They'd been walking in the dark for so long with no light to guide them. This was fine. The flashlight in Kid's bag was useless here, the beam unable to break through the thick shadows head. Their eyes had long since adjusted to the dark anyway. Only dark, hazy shapes were visible here though. It wasn't like the darkness of the real world, where they could see as well as in the day. Something was stopping them from seeing properly, blanketing the floor of the abyss in a heavy blackness.
Asura's hand curled tighter around his own, the fear shrouding the other almost palpable. It hung over the older god like a cloud, reaching even him and sparking doubts in his mind. Madness. He wasn't quite familiar with it, but he knew enough to know it wasn't a good thing for his brother if it got too strong a hold. Kid tried to think of something to say to distract or comfort his brother but couldn't think of anything that wouldn't make Asura more afraid or worried than he already was.
All they could do was walk in silence, their steps sloshing through the thick, mucky water underfoot.
He wasn't sure how long it had been since they heard something besides that squelching sound their shoes made with each step. It didn't really matter anyway, did it? But the distant splash followed by an earth shaking tremor made them both jump. Asura reacted quickly, pulling him behind a dark blur and dragging him down to sit in the water. He tried to pull away from the offensive liquid, the stink worse closer to it and the feeling of it lapping against his skin made him sick.
With his good arm, Asura managed to drag him close until he was all but crushed with his back against his brother's chest and Asura's good hand clamped over his mouth to stop him from making any sounds. The older god curled protectively around him, as if shielding him, and Kid forced his disgust at the gross water against his skin back for the sake of their survival. The rhythmic splashing approached ever so slowly, as if it was taking its time searching.
Its approach left Asura shaking, Kid could feel his brother's shivers from their closeness. And as it drew nearer, he heard something else, something that left a deep pit in his stomach, the burn of bile rising in the back of his throat. A voice. Unfamiliar to him, but the tightening of Asura's grip and the shaky exhale against the back of his neck told him his brother knew it. The voice called out, rough but higher in pitch that made him wonder if it was a woman's. "Asuuraaa…. I know you are here dear, I watched you fall. Where are you? The others wondered where you went. We've all missed you so very much." Asura's grip tightened on him again and he bit back a whimper as it strained the aches of his healing body.
Was that what Asura and Vajra were whispering about earlier? The voice was clearly one his brother knew, so did that mean he'd worked together with them before? But then how did the creature know it too? A quiet whisper reached his ears, barely audible over the splashing of the beast's steps drawing ever closer, "Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry…" It repeated, his shaking more evident than before as he pressed his face into Kid's shoulder to muffle even those quiet words. Kid doubted the older god had any control over the words now.
A different voice came this time as the floor quaked with enough force to jolt them around now. Kid grabbed onto Asura's good arm, holding on tightly as the blackness grew darker. "Hey! Why are you hiding from us? Could it be…? Nah. You can't be feeling guilty, can you? You're the one who left us here." The voice was much deeper and smoother, a strange upbeat tone to it that didn't quite match its words. He turned his head to try and get a glimpse of Asura's face but to no avail.
One of the beast's paws landed with an echoing splash in front of them, more like a human's in shape from what he could see but tipped with long, curved claws that reached far out of their sight range. And even that was soon obscured in the haze of shadows pouring off of the beast like waterfalls, pooling in the abyss and taking even the little bit of sight they had. The shadows swirled as it continued on. The third voice, raspy and gurgling, came from so high above them yet it was crystal clear as it spoke. "Did we really deserve this? Why did you never come back for us? You could have saved us if you wanted to."
If Asura held him any tighter, Kid feared his neck might break. So he squirmed in his brother's grip, trying to get him to understand he was hurt. Though it took a moment, Asura's grip loosened and he could relax a bit. A low rumble reached them, the beast making its dissatisfaction known. It trailed away, but not before speaking once more, in the second voice this time, "It should have been you who stayed."
Bit by bit, the beast's steps disappeared into the distance. Kid didn't try to move until he was sure it was gone and the haze of darkness it brought cleared away to its original level. He tried to stand, only to find it difficult as Asura refused to budge from his place. The older god no longer held him in a crushing grip, but his hold was still firm and unmoving. Wiggling proved useless. Straining too hard only hurt. Carefully, he tried prying the hand off of his mouth and a few attempts was all it took to succeed in that task.
With his head free he turned to try and see his brother. He kept his head pressed against Kid's shoulder, but the hand that covered his mouth now wrapped around his chest in a cautious hug. It clicked then, and he turned around so he could return the gesture. Kid was glad when he felt some of the tension drain from his brother's shoulders. Of course he would look for comfort after something like that. Given Asura's fearful nature, such a thing would hit him much harder than others. But what the hell was that anyway? He wanted to ask but… even if he could get an answer he doubted it would do them any good to wait right now.
Instead of prying like he wanted to do, he pulled back to meet Asura's exhausted eyes and said, "We should really get moving. I don't want to wait for it to come back." Asura nodded slowly to show his understanding. He let Kid get up first, keeping a hand bunched in the boy's jacket at all times as if he feared he'd lose the boy in the dark. As soon as he was up, Asura switched to holding Kid's hand again. They glanced around in an attempt to reorient themselves before Asura finally swung his arm up with Kid's still held tight and pointed into the distance where the creature came from.
"It was last walking towards the central temple right? So it makes sense to assume the temple is that way." Asura reasoned, letting his and Kid's hands fall back to the space between them. "That's where Vajra and Black Star will be going if they haven't left yet. We should at least try to meet up with them there and leave together." Kid nodded, keeping pace as Asura led them into the emptiness ahead, where only the splish and splash of their footsteps could be heard.
"Oh, by the way," Asura started and Kid immediately turned to face him. The man continued, face scrunching up in disgust at whatever he was thinking about. "I think I know what we've been walking in."
His tone left Kid afraid to ask but he did so against his better judgement. "So… what are we walking in?"
The hesitance didn't go unnoticed by Asura, but he seemed unfazed and maybe a bit more relieved as he said, "Liquified remains. Not sure how much of it is human but I think we've found the original inhabitants of Shambhala. Those mounds are the bodies, or what's left of them."
Kid's face dropped as he stared up at his brother in disbelief, golden eyes wide as he searched for a more visceral reaction to such a disturbing fact. His cowardly brother who seemed perfectly fine knowing they had to tread through human corpses to get out. "We're walking through a people smoothie and you're fine with that."
"It would be worse if it's fresh and we were slipping on organs the whole way, so yes, I'm fine with this 'people smoothie'." Kid could feel Asura's attempt to make air quotes around those last words without letting go of him. But he supposed he saw the reasoning. That other option sounded much worse and he had a feeling Asura was speaking from experience. It was another thing that made him curious, but he doubted he could pry an answer from the other easily.
Knowing better than to pry too much, but not wanting to walk in silence anymore he tried changing the subject. "So…. You and Vajra, huh? What do you like about him?" As soon as Asura's head snapped towards him, a bright gleam in his eyes, he knew he was in for an earful. Funny. He'd never taken his brother as the doting, 'excited about your lover' kind of guy before. At least the eerie silence would be lifted a bit, that had to count for something.
The chatter continued for most of their walk, though any sudden sound or shift in the shadow shut Asura up and set him on high alert. He would freeze in place and pull Kid closer, frightened gold eyes darting around and ears straining to hear anything at all. When nothing came, he would pick back up where he left off and Kid could keep walking. His current story was told far too calmly for the content though, and Kid chose to change the subject. "So… you mentioned earlier you got disowned the first time because of Vajra. What was that about."
Asura's face scrunched up, more reluctant than anything else as he paused mid sentence. For a moment Kid worried he'd crossed a line, but Asura finally responded. "I… made Vajra functionally immortal. As long as I'm alive Vajra will live too. It was a total accident though, he was fatally injured and I panicked and the next thing we knew… I somehow bound his life to mine. I suppose it makes sense, since it happened after..." He cut himself off abruptly and avoided Kid's gaze at that.
There was a lot about his response that felt off to Kid, from the sudden stutter and guilt that flashed across his face at the mention of Vajra's injury to the avoidance of whatever incident he had almost mentioned. "Happened after what?" Kid asked, trying to pry just a bit to test his luck. It seemed he had none as Asura simply ignored the question and continued.
"Well, it wasn't that I did that. Afterwards I panicked about what father would do if he found out so we hid it." The older god elaborated, a small smile crossing his face and he huffed. "Funny enough it took a couple hundred years for him to realize Vajra hadn't died yet."
"I guess living so long messes up your sense of time, huh?" Kid mused, eyeing his brother carefully.
Asura responded with a nod and a light chuckle. "Of course. So forgive us for missing like, four of your birthdays. It only felt like a few days passed for us. You will come to realize it yourself eventually." Shaking his head he tried to say something else but Kid cut in before he could.
"Are you talking about how I didn't meet you until I was five?" He waited for Asura's nod of confirmation before sighing. Instead Asura blinked at him, confused for a moment before a guilty expression settled on his face and he turned away. Curious, Kid added, "Is… is that not it? Then why did you never come to see me?"
"Because…" Asura struggled with the words, his steps slowing to a stop as he fought with himself to say the words. His chest felt tight, the guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders as he tried to explain. But how could he explain that?
Watching Asura made him wonder why. What could possibly be so hard to say? Was it just because he felt bad or… "You can tell me. I won't judge you."
Hesitance. Asura faced him again, brow furrowed and lips set in a thin line as he tried to find the right words to say. But he nodded to show Kid he understood and swallowed down the fear. "I… I tried to kill you." He could feel Kid recoil through his grip on the boy's hand. He met his brother's shocked eyes for only a moment before dropping them to the ground and keeping them pinned there. "I don't understand why I did it either. It was like I reacted instinctively. If Vajra hadn't dragged me away you would be dead."
"...Is that why you avoid me?" Kid let himself relax a bit. It wasn't the reason he expected but somehow having any reason was a bit relieving. He wanted to ask a lot about why or what could have triggered it but he sincerely doubted Asura knew.
With a nod and a much softer voice, Asura said, "I didn't want to risk it happening again… I haven't felt like that for a long time. But…" He glanced at Kid nervously, the boy responding with a slight tilt of his head. It took a moment to gather his courage and add, "Until now. I've had that urge a lot here and… I don't know if it's me or this place… or both? But I thought about throwing you off of the bridge, using the dagger, pushing you into the path of that 'god'...I don't understand it and it...it scares me. I don't want to kill you."
A moment of silence passed between them before Kid spoke up. "...Me too." Asura's head snapped in his direction but he continued instead of looking up at his brother. "I've thought about it too. I think they're called intrusive thoughts? But they've never been as bad as they are here. I keep getting them, and unlike the usual ones they've all been about you… um, killing you I mean. But I don't want to kill you either."
This time the silence stretched out longer, neither wanting to talk anymore as they tried to process the information. They started up again slowly, unsure how long it would be until they reached the temple. As they went, the ground sloped upwards at a shallow angle. The slosh of water became a crunch of dried bone and root under their feet, punctuated by the squish of what they hoped were vines.
In the distance, a dark shape could be made out. The closer they drew, the more obvious it was that it was a stationary building. Pillars lined its entrance, a pale golden glow climbing up them like the fairy lights Patty hung around her bedroom. An overhang jutted out above them, long spikes of ice dangling from the rooftop and reflecting the light against the darkness. Wooden doors stood in front of them, shut tightly and painted with an image of the moon and sun on each. Wolf statues guarded either side, posed in a crouch as if they were about to leap.
Asura tightened his grasp on Kid's hand again and offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Hey… Whatever happens, I won't let you be killed. I promise."
The sudden words took him by surprise, but he nodded and squeezed Asura's hand in response. "Me too. I won't let you die here, I need you to bully Black Star for me when we see him again. Now, let's see if we can open this." He led the way to the door, pushing it lightly at first before bracing his shoulder against it and putting all his strength into pushing. Asura mimicked him at the other door and slowly they creaked open, groaning loudly as if they hadn't been moved in years. When they were finally able to slip inside, they were greeted by a dimly lit hall and a bright white light at the far end, barely a pinpoint in the distance. A way out? God, he hoped it was.
.
.
.
Torchlight burned Black Star's eyes as they slowly blinked open, forcing them closed again. The ground against his face felt… surprisingly warm, at least compared to the chill that kept a tight hold over the frozen city. It was also rough, an uneven stone floor, and the quiet tap, tap, tap of ceramic on wood resounded throughout the room. A heavy presence set itself over him, writhing in the air and constricting the breath from his chest.
He tried to blink his eyes open again, finding it much easier than before. The room swam for a moment as his eyes adjusted. Soon enough it came into focus and he could see more. A line of iron bars blocked the way to the rest of the room and separated him from the other two cells on either side of his. They stretched from floor to ceiling, so climbing out was not an option. He turned to inspect the room ahead of him.
The priest stood there, his black cloak and deer skull hung over the back of the wooden chair he sat in. Long hair cascaded down his back, dull, glassy eyes pinned to the white button up being sewn in his hands. Though he hummed a cheery tune his lips didn't move an inch and on closer inspection, he realized their tanned skin hardly looked like skin at all. It was too solid and as he scanned them he realized the tapping came from the man's bare foot clicking against the ground.
A ceramic man? A giant porcelain doll in the shape of a human? He remembered the conversation he had with Adrian about the priest, an ancient and powerful spirit who refused to die. It made sense that it could possess things, but the doll body creeped him out just a bit. Goosebumps broke out across his arms and stood his hair on end at the thought.
Slowly, Black Star sat up. He wanted to leap to his feet and bang against the bars demanding his freedom, but a splitting pain in his head stopped him. Right. He got drugged by flowers, flowers!, and ended up passing out despite his attempts to stay conscious. So he was brought here then. But where was 'here'? And was Vajra here too? He vaguely remembered the man hovering over him after he'd collapsed, but everything from then on was hazy or blank.
He turned his attention to the cells beside him. To his right sat… A pile of bones. Thankfully they all looked like animal bones, some broken some cracked, but the skulls at least eased some of his fears. And to the right, leaned against the bars that joined their cells was Vajra. The man kept his eyes pinned to the doll as it worked, jaw clenched tightly and a fists balled. It seemed to be more in anxiety as his brows crunched upwards and teeth worried at his bottom lip.
Black Star carefully moved to the man's side, half dragging and half crawling as his aching head protested the movement. Once he reached the man, Vajra turned to look at him. Some of the unease drained from his tense shoulders but most stayed. He wanted to ask why, but instead all he managed was a terse, "Ya look like shit man." He got a raised eyebrow for his troubles, an incredulous expression that screamed 'you too' without any words. But when the tapping stopped suddenly, they faced the man again.
He simply disappeared, the chair he'd been sitting in empty with no sign of him having been there at all. Curious, Black Star stood up with the bars as support and hobbled his way over as quickly as his aching head allowed. The shuffle behind him told him Vajra was following his lead and soon enough the man could be seen beside him. The concern on his face wasn't unexpected but it did annoy him. Especially since Vajra seemed alright for the most part.
"Why're you so alright?" He asked, annoyance tainting his voice as he finally grabbed hold of the bars connected to the main room. They were cold even through his gloves, so he pressed his forehead against them and sighed at the slight relief it provided.
Vajra spoke up then, answering his question with unease as he scanned the room for the doll. "It's not the first time I've been drugged y'know." There was a pause before he set a large hand on Black Star's back. The boy flinched at the touch but kept his head firmly against the bars. "Are you alright? I can see our bags, maybe there's medicine we can use in one of them?"
He opened his mouth, fully intent on claiming he was fine, but was beat to it as a door out of their sight banged open. The sound sent a stab through his head again and he groaned.
"Awo? Sowwy! Your head hurts, huh? It'll do that to ya, most people are worse off when they wake up than you guys." The childish voice rang out, undoubtedly loud on purpose as the creature skipped into view with a shallow bowl in hand. "Lucky me, I'm immune to poisons so I won't get sick. This is for you though! Medicine for the headache." It shoved the bowl towards Black Star, and he lifted his eyes to meet the empty sockets of the creature.
At first he couldn't quite make out what it was he was seeing, but the creature before him wasn't quite the same as the one they met before. Rather than the tall shadow he'd seen lounging in the branches, a smaller being about his height greeted him. Its face was still one of a wolf's skull but it was smaller and somehow rounder. The ears too were rounded rather than pointed and instead of having the hind legs of a wolf, it looked humanoid. Its arms and legs were still black and its hands and feet tipped in razor sharp claws. But the rest of it was covered by a pair of black shorts and a loose white button-up. The bell around its neck hung from a wide red ribbon tied into a bow, giving it a softer appearance overall. Almost like a kid in a costume.
Just when he was about to slap the bowl away, the voice registered. It was a struggle to stop staring, mouth hung open in disbelief. "Wait… You're that wolf guy! The one who told us to walk into that trap!" He tried to recall the name of it but his desire to fight it was all that came to mind.
"Pup." Vajra supplied the name it had given to him for Black Star's sake. He shook his head a bit at the boy's forgetfulness and instead added, "You should take it. Pup did say they wouldn't let us die here and you look like you will if you don't get help." Thankfully Black Star paid him no attention as he grumbled and took the bowl. He wouldn't see the wariness towards the creature in its new form or the anxiety twisting the weapon's face and that was how Vajra would prefer it.
Pup's ears perked up when Black Star accepted the medicine, tail wagging behind him. The boy downed it in one gulp, face souring and lips puckered as he choked on the bitterness. But it all stayed down and that was all that mattered. "So," Pup started, tilting his head to the side, "Did it surprise you that I look like this? Hmm? Cause I usually take this form with Papa since he's more human than father but you guys have only seen me as I am with father."
Vajra shrugged and Black Star made a so-so motion with his hand as he sank to the ground with his forehead still against the metal. The weapon watched, concerned for him but unwilling to take his eyes off of the creature while it was still there. It visibly deflated at their lack of response, giving him the feeling that it wanted their attention. It could have it, if only the damn thing could let them out. Somehow he knew it wouldn't, but it still couldn't hurt to ask. "Hey Pup? Would you be able to let us out of here? Even leaving a key would be alright if you don't want to get caught."
It turned its snout towards him, clicking softly as if chiding him. "Nope. Sowwy. Papa keeps a tight watch on the keys to these cells. I'm only allowed to have them when he asks for my help." Pup leaned in a bit, folding its hands behind its back and lowering its voice. "You shouldn't wanna leave yet anyway. You still haven't gotten my gift yet. It will be very useful I'm sure."
Straightening, the creature spun on its heel and started for the door again. "Well, whatever happens happens, right? If you want to help your boyfriends then you'll need my gift. I swear it's in this room somewhere, I just hope you'll be able to understand it." With that Pup vanished around the corner, a bounce in its step. If not for the quiet click of the door shutting, he might have believed it was still in the room hidden just out of sight.
With the relative silence, he let out a sigh and turned his attention to Black Star. He moved to kneel beside him and carefully shook his shoulder. Once the boy peered up at him, eyes narrowed in a glare, he asked, "You feeling okay?" Black Star grunted in response.
"It's a little better. Shit's good for it to work quick like this but it tastes awful." He gave a thumbs up and carefully peeled himself away from the bars. "But anyway, Where's that gift we're supposed to get?" Turning his attention to the room, Black Star couldn't help but grimace.
It was a cluttered mess. Shelves lined with all sorts of small dolls stared down at them, many adorned with the skulls of animals. Most frequently was the wolf monster they'd seen drawn on the mural near the city's entrance. Charts and diagrams lined the walls, broken up by the occasional childish drawing and sticky note. They littered the floor and tables, save two opposite them decorated with wooden limbs and porcelain heads. The shelves above these also housed many life sized doll heads, their hair pulled up in braids or neatly combed back.
Vajra returned his focus back to the papers lining the walls. On closer inspection, some of them appeared to be maps, but cluttered by dark lines and squiggles. Or so he thought at first. The longer he looked, the more he understood. They weren't random, they were symbols, written magic scrawled in tiny handwriting across the map in a web reaching to the city's edge at the lake they came from. A seal. One giant seal, spread across the entire city. Now it made sense why Asura and Kid could walk so far and still be unable to use their powers.
"I think that's it." He pointed to the map and Black Star turned to look at it. He squinted, casting a doubtful expression back at the man. "It looks like a seal drawn across the map. We need that so I can check my suspicions."
"We can't just burn it? Aren't we trying ta get rid of the seals?" Black Star asked as he pressed up against the bars and stuck his hand through. It waved in the air for a moment before he pulled it back in. "Can't reach it."
Whether he was joking or serious, Vajra couldn't tell. He turned his head away to continue scanning the room in case there was something else they could use, ready to answer the boy when the door creaked open again. The priest came around the corner this time, walking backwards with his arms looped around a fresh corpse. Blood trailed from the body, streaking the floor bright red and filling the room with the smell of iron. The hole in its chest was quite visible, rough and torn with bits of flesh hanging loose and swaying as the body was moved.
Beside him, Black Star gagged and doubled over. At first he wondered what exactly was wrong. It wasn't uncommon to see these kinds of things for meisters or weapons, right? But then, it was possible that Black Star had never seen a corpse this fresh even as a meister since the bodies of pre-kishin often just vanished when they died. He cast a concerned glance at the boy before turning back to meet glassy, dark purple, eyes.
A startled yelp tore its way from his throat at the sudden closeness of the priest. His unmoving face never changed, but Vajra got the feeling that the man was grinning at him. Those dead eyes set him on edge, and he shifted to a defensive stance immediately in case he decided to try anything. "You know. I've liked you for quite a while. Ever since you first set foot in here." The disembodied voice floated from the man's general direction as he tilted his head slightly to the left. His tone was overly friendly, a sugar coated drawl played up to seem harmless despite the blood soaking his robes. Terrifyingly familiar in a way he had never wanted to see again. "We will be spending quite a while together, it's best to get acquainted now, no? I am the high priest or Huli Jing, but those are my titles. You may address me as Maou."
Electricity crackled in the air and the man, Maou, stepped back as Black Star's arm lunged from behind the bars. The boy's hand crackled and sparked, fading away as he stopped his attack. Through gritted teeth, Black Star growled, "I don't care who you are! What the fuck are ya planning you freak?!"
Maou's head twisted unnaturally in the boy's direction and he flinched involuntarily. "Ah, I suppose I do owe an explanation to you two. But first let me clean up a bit. My poor floors are going to stain again if I don't take care of this soon. They aren't easy to clean." Black Star protested, but Maou simply ignored him and hauled the body up to drag away again. He opened the door across from them and carefully dragged it inside.
Both of them leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse inside of the room. It was darker than their own, but a crystal basin gleamed inside. A body lay slumped upright in an old wooden bed partially hidden by silk curtains, draped in furs and wrapped in bandages that covered every visible part of it. Beyond that, much to their relief, sat a familiar circular pattern engraved in stone and raised off of the wall. The door Pup promised. But before they could examine more, Maou returned and closed it with a firm click.
He spun on his heels and clapped his hands together with a click of ceramic. "Now… What do I want with the two of you? Was that what you wanted to know?" Mockery laced the innocent tone dripping from Maou's mouth, sickly sweet but sending shivers down their spines.
It was Vajra who spoke up first, holding a hand up to silence Black Star before he could start. "If you wanted us dead, you could've killed us by now. Why haven't you? Surely you want something from us?" The doll hummed, swaying lightly on his feet in an almost childish way that vaguely reminded him of Pup.
"Ah yes, well… I thought that boy would be a good toy for my son for a while. At least until he gets bored of him. And you…" Again he paused, tilting his head slightly. The malicious grin could be felt even if he couldn't express it. Dangerous. Something that only meant bad, terrible things. Finally seeming to recall Vajra's purpose, Maou approached them and leaned against the bars. "I just want you. Or your body to be exact, see-"
"Hey! He's got a boyfriend!" Black Star cut in harshly, earning a dumbfounded stare from the doll. Then it laughed, doubling over as it used the bars for support. Black Star shook out of his surprised stupor brought on by the doll's sudden outburst and once again lunged for it, the crackle of energy in his palm tingling against his skin. And he missed. Unlike last time a cold, stiff hand clamped around his wrist and pulled him hard against the bars.
Leaning in, the man cleared his throat and said, "I believe you misunderstood. I was being quite literal. My body has long since passed and I've yet to repair it even after all this time. But I miss the joys of life, the simple, ah… pleasures that I once had. Most bodies will rot over time but someone blessed by a god, however false that god may be, should have a body who can withstand the test of time. Don't you think so? You are almost a thousand years old yourself, no?"
Vajra didn't respond. He wasn't sure how to. All he could manage was a disgusted glare as he tracked the doll's movements. Maou took the silence as an invitation to continue, pacing back and forth in front of his cell, "Now, there are a few ways we could do this, so I thought I would be nice and offer a deal. Surely we can share. I will even convince my dear to spare your little false god. Then you can enjoy yourself too. We will keep you well and with time you may come to see things our way. Cast aside your petty morals and indulge in instinct, as the world was meant to be."
"...disgusting." The word escaped him before he could stop it, but he found he didn't regret that. Instead he continued, even as the doll hummed again and tilted his head as if he didn't understand. "You're disgusting. I'd never do something like that to anyone, let alone Asura. And what the hell would happen to Kid? Would you kill him?"
"Oh my, you disagree? Well, I'll give you the second option then." Ignoring the questions, Maou moved on. The air became heavier as every moment passed, and he could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "My lord will rend the soul from your body to devour, and I will take it over. You are already blessed and I, as a blessed soul much like you, will take over your corpse. Most bodies won't function properly after death but there is a small window that could allow one to synchronize with the corpse and yours will not age and rot as all eventually do."
Straightening suddenly, Maou clapped his hands and added, "In short, you die, your precious gods die, this boy dies, and I get your body with all it's blessings aaaallllll to myself to do with as I please. Though I hope you refuse, option one could be more fun for us both, and as a gracious host, I will give you some time to think it over. Consider it carefully."
As if he couldn't see the revulsion painting both Black Star and Vajra's faces, Maou spun around to return to the room in the back. A moment later he returned with his cloak around his shoulders and left the room entirely. Silence settled over them, only increasing the chill brought by the doll's words. Then suddenly Black Star spoke, "You're not gonna agree, right?" He must have glared because the boy faltered for a moment, adding on a mumbled, "Well, I mean… You'd technically be saving yourself and Asura since you guys would live. You always seem concerned about his safety so I just thought...y'know..."
"Sometimes living is the worse option." He responded, unzipping his jacket and digging around the pockets. Black Star's eyes bore holes in his back but he tried to ignore it in his search until the quiet became too much. "Star, how much of that did you actually understand?"
There was a pause for a moment before he answered in an offended tone, "I got what it was saying! I may be stupid but I'm not an idiot."
"Ah, but you are still stupid?"
Black Star's offended squawk earned a little laugh from him as he checked his pants pockets this time, but it was cut short by the boy yelling, "Hey!"
Vajra ignored the shout and picked up where he left off, "But anyway, if I care so much for Asura's safety, why would I let something like that happen to him? That bastard's words sound like a decent offer to someone desperate, but if you listened then you would realize that he never said I would be the one to keep Asura, only that he would be spared and I can...well, you know." The disgusted grimace deepened as he explained it to the boy, a sick feeling tying knots in his stomach. "And who knows what the hell he'd use my body to do if he had it. Just thinking about it makes me sick."
"...Then don't think about it?" Came Black Star's awkward response as he watched the man pull his long, tied hair over his shoulder to pat down. "Okay, what they hell are you doing?" The question was answered for him as Vajra pulled out a pair of lock picks from his hair and held them up for the boy to see. If he was confused before then he looked even more lost now, clearly trying to figure out when or why the man had those hidden on him.
He quickly donned his jacket again and hurried to the door of his cell. Black Star's dumbfounded stare followed him, watching him fiddle with the lock for a bit before the door swung open and he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. Vajra was quick to let him out, too, struggling a bit more with Black Star's door as the boy's excitement distracted him. But it soon popped open with a click, letting the boy bolt from the cage with more energy than he expected. "Well, this is step one of getting out of this city. For real this time. Can you grab the seal map?"
With a nod, Black Star shot across the room and pried the paper from the wall with surprising care. Once free, he rolled it up and looked around for something to tie it shut with. Seeing that he was alright, Vajra turned his attention to the papers scattered about the desk. Some were simple sketches and other elaborate diagrams. A handful of them were signs and symbols of written magic both familiar and unfamiliar and one detailed an effective method for creating dolls from corpses. The last one was tossed aside and he focused more on the written spells until Black Star returned with the map.
"Whatcha doing?" He asked, leaning over to see what he was looking at.
Instead of answering, Vajra held a hand out for the map. "Let me see that." He demanded, frowning when it wasn't immediately placed in his hands. "Star, I seriously need that so I can compare these."
"Why?"
"Because there must be a counter spell for the seal that I can use for now until it's broken. But I need to see what's on it first so I know which is the right one." The boy relinquished his prize with an exaggerated sigh and a long drawn out, 'Fiiiiiinneee' and Vajra thanked him for it before unraveling the large, thick smell of old paper and thick ink hung in the air, a strange comfort reminding him of times when everyone he'd know was still together. But those thoughts were pushed aside quickly. It wasn't the time to reminisce, they needed him to figure this out. So he poured over the familiar symbols with quick eyes and trained precision, scanning each and every piece before finally plucking one from the pile and folding it neatly to stuff in his pocket.
Black Star watched him work, even as he went to retrieve their bags and fish Adrian's radio from the bottom of the spirit's bag. It was a relief to see his sword still poking from the top of his bag and he pulled it out so he would be ready if something decided to attack them. Once Vajra began packing up, Black Star brought Adrian's bag to him. Immediately the man began shoving papers into it, a strange gleam in his eyes that took a moment for Black Star to recognize as excitement. He turned his attention away from the man as he packed up ink and a brush, as well as a small precision knife.
"Yo chief, you there?" He asked the radio. It's silence brought a strange sense of worry, but then the quiet voice of Adrian perked up. Black Star let out the breath he was holding, relieved to hear the spirit hadn't been devoured while they were unconscious.
"Yes. I'm here. Are you boys alright?" He asked, concern dripping from his voice as he added, "That spirit is quite vicious. It's best you leave now. There's a door out in the other room, that's where my group was ambushed so I know it well."
Vajra hummed thoughtfully before answering. "We're alright, but we can't leave now. Asura and Kid are still trapped below and we need to help them. Adrian, is there a place from here where we can see the city from above? I need to confirm something." The spirit paused, leaving the radio to crackle with quiet voices.
Finally, he answered. "There is… Are you sure you don't want to leave though? You could just go for help."
"Asura and Kid might not survive long enough for help to arrive," Vajra stated as he swung the bag over his shoulder. "Right now, their focus is split between our two groups, and will be more split once that priest realizes we've escaped. If we leave then Asura and Kid will be their sole focus and though I'd love to trust their abilities blindly, this is not a normal enemy."
"I agree with that." Black Star chimed in, determination burning in his eyes. The radio shook with Adrian's sigh, but he relented with a quiet hum of acknowledgement.
"Exit into the hall and go right, there should be a stairway in the west wing you can use that would take you to the uppermost level. I will stay quiet so you can hear the voices and react accordingly, unless necessary." Adrian stated, falling silent and letting the quiet hum of countless voices flow from the radio.
With a nod, Vajra and Black Star left the room. A weight lifted itself from the man's shoulders, glad to be leaving behind the dimly lit cages he was all too familiar with. If all went well, he would be right and they could leave this horrible place with Asura and Kid beside them.