The Sentence - IC

Status
Not open for further replies.
"...?" While the voice was now indeed more sentient, and would have maybe even allowed for a real conversation, the tide quickly turned upon the mention of that wannabe guy Kaileb. Reality around them changed so fast that the mere thought of escaping was absurd. Instead, they now sat upon the graveyard accompanied by a mandatory church. However, where a graveyard was usually supposed to be a place of grieve, peace and sadness, this particular one was more akin to some distant eldritch dreams. For some of her Elders, if still alive, this would have been a comfortable place, but Este being of a younger generation, she clearly didn't like it. And the half-sense making stuff that Gerald blurted made it clear that they were apparently at the mercy of some higher being, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Tzch..." Whatever it was that lingered there between the tombstones, it did cast a shadow, even if she couldn't see a body, so in one sense or another it was fated to have at least a touchable body or similar. Though was violence really the answer to continue their advance? A look at the church made her frown. "Stop beating around the bush and tell us what you want! Making a lady wait is rude." Surely, if that voice had overheard their conversation from before, it would surely still listen?
 
NrOIoQB.png

@ERode @Psyker Landshark @R-9 Pilot​

"Hm, well... if it's from the angel herself, I suppose it must be mighty important," the female guard said, "Though if it's our leaders you're seeking, I can only assume the princess has been put to bed already!" Her companion on the wall laughed boisterously, and the guard herself smiled at her own joke. "If it's lodging you need, I think I could talk to my superiors. Give me a moment!" She disappeared into a tower while her friend remained, looking quite tired and bored up there.

After an unfortunate amount of time later, standing around in the increasingly cold air, the doors of the gates finally opened up. At the other end of the barrier, a troop of three Palacians stood waiting. There were two on either side of a rather short boy, clearly present to escort the Aesil champions.

"Well well. I'd have expected someone more notorious to come deliver a message from Efrida," he said, tilting his head. "I'm afraid our leaders are off to sleep at the moment, and if champions I've never seen before are being sent, I can only assume the message can wait till morning, no?" He turned away and beckoned with a hand.

"Come, we can direct you to a local inn." The two guards beside him waited in place as he began his walk, only moving once the three champions passed them by.

Within the walls of Palace's Borough, the looks on citizens' eyes were much more direct and unwelcoming, though as the night grew, there ultimately fewer people to stare them down in the first place. The trek continued on for a few more minutes, until they turned a final corner...

Mere yards from them, a street-wide blockade of Palace members stood waiting for them, weapons at the ready. Behind, too, it seemed as though the faction were waiting. They had been routed into a trap, for whatever reason. Be it their origin, Palace's anger, or knowledge of their intents, the Aesil champions seemed to be in for a beating, or arrest at the very least.

"Aesil messengers," one of the warriors called out, "We know what you bring to us, and we have been waiting. Surrender now and sit upon the ground, or we will utilize force."



Within the stone-book room, Natalya seemed without a clue as to Galina's whereabouts; the Library was far too large and labyrinthine to successfully trace her path. As she stepped outside the room, however, a familiar sight caught her eye. Another ethereal owl sat perched on the back of a wooden chair pulled up to a desk, eyes glowing white into her own. It hooted once, and hopped on the ground, inching closer towards a hallway, attention still focused on Natalya. Its slow distancing insinuated the owl desired her to follow, and if she did, would have led her straight to Galina's location.

In the room with the pipe organ, All seemed invisible to her. Countless golden perches swung lightly in the air, as if grasped by an unseen avian. Hoots and cries of owls spoke to one another, back and forth, until finally it became silent. The sound of light, transient flapping turned her attention upwards; right above her. From out of thin air, a much larger owl than the shadow she had chased, swooped down to the keys of the organ. It seemed real, tangible at least, to the champion as it's talons silently grasped at the side of the organ.

"What is your name?" the owl suddenly asked, mouth open but immobile. Another ethereal owl swept into the room, it too, disappearing as it found its landing spot. Following close behind would have been Natalya.

"Your, names," the owl corrected itself, "In my years here, it has become difficult to experience such strange things... so say my eyes." Its words seemed cryptic. The voice was definitely female, older than Galina or Natalya, and had a soothing nature to it. The owl ruffled its feathers, puffing up, before smoothing itself out again. "Fear no prying eyes in here, ladies. Nothing will harm you. Speak what you must."



Inside the bakery, Carol was nowhere to be found. Sarah indicated she had hid inside the backroom where she stored her merchandise that was not yet on display. The girl was clearly fearful of the sudden attack, the chaos of Eleena darting outside so quickly. Neither Halberd nor Eleena knew what Carol had seen, exactly, but certainly enough she knew there was more fighting to be had, and that was enough to send her running for cover.

Eventually the girl appeared from her hiding spot, peering around corners before fully revealing herself.

"Is it over? Did you get hu-!" Carol forze upon seeing Eleena's heavily wounded body, and she cowered behind the display shelf she had just came out from.

The body outside remained there, and soon enough the sounds of a normal outdoors population reached the champions' ears. For whatever reason, the populace of the borough had started to drift back into the streets outside the bakery, and with that, came shrieks of terror. Outside the window, they could see a gathering of individuals, some braver than others, looking over the headless corpse. Guardians were called, while others consigned themselves to simply staring.

The note that was thrown to Halberd, while crumpled up, was still very much readable.

Chosen of my lieutenant,
Spell of memory is entwined with crystal. Memories are of targets. Eliminate them. Retrieve younger girl.
Warden Mimo will not be for you. Ignore memory. Find in Guardian Borough.​

The small note was signed by a single 'K' as its signature.



"I'm missing something?" she responded, looking genuinely confused. As soon as Junkiro refreshed her memory, she leaned her head back and sighed. "Ah yes. That. Well, I suppose you should simply be satisfied with seeing me as unaffiliated. I am with no one, you see..." She nodded at his explanation of his past, but shrugged it off.

"Like I said, I have to take what I can get," she smirked. "Unless you have any other questions-"

"I have one," a small but angry voice chimed in. The woman Junkiro was meeting with quickly turned around and retrieved her sword, all within a single motion. At the height of the stairs to the hill, a short form could be made out in the darkness.

"Who are you?!" the woman called out, holding her saber in the direction of the intruder. As Junkiro peered further, he could make out the individual's identity. It was Kokusho. The small girl stood underneath the shadows cast by the trees, head bowed and eyes obscured by her hair. Her face was not warm.

"How could you? How could you betray us like this?" she asked, calling out to Junkiro, "Are we really worth a stick of gum?" Kokusho's head shot up, revealing her teary but scowling face. Her fists clenched as she stared the Palacian down. "Traitor!"



Through Gerald's true sight, he could see that the spread of his influence was working somewhat effectively, though the nature of their surroundings seemed unfettered by such matters. As the invisible energies approached, they soon dissipated as they came into contact with his field of decay, but as one fell, another arose from the earth beneath the graves. They could not reach them, it seemed, but they did not cease in their attempted approach.

"What exactly do you see?" Aposto asked Gerald. As Este shouted out to the voice, Aposto looked upwards as if expecting an answer for her. Before they could receive such a reply, the bell of the chapel rung twice. The energies paused in their sauntering before sinking below the earth they rose from. A heavy dust storm suddenly overcame the defending group, battering them with a bluish, fine sand. As it began to subside, they could make out the silhouette of someone approaching from the chapel.

Stopping a few yards from them, the figure made itself out to be a white-haired girl, eyes narrowed in what seemed like sleep deprivation. She gave a light nod and spread her arms to her sides, gesturing to the graves around her.

"Welcome..." she said. Her voice was incredibly quiet yet piercing, as if it were focused solely to each and every one of their ears, and nowhere else. "...to the Fourth Demon's Court."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
@Beta​

"How unfortunate," Kairen pouted, feigning a motion to leave immediately, "I suppose your slow business is so slow because you only accept a single patient per day? Such laziness," she commented. Feeling immediately more welcome, she dropped herself unto an open seat and folded her legs.

"Your parents must have you taught you nothing," she said, "Did all of those years of attending dances and dinners go to waste? We are nothing if not aristocratic in our ways." She looked about the room, judging it. "Though I may be mistaken in your qualifications for nobility," she said under her breath. Her face quickly returned to a smile as she turned back to Elias.

"Could this not simply be a visit for old time's sake? I so rarely got to interact with you in my younger years." She stood up and immediately ran a finger over the windowsill behind her, rubbing her fingers together afterwards with a vague look of displeasure.

"No, I am indeed here for something far more important than your company. I am familiar with your strange powers, as most of us are, and I believe you may be our last hope, as much as it pains me to say it." She crossed her arms and tilted her head at Elias.

"Have you been hearing," she said, "of the disease that's been plaguing our families? Or has this human servitude locked you away so tightly from us?"
 
Despite the effort it took to maintain the cloud of magic around the group, it was of some relief that the spheres dissipated after only a few moments within. Course that didn't last for long; even as the seven spheres unraveled and dissolved, new ones rose from one of the graves in the vast field to take its place. Scowling as he was forced to hold the magic rather than be allowed any respite, he nonetheless managed to mutter out a reply to Aposto. "Large source of magic or life. Easily dwarfs any of ours."

Just as he finished, the chapel's bell cut through the valley once more and with it the spheres faded back into the ground. With a sigh he finally dropped his hands and the dark fog that had shrouded the group quickly dissipated, even without the help of the sudden dust storm. Gerald just managed to pull up his hood and shield his face as the sand reached the group, choking the air and destroying any visibility. For those that were normal at the least; despite the dust in the air, Gerald could see that the group's surroundings were clear and the chapel still shined like a bonfire.

When the storm finally died down, Gerald gave himself a slight shake to dust off before he pulled his hood back, looked up, and nearly jumped in surprise. A white-haired girl dressed in attire reminiscent of Palace robes had somehow arrived within yards of the group from the chapel without so much as a trace in his Sight. A quick flick between the two revealed that either she was somehow hidden from his Sight or she truly didn't have any "life" or "mana" to speak of; the chapel blazed on bright as ever from behind her.

His musings were broken by the girl's voice, and if her lack of presence in his Sight hadn't set Gerald on edge than this certainly did. It might have been a dainty sounding voice, but it reverberated within his head as if driven straight in. Course the words were just as disconcerting and he had to stop an involuntary step back from the creature. "Well, it's been interesting so far at the least…" he muttered, casting glances towards the others of the group to try and gauge their reactions to this unsettling news. While a part of him was intrigued, it was quashed by the majority that certainly did not wish to be within a demon's court; not after he died or while he was alive thank you.
 
Halberd
HP: ▋▋▋▋▋▋▋​

"Hey... Carol." Halberd quietly called out, trying to be reassuring as stuffed the note back into his pocket. Should he tell Carol about the note, or would that worry her even more? And... if she saw the headless corpse, she really would start to run away. Halberd cringed a little, wiping his bleeding shoulder and a few stains of blood from his coat with a rag, before calmly approaching the girl, storing his axe under a bakery table for now.

Had she spotted his handiwork? Halberd was regretting his actions already, but he wouldn't have been able to control his rage even if he tried. As soon as he saw his Guardian-Sister impaled like that... no - he gave the assassin a chance! He'd asked for it.He got down onto his knees so he was at her level, gently grabbing her shoulders so she'd look at him.
"Here, look at me. It's alright. Eleena's going to be fine... nothing a healer can't fix. We're going to get you somewhere safe; everything's going to be alright. Just... please... stick with us Guardians." Halberd whispered, before hurriedly getting back to his feet. The poor kid - this must've been beyond hard for her, but she needed to stick with them to ensure her safety. For now though, the body needed to be moved and buried elsewhere, otherwise the streets would be chaos.

It'd take more than that to kill Eleena, surely? Halberd was concerned enough to want to stay here and make sure she was okay, but the bandages should help her hold on for a while. Just to be safe, Halberd carefully loosened the bandages around Eleena's wound, pouring some alcohol over it to hopefully disinfect the wound, before tightening the bandages again. Halberd uncomfortably swallowed, adjusting his cap as he returned to his feet. Best to get the dirty work out of the way first.

"Sarah? I really need you look after Carol & Eleena for a short while. Uh... I kinda need this sack, too - I'll repay you with alcohol. Sorry about all this fuss..." Halberd said quickly, taking a large, empty sack from a shelf. Perhaps its real use was to store flour, but would serve as an ample body bag. Heading to the corpse, Halberd ignored the staring people as he stored the body, and next the head, within the body bag.
"An assassin attack, in case anyone's wondering... I'll be burying this and looking for evidence. Please return to your daily duties." Halberd told the crowd plainly as he tightened the bag, putting it over his shoulder. Maybe they thought he was in the wrong here, but that wasn't true. Why was everyone on the street vacant at one moment, and suddenly people were everywhere within the next moment? Halberd was desperate to report everything that'd happened to Mimo, but first it would have been a safe idea take the body away before anybody else - or Carol - became alarmed by it.

~ ~ ~​


You did this. Halberd's conscience whispered to him as he headed to the nearest burial site, the weight of the assassin's body heavy over his shoulder.
I had to. Halberd silently replied.
You tell yourself that. You call yourself a true Guardian? You think people see a 'hero' when they look at your huge, bloody axe? Don't kid yourself.
I had to. He would've killed-
Justice sure is a pretty word, isn't it? You can only protect people by killing, Hallus Burgundy. The only respect you'll gain from people is out of fear. Halberd's own conscience whispered mockingly in his ear, before he arrived. To make sure none of the voices came back, Halberd took a brief sip of whiskey from his hip-flask, before unloading the assassin's body and sighing. The graveyard was usually empty, with the occasional company of crows now and again. Now came the hard part... looking for evidence.

Removing the note from his coat pocket and carefully laying the body and head down on the dirt, Halberd began to check every pocket, taking off the mask from the assassin and being sure to memorize every detail about the body. It was gruesome work that ate away at Halberd's morals, but he could handle a job like this. Retribution usually wasn't a pretty thing... perhaps that's why his axe was named after it.

As much as he told himself that he had to, Halberd knew the truth was that this assassin could have been neutralized without him needing to kill him in such a brutal fashion... or needing to kill him whatsoever. Perhaps that's what separated him from some of the other Guardians... but... they'd eventually understand, right? And Carol... she was probably afraid of him from this point. Perhaps she'd just run into a kidnapper's arms, at this rate. But what was it that made her so special? Why would someone send an assassin just to retrieve one girl... and... was that 'K' who he thought it was? It couldn't be...

Either way, Mimo would probably know better than he did. He just needed some more evidence. But what it possible that Halberd's memories had been recorded with some kind of spell? That was what the note could imply. With a muddle of confusion and partial guilt, Halberd continued to search the body, and would bury it - leaving the assassin's daggers at the surface of the grave - once he was done.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Kanade surveyed the ambuscade with a flat, measured look. "So, this is how you welcome visitors these days," she asked. Really, what sort of crap is this? She knew her way around well enough, she could've found a place to stay anyway, and they certainly could have waited to kill her and her the others in their sleep. "I wasn't expecting a warm welcome, but this completely lacks class." Still, she did raise her hands and rest them on the back of her head. "Now, let's be reasonable here," she said to the assembled Palace warriors. "We're not here to cause trouble. So, why don't you humor me an tell me what you know, then where you're going to take us and why." Chances are, they wouldn't, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

She had all appearances of cooperating, even if she weren't immediately dropping to the ground. She wasn't in a fighting stance, had her hands away from her weapon, and was just making some friendly conversation with the people trying to take her in. She could make all manner of sarcastic comments on the situation, but it would be unwise to let anything about their message or the current situation within Aesil slip. That would, of course, just undermine the entire purpose of this little errand.
 
FIGHT COLLAB WITH ASURAS TIME!!

Unaffiliated, eh...Well...I guess that means I receive no security...but I suppose it could very well be worse... Junkiro wasn't really a fan of this woman's attitude towards him; he may not be strong, but he wasn't a pathetic weakling either! All this 'take what I can get' stuff was putting him off a bit, but at least his question was answered. As he lowered his hand to shake once more, a piercing, yet all too familiar voice rang out of the darkness...

It didn't take but a moment to recognize the voice he had encountered not just today, but many times since the First Sentence came to pass. Kokusho had tailed him, so it seemed...and she was truly unhappy about his betrayal. Seeing her tear-stained face, anger and sadness boiled into a single desperate emotion, Junkiro stood in surprise, thoughts clouding his judgment as they had not a minute before.

What...what am I doing? Sense was starting to seep back into Junkiro's mind. There may not be much of a tie to the faction itself, but....Kokusho...I can't bear to see her like this...we might not have been close, but her smile always brightened my day...if I betrayed the Palace, the people I care about...they may cease to be...is that what I want?

Junkiro remained silent for the longest time, tension between the gum-junkie, the mysterious woman, and the newcomer building as the only sound was the wind breezing through the trees. It took a full minute before Jun made the first move, taking slow, calculated strides to the girl on the stone steps. His words came slow and broken, as if he were trying to think of what to say next as he spoke.

"Kokusho....I..I don't know what in this god-forsaken earth I was thinkin'. I..I nearly made a terrible mistake...one that might have destroyed the whole faction. You know me, I don' care too much for politics, but...but...there are still things valuable to me that I could not bear to see hurt. The people, Cookie...there are so many I care about in some way or another...you included, maybe even especially. I don't know why, but her words, her promise...my vice...these all clouded my judgment, Kokusho. Almost made me choose the wrong way." Junkiro's eyes averted from Kokusho, as he could only bear to see the hurt in her eyes for so long.

"Let me make it up to you, show you I deserve forgiveness...I don't care how long it takes. My friend, my close friend." Junkiro, having recovered enough to speak more freely again, now turned fully to the cat-eyed woman, now that he was by Cookie's side, hoping for her forgiveness. "Now then...I'm afraid your plot to use me has been foiled. I shan't betray the people I care most about, no matter how much gum you were to give me. Your words and promises will trick me no longer."

"Regardless of your riveting speech, successful or not, merely being seen at this point has negated any chance you have at working with me. I should've expected this sort of sloppy work from someone who couldn't even be called a champion," the cat-eyed woman hissed. She sheathed her saber with a flourish and gave a gloomy look in their direction.

"Good luck, towards forgiveness," she said, turning away, "Traitor." Her last, taunting words were all she said before she sprinted for the edge of the hill, diving off its edge into the cityscape below.

Kokusho lowered her head again, gritting her teeth. Even in the darkness Junkiro could discern the furious shaking in her arms. She turned back to the stairs and took heavy, disheartened steps away from Junkiro.

"Hypocrite," Junkiro muttered under his breath as he watched the strange woman bolt for the city. Even though his speech had probably saved his head from being cut off, he had a hunch he wasn't going to be on Cookie's good side for a while yet. But even so, there were two of them now, and only one of her...

"I'll apologize the rest of my life if I get to see that smile of yours again." It was less an attempt to sway her than a fact; her frown could carve the heart of the stoniest demon. Junkiro was torn; he wanted to try all he could to cheer her up, and yet, there was something he figured he was missing...Shit.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, really mad...but we can't let her get away, we need to chase her!" At the very least, maybe if he proved he was still a part of Palace, still loyal enough to support, he could show her he still cared...

"Mad?! MAD?!" Kokusho spun on her heels and rose a fist, her muscles tensing and looking dangerously close to being released, "I was mere moments away from having to kill you, you idiot!" she yelled. Her fist clenched, but she dropped her arm.

"There's no way we could chase her at this time of the night, forget about it!" Kokusho continued her storm down the steps, seeming to purposefully try cracking the old wood with each thump of her foot. She stopped suddenly.

"I won't force you to come back with me," she glanced over her shoulder, "...but I won't keep this to myself either. I will tell this to others." The girl turned fully to Junkiro, looking up to him from a lower step.

"You can choose to run, and I doubt anyone will come after you, or..." she lowered her gaze again, "you can come back and face any consequences."

In the end, he expected all this to be as much. "Well, I would be a traitor all over again if I deserted now...if I happen to get beheaded, so be it, I guess. I messed up." Junkiro shrugged to himself, almost disgusted with how nonchalant he had gotten with his own life. He knew his end could come at any time, but any smart person would flee....Well...mother never praised me for my intellect. Junkiro hopped down the ancient steps, catching up to his possibly no-longer-friend as quick as he could.

If she hated me, I'd have probably been killed by now. Keeping that in mind, Junkiro sighed to himelf as the two slowly proceeded back down the path towards the faction gates. "L-listen. I honestly have to thank you...you really did save my skin. Had I actually gone through with it...I'd have nobody to blame but myself for the execution that would have come soon after. At least I have a chance this way, I guess." Junkiro paused, performing a very rare act on his part by offering her a stick of his gum. After what she had been through, it would be rude of him not to try and be nice. "You looked like you were really hurt, though...I..wasn't aware I meant anything to you. But...um..if I'm still alive after I talk to the heads...I'll give you that sparring match, if you still want it. You can kick my dumb old head in as much as you want. My treat."

Kokusho eyed the gum in surprise, then anger, though she ultimately took it from his outstretched hands. Still, she didn't eat it, instead crushing the malleable stick in her fist and leaving it there indefinitely. Kokusho did not reply to his offers of blowing steam, merely keeping up her momentum down the steps, though her steps had become much less violent.

At the bottom, she stepped aside and waited for Junkiro to reach the bottom. The end of the path was met by an intersecting road with a wall on the other side of the street. Kokusho looked down both ends before speaking up.

"Go home," she bluntly said, glaring up at Junkiro.

Go home? But wasn't that where...Junkiro cocked his head in confusion a moment before glancing at Kokusho. "We both live this way. Where are you going?" A valid question. Was it to blow off steam? Or was Junkiro not her object of being out this late in the first place? He couldn't be sure. Either way, he knew pressing Kokusho for details was like poking a bear. "I hope I will see you tomorrow, then..." Jun, with little other choice, headed left, the direction of his oft-abandoned house.

Kokusho remained at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed as she waited for Junkiro to leave, seeming quite adamant about ensuring he was truly gone. As Junkiro made his way down the street, he could hear the lightest tapping noise within the darkness. As there were no buildings lining the street, there was little opportunity for something like the light of an indoors candle to illuminate the way.

It sounded like the nails of a dog rapping upon stone, followed by a pattern of wet, deep breathing. Even within the darkness, the moonlight served at least some purpose, and allowed Junkiro some sight a couple dozen feet from himself.

Stepping from the fog of night, he could see what it was that had made such grisly noises. The thing was tall but hunched, still towering over Junkiro by about five feet. It was eyeless and emaciated, looking as if its skin were merely a moist, opaque gel layering bone.

It hissed as it came into few, taking slow footsteps upon inhuman legs. Its arms were long, and its claws even longer. Lithe, child-sized fingers ended in spear-sharp points, and it dragged them along the ground.

The creature stopped before Junkiro before raising its back up, gazing down at the boy with tiny, empty eye sockets and immeasurable needle-like teeth. A horrid breath escaped its mouth as it exhaled with a growl.

Even in the darkness, Junkiro's eyes had adjusted some, enough not to smack into anything in his way, at the very least. The walk home was a bit lengthy, but nothing he couldn't handle before dawn, at the least. It had been a week since he had gotten home last; he wondered if the place had fallen apart out of disrepair yet.

But something up ahead stopped Junkiro's typical jaunt home. It was...well, he couldn't even be sure WHAT it was. Whatever it was, it dwarfed the gum-user in size at least twofold, probably even more. The thing looked...well, kind of like a bear, but much larger, much more dead-looking, and much, MUCH more terrifying.

What..what in the world am I looking at? Junkiro's eyes widened, and while he did not show fear just yet, he began pacing backwards, step by step, so as not to provoke the beast. By the growl it emitted, it certainly did not appear friendly. But for it to be wandering around the city at night? No guards noticed this? Just what WAS this thing? Junkiro made not a sound as he crept slowly back, hoping the bear-like monster would not pounce upon him. Even if it was his time to go, it couldn't be like this. Random bear attacks were NOT on his bucket list....

With a slick, chitinous sound, the creature's chest unfurled several additional, smaller limbs ending in single scythe-like weapons. Its torso expanded, taking in a breath, before the thing unleashed a piercing shriek at the boy. It broke into a run with speed unbecoming of its slow approach.

As it crouched lower, arms and claws spreading out across what seemed like the entire street, he could see tendrils lashing around from its back. The thing was a chaotic, bony, mass of weapons it seemed.

As it beared down faster than Junkiro could fully turn and run, the creature swiped at the boy from aside, massive claws seeming impossible to avoid. Still, it seemed he had just enough space to take a quick hop back and avoid death by mincing.

From behind, the sound of shoes running up to him eventually revealed Kokusho. She skidded to a halt just behind Junkiro, fists raised at the beast already. Though her stance conveyed bravery, her face seemed nearly incapable of avoiding fear. She said nothing.

The creature shrieked again, looking between the two of them with the abrupt jerking motion of a bird's head. Kokusho leapt forward, darting underneath the creature's right arm before it could swing at her, and delivered a sharp punch to its leg. The creature spun around before her fist could connect, swatting her away with the tendrils sprouting from its back. She fell to the ground but quickly picked herself back up.

Not only was the thing massive, it had shocking speed as well, and it had taken a combination of instinct and luck to not be turned into a pile of shreds with its first attack. Still, the hop back placed him off balance; the next move would end him for sure.

Luckily for him, it appeared Kokusho had overheard him and the beast as well and had managed to appear on the scene, distracting the bear-like thing with her own attacks. All Junkiro could do was stand stock-still.

She's fighting to save my life, and all I can do is watch...maybe being lax on my training really HAS ruined me. Junkiro knew he had to do SOMETHING-but what? His machetes looked as though it might not so much as deliver a scratch to the thing. However, he noted the tendrils coming from its back; maybe he could do something about the fact that they all seemed to come from a singular area..

One hand quickly moved to his back, drawing one of his machetes as quick as he could, while the other aimed carefully, firing a large wad of gum at where he believed one of the tendril spawning points would be. His plan, nay, his hope, was that he might be able to hinder its attacks by gumming them up; at the very least, it would provide ample distraction for Kokusho to right herself so they could try to take it on together. He still didn't like his odds, but he couldn't just abandon his friend after she saved his life not once, but twice this night...

The gumshot met its mark, splattering into the creature's back and entangling a few of its back-tendrils. Though it was far from damaging, the creature nevertheless shrieked as if it were hurt, quickly slamming its claws to the ground and spitting at Junkiro. With one of its free tendrils, the creature flung a piercing talon at him, once again narrowly missing.

The spear struck the ground beside him, cracking the stone and making a sharp snap as it split the air. Kokusho rushed at the lowered creature, jumping into a front kick at its head. With a loud crunch, her foot met its jawbone, presumably shattering a part of it. She landed just beneath its turned neck, waiting for it to turn back.

As its head flew over Kokusho, she immediately threw a punch upwards, slamming into its chin with an uppercut before dashing away to Junkiro's side.

"I can't get the right hit on it. You've got to slow it down!" she yelled to him.

Junkiro was glad his shot wasn't for naught; in fact, despite the clear impossibility of such a squishy attack doing anything damaging, the thing seemed to be in agony-good. Any chance it got flustered was a chance he stayed alive longer. He quickly formed another large gumwad in his hand, prepared to assist Kokusho however he could.

As it was, she called for him to slow it down in some way. Thankfully, slowing stuff down was his specialty. "I'll need you to be a little more specific, where do you want slowed down?" In the meantime, he decided to go for the obvious place to slow it down-its legs. Placing his other hand on the gumwad, he stretched it out to arm's length, then fired it like a tangling rope at its legs, hoping to tie them together in some way. Without any specific weak spot, he figured the legs ought to be a place to start, right?

Like a bolas, the gumshot swung around both legs, clinging to parts of the earth itself as it settled down. Though it was stretching from the creature's sheer strength, it didn't seem to be going anywhere fast. Kokusho nodded.

"Good enough. Distract it for a moment!" she stated. The girl brought her feet together and her arms at her sides in a martial pose. Her eyes stared straight ahead, though Junkiro could tell they were still watching for the creature's movements. Water condensed directly from the air around her, conglomerating around her wrists as she motioned with her hands.

It looked like his gum-lasso of sorts did the trick, at least for now. It looked like that restraint wasn't going to keep the beast for long, though; he had to act fast while Kokusho prepared her next move. Since it was already immobilized, a non-damaging attack probably wouldn't do shit but piss it off...he needed it pissed AND distracted.

Taking two steps away from Kokusho to minimize her risk, Junkiro held up his machete-hand at the beast's head area. At first, nothing appeared to happen. Then, with the suddenness of a lightning strike, the machete shot for the creature, stuck to a gum-line of Junkiro's. He could only hope his aim was true enough to keep it busy....

The machete shot straight for its head and was summarily chomped upon by the creature. With just as much speed as Junkiro's throw, its jaws retracted and turned, quickly clamping down on the machete. Its teeth grinded on the blade, screeching as it slid its lower jaw across. It wasn't breaking... yet.

Jerking its head to the side, it pulled at the gum-chord, though simply stretched it further rather than pulling Junkiro with it as it had intended. Even with its mouth clenched around the blade, an ungodly screech escaped its throat.

Kokusho suddenly spread her stance, turning her body to the side while pointing her gaze at the creature. She shouted with a booming voice, muscles tensing up in preparation for the coming blow.

"Leviathan Art! Crushing Depths!" as her declaration ended, she took a quick, heavy step forward and shot forth a fist. The water that had gathered around her wrist shot forth in a flash, seeming almost as if it had teleported away. Something impacted the creature with enough force that Junkiro could hear its viscera explode out the other side of its body and continue on to shatter the wall beyond.

The creature reared up on what body it had left and screeched into the night sky with all its breath before falling to the ground in a heap of exposed organ and bone.

Kokusho let her arms fall at her side and sighed.

"Good work Junk-" before she could finish, the creature screeched again, seemingly using the last bit of its life to fling a tendril at Kokusho. The whip-like appendage sunk its sharp end into her stomach before she could even react. She looked, wide-eyed at the bleeding hole it left and stumbled backwards.

She seemed conscious and able to move as she surveyed the damage, but after a moment, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the ground.

Though his machete had proven useless for damage, it had provided more than ample distraction, which allowed Kokusho to perform her Leviathan Arts, her well-known and ever-so-deadly finishing set of moves. THIS was why he never asked her to spar before-easily too many injuries possible that way. But it had worked, so he had absolutely no room to complain.

He was about to head over to the collapsed body to inspect it, so maybe he could identify what in the world it was, but then it reared up again; were they in for round two? It fired a single tendril across the cobbled streets, and Junkiro could do little more than watch it score a rare direct hit on his friend. The creature then fully collapsed, and life seemed to breathe no more from its unmoving body.

"NO!" Junkiro rushed over to his friend, scooping her up off the ground in a desperate attempt to find anything he could do to stem the blood that was beginning to freely pour from the gaping wound. He may have been a wilderness man, but he stupidly had no first aid on him. Being the wee hours of the morning, nobody would come to their aid...all Junkiro could do was pray she'd be alright, shedding tears for his friend all the while.
 
Another disrespectful comment from Kairen. Though really, it was to be expected. After all, she was a vampire as well. As his family had taught him the hard way, his people were generally condescending and manipulative. Then she commented about the dances and 'dinners' that Elias had been forced to attend when his family was still alive. The mere mention of such pomp and circumstance annoyed the aspiring doctor, who merely watched as Kairen dragged her fingers along the window sill.

Then she got to the reason of her visit. Again, as expected, it was because she wanted something. But WHAT she wanted... surprised Elias to some degree. Indeed, he had heard rumors about the disease. But thanks to his unusual ability, he payed it no mind. However, to find it was only affecting his people was not something he had been aware of. Something would indeed need to be done about this. ... but not before Elias had some fun with this turn of events.

After taking a moment to himself and thinking on what could be done, "Doctor" Palamara spoke up. "You say that I might be 'our' last hope, yet come into my home and business with that same air of direspect that our families were always so fond of." His gaze turned toward his fellow vampire and his eyes narrowed. It was time to toss the dice, as rigged as they were. "I'd think if you were asking such an important thing as my help in regard to this plague... that you'd be more supplicant than assertive."

Indeed. In this situation, HE was the one with the power. If Elias declined, Kairen could not attack or kill him due to the possibility he might change his mind. If he accepted, she would owe him an incredible debt. In this situation, there was little that the young doctor could do and not retain his advantage. "So how about you start over... 'Lady' Kairan... and this time, behave yourself." A sly grin crept onto his face before he uttered the following statement. "Unless you want YOUR last hope to let you fall by the wayside like the rest or your family did after the Sentence."

This behavior was very odd for Elias, who was usually as kind and well-mannered as possible. However, when people from his past brought up his family... he was not beyond expressing his disdain and retaliating. "So let's start with what is in it for me. As someone immune to such illnesses, I'd think you'd want to reimburse me for the use of that 'talent', correct?" A few seconds passed, and Elias sat down in a chair directly across from Kairen... removing a needle from one of the hard-cases in his pocket as he did so.

"Let's negotiate."
 
Last edited:
With the shadowy being defeated and gone, and the armour it had controlled shattered into fragments, Natalya started searching for any trace of where Galina had got to. Although they hadn't really met until today, Galina was the only other person to be caught up in this mess and still be alive, and Natalya had no-one else she could rely on at this stage, no-one else she could trust. She tried to call Galina's name, but the sound reverberated, bouncing of the shelves and confusing all her senses.

Just as she was about to give up in despair, a movement in the corner of her eye demanded her attention. Another owl! Whipping her sword out and dropping into a fighting stance, Natalya prepared herself for the next phantom. Half a minute. A full minute. No sound, no sight, no knights. Turning her attention back to the owl, Natalya was able to see it fluttering away, before turning and staring at her. Did it want her to follow? Well, if it was hostile, surely there'd have been another attack by now, right? Still not entirely trusting of the owl, she kept her sword drawn as she followed the owl, her senses peeled for further danger.

The owl led her through a labyrinth of shelves all similar to her eyes - even if she changed her mind, there was no chance to back out. As they turned down a corridor, a faint rustling and hooting could be heard, the sound intensifying as the neared the end and...

Natalya's sword slipped from her fingers and fell on the stone tiles with a loud clatter. The sheer scale of the room full of perches, the size of the organ, struck her like a faceful of ice water. Gawping as she looked around, she almost missed Galina standing there, looking over at her. Natalya was about to speak, when a vast owl, far bigger than the one that had led her there, swooped down and spoke to them. Did anyone else in Goetia even know this place existed?

"Na...Natalya Gordetz....erm...who....or what are you?" Natalya eventually stammered out, once her brain caught up with everything else.
 
It was getting to her. Too quiet. Much too quiet now, without the sound of Kanade's singing voice filling up the void in the air. Surrounded by foreign scents, wrapped up in a symphony of dinners being cooked, Aesil was drowning once more, losing herself to her hunger. There were people up on the towers, people telling them to wait, and she shook violently as she did so.

They were enemies, food. But for Efrida's sake, for the mission, she'll hold herself back for now. Aesil shook and continued to shake underneath her blood-stained cloak, pulling the hood over her head and digging her nails into her face. The pain would make her forget. If only it could do it for longer than a few minutes. Without even being wholly aware of herself, the beast girl followed the footsteps of her allies, as they were instructed deeper into the heart of the Palace Borough. The smells were getting stronger, mingling in with the night that began to fall. From far away on that moonlit night, blood was spilled, and Aesil's burning eyes dilated at the faint whiff. It was sweet and tranquil, a smooth drink that she could almost taste on the tip of her tongue, but, at the very last moment, that phantasmal experience was snatched away, relaxed by a damp breeze reeking of metal and sweat. Before Aesil had even turned the corner, she knew what was going to await them.

Food.

Food, food, food, oh so much food, bristling their shells and their weapons, finding safety in numbers. Only three meals were exceptional, leaving the rest of the 20 to be utterly…average. A threat, yes, but nothing out of the ordinary, beyond their numbers.

So, they were food, and they were offering themselves to her, for they knew that it was dinnertime for the Beast of Goetia.

Lost in her own world with senses that had been disabled by hunger pains, Aesil laughed madly at the hyenas and vultures that had gathered around them, trembling in the last few shackles of rationality she had left. There was nothing left to distract her, and it was for her own sake, not Kanade's, that she stood in front of the singer, ready to face on 20 of those mongrels and eat them all.

What was a meal made out of dogs again?

Oh right. A hot dog.

As Aesil's laughter contorted her face, her eyes began to burn, two smouldering furnaces in the ink black streets.
 
[fieldbox="Galina Raske/Sitara Qadir, aqua, solid, 10, Times New Roman"]


Galina followed the owl into the brightly lit chamber with murderous intent, shielding her eyes against the sudden change in lighting. As her vision cleared she raised her knife to throw, but halted as the owl vanished. She paused, seeming to take note of the room for the first time. It was like none she had seen in the Library before, and seemed almost unreal. The cries of more owls sounded from golden perches everywhere, and her eyes flicked back and forth trying to follow the sounds. She felt like she had just walked into something she was entirely unprepared for, and it was not long before her suspicion was confirmed.

The appearance of the larger owl caused Galina to step back towards the door, ready to retreat. This was highly unusual, and she had never heard of the Library being home to large, sentient owls before.

"What is your name? Your names?"

Upon hearing the correction, Galina turned to see Natalya arriving. Escorted by another owl. Well, at least they were together now, which meant she had handled the knight without incident. When Natalya answered the owl's question, she decided to do so as well. What harm could come of it?

"My name is Galina Raske. What is this place?" She returned, hesitantly adding to her companion's question. The way the owl had phrased that last part. Speak what you must? Does she know what is happening within Goetia?[/fieldbox]
 
Good news was that they were now safe from the initial threat that had surrounded them with the clear intent to rip them apart. Bad news was that Aurora's ears were now ringing like hell thanks to the ghostly white haired girls voice as she revealed to them exactly where they were. Rubbing her ears little until the ringing stop Aurora made sure to keep her eyes on this woman who was most likely a demon. Not exactly how she would picture a demon to be quite honestly. However, Aurora's mind left that topic for later as she returned to the worst part of the situation. They were apparently in the Fourth Demon's Court... which to the Ex-Guardians ear rang that they were currently in hell. She continued to keep quite as Gerald spoke up lightly yet after no one else seemed to speak not even the Vampire who had originally demanded a response.

"So then since your not here to rip us apart I assume you, or whoever you follow has something to say to us... or something to offer," Aurora asked lightly not wanting to irk this female demon in anyway that could immediately kill them all, or in particular herself. Thankfully at this point the purple eyed woman's ears had finally stopped ringing allowing her to be fully invested in the conversation surely to take place. Most likely if any deal were to take place it would be for their release, and at this point it was clear they were at the mercy of this white haired woman no matter how strong they were fighting a demon was not something Aurora wanted to experience today. She looked briefly to Gerald, and Este to see their initial reactions to all that had now transpired. Taking a second look back at the supposed messenger Aurora realized she sort looked like a Palace representative... which was definitely strange to say the least.
 
While not the answer she expected, stuff developed to be a tad more positive at least. While the Sandstorm was not part of it, and Este had to protect her eyes. With the storm gone as fast and unexpected as it came, the vampire noble started to dust off her clothes, just to be interrupted by a girl in white. With no presence whatsoever, her voice made sure to cover all of that. Well, demons now? That was certainly interesting, and not in a positive manner, nonetheless, still being of the opinion that their life could be easily toyed with and the armor clad woman with the beautiful eyes asking the most important, Este was simply adding manners. Bowing in a noble like fashion she just added. "Thank you for having us, madame. It's was quite ...interesting... so far."
 
Lyssa narrowed her eyes as the Palace soldiers waylaid them. What nonsense was this? What bastards would arrest messengers? Had the Palace found out about Konyuu's capture already? But even if that was the case, arresting three lesser champions was a poor choice. Knowing what she did about Konyuu, and having seen a glimpse of her duel with Efrida's angel, Lyssa doubted that Kanade, Aesil, and herself could hope to match her as they were right now. So they three were still comparatively worth less than Konyuu. If the Palace executed them, Princess Efrida would no doubt kill Konyuu in return. And the Palace would suffer more from the loss of Konyuu than Aesil would from the loss of three minor champions. Really, this was absurd.

Nevertheless, Lyssa followed Kanade's lead, planting the head of her hammer into the ground and stepping away from it as she glared at the soldiers in front of her.

"I agree with my comrade here." She stated flatly, raising her hands to her head. "Have we offended your sensibilities in some way? We are mere messengers. We only bear weapons to defend ourselves from being ambushed in the streets." Lyssa enunciated the last part of her sentence loudly, appearing highly displeased at their reception.
 

"What we know?" one of the Palacians at the forefront of the mob asked. "What we know is to be withheld for now. While we are placing you under arrest in our Borough, we are still not completely sure you are who we think you are," they gave a passing glance to the one who had originally told the Aesil champions to surrender.

"We're being reasonable right now. We have shown you neither violence nor poor treatment, yet. We only ask you surrender your weapons and follow our orders, and we will have this sorted out as soon as possible," another stated. "We will bring you to the princess in due time."

A few hushed whispers emanated from the crowd as they began to slowly turn around. A path was cut through their ranks as they stepped aside for someone approaching, revealing an elegant man. He stood at the forefront of the mob and crossed his arms with a smile.

"My friends, it is difficult for a visitor to be trusting if they do not understand what they're being accused of. Our Borough is closed, is it not? I'm sure you have heard the rumors spreading outside that we have become tyrannical in our sense of security. I do not wish to further those suppositions." The man took a few steps forward closer to the Aesil champions.

"No doubt you are aware of Princess Efrida's decision to occupy the First Borough. We have received reports of a comrade failing to return from a mission there, and we have become worried. As you are Aesil yourself, we can't help but be cautious of your presence, and any news you have brought to us." He gestured to himself, "My name is Rikan Otode, a champino of Palace. While I cannot forgo the necessity of taking your weapons temporarily, I can offer you a better place to sleep than what my comrades had originally planned for you." He let loose a wide grin.

"Will you help me come to a mutual agreement with yourselves?" he asked.



"Natalya, Galina," the owl said, turning to each in turn, "Beautiful names. As for me? I'm but an owl!" she laughed, chest puffing out as she cooed. "My name is Tinette, a fellow human, in reality. Have you not come across shapeshifting magic before?" Her head pivoted sideways. "No matter, your experience with magic is not pressing right now."

The owl hopped down with a flutter of its wings onto the floor before glowing white. The mass of light expanded and rose before cooling into another form. In its place was a tall woman who brushed her hair aside and leaned on one leg. "This place is my personal study, granted to me by long-gone Librarians before the Sentence. Kaileb knows his place well enough to refrain from bothering me here, no matter the reason." She leaned on the pipe organ's covered keys and looked upwards.

"It used to simply be a place of serene rest, hidden away from a busier Library, though such times have passed. Now it's just a hideaway for myself... and others, if they need it," she grinned at Galina and Natalya.

"My familiars are always watching the rest of the Library, as you must have seen. That thing that attacked you, you do not know what sent it?" When the girls shook their heads, and Tinette smiled and nodded. "I assumed so. You've attracted Kaileb's ire, for whatever reason. That phantasmal knight was a construct made from Gurmal, one who serves Kaileb directly."

"Clearly you have been targeted for death, but have escaped it once already. The only questions, then, are whether or not you are so important that you will be targeted again, and..." she shrugged with a wide grin, "...what you will do about it?" She spun around and pushed the organ chair into its proper position.

"Do not hesitate to seek me for help, now or then, if you need it. I would hate to see two young girls fall prey to that man's machinations."



The graveyard was generally empty of people, but far too populated with graves. The standard tombstone had made the graveyard an orderly place, with grids of burials laid out in a proper manner. But after the Sentence, it had become a chaotic mess, testament to the grief those that had survived suffered. Countless makeshift wooden stakes were placed wherever there was room off of the walkways, names scratched on them in varying levels of skillfulness.

They were the names of parents and older siblings, the last mark on the world that they had existed. Halberd would have a tough time finding room for a material body in the ground there.

The assassins body turned up little else than a repertoire of daggers and knives, as well as a single short saber hidden on his leg. Removing his mask, he appeared to be a man of the West, a foreigner compared to the native white-skinned populace of Drisbane and the Palacians. There were few Westerners left in Drisbane, and Halberd just removed another.

Only a single photograph was found, hidden in the mans under-clothing chest-pocket. It depicted a young girl, smiling, dressed in a wholly unfamiliar style of clothing to Halberd, undoubtedly stemming from the West. The scene behind her was a marketplace made of adobe. There was nothing else on his person.

"Halberd?" a voice called out tenderly from behind. The day had gotten quite dark, but from the lantern she held in front of her, he could tell it was Mimo there. There were two others present at her side, though he was unfamiliar with their identities. She approached him further before kneeling down beside him. "I heard what happened, are you okay?" She touched lightly at his shoulder, observing the bloodstain.



The night was long as Junkiro awaited further information on Kokusho's status. The wound was grievous, but not so much that it was beyond repair, he was told. The screeching and yelling had evidently been heard the night before by nearby residents, and the two were found and led home by horse. Kokusho was taken from the boy, put into the care of tired but dedicated healers, while he was left to wait.

Those who were concerned, namely the heads of Kokusho's adoptive noble household, refrained from questioning Junkiro, seemingly satisfied at the time with the explanation of a strange monster attacking them. But as the morning sun rose, it was clear not everyone was so convinced.

Junkiro awoke in the spare room he was granted with a heavy knock. At the door was a man, older than him, along with a woman whose young age he was unsure about. "Junkiro Iwazuma," the man stated, "Do you have some time to speak?" Regardless of Junkiro's answer, they entered in and shut the door behind them.

"We're hear to ask about last night, you must have guessed. We simply wish to know exactly how those turn of events came to be," he asked.

"Why were you two at that hill so late at night? You weren't with anyone else before you were attacked, were you?" the girl asked in an accusatory fashion. The man put a hand out at her as if to calm her.

"Hold on, I think it is pertinent we de-stress him. It was clear to me last night that he was concerned of Kokusho's well-being," the man interjected. "You'll be happy to know that she is alive and well, though..." he hesitated, "though we believe we know what attacked you last night."

"A Memoranth," the girl quickly said.

"Kokusho has lost memory of the past week, it seems. She will not remember any of last night's events, Junkiro," said the man.



Aurora was cast a nondescript glance by the Palacian-looking girl. "Perhaps," she responded, "I have been sent out here merely to welcome you inside the chapel. I know not my master's intentions in keeping you here and alive." The girl looked at each of them at least twice, one after the other, as if trying to choose something. She turned her body, keeping her eyes glued to them, and beckoned. "Follow me."

She walked past the graves towards the bony structure standing like a monolith in the distance. Shadows still danced about the site as the 'visitors' followed close behind, sometimes skipping in front of their path. As the minutes ticked on, it became increasingly clear just how massive the chapel actually was, and soon they could not even perceive its top even as they still had minutes of walking ahead of them.

"My name, is Asazen," the girl spoke up midway, "Much like you now, I found my way into this place many years ago, though of my own volition. You walk in the Fourth Demon's Court, Silzard, lord of the unseen, master of spies, patron of assassins. You may refer to him as 'Lord', if you can seem genuine enough. Do not look for him when he speaks. Do not shout. He will still hear you even if it does not seem he is nearby." Asazen continued to list off what seemed liked customs in the strange realm they found themselves in, some seeming more pertinent than others, especially the last one.

"And most importantly, never be out of someone else's sight," she said. A hole in the wall seemed to be their destination, a mere speck on the chapel's exterior wall as they approached. "All of these things you must remember when inside," Asazaen stated, turning to the six before they could continue into the entrance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
@Beta​

"A last hope need not necessarily be one I must cater to," Kairen said with a smile, "Especially when they are the one who requires just as much help." She gazed around the room with a gesture, before glancing to the window and outside. "No, I think you are the one who should be asking what you can do besides help us." She frowned and crossed her arms.

"Negotiate? Ha!" she scoffed, "How about this, you try curing your kin, and in turn you receive respect for your efforts..." she lifted her chin, eyes looking down upon Elias, "...and your clinic stays in business." Her threat was not idle. Elias knew well her power, and that she would undoubtedly go to any lengths to ensure he suffered.

"Perhaps I was too mild with my words. I did not come here to request help, Elias Palamera..." Her eyes narrowed, "I came here with a demand."
 
Halberd
HP: ▋▋▋▋▋▋▋
​
Halberd's gaze was affixed to the photo he'd pulled from the man's pocket. Only when Mimo touched his bloodied shoulder did Halberd slowly turn his head away from the body and its contents, somewhat relieved to see his fellow warden.
"I heard what happened. Are you okay?"
Halberd was a little slow to reply, putting the crumpled photo in his pocket before he spoke.
"Yeah... fine. Just a scratch." Halberd mumbled, his body tensing a little as Mimo touched his shoulder. "Eleena wasn't as lucky, but she should be fine after a little medical care." Halberd said with a somewhat shaken tone, still not looking up from the man's body.
"I had to." He suddenly said in almost a whisper, his hair flowing over his eyes as he stood amongst a swarm of wooden crosses.

A swarm of wooden crosses that he'd yet again contributed to.


Halberd was silent for a few moments, before he finally acted. Fumbling in his trenchcoat pockets a little, Halberd withdrew both the note and the photo found on the assassin, finally turning to look Mimo in the eye. Seeing the other two unknown Guardians, Halberd gave a nod of greeting and respect to them, before handing the pieces of paper to Mimo.
"He had these. His face or the girl in the photo familiar to you? And... the way you're mentioned in the note makes me... uneasy." Halberd asked. "I should also mention he used some sort of... spears made of dark energy... as an attack several times. ...Makes me think he was involved with the Goetians." Halberd reported. Mimo took the note and put it right next to the lantern before scrutinizing it. She shook her head and returned it back to Halberd before looking at the head.​
"No, neither of these people are familiar to me. Though your description of his abilities do seem to reflect an association with Goetia. Can't be too sure, of course, with magic." She stood back up and handed Halberd a slip of paper, though being in the darkness, was little bit difficult to read. Still her coming words signified it didn't matter much if he read it or not.
"I finished with my report, so I think it's high time I explain to you what needs saying. Eleena's still badly hurt, I know, so I'll refrain from speaking with you two again until tomorrow morning when she should be better. Get some rest Halberd when you're done here. Meet me at my office at ten tomorrow morning," she said. Folding the paper given to him and putting it in one of his pockets, Halberd gave a brief salute.
"Understood. I'll be there." He replied, looking at all three of them before turning back. "You all stay safe."

As Mimo and the two accompanying her left, Halberd looked back to the corpse, biting his lip a little. There wasn't exactly space anywhere to bury the man, but he didn't even know the assassin's name. After quite some time passed, Halberd finally found a spot after wandering the packed graves. Pretty much the only spot in the graveyard that wasn't completely covered in crude wood crosses, giving enough space to bury the corpse.

~~~
​
It took some time and effort, but the corpse was successfully buried if a little crudely, and another makeshift cross fashioned by Halberd joined the rest. The photo didn't seem to be important, and was probably close to the man, so Halberd tied the photo onto the base of the wooden cross. As for all the assassin's weapons, Halberd buried them with the assassin, planting the short saber above his grave as a symbol of his existence. No doubt somebody would just come and take the small sword, but still. Perhaps it'd stay there to slightly mark the man's existence, at least.

At the end of the day, Halberd was the real reason this cross had joined the collection. Silent for a few moments, Halberd looked at the assassin's grave for a final moment.

"Why didn't you... just... surrender." Halberd muttered to the grave dejectedly. As much as he wished to fully believe it was the assassin's own fault for his death, Halberd knew it didn't have to be like this. Whispering 'rest in peace' as he walked away, Halberd's trenchcoat swayed in the wind as he left the sorry scene. Before he headed back to his quarters to rest, shave and such, he figured to head back to the bakery to check on Eleena.

Times were somehow getting more and more troublesome by the day.
​
​
 
While he didn't particularly wish to venture any closer to the ominous chapel, their "guide's" words hinted that this realm was ruled by the creature within. Yet its glow had been impossible to miss while her presence was non-existent, so why was that? That aside, he had no wish to test how long he'd survive if the invisible beings rose up once again and well… her master seemed powerful enough that refusing would carry consequences so with a sigh he quickly made to follow behind the mysterious girl.

His eyes wandered from their guide easily enough as the walk quickly turned into one that seemed it'd take quite a bit of time. Shadows flitted across his vision and Gerald found himself tracking them, or at the least attempting to. That activity came to a halt as Asazen suddenly spoke and his attention instantly refocused on her.

Listening told him a number of possibly useful things, such as a possible reason why she didn't show up in his Sight. The customs, or perhaps warnings, were also taken to heart and memorized; it didn't take too much thought to realize why one might not want to wander the domain of lord of spies and assassins alone. "Thank you for the information. Gerald Holtz." Who knew if she would care for his name, but in the end it didn't hurt; not like it was his true name or some mystic words of powers like some of the texts had spoke of. Jorn would know he'd lied, but in light of current events the man would have to be pretty damn petty to care.

As the group came to a halt just outside of their entrance inside Gerald glanced over at the five others before turning his attention to Aposto. While it didn't look like anyone was in their element at the moment, perhaps the masked man would have some insight? "Bit of a mess we're in now, eh? Do you have any experience with stuff of this nature?" At the man's negative response, Gerald clicked his tongue quietly and turned most of his attention away; paying just enough to catch Aposto speak of his views on Heaven and Hell.

The sheer size of the chapel was still something Gerald was trying to comprehend. The wall they stood in front of seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky and he was almost certain it would have dwarfed anything in Drisbane. With how big the structure was his Sight would have probably been helpful to try and avoid some of the dangers that might have been inside if it came to that, but using it now would probably burn his eyes out.
 
Junkiro did not sleep that night as he waited for Palace's best healers to give him some news about his friend. He was afraid; afraid that his own actions may have in some way resulted in a terrible injury, or even worse. He had had no choice but to wait impatiently, hoping and praying that he hadn't messed up royally enough to hurt her for life. He paced the room he had been told to wait in nervously, waiting for a sign. Even as the sun rose, he couldn't even be bothered to sit down. He gnawed at his stick of gum, chewing hard to make up for his nerves.

At last, a couple people came in. But unfortunately, it seemed all they wanted was to question him...Junkiro sighed, and was about to speak, when the other, more sensible one told him the news. So she lost her memory...she wouldn't remember his traitorous act. That made Jun sigh in relief; they could go back to the way they were just a day prior. But that woman was still out there...he couldn't get away with just writing it off. He had to come clean.

"First of all...it makes me very happy to know Kokusho will recover. But...you need to know something important." Junkiro gulped before he continued, albeit in a shakier voice.

"The reason we were outside the borders....a woman with cat-like eyes and green hair approached me. She swayed my will with promises of money and my vice. If Kokusho had not happened upon us, I may have made a terrible mistake. Her words nearly persuaded me to do surveillance for an enemy of the palace. She bolted when Kokusho snapped me away from her words. She scolded me for almost making that mistake, then led me back home. It was there I was accosted by the Memoranth, as you called it. She assisted me in taking it down, but it managed to strike her with its dying breath."

"I know punishment is necessary, and I am prepared to accept responsibility. However, I have one request...keep this from Kokusho, please. I don't want to have her heart broken again...I don't think she could handle the pain more than once."
 
​
Eleena

​
A... dream. A memory? It was hard to tell. Because it was hard to think. Was it a memory of when thoughts had been drowned out? Or a dream that simply could not be controlled or understood? Whatever it may be, it was something without bias. An existence pure and unchangeable. Inside the young woman's subconscious, she was once more a young girl. The energy she had was not there. Her cheerful demeanor wasn't either. Nothing of herself at the present could be seen in this visage of the past. It was unmistakably the same girl. However, it was definitely not the same person. Because this young girl could hardly be called such a thing. Because she was simply nothing. A machine with a purpose.

It was not long ago, but if she were awake she would not remember. It was something she had chosen to forget. The life she had before was removed from her thoughts. Because it wasn't something she could call a life. She was raised for a singular purpose. Day in, and day out. Cared for by her keeper, she did not have the privilege of experiencing anything else. Something like friends, or like a hobby... Something even as simple as liking or disliking something. They had been pushed out of her mind.
She was to be a champion, like her parents. Those who had died far too early in her life. Beyond that goal, she was allowed nothing.​
Which was why, when her keeper and the rest of the adults died in the Sentence, she had nothing. With no one to push her to become a champion, the girl did not move. She did not eat. She did not drink. She did not think, as did the person dreaming or remembering this. She was like an abandoned machine with no one to use it. It had perhaps taken her some time to realize there was a hand being offered to her, to help her up off the cold floor she had occupied for days.​
The person standing there had waited patiently. Silently.
...
The girl on the floor had a choice.
She could take the hand, pointlessly.
Or she could stay there and die, pointlessly.​
... But even if she acted and thought like a machine, she was still human. She was not afraid of death. She was afraid of dying without any real purpose. So the girl known as Eleena took that hand. That day, she had been gifted a purpose. Something new, something she could put her body and mind into. And maybe, if it was still alive, one day she could put her heart into it as well.​
Not to become a hero.
To become The Hero.
Even if it was just for one person...​
------------------------------

Eleena awoke, and the memory disappeared. It had become a dream, one that was easily forgotten. Because there was something more pressing at hand. Pain.​

"AAWOWOOOOOOAAAAHHOOOOLLLLLYYY SHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhng----!!!!"​
The girl let out a painful howl. It wasn't the wound. Well, it was the wound but... God damnit. God damnit all. But most importantly, Sarah you can go--

"Oh good, you're awake. The banana bread is ready. I've got things to do, so talk to ya later." Sarah stopped clutching Eleena's wound. The baker girl didn't really feel like waiting around all day, and she wanted her friend to have some of the loaf while it was still hot. Pain helped people wake up, right? It made sense to her at least.

Eleena just glared daggers at her. Ineffectively. The wrapped loaf was placed on the table next to her before the baker left, with a conspicuously blood-stained hand print on the thin paper. A symbolic reminder of the pains Eleena had to go through to get decent food. ... Well it seemed Sarah wasn't even going to tell her 'friend' what had happened in the aftermath. She remembered Halberd got the assassin and his really cool robe...

Huh, was in front of her. Well, she wasn't going to throw it away now. Looking around, she called out for her companions. "Halberd? Carol?" Well, if she was haphazardly placed on a chair, then Halberd was probably off on some business.

... Speaking of, why hadn't Sarah offered her bed? Oh, right. Because it was Sarah.


@Asuras​
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Aurora kept a blank face as their escort gave her a emotionless response though now it seemed more interesting that this apparent woman had willingly came here of her own volition. Aurora sheathed her flanged mace, and followed the escort in suit with the rest of the group as a series of rules were explained along with a random discussion of heaven, and hell from Aposto. It seemed this Lord of the land was one with stealth from the description she was getting. The last rule hit a warning note in Aurora's head causing her to be a bit more weary of her surroundings. It was clear if they were not careful they could easily up in vanish.

"Aurora Spiere," the woman responded to their escort giving her own name to the group. The bone construct of the chapel was slowly creeping more, and more into the purple eyed woman's view revealing it to be a rather massive sight compared to initial first glance. with this came the notice of a rather out of place crack in the structure which at this time seemed to be their current destination. So far Jorn hadn't spoken a word, and seemed willing to see how this all played out.

"So what's your take on all this," Aurora whispered lightly to Este curious to the vampires thought's on their current situation. It seemed just like their boss Gerald, and Aposto were also intrigued by where events were about to go. Though Gerald still held a sign of familiar skepticism. So far the only one who had voiced or showed a overall opinion was Este... though her annoyed demand gave a idea.
 
Lyssa frowned at the man who stood before them, suspicious of his charm. One didn't act this friendly to outsiders without wanting something from them, much less outsiders who had made an aggressive move to occupy the city. However, this Otode was right. They had no choice but to go with him for now. She hadn't expected to be allowed to keep her weapon for long, and whatever accommodations he offered were certainly better than the bare stone of a prison cell.

"Very well, then." Lyssa said, stepping away from her hammer. "What would you do with us, Sir Otode?"

The man slipped his hands into the sleeves of his dress, and smiled lightly. "I have a manor, a comfortable one at that. Far more pleasant than the jail cell my comrades would have likely taken you to. You can stay there for the night, and I can take you to the princess in the morning so that you may talk peacefully-" Otode stopped midway and stared at Aesil -her stomach had growled loud enough to be heard.

"...And perhaps some dinner before you retire," he added.

A new arrival, carrying a scent of…nothing. There was a faint whiff of sweat that arose from physical exertion, but what dominated Aesil's nose was the absolute sense of nothing, as a young man came, wearing finer clothing than the food that surrounded her. For a moment, she considered him just another meal, of a blander variety, before the beast-girl noticed something.

There was nothing there. Nothing but nothingness, an incomprehensible 'prey' that she couldn't classify at all. The perplexity of this confused her, just enough that her attention was drawn away from fulfilling her basic instincts and instead focusing on this odd little conundrum. He spoke of a manor and spoke of comfort, before even going on to mentioning food.

The food of the Palace, which, by definition, should be the highest tier of cuisine that royalty could afford, if her knowledge was to be trusted.

Aesil's rumbling stomach spoke for her, as she turned around to face the nothing-man. She'll follow him. If he led them to yet another ambush, she'll just eat him along with the others.

Kanade bowed politely in the Palace fashion toward Otode. "You honor us with your invitation," she replied, thankful that they've avoided a lengthy fight that would have ruined their mission. She can understand that they'd be guarded, the Palace always preferred to keep to itself, but things were getting ridiculous. She unbelted her sword and held it out toward Otode, so he or another could claim it for the time-being. "If we come bearing a message, it would be best if we weren't carrying these anyway."

Otode glanced backwards, and another Palacian in the mob nodded before jogging forward, taking Kanade's sword tenderly. Otode looked over Aesil with a faint smile before turning his attention to Lyssa and her hammer on the ground. The boy at his side followed in tune, lifting up the hefty hammer and stepping back.

Otode nodded at the three girls before clapping his hands together and gesturing at the boy who had retrieved their weapons. "They will be returned to you as soon as you leave, have no worry. I would perpetuate our rivalry by making an off-handed statement about Aesilian weaponry, and how we have no desire to keep them..." he said, turning, "But that would be unnecessary."

He snapped his fingers to make another path through the mob, whilst others rose to the occasion and moved up to the three girls' sides, escorting them just behind the Palace noble.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clash! Full Frontal Onsen Assault!

Their room was a tad bit cramped for three individuals, though the lighting, bedding, and smell of the place was more than enough to ensure they couldn't complain. Aesil, Lyssa, and Kanade were given a set of three pristine white beds and pillows to sleep on in the autumn-tinted oriental room. A maid approached their open door and asked for any requests, sitting daintily just outside.

Aesil...couldn't say that she disliked the room. There was a fulfilling scent in the air, an aromatic perfume or something that made her feel calm, even though she was still so incredibly hungry. The colors were warm as well, reminding her of a fireplace that would soon bring forth delicious, tantalizingly-sweet meat. Turning her attention to the raven-haired maid dressed in what looked like bedsheets wrapped about her in a surprisingly pleasing manner, Aesil tilted her head to the side and asked, "Food?"

It was unclear whether she was asking for food, or asking if the maid was the food.

Despite the cramped accommodations, it was easy for Kanade to relax. The familiar style of architecture, the tasteful decorations, she'd never been to this house before, but she really missed things like it sometimes. She paid the maid little mind, as she didn't have an immediate need for much. They weren't in jail, and they could rest easy for the night. Tomorrow...well, it could go poorly, but that wasn't worth losing sleep. "Hm...maybe a bath would be nice," she wondered aloud.

"I can prepare a bath for our guests immediately," the maid said, bowing her head, "As well as some food for you," she said, indicating to Aesil with her upturned eyes. "Will there be anything else?"

Aesil pondered over those words, this young lady's virtue of asking if there's anything more that she could help with. It was...this kindness was very much like Efrida's and Kanade's, wasn't it? It was more 'humble', if that was the right word for it, but the root was there and in a way, it made Aesil happy. Almost like having a m-

Her brain shut down and instead, Aesil asked, gesturing towards the maid's prettily wrapped up clothes and then towards her own cloak, "How?"

The maid was confused for a moment, looking to and from Aesil and her own clothing, piecing together the contents of the one-word question. "M-my clothing? How did I do this?" She smiled, clapping a hand on her cheek. "Ah, well I could certainly teach you, perhaps after you're finished with your bath? I shall bring a spare kimono if you'd like?"

Aesil nodded vigorously, her bangs bouncing up and down, before realizing that she should probably..."Thank."

Kanade grinned at Aesil. "Interested in trying the local fashion? You might make a good impression if you dressed up for the meeting tomorrow."

The maid nodded and rose from her kneeling position. "I will retrieve you when it is ready," she said before walking off into the hallways.

"Good impression...and you?" the beast-girl asked, tilting her head to the side as she leaned against a soft wall.

"Hm..." Kanade thought for a few moments, taking the opportunity to lean back in a stretch, which eventually went far enough to cause her to fall onto her back. She quickly got back into a sitting position as if nothing had happened. "Well, I could borrow a kimono, I suppose. I'm not the biggest fan of all the traditional dress, but it's fun every now and again. Not like I get many opportunities these days."

Lyssa shook her head as the issue of clothing was mentioned, removing her metal mask from her face as she drew her hood down. "The Palace robes are interesting, yes, but I can and will not remove this armor in a meeting representing Aesil. It's...all I've left of my father." She hesitated as she finished, looking away.

OAyNDrz.png

"Okay." Aesil said neutrally, not comprehending at all the deep and dramatic meaning of the knight-lady's words.

"Well...it would probably be a little unusual if we all arrive as representatives of Aesil, dressed as if we belong here," commented Kanade.

"A-anyways," Lyssa stammered as she tried to change the subject. "I suppose I'll have some food sent up for myself as well once that maid returns. Do you suppose we're being listened in on? I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case."

The feral brunette frowned, as she rocked back and forth on her slightly bouncy bed. "Listened on? Why?"

"The walls tend to be thin enough, that it can happen even if they aren't trying. I'd say it would be prudent not to discuss anything we don't want someone to overhear." Kanade shrugged at Aesil's question. "Curiosity, most likely."

Aesil nodded, before closing her eyes, seeing if she could hear anything. There was nothing, not even the footsteps of the maid bringing forth delicious, delicious food. How disappointing. "Food where?"

Lyssa smiled, agreeing with Aesil. "Aye, I'm in the mood for another meal right now as well." She glanced at the girl, deciding to at least try to make some conversation with her. "So...Aesil. What exactly do you like to eat? Besides...er, people."

The beast girl smiled, revealing rows of white, clean, sharp teeth, as she spread her arms out. "Everything," she said, blissfully, recalling the taste of dinner and Shotaro once more.

Kanade looked thoroughly confused by Aesil's answer, glancing nervously at Lyssa. "E-everything? Like, you'll eat anything? Wait, what was that about eating people?"

Lyssa paused, looking at Kanade in surprise. She had been there with them when it happened. How the hell had she not seen it? Had she just been too fixated on Konyuu's battle with the angel to notice? "Er..." Lyssa paused, before shaking her head. "It's nothing important, Kanade. I'll tell you when we're back home. Anyways, what's taking that food so long?"

"Maybe forgot?" Aesil suggested, before hopping off the bed. Without a second thought, she placed her hand against the door and attempted to slide it open.

As she slid the door open, it seemed as though the maid was already there, nearly opening it herself. She looked surprised but quickly sat down and bowed her head. "Your bath is ready, I shall lead you to it. Please be quiet as you walk through the halls. There are others sleeping here." She picked herself up and waited for the three Aesil champions to follow.

The maid led them to a stony wall built inside the manor, its 'door' being a simple patterned cloth hanging in front. She pulled aside the curtain and gestured for the girls to enter into the dressing room, where three towels, along with scrubs and a tray of simple but nevertheless tasty-looking fish-based items laid out beside them.

She bowed before speaking, remaining outside the room. "The bath is further inside. Mind the heat. I will return in a bit to bring you back to your room. Please wait in here or in the bath until then." She bowed once more and wandered off.

"Thank you," Kanade said to the retreating maid. "Well," she went on to Aesil and Lyssa, "it wouldn't do not to relax for a while, so I'm going to take a bath." She'd already started stripping out of her armored clothes.

Lyssa easily shrugged her armored robes off, changing into a towel as she eyed the food before her. Without hesitation, she took a plate for herself and brought it into the bath with her, intent on chowing down as she relaxed in the bath.

The mist coming from the hot pool did little to hide the intricacies of Aesil's petite form as the amethyst-eyed girl removed her cloak. She wore nothing underneath there, and her slender frame was decorated with a variety of pale lines, almost indiscernible from her creamy skin. Without any hesitation, she crouched down and stuffed her face full of half the fish dishes that had been brought by the kind maid, having just enough presence of mind to save some for Kanade. Enjoying the rich texture, even though it wasn't quite as filling as Shotaro's own meat, she chose not to cover her still developing breasts as she slipped one foot gently into the water, testing it.

It was a comfortably hot warmth, and with a content sigh and a belly that wasn't grumbling for once, Aesil plunged into the water, making a small splash and a sensual moan at the comfort she had never been privy to in the cold-water shower rooms of the Aesil training barracks.
onsen_yugen.jpg

The bathhouse was spacious, surprisingly, given the smallness of the adjacent room. It stretched wide, at least a dozen yards, surrounded on three sides by a wooden wall painted with a flowing scene that undoubtedly told some sort of tale. The water was waist-deep and shrouded by an ever-flowing steam.

Most surprising of all was its status on the second floor; one the wider end of the room, there was a deck, unreachable due to the grates that had been placed between it and the bath, that looked out over the Palace Borough from atop a hill.

Kanade was the last to actually enter the bath, carrying her own plate of food. She didn't bother wrapping up in a towel either, and had done her hair up neatly in a bun, so it would stay out of the way in the bath. She slipped in quietly and leaned back to relax. "I'm really not sure if eating in the bath is polite..." She stopped to giggle. "But what do I care?"

"Polite? Why not?" Aesil asked, making waves as she kicked her legs underneath the tranquil waters.

Lyssa shrugged, popping some fish in her mouth as she relaxed in the hot water. "Something about decorum. Really, it's only impolite if it's not your bath and there's other people around that care."

"Yeah," Kanade added, around a mouthful of food, no less, "If nobody cares, it doesn't really matter anyway. We just have to be careful we don't get our dinner soaking wet."

"But it's fish," Aesil stated flatly. "Fish go in water."


dPB7FUV.jpg

Ninja, The Slayer

Before Kanade could reach for another piece of fish, the metal plate was stricken by something fast and silvery. It made a pang of noise before the entire tray flipped over and dumped its contents into the waters. Her hand was nearly hit by the object, and as the mist rolled over the water, Kanade could see at the bottom of the tub, a shuriken had sunk.

A whistle of air called out nearby the grating of the room looking outside, and the steam around the tub was quickly sucked inwards towards a particular spot before being blasted away to the edges of the room. In its place, a single individual stood, cloaked in black, and quite clearly a ninja. With a jab, the ninja flung a second weapon at Kanade, and thought it struck, her body managed to stop the blade from piercing further than a simple mundane cut.

The moment the tray flipped over, Aesil dived down into the waters and retrieved the fishy contents, taking them in her hands. Bringing the bathwater-flavored pieces out, she asked Kanade, showing her the pieces, "You want?"

"We've got more important things to worry about," Kanade replied, gesturing to the ninja in the room. "I've heard of peeping toms, but this is ridiculous." She didn't waste any time in launching a counter attack of her own, forming a small sphere of energy over one hand and throwing at their mystery guest. The orb barely missed the attacker as he bent backwards, his body casually making a ninety degree bend before the man rose up again. The energy ball smacked into the wooden grating, splintering wood onto the floor and into the tub.

Lyssa snarled as she formed a sword of light in the air before her before launching it at the ninja, attacking alongside Kanade. "Unbelievable." She spat, disgusted by the breach in hospitality. "You offer your home just to slay us while our guards are down? Sickening." Lyssa's weapon of light shot forwards, lancing into the wood as the ninja seemingly vanished into thin air.

With silent steps and masterful acrobatics, the black-garbed man slipped over Aesil's head unnoticed, throwing a small wire around her neck. The loop fit gently around her neck, before he yanked it viciously back towards the edge of the tub.

Aesil felt a sudden pull, propelling her head towards the edge of the tub. It felt like something was wrapped around her neck, preventing her from breathing, but the pull itself was too slow, and the wire only barely failed to pierce her skin. Slamming her hands against the wooden edge, she stopped herself before she could take a bite of the tub, and instead, used both hands to grab onto the string that she couldn't see, but could definitely feel. Coiling it around her left hand, the beast girl's eyes flared as she snarled, pulling down hard on the string.

Sensing an opportunity as the ninja began to focus on the other girls in the onsen, Kanade raised one arm above her head. With arcane words blossoming into her mind, the pink-haired idol began gathering power for another blast, biding her time for a perfect shot against this elusive foe.
Lyssa conjured another blade of light, this time taking it into her hand and jumping out of the waters. Dashing towards the ninja, she thrust it at him while he was trying to choke Aesil to death. Right before the tip of the blade struck his chest, though, the string broke, allowing him to flip backwards, landing parallel to the ground as his feet touched the opposing wall.
kenshiro-flying-kicks-o.gif
Launching outwards into three flying kicks, he struck the nude knight right in the ribs. A distinctive crack could be heard as she smashed into the waters, waves rising up high.

Aesil rose at that moment, hidden briefly by the white waters flying upwards. With one powerful step, she propelled herself towards the ninja, droplets of water creating a vaporous trail behind her. Her right hand snaked outwards at the same time, and, right before the ninja's feet could touch the ground and he could bounce away once more, her index finger snagged onto his gi and she drew him in, grabbing him by the throat and swinging him back towards Kanade.

It was an opportunity that the singer took as she threw her now charged attack right at the ninja while he was unable to run away. One way or another, he at least wasn't getting away from this one, and he definitely wasn't going to get out of it unscathed. Pushing in some of her life force as well, the ball of energy morphed into a coruscating beam, lancing towards the ninja as he struggled against the iron grip of the Beast of Goetia.
SlHnf8G.gif
With a radiant flash and sound of a singular, pure chime, the Primal Words of Kanade reached the pinned ninja, waves of energy smashing into his body endlessly. First, the gi was set ablaze, turning into ash. Then, the flesh was stripped away, wilting like charred meat before breaking into dust. And finally, the skeletal structure of the man, exposed to Kanade's power, simply vaporized.

Aesil looked at her hands, looked at the dust that was covering them. The dust that was once food, but was now...pretty much just a delicious smell in the air. She looked at all this, and then sighed, deciding that, at the very least, she could lick up the ashes.

"Don't waste food," she grumbled.

Kanade dropped to one knee, clutching at her chest for a few moments. "...Sorry. I didn't expect to put that much of an end to him..." She took a moment to catch her breath, and stood back up again. "I'll see what I can do to get us all healed up." She started singing one of her songs again, an aria of benevolence wafting into their ears as waves of energy flowed outward from her. It wasn't long before any injuries the group had suffered begin to knit back together.

Lyssa groaned as she rose from the water, clutching her ribcage in pain. Her agony soon faded, however, as Kanade began healing them. Nodding in thanks to the girl, she glanced at the pile of ashes on the floor in contempt.

"So. Who wants to get the maid?"
​
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back