Long time no see,
Or is it our first meeting?
It matters not, my dear observer.
As the fates cross at the nexus,
Things are bound to become chaotic.
The world of magic - is turbulent,
It is a dog-eat-dog world, spurred by innate desire strive.
Strive or Suffer: that is the name of the game.
So in that showdown of ideals and power - I will become your narrator for once.
The man cursed by fate... He is too young and confused to retell you the tale of that fateful day.
From this point on, the rivalries will become stronger.
--
On top of the enormous monster, stands a lone hunter clad in silver.
Given how haughty of their abilities the hunter was, they seem to struggle to pinpoint the location of the nucleus.
Just like the nucleus of the cell, the nucleus of the daemon are important to them: as it controls and regulates everything about it - and without it, the daemon ceases to exist.
Of course, it is impossible to fully destroy it, as nucleus is the manifestation of the idea. And daemons, in spite of their perversed and mangled origin, are the creatures of concept.
The EXECUTION and the GLOOM.
It seems that the hunter, no, executioner is doing great so far. Everyone had already evacuated, and the daemon is forced to engage with the daemon, without getting any new victims.
However, with the edge of their eye, they notice a fleet of dark purple carriages approaching the location. They could sense that those aren't normal civilians and they descent from the daemon, wedging their stake into one of its crevices.
"Halt your movement! This area is off limits! The extermination is in process!"
The man inside the main carriage couldn't care less about extermination. In fact, what was the executioner doing is conflicting with his desire to tame the daemon. He pulls out his blundebuss and aims it at the silver executioner's head.
They immediately dodge the shot and shoot out the stake at the jockey, killing him. It also pierced the wall of the carriage, injuring the righthand woman in the shoulder who was sitting near him. In frustration, the man jumps from the carriage and presents his broadsword.
"Hey, listen here you dimwit! This is Corbeau Profond (Dark Raven) territory! You don't get to play vigilante here!"
"Then I shall eliminate you."
While to that dark man it seemed like the executioner was trying to act like a saint by standing up against his syndicate; the executioner merely saw them as obstacles.
Of course, executioner was not good with humans. Sure, they tried to help the ones in need, but to them it was merely practical transaction - they were trying to fit after all.
Had their nature was bare for everyone to see, they would've been exiled and killed.
So, their movements lacked any passion, merely they had the cold precision.
And it was something that put the dark man at disadvantage, he liked when his prey struggled and withered, playing with their emotions and vulnerability coming with them.
Seeing that the man took the executioner on himself, his henchmen soon began to circle the monster in an attempt to subjugate it.
The problem was that they didn't know how. As bandits and thieves - they were bottom feeders that preyed on weak and helpless. The monster was not.
No matter how much they tried, they couldn't get any closer to the monster, and some clumsy ones were pulled into the monster's thrall.
That was bad... The monster that was once driven to hunger by executioner now renewed its fervor and the clashing executioner and man had to jump out of the way.
Well, guess they should focus on the daemon. There's no way a brute like him could get a hold of monster so powerful and turbulent.
Soon more carriages arrive and from them jump out the fungal witch and her troupe, and the white thief and her comrades - leaving only the jockeys behind to watch the carriages.
"Dear god, this is bad..." The thief muttered and turned to the witch "We'll deal with the ravens, you go kill that monster!"
The ground below the thief’s boots crystallized and she skated towards the barbarians surrounding the monster, dealing with them one by one. For her, the murder is nothing too out ordinary. It was something she had to learn to feel no shock towards. Her compatriots also took turns protecting their leader and dealing with the adversaries - as the troupe jumped to action.
"Fire!!" The witch exclaimed and proclaimed her ACT
=ACT 1: SPORE MIASMA=
"Contamination of the System."
The spores immediately covered the surrounding area and the witch began to concentrate them at the bodies inside the monster's translucent body, bearing painful expression of horror.
The monster then screamed in pain and in the moment, it felt like a dominant matchup - the witch was a powerful foe after all... But then it turned towards the witch. It gazed into her eyes and something flashed inside her mind.
Something she wishes that she would have forgotten already?
~
Virgilia... Why did you betray me?... What have I ever done to you?...
Please... Please... Please...
It hurts... It really hurts... I cAn't FeeL mY lEgs...
Ah... uH... wHeeZe...
My hEaD...! It'S aBouT to BuRsT!!...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
~
The witch's grip faltered as her resolve began to crumble. It felt like the witch is going to be sucked in to the monster’s gaze. The vampiric undead noticed it and immediately pushed her out the way. It was clear - she had underestimated the threat.
"No!!!"
The undead then turned towards the concerned kids, seeing their leader freeze up momentarily.
"Don't look it in the eyes! Keep shooting!"
They quickly nodded and began their assault on the monster. The aberrant gemstone began to strike away at the tentacles, while the flame magician was targeting anything resembling a nucleus. The cursed boy, now faced with a real battle, finds himself paralyzed - everything's too chaotic. But just as he tried to move, a stake grazed his side. Recognizing the silver metal, he looked up to see that bastard still alive and well.
"Too many targets... Switching to the one with the highest priority..."
"H-Hey when did I became the high priority target?!"
He began to dodge the stakes flung at him high speeds. In his panic-struck state, he couldn’t focus about his haemomancy magic, instead opting to use time magic to slow down the stakes.
The executioner gets curious. They did hear something about the time dilation manipulation from their former master - but they haven't seen anything like that. They descent from the monster once more and proceed to deal with the criminal on close range.
"No! Get away from me!"
As the chaos unfolds, two hunters step a foot on the soil - the conductor and the conducted.
"Reporting: Raid Ongoing - Proceed?"
"Proceed."
A slight unease pierced through the conductor: perhaps due to her perceived "selfishness". And that selfishness being a desire to live. To her, the soldier struck with a fear of death and wishing to just return back home is unfairly judged as a deserter. Leaving your comrades to die for the sake of your own comfort is cowardly and despicable, but when one is put against the odd, wouldn't it be wiser to return and not be just a meaningless casualty?...
Not to mention, raids are possibly one of the worst scenarios for magicians, as now even what-should-be allies bound by singular cause - are the enemies. Magician's world is a cutthroat world after all.
But higher-ups have different ideals; number is still a number after all. And even a meaningless death is "supporting" their cause.
So, she has no choice but to engage in the fight, risking her life in the commotion. If she dispels the daemon, the quicker the raid would end, no?
The conducted has different ideas.
Recognizing the rogue gemstone, they dashed towards for a strike.
"RUBI, NO!!!"
The gemstone turned towards them and parried the attack. "Who the hell is this weirdo?" - they thought, now clashing with the conducted fervently - not paying attention to the daemon.
Seeing how passionately their underling chasing the gemstone, she decided to focus on the daemon for now. That bloodstoned conducted is merely a reserve, is it not? So, their death shouldn't really matter, no?
And yet...
=ACT 1: SOOTHING THE SOUL - OVERTURE=
"It was a frivolous request, spurred by the leisurely boat ride on the river. They told me water... Had a soothing aura to it."
Using her rapier as a baton, various constructs emerge from the water at the shore, and she ordered them to retrieve the bloodstone whilst cutting down the monster from all directions. She won't let them be destroyed like this.
And the daemon, now being surrounded by chaos ensuing, screeches at the sky, and now even more tentacles sprout out from their body.
=ACT 1: ALL CONSUMING GLOOM=
"All she wanted was to have friends and family. Wouldn't it be nice if it was a little bit more lively?"
The tentacles shoot out from everywhere, managing to hit the majority of people involved.
"Argh!!..." The ravenous man cried out, seeing that from the shoulder where the tentacle pierced, the black substance started to ooze, causing him tremendous pain.
"Ttsssshhh!! No!! Not now...!!" The crow thief also got struck tentacle in the loin, throwing her off the balance, and allowing one henchman to restrain her, pinning her to the ground.
"Aurgh!!!" The flaming magician gets stabbed in the chest and almost dragged into the daemon's body, but he manages to dislodge himself just in time. The injury is critical though, so he has to retreat from the battle, hesitantly leaving his troupe behind for the time being.
"Haaah!!!" The undead blocked the oncoming barrage, protecting the vulnerable witch. Her own roots then began to compete for the dead game to sustain her body.
The gemstones, due to their much heavier and sturdy bodies, they weren't as strongly affected by the tentacles, as they should've been - they were mere instruments after all - inhuman. Their attacks, that would completely eviscerate a person beyond recognition, only make dents and tears in their bodies. Pretty strong tears, actually: fueled by hatred. And the aberrant one was not only fighting back against its adversary, but the water constructs as well, burning the skin of a bloodstone.
And now, as the boy strayed further and further from the witch, he can feel the spores inside him weakening - and that simple, seemingly tiny crack - was enough for that criminal to emerge.
"HAHA! FREEDOM AT LAST!"
The criminal took over the body of the boy effortlessly, and to test his newfound powers, he formed a gun from his blood and pointed towards his pursuer.
"See you in hell, amico."
He shot at the executioner's visor, but to his surprise, the executioner didn't budge. He then proceeded to unload the gun, and the executioner still didn't budge, instead using this moment to impale the boy with a criminal inside of him.
"Gwahah!!..." The criminal shrieks as he tries to dislodge himself from the pike. It should've been the end of him, but...
=FORBIDDEN ACT: FORTUNE MANIPULATION=
"At the end of the day, everything in life can be rigged by ones who stand on top. It is about giving the desperate ones’ hope...
And destroy it"
Using his powers to influence fate, he made it so that the giant tentacle strikes the executioner down, disabling them for just enough time for him to escape.
"Ha!! Goodbye, Red Order of Fools, I'll be off - goodby--"
But just as he thought that he could roam free, he was struck by a hammer to the face, knocking him down on the ground.
Two uninvited guests show up to the havoc.
"Well, I'll be taking this!" The peppy zealot exclaims as the black and white judge observes the battlefield.
The executioner lunged stakes at the uninvited duo of their former coworkers: out of anything - THEY shouldn't be involved in this.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
///Domain: Reflective Chamber of Holy that is Unveil///
Sealing everyone inside the mirror chamber, the executioner stood tall once and for all. It was their domain. The tentacles and murky water shooting out from the daemon reflected back to it, hitting even more people in the process.
"En garde!!!"
"Tch, and you weren't even the target this time."
As the former comrades fought tooth and nail against each other, the crow thief was trying to get away from her captor in order to avoid the clutches of that tyrannical raven.
"Hehe, once I'll deliver you to my boss - I'll be swimming in riches!"
"Over my dead body!" She exclaims and pushes him away from her. Despite her seemingly more "agile" build for evading danger, she is also quite physically strong as well. Still, the wound is starting to show itself, aching as if the dirt itself was poured straight into it in large quantities; clogging, sullying blood.
She then notices a new face - it was a right henchwoman of that man. While she had many questions, now's not the time for interrogations and she uses the hectic environment to her advantage, luring two people into the strike range of that daemon - escaping their grasp. She must check on the witch and her children next, ensuring their well-being.
"Breathe in. Breathe out. Dear god, why did you pick up this commission?! We could've just let those bandit nincompoops deal with this crap." The vampiric undead shouted as she keeps her witch shielded until she's able to act again - she was clearly shaken up by what she saw in its eyes.
"..."
She couldn’t answer. It would be too shameful to admit that the same lapse of judgement that has been haunting her over and over AND OVER again was the reason. Hearing pleas of numerous civilians losing their homes and families had touched her heart. Strong were supposed to protect the weak.
It would’ve been a great introduction to the world of magicians, where the cooperation and quick decision thinking would be tested. Sure, she did expect that some other groups would’ve loved to take the piece of the cake - but that also could’ve been a valuable lesson in discerning friends from foes.
She truly wanted to show the world to the boy...
And yet.
In spite of everything, it seems that she's still that terrified and lost girl from twenty years ago.
The terrified girl... That undead was familiar with through her own words.
"... Let's go. Fortune was being chased by that lunatic we fought a day prior and..."
"Guide me." The witch suddenly muttered, realizing that the boy must've ventured too far for her spore restraints to work. She won’t fail him again.
Nodding, the undead had transformed into a beast of wood and flesh who carried the witch on her back, protecting her from the onslaught of projectiles coming from all sorts of directions.
Outside the battle, a knight was left behind to guard the carriage, as any vehicle of transportation is important in the world of vagrant magicians. And because he and fellow jockeys were outside the battle, he was first to notice the effects of the domain, as the towering monster in the distance had disappeared in an instant in a summer heat.
Was it daemon's work, or the magician's work? He can't tell. But it's certainly not a good sign.
Squinting his eyes however, he saw a familiar face, running whilst limping from pain. It's that flame mage that the witch cares a lot about.
"LEONID!!!" The flame mage yelled out, miraculously escaping just in time before the domain closed itself from the outside world. He was at his last legs and fell down. The knight, noticing the wound, rushes to him and carries him safely to the carriage for the medical care.
"... It is bad, Leonid. Out there is a damn warzone going on. It seems the daemon is consuming the bodies of humans to boost its power."
"Breathe calmly. Applying Rejuvite..." Pouring the Rejuvite into the wound, the mage hisses in pain as the substance began to cleanse it daemon's remnants. "You did the right thing by fleeing. It would be a shame if you had died like this."
"I know... But Virgilia and friends..."
"You should prioritize yourself over the others first in life-or-death scenario."
"..."
Looking over the distance, the knight then asks.
"Who made the domain?"
"Huh???"
The mage jerked up and saw that the sight of the battlefield was missing. He was incredibly confused and couldn't answer the knight.
He and the knight knew several things.
One is that none of their comrades could have done that, as the summoning of the domain, especially on a large scale - is something that people with high energy output and conservation can even produce.
The only time the mage could recall anyone from his group calling upon a domain was his witch, and even then, it was done during her utmost lowest point, that's {i}it{/i}.
And two, the one who called on upon the domain was certainly something they couldn't take upon even as a team.
As soon as the magician thinks that he's good to go, he'll break in to the domain and ensure his comrades' safety.
Especially of one that he grew to care the most about.
The gemstone.
And currently, they're in a need of help.
Their desire to destroy anything regarding their painful past had blinded them to the surroundings. To them, now nothing matters besides the bloodstone - equally keen on eliminating them once and for all.
They realized one thing.
Not only are they under constant threat of being brought back to square one in their life.
But their past started to catch up to them.
They remember.
That bloodstone should've been dead.
In their desperation to escape their cage, they tried to leave no witnesses. In their circumstances, any sort of partnership was impossible, as they would be severely punished for even talking to their fellow gemstones; not to mention some of them were already broken to the point of blind obedience - so they had to murder their own kin as well.
They thought that they had murdered everyone.
Yet one remained.
Now festering in their anger and jealousy.
"HHHAAAAAA!!!" The bloodstone drilled into the gemstone's chest, disregard that, in presence of damp atmosphere, their skin began to corrode. Their anger dulled their pain, not that the pain is something they were taught to fear. The gemstone was no different as they strike the bloodstone on their side with their pickaxe.
"RUBI!!!"
"ÉMILE!!!"
Two yells reach out from the distance: one of the conductor, other of the witch carried by the her undead. The witch muttered her forbidden act.
"Forbidden Act: Mushroom Puppet"
And the fungal threads begin to form, triggering the spores already planted inside the gemstone, forcing them to slack. In that slack, when the bloodstone was preparing their drill attack, they launched themself into a daemon, getting stuck here - at risk of being vaporized if left there long enough. The undead quickly picks up the immobilized body of the gemstone and the conductor, witnessing two odd individuals take the body of the assailant, began to dislodge the body of their partner as the water constructs continue to combat against the daemon in her stead.
"H-Huh?..."
"Émile, there you are! Where's Aden?!"
"Ah... I..."
Coming back their senses, dread creeps into their mind as they realize that they have NO idea where their friendly mage had gone to. Sensing that they have no answer, the witch carried on, keeping an eye out for the boy.
The boy himself was still unconscious, while the daemon inside of him clutched his head in pain. The hounds of Red Order began to fight one another, determined to tear each other apart.
He must discreetly leave the scene and earn his freedom...
He was tired of being bound for so long: already weakened beyond recovery and fed up with mortal realm.
He grew to detest the family that he was bound to. In spite of being given everything he wanted, he only wanted more.
That fool... He didn't deliver.
That hag was too hysteric and dry. That girl was too rebellious and angsty.
And that boy...
He was glad that he broke the contract: because he would hate to be in servitude of this insufferable pipsqueak.
He already broke a taboo which made him a bound daemon in the first place; so evading capture is normal in comparison.
He was the daemon that could manipulate fate.
The fortuna was smiling at him.
So of course, he would be--kkkrgh!!!
That accursed witch had arrived, swiping the boy under the hounds' noses. The fungi inside of his body reinvigorated and restrained his movement.
"Fortune. Come back to me, Fortune."
"B-Burn in hell... KKKKHHHHHH!!!"
His throat tightened as the witch glared at him.
"Fortune. Come on out."
The daemon still clung onto consciousness, while the boy remained unconscious from the blow. He can only faintly hear voices in his head.
The sea monster continued to rampage within the domain, not understanding that the shots it fires always reflect back at them in the large mirror clad dome.
"Justicia! You deal with Argent, while I'll deal with the sinner!"
"Aye, Nemie!"
The black and white judge stood tall and began to declare their act, specifically to suppress the DAEMON of GLOOM
=ACT 1: JUDGE OF BLACK - SENTENCE EXECUTION=
"Action required immediately"
What was once a being of two extremes has turned to one. Their hair became jet black and their physique became more feminine in appearance. Turning their scales into the sword they call "Rhamnousia" they began to cleave at the daemon, gathering innate energy of retribution.
And that unfortunately means that everyone in their proximity will be judged.
The daemon screeched in pain as the blades began rain on them and retaliated with the act of their own.
=ACT 2: DROWNING RAIN=
"Drowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrowndrown"
The black rain began to pour down onto the battlefield, slowly corroding everything it touches.
Noticing this, the witch with her remaining strength summons a gigantic mushroom to cover her party from the rain. Still, the fact that her flame magician is missing weighs hard on her mind.
"Watch over Fortune, I'll go search for Aden."
Before the undead could stop her, she summoned a lesser mushroom to use as an impromptu umbrella and dashed off to search the area. She had to look under her feet: both because of the littered debris and possibly corpses - and because she doesn't want to look the monster in the eye.
And yet...
As she desperately searches for her magician...
As she was approaching the edge of the domain...
The blades of judgement pierced her back
~
"It's [___]!!! No, a monster!!! A monster in human disguise!!! Run!!!"
--
"Ma... ma... Why did you abandon me..."
--
"You shall be forever branded as a sinner for your crimes.
Someone like you doesn't deserve to live."
~
Three blades were pierced onto her back, paralyzing her with guilt.
The incident of twenty years ago.
The day when a [___] village...
Was wiped from existence.
...
"Hiya, pals! Didn't expect y'all to be huddled like this!" A white thief rang out with her peppy voice, limping and gasping ever so slightly.
"Aden... Aden..." the gemstone cried as the undead was watching over the despairing children. The undead then notices that she's carrying the witch bridal style, now also out of commission. More than that, her own chest was pierced with black blades like the witch.
"W-What the hell happened to you?!"
"Eh, just got into a crossfire and got something crushing me down."
"Crushing you?!" The undead tried to angrily pull out the blade from the thief's back only to find out that the blades...
Were intangible.
"Heh. Are you sure that you yourself don't have those baddies stab you in the back?"
"H-Huh?!"
And looking down on her chest, the undead realized that her chest was too, pierced with black swords.
"W-W-What the hell is this?!"
"Beats me honestly. I thought with those swords piercing us left and right - we should've kicked a bucket - but it seems to affect "criminals": I've tried my darndest to avoid these things, yet this gal over here is just unaffected by all of this mess - I mean I've heard the declaration coming from somewhere."
Looking towards the direction the thief pointed at, she recoiled. It's the hunters of magi uniform. The ones who tried to give her away to researchers. And she seems fairly young too... Well, now that the thief is here with the debilitated witch now laid onto the ground, she must ask a question.
"Where's Aden?"
"He's not with you?"
"BELLAMY!!!"
The white thief turned around and saw that man, approaching her with swords piercing him from all directions, bleeding profusely in the black rain.
"Rambald..."
"I finally found you... Bellamy..."
The thief didn't hesitate to spit at him as she assumed a counter stance.
"Where the hell are your cronies, big guy?"
"Doesn't matter. I already have you in my sights."
"Tch."
She unsheathes her misericordes and engages in battle with her what was once her brother in arms. The undead shields everyone from the onslaught with her wooden embrace, but now even she began to feel strained. This was way more than they could ever chew.
"Why are you even here, anyway? I don't take you as a type to play the hero."
"I heard I can harness the daemon's power for myself... And I would like to have such enormous power..."
"Of course your megalomaniac arse is going to shoot for the stars..."
The thief had no hesitation - she was dead set on killing that man and protecting her kin, moving fluidly like a bird of paradise as she engaged in a duel in spite of her sustained injuries. She was no stranger for strife and combat.
Though not by her own choice.
Of course, it would've been too easy to kill that man - but he had long forsaken his humanity. He had modified the body to be extremely sturdy, so that even a daemon wouldn't hurt him. He needed his rule to be absolute and whole. His coat of various furs and hides is also extremely thick to protect him even further.
He doesn't wish to unnecessarily hurt his sweetheart - she wouldn't look pretty with a badly injured leg and she has to be there for their future children together. Yet she doesn't make any if that easier.
"If you wanna take me, take me by force!"
It would genuinely be a shame.
He brandishes his broad sword and dashed towards the thief. In spite of sustained injuries over the course of the raid, he is still agile to keep up with his beloved.
The undead, fearing for her comrade's life, sprouted a stake towards the man's back, piercing him more.
Normally it should've killed him, or at least heavily incapacitate him, but...
*SHINK*
"Haah... I would really appreciate if your friends didn't meddle in our tango."
"You should've called off yours. How are you going to live with a large splinter in your chest anyway."
"I'll live."
The man's ferocity was off the charts. Every move was made specifically made to cripple his beloved, so that she would struggle no more against his warm embrace. However, the thief still dodged his attacks, for she doesn't want to be put in a rusty cage for his enjoyment - she was a free bird, and he was a domineering one.
"Just leave it to me, Carmine! I'll deal with him!"
The undead was tense from hearing that. Having been only reunited recently, and now everyone's life at the edge of peril. It was just how the life has been, but she genuinely didn't want the reunion to be like that.
She turned to witch once more, crying in her arms whilst staring blankly, nudging her gently.
"Virgilia... Virgilia... Stay with me. Stay with us. Can you hear me?"
"..."
"Your children... They still need you... Aden is alright, he just... Went off by himself."
To her, telling lies is simply cruel to anyone who hears them - but given her witch's current state...
She saw it before.
And now it's not the time.
And she knows how much she treasures this magician specifically. He always stood by her side, and back then she was more open towards the young ones than how she was with the cursed one. The one who came after her oath.
And having to lose her last one would be a great tragedy for a mother.
Undead continued caressing her before the boy came into consciousness, clutching his head.
"Argh... W-What happened?..."
"Fortune!" The gemstone and the undead exclaimed and that was enough to snap the witch back to reality. She immediately rushed to him and hugged him.
"Huh?!..."
"I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry... That wasn’t supposed to happen... I’m sorry..."
Everyone was taken aback.
Undead thought she only cared for those two who remained.
Gemstone thought that she had lost her empathetic heart.
And the boy thought that he was merely an obligation.
And here she is, apologizing to him, comforting him. Even with her powers now depleted, with her mind shaken, with her body in excruciating pain...
She’s... Sorry.
"I don’t want you to suffer through my own misjudgments... I won’t allow myself to lose anyone ever again..."
She already accepted the worst outcome of her carelessness and now she can only hold onto remains of her decisions. She truly didn’t intend on showing the worst of her, not to anybody.
That is until...
///BREAK///
The dome shattered into mirror pieces and the undead held everyone close under the cap.
"Finally got you... Justicia, monster!"
"Aye!"
The judge had impaled the executioner with their sword, breaking the domain.
Numerous shards were raining down, leaving only the "extraordinary" people alive. Both the thief and a man were severely injured, and just as the thief was ready to give her final strike, that henchwoman picked up the man's body and fled.
"Damn it... Well, kicking the bucket isn't too bad I suppose..." She muttered as the shards pierced her body, pinning her to the ground once again.
"GUYS!!!" A familiar loud voice rang out.
He shouldn't be there, yet he couldn't help but not stay idle. He arrived on the carriage led by the valiant knight.
=SOLE ACT: HAGERDON PLANCK=
"Fire is the affinity of absolute destruction. So let us wallow in its beauty. Let us destroy everything that isn't pretty with vaporizing HEAT!!!"
The magician aimed his nail at the core of the daemon, his flame piercing through its enormous body. The daemon exploded into pieces, revealing its true form.
"AWFUL...
YOU'RE ALL AWFUL!!!...
GET AWAY FROM ME!!!...
DIE, ALL OF YOU!!!"
Before their eyes was a small girl with elongated hair and night blue skin floating in the air. The vessel was unearthed. And now...
=ACT STOPPER: PULL=
"I'll take you with me. Share my misery. Know my misery. Drown my misery."
ACT STOPPERS - my dear observer - are the ultimate attack of one being. Those are attacks born out of desperation, putting everything that makes them on the line in hopes of switching the tides of battle.
The ones who use them either face the glory of their giant upset against the enemy.
Or they face death.
The tentacles shoot up from every angle. The Hunters of Magi had to flee, as the situation was too dire for them to handle.
The carriages of the fleeing ravens were damaged, leaving many to be consumed by the monster.
The thief was left behind, not sure if anyone from her crew even managed to survive this far, regretting having to put them into this mess. She had accepted her fate.
The undead had to put all of her own to defend everyone near her under her branches, enduring seething pain.
And the former coworkers had banded together to slay this monster once and for all.
The peppy zealot kept striking against the tentacles, getting closer and closer the source.
The judge was constantly cutting down the tentacles with their sword.
And the unleashed executioner was dodging the onslaught, rushing forward.
"STAND BEHIND ME!!" The knight quickly pulled the magician behind him and held out his blessed shield, cutting down tentacles as he tried to approach the mushroom protected by a wooden and bleeding cocoon.
He will brave the storm.
And bring the child back to his mother.
"Bijou!!!" The magician exclaimed as the walked past the thief; and in spite of his outward detachment to the crew - he strayed off-course to retrieve the body of the thief.
"H... uh...?"
"Hang in there, Bijou! We got you!"
The monster kept burning through its life force, and the undead looked at her paralyzed comrades.
"Oi! Aden's alive, you guys! He dealt a massive blow to a monster! I saw it with my own eyes! Snap out of it, why don't you?!" Undead yelled out; now barely even resembling a human and everyone looked outside the tiny peephole that she created. Indeed, the magician was behind the knight, carrying the heavily injured body of a crow thief.
And soon the cracks began to breach.
"Urgh... I can’t hold it back for much longer... Ah..."
"Carmine!!!"
The boy grabbed what he perceived as the undead’s face; and, whether by a hunch or by instinct; he cut his wrist and began to feed her. The taste of the boy’s cursed blood invigorated her, allowing her to regrow her tendrils to secure them in her cocoon.
She was a bloodsucking cursed after all.
Yet in spite of everyone’s efforts, the monster just wouldn't die.
That is... Until someone showed up.
*SLASH*
The monster's core was slashed in half and the girl was dragged to the ground, back to the pandemonium.
Before everyone's eyes stood an armor-clad woman with nine white flaming tails; with a feather sash floating wrapped around her shoulders. She carried an aura of tranquility, but also an insatiable bloodlust beneath it all; cherry bloom petals began to fall with crimson tips.
Removing her helmet, she revealed her vixen features and looked over everyone. As the undead retracted her tendrils with great effort, she looked towards the witch.
Yes, the person with a strong, insatiable desire.
Undead wouldn't cut it - it's a need, and a heavily suppressed one. Unliving wouldn't cut it as well, as they're driven by pure vengeance and rage. And that coward was more suited for greed.
Yet she... She can work with that.
And so, she disappeared just as quickly as she appeared, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
"W... WHO THE HELL WAS THAT?!" The undead snapped, utterly confused at the end development; now being reduced to a wooden mess of wood, flowers and thorns.
"Guys!!! You’re okay!!!" The flame magician rushed to his family; and before the witch could sigh in relief, she noticed the awful state her long-time partner was in.
"Bijou... Bijou!!" Witch jumped out and rushed to her side. She began to quickly apply the healing powder to keep her hanging on just a little longer.
"I’ll bring the supplies." The knight said, rushing back to the main carriage.
"I’ll aid!" The boy said nervously; removing the shards from her body with fast efficiency "Is there any cloth to stop the bleeding?!"
"Here!!" Magician removed the cloak of off the mess of tendrils; yet was rejected by the boy.
"No!! We need something clean... Sorry Cathy." The boy removed his blouse and began to cut it to make impromptu bandages. The knight arrived with healing potions and he started pouring rejuvite onto the thief's body and distilling it to make it a drinkable potion.
"Please... guys... no more..."
"I won't let you die! Bijou!" The witch yelled, tears welling in her eyes, cracks audible in her voice. Everyone... Was fighting for her life.
And seeing this boy the executioner trying to hunt express the true form of humanity; they simply left without saying a word. Now only dreading the fact that his former master...
Might have hired a new gun.
---
"Witch Location - Confirmed.
Rogue Subject Location - Confirmed.
Reporting for Syndicate activities.
The Silver Hunter - Danger Confirmed.
Daemon Subjugation - Suspected to be from land of Kasuga
Awaiting Further Orders - Minerva Magnussen."
The conductor was recovering at a local inn, with nurses swirling around them as they provide care and nourishment to both her and her partner. She sent the transmission to her higher-ups.
Her shameful retreat and subsequent failure to subjugate a daemon will ruin her reputation, as even a single error is a blemish on her record.
Her partner was less thrilled being pampered by the clinical staff, their antennae flattened against their head in discontentment - pursing their lips as the nurses try to shove food into their mouth.
"Hey."
"Wha-- mmph!" Just as they were about to respond, nurses seized the opportunity insert the spoon inside their mouth. The conductor couldn't help but slightly choke at the unintentional hilarity of that small little thing.
Well, at least they're alive, so that's good.
Gulping down on the porridge with unpleased expression, they turn towards the conductor "What?"
"I... I was just wondering how are you feeling?"
"..."
"Look, I've noticed since that encounter with a rogue specimen, you've gotten much more emotional."
"Suppose."
It seems they're rather sore about not being able to settle their grudge. And there is some sort of truth behind it.
Now that they're not under a watchful eye of their caretakers, they allowed themselves to finally express their frustration at... Everything.
Their existence, their grudge, their worth.
Everyone around them seems so free.
While they're burdened with a sense of purpose that they must prove over and over again.
And they're never good enough for their purpose.
Maybe they'll use their relationship with the conductor to uplift themselves to the eyes of their caretakers, showing them how superior they are compared to their kin.
Back then, all of them were equals - but now... It's due to that gemstone that their body became useless to them. Now seen as irreversible. Their development now stunted.
Their hatred shall ring eternal...
---
"My liege, are you alright?"
The man wakes up inside his carriage, his right hand woman was beside him, watching over him.
"... I've lost... Again..."
"Please don't get it inside your head. Everything that had happened was outside of your control."
Yet an attempt to comfort him backfired as he gripped her neck with his right hand.
"Everything IS under my control, you hear me? These sabotaging bastards... They'll pay, understand me?"
"Y-Y-Yes...."
He let go off her neck and closed his eyes.
"We'll start pursuing the remnants from now on. My Bellamy... She's now within my grasp..."
"..."
The man had two obsessions: control and his beloved thief.
Control gives to security.
And in that security, he'll get closer to his thief.
She was a beautiful woman.
And he wants to cling onto that beauty forever.
---
"DAEMON of GLOOM was exterminated, Haures-dono."
"Well done. I truly apologize that I had to use your time like that. I know your people are of utmost importance to you, as a local divine legend among your kin."
"We accept the apology. Now if you excuse us..."
The foxkin lady took her leave from the throne room of the lord of daemons. It seems she was his subordinate as well, though clearly less cooperative amd loyal compared to her peers.
She is the DEVIL of LUST, under the secret division VITIUM of RED ORDER as opposed to VERITY
She was once a lowly foxkin on brink of her death, her heart ailed with despair of having her trust broken beyond repair. But the lord saved her.
In exchange for her devotion, she gained a second chance at life - allowing her to take vengeance against the raccoon-kin: the race that betrayed the foxkin in order save their own skin against the encroaching dominance of the "foreign" force.
Though she's more loyal towards her own kin than anything.
Seeing her inspirational and loving spirit towards her subjects, in spite of everything, is something that the lord couldn't help but admire - as it brings him nostalgic memories of the long forgotten past. So he doesn't demand her full subjugation to him, allowing her to indulge in her desire to take care of her kin...
And do whatever she wants at the spare time, like napping in the comfort of her pocket realm provided by him.
So it's an inconvenience that he has to ask her help, seeing that his crew struggled with the threat, only making things worse and worse during the raid.
"It will be transferred to [___], isn't it?" She asked, before disappearing behind the door.
"Yes, [___] needs to examine the specimen for [___] eventual grimoire."
"Hmm... Tell [___] I said hello. We're coworkers in a sense."
"..."
She opened the door towards the red hallway, and just like that she disappeared.
-----
At the end of the phenomena; only witch’s crew remained. The residents hailed them as heroes - yet to the group itself - they felt like a failure.
They almost lost their closest ally; and in a lapse of judgement - the witch lost sight of the children she swore to protect.
"What’ll be next, Virgilia?..."
"... We must improve. From this point onward - we won’t bite more than any of us can chew. Heroics... Are not worth it."
They ended up taking a minor residence by the beach; the thief and the undead being hospitalized for the time being. The undead greatly enjoys being catered to so much for once - being a very needy and demanding patient - using "Protecting your saviors!" as an excuse; but thief simply looked by the window.
It seems she couldn’t end it all once again.
The risk of confronting her former comrade is now looming over her. It’ll be all over for her.
This time he didn’t hesitate; merely holding back for his own perverted amusement. If they encounter him once again - it won’t be pretty for anyone.
People visit her quite often (given undead is currently too energetic); but it seems her heart closed once more.
"Bijou..."
"I-It’ll be fine... Y-Yanno we could just split any ti--"
"You’re not going anywhere. You’re not going to suffer alone."
"Psshht. Speak for yourself, why don’t you?"
It was a downer time for sure.
But it was clear.
They had to improve. They had to reignite their drive.
And they had to grow up.