"It's kind of nice to do something like this for once," you can not help but tell your friend after a longer jump. She beams back at you in response.
After some consideration, you decided to spend some time away from the Keep. For which you grabbed Paoras and started scaling Metatron's Divide. Sure, you could hop up to the top anytime you want, but it feels completely different to make the ascent the usual way. You have to look for stable passages and are limited by the angle at which the mountains continue upward. Despite her elven stretchiness, Paoras is unable to run up walls at a right angle like you do.
Paoras hums and looks around for another good climbing spot. "It's a little quiet, but I like it. Maybe I'll take Mama here someday, when I'm stronger and can protect her better."
You are not sure whether you want to say it, but she already pauses as recognition comes on its own. "Oh right, Mama can fly. Aww...."
You have to smile about her genuine disappointment, then poke her shoulder and point at a particularly stony wall, which wipes the pout off of her face.
She immediately gets to climbing and you follow after her, although you feel yourself starting to flag. Tired, despite the fresh mountain air. You are by far not high enough to get your breathing impaired by lower air pressure yet, but it still feels like you are hitting your limits.
A pebble hits your shoulder and another your hand on the same side, loosened by Paoras' ascent. She calls a quick sorry down before pulling herself over the edge. You follow her a moment later, rolling yourself further onto solid ground, and keep lying there to breathe. "Need a break," you pant softly.
"Aww, okay." She slumps down right next to you and starts playing with a few stones, using one to carve pictures into the mountain.
You leave her to it for a little while to watch the clouds. You still tire more easily, even if it gets better really quickly. Or maybe you are just unused to and bad at mountaineering, that might play a role in it. Paoras is definitely no one to compare against, as she seems to have boundless energy these days. Maya recently confessed to you that she is more energetic than all her younger siblings put together, and the only reason it did not get out of hand is that the girl already matured somewhat, and spends some of that energy looking after her brothers and sisters.
She grew tremendously since you first met her. In everything except her height, which you quietly smile about.
"It'll be lonely when you go."
There goes the smile. You blink and turn your head, to where Paoras is looking at you sadly. "I know I can't stop you, but I'll miss you a lot. You're my best friend... and my only friend, maybe. I'm not sure Lulu counts." She throws her carving stone over the edge and you can hear it bounce off further down. "Why do you have to go?"
You explained it to her before, but perhaps she is still too young too really understand time. You probably don't understand it either, despite being so connected to it.
All you can do is find words she will understand. It takes an uncomfortably long silence until you have some. "Think about it this way: my papa is waiting for me, and I miss him. I love you to bits and there are some great people here, but this place just isn't my home. If you had friends elsewhere but not your mama, would you not want to come back to her too?"
Her lack of response is telling enough, you do not need to look at her to know. "Yeah, I don't like it either. But I'm just... I don't want to fight anymore, either. I don't like having to kill others, and I have to do it more the longer I stay."
This time, Paoras' response is immediate: "That's not true! You can just say no and no one can stop you! You're the strongest on the planet!"
All you have for that is a sigh. She is right. But she knows nothing else than how it is done here, even if Maya taught her to be kinder than most Demons are. "But I don't wanna," you confide quietly. "Maybe I wouldn't care if Elisabeth wasn't also my friend, but I don't want to make her trouble. She's been really kind to me."
"...she is really nice. General Argus was, too."
And so you fall back into silence. There is no need to disagree, you both know it was the truth. Maybe those two are only nice by infernal standards, but that still counts for something. Yet Argus is dead and you feel you did not know him as well as you might have wanted to.
After some more time, Paoras nudges you with her foot, then shakes you lightly. "Are you still tired? I wanna keep going."
You still are. It has only been a few minutes and you were already climbing for two hours before that point. As you fail to react, partly out of laziness and partly to tease her, she huffs and... picks you up? "What-" "If you can't walk anymore, I'm carrying you!"
And so she does, lifting you into a clumsy princess carry. You immediately bat her shoulder. "Hold it, stop!"
"Huh?" At least she stops. You sigh and wiggle a little.
"The part where I don't want to be carried aside, I'm not secure like this. Put your arms a little further apart, left hand under my knees." The only reason you actually can instruct her about it is that Orux likes to carry you around like that; he seems to enjoy it, as he always enjoys holding you, so you let him. Paoras is significantly less good at it, which may be related to her comparably short arms. She is just so small, and her bust is not helping her with this one either; she can not get her hands under your knees properly.
After a few seconds of fidgeting and trying around, you sigh harder and tap her shoulder again. "Let me down. If you need to work off energy, you can have that." Once you stand, you point down. "To your knees."
She blinks at you, then looks down. "Are we doing this thing mama and papa did sometimes?" Despite the weird question, she does go down to her knees. "You know, with the-" "I can guess, and no."
You did not mean to answer that question at all, but you really do not want her to keep talking about this. Stupid Succubus, stupid half-Succubus.
Stepping around the other girl, you measure her height with your eyes and consider. It will be a little awkward, but possible. So you step against her from behind and hop onto her shoulders, legs locking right over her chest and pushing into it, hands grasping onto her horns for hold.
Paoras squeaks and sways for a moment, but balances herself out before she falls. "Oh, you're riding my shoulders! I like that, too!" She swerves a little while getting to her feet, thoughtful expression somewhat weird from your perch. "Maybe I should do that with the others. They can't piggyback because their legs are so long once they grow, but this works!"
What it also does is look significantly awkward, but you take it. Some rest for yourself and an outlet for your friend. Maybe it helps her not think about the upcoming goodbye, like it does for you.
Then again, the almost inaudible "I'll miss this" tells you it does not. At least you can pat her head from where you are.
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE
. . .
You spend some more time with your various friends, but nothing long or taxing like that hiking episode. Once the week is over, after seven days since fighting the Dragon, you even feel mostly up to normal again.
Elisabeth holds a small briefing in her office once you tell her you are ready; Lu is there as well and both of you listen as she checks her notes and explains. "What we know is that this Angel, whoever she is, remained unaffected by our Angel Slayers' powers. Specifically, her presence burned them despite their immunity to it. I could not figure out her name yet, but we confirmed her wielding two blades with great skill. I need you both for this because I do not want to risk an ambush if she can counteract Lucifer's powers as well."
She also offers a crude drawing of a blonde woman with dark wings; not as dark as Lu's, but definitely not the pristine white of most Angels. And there are four of them. You have never seen an Angel with four wings before.
What is more, she has two bony, dark horns growing out of her head. They align with each other pointing straight up, almost like a crown. Her clothes are not that remarkable, with little detail at all.
Lu grabs for the drawing almost immediately, taking it into her remaining hand that you realise is shaking slightly. She studies the visible traits for long moments, then raises her gaze from the parchment to Elisabeth. "You did well waiting. I can not say if I can defeat her. These traits match an old friend and peer of mine, but there is too little detail on her face to say for sure if it is her."
She peers down at the drawing again, then hands it to you. "If she
is, then this is an ambush of some kind. I have not seen her in over a millennium."
"...and you're still going?"
The words are out before you can stop yourself, but your thoughts on the matter are obvious. If this is so likely to be a trap, triggering it is stupid. It is something you would do, and that Lu always warns you about not doing.
She just grins weakly. "I learned from you, too."
You have no response except a sigh. "Alright, fine. But before we go... she has four wings."
Elisabeth picks up on your point first, rubbing her chin while she studies Lu and her three feathery appendages. "That is a good point. You rarely see a number different from the usual two, present company excluded. I do know that the few I saw were incredibly nimble in the air."
"It is a matter of course," Lu tells you with a shrug. "I have a third wing to emit thrust into an additional direction, having four wings allows to steer even better. I heard of six wings and even a few really odd cases with eight, though they usually always come in pairs. Aside from different mobility, I am not aware of any uniform traits those Angels possess over the most common kind. Though it is a sign of prestige in certain circles that I never frequented. I cut down enough vain idiots that thought they were special because of those wings, they die all the same."
"I see." Elisabeth basically said it all. You have nothing to add, though you do wonder what kind of friend Lu might be talking about. You faintly remember her mentioning someone, but forgot the name.
Once there are no more questions, Lu nods to herself and stands; you follow her lead and give Elisabeth a thumbs up. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon."
She just leans back in her chair and smiles in return. "I am well aware. Stay safe, the both of you."
Lu actually pauses and glances back, nodding again; you are a little surprised for Elisabeth to extend the words to an Angel, but she has always been a little different from most Demons.
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE
. . .
Soon after, the two of you travel to one of the landing points on Milidia, closest to where that particular Angel was seen. The time you spend waiting in ambush some distance away from the base is spent hammering out a basic plan which mainly consists of striking hard and fast before playing it defensive in case your target survives.
At least, that is what you want to do. When she actually appears up high, flying close to the infernal lines without ever getting in range of their fliers, taunting them, Lu nods to herself and picks you up. "Change of plans. One strike and if she lives, I will speak with her. Call it foolish if you want, I know it is and I am still not changing my mind."
You whack her forehead in response while she takes up speed. "Fine."
With one wing wrapped around you and her hand readying her cross, you almost feel like the woman you are closing in on has no idea you are there.
(Presence of Light: Lucifer takes 6,000 damage
Lucifer Health: 39,600 - 6,000 = 33,600)
You know better when Lu hisses and burns in the light that simply bends around her darkness and her flames. Her power reaches out and washes over the other Angel, who does not even flinch and turns around to watch your approach without so much as changing her course.
(Blood Soaked Cross: +5000 Base Damage, +1434 dice, +5000 Ramming Speed = 11,434 Total Damage
Attack negated.
Riposte!
Twilight: +4000 Base Damage, +287 dice = 4,287 Total Damage
Attack has Anti-Parry Guardian's Excellence says hi.
Attack negated.)
"Took you long enough," she greets with a smirk and frown both while catching Lu's cross easily. Her voice is bright, which absolutely clashes with her no-nonsense tone. You slide past her on your own momentum and feel the counter coming for the side Lu is holding you on. "It has been a while, Lucifer." Something about that sword of hers is odd and Lu is in a bad position to get to it, so you push out your spear to push it off-guard.
It tries to phase through your weapon as it closes, becoming something weirdly ethereal instead of physical, but you catch it anyway and get a surprised blink from the other Angel. Her aloofness returns a moment later as she pivots to face you, the same way Lu slows down and does similarly. Now that you get to see her in person, you find the drawing accurate. In addition to it however, she has creamy skin and is clad in a black and white garb with golden ornaments all over; the back of her jacket flaps behind her like a cape, red on the inside.
(Presence of Light: Lucifer heals 6,000
Lucifer Health: 33,600 + 6,000 = 39,600)
The light around you shifts and stops burning your friend, instead healing her wounds. Both of you watch in wonder while the other Angel sizes Lu up. When she speaks, it is with a note of biting contempt: "You know, my original plan was to track you down, beat the stupid out of you, and drag you back home. That ship has long sailed though, so now we're on Plan B: wherein I beat the shit out of you because I
really want to hit you in the face, and to put a stop to this madness."
Lu is still looking for words and you frown at the tone this woman takes with her. For the first time in a while, your tongue is faster than your brain: "You've had what, a thousand years? More? How slow are you?"
Her eyes narrow and you just hold her stare with a scowl. Lu is silent while you size each other up, and it ends with neither of you looking away. The woman just raises an eyebrow. "I thought you were taller."
You can not help but blink in surprise. Despite your presence that, you think, is not actually affecting her, she seems completely unphased. You can respect that. "I like you, but fuck you."
"Can't say the same, now hush. The grown-ups are talking." She dismisses you and turns her attention back to Lu, who absently puts a hand over your mouth and ignores when you bite into it, muffling your immediate attempt to hiss back and holding you still when you struggle against her grasp. Her absurd pain tolerance makes her not even react even though she bleeds into your mouth and receives several kicks to her shins and an elbow to the crotch.
"It has been a while, Leliel." Lu's words are measured and she carefully eyes the now named Angel; you calmed down a little and can at least take in what they are doing, but you are also still squirming.
"A little longer than that. I would chat a bit about that little pet of yours if I hadn't lost all my respect for you." You fall quiet and take a deep breath, then make to throw your spear toward her right eye and feel yourself adjust to hit with pinpoint accuracy, but she easily shifts her posture and deflects the weapon before it impacts. "Now, before I tear out your wings, tell me why you betrayed... no." Your weapon returns the moment she interrupts herself. "I know why you betrayed the Host.
Why did you join forces with Hell?"
You calm yourself forcefully, somehow managing to stop doing any more than glare at Leliel, who in turn glares at Lu. Your friend just tilts her head slightly. "For convenience."
Both you and Leliel have to stop glaring at that. Her response came so easily that you have to glance over to her. Leliel seems to have similar issues, she just blinks and then utters a flat "What?"
Lu shrugs. "I made it through the first few years through obscurity and mobility, but keeping myself alive was difficult. Even with all that anger and all the pain, food and water and a bed to sleep... you never realise how important those things are until you do not have access to them anymore." Her reasoning is sound, but-
"And
that is why you joined our ancestral enemies?!"
Yeah, that. It is the first time you hear actual emotion from Leliel, a mixture of hurt and anger and some other things.
Your friend does not seem to notice, or care. She just continues calmly: "You make it sound like I had a choice. Who else would have taken me, a traitor to Heaven? Where could I have gone and found a supporting structure? I did not want to die back then, that is why I chose to hate in the first place. I do not need to get along with the Demons, but they give me all the resources I need to do what I want to do most."
Leliel is fuming, but she stays her hand admirably; probably better than you could have in her situation. Then again, the venom in her voice is eerily similar: "You could have just run away like I told you to!"
Not that Lu seems to care about the changed angle, she just tilts her head. "And what? What would I have done? Build myself a life somewhere far out, alone and in constant fear of pursuit? Wither away into insanity as my mind breaks apart without a clear goal?" You heard about that before and it bothers you a little how serious a threat this apparently is. Leliel just clenches her fists.
"That would have been better than what you ended up doing!"
"For Heaven in general? Yes. For me personally? No. And, pardon my infernal, but fuck Heaven."
Leliel twitches and you wince. As someone who is not really involved, you have to award points to Lu for staying so calm. Her voice did not even waver while she delivered her judgement, ever the executioner. The light around you coils in response to Leliel's anger, but refrains from burning Lu still. You doubt it will last, and are simply glad for your own immunity.
She is seething at this point, blades shaking in her hands. But her voice is barely more than a whisper: "You, you could have gone away, found something,
anything else to do. You could have come back, even. We could have figured something out."
You are somewhat calm again, else you might have missed the edge of something odd in her words there, but you have no time to ponder it; Lu does not seem to have noticed, or to care, she just calmly answers as she has before: "Do you truly, honestly believe that Heaven would have let me live after I came to my senses? I do not hate you, but I hate them for forsaking me when I needed them most."
Leliel opens her mouth, but Lu beats her to it, her calm demeanor still in place: "You asked my reasons, so listen to me until the end." She closes her mouth, if unwillingly.
Your friend sighs and shakes her head. "Even back then, the few allies I had could be counted on one hand. Namely, you and Gabriel. Neither of you would have had enough pull to save my life. You already had to go behind their backs and break me out of that prison, at best they would have arrested you as well once it came out."
This is admittedly starting to sound depressing, though you are not sure whether it is the subject matter or the fact Lu is so calm. Or... is she? Now that you calmed down yourself, you realise how she is shaking and trying her hardest not to squeeze you to death. None of it is audible in her voice. "There is nothing that could be done."
Leliel's expression darkens and she pulls back a little, almost as if she is winding up for something. "We are not bound by fate, Lu. You did not have to choose this path."
Now it is for Lu to still and you feel that this is going to get violent any moment now. The ice in your friend's tone gives you the creeps either way: "I understand. You are meaning to say that death is preferable to the path I ended up taking."
There is not even a denial, Leliel simply nods. "...yes. Yes, it is," she says before adjusting her stance. Lu rematerialises her own cross and it takes no genius to understand they both know the conclusion of this conversation already. They probably knew it since the beginning.
"So it may be," Lu answers softly. "I know it, too. But I want to live, Leliel. I always just wanted to live a happy life. I rather take a life over no life."
(Presence of Light: Lucifer takes 6,000 damage
Lucifer Health: 39,600 - 6,000 = 33,600)
The light consolidates itself and burns itself into Lu again, eliciting a surprised hiss while a sharpened blade aims for her throat. "Then I'll make that decision for you!"
Her blade is deflected by a flick of Lu's cross, the resulting counter parried just as easily, and her returning counter pushed away by you. "I'm still here, are you done crying at each other how unfair the world is?" It's good to be talking again.
Leliel just snarls and moves to strike at you instead, but you kick her blade out of the way with just your heel and blow a raspberry. "I was with you for the first half, now you can go fuck yourself!"
Lu healed up from countering the other strike before, but there is no further opening and your opponent is far more agile than she is, especially with one wing slung around you. Leliel noticed as well and mutters under her breath, then switches her strategy to only parry with the blade Lu can catch, and try to maneuver around her so you can not stop the other one.
Lu picks up on it and turns with her old friend, keeping you between herself and Leliel like a living shield. You use the opportunity to deflect her sword again and give her a nasty cut, but only get two stabs off before she pushed herself out of reach, so you throw your spear after her.
(Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +1598 dice = 2,998 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +1598 dice = 2,998 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide (thrown): +1400 Base Damage, +1598 dice = 2,998 Total Damage
8,994 Unified Damage
Leliel: +6000 Base Resilience, +3123 dice = 9,123 Total Damage Reduction
Attack Ineffective)
Except that, same as with Lu, even your quick reaction and throwing to get another hit in are not enough to break the small flood of mana augmenting her defense. Leliel salutes you with her middle finger raised but otherwise serene in her expression, all the while your spear reverses momentum behind her. Lu kept carrying you away and she pursues, not watching her back.
Sadly, you miss and the spear ruffles her feathers as it rushes past. Leliel watches and gives you a quick glance; enough for you to know this will not work again.
"
Hate's Seal."
Feathers are loosened from Lu's wings, almost forming a half-circle to engulf Leliel in order to give you breathing room. You wait for her to dodge, but she does not. This is going to be the-
"
Starless Sky."
-end you were going to think, but apparently not. You can see a layer of death form on, no, right over her skin. It clings to her and moves with her, eradicating any mana it contacts. Lu's feathers cease to exist the moment they impact her, their constricting power neutralised just like that. It looks dark as the night sky to you, just as its name suggests.
Lu grumbles quietly and rotates you to prevent another strike from Leliel, who appears similarly frustrated with your continued interruptions.
That does not mean she stops; her attacks keep pushing you off-track, away from the UD's fortifications where Lu was meaning to go. Her presence keeps burning your friend and she gives no opening for Lu to heal, and what damage you can deal after a short time is healed away under Lu's own power that still surrounds you all.
You watch as Leliel's wounds stitch themselves back together, clearly the result of the inky miasma your friend emanates. Her annoyance is gone and made way for smugness; you might be able to beat her on the ground, but not in the air and limited by Lu. Not at this speed where you could not stand freely and are barely able to keep track of Leliel as is.
Lucifer swerves and turns and drops and rises with skill she rarely displays, but Leliel matches her every maneuver and does better, perfectly angling all four of her wings to cut off your path time and time again, to herd you up or down or elsewhere. She gives you no breathing room to focus, you just can not get your mind set on a time or place with how she pushes.
This is not a fight you can win, and not a fight to flee. You need a distraction, something,
anything to get yourself a second or two.
Then you spot it, flying toward the aerial battle at a sedate pace and completely hidden from view. Large and imposing, just like you remember them to be. A plan forms.
Once Leliel swerves past on another foiled attack run, you tap Lu's melting face. "Bring us lower and hold her in about the same area, slow down!" Your voice is loud enough to be heard over the rushing air, but hopefully not loud enough for your opponent to overhear.
Lu does as told without question; you do not think she has much longer until the light burns her to a crisp, this
has to work.
(Presence of Light: Lucifer takes 6,000 damage
Lucifer Health: 15,600 - 6,000 = 9,600)
You drop down with Leliel hot on your heels, no further words exchanged. The centerpiece of your plan steadily rushes in for reasons unknown, maybe out of hunger. You keep an eye on it, knowing that Leliel can not spot it even if she looks for what your eyes are on during her pivots. She tries to herd you again, but Lu redirects her this time with a jab to her wing's base. Her blade sings in turn and you deflect it easily, not bothering with a counter because she already pushed herself back.
(Presence of Light: Lucifer takes 6,000 damage
Lucifer Health: 9,600 - 6,000 = 3,600)
A little further, a little longer. Lu stays where she is, allowing Leliel to circle around you and testing your defenses. The other Angel taunts you with disdain: "Giving up already? I thought you had more fight in you."
She easily deflects your thrown spear, just at the point you need her, and pauses for a moment to watch the weapon sail away.
Only for a screaming Bazelgeuse to become visible as it slams into her, as big as the one you remember, scales completely grey with age. It must be ancient, yet its explosions are just as powerful as a young one's would be, if not more so.
You immediately focus while the explosion ahead sends a horribly maimed Leliel your way, still covered in that dispelling shroud. But you lag. It takes longer than usual to find something you want, a moment longer to call for
Voyage, and you feel her slamming into your portal just as it engulfs you and Lu. Your magic sparks and screams as it fizzles out while you are thrown into the void...
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE
. . .
What follows the constricting and almost painful jump is light, with the both of you slamming into hard stone. A wing on your back breaks while the one on your arm holds tight to the fragile, unresponsive woman you carry; her transformation faded away. You blink away the bright spots Leliel left in your eyes and look around to find soldiers of steel. Some further back seem frozen in the process of ringing an alarm. A garrison surrounds you.
A man almost right in front of you stares dumbfounded, then calls for a medic and raises his hand, holding it up flat.
You are the fallen Angel Lucifer, and you just landed in an Elven stronghold on a world you do not know. You were almost burned away by your old friend, your new friend is unconcious in your arms, and at least ten thousand Elves surround you.
-------------
[] What will Lucifer do?
-[] Wait and See
-[] Fight
-[] Flee Impossible while carrying Heidi
-[] Write-in
No EXP-plans until Heidi regains conciousness
=====
Allied Forces:
-Magical Girl Defiance (unconcious)
Confirmed Enemies:
-
Potential Combatants:
-The Elvin Empire (20,000 Soldiers, 200 Commanders, 1 Champion)
-???
Objectives:
-Keep Adelheid alive
-Figure out what went wrong
=====
+10xp Met Leliel
+20xp Lucifer's Lost Friendship
+25xp Saved Lucifer
+50xp Bazel Lived Long
+250xp Made It Through This Leap 'Unscathed'
+250xp Seriously, You Should Be Dead
EXP gained: 605
Total EXP: 635
=====
(Unlocked Level 5 (Max) Character Sheet: Leliel)
(???)
