Intro
***Demon Castle
Demon Captain: "Open the gate!"
The castle gates open and the demon captain enters. He makes his way to his lord's chamber and kneels before his king.
Demon Captain: "My lord, I have important news that I must bring to your attention. While me and my men were out retrieving the Bleeding Roses we ran into a couple humans, but these humans weren't ordinary. I regret having to say this, but they were stopped us from retrieving the last Rose. One human slip past my troops and sealed off the cave entrance before any of my men could enter and the other suppressed my army from breaching the blockage. Also, during our encounter the human displayed an unusual aura. It was sickening and oddly pure, far more pure than any human I have seen. And that's not all, the human also leaked small traces of a spirit's energy. After sustaining significant casualties we had finally managed to corner the human, but before we could finish him a spirit merged with the human and restored his strength. I don't know what kind of spirit it was, but I have confirmed that the source of the human's power originated from that spirit. *("…") Yes, we were able to collect most of the flowers, but we were forced to leave one. *("…") No, I don't think they're escapees. If we captured humans that strong they surely would've been eaten. *("…") For a brief moment, I felt an overwhelmingly source of power. And it wasn't the spirit's. Whatever it was, it's no doubt dangerous. That's the reason I fled. Such a valuable specimens should be handled accordingly, so I came to you. Shall I despatch a party to keep an eye on them?."
Demon Lord: "No need for that."
Demon Captain: "My Lord?"
Demon Lord: "It seems that the Old God has caught wind of our plan and has finally decided to act. Congrats, you just got the chance to see the strength of an angel. That powerful aura you felt was probably their divine weapons. But there's no need to worry about that yet, it's much soon for them to use their weapons. They're too weak."
Demon Captain: "How can you be sure of that?"
Demon Lord: "Let's just say I have a bit of history with the Old God."
Demon Captain: "Mmm. What shall be our next move, my Lord?"
Demon Lord: Hehe, everything is going according to our plan. "Captain, send a legate crow to the Five Cardinal Sins on the Outskirts of the World. They'll need to prepare for the upcoming battle. I'm going to The Holied Land, it'll take me some time to get back, so make sure everyone is prepared for battle by the time I return."
Demon Captain: "My lord, why go to The Holied Land?"
Demon Lord: "The Sacred Script, I want to make sure it hasn't been touched. Now make heist, the preparations must be completed."
Demon Captain: "As you wish, my lord."
The demon captain leaves the demon king's chambers.
Demon Lord: "It's finally come, the fight we've so long been preparing. Our divine plan approaches it climax, and I, Demon Lord Baren, will be the antagonist of this grand tale. Will the humans succeed and return this world to order, or will they fail and allow this world to reset back into the age of chaos. The pieces are now in place, now all you need to do is choose your players. The war of Two Many Deity, has now begun.
***
Neku: "Are we there yet?"
Aaron: "No."
Eris: "No."
Conan: "No."
Neku: "Are we there yet?"
Aaron: "No."
Eris: "No."
Conan: "No."
Neku: "Are we there yet?"
Aaron: "No."
Eris: "No."
Conan: "No."
Neku: "Are we there yet?"
Aaron: "No!"
Eris: "No!"
Conan: "No!"
Conan: "Neku, you've already been to this village, so stop asking!"
Neku: "Nyyyaah! I'm so bored. There's nothing to do."
Conan: "Uhhh, I liked it better when you couldn't form complete sentences."
Aaron: "If you're bored, then play a game or something."
Neku: "Play a game, like what? Where're in the middle of a corroded forest, what would I play with?"
Conan: "You could play fetch."
Conan picks up a stick and throws it, then makes gestures to Neku to chase it.
Neku: "HISSSSS!"
Eris: "Nice one, Conan."
Eris gives Conan a sharp thumbs up. Conan returns her gesture with a sharper thumbs up.
Neku: "MEOWW! HISSSS!!!"
Aaron: "Stop fighting you guys. If you're gonna talk, then try to get to know each other better."
Neku: "Hmm, fine. Then I'll go first. I…"
Conan: "Meh, what the heck. Name's Conan Ebon Lupo. And I'm a werewolf."
Neku: "Hey, wait your turn!"
Conan: "I'm also known as a shadow or night wolf because of my powers. I'm able to conjure and control darkness. I can form it into a weapon and armor. I can even make throwable items. But if we get into to much trouble I can use the shadows as a cloak."
Neku: "I said wait your turn, don't ignore me! HEY!"
Conan: "Although my attack power is greatly higher than Neku's, I actually specialize in defense."
Eris: "Really? With the way you fought earlier, I thought for sure you specialized in offensive combat."
Conan: "No, it may seem like I use a lot of offensive skills, but that's just a ruse. I used mostly defensive and support spells in our fight."
Eris: "Wow. That's pretty cool."
Conan: "Not really, everyone in my clan is like that. Well, they were before they all died."
The mood turned dark. Conan's comment set a disturbing tone for everyone, except…
CHUMP!!!
Conan: "OW!! HEATHED!!!"
Neku bit Conan on the neck. He knocked her off and pushed her to the ground. She crouched into a pouncing position ready to strike again.
Neku: "HISSS! I'm tired of you looking down on me. Now shut up, and let me speak!"
Conan: "No one wants to hear you speak. Every time you open your mouth you just say something stupid, GRRRR! Great, now I'm probably infected with one of your diseases."
Neku: "You're already a disease, or more accurately a curse. At least that's what that black fog of yours keeps telling me. Stop trying to speak on other's behalf. HISSS!"
*RUFF! RUFF! RUFF!
*MEEROOOW-RRRROW!
*RUFF! RUFF!
*HISSS! RRRREEROOOW!
Aaron: "Geez, will those to ever get along?"
Eris: "I don't know, but I'm sure they'll sort it out on their own."
Aaron: "You're really no help?"
Eris: "Well hey, sometimes the younger child has to fight their older sibling before they van learn anything."
CHUMP!!!
Eris: "OW!! HEATHED!!!"
Neku bit Eris in the same place she bit Conan. Eris flung Neku off and checked her wound.
Neku: "Wow, you scream just like a mutt."
Conan: "GRRRRR!!!"
Eris: "You rat! Why did you bite me?"
Neku: "You were talking about me!"
Eris: "And?"
Neku: "You said something that was, insulting?"
Eris: "You don't even know what I said!"
*RUFF! RUFF! RUFF!
*MEEROOOW-RRRROW!
*RUFF! RUFF!
*HISSS! RRRREEROOOW!
Aaron: "Enough already! We're suppose to be a team, so act like it."
Conan: "Acting is about all we can do."
Aaron: "I heard that."
***
Eris: "UHHH! You are so annoying!"
Neku: "You're the only one who's annoying, you meat-faced hag!"
Eris: "What did you call me, you halfwitted feline!?"
Neku: "Dumb warped face Witch!"
Eris: "Flea-beaded feral RAG!"
Aaron: "OI! I SAID STOP! WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE AT EACH OTHERS THROATS! GET ALONG OR SHUT UP!"
Conan: "Aww, it was just starting to get good."
Aaron: "HMMGGRR!!!"
Aaron turns sharply at Conan with an extremely irritated face, signaling him to be quiet. Conan smirks and put his hands up in compliance.
Aaron: "Huh, besides, we're here."
After two days of traveling, Shenma Village was in the horizon. From a distance it looked quite small, only big enough for about one-hundred people. Aaron and the others continued to Shenma Village, some eager for the visit and others weary of the place. As they got closer the town's main door it looked more and more deserted until it seemed completely abandoned.
Conan: "Hold on everyone."
(Everyone stops)
Conan: "I haven't been here in ages, so I don't know what to expect. But just to be safe, let me cast a concealment spell on us."
Conan cast a spell and changed their appearance. They took the appearance of adventurers. Aaron was a swordsman, Eris, a knight, Neku looked like a healer, and Conan was a mage is casual clothing.
Aaron: "Wow, I look completely different, but I'm still visible."
Conan: "The spell masks your aura and appearance, so any demons here will have a hard time telling you're angels. Not turn you invisible."
Aaron: "Still, quite the useful skill."
Neku: "That's Conan."
Eris: "Hey um, why am I in this? It's so heavy and hard to move in."
Conan: "Sorry, I got your body proportions wrong. This better?" (Waves his hand).
Eris: "Much. Still don't like this outfit."
Aaron: "I think it suits you nicely, Eris."
Conan: "Alright, love birds let's go."
The team enter the village. All the houses were old and falling apart. The flowers hanging from their rafters were all dead. The road was rough and very unkept, and so parched that even the weight of a leaf could crack it.
Conan: "This place is dead. Just how long has it been since I checked on it?"
Aaron: "That reminds me, you mentioned earlier that you've been here before. But, in the time period you described you would've still been stuck in the cave. So, how could you have come to this place."
Conan: "Actually, I said I checked on this place, not I actually came here. I have my ways of searching places."
Eris: "Then how did you find this place?"
Conan: "Shâd Vest."
Eris: "Shad what?"
Conan: "It's…"
Neku: "It's a spell Conan created to let his spirit posses his shadow to travel long distances. However, the spell uses a lot of mana and takes time to activate. While in this state his body is completely vulnerable."
Conan: "Mind your tongue."
Neku: "HISSS! That's what you get for interrupting me earlier."
Conan: "You petty little…"
Aaron: "Hey, do not start that again?"
Neku: "I'm sorry, Master. Please, forgive me?" *(Bow)
Conan: "Hmm, I don't have to listen to you."
Aaron: "Conan. Shut up!"
Conan felt a cold chill drift from Aaron. His instincts told him he was being challenged and instantly reacted, but Conan suppressed his urge. If a fight were to brake out it would only cause a rift in the team. Besides, they had more important matters to worry about. An evil aura slowly envelop the town.
Conan: "Wait."
Aaron: "What is it now?"
Conan: "Something is watching us."
Eris: "Enemies?"
Conan: "Well, they're definitely not friendlies. The aura is dark."
Aaron: "Can you tell how many?"
Conan: "Not, but there's a lot of them."
Neku: "Thirty."
Conan: "You sure?"
Neku: "Of course. Spacial magic, remember?"
Eris: "Stay on guard everyone."
Aaron, Eris, Neku, and Conan all backed together, covering each other's blind spots. They carefully watched the shadows for any sign of movement.
*BANG!!!
Aaron: "AAAAHHH!!!"
Eris: "AARON!"
Neku: "MASTER!"
An object pierced Aaron deep in his chest. He clenched in pain as he fell to his knees. Neku grabbed him and dashed for cover behind some crates in a nearby alley. Eris and Conan split off as they took cover from more incoming fire.
Eris: "Aaron, you ok?!"
Aaron: "I'm fine! Go and take out the ones shooting at us! I'll be right behind you!"
Conan: "Come on, he'll be fine. We need to move."
Conan and Eris ran ahead to apprehend their assailants. Meanwhile, Neku was tending to Aaron's injury.
Neku: "Master, I need you to move your hand now."
Aaron slowly moved his hand from his wound. He was bleeding badly.
Neku: "Well, nothing too vital was hit. But, I should get started immediately. Bite down on this. This is gonna hurt, a lot."
Neku put a soft piece of wood in Aaron's mouth to keep him from grinding his teeth. She dug her finger inside Aaron's wound in search for the projectile. The pain was so excruciating that Aaron nearly passed out.
Neku: "Hang in there, Master. Just a little more, a little more, and, got it!"
Neku touched the object and used her spacial magic to remove the projectile, then sealed the wound using a spacial tube. Neku examined the object.
Neku: "Is this, a bullet?"
Aaron: "A bullet. They have guns here?"
Neku: "Yes, but guns are extremely rare to come by. Not many people even know how to forge a gun anymore, let alone maintain one."
Aaron: "There's no way we can take them head on like this. We'll need to come up with a plan to take them all out at once. Ah!!!"
Neku: "What is it, Master?"
Aaron: "Hehe, I just had a great idea. *See that? *(Point). We'll use that."
***
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Eris: "Uhhhh, what's with these guys? Why do they have guns?"
Conan: "They must've gotten them from the demons. AHHH! Curse these *harold humans."
Eris hid from the gunfire inside one of the houses while Conan worked on subduing their assailants. He knocked out a few before fleeing back to Eris.
Conan: "Tch, this is tedious. They're too well positioned, and it's starting to really piss me off. If this keeps up, I might start killing them."
Eris: "No! No killing. We need them alive"
Conan: "Seriously, we'll be the ones dead if this keeps up."
Neku: "Conan, Eris, can you hear me?"
Eris: "Ah, telepathy?"
Conan: "Been a while since you used this, huh Mamono?"
Neku: "Aaron has a plan. Get all the people to gather outside, preferably in one spot."
Eris: "What, why?"
Neku: "No time, just hurry up. He's almost there."
Eris: "Almost where? What are you talking about? Hey, Neku! God dang it! Conan, do you know what's going on? Conan?!"
Conan: "*HORRA HORDA!"
Conan summoned a pack of shadow wolves. The wolves ran through the village, gathering the people outside into the streets.
Neku: "Good job, now take cover."
Eris: "What?!"
BOOOM!
Eris: "What was that?!"
***5 minutes before
Neku: "Huh, the water tower?"
Aaron: "Yes. I saw it on our way into town. With any luck, it'll still have water in it, which I hope it does because if it doesn't this plan is a bust."
Neku: "Ok, but what is your plan?"
Aaron: "Simple, we're gonna use it to knock everyone out."
***Present
Aaron knocked down the Water Tower. It crashed to the ground and flooded the street, soaking the enemies.
Aaron: "Alright, Neku, you're up."
Neku: Ok, Spacial Field: Inclosed Barrier."
Neku created a magic barrier to trap the people inside an orb of water. They bashed the walls trying to break out.
Aaron: "Let's see if I can still use the spell Angis taught me. *Lumina Flam!"
A hot light shined into the barrier, heating the water to a boil. The people began scrambling to escape as they passed out from the heat.
Conan: "Bout time that Mamono was useful. How are you holding, Eris?"
Eris: "… I'm good."
Conan: "Hey, Neku! The villagers have all passed out now. You can let down your barrier!"
The barrier dissipated and the steam blew off into the wind. Neku and Aaron leaped out of hiding and approached Conan.
Aaron: "Hm, that worked out better than expected. Good job everyone."
Neku: "Yay!"
Conan: "That tower was old. There was no guarantee that it still had water in it. That was a good plan, though I ask that in the future you try to make a more solid plan."
Aaron: "Hehe, yeah I know. I was gambling, but I didn't have time to make a full proof plan. Still, I apologize."
Eris: "Aaron!"
Eris stomped over towards Aaron in a fit rage. She grabbed him aggressively by his collar.
Eris: "Aaron, I'm getting sick of your crap!"
Aaron: "W-what?"
Eris: "You reckless fool! What the heck is wrong with you?"
Aaron: "Look Eris, I didn't…"
Eris: "You're going to get yourself hurt, you big dummy!"
Aaron: "Ah, Eris, I…"
Eris: "Why don't you ever tell me anything? Everything's a mystery with you. You always make dangerous plans and don't tell me until after the fact. Did you not learn anything back at the cave? You even used a holy art in a "wounded mortal" body. Did you even consider what the consequences might be?"
Aaron's body began to shudder. He became light headed as his vision started to blur. He collapsed on the ground, having difficulty keeping balance.
Neku: "AH! Master! What's wrong with him?"
Eris: "He's an idiot, that's what. He forgot one of the basic rules for using our magic. If your mind and body aren't fully attuned, then you'll fell side effects. Luckily for him, he used a low-level spell, so the side-effects were minor. But, if he keeps being this reckless it'll bite him in the butt one day."
Conan: "Although I agree with you, Eris, that recklessness did help us. With that being said, you need to rest, Aaron. You look like you're about to pass out."
Aaron: "You don't… say."
Aaron passed out and Neku fell into a panick trying to comfort Aaron.
Conan: "I guess we all could use a bit of rest. We haven't really had a chance to fully recover our strength."
Voice: "Perhaps, we could help."
Conan was startled by the sudden voice and retook his fighting stance. After realizing who it was that spoke, he laxed his stance.
Conan: "You, you're the villagers. Are you under a spell or not?"
Voice: "No, we're not. My head is a little hazy, but I believe I'm alright."
Eris: "Good, then you can start be explaining what happened to you, and why your village looks like a dump."
Voice: "Yes, I will. As thanks for freeing me and my people from our spell, I'll tell you anything you wish to know. But first, you and your friend there should rest. I know fighting us wasn't easy, and I would like to repay you all properly. We don't get many visitors, so this is the least we can do."
Conan: "What do you two think, Eris?"
Eris: "My thoughts are the same as yours. I don't trust them, but Aaron isn't in any condition to move, and we still need followers."
Neku: "I agree. Master needs time to rest, but we shouldn't stay here too long."
Conan: "Alright then. We'll stay here until Aaron wakes up, then we'll figure out where to go from there. Alright old man, we accept your offer."
Old man: "Alright then. Please, this way now. We'll show you all where you can rest. Unfortunately, we don't have the best living circumstances, but we hope you can tolerate our poverty."
Conan: "Don't worry, I've lived in worse conditions. Compared to my last place, this is a paradise."
Eris and Neku grabbed Aaron and followed Conan. As they followed the old man to one of the old houses, Conan turned to the group with a concerned look.
*Whisper
*Conan: "Keep your eyes up. These people are hiding something; the weapons are gone and they don't seem hurt at all. I'll try and find more information, but don't give more information than needed."
Conan whispered an incantation and his shadow split from his body and flew through the village.
***
The villagers set beds and brung them food for the adventures, although the quality was extremely poor. Once Aaron was put to bed, Eris and Neku went to bed while Conan took guard duty. The sun had long set and Conan felt very anxious. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt dark about this town.