Shattered Innocence (IC) [M]

[Azlan]

Tyrian had walked in near silence, unaffected by the cold, he played many things over in his mind.  No one should have been able to sneak up on him so easily and done what happened in the Willow without him having had some sign.

As they neared the town, Tyrian was relieved.  He hurt in many areas, and the long hike was beginning to become quite much, so much so that he had taken to leaning heavily on his staff.

With the collapse of Kassin, Ty became worried, not so much for the other Angel, but for what could have caused that.  Was it an attack?  Was it a premonition?

Not leaving things to chance, the fox wove an elemental spell of wind and ice.  He reached out with his sense, changing it to the cold, bitter wind and allowing it to fill the area around them as far as he could stretch it.  The billowing wind carried his sight, hearing, smell and aural perception with it into the town.

The others were taking up defensive positions, which was good, because this spell left him a tad bit vulnerable.

[Noone]

Kassin didn't take Garis's hand, after another soft groan, he rose to his feet, and started to sprint towards the town. He seemed to ignore what Rafielle said, and rushed past Kedered. He was panting heavily, as if exhausted from a vicious ordeal. His thoughts kept screaming 'Someone is in trouble, I have to go help...'. Yet, even tired, he managed to run quickly in the knee deep snow. A soft, bluish white glow appeared on his right hand.

At this distance, your senses don't pick up much. Some of the snow in the town however, seemed to be colored red, probably with blood. Some of the buildings also seemed to have burn-marks. Not a sound could be heard, save the rushing of the winds. You won't however, be able to get much more without more complicated divinations or moving closer.

You're able to see a detailed picture of the town, it's a gruesome sight. Your perceptions are focused upon a sort of 'town square', what seems to be an open central area surrounded by several buildings. Corpses dot the area here and there, their blood still somewhat fresh. It looks like some were killed by some creature's claws, others burned alive, others had holes drilled through them by some sort of twisted magic. The buildings surrounding the location look to be in bad shape, some of them have collapsed, others look to be on the verge of it, their structures generally containing several holes in them, others having burns across their surface. In the very center there is a fountain, it's waters frozen solid in the cold. Sitting atop it is a lone demon. She looks to be in her late twenties, feline based. She has dark russet fur and bright crimson hair. Two short horns protrude from her forehead. She looks to be around five foot ten. It is however, easy to spot out that her hands, and her clothing, are painted in blood, some of it still wet. She shivers slightly in the cold weather, and has a bored, and possibly annoyed look on her face.

[Lisky]

Watching the angel sprint towards the village, garis went with his gut reaction, and took off after kassin, folding his wings into his back, and getting the bladed tentacles ready.  He had some combat magic literally at hand, as small sparks of electricity jumped from finger to finger, and pulsed around the hairs on his right hand, the left was empty, and he debated whether to ready a second spell, or go with the dagger... he figured he'd have time to decide on the sprint.  He never grew tired as his energy levels stayed full thanks to the suffering and pain of others...

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Spinning out a speed enhancing spell, Kedered raced through the snow, putting a hand on Kassin's shoulder.

"If there's trouble, I shoud go first. I owe you a blood debt, and would not see you harmed."

A flick of the right wrist later, and a three and a half foot blade of flame, slightly curved and tapering to a small point, encased with enough air to give it some impact value, appeared in Kedered's palm.  He glanced over his shoulder to see if any of the others were coming with him and then dashed into the village square, wondering what other enhancements to apply.

[Azlan]

"They are all dead, but some one still lives in the town square... quite bloody gruesome."  The Angel stated to no one in particular.  Not really feeling up to it, but desiring to know more, Ty was spurred into action.

Summoning the spirits of the air, Ty briefly became the wind, dashing forward like a howling gale.  His form was still of a fox angel, but for the time being he was made of air. 

The angel missile darted up and over a building and came to a hard, earth shaking landing in the town square.  It was more a show of dramatics then might or magic.

He straightened up to his full height, (lol, spending willpower to keep from cringing in pain from all those stupid bruises from the Willow), and regarded the figure he had seen with his magic earlier, as he waited for the others to arrive.   

"Hi there, it's a tad chilly out eh?"

[Tipod]

"Hey, wait up!" Raffiele yelled out and began to charge after the others, bounding through the snow on all fours with relative ease. Every step closer to the village made the stench of smoke and death that much stronger, culminating into the very distinct odor of a bloodied demoness. His stride actually quickened upon deciphering her scent, as if wanting to personally congratulate the mass-murderer and treat her to a candlelit dinner before the others caused a brawl.

Darting past the incubi and Kassin, Raffiele stopped just a few feet behind Tyrian with an audible scrunch of crushed ice, still clutching the tomahawk and dagger tightly, but keeping them in a low, passive stance. "Slayer of man and woman, how goes your conquest over the weak and inferior?" Rafa hoped he could avoid an outright ugly situation by opening with a little flattery.

[Lisky]

Garis skidded to a halt in the town square, spotting the demoness rather quickly, he noted the blood everywhere along with the fact that the others had gotten here first.  He thought i swear, if anyone has already gotten me into a fight... he cut off the thought and shifted into a new line of thought "anyone here have any idea what the hell is going on? or who she is?" he asked, while nodding towards the blood soaked demoness. 

[Noone]

Kassin shook his head at Kedered's comment. "Someone is hurt, I'm sure of it, I need to go help...", as they ran off towards the town.

Tyrian got there first. At his comment, the demoness yelped, and backflipped off the fountain, and landed on her feet, her hand-claws extended. She then took a quick glance at him. "Very funny," she started, "Yes it is. Anyways, are we ready to move out, I didn't find any upstart adventurers that would interfere with the pl...."

She then saw Kassin, Raffiele, Kedered, and Garis, rushing towards her. She took a few steps forward, and gave everyone a quick glance. She heard Rafielle's comment, but then started examining Kassin quite thoroughly. Kassin was looking around, horrified by what he saw, his young eyes wide open with horror. He occasionally glanced at the blood soaked demoness, but couldn't keep his eyes focused on her for more than a second. A mix of terror, horror, and apprehension filled his mind.

The demoness smiled as he looked at Raffiele, "You forgot children" A disturbing grin crept onto her face. "It goes well, very well, especially with the prize you have generously brought with you..." She focused her eyes on Kassin once again.

"I... I have no idea..." said Kassin, responding to Garis. He had trouble focusing his eyes on any one point, everywhere he looked he saw bloody corpses or wrecked buildings, all of which disturbed him greatly.

After a pause, the demoness continued. "So... that is Kassin Starshine... and I take it you guys are the touched, whatever that means. Regardless, I hope you're willing to give him up, he's coming with me, conscious or not." She put a strange emphasis on the word 'touched'.

Kassin immediately started to stare at the demoness, eyes wide open in terror. 'What does she want with me?' starting raging through his mind. He took a few steps backwards, but this only prompted the demoness to smile more widely. She put her claws out in a threatening position.

"I promise I won't hurt him too much. Just leave him to me and no else has to get hurt.", The demoness concluded.

[Lisky]

Garis chuckled at the demoness' threats then took a few steps forward, he had a grin of absolute delight on his face as he approached her.  He said "i think we should clarify a few things first... it sees to me that you are assuming that you have the figurative high ground milady, and secondly, the only reason i'm with this oddball lot is because i happened to have been trying to pick up a rather attractive barmaid last night and got both lucky and unlucky..."Garis reforemed his wings, then flicked them back and open, then, he exposed his headwings and continued.
"but that is beside the point, for now, i am Garis, of the Ahnasazi clan, and who might i ask am i speaking to?  ... it would be absolutely dreadful for this to devolve into something less civil."  saying the last sentence in a rather sarcastic tone.  He collected the lighting spark back into his body and let his arms rest at his side, showing the clan mark on his left arm.  His grin had yet to change, and his wings were feathery for the moment, but ready to reshape the blades at a single thought and the spell ready to be discharged at the forming of a gesture.

[Noone]

The demoness gave Garis a harsh glare, looking him up and down, sizing him up. She displayed no lack of confidence in her speech or in her expressions.
"If you must know my name...", she started, "I am Nicha, but really, that isn't important. And no, you don't need to get involved. What is important is that you stay out of the way while I attend to that little angel." Her facial expressions were more serious now, and her eyes were focused.

[Lisky]

Garis simply smiled wickedly and cocked his head slightly.  He replied "we seem to be having a slight communication problem at the moment... Lets try this again Nicha, you want to take the person who helped me a little while ago, my personal honor won't allow that.  You are making threats towards someone, who unlike yourself, has been killing soldiers and armed opponents as of late... not a group of villagers... and lastly" He paused, forming 4 very wicked looking pointed tentacles with his wings, both arms started arcing with electricity as well. "you have no idea what i'm actually capable of" with the last sentence the wolf's eyes glowed as he prepared for the worst.

[Tipod]

Touched? The hell is she talking about? Things were already shaping up to be a misunderstanding, with him invariably dragged into it. "What's so special about him?" Raffiele leered back to Kassin, then to Garis. He was already flexing in front of this woman, and nothing elicited violent responses from demons like a show of physical prowess. "Let's back up for a second: my name is Raffiele, I admire your handiwork, and I can assure you that my only affiliation with these men is one of convenience and pure happenstance." Though part of him wondered why he should even bother being formal. With the way his companions acted, the whole thing would go to fisticuffs no matter what he said or did.

First the inn, and then the next logical place for them to settle at went up in a slurry of blood and ashes. There's no way my luck is this bad. Something's up. Assuming they lived through it, he had some very serious questioning in store for Mr. Starshine.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

One didn't need to be a 'Cubi to feel the tension. For Kedered, the sensation was like a million tiny beetles trying to force their way through his skull and into his brain. He could draw some sustenance from the emotions, but mostly they were distracting, and he erected shields for them.

Keeping his sword burning, Kedered took up a position in between Kassin and this new demoness, this Nicha, with both her and Raffiele inside his field of vision. He stood on the balls of his feet, his blade held low, but ready.


Staying calm, authoritative, Kedered spoke, enunciating each of his syllables clearly. "M'lady, perhaps you should inform us what is so important about this angel, and what seems to have happened in this village. You'll have a tough time convincing me you found the place like this."

[Noone]

Kassin looked even more terrified at the exchange, he took a quick look at Raffiele. He was too terrified to say 'You admire this madness?!?', but he clearly thought it out loud with a mix of fear and disgust. He was also understandably terrified of the blood-stained demoness.

Nicha didn't seem happy about being kept away from Kassin. She started growling softly, claws extended, with an almost feral expression on her face. She seemed to ignore Raffiele's words as she become more enraged with Garis and Kedered.

"I don't need to answer to you!" She started at Kedered. "And even if I did know everything, I wouldn't tell you, and this village? Not entirely my work, but I helped, and no-one survived." She started to growl more loudly, almost as if slowly descending into a child like feral fury. "And another thing, you don't know what I'm capable of either, and you're all marked anyways!" She lunged forward at Garis, raising her right hand, in an attempt to slash at his face with her claws.

Typical young demon, overconfident, brash, and highly undiplomatic. Now all that remains is to see whether she is going to last twelve seconds or six. 

[Lisky]

Garis half snarled, half laughed as he whipped a pair of pointed tentacles into the demoness' shoulder and lower abdomen, non-fatal, but excruciatingly painful. he then lunged forward, pinning her to the ground with the other two tentacles which had formed into clawed hands while in flight. 
He cackled evilly as her pain washed over him, and filled him with an unholy strength.  "now, young lady... now that i have your undivided attention lets talk, because you don't hold the high ground, in fact, if i was on my own, you'd be dead already... that being said, if you value your life your going to do 2 things for me, first calm down... once you've done that, your going to tell me what i want to know, and while answering... remember that one of these could have very easily gone through that pretty little face of yours."  His eyes we're almost glowing bright white, and his smile was of obviously wicked intent.

[Tipod]

"Wait, don't--" Raffiele stared at Garis' tendrils homing onto Nicha before placing a hand over his face. Just as he expected, things broke down into combat within mere moments of seeing this woman. All that was left was to do was ride the storm and hope they didn't rough her up beyond the point of talking, or simply kill the demoness outright.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered gave out a sigh. "Why are you people so violent? Especially you missy. You should know better than to attack this heavily outnumbered." Kedered casually strolled over to behind the demon, who seemed to be in too much pain to strike out. He hollered over to Garis. "Should I break her legs? I've never really been one to think of pain as an effective deterrent. If she can't walk, she can't really hurt us."

[Lisky]

Garis gave kendered a friendly smile and said "before we start anything worse than what i've already done, lets give the lady a chance to cooperate... breaking a leg is a much better threat when she's capable of walking away from this whole ordeal with nothing but wounded pride...well, that and a few scars to remember me by"
Turning his attention back to Nicha, Garis said in a low, level, calm voice "I can tell that what your going through must be unbearable agony, so here's how were going to do this.  You got a small taste of what i can do, and you know i could have killed you... so, we're going to talk, you cooperate, the pain eases up, you fight, the pain gets worse." nodding toward the other incubus "he wants to brake your legs, i told him to hold off on that...for now. so, whats it gonna be missy, you wanna walk away from this, learn from your mistakes and become a better warrior? or do you want my friend here to have a little fun with your legs, and we leave you here to rot with your work?"
Garis discharged the spells he'd collected in his hands straight into the ground, for a little extra show...

[Noone]

The tentacles hit, Nicha scremed in pain as blood oozed from the wounds. After a moment, her rage subsided, she fell backwards onto the snowy ground, hurt, but still alive. Her pride would not allow her to yelp in pain, and she tried to keep it suppressed. Despite that, she still moaned softly. She looked up at Garis, still angry, with a hateful glare. She didn't however, move her legs or arms, as she was in too much pain to move.

Kassin also didn't seem to take the display well. He turned away and gritted his teeth in agony. He touched his left hand to the side of his head, and knelt on the ground. He closed his eyes, and started panting softly, out of breath. He looked over at the gruesome scene, but couldn't keep his focus on it for long. Simply being near it seemed to place him in agony.
"N..." he started. "St... stop... please, you... you're... you're...." he started, he then looked down at the snow, and put both his hands on his head, as if trying to fight a severe headache.

Nicha seemed to calm down after a few seconds, still having Garis's tentacles sticking inside of her wounds. The concept that she had been beaten seemed to penetrate her thick skull, and she seemed afraid of enduring more pain. She let out a grumbling sigh, gritted her teeth, and then took a glance at Garis, Raffiele, Kedered, and Tyrian. She didn't bother to look at Kassin, who at the time, seemed to be in more pain than her.
"What do you want from me?" She softly grumbled.

Curiously enough, she has a mind shield up.
Curiously enough, she has a mind shield up.

[Tipod]

Exhaling deeply through his nostrils, Raffiele secured his weapons and looked down at Nicha as he walked over. "Now that you've calmed down, I'd like to reiterate: just what about this guy is so important?" He pointed back to Kassin. "And why're we marked? Just because we're traveling with him?" His tone suggested equal parts annoyance and apprehension, expecting her answer to be the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear. Don't tell me I've just become stuck with a pariah, please don't tell me.

[Lisky]

staring at the young demon, Garis felt a slight pang of regret.  He paused and turned to the group, then said "i think i owe everyone here a bit of an apology, i let my own arrogance push this whole situation into an out of control spiral... i'm used to dealing with beings, where a show of force is the easiest and quickest way to diffuse a situation.  also, while were talking, i think it'd be best if someone else does the formal interrogation... i'd rather not have something that's already blown up get worse..."

he then moved closer to Nicha, knelt down beside her and said in as nice of a tone as he could "alright, we're going to ask you some questions, and we want you to answer them honestly.  Under other circumstances, i'd have probably tried flirting first, as is, i am sorry we're like this... i can tell your cold, is there anything you want, perhaps a small fire until we get things sorted out?"

[Noone]

Nicha grumbled a bit, and shuffled around slightly, though she couldn't move very much in her current state. She looked up at Raffiele with an annoyed look.
"I have no idea why, I just know that mistress Firestorm wants him." She made a soft groan.
That name seems oddly familiar to you... though it's hard to place exactly.
"And I don't know why she wants you lot out of the way either... apparently he is the only one that's important to her and you're just in the way."
She groaned again, and then looked at her wounds. A gust of wind passed, her wounds stung with the cold air touching her injuries. She took a disgusted look at Kassin, who seemed to be in more pain than her.
"Manipulative little thing." She spat on the ground.
She then turned to Garis, an angry, sour facial expression took on. She gave him a harsh glare, but didn't say anything other than "shove off.", at his comment on flirting.

The snow started to get more harsh, and the winds blew faster, clouds raced above the sky... it seemed like the weather was worsening. Smoke stopped rising from the buildings, though most seemed to be damaged beyond repair. One in particular, two floors tall and larger than most, seemed to still be in reasonable condition, barring a sign that has been charred, several holes in windows and the walls, and the door having been ripped off it's hinges. It looked like an inn from the outside. If the weather gets any worse, it might be a good idea to seek shelter.

[Lisky]

Garis got a little chuckle out of the young demoness' response.  he tried to hide the smirk by seeming to observed the rest of the group... he had a wry smile on his face when he looked back at her.  He said "you know, for someone who's been impaled twice, your showing an awful lot of defiance... if you want to know where you went wrong, it was not creating a distraction before the lunge.  next time you charge someone, try leading with a fireball, you'll get a good eight steps in before they recover... it doesn't even need to be lethal, just aimed around the face..." he paused, trying his best to keep a straight face "you know... i wasn't joking when i said i'd be flirting with you under other circumstances"

looking back to the group he said loudly to no one in particular "So, anyone think she's given enough information to warrant removing one of these" gesturing with a shoulder towards the tentacles

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered watched the interrogation with a sort of amused detachment, which promptly turned into distaste at Garis's lightheartedness. Kedered stepped towards the pair, crouched down next to the supine demonness, an cast a stupid little cantrip that made his eyes glow a bloodmist red. He didn't look at her except out of the periphery of his vision.
"She's barely told us anything, and if she can't come up with more, then we should take what amusement we can from her, and then slit her pretty little throat. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm curious as to..." Kedered started ticking items off on his fingers. "who this Miss Firestorm is, what her relationship is to our captive here, what they were doing in this town if it was something waiting for us, where the rest of her companions have gone, and why they'd entrust anything important to someone so obviously incompetent, why anyone would have thought she was important enough to put a mind shield over."

Kedered turned his gaze towards her, pupilless eyes able to see, although her face was stained crimson.which, at the moment, isn't much of a stretch. His voice was as cold and flat as glacial ice. A second little cantrip toughened his eyeballs, reducing the need to blink to about once every other minute. "While my friend here seems to have taken a liking to you young miss, I have no such sentiments. Now, my other friend seems to be in some distress back there, and I want to see if I can do anything for him, so I don't have a lot of time to waste. You will tell me what I want to know, and quickly, or I will hurt you, and then you will tell me. Do you understand little girl?" Kedered's now preternatural stare bored into the face of the young demon. "

[Tipod]

Raffiele pondered the title. ...I feel like I should know this. Come on, in all those meetings I sat through, this should be easy to remember. He placed a finger to his temple, scratching methodically as he tried to recall the name. "Okay," he said, "remove one, on the condition that she spills some juicier info." Of all the people grandpa talked with, was Firestorm one of them? The question gnawed at his mind.

He looked to Kedered, feeling slightly irritated. He had no delusions that demons, himself especially, didn't deserve most of the bad things coming their way, but this was a pretty young one that thought she could just graduate from beings to creatures. To think that potential would be lost forever if she died... "Let's hold off on the whole artful slaying thing until we know more." He flicked his head in Kassin's general direction. "And get him someplace warmer. Those little noises of his are getting on my last nerve."

[Lisky]

Garis watched the incubus and the demon go about their arguments, all the while, he was just trying sort his thoughts out i know i overreacted when we first showed up, and i should never had forced her into the position she's now in, i really don't want anyone to think i'm the bad guy here, and furthermore i don't think her blood should be spilled because of my own arrogance...
He sighed, then looked Nicha and said in a low voice, so as only she could actually hear everything "look, i'm feeling horrible about all this, and i know you probably won't ever forgive me for humiliating you the way i did, but i am honestly sorry...  know that i will do everything to keep you alive, because it was my own fault for putting you here...  maybe as a form of apology and repayment after this, i can teach you a few things, even if you plan on using them against me later... i let my own arrogance get the best of me, and i forced it upon you... i'm just really sorry for everything... " he let out a long breath, warmed the tentacles slightly, trying his best to ease her discomfort... He then waited to see what everyone else had to say

[Noone]

Nicha kept on the ground, still twitching in discomfort. She looked at Garis, but closed her eyes and shook her head at his comments. She obviously didn't think Garis was being sincere with his apology, especially since he still had his tentacles inside her. She turned her head towards Kedered. She left out a soft groan as a gust of cold wind blew into her wounds.
"I meant Nakata Firestorm." She first responded. She shook her head, as if she expected those around her to know who that was.

That name is easily recognizable, Nakata is one of the most powerful demon lords of Narukh. Most notably, she is the leader of an organization called the "Claws of Fire", a radical group of demons, cubi, and angels actively dedicated to eradicating the world of all 'lesser races', which basically sums up every non-demon, cubi, and angel in Atharra. Most often, their targets are beings. They often are found fighting with Thularians, but their numbers are not strong enough to actively engage in open warfare. They are mostly found operating in small groups, razing towns and causing other sorts of problems, usually involving murder and soul-stealing. They're one of the more problematic organizations in both Ithralia and Astarea. Nakata is extremely powerful, and keeps her organization in line with an iron fist. Earning her wrath is a terrible thing indeed. While she mostly tries to keep her targets confined to 'lesser races', her organization has been known to occasionally kill particularly problematic creatures, though in general she tries to avoid demon/angel/cubi casualties.

"And no..." She continued, as she took a deep breath. "I don't exactly know why she wants that angel. I only know that she does, and needs him alive and in her grasp."
"There were four others with me..." She started, "They went off in search of him", indicating Kassin. "I was told to stay here in case any adventurers stopped by and wanted to chase us after our fine work here... I wasn't expecting..." She coughed, the cold weather, which didn't seem to phase her before, appeared to start bothering her. She shook her head in disgust, "to find him, and you four...". She stopped there, and groaned in the cold weather. She made a soft whisper "touched...", but then shut her mouth and stared at the ground.

The snow started coming down harder, and the wind grew faster. Kassin wasn't taking the cold weather well, still in a crouching position. He winced as he looked at Nicha, and then started to shiver in the cold. Yet he dared not move, he was still paralyzed with fear at his surroundings. He took some glances around, looking at the bloody corpses strewn about. He closed his eyes, thinking about how anyone would be capable of such a brutal display. He tried to shut out what he was hearing, but he couldn't. His thoughts were incomprehensible and confused.

[Tipod]

Raffiele said nothing for a moment, but Garis and Kedered could easily pick up the waves of dread nausea radiating from him. Neutral monikers like Firestorm tended to elude him, since so many people he'd dealt with had one; even members of his own family adopted similar titles. But the name Nakata was unique, and one that he and other Thom'sens never took lightly. He always remembered what his uncle Hejiras once said regarding her and the Claws of Fire: 'It's a rainbow patrol, to be sure, but one to watch out for. They don't stop, they don't take no for an answer, and they certainly don't tolerate interlopers. We stay far, far away from them and anyone they represent, and you'd best do the same if you know what's good for the family.'

As Nicha slowed and went silent, Rafa stood up and put a hand over his brow. Despite the bitter cold, his whole body felt feverish and ragged. And yet, he said nothing. The hyena merely took in the shameless slaughter around him, and imagined all of that unholy fury crashing down upon him.

[Azlan]

Ty had decided that the others were more than capable of handling one young demon.  He also felt a twinge of sympathy for Kassin.  The angel was affected considerably by the death of the town's people and Tyrian could find little he could do to help Kassin.  This bothered him slightly as he did not know why he should care about the young feline's empathy or about helping and consoling him.

The fox pushed those thoughts away as he walked.  He had decided to check the town for any survivors, interesting things, or more bad guys.

Reaching out with a sense related utility magic spell, Tyrian searched for any lingering minds or lifeforce amid the carnage or any skulking hostiles.  His magical sense also extended to auras, identifying any items that might possess magical or residual magical traces.

[Lisky]

Garis watched the others, and with a slow move said "alright, unless someone objects, i think she's given enough information to remove at least one of these..." he paused turned to the demoness, held out his hand and said "this is probably going to feel exceedingly weird, if you feel a slight pinch, you can feel free to grab my hand and squeeze as hard as you like, i've been told it helps a lot..." he let out a sigh, and placed his other hand right next to the tentacle in her belly.  "alright, i'll be removing it in a second, just let me know when your ready..."