A Wonderful End to the Day }{ [Ask Krae]

[Silvarn]

He would have thanked her, but his mind was already preoccupied with not getting sliced into twitching, smoldering bits. The remaining angelic blade sang through the air, leaving tendrils of pure light in its wake. Lucid Edge lacerated the very air, streams of bleak black as evidence. The blades collided, their opposing affinities causing them to hover an inch from the other while reality distorted around them, due to the massive fluctuation of conflicting energies.

"I've had enough." Nocturne growled in his seven voices. He put on a burst of speed, rocketing forward like a black comet. Once well ahead of the angel, he leapt high into the air, turning as he did, and carved his master's damned insignia into the air with Lucid Edge. The image wavered, then hardened with black energy. The angel charged forth like lightning and Nocturne roared, though silent. The angel cut his way through the insignia, and the symbol detonated. The sheer force of the initial explosion sheered most of his armor off, to say nothing of the surrounding walls and windows. The angel was sent fair head over heels, his sword knocked far into the depths of the inner city. He lay still where he fell, his wings like crumpled paper upon him.

Nocturne stood gloatingly above him, Lucid Edge hovering an inch above his golden head, "If it is one thing my master specializes in," Nocturne sneered sevenfold, "it is retribution."

He slammed Lucid Edge to its hilt into the ground.

Yet, no blood was spilled.

Instead, twinklings of pure white hovered and faded in midair, the remnants of the angel's escape.

Nocturne growled savagely and wrenched his sword smoothly out of the stone. He stood, quivering in seething frustration. He swore the next thing that moved would be dead within the next instant.

[Lujayn]

Krae watched Den, cautious, sensing his anger and frustration. She'd have to move a bit more careful for the next few moments, lest she lose her head. She had to sit, however, weary from the life-draining spell, the fighting, and from lack of food. She sat down carefully on a bit of rubble, take up a ripped bit of cloth and wrapping it about her damaged hand.

Aside from their breathing, it was quiet there, with the ordinary people being far away from where the battle had taken place. She watched him quietly, waiting for him to calm slightly before she said or did anything that would draw his ire.

Finally, she said, "It's best you didn't kill the angel. All that would have happened would be that they'd send more angels after you- or us, seeing as how I'm helping you- and you'd have been dead before the week was out." She stood once more, her hand properly wrapped. "They can't track demons, anymore than we can track them. Only devils or their spells can be tracked. So we're safe, for the time being. It would be best to make ourselves scarce, however. They're bound to return."

She waited for his reaction, wary for a sudden attack. His mood didn't seem to have changed over much, and she didn't want to have survived an angel just to be killed by him.

[Silvarn]

The ill-fated lost his head the instant he poked his out the door in curiosity. His bloodthirst satiated, Den spoke to Krae as calmly as the crackling black flames and six voices would allow, "Agreed." Drawing upon the infernal flames within him, he brashly scooped the fatigued Krae into his arms and zoomed off like a bolt of midnight thunder, black fires marking his fleet footsteps.

Approximately ten minutes later, Den came to a screeching halt back in the glen that had hosted the solstice the evening before. He hesitated for a moment, spying the large group of armed investigators, and bolted again through the dense forest, singing the flora as he passed.

He lost track of how long he ran, lost track of Krae's weight in his arms, yet did not forget to will his black flames not to harm her. He finally came to a halt in the midst of a dreary graveyard on the outskirts of Tamasha, and deposited his charge at the feet of a marble angel.

"I'm sorry for being rude, but you said we needed to get away from there, and away from there I got us. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have steam to blow off."

He spent the remainder of the day desecrating the graveyard, whether by demolishing statues, unearthing and dismembering corpses, or frightening visitors out of their wits. Of course, those who saw him died. There really was no alternative to that.

[Lujayn]

She cursed him the entire journey, only repeating herself a few times- impressive for a ten-minute rant. She wasn't one for being touched, apparently. She glowered at him when she was put down. When he went off, she stuck her tongue out at him, followed by a rather rude hand gesture, before sitting down under a tree to catch a little sleep, grumbling about how she wasn't ever going to get anything in her belly at this rate.

She slept most of the time, waking up every once and a while when Den was particularly loud. Nothing was coming from her master about being able to go off on her own, so she figured they might want them to do something else. Or they'd forgotten about them- Devil's did that a lot, being concerned with a few million people on the earth.

Once the sun had hid itself from the world in a rather spectacular sunset, Krae stood, stretched, and dusted herself off, wandering until she found Den. "Have you blown off enough steam, yet?" She called, watching as he hacked at a corpse. Disgusting. "I'm not sure about you, but after a day of no food, I'm rather for it. I think there's another town that-a-way." She pointed. "With a nice tavern. Good food, good drink... some nice girls, if you're thinking of that... good food..."

It may have been the imagination, but she was sounding a little plaintive at the end of that sentence.

[Silvarn]

Could that woman whine!

He watched as the corpse crumbled into slices, content with his artist work as the strips of flesh fell into place to spell out 'GO TO HELL' He snickered to himself, then sheathed Lucid Edge and made his way over and plopped himself beside her.

"Look, I'm just a little peeved that we nearly got hacked to bits by a celestial agent. Food is the least of the matters on my mind. I'm more concerned on if the angel actually killed that damn juggernaut. And, if he didn't, then I'm going to get such a chewing out from my master. But, if he did, that means I won't have to play nice with you anymore." he turned his face to her, still roaring with black flames and smiled wickedly. "Assuming our masters are still playing nicely with each other, of course.

"But, on to the matter of food...this," he indicated the black flames licking at his skin, "won't be going away anytime soon. In fact, I think I won't be able to eat in public until dinner tomorrow night. If I feel like eating at all. So, if you want food, I can either find it out here, or you can go into town and eat by yourself. I'm not going to be presentable for a while."

[Lujayn]

An eyebrow rose. "Why would your master give you such a power? It seems like such an inconvenience..." She stretched, cracking along her spine and and joints. "You never know about our masters and what they will. Devils are fickle things, changing their whims on a breath. They might decide we're handy and send off on more lovely errands." She finished her bone-cracking and flicked some hair out of her eyes.

"I suppose I'll go into town though. It's not that far away from the one we were just in, so news will have traveled. If that demon is still around, I'll find out there." She glanced at him. "Want me to get you something while I'm there? You might find you've worked up an appetite and want something, and I'd prefer not to get eaten upon returning."

She would also be able to lay her hands on the lying scum that was her last employer. He'd pay, for misinforming her about that ill-fated task that had gotten her in this mess.

[Sokuro]

The nearby town had held a unique guest just as well as the previous-- A half-elven man walking down the streets with his body draped beneath a black, tattered cloak that rose over his mouth. Beneath the veil he wore fitted leather garments that accented his physical prowess, but was laden with an assortment of daggers and short blades, two at either side of his waist, one strung length-wise across his lower back, and throwing knives strapped to either bicep.

His boots clicked against the pebble stone path with each step as his eyes flicked between each passerby, cautious, aware- making his way toward the tavern near the center of town. Onlookers within the alleys and even some brushing against the cloaked man would blink in curiosity, some even stumbling upon finding their money pouches missing should they come close enough.... Crafty little bugger. One man, finding himself already intoxicated, still held the common sense to realize just what had happened and found himself hustling to the cloaked figure's path, stopping dead and speaking with a slight slur "Now... you lis-- listen here you little twirp.." The drunk let a liquor scented hiccup pass before closing his lips in a passing belch before exhaling.... such a disgusting scent. "You've got sumfin of mine and if ye don't give it back you'll not like th-- the outcome."

Foolish old man. The cloaked figure took the steps between him and the drunk with little care, stopping just inches away and speaking, barely above a whisper. "I suggest you go on about your business, lest the town guards find themselves a corpse." Knowing full well the drunk's current state would bring one of two reactions- The first, an outrage and quick lit temper, bringing the brute to a thoughtless fit. The other, and this truly being the more fun.. is the drunk's curiosity to his words, and arrogance in his own confidence... Oh he did so enjoy it.

As expected, the drunk leaned forth, practically spitting out his words as his voice rose. "Stop yer blubberin' an' speak up boy." Quick as lightning, the cloaked figure's left hand grasped a dagger at his side and thrust forth from beneath the cloak, burying the steel between the lower to ribs of the drunk and piercing his left lung, silencing any potential howl of pain that may escape. Holding the drunk by his left arm to keep him standing, the cloaked figure leaned in, bringing his hidden lips to the drunk's ear. "Pitiful." With a twist and the sound of scraping bone, the cloaked figure ripped the blade from the man's form, just as a crowd of people had begun to pass. Before the drunk's body had chance to lose strength, the cloaked man stepped into the crowd, disappearing down the street, leaving the dying man behind with not a single glance.

[Silvarn]

"Heh. What makes you think I would want to eat you in the first place?" he asked, laughing a little as the flames around his faces grew higher, "You'd be too tough and spicy for me to stomach. And, as this inconvenience," he indicated the black fire again, "It's a precaution my master put into place. Firstly, to make myself stand out from the crowd and be recognized as his herald. The second, this only lasts longer than an hour when I invoke my master's name. He makes it last an entire day so that I don't overuse it and spread his name to the common run of mortality -- he wants that pleasure for himself."

He laid himself on the coarse graveyard lawn, singeing the ground beneath him. "And, since you're going to town, see if you can't find me a good bottle of wine. Red, preferably. I'll get the meat myself." he smiled nastily, but the flames covered that fact up, "And be sure to keep a steady watch. The angel and his friends might be scouring the area, so you don't know if you'll run into one of them -- or a devil." he laughed boisterously.

[Lujayn]

"I'm not too worried. If I run into them, I'll just bolt, as I always do. I'm not that easy to find if I don't want to be," she drawled. "Red wine, then? I'll see what I and my purse can do... maybe steal from someone. Plenty of unobservant morons just screaming to be stolen from..."

She continued talking, mostly to herself, as she walked the distance to the town, lightly cracking twigs beneath her feet in the silent forest.

When she arrived, she quickly scouted out a stand selling food, and paid for a delicious meat pie that she managed to scarf down within seconds. She then bought a second one from the rather bemused vendor, and she continued on her way to find her previous employer. She was going to relish killing the lying ass, make no mistake about that.

It didn't take too long to find him, or convince him that she had "urgent news" that should be talked about only in the safety of a nice, dark alleyway. A quick spell silenced him, and his screams went unheard as she plunged one of her favourite daggers- saw-edged with a hook at the end- into his belly, bringing out a trail of his own innards, and smirked as he writhed in pain, before finally dying.

"And that's what happens when you mess with me," she hissed at his corpse, carving out her sign into his forehead- a vague, bird-like shadow sign.

And then, a prickling sensation, as if being watched. She jerked her head up, and saw someone, watching... "Oh, hell," she muttered under her breath. "What now?"Wow, a new person on the fourth page :P Welcome! -

[Sokuro]

Veryan had perched just outside the town's tavern with his back to the wall, watching each that passed by as if judging their appearances. It hadn't taken long before a rather peculiar woman slipped within view, catching Veryan's eyes like a vulture to a wounded animal. With a veiled grin he kicked his heel to the pebble stone and followed behind her, keeping sure to linger with the similarly clad vigilante every so often- Though they'd often give him a curious look and quiet their voices. Once the woman had met with another, Veryan broke off, slinking down an earlier alley and rounded the corners until tucking away in the darkness, only his eyes discernible in the shadows as he watched.

Oho... so she is a special one. His eyes gleamed in delight as the woman carved her mark into this sorry excuse of a mortal soul's forehead, only to find this woman's head snap up and meet his eyes with her own. Veryan lingered a moment, still as stone as his eyes remained locked with the woman's, a devilish grin licking over his veiled lips. With a quick wink from his right eye, Veryan turned down the alley. Only, instead of heading down it, he twisted himself about and put his left boot to a protruding stone from the poorly built back wall to the tavern, vaulting up and using each hand-grip to scale toward the rooftops. The speed in his movements that echoed down the alley made it sound as if something... not quite human, were present, though it was obvious this new onlooker were the cause.

((Hope I'm not intruding!))

[Lujayn]

Krae hissed in annoyance as he ran, and darted after him, moving quickly and silently, although silence was hardly needed, given the noise coming from the market square only a few streets over. Her ascent to the rooftops was slightly easier than his, needing merely a breath of her power to jump to the thatched rooftop that he was aiming to reach, just scant moments after he did. She wasn't so folly as to use all her remaining power- although a lot more had returned, and her hair reflected this with a broad dark swath of the red returning to the black- in chasing her quarry, so resorted to simply running with no bursts of speed.

Not that she really needed them, she being a demon and a mighty fit one, at that. She caught up more or less easily, and crouched low, kicking her leg out to connect her foot to the back of his knee, a blow that would easily knock him to ground, although she made sure to pull back enough so as not to break the joint, the thin ties of hair swirling around her as she did so.Pffft crappiest post ever... -

[Sokuro]

Veryan had turned the moment he'd seen the woman leap skyward, a delighted grin playing over his face, and bolted toward the split between this building and the next. Haunching briefly to vault across, he instead found a strike claim his right knee, buckling it to the rooftop with a solid thud. Bravo, letting your guard down again..... Echoed a voice in his mind, resulting in a clearly notable snarl that seemed to be from the blow, at least to the aggressor. It was clear Veryan was rather accustomed to pain, though hardly impervious to it.

Although it may have been her intent to stop him, Veryan issued forth a low growl as he gripped the lip of the rooftop and kicked with his right foot, now stinging clearly. His grip on the stone edge beckoned a quiet crunch as his fingers dug into the material, his body slinging around with his leg leg lingering back in a full-bodied kick. Should he connect, the woman would find a solid blow meeting the socket of her hip with enough force dislodge the joint from place in an ordinary being

[Silvarn]

"Hum de dum." Den muttered in his rare singsong voice, bobbing his head to some unheard beat. He let his sore vocal chords emit a pleasant melody, a song without words, serenading the corpses, singing them their lullaby, their nocturne.

Nocturne! the wind cried, irate.

Den leapt to his feet, his fearful eyes veiled by the black flames., "Master!" he cried

What is the meaning of this? the voice growled.

"I...I can't do anything while I'm in this condition." he instantly regretted uttering the words, and for good reason.

Is the burden of my glory too much for your frail mortal shell? Need I find a new host?

"No, master, no! It's...that rival akuma and the angel combined nearly did me in, even with Krae's help. I think I deserve a bit of a breather." Den defended.

You spoke one of my secret names. That should have been enough to vanquish both of them.

"The angel easily dispatched the akuma, who was drawing great amounts of life-force from his master. Meaning his master is greatly weakened now and would be ripe for usurpation."

Indeed... the black wind growled. Here is your replacement. Mind you do not disintegrate him like his brother.

A small, black, willowy demon materialized behind a gravestone and sashayed over to Den, who welcomed him into his mouth. The demon jammed himself into Den's throat, then dissolved into his flesh. Immediately, the flames began to die down.

"Thank you, master." Den croaked, his voice very hoarse.

Take care of that voice of yours. the devil commanded, then the malicious wind vanished.

[Lujayn]

The kick would have smashed bone in a normal human. Krae, however, had never been human, and her demon bones withstood the impact. But damn did it hurt! Hissing in pain, she grabbed the offending foot firmly around the ankle, jerking her arm back to bring her unknown assailant closer to herself.

She slammed one knee into his chest, to keep him down more than to cause any sort of damage, and brought her dagger a hair's breadth away from his neck. "Alright," she said on an angry hiss, "Who are you? And, no lies. I've been having a very trying few days, and I might just get so... upset... that my hands here might slip a little... into your throat."

To make her point, she pressed the jagged edge into his skin, not enough to draw blood, but enough to make its presence known. "And then, second question: since more than one body killed in similar manner raises too many questions in this sort of town, I don't want to kill you... overmuch." Although it would be so much easier on her, really. "So, can you keep quiet enough to not blather to any authority over my little... indiscretion back there? If not..." The knife twitched in ominous suggestion.

Not that Krae needed that to look ominous enough. Her red eyes pierced into his, as if she could see into his very soul, and a dark aura seemed to undulate around her form.

[Sokuro]

Veryan bucked to the stone with a bemused laugh as he simply stared back at the woman, a grin just barely snaking its way from beneath his cloak's raised collar. Offering little to no resistance, Veryan's lips remained sealed, a hint of almost wild delusion clearly noted in his eyes as they locked straight into her own in return. My my my! You could certainly have some fun with this one! Give her a run for her money!.....Once more this unheard voice spoke forth within his mind, cackling deviously and sending chills down his spine. Of course to the woman it would likely appear more something of fear than delight.

With his grin only widening, Veryan leaned up, pressing the blade harder into his throat as the blade slowly tore through the fabric cascading his flesh. Ohoho that's the spirit! Make her do it! Let her spill your crimson delight along this rooftop for Sol to see! Show him he's lost! Veryan had not even begun to argue with this voice, nor reply, and it would seem, should this woman take note, that despite their situation, this man's heart barely beat at all. Surely not human, but quite clearly not far from it

"If you mean to threaten, perhaps you should find one who fears." Veryan's eyes flashed not bright, but shadow, licking over the iris like tendrils. "After all, darkness is so much more comforting than light." Slowly, Veryan's left hand crept along, not in any attempt to hide it, his fingertips walking along the air just a breath away from the woman's pinning leg. You nasty little man you! You've only just seen her!...... indeed he had, and that was the fun.