Sorry peeps, but i've rediscovered the joy of video games for a while.
lets get back to it then.
remember that i do not own Highschool DxD, or Dark Souls.
A loud thud emerged, and ran through the cathedral, and through the hearts of those inside.
He looked around.
He had spent enough time with most of his fellow prisoners to know that they held things, and people dear, that they would not bare not being able to see harmed.
They had all been placed in a single cage, after all.
One was an elderly man, who longed to see the face of his grandchildren whenever he cast a spell. His spirits wandered to them much, even as he was often taken away by their captors.
The swordsman who wandered the land, in search of a ruler worthy enough to serve under. Apparently most proficient with the Katana type of sword.
A little girl, lost from her mother, who fears that she may never see her again. Young one seemed to bear the dark feathers of a winged creature on her elbows. Why would someone want to take a young girl for such a ritual as dark as this? When he passed her by, she gave up a sword, so that he may carve an escape. And, in turn, he lowered to hold her for a moment
Out of all the prisoners, the most surprising of them was the apparent Forossan knight, who revealed in battle, his accomplished use of sorcery.
He knew all of them would not die, so that they may see their own resplendent people.
And, the young squire always was selfless back home.
"Tristan..." Even if some didn't agree with it.
He turned back towards his closest cell-mate, a woman with white hair, an apparent adept with quick curved swords . She breathed a breath of understanding, after a fit of coughing. "You make sure you come back..." The woman threw a nearby sword that could not have been retrieved in the heat of conflict.
It was just the short time that let the two meet, yet they speak in such closeness.
"Rias - ," It was Akeno who first worded their thoughts.
Behind the brilliant blue of the enchanted blade, the doors visibly began to shift. It was when their opponent swerved his head towards the one who emerged, did they all make a face.
The person looked no older than they were. In fact, he looked quite familiar, even with such a scornful face. It slackened when he made sight of who exactly was on the field, who exactly that his two comrades were fighting against.
For a moment, he looked to the sky and muttered something to himself. Shortly after, a singular word coaxed the fighting while he lowered his swords.
It was their familial name.
And it was their newly adopted who first answered back, in an angered voice. Luckily, he held off on direct conflict. Yet, raised voices emerged.
What was she do with such a hot-blooded comrade?
The rest of her peerage seemed to relax to a point that suggested no further fighting, and Rias, with her red hair floated down to the duo, one of whom, she never expected to do so, based on her past experience of him.
Limited as it was, it let her get an idea of the kind of person he was. So she was in slight surprise to see him in an argument.
Even more so when she glimpsed at a rare feature in the eye.
She noticed that their former opponents, the two swordsmen, had disappeared.
By the time her shoes glanced the concrete of the steps, the feature was gone. But her peerage gathered, at least. Even the bruised Xenovia, whom Asia stood close to.
Their leader's curious eyes met a passive glare. An obvious question hung in between the two, leaving an awkward
Akeno picked up on the information, urging her younger fellows to a place separate, despite disagreements from some, as she knew that a little privacy is what was needed. Rias eyed her fellow devils until she knew they could not hear their conversation. A bit of seriousness is required right now.
"So, what are you, a school student no less, doing at an abandoned church in the dead of night?" The devil lowered her brows at the Lordranite. She knew it wasn't truly 'abandoned', but she also wanted to know why their was so much fighting inside.
"Abandoned?" He repeated her word in surprise.
"- that cathedral was filled with devils and fallen angels alike. And if I am to recall, did I not overhear some speak about this town being in your 'grounds' with you and that Riser?"
"But to answer your question -" His eyes contained a passive hate at this. "I - along with others, became prisoners to the devils and fallen angels." He put a hand to his forehead, and breathed heavily. "Mothers, elderly, young children who knew no better, Gremory."
"These abductors congregated on your grounds."
At the end, he raised his face, so he could see straight into the eyes of the person he was talking with. He was met with a face of confusion, however.
This was because she never expected an answer as intensive as this. So she stood in awkward silence. Somehow, she felt as if the blame had been passed onto her.
"It would be best if you saw within." He turned to where the rest of the devils stood, who were watching their conversation with guessing faces. "Your people, as well."
When she answered in agreement, his eyes thinned seriously.
"...I trust you not to do anything irrational, and to restrain your comrades should the need arise, and..."
"keep your wings hidden."
"Of course." Though she held question about the need for the hiding of the wings, the devil agreed once more. Rias then called over to her peerage, telling them to follow through the now-open doors.
It was dark, a great difference compared to mere minutes ago, where the interior was alive with flashing lights.
There were people, sitting, and lying down, dressed with a foreign aspect, whose eyes could be felt on their arms and legs. A smell of copper was in the space, wafting from the spilled and splattered blood of the bodies of devil and fallen angel alike.
"T-this stench!" Asia squealed, covering her mouth and nose. While her eyes dilated in horror.
Much of the peerage did the same, keeping their smell clear of the scent of blood.
Burned and lacerated bodies lied motionless on the cold floor.
"H-how did this happen?" Issei asked towards no one in particular, while his covered nose distorted the voice.
He half expected the larger figure walking in front to have the answer. He seemed to fit into a situation such as this.
One of the people lying down called to them in a hurt voice.
"Tristan-agh..."
The person was a pale-faced woman with white locks of loose hair, and bluish-green eyes, holding her side with a pained expression.
Without saying anything to the devils, one person rushed to her and knelt down .
"Wh-who're they?" The injured woman pointed her nose to the new arrivals, who looked back at her, wondering what to think. She felt his hands on her side and front.
"Them? Forget them, what's more important here is..." Finishing his sentence, yellowish streaks rose from the hard floor, and she breathed deeply.
"I was careless. Thank you." She smiled at him, loosely holding her hand on his arm.
"Right, I doubt that angel survived, I was sure you had slashed his heart to pieces. And worry not." He returned the expression, while the rejuvenating woman shared a short moment of reprieve and comfort as he continued to heal her.
"Mari-"
"- Your friend, she is with the others, go on and help her. I will be alright." She looked toward a huddled, kneeling group of people.
She pushed him towards them, and he lowered a brow at her, while she showed a slight smugness.
He then turned towards the devils.
"Learn that this blood is shed on your grounds, Rias, and ensure this not to happen once more."
The leader devil's eyes became harsh in agreement once she saw the injured.
"Lords, Rias, they've taken mere children." He uttered to himself as he turned and walked to the huddled group.
The devils watched him walk off to join his friend, of whom had similar features to the one he had just healed. Sadly for them, the blood was still in the air, even if the large doors were open
"How does he breathe like this?" Xenovia who had her fingers slightly parted asked.
"He's definitely not bothered by it." Kiba added, also guarding his nose.
Akeno also seemed to bear resilience to the miasma, as did Rias, as she curiously eyed the dead bodies from a distance.
Some were clearly burned, and bore the darkened skin. Others were simply dead by the sword, which showed from the cuts in flesh.
But there were other bodies that bore no distinctions that could tell her what they died from. She could have linked it to somebody's ability to manipulate lightning, but then there was the heavy, constant presence in the air that was more pressuring than the smell that filled the room.
This, she had never felt before this moment.
From a distance, a deep voice said to them.
"That is all, you should leave here, and remember, to not allow this to repeat."
They turned to see Tristan with a child in rags, the one with the dark feathers that lined her arms.
Hating the fact that the room was filled with bloodied air, and the 'heavy presence' felt by Rias and Akeno, the peerage did just that, while the sounds of miracle healing took place.
Not even Asia, who would usually jump at the opportunity to to heal the injured felt compelled to, with how uncomfortable the smell made her.
"Are you sure we can do this? And you're alright with me?"
"You've said you had nowhere else to go, didn't you? And also, it's not just you, Maria."
Shortly following the events at the cathedral, the people who were once prisoners, did one of two things.
They thanked each other for participating in the escape from captivity, and returned to where they taken from.
Lords knew that they had a family worried over them.
Or, they decided to remain behind for their own reasons.
As it was with the Forossan knight, he said it was by his lord's command that he remain here.
The one that was proficient with the katana, and fought with the Forossan, gave the reason, which was his search for an apparent 'true ruler'. Miraculously, he believes, that person will be here, in this town and will appear soon.
He revealed his name to be Alonne.
But this one simply kept her secret, as a secret.
"Well If you would, I then remain here."
Maria and Tristan were just in the hallway of the front door, when Quelaag appeared holding a black cat. The wolf young walked past her towards Tristan.
"There you are, I'd wondered where you'd gone...who's this?" The witch asked who the person beside him was.
"A friend, she'll be staying with us for now. As for where I've gone..." He kneeled down for the wolf
"I'll explain, at another time." Kneeling, he began to stroke the fur of Eria.
The witch sighed in worry for him, and greeted the newcomer with a welcoming smile.
"Then you are Quelaag? I am Maria." She greeted her back with the same face.
Suddenly, the Chaos weaver among them remembered something.
"Right, Tristan, I've forgotten something meant for you, come here, I'm sure you will love it. You as well, Maria, come..."