of him to even fly the Fidelis straight, his wind magic having gone toe to toe with actual nature. He barely managed to out muscle it and get them all inside, the Fidelis chained down outside so that it wouldn't be blown away.

Kaze looked down upon Asmo, his current state quite pitiful. He was dying and as of the moment, none of them had any knowledge of how to heal him. Kaze felt helpless in this situation, unable to help the man that he had chosen as his mentor. While not even a day had passed since Asmo had been bent on destroying everyone, something in Asmo's character brought out a sort of respect from Kaze. He appreciated his devotion to the cycle, even if it had been misplaced and misunderstood. Anyone willing to sacrifice everything in the name of the cycle was quite the person indeed, and Kaze, being the staunch supporter of all things Cycle, could understand and appreciate this.

Kaze was pulled from the recesses of his mind when Soulless appeared. At first, he appeared to be suicidal, cutting himself deeply, but then something in his demeanor changed and suddenly the blood was moving of its own volition, Soulless suddenly looking very hostile as he essentially demanded that they throw Asmo out to die. Drawing his bowstaff, Kaze spoke in a calm tone that surprised even himself, "I'm sorry but we cannot do that. We need this man too much to just cast him out now. If you do not wish to help him, that's fine, but you make one move to oppose us and I will guarantee that your blood remains still for good."

Kaze's eyes flitted over to the new comer that WMD had brought it. Through eavesdropping he heard that Jumi, their guest as one could put it, had knowledge in the medical arts. While keeping his staff between himself and Soulless, Kaze spoke out to Jumi, "Please sir, feel free to stay with us. We are in desperate need of medical help as you can see. If there's anything you can do for our friend, please do so quickly. I fear his life may be in its final hour."

 

[soullesshuman]

Saneless snarled softly, glancing at Jumi. This was not going as planned Nothing was. The plan was to disappear, to let all this blow over. Now, all was ruined. It was as if the Cycle was blowing up everything (literally and figuratively) in his face. His silver eye glanced at Jumi a moment, suspicious. Then he glanced once more at Asmodeus, even as he was clearly knocked over and to the side by that headless brute. The once-angel wheezed, crying and shivering and moaning. His eye closed and a look of disdain came to his face, those cries from outside echoed within of a child who had lost everything and now had nothing. Asmodeus reminded him too much of Soulless at this moment, though he looked different, the need was the same. "Little bastard..." He cursed softy, whether to himself or someone else was something not even he knew.

"Stay. Fix him. I'm a blood weaver. I can... give him whatever he's lost." He spoke, referring to whatever blood loss he had as of current. He sat down and leaned against a wall, one knee to his chest and being used as an arm rest. "Surgeon, go do your surgeon thing. Unless you want this little shit to die." He growled softly, showing kindness in his own, rather gruff, manner. Blood from his wound curled around him on the floor at his feet, much like a limbless dog waiting to be used. If Asmodeus didn't need any blood then he would promptly leave without issue or complaint. Not that he wanted to make sure the angel was going to make it... or anything. But those damned cries... His other hand held itself over his chest, over his heart. Within, cries and sobbing radiated throughout him in a misery that made his heart break in the most painful of ways. Worse than any confluence pulse, worse than any form of torture, was the knowledge that he had allowed Soulless to become the wreck he was and to be reminded of it every time he head the sobbing from within him...

Maybe there was something he could still do. Glancing up at Kaze, his blood gently pushed him to the side so that he could get a better look at Asmodeus before it curled again by his feet, his eyes showing something a little more than anger or hostility... worry?

 

[Sakura]

[DASH="#00bbff"]
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She stayed out of the way. There wasn't much she was capable of doing to restrain Asmodeus and her panicking would not be much help to the others. As she watched from the corner of the room, Sakura was momentarily intrigued by Soulless' actions. It was strange, she thought, the way he was acting around them, as if he didn't know them or Asmodeus at all. Something had changed in the little guy, Sakura deduced, but what?

As everyone spoke to the surgeon stranger entering the house, Sakura crouched beside Soulless, who had curled up near the end of the table,"Soulless, is something wrong? Are you all right?" she asked softly. She didn't want to prod him, because it seemed as though he might be angry with them. She couldn't think of any reason why, but she was worried about him nonetheless. What could possibly have gotten into Soulless...behaving like this? Throwing Asmodeus out...I just don't see a reason for him to act up like this...Is there?

She looked up at the Warmaster, his words seeping into her mind. His survival is paramount to the survival of all...? She blinked away her surprise at the strength of his choice of words and cast her gaze upon the newcomer. He seemed confident enough in own abilities, though there was a mystery about him that she wasn't sure of. Still, Sakura trusted him for his word. There was no one else here who could save Asmodeus for the moment anyhow.

Please let this man be able to take care of Asmodeus. After all he's suffered, the last thing we need to give him is more pain... Sakura closed her eyes, the small prayer hovering in her mind. She retained solace in it for a moment until she nearly believed it herself. And seconds later, when she opened her eyes to look at Soulless' small form, she smiled.

Suddenly, her panic had faded into calm. A new kind of peaceful feeling overflowed inside her. She was certain that Asmodeus would be all right. She would do what little she could to help.

She looked over at the doctor once more, "If there is a need, I am more than willing to assist you, sir."
[/DASH]

​

[SUMMARY: Worried about his strange behaviour, Sakura asks Soulless if he is okay. After thinking about Asmodeus' injury, she makes a small prayer in her head and offers her assistance to Jumi.]

 

[Jumi]

[bg=#7e3517]

[size=+2]Jumi[/size]

Approaching the table, Jumi nodded to Soulless, and Sakura, and looked to the Warmaster. "Turn him onto his stomach, but keep him from resting on it." He instructed seeing the blood on the table. He retrieved a bundle of cloth from inside his robes, and unfolded it on the table revealing numerous medical instruments. The Warmaster turned, Asmodeus over, and supported the man as instructed.

Jumi unbuckled the mask from his face, and set it against the table revealing the face of an elderly man with a long white flowing beard, that was kept in a braid, and coiled close to his chin. "Oh my..." he stated seeing the holes in the man's back from where something must have been torn out. "Little girl, please fetch me as many towels as you can" turning to Tegan "bring me a pot of water, and as for you" he looked to Kaze "find me as many bandages as you can, and quickly." He then looked to Soulless again, "Do not stray far... I fear that this man might require use of your talents."

Gently placing a hand on the man's spine, Jumi moved them down and outwards, feeling a distinct bump around the ribs. "Hm... broken as well as the fingers..." He stated plainly seeing the man's mangled fingers. "I will require splints as well! Anything you can find." Moving his hand towards Asmodeus' thigh, Jumi reached for a clamp of some sort, and set it against the table where the wound was facing. Pointing to Sakura, Jumi instructed her "Brace his leg for this will not be pleasant..."

With what seemed like crude aim, Jumi took the clamp, placed it into the gunshot wound, and squeezed it, opening the wound a little more, in order for him to grab another set of clamps, and slide them into the wound. Moments later, a slight clink was heard as the clamps closed around the round, and was extracted... hinted to by Asmodeus' sudden scream of pain. It was never a painless process, and the need for a sedative was far from reasonable at the moment.

Setting the bullet on the table, as well as both clams, Jumi rubbed his hands together, which seemed to create a strange chill. "This wouldn't take the pain away, but it will dull some of it, and slow the flow of blood..."

Summary: Jumi instructs those that have free hands to gather items for him, and asks the Warmaster to hold Asmodeus in order to prevent him from damaging his ribs anymore, and instructs Sakura to hold Asmodeus' leg while he forcibly remove the bullet from his thigh. He is about to begin work on stemming the blood from the wounds on the man's back.

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[Tegan]

Jumi had barely finished speaking to her before Tegan set off to fetch the water; she moved with the quiet, determined grace of one who had shut off all unneccessary thoughts and emotions in order to make it through what would no doubt be a very long night.

Though it did not show on her face, Tegan was fighting hard to keep the memories of her own awakening from overwhelming her and rendering her a useless sobbing ball. That was a memory that she always fought to keep buried deep, deep within herself, for fear of reliving it.

How strange it is, the man who witnessed my first night as a mortal is now mortal, himself.

. . . What?

Asmodeus was not there when she woke the first time. She had never known him until now.

So why did the memory seem so real? The same reason she was helping this man, now.

Tegan brushed these thoughts aside as she hastily filled a large kettle with water and placed it inside the fireplace. Gripping the cast iron, Tegan focused her light from her hands and into the kettle, the heat produced made the water immediately burst into a boil. To keep the water continously hot throughout the night, Tegan did the same to the logs already placed in the fireplace, creating a blazing fire within.

She ladelled some of the water into a smaller pot and placed it on a chair next to the newcomer, so he could easily reach it as he extracted the bullet.

Asmodeus' body wrenched as he screamed, and Tegan was immediately at Sakura's side, helping the younger girl restrain his thrashing legs. Tegan found herself glancing at Sakura from the corner of her eye as they struggled against pain-fueled strength. The girl's eyes were intent, blazing with something Tegan could only describe as concern and love, Sakura bit her lower lip as she concentrated her whole being into holding Asmodeus still.

So small, so sweet and innocent.

What was someone like her doing in this place, with people like them?

Asmodeus screamed again when Jumi finally pulled out the bullet, and Tegan's thoughts were lost again as she fought alongside Sakura to hold him still.

Summary: Tegan brings Jumi the hot water he needs and helps Sakura restrain Asmodeus' legs. She wonders about the strange memories that have been surfacing.

 

[soullesshuman]

Saneless glanced at Sakura as she called him not by his name. He shook his head a little sadly towards her. "I'm not the kid you're looking for. He'll be back when I think he won't be damaged further by... your fucking influences." He was trying to be nice... but his anger got the best of him at the very last part of his sentence, holding a growl that was obviously of high displeasure. Albeit, anyone who understand his situation could easily tell as to why he would be so irritated. No man would want their loved ones around the very same people who ruined them. Especially the same man who started this whole clusterfuck. As ordered, he remained by, practically immobile as he stayed and waited for a time when he would be necessary. While he did so, his lips moved to direct the few people around. "There are easels where that bastard painted. There are draperies around the windows. A closet down the hall here has piles of linen. There is a rusty first-aid kit somewhere, half used. " He spoke his advice gruffly, as if he didn't actually care.

Although he did. It pained him to see Asmo groaning and dying before him, not that he cared for the mortal himself but because it reminded him much of that kid who Sakura was looking for. He growled softly before turning away and back to watching Jumi's work intensely. He himself never seemed to get up to help at all, but his blood twitched every few moments in an underlying anxiety. When the bullet was removed, he easily closed his eye and his blood surged towards the table and slapped down by the once-angel, shivering a moment before curling around the leg wound and then retreating back towards Saneless who sat as if napping. The blood left around the injury a strange mixture of dried blood and platelets, a scab over the leg wound that, while it was not pretty and it would leak until the mortal's own blood could plug up the holes, largely cut off the bleeding from the leg.

He waited quietly for the back-wounds to also be staunched up, growing impatience becoming slowly more and more obvious.

[Saneless gets impatient and staunches Asmo's leg wound with a large scab of his own blood as soon as the bullet is removed. He sits and waits for the procedure to finish, getting more impatient by the second.]

 

[Asmodeus]

Sakura let out a short cry as arterial blood struck the side of Jumi's face. In a violent reaction, Soulless's magic was repelled and the scab erupted as the femoral artery was nicked. Blood, dark and warm, pumped into the open air and spattered Jumi's clothes.

He had been so careful... the clamps perfectly placed, the bullet removed slowly through the path of least resistance. But still the artery had been pierced. The surgeon cursed and reached for more tools, knowing that Asmodeus's very life-blood was now being shed.

The man's cries became deeper, as if dredged up from the very soul, his body twisting this way and that as he entered sharp convulsions. With every motion the fire that Tegan had built flared and crackled, as if about to break the confines of the fireplace and set the house ablaze in desperate grief.

Asmodeus did not have long. He was bleeding out. It was almost over.

 

[Tegan]

Tegan and Jumi moved as one, as if following the steps to dance: Jumi pulling away to rush to the raging fire to retrieve a poker and heat it, Tegan took his place at Asmo's feet. The sound of ripping fabric was covered by the man's screams of agony.

"Sakura, Hold his other leg!" The man was already thrashing like a wild animal as it was, she was grateful to the Warmaster for restraining his upper body.

Tegan's eyes were wide, now, not with panic, but a sort of frenzied focus that surgeons and soldiers share. Tegan quickly tied the shred of her tunic around Asmo's thigh, creating a tourniquet to stanch the flow, ignoring the hot blood that poured down her now exposed belly. That task done, Tegan lifted the leg and rested his calf on her shoulder- keeping the bleeding limb above his heart, Tegan had bought the ex-angel a few extra seconds, since blood pumping upward was slower.

She was not an accomplished doctor like the newcomer, but she had seen her fair share of wounds, and they were pretty straight forward: Stop the blood before they bleed to death.

The hard part would be surviving what was to come next.

Summary: Jumi goes to retrieve a heated poker. Tegan rips her tunic to make a tourniquet, and elevates Asmo's leg to slow the blood flow.

 

[Jumi]

[bg=#7e3517]

[size=+2]Jumi[/size]

"God damn guns..." Jumi muttered under his breath, as he returned with the poker, and reached towards the table with a free hand grasing a small piece of what looked like cloth, and set the poker on the table. Rubbing the his hands around the cloth vigorously, Jumi looked at Tegan, and Sakura a moment before he took a breath, and nodded to them. A hand moved to the wound in Asmodeus's thigh, and gently opened the wound using the clamps, and lifted both ends of the artery towards the opening, where he then wound the strange cloth looking substance around both ends. Letting go of the clamps after Tegan grabbed them, Jumi reached for the fire place poker.

Keeping a firm grip on the artery ends, Jumi rested the poker's tip on the cloth, and began moving it around in spiraling circles lefting it graft to the vein, and stop the flow of renegade blood. After a few moments, the artery was solid, and whole once more, though it would need to more time to heal properly... at least for the moment, Asmodeus wouldn't bleed to death from it.

Retracting the clamps gently, Tegan rested them on the table, and watched as Jumi ran the poker over the entry wound of the round, causing Asmodeus to kick, and squirm again in screams of agony. The old Doctor's technique continued in it's robotic efficiency as he bandaged the leg once Kaze returned. Jumi then moved towards the two gouges in the man's back, and reached for a strange syringe looking tool. Sliding a thumb through the end, Jumi gently inserted it into each wound, and began to extract the excess blood until the wound was as dry as possible. He then looked intently into the wounds, and noted no severe sources of bleeding, or not as severe as the previous wound.

Reaching for the still red hot poker, Jumi lightly began tapping the end against the edges of the gouges. The sickening smell of burning flesh filled the room once more, and though the method of cauterization was effective... Asmodeus would have scars to remember the ordeal. Jumi then set down the fireplace poker, and began wrapping bandages around the man's shoulders, and around his back in order to patch the gouges as best he could... with no medicine he had to be careful to prevent infection., and so with a large looking ladle, Jumi began scooping warm water from the pot that was set on the table, and gently ladled it onto all the bandages allowing them to moisten, but not to become damp. He then wrapped him again with fresh bandages on top.

Jumi the moved to Asmodeus' side, and ordered Kaze to hold the man's harms as steady as he could. Once braced, Jumi began the process of setting the man's finger bones back into place. The sickening pops, and snaps were nauseating to most, but the old Doctor did it with seasoned practice, and soon had the fingers straight once more, where he broke pieces of a wooden spoon into pieces, and bound them to each finger in splints.

Now for the ribs... this would be particularly painful. Jumi placed his hands on the man's sides, and move them gently around until he felt the tell tale pump of separation... he then pushed firmly resulting in another disgusting pop, and continued to do so, while Asmodeus screamed out each time.

Jumi finally finished his work, or what he could do, and wrapping Asmodeus torso heavily in bandages in order to apply light pressure, but enough to keep the ribs set, and in place.

But at least for the moment... the former angel was stable.

He exhaled softly, and turned around to look at Soulless. The old man's blue eyes were particularly bright as he looked at the boy. "What the hell did you think you were doing boy? I accepted your help, I didn't tell you to start shooting blood into open holes all willy nilly!"

Turning to the large man who'd greeted him at the door, Jumi pointed to Soulless. "I want him kept away from the patient."

And with that, Jumi looked once more to Asmodeus, and then back to the Warmaster. "Place him in a bed, and let him have a few moments of rest... I'll prepare medicines for the fever, and the coming pain."

Summary: Jumi successfully stabilizes Asmodeus' condition, and now prepares to manufacture pain medicine that Asmodeus will need as well as medicine for fevers.

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[soullesshuman]

Saneless didn't need to be told twice. He snarled softly at Jumi, mouth open and wide and suddenly a cry arose from within him. He snarled and got up a moment before kneeling again, clutching at his heart in apparent pain. "Ugn... Ah..." He shivered and coughed softly, looking up to Jumi with a gaze mixed with fear and agony and at the same time, hatred. "I was... trying to help... bastard..." He managed to wheeze. Why was he in so much pain? Probably... probably from... he shook his head and carefully took one eyepatch to himself and switched it.

Their body fell unconscious for only a second before it perked up again, eyes of a frightened child, unable to hurt anything. He looked around at the situation, then down at his bleeding arm. His blood stopped moving as soon as he awoke, splashing onto the floor to mix and mingle with the leftovers of Asmodeus's blood. He whimpered as he looked at Jumi, then towards everyone else. He shuffled backwards and against the wall, effectively expressing with more emotion and words that he did not understand the situation or how he came to be here or how much blood was there. But he could see one thing. A man, fully hurt, but bandaged up.

Ignoring everyone else, he crawled and sat up to the table, silver eye watching curiously Asmodeus's soft breathing.

[Saneless gets in a heap of pain and promptly leaves. Soulless, ignorant about this entire situation, crawls up to stare at Asmodeus curiously.]

 

[Sakura]

[DASH="#00bbff"]
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As soon as the smell of burning flesh had entered the room, Sakura had backed away, her hands trembling. She had used almost all her willpower to put up with the gruesome details of the surgery and concentrate on stabilizing Asmodeus' leg's, but now, the girl stepped away from the table with an arm around her stomach. She felt sick, queasy almost. It wasn't just the smell, but possibly the sound of the bones as the doctor pushed Asmodeus' fingers into place. The entire thing was coming at her all at once now. The excessive blood, the wounds, the smell, she felt as though she was being overwhelmed with all these things at once.

Sakura slipped to the ground, her head bent over and her arms wrapped around her stomach. She felt like throwing up, but she knew she hadn't eaten much. The feeling, however, remained as she let herself curl over slightly, relishing the warmth of her own body. She tried to push away the thoughts of what had just occurred and detach herself from the lingering smells in the room, but it was difficult for her to concentrate on anything else but how she felt. She coughed into her hands and the feeling of nausea rushed over her like a flood, stronger than ever. She swallowed and balled her hands into fists, closing her eyes tightly and attempting to steady her panicked breathing.

I have to relax...It's not such a big deal...No need to...cause trouble for everyone..

[/DASH]

 

[Mainstream Hipster]

Kaze had scrambled around the house, fetching as many clean cloths as he could to be used as bandages. However, with a lack of any med kits, actual bandages were not available. As he came back, he was fascinated to watch as Jumi reached in with a poker and began to seal up the artery, staunching the blood flow that would've soon ended Asmo's life. Asmo's body reacted as one would expect to a piece of searing hot metal being placed on an artery, body shaking and sweating with pain as Tegan and Sakura held him down. However, after Jumi began to wrap up the leg wound, Sakura seemed unable to handle the situation, quietly stepping away from it all.

Despite the large amount of blood in the room and in the air with its odor, Kaze did not feel the same way as he did during the battle when he smelled the blood. Perhaps it was because he knew the blood wasn't from a battle, but he was strangely at ease during the process, having no problem holding down Asmo while the wounds in his back were drained, then cauterized. The smell of the burning flesh made him slightly queasy, but he still watched with intense concentration at Jumi's actions, absorbing it as he would a particularly interesting piece of history. Kaze was always eager to learn and experience new things, and this surgery was no different.

When they got to the bones, Kaze felt a small shudder go down his back at the sound, his interest in Jumi's expert handling of the situation not enough to leave him unaffected by the sound. However Kaze still managed to hold down Asmo, who at this point while struggling fiercely, was severely weakened by blood loss and was feeble enough to be held down my the wind mage, someone not known for physical prowess.

Soon Jumi had bandaged Asmo up and he was finally stable and semi quiet, though his body stank of burnt flesh, blood, and sweat. But he finally looked stable and like he had a chance at survival and that's what mattered. Even if he wasn't an angel, he was still one of the strongest among them and his experience and leadership abilities were unmatched by any among them. Kaze smiled, knowing that with Jumi now here, Asmo would be ok.

As Kaze saw Jumi walk off to prepare medicine, he followed, going up to him and asking, "Do you mind if I watch you? As a historian, I have read of many historical medicinal practices, and I've come across many medicinal artifacts, but I've never seen medicine making and I'm quite interested in it. You seemed to be quite skilled at what you do, so I think I could learn a lot from you."

 

[Asmodeus]

From screams he fell, through freezing stone and pantheon cries. The great god Homac was impaled, hanging in the sky beside the Stairway. Virulent green spilled from a shattered helm and from the gaping chest wound were the Sword of Iwaku rested.

Asmodeus fell past him and onwards, his body slamming onto each step of the spiral. The eyes of Razilin, slanted white in the darkness, watching, ever watching, as the stones of Nerf Castle tumbled in around him. Then King Gabriel lay alight upon a funeral pyre, floating out to sea, mist and smoke concocted. Asmodeus reached out, yelling, trying to grasp hold of his Lord, but gravity was relentless. His jaw broke on the next step and he rolled onwards.

Bowiegranap and Reikei, working either side of the anvil, hammering the bleeding hearts of angels, each metallic echo sounding with Asmodeus's fall. His body crushed sunglasses, the shattered lenses of JackShade, Shadowform and Edgecrusher lacerating his skin. Then there was singing in the sky. He reached out for Artemis... the golden-haired one on the threshold of the stairs, but her hands were upon a black rose, her head bowed. She did not see him. He fell onwards.

Simica, PsychoElf, Aki, Nezizi, LiquidZero, Denku, Anathil, Anne Bonney - the eight women naked, limbs entwined, heads and faces fusing into one. Then more shards cut his skin as he rolled across a field of broken armour. BloodDancer and the Knights of Iwaku whispered in his ears, each voice becoming distant, lost beneath his agonised yells.

He slammed ribs-first into the next step and the wind was knocked from his body. Beside him hundreds of animals thrashed in cages, their faces oddly human, wailing to be let out. Then Chopsticks filled his fision, tentacles piercing his own skull as he screamed, black ink dripping from eyes and ears.

Zeon, Chaos, Ozgood, Ducadi, Woodrat - they twitched like puppets on the edge of his vision, wires through the veins. And then they were lost as the fires of Shifter Town and Dystopia encroached upon the stairs. Asmodeus fell through the flames, the last of his bones shattering, his skin becoming tears.

The stairs were running out, a void approaching, rusting gears turning in the darkness. The Cycle was shuddering and ready to devour him. He spilled over the edge, hanging by his broken fingers, his body dangling over Iwaku in all its decay and misery.

"Coffee... it wasn't you..."

"They gave you everything you wanted, mon frere. Even this.....

"... even this."

His fingers snapped away.

He fell.




Asmodeus's pupils dilated and his breathing became shallow, eyes rolling back towards the ceiling. His skin was pale and covered in a film of sweat. For a moment he had seemed to stabilize, but then the shock set in. A few shallow, wisp-like breaths was the only warning of what was coming...

...and then his heart stopped.





[SUMMARY: As Asmodeus endures the agonizing surgery, he dreams again of falling down the Heavenly Stairway from Silent Hill and into Iwaku. But in this dream he passes the nightmare visions of fallen Iwakuan heroes. Finally, the pain and despair overwhelms him and he drops into darkness. Asmodeus suffers circulatory shock and his heart gives out.]

 

[soullesshuman]

Soulless's eye closed, listening to the momentary peace that was the breathing of a man who avoided the icy lips of death. However, the breaths were too soft, too light... It wasn't... It wouldn't last and the suddenly, the breaths paused and shivered before ceasing to be. He was the first to notice this and a voice roared loudly in his mind. The BASTARD... DYING!! IF YOU...WANT... SAVE HIM... FOLLOW MY ORDERS! The voice was loud, controlling, out of nowhere and everywhere at once, however he did not question it. The voice faded in and out, but when he heard the voice it was clearly yelling at the top of its lungs, controlling but not angry, forceful but not violent. He closed his eye and let out a whimper and opened his mouth, words drawling. "Bl... Blooood... He does... doesn't have... enouf... blood..." He spoke softly to Jumi, eye wide and not quite understanding what he was saying. "I... will... pro.. provid-de. T-then... Y-you... be-be-beaaatte... the heaaaarrtte." He spoke, before pulling out his dagger and making a small cut on the man's arm, barely noticeable and totally painless compared to what Asemodeus lived through just now.

Then, he plunged into his own arm and pressed the wound against Asmodeus's, willing the blood furiously to slip in, willing the blood furiously to travel through the mans veins and arteries and to make him live, to provide oxygen and nutrients and... somehow, the blood listened. It obeyed... just like before, but now it was not natural. It was a forced thing, he had to concentrate hard to do this, but it was doable.. he was doing it... His own breathing began to slow with his concentration, only taking a breath in a large gasp as if forgetting to breathe. His eye was closed, but it made no movements of blinking either. All his energy and thought focused on keeping his blood flowing into the man, keeping his blood flowing to the man's organs and giving them the life they needed. They gave to the heart, but the heart still would not beat. He shuddered noticeably, unable to understand how he could understand what was going on.

But he understood. Something.. someone was telling him. Something deep inside, with voice slashed and broken and barely understandable, was telling him what was happening and he did whatever he could. Asmodeus... was all he had left in this world to cling to. He would not let him die, even if he was not as he remembered him. He opened his eye halfway, looking at Jumi with a look of desperation, a look of pain. Do something, the gaze spoke, giving blood to fight off the shock was not all that needed to be done. Something needed to tell the heart to beat... something.. his eye closed again and he became dead to the world, though not fully. His breathing slowed to almost negligible and all his being focused once more on his blood just to make it flow from one set of veins to the next...

[Soulless sees what is wrong immediately and Saneless manages to break through... even if only a little bit. Soulless informs everyone that they're not out of the woods yet and delivers an emergency blood transfusion, making himself completely vulnerable while doing so. He tries to tell Jumi without words that Asmo's heart won't jumpstart by itself.]