Laughter that sounded like the merry-making of fire began to lap over the edge of the ice wall.
"THIS - IS THE END - KALISMARA."
The blackened form of the demon began to curl over the ice wall like fire. It had them trapped and was beginning to raise the temperature of the small area rapidly, its laughter ramping up into pitched hysteria. As Ariel ran to Sister Tremos, wiry claws arched over the wall, the limbs thinning with every inch of distance.
Percy had been hunched over his back, appearing to shudder over it. It seemed that the Alchemist was in no state to fight until his arm whipped out into a wide arc. From his fingers flung a dust of brilliant white, shining in the light. It landed on the demon and powdered the top edge of the wall.
On contact, the fiend began to scream, clawing at its face as it receded over the wall. They could hear it writhing on the stairs before it's pained wails became distant.
The Alchemist turned about, having bought them a moment's reprieve, “What the bloody hell are we dealing with?”
He fished for another item out of his pack, and tugged out a bulbous philter that he rolled across the floor to Tremos. It bounced and rolled freely, sloshing the red liquid inside. “Two ounces of that and no more.”
[Aside] One Last Journey
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
As the thing that attacked them screamed and then made tracks, Ariel had made her way to Sister Tremos, and a blast of light shot the door off from atop the exorcist, exposing the battered but not broken woman, who took a moment to regain her breath as Percival tossed her some sort of philter. Unsure of what it was but sure that she could use some help, Sister Tremos took a look at the phial and eyeballed what she hoped two ounces was, downing it quickly. She made a face as she did, blinking in surprise at the taste a couple of times as it bit the tongue but somehow tasted of Earl Grey. Replacing the cap, the Nun stuffed the Philter in her pocket, saving what was left in case she needed it later.
Standing back up, she grabbed the younger girl by the wrist and pulled her up into her arms, gritting her teeth and making toward the left hand wall, which she kicked- and the spot she kicked turned instantly into a second door that swung open, leading to a staircase that wasn't visible from the outside, but descended into the depths of the building their room was on top of. "Come on, We need to hurry!' she said, heading down the stairs with her charge.
Miyuki held her hand up toward the door, the wall of Ice becoming thicker and denser as she turned it into a massive plug for the door, hoping that it would halt the progress of whatever the hell that was that had attacked them. She grabbed Percy by his hand and tugged. "come on, no point in lingering!" and then charged toward the stairs, pulling Percy in and then slamming the door behind them, where they began to descend the stair. down below them, there was a small light visible that was rapidly dropping, but there was almost none left where they were.
Standing back up, she grabbed the younger girl by the wrist and pulled her up into her arms, gritting her teeth and making toward the left hand wall, which she kicked- and the spot she kicked turned instantly into a second door that swung open, leading to a staircase that wasn't visible from the outside, but descended into the depths of the building their room was on top of. "Come on, We need to hurry!' she said, heading down the stairs with her charge.
Miyuki held her hand up toward the door, the wall of Ice becoming thicker and denser as she turned it into a massive plug for the door, hoping that it would halt the progress of whatever the hell that was that had attacked them. She grabbed Percy by his hand and tugged. "come on, no point in lingering!" and then charged toward the stairs, pulling Percy in and then slamming the door behind them, where they began to descend the stair. down below them, there was a small light visible that was rapidly dropping, but there was almost none left where they were.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
They all shared a tense feeling of danger when the door slammed behind them. There had been the noise of people outside before, but since the attack, it was dead silent outside. Percival didn’t know Tremos’ level of experience, but Ariel was a child, it was going to get ugly if they got caught in an all-out fight.
“Jakku.”
From Percival’s shirt emerged faithful Jakku, looking unnerved.
“I – I felt so-something dark. But the same as me,” whimpered the fire sprite, “was that… was–...”
“No, nothing like you,” assured Percy gently, “You are different in every way. Now, be good, love and give us some light.”
Trusting the Alchemist, she fluttered her wings and let off sparks of glowing motes. The tight stairwell around them began to illuminate with fresh light, and Percival could see the three other people on the stairs. His heart was beating about as quickly as it had during the fight in the Maw. The creature looked too eerily similar to the demon, Loathing.
“Now… What are we dealing with here? That was not an elemental."
“Jakku.”
From Percival’s shirt emerged faithful Jakku, looking unnerved.
“I – I felt so-something dark. But the same as me,” whimpered the fire sprite, “was that… was–...”
“No, nothing like you,” assured Percy gently, “You are different in every way. Now, be good, love and give us some light.”
Trusting the Alchemist, she fluttered her wings and let off sparks of glowing motes. The tight stairwell around them began to illuminate with fresh light, and Percival could see the three other people on the stairs. His heart was beating about as quickly as it had during the fight in the Maw. The creature looked too eerily similar to the demon, Loathing.
“Now… What are we dealing with here? That was not an elemental."
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Due to the confines of the stairwell, and despite the constant tapping of their footwear, Percival's voice was able to carry down to Ariel and Sister Tremos.
"It's a Demon! A Big one!" the latter responded first, before the former piped up, seeming to know something more.
"Avnas, one of the princes of hell! The one that killed My Parents" Ariel's tone was a bit somber, but heightened with a sense of urgency as the first pair reached the bottom of the stairs, and paused, waiting for the other two. No, three? A small creature glowed brightly, flying along with the two from the guild.
"This door opens on the opposite side of the building from the stairs. It won't keep us safe for long though. How'd you two get here?" the Exorcist asked, setting Ariel on her feet before pulling a pair of sunglasses out of a pocket and setting them on her nose. Before opening the door, she patted her hips; the simple action causing a pair of holstered pistols to appear. They looked like 1911's, but they were silver plated and decorated with gold and Ivory, and once the glamour hiding them had been dispelled, there seemed to be quite an aura of holy power emanating from them.
"We drove, a small SUV, parked in front. Hopefully it's untouched," Miyuki answered, looking a bit worried. She patted the shawl over her hair, checking to see if Zippo was still safely tucked underneath, and then put a hand toward her own beltline, pulling a small brown gemstone from the pouch, squeezing it and summoning what appeared to be an Armadillo. "Toph! I need you to head over to my car, and make sure to protect it from anything that might be attacking us, got it?" The armadillo gave the woman a salute with its front paw, and then dove into the ground, leaving not a trace of its passage behind it. "Okay, we should be ready to go now, right Percy?"
"It's a Demon! A Big one!" the latter responded first, before the former piped up, seeming to know something more.
"Avnas, one of the princes of hell! The one that killed My Parents" Ariel's tone was a bit somber, but heightened with a sense of urgency as the first pair reached the bottom of the stairs, and paused, waiting for the other two. No, three? A small creature glowed brightly, flying along with the two from the guild.
"This door opens on the opposite side of the building from the stairs. It won't keep us safe for long though. How'd you two get here?" the Exorcist asked, setting Ariel on her feet before pulling a pair of sunglasses out of a pocket and setting them on her nose. Before opening the door, she patted her hips; the simple action causing a pair of holstered pistols to appear. They looked like 1911's, but they were silver plated and decorated with gold and Ivory, and once the glamour hiding them had been dispelled, there seemed to be quite an aura of holy power emanating from them.
"We drove, a small SUV, parked in front. Hopefully it's untouched," Miyuki answered, looking a bit worried. She patted the shawl over her hair, checking to see if Zippo was still safely tucked underneath, and then put a hand toward her own beltline, pulling a small brown gemstone from the pouch, squeezing it and summoning what appeared to be an Armadillo. "Toph! I need you to head over to my car, and make sure to protect it from anything that might be attacking us, got it?" The armadillo gave the woman a salute with its front paw, and then dove into the ground, leaving not a trace of its passage behind it. "Okay, we should be ready to go now, right Percy?"
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
From within Miyuki's shawl were a set of gleaming, silver eyes that revealed themselves for only a moment, before diving away back in the dark. Miyuki could feel Zippo stay close to skin, keeping cool despite the heat. He seemed to float about in a way that she couldn't feel him unless he made himself known.
Percival, who had found the stairs difficult going up, was still recovering from having descended the stairs. Mixing the heat, with his heart and the descent, he was already looking a little haggard. The Alchemist had not always been frail, but his recent experiences still hung on to him rather tightly.
"Certainly. If we can just get to the car, then we can extradite ourselves from this blasted place and all of its stairs," sighed Percival, giving Jakku room to sit on his hand. He looked up at her, sweating a bit, and reminded of Miyuki's breach of confidence in herself. In a sense, it felt a bit like their running trials when they were younger, only Miyuki had been the dangerous one then. "I'm always ready for a sprint, even if I don't look it."
Percival, who had found the stairs difficult going up, was still recovering from having descended the stairs. Mixing the heat, with his heart and the descent, he was already looking a little haggard. The Alchemist had not always been frail, but his recent experiences still hung on to him rather tightly.
"Certainly. If we can just get to the car, then we can extradite ourselves from this blasted place and all of its stairs," sighed Percival, giving Jakku room to sit on his hand. He looked up at her, sweating a bit, and reminded of Miyuki's breach of confidence in herself. In a sense, it felt a bit like their running trials when they were younger, only Miyuki had been the dangerous one then. "I'm always ready for a sprint, even if I don't look it."
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
"Seems we're all good then, " Miyuki seconded, shrugging her shoulders in a bit to 'hug' the little sprite before steeling herself for the run they were about to take.
"Alight then, on three!" Angeline Tremos started, counting down immediately "One... Two... Three..." and with the third number she gripped the handle and turned it, pushing the door open and moving outside. One of her pistols made its way into her right hand, and her left grabbed Ariel's, whom was nearly swept off her feet by the exorcist bolting toward the front of the building.
"Come on, Perce!" Miyuki called, likewise grabbing Percy's wrist so as not to hurt the sprite resting on his hand, and she followed out the door, boots crunching in the gravel as she followed Tremos into the blinding light of the outside world.
"Alight then, on three!" Angeline Tremos started, counting down immediately "One... Two... Three..." and with the third number she gripped the handle and turned it, pushing the door open and moving outside. One of her pistols made its way into her right hand, and her left grabbed Ariel's, whom was nearly swept off her feet by the exorcist bolting toward the front of the building.
"Come on, Perce!" Miyuki called, likewise grabbing Percy's wrist so as not to hurt the sprite resting on his hand, and she followed out the door, boots crunching in the gravel as she followed Tremos into the blinding light of the outside world.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
The mid-day was warm and bright, and as their eyes adjusted from the bare dim they were used to they had come out into the street. Miyuki’s Jimny was a short jog away and Percival had never been happier to see a car before. As they stepped out, the neighborhood around them was barren, in that same sort of way that worlds felt barren when Mages decided to separate themselves from the mundane world. It was a tense feeling, but there was a single local that broke up the illusion and he seemed to be taking an interest in the care.
“Oi! Jog on!” Percival howled up as he stumbled to keep up with the iron grip of his fiance. “That’s our car!”
Dhock.
The man’s form shuddered, appearing to broaden before coming back to shape.
Dhock!
He did it again, sounding like the snapping of teeth together.
“I don’t think he’s joggin’ on,” commented Percy.
As if he heard the words, the man spun around. He was an older gentleman, but his face was terribly familiar. Despite the deadened stare and the wrinkles of many years, he bore a striking resemblance to the Alchemist. For a long minute, he stared at them, before his whole front opened and snapped shut, flashing a set of flat teeth up the length of body.
Dhock.
Then, the man’s whole form opened again as a large vertical mouth of flat teeth, letting an ear-shattering scream.
Howls in the distance could be heard and the leathering batting of wings.
“KALISMARA!” came the sound of Ariel’s name up the road. It was a man, with a face, freshly seared by what looked like acid. Despite the burn, he was handsome, well dressed, and sporting embers on various parts of his suit, “I have come for you and to devour the still beating heart of an Alchemist.”
“Car. Car. Car!” Percival urged them towards the Jimny.
“Oi! Jog on!” Percival howled up as he stumbled to keep up with the iron grip of his fiance. “That’s our car!”
Dhock.
The man’s form shuddered, appearing to broaden before coming back to shape.
Dhock!
He did it again, sounding like the snapping of teeth together.
“I don’t think he’s joggin’ on,” commented Percy.
As if he heard the words, the man spun around. He was an older gentleman, but his face was terribly familiar. Despite the deadened stare and the wrinkles of many years, he bore a striking resemblance to the Alchemist. For a long minute, he stared at them, before his whole front opened and snapped shut, flashing a set of flat teeth up the length of body.
Dhock.
Then, the man’s whole form opened again as a large vertical mouth of flat teeth, letting an ear-shattering scream.
Howls in the distance could be heard and the leathering batting of wings.
“KALISMARA!” came the sound of Ariel’s name up the road. It was a man, with a face, freshly seared by what looked like acid. Despite the burn, he was handsome, well dressed, and sporting embers on various parts of his suit, “I have come for you and to devour the still beating heart of an Alchemist.”
“Car. Car. Car!” Percival urged them towards the Jimny.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
As if on cue to Percival's insistence, a wall of stone burst from the ground between the Jimny and the two unwelcome figures, leaving an opening on the side so that the four whom were fleeing could get into the vehicle, and the way in front of it was kept clear as well. An Armadillo burst from the ground between the group and their foes, bristling with stone spikes growing from what was normally a smooth back. "Toph! Keep your distance, I want you on defense!" Miyuki shouted, her grip on Percy's shirt unwavering as the sound of a pair of semiautomatic pistols rang out next to them.
Sister Tremos was flinging a barrage of bullets toward the nearest figure, the one with the vertical mouth-body or whatever the hell it was. The rounds weren't just normal lead, however, and broke up upon impact, sending a spray of holy water and silver particles with each hit. Ariel tucked close behind the exorcist, as the two pairs moved in tandem toward their getaway vehicle. "Ariel, when you can, I need you to hit that thing with everything you've got, let the other two handle mister burning man over there!"
"Got it!" the child responded, a bit squeakily, as she seemed to make a face and put her arms together in front of her body, her hands splaying out in a sort of cone shape which suddenly became home to an orb of nearly blinding white light, which grew to roughly the size of a basketball before being launched off as a beam directly at the overly toothy target.
"I Don't know who you are, but you aren't going to lay a finger on Ariel! OR Percy" Miyuki shouted as the second figure screamed his threats at the group, her right arm raising and beginning to glow a soft blue as storm clouds began building out of nowhere. the embers on the man's clothes had not missed her sight, and she would blot out the sun and bring down the heavens if it meant keeping a wildfire at bay.
Sister Tremos was flinging a barrage of bullets toward the nearest figure, the one with the vertical mouth-body or whatever the hell it was. The rounds weren't just normal lead, however, and broke up upon impact, sending a spray of holy water and silver particles with each hit. Ariel tucked close behind the exorcist, as the two pairs moved in tandem toward their getaway vehicle. "Ariel, when you can, I need you to hit that thing with everything you've got, let the other two handle mister burning man over there!"
"Got it!" the child responded, a bit squeakily, as she seemed to make a face and put her arms together in front of her body, her hands splaying out in a sort of cone shape which suddenly became home to an orb of nearly blinding white light, which grew to roughly the size of a basketball before being launched off as a beam directly at the overly toothy target.
"I Don't know who you are, but you aren't going to lay a finger on Ariel! OR Percy" Miyuki shouted as the second figure screamed his threats at the group, her right arm raising and beginning to glow a soft blue as storm clouds began building out of nowhere. the embers on the man's clothes had not missed her sight, and she would blot out the sun and bring down the heavens if it meant keeping a wildfire at bay.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Tremos’ bullets dug deep craters into the screaming tooth-beast, adding a sick gurgling noise to the pitched screaming. The volume descended before it tried to lunge forward to consume the nun with its pock-marked mouth of endless, flat teeth. Ariel’s beam caught the creature in the mid-section before drawing a painful line to the top, ripping through and splitting it in half. The howling voice stopped, and then flopped apart in two separate pieces, leaving a grisly, hissing display of shadowy meat.
“I am Avnas, Fifth Prince of Hell, and lacking in the patience to deal with cripples,” the handsome man sneered out his words, and his presence seemed to grow as the area around them darkened.
Then, his eyes, the whites glowing with an orange fire, widened considerably, “You… You are Kagami Miyuki. The Broken Queen. There were many that cursed your name in hell.”
A small squad of blackened figures mounted on the near-by rooftops with leathery wings. In their hands were long, dark-iron pikes dripping with a dark, menacing fluid. They more resembled the demon they had met before.
Avnas’ disgust only grew, “They laugh at you now and it abates their suffering and torture. Remove yourself, spitling, you are an inconvenience, to yourself, to me, and those around you.”
Tink! Tonk, tonk, tink. A small, glass orb came tumbling to a stop in front of the demon prince. He looked up to the thrower and saw Percival, whose features had become tight and severe.
“More of your fire-fighting toys, Alchemist?”
Percival grit his teeth as he produced a thin phial with a tiny black speck in it.
“Suffer,” snarled the Alchemist as he uncorked the phial. The speck shot out and raced to the ball, and flew through it. As it struck the surface, something reacted within and suddenly the sphere exploded into a cone of glass shards. Avnas screamed as an entire half of himself was peppered with the glass shrapnel. He clawed at himself as his body began to change to compensate.
Percival turned back to Miyuki, his face a little softer now, “Care if I drive, love? Might need to run and gun.”
“I am Avnas, Fifth Prince of Hell, and lacking in the patience to deal with cripples,” the handsome man sneered out his words, and his presence seemed to grow as the area around them darkened.
Then, his eyes, the whites glowing with an orange fire, widened considerably, “You… You are Kagami Miyuki. The Broken Queen. There were many that cursed your name in hell.”
A small squad of blackened figures mounted on the near-by rooftops with leathery wings. In their hands were long, dark-iron pikes dripping with a dark, menacing fluid. They more resembled the demon they had met before.
Avnas’ disgust only grew, “They laugh at you now and it abates their suffering and torture. Remove yourself, spitling, you are an inconvenience, to yourself, to me, and those around you.”
Tink! Tonk, tonk, tink. A small, glass orb came tumbling to a stop in front of the demon prince. He looked up to the thrower and saw Percival, whose features had become tight and severe.
“More of your fire-fighting toys, Alchemist?”
Percival grit his teeth as he produced a thin phial with a tiny black speck in it.
“Suffer,” snarled the Alchemist as he uncorked the phial. The speck shot out and raced to the ball, and flew through it. As it struck the surface, something reacted within and suddenly the sphere exploded into a cone of glass shards. Avnas screamed as an entire half of himself was peppered with the glass shrapnel. He clawed at himself as his body began to change to compensate.
Percival turned back to Miyuki, his face a little softer now, “Care if I drive, love? Might need to run and gun.”
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Ariel and Angeline seemed to be the fastest of the group, and they reached the Jimny sooner, having not wasted a moment of listening to Avnas nor watching Percival make his move. The skies above continued to darken, and what had been a sweltering summer's day started feeling more like the end of fall as Miyuki continued to conjure a massive storm above. One couldn't be too careful dealing with fire, and having a constant stream of water available would help them in the long run.
Avnas' goading started irritating the Ice Queen, especially those bits about cripples and being broken, which she'd normally not react to, but something about this 'prince' made her grit her teeth to keep her tongue from lashing out a few smarmy remarks of her own, but she didn't want to stoop to his level. She was snapped out of this momentary laps of anger by Percival asking if he could drive the car, grabbing him and jogging the last few meters to her vehicle before bodily tossing the frail man into the front passenger seat before hopping into the driver's spot herself. "I'm pretty sure you can't drive a manual with one arm, at least not well enough to get us away" she chided her fiancée, starting the car and throwing it into gear and sending them on their way. however, she was quickly reminded that they had taken the only way up or down to the complex, the entrance of which was currently somewhat blocked by an angered demon prince.
"Sister, Ariel, Think you two can distract him enough to let us by?" she asked, while also nodding knowingly at Percy- She didn't have to say anything to know he would have some helpful thing stashed somewhere that he could use in this situation.
"Aye, I gotcha!" Tremos responded, holstering one pistol and then popping the soft top down and back before grabbing the rollbar and pulling herself up. she held on with her off hand, taking aim with her right and firing off a volley of holy bullets at Avnas, Ariel similarly standing up and bracing herself against the spare tire as she prepared to shoot off another ball of holy light at their foe.
Avnas' goading started irritating the Ice Queen, especially those bits about cripples and being broken, which she'd normally not react to, but something about this 'prince' made her grit her teeth to keep her tongue from lashing out a few smarmy remarks of her own, but she didn't want to stoop to his level. She was snapped out of this momentary laps of anger by Percival asking if he could drive the car, grabbing him and jogging the last few meters to her vehicle before bodily tossing the frail man into the front passenger seat before hopping into the driver's spot herself. "I'm pretty sure you can't drive a manual with one arm, at least not well enough to get us away" she chided her fiancée, starting the car and throwing it into gear and sending them on their way. however, she was quickly reminded that they had taken the only way up or down to the complex, the entrance of which was currently somewhat blocked by an angered demon prince.
"Sister, Ariel, Think you two can distract him enough to let us by?" she asked, while also nodding knowingly at Percy- She didn't have to say anything to know he would have some helpful thing stashed somewhere that he could use in this situation.
"Aye, I gotcha!" Tremos responded, holstering one pistol and then popping the soft top down and back before grabbing the rollbar and pulling herself up. she held on with her off hand, taking aim with her right and firing off a volley of holy bullets at Avnas, Ariel similarly standing up and bracing herself against the spare tire as she prepared to shoot off another ball of holy light at their foe.