"These cultists are not with the group that attacked the school. A part from that, that is the best, and only conclusion to come to. This 'Demigra' supplied them with both the instructions, materials, and equipment needed to grow them. If not 'Demigra' then another Demon Lord, because the Human Realm lacks all but one or two things needed to create them."
Well, that's not what Lenah told me.
Perhaps it was some sort of delusion or tiredness because of her injuries, or perhaps Lenah had misunderstood something, but Sol distinctively remember only being told about one group.
"They're not? These cultists did attack some part of the school though, didn't they?" Sol asked, but then he shook his head. "Actually, you don't need to answer that now. However, I'd like to talk to you later, alone, Seth. I'd like to find out just how misinformed I am. I assume that's fine with you," he continued, his tone becoming lighter towards the end.
"Lenah said that you were going around talking to almost everyone individually, so you should be able to spare some time for my questions, now that I've gone on one of your missions."
After that, he listened to what Viktor asked, and wondered what the vampire might be planning with his questions. The Demigra one was a no-brainer, knowing more about the main bad guy would definitely help, but what was this about shutting down the Gates? In one go, no less.
I suppose it's not a bad question, though. We might end up needing to know.
We. Even though this was only a favor for Lenah, Sol found himself planning ahead. He realized that, even if she did get better in time to help out, he wanted to see this through. Not doing so would feel a bit... anti-climatic. Speaking of which, he thought there might be an idea to keep himself quiet again, since he clearly didn't know enough to add much to the conversation. Well, apart from what the cultist had said, but the others in his group already knew that.
Getting up, he walked over to his bag and got a cherry lollipop, unwrapping it and putting it in his mouth as he sat back down. It was both tasty and useful for when he needed to keep himself from talking too much.
"I've got a couple of questions. How durable is a 'mature' Gate? If it come to shutting one down I want to be able to do it in one shot. The other is, just what do you need to 'grow' a Gate? You said this Realm provides only a couple of the needed bits; so what are they, and more importantly how rare are they?"
"Depends on the 'strain' uses to grow the gate, as some gates are more durable then others and in some cases destroying them just isn't feasible. But in those cases there are ways to make them 'sleep' and shut them down that way." Seth started. "Also, It's less of an issue now then it was before, but 'Unauthorized' Gates like these usually 'hack' into the existing network. So where it takes you, or what ever package you may toss through, might go somewhere else, somewhere that could very well piss off the wrong Demon Lord."
"As for the ingredients found here. Don't worry about it. They aren't worthy of note with out the manuals and are in such wide use globally that you'd be wasting your time trying to suppress them." Seth continued, turning to the second half of Viktor's question. "
"My people have learned, there 'is no Demigra', or rather Demigra is an assumed name. This, coupled with the fact his 'cult' had manuals for the Gates hints at him being a former Demon Lord, or recently ousted one that survived his 'removal from office'. This is actually a good thing, as it shirks the list of potentials considerably, and that list will shirk even more once the books have been gone through and we know what region these Gates are from, so it shouldn't be long til we know something a bit more concrete"
Seth then turned to Sol."That's fine, some clarification is in order as is proper living arrangements."
"Depends on what you need to go through it, how good the soil is, because these things are plant like in nature, and how good the team making them was. But the average for a Gate to be ready for a demon the size of my self or Juliet is about a week. After a month though you could drive the average city bus through one."
A week? Well, that could be either not enough time or all the time in the world, depending on if they knew where it was or not. Still, it was good to know that they would need time to grow, so they couldn't just set it up in a public area without leaving signs. Of course, he hadn't answered the other part of her question about destroying them...but she could wait.
Of course, the more she waited, be more she began to suspect that Seth had either ignored or just not heard the last part of her question. Luckily, Viktor decided to ask something similar about destroying gates and Seth responded to him.
"Depends on the 'strain' uses to grow the gate, as some gates are more durable then others and in some cases destroying them just isn't feasible. But in those cases there are ways to make them 'sleep' and shut them down that way."
'Some are indestructible? Sounds like someone stopped trying to soon...', she thought. Still, it would take a nearly insufferabe amount of time to try Everything on them...she just got the feeling that they threw a great deal of power at one and called it quits after it didn't work instead of trying something more...subtle. At least there were alternate ways of shutting them down though, since she doubted that she would have time to try her hand at it herself due to the limited availability in some parts of the demon realm...that, and the fact that they're located in the demon realm.
It was something to mull over at least. Speaking of which...
"Hey Seth? I will admit, I'm just curious, why are there more demon gates in the south and west than in the north or the east and why are they so wide-spread there?"
Viktor let out a long mental sigh as Seth ?answered? he questions. That sulphur-sucker should be in politics. Takes talent to talk without actually saying anything overly useful. He sat quietly for a moment while the golem asked about the reason for their apparent dispersal across the Demon Realm, before sitting forward.
?Since, unfortunately, you are the closest thing we have to an expert on this.? He said to Seth once more. ?Can I get a clear answer? A mature Gate, one big enough to send your ass back where it belongs, how do I kill it? I?m not planning on sending anything through?I just wanna know, do I strap a couple of little I.E.Ds to it, or should I start looking at getting us some military grade stuff from back home?? As much as he tried, he failed to keep the annoyed tone out of his voice entirely. ?And, I never said I wanted to suppress the components?which I still want to know what those are?my intention would be to track them. If we know how much they?d need for what they?re doing, we could put your minion?s to work on looking for shipments of ?it?. It stands to reason, that whomever ?Demigra? has working for them on this side will try again.?
Both William and Tomas sat in silence as they got their answer and the others ask questions. Listening to Seth answer each one, at time a bit vague. Though William didn't have anything to add. Tomas was adding on to Viktor rant, "As well as if things comes worst for worst, we can at least know how to damage a gate. I rather have knowledge of stopping it and never having to use it. Then not having the knowledge, and well..you know." He said as he didn't feel like continue with the saying.
Viktor's annoyance didn't escape Seth's notice, in fact, it amused him a bit. "There's no need to worry about that. My agents, all of whom, by the way, work for me of their own free will." Seth said, taking a jab at the vampire races fondness of making thralls. "Are already on it. I'll let you all know what they find when they report back in. As for them 'trying again', that will take time. Even if they have an extra set of manuals, getting the materials required for growing Gates is very difficult for anyone who isn't a Demon Lord, and that includes going through the Black Market or stealing them."
"As for destroying one." Seth said after a moments pause. He'd clearly been thinking about whether or not to tell them, mostly cause he didn't trust Viktor to not do something stupid and draw the ire of one of the Lords, or worse, Greater Lords. "A man sized one can usually be taken out with 3 pounds of C4 or an equivalent explosive force." Seth answered. "Do bare in mind, if that sounds like a lot, that's the point. Can't have just any old pleb with a grenade taking one of these things out. So they grow Gates tough."
Seth then turned to Mirabelle "As for your question, They are in such wide use in the South, and West, because those kingdoms are run by more 'progressive' leaders. Ansoth, Greater Lord of the South made brilliant use of them in his rise to power, and continues to use them expertly in maintain his realms borders. The Queens, Rozalin and Riviera who rule the West, It was a similar case, though they came to power a much longer time ago. In any event, both the South and West have taken great strides in changing the Demon Realm, for the better I think. " Seth explained. "If the Queens names sound a little 'too' human, that's because they are. They changed them they came to power, and because they hated them."
"While the East and North are still doing things in the 'old ways', is are exactly what your thinking. But given the replacements for demons like Ba'al, Mammon, and Astaroth, run them it's little surprise. The South and West are run more like a modern country in the Human Realm, trade, real alliances, travel. All are permitted and encouraged in those Kingdoms, and it's made those two stronger as a result."
Sierra, seeing a point she could cut in, did just that. "If we're not going to do any 'investigating', what are we going to do in the mean time then?"
"What you all are going to do is, train. In squad tactics, in various armed and unarmed combat techniques. The things you should have already started if the missions you already did hadn't required immediate attention."
"There's no need to worry about that. My agents, all of whom, by the way, work for me of their own free will, are already on it. I'll let you all know what they find when they report back in. As for them 'trying again', that will take time. Even if they have an extra set of manuals, getting the materials required for growing Gates is very difficult for anyone who isn't a Demon Lord, and that includes going through the Black Market or stealing them."
Viktor gave a little snort of laughter at Seth?s jab. ?Yeah the Soviets, and the Nazis come to think of it, were great believers in in ?free will? too. The people were ?free? to follow the ?will? of their masters or face the consequences.? Well at least it?s his coffers being bled to run all that?though I?m sure he?s bleeding the school for as much as he can.
"As for destroying one."
Viktor could see a look of indecision wash across Seth?s face for the briefest of moments.
"A man sized one can usually be taken out with 3 pounds of C4 or an equivalent explosive force. Do bare in mind, if that sounds like a lot, that's the point. Can't have just any old pleb with a grenade taking one of these things out. So they grow Gates tough."
Viktor?s eye unfocused for a moment as he ran some ideas though his head. ?I might be able to get some Semtex to us though my contacts, but it?d have to got through our ?normal? channels, and bringing in enough, so that we have a stockpile, raises the risk considerably?Bah! I won?t waste everyone?s time going over it, I?ll write up a proposal for you by the end of the day.? He said, looking at Seth. While the Seth filled in a little more background detail on the political situation of the Demon Realm, Viktor went back to fine tuning the idea.
Resurfacing from his own thoughts, he caught Seth wrapping up things. Clapping his hands on his thighs, he pushed himself up. ?Alright you heard the man, and I use the term very loosely, so let?s be about it.?
Seth just snickered at Viktor's attempted jab. "Oh please, I have much more effective means of ensuring loyalty then meager threats. Anyway, if you've got time for limp wristed jabs like that, you've got time to help train your team mates, so get to it." Seth said as he motioned Sol to follow him as he headed out of the room.
meting now over, Sierra headed over to Mirabelle "When you getta minute I ready to lay them enchantments on you when you are."
Sol had a hard time keeping his mouth shut as Seth and Viktor threw jabs back and forth, passive-aggressively insulting each other as they kept talking about the gates. Sol wasn't sure how much the gates did matter, but he took a mental note of writing down what they had been told, knowing that it'd be better to keep it in mind. If not now, perhaps it would aid him later.
Besides, I bet there's a lot of hunters who don't know about these gates.
So it'd make a good trade, or, alternatively, a good story. His master would surely like to know about it.
Which reminds me... I'll have to call her.
At some point, he'd have to tell Elizabeth Thorn, his master, about the fact that he was currently in a university for monsters, founded by monsters, crawling with them. Not that he minded, but she would surely not like to hear it.
I suppose I'll do it after my talk with Mr. Bossman here.
With that, he settled back on listening, the lollipop in his mouth twirling around as he kept his tongue. When Seth finally was done speaking, and motioned for him to follow, Sol nodded, the cherry-flavored candy still in his mouth. Why exactly they had to be moving wasn't something Sol knew, but he grinned as he walked next to Seth, and waited till they were away from the others before speaking.
"So, you in a hurry? Are you doing this on the way to somewhere else?" he asked, teasingly. He could understand a man -demon- being in a hurry, so it didn't bother him. Instead, he stepped closer to Seth.
"I'll be quick then. Firstly, there was more than one incident, correct? What exactly were they, and how are they connected? What do I need to know to not make a fool of myself again?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Without waiting for a response, he continued.
"Secondly, where can I sleep? It's a college, surely there's an empty bed somewhere. If not, I'll have to rely on my charm to get a bed for the night, because the couch is sort of not... ideal for sleep. And while I wouldn't mind finding people to let me into their beds, it'll probably become tiresome before this mess is sorted out. And, finally, would I have a chance on you? I figured, I could go around throwing pick-up lines and whatnot after you, because, as you surely know, you're handsome for a demon. However, if I don't have a chance, you and I both will be saved the trouble of weeks of unwanted attention."
Sol licked the lollipop as he waited for a reply, teasing Seth. Then he chuckled, a fox-like look in his eyes. "Was that quick enough for you?"
09:00 AM - The Order of Caliburn Headquarters - Beneath The Tower of London
The Tower of London, such an auspicious place for tourists to come and visit during their stay in the capital due to its storied and ancient past but also as a symbol of Britain itself; little did they know of what lurked beneath the cobbles. Once, in a bygone age, whoever controlled the Tower, had control of England. Nowadays, it was vital to the defence of this sceptred isle.
Daniel could be found at the base's common room, playing a relaxing game of cards with a couple of other agents after having come back from an assignment in the South West of England, having been sent there to destroy with a Vampire who had been going round posing as a member of the clergy. It was something of a bitter-sweet victory though, innocent lives had been lost. Fortunately, The Order had people on hand to deal with the clean-up of a public engagement such as this.
"I just don't know how you do it Daniel, it would have taken a small squad to deal with that monster, yet you handled it by yourself. What's your secret?" Asked the agent with long auburn hair as he added to the pot in what was a small stakes poker game.
"Well Manny, I've been doing this for a while, both before and since working for The Order. So if anything it's simply having the right amount of experience." Daniel replied, calling to match his bet with Manny's.
"Yeah well, what I want to know is how you manage to keep beating us so far in poker; I've lost half my chips already, and it's only been what, six hands so far?" Asked the disgruntled agent with a blonde ponytail, looking at her meagre handful or two of poker chips compared to the other two.
"That Maria is question with a simple answer. I'm just a better card player than you are, plus your not exactly subtle with your tells, gives us a better idea of what sort of cards you have, and bet accordingly. Though I will admit, that Full House in the second hand was a real blinder, knocked my two pair right out of the park."
Whilst they continued talking, a gentleman in a smart looking business suit, glasses, short ginger hair with a beard and moustache to match entered the room, carrying what appeared to be an envelope with Daniel's name on the front. Without the others noticing, he approached the table, then coughed slightly to announce his presence. Daniel turned round to saw that it was Fergus, one of The Order's couriers, who were in charge of delivering messages and packages throughout the organization.
"Ah Fergus! Come to join us in a round or two?."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not exactly a betting man. Besides, I'm not here on a social visit. I have a letter for you Daniel, direct from the Round Table." Things went quiet at their mention. If something came from them, then it must have been important, even Daniel given his nature knew that. Daniel took the letter and opened it with a nearby penknife and began reading the contents, a small laugh coming from the end of reading.
"Well well well, would you look at this, seems like the Round Table has got an important mission for me, in Japan of all places." He said, sounding a little confused at the end.
"Really? What is it about?" Maria asked, sharing in Daniel's confusion. Normally The Order operated within Great Britain and the Commonwealth Nations, something special must have been going down over in the land of the rising sun to warrant an investigation.
"Says here that they received intelligence reports stating that there has been increased cultist activity in the area within the last couple of days. They've asked me to go over there and confirm if this is true."
"This is odd... even by the Round Table's standards. Must be something serious if you're being sent there." Manny said chipping in his two cents on the matter.
"Aye, you might have a point there Manny. Well I best go pack my gear and shove off. Consider this game on hold for the time being. Fergus, is safe to use Argartha at the moment?" Daniel asked as he stood up from his chair.
"Indeed it is, and no need to worry about your equipment, it has already been prepared for you. Your playing cards, sword, standard issue communications gear, it'll be waiting for you at the junction point. Suitable accommodation has also been arranged, details of it along with mission dossier will be waiting with your gear."
"Right then, guess I'll be off. See you guys whenever." And with that Daniel left the room, heading to the Argartha gateway room. In a short amount of time, he'd be arriving in Japan.
Stands tall at around 6'4'', a statuesque looking body with narrow shoulders, long legs that give him a graceful step, most of this is obscured by the trench coat that he wears, which gives him a slender looking body when worn. He has light grey eyes that occasionally glow, short, slightly spiky blonde hair that is often at times messy. Facial hair is either clean shaven or stubble. Mostly Caucasian skin tone with a slight tan to it.
Often seen wearing a light grey coloured trench coat that reaches to halfway down his shins. Underneath he wears simple white long sleeved shirts. Doesn't usually wear gloves, except in cold weather, where he'll wear fingerless black leather ones. Dark brown trousers and sturdy boots, good for both running and for kicking people/unholy abominations he happens to be running to or from.
Although he has been exiled to Earth, Daniel still has control over his telekinetic abilities via card manipulation; and uses several decks of special playing cards in conjunction with his over abilities to great effect in solving cases and during combat. What makes these cards special is that they have been magically enchanted, giving them a razor sharp edge, allowing them to cut through most things with relative ease, but also, any wounds inflicted by them have trouble being healed for a time; whether it be by magic or through an innate regeneration factor. Below are a few examples of abilities, or tricks as he likes to call the, that Daniel can use with these cards, which he has decided to call, Fair Game.
Deal Cards - Arguably the most basic of skills, Daniel can quickly fire off a card in groups of either one, three or five. Due to his telekinetic abilities, he is also able to guide the cards somewhat to their intended target, given them a slight homing ability. Whilst a single card is often more accurate, multiple cards and either hit the same target multiple times or hit multiple foes at once.
Flourishing Defence - By rapidly spinning the cards around him, Daniel can create a barrier to protect himself from attacks; this is most useful against ranged attacks, in particular rapid fire weaponry.
False Deal - Considered more of a utility/support spell, special trap cards can be created that can have a variety of effects, from clouds of smoke, to blinding flashes of flight, to full on card clones of himself which explode into a flurry of cards when hit.
Card Warp - As the name would imply, Daniel can use his cards to achieve a short range teleport.
Obfuscation - A genetic trait that all Angels possess, they generate a presence to those around them that tricks their sense into believing that they are human; however those possessing the right kind of abilities or traits themselves may be able to pierce this illusion and see Daniel for what he is. Due to him being based in London England, Daniel has developed something resembling British accent of that area.
Swordsman: As was standard with all Angels, Daniel was taught how to wield a sword so that it could either be used in tandem with their respective magical abilities, or as a fall-back option in the event that they entered an area that nullified magic. Such skills have transferred over well to life within The Order. His personal preference is one-handed blades, rapiers and short-swords in particular, as is noted by the sword that was found with him on his arrival.
Angelic Might - As a result of his origins, Daniel possesses heightened senses and reflexes along with increased strength, stamina, and durability.
Investigative Qualities - From working both with and for The Order, Daniel has developed a knack for detective work, being able to look for clues and vital information, then putting these pieces together when solving matters of a occult, supernatural or mystical persuasion.
Daniel Rast, previously known as [REDACTED], has been a member of The Caliburn Order for the last twenty years, having been enrolled into the organization shortly after his discovery in a undisclosed location somewhere within London by a patrol on their way back from a recent mission, having reported seeing a shaft of light come down from the sky. After necessary precautions were taken and potential witness were properly dealt with, the squad that called it in was ordered to approach.
Initial reports stated that [REDACTED] was discovered unconscious on the floor of a local church, several rows of pews had been destroyed and a perfectly circular hole had been cut into the roof in what was described to be some kind of crash landing. Squad noted what appeared to be several playing cards were floating in mid-air and attempted to lash out at them (defence mechanism?) as they got closer. Another item of note that the squad found was a sword [http://img02.deviantart.net/7221/i/2010/236/4/e/ffvii__genesis_rhapsodos_sword_by_differentiation.jpg] stuck in the ground alongside the subject.
Eventually [REDACTED] rose into consciousness and upon seeing the squad, a smirk was reportedly seen on his face and with a hint of amusement in his voice said: "The Order still lives to this day it seems. Good." When asked how some random stranger with obviously magical talents could recognize The Order in but a glance, [REDACTED] replied:
"By the emblem you wear on your shoulder. It is the mark of Caliburn correct?"
Wanting to find out more, [REDACTED] was asked to return with them and to be subjected to further questioning, which happily they agreed to without much trouble.
*WARNING! Contents of below conversation are confidential and require permission before viewing*
[REDACTED] appeared to behave and respond accordingly during the questioning process, although a little vague during certain questions. Regardless, from this we learned the existence of Angels, and when asked why he was on Earth, replied that he had been exiled due to a crime he had committed; when pressed for further details, responded by saying it involved the affairs of mankind, and that he interfered when he shouldn't have, but he believed it was the right thing to do, however he declined to elaborate further.
Eventually, it came to the matter of what he was going to do now, surprisingly [REDACTED] made the proposal of him joining The Caliburn Order, saying that he knew of humanity's plight against the forces of darkness, having encountered The Order in the past, and wanted to aid them in a noble endeavour, on the condition that he be allowed to carry out missions in his own way .
After much discussion and voting amongst the Round Table Council, it was agreed that [REDACTED] was to be trained as an Agent of The Caliburn Order and a suitable cover identity be provided.
Tomas left the room once everything was wrapped up with the meeting. Though he hate to admit it, he and the team do need more training in this sort of field of work. Heading to the training room as he walk over to the punching bag. Started out slowly punching as he working himself up. Going a bit faster in his punching and harder as the bag started to move back and forth.
Working on his stance as he threw out his punches. Trying to make sure he was getting every bit of power out and not waste any of it. While training he was thinking of perhaps asking Viktor or Sierra help in training. Those two seem to be quite well in handling themselves in a fight. Though he would wait for the right time. Viktor seem annoyed by Seth antics.
William
William was glad the meeting was over as he was heading back to his room. Hoping he wouldn't have to deal with anyone right now as he didn't feel like sharing his troubles with them. They didn't need to know yet, and he didn't feel like people having any more pity for him any more.
Though Seth words of 'training' echo in his head. Maybe he should start training soon. The past mission was just a easy one and really nothing to it. The next one could be a lot more trouble for them and if Will is in the middle of it, he didn't want to let his team down. Stopping for a moment within the hallway as he sighs and turn around. Heading towards one of the training room to at least work out a bit.
When he walk in, he spotted Tomas already at the punching bag. Tomas didn't seem to notice Will, which suit him just fine. William wonder around the area, trying to pick out what station he wanted to work out at.
Mirabelle listened to Seth on the matter of her question. While it was interesting, it was also far too vague for her liking. Still, she learned a bit anyways, so that was good. After that, Seth announced that they would be training, and went off with Sol. Meanwhile, Sierra came up to her, saying, "When you getta minute I ready to lay them enchantments on you when you are."
"...why do you seem excited by that? Anyways, i've got something for you too...", she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the anti-paranormal bullets. She showed Sierra, spinning it around before she extended her hand...and hesitated. She wasn't sure what would happen when she gave it to her, if it would activate due to her human disguise or not...unfortunately, she also realized that it was far too late to be having these thoughts. Sierra probably noticed her hesitation already and besides, if she wanted it she would probably take it anyways, regardless of whatever warning Mira gave. Reluctantly, she gave it to Sierra and prayed for the best.
Jarrah listened intently as Seth answered his question, and elaborated on the intricacies of the Gates and of the Demon Realms themselves. Every single fact and facet of information was committed to memory, and Jarrah made a mental note to visit the campus' library later to see if he could find anything else of use.
Inwardly, he also worried the amount of back and forth between Viktor and Seth. Sure, he was used to mates taking the piss out of eachother, after all it was a given in Australia (and a practice that, no matter how weird the Yowie found it, Tim had managed get him into) but it was obvious how much animosity there was between the two, and though he hoped they were professional enough to keep it at the level of (un)friendly banter.... well he had also hoped that Viktor would keep the cultist he had captured alive for longer then just a single van ride.
"Alright you heard the man, and I use the term very loosely, so let's be about it."
Seeing Viktor stand, Jarrah saw no sense in delaying the inevitable and rose as well before making his way around the table to him.
As Jarrah approached him, Viktor nodded towards a far corner of the room; this wasn?t a conversation the others needed to be involved in. Once the pair of them were a little ways away from the others, he turned to face the Yowie. ?I?m not going to jump your shit for what you did.? He said, keeping his voice low. ?Believe it or not, I struggled with the same thoughts and doubts you must?ve the first time I was forced to make that decision.?
Letting out a long sigh, he ran a hand over his shaved head. ?That said, you got lucky. If there?d been a patrol we?d missed, or if one of ?em woke up and got free, we could?ve found ourselves in a world of shit. You seem like a nice guy Jarrah, but just because you are a decent ?person?, don?t assume your enemy is. These cultists attacked with no regard for civilian casualties, so they will not show someone like you or I any mercy. Killing is a horrible act, but if you want to keep doing this, it?s something you will be called on to do; and if that?s the case, you need to act without hesitation.?
Unbidden, the memories of his first kill came back; the sounds of struggling as he grappled with the poor German kid, the hammering of his own heart, the look of terror in the boy?s eyes as his hand lost their grip on his arm and the knife entered his chest. With another sigh, he rubbed his eye and waited for the Aussie to speak his piece.
"No rest for the wicked, or those in charge." Seth said with a smirk, then listened to Sol's questions. "Technically the 'terrorists' attacked several places at once, Gato, and several similar institutions in other country's. The cultist are unrelated. Likely this 'Demigra' is simply taking advantage of the chaos to further his own plan." Seth said in answer to the first question.
"Sleeping a arrangements are already taken care of. We're heading there now" Seth said as he came to a stop. "So you might wanna go get your things. Due to Lenah's current status though there's no room for you in the Lance quarters. Once that's been sorted out We'll know if you can be moved in proper. Assuming your still around that is." Seth continued. "As for your 'chances'" Seth shrugged "That assumes I'd have time for such things, and lately that's simply not been the case."
Sierra
"Because, 'Science'?" Sierra said with some light confusion as Mira seemed hesitent to give her something, it looked like a bullet. When Mira did finally give it to her she looked it over, and found a few etchings she didn't recognize immediately. The feeling she got though, it was similar to the one given off by the 'anti-paranormal' ammo used by the terrorist group that attacked the school. Sierra just look at Mira for a moment. "Is this ... 'one of those' bullets?"
Mirabelle paused for a moment at that, trying to figure out what she meant as Sierra examined the bullet. Unlike Sierra, Mirabelle didn't see Enchantment as a science, especially how she used it...though she did appreciate the scientific approach that Sierra took. From what she had learned of science, it was defined as the process of learning and studying the world and reality in general, of learning the rules if reality and updating them as needed. From what she had learned about enchantment though, it seemed more focused on breaking the rules if reality for a stated purpose than actually studying it. Of course, there was the possibility that she hadn't seem everything that it could do...but with how her friend used it, it certainly wasn't science as defined by most definitions.
Still, she wasn't about to tell this to her face, mainly because it wasn't worth unintentionally insulting Sierra over and/or ruining their friendship. Either way, it wasn't worth bringing up.
"Is this ... 'one of those' bullets?"
"Yes, it is. The spirit that we went to escort, Kirin, managed to acquire a...i believe it's refered to as a magazine? Anyways, he got one and gave it to me. I haven't had the time nor the will to tell Seth so i figured i'd give one to you, just in case he finds out and takes the rest from me. I figured that we would be able to both study it, me alchemically and chemically, and you Enchantment-wise. We could compare notes later.", she responded in a low whisper, still doubtful that an anti-magic/paranormal group would use a magic like enchantment for their weapons.
"No rest for the wicked, or those in charge. Technically the 'terrorists' attacked several places at once, Gato, and several similar institutions in other country's. The cultist are unrelated. Likely this 'Demigra' is simply taking advantage of the chaos to further his own plan."
I wonder why exactly the cultists attacked then.
He'd have to ask about that after Seth had finished explaining.
"Sleeping a arrangements are already taken care of. We're heading there now" Seth said as he came to a stop. "So you might wanna go get your things. Due to Lenah's current status though there's no room for you in the Lance quarters. Once that's been sorted out We'll know if you can be moved in proper. Assuming your still around that is. As for your 'chances' That assumes I'd have time for such things, and lately that's simply not been the case."
Sol raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected much of the third question, either something vague, or a flat out rejection, but as much as he wanted to inquire about it, there was something a bit important he needed to do.
"I'll get my stuff later," Sol started, though he noticed that Seth had stopped, and added; "Or now. I'll be right back," he replied, and went back into the common room. He greeted those who were there briefly, before getting his suitcase and his bag, and placing the hat on top of his head. Then he went back out to Seth again. Gesturing for the other to continue walking, Sol addressed the most troubling thing.
"What's this about Lenah's current status and there not being any room in the Lance quarters? Don't tell me you're kicking her out because of me, she'd never forgive me," he admitted as he rubbed the side of his neck. It felt odd not having a scarf, hopefully that werewolf guy would give it back once he realized Sol had left it behind. Regardless, he had to make sure Lenah didn't get upset with him.
"If that's the case, I'd rather sleep outside, Lenah is a friend, and I'm doing her a favor being here. Also, if the cultists are unrelated to the anti-supernatural terrorists, what exactly is their reason to attack? Why would they be concerned with this place? I understand that it's a school filled with people of various strengths, but it doesn't add up for them to mess with a school... unless they're targeting a particular person or item, of course. Is that it?" he asked. So far, it had been difficult at best to read Seth, but he kept trying, not breaking eye-contact.
"As for you being busy, does that cover innocent compliments? Because I do like your smug smile when you try to be all mysterious," he said with a sly smirk. "It makes you look just the right amount between charming and condescending."
"We'll know more about the ultimate goal of these cultists once we know who he really is. For now all we can do is guess." Seth replied. "As for Lenah, don't worry about her, It's unlikely she'll be kicked out of Gungnir, maybe moved to a non combat roll, but there's no reason to boot her out of the group whole."
Seth pretend to think about Sol's 'innocent' question. "Well, since you put it that way I guess I'll allow it." he said as the two left the Gungnir barracks and started to where Sol'd be staying.
Sierra
Once Mira confirmed she was in fact holding one of the 'anti-paranormal' bullets, Sierra smirked a little 'I Win, you demon bastards, I. Fucking. Win.' she thought as for a moment, she let her self relish the thought of turning this on those who wanted her dead. She snapped back pretty quickly though. "That's probably the best way we can go about it. I'll get started on my side of it after we get you set up and I getta work out in." Then turned, and headed back to her room to put the bullet some place safe for now.
"I'm not going to jump your shit for what you did. Believe it or not, I struggled with the same thoughts and doubts you must've the first time I was forced to make that decision."
Jarrah was surprised by Viktor's admission, especially after seeing him 'at work' on the mission the previous night. but it did make sense, he supposed. After all, however old and battle hardened Viktor was, he must have been young once in the no doubt distant, distant past.
'Heh, now that would be a sight to see'
"That said, you got lucky. If there'd been a patrol we'd missed, or if one of 'em woke up and got free, we could've found ourselves in a world of shit. You seem like a nice guy Jarrah, but just because you are a decent 'person', don't assume your enemy is. These cultists attacked with no regard for civilian casualties, so they will not show someone like you or I any mercy. Killing is a horrible act, but if you want to keep doing this, it's something you will be called on to do; and if that's the case, you need to act without hesitation."
"I know. It's..." Jarrah paused, and he resisted the urge to mirror Viktor and run a hand over his own head, "Look, at the attack on the bar, when it was me and Isaac against that massive bloody demon I didn't even think to charge in and take it on you know? And I know these cultists are grade a fucking dickheads, but last night? Sneaking in and taking them out one by one? It's just... I know it was the smart move, and doing it any other way would have probably gotten us hurt or worse, but it just didn't feel...."
Jarrah shrugged, hoping Viktor would know enough to know the right word for it.
"We'll know more about the ultimate goal of these cultists once we know who he really is. For now all we can do is guess. As for Lenah, don't worry about her, It's unlikely she'll be kicked out of Gungnir, maybe moved to a non combat roll, but there's no reason to boot her out of the group whole."
"So you know it's a he," Sol started, taking note of it all. "And I understand that we can't know for sure, but I assume you have some guesses, right? Come on, I'm curious, you know, what are your ideas? How do you think?" He smirked, and tilted his head.
"And I'd love to see you try to put Lenah in a non-combat role. I think she'd do well, but don't try to tell her that," he chuckled. Once he had made the mistake of assuming that her plant-growing abilities was better suited for medical or scientific work. She had stolen his hat and force him to climb a fairly tall tree to retrieve it, and it had been scratched!
I should probably warn her regarding this, though.
Just so that she didn't get too upset with Seth. While Sol was certainly interested in the demon -who happened to be handsome and appealing as well-, he still didn't trust him. Of course, it was a given, no one would trust someone with that kind of smirk.
"Well, since you put it that way I guess I'll allow it."
"You'll allow me to flirt with you? That's---" he trailed off as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Expecting to see a message from Lenah or even from his master, he was surprised to see another person behind the message, a name he had only learned the day before.
"U forgot something in my room, bro, meat u behind my block in 5?"
"That's great, it'll be fun," Sol continued his sentence as he wrote a reply to last night's bedmate. Looking up from his phone, he paused the text in order to ask Seth about something.
"Say, how long is it to get to where I'm staying? I forgot something somewhere, and someone wants to give it back to me." As he spoke, he scratched his neck without realizing it, again. By now, the lollipop inside his mouth was gone, the stick dropped into a nearby garbage can.
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