To Kill a God, Chapter 2: The Kingdoms of this World (IC)

[Isle of Lithonia]

"Adgt vpaah zong om faaip sald,
Nonci nore od pasbs de Satan?
Sobam Donasdogamatastos
Izazaz piadph; casarma abramg ta aldi
Paracleda q ta lorslq turbs ooge
Qvasahi. Givi chis lusd orri, od micalp chis bia ozongon;
Lap noan trof cors ta ge,
O q manin de Satan tol-lonsh
Torzu! zacare! ca c noqod;
Zamran micalzo od ozazm vrelp lap
Zir de Satan apila gohed!"

-Second Enochian Key

---

One year after the events of the last chapter...

Training had been shit for the recruits of the Illuminati. Since their first session in the Hell's Training Complex, the recruits had been ruthlessly beaten into shape. The shit they were put through was more than enough to kill any normal human (and it even killed the recruits at times), but they somehow managed to push through it.

But now it was their last day of training, and their instructors decided to make it an easy one for them. I mean, they definitely earned some rest for making it through all that shit, right?

So, at 0600 hours, the recruits awoke to the usual screeching of Karlson's favorite death metal song: Ode to the Dying. His voice blared over the speakers in their apartments. "Wake up, fuckers. I expect you at the front doors of the HTC (Note: Hell's Training Complex) in 0100 hours. Be dressed in your formal attire, and make sure to grab a couple weapons from Sgt. Conrad at the Armory. That is all."

After finishing his little announcement, Karlson put on his black suit and tie, and walked over to Selena's apartment. He knocked on her door twice, waiting for her to let him in.

[Imperial--japan]

Lavi
The eternal optimist awoke to the unsavory music, battered and sore from the last few days of training. No matter what anyone said, it never got easier, and in fact only got harder as the training progressed. For Lavi, her stupidity made it difficult for her to complete exercises that strengthened the mind. To strengthen ones mind, one needed to possess some aptitude in the first place, something that Lavi lacked.

"Hmmmmmm...more sleep..." Lavi mumbled as she chewed on her pillow. The girl had fallen onto the floor in the middle of the night, but hadn't realized it until now. Drowsily, she moved to grab a pair of clothes, and moved into a corner to change. Not one for shame she was.

"Whyyyy....I wanna go home," Lavi drawled on as she mechanically moved through the steps she had become accustomed to. Now in proper attire, she lunged and began to lick the door viciously. Its alluring wood was challenging to resist and only after a minute of splinters did Lavi pull away.

"I'll see you later hon," she tried to say as seductively as possible to the door. The girl skipped through the halls and towards the armory.

---

Selena
Selena had already been informed of the schedule for the week, and had managed to get ready about twenty minutes earlier. She was dressed in her usual band outfit, and this time topped it off with her conductors cap. The duration of the last year was filled with fun, torture, and many passionate nights with Karlson. In addition to training the recruits, Selena had practiced her own skills as well.

"Oh joyous day"! Selena looked towards the door in anticipation and answered it. Upon seeing Karlson, she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

[Nekronia]

Jackie was having a nice tea party with some folks in the woods. They all were seated on the green grass around an oak coffee table, and were drinking some of the fanciest tea around. The birds were chirping in the various healthy trees around. Jackie and his guests were all in formal 1800's attire, the boy himself in a dark purple outfit. His guests were dressed in different colored outfits as well, with the table set quite brightly colored to match the bright and happy environment. The guests were as follows: A vaguely-humanoid being made of flames and frost, a writing mass of tendrils twisted into humanoid form, and Lightheart. The conversations of the group cycled inbetween English, German, and another language that Jackie couldn't recognize but could somehow understand in the dream. At most times the conversation was peaceful, occasionally it was heated, but overall it was quite a nice time. Jackie looked up at the sky as it darkened and raised a hand up as tiny objects pattered away at the area. They were not raindrops, but extremely small fragments of human bone. "Oh dear, not again." John pushed his chair away from his desk, standing up as he put away his daily paperwork. As he left the empty office he glanced around at the labyrinth ahead of him. A labyrinth of wire, concrete, and human skeletons. As he smashed and navigated his way stubbornly through the horrifying setting, he came closer and closer to a large, grey object. He painfully gnawed the wire somehow apart and combined it with some bones to create a grappling hook that would fit in a Carpenter movie. As he scaled the massive monolith, he eventually reached the top. He looked over the barren purple desert below the helicopter he was standing in and looked out towards the horizon as it approached. He got closer, and closer. Eventually, he could see it: A giant chicken being cooked on a spit the size of a neighborhood. It rotated, and Jackie stared down the unseeable eyes of the formless creature that approached rapidly.

"Jhhhn... grnmrnrmn...!"

"John... please..."

"Sir, it is time to get up!"

Jackie snapped up suddenly as the dark creature leaned over him, instinctively punching it in the throat with a thud before it could even react. It was at this point Jackie could hear death metal all around him. He looked at the unholy thing he had just punched, and that thing was Walter. "...Shit. Sorry mate." After apologizing, he got up from the floor and shook his pain-wracked hand as Walter crawled back into Jackie. That hurts, you know. I can barely breathe right now... Bah, it builds character. Or permanent, crippling conditions. But usually character! As the microscopic injuries healed, Jackie collected the information together from Walter about what he needed to do. Having showered the previous night, the young adult moved from his 'nest' on the floor to his duffel bag and grabbed a painfully colorful mass before hastily retreating to the bathroom. A minute later, he walked out into the main room again and set his 'bed'. He stood up and spun around once all of his things were an OCD level of orderly and began speaking loudly to his sleepy comrades with a pep that revealed no sense of tiredness or consideration for the fact it was six in the damn morning. "Iiiiit's party time! P-A-R-... oh screw it, I've made this stupid fucking joke more times than I can count at this point." The asshole quietly shuffled out of the room in an excessively colorful outfit and hat more fitting for a ringleader than formal attire, along with large yellow glasses and a cane, and headed to the armory.

Ah, I remember the first time I went here. Got yelled at and sent to the corner for putting a gun in my mouth. Been approximately eight-thousand, six-hundred, and fifty-three hours since that happened! Good times, good times. Wow... I... did you keep count? That quite a feat you pulled there! I'm proud that you're shaping up t- It's the hours in a year minus twelve. ...Oh. Right. Well, I'm still proud that y- Shushushushushhhhhhhhhut up. Jackie went through the vents to the area infront of the armory again, for the sole purpose of nostalgia. And possibly getting killed for wearing a stupid outfit yet again. But mostly nostalgia! He slithered through the vents and didn't remove the vent itself this time, just materializing under it and falling with a clack yet again, his formal shoes making the noise louder than it was the first time.

" 'allooo~!"

[BlackDeath27]

Everyday for the past year Raven wanted to kill Karlson for using his personal play list as the wake bell. Rolling off her bed that hung from the ceiling of the apartment to the ground the poor girl woke with a start. Falling from her makeshift bed wasn't a daily occurrence, but it still happened from time to time. Pushing herself up off the ground the girl watched Lavi getting dressed then walk out of the room. Finally deciding to do the same Raven rubbed the sleep out of her eyes while taking out her suit from the suit case. Making her way to the bathroom to change Aria appeared next to her sheepishly.

"Raven they're going to kill us again I bet you ten dollars. I mean really look at what they have you wearing now a monkey suit." Aria pointed out as she sat on the bathroom sink watching Raven changed clothes. Aria was still wearing her clothes she had since she meet the girl.

"I don't disagree with you there my friend this must be a who can kill the most students game, with formal attire." Finally buckling the last strap to her stiletto heels the human girl stood up feeling at lest a foot taller. Exiting the bathroom as quickly as possible while putting her hair in a pony tail Raven looked back Aria." I think you should fuse with me just incase this will turn into a blood bath." She suggested her demon with a smile. Aria disappeared from the bathroom counter to enter her host body. The host left the room behind and walk towards the armory with the clicking of her heels following.

Arriving at the armory the dark haired girl looked over the weapons namely the hand guns and swords. Raven picked up the desert eagle that she used for the past seven months. After dying from the last HTC exercise she had moved from weapon to weapon till she felt conferrable with the gun. Picking her next weapon was just as easy which happened to be a red katana. Placing the katana on the back of her hip the girl strapped the desert eagle in it holster on the thigh. Grabbing three extra clips Raven put them between her inner thigh and the holster strap. Feeling fully dressed now she walked towards the HTC.

[Azaflaza]

Tired and exhausted Jessie was struggling to justify her decision to agree to this little adventure already. And Zach was pissing her off.

"For fucks sake Zach, can't you go 5 minutes without checking yourself out in the nearest reflective surface? You take metrosexual to a new extreme." Jessie looked on as Zach fixed his hair in front of a car side mirror that was near by.

"I'll have you know, I am ladies man through and through! And the ladies love a man who takes pride in his appearance. Besides you can't talk, you don't think I didn't notice you glancing at your mirror every 5 seconds on the helicopter here, do you?" He let out a wry smile to himself.

"First of all, you have no fucking idea what metrosexual means, second of all the pilot was cute so shut up!" She crossed her armed and gave a stern "Humh" to signal she was finished with this conversation. Zach had spent the last month trying to get her to agree to this and in that time he learnt to read her like a book so he thought it best to let it lie.

"Right well shall we make sure you know who's who and what's what before you make a tit of yourself?" He didn't wait for an answer, "Great! So who is going to be your big boss?"

Jessie gave a smirk as her mind went diving into the gutter however she resisted making a joke, "Given that you never told me I don't understand how you can expect me to answer? In fact you've told me fuck all! You're pretty useless for an apparent demon guide."

Zach was very confused at this point, he could have sworn he told her. Oh well it must have slipped his mind he thought as he shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant attitude. "Well if you don't know now, its pointless me telling you this late. You're just going to have to muddle through without coming off as the complete dumbs shit you are." He gave her a wide smile acting as if he had not just insulted her.

Jessie's face was all the response she needed to give but just for good measure she replied, "Two words. Fuck. You." She turned away to stare off in the distance.

"Nawwww you're still the sexiest dumb shit I've ever seen!"

"Save it for someone who gives a fuck!" She snapped back. Now all they could do was wait for someone official to turn up.

[Charmera]

(Image)

"Adgt vpaah zong om faaip sald,
Nonci nore od pasbs de Satan?
Sobam Donasdogamatastos
Izazaz piadph; casarma abramg ta aldi
Paracleda q ta lorslq turbs ooge
Qvasahi. Givi chis lusd orri, od micalp chis bia ozongon;
Lap noan trof cors ta ge,
O q manin de Satan tol-lonsh
Torzu! zacare! ca c noqod;
Zamran micalzo od ozazm vrelp lap
Zir de Satan apila gohed!"

-Second Enochian Key

---

One year after the events of the last chapter...

Training had been shit for the recruits of the Illuminati. Since their first session in the Hell's Training Complex, the recruits had been ruthlessly beaten into shape. The shit they were put through was more than enough to kill any normal human (and it even killed the recruits at times), but they somehow managed to push through it.

But now it was their last day of training, and their instructors decided to make it an easy one for them. I mean, they definitely earned some rest for making it through all that shit, right?

So, at 0600 hours, the recruits awoke to the usual screeching of Karlson's favorite death metal song: Ode to the Dying. His voice blared over the speakers in their apartments. "Wake up, fuckers. I expect you at the front doors of the HTC (Note: Hell's Training Complex) in 0100 hours. Be dressed in your formal attire, and make sure to grab a couple weapons from Sgt. Conrad at the Armory. That is all."

After finishing his little announcement, Karlson put on his black suit and tie, and walked over to Selena's apartment. He knocked on her door twice, waiting for her to let him in.

Miranda
Miranda awoke quickly. Sighing as she heard the announcement. She rushed to the bathroom first, as she was hardly going to change in front of her roommates. She took with her a formal looking buisnessy suit. It was her mothers, but she had been given it when she told her she was leaving. It was decent, if a little worn and aged. As she headed to the Bathroom she saw Jack exit, seeing him in a suit of his own, to which Miranda smiled. Miranda had gotten into the habit of teasing jack about his height, though Miranda was not exactly tall Jack was several inches smaller than her.

"Hey Frodo, where's Merry and Pippin." Asked Miranda. "You have to go save Middle Earth today."

Jack glared at her. "I don't know, perhaps you ate them."

Miranda laughed. "Aww, the little goblin is pissed at me." She teased.

Marcus sighed. "Miranda, stop being such a Knave and get dressed."

Laura
"You'll be okay." Were three words that lodged themselves in Laura mind. Her dream had ended with those words, but she could remember little. Was this whole shared dream thing normal? Should she ask if it was? She didn't know.

All the dreams she had were memories, but not her own. Jims, to be exact. First, a name. Jeannette, she couldn't forget that name if she tried. Something about it sticked. Then, pain. Thats all she usually remembered, but now words? This was getting stranger and stranger...

She pushed it from her mind, her formal suit on. She waited for the others, an ambush would be possible considering the things they had already been through, so strength in numbers would be best. Jim was fused with her, as ever. She was prepared, she couldn't be unprepared anymore. She couldn't fail again, like that first exercise a year ago. Even if it was very likely impossible, she still felt as if she had done something wrong, somehow failed. She couldn't quite shake that feeling.

I don't want to fail...
I will not fail...
I cannot fail...

She repeated that to herself in her head as she moved quickly to the armoury. Jim was still stirring in her mind, not exactly a morning person, but at least when he was a detective he had coffee to wake himself up...

[Hetland 2]

Conrad sighed to himself, "Captain, I'm not a sergeant. I'm a major. You don't get to be head of the Black Cemetary sniper corps with as a mere sergeant. Ah well." He placed his hand on the locked door, biting his thumb and smearing blood in the shape of a pentagram on the door, causing the locking spell to rescind. He pulled his rifle out of the spell sealed locker and loaded it and slung it over his shoulder. Several spells were still lingering over the armoury, including one that would simply kill anyone who left with any unauthorized weapons.

---

Anuragini was roused from her meditation, she dressed in her formal sari. She had no problem stripping in front of her roommates. Her barriers were strong enough to block most attacks and she could conjure about six of them at a time so if she felt threatened she could always box herself in. She'd gotten to know her father quite well in the time they had together, and she also knew he wouldn't hesitate to shoot her if she didn't live up to his standards. She shuddered at the memories of what that rifle could do. She gave her roommates a gentle slap on the forehead before leaving to pick up her pair of CZ-75s from the armoury, Purnima was following close behind.
Anuragini was confused how quickly she'd matured. Sure, she was still the bratty and spoiled catgirl, but she'd begun losing some of that and genuinely opening up to some of the other demons.
As they fused Anuragini began calculating what possiblilities of an attack and ruled most of them out fairly swiftly. Most of the recruits had their Demons strengthened, and this was probably the next step. It wasn't a bad idea to keep a handgun with her though.

[The Floating Island of the Sleeping God]

Krouse rose from the bed and, eyes closed, grabbed his formal wear. The outfit was a black three-piece suit with a gray tie, though Krouse decided against the porkpie hat that matched it. The shoes, while appropriately dressy, were in fact tap shoes, with metal plates on the bottom. His choice not to replace the accidentally-purchased shoes with actual dress shoes was a conscious one, and perhaps reflected more about his passive-aggressive desire for property destruction than he would care to admit. He reluctantly opened his bleary eyes and donned the suit. He clacked down the hallways towards the armory. He had an hour, so why rush? Because the others might get points for being prompt and obedient if they arrive early. Or Karlson'll chew the early ones out for brown-nosing. Or Memoir'll murder---nah, he'll probably murder someone regardless.
For the love of GOD, man. I've spent a full damn year in your indecisive mind and you still have yet to come to a conclusion without doubling back on your own thoughts at all times. Give it a rest or let me drive for a change. Churchill, while not exactly what you would call frail, was still an old man at heart, and had chosen to spend much of the partnership merged with Krouse rather than having to walk around on his own. Despite it being entirely his choice to stay there, he always complained when Krouse "thought too much".
Geez, fine, Churchill. Krouse moved at a reasonable pace to the armory, unmerging with Jack and surveying the weapons. Priority one was the claymore. Jack claimed to have used one in World War II, and there was plenty of evidence to support that. Krouse hefted the steel sword, over a meter of pure cutting steel. The weight felt good. Felt right. There was something primal about a medieval weapon's raw power and strength, and this Scottish sword was no exception. Krouse grabbed the accompanying sheath and slung it over his shoulder.
He had gotten quite good with any assault rifles, and had a lot to choose from. The biggest concern was usually simply picking which one he would have on a given day. Today was the anniversary of their first combat exercise. He looked ruefully at an F2000, remembering how little it had helped the first time he died.
"This one," said Jack with authority, holding up an SA80. "When in doubt, one can always depend on British design." He didn't explain his quick choice being there to stop Krouse from going mad with options or wandering off into reflections about his life, as usual. He handed Krouse the assault rifle, shoved an M9 into the younger man's suit pocket, then walked into him, remerging.
"All right, then. Off we go." Krouse made his way to the front of the complex, wary of whatever traps the instructors might have laid.

[The Templar High Council]

Buncha shit I don't feel like looking at.

Maiso woke up on the couch, remembering where he was and who he was with. A year of training had helped him get into shape and gain some focus, but he was still essentially the same person he was when he arrived. He heard the announcement and groaned. Formal attire suucks. Why do we need it?

Respect for authority. Respect for comrades. Respect for self.

Rhetorical question, Fuma. Maiso struggled up and dressed himself (somehow) in a 3-piece suit and black tie. He then went to the armory to collect a weapon. Imagine his surprise when on the wall ha saw a black katana. He pulled it from the wall and unsheathed it an inch, to discover that the blade was black. Maiso gave an impressed whistle. "I had no idea they were keeping something like this hidden from me! I'm gonna get you."

I... I know that sword. I can't remember where, but I know that sword. Fuma said. It had been several centuries since he died. Not easy to remember all that time.

"Well, let me know when you do. For now, I'm gonna keep it." Maiso also grabbed a submachine gun, since they liked for him to carry a gun, a healthy double-handful of plastic explosives, and left for this "assembly" thing.

[Nekronia]

Ignoring the people walking in and out of the room, Jackie examined all the different weapons around. Hmmm, THIS one is world-famous for being reliable, powerful, and fucking awesome, but THIIIS one is infamous for being able to fit in one's mouth! Oh, oh! This one can rip through up to eight people's chests! Hmmm... Eventually, the fellow's eyes wandered over to the Desert Eagle. Ooooooh, THIS motherfucker. John, it- Shushushushush. I'm thinking. Okay, so, where was I... RIGHT! The deagle. THIIIIS motherfucker. Shit, it's fucking stupid and overly flashy but god damn that would be some yummy call-back action. Hmmm. Damn. He looked over at an M9 pistol, recalling his original experiences with the weapon. Shit, mate. Good times, good times. Alright style, good performance. Now... now now now now... what to do. Hmmm... He moved his eyes over to a modernized version of the M1911. Recently re-made because everyone loves the classic asswhooping action of the original, this fucker is awesome. The perfectly balance between 'ripping heads off' and 'ripping a lot of heads apart', with a fuckload of classic style liberally spread everywhere while keeping the modern age's advances onboard. My goddamned BABYGIRL! He picked up six magazines, loaded two of the pistols, and put the remaining four magazines in his suit pockets. He slid one firearm visibly into the side of his belt and the other hidden in an inner suit pocket. One in each 'and! But you're not holding them? ... ... It's... It's a reference. How have I not made this reference yet...? God damn. Oh. I apologize. No, it's fine. I'm not entirely sure all the kids would get what I'm referencing either. Uh... hm, what else to nick? The young adult grabbed a multi-spectrum smoke grenade, put it in a pants pocket, and left for the Hell's Training Center. He arrived with plenty of time to spare.

FFA?

[Isle of Lithonia]

Selena
Selena had already been informed of the schedule for the week, and had managed to get ready about twenty minutes earlier. She was dressed in her usual band outfit, and this time topped it off with her conductors cap. The duration of the last year was filled with fun, torture, and many passionate nights with Karlson. In addition to training the recruits, Selena had practiced her own skills as well.

"Oh joyous day"! Selena looked towards the door in anticipation and answered it. Upon seeing Karlson, she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

When Selena opened the door, Karlson smiled. The shit of daily life as a Lady's host was made much more bearable and worthwhile with Selena around. Hell, when they had spare time together, all the shit of the day seemed to disappear in a symphony of conversation, followed by an interlude of kissing, and ending with a whole lotta sex sexy finale. As a result, he seemed to be more relaxed and calm, not as quick to bite off everyone's heads the instant they screwed up.

Still, he didn't like Selena merely because of their fuck time together (as wonderfully fulfilling as it was). Rather she was the kind of person he could be open with and depend on when the shit started to pile up. Fuck, she was in many ways his equal, and in some even his superior, and that made him all the more reliant on her. With the way things are going, maybe he should "pop her the question" soon...

Nah. Going this far was a stretch for him already, and getting engaged is even more of a stretch. Hell, he didn't even know if she'd be interested anyway.

Fuck, what am I thinking?! Engagement?! To fuck with that shit! I swear to god, no woman will drag me into buying her a damn ring!

So, with all those thoughts swirling through his brain, his kissing wasn't too amazing at first. But the feeling of Selena's tongue rubbing against his woke him, and he surged anew into the kiss. When they finally broke it, he was grinning like he was high on LSD. "Damn, Selena. If only I could wake up to that (and maybe a bit more) every morning, all this shit would be a walk in the park." He grabbed her around the waist, extremely reluctant to just miss this opportunity for some "intense relaxation". But, they had responsibilities that needed taking care of. So, fuck.

"If you're ready, let's head to the Complex. We don't want these dipshits to wait for too long."

[Charmera]

Jack
Jack moved to the armoury, selecting the M9 and two combat knifes (In case one of them breaks. He wished he could find some binoculars, sight allowed his illusions a large amount of battlefield control. Though he could only support two at a time, he found he could do a lot with two illusions. He holstered the weapons, ready to take them out if they were needed.

Jack hadn't changed much in the year, he had become more sarcastic and a tad more pessimistic. ("Oh, we're going for an exercise, let me just bring the body bags.")

Miranda
Miranda changed quickly, moving quicker to the armoury. Once there, she looked around. Though she was authorized to take swords and knives, she didn't need either, able to manifest them at will. Though she supposed she should bring something, just in case the manifested weapons broke. Her armour breaking was a problem, though it had saved her life plenty of times, making her able to take lots of punishment before the armour broke. In the year she had been training the disparity between Miranda when she was calm and when she was angry was growing. When she was enraged, it tended to be extreme rage, and when she was happy, she was upbeat, positive and confident.

"Greatsword it is." Despite its size, with her demon enhanced strength, she could wield it with little problem. In fact, she manifested her armour when she left the armoury, just in case... She could always de-manifest it if it wasn't needed. She made her way to the front door with Jack. Verbally sparing as they went.

Conrad sighed to himself, "Captain, I'm not a sergeant. I'm a major. You don't get to be head of the Black Cemetary sniper corps with as a mere sergeant. Ah well." He placed his hand on the locked door, biting his thumb and smearing blood in the shape of a pentagram on the door, causing the locking spell to rescind. He pulled his rifle out of the spell sealed locker and loaded it and slung it over his shoulder. Several spells were still lingering over the armoury, including one that would simply kill anyone who left with any unauthorized weapons.

---

Anuragini was roused from her meditation, she dressed in her formal sari. She had no problem stripping in front of her roommates. Her barriers were strong enough to block most attacks and she could conjure about six of them at a time so if she felt threatened she could always box herself in. She'd gotten to know her father quite well in the time they had together, and she also knew he wouldn't hesitate to shoot her if she didn't live up to his standards. She shuddered at the memories of what that rifle could do. She gave her roommates a gentle slap on the forehead before leaving to pick up her pair of CZ-75s from the armoury, Purnima was following close behind.
Anuragini was confused how quickly she'd matured. Sure, she was still the bratty and spoiled catgirl, but she'd begun losing some of that and genuinely opening up to some of the other demons.
As they fused Anuragini began calculating what possiblilities of an attack and ruled most of them out fairly swiftly. Most of the recruits had their Demons strengthened, and this was probably the next step. It wasn't a bad idea to keep a handgun with her though.

Laura
Laura picked a nightstick, an M9 and a 870 Remington Shotgun. Carefully holstering all of these. She turned to Anuragini. She had known the girl for a year now, and she was beginning (if you excuse the pun) to warm up to her. Despite her annoying tendency to slap or touch Laura (Something that had anyone else done she would have froze their arm and broken it) she seemed dependable and intelligent, two valuable qualities.

"You seem calm." She commented, quite like the kettle calling the pot black. Laura never seemed to panic, nor get stressed, always having a cool air about her. In fact this year seemed to make her more jaded and steely. "Usually on these sorts of exercises we tend to die, a lot."

Thomas
Thomas grabbed his Glock pistol and noticed someone talking to Gini. He'd like to call her a friend, her being extremely intelligent, more so than Thomas in some areas. However he was unsure if she would think the same of him. He was horrible at reading people, utterly abysmal. He shook his head, grabbing a few authorized grenades and moving out to the front door.

[Mnar Secundus]

Clarence snapped awake in a heartbeat, but this time he didn't try to slit open the air trying to attack him's throat. There was a knife under his pillow, and two in his pajama pants, and fifteen in his matress - the cafeteria apparently had a store of knives that was for all intents and purposes infinite -, but Clarence had been steadily getting better at controlling his urges. Nowadays, he could wake up without trying to kill nonexistent foes two times out of three.

Over the course of the last year, he had been put through a training that he had not considered hellish for the sole reason that he had, in fact, done worse before. Yes, it had been pretty novel to train without a care for death, but on the other hand there were no pointless beatings, no threats of rape and no serious torture (except for that time when ... Well, that was only once, and it hadn't been a huge issue anyway.) He had been shot down, slashed apart, burnt to death, frozen to death, diced, crushed, boiled, starved, gased, strangled, mangled, mauled, shredded, blown up and decapitated by a particularly nasty small furry creature (don't ask). He had also had the time to actually learn things and get stronger, somewhere in-between the gruesome deaths, and his mind was starting to get more under control. It was about time: by now, he had almost killed all the other recruits several times over - in fact, he had killed Jackie twice, not that anyone seemed to mind.

He wondered what this was about. It was commonplace for the recruits to get summoned to the armory for another absurd exercise involving Memoir eating someone, and/or Nolan having his unsavory fun with someone else, and/or the other instructors testing their new toys on live targets, but formal wear? Clarence didn't like the idea of putting blood on his expensive suit very much. It had costed quite a lot of money to have it made to his preferences, most tailors being little used to putting metal plates in expensive leather shoes and sewing small, blade-shaped compartments all over a made to measure jacket. Ah, well, whatever happens, happens.

"Good reference," thought Boali sleepily as Clarence stood up and greeted Laura and Anuragini quietly. "It seems you are making progress."
"Hello there, you too," answered Clarence, patting her head in greeting. "Now get up and get dressed. Formal wear, apparently." He got dressed quickly, his suit somewhat uncomfortable - he had been working out quite a lot over the past year - but still within the boundaries of elegance, and walked out at a military pace, Boali on his heels. The little girl was wearing a black dress, which she hated, and had snatched Clarence's glasses, which he hated but put in his breast pocket anyway. A promise was a promise, after all.

He quickly reached the armory and went through the weaponry with practiced ease, picking up a Heckler & Koch MK 23 pistol, a compact Magpul PDR - Clarence had made a point of brushing up on bullpup assault rifles and PDWs during the past year - and an Air Force combat dagger; he slid the pistol in a shoulder holster, the knife in a specially-tailored inner pocket of his vest and picked up three extra magazines for each firearm before marching off to join the others. He walked up to Laura and Anuragini, which he regarded as the closest to him among the recruits - after all, Laura had had to freeze his brain half a dozen times, surely that counted for something -, and told them: "Good morning again. What do you think this is about?"

[Charmera]

Clarence snapped awake in a heartbeat, but this time he didn't try to slit open the air trying to attack him's throat. There was a knife under his pillow, and two in his pajama pants, and fifteen in his matress - the cafeteria apparently had a store of knives that was for all intents and purposes infinite -, but Clarence had been steadily getting better at controlling his urges. Nowadays, he could wake up without trying to kill nonexistent foes two times out of three.

Over the course of the last year, he had been put through a training that he had not considered hellish for the sole reason that he had, in fact, done worse before. Yes, it had been pretty novel to train without a care for death, but on the other hand there were no pointless beatings, no threats of rape and no serious torture (except for that time when ... Well, that was only once, and it hadn't been a huge issue anyway.) He had been shot down, slashed apart, burnt to death, frozen to death, diced, crushed, boiled, starved, gased, strangled, mangled, mauled, shredded, blown up and decapitated by a particularly nasty small furry creature (don't ask). He had also had the time to actually learn things and get stronger, somewhere in-between the gruesome deaths, and his mind was starting to get more under control. It was about time: by now, he had almost killed all the other recruits several times over - in fact, he had killed Jackie twice, not that anyone seemed to mind.

He wondered what this was about. It was commonplace for the recruits to get summoned to the armory for another absurd exercise involving Memoir eating someone, and/or Nolan having his unsavory fun with someone else, and/or the other instructors testing their new toys on live targets, but formal wear? Clarence didn't like the idea of putting blood on his expensive suit very much. It had costed quite a lot of money to have it made to his preferences, most tailors being little used to putting metal plates in expensive leather shoes and sewing small, blade-shaped compartments all over a made to measure jacket. Ah, well, whatever happens, happens.

"Good reference," thought Boali sleepily as Clarence stood up and greeted Laura and Anuragini quietly. "It seems you are making progress."
"Hello there, you too," answered Clarence, patting her head in greeting. "Now get up and get dressed. Formal wear, apparently." He got dressed quickly, his suit somewhat uncomfortable - he had been working out quite a lot over the past year - but still within the boundaries of elegance, and walked out at a military pace, Boali on his heels. The little girl was wearing a black dress, which she hated, and had snatched Clarence's glasses, which he hated but put in his breast pocket anyway. A promise was a promise, after all.

He quickly reached the armory and went through the weaponry with practiced ease, picking up a Heckler & Koch MK 23 pistol, a compact Magpul PDR - Clarence had made a point of brushing up on bullpup assault rifles and PDWs during the past year - and an Air Force combat dagger; he slid the pistol in a shoulder holster, the knife in a specially-tailored inner pocket of his vest and picked up three extra magazines for each firearm before marching off to join the others. He walked up to Laura and Anuragini, which he regarded as the closest to him among the recruits - after all, Laura had had to freeze his brain half a dozen times, surely that counted for something -, and told them: "Good morning again. What do you think this is about?"

Laura turned to Clarence, giving him a nod of greeting. Despite having to knock him out, and in some cases even kill him outright, when he had his episodes she had not regretted the decision to have him as a partner of sorts. He was skilled, and though Gini had more people skills than the both of them combined she had to admit Clarence tended to make people less uncomfortable than her cold stare and intensity. "Morning Clarence." She replied. "I don't know, formal clothes don't exactly make the best combat wear, but we've been told to take guns."

"Maybe they'll do another prank. Throw us a party and then loose attack dogs..." Jim replied while fused with Laura. "Dog bites are a bitch to heal..."

Laura paused, unsure how to word her next question. "Have you two...Had any strange dreams?" She asked, unsure how they would react.

[Hetland 2]

Laura
Laura picked a nightstick, an M9 and a 870 Remington Shotgun. Carefully holstering all of these. She turned to Anuragini. She had known the girl for a year now, and she was beginning (if you excuse the pun) to warm up to her. Despite her annoying tendency to slap or touch Laura (Something that had anyone else done she would have froze their arm and broken it) she seemed dependable and intelligent, two valuable qualities.

"You seem calm." She commented, quite like the kettle calling the pot black. Laura never seemed to panic, nor get stressed, always having a cool air about her. In fact this year seemed to make her more jaded and steely. "Usually on these sorts of exercises we tend to die, a lot."

Thomas
Thomas grabbed his Glock pistol and noticed someone talking to Gini. He'd like to call her a friend, her being extremely intelligent, more so than Thomas in some areas. However he was unsure if she would think the same of him. He was horrible at reading people, utterly abysmal. He shook his head, grabbing a few authorized grenades and moving out to the front door.

Anuragini picked up two CZ-75 pistols and grabbed a scimitar and sheath from the wall, sliding it onto her back. She smiled broadly at Laura and Clarence, "Its quite simple actually, you see, due to certain specifics such as the level of burnt gunpowder in the air, Papa wasn't watching us in the armoury..." She continued rambling on variables most of which people normally wouldn't know about, "In conclusion there is a 97.56939 repeating percent chance that we will not be forced to go toe to toe against instructors. In fact if I had to guess this might be a graduation ceremony of some kind. That's why I broke out my best sari."
She paused at Laura's question, noting the awkwardness in her voice and decided not to tell her about the threesome dream she'd had. "Not especially, Laura. Why? Is anything troubling you?"
Gini noticed Thomas and waved him over and calling out to him. "Thomas! How are you today? Did you heal alright after last night's training session?"

[Charmera]

Laura
Laura picked a nightstick, an M9 and a 870 Remington Shotgun. Carefully holstering all of these. She turned to Anuragini. She had known the girl for a year now, and she was beginning (if you excuse the pun) to warm up to her. Despite her annoying tendency to slap or touch Laura (Something that had anyone else done she would have froze their arm and broken it) she seemed dependable and intelligent, two valuable qualities.

"You seem calm." She commented, quite like the kettle calling the pot black. Laura never seemed to panic, nor get stressed, always having a cool air about her. In fact this year seemed to make her more jaded and steely. "Usually on these sorts of exercises we tend to die, a lot."

Thomas
Thomas grabbed his Glock pistol and noticed someone talking to Gini. He'd like to call her a friend, her being extremely intelligent, more so than Thomas in some areas. However he was unsure if she would think the same of him. He was horrible at reading people, utterly abysmal. He shook his head, grabbing a few authorized grenades and moving out to the front door.

Anuragini picked up two CZ-75 pistols and grabbed a scimitar and sheath from the wall, sliding it onto her back. She smiled broadly at Laura and Clarence, "Its quite simple actually, you see, due to certain specifics such as the level of burnt gunpowder in the air, Papa wasn't watching us in the armoury..." She continued rambling on variables most of which people normally wouldn't know about, "In conclusion there is a 97.56939 repeating percent chance that we will not be forced to go toe to toe against instructors. In fact if I had to guess this might be a graduation ceremony of some kind. That's why I broke out my best sari."
She paused at Laura's question, noting the awkwardness in her voice and decided not to tell her about the threesome dream she'd had. "Not especially, Laura. Why? Is anything troubling you?"
Gini noticed Thomas and waved him over and calling out to him. "Thomas! How are you today? Did you heal alright after last night's training session?"

"Seems logical." She replied, "Though it may still be a trap of some sort... and even if it isn't, this ceremony might have a few last challenges for us. Better be on guard just in case..."

Laura paused again, she wasn't sure how to say this with Jim in her head. She needed a way to get him to leave for a bit. While Gini was distracted with Thomas, she quickly talked with Jim.

Meanwhile Laura talked to Jim Jim, I need you to look around the armory door, if any of the instructors are coming, let me know.

Jim cocked his head slightly and sighed, Fine, but don't be long. I don't think Karlson will take kindly to wasting time. He unfused with Laura and moved away from them, getting to the door and looking out of it.

Laura turned to the three of them, once he had gone. "I've... Been dreaming Jim's Memories...The ones he keeps hidden" She stated, then quieted herself as Thomas approached, unsure about the kid.

Thomas looked over, a small awkward smile on his face as he moved over. He had gotten tougher after being killed multitudes of times. "I'm fine thanks. I got some designs done with Herbert while in hospital. Some you guys may really like. " Thomas had his arm torn to shreds from a hail of gunfire. It was incredibly painful, though he had suffered worse... Though this gave him some time to work with Herbert on something that should make him a little more useful to the rag tag team of gun totting teenagers, though whether he would be allowed to implement, test or even build some of the designs was uncertain. He looked back to Herbert, who was selecting some explosives with manic glee. "Though how to make sure Herbet isn't there when I propose them is going to be a problem..."

"Anyway, how are you Gini?" He continued, his face a little warmer. "Again, sorry about the whole friendly fire thing with the -um- radiation..."

[Mnar Secundus]

"Seems logical." She replied, "Though it may still be a trap of some sort... and even if it isn't, this ceremony might have a few last challenges for us. Better be on guard just in case..."

Laura paused again, she wasn't sure how to say this with Jim in her head. She needed a way to get him to leave for a bit. While Gini was distracted with Thomas, she quickly talked with Jim.

Meanwhile Laura talked to Jim Jim, I need you to look around the armory door, if any of the instructors are coming, let me know.

Jim cocked his head slightly and sighed, Fine, but don't be long. I don't think Karlson will take kindly to wasting time. He unfused with Laura and moved away from them, getting to the door and looking out of it.

Laura turned to the three of them, once he had gone. "I've... Been dreaming Jim's Memories...The ones he keeps hidden" She stated, then quieted herself as Thomas approached, unsure about the kid.

Clarence watched as Laura apparently sent Jim out scouting. He decided that it would be good for Boali to join him: he had been trying to get her to work with the other Familiars some more, but the progress was slow on that front. "Could you go with Jim and look around for anything suspicious? Be careful and come back quickly."
Boali stammered mentally for a second before answering: "Whyfore dost thou torment me so ... Alright, I'll go, I'll go. I'm coming back ASAP, though."
"You're being ridiculous. Jim is a nice guy."
The little girl blushed, embarassed, but nodded nevertheless before walking off silently.

Clarence then turned towards Laura, listening to her description. When Thomas walked up to them, he greeted him with a wave of the hand, but kept his focus on his roommate: he hadn't seen Laura this visibly worried since that particularly nasty incident when Memoir and Nolan had - No, don't think about it, he told himself with a suppressed shudder. He took her a few feet away to talk more discreetly, then answered: "Shared dreams? It happens to Boali and I, too. Although for us, it's usually the other way around: Boali tends to get lost in my dreams. I try to keep her out of them, since they aren't all that pleasant. Are Jim's memories ... bad, too? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, obviously." Clarence knew about bad dreams. He knew about them all too well. Some things hurt when you spoke about them, and Laura had been secretive for as long as he had known her.

[Nature-Spirits]

Sander awoke with a groan, but within seconds moved his legs out from under his blanket and pushed it aside. Over the past year he had learned better than to stay in bed too long after the alarm went off. He listened -- albeit groggily -- to the announcement, taking a few extra seconds to process it, then crawled over to his clothes and pulled out his black suit and dress shoes. He took a few minutes to don them, not bothering to hide from his roommates; he had gotten used to sharing such a small space fairly quickly. Of course, that was not to say that he was an exhibitionist; he simply didn't make any extra effort to hide beyond turning his back. If they didn't like it, they didn't have to look.

Stephanie unmerged with him then, and obediently he held out his arm for her -- he had given up arguing with her about it long ago -- and, arm in arm, they proceeded to the armoury.

Once there, he chose as his weapons an expandable police baton (which he expanded immediately in case he had to use it unexpectedly) and an M1879 Reichsrevolver. Then, so that he would have both hands free and in case they were suddenly attacked, Stephanie re-merged with him, and he exited the armoury keeping a look out for any suspicious activity (such as one of their instructors being present).

---

Dana awoke with a start, cold sweat coating her body and making her sheets cling to her skin. Hastily, she sat up, breathing deeply. But she could not remember the source of her hyperactive state; her dream was already fading into obscurity, and soon would be completely forgotten.

"Dana," Bader said softly, sitting up in bed beside her from where his back had been pressed to her front, in a fetal position. "You okay?"

Dana regarded the cute little boy, and her heart fluttered. They had both forgiven each other for that conflict a year ago; after all, their souls were bound together, so they could not very well hold a constant grudge against each other. They had learned that first-hand when that very same conflict had caused them to falter, to flounder, to fail -- to die. It had even limited Dana's demonic abilities for a time. So in the end, despite their disagreements, they had reunited.

Hearing the announcement, Dana got up -- her fatigue nonexistent -- and pulled out her formal wear: a pair of black suit pants, a white dress shirt and a black suit jacket along with black 2"-high-heeled boots. She donned them and departed for the armoury, holding Bader's hand in her own.

She regarded the available weapons for some time, contemplating what to take (she had an hour, after all). Bader's ability allowed her to change her arms into a sword or a rifle, so she did not need to take either of those; but other weapons may be useful. In the end, she decided upon an MP5 and a Walther P99 semi-automatic pistol, and merged with Bader; his previous experience with firearms greatly enhanced her own, and in case their superiors decided to massacre them all, it only made sense to be as prepared as possible.

[Charmera]

"Seems logical." She replied, "Though it may still be a trap of some sort... and even if it isn't, this ceremony might have a few last challenges for us. Better be on guard just in case..."

Laura paused again, she wasn't sure how to say this with Jim in her head. She needed a way to get him to leave for a bit. While Gini was distracted with Thomas, she quickly talked with Jim.

Meanwhile Laura talked to Jim Jim, I need you to look around the armory door, if any of the instructors are coming, let me know.

Jim cocked his head slightly and sighed, Fine, but don't be long. I don't think Karlson will take kindly to wasting time. He unfused with Laura and moved away from them, getting to the door and looking out of it.

Laura turned to the three of them, once he had gone. "I've... Been dreaming Jim's Memories...The ones he keeps hidden" She stated, then quieted herself as Thomas approached, unsure about the kid.

Clarence watched as Laura apparently sent Jim out scouting. He decided that it would be good for Boali to join him: he had been trying to get her to work with the other Familiars some more, but the progress was slow on that front. "Could you go with Jim and look around for anything suspicious? Be careful and come back quickly."
Boali stammered mentally for a second before answering: "Whyfore dost thou torment me so ... Alright, I'll go, I'll go. I'm coming back ASAP, though."
"You're being ridiculous. Jim is a nice guy."
The little girl blushed, embarassed, but nodded nevertheless before walking off silently.

Clarence then turned towards Laura, listening to her description. When Thomas walked up to them, he greeted him with a wave of the hand, but kept his focus on his roommate: he hadn't seen Laura this visibly worried since that particularly nasty incident when Memoir and Nolan had - No, don't think about it, he told himself with a suppressed shudder. He took her a few feet away to talk more discreetly, then answered: "Shared dreams? It happens to Boali and I, too. Although for us, it's usually the other way around: Boali tends to get lost in my dreams. I try to keep her out of them, since they aren't all that pleasant. Are Jim's memories ... bad, too? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, obviously." Clarence knew about bad dreams. He knew about them all too well. Some things hurt when you spoke about them, and Laura had been secretive for as long as he had known her.

She paused, the memories of the dreams came flooding back. "Usually I don't see much, just incoherent words, then incredible pain. Sometimes a single name or word sticks in my head, like "Jeanette" is a common one." She replied, opening up for the first time during the last year "But last few nights I've been having the same dream memory of him...." She sighed, trying to remember all she could "I see him, wounded and bleeding in a dark basement, most of the rest of the room is just fuzzy and grey, he's much younger and less...jaded. A woman walks up to him and... I think she places her hand on his shoulder. All I remember next are the words 'You'll be fine.'"

"I have the feeling the woman...Her name is Jeanette...and she loves coffee..." she responded, having trouble expressing the raw memories. She had little context for most of them... It was strange and uncomfortable for her. She quickly re-assumed her cold demeanor to not show any more weakness. "In any case, we should get moving soon. Our hosts don't tend to like tardiness.

As Boali approached Jim, he looked at her, his eyes had something in them, rather than the usual jaded void. Though what that something was would be uncertain. He spoke. "You...remind me of someone...I once knew." He said, out of the blue, with no context. He looked back through the door, unsure how the other demon would react.

[Hetland 2]

"Seems logical." She replied, "Though it may still be a trap of some sort... and even if it isn't, this ceremony might have a few last challenges for us. Better be on guard just in case..."

Laura paused again, she wasn't sure how to say this with Jim in her head. She needed a way to get him to leave for a bit. While Gini was distracted with Thomas, she quickly talked with Jim.

Meanwhile Laura talked to Jim Jim, I need you to look around the armory door, if any of the instructors are coming, let me know.

Jim cocked his head slightly and sighed, Fine, but don't be long. I don't think Karlson will take kindly to wasting time. He unfused with Laura and moved away from them, getting to the door and looking out of it.

Laura turned to the three of them, once he had gone. "I've... Been dreaming Jim's Memories...The ones he keeps hidden." She stated, then quieted herself as Thomas approached, unsure about the kid.

Thomas looked over, a small awkward smile on his face as he moved over. He had gotten tougher after being killed multitudes of times. "I'm fine thanks. I got some designs done with Herbert while in hospital. Some you guys may really like. " Thomas had his arm torn to shreds from a hail of gunfire. It was incredibly painful, though he had suffered worse... Though this gave him some time to work with Herbert on something that should make him a little more useful to the rag tag team of gun totting teenagers, though whether he would be allowed to implement, test or even build some of the designs was uncertain. He looked back to Herbert, who was selecting some explosives with manic glee. "Though how to make sure Herbet isn't there when I propose them is going to be a problem..."

"Anyway, how are you Gini?" He continued, his face a little warmer. "Again, sorry about the whole friendly fire thing with the -um- radiation..."

Gini leaned in pressing her cheek against his cheek before repeating with the other cheek, in a proper Indian greeting. "No permanent harm, no foul." Despite what her father thought about Thomas, she liked him quite a bit. If only he wasn't so awkward. Sure she was taller than him but that didn't bother her much, she was taller than most boys her age.
She turned to Laura and smiled, "Oh, like those? Me and Purnima share memories all the time. We even do it while awake. It helps to have her memories from her experiences to match up for searches."
Gini smiled, "I can do some background checks if you'd like. I guess I agree, we should probably head to the place. Papa gets moody when he's kept waiting. And when he's moody he gets trigger happy."

[Charmera]

"Seems logical." She replied, "Though it may still be a trap of some sort... and even if it isn't, this ceremony might have a few last challenges for us. Better be on guard just in case..."

Laura paused again, she wasn't sure how to say this with Jim in her head. She needed a way to get him to leave for a bit. While Gini was distracted with Thomas, she quickly talked with Jim.

Meanwhile Laura talked to Jim Jim, I need you to look around the armory door, if any of the instructors are coming, let me know.

Jim cocked his head slightly and sighed, Fine, but don't be long. I don't think Karlson will take kindly to wasting time. He unfused with Laura and moved away from them, getting to the door and looking out of it.

Laura turned to the three of them, once he had gone. "I've... Been dreaming Jim's Memories...The ones he keeps hidden." She stated, then quieted herself as Thomas approached, unsure about the kid.

Thomas looked over, a small awkward smile on his face as he moved over. He had gotten tougher after being killed multitudes of times. "I'm fine thanks. I got some designs done with Herbert while in hospital. Some you guys may really like. " Thomas had his arm torn to shreds from a hail of gunfire. It was incredibly painful, though he had suffered worse... Though this gave him some time to work with Herbert on something that should make him a little more useful to the rag tag team of gun totting teenagers, though whether he would be allowed to implement, test or even build some of the designs was uncertain. He looked back to Herbert, who was selecting some explosives with manic glee. "Though how to make sure Herbet isn't there when I propose them is going to be a problem..."

"Anyway, how are you Gini?" He continued, his face a little warmer. "Again, sorry about the whole friendly fire thing with the -um- radiation..."

Gini leaned in pressing her cheek against his cheek before repeating with the other cheek, in a proper Indian greeting. "No permanent harm, no foul." Despite what her father thought about Thomas, she liked him quite a bit. If only he wasn't so awkward. Sure she was taller than him but that didn't bother her much, she was taller than most boys her age.
She turned to Laura and smiled, "Oh, like those? Me and Purnima share memories all the time. We even do it while awake. It helps to have her memories from her experiences to match up for searches."
Gini smiled, "I can do some background checks if you'd like. I guess I agree, we should probably head to the place. Papa gets moody when he's kept waiting. And when he's moody he gets trigger happy."

Thomas' face turned to concern. He wasn't too fazed by the greeting, fairly use to it. "I know, but wounds like that tend to leave mental scars." He should know, he still felt as if his other arm should not be there after it was shot right off. The shot was perfectly placed to rip his arm off. He was fairly sure it was Conrad who did that, the man seemed to dislike Thomas. He couldn't do anything about it and he sure as hell wasn't going to draw attention to it, but it was starting to become problematic. "Besides, it could have been far...far worse..." Radiation death was a horrific thing to go through. He had a scientist living in his head and he was a child prodigy, he knew about radiation in macabre detail. He smiled again, "Anyway, that Sari looks really good," He complemented, in his own formal wear. His was very well kept, having determined the perfect way to hang it using his knowledge of physics. Thought it was a little bland and didn't really extenuate his intelligence.

"Sharing memories isn't new, but the thing is he has been blocking those memories specifically. But somehow I've circumvented that when I sleep." She replied, "It would be best if you could do that, Jim's memories are beginning to interfere with my performance..." She started moving to the door, assuming the others would follow suit.

[Mnar Secundus]

Clarence didn't really know what to tell Laura. It was highly unusual for the young woman to look somewhat insecure, and he wasn't used to dealing with that side of her personality ... When she got her coldness back, he felt both mildly reassured to have her back to normal and vaguely ashamed to not have said anything. He followed her absentmindedly, fiddling with the buttons on his jacket - he just couldn't get used to such restrictive clothing.

Then he said something: "It ... might be better if you just learned everything. All of Jim's memories, I mean. That could make it easier to handle them in an abstract manner, if you see what I mean. Maybe learning how to lucid dream would help? You could navigate the memories, or something. The fact that you're getting his memories in your sleep is probably because he sleeps, too, which means that he lowers his blockades during that time. Anyway, don't worry about it too much. I can guarantee first-hand that you will still be able to fight."

Meanwhile, Boali was having trouble facing Jim. It wasn't that she disliked the man; indeed, she rather appreciated him. But try as she might, she just couldn't bring herself to communicate with anyone other than Clarence. She knew that it was bad, that she should do something about it, but such things were notoriously easier said than done. After squirming for a few seconds under the older Familiar's intense stare, she managed to look up to him and answer in a fragile tone quite unlike her true self: "I-I don't think we've met before. I died in Eastern Africa when I was my current age. Did-did you have a child who looked like me?"

[Charmera]

Clarence didn't really know what to tell Laura. It was highly unusual for the young woman to look somewhat insecure, and he wasn't used to dealing with that side of her personality ... When she got her coldness back, he felt both mildly reassured to have her back to normal and vaguely ashamed to not have said anything. He followed her absentmindedly, fiddling with the buttons on his jacket - he just couldn't get used to such restrictive clothing.

Then he said something: "It ... might be better if you just learned everything. All of Jim's memories, I mean. That could make it easier to handle them in an abstract manner, if you see what I mean. Maybe learning how to lucid dream would help? You could navigate the memories, or something. The fact that you're getting his memories in your sleep is probably because he sleeps, too, which means that he lowers his blockades during that time. Anyway, don't worry about it too much. I can guarantee first-hand that you will still be able to fight."

Meanwhile, Boali was having trouble facing Jim. It wasn't that she disliked the man; indeed, she rather appreciated him. But try as she might, she just couldn't bring herself to communicate with anyone other than Clarence. She knew that it was bad, that she should do something about it, but such things were notoriously easier said than done. After squirming for a few seconds under the older Familiar's intense stare, she managed to look up to him and answer in a fragile tone quite unlike her true self: "I-I don't think we've met before. I died in Eastern Africa when I was my current age. Did-did you have a child who looked like me?"

Thomas nodded, trying to be helpful. "Memory is about context. Normally a brain would not be able to process the memories of another human being as their own brain doesn't have the proper information to understand it. Somehow Hosts and Demons manage to get around that fact, but the memories still lack context if one doesn't know about one's familiars past, making them confusing and a tad overwhelming. However with more memories and more context, it may help you understand the memories that confuse you. Kinda like building a Jig-saw puzzle."

Laura thought on it as she continued slowly to the door. Though she had a glimpse of his memory, much was missing. She had no idea why he was in a basement, who that woman who helped him was and why he was shot. The mystery was beginning to weigh on her, but diving in might be just as dangerous as letting this mystery go unsolved. She had felt pain even on the surface of his memories, and could tell that there might be more waiting for her in the depths of his psyche.

"Yes. My daughter. Though she didn't so much look like you as act like you." He saw she was uncomfortable, so he tried his best to smile comfortingly. "She was shy too, but also brave, like you." His smile dropped, shame and sorrow passing through him. He didn't seem bitter or angry, like he normally would. Instead he seemed, hollow, or broken. "She would be thirty seven today..."

[Isle of Lithonia]

Tired and exhausted Jessie was struggling to justify her decision to agree to this little adventure already. And Zach was pissing her off.

"For fucks sake Zach, can't you go 5 minutes without checking yourself out in the nearest reflective surface? You take metrosexual to a new extreme." Jessie looked on as Zach fixed his hair in front of a car side mirror that was near by.

"I'll have you know, I am ladies man through and through! And the ladies love a man who takes pride in his appearance. Besides you can't talk, you don't think I didn't notice you glancing at your mirror every 5 seconds on the helicopter here, do you?" He let out a wry smile to himself.

"First of all, you have no fucking idea what metrosexual means, second of all the pilot was cute so shut up!" She crossed her armed and gave a stern "Humh" to signal she was finished with this conversation. Zach had spent the last month trying to get her to agree to this and in that time he learnt to read her like a book so he thought it best to let it lie.

"Right well shall we make sure you know who's who and what's what before you make a tit of yourself?" He didn't wait for an answer, "Great! So who is going to be your big boss?"

Jessie gave a smirk as her mind went diving into the gutter however she resisted making a joke, "Given that you never told me I don't understand how you can expect me to answer? In fact you've told me fuck all! You're pretty useless for an apparent demon guide."

Zach was very confused at this point, he could have sworn he told her. Oh well it must have slipped his mind he thought as he shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant attitude. "Well if you don't know now, its pointless me telling you this late. You're just going to have to muddle through without coming off as the complete dumbs shit you are." He gave her a wide smile acting as if he had not just insulted her.

Jessie's face was all the response she needed to give but just for good measure she replied, "Two words. Fuck. You." She turned away to stare off in the distance.

"Nawwww you're still the sexiest dumb shit I've ever seen!"

"Save it for someone who gives a fuck!" She snapped back. Now all they could do was wait for someone official to turn up.

Selena and Karlson headed off to the HTC after a bit more flirting, already carrying their personal weapons (Karlson with his custom Magpul PDR and H&K Mark 23, and Selena with two 9mm pistols which the author conveniently forgot once again).

Upon reaching the Complex, they saw Jessie Wales and her Demon Familiar waiting inside. Karlson approached the two, unsmiling and with a cig in his right hand (you'd never have guessed, right?). "You must be Jessie Wales, and you are Zachariah her Demon. Glad you could finally make it.

"I expect you two to introduce yourselves to the rest of the recruits when they arrive, so don't think I am going to do so for you.

"Now, according to the report that Balaam sent me, you two were trained to kill by Queen Yuri and were sent by her to join our Illuminati. I am far less than satisfied with this situation, but as my superior, I cannot ignore her wishes. So, for now, you are a part of this team. Don't make me regret her forcing you upon me.

"There are a few rules that you need to follow: don't fuck with your superiors, don't be a bitch, obey every fucking order we give you, and don't cross us. Failure to respectfully obey every rule we give you will result in torture and death.

"Any questions?"

[Azaflaza]

Tired and exhausted Jessie was struggling to justify her decision to agree to this little adventure already. And Zach was pissing her off.

"For fucks sake Zach, can't you go 5 minutes without checking yourself out in the nearest reflective surface? You take metrosexual to a new extreme." Jessie looked on as Zach fixed his hair in front of a car side mirror that was near by.

"I'll have you know, I am ladies man through and through! And the ladies love a man who takes pride in his appearance. Besides you can't talk, you don't think I didn't notice you glancing at your mirror every 5 seconds on the helicopter here, do you?" He let out a wry smile to himself.

"First of all, you have no fucking idea what metrosexual means, second of all the pilot was cute so shut up!" She crossed her armed and gave a stern "Humh" to signal she was finished with this conversation. Zach had spent the last month trying to get her to agree to this and in that time he learnt to read her like a book so he thought it best to let it lie.

"Right well shall we make sure you know who's who and what's what before you make a tit of yourself?" He didn't wait for an answer, "Great! So who is going to be your big boss?"

Jessie gave a smirk as her mind went diving into the gutter however she resisted making a joke, "Given that you never told me I don't understand how you can expect me to answer? In fact you've told me fuck all! You're pretty useless for an apparent demon guide."

Zach was very confused at this point, he could have sworn he told her. Oh well it must have slipped his mind he thought as he shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant attitude. "Well if you don't know now, its pointless me telling you this late. You're just going to have to muddle through without coming off as the complete dumbs shit you are." He gave her a wide smile acting as if he had not just insulted her.

Jessie's face was all the response she needed to give but just for good measure she replied, "Two words. Fuck. You." She turned away to stare off in the distance.

"Nawwww you're still the sexiest dumb shit I've ever seen!"

"Save it for someone who gives a fuck!" She snapped back. Now all they could do was wait for someone official to turn up.

Selena and Karlson headed off to the HTC after a bit more flirting, already carrying their personal weapons (Karlson with his custom Magpul PDR and H&K Mark 23, and Selena with two 9mm pistols which the author conveniently forgot once again).

Upon reaching the Complex, they saw Jessie Wales and her Demon Familiar waiting inside. Karlson approached the two, unsmiling and with a cig in his right hand (you'd never have guessed, right?). "You must be Jessie Wales, and you are Zachariah her Demon. Glad you could finally make it.

"I expect you two to introduce yourselves to the rest of the recruits when they arrive, so don't think I am going to do so for you.

"Now, according to the report that Balaam sent me, you two were trained to kill by Queen Yuri and were sent by her to join our Illuminati. I am far less than satisfied with this situation, but as my superior, I cannot ignore her wishes. So, for now, you are a part of this team. Don't make me regret her forcing you upon me.

"There are a few rules that you need to follow: don't fuck with your superiors, don't be a bitch, obey every fucking order we give you, and don't cross us. Failure to respectfully obey every rule we give you will result in torture and death.

"Any questions?"

As two official looking individuals turned up Jessie stood up straight as her year of training under Queen Yuri had taught her. She listened to the man, whom Zach informed her was called Karlson, without showing any emotion or displeasure at the cold reception she was being given. His rules seemed understandable enough, nothing less than expected.

When he was finished talking she spouted out the speech she had planned to fill in her time, "Firstly sir I would like to say thank you for agreeing to have me and Zach, we won't let you down. I understand the deal to which I have agreed and as such I have no problem following your rules. However I do have one question, where are the rest of the team? So I can introduce myself as you said." She held back an arrogant smile as she awaited Karlson's answer.