genessia | Flames of the Righteous The Reburn

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Flames of the Righteous The Reburn - Zachariah

Who: Naoki Kashima; open
Where: Everglade
When: Backdated the day after Naoki's fight with Levi
What: To take his mind off things, Naoki has decided to hunt down a guy burning the rich people in the Everglade.
Warnings: Naoki may find it hard to talk. Some fighting and a tad bit of blood.

Truthfully, Naoki wanted one of the other targets over this one. Saving some fellow monsters seemed more interesting, and he doubted the rich would be too thankful. But fact remained people were dying. Still had to do something about that. Turning a corner near an alleyway, he saw some flames being shot at what he assumed was one of the noble people; least the victim was dodging them effectively, if a bit pathetically. Zachariah seemed to be playing with him. The flames matched the description alright. If fire was this guy's only weapon, this would be an easy mission. But if he could somehow bypass the barrier...maybe this could work as training. He needed to understand just what made him snap and nearly kill Levi.

Just as Zachairah cornered the rich man, spouting off a speech Naoki really did not pay attention to, Naoki tapped the man's shoulder. "Excuse me, sir."

The bounty whipped his head around, growling. "Who dares interrupt my pur--"

He didn't finish that sentence. Not when a fist suddenly crashed into his face. Naoki made sure this one was low power. If the face couldn't be recognized, he doubted the bounty could be claimed. His body soared into the wall, right next to the rich man. The near victim looked back and forth between the two before running off in a huge panic.

Naoki sighed. Yeah, no thanks whatsoever. "Anyway, you're under arrest, blah blah blah, just stand down and let me collect the bounty."

Zachariah slowly stood back up, clutching his face. Aside from a bit of a broken nose, he was fine. Just very, VERY angry. "You shouldn't underestimate my flames. Besides..." He raises his hand, smirking. "You activated my trap card."

"Wha--"

Before Naoki could finish, a column of fire erupted around him. Zachariah laughed madly, summoning more fire around the Demi-Fiend. Even lances made of fire appeared above the mage, and he cast them into the pillar as well.

"Do you think I was weak because I targeted the wealthy? Fool! Of my brothers, my flame burns brighter than all! But you were too stupid to--"

The flames dispersed quite quickly, Naoki smacking his hand and revealing no damage, not even soot from the fire. The mage stepped back, horrified at how his magic had no effect. Naoki only stared at him, unimpressed.

"I was hoping for something interesting, but you can't even graze this barrier. Even an Agidyne feels hotter than this." He sighed. "So much for training. Pixie!" In one bolt of black lightning later, his small demon appeared, smiling at him. "Your turn. Just don't kill him. We need the money after all."

Zachariah's fear soon turned to snarling at Naoki, pointing at him aggressively. "You mock me!? ME!? I will not fall to some weak devil like this!"

Pixie laughed. "Oh that's cute. You think you have a choice."

Before Zachariah could raise his hand again, his eyes suddenly widened, immense pain brought onto him on his stomach. Slowly looking down, he found the Pixie there, having delivered an intensely hard punch to his gut. He coughed up a bit of blood, only for the next second to have his jaw struck, his body briefly sent airborne before smacking the ground, hard. Pixie only stood there, crossing her arms.

"Wow. Even I am disappointed." She looks back at Naoki. "So...are you doing okay?"

Naoki turned his head, clearly uncomfortable. Even his eyes shifted downward, still bothered by what he did. "I don't want to talk about it."

Pixie looked worried, frowning. "Naoki...Fine, I get it when you need some space." And with that, she vanished in another bolt of black lightning, leaving Naoki alone and for him to pick up the body of his bounty. Now he just had to get back and report this, and hopefully get paid.

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"Something like that. Just a half-demon making a living."

Given who he was, Naoki was hardly sure he could trust him. Being in the Everglade reminded him of where he spent most of his life in this form. It made sure he was on edge against powerful or strange beings.

"And let me guess: you are a vampire? You kind of remind me of that Dracula guy I saw on the network. Don't mean to lump species together like that, but...Yeah I got no excuse."

Only other one he knew of was Remi and she was not what he pictured them to be at all.

"Nothing wrong with that. I played the role of bounty hunter before. Tough work." He replies with a smirk.

A half-demon, hm? Now that's rich. Augustine is used to hearing about demons possessing human hosts but actually bedding one and producing an heir? Other than the biblical romance between Lilith and Satan, something like that is virtual unheard of. Then again, the same could be said about a half-vampire like him. Not too many realize that Augustine is a half-breed and for good reason.

"Oh, you wound me! I certainly hope that wasn't a dig at my charming good looks." Augustine jokes as he idly wanders towards the left. While he has no intention on attacking this boy, Augustine is still on guard. It seems that Dracula left this child with a terrible impression about his kind. That's not surprising since even the Dracula of his world was quite a monster also. If anything, that tidbit of information disappoints Augustine some.

"Don't fret, I'm not interested in getting between you and your quarry."

Naoki still eyed the vampire carefully, crossing his arms. "So what, here to just say hello?"

Demons always wanted something more. Well, everyone did, including humans, but to appear after his fight still felt odd to him. Seemed it was easier for him to interact with others at a distance.

Ever since that day...approaching others was difficult.

"Research." The vampire proudly states from behind this youth. It happened in just a blink. One minute Augustine was standing there before the youth and the next, he's directly behind him with a smirk upon his face and a pistol on his hand. "You see, it's not often that I come across anyone baring the marks of a demon upon them. You're a rare entity even around these parts." Despite Genessia's penchant for magic and whatever other malarkey that transpires, there's a lack of actual demons here.

"Humor me. Are you truly as powerful as you seem?" The ornate pistol clicks. It's definitely loaded. If the boy possesses a heighten sense of smell, he might catch a whiff of rosemary and silver. This dapper bastard must be so sort of excorist but how? Isn't he a vampire?

He smelled it and rolled his eyes. Great, another hunter. And he doubted this one was as laidback as Dante. That speed though. Teleportation? Hard to fully tell from just that demonstration. Running for it was out of the question.

Naoki walls ahead despite hearing the gun, grabbing his bounty and hoisting it on his shoulder.

"Let's just say I'm full of surprises."

A chuckle escapes the hunter once the boy rudely turns away. "That's funny. So am I." Just before the youth could realize, the shadows around him began to stir. Large shadowy hands suddenly lunge for towards the boy in hopes of ensnaring him within its grasp. They almost looked an illusion considering they were semi-translucent but they're certainly real enough.

Well this was kinda new. He tossed his bounty into the air. Suddenly another demon appeared, one with a humanoid body and wings, a horn instrument carried in one hand. He caught the body with surprising ease. Good thing he always had Kurama around for surprise attacks and aid.

With the bounty safely up there, Naoki could go all out far easier. His body glows brightly, ground shaking and cracking. Just as those hands grew closer, he expelled the energy, intending to wipe put the attack.

More purple lightning came, this time spawning a warrior clad in white armor accompanied with blue lines. His spear sparked with electricity as he lunged towards Augustine, intent on striking his heart.

An gasp of pure awe escapes Augustine once another beast is summoned. It seems that this fiend is indeed a summoner. How fascinating! Augustine cannot help but wonder just how many nifty little demons and angels can this boy call forth.

"I've never seen a demon call forth an angel." He mutters under his breath. "Then again, never judge a book by its cover." The hunter trails off once the boy manages to expel enough energy to force back Astaroth's strike. While he doubts the energy possesses any holy properties, it's certainly strong enough to force the demon back within the shadows.

"How disappointing--" Augustine grumbles in reference to that useless monster he tamed. "You can't even subdue a child?" Once that white-clad warrior comes charging towards him, the vampire vanishes again only to briefly appear above aiming both pistols at the summon. Augustine has not one but two of those ornate silver and gold pistols. While they look antiques you would find at an auction house, they certainly aren't fakes. Augustine fires several shots at the warrior and his summoner. When he lands, the shadows converge again and start to take form once more.

"You do not disappoint."

Edited 2018-02-26 21:26 (UTC)

Cu Chulainn spins his spear with great speed, the lightning helping to knock away the bullets from him. Naoki however just erects a wall of ice, bullets caught within the spell. Someone forcing him to try again? Unlike with Levi though, he was not going to give a fair fight. This vampire threw away such a chance.

Cu Chulainn smirked, again getting into a pose. "Afraid I ain't no angel, fang-freak. The name's Cu Chulainn, and I too am a demon. But I should be more than enough to take on you...is what I wanna say, but you kicked a hell of a hornet's nest."

More black lightning appeared, revealing a fairly large white beast. One could mistake it for a lion, but it had more of a canine face. It bore its fangs at the vampire, unleashing a torrent of fire in his direction.

Meanwhile with Naoki, he tossed his phone to Kurama. "Collect the bounty on this guy and return as soon as you can. This is a fight we can't all run from."

Kurama merely nods, zooming off at surprising speed. Naoki turned back to the vampiric foe, taking his time as he approached the animal demon.

Fang-freak? Augustine cannot help but roll his eyes a little at that. "The mighty Cu Chulainn isn't very creative, now is he?" The vampire comments as he idly spins his pistols. "Then again, I don't expect demons to be poetic. It goes against their crude nature." As soon as he says that, Astaroth rears its ugly head from the shadows at last.

For those well versed in the Lesser Key of Solomon might know the origins behind this monstrous creature. Astaroth is one of the Great Dukes of Hell in the first hierarchy with Beelzebub and Lucifer. As part of the unholy trinity, the Astaroth possesses both the form of a man and that of an fallen angel. His face is completely obscured by what seems to be the skull of an over-sized elk. The rest of this fiend is covered from head to toe in thick black fur that seems darker than any ink. It stands several heads high behind Augustine, glaring menacingly with the same soulless red eyes as its master.

"Oh what fun! I don't regret kicking this nest." Augustine teases once the flames shoot forth. Before a single ember of fire could descend upon him, Astaroth's blocks the incoming flames with a shield crafted by ethereal crimson light.

Cu Chulainn and Cerberus take a step back. Both demons knew exactly what this meant, but Naoki didn't. But he knew well enough given their reactions. Without Kurama, this fight was going to be tedious. Both demons vanished, put two more demons appeared in their place.

The first was Pixie, the same one who beat the bounty earlier. She fumed at her foes. "Forget hornets! You just woke the queen bee up for messing with my master! Doesn't matter what kind of fiend demon you are, I'll blow you away with ease!"

As for the second, the entrance was more grand. Light showered from the sky, large metallic wings covering its body. It soon revealed itself, the appearance looking like an angelic robot. But really, this was the highest form of angel. The one God himself, in Naoki's world anyway, would use: Metatron.

Though expressionless, its tone was quite fierce.

"Filthy creature of the night. And you. While you may not be born from the same Fiend that changed my master, you will be purged within the Fires of Sinai."

Where Cerberus' flames failed, Metatron chanted a simple word: Hamaon. And just like that, many scrolls suddenly surrounded Augustine and his demon, seeking to bind and harm him within the holy magic. If possible, kill, but that wasn't Metatron's true goal just yet. Besides, there was always a chance for that effect to fail.

Augustine took a quick shot at that annoying pixie for the hell of it. He has a slight prejudice towards annoying fairies. Just a slight bias at best. "Don't speak unless spoken to, dear." He says in the haughtiest tone he could muster. "I'll make sure to feed you to my pet soon enough---" Augustine falls silent suddenly once something grand is summoned forth. He could feel Astaroth clawing a little at the dark reaches of his mind when the angel descends. The demon is scared.

"He's the real deal?" He mutters to the beast behind him. Astaroth lurches down and bows its head low enough for Augustine to pet it. "Oh...my. So, he really can summon angels after all."

Astaroth wraps its massive arm around Augustine and quickly sinks into the shadows before the scrolls could latch on. The shadows of this alleyway then suddenly springs to life in the form of a dozen or so inky black hands. They're lunging for the boy, trying to snatch him right off his feet and away from his precious beasts.

"Capture the summoner and his pets will fade!" Augustine's voice rings out from the darkness. Him and his monster are hiding within the shadows together now.

Edited 2018-02-27 02:51 (UTC)

Melding with the darkness itself? Neither Metatron nor Pixie could sense where he really was. Likely in a dimension of his own neither could access. Naoki was in the same boat. He formed a sword made of his ki, body glowing once again as he charged it, getting into a stance as if he was going to draw the blade from it's sheathe. May not have hit hard as his Gaea Rage, Deadly Fury was helpful in stunning foes thanks to its combination of speed and power.

He waited patiently for the hands to get closer and closer, the blade even getting bigger as he waited. Until just the last moment, Naoki lets out fierce yell, drawing the sword with astounding ferocity, trying to hit every hand all at once.

"Maybe don't announce your plan to said summoner? Just a word of advice."

Exactly. Augustine is gifted with the ability to meld within the darkness itself through Astaroth. That's one of the demon lords most iconic abilities and just like Naoki recognized earlier, neither of them can be detected while in hiding. The realm that lies beyond the shadows is Astarorth's domain. That monster can lie in wait with his master for extended periods of time. This explains why Astaroth doesn't emerge fully.

When Naoki severs Astaroth's many hands, a defeaning howl is heard as near black blood is sprayed across the alleyway like thick paint. The summoner managed to land a terrible blow upon the demon but its master emerges from the shadows behind Naoki with both ornate pistols drawn.

"Silence! I didn't ask for the advice!" He fires in rapid session much like Dante would with his famed Ebony & Ivory. This might be familiar terrority for the summoner since he knows Dante quite well but Augustine's guns pack a bit more punch. They're almost like a musket in design thanks to the explosive cannon-like force of each shot but they're semiautomatic much like current handguns. Unless Naoki wants to be full of lead and blessed silver, he better move!

"Really?"

Naoki saw the guns. If there was one thing none of his current barriers could do, it was deflect any kind of bullet. It's why Dante was such a huge pain in the ass. Fortunately, he was much faster than he was back then. He started to move, planning to run along the wall even to escape the gunfire and shift his focus, hopefully.

"Coulda fooled me. What happened to that bravado a minute ago?"

While Metatron had been still, the aura growing as it charged an attack, Pixie had hovered above Augustine, and launching a spell to him below.

"Ziodyne!"

While normal Pixies were seen as the weakest of the weak, a step above slimes at best, she was far different. Her powers had been augmented to nearly surpass even some of the Fiends.

In short: Augustine was not dealing with the average Fairy clan demon.

Augustine keeps firing even once the summoner takes to the wall. The hunter continues firing for a moment before attempt to pursue. A sickeningly bright magenta beacon of light flows past Augustine as he shifts his center of gravity so he could walk upon the wall with ease. "Oh, don't fret, little demon! I still have enough moxy left." He taunts with a playful chuckle. This is probably the most thrilling battle he had since arriving here. Most people in this realm or either too mundane to be deemed worthy or just too weak. This boy here is neither of those things and it's refreshing.

"Meet your end, child---?!" Augustine is quickly cut off when Pixie's spell comes crashing down upon him. Astaroth senses this and the shadows quickly converge upon Augustine like a mock cloak. The electrical spell seems to bounce over this shadowy cloak like water but Astaroth's strained growls deem otherwise. Augustine leaps off the side of the wall and darkness that converged upon him shifts quickly.

Startling white angelic wings form upon Augustine's back as he takes aim at Pixie for her assault. While his main focus is capturing the summoner, he'll gladly blast that accursed fairy out from the air. "Didn't I tell you before!" He fires several shoots at Pixie and takes to the sky. No one would suspect one of the highest ranking demons to possess such beautiful wings but they're indeed Astaroth's wings.

Thanks to her side and speed, Pixie dodges on between the shots, smiling all the way. Ah the benefits of being a hard target to hit.

"Missed me missed me, now you gotta kiss him!"

Him? She of course referred to Metatron, and he was done charging. He made good on his threat to both monsters. "Fire of Sinai!"

A beam of red energy suddenly shot right at Augustine. It contained fire, yet at the same time these were not the same flames Cerberus used before. If anything, the property and power far surpassed anything the demon dog could muster, and would unleash a torrent of fire all around Augustine if he was struck.

Leaping off the wall thanks to Pixie's distraction, Naoki aimed at the vampire, his body shining brightly again. From his tattoos, bursts of ki shot forth like a volley, intending on keeping him pinned while Metatron delivered the hopeful final blow.

Augustine was about to tap into his magic next until that accursed angel finally struck. In his attempt to dodge the incoming blast, Augustine gets hit upon his left side by that barrage of ki from the summoner. It works out too perfectly for the summoner and his annoying pets. The Fires of Sinai rips through the vampire's defenses quickly and within moments his entire body is engulfed in flames. It takes whatever spells the vampire knows to keep himself from being rendered to cinders here and there. Craftily weaving an thin shield of ice around himself to smolder the flames, Augustine soon loses strength and falls.

Astaroth let's out a vicious roar as it emerges from the shadows once more. The enormous beast crudely claws its way upside the adjacent building all the way towards the rooftop. Of its own volition, it catches Augustine within its monstrous arms and shields him from view. That last attack really did hurt quite a bit but the two seem very much still alive. The demon's soulless gaze ignites with pure loathing as it glares at the summoner and his minions. Augustine on the other hand is barely even conscious at this point, his flesh somewhat charred along with his clothing and hair. Astaroth holds onto him possessively but careful not to harm the injured vampire.

"Dammit." Augustine gasps in between coughs.

Metatron is about to pursue, ready to fly before Naoki holds out his hand, shaking his head.

"We're done here. From what I gather, even if we finish him, he'll just come right back. Better he lick his wounds and take this lesson."

Metatron is hesitant but does nod. Pixie even shouts up to the monstrous duo.

"Be grateful our master spared you two. Get in our way again like that, I'll blow you away with my real magic!"

"Let's not give away more tricks." Naoki sighed, rubbing his temples and now walking away. Soon Kurama shows up at last, with Naoki grabbing the cash and his device back. He gives one more glance at the vampire and his demon, glaring.

"Take this fight as a warning. Or I will make you wish you died next time."

And he meant it. He walked away with his demons following him, just in case something happened again.

Astaroth snarls loudly enough to wake the entire neighborhood but no one would dare wander outside now after all this. Nevertheless, the fiend doesn't attempt to strike when the summoner turns to go. Instead, it lingers upon the edge of the roof as Augustine coughs quietly.

"Definitely bit off more than I could chew." He mutters to himself. "That summoner is a bit too powerful." Which is honestly a tad surprising.

"I envy him."

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Flames of the Righteous The Reburn - Zachariah

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