Katsuragi Misato wrinkled her nose as the soldiers brought another body past her. It had been barely a week since the company had left Castle Kyoto for the tiny village. It had taken less time than that for the rot to set in. The young noblewoman uncorked an iron flask and lifted it to her lips. Before she received more than a tantalizing hint of alcohol, a hand pinched the flask out of her hand. As the young woman shrieked oaths to shame battle-hardened Apostolem, Captain Sartori Tsubaki took a long drink from the flask.
"Feh. Why are you drinking this swill before noon?" Misato lunged for the flask, kimono swirling, and almost lost her balance as the old man tossed it to his other hand.
"Because it's the only kind Father won't notice!" Tsubaki snorted, then coughed as the cheap liquor went up his nose. A scarlet blush worked its way up Misato's cheek as the old man struggled to clear his airways.
"Give it back, you old pervert!" The young woman lunged again, slamming into Akagi Ritsuko and carrying both women to the ground.
Misato swore as Tsubaki broke down laughing. Ritsuko rubbed her nose as the raven-haired woman offered the apocathery a hand to her feet. She steadfastly ignored the helping hand until she had finished gathering up her scrolls and writing quills, then gratefully accepted it.
"Sorry, Ritsy. The Captain's being an ass." At this, Ritsuko cracked a grin. Tsubaki coughed one last time before handing back the flask.
"No doubt." The brown-haired woman turned to the old man; "I've finished my study, if you'd like to know what we think happened."
The Katsuragi captain's face fell like a load of mortar. Wordlessly, the aged commander waved the two young women towards his command tent, luckily on their side of the muck-stained square. Inside, the company thaumaturgi snapped to attention and one quickly made herself absent to retrieve the rest of Tsubaki's staff. Ritsuko dumped her double-armload of scrolls onto the table in the center of the tent and began unrolling ones with blue wax sealing them shut. The thaumaturgi drifted over to the table, each one nodding as the apocathery handed each a scroll. Then each one scowled at her as they finished their parchment in turn. Misato found a chair at Tsubaki's desk and did her best to disappear. The meeting began with the return of the errant thaumaturge and Tsubaki's staff.
"I have determined that Apostolem were responsible for this attack, and that there may be survivors." One of Tsubaki's men, a sandy-haired young man named Ayako, politely cleared his throat.
"My scouts have confirmed that at least one individual left on the road north."
Tsubaki gently rapped the table. "I hate to be the uneducated one, but what significance is it that Apostolem conducted this attack?"
A thaumaturge spoke. "The Apostolos use a hierarchy much like our own. Apostoem are the, ah, peasant class, and the Apostolem are the warriors. Apostoem attack villages all the time, but Apostolem might signify something more."
"And," Ritsuko tapped one of her scrolls, "I found thaumaturgic residue near the back of the village. High-order spell. Someone could have been here that we didn't know about, but the Apostolos did."
"Tracks outside had high thaum. residue as well. More than the spell." Tsubaki nodded, putting a hand to his chin.
"So, what order thaumaturge do I request the historians uncover?"
"Magus. He only got off a few high-order spells." Ritsuko began to reseal the scroll closest to her.
"No. Archon at the least." The thaumaturge refused to meet the others' eyes.
"Any particular reason you want the historians complaining to Shiro about me?" Tsubaki's lips were a white line.
"The footsteps outside the village were saturated with Power. I've met a number of Magi. They don't have that much power in their entire bodies." Tsubaki nodded and closed his eyes.
The man's lips began to move, silently, and his staff slowly began to depart. The thaumaturgi closed ranks and moved towards the north end of the tent. Misato eased off the chair as Tsubaki came towards her in a daze. The man sank into his chair, still soundlessly forming words, lips smacking slightly as his speed increased.
The noblewoman wordlessly crossed over to the conference table and began to help Ritsuko reseal scrolls. Tsubaki was still talking to a person the women could not hear when they exited the tent.
"Someone's got a lot to talk about." Misato opened her flask and took a long drink. Ritsuko made a face as the other woman corked the container.
"How can you stand to drink that stuff all the time?" Misato grinned.
"A lot of practice with the men." Ritsuko grimaced.
"Charming. How can any man resist the charms of a drunken noblewomen?"
"Shut up, you. You're even worse than I am." Ritsuko blushed as she hugged the scrolls closer to herself.
"Ikari Gendo is a very desirable man. I'm not the only one with my eye on him."
Misato made a sound that seemed equal parts laugh and snort. "You're the only one obsessed with that creepy old bastard."
"I am not obsessed. I am interested. There is a difference."
Misato opened her mouth but was cut off by a scream. An armored soldier smashed into Ritsuko from behind, carrying both into the muck. Misato whirled, snapping her mouth shut, and immediately opened it again. The Sachelim looming over her chirped like a cricket before a two-ton catapult stone hit it. The Apostolim fell to its knees and rolled before digging a four-pronged claw into the ground and chirping in such a way as to almost boil the muck of former bodies. Misato yanked a small dagger from her bosom and began running in the direction Ritsuko had been sent. Before the noblewomen managed to go ten paces, a cream-colored blur slammed into her, pinning her to the slimy ground. The Gaghiem roared and bent its head for a bite. It howled and flapped off of the woman as Misato sank her dagger into its flesh. The Apostolem curled like a snake, hissing. Misato growled and reversed the blade. Before the standoff could erupt, a bolt of purple light slammed into the side of the monster, vaporizing it in a heartbeat. Misato waved her thanks to a thaumaturge before charging back into the muck.
The Sachelim felt its rage grow as more and more of the Apostolem given to it fell. It hurled the catapult stone into a group of soldiers somehow holding off the Zerem charge. Half of them were scattered, but the rest continued to hold. A purple flash erupted on the Light of the Sachelim's Soul, spiking its anger. It fired a blast back at the thaumaturge, missing and aggravating the wound in its chest. The spike of metal, scarcely a foot long, was lodged securely in the core of the Sachelim's being. Each time it reflected an attack or fired off one of its own, the blade burned more at the fabric of the Sachelim. All of the Lilim's weaponry seemed similarly damned, cutting and slashing at the Apostolem as though their defensive fields weren't there. A number of armored individuals vanished with a flash of light and screams of agony, signifying that their armor was not of similar quality. Another purple flash drew smoke off the Sachelim's defensive field. It took some satisfaction that not even the combined attacks of the Lilim defilers could harm it. Then it shrieked loud enough to split trees for miles around as the blade imbedded within its chest ate away more of its strength.
Misato swore as Ayako shakily rose off of Ritsuko, tightly gripping his right arm.
"Gods above, Ayako! How in hell did you survive that?" The man's words were cut off by a horrific squeal from the Sachelim and the crunch of Ayako's own twisting bones.
"Worry about Apocathery Ritsuko right now. That monster's coming for us." Misato opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by the sight of Ritsuko trying to rise.
The young woman quickly threaded her arms under those of her friend, slowly pulling the other woman to her feet and resting her weight on the healthier girl. The ground shook. With an oath, Misato scooped Ritsuko's feet into her other arm and prepared to carry the other woman away. The Sachelim collapsed at the trio's feet, smoking. Ritsuko whimpered and Misato stared in amazement. The monstrosity was still alive, but clawing feebly at Ayako as the young man quickly walked closer. It was using a single arm to support itself and green liquid dripped from a blade embedded within a glowing ruby orb on its chest. It was this blade that Ayako reached for, and Misato narrowed her eyes as she saw a thaumaturge rushing towards them, waving its arms and… yelling?
"Ayako… Ayako, STOP!" The young man turned to Misato as he pulled the blade free.
The flow of green intensified for a brief moment, before a flash of heat and light barbecued the man. He collapsed as the Apostolim slowly rose up on its haunches, glowing orb burning red. A burst of purple twisted it around faster than the eye could see. A second blast hit it square in the chest. The Sachelim appeared not to notice as the bird mask slowly shifted, peering across the village. A third and fourth blast impacted the massive Apostolim before it began to stomp across the battlefield and over the thaumaturgi trying to bring it down. A fifth and final blast of purple light set the treetops at the edge of the forest on fire before the Apostolim vanished from view. The few remaining Apostolem vanished almost as quickly.
To Tsubaki's credit, and to the credit of his men, order was restored less than an hour after the Apostolem attack. The thaumaturgi were instrumental in restoring order, weaving what was left of their magic into a restorative rain that sank into the skin without soaking it. The magic could do little for broken bones or torn tendons, but restored vitality and lightened the general mood. Within his command tent, Tsubaki allowed himself a brief moment of thanks that he had lost only two of his nine commanders.
"Would someone with a clear head explain to me exactly what it was that happened here?" The Captain was made for battle with men, and still had trouble wrapping his head around combat with the entirely inhuman Apostolem.
"The Apostolem have a reputation for being single-minded." Goro let out a breath as an aide checked his bandages.
"My guess is that they were looking for our mysterious Archon. Come in swinging, in case he's still here, get out quickly if he's not." A thaumaturge ducked out of the room as the man eased himself into a chair.
"Then we must leave at once! The Apostolem already have a lead of-"
"That will not be necessary." Margaret Thompson, thaumaturge second-in-command and House Robertson's Katsuragi representative, seemed to enjoy the attention she was paid.
"The Apostolem attacked with a massive force that we managed to drive off. Ayako's scouts report that the remaining Apostolem are nowhere near the strength that they assaulted us with. No attacks are likely to be made upon the Archon, or this company, for some time."
Tsubaki accepted the woman's logic almost by reflex. Baldomero, Margaret, Ritsuko. His three advisors, who seemed to exist in perpetual competition. Baldomero was a scholar of the Apostolem, having studied their habits and possible motives from both books behind House Augostino's walls and on the front lines of war. Margaret had the coolest head and supposedly had the greatest potential of any thaumaturge on the Continent, but had little will to use her Power. Ritsuko was the daughter of House Akagi. Her skills as an Apocathery made her invaluable to the company, but Tsubaki never could shake the feeling that alchemical endeavors weren't the reason the girl was allowed to tag along.
"Where is Baldomero?"
The thaumaturge that had ducked out earlier returned. It irritated Tsubaki to no end that a member of the shadowy group seemed to always appear whenever he needed a question answered.
It was generally understood among Japanese farmers that living outside the walls of a village or town was an extremely dangerous idea. The frequency of Apostolem attacks on the island nation had always been a popular topic for thaumaturgi and military historians. Still, Shiori Noriko never truly believed the day would come when she saw an Apostolem with her own eyes. The green and black monster stood taller than the tallest trees and was moving towards the small farmhouse with purpose. The girl clapped a hand over her mouth as a purple beam lanced out from the bone-white beak and ignited her home. As the screaming began, her legs moved almost of their own volition, dragging the girl out of the field and towards the trees opposite the ones the Apostolem had come out of. As Shiori reached the tree line, a blast touched down just behind her, sending the now-shrieking girl deeper into the forest and filling the air with the smell of charred flesh and hair.
The Sachelim chirped as the Lilim disappeared into the forest. The blade had impaired its functionality more severely than it had originally believed. One of the remaining Gaghiem lifted off to give pursuit, and the Sachelim saw no reason to stop it. There was no hope of replacing the terrible losses the Apostolem had taken at the small village, but, with any luck, such replacements would not be necessary. The Apostolos had purposely granted the Sachelim the dregs of their forces, understanding the need to crush the Evangelion, but unwilling to expend their elite soldiers in the name of necessity. Had Tabris still been leading them, things might have been different. But Tabris was gone. Best to accept that. The Sachelim still couldn't entirely suppress the irritation it felt at twisting the Lilim it had found within the dwelling into better soldiers than it had been granted, better than even the Sachem granted by its Progenitor-
There you are.
The Sachelim quickly drove any thoughts that could be construed as traitorous from its mind and awaited its orders. Orders that did not come as the taste of the void entered the Sachelim's Overmind. The dread brood of Leliel was silent in its task, ferrying Apostoem and Apostolem from the midnight form of Leliel itself to the charred ground around the Sachelim.
There has been a conclave. This mission's priority has been dialed up.
The Sachelim sent a slightly shocked affirmation as it touched the Overminds of the new arrivals and realized what it now had at its disposal. Not the elite troops, to be certain, but competent soldiers and eager to follow orders. Most interesting was the pod of Zeruem sent alongside the usual Zerem. Even Zerem were costly and valuable workers and soldiers, but an Apostolim granted the use of Zeruel's tentacled higher orders was almost entirely unheard of.
You must use these new warriors well. Zeruel feels it was coerced into this tribute.
The Sachelim sent its affirmation. The bodies at its feet now lay still, and within the next twelve hours would join the Apostolim's company as Sachelim. Skills dialed lower then the current Sachelim's, to be certain, but more than powerful enough to fulfill their purpose.
Shiori had no idea how she had kept on running. The skin on her back was blackened and oozing pus, and simply running a hand along the back of her head told of the damage there. She screamed as she ran, hearing the Gaghiem's angry hiss. The girl didn't know the forest particularly well, but could pick her way through the trees more easily than a monster accustomed to the deep sea. A wet crunch brought a hiccupping laugh to her lips as the Gaghiem smashed into yet another tree. An unseen force slammed into her stomach and brought the farm-girl to her knees with a choking sob before she could enjoy her small victory, however. A heavy, warm mass slammed into the girl, sending her sliding along the soil.
"No. No, no no no no no!" The thing's heavy breathing in her ear sounded like the only thing in the world.
Her father, being a man of curios and fetishes, had heard tales of what the Apostolem did to their victims. Shiori had listened to those tales with morbid curiosity, never expecting to come face-to-face with Apostolic reproduction. She could feel the burned layer of skin peeling away as a sliver of the Apostolem's essence jiggled free of the whole. The red shard pulsed, scraping away charred flesh and obstructing bone as Shiori vomited. The pain was unbearable, somehow made worse by her inability to move or do anything about it. Her pupils dilated as the loose fragment of the Gaghiem's core slid in-between her ribs and fractured, digging into every surface it touched. The girl's fingers twitched, feebly, as the Gaghiem's thick saliva dripped onto her scorched head as the snake-like Apostolem rose off of her. Her eyes were already closed. She didn't react as the air above burst into purple flames and the Apostolem squealed in agony.
Baldomero de Augostino was simultaneously grateful and infuriated that the Apostolem had been extinguished so quickly. Grateful, for even the lowest Apostolem is higher than a man, infuriated, for now his attention was turned to the girl at his and Lady Misato's feet.
"Figlio di un pene-fariendo bastardo." Misato raised an eyebrow.
"What?" The Spanish thaumaturge had already dropped to one knee and reached for the red shard jutting from the girl's back. It sparked at his touch and the man jerked his hand back.
"It's already mated with her. I can't fix that." Misato's jaw dropped.
"'Mated?' Did you just say that thing mated with her?" Baldovino eased his fingers under the girl's arms and slowly began to lift.
"Yes. That little red shard is a piece of the Apostolem." He winced as her head lolled while he gathered her into his arms.
"Son of a bitch. That's disgusting!" Baldomero chuckled.
"Stick around. If the Archon's already moved on from Saiyo, this poor girl's final hours are going to be a whole lot more disgusting."