Critical Mission I: The Demonic Bodhisattva

At the shrine
- Vayu -

So their combined efforts for a distraction worked, if only for a few seconds though. Mahat vanished, only to reappear right in front of them.

The torrent of wind hit him squarely and he stumbled back, feeling dazed. Catequil grabbed both his and Samael’s arm to stabilize them, withstanding the wind better than the smaller humans.

However, he came at them again, sending another ray of light towards them. Vayu’s mind was racing. There were only seconds left.

“Catequil, bind him!” The demon moved with blinding speed, casting his Power Bind spell on Mahat. If what Bastion did had worked, then they would at least be able to hit him physically now.

"Cleo go!” he and quickly cast a boost on him, “Synchro Gift!”

“You two, move!” he said Bastion and Samael, hauling Bastion to his feet. None of their spells could protect them fully against that ray. Vayu felt their best option was to try and avoid it for now before they attacked again.

- Cleo -

This time, Cleo felt the familiar resistance of his blade passing through flesh. Whatever Bastion had done with the altar was already paying off in spades. Twisting his entire body, Cleo pivoted on his forward foot, dragging his katana around for another swipe, this time with the full force of his body weight behind it.

Unfortunately, before the slash could connect, a gust of wind caught Cleo mid-stride, pushing him backwards and away from his intended target. With his toes sliding against the stones beneath him, Cleo slid backwards until his feet found purchase in a groove of some kind. By leaning into the air current, he was able to maintain his footing, but moving towards Mahat was impossible until the wind died down.

Just as he was able to regain some semblance of forward momentum, Bastion tumbled past him, and Cleo had to sidestep to avoid having his legs taken out from beneath him. It was a good thing that he'd done as much because Cleo found himself immediately moving out of the path of the demon's next attack.

Where did all of this maga come from? Surely, it couldn't keep up that kind of assault for an extended period of time. He didn't have time to contemplate it though. Power surged through him as Vayu's spell infused him with energy, and Cleo wasn't about to waste any time.

From where she'd landed off to the side, Nekomata also sprang back to her feet. She'd dug into the ground with her claws to avoid skidding too far away, and now they both rushed at Mahat. Cleo's signal was subtle. Just the slight nod of his head as he raised an open hand towards Mahat to switch places with the mist demon.

In the brief moment of disorientation, Mahat would take a Flameflick to the back, followed by a Stun Claw for good measure. That should present a large enough opening for Cleo to pivot and strike again with his katana.

- Samael -

"God damn it, Fleet foot!" Samael muttered, as he quickly lunged out of the way of the blast it narrowing missing him as the force of the spell rocketed him off away from Mahat as he skid across the ground away from Goki as he let out a loud pained grunt.

However, he didn't cast the spell on himself. He casted the spell on Goki who had been pressed up against the wall and slinking behind Mahat since his distraction from earlier.

Goki who was latched onto the wall watched in horror, as he saw Samael fly away in the other direction. However, at the same time he also saw Cleo and his other demon getting into position as he rose hit club and pointed it at the back of Mahat's head. Once the demon switched places, he knew it was his chance!

"You'll pay for that!" Goki thought angrily to himself, as he lunged in the air at a startling speed and swung his club with both his hands and all his might so that it would slam directly into the back of Mahat's head.

Scarlet

Scarlet cried out in pain as the group of Vanguards plummeted to the ground. She undid Zephyr's spell on her, wincing as the ooze burned her. She dropped to the ground, rolling to wipe away the ooze.

As Scarlet cleansed herself of the ooze, Nekomata leapt between the black oozes and the Vanguards, using her Flameflick to send balls of fire at them, despite the pain caused by their attack.

~~
~~~~
~~~~~~~
Nihility|Shoggoth|Tyrian|Minke
~~~~~~~
~~~~
~~

Shoggoth took the brunt of the attack by enlarging her body to shield as much of the Vanguards she could. Nihility released herself from her partner by rolling over onto the ground as the group crashed. Pushing herself up from one knee, Nihility enlarged herself while looking quite furious. On her side, Shoggoth released the group she was able to protect but in the process, she was left covered with most of the Black sludge.

"Ugh! This is humiliating and distasteful."


The Swamp Demon restructured herself and easily gathered all the enemy's Ooze. Turning it all into an orb, Shoggoth flung it back at the disgusting enemy which were slowly but surely converging at the Vanguards' location.

"Have a taste of your own goop, you single cell Amœba trash!"

Shoggoth then turned around and began moving into the opposite direction.

"You can do whatever you want. These sluggers have left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm leaving the rest to you as I go wash this stench out." The demon gruffed in annoyance and dematerialized to recuperate herself into Nihility's Vanguard Gauntlet.



Nihility was left standing there a bit dumbfounded. "Huh!? Wait, what? You couldn't have just upped and left the battle, that too right when we are about to start." The woman vanguard gritted her teeth in frustration and slammed her foot onto the ground.

As in response to the mini shock wave, Tyrian, her other demon beast, materialized out of the gauntlet to stand beside his Monarch.

"Don't be too hard on Shoggoth, It will take some time for the poison from the Black Ooze to be fully broken down, understood and assimilated into Shoggoth. Shoggoth is attempting to build up the auto immune system to avoid future inconvenience and an easier absorption."


Nihility stopped herself from continuing on nibbling her lips; it was an involuntary habit that she had unfortunately picked up and would fall to in stressful environments.

"Nah... She still deserves to take my frustration whenever I dish it out on her. Don't think I didn't notice her slyly eating away at me, back at the roof." Nihility clenched her fists as she faced the gunky enemy.


Tyrian huffed to release some of his chaos infused breath. His intense eyes glared at the enemy fleet even though he knew that they didn't have the mental capacity to be intimidated by his demonic stare.

"Let's deal with these Black Ooze for now and clear a path for us all to head out from here." The Bicorn suggested at Nihility to get ready for the battle combo.


"Right, hit me Tyrian."

Nihility readied herself to absorb Tyrian's Stampede and then would combo it with her demon to unleash the double Curse Magic infused Stampede Spells. They would rush forward and unleash the spell in conjunction with each other's movements. It would be a simple Rinse and Repeat process which will be accelerated at each release from the previous due to the Nihility's quick release attribute and understanding of a prior learnt spell.

STAMPEDE!!~ The Demon and her Partner shouted as they released a Volley of their Curse Magic directed at the enemy in front.

Spoiler:

- Bastion's Group -

Bastion felt himself hauled up off the ground by Vayu, and the three Vanguards ducked out of the way just in time as the blast shattered through the floor, blasting a gash right through the lower end of the shrine. Still on his knees, Bastion activated his Analysis spell to gauge the enemy and their allies still in play.

Catequil's bind seemed to work, as Mahat suddenly went rigid, held tight by magical restraints. Cleo and his Nekomata wasted no time using Vayu's enhancement spell to leap into action. With a well-timed Switch spell, Cleo swapped places with the demon, who took the brunt of a Flameflick and Stun Claw as Cleo moved into position for his strike.

"Cleo!" Bastion called in warning, for Mahat had cast his Purification spell to break Catequil's bind and Nekomata's stun just as Cleo moved before him. The demon's hands came together, the light forming between them at point blank rage - without a hope for survival for the Vanguard.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" came a cry from above as Goki leaped into action, his club cracking down on the back of Mahat's head. The demon buckled back, his beam flying upward to blast through the roof. Cleo had his opening once more and struck.

As Bastion watched, he couldn't help but wince. Cleo would injure the demon, certainly. But judging by his strength, it surely wouldn't be enough to end things. What then? Could they keep up the assault against this powerful demon for much longer?

Wait... was it a trick of his eyes? For a second, he thought he saw something through his Analysis. An energy, some dark and powerful, seemed to lance through Cleo's weapon just as he struck Mahat. The blow brought a terrible cry from the demon, who floated back, clutching his chest.

"No..." he murmured, his lower half beginning to slowly fade like so much mist. "Oh, wretched fools. You know not what you do."

His body continued to fade, and he turned his shining face away from them to overlook the city. His expression seemed twisted with some emotion - anger? regret? sadness? No one could say. But before long, Mahat's body had disappeared.

The mist began to evaporate, slowly but surely. As they looked down over the village, they could see the view clear with every passing moment until all finally appeared normal.

"You did it," Sister Charlotte said, her face flushed as she took Cleo's hands. "I had faith you could."

"Yes..." Bastion murmured, glancing at the pyramid from which the mist had ushered.

"I wish I could do something to reward you, but I have nothing to give," she said, looking around at them. "I know it's of little value, but please accept my charms as a gift of my esteem. And my gratitude."

She glanced back over the village, her expression distant. But Bastion was too busy thinking to notice that much.

"I must report back to the Order of Messians," she sighed. "Whoever let loose the demon of the mist will surely strike back again. I'm sure we'll meet again. There may come a time when the Order may call on Chaldea itself."

As she turned toward the steps, Bastion frowned. "That's not right though, is it?"

Sister Charlotte paused and turned to face him.

"I thought it was odd..." Bastion went on, approaching the pyramid and picturing the way the elder's body had been positioned. "The elder had been facing the pyramid when he died... but the death blow had come from behind. He wasn't killed trying to stop someone from activating the pyramid. He'd been killed by someone trying to stop him from activating it."

Sister Charlotte bit her lip. "You think the elder unleashed the mist? But... why?" She shook her head. "I suppose it doesn't matter. If he did, and he's dead, then it's over. Though if he's one of the Ring of Gaea, as I suspect, then there will be others."

"Why..." Bastion rubbed his chin. "That's the question, isn't it? The only reason I can see is to keep the demons from leaving."

Sister Charlotte shook her head. "I don't understand."

"The only thing we've observed is that the mist traps demons inside it," Bastion said, holding up a finger as though starting a lecture at the Vanguard barracks. "As far as we can tell, it doesn't affect anything inside the mist any other way." He nodded at Vayu. "After all, some of us didn't wear the protective charms, and nothing happened to them at all."

"Perhaps the range of the charm-" she began, but Bastion cut her off.

"So let's imagine a scenario where this is all true. The village elder unleashes the mist to stop demons from escaping the village, demons who had already been there before Mahat was unleashed. He would have been killed by whoever brought the demons in to attack the village in an attempt to stop the mist from being unleashed. The same person who would benefit from having Mahat killed... to stop the mist barrier."

He felt a heavy weight in the bottom of his stomach as he turned to face Sister Charlotte. "And with only one person in the village... that just leaves you."

Sister Charlotte stared at him, stunned and confused. Then, a sickly sweet smile drifted across her lips. "Oh my. You are a clever one, aren't you? Ah, and I was so close to escaping without incident too."

Spoiler:

Bastion glared at her, feeling the absence of his spear right now. "Who are you, really? You're not a nun of the Messians."

She brushed the back of her hand over her cheek. "Oh, Sister Charlotte will do for now. But I do prefer... Mother."

Amira

As they fell onto the black ooze, Amira could feel her skin slowly burn her skin. It doesn't hurt that much. Amira was still able to stand mostly unaffected. The damage was too slow, and the burning sensation was like an insect buzzing compared to having your bones broken and muscles torn.

DAMAGE CANNOT BE SUSTAINED

"Oh, that's bad."

Even though Amira was more annoyed that she fell rather than the black ooze, Haita quickly made it clear that the damage being done, while small, was continuous and would eventually be impossible to heal.

However, before she could do anything about it, Shoggoth took the ooze off her body and gathered it all in a ball. Amira simply followed Nihility and her partner as that seemed to be the safest option.

At the shrine
- Vayu -

Vayu came to a halt, feeling some exhaustion catching up with him. One glance at Mahat showed him that their combined efforts were finally taking effect.

Mahat shrank back after Cleo’s blow and continued to fade until he disappeared and with him the mist began to evaporate.

“What?” Vayu said confused.

“That felt a little too easy,” Catequil commented, walking back to Vayu and pulling him to his feet. Vayu nodded. It seemed Bastion had the same realization.

His eyes wandered between Sister Charlotte and Bastion. Slowly he stepped up next to Bastion, feeling wary.

“Mother? Mother of what exactly?” he asked. “I bet you also know what happened to the villagers…”

Catequil, still standing behind Vayu, gave a low chuckle. “Well aren’t you glad you didn’t accept her charm?” he asked in a low voice, feeling quite pleased with himself.

“This really isn’t the time!” Vayu hissed back, keeping his eyes on Sister Charlotte.

Zephyr Arc

Being more familiar with his own spell, Zephyr shifted back to normal almost instantly as the glob rushed at him, enlargening his kerambit to shield himseld and Cherry from the ooze. Shoggoth them sucked it all up, and Nihility quickly mounted a full assault.

"Sorry, but I won't be of much help with this one. They resist physical attacks and I'm not too big on magic attacks..." He called out, hanging back. "I can make sure no one takes a face full of that gunk though." He added, then leapt hopped in front of Amira and blocked another shot from hitting her.

Meanwhile, the oozes on Nihilty's side got double-stampeded and, thanks to taking increased damage from magic attacks, many of them expired. The remaining handful immediately took aim and fired, while more circled around Zephyr and Amira...

Around them, the mist suddenly began to disperse.

- Cleo -

It was over, or at least it should have been. Cleo felt his sword make contact, but as it sliced through the demon before him, a chill ran up Cleo's arm, radiating from his palm. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the sword more tightly. Even as their enemy faded, he knew that it wasn't over.

What he didn't expect was the shift in Charlotte's personality. Or that voice... His eyes widened as she spoke, no longer hiding herself from the group. Almost without thought, Cleo's other hand dug into his pocket, seeking out the charm there. The cold of it radiated through his fingertips, matching the chill still pulsing in his palm.

"Mother, is it?" Cleo practically hissed the words, as Vayu questioned her. Not a single thing about her seemed motherly, but mothers would cover many sins for their children. Perhaps, she was the same.

- Bastion's Group -

Spoiler:

Sister Charlotte merely smiled at Vayu's first question, but when he asked about the villagers, she let out a quiet laugh.

"The villagers..." she mused, slowly beginning to circle them. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

The blood drained from Bastion's face as he shook his head. "That isn't possible."

"Oh, it is." Her voice was poisonously sweet. "They've been here the whole time. All around you."

"The demons..." Bastion shook his head, thinking of all the demons they'd cut down in the village without a second thought. "They didn't kill the villagers. They're..."

"That's right. Every one of them." She paused and cocked her head. "They looked into the very depths of their souls... and they saw what they truly were."

"People can't become demons!" Bastion snapped. "It's not... it's just not possible."

Sister Charlotte's eyes narrowed, her gaze cutting. "What is man but a miserable pile of sins and secrets? The only thing that separates you from demons is a little flesh and bone... and the lies you tell yourself."

Bastion shook his head, grey eyes narrowing. He'd never accept an idea like that. Never.

Sister Charlotte hummed softly to herself. "You still didn't don't believe? Perhaps... I'll have to show you then."

From her robes, she pulled out an ornate golden mirror and held it between her pale hands.

"For so long, humans have held themselves back in a cage of their own making. But I offer you the chance to set yourselves free, to lay bare every aspect of being, to see your truest self as it is. Think of it... as a thank you for your help here today."

She placed her hand on the mirror's surface, and a ripple ran through it like water.

"Now, will you look?" she asked, holding up the mirror toward them. "Will you face yourself... and be set free?"

[A: Look into the mirror.
B: Look away.]

At the shrine
- Vayu -
[B: Look away]

Vayu kept his eyes on Sister Charlotte upon her revelations. He didn’t look concerned or angry. Inside he felt calm. Would he have stopped himself from killing the perceived demons if he’d known they were villagers? Probably not. Demons were demons. If they stopped and asked every demon where it came from…they’d never get any work done.

“Stay calm, Bastion,” he whispered. “For all we know, the villagers are beyond help anyways, even if they were human before…”

The mirror appeared in Sister Charlotte’s hands.

Vayu turned his gaze away. Remembering something, like the dream of a dream… he felt that if he looked, he wouldn’t be terribly surprised at what he saw. At the same time, he knew if his suspicions turned out to be true, he wasn’t ready to face it.

“Sorry honey, I’m not looking to be set free,” he said nonchalantly. “Besides, I don't trust you, or your mirror.”

-Samael-  (Look Away)

Goki was absolutely giddy as he ran over to Samael raising his hand for a high five, but Samael's eyes were locked on the woman in front of him instead, unblinking, unflinching, excepting her to make a move at any moments notice.  His hand slowly but surely began to move down towards his sword, as he inched closer to the women.

The nerve of his woman!  It doesn't matter if people are caged down, if it protects the innocents then so be it!  A mindless beast that's just their 'true' self is a hindrance, they need to be in control and strong to lead a just society.

"Enough!  If those demons weren't trapped they would of murdered many innocents before they were even 'freed', you're just spouting nonsense to justify your blood lust."  Samael angrily roared, as he quickly drew his sword and pointed it at the women's neck.  

Samael quickly took two steps forward, as Goki followed quickly behind with both their weapons raised in the air when Charlotte pulled out her mirror.  Samael's face suddenly turned paled as he jumped slightly at the sight of it, quickly averting his eyes away from the object.  Goki paused right next to Samael giving him a look of confusion as he gaze shifted between the nun and Samael.

"You're not doing anything! Noise manipulation!"  Samael chanted as a loud high pitched ring began to give off around the mirror, high enough that it would cause glass to shatter.

A) Look into the mirror.



- Cleo -

The villagers had been turned into demons? No, that seemed incredibly unlikely. Although considering Charlotte's now clearly malevolent intentions, it did seem more likely that the demons weren't in the wrong for attacking her. Perhaps they had been living alongside the villagers here?

He took a measured step towards Charlotte, but didn't reach for any of his weapons. "Your reflections don't scare me, sweetheart. I know who you are, and I've already seen this trick." His eyes remained locked on hers as he took another step.

"The way I see it, you already owe me for a sleepless night."

Behind him, Nekomata cleared her throat, sounding irritated. "Excuse me? Am I going to have to rip her eyes out?" Cleo could practically sense the demon flexing her claws behind him, but he still didn't break eye contact with Charlotte.

"You wanted a taste, right?" He smirked as his eyes drifted towards the mirror. "I'd hate to disappoint."

~~
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Nihility|Shoggoth|Tyrian|Minke
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~~

With help from Scarlet's Flaming assist, the army of the accursed blobs grew thin. Soon, the mist even dispersed to reveal the path ahead to a Gothic temple in the distance.

"Let's head to that shrine, the other group may already be in there."

Nihility took to the upper-left while Tyrian stepped a bit further to the back-right to open up clean path for the other vanguards to cross through the middle. The duo, while keeping the Vanguards in between, and firing off a few more Cursed Stampedes to keep the Black Ooze at bay, rushed together towards the building.

"If anyone needs a lift, they may get on top of Tyrian." Nihility offered up her demon beast for anyone who may feel like reserving their energy in the mad rush towards their new destination.[/color][/color]

Alignment Check:

Spoiler:

Vayu tried to calm Bastion, who immediately attempted to protest before bringing himself short. Yes, he needed to calm down. It wasn't like him to get emotional and worked up. Vayu was probably right, anyway. If what Sister Charlotte - or whoever she was - said was true, then it seemed unlikely the villagers could return to normal.

But the truth was, that wasn't what upset him. He knew he should be more horrified than they had been inadvertently killing the people they'd come to save, but what really latched onto him was the very idea that humans could become demons at all. It was too terrible to be true... but somehow, he knew she wasn't lying. What did that say about humans, though?

...what did that say about him?

He quickly averted his eyes from the mirror and was relieved to see Vayu and Samael do the same, even though Samael was even more unsettled by this revelation than he had been.

"Innocents?" Sister Charlotte mused. "Silly boy, there's no such thing as an innocent human. Nor was any blood shed in this village... before you arrived. Well, except the one foolish man who couldn't grasp the gift I was giving to his people." She glanced at the bloodstained wooden floor before the pyramid that once housed Mahat, her lips curling.

She turned back when Cleo took a step forward, brash and overly confident as ever. "Your reflections don't scare me, sweetheart. I know who you are, and I've already seen this trick." His eyes remained locked on hers as he took another step. "The way I see it, you already owe me for a sleepless night."

What was he doing? Bastion shot him a reproving look, but he didn't seem to notice... or care.

"You wanted a taste, right?" He smirked as his eyes drifted towards the mirror. "I'd hate to disappoint."

"Fool!" Bastion snapped, lunging and pushing him aside. Did he now what he was doing? What he was risking? Looking into that mirror could be the end of them as they knew it.

But Cleo did look. For the briefest of moments, a sliver of time almost too small to measure, he looked into the mirror. Into the eyes of his reflection.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

A man - blonde, striking, and magnetic - looked back at him.

It was a stranger.
It was him.

He stood surrounded by figures, wrapped up around him, moaning in a mindless haze.

They were sensual, perfectly curved women.
They were faceless, empty dolls on strings.

They writhed at his every touch as he filled them with pleasure.
They screamed in pain as he drained them of everything.

It was a stranger.
It was him.

Lust burned through his veins, hot and black and ugly. It was tar, filling every inch of his body. Filth, mud, hideous excess. Desire scorched every nerve. He wanted to take, to plunder, to claim, to break - utterly and completely. Want and need - drowning, drowning, drowning in it.

The man's eyes met his.

It was a stranger.
It was him.

"Cleo!" Bastion roared, shaking him.

Cleo jerked away, as though roused suddenly from a nightmare. He was on the ground. How had he gotten there?

Bastion tore his gaze away from Cleo as Samael sprang into action, enraged. He cast his Noise Manipulation directly at the mirror in an attempt to shatter it. But the false nun turned the mirror toward him, its surface turning opaque as it seemed to absorb the sound wave.

"Samael," Bastion warned, but too late.

Sister Charlotte smirked, then directed an elegant hand toward the mirror. A sound wave burst out of it straight at Samael, knocking him and Goki right off their feet.

"How disappointing," Sister Charlotte sighed. "I'd hoped you all might embrace the gift I so willingly bestowed on you. But if you're closed to the path of self-awakening, then I have no choice."

She raised her hands above her head and clapped them. As though on signal, a flock of winged demons descended from the sky, their skins and wings black as soot, but their hair and robes deceptively light and innocent.

"Now, my Maidens," Sister Charlotte said. "Show them the power they've denied."

The Vanguards pulled together as the Wicked Maidens began to encircle them from above, sneering and cackling at them.

"This is bad," Bastion said, trying to quickly analyze them. They were all fatigued as it was, and these demons were nothing to scoff at. To say nothing of Sister Charlotte herself... whose power was greater than he had imagined.

Just then, the other Vanguards emerged, bounding up the stairs on the back of a bicorn. Bastion felt a small surge of relief. Reinforcements were bound to help, if only a little.

"And now we're back to uneven numbers. That's no good," Sister Charlotte sighed. "We'll have to rectify that."

She clapped her hands once more, and from the village below, the demons began to converge on the shrine. Lamias, Nagas, Ghouls, and Black Oozes made their way up the stairs from below, threatening to overwhelm them.

"Four of you fall back!" Bastion ordered. "Hold the demons from the village at bay! Three of you, with me. We'll deal with this charlatan and her disciples."

At the shrine
- Vayu -

Cleo, as usual, couldn’t resist the words of a woman and risked a glance into the mirror. The next second he was on the ground.

“Idiot,” Vayu muttered, loud enough to be heard.

Bastion’s voice drew him back to the action as Sister Charlotte’s mirror simply reflected Samael’s Noise Manipulation.

“Are you gonna do something or not?” Catequil asked impatiently, meanwhile gesturing towards his gauntlet that displayed the analyzed information about Sister Charlotte.

However, that was not all. Almost simultaneously as the rest of the group arrived, Sister Charlotte called in some backup of her own.

They were surrounded, not only by the demons from the village but also by the Wicked Maidens.

“Uh…,” Vayu looked around at the overwhelming force. Now it was Catequil’s turn to sigh. In apparent disregard to the danger they were in, he gave Vayu a not too gentle push towards Bastion.

“Will you just go already? The demon asked and readied his spear. “Or do you want to put down roots?”

Right! Vayu reminded himself. Giving up was not an option. It never would be.

“Let’s deal with those Maidens first,” Vayu ordered and waved towards Catequil. “Cast Power Bind and then finish them off with your spear.”

With a grin on his face the demon sprung into action.

“Confusion Wave,” Vayu added in support, releasing his hands towards the Wicked Maidens.

“Cleo! Can you get up?” he asked Cleo, making sure to somewhat stay between him and any approaching demon. For now.

~~
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Nihility|Shoggoth|Tyrian|Minke
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~~~~
~~

No sooner had they ditched the army of Ooze behind and reached the other group that was facing their own enemy; the witch, summoned up a horde in a pincer attack.


"Oh crud!!" Nihility cursed and clenched her fists. "Not these low lives again."

The female Vanguard snapped her finger and Tyrian raised his hooves up into the air while neighing furiously. Crashing down, he released the cursed stampede towards the enemy army and then dematerialized into the gauntlet.


"Shoggoth!! We need to thin the herd. Fill yourself up."

Nihility uncoiled her whip-sword and stepped forward for battle.


The purple Demon emerged out into the open and instantly bloated itself up.

"Aaaah, it's been a while since I've got to let loose like this."

Spoiler:

Shoggoth threw a poison orb that Nihility absorbed and then used her Spell-ception to launch it at a group of Lamias and Nagas.

Nihility would next absorb Shogoth's Vampiric Tendril Wrap spell and the duo would proceed to trap four demons in their clutches which Nihility would then rush to slash at their necks with her extended whip-sword.

Shoggoth would shoot out multiple appendages to grab on to as many demons she could and began chomping away on their heads with her sharp and hardened poisonous fangs.
"Be good now and become one with me, you delicious grub."

"Someone should go and focus their elemental attacks on the Black Oozes while physical attackers take down the Lamias before they can channel their Lullabies."

Nihility shouted out the orders or suggestions to whoever would join her in taking on the enemy Horde while continuing to slash away at the bound demons that Shoggoth would from time to time trap with her spell or physically.

Zephyr Arc

Having taken care of the Oozes, the party rushed to rendezvous with the rest, arriving just in time for the evil-as-expected nun to summon up backup and apparently call up the ghouls from the city to her side too. Running up to Bastion and Vayu, Zephyr flashed an 'I told you so' smile before addressing them. "I see the 'nun' revealed herself. She's the one that turned the villagers too I take it?"

Having already been buffed up, he leapt for the maidens along with Catequil, aiming to finally release that spell he absorbed from one of the ghouls on contact.

Samael

"Ugh" Samael muttered, as he clutched his ears as they violently rung in pain, as he noticed Goki doing the same shouting various what he assumed were demonic obscenities as he rolled around on the ground back and forth like some child throwing a tantrum.

He couldn't make out what anyone was saying and neither could Goki at the moment from the sudden pulse of sound, but... he knew the situation was bad as sudden of demonic angels began to circle around them.... However, the fact that they used to be good and that mirror turned them... maybe he could use that. He couldn't reverse the magic, but it might make them hesitate for a second.

"Traitor's Domain." Samael yelled out, as a pulse of force shot out of his hands that flew through the angels as a feeling of dread permeated the air around the group, Samael turned to one of the angels and pointed his finger at them, "How do you think those that used to love you would think about you acting like this? Don't you feel even an ounce of guilt?"

Samael quickly grabbed Goki by the back of his outfit and placed him on his feet, as he nudged the demon with his elbow. Goki briefly nodded, and turned to the demons waving his club in the air.

"I've always been a demon, but it's a lot more fun working with the vanguards than some scary woman! I would know!" Goki yelled, shuttering at the thought of Ryoko.

Amira

Chaos had begun, their moment to reuniting was short lived as more enemies emerged. Yet, something in the back of her head rinsed. Like a knife had cut right through her skull.

Amira can't deal well with the blobs, but the Lamias should be a simple game. "Haita!"

Amira yelled but got no response. Haita ignored her command and remained hidden.

"Acceleration"

Quickly Amira ran to the Lamia's, with her staff she immediately smashes one of the Lamia's heads. Amira needed to take care of them before they could start their lullaby. But without Haita's help she was shorthanded to deal with their sheer numbers.

Scarlet - Shrine

As Scarlet arrived at the shrine with her group, she saw a number of demons descend from the sky. The growls and hisses behind her made her turn around to behold a horde of demons approaching  them from the village.

"Four of you fall back!" Bastion ordered. "Hold the demons from the village at bay! Three of you, with me. We'll deal with this charlatan and her disciples."

Looking back at the assembled people, Scarlet was shocked to see Sister Charlotte conducting the winged demons. Seeing some of the others had already leapt into action against the Maidens, she turned back round to help hold off the approaching demons.

"Neko, rest for a bit, I'll have Warg handle this," she murmured to the demon, who only smiled in response as she faded away, replaced by the form of Warg. As if already knowing the order, it gave a mighty roar and thundered towards the Ooze, unleashing its Frosty Breath at them. Meanwhile, Scarlet stood at the top of the stairs, loosing arrows at the demons, focusing on covering her allies.

- Cleo -

Shaking his head to try and clear his mind, Cleo tried to push himself to his feet. His first attempt was less than impressive, and he sank back to one knee before actually finding his feet. What had he just seen? Cold sweat ran down his back, making his clothes stick to him uncomfortably, and there was an unexplained pressure over his temples. His free hand moved to the aching spots, only to find small lumps under his hair, which he didn’t remember from before. Had the mirror done something to him?

Maybe right now wasn’t the best time to think about that though. Around him, the sounds of combat stirred.

“Are you going to do more than stare at that vile woman, or should I consider you enchanted and move on with my day?” The pinch of Nekomata’s claws running under his chin brought Cleo’s attention to her catlike eyes.

“Ah. There you are. I thought I’d lost you for a minute.”

“I’m not enchanted by her, Kitten.” At least he hoped that he wasn’t. Maybe taking her challenge had been foolhardy, after all.

“Could have fooled me.” The claws extended slightly, digging in a little more.

“Jealousy looks hot on you.” Cleo quipped, but he had trouble putting the same emotion into it.

She blinked twice, a smirk spreading on her face. “You’ll pay for that.”

“Gladly.” This time, his response came more easily.

“How about we just forget about her and help the others deal with the onslaught?” Nekomata pulled against the soft skin of his neck, pricking it with her claws as she twisted his head towards the oncoming swarm of demons.

“An excellent idea.” Cleo gently gripped her wrist, pulling her hand away from his chin, and then pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Be careful with these claws, Kitten. I might not be enchanted, but I’m not certain that they can say the same.”

She rolled her eyes at that before pulling her arm from his grasp. “I get it. I’ll try not to kill them.”

Stepping towards the demons, Cleo held up his gauntlet. “Try not to kill the demons if you can help it. She’s afflicted them somehow, and they might not actually be hostile towards us under different circumstances.”

- The Frontal Assault -

Bastion activated his Analysis spell, studying Sister Charlotte to determine her abilities and parameters. She gazed right back at him, her lips slightly parted in an amused leer. There was something slightly off as he studied her, but...

"I see the 'nun' revealed herself," Zephyr said, sidling up beside him with a self-satisfied smile. "She's the one that turned the villagers too I take it?"

Bastion nodded. "Yes... but not in the way you think. It wasn't the mist at all. I'll explain later, but for now, don't look into her mirror. That's what she used to corrupt them."

Zephyr nodded his understanding, then leaped into battle without a second thought beside Catequil. He unleashed his absorbed spell, but the Wicked Maiden folded her wings and dropped abruptly below its reach before banking upward with a swoop of her wings, coming up beneath him.

"Hello, handsome." With a flash of light from her eyes, Zephyr felt his awareness slip beneath the power of her charm.

Meanwhile, the other Wicked Maidens banked aside, scattering to avoid Vayu's Confusion Wave. One moved right into the path of Catequil's Powerbind, and she dropped like a stone as he limbs and wings constricted against her by invisible bonds. She didn't have far to drop, however, as Catequil was there to thrust his spear through her, and she dissipated into black smoke.

"That's not nice," a mocking voice said behind Catequil. "You should have a timeout till you learn to play nicely. Broken Vow!"

With a wave of her hand, Catequil vanished with an angry cry of surprise, returning back to Vayu's gauntlet. She dived at him with a malicious laugh, but Bastion stepped in front and aimed his arm at her.

"Holy Horn!" he called as light surged through his arm and shot into the arm like a spear. The Maiden spiraled to avoid it, but the light punched a hole through her wing, and she dropped into a crouch with an angry shriek. A moment later, however, a glimmer of dark light surged through her, and her wing mended itself. She smirked, then flapped her wings to dodge the Precision spell Bastion launched at her.

"Sister Charlotte is too dangerous to attack," he told Vayu. "But if we don't, she'll keep healing them faster than we can harm them. We need a plan."

Meanwhile, Samael had cast his Traitor's Domain, and a few of the Wicked Maidens stopped short, staring at him as he pointed at them like a disapproving dad.

"How do you think those that used to love you would think about you acting like this? Don't you feel even an ounce of guilt?"

They stared at him, then down at themselves, as if suddenly aware of what had happened to them.

"I've always been a demon, but it's a lot more fun working with the vanguards than some scary woman! I would know!" Goki yelled, shuddering at the thought of Ryoko.

The Wicked Maiden's exchanged looks with each other when Sister Charlotte's laughter permeated the silence. She approached them, her mirror hovering around her in a slow orbit.

"What use is guilt? A meaningless chain that humans use to shackle themselves. I've given them the freedom to break loose their shackles." She clapped her hands, and the Maidens shook their heads, as though rousing from a dream. With a smirk and a titter of laughter, they dived toward Goki. One of them snatched him up and took to the air, then tossed him to another Maiden, who shrieked with laughter and tossed him to the third.

Sister Charlotte watched them with amusement, then turned her gaze on Samael. "Wouldn't you like to be free from your shackles? And there are so many binding you, constricting you, caging you... aren't there? I could help you, you know."

--------------------------------------------------

- The Rear Guard -

The demons surging up from the village scattered as Shoggoth began her ravenous slaughter, trying to escape her reach. The Black Ooze, seemingly the least aware or afraid of the danger, began to converge on her, when Warg's icy breath froze a mass of them in place before he carved a gash through their ranks.

Scarlett's arrows fell, peppering the demons ranks and forcing some to scatter as Amira charged her way in. One of the Lamias had rised up on her snake's tail, preparing to sing her lullaby, when Amira's staff cracked down on her head. Her voice cut out in a shriek as she collapsed to the ground, writhing and thrashing her bleeding head before vanishing. But another Lamia struck out with her Bestial Strike, nailing Amira with a powerful blow that sent her crashing into Cleo's side as he and Nekomata ventured out to help. A pack of Ghouls converged on them, all diving at the fallen Vanguard to shred them apart.

Meanwhile, one of the Nagas had slithered his way around and coated his weapon in a layer of ice, launching the Ice Javelin at Scarlet's side as she strung another arrow on her bow.

The Frontal Assault
- Vayu -

For a moment, Vayu was baffled when Catequil disappeared. Immediately he tried to re-summon his demon, but much to his annoyance, nothing happened.

“I can’t re-summon.” There was a slightly panicked edge in Vayu’s voice when he whispered to Bastion, who suggested they figure out a plan first.

“Don’t you hear me?! I can’t re-summon!” he repeated, this time much louder, venting his frustration. “These Wicked Maidens need to go first!”

And before Bastion could stop him, he dashed forward while casting another Confusion Wave at the group of Wicked Maidens that were tossing Goki around. He knew full well, the Imp would likely be affected by the spell as well, but there was nothing he could do.

Casting Synchro Gift on himself, Vayu slashed at the wings of the nearest Wicked Maiden and then pulled the one next to her to the ground. He raised his ninjato, ready to bury it in her chest.

“Samael gave you the option to stop this madness. Looks like we will have to make you,” he hissed.