Skye
This doesn't look good.
The scene in front of me was quite jarring to say the least. An armored angel's spear poised to pierce a fairy's body. It seems like a scuffle had occurred, and this particular pixie was just strong enough to hold him off until now, or he was already weakened from the earlier fight to do anything about it.
Carefully approaching them under the cover of darkness, I moved up a nearby tree, preparing my attack as they talked… about something I couldn't hear. This was starting to become a problem.
Looking at my short useless limbs, I found that they were virtually useless in jumping, so my wings will have to do. However, not only does it compromise my position, but they are also a pain to deal with. While I could fly over there with wind magic, it would simply amount to falling straight down and hovering about three inches above the dirt.
Bickering with myself, I threw around ideas under an immense urgency, finally concluding when the deciding strike was just about to take place. Running along a branch, I pushed myself off it with great force, gliding through the air with only a quiet "whish" following my movements.
I landed on the demon's nape, near the point where the helmet and chest piece met. This seemed to have distracted the holy being, turning around to face whomever was dumb enough to try and sneak up on God's creations. It didn't quite notice my presence yet, perhaps he had thought of me as a slight discomfort, but nothing more.
Using this opportunity, I struck him with a fairly simple charged attack. In combination with my skill potentials, my attack tore through the bio-metallic surface he called skin and tore through his flesh like butter.
Though the opening was small (relative to his body), it was enough for me to crawl inside. Genuine surprise. Blood did not leak out of the wound but instead oil, or some vermillion substance that wasn't blood.
It felt absolutely abhorrent to my senses, akin to a viscous acid which ate at me for the entirety of my duration. Gritting through the pain, I continued biting at the enemy, ripping entire sections with my mandibles, gouging out portions before turning around and doing the same for the other side.
With each morsel I chewed on, the damage done to my body would ever so slightly heal, equal to the amount I was getting hurt. And seeing as there was no shortage to how much I could devour, potential hours could pass without me noticing.
Except of course when a sudden crash squashed my back, folding me like an omelet. Before I even realized, the magatsuhi surrounding me failed to hold its shape, deforming into red clumps that were easier to absorb.
Did I win? Maybe, but there was no way of knowing. Not unless I borough out of here. One slight problem, I have no idea where in the body my current location was. In an incredible stroke of brilliance, I turned myself over to a random direction and dug through mountains more of bio-metal, growing faster with each bite.
Over the course of *record scratch* knows how long, I've somehow managed to exit out the foot only to find a group of people discussing above me. They wouldn't have seen me if it weren't for the fact that my existence is somewhat noticeable now.
Almost immediately, my body was flung through the air like some knock-off toy, sending me crashing into a wall where I subsequently fell to my doom.
[You have been knocked out.]
[Please wait… 2 hours for the debuff to be removed.]
Son of a bitch! What the hell even threw me in the first place!? I have barely been here for an hour and I'm already receiving abuse for merely choosing gacha over something guaranteed. Urgh! Seriously wish I could've chosen human at this point, certainly beats waiting for my Nahobino form to hear things
…
High Pixie (Rosaria)
'What the hell was that!?' I internally shrieked as the angel in front of me started to writhe, letting out a distorted shout of pain. Carefully examining the situation, I blasted him with a full power Zanma, driving the supposedly last nail into my would-be killer's body.
Letting out a tired sigh of relief, my wings finally gave out, crumpling into the ground. However, even my moment of short reprise was short-lived, as the memories of what had occurred just mere minutes ago ached at my beating heart.
This… thing killed everyone in the settlement. My friends and some of my family perished here because of it. All for what? There had to be some kind of motive, right? A justification as to why they had to die? Law? Chaos? It didn't mean shit when this stupid war has caused nothing but trouble for everyone, even the people who weren't related to the conflict.
A Power, the fifth rank of the divine race, personally came here to slaughter us light cattle. But why try to decimate one of the weakest races out there, there was no point in fighting when we could have simply surrendered. Instead, Mary had to die because of you cunts!
Mechanically walking towards the angel's dropped spear, I shakily raised it over head. In an instant, my life here flashed before my eyes, a swift reminiscence before piercing the twitching body below me, stopping it permanently.
This was the best thing to do, right? Revenge? I killed their murderer, and yet, none of it feels any more different than five minutes ago. Why? Was it because I didn't let my hatred fester enough? Was it too soon?
"Please! I just need to feel something!" I begged, crying out to the uncaring heavens. Tears falling out of my eyes with no end in sight. In the end, we all made the choice to send me off to escape when there was an opening. It was by their vote to sacrifice themselves for me. But I can only ask the same question. Why?
An endless pit welled up inside me, as I reached my epiphany. They chose me because I had the highest chance of fleeing alive, the strongest among all of them… He.. he
Breaking out into a fit of self-deprecating laughter, a piece of me left with every breath. It was at that point that I realized, nothing about me was any more special than them. If Mary were to be the King's bastard child in my place, then the same thing would happen to her.
None of it was my fault, right? Of course, the ones to blame are those bloody metal pigeons. This war has gone on for long enough as it is, I think it's about time I end it. Or perhaps prolong the inevitable enough to where the fae could stand formidably with the other factions.
Staring at the starless night sky, I sigh for the umpteenth time today before staring longingly at the location that used to be our little settlement. And though seeds of regret still laid within me, I needed to warn the others of the attack, more would die, and their lives would be in vain.
Creating a blanket of wind under the armored monster, I dragged the corpse along with me, so as to give substance to my words beyond deluded ramblings. By the queen, this was going to be a long day.
…
Right on, it is indeed a shit day today.
A change in weather turned the dreary night sky into a rainy hellscape. The wind picking up in intensity with each passing second as the nearby trees whistled ominously. Something had gone terribly wrong, I can feel it in my bones.
The distance from the nearest village wouldn't be for another few kilometers, so I had to make the rest of the trip on foot, lest the breeze takes me to the underworld. Planting another step into the earth, I suddenly felt a life form approach me. A better term would be running towards me, but with the visibility, it was hard to tell.
Thunder fell down from the sky as it illuminated the figure, a group of small green muppets (Gremlins), about three or four in number. Accompanying them was the illusive deranged Quicksilver, a spirit that has caused a lot of trouble according to the reports. I'll have to be careful around them, seeing as both races of demon wield decent electric magic, something that could easily take me out with the weather conditions.
But let's not forget my most prominent issue, a lack of mana. Slinging along the corpse evidence was harder than I thought. Adding in the fact that I expended most of it during the battle and you have a recipe for disaster. There was only one way I could win this, and it involved a lot of assumption on my part.
Assuming they abide by the standard elemental counters, then all I'd need is one full Zanma straight to the dome. Problems arise when you only have one shot left in the fuel tank, and there are four or five of these ghastly beasts. A bit of a pickle I just done put myself in, huh?
Then again, what in the bloody hell are you supposed to do when you've got a gaggle of these turds bearin' down your neck?
Best to try than to die a coward, yeah? If I'm going off the deep end, I might as well do it on my own terms.
Staring off at the midgets, I furrowed my eyebrows in frustration. I could have a chance at running for the hills while ditching the body, but that would ruin a lot of the credibility in my words. Or, perhaps there was another option?
Right, a meat shield. Use its armor physique to my advantage, allowing it to defend me from incoming attacks relatively safely.
Putting the plan into action, I shifted its position to stand in front of me, floating more or less a metre ahead. Taking a slow and deep breath, I ran as fast as I could around them, drawing a wide circumference between me and their group.
It didn't take long for them to catch up however, with a burst of green light, their speed doubled, blazing through the distance with horrifying ease. A shot of adrenalin surged my spine as I saw this, moving my legs faster than I ever in my life.
Over the course of a few seconds, the Quicksilver blitzed passed me, blocking my only escape and forcing me into combat.
Bullocks! They had a buffer ready to help them at a moment's notice. Now, there was just one option left open, but the chances of it succeeding were excruciatingly low, negotiating. Damn it! I knew I should have listened to father's lessons.
"W-what brings you here, Quicksilver? None of your folk have ever wandered into our territory before, so what are you planning?" I questioned cautiously as the rest of the bunch rolled up from behind me.
A cunning grin revealed itself on her luminescent face as she spoke in a nauseating tone of voice. "Nothi'n much dearie. My boys over there caught wind that some pixie bitch was running out late at night. Thought we should investigate a bit, maybe even get a little snack while we were at it." Her snide remark echoed snickers behind my back, a good sign that things wouldn't go too well if I stepped on the wrong toes.
"Is that so?" I said in false surprise, using this brief period of time to charge up a strong magic attack. "If that is the case, then I must really be going. Who knows what kind of dangers could have befallen my subjects in my time of leave, I am responsible for them after all. And, it would be a cruel misuse of my power if the very people who support me are suffering because of my lack of experience."
A delight raised in her eyes as her smile only shone wider, a full light show practically bursting from her face. "And if we were to help you? I mean, look at your appearance, none of it seems fit for this kind of weather, better yet, a rescue mission. Would truly be a shame if something were to happen to you, wouldn't you agree?"
Ransom. Or something close. I've fallen right into their trap, having grown none the wiser to the scheme. A maddening set of circumstances that would have gotten me steaming like a kettle, with the only thing helping me keep me cool being the baser instinct of survival.
"Indeed," I say through slightly grit teeth. "and it would also be most shameful if you weren't compensated for your work. Tell me, Quicksilver," Spinning the ball of magic in my hand, I achieved maximum rotation. Giving it just enough 'oomph' to slice through even the thickest of boulders. "how would you… like to die for me?"
Curving the ball around the corpse, I threw it with immense speed, sending my opponent cascading towards the greater trees. Taking this moment to my advantage, I quickly breezed past all my aggressors, using every trick in the book to get myself to the nearest village before they caught me.
Even with my vastly superior speed, they were still catching up with the aid of Sukukaja, boosting their sluggish movements to absurd levels, at the cost of trailing the rest behind. Nevertheless, I made it without so much as a scratch, though, the Gremlins were close to catching me, the little buggers failed to see the long-ranged spells flying from the heavens.
Swiftly, there were dispatched, leaving nothing more than red motes of energy in the air as their vile existence ceased to exist.
"Interesting of you to pay a visit, Rosaria. Though, with the way you have that angel wrapped around with your magic, I assume it's in good reason, no?" A familiar feminine voice asked. Turning my head to the figure, it was a scantily clad blue-skinned woman, who sat on a floating bed of water, wielding a pristine sword of high quality.
"Mother. Yes, it is of the utmost of importance." I answered, bringing the machine between us. "This Power suddenly flew from the sky and ruthlessly killed everyone at my settlement. Weren't it not for their efforts in helping me escape and a divine stroke of luck, then presently, you wouldn't have a daughter standing before you, but instead, a coffin. "
Everyone around me gasped in horror upon hearing my words. The Holy Order would never do such a thing unless provoked. It begged the question, to what extent was that act for it to have had such a profound hostile effect on the once peace preaching angels?
"That demon…" Mum muttered(cursed?) under her breath. "A demon recently took shelter near the centre of the forest. She wore a blue veil, and her skin was as dark as night."
"Water lady-ho," A Jack Frost called out from the back. "You wouldn't hee-pen to mean-"
"It may be a theory with little concrete evidence. But yes, Black Maria might have a hand to play in this." She explained, resting a hand on the sword.
As the collective group stayed in shock, it was at that point a small insect managed to free itself from the angel's foot.
Where did that thing come from? There was no way it could have crawled in during my travels. Even then, non-magically assisted bugs will do little more than mildly inconvenience zombies and other lesser demons of the like.
Unless… Blasting it with a blunt Zan, it launched with more force than lacerations. Sending it into a wall and crashing down onto the hard ground, laying lifeless before the people around me sent over looks of sheer confusion.
It was only until they turned towards the opposite direction that it became partially clear to them. The not so odd sight of a cockroach twitching sporadically on the floor. Still, for it to have come out of the body would mean to have the strength of at least five adult human males.
Taking the lead, Mother inspected it with a flash of magic through her fingertip, coming out surprised as her eyes widened in shock. "Divine sponsor from a God?" She exclaimed, much to the shock of those close enough to hear. "What are you all doing crowding out here? Get back to your station before an enemy attacks us." She demanded as they quickly averted their eyes and scattered to different places. "Rosaria, follow me to my quarters, these are matters best left out of prying eyes."
Nodding along, she collected the insect with a locket of ice, tucking it into her water sphere. "Come now, it's getting late after all."
Letting out a sigh once more, I tiredly walked along the clear path, feeling the rain pelt my skin, and my previously spiky hair finally falling down, as my body deflated from the day's stress.
In a world where daily life is dominated by both law and chaos, there was very little in the way of safety. Proof of this can simply be seen in the anarchy filled hellscapes that cover the better part of the world outside of pocket dimensions various pantheons use to stay safe.
But even then, could you really call that safe when both factions constantly lay siege on one another's bases 24/7 all throughout the world? It's gotten to the point where their ideologies mesh together, becoming one and the same.
Perhaps there was another way out of it? A path left unchecked and undiscovered. A neutral route. Frankly, this was a childish idea, but one that held some ground. Maybe there was more to it than just fence sitting. Maybe, just maybe, it could be the path to true freedom.
[A/N: Kinda sad when the mc takes the back seat for the story. Well, he'll only be useful for fight scenes anyway. Pixie will take care of the rest. As most of you can tell, this will follow more of a neutral route. However, ideologies will teeter the border between law and chaos. Calling it neutral good and evil. Neither character will have the same evil/good aspect to them, that's just boring.
Before I forget, I have discord. Join for a chance to join votes and listen to my ramblings. :discord. gg /eTb2kPab4z]