Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Egypt | Rings: 0/1

The fact Moreau confirmed the differences in some of the undead and how they were mixed and mashed with workers of the site and civilians was clear evidence that someone was popping in and out, and using individuals as tools for these traps.

The question was why?

He was getting antsy just trying to decipher it. The tainted nature of magic at play did not help either and the magical additional traps were nothing to improve a mood. Falling flesh eaters, magic based traps that by themselves weren't horribly difficult for either him or the team, the thing that annoyed Ark more than anything however were the things that made his magic feel almost inadequate.

It was the second time he was having such a lesson thrown in his face and quite frankly it made him wonder if he should start looking into ways at finding more relevant tools than just his gloves and magic. The traps that countered his magic were frustrating and while he surely would not face the same issue often in the real world, he was keenly aware from the team's collective capabilities maneuvering forward that anti magic wavelengths would screw him over immediately.

He hadn't been unfortunate enough to face them in Cameroon, Nigeria or within these sandy terrains. Yet, he knew there were those that existed that could finish him off when his spells failed.

And the traps…were starting to get irritating. Most were simple.

It was the ones that denied him the proper use of his magic that dug in a bit too deeply.

As reserved as he often seemed, he had something of a temper. Stemmed from years of dealing with family affairs and the chaotic discourse of being an indoctrinated member of Wiccan upper class society. There was a side of him that felt nothing but annoyance at having his magic tested by way of being defied when he flexed it and the results didn't come as he saw fit.

With Nadia it hadn't been like that when they fought. She diminished the overall impact, she couldn't outright cancel his use of magic like some areas seemed to do, or seemed to make commands or spells he gave and would have formed with immediate accuracy, slow in redundance.

Like every mage, there was an innate sense of pride in what you could do because it took time to learn how to do it right. Even more as a Sorcerer, where just like a Meister, the arcana channels were exercised in order to be used efficiently as ones own spiritual pathways.

As Gauss was annoyed by the pacing, the earth mage was annoyed by the sense of inadequacy his mind drummed up, the mutterings of distant family voices like phantoms in his ears every time, even if only temporarily delaying, a Anti-Magic rune triggered or magic seeking creatures arose with resistance to some of his spells.

It turned his mind to Rand, a recent affair he had been trying not to think as much about, of how little help he might have been there and the slow pace that the traps helped foster did nothing to improve this slightly souring mood. It hardly showed in his face, but internally, all it took was a look at the soul to see that Ark was simmering and not in a good way.

Sure he cooled off when progress continued, he had to.

The knowledge that some cretin was using the innocent for whatever they were after in this temple did no better though to completely improve the sour mood. Assisting in the dispatch of the undead was easy, though as he did, he found himself thinking, favoring, the moment where he might be able to find the one rooted in responsibility for all of this and his own sense of frustration with these well crafted but damning traps.

The thing to give him pause however was the Texan in the spherical room. On the awareness that this stranger was the lost Evans, he let the confusion he had felt pass

The earth mage squinted silently at the dehydrated and delirious older male and found himself pondering how peculiar of all things it was to come across him alone in here.

While Thales asked the questions about the walls, and Moreau provided an answer he watched their surroundings with a pulse of magic to ensure nothing was nearby as Noah attended to Mr. Evans, Ark shifted his attention to the sarcophagi for a moment as he listened to their guide speak

“Wait… you said Solar Mana?” He looked pensive. “Gauntlets for the earth… and a cane that enhanced something?” he rubbed his chin.

“Solar Mana must mean the necklace did something with light. If all three were sorcerers then…maybe the necklace or each of those items were Demon tools. The neckalce absorbed light for magical purposes or allowed the user to manipulate light back then to grant magical capabilities. Like some kind of battery?” he proposed, following Moreau's suggestions on them packing up.

“The gauntlets must be…” he looked at his gloves. Back then what would have been important? A sorcerer that could use light like a battery maybe it provided weather control to some degree? Another sorcerer that created gauntlets that related to the earth, especially when Egypt had such a high focus on their land’s soil, maybe for building? Farming? Things got lost in time but he felt he should be able to piece this together.

Then it hit him “The gauntlets must be like my gloves!” aloud to the others.

Then a frown slipped over his face. “Well…guess I shouldn't be surprised. Always thought my tools here were quite unique. Gauntlets though?” He couldn't imagine why gauntlets. Honestly didn't like the design choice. The gloves gave him fine control over molding and structure and provided almost a telekinetic like control. Gauntlets just seemed…such an odd design choice really. What could they do just cause the ground to shake a little? How were the commands set in?

All this really did was make him want to look at the gauntlets and inspect them.

Which only left the cane. What could the cane have been? Moreau hadn't expressed anything about it, the vagueness didn't help.

If there were no more details about the cane that were at least going to give a clue then he wouldn't pay it too much mind right now.

“If the relics are being gathered then maybe the goal here is to ensure access to whatever that fourth one is. Could be the strongest of the three or if all four together increase the power of the welder.”

All just musing really. Whatever the fourth was though, had to be something strong for there to be only vague mentions of it. Whatever this Great Threat was made him especially curious.

Frankly using light as a source was pretty brilliant. It was a genuine surprise he hadn't heard of any of these three in his past. Then again, not all historic figures were or would be recalled.

“I’m picking up something, if we're going to leave, we should go now.”

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin @Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
Eastern Shrine, Egypt

Mentions: Sir Les Paul (Gauss), Merciless Medic (Noah, Micheal), RedArmyShogun (Feng), EmperorsChosen (Aki), The Regal Rper (Ark), Peckinou (Arkayis)
​

The undead they had encountered were easily dispatched by the other members of their group, with Gauss in particular tearing through them with minimal effort. Which left Wes to stand at the wayside alongside their guide, suppressing a yawn while taking a swig of water from a canteen. It was lukewarm at this point, but it helped quench his thirst.

Once the undead and scarabs were taken care of, they continued on their descent. Along the way they encountered a group of survivors, delirious and dehydrated. After sharing some water with the men, they conversed with Ark and Moreau for a bit. They didn’t seem happy to have to stay in the tomb for any longer, but with their choices being to stick with them or try and forge their own way out they begrudgingly followed the group.

As they descended further into the tomb, what followed were a series of rooms that looked like they were plucked straight out of an action movie. Constantly moving platforms that would have most likely led to the deaths of any normal person, a hallway of seemingly endless spears and blades that would have sliced up all but the most agile of thieves. Both of which were cleared without a single casualty, let alone a wound to the group or the other survivors.

The next room was seemingly empty, devoid of anything that looked dangerous. Of course, just as Wes was thinking they were past the worst of it, the stone door behind them suddenly slammed shut as the last of the survivors had entered, before the faint movement of gears could be heard. The walls had started to close in on the group, trying to crush them into a red paste.

It actually seemed like they would be in trouble, as unlike the previous rooms the exit was still blocked by a thick stone slab. As the walls closed in however, Ark had told him to transform into his weapon form. Quickly doing so, he wondered what the man had planned. Were they going to try and break down the door before the walls could crush them?

What he didn’t expect was to be shoved in-between the walls like a make-shift wedge. Gears ground as the mechanism that pushed the walls protested, creaking loudly as pressure it was never expected to encounter was placed on it. While he couldn’t deny the results, he felt more than a little annoyed at his current position.

Still, if a bit of embarrassment was all he had to put up with while the other’s awkwardly side-walked around to find a way out, he’d take it. Eventually, one of the group found a switch to disable the walls, leaving Wes to clatter to the floor in his weapon form. Shifting back, he quickly stood and dusted his back off before following the group.

Finally, after clearing the final trap room that honestly reminded him more of a shooting gallery than anything else, their collected group proceeded cautiously into the newly revealed room. When nothing immediately tried to kill, capture, or otherwise maim anyone, he let out a content sigh. This ruin diving stuff was starting to get tiresome. It always seemed a lot more fun those movies he watched, but then again that was when he was watching someone else run through them from the comfort of his bed.

That wasn’t to say that they were completely in the clear, as the multiple souls that Wes could hear in the room meant that they weren’t alone. But while he could hear them, they were very faint and barely audible over the more powerful souls of his companions. It was almost as if they were sleeping, and based on the fact that they were coming from several coffins, that was probably the case.

While it was a bit concerning, he was more than happy to let sleeping dogs lie. Or, zombies. Or mummies. Point being, they hadn’t burst out of their coffins and tried to curse them, and that was enough for him to keep moving with the group as they entered another room.

Besides the giant scarab giving off quite the lightshow, there was another survivor slumped against some sort of alter. He looked half-dead, and it was obvious that he had gone some time without having slept. There was a good chance that this was that Evans guy who had left the note before. At the man’s query of supplies, Wes shrugged his shoulders and pulled out the half-empty canteen from his sweatshirt pocket. Sure, it was warm from exposure to the heat and sun, but it was probably a far sight better than nothing.

He tossed the canteen in a lazy underhand to the half-dead man, before turning his attention to their guide as he stepped forward and came to a stop before the grand mural on the wall.

As their guide deciphered the mural on the wall, Wes found his attention slowly slipping away. He was sure that whatever Moreau was detailing was important, but most of what the older man had said didn’t mean anything to the demon weapon. A bunch of names that he didn’t recognize alongside bits and pieces of some vague prophecy about the world ending.

Infinitely more interesting, and concerning, was the fact that the souls that were present in the previous room had suddenly spiked. Enough so that it had his head turning away from the lightshow back towards the door of the room. He wasn’t the only one to notice the sudden spike, as Ark suggested they move before whatever was out there was fully awoken.

“Think it’s a little too late for that. You all hear them, right?” Wes asked his fellow agents, as obvious as the answer probably was. Having gotten used to constantly having his soul perception active, he sometimes forgot that others didn’t constantly have theirs on as well.

Before, the souls were quiet and stable. But now not only were they quickly growing in intensity, there was another soul that sounded different from the rest. Two of the weaker souls flared out, but were seemingly extinguished as soon as they had spiked. There was a tinge of something that was equally familiar and yet completely alien in the unique soul. Familiar as in it shared a similarity to their red-headed witch, and yet alien in that it felt… off.

“Unless we plan on smashing our way out of here.… or would that be a no-go?” He turned to look at Gauss, shrugging his shoulders. That important looking guy had said to keep the damage to a minimum, but he doubted that whatever was in those coffins would just let them go. If they did end up fighting, they really couldn’t be blamed if the temple got damaged. Or at least, that’s what he was telling himself.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Aki Kiyoko - Egypt - Feng Long
Qena Dig Site, Eastern Shrine - Egypt
September - 20th​

Having cleared the one obstacle that was seemingly made for them, a rather simple affair, well, not so simple given they were the only one that could do it. That was the thing, these traps and trails weren’t all that simple, the wards in here were clearly as broken as nearly everything else and the Royal Guard things didn’t seem to just up and attack them. To her it all smelled funny, it was like going to a place the cops had a sting at.

These all were easy for them, but it was clear that no normal human had made it this far before, then there were the Anpu too. Looking at Aki, who was in gun form, Feng rolled her neck, giving a side glance. “Holding up well?”

“...I dunno what any of that meant…Can I come out?” Aki admitted after a brief pause, meaning physically she was quite fine, if not a bit antsy. The girl had remained peculiarly quite following the discovery of the survivor and the exchange of information by everyone else. If anything, she could observe the souls, using her connection with Feng, to affirm Wes’s observation. It seemed likely the group had gotten a reaction out of the sarcophagi.

”For a couple of minutes at least, but we got shit coming fast, well, fastish, got a couple minutes at best, so up to you.”

With that, light enveloped the handgun before shooting out of Feng’s hand and expanding into Aki’s normal form. The girl raised her arms in a big stretch before bouncing in her feet. Most weapons found it annoying to be in weapon form for so long. For anyone who knew Aki, it was a miracle the girl didn’t make a huge fuss about it. “Why’s it a problem we opened the door? How’d you even get in here if that was a problem?” She questioned curiously.

”Yeah, what's the big deal with it? I mean I get a feeling what's coming isn’t going to be all that friendly, but, I ain’t no expert, but all this, seems pretty shoddy you know, like the deeper we got in, the nature of the traps changed.”

“Yeah, all the enemies so far have been pretty weak. What’s the big deal?” Aki added nonchalantly.

The man for his part sighed and decided to address all of the questions, taking the water at once he downed a huge gulp before sputtering, lucky to be alive, they really had no idea what they had done, but he knew, he knew all too well.

“I took the side path in, you all would have hated it… Rituals to those three gods, fucked up once and ACK! Rah was the Lord of the Sun, Set is a Dark God, Chaos, murder, strength, why a follower of them would help order… Well no time to go into that right now, then the last one I figured out on my own was Aker, God of Earth and the Horizon, you have to remember all of these fuckers were magical creatures, mix of man an’ animal that helped the Egyptians tame the wilds. As to magic man over there, ya’ll about right, stands to reason they near abouts do that, or the Gauntlets even helped build this place. As far as I can tell some unknown King of the second or Third Dynasty tried and partially succeeded in storming the place, but a lot of things weren’t finished, like those Royal Guards are awakened by the Book, or should I say a Book of the Dead… And That!”

He jutted a finger towards the display with a hint of anger to his eyes. "Is what that sly son of a bitch has been after! And you opened the Death damned door! I’m happy to be saved, but make no mistake, he’s coming… And the lady with the China gal shit on is about half right, damn I’m tired… You’ll have your answers soon enough.”

“He’s coming? …Is that bad?” Aki asked, looking over to Feng.

”Enough of a break Aki, get back into weapon form, that Mage signature is coming fast..” Feng said, holding her hand out as a loud roar and rushing of air could be felt.

“Oop, roger!” Aki replied, shrinking into a ball of light that shot into Feng’s hand, forming into the large pistol. “Let’s blast him! …we are shooting him when he gets here, right?”

”Well, yeah, like I’m going to talk to him, unless Gauss wants to… Even if he does, I’m still going to shoot, all this fuckery is because of who is coming, stands to reason.”

With that Feng made good on her words as, perhaps in the most arrogant display she had ever seen, the spiritual bullet fired from the pair impacted against a shimmering shield of magic, causing the figure behind it to grin, he was seated on a thrown, propelled by earth magic and his abilities could be said to be above those of Ark for those who had magical senses.

“How charming.” Decked head to toe in regal Egyptian fabrics of era’s long past, the man was the one single figure that nothing had been reported or found on, one who led them here and one who even now was abusing the creations he had, the pull was strong with him, Ambition was his one and only motive. He would have been something of a challenge for the team, but it was the eight…no, seven souls coming up hot on his heels that were the true issue. Having the strength of lower level Meisters in their wavelength flaring, these were not the enemies from before, but would they be enough to beat them?

Not likely. But that didn’t matter at all. “Hahah. To think you lived, though I must thank you for doing my work. I am…”

“Ismael Nader. The bastard who tried to kill me and put all this in motion.” Said Evans with a hint of fear in his voice.

“Pharaoh Nader Al Nasser. And I must admit, the souls I got from a few of you divided nicely enough to work these Magics… However, I'm not here to finish the Job. Nor talk.” Eyeing the display, he had on all three relics, plus what had to be the book, an archaic tome that was made of gold and ancient paper, no, papyrus. It all gave off large magical auras, this was a man drunk on power, unfortunately that power very much was real, but he did not understand the depths of what he grasped, this would be known to Ark at once, making this man all the more dangerous, a Sorcerer with powers taken and unlocked, unchained, rather than earned and learned. The items on him were indeed Demon Tools and had within them immense power.

​

”Very funny, hah ha ha. You die now, okay?” Feng said in a thick Chinese accent.

“You’re not really zombie-enough to be a real pharaoh anyway…” Aki remarked after Feng.

“How drab and boring.” With a snap of a finger, he takes on two more rounds from the pair as a flash of light makes a hand held model display of the active star map to form in his own hands as his shield flickered from the additional impacts. “I do hope you like the view. We shall not meet again. And if you somehow do so, you have no idea of the glory of my purpose, maybe you can find those dog headed fools who will listen to you, but ah, tomb raiders, that will be an interesting talk…hehehe!”

Clearing his throat once a command went out in a language that only two people in this room would have partial understanding over, the Ancient Egyptian language, though the DWMA could record these lines for later and through analysis, neither here nor now but in the after action report, “<Royal Guards to me! Bar the way! I shall seal the door! These enemies are as strong as they are vile! Continuing the work of the Tyrant King and usurpers that brought down the Kingdom of Egypt!>” While this was more than a little bit of a lie, the guardsmen, long dead and no reanimated by sacred charge, had little choice and say in the matter, they had offered up their lives towards one singular great task, little did they know the would be king was attempting to undo all they had given their all for.

Before Gauss of anyone else could react, the throne was already rolling backwards as Annika dived forward, unfortunately this would prove to be a near fatal mistake as a female mummy in what seemed to be fabric or leather armor, long since emancipated and dead for eons, leapt over the throne, in a move the Hoshi would would have appreciated, the undead soldier had fully and completely hid his soul presence and had advanced behind the throne, leaping over it only as it fell back, closing in on the blood thirsty Meister and her chainblade, not having any idea what in the world this stranger was armed with, what she was wearing… The mummy did not know a lot of things, only that she was here to kill, and her commander had given her the order to destroy the first interloper by the door, then to seek out and destroy any spell casters, the rest of the formation could handle the rest.

With that said Annika suddenly found a dagger thrown at her right hand, then another slicing into her leg, right into the back left leg, to be more spot on, into the plantaris around to the gastrocnemius, severing her short term ability to move and causing some severe bleeding, what was more ominous was the near instant collapse as her face became flush and she desperately plied at her chest, trying to loosen her shirt before losing all cohesion, for his part the Texan rushed forward as the Assassin met his gaze briefly, or rather, lich like puffs of flame and an empty eye sockets met his eyes, the dagger she had was thrown down, having been dulled and broken, as she immediately went for the next, throwing herself right for ark, having sensed him out, her wavelength flaring.

“I got her! Old bastard help me out here! Bet your ass it's Scorpions Bile!” A name of a poison rather than an actual thing. “Beat them back! If you die we all die! She’ll live!”

Before anything else could be said, long slabs of the doors in the distance began to close as seven figures made their presence known in the large ceremonial hallway, two men that would easily have been wrestlers in the modern world brought up the flanks, each carrying a sarcophagi lid as a shield upon each arm, wide in stature and thick, even a skilled meister would have some difficulty penetrating it in a single attack, while slow, they were undeniably strong, even muscle mass, as hardened and grayed as it was, poked through the bandages. In the center were two warriors with khopesh and shields, two archers with what seemed to be bows made and preserved by an alchemic means were behind them and the shielders as the put bronze tipped wooden arrows to the string. Each had ceremonial items, weapons and armor made of copper and gold, gleaming with a beauty even a Pharaoh would envious of, giving off the slight glow of active rune magic and having a number of passive buffs and defenses against elemental attacks, fire of note, it would be noted by Gauss’s own wavelength that the quality of these armaments were only possible via magic than smith. Letting out a battle chant as they approached, their organless bodies chanted, spirits beaming bright, heroes of a bygone age and among them was one who shines even brighter still.

With more in the way of armor and a body that was not as well preserved, a skeleton face looks at the group as a raspy voice akin to a lich calls out, ”<Kings come and go and our charge is clear, Noble Souls, or dishonorable foes, face the Warriors of long ago… The Warriors lost to time…Remember us as we shall you. Formation! Form up! Advance! Archers, Ready! Loose!>” Moving in between the two sword and board users, the unknown warrior advanced menacingly as he singled out Gauss, the Archers taking aim and loosening a series of Arrows, at their leader's command. With his undead gaze fixed upon the source, or so he assumed, source of the loud thunderclap, he had no idea what the black device she had in her hand was, magic no doubt, the hole in it released the lightning, was it like his own equipment? "<Split off the enemy archer and block her fire!>"

All in all, these enemies were not strong enough to realistically win, but they were strong enough to present a danger, of equal to moderate to upper end one star Meisters…. The leader however was a much different story, he would easily classify as a two star by the standards of the modern era. Even as he gazed at them, wondering why he sensed far more souls than were visible to him, he dared not hesitate or paused, the existence of Weapons being unknown to him and their invention being far after his own death.

There was a battle to fight and even if they could not win, it was enough to delay, to allow the relics to escape. To defend the Pharaoh of a new age… Though not all sat well with him. The room allowed for plenty of room to fight, minus the star chart display and its magical crystal work being at the center, Evans for his part was dragging Annika back, already tying off her leg and doing what he could, as the three workers prayed to Death, Allah, all of the Egyptian Pantheon they knew of and pressed themselves against the furthest wall.

EmperorsChosen (Aki) Sir Les Paul (Gauss) The Regal Rper (Ark) Merciless Medic (Moreau - Noah) Shotgunpenguin (Wes) Peckinou (Arky)​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium ​

For a few brief instances, as the madness began to fade, Maria slowed her breathing, in short, guided pulses, shutting her eyes as she forced herself away from the pull, much like her previous time with it, a calm passed over her. Slowly did she process the presence of Elly, her one single question. Was she alright? Pausing for a bit to think on that she turned to her doll, the golem remains, the broken bodies, the devastation, or rather what devastation laid behind them. There was also the matter of finding her smaller dolls, but fortunately, they were close.

"In all honesty, no. But physically what damage was done to me was much less than that done to you. Even with the lizard woman I was responsible for most of the damage to myself... But, all of this pointless death, pointless destruction. All for one man's vanity... Though I suppose what information we got from his slave will be useful to someone..." Kneeling down to check the damage to Alicia she sighed. "I will never, ever stop using my creations in battle. No matter how much it pains me, I can only think of one thing that may mean more to me one day." All things considered the damage was minor, but repairs would be needed, there was also a pincer? No, a scythe? Just what did one call this abomination of a limb? Regardless of what it was, one of those obsidian arms was lodged into the right shoulder, working it out, she continued to speak, mostly to herself, but allowing Elly, Midori and any all else to hear.

"I was originally sent...no, told about the program, as I, out of fear of damaging my darlings, of sacrificing them, that I fled, abandoned my team. No one died, but they were all hurt a great deal... I have, fought, stood my ground, even damaged my creations and put up with unreasonable tasks. However, even should my reason be partially fixed, I do not wish to leave, I wish to see my fellow magnus and Rand again, I wish to see Eros punished for his crimes and every last slave freed.

Still, it angers me just a bit that I can't even get the dental prints to for sure show the DWMA who died here. Though I am aware my own passage of time will be unlike your own, that I will be here for so long, such pointless destruction... I am indeed not alright, but I will be. What of all of you? As I said, you all bore more physical damage than I."


Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Elly) Sir Les Paul (Midori) (Lady Crimson) The Regal Rper (Zosar) Haze- (Wren)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Daniella Ethalyn - Sara Middleton - Streets of LA ​

Listening to the pair, soon to become a trio carried on with their one sided conversation, the woman paid close attention to their words, bit by bit, they seemed honest at least and candid. Warriors, Soldiers, not some random riffraff with a gun, not some rich boy with honeyed words. Though the steel they held was all too real, effective and terrible weapons, but a step back from what they had. And their views of the incident was all too locked in Dogma, they may even attempt to kill Dani depending on how poorly that went. And then she would have little choice but to respond in kind.

Chuckling a little at the first remarks she said, “Hmm, no, I know of a Church but what members I’ve seen of your organization have never donned armor, so much as a robes, provided it is the same one with a flask of holy water, cross or more concealed weapons. Though I had heard rumors of a paramilitary division, my usual stomping grounds are rather apprehensive to your church, or my own deployments are not dealing with Demons so much as various creatures and corrupt souls.” A lie in part and also truths. Those things in the Paris catacombs sure as hell weren’t human… Though they did not strike her as Demonic either.

“Also, I am indeed not being a threat, if I had wished to frighten you, I would have been carrying my companion by hand… As to your expectations, you may find them betrayed, there is a bubbly werewolf in my team with a personality that stands apart from my own, as it does with your fellow.

As to why I am feeling so cold as you put it, it is because I am. I am a descendant of the Ice Giants. And for your next question, I am the leader.” She said volunteering the information as she glanced at Dani. There were also the words of the leader to respond to for herself.

Dani for her part let Nadia speak, eyeing the others back as they did to her. Her gaze was more intense than Nadia’s, though that could still be attributed to the effects of the madness spike, which was slowly starting to relax as the knights themselves remained so.

“We weren’t aware of your presence at all,” Dani remarked in turn. There was one question which she believed probably held a stupid reason, and that was the question of why they were working in secret rather than collaborating. Admittedly, the demon weapon didn’t know much about the church, nor of their relationship with the DWMA.

Her eyes glanced to Luis as he spoke to her, her expression tense, though softened somewhat in part to his calm demeanor. “...Bastard sword… Just Dani’s fine,” She replied, finding the honorific weird to be addressed by. “Why’s that? There are not many Demon Weapons in the church?” Probably a stupid question given the names themselves, though that begged the question of why he was.

After, her eyes glanced to the elder paladin, then to Nadia briefly for an answer to the request. Dani believed that if they were both after the cult, then they were allies, but Nadia was the leader.

“I’m afraid you’ll find our own situation not too improved from your own, though we did manage to capture one who was more open to talking and gained a little information from them. Of note it seems the cult does not trust its members all that much and do their deals with drop boxes. Though I am not against an alliance for this task, I must confer with my men at the least and the DWMA at the most before I share with you what we found.” Dialing back her own soul presence she would need to ponder this for a bit as Sara’s presence and voice cut across the lines.

Nadia was not against allies of convenience, but what little she knew of them, it would be best to call into the DWMA now.

“Dani. Let’s get about to doing that now. This should not take long. Paladins.”

With that she motioned for Dani to follow her, leading her back towards Sara and Eva would be, the latter of whom seemed a bit worse for wear with all that happened. Making sure they obviously could not hear her.

“No, I know a little about them, we need to contact Death City for more, I can just say it is one band of Fanatics fighting another and we should be very careful in how we cooperate. For what it is worth, they strike me as Warriors, dangerous ones with real power, they will stab us in the chest rather than the back. The problem is they do have some cause to stab us perhaps. However we are out of leads and they are without details.”

“The fact they decided to just show up instead of letting the locals or DWMA know is kinda suspect… I don’t really wanna test their reaction to my tail, either,” Dani murmured in addition.

Sara watched as Dani and Nadia walked back to her position, Eva’s issues with what the rituals were doing to the souls were starting to affect Sara, too. Once the two arrived, she turned her body to face away from the location. “We should probably go ask the DWMA. And Eva needs to be removed from the mission, she’s having a lot of issues right now. I have… a lot of concerns about them…” She mumbled, her ears pinned back and the hairs on her tail standing on end slightly.

”No, you are right. A curious note for you Dani, and you Sara, given the distance or limited soul perception. Not a single thing they were armed with was a weapon, as in like Dani. As to Eva, yes, I can use requests for reinforcements or to transfer her out for now to buy us more time, though I feel as if they shall not stay long. Even if they don’t we shall run into them again.” With that she started playing with her phone and communicator, calling dispatch in Death City and appraising them of the situation and these mysterious Knights.

Within the most guarded walls of the DWMA was a fortress for communications and information distribution. In fact, there existed ten of these data fortresses globally, effectively creating the largest secure network in the world, both in sheer size and in infrastructure. It was not an exaggeration to estimate the DWMA alone consumed at least a fifth of the bandwidth of the entire world.

The interface might have seemed simple to someone like Sara, but it was anything but. The team Nadia led had a single handler whose responsibility it was to oversee the mission, alongside a few others simultaneously, and they were the direct line of contact the agents had with the DWMA at all times.

After the quick debriefing provided by Sara followed an uncharacteristic delay. These handlers were trained for quick, efficient responses. There were protocols to be followed and an immensely high value on following every procedure the agency set forth. This was one of the rare situations that an immediate response was not detailed out in their decision-making tree.

The call was passed up, not unlike reaching a manager on a support hotline.

”Fate Agent Middleton, this is Agent Altair of the DWMA Intelligence Branch,” rang through the comms. The voice had a far more assertive snark to it than the typical handler, but more importantly, the identification of the intelligence branch. Of all the internal branches of the DWMA, the Intelligence Branch was easily carried the most weight–aside from Administration, of course. They were responsible for the Top Wanted List, had a hand in Star-rankings, created the dossiers that every Fate Agent possessed, and had their own elite forces with the DWMA CIA.

In short, hearing those words meant listen real fuckin’ close to the orders that came next.

”You are to disengage the individuals identifying themselves as Paladins immediately. Any interactions with them or those associated with them are to be polite and courteous–no exceptions,” she instructed, ”you will share those orders with your entire party and I am sending a copy right now to each of your communicators in text for redundancy.”

A ding on all of the communicators followed, confirming those orders with near immediate response time.

”Once you have disengaged, you will regroup at the police station where agents Hackney and Valerias are stationed. Once regrouped, you will take the most immediate bus via the public transit system to LAX and return to the DWMA via DAX. Following these instructions, you should be at Death City before the end of day. You will provide a full debrief of the mission up to the point of this call. We will then decide how to proceed,” she told her, ”and, I am instructed that for the sake of your anxieties and concerns to assure you that this development is not related to any violation of rules; in more plain words, you are not in trouble as of now and should remain as such unless you cause a problem with the group referring to themselves as Paladins.”

“...That didn’t explain shit,” Dani grumbled aloud upon hearing the explanation, or lack thereof, from the agent. “That doesn’t even tell us the fuck they even are.”

”Oh it said something.” Nadia said with a grunt, plus how else they carried themselves added a bit to the translation. ”Whoever they were, or are, the DWMA is not rather interested in dealing with them without some thought put into it. Either way, let's get out of here, I’ll just say a couple more words to them, nothing serious.” With that said she walked back over, just long enough to tell her message. ”The DWMA has summoned us back for consultations, we should return by the next day I am sure. Good luck, though, do tell the LAPD what you are up to, there was more than a bit of commotion. We will return, our job demands it, but till then, good day.”

Not waiting for more than a cordial reply or two, Nadia was soon back where she meant to be, and passed warnings to the LAPD in regards to the new faction while they organized a response, assured they would be back no more than a day or two later.

Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (Adrian) Merciless Medic (Sara - Raph) The Regal Rper (Various)

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Hallerbos Forest, Belgium

Running while in pain, was not in fact easy. Adrenaline numbed the pain, but did not numb the strain one could instinctively feel in their body.

He had never been this angry before. Not in this way he could recall. What started as a spark of irritation picked up into a blaze. Not really caring any longer what happened to the others, since there was no doubt in his mind that they quite frankly would execute the last monster.

And in the event they didn't and Lady Luck fucked them over, he would at least make certain that Wren and he got away. After all, Wren was his Weapon- if Midori, Elly and Maria couldn't handle the beast then, well, they had at least they served their purpose as distractions.

It didn't immediately click how that specific line of thinking wasn't really like him.

Which brought up the question: Where was back up?

How slow could they be? How long did it take? What, did they expect Songbird to just be standing there waiting for more opponents to fight like a locked video game character required to clear a room?

The female golem had gone in a flash, literally! That's how long it took for him to watch her vanish.

Bitch was Flash but real and hot and he was as mad at her as he was at Midori and their non-existent reinforcement.

What sort of agents were they sending that were so slow they couldn't even show up to the fight on time.

Had everyone else heard the response, pieced together who she was and googled who she was fighting and decided, ‘fuck that shit I'm out’?

Because it was the smart move and he wished they all had more common sense before engaging in what, for Midori, would have been his resting place if his body were still human.

A jolt of pain raced up his legs when he had to move past a tripping style divend in the ground and the landing disagreed with his feet thoroughly even though the shoes were one of the few articles of clothing that survived his acid bath.

Why had he agreed to this? Why had he empathized again, just to have the turn out backstab him?

Lady Lucky had been nice but clearly not nice enough.

As much as he was back to most of his senses, there were still vestiges of what remained of his own madness lingering within and even if those were fading, the effect they had entirely hadn't. Pain, discomfort, irritation with the situation all added up and kept what was fading on dying embers enough that the thoughts went down a murky path.

A single thought made him realize what was happening though. A single, dark thought that said:

I should have killed them when I had the chance.Gone for them first instead of that stray soul.

And that was where he stopped and his expression shifted to one of growing realization and disgust.

He had to remind himself that he had willingly walked into this situation for good reason, knowing the danger as much as everyone else. He couldn't be angry at Midori--

--but, and there it was, that thought brought on by one’s own darkest demon--

Wasn't it kind of fucked up he sorta sabotaged them just to take satisfaction in becoming a Demon Scythe?

Did he really need that? Did he really deserve that after putting them all through this and himself by extrnsion? If he had died from the shock of that attack and the damage it did to his body so suddenly they would have all been screwed.

Why did he get to reap in the rewards, but stop them, stop him from doing what he could when the guy practically owed him.

He had vouched for him, when it was pretty damn clear the rest of the party wasn't interested and went in out of a sense of cohesion.

And this was how he got recompense? Shocked out of his mind and sent running like a scared child because he couldn't do a thing when danger was moving in on his own partner?

The thoughts were damning, but they didn't sway the meister as much as they would have earlier in his half-mad state.

There was a lot to say about one’s own internal madness. Some said one's own Madness said a lot about oneself. Revealed the darkest parts of who you were, the insecurities, the sides you didn't know about, the sides you kept hidden. In his Soul Studies there were tons of theories on the origin of Madness itself. Most traced to religious philosophical views.

That Lord Death was the root and his existence burned the very opposite in every living being since his rise. That Asura brought a period of terror which inserted the seed in every living being from the moment he went from a War Lord to The Kishin.

The simplest solution was that it was merely one of life’s mysteries that they had to live with.

Now, if Midori's intent hadn't been reasonable perhaps he would have carried on with that thought process, but, with his Madness mostly beaten into submission, the logical part of his brain pointed out something crucial. Something that stymied the flow as he slowed upon hearing Elly’s exhausted voice via comms.

It was a simple thought really. One akin to what had happen on Hoshi turf.

What if he wasn't as good as he thought?

It slowed him further as he stewed on that.

It wasn't hard to figure out the easiest explanation.

He had been slipping more than he even realized and Midori had acted wisely to stop him from making a bad situation worse. It was the right call-- yet-- just a few seconds ago he had been so angry that Midori and Elly had stolen from him. Stolen souls that were essentially anyone's grab. Stolen the chance for him to take and give Wren what she wanted, and in turn fulfilled a momentary goal of his. The anger had been so intense for a fraction of a second, right as he was getting the madness zapped into submission, then there was the pain, agonizing pain that brought clarity for a moment.

Moment must have not been good enough, he thought. Most people in their line of work, did their best to never feel that inner demon's touch…and he had…and it…was honestly kind of scary.

It was different helping someone through their inner demon when you had to fight your own too. This was his first time ever succumbing, he had always thought after Becky's incident and how he held it together and helped her fight hers, he would be able to shrug off anything that challenged his mind or spirit.

Guess this was something of a personal wake up call. Always thought it would take someone like Eros or Asura or some well known threat to push him to break.

Now though, as he recalled the thoughts he had moments ago as he turned back to the others, he realized that he had overestimated his capabilities, again.

Just like what being with the Hoshi had shown him what focused training he missed out on growing up could have been like.

Moving back to the others, Zosar realized that he honestly couldn't remember everything that had happened as he had been going through their soul space to awaken Wren. He recalled moments where he had fought the golem, went after the one Maria destroyed first, but he couldn't remember the parts specifically involving where he thought about attacking the others.

How Wren would benefit from consuming Midori's soul and Maria's. How eliminating Elly would ensure he got away clean.

…Wren's madness had been a big influence. And some part of him thought he should be mad at her for it. For tainting him and tempting him, making it easy for his own madness to take root but holding her, he couldn't find anything that would make the frustration turn on her. All he could feel was sympathy for what she endured. The fact some small part of him even raised the idea of blaming her, had him feel guilty.

She had done well. With a hunger so vast it was endless, she had done very well. That was a feeling he had never experienced, not truly, not like that at least.

For those two souls he knew he fed her, all they had been was just a crumb. The satisfaction hadn't hit enough, not like when he gave her his wavelength where the ache she made him feel faded temporarily before demanding more, but he recalled the last sensible thought he had was refusing to give her more of his wavelength. And so he had decided to turn her on the golems and if Midori hadn't stopped him, the team would have been next too. He recalled that feeling clearly.

He had always thought that if his Madness were to manifest or if it ever related to anything, it would be like his father. Rage. Anger, righteous fury. The Wrath of someone pushed beyond.

Instead it was…selfish desire? Megalomania? Personal achievement? Maybe it had been about power but that didn't feel right.

He didn't feel like he needed more power. He had that in spades. Kenneth had shown him that. Even if they weren't truly the same he has been able to see what someone akin to him would be like at in their best form. Right now all he needed to do was get better at using it. Just better tools to execute what he already had vast amounts of.

What he knew was that he had been focused on himself. Wren hadn't truly mattered to that part of him gone mad. No one here really had. What had mattered to him about her was that she did not try to eat him and he kept her under control- his control, initially he had thought that was just his normal thought process. He needed to keep her in check so she didn't become a corrupted soul…but how could he do that if he was feeding her madness? At what point had he slipped and not even realized he had been slipping?

Was he so prideful that he hadn't even realized the danger he was putting them both in and needed someone else to bail him out?

Was that how it worked when you were falling into an episode? He knew rationale was hard for some, near impossible for others but with how he had seen himself…

…And to think he had always thought himself as humble.

To say he was in a good mood when he reached the others was a lie. He was angry, more at himself but it didn't show on his face. Quiet and thoughtful.

Wren remained on his shoulder. It was painful, his body aches, he wanted to put her down honestly and his legs hurt. He could have just asked Maria to use her dolls to take her off his shoulders but…how she touched Alicia…

Internally he sighed.

He didn't want to care about her feelings right now. He didn't really care that Midori had even achieved Death Scythe status, some small part of him was happy for his friend but he honestly didn't want to think about it. It would just remind him of the darker thoughts he had while half-mad. Years of killing criminals. Years of infiltrating all sorts of groups and organizations as a child warrior. Years of ruthlessly executing a target and finding satisfaction in it, as warped as that was, he knew he did just as he knew he had when they faced off against Royal Pain.

Yet he drew the line at someone he liked and their personal feelings.

His mother would have found some amusement in that, were she still alive. Might have called him soft, in both a patronizing and affectionate way only she had.

Dropping Wren unceremoniously to the ground was an option but he couldn't find it anywhere in him to do that to her while she was unconscious, hadn't been annoying, and would also be feeling whatever lingering effects the collar hadn't knocked her out of.

Besides he owed her for that small part of him that thought about placing more guilt on her shoulders.

“Everything hurts to put it simply. I doubt El’s doing any better though. I'm glad at least our new Death scythe friend is alive.”

A minute ago he would have said that with no real way to determine how genuine that really was. Back to his senses though he knew he meant it.

He shifted the arm carrying Wren and his face twitched before his jaw set as his burns agitated once more.

Grunting he tried to use wavelength and winced again, forgetting he was still in recovery. Couldn't even use a small dose to chase away fatigue.

Great.

“Let’s just get going.” He stated dryly. Over it, in regards to their backup at least.

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Interactions: Haze- Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Western European Branch HQ, Canterbury, England​

As events unfolded, the reinforcements that were originally dispatched would never arrive.

Luckily, their fates were not the same as the eight agents lost and turned into corpse puppets by the sadistic spiritual magic of Eros. At least, not most of them. The group would eventually learn that the golems known formally as Lady Crimson and Royal Pain both made their way to Russia. Royal Pain escaped far sooner and slipped through the cracks in the net cast by the DWMA. Lady Crimson came later, but she didn't a crack to slip through; she hit a few agents hard and fast, then simply couldn't be caught. Not that they didn't try, just that Lady Crimson was too damn fast for anything but elite to compete with.

That did not mean the five Fate Agents were left alone and unattended. It wouldn't have been twenty minutes before a secondary team of agents, less combat oriented, found them while surveying the area and eventually had them back on track to the DWMA. In the mean time, the Death Golem already had Lord Kidd of all people in direct contact, but even the Shinigami couldn't magically deal with the situation from half the world away. Instead, he pulled a few strings to make sure the Western European Branch would take care of them.

For as a problematic as he may have been, it was a boon to have someone so close to the Shinigami. Even if it didn't outright do a lot for them, it did save them time and some of the red tape that might have been present for five meager Fate Agents trying to otherwise explain their actions to an entirely different and somewhat unwelcoming branch.

The first step before taking them anywhere was to assess just how severe their Madness was. These types of precautions were common, especially in the advent of MIBVI. In fact, the first group capable of doing such an assessment was a MIBVI Response Team. On that group was someone, like Elly, who possessed Super Soul Perception and could evaluate just how much the Madness had infected them.

It no doubt would have caused some mixed emotions in Zosar to learn that his partner, still unconscious from the injection, had effectively had a Madness outbreak. She had her own Madness Wavelength that coursed into him and now there existed an active spark of Madness inside her. She would need watched and new precautions would be put in place. However, it also meant that Zosar had actively been subjected directly to her Madness. He was especially sensitive at the moment. Any voice inside of him that questioned the decision to knock out Wren would have been quelled by cold, hard logic.

Maria had been touched by her Pull quite significant, but the Sorceress seemed to dance with the devil to her own damned tempo instead of falling directly into his hands. It was a delicate tight rope to walk. Many Witches tried to use the Pull to empower themselves only to ultimately become power hungry fiends. Chances are, if Maria continued her waltz of destruction, she too would fall prey to it. As for now, she was fairly stable. Inklings of her Pull might have remained, but those would fade with time. It was something she was warned by both the Meister assessing her and Mirai in her youth that she should watch and never rely on. The Pull was a double-edged sword.

The Death Golem was surprisingly fine. Almost untouched by the Madness, though such made sense. He was marble for half of the worst exposure and protected in part due to his recent transformation. Elly, while sensitive, bounced back likely somewhere between her partner and Maria. With no predisposing factor making her likely to go Mad and no direct contact with it, she would come out mostly shaken, but nothing that time would not mend.

The MIBVI Response Team did what they could in the moment, which mostly boiled down to the use of a Healing Wavelength to try and eliminate the mental strain each of these agents faced. This would quell the voices inside of the unconscious Wren for the moment, give Zosar a sense of clarity about how actions on the battlefield, calm down Elly, and assure Maria was in full control over herself. Aside from that, the group would need to go to HQ where they could receive more adequate help.

Which was their next stop. The Western European Branch was located in Canterbury and the five were allowed a flight there and respite. Now this might not sound like a lot, but for the branch that was arguably the most resistant to the Shinigami to be openly taking them in and providing treatment so eagerly was large statement in and of itself. The internal politics were complicated, to say the least. At the highest end of leadership, there was always official support and teamwork between the branches. Go one step lower and that leadership provided to be a charade as opinions shifted. Many agents didn't trust other branches whatsoever; they were localized. It was not as if there was some alliance between the Western and Eastern European Branches, either; they distrusted each other as much as they did the main branch.

Worse, some refused to acknowledge Fate Agents as proper Agents of the DWMA. Logic being that if they were only deemed an Agent due to a remedial program only existing in another branch, then within their own branch, they should hold no title.

Due to the nature of this encounter, however, those opinions were kept to themselves.

Instead, Zosar and Wren were taken to a hospital in the Western HQ where they were treated not only for their wounds, but also by agents that possessed an Anti-Demon Wavelength. Combined, this would suppress any residual Madness in them for the moment. Zosar would most definitely come out of the situation somewhat more sensitive to Madness, but it was not a permanent type of sensitivity. It was not his Madness that broke out, after all. Wren was not so lucky. She developed a more permanent Madness sensitivity. From this day on, it would be a persistent struggle for her. Undoubtedly, she would need to invest in Calm Mind training and understanding the nature of her Madness to best combat it.

Maria again came out of this scenario fairly well-off. The Western European Branch was surprisingly tolerant of Witchkind, much more so than the Eastern Branch. She was given well enough treatment and a chance to call Mirai on a secure line. Furthermore, upon some explanation of her need of a workshop for repairs, some of the handlers there gave her clearance to the Magitech workshops they had. While nowhere near as advanced as the one back in Death City, it did give her access to plenty of tools. She may not have had all of her resources, but simply requests like lumber, a forge, so on and so forth could be acquired for her. Given the situation, it was more then amenable and quite unexpected.

The reason for the kindness though was made fairly clear through the investigation of Elly and her partner. The two were also treated for their injuries, though both of them needed far less than Zosar and Wren. The two were questioned within a group call between Cyrus, Lord Kidd, and the head of the Western European Branch, Adam Laurent. Much like Cyrus, Adam was a discerning Death Scythe. High expectations and difficult to please. Also, a French asshole with a not-so-slight superiority complex.

With Lord Kidd directly involved, the branch was on its best behavior for these five; the F.A.T.E. Program was hit pet project, after all. More so, this initial debriefing was the best chance Adam had to get unfiltered information as after they returned to the United States, he doubted he would receive nearly as much communication.

The questioning began. All those within the room were aghast by the events. Eros posed a far greater threat than anyone realized. Additionally, pulled from sketches made of the individuals described within the combat, the Western Branch was already on their way to identifying them. One was easy: Ao Mitsuki. The rest were left in the air. Regardless, the most concerning piece of information was that Eros could effectively make these agents even more dangerous, grant them memories of techniques that would effectively bypass the need for training, and of course now possessed the soul of Astila Stein. The agents might not have known it, but what they were telling their leaders would literally go on to change the landscape of the DWMA.

Then came the topic of the Death Golem formerly known as Midori. Congratulations were in order for his evolution to Death Scythe. Lord Kidd had explained that even from this great a distance, he could feel the change occur due to their latent connection. More so, it seemed whatever small sliver of Shinigami Soul that was inside of the golem had evolved with him, though it uncertain how. A point brought up by Cyrus was his name. The golem rejected the name Midori, though he would still accept Hoshi. Cyrus was quite blunt and simply aired out what everyone was thinking: the lack of a name was annoying.

Lord Kidd was more curious about the nature of his soul than his name. It was then that Kidd asked Adam about a specific item; a Demon Tool created by Eibon some time after the creation of Demon Weapons in general. Adam knew it, and knew it's proper name: The Miroir D'eau Argentée. It had another name, though: Shalott's Mirror. Though, it truly wasn't a mirror at all. It was large, convex silver bowl that created a water mirror when clear enough water was poured into it and allowed to become still. The water in this case was the mirror. The Demon Tool itself was designed by Eibon to give an understanding of the unique abilities of Demon Weapons. It was immensely helpful in the beginning, but now was only used for Death Scythes. All one had to do was fill it water, peer into it, then drink from said water. They would then gain an understanding of whatever traits were present of the person whose reflection was in the water.

And, Adam would have gladly provided such a service... but the mirror had been stolen, and was for some time. It simply wasn't a high priority to reacquire it due to its rare uses. Death Scythes weren't common and not a lot of people knew of a Demon Tool that could give insight to a soul. Beyond that, it was a treasure of their branch. Each branch had a few special items or methods that helped them along, and this was one of theirs. The last anyone had heard about it, it was held by a Hag within the forests of Gwynedd in Wales. Hags are Fae creatures, notoriously difficult to deal with.

This led to the newest mission for the team Elly led.

Elly was given a day to recuperate, then make off to the Gwynedd Preserve; 279 acres and apparently one of the last refuges of the Fae. She would lead the same team as before and do all she could to regain Shalott's Mirror for Adam and his branch. Adam had no qualms with this so long as the mirror returned to his branch. He would see to it that the five present Fate Agents were tended to and given as much respite as they could. Furthermore, Kidd insisted that they overnight another device before the five sat out. With Wren in her current state and being a werewolf, he insisted she had her current collar swapped out and additional bracelets be provided to assist with suppressing her Madness. Those collars only worked once unless replaced, and he had no intention on letting Wren go out there and risk it all.

He also insisted that their Golem friend pick a name or at least a stage name to go by before they left out.

Thus, our agents were brought as five to a briefing. They were allowed a proper briefing room with a large 3D map of the Gwynedd Preserve and what little information was present about the Hag and Fae in the area. Elly would be given the chance to explain to Maria, Zosar, and Wren what their next steps were. Their next mission, the new items for Wren, and of course a chance to mingle over what should be the new name of this new Death Scythe. Or, to bitch at him for what occurred on the previous mission.

Whatever they did, it was fairly clear that there was no rest for the wicked and they wouldn't even be given enough time to be at their best for their next mission. Furthermore, they would be up against a Fae; a foe none of them had experience with. In fact, it wasn't even clear if combat was the best bet.

The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Cyrus Kallis​

"Blue Reaper"​

Species Human (Weapon)
Partner Lord Kidd
Rank Three-Star

Location Conference Room, DWMA Main Grounds, Death City
Mission Return of the Stalker
Status Serious

​

Tags: Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Chibistaryuu

September 20th, 2067​

Yet again, Cyrus found himself giving some type of special attention to these Fate Agents.

Not just any Fate Agents, either; there were a few hundred in the roster now, and those from these first groups tended to consume his time the most. Or, at least the most without being removed from the program or outright dying.

In this specific situation, he couldn't even place them at fault. He could scrutinize some of their decisions, sure, but all rookies made mistakes. The reason they were here in this room talking to him wasn't caused by some mistake of theirs. The fact there was no one to blame for this use of his time was likely the true source of his frustration. Cyrus greatly preferred the ability to put a face to a name, or in this case, assign a name to a problem. That made things easy. It made solutions simple.

Instead, he had this complicated mess in front of him created entirely by happenstance.

He stood over the table which itself was illuminated with multiple projected copies of the paperwork he had been preparing for most of the day, all awaiting the arrival of Nadia and her assorted team. He stared down at different lines of texts intently, their off-white glow radiating up to his golden eyes which falter even once the agents had entered the room. As with most of the conference rooms, it was a decent-sized room with no windows and the rectangular smart table installed, creating the mostly white lights they had become accustomed to while the rest was the soft, warm light of the gentle LED's that were installed all throughout the massive building.

One could sit at this table; it had chairs and a lip that extended out from the screen that projected images. Some did, some didn't. Cyrus rarely elected to sit. Instead, he focused. One hand supporting his chin while the other laid over his torso with his hand wrapped around that elbow, as if to have his arms half-crossed. It, in general, gave him the typical closed-off body language he was known for.

"You lot are in quite the precarious position, and unfortunately there is little to be done about it," he told them, his voice monotonous yet his frustration obvious.

"Davis has been running tests on our captive cultists. They're not significantly stronger than your average civilian, but their endurance is abnormal. Not their resistance to damage, mind you, but their tolerance of it. You can hurt them just as easily as you could a regular person, but they can survive nearly lethal damage. In fact, they can probably survive damage most of us can't," Davis explained, giving them the rundown of what Davis had found about the few low-level cultists they had to test.

"Every single one we've found is slowly going mad, but there's no immediate wavelength. We aren't sure what's causing it," he continued, "and equally concerning is that Davis has confirmed that their bursts of strength or madness show similar patterns to how Dani consumes oxygen to use her tail."

"You seemed to be on the right track trying to climb their ladder," he told them, finally lifting his eyes for a brief moment.

"Then came the most problematic development yet," he told them.

He touched a few of the projected papers that hovered above the table and flung them over, causing them to slide closer to the group. They were available for anyone to read. And, if any of them were literate on these smart tables, they could have made quick copies for everyone to read, so long as they sat around the table.

"You can read as much as you want there, but I'll keep it brief on my end. European and Western religions have historically opposed the Shinigami for as far back as we can find to varying degrees. Following the colonialization of the Americas, this opposition became greater. If your curious, a lot of it is documented in those files. Lord Death kept the existence of entire continents secret, and apparently neither Great Britain or the Catholic Church were content with that decision--and that's just one reason," he told them, though skimming over a large sum of information to keep it condensed.

"Many of these faiths, most predominantly Abrahamic or some type of adjacent belief, came together in their disdain from the Shinigami. They tried to prevent Lord Death from having any significant role in the development of America and did a fairly good job at it for quite some time. It wasn't until the first president was elected that the situation turned around. The group that opposed the Shinigami became known as the Church Fathers. Those that supported him in secret did so under the guise of Freemasonry. Historically, it has been a battle of church and state ever since," Cyrus explained, though this time revealing to the group what were once closely-held secrets. In the current state of affairs, they were all but irrelevant.

"The Paladins you encountered are soldiers of sorts. They fairly impressive warriors and they have adapted Soul Studies to fit their... dogma, to word it politely," he told them, finally getting into the actual details of how the group functioned.

"From what we have gathered, they reject all non-humans or human-variants. Demon Weapons included," he explained, "and have found an alternative method for the lack of Resonance between a weapon and Meister."

"Chain Resonance on a large scale. It's typically not possible to get more than ten or twelve people to use Chain Resonance without some special technique or absurd feat of wavelength control. They accomplish it through prayer. Apparently, by training their priests to steel their mind and soul in a uniform manner, they can use prayer to chain dozens if not hundreds of people into one individual and empower them," he told them, explaining the mechanics and using a simplistic network of on the projector screen. It showed the normal resonance between a Meister and Demon Weapon, Chain Resonance between them, and then the start contrast of a couple dozen individuals empowering one.

"We don't know everything about their methods yet. We have had to employ spies to learn what we do. What I can tell you is that the Paladins are their elite. There are only twelve, apparently. There are claims that some Paladins have some unique abilities, but mostly that they all grow considerably more powerful when more people are praying. I'm not sure what the exact ratio is, but according to my sources, once they reach over a hundred, they're comparable to a Three-Star duo," he told them.

He then stopped, and sighed, just shaking his head. He ran his fingers up to his eyebrows, then down around his eyes to ultimately squeeze his nose.

"It's not even their power that's the problem. They have what is effectively diplomatic immunity," Cyrus told them, now letting his frustration out far more openly.

"Most governments, including the U.S. government, have given them similar clearance to what we possess and on average, civilians trust them more. Even if you could beat them, you can't actually fight them. And, I'm not saying you couldn't beat them; so don't take that as a challenge," Cyrus told them, getting more heated about the topic. "I'm saying that you will lose in the court of public opinion and it may be severe enough to impact the employment of even a normal agent, let alone a Fate Agent," he admitted, just outright explaining the situation.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Mirai - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium - Western European Branch HQ, Canterbury, England​

With events resolved, well, survived, more fittingly, Maria spent her time searching the bodies and remains, collecting personal effects, fingerprints, or bite imprints when and where possible and leaving this material and information atop and secured to each body, given the DWMA could actually recover these. There were many questions and one thing she felt the need to say. But for here and now they were all too busy, had much to deal with, much to do. Hearing they would near immediately be sent on another mission, the Sorcerers frowned, though not all was so bad. The Western branch was very kind to her and provided her with a workspace to repair and reforge her equipment, and as a bonus, communications with Mirai. The first for the asking, the 2nd was offered by their own accord.

And she indeed took up that offer, with a closed room that had a video screen, she went into detail of what happened on the mission, from the mage killer, her suspicions that the golems, or slaves were purpose made, her own fall to the pull, and recovery from it. Looking at her former student Mirai took on a more somber expression as the tale continued to grow and said nothing till all was finished.

"How interesting... Very, the one that attacked you sounds very familiar to me, by reputation, but I cannot quite place why in the here and now. Still, I cannot say it pleases me that you used the pull, however, you did not truly call upon it, so much as the madness amplification calling upon it. Your pull and madness being aimed to order is the natural counter and defense to that of chaos and fear, but that is the reason you were isolated as a child. And why only I had the willingness to try and do more with you.

You may not realize it, but you have changed a great deal from then, though this new path you have chosen will only bring you more pain. The life of a Mortal will never be more than owning a goldfish for a child, though you now show more emotion than back then. Order when taken to its most extreme is one of the most dangerous things that can be unleashed. Even during your battle, I am sure the thought of ripping them apart and rebuilding them came to mind. Though given this was a struggle for life and death and your allies were incapacitated, then I see no reason to not make use of what you had. Not that you had any choice per see, short of fleeing or learning mental fortitude. Hmm... Maybe learning some of the theory behind how the Meisters and Weapons withstand madness would be of use to you... Well, what good any of that training did them here."

A pause, Mirai had said what she wished, and now in turn would allow Maria to pick it up.

"It may be worth looking into, the Meister and weapon skills, or their training methods. Though I must say, it is because they were so short lived that they are worth remembering. Thier little quirks are worth remembering, their lives worth preserving for what little they are allowed, I cannot get close but to so few, but I will not forget them either."

"You will only find pain on this path, while I wish to walk alongside mankind, I know they will likely never fully accept us, just as most of ours will seek to kill them because of a lack of discipline and primitive urges, however, the killing must stop, it doesn't matter who started it, it will only destroy one or both sides. Though, to hear all of this about this Eros. He was one of those who could not accept the new peace and only existed within the DWMA to kill all things magic. How hilariously twisted that now he is little more than he sought to destroy. No, if anything he is far worse."

"Indeed, that may be so, but even still, I am your student and one that has always been set to my own ways. As to him... I will see his creations freed, or destroyed. And I... Can I ask you to reconsider what I asked in the Stadium? I, just wish to have that."

With that, Mirai let out a deep sigh and stared at the monitor for a good long while, before she finally spoke. "You were always that way, wanting to impress me, and I was just focused on making you into something to show I would not be a failure, but you've truly grown beyond my designs. I will consider it, now that I've came to learn about humans a bit more. Their world was always yours, I'm not sure you would ever take kindly to the Witch's realm, not that I have ever much liked it either... You have work to do, go do it, time may slow for us, but it does not stop."

"Alright... You are right, they are already sending us on another mission, I'm not sure the Meister pairs with me are up to it, but yes, I should get back to this. We'll talk again I'm sure." "Indeed. And do not use the Pull again for that mission at least, we all can only bounce back from it but so often, others become addicted to the power...and do not sacrifice yourself... A bridge that is knocked down has no use at all, your friends are worth but so much." And with that the feed was cut.

~~~

The following hours were split between work and sleeping, she was afforded but a little rest in making sure everything was in tip top shape. Once she was satisfied she simply fell asleep at her workstation, lost in the hum of magitech machines. The following day, Maria kept her thoughts to herself about this mission and what to name Midori. Her thoughts on the matter would likely anger his new form, for as she seen it, Lady Crimson was wrong, as was Midori. They were indeed not those people, but they were running from those people, the responsibility and the pain. Even a copy can surpass an original and stand on its own. But, if that was what he wished, who was she to stop it?

Still looking at Elly and the briefing map, she spoke up. "I'm sorry about yesterday..." Then her attention shifted back to the mission with a simple question, or two, "How big is this mirror, or its weight, and what are we to do with this Hag? They are deeply steeped in the realm of magic as are most of the Fae."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Elly) Sir Les Paul (Midori) (Lady Crimson) The Regal Rper (Zosar) Haze- (Wren)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - DWMA HQ
​

With the jet lag setting in Nadia was able to reach the briefing room, just as the late afternoon, if not, night was setting in. It was hard to tell, what with the lack of windows. As the debriefing went about, Nadia snorted and shook her head vigorously to the left and right, an index finger pressing in on the report. As the others, or at least Sara, Raph, Adrian and Dani were allowed in, forming their own thoughts, Nadia was quick to speak Candidly as she often did.

"Bullshit, we watched one of them scale a building and others break cuffs, your average civilian can't open a jar of pickles without help half the time."

She said at the first bit on them not being any stronger, then of the madness and how the power works. "Da, we learned a bit about that, though I will say, do not underestimate them, that madness spikes, I wouldn't put it past them to being purposely calm now. Better off killing them all. I do not know how the madness comes to them, but I can tell you this cult is likely much larger than we suspect and likely has someone in it that knows what Dani now has. However, from how the prisoners reacted, it was like the other one, heresy and shock. Also they were docile while Dani was around, though the madness spiked and we had to leave, after we did so, all hell broke loose."

As the next bits, it was more of the garbage of politics, mixed with some useful information, though a good deal of it did not please her at all. "The Abrahamic Faiths have always been a problem, like that shit they pulled with the trees and souls, the Soviet Government was correct in its treatment of them." While that may start a fire in some quarters, perhaps even so here she continued,

"If that is the case, then they are in more danger than we were, Chain Resonance has its own downsides, if they were delt with before this then they would not be such a foe to have now... More so with them standing for what they do, I have Ice Blood, Adrian and Dani are weapons, one of which comes with a hidden feature, Raph is a mage, Sara is a, no offense, broken werewolf that can't hide this, Eva is no longer a factor I assume, which if you send us out again that is going to need addressing...

Now, as to these Paladins, there were two or three of them there,I am not so sure, two introduced themselves as being such and one spoke to them as equals, the lesser soldiers were in numbers below a hundred so far, unless they were elsewhere." Pausing for a bit as she considered the next bit, Nadia shakes her head with a sigh.

"It's not like I planned to fight them, they even wished to work together, but I got the feeling we would be fighting them when all was said and done. If they started a fight with us would it even matter? They can just go "No, it was you." The Public are fucking idiots, we are bound to protecting them, but if they like a bunch of guys running around like it's 1300 AD, by all means... Still, what do we do now? If we go back it sounds like a big headache, "<going around the elbow to reach the asshole.>" Looking at the papers she gave a shurg, gesturing with her hands at the collection.

"And what if they want to fight us? I suspect they were warriors, soldiers as you say, I suspect they will fight us upfront. After all they do not sound like an organization that can tollerate the DWMA, or anything not pure human existing. Cultists by another name. So what do we do now? Rest of you have thoughts, complaints, what have you?"


Interactions/Mentions: EmperorsChosen (Dani) Sir Les Paul (Adrian) Merciless Medic (Sara - Raph) The Regal Rper

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Daniella Ethalyn - DWMA HQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Listening to what Cyrus and Nadia both had to say, Dani had her arms folded with her fingers nervously tapping along her bicep. The church fucks didn't sit right with her, but what was more concerning was the cult they were initially sent to deal with. The was they spoke and the things they said were too accurate to what she herself had seen to be simple mad ramblings, or it was one hell of a coincidence.

"Yeah, the moment they saw my tail they went comatose pretty much... Except one, and the way he spoke about the high they're chasing made it sound pretty close to where I got this fuckin' thing," Dani murmured with displeasure.

Once Cyrus threw them over dossiers related to the church, Dani tapped the hovering data and scrolled through them. Everything Cyrus said about them pissed her off. She didn't like politics, and it was hard to not take offense to one who wanted your existence gone. The more that was revealed, the more Dani felt it was good they didn't inform the group too much, especially about her ability.

"Yeah, they wanted to work together, or at least exchange information. At least one of them seemed rather relaxed talking to me despite knowing I was a Demon Weapon..." Dani stated before glancing at the others. "...How likely are those fucks to stab us in the back considering what Nadia said? Diplomatic immunity, fine I can't clock any of them. Wouldn't the same apply to us?"

Then again, that would make sense in a perfect world, which this wasn't. Dani's scowl intensified slightly. "...Or are we essentially relying on their good nature for us to not get fucked over politically?" The Demon Sword didn't really care if she was disliked. However, it seemed being disliked would be the least of their concerns should relations crumble.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic The Regal Rper

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Western European Branch HQ, Canterbury, England
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly stood in the briefing room with a cup of coffee and somewhat tired expression. Following the prior day's events, she was treated and checked out and although she had regained her composure, the night of rest did little for her sore body and fatigued mind. Midori, or whoever he was now, and her hadn't spoke much yesterday. She was still calming down from the madness spikes for part of it and fatigued for the latter of it, after all, though what little they did speak Elly made clear she wasn't pleased. That displeasure likely only mounted when they were told they would be immediately sent on another mission to reclaim an artefact to analyze Not-Midori's new status as a Death Scythe.

Elly flipped through the digital records, what there was, regarding the area, mirror, and hag. Sipping from the coffee as she did so, her eyes turned to the others. Not-Midori wasn't any worse for wear, which was simultaneously a good thing and somewhat irked her at the same time, not that Elly wanted him to have a hole in his chest or anything. Zosar and Wren still seemed to be reeling from the madness outbreak, and Wren now wore a whole assortment of new precautions because of it. Elly questioned the logic of sending the both of them out again so soon, but that wasn't her call. Maria seemed to be in the next best shape to her and Not-Midori, and was back to her senses.

"...It's fine," Elly replied simply. She wasn't offended, if that was what the sorceress was worried about. It frightened her at the time, but it was simply something to keep under consideration if Maria used her pull again.

Pulling up a photo of the Demon Tool, Elly stepped back so the others could view it. "It's a large, convex silver bowl. Not so large we cannot carry it," She answered simply before swiping to what information there was of the hag. "The issue will be her. I'm not wholly familiar with such creatures, though I know they are a fae. In folk tales back home they're supposed goddesses of harvest that portray themselves as horrid until someone who can love and accept them appears, at which point they reveal themselves... but I'm not so sure we should rely on such tales given that in other regions such tales depict them drowning children in rivers or cannibalizing wanderers..."

Sighing at that, adding to everything else, this was the exact kind of mission Elly disliked. The kind they were almost entirely blind in.

"Suffice to say, we should attempt to avoid fighting at first, though nonetheless proceed with caution... Perhaps Zosar can go charm her," Elly mused, though with her dry tone it was difficult to tell if that was a genuine suggestion or part of her usual wit. Leaving little time to discern that, she looked to new Death Scythe. "As for you... What are we going to call you? Cyrus was right. Lacking a name is quite inconvenient. Unless you want us to just call you Hoshi?"

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Haze-

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location New Temple, Egypt
Mission TBD
Status Focused

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Peckinou EmperorsChosen Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

Gauss made a mistake in wishing this mission was more interesting. The realization hit him of just how limited some of his techniques were within this room.

Arkayis honestly could have made relatively easy work out of the vast majority of these undead foes, but there came a cost to his flames: oxygen. The temple might have had a draft somewhere, sure; it wasn't likely to be entirely sealed off in terms of air. That didn't mean it could support the sheer intensity of Arkayis' flames for long. His fire would need to be used sparingly, if at all. Worse was that Arkayis actually had a technique suitable for this situation, but it caused explosions which might be a problem for Ark.

There was also no telling how effective Noah and his electricity would be, all things considered. If they were to resonate, it would surely deal some spiritual damage, but would it be worth the cost.

Gauss wasn't afraid of the foes, more so frustrated that he was so limited in the combat. With Annika harmed and a civilian in the form of Moreau, this would have been a great time for a wall of fire, but yet again, limited. Besides that, a wall of fire would have done little to deflect the incoming volley of arrows. Unfortunately, whatever metal tipped these arrows, it wasn't one he could manipulate freely. Which made some semblance of sense to him; he knew ironworking came relatively recently in the span of human civilization.

He knew full-well that he could react to the arrows being fired in his direction. By his estimation, so could Feng, though doubtful she would be deflecting as much as dodging. Arrows were far slower than bullets, and these arrows were ancient with heavier metals. If anything, he questioned how they had lasted so long, but with magic in the mix, such would prove to be a fruitless question. Instead, he took this as an opportunity to demonstrate his growth as a combatant. In the past with Noah, he would swirled Noah in a rapid circle, blocking incoming projectiles in the same way a propeller would slice apart pidgeon.

That, however, was an ineloquent and wasteful solution. Instead, Gauss decided use the head of Noah in another flurry of strikes, not unlike how he had destroyed those first zombies, but this time aim the end of Noah at the head of each arrow. This would push not only his aim, but his raw speed. He would not only need withdraw Noah faster than the flight of these arrows to attack again, but do so multiple times for any arrow that was on a path en route to actually hit him.

Lo and behold, Gauss delivered. The specific strike he was making was already baked well into his muscle memory, making it the exact type of move to benefit from wavelength amplification. Those superhuman reflexes were simply more super with tasks of repetition, and that's exactly what the foundations of bojutsu were.

With the threat of the arrows dealt with for the time being, Gauss now had a brief chance to mull over his options. He decided that the Earth Sorcerer Ark might just have to try and bare through the situation.

"Ark, listen," Gauss shouted.

"The best option I have for this fight involves a lot of small explosions," Gauss told him, "can you handle that? If you freak out, I don't want you bringing this whole damn place down."

Meanwhile, he was also conversing with his weapons internally.

'Arky, buddy, we may not have an option but to use that new ability of yours. Just try and keep the explosions small; collateral damage will get us bitched at,' he said, trying to prepare Arkayis. In truth, they hadn't use that technique in actual combat yet. It was slightly niche. Creating a flame without oxygen was more like generating small explosions of superheated plasma. In most cases, it wasn't significantly better than simply using his jet flames. In a place where suffocation was an option, it gave Arkayis at least one tool that wasn't a double-edged sword.

'Noah, even if Ark agrees, I want you prepared with your Healing Wavelength. If he freaks out, we're gonna shock the PTSD right out of him; or try to. It's that or a cave-in,' Gauss said, explaining the half of the plan that Noah would be responsible for soon. It wasn't much, but it could mean the difference between a crumbled temple and a stable battlefield. Gauss knew Ark could still go off the rails regardless of how well his therapist said he was doing. He hoped some forewarning and the understanding the explosions were on their side might help him rationalize it.

 

[Haze-]

Wren
Western European Branch HQ; Canterbury, England​

Wren’s eyes shot wide awake when the sorceress spoke up, ears flaring and a quick buff leaving her nostrils. She flinched. She’d been flinching, shuddering and feeling the recoil crawling under her own skin every now and then since yesterday. Looking around wildly, clawing at her neck like the same needle would dig into it. Like that same zap of lightning would knock her lights out. Then her eyes would look for Midori, his hands. No remote.

She felt like a miserable dog.

Something grumbled at her throat, and she pulled at the tight fit collar choking her neck, scratched at the bracelets. A dog on a leash, at that.

She’d had her head bobbed to a shoulder the whole meeting, catching back up on the non-hours of shut eye she’d so gracefully, kind-heartedly been given. She wasn’t listening, didn’t need to listen. Wherever they would’ve expected her to give one of her usual quips or tug at someone’s chain, instead she stilled like a bloated rain cloud pinned on a clear sky.

It was out of place for her to look so gloomy, but understandable nonetheless. After all, those were countless months of effort and recovery gone in the blink of an eye, down the drain. Hell, she was worse off now than ever before, even if she didn’t hurt anyone this time around. Worse, she could only blame herself for following.

She tried reasoning with herself after that failure simmered in her mind. She told herself that it’d been her first mission after a while, that she’d gotten too excited, that she’d been too naive because of it. That, even in her bullishness, she’d done her job well. Someone would recognize that it was just a slip-up.

Like a damn toddler, looking over teary eyed at the mess she’d made, she came to the conclusion that it wasn’t her fault.

But now that she’d settled with the thought…

The world felt like a slog when she peered at it on that lens of blamelessness, when she looked at it with the eyes of the person she was at the time. She felt slothful, work-shy; she wasn’t doing her job right with those eyes.

So, she was trying different contacts now, getting used to the feel of them.

Beelzebub had been right in what he’d told her back in that dreamscape, that annoying little jester. She cared too much. For the wrong people too.

It was time for a change.

“I don’t think any of us is feeling any loving or accepting, boss. Reckon we just grab the thing and twist the hag’s head off if she gets in the way, no?” — She spoke in a toneless voice, didn’t fit her, through a shameless sigh and a yawn — “If we’re going off old folk tale logic, then we can just stuff the old bitch in the oven at her candy-house and call it a day.”

The hilarity of being thrown head-first into a new mess for the Hoshi’s sake wasn’t lost on her either, they could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes. Didn’t matter how much they’d sugar it saying it was an effort to return the west euro branch’s magic mirror, Wren knew it was for Midori. Did it make her hold any hard feelings against him? Did it make her skin crawl with anger, just the thought?

No.

If Elly were to have spared a glance over with that keen soul perception of hers, she would’ve seen…absolutely nothing. Because that is all there was to feel about the fact, nothing. It was amusing to finally figure out the world did revolve around some, that was all. Nothing else. Nothing more.

She’d been feeling a whole lot of nothing since yesterday.

Wren punched in another yawn, crossing her arms and glaring half-lidded eyes at Not-Midori once Elly brought the spotlight to him — “Better roll off the tongue easy…else I ain’t calling you that.”

RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

???☆Hoshi​

N/A​

Species Death Golem
Partner Eloise Keegan
Rank Two-Star

Location Western European Branch HQ, Canterbury, England
Mission A Reflection of Question
Status Relaxed

​

Tags: The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Haze-

His fingers flipped with a type of graceful weightlessness through the tablet provided. It was a gentle touch one might have expected from a musician playing their instrument with just enough force to make it sing. Just a small observation, not unlike how the blue-filtered light of the tablet made the distinction between his two eyes more pronounced. The truth of what he was doing was far more dull than it appeared; he was reading through all of the information the tablets had on the area and this alleged hag.

He ran into some annoying problems. There was a history of the DWMA and others making deals with a hag in this location, but never if it was the same hag. In fact, appearances varied from account to account. He couldn't find a consistent name in any of them. A majority of the time, the Hag made a deal to help out those in need, in exchange for something of value. And, most of the time, what the hag requested was material, sometimes costly, but more so oddly specific. In one of these odd instances, she even provided an item to be serviced. In this case, her payment was for a Steinway & Sons piano lid to be refinished and returned to the location. As far as Hags went, there were far more malevolent requests she could have made.

Assuming this was the same hag in the dozens of accounts over the last few centuries, she hadn't been a significant problem. The only real friction occurred when someone, for whatever reason, couldn't hold their end of the bargain. She would curse them and the DWMA would need to intervene to mend the situation. Often, as this hag seemed to be quite the material soul, the solution was as simple as effectively paying her off in one way or another. Most of the worse situations were from individuals actively seeking her out to make a request, wherein she was far less forgiving of said greed.

Nothing of substance. Nothing of use. Nothing that detailed out her powers and her curses tended to be more of a nuisance than true affliction. There was likely a reason that the European Branch hadn't poured some resources into solving this problem. It probably wasn't the risk. Fae could be dangerous, Hags were no less than the Witches of the Fae world, and right now they were in Europe where the word Hag was used to refer to a myriad of creatures that may not all actually be hags. This could have been some other type of creature. The Fae were as diverse as they were mysterious.

Not that anyone at present would know. Even Maria likely had little insight here. The Fae were uncommon and often mislabeled. It was difficult to truly know anything if you couldn't even identify it.

Then the girls began to speak, and the complex nature of the Fae really began to shine through. In a way, he had an appreciation for how to-the-point Maria was. Very little conjecture from her, only actual, tangible concerns or facts.

"Let's backpedal and consider our situation..." he said, cutting into the conversation where there seemed to be a disagreement between Elly and Wren.

"If the Hag were a real problem, they likely would have sent someone to deal with her by now... paperwork has encounters going back at least two-hundred fifty years," he explained, "and Adam made it sound like a chore he hadn't checked off his list yet, not an actual challenge."

"Furthermore, they know full-well the ordeal we went through. It's doubtful they would send us on a mission where combat was intended or difficult..." he added, pointing out some regular ole common sense logic.

"This entire mission is likely going to end up more of a tedious fetch-quest," he told them, "which, unfortunately, isn't uncommon with Fae. Yōkai in my home country are often Fae, and they're typically tethered to one geographic area. They often enlist the favors of others to do what they can't or won't. If Welsh Fae are anything like Japanese Fae, then Adam is essentially using us as free labor for a favor. Not a kill squad."

He then decided to flip to one of the more important pages he found on the tablet and bring it up on the bigger screen. It was a report detailing the theft of Shalott's Mirror. It was almost shamefully mundane. The Mirror had a few other uses than just assessing Death Scythe abilities. Apparently, it was shipped alongside some other valuables between Black☆Star Dojos, allowing prospective agents to see if they even had a hope of becoming an agent; or, if they had any hidden traits to them. And, while that was good in practice, it created a vulnerability.

The mirror was stolen by some low-level would-be thugs that simply knew the rotations of the warehouse it was held at. Nothing special. No elite skills bypassing DWMA guards. It seemed the Western Branch just didn't objectively guard the mirror as much as they should have. It wasn't a particularly powerful item and had never been in danger at all. More importantly, it was identifiable and extremely difficult to destroy. It meant melting it down for resale was next to impossible for a common thief and no Witch that might try would risk stealing an artifact of the DWMA; or, at least not one with such a benign trait.

The long end of the story was that the thief that was originally stuck with the stolen mirror was vexed to keep it. By his reports, given after his capture, he tried to destroy it, throw it in the sea, bury it in concrete, and simply leave it out in the woods. It would invariably return to him. No fence would touch it, though one gave him a suggestion: offer it to the faefolk. An old superstition, sure, but if the mirror seemed cursed, going to the faeries wasn't a crazy leap of faith. And, so he did, and so he was told to visit the Gwynedd Preserve in search of "Old Woman of the Woods" to give it to. Of which he did, and she promised it would never return to him. Which it didn't.

None of the agents present may have realized it, the Death Golem sure didn't, but it was the way of the Fae to be tricky. It was not beyond belief that this old Hag might have cursed the mirror from a distance to compel its owner to bring it to her, if she could not leave her current location. It did beg several questions, such as how did she know about it, or why did she want it... but there came the problem with the Fae. There wasn't a clear answer, and they weren't about to provide one.

"As you can see, the Mirror was technically given to the Hag... I doubt she's going to honor the argument of it being stolen property," he told them, explaining why he even bothered bringing up that specific piece of information. "I've been told Witches can be that way as well... Might makes right, so if someone can take it and trade it, you should expect full price," he added, then let his eyes shift over to Maria, if only for acknowledgement.

He then inhaled deeply and exhaled dramatically. He didn't quite relinquish the reigns of the conversation yet. "I'm also having a tough time picking a new name," he stated, somewhat flatly. He wasn't really sure how to proceed with that beyond just bringing it up.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Canterbury, West Europe HQ

Every touch was another scroll. Moving to another page. He was a fast reader, what was provided was certainly no waste..as an Enlightener he never faced Fae before. Only knew the stories. The historic references about the hags the organization had history with was telling at least.

The corroboration that the hags DWMA had engagement with were always of differing appearance but fell in the same location in his mind, did not immediately rule out the possibility that the hag in question they would meet was not one in the same as those the Western European branch had dealt with now. At the same time it didn't confirm anything either.

It was funny really. They were ignoring every iteration of the warning that spoke a simple warning when it came to engaging Fae:

Don't.

Yet, here they were, ignoring that rule. As they often did in this kind of business.

It was easy, a light touch, flick to the next page. He went over a section about the hag, a facet of a personality, notes on the aspect of materialistic desire. That…was interesting to note, especially on the concept of fae themselves. It fit with the mythos or at least one version of its many interpretations.

It was in a way, morbidly humorous that their next target was a creature that had a penchant for material gain. Considering his own origins and the way the literature often depicted mercenaries as greedy selfish power grubbing maniacs….that and his own evaluations with madness, he had narrowed it down to three of the greats. And one of those three was one this hag might have found favor in.

Under normal circumstances he would have responded to Elly’s quip. It was flattering, even as a tease or joke at his own expense.

Yet the small smile was all he gave in response at the same instance Wren flinched. So his eyes naturally went to her, draw to her just like when they had met.

Distant, somewhere between the state of irate and disinterested, off put might have been a better word.

She had been like this since wake, and it hadn't changed. The smile he held at Elly shifted into a thin lipped cursory glance at Wren of silent consideration before he shifted his attention back to the details. Continuing. Going on even as Wren spoke, not saying a word as Midori cut in.

What could he really say to her?

‘Pipe down and cool it’

‘Focus and remember your training’

Those were all barbed wires. Sensitive traps he would be setting off to trigger her ire.

Wren had every right to be sad. Upset. Discomforted. On edge. Spiteful, even, with how her monotoned statement came off to his ears. And when her features harden in regards to their Hoshi companion?

The blame really lay with the meister, and that was him. She had went for her partner and that wasn't Midori. That wasn't Elly or Maria--

It was him. If there was fault, it started with him. They looked out for each other on the field.
Maria had given them all cover in their chaos.

Midori had recovered and given Elly a seat in which she could be able to come back into the fight.

All he had done was...well...that just it.

What had he done for her, really?

She had been circling in his head since they entered the country.

In all honesty, since the initial surveillance team had met and assisted them, she had been more on his mind than the others.

Wren had quite literally been the only two people in his exhausted mind. Her and himself. The others had been there too but nowhere near as important. When he heard the results of their evaluations, save minor concern for Maria who ultimately seemed fine so long as she needed wdvice, he turned his attention back to the lone wolf.

Sleep hadn't been restful. He had thought about it non-stop. Her madness. Her constant hunger. The things that had briefly transpired in space. How his own state of temporary madness had made him want to capitalize and use that voraciousness to his advantage.

The knowledge on thorough examination that she had a true Outbreak was…an experience.

The guilt had been slow. It stalled, till the the moment he had been informed and then had slapped him again on the confrontation with the were-weapon herself.

Yes, he had slept. He had also done what he always did when feeling restless.

Exercise. Of which had been minimal. Movements to test the nerves and the muscles of his arms, hands, legs, to ensure no long lasting damage had been done to the triceps, biceps and muscles of his left shoulder where the acid spray had been the worst.

The exercises had been advisory. Simple tests to ensure all was working properly that he could still go out on field when it became apparent they would be getting another task so soon. The sleep itself was still questioning how many hours had truly been spent under REM and how many had been done in a state of silent contemplating.

In all honesty, he heard what Midori said but he already had the information he was highlighting to the others. Most of it wasn't listened to.

His mind was on the state of his Weapon.

It went back to the conversation they had shared in the hospital. About her. If she remembered anything. Anything about what happened. He had told her what he remembered.

Not seeing her anywhere. Trying to reach her, a sense of not being able to but not entirely recalling why.

And her answer had been…something-- it was something.

She had said she didn't remember and he felt he had to believe her. Had sensed the wave of emotions and been there when she had been informed of her present status. The new infantile wavelength inside her.

All that time, effort- gone in a blink--

--just like when Eustice came and made two years of survey go up in smoke. Had all the security measures set up all over again but this time he was back in a cell. Had assassins on him now--

With Eustice right there in the next cell it had been easy to pick fights with him. Separated by wall enchanted, it had been easy to avoid their ire at one another from turning truly physical. They had spat words at each other. It was therapeutic.

Wren had looked…so lost…He had wanted to reach out to her and apologize-- not for going, but for letting her come, but he knew. Knew that was not real apology. Knew from experience that sometimes an apology was the last thing some people had in moments of shock or detrimental news, ‘sorry’ was the last thing you ever said to them.

Sometimes a person didn't want others sympathy. Didn't want their empathy. Didn't want anything but to be left alone so that they could recuperate in their own way.

And he had done that when she made it clear she wanted some alone time. Had left her be and hadn't bothered her since. It was a single day, in total a couple of hours since they had shared presence again.

She had been walking circles in his head since. Much like how Sara had the day she visited. Except seeing Wren had only made the guilt sputter an ember of regret, instead of making the flames of confusion spew sparks of growing respect and intrigue. Silver already had that. Now, he just wished to do right by her…the problem was he had no idea how.

Resonance was going to suffer. It was what he had thought with that simple casual glance her way from earlier.

It wasn't just how off Wren looked or acted in the moment since their last time together. It was a instinctual feeling.

The same feeling that told him something bad was going to happen to Midori as Songbird moved to him.

The same feeling that had kicked in when ever he had that narrow window chance to end the life of an opponent that had underestimated him enough but would finish him, his team or any cherished life nearby of he didn't pull that insane, near suicidally risky move while he could as a slightly impulsive adolescent.

The same feeling that had made him try and cross into her soul space when he felt her start clawing for more of his wavelength.

As Midori finished his statement, pointing out how the mirror was technically handed over to the Hag he felt this strong feeling that the Resonance between him and Wren had taken a hit.

Just how much remains to be seen though. The thought was morose. To get a partner and screw up this bad on their first mission. His eyes never once looking his partner's way in spite of all the thoughts about her.

After all, what could he really say?

She was being unreasonable? He could, and would. He wouldn't say that till she pushed one step away from too far. She hadn't yet. The second she did, he would stop her.

Right now though...he didn't know what to do. So he instead stayed silent. As it was his fault, and her misfortune.

In fact unlike her closed off expression his posture was attentive yet relaxed. One leg crossed over the other and shifted as his Hoshi companion stated he still hadn't thought of a good name.

“Something easy huh?” Picking up on where Wren left off and following Midori's line of thought.

He tried to think of something good. Something Midori might like.

He snapped his fingers. “Calavera!” As if it were brilliant, grinning only for him to mull it over immediately. “...Then again…” as he realized the Spanish word wouldn't be something every single person got and could also be mistaken for its sweet delicacy, he rubbed his chin. “Never mind. First thing that came to mind."

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

Interactions: Haze- Sir Les Paul

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Hallerbos Forest, Belgium - Western European Branch HQ, Canterbury, England​

"Hmm..." Listening to what the Death Scythe had to say, Maria kept silent for awhile, nodding her head in turn when all was said and done, though the later bits on naming him, drained the emotions from her face. To break it all down, she decided to stick to work first, for that was easiest and best to get out of the way, as she looked over the images and folder.

"While I appreciate the efforts of the Western European Branch, I do not take your words at face value we will not see any combat. Between the significant losses suffered in Belgium just now, the losses in France, and normal attrition rates, I question just how connected the command of this office is with its men and material. The whole incident and what has happened up till now, speaks of serious incompetence. The Fae as you noted are a whimsical people. No, that is not quiet correct. They are a broad category of species, agendas and wills that we scarcely understand in some regard. Though Hags from what I know of myth and legend are more simply put, and I would not assume they all are a different one. It could be shapeshifting, or something far more sinister.

I do hope a fetch quest is all this is, but be warned, Hag's are heavily associated with the weather and winter of note. I do not possess Magics to directly counter this. Still, it sounds as if the item is simple enough, it depends on what the old crone wants for it."

Then there was the issue of his name, to which Maria looked at him pointedly. "I highly disagree with everything that woman said. She was a victim of fate, robbed of all and with only token ability to rebel. Her mindset to all of this was a coping mechanism. To rebel against that past, origin and what she seen as a total waste of time. For one who cast off her old self and who she was, she seemed mighty interested in watching you suffer, in tearing into your body and being far too chatty in what all she lost and the information she passed on to us. Then in self-justification, she threw the same label upon you to say who you were and were not. What good it will do."

Setting the file down, she continued. "You were once he, and she was once her. No matter the fact of what else you may be, you still hold claim to those souls. You may not be the original, but only a fool cares about such things, when a copy can surpass the original. When art can change and evolve, who calls the art of a child a masterpiece, to only then not progress or consider aught else, is hubris of fools.

Do not change your name as you cannot face that past any more than she could, such a path will only lead to ruin. I say to keep the name, it was the one given to you, no matter what else came with it.

That being said, should you not wish to keep your name, just rearrange the letters into something else, or take on the name of a regional folk deity or concept, or one of dozens of puppets known to man in myth and legend. Or you could even take upon the name of assorted creation myths,

I am not your mother, and I am here to do my job. If you wish to abandon all of that, or to escape it, then you should name yourself, do not put the burden upon others, be beholden to no one else should you wish to be you. Surely you have thought of a few names or examples. It will be what you, exist with." A slight infliction was on the second to last word, as if to say this whole exercise was foolish. As she exhaled and shook her head.

"Considering your name means Green, mayhap your search would be rather more fruitful looking into names with that association."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Elly) Sir Les Paul (Midori) The Regal Rper (Zosar) Haze- (Wren)

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Egypt | Rings: 0/1

Ismael's magical presence alone was enough to set Ark on edge. The fact the Demon Tools gave him such a boost was mesmerizing to observe but infuriating to his own personal style. To be so relaxed and barely move a muscle, it was like the man was mocking him.

To be honest he wouldn't have been surprised if that really were the case too just from how Moreau introduced him and the man's own personal demeanor.

Unfortunately before he could attempt anything, everything happened too fast.

Annika moved to attack, one of the undead moved to intercept, down she went then came other undead-- Greater undead judging just from what he sensed off them and their appearances alone.

With the one that had attacked Ark rapidly approaching and Israel already gone, Ark responded to the approaching mummified female assassin with a flick of his wrist and finger, two thorns of earth shot forward at an angle in front of her- immediately in the same instance, he conjured the magma weapons he had created from his spell book, snapping his fingers for a burning red flaming scimitar to generate in front of his hand, floating in the air that he then sent straight at the attacker of Annika heading his way with a flick of his index finger at break neck speeds.

" what you have to. I'll manage " was all the reply he gave Gauss.

The warning ahead did him much better good than simply doing it without any warning at all. Now that he knew Arkayis could do that all he had to do was keep that in mind and focus on the fact it was Gauss and Arky at work.

The situation at present served to be a greater motivator.

"I'll give you an opening." As hands spread wide open in front of him and the ground vibrated only for him to shift his left foot forward in a slide, turn both hands so the palms faced down, flex all fingers at different levels and immediately the ground under the undead shifted unevenly. Elevating up while others elevated only fractionally to add to that sense of loss balance.

Mentions: Merciless Medic

Interactions: RedArmyShogun Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Western European Branch HQ, Canterbury, England
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly's eyes immediately turned toward Wren as the girl spoke. The meister didn't need soul perception. She could be a witch and still see how dilapidated Wren was from the prior engagement. She was still trying to be somewhat snarky, but it was clear the Demon Chainsaw wasn't feeling energetic to say the least.
Midori was next to speak, stating what would be logical for the situation. However, that very same ordeal he referenced had taught them that people didn't always operate based on logic. Then Zosar said--something, causing Elly to turn a raised brow to him, but ultimately shook her head softly with a sigh and took another sip from her coffee while Maria commented on the Fae and the previous day's events.
"Fae are wild-cards and I would hazard a guess that they're sending us because we want the mirror. They could have attempted retrieval but didn't because the isn't much the thing can be used for, what it can be used for isn't detrimental to the DWMA, and it can't be destroyed very easily either. A team where a madness outbreak has occurred is not one I would call fit for a combative, diplomatic, retrieval, or surveillance assignment," Elly spoke after Maria. "Regardless, if this is to be any of those things, it should not be combative."
Elly didn't comment on what Maria said about Ao, she didn't think this was the time nor place unless Not Midori was still having conflictions from the interaction and, having connected directly with his soul, she knew he wasn't. At least, not to the extent it would post a problem. The aspect of a name, however, she would address. As the mage spoke, the meister pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen

"I'll assume you want to stick with Japanese... and knowing you, something on the nose," She mused aloud. "Shigai is very on the nose. Other than that, Kurogane also fits very well. Then there's also Kuroi, or Kuroshi. I don't think you want me picking something Irish like Dubhán." She added, though again in a tone that was difficult to tell if she was making an attempt at levity or not."

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul Haze- The Regal Rper

 

[Merciless Medic]

Noah Wiley​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Eastern Shrine, Qena, Egypt
Interactions: Gauss, Arkayis
Mentions: Moreau, Aki, Feng, Ark, Wes, Annika
Sir Les Paul Peckinou RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Shotgunpenguin

Hearing Ark’s deduction of what these precious relics were, and the fact they were Demon Tools, had Noah’s eyes squinting. Just how much magic did they have access to back then?

Wes heard something, and Noah’s eyes darted to the door they just came from. Leaving the man with his canteen, Noah immediately took up a position beside Gauss and readied to transform, listening to the two Chinese girls as they asked Evans what was going on.

Noah had a bit of a hard time understanding his near-incoherent babblings, but he did pick up the most crucial things from it. The door was to keep someone out, and that whoever this was needed the Book of the Dead. Or maybe he already had it?

He transformed and settled himself within Gauss’s hand, preparing himself.

When a man, sat upon a throne that crawled over the ground to move his lazy ass, appeared and was shot at, Noah shivered within his soul space. Really? One of their own group betrayed them??

Granted, he did expect that, but didn’t think it’d be this power-hungry bookworm. After some talk, the man retreated as more undead approached, only for Annika to attack him as he tried to leave and get herself hurt. Noah flinched upon seeing how she was hurt, unable to walk on that leg now and…

Was that some kind of poison?

Evans, being spry despite the dehydration, had pulled Annika away, with Moreau helping out where needed.

As he was being used to accurately hit the arrows away from their location, Noah was currently feeling the issues Gauss faced fighting within an enclosed tomb and he couldn’t blame him for feeling frustrated. Once Gauss figured out an answer, Noah hummed in affirmation. “Yup.” In preparation for that, he began to generate electricity, just a little so that he wouldn’t need to charge up for when he had to be used for Ark. The ground shifted underneath the enemies, Ark receiving some kind of resistance that kept the ground from moving the way he wanted to, but it was at least enough to cause the enemies to become unsteady.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Michael M. Moreau​

---

Mission: Disturbance in Qena w/ RedArmyShogun

Sir Les Paul Peckinou Shotgunpenguin EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

Date: September 20th, 2067
Location: Eastern Shrine, Qena, Egypt

---

Moreau was thankful for the deduction Ark had about the supposed Demon Tools. It did sound like it, but then danger approached and Evans spouted what he could despite his exhausted, delirious state. Then, the bastard himself appeared before them, and he was amazed that the shield had stopped a spiritual bullet.

The tomb raider grimaced as he glared at the familiar man sitting atop the throne, completely high off of power. It disgusted him. He understood vaguely what he said, but couldn’t piece it together at the moment because Annika got stabbed. Surprised at Evans’ spryness, Moreau helped Evans drag the hapless girl away, nodding as he looked at the poison running through her leg. “Yup, it is. You three, get over here.” He pointed to the three workers and got them huddled up in a corner.

As the pharaoh-lid shieldmen stood in the way of getting a clear shot on the archers, they would take very slow steps in sync while they crouched, advancing upon their enemies slowly yet surely, keeping their shields forward facing, their arms stacked upon each other to cover themselves, most of their feet, and the spaces between them. Despite the uneven ground they were experiencing from Ark’s magic, there was only minimal balance lost, their forms wavering slightly but otherwise not losing their footing.

The khopesh and shield warriors stepped forward, their shields protecting their bodies as they picked out which ones to fight, their hollow sockets scanning their enemies. One heard the command by their leader. In a sudden lunge, they swiped their khopesh at Feng, their shield at their center to block any incoming strikes, wanting to separate this woman from her strange weapon.

Meanwhile, the other warrior noticed the mage was exercising his powers and charged at Ark, their sword swiping towards Ark’s arms.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Conference Room, DWMA Main Grounds, Death City, Nevada
Interactions: Raph, Nadia, Dani, Adrian, Cyrus
Mentions: Eva
RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper

The call Sara received from the communications regarding the Church followers earlier that morning still echoed in Sara’s mind. It was so eerie and foreboding. She had arrived within the conference with Nadia, her soured view of Nadia not preventing her from working with her at least.

Besides, she wanted to see this mission through.

Sara left Eva with the nurses, figuring she’d fare better there instead of having to constantly worry about the mission and its details.

As Cyrus explained the situation, Nadia showing her distaste for it, and Dani making her own comments, all Sara could do was stare at the hologram and then the dossier placed before her. The people they were dealing with could pull off feats similar to Dani’s tail… Which was odd. Which would mean where they were getting their high from - as Dani explained - came from the same place she got her tail. Sara looked over at Dani, eyebrows furrowed. She remembered when Dani got the tail, she just appeared after Nadia and Dani disappeared for a minute.

Sara rubbed her arms in a soothing self-hug, not liking that there was literally nothing they could do.

Sighing, Sara finally made her voice known. “So, there isn’t a way to destroy their image? Affect their diplomatic immunity in some way? Or maybe gain diplomatic immunity ourselves so they can’t do anything to us? Or maybe, somehow, gain their favor for a temporary truce?” She asked, then sighed as she looked to an empty space beside her before looking up at Cyrus. “Also, I think Eva is done. She wasn’t feeling very well, so instead of having her here and worrying about a mission, I left her at the infirmary to get checked up on. I’m wondering if there is another weapon for me to use. I want to finish this mission.” Sara said, her gaze serious and tone firm. Then she looked over at Dani, her expression somber.

“Seems like it. We’ll just have to be careful with them. They’re puritans of a faith opposed to ours, so I’m not surprised if they have an issue with every single one of us there.” She said, wondering if they really should pull back.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: September 20, 2067
Location: Conference Room, DWMA Main Grounds, Death City, Nevada
Interactions: Sara, Nadia, Dani, Adrian, Cyrus
Mentions: Eva
RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper

After leaving that police station, Raphael was able to relax for a bit, clear his mind, and do something other than worry about that damned mission. When he was supposed to arrive at the conference room with the others though, he had arrived early enough to wait outside the door for the others to arrive.

He noticed Eva wasn’t with Sara. He hoped she was alright.

The debriefing commenced, and Raphael clicked his tongue in annoyance, his lips curling at the disgust of these vile beings, and then these Church Fathers. He wished they didn’t exist.

Nadia talked the most - sharing what they knew and concern over the Church Fathers, Dani had some points she was frustrated or concerned about, and Sara was trying to find some kind of diplomatic solution to this mess. As much as he’d wished they fought like warriors, their diplomacy game could still be great in an utterly abhorrent way.

“As much as I would hope they’d fight us upfront, they’d likely have a way to twist the situation in their favor in the court of public opinion, no matter what happens. I don’t trust them. I’m more wondering if we should hold back. Not pull away from the mission itself, but watch from the sidelines for when things go south and they can’t finish this mission themselves. Then swoop in to help. From what it sounded like when Sara texted me what happened at that drop point, it seemed like they had it under control. If we were to help them in their time of need, regardless of what some of us are - though Dani’s tail is still up in the air in that regard - then their honor would prevent them from hurting us. Hopefully… If they’re not the unpredictable types.” He didn’t sound confident in his words at the end, unsure if they would even be predictably helpful and not hurt them if they were saved, but it wasn’t like they had any way of figuring that out.

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
Eastern Shrine, Egypt
September - 20th

Mentions: Sir Les Paul (Gauss), Merciless Medic (Noah, Micheal), RedArmyShogun (Feng), EmperorsChosen (Aki), The Regal Rper (Ark), Peckinou (Arkayis)​

It didn't take long for the rest of their group to react to the incoming souls, with Feng wasting no time in firing off a few shots as soon as they had entered the room. The shots impacted against something just before hitting their target, a faint shimmer of the air the only clue that anything was there at all.

Behind that shimmer was a lightly tanned man sat atop an actual throne of all things, as if the mere act of walking was beneath the man. He was dressed from head to toe in regal clothing that looked like it was ripped straight out of a history book, and had an arrogant look on his face that just screamed ‘please, punch me’.

Flanking him were the other souls that had flared up, long dead mummies that were armed with a variety of weapons and armor. The man was soon revealed to be Ishmeal, the name of the last member of the research group, and apparently believing his own bullshit about being some sort of Pharaoh. Regardless of how true his claim was, he was somehow controlling these undead, which meant he needed to be taken down. A sentiment that his partner shared wholly, not letting the man leave unchallenged.

Annika had charged in, chainblade at the ready and wavelength flaring as she prepared to strike at the faux-Pharaoh. Wes didn’t see the mummy until it was too late as it sprung from out of nowhere, scoring a deep strike on the back of Annika’s leg. Panic spiked through Wes as fresh blood splattered onto the ground, a cry for her to fall back dying on the tip of his tongue as she stopped dead in her tracks, only to stumble over her own feet.

Her wavelength flared briefly, before suddenly dropping as she partially collapsed, a pained expression on her face. It wasn’t until Evans had rushed forward that he snapped out of his shock, an overwhelming sense of dread overtaking him as he rushed towards his injured partner.

“Annika!” Dropping to a knee, his eyes were filled with panic as her breathing came out in short, pained spurts.

Whatever was running through her system was wreaking havoc. Her soul was in discord, wildly shifting between screeching highs and almost inaudible lows as her body attempted to fight against the poison. The wound on her leg was deep, oozing crimson onto the stone floor as Evans quickly got to work, and was soon joined by their guide.

He knelt there, hands hovering by his sides as Evans and Moreau worked to try and stabilize her. Blood quickly stained the rag crimson as his mind raced, desperately searching for anything he could do to help. Wes’s medical knowledge started and ended at basic first aid, and even if they did have a med-kit, unless they had a way to counter the poison running through her it’d be useless.

“What can I do?! Resonance? No, she’s in no state to even try. Regulation? No, there’s no telling if it’d be enough for her to fight whatever was on that blade.”

A cocktail of emotions ran through Wes, anger at the corpse that had poisoned her, disappointment at his uselessness, fear for the life of his partner. But, what burned the most was the absolute despair. Memories of Rebecca flashed in front of him, of the moment he hesitated to take her hand as she rushed forward. Once again, he hesitated, his inaction leading to people getting hurt. Last time it was innocent civilians, and this time it was his partner, both of which could have been prevented if he had just moved.

“Dammit!” His hand flew down to the knife on his hip, practically tearing it free from its sheath with a growl as he stood and rounded on the approaching corpses. Their advance was slow and methodical, but they weren’t what he was looking for. His eyes locked onto the female mummy that had injured and poisoned Annika, having shifted its focus to Ark as the mage sent a wave of attacks to fend it off.

Rage burned in his chest as he charged at the mummy, clutching the knife in his dominant hand as his feet pounded against the temple floor. Planting his foot, he lunged towards the mummy and thrusted the knife towards its chest.

It was sloppy and forceful, a stab fueled only by rage and a desire for revenge against the assailant, and one he hoped would slip unnoticed against the backdrop of Ark’s own offensive.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Cyrus Kallis​

"Blue Reaper"​

Species Human (Weapon)
Partner Lord Kidd
Rank Three-Star

Location Conference Room, DWMA Main Grounds, Death City
Mission Return of the Stalker
Status Serious

​

Tags: Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Chibistaryuu

September 20th, 2067​

Cyrus listened to the reactions of the group. This was an important moment as their reactions would dictate just how stable he thought this mission would be. He couldn't have them going in ready to pick a fight. Not only because the exact threat level of the alleged Paladins was still an unknown, but because it would in fact result in a media frenzy. Even if the Fate Agents won their battle, they would lose that war. Besides that, the Paladins had a shrewd strategy for dealing with DWMA Agents. They had plenty of their people trained for combat, but some were truly non-combatants. Priests that were meant solely to pray to enhance resonance. If the agents were to target them to weaken a Paladin, it would appear as if they were assaulting innocent bystanders.

In a way, these Paladins were one of the most dangerous enemies out there. They represented a foe that could deal greater damage to the DWMA, not just the agents on the mission.

The general consensus seemed to be 'what if they needed to fight them', not that they did. Planning for a contingency was acceptable. He could work with that.

"You all have valid questions in how this diplomatic situation works," Cyrus said, injecting himself back into the conversation.

"I'll be bluntly honest with you. In terms of appeal, they by far outweigh us in the court of public opinion and amongst plenty of governments. Historically speaking, going to battle against the church is a terrible idea," he explained to them, "but, with that said, it doesn't mean that if they do something absurdly violent or obviously instigate a fight--especially if it's witnessed or recorded--that they wouldn't catch some fire from the media. The problem there is what media outlet catches them and if the context of the fight is obvious."

"It's a complicated mess, to say the least. From what I gather, these so called Paladins aren't all on the same page. They don't even follow one set religion or God. Some of them might be willing to manipulate you to hurt the DWMA, some might be actually willing to fight alongside you against what they perceive as a greater evil," he told them, though in truth he was admitting this was a situation that lacked and stable grounds as of now. Which made sense, these Paladins were a new entity.

"We are currently working with some church representatives now to come to some type of cordial agreement," he told them, providing some good news in contrast to what he informed them of earlier. "We don't have any strict guidelines set yet. They've made it pretty damn clear that we may fight the same enemies, but we aren't on the same side. They did at least agree to a non-aggression pact, with a few simple stipulations. Nothing major, just don't commit any heinous crimes to attack innocent people," he added, giving the group some idea of what was going on behind closed doors.

"There are also two more important topics to bring up. The first involves your former teammate: Eva. She is currently quite ill. It's a spiritual issue. I'll have to explain the nature of the cultist rituals to explain why it has affected her so significantly," Cyrus explained, then waved his hand over the briefing screen to swipe through some pictures before he found the written reports by the few cultists they had in custody and the pictures of the crime scenes. They were all relatively the same, though some more gruesome. Pentagrams written in blood with an object or organ put in the center. Cannibalism and sexual assault were quite uncommon; it was primarily murder that drove these cultists.

"The ritual they do mixes their blood into the pentagram they draw with that of their victim. Something about this mixture results in the soul being bound to it where it is then ripped apart. The reports say they feel stronger and full of ecstasy when it occurs and they can even feel it when another cultist kills nearby. This sounds like some perverted method of consuming a soul. What do know is that it's inefficient. Remnants of the soul are left in the area for hours or even days," he explained, though the twists in his frustrated face turned to an enraged disgust as he did. On a personal level, he found this particular type of ritual downright evil.

"Eva has a distorted soul. In short, it's already damaged. It appears that the remnants of those soul fragments reacted with her damage, causing what appears to be a full and total relapse of her condition," he went on, "she will be taken off this mission and put on indefinite leave as she recovers; and, she is expected to recover."

With that said, Cyrus now lowered his hand to hit the actual touch screen on the table, using it to bring up the communications menu to send out a message. He was calling someone in.

"In the mean time, we have a new partner for you, Sara. Her name is Juniper, but she goes by Noise. We're fairly certain you two will be a match," he said, though this time specifically eying Sara as she was the actual target of this news. "Once she joins us, I'll go over the other possible lead we have on this mission," he told them.

With that, the automated doors opened for Noise to enter.

"You can take your time getting acquainted momentarily. What we have in store is something for your leader to decide on," Cyrus announced, turning his attention over to Nadia.

"There is another party interested in bringing down these cultists, but for reasons you may consider profane. He is very wealthy, very connected, and quite dubious. That said, he and his father have worked with the DWMA in the past, and he is a native to LA: Anatoli Morningstar. His family makes a living off their devilish iconography, but there is significantly more to it than that. He, his father, and his sister all possess Grigori Souls. They have... a unique presence. They don't fight, but they don't waste their gifts, either. They used their ability to inspire and uplift others to create business connections, sometimes even more underground ones..." Cyrus said, trying to get the implication of just what this family did through without outright explaining that they were closely tied to the criminal underworld.

It would have only been more ironic if he explained they also had close ties to chapters of the Hell's Angels.

"Anatoli has offered his assistance in bringing down this cult. To no surprise, the satanic crime and murder sprees in his own city aren't doing well for their image. So, you can either take him up on that offer or you can continue to try and compete on the streets with the Paladins. Either way, we still want you on this case given we're certain there is a link between the Black Flames Dani described and these cultists," Cyrus said, offering the new lead. It was questionable to say the least, but the Morningstar family had never failed them before. Lucifer even had a hand in helping with investors when it came to Magitech. While it was lucrative for him, that Grigori Soul of his also helped reign in others during a time of crisis.

Note: (1) I changed the font due for legibility (2) This decision is not a small one; choosing to compete with the Paladins or work with Anatoli will directly impact the future of this mission and potentially even the outcome.​