Fantasy Hunter's Moon: The Sin & Sentence [IC] [CLOSED]

[Breadman]

The Archive felt exactly the same as he had left it a few years prior. A seemingly ever expanding library of accumulated knowledge and history of the Order and the Church. Thankfully Theodore didn't have to dig through it all alone. While Sara had to dig into her own research for the cases, her place was temporarily taken by Hudson. The man's experience with demons has been a large help in cutting through the irrelevant documents and parchments and finding what was needed. Occasionally they would bump into Vincent conducting his own search.

The scholar was deep into the tome on the inhabitants of the Abyss, when he could hear heavy footsteps and the clink of chainmail echo through the halls. Theodore raised his head and leaned back in his chair, awaiting for who he suspected to round the corner.

"I had a feeling you would be here." Royland spoke, in his own regal way as ever "Inquisitor Reed send word that you had been neck deep in your own personal research." The knight stepped closer and stopped when he noticed Hudson nearby "I'm afraid I don't recognize you, ser."

"I don't think you've been properly introduced." Theodore motioned with his hand "Ser Royland, this is monsieur Hudson, save to say, one of the most proficient demon hunters currently. Monsieur Hudson, this is ser Royland. The man I currently answer to as leader of the reformed Order."

"Ah, one of the champions that braved the Abyss. An honor to be in your presence, ser." Royland bowed his head to show respect to the hunter.

 

[Damian0358]

Even before his bow, Xiaòzhou could've sensed Ethraeil's aura just bleeding with palpable frustration for anything beyond his immediate interests, so it wasn't surprising to him when even the Lich's gaze put out an aura of murderous intent, one that would probably be enough to blow his remaining limbs off, though probably not obliterate him. The Lich would be an interesting fight to be had, but that's not the point here.

Despite his gaze, however, he could sense him just ignoring him, and hear him go back to speaking with Cassiel. He slowly raised his head, looking at the Lich with a feeling of saddened relief, hoping at least to have received an off-hand acknowledgement, such as a scoff or something, but clearly the being was busy with other affairs. He looked over to Cassiel and just gave him a silent nod, before he began slowly walking back towards the door.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson hadn't been in the Archive more than a slim handful of times, as given the strained relationship of the Order of Velin and the Vigilant Order didn't make for the friendliest of visits. The only times he had entered it was when he had first came to Eternis for the mission, and even then that was just to browse about. While the hunter wasn't one to study rigorously he did have an appreciation for the sheer volume of knowledge that was catalogued here. He couldn't imagine how a short fellow like Theodore could spend so much time in here, climbing ladders all day didn't seem like something a scholar would be happy to do all the time.

Camille had departed for Escaria a few days prior, returning to their estate to both check up on the children and begin her investigation on Pierre. There were a few vampire clans there that she could question, though the majority of them likely wouldn't be too amicable. To her it was more of a formality than anything else, due to the fact that she was certain a conman of a vampire would flee to Nocturne so he could avoid the purges. There's no loyalty to an estate or land when one is willing to cheat and scam like Pierre, so that would mean the vampire would have little trouble picking up and moving elsewhere.

The hunter eyed Royland with some slight scrutiny, trying to see if he can pick up any demonic features through the armor he wore. It was still slightly surreal to see a demonic man of faith, but at the same time Hudson should be more than used to working with demons at this point. If Velin kept him on a tight leash through her ideology alone things should be fine, he wagered. "No, no. I'm just a headstrong asshole who got lucky, no need to be honored around me." he replied to Royland with a bitter chuckle, trying to downplay exactly what he did down there. "So, what sort of demon are we trying to pin down, Theodore?"

 

[Breadman]

"No need to downplay your deeds now." The knight responded to Hudson. Stepping forward he got close enough to get a good look at the tomes "Demonology? Did someone reveal himself to consort with demons?"

"No, fortunately. Nobody has been that foolish." Theodore turned to Hudson "To answer your question, I'm not entirely sure myself. A kind that would imprison souls in the Abyss, but for some reason them being there is tied to their murderer being alive." Theodore reached for one of the tomes and opened the book. "I have no real expertise in this field beyond the basics, I'm afraid."

The knight was now standing next to him, towering over. Looking over the stack, he picked out the right tome. "You're not looking for a type of demon, but a specific one." Royland flipped through the pages until he found the right chapter. "There. Lozon the vengeful. Minor demon lord, but the one responsible for problem. I assume this person is close to you?"

"It's my wife, Royland." There was no sense in not telling him. Theodore didn't expect Royland to lift a finger due to their strained relationship, but if he was lending a hand, it would be a waste to say no. "Vincent reported that they encountered her in the Abyss. Trapped there until the man responsible for her death makes his way there too."

"I see." Royland looked around to see if anyone was nearby "I can provide insight to this, but I suggest you make yourselves comfortable. And ser" He looked to Hudson "I ask that you don't judge too harshly."

"He's aware of your nature, Royland." The knight relaxed his stance and looked down to Theodore for a few seconds

"Well that makes things easier I suppose." Royland shook his head. He could only hope that Theodore didn't tell too many people about it. Despite his devotion, not many are keen to a wraith being in the church. "Centuries ago, Lozon was a warrior who very few could contest with, but his enemies hit him where he was most vulnerable. His family. His response was a downwards spiral into madness and barbarism that ended with not only saw his enemies dead, but their own families as well. His fate in the Abyss was sealed, but he was not to suffer as a sinner alone. His heart was full of rage and hate, enough that it eventually transformed him into a demon. He consolidated his power to create a creature of the abyss out of a kindred souls like his. Us wraiths are spirits of vengeance. We're sinners and we pay for it by being denied any semblance of peace. Denied us by our own sins."

"But I digress. Your wife however, while not a wraith, I believe she is tied to them and him by being a shade. In a cosmic balance, some souls are restless and cannot find their peace until they take their justice from those who killed them. Lozon knew this and used demonic magic to create the shades in an effort to please the Icon of wrath. A type of servant to help keep us true to our purpose. Or were. We were meant to seek them out in the Abyss and they would guide us to their killers or abusers. They get their pound of flesh and we feed on the revenge. Keep the violence going."

"That...That's a lot to take in..." Theodore felt a migraine come in as he tried to process everything "So all this time she was cursed to play Abyssal handmaiden for some black night?" The 'problem' as Royland called it earlier was making him angry. Frustrating him further.

"If he is still alive, no. Shades are given a certain autonomy so they would get to understand the Abyss. They're not defenseless I assure you. And if she's been there this long, then she has adapted to the Abyss well enough."

"She shouldn't be there in the first place!" Theodore snapped at him.

"I agree." The knight raised his hands in an attempt to show he was not a threat. "None of the shades should, but Lozon's designs are cruel so he could justify the violence and appease those above his station." He slowly lowered his hands as he spoke "Infernal politics was what I got out of the old demon. Used to justify anything." There was a noticeable sigh, amplified from his helm "But unfortunately that is the reason for your plight. If either of you have further questions, I will see if I can answer them.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson knew a good deal about wraiths, having fought a few of them in his time as a hunter, but when it came to shades they were a bit of an unknown force to him. They sound similar, yet shades were created by plucking souls from their rightful afterlife. The thought of that visibly upset Hudson for a moment or two, his stance stiffening slightly before Royland opened the floor for questions. "Any way to break this tether to Lozon, allow Theodore's wife to get to heaven where she belongs?" he asks rather quickly, a few ways already on his mind.

"I'm sure things may stop if we were to kill Lozon ourselves but I imagine that's a tall order... No way we could get back into the Abyss for something as simple as an assassination mission with the state of things we left that place in." the hunter reasons, crossing his arms. "We could perhaps summon the demon ourselves and take it on that way. Though again, not ideal for obvious reasons. This is all I can suggest if there isn't a more... surgical way to remove the tether."

 

[Breadman]

"I've tried." Royland responded to Hudson's queries. "He doesn't leave the Abyss. Not out of cowardice, but because he believes he belongs there." The knight crossed his arms behind his back. "Oddly enough, he thinks the gods chose wisely to damn him for what he did. Perhaps it's because it's easier for him to justify any bloodlust if it's aimed towards others in the Abyss." There was a pause as Royland remembered something "Hmm, I haven't had the pleasure to meet him face to face since the Age of darkness, but from what I have heard of other wraiths that have escaped the Abyss, he has grown...soft. Something must have happened. I can only guess as to what."

"And the tethering?"

"The surest way is for you to do as Vincent said. Find the wretch and kill him. If she's with another wraith, they will take care of the rest." He turned his attention back to Theodore "During my time in the Abyss, I did just that. Once a shade has ripped into their foe, they leave behind the desire for violence. Their souls are...cleansed is the right word, I believe. They depart the Abyss as their infernal anchor is dissolved." He sighed again "Others and I have tried to find other methods, but efforts have been fruitless."

"I see." Theodore was silent for a while. It appeared that he was on the right track at least, but there was something else that he was curious about. " I have a more personal question if you don't mind." Theodore spoke again "I don't want to seem ungrateful, but you and I don't have the best relationship. Why are you helping me?"

"I may have issues with some of your...talents, but that shouldn't halt me from helping an innocent soul. I came to make sure your personal endeavors were in he Order's best interest and I deem it so. We can go back to the old once this is finished."

"I...Thank you, Royland." The knight nodded to acknowledge the gratitude. Theodore in turn turned to Hudson "Anything else you wish to ask him?"

 

[Dmaster]

Killing that vampire would be their best option for breaking the tether then, which seemed simple enough. It didn't sit right with Hudson that a single demon could hold unwilling souls hostage and subject them to misery, but he also knew that he couldn't solve every problem in the world and beyond himself. "It's the least we can do for Theodore's wife, then. She deserves a proper afterlife after some demon bastard's attempt to rob it from her." he said, turning about to face Theodore.

"Other than a portal straight to Nocturne to kill that vampire fuck, I don't have much else to ask from ser knight" the hunter replied with a shrug. "We just have to hope that Camille is doing well on her investigation. And that Cassandra hasn't killed a whole village's worth of people in hers."

 

[Breadman]

"Cassandra?" Royland was caught by surprise "You managed to enlist her to help you?"

"She offered and I couldn't exactly say no." Theodore shrugged "I was just as surprised as you were that she even considered it."

"I hope for your wife's sake that she pulls through then. These are odd days we find ourselves in. To make it easier, I'm authorizing you to act as you see fit in this investigation. Inquisitor Reed already send word of the artifacts she found in the archives and the proposition to give it off to Nocturne...which now makes sense if you suspect the cur is hiding there. Speaking of..." He turned his head in the direction of the cursed vault "...I'll leave you be for now. I have to take a look at just what putrid designs Ludwig was planning. Don't hesitate to seek me out should you require my aid while I'm here." The knight bowed before turning and leaving. The armor once again clanking down the halls.

 

[Infab]

"Is there a way to cut short the time needed to get to the far north? My dreadfort is where I'll rebuild my forces to take on Taranoch's."

Cassiel hesitated for a brief moment, a little shocked that he didn't recognize Xiaòzhou's greeting at all, before responding. "...Since you wish to leave so quickly, I'll send you on your way via portal. I'll open it as closely to the fort as I can, and let you proceed the rest of the way." he stated, before stepping back from Ethraeil. He made a motion with his hands, and a blue portal opened next to him. On the other side, the freezing cold of northern Tsavania which seemed to be mid-blizzard. "...Proceed on through, Ethraeil." he stated.

Once the lich king had made his move, proceeding through the portal, he looked back over to Xiaòzhou. "I'm terribly sorry about him, Xiaòzhou. He has...a very long and terrible history with the Church and Inquisition. The Church enslaved him back during the Age of Darkness...and he was only given his freedom just three years ago by Valeria. Its something that should have happened long ago, but the Grand Bishop at the time wouldn't allow it...and the ones that followed him afterwards just forgot about him." he stated, walking over to the Oni. As he stopped next to him, he paused for a moment before looking to his friend's face again. "By the way, I have... been meaning to ask you something, Xiaòzhou."

------
​

As Royland proceeded through the lower levels of the Grand Cathedral, he began to notice a powerful presence within the Armory. The Armory was the first stop on the way towards the 'cursed vault', which was where the various enchanted or potentially cursed or demonic items the Inquisition or Church collected were kept for study. The Armory being placed there was a matter of security, as Inquisitors could easily rush in and claim an enchanted weapon to combat something should something break into the vault...or try to break out of it.

As he entered the Armory, he noticed a tall muscular woman standing there, now mostly clad in an ancient looking armor and with an enchanted claymore in hand. Her aura was powerful, a mixture of both vampire as well as lycan. A hybrid. And there was only one hybrid that had gone on the mission into the Abyss. Riberta. She glanced back to him, her red eyes studying the knight as he stood there in the doorway. "...Need something, knight?" she asked, returning her attention to the helmet that was sitting before her. She picked it up, and soon slipped it on over her head before turning to face Royland.

 

[Damian0358]

With Cassiel standing next to him by the door, Xiaòzhou was saddened to hear about Ethraeil's past, before looking somewhat sheepish at the angel apparently having something to ask, trying to make it seem as though it was the Lich that had made him sheepish and not the assertion.

"Ehehe... ehm, what is it that you want to ask?" he responded, remembering a conversation he had had the night prior before bed.

---

"[One of these days the angel will notice how you hesitate in speaking with him,]" Xiaòzhou could hear Zazriel say, having finished his pre-sleep meditation moments prior.

"[...even if he does, you must understand the reasons why I hesitate,]" he plainly responded, given the sliver of the King would likely have been listening in on his contemplations the past week.

"[I do, for even I hesitated around those I cared about. But worrying about it will make him notice,]" Zazriel retorted.

"[Even if I shouldn't worry, I ultimately do; what if an unknowable variable keeps him away when he's most needed, especially if the head of the shrine is a particular kind? And I wouldn't want him to misunderstand my wish as me seeking to return home, as I am able to do that at any time. Now, however, I wish to be here, to help in Eternis, as it is likely here that the main conflict will occur, if things come to worst.]"

"[Of course, but for all you know, he could knock on your door this very moment.]" Zazriel responded.

"[When the time comes, the time will come. Now it is time for rest, for the both of us,]" Xiaòzhou capped the conversation off, with Zazriel responding with a defeated sigh.

---

"It may not be in my place to ask, but I have noted how the past few days you seemed to hesitate in speaking with me," Cassiel began, prompting a false soft smile from the hermit, "so I wanted to check if everything was alright. If it is perhaps the vaguely demonic aura I sense, or something else..."

"No, no, it isn't anything regarding that," Xiaòzhou responded, somewhat meekly, "I've just had much on my mind, and on one of those things, I had, perhaps, been thinking about you in particular..."

"On what matter specifically?" Cassiel asked, curious to find out.

"Aa, well... it regards home, mainly. Shouki Shrine, the spiritual unifying center of Upper Redonia, has long prepared for the potential of another demon invasion, given the mythical assumption that a gate from the Abyss lay in its north-western mountains. I wondered, perhaps, if it may be a good idea to let the shrine head know of what's happening and what might come, and, ehm... that might need some assistance from you..." Xiaòzhou reluctantly explained, even speaking weaker at the end.

Before Cassiel could answer, however, Xiaòzhou spoke once more:

"B-but, I wouldn't want you distracted from affairs here in Eternis! As an angel, your abilities are of great use, and all calm themselves in your presence! There is even a chance affairs might take longer than a day, if the shrine head is a more eclectic kind! A-and I'd want to be able to continue assisting in affairs here too, and, and-" he began to fumble, before Cassiel placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Xiaòzhou, you've done much for the cathedral whenever you're here," the angel stated plainly, "you needn't worry about something such as this," to which the hermit just looked at him meekly.

"We'll head to Upper Redonia later, alright?" Cassiel abruptly said, with a smile, "I would want to make sure everything is set over here during our brief time there, after all," he raised his hand off his shoulder, and began to head back inwards.

Xiaòzhou, looking somewhat nonplussed, watched as Cassiel turned away from him: "We can get there and back swiftly enough, so really, no need to worry," he smiled, as he departed.

The hermit was left by himself, now somewhat relieved that things had worked out, or at least, he was technically by himself.

"[...see, everything went well!]" Zazriel chuckled.

 

[Breadman]

"I was on my way to the vault, when I felt your presence my lady." Ryoland answered her. He stepped forward to get closer. "The aura you give off is potent. Mixture of lycan and vampire and the influence of the Abyss still in the air. There is no mistaking you, Riberta." He spoke with reverence. "I didn't expect to meet a second champion that risked it all to brave the Abyss, but I feel honored to be in your presence non-the less." A short bow of respect followed "But what are you doing here? Arming yourself for future conquests?"

 

[K0mori]

The Pillars of K'rian, Hollowlands
​

"Sense anything?" one scout asked another, peering out over the rippling, jagged landscape just outside of the Land of Vainglory. From their vantage point, they could see far into the distance, but not well; too many ruinous walls obscured the view. Long ago, this place had been a palace, but when the Abyss had shifted to its current form, the great structure had been sundered by the crawling landscape, sending its massive bulk tumbling earthward and scattering. Its occupants, the servants of a pride demon named K'rian, abandoned the site and moved elsewhere, leaving only its largest pillars standing defiantly skyward. And ever since, it had served as a landmark within the otherwise unremarkable wasteland in this region.

"Oui, I feel them looking back on us," Mariette replied. "There are at least a dozen, down there behind the pillar on the steps." She motioned at the fallen stone tower in the distance, which lay broken across the original grand staircase of the palace entrance. A moment later, there was a slight movement, barely visible but nonetheless so, which tipped off the other scout. He nodded. The two crawled back, out of sight, and looked back over their shoulder at their allies, other demons sent by Azathor to hold this ground. The numbers were close to equal, but Sazak's scouting parties were typically weak and disorganized. This would be easy pickings.

Mariette held out her hands, enclosed within the new gauntlets Tariun's wrath demons had supplied- truly wicked things which had proved sharp enough to rend a demon whelp's face off during the witch's first outing, a month prior. Between her clawed fingertips, a flame appeared, flaring several times in a pattern which communicated the situation. From a distance, a similar flicker replied: attack.

There was a cry of alarm from Sazak's scouts as the skirmish began, as they took note of the ambush which was occurring. They had seen Mariette and the other scout atop the ridge, but were unaware of the others, and now they frantically took up a defensive formation with their swords, axes, and flails at the ready, while others stayed behind with crossbows and even a few crude bolt-action rifles. Still, they were reluctant, and as Mariette descended through the air toward their location, a demonic blaze of violet hellfire trailing from her rapier, they seemed poised to break and retreat. But then, a surprise: the scouts' commander was a mage as well, who took flight in Mariette's direction.

"Hold your ground, you fools!" the mage called out, his voice snapping the grunts back to attention. "If you run, we all perish! Wait... YOU-" he suddenly screamed at Mariette, "I KNOW OF YOU! OH, HOW SAZAK WOULD REWARD ME...!"

The two clashed weapons in mid-air, Mariette's rapier against the mage's bronze staff, sending lightning and hellfire embers through the air in a dazzling display. "If you know of me, then you know I drank the blood of Azgon," Mariette warned. The mage's eyes widened briefly, but he wasn't deterred. He gave a battle cry and forced his lightning upon the witch as they twisted away from each other, their magic keeping them aloft in the sky as they fought. Down below, Azathor's demons brought their might down upon the scouting party, spears and blades crashing against the shield wall. Soon, Sazak's grunts lost their footing on the ruined stairway and began to fall, pounded savagely by the array of weapons brought upon them by their experienced foes, but a bolt of lightning from above forced them back. They then faced bolts of another type, and gunfire, forcing them to raise their own enchanted shields and fall back.

From atop the stairs, the other of Azathor's scouts took aim with a crossbow and fired from halfway behind a wall, striking at the snipers in the distance. The aerial mage crashed into the ground beside him, kicking up a plume of dust as Mariette landed right behind him, thrusting her rapier as she slid- to no avail, as the mage knocked the blade away with his own gauntleted hand before it could pierce him. He rolled away, throwing his lightning at Mariette in the process and stunning her. The crossbowman leaped into action, unsheathing a dagger and pouncing on the mage, who threw him aside easily before turning to knock away another slash from Mariette's sword. "You're nothing special," he taunted, "just another arrogant human-turned demon, meddling in affairs you don't belong in!"

Below, Sazak's forces gained the upper hand with the support of their rangers, and began to push up the steps toward the grand entrance. One of Azathor's demons fell dead from a gunshot, the bullet itself enchanted to turn molten upon entering the body. His sword clanged off the old stone steps as it rolled away, punctuating the screams and profanity between the two sides as they continued to fight.

The other scout ran in again with his dagger, but this time was struck by infernal lightning which knocked him clean onto his back. The mage then turned, slamming his staff against Mariette's rapier, knocking it skyward before he swung the back end around and struck the witch in the face. She staggered backward, throwing a wave of hellfire that the mage seemed to cut right through, effortlessly. "So pitiful..." he declared, clenching a fist which erupted with powerful sparks of magic. "Time to die." He placed his hand out in front of himself and a ball of formless energy exploded from his palm, darting forth and blowing a crater into the ground in front of him.

He blinked. Mariette had vanished before his eyes, but before he could even contemplate it, her rapier skewered him from the crown of his head, down his neck and into his chest cavity, erupting with fire the entire way which scorched him from the inside out. She had used illusion to hold herself in his mind's eye, even as she leaped into the sky to avoid his attack, and now he, like many others who had underestimated her, was dead where he stood. Now having landed next to his standing corpse, Mariette held him upright and sank her teeth into his neck, drawing her fill of his magic-laced blood in the process before discarding the body.

Now Azathor's forces had regrouped at the top of the stairs, and a second attack ensued. Sazak's scouts, now without their leader, began to panic, and very quickly they broke into a full retreat. Their snipers tried to cover their escape, but the whole party was chased down in short order and massacred - some by blade, others by magic - and were looted and fed upon.

It was their second victory of the day, and their sixth skirmish that week. They had won decisively, and repeatedly, and yet, it had only been a dozen or scouts and a single mage... practically inconsequential to the course of the war. Mariette sat down and dutifully began to clean her sword, thinking about the war she was impatiently fighting. She wanted to push harder, gain a command, learn new magic - anything which could lead to a swifter victory against Sazak and then Taranoch himself. Then, she took a breath, and thought about how the month of constant warfare she had just endured was a mere three days in the mortal realm. It was nearly driving her mad, thinking of Cassandra, and how badly she wished to hear from her again.

 

[Infab]

"But what are you doing here? Arming yourself for future conquests?"

"In a way." she responded, looking down to the armor and weapon she was now equipped with. "I've been here for the past few days, modifying this armor to fit me. I'm preparing to leave to seek out any surviving members of my clan, and get them ready for what is to come." She twirled the claymore about, before letting it rest on her shoulder. "...The binding will be destroyed eventually. Best to prepare early for the coming onslaught. Perhaps I may yet get to cleave Sazak's head from his shoulders." She glanced to the massive vault door at the other end of the room. "...So what's in there? I couldn't look, since the door's enchanted against supernaturals." she asked, motioning towards it with her free hand. "...More church secrets, I assume?"

Back in the Library, Vincent found himself hanging from one of the tall ladders in the library several meters up and away from Theodore and Hudson down below. He hadn't heard their conversation with the knight, Ser Royland, but it was probably something important related to Theodore's wife. After all, those two were looking through demonology texts and tomes. He, on the other hand, was searching through far older books and papers. The Icons were looking for the artifacts, and had only found two of them. That meant there were three more. The church had scrubbed its archives of direct mentions of the items themselves, but there had to be traces left. Offhand mentions of the items or references to them. A day prior, he had found such a thing. A text mentioning a staff. The only one he figured that would carry such a thing was Undite, and when he probed her about it, she confirmed that she did indeed have a staff at one point. That meant one of the artifacts was her staff. What the other two artifacts were, only Gyasis and Thiasis knew.

Gyasis and Thiasis were mentioned in the Grimtham report, Gyasis having been encountered by Aleister and Camille during their Inquiry there. Jakob encountered Thiasis in a dream. Inquisitors sent to Grimtham have seen no trace of Gyasis since then, and though Thiasis was confirmed to be living in the highlands by Jakob, they didn't know where exactly. Both needed to be spoken to in order to discover what items they may have lost in the past which would become god artifacts. He did have a good idea to go on, though. Undite made mention of an amulet that Gyasis wore often that disappeared. As for Thiasis, she didn't know. Velin was closer to Thiasis than she was, purely because of their similar macho mindsets at times, but even Velin didn't know what it was. So he'd have to keep looking. Searching for possible leads. If he could figure it out, they'd be on their way to locating the objects before the demon horde below did.

------
​

Down in the Abyss...

The Pillars of K'rian
The Hollowlands


As Mariette cleaned her sword, her thoughts bouncing around between different topics, a demon approached. She recognized it almost instantly, the demon's aura being that of Xager, Tariun's lieutenant. As she approached, walking up the broken steps of the old palace, she took the time to inspect the work that Mariette and Azathor's men had done. "Excellent work. The more of his scout parties you eliminate, the less Sazak knows of what we're doing. And in turn, the less Taranoch knows." she stated, before eventually arriving next to Mariette. She then held something out to her, forcing Mariette to glance up. It was a thick wax-sealed envelope, as well as a wine bottle. She recognized the label almost instantly: it was her own. Well, that of her winery back in the Mortal Realm. "Cassandra wished for me to bring these directly to you." said Xager, as Mariette set her sword aside before reaching up to take the items.


"Now...before you jump into reading that, I'd like to ask you something." she then added. "...Now that its been almost a month, I'm curious as to what path in magic you wish to pursue. You recall the various ones I mentioned before. Elemental, Blood, Shadow, et cetera. Choosing one determines just what kind of demon mage you'll be...It'll also help you grow far more powerful, and raise your status."

 

[Breadman]

...More church secrets, I assume?

"In a way." The knight turned his head to face vault door before turning it back to Riberta. "What is behind those doors has a corrupting influence to mortal hands. Artifacts of the dark arts. Necromancy, blood magic and infernal in nature enchantments just to name some." He crossed his arms behind his back and continued "I'm not sure if you've heard, but we are clearing out certain corrupt elements from the church. The newest additions in the vault have been hidden even from us by the now former head archivist and scholar. I wanted to have a good look, as the inquisitor that discovered them mentioned that some were of Abyssal nature. I have a certain affinity towards them." There was a brief silence before he spoke again.

"I have to admit, given what your goals are, it is very tempting to let you browse the inventory. Using the abyssal instruments against the demons is a wonderful irony, but I don't think the wards placed inside would agree with me. As well as the possibility of you or your surviving kin falling to their corrupting influence. "

 

[K0mori]

"I find that fire comes naturally to me, madame," Mariette replied as she took the envelope and wine bottle from Xager, "as easily as my illusions do, no less. Somehow I feel compelled by its chaotic nature, and I cannot help but sense that I am meant to study and master it." Mariette smiled as she thought about her progress, since the first errant sparks she created while fighting Ralvas, to the intentional blazes she was now setting upon her foes. "...And thank you for bringing this," she said, opening the envelope and breaking the seal. "I was just thinking about her, although I can't imagine what she might have sent me."

The folder slid out of the envelope along with a letter, and Mariette was surprised to find that the entire folder was information about herself. Confused, she unfolded the letter and read it.

 

[KRIY]

"And uh, thanks?... Does it do anything?" she says, looking at it in her hands.

"It's a magic emblem. you've seen me teleport into this shadow-like substance. Well, I'm not capable to just teleport where ever I want. So.. this emblem here helps out with that. press on that little gem right there.." He points at the red gem in the center of the emblem, "And it'll teleport me to whoever activated it. after you teleported me, It'll take a few days for it cool off and be usable again." after his explanation, he looks up the clock again, and then he stands up from his chair.

"Well, look at the time, I'll take my leave, and oh, remember Leakheana. If you ever need my help, that emblem will call me. now, I suppose you have something to attend to. probably... the "liberating your people" kind?" he goes over to Leakheana's side and puts his hand forward to her.

 

[Infab]

Riberta nodded. "Yes, I'd rather not have to deal with anything Abyssal again. The last item I used was the Spear of Adriel. Its not fun getting possessed by an Abyssal Titan." she responded, glancing towards the vault again. She eventually sighed. "Good luck to you, knight. And I wish the Church and Inquisition luck as well...Things are going to get bad before the end of this." She then turned, walking quietly towards the exit. "See you when I see you." And soon, she disappeared around the corner.

------
​

As soon as Mariette opened the letter, she noticed Cassandra's fancy handwriting. She did hail from an upperclass family, so the styling and such were to be expected, but this seemed almost royal looking. The other thing she noticed was the cute, artsy heart that Cassandra had drawn at the bottom across from her full signature. Soon, she began to read it.

'My Sweet Mariette,

If I recall correctly, it has been several weeks in Abyssal time since we last saw one another. I apologize for my tardiness in writing you, as I was preoccupied with a pair of meetings with Undite and Velin. Oddly, both were conducted rather peacefully. It seems that Undite and Adona speaking to Velin has effectively changed her. Only time will tell if she stays that way.

After the meetings, I encountered Camille again as well as Theodore. Camille is still just as she was three years ago, and treats her husband practically like a dog. The first thing she did when she saw Hudson in the Grand Cathedral was hit him in the stomach. And then hit him every so often afterwards. Anyway, both her and Theodore had come to the Church for different reasons, but I am glad that they were able to see Valeria. I heard Ethraeil also visited her, but was rather cold to everyone else. Aleister and Galina are the only ones that haven't seen her, but that may change soon. Especially if Undite makes any major breakthroughs in treating Valeria for the mental damage that Sazak inflicted on her.

I have volunteered to assist Theodore with locating his wife's killer, Pierre Aliker, as he is still alive somewhere. While Camille does her usual hunter things, I used some of my contacts to snoop around. He is a vampire after all. While rummaging through an old middle man's things (don't worry, I did not kill him), I found some files. Files that Duke Ashwood had requested from him on several individuals. Extensive background information, basically a set of full profiles. One of those files I am sending to you, because it contains a few things you would probably like to know. Like who turned you, as well as which of the large vampire houses you belong to. Turns out, according to the file on me, I am of House Ruthven. I do not know exactly what I could do with that kind of information, but it is interesting to know where I stand at least in the larger vampire society.

I miss you. More than anything else. I wish you could be here with me, or I could be there with you. I am at my happiest when I am by your side. But I need to do this. See this through to the very end. Then, I am coming home.

I swear to you, I will write daily if possible. If not, I will write when I get the chance. Along with this letter, you should receive a bottle of your wine. Vintage, too, so the taste is practically divine. Please enjoy it, and consider it a sort of gift for not writing sooner.

All my love,
Cassandra Bainbridge'​

 

[Breadman]

"May the lady watch over you and guide your path, matriarch." Royland told Riberta as she walked away. Now he turned his attention to the vault. "Right, let us see what foul magics you discovered." Stepping forward, he cautiously stepped forward towards the large door. The combination and timed locks were easy enough for him to get through, but the wards were always something he was cautious about. Even if he was blessed to walk through them despite his own nature, he could feel a certain sting as he walked inside. Made him wonder if his Abyssal side was slowly eroding him from the inside. His return to the Abyss one day would be inevitable. He just hoped it would be a long time from now.

Stepping through the gate, the knight observed the different artefacts nearly organized in sections dedicated to the different school of the dark arts. All but the new ones. They had yet to be looked over and properly distributed. Even so, most of them were apparent for what purpose they would serve. Ceremonial daggers for bloodletting, books of lore and spells, ingredients for brewing unholy concoctions and something that instantly drew his ire as he saw it. Among the items he found a small glass container, its purpose innocuous to anyone unfamiliar with those he despised the most. Ludwig may have not have advanced far into the school of necromancy, but it was obvious that he had dark ambitions. The heretic had planned for lichdom.

Royland had to fight his instinct to to shatter the glass. Not yet. Reed had already planned to upgrade the head scholar's sentence to be an execution and this was still evidence. Destruction would have to come later. He moved his gaze away from the phylactery and towards another item that caught his attention. As if it was calling to him. Among the pile he noticed a shield. It's back looked to be nothing special, but if one were to turn to it's face, they would see the unmistakable look of something forged by demon hands. But there was something more to it. Something evil stirred within the metal. The binding magics were very familiar. Just holding it, he could feel the thoughts of violent bloodlust creep inside. No mistaking it, this was a berserker's shield.

"Cease your whispers, wretch!" The knight commanded the shield "I know not who forged you or what wretched soul it bound to give it it's property, but this ends now."

"Kill...mortal...kill..." It kept whispering "Feed...blood...flesh..."

"Neutering you it is, then." Royland was growing agitated. He grabbed the shield and placed it on a nearby table. The knight took a step back and grabbed his helm with both his hands and took it off for the first time in a very long time. "I've endured much worse from much powerful demons than to fall to the pathetic urgings to whatever you are." Next he took off one of his gloves and placed his charred hand on the face of the shield. He could feel whatever was inside begin to squirm "Ah I see. You've been here a few centuries, but have been used plenty in older times. Enough blood has run on your surface that you've grown an appetite for it. Enough sins have been accumulated in your name." His hand now aflame, he began to recite scripture. He didn't need to, but it helped him ignore the growing screams of pain from whatever demonic spirit was inhabiting the shield. Some would mistake this as holy work, but it was quite the opposite. In the centuries of service, he had learned to use his wraith abilities to target the abyssal kind as well. Including some of their toys. This one was now broken.

After a short time, the screaming inside his head stopped as he felt the presence falter. The item it inhabited was now it's prison. One less cursed artifact needing to be looked over. He removed his hand and noticed that the face of the shield looked as if it was shattered. 'Bah, I overdid it. Nothing but an ugly piece of metal now.' He thought. No point in keeping it among the useful items then. Might as well destroy it. Just as he had showed restraint from shattering the phylactery too. Shame, he would have to discipline himself somehow.

After an hour, he picked up the books that were confiscated, having deemed them safe to be looked over, as well as the remains he had left on the table. He shut the vault behind him waiting only to hear the locks and gears move into place.

 

[K0mori]

Having read the entire letter multiple times over, Mariette closed her eyes and smiled, nearly choking up at the sudden onset of sentiment she felt for her friends. She wished she could have been there to witness these things herself. Still, if Cassandra would write her a letter once every day or so, then Mariette would receive a message a few times a month. Mariette planned to reply every other Abyssal month or so, giving Cassandra a thorough update of her journeys about once a week. That was almost enough to ease her aching heartstrings.

When she was done feeling sorry for herself, she considered the news itself. Why Cassandra was helping Theodore to avenge his wife's death was a mystery to her; it didn't seem related to the goal of defeating Taranoch, but apparently Camille was also hunting the killer, so there must have been some merit to focusing on such a task. And, as a bonus, Cass claimed to have stumbled onto the answer to one of the greatest puzzles in Mariette's life.

It had taken years after Mariette's turning, after her husband's suicide and her many deadly encounters with her own former family, before she had enough time, money, and motivation to seek out the one who turned her, and learn of which vampire house she belonged to. By that point, there was little evidence to go by, no recollections by her peers which would help settle the matter. Over time, Mariette's success as a vintner rendered it all rather pointless. She was self-made, and didn't need a vampiric house to open any doors for her.

It wasn't to say that she didn't have any opinions on the matter. Cassandra being a Ruthven, for example, amused her a bit as their nobility was unquestionable, yet their power-hungry reputation seemed appropriate for the woman Cass had been before. It was strange how these things worked out, seemingly drawing the same sorts of people into into the appropriate orbits. Mariette, meanwhile, preferred to do business with the newer houses, like Lovelace, as there were often less strings attached than there were with the sometimes-snooty Karnsteins. She wondered whether she would be counted among the endlessly talented Polidori or Visconti houses.

She opened the folder excitedly. Oh, at last, I'll know!

...Ah.

"Fuck," she muttered aloud. The first page inside the folder contained all of her basic information, and listed beside "House" was the name Le Rouge. It was the only one of all the vampiric houses that she actually despised, as they held no respect for her vision or laws when she was Countess of La Cygne. It was only natural, as their method for gaining power and influence throughout Adonia was simply through increasing their numbers, and that meant plenty of unwilling recipients of the kiss of the night. It meant plenty of ghouls, too, and a loss of trust among the human population which couldn't tell the difference between one vampire and the next. A handful had even been caught and put into the sun over the decades to make examples, their death warrants signed by Mariette herself in order to restore that trust.

Now, she suddenly realized that her own unwilling transformation into a vampire fit the modus operandi of le Rouge quite perfectly, and she briefly wondered if she had unwittingly executed the one who turned her. She looked at the name and didn't recognize it, for better or for worse: Karine Savatier. There wasn't much information contained within about the woman, ether, only that she was dead, and her closest living relative lived in Atraca. Mariette had probably never met or even heard of them.

She closed the folder, somewhat disappointed until she reminded herself that none of this really mattered, anyway. While it may have been a serious question when she was alive, it didn't weigh on her at all in the afterlife, unless by some luck she could do as Xager explained, and someday return to the mortal realm with the help of a lodestone or even a vessel, although the idea of stealing or even purchasing the body of another human being felt utterly vile to her. Perhaps she would read the rest of the folder later, out of curiosity, but for now, she would return to her duties. She had to prepare for the next battle.

 

[Damian0358]

With his preparations complete, Cassiel appeared in Xiaòzhou's room, informing him it was time to depart. The hermit, having spent the time since earlier preparing what he would need, nodded on, as he explained where they should drop off in Upper Redonia. Cassiel himself appeared to be carrying some sort of case, the oni curious what it may contain. Swiftly, Cassiel opened up a portal to the destination. As Xiaòzhou nodded and went through, he couldn't help but find it amusing how this is the second time this week he had gotten Cassiel to use his portals, indirectly or not, since Wesley had departed for the Abyss after he had told him about Leakhena's brief time back up.

As Xiaòzhou stepped through the other end, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with that oh so familiar air of home. The qi surrounding him all felt so nostalgic, even if in his time span a hundred years or so was practically nothing. As Cassiel came though, he watched as the hermit gazed upon the reason why he had chosen this specific spot for the portal - standing way off the path between Zhongjing and Shouki Shrine, the city could be looked upon in full as the sun slowly began its descent. It was the afternoon, approaching the evening. The everglow of the setting sun was not yet upon them, the perfect time to make an impromptu visit to what is likely the most important person in the lands of the former Heavenly Empire.

Looking behind him, Xiaòzhou could see Cassiel smiling at him, as he basked in being back home, if ever temporarily. Turning fully towards him, with his thumb, he pointed toward the north-west, along the road. With a nod, the two began floating their way toward the shrine. The shrine itself was some distance away from Zhongjing, to ensure it wasn't in danger if another demonic invasion were to occur. After a couple of minutes, however, they could finally see it on the horizon - its walls protecting what had originally just been a simple one room shrine in its past, now a far larger building, with even an underground complex to its name. All in the name of preparedness.

As they approached and began to see the shrine proper beyond the walls, Xiaòzhou turned to the angel and encouraged him to lessen his aura as they approached, as those there would likely sense them on the spot. They just needed to attract the attention of the shrine head, after all, and they were rather attuned. Getting closer, the two landed as to avoid folks spotting them from the sky. And soon, they arrived at the outer entrance.

Within, they could see many disciples training and meditating, with some taking pause and engaging in conversation. Xiaòzhou silently nodded to Cassiel, before the two entered the space and headed for the inner shrine entrance straight ahead. With the two hardly noticeable, most folks ignored them. However, those that did would be perplexed by their choice of attire, to a degree, and to some extent what little they could feel. Near the inner entrance, some of the shrine staff noted their approach, and found themselves intimidated and somewhat calmed by what little they felt of their auras. However, abruptly, as they got closer, the front doors of the shrine slammed open, on the other end lying the high priest Shi Jing.

Xiaòzhou stopped in his tracks, prompting Cassiel to do so too, as they watched the perplexed looking miko gaze upon them. She almost seemed to be at disbelief at what she was feeling, and at the same time, that which she wasn't.

"[You two!]" she yelled at them, drawing everyone's attention, "[What business do you have at Shouki Shrine?]"

Xiaòzhou made one step forth, before cupping his hands into the Zi Wu gesture and bowing. Finishing his bow, he responded;

"[May Heavenly Blessings Be With You, Great Douzhang of Shouki Shrine, the Venerable Doushi of this fractured land,]" he greeted her respectfully, "[I have come bearing important news for you to hear, news of great importance to not only this shrine, but our entire land.]"

"[Blessing to you too, and who may you be?]" Jing said with a suspicious tone.

"[Ah, I am but a simple hermit, one who had traveled great distances, only managing to do so through the Dou,]" he responded, bowing once more.

Jing didn't seem entirely convinced, but the level of qi control she felt was hermit worthy. She looked over to the man beside the supposed hermit, not even being able to tell who he is.

"[And your companion?]"

"[One who had allowed me to return to this home of mine with great swiftness, and able to return the two of us whence we came once we present to you this news of ours.]"

Jing didn't necessarily like that answer, though it was still curious. However, she presumed this was likely something they'd be willing to tell her in private, and not when a bunch of eyes were staring them down. So she turned her gaze back at the hermit.

"[If you truly are a hermit, then present me your full aura. Hide not behind such techniques, and release your full breadth,]" she demanded. With a bow, Xiaòzhou obliged.

Almost instantly, the release of his hermitic oni aura sent shockwaves throughout the yard before them, the disciples almost shocked to be sensing what appeared to be a hermit's full aura at display. But what shocked them even more was the fact that they could sense an oni within... an oni hermit?! How could that be? Those few of the north-west remembered hearing vague stories of a fake oni hermit, so to see what appeared to be a real one...

Jing, meanwhile, was taken aback slightly, as well as surprised and impressed. The remark the hermit had made about his companion made her suspect that perhaps she was dealing with the Gaá Xiaòzhou, and was taken aback by the fact that she was apparently right. She was surprised he had returned, and impressed by the impression his aura gave off, especially with how boldly he is presenting his oni nature, which she wouldn't have figured otherwise aside from what barely she felt and the fact he wore a hat.

"[...so you are the one known as Gaá Xiaòzhou?!]" she somewhat unconsciously said.

"[That is me, yes!]" he gleefully responded, happy to have been recognized by the shrine. He figured she must've read about him at least one in her readings through her predecessors' writings.

"[...to have the successor to the great Shan Douzhou here today!]" she bowed, in respect to one of the last known recorded hermits within these broken lands. The disciples began to chatter amongst themselves, this being the first time they've heard of Xiaòzhou.

Jing looked over to the shrine's disciples, and waved her hand to silence them: "[Please, everyone, return to what you had been doing previously. Concentrate on building your body and mind. I shall handle our honorable guests, and let you all know what they have to share later.]"

With that, everyone looked at the other and slowly returned to their previous business. Jing waved them up, to enter the shrine proper. Alongside a few staff, they were eventually lead to the original shrine room, since repurposed to be the shrine master's quarters and 'office'. As Xiaòzhou and Cassiel got themselves seated, they received cups of tea, with Jing stepping out quickly to get her writing material. Returning and sitting down with the two, she began by pointing at the angel.

"[First things first, what is he? I can't get a reading on you at all,]" she asked rather bluntly.

Xiaòzhou looked over to Cassiel, before deciding to answer on his behalf: "[Ah, well, I believe the proper word for him is, ehm... ]tienshi (天使)?"

"[A heavenly envoy?!]" Jing responded, to an extent shocked to hear that the hermit had somehow met an angel of all things in his time abroad!

"[That would be your word for us,]" Cassiel answered, responding in the most soothing sounding Upper Redonian the miko had ever heard, "[It is a pleasure to be before a descendant of one of the many who fought off against the Age of Darkness.]"

"[I-It's an honor to be before an angel!]" Jing muttered out, before centering her gaze at Xiaòzhou, "[What in the heck have you been up to this entire time?!]"

"[Well, we did mainly come here to tell you the news, but if we aren't in a rush I could go into that too,]" Xiaòzhou responded, looking over to Cassiel who gave him a confident nod.

"[Honestly, if you're already here, tell me all about it!]" Jing said, picking up her ink brush and getting ready to note down all she can hear from not only the hermit, but the angel too.

---

Jing rubbed her forehead with both her hands as she tried to not only process what she had written down just now, but also the implications of all these two had said. Even putting aside everything Xiaòzhou had dealt with after departing, everything related to this Witlock Inquiry and the subsequent Abyssal Inquiry he had taken part of just seemed nutty. They barely had to deal with Abyssal affairs this direct in Upper Redonia, which she could only boil down to the fact that such things had been 'written' out of common convention by her predecessors, as well as the Abyssal Gate in the north-west being located far into the mountains, assuming such a thing was there per legend. And then there was the involvement of the Five Immortals, how all this connects to that thing she didn't even bother to send anyone to, and all the revelations just dumped onto her about the Abyss and its current status, including what they had done down there. Even Abahai, whom she read to have departed long ago, was apparently still alive down there, and the daughters of Ibaraki were apparently important figures whom still held a grudge against the Dou.

This record she was writing, of 'the exiled Hermit's travels', was going to be an important document for her successors to come; however, that is assuming she has successors, leading into the main reason why the oni and the tienshi arrived in the first place - artifacts related to the Five Immortals were being gathered by the 'Icons', to be used to remove the seal the occident Church of the Five Immortals had put in place, the very same church that High Inquisitor Winchester is a part of, whom her predecessor had worked with regarding something in Shioya. If that seal was removed, the uma of the Underworld would be able to roam the mortal coil once more. If that were the case, they would have to put forth all they had prepared since they had banished them long ago.

Having written down the last of what they had said and revealed, she placed down her ink brush and rubbed her head, closing her eyes for the briefest moment, before squarely centering it on the two of them.

"[...well, I am certainly glad you two had come all this way to tell me all this, even if you... overwhelmed me to a degree,]" she stated, with a slight bitterness in her voice. Xiaòzhou looked over at Cassiel, worried he might've been too chatty, before seeing the expression on Jing's face lighten up with a cheeky smile.

"[Seems like I'm gonna have to ramp things up here! We've got a lot of contingency plans in place just in case the worst comes, and I'm gonna need to check if everything is considered and ready. Will have to make sure the disciples for this generation are good too, even if I'm not the most suited for that kind of thing.]"

"[I'm glad to hear that, Great Douzhang!]" Xiaòzhou beamed.

"[Please, refer to me as just the miko,]" Jing responded casually.

"[Madame Shi, you be sure to keep some of the information we've shared private for the time being. As much as you may have been shocked to learn some of this, I would imagine it would not surprise you to learn that most in Adonia are hardly aware of the specifics,]" Cassiel elaborated, with Jing nodding in response.

"[Yeah, Xiaòzhou here knows how we've kept secrets here at Shouki Shrine, so rest assured we'll keep this largely to ourselves, or to be more specific, to myself.]"

"[I am surprised however to hear the shrine's general lack of involvement with the Church, beyond your predecessor's involvements in Shioya,]" Cassiel remarked.

"[You could imagine that, in the face of all we had suffered, we aren't into the idea of having outside structures come in and co-opt our systems, no matter how much we may cooperate. What my predecessor dealt with was a threat to the entire north, and that included Upper Redonia. While I'm willing to cooperate spiritually thanks to Xiaòzhou's involvement here, don't believe this will result in the building of a religious gathering place in the name of your church,]" she responded firmly, Cassiel nodding understandably.

"[Of course, and we aren't here to change that. In fact, regarding Shioya, the agreement made there regarding the building of such a gathering place was merely for one of them, with no plans to expand unless another brought the idea to them from elsewhere, so rest assured in knowing the Church is likely well aware of your stance already,]" Cassiel responded, prompting a nod from the miko, followed by a smile.

With all parties involved having finished their tea, Xiaòzhou stretched slightly and smiled: "[Well, I would certainly wish to stay longer back home, but affairs back in Adonia cannot be left unattended!]"

"[From how you two described things, it does seem things would escalate there first, no...]" Jing remarked, as she watched Xiaòzhou get up.

"[Well, madame miko, it has been a pleasure! Just as it had been with Shi Guang some hundred years prior! But we must depart now. Cassiel!]" Xiaòzhou stated, with the angel giving the miko a smile before getting up himself. Before the hermit could continue however, the lady interrupted them.

"[Hey, hold on now! You can't just leave!]" Jing yelled in slight protest.

"[Why not?]" the hermit responded.

"[Because I wanna fight you!]" she proclaimed, to the hermit's shock! "[As much as I appreciate everything you two have shared, ever since you two have arrived, I can't help but imagine how strong your auras are! Mainly you,]" she pointed at the hermit, "[since I would not fight an angel! With everything you've been through, and all that you've learned and gained, even going through the Underworld, I just have to fight you!]"

Xiaòzhou wasn't sure how to respond, but Cassiel went ahead and did it for him: "[Well, we aren't necessarily in a rush to leave,]" he said with a smile.

"[Haha! Then it is set!]" Jing cheered excitedly, as the hermit tried to process what the angel had just done. Before he could get another response in, she added;

"[Once the sun has fully set, the two of us will fight outside of the shrine, for all the disciples and those near Zhongjing to see! You better bring your A-game, and not underestimate me!]" she boasted.

"[I, ehm, a-alright??]" he certainly hadn't expected a fight, especially not something this energetic after their conversation.

"[And I'll show you why they call me Oni-blooded!]"

Xiaòzhou did not like this one bit.

 

[Breadman]

While everyone was busy tending to their duties and chores, Sara was finishing up her own reports. The last bit of work that was left was writing a letter to Nocturne. The reason she kept putting it off was because she needed to find the right wording to make it right. A trouble for her given she wasn't exactly diplomatic in these matters. Always detesting the verbal sneaking around for the sake of decorum. A small pile of crumpled up paper had formed by her side as she sighed in frustration again and running her fingers through her hair. Why was this so hard for her? Why couldn't she just get out what she wanted to say? After staring at the blank paper again for who knows how long, she remembered something Camille had said about Aleister. Something abut a penchant for drama? Maybe that was it?

To: The Archbishop Aleister Germain
From: Inquisitor Sara Reed

Greetings to you, Archbishop.
I hope this letter reaches you in good health after the exhausting events surrounding the summit. I write to you this letter as I have discovered the terrible fate of my cousin, Lady Lynch. I have no doubt that you might have heard the name before given her pureblood status. Even if you haven't, I would urge you to consult with those near you to divulge if they know anything. Her schemes to create hybrids between vampire and werebeast through dark magics in order to capture and hold land is something that is still fresh in the mind of many Church officials and a source of strife for my own family.

Recently, through through investigation and a bit of luck, I discovered the location of her remains. The former head archivist Ludwig Schechter had stored her head in a container with intent to reanimate it so he would extract what she knew for his own nefarious needs. I am personally taking care of his execution for his crimes, but I also have other duties. I simply cannot leave her remains as they are. I'm sure you will understand. My family's personal lot is out of the question for burial and so is any land belonging to the church. Either will be targets for grave robbers and others seeking the same as Ludwig had. I have discussed the matter with my superiors and peers and have come to the conclusion that the only right place for her remains is within your care. I beg you to allow me and a small group of people I trust to come and deliver her remains for a proper burial. I await your response.

With respect
Inquisitor Sara Reed

Looking the letter over, Sara felt like it could still use some work, but it would have to do. They needed to open a channel of communication sooner than later. She placed it in the envelope and used the Order's wax seal before handing it off to a courier. Top priority, she instructed. With that done, she now had the uneasy task of waiting for a response.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

It had been a while since Jakob had returned from the Abyss, yet he found himself in the same place his journey had started. Staring at the grave of his wife in the cemetery. This time he did not carry the burden of her death on his shoulders. He was there to pay his respects to the woman he loved with all his heart. Knowing that she and his son rest in peace in the heavens above, according to that kind angel boy Cassiel. After placing a bouquet of roses on his wife's grave, he turned around to walk out of the graveyard, only to see someone he had not seen in a while - the Gravedigger.

"...Osiyo, old man." said Jakob with a smile, and the old native returned the gesture. "Osiyo, detective... it's been a while since I've seen you around... and I see you listened to me. You allowed them to move on." Jakob nodded, looking back at the graves of his wife and son. "I didn't see you when you returned... How was your mission?" he asked while sitting down on a blank grave, hands resting on top of his shovel. "...I'll be honest. A part of me regrets thinking I was strong enough to go down into Hell itself, even if it was for a good cause... I rescued Valeria, but at what cost? My friend Venextos died... my friend Mariette stayed behind... I have no idea what happened to Ethraeil, and Valeria is now broken and has to take counsel from a God... And I heard that things are only bound to get worse... Then again, what do I know of the future ahead of us?"

"Nobody knows about that future... not even the mortal gods..." said the gravedigger in response. "...Even our chosen knows little of what's ahead of us." he said while looking down at the ground. "Your chosen... ah, right... Adona? Yeah, well... I think the Gods in general know nothing." he said with an air of bitterness in his words. He still couldn't believe what had happened with Velin while he was gone.

"Live and let live... detective. We all learn from our mistakes..." said the gravedigger, as his wizened eyes looked at Red Gorge. The city was quickly industrializing. There was little sight of the swamps that once surrounded the frontier city, and the only nature still preserved was around the lands of his people. "What a journey this little town had... hm?" he asked while Jakob looked over at the city as well. "Yeah... barely resembles what it once was... Maybe it is for the best... I don't know." said the detective while putting his hat back on.

"...What are you doing these days, detective?" asked the old man out of nowhere. Jakob turned around and gave the old man a smile. "Now? I am staying home... After going to the Abyss, I doubt I'll be leaving any time soon... I came too close to death multiple times, and I want to stay with my daughter and my sister... Watch over them for as long as I can. I'll keep running the agency... I heard from people that it helps a lot... but I'll give some of the money I was given years ago, I think... Somebody else deserves it more right now." Jakob let out a small chuckle as he thought to himself. "...I'll probably will be sending letters like crazy! Still owe a lot to a lot of folks... Hudson and Camille... Aleister... Maybe that weird kid Wesley if I only knew where the hell he was most of the time... And I'll try to spend more time with the friends I have here... Theodore... Jess... Heh, maybe Rosanna if she comes and visits again... I think you met her before!"

"I've seen her, yes... Well, I am glad you are settling down then, detective..." The gravedigger have Jakob a genuine smile. He was happy for the detective, knowing that he'll be spending his days here with his family. "...What about you, old man?" asked Jakob. The gravedigger just laughed in response, getting off the grave and walking away. Waving good bye to Jakob. The detective just stood there, confused, but decided it was best to leave now.

He walked down the graveyard and into the street, where he watched another mechanical contraption drive past him. These were becoming common here. Hopefully not for long, he thought. He didn't like the weird sound they made. He then walked into the Phillomon Detective Agency, walking past several future costumers as they sat on the lounge area of the building. Inside the officers, he watched as his detectives worked on cases. Looking over files, looking into books detailing the paranormal and supernatural. He was proud of what he had built, even if it was done with the help of an old friend. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he noticed Lucy chase down Moloch, Jakob's Goblin assistant.

"Lucy, stop pestering poor Moloch." he said with a smile on his face. "We just playing pa!" she said while throwing a piece of paper into the Goblin's face. Moloch just shook his head. "How was school today...?" he asked while sitting down behind his desk. Lucy jumped onto the chair next to him. "It was good! Learned a lot about the cultures that were before us here... Say pa, is Auntie Rose coming soon?"

Jakob sighed, but never lost his smile. "Dunno hun, she working with... someone special at the moment. Hopefully she will though." Jakob looked over the desk at the wall in front of him. Where the painting with all members of the Witlock Inquiry was, next to it however there was a new painting. One with members of the Beaumont Mission. But it only showed a few members of the mission. Namely Hudson, Venextos, Riberta, Edmond, Cassandra, and Mariette. He looked at the picture for a while, thinking that he could have done so much better in the last leg of that crazy adventure. He felt he had disappointed many. Maybe he could have helped Venextos. Maybe he could have done something to help Mariette, and get her to come with them out of the Abyss.

But he was then reminded of his own shadow, and the demonic gun resting on a case in front of him. He thought of William's hollow form, and how he was misjudged by Velin. He thought of those two demon women trying to change the Abyss into something better, and then he thought of Valeria and all the trauma she went through. It was a taxing experience, once that will leave some marks on him forever. Maybe, just maybe... in the future that awaits them, Jakob would ride his horse one more and venture out to help. For Sazak was still alive, and as long as that demon breathed, there would never peace in the world of man.

"Hey pa!" shouted Lucy. "Want to play with my kite at the park?" she asked wide eyed and full of happiness. Jakob couldn't contain a tear before agreeing with her. "...Always hun... Let's go... Go get you auntie if she's not busy." Lucy nodded, and ran away with a kite in hand. Jakob took a deep breath, before walking up to the paintings hanging from his wall. He looked at each with a smile before taking his hat off, resting it on the table under the pictures.

"See you when I see you... friends..."

 

[Damian0358]

News spread quickly throughout and outside of Shouki Shrine of the public battle that was about to ensue between Shi Jing and Gaá Xiaòzhou, with most not having heard of the latter, but being excited due to him being a hermit. The outside space was getting cleared out, as the disciples moved to the side as to watch the spectacle about to unfold. By the inner shrine entrance, along with the staff, sat Cassiel, who was rather interested in seeing things unfold.

Though Jing emphasized Xiaòzhou's aura, the angel and the oni could both sense how naturalistically the miko was hiding the full extent of her aura. For all intents and purposes, she likely rivaled many powerful folks back in Adonia, and was likely the strongest in these lands altogether. To imagine the amount of iteration from her ancestry's strengths, if the Shi family had been Adonians under the Church, they would've likely been named living saints. But she hasn't seemed to have fought actual Abyssal demons before, and if things went to heck, that might put her at a disadvantage. In many ways, as much as this was a show for Xiaòzhou to present his strength to her, it was as much as show for him to see how fit the folks here were in defending themselves from the potential threat to come.

Soon, everything was ready. Everyone could sense the crowds having formed outside the walls and beyond the outer gate, watching to see the mystic barrages light up the sky like the magical fireworks they are. The disciples were anxious to see the miko present herself at her strongest against an opponent such as the hermit. And Cassiel was about to have a story to share with Undite.

The doors to the shrine opened, as outside stepped Jing in her more formal attire, and Xiaòzhou looking as he had when they arrived. They made their way to the center of the walkway, where the two split and went to their respective sides of the yard. Getting into position, Xiaòzhou began doing some last-minute stretches, nervous on the fight to begin, as Jing floated up and spoke:

"[Hello, everyone! To everyone present within the shrine walls, and to all of you beyond them! Tonight we shall engage in that evergreat act of mystic barrages, which so many years ago leveled the field of battle between humans and yokai! As you all know, my 'opponent' will be the honorable representative of Butoo Mountain and the heir to its style, the one and only Gaá Xiaòzhou!]"

Everyone cheered in response, before silencing down as to allow her to finish.

"[I hope you all enjoy our show!]" she capped off, before floating back to the ground.



Looking over to the hermit, she gave him a nod as to confirm the start of the fight. Having finished his stretches, he returned his nod. The two began preparing their qi-infused projectiles of choice, the miko opting for paper talismans, and the hermit small horn-derived bits. As their projectiles began floating around them, the gong rang - the fight was on.

Jing rushed towards Xiaòzhou, as the two launched their projectiles at one another. They either manage to cancel one another out or avoid the attacks altogether, as the miko closed the gap between the two. Quickly, however, Xiaòzhou pulled out a basic Mystic Barrage card, 'Talisman ~ Scattering Shot', scattering several qi orbs from him, exploding into smaller orbs as to force her away from him. However, she managed to swiftly dodge the incoming orbs, as she entered a martial arts pose and prepared to engage him in close quarters combat.

But as he got into his own pose to counter, Jing raised her right hand and put her index and middle fingers on her forehead. Suddenly, she seemed to vanish into thin air, before appearing right in front of him, about to strike with her elbow! Xiaòzhou just barely had enough time to react, managing to stop her from hitting him, but he didn't like what he had just seen. Sometimes, opponents could get quick enough that all that is left in his eyes would be an afterimage, but this wasn't what happened there. Before he could consider what she had just done, she repeated the action, and suddenly found himself with her elbow in his back! He hopped forward and turned to face her, as he tried to once more open the gap between them again with more qi attacks.

Jing looked displeased with Xiaòzhou's response, opting to just slap his incoming qi attacks aside rather than dodge them as she had earlier. The hermit really didn't like the implications of this, and decided to up the ante by switching to the Mingyuanjie Set Zazriel had created some time ago. He drew out what he believed to be the first intended card for the set, 'Virtue ~ Sorrow-defying Calm'! Two overlapping sets of qi orbs began to circle him in an X pattern, as he flipped to avoid Jing's counter-projectiles. He sent out the sign's orbs, tossing themselves at Jing, who avoided them as any other orbs. But before she could shift her attention back squarely on the hermit, the qi rings returned, forcing her to narrowly avoid them by flipping between them. The rings broke afterward, as they sought to contain Jing where she floated! But with her talismans, she managed to beat them back!

Jing seemed glad to see that Xiaòzhou seemed to be taking this seriously, so she responded with her own mystic barrage, drawing out one of her ancestors' cards, 'Needle ~ Charging Point'! Several qi orbs emerged from her, which subsequently metamorphosed into needle-like forms. Grabbing hold of two in each hand, the remainder were sent toward the hermit, as to pierce his soul! He did his best to avoid them, but being forced to concentrate on them left things open for her to once more close the gap between the two, charging forth with what were essentially qi stabbing weapons. Quickly grabbing hold of two orbs, he tried to counter her efforts by blocking them with corresponding qi. While that seemed to have worked, she once more seemed disappointed in him.

Stepping back, she yelled: "[Tell me, Xiaòzhou! Are you underestimating me still?]"

"[I would not dare underestimate the head of Shouki Shrine!]" he blustered back.

"[Well, to me, it seems like you still aren't entirely going full force!]"

"[I would also not dare harm the head of-]" he tried to respond, before Jing did that technique from before, charging a mighty punch at the hermit, which he barely managed to hold back.

Tension flowed through the air, as she paused before responding to what he was about to say.

"[So, you don't want to hurt me, is that it!?]" she yelled in a tone which demonstrated to him why they called her oni-blooded, "[Then let me amend the rules behind mystic barrages, for this one fight! You will go all out with your qi attacks, even if it means hurting your opponents! If something such as this limits what you will do, then consider that limit broken!]"

Before Xiaòzhou could protest however, she moved her fist out of his palm, and once more repeated her technique, now appearing in mid-air, looking as though she was about to kick hard enough to lob his head off. He raised his hand his response, and was almost slammed into the ground if it weren't for his other arm stopping him. And again, she repeated that technique, now appearing to the side with a low kick aimed squarely at the back of his head. Raising his other hand to stop her, he was launched back by the strength of her kick. He grabbed the ground as to stop himself from skidding all the way to the wall, watching her stretch and audibly crack in the process.

"[If your life is on the line, would you succumb to the need to kill?]" she asked him rhetorically, as he briefly remembered those few he had killed in self-preservation, even after he had spared them. He wasn't going to answer, but he already knew what he was supposed to think - no, he wouldn't.

Xiaòzhou got up and continued his usage of the Mingyuanjie Set with 'Advisorial ~ In Queen's Aid'! Qi orbs erupted out of the ground around him, as though he were emulating Adriel herself right here! They launched themselves as a torrent toward the miko, who either avoided them or slapped them aside, but as she did, a smaller ring of qi formed around the hermit, which with a punch of his fist he launched towards her. Unlike the elegant chaos of the other qi orbs, this ring was intended to lead them forth, and aid them to victory! Using her talismans, she managed to deal with the ring, but now, the other orbs were homing right at her. She managed to get out largely unscathed, but despite no visible damage, the orbs did manage to hit her. Though he had the right idea, it seemed she really needed to show him what she meant by what she said earlier.

Concentrating qi into her fists, she began to punch forth at the hermit, blasting qi-infused air at him, sharp enough to cut his skin. And indeed, despite his efforts at avoiding them, they did begin to cut at his skin and his clothes. He grew worried she might actually try to kill him, so he decided to try and satisfy her by charging at her instead! With a charging kick, he shifted from style to style, attempting to strike at her, managing to get some hits in, but largely being countered by her own blows. However, abruptly, she delivered a low gut punch, and flipped herself in such a way that her legs would grab hold of his neck, attempting to constrain him.



He tried to liberate himself from her grasp, but out of nowhere, her aura glowed red, and the pressure from her legs suddenly increased. She was doing something to make her qi output two times her usual output! The disciples gasped at the sight, feeling her slowly tripling and quadrupling her output, as though she was trying to choke the hermit out! He found himself surely forced down to a knee, as she tightened around his neck. Now low enough, she grabbed onto the floor with her hands, and using her newly-found strength began slamming Xiaòzhou left and right using her legs. After at least half a minute, she tossed him aside, allowing him to gain air once more.

Gasping, Xiaòzhou tried to force himself up, before being charged upon by a Jing who now appeared to be five times as strong as she was earlier. He was sent flying back as he tried to guard with both his arms, getting slammed at by someone who seemed to be taking in nature itself which each strike she was making. She slammed him into the ground with a swinging overhead, before sending him back the other direction with a long kick. As much as he was hiding his own power, to him, it appeared, she wasn't even done showing how much power she had.

Getting back to his feet after being sent hurling mid-air, he launched several consecutive blasts in order to try and strike her, but her new-found speed allowed her easily to graze by them, and in tandem with that earlier technique of hers, she managed to get down low enough to do a rising kick straight to his head, sending him skyward! Stopping himself mid-air, the battle has taken flight!

Taking a breather for a moment, as she charged at him, Xiaòzhou noted that she had dropped down the amount of times she was forcing her output from five back down to two, this time managing to avoid the incoming punch coming his way. Though he wouldn't be able to avoid all the attacks in the next bit, he realized why she had done so - it ate away at her body, sensing some strain emanating from her muscles. And, having identified what she was doing, she dropped the technique, losing the red aura.

"[..d-don't sweat the strain, Xiaòzhou! To me, this counts as practice too,]" she stated, noting his slightly worried look, "[Now, how good are you in the air!?]"



Jing continued her assault with her next mystic barrage card, 'Thorn ~ Stickling Barrage', a harsher form of the barrage she had done earlier, now attacking from all directions, and with many more sharp qi attacks too. Grabbing one of them herself, she fashioned it into a scythe-like polearm, as she charged forth! Xiaòzhou tried to continue his dodges, but the qi polearm forced him to take a few hits as he dealt with Jing personally. He pulled out Zazriel's staff, charging it with qi as he did, slamming against the polearm. Extending it to push himself away from her, he switched between using the staff as it were, a staff, and using it as a pole arm in retaliation.

With the distance between the two achieved again, Xiaòzhou switched from the Mingyuanjie Set to his master's variant of the Butoo Ascetic set, using 'Hidden Home ~ Rest for the Weary'! A massive barrage of qi emerged, purely intended to pressure the opponent away via homing and give the hermit space to breath and consider what to do next. Xiaòzhou flew higher upward, to get a better view of things, and to restore his breathing, but abruptly, the miko appeared right above him. Thinking he should've anticipated this, he rushed back downwards as the qi he had launched rushed to catch up to his opponent, who once more just used her technique to get up close and personal.

He was starting to get a grasp on what she was doing, though not how she was doing it, as he launched more qi to distract her. Rather than moving faster than any normal being, she... appeared to be transferring her whole self from one location to another. As though she were teleporting! Though he probably wouldn't figure out the full extent of how it is done, what is more important to him is what circumstances permit her to do this. To pressure her away from him, he twirled and sent several qi orbs out to push her away. Though he knew it wouldn't likely help in that regard, as observational tools, they would be helpful. He noted the location of the orbs - one higher above him, and the remainder being below between him and her. As she used her technique, it looked as though she was bouncing between the orbs, as well as smaller qi specks. And which each use, he could slowly note the travel between, as she transferred herself from one spot to another, until she decided to try and head towards the qi orb above him. He could sense her aura heading toward her, and through him! He turned around quickly, and managed to block her attack!

Jing moved back, slightly surprised that the hermit had managed to at least partially figure out the functions of the technique, but at the same time rationalized it by way of her near constant usage of it by this point. She floated up high, and activated her next mystic barrage, 'Radiance ~ Luster of Yǐ [攺]'! Several rings of qi formed around her, in a double helix formation, expanding forth and glowing brightly in many colors! Whilst some rushed at the hermit, homing right at him, others exploded into charging blasts, forcing him to contend with both direct attacks and longer homing strikes, both equally as bright and blinding. The hermit closed his eyes, in response, relying squarely on his senses to know where the qi was coming from.

As he avoided the attacks, he prepared his own counter barrage, with his master's 'Hidden Home ~ Mountain's Avalanche', rapidly firing qi orbs directly at Jing! While she managed to avoid some of the attacks, they were swift enough that she did have to endure some hurt. However, the orbs that did miss found themselves assaulting her from behind, which she barely managed to avoid. Jing was starting to really enjoy this, and though perhaps it was time to really raise the stakes. With the mystic barrage rules loosened, it isn't as though she needed to tell him that she was gonna drop the no solo combination rule right then and there. She drew out two cards, 'Dragon ~ Shockwave Growl' and 'Snake ~ Swift Swipes', to combine them into 'Southeast Serpent ~ Banishing Pushback'!

Xiaòzhou was shocked to see her do such a thing, as he watched several snake-like qi strikes charge at him, attempting to not only strike him as the Snake card would, but also restrain him as the Dragon card would've, the combination of the two allowing the user to push back their opponent! If he was going to catch up against her, he would have to do the same as she had just done. He tried to pull out one of his own Butoo Ascetic cards, alongside 'Wuxing ~ Meteor Explosion', but he found himself restrained on the right side of his body! Thankfully, however, one cannot restrain mist! He loosened the bindings on his artificial arm, as to grab the Wuxing card, and the card 'Moon-Gazing ~ Eternal Expanse', using the dark mist. He pushed back the serpant-like qi successfully, and combined the cards to achieve 'Beyond The Shadow of the Past'!

The loose qi hanging in the air began to coalesce both above and below the miko, surging from both directions, intending to engulf her in it! However, as it approached, she once more used the technique which enhanced her strength, speed and qi output. But she pushed herself, going up to ten times! With the surging qi approaching, she used her newly-gained qi control to force Xiaòzhou's own attack back at him! He tried his best to prevent her from doing so, but she successfully managed to overpower him! Knowing that if he didn't hold the attack it would head towards the yard below and blow up in front of all the disciples, he intended to hold it back as much as he could, no matter how much it consumed him!

But eventually, he found himself weakening. He remembered the words of all those who had taught him in the past, reminding him of his teachings, as he slowly began losing consciousness. The qi attack subsumed him whole, and it exploded in a beautiful display. The crowds cheered, believing it to be the conclusion. The Great Shouki Shrine head had done it once more!

But as the air cleared, something odd began to show itself... Xiaòzhou was still floating there.

Everyone watching was confused, in disbelief that someone managed to apparently tank an attack like that! However, Cassiel merely smiled at what he was seeing. Just as he had noted, the miko was unbelievably strong, well-versed in many techniques, including one he hadn't even anticipated to have been available to those of the mortal coil, that teleportation technique. However, Xiaòzhou was pushing through his limits, even when he is unconscious! If what he were doing now was achieved when he wasn't in such a state, what he understood to be a legendary state, who knows whether the miko could win.

Zazriel, meanwhile, having been witnessing the match this entire time through the hermit, was astounded with how hardcore these humans apparently were! Though they still weren't close to the status of Abyssal royals, or perhaps even Icons, if they maintained such supremacy on display but with higher numbers, no doubt was there in his mind that they'd be able to push back against the threat of demonic invasion. But now he found himself 'watching' as Xiaòzhou achieved something he didn't think anyone beyond the Abyss or Heaven could do, autonomous movement according to nature's whim, unabated by conscious thought. He knew what he was seeing, as he had done it himself once. This was going to be fun to watch!

Jing, who had dropped out of her aura technique, looked curiously at the hermit, who seemed to slowly move his head toward her. His eyes open, revealing a truth to her - those were the eyes of an unconscious man. But in that moment, they glowed, shifting from his regular eye color to a yellowish tint, before turning into one of silver. 'Xiaòzhou' charged forth against Jing, who in kind responded quickly with a barrage of talismans and qi orbs. The unconscious body moved unphased by the attacks, merely dodging them with subtle movements as it closed the gap between the two. To maintain it, she teleported further and further up into the sky. But she found herself unable to do so, as the qi she intended to teleport to began charging right at her!



Jing was forced to confront her approaching opponent, whom she wasn't even sure was fully there anymore. Each attack she was doing, he was either dodging or slapping aside just as she had done earlier! And now she was swinging her qi weapon at him, attempting to get a strike in personally, but he seemed to just dodge or tank without any damage to his own person! And before she knew it, he had destroyed her weapon, forcing her to finally attack once more with her fists and feet. But as she had noted before, he was just outperforming her in every conceivable way, even getting his own strikes in, quick enough that she was barely able to see them, but she could absolutely feel them.

She was really beginning to hurt, as she shifted to greater coverage by teleporting all around him and trying to punch him, but that didn't work either, only getting countered in the process. And yet, no matter how he attacks her, she can feel a deliberateness behind his attacks - as though it is trying to satisfy her wishes for a full on fight without killing her in the process. As intimidated as she was, this just made her even more excited, especially as she remembered what she had read about the battle Boying and co. had against Ibaraki, and how Boying attacked in the final stretch of it. She activated her aura technique once more, pushing her body to the limits by taking it to twenty times output, as he renewed her assault at the autonomous body!

Each strike they exchanged echoed throughout the air, amazing the crowds below! They could hardly believe they were watching a battle as intense as this, especially one between the shrine head and a great hermit!

Though she was straining herself out by going as hard as she was, she could sense the same sort of strain if not greater coming from Xiaòzhou's body. It was eventually going to give in, she just needed to expedite the process! Relentlessly, as to even prevent him from even considering to not process what was going on, she attacked him from all corners, hurling intense blast after intense blast, and throwing heavy punch after heavy kick. She hadn't had a fight this intense since her predecessor passed away, and as much as it was paining her, she was loving it! The edge of death never felt this invigorating!

Eventually, one of her blasts was countered with a comparable blast from 'Xiaòzhou', who launched himself further into the sky, before twirling in the air. She watched as he gathered all the loose qi they had let out, forming it into what appeared to be a massive ball of qi, intending to smother her! As he gathered the qi, she dropped out of her aura technique, realizing how much she was adding to that ball, and deciding that perhaps it was time to use of those cards. Those only intended for massive threats, equally flashy as they were absolutely devastating. She could sense how much his body was going through - one of those would be enough to finish him off.

As the ball was tossed, straining the air as much as it was its tosser, Jing merely pulled out the card, from the Incident-ending Set, and pointed it towards the ball, shouting its name: "[Spirit ~ Four Auspicious Beasts Unite!]"

Drawing from her massive pool of qi, four giant qi orbs launched out of the card, eventually morphing into the shapes of the four titular beasts - the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Warrior (Tortoise and Serpent) of the North! The dragon breaks through the massive ball, as the five absorbed it into themselves, rushing towards the unconscious warrior before them. The Tortoise spun itself into 'Xiaòzhou', attempting to distract him as the serpent on its back attempted to restrain him. The bird charged and began to scratch at him, as the tiger slammed him from behind and joining in the slashing. And finally, as Xiaòzhou tried to retaliate against them, the dragon wrapped itself around him, finally immobilizing the body.

Jing then expected them to continue their assault, before exploding, but she instead witnessed the beasts, having contained him... just cuddling him, as to identifying the honorable warrior present, and giving him one last moment of respite, before they exploded in a wonderous spectacle, iconography manifest not only in representing Upper Redonia, but in its last moments, depicting Butoo Mountain in its glory. With the qi settling, everyone witnessed Xiaòzhou's body plummeting to the earth...

Shi Jing has won!

After falling a decent bit, Shi Jing teleported herself to Xiaòzhou's side and grabbed his body, as to stop it from slamming into the earth and breaking all of his bones. The crowd cheered throughout, shouting and praising Shi Jing's name, the Shi family, and Shouki Shrine. Slowly, however, the crowd shouted for something to be done about the hermit, as they realized something during that entire period of him being unconscious - the aura he was putting out was strangely oni! Even if he was a hermit, they demanded something be done about the oni, since clearly he could be a threat if not dealt with!

Looking somewhat disgustedly at the crowd, she yelled back at them;

"[D-do you all not understand what you are yelling?!]" she forced herself to yell beyond her tiredness, "[This man, this hermit, is one of our last known living hermits recorded by the shrine! This hermit, he has not only watched as we have grown stronger, but how the Dou has guided us all to betterment! And yet, he was forced to abandon this great home because of comments such as these! Those that concentrate not on the holy man he is, but of the kind of being he was born as! He has acted as Douzhou's successor for centuries! He has even gone down to the Underworld to fight against the terror of the Great Demon Emperor himself!]" she proclaimed, to the confusion and amazement of the crowd.

"[And yet, you all wish something to be done about him, merely because he is oni, demonspawn! I will tell you what will be done with him! He will be celebrated! He has chosen to return despite the dangers entailed to tell us of great developments and worries to come, to ensure we are ready for what is to come! And even as an honorable guest, he decided to present me a battle I had long longed for, a show you have all witnessed and enjoyed! He deserves nothing more than to be spoken of as a living legend!]" she rallied the crowd to her tone of her voice, who cheered in response!

"[Gaá Xiaòzhou is an example for all of us, for what we can strive to achieve under the guidance of the Dou, and how the yokai or even the oni can follow the Way proper, all of us united under it!]"

The crowd exploded into cheer, as folks used their own Mystic Barrages as impromptu fireworks to celebrate Xiaòzhou's name. Jing smiled tiredly, having achieved all that she wanted.

She floated downward, now carrying the passed out hermit on her shoulders. She approached the shrine, where Cassiel diligently watched. As she got to the door, the angel stood up to congratulate her on her victory, but before he could, she spoke up:

"[Tienshi, join me in my quarters,]" she said politely, to which he responded with a nod.

Returning to where they had their meeting earlier, Cassiel was motioned to sit down, as Jing laid down Xiaòzhou on an impromptu futon she has for badly hurt opponents. She asked her staff to bring her moist towels, telling them that she was going to watch over the hermit, before turning her attention to the angel once the two were allowed.

"[...if I may be able to say, congratulations on your victory,]" Cassiel bowed, "[Upper Redonia has a fascinating system of combat, and that was amplified greatly by the fact such great combatants took part in it.]"

"[T-thank you, oh great tienshi,]" Jing mustered out, the exhaustion slowly getting to her now that things have calmed down, even referring to Cassiel honorably.

"[The techniques used were phenomenal too, especially those I can only suspect are unique to you and your predecessors.]"

Jing nodded: "[Y-yeah, they are. We've developed a great number of techniques over the past centuries. Some we've passed on to our disciples, others we've largely kept to ourselves, as to refine them further. And t-that's actually why I wanted to speak with you.]"

"[Is that so?]" Cassiel responded.

"[M-mhm. I'm sure you're not the only one who noted his potential during the fight, right?]"

Cassiel nodded: "[Very much. Especially after you defeated him the first time.]"

"[So even from that distance, you could tell what was up...]"

Cassiel looked over to Xiaòzhou: "[What he had managed to do just now was remarkable, something worth iterating upon.]"

"[Exactly my thoughts. I know he had mentioned how it would be better for him to be in Adonia, and I do agree with him, but...]" Jing said, before kneeling down, as though asking the Emperor himself for permission, "[if I may, please allow him to stay with me for the coming month or so! If he were to train under me for that long, he is sure to pick up enough to add further to your efforts in Adonia!]"

Before Jing could elaborate further though, Cassiel responded simply: "[Sure.]"

"[He would- eh?!]" Jing was caught offguard.

"[If we are to need him any time earlier, I can always come over here swiftly and pick him up. If a month of training can get him to figure out at least some of what you've presented, it would be a massive aid to all.]

Jing smiled brightly at Cassiel's understanding.

"[And you would continue to enjoy the fight he provides,]" he smiled, embarrasing Jing slightly with his remark.

"[I-I'll be sure to keep him in one piece, don't you worry!]" she retorted.

As the two chuckled, it appeared it was time to say their goodbyes. As they did, however, Jing had but one final request: "[Xiaòzhou mentioned earlier that Abahai lived still in the Abyss. If you could...]" she reached for an item on a nearby shelf, "[...present her with this somehow, I would be forever grateful.]"

Jing handed the item to Cassiel, who saw it was a medallion of some sort. On it were inscribed on metal silhouettes of a group.

"[A-Abahai had left this ceremonial medallion behind, one Boying had created for her and the others of his group after the Age of Darkness. She left it behind when she left, apparently not entirely seeing the value of it, though appreciating the thought, according to Boying. I want her to know that Shouki Shrine still remembers her, and if she were one day to return, she would be welcomed with arms wide open.]"

Cassiel smiled and nodded, packing the medallion: "[I'll see to it.]"

With that, Jing and Cassiel made their formal goodbyes, and Cassiel portaled out of the shrine and back to the cathedral. With the angel gone, she turned her attention to Xiaòzhou...

---

His entire body felt pained. He could hardly move a muscle. His inner voice sounded muffled, as did Zazriel's, who seemed to be trying to speak to him. The room was hardly lit, so he could barely see with his dead tired eyes. But what he did feel was patting... a moist towel, being rubbed on his forehead, as though someone was finishing up wiping him down...

What happened at the end, after she returned his attack? Did he just get his ass beat so hard he needed to be wiped down? Sure, he drew a good amount of blood, but they could've just tossed him into a bath or something. He tried to speak, to ask what had happened, but all he could muster was a groan.

His head was raised slightly in response, and he could feel something being pressed against his lips... water? That was water being poured slowly into his mouth. Perhaps he was parched, and that'd help him, the person beside him likely thought, or so he assumed. Hydrated, he could move his mouth slightly better, and so he tried again to speak.

"[...w...wh...what... haa-aa-apened...]" Xiaòzhou slurred out.

"[You lost.]"

That voice... wait... he tried to shift his eyes towards the person beside him, and found himself shocked to see that it was Shi Jing herself tending him at the moment!

"[Hey, don't look at me with those tired eyes of yours all shocked. After everything, this is the least I can do. Even with my own healing, this is taking quite a bit.]"

"[...wh..wher....where is cassssiel..]"

"[He went back,]" she said, prompting another shocked look, "[He and I talked it out and we agreed it would be best if you stayed here with me for a month, to train for the worst that could come.]"

He could hardly believe it. He was honored, of course, at the thought of being able to train under the shrine head themself, but at the same time, he couldn't believe Cassiel just left him like that! Sure, he likely had his reasons, but you think you know a guy....

"[Once you're back to tip top shape, we'll commence training. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are too!]"

Given the events earlier, he wasn't sure if he should look forward to it...

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Village of Bathalom.
The Abyss, Land of Gluttony.
Several hours later...​

"Reamea… Reamea… Reamea… Reamea… Reamea…" repeats a bowed head to itself; using every nerve remaining within to block out all the shouting and chaos surrounding it, and especially the gleaming blade hanging above pointed right at its neck. Over and over again, trying hard to ignore the weeping mob crying and wailing in front of him, he repeats the same mantra to himself; the name of the only one he believed could help him in his final moments. "Reamea. Reamea. Reamea. Reamea. Reame-"

*THWACK*​

A strike to the head and an enraged growl follows after. He opens his eyes for the first time today after having tightly shut them the moment he was dragged out of his cell. A guard, one of Thorgran’s men, looms over him and grabs him by his neck, and brings him closer to his face so he can look him right in the eyes. “SHUT UP ALREADY!” he growls. “NO ONE’S HERE TO SAVE YOU!” The guard releases his white-knuckle grip and throws his head back down onto the bloodstained chopping block it laid on. The crowd that had been forcibly gathered there tried their hardest begging the guards to let him go since they know well he's fully innocent, but their pleas are met with being shoved back and threats that they'll be next to be killed.

Life, as awful as it is for the denizens of Thorgran's realm, has indeed gotten worse after he was humiliated a second time by his former chef. For all the good Vincent's group did by poisoning him, killing his new chef, and feeding the starving citizens of Tehom with his own personal supply of food, Thorgran was very quick in reminding them all he wouldn't take such an assault on him lightly. The choking grip he has over his people has grown tighter and tighter as a result, and since he wasn't able to strike back at Leakhena or anyone else from Vincent's group for that matter, he instead takes out his rage on his citizens by ordering his guard to round up anyone he even remotely suspects to have aided the terrorists that harmed him and to have them executed immediately. With fear of their lord gouging out their entrails with his teeth grinding them up for their failure to protect him, the armies of Thorgran march to the ends of his land doing anything they think will save them from an agonizing death. Not even the remote village of Bathalom is safe, no matter how far away it is from the capital city of Tehom. The beggars there, along with the poor farmers and peasants around the area, have been pulled out of their homes (if they had any) and farms, and brought to them to what used to be the village's market; an empty public square where all that survived various greed-induced famines is a central platform raised a few feet in the air. They are to stand there and watch while several of their own, whether it be family or friends, are brutally executed and consumed as a warning that any desires of dissent against Thorgran are not acceptable. Any rebellious thought, any negative feeling towards him are to be and will be driven out once the night is over; this they have guaranteed them. Two innocents have already been flayed and eaten before the people of Bathalom, and now a young man is next. His crime? Being a spy whom divulged sensitive information on how to sneak past Thorgran's defenses and into his castle. Or was it raiding his plentiful fields and murdering several guards in cold blood? Maybe he'll have assisted Vincent's group directly, just how the other two before him did. He certainly did something worthy of execution, but whatever it was, for now it doesn't matter. Once he's dead, Thorgran's men will just make up something to pin him with. It's worked well for them so far, and with how desperate Thorgran is to reassert his authority over all his subjects, why would he care? So now there's blood on the public square, and the various guards posted around hold back an increasingly distraught crowd. One of them, their leader, faces them down and berates them for even daring to go against Thorgran.

"You see?!" he screams, pointing to the blood dripping down the platform. "This is what happens when you forget about the good Lord Thorgran has done for you! This is what happens when you become greedy! This is what happens when you keep asking for more, and more, and MORE!" Some among the crowd yell back at him, but he pays no attention to them. They'll probably end up next sooner or later. Slowly and staring right at the crowd, he lifts the bardiche he used to kill the other two high above his head. The screaming from the crowd gets louder as they beg him to stop. The guards push them back harder and harder the more restless they get with having to deal with them. He berates them one more time before he swings his blade as hard as he can down on the poor man's neck. "You see!? You DIE-"

*BANG*
​

A bullet cracks through the air from one of the surrounding rooftops, planting itself in one of his eyes and blowing his head open and startling the rest of his men and frightening the crowd. Though before they even have a chance to even react, another shot rips out from somewhere around them, and another, and another, as a volley of simultaneous precision fire from the rooftops tears them all down killing them but leaving that beggar still alive, and he slips away into the crowd before any of the other guards can catch him. On one of the rooftops and from behind a scope looking down, Leakhena's given a nudge from Singh. "Nice shot, Loque!"

The platform is clear and now she scans the panicking crowd in front for the other guards and threats posted in the area. It looks like their initial attack has boldened the crowd and turned them into an enraged mob that's now on the offensive while the guards are panicking and trying to escape, but the mob that vastly outnumbered them isn't letting them go now that they know someone's here to rescue them. Any guard that's truly unfortunate enough to be left stranded in the middle of the mob while their comrades try to flee is being beaten, thrashed, kicked, trampled, and dragged further within to be beaten some more until there's nothing left but a pile of meat and dented armor. Leakhena even spots one guard in particular that is violently thrown out and dragged right back in for another beating by a few peasants armed with batons looted from fallen guards. She'd love to keep watching this but she's alarmed by the noise of squealing tires racing down the streets and one of her fellow rebels yelling at her from an adjacent rooftop. "More! There's more coming! Get ready!"

Reinforcements are desperately scrambling to deploy as trucks full of other gluttony soldiers peel in from every angle, and some of them even jump off before the trucks stop since they're desperate to control the riot before it gets worse. One bold beggar tries stopping one of the trucks by leaping on the street in front of it as it comes barreling down the road, but they plow right through him rather messily, leaving his mangled body behind on the sidewalk. Each truck parks itself at a street entrance to stop anyone from leaving but even before anyone still inside them is able to disembark and get to pushing back against the mob, a hailstorm of fire bombs rains down from the rooftops courtesy of Leakhena's rebels, bathing the trucks in flames and forcing several of them to pull out due to how badly they're burning.

A commander barks his orders to his men as they swarm out of a truck. "They're protecting the terrorists in the square! 'Apple' is gonna clear them out while we hold their friends here! Shields up! LET'S GO!" Those that are still inside the remaining trucks quickly disembark while being pelted with garbage, debris, rocks, bent batons that are of no use, and anything else the mob can pick up and toss, forcing them to hastily form their shield wall so they can advance properly. "Use that fucking gas now!" barks their commander. Several of them pull out these little cannisters and pull the pins on them, but the armed crowd notices what they're doing and pushes forward, halting the advance of the soldiers as everyone among them with their salvaged weapons in hand sprints at them screaming in a rage as they all charge in unison against them. The collision of charging peasants and shielded soldiers is deafening as batons and knives spark brightly against the steel of the shields and helmets or spray blood when a beggar scored a hit on one of them, and soon enough the streets went red as they pile onto one another without mercy. Around them, Leakhena's rebels were hopping from rooftop to rooftop, kicking down door after door, and sliding into better positions to pin down the guards and keep them there at the mercy of the mob. A soldier collapses onto the floor, unable to withstand any more beatings, creating an opening in the shield wall for the mob to pour through and cut them off from one another, making the chaos even worse for them as they're now being completely routed. However, one squad of soldiers tries hiding in one of the nearby warehouses just to escape the mob's wrath. With whatever strength left they have, they try breaking down the thick wooden entrance doors while also trying to protect themselves from being torn apart. Unbeknownst to them though, this warehouse is one of many being occupied by the rebels; having fortified themselves within to stop anyone from accessing the roof.

A rebel piles on old wooden tables against the doors in an attempt to stop them from entering. "Shit! They're breaking in!"

"Let them come!" says another, punctuated by the sounds of bullets being loaded. "I got something for them!"

Whether it's by sheer strength or pure desperation, the doors are broken through with the soldiers flooding in only to be greeted by machinegun fire cutting them down like weeds. There's no point in trying to control Bathalom anymore as it's obvious now that its citizens are back in control and have something far deadlier backing them up. With the failure to contain the rioting, and repeated failures to maintain a foothold in this town, the soldiers simply drop everything and start fleeing away hoping that at least some of them will be able to make it to the next town and gather reinforcements there. A group of peasants, still high on the chance of getting some proper revenge from centuries of abuse, begin to chase them down the street, but are stopped from Zebulon, spreading his arms out while coming out of one of the many alleyways.

"What the hell are you doing?! We have them on the run, see? We let them go now and they'll come back stronger!" yells one of the beggars, covered in blood.

"Don't worry, we planned for this." he says. "You may want to keep your heads down."

They may want to do that indeed as several explosions can be heard and seen detonating in the distance. As one of them looks up, they can see some of the rebels hurl bundles of lit dynamite towards the fleeing soldiers until nothing could be seen moving into the night. Gradually, and eerily, everything slowly became quiet with the absolute silence marking the end of this fight. Bathalom, for as remote and insignificant as it may be, is now finally back in the hands of its people. The fight might've been violent and bloody and they also lost quite a few of their own too, but now they won't have to answer to Thorgran anymore. Their relatives and friends can rest easy now knowing Thorgran's men won't be bringing them to be eaten at his castle anymore, and all their crops like their corn, their beans, their beets, and their rice is safe. Those won't have to go to Thorgran anymore either. Though perhaps the greatest thing about it all is that by taking up arms and fighting back, they now understand the power they truly have if they could just organize against him. This is something Leakhena has shown them tonight, and they won't ever forget it so long as tonight remains in their hearts and minds.

"People of Bathalom, listen to me!" shouts Leakhena from atop the platform, even firing her rifle to get their attention. All eyes are on her now as she speaks to them. "Too long have you broken your backs in your fields tiling away at the soil just so you can give Thorgran something to stuff his fat face with! Too long have you seen your own family members hauled off like cattle to the slaughterhouse he calls his home! Too long has he kept you people crushed under his weight and left you screaming for air! I say NO MORE OF THIS! No more of this life of embarrassment! No more giving away what little you have to a bloated maggot that only takes, and takes, and TAKES! I promise you now, that you will get to keep your harvest, your family, and anything else he wishes to take! This I swear, that until the last drop of blood bleeds from my body, I will never stop fighting against him and every injustice he's done to our people! Remember this night whenever he stretches his hand against our people again! Now let's get organized!" The people of Bathalom cheer loudly and even vigorously as if this victory has brought back some of the strength they had so long ago before Thorgran had taken it away. Leakhena could only smile to herself since she knows now that she can do this, she can free her people. That half-forgotten life from simpler times can make a comeback, and she might just be the one to do it. She's not done though; she waves at some of her men whom go back up the street for something. Boxes, some filled with packets of seeds while others filled with more modern farming tools, are wheeled out of wagons being brought in by the rebels now that the coast is clear. "Boss lady says one for everyone!" says a rebel who opens a box and starts tossing seed packets into the hands of poor farmers whom are mystified by their quality. Meanwhile, there's a small commotion happening somewhere near the platform, and it takes Leakhena out of her little celebration.

“Loque!” She’s interrupted by the unmistakable voice of Singh suddenly calling for her somewhere in the distance. Annoyed, she turns around to see him and several of her rebels dragging something resembling a twisted hunk of metal by its feet. Though the closer they drag it to her, the clearer she can see that this was one of the soldiers that got taken by the crowd. Somehow, they’re still alive even after being trampled and beaten to hell by an enraged and hungry mob and they forcefully throw them to the ground right at her feet; the guard landing on the dirt with a thud as they continued to bleed. Their armor is covered in deep scratches, some of them distinctly made by teeth, and smears of dirt and their own blood; it was in such poor condition that they looked much less of a soldier and more like a half-opened tin can. Singh gestures at it as it tries bringing itself up to its knees, though it’s struck down again. “What do we do with this one?” They all look at Leakhena, whom is standing there unsure of herself on what to do with this captive, waiting anxiously for her to give the order to tear their captive into tiny, eatable bits. Though the guard also looks up at her, and tries its hardest to speak after receiving such a beating. The voice of a dying woman is heard coming from her heavily dented helmet.

“L-Loque… Loque!” She coughs up blood onto the dirt, desperately clinging to the little amounts of life still in her body. “Oh g-gods… So y-you’re the one he's after… F-Fuck…” As she looks around at all the sneering faces gnashing their teeth at her, she can hear someone sharpening knives somewhere among them, causing her to shrink in fear.

Leakhena gets low and looks at her closely, barely concealing the disgust and anger in her tone. “… And you’re the ones that’ve been killing us.” She stands up and looks around at the others. “The one that’s been starving us!” The shrill noise of grinding metal only gets louder and louder as others pull out their blades and begin sharpening them also. “The one that’s taken our family, our friends, our loved ones, and fed them to Thorgran!” yells Leakhena.

“They took my father…” mumbles one of the younger rebels, looking mournfully around at his compatriots. “And my friend!” yells another rebel. More and more of them speak up naming those close to them that’ve been executed and eaten. Everyone, both rebel and bystander alike, speak loudly on how they’ve all lost someone to Thorgran. Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, sons, daughters, all dragged away to his kitchen with ropes binding their feet; dragged away by guards just like the one dying on the ground. She doesn’t even bother looking back at the seemingly hundreds of bared, drooling teeth on enraged faces staring down at her; she can only cover her ears as the knife grinding becomes deafening.

Leakhena grabs the guard her neck. “That’s right! You and the others took them ALL! Didn’t you?!” She doesn’t wait for a response from her. Instead, she rips off the guard’s bent helmet; exposing her mangled face. She looks just like the rest of the gluttony demons surrounding her, and even Leakhena notices an uncanny similarity with how she looks just like she did until recently; though she certainly didn’t have as many broken teeth as the guard does now. “Consider this the only mercy I’ll ever show your kind!”

A knife is produced from Leakhena’s coat and she points it right between her eyes. Leakhena slowly pulls her arm back, ready to drive it deep into her brain. The sharpening gets louder, the growls and grunts and hisses become more vicious, and the terror makes the guard’s heart beat faster. Like a snake, Leakhena’s arm springs forward with all the pent-up anger she could hold. The knife cuts through the air as she thrusts it forward as hard as she can, giving the guard just enough time to close her eyes as the blade cuts through Zebulon’s hand. A shocked gasp is all Leakhena is capable of making while all the jeers and growls from the crowd fall silent. Every eye is on Zebulon standing in front of the guard and holding Leakhena’s knife away from her head in his bloody hands.

"Loque, don't do this."

“Z-Zebulon…” stutters Leakhena. Horrified at what she’s just done, she lets the knife fall from her hands and it lands on the ground. The others aren't so shocked.

"What the fuck is your problem, angel?!" growls one while pointing his knife at him. "Is this your bitch or something?" spits another. Some of them break the circle and start ganging up on him; pushing him and shoving him as they yell insults and other harsh beratement to his face for interrupting their boss. Zebulon isn't rattled, but they do get increasingly physical with a few even punching his chest. Leakhena, acting quickly and snapping out of her stupor brought on by being humiliated and shocked at what she was about to do, tries breaking them up before they end up pummeling him to death. "Stop it! Leave him alone!" They don't stop with the guard however, as one of them hoists her up, another picks up Leakhena's knife, and both quickly set about to finish where she left off. But there's another scream, one that made everyone stop what they're doing.

"MỊ̀! MỊ̀ H̄YUUUD!"​

The guard speaks again. "C̄h- c̄han pĕn... h̄nụ̀ng n-nı phwk k-kh-khuṇ..!"

Leakhena snatches her knife back from the one who took it, but gives a leer back at the guard. "... How the hell do you know our language?"

"I'm... I'm from Sindoo! J-Just like you! Just like all of you!"

One of the rebels primes her gun rather loudly. "Bullshit! You're not one of us!"

"I-I am! For Reamea's sake, I am!" she gesticulates wildly. "I c-come from S-Songphaeng! J-Just west of Battambang!" she says while looking at Leakhena's hat, hoping she's listening. Thankfully, Leakhena is familiar with that region, though she makes it clear it won't save her skin.

"And what?" Leakhena responds. "You think that because you're one of us, we'll let you live just so you can live it up while feeding us to Thorgran!?"

The guard doesn't say anything, but her stunned silence gives way to a fit of bitter laughter. "W-What?... All this time, and you people think his guard has it any better!?"

Singh looks over at the guard; lightly poking her with his bayonet. "Oh what's the matter, he doesn't feed you enough of our cousins? Or maybe they're just not filling enough?" Fortunately he's stopped from actually stabbing her with it by a firm nudge from Zebulon. He gives him a dismissive look before crouching in front of the guard.

"Then tell us. How much better could it possibly be among us dying in the streets?" he says, staring at her intently.

"... I-I don't know, I..." the guard mutters. "We're constantly abused... beaten sometimes by Lord Thorgran, sometimes by our superiors... We're not given much to eat ourselves-"

The rebels instantly start jeering at her. "Oh, cry me a fucking river! You know how often we are beaten?! You know how much we get to eat!?-" They're silenced by a wave from Leakhena. She finds herself a spot beside Zebulon.

"And so you joined Thorgran's army, you endure the same beatings we get, you starve like we do. And for what?" she says, staring down into her.

"I-I didn't want to round up your family, y-your friends, my f-fucking n-neighbors..." The guard, unable to bring herself to look at Leakhena, lowers her head in shame. "I... I just wanted a decent meal for once."

"A decent meal..." Leakhena blankly repeats her. She sighs and shakes her head, unsure of what to do. Zebulon stopped her from executing the guard, but looking around, her rebels seem ready to just rip her apart as they brandish their knives and flare their teeth. They very much don't look like they'll allow her to survive the night. But Zebulon taps her and gives her a nod, silently hoping she does the right thing. The silence permeating through the air grows heavier and heavier on the guard as she quietly comes to terms that this is her end: torn apart and eaten alive just like the people she had to escort to Thorgran's castle. And to think she joined his army just to avoid such a fate... There's nothing she can do now, so she closes her eyes and waits... and waits... and waits for the inevitable... until something absolutely repugnant smelling forces her eyes open. A little mess tin containing an odorously foul brown stew is being held very close to her face. The stench almost makes her cough up in disgust. Leakhena pushes the little tin closer her mouth. "Eat." she simply says.

The guard belches, feeling nauseous by just being near the thing. "It's... it's disgusting! What the hell is it!?"

The stew's pressing against her mouth now; its putrid smell inescapable. "You wanted your decent meal, didn't you? This is it."

Cautiously and carefully, she takes the little tin from Leakhena's hands and tries very hard to eat the rotten stew and simultaneously perform the miracle of keeping it down in her stomach. Occasionally, it gets the better of her and she nearly flashes onto the dirt. Thankfully there wasn't much to begin with, and she looks back at Leakhena who's still standing over her. "From now on, this will be the only thing you will eat. You may think we're keeping you from our better rations, and you may even believe we're trying to starve you, but the reality is that because of your master Thorgran, this is all ANYONE has to eat here ever since he took power... Do you remember this taste? The ground up insects, the mud, the spoiled onions and oats? This is how it tastes now." She gets low and stares at her right into whatever there was of her eyes. "Since you're so quick to say you're one of us, then we'll make you live like one of us. Maybe then you'll understand why we nearly killed you."

Finally, she stands up and looks about the rest of her rebels. They still look incredibly furious and ready to kill, but she sighs and shakes her head at them. 'This isn't going to be easy, is it?' she thinks to herself. Leading them and rallying them to fight might've been simple, but it appears she vastly underestimated just how bloodthirsty they were. This'll just make more problems for her if she can't discipline them and teach them some degree of self-control, she figures. They wanted nothing but blood tonight, they wanted to show just how much they wanted to make Thorgran and anyone affiliated with him suffer for all the pain and loss they've had to endure because of them, but one of them will be escaping death tonight and that troubles them very much. The casualties Thorgran's guard suffered tonight will just have to do. Besides, there'll be more than enough scum and evil for them to fight against on the road ahead. For now though, she'll have to assemble them together again and strike at the next town... as well as have a serious word with Zebulon later.

Meanwhile, Zebulon himself is attending to the guard; applying a few bandages around her head as well as healing her with a little bit of his magic. "So, who are you? Have you got a name, or did Thorgran eat that too?" he asks.

"K-Kannika S-S-Sudham... I'm a j-junior sergeant..." she responds. "... a-and unlike the others in Tehom, I earned my rank. I got my promotions by fighting Keggoth's forces..."

Once he's had enough fixing, he stands up and helps Kannika stand as well. Though Leakhena's approached by Singh who asks her something. "Well, I think we can count tonight as a victory! But... what do we do now?"

"We're going to use that warehouse Phuy suggested as our main hideout here and plan where we'll be hitting next. Zebulon and Khan will tend to our wounded in the meantime," she responds while looking around the village. "And you and Lam will be going around giving guns to whomever is still strong enough to hold them. We'll need all the help we can get when we reach Tehom... if we reach it."

"Alright then." Singh bows, though he points over to Kannika, unsure of what they should do with her. "And, technically, you still didn't answer my question! What do we do with this one?"

Leakhena looks back at Kannika for a few moments, her serious expression slowly softening. For as much as she originally wanted to kill her, she can't help but feel a little sorry for Kannika. After listening to what she's said, what're the chances the other guards they killed were just poor kids that also wanted a decent meal and a comfortable bed? What if they were her fellow people she could've saved if she could've just reached them in time and shown them there's a better way than Thorgran's? That's something she didn't want to think about, but judging by what some of them were about to do by executing civilians, hopefully that'll make it easier to sort them out. "Didn't you hear her, Mr. Singh? She's 'one of us'. I want you to have her locked away in that warehouse we'll be staying in, and keep a close eye on her. Don't let any of the others get close to her either, understood?"

Singh doesn't argue, so instead he simply nods and has Kannika hauled off. The rest of the rebels also disperse and start cleaning up the mess that this battle has made and aid any villagers that need assistance. Zebulon turns to leave too, but a tug on his arm from Leakhena makes him stay.

"Zebulon..." she starts. "... Why did you do that? Why did you save her?" There's no hint of aggression or anger in her voice, but she gives him a sad look.

"You were about to kill her." he flatly replies.

His response takes her a moment to process until it dawns on her that he's not joking. "What the- Of course I was! What else was I going to do? Zebulon, you were a beggar! You know what Thorgran's men are like! What the hell was I going to do, tell them to just let her go so she can go back to torturing us!? They wouldn't have listened to me!"

"Perhaps not, but don't you think it's quite much to kill someone who's yielded to us already?" he responds. "That's something the icons would do, if you ask me."

"She's one of his soldiers! What, you expect us to treat all of them this way after all they've done to us? Our people have earned their revenge, and I sure as hell have too!" she gets in his face, upset at him. "I didn't assemble us together to fight him just so I can play nice with whatever street vermin he has in his army!"

"Then what is all this for, Loque?" he says, waving around at all the damage done by their fight. "You want to get up from bed every morning thinking of who to kill next, just like I did? If you want nothing more than revenge against Thorgran, then I won't stop you since that's what you truly desire. But, Loque, I have traveled down that road before, and it's a dark path I cannot follow you on." He places a hand on her shoulder and pulls her in a little tighter. "These people, and so many more, are looking up to you, Loque. We need to be better than that, we need to be better than Thorgran. We have to be careful that we don't stoop to his level. Otherwise, all we've done so far would've been for nothing if they'll just end up the same way."

Leakhena doesn't respond to that, instead she slowly lifts up the hand he used to block her knife. "... How bad is it?" she asks.

He closes it initially as she touches it, but opens it up and the nasty cut she accidentally made is in full display. "It still hurts, but I have had worse."

"...Go get it patched up. That's an order, Zeb." Zebulon turns around and starts to leave, but he's stopped by Leakhena again. "Oh and, Zebulon... I'm sorry."

He nods and smiles at her. "Don't forget, Loque. You're a leader now. Try not to walk the path Thorgran took, ok?"

"Yeah..."

 

[Infab]

Three months later...

January, 1881

Die Nordwand
Northern Daristein
Adonia

​

This is madness!

Why the hell are they attacking us!?

Another crack, and a bullet clipped a tree just next to Benedict Keilberth. Why were Tsavanian troops here? What provoked them? No war had been declared! Daristein had done nothing to warrant this! He snapped his bolt-action rifle up, taking quick aim and firing off a shot in retaliation. The bullet punched through one of the incoming Tsavanians, blowing a hole through his chest. He dropped like a sack of bricks, smacking into a tree as he fell. His allies, however, kept pushing. As if they didn't care at all that their comrade had fallen. "[PULL BACK INTO THE FOREST!]" shouted Ben, looking to the remaining members of his platoon around him. Each of them began to fall back further into the thick pine forest, pausing only to take shots back at their incoming enemies to cover their allies in the retreat.

The advancing force kept pushing, eventually being backed up by soldiers on horseback. In their grip, spears. They galloped through the forest towards the retreating Daristeinian force, eventually catching up to them and impaling a few soldiers with their spears before being promptly shot off their horses by the survivors. Their numbers slowly dwindled, eventually dropping down to only five of them left. But the Tsavanians kept coming. Determined to exterminate their little band of soldiers.

More shots were fired off, picking off any remaining Tsavanian cavalry, before focusing on the infantry. They set up a defensive position behind some rocks, just at the crest of a hill in the forest, and engaged anything they saw as a threat. Ben continued to make use of his rifle, punching holes into the Tsavanians, while his friends around him began to set up the lone machine gun they had brought with them from their encampment at the opening to Suvorkin's Pass. It was a moderately sized gap in the northern mountains between Daristein and Tsavania, which the Daristeinian soldiers had collectively nicknamed Die Nordwand. The Tsavanians had surprised them. Rushing through the pass without warning and bringing hell down upon their encampment. Ben was sure some other soldiers made it out besides his group, but they had gone in the other direction. West, while Ben and his group had gone Southeast.

Soon, the large machine gun they had brought was set up, and ammunition was quickly loaded into it while Ben and the other two riflemen continued to fire upon the Tsavanian troops approaching them. "[If they gather up in groups, cut them down! You two, help me pick off the lone ones!]" he barked to the men, whom sounded off in acknowledgement. A bullet ricocheted off the rock next to him, forcing him to slip into cover. He waved for the gunners to fire, and soon the forest was filled with the sound of automatic fire. Two clusters of Tsavanians were cut down by the large caliber ammunition, being ripped to pieces in a matter of seconds. Next to them, on either side, the riflemen would fire off their shots. Nailing anything that dared to break away from the main groups of Tsavanians.

A few grenades were tossed, flung as far as they could be by Ben and the other riflemen. They detonated in the dirt, killing a few Tsavanians and forcing the others to back off. But only for a few moments. They kept pushing onward. Determined to get to the remaining Daristeinian troops. And eventually... they would. The machine gun ran out of ammo, forcing the pair of soldiers operating it to switch to their sidearms. Semi-automatic pistols, which either of them had barely ever had to use. And soon the Tsavanians were upon them, charging in with their own rifles and pistols. Bayonets came out, trench knives were slipped on...clubs and shovels were used. And the hills crest became a blood bath.

Ben fought hard with both his rifle and his trench knife, alternating between both to slay the Tsavanians as they came over the hill at them. The others did the same, but were slowly perishing one by one. Eventually, it was down to just him and one of the other riflemen. Both Ben and the other rifleman, named Niclas, shouted obscenities and war cries, as they cut down, stabbed, and shot their way through the incoming Tsavanians. But eventually, they would receive aid.

But it wasn't from other Daristeinians troops. Instead, it was from someone far different. A blur darted past the pair of soldiers, and soon they found themselves gazing upon a tall individual wearing rather old looking armor. In their hands, a claymore. They cleaved through the Tsavanians with ease, slicing two or three in half with one chop, before looking back to Ben and Niclas. "[Don't just stand there! KEEP SHOOTING THEM.]" spat the individual, with clearly a woman's voice. Ben didn't hesitate, reloading his bolt action and opening up on the Tsavanians again. Their numbers were finally starting to drop, as they pushed down the hill. Over the bodies of fallen Tsavanians and what few Daristienians that had fallen before they reached the hill.

And in a matter of minutes, the battle was over. A few of the Tsavanians attempted to retreat, but were quickly shot and put down by Ben and Niclas. As they stood amongst the bodies, panting heavily and clutching at what wounds they had received, they looked to the tall armored warrior. "[What the hell is going on? And who the hell are you?]" said Ben, waving about at the bodies before pointing at the warrior.

"[My name is Riberta. You've heard of me. I'm the hybrid that was caught a few months ago.... I'm here to help, don't worry.]" she said, looking at Ben before looking to the bodies. She poked one with the tip of her claymore, before letting the bloodied blade rest on her shoulder. "[As for what's going on...I don't know. But whatever it is, it isn't good.]"

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Elsewhere...

The Archives
Grand Cathedral of Eternis
Atraca
Adonia


"Aright..." muttered Vincent, dropping several stacks of paperwork onto the table in front of Theodore and Hudson, as Undite stepped up behind them. "While you two were going through your demonology texts, I was looking through the historical records for the past three months. Lady Undite, here, allowed me to search through them in an effort to gain an advantage over the Icons and Taranoch. And here's what I've found." He dug through one stack, before pulling off a sheet and setting it before them. "Taranoch has two of the artifacts. Velin's Executioner's Sword, and Adona's ring. The ring was claimed from...well, somewhere. The sword, however, was found in Grimtham. It had been entombed in concrete, and buried. Over it, a tree was planted and grown using magic. The Church had it placed there and hidden."

"There are three other artifacts. Undite's staff, Gyasis' Amulet, and something belonging to Thiasis. I have yet to determine what his artifact may be, but moving on..." He then pulled a few more stacks of paperwork off the piles and set them before them. "Their locations are a mystery, even to the Church as it is now. Records of what was done with them and where they were put are gone. Burned, as listed in an old tome I found a few days ago. That means I need to search through these records and such in order to locate any trace of where they might have been moved to and buried. So far, I have a theory."

He straightened up, before continuing. "...Velin's Executioner Blade was discovered in Grimtham because that is where Velin decided to dispose of it. When she failed to slay Adona with it, which is what the weapon was made to do, she cast it aside. Casting it aside and abandoning it outside an old blacksmith's shop, which I discovered existed there long ago by looking through the Porthcrawl city records. And there, it likely remained until it was found and used by the Church. I believe the artifacts could be found at the locations where they were first discovered by the Church. The problem is finding any indirect references to these locations, since the direct references were destroyed."

"...I've read some texts which state that Gyasis' Amulet floated around among pirates prior to its use by the Church. The problem is there were countless safe havens for pirates across Adonia's coasts and islands. Who knows where we would even need to start? I'll have to continue looking into that. As for the Staff, the last mention I've seen of it involved the Elven lands to the northeast. That's a rather large area, ranging from Escaria into eastern Daristein and southeastern Tsavania. I'll need more information before I'll know what we need to look for."

"And finally...Northern Daristein is where we need to look for whatever Thiasis' artifact may be. The old Dwarven lands. Mountains and valleys. And we don't even know what we're looking for." said Vincent, sighing afterwards.

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Tariun's Fortress
Northern Wastes
The Central Territories
The Abyss


"You've made excellent progress, Mariette. Especially in such a short time. Most only reach your level after around five years of study and practice, but you've managed to do it in just two and a half. It really does seem to come naturally to you, but you have a very long way to go before you master your abilities and spells." remarked Tariun, giving Mariette a gentle smile. Xager stood nearby, arms folded behind her back as always. Silently listening and observing. Tariun continued a moment later. "...I am raising your rank and status within my forces. You shall command your own platoon of demons. It is about time you prove your ability to command and lead. You will still answer to Azathor for now, but will be considered one of his lieutenants. Xager here will provide you with the more advanced spellbooks and texts for fire elementals...with translations, of course. You still have a ways to go with your demonic comprehension...but you'll master it in time."

She then turned to the table behind her. "...We have made significant progress in our attempts to overthrow Taranoch and his Icons. Along with Leakhena's own rebellion in the land of Gluttony, we have brought chaos to most regions of the central territories, as well as to Taranoch's forces in the Mortal Realm. But we should not celebrate yet. Taranoch has quelled the widespread chaos in the land of Wrath and Pride, brought about by you and your friends two and a half years ago. Two new Icons have been named and planted there. The new Icon of Wrath is named Vegras. He was one of Azgon's Lieutenants. I'm sure you're well acquainted with him. The new Icon of Pride, Istres, is a former Icon of Vainglory. She was one of Sazak's lieutenants, until Taranoch demanded she be moved over to Pride. From there, she was named Icon of Pride after gaining Taranoch's respect by bringing her fist down on the violence that had broken out there. Kellea, the Demon Prince you encountered in the Land of Dead Kings, replaced her beneath Sazak."

Tariun looked back to Mariette, whom stood there in freshly cleaned and polished armor, before speaking again. "...We will begin higher risk operations within the following months. Strike at their very hearts if we have to. Once we prove to the demons of the Abyss that they don't have to live in fear of Taranoch and his Icons, we can begin a full scale civil war against him. And Leakhena has already done that, when it comes to the demons of the land of Gluttony. I plan on meeting with her shortly to see if we can come to some sort of agreement."