Hunters of Terra Dolor (Role Playing Section)

[Black0ut]

Inevitable Regret, pt. 9



"You're both adorable." The Green Haired Woman remarked as she walking, cradling her baby.

"And you." She looked at Aife, who was trying to slip out herself. "Welcome to Havenbrook."

Aife nodded, "Thank you..."

"If anybody gives you shit, let me know. Most of them are afraid or disapprove of how me and Kva fight, so I'll stick up for you if you need it. Welcome to the family." Titania said cheerily, standing up and moving forward to give Aife a handshake.

It took Aife a second to realize what she was doing, but then slowly gripped her hand with hers. "Is this... How you do it?"

"Yup, that's a genuine handshake. Nice grip you got there." Titania noted, breaking her hand away after a moment. "I'll see you around. Take care, Aife."

"You too!" She smiled as she left, turning the corner.

Suddenly, Kva approached from Titania's side, sighing. "I need to have a word... It's important."

"O-okay? Should we talk in my room then since it's important?" She asked, some concern showing through.

"Yeah..." Kva motioned, stepping inside. "Come on."

Entering her room, Titania shut the door and moved further in, sitting on her bed. "Alright... um... what's the important thing you needed to tell me?"

"Taydar came to Havenbrook... He has a mission for us..." Kva sat down beside her. "He wants us to retrieve Grimora's Soul from hell..."

Titania's eye twitched, but she held an uneasy smile. "O-oh? I, um... I hope he's giving us some help for going down there? Maybe armor or weapons?"

"Just whatever we can... We will go in four teams of four, each with a designated leader. The Leader is the only one who will be physically going... The rest of the team will be composed of shells connected to your bodies back here. Each shell takes some of the strain of Hell off of the leader... If all of them die... Well... They'll wake up back here... As for the leader..." The Dhampir trailed off.

"They die. Please tell me you aren't considering going for a leader position..." Titania said softly, hoping that Kva was going in one of the shells.

But Kva just shook her head. "Someone has to. I figured I would likely be better suited due to my increased durability and healing, not to mention my affinity for Dark Magic..."

"And what if something goes wrong? If you get severely wounded or if you...?" Titania voice went low, some anger in it but mostly worry. "You're strong, yes, but not everyone is as strong as you. Especially not me, emotionally or physically."

"But someone has to do it Titania. If not me, then someone else is put there, someone with their own friends and family. Besides, we face this kind of danger every day... You could've died fighting Tecunte without me..." The Fencer argued calmly.

"I handled myself well enough that it wasn't a problem." Titania explained, her voice filling with emotion. "I disarmed her weapons, and her claws were not as good as mine. If I died to what was a weak clone of myself... well, I wouldn't have made it to here to be your girlfriend, would I?"

"Besides that, we don't go into hell on a regular basis and fight demons looking for dead Gods. I... am selfish, and I'll admit that. The chance to lose you... I don't wanna risk it."

"It's not for Grimora... It's personal... They say if we help, they will return Eraqus to us..." Kva explained further.

Titania bit her lip, knowing full well she might've done the same, had she been put in a similar situation. "I... still don't like it. But... if you're going and you've made your mind up... I'll support you, no matter how much I want you to not go." She said, her anger at her own words boiling to the surface, resulting in one of her eyes turning somewhat feral.

"You will support me... I want you at my side, there is no one I would rather have with me..." Kva slid off her helmet, it was something she wasn't supposed to do, but right now she made an exception. "What do you say...?"

Titania sighed and hugged Kva, a small smile on her face. "I'd be happy to. Let's me protect you for once..."

"And I don't have to worry about you dying... Actually... I probably still should." The Dark Elf Vampire laughed, kissing her forehead lightly.

"Oh, hush you. They'd struggle to try and take me down if I was fighting for you." The Thrope replied, snuggling into her. She popped back out and looked somewhat sheepish. "I, um, came up with a new technique... It's kind of a work in progress, but would you, um, like to see it?"

"Technique? The Fighting kind or the loving kind?" Titania's partner asked.

"Fighting... although I have a few i-ideas on the latter..." Titania managed to say, not expecting Kva's mind to go that route and as a result her face grew slightly red.

"Such a bashful puppy." She pressed a finger against Titania's nose.

"H-hey..! I-I'm not bashful... just preferably shy." She corrected with her natural accent, her face becoming more red.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Kva smiled, crossing a leg over the other.

Getting off of the bed, she found a few books Jay hadn't taken out of the room, taking two in one of her hands, as her other arm blurred and disappeared. Tossing the two books over to her other arm, it seemed like they were hovering in the air. "It takes a lot out of my arms to do it, but if I were able to do it with actual weapons..."

"So... You are moving your arm so rapidly it seems invisible?" Kva guessed.

The Thrope's arm slowing down as she tossed one of the books into her other hand. "I am. But that's not the thing I'm thinking about... if I could wield more than two weapons at a time, I could be a bit scarier of a combatant." She answered, setting the books down. "Guess being a Demigod has some perks to it..."

"Shame I'm not one... But I get by..." Kva stood up, crossing her arms. "The good thing is, while I may be a better fighter then you now, your potential goes leagues beyond mine."

"Says the beautiful Dhampire. I think you're underestimating just how much of an edge you have. You're better than most of us, and I doubt that'll change anytime soon." Titania said as she began to blur, slowing down after a moment as her blush faded away.

"Stop being so Modest. Honestly." She chuckled.

"Me? Modest? Whatever gave you that idea?" She joked, offering a somewhat goofy grin.

 

[Black0ut]

Inevitable Regret, pt. NSFW

Spoiler: NSFW; AN ENTIRE PART

"Now... Shall we... Continue where we left off?" Kva grinned devilishly, patting the bed.

The silver wolf's face turned a bright red, as she slowly nodded, taking a couple hesitant steps forward.

Kva wrapped her arms around her waist, slowly pulling up her loose shirt to reveal her chest. "Ah... Such a figure..."

She looked away for a moment, with the hint of a smile before she looked up at Kva. "Is not nearly as great as yours."

Taking off her shirt as well, Kva ran her hands up Titania's sides gently, the Thrope being pretty much at breast height with her lover.

Taking advantage of the situation, Titania raised her hands to gently grasp Kva's breasts, squeezing them before she leaned in. For a moment, she did nothing, but then she removed a hand and replaced it with her mouth.

The Fencer exhaled lovingly, running her hand through Titania's hair as her other found it's way to her breast, squeezing it lightly.

Her free hand snaked its way downwards and eventually settled on the outside of her pants, gently rubbing a spot she knew Kva would like. Her tongue swirled around her lover's nipple, as she occasionally pulled her head somewhat backwards in an attempt to hear her lover moan.

And Moan she did, in her more reserved way, falling back and sitting on the bed. Kva cupped her partners breasts from her sitting position, kneading them in her hands.

Titania's moans were muffled as she continued, until a thought popped into her head. Releasing Kva's nipple with a *pop*, the Thrope soon entwined her tongue with her lover's before gently pushing her down onto the bed.

"Reversing the roles now are we? Alright, l'll allow it..." Kva looked up at her with a grin, laying back.

"Well, I’ve got to make it more interesting for you somehow..." She replied, a mischievous smile on her face. Her hand snuck its way into her pants to continue its strokes, but did it a bit faster. Her free hand, however, went back up to the Fencer's breast and began to gently massage it, occasionally rubbing her nipple with her thumb.

"Mmm... Your hands are so precise... Mmm... Faster..." She huffed out, her breathing quickening.

Her hands indeed went faster, as she leaned in and licked her Kva's neck, before her lips settled firmly on the Dhampire's. With a mischievous smile, she plunged a couple fingers into her lover's opening.

Kva gasped, taking a hand of her own and penetrating the Thrope in return.

Titania let out a mix between a moan and a gasp, not expecting her lover's immediate reaction. Deciding now was the perfect time to test out her idea, her hand began to speed up until it blurred, vibrating softly as her fingers slipped in and out.

"Ah!" Kva actually let out a high pitched cry, Titania able to break her composure. "That's... Goodmmn..."

The vibrations intensified, as Titania kissed her cheek. "Good Dhampy... Do you want me to make it better and more pleasurable?"

Kva looked off to the side for a moment, understanding why Titania enjoyed this so much. "Y-Y-Yes..."

Her free hand blurred and moved between Kva's breasts, playing with them both. Her other hand soon disappeared as the vibrations became more intense, the Dhampire's button being played with at an incredible speed. Titania aggressively took Kva's mouth with her own, invading it with her tongue in a passionate kiss.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" The Pleasure was too much for her to keep her moans in any longer, "I-I'm... C-Caahah...mminng..."

Titania slowed down, grinning at her own teasing gesture, but kept her lower hand entering her lover's honeypot.

"Ahnn... You... You're terrible..." Kva whined embarrassingly, squirming slightly.

"I am... for today. I might even do this again if I'm feeling very evil..." Titania teased as she took her hand out from Kva's pants, licking the fluid off of it. With a brief moment of watching her lover squirm, she lowered the Dhampire's pants and kneeled, before her tongue lolled out. She took a few hesitant licks, gauging how much Kva liked it before plunging her tongue inside.

She clenched her fist, taking her other hand and placing it on her head. "Titania! Mmmmyees!"

The Thrope's tongue scoured all over inside her lover, tasting every inch of her, while occasionally coming back out to flick her lover's button. "Mmm.."

Reaching her limit quickly, she climaxed loudly, coating the Warrior's throat with lubricating fluid. "Hah... Hah... That was... Certainly a new experience..."

Moving back so she could talk, she offered a seductive smile. "I could keep going if you wanted me to..."

"Don't I get to pleasure you?" Kva sat up, rubbing Titania's face.

"If that's what you want... I can never say no to that face." Titania stood up and stood still, letting Kva do whatever she wanted.

Kva grabbed her wrists firmly, picking her up and laying her on the bed, holding her down. It was then that a brilliant idea flashed into her head, a devilish way to get back at her. "I have something I can try with my magic too... I promise it won't hurt..."

"I trust you. It'll just make me do something to get back at you later, Dhampy." She flirted, a shy smile on her face.

Placing two fingers inside Titania's slit, Kva quickly pushed her mana into them, the fingers black with energy. Suddenly strange sensation overtook the Wolf, her nethers flooding with blood, causing the area to become unbelievably sensitive, like when she was dazed last time. Except this time, she was fully aware to comprehend the increase in its entirety. All the while Kva pushed her fingers in and out teasingly slow, grinning down at her puppy.

Titania moaned loudly, as she tried not to squirm too much. "Mmn... it seems I have... Ahh... much to learn..."

"I'm not even started yet..." Kva curved her fingers, pressing them in faster and harder.

Titania squirmed from the attention, unable to hold back her moans from the intense pleasure.

The Dhampir grasped one of Titania's legs, pushing it up as she removed her fingers, instead quickly getting into position and rubbing their openings together. Meanwhile, Kva took her other hand back to her partners breast once more, teasing her nipple with her thumb.

The Thrope tried to stifle her cry of pleasure with her hand, grinding her hips into Kva's with a lustful force behind it.

Kva leaned down, running a tongue slowly up Titania's stomach as she continued to grind.

"Mmm... A-almost... ahn..." Titania moaned out, the pleasure beginning to become too much.

Kva was starting to get close again as well as she started grinding harder and faster, moving her arms to instead firmly but not uncomfortably hold Titania down by the wrists.

Letting out a cry, the Thrope shuddered, her orgasm splattering her partner's hips. Despite this she kept going, eager to make Kva climax as well.

Crawling up Her Lover's body as she got even closer, she pressed her tongue into Titania's mouth as she finished. As her climax ended, she slowly pulled away from her kiss, a string of saliva connecting their lips.

Wrapping her arms around Kva, Titania merely tried to get her breathing under control before she spoke, expecting to stutter or say something stupid. After a moment, she almost inaudibly whispered, "... Love you."

"Love you too..." The Elf laid her head on Titania's shoulder, smiling lightly.

 

[Dahlexpert]

The fallowing is a colabe between Dhalexpert&Frostlich1228

Serasam
11:53 AM

Elma finished her studying and came down out of her room. "Mum, i'm heading to the farm to get Sam want to see if I can get some vegetables for you or anything?"

"No Elma but I apericate it, your also still trying to tame that Stalin you bought?"

"I'm getting there, he's no longer restless around me anymore so i'm making progress no I just have to put a settle on him."

"Ah well good luck with that, but while you’re out think you could pick up more wine for me dear?"

"Yea sure." Elma left the inn and traveled to the farm, by coincidence it wasn't far off by the Have brook guild and a open field. Elma traveled through the field and saw a green haired woman laying in the grass." Um hi there what are you doing all the way out here?"

Sylvie sat up, looking around before locking her eyes on Elma. "Oh... I'm just relaxing... It's been a long month for all of us I think..."

"Us? Ou you must be form the guild as well then, weird I haven't seen you before are you new as well?"

"Um... No. No I am not." Sylvie blinked. "How have you never seen me before? I have green hair..."

“You seen the guild house I’m sure there are people you don’t see, after all we all find our little group of people to hang around and we stick with them. But we’re are my manners I’m Elma and you are?”

"Sylvie... You're... Charter's Sister, right? I think that's right..." The Huntress doubted herself for a moment.

“Yea I try not to use our family last name much, but what are you doing all the way out here?”

"Just... Relaxing in nature... My Baby has been crying all day ever since we beat Tecunte..." Sylvie sighed, sitting up. "I've been taking care of her by myself since the fight and it's been exhausting..."

“You have a baby, well congratulations on having her I’m sure you and your husband are enjoying it even though it looks exhausting. Makes me real happy I’m living at the.”

"Not Husband yet... We still need to go through the ceremony I think...?" She questioned. "What are you doing out here though?"

“Me there’s is a farm nearby, my wolf helps the farmers scar off rabbits coyotes the usual scavenger. I also bought a horse from them, and I usually around this time try to break him in want to join me?”

Sylvie slightly scowled at her. "Break him in? Why would you break a horse?"

Elma rolled her eyes.” I mean get him used to me and let me ride him instead of him throwing me off.”

"Oh... We don't really have ride animals where I'm from..." Sylvie pointed out, used to still misunderstanding some things about life outside the forest. "I feel like instead of brute forcing it I would be better to try and form a bond with the animal..."

“That’s What I’m doing, I’m letting the hours run around for a bit while I have him on a lasso, I feed him brush him all that good stuff till he’s comfortable around me.”

"I guess that works... Although maybe I shouldn't judge, I'm not exactly a horse expert..." The Forest Girl stated.

“I’m not much ether, I spent time around horses but the we’re already tamed.” As the duo made their way to the farm Sam rushed to Elma and jumped on her.

Sylvie looked on, smiling slightly. "A Friend of yours?"

“My pet dire wolf, Character gave him to me as a gift when he was a few months old.” A old man came out of his house and looked at Elma.

“Ah Elma your still trying to tame that stallion?”

“Of course I am, he’s should be getting used to me by now.”

“Well he won’t let others near him except you so I say its working.”

“Ou really Hum, hay Sylvie care to join me?”

"Well... I do have a sort of way with animals." The Huntress replied, nodding.

"Great, I can't wait for you to meet him." Elma walked to a closed off fence with a yellow horse, Elma leaped over the fence and slowly and grabbed a rope. She tied the rope to make a small circle and threw it around the horse, the horse didn't run around like it usually did. "Hum weird normally he be running around like crazy."

"I'm a kind of animal whisperer..." The Huntress said, walking over and gently rubbing the horse's muzzle.

“Hum well ain’t that convenient, watch him for just a moment.” Elma went to the barn and grabbed a Seattle and gentle put it on the horses back.” Ok are you like talking to him?”

"Not right now... But if I do, he should understand me." Sylvie replied, looking back over at Elma.

“Hum can you give me a minute.” Elma went back to the barn and pulled out what looked like straps.” Alright big guy this won’t hurt you I promise.” Elma put the bridle into the horse’s mouth and mounted him.” Huh this is new, I’m on his back and he’s not going crazy?”

Sylvie pressed her head against the horse's cheek lightly, rubbing him. "It's okay... We're your friends..."

The horse slowly walked around the stable, Elma slowly lowering her guard with the horse." Hay Sylvie you said you had a baby right, did you meet someone at the guild or were you pregnant before joining to get away and seek protection?"

"The Latter actually. I met my husband at the Manor." The Green-Haired woman answered, looking up at her.

"Huh that's nice to hear, my brother found his future wife at the manor as well. It fells nice to see so many people finding happiness in this horrible time, Hay Sylvie are you worried about what has been happening with the manor? I mean with the demons and the gods getting involved."

"The Gods seem helpful so far... But... They seem like a fickle bunch... And Demons... Demons are never good news..." The Huntress shook her head.

"Yea you know when I joined this guild, I just wanted to be around my brother I knew I would have to kill but I never imagine this. Fighting demons and giant monsters sometimes I feel like I made a mistake joining this guild."

"I suppose I can understand why this might be... Overwhelming..." Sylvie nodded.

Elma nodded her head and patted her horses head." But After all the mistakes I made, me being responsible for Eraqus limbs being cut off, the incident with Jay. I fell horrible for all of that, but I'm learning and I’m getting better every day and hopefully I will be able to show my face back at the guild."

"Era-" She shook her head. "What... 'Incident' with Jay?"

"I screwed up, his staff was coming at me I launched my ice magic at it and when it broke corruption poured out of it. I thought he was bluffing about it, but he was telling the truth I also said somethings to him I shouldn't have said and I wish I could take it all back."

"What... Did you say...?" Sylvie raised an eyebrow at her.

"I said I screwed up, I insulted my teacher and I wish I could take it all back but I can't. That's why I'm not going back to the guild." Elma got off the horse and looked at Sylvie."I screwed up but I'm training out here getting better at my magic, why does Jay mean something to you or Eraqus?"

"Uh... No..." The Huntress shook her head adamantly. "I've... Never met him before."

"It's a shame, Eraqus was a good man and I fell responsible for his death. If it wasn't for that damn crystal taking over my mind I would have never have crippled his legs, and I would have destroyed that crystal instead of him losing his arm to it." Elma said sitting on the ground.

"That's not fair. Even if that is how it happened Eraqus sacrificed himself for us of his own accord... It was his own decision. You can't blame yourself for that." The Neren'Tevan countered quickly.

“Why not he had a metal limb because of me, a limb he wasn’t used to. He couldn’t fight properly or us his magic because of me, it’s still my fault if he had both his limbs and not one made of metal he probably still be around now.”

"That's stupid." Syl put her foot down. "He was fighting fine. That had nothing to do with it. He chose to die so we could defeat Tecunte."

“Still doesn’t erase the guilt though, I’m guessing this is what’s called survivor guilt I’m guessing something in my gut just keep telling me that it’s my fault.”

"You know, if he blamed you... Really blamed you. He would've had Ms. Havenbrook remove you from the guild, but he didn't, he didn't even hold a grudge." Sylvie reassured her. "And even though I didn't know him all that intimately, I know He and your Brother wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it..."

“Yeah you’re probably right, I know right about now Character would hug me and try to in course me and all that. I still wish I could apologize to him though, I said something things I wish I could take back is all.”

"He's family. That kind of bond isn't so easily broken." The Healer smiled.

“Yeah family, I have to admit this hunter this is no joke but admittedly I have become a much braver and stronger person since joining this guild.”

"I like to think we all have since coming here." Sylvie added.

“Hum hay thanks for talking to me Sylvie, I really do appreciate it I think all I need to do was vent about my problems.”

"Don't mention it." She waved it off. "Although you seem like you have some apologizing to do. Jay's a reasonable guy... If a little moody sometimes... I think he'll understand."

"Ugh Yea I should apologize to him at some point, thanks for the talk Sylvie. Though I’m still goanna live at the inn for a little while, felt great working as a mercenary. Being on my own hunting bandits and monsters and protecting people, I see why my brother refused to be a knight now."

"Well... I guess with Tecunte out of the way... Just, be careful." The Huntress warned.

"Don't worry I've been training like I never been for the last few weeks, but thank you for the concur. It was great meeting you Sylvie."

"And you too." Sylvie gave her a wave before making her way back towards the manor.

 

[Insane Darkness]

Insane Darkness and Black0ut present...
New Possibilities

Light glared off of the emblem etched into the blade. Faith stared at it, not too sure what to feel. A drop of blood that wasn’t there before caught her attention, most likely from when she had to protect Havenbrook Manor. The Duck Thrope took her sleeve and wiped it away carelessly, sheathed the weapon and gently placed it by her bedside. I’m still not used to fighting with Titania’s shortsword… she thought, memories of the emotional hand-me-down fluttering to the surface.

------------------------------

Murmurs penetrated through the door that separated Jay from the rest of the Guild. Faith stood next to said door, knocking lightly. “Hello? C-can I come in-n?” she whispered, slightly louder than her usual voice. When no one responded, she opened the door slowly, tiptoed into the room and silently closed the door. More murmurs came from one of the two beds in the room and a male figure laid on their back upon one of them, clad in a loose-fitting t-shirt and tight-fit pants. Without even hearing what he was saying, Faith knew that he wasn’t having a good dream. She quietly and slowly made her way over to him before crouching down, blowing a light wind through his hair. A smile spread across her face, as she was happy to feel like she was taking care of someone for once. Her glance led to his exposed collarbone, however, which had writing branded into his skin. She quickly placed a hand on the ground behind her body to stop herself from being physically thrown backwards at the realization of Jay’s past. The sound her hand made made her flinch, not expecting the action to be as loud as it had been.

The Light Elf’s eye opened, revealing an empty hole where it had once been. He slowly got up and turned to stare at Faith. “...Y’know… There’s this thing called you wake me up and don’t stare at me while I sleep. Makes me more amicable when I talk to you.” He stated quietly, closing his normal eye and seemingly peering at her with his empty socket of an eye.

Tears streamed down Faith’s face, which she quickly tried to cover by moving into the fetal position, throwing her hood over her head with her magic. “I...l’m sorr-rry…” Faith choked, feeling like she had been giving him disrespect that she hadn’t intended to give.

Magic picked the girl up and spun her to face him. “As my pupil, please… I know you have a hard time dealing with something unless you’re like how you are now, but… please stop. I’ll teach you better ways to deal with your anxiety. Now… why are you crying?”

“You… You were-re a slav-ve…” Faith whispered, finding it hard to respond while dealing with her emotions and being in midair.

Setting her down, he groaned. “I know your shyness is overwhelming, and probably what you feel for me… so it’s time to spar. You’ll be able to get your thoughts out better. Fifteen seconds to get ready should be enough.”

Faith slowly pushed herself up, her limbs weak with sadness. She got her feet under her body, which helped to push herself upwards and steady herself. She brought the sleeve of her robes to her face, wiping away the tears that ended up being replaced with more tears and even more sniffles. With one final sniffle and her cheeks completely dry, she stood tall, forcing her hood off of her head as she stared into Jay’s singular eye. “O-okay… Let’s do this.”

Water orbs formed and only a couple flew at Faith, not going their normal speed. “So, explain yourself, now that your adrenaline is flowing.”

The water orbs seemed to explode for no reason as Faith exhaled a breath she took as Jay asked her to speak. “I feel as though I’ve disrespected you up until now. I’m sorry…”

“And how is that?” Jay asked, crossing his arms as more orbs appeared behind him.

“I didn’t know your past. If I’d known you were a slave, I’d… have given you more respect…”

“What does that have to do with respect? Respect is earned, not given. You trusted me to teach you not because I was a slave, you trusted me because we fought and had an argument. That is more respectful to me than respect just tossed at me like a handout. You are here to train not because you wish to learn from a slave. You come here to train with me because I am a Master of Magic.” He replied, his voice booming in the small room. “Am I wrong, Faith Regallis?!”

“I… I’m no Regallis if I can’t even sympathize with your pain!” Faith yelled, stamping her foot in time with the water orbs’ explosion.

“You are a Regallis! Is Titania not your mother? Are you telling me you’ve been fooling us all this whole time with how you treat her? No, you are a true Regallis, not by blood, but by honor and creed! And hell if you can’t sympathize with my pain! I would not wish slavery on anyone, nor would I wish you to cry over it. I don’t care anymore and neither should you.” Sancros’ voice boomed once more, as light orbs flew over his head to form a giant hand which floated down towards her as if in a handshake. “Titania doesn’t fully understand, and she will never get close to understanding. So, stop thinking you need to correct a fault you perceive to be of your own, or you will end up offending me.”

“Okay… I’m sorr-rry…” Faith curled up on the floor once again, making even more mistakes in a row than usual and feeling embarrassed because of it. Her hood floated its way back onto her head, securing her into her safety robe.

The hand dissolved into many orbs of light, which lifted Faith up once more so Jay could look at her. “Stop. Please. I’d rather you be confident and pissed off at me, than… this. As a Regallis, you need to show more backbone and if you need to, just speak Elven and talk normally and have someone translate for you.”

“My backbone is-s hollow, Mist-ster Jay…” Faith replied, trying her best to make a joke that held multiple meanings.

“Faith. I'm more shy than most people around here, along with the fact I don't like to show emotions because people took advantage of that in the past. I can teach you how to be more confident of yourself. Would you like that?”

“I don’t thin-nk it’s something that c-can be fixed…” Faith’s cocoon seemed to shrink with her words. “I’m just… not the bes-st at socialization…”

“Then we practice socialization as part of your training. Look… wouldn't it be nice to talk to your mom without stuttering?”

Tears ran down Faith’s cheeks once more, the mention of her mom bringing back memories before Titania, her real mother. “My mom is-s... dead…” she choked out, a tear falling from inside the hood to the floor.

“Do you know who did it?” Jay asked, his voice becoming quiet.

“M-my father, I think-k… But he was-s a good dad… But… he suddenly… changed… one day…” Faith ominously mumbled.

“‘You think’? How do you know she's dead?” He asked gently, trying not to make her clam up.

“He… attack-cked me and… my mother sa-sacrificed herself for-r me…” Faith lifted a throwing knife from her pouch. “Thes-se were hers…”

“There could still be a chance since you didn’t see her die. How about this: if you agree to learn how to be more confident and actually try, I’ll investigate what happened. Should I find anything… I'll send Titania and you with a fair chunk of money to Neren’teva.”

“I, uh… I don’t kn-now… I guess… I will try…” Faith lifted her hood after she sheathed the throwing knife, her tears dried up and looking at Jay curiously. “So… when-n are we starting th-the new training reg-gimen?”

“Tomorrow. I think you may be better suited, for now, to seek Titania out for affection.” Jay replied, lowering her down to the ground as his orbs dissipated.

“If y-you say so…” Faith’s feet landed softly on the ground as she turned to leave.

“Faith… take care of yourself. And… here. I had Ed make this for you.” A water orb approached the girl with an object as the Light Elf went to the restroom, locking the door with an audible click. As the orb laid its possession on the ground, what the object was revealed itself: an amulet of silver engraved with Titania’s crest.

Faith leaned down and gently picked up the amulet, closing her eyes as she pulled it towards her chest and stood up simultaneously. “Thank you, Jay…” she mouthed, before looping it around her neck and securing it under her robes before noticing that the amulet had a slit between the top and bottom of it, hinting that it had other functions. She quickly pulled the amulet back out of the robes, glanced at what was inside, smiled, then closed the amulet and returned it to its hiding place before walking out of the room, intent on finding Titania’s whereabouts.

---

The deer ran, its silver predator right on its hoofs. However, within moments the wolf, who wore a t-shirt and some baggy pants, had bitten its hind leg, dropping it to the ground with a mighty thud. The wolf moved from its leg to its stomach and tore into it with ruthless abandon. From the treeline, other wolves began creeping out, eager from the smell of fresh blood. They grouped up on the dead deer as soon as the silver wolf left it. It walked back towards its home and laid down next to a familiar sight: a well-taken care of grove.

 

[Insane Darkness]

New Possibilities
Part 2

Two webbed feet landed on the wolf’s head, soon disappearing as the duck they were attached to laid down. The duck quacked on top of the wolf, not one of challenge or anger, but one of compassion.

The wolf nearly snapped at the duck, before merely growling at it. The canine got up and began walking, making sure to keep its head balanced for the duck. The wolf let out a whine as they continued on their way due to the stress in its neck, but didn’t toss the duck off. After arriving at the edge of the Havenbrook Manor, the wolf laid down again, waiting for the duck to move.

The duck ruffled its feathers slightly before sinking down further into its feather cocoon and closing its eyes. A small breeze washed over the two, making its way through the winding crevices between the duck’s feathers and the wolf’s hair. The duck leaned its head down to nuzzle its beak into the wolf’s scalp in affection.

The wolf’s tail slowly started to wag, obviously happy. Then, the wolf slowly started to transform into a fairly short, white-haired warrior with a braided ponytail. “So… we’re going to have to talk about you coming to find me when I’m hunting in my wolf-form…”

The duck quacked in irritance before pushing itself off of Titania, transforming back to its frail, small-statured humanoid form from under the pile of clothes it left behind a tree a small distance away. “I… wanted to show you s-something.” Faith quickly reached for the amulet under her robes, removing it from her neck and cupping it in her hands in front of her.

Titania looked shocked for a moment before a thought hit her mind. “Remembered what my house emblem looked like on my sword, huh? Well, I was planning on getting Ed to make a sword for you, but I suppose that works too.”

Faith’s eyebrows shot up, before she looked at the ground, her mood turning more towards depression than surprise. “I don’t deserv-ve that… I’m… not deserving of something that sp-special… I barely deserve this-s...” She slowly returned the amulet to its hiding place, lowering her head further to do so.

Titania sighed, and looked up at her daughter. “You do. You’ve come so far from the scared teen that I first met. You’re strong, brave, and courageous. You’re more than qualified to share my name as a Regallis, and deserve to have a new blade, than the crappy one you have.”

Faith unsheathed the blade in question, noticing the slight marks and scratches that lined it, as well as the blood stains that never washed out. “I wouldn’t kn-know how to manage it…” Faith argued, sheathing the blade once more and leaving it at her side.

“Then I’ll teach you how to maintain a blade.” Titania answered simply, not budging on the subject.

“I’m not worthy… I… I’m just imposing on y-you…” Faith mumbled, trying to find other ways to put herself down.

Titania walked over and picked up Faith, peering into her eyes. “You’re my daughter and I’ve been training you, right? I also was one of the first to welcome you into the Guild, if I remember correctly.”

Faith quickly looked away from Titania. “That’s… not relevant-t…”

“Answer the question, Faith,” Titania coaxed gently.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m anything close to being-ng a Regallis…” Faith grumbled, lifting her hood over her head to hide her emotions from the Wolf Thrope.

Titania shook her head offering a sad smile. “You’ve put me on such a high pedestal that you can’t relate with me anymore.” She started, her smile dropping, “Yes, you’re a Regallis. Probably moreso than most of my kin. You are more close to the old-style of my House: Warriors unparalleled in strength and virtue, upheld by a strict codex of rules that they followed. And while that Codex may no longer exist, I think you would’ve done them proud. So… you are an exceptional Regallis, well-deserving of the name and station associated with it.”

A singular tear slowly trailed Faith’s cheek, slightly visible from under the hood. “I’m just a… child… I... can-n’t…” The shorter Regallis lunged at Titania into a hug, gripping her tightly. “Thank you…” she croaked in Elven.

“No… thank you, Faith. You’ve made me a far better person than I was… worthy enough to live up to my family name. So, thank you.”

Faith leaned against Titania, tears falling down her face as she constantly repeated, “Thank you…” in Elven. Her heart ached as she clenched her teeth together in a smile of tears and happiness.

“Hey… I got you a present… but I can’t give it to you if you keep saying thank you…” Titania said softly, rubbing Faith’s head as gently as she could.

A few sniffles occurred from within the hood before a small, “Okay…” made its escape from the mix of happiness and sadness beyond the barrier.

“One thing though: You have to close your eyes and you can’t open them until I say so, okay?”

“I can-n’t see anyth-thing anyway-y…” Faith mumbled, before securing the hood further over her face to assure Titania that she really couldn’t see.

Picking up Faith she ran in a circle, picking up speed incredibly fast, which was a useful trick her godly mother had taught her. Taking off in the direction of the Manor, she was in her room in under thirty seconds. Remembering that her daughter was not used to the force of her speed she asked meekly “A-are you okay?”

The slight pains subsided as Faith responded with a weak, “I think so…”.

“Sorry…” The older Thrope murmured sheepishly, as she set the teenager down on the bed. Grabbing her shortsword, she unsheathed the blade and inspected it for any damage or stains before returning the blade to its sheath. She then tied the leather strap onto Faith, then proceeded to lean on the nearest wall. “Open your eyes.”

Faith’s eyes opened, revealing the room that wasn’t there before, but nothing else. “What? Wher-re is the present?” she asked before looking down. “O-oh…”

“You needed a new blade. Can I trust you to take care of this one?” Titania asked, the thin hint of a smile forming on her face.

Faith unsheathed the blade slightly, glancing at the emblem and the warped reflection of her face on the metal before looking in Titania’s direction, albeit slightly blocked by the hood. “But… don’t you need th-this?”

“Nope. I have my longsword and I’ve realized I can’t fight well with that blade… but you could. Do… do you want it?” She asked hesitantly, unsure if Faith would decline or not

“I-I mean… of course I wan-nt it… But… are you sure?”

“I am very sure. You are my daughter, and I… don’t have many things I can give or teach you. I don’t even know how to do many things that are considered ’girly’… but this is something I can do for you. You’ll, uh, take care of that sword, right?”

“Yes… of course I will.” Faith returned her gaze to the emblem on the blade, sheathing it once more.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

Frostlich1228, “The Secret Pearl of Themosa City.”

With Special Guest Star, Zombiesplitter!


Poking his head up out of bed, Peacock rubbed his eyes, scratching his stubbly face lightly. The Railroad Leader leaned to the side, tapping his current bedmate on his shoulder. “C’mon Babe… Wake up… We have work to do…”

James groaned. “I don't want to… Too stressful… Let's just stay in bed and let Phoebe handle it today…”

“Wish we could, but… As it turns out people need us.” Peacock sighed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“Of course they do…” The Flamingo Thrope groaned, getting up with him as Peacock threw on his signature leather jacket.

Pulling on a pair of pants quickly, Peacock made his way out of the room, Fancypants trailing behind a ways. After a few minutes of walking through their cramped underground room to the hall, the passage opened up, revealing a surprisingly developed base of operations. Papers, Maps, and Reports hung everywhere, pinned to various boards and connected to each other via string. On the opposite side was a lab, flasks, beakers, and vials stood on tables, however near them were long cots, some occupied by injured agents… And there were a lot more of those these days…

Phoebe, the Slug Thrope, worked meticulously, despite her lack of eyes, her antennae wiggling lightly instead, picking up small movements around her. She quickly locked onto the fact that Peacock had entered the room, and made her way over to him. “Abel, James. It's good to see you finally up.”

“Yeah.” Abel Dean replied, a name he only ever heard here, by her or James, and even they couldn't say it in public. “What do you got for us today, Doll?”

Phoebe scrunched her mouth slightly, “Well, we finally got all the slaves we freed from Masterwork over to the Hq, it'll take them a while to find homes outside Themosa willing to take them, but we'll find them places or people to stay with.”

“Good. I take it they're in the Dining Hall getting a good meal?” The Leader nodded.

“Of course. They are being given the best treatment after everything that foul Netzi put them through…”

James looked off to the side. “Speaking of…”

“Yeah.” Peacock agreed. “How is he?”

“He's… Being very quiet. He's answering all our questions to the best of his ability, with it I've been able to put together some pretty detailed information on slave hotspots, transit centers, times they are typically moved, delivery paths… All extremely useful stuff.” Phoebe answered, looking back towards another offshoot tunnel in the back of the room.

“I see, well at least he's being cooperative… As long as he gets us what we need to know he can sing campfire songs for all I care…” Peacock waved off.

“There's… One more thing I wanted to bring to your attention... “ The Slug hesitated slightly.

Abel raised an eyebrow. “Yeees?”

“We… Found a child… Before we left and while you were dealing with that… Robot… Dragon…” Phoebe raised a fist to her mouth, clearing her throat. “We found a little Thrope Girl…”

Peacock put his head in his hand. “Please for the love of the gods tell me he didn't experiment or put one of those fucking collars on her…”

“Thankfully no, she was unharmed… Given what Marc’s daughter told us, she's likely one of his Orphan acquires.” Phoebe seemed as relieved as he was, despite knowing already.

“How old is she?” Fancypants chimed in.

“Nine. She hasn't even developed her affinity yet.”

Peacock shook his head, “Let me guess… We can't find her parents, can we?”

Phoebe shook her head, cueing James to respond. “So… We need to find her a foster family out of country… Dammit… The Worst combination…”

“Yeah… Thank-” Peacock was cut off by his scientist friend however.

“Wait… There's… A little more to it…” She stated, clasping her hands together in front of her. “She… Keeps asking for someone by name. Whenever we try to talk to her, she just says she needs to find Eliza… She won't talk to anyone but Eliza.”

“Eliza, huh? Let me go talk to her…” Peacock sighed, allowing Phoebe to lead her to a room that was an offshoot if the main eating area.

Stepping into a small bedroom with rock walls, they saw the girl. Despite the slightly claustrophobic feel, it was surprisingly well furnished with clean beds, soft chairs, even a box of toys and a table to play on.

Sitting at the table was the girl, a small rubber dragon toy in her hand as she made it 'walk’ along the table by tilting it side to side. She was wearing a set of brand new clothes the organization had provided for her and her dark brown hair was done up, held together with a small pin. Her face was round and her features soft, they even provided her some makeup, soft pink lipstick and dark eyeliner, which she had happily applied.

Walking up and crouching next to her, Peacock gave her a smile. “Hey Sweetie, My name is Peacock… How are you?”

She looked up, innocence in her eyes. “P-Peacock…?”

“I know, kinda a silly name right?” He chuckled.

“I… Do you know where I can find Eliza? I need to find Eliza…” The Little Girl shook her head.

“I'll help you find Eliza, okay? Just tell me who she is…” Abel assured her.

“N-No… I'm not supposed to talk… Not until I find Eliza… Do you know anyone named Eliza?”

“Mmm…” He grumbled, choosing his words. “All I need is your name, I promise I won't hurt you okay? We saved you from the tower, we want to help…”

“You… do…?” She looked down, then back up. “My name i-is Pearl… I'm nine years old…”

“Pearl is a pretty name.” He smiled. “Y’know, Eliza is a pretty name too. Who is Eliza? Do you know?”

Pearl simply shook her head. “My… My Mom told me… That whenever I am lost… i should look for Eliza…”

“And that's all you know?” Peacock confirmed.

After a moment, she gave him a sad nod. “It's important… I need to find Eliza.”

“Alright Shortstack, I'll check in with you in a bit. We’re going to find Eliza for you.” He patted her on the head gently, stepping out of the room and reconvening outside with James and Phoebe, not in earshot of the door, of course.

Phoebe seemed hopeful, “Well, did she tell you anything?”

“Not much more than what you got from her. She says that her Mom told her to look for Eliza when things got bad…” Abel explained simply.

“Maybe… We should ask Merce. He bought her, maybe he knows where we can find her parents… Rescue them.” Phoebe brainstormed.

James sighed, “I guess it's worth a shot. He’s been cooperative this far…”

“Fine…” Peacock grumbled. “Let’s all of us go.”

Walking as a group, they quickly made their way through a few of the living spaces for their newly rescued slaves and agents, stopping at a large wooden gate. Standing in front of it was Cancer, the Crab Thrope, with a nod, the crab used his strength to pull on a large, thick rope, lifting the gate up in the process. Wrapping the rope around a hook, Cancer motioned for them to enter, and they did.

Inside, they came upon an empty, cold room, a large Iron cage with Marc inside sitting in the middle. The Cell was a repurposed slave cage, an ironic place for the Slave Trader be kept for sure, but it was merely the only thing they had available to cage him.

Walking up, Peacock rapped on one of the bars to get the sulking man’s attention. “Hey. Netzi. Look alive, we have some questions for you.”

He slowly turned his head to look over, his face was slightly gaunt, dark bags hung under her eyes, his fur was matted and untrimmed, obviously not having the same time to take care of himself. “Yes…? What is it…?”

“We need to know about a slave. Little nine year old girl named Pearl.” Peacock interrogated, leaning his body on the cage. “We can't find her parents… You wouldn't happen to know where she is, do you?”

“Yeah, and if you want any information on how your daughter is recovering, you'll let us know.” James cued in.

“Please… You don't need to threaten me…” He gently floated up, taking a moment to think. “Pearl… Pearl, Pearl… Ah… Mmn…”

“Spill it old man.” Peacock pressed.

Marc looked down, “You won't find her Mother… At least, not with information from me. I sold her off a few years ago to another collector, who probably sold her off to someone else himself. I don't even remember her name.”

Phoebe gave him a disgusted look before James chimed in again. “It wouldn't happen to be Eliza, would it?”

“Eliza…?” He shrugged. “No idea. I never bothered to remember the name of any Thropes I sold off hand… I kept track of them with Sale Ledgers...”

“Which would be in your Tower… Which is now a crime scene… Great…” The Railroad leader let out a long sigh.

“Maybe… Maybe you should call the Fly…” He suggested.

“Her name is Betty.” Phoebe stared daggers at him.

“Why?” James asked before slowly remembering something. “Wait… Wasn't that little demon girl named Eliza?”

“Well, It's a lead I guess…” Peacock looked over to the two of them, “Finish up here, I have a quick call to make…”

------------------------

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

Suddenly, Mina’s specialized Projector glowed red like it had those times before, signalling she had a call from the Elusive organization.

She rubbed her chin, wondering if it perhaps they were calling in a favor for their help. But were they the type to keep score? Probably not. Either way, she accepted the call, the Thrope leader appearing before her. “Didn’t expect to hear from you guys so soon.”

“Yeah…” He rubbed his neck. “Neither did we honestly… How are the girls?”

“Recovering. They are out of the worst of it, though Betty still has a sad look at times and Erin tends to be more fidgetty then before. How’s, um…” Mina waved her hand in thought. “...the crew?”

“Fine, we were able to rescue a lot of Thropes this month… Mostly due to the resistance and the Demon attack that was repelled…” Peacock explained. “It's left a lot of chaos.”

“I bet.” Mina’s eyes darkened. “How’s the weasel?”

“Cooperative. Hell, I'd even say helpful. But he only seems to talk when we want him to, any other time he just sulks… Honestly, I kinda find it hard to care…” The Bird Thrope shrugged lightly.

“I wouldn’t.” Mina leaned against her desk. “So what can I do for you? You don’t seem the type who has time for social calls.”

“You would be right… We found a young Thrope girl in Merce’s Tower, she's safe, but we have no idea where her parents are or their names.” He summed up the situation. “She wants to find someone named Eliza, she says she won't talk to anyone else… And well, the only Eliza I know is here. I figure it's worth a shot, she was at the tower when we we there.”

“She was… though I don’t think she had time to meet anyone.” Mina tapped her foot in thought. She was sure she heard of another Eliza around the time the demon girl was born, but it wasn’t coming to her. “Well, um… I could get our Eliza. Even if it isn’t her, which I’m sure it isn’t, maybe the girl will talk to another kid… maybe?”

“Try to get Betty and Erin too, if they're up for it… Marc suggested we talk to them about it…” He added quickly.

Mina nodded, raising her finger for him to wait and walking out. She returned quickly with the three in tow, no hesitation from them when she told them who it was. They walked into view, most looking curious, though the demon girl looked confused. How did she know her? “Good day,” Erin said. “We never got to properly thank you.”

“Thank me? Don't mention it, it's literally what we do, babe.” He smiled.

“Zhat doesn't mean you don't deserve Thanks, if anyzhing, that means you deserve it even more.” Betty countered.

“Well… I appreciate that.” The Railroad Leader replied sincerely. “Now… On why I called you here… while you were getting them, I was getting… Her!”

Peacock placed a hand on her back, helping her step forward and appear in the projection. “This is Pearl.”

Eliza smiled and leaned forward. “Hello Pearl. My name is Erin. It is a pleasure to meet you, little one. How old are you?”

“Um… I am nine years old.” She held up the corresponding number of fingers. “Do… Do you know where I can find Eliza?”

“Well… we know where you can find someone named Eliza.” Erin motioned for Eliza to step forward.

The demon girl waved her hand awkwardly. “Uh… h-hi, Pearl.”

“H-Hi… But… I don't think you're her…” She said sadly.

Peacock sighed, “Well… I guess I figured… Sorry for wasting your time Betty and-”

The Little Girl’s eyes perked up. “You're Betty? And… Your eyes…”

The Fly Thrope looked around. “Yes… I'm Betty… What about my eyes?”

“M-May I see them?” Pearl asked.

“Uh… Sure…” Betty removed her goggles for all to see and the little girl’s eyes grew even wider.

“You're Betty!” She exclaimed.

“Yes... I am Betty…”

“My M-Mom! She always talked about a girl named Betty with big fly eyes!” She continued, cupping both her eyes with her hands.

“Betty.” Erin stepped next to her. “Eliza. You mentioned you named her after someone you used to know, didn’t you?”

Betty clenched her fists. “I… Z-Zhat Rat… He really did it… He enslaved her… He enslaved my friend… Of course she didn't just go missing one day…”

Erin looked away. “Oh, Betty… I’m sorry.”

Eliza frowned and looked at Pearl. “So you’re looking for you Amam?”

“Eliza… Is my Mom's name? I just… I just called her Mom…” Pearl looked down.

“It's pretty typical of Kids to not know their Mom’s name, especially not when they are young… And Marc did say he sold her years ago…” Peacock shook her head.

“Pearl… Do you… Know who your Dad is?” Betty asked, but she just shook her head.

Peacock closed his eyes, he knew exactly what that meant. Erin squeezed her fists in anger. She needed a moment to compose herself. “Now… now that you know her mother’s name, can you find her?”

“We could follow the Papertrail, but it's got to be pretty cold by now… She… could've been moved any number of times…” Abel looked over at Betty. “Do you… Remember her affinity?”

“She…” Betty sighed sadly, “She’s a Dog Thrope.”

“That's… Not good…” Peacock responded honestly. “The um… cheaper the Thrope… The more vague and less accurate the papers tend to be… Dog is easily one of the most common in Themosa, You might be hard pressed to find any…”

“So, what will be done with Pearl in the meantime?” Mina asked. “You don’t have the ability to permanently house another person, do you?”

“Not forever no, especially with all the Slaves we just picked up… We can only bring so much through the tunnels every day without drawing attention…” Peacock admitted. “She needs a home, and she needs a family… But Orphan Themosan children are the hardest to relocate… The only real option is a Trustworthy Foster Family outside of the Country…”

“We can take her,” Eliza suddenly said, and all eyes turned to her. “What? Her Amam is my Amam’s friend, so doesn’t it make sense. We can watch her until her Amam is found. It’ll… it’ll be like having a little sister…”

“Zhat’s… A wonderful idea Eliza…” Betty knelt down. “I need to do whatever I can to fix what Marc has done… I owe it to my old friend too…”

Eliza smiled. “So we can take her?”

Erin rubbed her chin. “We’ll need bigger quarters then what I have… but as long as it is okay with the boss…”

Mina chuckled. “How could I possibly refuse?”

Betty stood up suddenly, wrapping her arms around Mina. “Zhank you…”

Mina let out another small laugh, and patted her on the back. “You are very welcome.”

Eliza leaned close to Pearl’s image. “You wanna come live in a big house with great food and a bunch of cool people while they look for your Amam?”

Pearl looked forward, her frozen frown finally warming into a smile. “Yes…”

“Zhen welcome to ze family Sweetheart.” Betty exclaimed happily.

 

[Black0ut]

Dahlexpert & Black0ut present:
One's good, Two's a problem, Three is War.

Havenbrook manor
Training yard
4:34 P.M.


Charter was looking over his weapons deciding if he should take them all for the upcoming mission. “Hum I might need the crossbow, but the I won’t be able to carry as many potions then I’ll just leave my throwing knifes behind and my bow and just go with my sword shield and some poisons for the demons, I might want to look that up actually.”

A silver wolf wearing iron armor slowly approached him, making almost no sounds as it did so. It paused as it neared him, and let out a loud howl.

Charter looked at the wolf confused.” Well you're definitely smaller the wolves I deal with.” Charter extended his hand.” Come on Come here boy.”

The wolf remained still, not moving towards the man, its eyes staring into his.

“Hum alright then are you looking for something? I mean I don’t have And food on me, should have came earlier for that.”

The wolf howled twice. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then a couple dozen wolves appeared in the distance, not moving in but making their presence known.

Charter then stood up and whistled and nothing happened for a few minutes, until Slone leaped over the fence to his master’s side.

He’s so predictable… "Hey, Slone!" The wolf said in a familiar feminine voice, the words turned into barks and woofs that Charter could not understand.

“Ou you’re the wolf girl aren’t you.” Slone respond with a howl.

Charter looked in confusion.” Um Slone what are you doing?”

"Yeah... it's me, Titania. I kinda wanted to see how you were doing before I talked to Charter. How's the pack doing?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Doing well, my mate has finally started to hunt with me again now that our kids are getting bigger. Some challenge my rule but there easily dealt with. Otherwise my family is doing well.” Slone tilted his head to Titania.

"That's great! I'm happy for you, Slone! I hope life remains in your favor." She said cheerily, before her voice dropped in tone. "My pack's been busy guarding some different parts of the forest. As warning to you, something's hunting us, only taking one of my pack at a time. I haven't seen it, but... I've seen what it's done." She shuddered, a slight whimper popping out for Charter to hear.

“What in the.” Charter grabbed his sword and shield.” Slone I don’t know what you’re do but hurry it up.”

Slone looked to his master and back to Titania.” You might wanna Tell my master this, I’m sure he’ll love to help.”

"Sure... But could you lead my pack away with you? They need a safe place to stay, and all of our safe spots are too... dangerous at the moment for us to stay there." She asked, tilting her head at the Human.

“Yea I’ll take them to my pack for now, I’ll make sure there safe.” Slone lead the pack of wolves to the forest leaving Charter with the armored wolf.

Titania slowly morphed back into her more human-ish form, glad that her armor hid her more feminine traits, as she hadn't worn any actual clothing to transform back into. "Hello, Charter. I'd appreciate it if you'd lower your blade."

Charter put his sword back into its sheath." Titania it's been a while what brings to you me, you haven't talked to me since what the early weeks?"

"Something like that. Mostly training the newer Hunters up into more intimidating fighters takes my time, but that's not why I had you summon Slone over. There is something in the woods that's killing and eating the wolves I have. Not much is left besides limbs and viscera. That... and it doesn't smell quite right. It smells like a wolf, but isn't. I was wondering if you'd help me track it down and kill it. So... will you help me?" The Thrope asked, a somewhat grim smile on her face.

"I can never say no to a good hunt, it sounds like it could be a worgs or something close to it. Charter started to put his armor on." Right you can lead the way then."

"Or I could carry you there in a matter of seconds." She offered, a shrug accompanying her words.

“Well it would save us some time but how will you carry me?”

"In my arms, of course. How else would I carry you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yea no I have some pride, so I’ll just take one of the horses since Slone is taking care of your wolves.”

"Hopefully that doesn't get you dragged to hell... and besides, why is the notion of me carrying you in my arms, a big deal? Are you just embarrassed about the thought of me even doing it?"

"I need to keep some of my pride, and allowing me to be carried around like some captured bandit i'm not fine with. But more to the point yes it's just embarrassing and the type of god that watches me I don't want to upset him in any way."

She frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Well, suit yourself, although I seriously doubt a God would dismiss you for being carried by a girl to an area in order to fight an unknown enemy." She replied, shrugging as she began to walk deeper into the forest.

“Well when the god is one that takes in many warriors it would be embarrassing. So any what what are we hunting you said it’s wolf like but not a wolf?”

"Yeah... only by smell, which limits what it could be. It could be a Worg, or... at the worst... it could be a Lycan. Think you can handle one of those?" She asked sincerely, curious as to what his answer would be.

“If I can kill a giant I can handle a lycan besides it’s been way too long since I faced one of those, that’s a good thing.”

"And it doesn't bother you, that if it is a Lycan, that it is somewhat similar to me?" She raised an eyebrow, offering a frown.

“No because you don’t allow your inner beast to overcome you and poison your mind, this thing if it is a lycan is to far gone for help.”

She stopped and turned. "I have. It's happened on multiple missions, and I've ripped my enemies apart. I just happen to be able to calm down usually... but then again earning a nickname like 'The Red Swordswoman' usually is indicative of being quite feral."

“Hum or because you have so many people that cares for you that you always come back to normal.”

"Could be... Although the number varies for who I consider a frien-" Titania started, going incredibly still as her ears twitched, signaling that she had heard something.

“I know that look, so what are you hearing?” Charter pulled out his sword and looked around him.

"Well... there's more than one... two, maybe three things... and they know we're here." Titania replied, her clawed hands curling into fists. "Really wish I had a sword right now..."

Charter threw his sword to her.” I have a dagger besides can’t leave you all weapon less and have me do all the dirty work.”

Catching it, she nodded, offering a cocky grin. "Can't let you have all the fun can I?"

Upon her words, two worgs rushed them, their sharp teeth reflecting in the light. They attacked carefully making sure to not attack when the two Hunters were not swinging at them, instead keeping them pinned for something else it seemed.

"Great look at them there stalling for there alpha, which means it's a bigger worg or something Else.” Charter pulled out his dagger and his shield, readying himself for the worgs.

A monstrous roar ripped through the forest, causing the two worgs to immediately attack, their claws and teeth going for more vulnerable weak spots on the two.

Titania's sword swung fast, disappearing as it sliced through one of the worgs' clawed paw, causing it to bite hard onto the sword while it's claw tore at the Thrope's arms, making a fairly shallow gash.

Charter on the other hand used his shield to block the worgs teeth, he then thrusted his dagger many times into the Worg side. The worg then bit Charter’s shield and dragged it and Charter to the ground it then put its paw on his chest and try to bite Charter head, Charter put his shield into the Worgs mouth keeping it from biting Charter.

 

[Black0ut]

One's good, Two's a problem, Three is War. cont.


Titania grimaced as the worg she fought slashed her side open, blood pouring out of the modest wound. Dammit... at this rate... their boss hasn't even arrived yet... and we're on the brink of defeat… unless... Titania thought grimly. Letting out a mixture between a howl and a growl, she sped her foot up and kicked the worg off of her blade. Moving quickly, she impaled the worg on the blade before lifting it off of the knight and tossing the worg at it's compatriot. Tossing the blade onto the ground near Charter, she began to gather speed, going slow to avoid worsening her wound. "Charter... buy me a few seconds... please..." She growled out, as she started building up speed.

"Fine then." Charter retrieved his sword and looked at the worgs." Alright then guess I could stop messing around then." The two worgs Charged Charter, Charter ran to the worgs and used his shield as a fist and hit it across one of the worgs. The other charged Charter and Charter slid under it and thrusted his sword into one of his legs, and the other Charter slashed his sword across its eye.

Titania seemed to disappear right as the wargs screamed in pain from Charter's attacks. Before long, large claw wounds appeared over the two, before a hand sized hole appeared in one of the Worgs as Titania reappeared. "Still think I'm defenseless without a weapon?"

“No what you think I don’t hear rumors around the manor? I was being kind, though to be fair I was messing around with those worgs having some fun with them, but I guess I need to focus now don’t I after all the master can’t be to fat.”

"Alright, 'master', why don't... you... umm... make that seven hostiles, Charter. And that's the biggest worg I've ever seen." She murmured as the rest of the group arrived, their hostile eyes sizing them up. The biggest one spoke in fluent Doloran, with a somewhat haughty, feminine attitude.

"Charter and Titania... two of Havenbrook's most competent rookie fighters. Too bad I can't provide you more entertainment... if I hadn't sent the rest of my pack to slaughter your wolves, I might've given you a proper challenge." Nodding to one of the smaller worgs, she left, leaving the four smaller worgs to fight the duo.

“Well my wolves won’t go hungry at least, se my dire wolf is protecting hers and my wolves are very good at killing worgs.” Charter poured what looked like red liquid on his sword, and raised his shield.

"Right. There's too many wolves and direwolves for the worgs to handle. Plus... I could find where they were very quickly. And," She started casting her eyes over to Charter, "if I did so, I'd really appreciate it if you'd suck up your pride and let me carry there..." Blurring and moving at an incredible speed, Titania's claws raked their way across two of the worgs eyes, blinding them and turning their attention away from Charter.

Charter then quickly thrusted his sword into the two worgs necks.” Ugh fine if it means that much to you, just make it quick.”

Her claws reached under the two worgs she faced, and ripped their throats out, leaving a trail of viscera as they fell. "Not really important to me as it let's you and I protect our wolves." She murmured before picking him up. Within a few minutes of running in a circle, she blurred, bolting off with Charter at a ludicrous speed.

Charter started to get dizzy from running in circles, and thanked the gods that he was wearing a helmet.

After a couple minutes of searching the forest, they arrived to find the Direwolves and wolves fighting against the worgs in a bloody battle.

“Get away from my wolves!” Charter charged in thrusting his sword into one of the worgs while Slone bit Down on its neck crushing it’s spine.

Titania also leapt into the fray, attacking more carefully due to her pain her side caused her. Her claws pierced the underside of a worg's jaw, which dropped it to the ground, dead. She charged at another, pausing briefly to cast a brief glance at Charter.

Charter used his shield to bash one of the worgs noses once stun he then used his sword to cut the beast throat. Another pounced on to Charter trying to bit his head. But Charter used his sword to block the bits of the worg leaving it open for charter to stab one of its eyes, and kick it off him having Slone finish it off.

With lightning speed, Titania impaled a worg, throwing it at another of the large enemies. Running back to the dead worg who’s jaw muscles had been cut, she began prying open the worg's mouth, Titania ripped it's jaw off and used it as a weapon, bashing some of the worg's with the sharp teeth of their fallen packmate.

Charter started slicing the jaws of the worgs, and slicing the heads clean off. As for his partner, Slone and his pack started biting down on the worgs removing there limbs ears and fur.

The worgs, growing aware to their impending defeat, began a retreat that many of them were too weakened to follow away, as many of the wolves began dragging down and killing the larger beings.

“Well at least I can get a few pelts out of this, still no sign of there leader think it ran off?”

"It didn't engage us when we saw it, if that was it, but I think it just sized us up. Hopefully it doesn't come back." Titania replied, holding her side. "Although, I now doubt that either of our wolf packs are safe alone. We might need to keep them together in order to keep them safe."

“Ugh I understand but for the moment.” Charter pulled out a red bottle.” Let me take care of that wound of yours, before it gets infected.”

"I'll be fine, Charter. Demigods usually are. But thanks for the thought though." Titania replied sweetly, as she frowned at her now dirty and stained hands.

“Well for now we should scout the area, don’t know if there still around watching us.”

"Good point. My wolves could scout, but hopefully their attack weakened them enough that they won't come back for awhile. In the meantime... someone should tell Mina the news, and get her weapons." She murmured, before she started to walk off towards the Manor.

Slone came from the side of her to give her balance.” No offense but you look like you could use the help.”

"Those bastards are going to come back, Slone. Enough of them died so our packs should be safe... but they will come back. I think we should let the packs rest for a day before we go after them." She replied, Slone's fur slightly getting a tinge of red.

“Don’t worry about my family, Charter will take care of them he will defend them through anything and everything that comes after us.” Slone looked at his master sitting on a rock sharpening his weapons.” And that’s why I follow him, he’s my father and he will protect my kids as if they were his own.”

"Good... I won't be able to transform back into my wolf form. My wound is too deep. Might die if I try. I'll get some healing but we'll need to conduct a raid on those things..." She replied, gritting her teeth. "Can you keep my pack safe for the next few days? I need to heal up enough so I can join the fighting when we find those other wolves.

“Of course and I’m sure Charter will give them extra training as well.”

"That'll be good. Maybe we won't take as many losses then. Umm... how's your pack reacting to mine? I'd bet they weren't thrilled to see them."

“That’s where my father comes in, he will keep my pack under control he’s been around them enough to keep them in check.”

"Okay. I assume both of our packs will have to stay apart then." She murmured, putting her hand on the wound to staunch the blood flow.

“You should really take that red water my master offered, Don’t know what it is but I makes people feel better.”

"No. My wounds are minor, and he'll need it to defend you guys later. I can get someone to heal me, so I'll be fine, should I make it to the Guild... but you need to go. Charter will need you by his side in case the worgs come back."

“I think you underestimate my master, see like you he can also be feral except he has more control over it.”

"I'd rather be feral than to have control over it. My kills get more gruesome when I have control rather then when I don't. I don't think anyone wants to see me like that." She responded, a dark look passing over her face.

“You will be fine, I know you will be fine you’re not a mindless beast even though you look like us.”

The Thrope's mood brightened, causing her to smile and use her free hand to pet Slone's head. "Thanks. You're nicer than most of the so-called 'civilized' races... I'm glad to be able to call you a friend."

“Same now think you can make it the rest of the way?”

"I can. Take care of Charter, Slone. And take care of yourself." She said, continuing forward without his aid.

Slone went back to his master and rubbed his head on his shoulder.” Ah that’s a good boy, Look Slone I will need to add some small defense here, you know just in case the come at night But I’ll leave your pack a few openings Alright?” Slone licked his master agreeing with him.” Alright then guess I need to get to work huh?” Charter got up and started chopping wood, while Slone laid down next to his family.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Black0ut, Frostlich1228, & ZombieSplitter53
The Violent Ones
Part One

Deep below the world’s surface, in the northern part of the city of Sind, Kva led her chosen towards Northern Hell. Their souls sitting comfy in their artificial bodies, Mags, Titania, and Bea followed closely. The latter looked around nervously as they approached the city’s edge. She was confused as to why Kva had chosen her, a case of a lack of confidence after her last mission. They all looked to Kva for some leadership advice.

“So. Our goal is the deepest part of this place, which means we are heading to the very corner.” Kva turned looking between them. “I chose you all because I respect your Skill, Cunning, Tenacity or Utility in a fight. And also because I know I can trust all of you…”

Mags blinked. “Um… Thank you… I appreciate the compliments…”

Bea nodded in agreement, rubbing her arm nervously. “I’ll… do my best. This isn’t somewhere I ever wanted to be. Kinda weird being here on purpose.”

“So you’re the group heading North, huh?” Kva turned to find a woman approaching. She was tall, attractive, and well endowed, with turquoise skin and pointy ears that were nearly horizontal. She had curly orange hair that reached down to her knees. “You look like a strong group.” She eyed the nervous Bea and the short Mags. “Mostly. You’ll need to be in case we run into any trouble.”quite

“They can more than handle it. I've seen first hand how strong they are… and not just physically…” Kva turned, focusing her gaze on Bea.

Bea smiled at that, and the stranger nodded. “I’m Anju, by the way. Judge of the Dead.” She offered her hand. “And Queen of the Dead thanks to Grimora’s death. It’ll be nice to have her back, as annoying as a boss as she can be.”

Taking the hand, Titania smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, Anju. If memory serves… you’re a demigod, right?”

“That’s right. Technically three quarters god, one quarter demon, but that takes a while to get out, so demigod works. I’ll be your guide through Hell. I’m afraid I can’t do much fighting for you since it will make things worse for the demons here. But I can at least make sure you don’t get lost.”

“That’s fine. It would be weird if you let a heavily armed group into Hell otherwise. But it’s good to finally meet another person who is part god.” Offering a smile, Titania released Anju’s hand. “So, besides that, what kind of resistance should we expect?”

Anju motioned for them to follow her north. “Well, the environments themselves will leave you in danger. Just because those are artificial bodies three of you are sporting doesn’t mean you should be reckless. Remember that Kva here is in her real body, she can still die, and she’ll weaken whenever one of you are lost. Most of the demons will leave us alone because of me being there, but many have began to run wild and might not, so you might have to fight.”

Bea wiped her forehead, the area getting hotter and hotter as they moved along. “I don’t understand one thing. Why help us instead of any other group? If we are all going at the same time, do they have different guides?”

“Oh, I am helping them.” Anju walked backwards. She blurred for a moment, and there was suddenly two of them. “Neat trick huh?” they said at the same time. “This is the kind of job where it helps to be able to be in more than one place at a time.”

“Maybe you could teach that trick to Titania after this is said and done.” Kva looked on towards them.

“Unique for me,” One said.

“I’m not moving really fast,” said the other. “There are actually two of me here.”

“Trade off is it splits my power.” She recombined into one. “So even if I was to help you, I wouldn’t be much help. My power is split into six. Four guides, one still judging, and a sixth trying to run things in Grimora’s place. Trust me, when we all combine and I’m hit with six sets of memory at once, I’m going to have a serious headache.”

The group of five stepped out of the city and were greeted by a sight of pure red. For as far as they could see was a massive red lake, bubbling and boiling and making it a tad uncomfortable. “Ladies,” Anju stated. “Welcome to the entrance of Violence, and Phylaxia, the Sea of Blood.”

“You can see why I choose this region.” Kva knelt down, blood from the lake crawling up her arm, freely under her control as her sword drank until it was full.

Mags tried to share her enthusiasm but failed miserably. “This seems… Nice…”

“Great tactical advantage for this area… but if we go deeper, maybe not as much…” Titania thought aloud, rubbing one of her ears.

“It would take too long to walk around the Sea,” Anju said, and led them to a large boat big enough for the five of the to ride on comfortably. A tall, cloaked figure got on behind them, pushing away from the small dock and using a large, black oar to row them down the river.

As the city quickly vanished behind them, Bea pointed to the side. Along the shore in the distance, they could see demonic centaurs patrolling the banks and making sure none of the souls could wonder out of the blood. She looked to the other side and jumped a bit at some eyes peeking out of the red sea. “W-what’s that!?”

“Oh him?” Anju smiled softly. “He’s as deep as you can go. We make sure even the worst can still see the surface and what they can’t escape from. That particular man has been here for a millenia, guilty of authorizing the use of a weapon of mass destruction that wiped out a country.”

“The Duchy…” Magdalene muttered.

“A fitting fate, as I see it.” The Dhampir added. “Those living there still feel the effects of that decision millennia later.”

Anju nodded. “His penance is almost up, though he has many other sins to pay for.” She suddenly slapped away a blood-red hand reaching up the side of the boat. “Be wary. The souls within might try and trick you into letting them in. Not that you should know any friends within. Enemies, maybe…”

“New Queenie, I thought you liked me better than that!” A voice further up exclaimed dramatically. “Besides, I already accepted to be here and while being boiled by blood is… a little ironic, I’m fine with staying here. Oh, right… Kva… you lied to me. Still a little pissed off at you, I’ll admit.”

Kva looked off the side, spotting the familiar face. “Oh… Koz… I will apologize, but I didn't want to lie to her. But I didn't want you to have sacrificed yourself for her to still see you as a monster…”

“K-Koz!? Like… The Guy who tried to rape her!? Why are we talking to him?” Mags exclaimed, backing up from the side of the boat.

Anju motioned for the ferryman to stop by the Ophidian. “If it helps at all, he is one of the most accepting of his fate I have met in a long time. It is refreshing to not have them whine and fight and constantly annoy the guards in an attempt to escape.”

“Oi! You, Sheep! No rape was even tried! I was the sole person keeping assassins off her ass for years. Only reason I’m here is because I had to damn myself in order to do so. Hence why N.Q. is allowing you to talk to me. Speaking of N.Q. how-” The Ophidian explained, before being cut off.

“Why?” Titania asked in a quiet voice, her eyes cast down low.

“U-umm… Anju, do I gotta answer?” He asked, his bravado disappearing entirely.

Anu nodded. “It would help with your penance to be as honest and open as possible. Most don’t get a chance like this.”

“And you'll have to forgive the Sheep, she's… Out of the loop.” Kva looked over to the woman in question. “Simply, it's complicated.”

Bea nodded. “I’d like to know too.”

Koz sighed and nodded. “Okay… TItania, you’re a noble. Despite contrary belief, your life is on the line a lot. I figured that out and decided to be your shadow… but the only way to shadow you and keep you safe was to be a monster that you hated and despised. That fooled the true bastards that were after you until the manor, that was. You had a shit ton of assassins after you at that point. I sent the letter of challenge so you’d be on guard in case they attacked before I could kill them. And the rest is pretty cut and dry; I killed most of them except one of them, brutalizing you in the process. As for why I’m here,” He shrugged, offering a wry grin. “If you’re an assassin trying to be good, you have to kill the innocent in order to maintain your cover. After this stint here, I get to be sawed in half for betraying you, but such is unlife.”

He narrowed his eyes at Anju, offering a smirk that contrasted his look. “But… Anju would never allow anyone in here unless it was for a specific reason. And with Hell in such an uproar, I assume it has to be important… enough that some demons are getting nervous. What’s happening, Judge?”

“It is time for the old boss to come back,” Anju explained. “Your… friends?... are here to help me retrieve part of her soul from deeper in Hell. Some demons don’t want her back, and they’re here to make sure they stay in line.”

“Figures… it sounds like you might need help, Anju. I can scout ahead, as a damned soul the demons aren’t likely to try to hurt me anymore than they already have. Does that sound good to you?” He asked, as he relaxed backwards into the boiling blood.

Anju folded her arms. “Maybe. What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing. You listened to my story and gave me a reduced sentence, when, if you were more biased, I could be here for a millenium with far greater punishments. Only fair that I help you out in return. Besides… if you really expect me to ask for a reward, all I’ll ask for is an indestructible book to read or a couple pieces of chocolate candies.” He shrugged his shoulders, looking perplexed, “I’m not a complicated man.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

The Violent Ones
Part Two

The Judge chuckled, and waved her hand, releasing him from his bonds. “Be off now. But be careful. Just because your dead and can’t die doesn’t mean they can’t hurt you.”

Kneeling, he nodded his head. “Yes, Ma’am. As the blood lake has taught me, unlife is far more painful than life.” As he stood up, he paused as a light seemed to pop into his eyes. “Anju… I know I’m already asking for much, but might I be re-equipped with my gear I had in life? It will allow me to stay at a distance and protect myself if need be.”

Anju nodded, waving her hands and smiling. “Good luck.”

“And Koz.” Kva stopped him. “Thank you. If you do this, I may be able to help your way out of here.”

Offering a curt smile, he shrugged once more, unhooking the bow from his back. “It doesn’t matter… but I appreciate it. I won’t exactly say no, but Anju knows I’m damned for a reason. Just… keep her safe and avoid dying. I’d hate to find you as a neighbor down here.” And with that he was off, running away deeper into the Violence District of Hell.

Titania was silent, her proud figure shortened as she hid her face behind her sword, using it as a shield behind the pretense of inspecting it.

The group made it through the sea of blood without further conflict. They departed on the other side, Anju flipping a coin to the ferryman. The Phylaxia had been quite the sight to behold but this was far worse. “Welcome to the Plains of Cruelty,” Anju stated grimmly as they walked along. All around were various body parts, some moving independently of their missing body, and enough blood to make another small pond. In the distance to the right, and soul’s temporary body reformed, only for three gigantic demonic crows to descend on him and start ripping him apart, the man screaming in horror.

Mags covered her mouth. “I feel like I'm in a nightmare…”

“Except tangible.” Kva added.

“I’m gonna throw up…” Bea wobbled a bit, looking like she might faint.

Titania quickly grabbed her arm and let her lean on her. “Than close your eyes and I’ll help you walk through without seeing this.” She said gently before looking at their guide. “How much longer is the way through?”

“Not as long as the sea,” Anju assured them. She was desensitized to it, but that didn’t stop her from hurrying along. “This place is wider than it is deep.”

They made it past the halfway mark when Mags heard a sound in the distance. It was a soft coo, the sound of a baby somewhere nearby.

Magdalene closed her eyes. “There aren't babies here are there? How could that be possible?” Despite her doubt, the sound got louder, and was soon replaced with a baby crying.

“A-Anju?” Mags called out, making sure she had not strayed.

Anju quickened her pace. “Damn it, damn it. Everything is out of whack. They are supposed to be asleep right now…” She turned back, noting the others weren’t directly on her heels. “Move, people! We have incoming demons that won’t care about me being here at all!”

Quickly picking up the pace, the Sheep uncovered her eyes, gripping her Scythe for combat. Meanwhile, Kva had also readied her weapon, the blade glowing more than it ever had.

The ‘sky’ opened up above them large vortexes opening up. From them, easing out like a child being born, horrific demons came forth. They had the appearance of human infants, but each was twice as big as a human adult, with light violet skin. As they fell to the ground, sparks appeared behind their backs, briefly taking the shape of insect-like wings. One floated down and stood directly in the group’s path, cooing softly and smiling.

Titania’s arms blurred as she gently released Bea. Gripping the hilt tightly, she merely glared at the creature. “I’m not going to let anyone die here… so leave. Now.” She growled, her body blurring in preparation for the fight.

The demon smiled, and two more landed next to it. They gave big, toothy grins as more floated over, and dived for the group, intent on devouring them. “Gods, no!” Bea screamed, quickly tossing a bunch of throwing knives at one and slowing it down.

“Bea! Stay Close! Gather yourself!” Kva ordered, “Stay as a group and don't get surrounded!”

The Dhampir send out arcs of blood at the one rushing Bea, easily taking off an arm, then a leg, finally slicing it's bulbous head in half, causing it to slide to the ground, spurting blood.

Bea fought alongside her. She was terrified, but she wouldn’t let the others die while she cowered in fear. She sliced viciously, letting her experience take over. Six throwing knives flung forth, stabbing into one of their eyes before she slit its throat open, a torrent of blood pouring all over her and making her scream in horror as another creature came up behind her.

Titania rushed the demonic creature, raising her longsword and slashing downwards onto its head, creating a bloody spout from the wound. Raising it up once more, she swung harder almost cleaving it in two. Noting its dying nature, she charged the three on the ground, sending a dagger into one of their eyes, as she began to blur and disappear.

The Sheep Thrope summoned the confidence of her Mentor God and arced her Scythe at an approaching Demon, cleaving open it's belly. It let out a horrible shriek, charging forward and grabbing onto her leg, trying to pull her out of the formation. As it opened its mouth, Mags took her harp and jammed it inside to keep the maw open, the creature slobbering all over her.

Anju jumped up, having to break her role of not fighting by slicing her arm down. A moment later, the demon’s arm slid off, releasing Mags. She sent a strong kick to its head, making it fall back and spit out the harp. “Run! We can’t take them all!”

“I-I’ll make a path!” Bea started tossing all her throwing knives, clearing a path forward by making all the creatures move to the left or right to avoid getting hit.

Kva dunked her hands in the blood under her, forming a shell of blood to defend the group, the outside of which was covered in spikes. “Stay away from the edges! Keep in the middle!”

Titania having already run at the three that had landed, groaned at the already big bubble of blood Kva had conjured. Well… shit. Guess I gotta kill these three quickly and somehow get back to them. She thought grimly, jumping up onto one of the giant babies before plunging her longsword through it’s head. Seeing another baby flying towards her, she quickly pulled her sword out, and jumped towards the next one, conveniently the one who was partially blinded. Using her enhanced speed to hopefully give her more time to kill it and to give her more strength, she aimed to lop off it’s head, only managing to cut it halfway to that point before she began to retreat. Grabbing her dagger out of the Demon’s eye she speedily made her way back, cursing as she noticed the spikes. “This is a Hell of a day…” She joked grimly, glaring at the oncoming demons flying at her.

A hand reached out of the shield, temporarily removing the spikes as Anju pulled her in. they ran as fast as they could, and kept running until long after the dulcet sounds of cute babies was long behind them. They soon after collapsed, needing to catch their breath, even the demigods winded. “Everyone okay?” Anju asked.

Bea laid on the ground, breathing heavily. “That was crazy. And terrifying…”

“Fuck… Demon babies. That… sucked.” Titania groaned, coughing at the lengths they ran.

Anju rolled her neck, sighing. “So much for now getting involved. Kva, be a dear and drop the shield.”

Dropping the shield, she immediately did headcount, looking for Bea first. “Bea?”

She looked up slowly from the ground. “I’m okay. Just a little… tired…” She gazed around at the terrifying looking trees that surrounded them. They had made it to the third section of violence, a horrific looking forest.

Mags caught up slowly, drool still dripping off parts of her as she sighed. “This is awful…”

“Just be glad it's not your real body.” Kva reminded.

“Still feels real…” Her arm stuck to her armor for a moment.

Anju walked forward a few steps. “Welcome to the Forest…”

She was cut off by a woman running out from between the trees. She ran into Titania’s arms. “Please!” she pleaded. “I don’t belong here! Please, help me!” Behind her, there was a series of howlings.

“What did you do in life?” She asked, her expression indicating her mind was conflicted.

“I-I was a housewife! I never did anything! My husband, he… he always hurt me. I… I couldn’t take it anymore. So I… s-so I…”

“You killed yourself.” Kva replied without fazing.

“What?” Mags protested, anger growing in her. “Is that what this place is about!?”

Anju nodded as the wolves stepped out from behind the trees, snarling. “This is the forest of suicides, where those who were violent to themselves pay their penance… by way of the wolves.”

“Penance!? Penance for what!?” Mags put a foot down, stepping between the woman and the wolves. “Hasn't she suffered enough!?”

“Mags. This isn't our fight, or problem, we-” She was interrupted quickly by Magdalene.

“Shut-it! I don't want to hear it! You think your God and his system are so faultless, don't you?” Mags countered, the Blood-Drinker having never seen a side of her like this.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

The Violent Ones
Part Three

Anju raised her hands. “Please. Do not… this is a price one must pay, but it is not eternal. One must learn to cherish their life so that they… won’t be so willing to give it away. And how we do it is by… taking it.”

“You… You are a Hypocrite! If you value life so much then why not help this girl out of her relationship. Instead you're letting her kill herself just to put her in the same place as her tormentor!” Magdalene fought, putting the woman closer behind her.

“Enough!” Titania roared, looking between the two. “Mags, I get it. I don’t much like the system either. It is archaic for what it was originally designed for and it could be improved, but it is not Anju’s fault. On the totem pole of how much control she has, she’s so far down, the Gods might consider her a maid. No, the ones in charge are not here. So… stop yelling about injustices for the moment and let’s go forward. We’ll bring her with us for the moment, but if you want to change this system, start by bringing back the Queen of this realm.”

Gritting her teeth, Mags sent her Scythe into the wolves, carving them apart. “You're right… This is Grimora’s fault… And she is going to owe us after this…”

Bea looked between Mags, Kva, and Titania, afraid the group might implode. “I-I agree we should… move forward. We can take her with us for… for now.”

Anju sighed. She empathized, but Titania was right about her position. “Alright. Let’s go. For now, we’ll make sure the wolves stay away from her. Any objections?”

Kva looked off to the side, clearly in deep thought, before replying. “Okay. Let's keep moving then.”

Huffing lightly, Mags gave the woman a comforting smile, “I won't leave you here.”

She nodded, gripping the sheep woman tight as they moved on. Unlike the last area, there was little to trouble them. Wolves big and small would look at them on occasion, but a crack of the whip or a snarl from Titania was all that was needed to keep them away. They might have been supernatural, but they were still just wolves.

What was the hardest thing about the forest was the noises. The howls, the cries, the screams. The occasional mess or feeding frenzy they would have to avoid. It was heartbreaking to know that, for some, all their crime was for being here was giving up. Bea glanced at the cowering woman. When she had first left home, she had grown depressed. Was this what would have happened to her had she given in?

Mags literally pulled the wool over her eyes, holding the Woman’s hand. “I want to go back to the Demon Babies…”

“They won’t attack, but the noises… I admit, they don’t bother me, but it is terrible to hear them this much.” Titania patted Mags’ shoulder, trying to comfort her. “It’ll get better, I promise. And compared to the other areas, this is far, far less gruesome, ironically.”

“Maybe for you… I would take viscera over this any day…” Mags looked up, picking up the sight of a few Thropes with brands on them. “How many poor people are here? Torn from their families? This is wrong beyond imagining…”

Anju frowned, urging them to go faster, lest some real danger show up. In reality, she was feeling guilt she thought she had gotten used to, and wanted to be out of this place as soon as possible.

The Bat Thrope wiped her brow, sweat pouring down it. “Is there another boiling lake coming up?” she asked.

“Not a boiling lake…” Anju stepped out of the treeline, ending abruptly into a massive desert. “Welcome to the Desert of Redemption. It is an empty wasteland reserved for those who committed violence to nature and the gods. Here… you will find nothing but lost souls, wandering the horrid heat, with nothing but the other damned and hopelessness to support them.”

“Which is just perfect for an Ophidian to live in.” Koz said as he came back, a young Human woman following closely behind him. “Heya Anju. I’m going to guess you’re pretty annoyed at me right about now?”

“You were supposed to be searching ahead for us.” Anju pointed at the woman. “And she doesn’t belong here.”

“I did search ahead, and I do have your information. But you’re already breaking your own rules by bringing your own person out of the forest. I just decided to grab my adopted sister out to help double the search range… and because I haven’t seen her in literal decades.” He said quietly, staring the Demigod in her eyes, daring her to challenge his thought process.

“I misjudged you I guess.” Mags smiled at him, able to easily pick up the fact that the girl had been a slave.

Anju folded her arms. “And what exactly do you expect to do with her? She still has penance to pay. Another decade at least.”

Anju suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, but when she turned to look, it was Kva, not Mags. “I see no problem here… I think she has learned what you wanted to teach her…”

Anju frowned, but sighed and shook her head. “You mortals are going to get me in so much trouble.” She looked at the Ophidian man. “Fine. If you go back to the desert without a fuss, she… can live in the city until you two can be together again.”

“Thank you… Anju. I appreciate it. Should I be reincarnated with any amount of memories, I hope you can remind me of any favors you want.” He said sincerely, offering a genuine smile. “Now, as for information… So, uh… you guys are gonna have a tough battle. The guy up ahead is a Demon Lord and he had something that looked like a soul. He obliterated some poor schmuck who walked up to him. So, uh, Anju… I think you might want me to help you, right? You’re going to well and truly need it and we still might be fucked by attacking him.”

“Out of curiosity, can my poisons affect a demon at all? Or should I just shoot him with as many arrows as possible?” He asked casually, hiding a nervous twich of his lips behind a smile.

“As many arrows as possible.” Anju rubbed her brow. “What a day.”

The group headed deep into the desert, the burning artificial sun beating down on them. It wasn’t long before they found their target. Not like he could hide, or intended to hide.

“Hakai!” Anju stopped a few feet before him, trying to hide her nervousness. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Hmm?” The burly, intimidating demon with muscles on muscles turned to them. “Well, this seemed like such a good staging point to invade Terra Dolor. After all we are able to pour into your Hell because the Queen of the Dead is dead herself, yes?” He looked over the glowing orb in his hand. “And you can’t bring her back if you are missing even one piece, right?”

“And what about invading Terra Dolor makes it even remotely worth for to you?” Kva looked up at him, unimpressed.

Hakai seemed like he had to actually think about that. “It just… seems the thing to do, you know? Beat the other Lords to it. At the very least, feed my men. And let me guess. You are here to get this soul piece back, right?”

“We are. But I think the better question is, why are so even bothering to protect it?” Kva interrogated.

“Hmm… boredom, I suppose. Don’t need to have that Goddess back.” Hakai grinned at her. “Why? Want to make things interesting?”

“And what does that mean? Do you want to fight us?” The Dhampir raised an eyebrow.

“It wouldn’t be much of a fight… but it could be interesting.” The Demon Lord looked down at the orb. “If you can take this soul from my hand… it is yours. If not, I keep it. And I get to eat one of you. Um…” He pointed at Bea. “Her if she survives.”

Bea yelped. “M-me?”

“Eat us? For fun, I imagine? I doubt you get hungry exactly.” Kva kept her cool. “Ignoring the fact there is plenty to eat here.”

Hakai folded his arms. “That a problem. Just because I don’t have to eat as often as you doesn’t mean I don’t like the taste.” He chuckled. “If you prefer, I could eat the soul. A fresh, bodiless souls is rare.”

“I just didn't expect the wants of a Demon Lord to be so… Simple.” Kva shook her head. “Here I thought you might want something a little harder for you to get.”

Hakai grumbled, not used to being talked to this way. “Do you have a better idea…” He sniffed the air. “Dhampir?”

“You've got a good nose.” The Fencer gave him, shrugging boredly. “Why not take one of us as a wife or something…?

“W-What!?” Mags exclaimed, “Kva what are you doing?”

“Interesting proposal…” Hakai looked at each of them in turn.

When he looked at Anju, she shook her head. “Not me. Them.”

Titania raised an eyebrow at the Dhampir, clearly not happy with her lover at the given moment. Placing her sword into the ground, she leaned on it, eyeing the demon and Kva with a wary look. If we both make it home, you and I are going to have a talk, Kva… She thought to herself, managing to hold a somewhat neutral expression.

Kva looked back at Anju, “Not her. It would defeat the point of getting that soul if we offered her to you. She has a job to do here.”

“I suppose…” Hakai pointed at Titania. “You. With the ears. You will be my wife.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

The Violent Ones
Part Four

“Any particular reason?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I like wolves.” The Demon looked over to Koz. “I like Snakes too… but you're dead. Hmm…” He shook his head. “No, the wolf woman.” He held up the soul. “Unless you can get the soul, of course.”

“You like wolves that much, that the first Thrope or race that shows any wolf-like characteristics, you immediately want?” She asked with a somewhat amused look. What a desperate bastard..

Hakai glared at her. “Do all you woman have such a mouth on you?” He shook his head. “Whatever. I will make my final choice when I see who survives. Now… come at me. I am getting bored.”

“Boy… if you had only been more of a gentleman, maybe asked me out on date, you might’ve had a chance, given that you’re somewhat attractive. Alas, if you want a challenge, Lord of Hell, I, a distant cousin of Anju, will accept.” Removing her blade from the ground, she partially transformed, allowing herself to be more feral than before. Blurring her body to the near point of disappearing, swinging her blade at the taller creature with what seemed like multiple strikes.

Hakai’s eyes flashed, and he lifted his arm. Her blade slashed into it, but the wounds quickly healed. “Yah!” Bea slashed at him from another angle, letting the distraction help her. Hakai took a last minute step back, Bea’s slash missing, and she received a palm in the back that sent her flying.

Mags pulled out her harp, surrounding him with Sleeping music, hoping to at least slow the all powerful demon down.

Hakai’s eyes drooped a bit, and he quickly charged her. He was fast for his immense size, and slammed his fist in the ground where she had been moments before. “How would you like to be my wife?” he asked with a grin.

“No Thanks Please!” The Sheep dodged his slam, using some basic wind magic to launch herself up in an attempt to grab the soul. All the while, using the blood from her weapon, Kva launched herself towards Hakai’s back.

Hakai spun back, reaching out to grab her in midair. “How about you, bloodsucker?”

“No touching.” She spoke as she vanished into mist around his hand, forming along his arm as she leapt off to reach for the soul.

Seeing what Kva was doing Koz fired several arrows in such a fast manner, it was almost like six archers had opened fired on the Demon. A couple were laced with his typical paralysis poison while the others were normal. “Oi! Fucktard! You gonna keep playing with the girls or are you gonna come after me?”

Hakai threw Kva away with incredible strength, like she weighed practically nothing. His eyes turned blood red and he roared at Koz, a massive wall of fire shooting out of his mouth, incinerating the arrows and flying towards the soul.

He dodged as quickly as he could slightly getting singed by the fire. “Is that the best you’ve got?! A child could do better than you! So come on! Fucking get over here, Hakai! Or are you a weak Demon Lord?!” He cried out, readying his bow with several arrows as he launched a continuous stream of bowfire at the Demon.

Hakai snarled, flames shooting out of his nose and lips. He rushed Koz, dragging up dirt along the ground as he neared the man.

As Koz pelted the demon’s chest with arrows and dodged attacks, knowing just one hit would put him down, Bea ran over to Kva. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” She huffed, having tumbled through the sand from the throw. “I have an idea though, but I need to get close…”

“Leave that to me, Kva.” Titania said, her body blurring from her maintained speed. “That is if you can time when to jump off, of course.”

“Of course I can.” Kva smiled taking Titania’s hand.

Meanwhile, Mags looked over at the two of the conversing, figuring they had something in mind, she readied a distraction. Focusing her willpower on Baphomet, she readied herself to bring him forward. It took a lot, the puppet link having the side effect of weakening him, but she had told him to keep himself scarce until he was needed.

“Ready?”

“Of course.”

The Nightgaunt quickly manifested from her, using his reality warping abilities to grow to Hakai’s size as he folded space between him and the demon lord, pulling him close enough to throw forward a punch they thought he would have to catch.

Catch the punch he did, snarling at the demonic dream creature. “Impressive! But not impressive enough!” He tossed the Nightguant back, roaring loudly. Regardless of the effort he had actually put in he hadn’t expected to have to put in any effort at all.

“This isn’t working…” Bea’s eye darted around, spotting a blur that said Titania and Kva were waiting for just the right moment. Bea had to make sure they got it, no matter what. She sprang up, and flew as fast as she could towards the demon. He shot a blast of fire at her, expecting her to dodge. He never expected her to plow right through it. She screamed in horrific pain as her artificial body boil and burned, having just enough strength to bury her sword into his head before burning up.

The Demon Lord staggered back, using his free hand to tug at the sword.

“S-shit…” Koz murmured, taking a precise shot at both of The Demon Lord’s eyes. He caught sight of the blurring pair but charged forward, his blade merely another distraction to buy the pair more time.

Speeding by to just the right spot for Kva to jump, the world seemed to slow down dramatically for Titania. The events unfolding while her body seemed to move just as slowly.

Kva took the opportunity, leaping up with her exceptional agility and placing a hand down on the arm of the Demon Lord. She charged up energy, but it felt like it would take just a little more than she expect; she needed just a few more seconds as she called out. “Mags!”

Baphomet quickly reacted, using everything he had to hold Hakai in place, his claws pressing into the Demon. Mags focused intently, but this left Mags in a vulnerable position near the bottom of the Demon. She paid for it, Hakai smashing her under his foot with a sickening crunch, but Kva was able to pry his hand open.

The Dhampir pumped her magic into the arm, stopping blood flow and almost paralyzing it as Baphomet Dissipated, using much of her power to force him to drop the Soul.

A hand grabbed the soul fragment, blurring as it did so, while the other swung at the demon’s crotch. Moving away before Hakai could do anything, or her anger for that matter, she yelled out. “You lost, Hakai!”

Hakai yanked the sword out of his head, as well as the arrows. He needed a moment to
Heal. “Damn it.” He looked down at the broken body by his feet, and the smoldering one in front of him. “But you paid a price. Was it worth it?”

“They'll be fine.” Kva noted. “Maybe a little worse for wear in the mental department.”

“What?” He leaned down and looked over the pieces of ‘Bea’. “You… you tricked me. You were never at any risk, were you?”

“Hakai… man, we gotta talk… preferably when you aren’t hungry and when you’re less angry. I think you and I could be buddies, aside from thee whole arrows to the chest and some at your eyes.” Koz said keeping a healthy distance away. “But, if I had to guess, given Kva is crafty, probably not. But don’t sweat it… she’s got her dumb moments too, I mean she did get me killed, after all.”

“Sorry Hakai.” Kva responded. “But I never tricked you. This was the only way we could survive down here. You just never bothered to ask us how.”

“Hmph…” Hakai opened up a portal, a hellish landscape even worse then Hell itself seen beyond. “I think I know who I want to be my wife.” He nodded to Koz. “Until next time.” Defeated but not in a sour mood about it, he vanished through the portal.

Anju collapsed to a sitting position. “You did it. You actually won against him. Are you okay without the other two, Kva?”

Kva’s outward appearance of confidence dropped, feeling as if a hundred pounds was on top of her, she collapsed, struggling to breathe.

Anju swirled her foot on the ground, forming a circle that glowed brightly. “Come on. This will bring us back to the city. The two ladies can stay there.” She looked over to Koz. “You can take a short break while we settle things. You… were helpful.”

Titania picked up her girlfriend, with a worried look while Koz merely looked at the Demigoddess. “Glad to be of assistance. If you ever want me to help, you only need to ask.” He offered, a small smile playing on his lips.

As they returned to Sind to regroup, Kva shakily stood up, something coming to her mind. “Anju? A thought occurs… If there was a Demon Lord watching this fragment…”

Anju nodded. “Demon Lords usually work alone… but there is a chance the others might have had the same idea. I pray the others are as successful as you were.”

 

[Insane Darkness]

Insane Darkness presents...
Weaknesses of the Mind, Body, and Soul

Zodiak’s eyes opened slowly, a dull throb noticeable in his chest. His head was propped up so he could see his legs and what was in front of his mostly horizontal body. The area he saw around him was one he wasn’t the most familiar with, but he knew nonetheless. Well, this isn’t the afterlife, it seems…

A small resting figure sat in a chair by the window next to his bed, now letting some of the moon’s light into the room. Her breaths were even, but even being asleep didn’t relinquish the worry that she held in her heart that was apparent on her face. Her stack of books made a tower by her chair almost up to her waist and her glasses dangled off of her ears and nose in a way that threatened to fall to the ground.

Zodiak sat up straighter, moving around the bed sheets and the blanket placed atop his body. It was clear he had been drugged recently, as the pain was only now numbing away. Shifting his gaze to his right, Jay laid upon his own hospital bed, unconscious but breathing. A second glance around the room showed that Eraqus was nowhere to be found amongst the figures in the room. Well, that could mean one of two things, the other one I’m thinking of hopefully not the case…

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and clear his mind, which he found slightly difficult with the spike of pain he got from doing so. You’d think these doctors would have been a little more thorough… The grunt that escaped him made the girl in the chair stir, waking her up from her slumber.

“Ugh…” Faith moaned as her posture straightened, readjusting her glasses so they wouldn’t fall to the floor. Noticing Zodiak’s gaze on her, she quickly looked away, bringing her book back up to her torso to hide her face within it.

The gesture forced a smile from Zodiak as he leaned closer to her. “And how are you this lovely evening, Miss Faith?” he asked hoarsely.

“N-no comment-t…” she whispered, keeping her head buried within the pages.

“Could you tell me what happened with the fight against Tecunte? From what you’ve heard, of course.” Zodiak cleared his throat after posing the question, irritated that he couldn’t talk as effectively as he wished, somewhat understanding Faith’s own pain.

Faith placed her book on her lap, balancing it between her thin thighs. “Your r-ribs were crushed, Jay im-mpaled himself, and Eraqus… is dead. That's all I've hear-rd...”

“It’s my fault… It was one fucking injury and I was down-and-out… Gods, I’m pathetic… Couldn’t protect one Godsdamn person!” Zodiak held a clenched fist by his chest.

“Don-n’t blame yourself… Bodies are fragil-le… Especiall-lly min-ne…” Faith glanced sideways, her greatest weakness brought to her attention.

“If I was any stronger, or even smarter, this wouldn’t have happened… As an ex-future-bodyguard, this… is a huge blow to my pride…” Zodiak stated monotone, staring blankly at his basic white-colored sheets, feeling an unspoken connection with them somehow.

“A God’s body is more resilient than a human’s. It’s just a fact, really. While there are a few exceptions, they are rare cases. Now, accept that you lost and grow stronger or mope forever. I don’t want to see you like this any longer and self-regret about past mistakes out of your control is not beneficial. At least you’re still alive. There’s something not everyone can s-say…” Faith ordered, her stutter returning at the end of her long-winded speech.

Silence filled the room, the only thing attempting to take its place being the steady breathing of the three present within it. “Would you… be willing to help me grow stronger?” Zodiak inquired, returning his gaze to the Duck Thrope and causing her to jump back into her book.

“Of cours-se… If I can-n help… I would lov-ve to...” Faith mumbled, just barely loud enough for Zodiak to hear.

“I can’t protect others if I can’t even protect myself… That might… be a good role to live by…” Zodiak muttered to himself.

Faith moved to knock on Zodiak’s head like it was a hollow coconut, before moving to his ear. “Hello? Anything in there?” A little smirk crossed her face before she realized how close she was to his face, to the point that she could feel his body heat, causing her to blush and return to her seat, her book hiding her face once more.

“Thank you…” A small laugh escaped the smile that appeared on Zodiak’s face. “You are such a good person, Faith. I don’t think this guild would be the same without you here. Albeit, you are very shy, but you have a beautiful and good-natured heart. You always try your best for everyone and that is very admirable. I wish I had something that compared to the amount of compassion you have for others…”

“You… bring someth-thing to the table that no on-ne else does… You have something that-t drives you towards your go-goals… The pure selflessness you show… makes me feel like I’m be-being very selfish… I only do things th-that benefit me… My int-tentions aren’t as pure as-s yours… I envy y-you...” Faith replied, hoping to help him understand the difference between him and herself.

Zodiak looked down at his intertwined hands. “I’m not a Saint, Faith. I’m Human, the race known best for making mistakes and being the ‘evil’ ones. The selfish, ignorant, destructive ones who will never show you any mercy. That’s how everyone sees me. And how I sometimes see myself…”

Faith quickly laid the book down in her lap, leaning forward. “But Humans aren’t-t all bad!” she started, at the volume of a loud whisper, “You’ve shown me th-this with your own actions! Others may say y-you are evil, but… your actions ref-flect your true self. No one is perfect, either, s-so don’t beat yourself up-p over simple mistakes. And clear-rly, you’re very selfless, n-not selfish. Please think-k better of yourself.”

“Well, if I’m supposed to think better of myself, then you should become better at speaking individually to people and stop being so shy. Isn’t that a fair trade?” Zodiak raised one of his eyebrows, a very small smile barely visible reflecting his amusement.

Faith flipped her hood over her head, curling into a ball on her chair at the mention of her shyness.

“As I suspected.” Zodiak went on to continue his previous statement. “It’s not that simple, Faith. One cannot change their outlook on themselves as quickly as they can change their clothes. Same with changing their personality. Saying I should do something is not the same as telling me how I can do so, let alone how to face each problem I find along the way. I understand you want to help me as I want to help others, but…” He looked away from Faith for a moment, trying to find the nicest way to tell her that she wasn’t being very helpful. “Constructive criticism is not the same as a blatant fact. If you understand the difference and use the right one, you should be able to help many people in your life. Wow… I must be on some heavy drugs… I’m sounding like a teacher now…”

 

[Insane Darkness]

Weaknesses of the Mind, Body, and Soul
Part 2

“I understand, Mr. Diraven.” A goofy smile was blatant on Faith’s face as she emerged from her cocoon.

“Hey, now…” Zodiak pointed a finger in Faith’s direction. “That’s not funny.”

“B-but, Mr. Diraven--”

“Come on… Stop it.” A smile spread on Zodiak’s face, contradicting his previous statement.

“Okay.” The Duck Thrope sat in her chair, giggling a little to herself.

A few laid-back laughs escaped the man’s lungs as well, unable to help himself. “I wouldn’t mind being your teacher, as long as you never call me Mr. Diraven ever again. I could teach you how to fight close-combat. That is, if you’d be up for it.”

“Well, call me Ms. Faith, since I’ll be t-teaching you how to fight against magic. Deal-l?” Faith held out a fragile but solid hand, waiting for Zodiak’s own to grasp it.

“You know that I already call you that.” With a silly smile on his face, Zodiak leaned forward and took hold of Faith’s hand, giving it a firm handshake before letting go, returning to his half-upright-half-horizontal position on the bed. After a moment of silence between the two, Zodiak slumped down further into the bedsheets. “Now, I understand that we just had a really cool bonding moment, but I’m starting to get tired… Sorry to cut off the interaction like this, but--”

“I unders-stand.” Faith interjected. “I-it’s okay. I’ll… leave now. Sorry for both-thering you…” The Duck Thrope stood up, gathering all of her learning materials together to leave.

When Faith leaned down to pick up her last book, Zodiak poked her feathered wrist twice. “Hey.” he said, trying to get her to look at him, which she hesitantly obliged. “You have never bothered me. So, go on and study somewhere where I can’t bother you, okay?” A friendly smile backed up his statement, as well as the kind look in his eyes.

Faith nodded, before leaning down to pick up the book again, placing it in her backpack, and walking out of the hospital room, leaving behind a barely audible, “Feel better…”.

As Faith walked out of the room, a nurse walked in, jumping a little at Faith’s quick exit. A little smile stood out on her face as she walked towards Zodiak’s bed. “A friend of yours, I presume?” She pulled up another chair to sit on the opposite side of Zodiak that Faith had, somewhat blocking his view of Jay.

“She’s a good friend of mine. Very sweet girl, that one.”

“Well, I’d say so. She stayed here for days waiting for both of you to wake up.” He assumed that the “both” she was referring to meant Jay as well.

“So… what happened to Eraqus? Is he okay? We fought side-by-side in the battle against... I just wanted to make sure he’s okay.”

“Eraqus… died in combat protecting the manor. A noble sacrifice, I suppose people would say.”

“I… see. Very fitting end, for a man like him, I suppose.” Zodiak’s gaze led away from the nurse, trying his best to accept the fact that he would no longer fight alongside Eraqus, a man he knew very little about but had immense respect for, even more so after his death. He also knew it was clear that those left in the manor during the fight didn’t know how Eraqus truly died, so the turn of his head was also to keep her from finding something on his face that would make her think something else happened that he was aware of.

“I just came in here to make sure you were doing okay. I hope the news of Eraqus wasn’t too hard on you. He was a member of the Havenbrook family to the very end, and he still is. I never got to see him after he died, but… Anyway, let’s talk more about your condition. I understand you must be worried about your friend, but we should focus on you right now.”

“Of course… Apologies, miss. I didn’t mean to waste your time talking about the deceased. He died protecting everyone and you can’t fault him for that. So, I should just focus on myself and getting better.” Zodiak held a hand to his chest, the place of which his injury resided.

“A very blunt way of stating how you feel. Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Can you breathe?”

“It’s a little difficult, and before the drugs kicked in, it was also painful. Otherwise, I can.”

“Okay...” Zodiak’s gaze returned to the nurse, the scribbles of a pen on a clipboard catching his attention as he wondered where she got them from. “So, Zodiak, your ribs were absolutely crushed in many different places, a few shards of bone lodging themselves in places they clearly shouldn’t be. The resulting effect is your difficulty with breathing, as well as a few other possible symptoms that could emerge, such as problems with eating and drinking as well as internal bleeding. Hopefully, we got to you in time for that last one to not be a huge problem. We’ve kept you unconscious, drugged and hydrated through an IV. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I need to see if you still have a fever.”

“Well, I can’t deny a request from a lady. Especially not one clad in white.” He tried to smile before pushing his body upwards again with a grunt, his muscles straining from the effort and from being unused for so long.

“Good to hear, but please don’t try to flirt with me, Zodiak. I’m already married.” She held up her hands, one with a ring on it and the other trying to test how hot his forehead was.

Zodiak gritted his teeth, cringing a little inside. “My bad. I meant no disrespect.”

“I get that… Now, your fever has gone down substantially, which is a good sign. Let’s hope it doesn’t go back up again. Your body was clearly not a fan that you couldn’t breathe and your blood flow was impeded in places. I suppose the only thing left for you to do is heal and sleep. So, I’ll leave you to that.”

“Alright. Have a good night, pretty-nurse-whose-name-I-don’t-know-who-happens-to-be-married.” Zodiak held up his left hand, the one with the IV in it.

“You do the same. And switch your focus to those who aren’t happily married. Please.”

“Oh, well since you’re happily married, then I should respect that. Now, if you weren’t--...”

“Goodnight, Zodiak.”

“Goodnight.” Zodiak slouched back down into his sheets, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep amongst the bland white of the room, happy that his life hadn’t ended, but sad that Eraqus’ had. I should’ve helped him… It’s probably my fault that he’s gone…

Gods… I’m pathetic. Down and out in one hit… What kind of ex-knight am I?...

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Abundance of Pride
Part One

On the west side of Sind, Charter and Alice travel deeper into the flames of hell. Souls circling around them yelling at Alice specifically saying how dare you use our bodies, defiel our resting places and the lot.” Wow I’m hatted, if you worthless sprites were strong enough you wouldn't be here, besides your bodies are doing more now than they were with you controlling them!”

“Wow aren’t you a piece of work, don’t get me wrong there bandits but reamimating there corpses don’t you think what your doing is wrong at all?”

“They were bandits nobody cared for them to start with, who cares if there dead now and there bodies keep living without them.”

“Teh, I knew you were a monster but do even care for the people in your company? Honestly I don’t know why so many people follow a blood sucker like you.”

Alice decided to ignore that question and remain silent. Let him think what he wants Alice, he doesn't know anything about you.

Chivi and Ferron exchanged a nervous look. “B-bad enough we’re here,” the latter muttered. “Now we have to worry about them fighting and souls attacking us.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about the souls too much,” a woman said behind them, resulting in Ferron letting out an embarrassing yelp. “It’s the demons that are the problem.” She was tall, attractive, and well endowed, with turquoise skin and pointy ears that were nearly horizontal. She had curly orange hair that reached down to her knees. “Who’s in charge of this group?”

Charter stepped forward. “That would be me, i’m here to get our friend Eraqus and the goddess of darkness.”

“Your for your friend, I’m here for the goddess of darkness I ou it to her.”

“I’m Anju, Judge of the dead, and ruler of them while said goddess is… incapacitated.” She looked around and chuckled. “A human, a vampire, an elf, and a Netzi walk into Hell… and meet a demigod that wishes she was better at telling jokes.” She looked Charter up and down, and her eyes briefly flashed. “Charter Van Dam. Your ancestors don’t usually end up down here… but a few do. Often they like their job of slaying evil humans a little too much. Do try and make sure you don’t join them.”

“I try my best not to go to far and enjoy my killings, I also only kill bandits and those that harm the innocent but thank you for the warning.”

Alice also stepped forward. “Look i’m here for the goddess, what do you mean she’s incapacitated? Is she alive down here or not, please I need to know.”

“Well, of course not.” Anju’s eyes flashed again and she smiled. “You know better then anyone else she died. But don’t worry. Her soul is down here. Broken into four piece.” She walked forward. “Three other versions of myself should be guiding the other teams to get three pieces. We’ll go get the fourth piece.” She waved her hand towards the gate before her. “Ahead lies pride. A place most of you should avoid ending up in.” She looked back at Ferron. “Accept him. You really need to be more confident, boy.”

Ferron chuckled nervously. “I-I try.”

Anju glanced back at Charter. “Shall we head out? As you know don’t are aware or have guessed, I can see into one’s soul. Alice truly does wish to save Grimora, and she is itching to get a move on, even if it is without us.”

Charter looked at Alice and back at Anju. “Can you hum hay can you tell me what this woman is like, tell me just how evil this woman actually is?”

Anju smiled a little wider. “Sorry, but that is for me to know for my job. Though I can tell you one thing. She isn’t so evil that she can’t truly care about a friend. I’m sure we can trust her as long as we serve her interest, which is to get Grimora.” She turned to Alice. “Just like you can trust Charter as long as you serve his interest, which is to complete this mission to save his friend. So… what do you say? Can we act as a team, people?”

Alice looked at Charter.” Fine i will pretend to care about you people just so long as you don’t mention me being a vampire constantly then i’m fine then.”

“I’ll work with her, come on then best we get moving to the land of Pride who knows what we'll find here.”

“You shall see.” Anju led them along.

As they left the city and entered Pride proper, the ground became uneven, and they found themselves going up and down. It was a difficult trek for them all, save Anju who was used to it, and Chivi who could fly. “Is mountain in Hell? Thought all going down.”

“Oh, it doesn’t seem like it, but we’re decending.” Anju swept her hand about. “This is the Mountain of Arrogance.” She pointed down to another slope and the souls thereon. “Here, the truly proud and arrogant, who thought themselves above the world, shoulder the burden of the world on their shoulders.”

Ferron swallowed hard as he looked upon them. Just being here was gut retching. “H-how heavy are those boulders they are carrying.”

“Oh, it varies. They’re heavier depending on the sin, but lighten as time passes and penance is paid.” Anju looked at them. “The gods can be cruel to the living, but have made sure Hell is not permanent. Be it a decade, and century, or a millenium, you must pay your penance… but everyone leaves here eventually.” Her eyes darted towards Alice. “Don’t let that give you an excuse to sin, of course.”

“Ou please look where we are if you think were all pure then you're wrong, but that won’t be me i’m prideful yes but I know I will be fine.”

“Come on quit gocking, we have a mission to complete we need to find Eraqus and a piece of the goddess of darkness.”

“And if I just so happen to run into that bitch down here I get to slice her head off again.”

“Tecunte has a special blend of… huh…” Anju looked up. The others followed her gaze and found red creatures high up on the mountain, Charter recognizing them as imps. They had several incapacitated souls, none with boulders on their backs. Anju let out a long sigh. “And now we have to run.” She turned and took off down the mountain. Ferron and Chivi looked to Charter for guidance.

Alice on the other hand looked at the imps and the incapacitated souls.” Ou please, I don’t have time for maggots.” Alice put her and on the ground and her dark magic went through the ground suddenly the imps and the souls were impaled all across their bodies.

“That won’t hold them for long people, for now we need to run don’t fight unless you have to down here after all they don’t stay dead here.” Charter lead the group down the mountain while Alice turned into a swarm of bats and flew above them.

There was a loud crashing sound, and Ferron looked back and saw the true reason why Anju wanted to run from the imps. Boulders of various sizes and shapes, all big enough to crush them, fell onto their path and rolled towards them. His eyes widened, and he moved faster then he ever had before. “How much… longer… Ms. Judge!?”

“Too much longer!” Anju matched pace with Charter. “How strong are you with that sword? I need you to start bashing the side of the mountain!”

“Why do you need me to start bashing the mountain, what is it Alive or something like that?”

“No, no! To make rubble to stop the boulders, you goof!” She pulled out an oversized club and started bashing the boulder herself, knocking rocks onto the path.

Charter then pulled out his sword and drove it into the side of the mountain knocking down boulders as he slid down the mountain.

Alice switch back into her normal form and drove her ax into the mountain as well her ax causing more rubble since she came from the air.” This idea of yours better work lady!”

Chivi joined in, her avian construct sending wind blades into the mountain path to create deep grooves. Ferron, trailing behind, was forced to jump over these grooves and the rubble or fall to his death, or at least the death of the artificial body he inhabited. The boulders got closer and closer, but finally, the plan started to work. The grooves and rubble started to interfere with the rolling of the boulders, and one by one they rolled off the side of the mountain until the last one was gone. They collapsed near the end of the path, even the demigod winded. “There… see? We can… work as a team… if we need to…”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Abundance of Pride
Part Two

Alice looked annoyed and turned into a swarm of bats and went ahead of the group. “And there she goes, where the hell is she going. I mean she can’t go to far after all she’s just as lost as us.”

Alice kept hearing voices since she entered hell like something or someone was calling her. Alice finally turned back to normal far away from the group. “Humm What the hell has been calling me, I don’t care for the sprites down here or what they think but why is this voice in my head?”

“That’s because we have been calling you dearest.” Alice eyes widen when she turned around she saw three people, people she only saw in pictures and paintings in her old house.” Ma..Mom, Dad brother? Your you’r down here, I..I had a feeling that you would be down here but your alive in a manner of speaking.” Tears ran down Alice face as she tried to hug her family but went past them.

“Our toll is almost paid Alice, soon we will go to heaven since we have attowned for our sines but you.” Here father step forward.” This is not what we wanted for you, we wanted you to be happy to lead our people with your sister you two standing side by side as defenders and representatives of our people. But you chose something different, you chose to leave our people behind for world conquest.”

“That’s not what i’m doing i’m going to save our people!”

“By conquering other nations?!” Her mother said. “This is not the way Alice if you just wanted to fight our people then you would have gone with your sister and try to convince our people that way, but you didn't you chose to keep on this path you made for yourself. You have made a large army yes, you have people that follow and would die for you but this is not for our people.”

Exactly, your doing this for yourself because you are now finally in charge of something this is about revenge. Revenge for what happen to you in prison revenge for the council not listening to you during your trial this is nothing more than petty vengeance!” her brother said.

Alice kept her head to the ground and boled her fist. “You know nothing.”

“Don’t we.” Her father step forward.” We fought during the last war because our people were dying more than the other races, we united to balience the world you are spitting in the face of that!”

“No I’m not you know nothing, my people are breeding out of existence extension is guarantee for us. I need to forge this army for not just my people but for the world as well, a massive war is coming I know it is I don’t know what the gods have in mind but they chose me. I was chosen to do this, I was chosen to kill the weak of this world I will prepare Terra and bolter there defences for what will come. Through me our race will be free to roam the world again for the first time in three centres.”

“Realy how do you think they feel?” Other vampires started to surround Alice, and started chanting liar, murderer deceiver, that she will bring her race to ruin.

“Shut up shut up, I SAID SHUT UP!” Alie used her fire magic on the sprites turning them into dust.” I see now, mom dad my brother and my sister your all weak. You can’t do what’s need to be done, you three died during the war you haven’t seen what our people have become. Our glory days are long gone I don’t want the glory days of our people back, your stuck in the past your stuck down her because for some reason you regret what you did you and Lilith live in fear. You four regret what you did in the war even though it was necessary, I won’t be like you four. I’m glad I came down here now I you four are nothing but weak individuals that would rather talk your problems away in the hope things will change, I will make change though my actions and I will save the would with my people as heroes standing beside the other races while you four will be forgotten by everyone but Lilith. From this day forward My people are my family and Lilith in name only, I will find my goddess I will bring her home I save our race and you heh you three can stay burning down here or watch on in heaven I don’t care witch.” Alice turned into a swarm of bats leaving her family behind. And returning to the group.

They looked ready to pounce on her for leaving them, but Anju motioned for them to leave her be. She realized where she had been. “Welcome to the swamp of bile.” The group walked along the narrow paths of the land of the gluttonous. There, those who took more food then was deserved of them sat starving in a lake of bile and saliva while the must succulent food dangles just beyond reach. Farron looked up at the food himself. “What do you think Hell food is like?” he asked Charter.

Charter couldn't help but keep his eyes on Alice, but then looked at Anju.”Don’t know you could eat the food in front of them that might just add to there suffering.”

Anju nodded in agreement, and Ferron shook his head. “No, I… wouldn’t want to do that. I’m not that hungry anyway.”

They made it halfway through the area when the land started to shake violently. Anju cursed softly, and looked at the others with a nervous smile. “Figured he’d be asleep right now… shoot.”

“Great more demons to come, what do you think we will face this time?” Alice seemed to be lost in thought small tears running down her face.

“Not many,” Anju muttered. “Just one.” The souls cowarded and rushed to the side as the bile swamp erupted. From it rose a titanic monster, at least twenty feet long, with a round body, a long neck, and a huge head with four eyes and a great maw. It was covered in slime and dripped more as it stared at them hungrily. “Say hi to… a Great Bile Wyrm…”

“Ou you have got to be fucking kidding me, whelp I don’t think we can run from this one people I don’t think it will let us leave anyway.”

“Th-then we fight!” Ferron declared, pulling out his bow. “R… r-right, Mr. Van Dam?”

“Yep we can try fighting this thing, try going for it’s head damage those enough and it should fall. Really wish we had so siege weapons though.”

The monstrous demon comped at them, and tried using its great weight against them. Ferron fired arrow after arrow. He had grown in his time with the guild, and though he was terrified, still fought with all his might. He even hit one of the four eyes before it swept its huge tail, missing him but washing him back with a wave of bile and slime that made him retch.

Chivi and her construct flew above it, sending blades of wind magic its way. They barely made a dent in its skin, as the slime it was covered in protected it to a degree, ut she was mostly concerned with distracting it from Charter and Alice, their two heavy hitters.

Charter put a red liquid on his sword and slashed his sword, fire came out of the blade burning the sliva on the giants ankle, though it seem to do very little.

Alice on the other hand didn't seem to move for a moment, until she finally charged the beast and turned into a swarm of bats flying up to it’s leg, Alice went back to her base form and drove her ax into it’s leg and drove it down leaving a giant cut on the monsters leg as blood flowed from it.

The monster toppled forward, it’s head crashing to the ground. Ferron was able to fire off two more arrows, blinding two more eyes, before returning to a retching fit. Chivi, meanwhile, swooped in close. A mighty blast of wind knocked the saliva off its head and neck, leaving it vulnerable, but she got too close. The Bile Wyrm snapped at her, swallowing her whole.

“Gods Damn it.” Charter Charged at the beast rammed his sword at its cheek piercing it, he then ran across it’s cheet cutting t open. But he was then put on his back from the over flow of blood.

It roared in pain, rearing back. “Now!” Anju cried out. “Finish it off! It’s chest! Stab it in the heart!”

Alice then ran to the beast, and drove her Ax into the monsters chest and kept getting into it until she made a big enough hole for her to go into it’s chest and started cutting it’s heart. Blood started to pour out of its chest, Alice was in there for a good while. The monster mouth open with Alice coming out covered with blood saliva and something else, and she was dragging something behind her right before Alice got on her knees and wiping her eyes.

Chivi coughed and heaved, dropping to her hands and knees next to Alice. “Thanks. Even with fake body… super nasty…”

Charter looked surprised that Alice actually saved one of his men.” Um thank you Alice for saving Chivi i’m surprised that you actually, went that extra mile for someone you don’t know.”

“I told you i’m not as bad as you people think I am.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Abundance of Pride
Part Three

Anju sighed in relief. “Alright… good job, guys. Um… rest up… clean up… and let’s get out of here.”

“Y-yeah…” Ferron retched a few time as he tried to get the bile of himself. “No problem.”

Alice started to walk away from the group and took off the top part of her armor and whiled it down as well as her hair.” Ugh I love drinking blood but this is ridiculous.” Alice then put her armor back on and went back to the group.” So how much further to my goddess?”

“Once we get out of this section, we’re about halfway through Pride.” Anju placed her hands on her hips. Next is Sloth, were the eternally lazy are forced to run… or suffer. Come on. The sooner we get moving, the sooner you get Grimora back.”

“That’s all I ever want.” Alice put the final lace on her armor and moved with group.

Sloth was relatively uneventful. Those who let laziness rule their lives ran eternally, monstrous demon birds chasing at them and attempting to rip them apart. The bits of gore and body parts here and there proved some occasionally fell behind.

Ferron fidgetted as they moved along, walking close to Charter. “M-Mr. Van Dam, uh… how do you do it? How do you walk so tall… look so brave? You’re not afraid? I mean… I know our souls will go back to our bodies, but there is so much here to inflict pain to us, and it is so horrendous here…”

“Who said i’m not scared, I am scared but I can’t let my fear stop me after all I can’t let you all lose it down here. Not to mention I have my family to provide for and protect, so in short I don’t let fear consume me I won’t let my fear control my life it was a hard lesson to learn. But you fight enough monsters you get used to it.”

Chivi floated by, still dripping in goo and blood. “It help when not swallowed by slime mon-mon.” She glanced over to Alice. “Vampy holding weight though, yes? Has been helpful.”

“That she has weird, I figured she would be more of a handful down here or try to kill us. It's surprising to see that she’s actually helping, let alone save one of us.”

Moving out of Land of Savage Birds, the group arrived at their final destination. “Welcome to the Forest of Thorns,” Anju said. “Watch your step. They are quite sharp.”

Movement was slow, as the group avoided being pricking and stabbed every few moments. “What… i-is the purpose of this place?” Ferron asked.

“The envious, who looked upon what others had and hated them for it, have their eyes sewn shut and are forced to wonder the forest.”

“Can’t just sit still, not move and avoid pricky pricks?” Chivi asked.

Anju shrugged. “Yes, of course. But suffering is part of one’s penance. The souls willingly move through this forest. They want the pain… because they want to be forgiven.”

Alice looked at the souls traveling through and saw the pain they were in.” Humm let’s keep moving let these people go through there atonement, we have work to do.” Alice pacing through the forest ignoring the pain of the forest.

Anju glanced over to her. “Not worried, seeing what happens to the envious, are you Alice?”

“They don’t matter, if i’m lucky that bitch is here I need something to make me happy right now and driving my ax into her skull will do that.”

Anju rolled her eyes, Alice missing the irony of the situation. “I feel the soul fragment up ahead. It shouldn’t be… to much…” She slowed to a stop, looking surprised.

“What’s wrong Anju?” Charter said finally came out of the forest small cuts on his armor.” Anju what are you staring at?”

She pointed forward. “There isn’t supposed to be a clearing ahead. And… I think I hear voices.”

Listening carefully, Charter could hear them too. “...and I know I wasn’t the first one to think about it, but I feel I have the best chance of success. After all, I already found it, and soon I’ll find another fragment.”

Alice rushed forward not waiting patiently she rushed to the sound of the voice, with her ax in hand moving closer to the voice. “Alice!” It was the Demon Lord she had met before, Shōmetsu, and her servant Kōhai. “What are you doing here?! I didn’t think we’d meet again so soon.”

“Friend of yours?” Ferron asked.

“Sort of.” Alice lowered her ax.” This is one of lords of hell, and the woman whose armies ass I kicked in Bevelend. How’s that pet of yours by the way it’s still mad I gave it that scar?”

Shōmetsu laughed. “A little.” She looked at her cohort. “Kōhai, be a dear and head out. We need to get ahead of the game here.”

Kōhai nodded. He eyed each of the others for a moment before his muscles expanded, and he jumped forward, launching himself over and away from the others, jumping so far away they didn’t see him land.

The Demon Lord sighed. “He is such a good servant, but lacking a sense of humor. So, Alice… what are you and your friends doing in Hell. You didn’t die, did you?”

“Not yet, but i’m looking for something well someone. I’m looking for a peice of the goddess of darkness, and there looking for there friend of theirs. But tell me is a piece of the goddess of darkness here or nearby?”

Shōmetsu giggled, and held up a glowing gem. “You mean something like this?”

Anju gasped. “That’s it!”

“Hum I recognize that part of her, it’s a gem that’s usually in her neck. I will be taking that please.” Alice extended her hand.

“Mmm… no.” Shōmetsu looked into it. “I’m afraid I need it.”

“I’m going to say this again, I need that to revive my goddess I don’t want to fight you here but I will if I must. Just hand me the gem of my goddess and I can leave.”

“But I don’t want her to come back. Hell is the perfect place to mount an invasion of Terra from. Hmm… but you’ll get all uppity if i don’t, and we are such good friends…” Shōmetsu leaned forward. “How about we play a game to see who gets it?!”

Charter stepped forward.” We are not playing games with Demons!”

Alice stopped him however.” What kind of game? Do I have to fight your dragon again? Because I still want him.”

“No, no. You get to fight… me!” Shōmetsu held her hand out. A massive hourglass materialied a few feet away. “The rules are simple. We’ll fight for five minutes. If any of you survive, you win! And get to keep the soul fragment, of course. If you lose… well, you’ll be dead, so best not to lose, right?”

“S-survive for five minutes, huh?” Ferron laughed nervously. “Against a Demon. H-how hard can it be?”

“It’s harder than you think, a regular demon is no problem but she is one of the demon lords so it won’t be a easy fight I will handle this-”

Charter stopped Alice.” You actually done enough Alice, besides I’ve been looking for a good scrapping.” Charter jumped down to the demon lord and drew his sword.” So the rules are to just last five minutes with you huh, alright how about I fight you if that’s alright?”

Shōmetsu laughed. “You… just you? Alone. You don’t want the whole team? I mean… you sure about that, little man? You look like I could knock you down with a breath.”

“I’ll be fine i've been holding back for a long time, i’m sure a seritan god is watching me and would love if I offered any part of your body as a favor to him. Not to mention I’ve been dying to use training i’ve been doing against strong opponents.” Charter bashed his sword against his shield.” So come on little lady.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Abundance of Pride
Part Four

“Very well.” Shōmetsu waved her hand, and the hourglass flipped, the sand pouring down it. “Begin.” She snapped her fingers, and glowed yellow. She suddenly ran forward, reaching Charter in a flash, and punch him, his shield taking most of the blow but he was still sent back ten feet.

“Ou not bad not the best, I’ve been sent flying by worst.” Charter then charged the woman and started to swing his sword at the woman she dogged with easy, Charter then headbutted the woman his helmet doing more damage to her then to him and bashed his shield against her jaw simulating a left hook.” Don’t take me lightly.” Charter stood in a position stance and quickly poured a purple & yellow liquid on his shield quickly.

“Hmph…” Shōmetsu snapped her fingers again, and glowed green, the wounds on her face healing. She snapped red, and slammed her fist into the ground, a large crack flowing towards Charter and knocking him off balance. She quickly snapped blue, and sent a large fireball towards him.

Charter charged into the fireball his shield taking no damage at all. Thank you Erin for these enchantments there still very useful, best I give her some defence now. Charter pulled out a white colored valve and poured it on his sword. “Huh I never used this one never had to, alright lady come on please try you being boring.”

She let out a haughty laugh. “Am I now? The other demon lords don’t think so. You see, we got this power balance thing. I’m all about magic which beats the musclehead’s strength, which beats mind girl’s mental… stuff… which beats my magic. Without the balance, I could take over the whole demonrealm, and I already plan to take over the whole mortal realm.” She snapped her fingers repeatedly, cycling through colored glows. “Think I’ll start in Bevland. Thanks to my good buddy Alice, their army is in tatters. But first, you wanna fight, right?” She settled on red, which seemed to enhance her strength, and charged Charter, going for a solid straight punch.

Charter decided to doge the punch, but the demon was faster she quickly regained her balance and punched charter. The punch destroyed the upper part of his armor and even his chainmail underneath, sending him a good ten feet away from her. Charter couldn't help but smile, he dug his sword into the ground and seemed to be praying. When he stood up his eyes look much like Alice completely red. The demon lord charged herself at Charter again and went for a punch to finish him off, but charter used his shield to block the blow. Blood came from his wrist but it seemed Charter didn't budge Charte lunged his sword into the demon stomach, and in a quick succession, his sword hit her arm, side and cheek.” You are not facing a normal human anymore, you face the warlord god's chosen trained by him personally, and I am angry.”

Shōmetsu quickly backed off, snapping to orange to defend herself. Once she was a good distance away, she snapped to green to heal. “Heheh… you’re pretty good for a mortal. Try this.” She snapped to purple, and sent a tendril of energy to his head, attacking him mentally. “Suffer…”

Charter dropped his sword and shield and grabbed his head, Charter was seeing images of the world burning and people being tortured and mamed and hunted for sport. But Charter smiled and he picked up his weapons again.” Rely mind games, did you think that would work on one of the warlord god's chosen!? But you want to play dirty fine lets play dirty then.” Charter pulled out a glass bottle with purple liquid inside it, but this was a potion bottle. Charter charged the woman going for a half ass attack which Shōmetsu easily grabbed his sword, Charter then open the bottle and threw the liquid into the demon eyes, and it actually burned her.” Like my potion it’s an experiment I’m working on. Holy water wolfsbane, Juniper and purified salt for an extra sting how do you like it?”

“Argh! I don’t, damn it!” Shōmetsu finally lost her cool. She stumbled away and glowed green. When she could finally see again, she was looking at the hour glass. “Crap,” she muttered, seeing she had ten seconds left, and turned to try and finish Charter quick.

“Your kidding!” Alice couldn't help but stare in shock.” This is one of Havenbrook’s elite hunters, and he’s standing toe to toe with one of the four demon lords?”

“Aw seems like I’m the winner but still give me your best shot in what little time you have. I welcome it.”

“You’ll regret that.” Shōmetsu flashed yellow, and was on him. She grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him into the air. Switching to red, she held him tight, and prepared to punch his head in with a big grin. Her smile faded, however, and she let out a long yawn, slowly lowering her hand. “I’m bored… you win, okay? Can we play something else?”

“No!” Alice yelled.” You lost he won give us back the piece of my goddess, like you promised.”

Shōmetsu pouted, putting Charter down and tossing her the soul fragment. “Fine.” She looked down at Charter. “Why is she so fussy?” She leaned down and whispered, “I bet you made her look bad, and she’s totally jealous.”

Charter took a deep breath, his eyes going back to normal except his right one.”Don’t care she’s not my friend or ally I could care less what she thinks.” Charter looked down and sees that bar chest is exposed.” You people don’t happen to have a shirt do you or repair my armor?”

Shōmetsu snapped her fingers, glowing white, and waved her hand over Charter, restoring his armor to its previous state. “There you go.” She frowned again. “Oh, poo… I lost the fragment, didn’t I?” She smile mischievously. “Would it be so wrong of me to kill you all and say I won?”

Suddenly an ax found itself in her skull, when the demon looked at it she recognized it as Alices.” No you feel this pain we don’t want that, besides you lost fair and square to this human now hold still Alice pulled out her ax leaving a huge scar in the demon frustrating her.

“Ow… bitch…” Shōmetsu glared at her. “I don’t like you anymore. Charter… it was Charter, right? Charter is my new friend. Gods, you need to work on that temper.” She opened a blood red portal back to the demon realm. “I’m going home before she ruins all the fun I had with that fight. Do it again sometime?” She held her fist out to Charter.

Charter reluntly bumped her fist. “I don’t mind I could always use the training.”

Alice then hugged the demon.” Aw look at you making friends, i’m sorry for me throwing my ax but you do have a tendency of going a little far with your fun figured I had to bring you down. Be my friend again?”

Shōmetsu giggled. “Oh, I can’t stay mad at you.” She hugged Alice back before vanishing into her portal.

Anju sighed deeply, wiping her brow. “I need a nap after that much stress.” She spun her foot on the ground, and a glowing circle appeared. “Come on. Let’s head back and see if the other three groups got their pieces.”

“Agreed besides I could use a less crazy time, around here.” Charter looked at Alice.” Your not as bad as I expected, but make no mistake when this is over I will still want to kill you.”

“I expect nothing less, this is all temporary after all besides I can’t wait to see my goddess again and show her how far my army has come since she last saw it.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Bad Apple
Part One

“So, she transformed my door into a portal leading to her own workshop,” Edminfar explained to Mina, sitting in her office in the middle of the day. “Little confusing for when I want to go to her and when I want to go to my office, but I’m getting used to it.”

Mina nodded, her mind on other things. “How long until his body is ready?”

“Another day or two.” Ed held up his hands. “Can’t rush these things. We want it to be just like the original. Well… with some slight improvements.”

Mina raised an eyebrow. “As much as I’m sure he’d appreciate things like… that… try to stick to the blueprints.”

The Netzi laughed heartily. “I meant things like giving him his arm back, but that does give me a few ideas. The important thing is we have his soul, ready to implant. Still… can’t believe we found it in…”

Mina held up her hand this time. “Nothing to it. Please, help the goddess anyway you can.” A knock came from the door. “That would be my twelve o’clock.”

Ed nodded. “Remember, dear. We are all looking forward to his return.” He floated up, over to the door, and opened it.

There was no one Ed saw immediately, but when he looked down he met the dull gray eyes of a little girl, with brown, bowl cut hair. She had an unsettling, toothy smile. She wore a skirt and a hoodie that was too big for her and there was a large, gruesome looking scar around her neck. She locked eyes on Mina, smiling. Two black curved daggers spun into her hands as she giggled.

Ed slowly back away, and Mina tensed up as her eyes scanned the girl and the room. “Hello?”

“Mommy told me that you’ve been a bad girl to her Missy Mina. She told me to punish you.” She giggled again, sauntering forward like a showgirl. “She said to make it nice and messy… starting with that big fat belly.” She continued her walking. She was not scared of a pregnant woman. “I have not heard from my mommy in a while. You killed her didn’t you?”

She heard the click of a pistol readying behind her. “Not another step,” and said calmly. “I don’t know who your mommy is, but I won’t let you harm Mina. Don’t make me shoot a child.”

“Then I won’t make you.” There was a blood curdling cracking sound, and the girl slowly began to morph, laughing in a painful delight. She stood as a full grown woman, the skirt now looking quite small and the hoodie was tighter. She had bandages around her arms that fell away to show rotted and scarred flesh. “Is this better?” she growled, letting out another giggle.

Mina grunted. “Another demi-god?” She reached to the side and grabbed her saber. “Tecunte your mother?”
That caused a pained sneer, whipping back around to Mina. “So you do know her Missy! That must mean she is dead…” With a sniff, she raised her knife at the guildmaster. “She created me. Used Daddy’s magic to bring me to life. And now I will send you to Daddy!” she yelled, running forwards with a deranged cackle.

Mina blocked her to the best of her ability while Ed cursed himself for not taking a shot when he had her away from Mina. “Stop this!” the guildmaster yelled. “Your mother was mad! She was psychotic, and was targeting us! We did what we had to in order to protect ourselves! We don’t want to hurt you too!” She sent Ed a quick look to send him to get help.

“Hurt me? HURT ME?” Another laugh. “Fuzzy thing… take your best shot.” She shoved Mina away, opening up her arms. “Come on, do it.” she beckoned, tauntingly. “Though it is fun to see you quiver!”

Ed grit his teeth. Another victim of Tecunte’s madness, but nothing could be done about it. He fired at her, the kick causing him to float back a few inches. The bullet penetrated the girl’s head, and she let out a pained grunt, only to laugh again. She took her knife and stabbed it into herself, again, and again, each time the wounds merely closing up on themselves. “I can’t die fuzzy thing! Nothing you do will cause me to die! I am already dead!” She happily squealed.

“How about this?!” Mina slashed in an attempt to sever her head.

The blade sliced clean through the flesh, and slowly the appendage fell to the ground. “See?” she taunted. “You can’t… I can’t…” She groaned. “Fuzzy thing, help my head!”

Ed cringed, floating down and grabbing it, but he floated away from the body. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t throw your head into the forge for trying to kill Mina, zombie girl.”

“You could certainly try. I doubt you’ll succeed.” the woman intoned, her head shrinking a bit to return to looking like a small girl.

“If we give you your head back, can we talk without you attacking again?” Mina asked hopefully.

“No!” the girl snapped. “I was made to kill you. So… you die, get it?”

“What does it matter what you were made for?” Ed asked. “Tecunte is gone. You are free from her. Besides, if that is your only purpose, what happens after you kill her?”

“Well, the plan was to go home and wait for Mommy so we could celebrate but now that she is dead, I guess I’ll just have to celebrate alone! I’ll have a big grand party! Maybe wear one of Mommy’s dresses since she won’t have a use for them anymore.” Another laugh.

“Well, no wonder you’re taking so long. We have work to do, you know?” The Smith goddess walked into the room, taking the head from Ed and examining it. “You… what are you? Not quite homunculus… not quite zombie. Like some… hodgepodge by an unprofessional. Who made you?”

“Don’t you talk about Mommy like that!” The head grew as well as the body it was detached from, the body swinging wildly but near no one at all as it walked into the workshop wall and fell over. “D-Damn it... Fuzzy thing, help that too!”

Saboran nudged her head, and Ed reluctantly helped the body up. “That face… Grimora…” Saboran breathed out. “Of course. That’s why part of Grimora’s ashes were missing. They were used as a catalyst.” She shook her head in disgust. “Geez, Tecunte. It is bad enough to kill your sister, but to use her to make some… twisted, murder puppet.” She walked over to the body, placing the head on the shoulders. Mina tensed up, ready to defend herself again.

The flesh of the neck began mending itself when the skin touched, and the woman cracked her neck as it was whole again. “That feels better,” she snapped. Saboran could see the deterioration of a bad model. The missing flesh on the arms likely eroded away, and weren’t always like that. The paleness of the skin. She would have to see the soul to see the extent of just how far this thing was twisted.

“Oh, honey…” Saboran sighed and placed her hands on her shoulders. “Tecunte did a number on you. I don’t know how you feel about her, but she didn’t even seem to care when she put you together. Please, let me help you as best as I can.”

“W-What are you saying!? Are you saying I am not well put-together?” the woman chided, very irritated at the observation. “Secleavar called me beautiful when he…” She shook her head, “Or was that the other guy… no, he was asleep… the boy?” Soon, she just dissolved into incoherent muttering.

Mina cleared her throat. “You… you are beautiful. But Tecunte could have done a better job putting you together. Let Saboran help you. Don’t been the puppet of a wicked woman’s will. Be your own person.” She smiled softly. “We’re trying to bring your true mother back, the goddess of Darkness. When you see her, I bet she’ll look familiar.”

That seemed to hit something close, as the girl visibly shuddered at the mentioning of the goddess. “M-My… real… mother?” She rubbed her head. “But… Tecunte made me… and… Sekky called me…” Her lip quivered a bit.

“His daughter?” Saboran guessed. “Please, don’t cry.”

“I-I’m not crying. You’re crying!” the homunculus blurted out angrily. She took out her knife and moved to stab Saboran.

Saboran blocked, letting the girl stab her in the hand. “Come now… no more of that. No more being alone. No more wicked mother telling you to kill. And no more falling apart. I’m going to help you now.”
The girl’s face trembled, and she closed her eyes. “I-I’m keeping my knives…”

Saboran chuckled. “Of course. As a smith, I would never take someone’s weapons from them.”

“Does this means you won’t try and kill me anymore?” Mina asked.

“Shut up Missy, this is my moment!” the girl snapped, then irritably shook her head. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Just gaze into the soul implanted in you, and see if I can fix the parts of you that are incomplete or falling apart.” Saboran smiled. “It’ll make you feel better then ever.”

“Can we do it somewhere else. I don’t like Missy staring at me like that.” Turning her head, she stuck her tongue out at Mina and turned back into her child form.

Saboran took her hand. “Come on back to my workshop. We’ll get you fixed right up.”

With hesitation once more, the girl slowly put her knives away, accepting the woman’s warm hand with her cold touch. “Okay…"