Nagiko shook her parka and eyed each droplet of rain skitter down the special fabric. The weekend had ended twenty-four hours ago, rendering this locale even deader than it had already become. Pushing away a scorched and overturned table, the elf stepped inside, taking care to mind her noise both as she walked and folded up her outerwear. Nagiko slid her beret off and plucked a tiny vial out from inside. Her finger sat over where the cap had been attached and held steady even as she flipped the vial over to secure a single minuscule drop. Sealing the vial with one hand, the elf focused on raising her finger to her forehead. She made contact between them with such haste that the drop had no opportunity to trail or drip down. The elf donned her headwear again after returning the vial to its place. The unique cross necklace she carried began to give off a slight freezing sensation but she failed to care much for it. The humidity had been a more pressing matter, in truth. Wearing the parka only increased the sticky and sweaty feeling on her skin that she so dreaded. Given why she'd come here, minimising dreadful feelings was optimal.
Her foot nudged something sticking out of the burnt floor tiles. A femur, maybe. From the Ghoul Purge, definitely. That was enough for Nagiko to know this would not help her. She continued past the remains, of both the kitchen and some fleeing Ghoul, to make her way towards the collapsed performance stage. Nagiko hopped up onto the platform and knelt near the gaping hole in the wood. Dark and ashen soil was a strange substitute for foundation in Middle Pavane. Had the stage not collapsed on itself during the Ghoul Purge, maybe this wouldn't have been discovered. Nagiko reached to brush away some of the ash--A voice pierced the silence. She'd hoped it had been her contact, but it wasn't.
"Donovan? Donovan, I can't see you. Is that you? Is that you?" A spectre walking on burnt bone and clothed in sooty nothingness climbed out from behind the curtain scraps. Nagiko considered her options--The emergence of yet another sped up the process. "Who. Who. Why." A hacked-up spirit emerged from below a table and crawled to the stage. Both looked to have been Ghouls, both looked to have met slow ends. Considering what she'd heard about how the Council trapped several hundred Ghouls, along with some stragglers from other races, in the Regal Club to kick-start the Purge, Nagiko knew there would be many more arising soon if she didn't maintain focus on what she had come here for. As the first two began to limp towards the edge of the stage where Nagiko, she listened for her contact's arrival through the ruins of the service entrance.
Nagiko turned her eyes back towards the dark soil and what her hand had pulled out of it. A fragment of bone much older than that of the femur she'd stumbled over earlier. A dark crimson began to ooze out from the handprint she'd left in the soil.
Middle Pavane was a strange place within Pavane's whole. Something like a separate world or space filled with Pavane's most nightmarish desires. Or at least that was how Sasayaku Lamb viewed this place. The artist found himself within a familiar alleyway, cobbled stone caked with dirt and ash. Rain fell in a soft yet steady rate overhead. Turning the mess of ash and grime into a awful grey paste that clung to his heels, it felt as if the stone itself sought to suck Sasayaku down with every step he took in this hellscape. Head and face wrapped in cloak and scarf to shield him from the rain Sasayaku was never the less soaked to his bones. He had been standing in the alleyway for nearly an hour, constantly replaying a memory of his past.
Dropping to one knee in the slick grime, the Elf pushed pieces of debris and ash aside with his left hand until he found what he had been searching for. A charred skull, it's dome sporting a massive puncture from when something had been driven into the once living mans brain. Setting the skull down upon a blackened pile of burnt planks Sasayaku stood back up and simply stared at the skull which he held so many conflicting emotions about. Reaching a hand into his layered cloak Sasayaku deftly undid a leather strap and pulled free his dagger. The weapon was always hidden upon him, in fact it rarely ever left his side. With one hand Sasayaku spun the blade until it's flat bronze metal mirrored his face back upon his gaze. Sasayaku held his own gaze for many minutes, not relinquishing himself until a drop of rain found an opening in his cloak and ran down into his left eye.
"Great spirit of Yggdrasil... Give me the strength to say the prayer." Sasayaku muttered aloud to himself as he rubbed the rainwater from his face. The Elf meant those words... He wished for them to be true... Yet it took Sasayaku barely a moment before he knew he would once again leave this alleyway without speaking the rites of passage upon this skull. This Ghoul skull.
Sheathing his dagger Sasayaku returned the skull to it's makeshift burial place. All the while his mind reliving the night of the ghoul purge. Sasayaku had lived for years as a child in Middle Pavane. When his family had been cast aside by Elven society they had lived near to here... they had died here. Sasayaku never forgot the faces of the ghouls who had devoured his mother and father, and on purge night Sasayaku had come to take his revenge. Sasayaku had murdered the woman whom's skull he had buried... how could he not... She had eaten his mother alive. After the murder Sasayaku took no part in the purge other than to watch the many fires. His skills keeping him fairly safe that night to simply observe the end of a species.
Sasayaku knew he should feel for those lost. He returned every few weeks to try and say burial rites over the woman he had killed... Yet Sasayaku simply wasn't ready to feel for the ghouls. Deep in his heart he still viewed them as monsters. Leaving the alleyway in shame, Sasayaku traveled through the deserted streets. His aim was to leave Middle Pavane and return to his home in the Elven Residences. Passing by the remains of the Regal Club however Sasayaku's keen ears picked up a sound over the soft drumming of raindrops striking stone.
"Donovan, Donovan..." the voice carried softly from within.
Momentarily Sasayaku thought to ignore the voice. His nature got the better of him however and Sasayaku stepped out of the rain and into the service entrance of the place. The inside reeked of cinder and old scorched flesh, ash and tile covered the floor. Passing by the bar Sasayaku noticed an old femur, as well as a soft set of footprints that had dragged a trail through the dirty tile. It was easy for Sasayaku to follow the footsteps into the backrooms, where he witnessed an astonishing sight! A woman in a beret stood upon a stage, two ragged looking creatures limping towards her. Sasayaku had never witnessed a specter before but these creatures looked every bit as dead as a walking corpse. The sight instantly set him on edge, and one of his hands disappeared beneath his cloak to grasp the pommel of his dagger.
The air, racked by disruptions less than nanometres in size, tipped off the elf. Nagiko, formed from a purple haze, stood up from out of her crouching body and looked at Sasayaku, saying, "I was beginning to worry I'd been misled, that you weren't going to show." Her body stood up in the exact same way the haze had, absorbing it and taking its place as if Sasayaku had seen an afterimage before an action. "I hope you've brought a shovel, becau-"
Plodding from a backroom interrupted her and its source, an ethereal and jawless Vampire, trod in, groaning in its attempts to vocalise. "Because they'll only worsen the longer we dawdle here, you know. So, come on." Nagiko huffed before stepping back to reveal the purple hazy Nagiko still intact and upright. The haze imploded and burst, sweeping and brushing across the room harmlessly. The specters seemed to freeze, only to slowly vanish. "Hurry, hurry. I don't have all night..." The elf sighed and crouched back down again, scooping up the dark soil with her hands and placing it in a pile on the stage.
The strange crimson liquid seemed to repel itself away from her touch, pooling deeper and deeper the more she dug.
Dumbfounded by the presence of the walking dead Sasayaku was momentarily frozen in place by the creatures shambling before his sight. Of course Ghoul's held the title of 'undead' in their day, but these creatures were something different entirely. Dread flowed off them like a wave and fear gripped Sasayaku's chest tightly enough to freeze his breath in his lungs.
He was snapped free from his moment of panic however by the woman wearing a beret. A hazy mist of purple streamed off her body only to take the shape of her physical form. Her features and curves appeared in the ebb and flow of the purple gas as if her own spirit could exist outside of her body in this mystical fashion. She spoke to him as her physical body moved to catch up with her misty spirit, but her words confused the artist. It was as if she knew him, as if she had been waiting for him to appear. "I'm not whoever you think I-" Sasayaku began to reply. He was cut off though as a third specter appeared on stage missing it's bottom jaw. The creature moaned angrily into the night air as it began to float toward the woman.
Nagiko took a step back, her mist form remaining in place before bursting in a widespread yet harmless cloud of puffy smoke. The three specters vanished as the purple cloud enveloped them. Sasayaku was a man fairly well versed in magic... Tonight however he was witnessing things he had never before seen or heard of. The woman crouched over a hole in the stage, her hands scurried to dig away at the dark soil beneath the damaged wood. She urged him to help, and the lost Sasayaku found himself obliging before he even realized it.
Leaping upon the stage with a slight hop Sasayku dropped to his knees beside the woman and finally took notice of a strange crimson liquid that was pooled with the soil. The liquid seemed to move away from the woman's touch as she dug. Curious Sasayaku reached down with his hand and intended to sink his palm straight into the crimson. Whatever the liquid was it separated around his hand, never actually touching his flesh no matter how hard he tried. "What the hell?" he muttered in astonishment.
A idea struck Sasayaku than and he swiftly withdrew his knife from under his cloak. "Move your hands." he told the woman, giving her just a moment before thrusting his blade down deep into the soil. As Sasayaku had hoped the liquid did not react at all to his bronze blade. Using the weapon like a spade Sasayaku dug a wide circle around the liquid in the dirt than shoved his free hand deep under the pile of earth. The soil felt wet and compact to the touch, he felt his flesh scrape upon small rocks, wood chips, and possibly even fragments of bone. Yet with some careful prying Sasayaku managed to lift the makeshift 'bowl' of soil from from beneath the damaged stage. Crimson liquid pooled within.
"What do we do with it?" Sasayaku asked the beret capped woman than, ignoring the blood that began to drip from his scraped up hand.
"We don't. We don't do anything with that, it's not for us. This, however, is." Nagiko gestured at what lay beneath the soil he'd excavated. Below, a cracked skull, shining black like a chunk of obsidian, oozed the same crimson fluid that had evaded their grasp. Seemingly impossible considering its isolated location in the soil, the skull slowly gushed and gushed and gushed, from every crack and orifice. Nagiko did not feel that it would be unreasonable to assume that the entire foundation of the Regal Club had been enveloped in this strange liquid by now. "Whoever it is, they've been very unhappy for a very long time now. This place being burnt down probably brought things to... A head." Nagiko half-frowned at herself. "Thanks for showing up when you had, by the way. When I say I value late over never, I mean it. But what your presence, and mine for that matter, does not solve is what to do now."
From the wooden planks of the stage, an incinerated and skeletal hand phased outwards, grabbing onto Nagiko's ankle. A crocodile, comprised of that familiar purple haze and formed seemingly at random near the ceiling, fell and phased through the stage floor. The hand appeared to be, out of sight, violently wrenched away with a large snapping sound below them. "It's only going to get worse the longer we stay, they get faster. Usually, some kind of background information here helps, helps draw the spirit out where we can deal with it. But I've not got anything on whoever this is. The Ghoul slaughter didn't help things either, leaving our mutual friend here," she again gestured at the surreal obsidian skull, "With a lot of allies to throw at us." Behind them, the crocodile resurface, patrolling the rubble for any other specters looking to crop up.
"If you were in its position, you'd probably feel content letting some friends deal with two minor irritants while you bide your time for something greater, right? Until those two minor irritants get personal. If the Regal Club really is supposed to be demolished, letting that leach into the general water supply is a wretched idea, is about all I know." Nagiko murmured, looking at the makeshift bowl of soil and the liquid sample in it.
Her words imparted meaning without being helpful to him. Sasayaku knew nothing of spirits besides what the church taught the public. Even his secret appointment as a 'Holy Ghost' hadn't imparted Sasayaku with any special knowledge or training about situations like this. The man could only grimly grin at the coincidence of his title and the happenings taking place here and now.
Nagiko pointed out the obsidian skull that lay buried in the dirt. A cracked and pitiful thing which oozed crimson red from its orifices like like a sickly heart might pump blood that was just a little to thick to be natural. Sasayaku could see the sharp ridge in it's crown where he had cut open his hand scooping out the dirt. Yet even as the beret capped woman made her comments upon his late arrival... Sasayaku noticed something about the damaged skull. The crack was more than a mere fracture. This skull possessed a wide crescent ridge that ran from forehead to aft, right where a skull would normally connect with the top of the spinal cord. "This mark was made from the blade of an ax." Sasayaku stated while pointing out the damage. Sasayaku was no medicine man, but he held an understanding of what weapon inflicted wounds looked like.
A spectral hand erupted from the stage floor than to grasp as Nagiko. Only for a hazy purple crocodile to fend the spirit off. The ease with which everything moved through the solid wooden floor was unseemly and reminded Sasayaku that he was out of his depth here. Seemingly immune to the chaos however Nagiko explained that a persons background could often help to deal with their... whatever remained. "Well the club used to be run by Manson Renard. I don't know who managed it before him." Sasayaku explained. "At the time of the purge nearly two hundred ghouls were sealed inside and burned. I don't think this person died in that fire." Sasayaku said in a attempt to reason things out. He tapped the tip of his dagger against the dark skull and dragged it along the surface through some crimson liquid. he wasn't certain this action was safe, but Sasayaku needed to be sure.
"See no chips or flakes? This skull isn't black from fire... This person died a long time before." he stated with certainty pulling his knife away. Nagiko hinted at the danger of this strange ooze seeping into Middle Pavane's water supply. Only terrible thoughts emerged in Sasayaku's mind at those words. "So... Do we take the skull?" he asked uncertainly. A series of soft wails sang into existence than, and the hands of more specters began to pull themselves free of the stage floor.
Oh, Manson, what had happened to him, she wondered. "Okay. The ax, eh? That's a good observation. I can work with that. We're gonna take the skull, but not in the manner you mean. You should be able to ignore the rest. Only this one is probably charged up enough to really do any damage. The rest may just try and grab you or hold you. Give them a couple years, then maybe they can swing at you." Nagiko took a deep breath and looked at the crack Sasayaku had analysed. Reaching her hand out as if she was holding the handle of something, the elf watched as the blade of an ax started to form from where it had been stuck in the skull. That signature purple haze clung to the metal and the wood as they started to form the shape of an ax.
"I'm gonna offer you hand in a second, you take it and you'll be able to fight evenly, as you would normally. Magick, blades, you name it, use it. And stay focused on them, they can't leave here but if they manage to get past you, then they'll make quick work of me next. Don't be scared. I don't know what another Elf would say to you now but something about courage and Yggdrasil, probably, so take that to heart, I suppose. Usually, we only really have to deal with more recent, weaker departures like the ones you saw stumbling about earlier." she sighed. Nagiko unflinchingly stared at the skull in the ground and as the handle of the ax at last materialised into her hand a purple haze Nagiko leapt out of her body and offered her hand to Sasayaku. Nagiko's physical body seemed to freeze up after clenching onto the ax and that same ominous crimson liquid began welling in her body's eyes. As the liquid began falling as if it were a torrent of tears, her eyes waxed to a matte black colour, giving her body a very unhealthy and malevolent look. "Don't look at me, look at me!" emphasised the floating Nagiko as he had yet to take her hand.
A tall, tall vampire with stunning features and brilliant clothing tapped her heels on the stage behind Sasayaku. Their appearance lent itself to that of a very high-class vampire, save for the crimson tears and blood dripping from their eyes, mouth, and nose. Where the ax wound was on their head glowed a pulsating orange as if there was some raging fire within their skull. Ignoring those two characteristics however, one could perhaps be fooled into thinking this vampire was very much alive and present. "She was right, you know. You din have to go and make this personal." she spat. "I dinnae what kinda magick you treeforners are into nae, pulling tricks like nae, but I'm taking you two to task o'er it." As she spoke, her skin flickered to and from transparency, revealing that same shiny obsidian skull beneath her beautiful features. Perhaps slow from their long imprisonment in the earth, the vampire stepped forward to try and grab Sasayaku's neck. Their hand seemed monstrous in size as it fast approached with sharp red nails decorating the end of each finger.
Sasayaku could do little more than stare with a quizzical look upon his features as the beret capped woman explained which spirits he should worry after. The oozing skull would likely generate a powerful specter soon, but according to this woman any other ghosts would be to weak to prove overtly harmful. Sasayaku was skeptical of such a statement... He had no words or facts with which to argue however and simply returned a grim nod to his accidental partner in crime. After some examination of the wound, Nagiko held her hand out as if to grab at some invisible force. From the damaged skull a image of an old ax began to take shape as if from the very air. The effect was similar to Sensosomatic magic but still different enough to be distinct.
Even as the purple mist clung to this ethereal ax and seemed to solidify its shape, Nagiko spoke. She could grant him the means to combat a specter? Sasayaku's mind warped with the question of how such a thing would be possible. He also couldn't help but question who this woman even was? His questions would have to remain unanswered for now as the woman's purple 'spirit' rose once more from her physical body. The misty Nagiko offered her hand even as the true Nagiko grasped the handle of the ax. Sasayaku watched horrified as the woman's muscles violently locked in place. Her eyes began to stream with crimson tears as they turned black as a moonless night. Her body suddenly appeared sickly, taking on a color like a rotten squash. Mortified Sasayaku sat stunned until the woman and her spirit both screamed at him. Snapping back to reality Sasayaku dropped his soil bowl to the stage and reached out to take Nagiko's spirit hand in his own.
The purple facsimile of the woman exploded into a wispy cloud at his touch. This time however instead of filling the room with willows of purple gas Sasayaku took most of the haze into himself. A brief, violent shudder wracked his body. Only to be replaced with a sense of calm and warmth. When the Elf opened his eyes next they weren't his typical brown, or even his magic infused pale green. Instead his orbs were a vibrant violet.
Heels clicking upon wood from behind him alerted Sasayaku to another presence in the room. Turning in place swift and sure footed, Sasayaku brought his bronze dagger to bare. his free hand reaching up to pull back his hood and loosen the scarf from around his neck. A woman stood there to greet him. Tall and regal this figure was shapely of form and enchanting to behold. The only mare to this vampires beauty was the crimson fluid that dripped from every opening upon her face. As well as the open hole in her skull that glowed with the light of still burning coals.
She spoke in an old dialect and manner that Sasayaku knew through his studies. Combined with the exotic robes that draped her hauntingly striking figure Sasayku knew this specter had been old in life. Likely a elder Sasayaku guessed the woman to be a B-rank vampire that had been on the cusp of achieving A-rank status. The woman's form flickered for the briefest instant as she refereed to them as treeforners. An ancient slur against elves meaning 'ones whom couple with trees'. Sasayku had no chance to make a reply as the vampire suddenly lunged forward her hand grasping for Sasayaku's neck.
Instinct and training forced Sasayaku to react than. Lashing out with his leading forearm in a circular strike meant to knock the woman's arm out wide. Except when his flesh met hers it was like striking an old tree branch. Much like any vampire this woman was fiercely strong as Sasayaku's block did nothing to impede her assault. As the vampire's fingers sought his throat they grasped tightly upon his scarf. Glad he had loosened the material beforehand Sasayaku ducked down and under leaving the vampire holding only cloth in her firm clutches.
Crouched down upon bent knees Sasayaku slashed the woman twice with his blade. Opening deep cuts in both of her thighs just above her knees. As the vampire began to stumble forward Sasayaku thrust out with both his arms and straightened out his legs. He returned to standing as both his palms slammed the woman in her sternum. The vampire was forced backward several feet by Sasayaku's attack, but she certainly wasn't finished. Worse still Sasayaku's wrists now throbbed like hell from his own attack. The woman's body felt hard as a clay pot.
"Waahhgg- MMaahhaaa." something wailed from his left. Another specter that had finally pulled itself free from the grave. This one looked far more brittle and translucent than the vampire, it's reactions sluggish and more puppet-like than a living thing. With a flick of his right wrist Sasayaku sent a spinning star of iron into the new specters skull. The shuriken struck true and the specter moaned loudly as it faded into ash and dust. "Well at least you were right about the other spirits." Sasayaku said softly to Nagiko. Sasayaku waited for the vampire's next attack, unwilling to step away from Nagiko's side in case a different specter tried to assault her. In this moment the elf was forced to fight defensively.
"They make yer kind faster nae, eh?" The vampire spat, brushing herself off. "Some things never change, like how treeforners such as ya'self dinnae to not touch your superiors!" she hissed, eyeing the ash that spilled out of the cuts he'd inflicted. Whipping her arm forward, the vampire specter ensnared Sasayaku with a deep red-dyed version of what had been the scarf he'd left in her hands. The threads frayed, twisting and taking on a more barbed net-like look, and tangled about the elf. A seductive grin worked its way onto the ghost's face as she performed an ancient vampire pre-combat ritual. First checking her nails for length, she then ran their edges against the underside of her jaw, demonstrating both the sharpness of their first line of offense and the strength of their skin, the first line of defense. While wholly unscathed, the vampire waved her hand about, attempting to shake off some of the crimson liquid that had dripped onto her hand.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Nagiko's crocodile pounced at the ghost from below, snapping up the unoccupied hand she'd had on her hip. "Underhanded, and mighty FOOLISH." As the vampire barked the last word with ire, the whole area seemed to shift with red for just a second, showing off just a glimpse of the power the vampire must have had while alive. Straining somewhat, she lifted the crocodile up with her arm and, with her other hand on its lower jaw, wrenched it off before ripping it half from the mouth down. The two halves of the destroyed animal vanished into the air before it could hit the stage. "Nae, where were we? I 'ken this is about when I'd bite ya into halves." The vampire cackled and lunged at Sasayaku, claws forward.
Whether due to a miscalculation from dealing with a new and much lighter spectral constitution or due to crimson drainage hindering her eyesight, the vampire had veered off-course in her attack and crashed into a wall, her claws stuck deep in the bricks. "Gah, you hold tight, I'm not quite done with ya. Come on nae!" The vampire struggled to apply the correct amount of opposite direction force. A purple haze began materialising over the trapped Sasayaku's skin. Nagiko's hands hovered over his and peeled off the cursed scarf bindings he'd been attacked by. "Hurry, please." whispered Nagiko as the haze subsided.
The piercing sound of bricks hitting the floor rang through the room as the vampire had freed herself at last. She brushed some hair out of her inhuman eyes before turning to face Sasayaku again. Immense killing intent suffocated the atmosphere of the room.
words: ###. tag: Nagiko Quilliam notes: Rats betrayed by fashion!
It was with a sigh of regret that Sasayaku watched the vampire climb back to her feet. She did it in a single motion, sleek as a predatory cat on the hunt. Normally Sasayaku would have tried to finish her off while she was on the floor. This time the elf couldn't however. Sasayaku feared to step to far from Nagiko's side. Firstly he wasn't certain if her magic would stop working should he stray to far away. Secondly he didn't wish to leave her exposed to an attack. "Take another step and I'll touch you until the moon sets." Sasayaku quietly threatened, his soft voice sounding as if a whisper.
The Elf's threat was ignored immediately however as the vampire woman snapped forth her hand and her new 'weapon' came cascading upon him. Sasayaku's own scarf took form in the vampire's grip, taking on a crimson hue. The fabric unwound in flight. Each thread became as if a viper of the monsters will and descended with painful force. Sasayaku found himself entrapped by the material, as tiny barbs shred his clothes and flesh. The vampire smiled sweetly than... she looked as if she wanted to eat Sasayaku than. The Elf could only shudder at the double meaning behind that thought. Sasayaku struggled against his bondage as his foe dragged her sharp nails along her unmarred flesh. The display would have been intimidating had Sasayaku paid any attention to the woman. Instead he was doing all he could to bring his knife to bare, hoping to severe the threads of his scarf which bound him.
Nagiko's mysterious magic came to save him than as a purple crocodile of hazy smoke snapped it's jaws down upon the vampires hand. Sadly the magic creature lacked the power to do more than distract the woman. Enraged the vampiress took hold of the creatures jaw and rent the beast asunder. The display was one of pure power... whether physical or magical Sasayaku couldn't rightly tell. His body jerked back and forth violent as the Vampire committed her act, a not so subtle reminded that she was likely twice Sasayaku's own physical strength. The distraction had bought Sasayaku time however, his blade finding crimson stained scarf. The material wasn't so kind as to simply severe however and Sasayaku frantically sawed away at the strands that held him bound even as the vampire lunged forth.
Sasayaku braced himself to toss his body hard to the floor. Yet the need never came as the vampire's lunge flung wide. She crashed into a wall, claws stuck momentarily with the brick and mortar. Out of time to mess around Sasayaku resorted to whispering a spell of his own. "Oh lady divine change thine mortal shape to the great trees desire in my breast." he chanted, pale green light shining in his eyes. The knife in Sasayaku's hand flashed bright as it underwent a sudden morph. The sleek bronze blade changed to glossy steel, its sharp edge became that of a wicked serration. As his spell finished feminine purple hands took hold of his own. She plead for him to hurry as her spirit freed him from the crimson bindings.
Brick crumbling upon stone signaled that the vampire was now free too. Sasayaku didn't need the sound to warn him... he didn't even need his eyes to look her way. The palpable intent to murder hung so thick that Sasayaku could taste it in the air, smell it with every breath. The specter was done playing now as anger drove her to end the game. Spinning his knife in hand Sasayaku faced the woman head on and assumed a stance he preferred to never use. Leading with his open palm, knees bent and back crouched Sasayaku was low to the ground now. His blade disappeared behind his back... just out of his enemies sight.
Instead of waiting on the vampiress Sasayaku was the first to charge forth this time. His low position did nothing to hinder his speed and he came forward like a darting shadow. When the distance was closed the elf faked a lunge to the right, only to drop to his knee and roll to the left. His open hand braced him against the ground and launched him into a somersault as his blade finally flashed true. The serrated steel took the vampire full on in her chest, the leverage of Sasayaku's body dragged the blade through bone and flesh in a manner strength could never achieve alone. Landing upon his feet shoulder to shoulder with the vampire, Sasayaku ripped his weapon free violently. He than thrust out one final time to his side, his knife burying itself deep into the vampires slender stomach.
Twisting the serrated blade Sasayaku slide his weapon free once more. His attack done he only just came to realize the ache in his arm from driving his knife through such hard flesh. The elf's clothes were shredded in patches as the vampire had tried to claw him during his assault. Pain wracked his side than and Sasayaku placed a hand over twin punctures just over his liver. The vampire had come closer to killing him than Sasayaku initially thought.
A piercing shriek rang out. The vampire strained and swatted at the elf with the back of her hand. She took some ragged breaths with her first in front of her mouth. Gradually returning to a normal rhythm, she started to taunt, "Din go calling me a masochist or anything, but I 'ken I'm capable of handling you and then some nae." The vampire held her hands out and gestured at the wounds on her legs which had closed up. Curiously, the wounds on her torso seemed to not mend. She failed to take notice of this, however. "I'm not keen on getting stopped here by ya. I've people to see. Some complaints to level against them about the burial spot, ya see. But a little taste test can't hurt, maybe they've made better stock out of yer kind nae." she growled.
Nagiko's physical form shuddered and the hazy form of the elf emerged from Sasayaku again. "She's much slower than she's ever felt before. And her speed doesn't respond well to her, for now. You've been hurt." Nagiko placed her hand over his, where he'd been keeping pressure on the wound, and the sensation of pain and blood loss began to fade from the area. "I'll patch you up proper, but not now. You need to end this before she gets used to herself." The ax stuck in the stage began to vanish from the handle down and reappear in Sasayaku's hand. "She only has one wound that's not going away. Plan it carefully, then remind her. I'll make you a window." The haze seeped back into Sasayaku's skin.
Another one of Nagiko's magick crocodiles appeared from below, this time attacking the vampire's ankles. "Pitiful. Elven magick has always been predicated on trickery, fitting isn't it?" She reached down and prepared to tear this one in half like she had the previous. Not one to fall for simple bait-and-switch tactics, she kept a glaring eye on Sasayaku all the while as she had managed to notice the lowered ferocity of the crocodile this time around. "Ya could always drop the knife, help me do what I need. I 'ken I've still got pull. I could make yer treefornin' life more exciting than present, that I can g'rantee." she snickered, about to wrench off the reptile. "I like yer kind when they come shorter anyh-!"
A lavender rhinoceros, translucent and mistlike in form, crashed into the vampire from the side, seeming to have appeared from thin air less than a metre away from her. She crumpled to the ground against the remnants of the bar. The animal had vanished after following through on the impact. "Offer r- rescinded, I think I'll just cut ya up nae..!" the vampire murmured, straining to get back to her feet.
Sasayaku's eyes popped open wide as the vampire released a shrieking wail. The Elf stumbled backwards nearly tripping over his own feet as the woman swatted his chest with the back of her hand. The blow knocked the air cleanly from Sasayaku's lungs, but he managed to roll with the hit and shrug off the worst of it. As the vampire coughed and hacked into her fist Sasayaku struggled to regain his own breath. Luckily the woman choose to insult and belittle him instead of pressing her assault. The few extra seconds to recover felt like a heavenly reprieve to Sasayaku, and as far as he was concerned the vampire could spill her bile words however long she pleased.
As the woman spoke it became clear that the wounds upon her legs had healed. Those upon her torso remained however... Meaning attacking the chest was Sasayaku's best option. Taking in a raspy breath Sasayaku readied himself for another charge upon the woman, only to be stopped as a hazy Nagiko phased through his chest. "She does seem slow... A living Vamp probably would have killed me by now." Sasayaku replied to the ghostly woman as she placed a purple hand over his own. Warmth flooded Sasayaku from the wound in his side than. The sensation wasn't that of healing, but more as if Nagiko was simply locking the pain and tiredness somewhere else. Nagiko offered him advise, and Sasayaku did his best to listen. "It's not always so easy to do things quick you know." he said quietly.
Knees weak, arms heavy, palms sweaty. Sasayaku felt the ax materialize into his open hand take shape and form. The weight of the old weapon was vastly different from that of his knife. It wasn't unfamiliar however. Sasayaku had never really fought with an ax before, but he often chopped wood. The handle was smooth and comfortable and though the weight was high it was within his realm to control. A purple crocodile formed in the haze of mist. The spiritual creature scrambled along the floor to snap at the vampire's ankles. Keeping a watchful eye on Sasayaku the vampire readied herself for the coming animal. She insulted his people again all the while. The specter switched tactics than, she offered for Sasayaku to join her. Promises of excitement for the simple act of surrender. "My life is for my people and my faith you devil. There is no offer you can promise me." Sasayaku replied right as a ethereal rhino bowled the woman over from her side.
Sasayaku gawked at the magic display that had surely come from Nagiko. Whatever magic his fellow elf possessed it was powerful beyond his species traditions. The rhino faded into lavender mist after the mighty blow, leaving the vampiress spatting insults upon the ground. Not willing to let the woman rise Sasayaku threw his knife full force into the woman's hand. Pinning it to the stage. Limping over to the vampire Sasayaku threw several more shuriken he had stashed about his clothing. Some bit home, others bounced off the strong monster's flesh. When he was close enough Sasayaku raised the ax in both hands, his back arched and his hip bent forward in motion with a perfect downward strike. The ax head bore deeply into the vampires breast. With a sickening pop Sasayaku pulled the weapon free and chopped down again, than again, and again. After his four swings split the specter's chest wide to reveal her mangled heart, Sasayku hefted the ax one final time and planted the weapon into the woman's skull.
Orange light erupt violently from the severed skull. With a ear-splitting shriek the vampiress turned translucent as glass and her body began to be consumed by the fiery light that shone within the blackened skull. Sasayaku panted in exhaustion during the display, managing only a single step backwards before falling on his rump. Whatever came next would be Nagiko's trial, as the artisan had reached his limit.
Nagiko knelt next to Sasayaku. Faint red stains, easy to rub or wash away, still decorated her face but her appearance had returned to what it had been earlier. She sniffed and adjusted her hat as it had been knocked crooked by the shockwave of blows exchanged earlier. "This was my advance. It's equal to if I split the completion payment so it's yours. Also, you can have this, as a souvenir." Nagiko placed a stuffed pouch of gold coins as well as the burnt out shell of the obsidian skull in his lap. All traces of the crimson liquid had gone and the weaker spirits lacked any kind of galvanizing presence, so they too fell away for the foreseeable future. "Thanks, really." She put her hands on his shoulders, turning him towards her to get a good look at his wound. "Yeah. Okay. Good." Absorbing any purple mist remaining on him, Nagiko watched as the injuries he'd sustained faded as if they'd been nothing more than costume make-up. Blood began to pool beneath her inner shirt, near the liver area. Hands removed from him, Nagiko put on and buttoned up her parka with haste. A half-frown manifested as the pain of bruised bones and exerted muscles began to wash over her. Nothing she couldn't handle, though Nagiko had the feeling this male elf had seen his fair share of pain before. Perhaps this would be the first time he'd seen it leave him so effortlessly.
She unwrapped a piece of candy, taken from her parka pocket, and popped it in her mouth. "You're real good at this. I'm surprised no one's sent for you earlier." said Nagiko, slightly muffled as she swished the hard candy against her teeth. "I think she usually deducts if you're late but like you did more than expected so I don't think I'll do that." Curiously, she reached a hand out to tousle Sasayaku's hair. "Ehh, it's weird when I've got to do it. You've got soft hair though, that's good." she sighed and stood up. "On second thought, given how strong that vampire would have been, I'll probably ask into a hazard bonus. I'll run you your half if it pays out. You should've seen some of her memories, man. Definitely a hazard pay situation. Feels weird, not being able to tell you the name of the person who just tried to, like, kill you. But I think we're both better off if we seem like we don't know. Or, for your case, just don't know." Seeing the elf begin to catch his breath, she kept her half-frown but her brow softened. "Okay, I have to go. I don't do the whole conversation thing all that often so please forgive me for the abrupt departure. Or don't. I wouldn't hold it against you." Nagiko eyed him over one last time, ensuring she'd removed all injuries from his person, save for the shortness of breath. That'd return to him more than soon enough.
Her whole skeleton seemed to ache yet she dragged herself to the door with speed enough to not raise further suspicion. "That skull is really valuable, I think, so you can sell that if you have to. Just don't go showing it off, probably. Yeah, that'd be bad. See you later, alligator." Nagiko murmured as she dissipated in the doorway with a violet wind.
Laying flat upon his back Sasayaku sucked in what breath he could. Due to the beret capped woman's magic he felt very little pain, but he was as tired as could be and the man suspected he might succumb to a blackout soon. Still the monstrous woman was dead and gone and his Elven 'sister' was safe enough. Not a bad nights worth of work for a guy who just happened to be passing by Sasayaku thought as the beret capped woman suddenly came into view. She knelt over him, her face still covered in crimson. She looked as if her health had returned however, and she was solid instead of corporal smoke.
After quickly adjusting herself Nagiko dropped a sack of coins into Sasayaku's lap. She explained it as payment, but the tired Sasayaku was barely able to understand her. "What are you talking about?" he asked softly even as Nagiko next dropped the black skull into his hands. Sasayaku's eyes went wide as he was left holding the item. It felt smooth and cold to his touch. No longer the dangerous item it had once been. He wanted to ask questions but was cut off as Nagiko gave him a genuine thank you. She took his shoulders and helped Sasayku shift enough to look at her straight on. Examining the twin punctures in his side Nagiko placed a hand to Sasayaku's bloody stomach. Tendrils of purple mist seemed to leave Sasayaku like steam from his skin, only to float directly into Nagiko. Sasayaku could feel his injuries leaving him as the woman worked her magic.
Reaching out Sasayaku brushed some of the crimson liquid free from Nagiko's cheek before she could stop him. The stuff stuck to his thumb with a feeling that wasn't exactly blood. "What exactly is this stuff...?" he asked, only for his own words to be forgotten as he saw two trails of blood drip down from the woman's shirt. Nagiko wasn't simply curing him. She was somehow taking his pain into herself. She left his side suddenly than to button her clothes with haste. Sasayaku could only watch dumbfounded as the woman unwrapped a candy and stuck the snack into her mouth.
Nagiko continued to talk as if Sasayaku was part of her business plan, as if he had any idea what had actually taken place here tonight. "I really don't understand. Who are you talking about?" Sasayaku asked again. Nagiko only replied by reaching out to tussle his brown hair. Sasayaku was beginning to realize the woman was never going to explain things to him. Maybe she couldn't? More likely she simply wouldn't. Sasayaku still breathed with ragged strain as Nagiko told him a few things. She had seen the vampire's memories... likely she had fought her own awful fight while Sasayaku had undergone his own trial. Still he wished to ask questions. it was just so hard to think through a tired mind and labored gasps.
Sasayaku reached out to stop the woman when she turned to leave. he stumbled however trying to stand and Nagiko was long gone by the time he reached his feet. The artisan was simply going to have to get comfortable with not understand he realized as he gathered up his weapons, money, and ...skull. Sasayaku did not really desire to keep the item but he packed it away in a sack anyway. The only thing the Elf didn't retrieve was his tattered scarf. Stained red and still barbed Sasayaku chose to leave the neck-wear behind as he finally stepped out into the rainy night.
Nearly twenty minutes passed as Sasayaku neared the exit to Middle Pavane that he encountered a tall, buff Elf. The man carried a heavy shovel in his hands, and a elaborate sword swung at his hip. Dressed otherwise head to toe in dark rain gear the burly man took notice of the ragged and exhausted Sasayaku. "Brother I seek a path to the Regal Club. Thou knows the way I should walk." he asked with a powerful voice. Sasayaku got the thought to question this stranger for a brief moment. The last thing he wanted right now however was trouble... In fact Sasayaku really just wanted to climb into bed more than anything else.
"Sorry. Never heard of the place." Sasayaku lied as he walked right passed the man and continued on his trip home. More than ready to put tonight behind him.
Living in a dystopian society, seven mystic races are trapped due to their own selfishness. Tensions rise between the races and the different social classes, leading up to the constant struggle for power, with no end in sight.
News
4/11 - With the Ghoul Purge complete, Pavane's fear shifts from the goddesses towards the Council. Check out the aftermath here to get an understanding of the current situation in the plot.
MYSTICAL SOULS belongs to YUMEKUI, DYLZOE AND LUNARIS. This is an original plot created by staff members.. The skin "Midnight Madness" was created by Dorothia. This includes Board Mod, Mini-Profile Mod and such. Thread list was made by Kagney. User Profile mod was made by Pharaoh Leap. Graphics belong to their rightful owner. Plagiarism is not appreciated and will not be tolerated.
