The Fall of Elfen High (IC, Closed)

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Aye, certainly," William agreed loudly over the roar of battle, grinning and firing off some more radiant blasts from his right hand as he continued slicing through the virtual hordes of Azazel. "So, did you have any specific plans on distracting them, or is it just a general 'smash the bugger's heads in' type of tactics?" The knight asked.

"I never use a general 'smash the bugger's heads in' type of tactics. Only idiots do that. It does not hurt one to minimize losses, even if one has a crushing advantage." The Demon Lord stated, before looking around and trying to remember what he knew about Islamabad. Though he had never personally felt the need to visit, he had learned some things from those who lived there and found themselves in his territories in Hell after their passing.

"Now, if there is one thing I know about demons that can help us right now, and indeed I do, it is that we can be a spiteful bunch at times. Since we understand the means Azazel used to exalt his troops and turn a large part of demonkind against humanity, it stands to reason that they would seek to defile as much as they could." Alastor mused to himself out loud as he idly cleaved demon after demon in half while they vainly attempted to pierce the magic shield that was his armor.

"Now, that is not to say that they would let go of all strategy for that end. Surely Azazel would be smart enough to put someone in charge who knows what they are doing. Said person would most likely seek to conquer the local means of transport, for several reasons. Firstly, it reduces the likelyhood of anyone escaping. Since the demons Azazel recruited are a bloodthirsty bunch, surely this appeals to them, and more so to their leader, who should be able to see the tactical advantages as well, even if he is as warlike as his peers. Secondly, it enables them to use the transport themselves. While their aim may not be to conquer the city, but rather, lay waste to it, this would still help them, as the mobility increases their destructive potential, as well as their advantage in case of a counterattack by land." The Demon Lord continued explaining, not even knowing if William was still listening by this point or not. He had a bit of a tendency to ramble on sometimes if a decent topic could be provided.

"However, even their leader would spite humans and, more importantly, their beliefs to such point that they would not pass up an opportunity as unique as the one that this city presents to them. Thus, it stands to reason that the demons would have fortified themselves in two places: Rawalpindi, where the trains are, and the Faisal Mosque, the city's holiest place. The closest to here would be the latter, so if we can reach it while stirring up as much trouble as possible and neutralize the demon forces present there, we will both have weakened Azazel's grip on this zone and drawn attention away from the hotel. From there, I can teleport us to Rawalpindi, where the head should be. If we succeed in striking them down, then we will have dealt a crippling blow to Azazel's presence here. Now, this may only be a battle simulation, but hopefully you will have learned some basic strategy from it, and it stands to reason that the strongest forces would be at the enemy's fortifications, either way. So, what do you say, Sir William?" He concluded, taking a moment to sidestep, dodging an enemy demon's attack. He didn't bother striking back, as soon enough a magic bolt from a Zealot's rifle struck it squarely in the chest, putting it down for good.

However, before he could get a response from the British knight, Alastor caught a scent in the air. Upon examining it, he could understand two things. The first was that it was an absolutely horrid smell, and the second was that it meant no good news.

In fact, it was an overpowering smell of dog shit.

"Canis Erebus." Alastor muttered. "Dandy."

Sure enough, three enormous, hellish hounds with three heads each arrived at the scene and began charging towards them.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

"Because it'd be stupid to have a super magical site one could just teleport to. That means anyone could abuse it. Having to physically walk and best the defences keeps away abuse. By which I mean it's actually impossible to teleport into Stonehenge. There's a shield preventing that." He explained as the horses trotted along.

It started to rain, because this was England, and of course.

As the rain fell down Damien's face, he looked ahead at the landscape.

"So what is Stonehenge? Something left by an old and dead god?" he yelled over the pour. "I don't think anything could be older than the Fae War. Well, anything that's still around in my time, at least."

Merlin looked at his companion. "You'd be astounded." he replied. "There are many, many things older than the war. There were once Ancients who walked on this Earth who were older than even the Egyptians and Hindus were. They are long gone now, likely dead. But some of their relics remain. Such as this place."

Suddenly, Damien looked out, seeing the vast stones in front of him. They looked exactly like they did in his time, in the pictures he'd seen. Of course, if the pictures he'd seen had included dozens of heavily armed soldiers of various races and backgrounds milling about.

[Swith Witherward]

"Well I'm already inside, so that stands to reason, you know." Ciel replied, before focusing on her surroundings. The walls were painted a pleasant white, which served to accentuate the collection of works of abstract art adorning said walls, all of them created entirely in red. Maybe a bit of Pakistani, as well. The potted plants next to the double doors through which she had accessed to the hotel were, strangely, untouched, though that didn't last long as a corpse that had apparently been hanging from the roof with its intestines just collapsed right over one of the plants. It was made of plastic and was entirely artificial, which made for a nasty effect as the body got itself impaled.

Not that it was the most gruesome thing that happened during the Abrahamic war.

Wiping away some blood that fell on her cheek with her sleeve, Ciel walked in cautiously. Well, no, that's a lie. She strolled in briskly, catching the attention of a demon who was behind the reception desk, nibbling on the face of a woman who was lying on the ground next to a bloody burkha which had been presumably thrown off because even feral, brutish demons like this one have good enough taste to reject clothing. Snapping to attention, the demon charged at Ciel, who merely gave a mental shrug and tossed her flute right at it without breaking her stride. The flute hit the demon right on the forehead, causing massive cranial trauma and a lot of hemorrhaging which promptly killed the demon, while the flute itself merely bounced back, allowing itself to be catched by its thrower in mid-air.

"Like a damn pro." She complimented herself, before walking over to the reception desk and bashing the bell thingy repeatedly, attracting the attention of some more demons who were nearby.

"No point in going up if we're gonna get trapped, right?" She said casually to the other two girls as she looked at the approaching forces. Some demons were entering from the shattered windows, not minding the broken glass. Some more dropped from the stairs. And an alarming number of them were coming out from the bathrooms, for some reason.

"...I don't wanna know."

Fen didn't want to know either. She crowded Emi's back and surveyed the situation.

"I suppose this is a bad time to mention that I'm primarily a healer?" she chirped as Emi shrugged her off and went for the first victim foolish enough to approach her. "I mean, I'm skilled in hand-to-hand but-"

A demon slipped past Emi to loom over Fen. She squeaked and dropped to her knees, scurrying between his legs before reaching back to momentarily clasp the back of his thighs. The muscles and arteries froze to the bone and his momentum shattered them. The Polynesian scrambled further away and crouched in preparation for the next demon.

"-I'm not exactly flash and funeral," she groused as the demon howled and clutched at his exposed femurs. "If you make them bleed, I can use that as ammo."

Emi, meanwhile, was releasing pent up energy, slicing away with a grace and skill that far surpassed anything Fen imagined possible.

[Constaniana]

Sir William did the best he could to pay attention to Alastor's tactical lecture, though the noise from the explosions and demons he was stabbing and slashing made it a bit difficult to hear at times. The Yorkshireman managed to get the gist of it. But right as he was about to agree with Alastor's plan, some terrible-smelling began approaching them.

"Do these things have any sort of specific weaknesses?" William asked.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Sir William did the best he could to pay attention to Alastor's tactical lecture, though the noise from the explosions and demons he was stabbing and slashing made it a bit difficult to hear at times. The Yorkshireman managed to get the gist of it. But right as he was about to agree with Alastor's plan, some terrible-smelling began approaching them.

"Do these things have any sort of specific weaknesses?" William asked.

Alastor thought for a moment, before nodding at the knight's inquiry. "Yes, it does, I suppose. Though they are powerful beasts, we usually tame them to borrow their power in battle or strike them down in combat like we would with any other enemy. But if you want it to be easier than that, well..." The Demon Lord spoke.

He then sheathed his blade and seized an enemy soldier, lifting it with both hands and then tossing it away, right over the Cerberus' heads. One of them immediately darted off to pick up the demon, trampling several others on its way. The other two, however, remained behind, approaching menacingly still.

"Notably, these species are quite good at communicating with each other through subtle variations in their awful scent, so only one of them will go catch at any given time." Alastor said. "They're one dog short, though, so just, you know, kill them, will you?" He suggested, before launching a rather powerful black bolt at the middle head of one of the two remaining Canis Erebus, temporarily stunning it and giving him some time to close the gap, charging towards the beast across the hordes of brutes, which were kept at bay by the relentless fire coming from the magical rifles of five Zealots who only paused every so often to remove a spent battery and slap in a fresh one.

I say five, because the other made its way back to the hotel, as per a telepathic command.

Fen didn't want to know either. She crowded Emi's back and surveyed the situation.

"I suppose this is a bad time to mention that I'm primarily a healer?" she chirped as Emi shrugged her off and went for the first victim foolish enough to approach her. "I mean, I'm skilled in hand-to-hand but-"

A demon slipped past Emi to loom over Fen. She squeaked and dropped to her knees, scurrying between his legs before reaching back to momentarily clasp the back of his thighs. The muscles and arteries froze to the bone and his momentum shattered them. The Polynesian scrambled further away and crouched in preparation for the next demon.

"-I'm not exactly flash and funeral," she groused as the demon howled and clutched at his exposed femurs. "If you make them bleed, I can use that as ammo."

Emi, meanwhile, was releasing pent up energy, slicing away with a grace and skill that far surpassed anything Fen imagined possible.

The demons present at the hotel's reception were quickly taken care of by the joint efforts of the three girls.

"Well, that was easy." Ciel commented, trying to pull her flute out of a dead demon's eye socket. She wasn't exactly covered in blood, but much of it had stained her clothes and some was on her face. There was also a bit on her hair, but it was much less noticeable, as the colors blended with each other. "You two did a good job, I guess." She added, looking at Emi and Fen. The former seemed to be bloodier, though then that was probably not odd considering her fighting method. The latter seemed much cleaner, though Ciel simply gave a mental shrug at that.

The very next moment, the sixth Zealot walked into the hotel and began speaking, in a voice that was deep and guttural, yet quite monotone, like the rhytmic breating of an ancient mountain.

"Relaying message." It began, and after a pause, it spoke again, though this time it was different. The Zealot retained its voice, but now it was attempting to imitate the tone and inflection that the message would've had if it had been actually spoken and not merely a thought. "Go up to the roof of the hotel and look at the Faisal Mosque, will you? I suspect the bulk of the enemy forces in the immediate area are there, but it would not hurt to make sure. You can tell this guy, he will tell me anything you find out. Just make sure to say 'Relay message' first." The Zealot finished. It had been a rather poor imitation of Alastor, but an imitation nonetheless.

"Right." Ciel said, pulling her flute free at last before looking around. There was an elevator and a flight of stairs, but the stairs had a lot of rubble blocking them, and the elevator didn't seem to be working.

"...It looks like we'll have to use the stairs. Or push through them, rather." Ciel stated.

Then, in a show of sheer improbability, a demon who had died standing somehow finally collapsed, and just so happened to push a button that made the elevator's doors open up, showing that it was indeed working.

"...Nevermind."

[Constaniana]

William didn't need further encouragement to go attack the giant monster. Grinning like a child on Christmas morning, he began flinging radiant blasts at the creature, intending to distract it long enough to close the gap and simply cleave it in two with Excalibur. However, as the knight approached the Cerebus he got a better idea, making his grin even wider. "Shouldn't be too much more difficult to handle than a boar-croc thing from that sicko maze," he said to himself, before using his magic to create an explosion at his feet, propelling him up to the hellhound's back.

"Right, you smell bloody awful bitch. You're going to have to take a bath. But first, walkies!" William proclaimed, punching the hellhound's back. "Sit, bitch!"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

William didn't need further encouragement to go attack the giant monster. Grinning like a child on Christmas morning, he began flinging radiant blasts at the creature, intending to distract it long enough to close the gap and simply cleave it in two with Excalibur. However, as the knight approached the Cerebus he got a better idea, making his grin even wider. "Shouldn't be too much more difficult to handle than a boar-croc thing from that sicko maze," he said to himself, before using his magic to create an explosion at his feet, propelling him up to the hellhound's back.

"Right, you smell bloody awful bitch. You're going to have to take a bath. But first, walkies!" William proclaimed, punching the hellhound's back. "Sit, bitch!"

The Cerberus thrashed around for a bit until Sir William punched it in the back, at which point it finally seemed to give in and sit. However, it had not given up, no, not at all.

It released a massive turd with an utterly overpowering smell that outright killed many of the demons closest to it. The beast then attempted to drop William right on top of it.

Alastor himself stopped his charge to look at Sir William and the Cerberus with an expression of sheer disgust below the helmet. "By Lucifer's anus, what a stench!" The Demon Lord complained, giving the other Cerberus time to pounce at him, pinning him to the ground and letting out a gargantuan roar. Alastor, however, was entirely unfazed by this and merely sent a bolt straight through the beast's roaring head, causing it enough pain for it to get off of him.

That smell was everywhere now, though.

[Rupudska]

Because Catrin really had nothing better to do at the moment, she joined in the simulated battle in Islamabad. She popped in some distance away from where William and Alastor were. All six of her pistols were out and cocked by the time she finished her forward landing roll. Cat immediately opened fire on the nearest Cerberus head.

"Sorry, would've been here sooner, but the simulator computer decided to be a little shit."

God, what a smell!

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Because Catrin really had nothing better to do at the moment, she joined in the simulated battle in Islamabad. She popped in some distance away from where William and Alastor were. All six of her pistols were out and cocked by the time she finished her forward landing roll. Cat immediately opened fire on the nearest Cerberus head.

"Sorry, would've been here sooner, but the simulator computer decided to be a little shit."

God, what a smell!

"Funny that you would use those words to judge the computer." Alastor remarked.

[Constaniana]

William didn't need further encouragement to go attack the giant monster. Grinning like a child on Christmas morning, he began flinging radiant blasts at the creature, intending to distract it long enough to close the gap and simply cleave it in two with Excalibur. However, as the knight approached the Cerebus he got a better idea, making his grin even wider. "Shouldn't be too much more difficult to handle than a boar-croc thing from that sicko maze," he said to himself, before using his magic to create an explosion at his feet, propelling him up to the hellhound's back.

"Right, you smell bloody awful bitch. You're going to have to take a bath. But first, walkies!" William proclaimed, punching the hellhound's back. "Sit, bitch!"

The Cerberus thrashed around for a bit until Sir William punched it in the back, at which point it finally seemed to give in and sit. However, it had not given up, no, not at all.

It released a massive turd with an utterly overpowering smell that outright killed many of the demons closest to it. The beast then attempted to drop William right on top of it.

Alastor himself stopped his charge to look at Sir William and the Cerberus with an expression of sheer disgust below the helmet. "By Lucifer's anus, what a stench!" The Demon Lord complained, giving the other Cerberus time to pounce at him, pinning him to the ground and letting out a gargantuan roar. Alastor, however, was entirely unfazed by this and merely sent a bolt straight through the beast's roaring head, causing it enough pain for it to get off of him.

That smell was everywhere now, though.

Even for someone who honestly enjoyed British cooking, this smell was absolutely disgusting to William. Even if he was only in a computer game he wasn't going to let himself get caked in the poop if he could avoid it. Sir Nilark launched a beam of magic towards ground with enough force to hopefully stop his fall and launch him back onto the Cerberus's back. There were a few quiet moments where the concentrated beam struggled against the city street, before finally detonating on a command from William, knocking him back towards the hellhound.

"BAD DOGGIE!" William shouted as he landed on it again, giving the Cerberus a few more punches.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Even for someone who honestly enjoyed British cooking, this smell was absolutely disgusting to William. Even if he was only in a computer game he wasn't going to let himself get caked in the poop if he could avoid it. Sir Nilark launched a beam of magic towards ground with enough force to hopefully stop his fall and launch him back onto the Cerberus's back. There were a few quiet moments where the concentrated beam struggled against the city street, before finally detonating on a command from William, knocking him back towards the hellhound.

"BAD DOGGIE!" William shouted as he landed on it again, giving the Cerberus a few more punches.

The Cerberus continued thrashing around, as expected, since it was also being pelted with bullets from Catrin's handguns.

But that is unimportant, let us backtrack a bit.

William launched a beam towards the ground to avoid getting covered in poop.

Unfortunately, the poop was on the ground, so his action had the unintended effect of making the poop fly in all directions. While this caused many, many demon casualties, it also covered Sir William in poo despite all of his efforts.

Catrin probably got some on her as well.

[Constaniana]

Even for someone who honestly enjoyed British cooking, this smell was absolutely disgusting to William. Even if he was only in a computer game he wasn't going to let himself get caked in the poop if he could avoid it. Sir Nilark launched a beam of magic towards ground with enough force to hopefully stop his fall and launch him back onto the Cerberus's back. There were a few quiet moments where the concentrated beam struggled against the city street, before finally detonating on a command from William, knocking him back towards the hellhound.

"BAD DOGGIE!" William shouted as he landed on it again, giving the Cerberus a few more punches.

The Cerberus continued thrashing around, as expected, since it was also being pelted with bullets from Catrin's handguns.

But that is unimportant, let us backtrack a bit.

William launched a beam towards the ground to avoid getting covered in poop.

Unfortunately, the poop was on the ground, so his action had the unintended effect of making the poop fly in all directions. While this caused many, many demon casualties, it also covered Sir William in poo despite all of his efforts.

Catrin probably got some on her as well.

All right-minded people would be understandably furious about the idea of being pelted with satanic dog poo, and would be even more furious if it happened while they were wearing something nice, like a suit or a favourite football jersey. So to have it happen while you were dressed in a royally snazzy King's Life Guard uniform was nearly put William in an omnicidal mood. The knight sent his magic surging out from every inch of his body, searing the poop with shining energy and obliterating the odour-causing bacteria. The Cerberus received another flurry of punches from William as a reward for its efforts.

"Now, you stinky bitch, I can keep punching you until your spine implodes, or you can control your rectum and do as I say," Sir Nilark growled, keeping a tight hold on the hellhound's fur.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

All right-minded people would be understandably furious about the idea of being pelted with satanic dog poo, and would be even more furious if it happened while they were wearing something nice, like a suit or a favourite football jersey. So to have it happen while you were dressed in a royally snazzy King's Life Guard uniform was nearly put William in an omnicidal mood. The knight sent his magic surging out from every inch of his body, searing the poop with shining energy and obliterating the odour-causing bacteria. The Cerberus received another flurry of punches from William as a reward for its efforts.

"Now, you stinky bitch, I can keep punching you until your spine implodes, or you can control your rectum and do as I say," Sir Nilark growled, keeping a tight hold on the hellhound's fur.

Suddenly, the Cerberus spoke.

"Go suck a cock, Englishman. I'm not real." The central head said, before the Cerberus had its heads tear each other's throats out.

"...Well, that's new." Alastor remarked, before glancing at the other Cerberus. It ran away as fast as it could.

At around that time, the other one returned, with a demon corpse between its left head's teeth.

"Woah woah, what did I miss here?" The central head asked.

[Constaniana]

All right-minded people would be understandably furious about the idea of being pelted with satanic dog poo, and would be even more furious if it happened while they were wearing something nice, like a suit or a favourite football jersey. So to have it happen while you were dressed in a royally snazzy King's Life Guard uniform was nearly put William in an omnicidal mood. The knight sent his magic surging out from every inch of his body, searing the poop with shining energy and obliterating the odour-causing bacteria. The Cerberus received another flurry of punches from William as a reward for its efforts.

"Now, you stinky bitch, I can keep punching you until your spine implodes, or you can control your rectum and do as I say," Sir Nilark growled, keeping a tight hold on the hellhound's fur.

Suddenly, the Cerberus spoke.

"Go suck a cock, Englishman. I'm not real." The central head said, before the Cerberus had its heads tear each other's throats out.

"...Well, that's new." Alastor remarked, before glancing at the other Cerberus. It ran away as fast as it could.

At around that time, the other one returned, with a demon corpse between its left head's teeth.

"Woah woah, what did I miss here?" The central head asked.

"One of your mates is a racist twat with digestive problems, and the other's a pansy. Now, how about giving us a ride, eh? I'll give you a biscuit if you do," William said, before turning to Alastor. "You do have dog biscuits in Hell, don't you?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"One of your mates is a racist twat with digestive problems, and the other's a pansy. Now, how about giving us a ride, eh? I'll give you a biscuit if you do," William said, before turning to Alastor. "You do have dog biscuits in Hell, don't you?"

"Well, no." Alastor replied plainly, grabbing a nearby demon corpse and hurling it towards the Cerberus' right head, who happily began eating it, while the left did the same with the other one. "But it shouldn't oppose to taking us along anyway." He said, looking at the last Cerberus. "Do you?" He asked.

"Nope. Go ahead." It said, and sat down with its back to them, waiting for them to climb up on it. Alastor swiftly jumped to the top of its middle head.

"Alright then, to the Faisal Mosque." He stated, before looking back and pointing at Catrin. "You, woman, I have no idea who you are, but clean yourself up a bit and get up here. There are wayward demons to kill."

[Rupudska]

Catrin wiped a bit of dog poo off her skirt, then smacked the skirt repeatedly against her legs to get the rest off, or at least loosen it.

Good thing this is a simulation, or I'd never get the smell out. I actually like this skirt, too.

"All right, more simulated mooks to shoot at. I've been needing some practice." She climbed up the back of the Cerberus with ease greatly belying her age.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The five Zealots climbed up onto the Cerberus' back as well, and the beast immediately began heading towards where the Faisal Mosque was, according to it.

Alastor had to smack it repeatedly to make it get back on the right track.

But then, as it trudged across the falling city of Islamabad, trampling demons all along the way, it became apparent that not a single one of the Cerberus' eight riders, not even Alastor himself, had foreseen everything.

It became apparent when a demon soldier fell right next to William and attempted to push him off the Cerberus, which was still going at full speed.

What became apparent, if you're still wondering, was that there were demons on the rooftops.

And they were falling towards the eight riders, by the dozen. Fast.

"That is new as well. I like this simulation. It's stimulating." Alastor commented idly, whilst charging a bolt that he flung at one of the falling soldiers, causing a light drizzle of blood and gore to fall upon the party.

"Fire at will." He ordered his five Zealots with a telepathic command, and they immediately complied, though it was evident they alone wouldn't keep all of the demons off the Cerberus.

[Constaniana]

"Piss off, twat," William spat, effortlessly cutting the demon in half and kicking the upper bit off the mount, before assisting Alastor in firing in firing magic bolts at the falling demons.

[Rupudska]

"Eat shit, ya bloody redskull," Cat exclaimed as she blasted the heads off a few demons as they came towards her. It took a full eighteen seconds for her to register the fact that she was riding with an actual demon king and five of his minions on the back of a demon dog.

"Ah, no offense, Alastor."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Eat shit, ya bloody redskull," Cat exclaimed as she blasted the heads off a few demons as they came towards her. It took a full eighteen seconds for her to register the fact that she was riding with an actual demon king and five of his minions on the back of a demon dog.

"Ah, no offense, Alastor."

"Hmm?"

Alastor was apparently very busy hurling bolts of black magic left and right as though he was flinging poker cards hidden up his sleeves. Not that his armor had 'sleeves'. Either way, Catrin's apology took a moment to register, and then it took another moment for the Demon Lord to connect it with her other comment.

"Oh, there is no reason to worry. What offends me is that you would believe that I consider myself similar to these traitors and brutes." He stated, shrugging. "Besides, my skull is black."

Meanwhile, several demons managed to land and cling to the Cerberus, piling up against William because they thought he was an asshole. Alastor couldn't blame them.

Some also began climbing up from the sides, slowing down the beast.

[Swith Witherward]

The demons present at the hotel's reception were quickly taken care of by the joint efforts of the three girls.

"Well, that was easy." Ciel commented, trying to pull her flute out of a dead demon's eye socket. She wasn't exactly covered in blood, but much of it had stained her clothes and some was on her face. There was also a bit on her hair, but it was much less noticeable, as the colors blended with each other. "You two did a good job, I guess." She added, looking at Emi and Fen. The former seemed to be bloodier, though then that was probably not odd considering her fighting method. The latter seemed much cleaner, though Ciel simply gave a mental shrug at that.

The very next moment, the sixth Zealot walked into the hotel and began speaking, in a voice that was deep and guttural, yet quite monotone, like the rhytmic breating of an ancient mountain.

"Relaying message." It began, and after a pause, it spoke again, though this time it was different. The Zealot retained its voice, but now it was attempting to imitate the tone and inflection that the message would've had if it had been actually spoken and not merely a thought. "Go up to the roof of the hotel and look at the Faisal Mosque, will you? I suspect the bulk of the enemy forces in the immediate area are there, but it would not hurt to make sure. You can tell this guy, he will tell me anything you find out. Just make sure to say 'Relay message' first." The Zealot finished. It had been a rather poor imitation of Alastor, but an imitation nonetheless.

"Right." Ciel said, pulling her flute free at last before looking around. There was an elevator and a flight of stairs, but the stairs had a lot of rubble blocking them, and the elevator didn't seem to be working.

"...It looks like we'll have to use the stairs. Or push through them, rather." Ciel stated.

Then, in a show of sheer improbability, a demon who had died standing somehow finally collapsed, and just so happened to push a button that made the elevator's doors open up, showing that it was indeed working.

"...Nevermind."

The Zealot was new to her. At first she thought it to be brain damaged but she quickly cottoned on that it was some sort of magical messenger and she fought the urge to poke it with her finger.

"Serendipity," Fen purred as she prodded Emi along; the vampire had been strangely quiet although brilliantly effective in battle. She checked that the car was empty and then boarded it, holding the door for Ciel. In truth, the last thing she wanted was to climb stairs. A quiet voice inside her head reminded her that elevators should never be taken in the event of a fire but surely such dire warnings didn't apply to demon attacks? Fen, who had spent her entire life in an underdeveloped society, didn't have much experience with these modern conveniences but she assumed there would be some sort of demon mischief before the doors opened onto their destination.

Her bloody fingertips pressed the top floor button. Brown eyes regarded Ciel and then she gestured toward the Zealot with a nod of her head. "So that thing? Is it undead?"

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Gwen sighed. She had to play by the rules, and not doing that would have meant something very nasty for herself and the small group trailing her. And even then, said rules were quite hard and risky to follow.

Shielding her eyes with her hands, Gwen proceeded down the hallway. "Gabriel, where are you!? Give us a shout if you hear us!" she began calling out, while making her way in the corridor.

Ivy rolled her eyes.

The Queen of England's Royal Spaceship was walking down a corridor, hands over her eyes, calling for an angel. And it looked stupid.

"She's going to hit that wall." Ivy sighed to Caspian, slightly resigned. "I don't even see the point of doing this, really. Knowing the universe, we're going to have all the guards attacking us in minutes anyway. Not to tempt fate or anything, but...honestly, she's just as likely to walk into them."

She sighed in exasperation, put her hand over her eyes, and walked after Gwen. She was so done with this. Ten years ago, she would have been terrified. Travelling through an abandoned prison filled with universe-controlling abominations and god-knows-what. But...honestly? Now? She was tired of this. All this bullshit. Waking up in the middle of Purgatory. Being an angel. Whatever. She just wanted to see Calliel again, dammit. That was the one thing in her life she cared about. The rest just seemed like a distraction.

"If we all die because of her, I'm going to kill her." she mumbled to herself.

Almost out of spite, they found Gabriel sitting at a desk in the hallway, right outside an unused bathroom. He glanced up. "Sorry for not responding to you." he apologised to Gwen, looking up from a book written in some incomprehensible language. "I was engrossed in this. The smoke cloud teleported me to a different area in the building, but I found the old library in Alcatraz where some writings from this world and others were available. Odd, actually. It's relatively peaceful and safe here provided you don't harm the prisoners." Gabriel frowned. "There may be something sinister to this, but I'm not sure yet..."

He looked at Caspian and Ivy. "You two. Do you know who Zacheriah is? I found a book by him here. It discusses the dragons and Fae thoroughly."

[Nude East Ireland]

As the rain fell down Damien's face, he looked ahead at the landscape.

"So what is Stonehenge? Something left by an old and dead god?" he yelled over the pour. "I don't think anything could be older than the Fae War. Well, anything that's still around in my time, at least."

Merlin looked at his companion. "You'd be astounded." he replied. "There are many, many things older than the war. There were once Ancients who walked on this Earth who were older than even the Egyptians and Hindus were. They are long gone now, likely dead. But some of their relics remain. Such as this place."

Suddenly, Damien looked out, seeing the vast stones in front of him. They looked exactly like they did in his time, in the pictures he'd seen. Of course, if the pictures he'd seen had included dozens of heavily armed soldiers of various races and backgrounds milling about.

Damien was quite impressed, mostly at how Stonehenge was old-as-fuck, yet it still looked the same as it did in his time. Minus the armed soldiers, of course.

When they got close to the area, he once again looked to Merlin. "What else do you know about the Ancients? Could their relics be useful in the war? Or in my time? Speaking of which, I don't really know how things went with Azazel. But that's not important right now, I'm side-tracking a bit."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The Zealot was new to her. At first she thought it to be brain damaged but she quickly cottoned on that it was some sort of magical messenger and she fought the urge to poke it with her finger.

"Serendipity," Fen purred as she prodded Emi along; the vampire had been strangely quiet although brilliantly effective in battle. She checked that the car was empty and then boarded it, holding the door for Ciel. In truth, the last thing she wanted was to climb stairs. A quiet voice inside her head reminded her that elevators should never be taken in the event of a fire but surely such dire warnings didn't apply to demon attacks? Fen, who had spent her entire life in an underdeveloped society, didn't have much experience with these modern conveniences but she assumed there would be some sort of demon mischief before the doors opened onto their destination.

Her bloody fingertips pressed the top floor button. Brown eyes regarded Ciel and then she gestured toward the Zealot with a nod of her head. "So that thing? Is it undead?"

Ciel nodded at Fen as she stepped through the door of the elevator, using her cloak to clean up her flute a bit, even though she knew it was more than probable that it would just get stained all over again. Not that it mattered much, it had been stained for as long as she could remember anyway, this was just a pointless habit.

The Zealot entered the elevator as well, as it had been given orders to follow the other group. Ciel, noticing Fen's gaze and then hearing her question, scratched her head.

"Well, no, it... Didn't you see? Six of those things came with Alastor." She explained. "I mean, they could be undead for all I know, but they're probably just that asshole's demon mooks. Probably mind-wiped or something like that, judging by how that thing spoke. Poor bastards must have been prisoners of war or something like that." She said, unintentionally getting everything right.

The Zealot, meanwhile, limited itself to standing in front of the elevator's door, rifle trained towards the front. It was ready to attack anything that showed up on the other side of that door that it couldn't immediately register as an ally, just as ordered.

The elevator's doors closed and the machine began ascending, finding no trouble on the way up despite all odds. Some pleasant music was emitted by a small speaker on the elevator's wall.

A moment later all that was there was a fist-shaped dent and the only sound was that of Ciel saying "Stupid noise."

The way up was uneventful and probably awkward, but after a while, the elevator reached the top floor. From there they would have to take one final flight of stairs to get to the rooftop. Not that it was nearly as bothersome as climbing all the way up there would have been.

Unfortunately, something stood in front of them.

It appeared to be under the protection of a plate that seemed metallic in nature, which covered most of its body, including its tail. Speaking of which, it had a tail like that of a scorpion, gilded with the same silvery plate, though its tip, black as ebon, was unprotected. The creature bore two powerful pincers as well, and its face looked like a caricature of a human face. It was large, large as a horse, and seemed to be angry.

"Alright, what the fuck is that?" Ciel demanded, to no one in particular, pointing at the... Thing, that was in front of her. She'd never seen anything like that, truth be told, though that was hardly odd. She didn't often visit Pakistan.

Strangely enough, the Zealot began speaking again, though it now used its monotone voice once more. "Cherax Vorago. An extremely resilient creature vaguely related to the terrestrial maroon lobster. It thrives on the Apollyon plains of the northern provinces of Hell, and feeds primarily on flesh. It possesses two hearts and the poison on its tail can put any living creature to suffer excruciatingly for up to 150 days before killing them. Its weak point is its underbelly." It said.

Ciel merely stared at it, a bit amused. "Well, at least we have a pokedex with us." She said, before looking back at the giant pseudolobster, crossing her arms and letting out a loud and exasperated sigh. "This is still bullshit, though."

At that moment, the Locust, as it was commonly called, attempted to attack the group with one of its pincers.

[Astrolinium]

Ivy rolled her eyes.

The Queen of England's Royal Spaceship was walking down a corridor, hands over her eyes, calling for an angel. And it looked stupid.

"She's going to hit that wall." Ivy sighed to Caspian, slightly resigned. "I don't even see the point of doing this, really. Knowing the universe, we're going to have all the guards attacking us in minutes anyway. Not to tempt fate or anything, but...honestly, she's just as likely to walk into them."

She sighed in exasperation, put her hand over her eyes, and walked after Gwen. She was so done with this. Ten years ago, she would have been terrified. Travelling through an abandoned prison filled with universe-controlling abominations and god-knows-what. But...honestly? Now? She was tired of this. All this bullshit. Waking up in the middle of Purgatory. Being an angel. Whatever. She just wanted to see Calliel again, dammit. That was the one thing in her life she cared about. The rest just seemed like a distraction.

"If we all die because of her, I'm going to kill her." she mumbled to herself.

Almost out of spite, they found Gabriel sitting at a desk in the hallway, right outside an unused bathroom. He glanced up. "Sorry for not responding to you." he apologised to Gwen, looking up from a book written in some incomprehensible language. "I was engrossed in this. The smoke cloud teleported me to a different area in the building, but I found the old library in Alcatraz where some writings from this world and others were available. Odd, actually. It's relatively peaceful and safe here provided you don't harm the prisoners." Gabriel frowned. "There may be something sinister to this, but I'm not sure yet..."

He looked at Caspian and Ivy. "You two. Do you know who Zacheriah is? I found a book by him here. It discusses the dragons and Fae thoroughly."

Caspian, sword still out, raised both eyebrows.

"Zacheriah? We've met, back during the War."

He didn't know if that word was usually capitalized when referring to this specific conflict, but it certainly felt right.

He kept glancing to the corner of his eye. This was very wrong, this. It was the old "quiet, too quiet" trope in action.