Krystina's house

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

"that doesn't sound like a bad idea, but i think we should wait for now; from the sounds of it, there's some trouble outside," Adra nodded, turning his gaze towards where the screams of skylar could be heard.
"i'll bring them here when things are calmer then," Perem chuckled, tapping his fingers ever so slightly on the table as he stood. "they're sure to cause a ruckus though."

"i only noticed it a moment ago, myself," Aerith frowned, catching the sword and tossing it back. "my guess, her so called fiance came to collect," he growled, his eyes losing their pupils as he spoke. "but there's no entrance to the underdark near here, so he's probably hiding out somewhere nearby."

"i had to at least try, Shadowheart." Truth frowned, turning and nodding to the person who handed her the sage. "right..." she mumbled, glancing over to Kana with a sigh. "mind helping me out? one of your winds would be the best way to get this spread to everyone." she hummed, smirking as her hair was blown into her face along with some of the smoke.

"right, working on it... just, start the damn prayer thing you always do when we cleanse an area. it helps me focus," Kana nodded, sitting up and tucking her hair behind her ears as a wind began to blow from truth to each person, carrying with it the smoke and the redhead's prayer, both of which seemed to hum with positive energies.

"works better when we've got cedar and sweetgrass...." rissa sighed, fidgeting with her necklace slightly as she watched truth muttering in latin, the words ever so faintly echoing in her ear as the smoke began to flow around her.

"Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Cernunnos, Regna terrae, cantata Dea psallite Aradia. caeli Deus, Deus terrae, Humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus. Ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate, Laqueo, and deceptione nequitia, Omnis fallaciae, libera nos, dominates."

BLinking and shaking his head, Sky's hand slid from the knife. "i-i'm sorry... i'm sorry..." he mumbled, glancing up to look at shayde and then quickly looking away when he spotted the knife in his side. "i couldn't stop him...." he whispered, tears filling his eyes.

"Exorcizamus you omnis immundus spiritus Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio, Infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, Omnis and congregatio secta diabolica. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, dominates, Ut coven tuam secura tibi libertate servire facias, Te rogamus, audi nos! Ut inimicos sanctae circulae humiliare digneris, Te rogamus, audi nos! Terribilis Deus Sanctuario suo, Cernunnos ipse truderit virtutem plebi Suae, Aradia ipse fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus Deus, Gloria Patri, Benedictus Dea, Matri gloria!"

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Pure T0rture

This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.
I promise to depart just promise one thing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.

"Well hopefully they'll behave for once. The Lino Doue is... Touchy in my early years. The smallest bump can set it off and I'd rather not traumatize anyone else like when Lymbo and Sedynn went into an all-out war with each other. As I get older, it'll be harder for others to trigger, but I'll have better control by then too," Veda responded with the hint of a chuckle to his tone. At hearing of trouble brewing outside, the infant frowned slightly. To attempt triggering the stigma or not to attempt triggering the stigma, that was the question. It'd probably be best not to try it right now. "Adra, do you think you can draw some summoning circles on pieces of paper for me in pencil? I have an idea, but it'll require some tweaking of several summoning circles. Perem, when I'm done getting said summoning circles tweaked, I'm going to ask that you distribute them in a circle in the front yard in a specific order. It shouldn't be too large of a circle, but about the size of a fighting arena would be nice. I'll also need someone to activate them when they're in place which should be the cardinal directions to make it easy."

"Oh? Then he is taking a serious risk of coming when I'm in a seriously foul mood," Fedelta purred as the rest of his hair shifted white, his skin becoming an ashy purplish color and his eyes flickering like a feral animal. Snatching his sword out of the air, he spun it quickly around his wrist before examining the area where Lianna had been. No footprints, but perhaps... Ah. The faint tingle of magic in the air. "Lolth be ever in our favor during our hunt, brother. Kibulÿm, we should return shortly. Remain here please." By not only his appearance, but his change of mannerisms as well, one could tell how quickly he'd shifted from his halfbred self to a full-blooded drow stance altogether.

"It's fine, Sky. You're back to being you, knucklehead. I will make the request of hitting Ephraim for me though. He abandoned me like a giant jackass," Shayde snickered while setting his forehead against the other male's shoulder. "Besides that, I'm not exactly up to par entirely so I was taking a chance when I came over here. I can't exactly tell what it is, but something's different about me and it's a bit distracting... Ow ow ow ow ow. Got it out. I'm good, I'm good."

"He said he has that too if you'd like to use it," Sam responded to the comment of cedar and sweet grass. Getting a slight hand gesture from the boy, the human moved over to the porch and sat down next to Lucian still rubbing his nose, taking another swig from his flask of sorts. He wanted to be as far from the changelings as was possible. From there, he watched as the oddly dressed male repeated the process with two extra little bundles of plant life with his faintly muttered chant. Catching the wind Truth had requested, he smiled lightly at the redhead before passing his hand over the three bundles once the cleansing had been completed.

Taking a moment to tap his fingers against his chest, he finally spoke aloud. "No name," he stated rather bluntly before rotating his finger in the air at shoulder level. "You friends with prince and guardian. Shadows taint by bad thing. I fix. Until fix, they disconnect. No shadow. See?" As he said there was no shadow, he pointed to where the two shadow users' shadows should have been yet wasn't. "Questions?"

"Several, but I'm pretty sure everyone else will ask the first ones so I'm just going to ask what the heck you were just chanting and why you're dressed the way you are. And how do you escape the shadows putting you to sleep?" Ephraim responded making the boy sigh and walk over to him. Upon reaching him, the nameless male flicked him between the eyes without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"I wake you, I put you sleep. Simple for rude. Chant protect. Chant keep safe. Chant keep all safe. Chant in tongue you forget. Ratohnake:ton, how you say?" the boy sighed, briefly snapping at Sam who spoke up rather quickly. "It's traditional for those who do what he does. In the human tongue, one would consider him a witch doctor so just go with it. He won't take it as an insult." "Yes. Go with it, as he say. Shadows lose control when learn truth. I pass prince and gain full access to kingdom. Tribe on island teach much in... Uh," he continued only to pause yet again when seeming to struggle with his English so Sam intervened again. "The Bermuda Triangle." "Yes! As he say. They teach start of all to me when small. Shadows no touch as they promise. Same with light. They no touch. Perfect harmony and only true grey. Light and shadow at war in most grey. Shadows break law for light break law. Both break law, balance shatter. End up with Mara and the like. Understand?" "I understand your grammar is atrocious." "Agreed. Even the Sheikah who are just learning English speak it better than he does."

I promise you my heart just promise to sing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

"that would depend on what or who you're wanting to summon, Veda," Adra drawled, his free hand shifting to claws as he began picking at his wings. damned feathers were falling out and itching like crazy!
"i'm fine with it. not sure why the crow is being a pain about it." Perem drawled, his visage flickering once more as if there were bad reception on a TV.

"let's go hunting, dark elf." Aerith drawled, readjusting his grip on his sword as his other hand began searching around for a bag on his hip. "where in the nine hells did my tracking spell get to," he grumbled, ignoring the silver streaks forming in his blue hair. "must've used it all up trying to find lianna durring the initial fight that brought us together. Hope your tracking skills are better then mine, Fedelta!"

"it was still my fault... if i hadn't left my body in the first place...." Sky pouted, flinching as he watched shayde pull out the dagger. "... you should really put a bandage on that.... so you don't bleed yourself into unconsciousness." he mumbled, looking in the exact opposite direction of him so he wouldn't see the blood.

Grinning at the nameless one, Truth gave a sigh and sat back down once her prayer was over. "so, any idea how long it'll take for them to get their shadows back?" she asked, deciding to draw attention away from the now tattoo-less Skylar.

Leaning back once the wind had carried the smoke and prayer to everyone, Kana gave a sigh and shook her head. "stupid fracking son of a biscuit muncher. that took more energy then it should have..." she huffed, scratching slightly at the bandage on her arm. "

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Pure T0rture

This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.
I promise to depart just promise one thing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.

"Lesser demons or hellhounds would be a nice set-up for a base circle on most. You're going to have to alter them anyways so the most basic of summoning circles is easiest for most of them. One would need to be a circle meant for creating the Philosopher's Stone and it's creator's summoning circle overlaying it, a demon alchemist by the name of Kharl. Kharl's going to hate me for dragging him all the way out here, but he can get over it seeing as he can teleport wherever the heck he wants," Veda responded after a brief second of contemplating which of the summoning circles he knew of to use. Then again, his summoning circles were ancient. Catching one of the feathers, the infant started giggling excitedly at having something new. "This is such an embarrassing state to be in... Quit picking at your wings, stupid. It's not going to stop them from itching. You're just like Jedah with the picking. Thank you, Perrem. I'd hate to be a bother seeing as you're kind of flickering in and out right now."

"Just be sure to keep up," Fedelta snickered in response before darting off into the trees. Oh how he loved his ability to track in the dark much less without his sight. His father had trained him in the Underdark after all. Passing by Vaná, he flashed a brief smirk at how the samurai was dragging the second changeling back by the ankle with Runealis leaning against his shoulder while being carried like a giant child. The samurai must be that good if he walked away without a scratch. The Endless, however, seemed to be struggling to stay awake much less breathe so it probably wasn't by choice that he was being carried. "At least we know they succeeded with the capture of the changelings with both surviving."

"I'm not going to pass out from blood loss, ya dingie. Relax. There. It's covered with gauze and my shirt is holding it in place. It wasn't your fault. For excorcists, the ladies are failing in their job. I failed in being here to keep ya from leaving your body and it's the shadows fault for making that happen i.e. it is the shadows fault. It's also Ephraim's fault for ditching me like he did 'cause he's the shadows' bxtch that," Shayde sighed while catching Watari's medical pack and sliding some gauze under his shirt where the hole now was and using it's form-fitting nature to hold it in place. Tossing the pack back to the black-and-white haired male, he lightly ruffled Skylar's hair with a faint smile. "I am not the shadows' bxtch, Shayde. Sorry to say this and hurt your feelings, but it's not like they were being very rational about letting us leave. While you opted to argue with them like a giant child, your bipolar personalities kicking in by the way, I tried discussing the issue with Adra back here in a calm and rational manner." "I'm not bipolar, jackass, nor was I arguing like a child. It's called persuasion and obviously all you know how to do is mock and taunt. That's all informants are good for; keeping their mouths shut tight on the intel they gather and taunting anyone who isn't the one asking for the intel."

"Stop. You both kids. Neither make difference. Taint settle in before you come back," the nameless one directed sharply with a scowl at the other two shadow users. Children, the both of them. Clapping his hands twice in front of him, a little stone table slid out from the shadow of the trees with multiple cups being held into place and covered by solid black hands. "Give energy. Mana. Day or two most... If no bad. If bad, week perhaps. Depend...s? Yes? He say yes so I say right. It depends. So far, no bad. It go smooth. Ratohnake:ton being back shadow to prince and guardian when safe to return. 'Til then, they no shadow and they vulnerable. Fast heal come from shadow. No shadow, they heal like human. Carry only shadow with connection to shadow. Safer that way and no trigger... Ratohnake:ton..." "The shrieky Ephraim and homicidal Shayde." "Yes. No trigger that during fix and no light folk come. No light folk come, the prince, guardian and shadow kingdom stay safe. Kingdom, prince and guardian stay safe, dark stay and grey remain. Not stay safe, dark go away and grey area go boom. Understand, yes?"

"Yeah... If the shadow kingdom gets overtaken by the light, the grey area which we're in will collapse in on itself and cease to be entirely. It took both the dark and the light to create common grounds to interact with each other. If one overtakes the other, the common grounds are no longer necessary and all the life on it was for nothing. The Sheikah can return to the darkness we came from, the demons and nephilim to their original domain, but all else wouldn't be able to survive the collapse," Sheik muttered while rubbing the side of his jaw. Of course this was how it'd work out. Raising a couple fingers, he pointed to his own shadow. "How'd the shadows get tainted, as you so kindly put it?"

"Light charm put on guardian by brotherhood after they trigger shrieky side. They cause it, try to hide it and only damage it. Then potions enter and wake the young. Time far too soon... Woke too soon, but got away. It how I find island tribe and learn much quick. You understand though so no problem. Enjoy tea, heal, rest and let samurai deal with ama jeferarida coro so fobi. Samurai return home with them and give to demon sniper. Simple," the boy answered honestly while fidgeting with one of his earrings. To Sam, he could tell the boy was wanting to retreat but he promised answers so that's what he was trying to do. Motioning the boy over to him, the boy moved quickly over to him and sat between his feet. Sam was the only real person he knew after all. "I have a hypersensitive ability to see, converse and reject spirits alongside the ability to find and open portals. That's actually why I was in physical form inside the tombs when Skylar was lured in by this kid here. I found a path into the tombs when I was little and I've found it as a comforting place when I'm having a bad day. It's where I spent my time hiding from my dad when he was acting like a major dxck... Now it's where I spend my anniversary every year. He's been awake in the tombs for the last six years so we've gotten to know each other pretty well. He was extremely shy for the first week or two, but now he talks to me about a lot of things. He especially enjoys me mixing him drinks and playing songs for him. That's also why I understand him even when he doesn't talk out loud. He's having issues forming sentences though so some of you really need to quit picking on him for bad grammar. You don't exactly have perfect grammar yourself."

I promise you my heart just promise to sing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

"its not that embarrassing. its expected that you'll need our help in this form. now if you were to be your full form and asking for help with such simple things, that's when i'd be worried." Adra drawled, picking up a pencil and some extra pieces of paper from where Ephraim had shown them his rough sketches, beginning to draw a few out as Perem spoke up.
"i'll be fine, Veda. i just can't take on a solid form for another little bit. the burns you see on my body are still healing, much of it internally. i remain in spirit form while my true body heals and allowing my spirit to have presence in the physical realm is taxing." the spirit drawled, a grin on his face still as he watched Adra drawing.
"how do these work for you, so far?" the demon asked, holding up a few of the most basic summoning circles he knew of.

"that's not a problem," the elf chuckled, only a few paces behind him. Giving the slightest of nods to Rune and Vaná as they passed, he quickly returned his gaze to what was ahead of him as he prepared for anything. even his sister could go full dark elf, and it wasn't as smooth of a transition back for her as it could be for Fedelta.

slowly turning back, Sky gave a pout and wrapped an arm around Shayde, holding him close. "i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i'm sorry," he mumbled, closing his eyes as he continued apologizing over and over. he didn't even notice the tears until his apologies were interrupted by hiccups.

"that's.... not quite true, sheik," Rissa mumbled, fidgeting with her necklace as she looked from it to the others. "there are others outside of the touch of either side who could still, if we're lucky, manage to hold the worlds together. but they're not so easily contacted, nor are they always willing to help. but i won't get into it now, because you already know of whom i speak." she breathed, listening to the boy as he spoke again. "but i pray to the gods it never comes down to that, because those beings aren't always the greatest at working together."

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Pure T0rture

This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.
I promise to depart just promise one thing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.

That's not funny. The shadows were contemplating trying to rebuild my body as it had once been, but one of them argued that I'd start off as an empty shell so it was better to simply return me to the physical world in an infantile form. This vulnerable form is embarrassing to me seeing as I still have all of my previous memories plus the new ones, the infantile demon muttered with an inward shudder. Veda wished he could get several scenes out of his head, but they were stuck there and weren't exactly likely to ever be removed. Sticking the end of the feather in his mouth, the baby smiled at Perrem's words making the demon sigh. Stupid infantile form. This did not feel the same as his early years, but then again, his entire entity was swallowing up whoever Hagen's actual child would've been. Such a depressing thought, but it was true. It still makes me feel like I'm using you guys... That's good, Adra. I can't exactly promise if you'll get a long look at the alterations, but I'm going to try sending you a mental image of the changes in the inner section of the circles. If something catches on fire or explodes or even if I accidentally solidify Perrem, I'm sorry. This form is throwing off my chakras. Taking a second after he finished speaking, a quick blue flash came from the tear mark just under his eye that copied itself briefly on Adramalech's face then vanished once again. You get it? The connection cut itself short 'cause of your feather in this form's mouth... It's only just now clicking that it isn't something to be placing into one's mouth. I hate this whole attention span of a gnat for this body. You'd think a few thousand years in a land full of wicked things, dark dreams and despair would make you love even all of the crap in this world, but it doesn't. I still hate anyone having the attention span of a gnat. Chestra is the only exception. And don't forget the circle for Kharl and his little red stone overlapping each other.

Having returned, Vaná dropped the changeling off beside his brother before taking Runealis nearer to Giosuè and Serai. "He does well as a distraction for someone still trying to heal and regenerate blood cells," the samurai murmured lightly while setting the Romanian down only to smack Serai upside the head with the hilt of his sword. Ignoring the snarling of Sheikah curse words stringing themselves together, he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at the woman. "For a Sheikah still in perfect health, you sure are the laziest woman I know. At least he's healing people. Next time, baka, step in yourself or go off and commit seppuku now before I detach your head from your shoulders. He dies, it's on your head." Turning on his heel, his arms dropped back down by his sides and he returned to the changeling twins just to grab them both by the leg. "Aerigato. Gomenasai." Never specifying what either curt statements were for, he started back for the trees with the twins being dragged behind him.

Continuing his swift leaps from tree to tree, Fedelta's gaze shifted just as quickly to keep up with some invisible trail. At a certain point, he sheathed his dual swords and drew his broadsword only to swing his blade in a full seven-twenty, several trees being brought down with it. As soon as he touched the ground, he skidded in several circles from the momentum of the swing with the broadsword resting against his back. "Found her~," he purred in something of a hiss, a snicker following his words.

Sighing lightly as he gently patted the sobbing winged male on the back, Shayde couldn't help smiling lightly. It wasn't funny he was so upset, but rather sweet that he cared so much over something he couldn't help. "There, there. It wasn't your fault. Like the kid said, it was indirectly Ephraim and the brotherhood's faults alongside the direct fault of the Master of Potions. It's not as bad as it looks and the nimrods I've spent most of my life with have done a million times worse. It's a fleshwound, a road rash in fact. There's nothing to cry about," he murmured softly so as to avoid the others hearing him. He wasn't sure why he was still trying to avoid letting his allies know of his soft spot for him since they practically knew, but he still felt so shy about his feelings being out in the open.

"Not to get all technical or anything, but I'd rather play Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun than have anything to do with them, Rissa. That's why I didn't mention them," Sheik retorted with a roll of his eyes. He knew plenty well who she was talking about, but that didn't mean he had to like where she was going with it. He had a far more sarcastic response in mind yet he opted for just the Russian Roulette response. Ignoring the glances of confusion, he smirked and glanced at Tyvinda. "Where was he when we were growing up with them? We seriously could've used him smacking some sense into them the entire time."

"Japan or outer space I believe. Let's see... After the Shinsengumi were wiped out, he walked away from the whole samurai thing and was taken in by him to build that giant robot thing he launched into space with. He literally jumped from the age of the samurai to the technology of the phantoms before he ever reached his late teens. He was probably making the transition around the time I was just meeting Karma," his elder brother responded while shifting his fingers as if tapping his fingers against something solid and a thoughtful expression on his face.

"They no need," the nameless shadow user almost seemed to pout yet reject the idea altogether, Sam lightly patting him on top of his head to help him settle down. "It's alright. I know you're capable of fixing the taint in the shadows. You've helped me on several occasions as is and you took the precaution of separating them from their shadows. The light won't bother them so long as they're separated from them and don't risk their other sides exposing themselves which makes them less vulnerable. They'll just have to get used to doing things without their shadow abilities." "Ratohnake:ton only smart one. They doubt. They yell and insult." "They do that quite a bit so don't take it personal. I've given them intel before and they question the reliability of said information." "Stupid?" "Overly cautious."

I promise you my heart just promise to sing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

happy holidays!

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

"i'll keep that in mind, should some other spirits start to show themselves," Perem chuckled from where he'd sprawled himself out on the floor. a nap sounded wonderful right then. it really did. maybe he could teleport his body here? but what would they say? actually, they probably wouldn't notice. much.
Nodding briefly, the crow demon began to scribble once more; making edits to his various summoning circles before he pulled out another few sheets of paper and began drawing a far more elaborate set of circles overlapping each other for Kharl and his stone. "i think i got everything you sent me. take a look and tell me what you think," he asked, once again lifting each individual circle up so that the infant could see them properly. If some misinformed soul had come in then, they might wonder if the demon was showing off some new tattoo designs as many of the symbols he used in his summoning circles were the very same ones that decorated his skin with an unearthly orange glow.

Skidding to a halt behind him, the high elf gave a smirk. "well, this should be fun. Do lead the way," he drawled, readying his sword as well as a few spells. It was highly likely from the screams he was hearing that Lianna had summoned another beast of the underdark to her aid. crazy girl could really lose it when her dark elf half kicked into high gear. He could still pick out the scars from last time he'd had to pin her down when she was in a rage like this. But she probably didn't have a knife this time.

Not too far off in a cave, Lianna gave another command to the creature she'd called for help, its banshee-like screech echoing out of the cave as her captor tried to fight off the monster, all the while holding onto the chains that bound and dug into her now amethyst hued skin, nearly drawing blood with each movement she made. Giving another cold retort, the ravenete shifted herself to tug at the chains still in his grasp, resulting in a blow to her face that split her lip open.

"i'm still," he started, a hiccup interupting him and causing his cheeks to flush. "i-i'm still sorry. i couldn't fight him. i tried but i couldn't," he mumbled, another hiccup slipping past his lips and causing the blonde to jump slightly.

Nodding her agreement, the blonde gave a grin. "i hear ya. i'd rather cut off my left chesticle then deal with them," she drawled, scratching at her neck. "but i guess i just had one of those feelings it needed to be said, ya know," she shrugged, not entirely sure why she'd even brought it up in the first place.

"very and extremely cautious," Truth nodded to the duo, sitting herself down by her dad with a hand over her midsection, which was starting to burn once more. "if anyone wants me, i think i'm just gonna take another nap.... stupid troll cut still burns...." she sighed, closing her eyes.

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

Taking the time to examine each of the circles with some major struggling of getting the mortal form to actually focus on it instead of trying to spit out the feather, the demon nodded before realizing they couldn't see that. Good job. I wasn't sure you got a clear image of it, but you did. Thank you. Perem, if you wouldn't mind placing them exactly as they're stacked in a pretty large circle around the yard - roughly about the size of the space between the treeline and the house - it'd be greatly appreciated. Once he's done, you can trigger them all simultaneously. I can't promise that the samurai guy that was here won't be dragged back too, but until the process of my return is complete - the guilt of this process forcing me to consume the original child this body would've belonged to hanging over me for the rest of my life - this is about all I can do for y'all since you're basically raising me, he responded while his hands pulled the feather back out of his mouth. The fluffiness near the base of the feather was worse than the rest of it. Yuck. It felt like there was still some in his mouth. Ew ew ew. It won't get out of my mouth. Stupid body has to stick everything in its mouth. This is why I'm glad Jedah had bat wings he could remove from his spine and use like a scythe.

Flashing a brief dark grin at the other elf, his skin took on an ashy amethyst color and his crouch turned into a sprint towards the cave. Knowing full well that Aerith was behind him, Fedelta's pace stayed constant up until he neared Lianna and her captor. At that point, he simply used Lianna's beast to propel himself upwards so he could smash the chains with his broadsword, the backswing knocking the beast back towards Aerith. His expression shifting to a far more serious one, his right eye shifting to that of the golden red most drow were known to have, he gave a tsk and pointed the blade at the man who'd taken her captive. "You pathetic excuse for a drow! I'm going to enjoy tearing you limb from limb for even thinking you had the right to touch her," he growled before giving a slight bow to the side for his sister. It was out of respect and a natural drow response to running across a female drow. Shifting his weight, his broadsword swung towards the other man rather swiftly.

"Move," a familiar male voice stated rather bluntly before the two changelings from earlier went flying past the group and knocked over Lianna's beast followed by the heel of a boot touching the back of Aerith's foot. Giving a soft grunt, a large creature with several bright red eyes trying to push through his sword already drawn in a defensive stance, the samurai from earlier glanced briefly over his shoulder. "Get the girl, those two bakas and the twins there and move deeper into the cave. You see a drow carrying a staff and a satchel, you should be alright to finish your little squabble. Fxcking Diva and her minions... Tch. He'll deal with the critter she summoned too so don't worry about it."

"It. Is. Fine. Keep apologizing and I'm gonna knock you upside the head. I knew you wouldn't kill me. I might not be up to par with my strengths, but I'm still pretty tough. Just calm yourself down and breathe instead of blubbering," Shayde sighed heavily. How many times would he have to reassure him that he was fine? It was like when Sheik took him on his first mission all over again. Brushing a blonde hair from the other's face, he flashed him a gentle and slightly more timid than usual smile. "Wanna know something funny?"

Giving an involuntary snort, a hand quickly covering his face as his mother lifted a brow at him. "Sorry. It's just a funny word; chesticle. That's a funny way of putting it and yet it makes sense," he muttered before shifting his gaze over to where Hades was laying on the ground, Giosuè showing some hints every now and then that his attempt at fixing the damage done would be in vain. He'd gotten Lulu over to him too and even he seemed to be in distress about the male on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. Actually, the werewolf looked about as distressed as the Romanian and the latter was the one tap dancing on Death's doorstep.

"Go on ahead, princess. Thanks for making us sound like we're suspicious of everything by the way," Trevor chuckled lightly while brushing his fingers through her red hair. At finding the nameless boy in front of him, he could feel himself tense. How'd he get past his guard? And why was he taking a peek at the troll injury? Without even hesitating, his foot had lifted up and knocked the crouched boy over, his fingers releasing Truth's shirt in the process of falling. "Hands off, ya little perv. Kids, I swear."

"You wouldn't know. Besides that, teenagers are the worst so you can only imagine this type of behavior only escalating in a couple of years," Serai muttered while watching the boy flipping back onto his feet with a scowl. It was surprising to her how he moved around with such ease though the fact that he'd moved on both hands and feet to get to where he could check on Truth was both a little creepy and odd. He was like a feline predator on the prowl for anything that counted as prey.

"I would not do that again if I were you. He was just seeing how bad it was," Sam sighed while briefly watching the nameless shadow user return to his side. Once there, he pulled out several straw-like dolls and an animal skull turned into a mask. After sliding the mask on, he pulled a small pouch away from his side that contained a multi-colored powder he sprinkled across two of the dolls. Smiling darkly beneath his mask, he removed a small quill from the side of the mask and stuck it in the side of the doll causing Trevor to say "ow". After removing the quill and sticking it in the shoulder of the second doll, Serai repeated the term in a slightly louder and more irritable tone than her eldest son. "Yeah... You two deserved that. Hey. What'd I say about the dolls?"

Returning the quill to the side of his mask, the boy lifted his mask back up to where it could be seen that he was frowning. "Dolls only for the list... But they-" he started only to be interrupted by the bartender and his unamused expression. "Only those on the list. No ands, ifs or buts about it. The males are my friends and the girls are their friends. They don't make mistakes in letting people inside their personalized bubble. Serai just happens to be Sheik's mother and that guy is also part of the family. And you can't just go around lifting up girls' shirts. Off that island and outside of African tribes, that's not allowed. We talked about this. I know you've got good intentions, but others might not see it the same way." "But- ... What this perv thing?" "I'll explain it to you later. Just ask before you try touching someone and wait for their permission until acting upon it." "Can I stop his pain? Only delay it and cause more."

At that question, Sheik, Trevor, Shayde, Watari and Serai shifted their attention towards him and the bartender. Sam took a moment to register the question, but quickly pulled the boy closer to himself so he was seated between his legs on the stairs again. There were sparks already coming from the one so it was only a matter of time before hostility followed after it. "Don't. As much as it'd be nice to him, there is a lycan and Sheikah that will not be as forgiving as the rest of us. They don't want to admit it when it's staring them in the face. It's just how they are," he whispered softly so only the boy could hear him before raising a hand at the dark gaze Sheik had directed towards the shadow user. "Sheik, don't even. At least he asked instead of just acting on impulse. He's still trying to figure out the grey area and why they're trying so hard to keep him alive." "I don't give a damn. It's not his place to make any decisions for the rest of us, especially him. If Adra and Perem can get the circle-" "Circle?" "I've said too much. Just drop it and keep that kid under control or go back to where you were. He's stated he'd return their shadows when everything's fixed and you intend to remain there with him until then. You've always been trusted, Sam, and plenty helpful. That kid, however, isn't and I expect you to keep him at his word."

"Figured you'd get more uptight once you met her... C'mon. We're leaving, kiddo. Sheik's getting skiddish 'cause he knows how he's going to die and when. He started tap dancing around egg shells since they met and he knows it since the sand lessened," Sam muttered before standing up on the step behind his younger companion and lighting up another cigarette. "What's that supposed to mean?" "He knew where she was all along... How did we not see it?" "You are one dangerous son of a bartender for someone incapable of protecting himself from his wife's ex, Sam." "Thanks for the assistance. Sorry for bothering you again, Skylar, and getting your body possessed. See ya 'round." And at that, both Sam and the skull faced boy were swallowed up by shadows leaving Sheik stunned where he sat. He'd known where his future wife was all along?!

"He stalled your death, Sheik. You should feel honored he did that for you whereas I would've opted for you to pass the necklace on to a better suitor than your accident-prone axs," Serai finally responded, a hint of surprise in her tone. The last thing they expected was that Sam of all people had tracked down what even Seers couldn't. Watari frowned when she'd openly admitted that she wouldn't have delayed their meeting, but remained silent. "What the hell is he? He can't be human. There's no inhuman quality even hinted in him." "Good question. He's never been bloodbound as far as I can tell yet he told us he was. It's curious as to why he tells us one thing, but there's real evidence of it being true much less false. Perhaps when we see him next we can sit him in a room with Truth and Deception to answer some of our questions. Their gifts since birth was detecting lies and getting people to be honest. Fortunately for me, I was able to lock it up during their younger years. By the time I finally retired, the seal would've broken and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up the charade of being a superhero to them. All Sheikah are born with the gift of the Eye of Truth and they're half-Sheikah. That's why we named them like we did albeit their real names are far more intricate. Truth and deception were the rough translations so it was what we told them their names were. I intended to tell them eventually, but never got around to it."  

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

Taking the papers when adra handed them to him, the spirit gave a nod. "right. i'll go do that then. Adra, see if there's something in that bag that he can chew on that isn't so gross" he called, heading out the door. without so much as a wave to those around him, the spirit set about placing the circles as Veda had instructed, humming briefly to himself as he did so.
"right, here, try this thing. i think it's for sucking on?" the demon mumbled, trading the feather that Veda was holding for a pacifier, although the demon wasn't sure what it was, just that it sort of resembled a cow's tit.

Following along, Aerith gave a sigh as he looked to the beast in front of him, putting his hand briefly in front of him to show he meant no harm, a spider charm in his hands. "Vendui, creature of my sister, for protecting her while we could not. I ask you to return to Lolth now that we are here." he hummed, watching as the creature returned to its on plain of existence only to be bumped into by the samurai. Giving him a brief nod, the high elf started into the cave, giving a sigh as he offered his hand to Lianna only for her to push him away and stand on her own, wiping the blood from her mouth before she pushed past Fedelta to give her assailant a swift kick in the nads before she picked up the chains he'd been holding her with and tied him to a large bolder after having taken the key from him. looking to her brothers as she picked her blades up off the ground, she gave a grin and brushed her now solid black hair behind her shoulder. "leave him for something to eat, he's not worth our time." she shrugged, pulling the strap of her tank top back up over her shoulder.

nodding lightly, skylar gave a sigh as he tried to calm his hiccups, rubbing his eyes now that he'd had a good cry. "a-alri - hic- t" he nodded, cheeks flushing once more as he hiccuped mid reply.

shrugging lightly, the blonde followed his gaze over to the others and gave a sigh. should she even offer to help if lulu wasn't doing anything? after all, she hadn't been able to save Hagen. pulling her necklace off, the teen gave a sigh and held the pendant up to her eye, watching several creatures flit about around him and the others.

"you are paranoid, dad. don't think I don't know that." The redhead snorted, curling into his side only to slap at the boy's hand when he lifted up her shirt. seeing them leave before she could put in her two cents on the matter, the girl gave a shrug and glanced over to Rissa. "how're things in the realm of the immortals?" she asked, only to get a slight shrug in response. "lovely."

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Pure T0rture

This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.
I promise to depart just promise one thing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.

Having the pacifier in his mouth instead of the feather, the infant began settling back down. Thank both of you. This isn't as bad as the feather and it's settled my new form down, Veda sighed, his body starting to take on faint lines that would eventually return to their former glory and mixing chewing and sucking on the pacifier. Argh! Not being able to control this new body was going to drive him insane. As guilty as consuming this child to exist again was, he just wanted the transition to end already. Maybe then he could have at least a little more control over what movements were made. Ow. Evil teeth. Ow... Damnable things need to cut to the surface already.

"Maybe I'll let one of these things eat 'im for you then," Cirdan muttered while sliding back a little further now that Aerith wasn't behind him. At hearing Fedelta tisk, set his sword against his back and start dragging the changelings deeper into the cave along with Aerith and Lianna, he backed up a few paces before taking up the offensive on the creature attacking him.

The further they went into the cave, the quieter it seemed to get. Just as Fedelta was about to say the samurai was a quack, a dark elf male dropped down from a ledge from above. "I heard him from here. I'm Elrick. Pleasure to meet you three," he murmured calmly before a thunk and an 'ouch' sounded followed closely by a shush. Taking one of Lianna's hands without a word, he examined where her shackles had been only to start digging in a satchel at his hip. "Would you stop gawking at my choice of defense already? I chose to use it instead of a blade -, or should I say blades? - like you. I had issues with wielding one and Cirdan suggested I become a sheath rather than remain a blade so here I am. And keep it quiet too, stupid. There's draegloths among other things lurking nearby thanks to her summoned beast."

"Well excuse me for being shocked that a dark elf is armed with nothing but a staff in the Underdark. I'm Fedelta and these two are Aerith and Mistress Lianna," the other muttered irritably while rubbing the top of his head with one hand. How had he missed that staff swinging at him? "Tch. Mistress, eh? You obviously can't detach yourself from what they forcefed you in the cities. Drow? That's a hoot. There. Your wrists are patched up for now. There's magic starting up around you three that is... The good kind. These two, hm? Clive isn't home right now so what does he expect me to do with them? And they got out a signal to them too. Alright then. For now, we wait up there. Move the twins onto the platform when we reach it please while I maintain keeping us level with it." "Fine. You better be who you said you were though, Mr. Medic... Why are we waiting though? There was more than one of those things." Upon being lifted up to the edge of the platform, Fedelta tossed the changelings onto it first before stepping onto the platform himself. Once everyone was on it, Elrick seated himself on the edge with his legs crossed under him, his back towards the others as if in wait of the samurai. The faint hint of chinks was all that could be heard from the exit besides rocks from the cave walls and ceiling hitting the ground. "Because there's nothing we can do to help him. Distractions will only get him killed."

Chuckling a bit, Shayde patted Sky on the head. "Good boy," he hummed with a smile now that his attention was focused on the blonde once more. Briefly glancing at Sheik, he shook his head slightly at how he seemed grouchier. "I find it funny that Sheik is grouchier than I was when I met you. He always has been actually. And there's also the whole factor that he's spent most of his life dragging us around in the search of someone his most reliable informant already had the location of. It makes us look like idiots. Not sure why it seems funny, but it just does to me."

"Pshaw. Paranoid my arse. And I'm entitled to be suspicious. I've got a bunch of enemies who could be trying to worm their way in just to stab me in the back," Trevor snorted, his arm wrapping around his daughter. At Deception sighing, moving next to him and leaning against his opposite side, he started only to wrap his other arm around her. "It's not exactly paranoia truthfully. I'm afraid of the day you girls, and even Ephraim, will leave me again. You three are my babies, all I have left in this world besides Watari. I don't count you, mom, much less dad so don't clear your throat at me. Point is, that is the truth about this so-called paranoia I have. I know you have to grow up, but I've already missed so much as is. Once y'all get in a serious relationship, you won't want to still live at home with your dad so you'll get a place of your own, get married and have kids. You'll visit, yes, but it's only natural you'll have your own lives which you'll tell me about. I love y'all and every parent, mine unincluded, dreads when their kids grow up to be adults and leave home."

"Join them if you'd like. No one's stopping you," Sheik told the blonde while flopping backwards in the grass and closing his eyes. He should've asked the bartender a while back if he'd known anything and yet he hadn't. Why did he never ask him in the first place? Had he been afraid of finding her? Was it the fear of death? It was making sense now though. Nearing the end of his days, there'd been lots of blood signifying many battles had taken place. Both the assassins and excorcists drew in enemies not to mention the return of a powerful demon. "Mm... So it's most definitely drawing near... Life's too short. She should be trying again sometime in the near future as depressing as it may be"

"Sheik's talkin' to himself. Think he's depressed?" Ephraim muttered while scratching the side of his neck. He certainly looked kind of depressed what with that slight frown on his face.

I promise you my heart just promise to sing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

WAlking back inside with a slight wave towards Trevor as if to let him know he was still watching over truth in her sleep, Perem stepped back inside just in time for him to hear Veda complain about his teeth. "if you want, i could stop out and buy you some medicine for that. it'll numb the pain and its baby safe stuff, too." he offered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.
"they made something like that? huh. humans have come a long way in our absences, Veda." Adra chuckled as he stood, readjusting the infant in his arms once more. "shall we go outside and get started on whatever you're planning?"

"he can handle himself, brother, besides, the nosie you make when fighting would only bring the draegloths closer. even at our best, the three of us would be no match for a horde of daegloths," Lianna purred, patting Fedelta on his head gently before she turned to look at Elrick. "thank you for the bandages." she hummed.
Aerith on the other hand, was silently watching his sister to make sure she didn't do anything too dangerous while they were up so high. she seemed to have control over her rage, but she was far too meticulous about how she fought and used her magic to mess up here. if they actually got into a fight, he'd have to keep her from getting too far in the hole with Lolth.

"that is a bit funny, considering they used to call you the grouch." Sky hummed, brushing his braids back over his shoulder. "i guess, maybe it's a good thing, though, that he never asked him, because wouldn't that have caused him problems earlier on?"

"wouldn't do any good, even if i did," Rissa drawled, glancing to him only to sigh. "you and i both know it, too," she murmured before glancing to Ephraim and nodding lightly. "i think he's got a lot on his mind right now. as is to be expected after what just happened." she drawled, taking his hand.

"hey, you alright? you're talking to yourself again." Kana mumbled, brushing some hair from his face as she watched him, keeping hold of one of his hands.

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Pure T0rture

This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.
I promise to depart just promise one thing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.

Continuing to switch between chewing and sucking on the pacifier, the infant seemed to be watching the two males curiously. It'd be much appreciated, Perem. Do be sure your body is here though, or at least near the circle if you don't want it in plain view. The aftershock of the seals being activated in sync should still work in fixing the damage done to it, Veda partly grumbled before giving off a faint sound in agreement with Adra. That would be wise, Adra... Humans have certainly grown in our time of absence though I highly doubt they're much smarter... Hagen wasn't exactly a genius, but he was pretty smart for a human and relatively nice, very intuitive too. He is surely missed even if only by me.

"Mm. It's not my fault that it's exciting, sister. The sight of blood just warms me to the core," Fedelta briefly pouted at being treated like a child albeit seemed a bit odd. They had both tapped into their drow half and yet she wasn't treating him like the lowly worm of a male he was. Eying her cautiously from the corner of his eye yet still avoiding eye contact with her, he began strumming his fingers against his knee. At noticing the one calling himself Elrick pull his staff into his lap, his eyes narrowed. "You didn't correct me, Elrick. There's no entrance to the Underdark around here. Why is that?"

"Because only fools and those who don't know what they're looking for overlook entrances into and exits out of the Underdark. There is an entrance here, but it's difficult to find. You're welcome. It's the least I could do considering," the dark elf responded, something between his shoulderblades twitching slightly and making him mutter a curse word under his breath. At realizing the sounds of the samurai's sword had ceased echoing back towards them, his gaze focused more intently on the path the trio had come from. Where was he? He normally wasted no time. Perhaps he was injured? The samurai never admitted to injuries though and would beat anyone upside the head for trying to touch him, the stubborn mule.

"Well, I was a grouch and I didn't hide it behind a pocketful of sunshine like he does. I mean, I wasn't exactly nice when you showed up here. They were always nagging me about every little thing even when I said nothing. That grouchiness Sheik has is what made him know my negative thoughts, not his knowing the future. And it's possible he averted problems in the past by not asking. He's certainly delayed death for a while," Shayde smiled, embarrassment pretty obvious on his face. He had been pretty mean to Skylar, among various others, throughout his lifetime now that he thought back on it. While he just didn't want to be hurt by those close to him again, he shouldn't have been as nasty as he'd been and now he felt kind of ashamed of his behavior. Wrapping his arms around the fair haired male, he murmured softly, "Sorry for being a jackass to you at first. You didn't deserve that."

"Mm. Makes sense... Lulu's starting to whine, and while this isn't exactly a funny scene, it's making me want to start snickering. I don't know why it does, but it does. Maybe it's how high in pitch it is that it seems funny for a guy his size to be making such a sound. Does that make me mean?" Ephraim smiled faintly at Rissa before frowning slightly as his gaze flicked over to where the lycan was shakily trying to keep healing Runealis. Giosuè, however, had sat back in defeat with his hands coated in blood and several streaks in the shape of his index finger across his face. As the water around the lycan's hands just dropped, Lucian set his forehead against the Romanian's side whose chest had stopped heaving in the attempt to catch his breath. Wrapping one hand around the other, the coppery haired teen let out a heavy sigh. "Lianna's not going to be happy when she gets back..."

"Hm?" Sheik started, his eyes flicking open just after Kana had brushed his hair out of his face. Smiling lightly up at her, he took a moment before nodding slightly. Gently squeezing her hand in his own, his gaze focused in on the sky overhead. "I'm alright. Just thinking is all. Sorry... And gravity feels like it's increasing on me. But other than that, yes, I'm just peachy. Right as rain."

I promise you my heart just promise to sing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

Nodding, the spirit gave the demons a grin. "it's on its way here. i'll grab the stuff once i'm back in my body. which should be soon." he hummed, chuckling when he heard the sound of skylar yelping outside. "looks like that's my cue to take a nap. see you both in a bit." the male drawled, givign them a bow before he grabbed his cape and padded back outside.
"this is true. and don't worry, i'm sure his brother misses him as well. if he even knows. should we even tell him you're technically his nephew now?" the demon drawled, following Perem outside just in time to see the spirit merge with his body that was resting against the side of the house, just a little ways off from Skylar and Shayde as if he'd always been there.

Looking up from where she'd been resting, Krystina rose an eyebrow at the figure sitting near her brother. "is that-?" "That'd be Perem's real form. you missed the display of his burns earlier, so it's understandable you didn't know," Kansei drawled as she stood and stretched her hands over her head before walking over and making sure Perem was still breathing.

"it's exciting indeed, but we needn't be morons here and bite off more than we can chew." she drawled, readjusting herself as she looked around. "it'll suffice. i'll have one of my friends take a look at it when we return to the surface." she drawled, shrugging lightly while giving both her brothers a look of warning as if to tell them to stop being so suspicious of her. she could practically feel the suspicion oozing off of them. Putting his hands up in defense, the blue haired elf turned to look at their new companion and rose an eyebrow. "so, what sorts of magics do you use?" he asked, mainly for the sake of conversation and a distraction from his sister. he didn't know why, but he had the feeling she'd enjoy ripping his eyes from his skull right now.

Smiling as he kissed Shayde's forehead, the blonde held him a little closer and grinned. "it's alright. you were going through a tough time. besides, i got you out of it~" he chuckled, kissing the teen again.

"doesn't make you mean, it's just... poorly timed humor i guess?" the blonde drawled as she watched Lulu cautiously. "and yeah, Lee will flip when she gets back, providing she gets back before he's back up and moving." she drawled, turning her head to look off in the direction Lianna's brothers had run off.

"well, talk to me instead of keeping everything locked up in that head of yours. i want to know what's going on. even if it's just the small things. wish i could fix the whole gravity thing for you, but my specialty is wind, sorry." she murmured, holding his hand a bit tighter as she returned her gaze to watching her tail. it was sort of awkward to be like this in front of his parents when she knew they didn't exactly approve of their relationship, but then again, she'd rather be with him than not.

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say

 

[Dantes_river]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Pure T0rture

This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.
I promise to depart just promise one thing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I brought you this you can keep,
This is what I brought you may forget me.

"He's unused to being treated as more than just the dirt beneath your boots," Elrick murmured over his shoulder while tapping his staff lightly against the arch of his foot. Ignoring Fedelta's twitch and the movement behind him, the soft pinkish-purple eyes from the dark elf shifted at a rock that came skipping across the ground from the opposite direction of Cirdan. Standing up and slipping his staff back onto his back, he let out a soft breath before finally glancing back towards Aerith. "Depends. As of right now, out here in the wilderness of the Underdark by myself that is, the usual minor spells all dark elves use to their advantage in surviving the Underdark... Cirdan needs to pick up the pace before the spiders or mind-flayers find us," he answered far more softly than what he'd said thus far. Slipping a knife from some dark part of his shirt, he took the plunge over the side of the ledge and onto the back of some creature that partly resembled a dark elf only with the lower half of it's body being that of a large spider. Before it could even start shrieking, the blade of his knife had detached the head and the drow threw the body towards where the samurai would be coming from if he had survived while it was still twitching. After kicking the head towards the body, he returned the blade to its hiding place. To those actually paying attention, his feet hadn't so much as touched the floor until the creature was dead, that twitching from his back having returned briefly.

As soon as Cirdan stepped into the space below, the left side of his face coated in blood and his jeans shredded around the lower legs, and waved them down, the dark elf glanced at him before returning his gaze to the ledge. "Looks like you've got the all clear. Come on down with the twins." "He's part faerie! His wings look just like yours, Lili." "Keep your voice down, you fool. We're not alone in here. Cirdan, you realize Clive's not home, right?" "Would've known that if you'd ever answer your phone. I was lucky enough to get these three to you before you left this area with all of your herbs instead of sending them into that horde of draegloths and illithids lurking about while I had to deal with them. Edgar got word out to Diva and she sent her chevaliers for them as per usual. Rune was nearby though I don't believe his head was fully in the game... He's..." "Ah. Makes sense now as to why I dreaded coming out here today. There's nothing you could've done differently if he was distracted so don't start feeling guilty about it... Did he get eaten? The guy chained to the rock that is. She wanted him to get eaten." "I know, but... Yes, he did. But-" "Don't dwell on it. What's happened has happened. We can't change it."

Taking a moment to register what was being said as he dropped the changelings off of the ledge, Fedelta's brow furrowed. "As per usual? Why don't you just kill them if they keep coming back?" he asked after jumping down himself which got Cirdan to shift his gaze elsewhere. Elrick just opted to narrow his eyes at no one in particular. "Yes, boy. As per usual. We've tried on multiple occasions. They'll be dead, bodies completely destroyed and then they'll be... Smiling at you like the cait sidhe hovering over that one's shoulders the next day. Cirdan's broken his vow never to kill again on multiple occasions and still they return. Now, pray tell, how does one kill something that won't stay dead? And that right there was the same expression we got the first five or six times. Then it just got annoying. Your friends are waiting on your return. I did my job in keeping you out of that horde and he got rid of the problem you didn't exactly know existed in the first place. Cirdan, slouch so I can get some of that blood out of your eye. Did you get stuck upside-down or something? I was not expecting you to nod." "He seems bitter... Uh... Aerith, Tybalt is upside-down over your left shoulder." "I can take you back to Krystina's house. Would you like me to?"

At hearing an audible slap, the dark haired cait sidhe and half-drow glanced back to where Cirdan and Elrick were only to be surprised by the bloody handprint on the side of the dark elf's face. Cirdan's ice blue eyes were directed at the group though there was a kindness hidden behind it. "Are you three alright? I didn't get the chance to make sure..." "Not that I could tell. The most damage we have is from a previous battle and her struggle against shackles... What of you? You did go through the trouble of watching our backs and getting us out of those creatures' path after all. And why'd you slap him?" "Me? My blade cut into my hand a bit when I touched his foot is all. The face? Scars that've never healed completely. Mm... I was trying to be nice and not knock him out. I already have to drag these two dead weights back to the house. Why would I want a third?"

No... I mean, yes, but... Veda started off softly, a bit of distress entering his voice. As if the infant form picked up on the distress, he began whimpering lightly and started to tremble. The demon was obviously having difficulty with something he was keeping to himself. Even with all the distress it was causing him however, Veda finally managed to finish what he'd started. Just don't... Don't call me his nephew. That's just... It'll make me feel even more guilty than I already feel. At least this infantile form hadn't started squalling as of yet. Catching Perem's spirit entering his body helped calm his nerves a bit though. Now all that had to happen was the triggering of the circles... Oops. Well apparently that brief moment of distress just caused something to explode.

Nodding slightly, Shayde couldn't help but grin as Skylar kissed him. At least until he noticed Adramalech holding an infant and Perem from the corner of his eye. "Who's that guy and the baby? Where'd the baby even come from?" he asked while pointing, confusion rather clear on his face. Actually... "What all did I miss when we got snatched by the shadows?"

Watari had to drag his gaze away from Lucian obviously not taking his failure of healing Runealis' wounds fast enough well to see where Krystina had focused in on. At seeing the man from earlier in a much clearer light, he simply nodded while Kansei actually responded. He didn't really know how to respond to it so he remained silent, his gaze slowly shifting up to Adramalech and Veda. What had they been doing inside the house this whole time?

"Sounds better than being mean. I'll agree with it being ill-timed humor," Ephraim murmured softly, his hand gripping Rissa's in a gentle but firm grasp. He wanted to get up and just deck Serai in her snarky face, but he figured Lucian would do that once he calmed down a bit. "Tch... Considering the amount of blood he lost and the wounds done internally and externally, she'll be back sooner than he wakes up. According to the records in the brotherhood, it depends on the severity of the wounds he's taken on how soon he'll wake back up. This could take days for him to come back. Fedelta's obviously a very skilled tracker so he'll have caught up with Lianna's captor by now and we're just waiting on the return trip... Think Adra knows already?"

Rubbing his temples for a second, the Sheikah gave a soft sigh. She must really want to know what was on his mind and yet entirely missed what he meant about gravity increasing on him. "Mm... Where to begin... Well, my parents are here and are severely stressful in and of themselves. We're all exhausted and more than likely hurting. I know my muscles are sore and several of us were skipped across the ground albeit not as many times as Hades was. We're down a man which just so happens to be Hades... Um... The gravity thing was a pun. It's pressure not meant in the physical manner but because I'm stressed and I feel a lot of pressure 'cause of the hourglass. That stress is catching up to me now that I've got the time to just breathe which is probably showing how uptight and grouchy I can be. Sam was definitely right about that and now that he's pointed it out, I can just feel it building... I just realized I could've asked him about you yet never did. I don't know why I never thought about asking him... Was it the fear of death that kept me from asking? Or maybe I feared leaving you behind in this world so I wanted to delay it as long as possible... The sand in the hourglass has lessened substantially to which I'll need an heir to pass this along to before the last grain falls. And the icing on the cake is that this is just the beginning of my last years on Earth. Oh yes indeed. Four days non-stop fighting? Pshaw. It's gonna get worse. It most definitely is gonna get worse. And that's not including attacks from Sheila. Oh no. That's just the ice cream that comes with this red velvety cake. No pressure though. No-o. I mean, who doesn't like having a timer that's constantly reminding them that death is drawing near? And the ticking. Oh God the ticking. It's just tick tick tick tick straight through your head when you're trying to focus on other things or trying to sleep. It's always just tick tick tick tick. Time's running out, dumbass. Quit wasting it on stupid shxt. Tick tick tick tick," Sheik responded softly, starting off rather calmly. As he continued on, however, his hand started getting tighter around Kana's hand. By the time he was nearing the end of his list of various things running through his head, he had his fingers tapping both her hand and the ground. Once he'd finally finished, he let out a heavy sigh before gently rubbing his thumb against her hand, his grip having loosened back up. "Sorry... I probably sound like I'm getting hysterical and going insane right now."

Further into the yard, Kibum was watching Hei shifting his gaze nervously, his hands fidgety. He wasn't sure why his father had gone from a calm, crazily grinning child to this fidgety, muttering loon, but he was able to make out him talking about the voices again. Every now and then the elder elf would slide his hands into his metal claws which caused his son to tense, but then he'd remove it again and start tapping, scratching or waving his hands around again. It almost looked and sounded like he was arguing with himself. When Kibum least expected it, Hei's fidgeting had stopped and he seemed absolutely calm as he made his way over to Kansei. After crouching beside her, he picked up her hand and sniffed her like a dog would only to wrap his arms around her in a hug as he'd done when Hades had requested her to take him with her to make snacks after that large battle they'd had. With Kansei in his hold once more, he began purring like a cat. "Kitty smells like green apples. Mama smelled like green apples too. Do you like green apples? I like the green ones better than the red ones," he purred without breaking his grip. "Hei, come here. I don't like you acting so wishy-washy around them. Besides, you told her that a while back and you're gonna start bothering people." "No! I want to sit by the kitty. Kitty, why does the endless smell like papa? He stopped smelling like he used to and took on the scent of the bad place. Is he visiting papa? Is he gonna come back? Papa didn't come back."

I promise you my heart just promise to sing,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes river

Sing it

Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Go - Oh, Lord, heaven knows
We belong way down below
Sing - Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Oh, Lord, tell us so
We belong way down below
Way down below, way down below
Way down below, way down below

I've had better days, man
I've seen better days

"that's restraint on my part is all. i was showing him kindness for saving me by not being as cruel." Lianna snorted, watching him take down the creature only to sigh and scratch at the spot where her wings were. "does that really suprise you, brother? c'mon let's get down from here" she drawled, tapping her fingers on her side as she flitted off the edge, ignoring Aerith's warning not to as she landed lightly on her feet. At hearing a grunt from behind her, she could only roll her eyes at the elf having had a rather rough landing, he'd never been good at the whole flying thing; even for short distances like this.
Turning his head to see Tybalt over his shoulder, Aerith gave a chuckle. "lemme check with the others first. Hey, Lee? you wanna head back now?" he called, to which the ravenette gave a curt nod. "yeah, let's go. Fedelta you comming?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the half-drow before turning to look at Tybalt with a grin. "you always know when to show up." he hummed, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"right, sorry. my bad." Adra sighed, Shifting Veda into one arm as he approached the circles. "so, you think you can do it or shall i activate these things?" he asked, wings ruffling slightly as he felt a new presence nearby. Seems they'd be having more company soon.

"the baby is Hagen's son. although, he's also a demon named Veda who was reborn with the help of the shadows from what i've gathered of his and Adra's conversations" Sky explained, scratching at his wings slightly. "you missed... a lot, in all honesty. the fae came to try and take Hades back to go on trial for something he claimed he didn't' do, some of them wanted Lianna to come back with them to be used as a bartering chip. um, then we met Lianna's family and we all kicked but. And then i helped Sam bring you back and here we are." Sky shrugged, looking towards where the demons were at. what were they up to?

"i think he's tuning it out so he doesn't screw up whatever he's doing with Veda. There are a lot of elemental spirits showing up right now thanks to that circle they've drawn. i'm curious as to what'll happen." Rissa hummed, only to raise an eyebrow at seeing Truth on her feet again. Watching the redhead closely, she could only roll her eyes as the girl gave Lucian a hug and tried to comfort him. She was such a sap sometimes.

"you don't sound crazy, actually. it makes sense that you'd be worried about all of this. but that's why i want you to tell me these things instead of keeping it to yourself. you'll only make it worse by locking it all up." she purred, kissing his forehead lightly as she watched him. "Besides, we can deal with the fighting together. we're pretty kick a** if i do say so myself. not the best, but we make a good team. we'll work it out, somehow." she smiled, trying to help him calm down since this was still their break from everything else.

Patting Hei lightly on the head, Kansei gave a chuckle and looked at Kibum. "he's fine, actually; I don't mind," she shrugged, turning her gaze back to Hei. "he's... he'll come back. he's told us this happens only for him to come back a few days later. just be patient with him. think of it as a nap, if that helps." she explained, being calm with him unlike some of the others would be.

I've had better ways, man
I know better ways

One, two, three and four
The devil's knocking at your door
Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie
Start your life with your head held high
Now you're on your knees
With your head hung low
Big man tells you where to go
Tell 'em it's good
Tell 'em okay
Don't do a goddamn thing they say