Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[joshuadim]

Oh no.

His minions that he had sent out into the keep all perished almost instantaneously. Was this Sazak's doing? Did he find out about this? It seemed impossible however, as he had only appeared now. And now, he had the sword. And with the Duke dead, the ring was exposed as well. All that stood between Sazak and his goal was the Inquiry.

"DO IT NOW!!!" Ethraeil roared out as his mind raced for ideas and his minions rushed at Sazak to try to grapple him. They had no iron coming to bind Sazak, so they had to rely on Aleister's holy magic to bind Sazak in place. He then turned to the Duke's corpse and eyed the ring. Perhaps...

Francis had already went for the ring, and Ethraeil quickly moved to join in and pulled on the ring to try to get it off the Duke's body. "Move! I'll slice off the finger!"

He then quickly formed a blade of ice to slice the finger where the ring was off.

 

[Infab]

Sazak simply looked down to Ethraeil and Francis, whom were scrambling to remove the ring from the Duke's corpse, and smirked. "Adorable. You're more worried about me than her." he said, tilting his head and cutting his eyes towards the door behind them. The one they had came onto the roof through. Her? Who's her?

A moment later, there was a loud crash. The door to the castle was ripped off its hinges, sent flying outwards. It skidded across the stone roof, creating sparks as the metal clacked against the stone. Then, there was a loud yelp followed by a long groan of pain. The group collectively snapped their attention to its source. Camille had been stabbed quite suddenly, a blade jutting from her chest. She was then lifted into the air and slung aside, her body tumbling across the stone a few feet. Standing in her place was Cassandra. A wild grin on her blood smeared face. "WHO'S NEXT!?" she spat, looking between the other members of the group. Looks of horror quickly appearing on their faces.

Cassandra's head then snapped about, looking directly to Wesley. She then pointed a finger at him, as she flicked Camille's blood from the longsword's blade. "YOU." she said, the words seething through her now gritted teeth, "YOU'RE NEXT." Before Wesley, or any of the rest of the remaining group, could react, Cassandra had darted across the roof in a flash. And had shoved the long blade of the weapon through Wesley's chest. Straight through the heart. He wouldn't stay on it long, as she pressed her boot into his stomach and shoved him off.

The distraction of Cassandra's arrival was all Sazak needed. As Ethraeil and Francis turned back about, frantically attempting to get the ring and use it before Cassandra slaughtered them all, they found himself staring at the Duke's massive claw. One finger removed. The finger that bore the Ring of Adona. He looked up, to see Sazak already wearing the resized ring and looking directly at him. A grin as wide as Cassandra's on his face, and his hand held up.

A moment later, he snapped his fingers. And time stopped.

​

The rain had paused in midair, the little droplets looking more like crystals floating centimeters to feet off the ground. A bolt of lightning had cracked above, the electrical charge suspended between clouds. The members of the inquiry had been frozen where they stood, some scrambling to engage Cassandra, while Ethraeil and Francis had moved to get the ring back from Sazak. He smiled, as he looked the glowing ring over on his finger. Well, Valeria's finger, but it was his now. His vessel. "Magnificent. Just as I remembered." he said, as he lifted the Sword of Velin and rested it on his shoulder. He looked to Ethraeil again, tilting his head as he inspected the lich's skull. "Well, Ethraeil...it appears you have failed. Again. You just can't keep a promise, can you?" he said, with a slight chuckle. "...Nor can you keep secrets." He knew the lich couldn't hear him. None of them could. As time was froze, it was as if he had never moved or spoke.

He then squatted to look upon Francis. "Ahh, the school teacher. You know...I considered not bothering you. After all, you weren't a member of this inquiry till recently. You haven't had the time to...irritate me." said Sazak, reaching out and brushing aside the man's bangs. His hair was soaked from the rainfall, so it was a matter of simply pushing them aside with a finger. As Sazak looked into Francis' eyes, he smiled again. "I'll come back to you in a moment. First, I wish to see the others." he said, before standing back up. Sazak then strolled past the pair, stepping by the Duke's corpse as he moved through the crystal-like droplets. He moved across the roof, taking in the locale as he moved. Only pausing at the three minions that Ethraeil had summoned to help them with the duke. He gave each of them a gentle touch on the helmet, and the green light that had shown brightly from their eye sockets vanished. Snuffed out, as death took hold.

He then continued on, and soon arrived at Theodore. "The Church scholar...My my, I see now why you wore such an odd helmet!" he said, inspecting the short man's disfigured face. "If only your wife could see you now...ah well. You'll see her soon enough. I promise." he then added, his eyes moving from his face to Theodore's own eyes. Sazak straightened up, and proceeded on. Right to Galina, whom was clutching her leg and preparing to fire on Cassandra. "The Tsavanian...Royalty as well as banshee. How interesting! I wonder how your family back home will react to you being such a creature? Perhaps they might not take it so well...Perhaps they might cast you out? Who knows...It'd certainly cause quite a commotion among the great houses of the North." he spoke with a smile, as his hand reached up and gently touched her cheek. "We'll see, won't we?"

Next was Aleister. "The man of the cloth...well, I should say 'vampire' of the cloth." said Sazak with a chuckle, as he approached Aleister. The vampire was rushing to tend to Camille, whom hadn't moved from where she had been slung. "I do wonder..." he said, raising a finger to his chin as he paused next to the vampire, "...How the church would take one of its own priests being outed as a vampire? There'd be quite a reckoning, I'm sure. Excommunication, obviously. Investigations...purges. Loved ones hunted and killed...It'd take a strong man to endure such things...and we both know you're not strong." Sazak smiled once more, gently reaching up and touching the charm around Aleister's neck. "...Undite will be quite heartbroken."

He turned and looked to Camille a moment later, and grinned as he walked over to where she lay. He walked around, and squatted next to her. "The mighty huntress from Escaria. My, how you've fallen." he said, before holding his hand out to her wound. As he touched it, it began to slowly heal. "No dying, you beautiful creature. You have a strong bloodline to create, correct?" It was fully healed a moment later, and Camille would be back to full health. When time resumed, of course. "...A strong bloodline...full of talented hunters. Oh, but not all of them can be hunters, as much as you'd like that." He then reached down and touched her stomach. "Give my regards to your firstborn...and all the other firstborns afterwards."

He then stood once more and looked about. "Ahhh, Wesley. You dear, sweet boy!" he said aloud, as he strolled over to where Cassandra had shoved him. As he arrived, he glanced over to Cassandra. "You two were beautiful together, you know that?" he said, a grin appearing as he looked back to Wesley. "...But of course, you've upset her so much! There's no mending that relationship...but lucky for you..." he said. He gently ran his hand through Wesley's hair. "...you're a natural when it comes to romance."

He soon left Wesley, walking over to where Cassandra was standing, enraged. He smiled, and gave her a gentle boop on the nose. He liked Cassandra, as much as he hated to admit. "I'll be seeing you soon enough, Cassie." he said, before walking away. He strolled back over to where Francis and Ethraeil were, squatting back in front of Francis. "Now...my little pyromaniac. There's an old saying...don't play with fire, or you'll get burned right? Well, I'm not fond of getting burned, and I'm sure you're not either...so lets shift the pain to someone else, shall we? Someone close." Sazak grinned, before straightening back up and standing. "Well, I really must be going...I have errands to run! And another member of this inquiry to visit. I just want to wish him a speedy recovery!"

A moment later, time unfroze. The rain fell once more, lightning continued to crack above. And Sazak, as well as the ring and sword, were gone. Nobody had seen him move, or heard him speak. He was just gone. But Cassandra was still there, and she was rabid.

"You...Y-You thought you could get rid of me! Hahaha! I'M NOT THAT EASY TO PUT DOWN! Not at ALL." she spat, looking among the members of the inquiry whom were now turned about to fight her. Except for Aleister, whom was helping up a miraculously healed Camille. "But I-I'm gonna put you down! All of y-you! I'll rip your gods d-damned heads off and bleed you like fucking HOGS. Then I-I'll find Valeria! A-And that d-damned constable, and the dullahan t-too!" Cassandra was visibly twitching, her movement erratic and strange. She had clearly drank more of the Romanov blood, but this was different from the last time. She wasn't calm and serene. She was manic and insane.

As she looked to Camille once more, she gritted her teeth in anger. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST F-FUCKING DIE?!" she spat, preparing to lunge towards where Camille and Aleister was standing. As she took a step forward, there was a flash of light as a lightning bolt struck the roof. Followed by a thunderous boom which forced almost everyone on the roof to stagger and fall over. The violent sound shook the castle, forcing bits of stone to fall to the ground below. One of the towers even fell over, crashing down.

Then, there was a voice almost as thunderous as the boom itself.

"THE ONLY ONE THAT WILL BE DYING HERE WILL BE YOU, CASSANDRA."

The source of the voice came from the middle of the inquiry group where the lightning had struck. A tall figure standing alone. Clad in armor adorned with various golden designs, and wielding a bastard sword which they clutched tightly in hand. The voice was feminine, but bore such a strong, commanding tone. Cassandra regained her composure, looking to the woman standing alone before her. "And who the b-black Abyss are you?!" she barked, pointing her longsword towards the knight.

The woman slapped her fist hard against her chest plate, before speaking. "I am Velin. Goddess of Judgement."

 

[Dmaster]

Her stance gradually lowered as the Duke's head rolled, only to rapidly look to his body as the others made a mad dash for the ring. They didn't have much time at all, and she scrambled about in place as she tried to think of what to do next, anything to aid the lich's plan. And yet, she noted that the iron chains were not retrieved yet - getting her to pause for a second. If they could not bind him, how would they be able to remove Sazak's influence from Valeria? Camille tightened the grip on her rapier, anxious and frantic over how things were falling apart so quickly.

All the panic did nothing for the blade that was driven through her chest. Gasping from the stab, her eyes were wide and utterly flabbergasted before she was tossed like a rag doll into the wall. Blood poured from the gaping wound, and she tried to rise up as she always did only to look on in horror as Sazak stuck the ring over his fingers. As soon as he put it on, he vanished - and the excruciating pain she once felt was gone.

"What... what has he done?" she muttered as Aleister helped her to her feet, only to see Cassandra screaming bloody murder at her. With a sudden shove she threw the priest off of her and spread her stance, pointing her rapier at the pureblood who she was expecting to disappear in a blink and be upon her. The sky cracked open and forced her backwards, impacting with Cassandra before she even reached her.

That booming voice and the knight that appeared. She recognized the voice and armor nearly immediately. Lowering her rapier, she scowled at the deity that finally decided to intervene. It was hard to say if the situation just improved or worsened.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

...her?

Aleister had turned in time to see Camille get flung across the roof from a very sudden and unseen attack, only to be struck by an even more unexpected and utterly absurd sight. Cassandra standing in her place, with a bloodied sword and maniacal expression which indicated nothing short of insanity. A woman that was... should have been dead. Wesley was next, and Aleister simply didn't know how to react to this scenario besides running. It so happened that Camille was in the direction he was already moving. He had gone that way either by chance or instinct, and if the huntress was still clinging to life, then he could keep her alive. He was skidding across the damp roof when from the corner of his eye he could see Valeria - no, Sazak - standing near Ethraeil and Francis simply... disappear.

A sensation not unlike nausea washed over him as he realized something very, very wrong had happened. Cassandra had become nothing but a mere afterthought in that instance as Sazak, the creature they were supposed to slay... had simply disappeared. With the Ring of Adona.

When he finally came to a stop and glanced down at Camille, her wounds had already been completely and miraculously healed. He wasn't even sure if he was seeing it correctly. He helped her up with his right hand, while his left hand was shaking and his claws finally splayed out.

Then the thunder and lightning came. He cried out, believing this to be Sazak's assault while they were backed against the equally miraculous appearance of Cassandra. A tower collapsed nearby and he steadied himself, wondering what he needed to defend himself from when a new figure had appeared, voice as thunderous as any midnight storm.

Velin.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil could do nothing but watch as Sazak took the ring almost instantaneously and disappeared just as quickly. He quickly searched the area, attemping to speak but could only sputter incoherent words together. It hadn't hit him yet, nor could he comprehend what just happened. It seemed impossible yet so vivid to him... and then he truly realized the gravity of his failure. Despair washed over Ethraeil as he collapsed to his knees and aimlessly looked somewhere. Failed, once again. He had failed to do the one thing he had promised, and more to boot. Sazak had gotten everything he wanted and the Inquiry was completely and utterly outmatched to deal with him. And now, he wielded the weapons of two gods to do who knows what with it. And Valeria was nothing more than a puppet now....

Nothing in the moment mattered to him as he stayed deathly silent. He didn't care about Cassandra nor about Velin as he only felt a sickening void within him.

 

[Viper Actual]

Their victory would be short-lived. Galina felt a wave of relief the second she saw the Duke's twisted head soar through the air. As fast as she sensed relief a sense of dread washed over her. Galina could barely react as Valeria- now Sazak- vanished and for Cassandra to arrive.

Was it all over? A tower collapsed in the back, forcing Galina to steady herself. At this point she had accepted her fate. There was no point in listening to her otherworldly senses and instincts. Nothing could save them now.

Then Velin arrived. Even from just watching her Galina regained a sliver of hope. If anything or anyone could kill Cassandra for good it would surely be at the hands of Velin.

 

[Breadman]

"Merda!" Theodore shouted as soon as he realized that the demon had something up his sleeve. Of course the creature had a backup plan of some sorts. The breaking in of Cassandra made him regret that he didn't follow through with destroying her corpse. He should have risked it. Should have followed through. Another blink of the eye and Sazzak was gone.

The mad vampire was poised to strike when in a flash of lighting heralded the arrival none other than Velin...and Theodore's initial gratitude for the save gave way as soon as he realized how late this gesture from the goddess was. And what that likely meant for the non-human members of the inquiry. She wasn't here to save. She was here to judge. Cassandra was going to be the first neck on the block.

"Merda..."

 

[Infab]

Velin's gaze didn't waver, as she took a few steps forward out of the small crater she had created on the stone roof with her arrival. Cassandra was wild eyed, her eyes blood red as she gazed upon what was formerly her patron god. "VELIN!? HAHAH! The goddess f-finally descends from her g-golden throne to walk among the m-mortals once more! Did you grow t-tired of making everyone do your dirty work?" said Cassandra, as she turned to face Velin fully. Velin twirled her bastard sword, as she paused at the edge of the small crater. "I've come to cleanse the world of your filth, you disgusting abomination. Your miserable existence should have ceased long ago, but instead you live on. Desecrating the very uniform you wear, and besmirching the name of my Order." she responded.

The rest of the group looked on, unsure of what to do. The goddess Velin was here. Where had she been before, when there fighting the Duke and his minions? Where had she been when Sazak had assumed control of Valeria? They'd get those answers later, as Velin had a far more pressing matter to attend to in Cassandra. Cassandra laughed aloud at Velin's response. "Besmirching the name of your Order? Your Order is the reason I've become what I am!" she finally said, before lunging at Velin. The crazed pureblood intended to take the goddess on in combat.

Which would prove to be a fatal decision.

Cassandra disappeared, using her incredible speed to attempt to attack Velin, but Velin was faster. She simply caught Cassandra by the throat, and squeezed tightly as she lifted Cassandra off the ground. "YOU ARE THE REASON YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE. NOT THE ORDER." barked Velin into Cassandra's face, as Cassandra squirmed. Trying to remove Velin's hand from her throat. "YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE A WORTHLESS EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING. YOU BLAME THE WORLD FOR YOUR OWN FUCK UP." A moment later, she slammed Cassandra into the stone roof as hard as she could. The stone beneath cracked, sending bits of stone and dust into the air.

Cassandra let out a gasp, before being jerked back up and thrown into the wall next to the door she had emerged from minutes before. "YOU'VE MADE THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS PEOPLE A LIVING HELL." spat Velin, as she marched towards Cassandra. Cassandra attempted to recover, crawling out of the impression she had made in the wall, before being grabbed once more. "YOU'VE KILLED YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE ORDER. YOU'VE KILLED MY CHILDREN." Visible streaks of electricity began to appear across Velin's armor, as her voice grew angrier and angrier. The members of the group looked on, moving out of the way whenever Velin and Cassandra grew close. This was a one-sided battle.

"YOU'VE TURNED OTHERS INTO THE SAME DISGUSTING SCUM OF THE NIGHT THAT YOU ARE. ROBBING THEM OF A PROPER LIFE AS WELL AS A GOOD DEATH." barked Velin, before delivering a crushing blow to Cassandra's face. Cassandra's jaw instantly shattered, hanging loose. She continued to punch Cassandra as he spoke. "YOU ARE A VILE. INSANE. CONNIVING. HORRENDOUS. PITIFUL WORM THAT DESERVES TO BE CRUSHED UNDER MY FUCKING BOOT." A few moments later, Cassandra's face was a mangled mess of blood and spit. As she began to heal from the blows, Velin tossed her aside. "NOW GET UP AND FIGHT ME, YOU INHUMAN TRASH, SO YOU CAN DIE WITH SOME FORM OF DIGNITY. IF YOU DON'T, I WILL RIP YOU APART AND CAST YOU INTO THE FUCKING ABYSS WHERE YOU FUCKING BELONG." she finally said, before turning to face Cassandra.

Cassandra didn't stand. Instead, she attempted to crawl away to safety. Velin grunted.

"SO BE IT."

Velin stomped over, and just as she said, she began to rip Cassandra apart. She placed her boot squarely in the middle of Cassandra's back, before grabbing onto her leg and jerking. The leg was ripped clean off at he hip, blood spurting everywhere. Cassandra yelled out in agony, as Velin slung the leg aside and moved on to the other. The group looked on, as Velin mercilessly ripped the rest of Cassandra's limbs off. Cassandra's voice filled the air with screams of pain. Then finally, they stopped. Velin had ripped Cassandra's head off. "To the Abyss with you." she finally spat. She then pointed to where she had piled Cassandra's body parts, and a black hole appeared beneath them. They dropped through the black portal, and soon...the portal vanished.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille stood still as Velin utterly ripped Cassandra apart, despite her hatred for the vile pureblood she did not find the execution particularly cathartic. The goddess had possibly just saved their lives, yet there was no reason to celebrate. The whole exchange left her incredibly empty, and she squinted at the spot where the vampire's corpse once was, shaking her head from side to side. There was some truth to Velin's words, yet it was extremely barbaric how the goddess decided to end her. Was that justice? To return every ounce of pain and suffering that she had imparted onto her victims to the one who dealt it? The huntress did not think so, to torture a monster so terribly before they die is to stoop to their level.

Nothing more for it, she looked up and stared at Velin. "Sazak has the sword and ring. He disappeared after he got both in his possession." Camille stated slowly. "He planned this, all of it. Right up to Cassandra's meddling - surely."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

To say he was disgusted would have been an understatement. He certainly didn't care for Cassandra or her fate, but the simple visceral nature of her... execution... was far from a delightful experience. Perhaps a more depraved individual would have found pleasure in such barbarity. Such brutality couldn't even be equated to a form of artistry. He would have gone for her head first just to silence the screaming and be done with it all.

And now they were alone with Velin. He felt weary, and a little ill. Perhaps this all could have been avoided if the goddess had arrived a minute before the demise of the Duke and did the same thing to Sazak. It was a tragedy that Valeria was effectively gone and now melded to that demon, yet she had willingly taken this risk. No one - especially not her - would have wanted Sazak to escape.

They had won the battle and lost the war. The real question was... how badly did they lose?

 

[Breadman]

That was the caliber of justice Theodore expected from Velin. The sheer brutality and disregard for decency. Were she not a divine, this would have been counted as murder...no, it was very much a murder.

While this display disgusted him, it would also serve to galvanize men like Francis. This outcome was far from good.

 

[K0mori]

Francis was overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before him. He had never encountered Cassandra before, and it was almost exasperating how awfully timed her arrival was. Then the demon, Sazak, utterly vanished, and within seconds the school teacher had realized that the worst had come to pass. Well, nearly the worst, as Francis still felt that a demon ruling the world would be preferable to Duke Ashwood for a variety of reasons, but it was truly a choice of two intolerable outcomes. He searched the others for a reaction which could reveal to him whether or not the situation could be salvaged in any way, but saw nothing but despair. He took a deep breath and resigned himself to this fate. This crazed pureblood would kill him and all the Inquisitors, and Sazak would rule the world, barring a miracle.

And they very nearly had it. Velin descended from the sky to render her judgement on the wicked, and it almost brought him back to hope, as he wondered if there was any chance she could reverse the outcome of their failure. But that was not what Velin did. She arrived and destroyed the mysterious pureblood by ripping her apart brutally. Francis watched with utter envy of the god's unmatched power, and felt a powerful urge to scream in lamentation: Where have you been all along, Lady Velin? Hot, stinging tears of indignity welled up in his eyes. Impotent rage caused his hands to shake. Had she come only ten minutes earlier, everything could have been different; humanity would be saved. But now they were teetering on the edge of a dark new era, and all of his efforts had been for naught.

Worse yet, he assumed that Sazak would treat him as an enemy, the same as anyone else who tried to prevent his reign. Hanging his head, he slowly unclasped the homemade plate armor which had saved his life multiple times during the past day and dropped it on the ground nearby. He wouldn't need it anymore. He breathed and felt the lack of weight on his shoulders, and a simple notion crossed his mind: this would be the final time he would be unburdened, as soon his conscience would be riddled with self-doubt and regret. He silently picked up his shotgun and laid it over his shoulder with the barrels hanging limply from the hinge. He would go back to Westerly and get Dorothy, and the two would set sail for some remote corner of the world to start over, he decided at that moment.

Now, he only stayed to witness what remained of Velin's visitation, feeling rather detached from himself.

 

[Infab]

Velin's head snapped about, as Camille spoke up from where she was. Electricity sparked across her armor once more, as she turned to face the group. "Yes. I know. I was alerted to my blade's use. That is why I am here, now. The demon prince Sazak has both Adona's ring, as well as my executioner blade..." she said, before pointing towards Camille, "...because you let him get them." There was seething anger in her words. "Had you all done more, none of this would have happened. Mistakes were made at every possible turn. And you allowed him to win."

She walked towards Camille, her voice growing slightly louder as she moved. "What plans did you make? Did you not have backup plans? Did you not make sure that every possible scenario was accounted for? I know you're a smart woman, Raven. You wouldn't have survived this long if you weren't." She paused a few feet from Camille. "And don't you DARE bring up the fact that I was missing through this ordeal. I informed you of my status. I have been sleeping since the Age of Darkness, to conserve my strength. Unlike my other godly compatriots."

 

[K0mori]

"No one brought it up, did they?" Francis replied, eyes unfocused as he stared blankly at the rain on the castle roof. "You seem... guarded about that, goddess."

There was no resentment or indignation in his voice, and at the same time, no hope. "I did what I could," he declared, mournfully, and headed for the exit.

 

[Infab]

"Stop." said Velin, without looking to Francis. "You, I do not blame. I commend your service. I wish there had been more like you in this endeavor." She then glanced to him, her helmet turning slightly. "Should you wish, you have a place in my service. I will have need of you and others like you in the coming years. I will be assuming direct control of the Church to combat the coming darkness."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille grit her teeth and clenched her fists as Velin openly scolded her, a divine child berating her for a situation that was far beyond her control. "Of course we had a plan..." she spat, a mixture of anger and sadness creeping up across her face. There was so much she wanted to say, defend herself and denounce the mighty goddess for her ignorance. Yet she would bite her tongue, else she would see herself thrown into the Abyss as Cassandra was, more than likely.

"We did not plan for the vampire we killed to intervene. I cast her head into a blazing pyre, just to be sure that it wouldn't happen..!" the huntress spat back, shaking. "We do not possess divinity or omnipotence, there is no planning for what had just transpired!"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister's hands were shaking as he toyed with his torn shirt, trying to adjust the buttons before he simply gave up, the bottom front tattered and torn from the single slash he had taken from the Duke. He glanced up at Velin as she berated Camille for their failure, though he couldn't say for sure if he could even place the blame on her. For one, it fell on all their shoulders to different degrees. He had assumed Ethraeil and the others had more in store for their plan to contain Sazak, yet it seemed there wasn't. His fault for not asking. Yet at the same time... they were in this mess because of Velin, because of her sword, because of Adona's Ring... all of these things items of the gods.

When Velin spoke to Francis, Aleister nearly choked. His expression changed from muted consternation to horror. Camille's response to Velin was like distant whispering to him as his mind began to race at the prospects Velin had spoken of.

"More like him?" He wasn't aware he had spoken as it came out so fast, one shaking hand leveled at Francis.

"I...I-I... was once not enough!? The butchers must be released again so that another hapless inquiry can stand in our shoes years from now all because another Duke has risen for revenge because of the slaughter people like him revel in doing!?"

He clasped his hands to his head, eyes wide as he stared on into nothing. "This will never end... this is never going to end!"

 

[Infab]

Velin grunted at Camille. "Plan for everything. Even the seemingly impossible." she said simply. "You do not need divinity or omnipotence for that."

She then listened as Aleister sounded off nearby about her statement to Francis. As Aleister finished, her head snapped about. "SILENCE YOURSELF, PRIEST. OR I WILL DO IT FOR YOU." she barked in his direction. Lightning cracked above, adding punctuation to her loud statement. "THERE WILL BE AN END. I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT."

She glared at him for a few moments afterwards, then looked back to Camille. "Why is the vampiric priest still alive, Raven? And the other one?" she then said, pointing to Wesley nearby. "I told you to kill them. I know that the female vampire is dead. She is awaiting judgement as we speak." She looked about afterwards. "...And the dullahan? I do not sense her. I know that the werewolf is alive, but far away." She glanced over to Galina, then Ethraeil, but shook her head afterwards. "...No matter. I have more important things to focus on, now."

 

[K0mori]

Francis froze as Velin called him to her cause. He didn't answer immediately. It was impossible for a spirit so soundly defeated to summon up the energy to renew itself while coated so extensively with the ashes of it's previous aspiration. But then, Aleister spoke his objections, and Francis felt a deep stirring in his dark heart. "That's right... All this... All of this happened because of vamps like you," he spoke with hatred dripping from each word. "Sazak doesn't get his way without Ashwood, and all the evil little cretins that follow him. But it won't happen again. Never again.

"IT WON'T HAPPEN BECAUSE WE'LL FINISH THE GODSDAMNED JOB."

Francis stood with shoulders squared, head held high. While his hope was fully extinguished, his hatred was inexhaustible and would carry him through. "Lady Velin," he pledged, "I'll serve you in any capacity you ask of me. But first, I must return home and ensure my wife, Dorothy, is safe."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille stood wide-eyed, flabbergasted and near-deafened yet again as Velin shouted at the top of her lungs. "Why didn't I kill them..?" she whispered just as Francis finished his bloodthirsty proclamations. To think that the goddess of judgment could be so unflinchingly ingnorant, to care so little for those who risked life and limb to see this horrible mission through.

The huntress stood straight, summoning perhaps the last of her steel nerves as she looked the goddess in the eye. "I didn't kill them because they risked themselves to get here, just like I did. I didn't kill them because they've saved my life countless times. I couldn't do this alone - even if some part of me ever thought I could."

"Unlike yourself, goddess, I can understand what that means. Unlike you, I am human enough to give compassion where it is due."

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil could only watch as Velin continued to berile and blame the group for something that was entirely out of their control. Noone could have forseen Cassandra, nor Sazak doing whatever it was he did. In other situations he would have exploded in fury at the impotent goddess for her incompetence and outright baffling logic. But Ethraeil could only sit on his knees, swallowed with despair and numb to what was going outside. He could only muster the will to utter a few words but nothing more.

"I failed... and all is lost now."

 

[Infab]

"I understand. You may go, Francis. Return to your wife." responded Velin, motioning Francis off with her free hand. Her voice was rather calm and peaceful as she spoke. Then, her attention was drawn back to Camille. Velin glared at her for a few moments, before shaking her head. "I'm more human than you'll ever be, Raven." she said, simply. She then looked to Theodore. "Scholar. Go to the cathedral in Eternis. Tell the Grand Bishop that I have awakened, and that I will be there once I have dealt with a few things."

She then looked to Ethraeil, as he seemingly spoke to himself. "LICH. Your services are still needed. Go with the scholar, and take the vampiric priest with you." she said, pointing to Theodore. She then returned her gaze back to Camille. "And you...go home. You services are no longer needed. The same goes for the banshee, and the other vampire."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Why is the vampiric priest still alive, Raven? I told you to kill them.

To be told that a god had ordered his death was no small shock. He had labored his entire life for precious Undite and Gyasis, and to help those who needed it - supernatural or otherwise. And here he stood, having risked his life with the others to stop a madman from destroying the world. He had helped save their lives with his healing magic and other divine sorcery countless times now, just as they had contributed in other countless moments of heroics to slay the worst this world had to offer.

And still, that did not sting as much as the words that came from Francis.

Aleister's fingers dug into his cheek deep, and as he dragged his hands away they left long bleeding lacerations behind. He snatched his Amulet of Undite - all of his amulets he wore - and held them up high in a trembling hand.

His eyes had gone wild, all semblance of composure gone as if such a thing was little more than a flimsy twig, snapped by a sledgehammer. Francis was the very thing that caused this world to suffer as it did. A manifestation of the worst aspects of humanity. Had it been suggested that he was an idol of evil crafted by the very arch demons themselves, he would not have questioned it.

"You openly MOCKED a BROKEN MAN for the murder of his family, suggesting that you would be the EXACT PERSON to do something like that, when we stand here today because A PERSON LIKE YOU MURDERED INNOCENT LIVES!" Aleister screamed at Francis, holding his charms as if they were meant to ward him away. He then turned to Velin, swinging them towards her. "How can you not possibly realize what you are doing!? How can any of you not realize you are the creators of these monsters? Undite told me that the hardest of hearts, the most stubborn of minds can be changed... and that I was to FORGIVE THEM!"

"I will NEVER forgive a demon like that man you wish to unleash upon the innocent!"

When Velin gave her orders, his laughed, which was closer to a pained bark than anything else. "That woman... that vampire... that banshee... have stood here from the very beginning... and done more to stop evil than that demon posing as a man you so praise." His voice, his anger, was beginning to deflate as despair overcame his heart.

Undite... Gyasis... for the love of this world, please... don't... let them....

 

[Infab]

Velin watched Aleister, as he began to scream at Francis first then herself. All the while, her eyes beneath her helmet where locked onto the amulet that Aleister had gripped tightly in his hand. Undite's amulet. She had always worn it, visible every time Velin had seen her over the years. Once she had given out her orders, she looked back to Aleister. She didn't quite know what to say. Or if Aleister would even care. Velin deeply respected Undite, for all that they had gone through together in the past. Undite was the only vampire she cared about, honestly.

Eventually, she looked away. "If you see Undite again...Tell her that I'm sorry." said Velin. A moment later, there was a bright flash. A lightning bolt struck the roof where Velin had been standing, and when the group looked again, she was gone.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille kept her gaze unflinching, though a twitch hit her as she was told to go home. "I will. Someone has to protect my people." she said sternly, finally sheathing her rapier. Something told her that Velin's protection would be cursory at best. There was no use arguing with her, or any god for that matter. She alone knew the difference between what was right and what was wrong. There were ways to put the evils that resided in the hearts of monster and man alike, and she would weather to end whatever new threat would arise.

With the flash of light, Velin was gone. Yet her back was turned as she was already preparing herself to leave. A hand reached to Aleister's shoulder, holding it gently before she turned to look him in the eyes. "Take care of yourself. I swear to you I will never be like her, least of all Francis." she said, before her eyes looked on to the Duke's corpse. "... So long as you swear to me to never be like him."

Regardless of the priest's answer, Camille slowly removed her hand and began to walk toward where she stabbed Edmond's claymore in the stone. Hoisting it over her shoulder, she began to walk off. It was time to go home.