Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away

[Ether]

"Take a look at... oh my. What a fancy little thing you've stumbled upon, if that's what I think it is~ Mmm, but Lavinia, you mustn't put up such a front. You are clearly rather injured yourself." Nessraya chided, fluttering around to the vampire's other side as she produced a similar cane to the one that Lavinia held, using her own to patch up the bloodied vampire.

Nessraya to 15,8, heal Lavinia

[Nanami Touko]

"Really? I can't feel a thing, I'm afraid... Thank you, I suppose." Nessraya had a good eye for this, while she'd assumed Marina was just being overly worried. If the general claimed she was that hurt, then she was. "I should pay better attention then."

Lavinia healed to full! Nessraya gains +11 exp, +2 staff WEXP.

[Xinnidy]

More humans... Agni was still handling the fall of this small templar team. At least none of them will make it back to the church... "You're still a bloody pulp, dragon. Careful not to drop and leave all the work to us again." At least he could reason being a bit harsh to this particular demon, thanks to circumstance.

Agni walks over to some cover (9,15), and casts flux against the remaining mercenary.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Agni's frustration turns moderately lethal!
54,2
Crit! 12 damage!
He doublecasts!
44,31
5 damage!
Agni gains +10 EXP, +2 dark WEXP!

[Ursali]

Xalrei snorted in annoyance as she flicked the blood off her axe. While her performance had certainly given the human ammo, she wasn't going to just take it. Especially not from Agni. Looking at him, he didn't have a scratch on him. He had just been taking potshots the entire time while she was dealing with the Templar scum. A bit of a smirk formed as she moved in on one of the last humans, her reply decided. 

"Forgive me, Sir Quakesalot, for not being so afraid of the scary humans that I need to hide behind a dragon."

9,16 finish mercenary with lance.

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Ursali

[Nanami Touko]

Xalrei pops the goon!
5,80
13 damage!
and 30 EXP +2 lance WEXP for her!

Enemy Phase/Turn 5!

With all of his men dead, Reinfrid had little choice left. If he returned without the dragon dead, the church would execute him... But if he managed to kill this 'Hero', who had allied herself with the dregs... "Alright. Only one course of action left. Come and get me, you filth!"

Reinfrid moves to 13,6!

"See what you can manage against me, you disgusting monsters!"

Player Phase/Turn 5!

Stats!

[Michelaar]

Gabriela looked apologetic and faced her comrades. "It seems the only enemy left is an archer...is it fine if I stay back? He can literally kill me in a single shot.."

[Xinnidy]

"Scared? Oh, because running into a lance to spear yourself is the brave thing to do, right." Agni sneered at Xalrei's comments, shaking his head. "There was no dragon to hide behind since you almost got yourself killed, I just made use of the opportunities presented to me. I could not do the damage I did if I just kept hidden, after all." Honestly, and this was a soldier? "How long have you been serving your army? I'd imagine they'd at least teach you formation basics, but I guess not." Honestly, this dragon...

His other demonic companion seemed far more sensible in comparison. "Don't get picked off while flying. You can stay, but I need to go check on Marina. I'm sure I can slip under his nose if need be."

Edited July 8, 2019 by Xinnidy

[Ursali]

"Certainly braver than slaughtering cowering families. Tell me, what was it like to have an opponent that could fight back?" Xalrei snapped back, unable to completely brush off Agni's sizzling counter. "Yeah, almost killed taking hits for your scrawny ass. Without this dragon, you wouldn't have had any of your 'opportunities'." She rolled her eyes at Agni's self-praise, not deeming it worth correcting. If he was going to stroke his own ego it'd be all the funnier when it popped.

He did not just go there. She could tolerate whatever prattle he wanted to say about her in the here and now, but about her as a soldier? What she'd bled for? What she'd cried for? The one thing that she could take pride in? She wasn't going to let a goddamn human get away with that. Especially not now, hardly a day after humans like him had taken that away from her. She grabbed Agni by the collar, turning him to face her. "Let me tell you the first thing I learned: Never turn your back to the enemy, bastard!" She accentuated the end of her sentence by smashing her scaled fist into Agni's noble face.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Ursali

[Xinnidy]

How stubborn, to the point of being childish, this girl was. "Plenty of demons put up a fight. Evidently not enough, but I'm not about to mock the dead. We had the upper hand, as it often decides wars." Agni had no care for burning bridges with the dragoness, but he still had a mind not to burn that same bridge with every other monster here. That'd be insanity. "And again! You only took hits for charging recklessly --your fault--, none of them were meant for me. In a proper formation--"

In the middle of their arguing, Xalrei snapped and landed a fistful on Agni's face. There was no way he could react in time, not to a sucker punch from a supposed ally. Clearly, Agni had underestimated the dragoness' discipline, and now he staggered back a few steps, stars flying around the corners of his vision as he straightened himself up.

"What the fuck did you just do, you overgrown lizard!"

Agni was absolutely furious, face red from both impact and a building up rage. "My face." His hands balled into a fist, he could feel blood dripping down his nose. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT, YOU BITCH?!" His red-eyed glare pierced the dragoness, and any concern for diplomacy was flung right out of his mind. He followed up her equally insane rebuttal with a left hook on his own, straight to her chin. While there was a difference in strength and height, the dragoness was far more beaten up than himself.

[Nanami Touko]

Though too slow to stop fists from being thrown, Asami placed herself in betweeen the two... Two of herself, actually. One stared down Xalrei, while the other tried her best to smile.

"Agni, please don't think too badly of her. The men we just fought had previously ambushed her and killed her comrades... She's quite irate, right now. You didn't know, of course, so I'm telling you now~ Let's all get along. Let me see to that nose, hmm?" Her hand slipped into her robes for a small pouch, rummaging around for some disinfectant and a bandage. "I'll fix you right up~"

"And you, Xalrei," the other began, "you should know better than to take a swing at these people. I get it, really, but hurting each other when we're already so tired from fighting will only make things worse... Let's try to relax, okay? Nessraya will be best to see to your wounds. Come along, please~"

[Ether]

Oh dear... tensions were bound to be high between their Northern flank, but throwing fists as soon as the enemy was dealt with? They would have to wrap this up quickly, then... stepping closer to the lead templar, just far enough away to be out of range of his bow, Nessraya sighed, her natural magic flaring.

"You shouldn't have come here, Church dog."

Nessraya moves to 16,6 and attacks Reinford with Thunderbolt(MP)!

Edited July 8, 2019 by Ether

[Ursali]

"What the FUCK did you just call me?" While her tone had certainly been hostile before, it was bordering on outright murderous now. If Agni thought he'd get away with calling her a lizard... Xalrei matched his glare, unrestrained malice in her eyes. "Call me that again. I dare y-" She was interrupted by Agni's hook. Her head snapped to the side as his fist collided with her chin, but she otherwise remained unmoved, her claws had dug into the ground enough to keep her stable.

Xalrei didn't think he'd had it in him; she would have almost been proud of him if she didn't want him dead at the moment. Spitting out some blood and wiping her mouth, she turned back to face him, revealing a menacing grin. "Don't feel too proud now. I just bit my tongue." Thrilled at the prospect of beating Agni to a pulp, she readied another punch only for Asami to intervene at the last second, her fist stopping in front of the meddler's face. Meddling fox... 

With Asami involved there wasn't much reason in continuing. She wasn't here to fight with her fellow demons. And even if she didn't care about that, Asami could, and probably would, just knock her out if she continued on. Then that little shit would just have more ammo. "Tch. Fine." Her fire thoroughly doused she began to walk off after the fox, or her double, or whatever it was. After a moment she realized there was something off about what Asami had told Agni. "Wait, how the hell do you know about that?"

Edited July 8, 2019 by Ursali

[Xinnidy]

"Don't think too badly of her? When every other monst--demon has lost something over this and can at least restrain their tongues in front of me? Maybe when she can prove she has some discipline, but all I see is some ruffian cross-dressing in soldier armor as it stands." Agni had given her some distance at Asami's appearance, but was still considerably angry at it all. "I spared no harsh words against those under my command like that. I'm no captain here, but I won't ignore the same behavior from a demon when they're constantly trying to berate me." Agni stood his ground, though his glare had eased after the outburst. "This is foolish, anyways, I should go see Marina."

It was enough arguing with an insane dragoness. Agni shook his head and walked away, trying to fill his mind with more productive concerns.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

67,17
With a hefty krakow, the templar knight was reduced to nothing but dust...
Nessraya gains +52 EXP
Map over!
Secret found! +20 EXP to everyone!

---

"The King's personal spy wouldn't be a very good one if she didn't have an eye on most corners of the country~ Ah, Agni, wait!" The second Asami talking to Xalrei exploded into smoke, a small log falling to the ground where she'd stood, while the still corporeal one chased after him. "Your nose! Let me put something on it!"

---

Lavinia could only sigh. What a mess, and so soon. This would be no easy journey... "Are you alright, Marina?" Hopefully she wasn't hiding any injury. Nessraya's healing was much more effective, so at the least, if something was troubling her, they could so to it... That aside...

"You, angel, explain yourself. Why were you following us?" She wanted answers, now that they had time for them. "If you wished to accompany us to aid in our mission, there was no need to sneak around. Otherwise, tell us what you want."

[Ursali]

"Feh. What a non-answer." She hadn't expected much out of the fox given her attitude, but it was still disappointing. Wait, if she knew did that mean they had been watched? When had that started? At the border? Sooner? Couldn't that spy have lead the Templars to them if they messed up? More importantly, why the fuck didn't they help, or at least warn, them? Before she could ask any of her burning questions her 'Asami' exploded, leaving the only place for her questions and building anger to go inward. "What a joke." Maybe she could find out for herself, assuming there was anything left of the leader after that display of magic she'd seen.

Rounding the southern bend it was immediately clear that, even if there had been something like written orders, they were long gone based on the scorch marks by Nessraya. What a shit couple of days this had tuned out to be.

[scorri]

Bladen sheathed his sword after wiping it down, and then turned towards his interrogator. "Join you? Please. I'm here because I have questions. I'm here because my clan's warriors were slaughtered by her men." He jerked his head towards Marina. "And before you all get all jumpy, no, I'm not here to kill her. I don't know what sort of trick she played on all of you to get you to work alongside her so peacefully after everything the 'heroes' have done to our land, but that's not my problem. Oh, and my name is Bladen, not angel." Not that you asked.

He huffed, wondering if she had more questions for him. Well too bad, he was pushing the chance he had to talk while he could. Turning to Marina, he pointed at her. "You. Did you ever even think about what your actions would lead to? Or did you just blindly put your faith in the organization that just grabbed you out of your world to make you fight wars in theirs?" Were you really that stupid? I hope not. This will be extremely unfruitful if she is.

[Xinnidy]

"...Hm." Agni only stopped at the prospect of getting his nose fixed, facing Asami again. "Alright. Do it." Fixing his face some would be appreciated, before anything else... although his nose would likely keep hurting for a while. It was a shame the dragoness was as reliable as a rabid badger, she'd be a competent soldier with how strong she was.

"Can you take care of it while we walk a steady pace, or should I stop?" Agni had to ask, some impatience building up. It was the lingering mood, honestly.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Nessraya's magic only continued to amaze, and frighten Marina. Thankfully for her, the fighting had stopped for now. She could rest easy. A little bit, there were still other things on her mind. From the fact she openly engaged against the church, to her need to hone her skills a lot better, and the scuffle she caught between Agni and Xalrei. That was the most important thing, she'd have to tread carefully on that one.

"I'm fine, Miss Lavinia, just..." Marina made a small, exasperated sigh, "Just tired is all." Unfortunately, things immediately worsened as Lavinia addressed the angel they encountered. She didn't have to ask to know what he was after.

Did you ever even think about what your actions would lead to?

Marina froze. Her face lost all confidence she previously had. Oh no, not Thesephine all over again. Calm down, Marina. Calm down... calm down... Despite everything, her feelings were definitely breaking out. Her breathing was quick and heavy... A panic attack? No no, stop Marina. Miss Lavinia told you, didn't she? Speak your own words. You can't be scared out of everything. Breath iiiin, breath oooout...

Calming down as quickly as she could, Marina did what she could to answer,

"I... didn't. I just... I wasn't anything where... I came from, I... they asked for my help, made me feel special, I..." Oh no it's coming back, "I wanted t-to do the right thing, I..." Keep calm Marina, keep calm, please don't do this now. "I knew something was wrong from the start, but I... I was so stupid, I-I-I..." Everything hit her at once after that. Like a metaphorical glass plate shattering in her head, she covered her face as she collapsed to her knees. Before she knew it, her hands felt wet... She started crying.

"I'm sorry! I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" She started yelling in a scared panic, "I want to fix it! I want to make it right!" Her body started curling up more to try and hide herself, to hide her shame, her guilt, everything. She was visibly shaking, and she stopped yelling, speaking in a much more defeated tone, "S-so many... so many people died because of me... lives ruined, homes destroyed..." Eventually, the words she spoke started turning into mutters muted by her cries.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[scorri]

Bladen froze as he got a reaction that was far from anything he had ever expected. The twinge of guilt in his gut that he'd been having since he'd seen her moping about was back and stronger than ever. She'd gone from a confident fighter to a huddling mess on the ground, sobbing her eyes out. This... This wasn't right. The hero wasn't supposed to be a scared girl. She was supposed to be the monster, fighting for the church and slaying innocent demons. And now... "I... I..." His eyes darted about, trying to find some escape for this, but he couldn't, not knowing that his words were what had caused this.

"Y-you're just an innocent girl in all of this? A puppet? I didn't..." He felt like the monster the church painted his kind as right now. Wishing the earth could swallow him whole, he awkwardly sat down on the ground near her. Humans were terrible. That was what he'd always been taught. They were dangerous, warlike creatures who would rather kill a demon than work with them. But... Here she was. Maybe... Maybe she was different. He didn't want to like her. And maybe he didn't have to like her. But seeing her like this... How could he hate her? He hesitated before slowly reaching out and patting her once, twice, on the back. "I... I didn't know. Please... Please stop crying?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Stop, stop, please~" Asami threw herself in front of him to get him to stop moving, starting to dab at his nose with a little cotton ball. "Honestly, walk and do this? I'd hurt you further. You have such a pretty face, it would just be a waste to let it remain injured." Asami spared no expense in her teasing, cleaning up the blood a moment after, before slowly applying a bit of gauze and some tape to hold it in place. "That should do for now... Honestly... You hold yourself so high, it's quite the sight to see~"

---

Another challenge for Marina, it seemed... This time from the angel. He wanted answers for people she'd led others to murder, families she'd led others to destroy. Perhaps she'd taken part in them herself... She wouldn't answer for Marina, but she did watch, bending down to one knee and running a hand onto her shoulder as the girl collapsed. "Deep breaths, Marina. Focus. In, out..." It was a rather pathetic answer, really... I don't want to do this... But... "Marina has her own hand in this, and she understands that. It is simply difficult to cope... But she will face things. When she has time to calm down, and rest from today's fighting, ask her again. Perhaps she will have a stronger answer for you, Bladen." Lavinia quickly reached her other hand over and removed that pesky arrow, was she just going to leave it there?

"Nessraya, which way are we going, next? I'll get the horses, and..." Lavinia's gaze met broken ropes, and she sighed. "We pack up and walk, instead... Bladen, are you coming with us? I don't suppose this is enough of an answer for you. You seem adept with a sword, and our enemies are twofold, the church and deserters of our own army... If you think you can stomach killing demons as well as humans, then sign yourself up."

[Ether]

With that, things seemed to be over... at least on one front. Their new acquisition... whether he would be long-lived was yet to be seen, had pressed Marina for answers as many others had, but this particular one broke the dam. The heroine dropped to the ground, a husk of her former self, and belted out her emotions unabashedly. It was difficult to reconcile that sort of display coming from the Church's chosen crusader, but it was what it was. Lavinia seemed to have consoling Marina mostly in check, though Nessraya gave the girl's face a gentle stroke with her tail as she passed, wiping a tear off of her cheek.

"There is a small village to the South, by the name of Aensbrook. By foot it is... a day, perhaps two? But we can attempt to purchase more horses, possibly resupply... if we need leave the wagon, we may not have enough hands to take everything. However, we didn't really get to have much rest, either. We should move a ways to get away from the bodies and any predators they might invite, but I imagine we will need set up camp relatively close by." Nessraya reasoned, looking across a thin treeline towards the other half of their entourage.

"Before anything, we will need to check for wounds... I will handle Xalrei, she appeared to take quite a beating... but if her wounds are severe, I may need your assistance in triage, Lavinia. Speaking of... I know that you do not feel pain, but you must be more careful. One of these days you will take a wound you cannot shrug off, fighting so recklessly... you may be immortal, but you are not invincible."

[Ursali]

Approaching the gathering of demons, plus Marina, Xalrei couldn't help but notice the commotion. What now? The resident hero was crying on the ground, Lavinia consoling her. Was she crying for the humans? But then why would the fallen angel be trying to help too? Whatever it was she'd missed it, aside from Marina's apologies, and she didn't want to throw her weight around any more than she already had; a hook from Marina would probably be enough to floor her as she was currently. Still, she just couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Oi, Hero. I don't know what's made you burst into tears, but quit it. We get that you're sorry, one look at you and it's obvious. And you're doing something about it. So hold your damn head high, it's a lot more than any other human can say." She was trying to glare at Marina, but it didn't feel right. Not compared to Agni. She settled for a more general scowl than anything else. "At least hold it higher than that pompous noble's for Hel's sake." She added under breath.

Edited July 9, 2019 by Ursali

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina admittedly tensed up from the amount of physical contact she was getting. She was almost ready to yell for people to go away, but she could hear and feel the sudden kindness she was getting. Her situation still made her feel now like she didn't deserve it. She was the Hero of Coteon! Crusader! Murderer... destroyer... It didn't help her feel better that she ended up this way... on the ground, bawling her eyes out like a child.

Once she calmed down, she removed her hands from her face, noticing the blood on her hands from her recent kill. Then took a look at herself... the dirty, bloody tattered mess of someone who's supposed mission was to save the world. At this moment, it was the most she felt uncertain. However harsh though, she told herself, she needed to persevere. At this moment, she felt the only one who could truly change the world.

Despite her exhaustion, Marina took a few moments, but she got herself to stand, wiping her face again. "I think I... I think I know what I want to do, now. I don't know how yet... but I know what." Now wasn't the time, though. They really did have to get moving, and if she continued being the burden she was being, it would only make things harder.

She turned to Bladen, not to egg on, but give her own voice on the matter. She was this group's leader, despite everything going on with her, "Would you be willing to help us?"

[scorri]

If just the vampire had asked, Bladen might have said no. But the twinge in his gut had fully developed into a pit at what he had sent this girl into and the fact that she asked him too... "Gah, fine. I'll... Ugh, yes, I'll stay with you. Just... Tell your totally not a pet fox to not sneak up on me like that anymore. Falling out of one tree was enough, I don't need to feel the need to sleep with one eye open, alright?" At least they weren't all super buddy buddy with her. The dragonewt for one seemed to be perfectly content to stay somewhat hostile with the hero. So that was good. If he didn't need to suck up to her like the way the vampire seemed to be, he could survive. Though... "I guess I could use some names though, so I don't just keep calling you hero. Probably sick of hearing that anyways, huh?"