Saving The World In Spite of Ourselves

[Eve lilith Angelson]

Nyx looked at the young man in front of her and smiled "Hey don't be so hard on yourself, everything happens for a reason, I'm not a bad person and nor are you but I wondered if you could tell me if any others were bought in with me?" Nyx could feel he was a psychic like her but he wasn't as strong and he was having a real bad time with self doubt she knew that feeling well she suffered with it herself but was able to most of the time put a front up all she hoped was that this guy could help her get out of here and maybe if the others had been caught she would be able to get them out too. While she waited for him to speak to her again she shifted in the chair her wrists hurt from the chaffing of the restraints she hated to be locked up like some kind of animal.

 

[Midian]

As Blaze's fire burned the children who had been poking him with the sticks began to frantically bail sea water onto him in an attempt to put him out as a few adults ran up, smothering him in wet blankets. All good sport to the children, they began dancing on the edges of the blanket and poking him again with new driftwood until they were pulled away by their parents. Asta came running out of the medicine hut and pulled the blankets off of him, crouching down next to him.
"Are you okay, stranger?"
*******************************
"I think we're all bad people here," Nathan mumbled and sighed, slinking over to Nyx and undoing her restraints with fumbling fingers.
"I don't know why you're all here, to be honest. Ms. Patricia called ahead and said we needed to interrogate you all, but that was it."

He shrugged and plopped back down in his chair, wrapping his arms around his knees.
"I think something bad's about to happen. I guess you oughta be free to run if you need to."

Alice growled and kicked the chair away from Zoduz, pressing down even harder on him as she grabbed him by the wrist, yanking him forward. She pushed him towards the middle of the room again and aimed a hard kick at his shin, her eyes popping with rage.
"How dare you--"

She stopped, entire body frozen in mid-kick. Her hold on him loosened considerably and she shuddered as an emergency claxon began to sound, the lights in the room turning red.
"What the fuck… What is that-- thing? You!" she turned swiftly to Zoduz.
"If you don't let that thing kill me I won't kill you!"

The source of the emergency measures now being implemented was more or less entirely the fault of two orderlies, mistaking the distress signal of Ginny as coming from Persephone's room. The two large men, armed with stun guns, had barged into the room with sticks blazing. Persephone barely managed to duck behind him, her face resettled into impassiveness, as they applied both prods to Lilth at once, too undertrained and underpaid to realize (or care that) they were in the wrong room. The electric nodes dug into her kidneys, delivering enough charge to cause her to seize. Persephone watched with a blank face, pale arms linked behind her back. A shiver ran up her spine as she caught a feeling of the vicious thing inside of Lilth rising, and too late aware of what was happening, tried to duck out, but another orderly was in her way.

"Let me out!" she hissed, but he didn't seem to hear, too entranced with watching Lilth.

 

[Kura]

Feeling the shock that had suddenly been implanted into her abdomen, Lilith instantly became nauseated from pain. She fell to her knees, evacuating what little contents her stomach possessed onto the floor before she began to seize. Unable to function, she let out a blood-chilling scream that dwindled into a quiet death-rattle. Once her ability to move returned, she managed to turn her head towards Persephone and let out a very low growl as their eyes met. Having not known about Dante's situation, Lilith had no idea that this emergency tasing was not originally directed at her, but it didn't matter now.

"I told.. you.. f-for your.. sake.."

She struggled to her feet, then slowly started to take a step toward the girl, then another. The soft patting sound of her shoes on the floor became clicks as long claws traced the ground. The low growling in her throat mostly covered by the ripping sound of her clothes. The blue eyes that had met Persephone's only a moment ago were now gold, and began to grow and take on a slit-like appearance of the pupil. The 'click-click-click' of claws on the metal floor became louder as the creature previously known as the human Lilith stopped just within feet of her interrogator. As if the terror in Persephone's eyes wasn't already enough, the creature lifted off of her front limbs and slowly lifted her large body onto her muscular back legs.

The two large men from before, obviously no match for the creature that stood before them, dropped their stun guns and turned to escape. Sadly, before they could turn on their heels, both had been pinned onto their stomachs. Lilith leaned down, pressing her nose to the first henchman's head and inhaling a bit. Without hesitation she closed her jaws around the man's head with a sick 'pop'. With a side glance at Persephone, she dropped the head from her mouth and with one paw shoved the headless body in her direction. Turning her attention to the squirming prey she had left, she bore down on his abdomen with all of her weight. This caused his intestines to burst through his abdominal wall and rest in a bloody pile beside him on the floor. The man's face looked as if he motioned to scream, and nothing happened but the trickling of blood over his pale lips.

She now turned her attention to Persephone, who still had her eyes on the beast but was frantically trying to escape. Lilith picked up the pace on all-fours, but reverted to two legs as she got closer. She stopped, allowing her shadow to swallow the girl before she reached down and grabbed her by the throat. She paused a moment, looking into her cold eyes before tossing her aside. The orderly still stood in the doorway, frozen in fear. Lilith wasted no time in lunging for the woman and catching her throat between her teeth. She gave one good snap of her jaw to ensure fracture of the spine, then allowed the orderly to drop from her mouth.

Lilith stopped, heaved a few times and regurgitated an eyeball and its attached cords next to the dying orderly before making her way out the door and quickly around the corner into the adjacent hall.

 

[Midian]

A loud crash followed by harried shouting attracted Lilth's sharp hearing. The emergency claxon had begun to stutter to a halt and as she pursued the dying shouts and curses a more immediate clatter behind her drew her attention. Before she could fully turn around to see the air conditioner vent screen that had fallen a body solidly roped with muscle collided into her, fingers like too-tightly wound springs closing around her furry throat as two booted feet sank into the bony curves of her hips. The pair fell to the floor and Dante's face, splattered with blood and bits of bone, loomed over her. His eyes were wide and feral, teeth bared stark white behind the blood smeared all over his mouth and broken nose.
"You-- you-- you--"

He lashed out with a lacerated fist, bits of glass still embedded in it, and struck her across the muzzle, one boot now braced on the steely floor to keep his balance.
"Stella!" he roared, strings of bloody saliva dripping from his split lips. "Fuck you Stella! I'll kill you!"

 

[Kura]

Lilith snatched back, letting out a loud whine as Dante struck her in the face. Her whimper was quickly replaced by a fierce roar as she regained what little composure this form had. With one powerful swipe of a paw, she sent Dante flying into the floor then dove after, pinning him down by his arms. She used this moment to catch her breath-- but it wasn't until this moment that she realized that the blow Dante had delivered to her muzzle earlier had planted a few rogue pieces of glass into her snout. She shook her head wildly to try to free them but to no avail. She reared her head back and sneezed, spraying Dante's face with blood.

 

[Midian]

Dante gave a full body shudder under her and struggled, long legs kicking until he could get the leverage to snap a knee up that connected with the back of her thigh, knocking her just far enough forward that he could latch onto her muzzle with his teeth, bleeding fingers desperately pushing against her hold on him. Another, and another knee blow struck her thigh until he got one arm free, raising it to land a blow across her muzzle matted in their blood.

 

[Kura]

The combination of the kick to her thigh and Dante's bite to her muzzle caused the hackles on her back to stand up as Lilith caught his raised arm out of the corner of her eye. She snatched her muzzle from Dante's mouth and locked her jaws around his arm, digging her teeth into him. In one motion, the creature snatched Dante out from under her by his forearm, slung him through the air and into a nearby wall. After he had been released, she backed up a few paces before darting towards him and ramming her head into his stomach.

 

[Midian]

Dante coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the back of her neck and managed to squirm away, with a limping crawl marked by almost-debilitating twitches and dripping bloodsplatter, retreated to the body of a dead nurse lying across the threshold to his room. With a deft twist he pulled out the tooth loosened by Lilth's muzzle and let it fall to the floor, pulling a scalpel from her abandoned tray.
"Eat this, you fucking bitch!" he yelled, drunkenly slicing at her face with the surgical instrument. It cut a shallow wound in her shoulder and before he could strike at her again there was a terrible, deep rumble that shook the facility. The lights died along with the emergency siren and as Dante lay sprawled half in, half out of his cell he felt a shaking little hand grab his ankle. Ginny tried to pull herself closer to him but he yanked his leg away.
"Something's coming," she muttered. "A hole's coming."

The sound seemed to be sucked out of the room all at once. Huge chunks of metal began to fall away and suddenly the four Purifiers were falling into the darkness. Lilth's body slowly began to regain her human form as they fell. Darkness gave way to the smell of flowers and the soft murmur of voices and as Nyx and Zoduz's eyes cleared they found themselves in an ornate garden, an elegant woman in a crown standing with her hands to her mouth.
"Who are you?" she demanded, drawing herself up to her full height, hand on the small dagger at her hip. Seeing the state of Dante's bloody body she signaled a nearby guard who immediately went running for help. Swiftly Queen Amilah knelt and checked Dante and Lilth for their pulses, relieved to find them both alive. In what seemed like no time the guard returned, saluting her.
"Your highness, the healers are on their way now. The team we sent to retrieve the others at the ocean will arrive there by nightfall. Imal says the darkness is responsible for holes opening and closing between the worlds and that must be how they've arrived; She can think of no other explanation."
"Thank you Charo, you bring glad news. Dismissed," she replied and he saluted again, returning to his post at the garden gate. Healers in white soon began carrying Lilth and Dante away to their separate rooms as the Queen gestured for Nyx and Zoduz to sit on the marble bench before her.
"Tell me, who are you two? How did you come to be in the company of my Purifiers?"

 

[Closer]

Blaze sat up quickly after being abruptly awoken, his breathing was desperate as his chest seized up from the shock of the cold water like a clamp had been placed on his windpipe, the body's natural reaction to shock mixed with the situation he woke up into forced him into a panic.

"Are you okay, stranger?"

He frantically pushed himself backwards trying to assess the situation, tearing at the sand behind him with his hands and feet, stumbling and slipping as he did.

The darkness? Where the hell am I? What is going on here?

His heart pumped loudly In his chest as the adrenaline that accompanies fear worked it in overtime, looking all around in a state of duress he backed away until his feet were licked by the cold touch of the shore.

Who are these people, what are they trying to do to me? Where am I, a beach?

As the initial panic began to dissipate Blaze began to regulate his breathing and make sense of his thoughts that were going in a loop of the same few questions.

That's right, we were in the ambulance and then everything went black. How did I end up on a beach, where even am I? What happened to the people I was with, am I alone here? I need to get some answers.

Having finally consolidated his thoughts he reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a soggy box of cigarettes, opening and placing one in his mouth he lit it with a small flame emanating from his thumb. Taking a few long inhales he spoke to the woman who had been crouched by him. "Where am I? How did I get here?" Blazed shuffled uncomfortably as he awaited a reply, still edgy so to not drop his guard.

 

[Captain Scrubz]

Zoduz was surprised how quick Alice was and kicked the chair from him and grabbed his slightly bleeding wrists. She pressed down harder and finally kicked him into the middle of the room. He noticed the rage building in her and thought this could end up with one of them dead.
He was just about to brace himself for the fight when the red lights surrounded the room he looked around the room wondering what was going on, he didn't have a clue but was glad for the interruption. Zoduz didn't want to kill Alice but would of done to protect himself, as he looked at Alice he knew this was bad.

Zoduz looked around and wondered what she was on about "Fine get in the corner and I'll save your ass" he barked at her, he clenched his fists ready to fight whatever she was on about. As Alice went into the corner he turned his back on her, regretting he's believing her but eyes don't lie he thought. With his back turned he asked "what do you see I want to know what I'm up against here cause I haven't got a clue here".

Before Zoduz got an answer he found himself swallowed into darkness followed by a scent of fresh flowers he muttered to himself "where am I now". He was getting annoyed with going to all these places. He thought about how he got here and it all started with following those 2 from the woods. He took a deep breath and his vision was clearing.

He looked around and it looked like he was in Fairyworld, fresh grass, lovely flowers. Zoduz breathed in deeply and felt peace for a change. He looked at his wrists and they had stopped bleeding and was healing slowly by itself.The first figure he saw was a woman wearing a crown with a dagger. He wasn't to sure if she was royalty or not and was sure she had a dagger just in case if he tried anything. His eyes followed the crowned woman to the 2 people he was following. He spoke up loudly "What happened to them".

He soon noticed another woman next to him and was a little surprised it was the bar lady with the tattoo's standing next to him. He nodded to her to show acknowledgement and simply asked "You feeling better now, you had a fall last time I saw you".

Zoduz concentrated on the other people listening what was going on because he didn't have a clue and hopefully now he would get some answers in a better environment, not in a cell handcuffed to a stupid chair and a female telling him about his father. He tensed up thinking about it but he had to let it go, the sweet smell of the flowers helped him relax a little.

Zoduz heard someone calling this lady highness so he thought right, that she was royalty and better act right in front of her. When she offered Zoduz and Nyx to sit down on the marble bench Zoduz smiled and nodded "Thankyou". He sat down and was happy he could have a break it feels like years since he felt this relaxed. It actually was the first time ever he felt relaxed.

When the queen asked Zoduz and Nyx who we are and how we came to be the company of the Purifiers Zoduz was shocked "Purifiers you mean I've been following purifiers". He just realized he said that a little to loud for his liking and thought he better follow up quickly "Sorry your highness, let me start at the beginning"

"I am Zoduz Ford a human orc your highness, I was actually following them from when they were attacked and I killed 5 monsters who was chasing them into the woods. The problem was your highness it's something I would have not normally of done. I am an assassin and I had finished my current mission and came across them running for there lives. I have..." he paused and wondered why he did it and put it in the right words ".....I have my life goal but with current effects my curiosity got the better of me and I'm not to sure where my life is heading now but I will complete my life goal"

Zodus started to frown and he didn't want to tell the whole truth but it had to be the truth to work out why he was here "Sorry your highness" he continued "I saved them two and I wanted to know why I saved them without getting involved so I followed them to see what they were doing, my life goal still stands and always will but it looks like I have been sidetracked for some stupid reason all because something inside me was telling me to follow".

Zoduz took a deep breath and waited for the response of the queen and Nyx's story.

 

[Midian]

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

Asta smiled warmly and clasped her hands in front of her.
"You're among friends here, Stranger. I'm Asta Alali, a fisher, and you're in the northern ocean village of Lobue. You and your companions fell from the sky and landed in the ocean."
Worry crept into her eyes, the color of their sea in healthier years. Now it lapped grey and dull at his heels.
"You fell from the darkness, but you don't have an evil heart. I can see that much about you. But how did you come to be within it? You aren't an agent of the Dire Queen, are you?" she asked, fidgeting in the sand with her bare feet.

Before Blaze could answer a conch shell was blown and from the dense fog over the ocean a few boats came ashore, men and women carrying baskets barely filled with limp fish.
"Food is getting scarce since the darkness came, but you are our guest and we are proud to share a meal with you," she said, smiling, and lead him to the middle of the beach where now people from the huts were beginning to build a fire. Others brought fruit and vegetables and others still brought long sticks and cushions until the small village was seated around the fire, roasting their food on the driftwood and chatting among themselves. Asta speared a fish on a long stick and handed it to Blaze, shyly smiling from behind her wavy brown hair.
"Please eat with us. Uncle Iolo is about to tell the story of Spider Village. I think you'll like it if you like scary stories!"

She settled her elbows on her crossed ankles and leaned her chin into her palms, cutting her eyes at him now and again to see what he was doing. An older man took a small platter of food into the healer's hut as the scarred man who had carried Piper into his home stood. A hush fell over the crowd and the small children huddled together.

"Tonight I have been asked by my niece, the same as many nights, to tell the story of Spider Village. In honor of our guests I have chosen to do so. This story is a cautionary tale to those who would seek to defy nature's order, so take heed. I was a young man when it all happened. Once, deep in the swamp, there was a village of artisans more skilled than any in Coroco. They produced the finest silk and their cloth was second to none; The Royal Family today still even wears some of their garments.

But the villagers grew arrogant and believed they could outwit nature. An plant they used for their rich blue dye had become scarce, so the villagers instead began to mine under the village for a lake rumored to have minerals in the water that would make the same colors. They were right: the lake did exist. As they pumped the water out they tried to replace it with swamp water instead, but they had already done great to the land. This angered the goddesses who caused their village to sink into the ground they had so mercilessly used. The villagers that fell into the swamp water became monsters neither fish nor human, their twisted limbs covered in scales and gasping gills. Those who landed in the ruins of the village became fused with what they landed on: some found themselves with vases for hands or legs fused to--"

Lights came over the hill and as the villagers stood Asta ran up to the approaching party, evading her uncle's attempt to stop her. Over the hill came a small party of royal guards, four of them carrying with them a litter. Iolo hurried up to meet them and moved Asta away, confronting the leader of the party.
"Why have you come?"
"The queen has requested that we bring back the Purifiers that have landed here. We mean you no harm," the man replied and reluctantly Iolo allowed them past. As Shola and Piper were loaded into the litter Lucas and Blaze were motioned over to two empty horses. Asta ran up to Blaze, holding out the roasted fish he hadn't gotten to eat.
"Here... In case you, um, you get hungry... I hope you'll come back," she stuttered. Glancing around again she quickly pulled the small wentletrap shell pin from her hair, pressing it into his hands.
"We call these the ears of the goddesses. If you are hopeless, they will hear you. Goodbye Stranger!"

She dashed down the beach to rejoin her aunt and uncle as the party began to move towards the palace. The leader of the party nodded to Lucas and shook his hand.
"We're glad to have you back. If you've got it in you, I've been ordered to turn this over to you to lead. The Queen asks that we get back as soon as possible. I leave it to you to guide us."

 

[Midian]

"Then it must have been you that killed the monsters at the city wall then. I am grateful for your service in that regard; You have done myself and my people a great favor. I am glad to see you all here and well... For the most part. I am Queen Amilah of Coroco, Zoduz Ford, and you have become "sidetracked" for a very good reason. I have no doubt some part of you was able to sense that they were fellow Purifiers. But there will be plenty of time to explain everything once I have secured the wellbeing of my-- of Shola Rehau, the captain of my guards. For now I offer you rooms and food and entreat you to consider yourselves guests in my halls. A servant will shortly escort you to some rooms being prepared now. In the meantime I would like to show you my gardens personally," she said, rising from her marble seat and gesturing to a garden half-hidden by tastefully wild rose bush walls.

As they passed underneath one great window a healer's apprentice leaned out and watched them go by until he was sternly admonished by his tutor who had just finished checking Lilth over for grave injuries. There was only a shallow cut on her shoulder that only needed to be disinfected and the elder healer oversaw her apprentice as he did so, flicking him on the ear when he made a sniggering comment about the ugliness of her dress.
"She needs rest, not ridicule. Stupid boy..." she muttered, dragging him out. Down the hall the healer attending Dante gave a shriek and there was a clattering sound as something fell to the floor. The healer paused for a moment before taking her apprentice by the collar and hurrying him down the hall, not wishing to engage with the killer that had come so lately to their palace.The man's cold eyes and strange had kept everyone on edge since his first arrival months earlier and they thought they had been rid of him. Now he seemed to have returned half-insane and she wished to avoid dealing with him if at all possible.

 

[Kura]

Lilith barely opened her eyes at the sound of the first shriek. It took her a few moments to get used to consciousness once again, and once this happened she shot up in bed. An instant pain shot through her upper body-- especially the wound on her shoulder.

"What the-?!" She winced and laid her hand on her injured shoulder, then another particularly loud shriek gained her attention. Her eyes widened as recent memories flooded through her mind. The blood, the entrails of the henchman and the popping sounds as they burst from their bodies..

"Eat this, you fucking bitch!" She winced once more as she watched as the beast in her head was slashed. As her attacker's face became clear, she realized it was-

"Dante." Lilith gasped, looking wildly around the room but to no avail. "DANTE." Kicking off the blankets, she raced out the door and down the hall, following the Healer and her apprentice to the source of the screams. She looked around the room frantically, and let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of Dante crouched on top of the armoire. For a moment, he reminded her of a cat trying to get away from a pack of dogs. Walking into the room and past the healers then up to Dante's perch, she looked up at him with a stern face.

"Get down here."

 

[Midian]

"Get down here."

Dante narrowed his eyes at her and shuddered, shaking his head.
"Listen. I'm missing a fucking tooth, my arm hurts like fuck, my whole fucking body hurts, I'm covered in blood, and my other shoulder is almost out of its fucking socket. I have no fucking clue what I've been doing since we got dragged out of that bar, I have no weapons on me, and you want me to get down there? If you were me would you do it?" he growled. "I'm too injured to fight and otherwise defenseless. I'm not fucking coming down."

Something faltered in his face as he regarded Lilth and shuddered again, but the expression was unreadable aside from afraid.

 

[Kura]

"Listen. I'm missing a fucking tooth, my arm hurts like fuck, my whole fucking body hurts, I'm covered in blood, and my other shoulder is almost out of its fucking socket. I have no fucking clue what I've been doing since we got dragged out of that bar, I have no weapons on me, and you want me to get down there? If you were me would you do it?"

Some of the color drained from her face as her eyes shot to inspect Dante's arm. She had only briefly realized it before, but it was now very obvious that she had made a very big mistake.

Oh god.. I must have bitten him.. which means..

Doing her best to hold back tears, she silently walked over to the corner of the room, looking for anything she could find with a sharp edge. After rummaging through a few drawers she came across a small blade and made her way back over to Dante's perch. She looked around at the healers surrounding her, and motioned for them to back away. Looking up at him with a softened expression, she held the blade up to him.

"Here."

 

[Closer]

The cold water continued to lap at his heels, dividing around his ankles as his feet had already sunk into the soft wet sand, where he stood was the front line of the eternal feud of ocean against land. Blaze remained stood for a few moments before the woman ahead of him spoke.

"You're among friends here, Stranger. I'm Asta Alali, a fisher, and you're in the northern ocean village of Lobue. You and your companions fell from the sky and landed in the ocean."
"You fell from the darkness, but you don't have an evil heart. I can see that much about you. But how did you come to be within it? You aren't an agent of the Dire Queen, are you?" she asked, fidgeting in the sand with her bare feet.

She took no time introducing herself and the location in which they currently stood, Blaze gave out a small confused laugh as she spoke. On second glance Asta was a beautiful woman, something about her voice was soothing. Although he didn't understand what was going on, the combination of the strange darkness, his current situation and the comfort coming from her voice made him believe there may be some truth to her words.

"I, I....."

Before he could find the right words his attention was stolen and Blaze turned his gaze and thoughts to a loud horn like noise originating from behind him, He jumped slightly raising his arms to cover his face in a flinch. Blaze stared gormless towards the fishing boats as they hit the shore carrying half empty buckets of fish, struggling to adapt to the new happenings around him. He snapped back to his reality upon hearing the voice of Asta, it had an allure to it much like a fire on a cold night, for some reason she was the only thing he could feel safe about in this crazy situation.

"Food is getting scarce since the darkness came, but you are our guest and we are proud to share a meal with you,"

Blaze blindly followed her as she ushered him towards a group of people around a fire towards the center of the beach, as he crossed over from wet to dry sand his feet became covered by a thin layer as it stuck to the moisture on his feet. He finally found his voice as he made his way across the beach and attempted to find out more, although talking to women has never been his strong suit. He had questions about the Dire Queen and the Darkness but was more concerned about his immediate situation and why he was alone. His stomach sent rumbles through his torso and his mouth was dry with a lasting taste of salt obviously from the sea.

"I don't really understand whats going on here Asta, I have never heard of this place where in Pandemonium is Lobue? My name is Blaze, I am a teacher for the institute of fire, where are the people I came with? Are they OK? I seem to be very hungry, I am ashamed to impose like this but I will take you up on your generous offer."

Blaze sat down next to Asta, he felt reassured that he was not in danger but it was all quite daunting. Blaze sat nervously looking around until Asta offered him a stick with a cooked fish on it, accompanied by a beautiful smile visible between the two rivers of wavy brown hair.

"Please eat with us. Uncle Iolo is about to tell the story of Spider Village. I think you'll like it if you like scary stories!"

He took the stick giving out a slight sigh and relaxing his posture, he flashed a slightly perplexed smile towards Asta as she sat comfortably. He ate the food and listened to the beginning of the story, trying to avoid eye contact with Asta who he caught glancing at him though his peripherals. An urge built up inside him as he sat warm and his needs fulfilled, Blaze lent over to Asta slightly placing one hand into the sand to hold his weight, speaking quietly so to not disturb the story.

"Thank you Asta, Thank you for saving me. I am forever in your debt."

Blaze turned his head following Asta as she got up and ran towards a group of people holding a torch, now sitting nervously again alone with the villagers. He stood leaving his fish on his seat as he was ushered by the strange men to climb onto a horse alongside the people he recognized from the ambulance. He didn't feel a threat from them but leaving Asta felt like, well, he didn't know what to make of the feeling but it just felt wrong. Turning towards her as she stood in front of him with the rest of his fish, his eyes wide with confusion as he looked into her eyes.

"Here... In case you, um, you get hungry... I hope you'll come back,"
"We call these the ears of the goddesses. If you are hopeless, they will hear you. Goodbye Stranger!"

He took the fish with his left hand, breaking eye contact to look down at what she had placed in his palm. In his current state of emotions his processing was slow, by the time the words Goodbye Stranger reached his thoughts she had already returned to the fire. He stood silent for a moment before putting the token into his pocket and turning towards Lucas who seemed to be acquainted with the newcomers.

"What the hell is going on here?"

 

[Midian]

With a deft flick of the wrist Dante had the blade in his possession and had tucked it somewhere unseen. Favoring his nearly unsocketed arm he dropped from the top of the armoire and winced as he braced himself on the arm previously used as a chew toy. Whatever she'd done to him in the past, she'd willingly turned over a weapon to him and that wasn't lost on the neurotic assassin. Glaring at the healers assembled against the far wall, Dante limped over to Lilth and jerked his thumb at them, then winced again.
"Going somewhere private. C'mon."

He motioned for her to follow and led her into an adjoining room filled with all manner of overstufffed furniture made for reclining and sitting. He plopped down on one and drew another closer with his foot in invitation to her. Gingerly he began undoing the straps on his legs and soon had undone a small strip of even tinier pockets all sewn in a line. From them he extracted miniature tinted pump-action spray bottles with different-colored stickers on them. One he shook next to his ear and then handed to Lilth.
"Spray that on the cut..."

For a minute he seemed to forget what he was doing and remained fixed on it before shaking himself out of the reverie and shaking the bottle at her.
"Come on, it'll prevent it from scarring. You're not like us, you've got looks to lose."

Still looking mildly disturbed he cycled through the canisters and picked another, shaking it violently.
"Someone cut you good though, someone who knew what they were doing. Be more careful next time, you shouldn't handle that on your own. You ought to let me or Zoduz tangle with our own."
He sprayed a generous amount over his dislocated shoulder and after a minute popped it back into place before speaking again.
"I assume you remember what happened back there, but it's all a little blurry for me. How'd I get this banged up, and who attacked you?"
Somewhere inside a little worm of guilt squirmed in the pit of his stomach. He knew he was capable of hurting (relatively) innocent people when he was on a break and hoped it hadn't been him who attacked her.
-----------------------------------
Night fog rolled onto the party's path as they trekked across the plain, fast leaving the gentle din of the ocean behind them. Overhead the sky shone with bright stars and the gentle sliver of a moon. Piper had managed to come to not long after the set off on the plains path to the Royal City and now followed Blaze closely, clinging to his arm at every errant rustle. An older woman with a scarred face and a friendly smile attended them and kept watch over Shola.
"I remember when she first came... Poor thing. It's a wonder to see her like this now. We all though she was indestructible," Keta said sadly, her frown tugged at by old scars.
"Where are we going?" Piper whispered to Blaze, but Keta's sharp ears didn't miss anything.
"We're going to the Royal City, little one. The Queen wants to see all of you. Apparently you're all very special. I think this one's also special to that Alali girl though," she said, winking at Blaze. Piper crossed her arms and pretended not to hear.
"We should be there by sunrise. I don't like travelling at night, but we don't have a choice right now," Keta said. "There are more monsters than ever before."

As she spoke the wind and rustling in the grass died down and the front line of guards drew their swords. Piper was instantly glued to Blaze's back in terror as paper-white people began to amble into view, what appeared to be black cracks running through their marble-like bodies. Rather than eyes and mouths they had crude, uneven black gouges and as they moved their bodies popped and cracked wetly.
"Wisps!" Keta whispered to Blaze. "They're attracted to light and sound. If you're as special as the Queen thinks you are, we might need your help. Wisps can only be killed by dismemberment and sunlight. Look out for their spit, it's like acid."
"I'm scared!" Piper hissed.
"Nothing going to happen to you, kiddo," Keta reassured her, drawing her own sword.

 

[Kura]

"Going somewhere private. C'mon."

Lilith glanced over at the Healers whispering and somewhat cowering against the wall as she followed Dante to the other room. Was it her, or did they seem to be familiar with him? She slowly sat in the chair he had pulled up for her and quickly became nervous as she watched him start to undo the straps on his legs.

"U-Uhm.. W-what are you-" She quickly went silent as he handed her the bottle.

"Spray that on the cut..." She gave him a skeptical look, taking the bottle from his hand. "Come on, it'll prevent it from scarring. You're not like us, you've got looks to lose."


Lilith blushed lightly and did as she was told, spraying the gash that spread over her collarbone and shoulder. This caused a sharp pain to shoot through her upper body and she dropped the bottle, grabbing at her shoulder and groaning a bit.

"Thanks.." Grunting, she lightly tapped the bottle in Dante's direction with her foot.

"Someone cut you good though, someone who knew what they were doing. Be more careful next time, you shouldn't handle that on your own. You ought to let me or Zoduz tangle with our own."

She winced as she watched him pop his shoulder back into place. She fixed her eyes on his bitten arm as he spoke again.

"I assume you remember what happened back there, but it's all a little blurry for me. How'd I get this banged up, and who attacked you?"

"I-I don't, actually. All I remember was being locked in some warehouse.. I spoke with a woman, but she seemed terrified to get close to me.. the next thing I know, two large men were tasing me." She looked away from him, starting to fidget with a cut on one of her fingers. "I don't remember anything after that.. Didn't you hurt your arm?" She said softly as she reached out to touch the arm she had bitten.

 

[Captain Scrubz]

Zodus muttered "Fellow purifiers?" He couldn't believe that he was a purifier, he tried to remember bits of what purifiers did but it was mostly snippets of information. All his life he's been trained to kill nothing more, he was glad that more information would be explained at a later date and he kept listening intently to the queen.

Now he was a guest at this place, he couldn't remember the last time he was a guest and have a bed. The queen wanted to show him, her garden. "Thank you your highness, your garden is…." He tried to think of the right word except for nice and came out with "…beautiful". He thought he sounded wrong coming from him but the word fits. *It will have to do* he thought.

As he got up he noticed the sunset as he walked along the gravel path with the queen. He took in the scenery of many different flowers next to the path. He saw a large tree at the back also filled with flowers with fresh grass around its base. Zodus was trying to take in that he is a purifier and was wondering why him?

He felt a little uncomfortable walking with queen especially with his background and he was trying his best to be formal and courtesy. "Your highness" he began "Why am I a purifier, I don't understand". As he looked up, he noticed the night sky setting in.

His eye under his eye patch started to itch and he quickly lifted it open to itch it and place it back covering the eye.

 

[Closer]

Blaze rode on horseback alongside the party, absorbing the scenery of this strange, supposedly different world to Pandemonium. The night was already dark and the light from the torches only showed so much of their surroundings accompanied by the silver glow of the moon. He sat awkwardly on the saddle clinging on to the reigns having never ridden a horse before, taking the earliest chance to clamber down. As Piper came around he dismounted the beast and found himself walking close beside her. Blaze found small comfort in the warmth of piper clinging to his arm, everything about the current predicament made him feel uneasy.
He tried to listen in on the conversations around him amongst the many trains of thought running through his mind.

"I remember when she first came... Poor thing. It's a wonder to see her like this now. We all thought she was indestructible,"

*The old lady seems to be familiar with that girl, and the guy that accompanied her in crashing into my house is now leading the party.* Blaze ran the possibilities through his head and came to no conclusion, none of the situation made any sense to him apart from the fact that these two clearly came from here. He turned towards Piper as she spoke a question which further confirmed his lack of clarity.

"Where are we going?"

Having been too uncomfortable to ask these strange people anything himself, Blaze's ears perked up as the old lady addressed Pipers question, He was slightly shocked initially at her hearing as she picked up the question which was quietly addressed to him.

"We're going to the Royal City, little one. The Queen wants to see all of you. Apparently you're all very special. I think this one's also special to that Alali girl though. We should be there by sunrise. I don't like travelling at night, but we don't have a choice right now, There are more monsters than ever before."

Blaze blushed slightly in the torchlight with regards to the lady's comment about Asta, He felt safe with her at the beach, around the fire. He thought back to just before all this mess, back to the strange monster that attacked him, the train of thought inspired by her mentioning of the monsters. He threw his arm in front of Piper as he caught a glimpse of the creatures that interrupted the advance, a reflex movement in co-ordination with the party's sudden reaction to danger, his eyes remained fixed as the old lady spoke quietly to him.

"They're attracted to light and sound. If you're as special as the Queen thinks you are, we might need your help. Wisps can only be killed by dismemberment and sunlight. Look out for their spit, it's like acid."

Blaze panicked as the party stood on edge in a stand off with the wisps, *another mention of this so called Queen, what is everyone talking about special for? Special in what sense?* He struggled to make sense of his thoughts and in the current situation, Blaze took a defensive stance and his hands lit with orange flames, turning his head to now look at her as he spoke.

"I don't know what is going on here, but if helping you guys means helping us, then for now at least I will lend my help. I have the power to control fire, you said these things are attracted to light ? Realistically I will only be helpful for a distraction or diversion if burning them wont work."