Ww - the coming storm

[Esme]

Leslie blinked a few times, absently pressing a hand over where her heart was located and what she had learned was her soul as well, casting a side long glance at the floor she shivered slightly. If the man this Sir spoke of was truely so bad it could cause problems from the whole world...and that wouldn't be good at all. "O-okay."

 

[Coro]

Hope's eyes lit up, and a sweet smile graced his face, his professional demenor lost. He hiked Leslie up to her feet, and hugged her.


"Thank you. You're doing the world, and me, a great service. I am in your debt now." He said, the Soulstone on his chest glowly slightly. Now touching Leslie through their clothes, Hope's eyes went a glowing blue. He still smiled sweetly as Leslie's body was covered in a matching light blue aura.


"... Ready?" He asked softly.

 

[Esme]

Leslie, a bit afraid and a bit not even there and more confused than anything else, nodded her head slowly. This Sir certainly was strange at times...

 

[Coro]

Hope still smiled sweetly, but wanted to smirk sinisterly.


He'd won at this point, the aura consuming Leslie going slowly from a light blue to dark red, crackling with demonic energy the whole time. It put a strain on Hope, altering the laws of reality this much. He hadn't had the Stone for very long, but already was proficient enough to play God, in a limited fashion.


Leslie's eyes went bright yellow. Her aura's pressure changed entirely, to a demon's. Hope even felt the energy off her.


It took everything he had to not cackle at this.


Letting go of her slowly, Hope backed up, the Soulstone on his chest now only glowing faintly. Leslie's aura died down as the change finalized.


".... You now have a demon's soul, Leslie. How do feel?" He asked worriedly, faking an interest, pleading eyes sending a message of care.

 

[Esme]

Leslie mostly felt dizzy, and a bit strained and like there was something wrong but she knew there wasn't, she was just imagining there was. Shaking her head for a second she sat back dwon in the chair she had been in before, leaning her head into her hands as they rubbed her temples. "Horrid, like something's trying to split my skull open."

 

[Riddle78]

Steven's head was knocked to an awkward angle,and he corrected it. He got up,and glared at Vent,with a look that would make hardened men soil their drawers. "I can't simply get rid of the Eye of Innos. It's a tool that made life liveable for me. Without it,I wouldn't be able to do ANYTHING,mundane or magical. I'd become about as useful as a vegetable. What can a half-blind man with telekenisisand optical illusions do? Entertain children? Move boxes? This eye gives me a purpose in life. I realize it has its attached dangers,but what doesn't? Your Umbralus. I'm certain that there's SOMETHING about it that would provoke me to smack you over."


~~~


Borghen's striking at the target dummy was growing more and more intense. The crashes could be heard throughout the entire estate,which culminated in an earth shaking roar of, "I WILL HAVE VENT ADAM'S HEAD ON A SPIKE!"

 

[Coro]

Vent chuckled, getting up into Steven's face.


"My Umbralus hasn't outright gotten anyone killed yet, has it?!?" He yelled, pointing at Yumi's corpse.


"That's YUMI! Alec's MOTHER! Someone who TOOK CARE of me! Of you too! My Umbralus only hurts me!" He finished, snorting in Steven's face, backing up, and crossing his arms.


~


Hope sent a message to Borghen.


'My bedroom. Now.'


With that, he turned to Leslie.


".... Now, a demon is about to appear. It is benevolent, a good demon. Please, do not be frightened. It will be your teacher. Are you prepared?" He asked Leslie.

 

[Esme]

Leslie shook her head no, but the word yes came out of her mouth. She was utterly terrified really. She had never seen a demon up close before, and the only one she had seen was bad, but if this Sir said it was good, then it had to be true right?

 

[Riddle78]

Steven glared at Vent. "It only harms you. For now. All power grows to the point where it overflows explosively. At that point,the results are catastrophic. Don't try and fool yourself. We both are in neck deep in unimaginable,and highly destructive power."


While Steven and Vent were arguing,Joseph discreetly summoned a shotgun,of the extremely loud variety and pointed it up,ready to shut everyone up.


~~~


Borghen got Hope's message and sheathed his sword. He marched out of the cellar,leaving it a gouged,wine stained mess. He reached the door to Hope's study within minutes,and knocked,then stood at attention.

 

[Coro]

Vent smirked, while his eyes narrowed dangerously.


".... At least with me, I can fix my screw-ups without anyone else dying. I'll leave it you to break the news to Alec. I'm so out of here." He spat, anger resonating in his voice.


His marks glowed, and the winds around him whipped up to gale force, spewing debris away from him, and then he was gone in a flash.


~


Hope put his hand on Leslie's shoulder, trying to offer some sort of support.


"He's quite frightening in appearance, but he's a very good man. I promise you, you need not fear anything." Hope explained, sending another telepathic message to Borghen outside the room.


'Come in, but MAKE SURE you're feeling civilized' He thought.

 

[Riddle78]

Steven sighed. "At least he has SOME sense. Yumi is dead because of me. Now I must inform the next of kin..."


Steven opened a psychic link to Alec. "Alec...I have some bad news. I think it'd be better if we discussed it face to face. Meet me in your mother's office,please." Steven walked to Yumi's office,and tried his best to clean it up. It wasn't perfect,but at least it didn't look like a bomb zone anymore. "Joseph,keep that shotgun handy for the funeral. We're going to send Yumi off like a soldier." Joseph simply nodded grimly,and went about cleaning Yumi's body of blood,and moving her into the examination room.


~~~


Borghen got the message,and used magic to remove the wine and blood stains from his armour before opening the door. Borghen,adorned in his blood red armour,with a warhammer on one hip,a dagger on the other,a greatsword across his shoulders,and a smallsword across the small of his back,he marched in as a self respecting soldier would,and came to attention in front of Hope and Leslie,saluting,and said, "You have summoned me,sir?"

 

[Esme]

Upon the link, Alec raised her head. Sighing she seeped into the blind realm before reappearing behind Steven in her mother's office. Automatically, she could tell something was wrong. The room was too clean. "What happened." It wasn't a question. It was an order.


~


Leslie squeaked and took a step back at the sight of the demon, her knees shaking slightly she stared at him in a bit of awe, before gulping and bowing her head to him, out of respect and the need to look away before she screamed.

 

[Coro]

Vent sat on the cliffside beside his jungle home, and sighed.


"..... **** this." He spat, throughly pissed.


~


Hope smiled.


"Borghen, my good man. This, is Leslie." He motioned towards her. "She'll be staying with us from now on. She is now the test subject for some demonic power research, and it's limits with a human user. You are to instruct her in using her newfound demonic energies. This research, and this new ally, will be most helpful. Understood?" Hope explained.


'She is to be treated with the UTMOST respect and care' Hope added telepathically at the end, to make sure Borghen understood.

 

[Riddle78]

Steven sighed painfuly and looked at Alec. She'd turn him into pink mist if he tried to sugar coat it. "I'm sorry,Alec. Your mother's dead." He couldn't bring himself to look at Alec. He knew that pain.


~~~


Borghen looked at Leslie appraisingly. "Appropriate choice,Master Hope. She's young,with her power still growing. This will remov the limit usually imposed upon mature demonologists. May I put her though my trials,sir?"

 

[Esme]

Alec's eyes widdened for a second. "Where is she....?" She asked, her tone completely normal, nothing about her screaming that of someone who just got the news that their mother was dead. To some, it could be considered scary that she was like this.


~


Leslie fidgeted a little bit. "Trials?" She squeaked out still frightened by the demon.

 

[Riddle78]

Steven stood up,while still avoiding eye contact. He was on the verge of tears. Yumi saved his ass,and kept it out of the fire for around a year. He opened the door to the examination room,where Joseph was,with the shotgun well hidden inside the wall behind a bench. Yumi's wrapped body rested on one of the examination tables.


~~~


Borghen nodded.


"Your powers aren't in question. However,your mental and physical state are. I'll need to know your limits,so I know where to begin."

 

[Coro]

Vent had gotten up, and had managed to get himself a bottle of whiskey, which he was nursing in his hut. His newest philosophy on life. When you couldn't punch a problem in the face, drink until you forgot about it.


~


Hope nodded his head.


"...... I'll let you, Borghen. Make sure sure she doesn't get hurt, however." Hope said, smiling at Leslie.

 

[Esme]

Following Steven to the covered body, Alec's eyes narrowed before the covering disappeared. Looking over her mother's pale body, her eyes started sinking. There was signs of breaking in them, but nothing else would show how much she was feeling at the moment. Breathing slowly and evenly, she placed her hand on Yumi's and smiled faintly before laughing.


~


Leslie nodded her head and went back to being silent, shivering slightly.

 

[Riddle78]

Steven's head shot up at Alec's laughter. "Why are you laughing? Do you think this is a joke??"


~~~


Borghen placed a fist into the other hand above his heart and nodded. A sign of respect. "Are we free to leave?"

 

[Coro]

Hope nodded.


"I suppose. Leslie, know that Borghen will not let harm come to you, alright?" He said smiling.

 

[Esme]

Alec couldn't help it, she kept laughing. Her knees going weak as she fell onto the floor, still holding her mom's hand before tears started spilling over from her eyes. Leaning her head against the examination table, her laughter died away only to be replaced with a gasping noise as more and more tears hit the ground. There was no strong grown woman in her any more, only a hurt little child.


~


Leslie nodded her head rubbing her arm with her hand, rather nervous.

 

[Riddle78]

Steven and Joseph kneeled beside Alec. "Would you like to be left alone,Alec?"


~~~


Borghen nodded,and beckoned for Leslie to follow him.


Borghen turnedon his heel and marched out of the room like a soldier. Once they left the room,Borghen looked oer his shoulder,and asked, "Can I trust you to trust me?"

 

[Esme]

Alec shook her head, choking short a sob that was coming forth. Her hand squeezed tight the cold one it held before she moved it and brought it down to her lips as she kissed the knuckles, a sign of respect. "I'll met you where the black dies, and the white consumes." She muttered in Chinese before standing up and setting the hand over Yumi's heart(where it should have been). The cover slide back over the body.


Turning her back to the body she looked at the wall. "Thank you." She said to Steven and Joseph before a door to the blind realm opened and she walked forward into it, the door remained open, if they felt like following or not.


~


Leslie followed behind shaking slightly before looking around and nodding her head. "Y-yes..."

 

[Coro]

Vent, slighty inebriated, watched his arm. The Umbralus markings, his greatest weapons, his signature magic. He watched, and watched, and watched some more. He didn't know what they were, in essence, really. He knew they were parasitic, and he knew Olivia was their first (and only other that he knew) user. They seemed to have a mind of their own sometimes. They had attempted to reject him, but he'd mastered them. But they contained more secrets than Vent could ever be sure of.


He sighed, feeling pretty good. He stumbled his way to his bed, and flopped down. He shook his head. He shouldn't be drinking his problems away.


He wondered if Alec knew about Yumi yet.


He wondered if she'd come to him for comfort.


He wondered if he could ever beat Borghen for good.


He wondered if Hope was plotting anything new.


He wondered a lot of things.


~


As soon as Borghen and Leslie left, Hope chuckled a bit.


Another pawn on the playing field, he thought, thinking for a second.

 

[Riddle78]

Steven looked at Joseph. "Inform the coroner. Make preperations for a funeral. Twenty-one gun salute." Joseph nodded,and retrieved the shotgun from the wall via magic. He slung it over his shoulder and left for the coroner's office.


Steven sighed,and followed into the Blind Realm.


~~~


Borghen nodded. "Good. My trials will hinge upon that trust. If you trust me,no accidents may happen from errant twiches." They reached the door to the cellar. Realizing the state he left it in,Borghen quickly said to Leslie, "I use the cellar for my personal training...And it leaves quite the mess. I hope you don't mind."