Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Nine

[Snike]

"Are you planning on going on some sort of vasilus hunt?" Lane asked Zachary, having all but given up on influencing Raquel for the time being.

***

"I would say two, three if we include Naomi," Thanatos said, frowning a little. "Originally three, but apparently he changed his mind yesterday."

[KentaEzren]

"...Whatever you say, sir." He replied. He kept the little paper he called a map close to him, hidden in his pocket.

[Phoenix]

Wall

Fletcher didn't like being up on the wall while the Colonel was still recovering down below. He'd assured himself a half dozen times that this was where she needed him, right now, that this was the best way to help her right here and now. Each time he tried that, it bought him about ten minutes of peace. He supposed it was time to beat himself over the head with meaningless assurances again ... or at least it would have been, if he hadn't caught sight of something strange in the distance.

He approached the very edge of the wall; it was as close as he was getting without making himself look like an idiot and possible falling several stories, either to great injury or death. One of the nearby archers got curious and before they could even comment, caught sight of the distance disturbance, too. It was nowhere near them, but it was still highly visible, a red haze out in the suburbs.

"What the hell is that?" the archer asked.

"That's what I wanna know," Fletcher grimaced.

Mess Hall

"No," Zachary shook his head, "but after what Lilith pulled earlier, it'd be nice to be prepared for a change. With vasili, resistance isn't even an option most of the time, so this would be a nice change of pace."

"Even though most vasili couldn't care less about us," Reign noted.

"Well there's at least one that does," Zachary countered, "and speaking of, where is Lilith?"

"In Europa," Raquel said, trying not to wince. There was no visible evidence, but Raquel was certain she was starting to make some progress with the sword. Its weight was beginning to come down, a hundred or so pounds at a time. She didn't take her eyes off it as she focused more and more of her attention to the dense material that was its foundation. Another spark raced the length of the blade and then it began to glow a dim gold. "Almost ..." she said, as its weight continued to plummet. The shape was beginning to change slightly, as well. The wide outer edges began to pull themselves in with an effort, and the whole thing began to shorten, though only a half inch per second at the outset.

Raquel looked at Lane's sword closely to try and better match its dimensions. For the moment, Oblivion was just getting smaller, it's actual profile wasn't changing much. She aimed to correct that before she got distracted, again.

Reina's Room

"Please be frank," Valeria frowned, "who are you talking about?"

Reina was slightly preoccupied listening for signs of battle. If no others came then maybe that meant it was finally over ...

Street

"Enough!" Samael reached out with both hands, and Naomi was nearly convinced he aimed to stop her speeding coffin with his bare hands. She knew better though. The spell that met the coffin struck with unimaginable power, boring clean through it just before its contents erupted, blowing the whole thing apart. Naomi was impressed. Light magic usually couldn't be packed tightly enough to exert a physical force. Samael had gotten around the problem by causing a premature detonation of her little surprises within.

"It's not over til I run out of surprises," Naomi warned him with a smirk, "and even then you still have the coffins to deal with."

Samael smirked. "You need better dolls." Suddenly, Samael was engulfed by white light and vanished. Naomi, who'd been expecting more than just a weak quip from him, was caught off guard when he appeared right in front of her, standing over her on top of the floating coffin. She hoisted her up by the neck before she could react and used his free hand to send two fine light beams through her chest. He let her go and leaped from the coffin, flipping backward before sending a far larger aureola her way.

"Naomi let herself fall from her high perch altogether to avoid the beam. She could barely breathe with two closely spaced holes in her chest. Both of them had taken her right lung out of commission. The pain was almost an afterthought in her struggle for air. She came to a sudden stop as another coffin raced to catch her. Its door was open, and so she fell neatly into it. It closed on her and then joined the rest as they formed a massive circle above Samael, who easily landed on his feet after his most recent gambit.

"Fitting," Samael said, trying to keep an eye on the coffin Naomi had disappeared into. If he lost sight of it, he'd have a hard time taking her out once and for all. He didn't want her dead just yet, but he was willing to push her as close as possible in order to get her to take this seriously. With the coffins circling him like vultures, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd finally gotten through to her.

It was pitch black inside her coffin, and beside her, Naomi could feel three other bodies, hard and lifeless, as if she were lying with a set of mannequins. She fell into a coughing fit as she tried to coordinate the remaining coffins. "Okay, it's now or never," she said, the words just barely making it out before she started coughing again. "Have to make him think ... it's coming from above ..."

Samael squinted at what he thought was Naomi's coffin high above him. A bolt of red lightning leaped from it to one of the other coffins in the floating ring. Another one appeared, leaping from one random coffin to another. As more bolts appeared, the ring of coffins began to take on a reddish aura. It was the most ominous thing Samael had had the privilege of seeing in quite a while. "Is this a spell?" he wondered aloud. A red line blazed a jagged path from one coffin to another, and was quickly followed by another as the aura grew thicker and more oppressive. "Something like a cannon, perhaps? No, that's too much power for someone like her. It must be something else. Something else ... something I shouldn't be able to defend against, right?"

[Snike]

"Her mother, along with her soon to be stepfather," Thanatos said, still frowning. "Which reminds me, I might have to step out in a moment."

***

Lane tilted his head quizzically as Zachary mentioned Lilith pulling something, but decided not to ask just yet. Instead, he addressed the man's claim that having a spirit spring-absorbing sword would qualify as prepared. "You'd still have to find a way to hit them, though."

[Snowy_One]

Robin quickly hurried up and over to Nico, her hand coming out to pet him on his wool. "There you are you annoying sheep. Hiding away. Hope you have learned your lesson and said lesson is not how to hide from Olga better. She cares for you a lot."

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"It can't be as hard as it seems," Zach said, thinking back to the brief confrontation he and Veronika had with Lilith in the barracks. "As long as they don't know what the sword's really capable of, that's at least a partial advantage."

Barracks

Niko's gaze drifted back and forth between his owner and Robin. He hoped one of them planned to feed him at some point. There hadn't been anything to eat inside the barracks, after all. "I'm seriously going to have to get a special collar for him," Olga said. "Let's head back to the mess hall."

Reina's Room

Valeria grimaced. "He doesn't plan on killing them," she shook her head.

Ground Zero

Samael braced himself, but whatever was happening seemed to be affecting everything but him. The sky began to turn dark as a wall of lightning caged him. "What is this?!" The sky became as black as an abyss and all of the buildings around him disappeared, leaving behind only a gray landscape he couldn't recognize. As he looked back up, he could barely make out the coffins, but soon, they too disappeared. "Where ... am I ...?"

All of the remaining coffins came crashing down on the broken street as the first of the city guard arrived. "...I ... did it, Thanatos ..." Naomi said, "I'm ... just as strong ... as the others ...." She gently closed her eyes, embracing the darkness.

[-Cynthia-]

Mess Hall

"Not sure what this 'spirit spring' business is, but having just one person who can hurt a vasilus isn't going to be that useful. They're just going to be eviscerated or disintegrated or whatever they do," Veronika pointed out.

[Snike]

"That is news from last week, when his subordinates came around," Thanatos said, frowning deeply. "In any case, the three of you should be going back to your safehouse, or wherever it is you are supposed to be instead of here. Samael will not be taking Reina for the time being and I have some work to do."

***

"Well, from what I understand, a spirit spring is what gives a vasilus their abilities, so being able to meddle with that could help stop them from eviscerating someone," Lane said. "Though I don't think you should aim to be getting into that situation to begin with."

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"If you ask me," Zach frowned, "we're already in that situation. If Lilith decides to come after us again ..."

Raquel winced. This was getting silly, but if she didn't clear up a few things, now ... "Lilith's not going to be attacking us, again. At least I seriously doubt it," she explained, trying not to pull too much of her attention away from the two swords. She was making good progress, and though they didn't look identical, their shapes and sizes had become roughly the same.

"Why's that?" Zach cocked an eyebrow.

"B-because she got what she wanted," Raquel said, almost losing her mental grasp on Oblivion. "Hypnos isn't in my head anymore."

Reina's Room

"I suppose," Valeria conceded.

"We just wanted to say hello," Regula frowned. Granted they had done that, already.

[Snowy_One]

"Yes." said Robin before patting Nico on the head. "Maybe ask Zach for one? I do not know how much he knows about enchantment or the like but maybe there is one that will make him easier to find? We should return to feed him, however. Let us hope he does not smell Chip's apple slices either."

[Snike]

Lilith had also lost her spirit spring, but that seemed to be a fact that Raquel wished to keep secret for now. So instead of following up on that, Lane decided to change the subject.

"It's coming along nicely," he said, looking at the two weapons. The details were still different, but the size and shapes of the weapons were eerily similar.

***
"Yes, well I can't imagine you want to say hello to the guards who are outside," Thanatos said, as he began to edge towards the door.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"Yeah," Raquel forced a smile, "I wasn't sure I could get this far in one try."

"Does it still weigh a ton?" Zachary asked, tilting his head at the dark blade.

"It's still way too heavy for a sword," Raquel admitted, "but I'm almost finished."

Barracks

"Apple slices?" Olga had nearly forgotten about that. Maybe that was why Niko was looking at them so expectantly. Sheep didn't eat apples, but Niko still knew that if there was one type of food around, there was probably a large variety, and that meant there was probably something he would like available. "Right, the monkey catching. Yeah, let's get back to the mess and see if we can't find a snack for Niko."

The ninja of a sheep followed the two women, figuring if he stuck around long enough, he would be fed. He more or less ignored the capuchin eyeing him from Robin's shoulder.

Reina's Room

"Guards?" Reina looked up at Thanatos, not expecting an answer, and almost curious enough to go see for herself. The thought of her mother intercepting her at the front door quashed the thought. Better to just stay put for now.

"I suppose we'll be on our way, then," Valeria frowned, reaching out with her hands and waiting for her sisters to take hold of them. The three of them locked arms with each other, forming a circle of white that was quickly engulfed by light magic. Reina had to shield her eyes as they disappeared into thin air. She realized, almost belatedly, that their silent exit method was probably the same as the entry method. She wondered if she would be a good enough mage to warp like that someday.

[KentaEzren]

Kenta sighed as they waited, he did not know what was to come next.

[Snike]

"Luckily there's the flat of the blade to rely on, but hopefully it won't come to that," Lane noted, as he eyed the weapon.

***

"Yes, well, let's just say that a lot of attention was drawn outside," Thanatos said, as he pulled his hood over his head. "Alright, well, I will be back. Just make sure you stay inside, Reina."

And with that said, the Angel of Death disappeared.

[Snowy_One]

Robin, however, did not ignore the little monkey as she reached up to pet him as well as dropped back a bit to pat Nico on the head as they headed for the mess hall. When they arrived she was intent on asking Zach about the collar but, if Raquel was around, she was going to ask her about Chip and what to do with him.

"Olga, dumb question, but what does enchanting actually do?"

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"I"ve got to get it right," Raquel said, wincing as she applied more pressure to the nearly finished blade.

"You should probably be careful around Phee now that I think about it, Nika," Zach said, his gaze moving to the infant vasilus. For all intents and purposes Sirius was the only accessible vasilus vulnerable to the blade Raquel was forging, and she was an ally ...

Raquel's face lit up with joy as she held out the modified Oblivion. "There! I've got it! They're exactly the same shape and weight! Better still, I'm almost positive no one can break this one like your old sword."

"Some emblem bonding?" Gabbie tilted her head at Raquel.

"No, but the sword it's based on won't break no matter what, and all I changed was the shape and the weight, so it should still be unbreakable ... I think," Raquel gave a somewhat well reasoned explanation. As she reached over to offer the blade to Veronika, Zach came between them, reaching out to take Sirius and keep her at a safe distance. Veronika was about to receive one of the only weapons that could do any real harm to the vasilus, after all.

Stables

Anna made it back to the stables after a short jog and went straight to her supplies and notes. She wasted absolutely no time in collecting them all and then making back for the entrance, her bag hoisted over her shoulder. Hopefully the others would be ready when she caught up in the mess hall.

Courtyard

By the time the two women and their animal companions had left the barracks, Robin had asked about enchantments, which was a broad and simultaneously obscure enough term for Olga to come back with a question of her own. "It depends on what you mean. There's bonding, for making things more durable, then there's containing, which is basically just filling an item with energy ..."

Reina's Room

And just like that, Reina was alone, again. It was a good thing no one made a mess. The girl doubted anyone would believe her about what had happened, despite everything else going on, right now. She gently shut the door and sat down on the edge of her bed, not sure what else to do.

Purgatory

"What is this place?" Samael squinted at the horizon, "an illusion? A prison?" If he was really trapped in this place, he was in trouble, regardless of what it actually was. Looking around the immediate area, Samael realized that if this was an illusion, he ought to be getting attacked right about now. The woman would be in the perfect position to finish him off ... that was, unless she had succumbed to her injuries before she could deliver the killing blow. If that was the case, he hoped this was merely an illusion. That wasn't something he could count on, though, now was it?

"If this is some other realm ... then I don't think this will work ... but there's no point in holding back, any longer." Samael raised his right hand to the black sky and poured all of his intent into a single point above him. "Come to me ... break through ... break through all obstacles and come to me ..."

[Snowy_One]

"I... Do not understand the difference between containing, bondage, or anything you just said. My knowledge of magic is that, when Zach spoke of it, it went over my head and, when he cast, it hopefully went over my head."

[KentaEzren]

He had already been ready, yet he did not know what he was truly waiting on. Was he worried about Anna being gone for so long? He didn't know what was to become of him and his group.

Edited June 8, 2016 by KentaEzren

[-Cynthia-]

Mess Hall

"I'm reasonably good at only stabbing the people I want to, Zach," Veronika said, though she looked somewhat warily at the sword all the same. You're going to have to learn how to deal with this weird magic shit sooner or later. A sword is sword. She picked it up gently, testing the balance and giving a measured practice swing. "Seems to work," she said with a smile.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"Oh I believe you," Zach forced a smile as he cradled Sirius, "it's just better to be safe than sorry."

Raquel handed Lane's blade back to him and gazed back down at the damage done to the mess hall's floor. She regretted losing control like that, but it was the first time she'd done this completely unassisted, and there were bound to be issues. It was regrettable it had to be a lasting one someone was going to have to explain to the the Major General.

Courtyard

"Containing is just like it sounds," Olga began, "just imagine putting something in a box and leaving it there. Bonding is a dark magic thing. It's when you put dark magic into something in just the right way to make it tougher. It's mostly used for armor and shields, but it works on anything solid, even glass." Especially glass, Olga mentally amended herself.

The mess hall was right in front of them now, but just before they reached the main entrance, Anna appeared, and she seemed to have a whole group in tow: a couple of blonds with some nasty looking weapons, a man clad in red armor, another man with white hair, an old woman, and a young kigenese fellow. "I wonder what's going on there ..."

Rearrival

Anna opened the door into the mess hall and held it open for the others. Thankfully she could see Gabbie inside along with Raquel and most of the others that traveled with her. "Let's not waste any time here. Gabbie see if you can track down Samael. We're going to try and take him, first."

Gabbie nodded and closed her eyes. It would take a few seconds for her to really hone in on the spirit she was using as a reference, Naomi's, but by then everyone would be inside the mess hall and ready for the update on Samael's location.

[KentaEzren]

He had been studying the maps that were inside the Mess Hall, when Anna had let others inside. "Shall we get studying?" He asked in a nice yet aggravated manner. "Wonder where they went." He thought to himself.

Edited June 16, 2016 by KentaEzren

[Snowy_One]

"I do not know. If an object can be enchanted then, maybe, someone with the magical prowess of Chip or even, maybe, me could be given an item that shoots lightning? Maybe Zach or someone could make it for me?"

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

The door to the mess hall opened once again, and Niko slipped inside while Olga held it open for the Neviskotian huntress. "Eh, most mages can't do that, either," Olga noted, thinking of herself first and foremost. "You might want to find a specialist if you want imbued arrows or what have you."

"Imbued what, now?" Zachary glanced at the slightly late arrivals.

"And we're just missing Gar now, I think," Anna noted to herself. She spared the newcomers a glance and then turned to Kenta. "It's not a study session, it's more of a rescue operation. That said ..." her gaze fell on Gabbie, who seemed to still be mentally tracking the enemy, "is our first target still around?"

"Nnno ..." Gabbie said, not sure if that was really true or not. Just because she didn't sense him right now didn't mean he had completely left the city.

[Snowy_One]

Robin looked over to Zach, giving Chip a strong pet to try and keep herself focused a bit. She HAD just suggested he make it, but with all the turmoil between the two...

"I was wondering about enchantment and the idle thought of if someone could enchant something so that even a person as unattuned to magic as Chip or I would be able to at least use a spell of some form."

[KentaEzren]

"Well now... Just who exactly are we rescuing?" He asked. "I should have overlooked this bargain~" Kenta thought deeply.