Standard Mission: Robin Wind and his Merry Menaces

Peering from a tree he'd scampered up, the boy watched as the man he'd bowled over was helped up by a Nekomata.

So, she must be with those Vanguards. This wasn't good. He'd have to warn the others.

He started to quietly scale down the tree when two more people rushed up, those twins he'd been spying on for a while.

"What happened?" they demanded.

Jack, who'd withdrawn his arm quickly from Nekomata's touch, shrugged and looked around toward the woods.

"Dunno," he said. "Some kid ran into me, and then bit me, and then made off for the woods. But... I think he had animal ears. And a tail."

"A demon?" Benji exclaimed, looking around at Boggs.

"And you let him get away?" Boggs shouted in accusation at Nekomata. "Some might demon you are. Couldn't even catch a kid!"

In frustration, he picked up a piece of hard fruit that had fallen from the cart and hurled it with all his might toward the woods. The boy paused, halfway down the trunk, and turned just as the fruit struck him square in the forehead.

"What did you do that for?" Benji griped. "We need all the food we can-"

A crash in the shrubs brought them all short. When they ran up, they found a small figure lying on a bush, mouth open and eyes unfocused in a daze. The two twins exchanged looks, then grabbed one arm each and hoisted him up like hunters bringing home the kill.

"We got him!" the proudly announced as Tamara and the two Vanguards ran up.

"I wish I knew what was going on..." Jack muttered, nursing his sore arm.

Tamara took one look at the dazed boy and scowled at the twins, who wilted slightly under her gaze.

"Let him go!" she demanded, shooing them both away. They dropped him to the ground, where he continued to sway.

"Are you all right?" Tamara asked, kneeling beside him.

"Hmm?" the boy looked up into Tamara's face, then blushed. "Ohh! Yes, thank you, Miss."

The twins and Jack glared at him, and he quickly latched onto Tamara's leg, using it as cover.

"I-I didn't do anything wrong, Miss. You gotta believe me!" he wailed, rubbing his cheek against her leg.

Tamara tutted sympathetically, reaching down to stroke his head. "What's your name?" she asked.

Spoiler:

"T-Tuck," he murmured softly. "What's yours, pretty Miss?"

"Tamara," she said, smiling. "Don't worry. You're all right. We won't hurt you."

Tuck gave her a teary smile, then shot a devious smirk at the twins, who flushed in anger.

"Like hell we won't..." they muttered.

- Cleo -

Seeing the commotion from the guard tower, Cleo had pointed it out to Nihility and they’d rushed to the scene. It might have been by sheer, dumb luck, but the boys had managed to capture the little demon. Cleo had to count that as a win, regardless of circumstances.

With a sigh, he stepped behind the twins, putting a hand on either of their shoulders. “You get an A for capture, but your interrogation needs work.” Squeezing his fingers more tightly, he pulled them back a step. “How about we watch a master do the job.”

“What do you say, Kitten?” Cleo winked at Nekomata, who rolled her eyes before turning towards Tamara and the boy.

“Tuck, was it?” She grinned, showing a single fang. When the terrified demon’s eyes locked with hers, she narrowed her own, pulling him in with her Wicked Wiles spell. “Why don’t you come over here for a moment?” She crooked a single finger, gesturing for the boy to approach.

Almost in a daze, the boy stepped around Tamara and walked over to Nekomata, who crouched to stay at eye level with the young demon. She reached out and gently brushed over one of his cheeks before lifting the corner of his mouth with her thumb. “Those are some pretty fangs you have.”

She looked at Jack over her shoulder. “They don’t look venomous, but I’d still wash the wound. Actually, I’m sure that Tamara would be happy to help you with that. She has a very giving personality.” Nekomata flashed a wicked grin in the woman’s direction before turning her attention back to Tuck.

“So, tell me,” she continued to gently stroke the boy’s face, “what has you in such a hurry to leave town? Did you not like it there? I heard that Tamara gave you some of her sweets.”

Nihility felt a bit concerned leaving the old man taking watch at the guard tower all by his lonesome. But she shrugged and followed Cleo nonetheless.

Upon noticing the young critter's devious smirk towards the twins, Nihility scowled at him. She was about to point it out, but Neko took over being the good police and so she backed away. Instead, the female vanguard stepped aside and peered at the forest behind them for any of Tuck's companions to show up, if there were any that would do so.


"Critters like this one, they live in packs. You sure his companions that might be hiding in the forest won't attack us in retaliation, even though this miscreant was the first one to bite Jack?" Nihility placed her hand over her Gauntlet, ready to summon her Demon. "We should be alert and move him to a location with a better vantage point."

Tuck waddled forward in a daze, staring up at the pretty Nekomata.

"Had to make it back," he murmured. "Had to give my report to Robin."

Everyone frowned. Robin? Who was that?

""Robin sends me to scout out the towns beforehand. I find all the best stuff to loot," he giggled. "The Merry Men all rely on me. I'm very important."

"I think she might be right," Benji said grudgingly, hooking a thumb in Nihility's direction. "I don't think sitting out in the open like this is a good idea if there's others who might come looking for him."

Taking Tuck with them, they made it back to the watchtower. Rufus blinked in surprise as they dragged the still dazed demon and tied him up. Tamara watched, slightly conflicted, before turning her attention to Jack.

"Here, let me look at it," she said, kneeling down and taking his arm.

"Uh... thanks," Jack replied, cheeks dusting with pink as her fingers moved softly across his skin.

"It's not too bad," she said after a few moments. "A little disinfectant, then something healing salve, and we'll wrap it up nice and tight."

She looked up into his face, meeting his eyes for a few moments, before an outburst from their prisoner shook them alert. Apparently, the charm was wearing off.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Tuck bellowed, writhing like an angry cat against his bonds. He caught sight of Tamara and suddenly became mellow, his eyes watering.

"P-please, Miss," he mewed. "You gotta help me."

"That's not going to work," Boggs growled, looming over him.

"Now tell us about Robin and these Merry Men," Benji added.

"Hn." Tuck glared at him, lips pursed. "You're gonna regret this. The Merry Men will sweep in and rescue me any minute now. You don't wanna be around when that happens!"

Jack, wincing slightly as Tamara dabbed his arm with disinfectant, shook his head at Tuck. "Your group, the Merry Men, have only ever raided during the night."

Tuck's mouth opened slightly. "Uh... that's... what's your point?"

Jack folded his arms. "They're not coming for you. Not yet, anyway."

Tuck glared back at Jack, fuming silently. Benji and Boggs, who stared at Jack for a few moments, sizing him up, turned back to Tuck and scoffed at him.

"Probably just a pack of rodents like you, anyway," Boggs snickered. Tuck kicked him in the shin, causing him to yelp in pain and hobble back.

"So... err..." Rufus picked at his mustache, trying to catch up to speed. "That mean them demons are invading here tonight?"

Benji frowned. "Good point. Will they still come if you don't make it back to report?" He poked Tuck with the butt of his spear from a safe distance, learning from Boggs' mistake.

Tuck looked away, muttering under his breath.

"You could set up an ambush," Jack suggested. "You know they're coming... probably."

Benji and Boggs frowned in his direction. "First the Vanguards, now this farmer giving us orders."

Jack blushed and stood up as Tamara finished setting his bandage in place. "Yeah... guess I'll head back to the supply wagon. Gotta get things unloaded for the village."

Tamara stood up. "I'll go too... if that's okay." She turned and frowned in the direction of the group interrogating the little demon.

"O-okay." Jack smiled and led the way out.

The twins scoffed as they departed, then looked back at Tuck. "So, I suggest an ambush!" Benji declared, as though it had been his idea.

- Cleo -

At Nihility's suggestion, they had moved back to the watch tower to complete their questioning. Unfortunately, that gave Tuck a chance to shake off the effects of Nekomata's charm. Cleo considered having her use it again, but repeated uses on the same person became less and less effective with each instance. So, it would be better to wait until charming the young demon might be more useful. Besides, he'd already told them most of what they needed to know.

He watched Jack and Tamara leave while the twins continued to argue about something. Perhaps it was for the better, Cleo thought to himself as he turned to see Nekomata wearing a cat that ate the canary look on her face. Raising an knowing eyebrow in her direction, he was only rewarded with her grinning even more broadly. "You've been very naughty, Kitten." He mumbled, knowing she'd be the only one with ears good enough to hear it.

A moment later, she wrapped her arms around his elbow, pulling him close enough to whisper in his ear. "You can punish me for it later."

She sauntered over to Tuck while Cleo chuckled, planting herself in a chair beside the boy. Obviously, she knew that she'd gotten away with it.

Turning back to the others, Cleo smirked at Benji. "Okay, tell us about this plan of yours." The last word practically dripped with sarcasm. He seriously doubted either of the twins would know how to setup a proper ambush if they fell into one, but if they wanted to hang themselves, he'd be happy to provide the rope. To be honest, he hadn't staged many ambushes himself. Maybe Nihility would know more about them?

She was right about the little demon being part of a group. Apparently they called themselves Merry-Men. By the sound of their name, it didn't appear to be hostile. There might be more to them than just looting. Especially when they are doing under the cover of Night and without any blood-shed. It would be best to go about it another way. Possibly something that would be mutually beneficial to them and the village.

Nihility pondered on for a short while before addressing the group.


"Um... To properly ambush a group, we need much more information on their habits, weaponry, tactics, mindset, etc. and we don't know much to anything about these Merry-Men. I believe it is evident that they are avoiding conflict by conducting their activities at Night. That doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't fully capable of violently pillage a small village if they wanted."


The female vanguard walked over to the Merry-men's scout and looked him over.

"Tell us more about your group and their reasoning behind the attacks, and when they come to collect you tonight, we may just consider peacefully negotiating."

Tuck scowled up at Nihility, sticking out his tongue at her.

"I'm not tellin' you anything," he said. "Merry Men don't sell out their own."

"Oh, who needs him. With a name like 'Merry Men,' how tough can they be?" Benji rolled his eyes and looked back at Cleo, who was waiting to his plan. "Let's just string him up by that bushy tail in clear view of the forest. When his people come looking for him, they'll rush to his aid, and we'll get the jump on them and surround them."

Boggs grinned. "Aww, yeah. Payback time for those suckers!"

They high-fived, which startled Rufus awake.

"Eh?" he murmured, looking around.

"Rufus, you'll stay posted at the top of the watchtower. You can signal us when you see them approaching from the woods," Benji ordered.

"Hmm... right. Signal," he repeated, eyelids drooping.

The twins peered outside, watching as dusk began to settle in.

Boggs turned to Nihility and Cleo, looking smug. "We probably won't need you guys, but you can stick around if you want to watch us take these guys down."

Benji and Boggs untied Tuck and seized one arm each before frog-marching him out of the watchtower. Tuck, swearing under his breath, unhelpfully alternated between dragging his feet and swinging them about so that the twins buckled under his weight.

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

Jack leaned against his horse, wiping his forehead as he surveyed the empty wagon. "Well, that should do it. Thanks for your help."

Tamara smiled at him, though it faded when she spotted the twins dragging their captive along. "Oh no..."

Tuck and the twins took turns swearing back and forth as Benji and Boggs tried to tie the little demon to a large pole set into the ground.

"I don't know why it bothers you," Jack sighed, looking away and rubbing his arm. "It's a demon, after all."

Tamara frowned. "Even so... that doesn't mean we have to treat him badly."

Jack turned on her. "How can you say that when he and his group have been robbing all the villages around here? And believe me, that's the least that demons are capable of."

Tamara caught the distant look in his eyes and bit her lip. She rested a comforting hand on his arm, but he hardly seemed to notice. "Everyone's capable of bad things. And good."

She nodded her head toward the post.

"Do you know why we have that post? It's to lash thieves. Humans are just as capable of hurting each other as demons..."

Jack lowered his eyes, quiet.

- Cleo -

Cleo sighed as he watched the twins trying to chain the young demon to the pole.

"A round of drinks says they don't tie him up properly, and he slips the chains when things go sideways." Nekomata's smirk didn't fully hide the sadness behind her eyes.

"No bet." Cleo responded, reaching over to put an arm around her shoulders. "Besides, I think you'd prefer he get away."

She looked away for a moment before turning her conflicted gaze in his direction. "I know they're thieves, and there are consequences for that."

"But?" Cleo asked, fighting a smirk because now wasn't the time for it.

"But he's just a child, and if these other Merry Men are the same, then we're talking about imprisoning a bunch of kids." She dropped her forehead to his shoulder, taking in a slow breath. "That doesn't sit right with me."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't have to be the only answer, Kitten." He gave her shoulders a slight squeeze. "Not all humans are determined to hate demons."

"I know that." She muttered into his shirt. "It's why I volunteered to be bonded to a Vanguard."

"You're not a slave, Kitten. If the work we're doing isn't to your taste..."

"Don't!" Her claws dug into his ribs, which she'd been lightly gripping for a few moments already. "I chose you as my partner because you were different, but that doesn't mean I can't see the kind of man you are." She turned her head to look once more at Tuck and the twins. "I don't always have to like the work we're doing to understand that it needs done."

Cleo lifted a hand to gently scratch behind her ears. "Then you already know what we have to do. Until we've captured them, we can't determine what to do with them. So, don't borrow trouble before then."

It seemed like the twins were hellbent on going about accomplishing the task in their own way. Well, ultimately this was their town and the vanguards were apparently a nuisance to them.

"So be it. Have it your way." Nihility shrugged her shoulders and stepped back to let the twins go about their methods.

Taking up a relaxed stance near Cleo, Nihility turned her attention to scanning the forest ahead for any strange movements. All she could do now was to wait and see how everything played out.

The shadow of night crept over the village as everyone waited. The twins hid near the pole where Tuck had been strung up, whispering and jostling each other as they were known to do. Tamara had departed temporarily to bring dinner to Jack, the twins, and the Vanguards but refused to leave afterward, despite both Jack and the twin's protests.

And so time dragged on. Tuck stared out over the woods, looking resentful and bored, muttering curses no one could hear beneath the gag in his mouth.

Then, his ears perked up. A very faint crackling near the edge of the woods sounded.

"It's them," Benji whispered, glancing over toward Nekomata for confirmation.

Jack frowned, turning his gaze toward Tamara. But she could see the question on his mind and shook her head in reply.

From the cover of the woods, a group of four emerged. They couldn't have looked more different - a small, hovering boy garbed in green; a giant, hulking beast; a graceful, flowing woman; and a short red figure in tribal wear.

"Oh..." the woman sighed, covering his mouth with her hands.

"So that's why he didn't make it back. I don't like it, Boss," the red figure muttered.

"We ain't gonna leave him strung up!" the boy in green hissed. "The Merry Men don't leave anyone behind!"

Nodding, the group proceeded cautiously forward, surveying the area for any signs of activity. As they got closer, the twins shrunk lower and lower to the ground.

"Maybe we should just let him go. He got a pretty firm warning," Benji muttered.

"Do you see the size of that goat thing?" Boggs whispered. "His first could cave our heads in."

After a moment, they turned to glare over at the Vanguards. They couldn't lost face now. Not with those two watching them. Clasping hands, they set their jaws, nodded, and sprang the ambush.

Or tried. As they gave a triumphant cry and leaped from cover, they tripped over the barrels that had been hiding them and faceplanted on the ground in front of the demons.

Immediately, all four had their hands raised. An arrow, a fist, a ball of flame, and an icicle pointed directly at the twins, who cowered in front of the troop.

"You the ones who strung our pal up?" the boy in green demanded as the Fomorian next to him picked up their discarded weapons with a growl and snapped them into kindling.

The twins gulped, watching the bits of wood rain down. "We... uh..."

"It was the Vanguards from Chaldea!" Boggs suddenly exclaimed, pointing out their hiding places.

"Yeah... we would have been more than happy to let you rob us if it weren't for them," Benji laughed nervously.

The Merry Men exchanged looks.

"Vanguards..." The boy in green grimaced, redirecting his arrow. "Well, Men, this is it. Looks like the law has caught up with us."

"Urrgh" Nihility groaned, visibly and audibly annoyed at the lack of resolve from the twins.

Walking out from the shadows and into the moonlit field, the female vanguard made her way to Tuck while swiping her palm across the gauntlet on her left arm.

"Honestly, I was hoping to resolve this matter without a clash, I still am, if the lot of you agree to a parley with the town's representatives."

Purple ooze seeped out of the gauntlet to create a large pool around Nihility and the pole that Tuck was tied to.

"Please don't make me unleash my Demonic partner on you."

By now, the little demon's legs up to his knees were completely submerged in Shoggoth's liquid body. Nihility waived her left arm up, countless tendrils slithered up from the purple ooze in response and wriggled in the air. A few split apart to reveal layers of razor-sharp teeth.

"Shoggoth has been itching for a good juicy feast for some time now." Some of the mouths loudly snapped and re-opened menacingly.

"Depending on your actions, and any peaceful outcome that may come out of this encounter. We may even be willing to let Tuck go back to you totally unharmed."


Nihility really hoped that this wouldn't turn into a fight because she did not want to rely on Shoggoth today, but Cleo and the others were depending on her to be at a hundred per cent during a mission. She would have to swallow her pride and push back her differences or grievances with her demon partner for the success of the mission.

If the Merry-men did attempt to strike her, then, Nihility would have to order Shoggoth to use her Vampiric Tendril Wrap to bind down all four MerryMen and let Cleo retaliate as needed. She would also release her Whip-Sword from around her waist and push it down at Tuck's neck, but not hard enough to puncture it.

The twins yelped and scrambled away at the sight of Nihility's demon. Tamara, slightly sickened, grasped onto Jack's arm to steady herself.

"She can't..." she murmured.

Jack, jaw clenched, remained silent as he watched to see what would happen.

Meanwhile, Tuck squealed beneath his gag, writhing to escape the pool of goo seeping below the pole where he was bound. The Merry Men gasped, tensed as they listened to Nihility's ultimatum.

The boy in green locked eyes with Tuck, then turned away from him and faced the Vanguards.

"Parley, huh?" he scoffed. "Robin Wind and his Merry Men don't parley with humans. And who are you to make demands of us anyway? You're not the boss of us. We do whatever we have to do to make it in this world."

The boy hovered slightly higher into the air, pointing his finger at the two Vanguards.

"You think you got the right to judge us? Humans steal and take whatever they need just as much as demons do to survive. Are you really going to tell me that stealing is wrong?"

[A: Yes, stealing is always wrong.
B: No. You have to do what you have to do.
C: It depends on the situation.]

[A: Yes, stealing is always wrong.]

- Cleo -

As usual, the sight of Nihility's demon made Cleo's stomach turn. Something about the creature just felt sickening, even if it was their ally. Not for the first time, he wondered how the woman could handle working so closely with Shoggoth.

The twins' failure hadn't really come as much of a surprise to him, all things considered, but he would have preferred to have started things on less hostile terms. There wasn't a lot of point in crying over spilled milk though.

"You're correct. We're not the boss of you. However, your actions have led us to this confrontation. So, don't go pretending like you bear no blame for your friend's situation, if you even truly call him that." Cleo gestured to Tuck, who was futilely struggling to stay out of Shoggoth's reach. "Obviously, if you're unwilling to take the situation seriously, then forfeiting his life is the choice you make by refusing to cooperate."

"I personally don't want to see any harm come to him, but tell me. How is us taking his life any different than you taking the livelihood of those you steal from? If feeding him means taking the earnestly grown food off of a family's table, then this way, there's one less thieving mouth to feed."

He didn't know what kind of life these kids had lived up until now. Something in the way the boy spoke made it sound like stealing was just the most convenient way for them to survive, but that didn't excuse the fact that they had chosen the convenient solution, rather than an honest one.

Cleo turned a sad smile towards the group of demons. "That's just the way it is. We would do the same with human thieves. So, it's not like you're getting special treatment."

"If you've got anything useful to contribute, I'm still listening." Cleo gestured towards the group. "But it sounded to me like you have nothing to say for yourselves. So, I guess you'd prefer we just get on with it?"

[A: Yes, stealing is always wrong.]

Nihility listened to the arguments and had to agree with her fellow Vanguard.

"It is true that we don't know about your past and from where your actions are driven from, but that fault solely falls on you. Just because a person doesn't get caught once when they steal, it doesn't mean that they should continue indulging themselves in the act, even if it is for survival. Stealing is always wrong no matter who does it, and eventually, every action has its dire consequences. You could justify your cause and it may sound plausible to you, but at the end of the day, do you honestly feel glad that your happiness was on the cost of directly causing pain to another?"

Nihility waved her hand and an empty space cleared around Tuck's feet. He was still surrounded by the Purple Ooze but at least he wouldn't feel like he was wading in a swamp.

"From what we are told, you never even contacted any of the villages to ask for assistance. You assumed on your own that no one would help you. That they won't share their wealth with you. The lot of you attacked them first and now you are angered that they are retaliating? We are not your boss, we are your neighbours. And it is polite and the right thing to do to seek permission, before you take someone else's hard-earned items which they placed their heart, sweat and soul in to prepare. Anyone would get angry if someone took away what they worked on so hard for, without even asking them or leaving a note explaining their actions of doing so."


The female vanguard stepped forward and opened her arms invitingly.

"But, some of us are willing to be the bigger person and still allow you to share your side of the story. Try to convince us that you aren't the villains in this story. That we may find a way to live in harmony. Because believe me, there are people in this world who would have killed you on the spot or done worse, for the way you have conducted yourselves. And they too would feel justified in it, as per their laws."



One of the mouths snapped next to Nihility making her jerk her head towards it.

"Aah!! Quit your yapping, woman!! Let me just eat them and save the rest of us from you boring us to death." Shoggoth's impatient voice cried next to her ear.

Nihility swatted away the appendage in annoyance.

"No, I am willing to give them a chance to redeem themselves here. We need to be patient, show that we can be civil and fight back our basic instincts."

The purple mouth sulked away, "You are being naive and only fooling yourself, Demons will be demons, they'll never change, they will do whatever they have to do to get whatever they want."

"You changed, after meeting me, so it is not true for everyone." Nihility spoke to her demon reassuringly.

Glowing Yellow eyes blinked open all over the purple pool and turned towards the female vanguard for a few seconds. Shoggoth then broke the silence by turning all of her gazes towards the MerryMen.

"I am talking about them." She ended the argument coldly.

Alignment Check:

Spoiler:

Robin Wind stared down Cleo as he spoke, grinding his teeth. But when Nihility piped up, he broke his composure with a burst of laughter.

"Ask for assistance? You stupid or something?" he barked out. "Yeah, we'll surrender all right - so you can strap us to posts or stuff us in your gauntlets! I don't think so. We didn't escape the White Fiend so we could be enslaved by you lot instead!"

The Merry Men all moved together, staring down the Vanguards, when a voice burst out from cover.

"Hey, look out!"

It was Jack, pointing up at the post. As the Vanguards turned, they saw Tuck had managed to spring his bindings while they were distracted and scurry to the top of the post, where he perched with an insufferably smug expression.

"You little rat!" the twins cried, shaking their fists at him as he stuck his tongue out.

"So much for your leverage," Robin Wind jeered, grinning. "Now, let's see how you like being taken captive. Merry Men, get 'em!"

Spoiler:

Robin Wind swooped toward Cleo, firing off a volley of arrows toward him. The Fomorian barreled toward Nihility with a cry, fists upraised to strike.

The female demon sighed. "Willett..."

The little red demon shrugged. "No, helping it, Allandale. Watch after Stutely. I'll keep an eye on the boss."

Allandale nodded and swept gracefully after the Fomorian while Willett trotted a safe distance behind Robin Wind.

"Here goes nothing," he sighed, then began to dance a strange, tribal dance. As he did, his body began to glow, as did the forms of his companions.

"Hahaha!! Didn't I warn you this would happen." Shoggoth's cackle resonated throughout her body with bubbles erupting as it did.

The Female Vanguard shook her head in disappointment. "No one said anything about slavery. I was even going to set your friend free... if only you had asked nicely."

"Don't fret it, they gave you no choice." Shoggoth tried to console Nihility.

"Aah!" The vanguard sighed irritatedly. "I suppose, you are right." Nihility clenched her fists, ready for battle. "Let's do this."


"Cleo!!" Nihility shouted to get her Vanguard partner's attention. "Enter Shoggoth and Switch with Robin!!"

Nihility ignored the raging ram and instead dashed towards Cleo to shorten their distance.


Shoggoth's body was spread about on the land so it wouldn't take too much time for anyone to enter her domain. She allowed the big demon to splash his way a bit into her before unleashing her Vampiric Tendrils to wrap around and bind the demon, following up with her other tendrils hardening into lances, and spear through the demon, but making sure not to cut in too deeply or through vital spots. Her purpose was to immobilize the target, not kill it. She had plenty to go around, now that she was levelled up.


At the other side, Nihility loosened her whip-sword from around her waist, let it skim over the purple liquid as she ran, and would skid to a halt next to Cleo. The male vanguard would have activated his Bait and Switch skill at the very moment. Without delay, Shoggoth would unleash her remaining Vampiric Tendrils to completely secure the little demon, raised it up towards Nihility's waist and then further support the body onto her spiked tendrils. The razor-sharp whip-sword would be flung around Robin like a garrote, ready to slice off his head with a flick of Nihility's wrists.

"Nobody even moves a muscle!! You twitch and he dies!!" Nihility would coldly stare down at the ensnared demon. "That goes for you too."

Shoggoth's liquid ooze of a body would throw up a hardened field of thorns circling Nihility and her captive inside. Creating a kind of barrier to stop anyone from easily moving in or out from.


"You all need to calm down." The vanguard was stern with her words.

Nihility had resolved herself to stop this battle as quickly as possible and by any means necessary.

- Cleo -

Cleo fought the urge to roll his eyes when things seemingly turned sour. Of course the twins hadn't properly tied up the young demon. He'd anticipated that. The bigger problem was the fact that none of these demons seemed willing to listen to reason. From the phrasing of Robin's words, it sounded like the group had just escaped some kind of threat and were still riding the high of their own hype.

He only raised an eyebrow at Robin's arrows, which seemingly deflected off of him, pushed away by Cleo's Hidden Hand spell. As Cleo reached for his katana, Nihility called out to him though. Creepy and gross as it might be, her plan was a good one.

Cleo sidestepped the next arrow, motioning for the flying demon to come at him. "Is that the best you can do? I felt more wind off your words than these arrows." He took another step back and felt it squish against Shoggoth.

"Let me show you what a real attack looks like." Cleo raised an open hand towards Robin, using his Bait and Switch spell. The air around them shifted, a sensation that Cleo had long since gotten used to, but many found it disorienting the first couple of times.

A short fall from Robin's previous height wasn't anything Cleo couldn't solve with a shoulder roll, and a second later, he rose to one knee, observing Nihility's trap in action.

"Is that the best you can do? I felt more wind off your words than these arrows."

Robin's eye twitched at Cleo's words. But before he could retort, he felt a disorienting lurch and found himself hovering over the mass of purple slime.

"What the-?"

Robin's eyes bulged in alarm as Shoggoth's tentacles lanced toward him, but he tucked his arms and legs up into himself, like a mid-air fetal position. As he did, a cocoon of wind formed around him, knocking aside the tendrils.

"You want some wind?" Robin sneered at Cleo. "Typhoon... Boom!"

Throwing his arms and legs out, he unleashed the cocoon of wind in a sudden gust, throwing back Cleo, Nihility, and the puddle of Shoggoth's body.

"Lana, separate 'em!" Robin cried.

The Silky sighed and nodded. "Ice Wall!" Throwing up her hands, a wall of ice burst up from the ground, pushing Cleo and Nihility away from each other.

"Change of plans," Robin announced. "Stutely, you take Smart-Mouth. I'll handle the moving Vomit Puddle."

The Fomorian bellowed and charged at Cleo, bringing his fists smashing down on him. The Vanguard was probably too fast, though... if he could move.

"Back to the Earth!" Willett changed, softening the earth beneath Cleo's feet before hardening it again around his ankles.

Meanwhile, Robin took to the air, grinning down at Nihility. "Grow as many tentacles as you want. Without wings, you'll never catch me."

Aiming an arrow, Robin let it fly at Nihility before zooming through the air, peppering her with more shots from the side.

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

Benji and Boggs, watching the battle with awe, turned their attention aside when they noticed Tuck attempting to sneak away back toward the woods.

"Hey, we can't let him get away!" Boggs said, springing to his feet.

"If we recapture him, we'll have leverage again," Benji said with a nod.

The two rushed after him. Tuck, noticing their regained focus on him, turned tail and booked it toward the treeline.

"Oh no, you don't, you little rat!" Boggs cried as they rushed toward him.

Tuck came to an abrupt halt near the tree line, then turned to face them with something in his hand.

An axe.

"Yeah, you want something?" Tuck said, tossing the axe up and catching it again.

The twins froze in place, eyes following the path of the axe.

"We..."

"Uh..."

With a wicked glint in his eye, Tuck charged toward them, axe raised. Screeching, the twins began to run, the sounds of a whizzing axe and cheery cackle right at the heels.

Robin might have sacrificed something precious to be bestowed with such bizarre luck. He avoided getting caught in Shoggoth's trap and even managed to escape back up into the air with help from a blast of wind.

As Cleo had shoulder rolled a bit farther off; the Typhoon Boom was well away from Nihility's position and so, she was not able to counter Robin's attack. Robin's friend even managed to further separate them by throwing up a wall between the two vanguards.

"This Lana person might become a nuisance if not dealt with. Nihility thought to herself as she deflected the arrows that Robin was shooting at her.


"You seem to be mistaken."

*BLOCK* *BLOCK* *BLOCK*

"We don't need wings..."

*BLOCK* *BLOCK* *BLOCK*

"To capture the likes of you."

*BLOCK* *BLOCK* *BLOCK*

"So fire away as many arrows from up there..."

*BLOCK* *BLOCK* *BLOCK*

"I only need to let you hit me once."

*BLOCK* *BLOCK* *BLOCK*


Nihility had stood her ground the entire time and parried away the attacks from Robin. At every third arrow that was stopped, her eyes would glimmer.


Through their mental link, the vanguard relayed her attack plan over to her demon partner.


In a flash, a Purple portal manifested right at Nihility's back.

"Spell Absorb!!" The vanguard shouted.

In a swirl of Blue Maga, the portal sucked into the female caster and her eyes began glowing with a purplish hue.

Nihility raised her arm up into the air towards Robin and shouted: "Spellception!!"

"Vampiric Tendril Wrap!!" Shoggoth and Nihility yelled in unison.


Six Portals popped all around the blonde flying demon in green garb, boxing him inside from every angle there was. Leaving only a distance of half a foot from his front, behind, above, below and the remeaning sides, purple tentacles would shoot out to grab onto his limbs to bind his torso, legs, wrists, arms, neck and whatever they could grab to confine him in a position where he wouldn't be able to move or attack.

Nihility still would have two more portals stored as a backup, to use as the situation would call for. Probably to stop any of Robin's compatriots from interfering.


"Do you still want to continue with this farce, little demon?" Nihility questioned him as she manoeuvered the tendrils to pull at the body of the little creature.

A little pain goes a long way, the vanguard thought as she continued to slowly stretch the demon's body parts, though not too violently, for Nihility didn't really want to rip Robin apart.

- Cleo -

Cleo only had a moment to react to the explosion of air that rocked him backwards. Rolling across his back, he drew his Wakizashi and drove it into the ground, using that as an anchor to avoid getting pushed too far away from the fight.

The familiar, cold surge of Sage Focus' power rushed through him, creeping up his arm and into his shoulder. This definitely wasn't the best timing, but it was a use it or lose it situation. Raising a hand towards the charging demon, Cleo used his Bait and Switch to swap places with it, leaving the slightly disoriented Stutely to sink into the muddy earth that his teammate had just softened.

"Kitten." Nekomata appeared beside him with a feral grin. "Deal with the red one. You don't have to bring him down, but we can't have him throwing magic around while we're distracted with the others."

"Consider it done." Her tail twitched as she darted across the open ground, like a bull seeing red.

The big one surely wouldn't take long to break free from the ground behind him. So, Cleo had to make the most of his time now. The woman in the back was probably their healer, which meant she probably had limited offensive capabilities. It was also likely that the others wouldn't do anything that might harm her, which made her the best target.

Obviously sensing his intentions, the woman raised a hand towards Cleo, and the swirl of ice magic began to roll off her. "Not this time!" Cleo glared at the currents of magic, which suddenly seemed to dry up under the force of his Cast Jamming.

Looking both frightened and confused, the woman took a step back, but Cleo was already there. Grabbing her still outstretched wrist, he pulled her against him, wrapping his other arm around her back. "May I have this dance?" He breathed into her ear, shifting his grip from her wrist to interlace their fingers when she attempted to pull away.

"You see, I'm not particularly thrilled with this combat, and even though you were hanging in the back, I can tell you're no wallflower." Cleo stepped to one side, twisting their bodies so that he could see Stutely over her shoulder. "So, maybe the two of us can just enjoy the moment while your rowdy friends calm down?"

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

- Nekomata -

The heat from her Flameflick rushed from Nekomata's claws as she aimed it at the red demon dancing in the background. The sooner she disposed of this creature, the sooner she could get Cleo out of the arms of that other demon.

Her eyes glinted with a feral light as her claws extended and retracted, anticipating the moment she could sink them into the demon before her. Cleo said she didn't have to bring it down, but he didn't tell her not to rough it up a bit...

Stutely blinked in surprise, glancing around at his partially submerged body before bleating angrily. Using his large fists, he began to pound the earth to dislodge himself.

Willett sighed, scratching his head with his staff. "That kid's spell is really annoying..."

Turning his attention from his currently occupied teammate, he focused his gaze on Nekomata as the flames from her spell raced toward him. Hopping nimbly on his feet, he backpedaled from her and aimed his staff at her.

"If it's all the same to you, this combat stuff really isn't my thing," he sighed. "But if I have to... Stun Lock!"

He aimed the paralyzing spell at her, just as Stutely broke loose and charged at her from behind, a trail of poisonous vapor oozing from his mouth.

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

"Oh!" Allandale gasped as Cleo pulled her into a dance. This was... unexpected. But not unpleasant.

Allowing Cleo to take the lead, Allandale found herself smiling as he led her through the steps of a simple waltz. While she didn't like this fight any more than she did, she also knew that she had to back up the Merry Men, no matter what.

Perhaps that was an answer, in its own way.

"It's a little too busy around here to enjoy the moment," she said, a pleasant lilt to her words. "Perhaps... a more private setting?"

Twisting into him, she slipped her hands from his and raised them up, casting her Ice Wall to form a circle around them, blocking them off from the others.

"Isn't that better?" she said, sweeping her dress out as their reflections glimmered across the icy barrier around them.

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

Robin Wind bared his teeth in an aggressive grin as Nihility continued to block his attacks.

"You talk a big game," he said. "But let's see you try this on for size."

Leveling an arrow at the Vanguard, he drew it back and let wind charge around it, spinning like a drill.

"Eat this! Burst Arro- huh?"

Robin cried out in surprise as portals appeared around him, tendrils shooting out to latch onto them. He tried to dodge, even as they wrapped around his legs and waist, trying to fire off his arrow. With a cry, just as one horrible appendage wrapped around his arm, he let the arrow fly.

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

Jack and Tamara watched from cover as the fight waged on.

"There has to be something we can do..." Tamara said. "Someone might get hurt."

"As long as it's one of the demons," Jack muttered.

Tamara shot him a reproachful look. "As long as we have that attitude, nothing's ever going to get better."

Jack said nothing, but he looked off to where the twins were being chased by Tuck.

"I can't just sit here," he said, picking up his shovel. "I'm going to help."

Running out from cover, he raced over toward the forest.

"C'mon, don't you guys want to tie me up again?" Tuck laughed. "I'm right here! Why don't you turn around and-"

He cried out in surprise as his axe was blocked by Jack's shovel. Jack shoved hard, knocking the little demon back.

"You demons are always attacking and tormenting us," Jack snapped.

"You tied me to a pole first!" Tuck lunged forward, smacking his axe against Jack's shovel.

"Because you were stealing from us!" Jack countered, shoving the demon away again.

This time, Tuck well right onto his bottom, glaring up at the other man. "Because people depend on us to survive!"

Jack paused, staring down at the little demon. What did he...?

Something whizzed through the air toward them. Jack gasped and dropped back as the arrow shot past and slammed into the woods, toppling several trees toward them. Tuck squealed, crawling back on his hands and feet, but he couldn't move fast enough.

Jack hesitated, then- "Damn it!" He rushed in and threw himself on the little demon just as the fallen trees buried them.

- Nekomata -

Nekomata frowned as she came to a sudden halt. Clearly, this little red demon had more tricks up his sleeve. Her claws extended, but her fingers wouldn't move. Likewise, she couldn't force her legs to move either.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose at the sound of heavy footfalls behind her, and Nekomata blinked in frustration.

Blinked?

The spell seemed to affect her mobility, but not her nuanced movements. Locking eyes with Willett, Nekomata attempted to pull him in with her Wicked Wiles and school her expression. She was unable to dodge whatever attack was coming from behind her, but the red demon would perceive her as a tiny, helpless, wide-eyed kitten, about to be flattened by his large friend.

Spoiler:

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

- Cleo -

"They're always trying to get me alone." Cleo muttered, allowing his hands to drift up the Silky's sides, following her arms to her fingertips. "But I hardly think this is that kind of dance, and you didn't strike me as that sort of woman."

He twisted the fingers of one hand around her wrists, giving her a twirl. After a spin and a half, he caught her around the ribs, pulling her back to his front while still holding her wrists over her head. "I don't suppose you could convince your friends to be a little less confrontational?" Cleo whispered over her shoulder as he slowly lowered her arms in front of her while continuing to sway. "I think this entire ordeal would be more pleasant for everyone involved if your leader was willing to be a little more..."

"Pliable." Cleo blew the last word directly into her ear.

Nihility saw that Robin was struggling with a last-ditch effort. She readied herself to get hit with the charged up arrow. The attack would have let her teleport up in the sky next to Robin. It would further prove her point that unlike the MerryDemon, she didn't need wings to get close to him when he thought he was unreachable. To her dismay, the arrow backed with the force of a tornado miss fired into the most unforeseeable location.

"Jack, watch out!!" Nihility screamed and threw her left arm towards the location of where the trees flew down to crush their chauffeur and the tiny demon that he risked his life to protect.


Utilizing the remaining power of the spell she learned from Shoggoth, Nihility opened up two portals and let tendrils zip through to grab on to the logs and pull them away. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. She could only temporarily latch onto two trees. The two victims were still trapped under the vegetation.

"Shoggoth!! Release him and focus on rescuing those two." The Vanguard commanded her demon as she too made her way to the destruction.


Nihility sprinted to the area with concern for the wellbeing of the two caught up as collateral damage. Cursing herself for being completely useless in the situation as she didn't have any spells or abilities of her own, that she could utilize at this moment.


The purple ooze cancelled out her spell and leapt into action at her Partner's request.


"This is ridiculous. Why do I have to do the heavy lifting just to get two good-for-nothing beings out of danger."  

Shoggoth complained about the task but still went about wrapping her body around some of the trees and threw them aside.

"Do I at least get to eat one of them?" She asked Nihility with a little bit of glee in her tone.

"Of course not! Just get the stuff away from them. This is your fault. If only you would have stopped Robin from firing off his attack." Nihility scolded the Purple Demon

"Huh!? Some spunk you have for blaming me for this!!!" Shoggoth retorted back, astounded by the accusation. "You were the one who wanted him to fire his arrow at you."


Nihility threw up her hands in frustration. "Just get on with it. If they die, their ghosts will haunt you for the next thirteen years."

Shoggoth rolled a few of her demonic eyes at Nihility's warning, but continued to dig through.

Robin gasped, his face going white as Tuck was buried beneath the trees.

"Tuck!" he cried, using Nihility's distraction to burst free from her bindings and hurtle toward the forest's edge.

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

Willett stared into Nekomata's eyes, realizing exactly what she was trying to do, but...

"Damn it..." he muttered as Stutely charged up behind her, his body and poison aura ready to bowl her over.

Leaping forward, Willett tackled her out of the way of Stutely's rampage, the earth quaking around them as he passed by it.

The Rolwoy stared up at Nekomata on top of him, sighing in an almost resigned way. At the sight of Tuck's distress, he rolled up into a ball and out of Nekomata's reach before hurrying to toward the fallen trees.

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

Allanadale smiled in amusement at Cleo's words, allowing him to continue leading their dance.

"Would that I had such sway," she sighed. "My influence is a gentle breeze to Robin's hurricane."

Her shoulders drooped slightly, her expression distant.

"He has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. And he's doing his best to meet it. I don't always agree with his methods, but I feel compelled to nurture him as he tries his best to lead."

She turned to look at Cleo, vulnerable, when she gave a start at the sound of the cries of Tuck's name. Dispelling the ice wall from around them, she abandoned her waltz with Cleo to hurry to the fallen trees.

The others had already gathered there, just behind Shoggoth, who seemed to be trying to remove the fallen trees.

"Back away!" Robin demanded of the other demon. "We'll handle this. Stutely!"

The Fomorian nodded and seized onto tree trunks, hurtling them aside haphazardly, while the other three remained close by.

"There!" Willet said, pointing his staff.

Tuck's bushy brown tail could be seen from beneath a trunk. Stutely bleated and hoisted the trunk up, revealing Jack's bruised body, Tuck's tail peeking out from beneath him. Allanadale knelt down and rolled him over gently, revealing an unscathed Tuck curled safely there.

"Tuck!" Robin cried, flying over and grabbing hold of the other demon.

Tuck was distracted, however, his eyes fixed on Jack.

"....mister?" he whispered, prodding Jack.

Jack groaned, his eyes fluttering weakly before shutting again.

"Jack!" Tamara cried, finally reaching the group and falling to her knees beside him.

"Mister, why did you..."

Allanadale stood up and motioned for Stutely to pick up Jack. Turning to the Vanguards, she clasped her hands and frowned.

"We need to take him back to our camp. He's in bad shape, but we have plenty of healers. We should be able to mend him."

Robin gaped. "Take him back! We can't just-"

"Robin." Though her voice and expression remained calm, something about her unflinching gaze made Robin wilt.

"I think she's right," Willett said, shrugging his shoulders at the demon hovering slightly above him. "He saved Tuck's life. We can't just let him suffer. Or die."

Robin sank to the ground. "Yeah... I know."

After a few moment's hesitation, he swept up into the air and pointed at the Vanguards.

"All right, listen up. We're going to head back to our camp with him. We'll settle this matter once your friend's looked after."

He zoomed off through the trees, with Allanadale and Stutely holding Jack just behind him. Willett brought up the tail end, leading the Vanguards on.

"You two stay here," Tamara told the twins, who opened their mouths to protest. "No! It's not up for debate. I'm going to look after Jack. We'll be back later."

Sulking, the twins trudged back to the town, watching as the procession disappeared into the woods.

"Think they'll make it back alive?" Benji asked.

"Nope."

- Cleo -

"Nurturing doesn't mean giving free reign." Cleo responded, brushing his thumb over her cheek as they continued to sway.

Whatever moment they might have enjoyed was ruined by the sudden screams from outside their wall of isolation and Allanadale rushing towards a nest of fallen trees. Cleo sighed, following after her at a distance. At least it seemed like the fighting had ceased.

Nekomata appeared at his side after a moment, but she didn't speak. Judging from the look on her face, dealing with the little red demon hadn't gone well, and that wasn't a topic Cleo was about to bring up right now.

As they approached the group, Stutely pulled a wounded Jack from beneath the rubble, and Cleo bit back a curse. Getting people caught in the crossfire was a hazard of the job, but he didn't like it. How had the man even gotten involved in this mess?

"He stepped in to help the twins." Nekomata answered, and Cleo realized that he'd actually muttered the question aloud.

Thankfully, it looked like the silky did know when to put her young leader in his place. He couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't done so before now, but considering where they were headed, it was likely that he'd have his answer soon. Plus, the demons had a resource that Jack needed right now. Pressing their current issue could wait until the man was healed and safely out of harm's way. After that, Cleo would have words with this 'Robin' character.