Setting
The series of catacombs and actual underground headquarters of The Order of Exorcists, lying in the center of the Arkanvale country.
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
Resmyrd is a part of 
Arkanvale.
Meister Elegia
â"When you wake up, the world will be a little different..."â
â"When you wake up, the world will be a little different..."â
Upon the spilling light of the rising sun, its tendrils crept on the land who had reveled in the darkness of the night. Among those wisps of illumination, one bravely ventured as it pierced through the stained glass window of a certain room. Casting its brilliance upon the furniture where things that could be depicted as adorable decorated every nook and cranny, it could easily be identified as a room of a the female gender. Preferably a child, this was due to the nearby bookshelves that contained various children tales which always end with a happily ever after. So where was the owner of such a room, one logical conclusion would be on the bed. As the light filled the entire room, the bed was unoccupied. It would appear that the owner had already woke up from the spell of sleep of the evening.
Although, there was a certain oddity. The bed was intricately in order as if no one has used it for a period of time. The other items within the room appeared to be in the same situation. So, where was the owner of this chamber? If you would exit the room, walk through the hallways, and then enter one of the training rooms used by the many Exorcists of the Order. There on the ground lying on the cold stone floor was the mysterious keeper of the adorable-looking room. Long hair of dark purple covered such a small frame as if a blanket. Porcelain white skin peeked through the parted tresses. Small and even breaths could be heard as it matched the steady rising of the chest. The stillness was intoxicating however, it must come to an end at some point.
"Excuse me? Anyone here? Hello?"
Slowly, eyes of bright mauve were revealed behind the curtains of the eyelids. The inquiries resonated within the training room which was created to have good acoustics. Although, it was probably due to the fact it was underground and the material that was used in the creations of the Catacombs. Regardless, it effectively broke the silence that made sleeping such a pleasant experience. It was truly disappointing.
"They say that she will be here. She's not in here room... Where could she be?"
As if taking that as a cue, the figure who was earlier sleeping stood from the ground. An unorthodox yet elegant yawn was released as those feet moved, it created a sound distinctive to be taken notice by the one asking who revealed to be one of the younger Exorcists of the Order. A boy who appeared to be panting and sweating lightly which meant that he had been searching for this she-person consuming some time.
"Meister Elegia?"
Before answering that question, delicate fingers run through the long purple tresses that did show any morning tangles in one bit. After doing so, the next agenda was dusting the clothes that probably accumulated from this room and the training done earlier. When it was done, the question was finally answered as the boy looked and waited with a rather incredulous expression. There was no doubt that this boy was a new recruit that had been given the rank of as a Page.
"Yes, speaking. What do you need?"
Answering with an underlying tone reminiscent of those still in dreamland, Elegia stretched her arms upward and even her limbs from the numbness of sleep. It would seem that she had fallen asleep while training her purging skills way into the night. As if proof of her activities, the training room was in a disarray and some weapons littered the floor.
"You are ordered to come to the cathedral. An initiation would be done for team assignments consisting a human, demon, and angel."
Those words alone were enough to wake Elegia completely. Her eyes of purple glittered with the possibility of gaining strong allies to improve her skills betters. The idea of teamwork was not on her primary agenda but to use others as a stepping stone to be stronger. At the same time, it did not cross her mind that she could curse her teammates in most chances if in the event the three of them were far too different. Thus without further ado, she walked passed the Page while asking for a bit of favor.
"Okay and would you be a dear and cleaned up after me? Thanks!"
Waving with a bright smile on her face, Elegia left the bewildered boy alone. For in his opinion, the girl was no taller than him and appeared to be in her adolescent days. In contrasted the information he was given, he had expected a rather older looking woman. But as they do say, you have to make do with what you have. As for the female Meister, she went to the Cathedral. She was excited for the initiation. This would be the perfect place to show her skills and improvements. Upon entering, she was certain that time got ahead of her. As such, she gave an apologetic smile to her fellow exorcists who stared at her late entrance. She gave a wave and mouthed an apology before taking a spot on one of the empty tables while she reprimanded herself inwardly.
"Elegia bring an alarm clock with you next time."
Although, there was a certain oddity. The bed was intricately in order as if no one has used it for a period of time. The other items within the room appeared to be in the same situation. So, where was the owner of this chamber? If you would exit the room, walk through the hallways, and then enter one of the training rooms used by the many Exorcists of the Order. There on the ground lying on the cold stone floor was the mysterious keeper of the adorable-looking room. Long hair of dark purple covered such a small frame as if a blanket. Porcelain white skin peeked through the parted tresses. Small and even breaths could be heard as it matched the steady rising of the chest. The stillness was intoxicating however, it must come to an end at some point.
"Excuse me? Anyone here? Hello?"
Slowly, eyes of bright mauve were revealed behind the curtains of the eyelids. The inquiries resonated within the training room which was created to have good acoustics. Although, it was probably due to the fact it was underground and the material that was used in the creations of the Catacombs. Regardless, it effectively broke the silence that made sleeping such a pleasant experience. It was truly disappointing.
"They say that she will be here. She's not in here room... Where could she be?"
As if taking that as a cue, the figure who was earlier sleeping stood from the ground. An unorthodox yet elegant yawn was released as those feet moved, it created a sound distinctive to be taken notice by the one asking who revealed to be one of the younger Exorcists of the Order. A boy who appeared to be panting and sweating lightly which meant that he had been searching for this she-person consuming some time.
"Meister Elegia?"
Before answering that question, delicate fingers run through the long purple tresses that did show any morning tangles in one bit. After doing so, the next agenda was dusting the clothes that probably accumulated from this room and the training done earlier. When it was done, the question was finally answered as the boy looked and waited with a rather incredulous expression. There was no doubt that this boy was a new recruit that had been given the rank of as a Page.
"Yes, speaking. What do you need?"
Answering with an underlying tone reminiscent of those still in dreamland, Elegia stretched her arms upward and even her limbs from the numbness of sleep. It would seem that she had fallen asleep while training her purging skills way into the night. As if proof of her activities, the training room was in a disarray and some weapons littered the floor.
"You are ordered to come to the cathedral. An initiation would be done for team assignments consisting a human, demon, and angel."
Those words alone were enough to wake Elegia completely. Her eyes of purple glittered with the possibility of gaining strong allies to improve her skills betters. The idea of teamwork was not on her primary agenda but to use others as a stepping stone to be stronger. At the same time, it did not cross her mind that she could curse her teammates in most chances if in the event the three of them were far too different. Thus without further ado, she walked passed the Page while asking for a bit of favor.
"Okay and would you be a dear and cleaned up after me? Thanks!"
Waving with a bright smile on her face, Elegia left the bewildered boy alone. For in his opinion, the girl was no taller than him and appeared to be in her adolescent days. In contrasted the information he was given, he had expected a rather older looking woman. But as they do say, you have to make do with what you have. As for the female Meister, she went to the Cathedral. She was excited for the initiation. This would be the perfect place to show her skills and improvements. Upon entering, she was certain that time got ahead of her. As such, she gave an apologetic smile to her fellow exorcists who stared at her late entrance. She gave a wave and mouthed an apology before taking a spot on one of the empty tables while she reprimanded herself inwardly.
"Elegia bring an alarm clock with you next time."
Cadenza
â"In the depths of the consciousness, the truth will be merged with reality."â
â"In the depths of the consciousness, the truth will be merged with reality."â
"You like this book, don't you?"
"It's informative."
"...Informative? The Ultimate Answer to the Universe is 12."
"Yes, anyway why so talkative today?"
"It is time."
"... You'll keep your promise, right?"
"I always do Cadenza."
Closing the book, Cadenza looked at the opened window before him. The view was rather spectacular with the rising of the sun illuminating the darkness revealing a sheen of glowing crystals on the horizon. Every morning, he would take time to watch this and even so he never got tired from doing so. In any case, it was time to entertain his true responsibilities. It had been a long time since the Order adopted him even when the awakening was not complete. The bond that made him use those powers were through the mercy of the angelic essence inside him. Now, this body was now hers.It was finally the right time to do what is expected.
Exiting the room, he noticed the rather lack of Exorcists roaming the hallways. Usually, most of the human were frolicking and minding their daily chores. Speaking of which, they had been informed about the cooperation of Paradiso and the Inferno in the sudden surge of Wraiths and Spirits into Earth. This body, soul, and mind had suffered from the memory of a Wraith. Placing a hand over his left chest, eyes of gold that were comparable to the sun held a tinge of sadness in them and a guilt which will never be removed.
Releasing a long sigh, he shook his head to allow some reprieve from depressing memories. It was not the time to wallow in grief and self-pity. There was a duty that needed to be done and a promise needed to be kept. Walking through the hallways, he soon reached the cathedral. From what he had heard earlier, a meeting had been called by the Vatican to announce the alliance to control the increase of Rogue Spirits and Wraiths. However, he does wonder how effective this strategy will be in the future. He was pretty certain that some of the Demons would be a handful as they have the tendency to dislike everything except themselves, the Angels are more tolerant but living as humans can change that, as for the Exorcists, he can never be sure. Overall, all of the teams that would be assembled could be likened to a powder keg waiting to explode.
With that idea in mind, Cadenza entered and noticed some of the displeased look from some of the Exorcists. The alliance must have been announced already. It was to be expected as everyone had worked on their own and only few times in groups. As for the Angels, they had been sent here for that purpose yet remained stagnant until the right time. In terms of the Demons, they are more like unruly guards with collars to keep them at their best behavior. But for him, it was just another means to meet the end all of this. The sooner it was finished the faster he could return to the body that is truly hers.
Going to a far corner, he leaned onto one of the stone columns and closed his eyes. The beanie hat that he wore helped to add more cover to his face and rose pink hair. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited for the teams assignments to be given or whatever plan the Order had in mind. In the years being a human, he had been certain that they had the consistency to surprise with their ever changing desires, goals, wishes, and emotions. Perhaps, it is why he liked the human in some form and it was not because he had to due to being an Angel. It was more than that.
"Yeah... I like humans.... just like you Cadenza..."
"It's informative."
"...Informative? The Ultimate Answer to the Universe is 12."
"Yes, anyway why so talkative today?"
"It is time."
"... You'll keep your promise, right?"
"I always do Cadenza."
Closing the book, Cadenza looked at the opened window before him. The view was rather spectacular with the rising of the sun illuminating the darkness revealing a sheen of glowing crystals on the horizon. Every morning, he would take time to watch this and even so he never got tired from doing so. In any case, it was time to entertain his true responsibilities. It had been a long time since the Order adopted him even when the awakening was not complete. The bond that made him use those powers were through the mercy of the angelic essence inside him. Now, this body was now hers.It was finally the right time to do what is expected.
Exiting the room, he noticed the rather lack of Exorcists roaming the hallways. Usually, most of the human were frolicking and minding their daily chores. Speaking of which, they had been informed about the cooperation of Paradiso and the Inferno in the sudden surge of Wraiths and Spirits into Earth. This body, soul, and mind had suffered from the memory of a Wraith. Placing a hand over his left chest, eyes of gold that were comparable to the sun held a tinge of sadness in them and a guilt which will never be removed.
Releasing a long sigh, he shook his head to allow some reprieve from depressing memories. It was not the time to wallow in grief and self-pity. There was a duty that needed to be done and a promise needed to be kept. Walking through the hallways, he soon reached the cathedral. From what he had heard earlier, a meeting had been called by the Vatican to announce the alliance to control the increase of Rogue Spirits and Wraiths. However, he does wonder how effective this strategy will be in the future. He was pretty certain that some of the Demons would be a handful as they have the tendency to dislike everything except themselves, the Angels are more tolerant but living as humans can change that, as for the Exorcists, he can never be sure. Overall, all of the teams that would be assembled could be likened to a powder keg waiting to explode.
With that idea in mind, Cadenza entered and noticed some of the displeased look from some of the Exorcists. The alliance must have been announced already. It was to be expected as everyone had worked on their own and only few times in groups. As for the Angels, they had been sent here for that purpose yet remained stagnant until the right time. In terms of the Demons, they are more like unruly guards with collars to keep them at their best behavior. But for him, it was just another means to meet the end all of this. The sooner it was finished the faster he could return to the body that is truly hers.
Going to a far corner, he leaned onto one of the stone columns and closed his eyes. The beanie hat that he wore helped to add more cover to his face and rose pink hair. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited for the teams assignments to be given or whatever plan the Order had in mind. In the years being a human, he had been certain that they had the consistency to surprise with their ever changing desires, goals, wishes, and emotions. Perhaps, it is why he liked the human in some form and it was not because he had to due to being an Angel. It was more than that.
"Yeah... I like humans.... just like you Cadenza..."
Meister Elegia
â"Sometimes, your enemy is the one beside you..."â
â"Sometimes, your enemy is the one beside you..."â
Treylion flicked his gaze over both and not even taking out time to alert them before he was already moving forwards, grinning smoothly. He raised one of his arms and with a great flourish summoned a ball of flames which hovered inches above his palm. With a flick of his wrist and a smirk across his face, several orbs shot out toward the exorcists. Instead of being one-directional, they gravitated towards the females, almost as if drawn to them, homing in on their position. A rush of air and heat as the orbs began to swirl chaotically around them, remaining close enough to maintain a sense of danger but still just out of reach enough to not physically harm either of them.
Snapping her attention to the Demon Commander, it seemed he had no qualms taking both of them on. Now this was the kind of opponent that she liked. Ignoring Virie's presence and the string of incoherent words that spilled out of the younger girl's lips, Elegia readied herself for the fight that she had been itching to have for so long. However, she was ill-prepared for the fiery orbs flying toward the two of them. Well, it goes without saying that she should have expected something like this. Still, she wanted the more physical approach of things. It would be entertaining to say the least to gauge her strength against a demon like him. But for now, she has to ease her excitement to a tolerable one. After all, she has a fight that needed to ended with her win.
Perhaps Virie shouldn't have been overly taken aback by this tactic, in fact, she welcomed the use of magic. It just showed that her preferred choice of offense was the right one. Reika was already on the alert but Virie quieted her down--she did not want to rely on her youkai, not in this fight. She quickly opened her spellbook, the pages well-thumbed. She brushed her hand over the page, speaking quickly in her spell-tongues to summon up a controlled whirlwind around her body to keep the flames naturally at bay. Creating a water torrent would've been too predictable and she highly doubted that would've dispelled the fire anyway. The winds sped around her body at a moderate pace, from a distance, it would appear as if a small tornado had appeared around the exorcist. (And little Reika held on tightly to her Mistress' leg--oh god those winds, IT WAS EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT HER BODY PRODU... something.)
From the corner of her eyes, Elegia could see that Virie was already preparing her own set of theatrics. Well, there was no way she was going to lose to some demon-wannabe or whatever she calls herself nowadays. Raising her right hand upwards, a translucent glow began to emanate from her fingertips. Soon enough, it cascaded down to her form similar to a big gelatin case and it did not take long enough as well for it to create separate entities of sphere that resembled of floating bubbles. Her eyes were narrowed to show the concentration that was being placed into this ability of hers and with a small smile gracing her lips. The said spheres floated around in an erratic manner or is it now?
"Let the fun begin."
Snapping her fingers, the floating spheres attached itselves to the flaming orbs of demonic fire. Engulfing them without much interruption, the effect of such a move was yet to be seen. However as time lingered on, the flames that posed such dangerous intentions were slowly diminishing in its hellish fires. As if, the air and heat were being sapped out of them. Thus, it did not take too long before they were no more within the bubbles that Elegia had released.
The fires that he'd launched at the two women were easily dealt with. Treylion grinned wholeheartedly. He enjoyed a good fight, and it seemed the two women exorcists that had engaged with him were going to bring even more excitement than usual.
"Be careful," Rai warned softly off to the side. The Demon Commander glanced over his shoulder, narrowed his dark eyes and frowned at the shorter, child-like Angel.
"Che, they are only humans," he replied shortly and turned his attention back to the women. His hand opened a second time, once again summoning his fires from hell. The red and orange ball of light twisted and turned, licking his hand as he fed the fire more fuel. It was soon swirling around from his palm and up his arm. A wide grin split his lips and he turned his hand with the flames outwards to face the women.
Launching the fire at them, he watched the flickering serpent of deadly heat snake outwards and strike lightning fast at both women, splitting at the end into two heads to get at them both.
Virie narrowed her eyes, able to hear full well what the Commander had just called her. Only human, hm? She felt a flash of anger. There were very few things that could get under her skin, as she prided herself on the strictest control over herself. After all, demons did not have true emotions, merely put on displays. She instantly dismissed her winds at this, the gusts fizzling out and leaving her unfazed, if a bit windswept. Raising the arm that held her book out in front of her, she turned over her palm so that it faced upwards. The book levitated a little in front of her, flipping to another well-thumbed page. The words upon it began to glow and inky scarlet and she muttered faintly under her breath. If she wanted to make an impression, she was going to have to be unorthodox... and cruel.
So, the Demon Commander looks at them as mere humans who can't do anything significant to hurt him or more so to defeat him. Elegia smiled at this notion. She liked it when the enemy underestimates her for it is more worth it beating them to a bloody pulp. Her floating bubbles were dispersed without much a wave of a hand. The snake serpent that was aimed towards her had been blockaded by her barrier. Even without the need to summon, it has an inherent tendency to protect her from all danger. Once, the fiery snake of flames was tackling to pierce through the translucent shield. She concocted two invisible panels from both its side and squeezed it out of existence. It was after such an act that she took notice of what Virie had done on her end. However what met her was...
A flash of a smirk unfurled on her features as she snapped her fingers and the words on the page floated off of them. They began to vibrate, almost humming, as they wound around each other. Each word formed into a solid chain, glyphs for air carved into each one. She gestured and the chains shot forwards through the air towards the flame serpent that was bounding at her. Her chains first caught it around its claws, the beast spewing flames out at her in protest. She smirked just a fraction of an inch more and the chains tightened, binding around the serpent even more. They wrapped around its torso, around its neck and with a flick of its wrist, twisted all the way through and decapitated the creature. But no, she wasn't done, not by a long shot.
With a bit of a flourish, more for show than anything else, she directed her chains in a whiplash at the commander. The metal had already dispelled the heat, the air glyphs working as a counter-measure against them. She muttered another verse and several spikes shot out of the sides of the metal. However, right before they even touched the commander, the chains abruptly turned and shot out at the girl that was supposed to be her comrade. The girl who, to her annoyance, had tried to proceed before her. An underling, a servant, a waste of existence. And who did she think she was anyway, bursting in on her initiation? It would be better to just relieve herself and others of the insignificant presence of that twat. Yet, faster than even she had anticipated--just as her chains were about to cut into that thing and bring up the sweet, scarlet substance, the demon commander had caught her chains with his bare hand. She grimaced and her lip curled in disgust.
"Enough," Treylion said, not relinquishing his grip on her chains. She would've persisted but trying to push herself against him would've been a bit too much. So she relented, much to her own disappointment, and let her chains alter themselves back into words. Once they had safely returned to her book, the commander resumed a more relaxed stance.
"There is no reason to continue this game, you've both made it clear where you each stand." He said, addressing them. "Witch, you will be paired with Janus and Ryu--I'm sure you'll find your demon companion to... share some common interest. And you, meister, you will be with Culsa and Caelestis." Virie made the briefest of bows towards him to symbolize her respect before turning on her heel, disregarding the girl she had been so intent to kill just moments ago and walking over towards her new partners. This had better have been worth the effort.
The reputation attached to Virie was without doubt correct in every way. Treylion had halted the attack intended for her. Elegia had a very cold look in her eyes of mauve that seemed to be replicated by the younger girl. She knew that it would do no good for her to lash out and place that arrogant b*tch in her rightful place. So for now, she well it slide and decided to end this initiation by going to her respective team as announced. Although, she wondered what was this Culsa and Caelestis were like. She hoped that they were not going to be hard to deal with just like that obnoxious Exorcist.
Snapping her attention to the Demon Commander, it seemed he had no qualms taking both of them on. Now this was the kind of opponent that she liked. Ignoring Virie's presence and the string of incoherent words that spilled out of the younger girl's lips, Elegia readied herself for the fight that she had been itching to have for so long. However, she was ill-prepared for the fiery orbs flying toward the two of them. Well, it goes without saying that she should have expected something like this. Still, she wanted the more physical approach of things. It would be entertaining to say the least to gauge her strength against a demon like him. But for now, she has to ease her excitement to a tolerable one. After all, she has a fight that needed to ended with her win.
Perhaps Virie shouldn't have been overly taken aback by this tactic, in fact, she welcomed the use of magic. It just showed that her preferred choice of offense was the right one. Reika was already on the alert but Virie quieted her down--she did not want to rely on her youkai, not in this fight. She quickly opened her spellbook, the pages well-thumbed. She brushed her hand over the page, speaking quickly in her spell-tongues to summon up a controlled whirlwind around her body to keep the flames naturally at bay. Creating a water torrent would've been too predictable and she highly doubted that would've dispelled the fire anyway. The winds sped around her body at a moderate pace, from a distance, it would appear as if a small tornado had appeared around the exorcist. (And little Reika held on tightly to her Mistress' leg--oh god those winds, IT WAS EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT HER BODY PRODU... something.)
From the corner of her eyes, Elegia could see that Virie was already preparing her own set of theatrics. Well, there was no way she was going to lose to some demon-wannabe or whatever she calls herself nowadays. Raising her right hand upwards, a translucent glow began to emanate from her fingertips. Soon enough, it cascaded down to her form similar to a big gelatin case and it did not take long enough as well for it to create separate entities of sphere that resembled of floating bubbles. Her eyes were narrowed to show the concentration that was being placed into this ability of hers and with a small smile gracing her lips. The said spheres floated around in an erratic manner or is it now?
"Let the fun begin."
Snapping her fingers, the floating spheres attached itselves to the flaming orbs of demonic fire. Engulfing them without much interruption, the effect of such a move was yet to be seen. However as time lingered on, the flames that posed such dangerous intentions were slowly diminishing in its hellish fires. As if, the air and heat were being sapped out of them. Thus, it did not take too long before they were no more within the bubbles that Elegia had released.
The fires that he'd launched at the two women were easily dealt with. Treylion grinned wholeheartedly. He enjoyed a good fight, and it seemed the two women exorcists that had engaged with him were going to bring even more excitement than usual.
"Be careful," Rai warned softly off to the side. The Demon Commander glanced over his shoulder, narrowed his dark eyes and frowned at the shorter, child-like Angel.
"Che, they are only humans," he replied shortly and turned his attention back to the women. His hand opened a second time, once again summoning his fires from hell. The red and orange ball of light twisted and turned, licking his hand as he fed the fire more fuel. It was soon swirling around from his palm and up his arm. A wide grin split his lips and he turned his hand with the flames outwards to face the women.
Launching the fire at them, he watched the flickering serpent of deadly heat snake outwards and strike lightning fast at both women, splitting at the end into two heads to get at them both.
Virie narrowed her eyes, able to hear full well what the Commander had just called her. Only human, hm? She felt a flash of anger. There were very few things that could get under her skin, as she prided herself on the strictest control over herself. After all, demons did not have true emotions, merely put on displays. She instantly dismissed her winds at this, the gusts fizzling out and leaving her unfazed, if a bit windswept. Raising the arm that held her book out in front of her, she turned over her palm so that it faced upwards. The book levitated a little in front of her, flipping to another well-thumbed page. The words upon it began to glow and inky scarlet and she muttered faintly under her breath. If she wanted to make an impression, she was going to have to be unorthodox... and cruel.
So, the Demon Commander looks at them as mere humans who can't do anything significant to hurt him or more so to defeat him. Elegia smiled at this notion. She liked it when the enemy underestimates her for it is more worth it beating them to a bloody pulp. Her floating bubbles were dispersed without much a wave of a hand. The snake serpent that was aimed towards her had been blockaded by her barrier. Even without the need to summon, it has an inherent tendency to protect her from all danger. Once, the fiery snake of flames was tackling to pierce through the translucent shield. She concocted two invisible panels from both its side and squeezed it out of existence. It was after such an act that she took notice of what Virie had done on her end. However what met her was...
A flash of a smirk unfurled on her features as she snapped her fingers and the words on the page floated off of them. They began to vibrate, almost humming, as they wound around each other. Each word formed into a solid chain, glyphs for air carved into each one. She gestured and the chains shot forwards through the air towards the flame serpent that was bounding at her. Her chains first caught it around its claws, the beast spewing flames out at her in protest. She smirked just a fraction of an inch more and the chains tightened, binding around the serpent even more. They wrapped around its torso, around its neck and with a flick of its wrist, twisted all the way through and decapitated the creature. But no, she wasn't done, not by a long shot.
With a bit of a flourish, more for show than anything else, she directed her chains in a whiplash at the commander. The metal had already dispelled the heat, the air glyphs working as a counter-measure against them. She muttered another verse and several spikes shot out of the sides of the metal. However, right before they even touched the commander, the chains abruptly turned and shot out at the girl that was supposed to be her comrade. The girl who, to her annoyance, had tried to proceed before her. An underling, a servant, a waste of existence. And who did she think she was anyway, bursting in on her initiation? It would be better to just relieve herself and others of the insignificant presence of that twat. Yet, faster than even she had anticipated--just as her chains were about to cut into that thing and bring up the sweet, scarlet substance, the demon commander had caught her chains with his bare hand. She grimaced and her lip curled in disgust.
"Enough," Treylion said, not relinquishing his grip on her chains. She would've persisted but trying to push herself against him would've been a bit too much. So she relented, much to her own disappointment, and let her chains alter themselves back into words. Once they had safely returned to her book, the commander resumed a more relaxed stance.
"There is no reason to continue this game, you've both made it clear where you each stand." He said, addressing them. "Witch, you will be paired with Janus and Ryu--I'm sure you'll find your demon companion to... share some common interest. And you, meister, you will be with Culsa and Caelestis." Virie made the briefest of bows towards him to symbolize her respect before turning on her heel, disregarding the girl she had been so intent to kill just moments ago and walking over towards her new partners. This had better have been worth the effort.
The reputation attached to Virie was without doubt correct in every way. Treylion had halted the attack intended for her. Elegia had a very cold look in her eyes of mauve that seemed to be replicated by the younger girl. She knew that it would do no good for her to lash out and place that arrogant b*tch in her rightful place. So for now, she well it slide and decided to end this initiation by going to her respective team as announced. Although, she wondered what was this Culsa and Caelestis were like. She hoped that they were not going to be hard to deal with just like that obnoxious Exorcist.
With a flash of hellfire, the serpentine demon found herself back in a familiar-looking cathedral. True to her word, the gatekeeper and her cat had transported her back to the depths of Resmyrd, the home of the exorcists that offered to help the cause--offered, of course, being a rather unsuitable word in this case, considering the exorcist that had been assigned to her group failed to do anything except introduce herself and immediately stay behind to help defend the place from a group of rogue wraiths that threatened to tear the place apart.
"Truth be told, I'm curious to see how the place would look after it's been reduced to rubble..." Xana smirked as she noticed the demon lord standing in the center of a circular room with a large seal affixed to the floor. She slithered closer to the Apokailon, cracking her neck to rid it of all the kinks that were still built up from before. "Damn human skin is rather cramped..." she chided within earshot of the demonic general.
Treylion frowned upon hearing her words as Xana entered the catherdral. His gaze shifted towards her slowly as she made her way towards him. The demoness had turned back into her demonic form rather than keeping her human attire. He didn't spare her a lasting look and returned his gaze to the seal upon the floor. He was concentrating on keeping that from breaking ever since the wraiths and spirits had decided to turn on Resmryd the moment the exorcists and their teams left. How... convenient.
"I believe I ordered you and all other demons to keep your human form unless there was reason to shed it," he reprimanded, but the words weren't meant as a threat. He'd called her for a different reason all together.
"Don't worry... Of course they didn't see anything out of the ordinary... Of course, they might have felt slightly... aroused to see me in that damn shell, but then again, most mortals are..." she explained. "They're so damn easy to toy with, you know..." She began to slither around the seal affixed in the middle of the room, keeping her eyes fixated on the Apokailon with a slight smirk on her face all the while.
"Your excuses would do you well if you kept them to yourself, Xana. But, that is not why I called you back. We've run into... a slight problem. As you well know, archdemons are not killed easily nor are there many to begin with. Unfortunately one has decided that death is very becoming of him and thus, I'm at a loss of what to do next," Treylion's lips upturned ever so slightly as he flicked his eyes towards her.
"What do you mean, 'becoming of him'? Did he off himself because he couldn't take the pressure of working under your command?" Another smirk, this one a bit wider as Xana crossed in front of Treylion.
"If only he were so honorable. Forget the details, Xana. The point is that we need a replacement of sorts. You've been a demon of high power for quite some time, not quite as powerful as some, but more so than many," Treylion was undoubtedly regarding Lucian when he spoke, there being no need for his name, "Why don't you show me what it is you're capable of doing?"
Xana laughed, a bit of a high-pitched titter that decreased in pitch and gave it a rather... haunting quality, especially when it reverberated in the high-domed room they stood in. "I thought you understood what I was capable of, Treylion... What do I need to prove to you that you have not already witnessed dozens of times already?"
"Let me try again. A bit more specific. Show me if you've learned anything more than what you already know, dear Xana," Treylion stated, his voice slightly velvety, but more creepy rather than attractive. Most assuredly a sign that he was getting only slightly irritated.
"Human or demon?" she asked, referring to the form she would have to take.
"Human. If you've learned anything new, you'll be able to use it in either; your demon form will only enhance it."
Xana huffed as the crimson-plated skin began to take on a lighter pinkish hue and her serpentine tail began to split down the middle. The horns growing out of her head were soon replaced by a wild crop of fiery locks which cascaded down to her mid-back. Her eyes, which had once glowed bright orange, were now a much darker crimson-purple color.
"Go after the exorcists, then?" she asked as she walked behind the demon commander, a doorway to a larger antechamber on the other side of the room.
"Do not kill them, if you can help it," Treylion answered shortly, "We still need to work with them... no matter how much we may... differ on the idea."
"Can't feed off of a corpse, Treylion--maybe Culsa could, but then again, she's a crazy bitch..." With that, the now-humanoid demon walked out into the antechamber and searched for a bit of prey, someone that might be able to not only feed her a bit but also someone that would be easy to... persuade.
"Try that one," Treylion's voice had traveled with her though he had not moved from the room behind her. He was far too busy trying to keep Resmyrd in one piece to have to move anywhere. He followed her much like he followed all of his subjects-- their demonic essences.
"I'm quite capable of picking my own victims, thank you..." Xana shot back under her breath as she found an exorcist deep in meditation. The man seemed rather stoic--nothing that a bit of her feminine "charm" could break, though. She sat down in front of the exorcist, staring straight into his unmoving face as she merely watched for ten... twenty... thirty seconds before--
"I sense your presence, demon... Begone, lest I be forced to deal with your foul stench..." the man spoke with a rather hostile tone in his voice.
"Tsk tsk, temper temper..." Xana purred, smirking despite having no one else to watch her face. "I was under the impression that you were supposed to suppress your emotions in order to prevent, well... possession..."
The exorcist did not give any verbal response, instead attempting to resume his meditation in some sort of peace despite the intrusive demon's presence.
"You humans intrigue me, though--how can you devote yourself to a cause without being sure whether you believe in the good you do for your kind?" Xana tried again, this time waiting for an honest response from the monk.
"You're lucky that the circumstances prevent us from banishing your ilk back to Inferno where you deserve to burn...." the monk growled, letting a bit of anger seep through his words. Right where I want him, the demon smirked as she stood up and stretched out her legs.
"My dear meat-puppet--and when I say 'dear', I don't mean this with any sort of affection whatsoever--what the order has told you about us is a lie," she explained in a rather quiet voice, taking the time to walk behind the meditating man and kneel down. "You believe you can banish my kind back to our home plane, but the truth is that your order is simply... human. It lies to you so you remain blindly loyal--"
She could tell that the human was trying to keep his composure throughout her little charade. His breathing was becoming more labored, and she could feel the distractions weighing heavily on his mind. It was rather refreshing, a mortal who attempted to resist her words--it brought more of a challenge than any of the drunks ever could.
Time to spread the seeds...
Xana placed her hands on the exorcist's shoulders and leaned in close to his right ear. "But of course, you know better than to follow blindly, yes?" Her words were laced with literal venom, seeds of doubt that would soon implant themselves on the mind of the poor exorcist. She just needed to get them to grow...
The monk suddenly shivered from the sudden sensations now building up across his body. "The Order is the vanguard between the forces of darkness. We are the keepers of the light against that which threatens to engulf the world in shadows. I pledge my strength to my brothers and sisters, and they in turn grant me their own. Against our light and our might, humanity shall never falter." Xana was unsure whether this was a sort of mantra that the exorcists had been forced down their throats from their earliest days of initiation, but either way, she applauded the man's feeble attempt to shrug off her assault--a slow, sarcastic applause, but applause nonetheless.
"Your order has failed you, so-called 'exorcist'," Xana continued, turning to the exorcist's left ear and whispering there now. "If your order is unable to prevent an attack against the facility that you call home, how can you expect them to protect the other humans that you care so deeply about? And what about now, your so-called defense against the 'shadows' from one lowly demon--"
"We... we are not able to predict where and when rogue spirits attack..." There was a definite lack of power behind these words from the exorcist. "And demons are another breed of danger entirely--"
"Oh, believe me, I know how dangerous we can be..." Xana purred again, pulling herself closer to the exorcist's ear. "Dangerous and powerful... Something your order does not value in you, apparently..." she smirked and moved her head around to his opposite side once more, now about to whisper in his right ear.
"...the Order... There is no assignment that they require my assistance with at this time..." The man's voice was breaking--Xana could feel the doubt growing in his mind at this point. Still, she was not quite finished with her little game--the doubt was rather pleasant to feed from, especially coming from a "stronger" human such as an exorcist.
"They do not think you strong enough... They condemn you to this darkened room where you meditate and do nothing all day," Xana purred, heat radiating slightly from her skin. "What sort of righteous order is this when it throws aside members that could prove to be... valuable to their cause?" The words were oozing from her mouth at this point, dripping with deception and slander that only she could produce.
Suddenly, a slight shift in the monk's movement as his head turned toward Xana's, still looking ahead but making sure to get a good look at the demon out of the corner of his eye. "...what are you saying?"
"All I'm saying is that if you are as strong as you claim to be, you should be aiding the other exorcists in dealing with your... infestation, not cooped up down here waiting to be called up for cleaning duty..." The demon rolled out her neck once more, feeling the kinks building up in this human form again. "Perhaps a visit to the leaders of your precious order is necessary--let them know that you feel that your time is being wasted down here meditating instead of helping out on the front lines. You and I both know that it's where you really belong..." Another smirk as the demon gently took her hands off of the man's shoulders, letting the heat linger for a few moments before it dissipated. "And if they tell you that they do not need your help... Well, let's say that what I've been telling you is true then... You would be better off on your own if that's the case--think of it: you, an exorcist who went 'rogue' to reveal the truth behind your precious Order..."
The exorcist rose slowly, looking off to a flight of stairs in the back of the room. "I... I am unsure why I have not questioned my position here--I have been here for quite a number of years, yet..." his mutterings grew quiet as he began to walk toward the very back of the room toward the aforementioned stairs. Xana smirked as she made her way back to the room with the seal embedded on made her way back to the room with the seal embedded in the floor, the Apokailon watching and awaiting her return.
"Satisfied?" Xana asked. "One of their most devout members, too--managed to break him pretty easily..."
Treylion watched her as she moved back into the room having finished what it was he'd asked her to do. With a slight shrug, the Apokailon returned his attention to the circle beneath him. He waited a while before answering her, making sure his voice was dull as he spoke.
"It was far from exemplary, but I suppose it will do," he flicked his gaze over to her for a mere moment before continuing, "I'll continue to keep an eye on you while you continue your orders given to you. You've grown a bit, Xana. I'll be in touch."
"...so that's it?" Xana's brow furrowed. "That's all you called me back for? Just to show off a bit for you?"
Treylion laughed at her, "It was hardly a show. Of course, if you don't wish to take on the role of an archdemon... I could always find someone else."
Xana cocked her head slightly as she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Who else did you have in mind, and why would you honestly think they'd be a better candidate than I?"
"Who?" Treylion asked, slowly turning his head so he could look at her full on, "I could pick anyone I wish, Xana. But lucky for you, I've decided to put my sights on you. Don't make me think twice on it," his voice was deeper than usual, pulling on the demonic power that resided within him. Even in human form, he was something to contend to.
Xana nodded. "It may also interest you to know that I've already repaired one seal, which is more than I can say for the other groups--at least, from what little I've heard from the gatekeeper... Speaking of groups, it gets awfully lonely out there for a girl like me--I'm tired of feeding from the drunks all the time, and the first angel and exorcist I was forced with seemed to hold the protection of Resmyrd in much higher of regard than helping me to seal the other gates..."
"Are you trying to please me or irritate me?" Treylion ground between his teeth. With a sigh he answered her unasked question, "Don't worry, you'll be paired with another exorcist and angel soon. In fact, Ki has found an angel for you and sent them to find you. You best scurry off and find them."
"You never can tell with me, Treylion..." Xana smirked one last time before walking out of the chamber, leaving the Apokailon somewhat irritated with her reply. His feelings were rather filling, especially when Xana did not have to use any of her power to force him to feel that way either. After navigating the halls of the complex, the demon finally made her way out onto the cracked, dry surface of the world. She had an angel to find--she hated playing this game; after all, she had been given no name, no possible location, no appearance profile. How was she supposed to find this damn needle among the rabble?
Still, this newfound opportunity... Despite the promise of power and prestige, something did not sit well in her mind, something she continued to chew on as she made her way across the wastelands.
Promotion to archdemon... This does not happen... What is he up to?
Takeuchi Hiroto
Takeuchi felt like he had been compacted to a much smaller space than his body was made to occupy and then forced into another smaller compartment with several other compacted beings like one would when packing sardines. This was actually a pretty close representation to what the carriageâs interior resembled at this moment, if only exaggerated somewhat due to overly-frazzled nerves and personal space issues. The carriage was of a moderate size, with the ability to seat some six people rather comfortably and only housing four, including the young Meister, at the moment. Something about the plush velvet, interior with gaudy wooden handles jutting out several inches from the doors. On this rather impromptu journey he found himself accompanied by a trio of noblemen who decided what they desired for entertainment was to trade in the telling of bawdy jokes and smoke what seemed to be an unending supply of cigars. It was all the poor, young boy to do just not to lose his non-existent lunch during the long, bumpy ride back to Resmyrd.
It was rather difficult to keep track of time when you had your head tucked away into the crook of your arm for the entirety of a journey, but he knew that he had suffered through some seven hours of cigar-smoke billowing, filthy joke telling madness. Considering his deformed extremities though, it was pretty much the only way he could realistically travel, walking by foot was a chore to say the least and horses always seemed to be much too fidgety for him to ride them. Naturally this was probably why his last teammates had chosen him to be the chosen one sent back to Resmyrd to fulfill a special task, they may not have explicitly said so but he had been through the routine enough by now to get the gist. True enough it had only been his first real mission, but he had been dealing with these kinds of circumstances his entire life, it was why only a handful of Exorcists would even take the time to train him in the slightest. To be fair though, the trip had not pleased Takeuchi at all, he was terrified that they might be attacked at any moment and he would not be able to perform as expected, his former teammates probably took that into consideration when the orders came in via carrier pigeon.
He couldnât blame them for their decision, even if it was somewhat jarring to think that the people you were supposed to work with wanted nothing more than to send you back to headquarters at the first possible chance. What could he reasonably do under pressure though? He had no experience, luck, nerve, or intuition to call upon if anything were to happen. If the going were to get toughâŠhe wouldnât get going. Thatâs not to say he was a complete failure, his initiation trials had gone well enough, to an extent, he was able to keep relatively calm enough to subdue the wraith they had tasked him with capturing. Sure, the fact that Exorcists were not too far off should things go bad was in the back of his mind, but it was still a dangerous situation, they never said that his life was secure at the time. Still though, it said something of his ability as a Meister, didnât it?
A wave of terror flooded over the young man as he felt the trundling carriage lurch to a squeaking halt, they had finally arrived at Resmyrd, or should have at least, and even though he was thankful to be rid of his fellow travelers, the prospect of this assignment was not to be taken lightly. They told him that he would be working with an angel and a demon on an assignment, something that could only mean failure would only come in epic proportions. He didnât quite know where to start with his search, Resmyrd was not exactly a small city and even though he could sense spiritual presences of any magnitude, especially those of a demon or angel, but he could only do so within a limited radius. If they were moving as well, this could end up taking some time, and he still ran the risk of running into the wrong creatures as well. He had never met an angel or demon, but from what he heard most angels were overly-righteous and demons were the epitome of evil, what if he ran into the wrong demon?
âYou gettingâ off now or what kid?â The carriage-driver snarled at Takeuchi as he sat there, trapped in his despair at failing the mission before it even started.
âS-sorry, j-just a moment please.â He shuffled around just slightly so that he could use his right-hand to grasp the door-frame while utilizing his left foot to propel his body up and out of the cab.
The driver shoved the bag he used to carry his clothing and other assorted knick-knacks towards Takeuchi, unfortunately on the left-side of his body. When he put his clubbed, left-hand underneath the bag to help toss it behind his right-should the driverâs face curled into a noticeable snarl, something the Meister had grown accustomed to in his life. Being born with a deformed limb was considered a bad omen by the superstitious, and having two meant many refused his company if they knew about it. As he began limping away from the carriage the sound of the driver spitting and muttering something about âaccursed luck,â he must not have noticed anything when Takeuchi first climbed aboard, luckily or he might not have let him ride. It would be how it would be though, all he could do was carry-on, and he did just that as he set out into the city of Resmryd.
Takeuchi Hiroto
The standard day-time sounds of Resmyrd had long since receded from Takeuchiâs hearing, seemingly gobbled up by the ever-encroaching darkness that was brought with the onslaught that was nighttime, they were replaced with a strange assortment of silence and hushed-goings on, undoubtedly much the more so given the current state of affairs in the world. His footâs drag sounded something akin to rocky soil being torn by a rusty plow in comparison now, rather startling considering just how much he attempted to stifle the noise whilst walking, and it started bringing upon him the attention of people whom he would rather not take notice of him. It was not like he would meet their gaze directly at this time in the evening though, for a multitude of reasons, but the most daunting of which happened to be due to his affliction, despite the darkness smothering whatever light it could grasp there were still a fair amount of street-lamps, personal lanterns, and domicile lighting to be had, and the flickering flames could prove rather dangerous at the moment. So he contented himself with staring upon the cobbled-streets littering this area, proving very useful to the gimp as this particular road was littered with a plethora of pot-holes and puddles which could prove disastrous to his current trek, much more akin to a constitutional now.
In all honesty the poor, stuttering Meister was most assuredly lost at this point in time, currently having no clue as to either where he was wondering or which direction he was heading, the necessity of keeping his head down meant he could only see the majority of buildings he passed below their first-floor window, much less look up to those street signs so unfortunately placed beneath the street-lamps. Takeuchi knew as soon as he had stepped out of the carriage and saw the rapidly receding sun set over the horizon that this would happen, despite having lived in Resmyrd for quite some time he was very unfamiliar with the town, and all the much more so at nighttime, especially considering his lack of directional-sense compounded this problem exponentially. If he did not know any better, which he felt he did not at this particular moment, he could swear the stars were aligned against him on this oh so muggy of evenings, of course many would claim his afflictions were evidence enough of his fate in this world. Every limping step he took down the street instigated a more ragged intake of breath as his luggage began weighing his frail, distorted body down, and every labored breath seemed to trigger and equally disastrous increase in the burning pain his problematic leg experienced.
ââey cripple! Yea, you there, stumblinâ through the road like some lost liâl puppy-dog lookinâ fer yer master. I best advise you to be gettingâ off my block ya ken?â
The grizzled voice startled Takeuchi from his silent fixation upon the fiery needles burying themselves even deeper into is bad leg at the moment just enough to turn his head far enough so that he could eye the figure quietly. His accoster seemed much like the thuggish type which roamed the streets after dark who always preached their devotion to protecting their neighborhood, but who never seemed to desire more than to steal and harass up-standing citizens, both inhabiting the area and passing-by. By the looks of it there was a small group of them loitering about, no doubt looking for trouble to either find or stir-up in hopes of filling their petty lives with what they considered entertainment. Takeuchi tried to return once again to his ever-lengthening expedition, but the hood must have taken a disliking to the Meisterâs presumption of making visual contact with the individual threatening him.
âWot in the bloody-blue âell you be starinâ at cripple? I ought to thrash you a good one right about that cripple-head oâ yours to teach ye a lesson.â
âYea, your bad-luck ainât welcome âround these parts ye hear? We ought just put âim outta his misery and let the pigs et him, ya ken?â
âRight you are there, why donât we just remedy this little situation we got on our hands.â
âNow that ye mention it boys, we might just hefâta relieve this âun of our belongings heâs right dragginâ about with âim . . .â
âYou trash best be leavinâ that boy alone, ya ken? That oneâs an Exorcist, and ainât a one of ya gonna be harminâ him.â
The last voice boomed out from behind Takeuchi, causing him to swing around hurriedly to try and glimpse his defender. It turned out to be a mountain of a man who had to crouch and scrunch to fit through the door to, what seemed to be, the Inn behind him. The Meister was a bit too stunned by the sight of the giant standing in front of him to turn around again, but by the sounds of it the hoods were scrambling away quickly from the scene. All Takeuchi could think to do was bow deeply at the moment, a gesture made extremely awkward considering his luggage and extreme pain still pulsating through his leg. Before he had a chance to even open his mouth and stutter a response he could feel the weight of his luggage leaving his worn-out body, and afterwards another hand came out to slap him reassuringly upon his left shoulder.
âNow best you be cominâ inside boy. That trash ainât gonna be leavinâ far from here, and if they catch you walkinâ any farther tonight ya wonât be knowinâ their cominâ before they strike. âUrry on now, you look like you need the rest and I need to be gettinâ asleep âfore the wife wakes up an wallops the both of us.â
With that the giant hurried back inside the establishment now looming in front of the young Meister, carrying his luggage inside as Takeuchi might his special charms, and there was not much to do but follow inside to leave the unfamiliar street, all-engulfing night, and vicious hoods behind him.
The trek back to Resmyrd was tedious as best for the demon. Having to keep track of the possessed spirit and having to deal with the angel's ennui regarding this entire situation was rather irritating, especially with the grumbling of the renegade. Of course, the angel was not doing anything to make the situation any easier for the either of them, so Xana was forced to resort to a bit of brute force--mostly restraining the vessel's hands behind her back so she could not try to do anything. When she felt almost ready to lash out again, the demon responded with nothing more than a quick flash of heat to the wrists.
Pity I can't kill her outright... damn spirit inside can't just leave, and we have no damn exorcist... The demon's eyes flickered white-hot from anger over the entire situation. This comedy of errors was not amusing in the least, and returning to Resmyrd was nothing that she wished to do, especially after having performed for Treylion not so long ago. Why was it that everything seemed to be conspiring against her? Even the potential promise of a promotion seemed to be nothing more than a sick joke that the higher-ups wanted to pull on her for whatever reason.
Resmyrd appeared on the horizon after a lengthy walk. It had been rather silent except for the gnashing of teeth from the spirit-possessed vessel. With a shove, Xana pushed the demon to the dusty ground and glared at the angel before spitting a small wave of embers onto the dirt next to the hands of the vessel.
"Watch it. Make sure it doesn't do anything stupid." The demon was less than amicable with her order as she slithered off on her own toward the massive theistic stronghold. She figured that at the very least she would be able to charm some poor exorcist into assisting them anyway--that was no skin off her back nor any big deal for her to accomplish, but it was a breach of her pride more than anything else. Why was she having to go back and request assistance from someone that was beneath her anyway? It must have had something to do with the millenia before, some damnable pact that prevented demons from being able to slaughter the spirits themselves; it would have made everything too damn easy, though...
As Xana reformed into her human guise, she noticed a few mortals gathered around the front entrance. She pushed past them all, not caring what they said about her intrusion or her potential transformation if they had indeed watched the metamorphosis. Perhaps their guards had caught sight of the angel guarding the vessel--if that was the case, though, they surely would have already sent out a few of their men in order to handle the situation and not force the demon to wander back into the ranks of these easily-manipulated mortals.
"You fleshbags are as inattentive as you are terrified of us," Xana growled to no one in particular. as a group of exorcists came into view. "Now I need one of you to come out with me so you can do your damn job--I can't go and kill this damn woman you claim to care so much about, can I? I'm sure you'd also get along so well with the angel that shoved a pole so deep up her ass you can see that her damn halo's attached to it."
"...angels have halos?" one confused exorcist commented after looking around to the others. "Ma'am, I think you're confused--"
Xana had enough of this imbecile's blathering and wrapped a hand around his throat. "Listen, you insignificant stain," she growled as the others watched wide-eyed at her sudden lashing-out. "Did I ask you to help me with my exorcism!? Take the meat out from between your ears and listen! There is a vessel that needs to be purged--go out and do your damn job before you all fall to the ground with flesh as gray and lifeless as a corpse!" With that, the exorcists around her paled at the threat before backing away slowly.
"No volunteers? What a shame..." Xana pushed past the crowd and wandered further in, not satisfied with the competence of any of these imbeciles. She wandered the streets, coming to a small inn. Rolling her eyes at the repetitive nature of it all, she walked inside and put on a fake smile as best as she could. The barkeep was polishing off the countertop as she walked in--it looked rather dim.
"Ma'am, we're closed unless yer lookin fer a room," he kept his voice low as to make sure not to disturb anyone from their slumber.
"Oh, I'm not looking for a room--I'm in need of an exorcist..." the red-haired woman purred, looking toward the barkeep and feeling the swell of energy moving from her body toward the older man. "It's sort of urgent--a young woman has been possessed and we require their skill in order to rid her of this horrible fate!" Perhaps she had been a bit too dramatic, but if it got her a damn exorcist, then it got her an exorcist.
"...ma'am, as much as I don't agree with disturbing sleeping guests, I know that there's an exorcist sleeping here. Don't know why you didn't go to the main cathedral first--it's right in the center of town, but I guess if you're here, then I'll see what I can do for you... Please, make yourself comfortable while I go rouse him..." With that, the man wandered off, slightly confused and somewhat flustered about this new situation. Xana celebrated by sitting in a comfortable chair next to a still-warm fireplace and savoring the barkeep's emotions. This had been quite the interesting day--she hoped that they would not all be like this in the near future.
Takeuchi Hiroto
Something seemed very odd about the orphanage to Takeuchi, like someone had decided to white-wash the world him and muffle the sound, the ring of children gathered about him spoke in slow, deliberate whispers. If he had not heard the chanting on innumerable occasions he would not know what they were saying, but these words cut through the dense atmosphere like the proverbial hot-knife through butter, their venom-dripping resonance echoing throughout the room like a horrid cacophony of hate.
Cripplefreakdimwitworthlessunwantedlilyliverednogoodbadomenbadluckbadfate
They were only words, Takeuchi knew this, but he himself used chants to assist in the culmination of power for his duties as a Meister, yet even a careless word uttered with no intent could shatter a life in moments. Takeuchi highly doubted he could count the fragments of his heart that littered the trail of his lifetime, starting with his abandonment at an orphanage where the most vicious of people might call their home, in a fashion. The adults were not better than the children, maybe they did not snarl in his face, but their biting comments from turned heads were just as distinct, and those icy-glares that could bore holes down into the very depths of your quintessence had made the Meister wary of eye-contact from a young age.
All the child knew to do was sit there and take the punishment, curled up like he was with his head shielded between his arms and legs to hide the sight of his tears from the ravenous horde gathered round. They would not have the pleasure of knowing how they broke him so, which was all they ever wanted of him, even the ones who begged and pleaded for him to play with them when he first arrived.
A rather brusque knock sounded from the door, jolting Takeuchi from his slumbering state, the young Meister quickly brought a sleeve to his eyes to wipe away the tears that had been streaming down his face. Not everyone was cruel, he knew that, but receiving anotherâs pity seemed no better than their spite in the context of things, he wanted to prove that he was no different than anyone else, and the only way to do so was to work around and hide whatever was inherently flawed about his person. It took only a few moments for Takeuchi to rouse himself from the bed and make his way to the door, waking had never been of much difficulty for him and greatly shortened the time he needed to be exposed to others during his morning rituals.
The mountainous form of the Innkeeper loomed before the disturbed, but visibly amicable, Meister, his composure seemingly easing what may be the manâs worries for rousing a guest in the middle of the night, especially given the circumstances from earlier. âSorry to bother ya sir, but thereâs a missus downstairs requestinâ your assistance with some Exorcist matters. She said there was a young miss possessed and in danger. I wouldnât have bothered you if it didnât sound urgent sir.â
Takeuchiâs good hand came up to ruffle the back of his head slightly, trying to unsettle the somewhat squashed hair, and an innocent smile quickly spread across his mouth. âPlease, no need to worries. This is what I am supposed to do after all. I will be down in just a minute sir, and please inform the lady I need a few moments to collect my things.â Despite his outward acceptance of this task Takeuchi was anxious to say the least concerning this turn of events. He had never actually performed an unsupervised exorcism before, and with being rattled from earlier he was afraid that he might do something wrong and fail The Order. With a deliberate sigh and determined gleam in his eyes the Meister set about to collect a few essential talismans, only taking a few minutes from when the Innkeeper left, and set about downstairs.
Takeuchi Hiroto & Xana Druj
A soft thump accompanied each labored step Takeuchi took down the stairs, an ever-looming reminder of his deformities, while his good hand clutched desperately at the railing, using whatever strength his arm could to soften the impact of his every step, even though he could awaken fairly quickly after any period of sleep his body always seemed a little slower getting started, and it was being especially stubborn at the moment. The stairway was darker than either the hallway or the common room downstairs, not having any form of illumination dotting the walls for several feet before it started or ended, and it took him much longer than usual to venture downstairs, in the back of his mind he hoped that this would not prove detrimental to the crisis facing the poor, possessed girl at this moment. When he finally reached the bottom of the staircase, it took the young Meister several seconds to regain his composure, his long trek through the city earlier in the day having taken a great toll upon his not-so athletic body, but it merely took a few seconds to do so, and Takeuchi looked around the dim common room to find this woman of which the kindly Inn-Keeper had spoken.
Takeuchi had never met a demon before, but he had been told about their rather palpable presence, and the one emitted from the red-haired woman standing nearby sent cold shivers down his spine, it was like nothing he had ever encountered before in his life, and for a few moments he stood stupefied, trying to ease his disturbed mind. If it had not been for the sudden weight her presence forced upon his being, he might have taken notice of her appearance immediately, but now that he had settled himself, he was also astounded at her beauty, and disgusted that such a vile presence could take upon an attractive form.
The woman spied the exorcist at the bottom of the stairs, somewhat taken aback at her appearance. It was almost if he had never borne witness to a woman before, let alone a demon in human skin. She coyly looked away from the barkeep, sensing in the exorcist a bizarre mixture of attraction and disgust, sending a slurry of emotion through her system. While it was not the most filling of meals, it was something, and that was the most important thing--she had not fed much from these mortals; however, even if she had, she still would feel the need to consume their emotions. Putting on a smile, she looked pitifully at the exorcist.
"Oh my... I'm terribly sorry to disturb your rest, but it's... it's an emergency..." the woman explained, her words dripping with proverbial venom in an attempt to enrapture the young man and wrap him around her finger.
The realization of his continued silence finally dawned upon the young man, and a wave of embarrassment quickly washed over his body upon her words, he had forgotten the necessity of their current situation and allowed his immediate reaction to dictate his actions. He limped quickly to within several paces of the woman, feeling now much more at ease with her presence that previously, and bowed from the waist quickly, nearly forming a perfect "L" with his body. "A-A-Apologies ma'am. My name is T-T-Takeuchi Hiroto, and it's no t-t-trouble at all." His words came out in a hurry, or as hurried as they could be with his stutter, strengthened in part due to the slight unease still in the pit of his stomach, the idea of his first unsupervised exorcism was weighing heavily upon his shoulders at the moment. "P-p-please, l-l-lead the way."
"Oh... yes..." The woman batted her eyes as she turned back toward the barkeep and shot him a quick wink before opening the door for the exorcist. "She's outside of the city, unfortunately... A bit of a walk..."
Without another thought, for the moment at least, Takeuchi hurried outside the doorway, quickly lowering his eyes to avoid the rapid flickering of any flames lighting the street outside. "T-t-that's fine, ma'am. I'm s-sure the w-w-walk would be worse for h-her than either of us." He stopped momentarily to await the womanly form who had opened the door for him, he had heard that demons were hideous creatures, for the most part, with a form whose visage equaled the aura an exorcist could feel from their presence, this gave him pause for a moment, imagining what hideous body was hiding within the woman standing nearby. "I'm s-s-sorry ma'am. I d-d-don't believe I have asked your name?" It would be required eventually, and he would feel much less awkward being able to address her by name than "pretty, demon lady."
The woman closed the door to the inn and immediately turned toward the exorcist, a coy smile still across her face. "Lyliana... Lili will do, though..." she bent forward, gently taking one of the exorcist's hands and gently kissing the back of it, allowing the residual heat to linger slightly from her touch. If this exorcist was as easily manipulated as she believed him to be, then she could probably use him as a constant source of nourishment in a pinch... Of course, the very first thing she did with any new victim, especially one that would be stuck with her for a long-term engagement, was to see how far he could bend before breaking...
Takeuchi was taken aback by the demon's . . . Lili's, he doubt it would be hard to remember the name as it conjured images of flowers within his mind, kissing of his hand, and the warmth he felt dissipated through it slowly, he quickly turned his head as he felt a similar warmth spread throughout his cheeks as they began to blush slightly. He quickly began to march off, as quickly as he could manage, before realizing that he had no clue which direction they were to be heading, or where he was at in the city even. "Yes, L-L-Lili, uhm . . . which way to the woman in need?"
"Through the main gate and then straight to the east... maybe an hour's walk or so from here..." 'Lili' explained, the results of her little experiment flitting through her mind. Inwardly, she smirked--this exorcist would fall to her like putty. All she needed to do was manipulate him to do whatever she felt; it would at least be better than having to try and work with that damn angel.
A quizzical expression passed upon Takeuchi's downward-angled face, the directions she gave were meaningless to him at the moment, the sting of his incompetence throbbing in the back of his mind. "Uhm y-y-yes. C-c-could you lead the w-w-way please? I'm s-s-somewhat lost at the moment." His good hand reached up to scratch at the back of his head slightly, highlighting how embarrassed he felt for his ignorance.
He was flustered, embarrassed, dependent. All according to plan, she chuckled inwardly. On the outside, though, she frowned slightly, trying to feign a bit of pity as best as she could. "Oh, sure..." With that, she took the lead and beckoned for the exorcist to follow. "It's only a few minutes from here..." she looked back to the man once more.â Might I ask as to why you were in that inn and not at the main cathedral?"
He quickly took off after her, wincing slightly with each step as her pace was somewhat more brisk than to what he was wont, waiting until he had drawn up to her side to answer her previous inquiry. "I w-w-was at the i-i-inn due to travelling c-c-circumstances, Lili. I was o-o-out of town on an assignment when the O-O-Order called back about another assignment. Unfortunately it was l-l-late and I needed to rest for the evening." The Meister was unsure with how much he could trust the demon at the moment, deigning to leave out any particulars as to his mission or why exactly he had found his way to that particular inn. From what he heard you could only trust their kind with as little information as possible. "I c-c-could ask the same of you, Lili, the main cathedral would be a m-m-much more suitable place to f-f-find an exorcist."
"Well, it's an emergency... Besides, there was no time--I need an exorcist immediately, and they would make me go through some sort of selection process or something..." The woman brushed aside some hair as she turned back toward the exorcist. "Well, the main gate is just up ahead... and then we head straight east. Shall we?" She smiled, offering a hand for him once more.
"B-B-By all means, let us continue." The gesture was surprising, but not altogether unappreciated by the young Meister, the night had grown somewhat chiller since he was previously walking through the city, and the warmth of her hand did much to stave of the cold numbing his fingers. For being a demon and having such a horrid presence, Lili seemed quite amiable, Takeuchi was unsure what this meant exactly, but he was willing to take her kindness as genuine for the time being.
As soon as the two of them were clear of the city gate and clear of any other potential witnesses, the woman turned toward the exorcist, a smirk across her face more than a smile. "Alright, let's cut the damn cutesy crap, shall we? I know you know I'm a demon..." She took a few steps away from Hiroto and exploded in a flash of hellfire. In the woman's place was a large serpentine demon with fiery red skin and a long chitinous tail that trailed far behind her. "...so let's just get it out of the way then, shall we? You think I'm an abomination, a spawn of pure evil, yadda yadda yadda..." she flipped her hand lazily as if she had made this speech in the past. "If it weren't for those damn seals, know that you wouldn't even be out here with us now..."
The demon's short tirade had fallen upon deaf ears, as the sudden flash of hellfire had affected Takeuchi's illness; he stood there with glossy-eyes staring into nothingness for a few short moments before collapsing backwards. His body began to convulse slightly, but luckily this was only a short-spell which faded within several moments. It took some time before he could regain his senses enough to realize that he was now lying flat on his back in the mud, and the Meister stood himself up as quickly as he could, bowing deeply. "P-p-please l-l-let me know when y-y-you're going to do that m-m-ma'am. W-we b-b-both know why I am h-h-here. C-C-Can we just c-continue our business n-n-now?" He hoped that if she turned back it would not affect him as it just had now, and he made sure to keep his head averted from her, though that was also due in part to his distaste for her current appearance. After leaving the question hanging between them, Takeuchi attempted to wipe off as much of the mud covering his kimono as possible and checking to assure the safety of the talismans he had brought.
"Oh great... an exorcist who can't even keep himself together..." the demon rolled her eyes as she slithered closer toward the exorcist. "What, you like the flesh bag of a body I have but not this form?" she smirked, rubbing her fingers across the back of the young man's neck and letting the heat pulse across his flesh. "I should tell you, I'm much more potent in this body than I am the other..." Her words were dripping once more, hoping to entice some sort of feeling other than perpetual embarrassment.
Takeuchi flinched at the touch of his demon acquaintance, his body cringing from her presence as she brought herself closer, the way he felt her near him was like a foul taste coating the back of his mouth, or a putrid stench filling his nostrils, it was suffocating to say the least. "I-I-If you w-would like another exorcist, t-t-then I c-c-can be on my way. Or w-w-would you prefer to d-deal with the w-woman yourself?" Her jibes had aggravated his usually calm temperament greatly, lacing his words with an anger to which he was unaccustomed.
"Please... You and I both know that I can't do that, otherwise I'd have done so by now..." She could feel the anger behind his words--it was a nice change to the other embarrassment she had been leeching for some time now. "You've come this far already, why not continue forward? Then you can head back to your precious inn knowing that you've saved the life of another one of your kin... Isn't that nice that you have compassion and sympathy for your fellow man?"
With a frustrated sigh, Takeuchi nodded in acquiescence. She was right, he was duty-bound to help others in their time of need, and if he was not capable of making sacrifices for the sake of humanity then he would need to consider a change of career. "J-J-Just lead the w-way."
"With pleasure, Takeuchi..." she grinned, displaying a row of sharpened teeth. "Follow me, then..." With that, she continued to slither toward the east.
Takeuchi limped along quickly, wincing as he tried to keep up with her pace, hopefully this ordeal would not take much longer and he could rid himself of her insufferable presence.
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