An’givare watched as the blackened wyrm did something rather unexpected, avoiding the direct chase and opting for another attack from above. Sending forth fog and altering his body into the form of the spear- cloaked in a storm of wind and ice. The iridescent wyvern had miscalculated his cousin’s desire for the chase.. Yet his cousin hadn’t taken his advantage; if he had the young wyvern would have been fatally wounded or decisively killed. But for reasons unknown the wyvern had been seemingly given another chance. One which would only remain by making an escape. An’givare noticed the intricate defense his cousin created, quickly becoming aware that his thunderous breathe wouldn’t be able to penetrate the defensives of wind and ice quickly enough to stun his enemy before he would be impaled. Unless he called on the power of the storm to strike at his foe.. However, a foolish prospect if one very crossed his mind. The wyrm didn’t need the added gift of water the storm would bring.
The iridescent dragon let the thunder dissipate as he flung his wings back with great force, creating not only distance from the wyrm but a resistance of wind of his own. The wyvern dove backwards towards the city below, it would only be a temporary solution. He wouldn’t be able to evade the wyrm’s direct attacks forever. The wyvern contemplated his options, there weren’t many- and the all required getting a momentum advantage… And perhaps finding the opportunity to get the jump on his adversary. Perhaps unlikely but that wasn’t something that had stopped him before. The iridescent beast hid among the alleyways, his wings finding a constant rhythm. Rapidly gaining the momentum he would need. An’givare had no doubt his cousin wouldn’t be far behind or perhaps waiting for him to emerge once more from streets. It wasn’t long before the iridescent beast shot up towards the moon, the pale light making his body glitter like some precious stone. The wyvern didn’t slow down as he reached open air, his body piercing the clouds above. An’givare closed his eyes a moment to analysis the qi signatures he could pick up. Surely his cousin had given up on the chase already.
Ignazio gave a lazy wave towards Victor as he really didn’t care at the moment what the fighter’s thoughts were about Ignazio, but part of their job was dealing with demons especially if they are strays. Ignazio started walking again but then stopped as he had to catch his breath as he reached an intersection heading out into the crowded streets. ’Why the hell aren’t there any doctors around when you need them’ Ignazio could feel the wind increasing and spewing all over the alleys as the shadows of the giant beast hung over the streets like gods among ants. Ignazio placed his hand on the wall and began to search for other sources of Qi in the area. For the most part he was picking up humans until he heard a familiar voice leaving the scene. He caught the black van and his eyes narrowed as he turned and started to move towards the woman that was leaving the van. Soon he reached the crowded street, his chest moving up and down rapidly as he breathed before he started to speak towards the blond leaving the scene. ”Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess, we seek it thus, and take to the sky, ripples forms on the water’s surface, and the wondering soul has no purpose. ” Ignazio quoted as he slowly reached towards his blazer, a smirk appeared on his face as he noticed the car drive off with the others. The fog slowly thickened hiding the presence of the dragons in the sky making it appear as nothing more than strange airplanes.
The young tamer glared at the nearly shrouded woman. Ignazio stood there debating should he draw a card and summon another familiar, but his gut was still not sure on a couple of things. Ignazio knew he called for backup nearly an hour ago, but a senior exorcist of her level was way over what the mission needed, besides normally people like this would be monitoring others or the Vatican, so the question swirling around in the pit of Ignazio’s stomach was still: why was she here? Ignazio slowly started to move his hand from his blazer holding on to the card which held Innocentius’ seal, but he didn’t dare fully draw it into public, even with the mist crawling around the building rooftops and filling the alleyways. Ignazio had no proof on anything that his mind was imagining. Although if he did managed to bring himself to blame her it would only look like another war between the Barthomeloi and the Edelfelt; which didn’t sound too bad in the mind of the young heir, but he did have to wonder if he could beat her at his level. She was a skilled Aria and from a family that specialized in spellcasting, while he may have been good at remembering and reciting a few verses, she was ten if not twenty times better at everything that came with being an Aria. The line in which he would have to think about crossing was thin, even for him. ”Even if the marrow is barren with promises, nothing shall forestall, right, Senior Exorcist Edelfelt? You seem pretty calm right now, allowing two lesser dragons to roam the city. I find it funny you haven’t pounced into action or set up a barrier yet, protocol for most Aria is to do so directly upon entering a scene, to contain the area, also you have no other partners around, most Aria aren’t skilled in combat and are typically defenseless when they are chanting, which brings me to believe something about you. You’re nothing more than a cheap whore of the Edelfelt aren’t you? My how your family has fallen.” Ignazio said smugly before taking a few steps forward. The dried blood on his leg and wound on the side of his head was already entering the healing process in order to form a scab.
Familiars •Innocentius | Inactive •Garuda | Inactive •Hyorinmaru | Active
Hyorinmaru’s body zoomed passed the sparkling dragon before coming to stop pushing away the wind and ice with its massive black bony wings. The large dragon flapped his wings as he watched the Wyvern fly away, trying to escape. Hyorinmaru glided backwards and down following over the head of the beast as if he was a shadow. Yet again the Wyvern was pushing further and further away from the grasp of Hyorinmaru, but he was nowhere from escaping the dragon’s sight. That was until he pulled a stunt to fly towards the sky, cutting through the fog. Hyorinmaru stumbled backwards flapping his wings before looking downward and noticed his master speaking at some woman. ”Why are you out here boy? I thought you were looking for the cause of this creature? Besides, I thought you weren’t into the round and bouncy types.” the dragon mocked before looking above and began to trout forward towards the moon, chasing behind the Wyvern whom had graciously stopped for a moment. The Wyrm ‘s body came through the clouds opposite of the Wyvern and hissed as he flapped his wings. ”You fly fast for such a tiny Wyvern, I’m impressed, I am Hyorinmaru of the Black Ice clan; whom might you be? I ask because you’ve given me a little more entertainment than I could have asked for. But if you don’t comply with your elders I shall strike you down, just as I could have before.”
Hyorinmaru spoke in the tongue that most dragons could understand; through telepathic waves of energy, only appearing to be roars and hisses to most humans. Hyorinmaru knew and understood that his master could hear what he was saying and knew that he had a duty to protect his master over his master’s orders, so he made sure to watch his fellow brother carefully. ”Why did you leave Gehenna, who brought you here? You’re in my territory, and I demand you tell me what your name is and aim for being in this land. Anyanka’s scent shall not sully the sweet aroma of Lord Egyn’s country. Be gone if you are but foe.” Hyorinmaru couldn’t help himself to make a threat, but it’s like what they say, like Master like Familiar. Ignazio and Hyorinmaru clashed often for the views which were more so similar than different, they just hated to admit who was wrong and whom was right.
Familiars •Innocentius | Inactive •Garuda | Inactive •Hyorinmaru | Active
The willowy woman could see for some distance the boy who was at the heart of mission. The one who had managed expose himself on a reconnaissance mission, the one who had bothered to summon yet another dragon to prowl the streets. The pale haired boy looked like a mess, hobbling toward her with the attitude that fit perhaps both their families. Perhaps it wasn’t a mistake she had allowed him to be injured. The moonlight had dulled as the unusual fog poured down to the streets. News crews could be seen reporting on the rapid presence of fog downtown in the distance. Yet nothing more to worry about for now. The boy held a card, although seemed careful to not reveal its face to her or its presence to the people around, perhaps some Barthmeloi secret- they after all were supposed to be among the greatest in the world at their art. A lesser art, of course. But still one to be respected in this day and age. Demons are fickler than their masters- and control is something that often requires a show of force. She was well aware of this fact; being a tamer of her own right. One who wasn’t afraid to beat down her own wyvern as he grew bold.
Agnès wore common clothes- not unlike those of a civilian, skinny-leg khaki pants and a loose white tank top, as well as dark brown sandals. With the warmth of the night she might have been someone who’d just gone out with friends or to the movies- no one terribly memorable by any means. The Barthomeloi boy’s aggression was in line with what she had heard of from her own mother about the boy’s father. Aggressively attacking her decided path- which in truth a few of the things he said were in her control- yet she had opted to do nothing by means of protection or prevention. The boy even went as far as to insult her family, wasn’t it the Edelfelt that had perfected the greater arts of the exorcist world..? The Edelfelt that his sorry excuse of a lineage had stolen something very precious from? In truth, the Barthomeloi were nothing but lackluster thieves and sorry losers in the game of talent and skill. Just smart enough to make something of their failures; perhaps so they wouldn’t have to be second to the Edelfelt.
Agnès smiled a warm smile, one she was fond of giving to those who thought they could trust her. “Strong words for someone who is struggling to walk. I wasn’t asked to come here to act on the mistakes already made. The art of reconnaissance is obviously something you haven’t mastered- not unlike the other failures your family have endured. Are you not among them? I’ve heard so much about your charming sister.. Evidently she has the gift…” Agnès said to the young boy, her voice was calm and obviously wasn’t bothered by the events prior- her voice trailing off as if in thought as she began to speak about his sister, Lorelei. Surely a sore topic for the boy; the Barthomeloi like most other families preferred to have a male heir… Unless, of course, there was a great discrepancy in talent.
Agnès however didn’t stick to the topic of family feuds long- as much as she disliked the Barthomeloi there were greater threats at work. Something the boy likely had additional knowledge about- even if his skills were lacking in the area he had been tasked with. Agnès spoke boredly, giving a hint that she wasn’t interesting in his flapping of gums any longer; “You can put your toys away, boy. There are more interesting things to discuss… Perhaps even someone who will tend to your wounds.” Agnès didn’t speak directly yet she was confident the boy would realize that she hadn’t been alone. That the wyvern was none but her own and it was the reason that he couldn’t track the beast’s master so easily. Simply, gesturing towards the alley before heading down the dark pathway herself. It wasn’t safe to talk about fairy tales or the other “nonsense” exorcists dealt with. The less the general public heard about- the better.
Upon reaching the alleyway it was easy to see someone had bothered to round up the bodies- another young boy stood not too far away from the collection. The Vatican employees wore basic grey uniforms- looking not unlike servicemen and women casually moving the unconscious from the ground and into the black vans. Agnès waited for her young rival to begin to speak- certainly the boy was to grill her about her ethic as an exorcist, insult her family name once more, and likely bring up how poorly she had been able to train her wyvern. The Barthomeloi spoke too much for her taste, forgetting where their miserable existence began from.
Word Count: 813 Qi: 56,000/56,000 Mobility: 60/60 An’givare (B-Class): 10,000/12,000
Elinoi Crew
Eternal Hellraiser
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Kiothaeus
Blessed Fatcat
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:21 am
┗ Titus Fulbright ┓ ► Son of Satan ◄ Exwire || Knight || Berserker || Kurthnaga ||
╔══════════════════════╗
Still waiting for the dragons to make their move, Titus watched the two in the skies intently. They were going in swirls, almost as if they were dancing in the moon-lit skies. The repetitive circular motions made the half breed sigh, and stand up from his sit. "Maybe I should just leave..." Before he could turn to the leave, the quicker of the two took itself to a higher altitude, piquing the spectator's interest. Quickly he took his seat, swing his legs on the edge. The wvyern glowed an icy blue color, before releasing a blast of thunder headed straight toward its opponent. "Hoooh, that might end it!" Smiling, the young man's widened eyes followed the bolts of thunder, and was pleasantly surprised.
The wyrm wasn't done yet! It countered with a blizzard-like fog at the thunder-elemental opponent, allowing it to set up its own attack. Titus clapped his hands lightly, as if applauding the performance of the two. Suddenly, the cold of the fog reached to his spot on the roof, causing him to roll backward, and rub his shoulders. "Aw jeez ya damn icy lizard, was that necessary now?" The silver haired male complained, but the area only got colder as he sat back down, watching the wyrm begin to make its move. It rotated, gathering shards of ice, most likely planning to rip through its somewhat blinded opponent. The dragon had forced its way through the cloud, giving the spectator no visuals on either of the combatants. The boy sighed, and stretched his arms as if he'd just woken up from a nap. "I guess I should go now... But what if the thunder-guy counters? Wait, who's dragons are those in the first place?" Feeling that no one could hear him talking to himself, he kept on asking himself questions pertaining to what was going on.
As he thought about his self-reflection, his phone went off, vibrating in his pocket. Still looking at the dark cloud hanging above the city, he answered his phone. "Titus speaking." A panicked voice was on the other line, as if the person was screaming urgency across the line. "Titus, I told you to get back before 11:30 did I not? Its about to be midnight!" Feeling confused, the young man took the smartphone away from his ear, and looked at the time. His eyes widened. He had 5 minutes to get back to the Kurthanaga house. "Ahhh s**t! Damn dragons..." Cursing himself for even getting sidetracked with the fight, he began walking toward the emergency escape that he got up on the roof from, still on the phone. "Did you say dragons? Anyway, hurry up before you get us both in trouble." The troubled man on the other side of the line hung up, leaving Titus to talk to himself. "Oh hell no.. I refuse to get locked out and clean some stupid bathroom..." Thinking that, he jumped off the roof, infusing his legs with qi, allowing him a soft landing. He made a mad dash for the K house, hoping he wouldn't be late.
He ran into a few of the remaining people outside, saying sorry as they fell on their rear ends. The young man had no time to help anyone; It was every man for themselves. He knew he wouldn't make it in five minutes however. Just then, he had an idea. Taking out his phone, he began to type a text to his roommate.
" Yo, Taki-Taki! Open the window for me. And stall the Master from getting to our room to check up on us. Stall, Stall Stall!
- Ti-san"
After sending it, he smiled, and focused on his running.
[EXIT]
Wearing: True Cross Uniform Mood: Worried; Anxious With : No one Post Word Count: 613 Total Word Count: 1979 Number of Stat Points: 16---& 32 Mobility: 54/55 Qi: 4,700/4,800
Eyes became like daggers as the woman replied back to him and reminded him why he was so bent on becoming a better tamer; his sister Lorelei. Every day of his life, that name has been his shadow, an overhanging shadow that caused his to suffocate in the dark for so many years and its grip had only grown stronger since the passing of his mother. Ignazio clinched his left hand into a fist and soon closed his eyes before allowing the tarot card to re-enter the holster inside his jacket. He followed the woman and started to speak at her the moment they entered the alleyway. ”These are nothing but scratches, I was analyzing the players in terms of what skills they possessed and the demons which possessed them. Being on the frontlines is something you’d never know about.” Ignazio snapped as he saw the men and women gathering the many bodies and loading them into vans. Turning away from the view he looked up at the sky. ”Like I said, I don’t have time to deal with you, if you hadn’t noticed there’s a Wyvern in the city and the only reason why it hasn’t started eating people is because Hyorinmaru is keeping it busy.” a light hiss came from the back of the tamer’s throat after he finished expressing his concern. Soon the young man had grew tired of dealing with the woman, if she was the senior exorcist in charge for this, she should have been the one reacting and soon it hit him, she mentioned what he true mission was, but how did she know that’s what he’s was supposed to have been doing. Ignazio started to laugh after he believed he figured out the mystery. ”I see, so you’re the Wyvern’s master. The Edelfelt have taken up the art of taming now, how interesting, so you’re not only a whore with a cheap taste in fashion, but you’re also a disgrace to the name Greatest Aria to walk the Earth. At least in the Barthomeloi we pride ourselves in our skills and talents and don’t resort to forcing ourselves to obtain a new skill.”
Ignazio snapped before moving his left hand through his hair to slick it backwards. Soon he turned away and looked towards the men and women who were being piled into trucks, before giving a smirk. ”I guess this is your attempt in some form of revenge? You people really should let the past go, besides you have no proof that the old Barthomeloi head even stole anything from you people. The way I was told, we were given something precious and accepted it openly, but I don’t even know why I’m wasting my breath on you. I have a dragon to vanquish.” Ignazio said calmly and confidently before turning his head to the sky and closing his eyes slowly. His eye opened and his pupils seemed to change into that of a serpent, or to more exact a dragon. Soon the young male began speaking out loud once more, but not to those around him but to the massive beast within the sky ”Hyorinmaru, your King commands you to…” he started as he paused and looked down at the Edelfelt woman and smirked before giving his final command to his familiar.
Familiars •Innocentius | Inactive •Garuda | Inactive •Hyorinmaru | Active
The wyrm had taken his time- for such a creature that had shown he could nearly hang with his more agile cousin. However, it wasn’t long before the iridescent beast could sense the wyrm’s qi soaring up through the fogs and mist below, and above the clouds. The wyvern opened his eyes once more as the wyrm pierced the dust of the clouds, blocking out much of the subtle glow of the moon. It was perhaps the first time An’givare had a chance to truly analysis this wyrm. He was substantial in size and may have nearly dwarfed the smaller wyvern.
The beast began to speak, a tongue the young wyvern recognized. It was the common tongue between dragons, something nearly all knew and could speak. As their own specialized variations of language were specific to breed and location. The dragon before him was Hyorinmaru, of the Black Ice clan. Evidently, if anything the beast had gained from the short lived battle it was an appreciation of the iridescent wyvern’s great speed and agility. The wyrm’s words weren’t without threat- something the wyvern would laugh at if it were possible. A summoned beast having a true territory? He couldn’t exist within this world without his master’s assistance- an icy slave! But, the wyvern didn’t decline to answer the wyrm’s questions. He was the weaker party in this clash; he couldn’t yet hope to overpower the wyrm. Perhaps another day, if they were to meet again, a different beast would show his supremacy.
An’givare began to speak, his voice in the form of a low, guttural growl; “Your praises are something that are uncharacteristic of your own kind, wyrm. I’m An’givare, kin of the Tempestuous Storm. I reside in Assiah because of my master. I’m not damned to wait on my master’s call in Gehenna, cousin.”
Word Count: 305 Qi: 10,000/12,000
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 12:37 pm
Agnès “Clementine” Edelfelt
Aria || Tamer || Upper 1st Class
It amazed Agnès how even in such an insignificant child had the gall to talk as a superior to her. But he did reveal some of what he was able to find out- something she hadn’t focused on in the chaos. Perhaps the boy still had something useful to say, but of course- as if it were Barthomeloi tradition- the flapping of tongues was something that would continue. Over useless topics, it was comical how long it took the boy to realize that she was aware of what he was tasked to do.. Even more so that he had teased information without realizing it. The woman laughed as he recalled his version of how the Barthomeloi had stolen the secrets of the Edelfelt. It was almost comical how skewed his light version of the story was.. Agnès smiled as she looked up to the boy, shaking her head in slight disappointment;“You talk too much, boy. Even you’re words contradict your own intentions... Do you not study to become an Aria? Shame. Ah… But if we are to work with threats I can guarantee that trying killing my sweet An’givare isn’t the brightest idea. I can kill you faster than your wyrm will be able to catch him… Eliminating the witnesses won’t take long either- None of them could protect you from me. Thus, young Barthomeloi, I’d advise against it. Neither of us have time to fight- your body would betray you quickly anyway..” She spoke dryly as she spoke in retaliation to his idle threats- did he really believe he had a chance to defeat her? Especially given his physical condition? It was foolish.
Agnès turned her icy gaze away from the boy as she observed the Vatican finishing their business, throwing the last of the bodies into the final omnious van. The place was also surprisingly cleaned up for how little time had passed. Perhaps not so surprising with how quickly the Vatican crews tended to work. Turning back to the boy she spoke without emotion; “I’m only concerned with what you may have found out here. I observed the fight, what information you have could be useful to figuring how this Pandemonium functions. And perhaps a way to take it down. Either you speak freely or I’m sure other arrangements could be made- the choice is yours.” Agnès said as a smirk crossed her lips.
After hearing the beasts reply Hyorinmaru began to laugh and soon began to speak but his speaking didn’t last too long before he received a message from his own master in the middle of his sentence. ”Funny, but don’t get too…what do you want now boy? I’m in the middle of an interesting conversation. So this interruption better be important.” the dragon began to flap his wings as he awaited for his orders, the glowing eyes glared down his fellow flying kind and soon peered down at the city to find his master speaking with a woman. ”Her again? I see, so that’s your master. Judging by how my master has yet to engage her in combat, I’m assuming she’s not a threat to him or our land. Very well then. I’ll grant you a pardon to roam my skies for now, but don’t take this pardon as jester of peace between us. I’m only allowing it because my master has yet to order I rip you apart.” Hyorinmaru hissed before the beating of the wings changed direction and the dragon performed a somersault and headed back down towards his master in order to find out what exactly was going on.
Familiars •Innocentius | Inactive •Garuda | Inactive •Hyorinmaru | Active
The tamer wanted to retaliate but he reached into his jacket and removed the card that brought forth Hyorinmaru. Taking the nail on his thumb he scratched the blood off of the circle removing the binding power causing the approaching dragon to vanish into a swirl of smoke. The freezing mist vanished just as quickly and silently as Hyorinmaru did. Ignazio looked at the woman with his eyes returning to normal before he crossed his arms. ”My mother was an Aria, and just for you little information, I’m skilled in many things, I only took up this power for her sake, and that’s all. It has nothing to do with the rivalry between our families, witch.” Ignazio started before he began to walk passed her and deeper into the alleyway. ”Besides, there is something I am sure you’d like to see. I found it when I was looking over one of the locations where the first Pandemonium battle ended in death.” he said as he continued to walk, masking his limping Ignazio cringed his teeth and took the pain with every step, his back was in so much pain he felt like he was being stabbed by an infinite number of blades, but he couldn’t stop and show his weakness to a woman like her, it wouldn’t just shame him, but it would shame the Barthomeloi family, and that’s one thing he couldn’t afford to do at this moment. Upon reaching the destroyed research facility Ignazio made his way over to the shattered window and pulled himself inside the building and walking down the corridor looking over his shoulder to see the woman following him. ”While I was looking around the building outside I noticed that the pipes had seemed to be cut with some sort of blade maybe like a long sword or spear, but when I felt inside the pipes were dry as bone, not even a single trace of water. I assumed it was because of the water company shutting off the water after the police sealed off this area, but then I found this.”
Upon finishing his sentence, he made it to the illusion created wall through the talisman he placed early that evening. Placing his hand on the disturbance he removed the talisman with a single swipe and soon revealed the bodies lined throughout the hall all appearing to be like beef jerky. The young tamer didn’t turn to look at the woman’s face or anything, he just glared down at the bodies and continued on with his report. ”They seemed to all be members of this facility, but when I did a quick check on their bodies it seemed as all the moisture had been forcefully removed from their bodies. No signs of puncture wounds or cuts, so I’m assuming it had to be from a member of Pandemonium. If my analysis is correct, seeing how the demons latch on to the souls of the players they must need some sort of power to feed the demons until they are powerful enough to fully take over their host body. So it comes down to only a few things.” the young heir explained as he turned to face the woman and his eyes glared into her own. ”One, they feed on the soul of other players which grants them the additional powers of the one they are feeding off of after killing them, two they feed on the life force of normal humans by forcefully removing their Qi, through the draining of the fluids in their bodies, similarly to the methods of vampirism. Then it brought me to the third conclusion, this could be the ability of a player in pandemonium whom can forcefully remove liquids from any object without disrupting the physical container. Like drawing out a soul, similar to the methods written in old books on curses and demonic spells.” Ignazio completed his analysis and soon crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall before his eyes closed.
”As for the men and women that you clearly watched me fight, I originally had them sealed off with a binding spell, it seems fatal verse work on them, although using a verse that effects all demons doesn’t really tell us much. The numbers of demons that I traced during that battle was different, because each of them had at least ten demons occupying their bodies, which means they’ve all have defeated others in Pandemonium and the number of deaths we’ve been hearing about on the news and given in the police reports aren’t adding up, which also means there can be more dead players around the city.” Ignazio explained before his golden eyes revealed themselves once more and he lowered his arms to his sides and placed both hands into his crimson shorts pockets. ”I’m not a doctor or anything, so my information on these people can be wrong, in terms of their cause of death. But I’m certain that they did have all the fluids drained from their bodies, simply touching them is enough to break through the dried flesh and crush an organ.”
The Edelfelt woman watched the boy as he attempted to restrain himself, something that seemed to contradict the Barthomeloi’s great pride- one only supported by the spider webs weaved by wagging tongues. The boy spoke of the deceased first- his mother. Evidently she too was an Aria in his defense. The boy then agreed to share what he had found- evidently there was much more to the story. He went to great lengths to hide his weakness, straightening his back and picking up his gate to resemble a normal walk. The actions themselves spoke for how bitter he was about allowing his enemy to see him in such a weakened state- even if it was something she could have prevented. The boy began to lead the way, to something likely to show interesting. Agnès followed shortly behind the boy as he traveled down the alleyway.
The two came to one of the buildings further down the alley and before long crawling through a broken window. Once within the alleged research building the boy began to explain what he believed the building to be and why he thought to search this area. His logic made sense and soon he revealed something rather unsettling. The Barthomeloi had created the illusion of a wall using a talisman, impressive the boy had thought that far. Perhaps she had underestimated him. Regardless of what talent the boy had the secrets contained behind the wall of illusion were grotesque. Once something as average as a hallway turned into some sort of meat curing plant; the “meat” unmistakably human. Corpses left to cure like jerky. It was sad and could be a reason why so few corpses had been discovered that were linked to the dangerous game.
The boy began to speak about what he gathered from not only the corpses but how the corpses seem to be preserved as well as potentially how the game may have fed off the persons soul. He went on to talk about the events she had witnessed. Agnès waited for the boy to finish. It was quite an elaborate theory some of which could prove to be correct given enough investigation. She walked up closer to one of the corpses that hung in the hallway, raising a finger across her lip as she inspected it. Saying nothing as she looked at how flaky and shriveled the skin had become, in some places completely collapsing exposing organs which also seemed a bit shriveled and dried up as if the water had been sucked out. But like the boy said there were no punctures or obvious skin tears to suggest possible foul play of the human variety. It had to be some sort of demonic magic and perhaps something of the kin of Egyn?
“I… do believe some of your theory may be correct. We won’t know for sure about all of that but it does seem like these bodies have had the fluid drained entirely. It could suggest something of Egyn’s kind.. But it isn’t common for even something such as a succubus to drain people like this. There is also the mystery of how players who have chosen to play as a mage tend to have a variety of different “magical attunements”. May suggest that they have multiple co-existing demonic parasites plaguing their souls. Very interesting.” She said aloud, stepping back from the crumbling corpses. Agnès began to look around the abandoned building- it wasn’t terribly special. A research facility, tables look up much the free space, broken glass and vials lay unattended on them. She crossed her arms over her chest as she couldn’t help but wonder why this particular building would have held any significance to Pandemonium. Why here opposed to something like a warehouse?
Word Count: 627 Qi: 56,000/56,000 Mobility: 60/60 An’givare (B-Class): 10,000/12,000
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:22 pm
Victor Rodrigo de Asturias Fighter || Aria || Exorcist || Exwire
While a thunderstorm seemed to brew above the city, Victor noticed Ignazio take a turn and head through one of the empty alleyways that led to the streets. He figured that Ignazio was still looking for the Wyrm's tamer and perhaps had a lead. Pulling out a small white box, Victor began to follow not so closely. He removed a cigarette from the box and put it in his mouth before replacing the box. With the flick of the wrist, he brought up a new match he had stowed and ran it against the brick wall he was beginning to converge on. It was the corner that Ignazio had taken, that Victor was on. He lit his cigarette and waved away the match before he looked around the corner. He could see several vehicles stopped in the street, unmarked vans of the same color. It was suspicious in itself but Ignazio had stopped to talk to someone on the street. Men in gray uniforms began to come out of the vans and enter the alley. Victor simply drew back and leaned on the wall he was near to, smoking as if just a bystander. When he saw them approaching the people, he brought up his hand again like before, this time releasing the barrier. The men didn't seem to notice as they began to lift and carry the people back to where they had come from. A closer look at their uniforms gave way who they were. Victor recognized the ensemble of their suits and shoes. It was a more secret sector of True Cross, something alike “Sweepers” that came through after an incident and “swept” up the mess. They were numerous and rightly so after so many had fallen and needed to be moved quickly and carefully. Victor watched them until they were almost finished when Ignazio and the woman he was talking came through the alley. They went through the clearing and towards one of the buildings. It seemed that Ignazio was walking her through what he had found which meant that she was one of the Exorcists sent by the Vatican but surely someone he hadn't seen. Victor chose to watch them just a bit longer until they went through a window to the building that Victor guessed was the one with the bodies. He pushed off the wall and briskly made his way to the window and managed to see Ignazio remove a section of wall, only it hadn't been a real wall but an illusion. Victor was impressed at the feat and wondered how he had managed it. It would be something he would have to ask him later. It was rather dark but the two inside could be made out in the corridor. Victor leaned into the window and threw one leg over and stepped inside, watching his head. His cigarette wasn't finished and would surely alert the others if not the broken glass underneath his footsteps. Coming up behind them, he could see the victims and very much of the lady exorcist by the way she dressed. “So here they are. Awful lot like zombies, huh?” Victor said looking over Agnes's shoulder before looking at them both.
Post Word Count:534 Total Word Count: 4458 Mobility: 27/27 Qi Level: 4,700/4,700
Agreeing with the woman with a simple nod, but once she mentioned about Egyn and then Succubus Ignazio’s brain moved swiftly through his demonic knowledge and he looked at the scene again taking into account the feeding habits of a Succubus and the damage around. Soon he turned and looked at Victor before giving a slight smirk at the thought of Zombies. Unlike Ghouls that could be banished easily, zombies were more difficult. I guess you could say that, but to classify them as zombies is a little incorrect. A Zombie is a low to middle class demon that is created by demonic parasites possessing a necrotic human body. Appearing very similar to a Ghoul, a Zombie is distinguished from its counterpart by its highly aggressive, man-eating nature. The greatest difference from the Ghoul, however, is that Zombies are still living human beings and have the ability to talk, should the brain and vocal cords be unaffected by the necrosis. As you can tell, these people are clearly deceased. Additionally, the only known way to exorcise a Zombie is by destroying its brain with any sort of weapon or firearm. Additionally to that, there have been no known cases of a human fully recovering from the necrosis if the parasites were exorcised via a different method, making death of the parasitized individual the only merciful option. Also should the zombie be altered with some sort of regenerative ability, the only way to defeat them is to turn them to ash. Ignazio lectured as he appeared to be a massive encyclopedia on demonic knowledge, living up to the name of the Barthomeloi which made them very useful to have on any mission just because of their ability to analyze an area and demonic interference based on minimum information. Ignazio hated studying all the demonic literature as a child but it had managed to pay off as he’s grew older and have been making a name for himself within the Order.
”Well, I believe that’s true and could be possible for a Succubus to feed in this manner, but the thing is, the number of victims is too high for a single Succubus, therefore if it was only one Succubus this area would be a little more destroyed, there isn’t a single Succubus alive today with the power to feed off of multiple bodies at once, typically this area would be in a frenzy of sorts as well if there were more than one Succubus. Also most Succubus wouldn’t absorb the fluids of their prey, they would focus only on the Qi, in order to heal their wounds and increase their power, but in this case these bodies are completely dry” Ignazio lectured as if he was reading for some sort of text book. His eyes closed as he took a step forward and then slowly opened his eyes and looked to the line of bodies and scanned each of them within his direct sight swiftly. ”Even if a Succubus was near death they would only need to drain a single body rather than so many in order to heal their wounds, and typically a Succubus’ kiss would turn the body to ash by the end of it. Typically they are more intelligent than other demons and tend to hide their feeding, also within this area of the city its far away from the red light districts meaning the seductive aura in this area is really low, which means its factor wouldn’t be high enough to draw a Succubus in.” Ignazio said as he completed his thought and then crossed his arms over his chest before walk-limping forward towards the other end of the hall towards the door at the end.
”I didn’t check the rest of the facility due to the commotion of the battle outside and then it brought me to the group of Pandemonium players. Personally I don’t want to enter another area with my wounds. As you said before my body might give out on me before I have an actual chance to defend myself. Besides it was my own fault for not swiftly dealing with the situation and instead I went to gauge the demonic strength and aura in order to find some sort of answer to the Geis in which Pandemonium places its players under.” Ignazio said once he finally reached the door and placed his hand towards the keypad next to the door and noticed that it was broken. Looking closer at the keypad he rubbed his hand around the pad and found something sharp touch his index finger. ”What’s this?” he asked as he pulled the fragment from the center of the pad and held it towards the woman from the Vatican. It was a long object, clear, and seemed to look like a nail or talon. ”A nail?” he asked curiously as he started to head back over to the senior exorcist and held it out to her.
It wasn’t long before the two were joined by a third exorcist. The young boy was of similar rank to the other, and had attempted to remain stealthy while following them to this worn down research center. Agnès could smell the cigarette smoke on the newcomer as he drew closer to her; peering over her shoulder to get a view of the hanging corpses. The smoke was recent and to be followed up with talk of zombies.. Which was certainly out of the question for these corpses. Even those who dabbled in the illegal arts of necromancy would struggle to bring life to something frail enough to shatter with the faintest breeze.
Ignazio then began to bring forth his knowledge of demons, talking to great lengths about the beings that had thus far been brought up. The kid was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about them- even more curious was his knowledge of how they would feed. Agnès shook her head, coming to the conclusion that it was to be expected of someone of his lineage. Ignazio went on explaining the differences between Zombies and Ghouls to the one another. Agnès began to wander off towards one of the tables; while she wasn’t ignoring the words being spoken she was interested in seeing if perhaps there were notes. Maybe something that may suggest why Pandemonium may be interested in this place. It was hard to imagine a random building would be selected and at least ten people would be sucked of their fluids and left to hang. It didn’t make sense. Surely there was a reason- something the killers may have wanted or needed.
Agnès could hear her rival begin to speak about what he knew of succubus- confirming her thoughts that it likely wasn’t a succubus. The feeding pattern didn’t make sense, and the body count was way too high for a single succubus to have done. As far as she was aware they didn’t act in a pack either. The documents she was able to read in the dim light didn’t seem to be of much use, scientific babble about things that didn’t mean much to her. But her thoughts were interrupted as more chatter irrupted from the peanut gallery- this time of a different tune than that of a page from the walking, talking demon encyclopedia. Worry. Worry about potentially becoming a liability due to injury and perhaps a bit of insecurity by not knowing the full extent of what this place would hide. In truth it was getting about time she called to get some form of back up.
Agnès’s right hand reached down into her bag to grab her phone about the time Ignazio seemed to find something out of the ordinary. The phone slipped back down into the small purse by her side as she began to approach the boy, the object he held was a most unusual object. Clear and long, shaped like a claw or talon might be. The object didn’t seem to have any visible holes but was hard- like a shard of glass would be. It didn’t look like a natural claw or talon belonging to that of a beast. But then what exactly was it? Agnès could only give the boy an honest answer; “mm. Not sure.. I’d guess some variety of implement but I’ve no idea the purpose.” Decidedly, Agnès left out the thought of the strange claw like thing being from a creature- that theory would only make sense if the beast shot the clear talons like a harpoon or cross bow from its body. Something, that seemed more like a fairy tale then reality.
The young tamer slowly growled as he leaned against the door and started to think for a second before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone before pulling up the hologram of the information he was given for the mission from the police as well as the video he took before he sprang into action. Ignazio then brought up a massive map with large red ‘X’s’ in the locations in which murders have occurred recently; all of which were members of Pandemonium. ”The very first Pandemonium murder happened outside of this building, which was a month ago. We can assume that maybe one of the players worked here and maybe went on a rampage and killed everyone in the facility or maybe even a member of their family worked here. Next we know that one of the players was found dead outside with a large spear stabbed through his body.” Ignazio said as he opened the file with the images. ”Next, we know about a few other locations around the city in which there have been attacks, but the murders don’t have the same killing pattern. One death by drowning another was struck by lightning and then burned alive. These aren’t random killings by the looks or sound of it. They are clearly targeted, and from what some of the rumors on the net says about Pandemonium is that these battles are only meant for defeating and not killing and they are scheduled.” Ignazio opened another window which was an internet browser of the message board in which a large number of members of Pandemonium players were constantly posting and boasting about their abilities and ranks. The young tamer sighed as he started to think about the object he just found and tried to think about anything he’s ever read that could release something so fine pointed like that, but nothing was coming to mind. ”Perhaps, it’s a weapon fragment? But if that’s the case, it could have a Qi signature still attached to it, but I know my tracking skills in terms of Qi are limited to a certain radius. There is a method of someone being able to trace something but…that method, the last I checked was a lost and forgotten skill that hasn’t been seen in over a thousand years.” he said calmly with almost a disappointed tone.
Ignazio started before his phone began to buzz in the center of his hand before a text message appeared on the holographic screen for everyone to read. The message was from a young male name Tatsuya and it read: ‘Hey Iggy, I looked into that information on Pandemonium like you asked, a few students from Class 2-B were talking about a tournament coming up this weekend in the park, I don’t think you should get involved in it but, if you’re going to be careful.’ Ignazio closed out the message after reading it by tapping the message with his freehand and moving it towards the physical phone. ”What do you think? Should we check into this? Or would this be a job for people like you, Edelfelt? You are the Senior Exorcist here, so I’m assuming you’re the one in charge of this mission overall. Right?” Ignazio asked as he turned his head and just noticed something else. ”Wait?! If you’ve been in charge of this mission this whole time, why did you let me accept this mission, I’ve never had a mission get accepted by you before. So why change now? I’m curious, if you don’t mind enlightening me on this subject before I continue being cooperative.”
