Author's Note: Day Four
Many are those who seek to rid themselves of unwanted feelings, most do this through the use of self help and self improvement, gradually overcoming those traits about themselves that they dislike in order to improve upon themselves. Others though have magic. The Umbra and Lumen both have studied magical creatures other than the demons and angels that we specialise in, by mixing those magics with our own we have discovered ways of extracting specific feelings from ourselves and making them manifest outside of the body. Unfortunately this process does have side effects, though the ritual may not be necessarily be demonic or angelic in nature fusing human emotions with magic does carry it's own share of consequences in bringing such creatures forth. A temporary feeling of euphoria from the removal of all of your negative feelings combined with the loss of vast amounts of your magical energy in the presence of a dangerous entity can make for a devastating combination. The ritual should never be attempted alone and only by experienced members of the clans.
Excerpt from 'Common Magical Rituals' by Jeanne Blackmore.
Leon used chalk made from crushed demon bone to write out a complex ritual circle across the floor and walls of the Dungeon, although he has temporarily concealed their presence the angels would soon notice their presence. He needed to work quickly.
"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Olivia looked doubtful as she watched the red orb slowly melt on the Bunsen burner. As Olivia understands it Red Orbs are in fact chunks of demonic blood that turns into crystal in room temperature environments, so if they were going to turn it into a liquid for the potion then they have to get it really hot.
"Mm hm." Leon stated as he picked up two red orbs and smash them both into bits dropping them into the beaker with the slowly melting red orb inside. "Now just a few more common ingredients." Leon mixed in some more powders and herbs that he had prepared in advance into the beaker before stirring them together. "Done, now we just need to give it to Angelica before it hardens again. After that I need you to throw up a barrier to protect Angelica."
Leon moved over to where they had Angelica laying down. She still wasn't showing any signs of breaking out of her depression even after a day, a cursory examination of Angelica by Leon revealed that her extreme negative feelings were bonding to her magical power. If they didn't expel them soon then something very unpleasant was on the cusp of being born inside of Angelica's body, a violent and insane parasite that they would not be rid of until the day Angelica died and it got to eat her soul. Leon owed Julius so much more than just two punches! This kind of demonic parasite can only be born after a prolonged period of extreme negative emotions being constantly suppressed. While this was an extreme solution thanks to Angelica's mistreatment so far it was also their only way to save her.
"Why do we need to protect Angelica?" Olivia liked nothing about how this situation was turning out.
"Because the demon's gonna try and kill her." Leon stated holding Angelica's mouth open as he poured the liquid down her throat. For a moment nothing happened. Angelica's eyes shot open revealing two bright red glowing orbs as she let out a high pitch ear piercing wail while her body violently shook, slowly something resembling tar slowly rose out of Angelica's body, before the two were violently separated the black tar being shot down the hallway while Angelica was thrown into Olivia's arms. "You two okay!?" Leon asked as he walked forward. He was wearing the Varia Suit and his arms and legs were equipped with the Shadow Boxer.
"I think we are!" Olivia put the barrier up around herself and Angelica. "Angelica is sleeping much better than what she was!"
"We won't be for much longer!" Leon shouted in reply as what he could best describe as a six armed, including two where the legs should be, half naked jester with a metal face and six swords emerged from the shadows black magical tar dripping off of it's body. "Of course it had to be one of these guys!" Leon could only curse his rotten luck.
Sloth: A demon who lies in wait for pious believers to be granted entrance to Paradiso so he can slice them apart and cast them to Inferno during their ascension.
The six swords sheathed in his back represent gluttony, profanity, doubt, idiocy, rage and arrogance. Each blade awakens feelings in victims of its respective sin when cut, infecting them with demonic essence and beginning their transformation into a demon.
At first, those who witness Sloth are filled with joy to reaffirm the truth of their religion. In the next moment, they are filled with sadness as they are tossed to the darkness of Inferno. Not only concerned with humans, Sloths have been responsible for countless fallen angels, such beings being especially prized concubines and soldiers as Sloths build their power base. In Inferno such monsters lead entire packs of those corrupted into their slaves to serve them, their bodies twisted and broken into their warrior slaves.
Excerpt from the Lemegeton Guidebook of Demons
The jester cartwheeled forward at an accelerated rate, drawing blades mid air as it slammed into Leon, his rather impressive armour and shadowy spikes coming out of his arms and legs being the only things to stop the rolling monster.
"Don't let it cut you! Not one scratch!" Leon shouted as Olivia picked Angelica up and prepared to run. "On My mark!" The spikes on the right gauntlet withdrew, only to be replaced with an unfolded beam cannon! "Now!" Leon fired a single shot, the Sloth was thrown backwards down the hallway before Leon abruptly turned around and ran in Olivia's direction, soon coming under the safety of the barrier as Olivia started running carrying Angelica.
Under normal circumstances Olivia wouldn't be able to haul someone her own weight, especially at this speed, but Leon and Olivia spent the entire day experimenting with Olivia's magic power. While people call Olivia's magic healing it would be more accurate to say that it's Biomancy, the manipulation of organic tissue. The Morning was spent on the mana intensive barrier training, making minor but noticeable improvements, then once in the afternoon, with Olivia now trying to manipulate vastly less mana at a single time she made huge progress in her mana control to the point that she was growing plants with a vengeance, the fact that she actively healed the damage she did as she went helped a lot. From here Leon moved her onto stage two: support magic. Now that Olivia had practice making sure that she wasn't going to hurt herself she was flowing Mana into her own muscles to strengthen them in a way that no one else could, driving up the performance of her body by about eight or ten times!
"Mr. Leon, do you need me to slow down?" Olivia was genuinely concerned as Leon was struggling to keep up.
"I'm good I'm good!" Conversely Leon had a mana draining accessory slapped on him so he could only use a tenth of his mana reserves, and it was way too early into this nightmare for him to be using it now. "This way!" The three of them were ducked into the tunnel as the event that Leon predicted finally happened, swarms of angels ran past them down the halls attracted by the strong demonic presence that had been dumped in their territory, Affinities mostly, with luck this situation might not spiral out of control. "Leon, what was that thing?" Olivia asked looking deeply worried.
"A Sloth." Leon said bluntly as he took inventory of his suckers.
"Sloth?" That didn't sound like Angelica.
"Demons aren't born from what you do but what you feel, a common misconception. Sloth is the feeling of not wanting to do anything." Leon was satisfied with his assessment, now the next issue came down to how to kill that thing before it causes a mess.
"So this is because Angelica is too overworked and depressed?" Olivia asked and Leon nodded his head.
"Her feelings towards her stupid Fiance is probably not helping either." Leon stated as Left and Right came out to join the discussion. "Each of those blades is filled with extreme negative emotions, and infect things that they cut with the same kind of demonic parasites that gave birth to that thing in the first place."
"So it can mass produce itself?" Olivia asked sounding concerned.
"Much worse than that." Leon started fiddling with buttons on his non-gun arm. "Those parasites exist to convert any non-" Leon abruptly stopped talking when he was turned into an orange ball. Olivia paused in concern for a few moments before Leon reappeared. "Apologies about that. They're designed to convert things that they infect into demons."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Olivia asked sounding more worried by the second. "I mean the dungeon is already full of demons, it's not like it can infect those?"
"No but it can infect those." Leon stated indicating the angels that were running past them. "Best case scenario? The Demons eat them from the inside out, killing both of them in the process. But the worst case scenario?" Leon stared ahead intensely at Olivia. "Fallen, and then we'll really be in trouble."
"Fallen?" Olivia felt something vaguely disturbing about that name.
"Hard, Fast, Flies, hits like armour and uses light based attacks." Leon summarised bluntly. "With the Sloth controlling them? Organised too. Normally none of that is a problem, from what I hear there's a few groups of em like that around floor five. But up here? This close to the surface with the chance of breaking out?" Olivia went pale. "Good. Now the question here is how do we kill it?"
Around that time Angelica started to stir awake, luckily Olivia had the foresight to dress her in her adventuring armour before they brought her here.
"Olivia?" Angelica asked before she had a look around. "Where are we?" Leon and Olivia both let out a sigh as they realised that they were going to have to explain all of this again.
Marie Fou Lafan: Let me out of here! I demand to know why I am being treated like this!
*Officer Holmes enters the interrogation chamber and closes the door behind him as he sat down.*
Holmes: You are here because your actions have jeopardised the future of this kingdom.
Marie: Oh really? And how exactly have I done that?
Holmes: We'll start with actively provoking a civil war as a start and work our way down from there.
Marie: Excuse me!?
Holmes: Angelica Rapha Redgrave, fiance to Julius Rapha Holfort, has raised some deeply concerning points about your relationship with the five founding heirs, your family, their relationship with their immediate social superiors, their neighbours and your intimate knowledge of the five heirs and their personal interests. So we are going to go through these points together one by one, you and I, and find out exactly what it is that you think you have been doing.
Excerpt from the Interrogation of Marie Fou Lafan.
Julius was frantic. Once upon a time he thought his life set in stone, he would be forever bound to the soul crushing bureaucracy of the royal court, forever surrounded by vipers and vultures waiting for the chance to pounce for their own pound of flesh. He never imagined that when he enrolled in the academy that he would meet her, his little angel, his light house in the endless fog that surrounded him his entire life. Lightly built, eyes like jewels, hair spun gold, he at first thought her like everyone else, hiding their feelings behind false smiles with daggers drawn, but then of all things she slapped and scolded him for thinking his pedigree made him untouchable. After that they became fast friends, she sneaked him out of the academy to get grilled skewers, his favourite food, expanded upon his narrow world view that his various teachers and tutors didn't cover. In an instant his world dull grey and gold was filled with endless colour.
And she did the same thing four more times, Jilk his sworn brother, Greg his adventuring Buddy, Chris the future Sword Saint, Brad the finest magician that he knew. Not his highness, or Lord Marmoria, Lord Seburg, Sir Chris or Master Field but Julius, Jilk, Greg, Chris and Brad. Of course they would've fallen for her heart and soul? Who else would be worthy of love in this pit of vipers?
And now?
Now she had disappeared.
The Five heirs met at the Gazebo in the school courtyard, each of them carrying news of their investigation.
"Brad?"
"I've spread word among the girls, no one's seen Marie since yesterday after classes got out." The group's resident diplomat explained holding his chin in his hand. "I even got them to do a sweep of the girls dorm and Marie's room."
"Greg?"
"She isn't in the dungeon according to the receptionist, word going on is that something has the angel side thrown into chaos!" Greg scratched the back of his head in concern. Not promising.
"Chris?"
"None of the teachers are talking, giving me 'I don't knows' and 'I can't help you's.'" The first was self explanatory, but the latter? That was concerning.
"Jilk?"
"The Perimeter remains un-breached, no one has jumped the wall or gone under it. And none of the security alarms have been activated, as an extra precaution I even checked the secret routes." Meaning that no one has broken in or sneaked out.
"To recap: no one has broken into or sneaked out of the academy, so the chances that she's still on academy grounds are high." Julius stated and the others nodded.
"Marie's pretty good in a scrape, whoever did this would've needed a large amount of followers to restrain her without killing her." Of course none of them were entertaining the idea that she was already dead.
"And to have moved her with none of the teachers noticing, or the authority to shut them up." Chris added bluntly.
"Like someone who has spent an extensive amount of time planning out Marie's death and how to make it benefit her the most?" Jilk suggested and he and Julius locked eyes knowing.
"Care to share gentlemen?" Brad asked both curious and suspicious.
"Angelica has just climbed to the top of the suspect list." Julius stated with no further elaboration.
"Great! Let's go find her!" Greg followed up with a crack of his knuckles.
Fallen: Among lesser demons Fallen are particularly dangerous. Originally lesser Angels these creatures have fallen from the grace of their former comrades. Corrupted by demonic energy these monsters have been driven violently insane as their bodies are transformed and corrupted against their will. Fallen possess a natural advantage against other demons, the light and dark elements are both naturally strong and weak against one another, locked in a eternal battle of consumption the Fallen have both. The feathers of their wing can be spread over their bodies to form armour and shields while their oft arm can be used to produce blades and javelins of light, both are deadly weapons against demons and those who utilise their powers.
Excerpt from the Lemegeton Guidebook of Demons
Faint hisses and moans were echoing out from the humanoid bird like creature that was writhing on the floor in pain, it's bones snapped as they were slowly being reshaped, new feathers were growing out of their bodies and their bellies had been sliced open, with the wound now growing dagger like teeth. Before the creature could finish it's transformation Leon fired one of the Hell Hounds into it's face killing it instantly, spraying red orbs and golden rings in lieu of blood, which Leon gathered together.
"This creature is doing a lot of damage." Angelica aimlessly commented looking down at the trail of half dead half angels that her former parasite was leaving in its wake. "Should I take it as a compliment that this creature is so ferocious or a sign of concern about how I've been treated up until now?" Angelica felt... weird. There was a hole inside of herself according to Leon, quite capable of healing, or getting infected. Just having her negative feelings removed wasn't a guarantee that they wouldn't return, nor would it remove her memories that led to those emotions, it did mean that she had room to make a positive change in her life should she be willing.
"I recommend a combination of the two myself." Leon stated as he indicated for his party members to duck with him behind a cavern wall, and good thing too as the Sloth was here, alongside the various angels that were attacking it or were in the process of being transformed into Fallen. Not only was the Sloth ferocious with its multiple bladed attacks, it was also fast and agile on top of that. It was leaping through the air slashing at the various angels as they attempted to swarm it quickly bringing them down.
"That's it?" Angelica asked and Leon nodded his head.
Leon cocked one of the Hell Hounds as he tracked the demon's movements, if he times his shot right, waited for the perfect moment... The bang on the shot gun fired off into the direction that the Sloth had flung itself in mid air, suddenly the demon grabbed hold off an Affinity and threw it into into the line of fire letting out a loud explosion as the Affinity was killed, reduced to halos and feathers.
"So much for easy." Leon stated letting out an annoyed tone of voice.
The Sloth noticed Leon's party, then it really noticed Angelica and leaped through the air at them, Leon of course fired off another shot gun blast at which point in time the Sloth threw another Affinity in the way of the blast. Diving through the cloud of feathers and halos the Sloth went straight for Leon's party, and like a bird failing a spot check slammed into Olivia's barrier face first, unfortunately it recovered in time to jump off before she could pin it in place with a second barrier, simultaneously nailing another Affinity to a wall with it's blade and using it as a perch as the six armed creature looked down at them. The Affinities looked to the Sloth, a ferocious enemy that had already killed dozens of them, they looked to the party of humans, one of whom had a weak aura of darkness of the hated Umbran witches. Slowly the angels retreated into the network of caves that led to this place.
"They're retreating?" Olivia asked confused.
"They're letting us kill each other." Angelica corrected both of her hands producing balls of flame.
"Olivia, Barrier, try to limit the number of angles that thing can attack from." Leon stated as he cocked two of the Hell Hounds. "Angelica, cut down on its allies!"
Angelica released both balls of flame into the ground, scorching the various Falling angels that the Sloth had already prepared up until now. Angelica couldn't maintain the flames, for one thing she was already low on mana after the ritual earlier, for another she'd burn all of their oxygen up in this cavern, and unlike the demons and angels they needed that! The Sloth screamed, a ear piercing screech of rage at the lost of it's slaves, it spent the entire day working on those, and after it conquered this part of the dungeon it would lead the rest of it's forces to strike the surface! And now its plans were set back an entire day! The pissed off demon jumped through the air forming a pinwheel of blades as it got ready to cut through everyone in the party. The distinct loud clanging of blade on blade echoed out, the Demon's six swords against the spikes and blades of Leon's Shadow Boxer. Olivia raised her hands up and they glowed, a barrier of light soon appeared and before the demon could jump away again it was pinned between Leon's Devil Arm and Olivia's barrier.
"I hope you had fun tormenting me!" And Angelica finished it off with another ball of flame. The Demon screamed as it struggled to get away, before the screams eventually died and six blades clanged against the ground. The two girls breathed heavily, feeling distinctly like they just went ten rounds. Fighting while not getting hit even once was just way too oppressive a condition to have to meet.
"Leon." Olivia asked while looking at Leon, who had already manifested Left and Right again. "You said there's other Sloth's in the dungeon. Do you think they're all like that one?"
"Oh Sheba no. That one was basically a newborn, the other Sloth's in the dungeon will have had tonnes of time to sharpen their fighting skills, acquire entire packs of lesser demons under their control, and not nearly be as short tempered as that one." Leon explained as the two maids turned into black panthers. Olivia and Angelica silently agreed that it was going to be a long time before they tried to take one of the lower floors. "For now we need to get out of here." Leon thumbed behind him, at the chamber that was filling up with angels again. "Because they don't look too grateful for eliminating that pest for them." Leon hopped onto Left's back while Olivia and Angelica both jumped onto Right's, the five of them immediately took off, Olivia leaving a trail of barriers as they ran out of the dungeon, crossing over the threshold of automated turrets that started to blast away at anything that managed to get close.
The five heirs investigation hadn't borne too many fruits. As it turns out Julius and Jilk were the last to see Angelica the other day, she hadn't arrived in the cafeteria for dinner after their spat or breakfast that morning, the two maids she poached delivered notices to all of Angelica's teachers that she would be absent in the days to come, out sick apparently. Julius wanted to laugh at that. Angelica was so stubborn about her work that she still attended her lessons on a Broken leg, his own tutors wouldn't shut up about it for weeks. Now not only Angelica and Marie but also a potent healer and someone proficient in dark magic had also gone missing too, a crack team of torturers if he ever heard of one.
They already searched the school with the Authority of the prince and the other four heirs, uncovering every nook and cranny, still nothing, so it was either the city or the dungeon. Then Julius recalled Greg mentioning that there was a disturbance in the dungeon, like someone displacing a huge group of monsters so that they could have a section of the dungeon all to themselves. Now Julius was on the war path. Together with the other four Heirs Julius gathered as many of their followers as possible, along with any volunteers willing to go into the dungeon with them, in order to track down Angelica and force Marie's location out of her before the Monsters could hurt her! Gathered in front of the Dungeon the small army of students were surprised to say the least as three figures emerged from the dungeon, and one of them being the woman they had been looking for.
"Angelica!" Julius shouted angrily, stomping over to his Fiance, quickly wrapping his hands around her tunic as he held her into the air. "Where is she you-!" Julius was suddenly interrupted by a armoured fist directly to his nose, sending him cart wheeling into the crowd, several girls threw him back onto his feet as he glared at the figure in orange who was responsible. "Blackmore!" Julius growled as he pointed an accusatory finger at the culprit, still with Julius's blood on his fist. "You dare strike your crowned prince! I should've known you'd come to her aid Demon summoner!"
"Oh I dare." Even through the visor of Leon's helmet his eyes were glowing a demonic red as he cracked his knuckles. "In fact by my estimates I dare about lil under 1000 more times!"
"Step aside Blackmore!" Greg and Chris both took aim with their weapons. "This doesn't have anything to do with you!" Jilk and Brad were already getting ready with their own ranged attacks!
"That's what I want to say to you morons!" Leon stated bluntly as he held out his arm, waving it around in a circular motion a few times before dark black thorny tendrils suddenly snapped up from below and wrapped themselves around the bodies of Brad, Greg, Chris and Jilk, efficiently draining mana from them so that they wouldn't be able to do anything in their bound positions until they all doubled over and vomited. "This bastard is owed nine hundred and ninety nine more punches, and none of you are eating any of them for him!"
"Coward!" Julius spat as he pulled out his sword and shield.
"That's enough!" The entire crowd parted at once, like Moses before the Red Sea Lucas the Tea Master had appeared behind the crowd before he began walking forward.
Sir Lucas, born Lucas Rapha Holfort is the uncle to the current King Roland Rapha Holfort. When the previous King was declared the heir Lucas quietly stepped aside holding the official title of duke, though possessing no equivalent territories for the role. Throughout his career as a court Noble Lucas demonstrated nothing short of impeccable strength of character and ability be it his wisdom, charisma or martial power Lucas knew no superior during his time. Many insist to this day that rather than Roland, his own rather notable career as King being worth an entry all by itself, it should have been Lucas who inherited the throne. In response to this Lucas surrendered all of his titles and privileges bar his status as a knight, declaring that rather than a old fashion man like himself, the modern age requires a modern man to lead it. Currently the esteemed knight works as a teacher at the Royal Academy in the hopes that he can past his wisdom onto future generations.
Excerpt from Notable Figures of the Holfort Kingdom.
"Here I was hoping that you had grown concerned for your Fiance after she had grown ill and was looking for her." Nobody among the crowd dared to stand in Lucas's way as he walked forward elegantly. "What have I found instead? Half the school up in arms." The crowd seemed to collectively find something fascinating about their feet as Lucas spoke. "I find the young lady in question assaulted!" Angelica was leaning on Right for support, the ritual and the fight against the Sloth had exhausted her mana reserves and if not for her empty stomach she probably would've vomited all over the entrance by now. "And four of the heirs of the five founding families laying about in their own vomit!" Credit where do, the pains in the rear end were pushing themselves up again. "And lets not forget, the crown prince of our own nation, is in a school yard brawl like a common thug!" Having the various sins of the day recited aloud seemed to have calmed down the entire student body as Master Lucas took his monocle and started to shine it with a cloth. "Now would somebody kindly please, explain to me what is going on here?"
Leon sat down, already taking suckers out of the storage compartment that he had prepared, tossing one of the lesser mana recovery ones in Angelica's direction.
"That is something all of us would like to know!" Leon spat as his helmet folded up and exposed his head. "That Bitch you're guarding!" The number of punches owed to Julius just went up again. "Has Threatened and Kidnapped Marie Fou Lafan, the Saintess, and we have come here seeking her safe return!" Julius explained indicating Angelica with his sword.
Lucas blinked stupefied, as if he couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Julius's mouth.
"I have so many things I need to say to you young man." Lucas could only let out a sigh as he put his monocle back into place. "Instead I will end this mess right here and now and afterwards we will have a long discussion about your behaviour during your detention. Young Marie has been taken into the custody of the Royal police as part of an ongoing investigation." Murmurs went through the entire crowd. Julius's face twisted into a snarl.
"On what grounds!" The Prince snapped pointing the blade at the teacher.
"One!" In one smooth movement Lucas had crossed the distance and smacked the blade out of Julius's hands lodging it into a tree on the other side of the crowd. "Outside of a training exercise, you will never raise your weapons against a teacher again." Not a question, not even a warning, but an immutable statement of fact with no room for compromise. "Two. I neither know nor have any liberty to say what young Marie is being investigated for. Some very serious concerns were raised by individuals of note and until such time that these matters have been properly addressed Marie will remain in the custody of the royal police force."
"By who?" Julius asked in a growl. "Your blatant immaturity has demonstrated that you cannot be trusted with that information." Lucas stated, quite close to dropping his gentlemanly persona and demonstrating to Julius what kind of person he was when he was his age.
"Angelica!" So instead Julius went with his default when something in his life went wrong. "You're responsible for this!" Julius walked forward to scream his accusation in Angelica's face, but Leon had already stood up to block him. "You went behind my back and used your family's authority to separate us!" Angelica could only sigh in response. Why wasn't she surprised anymore? "I demand a duel! When you are beaten you will release Marie at once!" The students were rapidly coming to the realisation that they had been recruited into a lynching mob, and what's worst, one against a duke's daughter.
"Marie is not being held prisoner by the Duke's family, she is being held prisoner by the royal family, what could you possibly wager that would overturn the Royal Family's influence?" Lucas explained calling upon reserves of patience that he didn't even know he had.
"Our Status!" Brad pushed himself up from the pile. "We the Five Founding Heirs give up our inheritance as wager against the life and Freedom of Marie Fou Lafan!"
"Aye!" Greg stood up next.
"Aye!" And then Chris.
"Aye!" And Jilk.
"Aye!" And Finally Julius! "Officiate the declaration as a witness!" Julius commanded glaring at Lucas angrily.
"Very well." It seems that even his legendary patience has finally bottomed out. "I Sir Lucas, Master of Ceremony of the Holfort Royal Academy, Saintess Ann as my witness, declare this duel between Angelica Rapha Redgrave and Julius Rapha Holfort one week from today so that both sides can prepare their champions! As the Challenged Miss Angelica may declare the mode of combat for the Duel."
"Armours." Angelica stated bluntly after a single moment to calculate the odds.
"Then you are all dismissed!" Lucas glared at the crowd forcing them to scatter. "You all have classes still today! I suggest you tend to them at once!"
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