Standard Mission: Singing Bones

- Cleo -

Cleo felt his adrenaline levels begin to rise when Akio confirmed this wasn't a noise she was familiar with. That meant it could be the source of their problems. With one hand still on the hilt of his katana, he moved fluidly towards the clearing.

"I want to carry you off into the trees." The words were out of Cleo's mouth, even as he slipped past Akio and towards the noise. "But that hardly seems conducive to the completion of our investigation. So, I'll refrain." He smirked at her over his shoulder. Then, he silently stalked towards the edge of the clearing in hopes of getting a better look at the source of the noise that had disturbed their little walk.

The Assembly Hall

- Bastion -

A warmth swelled in Bastion's chest at Rohan's words. To have someone not only understand his position but agree with it was something he'd been craving even before he was dragged into this conflict between the angels and Mother Harlot.

"You're right," he said, smiling. "Thank you."

Before he could say anything more, Archangel tensed, his wings ruffling. "Bastion."

Bastion sat up straight and turned, eyes trained on the spot where Archangel was staring.

"Movement in the forest," the angel went on. "I cannot determine what it is."

The Vanguard bit his lip. It could be a false alarm, and they could end up giving the demon the opening it needed to slip into the village unopposed. But if it was the demon...

Mother Harlot's wicked, soulless smile flashed through his mind, and then the terrible pain lancing through his heart. He winced, his nails digging at his jacket over his heart, and shook his head.

If it was the demon, one wrong move could end up with both of them dead. He should be there.

"Go on ahead," he ordered Archangel. "I'll follow."

Archangel hesitated, studying the determination in his eyes, then nodded and took off toward the woods. Bastion then turned to Rohan and nodded, knowing the other man would understand the situation, and ran off in the direction Archangel had gone.

Mountain Village

Forest

Akio was focused on the noise ahead when Cleo’s untimely comment made its way over. She looked at him surprised. He was very forward.

“You always say what you want?” she asked, looking slightly flustered but forcing herself to stay composed.

“But maybe you’ll want to deal with them first…” she added and pointed towards the clearing.

As they approached the clearing in the forest, they saw that it was illuminated by the moonlight as it was a clear night, and the moon was almost full.

In the middle they could see more bodies moving, hunched over something in a pile.

Akio couldn’t quite make out their number.

“Are they… feeding on something?” she asked her voice nearly faltering.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler: The answer to that question is yes. It’s a dead human body : P
OOC: I'll get you their profile sheets once I see what you decide to do ; )
------------------

Assembly Hall

Their conversation was interrupted when Archangel spoke.

Rohan’s expression became serious in an instant.

“Yes go,” he said to Bastion and also began to move off the roof. “I’ll get my men on alert. Let me know if you need anything, but otherwise we won’t get in your way.”

- Cleo -

“It’s best not to ask questions when you’re not prepared for the answers.” Cleo responded with a wink and a grin before turning his attention fully towards the clearing. The sight before him wasn’t a pleasant one. Several demons huddled over a carcass, rending flesh from bone as they fed. Even at a distance, it was obviously humanoid in form. So, Cleo could pretty easily guess what had transpired.

Beside him, Akio whispered another question, and Cleo frowned as he whispered his response. “Remember the thing I just said about asking questions when you don’t really want to know the answers? I think it probably applies here too.”

Reaching over his shoulder, Cleo gripped the hilt of his Zanbato, silently drawing it over his head.

“Nightingale, if you wouldn’t mind setting up a few dominoes for me…”

With a nod, the demon raised one of her arms skyward, and three sheets of ice rapidly rose from the ground amidst the feeding frenzy. Before they’d even finished forming, Cleo had already stepped forward, sweeping his blade downward through the air.

A barely visible ripple swirled through the night air as the wind from his Vortex Slash drove forward, slamming into the top of the nearest ice sheet. With a splintering crack, it toppled onto the next one, and that into the next before all three came crashing down upon the demons that had been too slow or too distracted to move.

The creaking sound of ice being dragged along ice rang out loudly in the stillness of the night, probably loud enough to be heard from the village. It might be an effective tactic, but it was far from subtle.

Tapping his gauntlet, Cleo opened a line to Bastion before pulling his blade back up to rest upon his shoulder. “We started the party without you, but if you want to be fashionably late, I think you can find us.”

Mountain Village

Forest

As soon as they stepped into the clearing, the demons noticed them. In a wave of hiss noise and high-pitched screeches, the demons scattered apart.

Suddenly the falling ice was engulfed in flames, causing it to melt in an instant. Two of the Yamachichi on the ground had used their abilities to create a firestorm. The fire only increased the contrast of the dark forest around them. The cold night air began to heat up and a wave of hot air blasted into the forest as the effects dissipated and the clearing sank back into darkness.

Another Yamachichi rose into the air, making another high-pitched sound as it flapped its wings towards Cleo and Akio. The moving air that moved towards them was hot and dry and filled with sand.

Down on the ground, two of the other creatures had taken Silky into their sights. Suddenly their back stingers lit up and shot powerful blinding rays towards her, lighting up the clearing even more. Anyone susceptible to light would be blinded by sudden brightness.

Another Pabilsag sat near the body, nearly unscathed from the clash of fire and ice. It just sat there, seemingly whispering to himself while the commotion continued around it.

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

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

- Cleo -

Cleo let out a low whistle as fire licked over the ice walls, turning them into little more than a warm splash against the forest floor. Obviously, you expected for things to not always go according to plan, but rarely did such a straightforward plan fail so spectacularly. He hadn't anticipated the demons having access to fire magic though.

"I assume you already know this, but you should probably stay behind me." Cleo called to Akio over his shoulder as he let his zanbato drop towards the ground. Gripping it with both hands, he swept it upwards. Then, sliced back down, into the updraft, causing a small tornado with his Vortex Slash that cleaved through the swirling sand and threw it back in the direction it had come from.

As a blinding light seared across his vision, Cleo heard Silky cry out, the only verbal sound she'd made all night. He muttered a curse as he blinked against the harsh colors poisoning his night vision. A moment later, he felt a cold hand touch his arm, and his vision cleared. Before him stood a clearly annoyed Silky, who had used her Cleanse spell on both Cleo and herself to clear away the effects of the blinding. She gestured angrily towards the demons in the clearing before moving towards Akio, probably to clear her vision as well.

Rolling his eyes at her obvious "command", Cleo shouldered his zanbato again and sized up the demons. Fire was a problem for him at long range, but he couldn't move in without abandoning Akio to fend for herself.

This type of situation was exactly why they needed Vayu.

The Mountain Village - Forest

- Bastion -

The Yamachichis scattered as Cleo sent their sandstorm attack back toward them, one of them wheeling around to dive toward a distracted Silky as she tried to cleanse Akio from the Pabilsag's spell. But before it could reach them, a figure dived through the air and crashed into the demon, sending it hurtling into a nearby tree.

In a flap of wings, Archangel settled himself in front of Silky and Akio.

"Go," he barked at Cleo, though his sharp eyes remained fixed on the Yamachichi.

Raising his sword, it flashed with light as he brought it slashing down. "Justice!" he cried, sending a slicing wave of light at the creature.

As Cleo moved away from the group, the Pabilsag's snapped their claws menacingly, moving from either side in a pincer formation. But a moment later, Bastion emerged from the trees, brandishing his spear.

"Holy Horn!" he called, shooting a shaft of light through his spear at the nearest Pabilsag.

Mountain Village

Forest

When the demons began their attack, Akio had ducked behind a tree. She now emerged unscathed when Silky approached.

“I’m fine,” she waved off the help of the demon. Carrying no weapons, she knew she wouldn’t be much help in this situation.

Suddenly Archangel landed in front of them and the Yamachichi crashed into a tree. However, it didn’t stay down for long and immediately hurled itself back at Archangel. Its sharp claws outstretched it latched onto Archangel’s sword arm, biting down in a Kiss of death.

The Pabilsag, who’d been sitting on the ground,whispering the Foolish whisper chant, jumped up celebrating. But it was short lived when Bastion’s Holy Horn crashed through it.

It twitched one last time and then the life left its body.

While the Vortex Slash had cancelled out much of the sandstorm, the two Yamachichi simply jumped into the air using the wind to ride around the Vortex to attack Cleo from above. They switched to fire, launching a wave of fire towards Cleo.

In an act of vengeance, the other two Pabilsag turned their attention to Bastion. Their stingers began to glow and one charged at Bastion, trying to grip at his weapon and destroy it. The other shot rays of maga towards Bastion and the sky lit up once again.

The Mountain Village - Forest

- Bastion -

Archangel scowled as the Yamachichi dodged his attack, then latched onto his arm in a cursed bite.

"Filth!" he barked. "Your greed will be your undoing. Void Dark!"

In a flash of light from his wings, the cursed effects of the Yamachichi's bite were undone, and the flow of maga abruptly cut off. Before it could disengage itself, Archangel brought his sword down at the demon's neck to hack it in two.

At the same time, the two remaining Pabilsag's turned their attention on Bastion, who took a deep breath and let himself feel the lingering warmth of Asra's touch.

"Revelation."

A faint glow appeared deep within his eyes just as the Pabilsag unleashed its blinding rays. His natural instinct was to attempt to run, but he felt a tug within him to remain where he was. Shielding himself against the onslaught of maga tearing at his skin and clothes, he forced himself to ignore the pain and focus on his own spell.

"Focus," he muttered, his magical power doubling just as he felt the rumbling of the other Pabilsag as it snapped its claws at his spear. He let it latch on, unintentionally turning the spear right at its own head just as Bastion forced his enhanced spell through the shaft.

"Holy Horn!" he called, blasting the shaft of light at the Pabilsag's face.

- Cleo -

With a nod to Archangel, Cleo surged forward, towards the flying demons. Now that he knew Akio would be protected, he could actually go on the offensive.

Ahead of him, the two Yamachichis swirled around either side of his vortex unleashing more flames in his direction. With a smirk, Cleo raised an arm towards the nearest of the two and used his Bait and Switch spell to swap places with it, putting the demon right in the path of the flames now bearing down on where he had been a moment before.

While he still had the element of surprise, Cleo swept his zanbato upward, using his Vortex Slash to suck the second demon towards him, and hopefully unbalancing it with the sudden gust of air. As it tumbled into his reach, Cleo brought the zanbato back down, this time using it's Crushing Strike with the intention of cleaving the beast in two.

From her spot near the tree line, Silky spun in place, raising her arms over her head. A moment later, Healing Waters spouted forth from the ground near her feet, raining down their healing power over Bastion and Archangel.

Forest

The Yamachichi on Archangel’s arm shrieked when his sword descended on his neck. Abruptly there was silence and the body dropped to the forest floor with a dull thud.

The two Pabilsag honing in on Bastion unleashed their attacks at the same time. The one who rushed in close came face to face with the spear. Before it could react, the Bastion’s spell, hit it squarely in the face. Amidst all the flashing lights, it was blasted back and landed in a smoking heap.

On the other side of the meadow, fire light up the dark sky. With Cleo unleashing his spell successfully, one of the Yamachichi found itself now facing the inferno that was meant for Cleo. It tried to escape, but the flames already licked at its sensitive wings.

The other demon however spread its wings and used the wind to gain some distance up into the sky. It shrieked with fear and anger. The remaining demons responded in kind and they quickly fled into the forest, abandoning their fallen and the dead body.

It didn’t take long for the fire and light to die down. Soon they found themselves in the quiet meadow that was now once again only lit up by the stars.

Akio stepped tentatively further onto the meadow, looking shaken but composed. She herself was unsure if the savage actions of the wild demons or the display of fighting prowess by the Vanguards had affected her more.

“Did anyone get hurt?”

Choice:
A. Bring the body back to the village.
B. Pursue the demons.

The Mountain Village - Forest

- Bastion -

A) Bring the body back to the village.

Bastion rubbed at his eyes, panting as the demons retreated. Once the threat seemed mitigated, he lowered his spear and turned to Akio, who asked if anyone was hurt.

"We should be asking you that," he said, approaching her. It seemed that she had escaped any harm before they'd arrived, however, and Archangel had guarded her and Silky well.

Archangel settled next to Bastion and turned his fierce eyes toward the forest. "We should pursue the demons before they get too far."

Bastion considered his words, then turned to the body lying on the ground, desecrated by the demons. His stomach turned as he thought of Rohan, of the people in the village like him, and the equal pain and relief to have their loved one returned, even in death.

"No," he said softly. "We should bring them back."

Archangel opened his mouth to argue, but Bastion held up a hand.

"Those demons couldn't have been the culprit," he reasoned. "None of them had the stealth or the capability to lure the village men out of their beds. Either they're unrelated scavengers who happened upon the body and no use to us, or they're minions of the culprit and wouldn't tell us anything anyway."

Bastion approached the body and knelt beside it, studying it. "If we return the body, though, it might yield some information or clues we could use. And anyway..." He glanced at Akio. "It's the right thing to do. Giving them some dignity in death is all we can do for them now."

A. Bring the body back to the village.

- Cleo -

Cleo bit back a curse as the other demon darted upwards and away from his swing. Without wings of his own, he had no hope of pursuing the creature. So, the best he could do was swing his zanbato downward, using the force of the wind its Vortex Slash generated to cushion his fall.

He considered going after the demons for a moment, but Bastion was right. These likely weren't the culprits they'd been seeking. With a sigh, he rose to his feet and sheathed his blade. "I think it's safe to say that a few people got hurt." Cleo responded as he turned back towards the others. "Thankfully, none of them were us."

Silky moved to him and patted the ashes off his clothes, clearly looking for wounds in the process, but after a moment, she stood aside with a satisfied nod. Taking that to mean he'd passed muster, Cleo moved towards the bodies, crouching to get a better look at the now-dead demons.

"Do you think it's worth dragging a couple of these back to be inspected as well?" He asked the others as he poked one of the carcasses with the hilt of his katana.

Mountain Village

Forest

“I’m fine,” she responded. “I’m just sorry that I couldn’t be of any help.”

Akio silently watched the discussion about their next steps. Bastion and Cleo quickly agreed to bring the body back.

“Thank you. I think it will mean a lot to the family.”

She turned to Cleo who was inspecting the dead demons. “Maybe,” she agreed hesitantly. “I’ve seen that kind around, though they rarely venture that far down from the mountains at this time of year. Usually, we get the young ones in spring. They tend to live in caves up in the mountains,” Akio explained, pointing at the Yamachichi.

“I’ve never seen the other ones.”

Slowly and carefully, they made their way through the dark forest back to the village. When they arrived, they could already see that more torches than usual were up. Several guards were waiting at the entrance, looking somewhat tense.

When the group approached, they at first tensed up even more until they recognized Akio.

Rohan also arrived, looking slightly out of breath.

“What happened?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

Akio stepped aside to allow Bastion and Cleo to explain the rest of the situation.

OOC: I’m gonna leave it up to Cleo to decide if he wants to take dead demons with him.

The Mountain Village - Village Gates

- Bastion -

Bastion was relieved at Rohan’s quick arrival which meant they had someone they could rely on for this matter. “Yes, we’re all right. Cleo and Akio encountered a demon pack in the forest. They...”

He glanced at the body they’d brought back with them. They’d done their best to cover it and be discreet, but it was obvious what their burden was and what had happened to it.

“We thought it best to return them to their family,” he continued. “We also hoped an opportunity to study them might provide some clues as to what happened. Unfortunately, the demons we encountered appear unsuited to perform the kind of disappearances you’ve been encountering, so there must be something larger at work that we still need to find.”

Bastion stepped aside to allow Rohan to kneel beside the body and identify it.

“No activity here while I was gone, I take it?” he asked. Cleo and Akio certainly needed the help, but if he’d missed something important by leaving... that would be hard to swallow.

- Cleo -

Given Akio's description of the winged demon, it seemed unlikely that further study of it might help them with their investigation. However, the scorpion-tailed one seemed to be an enigma to her. So, as they made their way back towards the village, Cleo dragged one of the bodies along behind them, being sure to avoid the stinger. He hadn't seen any of them use it in combat, but that didn't mean that it wasn't venomous.

At the gates, Cleo rolled the carcass over for the guards to see. "Have any of you seen this kind of demon before?" He asked the group. It was possible that someone out on patrol more often might be able to identify it. Bastion might be right about these demons not being the right kind to abduct villagers from their beds, but that didn't mean that they weren't somehow associated with whatever was.

"There were several of them near the body, alongside some other demons that Akio was able to identify for us. This is the only one she couldn't identify as being common in this area."

Mountain Village

Village Gates

Rohan’s expression turned sad when he saw what they brought back.

“Get a stretcher and some sheets to cover him,” he ordered and kneeled down to take a look. He swallowed dryly when he saw the carnage.

He stood up and nodded. “Thank you for bringing the body back. We’ll bring him to our village healer. Hopefully she can give us some information in the morning. Unless either of you are trained and want to do it yourself,” he offered.

“Nothing unusual has been reported,” Rohan answered Bastion, “so let’s hope it stays that way.”

The two men returned with a make-shift stretcher and some sheets. Carefully they lifted the body on the stretcher and turned to leave.

“I’ll go with them,” Akio said and then looked at Cleo. “I’m sorry. If you need any more local guidance for your scouting, any of Rohan’s men can help you,” she offered and then signaled the two men to get going.

Rohan now turned his attention to the demon carcass that Cleo had tossed into the midst. Most men had taken a step back in surprise and there was a collective gasp when they laid eyes on the body.

The guards murmured and whispered and clearly a nervous energy lay over the whole situation. Now that the first shock of the dead body had subsided, the two demons of the Vanguards stood out even more. Adding in the dead demon and Cleo’s nonchalant words, only added to their awe and the tension.

Rohan let his eyes wander along his men, but it didn’t seem anyone recognized it.

He shook his head. “I’ve never seen it either.” He pondered for a few seconds. “We can ask some more people in the village, but I would suggest that we do that in the morning.”

“I would rather not give the people here any more anxiety than they have already.”

The Mountain Village - Village Gates

- Bastion -

Despite Akio's words that Rohan's men would help with any further scouting, their reaction to the presence of demons cast some doubt on that in Bastion's mind. And with both further investigation and insight into the victim and demon's corpse on hold till the morning, it seemed best to rest while they had the opportunity.

"I think sleep is in order," he said to Cleo with a subtle sign toward the flabbergasted villagers. "We can resume investigation tomorrow."

With that, Archangel, who had been dutifully ignoring the villagers, dispersed back into Bastion's gauntlet.

"Good night then," he said to Rohan, nodding, before leading the way back to their temporary living quarters.

- Cleo -

Cleo frowned at the guards’ reactions. If the sight of this demon was enough to unsettle them, it didn’t bode well for the continued existence of their village. Although, these weren’t the best circumstances to be introduced to a new species of demon, there never really were good circumstances for that in hostile situations.

As Akio said her farewell for now, Cleo offered her a half-smile. “I doubt that any man could provide the kind of guidance you can. You know where to find me if you want to take another long walk in the woods.” With a wink, he turned back towards the soldiers, although it seemed none of them would be particularly useful in identifying the demon. Rohan confirmed as much a moment later.

Bastion’s recommendation of sleep sounded like a winning proposition. Maybe they’d be able to get more information in the light of day. “Do you have an empty storehouse where I can put it until tomorrow?” Cleo asked Rohan, gesturing towards the carcass. “I doubt you’d approve of it just lying out in the street, and I’d prefer to make an effort in preserving it until we can have a better look at it.”

A few moments later, one of Rohan’s men led Cleo to an old shed, where he had Silky put the demon on ice for the night. At least it wouldn’t rot as quickly that way. Then, Cleo also made his way to the Vanguards’ temporary quarters.

Mountain Village

Village Gates
Akio nearly giggled when she heard Cleo’s words as she started to leave.

“That is so cheesy,” she said, amusement in her voice. “Good night,” she said as she walked off with the other two men, carrying the dead body.

“Yes, of course,” Rohan agreed to Cleo’s proposal to stow away the demon corpse. He watched as it was put in an old unused shed and looked fascinated at Silky as she cast her ice spell.

When they returned to Bastion, whose demon had disappeared again, Rohan accompanied them back to the guest house.

“Thank you for staying to help despite the…uh… rocky start,” he said. “I’m usually staying in the sturdy looking barrack building, so if you need anything, come by any time.”

And with a farewell good night, he also left them to their own devices.
------------------

The next morning

Early the next day, just as the morning fog began to lift when the sun rays began to seep over the mountain range, Rohan could be seen exiting the barracks towards the stables to ready his horse. It didn’t look like he’d gotten a lot of sleep.

It was not yest cold enough to freeze the morning dew, but the coldness of fall was in the air. As the light began to increase, the village started to stir accompanied by the sounds of typical small town livestock and work.

From the upstairs windows of their guest house, they could see that it was vaster than they originally thought.

The houses nestled around the main buildings, the assembly hall, the church and a couple other bigger buildings, in an organic fashion. To the north they could see the main gate. To the south, however, the hill was gently sloping down, revealing more houses with barns and other work buildings, that were more spaced out until they disappeared altogether. They gave way to farmland and meadows as the forest opened up at the bottom of the valley. The valley was cut in half by a river that gently wound its way across and was spanned by a single bridge.

Just next to the assembly hall, they could see the healer’s house. Even without Akio’s description anyone could clearly see that the building looked different. It was missing the typical vegetable garden or small stable for livestock. Instead the porch was filled with pots, pans and jars, all filled with unidentifiable things and the garden was filled with medicinal plants and herbs.

As the light grew, the door opened and Akio stepped out, clearly with a mission of somewhere to go.

The Mountain Village - Guest House

- Bastion -

Having risen early the next morning, Bastion sat by the window and finished off the remains of his breakfast as he surveyed the scenic town. It was quiet and peaceful, and must have been a nice place to live before this unknown menace started to afflict the town. What could have caused Vayu to act out in an idyllic place like this, especially with level-headed and responsible siblings like Akio and Rohan?

Bastion's eyes drifted across the landscape to the healer's house - no mistaking it. Had they had a chance to discover anything about it?

As he pondered this, the door to the healer's house opened, and Akio marched off somewhere. Curious, Bastion stood up as Cleo came in from sleeping.

"I think we should split up again," he said, strapping on his gauntlet and lacing his boots. "I'm going to look into the victim's body and see if the healer turned anything up. Maybe find out if Rohan was able to get some clues from the victim's family about his disappearance. You can handle the demon's corpse in the meantime. We'll keep in touch if we get a lead."

He headed to the door, then paused by the threshold, his mind returning to Akio heading off on some errand. She didn't seem particularly enamored with Cleo and his flirting last night, but still...

"Akio has a life here, you know. A good life," he said, avoiding Cleo's eyes. "Should you really be trying to lead her on? I know you don't take anything seriously, but what if she did? You could make things painful for her, and for Rohan."

He felt a call from Archangel and allowed him out of the gauntlet, where he firmly turned his back on Cleo.

"Do not waste your words," the angel chided. "He cannot help his base nature, nor will he try."

As suddenly as he appeared, he returned to the gauntlet, leaving Bastion shifting uncomfortably in place. He couldn't entirely disagree, but not for the first time, he questioned why Archangel seemed particularly hostile toward Cleo.

- Cleo -

Cleo sighed as Bastion laid out his plan. While the other Vanguard's approach was probably for the best, Cleo did wish that he'd ask if that was a good course of action, rather than just giving orders. "Yeah, I'll deal with the demon corpse." He waved half-heartedly at Bastion as he moved to the kitchen and picked a nice looking apple.

Akio has a life here, you know.

He inhaled slowly through his nose, willing himself not to respond. It would only lead to another argument, after all. Instead, he took a bite out of the apple, although it might as well have been dirt with the background conversation. Archangel's quip wasn't missed, but Cleo didn't justify that with a response either. He seriously doubted whether either Bastion or his demon could truly understand the situation that Cleo now found himself living with, nor did he want to talk about it with the two of them. Mark that as another reason he'd like to have Vayu around. The other man made an excellent buffer in any conversation with Bastion.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll ask around." Cleo waved towards the door with his free hand before taking another bite of the apple, clearly dismissing Bastion from the building.

After the other Vanguard had departed, Cleo sank into one of the chairs, staring at the apple in his hand. It sustained his body, but Akio's smiles and laughter had fed his spirit. In the same manner that too many apples would turn his stomach, Cleo suspected that too much feminine energy would probably be bad for him in other ways. Nena had said as much, although she'd also told him that his neglected spirit would be ravenous for the first couple months after awakening. Frowning, he took another bite of the apple and tossed the rest into the trash.

As he stepped out of the building, Rohan came out of the stables, and Cleo waved at him. "Going somewhere?"

"Do you have a moment for a couple questions first?"

The Mountain Village - Guest House

- Bastion -

Shutting the door behind him, Bastion sighed and shook his head. No surprise that his words didn’t seem to matter at all to Cleo, though Archangel certainly didn’t do much to help.

”You shouldn’t antagonize him,” Bastion chided his demon as he walked toward the healer’s house.

”You should not associate with him,” Archangel countered. ”You don’t seem to like him, anyway.”

“My personal feelings are irrelevant. He’s my teammate, and that means I have to support him at the end of the day. We’re all fighting for the same cause, Archangel.”

“And if there comes a day when we’re not?”

Bastion stopped in his tracks, then forced himself to move when he realized how strange it would appear to anyone watching him. “What do you mean by that?”

Archangel remained silent for a few moments. “That there might come a day when he can no longer be trusted to want the same things as you. So I ask… is your loyalty to him as a person, or as a part of the cause?’

No response came to him, which was just as well, as Archangel seemed content to keep silent as he reached the healer’s hut. Pausing a moment to inhale at the fragrant medley of smells emanating from the many potted plants around the house, Bastion stepped up to the door and rapped his knuckles against the wood.

“Pardon me,” he said. “My name is Bastion, one of the Vanguards tasked with investigating the disappearing men. I was hoping to ask a few questions about the villager whose body was delivered here last night.”

Mountain Village

Healer’s House

The door swung open when Bastion knocked. It hadn’t been fully closed. Inside looked just as curious as the outside. The shelves were filled with jars and pots. Two small doorways could be seen in the dim light that came through the entrance door and the small window. One lead to the kitchen, the other into a backroom.

“Come in, come in,” an old voice called him. A small, elderly woman appeared from the backroom. She supported her weight partly with a cane that her bony fingers gripped tightly. Her hair was white and her face so wrinkly, it was hard to guess her age.

“Akio said you’d be coming,” she added and seized him up with her eyes. “The body is in the back…I’ll show you what we found…”

The backroom had an entirely different vibe than the living room. It was open and light and there was plants everywhere with a climate like a greenhouse. There was a space in the middle with a table. The corpse was laying on it now, but it was usually used for something different. Thankfully the room had skylight that were open as well as large glass double doors that were open as well, otherwise the smell would’ve been harder to withstand.
------------------

Barrack’s Stable

Rohan looked up from his horse when Cleo approached.

“Yeah, but nowhere urgently,” he replied.

“So fire away with your questions.”

He continued to tend to his horse. “By the way, where did you leave Bastion?” he asked.

The Mountain Village - Healer's House

- Bastion -

Bastion smiled politely as the old woman hobbled into view, wizened and ancient. But she seemed much more businesslike than he'd expected and immediately led him into the back where the body was. It suited him just as well, however, so he let his smile drop and followed after her into the back room.

Akio, though... he'd seen her leaving earlier. Had she come to get answers as well? Why had she left before waiting to talk to them?

As they stopped inside the back, he allowed his gaze to travel around the room and take in all the various plants before finally resting his eyes on the table in the middle of the room - and the corpse on it.

He winced. It hadn't been pleasant last night, but it was even less so under the bright sunlight streaming in the glass windows.

"Whatever information you can provide would be appreciated," he said, turning to the old woman.