Snippet #2484108

Lucas sighed as Marcus sat down, taking another sip of his drink. "Roth." Roth simply nodded, pouring Marcus' drink and sitting it down in front of him. "I'll take the price of the drinks out of the job profits, same as always. But remember, the more you drink, the less you get out of completed jobs." Lucas leaned back in his seat, taking a break from the drink as it had already been his third so far. "You don't need to tell this idiot Roth. He knows already." Roth shrugged and looked down the bar to Michael. "You want anything?" Before Michael could respond, there was a loud thud coming from where Daisy was sitting, making most in the bar jump a little. She appeared to smack her shot glass too hard down on the counter, smashing it to pieces and causing Rolan to withdraw from their little competition. "Damn. Roth, can you please clean this up?" Daisy stood up and walked over to Lilith, bending down and smiling to her daughter. "Sweetie, why don't you take Asther and continue your game upstairs? I have to talk business with the others." Lilith simply nodded and grabbed Asther hand, dragging the woman with her to the employee only door in the back right corner of the bar. The door led up to Daisy's office and it was where Lilith would often go when Daisy wanted to keep her out of the loop on certain things. Lilith didn't mind and at least this time she wasn't going to go wait alone. Asther gave a wave back to everyone as she was led up the stairs, making eye contact with Rolan as she did so.

Lucas stood up and walked to the front door, locking it while Roth locked the back. Daisy walked behind the bar and motioned for the Exorcists to gather around. She reached into her back pocket and removed the photo of Rae Tsuyo, placing it on the bar counter in front of her. "Alright fellas, meet Rae Tsuyo. From what Asther told me, he would appear like just another street kid. But, her sources say he is currently possessed." Lucas clicked his tongue and took another sip of his drink. "And? I don't understand. If that's the case I'll just go 'cleanse' him of his problem." Daisy shook her head and said, "Not so fast, Lucas. This case is a little different. Rolan and Asther say Rae has been possessed for five years and still has control. Whatever has possessed him still hasn't fully crossed The Boundary. Its been slowly feeding its power into Rae, making sure not to overload him and lose its vessel into this world." Rolan put his finger on the photo and told them, "Daisy, I'll finish. Only the strongest from beyond need to cross The Boundary in this manner. Now, what it is exactly, we haven't the slightest clue. But, its strong. Not only that, but its power is acting like a beacon, drawing weaker beings to this city."

Lucas chuckled a bit, finishing his drink and putting it back down on the counter. "Well, when did you become an expert on things like this?" Roth grabbed the glass and began cleaning it behind the counter. "Daisy told him before you guys got here." Rolan dipped his head, as though Lucas and Roth had just rained on his parade. "Like a divine punishment, it doesn't stop there either. Since this thing is bringing others into the city, they will surely follow as well. The Shepherds. As you three know, they don't enter the city too often because you guys and Daisy are here. But, the most fool-hearty are likely to come." The Shepherds. Michael, Lucas, and Marcus had all been around long enough to run into them at least once in their lifetimes. While normal humans, the weapons they carry were far from ordinary. Lucas licked his lips, not even realizing he was doing it. To him, all this information meant was that several strong opponents were in his near future. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's find this kid." Daisy rolled her eyes, grabbing the photo and holding it close to her chest. "Well, if there are no other questions, then I will begin." Daisy closed her eyes and began mumbling to herself, the words sounding utterly foreign to those around her. She spoke for only a few seconds before the words, "Guide my way," slipped out of her mouth. She opened her eyes, her irises and pupils appearing a bright yellow in color. She was silent for a minute, the others knowing it was just part of the process. "What the hell? What is that girl doing there?! I guess it is a smaller world than I thought." Daisy smiled as her eyes returned to normal and she was brought back to The EU.

"Why does it not surprise me that Juni is already a step ahead of you all? We're lucky. The kids not far from here and Juniper is already with him. Don't know why, and honestly I don't care. They're in an alley off Third. Head down there and severe that things connection with Rae before we lose him to it. Now that Juni has made contact, the monsters will be out in force to prevent the severing. She will need your help soon. I'll text her and let her know she is in danger. Well, what are you waiting for? Go." Lucas looked at the others and nodded. As they went to leave, Daisy yelled out to them, "One more thing. Some guy is with them. Find out who he is, and if he knows about us or what Juniper is. If he does, deal with it." Lucas looked down at the ground before simply nodding and heading out the door. Rolan yawned before standing up. "I'll go tell Asther its okay to come back down." Rolan left the room, Daisy walking back around the bar and sitting down. Roth poured her a glass of water and said, "What do you mean deal with him?" Daisy looked at Roth and smiled. "Come on Roth, you know, as well as them, what I meant. I'll have to reconstruct his memory. The list of people who know about what we do is short, well documented, and highly monitored. We have to do what we can to protect the innocent from this truth. Well, except those with deep pockets, but I wouldn't exactly call them innocent." Roth grinned, knowing the procedure after nearly five years with Daisy. Daisy removed her cellphone and found Juniper in her contacts. Normally, she could just tell her telepathically, but modern technology was just so convenient. She texted, 'You probably have incoming. The others are on their way.' Daisy put her phone away and closed her eyes, reciting another spell. This one caused a purple light to emerge from her. It spread out, covering a ten block radius. Unlike The Exorcists Zero, she was able to create much larger ones, however she couldn't move, making her useless in a battle when doing it. However, for the Exorcists, it gave them a much needed edge. Lilith, Rolan, and Asther emerged from the office, all knowing what was going on. Rolan, Asther, and Roth were special, so they were trapped in the Zero for the time being. Lilith was there with them, this being her first time in Zero in what felt like a lifetime.

Lucas closed the door behind them as they left The EU. "Alright guys, you know the drill. Once we-" Before Lucas could finish that thought, the presence of two from beyond interrupted him. One was moving along the roof toward Juniper's location, the other taking the streets. They were moving fast. It was like Daisy feared. Juniper's vicinity to the big one was causing problems already. "Shit. Alright, change of plans. I'll take the rooftops, you two take the streets. We have four blocks between here and there. Kill everything you come across, but don't let it slow you down. Don't worry about collecting for the Market. Priorities and all that. Severe the kid, and find out what the other one with Juniper knows. But, the main concern is Rae. Let's move." Without another word, Lucas looked toward the roof and bent down as far as he could. He leaped off the ground, landing on the fire escape above and following it up to the roof. This wasn't the first time they had to work together, so Lucas knew he could trust both Michael and Marcus to do what needed to be done. Lucas began running along the roof, removing his sword. He could see the monster from earlier in his sights. It was a weakling, as to be was expected. Only the lower tier would be stupid enough to recklessly pursue this situation. The main issue was going to be numbers, not power. Lucas ran at the enemy, seeing it to be nothing more than a lowly goblin. The beast raised its arms to fight, seeing Lucas pass by it in an instant. Turning around to see the man it thought was going to be its enemy jump across to the next roof, it felt its body split in half. The light from Zero engulfing it and causing it to disappear from the world, the fight that ended its life lasting less than a second.

At the edge of Zero, near the ten block limit, a hooded figure entered the zone. It had pierced Zero, the hole reforming behind the figure. Its body was completely shrouded in the cloak, but from its right sleeve a silver axe shined brilliantly, even in the dullness of the purple world. The figure began a slow and methodical walk toward the direction of Juniper and Rae, an aura of killer intent radiating off it. At this moment, Juniper and Rae would have both found themselves in Zero, Troy disappearing from their view, and them from his.