soul_logs | [Closed] Prelude

"One would think the threat of death would convince them, but I suppose hearing of soul-eating monsters is a bit of a faerie tale," Lezard uttered, also surprised with the number of people still out and about. He strode not too far behind.

As they passed through a crossroads in town, he looked around. If he were a demon, this would be the perfect hunting grounds; targets could step out into the open and be chased down an alleyway for a quick kill, an easy meal.

"Beginning here is as good as any. My senses are heightened in my Weapon form, however," he noted and adjusted his glasses. Perhaps if he could pick up a few readings and look for something unusual - Witches had Soul Protect, but Kishin Eggs did not... fortuitous for them!

Glancing back at Lezard from the corner of his eye, Oswald continued to listen. It was difficult though. The night here wasn't as silent as the nights in Erion. How could anyone enjoy an evening like this was beyond him.

Normal tracking wasn't cutting it. He turned to Lezard and held his hand out to the Weapon without a word.

To be fair, all worlds would love to have something like phozons or Pookas in their own. To grow an orchard with the life force of your foes... how magnificent!

Lezard extended his hand and shifted without a word, assuming his Weapon form and landing atop Oswald's palm. By the time their souls clicked he was all ready reaching out to search for anything unusual.

"Hmm... there is a wealth of fear and fatigue I feel... but there is a great hunger in the direction of that inn, far beyond that ones like you or I would feel."

Growing sheeps from seeds. Don't forget that.

Catching the book, Oswald waited, taking another glance around. People were still there, but they seemed wary now. He didn't understand these people at all, but they still didn't concern him.

With a nod, Oswald began to make his way at a steady pace towards the inn, keeping the book closed. It sounded like the best chance and that did make sense. An inn which contained and attracted a multitude of inhabitants; travelers arriving exhausted would be easy targets. Hmph, this egg was not ranked too high after all.

The best way to get mutton.

Yes, this mission appeared to be widely available for some purpose or another, but Lezard thought little of it. He merely wanted Kishin Egg Souls to see the extent of this new form of his and little more. If he was doing a little good in the meantime, well, huzzah.

The inn was rather somber when Oswald entered, and a lot of eyes were upon him again. The serious face, the pale hair, the eyes... the young man looked like a demon himself. Lezard paid little heed.

"The hunger is stronger... yes, this is the building. They have lodgings upstairs; nice, private rooms to eat and sleep... or be eaten, in this case. I will cast Dark Savior once we are out of sight of these ogling idiots." He, too, was growing impatient with the locals, it seemed. Either that, or Oswald was rubbing off on him a little via their resonance.

Mutton for Pooka cuisine.

Whatever Lezard's purpose was for accepting this mission with Oswald didn't matter to the knight. Though, there was a troublesome pang at the thought of using someone in such method. As much as he despised Lezard for his nature, he was still a being. He needed to remember that.

When the eyes fell upon him when he entered the inn, he coolly stared back, red eyes almost challenging a few. Did they really want to start something? He was busy.

"Is there an underground chamber?" Oswald questioned, about to step passed the lingering individuals when he halted. "Or... can this egg wear another appearance?" Something about the inn itself was bothering him.

"Very astute," he replied, genuinely impressed. He brought his hand to his chin and felt around a little for any particular direction. Alas, his abilities were still new and distressingly untrained. Perhaps later he would be able to pinpoint.

"Also possibilities, but how to lure the beast from where it hides...?" It could be any one of these men, or it could be in the underground wine cellar. This creature was wise to choose a place such as this; perhaps even now it prepares for another hunt while in safety.

"... Blood."

That was all he could consider. A beast that craved flesh and had little tack to its methods would take any opportunity, would it not? He opened the book. A small dagger would do first.

Blood... certainly made sense. The scent of it meant the scent of a cage of flesh holding the prized soul. With an idea of where Oswald was going with his theory, he spawned a drop of magic for him to shape as he willed it, swirling in the air like ink trying to disperse in water.

"Proceed as you will, Sir Oswald."

He raised a hand and took hold of the swirl, willing it into a jagged dagger. Due to his appearance and how the dagger appeared, of course any normal human would take a step back from Oswald. Still, he brought the blade towards himself, his other hand specifically. There was a small issue with his gauntlet, but he soon had red flowing from his palm. Dagger away, he clenched his hand into a fist, causing a bead to drop.

How odd, what passed through resonance: That small bite of pain was like a spark in soulspace, though Lezard paid little heed to it, having felt far more intense pain than this.

But he waited. The bead of blood dropped to the floorboards and nearly everyone within reach had all eyes on the Meister. Two whispered if the boy was mad, but that wasn't what Lezard focused on.

"That feeling of hunger... it seems to be strengthening."

Oswald didn't move, aware of the stares, but looking ahead.

"Which direction?" He shifted his hold on the knife, allowing his hand to continue dripping.

"Pinpointing that as we speak," he half-lied, growing frustrated with the current capacity of his Weapon form yet not letting it leak into their link.

But nearby, a gentleman who stepped from the kitchen among the growing murmurs had pulled the bartender aside and exchanged a few words with them, then moved upstairs to the dorms.

The bartender spoke up a moment later, nodding to Oswald with a less-than-impressed expression. 'Hey you, bleeding on the floor. The owner wants to have a chat with you upstairs about sanitation laws around here. Wants to patch you up, too.'

Oswald considered walking ahead and seeing is an exploration through the premises would help. He stopped though when the bartender spoke to him, usual blank scowl on his face. Dagger still in hand, it almost looked like he might just suddenly jump and kill.

Whatever he said was ignored as Oswald looked ahead again, taking two steps.

"The local authorities would make our mission a problem. Do behave for a little while longer, will you?" Because sitting in a Croatian jail cell wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend his day. He continued searching around, and paused.

The mindless hunger, the taint was stronger than it was a moment ago.

"The malice appears to be coming from upstairs. The feeling all but floods the top level of the inn... and these fools feel none of it, drinking the night away. It is no wonder an organization such as Shibusen is needed... or this world would have been lost centuries ago."

But he wasn't doing anything. Oswald made a faint sound of displeasure and continued forward.

"We will draw it out and make them realize their mistake." Oswald proceeded upstairs without a single glance back. He'll drag the creature out into the street if necessary.

Lezard was in agreement, and so he said nothing. Settling back and focusing on trying to pinpoint the source of the hunger, he let Oswald go on his way up the stairs and tried not to make a note of the immense pleasure that seemed to mingle with the hunger the higher up the staircase they went.

He was a tall, thin gentleman with a fair bit of stubble. Upon extinguishing a cigarette and sighing out the last bit of smoke, he nodded a crisp greeting with Oswald's approach and went to get the first-aid kit opened up. The boy would need gauze and antiseptic.

"What in god's name possessed you to nick yourself in the middle of my inn? If you've got some suicidal tendencies, some girl left you or something, that's none of my business, but I serve food and drink here. I don't need some health inspector on my ass trying to shut my place down, you got it? Now hold still and let me treat it; it's the least I can do since technically you injured yourself on my premises..."

Oswald noted how the resonance between him and Lezard changed as he rose higher into the inn. When he saw the gentleman, his eyes narrowed. He didn't require help, but that was besides the point.

"How much further?" He had the dagger raised actually. Something about this man didn't settle well with him; not with how tense the link had become.

Lezard furrowed an eyebrow. Odd... it wasn't flooding the top floor. The hunger was flooding from this man, a malice covered very thinly by a disgruntled yet kindly layer about as tough as wet paper.

"...It's this man," he replied, breathless. Kishin Eggs could take on other forms and appear as human! What alarmingly deceptive creatures...

But the man paused when Oswald made no answer. The dagger was raised, and the 'human' moved quickly, swiping a hand to try and knock the book out of his hands and giving a low, inhuman hiss.

That's what he thought. He dodged, arm pulling the book back while he brought the dagger around to cut into the hand out, perhaps even cut through. The dagger wouldn't work for long; he needed a sword eventually.

Three fingers flew in a bloody arc, the 'man' snarling in pain. Lezard was quick to call up another trio of prepared drops of magic, watching as the man's hand twisted and blackened, thin tentacles growing from the bleeding hand to replace those finely-shaped fingers he had lost.

"Well, well... let us show this wretch no mercy! I will keep the blades coming! Ha ha!"

But the man was coming at him now, no more human than monster now, eyes completely black and watery and mouth filled with writhing tendrils as he tried to grab for Oswald's throat.

"Thinks it will take me for a knight with less experience."

He brought the dagger up to meet that mouth, shoving it in deep before seizing a drop of magic. No simple sword would do; he needed something like his Belderiver. It couldn't be that exactly, but it was a weighty and ornate broadsword close to its design.

That was it. He leapt straight at the Kishin egg and its writhing mass of tendrils, sword coming down in quick and brutal strikes. This was something he was used to; he would hack it to pieces.

The blade was jammed in its mouth and an ichor began to flow along with something else.

"That malice I feel... it exudes Madness, and it is trying to increase it. I will hold it at bay the best I can," he spoke quickly, and as he spawned more of the unused magic he expanded his wavelength to drive out the shadows and the whispers of voices in his head that was causing a corner of his mouth to twitch into a grin beyond his control.

Oswald's attack was brutal, far different from the elegance of Lily's focused magic-wielding and Amaterasu's quick and almost playful use of the light. Lezard found such brutality fascinating, and none too surprising when only a few nights before he was engulfing himself in shadow. The Kishin Egg had no chance under that relentless assault, hacked and slashed, black ichor spreading in a puddle over the floor as the monster scratched, bit and kicked, screaming half in rage and half for mercy.

Lezard turned and let out a breath. More sources of malice were approaching, driven to a monstrous lust from the smell of the 'blood'. They would feast upon the corpse and soul of whatever was being killed right this moment and grow in power themselves. A nearby door was blown open and tendrils erupted from the newly-made hole, the Madness quickly building as Lezard saw nothing but teeth and tentacles. As hurried footsteps and shouts- laughter even- rang from downstairs, something large and heavy was making their way up... how many of these damned things were there!?

"Cannibals... they come to feast on the remains," he informed his Meister, though his voice sounded labored. It was becoming increasingly-difficult to keep it all at bay...

Madness? First he had been told about it; at least, with an infliction of more important. Madness was simple enough to understand; he had border lined that state many a time before, but he could feel something pressuring more against his mind and weighing heavier on the book in hand. Oswald could handle himself against the assault, but Lezard was obviously not taking it as well.

Red eyes came around when doors ripped open and laughter rang. Underfoot, he crushed the current Kishin egg while the sword in hand continued to drip black ichor from it. They were attempting to overwhelm the two of them; fools...

Sword around, he buried it into the current egg's head and grabbed another thread of smoke, grabbing a new sword. This was convenient, but he would have to move faster before Lezard went mad. His soul sent a pulse back to push the Madness further. "Do not attempt to stop it on your own."

He crouched, prepared for which ever egg decided to come first.

With a great scream, the first Kishin Egg was gone with a burst of stored energy and ash flying every which way. The sight of the red orb that remained was enough to drive the two of its friends into a frenzy.

They were all tendrils, eyes and mouths, at least from what Lezard could see. It would appear to him that he was a tad more susceptible to Madness than most... something he needed to see into as soon as possible. Or see the wolf, perhaps. But as it stood, he needed to work quickly or be damned, as he felt the clarity of his mind steadily slipping-

He blinked, then, when a pulse moved through his mind and body, pulled him out of the mire he didn't know he was sinking into. All he could do was stare. This boy... had he...?

Wood crunched under a growing weight as the creature coming up the stairs emerged, almost like an octopus hardly wearing the skin suit of a human, flesh torn and bleeding as tentacles and suckers emerged from every orifice. This was the one to come at him first, to grab and wrap tight, to strangle and enjoy the sound of a death rattle.

But all lights were being snuffed out, lanterns hitting the floor as the walls, the floor and ceiling began to pulse, the room itself starting to come alive as the third thrust its tendrils into the walls and burrowed...

No matter how many Kishin eggs decided to come after him, Oswald was going to fight. Determination and fury rose, sword swinging in a diagonal arc up and across the second egg's body; just in time to properly respond to the third by springing back. Was it the building itself?

"Tch..."

Do as it may well please, both were going to fall just like the first before. He struck a tendril emerging from the wall before charging down the second egg again, covering the remaining ground between them with a bound, sword forward to making a piercing strike.

Freed for a time from the Madness' influence, the next drops formed would be clear of tainted influence, just as smoky as ever.

The second kishin egg went down with a scream, slamming against the writing wall. It withdrew its legs and threw them out against Oswald's stomach to grant it some space, and in the meantime one of those tendrils were coming down from above to give the Meister a thwack against the head.

"'Tis mingled Madness that warps the very walls... but the building itself is not something living it can simply infect... the core of it should be here somewhere- I will attempt to pinpoint it." Everything that lived housed a soul, and this would be no different. He reached outward and got to work.

At least there was some fight to these eggs and they weren't just rolling over. When the ceiling hit his head, he ducked the next swipe and swung back to cut them off.

With the numerous drops around him, he decided to throw his sword at the second egg and grabbed another to better cut through the writhing walls.

"Hm." He couldn't very well nod in affirmation to Lezard. Just something to reaffirm he understood. Besides, he needed to concentrate on tearing these last two eggs apart.

He had to hand it to the tainted ex-humans; nothing should go down without a fight.

As Lezard worked to push away the floating soul he sensed, and that other that was obviously coming in fast, fingers elongating into barnacle-covered claws, swiping in wide arcs in a relentless assault as a sizely blade stuck out from the left-most half of its chest, he was trying to get a feel for the very room they were in.

The core... where was that core...!?

The hunger emanated from his left, then up... then right-ish... wait...

"The tendrils infecting the walls are acting as arteries... the soul flows through them, always moving..." He turned his head, eyes following that tainted emotion steadily flowing through the left wall. He transmitted what he was seeing to his Meister, before sending another spark of wavelength into the face of the attacking Kishin Egg, a burst of smoke to temporarily blind the thing. He then alerted to another wall in the room writhing... the third was attacking again, whip-like tentacles winding up.

Oswald dodged and ducked, raising his sword to counter and push back the assaulting egg. It he could push the blade through its chest more, it would fall quickly. It was a matter of trying to chop off fingers to get close enough all while avoiding the third egg surrounding them.

He raised his head at the abrupt rush of information, springing back when Lezard blinded the second Kishin egg. A soul always in motion... very well, it simply meant more hacking into the walls and cutting open each vein until it came out. He launched himself at the tentacles winding up, sword forward to take them out first.

With the sweep of an arm he only prepared more, but kept a bead on that core that was moving over the doorframe, pumped through the next 'artery' as that second Kishin Egg was countered, sparks flying through its assault before being pushed back.

The wound-up tentacles descended, most cleaved cleanly while two continued their way through with intent to strike the Meister. Lezard noticed the room reeling in an odd pleasure... and shook his head.

No, there were simply some things you did not transmit.

But the second was recovering from its knock back, tendrils streaming from the entry point of the blade still stuck in it, as if trying to feast upon the soul energy making up the makeshift sword. A mindless hunger knew no bounds, it seemed...

Cutting off the number of tentacles he did made it easier to avoid those that remained. Something seemed to spark from Lezard again, but was cut off; Oswald didn't question what it was this time since, in the brief instance he noticed, it hadn't been Madness again.

He'd leave the second egg to its business; there was no gain in its activity except speeding up its own demise. Oswald bounded forward, following the artery, but then paused. It would come back eventually. Waiting wasn't often his first decision, but in this case. In the meantime, it was warding off attacks until that moment came.

He continued to follow the path of that core, and began to note that it seemed to flow with every 'throb' of whatever flowed through those tentacles. It moved like a cell through the 'veins' with every beat of some unseen heart, but it seemed to catch at every crossroads, bobbing around as it tried to follow some stream...

"The core slows at every intersection before taking a path. That hesitation shall be its undoing," he chuckled and kept a bead on the second Kishin Egg as well, writhing on the floor in ecstasy as it continued to feed on his expended soul energy.

...Damned wretch.

"...There." The information was transmitted, and the intersection was made clear as day. In moments, the core would reach the next intersection. The veins were thick... his blades would merely have to be sharper. With a grin, he boosted their resonance link, if only for their final blow against this abomination.

He had been considering taking out the Second egg again while Lezard followed the soul. It simply writhing against the ground and trying to drain energy from the sword was annoying. Sword raised, he stalked forward, but then stopped when Lezard spoke. Raising his head, he glanced around, but then focused on the intersection the other noted.

A wave of power surged to Oswald, the Meister immediately helping to focus it on the sword in hand. The core was nearly there. One more glance at the Second Egg rolling around, he focused on and cross-section, red eyes narrowed. The moment it arrived and paused, he struck.

And the entire room seemed to scream, causing the very air to vibrate. Lezard cringed and clutched his head before he could stop it, like claws to the very brain matter.

He'd harvested mandrakes, and at the very least their killing screams were quick and painless...!

But the walls seemed to run with an ichor now, tentacles flailing, followed by a stifled shriek of pain as a tentacle sought to strangle the struggling other Kishin Egg in the resulting Madness.

The drops of magic flickered, but held. "Again! ...Fill the damned thing with knives until it stops...!"

Oswald would agree that the rattling death wails were irritating and he faintly cringed. Chilling, but they were almost done here. He shook his head to clear it and ceased another drop from the air, fashioning it into a dagger.

He mercilessly proceeded to repeatedly stabbing it over and over until the blade was slick with ichor. Another bead and the process repeated, the dark blood splashing across his armor and face.

It was a brutality unmatched, blade after blade sinking into the thick skin as Lezard fought to maintain the stability of each knife. Each one was a piece of his own soul wavelength, and required focus.

And it was enough. The sticky ichor had begun to stain his pages as the walls themselves had begun to dissolve, the feeling of nails, the buzzing of insects in his head slowly fading as what looked like ashes fell away from the walls, joining the pile that was forming on the floor, cradling a second red light to join the first.

Lezard was short of breath as he lowered his arm and released the stored energy, the knives fading into smoke. They were done... and these three freaks were as well. He said nothing, lowering his head in the black soul space within the book as he reeled in the blissful silence.

Oswald felt disjointed from Lezard. It must have something to do with the drops disappearing, but he didn't comment. Instead, he looked around the corridor he stood in, taking note of the damage while clutching the Demon Spellbook in one hand while he waved the blood off his other.

So the Kishin eggs melted away entirely into these souls. He had to grimace at the similarity to Halja again, but still managed to be satisfied killing them. Curious though how it was a single orb and not multiple phozons that the Weapon was to collect.

He remained silent, waiting for Lezard to recover from the mental assault he underwent.

It was a few minutes spent in silence before Lezard felt he was sufficiently recovered from the direct mental assault. With a sour thought to try and build upon his mental acuities, he eased out a breath and proceeded.

"That went well. Now, if you would do me a service and place those floating spheres upon my pages for collection, we can finally be on our way from this place... unless of course you wish to stay for a drink."

"No. We will take our leave."

A drink didn't sound appealing at all. Besides, that would just be distracting.

Approaching each soul, Oswald held the book open and placed them down as he grabbed them. At least this he was familiar with even if he had to actually touch them. They felt odd in his hand, but he didn't allow the feeling to linger. All three souls collected, he closed the book and headed downstairs to leave.

[Closed] Prelude

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