A Tiny Touch of Sacrilege (Closed)

[Alize]

As the two travelers crested the wooded hill, the masked woman in the lead stopped and gasped at the sight before them. Reaching out and gently squeezing her partner's hand, Kino whispered. "So this is it, eh?"

Arbiter's Peak.

Tall and majestic, the peak towered over the other mountains in the range around it. Sunlight cascaded down through a break in the clouded sky, casting a golden hue over the rock and illuminating the clumps of snow that dotted it with a sparkling gleam. Appropriate enough, Kino thought, for the being that dwelled at the summit.

In the lush valley below, she could make out the large settlement of "faithful" who venerated the archangel. Peaceful meadows and pagodas for monks to meditate in. Fields of grain and livestock tended to by white-robed friars and abbots. Buttressed temple-barracks where paladin and templar trained. Watermills next to the tranquil river which flowed from the surrounding mountains. Fluted spires that shone with the glimmering sorcery of light-magic practitioners. Humble dwellings, granaries and storehouses. And most of all, she saw cathedral upon cathedral dotting the landscape. The buildings were all stone-grey and shared a somber, utilitarian architectural style. It would be a beautiful sight for anybody who didn't know of the fanatics who lived within.

The Eyes of Contrition, they called themselves. Isolationist and xenophobic in the extreme, they viewed themselves as a sole bastion of purity in a corrupt and twisted world. On occasion they would sally out of their hermitage to raid and pillage the lands below in the holy name of 'The Arbiter'. Sometimes they took captives to 'purify'. And that was about all the information on them that Kino had been able to gather, really. Oh, and the settlement blocked the only route to the Arbiter's Peak, where the zealots harvested ivory sage for incense. It was the ivory sage that they were after. That bit was rather important.

She blinked. Her eyes felt as if she'd been staring into the sun for too long. A dull throbbing hummed away at the back of her head. Though by no means an amoral or wicked woman, Kino certainly carried her fair share of sin, and this was apparently the price a sinner paid for treading upon their holy ground. She could only imagine what her companion was going through.

"Are you alright, Dae?"

[Salzem]

Within the town Arbiter's peak lay one of many Cathedrals in the center of town, large, but not especially breathtaking. If anywhere else, one might have just thought it to be an especially large temple, with not a good display of architecture or artwork to warrant it's name as a cathedral. Nevertheless, it was what the natives called it, the ones that captured Nevayah and Lanister. They both stood in the center of a large, empty grand chamber, one that seemed to be where the people would hold their masses. The religious freaks that had captured them did not chain them down like all the others that knew them... No, the two tainted-bloods were free to walk around the wide interior of the chamber, to examine the statues lining the inside, to listen to their boots *clack* against the tile floors of the building, to sit and do nothing should they so desire, but not to leave. It seemed that Lanister and his beloved constantly find themselves thrown into new cages each day, whether it be one with bars, or being locked in a hauntingly disturbing interior of a church like this. With the doors barred from the outside, Lanister wandered around the Cathedral Mass room, studying the... graphic and disturbingly realistic sculptures that lined the interior walls, each one placed in a little spot carved out for them. One was something like an angel with her jaw stretched to the ground. Another was a man with no arms and bulbous blank eyes, his lips seemingly ripped away from his face. Lanister could only imagine that these crazies worshipped some kind of demon or... something equally perverted, something he wasn't keen on meeting.

Lanister pressed his cut hand against the wooden door of the cathedral for the 5th time, hoping that this time would be the charm. Again, his blood simply ran off the wall onto the ground, not even bothering to sizzle as it pooled there. The room must have been sealed with some sort of magical rune, something that kept his acidic blood from functioning the way it should... In some way, he somewhat felt thankful... At least in here, he was effectively normal... Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen. From time to time, he would stare at the plates of food left for them: a plate of dry bread and a slice of meat, left untouched for at least half an hour. He wasn't about to eat what his captors laid out for them, especially not from those that would lock them up in a church of all places. Exasperated, Lanister flopped down into one of the seats at the head of the room, his head in his hands.

Did the captures ever end...?

[Blink]

With arms behind her back and an agitated expression Nevayah walked the linings of the room. With each "clack" of her boots hitting the ground an echo rang through the confines of the cathedral and she grew even more agitated. An outburst though was not likely, as Nevayah had already flung herself into the wooden doors several times. She even watched as Lanister repeatedly placed his bloodied palm against the door hoping it would simply melt away. No, these beings that had captured them this go around had planned ahead. The quiet background and lack of communication from their captors had all led up to one annoyed and bored Nevayah. She couldn't even plead, demand or threaten anything to get them released. That would require being able to speak to someone.

Stopping with her circling of the room Nevayah laid her back to the ground while propping her buckled boots up on the wall. One arm outstretched above her while the other lay on her chest she titled her head in Lanister's direction. They didn't need to speak to one another, they both knew what the other was thinking. Both of them had grown tired of constantly fighting for their freedom, and at least the predicament they found themselves in now was somewhat comfortable. It could have been worse, they could be chained or caged like beasts. She could tell that Lanister was growing tired, the way he held his head in his hands in a defeated sort of stance. He was most likely asking himself the same question she had been contemplating the whole time. "Will this ever end?"

[ValamLym]

Red eyes remained fixated on the settlement below their gaze. A mixture of fear and anger huddled deep within their confines. This place wasn't just made to pray to a god, it was made by ones magic. She felt it, yank at every ounce of her being, trying to drain her of all her power, it would not succeed. Although weakened, Daemelia was a lot more powerful then she ever showed, this was nothing, these men WOULD be nothing.

She turned to the woman beside her, a force pushing at the back of her eyes as it tried to drag down her demonic taint and destroy every fiber of her being. ''I'll be fine.'' she simply muttered, turning her gaze to the valley below. It seemed unavoidable, she'd have to fight. A soft sigh passed her lips as this reality sunk in.

'"So what's your plan?''

She inquired almost passively, looking down the valley. Her keen eyes allowed her to discern faces, statues and more, seeing men pray to a false deity was not just annoying, it was infuriating, mortals were so gullible. She quickly fixated her gaze on one of the cathedrals, noting the magic emanating from the door. ''I wonder why they magically sealed that door.'' she stated as she pondered the situation.

A surge of pain went through her body as one of the priests below send their prayer, then the next and the next. Each time pained Daemelia. ''Lets be quick about this.'' she growled almost angrily before simply rising to her feet, her red eyes fixated on that cathedral Today I will deal a blow to those damn angels..  a grin formed on her face as that thought coursed through her mind, nestling itself between vengeance and hatred, her eyes glowing a little brighter this day as a result.

[Alize]

"So what's your plan?" asked Daemelia.

Kino paused. What was her plan?

She had - perhaps too optimistically - assumed that the two of them could simply disguise themselves as pilgrims there to join the cult. They would naturally want to pray at the base of the mountain, and would naturally pocket themselves some of the ivory sage that grew there whilst "praying." They'd spend the rest of the day going through whatever weirdo initiation rites these loonies held as tradition, then slip away come nightfall. Kino hadn't counted on the holy aura that permeated the place, nor on the heavily guarded path up the mountain.

Daemelia looked to be in visible pain, and Kino now doubted that such a flimsy plan would fool the zealots. Given the powerful aura and size of the town in the valley below them, the fanatics were likely to have scrying magics to see through the duo's disguises, and runic wards to prevent access farther up to the Arbiter's Peak.

She voiced all this to Daemelia, and had the sealed door pointed out by Dae in return.

"So, d'you think you could undo the wards on it? What d'you think of unlocking whatever's in there and using the confusion to slip by the guards on the path up the mountainside?"

[Salzem]

As Lanister and Nevayah sat around, twiddling their thumbs in the least literal sense, a brilliant Pillar of light erupted from the front of the church, right where a priest might be standing if he were giving his sermon. The sudden disruption of their quiet peace was so abrupt, so absolutely and completely out of nowhere, the tainted boy literally jerked back in his seat with such strength, he fell over the back, landing on his own. Without hesitation and putting Nevayah's safety before his own life, Lanister ran out from behind his chair and grabbed his wife's hand, tugging her into a seemingly safer position behind one of the massive church benches. Once there, Lanister would peer through the gap between back and seat, the radiant, blinding light surprisingly not blinding. His eyes didn't hurt to stare into the incredible glow and, in fact, it seemed to invite the attention. Unlike staring into the sun or it's reflection upon metal, this light didn't force itself into their eyesockets, burning their optic nerves into oblivion. This light seemed to envelop the pair, comfort them, a trusting sight that would make any mortal believe that they were in the presence of a god. After what happened with the demon all that time ago and the run in with the crazies that, he presumed, worshiped this thing, Lanister was still quite dubious. He would be liar to claim the sight didn't touch his soul because it did.... painfully... as if just being in the presence of such a thing was a crime in it of itself. It was like polluting a beautiful river with disgusting, grimy sewage. You just... shouldn't... do that.

Out of the pillar of light, a shadow began to form, growing more and more into the shape of a man, three, radiant white angel wings sprouting out of either side of the pillar, spreading themselves wide and threatening to encompass the entire room. Of course, this may have just been an illusion of the sheer power demonstrated by this being... It was beautiful, yet terrible, like staring into the glossy black, souless eyes of a massive spider. Knowing how it managed to track you, to capture you, and now to kill you so masterfully and professionally... you couldn't help but admire it.

The pillar of light faded and, where it once stood, was a MASSIVE woman, at least 30 feet tall at the shortest, those six wings sprouting from her back, now folded neatly behind. In one hand, she held a tome at least twice the size of Lanister himself, a single page of which being large enough to encompass a pair of king-sized beds. In the other, she held a large mace, wicked spikes jutting from the brutal iron ball on the head of the weapon. The woman herself wore fully-functional battle armor, complete with a golden-white cuirus, greaves, boots and gloves, looking as if she were getting ready for war. Her golden hair seemed to glow with her holy radiance, appearing more the color of golden tulips than the blonde mortals had received. This angelic being stared right down at where Lanister and Nevayah hid with silent, cold blue eyes, her full red lips curled downwards into a frown.

The boy stared up at the war-maiden, eyes wide and mouth agape, dumbfounded being a drastic understatement of the expression on his face. At the very most, Lanister was hoping that they would be thrown at some sort of perverted beast, or a demon or SOMETHING that they could die to knowing they had a chance at escape. But when he stared up into those silent, critical eyes of the colossal holy being, Lanister knew there was no hope of getting out of this one.

[Blink]

The burst of light at the front of the church had also caused Nevayah to stir, but before she could even react Lanister was half dragging half guiding her to a 'safer' place behind one of the old church benches. Copying her love she too peered through the crack in the benches between the bottom and backrest. From there she could see the being forming before them. Tall and warrior like the being with golden hair and cold eyes stared at them. Looking to her side she could see Lanister's change in posture. He had already given up before the fight had begun. Of course they were two 'mortals' if you will. No special skill set other than surviving on the street. Obviously, they could not add avoiding detection and capture to their resume's as they seemed to be captured... a lot. The only special thing about them really other than the unique and everlasting love they shared was the blood that ran through their veins, but even here it was useless. With Lanister's poisonous like qualities and Nevayah's self healing tainted by the magical seal placed on the cathedral they were both essentially screwed.

Nonetheless if Lanister had taught Nevayah anything it was to not retreat within yourself. She had made a promise, a blood oath if you will, to him that she would never become the shell of the girl she was once before. Nevayah had a life now, even if it was essentially dramatic and somewhat predictable... but it was a life nonetheless! So it should have came to no surprise that instead of cowering in the shadow cast by the light ahead that Nevayah stood up and glared back at the war maiden. "Oh hell no!" her voice reverberating off the tall ceilings of the room. "I have been been trapped, sold, traded... hell we survived a damned demon! I will be damned if I go out now. Not like this... not without at least trying!" and with her words Nevayah grabbed one of the ancient books, undoubtedly a sacred one to those who had captured them. They seemed to be placed periodically in little holders on the back of each row of benches. With this book Nevayah flung it at the war maiden knowing it would do nothing. Her plan was not to simply 'take the being down with a measly book' but more so to make it known she was not going down without a fight.

Clearly it would only take one swipe with the mace she held in hand to take Nevayah down. It would not only kill her on contact, but make her look similar to a bug squashed under a boot. Even so she flung the book with all of her might. From an outsiders perspective it would look like a flea standing against a hound. The worst part of the situation being that despite using all of her strength the book didn't even reach the war-maiden but instead fumbled to the ground a few feet in front of it. Pathetically Nevayah then grabbed another book and then another flinging them at the being and failing miserably. She herself knew she must look quite foolish, not only throwing such tiny objects at the woman, but missing all together. Looking over to Lanister Nevayah almost felt like giving up and crumbling in front of him. It would be perfectly romantic for them to spend their last moments holding each other and crying on how much they love one another.

Scenes of their past experiences then flashed by where Lanister was always the one to get them out of a situation. Every single time Nevayah's reckless attempts at freedom were squashed and Lanister ended up being the one to save them both. This time though, perhaps they would not be so lucky. Maybe this time it was the end of it all. So on a last ditch effort Nevayah whispered four words of an incomplete statement, a statement that Lanister and only Lanister would know the ending to.

"A life without you...."


(OOC: So yeah... today kinda sucked so I felt like bringing some comedy in. ^.^ Unfortunately I have now made Nevayah look like an idiot... oh well!)

[ValamLym]

Simply nodding, Daemelia listened to Kino's doubts. Yes, that was definately not going to happen. If not for her weakened state then it would be for her temper. Though weakened was probably a wrong word, she wasn't exactly weakened, she was continuously strained, giving Kino's hand a little squeeze  as she contemplated what to do next.

''I cannot open the seal, but I can utterly annihilate it.'' she commented silently before teleporting herself away from Kino so she would not betray her position. She figured she would not yet tap into her second mana pool and instead use her own powers while they were still available, no doubt that they would diminish the longer she spend in this area, as such she extended her arms above herself, swirling them. Within moments, a small green hell fire orb formed, but as time progressed it grew and grew until it took on the size of the door of the massive cathedral. She smirked before letting one hand slip to her side and a flick her finger with the other.

That tiny tick was the only sound heard for a moment as the very nature around them grew quiet at the display, the massive green ball began moving toward the door, slowly at first, but then picking up speed, the loud thundering clap of infernal flames meeting holy resistance was heard, but just as light abolished the dark, so did the dark devour the light, it gorged through the door before detonating sending pieces of marble and wood flying everywhere, splintering benches within the cathedral and causing the devastation one may expect from Demonic magics.

Within a second she appeared back at Kino, crossing her arms. ''I don't do subtle.'' she winked at her, clearly messing with the fact she normally actually DID subtle.

[Alize]

"So I see." Replied Kino, a smile on her lips and a blush on her cheeks. The smile quickly faded as the light from the explosion cleared to reveal a very, very large and very, very irate archangel.

Daemelia's hellfire had narrowly missed The Arbiter, the detonation taking a small chunk out of a wing. Its gaze met theirs; its eyes were cold and beautiful and terrible. Kino felt like a fly caught in a web as The Arbiter silently mouthed a single word. The charred and blackened feathers rejuvenated themselves and She was pristine once more.

Its lips began moving again, making no sound but sending an incandescent siren song cascading through the minds of every man and woman in Arbiter's Peak. The message was so perfect and heavenly that it felt as if Kino's mind were about to split.

"Harken, my flock! Scourge the unfaithful!"

The Arbiter mouthed a final, silent word and then She was gone.

Kino barely had time to notice the man and woman in the cathedral before the distant sound of giant alarm bells reached her ears. Then Dae had her by the wrist and they were both running.

[Salzem]

"....Just... stop talking, sweetie..." Lanister mumbled, closing his eyes andholding his wife close as the colossal angel raised her mace to crush the poor humans into oblivion. Then, as if it were (un)holy intervention, a blast of massive green fire sick to even look at blasted through the magically sealed gates from outside, slamming into one of the angel's smaller wings, blasting a good chunk of her divine flesh, leaving a smoldering skeleton where holy feathers once stood. Lanister's neck shot around to stare at his saviors, his face hopeful, before his expression fell once again, seeing the twisted, darkened face of another demon. Granted, she had a face and was far more beautiful than the one he and Nevayah had the misfortune of meeting face-to-noface, but she was still a demon and that still didn't make the ice around his stomach thaw, even a bit. The haunting, righteous anger burning in the angel's eyes gave Lanister enough reason to run to the protection of the demon, despite his misgivings, especially after the holy being called upon the aid of the entire civilization. He stared at the pair, then at Nevayah, his face firming up, determined. As the archangel disappeared, Lanister wrapped his hand around Nevayah's and pulled her behind him, following the pair of figures closely, one masked and mysterious, the other a twisted demon.

The town was coming alive all around them, masked figures, robed figures, normal looking people, they all chased and threw things at them from knives to pans, to rolling pins in an effort to slow them all down. Luckily, the more dangerous objects missed the two tainted-bloods, but as for the others, he did not know fore he was too busy keeping himself and his wife alive. He glanced down for a moment as his blood dripped from his hand once again, a drop falling from his palm onto the ground under their feet, sizzling into the earth as a faint red mist rose from the corroding stone. It was slow at first... gradual... the crowd that followed behind them quickly turned on themselves as the halucinagenic smell of his blood coursed into their brains, making them believe that everyone was an enemy. As more and more blood dropped from his hands and longer and longer the group chased them, the more they turned on themselves. What was meant to be a bloodbath of the escapees became a bloodbath for themselves with the exception of the odd ones of white robes, those permissibly under direct protection of the angel. But then, even they were caught up in the death and destruction as their own comrades leaped upon them, ripping at them madly as the acidic gas melted away their grey-matter. Still, whatever seemed like the whole town back there came after them, granted in more of a twisted bundle of limbs, climbing over one-another in a mad dash for the uninfected. Even as the horde followed behind, more and more men, women and children chased after, each one soon succumbing to the blood dripping from Lanister's palm.

And tears fell from his eyes.

[Blink]

It had all happened so fast that Nevayah almost missed what happened to the large war maiden that stood before them. Before she knew it half the cathedral had been destroyed, as well as half of the giant being. Her gaze followed Lanister's to see a demon far off had created the destruction before them. Looking back to Lanister as he did her he grabbed her hand and took off in the direction of the mysterious pair. He seemed completely unphased by the fact that one of the two they were following had almost killed them in her assault on the cathedral. Had they been standing just a mere few inches from where they were they could have been hit by the massive green energy that injured the war maiden.

Eyes wide she followed behind her betrothed as they ran through the town. It was not long before she noticed what was happening behind them. Men, women, and children all began to turn on one another instead of remaining in pursuit of the two Tainted. Looking down she saw the blood dripping from Lanister's palm where he had attempted to open the door minutes before the being had appeared. Tears then began to well in her eyes as she thought of the pain he must be enduring. Just as he hurt she hurt, an apparent side effect of the blood bond they shared. Of course she would not notice otherwise due to her blood's ability to counteract his. They were each the cure for the others ability. As Nevayah's blood could heal or strengthen, Lanister's could destroy and corrode.

[ValamLym]

When the pursuers began slaughtering each other Daemelia stopped dead in her tracks, looking down at the flock of people fighting each other. She then noted that the two supposed distractions were making their way to them Ughh.. typical. she thought to herself before looking at Kino for a moment. She figured Kino would want to help them or at-least tolerate them, she herself was having doubts.

She turned her attention to where the arbiter once stood, a smirk rolling onto her face Hell one, Heaven zero.. she thought, somewhat pleased not cause she scraped the arbiter but cause she annihilated a cathedral. Once she sabotaged the barrier, she'd come back to torch this place properly. No doubt her kin were already gnawing at the thought of bringing the fight to this place.

Quickly shaking off her inner hatred for heaven she re-focused herself to Kino and the new arrivals. ''Your welcome.'' she simply stated, eyeing the two following them.

[Alize]

Hidden away in a back-alley, nestled away between a bakery and an armorsmith, Kino caught her breath and tightened the straps of her mask. She recalled the red mist which had engulfed and enraged the crowd, and had no wish to fall victim to it herself. She was trying to figure out what could have caused it when the answer came running towards them.

The man and woman from the cathedral were clearly not associated with the zealots who called Arbiter's Peak home. As Daemelia sarcastically greeted the pair, Kino studied them from behind her mask. The couple's eyes both shone cold. There was fear in their eyes, yes, but there was also a grizzled determination. A will to live. Whoever or whatever these two were, they were clearly survivors.

"Hello there," Kino slowly brought her hands up in a non-threatening gesture of goodwill. "I take it that we somehow have you to thank for dealing with the mob?"

After a moment, she continued. "Kino. Kino Vanden." She nodded her mask's beak towards her lover, "this is Daemelia."

[Salzem]

The horde started to die off as the quartet ducked within an ally between a bakery and and a blacksmith's forge, both establishments as vacant as the self-control of their masters surely. Between the consumption of their brains and the infighting amongst themselves, by the time the horde reached them, they were only a few stragglers, beaten and broken beyond anything resembling humanity. Now, they looked and moved like the typical zombie one would encounter in the wilderness occasionally, Slow, battered, flesh and bone poking from ever other hole and somehow they keep functioning. The main difference though was that Zombies didn't bleed and these being's eyes weren't glossed over. No, they stared at them intently down the ally, eyes focused, enraged. Before they could make their way into said ally, Lanister withdrew a weapon from his jacket pocket, a familiar 3 barreled pistol he had bought from (what he thought was) a merchant a long while back. Making sure his lovely wife was out of the way, he fired off 3 quick shots, each barrel rotating as each bullet was fired. Either by luck, by fate, or some untapped skill, each lead ball struck its mark, one drilling itself into one of the ghoul's heads, right below the eyesocket. As that one fell, the second bullet struck the monster behind it, blowing off what remained of it's jaw and severing it's spinal cord, dropping it as well. the final bullet ripped right through the chest of the last straggler, tumbling and tearing its way through flesh and bone, ripping a hole at least as large as Lanister's fist in his chest and that was just the entrance wound. He could actually see the world through the hole he had shot, surprising the young tainted blood before that one fell to it's knees and knelt there, mutilated head cocked upwards, facing the sky. Blood snaked out of it's mouth as the body knelt there, running down it's throat, arm, fingers before finally dripping onto the cobble-stone ground below them. Lanister couldn't help but stare.

It was only when the Plague-doctor-woman spoke did the boy respond, though his reaction was more of a jump, snapping him out of his trance. Quickly, he slipped the gun back into his jacket and turned to face his two saviors, grateful to be sure, but understandably cautious. He couldn't help but keep his eyes on the Demon throughout her partner's gestures of good will, knowing full well what such beings were capable of. Still, when she made her sarcastic comment, the boy lowered his head in a nod of thanks.

"Thank you for the the rescue... Kino and...... Daemelia." He thanked, his eyes flicking back to the sanguine orbs of the creature, but only for a moment before flicking back to the plague-doctor. "And yes.... That was me... I am Lanister, and this..." He wrapped an arm around Nevayah's shoulders, smiling softly at her before returning his gaze. "Is Nevayah. We were held up in that church for days by those crazies... A sacrifice to their god or something... But... What were you doing here?"

[Blink]

Nevayah followed as they themselves turned into the same alley as the two strangers they were following. It was obvious by Nevayah's expression that she was hesitant of the two they had not so smartly pursued. What was Lanister thinking following an obvious demon... and well a person in a beaked mask? Without having much time to take it all in Nevayah's attention turned towards the few 'humans', if that is what you would call them now, as they made their way to the opening of the alleyway.

Lanister quickly made an example of them with a very familiar pistol. Her own fingers flicked with each shot as if she herself were imaging how it would be to pull the trigger. Something had slowly been building within Nevayah for months now. The shell of a girl she once was had gone from that to someone who trusted no one but Lanister. Even those who seemed to have good intentions would be cast in her mind as enemies. This was how it had to be, having been hunted and tricked too many times. Weary of the two that introduced themselves as Kino and Daemelia she practically flinched every time the one who called herself Kino turned her 'beak'. Not to mention the fact she had mentally prepared for the one resembling a demon to make a move on them at any moment.

She couldn't even force herself to fake a smile at them when Lanister introduced her, and when he turned to her he would surely see the stone cold expression on her face. But even so Nevayah felt herself bewitched by the presence of the odd skin colored demon. When she simply stated a 'your welcome' to them she found the woman's voice almost mesmerizing, Nevayah hated herself for that.

Either way whether she felt something or not she would remain guarded towards the woman. Without words she nodded at the two, her eyes still harboring something similar to hatred and distrust. Lanister had already told them too much, that he caused the massacre of the mob. How long until they wandered how? Reaching up she grabbed a bit of her scarf pulling it up just a smidgen to cover any scars that could be visible. Thankfully she had kept the light cloak Lanister had gotten her on in the church. One look at her arms and legs they would know something was off. Even if it was only knee length, her boots and stockings covered her lower legs well enough.

[ValamLym]

Although somewhat displeased by being introduced by her real name, Daemelia didn't even glare at Kino. She couldn't. That woman wouldn't be able to do anything wrong in her eyes even if she tried. Regardless, her suspicious remained and the tensions arched through her muscles, causing her hands to be un-able to remain motionless, instead twitching ever so slightly.

For the longest of times Daemelia didn't say a word, simply staring at the man and then at the woman. Whom simply returned a similar stare. It didn't impress her, the moment she'd lift her arm she knew the woman would fear her. However, this was neither the time nor the place. Those seals were still gnawing away at her powers and her energy and although she was powerful, far beyond that of any normal demon. This wasn't going to last, wasting energy on these two would be just that.

''Kino.. As much as I'd love to have you make new friends...'' she floated closer to her girlfriend, coiling her tail around her waist before leaning in to whisper ''I'm running out of energy as long as those seals are up.'' she then withdrew herself, not wanting to cause Kino discomfort before the strangers.

After a few moments she finally addressed the two, her tone as neutral as it always was ''Just don't get in the way.''

[Alize]

Kino suppressed a giggle as her lover's tail squeezed her waist, and slid her hand along it as Daemelia withdrew it. Then she pondered Dae's words. Just what kind of wards had the cultists placed? What exactly were they doing? Where were they located? How could they be undone? And just how much was Dae suffering because of them...

Though it hurt her to do so, Kino pushed thoughts of her lover's current strain to the back of her mind for now. They were surrounded by threats, and she would refuse to let their mutual love endanger their mutual survival. This was for the best. Unfettered by sentiment, Kino's mind quickly replayed everything that had happened over and over again as she coldly analyzed the situation.

As long as the wards remained up, the three mortals were little more than flies caught in the archangel's web. And as much as she admired her partner, Kino didn't particularly fancy Daemelia's chances against The Arbiter in a direct confrontation, especially on the seraph's home turf. Given that Daemelia had chosen to run from the mob rather than teleport away, Kino assumed that magical escape would be impossible until the wards went down. Now, throughout the town there were three or four cathedrals which stood taller than the rest and which particularly hurt to look at. It would be reasonable to assume that they housed the seals which needed to be undone. It would also be reasonable to assume that The Arbiter would crush them like bugs if She knew what they were up to. They would have to take out the seals without letting the Seraph realize what they were trying to do. Let the damned angel think that this was just another test for Her followers.

Desperately hoping that The Arbiter wasn't listening in, Kino voiced her plan to her three companions.

[Salzem]

Lanister could feel the chilling shell of blankness spreading throughout Nevayah's consciousness, emotions such as confusion and aggravation, a result of their active bloodbond. Perhaps it was because she hid her emotions so well on the surface, or perhaps it was because he knew her before she had gotten back in contact with herself, but seeing that clean-slate on an expression on her face intimidated the boy, more than it would facing down the (now) 5 winged angel. He said not a word as the demon-thing wrapped her tail around the crow-masked lady's waist with her tail suggestively, pressing her face close against the woman's ear. Perhaps he was unable to read her lips or hear her voice as she whispered gods-knows-what to her companion, but Lanister could see her cheeks moving up and down as well as her chin, giving away her subtle attempt to keep knowledge away from the pair of slaves. He did not take any measures to deduce what she was attempting to hide however. What would be the point? After all, with an entire civilization of crazies and an arch-angel hunting them, a shared secret hardly had any value. Lanister's hand moved from Nevayah's shoulder to her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers and giving her palm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Unlike his wife, Lanister had no qualms about showing who he was or what he was feeling and right now, his eyes locked with Nevayah's and he smiled despite himself. He certainly wasn't enjoying being on the run, especially with death so imminent. This smile was more to ease the tensions between them caused by their recent escape and.... what unfortunance happened a moment ago. Were they not about to die every second that passed, Lanister might have taken this moment to kiss Nevayah right there, held her and just let himself flow into her and damn what the others would think. However, in the moment, there was priorities.... They had to stay alive so he could do that later.

Speaking of which, Kino, having pulled away from the demonnesses caressing tail, spoke of the 3 other cathedrals stationed around the town, that it was likely each one possessed a seal that kept the magical barrier around the town up. Lanister didn't like the word "Should..." a mere 6 letters that left everything up to chance... What this lady was proposing was a covert, guerilla-like strike in a hostile land they have no experience with, to attack 3 separate locations that may or may not house the runes they were looking for, all the while trying to avoid detection by a near-all-powerful superbeing. Lanister would be a liar if he didn't admit to himself that this was WAY out of his league. This was the job for master spies, assassins, illusionists and such. What was he but a mere human with acid blood and a pistol? Such a plan like this was daring indeed, but extremely prone to failure. Stub your toe even once, and its all over. For all four of them.

"Alright...." Lanister said, a large heavy sigh expelling from his mouth. "We attack the cathedrals opposite of one-another in teams of two then move to the one in the center for a collaborative strike, right?" He asked, already piecing together a plan of his own. "I guess the only thing we have to worry about is what happens after the barrier goes down..."

[Blink]

She felt as Lanister squeezed her hand and reciprocated the action. He always knew how to ground her when she felt she would be taken away by her own train of thought. Without words she listened as the woman with the mask spoke of her idea to the group. Somehow Lanister and herself had gotten dragged into the scheme, but she guessed she did owe them for aiding in their escape.

It was when Lanister began speaking of a plan that Nevayah leaned into him a bit, placing a hand on his upper arm while her other remained in his palm. This was her silent way of letting it be known that she would be going wherever Lanister went. When he finished voicing his own plan Nevayah piped in, the first time she had really spoken in front of the strange duo.

"Unless the two of you split up. Then we could hit all three at once." her eyes then traveled between the demon and masked woman. Clearly they were both a great deal stronger than Nevayah and Lanister and more capable of defending themselves. Nevayah was almost completely useless in the situation regardless. If anything she was more of a liability, but these two need not know that. Yes, Nevayah's blood healed and mended. The other quality though, the one that made even a drop of her blood so desirable was its ability to strengthen. Even to a holy (or unholy) being it could grant great strength and a surge in power.

Shaking the thought from her mind she looked at Lanister as if he alone could assure her that everything would turn out for the better, and that after all of this was over life would go on yet again.

[ValamLym]

Daemelia didn't like this idea, not one bit. But at the same time she couldn't immediately think of something better. While Lanister suggested his route, she immediately shook her head ''Neither of us will just be able to walk up to that Cathedral.'' she turned her attention to the sky for a moment ''I will be the distraction.'' she turned her attention to Kino, clearly having already made up her mind ''What do religious zealots hate more then non-believers?'' she pointed to herself ''My kind.''

She floated over to Kino, placing a hand on her shoulder and another on her cheek. Kino would feel a short burning sensation on her shoulder as Daemelia planted her mark. This way you can communicate to me like this. Daemelia's thoughts would echo in Kino's head. Finally she turned her attention to the other two, her distrust for the two clear on her face and for once, she spoke without any kind of filter ''If she dies, so do you, that's a promise.'' with that, she used her remaining strength to teleport to the center of the town.

''The burning hells send their regards.'' she simply commented as she found herself surrounded by surprised fanatics. She then extended two arms toward the sky Lets see how well you can fight, arch-mage.. she thought to herself as her eyes glew a distinct blue, this was the power Kino would never be allowed to know about, this was her darkest secret, the ability to devour mages and take their magic for herself, by trapping their souls within her for all eternity. With a yank of her arm two large meteorite like objects, bathed in blue flames came crashing down smashing into the plaza killing any unfortunate enough to be in their impact range.

She knew she'd be fighting a losing battle for as long as those marks stayed up, but she could prolong it by devouring the people here. Clearly surprised by a demon using mortal magics the zealots were initially caught off guard, but soon their intense hatred for Daemelia's kind surfaced and they were onto her once more, however, they would not prove a challenge without suffering immense losses, the cards were played and now it was simply to hope that the angel's hatred for her kind would blind her to what was truly going on. Daemelia simply continued incinerating and devouring any who were foolish to come close to her.

''How many of your puppets must I devour before you come out to play ANGEL!''