A nerfed Dingir in Final Fantasy 9, seriously?
CHAPTER 3.5
Memories of a Fictional life
The Alexandrians were taking their sweet time releasing him, so Mark decided to take a nap to pass the time, slumping over the table in the interrogation room, his eyes slowly closing, he drifted off to sleep.
(Dream Sequence)
'She's following me,' Mark noted as he dashed through the Downs under the moonlight. He could feel demonic magic in the air, he didn't have time to stop her, he could only hope he and John could defeat it before she caught up, doubtful, the demon this cult was trying to summon was truly strong, heck, it might be too much for them, her powers would be helpful in holding the creature off while they sealed it again, but Mark truly didn't want to explain it to her, his duty and curse, because it would get back to Andrew, and he would learn the truth of why the Seraphim had chosen him.
Drawing close to the scene, Mark leapt through the undergrowth, just in time to see an enormous demonic hand burst through the centre of the summoning circle.
Mark leapt into the scene, he briefly glanced at John, who was being restrained by several cultists, he wasn't a fighter though, his knowledge of magic and the occult allowed him to produce many means to combat demons, but he was a support and supply guy in most instances.
Ignoring that, Mark focused on the enormous demonic hand emerging from the summoning circle. reaching for one of his swords, he drew it, and charged towards it. Those occultists not powering the spell lunged at him, but he effortlessly slipped around them, slamming each of them in the back of the neck with the blunt edge of the sword. They dropped.
Jumping through the summoning circle, he sliced at the hand which was large than himself, then a shockwave of dark energy as the demonic arm repelled Mark with a contemptuous fist, sending him sprawling.
"YOU AGAIN, DINGIR!" bellowed a distorted voice as the summoning circle exploded outwards incinerating the cultists. Mark and John were caught in the explosion as well. A white aura surrounded Mark, protecting him, as for John, the blue tattoos on his body glowed like neon lights and a dome of energy appeared preventing from being roasted by the demon's power. However the force of the explosion threw them both clear of the summoning circle. Reina who caught up, observed from a distance, enhancing her sight with aura.
"Great...they really summoned Asag," muttered Mark, scrambling to his feet, holding his sword steady as the smoke and flames began to clear. John joined him at his side, the magical tattoos on his body glowing ever brighter. "Mind telling me how they summoned him?" Glancing in John's direction. "They would need the Pestilencia Tabes Grimoire and we destroyed it." Mark's eyes narrowed, accusing.
The occult shop owner winced at the look, replying, "I sold a copy I made of it, those things sell for a fortune, and normally it would be useless, but they added demonic energy to it, creating a sufficient copy for a summoning to work."
"A demonic Contractor-Mage or something?" Mark asked.
John gave him a surprised look, "Oh so you know about them then, don't think I've ever mentioned them though."
"I'm training one, and my old friend Andrew is one as well." Mark replied.
"I thought he was dead?" Jon asked.
"Adel turned him into a Seraphim Contractor and the bastard didn't come back to contradict the KIA." Mark answered.
"Well fuck."
"Yep."
The ground beneath them began to shake and the last of the smoke and flame was dispersed as the shadowy monster let loose a thunderous roar. Both faced the demon, ready to battle. John's tattoos were filled with magical seals that protected him from demons as well as hurt them, but he lacked the combat skills to truly use them, Mark would be the finisher for this.
Asag was nearly twenty feet tall, its skin was black, warped, filled with wriggling worms and tar, its body shape was vaguely human, but clawed and fanged, it had four long horns atop his head, its face scaled and ghoulish, a long black tongue slithering from its dark maw. A foul smell emanated from Asag, if not for their respective protection, the two would already be dying from the poison within it.
Asag's all-white eyes roamed its surroundings, spotting Mark and John, it rose to its full height, massive bat-like wings unfurling behind it. Asag grinned, its jagged smile stretching horribly to reveal many knife-like teeth. The air was thick with its demonic power, the plant life at Asag's feet began to rot and die, it spread out, the green becoming brown across the surrounding countryside.
"TO THINK YOU WOULD BE HERE AT MY AWAKENING, IT SEEMS FATE HAS ABANDONED YOU BOTH, DINGIR, NERGAL," announced Asag, its voice twisted and echoing. Raising a clawed arm, black energy gathered its palm and burst forth towards them.
Mark leapt forward, swinging his sword to intercept it, "Sanctitudo..." He whispered, calling upon the angelic blessing Adel had given him through his bloodline, the protection of Heaven, the edge of his sword glowed white with angelic energy, his sword swing meeting with the demonic attack, a shockwave in mid air at the collision, his blade blessed and destroyed Asag's attack, but its force sent Mark flying back, he flipped with the momentum and was able to land, he briefly spotted John sneaking into the now brown undergrowth, probably to grab whatever supplies he had brought from his store.
Reaching into one of his pouches, he pulled out a bottle of holy water with blessed silver shavings in it. Biting off the cork, he hurled it at Asag, as the demon charged, Asag screamed as the bottle shattered, the holy water burning its skin.
"DIE DINGIR!"
But Asag was strong, it ignored the pain, throwing a giant fist with a huge upward motion, the air rippling from the force, Mark barely evaded being hit, using the side of his blade to guard as the attack shot past him, sparks flew as demonic flesh met steel.
Raising his arms for a downward slash to sever the demon's arm, Asag elbowed Mark first with tonnes of force, Mark's feet lifted off the ground as it hit him, eyes widening in shock as his ribcage cracked, a searing of agony, spitting blood, he hit the ground hard, reacting on instinct he rolled to the side, barely avoiding Asag as he stamped the ground where he had been moments ago, it cracked under Asag's strength. Then the earth itself rotted, turning to sludge, it began to spread.
"Omni Malo Purget..." Mark muttered, punching his fist into the rotting earth, a pulse of light and the corruption stopped.
"DINGIR, YOU SHOULDN'T STAND IN THE WAY OF MY PURPOSE, YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH," chided Asag mockingly, kicking Mark as he struggled to his feet, Mark smashed through one of the dying trees, he definitely felt bones break, vomited blood as he fell, reaching into another pouch from his belt, he hurled several metal balls at Asag, which exploded on contact, piercing the demon with shards of blessed silver, and power of good old fashioned explosives.
John appeared behind Asag at the moment of the explosion, the demon's body shielding him from the blast, and as Asag shrieked while the explosion buried the silver deep within the demon's body, in that moment, magic tattoos glowing bright, John reared back his fist and jammed it deep into the demon's torso, a magic circle appearing around the wound, a purification one, which if left on the demon long enough would destroy it.
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
Asag took to the air with a few beats of its gigantic black wings, spinning mid air, he loosened John from his back and tried to crush the man with his great grip. John's tattoos emitted holy light in response to the physical contact, dissolving the demon's hand, John hit the ground hard, coated in the hands remains which evaporated soon after. The magic circle he had placed on Asag had burned a large hole in its chest.
Asag quivered, barely able to stand, using its wings like crutches, Mark came out charging at this moment, holding two swords, in one hand a katana, and the other was an custom blade, an oversized knife with a serrated edge, dodging Asag's attacks, he drove both into the demon's chest, each weapon blessed to harm demonic beings. Asag shrieked, releasing a blast of demonic energy in all directions, Adel's blessing and the magic tattoos kept them from being killed but the kinetic energy sent them sprawling.
Asag kept strengthening its demonic aura, seeming to ignore its horrific injuries, refusing to return to hell and accept its defeat.
"Think you can return him to hell again?" Mark hissed to John, as he stumbled to his feet, his swords now destroyed by the demonic energy, unable to stand up to the corruption.
"Not while he's emitting all that power," answered John, "Mark...I need you to use Adel's power to weaken it."
Mark glared at him, "You know what using it does to my body if I use it for more than a moment."
"I'm sorry."
"Fine," Mark approached Asag, angelic power surrounding him, talking the shape of six wings of light, the symbol of the Seraphim, Asag immediately noticed the change in his opponent, the stench of Adel's heavenly power. As Mark stood before the demon, Asag's body began to shrink, its injuries healing by condensing its mass, now Asag and Mark stood eye to eye.
Asag bared his fangs, his powerful aura smashing against Mark, who stood unflinchingly under the demons wrath. Its long tongue stretched out, tasting the air, it sneered, "YOUR BORROWED POWER WON'T BE ENOUGH."
"It worked once before Asag, no reason why it wouldn't work again, you're going back to hell." Mark replied, in this form he could sense everything around him, John was circling them at a distance, placing magic circles in preparation to banish the demon. Good, using the blessing of Adel allowed him to borrow the angels powers at the cost of his health.
"I'M STRONGER NOW, DINGIR." Asag stated, his power condensed into this small form.
"I know," replied Mark quietly. There was a pause, then the two collided in sudden burst of destructive power, the air detonating around them with punch, kick, bite and slash, their angelic and demonic energy wildly surging around them as the two opposing forces tried to kill the other.
John carefully continued making the extremely complicated magic circle to banish Asag, trying to ignore the battle nearby, 'Just hang on Mark, just a few more minutes.'
"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" laughed Asag, as it smashed his fist into Mark's torso, one of the seraphim wings blocked it, but Asag shot demonic energy out like a beam from its fist, it pierced the wing, leaving a small, smouldering hole in Mark's stomach. He screamed in agony, but did not fall, Adel's power not allowing him too, his sixth wing dissolved, now he was down to five.
"In...nomine Adel...Ad...Infernum!" whispered Mark, his eyes unfocused, blood cascading from his mouth as he spoke. Two of the wings dissolved into particles of light, which surrounded the demon, piercing its body all over, Asag slumped forward, his skin writhing, worms, black sludge and poison bursting from the wounds instead of blood.
"HEH...NOT BAD DINGIR," hissed Asag, slowly standing, with a sudden bellow of demonic fury, his own demonic power dispelled the angelic power of Mark's two winged attack. "BUT MY POWER IS GREATER."
Though barely conscious, his body supported by Adel's blessing, Mark was able to still mutter, "Well fuck..."
Asag gathered a huge amount of demonic power into a fiery orb, and destroyed another of the Seraphim's wings faster than Mark could react. Now he was down to two wings.
Seeing Mark begin to collapse, Asag grinned, fingers extended like knives, he lunged at Mark, only for the demon's arm to be caught in a sphere of hell fire, and a shout from nearby, "Leave Sensei alone!"
Reina appeared in a burst of aura boosted speed. She grabbed Mark and dragged him to safety, Asag regarded her and her heat attack, he could sense the demonic energy in it, and another demon in her soul, how interesting. He flexed his arm and the heat sphere shattered, its aura dispelled. Though her powers had burned him it had been minimal. He was a demon too, after all.
SO...A CONTRACTOR MAGE?" mused Asag, eyeing up the young woman, it had been a while since he had slaked his lust on a living human, this summoning wouldn't be a complete waste of his effort and pain after all.
"Sensei, are you okay?" asked Reina, gently shaking Mark, she had watched the battle, it seemed there was far more to magic, angels, and demons than she knew from being in a contract with Incubo and working with Grey Faction, but those were questions for after the battle.
"...I'll live," he whispered, regarding his remaining two angel wings, their light was flickering like static, their power all but spent. "Reina, you have to run, I can't move right now, a demonic mage cannot beat a true demon, a devil, particularly for you who uses heat, and I can't protect you." It hurt Mark to admit it, but his body was at its limit, angelic power was not meant for human who was neither in a contract or a Grimoire mage.
"I'm not leaving you here, your friend is preparing something right?" she whispered, "I will hold him off until then."
"No Reina, you can't face Asag." Mark replied, his eyes beginning to close, "Incubo, please tell her..." Mark passed out. His blood soaking Reina's clothing in the brief time she's held him.
'So he could sense me after all, and to even know my name,' spoke Incubo, this was not the time for awe or questions however, Mark was right, Reina couldn't win. A true demon was largely immune to the powers of a demon Contractor, only those whose powers were aligned to the light could hope to wound them. Neither was she protected from the poison that Asag constantly emitted from his body, even now she had grown pale.
Deep within her mindscape, Incubo regarded the egg-like structure imbedded in his body, it hosted the form he would one day take, as well as what angelic power he had been able to recover so far. He hesitated, he could shield her with this for a time, but then he would have to start all over again to rebirth himself as an angel and escape this demonic form, could he really do that? He still might be able to control Reina's mind, force her to flee. Asag couldn't stay here indefinitely, he would run out of magic keeping him in this world eventually.
"I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!" Reina's subconscious shouted out, her aura building, ready to fight.
Incubo sighed, he couldn't do this, could he? "Reina, if you won't listen, then I'll just have to help you, follow my instructions if you want to live long enough to save your sensei and the tattooed stranger."
'You got it!' Reina replied mentally. Suddenly she felt an unfamiliar surge of power, it was gentle and pure, a soft golden glow surrounded her. 'What's this?'
"The power I gathered to retake my life as an angel, I'm using it to protect you from Asag's power of corruption, he can rot and destroy anything that he touches, only the power of the divine and holy can withstand it, this power is a short term shield, now hit him with everything you've got while it lasts."
"T-Thank you Incubo, I know what this power means to you."
"Don't die, and I won't regret it," Incubo replied.
Reina strode towards Asag, she spotted John working in the distance with her boosted sight, whatever he was doing, she hoped it would work. Mark seemed to trust him at least.
"A CLEVER TRICK WOMAN, BUT IT WON'T LAST AGAINST THE MIGHT OF ASAG!" declared Asag as Reina slowly approached, her aura emitted both angelic and demonic properties. It seemed he would have to play with her first to get what he wanted.
Reina nearly gagged at the smell of death and rot that originated from the demon, its face was truly hideous, disfigured, monstrous, a long black tongue slithered towards her. She gathered her aura, boosting her strength, speed, reactions, sight, and everything else. "We'll see won't we?"
Reina suddenly dodged to the side, even before she could see Asag's first attack, her instincts reacted to the danger and the demon's deadly intent. Where she once stood was Asag's clawed hand, Asag smiled, "YOU MOVE LIKE DINGIR DOES."
'Dingir?' thought Reina, he seemed to be referring to Mark, but she had never heard that word before, she could feel Incubo's shock at the word through their mental link. But that didn't matter.
"ARE YOU ONE OF HIS? ALL THE BETTER, LITTLE DEMON."
Aura flaring she engulfed them both and their surroundings, just shy of Mark and the ring of magic circles that John was making. The air around them was tinted like blood. "Burn!" she hissed, eyes glowing red, and pain erupted throughout Asag's body as his flesh began to shudder, warp and burn.
He reared back from her in surprise, this one had power, but demonic power wouldn't stop him, gathering his own demonic power he pushed back at Reina's heat, if it couldn't reach past his skin then her powers meant nothing. He could heal faster than she could wound him.
Reina continued strengthening her heat, watching the demon before her, Asag no longer seemed to be in pain, he straightened his posture, engulfed in flames as he burnt. He vanished as he took a step, Reina's body span on instinct as she felt a powerful strike hit her side, it only grazed her as a result, but Reina felt bones creak, and she shrieked as Asag's seared flesh burnt into her. Normally she was safe from her own powers, but not in this instance it seemed.
Reina hit the ground hard, another attack hit her, she turned into it, going with the flow, and threw Asag with aura boosted strength. She glanced to Mark outside her field of heat, he still wasn't moving, he had lost a lot of blood, by the looks of it. She had to do this!
The next few minutes were a blur of attacks, counters, and searing pain, she used everything Mark had taught her, while Incubo issued rapid fire instructions, without them both, and her opponents apparent resistance to her heat powers, she knew she would already be dead. She kept burning Asag, using the brief opening it created to dodge and run, but he was relentless.
It continued on like that, oddly Asag didn't attack her with pure demonic energy like he had done to wound Mark, what she didn't notice with the demon's relentless attacks, that he was strengthening the poison and rot emitted from his body instead, it filled the air, constantly attacking the angelic power Incubo had cloaked Reina in, and then it disappeared.
'Reina, run!' shouted Incubo, realising what Asag had done. A sudden choking pain in her chest, the world span, and Reina hit the ground.
"What...Happened?" she murmured.
Incubo appeared in front of her in spirit form, emitting what meagre power remained in himself as a warning to the approaching demon, still coated in flames as he burned, unconcerned by the damage. A horrific sight.
"You will withdraw Asag-Nak!" Incubo demanded.
Asag paused, head titled to the side, a blast of demonic power blasted away the last of Reina's heat, in seconds the damage healed away, but smoke billowed from his form. Asag peered in interest at the flicker that Incubo was, now able to see the other demon clearly. He smiled, fangs flashing, "INCUBO-NOK, TO SEE YOU AS A FRAGILE SHADE IS MOST AMUSING, SO YOU ARE THE ONE WHO GAVE POWER TO THAT GIRL"
"Indeed." Replied Incubo, he could faintly sense that the tattooed one was almost finished with his banishment spell, every minute, heck, every second that he could stall the ancient Sumerian demon mattered. "I ask as a fellow devil, that you cease battle here."
"YOU'VE CHANGED INCUBO, WHY PROTECT A HUMAN? THEY EXIST TO SATE OUR INSTINCTS FOR VIOLENCE AND LUST," stated Asag, puzzled by the actions of his fellow devil. "LAST TIME I WAS SUMMONED, THOSE EXORCISTS SEALED ME BEFORE I COULD ENTERTAIN MYSELF, YOUR CONTRACTOR WILL DO FOR NOW."
Incubo felt a chill, no human would survive Asag's attention, nor would he allow it. "You will not!"
"HOW WILL YOU STOP ME?" laughed Asag, lunging for Reina, who was struggling to rise. "I WILL RAPE THIS WOMAN, THEN TORTURE THE OTHERS TILL THEY DIE!"
Reina's aura changed at the demon's words, recalling her former trauma with the Oyabun, it turned blue, swirling around her, she raised her head, meeting Asag's gaze as he smashed through Incubo's spirit form, her eyes glowed blue, hand raised, she yelled an order, "STOP!" Her tone absolute, her power reacting to fear, anger, and the desire to end this. For the first time Reina's powers acted as how Alex had theorised was possible. Instead of using her aura to create a field of effect which made all cells vibrate to produce extreme heat, she which did the opposite, stopping every cell in his body from vibrating, his skin and the air around him froze, halting his movements, he screeched in genuine pain as he was frozen far deeper into his body than the heat had reached.
"I-I did it?" Reina muttered in shock, staring at her palms as the blue aura returned to its usual red, and then disappeared. 'What was that just now?'
The ground beneath them then began to glow, intricate patterns and symbols stretched out under the demon and all around them, emitting a powerful magic.
"Well done Miss," said John appearing behind Reina, his tattoos glowing and moving as he continued with the magic seal. She glanced to him, a breathed a sigh of relief, only to cough blood, John rushed to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder, his tattoos stretched out onto her skin, and through that he used purifying magic, black smoke emitted from her pores as he forced the poison out that Asag released from his body. He was careful to not purify Incubo or the aura in her body, the little demon had done well for his contractor.
"Thank you." She whispered as she felt the poison leave her body, her strength returning. John smiled, ruffling her hair like a child. He let go of her and the tattoos retreated to his own skin. The magic circle he had made, which was made from hundreds of complimenting seals and spells began to rotate and shrink, its glow becoming stronger.
"Thank you for buying us time, normally for a high level devil of the ancient world, Mark and I would have prepared all this ahead of time, but we were unlucky, with this impromptu summoning, we had to rely on you."
"Is Mark okay?" Reina asked in sudden realisation.
"Of course he's not!" John replied, "But he won't die, once Asag's back in hell, I'll sort him out."
Asag was frozen in place, surrounded in holy energy as the banishment circle shrunk around him, but then began to move, the ice started cracking, his skin tearing apart, but regenerating faster than the damage, Asag tore his upper body from Reina's last attack, his legs still bound in ice however, "I WON'T GO BACK YET!" Asag bellowed, he quickly gathered demonic energy to shoot from his hands, the same attack that had struck down Mark.
"We gotta run!" shouted John, moving to get Reina to safety.
Reina felt so heavy, 'I must have used too much aura to freeze him,' she realised.
"YOU WON'T ESCAPE!" declared Asag gleefully, seeing their fear.
"They will." stated a voice, cold as the ice that held the demon. Two swords pierced Asag from behind, one through the head, another through the heart, both glowing with holy light.
Mark had returned to the battle, his eyes were weary, his clothing soaked in his own blood, but still two wings of light remained, he could still purify. "Sanctitudo, Omni Malo Purget!" He chanted, the two swords began to shine blindingly with light, funnelling the last of the wings power into his swords, Asag's flesh bubbled and melted from the holy energy.
"NO, NOT AGAIN!" Asag cried out, realising he had been bested, he wanted to kill, rape, and pillage on Earth again, it had been too long since he could escape the boredom of the fiery pits. Weakened, he finally slumped forward in defeat, Mark stumbled back as John's banishment circle activated in full, now surrounding only Asag, the glowing writing stretched up over him like webbing, he let loose a bellow of purest rage, and disappeared in a flash of light and hell fire.
It was done. Asag was defeated.
Mark's swords had dissolved from the clash of angelic and demonic power, only the hilts remained in his grip. "Are you and Reina okay?" he asked, slowly walking over to them, his gait swaying, stumbling with each step.
"Yeah, just about, you?" asked John.
"I'm going to need more blood, and a lot of stitches...but I think I'll be...okay," Mark promptly passed out, landing headfirst into the dirt.
(Dream end)
Mark awoke with a start, knocking the chair to the ground with a clatter as he stood. 'What the hell? That was way too real!' He knew this battle, he had written it himself for Grey Faction: Mistaken Apostles. But the realism had been too great, like a memory recalled with vivid clarity. The other him, Dingir, what had Hironobu done? Was he reliving the memories of his fictional self? The letter had referred to him using a nerfed Dingir avatar rather than his own body.
A sudden chill, Dingir had frequent nightmares in the stories about his time in Hell, along with traumatic battles against strong Devils like Asag and Aka Manah, these had acted in part as a driving force to kill more demons. Would he have to deal with those memories, as some were truly horrific.
His thoughts needed to be set aside as an Alexandrian guard entered, kicking it the door open, he glanced to the status bar above her head, her name was Fran as she was a level 13. She carried his confiscated items and equipment, she dumped it all on the table. "Here," she said. "Once, you've checked through it, I'll be escorting you out of the castle."
"Much obliged," said Mark, checking through it, everything was there. He donned his cloak, tied his sword to his belt, and slung on his traveller's sack across his back. "W-Wait, we're in the castle?" He hadn't expected that, but with all the stone work, they had to be really, was it because their general had been involved? Or was the castle so vast in real life that it could house a prison as well and still be safe for the Royalty? It was likely. Brahne had ordered torture and executions later in the game.
"That's right, come on let's go, you've been cleared, and I've got guard duty to get back to," said Fran. He followed after her as she escorted him out.
"It seems my charm must be lacking if your desire to return the tediousness of guard duty so swiftly is any indication," Mark replied. He wasn't flirting, he just liked the banter.
Fran let loose an amused snort, but didn't reply, simply gesturing to hurry up. Following the many stone corridors, he was let out back into the sunlight, revealing several more guards next to a large metal gate.
As he walked through it, he heard several of the female soldiers say, "thanks for saving the kid," or words to that effect.
He glanced back with a warm grin, "you're welcome," and returned to the cramped stone city of Alexandria. Time to see how difficult hunting mist monsters really was.
(CHAPTER END)
Next Chapter: Too Many Goblins!
Well, mostly a flashback but there was some actual story, he's left the castle, and now it's time to see how Mark fares with monster drop hunting.