-Pale Rider-
"It was a rather heavy shocker to know that Rivia didn't exactly hold resentment towards me for being human; ever since I became aware of how some of the more 'aggressive' devils reacted to my true heritage, I knew that secret was to be kept close at hand, selfishly so... yet her accepting of it was a nice moment of relief for me...
Surprisingly, others knew – most of them being associated with the old-Satan faction – yet fortunately for me, they didn't exactly possess any evidence to expose that fragile truth...
Surviving six months in Old-Satan hands wasn't exactly something a full blown human could do so there was that counter argument; which added with the Pride of the Old-Satan's and the ego to boot, it was doubtful that they would bring up that particular failure in the first place...
Not that Grayfia would allow it anyway because as far as I knew, only she knew of what I truly was—well, at least possessed a notion to that idea, I mean I did confess what and who I was upon the first initial meeting...
I didn't exactly grasp the situation as gravely as I would have later on... sue me
Grayfia didn't exactly react as much when she heard me say it – probably didn't believe me at the time, all things considered – yet a few of her allies had almost gone ballistic when they heard me... though surprisingly I never heard or saw any of them again after that fact...
Another mystery to add to the list...
So one doubted me almost completely while a set few nearly went ape shit—and then another openly accepted me while three more did the same...
A mix bag so to speak... and now I had a potential – nay! – A love interest fully aware of my true identity...
*heavy sigh*
...relief was a distant description as to what I was feeling about that, it was almost like a weight equivalent to the earth itself was lifted off my shoulders and I didn't even know it was there at the time...
But aside from that—the next day was the day we'd invade Ashfeld, and secure the prisoners held within... total liberation—if all went to plan...
Tsk...Who was I kidding though?
We had fucking Dragons...
[Crimson Dagger operations log: 09... pending completion]
[The next day...]
The first thing Ryden felt when consciousness slowly returned was warmth—a physical kind; which encompassed both his front and back at the same time, hell, he could even feel the slight tingling fabric of a blanket over his bare chest. Confusion followed the feeling and discovery, before his grogginess swallowed it away, sending him back into a momentary snooze—giving him only a bare enough time to register what he was currently feeling.
Grass was all the bed he had a few hours ago, yet now, now he seemed to be in a hammock; a hammock set up on a small hill side, covered nicely by thick foliage. But that wasn't the main part – no – the best part was that he seemed to be nestled in tightly between two other individuals.
How could he tell?
Boobs... two pairs of them; one at his flank – smearing into the back of his head – and the second was at his front, smeared into his face.
He was sandwiched... nice
Before he could react abruptly to the realization, Ryden's memory of what happened last night quickly invaded his mind, the imagery of those particular events and the physical sensations from those images easily staved off his growing surprise to the point that the only evidence of realization from him was that of a meager grumble of delirium... he knew, but he didn't make a fuss.
Didn't want to... titty sandwiches were comfortable...
His brief reaction – no matter how muffled – summoned a slight gasp from the woman in front of him. He couldn't see who it was as his face was currently seeing nothing but black and a slight over glow of blonde—a natural phenomena when sun light pierced over sprawled blonde hair.
Ah...
Now he knew who it was...
Evidently, the quite gasp was from Rosalina of all people; and for some reason it only resounded once before silence reigned—and the woman at his front didn't retract or retreat from him. Clearly, the Neko-Rosa was no longer apart of the party – too bad, he rather enjoyed that side of the Phenex – yet for some reason, Rosalina wasn't busting her nice ass to get away from him—considering her lack of dress and character, such a reaction should have been expected.
She was stark naked—completely bare of all fabric... and completely tangled with both him, and an obvious Rivia Abaddon at his flank.
Yet... again... surprisingly, she didn't make a move to retreat.
Instead – and this shocked him completely – Rosalina pulled him to her chest slowly; her slender arms which were positioned both at his neck and back respectively, pulled him almost snuggly against her, which—regardless of the hesitation in the action; expressed something to Ryden that demanded him to not do what he'd normally do.
In a normal circumstance; Ryden would jokingly respond to the action with a jest and tease—yet right now, his instincts told him to leave it and allow Rosalina to act upon something without being made fun of. As much as it did help weaken Rosalina's shell, it didn't exactly help encourage the woman to act upon something that she wanted.
In simple terms... she wanted him—whether or not it was a romantic desire or merely curious perversion was still up for debate on his end, yet even so—he let it breathe and let the woman do something without being called out on it.
And now that the was thinking about it, the one issue Rosalina had was self confidence – or... something along that line – and he wasn't exactly giving her the chance to do so without him pulling a jest. Call it a habit on his end... amongst his group of misfits, teasing and jokes towards ones lack of confidence was what built the confidence up in the first place—at least for Michael's case... he was always the more quite of them, but whenever Gabriel or Lucy teased him, he always stepped up to the plate.
It worked there, but he guessed it was different for this little issue...
Negative points on his end for taking this long to notice... Ryden would need to remedy his approach now that he was aware of how much of a dunce he'd been. The silver lining however was that at least it partially worked—don't need any further comment on it though.
So he let the woman hold him as she desired, keeping silent and feigning sleep in order to give the woman all the time she desired to familiarize herself with his body... as, odd as that sounded, Ryden knew it would help in some cases.
So for the most part, he remained motionless—giving no sign that he was aware of the woman's sudden bravery.
He felt her face nuzzle into his hair, a contented – yet slightly curious – sigh escaping her lips before her hands began to explore his back. On a more pleasurable scale, Rosalina's soft hand along his bare back felt soothing to the touch, easing his muscles and contently relaxing his sore joints by the gentleness alone; yet to add even more stimulation, Rosalina's other hand – which was nestled under his head – explored his back hair line curiously, soothing out his locks with eased motions.
Surprisingly, Rosalina released a noise – an odd one that seemed curious – before her other hand lowered down further until it was on his waistline; and for an agonizing moment, Rosalina slowly lowered her hand down to his rear. Ryden was feeling a grin rise only his lips as Rosalina's more explorative side kicked in—leading her to do something he never expected; yet before she could cope a feel, her hand was suddenly sandwiched between his ass and Rivia's navel.
For a surprising moment, Ryden heard a faint growl escaped from Rosalina's lips before a soft chuckle came from behind him—signaling Rivia's awakening.
"My my—I didn't take you to be this forward Rosalina... what's the occasion?" Rivia murmured with clear bemusement in her tone, and for a moment, Ryden felt Rosalina's grip tighten just as Rivia's pelvis pressed tighter against his ass—both making him slightly uncomfortable, and also locking Rosalina's hand directly in between his ass and Rivia's nude form... on a more terrifying note; Ryden noted that Rivia's pelvis was slight gyrating against his ass...
Now he was fully awake – keep that fact clear in mind – and currently, Rosalina's soft hand and Rivia's navel was tightly pressing against his ass—making a rather distinct sensation that procured a rather expected reaction from him... he was just thankful his underwear didn't go missing over the night... his pants however, had been abducted.
So in the end – and considering Rosalina's position at his front – He could practically feel her blush when his little buddy nudged at her stomach... in his defense, one doesn't simple hide a morning wood when sandwiched between two goddess class beauties; and on a further note—were also currently using him as a grinding post.
Well—Rivia he could see doing that – the situation itself being the prime example – yet Rosalina? No, regardless however—her hand was invading a good bit of his privacy... just a tiny bit of it
Not like he was complaining anyway...
For a moment, he heard another growl; which was then followed by a chuckle – the owners of those two particular sounds seemingly obvious – as Rivia pressed her chest further against the back of his head while her left arm – which was snaked under his left side – rose up to fondle his thighs, which then moved to fondle Rosalina's.
?
Ryden knew this because every so often, the sensation of Rivia's suggestive motions along his thigh would vanish, before a sharp intact of air could be both heard and felt from a now steaming Rosalina Phenex. To make it even more obvious, Rivia's other hand – which had been resting nicely under his right arm – reached out and grabbed Rosalina's rear and pulled her into him without issue... further smearing his woody wood pecker against Rosalina's well toned stomach.
Ryden fought a groan when this happened and decided to belay his adult thoughts with reminiscent thoughts—but how could he? When all his thoughts circled back to the steamy moment with Rivia the other night, Ryden knew he was fighting an uphill battle without a plan; and thus his mind focused in on a nice cozy image of an empty night sky filled with rising embers and crackling kindle—
"I knew of Venelana before Sirzechs was born..."
Ryden flinched at the thought, before returning to the memory... calm and at peace; step by step Ryden—calming thoughts.
"It takes experience to know of one's perversion..."
"She was good..."
"I may or may not have left her unconscious..."
Ryden grumbled internally – groaned really – when the tranquil image of the dark sky from last night was interrupted by the previous words of Rivia Abaddon. And unfortunately for him, the image and memory itself slowly crumbled his memory away until his mind was suddenly invaded by the image of Venelana and Rivia scissoring vigorously.
.
.
.
Like he said before... the image wasn't terrifying; but if Venelana had been his actual mother he'd be absolutely bamboozled by the news of Rivia's apparent fling with the brunette bombshell.
He was not opposed to the fantasy – given that he was pretty sure the image itself had actually occurred – and he did experience a few situations with the woman that left nothing to his imagination—as awkward as it was. Yet what truly got a rise from him was his late discovery... Rivia Abaddon was literally bisexual...
Well...
—Scratch that 'rise' bit; because for some reason, the knowledge of Rivia Abaddon's 'saloon door sexual flexibility' didn't exactly spring much of a surprise from him. Inherently speaking, considering the devils society and how these apparent harems work—he quickly noted – on a more perverse level – that ninety percent of most sexual encounters may or may not lead to literal orgies... orgies that would involve only one male—and a random number of woman; from five to maybe twenty or more—give or take the Chad energy involved.
Like he said, his perverted side was one hell of a naughty boy— but then again, having ones penis smeared tightly against a woman's toned stomach while said woman was currently getting her ass and thighs fondled by another woman of equal beauty didn't exactly bring out ones poetic elegance...
~To be erect... or not to be...~
~fucked if he knew...~
As Ryden's inner conundrum and battle with perverse imagery continued, Rivia Abaddon gave a silent Rosalina a pointed grin—one that expressed approval when Rosalina didn't retreat from both her own fondling and the obvious appendage currently pressed against her stomach... didn't mean the woman wasn't blushing though; yet for her own credit, she was trying very hard to ignore the hardened snake sandwiched between herself and the sleeping man in her arms.
And for a moment, Rosalina said nothing in order to collect herself and her reply... was there an excuse for all this?
Hell no... One doesn't simply forge an excuse about waking up in another's bed naked and spooning; nay, something else had been afoot to create an outcome such as this, yet even still, Rosalina felt no desire to retreat from something like this. In her eyes – and on a deeper part of herself – this entire situation was a sort of miracle in some fashion—and considering she couldn't remember a thing from the other night – aside from a rather intimate dream with the man in her arms – she fully knew that whatever had happened, had been primarily fueled by a drunk stupor.
Her mother would call it a mistake... but she had yet to see this as one—therefore, Rosalina found herself thanking her past drunken self for developing the confidence that she – the sober side – would not have developed.
Because now was the perfect time to retaliate to Rivia's constant teasing—and finally forge her standing within this little contest of theirs.
The woman wanted a Phenex... then she shall get one.
...However...
Due to inexperience and a slight jitter of overconfidence and aggression; Rosalina accidentally reached out and grip Rivia's ass and squeezed it... BY ACCIDENT!
Upon the action's suddenness, Rivia's smirk dropped and her eyes widened – her being completely floored by the action part taken by the woman in front of her; however, in the face of the action itself—Rivia's smirk quickly returned with a slight gleam of bemusement, which was accompanied with a blush.
"Oh my... what caused this?—desiring to expand your horizon?" Rivia questioned before doing the same thing to Rosalina—electing a beat red blush to mount on top of Rosalina's already present blush. Rivia's smirk grew when another possible reason entered her thoughts—which led to her slightly leaning in further towards Rosalina's face. "Or perhaps that was a mistake?"
Upon the question, Rosalina grit her teeth and further hardened her resolve before she pulled the woman further against the 'sleeping' Ryden; an action that elicited another chuckle of bemusement when the meaning behind the action had yet to become clear.
For Rivia, the invitation to press tighter against the man she was spooning was something she abode by instantly; giving in to the younger blondes action without resistance; yet when a contented sigh resounded from Rosalina—Rivia grew mildly confused.
"There..." Rosalina began before she corrected her mistake with an off handed comment that blew Rivia's apparent assumption out of the water. "That's better..." she finished before retracting her hand and resting it on Ryden's hip.
Rivia directed a questioning glance to Rosalina, confusion written on her face—and the only reply she got was a lazy expression, followed by...
"I was getting cold" she stated lamely before she nestled her head back against Ryden's head and fell silent.
Rivia laid where she was – pressed tighter against Ryden's back, and arguably warmer than before – and remained momentarily confused by the meaning behind Rosalina's action, yet after a moment, she let it go and retracted her own hand from Rosalina's rear and instead slide it down along Ryden's chest, perfectly situating it between the two mounds of flesh that where Rosalina's own breasts. A smirk rose on her lips with Rosalina predictably flinched at the touch, yet never the less, the woman remained where she was...
.
.
.
Silence...
Well... for the most part that is what happened after the little one sided conversation between the two blondes ended; yet for the one sandwiched in between the two sexually active female devils, the sound of his hammer heart and racing mind of perversion easily absolved him of his peace. Then again, he was still painfully erect and smeared against a strangely braver Rosalina; yet regardless of that, the sensation of Rivia and Rosalina tightly holding him made for one hell of an experience to reign in.
It was made even harder when he noted what the two had just done... thoughts and fantasies followed unfortunately, and it did little to help him retract his morning wood.
Honestly, he should be dying of embarrassment right about now... such a moment was probably on some virgin's horror list, and was probably doomed to the cringe compilation by a few others; yet Ryden damn well dared them to experience what he was experiencing and not find themselves harder than a perfectly sculpted statue—cause this was absolutely ridiculous!
And for some damn reason, Rosalina, the one person usually against this kind of thing; whether it be because it was inappropriate or something—was actually enticing the moment further.
"~Ah...~"
That was a moan... and she just grinding against him... and he just got harder... god damn it!
There goes his self control... now he was back to square one... damn it
"Careful now Rosalina Phenex, we don't want your dirty side to corrupt Ryden just yet..." came Rivia's amused voice as she had clearly heard the woman's moan of pleasure... be it voluntary or not.
"Speak for yourself; you're not the one pressed against his member..." Rosalina growled back with a pointed blush.
Bloody hell... don't mention it!
Rivia snickered bemusedly at her comment. "Oh my... is it too much for you to handle?—we could always switch sides..."
Oh boy...
"N-no—"
Well that's a surprise response...
"Oh ho?... are we starting to get some confidence?"
You're a brutal competitor Rivia...
"Be silent... A-at least I have some control over myself..."
"Says the one wishing to remain pressed against the man's penis..."
... she had a point there...
"...shut up"
"Heh...Though I must admit, I'm slightly jealous of you. For some reason, he always faces away from me in the morning—it hurts that he'd put such effort in hiding something such as that from me"
"Hmm...That's good to hear, it's no surprise to me that Ryden possesses some degree of tact. Considering it's against you, it adds a good deal of credit to his control"
"Again, bold words coming from someone hogging all the meat..."
"..."
"Speaking of credit... how much are you gonna give him?"
"What?"
"Don't be naive..."
"You're sick..."
"No, I'm interested—or am I asking too much from you?—I guess it's rather expected considering how odd it is for you to even be this close to the man... *sigh*... guess I'll—"
"NO!—I-I'll do it"
.
.
.
...Do what?
Ryden had been silent all throughout their little conversation about his erect member, silently contemplating existence and probability – as well as a few other cosmic philosophies that could somehow explain why he liked Rivia and Rosalina's apparent chemistry so much.
Forget about the fact they were interested in how big his dick was, but for a pair that seemed like total opposites—he could literally see a blossoming friendship forming between the two... they seemed to click just right, and Rivia's apparent teasing was slowly starting to look like actual encouragement—then again, it sounded a hell of a lot like peer pressure, but devils may perceive peer pressure differently then what he does.
Sins and what not—they were striving points here, rather than shit to fear.
However, this was something he found hard to plan around; a part of him desired to 'wake up' right now in order to avoid the awkwardness that would undoubtedly erupt; and it would embarrass Rosalina enough that it would take an entire constellational alignment to help her gather enough self confidence to get to where she was now.
It was not healthy for her, so he decided to follow his other half—the majority vote... stay asleep; accept the criticism – or accept the boost in ego – and allow the breach in personal space... dignity? What's dignity?
Oh the things he would do for people...
Dainty fingers tingling with curiosity slowly approached him, the intent – though filled with very palpable hesitation – almost seemed to create a sensation where he could literally feel how far away her hand was... until it met his length.
His battle against an instinctual groan of pleasure was legendary, and his fight with lust was almost cosmic—he was sure a few gods had managed to hear his mental plea for assistance, yet regardless... Rosalina had made touchdown, and Ryden was clear of breaking his cover...
However... he had a new objective...
Survive...
Silence reigned over the three, though Ryden could almost feel Rivia's rising grin as the woman before her eased her hand along his shaft – obviously over the fabric of his underwear – and slowly and hesitantly familiarized herself with his measurement... from base, to shaft, to tip... three consecutive exploratory strokes that felt nearly eternal; which didn't at all help him when her tender fingers actually began to explore his pecker further.
God damn was he tempted to comment on Rosalina's clear interest; for a woman hard pressed to express, she really did express herself in her actions; it seemed once she got talked into it, or found the courage and chose to do it herself, she almost became a different person.
That was... revealing...and kinda hot
"Is he that big?" came Rivia's questioning tone, sparking Ryden's attention almost instantly.
"Hmm?" Rosalina hummed while still keeping herself attentive to his length...
Stay on target Ryden—stay on target...
"You're drooling..."
"!"
Unbeknownst to Ryden's view, Rosalina's eyes widened considerably when she did indeed note her lack of control—and immediately retracted her hand from Ryden's concealed length; releasing the man from his suffering and silently stammered out a mild set of excuses before she contained her rapidly beating heart.
"...S-so I am" she began before her entire figure slide out of the hammock as if she were water.
From the cracks of his eyes, Ryden briefly got a good view of Rosalina's stark figure before he shut them when the aforementioned woman turned to glance at both himself and the woman behind him; still contently holding him as if nothing had happened. "I seem to have over stayed my welcome—I must be off to prepare for the day" she said before she summed her armor and clothing with a flash of Phenex fire.
Rivia watched the woman with bemusement, hardly surprised by the suddenness of the woman's retreat and simply nodded to her. "I guess that's that then... it was a pleasure sharing a bed with you Rosalina Phenex—don't feel as if it was a spur of the moment" Rivia's eyes gleamed with a hidden meaning. "I expect many nights to be just like this from now on—unless of course you feel otherwise..."
The response she got was a slight glare for her condescending tone before the woman merely blew off the hinting comment. "You need not speak further Rivia Abaddon—I have chosen a new form of comfort, and I will not have your baser teases keep me from such luxury... it is a small price to pay"
"Are you saying that because he's lacking in the 'small' department?—I can understand such a thing if that's what you're getting at" Rivia's grin grew when Rosalina quickly looked away when a blush erupted along her cheeks.
"B-Be that as it may... I will be taking my leave" without further reply, Rosalina vanished in a flurry of flames, disappearing from the area completely.
Once she was gone, Rivia eased herself down into a contented position against Ryden's back, her eyes closed yet her smirk remained. Wordlessly, Rivia wrapped her right leg over Ryden's waist – momentarily grazing the man's tally wacker – before she sighed contently when her legs completely tangled themselves with Ryden's.
"So then... care to explain yourself?" Rivia suddenly asked without opening her eyes
"I believe my actions – or lack thereof – speaks for itself" Ryden casually replied without opening his eyes or moving. Rivia merely snuggled against him further.
"You are too kind..."
"And you're too aggressive" he muttered back in reply before turning to lie on his back and regard the smirking blonde behind him with a fake glare. "There's peer pressure and then there's bullying..." he added, which Rivia huffed a scent of dismissal at his words.
"You're being too protective of her..." she stated but it was Ryden's turn to dismiss her words with a clear expression of horror.
"I'm not talking about her, I'm talking about me!—you're bullying me!" he exclaimed with horror in his eyes. "You knew I was awake this whole time, yet you encouraged her" Ryden's eye twitched when Rivia's gaze shimmered with amusement. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay focused when someone does that?"
He paused, briefly, electing a small chuckle from Rivia before he rounded back on her. "Oh don't you start laughing; I'm sure the tune would be sung differently if I was the one gripping your—" Ryden's eyes bulged when Rivia started wagging her eye brows at him; clearly taking his words in the wrong manner.
"My my—I didn't know you were a receiver; that opens up a few ulterior avenues for some extracurricular activities... I wonder if Rosalina would approve of such a thing?" Rivia's eyes glowed mischievously as she gazed down at Ryden; and as for the man himself, his own eyes seemed to pear into another dimension with how wide they'd grown.
"You're sick..." he finally said after digesting the dialogues meaning.
A slender and bare leg grazed over his todger when Rivia partially closed the distance, a satisfied moan escaping her lips as she felt it against her inner thigh. "No... I'm Rivia" she muttered out before her lips connected with Ryden's neck.
Ryden released a quite shudder at the closeness but otherwise remained in control of himself... well, as best as he could with that blasted reply.
"Yare yare... she's even got dad jokes now..." Ryden almost growled out as Rivia continued to kiss his neck; yet at his words, Rivia paused almost briefly in order to regard Ryden with a smirk.
"Oh? What's this about dad jokes?" her gaze slightly shifted into a far more perverted leer when Ryden remained silent—then she spoke up again, this time with a far more sultry tone. "~Should you start calling me daddy then?~"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YES! SAY YES! HAHAHAHA! I LOVE THIS WOMAN!
Ryden froze coldly at both the question spoken by Rivia and the boisterous return of Fulgur... both the perversion and the tones used by both woman easily sent Ryden careening into a bit of momentary despair.
Ah fuck...
"God damn it... not now" Ryden muttered as he glanced over a confused Rivia to see his sword – Fulgur herself – leaning gently against a distant tree. And though her blade was sheathed, the glow radiating off of the sword through the scabbard easily gave away the spirits excitement.
Rivia flicked a brow at Ryden before she glanced over to see Fulgur glowing—and then it all made sense.
Rivia began laughing, for no reason at all—yet the look of horror dawning on Ryden's face was easily the best hint she could find as to why she suddenly found herself laughing.
"Hahaha... what – Hehehe – what did she say?" she mumbled out in between soft fits of laughter; yet her amusement only grew when Ryden gave her a hesitant glance—the man obviously contemplating the response. Seeing this, Rivia merely pinch his cheek lightly before giving him an expectant look. "Come now Ryden, after everything I've done this morning—you really think I would be affected by whatever Fulgur says?"
Without missing a beat, Ryden laid it on her as it was... he really didn't need much else considering the situation he'd just been in.
"For a good while, Fulgur has been feeding me fantasy images of you... uh?—doing things with her sword handle" Ryden muttered out, blushing madly—and surprisingly, the woman on top of him also blushed at the man's words.
Well then... that was new.
"Oh my..." she started before glancing to the now pulsating sword. "I never realized I had that effect on such an infamous spirit"
~OH stick that formal shit up that tight ass and grip me tightly daddy! Bathe my shaft with your butter!~
Ryden's eyes bulged again, in both horror and terror – that made no sense, but fuck it! – And almost immediately jumped out from Rivia's grasp – surprising her quite sharply – and immediately ran to the sword whilst pitching a fucking tent.
HAHAHA! YOU GOT A BONER! HAHAHA! YES! ~I'LL DANCE WITH YOUR LEVIATHAN MASTER!~ HAHAHA!
Without hesitation, Ryden gripped the sword and yeeted it a good distance into the shrubby—the loud distant howls of the swords mental words quickly growing distant as it sailed through the air and landed in some unknown part of the forest.
Ryden breathed deeply, a cold shudder escaping him as he heard the quite chuckles coming from a clearly amused Rivia Abaddon... her eyes locked on a certain disobedient appendage.
"Not a damn word... not a god. Damn. Peep" he warned seriously as he locked eyes with Rivia; however, instead of nod at his demand, Rivia suddenly burst out laughing—and though her laugh was soft and refined, it still clearly did a number to her stomach.
His eyes widened before he regarded his concealed tally wacker with a look of betrayal.
"Traitor..."
Its response?... an indigent twitch of rebellion.
[Several awkward moments later...]
Ryden stood alone a few away from a contently dressing Rivia Abaddon, his once partially nude body now contently dressed in his now fully regenerated attire and freshly cleaned breast plate. The sensation of fresh clothes on him had placed him at ease; as for some reason, the feeling of hunger coming from Rivia whenever he was shirtless had honestly become quite apparent; so the return of his flock jacket, undershirt and pants had been such a massive welcome, he couldn't at all feel remorse when Rivia directed a disappointed glare at him... and the presence of his armor had seemed to also secure his body.
Ha! Ha!—Take that you horny devil!
Presently – and after all the shenanigans of getting dressed – he was now leaning casually against a distant tree, having retrieved a verbally scolded Fulgur and a still contently silent Ventus – the latter of which having been placed right beside the sword – and was now Patiently waiting for Rivia Abaddon to finish dressing into her full armor.
No surprise to him when she had asked for his help, and – for his own sanity – he accepted without hesitation and assist the still visibly amused devil before Fulgur could tease him for his sudden prudeness.
It had been an agonizing couple minutes – mostly at the beginning that is – when Rivia had taken a leisured pace in clothing herself. The cheeky woman having actually sent him a few glances when her bra had mistakenly fallen off to expose her hefty breasts.
To his credit, the sight of those luscious globes didn't do much but catch his attention for about a few seconds – maybe longer – before he gave her a scolding look and gestured for her to pick up the pace. Obviously the attempts at getting a further rise from him was futile considering the events prior, but Rivia seemed determined to get more out of him.
Though... having his prick explored by a curious devil honestly set the bar a little too high for these now deemed paltry attempts... he wouldn't even humor them now after all that.
Seriously? You really couldn't write that shit...or could you?
That question felt far too philosophical for Ryden's liking—and he couldn't help but feel as if he was dead wrong.
Ryden shook his head at that, now visibly determined to flush away the morning's events for the moment before he heard a snicker from Rivia just as he grumbled to himself. He paused and locked eyes with the very woman that haunted his mind; yet thankfully, the woman was now completely dressed and standing right in front of him with what looked like her usual disposition—though minus the indifference in her eyes.
After a moment, Rivia sent him a knowing smirk. "You really should have been prepared for something like that" she started before she bopped his nose lightly – as if scolding him. "we are all devil's—and devils are inherently more aggressive than humans—this much is obvious by your reactions... so at least keep that in mind from now on" upon finishing her words, she gestured for him to follow her to where they could hear the others.
"That's easy for you to say" Ryden muttered, eliciting a chuckle from Rivia.
"Perhaps—but I'm still right about it. now that it seems Rosalina is determined to sleep with you, you should be prepare for a few territorial matches between myself and her... do not interfere, but don't shirk away either"
Ryden nodded but grew confused. "And here I thought I was supposed to remain ignorant regarding your apparent competition... are you telling me this because of last night?"
"I am... at first I believed you to be a devil – though an odd one for sure – but now that I know your human, you will obviously not know of what is to come" Rivia paused momentarily before continuing when Ryden said nothing. "Though most of what we're doing is considered tradition, but to put it shortly; we are merely testing each other's commitment to you... if either one of us shies away due to the others progress or loses confidence, then it is clear that one of us doesn't possess enough commitment to be by your side... it's that simple"
"So you're doing a job for me?" Ryden muttered, bringing a small nod to Rivia.
"In a sense yes... but that shouldn't mean you should stop what you're doing—just keep being yourself and wait until one of us wins"
"How will I know who won?"
Rivia smirk at Ryden's question – a very brief expression of perversion tugging her lips upward as she regarded the man with clear hunger. "that will be simple for you to realize... as she will be the one you find most irresistible"
Ryden blinked, realization dawning on him. "I guess Fulgur was right—you two are competing for the title of alpha"
Ryden's words suddenly amused Rivia completely, as the woman released a heart chuckle before she regarded him with a cheeky grin. "well if you want to get archaic then I wouldn't mind that... it would make this a hell of a lot easier to win" she stated before she licked her lips.
Ryden frowned, confused. "Archaic?"
Rivia – in her moment of perverted fantasizing – blinked at Ryden before remembering his question. "Oh yes, that form of competition was something done a millennia ago—but that practice has been, shall we say...refined" she said with a wave of her hand; yet after a second of watching Ryden's confusion, Rivia chuckled and chose to elaborate. "remember what I said about me and Venelana yesterday?"
"I haven't forgotten..." Ryden accidentally muttered upon stumbling along that particular memory, eliciting a gleam from Rivia.
"Careful your mother doesn't hear that—considering the stories you've told me of her then I'm sure you'd know how dangerous that would be to mention" Rivia licked her lips. "I should know; because back in those days—when the idea of an alpha female was natural among harems, it was normal for those very females to dominate other females in the throes of passion... that's what happened when Venelana tried to invite me into Zeoticus' harem"
Ryden regarded Rivia with both a look of horror. "She tried to dominate you into being with Zeoticus?" he asked with a disturbed expression on his face.
Rivia nodded but shifted her hand lightly to suggest a mildly different situation then what was perceived. "No but actually yes... if she managed to dominate me, then I was Zeoticus' new bed mate—but in the end, I dominated her and won my freedom—but regardless of that story, the Alpha term was abandoned long ago when it was abused by overbearing females looking to drown their man in woman of their choosing"
"...what the fuck? Is this hell? Or is this a porn site?—and if so, when the hell did I scroll into the lesbian category?" Ryden questioned as his eyes shifted from right to left; as if he was scrutinizing the area for any kind of glitch.
Rivia merely gave him a look—one that spoke of confusion. "What's 'lesbian' mean?" she asked with a quirked brow.
Ryden paused again before the cogs in his head began working again. "Riiight, this is hell... neither the term lesbian or porn exist...Riiight" he muttered upon remembering a few major factors and differences in his vocabulary and Rivia's.
"I don't know what this 'lesbian' means, but 'porn' is most definitely familiar to me... that's how I got most of my experience. Considering I've been a single woman for all my life you'd think I'd know nothing about sex, but thanks to those many books – and now recently – videos; I've found myself quite informed" Rivia paused when she recalled a few things that clearly lightened her mood before she recollected herself.
Well then... the more you know*
Ryden nodded to himself, mentally scolding his inherent naivety before he quickly digested the knowledge that devils did indeed possess porn... no surprise actually; that made an eerily significant amount of sense.
"Why am I not surprised hell possesses porn... this is hell after all—sex, killing and pillaging is normal... why have I not grasped this?!" Ryden muttered before he locked eyes with Rivia. "and the most refined woman I know actually indulges in it and has no idea what the term lesbian is!—can I get a rain check on the ground breaking discoveries? Please?"
No...
Ryden's eye twitched when he felt something akin to a 'no' echo throughout his mind for a moment before he found Rivia giving him a confused look. "So what does lesbian mean?" she asked again, blinking almost cutely at the subject.
He sighed. "It's when two woman engage in sexual intercourse—and where they both prefer females over males... it's a sort of sexual preference"
Rivia blinked before her eyes squinted in confusion at the news. "Sounds boring... do they at least have something to help replicate the sensation of a male?"
.
.
.
...she was asking about dildos
"T-they have... tools...for optional usage—yes" he replied, getting slightly uncomfortable when Rivia blinked expectantly at him.
"And? Be more specific—what sort of 'tools' do these 'lesbians' use?"
A small part of Ryden's mind caved at the question; a reaction based solely on Rivia's sheer expression of curiosity. "A D-dildo?—S-s-strap on?—all kinds of stuff... I think..."
It got worse though...
"What's a strap on?"
...
Ryden licked his lips in order to moisten his suddenly dried mouth; the conversation suddenly becoming fictional to his mind. "A hands free dildo?" he muttered in reply almost too casually, a natural reaction when one disassociates with a very awkward situation.
Rivia's eyes shone briefly. "ah... what does it do exactly?"
"...Rivia?"
"what?"
"...can you not?"
Rivia frowned at Ryden's fearful tone. "can I not what?" she asked with a casual tone, eyes blinking innocently.
Ryden gulped. "ask me these questions..."
"why?"
"because they're weird and are also making me uncomfortable"
"Pff—this hardly constitutes as 'weird'; I'm merely interested in how these 'lesbians' manage to replicate the pleasure of a male's warmth..."
"T-this May not be weird for you, b-but it is for me" Rivia rolled her eyes at Ryden's distraught expression.
"You really need to open up your mind Ryden—for your own sake. It's clear Venelana didn't go into complete detail about our more – as you put – weird side... but I guess that's for the better—all things regarding that woman" Rivia's eyes flickered knowingly before she grew a little bit serious. "keep in mind, the mother of the 72 pillars – Lilith – is the one who also created the succubus and incubus race on a whim... those creatures know perversion and pleasure far beyond what any mortal could comprehend, and from their creation, we devils have also learned of their secrets from their magic... sigils and spells have been used as token items for pleasure for almost eons; from aphrodisiacs that increase ones pleasure and performance, to material items and spells that expands ones options in bed... if this conversation seems weird to you, then I'm afraid what comes down the line might just shatter your mind" Rivia winked at a silent Ryden—a glint of perversion the likes only Fulgur could match shining briefly in her eyes.
"Devils are not humans—we are a species of beings without limits or moral dilemmas; but I guess I am taking things a little too far for now—so if you wish, I can ease you into that side of us... if you wish of course" Ryden didn't miss the smirk Rivia sent him after she finished speaking and merely nodded at the woman's words before they fell silent and approached the others surrounding a small wooden table.
This is a little bit deeper than I expected...
They are devils Ryden—they know pleasure and they desire it just as much as power; and considering they didn't exactly possess a god to tell them what's good and bad, you can start to understand their limitless approach to the inappropriate... I guess if you plan on actually being with this woman, and the other one for that matter, you might need to expand your horizon—otherwise what they do outside of your view may just repulse you...
What he said—stop whimpering and just watch some devil porn... time to get numb to some hot steamy shit.
Ryden suddenly sighed to himself before casually pinching the bridge of his nose.
My life is so off kilter; I have two legendary weapons telling me to go watch porn and a woman – that is my apparent fiance – asking me about strap on's and shit... kind to think of it, that line of questioning leads to a rather odd encounter the next morning...
Heheh... better be sure to face her in the morning next time...
...
...~what is love?! ~Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me—no more~
Mentally, Ryden shut out the voices of Fulgur and Ventus as he and Rivia arrived at the small opening that would apparently act as their staging ground. Presently, Nyx and Abigail – who didn't at all look that much hung over from the other night – stood across from a now madly blushing Rosalina Phenex... evidently, her spidey senses had tingled and with one look at him, Rosalina was roasting like a holiday turkey, yet neither did the others—nor Rivia, ask why the woman suddenly went the same shade as Ryden's hair.
"Yo—you two sleep well?" Nyx questioned as he regarded both Rivia and Ryden with a slightly tired expression.
"We did lord Nyx, and I'm sure you and Abigail fared well this morning?" Rivia replied with a slight gleam in her eyes when both the aforementioned man and Abigail blushed up a storm.
Abigail coughed into her hand, countering her blush before she shot Rivia a secret appreciative nod. "we did..." she muttered while Nyx scratched the back of his head softly. Ryden slowly turned to glance at Rivia, who merely winked at him with a smirk before she returned her gaze to Nyx.
Cheeky girl...
Then again, now that he was remembering it, Abigail had at one point hit on him quite hard upon their initial meeting—yet now it seemed like she just ghosted passed that memory like it never happened. Did he repulse her in some way? Or perhaps did he scare her off? The possibilities were there for any option, but the only thing Ryden could acknowledge right now was that Abigail had instead found a new interest... perhaps an old one maybe.
Ryden couldn't really know for sure... like who really knew? For all he knew, that could have just been Abigail's overly friendly and mildly intrusive way of saying 'hello, I'm going to throw myself into your arms just to see if you squirm'... fuck sake's, with Ryden's experience with Venelana's and Rivia's teases that could be all it was.
Getting into a woman's head was hard...
But getting into a devil woman's head was even harder...
Ryden sighed at the memory before he pushed it aside—from what just transpired between Rivia and Abigail, it was clear enough that her little flirts towards him was a very brief action; one that fell off the face of the earth completely when he didn't reciprocate her advances.
One of life's many mysteries...
Nyx sighed tiredly, showcasing a small bead of stress in his half lidded gaze. "Aye—once the world stopped spinning and Abigail finally let me go everything just fell into place... still can't remember shit, but at least there's no hang over... remind me to avoid dragon fruit from now on" Nyx paused before he looked to Rosalina and also Rivia. "Speaking of which, what about you two? Ryden I can understand being unaffected – don't ask me how, it's just a feeling—" Ryden smirked at the man, causing Nyx to snort. "—but I'm not sure about you two"
Before Rivia could reply, Rosalina spoke up with both a blush and a frown. "We're fine—though I can't say the same for my own memories—"
At that—Ryden deeply sighed away a good bit of relief.
Thank fuck...
Why's that Ryden? What's the need for celebration?
None of your damn business woman—you got enough material this morning
~Pooh... you're no fun~
Ryden ignored the lamination and tuned back to reality to see Rivia scratching her own head. "Rosalina speaks the truth; though my own memories are a bit more hazy then blank" she half lied.
Nyx nodded before he looked to her pleadingly. "then in that case, please tell me I didn't try to hit on any of you"
While Rivia merely chuckled at the man's question – and Rosalina all but acted as if it was never asked – Ryden snorted, gaining ravenette attention. "Do I count?" he asked, and Nyx went paled.
"Gahk!" the man choked with revulsion.
The look alone gave Ryden a good round of chuckles before he waved off the man's horror within the same breath. "I'm just kidding Nyx, you literally passed out after saying 'ass' towards Abigail... kinda funny actually" Nyx visibly relaxed upon his words while Abigail gave the man an odd look.
Ryden chuckled further at the little scene before Rosalina sighed; both in order to dispel her blush and to also move the subject back onto more pressing matters.
"Aside from our adventures the other night; we must move on to what we came here to do" Rosalina opened before her eyes regarded both Ryden and Rivia. "before you two arrived, I formulated a plan with Abigail, Nyx and Tiamat. The latter will escort both of them to the outer borders of Ashfeld – the last mountain range. From there , Abigail will provide recon information and supply us with valuable information about the number of adversaries present, the status of possible convoys – ins and outs – as well as confirmation regarding our two targets" Ryden and Rivia nodded at the first segment of their plan before Rosalina glanced between the two expectantly.
"Any Questions?"
Nyx nodded casually. "Keep an eye out for air defenses... simple advice as I can give"
Collective nodes all around at that.
However Ryden frowned in confusion when a subject came to mind—leading him to voice it. "is there a monolith system close by? Cause if we use long ranger comm's we may give ourselves away long before we strike" Nyx smirked at the questions end while Abigail tapped her finger along the small wooden table between them.
She shook her head, the professional within her eyes shining with a gleam. "It's highly possible Ashfeld possesses a few monolith systems, but it's function for monitoring frequency waves would not work as well as it should with all that brim stone ash and sulfuric interference... comm's should still work just fine but the long range monitoring would be completely disabled—so we should be perfectly capable of speaking freely" Abigail supplied with confidence.
Rivia however narrowed her eyes. "That shouldn't stop us from remaining within protocol—just because something seems certain doesn't mean we should expect it to remain as such; Euclid Lucifage may have found a way around the sulfuric clouds energy dilution" Abigail nodded understandingly at Rivia's cautionary words, an action followed by the others.
"true..." Rosalina started before shrugging. "However even Ajuka hasn't been able to figure out a way around sulfuric ash; and the only way he can do so is if he used his formula magic"
"Then I guess that settles it for the first phase of the attack" Ryden sighed before he locked eyes with everyone present. "However that leaves us with the unknown of what to expect inside the castle city" at that question, Ryden glanced over to Abigail. "do you have any idea how massive Ashfeld is?" he asked, to which the woman shook her head.
"Sorry Ryden, dusty urban environments filled with nothing but dirt, ash and zero life for hunting purposes usually doesn't attract me—but if you want experience, ask Nyx; he was stationed in Ashfeld during the final days of the Great War"
Ryden nodded and gave Nyx an expectant look; to which the man nodded instantly before scratching his head with a deep look of thought. "From what I remember, the city itself is like one massive castle city as you all know already – however it's more of a prison then anything like that. It has several watchtowers doting around a massive pentagon shaped perimeter wall and has a massive mining hole in the middle of the courtyard that leads down into a massive underground chasm... it was crudely built back then but I'm sure the lay out will be a bit more advanced today. The mines below possess crew quarters and several meeting areas and cafeterias which will most like still be in use—but who knows, they may have experienced a few collapses since then" Nyx paused, scratching his head before shrugging.
"That's all I got right now—I was only stationed in Ashfeld for several days before the war ended" Nyx said before Rosalina nodded at his information with a smirk of appreciation.
"That's better than nothing" Rosalina muttered before Ryden stepped forward.
"If they made any renovations, then I'd assume they'd have built an inner sanctum guarding the mining hole. Considering its a strategic military position and is responsible for supplying resources to Old-Satan military forces, I'm sure they'll put all the necessary defenses in place in order to keep it secure and air tight from all the pollution—this may also include aerial defenses" Ryden glanced over at Nyx and nodded in mutual acknowledgement to Nyx's earlier word of advice before he continued. "So I guess we can safely assume this will be a little bit harder than Lucifaad—as we'll be going in undercover of shock and awe instead of stealth; meaning this may be chaotic. To add to that, there may be Death knights present as well... lady lucifage is mostly like present and will likely know something's coming so we'll most likely see them stationed as guards among the common Swarm knights"
Nyx snorted. "There may be Death knights present?" Nyx chuckled at Ryden's words. "No... They'll be there alright, no doubt in my mind—and if this lady lucifage present and knows we're here, then that only solidifies that fact—hell, there may be more then usually considering one of their sworn leaders is present"
Ryden nodded before remembering something that's eluded him for some time.
Sulfuric gas=sulfuric dioxide... that's a no-no
He sighed at this blatant show of tardiness. "Hate to say it but we lack preparation for Ashfelds pollution issue—considering it's a shit-hole caked with Sulfuric gases it would be hell of a lucky draw for us to walk out of this completely unscathed" Ryden stated with a mildly glance of warning between each of his teammates.
Abigail however shot him a slightly reprehending expression—like he'd forgotten something important. "That won't be necessary Ryden—if we focus our demonic energy onto ourselves; it should dissolve the sulfuric gas long enough for us to get inside the castles interior" the others nodded at her words as if it was common knowledge; and yet just before he could drop the subject just to save face – sluff it off like a mild laps in memory – someone quickly intervened.
That won't work...
Ventus?
...It is wise to have considered this Ryden. The aerial pollution is an effect created from Ignis himself—his influence in that region has caused extreme subterranean damage that has resulted in this poisoning of the air from the sulfur below; yet I'm afraid it will only get worse when we make an approach—as he will undoubtedly sense your arrival... in caution of this inevitable result, the pollution in the air will increase exponentially as the heat underground grows, and no amount of demonic energy will compete against this outcome... I will help you around this annoying folly.
Ignis seems... energetic...
Oh you have no idea master... the closer we get, the more excited he will be...
Indeed...
In an instant, Ryden's eyes snapped back to reality when his connection with the spirits vanished; and his eyes locked with each member of his team. "Apparently demonic energy won't work as we get closer as Ignis will only sense my coming arrival—thus causing the spirit to grow – shall we say? – excited...this will cause the sulfur in the air and brimstone ash to continuously increase until demonic energy dissolves entirely" Ryden's informative words caused a few of his teammates to mildly deflate in surrender.
"Damn... anyway around that kerfuffle?" Nyx voiced the general consensus with a look of hope.
Ryden merely waved off the issue however. "Oh easily—Ventus says he'll somehow protect us from the pollution; but considering we're initially separating for this attack I'm having a hard time considering his method as his range isn't as long as desired" Ryden frowned at that last bit.
This was something he'd felt when holding Ventus' bow sometime during their little stints in Lilith's inner territories—when they were playing around with the idea of The Predator and hunting down a couple patrol teams with said Predator tactics—and in these testing phases, the feeling within Ventus' bow felt limited. According to Fulgur and Ventus; the latter's bow was apparently supposed to possess untold range capabilities by several times imaginable – far more so then Abigail's impressive range capabilities – which basically out sighted and out shot anything ever made. His sight and his manipulation with the wind were supposed to rival gods—if not entirely surpass them – Yes...Holy shit – and if Ryden tested his new illusion ability, Ventus theorized the range would be about 500 yards before there was lag in between commands... so bad news... and this was one of the few inconveniences on his list...
The Infernum Armis'—we NOT at full power.
This wasn't exactly news to him as Fulgur was hyped up to be the crimson sword that apparently rivaled the splendor and power of Excalibur—as in her own prior words; her prime state was capable of decimating an entire army in one swing—that's a bit OP. Ryden wasn't sure if that was Fulgur merely taking the piss, or it was an actual statistical fact, as – you know – they both suffered amnesia; he couldn't exactly take those words without a massive spoonful of salt.
All in all—the Infernum Armis' were limited in their powers, and both Fulgur and Ventus had theorized that unsealing them all would probably yield some answers to that—if not entirely buff them to their prior states.
He merely hoped that theory was true.
...Indeed my range is limited as you know so you'll need to find some way to have them come to you whilst near the city—if they go too far they'll lose my blessing...
Ryden nodded at Ventus' words before he looked up to his team. "Ok it looks like we'll need to rendezvous at some point prior to engaging; the blessing Ventus will bestow on all of us seems to run on a sort of range factor—and I can only assume it spans the city so we'll need to time it correctly"
"Then just before we engage the city, me and Abigail will rendezvous with the main force just as you guys fly over us—well get the blessing at that point" Rivia and Rosalina nodded at Nyx's plan while Ryden and Abigail mulled over a few things to themselves.
A moment later and Abigail spoke up. "In the event that Ashfeld is larger than assumed, then it's probably best we split our efforts and converge on the mine in two teams"
"That's a good idea—since we have no idea where our two HVT's are, we should divide and conquer" Ryden added before pausing. "However we shouldn't prioritize the outside as much as what's below the city—Tannin and his warriors will be handling all of that easily enough, what we should be doing is clearing out the mines and locating the three families before they try to run and get caught in the crossfire by accident"
"A good precaution, however do we know who were looking for? And how many?" Rosalina lit up at the question; clearly already having the information at hand.
"I did some partial research before we departed to Lilith—the key nobles involved are Vidalia Vassago, Indus Vassago, Claudia Amon and Kareem Amon. The two heirs of those families are Gregor Vassago and Amelia Amon. The Belial family fortunately doesn't have an heir, however, prior to their identified blackmail, it was known that Mallon Belial and Calfa Belial were expecting—and the both of them were unfortunately strong armed into supporting The Old-Satan's due to their investments in cheap pregnancy tests as supplied by the Marchosias family prior to the Civil wars outbreak"
Ryden cringed. "Damn—they were biting the bait before it was even set"
"Yeah, that's gotta suck—I knew the Belial family has been in financial debt for a while but geese, that's ruff" Abigail added. "but it's a good thing we're gonna get them out—probably be the first dealing of good fortune in a while"
"Any idea what happened to their servants?" Ryden questioned with a worried hint in his eye when he began wondering why the families were so small.
Rosalina merely shook her head at that. "No idea – never looked into that – however if I had to guess, they most likely fled before being pulled in with the families, or they were inducted into the families situation—possibly distributed to other noble families who need the man power" Nyx and Ryden's nose crinkled at that—the notion of slavery being something of a tender matter for both of them, for separate reasons.
"Who knows, some of them may have been transported to Ashfeld" Rosalina added.
Nyx snorted. "Only the most rebellious ones would've been—can't say the same for the pretty ones" Nyx almost growled at his own words, sickened with the implied fates of the servants at the hands of the brutal Old-Satan enforcers—the inquisitions bread and butter task.
Ryden clenched his eyes closed and took a moment to breathe away his frustration before he collected himself and carried on with the briefing. "In any case, as we delve deeper into the mines—our main priority is to secure any prisoners and the noble families within, however if any of our selected HVT's make themselves present before we find them—then we divert focus until the threat is eliminated"
"What if we find Shalba?—it's possible he may seek refuge in the mines when shit hits the fan, what then?" Nyx asked with a raised brow.
Ryden merely directed a glance to Rivia. "Rivia will relocate him to the surface using her rifts... however if he struggles and or it becomes difficult to do so, then we simple tenderize the little shit...I'm sure Tannin would appreciate the courtesy of a prepared meal" Nyx almost chortled at the words while Abigail openly snicker; Rivia and Rosalina however merely smirked knowingly at the ideal plan—the both of them rather enjoying the thought very much.
"What about the code-names for the HVT's?—If we're remaining within protocol then it would be ideal for us to give them code phrases just so we're not giving away our intended targets" Nyx added in.
Ryden shrugged. "We'll designate Shalba as 'locust' and Lady Lucifuge will be designated as 'Cunt'...that should be good enough—the others shouldn't really need code phrase as I'm sure the monolith systems will be all but ignored once the chaos of the invasion starts; maybe even destroyed in the ensuing firebombing"
There was a pause right after Ryden voiced his response, yet after a moment of staring—no one made an attempt at arguing Ryden's firm words; instead, they all nodded while Nyx and Abigail blinked nervously and Rivia and Rosalina merely nodded at his colorful choice of naming Lady Lucifuge... it just seemed right.
Suddenly, a loud crash resounded behind them – partially startling the ensemble of devils – before they recognized the arrival to be Tannin himself... a rather violent arrival if they had to comment.
The dragon was clad in a new set of assembled armor—armor that now covered the majority of the dragons chest – minus the abs – and arms, as well as the majority of his legs were clamped in thick black greaves that possessed a degree of jagged corners and angles that seemed almost Gothic in design.
The sight was almost uncharacteristic of the dragon—as the first impression seemed to suggest the dragon prided himself off of his muscular build, yet the armor went completely against that notion entirely.
Considering the dragons slightly reluctant expression – mixed with a tad bit of frustration – suggested the dragon also felt that way.
With a mild grunt, Tannin slightly adjusted the thick belt that held his waist cape and loin cloth—the red and gold fabric slight billowing before the dragon sighed contently. "That's better..." he growled before he regarded the devils – and human – with a glint of acknowledgement.
"Up and early and already planning—diligent little warriors I see" Tannin commented before he rolled his shoulders in order to familiarize himself with his newly fashioned pauldrons; thick and layered metal plates ran along the dragons arms – mostly his deltoids – which covered the upper half of Tannin's biceps – which were partially exposed – before they reached up and under a larger pauldron that covered the majority of tannin's trap muscles and neck—yet also allowing the dragon a good freedom of movement.
The dragon then lightly flexed his chest – which was covered in several highly detailed plated bits of metal that followed the contours of his muscles – and momentarily watched as the plates parted in order to allow the dragon a good amount of flexibility...
To be perfectly honest with himself, Ryden could have sworn the armor covering the dragons chest, back and ribs – and only that – seemed to align perfectly with his own chest armor.
Did his armor inspire the dragon?
Ryden ignored the thought and almost whistled at the newly fashioned dragon—yet after a second of contemplating on why such a proud dragon decided to wear such a thing quickly became apparent he fought a chuckle when an idea came to mind.
Instead, he raised a knowing brow. "Was this Velkhana's doing?" he asked while calmly noting the black chain mail running along and in between the metal plates.
Tannin growled but reluctantly nodded. "Unfortunately so... I have you to blame for this"
As the others took in the dragons newly fashioned form, Ryden merely laughed at the dragons mild look of annoyance. "Sure, but you got to admit—it's a badass look"
Tannin blinked at the statement and glanced down to his form before regarding Ryden with mild hope in his red eyes. "You think?"
Ryden snorted. "I don't think—I KNOW... image the terror your enemies will feel when even the slightest hope of harming you doesn't exists?" Ryden smirked when Tannin nodded at the words spoken, a small light of amusement shining within the dragons crimson orbs.
"Heheh... I'd image they'd flee in terror—but still" Tannin flexed his muscles hard, creating a slight cacophony of metallic groans to reverberate within the area. "Armor isn't for dragons... cowardly prison is a far better term"
At that, Ryden again waved off the dragons words. "You're making it out to be horrible; but from the way I see it—that shits a terror tactic—your enemies may believe you to be weak, but the moment they go for that 'weak' spot—" Ryden gestured to the dragons exposed abs. "—they'll realize its literally stronger then the armor itself, and then they'll realize the armor is just cosmetic"
As Ryden continued to enrapture Tannin with his words – the dragon himself literally listening to every word coming from the man's mouth – Nyx glanced off to the others with a look of awe. "Someone please... remind me what I'm looking at?"
Rosalina remained silent, deadpanned by the amped expression on Ryden's face as he continued to build upon the dragons confidence... or was it ego? Never the less, the Phenex devil remained silent while Rivia stared on, watching the man himself work his charismatic charm to literally encourage a dragon of all things before she found herself blushing at the sight... it was truly a sight to behold.
Abigail however merely regarded Nyx with a placated expression—fully content with Ryden's surprisingly effective words. "He's inspiring a dragon and even rebuilding its damaged pride with words" she stated with an awed tone.
Nyx nodded. "Right right—"
"So if your armors that heavy, it just means you'll get a sick pump while you liberate your people!" Nyx heard Ryden almost yell, full on motivational speech in play. "So in short, you'll kick ass ~in style~—get jacked! ~in style~ —and when that's done, you'll come home, rinse the blood off your fists, pick the guts of your enemy from your teeth and come back to a proud mate... you hear me!?"
"..." Tannin remained silent, merely breathing heavily under the weight of Ryden's words. All present could see it was apparent that the dragon was extremely hyped as the muscles running below the dragons armor tightened and expanded, causing the armor itself to groan painfully while Tannin's shoulders shook with unrepentant bloodlust. "I'M FIRED UP NOW!"
Ryden pumped the air in equal hype. "Fuck yeah" he said before glancing to the others. "When do we get this started?" he asked, yet before anyone else could say anything, Tiamat casually strolled in through the trees—looking slightly annoyed.
"Tsk... as soon as these two—" she said while gesturing to Nyx and Abigail. "—are ready to make haste" upon her words, Nyx gulped and Abigail swallowed; the both of them noting the dragons slightly agitated glower yet the both of them nodded regardless.
Tiamat nodded. "Good, at least I got some form of a response here...unlike someone" Tiamat growled out while looking at Tannin; yet if the dragon found himself intimidated by the sneer, he didn't show it.
Instead, he smirked at her. "I do not recall you being so slow Tiamat—you and I both left at the same time and yet I arrived here before you... nothing to console your wounded pride?" the dragon king antagonized—erecting a good bit of smugness in his grin while receiving a severe glare from the female dragon king in response to his words.
"Bold words from a cheater..." she growled back irritably.
Tannin shrugged. "You never said tripping was against the rules" he retorted with a grin.
Tiamat's eyes twitched at that while Ryden glanced between the two, smirking slowly as he digested what they were bickering about.
"Wait a minute...did you two race here?" he asked with an accusing grin.
"No..."
"Yes..."
For a moment, Tannin and Tiamat glanced at each other—one glaring and the other smirking widely before they both turned to see Ryden stifling a laugh.
"Hehehe—I can't believe it..." he started in between fits of laughter. "You two really are like siblings!" he howled before surrendering to his laughing fit
Tannin froze while Tiamat paled, the both of them staring at the human wide eyed before they locked eyes with each other. They regarded one another for a second before they both squinted their eyes in disgust and glanced away with an indignant huff.
"Absolutely not..."
"Not in a million years would I ever consider that..."
Ryden continued laughing at that, harder than before; and slowly, both Rivia and Rosalina started to see the partial relation in character and steadily followed Ryden in his laughing fit—yet for Nyx and Abigail – as amused as they were – remained silent for their own safety; considering who would be escorting them to their scouting position.
Rosalina remained poised yet clearly amused by the sight, her chuckles softly escaping her lips in polish rasps, yet for Rivia, she openly chuckled at Tiamat's slowly developing blush—making absolutely sure her own laughter was heard by the dragon.
And so their eyes locked for a moment when her objective succeeded – gold and blue locking intensely – and soon an expression of annoyance on the latter quickly surfaced while the former gave the other a smug grin; her eyes shifting softly to the man in front of her – Ryden himself – and casually ran her finger along her lips suggestively... sending a clear message to the other.
Tiamat growled when the message became known before she clicked her tongue and turned to the two slightly laughing devils with a huff of clear annoyance. Seeing the female approach, both Nyx and Abigail fell silent when her azure eyes glowered at them with a promise of pain.
"Let us be off from this den of stupidity" she growled while walking passed the two with a purpose.
Without any words towards the silently seething dragon king, Nyx glanced at Abigail – shrugged – and followed after her with Abigail in tow; the both of them sending the others farewell waves as Ryden and Rivia finished collecting themselves from their amusement.
"Now that I think of it... was Tiamat blushing just now?" Ryden asked to which Rivia nodded almost energetically—clearly exuberant from her small victory over the dragon.
"She was..." Rivia muttered while smirking devilishly at the location the dragon retreated.
Ryden blinked while Tannin casually crossed his arms over his chest. "Shit... that's probably rare—or maybe I'm just blind" he muttered before Rosalina disregarding the moment with a wave of her hand.
"Aside from that you two, since Tiamat is already leaving—we should prepare for our own departure" she said seriously, though even still—her prior humor still remained shadowed in her eyes.
Rivia sighed. "Indeed—however I wish to explore a few things with the both of you before we leave" she revealed before glancing over to Tannin. "How much time will it take to assemble your warriors?"
"A couple moments—most of my people have been antsy when I spoke of our attack; so it shouldn't take long"
Rivia nodded at Tannin's words. "Understood" Rivia acknowledged before turning to Ryden. "It's not nearly enough time, but I believe it should be enough to get the effect I want"
Ryden blinked at Rivia's serious tone before he found himself – and Rosalina – walking away from a equally departing Tannin; their destination being the small pond area that Rivia and himself had been last night. Not surprising that little spot of promises was nearby, but Ryden was confused as to what Rivia was planning.
It took a couple minutes before Rivia told him to pause at the ponds shore line and drop into a kneeling position; her words also being sent to Rosalina—who also kneeled at the shore line.
Once both Rosalina and Ryden were thoroughly confused, Rivia calmly sighed from behind them. "While I desired to have some more time to discover a few things – or at least clarify a few of my observations – it's come to my attention that both of you still require some training in regards to your skills" Rivia paused to let her intentions sink in; and when they did—Rosalina rose to object but froze when she felt a blade resting casually on her shoulder.
"Had you been as aware as I am with my surroundings—you would have noticed that blade Rosalina; you lack emotion control, just now your pride was wounded and you rose to challenge a senior—a senior several millennia older than your own mother" upon finishing her words, Rivia moved the ethereal blade of her scythe away from Rosalina when it was clear the woman kneeled back down.
"It may be hard to remember, but I have fought through countless battles that would make the scuffles you've faced pale in comparison; yet you both possess skill – that much is obvious – however I merely wish to refine those skills to memory and hone in your abilities to absolute perfection" Rivia's words rang true with both Ryden and Rosalina. While it was difficult due to their peculiar relationships, the both of them were considerably younger compared to the woman behind them—more so for Ryden for obvious reasons.
She had a plethora of experience under her belt, and wisdom swam in her eyes on a daily bases.
And now that woman was coming out to say hi...
"Please... summon the weapons you wish to perfect and place it in front of you—and I will teach you all I know about them in time" Rivia instructed with a poised tone.
Ryden blinked at the tone, an unusual mix of experience and casualness having created a sort of deadpan that almost sounded bored with the situation; yet the hardness in her eyes when he glanced to her spoke otherwise—no, she was far from bored.
Reluctantly, Rosalina summoned her oddly designed weapon and place it on the grass; electing a hum from Rivia. "A mid-blade handled sword—built for aggression and constant pressure with a mix of both mid to close range" Rivia listed down before nodding and turning to Ryden who had yet to summon a weapon.
In the silence of her patience, Ryden searched his thoughts for the right weapon to perfect; yet he only had three on hand while the fourth was a weapon Rivia was clearly not accustomed to. After a moment of more deliberate thought, Ryden suddenly called upon a weapon he hadn't used as often, the one that had been crafted for him by Venelana's personal smiths.
Nameless suddenly rested upon the palms of his hands, the almost perfectly polished weapon seemingly glistening brightly in the sun light in what felt like joy. The choice was considered heavily, yet almost every thought of his fell back onto the weapon he'd originally praised as his own preferred weapon. Swords felt easy for some reason but they were universally praised for their simplistic – yet effective – ranges of motions, and with experience and partial training Ryden knew he'd master the craft of swordsmanship sometime in the future.
Ventus' bow on the other hand was a momentary option before he dropped it in the same thought, as his desire to master something that felt completely broken didn't at all collided with his desire to grow stronger – or... to become more versatile would be a better term. Ventus' bow was easy to use with its aerodynamic manipulation—making it's proficiency instead lead to more creative means of uses rather than the practical field of uses. Point, aim, draw, exhale, release—rinse and repeat as needed; that was the surface level of skill needed to use Ventus—and that was basically all you needed to use. Ryden's skill with a bow prior to using Ventus had been about as nonexistent as his knowledge regarding devil sexuality... he had an idea, but he never tried it—serious terms though, Ryden never even held a re-curve bow until a week or so ago—as most of his knowledge ranged on YouTube videos regarding compound bows.
Same art... significant difference.
So in the end, if a novice like him could suddenly pick up a bow and use it with almost perfect accuracy – and without the interference of wind resistance and draw weight – then that only added more broken points to Ventus as a whole...
No, he could quote on quote "master" Ventus over some time –especially when its former glory was realized – and even create a few specialized shots in the future, yet in the moment present—Nameless felt almost like the best choice to make.
Its uses were difficult to master, and its placement in combat was almost entirely centered on mid to close range with a dash of long range if he was feeling cheeky; perhaps it may become useful in shorter ranged engagements with some training from Rivia; and now that he was remembering his own style of uses, his telekinetic abilities almost felt as if they were perfectly matched for the weapons long range uses.
So after a moment of hardening his choice, Ryden solidified his desire and rested the blade along the grass.
He sat silently, waiting for Rivia to speak, and soon after several moments of waiting, she did. "A swordspear; arrow head blade with twin neck grips for closer range control. Its field of proficiency specializes in combat manipulation within close and mid ranged conflicts which is further bolstered with perfect arrow dynamic precision in case of longer range requirements—a spear and sword in one... a difficult but effective choice in the right hands" Rivia spoke with a slight gleam of intrigue.
"I'd known several users throughout the ages—and most of which were masters in their own right; yet I'm curious as to what style you've chosen" Rivia inquired as she stood to Ryden's right in order to take in the weapons obsidian beauty.
Ryden hummed at the questioning tone. "I usually twirl the weapon around me when I'm surrounded; it's crude—but my ability to subconsciously sharpen the weapon allows me to pierce and slash without bouncing off of heavy armor" Ryden paused to remember his little heroic moment in the Rose Garden when he'd done just that in order to mount a hefty kill count. It was effective against low rank devils, yet Sirzechs had shown his ability to block the weapon with his sword quite easily as well as defend against his blade with the use of his magically augmented armor – or sigil rune armor for short – which ended up disrupting his dance quite harshly.
On a side note; magically augmented armor only seemed to be as powerful as the demonic energy powering it... so it varied
After that, his gamble tactic – as Sirzechs had dubbed it – placed too much faith in his own ability and seemed to entirely rely on his enemies being too weak to counter, or too poor to invest in sigil rune armor.
A flimsy notion in the heat of battle... something he'd fixed during his time with Sirzechs; and the only reason he'd used it at that time was mostly because of his positioning and the element of surprise... as well as the enemies literally being too weak to counter or disrupt him; and even if some did possess sigil rune armor, the defensive capabilities of a low class devil against his slashing augment was about the same as a sheet metal against a war hammer.
And now that he was thinking about it, his blade augment skill as well as Fulgur's natural ability to disrupt solid matter on contact practically jumped several levels of broken now that he remembered his little tussle with a crew of Death knights.
Perhaps that would have been different with his swordspear?
Probably...
Ryden hummed at his own thoughts as well as Rivia's minor assessment of the weapon before he noticed her eyes narrowed just slightly at the weapon as well as himself.
"Something wrong?" he asked, garnering her attention.
Rivia shook her head, dismissing her inner thoughts before she sent him a confused expression. "It's nothing too serious Ryden, but I'm just noticing a fact that you don't use your natural abilities as often as one would in your situation... is it blocked or something?" Rivia's eyes locked with his own inquisitively as she brought up a subject that even Ryden had forgotten.
Well, not fully forgotten—he'd just been focused on a single source of power that far outweighed a simple flaw in his powers.
His mental limits.
Ryden scratched his head almost in embarrassment. "Ah—I've kinda been laying off of those abilities for a while due to it hindering my mind in some manner" he answered truthfully while Rosalina slightly sent him a smug expression—almost fully knowing why he felt so admonished by the question.
"It's about the Rose Garden isn't it?" she asked with a small smirk.
Ryden nodded in defeat.
"Y-yeah... the more frequent I use it the more taxing it becomes on my mind—as little as minor headaches to full on migraines if I push it hard enough; and the worst cases is black outs and you all have full fledged experience with that bullshit, and it didn't help that I got nailed in the back of the head a few hours prior to that—that probably didn't help" Ryden paused to rub his temples in slight reminiscent pain when the memory jogged his thoughts. He didn't really show it or whine about it, but that was one hell of a headache he had both during and after that battle in Zagan trail.
It was all the more reason to be a little bit more conservative with his mindless telekinetic uses. He ain't Darth Vader just yet – even if he had a badass red sword at his side – so he needed to balance his uses from time to time so to not place himself in that situation again.
Rosalina slightly snorted at Ryden's words and annoyed tone while Rivia hummed intriguingly at the information. "It seems your powers feed off of two ranges of manipulation; the first being personal manipulation, such as your weapons and body naturally increasing your own limits to that far beyond normal, as well as enhancing your skin to that like armor and also enhancing the sharpness of the weapons you hold" Rivia seemed to nod at her own observations before pressing on.
"The second range is foreign manipulation—such as your ability to call upon almost anything around you, being inanimate objects or literal people without touching them; the only drawback however seems to be just that—the foreign manipulation most likely requires you to call upon a sort of energy source in order to grab a hold of whatever you see"
Ryden frowned when Rivia made a slight mistake and rose to correct it.
"Slight correction Rivia; I don't need to see the item in order to manipulate it—I just kinda... uhh? How do I explain this?—I just sort of stretch out my senses and I get this sort of feeling within my surroundings—almost like it's a part of me...being able to see the chosen target only isolates it" he said while deeply thinking on the matter, yet his thoughts were interrupted when silence reigned around him.
One look to either women and he could see the shock in their eyes—especially in Rivia's case, the woman herself looked almost pale at the information provided.
"That..." she started while Rosalina fought off a shudder. "That's... I don't know what to say really—such a power is honestly beyond what I expected" she finally commented with a blink of trepidation in her eyes, yet after a moment, a light bulb light up over her head—metaphorically. "But for the mean time, I believe this helps use understand why you grew exhausted during our conflict in Zagan trail"
Rosalina on the other hand shook her head in disagreement with Rivia's words. "I don't believe that's the case – well on the surface level anyway – because Ryden never really used any explicitly theatrical telekinetic abilities during that fight other than his bubble shields prior to that engagement" Rosalina theorized yet Ryden shook his head in disagreement.
"No that was probably what started my mental decline" he said yet Rosalina remained defensive on the matter.
"But you said before that you could only do so many before you grew exhausted, and you never went overboard—so it must have been something else that pushed you over your limits"
Rivia's eyes suddenly shimmered with realization. "Demonic frequency..." she muttered, catching the two's attention. "The moment you started to hear demonic frequency it seemed almost painful; and when you did tune into the monoliths own frequency, you stated that you received a mental image of its location and appearance—meaning you must have at some point extended your senses outward in order to get such a thing... you probably did so subconsciously if I had to say" Rivia finalized and Ryden couldn't help but find himself agreeing to that matter.
At that time, he honestly believed Fulgur had been the one draining his mental focus, yet it seemed his more hidden discoveries and subconscious new additions to his powers repertoire might have been the true culprit as ever since that time—Fulgur had never really felt taxing to use, neither Ventus for that matter.
His enhanced hearing may have also affected him—almost like using a muscle for the first time... stretched and tore the poor thing to shit—thus the rapidly declining mental energy.
Ryden blinked before nodding at his realization.
Oh yeah... it's all coming together
"So in summary; the reason your mind is quickly losing energy upon normal telekinetic usage is because you're literally stretching out your mind to the things around you—incorporating those very things into your mental awareness and then commanding them to move with your mind at the same time" Rivia blinked and sighed after her summery, an expression of exasperation laden on her features just as sharply as Rosalina's.
"And the reason your mind crumbled so quickly during that conflict was strictly because of subconscious over usage..." Rosalina added.
At that, Rivia nodded upon realizing the full limits of Ryden's powers. "I guess the only way to overcome these issues would be to practice with your telekinesis—the more uses, the less taxing. And further on this—I will need to help you reach a state of mind perfect enough to make sure you don't accidentally over stretch your senses... does this seem acceptable?"
Ryden nodded at Rivia's instructive tone. "It is—if I can find a way to abuse my powers without placing myself in a compromising situation then I'm all for it" he agreed before lightly falling into confusion. "Though I'm wondering why this subject came up—I thought you would teach me the ways of the swordspear as well?"
Rivia found herself smirking playfully at his questioning. "My... who said I couldn't do both?" was her casual reply to which Ryden merely shook his head in mild amusement.
"Should have expected you'd say that—I'm taking you'll have me us my powers on my swordspear?"
"Indeed... the spars will be brief, but I expect you to at first use the swordspear as you would while holding it—then I would have you use it while also wielding Fulgur or Ventus" Rosalina smirked knowingly at Rivia's intended training for Ryden, clearly seeing the benefits of such a skill just as clearly as Ryden did—and he found himself smirking almost eagerly.
"Color me interested..."
Rivia hummed at the man's expressed enthusiasm before she then glanced over to Rosalina. "Now that it's obvious with what I plan on doing with Ryden, I believe I have yet to disclose what training I have in store for you Rosalina" there was a slight hint of eagerness in Rivia's tone that caused Rosalina to gulp nervously; even more so when Rivia tapped her lower lip almost leisurely when an added thought came to mind.
"Quite honestly, I haven't really seen you get hurt at all... well, perhaps in the invasion, but I really haven't been able to determine how effective your regeneration is" Rosalina gulped nervously at the sudden arrival towards her slightly weaker aspect of her powers, and found herself dreading what plan the Abaddon devil had in store for her.
"I...I don't really know what to say in regards to that Lady Abaddon—adequate maybe?" Rosalina found herself answering in the face of Rivia's inquisitive leer... could have sworn she'd noticed a shimmer of bemusement in her eyes when she did.
Suddenly, Rivia's intended subject changed when an opportunity arrived—leading her on a different path of training. Rosalina would learn of her earlier training regime later, yet right now, the opportunity was perfect.
"Adequate?" she questioned before shaking her head slowly. "—no, that won't do; and what's with the formality? I thought we reached a common ground this morning..."
Rosalina suddenly blushed up a storm when the memory of the mornings events crawled perversely into mind; the sensations, the feeling... the length.
[Error!]
Rosalina's mind suddenly frizzled out of focus when that memory came flooding into her thoughts along with the rest of the mornings advances on both the man right beside her and the woman behind her. Bad enough she'd done that to Ryden, but the thought of her actions with Rivia of all people honestly created the concoction of memories that served to jolt her right into a period of silence—her head lolling low to avoid the lustful leer from Rivia and the unseen deadpanned on Ryden.
For Ryden, he sent Rivia a slightly reprehending glare; which was responded by the aforementioned woman licking her lips towards him.
He shook his head, now noting his complete immunity – that was pushing it – when it came to Rivia's clear cut perversion. First initial meeting and she came across as ignorant and rigid, like a noble woman normally would seem – completely adverse with degenerate thoughts – yet now he knew it was all an act on her part—or it may have been her way of not giving a shit; who really knew?
Perhaps it may just be the effect of breaching into a true relationship between himself and Rivia, as in the walls of awkward tip toeing and sugar coating had been completely leveled by the night prior; which allowed her the freedom to act as she truly desired and openly flirt with both himself and the woman to his left.
He had to get used to that idea... well at least keep an open mind about it—all things considered.
Good thinking master, keep this up and you won't freeze awkwardly in the future... all the better means to enjoy what is to come... heheh—no pun intended.
Very funny Fulgur...
Thank you... thank you—I'm here for eternity...
Ryden humorously shook his head when he imagined a red headed woman bowing low to Ventus' lack luster compliment before he shrugged off the inner voices of his two co-pilots and instead shook his head exasperatedly at Rivia's antics.
"I'm surrounded by perverts" he muttered witlessly, shocking Rosalina and sending Rivia into a brief fit of chuckles.
"Whaaaa?—I'm not a pervert! This... this—" Ryden couldn't help but marvel at the cute expression of distraught horror on Rosalina as she kept on wagging her finger at a still chuckling Rivia Abaddon; sooner or later, the younger blonde would find the word she was looking for. "—this demon of a woman is the true pervert, you need to believe me!"
Demon? Well that was an anticlimactic choice of words wasn't it?
Ryden gave Rivia an increasingly more natural expression then before and casually shrugged at her.
"And?" he asked dismissively.
Rosalina grew slightly desperate, maybe even disappointed with his reply. "Seriously? You're unmoved by this?" she asked with a look of shock.
Ryden shrugged again. "Remember who your speaking to; I've got a super pervert locked in my head at all times – one with no shortage of fantasies" he informed while tapping his head, brief looks of pain eclipsing his dead eyed expression. "The shit she's says and does no longer surprises me; because I've literally seen some shit due to her nightly manipulations with my dreams" mild flashes of a few moist nights screeched past Ryden's thoughts – electing a brief pause in thought – before he gave Rosalina his most casual of grins.
Rivia on the other hand, hummed inquisitively at the reveal, her mirthful eyes locking with Ryden's in a playful manner while Rosalina sputtered off. "Oh? What sort of dreams... any recent one's" she asked with this look in her eye, a look Ryden fully knew was meant just for him.
Oh this cheeky woman... he knew what she was doing...
Ryden sighed – both to relax his own nerves and to feign external nervousness, his hand casually rising up to scratch his scalp in embarrassment while his mind slowly found itself growing amused when even Rosalina sent him a light glance of curiosity after coming to grips with herself.
Wow... like clock work...
Indeed, the little hot piece of ass doesn't yet acknowledge it, but she's really into what Rivia's selling... if only she'd drop the formality and just let her hair down...
I believe that is what Rivia Abaddon intends...
Silence you two... I need to focus
With his connection with Fulgur and Ventus temporarily severed, Ryden mulled over his words before he started talking. "Well... there was this recent one—but I'm not sure if it's appropriate right now" he muttered while faking his expression of embarrassment.
Rivia smirked before she shot Rosalina a mild glance of disappointment and nodded slowly—yet her action only seemed to force a slight growl from Rosalina... taunt successful.
"Come now Ryden, I hardly believe whatever it is you've seen can hardly amount to anything inappropriate... I'm sure it barely amounts to whatever Rivia has bottled up in her mind" Assured Rosalina with an offhanded leer of challenge directed towards a mildly amused Rivia—the latter merely remaining silent.
Ryden gave the woman a look – his one final warning – before he noted her expectant eyes and sighed in defeat; accepting the on-coming blush that would assuredly over take Rosalina... again.
Here it goes...
"Well... the most recent one involved someone I couldn't see—as my face was blocked by something extremely comfortable. I couldn't move for some reason and my hearing was slightly muffled; however I could hear brief arguing between two people just to my flank and front... their words came across as slightly aggressive, yet light – possibly teasing one another – and... Well..." as Ryden faked his conflict with finding the right words to use, Rosalina suddenly started to blush a deep crimson when the scenario became eerily familiar to her.
To her relief, Rivia didn't at all acknowledge her reaction and instead kept her eyes on Ryden—seemingly engrossed with the story instead of the light show that was her face. She was thankful for that, as the moment Ryden's final words came out, her heart nearly stopped.
"...The figure in front of me – the one pressing close to me – began exploring my body, even having chosen to f-fondle my nether region" Ryden clicked his tongue in slight embarrassment and glanced away from a widely smirking Rivia. Be it as it may – and even though this was all just for Rosalina's benefit... somehow – the idea of saying something like that out loud to a couple of woman didn't at all sit well with him.
Usually that shit was shared between a group of close friends... during a truth or dare game... on a full moon... when the planets were aligning... and there was at least one girl playing the game as well—just to break the initial assumption of the two guys being gay... and the initial question itself was asked out of comedic intent—and not out of curiosity.
Or it could have been a sultry toned question from a recently sexed up partner—who knows? Ryden never really pondered these situations on slow afternoons; he usually just did the normal thing and bottled up all the weird shit he'd dream of.
Whatever...
In any case, the planned effect was spot on—Rosalina was blushing madly while Rivia briefly glanced at the recoiling woman before shrugging... now it was time to placate the woman's embarrassment.
"Doesn't seem so bad to me... pretty light if I'm being honest" Rivia said loud enough for Rosalina to hear... an action that garnered the woman's partial attention.
Ryden followed along and shrugged as well. "Yeah there were far more aggressive dreams then that... honestly it was quite nice" he admitted with mild sigh.
"Oh?" Rivia almost purred with his admittance and Ryden merely wagged his finger at her.
"Don't get any funny idea's woman—compared to the weird shit Fulgur had you do in some other dreams, that one was a damn treat to experience" he retorted before raising his hands. "See them hands were so delicate that I was almost ready to purr" now Ryden was getting into it.
"Fuck that was a good dream..." he said suddenly, shocking both himself, Rivia and Rosalina completely.
For a moment, he considered on correcting himself, or dismissing his comment entirely, but he knew this was a bunch of bullshit—yet after remembering the intimate details regarding Rosalina's skin ship, he honestly found himself yearning for it again—though minus the cock teasing, that shit wasn't meant to end that way.
It usually ended loudly—and with copious amounts of... well you get the idea.
Thinking on that, Ryden knew his relationship with Rosalina was nothing close to that sort of morning routine. But regardless, everything else was pure bliss once his inexperience and prudeness went on coffee break. Rivia had this motherly feel to her when she snuggled him – in a kinky sort of way – yet Rosalina felt just about right in some manner... perhaps the tinge of innocence was enough to get a sort of familiar temptation in his mind which created a sort of feeling in him that yearned for the woman's touch.
Fuck me—I didn't think I'd say that out loud but fuck it! Rosalina's skin ship was awesome and I ain't afraid to get lost in that sauce...
Oh my... master's been smitten with the Phenex... what about the good ol Milf mommy Rivia? Don't tell me you've out grown that bombastic bombshell of woman already?
Silence Fulgur! What you speak is heresy!
Hahahahaha!
The older and wise experience and confidence or Rivia's embrace, mixed with the innocent and curious touch or Rosalina almost creates the perfect combination—FUCK! Now that I'm thinking about it, I actually wish I instead focused on enjoying the moment rather than shirking at every touch...
Great... Ryden's prior innocence has been dissolved—it's all my worst fears come true
Who knew Ventus could be mellow dramatic... don't get all depressed about Ryden's ascendance into a new plain of pleasure; it was inevitable...
Jesus Christ you two—you make it seem like I've just gone and radically changed my personality within a scant few seconds...
Sure feels like it—what's with that sudden passion then?
Like I said damn it! Ryden's merely accepting the facts... sleeping with two naked women should be relished...
You two are something else... whatever... moving on...
Ryden cut the link and gave Rosalina and Rivia a look. "What?" he asked as both devils continued to give him a look of surprise. Instead of growing embarrassed, he crossed his arms resolutely. "Don't be judging me, most of my dreams are either involving me running away from a horny red headed woman of varying design... mostly associated with extremely naked and busty, and the other kinds are far more intrusive then that—such dreams are mine and mine alone, yet that dream was relaxing out of all of them... except minus the nether region fondling, that was more of a surprise then anything" Ryden's tone drifted off as the two continued to stare at him. Rivia was blinking and Rosalina was merely giving him her best look of frozen surprise—with a good tinge of crimson for added effect.
Slowly, Ryden nodded when it became clear he was rambling and paused awkwardly. "This is awkward" he muttered observantly before shooting an accusing finger towards a now smirking Rivia. "I knew exposing these kinds of dreams was a bad idea—yet those googly eyes of yours seems to have some kind of mind bending effect" Ryden laminated, sparking a vixen like grin from Rivia.
"Oh my—was that a compliment to my looks?" she asked while gesturing to herself in an innocent fashion.
Ryden glared at the woman before he leaned in towards Rosalina, hand lazily covering his mouth in secrecy. "She really is a demon" he muttered with trepidation, and surprisingly, the blushing Rosalina found herself nodding along; quickly playing off her profound embarrassment as something less then what it was... she needed to act cool after all, can't give away the 'truth' to Ryden.
"Y-yeah" she muttered nervously before the three of them noticed the arrival of Velkhana in human form exiting the tree line behind them with a calm yet nervous grace; her eyes slightly pensive and serious at the same time.
All thoughts regarding the prior moment were dismissed upon her arrival; as the dragoness' serious eyes locked with them all before she gave Ryden a courteous nod. "My mate has gathered all of his necessary forces and is awaiting your return—I believe he is growing impatient" she informed dutifully.
Rivia nodded at that before she gave Rosalina and Ryden a glance—all prior hints of humor fading. "We may not have had enough time to properly begin training, but just know that from this point onward—I will be giving both of you training in both of your effective fields. I'd consider this little meeting a sort of planning phase"
Ryden snorted. "Rather odd planning phase if you ask me" he shot back and Rivia shot him an amused grin before shaking her head.
"Be that as it may, let us proceed with the day's events" she said while offering her hand to the still blushing and kneeling Rosalina Phenex. The action itself surprised Rosalina, but after a moment, she accepted the limb and allowed Rivia to help her stand; yet just before could let go, Rivia pulled her close for just a second—her serious eyes slightly shimmering with amusement.
"I do hope you learned something from this..." she whispered just before she let go of the woman and did the same for Ryden—whom merely accepted the limb and stood on his own after sealing Nameless into his pocket dimension.
For a moment, Ryden watched Rosalina walk towards Velkhana and pass her after greeting the dragoness with a respectful light bow before continuing off and into the forest; the still present blush of hers now lessened to a degree only she knew.
His expression grew pensive before he shot a glance to Rivia. "You think your little stint worked?" he asked and Rivia merely shrugged.
"Perhaps, perhaps not—I'm no psychic; all this was intended to do was placate her own confidence and you played your part better than I expected" she answered back with a impressed nod. "I'm actually quite shocked you'd be so passionate about this morning—what with all you're whining about it" Rivia grinned wide when Ryden pouted at her.
"Eat me..." he growled and Rivia partially obliged by hugging him from behind.
"~Well if your offering, I see no reason to hesitate~" she cued in his ear before giving him a partial peck on the cheek; an action that slightly surprised Velkhana as evident by the slight rise to her brow.
Ryden sent the dragoness a slightly awkward grin, one that caused the dragon to snort at. "I see you two have progressed quite nicely since last night—did my mate's secret stash end up be the motivation you need?" she asked with a slightly disinterested expression—clearly the professional sort, yet her eyes mildly shimmered with a knowing glint.
Ryden chuckled nervously at the dragon's words, partially embarrassed by the fact she had an idea about his growth with Rivia and also due to the clear cut notion that he was indeed in a new relationship. "Kinda—" he started before Rivia tightened her hold on him—electing him to correct himself on the fly. "B-but not entirely... it just sort of gave us some time alone to sort out some things—a few private matters that is" he said and Velkhana lightly nodded at his words before sending Rivia a scrutinizing glance.
"Then I can only assume she's aware of the truth then..." she stated and Rivia nodded almost instantly, making absolutely sure her expression didn't falter in the face of the dragons eyes.
Shortly after though and the dragon nodded approvingly at Rivia's resolute expression.
"That is most assuring—I'm happy for you" Velkhana nodded with a congratulatory smile before her eyes relocked with Ryden's and grew serious once again. "However I can only assume that there are still a few obstacles ahead that demand caution—secrets are not permanent, only temporary; sooner or later, knowledge of what you are will spread, and only with trusted allies can you hope to shoulder that storm when it arrives" Velkhana nodded reassuringly at her own words. "Fulfill your promise to us – to my king and mate Tannin – and know that you will always be accepted here with us should things end poorly"
Ryden's eyes widened considerably at the dragons words, his mind momentarily blanking before he bowed towards the dragon curtly. "On my name I will make sure I fulfill my end of the deal—and I thank you deeply for such a promise, but let's hope it doesn't reach that... I'd hate to cause any more trouble for your people then I may already have" Ryden said with deep gratitude, yet his words only made Velkhana snort.
"Surely you don't believe that to be a problem" she questioned rhetorically, blinking almost condescendingly at him with a vicious smirk that promised a deep degree of violence. "Even if your true self was found out, I doubt they'd go to such lengths to hunt you down—and even if they did we would show them no mercy"
"Why would you do that?—for me?" he asked, dumbfounded by the dragoness' words.
All Velkhana did was snicker before she pressed her finger against his chest—where his heart was. "We dragons defend our own; it's been that way with Tannin for many years, ever since the rapid decline with our species... and Tannin considers you one of us, that's more than good enough for me" in a quick motion, Velkhana retracted her extended limb in order to cover her mouth; a graceful chuckle soon following. "And don't even get me started with the female lot; they seem quite fond of you..."
Ryden deadpanned, eliciting a round of snickers from both Rivia and Velkhana. "Riiight... I forgot about that tid bit" he said with a nervous tone; remembering the very clear looks of invitation from some of the female's in the area.
Oh the options were – shall he say – exotic... much to Fulgur's amusement
Velkhana shook her head. "Aside from this—you should hurry before Tannin has a temper tantrum, he is quite the whiny one when his patience runs out"
"You're not coming?"
Velkhana shook her head. "No, I must look after those that cannot defend themselves in Tannin's stead... as much as I desire to do otherwise; I still possess a duty as Queen"
Ryden nodded at this before he held out his hand towards the dragoness; confusing her by the action—yet after a few hesitant moments, Velkhana reached out and grasped the hand before Ryden shook it with a strong grip, one that Velkhana quickly mimicked.
He smirked at her confused look; most likely not familiar with a hand shake. "It's a human gesture, both in greeting and farewell—strong grip means trust, respect and honor; a weak grip means cowardice" he informed to which the dragon nodded slowly in understanding.
"I see... how interesting" she muttered while studying her hand. Ryden smirked at her confusion before he stepped on passed her with a nod of goodbye.
"Take care Velkhana—we shouldn't be too long" Rivia said before Velkhana shot her a confident smirk.
"As expected—and make sure you bring back that hard-headed mate of mine; as well as the head of his prey... I would much enjoy mounting it at the face of my new den" Ryden lightly shivered at the dragons request before both he and Rivia nodded again.
"We will..."
With their momentary farewells done, both Ryden and Rivia trekked back to their prior meeting area and beyond towards the location where the dragons had gathered—their fluctuating energy levels easily giving away their location to find. In a slightly leisured pace, the calm walk through the woods was made in silence, both to mentally prep them for the inevitable clash as well as finalize their equipment before departure.
Ryden calmly summoned his Holster carrying Cerberus and clipped it over his right leg, making sure it was secure before he double checked Fulgur's sheath and nodded when every strap was tightly secure. Then he made to summon his wrist blade – something he'd removed prior to his fight with Tannin the other day – and securely slide it up his left arm and gave a few practice releases before nodding.
Once he was fully kitted out, he re-summoned his swordspear and gave Rivia a momentary glance when he noted her amused glance.
"Can't learn unless I use it right?" he joked.
Rivia snorted. "Just don't get cocky"
Ryden snickered at her warning before he noticed the woman holding her scythe and blinked. "You planning on reaping some souls?" he asked jokingly, yet Rivia only shook her head at the man's question.
"No... I'm merely using it to confirm something that I had Ajuka do for me while you were unconscious" she answered seriously.
"Oh..." Ryden muttered, dropping the tone of jest. "What did you have him do?"
Her answer was to show the man the crystal ball sitting at the peak of the curved staff—the ethereal white blade being sealed for now until it was needed, yet the sleek crystal ball at the tip of Rivia's scythe was now glowing softly with red and white energy. "I had him modify my heirloom so it wouldn't kill me..."
.
.
.
"What?" Ryden questioned, shell shocked by the reveal. Rivia remained silent for a few seconds – blushing lightly at the man's paused look of shock – before she hurriedly assured the man of the change.
"That was the original use of the weapon; every Abaddon child of the original fallen angel of the abyss was granted one upon birth—in the wake of failure, these weapons were meant as our requiem" the light of the scythe ignited upon her words, summoning the beautiful white scythe to sprout from the crystal itself, fully encompassing it and creating an even larger blade that completely out shined the previous form from before. The blade itself no long took on the appearance of a jagged angel wing, as instead, the excess energy and the placement of the blade itself now created an impartial crescent shaped blade—one side being larger, thicker and longer than the other.
The newly modified scythe radiated with a cold and eerie sense before bright red bolts of Arc energy suddenly ran along the edge of the weapon like a pulse, before the blade was coated in a dark black light that drank in all surrounding light around it—only ever sparking with light when the crimson arcs of energy danced along its edge.
Ryden blinked at the weapon—awe struck. "Upgrade?" he asked while gawking at the literal anime scythe... fuck sake's was it bigger than before.
Rivia shrugged at his question before deactivating the ethereal blade. "That has yet to be decided"
"Well just make sure it's not gonna start the apocalypse when you start swinging it, ok?"
Rivia smirked softly at the question, a tinge of pink dotting her cheeks when she detected the worry in Ryden's jested words. "I shall adhere to your worry's Ryden—I always will" she muttered before the man in front of her paused suddenly.
She blinked at his sudden action, confused momentarily before her eyes widened when he turned and advanced on her without thought.
Soon enough, his lips briefly connected with her own directly after the man pulled her in close and pressed her against a tree too her flank. Rivia's eyes were wide as the man took control, yet all it took was a second for Rivia to respond and deepen the kiss before the man retreated after a moment of brief passion. Once Rivia managed to take a hold of her bearings, she spotted a mild – yet slightly awkward – grin written on Ryden's face.
"Heheh... sorry, couldn't help myself" he stated before he sent her a small wink. "Consider us even now—for last night that is..."
Rivia blinked at the man – not even choosing to hide her own blush – before she smirked lustfully at him. "If you're gonna do something like that; at least draw it out for a few more seconds" she playfully chastised while pushing herself away from the tree she was leaning against.
At that, Ryden wagged his finger at her. "Ah ah ah—you'll get the rest of that after we return" he skillfully retorted, drawing a fake glare from Rivia.
"Oh—I see how it is... well played" she muttered while drawing in close to him. Ryden merely remained where he was while Rivia closed the distance; all the way until the woman's lips practically kissed his ear. "~But you should be aware with who tease...~"
Ryden felt a shiver slide along his spine as Rivia's smooth whisper held his senses up like a vice; yet before anything came of it, the woman was already several steps passed him—smirking like a Cheshire cat when his confused eyes trailed after her.
All she did when his eyes locked with hers however was direct the most lustful gaze at him; the glint of mischief and desire laden within easily mounting upon his imaginations by the second.
He felt himself gulp slightly at the predatory look before the woman carried on without him; contently leaving him in suspense—yet for Ryden, he was mostly dreading the woman's choice of payback.
Irregardless of that Ryden—I have to complement you and your new found confidence... well done
Thanks, I guess... it just kinda came over me
As expected... well, not saying it's some kind of supernatural effect or something, but its expected when you have such a beauty all to yourself...
Indeed—its rather refreshing to see more confidence in you; rather then this morning honestly...
Tsk!
Cut him some slack Ventus, although he did slightly overreact, Ryden did allow that blonde bombshell a good demo of his todger... maybe memories of the other night started kicking in—who knows, all that matters is that Phenex babe stuck the night out with master!
Ryden froze before suddenly relaxing in the same instance. It was already established that Fulgur knew of his life from 2018 and yet that little tid bit of knowledge seemed to have eluded him for a good moment until now.
Great... just wonderful...
So you went and took a peak didn't ya?
Oh don't be like that master! Your defensiveness regarding that awesome memory spurned on my interest—I just had to see it... ~and god damn was it worth it~—I'm surprised you didn't wake up balls deep in that woman after all that; considering how intimate that was – and how encouraging Rivia was as well – I half expected things to get really 'steamy' after the dragon left... *Sigh*... suppose my disappointment was inevitable
My heart goes out to you, pervert—hope I can make it up to you in the future...
Oh?
—No I will not sneak your pommel into Rivia's private area; how many damn times do I need to say it!?
Ok fine, be the cock blocker, at least have her snuggle me in between her boobs!
Ryden immediately shut his connection off with the hyper active and perverted Fulgur right after that—seeing no point in arguing against a spirit determined to do the most perverted things possible; some even downright disturbing—yet her own defense, he couldn't knock it until he tried it... Ryden's effective response to such reasoning was to ignore it completely, although that was easier said than done.
he dismissed all ounces of memory involved with Fulgur's clear cut desires before he followed after Rivia and found himself standing amongst several hundred dragons in a wide open clearing—the ranging colors and size of each mighty beast easily creating a rainbow of scales unlike anything he'd seen prior—and their sheer mass and size easily blocked out the complete number of them all.
Amongst the sea of eastern and western dragons, Rivia was nowhere to be seen upon immediate entry into the gathering area, and worst off—just as he came into the light of the morning sun, every set of eyes locked onto his. Red, blue, purple, yellow, azure, indigo, cyan, pink—any sort of eye color you could think of was directed on him, intently locking eyes the second his armored boots clicked into hearing range—well, visual range at least.
They stared at him; awkwardly affording a slight chuckle of nervousness in response to the continued stares before the man in question hastily located a familiar aura and made a B-line towards it. Thankfully for Ryden, the first person he noticed was a mildly blushing Rosalina standing timidly with a confidently smirking Rivia—the both of them seemingly conversing about something before they quickly noticed him arrive. Rosalina looked half torn between relief and nervous upon witnessing his arrival, while Rivia merely sent him an alluring smirk that spoke of some sort of mischief he couldn't exactly place—yet before either woman could call out to him, the hulking form of Tannin stepped directly in between himself and the girls; the fully armored dragon king standing eagerly amongst his massive and equally eager warriors.
If Ryden strained his hearing like he did in the Rose Garden, he would've heard muscles tightening—the eagerness of the coming event was palpable.
Tannin crossed his arms with a look of smugness laden in his eyes; his armored figure groaning and scraping loudly by the action alone."There you are—I was beginning to think you had other matters to attend to"
At that little taunt, Ryden quickly collected himself and sent a reassuring grin of excitement towards the dragon. "You kidding me?—what's more important than watching a bunch of Old-Satan's shit themselves?" his casual tone caused several dragons to snort bemusedly at his question; while Tannin on the other hand loudly boomed a boisterous laugh.
"BWAHAHAHA!—Well said Dragonborn, I can't wait to see such a sight myself" Tannin's returning grin was predatory – his eyes shining momentarily with bloodlust – which spurned on Ryden's own restlessness—to which he voiced.
"Well then what's the hold up? We waiting on someone?"
This time Tannin did snort at his words. "That would be you..."
He waved the dragon's cheeky tone off with a snort of his own. "Well I'm here now—what's the holdup?"
"Slow it down Ryden—" Ryden glanced over to see Rosalina walking up to him with Rivia silently in toe and merely sent a shrug her way in response.
"What's up?" he asked while glancing between the two expectantly.
"We just got word from Nyx a few minutes ago—he says they just arrived at the scouting location a few miles out from the city and are merely observing for the moment... it won't be to long until—" just as Rosalina continued speaking, a magic sigil sprang up over their ears suddenly, silencing them all. Brief crackle of comm static flared to life before the channel went steady—and Nyx's voice could be heard.
[This is Dagger-5, confirmed verification on designated Target 'Locust'...he's here]
Rosalina nodded quickly in response to Nyx's rushed words.
"We read you Dagger-5, what's the situation on the ground?" Rosalina asked
[Its busy—Armed forces seem to be prepping departure for some reason; I had spotted 'locust' himself enter into a main castle compound near the center of the city... got a feeling he's planning to leave soon]
Ryden glanced over to Rosalina and Rivia, his expression of haste easily conveying his words; yet before they could carry on with the mission and get moving, Ryden pressed on with a question of his own.
"Alright... any sign of the second HVT?"
[...nothing; haven't seen any sign of...her...she may be down under]
Ryden nodded while fighting off a growl of nervousness. He had been fretting over a few possible outcomes of the events to come and a few of them included Grayfia not being present at all. Most of these possibilities had to do with his near cataclysmic fight with Tannin and its possible chances of alerting those in Ashfeld that something was happen in the dragon valley—it may even be possible the destruction of the mountain was seen some several hundred miles away – even though the mountain itself was a couple miles in the opposite direction of Ashfeld, it could still be possible, and it might have spooked her to some degree—causing her to cut ties and relocate before he could even catch a glimpse of her.
It made sense to him in a rational way; Grayfia had no permanent reason to remain present within the city of Ashfeld unless she was specifically ordered to remain there no matter the issue—which considering her presence in Lilith due to The Predators actions was not at all that high on her list of objectives; the Death knights was all she was said to have done—supply them, not supply her own services; she could leave anytime. However, now that he had information regarding Shalba's apparent departure; that last theory could be proven wrong—perhaps Shalba was getting a slap on the wrist for not containing The Predator.
If this was the case—Grayfia was still there... at least he hoped so.
Payback was starting to get unbearable at the moment...
Unfortunately however, they couldn't exactly allow Shalba to leave just yet—they needed to delay the man's departure so Tannin could have something to chew on.
And on that, Ryden created a slight contingency in case Shalba decided to leave before they arrived.
"Dagger-5, what kind of transports do you see?" he asked with a serious glint in his eyes; one that he directed to the two blondes in front of him.
There was a pause – a few seconds of distant chatter – before Nyx came back into the open line—seems they were on speaker.
[...The only sources of transport available are those nifty armored Carriage's – five of them in total – everything else is either decaying from the acidic corrosion from the sulfur in the air, or their too mucked up from the ash... why do you ask?—planning on cutting off his escape?]
"Yeah—something like that... if he starts his departure before we get there, have dagger-4 take out the front carriage with a fire arrow—that should be enough to cause a pressure explosion if it manages to penetrate into the compartment area"
[That's seems straight forward enough—kinda obvious even... you getting all big brain on me here? I feel like I'm missing something]
"The sulfuric smoke in the air would become incredibly toxic when exposed to fire – if it isn't already... destroying the one carriage would be able to create an almost inextinguishable flame that would constantly create said toxin... if their smart, they'll remain trapped in the airtight container of the Carriages—however if they decide to evacuate and run, then that means they went the extra step and kept on some form of protective clothing... they are wearing protective clothing right?"
[As far as I'm aware—none of them has been sighted helmet-less outside in the open clouds; if not to breathe, then at least to see...]
"I guess the sulfur levels is rising much higher than before—if visibility is dropping then it's getting serious over there"
Ignis... it's him—he knows we're coming...
Indeed... I can almost feel his presences within the air itself—if that's possible; then it's clear he's angry...
No surprise there... you think Ignis is at the bottom of the city?
There's no other reason to dig in this region then there... Ashfeld sits on a massive lay-line, which is fueled almost infinitely by Ignis himself—so the intent of Ashfelds construction is all but obvious—yet I'm guessing the reason these devils base themselves there might just be more verse then I can guess... unsealing Ignis is not something easily done, so it's possible they have other objectives.
Probably using it more as a prison then anything then, but in any case, the possibility is there—and I'm sure the Old-Satan's aren't just occupying the city because it's warm; they've probably been trying to unseal Ignis ever since I unsealed you guys
All the more reason to get moving...
Ryden nodded resolutely at Fulgur's eager words before he glanced over to Rivia and Rosalina, the both of them easily reading his body language.
"We'll be in touch Dagger-5... sit tight" Rosalina informed before turning toward Tannin.
[Aye...don't keep us waiting; Tiamat's getting antsy...oh... well now she's glaring at me... lovely] Nyx's tone came out flat over the comm's, neither fear nor apprehension marring his voice—suggesting his focus had overridden his natural instinct; which was good for him at least.
Ryden snorted. "Try not to piss her off too much before we get there..."
[Y-yeah...]
With Nyx's last words spoken in a mildly resolute manner – as if he deeply understood a new fact – the comm line went dead, and before anyone knew it, the massive force of dragons within the valley began to rise into the sky—their massive webbed wings picking up gouts of wind and dust that clouded the massive staging area. Amongst the large ensemble of dragons, Tannin stood restlessly as his subjects rose into the air—waiting for him to join them.
He scoffed at the three devils below, waiting for them to fly onto his shoulders. "It's about damn time..." he growled out before snorting; gouts of flame lapping from the mighty beast' nostrils as his eyes suddenly shone with wicked bloodlust. Turning his snout up towards his hovering brood of dragons, Tannin's eyes suddenly lit with a vigor befitting a conquering king; his blood red eyes shining with a malevolent intent that all above could read. "—now we fly to Ashfeld! And there we shall strike back at our enemy!—leave those within to the devils and the Dragonborn, for we shall reap those above... nothing stands when we're done... leave nothing but fire and blood"
[RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!]
A loud chorus of roars boomed out from all around them, each dragon adding in to the symphony of death that echoed off the very mountains around them, creating a powerful thume that shook the very earth.
Ryden uncovered his ears – followed by Rosalina and Rivia – before he glanced over to them with a serious and eager expression. "Once we get in range, we'll drop down towards the inner portion of the city—get inside before everything goes tits up" he said before he suddenly gripped Tannin's pauldron when the dragon took to the sky with a powerful leap—the sheer wind pressure having almost hurled him off the dragons shoulders.
He heard a chortle of amusement from Tannin once they reached a commendable height; the chortle itself elected him to glare at the dragon before he shook his head. "Show off..." he muttered, getting a second round of mirthful chuckles from Tannin.
Rosalina ran her fingers through her slightly frazzled hair while Rivia casually fixed her ponytails positioning with a swipe of her hand; the both of them quickly relocating to Tannin's back – Ryden shortly following – when the dragon leveled out some several meters above the ground; the large brood of dragons – eastern and western in design – flocked in behind his lead as they began their journey to Ashfeld.
Yet just before it happened, Ryden quickly commanded Ventus to disrupt the wind pressure upon Tannin's back just as the dragon king kicked up the speed by several hundred miles per hour. Ryden knew the dragon was being passively cheeky with his lack of warnings, most likely not at all comfortable with assisting them with the travel, as in Ryden's humble words, a dragons wings – which were several times larger than devils – produced far more speed than them—meaning they would have to catch a ride with the dragon king just so they would all arrive on time.
Had they been left to fly there on their own... well, Ryden would be the only one to arrive within a marginally similar time as the dragons—leaving the others several hours behind. Ventus didn't exactly get tired – something he made sure to keep secret... cause he was lazy – but Rivia and Rosalina possess 'demonically empowered biological wings'...something Ryden had dubbed when he'd learned of the apparent metamorphosis with the limbs themselves—this was just a fancy way of saying, the wings were mostly constructed from demonic energy – hence why they didn't rip through clothing upon summoning – as well as the apparent ability to possess multiple wings when one possesses far too much demonic energy – yet they still possessed a sort of corporeal presence within the devils biology upon summoning.
Cool perks... yet they could still grow tired—and even if Rosalina and Rivia summoned all of their wings at once just to bridge that gap in speeds, they still would've plummeted to the earth below in exhaustion.
So it was 'Taxi Tannin' from here onward...
[Within the interest of time: several hundred miles out from Ashfeld]
Even when they had risen into the air, Ryden had been able to see the sheer state of the Ashfeld region just as easily as he could know. It took into perspective on just how massive the underworld was as a whole – which spoke wonders of their travelling speed back within Lilith's main border region. Even still, he could see the shimmering glimmer of amethyst in the vast distance—Ignis' sun still hovering eerily over the former territory of Lucifaad, the shine of the purple ball of fire even managing to pierce through the thick soupy cloud of sulfuric smoke that dominated Ryden's vision.
For miles ahead, the entire region of Ashfeld was caked in a thick cloud of black smoke – created from the deep bowels of Ashfelds subterranean caves and volcano's. From upon on high, Ryden could see the ever present glow of molten magma swathing violently from large gashes in the earth—almost as if the fires and volcano's bellow were awakening and reclaiming the region for themselves.
Yet directly in the middle of the desolate region – empty of mountains and forests – a lone city stood defiantly to the coming destruction; the wall's, thick and black—stood strongly all around; 300 feet high – possibly more. Dozens of buildings and castles within the mighty walls stood high up above the ground. Sky Bridges spanned from spire to spire that connected each building like a Gothic web—disconnecting all those within from the toxic world around them. The streets dotting the ground bellow within the thick clutter of buildings made it obvious that there was a lack of room within the city—suggesting an over population of resources and military personnel.
Ryden had made sure to double check with Nyx over the comm's regarding possible civilians while he waited; yet so far—all civilian prisoners and low-class slaves were not seen on the surface.
Ryden didn't exactly know what the conditions were like underground but Nyx had made it apparent that it wasn't comfortable in the least. Even though most of the air on the surface was toxic, the castle interiors were apparently airtight and sealed off from the outside with the use of airlocks and air filtration systems that were top of line.
Air conditioning... water... food—none of that could survive long in the suffocating depths of the mines themselves; the smoke, dust and sulfur dioxide was nearly lethal in small sections of the mines, and permeated the entire mine itself with a sickening stench of rotting eggs.
It was the perfect place to lock prisoners... morale went nowhere when everyone smelt shit, tasted shit and felt like shit. Despair ridden and most likely dehydrated—and all forced into hard labor by a trio of wardens forced to meet high demands... end summary; poor bastards.
"We seem to be making ground, I can see the city from here just fine... won't be long now" Rosalina stated while Rivia eyed the city with keen eyes.
"It's bigger then I last recall—seems they've made some improvements" she informed
Ryden nodded at the woman's observation before the stench of rotting eggs invaded his nostrils—his instincts immediately forcing him to cover his nose. "Shit that's rancid... Ventus, I think it's time we get some breathable air here—show me what you got"
I menial task Ryden—I shall not allow anyone to fall victim to this poison
Just as Ventus' proud words entered his ears a flurry of wind erupted from his form; small wisps of leafy green energy coiling around him before shooting off towards Rosalina and Rivia, doing the same before fading—leaving behind only a slight shimmer of air around them.
It is done—once we get within range of your other allies, I shall do the same with them...
Thanks a million Ventus...
Hm...
For the majority of the way towards Ashfeld Ryden and the others remained in silence while the vast number of dragons behind them started growling and snarling eagerly at the increasingly detailed sight of the city below; the enhanced vision naturally granted to the monolithic predators of the sky obviously making visual assessment a trivial matter—yet all the same, the massive number of devils below were apparent.
And from the large and eager grins on all of the dragons, the environment below was target rich... an impending massacre was upon the horizon; and the devils were aware of it...
A few miles out from the city loud blaring alarms began resounding in the distance—a full scale alert was suddenly called when the sky itself darkened ever further with the distant arrival of 300 hundred dragons—their massive wings blotting out what little sunlight the region possessed. Afterwards, the despair within the visual sighting of the dragons began taking hold of those below—and panic soon followed.
Ryden fashioned Ventus out from a flurry of green motes of light; The elegant Elven bow radiating a softly coiling bout of air as he gently pulled back on the green bow string constructed from wind itself—a long and sleek arrow – green in color – quickly forming as he adjusted his position on Tannin's back so he could shoot over the dragon's right shoulder.
Tannin glanced at Ryden, curious of the human's intent yet he said nothing as Ryden merely kept his gaze locked forward, his aim directed towards the single massive gate at the south side of the massive walls lining the city. Considering their direction of approach was coming from the east, the gates visual was just a sliver for him to see...yet even so, the gate wasn't his target.
Ryden suddenly found himself smirking when he could almost feel the fear and apprehension in the air; the eager amounts of bloodlust and vengeance gnawing at his back gave way to a sense of empowerment he almost found intoxicating.
Not many could say they road upon a dragon kings back into battle, nor could they even say they 'lead' an army of dragons as well... within this era, dragons were nearly endangered—exceedingly rare in most aspects yet all the same; the stories and legends of their historical presence was still ripe for all to hear, and even the looming threat of one such attack was still a possibility.
It's just that in all those stories of dragon attacks—it always tells of the horror of witnessing such a sight... to watch a terrifying beast, one wings that 'blot out the sky' – or fangs that drip with venom or blood – tear into a city or town with a destruction only matched by nature itself.
They were all the same... because not one story speaks of the euphoria of being the one to attack with those very beasts...
Ryden could confirm... the feeling was as he said before—intoxicating
And with this feeling, Ryden couldn't help but grow poetic; the sensation of – dare he say it – justice at inflicting such terror and despair on his enemies, especially when his source of hatred lay within, created a small well of restlessness within him that he couldn't quite ignore.
His muscles flexed hard, pulled back the bow string on Ventus further then before—the effect causing the green arrow to thume with a far more excited swell of wind. The effects quickly increased in volume as the leafy green arrow slowly seeped away into a far darker and chaotic shade—the splendor of jade was quickly replaced by an ominous obsidian light that became framed with a bright green afterglow, the aesthetic change being just the same as Fulgur's black and red lightning from his prior fight with Tannin.
It wasn't hard to assume this change was a universal effect with the Infernum Armis',as it only meant a considerable increase in power... simple observation—yet completely unexpected effect.
Ryden's eyes widened when the clouds above them slowly began to churn and swirl dangerously; Emerald and obsidian winds quickly forming and manipulating the very clouds of sulfur like a heard of sheep, coiling above the sky in an eerie soup of toxic and violent wind that writhed with an unseen malevolence from above.
Ryden could tell the sky wasn't exactly priming for some momentous attack that would no doubt shred the city apart like a category 6 hurricane if he so desired... no... The change in the clouds was merely an after effect of Ventus' change—a reintroduction of his authority.
Either way—the feeling of the sky itself around him was apparent enough – if just a little bit limited in range – yet all the same, the change was a gift granted by the sudden feeling of euphoria that had breached the walls of hesitation. Ventus appreciated action over hesitation in any situation and because of his restless desire to act—to destroy—the spirits power flared just as his desire had.
A mutual bond... spiritual in nature; the will of the Arbiter commands the storm...and the storm hesitates not...
Ryden suddenly found his voice...
"And they looked, and beheld a mighty dragon; and his name that sat on him was Death... and the sky followed with him"
Ryden's momentous voice carried over the hailing winds for all to hear, a spurning sensation of energy welling in all those who heard it as the sky danced along with his words .
"And he bestowed power unto them over the fourth element of the earth. To kill with fire and acid, and venom, and the might of the sky"
The clouds and winds howled in response to Ryden's words, carrying along over the massive wave of dragons before fading; the effect having amplified the speed and agility of each dragon. Soon, the speed in which the dragons flew steadily increased until they were but blurs in the sky—the distance between them and the city closing rapidly.
For a brief moment, Ryden felt a slight detachment of energy separate from him as they passed over the last mountain before the region of Ashfeld was all that spanned the horizon. He ignored it – fully knowing it was Ventus himself granting immunity to Nyx and Abigail – and just as the energy left him, he spotted Tiamat rise up from the mountain in the corner of his eye, a crackle of azure blue lightning signifying the dragon's rapid transformation into dragon form before she flew up to Tannin's side.
He spotted Nyx and Abigail sitting upon the female dragons back only for a moment before his focus returned to steadily watch the front Gate of the city—waiting for any source of a fleeing convoy, yet nothing came into view.
He focused harder, his eyes steadily sharpening into green slits that glowed brightly in the murky air that quickly began to encompass their vision. He barely had time to notice the sensation before his eye sight suddenly zoomed in on the castle city and spotted the increasing panic on all of the devils within.
Ventus' ability aside; whoever was leading Shalba's departure had obviously chosen to belay the intended action when they noticed the massive swarm of dragons in the distance. It was a smart move, as they would have only been killed far easier in the vast open desert that spanned around the castle city—the only thing for miles being a few crevices and ash dunes that barely amounted to any sort of cover against an onslaught of dragons.
Not good odds...
"Alright, we should be close enough to begin the first phase..." he heard Rosalina call out, to which Nyx and Abigail nodded while Tiamat growled a tone of acknowledgement before banking off towards the northern side of the castle city.
Seeing as how the moment was just right, Ryden readjusted his aim to the sky above the city and let the blackened jade arrow loose with a loud bang—Fulgur having jumped along the arrow for added measure, her black and red lightning dancing along the arrow distinctly causing a slight distortion in the air itself.
I shall assistance with defense master...
Ryden mildly snorted in acknowledgement at the spirits forceful inclusion before he watched the sky itself suddenly explode into action. The winds and clouds suddenly lurched downward in a massive cone, creating a pulse of wind that expanded all around the region of Ashfeld before stopping just a few dozen meters behind them. Soon enough, the city and the dragons were sealed within a massive storm that cackled and sparked with malevolent arcs of crimson black lightning that shot down from the eye of the storm above. The effect should have completely disrupted the formation of the dragons quickly descending onto the city, sending them sprawling out of control with the sheer wind pressure alone yet due to Ventus' earlier augmentation and the actual intended use of the arrow; neither the city nor the dragons were affected by the sudden appearance of the hurricane... the stage had merely been set.
There was no escape now...
Ryden dispelled Ventus with an afterthought—the bow fading into motes of light before he glanced over to Rosalina and Rivia—the both of them already prepared for the drop below when the city was almost a mile out.
"Ready Helljumpers?" he asked with a cheeky grin on his face—heart rate quickly rising.
Rivia smirked at his words while Rosalina shot him a similar look—yet it was mildly marred with a noble woman's grace.
"I must say I've rather found that title quite fitting" she muttered out before clicking her tongue. "It has a rather nice ring to it" she added while Ira Flamma suddenly appeared in her hands
Rivia chuckled at the woman. "Is that your fancy way of saying you like it?"
Rosalina pressed her smirk towards Rivia after twirling her sword into a reverse grip. "How did you know?" she asked with a sarcastic tone of surprise... Rivia snorted bemusedly at the Phenex before she gripped her deactivated scythe tightly.
"Now's your chance devils—start jumping or I'll throw you off" Tannin's booming tone caught the attention of the three; their eyes quickly noting the brief opening they had with their intended drop.
Ryden quickly re-summoned nameless after having sealed it in order to use Ventus and quickly ran over Tannin's shoulder and jumped without hesitation. His eyes momentarily locked with Tannin's when he twisted around to give a quick salute to the dragon, a cocking grin marring his features before he nosedived down into the city below.
"Happy hunting big guy!" he yelled back at the dragon before both himself and others plummeted to the city below with their own words of either encouragement or thanks—all of which Tannin blew off with a huff before carrying on with his own objective.
Ryden watched the dragon depart and reform with his brood for a moment longer before the sky suddenly bang exploding, small patches of the sky around them detonating in massive eruptions of aerial fire; similar to flack cannons.
The wind pressure of the decent was deafening as it had been during their decent towards Ventus' mountain, however the addition of chaotic fire from several defensive positions along the castle cities walls easily outmatched the sheer rush of the event. Dozens of explosions ripped the air around them asunder, creating small vacuums of pressure and small gouts of toxic fire, yet the aim wasn't at all close to them—no, the Old-Satan's were targeting the dragons looming above them.
[Watch yourselves and keep your eyes on the center courtyard—they're prioritizing Tannin and his brood] Ryden called out over the comm's as he followed both Rivia and Rosalina downward towards the city below them.
Neither of the woman responded to his words, yet their actions was easily displayed by their refocusing towards the center of the city. Sporadic pops of energy exploded all around them, both to their sides and flank, yet nothing impeded their decent which gave them a good amount of time to correct their trajectory and prioritize their landing zone.
The target of their fall was easily spotted once they'd jumped from Tannin, the massive city below may have been jam packed with buildings and sky bridges; yet even so, the large courtyard surrounding a massive glass dome was easily seen even amongst the clutter of magic flack fire. With Nyx's words in mind, the glass dome was obviously a newly fashioned inclusion designed to cover the mining hole from aerial observers—perhaps even spies.
The use was unknown but its location fit Nyx's description perfectly.
The decent towards the city courtyard below was swift and powerful; as just before landing, both Rivia and Rosalina summoned two sets of wings in order to fight the terminal velocity that which they had been falling. Their wings took the brunt of the resistant force, forcing their legs forward towards the ground before they dismissed their wings and landed in a controlled combat roll.
Rivia's scythe ignited to life, the ethereal white energy quickly dissolving to black while Rosalina summoned Ira Flamma with a swipe of her hand. Keeping her flames on the down low for now just so to not ignite any heavy pockets of sulfur dioxide, Rosalina and Rivia surveyed the derelict courtyard for hostiles before they came up clear of any possible opponents.
Ryden landed violently shortly after...
BAAMMM!
Rubble exploded out from Ryden's impact landing, the man not really seeing the need to soften it with Ventus' help.
Casually, Ryden stepped out of the small crater, whipping down his figure before he glanced around himself and then towards the duo behind him.
He clicked his tongue. "Should have expected there'd be no one around—their probably inside" he muttered before he registered the deadpanned expression on Rosalina. He shrugged at her, confused. "What?"
Rosalina merely flicked a small collection of rubble from her shoulder while Rivia did the same but with a more humored grin then the former's small reprehending frown.
"Was that really necessary?" Rosalina asked
Ryden shrugged again. "Meh, nothing gets the jump on the enemy then a good all fashioned superhero landing" he answered off handily with a carefree smile while surveying their surroundings. "Let's just ignore that and get inside before Tannin and his warriors start cranking up the destruction to eleven"
Right at his words, dozens of explosions began erupting along the outer walls of the city a few hundred blocks from their location; the subject of destruction being the watch towers responsible for the flack fire. Soon afterwards, dozens of draconic roars echoed out from the murky sky above—almost in mocking victory at the sight of the pesky defense being utterly decimated.
Rivia took that as their queue to get moving before they were caught in the inevitable fire bombing. "We should get moving" she stated with urgency before she spotted a distant compound and pointed to it. "There... move"
Without any arguments, Rosalina complied with Rivia's order and pressed towards the chosen destination with Ryden closely in toe. He Hadn't notice it due to their decent, but after taking a moment to glance upward, Ryden noticed the sky itself was almost entirely cloaked in a thick smoke that completely blotted out the large horde of dragons that had dominated the sky itself—completely different as to what he'd done earlier with Ventus.
His eyes strained to see the dragons above, yet all that could be see was massive shadows blurring through the sky in swift streaks. His small mobility buff was still active so at least the new inclusion of smoke wasn't effecting his abilities, yet even still; the mask of smoke was still eerily present.
Do not worry Ryden, the smoke is Ignis' doing...
It's as Ventus says master, Ignis is probably shielding you from the dragon's vision...
Ryden blinked at the news, surprised by the apparent assistance from the still unknown Infernum Armis.
Well that's thoughtful...
~Hmm~ this means you are closer to him then we thought...
Then that early theory was correct, Ignis is at the bottom of the mine...
Ryden nodded at the spirits words before he took point, Rosalina and Rivia staking up behind him as they approached the door to the compound building. Its placement was very close to the massive glass dome meaning it was either a side structure or it was a direct pathway to the mines below—either way, they had to get in.
Ryden switched his grip with nameless to his left hand and quickly drew Cerberus; the possibility of tight corridors easily shunning the long and bulky swordspear to the side for now. For added measure, Ryden handed the swordspear to a surprised Rosalina once he continued to think of the rooms possible occupants. Considering the hectic nature of the situation and the current state of alert, any occupants may be more prepared than usual—so he needed to be fast and quick on the draw.
To that end, he gripped Cerberus two handed and kept it close to his chest, finger held just over the trigger guard while the ammunition type was locked into [whisper rounds] just so he didn't shatter their eardrums when he needed to open fire.
Once he was prepped, his left hand shot out and palm struck the airlock door off its hinges with brute force before he stepped into the entirely white room and struck his gun out into a more comfortable grip. Left side clear! Middle clear!—doorway spotted! Right side—
Ryden's heart clocked in at 100 bpm from 85 within the second his eyes locked with two deeply surprised Swarm knights; the both of them only stripped of their helmets and staring slack jawed at the sight of him before they began coughing like mad—the toxic fumes and poisonous air easily overwhelming the room entirely.
He didn't hesitated—even with the assistance of the outside world.
PST! PST!
PST! PST!
Four shots reported in quick succession, the sounds of the shots coming out in aggressive cough's that's barely bounced off the walls—striking the two dead, center mass.
Ryden didn't lack knowledge of what room clearing looked like, years of curiosity on the matters of modern military tactics having driven him to understand a few terms used by many forces around the world.
And said knowledge kicked in when a third hostile stepped into the room from the second doorway with a spear pointed directly at him...
Just before he moved passed the fatal frame he used his telekinesis to keep Rosalina outside before he quickly shifted his position to the left of the doorway—his back to the corner of the room. Predictably, the spear ignited and let loose a bolt of purple energy that zipped passed his right ear and out the door harmlessly – surprising Rosalina as it did so.
The swarm Knights eyes widened when his shot missed its intended mark by scant inches before the back of his head exploded into bloody brain matter—courtesy of a responsive shot from Ryden.
Just as the body crumpled to the floor, Ryden remained within the corner of the small room, his eyes skimming over the two bodies at his right before he kept his sights trained on the second door leading further inside the compound. "You two can come in now..." he muttered after a moment.
Hesitantly, Rosalina stepped in – followed closely by a mildly impressed Rivia – before she quickly handed back Ryden's swordspear and rushed towards the second door and leaned against the right side of the door frame—her eyes scanning the hallway outside.
"Thanks" he muttered before he chose to dismiss the weapon for now and instead kept Cerberus in hand.
"What odds do you think they heard all that?" Rosalina questioned with a bead of hope in her voice.
[WARNING: door breach detected in subsection 5; severe levels of sulfur toxins detected; temporary Breach protocol activated; ventilation system engaged...]
Just as a mechanized voice of a obvious AI filtered through the speakers of the compound, the open doorway leading outside was suddenly sealed off by a blue energy field; and just after that, small vents in the ceiling quickly filtered out the sulfur dioxide with a loud venting growl—effectively clearing the breach of all toxic fumes and possibly awakening every none devil in hell.
Ryden almost face palmed. "Shit..." he heard Rosalina mutter as Rivia staked up behind the woman. Ryden followed after the elder devil and did the same to the door frames left side.
"Guess that answers a few things..." he stated before he stepped up into the hallway and scanned his sectors before coming up with an all clear when his side ended at a dead end.
Rivia stepped off from behind Rosalina and followed after the woman down the opposite end from Ryden – the man quickly fall in on their flank when he was done clearing his end – before they all ended up scanning several empty compartment rooms stack with boxed supplies and rations.
Silence dominated the three as they moved fluidly further down the brightly lit hallway until they came up to a large double sided sliding door that brought them to a large room filled with cubed rocks and several out of commission carriages that dotted along a small parking lot in the middle of what seemed like a supply dock; the frames of each carriage either completely abandoned or almost entirely melted down by the corrosion outside. On either ends of the large supply dock, massive metal blast doors – air sealed by the looks of it – protected in interior docking area from the clearly chaotic storm outside.
From the looks of things, Tannin and his warriors were drilling the castle cities outer defenses like nothing—the distant explosions of wrathful flames completely eradicating the cities outer walls and outer city limits while what remained of the cities defensive flack spells did little but singe the sky and nothing more.
Ryden ignored the scene and pressed further across the docking area and toward the far side of the room where the only other door leading further into the compound was located. As they did so, Rivia and Rosalina quickly fixed their formation to allow Ryden to continue as their point-man. Considering he was almost entirely invulnerable and possessed superior range capabilities – both in accuracy and speed compared to Rivia's rifts – the decision was unanimously agreed upon by all parties involved without issue.
So far it seemed, the majority of the castle cities occupants were almost entirely focused on the outer walls defenses, yet even still, Ryden had at some point noticed a few clambering footsteps of a few swarm knights outside his view—some even outside the glass walls itself in other varying buildings dotting the city itself—their destination being the quickly collapsing castle buildings near the outer city limits.
With all this silence and inaction, Ryden's mild fascination with the construction of the buildings and interior structure itself began to take hold. The majority of the compounds interior was almost entirely white in color while the floor was porcelain black—seemingly built for scientific methods, or simple design taste was something Ryden had to guess on. Futuristic was all Ryden could think of when he scanned the halls of the Old-Satan mining facility – of which he believed to be the surface facility in retrospect of the whole operation – and as he continued down the hallway towards what he assumed to be the right direction, the hints of a possible control room began to filter into his mind when small whispers began to enter his ears.
He fought it of course; Rivia had said such a thing was his apparent lack of control with his powers—so instead of following the rabbit hole with his senses, he merely followed the sensation and led Rivia and Rosalina towards another set of double sided sliding doors.
The doors seemed to operate by a sort of proximity sensing—almost entirely similar to what one would see in a sci-fi movie or a local supermarket; And just as expected, the door gave off a small hiss before it spread open invitingly—showcasing the devils within.
Ryden didn't expect to see these guys so quickly...
Five Death Knights stood within the control room, fully kitted out in the onyx black armor that denoted their status as the most elite killers in the Old-Satan army. However, the sight of them only caused Ryden to act just as aggressively as Rivia and Rosalina—their intended training obviously teaching them what to do in the face of a possibly equal opponent in skill.
Rivia vanished into a rift and reappeared on the other side of the room; her scythe already active and perforating three of the five Death knights in two elegant slash's within scant seconds of the door opening.
Just as the three dropped to the floor by Rivia's feet, Rosalina closed the distance with her target by dispersing herself in a cloud of fiery embers that quickly reformed directly in front of the surprised Death Knight. Ryden almost found himself mesmerized by Rosalina's elegant dance when she reformed completely, her body already flowing into a perfect dodge when the Knight sent an upward swing from his sheathed sword towards her.
With expert fluidity, Rosalina twirled around the knights practiced draw swing and delivered two devastating slashes. The first slash was directed downward towards the man's outstretched arm – separating it from his body completely in a flash – before she followed up with an elegant upward swing that removed the knight's torso from his waist.
He was dead long before he hit the ground.
Ryden found himself whistling at the sight—his posture seemingly casual by normal observation which baited the last and final Death Knight to act upon his apparent distraction in a swift manner befitting a highly trained warrior—however the outcome surprised all present, especially the aggressor.
The death knights descending slash to Ryden's head merely passed through the man; effectively displacing the man's image as the illusion it was. Green wisps of air coiled around the knights drawn blade directly where the man's corpse should be, yet just before the death knight could press to locate his escaped target and correct his mistake, an obsidian blade suddenly pierced through the man's chest cavity; spewing blood and ichor all over the polished floor and walls.
Rivia and Rosalina watched on in silent surprise while the death knight's body was lifted into the air and tossed off to the side like nothing—the true image of Ryden having easily prepared for the use of the illusion just before they had stepped into the rooms proximity.
By then, the knight's life had already ended.
Ryden stood with his swordspear in hand, his other hand rising to scratch his forehead before he sent Rivia and Rosalina a casual glance. "Not gonna lie—that was almost too easy" was all he stated, tone carrying a slight pinch of disappointment.
"It's only natural for the three of us" Rivia merely sent him a reprehending stare before she carried on and explored the inner workings of the apparent control room they were now in. "For us ultimate class beings; house Lucifuge Death Knights still possess a lacking amount of power to compete against our inherent powers in practical combat... they are merely road blocks to us in that regard; however they still possess the skill to out maneuver anyone of us when in high numbers—don't underestimate them."
Ryden nodded at her words before he took in the setting of the control room – his eyes barely noticing the small tinge of pink on Rosalina—the woman having clearly witnessed his staring at her display of skill. Ignoring that for now, Ryden played ignorant to Rosalina's clear embarrassment at his prior actions – as said actions were both intentional and genuine – yet he knew if he acknowledged the blush and or questioned it—then it would lead to a rabbit hole of excuses and teases; and not at all progress the mission entirely.
Therefore he ignored it and let Rosalina make up her excuses in silence while he marveled at the technology displayed in front of him.
Ashfeld was probably the most advanced city he'd seen so far as the setting and structural build of the compound interior was the most sleek and polished he'd ever seen. While on the outside, the castles boring brick and black stone – perhaps even metal – design was about as brutal and 'Gothic' as any other fantasy castle description could give—however the interior was something eerily close to something like Kamino from Star wars. Quite honestly, Ryden was waiting to run into a freaking clone trooper what with how black and white the whole city interior was—something that contrast to the outside setting heavily.
It was almost like someone slapped a Gothic castle design on top of a research base from 2030... blast doors, sliding proximity doors, blast shields on thick windows that gave way to the literal soup of toxic fumes outside—the base was built for the environment, that was obvious—and the one to have supplied the science for such a city was perfectly clear for all of them.
Ryden mulled over his own thoughts for a moment as he skimmed over the miniature monolith stones dotting along the large desks that dominated the room itself; their uses being that of literal computers. Ryden was no troglodyte when it came to those things compared to Rivia and Rosalina – very obviously due to his history in 2018; so it was no source of confusion when he noted the rectangular magic sigils sitting before the flat faced monolith stones like keyboards before a computer screen.
The language written on the magic keyboards was however jumbled garbage, as most of keys placements was nothing like what he knew—yet his ability to decipher its function was still present.
The desks that held the monolith monitors was tall enough to stand at – thankfully – so Ryden situated himself before one and pushed a few keys to get a reaction—however nothing happened.
"What's gotten your attention?" Rivia suddenly questioned with a set of curious eyes.
"I've been thinking about that energy field and Announcement voice—nothing like that could ever work without some form of centralized control hub—or energy source" Ryden answered without looking. "Do you have the Omni-key that we picked up from the Marax brothers?" he suddenly asked, eyes locking with Rivia's.
Unfortunately, both Rosalina and Rivia shook their heads—dismissing the forming plan in Ryden's mind. "No... Nyx is in possession of the key—why do you ask?" Rosalina questioned while she checked the hallway outside.
Ryden shrugged casually at the question, sparking a bead of curiosity from Rivia—the woman standing at his side. "I was wondering about using it against Ashfeld itself—considering what we've seen so far and the apparent advancement in technology within this city – as far as I'm assuming anyway – it's safe to say the entire city itself feeds off of a major energy source; so we could use the Omni-key to disrupt or perhaps shut off that energy supply"
Rivia found herself nodding in agreement at the plan while Rosalina mulled over the last half of Ryden's words before she came up with a very obvious possibility. "This energy source may be Ignis himself—considering what he is, I wouldn't be surprised if they were using him as a battery for this place" Ryden agreed at Rosalina's theory with a firm nod.
"Fulgur and Ventus had theorized Ashfelds construction was solely because of the weapon itself—so it's very likely Ignis is at the base of the mine... if we shut off the power – or hack into the system – then we can flush out the Old-Satan's hunkering down inside key defensive locations, send them right into Tannin's arms" as soon as Ryden finished speaking, he opened long range comm's with Nyx and Abigail while Rivia and Rosalina mulled over the plan with looks of complete agreement.
"Dagger-4 and 5—what's your status?"
[Chaotic, Dagger-1—we've run into contact with a contingent of Lucifuge's finest] Abigail's voice echoed out over the comm's, the sound of battle raging on in the distance behind her. [Aside from that though, what do you need?]
"We have a plan that requires a certain key in Dagger-5's possession—" Ryden suddenly paused before shooting Rivia a look—silencing his end of the comm's. "Can you sense Nyx and Abigail's position?"
Rivia nodded before she shut her eyes—focusing.
[What's this about a key?] Nyx's voiced suddenly resounded over Ryden's comm's, sparking his attention instantly.
"We've come across a bit of a discovery that may be linked with one of our goals here... this city seems to run on a combined source of energy expunged directly from the mines; which means there's a central control hub somewhere in the city—what do you think?"
There was a grunt of effort over the comm's – the sound of metal clanging against metal – before a pained howl echoed out over the comm's link.
[That sounds lovely Dagger-1—however we're kinda busy right now...]
"Found them" Rivia intoned while opening a rift in the middle of the room—furthest away from the monolith computers.
Ryden shot Rivia an approving nod. "Bring them here"
[What do you mean by 'bring them here' don't tell your—OH WHAT THE FUUUU—]
From where the rift was summoned, both Nyx and Abigail stumbled out and into the open—the former still crying out his surprise as he tripped to the floor—his spear still impaled inside a clearly dead Death Knight.
"—UUUUUUCK!—Oof!"
Ryden and the others gave Nyx a playful smirk as the man laid on his back in surprise; his gaze blinking wistfully at what was probably a world wind experience before he pushed the corpse off of him and hopped to his feet.
"Whew... that was... odd" he exclaimed while blinking away a brief feeling of vertigo.
"Glad you could drop by" Ryden joked with a grin
Nyx shot Ryden a small glare when the intentional pun struck him dead center. "Like I had a choice on that matter—a fair warning would have been nice" he growled out playfully, enticing Ryden's grin to widen
He shrugged off the playful whine "I thought I did give you a warning..."
Nyx went to argue but paused the second he caught sight of Rivia; and as soon as he locked eyes with the Abaddon devil, he quickly collected his desired retort and instead pulled out the desired item—the green softly glowing Omni-key looted from Ryden's 'fight' with the Marax brothers gently resting in his hands.
"Is this the guy you're looking for?" he asked and Ryden nodded but made no move to take it.
"Yes... however now that your here, I'd like it for us to split out efforts a little bit differently then intended" Ryden glanced at Rivia and nodded at her. "From this point onward, me and Rosalina will press on towards the mines and see if we can locate any prisoners within—considering what awaits for us below, Rosalina and I should be the best choice against highly flammable environments" Rivia nodded at the meaning behind his words while Nyx, Abigail and Rosalina nodded along as well.
"I take it we'll be moving towards the central control room then?" Abigail questioned with a raised brow.
"Yes—it's a theory of mine but I believe the energy supplying the city is from Ignis himself—which means it's possible things may get really hectic if we suddenly cut the power" Ryden paused for a moment, contemplating a few matters before he continued after a moment. "It's also possible that the central control room may have detailed information regarding the prisoners here—that would help me and Rosalina locate anyone in the mines"
At that, Nyx released a small chuckle before he nodded at the newly formed plan. "That's as clear as any task around" he stated before sealing away the Omni-key. "Rush the control room, kick ass along the way, hack the main system and relay detailed info about the prisoners—then shut everything down when we're done... that will really stir the pot for Tannin and Tiamat"
"I take it she left as soon as she dropped you off?" Rivia asked with a grin—a knowing grin if she had to say.
Nyx frowned at the woman's expression before nodding. "Yeah... she seemed like she was in a rush" he replied before he watched Rivia's grin widen—right as he witnessed that, he gave the woman a pained expression. "Please tell me you didn't piss her off..."
Rivia said nothing in reply, only choosing to chuckle knowingly at the meaning.
Nyx didn't like that look in her eye...
"...Fuck, it really was you that pissed her off" he stated before face-palming. "Damn it I thought you were the sane one!" he shouting in horror before he suddenly felt two death glares directed towards him immediately after speaking.
He paused, his eyes closing in surrender before he chuckled nervously to himself. "Hehehe... I'm in danger" he clowned after realizing his folly
Ryden snorted at the man's chosen words—the reminiscent feeling of that quote bringing a small grin to his face. For a moment, he stood patiently by as Rosalina and Abigail verbally tore into a meekly defensive Nyx, while Rivia softly snickered to herself with apparent malicious intent woven in her gaze of apparent triumph.
He stood by and watched the bubbly moment with a half smile, his senses merely distracting his full attention to Rosalina and Abigail's childish like reaction to Nyx's tease. At the far reaches of his thoughts, Ryden couldn't at all find himself totally immersing himself with such things.
As his mind was elsewhere...
Ryden had done it countless times during his vacation in Halphes; during the most silent hours of the night when his 'hosts' finally called it a day and went to their chambers to take it easy – to let the officers and... Her—discuss their probable progress with 'breaking' him.
Obviously they were fools to believe so—because instead of 'breaking' him as they so believed they were doing...
They had instead given him something to focus on...
And if there was one thing that Ryden knew about his mysterious powers—was that it thrived off of focus...
Sound became clear...
Colors became sharper...
And the walls became thinner...
It wasn't exactly like X-ray vision—but it was the next best thing to the concept. With his senses expanded beyond his basic levels – and without focusing on a single object out of his view to manipulate – he could scan an entire castle city of all its structures... the only downside was the need of a catalyst—an energy signature.
It was clear he wasn't exactly master level with his sensory ability – at least in his eyes that is – but he couldn't really 'map' his surroundings without following a linked energy source—a sort of energy he'd been in close proximity too. The energy source within Ashfelds advanced inner sector was far too powerful for him to explore on his own—the large quantities of filtered energy and other varying energy signatures from distant devils would merely distract him, thus expending his mental strength.
But that was all an inner musing... his intended target had already been found.
Found you...
Ryden nodded slowly at the familiar sensation of a certain someone before he shook away the feeling and loudly coughed into his hand—garnering the attention of those present. "before we get even further side tracked—we should get moving before the royally pissed off dragon kings destroy everything in sight" he paused and shot Rivia a flash of a smirk—which was returned partially with a hint of regret.
Touching...
Ryden clicked his tongue after that, his gaze trailing over the computers in the room. The sensation he'd gotten from the miniature monolith computer had long since dissipated since they'd entered the room; He had to guess the Death knights that had been present before them had been tasked with shutting down all vital control rooms outside of the main one—as even now he could feel a slight pull at the back of his mind when he'd expanded his senses. He ignored it and sent Rivia a nod before stepping passed her and towards the far side exit—scouting for any possible reinforcements.
"Ryden is correct in his choice of haste—let us carry on with our task" Rivia ordered with an elegant tone before she summoned a rift at her flank.
"You know where to go?" Abigail questioned hesitantly—forcing the older woman to roll her eyes playfully.
"Of course—we're not too far from the main castle" she assured with a glint in her eye... Nyx could have sworn it looked nervous.
"Whatever you say—just don't throw me through the portal this time" Nyx muttered off handily as he followed Abigail into the black void of Rivia's abyssal rift—however before he entered, he paused and glanced off towards Ryden.
"You know where to go from here right?" he asked suddenly, however his curiosity was met with a firm nod from Ryden.
"I do... Ignis is giving off a strong energy signature down within a large chasm a few clicks from here—shouldn't be too hard to reach it" he answered back.
Nyx nodded at Ryden's choice in action before stepping off into the abyssal rift with a mumbled comment regarding how much he was beginning to hate unsanctioned portals made by crazy women.
Before Rivia departed after Abigail and Nyx – her eyes partially lingering on the latter for a moment... she had heard that last bit – she suddenly sent a small grin towards a silent Rosalina when she became aware of the chosen teams. Quickly, her eyes began to possess a tinge of mirth that easily took the younger blonde off guard... especially with her follow up comment.
"Looks like you get him all to yourself... lucky girl" Rivia all but moaned before fading into the rift with an alluring smirk when he desired effect cause the woman's eyes to widen.
Yet once Rosalina was left alone for a moment, she quickly collected herself and rolled her eyes when the woman's blatant tease became too obvious to ignore. Honestly, the woman's aggressiveness was beginning to show a tinge of desperation—or perhaps a sort of over reach towards an outcome that Rosalina wouldn't allow so easily.
However Rosalina had to admonish herself just slightly for being too effected by Rivia's words and actions as of recent; yet considering her rapidly chosen path ahead and her 'on the spot' desire to prove Rivia wrong by remaining as Ryden's second bed mate without her usual retreating response—that was easier said than done. Her embarrassment was one of her key weaknesses that Rivia would use to expose her far more then reasonable—and she knew that well enough as is. But the end however, she was a Phenex through and through—and even in Rivia's words, she was meant to blaze brighter than any other; this meant the odd teases and surprising flirts from Rivia – as oddly sudden as they were – shouldn't be effecting her as much as they actually were.
She needed to fix that...—and there was no better way than to sleep with the main topic of their rivalry.
That logic felt weird now that she thought on it... but there was no retreating now! She had made her choice with Rivia as witness—there was no retreating...
Rosalina shook away her sudden rise in excitement before she suddenly began reviewing the morning's event. 'on the fly' was the best way to describe her conduct—yet her regret on the matter was entirely void after having heard Ryden's partial awareness of what she'd done—and his subsequent enjoyment of it. Yet even if Ryden seemed to express a positive reaction to her physical advancement – minus the nether region fondling – Physically adventurous wasn't exactly in her range of characteristics – as much as Ryden's dream made it out to be – nor was it something she did regularly... that was—again—an on the fly decision.
Honestly, if she hadn't done that, then she feared what Rivia would have done instead... that woman seemed to possess no limit whatsoever when it came to her perversion, and she feared such a thing would have led to something that she wasn't at all ready for.
"You coming?"
Rosalina lightly jumped when Ryden's question filtered into her ears. "E-eh?" she muttered out in surprise before quickly noticing Ryden's expectant stare from the doorway.
Admonishment slowly crept into her being when Ryden flicked a raised brow towards her, mostly confused by her rather intelligent reply but quickly afterwards he shrugged away his brief confusion. "I'd like to get moving before Tannin and Tiamat start laying waste to the inner sector of the city—the quicker we get into the mines the better for us" he informed diplomatically before turning towards the outer hallways. "Besides, I'm starting to hear some approaching footsteps and I'd like to avoid as much contact as possible" Rosalina glanced down to the dead and dismembered bodies before she quickly cleared her mind of all unnecessary clutter.
"Ok—let's go"
"Follow me..."
[With Rivia, Nyx and Abigail/ 20 minutes after departing]
It didn't take long for Rivia to set up a potential destination for their jump across the city, however the setting in which they'd arrive was unfortunately unknown as Rivia's rifts required a sort of forbearing knowledge of the terrain and setting for a safe and prepared teleportation. In this event however – and due to the critical time constraints surrounding their task – Rivia had merely established a destination based solely on the energy felt through the rift itself—something only she could feel.
In that regard, Rivia's use of her rifts had managed to cut across the city effectively; nullifying a large majority of wasted time on foot. Yet it took a few jumps to finally come across something Nyx had recognized.
It wasn't exactly his fault that all about ninety percent of all of Ashfeld had been completely renovated with state of the art technology – obviously being constructed by Euclid some time ago due in part to the critical nature of Ashfeld and its energy source. He had heard rumors a long time ago that Old-Satan believers had taken a heavy liking to Ashfeld—but he never expected them to go this far in editing the entire city.
It was a maze of energy sources and signatures that jumbled pretty much all of their senses—even managing to barricade Rivia's more acute sensory ability. Wherever she spawned a rift or set up one for summoning, she was always aware of its intended target – almost like getting a preview of its location by the energy surrounding it – however even she was struggling with setting up longer ranged rifts for even further distances.
In one panicked moment when they'd jumped right into a crowded room full of armoring swarm Knights, Rivia had accidentally brought them outside in a panic when it was clear they were outnumbered 50-1..., yet when it came to that compared to what was outside, he suddenly began to like those odds better then the chaos incarnate outside.
It spoke largely of Ashfelds structural integrity when all else outside was a rumbling mess of explosions and earth tremors. Inside they could hardly feel any of it, yet everything outside was a complete apocalyptic mess; However Nyx had learned something of Ashfelds exterior design when they had been out in the torrent of Sulfur winds and brimstone fires.
Ashfeld was cloaked in a dome shield—and an over-shield.
It wasn't just a regular over-shield used on some noble estates to help combat a few Arc storms or earthquakes from neighboring spars; no, the shield covering the majority of the outer walls and the large dome of energy protecting the inner sector of Ashfeld was completely invulnerable to every source physical damage. The outer force field kept the city untouched by the continuing barrage of Draconian fire outside, while the over-shield cloaked over the entire inner city sector kept the aftershocks and earthquakes completely nullified.
300 plus dragons, and two dragon kings should have utterly destroyed such a city by now—or at least cripple it to the point of being unrecognizable—yet everything except the outer walls and outer sector of the massive castle city was entirely intact and working as intended.
They'd seen it for all of a couple seconds before Rivia hauled him and Abigail into another rift with a small growl of frustration; and it was then Nyx had found his familiar footing. From there—they had their intended target... no more portals were needed—a notion that Nyx relished immensely.
And on that note, he had officially begun to hate portals... he'd always had before but now it was final—he'd rather walk then do this shit again.
"Hyaa!" Nyx hollered while driving his spear directly through a surprised swarm knight—his form practically launching from Rivia rift with a sort of mystified glee. With a quick kick to the devils sternum, Nyx freed his spear from the bleeding knight and twirled it around a dozen times – deflecting several responsive bolt shots from a few caster knights before he extended his spear beyond its normal length—impaling the two caster class knights before he lunged forward towards another selection of knights and engaged them with hand to hand brutality.
From behind him, Abigail let loose a couple specialized arrows that both melted and shocked a few more swarm knights that surrounded them before carrying on with the rest.
To her flank, Rivia danced elegantly through a contingent of Shalba's handpicked warriors; her massive scythe dicing them all easily without any sort of resistance to feel. Even on a further note of inspection, Rivia had been slowly enjoying the use of the scythe when it became apparent the weapon hardly responded to its original usage.
This meant her roll expanded further from mere ranged support – Abigail was good enough for that – and that gave her a slight boost in confidence. She had trained most of her life with the scythe yet never really got much chance to use it—considering its intended purpose to overload her demonic origin with far more demonic energy then she could truly handle; it left her rewarded skills on hold for some time.
But now she was free—and she would relish the feeling with rapt brutality.
The onyx black blade of her scythe sung through the air like the wind itself; passing effortlessly through armor and flesh like it was made to do so. Weapons used to block her elegant swings couldn't match the weight of hers—leading to painful wounds that left several devil writhing on the ground, nursing broken wrists or shattered forearms.
"Which way Nyx!?" Abigail questioned while glancing around all throughout the visibly older corridors they stood in.
"...one second" Nyx replied while pole-vaulting into a cluster of casters before dicing them all to pieces with expert level skill—his spear blurring through the air in all directions. Once the casters were literally everywhere, Nyx took in a breath and scanned the wide open hallway corridor before quickly noticing that all hostiles were eliminated.
He huffed at the sight of his defeated enemies before glancing off towards a distant section of hallway—completely forgetting of them in the same second. "We should be arriving at the main castle entry way—it should be around there" he point towards the wide bend in the hall, his memories of the upper levels of the castle city coming back to him by the second.
He paused for a moment before nodded to himself again. "Yeah, every known meeting I'd ever gone to was down that way, if I had to assume—this pulsating energy I'm feeling should be the central control hub" he reasoned before Rivia approached them with an agreeing nod.
"I had also theorized that possibility; the energy build up throughout the city has shrouded the main source, however the last jump I couldn't help but notice the massive influx of energy—this should be what we're looking for" right as he words ended, several Death knights rounded the aforementioned hallway towards them—their weapons primed and their stature being just as intimidating as they looked.
Abigail whistled at the larger ensemble of elite cannon fodder; amused by the convenient arrival. "Guess that answers the mystery—that's one good response time" she commented while pulling back on her bow string—green arrow forming within.
Rivia nodded along while staring lazily at the doomed knights. "It goes to show the importance of this particular location"
Just as the general consensus was voiced, Nyx opened comm's with Ryden and Rosalina—intent on updating them of their status while Abigail let loose a barrage of armor piercing arrows—the action effectively cutting down the advancing devils like nothing.
"Dagger-1 this is Dagger-5, we've located the central control hub—what's your status?"
[Understood—Dagger-2 and I just located the mines entry way, making our way in now...]
Nyx nodded. "Good, but be advised Dagger-1, the outer section of Ashfeld has fallen—however the inner most sector seems to be cloaked in a protective dome shield and an inner over-shield that has rendered the efforts outside completely ineffective"
Nyx heard a pause on the line for about a second before Rosalina piped in. [Dagger-1 says to keep the energy source active until he gives the word—once you reach the control room, relay the information discussed... we'll go from there]
Nyx nodded again while Rivia and Abigail followed along. "Copy that... stand by then" he cut the link afterwards before he felt Rivia tap his shoulder, gaining his attention instantly only for him to lock eyes with a cheeky grinning Rivia.
"We may need to evacuate through my rift if what I'm thinking comes true... though you are free to run on foot if you wish" she teased with a widening grin.
Nyx mildly shivered at the woman's expression before he waved off her tease with a lazy roll of his eyes. "I'll take my chances with the damn portal—just don't toss us into another crowded room full of elite killers next time" Rivia chuckled at his reply while Abigail shrugged off her playfully amusement and pressed towards their objective—bow at the ready.
With a grumbled sigh, Nyx followed along with Rivia in toe—her grin of amusement still present.
[With Ryden and Rosalina/ Ashfeld mine]
"On your left"
Rosalina whipped around to intercept a horizontal slash—her uniquely designed blade – ignited in a blaze of bright orange flames – streaked across her vision, intercepting the slash before it struck her. A loud metallic clang resounded from the counter, sending out bright malicious embers that flickered violently—disorienting the approaching death knight and giving her an opportunity to retreat and collect herself.
She landed some meters away, her eyes quickly noting the small struggle before her.
"None of you shall pass further" a black knight spoke as he struggled against nameless—Ryden's eyes held in a cold and focused expression as he fought of the elite knights advance with clear levels of ease.
"You said that before we killed three of you idiots" Ryden's impassive gaze held as the knight continued to overpower him—yet the attempt only cratered the ground at their feet further. "Do I need to kill a couple more before I start hearing some doubt?"
The knight pressing into Ryden merely growled at his words—clearly angered.
Ryden snorted at the apparent attempt to overpower him before suddenly pulsing out a burst of kinetic energy, forcing the pressing knight back into a tumble. Elite training quickly scrabbled to the Death Knights mind, compelling him to absorb the sudden outward force and follow along into a back flip that thankfully gave him enough of a chance to raise his long sword up to parry Ryden's horizontal slash.
Unfortunately the strength behind the swing was far greater than anticipated...
BAANG!
Augmented joints connected to several magic circuits embroidered along obsidian armor plates ignited fiercely to help counter or match the applied strength; yet after a moment of struggling, the magic circuits along the Death Knight's arms shattered – overloaded completely – which left the knights arms all on their lonesome—alone against the might of a stronger beings swing.
SNAP!
Tendons were severed and bones fractured before shattering completely—the majority of the knight's limbs that held his long sword buckled unnaturally, tearing muscle and skin before halting against the armor gauntlets that held the arms together.
Pain never followed however—the Death Knights standard issue armor having the numbing effect to help the wearer to ignore and even fight through broken limbs without even noticing. He grunted at the sensation of his elbows hyper extending—which then carried on until he was sure his fingers no long responded to his will.
A long sword cluttered to the floor soon after... and a head followed with it...
Ryden stepped passed the fallen death knight—his posture still holding even after having passed through the knights eerily resistant armor with the slight help of Fulgur. He paused for a second to consider what he'd just felt; his memory still playing back to the few times he'd mainly used Nameless to combat the few Death knights defending the entrance to their objective.
Originally—due to his luxury of Fulgur's hyper sharpness and extreme speed, he hadn't exactly been through the full 'Death Knight' experience until now. What he'd noticed after killing several of these Elite warriors was that they possessed a sort of Armor closely matched with the Praetorian legions a part of the Anti-Satan forces.
In short, they were like Spartans – the kind from the video game – a sort of elite augmented warrior outfitted with advanced armor to help them clear the gap between low-class to high-class—some rare instances being even Ultimate-class for the few born with exemplary skills and power.
The ancient demons of yore had been known to punish disobedient nobles from the earlier pillar years by having them breed with lower-class devils involuntarily... it was far more disturbing if one knew the full circumstance of the matter, but the end result was still present... noble genes had been passed through the low-class blender, and some had been known to spit out a few unnatural abilities.
Rosalina had told him that right after he'd come across a death knight that could literally clone himself multiple times... that had been a speed bump and a half.
Especially considering the guy could even duplicate the same effects from his armor... pain nullification, strength augmentation, visual processing speed and physical endurance and vitality increases were par for the course for most Death knights, and that guy was probably one of the more terrifying knights to be sure.
Wasn't a match for them though... as he was still just a speed bump—a very annoying speed bump...
So now he knew of the reason why Death knights were so spooky for the lower ended devils—the ones that didn't possess the ability to clear a room with Phenex fire, or annihilate the existence of one with a wave of one's hand.
Ryden snorted at his own thoughts, slightly reprehending himself for his own choice of approach in facing the death knights that had blocked their path. Honestly, the tight corridors and narrow passages from time to time really put a damper on his mood... the one time he strongly desired to use Nameless – just for a moment – and the entire world itself practically said 'no' in response to his desires.
It wasn't just that anyway as well—but also the slight limits placed on Fulgur's cutting abilities were slightly downgraded when applied to other weapons. Sure they still cut things like butter, but against this Death Knight armor, the slight resistance was annoying—especially when he had to wait for the armor itself to lose power before he could cut through it.
Damn magically augmented armor...
He sighed to himself before he glanced over to see Rosalina skillfully handle two more Death Knights; her poised and graceful twirls and swings – mixed with the bright flames along her large sword – created a sort of visual that was oddly reminiscent of the Abyss watcher boss from Dark souls 3.
He couldn't exactly name the type of style off hand so the childish referral to that game was all he could come up with. Her graceful twirls mixed with her heavy swings and strong thrusts seemed terrifyingly matched with that memorable boss fight—all that was truly missing was the theme song playing over it. Rosalina's use of the fire also helped create that image as well; as a matter of fact—the application of the fire itself wasn't mainly used to burn or cut, but to actually distract her opponent just enough to create a sense of urgency and panic—a means to force an opening.
Her speed and aggression towards the rapidly backpedaling Death knights was quickly creating several opening for her primary target in front of her while the one behind him merely raced against time to open the door leading into their intended objective.
Ryden watched on, calmly following in behind Rosalina's seemingly masterful control of her opponent while also drawing Cerberus. Once the other knight opened the large blast doors leading into what looked like a docking bay, he chambered in his armor piercing rounds and leveled it on the distracted Death Knight.
BANG!
Rosalina hardly noticed the second knights anticlimactic demise – her form passing by the collapsing body without a hint of acknowledgment – and pressed her advance on the remaining Death Knight with increased aggression once she entered the docking room.
It was a domino effect however—the moment Ryden blasted the other knight's head off with one loud howl from Cerberus and he became distracted by the sudden report of Demonic gun fire... a lethal mistake.
SHLIIICK!
Metal armor melted down into molten slag in an instant once Rosalina drove her blade into the Knights chest—sheathing it into the man's heart. A moment of silence prevailed for a second, a masked look of surprise staring down at Rosalina before the Devils insides were rendered to ash with one burst of Phenex fire.
No blood came from the knights wound... only ash.
Ryden stepped into the room a second after Rosalina ended her target while the blast doors behind him shut with a small hiss before the room erupted into ventilation noise—obviously sensing the ash smoke coming from Rosalina's defeated opponent. Ryden paused after noticing Rosalina's scolding glare, obviously being annoyed at having her kill come at such an unseemly time.
"What?" he asked with a shrug once the docking bays ventilation system ended. "He was gonna close the door on me if I didn't shoot him"
Rosalina reply was to stare at him blankly—almost deadpanning.
Ryden simply snorted at her before patting her head once he stepped passed her and into the large docking bay.
It took a little bit longer then what Ryden had initially desired, but after an almost half hour of navigating through the varies halls and corridors, fighting and following Ventus and Fulgur's added assistance in triangulating Ignis' location, they had finally come upon a rather significant source of energy... which led them here, into a docking bay room that sported a second blast door that led down towards the large chasm mine below.
Ryden found himself scratching his head in contemplation while Rosalina step off to his flank—quickly manning a monolith computer that was potentially used to control the blast door that led into the mine itself. The room they found themselves in – the one that gave off the strongest energy signature from Ignis – was a large loading area built for shipping out resources procured from the dig sit down at the base of the mine.
Carriages of varying size dotted along a docking area behind him while large cubed sections of molten earth sat neatly piled further in the room. Along the top of the docking area was a large crane probably used to move around the slabs of tempered rock while several weapon racks holding a few caster staffs were seen bolted up to an exit door to his far left. Ryden ignored all of that after a momentary glance and instead chose to stare through the small glass section along the blast door leading down into the mine. The murky smoke frothing upward from the mine and the loud blaring alarms resounding from within were the only clear sources of light as even the large glass dome sitting above the chasm hardly illuminated the dark and murky depths below.
He could have Ignis to thank for that; the large dome of smoke that had blanketed over the glass dome had easily dulled any light coming down—and even less light managed to pierce through due to the massive hurricane he had conjured just before dropping into the city.
So the only source of light that he could see were the bright orange light sigils flashing about along the chasm walls
And even from where he was within an airtight supply facility, he could still hear the loud regurgitating screech of that blasted security alarm. Nyx's informative words regarding the events outside was helpful enough to note that the mine itself was possibly more dangerous than the castle city itself; unless of course Euclid was courteous enough to outfit the mines with tremor resistant shields just like the castle above... otherwise the efforts below would have been abandon some time ago due to excessive collapses.
He had his hopes... but he had his doubts as well...
Honestly it wouldn't surprise him if Euclid left out such a thing – regardless of how stupid the idea was – but even then, Ryden knew most Old-Satan extremists wouldn't eat a hard boiled egg without forcing the mother hen to watch.
Bloody cartoonish villains...
Ryden snorted to himself before he glanced over to Rosalina; an impatient expression creased in his features as he watched Rosalina fumble around with the computer monolith. "What's the hold up?" he asked while Rosalina continued to glare murder at the monitor in front of her.
The only response he got was a growl of frustration from the woman before she violently put her entire arm directly through the soft flat faced stone slab when it became apparent nothing was working... funny enough, that seemed to do the trick...
PSSSSSSSSS
[Warning—Docking Bay 3 blast doors malfunction detected, Contamination of sulfuric gas imminent; all workers be advised]
Ryden gave Rosalina an amused grin as the large blast door slowly began to hiss open; exposing the room itself in toxic sulfuric gas. After having noticed his gaze, Rosalina shrugged off the man's amusement with an eye roll before she wiped off the rubble along her arm.
"...It wasn't helping" she defended with a casual tone
Ryden cocked a brow towards her just as the door opened completely—filling the room in toxic gas. "Remind me to not annoy you from now on" he stated while ignoring the sudden change in air supply
"—I believe that would be far too difficult for you" Rosalina quickly shot back with a small grin.
Ryden snorted. "Funny, we got jokes now...that's interesting; did I get your joking side all to myself?" he asked with a jested tone. However Rosalina's response at his casual question was to mumble an incoherent reply while fighting off a sudden blush—his words carrying an entirely different meaning only known to her—and another.
Ryden cocked a second brow at the woman's bashful reaction before he shrugged it off as something of Rivia's doing—as it always seemed to be...
One distance comedic sneeze from a certain blonde devil later and Ryden moved on from the observation and toward the massive cliff face that led further down. The loading dock as it were was fed resources from a large metallic elevator that came directly from the base of the mine below, rather than lead into a staging area like a normal mine would. Unfortunately though, the elevator was not present—so instead, a sheer drop down was all that stood before them.
Rosalina glanced downward towards the mine before crinkling her nose towards Ryden when she noted his annoyed expression. "We've jumped from further distances" she stated confidently yet Ryden shook his head at the woman's words.
"It's not that—I'm just wary of a possible ambush below... from my senses, this narrow hole leads into a large wide open chasm that goes on ahead for some hundred kilometers" he revealed before shooting Rosalina a glance. "Lady Lucifuge down there and she knows I'm coming—and judging by the lack luster amount of guards up here makes me wonder if the rest are down there guarding the two things she must think I'm coming for" he paused before he tested his cloaking sigil, thankfully, the sigil gifted to him by Abigail still managed to work as it seemed the purifying buff from Ventus carried over to equipment sigils as well.
Rosalina followed his lead and also vanished from sight; yet her physical outline remained within Ryden's augmented vision—courtesy of the sigils side ability. However, just before he finalized his plan, he suddenly deactivated his cloaking sigil, confusing Rosalina when she spotted his resolute expression.
"What are you doing?"
Ryden sighed to himself. "Lady Lucifuge only knows about me, she doesn't know about any of you—she probably doesn't even expect me to be working with others all things considered" Ryden sighed at that before he sealed Nameless away into his pocket dimension. "She's down there, I can feel it from here" he stated before glancing to where Rosalina was still standing. "I'll face her myself while you search for the Nobles, give Nyx a heads up"
He felt Rosalina rest her hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Be careful—from what rumors say, lady lucifuge is a master in ice magic and other various forms of ancient magic"
Ryden nodded both appreciatively and understandingly at Rosalina's words of advice. "Don't worry too much about me; the nobles down below may be in far thinner ice then I am" he grinned at his unintentional pun, even lightly chuckling when Rosalina swatted his arm playfully.
"It's all Jokes and teases with you—at least promise me you won't go charging in recklessly, such a thing is unbecoming of a Gremory Prince" Ryden could almost feel the smug smirk on Rosalina when she admonished him, and he couldn't help but nod along before chuckling.
"Heheh...you and your damn formalities" he grumbled, to which he heard Rosalina giggle in response—an oddly adorable sound if he was being totally honest.
"Tell you what—if you can somehow manage to keep calm when facing lady lucifuge and not charge her recklessly, thus endangering yourself—I'll at least consider dropping the formality habit... for you of course"
"You drive a hard bargain... you mean you'd wager most of who you are over someone who amounts to nothing but dirt?" he grinned when he could see Rosalina's glowing blush—his genuine and slightly sarcastic reply clearly being something she didn't expect.
"N-now you're just being arrogant" she tried to chid yet he didn't let her retreat from this.
"But it's the truth... if I'm given the choice between you or her—then the answer is obvious, very obvious" his tone came out smooth and flirtatious – his intention of course – which left the practically glowing Rosalina in total silence, especially when he sent a crisp and respectful smile towards her.
.
.
.
He held the smile for a moment longer before he suddenly felt something smear against his lips; it was quick, rapid in motion and somewhat sloppy; however Ryden knew very well what Rosalina had just done.
He blinked in surprise, his eyes staring at nothing in particular before he heard the distinct sound of armor heeled boots run towards the mine shaft and vanish within moments... in a period of mere seconds, Rosalina was gone—leaving Ryden to contemplate what just happened, and what he'd just managed to achieve.
"Damn... didn't think that worked as well as it did" he muttered to himself while lightly licking his lips
Nice going master! That's two down for the books... NO WAIT—that's THREE down in total... god I almost forgot about Tiamat...
I Hate to be that guy, but I'm guessing the mounted pressure on Rosalina's shoulders was probably what pushed her to such a response...Ryden's words were merely the final straw
Doesn't matter he got a smoochie!—now he just needs to mount that coochie
Damn it Fulgur! Ya spoiled the moment...
Oh shit! Sorry master!
Ryden rubbed his face in mild annoyance as Ventus quickly cut the mental link, leaving him in silence as he contemplated Rosalina's words to himself.
Normally his past self would have considered caution like a lion would consider feminism—which was something considerably outside his nature. Grayfia was someone he despised with everything he knew and felt; she was all that remained of his torturers as the cannon fodder that had mocked and tortured those before him were maggot food—courtesy of Sirzechs' siege on Halphes.
As far as he knew—Sirzechs' praetorian detachment had singlehandedly hunted down all those involved with Halphes' long term operation, and executed them on the spot like the dogs they were.
Oh he so deeply would've loved hacking those bastards apart all by himself, yet the pleasure was taken from him... the only source of release he could find now was the image of Grayfia's life fading in his hands—his and his alone.
It was a fucked up thought process—not once in his life did he ever think he'd feel such deep seeded hatred towards someone; as all his life he'd born witness to stories regarding what people did to others – and for sure he despised them like anyone would, as it was normal to feel disgust towards any sort of felon or degenerate – but he wasn't involved personally to fully comprehend the sheer bloodletting violence that coursed through the veins of those that had been personally wronged.
He was an outsider to those feelings...
But now he wasn't...
Human nature was violent and abusive to everything it touched; and not many would truly care for those outside of their own little world, unless it somehow affected them on a personal level. Such things like 'morality' and 'justice' were mere buffers – canvas masks – that merely hid the true monsters that skulk behind the facade. All throughout history, humanity was led on through countless stories of bloody warfare built upon by personal grudges, greed, lies and a sick desire for violence masked behind a sense of 'Glory'.
It made no difference...
Modern humanity – the age that he was from – may have considered morality and justice a bit differently than the current humanity—but that was just because it had been on the table for so long; it merely amounted to nothing but a poor excuse. Morality was as old as the earth itself—but it was just as silent as the stones laid upon it. it was something humans – no – ANY living being, used to distance themselves from those without a sense of right and wrong... because there was no right or wrong in the first place.
Only those left had the right to determine that...
It was a brutal and honest reality of the world that constantly nagged at him—a sick and tragic meaning to what every living being truly felt.
Hatred was writhing in everyone – well... there were at least four humans that begged to differ at the back of Ryden's mind – however that didn't excuse the majority consensus regarding the world as it were. Hatred was unavoidable... if morality or justice was as unquestionable as people believed, then why was it that such 'Righteous' people sought violence on the criminal?—or even those that differed in opinion?
Such things had started the grandest of violent acts... War
In present time, humans viewed capital punishment as a form of entertainment; for male convicts, the death penalty was something that was cheered by the masses, and extolled by men of the cloth... and for the female convicts?...it was something far more deplorable—yet otherwise accepted and enjoyed by the masses... even though their crimes didn't at all fit the punishment.
In the future, the death penalty was slowly sapped from society—thrown into a state of mild obscurity, at least that's what Ryden believed. Most of his knowledge stemmed from state punishments in America and Provincial punishment in Canada... the rest of the world may possibly still possess some gnarly death sentences.
Even so—the general viewing of such things no longer carried with it a sense of public entertainment; but instead, the death penalty was used to cull away the worst of the crop—while the 'lesser evils' were placed into isolation.
There was a growth in societies viewing of death—but it still remained none the less; the hatred and desire for violence remained strong in the ignorant and the spiteful.
Ryden sighed to himself as he stood calmly over the edge of the mine shaft, his eyes staring down at the glowing depths below; the orange light of smelting heat and fire easily giving way to the destination he had below. Yet he paused in his thoughts... remembering something.
He knew human nature was violent by flawed design—but that never stopped humanity from grasping at something to help control that violence; and he was one of such people—one of many others that fought against the encroaching 'evil' that rotted away the hearts of men.
Ryden smirked forlornly at that thought before a familiar line came across his darkened thoughts.
"Evil was evil... lesser, greater, middling—it makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary and the definition is blurred..." he paused again after quoting a familiar line. "If I'm to choose between one evil and another... I'd rather not choose at all"
.
.
.
It took a moment, but a bitter chuckle crept out his throat before he sent a glare downward.
"Were it so easy..."
In the end, violence always prevailed.
However...
He knew such things only created horrid men—people that perpetuated the cycle; which was why he found himself clinging softly to the sensation on his lips, the small feeling of innocence linger along with it before he remembered something else—something recent.
"Never change..."
"Stay just as you are"
Rivia's words echoed in the back of his mind—and directly afterwards her smile followed as well while Rosalina's soft and innocent kiss added in to pinch off his prior thoughts.
He paused again, remembering that moment vividly in a state of silence that didn't at all shatter by the passage of moments.
.
.
.
His fist suddenly clenched tight; new emotions creeping into his already made up mind before he growled to himself when they clashed with his old emotions—mounting a frustration that finally snapping into a stubborn snarl; his eyes suddenly glowing a fierce blue.
"No—this ends now"
Glass cracked from the pressure radiating off of Ryden; his mounted frustration and coalesced anger exploding outward in an unseen force of pressure that sent everything around him flying to the far side of the room; and Just seconds after Ryden's release of his aura, the docking bay suddenly blared loudly, the ventilation alarm system quickly resounding before failing a second after as the pressure from Ryden's aura crumpled everything within range in on itself. Windows shattered, generators exploded and carriages collapsed into metallic husks while the room was quickly exposed to the outside world—the black smoke from outside quickly flooding in to fill the entire docking bay in ashen blackness, enshrouding the lone man within.
With one final snarl of determination, Ryden stepped off and plummeted towards the earth below with the smoke following after him; his bright eyes – now glowing crimson – easily piercing through the thick shroud around him.
[Mines below/ several minutes earlier...]
Deep within the chasm of the Ashfeld mines, a mass of activity was in full swing in the center of a large staging area framed by the mining shafts that dotted along the outer was. All around the large make shift staging area filled with supply crates and mining equipment—dozens of Swarm knights and Death knights – as well as a few working class officers outfitted in Beelzebub embroidery – scurried around in a rushed manner, each of them with varying tasks that had to be completed before everything collapse into fiery chaos.
All around the staging area—thick smoke completely entrapped them—shielding their vision of the maze like mines dotting the walls around them completely. The only thing keeping it from converging on them was a large dome of grayish blue demonic energy.
In the short distance from them; a large river of magma swathed around violently, frothing out gouts of deadly lava that evaporated the air with every angry churn. And after a Slow period, the magma had begun dissolving and igniting everything in its path—destroying a large majority of the subterranean operation at the base of the mining chasm. Thankfully though, for those on the elevated staging area, the brightly glowing magma had been slowly draining down a few trenches along the outer most section of the mine—something that had been rapidly built in order to staunch the slowly rising levels of liquid earth.
So far, the reaction had been minimal—yet only one person knew of the coming catastrophe; and the sole cause of the reaction itself.
Standing with her back straight and poised as any officer would, Grayfia lucifuge stared blankly through her custom made mask—her faceless visor easily hiding her blood red eyes from the world around her. For the moment, her gaze was locked on a distant mound of molten earth that was surrounded by deep boiling magma—the magma itself coming directly from the peak of the mound itself where a distinct orange glow could be seen
With a silent sigh, she felt the approach of one of her officers step in behind her and bow—the knights black armor outfitted with highly decorated embroidery easily denoting his rank, yet she knew it hardly matched his—yet regardless, his position at his side was unfounded.
A close friend so to say...
The knights skull embroidered helmet gleamed up towards her with crimson jewels slotted in the helmets eye sockets. It was hardly intimidating for those of her rank, yet for the weaker few—the tactic was admittedly effective. However she knew the man didn't at all express the same degree of intimidation when it came to her. Even if those within his unit possessed such Gothic and gaudy designs to their armor, they were all still the same.
The knight's bow remained even as he spoke. "Progress has continued as requested my lady—however word from the surface has come down; Lord Descendant Shalba requests your presence"
.
.
.
"My lady?"
Grayfia fought the desire to sigh at the knights conveyed message and instead kept her poised standing as always.
"The time for cowardice retreat has been far from extinguished... the priority target is here, the attack from the dragons is far to coordinated to be anything random—tell him to prepare" her gaze shifted over her shoulder just slightly.
The knight almost shivered.
"Y-yes my lady..."
For a moment, Grayfia casually watched the death knight disappear in a flurry of demonic energy before she glanced off into the distance—towards the opposite end of the mining chasm where they had descended from. She stared for a moment, stretching out her senses before she came upon a familiar sensation—one that was far more powerful than what she last felt.
Her gaze did not falter or drop—nor did it rise into an amused gleam. Instead – like clockwork – her stature remained impassive, merely observant of the coming threat.
"So you've found me..." she muttered out to no one but herself, yet even so, the knights around her paused in their tasks; confused by her words. For a moment longer, the knights hesitantly stared at her—yet suddenly, a distant explosion echoed out along the chasm's walls—the location of the source being close to the base of the mines loading dock further back from their location.
Soon—loud screams of fear and pain began rippling outward along the same walls that dotted the entire chasm opening; and soon after—even more screams were added into the mix along with metal clangs and rapid caster staff reports. Chaos waged itself near the safer section of the mines—the sound of clear battle roaring outward for all to hear and feel, leading for most of the lesser experienced swarm knights to shiver in trepidation, while the large number of Death Knights standing around Grayfia stood resolutely in place, their hands quickly reaching for their sheathed weapons.
The air began to whip and course with almost sentient awareness—pulling the smoke that surrounded them towards the source of the battle, shielding their view completely. However, even with their vision impaired by the smoke, the screams of their distant allies continued; leading some to ponder the number of knights stationed near the base of the loading dock. They knew they were in larger quantities then their apparent enemies so the odds of the battle reaching them were almost null and void...
It was impossible for whoever it was to breach through that many guards... yet it continued on.
Dread began to waft into the hearts of the weaker willed—the officers and knights of The Swarm easily finding themselves dreading the idea of facing whoever it was that was rapidly approaching their position, yet the knights associated with the Lucifuge house slowly began focusing their all on quelling the threat once it made itself known.
Those of the Death Knight order were warriors trained to combat the stronger of any species, even their own kind—the high-class elite. Believed to be untouchable due to their inherent powers, the legion of the Death knights had always managed to quell Higher classes abhorrent belief throughout the ages; Their small order had stood through the test of time just as much as The Inquisition had—facing the storm of the angels and fallen with steadfast integrity... they had outlasted many in wake of those days.
Far be it from them to associate with their treacherous brothers a part of the Praetorian order—as they were one of the last known orders to stand loyal to the true rulers of hell.
Nothing could compete with their loyalty... nor could they compete with their own inherited blood...
And none could compete with their duty to defend their masters...
"Stand ready welps—prepare yourselves!" a tall knight adorned in thick obsidian armor barked roughly through his augmented helmet, his ornamented figure giving way his status amongst his peers.
Hesitantly, some of the swarm knights unsheathed their weapons and stood ready amongst the elite knights standing as the vanguard around Grayfia; yet amongst the clutter—Grayfia herself remained impassive to the increasing tension amongst her 'guards'.
Even with her doubts—she still had somewhat of a responsibility to them... so she gave them some inspiration alongside the Death Knight Officers orders.
"Let it be known to you all" they paused when she spoke—their forms momentarily freezing in place when her cold tone crept up into their ears. "The one that approaches... is the one that destroyed Lucifaad—your home"
She remained silent as the knights around her processed the information given; her eyes slowly skimming over each knight with a casual glance. The swarm knights were more visibly affected by her words then the Death Knights standing around her. Their shoulders shook with unrepentant anger while their hands clenched their weapons tighter than before—even their teeth could be heard clenching under their helmets.
The hesitation had been effectively neutralized.
Grayfia nodded – a barely noticeable action – before she batted an eye towards her apparent guards. Nothing could truly be discerned from their forms, but the rigid and unmoving stance they all took only stood to affirm their position.
The usually focused Death Knight's had become far more focused then before... which was understandable in her eyes. His legion had been trained as priority assassins—not guards or frontal assault units—instead, His legion was most effective via bounty hunting.
Once they had a target in sight... the end was inevitable.
Well... most of the time anyway.
Grayfia shut her eyes and mulled over her earlier thoughts before compounding them to memory and thus moving on. After a moment, she shot her gaze all around their protected field – quickly noticing the slow but sure migration of black smoke to the source of the distant battle. And soon enough, their entire escape route towards the surface elevator through the chasm had been cut off by a wall of black smoke—the only thing visible now was the distant mound of molten rock guarded by the river of lava at their flank.
And it was then the chaos of the fighting had ceased...
"Did they get them?" one swarm knight inquired—clearly thinking the adversary was in numbers. However before anyone could respond to the man—a slew of swarm knights quickly emerged from the massive plume of black smoke; their heavily damaged forms matted in blood and gore groaning loudly as they rushed the defensive field in a panic.
"HEY LET US IN!" one yelled hysterically while the others behind him quickly began pounding on the dome of energy; clear hysteric fear gripping their features.
Those within the dome quietly held their stances, yet some had already began to shiver at the sight; the image of their terrified allies painting a woefully different picture of just what was attacking them. the looks in each of their gazes suggested something horrifying—some even recognized a few of their closer allies among the hysteric few, the clear despair ridden within their gazes quickly forcing some to avert their eyes in shame.
Lady Lucifuge wouldn't give them passage—and they knew it.
For a long painful minute, the sole remaining Death Knights and swarm knights guarding the ever silent Lady Lucifuge held their eyes on the slowly churning wall of smoke—completely ignoring the desperate pleas of their clearly compromised allies.
For their own defense; the wall of black smoke was something they'd never seen before—Perhaps in some cases they had seen a few high-class devils manipulate wind on a more basic level; and they said basic because what they were looking at was possibly the most masterful form of wind manipulation they'd ever seen.
The smoke that had bled off of the encroaching lava coming from their main objective had originally blanketed the entire chasm completely, forcing lady lucifuge to summon a large dome of energy to block out the deadly toxins within it—yet now it had almost willingly moved away from them in order to block out the entire rear section of the mine—the side of the mine containing the horror that had apparently decimated their ranks.
Now...
The unknown awaited them in the black mass... and a smoldering death of fire called out to them at their flanks.
They couldn't be in a worse situation even if they tried.
Grayfia stood at the ready, her eyes narrowing into focused slits as the wall of smoke began encroaching on them slowly. The sight of the moving smoke quickly silenced the rabble outside her dome—sheathing them in shivering husks once considered a descendant's elite guardians.
The fear of what they'd apparently survived had been far too much for them to handle; she even watched a few faint at the sight of the moving cloud of black smoke—the sight itself looking like a slowly approaching monster hidden beneath a shroud of darkness.
However – and much to her surprise – most of those outside the dome actually collected themselves and nervously glared at the black smoke with a hint of defiance. Yet in the wake of their defiance—the cloud of black smoke suddenly exploded outward in a flurry of wind that rippled all around them like a hurricane—sending those outside tumbling back towards the dome before slamming into it painfully.
WHAM!
In almost perfect unison, the bodies of those outside impacted the dome violently while those within the dome only slightly felt the effects of the sudden explosion of wind—forcing them to cover their eyes for a moment.
Yet a moment was all that was needed...
...Because the magma behind them – their sole source of illumination – had been quickly snuffed out like a candle light.
Everything else was darkness...
Panic quickly followed those outside...
...Yet it didn't last for long
Silence overtook those outside; their forms quickly rising into standing formations when the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing began filtering in through the silence. Steadily, the swarm knight's standing outside zeroed in on the source of the breathing—their eyes squinting tightly to help them make out the slight outline of a figure just outside of their view.
Grayfia on the other hand stared at the distant figure for a moment before something out of the corner of her view suddenly caused her eyes to widen; as just above the figure, a massive boulder was quickly seen floating in the air like nothing before it was hurled at them at high speeds.
WOOOOOVVVV!
She acted fast by hardening her stance and strengthened her demonic energy in response to the surprise attack; a response that easily managed to withstand the impact with nothing but minor damage—however for some few knights outside within the boulders path, their end came very abruptly...
Bones shatter instantly upon impact while the organs within immediately ruptured and exploded—spraying the dome with a large gush of gore and blood that momentarily blinded them of the events outside before the ichor slowly slide off in a sickly manner.
Those within stared forward in newly acquired trepidation—the image of a massive boulder seemingly floating in the air by itself having easily created a seed of doubt in their minds, yet regardless, the attack had only managed to kill a few standing outside while the dome itself had survived the attack without any visible damage. So to them, the attack was ineffective—thus bolstering their morale to some degree, yet those still outside and alive were anything but.
Amongst the chaotic aftermath of the boulders sudden appearance, the distinct sound of footsteps returned while the seemingly calm breathing coming from their attacker continued to echo out for all to hear—as if something was augmenting the sound itself.
After a moment of undistinguished footsteps – the origin of the adversary seemingly unknown due to the odd change in atmospheric acoustics – silence once again took hold, only ever being interrupted by soft breathing.
This time however, the origin was closer than before...
The swarm knights outside felt their skin prickle nervously, while the hairs at the back of their necks quickly rose. They awaited some sort of attack, patiently waiting while listening intently on the soft yet raspy breathing coming from the darkness ahead of them.
Inhale...
Exhale...
Silence...
Silence suddenly filled the void around them—momentarily plunging the terrified knights into a moment of confused panic. They shot their eyes from left to right—rapidly searching for the enemy as if it would jump out at them from anywhere.
BVVV!
With a flash of scarlet light, a blood red sword suddenly ignited at their 12 o' clock, illuminating a transparent figure standing no shorter than a couple yards from them. Its red eyes glared directly at them from unseen sockets—the face of the attacker seemingly shrouded by an additional invisibility that left its full form masked in transparency.
A few Swarm knights responded to the unknown being's sudden appearance with several volleys of caster fire, the looted staffs of built in magic easily granting the desperate survivors with ranged offence—momentarily boosting morale. However such things were quickly shut down with the beings response.
Arc energy coursed along the beings sword arm, sending it into blurs of motion that quickly began deflecting and redirecting the fire like nothing—the crimson eyes of the being shining brighter than before.
"Take it down!" one swarm knight yelled as the transparent demon slowly trudged towards them, its sword easily countering their demonic bolts with unbelievable speed.
"I'm trying!" another knight replied before firing another bolt towards the invisible target; yet with a flick of its wrist, the bolt was sent directly back to him—the deflection striking the man in the chest with seemingly augmented strength that sent the knight tumbling back like a ragdoll.
Every knight present that witnessed the man's death quickly began noticing the slight increase in demonic energy with each deflected caster bolt—And it became increasingly obvious to those within the dome that every deflected bolt was rapidly augmented with arc energy, thus pushing the lethality of the bolts to unseen levels.
The brief mystery was short lived as the demon quickly closed the gap between the surviving swarm knights—its apparent skill in deflection having mounted it a few more kills before it stepped within melee distance.
In response to the close proximity, the remaining swarm knights hefted their swords into ready stances; yet unfortunately for them however, the demon merely yanked the bladed weapons from their hands with a distinct pulling motion with its other hand.
Panic suddenly flared as the remaining knights took in their weaponless hands with despaired features; yet their fear didn't last long...
Those within the dome could only watch as the invisible creature tore into the surviving swarm knights with ease; its weapon seemingly passing through their armor like a knife through paper—dismembering limb and bodies like wheat to a scythe.
Panicked shrills and pained screams filtered out from the half dozen swarm knights outside as the Invisible Demon cut into them with merciless brutality.
With a downward strike it bisected a screaming knight before it rapidly re-positioned itself to deliver an upward struck to a rushing knight. With terrifying speed, the Demon easily removed the oncoming threat before suddenly clearing the distance with another – it's from now coated in a cloak of arc energy – which allowed the Demon to decapitate a turning knight before he could flee.
It was an honor-less method, to strip its victims of their weapons was something the Death Knights within the dome found incredibly disgusting—especially given the Demon's apparent lack of mercy towards those clearly unwilling to fight back.
Amongst the slaughter outside the dome, they watched one of the remaining knights attempt to flee towards the loading dock's elevator; the man's whimpering cries carrying out for some to hear, before the creature suddenly reach out with its left arm and pulled the crying man towards him with unseen force.
Those within felt their hearts clench at the sight, while some watched on as the Demon twist around and delivered a horizontal slash to the man's stomach just as he passed him—effectively cutting him in half and spraying the dome in another gout of gore.
.
.
.
Silence dominated the dome while some quietly growled at the sight, watching as the struggling body of the slowly dying devil at the creatures feet squirmed in silent pain—gurgling on large amounts of blood.
Suddenly, the man's head was stomped into a distinct splatter of bone and brain matter which coated the creature's leg in bloodied ichor. Those within could only watch as the creature stood where it was amongst the bloodied carnage, its back facing them.
It stood there for a moment, breathing calmly before it slowly turned to regard them with barely defined features—a visage that caused those within to suddenly reconsider their quickly mounted anger. The brutal death of those outside was testament to its power and skill, a perfect example of its conduct and desire.
Whatever this thing was, it killed without mercy or tact—an indiscriminate killer without honor and creed. However their anger towards its apparent brutality had to be tempered into a focused determination or else it would out smart them.
The death knights within the protective dome could understand what it had just done—at what it had just succeeded in doing. Some of the Elite knights standing guard around an eerily silent Lady Lucifuge glanced over each swarm knight, quickly noticing their apparent agitation and anger that were obviously infecting their self preservation.
Those of the Death Knight creed could understand the utilities of Physiological warfare—to use certain methods to help coax a form of reaction from their enemies. But while they never considered the practice of murdering warriors who'd lost their will to fight, or random civilians, they had still manipulated the perception of their actions in order to get the same effect.
Faking death was simple if one knew the right method...
But this... this was taking it all the way passed their desired limits.
And it worked...
"Steady fools! It wishes to provoke you into attacking" one Death Knight intoned harshly, impartially staunching the mounting anger in the eyes of the swarm knights—the ones that had recognized their friends among the dead outside.
One swarm knight roughly glanced away from the gore strewn about over the dome "Tsk... it killed them... like animals" he growled out, both horrified and enraged by the sight.
"We are aware, but its chosen intent on doing so was merely to coax you—remain steadfast to your duty, not the dead" at the words of the lead Death knight, each knight of The Swarm nodded hesitantly at the advice, yet it was clear to some that it hadn't caused the true effect desired.
For the one knight that had recognized his long time friend outside, his eyes quickly locked onto the Thing standing calmly just a few inches from the energy dome—silent and unmoving.
However... its eyes were now on him, and only him
The knights skin suddenly felt cold when the crimson orbs denoting the Demon eyes stared directly at him through the blood along the dome, his gaze unmoving and unwavering in its intensity. The knight felt his throat tighten when the Demon slowly raised its hand with slow and methodical motions; yet his gaze slowly morphed into morbid disgust when the Demon outside began inscribing an image into the bloody smear.
A sickly screech soon echoed out from the demons finger as it dragged it along through the blood, creating the morbid and taunting image of a smiley face that it soon used to pear through towards them—only stopping until its gaze locked with Lady Lucifuge; eyes of crimson shining brighter as it glared directly at the woman to the Knights flank.
Its true desire became apparent right at that moment...
!?
The officer of the present unit of Death Knights quickly glanced towards her, his attention to detail being spot on.
"My Lady, do you know this beast?" he suddenly asked upon noticing the reaction in the creature's eyes. Such a thing was substantial information for them to abuse, because if just one of them knew of the beast's identity and possible abilities then they would be able to take whatever lay beyond the dome down.
However his words left the woman before him silent, the question itself wafting in the air for some time; forcing the edges of the Grayfia's eyes to narrow just slightly behind her visor when she fully committed her thoughts to the situation.
She knew right then that Ryden had put her into a tight spot—a spot she loathed to be in. If she spoke freely and acknowledged the man by name; and even go on to expose his true identity, then it would reveal too much of her self... even if doing so would expose Ryden's tactical image of a demon looming over them, she couldn't afford bringing attention to the man.
He was distracted enough with his own objectives... there was no need to bring attention to this man.
And so her decision was made... sacrifice the few over the many
"I do not Lord Galron, this creatures knowledge of me may be something we have yet to understand" Grayfia could feel officer Galron's disappointment and doubt seeping into his posture and so she staunched it with a follow up comment. "Its familiarity of me may be due to my power" Grayfia paused before glancing to Ryden, his transparent gaze merely watching her with barely wavering eyes. She fought the desire to snort when her own choice presented itself—causing her to immediately regard Lord Galron with a crisp glance. "This things actions and demeanor seem oddly familiar with this Predator the nobles have spoken of, and its odd list of targets seems to desire powerful devils to help sate its apparent thirst for power... the Valefor family can attest to that"
Many around Grayfia pondered her words, analyzing the appearance patterns of this so called Predator that had been terrorizing the folk in Lilith. For the most part, Lady Lucifuge's words spoke a clear amount of truth in all cases presented— as out of all the teams and platoons that had encountered the unknown creature had been all but destroyed; and the only survivors had been the weakest of the flock. The Valefor families utter disappearance a few couple days ago had been something that had shocked several noble families into a state of panic—a reaction that had forced their ladies hand into deploying their Primarch in order to find the creature and end its reign of terror.
All the dots had been connected the instant lady Lucifuge spoke—enticing the swarm knights all around her to suddenly regard the creature outside with a bead of sweat along their brows, a new source of fear quickly forming as they took in the dreadful image of the smiling demon glaring directly at them. And while the Death Knights to their flank continued to ponder the full list of actions partaken by The Predator like the professional warriors they were, they on the other hand slowly began to realize the sheer horror that stood outside their sole source of protection.
This thing butchered all it hunted... killed any that opposed it... silenced all that entered its path with no source of reason or goal—as if it did so for fun.
Weapons began shaking in loosened fists, a slow encroaching terror slowly forming as the image of the smiling demon seared itself into their minds; burning the dreadful image of an eldritch horror they had no means of fighting—no hope of understanding.
The mystery of the unknown was truly the source of its power—that much they knew; but even if they tried to desperately cling to their sole solace of protection, they still knew it was their duty to face the thing lurking outside.
Their fear became realized soon after when its transparent hands suddenly pressed against the dome, a loud siphoning echo quickly groaning out from its spot along the dome of energy. The Swarm knights only heard a slight groan of surprise at their flank but they never took their eyes off of the creature to see Lady lucifuge suddenly struggle with the rapid depletion of her demonic energy... it was only a matter of time now.
Lord Galron glanced over to his ward, his eyes quickly widening when he processed the clenched jaw adorn on Lady Lucifuge—her focus on keeping the dome active clearly being her sole focus, but even he knew it wouldn't last long.
"Stand ready welps, prepare yourselves for combat!" he ordered as he drew his Long sword from his caped back. At his order, several other Death Knights followed his lead, their resolute stances somewhat hardening the swarm knight officers into action.
"Come on you Ape's, you wanna live forever!" one officer ordered with a fire in his tone—something that pushed a few of his soldiers into ready positions.
Drawn weapons suddenly hardened in the palms of their wielders while others quickly drew their own weapons and held their stance towards the one seeking to break through towards them.
SSSSSSSSSSssssssssssss...
A low but audible hiss resounded from the demons hands as the domes energy slowly began fluctuating, the bright grayish blue light of the dome slowly lowering into a dull shimmer—expose all within to the deep darkness that surrounded them.
Seeing as how their last source of reliable light was dying, a few knights quickly scrambled to the flood lights around them, their hands working in over time to get them operational before they were doomed to the darkness—and the demon that laid within it.
Sssssssssss...
The low hiss was now silent as a whisper as the dome around them rapidly declined, leading most of those within to stare unblinking at the two red eyes staring at them through the blooded smear—hoping they would be able to track the creature by the sight of its visible eyes alone.
As Grayfia compounded and focused her energy into one final push to counter Ryden's siphoning energy, Grayfia pushed outward with a flash freezing burst of ice that froze a section of earth around her. Those within watched as the dome froze rapidly all the way towards the demons hands—and for a moment, they felt hope spring up into their hearts when it made no move to retreat from their ladies powerful magic.
However its counter shattered that hope in an instant...
VVVVVP!
From its hands, Arc energy suddenly shot out into tethers of scarlet bolts that immediately countered Lady Lucifuge's ice, shattered the section of the dome entirely—before the rest of the dome shattered like glass, momentarily blinding all within with hoarfrost vapor.
Energy glass clattered down to the floor in slow motion as the knights within fought to see through the thick cloud of white vapor, their rapidly rising panic quickly mounting as they finally regarding the being that awaited them—the malevolent gaze of the Demon held tightly on the momentarily panting Lady Lucifuge.
Without warning, Lord Galron flicked his sword into a reverse grip and threw it directly at the creature as if it were a spear—and for just a moment, his eyes widened when his sword actually struck true, his blade sheathing several inches into the demons chest with an audible SHLING!
Shock spread rapidly before relief suddenly took hold when the transparent figure suddenly fell back with a sword sheathed into his chest. A loud cheer resounded at the sight as some quickly took the chance to charge the falling foe. From where she stood, Grayfia silently watched as the figure that she knew to be Ryden fell onto its back while some few knights rushed in to insure a confirmed kill—their swords rising to deliver several butchering chops to the body.
Yet from the distance—a small shimmer of jade light quickly pierced through the darkness at the peak of her vision, causing her heart to skip several beats at what she suddenly realized.
A trap!
"Sto—"
SIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!
A sharp whistle pierced through the veil of darkness before a green arrow sheathed itself into the ground at Grayfia's feet; and a second afterwards, the advancing knights crumpled to the floor— seemingly decapitated by a flash of spatial light, as if the air itself became sharp like a swords edge.
?!
Silence yet again encompassed the entire group when the pressing swarm knights fell into two pieces; their heads slowly rolling to a stop in random directions while their bodies collapsed into graceless heaps. Yet amongst the fallen, the Demons partially collapsed body suddenly lurched upward, collecting itself before righting its stance back into its previous position.
Many stared at the Demon – mostly at the sword jutting from its chest – before they watched it dissipated into nothing—the crimson sword in its hand soon sheathing itself into the ground once the body fully disappeared. Yet just before they could process the event, the crimson sword suddenly rose from the ground and shot off into the darkness; its crimson glass sheen vanishing in the distance.
Realization slowly settled in when the remaining knights quickly became aware of what they had been watching...
It was an illusion...
Grayfia slowly began to feel a bid of trepidation creep into her thoughts—especially when she realized what Ryden had actually managed to do just now. From what she knew so far, Ryden was in possession of two of the four Infernum Armis' – wind and lightning – and each of those elements possessed a severally unknown list of powers she was woefully unprepared to deal with.
In all sense of the word... Ryden was vastly more powerful than her in every right – by power and mystery alone; and a small part of her considered the notion of the Infernum Armis' being the large crutch that kept him at such a level, but even then his mysterious powers had been something she had to consider way back then.
She had to fortify herself—at least gouge his abilities and limits before the inevitable, but right now, Ryden desired to hunt her guards just as he'd done to the many patrolling hunter killer teams and Swarm knight teams in Lilith. The memo fit the description of the image Ryden had seemingly constructed – even after his apparent light show some time before – and always seemed to follow along a set amount of guidelines just to make sure the message he was sending got out to the public.
It was a smart plan she had to admit after some time to think about the strategic matter behind it, but so far it was working as intended... she'd been lured out.
She steeled herself at that thought. Even after being personally called upon when a Valois Xa had been reported mentioning Ryden Vale by name, she had her reasons to believe the man himself had been aware of her impending agenda to silence the events in Halphes... the painful thing was that in her efforts to disconnect herself with the events in Halphes was that it had worked in getting her out in the open.
Once the reports of this Predator came into the picture, and the apparent loss of the Marax brothers—as well as the disappearance of the Infernum Armis' they had been tasked with unsealing (not to mention the apparent light show thereafter) she had no choice but to assist Shalba Beelzebub in silencing The Predator before he caught wind of the assailants true identity... if that happened, she could kiss everything she knew good bye.
This was why everything had worked as Ryden had intended; he knew of her desire to hide her true identity – for reasons he had absolutely no right to know – but because of his powers, and her loose lipped idiot of a brother, Ryden had somehow learned of her true name, and he knew perfectly well how protective she was of that name when even some of her own men had learned of it...the end result had sealed the deal.
Her presence in Ashfeld was a mere request by her master, to remain in Shalba's place while he relocated to the Thorns capital for further requested orders from Rizevim; and normally, she would have complied without argument – silent as she always was – but when Shalba, The absolute naive knob-end when it came to subtly and self image preservation, decided to publicly announce that she was assisting with the eradication of the locale monster, it practically sealed the coming events into the scrolls of fate—as well as the clear and obvious negative press he was getting in smaller sections of public news.
All of that however wasn't her problem—if Shalba was too arrogant or ignorant to understand what he'd done to his own image then that was his problem; however the issue she had was that it had revealed her presence in Lilith... but because of personal disconnection, she had no choice but to remain ignorant less she attract unnecessary attention.
The one mystery was how Ryden had learned of where she was as all sources of information regarding her location in Lilith were only available to the most loyal and the ones involved with the Old-Satan military—and none of her 'traps' had been tripped beforehand so she couldn't assume Ryden had chanced upon a rare meeting between the loyalist nobles.
However—she had to guess Ryden had gotten the information from someone, yet irregardless of whom it was, the matter itself proved substantially apparent; the information had been leaked...
Tsk!
BBVVVVVVVVVVV!
Her eyes widened when several bolts of Arc energy suddenly impacted against the remaining knights around her—the loud and vibrate scarlet lightning bolts easily vaporising her last remaining guards into nothing but visible ash. She couldn't even hear the loud cries of pain from the sheer howl of crimson lightning—yet through the bright light, she watched as those around her faded into ashen clouds before even the ash itself was burned away—and among the large pillars of scarlet light, a lone figure landed roughly amongst them, a swordspear in hand.
Just as that happened, Grayfia felt the sudden return of sweltering heat behind her—the malevolent flames of that weapon suddenly igniting in response to the sudden attack—illuminating the entire chasm once again. Her eyes mistakenly glanced to the smoldering magma at her flank in a precautionary move, merely judging the distance she had with the liquid earth and the possible rise in lava, yet the magma made no move to encroach on her position...
...Because someone else did.
"Gahk!" a strong hand suddenly gripped over her throat, cutting off her air supply. In response, her hand reached up to struggle against the offending limb while her eyes took in the image of Ryden Vale himself—the man's hardened and focused blue eyes glaring into her with a pinch of smug enjoyment as he held her up with one hand.
"Hello there..." he muttered mockingly with venom before he tossed her away from the lava with ease—sending her tumbling away a few meters. Grayfia quickly collected herself and summoned a single ice sword just in time to bloke a downward swing from the man's black Swordspear.
CLANG! CRASH!
The force of the strike cracked the earth at her feet, the sheer power from the downward strike effectively pinning her to the ground below. For a single moment, she silently struggled against Ryden's pressing strength, her eyes staring up towards the man with resilience before she realized his other hand had yet to even touch his weapon.
She stared at the silent man for a moment before he suddenly retracted his swordspear—sending her momentarily off balance. Due to the amount of strength she placed in fighting against Ryden's own, Grayfia was momentarily caught off guard long enough for him to drive a knee into her sternum—sending her flying a few yards back again.
Collecting herself like she did before, Grayfia easily controlled her landing and refocused her eyes back onto a patiently waiting Ryden; the man merely standing with his back to the river of lava, staring at her with a neutral expression. He stared at her for a moment; long enough for her to see the coldness in the man's eyes which was silhouetted by the bright orange glow of lava behind him—creating a wrathful image.
Yet after a moment, Ryden's gaze became slightly easy going—an expression Grayfia fully knew was a mask... it had always been one for him.
"Long time, no see Grayfia—how's life been treating you?" he asked casually, yet his malice wasn't missing at all.
She ignored that inherent expression. "How did you find me?" she asked coldly, even slightly mounting a small pinch of malice of her own.
Ryden merely shifted his head from side to side, cracking his neck, before he sighed away a mild breath of relief. "wasn't looking for you—I was actually looking for the Nobles being held here—apparently some tactical genius thought that was a great idea" Grayfia fell silent at his words while he hummed amusedly at her lacking retort.
"Though now that I'm here—I'm surprised the big bad Lady Lucifuge is still here as well; trying and failing to unseal an Infernum Armis" Ryden glanced off towards the distant mound of volcanic earth holding the obvious weapon—however the apparent glow of its power made it difficult to make out its true form, irregardless, it was still there and safe of any thievery.
He gave the ever silent Grayfia a mildly disappointed look. "For a woman who never expressed desperation—I'm rather turned off that you'd stoop to such petty morals to actually attempt something even your betters failed to accomplish"
"..."
Ryden quirked a brow at the now silent Grayfia before his eyes locked onto her visor, the thing that seemed to radiate a source of energy whenever he laid eyes on it. Now that he was freely sensing it, he realized It was a foreign energy signature...
It seems that mask of her's does indeed conceal her full identity...
Interesting... It's an advanced form of illusion magic—and I can't seem to crack the source of it completely for some reason...
Ryden shook his head at that, confusing Grayfia.
"Don't bother trying... keep it just as it is for now" he openly stated—pressing Grayfia's confusion further down into the unknown. However, before she could contemplate Ryden's odd words, the man suddenly regarded her with a battle ready stance—his swordspear rising to point at her threateningly, arc energy loosely radiating off the edges as visual wisps of air slowly began forming around Ryden's legs.
"Now then—I think the useless chatter has gone on long enough" he started before his form hardened and the pressure around Grayfia grew thicker. "If you wish to remain silent, do so, but I hope you are ready to actually put up a challenge for me—otherwise I'll be severely disappointed"
Grayfia's form hardened as well in response to Ryden's action, her own demonic energy levels rising to contend against Ryden's mysterious energy. Hoarfrost collected around her form, creating vapor clouds of steam that wafted into the air around her; and in her hand, a two handed heirloom sword materialized from a flurry of icy wind.
It was simplistic by design; a long and thin double sided silver blade with a simplistic ornate cross guard adorn with a single ice blue gem in the center. The handle was long enough for two handed use and the pommel itself blossomed outward into a blue rose.
Grayfia's handle of the weapon was masterful as she held the weapon with a confidence only seen in those who've mastered their craft. She gave the weapon a few practice twirls before calmly holding the weapon at her side, her legs bending down to a ready stance—ice shards ominously sprouting at her feet.
Ryden smirked at the sight, his own excitement rising as he beheld Grayfia's readied stance. "Now let's see how the mysterious lady Lucifuge fairs against me"
"You are overconfident, naive and abrasive" Grayfia stated simply, eyes just slightly narrowing.
Ryden quirked at brow at her words before shaking his head. "And you are blind..."
Just as his words left his lips, Ryden simply pointed to Grayfia's flank, and for Grayfia, she suddenly felt a second presence behind her just when Ryden gestured to her rear—forcing her to whip her head around to see a second Ryden standing behind her, his expression held in a smug grin.
She reacted accordingly, her body quickly twirling around to block a sudden sword swing to her neck—courtesy of the Infernum Armis Fulgur that was gently held in the clone's hand.
CLANG!
The strength and power behind the casual swing was amplified greatly by the effects of Fulgur's arc energy, which exploded upon contact with her sword—sending her flying back several yards towards the other Ryden.
Yet before she could even reach him, her from suddenly froze in the air—courtesy of his telekinetic manipulation. She glanced over to the man, easily noting his outstretched arm pointed towards her—and just after that, she noted the man's smug grin.
"Wise is the man who utilizes every available power at his disposal; and when used to great effect, even the strong can fall to the weak" he snorted at his own words as he continued to hold Grayfia in the 'palm' of his hand while his clone casually – even robotically – walked to his side and stood with Fulgur resting in its hand.
Grayfia clicked her tongue at the sight...
Ryden mulled over the sight of his clones robotic and even soulless movements, filing that away for later study before he returned to the matter at hand; his smug grin quickly returning. "I do not believe I'm being overconfident Lucifuge—because if anyone is being overconfident, it's you—the one who thinks they can win against someone fully capable of killing you with a flick of the wrist"
Ryden held Grayfia for a moment longer, familiarizing himself with the sensation of his 'force grip' ability and quickly became aware of how easy it was to manipulate the movements of his captives. With a thought and Grayfia was upside down, her dresses long skirt fall down to expose the woman's supple legs covered in thigh high leggings and her black laced panties and garter belt.
Ryden blinked at the sight while he heard a small growl from Grayfia. "Holy shit... did your brother pick those out for you?"
She growled louder at his question.
"I'll take that as a yes"
"You degenerate child!" Grayfia growled before summoning an ice spire directly below Ryden—the large mass of rapidly frozen moisture easily sending Ryden towards the roof of the mine.
Ryden glanced down to his now free opponent—his mind quickly recalling his sudden disconnection with his adversary the second he was struck by the ice attack.
"Interesting set back" he muttered before he slammed into the roof of the chasm—his body easily crumbled the sulfur stalagmites pointing directly at him. He hummed at the human shaped mark he left behind before he pushed off the ceiling—cracking it by the force applied and fell directly downward towards the awaiting Grayfia—completely missing the shocked expressions on three unnoticed individuals.
With a small snort at her lack of retreat, Ryden lazily cocked his left fist back—preparing to strike the moment he fell in range. From below, Grayfia sheathed her sword into the ground—summoning a large dome of solid ice just before Ryden reached her.
WHAM! CRACK!
Like the force of a literal earthquake, Ryden's descending punch cratered and partially shattered Grayfia's masterfully crafted dome of ice—giving him a partial view of the momentarily shocked Grayfia. From within, Grayfia stared up towards the partially visible Ryden—the man's gaze smugly staring back at her as he pulsed his telekinetic energy—further shattering the dome completely.
Grayfia tensed before lunging towards the man, her demonic energy quickly shifting the floor at her feet into ice in which she used to slide elegantly towards the man, her sword primed to bury itself into his chest. She knew it was a fool's errand as she couldn't kill him—such a thing was impossible for her given his abilities and particularly unnatural degree of physical defenses... yet the notion of killing the man wasn't what she intended...
Her lunge was swift and fast, like a streaking arrow sailing unabated through the air—yet to her immense surprise; the man himself easily caught her sword with his bare hand, halting her rapid advance completely.
A small streak of arc energy coalesced around Ryden's arm before settling. She stared at his hand for a moment – shocked by his sheer individual speed and strength – before she glanced up to see Ryden staring at her scoldingly. "That was a mistake..." he stated before he suddenly felt his arm stiffen.
"Hm?" he hummed before noticing his hand that held Grayfia's sword was rapidly freezing over. He blinked at the effect while Grayfia twisted the sword and broke off the portion of blade held in Ryden's hand.
He quirked a brow at the rapid speed his arm was freezing over yet with a pulse of energy—the ice shattered and dispelled completely from his hand.
He flexed it—testing its range of motion before shooting an intrigued glanced towards Grayfia's sword, watching as the broken point was quickly fixed by a small flurry of ice and frost.
He hummed at the sight before glancing towards Grayfia ever watchful gaze. "I'm guessing you didn't want me to see that..." he casually muttered.
"No..." Grayfia retorted with a barely noticeable hint of hesitation... she didn't expect the man's speed to be so precise; even if he possessed the Infernum Armis over arc energy, she never expected him to be able to focus it into a single limb and move it beyond his natural limits—and sure she did witness it before, however that was the clone that had done that—such a thing was believable regarding that, yet Ryden's human body shouldn't be able to move that fast, hell, it had moved faster than the clone.
Such a thing required the cognitive ability to track and coordinate the limb at the same rate it was moving; yet he had effortlessly done just that... the gap in their strength was immense by this discovery.
It was a frustrating notion—the boy possessed a meager amount of actual skill and combat experience to be considered an adept or advanced fighter, yet his augmented powers from the Infernum Armis' and the apparent telekinetic powers had easily bridged the gap between himself and even the most elite of fighters... one of them being herself.
Tsk...
This won't end well...
[With Rivia, Nyx and Abigail/ central control hub]
Nyx sighed deeply as he pressed his back against the door frame leading into the castle cities central control hub—a dozen bodies of swarm knights and Royal Swarm knights outfitted as personal guards laid motionless around them. His eyes skimmed across the room before he shot a glance to Abigail when he noted all of their 'roadblocks' were. He nodded resolutely once she noticed his gaze before readying his spear for an inevitable door breach.
From his side, Nyx noted Rivia's presences and directed a silent message to her—to which she immediately understood.
Nyx sighed again before he pushed himself off the door frame and jabbed his spear into the crease of the door and jarred it open with a hefty yank. Wood splintered and metal bent under the superior strength of Nyx's dragonite spear—cracking the large Gothic doors open just enough for Abigail to shoot through.
Thoop!
Thoop
BANG! BANG!
Two snow white arrows made entry through a small crack created by Nyx's door breach before two loud bangs reverberated from within the room, which was then followed by several pained cries when said bangs echoed off the large metallic walls within—magnifying the ear piercing crack of the arrows detonation. Nyx watched as bright streams of light shined through the door seams as Rivia moved around him and blew in the door with a wave of her hand—thus giving them complete entry.
BOOM!
"AHH!" several cries of pain and anguish echoed from with as Rivia took point, leading the other two inside with a confident gait—her scythe primed and at the ready.
The control room was vastly different by design compared to the section of hallways they had come from—as the large Gothic walls and vast support pillars dotting along the outer sections of the main dome cathedral l suggested to Nyx that he was standing in the original portion of Ashfelds main castle. The design of the room came at a rapid pace – a mere training habit when changing locations rapidly – before he locked his eyes on several recovering swarm knights and what seemed like officer class Old-Satan officials; their association being direct representatives of the Lucifer faction—the silver angel wings embroidered on their noble attire being an easy give away.
He took in the information rapidly before he drove his spear into the heart of the first knight and immediately kicked the body to the side in order to twirl around to avoid a responsive swing from a second knight and drove his spear into the knights exposed armpit in one fell motion. Resistance via armor was completely avoided due to his dragonite spear—leaving him with two rapid kills just as he pushed past the outer support pillars. Thinking on his feet, Nyx reach down and looted a short sword from another recovering knight – this one sporting wood shards in his eyes – and released his spear for a second in order to gain proper positioning. A few yards from him, Nyx quickly spotted an officer affiliated with Rizevim's faction standing near the central podium and ended the man's life with an expertly tossed sword throw just before he could flee towards the far side of the room.
The sword passed through the back of the man's head easily before it embedded itself in a support pillar, pinning the officer in place.
"Stick around" Nyx half joked before pulling his spear free from his second victim. Just before carrying on, Nyx momentarily flinched when another swarm knight crumpled to the floor at his 5 o' clock—a crimson arrow sticking out of his head.
"On your right" Abigail called out casually as she circled around him and took up a firing position near the closest support pillar.
"Much obliged" he stated appreciatively before he hurriedly reengaged several swarm knights recovering near the central podium area.
As Nyx continued to reap his enemies with practical efficiency, Rivia circled around the far side of the room once she spotted a secondary exit and rapidly disposed her 'adversaries' with an unnatural efficiency; an ease normally seen by those fully engrossed in combat. Her reputation as the Devil Reaper was not merely for show—as her natural combat prowess and presence naturally pronounced Death to all those that stood before her. However; now fully equipped with an equally empowering scythe—large and ethereal by design—and equally as ominous; Rivia Abaddon's presence was thoroughly matched by the concept itself.
While two devils raided the control room – cutting down and shooting down all resistance with elite proficiency – Death itself walked the outer edges of the room, reaping all those that made the mistake of fleeing to the outer sections of the control hub.
Rivia strolled towards the secondary exit with a proper pacing normally seen in a passerby, small spatial holes sprouting open around her—absorbing the futile bolts of demonic energy from the rapidly retreating swarm knights as the rhythmic clicking of her heels echoed out amidst the chaos within the room. She beheld their attempts with cold dispassionate contempt—as if the fickle bolt's of super-heated energy was merely the desperate pebbles tossed before a titanic force of unstoppable power—the futility and the disrespect of such a thing being the grandest of sins.
With a momentary thought, the rapidly stored energy collected by the desperate devils around her was released from its abyssal prison, focused expertly through small gaps in space; and soon, total and under chaos erupted as white beams of pure demonic energy shot out from the dozen rifts hovering behind Rivia. The beams shot out at each detectable source of demonic energy—the easiest of which being the very ones that fired the bolts of demonic energy.
A return to sender...
The support pillars dotting along the outer section of the room were cut to ribbons from the ensuing counter attack—the pure demonic energy empowered by Rivia's mysterious power of annihilation easily pushing the beams far beyond what they had been before. Resistance was completely forted, as the non magic resistant support pillars were suddenly turned to Swiss cheese as the beams of energy burned right through the marble and those that hid behind them—cutting perfect golf ball sized holes in each devil that fired at her.
Bodies crumple to the floor in mass as Rivia casually strolled passed them, her cold eyes hardly even giving them a second glance. Those that hadn't fired a shot merely stared on in silent shock and awe as Rivia closed the distance...
...and walked right passed them.
Confusion was rife as the majority glanced over to watch the woman continue on her trek, frozen stiff by the cold desolate aura radiating off of her like an endless well—yet their hearts momentarily froze when the woman raised her scythe and casually swung it to the side with one hand—leaving behind a small tear in space.
The image of the blackened rip in space was the last thing they witnessed before they too crumpled to the floor—headless...unaware of the slash shaped rift behind them.
Rivia continued, heedless of the apparent slaughter behind her and finally stood before the secondary exit, her gait remaining as normal and casually as ever as she twirled her scythe in her hand and turned toward two fast approaching swarm knights.
SHINGGGGG!
With a perfectly executed swing, Rivia dispassionately watched as the two knights literally ceased to exist—erased completely by a wave of pure demonic energy sent towards them from her black scythe. She hummed at the effect, moderately expecting some form of resistance yet to her surprise; her will still seemed to effectively control the core of her requiem weapon.
She dropped the thought after a moment before regarding several more devils retreating towards her—their adversary being Nyx himself. Rivia watched as the man effortlessly herded the retreating swarm knights towards her; keeping their attention entirely on him with his masterful control of his spear.
As Nyx pressed the momentarily resisting swarm knights towards the exit – controlling their attacks and magic fire fluidly with the help of Abigail at his flank – Rivia re-positioned her scythe to her right side and griped it with both hands, her legs shifting accordingly – left leg front, right leg back – and forced her demonic energy into the blackened edge of her scythe—momentarily returning it to the bright ethereal white it had originally been.
Without hesitation, Rivia stepped into her first slash before rapidly following up with several other expertly fluid swings and slashes once the devils fell in range unknowingly. Her form remained stoic as pale white crescent waves of energy shot towards the oncoming devils—separating them with each passing wave.
The majority of the retreating security force never knew what ended them—their eyes only momentarily glimpsing sharp crescent waves of pure white energy before blackness over took them.
"Clear!"
Nyx and Rivia glanced around the rest of the room silently; making sure no other movement was missed before they both visibly relax—however the latter suddenly went vigilant after a second, her eyes glancing off to the distance.
With a firm nod to himself, Nyx released a deep exhale and glanced over to Abigail, the woman merely pushing a body with an arrow sticking out of his head off of the main monolith's control panel. "No sign of Shalba?" he asked with a hopeful glint in his eye as he quickly approached her.
Abigail merely shook her head. "No... We may have missed him" she replied evenly as she continued to search the bodies scattered around the main hub area. "All that's here right now is security forces – small teams – and a few tech scholars—no sign of our locust"
Nyx grumbled to himself. "Figures he'd bug out..." he paused after a second. "Er... no pun intended" Abigail shook her head at Nyx's words while Rivia remained silent and locked on the lone energy signature quickly making distance from the control hub, something that both Abigail and Nyx noticed.
"You on to something their Rivia?" Nyx asked while summoning the modded Omni-key and handing it to Abigail.
"Shalba...i can sense him" she answered simply, her golden eyes hardening ever so slightly. "He seems to be fleeing towards in the inner sanctum at the bottom of the castle tower" she added with a firm tone.
Nyx blinked before voicing his theory. "He's probably looking for some place to hunker down—considering Tannin and Tiamat are raining hell on the outer city sectors and I have yet to actual feel their combined power, it's safe to assume he plans on waiting out the storm in the safest place possible" Nyx grumbled again in mild annoyance. "The inner sanctum may have been outfitted as a safe room; locked doors – obviously – magic nullifying walls and air tight sealant doors... means you can't teleport into it unless the door itself is open, and you can't gas the son of a bitch in order to flush him out—and that's not the worst of it... he can actually teleport out of it at will, and considering the fact the walls are magic proof means there wouldn't be any outside interference for direct long distance travel—it makes it easier actually" Nyx gave Rivia a serious look after his words reached Rivia, one that spoke of an easy message that she understood instantly.
...If he reaches that safe room... Tannin wouldn't be happy
Rivia nodded elegantly. "Remain here and assist Rosalina in locating the prisoners... I shall greet this apparent 'descendant' myself"
Just as she spoke, Rivia twirled her scythe casually before stepping into a rapidly summoned rift—leaving the others alone in momentary silence.
Nyx whistled to himself, his own levels of pity mounting as he continued to memorize Rivia Abaddon's apparent duo personalities—the sheer seriousness of which being something that honestly terrified him. One was super casual, even slightly perverted if he had to point out—and he found himself liking that side of her more so then what Rivia had fallen into during their travels to the main control room.
Serious didn't quiet cover it—stone cold would be better description but she was several degrees below even that. He watched her scythe her way – no pun intended – through a small group of death knights with apparent ease, even going so far as to casually counter the few that suddenly began teleportation around the room and hurling fire balls at them.
Death knights were pure skill – not that she could notice mind you – but Nyx had seen and heard of the apparent skills of these elite killers many times before and had even recently engaged a few of them.
To make something endearingly short to cover many bases...
Unless he was Ryden vale Gremory, Rosalina Phenex or Rivia Abaddon; then the Death knights were absolute nightmares to face in open combat. He learned the hard way a few hours ago when he was nearly battered around the open halls towards the main control room like a disobedient young blood during basic training.
Death knights were highly skilled – oddly empowered – warriors of an ancient code first started by Lucifer himself. Obviously there was some form of 'breeding' going on within the order—perhaps they had managed to crystallize their gene seed so to preserve the orders original gift from Lucifer—which made each knight somewhat capable of outperforming noble class devils – some of them at least – which made them absolute nightmares for schmuck's like him to face.
He may need to start 'collecting' again... just so he could actually keep up
...Probably for the best
Walking through one of the many sky bridges was a young looking man flanked by several personal security escorts—their armor adorn in several expensive and uniquely designed banners and ribbons that denoted their ranks to be well above their peers. However amongst them, their details and banners and physically representation's of their merits and rank mattered little to the palpable aura of danger that radiated off of the lesser detailed man amongst them.
He was roughly built; sporting an above average form that bulked against his Gothic black armor perfectly while a long black cloak lined with white draped down his back and over his shoulders— the upper portions hidden beneath his moderately size pauldrons that gave him a broadened appearance. The man's hair was light brown and reached only to the back of his neck—while a portion of the man's bangs covered his right eye.
And said right eye was currently glaring forward with a harshness normally seen in royally pissed off commanders...however for him, the glare itself was characteristically associated with him—Shalba Beelzebub himself was never known to smile willingly.
His sabaton's clicked along the metallic floor while his escort's remained in perfect formation all around him; neither of them desiring to break the tension that had built up over the hour. They had witnessed the dragons coming and had prepared accordingly to such measure's months before this day—yet they had not been prepared for what the dragons had hidden up their scales.
By some unknown reason or cause, the dragons suddenly developed a speed unlike anything they calculated and their numbers suddenly accounted for two dragon kings instead of the one that had initially identified... that was the epitome of their problems. Normal dragons were a non issue for their air defenses and the dragon king within the valley to their east was mostly known for its desire to remain within said valley, however... it had seemed the dragon king had managed to coordinate its counter efforts with an unlikely proposition.
He had found a mate...
It was the best theory they could come up with—one that struck the best sort of possibility as to why two dragon kings – one of which being Tiamat from the western mountains in Lucifaad – had suddenly upped and attack their castle city with a looming number of dragons as backup.
It was a cluster-fuck, especially when the dragons suddenly began zipping through the air at high speed as if the air itself gave them pardon; and one of the newest mysterious to the forefront of their minds was the sudden appearance of a large hurricane that completely blocked all their exits.
They were completely boxed in—thus effectively shutting down their trip to Lilith.
The main reason Shalba Beelzebub had planned to leave Ashfeld inside a carriage escort towards the capital city of Lilith instead of teleporting there was strictly for publicity sake. The man had planned to use his appearance as a way to ease tension and to assist Creuserey Asmodeus with public relations with his supporters.
Long distance reassurances were no longer working as effective as they normally were so he had planned to use his presence to sate whatever childish worries the nobles were feeling about this so called 'predator' within their region. Creuserey considered it a non issue for himself; as whatever it was, it had avoided full blown attacks on noble houses and had even avoided their estates completely. No noble heard a bump at night and neither security details reported any sort of oddities within the estates as well.
Shalba considered it a folly to place so much manpower into protecting beings that no doubt could protect themselves—yet Lady Lucifuge had made it clear to both him and Creuserey that protecting them was a good way to keep track of its movements.
Honestly, Shalba had snorted at the woman's choice of words—as out of all the people he knew, lady lucifuge was one of those people he expected common sense from, yet even she had fallen victim to this hidden coward's tactics.
Chaos and discord was its goal—to create a seed of doubt; yet nothing it did proved anything sort of detrimental to their end goals. A few dead low-born's wasn't anything of their concern and if that's what this 'predator' wanted then by all means.
It matter little to him and even more to his peers; yet even still—Shalba had his suspicions regarding lady Lucifuge's apparent obsession in controlling this matter entirely.
Yet regardless, that matter was an afterthought to think about—if lady lucifuge wanted to waste away her efforts trying to silence a coward that hid in the shadows then he was fine leaving her to her devices, because right now he had a date with a few nobles in Lilith and a couple hours of senseless nodding and agreeing to wasteful thinking before he could carry on towards the Territory of Thorns to help that woman Katerea and finally take to the front.
He paused after a moment before stretching, hearing a few disjointed pops in his joints that caused him to cringe uncomfortably before he suddenly felt something appear before him... correction... someone.
A blonde woman of great beauty stepped from a blackened rift in space, a large crescent shaped scythe adorn in her right hand—held loosely at her side. Shalba blinked at the woman's sudden arrival, quickly taking note of her armored figure and substantial demonic energy.
Her armored heels clicked against the polished floor before silencing, and the blackened rift at her flank faded completely. Shalba stared at the woman's cold golden eyes, quickly noting the woman's age from gaze alone—causing him to catch his breath when he suddenly felt a wave of immense killing intent.
"Halt trespasser! Remain where you—SHINNGGGG!"
Shalba hit the deck as his lead escort stepped forward towards the woman before a faint whistle passed over his head; silencing his men completely.
Instincts born from years of secluded training, Shalba rolled forward—seemingly towards the mysterious woman, yet upon collecting his sudden roll and turning around he spotted the woman standing amongst his crumpled escorts, their heads rolling along the metallic floor while a black rift fade at the woman's flank again.
She glanced at him—uncaring of the four dead bodies at her feet. "You seem to possess admirable reflexes and even greater instincts—you're almost commendable, but not worthy of descendant status" the woman's cold words bore wide a flare of rage within Shalba, forcing him to retort.
"Your dare insult me?!" he snarled harshly while standing to his full height.
The woman nodded. "It is I who should be insulted—the demon Beelzebub was far grander in appearance then you are and possessed something of finer quality" the woman casually rose her free arm and dropped a portion of black fabric to the floor—the fabric itself before a piece of his cape. Shalba's eyes widened at the sight.
"Had you been even slightly related, then you would have known who I am... yet it seems I'm dealing with a secluded child with no forbearing knowledge of the past" she sighed as Shalba merely returned to snarl at her words. "Yet who am I to assume the mind of an entitled brat"
"Enough from you woman!—you will pay for you transgressions with your life" Shalba whipped his hand outward and summoned a green palm sized magic sigil and fired a condensed shot of pure demonic energy—and unlike the poultry magic bolts normally fired from his subordinates, Shalba's was a much higher quality.
Yet regardless, his emerald beam of demonic energy disappeared into the depths of a black hole in space—gone without a sound.
His eyes widened at the sight, a reaction that forced the blonde woman to smirk coldly at him. "Did that ring any familiar bells yet?" she asked condescendingly. Shalba made to fire again yet the same event occurred—gone without a trace.
The woman began walking towards him while Shalba himself quickly began forming the dots. "Abaddon... you are..."
"Indeed—" the woman bowed lightly, almost mockingly before locking eyes with him. "Rivia Abaddon, first born of Abaddon herself" Rivia twirled her scythe and held it at the ready with one hand—her form remaining as it normally was, static—unmoving. "Now that introductions are out of the way—I wish to see what a 'descendant' has to offer before I hand you off to someone else"
Shalba snarled again at Rivia's words before he quickly drew an ornate broadsword from his waist. "You speak so low of me and yet you hardly know me—as I hardly know you" he stated while dropping into a readied stance.
Rivia hardly blinked at his words, easily considering the devils lack of knowledge of her being clear born ignorance rather than intentional arrogance; yet even so—her annoyances were slowly mounting from what stood before her.
The mystery regarding these 'descendants' was starting to come to light...
...More so quickly for her
"There is hardly anything to study other than your rash indirect naivety and suppressed entitlement; such things paint the simplest of images" she paused when a question came to mind. It was easy for her to believe, yet she wanted see if her hunch was correct. "Aside from that however, how many battles have you actually won boy?—with your own hands I mean..." Rivia almost snorted when the devil before her slightly flinched at her question, leading her to a conclusion she'd already come to.
"I see... well that simplifies things and yet also dampens your prior words all together" Rivia sneered at the younger devil suddenly and Shalba got a firsthand look at the ancient devil standing before him.
Rivia's eyes shone with experience as all her years came crashing down on Shalba; both in expression and voice alike—leaving him silenced by the pressure. "I have grown tired of you children and your empty boastful stories. Ages of you petulant brats speaking highly of yourselves and your inherent power yet hiding behind your false achievements as if they were originally yours to begin with" Rivia clicked her tongue in annoyance when she recalled Katerea Leviathan's choice in running rather than standing amongst her men and leading them like the true Leviathan—leaving her impression to be less then undesirable. Rivia's eyes returned to Shalba—the largely lesser known descendant that hid away in the region of Lilith and Ashfeld – far away from any and all conflict – standing head to head with his equally hidden comrade Creuserey Asmodeus.
She growled lowly at the image these children were making of their ancestors; but far be it for her to speak highly of those fools – she didn't believe in what they zealously believed – but she could at least respect their ambitions and conduct—yet the brat standing before her and the other hidden away in the capital city of Lilith didn't at all remind her of those that came before them.
At least they had the will to take the fight to their enemies head on... and bare farewell to their loyal brothers and sisters in arms in person.
She didn't see such commitment and unity before her—sure the original Satan's were largely assholes with even larger egos, but they at least possessed the respect to honor their loyally fallen. History had blurred the better points of the four originals—the blurred lines between New and Old as the friction of conflict reached palpable levels had created a central bias that distorted the facts of yore. No side was innocent of these acts; Sirzechs and his backing allies had spoken of his earlier years of service with the fallen angel Lucifer – revealing the man's deep seeded hatred and vanity for himself – yet Rivia could tell it was propaganda.
Even through the bitterness and hatred, Rivia had managed to glimpse a deep sadness and desperation within the former angels eyes; she had even witnessed the man uplift his defeated with valiant words and subtle praise—revealing portion glimpses into the buried nature of The Light Bringer that even her own mother had noticed—as she herself had once been an angel. History had blurred out his fewer qualities in order to exacerbate his more obnoxious habits—creating the public image seen today.
Same went with his three closer allies; there history had also been blurred. Beelzebub – the valiant leader and greed stricken fool that moved heaven and earth to safeguard what was his; Leviathan – the envious man that sought after large hordes of followers and trinkets; and Asmodeus – the lust stricken woman with no end of pleasured desires... her followers knew of her well.
Unity was what could describe their race – even if it was created by the will of a fool – and yet unity was far from what stood before her. Shalba's honored guard laid at her feet and yet he had yet to act upon that, easily showing how meaningless these men truly were to him.
A stale leadership... and these fools think they can lead an entire species
What a load of shit...
Her eyes shone again with contempt at that colorful thought—barely concealed frustration mounting by the second as she pressed her words on. "And her I am again; speaking to a brat without true experience and knowledge of what War is while also sending hundreds to die without batting an eye... you are nothing but Usurpers, False Idols to the true will of hell" Rivia's eyes shone white for a split second, momentous demonic energy flaring just slightly before it simmered back down to a dull glow that coated Rivia's form.
Shalba swallowed as the woman's words sank in, yet immediately afterwards, his rebellious nature returned with the vengeance. "The true will of hell you say? And who might that be?—that fool Sirzechs? Or maybe that other one, Ajuka Astaroth; you believe they are the true leaders of hell?" it was Shalba's turn to sneer. "It is they who spit on the memory of our fallen by avoiding victory and cowering away to lick their wounds like dogs. Our will desires to avenge the fallen and make those who took them pay; those Angels care little for us—and so it's up to us to not stagnate in silence and weaken through a course of peace"
Rivia shook her head, disappointed. "Only those that are naive and short sighted believe weakness comes from peace... no great idea ever comes from an argument, perhaps strength, but freedom is never involved..."
"Freedom is a lie..."
Rivia's eyes widened slightly at the devils words before they settled into a disappointed expression when she quickly realized something about the man and the man he was descended from. "Congratulations... I've managed to identify a similarity between yourself and your ancestor" she stated with a very clear tone of disappointment.
"And that is?" Shalba questioned with frustration.
"...You both have been led on by fools of the same name" she intoned with a shake of her head.
Rivia suddenly raised her scythe and blocked a wicked downward slash aimed at her neck—the variable strength within the swing almost cracking the floor beneath her, yet her eyes never gave way a hint of surprise.
She stared lazily at the enraged devil, noting the descendant's clear frustration before she found herself recalling the man's ancestor; her mind momentarily recalling the demons cunning intellect and calm persona before her eyes quickly returned to stare into the face of Shalba.
"That seems to be the only similarity it seems... he never possessed a short temper" with one push, Rivia overpowered the devils sword and pushed him back with ease.
"I will kill you!" Shalba howled while Rivia twirled her scythe and gripped it with both hands—falling to the ready.
She said nothing in return and instead pushed forward with a strong jolt forward—Shalba soon following after before they met half way.
In the large distance between them and the central control hub, two devils distinctly heard the loud bang of conflicting demonic energy before a single sky bridge suddenly erupted in a fiery explosion of demonic energy, exposing the two occupants locked in a flurry of movement.
[Ashfeld mines/ with Rosalina/ upper levels]
The mine within the Ashfeld castle city center could be construed as a complete ruse—as the dome itself was merely used as a natural source of light during the day; the origin of it clearly being the original drill point that had located the underground chasm that both Rosalina and Ryden had found themselves in. The depths of the mine itself seemed to expand into a massive chasm that ran on for what seemed like a couple hundred meters in all directions—though from where Rosalina stood, the limits of the mine seemed to now be half of what it had originally been; due in large by the massive pool of magma coating the base floor of the mine.
Rosalina had seen the distant mound of earth in the far distance—the shape of which seemingly pyramid by design; and said pyramid housed seemed to constantly swell with unearthly energies – almost similar to Rosalina's own... Infernum Ignis had been located.
Aside from her assessment of the chasm – and her discovery of the ancient weapon of mysterious yore – Rosalina had managed to cover more ground then she'd expected; as the majority of the guards within the mines themselves had seemed to be stationed down below – near the base of the chasm were Ryden was – leaving her to aimlessly ascend along the outer walls of the mine, trekking along built in walkways carved into the chasm walls and hastily built catwalk bridges that interconnected with dozens of other catwalk bridges that spanned the entire upper levels of the chasm—creating a spiders web of bridges.
At the peak of the mine – just below the glass dome that marked the mines location – was an observation hub constructed entirely out of reinforced glass and metal—and was only held up to the ceiling of the mine by a dozen heavy metal wires. The chasm's walls possessed multiple pathways leading into several branching tunnels, yet out of all pathways, almost every catwalk bridge seemed to possess a cross section that led towards one of the observation hubs many entrances. Rosalina had considered her notes regarding nobles and there apparent roles in the mine itself; leading her to prioritize the observation hub first before attempting a man hunt through the literal maze of tunnels dotting along the mine
It was a shady built control room when Rosalina had gotten up close enough to take in its every detail. It was shaped like a pentagon and hardly sported any of the advanced technology located at the surface level – and the metal wires keeping it suspended above the base floor look just about ready to give way.
From Rosalina's controlled approach – sword primed and ready to move – she spotted a small bid of activity within – yet the ash and soot that covered the glass observation deck barely allowed her to see who exactly it was—however the three energies signatures felt within came to her in frantic and desperate intervals. Rosalina prepped herself for a breach – fast and quick; she flipped her dual sided blade into a reverse grip for close quarter proficiency and approached the control hub with a measured approach. She hadn't exactly acknowledged it, but ever step along the catwalk bridges groaned in protest and she could have sworn she heard a metal wire begin its terrifying unraveling phase.
She picked up the pace just as soon as she heard it – momentarily swearing at the shoddy built bridges dotting along the entire mine. Her small rush was pressed into a fast door breach as her leg shot up into a push kick that unhinged the flimsy metal door violently—sending it careening into the scene within and shocking the occupants completely.
Rosalina's blood ran white hot when she caught the glimpse of exposed skin – then an exposed breast – before her eyes locked onto the single swarm knight standing over a droopy looking woman wearing nothing but dirtied noble clothing; the upper portions of which being torn off to expose her to the world. For a nano second, Rosalina also notice an unconscious boy lying off to the side – a small bruise peeking out from his hair line that matched the same sort of wound on the young woman laying spread eagle on the table in the middle of the control room.
Rosalina was already moving – her blood boiling at what the man was obviously about to do – and shoved her sword into the man's stomach with sickening ease, melting armor and organs as it passed cleanly through the devil. Rosalina's eyes were white with demonic hellfire as she beheld the shock man with absolute fury that scorched the man's retinas; and with one heave, Rosalina lifted the sword through the man – splitting him in half from stern to stem.
His body crumpled to the floor without a drop of blood to be seen, yet Rosalina was already moving to cover the woman at her right.
"Lady Amelia—" she started in worry upon realizing who it was—the description being a complete match with her memory. "...I'm Rosalina Phenex, I'm here to get you out of here" she firmly stated before summoning a large blanket from a magic sigil and wrapped it around the silent and dazed woman. Amelia remained silent, her moderately long white hair matted into clumps parted, revealing her moist hazel eyes – unshed tears of horror and partial relief brimming within. Rosalina gave her a brief reassuring smile before she hoisted her off the table and carefully placed her on the floor next to what seemed like Gregor Vassago.
He had short purple hair, matted down by dirt and grime and seemed to be wearing a worn out nobles coat with black pants and dress shoes. His figure was surprisingly well maintained – not at all showing signs of malnutrition – and even showed signs of hardened muscle that peaked out from his collar. Rosalina could tell it was a physic built from extreme labor and constant physical exertion—yet the sight of which quickly eased her worries regarding the two's physical heath; as other then possible mental trauma, they both seemed well enough to move on their own.
She gave one last worried once over towards Amelia Amon before she went to check Gregor's pulse while Amelia reached out and grip the young man's hand tightly—almost desperate for a source of comfort only she could find. Rosalina didn't even give it a second glance – merely focusing on resuscitating the identified unconscious heir. She gave the boy a few light taps to his cheek – adding in a few pulses in demonic energy – which momentarily pulled him from a daze; yet the second his eyes briefly opened after a flurry of rapid blinks, the young man shot up and into action.
"Amelia! I'm—" he fell silent when he felt the tight grip of the aforementioned woman laying at his side, holding his hand tightly while lightly smiling up to the boy with relieved tears in her eyes. Rosalina almost felt her heart churn when the boy pulled the woman into a very tight hug, tears of relief falling from his eyes without care. "Oh thank the Satan's! Thank them all your alright!" he wailed in joy as Rosalina stepped back to reassess the area.
She ignored the two for the moment – leaving them to calm themselves down in their own company – while she secured the area all whilst opening comm's with Nyx and Abigail. "Dagger-5 this is Dagger-2, I've located the two heirs—what's yours status?" she informed strictly while covering the dead swarm knights body with a piece of suspended cloth that hung from one of the many damaged sections of the observation hub.
[Good to hear Dagger-2, we've managed to gain access with the control hub – minor security – and are the in process of locating the remaining prisoners—however last report shown states they were located within an observation booth at the top level of the mine before the attack... what's your location?]
Rosalina immediately cringed at Nyx's supplied information. "I'm standing within that very observation booth—no sign of them, only one dead guard and two heirs" she informed while skimming over the many tables that sported a few documents.
She heard Nyx grumble in annoyance, causing her to pause her observations of the paper work scattered within the room. [Sad to say but that's all we got then; not a single one of these morons even considered putting a Geass sigil on them to keep track of them. It was apparently reported as an idea placed by the middle echelon but the upper management felt armed guards was the best thing... guess they never accounted the potential liability of a siege]
Rosalina rolled her eyes before she noticed Amelia and Gregor standing up—the both of them visibly relaxed. Rosalina felt her heart ease at the sight before she refocused back onto Nyx. "no surprise there—guess I'll start my search from here; maybe you guys can try and find any sort of security logs regarding any sort of issue's spurned on by the prisoners—escape attempts, possible escape routes and such... anything may give me a lead" she requested before her eyes returned to skimming over the few documents scattered along the floor of the observation room—yet nothing relevant was found; nor incriminating for their use.
[Dagger-4 is already on it; she should—*BANG!*... shit...we got company—I'll report back when we find something, in the mean time, you're gonna be on your own] Rosalina felt the sigil's connection cut dead after having heard the distant commotion on Nyx's end and merely sighed before turning towards the two heirs—the both of them stepping towards her timidly.
"You're Rosalina Phenex?" Rosalina nodded at Gregor Vassago's breathless question—it sounded almost disbelieving if she had to note.
"I am—and you must be Gregor Vassago and Amelia Amon" she paused to look the two over, momentarily taking in their confused expressions before elaborating. "It's nothing you need to trouble yourselves with understanding—just know that me – as well as a few others – were sent here to get you all out"
Rosalina summoned her kindest smile after speaking—the effect of which being enough to completely soothed Amelia Amon's worries completely; however Gregor Vassago's reaction was entirely different.
"A-all of us?" he whispered with slowly watering eyes.
Rosalina frowned at the sight. "Yes, The Belial, Vassago and Amon families—every last one of you, including the others held here with you" even as she informed Gregor Vassago and Amelia Amon of her intentions, Gregor's expression continued to deteriorate—going from reminiscent to remembrance, then to immediate sadness; by that point Rosalina was already standing before the child, worry written on her features.
"Are you two al—" she started before she found herself pausing when Gregor pulled her into a hug, his face pressed tightly into her chest. Her natural reaction was to blush due to the obvious placement of the young man's face but after a moment, Rosalina quickly noted the child's shaking – evidence of raw emotion.
She held him after seeing that, her arms gently falling into action as she eased the boy's emotions; however her eyes soon widened when he finally spoke, his voice laced with clear pain.
"He's dead... *sniff*... they—they killed him" he mumbled out in-between sobs and sniffles. Rosalina froze, her eyes widening at the news, yet before she could ask to clarifying, Gregor merely buried his face back into Rosalina's chest, silently sobbing before falling down to his knees—Rosalina following along for support. "D-dad...D-dad" he continuously sobbed out.
Rosalina felt her heart ache, pained by the sight of the young devil in her arms before she glanced over to Amelia; the young woman merely rubbing the others back reassuringly while also sending her a sadden look. "His dad was..." she paused, visibly hesitant to utter the word before relenting. "...killed when we ran into a team of armed guards—he held them off while we escaped at the cost of his own life"
Rosalina nodded stiffly before she tightened her hold on the grieving devil in her arms. "I'm so sorry" she muttered softly as she continued to hold the Vassago lord in her arms. She held him tightly before her own hand reached out and gripped Amelia's—her eyes locking with the young devil. "Are you alright?" she asked with clear depth to her gaze, her eyes trailing over to the knight that had almost come close to assaulting the young devil.
Amelia grew shocked by the weight of the woman's words yet after a moment, her eyes grew momentarily hollow when her memory of the last several minutes came rearing back with the vengeance. Her head bobbed listlessly so to answer Rosalina's worried question. "I-I am..." she whispered meekly—pushing Rosalina's deeper residing anger further to the boiling point.
She dropped her inner rage and instead gently tightened her hold on the young girls hand, expressing her comfort to her before she quickly began to sense several weaker demonic energy signatures closing in on their location. She fought her instinct to charge them – to rip them limb from limb – yet almost immediately, her attention fell back onto the two currently present—the both of them being too vulnerable to even consider placing them in any sort of avoidable danger. Safety was what she should be searching for – that and the others – not bloodshed.
She loosened her hold on Gregor and gave him a firm yet gentle look. "We need to get going ok?" she ordered with gentle affirmation. Gregor easily registered her haste and nodded while whipping his eyes clear of tears—and soon, his earlier state returned.
"We were cut off—but I think I know an alternative pathway" he muttered with quickly recovering confidence; a fire lighting behind his eyes. "They may still be there..." he added.
Rosalina gave him a reassuring smile. "They'll be there" she affirmed strongly before eyeing Amelia for a moment. "Hold on..." she muttered while turning to Amelia. The girl seemed confused by her action yet Rosalina merely pressed her palm against the woman's chest and pulsed her demonic energy—surprising the Amon heiress when she felt her previously ripped dress top reform just as it had been.
Rosalina sighed at the sight of the young heiress' reformed dress top before she suddenly paused when she felt a chill creep up her spine, small bids of frost quickly coating the glass window to her right. The others soon felt it and also paused—cold fearful shivers suddenly overtaking the two devils as they turned to stare off towards the building up hoarfrost.
"It's her..."
Rosalina glanced down to the fear riddled Amelia now leaning into her. "...who?"
"Lucifuge—she's here..." Gregor responded through gritted teeth.
Rosalina extended her senses and immediately felt the very same energy that quickly began coating the entire upper section of the chasm—however amongst said energy, another was felt challenging it—a signature that reassured her the second she felt it, and by its location, it was almost directly below them.
She gave both younger devils a comforting smirk. "Don't worry about her—someone else is already handling that woman; he shouldn't have a problem"
"Is he powerful?" Amelia asked, clutching the blanket that covered her for protection.
Rosalina snorted. "He is... more so then what nature should dictate"
Gregor nodded at that, a cold frown laced within his eyes. "I hope he ends that woman for good"
For a moment, Rosalina remained silent at that; momentarily weighing the words spoken by the younger devil before ultimately agreeing with a silent nod—a dark thought of rage over taking her as she thought of the woman and her crimes.
She too wished for Ryden to end her... more so now than ever.
"Let's go..." she ordered softly before leading them both out of the observation hub and onto a catwalk bridge just in time to witness a massive pillar of ice slam into the mines ceiling just a few meters from them—the impact being enough to crack it.
BANG!
"Kyaa!" Amelia suddenly cried out when the pillar struck the chasms roof, sending small tremors all along the mine itself. Rosalina quickly re-positioned herself before the pillar of ice until she grew surprised when the pillar suddenly shattered—revealing a figure imprinted in the rock ceiling of the mine.
Her eyes widened at the sight. "Ryden..." she found herself mumbling as the aforementioned man pressed off from his position along the roof and flung himself back down from where he came. Rosalina stepped toward the guard railing in front of her – Gregor and Amelia following shortly after, shell shocked by the sight – to follow the man's trajectory down towards the magma ridden base of the chasm—the only source of operable ground being a few dozen square feet of earth.
They all watched with baited breath as the devil slammed into a rapidly formed dome of ice with his fist – cracking it by the impact – before it suddenly shattered after a sudden pulse of energy exploded out from his form... revealing someone Rosalina instantly recognized.
"Lucifuge..." she growled lowly at the sight of the grey-haired woman.
The three watched on as the woman shot towards Ryden at break neck speed, the ground itself amplifying the woman's approach just enough to cause Amelia and Gregor to grow incredibly worried; yet to their shock and even Rosalina's, Ryden merely caught the sword with his bare hand—halting the stab completely.
A few words of exchange took place after Lady lucifuge retreated back a ways as Ryden shook off a bit of ice that built up along his hand; yet the period of silence lasted only for a moment before the both of them pressed on towards the other at rapid speeds, moving as blurs. Rosalina watched on for a couple seconds longer, listening as the clang of metal echoed out thunderously between the two before she caught sight of several swarm knight guards crossing over a catwalk bridge a few hundred meters from them—their progress quickly gaining.
"Let's get moving, Ryden can handle this himself without an audience" she pressured before pointing her finger at several support wires that held up the only catwalk bridge leading towards them. A pulse of white fire and the wires were melted down into slag—sending the metal bridges tumbling down to the lava below; effectively cutting off the swarm knights completely.
"That should do away with those weaklings... now how about we locate the others?" Rosalina glanced over to Gregor who quickly collected himself.
"Right... it should be this way"
Rosalina nodded at Gregor's official words and followed after the two as he led her away towards a collection of tunnels leading down towards the base of the mine. As Rosalina made her way through the tunnels with Gregor leading them, she suddenly felt her comm's link flare open—Abigail's voice soon filling her ear.
[Dagger-2... we may have found something interesting].
"Go ahead"
[It seems the security files have made several reports regarding decommissioned sewer lines located at elevation level D. Security had been notified of the potential liability almost a dozen times and had even been ordered to shut down the tunnels completely—yet for some reason it was never given the green light; apparently the upper brass wanted all attention placed on the mines operations then a decommissioned sewer line... seems iffy to me]
Rosalina grew confused by the news as she tailed the two devils closely—having already passed a sign that said elevation level F and almost immediately started formulating questions. However Rosalina stuffed the questions to the back of her mind and nodded resolutely. "Thanks Dagger-4—I'm on route now"
[Copy that... be sure to report in when you found the others]
"I will..." Rosalina cut the link right as Gregor rounded a corner and immediately ducked under a sword swing—courtesy of a swarm knight. Amelia froze in place and fell back onto her rear as the tall knight stepped into view; the armored form casting an ominous silhouette.
"There you are you little bi—" the knights words were silenced right as a sword flew through the air and embed itself in the man's chest.
Rosalina coldly stepped passed Amelia and ripped the sword from the knight, allowing the dead man to crumple to the floor before she helped Amelia to her feet. Afterwards, she shot Gregor a small apprehending glance. "Perhaps it would help if I took the lead" she offered with no hint of considering a second opinion.
Gregor nodded with a ghostly pale nod—swallowing down his Adrenalin. "Y-yeah..." he mumbled while staring down at the dead knight.
Rosalina sighed before she picked up the dead man's sword and placed it in Gregor's hand, surprising him. "W-what are you—?" he stammered with wide eyes as he fumbled with the broadsword.
"Protection—if I'm not around, use this to take care of Amelia" Gregor swallowed nervously at Rosalina's words before he felt her hand pat his head reassuringly. "Shouldn't be too much to ask right?" Rosalina wagged her eye at the young devil while also shooting momentary glances to a silent and almost star eyed Amelia.
The boy blushed but quickly nodded at the older devils meaning—going so far as shooting Rosalina a firm solute. "Right! I'll protect Amelia" he affirmed before falling in beside the silent girl, broadsword held tightly in his hand—the slight contrasting size of it compared to his hands easily giving way to the boys age.
Rosalina smirked at the sight, momentarily affixed by the adorable image of a young valiant boy protecting an innocent maiden before she sensed a small spike of energy to her left; something that immediately caught the eye of the two in front of her
"Look out!" Gregor cried out suddenly as Rosalina caught the image of a fast approaching Death Knight lunging in from a darkened tunnel, its blackened armor easily drinking in the darkness around it—shrouding from their vision. Silver shone briefly before pain erupted from Rosalina's abdomen.
"Gah!" she gasped loudly, uprooted by the immense pain in her stomach before she felt herself get pinned against the opposite side wall by the knights long sword. She glared at the knight through pained tears, the terrible pain being far too foreign for her to fight through immediately. She raised her arm to counter but the death knight expertly severed the arm completely with a follow up swing from a back up sword that had been sheathed at his left hip.
Rosalina felt herself grow weary as the death knight collected himself and aligned his second sword and against her throat. Even through the pain of her impalement and the severing of her right arm, she could still feel the bite of the blade pierce into her.
"Demonic energy of the Phenex house...dangerous—you must be silenced completely"
The Death Knight's ominous words echoed down the tunnels as he slowly pressed his sword into Rosalina's throat. She had made to choke out a rebellious growl as she pressed her other hand against the knight's helmet to little effect—her panic easily blotting out her focus.
However, her pain came to an end when the Death knight suddenly fell to one knee—a sword having slashed at the weakly protected section behind the knee cap. Rosalina briefly caught a glimpse of Gregor standing hesitantly behind the larger devil before she quickly collected her bearings and spiked her demonic energy, igniting her body with pure white Phenex fire.
She felt the pain fade instantly as the blade impaled within her melted and vaporized within seconds before the wound in her stomach faded just as quickly. From the stump that had been her right arm, Rosalina felt a new one materialize from a flurry of fire before she lurched forward and drove her new arm through the devils chest—her personal Phenex fire – unique only to her – passed directly through the devil with miraculous ease and scorched the devil from within.
White fire shot out from the devils mouth and eyes – illuminating the tunnel for a brief moment – until the body went completely slack along Rosalina's arm. She sighed contently before she pulled her arm free and dismissed her demonic aura—allowing the body to crumble to floor.
She found herself groaning when the phantom pains returned, spiking a momentary sense of nausea as she weathered the sensation all while leaning against the wall of the tunnel. She had to mentally scold herself for her lack of regeneration training as her brother Indris had managed to scoff several grievous wounds without batting an eye during their fight against lady Stolas and later Lady Lucifuge. The only true reason the man had lost was due to both exhaustion and the fact lady lucifuge had prioritized him over her; after receiving enough wounds, Indris' regeneration had begun to slow considerably, leading to his defeat.
And yet she had been defeated by that woman far too easily—and even now she had nearly been defeated by a meager Death Knight. She fought the desire to growl in frustration before her attention quickly returned to the two standing in front of her, fawning over her apparent wounds with ghastly hesitation.
The sight nearly sent her over the edge right then and there—yet the only reason she didn't explode in rage at the sight of literal children worrying over her was due to that fact... it was far to adorable to get truly mad at. However if Gregor mentioned mouth to mouth one more time she would truly lose it... then again, at least the boy was acting normal—well...as normal as she expected from hormonal young bloods anyway.
His prioritize seemed to be straight...
"I'm fine—I'm a Phenex, lethal injuries mean nothing to us" Rosalina assured with a comforting smile. "Now instead of worrying over me, how about we start worrying about where your parents are?" she had tried to contain it, but her smirk had managed to develop a hint of danger when Gregor's worry hardly relented—something that Gregor himself quickly found horrifying the longer he stared at it.
"U-uh—R-right... we should keep moving" he stammered quickly before shooting a glance towards Amelia—only to come face to face with the blankest deadpan of his life. "W-what...?"
"Pervert..."
Rosalina calmly collected herself as she idly committed the idea of fully expanding her limits when it came to Rivia's desire to train both herself and Ryden; yet the moment she returned to the world around her, she found herself watching Gregor real back as if physically struck by Amelia—a deep blush of embarrassment laced along his cheeks. She quirked a brow whenever the young devil cast a odd glance towards her, however her mind had been in other places prior to the last several seconds—the momentary shame of showing weakness to these two being something of a motivational push to perfection.
Hell, the second she handed a sword to Gregor she had almost literally bitten the dust—if that didn't encore enough shame then she didn't know what would... She sighed to herself, an action that caught the twos attention instantly. She pushed off the wall and gave Amelia and Gregor a firm nod, her eyes quickly hardening into serious slits.
"Now where were we?"
[Within the interest of time...]
Not much could truly be discerned from her trek through the tunnels of Ashfelds mines; as all the environment seemed to possess was water pipes, dirt, rock and the odd mining tool strewn throughout her descending journey towards the targeted elevation level D. However one lone thought kept bugging Rosalina as she led the two silent heirs through the mostly empty mines; the major one being the very location in which they were heading towards.
The sewage line was most likely decommissioned for some contrived reason someone like her didn't need to concern herself with—all the shit in the world was none of her business. However the thing that confused both herself and the two behind her was that the sewer lines were never truly blocked out or removed. Standard protocol for massive easily accessed crawl spaces inside a mine that houses unwilling volunteers seemed entirely counterproductive.
You'd think the massive prison city of Ashfeld would make sure there aren't many holes in its foundation for possible escape routes, yet here she was; literally walking up shit creek with a paddle, a map, a compass and a five star reservation to the closest dinner gala in the region. The ladder half wasn't exactly accurate but Rosalina guessed Ryden's colorful and exuberant dialogue had someone found its way in her own inner monologues... something she didn't at all mind.
So that was the main source of her thoughts—why the massively secretive and scandalous armed force called the Old-Satan's didn't seem to show much intelligence when it came to simplistic situations. But then again, to Rosalina, the idea of this sewer line being left without care was probably the handy work of someone with far larger fish to catch... the operation at the base floor was as clear a sign as any.
Priority seemed to be focused on removing the Infernum Armis from it resting place at the furthest point of the chasm—the use of it being clear as day.
Ryden's name was probably more passed around then a premium whore on the day the soldiers come home; meaning he was on the majority of everyone's minds—at least the upper brasses minds that is. Abigail's findings suggested a pretty clear disconnect with the upper management and the lower management within Ashfeld; as the priorities of the higher echelons were pretty clearly different then what the lesser few were planning. A random shit pipe was probably the least of their worries when it came to losing two of the four Infernum Armis' and a potential attack – now that was a big if right there as they had no definitive proof of Ryden's presence in Lilith – however contingencies were never on the lower folk's shoulders to worry about, so a shit pipe was probably there number one topic of discussion in the lunch room... oh the benefits of being less important.
All you had to worry about was a sewer pipe... and not a literal embodiment of impossibility potentially coming to knock on their door step with a shit load of pissed off dragons.
It was all theory—Rosalina had no idea what truly went through the Old-Satan's minds – more or less Lady Lucifuge for that matter – so all she had going for her working theory as to why this sewer line was not done with was because simple prioritize... nothing more.
They probably slapped two guards on the entry way and stamped it a job well done. Rosalina wouldn't put that notion passed the realms of possibility; the treatment of some recruits in the Anti-Satan army was odd to say the least, and guarding a shit pipe was probably something normally done to the lesser disciplined.
Just another day in the office...
Rosalina hummed as she rounded a corner to see the tell tale sign of Elevation level D sitting right in the middle of a forked pathway; one leading downward and the other leading to a curved tunnel towards a buried dead end—the small peaks of fiery orange light peaking through the cracks signifying the tunnels true destination.
A simply decision was made...
"How close are we to this 'secret' path?" Rosalina questioned as she took the obvious turn; blade primed for any sort of ambush.
Gregor lightly huffed from behind Amelia, his positioning having placed the younger devil in between the both of them for protection. "Not too far from here—follow the path for a little bit until you come across a detached tunnel with a shovel leaning on the right side of the support frame—that should be the message were looking for"
Rosalina nodded, partially mumbling the word 'message' under her breath before she realized what it had meant within the second of wording her silent confusion. It was a secret message left behind for them to notice; and now that she was thinking about it—the time in which the Belial family had been within these mines meant they had potentially created a series of secret codes and messages to use in order to...
...Yeah she got the idea just as she spotted a shovel leaning on the right side of a tunnels support frame.
"I see it" she informed before noticing the tunnel itself had been caved in completely. "Shit... it's been caved in" she muttered with a deep frown when she spotted several scorched marks marring the worn out wooden support frame—suggesting it had been hit by a stray demonic bolt.
Gregor growled in slight despair. "Damn it!" he punched the support frame in anger—emotions quickly rising. Amelia eased his clearly worn out nerves by resting her hand on his shoulder while Rosalina kept her attention open for possibilities.
Imperfect yet fresh footprints laden in the dirt floor was an easy start.
"It seems they had managed to get through before the caved in..." she informed the two while pointing at a series of foot prints leading into the blocked tunnel. And now that she'd stated that, the chasing set of foot prints – potentially owned by a series of Swarm knights – that had been following after them led off further passed the tunnel and towards a second tunnel leading in the same direction.
She sent the two a smirk once they noticed her findings. "Were not done yet—" just as she spoke, a series of loud and fast approaching footsteps suddenly resounded behind them, followed shortly by a few hurried tones of haste.
"They went this way!"
"Move it!"
Rosalina quickly grabbed the two devils and dragged them over to the second tunnel a few meters away and placed them both out of view. "Stay put—I'll deal with our unwanted followers" Rosalina ordered strongly. Gregor went to argue – for whatever reason – yet Rosalina merely vanished from sight, fading away completely with a shimmer of energy.
?!
Both young bloods stared vacantly at the opposite side of the tunnel, confused as to where Rosalina had vanished, yet the sound of fast approaching metal boots caught their attention.
"Hey—she said stay put" Amelia almost growled when Gregor peak out from the tunnel to see three swarm knights fast approaching; the dimly lit tunnel easily coating the armored devils in a ominous shade; the embroidered insignia of Beelzebub that glistened on their breast plates glaring to all who witnessed its 'majesty'.
Yet just as the small pack of Swarm knights pressed beyond the caved in tunnel a streak of white fire sliced through the three as easily as a knife through butter—severing each of their heads from their body with little resistance; A moment afterwards and Rosalina Phenex fading back into existence—standings amongst the dead with a calm expression. Gregor blinked at the sight – momentarily awe struck by the image – before he watched the older devil step over the quickly dispatched team of swarm knights and return to their side.
"Let's go" she ordered as she stepped passed them and trekked further down into the secondary tunnel in silence—Gregor merely remaining in a momentary trance. Rosalina followed along the secondary tunnel until she found herself standing within a dilapidated cafeteria room; yet just to the immediate left of them – and a few feet deeper inside – she found herself starring out of a breached hole leading into a larger maintenance room that sported two corpses and the decommissioned sewer line that had yet to be destroyed.
She stepped inside, momentarily assessing the corpses before she recognized their uniform to be aligned with The Swarm. She analyzed their wounds and the blood that pooled beneath them as the two devils flanking her followed inside the maintenance room; yet a few seconds of study led Rosalina to an odd discovery—she realized how old the corpses were, but yet the blood... was fresh.
They both sported large holes in both their necks, a wound that seemed to have severed their spines completely—and the blood beneath them ran runny; almost as if it was a mix of blood and water.
"That's... odd" Rosalina opened as she kept her eyes locked on the thin layer of Frost that coated the edges of each of their wounds.
Amelia peaked over Rosalina's shoulder before she watched the woman pick at the small patch of frost that melted at her touch. Her eyes brightened at the sight – hope quickly rising as she recognized who could have done this.
"My mother must've killed these men—she knows many demonic spells linked with ice magic" she informed with a small smile.
Rosalina shot her a glance before smirking at her. "That's..." she paused, withholding the notion that these bodies were hours old, yet the look of hope on Amelia silenced her words. "—yes, yes she must've killed these men" she gave Gregor a glance, noticing the boy staring down the stone tunnel that was the sewer line, yet before she could gather the two for the trip—a distant sound of even more footsteps picked up from outside the maintenance room, forcing her to hasten their progress.
"Keep quiet" she order as she led the two into the sewer; leaving the two mystery corpses for the world to never truly know of.
Her nose crinkled at the lingering smell within the sewer when she jumped down into the funnel that led deep inside; quickly growing thankfully the sewer hadn't received any sort of usage in what seemed like months... the last thing she wanted was to wade through shit; so she was counting her lucky stars that it was dryer then the rest of the mine.
She shook her head at the thought as she glanced over to Amelia and Gregor before opening a comm's link with Abigail. "Dagger-4 this is Dagger-2; I've located the decommissioned mine—moving through it now"
[Copy Dagger-2, be sure to inform us when you've located the rest of the prisoners; once we have them all then we can inform Dagger-1 of our discovery]
Rosalina's widened. "You've discovered the cities energy source?" she asked, confusing Amelia and Gregor at the question.
[Yes, apparently the entire city itself runs on immense thermal emissions from the Infernum Armis down below—we believe removing it will disrupt the cities energy shield completely... you can guess why that's dangerous...]
Rosalina already knew the danger. "Tannin... got it—however there's something I need to report..." Rosalina shot Gregor a pained glance before pressing on. "It's been discovered that Indus Vassago was killed in action—Gregor Vassago himself claims testament" from behind Rosalina, Gregor quickly clenched his fist in anger at the memory before he fought aside his rising emotions in order to keep up with the others.
[...I see; then that leaves the avenging to us then—what's Dagger-1's status?]
"He's currently facing down lucifuge right now—he shouldn't be too long"
[Right—Dagger-3 is currently facing down 'locust' right now, so be sure to report in when—]
Rosalina quickly cut the link when a streak of white demonic ice shot towards her, the residual energy leaving a very clear coating of frost along the entire tunnel itself. Rosalina slid under the streak of ice while Gregor and Amelia dove to the side and out of harm's way. A second shot came careening towards her from the darkened end of the sewer, forcing Rosalina to summon a wall of white fire that rapidly melted down the second streak of ice with ease.
"Stop attacking! Friendly!" she howled out to the assailant.
"Who are—?" a woman's confused voice came out from the darkness before Amelia stepped forward—having recognized it.
"Mom! It's us!" she called out with swelling relief when a white haired woman – clothed in a worn out nobles dress – stepped into the illuminating glow of Rosalina's white fire. The woman seemed almost stunningly matched with her daughter in the looks department, and now that Rosalina saw her, she realized how accurate her notes had been.
Heart shaped face; kind hazel eyes, tall stature and an hour glass figure... the whole deal was accurate; though the latter description was not entirely needed.
Rosalina dispelled her defensive wall of fire when Amelia ran towards the woman with tears in her eyes. "MOM!" she yelled out in relief as she leapt into the silently crying woman's arms—the both of them mouthing their words of relief within their tight embrace.
Rosalina watched the woman hold her daughter for a moment before she noticed several other demonic signatures flare up behind the woman, and soon after, four other figures stepped out from the darkened shadows.
Gregor Vassago seemed to have inherited her mother's hair as the woman that stepped into view behind Claudia Amon sported amethyst purple hair that hung down to her lower back and framed her steeled face immaculately—exposing her hardened visage to the world. Rosalina had noted the description of the woman was rumored to have been strict and serious; not normally expressing herself as much, yet the expression on the woman when she locked eyes with a silent Gregor immediately dashed that description.
Her steeled over and puffy red eyes – mostly likely from crying due to her loss – suddenly brightened and melted away into a relief filled smile that radiated a light of beauty. Rosalina remained where she had been – silent and respectful – yet the feeling of a hand suddenly griping hers immediately pulled her from her exclusion to see a hesitant Gregor Vassago staring up to her.
She blinked down to the young boy, confused by his action—yet the look of mild hesitance and guilt suggested something she never considered.
It was possible the young Gregor Vassago didn't exactly have a relationship with his mother; the steeled over expression and the apparent notes regarding the woman's personality soon started to make sense—yet the guilty look within the young boy's eyes suggested an ulterior theory, one she had no true part in. She gave the boy a tender smile before gently pushed him towards the silent woman who seemed mildly regretful of his actions—yet just from the push alone, Gregor was already holding the silent woman—gentle sobs muffled by the woman's bosom.
She shot Vidalia Vassago a knowing glance, one that the woman returned – including a wordless thank you – before she drew in to focus on easing the boy's pain. "It's not your fault my child" she tenderly worded as Gregor continuously mumbled out apologies—clear and obvious guilt soon rising in his voice.
Rosalina understood the full hidden story in front of her but chose to distance herself from the two only to find herself staring at the two awe struck faces of Mallon Belial and Calfa Belial—as well as the three looks of appreciation from Kareem Amon, Claudia Amon and Amelia Amon.
She lightly bowed to them all in greeting. "Rosalina Phenex—I've been sent her with a few others to extract you all from this torment" just from her words alone, Rosalina suddenly recalled her adventures in Lucifaad and felt momentarily nostalgic when the devils in front of her – nobles this time – visibly relaxed at her words. It was a nice feeling, yet she shrugged it aside to regard Kareem Amon when he stepped towards her—curiosity written on his features.
Kareem Amon was a dutiful man, serious as any other lord and sported raven black hair – nearly as dark as Nyx's – and was held up in a loose bun that hung down to his upper back. He was built like all nobles; muscular and well trained, possessing a physic that matched almost eerily similar to Mallon Belial.
"Who else came with you?" asked the black haired noble
"Nyx Oriax, Abigail Valac, Ryden Vale Gremory and Rivia Abaddon" Rosalina mildly chuckled when most of the devils in front of her grew immensely shocked at the last name.
"By the Satan's—the Devil Reaper is here?" Mallon Belial asked with an almost ghostly white expression, even his wife looked shocked.
However Calfa Belial seemed almost confused by the reveal—as evident by the confused shake of her head. "I had believed the famed Abaddon Lordess was captured some time ago; we had feared the worst would have happened to her, but now you say she is here... who freed her?"
Rosalina shot the woman a smug grin. "We did... when we destroyed Lucifaad" shock was prevalent in all present when Rosalina dropped that particular bomb, even in the silent Vassago's a couple feet away had grown silent at the admission to the legendary cities complete destruction.
That was always cathartic to say in Rosalina's opinion, and she wouldn't grow tired of repeating it...
"—by the bloody Satan's, what have we missed?" Kareem suddenly asked aloud, clearly floored by the discovery of such accomplishments.
"A lot by the sound of it my friend, the Generals seem to have hit a streak of luck" Mallon retorted with a gruff chuckle to follow.
"I wouldn't call it luck dear—these accomplishments don't seem very likely to fall onto ones lap" Calfa added in with a scolding tone before she turned to Rosalina. "And who is this other Gremory you mentioned?"
Rosalina smirked at the three. "That would be Lady Gremory's secret child—apparently he had been handed down to a mid-class family called the Vale's for safe keeping, yet he had come out from the shadows only a month or so ago" Rosalina chuckled when the devils before her grew even more shocked at the news—as a secret child wasn't something that could be easily skipped over like the morning weather... that had a story in need of elaboration; however Rosalina hadn't the time – or the right – to do so. "There is a lot we need to fill you in on, but that should wait until we extract you—" she paused to glance over and beyond the nobles in front of her only to see a few other lower class devils leaning and or sitting along the tunnels walls—staring at her in silence.
Rosalina hadn't exactly felt the presence of all the lower classed devil's amongst the nobles around her, yet the sight of them brought a brief sigh of relief, however her breathe was caught in her chest when a massive shock wave rocked the entire mine completely.
BOOOOM!
The others around her caught their footing well enough in time to mildly hear the sky shattering roar of a REALLY pissed off dragon king... the patience had run out—the big guns were now in full use.
Rosalina cursed to herself before opening comm's into an open broadcast, protocol entirely forgotten. "All prisoners accounted for, Repeat, all prisoners accounted for!" she yelled out before a second tremor rippled along Ashfeld.
Yet amongst the devils within the wide open tunnel and the prevalent bangs of the dragons aggressive attacks, an eerie build up of energy slowly swelled up until a third energy source made itself known.
Like the heat of the sun it rose into the senses of all within Ashfeld; a blistering sensation of warmth that carried with it the protection of the earth—a living form of energy, sentient... and angry.
Rosalina felt a brief sensation of resonance as the mysterious energy washed over her—invigorating her with a pulse of recognition; a being of the flames seemingly recognized by something ancient—and right then, Rosalina knew what had been awakened.
She didn't even notice her own smile. "Its him..." she whispered out breathlessly, possessed by a foreign sense of awe as the thermal heat around them slowly rose further until it suddenly consolidated back down to the main source of its origin...
Infernum Ignis had been unsealed...
[With Ryden/ base of the chasm]
Its design was rugged yet perfect, brutish yet elegant by simplistic design—a double sided, two handed battle axe. It's make was entirely metallic and was ordained in onyx black chains that crossed over the central portion of the squared axe head and coiled around its neck tightly. Embroidered along the axes blade – on both sides equally – was a tree and its leaf's that glowed valorously with orange light that easily brightened the fire that frothed along the axe head itself.
[Design: Iron lord battle axe/ Destiny]
Ryden held the weapon at his side from where he stood—his back facing the weapons original resting place as he continued to stare down the woman still standing in front of him. Grayfia was no slouch when it came to simplistic combat, having managed to keep up with him for the better portion of their fight—yet her form had seen better days.
Her noble dress was ripped in a few areas—exposing a bit more skin then she was comfortable with showing, however her focus remained on him regardless—especially now. Ryden knew the woman could keep up with his arguably rugged and rash style of combat, but his output in both demonic power and his telekinetic power easily outstripped the woman's power entirely; she could keep him at bay with sword skill alone, yet a fight between ultimate class beings never involved just that—true power in the face of devils was resolved by the output of their demonic energy, and he out matched her with his by miles.
A frustrating truth that even she had to acknowledge; albeit begrudgingly...
Ryden remained entirely immaculate; sporting no such cuts or wounds to speak of—however his Gremory fashioned flock coat had managed to lose a few sections from the woman's aggressive pushes with her ice sword.
He shrugged off a patch of ice that still remained on his shoulder; only having recently broken out from another of her ice prisons—yet this time, he had done so by literally pulling the Infernum Armis at the far end of the chasm towards him; the radiant heat emanating from its blade being enough to easily melt away Grayfia's ice.
There was no longer any sort of competition; her defeat was inevitable.
INDEED, SHE HAS MET HER END! HAHAHA! THIS FOOLISH WENCH SHALL BURN FOR HER DEEDS UPON MY REST! GO NOW, FAMED ARBITER—RELINQUISH THIS LAND OF HER FOUL STAIN! COAT THE AIR WITH HER ASHES!
Ryden's eye twitched at the loud boisterous voice of Infernum Ignis, the spirits slight Russian accent mixed in with his thunderous voice created a hard tone to ignore—the passion and the energy within was something most couldn't look passed. To Ryden, The others had stated that Ignis was abrasive by nature – always inspiring and always motivational – yet he never expected the spirit to be this motivational...
He ignored him however and stared over to the silent Grayfia with an impassive look of acceptance, the coated flames that burned along his new axe slowly growing more restless by the second.
As this hulk had stated master, it's time we end this bitch...
At Fulgur's words, crimson lightning suddenly coated his form and his weapon, amplifying his speed to levels far beyond what Grayfia could contend with—which was then followed by the faint green wisps of Ventus' own energy—mixing in to grant him complete governance over the air itself.
There would be no resistance...
As do I Ryden—let us swiftly remove this cancer from our quest and carry onward without further distraction...
Ryden sighed at Ventus' words, the culmination of his collected powers and his own easily giving way to the victor—leading him to acknowledge Grayfia for the last time.
"It's been fun Lucifuge—though I can't say I'm not thrilled it has to end this abruptly, if I had you completely to myself, I would have drawn this out further"
Grayfia released her own breath. "You achieve empty victories...yet you know nothing of this war; its meaning and message"
He shook his head at the woman's pointless words. "I don't care, and its meaning shouldn't matter to you either; death will have been what you've fought for, and by the hands of the human you tormented, your legacy will be forgotten and whatever quest you sought after will end right. here." He spread out his arms, momentarily spiking the energy around him before he gestured to the bodies at their feet and the stench of decay around them—the feeling of despair filling the entirety of the chasm.
Many had lost their lives here, lives that which Ryden didn't know of—yet the feeling was ever present, and it reminded him of Halphes; the scent of death, despair, decay and of sodomy—the feeling was similar.
"All that which you strived for will end in this patch of earth—amongst the wronged and unjustly murdered; a fitting end for someone so uncaring" Ryden casually gripped Ignis with two hands and fell into a ready position, axe held over his left side. Grayfia loosely followed after the man, almost casually readying herself for the final skirmish.
They locked eyes, one cold metallic visor meeting bright crimson eyes before a brief exchange took place between them; the pain and anguish on one side, and the desolate apathy on the other.
"I told you I'd make you pay for what you did..."
"I did not forget..."
"Then as I promised—your debt is paid in full"
"...As you so believe"
Ryden watched as the woman took hold of her sword in both hands, demonic energy spiking to a sharpened point that coalesced along her sword, extending it and coating the once pristine silver blade in ghostly blue ice. She sighed deeply before swiping the blade to the side lazily, freezing the entire right side of the chasm—lava included.
One final strike meeting another—a test of power, of will and valor culminated in one attack; Grayfia had made her intention known.
Ryden followed suit.
With a thunderous cry, gale force winds exploded from his form – sending debris flying in all directions – as scarlet lightning violently arced along his body; the fire that flickered along his newly acquired axe suddenly ignited into a violent fiery blaze that seemingly awakened the earth below his feet, cracking it.
Orange light shone from the ground below—the bowels of the underworld seemingly awakening just as the sky above them. Dark clouds blotted out the muggy sky that peak in through the glass dome above while the violent hurricane that surrounded the castle city ceased.
No escape was possible now, so there was no need of it...
One thunderous step forward soon followed until both combatants charged towards the other—the final attack itself calling down a pillar of arc lightning in a flash that illuminated the chasm with scarlet light. Grayfia gained only an inch of ground before the man standing before her passed her in a flash of movement; the pain that followed the final strike never registered, only the impact against the chasm walls had managed that.
The earth below Ryden's feet howled loudly as lava belched from the crevasses that dotted along the small patch of earth he stood on—however his attention was not on his cataclysmic charge; he ignored the scorched marks of Fulgur's energy as it had marred the entire chasm with its power, nor did he take in the powerful winds that seemed to whip around the chasm, or the now boiling lake of lava at his back.
None of it mattered but the sight of the woman he had sent flying to the far side of the mine—back to the loading dock he had originally landed in. The force of his titanic charge had shattered the woman's ice with relative ease, the countering energies of Fulgur's lightning and the sheer heat of Ignis' fire had seen to it well enough.
The woman's brittle sword had hardly mattered in the face of Ignis' brutal might—the strength of the weapons swing being nothing he'd ever felt before; only every matched with the fiery power in Tannin himself. However—his mind ceased its momentary release of euphoria when he vividly recalled the slight resistance when his blade met the woman's defenseless body.
In truth, Ryden did not feel the satisfaction he craved; he desired to feel nothing from his swing, to pass through the woman with very little effort, yet the sensation of resistance had marred his vengeful joy to nothing but desperate curiosity.
With cold intent, Ryden followed after Grayfia's trajectory until he found the woman's body imprinted in the rock wall of the chasm—only a few feet from the mines loading dock elevator. He walked in silence as he closed in on the woman's intact 'corpse' before stopping once he could stare at the impossible phenomena in front of him.
The thing in front of him was Grayfia lucifuge, it had her likeness, her figure and her expression—even personality; but yet what he saw of her remains did not seem at all like what he originally felt of the woman.
Organic in nature was what he'd felt of her back in Halphes; she breathed like any other, possessed a heart beat like any other and expression bodily needs like any other—however the imitation in front of him was a lie.
"The lengths of your desperation have been made apparent—and you're cowardice towards justice is just as clear now" Ryden found himself saying when he distinctly caught the glimpse of recognition in the one blood red eye that peaked out from behind the partially shattered visor that always adored the woman.
Ryden stepped forward and examined the woman's completely ruined chest—exposing nothing but stone innards and energy infused crystal stones that made up organs; all of which were crushed and badly damaged from his finally attack. "Do not think you can avoid me Lucifuge—I know a fake when I see it, and this... is obvious" from Grayfia's exposed torso – where her heart should be – was a demonic energy core that softly pushed energy throughout the fake body, replicating all the natural bodily functions—however one shouldn't be able to breathe when ones lungs were shattered and laying about along the floor.
He glared into the unmoving eyes of Grayfia's fake body—yet within them, he could still sense the essence of the woman lingering on, however he only had so long before the weak energy supplying the body started to cease.
He had a way to keep her around a while longer...
CRNCH!
Ryden rammed his right hand into the woman's torso and gripped the weak 'heart' tightly before forcefully pumping it with arc energy—momentarily invigorating the core. Life shone in the eyes of the fake body before visible pain could be seen in the crimson eye that now stared up at him—almost glaring defiantly at his actions.
He ignored it and pressed on.
"I had compelled myself to realize that I'd only be able to kill you once—yet I should thank you for this opportunity..." he shot a cold grin down to the silent Grayfia. "...it's not every day you get to kill your enemies twice" He pressed his hand further into the woman's exposed chest—tightly gripping the fake heart while he whispered his last words of farewell into the woman's ear. "Until next time..."
RIIIP!
With mild effort, Ryden pulled the demonic core from Grayfia's fake chest until it sat alone in his hand—the useless crystal innards partially crumbling away at his brutal action. He watched the last of the demonic energy fueling the woman's fake body fade as clear and evident pain could be seen in the one lone visible eye. The body had to have been neurologically connected with the original—meaning Grayfia had most likely experienced a Mortal Kombat fatality right there.
Good...
[Dagger-1, what's yours status—have you freed the Infernum Armis yet?]
CRUNCH!
Casually, Ryden crushed the dead heart in his hand before turning away from the 'corpse' of Grayfia—focusing his attention back onto the matter at hand. "Infernum Ignis is free and lady lucifuge has been silenced—however I'm afraid it's only briefly, body was a fake"
From the other end of the line, Nyx nodded at the news, momentarily taken aback by the actions undertaken by the Old-Satan Elite. [They'll do anything they can to stay in the game it seems—regardless, Ashfelds energy fields are dwindling down as we speak—and Dagger-3 is holding down Locust right now, keeping him busy before Tannin breaks through... won't be long until that guy's kicking open purgatories gates]
Ryden snorted. "This was complete overkill..." he muttered out as he took in the littered bodies around him—courtesy of his earlier work.
[It's the best strategy—and its only plausible due to the Old-Satan's compulsion in making dangerous enemies]
"Right..." Ryden mumbled before noticing the body of Grayfia had dwindled down to that of a stoned mannequin, the woman's likeness and features completely faded down to that of a blank female figure. He grumbled at the sight but ignored the rise in annoyance. "Where's Dagger-2?"
[Elevation level D, that's where she's hunkering down with the rest of the prisoners]
"Copy—I'll head there now and help escort them out, they may need it considering Tannin's apparent mood" Ryden had felt the tremors of Tannin's breath attack—the strength behind it literally shaking the foundations of Ashfeld to the core.
Before you leave Arbiter—I believe that will grant you what you seek
Ryden paused before turning around; the feeling of familiarity spiking at Ignis' rather calmly spoke words. A distance away, deeper towards where Ignis had been resting in his long awaited 'prison', stood a tall obelisk – similar in make as the one discovered by Ventus – which jutted out unevenly in the ground.
A spike of arc energy and he was standing before it.
Just as he had felt back in the mysterious monastery, the obelisk radiated a soothing sense of temptation, pulling him to press his hand to the center of the partially damaged obelisk.
He didn't even hesitate this time and did as he felt—pressing his confident hand against the ancient stone before a pulse of energy rippled outward along the earth at his feet which suddenly shifted into a hyper state of evolution.
Energy spread along the rapidly hardened magma before grass suddenly began sprouting along the far corners of the chasm; places untouched by the damaging nature of magma soon began to blossom bright green with healthy grass while the scattered corpses of the many dead quickly decomposed and gave birth to large patches of healthily grown flowers that donated their resting places.
Beauty from destruction had rapidly blossomed from the effects of Ignis' energy – the marker of which being his affinity with the icon of 'soul' – that had been acquired from the obelisk. Ryden nodded at the sight before he shot a confused glance towards the obelisk.
"Rather convenient this thing was right next to your resting place Ignis—any idea why that is?"
The fools that you killed believed it would help them unseal me so they had brought it here from a distance away – HA! – the blooded fools were merely desperate for some sort of 'progress'—but we seen now that progress only led them to their end...hehe... you kill well friend, I look forward to our many battles to come—let us trample them low beneath us
Rather poetic this one... in a Russian sort of way.
"R-right—let's just finish what we started here before heading on any crusades..." Ryden retorted with a blink.
Ah yes—those devils...it would be wise to save them before this 'Tannin' starts to make a mess yeah? That would be bad... for them anyway—hehehehe...
Considerate as always...
AH Ventus! I hardly noticed you there—what's the sky been like while I've been preoccupied with this...
Shit hole?
This voice of immeasurable perversion—Fulgur! Is that you?
In the flesh you bastard...
Your words do me great harm Fulgur—HA! As if! HAHAHAHA—
Ryden cut the link with the trio of exuberant spirits before he shook his head tiredly... just one more mental voice to deal with... and one more to go—lovely.
All that remained now was the destruction of the city and the promise he'd made with Tannin... after that, and the Necropolis was their next stop.
No time than any to accomplish another promise... especially now that he had some god. Damn. Fire!
Ryden sighed before pressing on towards where he could feel Rosalina's stationary energy signature; the last remnants of the operation in Ashfeld – and subsequently Lilith by extension – was on its last legs, and soon the dragons would be set loose on the remaining portion of Ashfeld.
Ryden's only regret however—was his encounter with Grayfia, and how that woman was still very much alive somewhere in the underworld, hiding away from him and scheming whatever schemes she came up with. But it didn't matter in the end... one day will come when he'd face her directly again – the real her – and he would pull out her real heart and end her officially...
Come hell or high waters.
.
.
.
[Unknown location]
She awoke with a pained howl, cold phantom pains quickly rising to the peak of her senses—blotting out all in the room. Her scream of pain startled all in the room – all expect one – who remained where he was as the others around him left the room in a fearful rush—desperate to not be the same room as the one that had just woken.
"GAH!" she cried out again as her hand gripped her chest tightly—directly where her heart was.
"That doesn't seem good—are you quite alright sister? Or has the effects of this prototype been just as I had promised it would be?—that being painful" Euclid questioned with what looked like cynical curiosity.
Directly on a medical bed in the middle of a heavily advanced room was Grayfia—adorn in a skin tight suit that left nothing to the imagination. Grayfia's figure was perfect to most of those that had seen her in such attire; her supple measurements and curves were something most men killed to possess and yet the only being who had seen the woman as exposed as she was currently was Euclid himself.
Not a soul had seen her as vulnerable either...
Sweat marred the woman's form as she breathed heavily; causing the skin tight suit she wore to cling to her form far more aggressively than normal. Euclid snorted inwardly when his sister practically sensed his gaze and glared at him with such hate it made him squirm mockingly at her—like any normal brother would.
"I did warn you of the risks Grayfia—and yet you still persisted; even forcing poor ol Shalba into this mess... you really think that boy will survive the – shall we say – 'death' process?—" Euclid quirked a brow at his ever silent and brooding sister before pressing his own issue. "—even knowing what he's facing right now?"
Within Euclid's hands sat a squared tablet that lit up with demonic energy before he turned it over to show Grayfia the aforementioned devils POV. Within the devils view was a golden haired woman with golden eyes and a figure so imposing Grayfia's own eyes slowly widened at the sight—especially at the weapon held in the woman's hands.
Yet even then the back drop behind her made her senses grow colder than before. The usual murky and clouded sky of Ashfeld had been mysteriously cleansed off all sulfur—exposing the terrifying display of over a hundred dragons swarming around the city sky—two of which calmly hovering a few hundred meters back.
The dragons she knew of, yet the two looming behind the blonde devil was something she was not entirely expecting. The first one was a mystery to her, yet the azure blue dragon immediately set her on edge
"Cut his connection—he won't survive that" she ordered strongly, yet Euclid chuckled playfully at her orders.
"My, I didn't expect you to consider Beelzebub's dear descendant as such a push over—why not grant him the chance to prove himself?" he offered with a cold grin.
Grayfia ignored his words intention to get a rise from her and merely countered accordingly. "If you wish to risk his life over this then it's on you—and if he dies due to your negligence then don't come crying to me when Rizevim orders your execution"
"And who will explain the circumstance of his death? Surely the sudden usage of prototype clone bodies would garner some form of attention would it not?"
Grayfia fell silent at his question and Euclid momentary expressed worry at the sight. Normally his words elected a crisp retort or a perfect counter that left him silent, yet for him at actually beat her in a verbal spar suggested his sister was growing far more troubled then she usually was.
"I can see your worry sister, it's clear as day on your face; and I'm guessing your favoritism of my enshroud visor has been something more towards hiding that rather than your cherished identity... something is troubling you—or someone has troubled you"
Silence...
Euclid sighed. "You can confide in me Grayfia—I'm always here to help you"
For a moment, Grayfia's eyes clenched tightly before loosening – arguably showing more emotion then Euclid expected – yet just a second afterwards and the woman was already draping a towel over her suited form, her serious expression already returned and locked on his own.
"What I'm doing cannot reach his ears or its both our heads" she paused when Euclid snorted dismissively, surprised by his immediate realization.
"Don't tell me—this isn't about that child in Halphes is it?—the one that fool Sirzechs rescued?" Euclid never noticed the slight tightening of the woman's fist at the mention of the man's name, nor the slight warmth that spread throughout the woman eyes as she recalled the crimson haired man—too many years of hiding had built her the regretful ability of hiding raw emotion and it was thanks to that, that Euclid never noticed her nanosecond of treachery.
Feelings towards the enemy were considered as such—and Euclid was a stout follower of the Old-Satan ideal.
She kept her expression tight in response. "That Child has already taken three of the four Infernum Armis'— and he was the one that destroyed Lucifaad, so yes, it is about him; and I wish to keep his name silent from his ears as long as possible—my cover up will keep us both safe for some time, but only if we keep that child's identity silent and out of his ears"
Euclid's eyes flared momentarily at the memory of their greatest lose before his demonic energy settled as it had been before. "And how has he not grown aware of this child's progress? Surely our lord would have connected the dots by now"
"He has grown far too attached to his plans in the Thorns region to care of our failure—we have that to consider, however I cannot place such faith in his obsession to not consider the worst so I've made preparations to cover the child's actions"
Euclid nodded at her words before Grayfia pressed on her own question—take the moment of silence to lead away from the current subject. "What has our lord been up to recently?"
"Nothing I've been made aware of—all I know is that the Anti-Satan forces have pushed further inland towards the City of Dis and are currently fighting their way through the outer reaches of the city; Shalba is suppose to meet with Katerea in the capital center and move further back to the Thorns capital city—Katerea herself has stated her desire to head west, towards the boiling lake were Hallen Foras believes the last Infernum Armis lays dormant"
"I see... I shall accompany him there before I make a detour of my own"
Euclid nodded before tilting his head—the action easily giving way to his intention.
"No" Grayfia intoned with finality before stepping out of the room.
"Damn"
A/N:
HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT YEAR IS IT!
*looks at calendar*
SWEET FUCKING JESUS AM I LATE! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!FUCK!FUCK!FUUUUUUCK!
Ok... I think that settles my opinion on how bloody long I've been gone, but I can explain – and it's been one hell of an adventure for me because I've been hella dead recently; both my writing and my attention have been diverted to other things for a few weeks at a time...
Well that's what I would be saying if I wasn't such a lazy fuck—I mean I just woke up from my turkey dinner coma to see I've been out for three months (or more fight me) and now I'm here looking at a solid 61,000 word upload like JESUS CHRIST is this a doozy.
I honestly don't care right now, it's been a ass tone of time and I just want to bloody upload so here it is—if anyone wanted to see Tannin clap Shalba cheeks I apologies but yet I don't care, I just wanna upload and get this constipated turd I call a chapter out before I get bowel cancer.
Anyways—a few people will be rejoicing and others may be critiquing every inch of my chapter but some of ya'll will have most likely noticed what I've done with Grayfia... that being, she's still alive—and very much not a villain, but yet her situation is arguably more complicated – and yet not really complicated – in comparison to her canon counterpart.
She's kinda up shit creek right now—but her situation will begin unraveling soon...
And no, Ryden will NOT be ending up with Grayfia—I've had a lot people ask me this and for some reason not one person in that pool realized that Ryden FUCKING HATES Grayfia... so that's pretty obvious.
I'm surprised that point hasn't become as clear to some as I've made it...
Last time I fucking hated someone – female and male – I never desired to get into a relationship with that person; the only relationship I ever cared about regarding that person was the relationship between him/her and the curb that I'd aggressively stomp them into.
It's frustrating... but it's something I can understand
Long has this cite been plagued with 'romance' stories that begin with the character hating the love interest or vice versa—only to end up with the hated character as his one and only... it's really weird and unrealistic and rare in real life, but it's a good trope that gets the hormonal kids pants moist...
However it seems its well beyond overused and it's also something that a lot of people suffer from. Apparently in the face of a public audience, any form of passion – such as anger, disdain, disgust and earth shattering fucking hatred – can lead to an unwarranted sexual relationship between the two individuals of significant difference.
Standard affair? Two people that FUCKING hate each other—and yet there's always that one creepy fucker who wants them to make out and have sex.
I have news for that particular individual—YOU ARE HORNY!
Close the tab and come back when ya got some post nut clarity, it may help you understand the plot in which I'm selling.
*sigh*
I can just image that too—like if Grayfia and Ryden did end up together I can actually picture Grayfia looking to him and saying "You remember that time you ripped my fake heart out and nearly killed me?" she'd ask and Ryden would just awkward sit there and reply "Shot through the heart! And your to blame—" NUTSHOT
Yeah I'd say that wouldn't last as long as some may think...
NazgulBelserion: I know your fresh in but I have bad news and I hope by the time you reach this call out you have made this connection already... NONONO! Don't get angry, Grayfia is Bae – she's one of my favorites alongside Rosswiesse and Venelana – however, my plans with her are significantly larger in comparison with Ryden's already planned harem members (god I hate saying that) and adding her to him would overshadow the others by a massive margin.
Little spoiler... Grayfia will have been through far more than anyone in Ryden's harem... she needs some loving from a man who is dedicated to her and Sirzechs is that man—as he is not entirely distracted by other spouses.
His integrity that which will shine in future chapters will have ya'll understanding...
Now... anyways, I'm leaving this chapter in your hands boi's – and girls... if your—even reading this – but I'm afraid my faith with this turd I call a chapter is lacking, so I'd love it if you all slammed your hands on your keyboard and upload the aftermath as a review if you think I could have done better...
Ok...Now that I've said that I'm sure some of ya'll will do just that to meme on me... thus further pushing my confidence into a state of self doubt. But if you actually loved what I've done then Jesus fucking Christ call me, I wish to hear you whisper sweet nothings into my ear while I drink myself to sleep after reading the copious amounts of keyboard shattering Reviews
God I need a drink...
