Chapter 5: Grab the blade

The hellion with clouded eyes seemed to respond to the name. Rose fell back.

"No …" She gasped. "No … no no no no no no no no no NO! How did … how could … No … this can't … there's no way …"

"What are you doing?" She heard the voice of the masked man. "Go to the altar of the sacred blade."

"What?" Said Rose coming out of her shock.

"Sanctuary. Now. Hurry!" Said the voice.

"… All right." She said getting up and leaving the area. As soon as she left for the sanctuary there was a crash of thunder and it started to rain. People quickly abandoned the streets when the weather turned sour but Rose kept running. When she approached the sanctuary she saw that there was no longer a line in front of it. However when she opened the doors there was a wall of people blocking the way. She tried to squeeze through but no one would budge. "Crap!" she muttered.

"Oh hell I get out of that stuffy church for five minutes and now I can't be near my blade. Geez couldn't some of you go home? Humans are a pain." She heard a voice say next to her. She turned to see a girl with orange tipped blond hair and blue eyes wearing primarily whites and yellows with a black glove on her right hand and black oversized boots. She had an umbrella with a toy hanging off if it over her that shielded her from the rain. There was another flash of lightning.

"Wait." Said Rose but the girl didn't hear her due to a loud thunder clap. "Your blade, does that mean you're this Lady of the Lake?" She asked, that the girl did hear as she turned with a smirk.

"Oh, you can see me." She said deadpanned and virtually confirming herself to be a seraph. "Well since we're both stuck in this stupid weather I guess I can tell you, yes, I am the Lady of the Lake."

"So is it true then? Does that blade really makes a person become the shepherd?" Rose asked.

"That blade, no, it's just a prop, but it's rigged so that if you want to become the shepherd you need to do a little something." Said the girl.

"Well what do I need to do?" Rose asked.

"Are you seriously wanting this conversation in the middle of a storm?" The girl asked. "Talk to me when we get inside." She then walked off. Rose ran around looking for a back entrance to the sanctuary. She tried to climb up onto one of the walls but they proved to be too slippery at this point. So she ran through the alleyways of Lady Lake until she saw two guards standing in front of the sanctuary's back entrance and one of the members of the Sparks came walking out, a young man with red hair dressed in blue and wearing a white hat. She stepped forward when the guards stopped her.

"Only authorized persons are allowed beyond this point." He said. "If you want to check out the sacred blade go out front."

"But it's-…" Rose started. "I-I'm here visiting my mother and we agreed to meet at the sanctuary. However the front of the sanctuary is kind of packed in so I couldn't get through and I'm looking for another way in." She lied.

"What does she look like?" The guard asked.

"Brown hair, violet eyes in a blue and green dress." Described Rose.

"Wait, I think I know just the person you're talking about!" Said the Sparks member giving her a wink. "Wait right here." He ran back into the sanctuary and a few minutes later he came back with Muse.

"Oh Rose!" She cried. Running up to hug her. Rose hugged back. "I was worried that you might not show up!"

"Hold on a minute." Said the guard. "Aren't you part of the festival staff?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't have a full grown daughter." Said Muse. "Besides there's no part of the agreement that says that I have to give you my personal story."

"Fair enough, you two can go through, but I need to take your daggers miss." Said the guard Rose nodded and handed him her daggers. When the two got into the sanctuary Muse looked at her and crossed her arms.

"What is this about?" She asked sternly.

"Sorry to use you like that." Said Rose. "It's a bit of a long story that involved a friend being in serious danger and I got a tip saying that the sacred blade might help him."

"Would this friend happen to be Sergei?" She asked.

"No, it's someone else." Rose replied.

"And what makes you think that the sacred blade could help your friend?" Muse asked.

"…It's a long and crazy story but let's just say that it involves supernatural means that I don't think a priest would help with." Said Rose.

"Is it a seraph and hellion issue?" Muse asked.

"How would you know?" Rose asked.

"I'm very familiar with the lore." Muse replied. "If that's the case then maybe you should go to the blade, maybe talk to the Lady of the Lake."

"That's where I'm going, and thanks again." Said Rose before running into the chapel. Unfortunately for her the back of the sanctuary was also pretty crowded. "Crap, where could she be?" She muttered trying to look above the people.

"Rose?" He heard a familiar voice say. She turned to see Sergei with lo and behold they were not kidding when they say the two look alike, his brother, Boris.

"So who's this cutie?" Boris teased.

"Boris, this is Rose, Rose, this is my brother Boris." Sergei introduced.

"So you're the seraph seeing girl that helped out my brother." Said Boris with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "To be quite honest I expected you to be more hag looking. But regardless you helped my brother get back home and for that I'm grateful."

"You're damn lucky that I've been called worse by bears and prickleboars." Said Rose. "Though I'm not sure how much of that was actually the translator speaking …" Sergei gave her a look that said "what the fuck" before regaining his composure.

"What brings you here to Lady Lake?" Sergei asked. Rose told him about the guy that was hunting him down in Elysia and trying to look for him to warn him and about the masked people that took him away. "I see. Does the council really hate me that much to try to get the Scattered Bones to go after me?"

"Looks like it." Said Boris.

"Scattered Bones?" Rose questioned.

"They're the masked assassins' guild you described that's been around for fifteen years." Said Sergei. "They normally go for people they deem amoral."

"Well they did say your assassination order was a mistake." Said Rose. "Ah sorry I don't have time for small talk, I need to get going." She rushed off before Sergei could grab her. She pushed her way through the crowd until she saw the girl from earlier sitting at the altar twirling her umbrella. "'scuse me." She said as she pushed her way through the crowd. She walked over towards the altar.

"Oh, there you are. I was starting to think you either died or you just flat out ditched me." She said closing her umbrella.

"I really need to pull out this blade." Said Rose. "What do I need to do?"

"Get in line lady and try to pull it out like the rest of us." Said a person behind her.

"Shut up." Rose snapped back.

"Excuse me?" Said the person. The girl snickered.

"You see that thing in front of the blade?" She asked. Rose turned to see a white metallic thing in front of the prop sword. She went to the thing shoving people out of her way pissing off a lot of people. She picked up the thing and rushed back to the girl before getting a good look at it. The item she picked up was a gauntlet with yellow trimming. "This thing?"

"Yes." Said the girl.

"Now what?" Rose asked.

"Figure it out." Said the girl.

"… thanks." Said Rose. With the crowd yelling behind her. She puts on the gauntlet and looked to the blade. "Oh shoot! What's your name?" She asked.

"Jared." Said one of the voices behind her.

"Not you. Someone else." Said Rose.

"… Crazy bitch." She heard someone mutter behind her.

"Edna." Said the girl.

"Edna, I'm Rose." Rose introduced herself. "Would you need a vessel?" She then asked.

"Most likely." Said Edna. "Though honestly I just got the job so I don't really know how this works."

"So you know just as much about this becoming the shepherd business as I do?" Said Rose.

"Yep." Said Edna. "Though I really only heard about things in passing this is my first time being … any type of lord."

"We're gonna die aren't we?" Rose asked.

"Probably." Said Edna. The two were quiet for a moment.

"Well … no time like now to experiment right?" shrugged Rose.

"Honestly I can think of better times." Said Edna.

"No, I'm saying that I want to be your first Shepherd!" Exclaimed Rose.

"… Okay, your funeral." Said Edna taking Rose's hand and closing her eyes. For a moment Rose felt a pulse of energy rise from her feet to the top of her head. The emblem on the back of her glove started to glow.

"That felt kind of weird." She muttered. Edna then wacked her over the head with her umbrella. "Ow! hey!"

"Well don't stand there, get the sword!" Edna ordered.

"Right right I got it!" Said Rose running up to the sword while pissing off more people by shoving them out of her way. When she grabbed the sword she started to pull on it but it wouldn't budge, at first. About five minutes later the gauntlet and her glove both started glowing when she pulled out the blade. A mysterious gust of wind blew over everyone causing them to shut up. A moment of awe, irritation, and wonder was immediately ruined by a clap of thunder and a loud shriek that only Rose and Edna could hear. "Dezel!" She murmured. "Sorry! Need to borrow this gotta go bye!" She said bolting, or rather the shoving people out of the way equivalent, straight out of the chapel.

"Ugh! Rose!" Edna shouted running after her. When the sanctuary doors slammed behind them everyone was standing there dumbstruck.

"What just happened?" Asked Sergei. While back out in the rain Edna opened her umbrella while Rose ran ahead.

"Are you stupid Rose? We could've just waited for this storm to settle!" Edna complained.

"I can't not while my friend is in danger!" Said Rose.

"Oh now you tell me your whole motive." Said Edna.

"Yeah yeah save it for when this is over." Said Rose as they ran to the area where Rose and Dezel fought the fox man. When the two got there the hellionized Dezel was facing off against an old man that was half of Rose's height. Dezel shot a lightning breath at him but he deflected the lightning back at the hellion. The hellion shrieked and lowered his head.

"That your friend? Looks like he's doing fine to me." Said Edna.

"No, the hellion's my friend." Said Rose.

"The Behir?" Asked Edna.

"Unfortunately." Shrugged Rose.

"Great, the first hellion that we have to purify is your friend that turned into a behir." Said Edna. "We're screwed."

"Are you two going to keep squabbing or do you have a way to purify this hellion?" The old man shouted back.

"Yeah yeah, we're on it." Said Edna.

"Well aren't you a rude one." Muttered the old man as he blasted some lightning at Dezel.

"Rock lance!" Shouted Edna as a rock spire formed itself from the ground and jabbed Dezel. He growled and swung his tail at Edna but she jumped out of the way. "Hey shepherd! A little help here?"

"Sorry, I'm looking for some sharp sticks!" Said Rose.

"Use the sword!" Said Edna.

"I don't know how to use a sword!" Rose exclaimed.

"Oh god, are you serious?" Edna muttered under her breath.

"A young man dropped some knives and left them there, they may be of use." Said the old man. Rose crawled around when she found a pair of knives just lying there in the middle of the street.

"Found them. Thank you." Rose called picking them up. She then ran over towards Edna.

"About time." Said Edna.

"Sorry." Rose shrugged. She then turned to Dezel. "Don't worry. We'll get you back to normal Dezel."

"Hope you can back those words up." Said Edna.

"Don't worry, I got this." Said Rose. She then charged ahead screaming. She jumped in the air. Dezel moved out of the way, mostly, she jammed a knife into his neck preventing her from falling into the water. "Close Dezel, if you were human size you would have completely avoided me." Rose taunted. Dezel hissed and twisted his neck so that Rose would get off of him. She jumped and landed next to Edna. She then threw one of her daggers at him, he swatted it away and she then ran after it and caught it. Edna went up to the hellion and quickly jabbed him then backed off just as fast. The Dezel serpent reared his head then tried to bite Edna but she quickly opened her umbrella in his mouth and a burst of energy came out of it.

"Rose! Take care of it!" She ordered.

"I'm on it, Dream Slasher!" She shouted throwing her daggers that seemingly split into five daggers each of them ramming into her friend's side. He roared and prepared to shoot a lightning breath laser. Rose's face changed from having a hint of determination to abject horror as the lightning started forming in front of her face. She ran back as far as she could when the laser shot forward the old man summoned a bolt of lightning that redirected it into a different direction. Edna then summoned a pillar of stone that rammed into Dezel's lower jaw causing his head to snap back. Rose ran forward, retrieved her knives and gave her hellionized friend a flurry of slashes and stabs. She then backed up and looked at the brown patch on his head. "Edna! Can you summon a giant rock above his head?"

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

"I'm going to distracted it and you form the rock." Said Rose.

"…All right …" Said Edna. Rose ran to Dezel's side.

"Hey Dezel!" She shouted getting the hellion's attention. "That prickleboar you tried to keep from two years ago was delicious!" Dezel backed from Rose for a little bit then tried to snap at her with this jaws. Rose jumped back and did so for the next few attempted bites. She then stuck a blade into Dezel's snout. She looked up at the giant rock floating in air.

"Edna drop it!" Rose shouted. Edna nodded dropping the big rock onto Dezel's head, knocking him out cold. At the same time the rain stopped. "Now what?"

"Now we try to purify it." Said Edna.

"Any ideas on how to do that?" Rose asked.

"No." Said Edna. The two were silent.

"Well what about-" Rose started turning to the old man who managed to disappear on them. Then silence, again. "Hey, I think I just might have an idea."

"All right, shoot." Said Edna.

"Hold my hands." Said Rose extending both of her hands. Edna looked at her hands then to her then grabbed them. "Now … let's try focusing our energy into getting malevolence out of Dezel."

"… That's not gonna work." Said Edna and right when she said that they felt a jolt of energy that felt like it went through them before it faded into the earth. There was a glow from Dezel's hellion form and in a moment it dispersed itself leaving an unconscious Dezel, soaking wet. Rose gasped and ran over to hug her friend.

"Oh thank god you're back to normal." She sighed. By then Sergei and Boris came running in.

"Rose, what were you doing?" Sergei exclaimed.

"Sorry. I kind of had to save my friend." Said Rose.

"Now, I think it's time for me to move in." Said Edna.

"Yeah, I am your vessel." Said Rose.

"Vessel? Rose…" Sergei began as Edna turned into a light and phased into Rose's body. Rose suddenly felt nauseous and drowsy.

"What the…?" She muttered.

"Oh I think this is a symptom that happens when you form a pact with a seraph." Said Edna. "I think your body is reacting to a foreign power that's taken up residence and wants to kick it out, so you might be bed ridden for a while."

"Now you tell me." She said begrudgingly.

"Rose! Are you okay?" Sergei exclaimed.

"No …" Said Rose on the verge of passing out. "I need a … nap …" Her vision went dark as she collapsed on her friend.

So, a lot of the drama that would be in a chapter like this got quickly ruined in several occasions. But hey Edna's here! And as for what's going on with Eizen and who will be taking her place at Rayfalke, that'll come within the next few chapters. Also Dezel's hellion form is derived from a D&D monster.