Saga II: Dusk Star

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris

Wall of Text Summary

Spoiler:

“And in the garden they knew nothing of sin, nothing of shame. There was passion but in that passion there was no wrong. For they ere one with their father. Present not absent. They could speak and walk with him in that garden of their dreams. But then came the thorns. The serpent. And to them was brought iniquity. Forever cast out into the shadows”.~ Desperation and Trials

The dawn was but the beginning of the story for many, and the end for even more. But there were some stories that one would not have expected to begin in certain ways, and yet there they are in the shadow of what one would see as the rising of the sun. One such story was the beginnings of the woman who would become the Queen of Mare Maris. Like many creatures, she awakened after the dawn, but it was in a place that she did not belong. A place that was most unfortunate for her to end up in. Most Kami after the dawn had awakened in the place that they would call home, the celestial realm, a place where they would help one another rebuild. Where they would decide to protect what they could from the world below. To explore to love to help. The queen however didn’t begin here. Nor did she begin in Terra.

Her story began in the depths of the most horrible of places. Deep within the broken realm once known as Onitoshi. In the battle before the dusk, many of the Kami had fought to protect their home using what skills they had when the demons from the hells gate began to invade their home. But the end result for many had been death, For others it had been worse, dropping down from the skies above in the battle and falling into the pits of the hells gate. Normally had things gone well, this may have resulted in them fighting their way back out. Or a swift death upon entry by the hundreds of demons waiting to get themselves a piece of kami ass. But it just so happened that when the Queen and her troops fell through the gate. At that very moment. Everything came to an abrupt and violent end.

And when she awakened. She would be in a place far different from what she would have liked to see. From what other Kami had see-

---

Blinked. Fluttering eyes on the edge of consciousness. Like a waking dream, not quite sure where, how who or what. But within that idea of oblivion there was a sense of self. Eyes closed again. Embracing the warmth of sleep. But it wouldn’t last long. Screams tore over that serene sleep of hers. Screams of things that could never be described as human, pain. Death screams. All such things that a new life, a new memory was now baptised in. Oppression. But she was thankfully not the only one to be born into this mess. Not the only one like her.

Other winged ones, other kami had fallen in the same place she was. Not all were so lucky. Some were unlucky enough to land in the lava pits. Others upon spiked spires. But there was a group that had fallen into the land, a crevices of a ruined building. Those there like her knew that there was danger. And despite memories, words being long gone. There was safety in familiarity. The Kami approached the outside. A group of five including the queen. What they saw there was a sight that was beyond the ideas of men. A time to which only demons remember.

In the dawn there was chaos everywhere. But none so great as that in the place of chaos. When the demons awakened. In their rage in their evil in their confusion. They lashed out at one another. There was a time when the underworld was not just a simple desolate wasteland. There was a time when its plains were filled with bodies. Each one awakening from the effects of the dawn. Each one rising only to strike another down. It was a slaughter. And that is what met their eyes. Rivers of blood from demons who knew nothing but their base instinct. Who killed for the simple sheer assurance that they were in fact real. That their hunger for death could be satisfied. To take out the frustration of not being able to know what had came before. It was an image that would scar the mind. A carpet of bodies all cutting biting and slashing one another in to what was, a completely unknowable rage. The Kami made their way across the plains of what was now dubbed as Barathrum Regnum.

Trying to make their way out of the dark realm. Trying to find any glimmer of hope that there was a way to escape this hellish nightmare. But their searching was in vein, one by one the numbers of the group began to dwindle. One died in a demon attack, another a plain accident. The next, suicide over hopelessness. Till finally it was just the would be queen and her last companion. Wordless, in a land of nightmares. Just when all hope seemed to fail. The two uncovered a cavern within the dark land, the cavern would appear to be the root of their hopes. A light at the end of a very dark tunnel. In this place it would seem that the dense and oppressive air that permeated all of Barathrum Regnum was somehow diluted in here, the further that they moved in the less of a weight seemed to be pressed upon their shoulders. The cooler the air seemed to become. With dried cracked lips, and darkened eyes. The two Kami finally emerged from the horrors of hell, and into Terra. Which by comparison seemed like a paradise. There were no monsters here. Well, none that hit with tooth and claw. But that was something they were yet to discover. It was here that they first found water. That they first found words. And in those waters, washed away was the dust of the past. A thirst for freedom. Finally quenched.


---

“In the garden there were things that were forbidden. Fragments of what the fathers knew. Fruit of the gods. Power forbidden to all. And so the serpent came and his name was CHAOS. And he did tell them of ways to become an equal to god. To tempt them to the fragments. To tempt them with iniquity. And so came the dusk of the garden, the end of dreams. The gods would not bare an equal from their childer. And so to the wastelands they were brought. Here in the wastes, they did meet the shadow. And his name was DEATH, and he taught them of their wrong doings. For he had never known the grace of the garden. A lord of the wastes were he had been so long his body had rotted. So long the rot had crumbled to dust. So long that the dust had long since become the sands of the wastes. And quickly, the children forgot”~ Desperation and Trials

----

Like flowers to the sun, the children of the realm of man did flock to the would be queen. She healed, she blessed. And brought with her the grace and beauty she had been long denied in the lower realms. And they did treat her as a goddess. As a mother. And things began to grow around her. Happiness. Acceptance was hers. To her companion she did make a royal guard. And when she was pronounced queen, the ruler of the people. She built her city next to waters, for those had been her liberation. Her freedom. And from her new home she could see those waters, to be eternally thankful for the blessing that they brought. At first Mare Maris was little more than a village, then a town. There was no need for swords and shields nor destructive magic. In the first years of the cities founding it became known as a holy place. The queen and her followers would heal those that came, and in seeking for the healing, those that witnessed it did stay. Quickly it grew around her. But like all things. The larger the light, The bigger the shadow that it casts.

The Queen had seen the evils of this world, they however were far out weighed in her eyes by the good. For she had been a creature who had experienced the darkest of the dark. And not even the darkest things of man could compare to that place that now and again, still showed up within dreams of dreams. But she was not the only one to emerge from that pit. So too began the story of the pophet. A creature whose very mystery lied in his connection with the so called fragments of the old world. The pages of the book of creation. And an utmost mystery it does remain, at his side marching from the pits he brought with him legions of the demonic horde. Corrupting and tainting the south western forest far beyond what it should have been in those early days. Its proximity to the place of fiends would have been bad enough. Had things not crawled out, and made that place their home. To spread out roots, and conduct their plans for this world. And this is where our story begins. To the east, the light. The Innocent Queen of Mare Maris, the centre, the core, medius. The Dark king and his minions. The West, the prophet and his legions of Onikonjou ready to unleash chaos and enlightenment upon the world. A world divided. Carved out among three rulers.

----

South West Forest Region: The Black Citadel, 1 year prior


“ We have tried my lord, yet it is not appearing to be as easy as we first anticipated!”.

The black council had formed. Thirteen seats in an enclosed circled room, at one edge of the circle, a throne larger than the others. Upon it sat the Prophet. Robed, a crow sitting on either shoulder. Watching and listening to the reports of his most “ trusted” servants. The council had been attempting to spread their influence through the lands, spreading out from the west and into Medius. However it became quite clear that once they hit the zone known as the core they weren’t going to be travelling any further. No matter the strength of numbers that seemed to be sent in nothing that went into that area returned alive. So, if you couldn’t go through something then you had to go around it, so they did precisely that. Spreading around the core and into the lands that belonged to the southern tribes and the coastal regions. But their influence was not spreading with their minions. The initial idea had bee to use the influence of humans against them. Persuade them to make deals. Seduce their women. But for some reason in particular the east, they were meeting heavy resistance. Certain members of the human race were giving into their temptations easily but others were not. And the prophet wanted to know why. He rapped his claws upon the obsidian carved chair.


Ultimately the less humans that were under their influence then the less they would hear. The less they heard then the less chance of finding one of the pages was. And the Prophet would not tolerate such things. The pages would be needed for his plan, and the lack of them only opened up chances for others to find them, which would only impede his efforts further. One of the thirteen seats spoke, a rather ugly fellow who resembled a stone like monstrous gargoyle. Albeit with one of his arms being withered and ingrown. “ From the reports I hear my lord Prophet, there are many who believe that a divine being has come down among them...it seems to be the influence of this...eastern star...that is turning people away from the temptations of darkness and more towards the light”. This, was troubling. The Kami were beginning to interfere in things. Had they foresaw his plan? Had they too guessed just what he was up to? He grumbled under his breath and began to think on a way to dam the flow of how things were currently heading. And then it struck him. “ Has this eastern star officially developed any kind of religion?”. There were discussions among the council for a few brief moments before there was a resounding “ no” coming from the one with the withered arm. “ Not that t we are aware of. We know that she is their monarch, but not a goddess”. And this was where it became interesting. The Prophet had an idea of just how to use this kind of thing against the humans.

“ Very well then, we shall change our plan of action, gather our followers, spread the word that this monarch is chosen by the gods, Using this idea we will then gather her followers, grow in popularity....we shall commit acts of charity, feed the helpless, care for the sick and give shelter to the homeless”. There was confusion among most of the ranks of the black council. All bar the one who seemed to be doing the majority of their speaking. The one with the withered arm. “ Feed them poison and tell them that its fruit...a most excellent idea Lord Prophet...However , if we are to start a religion, a following among the people. They shall need holy words, a doctorate to follow”. The Prophet stood to his feet, the crows on his shoulder taking flight and circling the roof of the chamber with an incandescent cawing. “ The words I shall provide, simply ensure that you bring the flesh”.

----

And so it was done, over the year the demons took the form of en, took the form of kami. And spread the “ divine word”. They lured in the followers of the Queen, seemingly no threat to her reign, but rather a people running a successful promotional campaign. After luring in those followers with their good deeds and words of praise for the Queen, the emphasis of the religion shifted more from her and onto the “ will of the gods”. This will, successfully scrawled down in a holy book written by the prophet and a hand scrawled copy given to each and every chapel that had spread throughout the lands of Terra. And the prophets plan was strangely successful. The people ever since the dawn had been looking for an answer. A reason for their existence and here came in the prophet with his book of words and many followers, warped and twisted creatures put into the shells of divine and beautiful forms.

The prophet had his devout and began making the structure of the organisation. His direct followers would be those who were demons, below them were the human recruits. These were to be the main face of the church. They would be those that recruited others. They would be those who could not be suspected to be spirits. Those who honestly believed in the good works of their religion. Below them, the basic followers. The ignorant masses. And the religion was growing more each and every day. The prophets power base expanding each and every day, infecting the whole of Terra, bar the zone known as medius. It was not farfetched to say that the Prophet and his followers were instrumental in the spread of rumours concerning the dark king and the forsaken land known as the core. Particularly the rumours which concerned the moments of the dark king and his army of darkness. When things began to move out of Medius. It began to worry the council of the prophet greatly. Threatening their power base. A meeting was called to discuss the threat, and deal with it appropriately.

----
A week before the events of MoTDK

The sound of banging, mild like the knocking of a door resounded throughout the black citadel as the prophet moved down the hallowed halls of his base of operations. The Black citadel in the early days had been a hasty construction, but over time had been improved using magic and good craftsmanship. The stone of Trra was fine and smooth but lacked the strength, and the intimidation factor that he liked. So, building near the ways to hell gave its usefulness a new edge. He was able to draw up stone from deep within Barathrum Regnum and build himself a fortress worthy of the demonic horde. Of course, magic helped with that. Onikonjou were not always known as the best workers. Slaves to fear and temptation perhaps. But workers. No. The outside of the Citadel appeared to be something out of a nightmare. Black rough stone lining the walls, with orange coals that seemed to glow as if under constant heat jutting out here and there. The inside of the Citadel was slightly more refined. The walls, black Onyx, the floors. Obsidian glass. The floors in particular were an idea of the prophet. The obsidian reflected the person walking much like a mirror. And with some magical fine tuning, he had converted the floor to a sor of draining mirror. Whoever walked down it, if they looked at their own reflection. Would have their strength sapped. All except the prophet himself of course, it was one way of keeping the peons in line.

The council had been called, and he had been called to oversee it. A task whih The Prophet did not find to be a good use of his time. At the moment most of his attention was spent overlooking the progress of the religion, which of course had a subtask of searching for the fragments, the pages. But thus far, there had been nothing. Yet despite the use of resources with what was at the moment very little come back. The Prophet did not think it to be a foolish investment. Zealots had their uses, and eyes and ears everywhere had even more. A sly sneer as the Prophet pushed open the doors to the council chamber. The council members already sat, each of their eyes ( some more than two per head) watching him intently. As he moved through the circle. To the large chair at the back. Taking his seat, he raised a hand. And gave permission for the council to convene the meeting. One of the multi eyed council members seemed to be the first to speak up. “ It is good to see you Lord Prophet. It had been some time since any of us have had the honour of being graced by your presence”. The prophet could not yet determine whether the words of this council member were sincere or sarcastic. Really it could go either way with some of these members. It had been true though the last time any of these council members had actually seen him in person was the meeting all those months ago concerning the founding of the religion. His tiem ever since then had mostly been taken up in writing up the doctrine of this religion and of course keeping the information lines flowing concerning the locations of the fragments. The Prophet merely gave the slightest of nods, and acknowledgement that could honestly go either way. He wouldn’t be seen to rise to sarcasm or be overly penitent concerning areas of respect.

On of he other council members spoke up, this one however didn’t look as if he belonged. Flowing golden hair, white wings at his back For all intents and purposes this one looked like a Kami. But the Prophet knew that this was merely just an illusion to fool the masses. Likely this council member was one of the “ Grand Clerics” of the new religion. Taking on the appearance of a kami to fool those into believing that they wre indeed holy. Although it was surprising, when he spoke. The Prophet was bemused that he knew precisely who this one was. “ Lord Prophet”. Said the Kami like council member. By his voice the Prophyet had identified him as the oni who had the appeareance that struck him as awfully simi,lar to a gargoyle. Which was rather amusing considering his current form. “ There have been whisperings in the villages of the faithful that a dark force had begun its movement towards the west, the dark force merging from Medius”. A dark force? The Prophet could only assume that such a thing came from the forsaken land of the core. That place had for the most part remained a relative mystery to everyone. In the sage areas of Medius you could see the ruins and relics of what had came before. And yet like the monkey trying to catch the moon, one could never touch it, and trying to do so would end up getting you drowned in whatever dark power called that place its home. And if it was emerging, and moving West. Then that meant it was quite possible that whatever was heading that way was going to be coming in a rather close proximity to the south western forest. Which meant far too close to their seat of power. And it seemed that his thoughts reflected those of the entire council. They all began mumbling among themselves debating upon how to deal with this problem. The majority view on the problem seemed to be to form up the demoni legions and march against whatever was heading westward. But the Prophet did not agree on this. The action would draw attention to them, and since they were currently tryingto remain seen by the world as an inactive threat due to their spread of the religion. They could not afford such a clear cut display of power.

He said. His voice sounding out throughout the chamber. “ It would destroy the efforts we have made in our current goals, drawing attention and suspicion where we cannot afford any...our plan of action should be this...first off....I doubt that these movements have escaped the sights of those within Mare Maris either. We should be watching the political climate of these areas and act depending upon the feelings of those within”. The were nods of agreement. An orange haired Onikonjou spoke up. “ My lord...I am the cleric within the parish of Mare Maris....you are correct, there have been rumblings concerning the movement of this darkness...however as they are moving westward and have presented no direct threat to Mare Maris...the Queen had determined that they are currently not a threat, and will not take pre-emtive action”. The Prophet had expected as much, whilst these thigns were just rumours at the moment, they did have many prominent members of Mare Maris government within their faithful. So it was creditable. Going off that and the sheer disgusting innocence of the queen. He knew it was likely they would not be the aggressors in any kind of war between them and anyone else.

“ Very well if this is the case then what we must do is remain hidden, silent, but form an opposition to cut off the dark force and its march westward”

The Prophet placed his hand below his cowl and stroked at the chin underneath, thinking carefully. “ The church should praise the Queen’s peace keeping efforts. But at the same time urge caution among the faithful...we must make them wary of the darkness....keep rumours up and news concerning its progress and make them readily available” Finally and more importantly came the Prophets final plan of action. “ No doubt that most of you would have heard of the Dragon Slayers”. It was the name of a rag tag group that had been circulating about a particular region after a town had came under assault from a rampaging dragon. Dragons were rare creatures, rare and powerful. The average human or indeed spirit didn’t stand much of a chance against the tyrant lizards. “...Ensure that those who own property and live within the areas that the dark force is in the path of are aware of its movements...in particular...make aware those who were known to have slain the dragon weeks ago of just what is happening...if we have people with strength like that...then it may be possible to turn its tide elsewhere without interfering ourselves”.. More discussion among the group. But it seemed that after it they all came to agree with the logic of the prophet. Those who defeated the dragon were powerful and likely would provide more of an offense against the dark march that was no doubt coming down upon them all..


------

In the City of Mare Maris

Ever since the rise of the dawn Uriel had been with her. And that was his mission, his purpose in life. To be with her and to protect her. She HAD his heart, even if he did not have hers. Which was why he had to do certain things fro her which she could not do. This little meeting being one of them. Uriel was the Queen’s right hand man. She at times, was the perfect example of a ruler. Kind, merciful, fair. But unfortunately, these things were not always the best virtues of a ruler. Even though technically the city was still in his boom growth period, problems had already cropped up from all sides. Evils that one could not really deal with if you only had the merciful option available to you. These problems had quickly became a thorn in the side of the Queen in the early days. Which is why Uriel decided to take matters onto himself and establish the Gestalt group. The queen was the spirit of Mare Maris. The message to the outside world that not everything had to be dark and cold. That the sun did indeed rise in the east. The Queen herself a radiant beacon of good. A healer who walked among he people. The Gestalt. And Uriel. They were the body of Mare Maris. The thing that defended the soul. Whilst Gestalt covered the military forces of Mare Maris. It also encompassed its more shady side of things. The military dealt with the direct threats, and for the most part the Queen determined just what those threats were. The military, were defensive. Not offensive. So its main use in battle was seen against ether bandits or dark spirits that sought to invade and subvert. This was Eisen Gestalt(Iron Body. The other side of things was the group that he mostly took handle of, the one that even the Queen didn’t know about. Assassinations. Covert operations, trafficing with...powerful entities. These were the tasks of Verstect Gestalt(Hidden Body). His side of the Gestalt was essentially the secret police of Mare Maris.

And they were very good at their jobs. The majority of those that actually belonged to his section of the Gestalt group were actually masquerading as members of the public. Merchants, peasants. Ones from all walks of life. It made for effective social cover. The assassinations, dealt with as accidents. And in the past fifteen years no one had suspected that they even existed. Today, was another one of those dark things that he had to deal with that the Queen could enver have her hands sullied in. The dungeons built underneath the cities. In the sewers. A holding cell for some of their darker activities. Rigorous interrogation. A couple of weeks ago a dark force had came to Mare Maris iand had started spreading levels of disease and discord among the good people. And Uriel was determined to get to the bottom of this little indiscresion. Most of these spirits who played the part of these rumour mongers were simply just pawns for greater powers greater owers that would ultimately then be taken care of for the preservation of the peace and for Mare Maris. Torture had been going on for several days now, and whilst you wouldn’t expect the holiest of places on Terra to bethe home of expert torture masters. The Inquisitors of the Gestalt were masters of pain.

They knew how to tweak people, find their weaknesses. Exploit them and even manipulate their feelings into making the torture victim think that they were in the company of friends who wanted to help them be relieved of the burden that came with the truth. It was rather amusing thing to see ven as dark as it sounded coming from one of his own kind. He pushed open the door and the hooded inquisitor was looking up at the rack with what looked like an onion in his hand. A bucket of water at his feet and a balloon. It was...disturbing. One of the things about these inquisitors was that they had long ago disposed of what you would call the more traditional methods of torture and had instead started playing a little game among themselves. Giving each other three random items and seeing what kind of horrific methods they could come up with. And Uriel knew just what they could do with these seemingly harmless items.

“ Lord Uriel”.

Spoke the hooded man in the room with the balloon in his hand. “ We have discovered that the root cause of this mans misdeeds lies within things that he has seen....”. Uriel raised an eyebrow. Things that he had seen? Discord and rumour mongering certainly could be brought about by sight alone. But disease? Were they unconnected? Had he made a mistake? “ What things has he seen?”. The Inquisitor approached the Oni male on the rack and touched his cheek in what would be seen an a serene and caring manner. “ This one has been in the core it would seem...the horrors that he saw there have tainted him beyond the level of normal Onikonjou, yet he is no threat beyond that taint....his mind has been snapped by what has been seen...his corruption is not to be malicious to others...not anymore....but where he steps....the corruption will spread”. Uriel took a step closer. Indeed, there was something different about this spirit. He wasn’t like the normal Onikonjou. Therew as something else in there swimming with the usual corruption. Something below the surface. “ Tell me”. Uriel said. “ What did he see within the core?”. There was silence as the inquisitor let out a deep sigh, stroking the cheek of his victim. Uriel had a great curiosity concerning the things of the core. The gestalt had previously tried to send agents within to see just what kind of things lived there, to see if there was anything within the centre of medius that presented any real threat to them. But ultimately the answer had been kept from him. For the thigs within the core clearly did not wish to be discovered. For every agent he sent, he received nothing, not even a word of hei death. It was as if they simply ceased to exist. He felt for the families of those who died in service to the secret agency of the gestalt group. Those who had children, wives, could not be given any kind of help or compensation despite how much Uriel wished to grant it to them. For to do so would make others question just why they were receiving benefits that others were not. It would eventually come to the queens attention and no doubt risk the integrity of the entre group.

“ I think that is a question best answered by our poor demented friend here...”.

Uriel wondered if the inquisitor was being awkward or if truely the question was best answered by the damned soul in front of him. The right hand man of the Queen leaned over the bloodied ruined body of their prisoner and whispered. “ Tell me of what you saw”. The eyes of the prisoner shot open, they were blank white, as if he had been blinded. He started whisoering and Uriel could barely make out a word until he drew himself closer to the madded secrets of the victim. “.....See upon the bloodied bone streaked road a balack mass of writhing death....it screams and walks upon the dead who are the ones that lie before for nothing does stand away only in the light do they be slowed.In the dark do they now rule in the core do they now see, a man on throne a man once been, a man brings pain, to be his rule”. Giggling. Madness. Then weeping. “ Kill kill kill....there will be nothing left....they will consume us all...no escape...none....just lie down and be among the dea, drown ourselves in the soil we may do....hehehehehehahahahaha urgh...>”> More senless giggling combined with the weeping. It was a horrible sight. The inquisitor continued to stroke the cheek of the mad Oni in front of him and it seemed to bring some simple comfort towards the man. It became ultimately clear that whatever pain the hooded Gestalt member had inflicted upon the demon was in no way equal to the pain that he suffered merely by living. This show of affection was not false. But out of true sympathy that he could not cause any level of agony that matched it.

Uriel turned. Physically sick. “ Put him out of his misery...”. Teh Inquisitor nodded and bowed. “ Yes my lord...as you have said....but know that before...he spoke of that writhing mass moving along westward....the bone streaked road he called it...”. Uriel nodded.

“I will report this to the Queen and see what her action will be”.

II

Two days had passed since that disturbing event in the holding cell. Since the Onikonjou causing the issues had been taken care of. But by the looks of it just like before the oni had only been the symptom of a much larger problem. One that had to bereported directly to the queen Whatever darkness had lain sleeping within the core was now beginning to stri, and it was moving out westward. The Kami could only be glad that it was not moving towards Mare Maris. Such things were small blessings however, and ti only emant that it gave them time to either attack pre-emptively or prepare for an attack themselves. Uriel of course had to think of a way to get this thin out in the open. As of yet only a few people knew of the mans mad ramblings and that was limited to the few that had heard him and ultimately dismissed him before he had been picked up by the members of the Verstect Gestalt And now Uriel had to make these md remablings more common knowledge. So he sent out his members and had them spread the word of this dark army. And it seemed that he was no alone in this. Whether it was coincidence ore mere happenstance the church seemed to be helping with this. They were a world spreading religion and apparently some of their clerics were receiving horrible reports from the west. Many of them were actually coming to him and begging for the Queen to do something. It was a thing that brought a smile to hsi face. The church had influence among the people. It was going to be easier to get the queen into taking action rather than retaining her usual normal passive nature about things like this. With his collective reports on the rumours and the written pelas from the church in hand he marched into the throne room quite intent on seeing if he could get the Queen to give the go ahead on taking action and marching West with the Eisen Gestalt.

The chambers of the queen wern’t really what you would call grant, she was after all a woman of the people and whilst she wore and did have certain things that were givent o her due to her status for the most part she tried to make it so that the majority of her riches were spent on the poor. In Uriels opinion this was the perfect way to be a leader. Not to rule the people, but to serve them. Both to make their lives better and to serve their best interests. “ Uriel”. Spoke the Queen. She was a radiant figure. Long glowing golden hair that reached down to her back. A porcelain face that looked as if it had endured no hardship. A petite frame of a young woman. Despite this, Uriel knew just what she had endured. And respected her all the more for having coming through it as she was. She stood and approached him, hands held out in front her. Then collapsed around his cheeks, slender arms resting against his chest and shoulders. She cupped his face, and kissed his forehead in a traditional greeting that was common to the both of them. He took his own hands, palcing them over hers. Removing them one at a time, planting a kiss gently on the bck of each. “ My Queen”. He said, kneeling before her as he finished. His followers taking kneel after him. She laid her hand upon his head and spoke in that gentle hypnotic voice of hers. “ Stand Uriel, you know that you need not bow to me”. Uriel stood, but shrugged as he did so. “ Formalities must be kept my lady”. He gestured over to a long rectangular table in the chamber, each took their seats. The Queen at one end of the table and Uriel at the other. The Queens attendents took the right side of the table and Uriel’s followers the left.

“ I bring news from the people, and pleas from the church.... A dark force has arisen in the west emerging from the forsaken core....it is said that this force moves further west towards the great forests, as of yet its purpose is undefined...however any who have seen or stood in its way are either dead or mad....the church has many followers fleeing for their lives from the homes that are in the path of the dark march.....and the people are looking to us to ensure their protection...”.

The queen’s brow furrowed. She never did like conversations concerning any sorts of military matters, for the most part she left everything concerning the Gestalt’s to him. But anything concerning actual action, he needed her authority on it. And he hated to ay, but it was a difficult thing for him to get. “ Has this dark march shown any indications of harming our people?”. And there was the question that he had expected. To the outsider it would seem selfish. Self preservation. The truth simply was that the Queen did not want to be an aggressor. And the stories from the great forest indicated that a great many demon followers lived out there. And whilst she was all too willing to help them if they came to her, well. There was always the chance that those evil people had done something to anger those that lived in the core. By helping the guilty, Mare Maris would only be involving itself, and putting its people at an unnecessary risk. “ As of yet, no”. The Queen folded her hands in front of her and let out an apologetic smile.

“ I’m sorry Uriel but we cannot take an aggressive stance on this, thus far the force, be it dark or no has not turned its head towards Mare Maris, for all we know there may indeed be a good reason for these actions. And by moving in pre-emptively we risk our people in a foolhardy venture that we know nothing about”.

Uriel could see where she was coming from, but her nature was unfortunately blinded by her naivety. She wouldn’t take a risk based on good fact, and wasn’t willing tom bend to the will of her people or the pleas of the church if it meant some misguided sense of preservation. “ However that’s not to say that I won’t authorise the increase in defensive measures, you may increase our border forces as well as place more of the men scout patrol just n case there is any sign of suspicious activity around the borders and within our lands”. He didn’t expect pre-emptive action from her, defence was going to be the best that he was going to get from her. So he would take it, frowning on the inside but nodding graciously on the out. She looked to the table however, a tired look to her face. “ I know this was not the answer that you wanted Uriel, and I know that I have been....unhelpful...in the past...but I cannot be seen as an aggressor by the people of Terra... already there are people within our ranks that seek to destroy me...those that distrust spirits and would rather us dead or returned to our own realm....this is my home, and I cannot afford to give them ammunition”. Uriel nodded. “ I understand my queen”.

What he really meant and wanted to say of course was that, yes he understood her position. But being overly passive was as much weakness to these people as being overly aggressive. To be seen as a door mat would make her appear to be a weak leader if anything indeed did go wrong. But thus far it had not, and it was all too lucky for her that it hadn’t. Well luck was one word. Intervention by the secretive members of the Gestalt group had been another more accurate description. Uriel had watched over her from day one, and would continue to do so, but she was making it eternally difficult to do even that anymore. And that is what he didn’t like. With a brief nod, he stood. She looked back up at him as his servants followed suit. He bowed, and she merely stared at him with sad eyes. Did she feel guilty for being like this? Did she not wish to deny him? Or was it something else entirely that was bothering her. He couldn’t really think about it at the moment. He had defences to arrange Turning and walking out of the chamber he would take his leave and move towards the main complex of the armed forces. The Eisen Gestalt and have a meeting with the Generals. Who would no doubt be unhappy about the news.

------

The rumours of the dark king spread by the church of the prophet did reach far and wide, bringing in heroes and warriors, both those who defeated the dragon and others. There was a battle and the Dark Kings purpose was revealed. Albeit too late for the Prophet himself to intercede. . The Page fromt he book of life was found, and when it was unsealed. So where the angry ghosts of the Dusk. Those known as [The Words]. For a day and a Night, the confused lost phantoms did rage, some merely tormenting people, others the rumours were that they had the power to kill. Everything was unconfirmed within the power of that dense mist. What was known though was that this event greatly panicked the people of Terra and made the leaders of the world rather concerned about just what they could do to protect their peoples. Uriel, despite the fortified defences could find no weakness within the phantoms of the mist, unable to stop their advance for the night, until they were banished in the sun. Even the prophet was unable to avoid the barrage of fury that came from the phantoms of the fog. It was a mystery that upon the sun rise caused him to ponder the nature of the pages. And step up his efforts to find the remaining ones. And to do that, he required a plan. And so once more was called a meeting of the dark council in the Black Citadel.

----

A month prior to saga

“ We have managed to translate the words carved upon the trees....walls...and in...flesh...my lord...”.

The event of the phantoms had been most categorised by the lasting mark that these thigns left upo the land, words in the incomprehensible old landguage scarred into walls trees and any other real lasting surface. Even branded into the flesh of certain individuals if rumour was to be believed. Thankfully among the followers of the Prophet and the dark council was an expert on the old world. One who had anaged to decipher their language and was holding the secret to the old world A B Cs to themselves. The council member stood with a piece of parchment in his hand assembly holding the translated script. “ A rough translation at best my lord it states, ‘ In Dusk we Scream’. Well that certainly made some kind of sense considering the actions of the Phantoms. Although the main word that had attracted the attention of the Prophet was Dusk. A counter statement to the dawn, the beginning. Losing more pages was not going to be an option in this case, he knew that the Dark King had already gained far too much power when he had taken that Page. Curiously however he was more concerned about just how much power. When the Prophet had uncovered and unsealed his page of the book, such a thing had not happened. Nothing like that had happened bar his flashback from the past. However, the Dark king...when he had unsealed it...the world itself had come to a stand still. And something like that had happened. The Day the world stopped. Where some pages more powerful than others? If so the only two holders that the world currently knew were outbalanced. And the lord of the core had power the exceeded that of himself. It grinded against his thoughts. Efforts to find more pages


There were mumblings among the council. “ But my lord....”. Said the one, disguised as a Kami. “ This will be bringing them far too close to the truth would it not?” Ordinarily the answer to that question would been yes, but he was in a place where that revealing part of the truth gave more of an advantage than disadvantage. He would just spin it in a way that suited him and his needs. And of course the goals of himself and the Dark Council. “ Having more eyes and ears that are aware of the Fragments only works to our advantage. We would simply say that the hands of the un-anointed touching the artefacts would bring upon us another disaster...and lead us closer to the...Dusk....which would be the Gods final wrath...”.More muttering but there seemed to be a feel of overall acceptance around the council members. The Dusk would be an effective tool of control. Fear always was. And if they were able to control the ignorant masses with their religion offering the answer to eternal salvation, well then this was going to be far easier to deal with.

“ There are however Lord Prophet...still some unbelievers...”.

A snake tailed member of the council spoke up with this little point. The raven on his shoulder let out a caw. And a sly grin spread up the Prophets face. “ Then we shall have to make them believe....”.


-----

The Queen had been stressed lately. As had uriel. The two had grown apart, at least thats how Uriel saw it. He blamed her, and she knew that he blamed her. Whatever had happened, a few weeks after the report of the dark force and her denial of taking action. Soemthing horrible happened that effected the entire world. Time itself seemed to have stopped. Frozen in fear, at least thats what Uriel thought. What had happened that day caused even the battle hardened Kami’;s blood to freeze in his veins. First just random out of the ordinary occurances. Noises with no cause. Items being moved. Then, a fog had rolled into the city. And from the fog came phantoms. Horrors. Monstrosities made of the very fog that chased and terrified the locals and soldiers alike. Weapons were ueless against them. For they seemed to be as formless as the fog itself. They had been banished by the rising sun along with the mist, but people had died that night. Whether it was the cause of these ghosts. Or something else entirely was up to interpretation. Most wounded came in with knife wounds or slashes. Uriel suspected that the phantoms themselves were simply terrifying visions. And that people had been so terrified they had struck out at anything and everything around them just to be safe. Such things happened. For out of his own men not a one reported even a scratch from fighting the ghosts.

But he blamed her for everything happening in the first place. He didn’t doubt for a second that the problem had started because of that dark force in the west. [Continued in next post]

Having caught up with and now leading The Party Formerly Known as Dravic’s Party, Battousai and his party look upon the sights which are bequeathed upon them due to their surrounding environment. The obvious first noticed event was the fact that people were trying to leave the city, but were being hindered. Odd as it was, it was understandable if the city were in quarantine. It did lead into the question of whether someone would want to willingly go into such a place or not. Witnessing a person being turned away gave the insight as described by the narrator. Battousai was able to sense the serpentine hold on the person who was turned away and with that, had a feel of what the unique signature of an instance of ‘bad’ as opposed to what seemed to be normal.

Instead of entering beyond the disclaimer that was given, Battousai would seek information from the guard who would assist his party’s entrance. Of course, he could ask, but since his good buddy was making him post for him, he would mentally speak out to Dravec to handle his light weighted business. Obediently having already given permission to be controlled by Battousai, Dravec would move draw attention to himself by asking the guard, “do you know by what means the people here are contracting the plague? Is there any information you can tell us for our safety? We have come, after all, at the city’s hail for assistance.” Whether that was true or not wasn’t important. Mentally, Dravec would inquire of his student, “what do you make of this place in your observations” as a way of gaining insight to her spatial awareness.

323 / 4318 | 10
Location: Heading into Mare Maris

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris
Characters Involved

Spoiler:

[Noah/Yuki

The hauling of the Relic was going relatively well. That is everything except the fact that Yuki had ingeniusly placed himself in the road between the Relic and the city without moving. Assuming that he would either move, or join the convoy along side Noah. The convoy itself would continue along the path to Mare Maris relatively unhindered at this stage. Still there was that strange feeling as if something was watching thosse that were gathered. Not just Noah, but Yuki too. The paranoid eyes of the soldiers still seemed to be around. The only person who hadn't had those kinds of eyes had been Uriel. In fact there had been a kind of smirk arrogance to those eyes. As if it was him that they were all paranoid about.

It seemed that not all was as white in Mare Maris as the goverment would lead everyone else to believe. Meanwhile out of sight, the Relic atop the alter glowed orange for a brief moment. Like burning embers as Yuki got closer.( Again, out of sight). There would be a brief moment were everyone would feel as if the breath had been snatched out of their lungs. Stopping the convoy for a second. But with a glancee around at everyone else and a realisation that whatever had happened had passed. It would continue.



The group previously known as "Dravic’s Party"

Battousai's puppet wasn't going to be getting much out of these particular guards. They seemed to be the dumb grunts of the lot. " Whats causing the plague? Eh I think its just your regular bad luck...happens now and again they say, first time its really happened this badly though in the city....church says its cause of that Relic we found...not handing it over to them...gods punishing us...who knows maybe they're right...". Then at the mention of coming at the cities own bequest the guard clicked his fingers. " Ah, we had one of you guys pass through a little while ago. Sure go on in, chances are the council of Elders is going to want to see you, they did with the last bunch. So I'd head over there. Big building, north east side of the city, dragon statue out front . Can't really miss it". Then he tapped a finger to his lip. " As for safety..eh...don't go near anyone who coughs?". A shurg and that was that. They'd be free to enter.

Results Of Telepathy:

Whispers...screams. Two words. " Order 26". More whispers. " Everything must die".


Eri


“ NO NOT THE ASS!"

Yelled the caravan merchant as his future plans of being a comatose pimp crumbled before his eyes just as this hot ass did. Thankfully she would manage to get through the crack in the walls uninterupted, however if she had tried to pull such a thing at the front entrance with the guards in blue uniform. Likely it would have been viewed as suspicious and her ass would be toast. What happened to using the front gate and just walking in? Regardless of her reasons for the cat like sneaky insertion. All she would witness for now were two hobos fighting over a bottle of wine. It would be rather entertaining. One punch over the face, another a kick to the crotch, the one with the bottle of wine and stabbing his hobo opponent with the sharp glass edges. Laughing and reveling in his victory.

Before falling to his knees and sobbing as he realised that his make shift weapon had destroyed the entire reason for the fight. And then he tried to lick up the wine soaked dirt. Interesting. There was a sound from behind her on the roof top. Four other hobos each as dirty and ragged looking as the other seemed to be closing in on her. " MMMmmmm a cat...outta roast up nicely...". The first one dives at her in an attempt to hold her down for the rest. ( Base hold down bind: Average Speed/STR)

Opponents: Hungry Hungry Hobo's x4
Stats: Average
Equipment: Fork of Horipolation ( Unique)
Stinky Hobo Jacket: 1 DEN, Stench ( Natural BND- STG1)



Summary:
A relic of "holy" power has been discovered in Mare Maris. The military have moved in to secure and move the relic to the city. Whilst the church under the leadership of the prophet is strumming up religious frevor around " the dusk". Claiming that messing with the Relic like they are will bring down the gods wrath. As a result, a plague has began to spread throughout the city. Unrest reached its peak and broke. Now the leader of the military is hiring mercenaries to help escort the relic back to the city. The Saga will start with your characters within Mare Maris. Drawn either by the news, the offer of money, or simply wishing to help the sick people get better. Or something entirely different that makes sense. Up to yourselves. Regardless of reasons. From that starting point. What happens is down to yourselves...

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris
Characters Involved

Spoiler:

OOC:
Just to let people be quite aware, I'll be pushing ahead with stuff regardless of posting. So if stuff happens during a post and you don't react to it in decent time ( I'll make sure I give you that time) then I'll be pushing on regardless.
[Noah/Yuki]

A laughter would sing out from the back of the convoy as it continued to move on hearing Noah's little exclaimation of just what was so interesting about having the air sucked out of your lungs. " Well as much as I would like to think that it was just a freak accident that we all became breathless at once I can't help but think that it may be the doing of the relic.And honestly other than strange visiions of some sort of impending or past disaster during sleep its not done much as of yet thats been of much interest". He let out another chortle. " Till now....wouldn't you say that anything that has an effect on people and the enviroment is quite interesting?". Perhaps Noah didn't have the same views on that as Uriel. But then again perhaps it was just the shock of it all talking.


Groans from the Eisen Gestalt members. The city was now in view. It was just a case of getting the train to it.


The group previously known as "Dravic’s Party"

Since Dravic hadn't noticed that the "Elite Guards" Jay'de was talking about were not the ones he was talking to ( they were scanning people going out not in). His statement to his apprentice would likely look rather foolish. However mistakes happened and things would continue as they were. One of the guards in Navy blue swung around and got a look at the group. A frown creased his face before getting back to his job. Animosity if nothing else. Perhaps it would be an idea to share what she had glimpsed within the minds of those ones.

Regardless. The Elder Council awaited. It seemed that the guards on the exit side of the line were begining to move the people back into the city, effectively closing the gates. Guards at the back of the entrance line also seemed to be cutting it off, farming people inside. Those with particularly good eyes might catch a glimpse of the convoy in the distance.


Summary:
A relic of "holy" power has been discovered in Mare Maris. The military have moved in to secure and move the relic to the city. Whilst the church under the leadership of the prophet is strumming up religious frevor around " the dusk". Claiming that messing with the Relic like they are will bring down the gods wrath. As a result, a plague has began to spread throughout the city. Unrest reached its peak and broke. Now the leader of the military is hiring mercenaries to help escort the relic back to the city. The Saga will start with your characters within Mare Maris. Drawn either by the news, the offer of money, or simply wishing to help the sick people get better. Or something entirely different that makes sense. Up to yourselves. Regardless of reasons. From that starting point. What happens is down to yourselves...

A frown graces the lips of the noble samurai, of course a gesture that is hidden by the mask that was worn over the bottom portion of his face. Still, the frown could partially be seen in his eyes and what was visible in his visage. Of course, this wasn’t important; what was included the fact that the guards didn’t seem to have that much of a handle on what was going on here. The samurai could tell that the plague seemed to be a mystery even to those who were at its frontlines since its outbreak.

Still, the interaction isn’t without at least something. Instead of getting the happy ending, they received more of a light petting. Understanding what the guard knew of the situation, Battousai would keep those small bits of information in mind and stay away from people who obviously looked sick.

Attention is given to Dravec as he inquires more until he is finished. If the guards before them had no type of magical aura to them, Battousai would be curious to if they were different from the guards who did seem to possess magical prowess. A glance to the other guards would catch the look of animosity that was frowned upon them. Obviously a hater. Attention is returned to the mute guards who seemed not to have noticed Dravec’s last words before their apparent departure. Aside from that, since the guards before them seemed like the type of NPCs who only say one thing before you had to go and find more, Battousai would look to Dravec and make a decision on their next move. Changing gears, he would say, “let’s go back and see what Yuki has found." Though meeting the city officials seemed like a once in a long time opportunity, chances were slim that they would know the information he wanted to know about this plague and the relic. The guards had already failed; politicians probably weren't better. With that, Battousai would turn away from the city entrance and look towards the camps. Since he had good eyes, the samurai probably caught a glimpse of the convoy, if it were possible with a look in the right direction.

388 / 4706 | 11
Location: Heading into Mare Maris

Dravec would go uninterrupted as the course is set to move towards Yuki’s position. After fading away from the front gates to reappear closer to where Yuki was, probably a feat with some amount of sensing or tracking involved, the samurai would manifest with the others and he would immediately catch glimpse of Yuki who seemed to be with a similar figure from before. The type of feeling was nostalgic of a previous situation that had brought all of them together, however, this child, as the samurai had predicted in their first meeting, was more than a mere child. Battousai would surmise that for him to arrive in a place like this must have meant that he had some type of motive or lifestyle similar to their own. At the least, they probably all had something in common somehow.

After gaining a visual of him, Battousai would head in Yuki’s direction knowing that the wolf would probably pick up his scent soon. Their proximity of visual range was expected as having the possibility of gaining attention due to the fact that they suddenly appeared. From the looks of the convoy, they seemed to be heading towards the city, so the samurai assumed the relic was with them. For this reason he sensed out towards it just to see what it was about and would wait until Yuki to notice him since his student seemed to be in a conversation already.

271 / 4977 | 12
Location: Heading towards the Convoy

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris
Characters Involved

Spoiler:

Azazel would merely grin, nod. " You are most gracious lord and lady to conider helping us in our time of need....if you do decide to help there are many sick gathering outside the church that could use your help...your blessings....". He bowed deeply then turned away moving towards the inner sanctum of the church. Both of them would be free to either leave or stay. It was entirely up to them. If Sera did however choose to stay and help the people ( apparantly up to Jack) she would be granted by one of the Priest at the exit a Talisman of Minor Blessing. Which apparantly granted a blessing to the person it was aimed at which would help them to resist the plague.

Meanwhile in the inner sanctum of the church. Azazel let down his little holy priest of the church act. He retained the form and the power which would shield him from most spiritual senses. But began to wonder just what the nature of the Onikonjou that he had met was. And just why he was taking part in such a ceremony with a kami of all things. Regardless. He had busines to attend to here. A report to the Prophet to finish, and a crowd to stirr up. There was in front of them a chalice on top an alter. Golden, white marble table top. He approached the table and lifted the chalice. A clear liquid inside, it looke nothing out of the ordinary. Azazel spoke the words which he had said so many times in the past.



He lifted the chalice and drank. All at once time itself eemed to freeze. At least for him. A cold feeling crept over him, the sound of a scream and all at once his thoughts, feelings. Almost everything within his mind was transported to the Black Citadel. To the Prophet. All at once. It seemed as if he was there. Blackness. The room was filled with it. Slowly the room seemed to illuminate slightly. ANd there he was, the prophet sitting upon his throne. " Speak your report". Azazel wasn't so much speaking as simply transfering information. But it would work more or less the same way. " The plague has spread panic throughout the city, I have a feeling that the goverment does indeed suspect our involvement in its pread, but as of yet they can prove nothing...and even if they did their rejection of giving us the relic..the fragment...with the proper guidance the people would suspect that they were merely trying to get rid of another chain of influence within the city....". The prophet nodded, the crow on his shoulder shifting slightly, jumping down to his sleeve.


Azazel let those thoughts free as well. " I am as we speak, going to begin the preperations for the confrontation...we have recieed word that it is on its way to the city a we speak....our people will take it from the hands of the guards before they even make it through the gates.... ". The prophet gave a brief nod. " Then go....and be sure to return with success on your lips....".

--------

" Should we kill them?".

One whispered to the other, an arrow drawn coated in the poison of deadly nightshade. Aimed at the group stood in the rod between mare Maris and the convoy heading down it. The Verstect Gestalt. They had been watching the progress of the convoy since it had lef the encampment and had snured up till now that threads had been dealt with apptly. They were the first lne of defense. hidden within the trees . Eliminating those before the people on the convvoy guard could even percieve that there was a threat. They were the reason Uriel had always been so confident. The reason why everyone else had been so paranoid. Thus far it hadn't ben much. Beasts mostly that could have gotten in the way of the stragglers. The odd bandit on the road side. Nothing serious but enough to slow down the progress of the convoy.

Uriel's instructions had been clear. They were not to be seen. They were to eliminate threats from within cover, to take them out before they were even known about. But this was going to be slightly more difficult. These people had emerged before they had the chance to stop it. They had just appeared on the roadside out of thin air. Now there were brief few seconds to decide whether or not to kill them. "...No...not yet". One of them spoke. Drawing back their arrow and placing it back into the quiver.

The rest followed suit. A bird call went out, another from different points along the road would follow. A signal to stand downa and wait. However, a look of worry came across the face of the first. " Four calls....what happened to group 5?".

-----
Kitsume and Belmont's first little trip out would be to investigate the first cases of the plague, which the large man thought might well bee in the lower quarters. It was indeed where most plagues were expected to start. A place of filth and pestilance. Where most of the rest of the city would prefer not to know about. It was here that if they so were inclined. Would probably sense the presence of Eri and the hungry hungry hobos about to have her for dinner. Although again, thats entirely up to them. The alchemist on this side of town was known for its shady dealings but did provide some relief to the sick amongst the poor. Here they would find information although it was probably going to be difficult to extract, people on this side wern't too happy with guards poking their noses in other peoples business. And whilst these two were not any ordinary soldiers. It would still be viewed upon as the same way. Acting with discression would probably be a good idea.

If they entered the alchemists they would find n old man inside dressed in a light green travellers robe. Potions and other elixers surrounded upon all sides. The man himself would seem sick. And likely effected by the plague. Caution would be advised.
----



Behind the group of Dravic, Jay'de and Battousai. Another would step from the grasp of the void. However he seemed to be for the most part ignoring that the group were actually here. The first of them, the leader who had been speaking previously with Jack and Sera. Azazel. Dressed in purple garbs of the church. An ebony scimitar hung by his side. A group of others emerged too from the sides of the road,. From within the trees. It would appear that they had been waiting for this man to appear. Two of the group lined up on either side of the road and placed their hands on the ground. Chains appeared from what seemed to be within the trees. A line of three at different heights. Strung across the road tightly pulled. Then from the ground sprang up black spikes. At least fourteen feet tall. A magical glazee formed around what seemed to be a newly created road block. Rising of the Black Gate: OBC+ [ STG 5] SHLD [ STG 3]

The leader of the group now turned his attention to those in front of him. " There is no need to panic friends....we mean you no harm....we merely wish to put a stop to this...heresy....the Holy Relic shall go no further....we shall not have a repeat of the day of dusk". There was of course something about this man that didnt seeem all that...right. That and the spell used to create the road block, at least in appearance seemed rather intimidating.

--------

The convoy came to a halt. But it wasn't the sight of the party formerly known as Dravec's party which had done it. It was the rising of the road block. When it stopped Uriel came to the front along with his guards. " Ah...it would appear that trouble has finally shown its ugly head....its a good thing that you came...". At this point in time Uriel was unable to distinguish Yuki's companions from those who were creating the road block. " Well it seems we'll just have to smash our way through then". Once again, unknown to those that sat below, the relic was now begining to give off a more steady orange glow. But it was minor nothing that would be seen.

Uriel wasn't going to risk telling the eisen gestalt to drop the convoy movement and attack. That would give any potiental traitors in his ranks the chance to jump sides. No he was going to continue the convoy moving forward despite the road block. After all no doubt that what the church wanted, them moving towards them. So it wouldn't pose any threat at the moment.

" Good King..."

Uriel spoke to Noah. " Do you think you could destroy the block in the road before we get to it?...I've no doubt its sturdy but you seem like a capable sort...". He raised a hand " But...distance spells only if you would....I don't want to risk the convoy losing a defender in case there are any more...unexpected surprises". Uriel's reasoning for this was two fold. True. He was wanting to get rid of the gate. But he also wanted rid of those standing around it. Killing members of the church by his own hands would be dirty. He could probably get away with it if thye attacked first, but otherwise there might be blow back from it. But if Noah attacked at long range with a spell to shake the foundaries of the road block, there was a greater chance that thoe standing around it would be caught up in the attack.

That way not only would Uriel be covered by having a non affiliated person do the deed. But he could also argue in Noah's sake that they were merely getting rid of a road block and anything that happened afterwards was the result of a terrible accident. A smirk spread across his face.


Block Density: 10

Summary:
A relic of "holy" power has been discovered in Mare Maris. The military have moved in to secure and move the relic to the city. Whilst the church under the leadership of the prophet is strumming up religious frevor around " the dusk". Claiming that messing with the Relic like they are will bring down the gods wrath. As a result, a plague has began to spread throughout the city. Unrest reached its peak and broke. Now the leader of the military is hiring mercenaries to help escort the relic back to the city. The Saga will start with your characters within Mare Maris. Drawn either by the news, the offer of money, or simply wishing to help the sick people get better. Or something entirely different that makes sense. Up to yourselves. Regardless of reasons. From that starting point. What happens is down to yourselves...

As things would turn out, our arrival would occur on the eve of eventful happenings. There seemed to be a square off between two sides where a organized party seemed to be blocking the procession of the convoy. With that observed, Battousai would come to the conclusion that perhaps they were a bit too close in the observation of this skirmish. It mattered not to him who won in this back and forth since he had no particular attachment to either side, nor knew what the relic was or did, he did, however know, that this skirmish would probably be over the relic and had little to no desire to be in it. It was an interesting thought to him, though, if both sides were to take one another out, they could probably help themselves to the relic… of course, that would only be if they were dishonest.

Oddly enough, Battousai did notice that Yuki and his childish companion seemed to find themselves on one side of this faceoff. That suggested the side that was paying mercenaries to protect and deliver the relic. If that were true, then it was obvious that the other side were trying to ‘steal’ the relic. At least with that, the basis of good and bad could be set up in its most elementary terms.

Battousai observes an erection go up and watches as it is blasted down, the garments on his body flapping in the breeze of an impressive offense by the child. Still, he wondered if such a wide area of disruption was needed in order to accomplish the goal of removing the blockage. Wanting to know what was currently being gotten into, Battousai would speak mentally to Yuki and inquire, “what have you learned of the camps and this convoy? Are you choosing to fight on a side?”

338 / 5315 | 13
Location: Watching the erection assaulted.

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris
Characters Involved

Spoiler:

::Face Off::

Noah’s attack would shake the foundations of the block. But it would not be enough to shatter it completely. The party opposition were struck by Noah’s assault, But it seemed that they were for the most part saved from the attack by the armour that they wore. Azazel drew his sword, wind gathered around his left hand, he ran it alone his blade and the currents began to flow around it. He took the sword in a two handed grip and aimed at Noah. He slashed down, and along the ground leading towards Noah a blade of wind lashed out like a scythe. Cutting everything in a linear direction.[ Wind Scythe, DMG (STG2, STR,MAG+1 ::Abnormal::)] Whether or not it would hit Noah, the air blade moved past him and towards the convoy. There was enough time for the members of the milita to jump away from the attack. But it struck the convoy. Causing cracks in it. But shaking the entire thing violently. There would be a glint of orange as something flew through the air from the top of the train.

Stabbed in the ground before all. The relic. A broken sword glowing a light orange. Once again those around it would have the air sucked out of their lungs. But not only that. Those all around it would be struck by the strange weighting effect coming from the Relic. Their bones would feel like lead. Blood would feel like liquid rubber difficulty in moving through their veins. Breathlessness. [ Burden of Mercy:: BND (Magic)Godlike, AOE STG 2 ]

• The effects of Weight of Burden are similar to the effects of the Gravity effect in transformation. The effects of the bind increase the weight of a persons body by multiples of the distance they are from the sword. Distance starts at 20 feet IE) If your 20 feet away from the sword, your body will weigh twice as much. 19 feet away your body weights x3 (etc) The Burden of Mercy cannot kill, however its weight can crush a person into not being able to move if you get too close. Note however if you try to move back and away from the sword, you will not be impeded in doing so.

Uriel was in the unfortunate position of being only five feet away from where the sword landed, and the moment that he did he crashed to the ground, barely able to move. With some effort though he did manage to move his mouth.


Azazel grinned seeing the reaction of what has happened. " See, the gods have chosen me as their instrument of fate!. They strike down the blasphemers. Join with me friends! I will pay as much as them! Together we can take back the Relic!".

::Choose Your Side::
Choose the side you will fight on. Azazel or Uriel. Church or Goverment. Once this has been determined. PVP war. Go crazy. Alternatively if everyone picks the same side. Nuff said.

Block Density: 2

Jack + Sera

Mini Game!
:: Helping the Sick and Burning the Rest!::
Outside the chapel theres a LONNGG line of people waiting to get blessed and cured. Sera is to help these people, but as one can expect you can only get through so many before either you run out of Stamina or just plain cannot stand the stench of dirty plague ridden poor person anymore. Jack on the other hand has the dirtier job. Theres and equally large line of dead people who apparantly waited too long, and are now stinking up the joint and attracting Rats. Drag em into a pile and burn em all.
Sera: To successfully bless+ Heal a person> 100 words
Jack: To successfully burn a body> 100 words

Remember to keep count of your burn/heal score.

Belmont+ Kitsume

" First off tell your bitch to watch her grubby fingers".

The man looked up at them both, his glazed over yellowed eyes striking the obvious sick look. Although it seemed for how ill he was the man still had what you'd consider a bit of an attitude about him. " Yeah, we saw quite a few people in here first time round...didn't think much of it then, just a case of sniffles but...there was a lot to it...". He seemed to crack a grin. " Shit they'll probably break my legs for talking to the pigs but I say fuck it what have I to lose....ya see I would think they were two different things if it wern't for the volume of them...don't think the big wigs have noticed but it ain't one plague hitting the town but two....the first one was just like your regular flu....sniffly nose, sneezes general feeling like shit...So I just prescribed some nasal congestion bullshit potion and that was that problem solved....but only thing is...it wasn't....Shortly after that people started coming in with similar symptoms but like...more added on...as if the plague was growing...slowly the original symptoms began to disappear and before I knew it...". He gestured to the floor at his chair. A dark brown stain.

" I was knee deep in my own blood and faeces...hahaha....*cough cough*".

So it would seem that the plague hadn't started out just as it was right now, but had rather developed. This pointed towards mutation of the plague. But for that to happen so quickly was just unnatural. " It ain't a mutation....I say someones been growing this shit...don't know how....super flu was just the early stages of it....tests to see how it worked....I think that someones behind these infections...one thing I can't stand though more than being sick....more than sitting here shitting myself every twenty minutes". More vicious coughing.

" Those self rightous religious bastards...comin all up in here and blessing people....bullshit...stuff religion down my throat? I'll stick my shoe up your ass....".



Summary:
A relic of "holy" power has been discovered in Mare Maris. The military have moved in to secure and move the relic to the city. Whilst the church under the leadership of the prophet is strumming up religious frevor around " the dusk". Claiming that messing with the Relic like they are will bring down the gods wrath. As a result, a plague has began to spread throughout the city. Unrest reached its peak and broke. Now the leader of the military is hiring mercenaries to help escort the relic back to the city. The Saga will start with your characters within Mare Maris. Drawn either by the news, the offer of money, or simply wishing to help the sick people get better. Or something entirely different that makes sense. Up to yourselves. Regardless of reasons. From that starting point. What happens is down to yourselves...

The conversation is cut short to the point where Battousai does not receive his answer from Yuki. Indicative of an area of conflict, it would seem that Dravec’s premonition was correct and there were escalations to come. The samurai observes Yuki distracted by an explosion of the convoy. Luckily, this attack would lack the area of effect property that the attempt on the barricade had, but still, it seemed enough to unsettle the disciple. That aside, Battousai knew that he would have to make up his mind quickly on what he wanted to do here given the fact that he could quite easily be drawn into the battle. Oddly enough, it was a simple matter for him not to care at all about the outcome of the battle between church and state. He also didn’t care for the monetary promises that were offered on either side. The amount of money they were offering couldn’t possibly be in the realm that would be useful to him in his current goals. In this manner, he felt where he and Yuki differed greatly as the samurai was his own boss. For those reasons, Battousai could call an exit from the immediate area given that Dravec’s disciple was with them and there were questions about how battle ready she were. Aside from that, knowing that his body was under the weather, entering into a battle simply to test his skill would be a fool hearty thing to do.

Just as he is about to check on Dravec and answer the obvious question that he would have about their movements, his eyes come upon the relic. There is a good amount of disappointment in the fact that the squabble was over a sword; a broken one at that. Further observation showed that it seemed to have some type of effect on those within close range around it. Thought it were interesting, Battousai had no intentions of actually attempting to obtain the relic for himself, as he found no need to make two new enemies from other organizations this day.

Once again, just as he is about to discard the situation, something internally pulses deep within him. Order awakens in his heart, and a nameless angel witnesses the chaos of the earthen realm break forth with a need for order. All in attendance were judged in that moment, and none came up worthy, meaning that a will was set which was to be followed. In that instant, Battousai receives an internal connection as strong as Jin’s that influences his similarly. With a bit clearer insight to what he wanted to do, he confirms his departure with Dravec as he counters telepathically answering, “make preparations to depart on my mark. We have seen what we’ve come for.” As it would turn out, his first inclination seemed to be the best and safest choice for the time being.

540 / 5855 | 14
Location: Standing by, staying purposely disengaged from the battle.

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris
Characters Involved

Spoiler:

::Face Off::

OOC: Ok since we're hitting the everyones on the same side ( or neutral) situation...

"But in the wasteland Death could not teach them of why they had come to be there. In their mercy the gods had spared them, for whilst they would not tolerate an equal. Love still existed. But mercy has its limits. And this is all that the lord of the wastes could teach. For when mercy is exhausted..."

Time seeme dot stand still for the Lord of the Gestalt. Everything happening around him so slowly. Was it simply the effects of the sword in front of him? Most of his soldiers were at this point paralysed by the effects of the sword, himself and apparantly one of the mercenaries included. He was closer now however to the relic than he had ever been. His face pressed down against the soil. That orange glow surrounding the broken sword. He found that unlike others however, it was not merely a glow. Closer inspection allowed him a glimpse at what made up that glow. Words. Or rather symbols. Letters. Each one dancing in the air around the sword, tiny barely even comprehensable to the naked eye. But there they were each like a tiny ember moving around it. Within it. On that bronze stained surface of the broken sword. He seemed entranced by it. And before Uriel knew it, the words whispered to him. Each spoke to him in a voice all their own telling him things, wonderful things. Terrible things.

The Burden of Mercy, is the burden of your creators

One voice spoke above them all. Wise it seemed. Old. Powerful. It spoke to him in words he did not know, yet somehow could still understand. Now you know of this burden, do you think yourself worthy to carry it?. Uriel's face twitched. Images flashing through his mind. Power. He could destroy the church. Save Mare Maris, prove to the Queen he was worthy of respect....overthrow her...kill her.....take her place.....Amos and her shattered bodies lying at his feet. He shook his head. No, didn't want that. Didn'- torrents of blood. Cleansing the world. For it was so evil it required it. Required to be rid of the life that plagued it, the paracites that called themselves humans and the beasts called Onikonjou, to rise to the heavens and to-. No. No. He didn't want that....Its not about what you want. This. Is the will of the words. And then he saw it, the symbols spread across his arm, and almost like a magnet. The sword shot towards his hand and clamped itself there. Right as Noah's spell struck.

"...For when mercy is exhausted....there can be only Punishment"


Uriel was warped to the spot with a look of surprise and horror painted on his face. Wouldn't be long before the rest of you figured out just what was in his hand, probably not long after that you'd notice the orange symbols crawling up his arm like a firey serpant. Consuming his body in a destructive aura that was neither Kami or Oni. But simply oppressive. The skin engulfed by the symbols seemed to blacken and change like a scorched body. But stopped about half way, the Kami seemed to be resisting whatever change was overcoming him. But resistance in this case ( lolstartrek) was futile. A halo appeared over his head as the force of this power seemed to be elevating his natural power as a Kami. Once hidden wings burst forth from the surface only to catch fire and remain burningThis fire spread to the broken sword, the broken section of the blade being replaced by fire. He seemed to be in agony, a look of rage upon his marred features. In many voices he spoke...


Like before with the Dark King. Brief images similar to the last, this time...people screaming in terror. In pain as fire consumed them all. They would quickly subside however leaving you with the reality of the situation.


Boss Battle: Uriel, The Avatar of Punishment

• Name: Uriel/Punishment
  
• Affinity: Fire
  
• Weapon: Fragment of Mercy/Punishment: +1DMG (Fire Elemental), Unnatural Den ( 10)
  
• Armour: Eisen Gestalt, Commander Armour ( 10Den), Halo of Punishment ( 5 Den)
  
• Health: 200%
  
• Stamina???%
  
• Statistics: Supreme
  
• Passive Effects: Vengeance: All physical strikes will cause you to be damaged by the oppressive aura. ( Unless Den shielded) [ SEI: Poison, AOE: STG1], Voice of Words: The Words each have their own individual voices, each magical spell Uriel unleashes is chanted by them. Giving the same effect as a perfected freechannel.
  
• Techniques
  - Wormwood:: A strike with the flaming sword that seems to leave some lasting effect. [ DMG STG2, SEI, Poison, SEI, Stun]
  - Absolute Punishment: An attack which makes you suffer a dreadfully ironic punishment to your sins. [ DMG, STG 4]
  - Authority of the Word: Striking the sword into the ground, unleashing a blazing inferno to all standing in a wide radius. [ DMG STG 2, AOE STG 2]
  - Ward of Decision: A shield of fire rises up to protect him from damage [ SHLD STG 6]
  - Inferno Cage: Flames rise up and create a prison around an area, trapping those within to endure the punishments that the Words desire. [SHLD STG6, AOE STG6, MDE STG3]
  
• Description:
  The true " form" of the fragment of the book of life. The Relic that was uncovered was the Sword of Mercy and Punishment. The Page of the book of life that reflected the mercy of the Watchers, but also their punishment and the suffering of those who endured it. The " Words" within the book of life, the phantoms from the Dusk have however overwhelmed the more passive aspects of the page. Focusing more on their own inner torment. The " Burden of Mercy" effect in fact seems to have been a safe guard to prevent the blade from ever being unsealed. However in a tragic turn of events, in the hands of Uriel it has been. At the moment, Uriel has been overwhelmed by the words, who are using him as a driving force for the power of punishment. In his current state he appears to be an extremely powerful (albiet corrupted) Kami with black flesh on his left side, with orange symbols ( assumably the words themselves) imprinted on his flesh. In his hand the fragment itself seemingly bonded to him by fire.
  
  Whilst this is the current form of the Fragment. Uriel's body is unable to contain its power. The aura around him becoming more and more unstable and oppressive as time progresses. If not put an end to quickly. No doubt this power will be unleashed, giving " The Words" freedom once again in the world of the living.
  
• Battle Theme
  

  
  

Actions:

Swinging the sword of Mercy/Punishment around his head. Uriel stabs it into the ground, from the earth errupts fires. Consuming those around him and creating the cage of fire that is required for his tasks. [ Authority of the Word: DMG, STG2, AOE STG 2], [Inferno Cage: SHLD STG6, AOE STG6, MDE STG3]. ::: Targets of Authority= Kimi, Noah, Yuki:::


All Others

The skies around the region begin to glow orange and the clouds blacken. The sight of the wall of fire can be seen even from beyond the walls of Mare Maris. Its quite obvious at this stage something is going on. Things only start to get worse when the people effected by the plague start randomly bursting into flame. The alchemist with Belmont and Kitsume. The Hobos corpses with Eri ( and the surrounding homeless people). People in the line with Jack and Sera ( you can still do the minigame, just make sure you distinguish between past and present times). Those who burst into flame however seem have become possessed by some strange intellegence. Words wreathing their bodies like the unknown angel Uriel... and they begin to attack others within the city.

The Punished
Ten percent of those infected by the Plague have become the Punished. Creatures that appear to be little more than the corpses of humans...albiet on fire and trying to kill everyone. It would probably be a good idea to stop them. And then maybe check out the source.

Summary:
A relic of "holy" power has been discovered in Mare Maris. The military have moved in to secure and move the relic to the city. Whilst the church under the leadership of the prophet is strumming up religious frevor around " the dusk". Claiming that messing with the Relic like they are will bring down the gods wrath. As a result, a plague has began to spread throughout the city. Unrest reached its peak and broke. Now the leader of the military is hiring mercenaries to help escort the relic back to the city. The Saga will start with your characters within Mare Maris. Drawn either by the news, the offer of money, or simply wishing to help the sick people get better. Or something entirely different that makes sense. Up to yourselves. Regardless of reasons. From that starting point. What happens is down to yourselves...

With the message passed it was time to grab and go in a sense. Battousai knew that their precision would have to be perfect, as it probably would be, and that he prepared himself to push beyond his windedness to get this out of the way in a short spurt before anyone knew what could had happened. After all, with his movements, it would take a second for someone looking at him to even realize that he had moved. Perhaps another to register where he had moved to amongst the many others and by the time anyone could have perceived his movements, Dravec would already have been channeled for the warp out. Unfortunately, though they were to move with haste, when Battousai’s eyes next fell upon the sword, it was already gone.

The energy had already begun to well up within him in anticipate of a free channeled ability, but on realizing that a portion of their objective was gone, the spell that was about to caste pauses and Battousai is forced to access the situation. His gaze spans the battlefield and comes upon a glowing figure who seemed to be growing in magical strength while attempting to fight off a possession of some sort. The wings and the fire are flashy enough that they should attract the attention of others and telegraph an incoming event well enough that anyone with any battle experience should know that once again, for the third time, there was going to be something flashy that occurs.

Luckily, the samurai was not within range of the new boss character’s initial attack; a luxury trend that matched the area affecting attacks to his point. Still, the samurai could see that the atmosphere around them changed drastically in a manner that seemed to encompass them completely. Before he knew it, he had already been trapped within the battle he was just about to depart from.

Of course there had to be a new plan since the old one had been pooped upon. The unknown entity within Battousai not only coaxed the desire for the relic blade, but it also showed annoyance at the arrival of a new obstacle. Personally, Battousai was a little peeved himself at the prospect of being trapped. Speaking to Yuki, the samurai would assure, “your employer seems to be a threat to us. Ask yourself now if money is worth your loyalty to another man.” Speaking to Dravec internally, Battousai would confirm that they had a new target as it seemed the escapes had been blocked off.

482 / 6337 | 15
Location: The battlegrounds outside of Mare Maris.

SAGA II: Dusk Star
Location: Mare Maris
Characters Involved

Spoiler:

The Church

Armour practically rendered useless by the power of Noah's attack.They were at a slight disadvantage. And with the other three seemingly not responding to his promise of money. And Noah not being swayed. Azazel felt a little bit cornered. But still felt that with the Eisen Gestalt and Uriel trapped by the power of the Fragment he had for now, good odds at coming out on top. But things never really stay that way. Whilst his eyes wern't good enough to see the actual action of the sword moving to Uriel's hand. Once Uriel had been warped. He certainly saw that much. " Bugger". Was all that came out his mouth right as Uriel underwent his transformation. Right enough this was a good time to see just how powerful this fragment was. And by the looks of things. It had confirmed the Prophets Theory concerning the different natures of the Pages.

With little choice, as Uriel erected the cage of fire and unleashed his attack on Noah and the others. Azazel made way to join in the battle himself. It would also probably be a good time to garner some good will with some of the people around here. He looked to the minions of his who had errected the roadblock in the first place. " Reinforce the gate, craft out of it a shield from which the innocent might take shelter from this storm!". They nodded and moved behind their block. Once again focusing their magics into it. Adding onto the intial creation and making some kind of structure which appeared to have four walls but the appearance of a cage. The church men themselves after creating it took refuge inside of it. Dark Sanctuary: OBC+: 10DEN Cage

Boss Battle: Uriel, The Avatar of Punishment

• Name: Azazel
  
• Affinity: Wind
  
• Weapon: Ebony Scimitar [+1 PHS dmg]
  
• Armour: Bishop's Robes [2Den remaining]
  
• Health: 100%
  
• Stamina71%
  
• Statistics: Strong
  
• Passive Effects:
  N/A
  
• Techniques
  -Wind Scythe: Embuing his blade with the wind element Azazel strikes forward and unleashes his attack, capable of hitting multiple targets in a linear motion. [ DMG STG 2 +1, MLT STG 3]
  -Agony of Man: Multiple hit sword combination that strikes out slightly further with each cut than the blades reach due to the power of wind. [ DMG STG1 (MAG), DMG STG 2+1 (PHS)]
  -Cleansing Breeze: A calm breeze blows through the battle field and cleanses those afflicted with status ailments. [ CLNSE: STG 6, AOE STG 3]

Actions:
Azazel steps in and once again unleashes a blade of wind from his sword aimed at Uriel. " Be gone evil spirit!". [ Wind Scythe:DMG STG 2 +1, MLT STG 3]

• Name: Uriel/Punishment
  
• Affinity: Fire
  
• Weapon: Fragment of Mercy/Punishment: +1DMG (Fire Elemental), Unnatural Den ( 10)
  
• Armour: Eisen Gestalt, Commander Armour ( 10Den), Halo of Punishment ( 5 Den)
  
• Health: 200%
  
• Stamina???%
  
• Statistics: Supreme
  
• Passive Effects: Vengeance: All physical strikes will cause you to be damaged by the oppressive aura. ( Unless Den shielded) [ SEI: Poison, AOE: STG1], Voice of Words: The Words each have their own individual voices, each magical spell Uriel unleashes is chanted by them. Giving the same effect as a perfected freechannel.
  
• Techniques
  - Wormwood:: A strike with the flaming sword that seems to leave some lasting effect. [ DMG STG2, SEI, Poison, SEI, Stun]
  - Absolute Punishment: An attack which makes you suffer a dreadfully ironic punishment to your sins. [ DMG, STG 4]
  - Authority of the Word: Striking the sword into the ground, unleashing a blazing inferno to all standing in a wide radius. [ DMG STG 2, AOE STG 2]
  - Ward of Decision: A shield of fire rises up to protect him from damage [ SHLD STG 6]
  - Inferno Cage: Flames rise up and create a prison around an area, trapping those within to endure the punishments that the Words desire. [SHLD STG6, AOE STG6, MDE STG3]
  
• Description:
  The true " form" of the fragment of the book of life. The Relic that was uncovered was the Sword of Mercy and Punishment. The Page of the book of life that reflected the mercy of the Watchers, but also their punishment and the suffering of those who endured it. The " Words" within the book of life, the phantoms from the Dusk have however overwhelmed the more passive aspects of the page. Focusing more on their own inner torment. The " Burden of Mercy" effect in fact seems to have been a safe guard to prevent the blade from ever being unsealed. However in a tragic turn of events, in the hands of Uriel it has been. At the moment, Uriel has been overwhelmed by the words, who are using him as a driving force for the power of punishment. In his current state he appears to be an extremely powerful (albiet corrupted) Kami with black flesh on his left side, with orange symbols ( assumably the words themselves) imprinted on his flesh. In his hand the fragment itself seemingly bonded to him by fire.
  
  Whilst this is the current form of the Fragment. Uriel's body is unable to contain its power. The aura around him becoming more and more unstable and oppressive as time progresses. If not put an end to quickly. No doubt this power will be unleashed, giving " The Words" freedom once again in the world of the living.
  
• Battle Theme
  

  
  

Actions:
Yuki's attack falls unfortunatly short of doling out any damage or absorbing any health ( at least from Uriel). Since Noahs barrier wasn't felled by the power of Uriel's attack and Yuki was behind it when Yuki unleashes his spell, it would logically collide with the inside of Noah's barrier. Unleashing the spell upon those within ( Yuki, Kimi, Noah). However Yuki's growl does focus Uriel's wrath upon him. Ever since Yuki got near to the relic the first time. It had reacted. The Demonic spirit inside of Yuki caused him to want terrible things. To think terrible things. And the relic and the words, had been reacting to those dark desires. And had wanted to punish him. Uriel pointed at Yuki channeling offensive magic towards him that would shatter the remainder of Noah's barrier( if hit). Once it had broken through the barrier it would form into an ironic punishment for Yuki, the energy would warp and take on the form of a Male Iskra " Gonna,gonna rape ya!". (< got permission from Mari for the Iskra usage =p). If it managed to catch Yuki, it would do precisely that, whilst the strength of the spell had been weakened by needing to break through the barrier. It would still have sufficent " thrust" to damage Yuki, mentally and physically. Absolute Punishment[ DMG, STG 4]. Supreme + 2 = BRK DMG +1, -2 Den break= Destructive Damage. If he managed to avoid, like any other magic attack it would pass by him and disappear.

(( Since I'm nice enough, if it hits you can choose whether or not to just relive a very bad flashback))