Forum of the Elder Gods (Grave;Cross)

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Where now, Prince? (Grave;Cross)

The moment Grave decided to take credit, he could feel his mother's rage as a sudden bout of a furious headache. "Don't you know how to listen, you disobedient little brat!? How DARE you disobey me!?" His mother said in furious anger. Though when he gave his explanation, she sounded less angry, but still considerably furious. "I'll let this instance slide for now, but you will not disobey me again. I brought you into this world! You owe me your life and more, do not forget your debts, Grave!" his mother said harshly, before his headache vanished along with the feeling of his mother in his brain.

Though his mother was angry, the others reaction was indifferent. Valencia just shrugged and shook her head while the others gave no reaction. "Well, hopefully you'll develop your powers along that direction." Roy concluded, before looking at their bags. "I see you packed for us as well, thank you Grave." Roy noted. "Yeah, thanks Grave." Valencia. That's when Envy suddenly looked shocked at where the credit was going. "You really can be reliable some times." Roy praised him.

"H-hey, I-" Envy began, clearly seeking some of the credit before Roy turned to face her. "What do you want, Envy?" she said, sounding annoyed at Envy's attention grab. Envy sunk. "... Nothing..."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Where now, Prince? (Grave;Cross)

"Give it a rest, Roy..." Grave grumbled, massaging his temples to get rid of the last vestiges of his mother-induced headache. He had a feeling that she'd keep giving him more of those even after regaining her body. "Envy helped me out with that. In fact, she did quite a lot of work by herself, thanks to her abilities." Cynder sighed. It was probably in everyone's best interests if his sister learned how to interact with others normally. While it'd be at the very least difficult to teach her that, in part because of the irregular enviroment and people around them, but the more people acted relatively normally around him, the better. "You could at least drop that tone, if you're not going to thank her too." And he seriously didn't need Roy making it more difficult. Maybe he'd have to have a talk with the neo-girl later too.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Where now, Prince? (Grave;Cross)

"Give what a rest?" Roy inquired towards Grave when he spoke up, as if he were being strange. "She's nagging." she said, before Cynder explained that she helped. "Oh, I didn't even think about her helping out. I thought she was just roaming about through town and being lazy. Thank you, Envy. Sorry, I thought you were wanting to nag about something unimportant." Roy stated.

"By the way, Grave. Do you mind telling us the whole story?" Valencia inquired. "We've kinda been on the move the whole time, but we haven't been told the entire deal with Envy, how you two are blood related... And well, everything in general. A little recap would be nice right about now, yeah?"

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Where now, Prince? (Grave;Cross)

Grave sighed, rolling his eyes at Roy's response. This coming from the person who suggested that she be put to use somehow? Then again, maybe she already had an image of Envy being a lazy nuisance. Or there was something else at play here. Roy did seem to become rather agitated at times when Cynder was concerned. The prince said nothing though, focusing on Valencia and her request. He mulled over it, recalling every detail he considered important, his shoulders slumping a little as he wondered what the woman's reaction to the whole tale would be. "Alright then, I suppose this is as good a time as any... It's a bit of a long story, but I'll try to keep it brief."

"The whole mess started around 20 years ago, after I was born. Envy is my younger sister, the two of us were born as children of an echidna and... Well, I've no idea who my father might be. My mother, however, wasn't just some random monster. That ruin where we've met?" Grave asked, refering to the old palace. "That was my home and place of birth. Mom was pretty much the queen of it, genuine royalty. Just not human royalty. I am not familiar with the situation here..." He glanced at Envy. "But apparently I had more echidna blood in me that my sister and became the favorite child as a result, if I understood the few details I've managed to catch correctly. Since I was too young to walk or talk, I can't remember anything from that period myself."

"Anyway, I was supposed to be the successor to mom's little empire, which hilariously enough makes me a prince, if only in title. Things went on normally until Cynthia got involved. Apparently she made some kind of prophecy, and while mom was initially reluctant, the two of them started to work together. You see, the ones who destroyed my home were demons. Knowing that the place would get trashed, mom and Cynthia decided that I need to be sent away to a safe place. Mother couldn't let something like that happen without a stain on her honor, apparently, so she had a duel to the death with Cynthia. I think you can guess how that ended, considering she's a disembodied spirit inhabiting my skull now." Cynder sighed. "After killing mom she took me and fled the island for a while, and I think I need to seriously question her on why she didn't see fit to take a second child with her when I get the chance." The half-blood's tone darkened slightly at that remark. He missed out on a chance to ask that question earlier, and it had been nagging him ever since.

"That aside, after reaching the continent she dropped me off in a remote village in the middle of nowhere. I lived there with an old scholar, apparently an acquaintance of hers. The old man was pretty damn great, the same thing could not be said about the rest of the villagers. I'll be honest with you - if I saw even one of them here, I'd stab him without question." Grave growled, fists tightening at the unpleasant memories. "After fifteen years of enduring those lousy pieces of shit and being taught and trained by the old man, I had to leave. He..." Cynder paused again, this time with a somber expression. "He was old, and his health just kept getting worse with each year after I hit ten. Around my fifteenth birthday, it finally got so bad he couldn't even get up anymore... Died soon after that. I only had enough time for a quick burial in the night before I had to run. I can tell when people are gathering for a lynch mob, Hell, they probably believed I killed him myself. Always a monster in their eyes."

Pausing for a while to collect himself, Grave moved on to finish the final part of the story. "Anyway, the next five years are pretty much just me wandering around like a vagabond. There were some incidents here and there, and I am really glad the old man taught me how to survive on my own, finding helpful people was hard. Eventually, I stumbled upon an expedition in a port town - a ship set to sail to this very place. They were taking anybody they could get their hands on, back on the continent they say every ship that sailed here never returned. I figured this might be my chance to get away from all those stares and whispers wherever I passed, so I signed up. After getting shipwrecked by a bunch of squid women, I managed to stumble into a ransacked town and met Club there. She directed me to Cynthia, who told me parts of this story and send me on my way to the ruins. There I met you and mom, who after telling me what kind of a disappointment I am told me the rest."

"I think you know what happened after that well enough." Cynder sighed again, wrapping his story up. "Envy, who got captured by demons during the raid twenty years ago, somehow got wind of my return and tried to kill me. Cynthia stopped her, not before I offended her by stabbing her to death in some kind of illusion, so she was actually fine. Don't ask me how that works, I have no idea myself." He declared flatly. "Then there was the whole mess with Luna and, well. Here we are now. Trying to get mom out of my head before my body breaks down or she starts slapping me around with my own hands again. Also I'm apparently a part of some big plan Cynthia made, but not even mom knows what kind of role I have in it, and I'm trying to suck less because those last couple weeks made me realize how lousy I can be sometimes. If you have any questions, ask them now."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Everyone listened attentively, even Envy, while Roy got the group walking and proceeding deeper into Zippangu with the guidance of a map to aid them. "Yeah, it does seem weird that you'd get taken and not your sister." Valencia commented. "You have no idea yourself? Not even an inkling of suggestion?" she inquired. Just in that moment, Grave would feel as if he felt a sensation from his mother. It was as if he suddenly knew what the answer was, before it was instantly gone. That presence of mind came only from the domineering presence of his mother, that much was clear. However, with her immediate retreat, it was as if she turned her back on the conversation, unwilling to speak of the matter.

"He was the favorite." Envy replied, as if such was the answer. Then she said nothing more. It seemed like a touchy subject, and one she was still sensitive about given she did try to kill him not too long ago.

"What about you, Envy? Or rather, what is your actual name?" Roy inquired, looking to the moody demoness. Said demoness seemed to brood over the history that she knew all too well.

Then, she relented with a sigh. Yet she still took a moment to remain silent, seemingly in thought. The conversation paused as Roy's question hung in the air and as Envy took her time to think about how to answer. Some time prior, Envy did not acknowledge that she had any other name. But such was not true by her reaction, and apart of her now seemed far more willing to reveal it if only in comparison. With a few more moments time, Envy replied with a single name.

Chapter 7: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy​

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Grave took a moment to answer to Valencia's question. This was caused by the sudden feeling of realization from his mother, gone as abruptly as it came - along with her presence. He knew enough about her to guess that she'd refuse to speak of it when questioned. Like it or not, he'd have to wait before he could pry the answer out of her. In the meantime, Envy managed to chime in with her own take on the matter.

"I'm not so sure about this anymore." Cynder commented, glancing at his sister. "I've no idea what the reason might be if not that. But I have a feeling there might be more to this than we think." Of course, he didn't mention that said feeling came from another person who was clearly more informed than the rest of them. A change of topic came quickly enough, anyway, with Roy asking Envy about her name. Come to think of it, why didn't he think to do it earlier? It always seemed to slip Grave's mind. Or maybe he just assumed nobody cared to give her a name? Still, a blunder on his part. Altough whoever came up with that name for his sister made nearly as big a blunder, in his opinion.

"Ketzi'ah..." He repeated absently. "No offense, but that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Does it have some kind of meaning?" The half-blood asked, curious. "Maybe we could shorten it or something, if you don't mind. Or call you with another name." 'Speaking of, you did give her a name back when she was born, right? Mother?'

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

No reply came from his mother.

"I don't know what it means. That bitch of a mother gave it to me." Envy said with rage.

"It's not that hard to say." Roy commented. "Ket, as in kettle. Zee as in zealot, and Ah. Ket-Zee-ah." Roy assisted Grave.

"Just fucking call me Envy... I'm used to it." she sighed.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Altough he had a poker face on the outside, internally Grave leveled a mental glare at where his mother's presence usually was. "Right. First chance I get, I am going to translate that name. Or find someone who can." He declared. Earlier, he sometimes thought that having his mother speak to him like she usually did was annoying. Now, however, he was beginning to realize that perhaps having her talk was not so bad after all. And while the fallout would no doubt be an epic nightmare, Cynder could not wait to reach Fio now and have a little face to face with his parent. "Well, assuming it does have a meaning." The half-blood sighed. "And I guess we can call you Envy if you wish."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

And with that decision, the group took to silence to make way on their trip, Grave being able to think about more questions if he wished, best reserved for later on in their trip of endless walking through a steadily increasing density of trees and a strange vibration in the air, soft but still noticeable. Before he could ask, Roy seemed to decipher what it was. "The magic in the air here is thick. A result of so many weavers in one area it seems. Loose strands abound, there's no telling what all the random unused threads will do if mixed together by chance. Be extra careful, everyone. One wrong move and there's no telling what kind of misfortune or random magic we will provoke." she warned everyone.

Picking and choosing their path through the vegetation, stepping through grass as tall as Grave's shins and going around things like bushes with various colored berries, which Roy advised everyone not to eat. As they walked, Cynder would catch sight of a familiar figure. So familiar that he might think there was a mirror just to his left in the forest, casting his own reflection. Though just as he saw it, looking off to the side to confirm it would reveal nothing. As if it was a trick of the mind playing with him. Though walking further he'd see Envy far off in the corner of his eye. A double check would reveal that she was right nearby, and the phantom image of Envy was nowhere to be seen. No one else was commenting on this though, seemingly focused on just making it through the forest and towards Fio's location.

"This is such a random place... Even the sky looks weird." Valencia noted, looking up at the sky. Should Grave do so as well, he'd note that indeed, the magic all around them was making the sky seemingly 'swirl' and blur with active energy, slight distortions of color around the pure blue occurred, making the land itself seem like a living dream.

"How do people survive here, with all these strange berries?" Envy inquired.

"Ask the locals when we make it through this forest." Roy said quickly, focusing on the path, while Grave would realize he was hearing steps right behind him, while the other girls walking with him were all in sight. He'd catch sight of the familiar face, and a pair of oval eyes, directly behind him. But it was just a glimpse. Should he turn his head around, the sound would vanish, and there was no one behind him.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

"If they have so many spellcasters, then I assume they have someone warding their homes or something like that." Grave muttered, throwing in his own two cents into the conversation. Truth be told, he was slowly starting to feel a little creeped out. It wasn't the magic he felt in the air - it was unusual, yes, but he could deal with that. Hell, he was even a little tempted to disregard Roy's warning and try to reach out to this accumulated power, if only to see what happens. The strange berries were interesting, too, but he had enough reason to temper his curiosity a bit. Walking silently, Cynder had been considering how to find a safe way to experiment a little and determine what sort of effects the fruit and wild magic were capable of causing when the really freaky things began to happen.

He was so absorbed in thought he almost didn't notice it at first, but even casual, half-conscious observation was enough to alert Grave of the fact that he just saw one more person walking with the group. One that looked just like him. However, as soon as he turned his head, ready to call out to others, he realized the "other him" wasn't there. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Resuming his march, Cynder soon noticed another phantom, a reflection of his sister, but no matter how much he tried, it ceased to exist as soon as he looked for it. He was about to chalk it up as a mirage, a trick of light in the distorted air, but then he noticed another one. Or rather, heard another one. And while it disappeared before he could catch more than a glimpse, it was obvious that a mere visual hallucination couldn't create sounds.

"I don't think the berries are the biggest problem..." Grave muttered worriedly. Was he the only one seeing things? No one besides him showed any sign of noticing those reflections. Perhaps they were simply internalizing their reactions? But on the other hand, he was sure that at least one person in the group would have expressed their confusion aloud. And while one or two occurences could be chalked up to exhaustion or something equally understandable, three times in such a short span of time was worrying. And too much to be considered a mere coincidence. Still, Cynder knew of one person who shared his senses and perhaps would be capable of explaining this to him. 'Any idea what the Hell is going on here?' He asked, hoping his mother would answer this time.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

"You're seeing phantoms." His mother described. "They're mamono just like everything else. Appearing before you, they're seeking you out. They take the shapes of others, lacking their own form. They can only assume the shape of females as well. Be careful you don't mistake someone you know for a phantom. That will not end well."

She said that, and yet the images still lingered in the sides of his vision, as if taunting him into doing something about their presence. "This place is so crazy full of magic... It's astonishing!" Roy said with amazement, looking at the various odd vegetation around, especially a group of trees off into the distance that had green bark and gray leaves.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

"Not just magic, Roy. Magical creatures as well." Grave sighed, mentally thanking his mother for her warning. "There are phantoms nearby. Be on guard, just in case." He cast a baleful glance at the mirages before turning his attention back to the blonde, a slight smile on his lips. "That being said though, I understand and share your sentiment, I think." Of course, Cynder didn't doubt that their reasons for fascination were slightly different. Roy was quite experienced with magic and probably appreciated the sight the same way a practicioner of a craft would marvel at a masterpiece, while the half-blood was a neophyte and simply awed at the power at work. Undoubtedly he'd have voted to delve deeper and attempt to learn as much as he could from this, were it not for the unwelcome company and the quest he had to accomplish.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

"Phantoms?" Roy questioned, while the others seemed to look around as a result. Club was the first to note something, giggling as she did so. "Club sees gurl Gwave!" she declared, though it was hard to see anything the way Club was looking. In fact, Club did not sound nearby. Yet, she was still right there with him, walking at his side. She even turned up to look at him with a wide cheshire grin, and a pair of black eyes with a red iris each. Perhaps startled by the fact, Cynder would get a better look at all his comrades, who all now stared at him with supernaturally different faces. Their teeth were sharp like a shark's, and their eyes as black as the darkest night, the only color to them being a dimly glowing red ring that was their iris. Roy, Valencia, Club, and Envy all looked rather menacing right in that moment.

"What'cha lookin' at, Gwave?" the little monstrous Club inquired with a chuckle.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

'Um, FUCK.'

"Nothing." Grave replied. He didn't want to give any outward impression that he noticed something, though he did spare a glance towards the direction from which he thought he heard Club's voice. This was either an illusion to separate him from the group, or he was surrounded by phantoms. In which case, he didn't want to provoke them into attacking. 'Mom? Quick question, attack, run or ignore?' Regardless of the answer he'd get, the half-blood tensed, preparing himself for a fight. He couldn't draw his sword without getting attention, so he mentally prepared himself to use magic. He doubted he could make a weapon that'd help him much, but Cynder's earlier experiments taught him enough about fire to let him torch his surroundings should he require to do so. And that's exactly what he was ready to do.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

"RETREAT, RIGHT NOW YOU FUCKING FOOL!!!" his mother roared inside his head.

Though right after she said that, 'Roy' grabbed his shoulder, and leaned in close, her menacing face quite close to his. "I think you're in danger, Grave~" Roy cooed with a laughter not fitting to the original personality at all. At the same time, 'Envy' wrapped her hair around Grave's limbs and neck. "When lost, it's best to stay still and not move around!" 'Envy' advised.

"Wait, girl Gwave?" inquired a distant Club, sounding even further away than before. "Where the hell did he go!? He was right in front of us!" Roy complained as Grave himself was threatened by the fake Valencia via something pointy poking his back. "Don't cause a ruckus, or else." she threatened him.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

'FUCK!'

Restrained, surrounded and away from his allies. Grave could almost literally feel the adrenaline being pumped into his bloodstream. Despite the false assurances and threats, he knew he had to get away from them and return to his group as soon as possible. The problem was pulling that off.

Right off the bat, Cynder realized that the two biggest issues were the fakes that looked like Envy and Valencia. The former because she was restraining him, the latter because she had something, likely a weapon, pointed at his back. He wasn't sure what it was - for all he knew, it could have been just a stick - but it felt very pointy. Still, realizing the danger he was in now, the half-blood's instincts screamed at him to get away at all costs.

Grave tensed, taking a deep breath. Simultaneously, he drew upon his magic, as much as he could, twisting his hands around so that his palms were pointed at fake Envy and fake Valencia. And let fly with all the fire he could manage to muster. This was how he planned to handle their threat - as much fire as possible, everywhere. Set the fake Envy on fire and burn through her hair, set the fake Valencia on fire and get her to back away from him. Liquid fire, sprayed around with wind, clinging to flesh and clothes, just like Cynder managed to learn in his practices during free time.

And scream, of course.

"PHANTOMS!!!"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Grave summoned up his threads, and once he did so, he noticed that all of their eyes focused on the threads he moved as if they could see it clearly. Simply, 'Envy' leaned down and licked along his hand where he was gathering the threads, and just like that he'd notice that the threads he brought out to weave into liquid fire were gone. She had apparently 'eaten' his magic, and in doing so left his hand feeling a little numb. 'Roy' did the same, only by grabbing his hand and putting it to her crotch. It seemed like there was a tear in her long pants, since his fingers quickly met flesh. Wet flesh that squished against his fingers, and melted away the magic in his palms.

'Valencia' reached to cover his mouth, only too late as his scream got out about the phantoms. The eyes of his distant comrades looked to see Cynder at the mercy of the fakes. Roy drew her arrow and declared her threat. "Let him go!" Roy demanded, while the others appeared combat ready as well. 'Envy' wrapped her hair around his throat, tightening it, while 'Valencia' pointed her blade at his neck. "Best not provoke, else one little twist means this man might have an accident!" 'Valencia' warned the real Roy, while one hand went down to dig under his pants, stroking at his member while the others restrained him. He could feel his threads being eaten as she rubbed his genitals, drawing out pleasure which only made him more vulnerable to her slow absorption of his energy.

Club though, didn't have the patience to think this situation out. She went into a rage and charged herself at the phantoms, blowing up dirt behind every step. She slammed herself into the fake Envy club first, smashing her into black fumes that made the hair tentacles on his limbs disappear. Roy held her fire, aiming for the fake Valencia's head before the phantom Club became a bizzare black mist, wrapping around the real Club and attacking her. Valencia was no longer in sight, while the fake Roy had eyes set on Envy, who was now propped up on her hair, ready to fight with her new method of mobility.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Grave grit his teeth. Having his magic drained was not something he had expected to happen. He quickly abandoned his attempts at spellcasting, lest he end up empowering his opponents somehow. Thankfully, he managed to get the attention of the rest of the group. The phantoms were not going to back down, and Cynder's eyes widened once he realized that these monsters were quite adept at using a man's lust against him. Still, he was not so far gone as to lose the resolve to resist. He just needed an opportunity.

Perhaps a bit ironically, it wasn't Roy's threat that provided him with an opening. The neo-girl appeared to hesitate to attack while Grave was still held hostage, as far as he could tell. Club, however, had no such reservations. And while he suspected there might have been a personal reason why she chose the fake Envy as her target, she did remove the one that had been restraining his limbs and distracted another one. This bought him some freedom of movement. With fake Roy turning her attention elsewhere, Cynder could focus on the phantom holding a blade to his throat.

Grave's arms moved quickly, adrenaline surging as he sought to deal a blow against fake Valencia while she was still occupied with "holding" him. He ignored the arm diving into his pants, seeking to grab the hand holding the knife with one hand. With the other, he planned to deliver a vicious elbow strike to her gut, then put some distance between himself and the phantoms immediately. "Just shoot her, Roy!" Cynder shouted at the neo-girl while he did so. If the phantom really wanted to hurt him, she'd have done so by now. She took him hostage to get the others to back off, but he didn't doubt that she wanted him alive. The half-blood didn't share the sentiment. "Shoot!"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Attacking her with an elbow, Grave found that the strange creature only shared Valencias outward appearance, and not the biological makeup that the human girl had. His elbow struck but did less damage than he perhaps would have liked. She moved as if she certainly felt the force of his impact, but did not act as if she had taken any noticible deal of harm. As such, Cynder struggled with her with no leeway at first for Roy to strike the monster with her arrow. Though as the scene developed, Grave found that unlike most fights with mamono, the strength difference was not against him. In fact he was doing well enough to put her at risk of being open to a shot from Roy.

So, suddenly, Cynder was forcibly released. He was thrown away as Ryu fired a shot over his head before catching him with one hand, steadying him, and moving past him to fight with the fake form of his former lover.

No matter what Grave decided to do, he would catch sight of the one figure that wasnt an exact copy. She had short, blond hair, and in her black eyes were a pair of red oval shaped irises. Standing just as tall as him, with a blade decorated with a serpent at the hilt, his evil female fake approached with a shark's grin.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Ketzi'ah, Demon of Envy (Grave;Cross)

Grave swore mentally. He shouldn't have hesitated earlier, though honestly the situation would have likely turned into a melee either way. The monsters caught him unaware and now he just had to deal with it. Muttering a "thank you" to Roy for steadying him, Cynder turned to face his new opponent - a clone of himself. Well, almost. She had the same grin and eyes as the rest of the fakes, and her sword was... Different. The snake motif on the blade was a dead giveaway. Still, at the sight of the weapon, the half-blood reacted a bit oddly. At first, he seemed to cool down, staring at the sword, appearing to almost admire it for a split second, or perhaps study it.

The moment was fleeting, however. Grave could feel a cold fury rapidly building up in him the more he watched his double and her weapon. For some reason, he felt as if she was mocking him. Maybe he was just frustrated. Maybe he was projecting some of his issues. Or maybe it was something else he didn't even want to think about. Whatever it was, Cynder drew his own sword and moved to intercept the clone. He really wanted to hit something and by the gods, he would milk this chance for all it was worth. He lunged forward, his body shifting to perform the motions once drilled into him by his old man. And just as he did that, Cynder spared some of his focus to use a bit of magic to aid him. Just a small spell - a flash of light right in front of the clone's eyes, to momentarily blind or distract her, hopefully leaving her open for the rapid thrust he was about to execute.