Chapter 25: Run Before You Walk (Part 12)

Consciousness wasn't the most welcome of sensations or states of mind for Natsume at the moment, the Taimanin holding back a groan of pain only through significant discipline and self-control as she kept her eyes closed, instinctively listening for clues as to her circumstances despite being quite confused as to just what had been happening around her what seemed like scant seconds ago.

"An ambush. Although that begs the question of just what it was that gave us away…"

Several metallic locks clicked open, admitting a heavy door to groan open while confident footsteps graced her ears, an assured gait stopping from where she realized she was laying.

"Enough of your games, Taimanin."

An unyielding hand forcefully grabbed her face, fingers prying open one of her eyes as an immediately identifiable - although quite surprising - individual graced her vision.

"And feigning sleep is poor manners when you're staying in someone else's territory."

"Oh, my apologies. A good afternoon to you, Lord Asmodeus. Or is it some other time of day, I'm afraid I've been rather out of sorts."

Not finding any humor whatsoever in her playful words none other than the Old Satan faction aligned Devil removed his hand, scowling at her with clear displeasure. Natsume was just busy trying to reevaluate what they initially assumed of this entire meeting, of how much more serious it really was. This wasn't just some meeting between middling representatives of fairly powerful organizations, this was Creusery Asmodeus and a still unknown second party potentially forming an alliance…and she didn't have a way of letting her comrades know.

"I need to escape. Failing that, I need to somehow warn them."

Although escape would doubtlessly be…tricky. Now fully aware of her body the woman realized she was strapped to some kind of metal examination table, arms and legs stretched wide and shackled by restraints both physical and magical as she was arched in a way to ensure she could stare downwards at herself.

Being completely nude didn't help, seeing as how the room itself was fairly cold.

"You have this one opportunity to be forthcoming with me. How did you find us? How were you aware of this location?"

She merely favored the Devil with a vapid smile, the austere man not entertaining her defiance for more than a few seconds before turning on his heel, coldly stating, "I have business to attend. Unfortunately for you, I need answers and I will have them through one means or another. I care not for what you do to her as long as she talks."

The final bit accompanied the door slamming shut, a soft shuffling of feet allowing a disquieting sight to enter Natsume's field of view.

Mainly, that of an entirely unremarkable woman in entirely unremarkable clothing, staring down at her with completely slack features that betrayed no hint of emotion whatsoever.

…Unfortunately, the prismatic and slitted eyes let Amadare know that this was no empty cadaver but instead a soul subsumed by some kind of Daemon, the otherworldly being inside as far from human as feasibly possible.

A conclusion solidified by the way a slow, stilted smile spread across twitching lips as all manner of sharp and brutal instruments sprouted from the host's flesh like malevolent maggots, Natsume squashing the surge of fear she felt and instead replacing it with practiced serenity.

She just had to wait…


"Mai, I get that you're worried but wearing a groove in the floor isn't going to help things. Also your heels on concrete is pretty loud in this kinda garage."

The pale-haired Taimanin paused only long enough to send him a brief scowl - an expressive bit of sharing by her standards - before continuing her pacing back and forth across the parking garage, quietly grumbling, "It was my responsibility to provide overwatch and security for both Sisigou and Amadare…I failed and now she is captured and kept restrained in a completely unknown location that we have no means of accessing, in all likelihood undergoing interrogation."

A delicate looking fist tightened.

"That is unacceptable."

Resigned to watching the young woman tensely stride in nervous anticipation the Surveyor idly considered that it was at least fun to observe. Taimanin attire was flattering in the extreme and watching an elegant female like Mai - what with her long hair and flared sleeves - helped pass the time.

"Listen to the Surveyor, kid. He's got a point. And allow me to point out that I'm both far more experienced and far more skilled than you are but I got duped all the same. Whatever or whoever we're dealing with isn't some half-assed novice."

Till was quick to add her own spin on things, cheerfully commenting, "Yeah, you don't need to worry! My Contractor knows all sorts of interesting and powerful people, we'll have your friend rescued in no time once they get here!"

+5 REP with Mai Nanase [30/100]

A brief nod left the Taimanin as her demeanor lessened slightly in intensity, Till's words proving prophetic as a hurried set of footsteps reached their ears, none other than Rossweisse turning the corner a moment later, still clad in a professional's business suit and flats but nonetheless appearing ready for battle.

"And there's the woman of the hour. It's good to see you again, Rossweisse."

A happy smile adorned the silverette's features as she saw Till and Cayman walk her way, voice cheerful as she replied, "And it's nice to meet the both of you. Again, I mean!"

The hurried correction had Cayman's lips quirking in amusement, grin fading a bit as he more seriously continued with, "While I do appreciate you showing up the reality is that I owe you an apology. I haven't talked to you in days and the first time I do it's asking for your aid in something dangerous. I know it sounds like I'm only taking advantage of you and nothing else but the reality is I do need your help with this."

He put on a smile he hoped was genuine.

"Once this is all done why don't I take you somewhere nice? My treat. And no bullshit this time."

"..."

"...Rossweisse?"

An embarrassed squeak accompanied a fairly adorable pinking of the Valkyrie's skin, her words stammered as she replied, "N-no, that's fine! I mean, that sounds fun and I would like to do that! We're both busy so no offense taken! I was so busy that I wouldn't have had time anyway!"

+10 REP with Rossweisse [35/100]

The gamer almost felt bad for how desperate Rossweisse was to accept his excuses and reasoning if it meant she could continue to have a friend or social contact.

"Oh well. No sense in complaining about an ultimately good thing."

Glancing towards his companions the Valkyrie hurriedly stated, "So these are your comrades then? I suppose you weren't exaggerating when you mentioned that Surveyors work with quite an eccentric bunch…"

"That I was not. Rossweisse, meet Kairi Sisigou and Mai Nanase, Enforcer and Taimanin respectively…although that probably wasn't hard to figure out."

The highly customizable skintight outfits were kind of giveaways like that.

"Lady, gent? This is Rossweisse, a highly talented Valkyrie who we should be immensely glad is on our side."

While said Valkyrie blushed pink at the introduction Mai settled for a brief nod while Kairi shrugged, responding, "I'm not about to turn down a Norse warrior's aid, sounds like we're going to be going in hot and heavy."

"Wish I could say otherwise but, yeah. Seems likely."

Before they could chat further Till suddenly took to the air, wings fluttering as he eyes fluttered closed in concentration, a slight glow ensconcing her body-

-and with a muted flash of light what Cayman assumed was a teleportation array flared to life not far from them, the Surveyor's raised hand calming the rest of the group as the Fairy nodded in satisfaction, chirping, "Sorry about the interruption, had to let Jesie know where we are~!"

"No complaints. You got here pretty fast yourself, Rossweisse. Yggdrasil Gate?"

Before she could confirm or deny the question three figures stepped out of the fading teleportation array, two of them immediately identifiable as Jesie and Vali while the third was an unexpected and unfamiliar sight to Cayman, although the way his companions aside from Till stiffened suggested she was a serious contender in the grand scheme of things.

She was certainly a beauty, that was for sure. Elaborate robes that stereotypically denoted her as a magic user, their modest nature offset by a side slit that exposed a very luscious leg that didn't lose out to her prodigious chest while a concealing witch's hat didn't do much to hide a lovely complexion of shining sapphire eyes or flowing blonde hair.

"Wait a minute, isn't that-"

"You know, at this point I'm not even going to be surprised if you randomly know and are on friendly terms with a god."

Briefly considering Kairi's words - and knowing full well that Odin had been chill enough to toss him a likely super powerful spear - Cayman held his silence, instead using his version of appraisal/observe/google glass whatever to confirm his suspicions.

Lavinia Reni, LVL 110

HP: 2500

MP: 25,000

STA: 3000

STR: 150

DEF: 150

AGI: 400

MAG: 8000

MAG DEF: 3000

"Huh. Well either I got more powerful and can actually see people's various stats and whatnot now or my senses consider Lavinia less scary than Lugh and Odin. I'm not going to hazard a guess as to which and it's not like I can ask anyone. Also holy shit I have two Longinus wielders helping me out."

"Oh my, well aren't Va-kun's friends such a varied and interesting bunch~! It's rather mean that you haven't introduced me earlier or even so much as mentioned them, silly."

Jesie looked like she was trying not burst out laughing as the teenage hybrid looked very much like a kid with an overactive parent on bring your family to school day.

"I just met him a little bit ago."

"Mmm…no, I think you were just being a mopey little boy like you usually are, Va-kun."

"Aren't we in the middle of something right now?!"

The youth's protest caused the blonde to giggle as they joined the circle of impromptu comrades, her hands clapping in delight as she laid eyes upon Rossweisse, trilling, "Oh? I didn't expect to find Lord Odin's most put upon minder also in attendance! Miss Rossweisse Magnhild, if I'm correct?"

Appearing thunderstruck that a Magician as accomplished as Lavinia was able to recognize her just on sight the Valkyrie stammered, "Y-yes, that is me! Erm, I wasn't aware that I was known among such prestigious circles."

"Oh goodness, many people know about you, dear! Your thesis on sealing arrays that could be applied to subjects of great power without having to directly engage in pound for pound contention with aforementioned strength was highly scrutinized and concluded to be promising."

The poor silverette looked like she was about to pass out from recognition overload as Cayman resisted the urge to laugh.

"Guess she already started on the work that would lead to Trihexa's sealing."

"Not to rain on the socially anxious gal's parade over there-"

Rossweisse jerked as if shot by Kairi's idle words.

"-but we are on something of a schedule. Although I didn't expect the Surveyor here to be pals with a Longinus wielder."

"Two of em', actually."

Kairi, Mai and Rossweisse looked towards Vali, the youth blankly returning their stares as the Enforcer released a defeated sigh.

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Hey, Cayman. He looks a lot stronger than you, it's got my Dragon blood boiling."

Rolling his eyes as Lavinia giggled at the dramatic statement the gamer bluntly responded, "He totally is. You should absolutely try fighting him once we're done here."

Kairi seemed to catch on to what Cayman was suggesting as he sent him an annoyed glare, Lavinia observing, "Oh it's so nice to see him properly socializing…I was worried he was going to be a loner forever, it's wonderful that he's expanding his horizons!"

"What am I, window dressing?"

Jesie's grumble had Till sticking out her tongue at her fellow Fairy, Cayman keeping his cool as the blonde woman affixed him with an inscrutable expression.

"Although a Surveyor, hmm? How interesting."

Getting the distinct impression he was walking on thin ice - no pun intended, given the woman's speciality in magic - Cayman idly replied, "I'm going to take this opportunity to blatantly change the subject and focus on what we're going to be getting into. And while you already know Rossweisse I'm Cayman Lute, this is Till, the Enforcer is Kairi Sisigou and our resident Taimanin is Mai Nanase."

Lavinia gave a cheerful wave, smiling as she quipped, "Lavinia Reni, member of Grauzauberer and wielder of Absolute Demise."

Vali remained silent until the older woman gave his ear a brief twist, the youth scowling before quietly grumbling, "Vali Lucifer, wielder of Divine Dividing."

Cayman took no small amount of pleasure in how everyone's eyes widened at that admission, Kairi sending him a betrayed expression as he realized he'd sicced the White Dragon Emperor on him.

"Payback's a bitch and so am I."

"So what are we expecting to be up against? To my understanding one of your comrades was captured by Nomad and an unknown organization that's likely affiliated with the Old Satan Faction?"

Obviously having read his message to Vali the gamer nodded, responding, "And they're holed up inside of a building that we know has some kind of teleportation wards or whatever scattered all about, the people we were tailing vanished when they went inside one of the rooms. Never got close enough to see what kind they were."

Mai added, "There are also small but noticeable barriers that prevent anyone from looking inside through esoteric means. The only way to directly examine or infiltrate without being obvious is to enter the hotel itself."

Rossweisse and Lavinia seamlessly switched into business mode, the Valkyrie asking, "Did you perhaps manage to discover what school of protections were being used?"

Kairi lit up a cigarette, informing, "Lots of Devil and Demon stuff, didn't see any kinds of magecraft or bounded fields. If they've got them they're farther in."

Vali shrugged, boldly proclaiming, "Then what are we waiting for? With our gathered strength breaking down these walls should be-OW!"

Both Jesie and Lavinia pulled on his ears in unison, the hybrid sullenly simmering down as the blonde chastised, "Now now, Va-kun, being headstrong all the time isn't good. What if the barriers need much of our energy and a particularly strong opponent waits inside for us?"

"I don't have to worry about energy expenditure…"

"But we do, silly boy. And you're still growing, you might not even be able to destroy the defenses for all we know~!"

The clear teasing had Vali bristling but ultimately letting them take the lead, Rossweisse cupping her chin as she quietly mused, "If we're not going to simply brute force it then disabling a series of wards formed from differing schools of magic will be difficult, especially while attempting to remain undetected. Although…"

Lavinia picked up the Valkyrie's train of thought, pensively musing, "Running dual sets of protections needs a dedicated power source and controlling node so that they don't collapse or interfere with the other. And then you have either an internal or external method of doing so."

Watching the two magic geniuses trade ideas back and forth as if they'd been doing it for years left Cayman somewhat bemused, even if the image was equal parts amusing and easy on the eyes. Beauty tended to be more endearing when brains could back it up.

"We could be in trouble if it's an internal source, since we'll have no choice but to get inside to disable it."

"It really comes down to how long they intended to have the place serve as their meeting point. Although in a city as rife with magics as Tokyo - never mind its proximity to a Demon Gate - the ambient energy would make an external source even more appealing."

"I hate this part."

Chuckling at Vali's mumbled complaint as the hybrid boredly leaned up next to a wall Cayman stated, "Really? I think it's pretty fascinating. Sure, some of the math may elude me but the theory is neat."

"I came here to fight things, not do arithmetic."

Jesie planted a playful kick on his forehead, the Fairy smirking as she chirped, "Don't be such a meathead, Vali. You need to know these things if you want to be really strong in the future. Dumb people get beat up easily."

"I'm not dumb."

Till threw her proverbial hat into the ring, teasing, "Nope! But you're on the road to dumb."

Shaking his head as the Fairies ganged up on the youth he turned his attention back to the ensuing conversation, Rossweisse and Lavinia finishing up their brainstorming session as they concluded, "Then if it's an external source they'll likely have it underground, both for safekeeping, lack of foot traffic and to be closer to the natural emanations of magic."

"That's where I would put one."

Heaving a defeated sigh at the conclusion as they all prepared to move out Cayman dryly remarked, "Underground, huh? Well, when it comes to wading through shit I'm your man."

At the questioning gazes he got the gamer said, "Hoestia was underground. In the sewers. The chunky sewers."

Rossweisse grimaced, Kairi coming to his rescue as he said, "Doubt we're going to be heading into that kind of territory, just the usual maintenance tunnels and stuff."

"If you're wrong I'm going to be very upset."


Thump.

The anti-climactic toppling of a pair of mechanics or janitors coincided with Lavinia and Rossweisse dissipating small and silent magic circles from where they'd summoned them, Kairi and Mai moving to immediately bind and gag them before pushing the slumbering duo out of sight. While they were ordinary humans none of them were in the mood to be caught off guard by mundane security, a quick and efficient nap was the way to go.

"Impressive. Ever thought about going into the health business? Being able to drop into a deep slumber in less than a second would probably earn you killer cash."

Lavinia just smiled at his murmured compliment, Rossweisse handling it less gracefully as she protested, "W-well you know, a simple sleep spell on an unsuspecting target that doesn't know much about magic is nothing to write home about…"

"Uh huh. I mean obviously it's easy to do because otherwise everyone and their mothers who knew a little bit of magic would be putting people to sleep all the time. Robbing banks, markets, convenience stores, you name it."

+5 REP with Rossweisse [40/100]

+5 REP with Lavinia [5/100]

Briefly surprised that he also got REP with the blonde she idly mused, "It's heartening to know that you have such a grounded view of magic, Mr. Lute. Most who practice the arcane arts tend to forget the tangible effects even the smallest of spells could have on society as a whole if they were ever used widely."

The man idly mused that was probably more a result of coming from a world that didn't have such fantastical elements than it was any inherent quality but shrugged anyways, responding, "I have a boring mind. All practical, no imagination."

"He's full of it."

Till's blunt editorial had him smirking as they quietly continued their way through the underground passages of the overhead hotel, nothing but the quiet hum of machinery and occasional rush of running water to offset their nigh-inaudible footsteps. He would take that over any amount of literal shit flowing around his ankles or sprinkling his legs.

Sure was creepy though, the gamer constantly glancing at every shadow or potentially dangerous bit of sparse lighting as if he expected some nightmare to jump out from it. Not that he had much to worry about when he was traveling with the group he had but humans just had an instinctive caution of things that go bump in the night.

"We're getting close, be prepared for anything."

"Like, anything anything or just a couple expected threats?"

Cayman's attempt at levity went uncommented on as he internally shrugged, Lavinia holding up a hand as the group immediately came to a halt, the blonde gently tracing a finger on a mildewy wall before a formation of magic and other stuff that escaped his knowledge but doubtlessly meant quite a bit to the smart people of the group sprung to life.

"Well we're certainly in the right place, from here on out protections and other various phenomena will become a sight more plentiful."

"Oh good. I was getting bored."

Yet again his jokes went overhead, only Vali seeming interested in the prospect of trouble as he perked up, Lavinia and Rossweisse immediately getting to work on identifying what they might be up against as everyone else wordlessly took up sentry positions, Cayman manifesting Cerb to put his nose to good use.

Which left him with not a whole lot to do, turning to Vali and Jesie as the hybrid gave Mai an appraising glance before asking, "So what have you been up to since we last met?"

He was quick to add, "If the next words out of your mouth are training I'm going to be disappointed," as the youth sagged slightly.

"It's only been a couple of days, what else was I supposed to do?"

Till jumped into the conversation, pointedly remarking, "Something that isn't training? There's no shortage of fun things you can do, you know."

Jesie rolled her eyes, dryly commenting, "Yeah, I've tried that one before. It hasn't worked so far."

"Well then I guess all we have to do is physically drag you to a nice place or something after this is all said and done. Maybe a restaurant, I know a good place. Just something normal for a change."

Vali looked more than a little defensive, protesting, "Why would I want to waste my time doing that?"

"Don't worry about it, just let it happen."

While the silver-haired male looked fully ready to debate the point Mai broke up the repartee, quietly observing, "How are you such good friends with not one Longinus wielder but two?"

"Well technically it was only one before today but the answer to that is-"

"Friends? W-we're not friends! He's just somebody I know!"

Their little cohort turned to stare at a stammering and clearly embarrassed Vali, Cayman letting the youth stew for a few seconds before turning to Jesie.

"He is just too adorable."

"I know, right~?"

"What do you mean adorable? A Dragon isn't-"

"If I may interrupt, we have a fair idea of what we're going to be up against."

Seizing on Lavinia's interruption like a man lost at sea grabbing a piece of driftwood Vali pretended the previous interaction didn't exist, Cayman and Till sharing mutual smirks while Mai just looked confused at the youth's behavior.

"Fortunately we were able to pinpoint where the barrier control node is, not far from our location. Unfortunately there exist no myriad of protections of all different mannerisms and severity guarding it."

Rossweisse took up the thread of explanation as Lavinia gave her an encouraging smile, a proud flush of pink coloring the Valkyrie's cheeks even as she calmly informed, "While Miss Lavinia, Mister Lucifer and to a lesser extent myself could collapse the barrier and reveal the area we wish to raid in short order the issue is that doing so would be the opposite of subtle, warning those within and allowing them to flee or activate backup measures."

Kairi nodded as if he'd heard of those very same conditions a hundred times - in fact he probably had - and curiously asked, "Odds of making it to the controlling node in one piece?"

"...Debatable."

At Rossweisse's hesitant response they turned to Lavinia, the blonde happily explaining, "While our combined talent would most assuredly bring us to the node without undue trouble as an Enforcer I'm sure you have an appreciation for just how tricky dealing embedded defenses can be."

"Oh don't I…"

The man's grumble was expounded upon by Rossweisse, the Valkyrie looking warily down the corridor as she said, "If we wish to remain undetected we'll have to swiftly disarm and deactivate the systems as we go, creating on the fly solutions as we advance. The issue is that while we know of a great many types of magic and how to restrict or neuter them…"

Lavinia finished with a graceful shrug, stating, "There always exists the possibility - especially when dealing with mixed systems like these - that some newfangled bit of spellcraft was created, something we may not be able to deal with in such a short time frame."

Cayman nodded, cupping his chin in thought as he considered this latest bit of worldbuilding. Sure, the powerhouses of their group could just smash their way in but the problem with that was their quarry could very well escape, maybe even with the very person they were trying to rescue. And apparently even super powerful magic wielders had an appreciation for Murphy's Law, that some random bit of spellcraft could catch them off guard despite the fact they could bitch slap a skyscraper any day of the week. Or whatever the wizard equivalent of such a feat was.

He materialized his spear, idly twirling the weapon and letting his innate understanding of the capabilities that came with it flood his mind. He had a hunch but needed to be sure it would work as the steel hummed through elegant patterns, deftly avoiding his companions and the narrow walls with a grace that he NEVER would have achieved without its instinctive competency.

"How comfortable would you feel in dealing with any unforeseen bits of magic if you didn't have to deal with their nasty side effects and only had to worry about shutting them down?"

"In that hypothetical scenario I would have no such worries whatsoever. Why ask?"

Cayman grinned as he turned to face Lavinia and Rossweisse, letting his weapon rest across his shoulders.

"Because I'm a pretty damn good support class."