Nach-Exil Joint Occupation Negotiation [FanT/IC/Private]

[Nachfolgia]

Angelika looked on in amazement as her hand had taken the form of a large knife. She moved her hand back and forth slowly, inspecting the new form. It weighed nothing, effectively becoming a part of her physiology. She tested the properties of the being some more, commanding it to change forms. She kept it to simple forms, nothing too complex. Hammer, pitchfork, even an axe was tested out. It seemed incredibly versatile and would need to be tested more.

Angelika was too transfixed on the malleable properties of the nixbeast that she didn't notice the light getting closer until it blinded her. She had spent so long in the darkness that her eyes were sensitive to light of the sun.

Once Angelika's eye sight adjusted to the light level that she saw where the tunnel let out. She stood on a cliff that overlooked a battlefield that scarred the ground it took place on. She could see the wreaks of the past, decrepit tanks and craters where bombs fell. The sickly mist of poisonous sulfur can be seen from where she stood. Angelika bet that if she got closer to the battlefield, she'd still see the bone of soldiers long dead. It was a depressing sight to behold.

" I've read the histories of Exilvania. I know of the armored ambush that still was enough to stop the Western Frontier. My only question is why bring me here?" Angelika said as she peered over the battlefield.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

"Aside from the fact that it is a large and dagerous area almost perfectly fenced in by difficult to scale cliffs, making it an excellent arena? Which in turn made it a predestined place for the Exilvanian zealots to train their assassins and commit to their many trials? Sometimes you mortals ask the most stupid questions..."

, the voice in her head told Angelika, the woman being able to somehow imagine the creature snorting and rolling its eyes at her.

Your task is very simple, Nachfolgia. A prey has been released into this crater. Strong preyl. Your trials end when the prey is dead. The method by which is up to you. Depending upon your methodology you employ, one or more of th Goddesses will consider you worthy of their favour and they shall support your ascent among my chosen before Nix, who will undertake your final evaluation.

So then mortal, off you go..."

[Nachfolgia]

Angelika stood there in silence, looking out into the crater as the Nixbeast explained its purpose. Whether it was a sacred spot or not, Angelika didn't careat that moment. She cared about the here and now as it pertained to her. This would be where her first trial would take place. She was to hunt and kill an unknown beast and she'll possibly be granted favor by one of the Xer goddesses. She wondered if a foreign goddess would given give her boon when even her own wouldn't.

Angelika walked to the edge of the cliff and peered down it. The steep, craggy surface was indeed concerning. She wondered how she would get down to the bottom. It would take her hours to climb and there was the possibility of falling. She looked down at her hands and legs, waiting the slick, black surface that was her skin now. Looking back down at the jagged rocks, Angelika came up with her plan.

Angelika took a few steps back from the edge and got down into a running stance.

" Please don't fail me." Angelika muttered.

She then took off running and jumped off the edge. As she fell, Angelika extended her arms out towards two rocks. The Nixbeast's skin quicklystretched out into the form of arms and extended out to the rocks. The claws dug into the rocks and clung to them. Angelika's jolted as her momentum quickly stopped. Breathing in panic, Angelika looked up to see her arms stretched out grabbing the rocks. She sighed in relief as she looked down at her next set of rocks. Angelika let go of the rocks and plummeted again. Grabbing the next cluster of rocks, she repeated the process until she was at the bottom.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

It would occur to Angelika perhaps a moment too late that perhaps she made a slight miscalculation. Already just when launching herself out of running stance, she was already nearly at the descent, having crossed the distance much faster than she likely would've expected. Similarly, her jump carried her much further than should've normally been possible, showcasing the terrifying strength her limbs now possessed as she'd sail through the air before finding a hold on the rocks, her claws digging in with ease, rocks being crushed to dust between her clawed fingers. She had made it almost all the way down in just this first jump, the rest was mere child's play and before long Angelika would be on the ground, bones crunching underneath her heels as she landed.

"I take it, the path was too boring for one getting to enjoy such extensive powers as you do now?"

, the voice in her mind commented again, amusement within it.

Before Angelika, the walls of a crater rose into the air, poisonous vapors rising from it and an eerie glow illuminating the air above. It was a large crater but could no doubt be rounded or possibly even jumped over if necessary. To the right Angelika would be able to see the old, rusted wrecks of several Exilvanian heavy tanks, Übelmeister III 'Drakuls'. On her left was what appeared to be some kind of forest or brush, even if the gangly growths looked like anything other than plants.

[Nachfolgia]

" If I'm going to hunt these supposed prey, I need to know what you're capable of. My life is on the line after all." Angelika said as she looked up at the walls of the crater. From the bottom, the crater looked a lot deeper than originally anticipated. What ever ungodly event cause the formation was beyond her.The fact that she was able to almost reach the bottom from a single jump was astonishing. This Nixbeast had plenty of tricks hidden within its viscous, black form.

Her main concern now was her prey, hiding somewhere amongst the rusted hulls in the crater. Angelika kept low and crept her way around the crater, taking things very slow. Her prey could be anywhere and if she knew the way Nichts thought, it was not going to be easy. Her prey could very well turn the tables on her and she'd be the prey. Hopefully, the Nixbeast will add her in finding the prey, possibly increasing her perception and hearing. Until it could be determined to be true, Angelika had to rely on her own sense and wit to keep her alive.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

"Tsk, you should be glad that it is this blasphemous thing you call a life being sacrificed. But no, all you mortals are the same, clinging to it so desperately."

, the Nixbeast complained into her mind before suddenly shifting all over her body, its voice threatening as it said:

"Do not speak with me in such a tone, mortal. I am on you, I am in you, I can snuff out your life any time I want...or I can correct your behaviour directly."

For a moment Angelika felt a painful pressure inside her ears but it vanished as soon as it had started and the threatening voice in her mind pointed her in the direction of the wreckage, stating with a jovial tone.

"Well, the idea is for you to master the powers of Nix, me telling you would be...cheating, would it not? But there is no time limitation on your task, the prey will not run away from this arena afterall. Or well, there is a time limit but it should not matter to you.

Now, if you are so concerned about your current capabilities, why do you not seek to test them? There is plenty of alternative prey or objects in this crater that will be more than useful should you wish to do so."

[Nachfolgia]

Angelika winced as the pressure in her ears became uncomfortable. Once again, the Nix beast proved to her that it is in control. As much as it pained her, it was right. It is in control, able to end her life on a whim if it wanted to. For now, Angelika will play the role of servant as she devised a way to overpower it. Eventually, the Nix beast will not be the boss.

Once the pressure subsided, Angelika would finally be submissive to it, seeing the error of her ways.

"I understand and ask for forgiveness for my insolence. What title do you want me to address you, my lord? " Angelika said sincerely, keeping her true intentions hidden.

Adhering to the Nix beasts advice, Angelika would have to experiment with what she can do. Obviously, she would have to keep her action quiet as she was hunting her prey. She crouched down a bit and leaped in the air, propelling herself across the crater. She landed perfectly without any injuries.

Wanting to test her strength, Angelika spotted a junk of metal that seemed to have been part of a tank at one point. Looking at it, it must have been several hundred pounds in weight. It would serve as a good test. Angelika walked over and bent down to pick it up. Much to her surprise, she lifted it with some effort on her part. She then chucked it several yards away from her, it hitting the ground with a thud.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

"Oh, so that stubborn mind of yours has finally seen reason, huh? Hehe, of course you would, afterall it was I who sabotaged your race from the start to be so...perceptive and flexible. As for a title, good, I see you are learning. I believe...yes, I believe 'your Nihilness' should suffice. Now go on, there are trials to complete, a prey to kill."

, the Nixbeast replied, clearly quite pleased if not downright flattered by Angelika's sudden willingness to play along. This sudden better working relationship with the Nixbeast also quickly yielded very notable boons for Angelika, who would, as she tested her new powers, notice that her body responded much faster and more fluidly to her than it had before. Her tests went off without a hitch though there remained a feeling as though she was holding back, as though she was merely grasping at the straws of true power rather than actually wielding it.

However, things did not go as quietly as one would hope. The rusted piece of metal she threw fell apart shortly after leaving her hands, multiple pieces flying through the air, some of them just landing with a thud, others skidding across the dusty ground. Either way, a lot of dust was kicked up that would likely be quite visible to an observant eye.

Within her mind the Nixbeast already commented:

"Oh? Trying to lure the prey here? Quite bold of you though I doubt it will work. It is intelligent prey and it does not seek a fight...thought you might end up with a fight still."

As if to support the Nixbeast's claim, strange, gurgling sounds could be heard in the distance. First one, then two, then three, coming from different directions and almost appearing as though they were answering one another. They came from the small forest she had chosen not to head to as well as from further along the edge of the crater, whereas the path in front of her, deeper into the crater, bore no such sounds.

[Nachfolgia]

Angelika did not intend to cause so much noise when she threw the chunk of metal. She did not predict that it would break apart in mid air and crash into various spots in the crater. She physically cringed as soon as noise rang out, knowing that she made a grave mistake.

Angelika tensed up when she heard the distant howls of unknown creatures. Looking around the crater, Angelika took a note of the general directions of the howling. Things had now gotten more precarious at the addition of these unknown predators. She wondered what monstrosities awaited her in this desolate crater. Given what she knew of Nichts, Angelika doubted it was anything normal.

Angelika crouched down and began to stealthily traverse the crater, heading towards the only area she didn't hear howling come from.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Before long, if Angelika were to look back, she would see something strange moving out of the forest. A somewhat larger and certainly much broader than human creature which walked strangely hunched over. Sharp, powerful claws at the end of arms full of bulging muscles, making it all too clear that despite its slow, hunched over movements, it was anything but a weak creature. Glistening red skin, nearly like a demon, covered the creature, seemingly splitting open at the back to let some of its spiked spine burst out. A pair of glowing red eyes within a red face full of sharp teeth and several forward facing spikes.

It remained on its position, sniffing the air for a while, before continuing to stalk forward ever so slightly, sniffing even more. Another creature stomped out of the forest behind it and in the other direction, yet another one of these strange creatures appeared.

"Vampiric Creepers, a rare sight indeed. And three of them at once too. I believe these were some of the creatures Katharina had a hand in creating, though they are quite far from where they would usually live. I suppose living things migrate..."

However, the path in front was certain to carry her away from them. Clouds of clearly noxious fumes would obscure her form and sight as she'd continue, though apparently the Nixbeast's presence helped mitigate their effects on her for she felt no sickness or anything. They were wafting out of the multiple smaller crater that riddled the greater crater like pockmarks, the land itself looking diseased, at least as much as she could see of it.

"An...ge...li...kaaa..."

, she'd suddenly hear someone call out for her, as though from far away and ahead of her, though it was hard to make out who had called. Behind her the gurgling howls of the Vampiric Creepers seemed to cut through the crater almost in response, no doubt the beast's having now found a new prey, whoever it might be.

[Nachfolgia]

Underneath the Nixbeast's skin that shrouded her, Angelika's eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the monstrosities in the distance. The SCP-esque horrors were unlike any creature from mythos that she had ever heard of. Grotesque, red skin that's falling off the frame and rows of teeth.

The horrid creatures set shivers down her spin as she slowly backed up into the poison fog. Angelika didn't want to stick around and become their next meal.

Creeping through the fog, unaffected by its noxious fumes, Angelika made her deeper into the crater. Of course, it wasn't long after she increased her distance from the monsters that something else caught her attention. A voice called out her name. Not from within her mind, like the Nixbeast, but echoing through the physical air around her. At first, she thought it was close, causing her to duck into cover behind more scrap metal. Angelika realized after a few moments that it was further away, somewhere in the crater.

While the voice seemed to have caught the attention of what the Nixbeast dubbed " vampirism Creepers" Angelika was less willing to investigate until she got more intel on what it was. What better way to know what it was than to ask.

" What was the voice...your nihilness." Angelika asked, keeping a low profile amongst the scrap.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

"The voice of someone you know no doubt."

, the Nixbeast answered courtly, making its displeasure known by shifting a little. Meanwhile the fog only seemed to grow thicker, billowing out of the sulfuric pockmarks that dotted the crater, shrouding Angelika within its noxious clouds.

Again the voice came, this time closer, clearer:

"Ange...lika...save...me..."

In fact, it was so clear that Angelika could feel a strange feeling of recognition...yet she would not be able to pinpoint it, her memory seemingly always out of reach, slipping away. Instead however she would see a shape in the mist, in the direction the voice had come from. It looked human enough, at least it had the right proportion and outside shape.

[Nachfolgia]

"Ange...lika...save...me..."

Angelika looked upon the shadowly figure with disbelief. Could what she was seeing be real? It seemed real, but at the same time like she was imagining it. She could not make whether it was male or female. It was far to distorted and ethereal to tell.

Then there was the voice, mystic and echoing much like how the Nixbeast's. While it seemed familiar to her, Angelika could not figure out who's it was. Every time she tried to recall, the memory faded away.

Angelika did not know how and why the figure appeared or why she could not place the voice. Whether this was a trick, a malevolent aspect of the hellscape or not, Angelika still felt she was in danger. Angelika slowly backed away as she prepared herself for a fight, either from the horrid howling creatures around the crater or the ethereal mass materializing before her.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

The figure did not follow her, slowly fading into the fumes...that was untill she could hear the voice from behind her again, stronger now, clearer. It became ever more familiar yet she just couldn't grasp its true owner. The figure was in the fumes behind her, barely a foot away from her, having solidified a bit further into what clearly looked like a man. A man who said:

"Angelika...why do...you run...from me? Will you...abandon me...to this hell?"

"Indeed, why do you run, mortal? Why don't you embrace him? You know him well and that's what you living do, don't you?"

, the Nixbeast taunted.

[Nachfolgia]

Angelika stood there in horror as the figure was now closer to her, manifesting in the mist meer feet from her. It was more solid than it was moments ago, appearing to be a male in physique. She still could not recall what the voice was, despite it being audibly clearer. What was happening to her?

Her heart raced as the figure called out to her, beckoning for her to not run away. With both the figure and the Nixbeast talking, Angelika was experiencing a senory overload. She couldn't think clearly, unsure of what she needed to do now. Everything seemed to have been deteriorating fast ever since she entered the mist.

The Mist! Angelika finally realized what was happening. This was all another trap that the Nixbeast was trying to keep her in. Whatever the mist was, it was doing her harm. She needed to escape it fast. Angelika crouched down and launched herself into the air, clearing herself of the mist. She would land in a clear area amongst some more debris.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Air would rush past her as she launched herself through it, her legs propelling her up to a staggering height, allowing her to see the surroundin area. The mist she had just launched herself out from was like a cloud, billowing out of one of the larger craters and had taken up a fairly vast area, with tendrils of it seemingly going after Angelika yet wholly incapable of matching her speed. She could also see the Vampiric Creepers, waiting outside of the cloud, their hunched over forms keeping a safe distance, waiting for their prey to emerge. Though Angelika did not emerge the way they expected and thus they did not notice her. Her short lived vantage point also allowed her to see the dead forest, the pockmarks of the crater as well as a road cutting through it in the east.

Her landing would also be surprisingly good, despite the high heels, all of her body seemingly having started to get accustomed to the Nixbeast. The debris also shielded her from unwanted eyes, allowing her a moment of reprieve and to recollect her thoughts...which would actually work now. She would finally be able to recognize the voice she had heard within the cloud as that of her...father.

"Hmpf! Rash, mortal. Very rash. The Mozekfresser is an ultimately harmless being and the new members of the Ordo Crudelitatis seek it out on purpose to steel their minds for what is to come."

, the Nixbeast replied in her head, clearly less than happy with Angelika's course of action.

[Nachfolgia]

Angelika landed hard on the ground, bending her knees to absorb the impact. The force of the landing kicked up some dirt as she stood back up. She quickly looked around to see if there was any of those monsters in this area of the crater.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Angelika leaned up against a dead tree as her mind was still clearing.

" Mozekfresser? That gas is a living being?" Angelika said as she tried to get a grip on her mind. " Whatever was happening it wasn't real. I don't know what possible reason that a false visage of my late father would steel my mind for." Angelika said as she went on the move ahead, heading into the forest of dead trees.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

"Oh, it is quite simple. It would have freed you from any and all memories of your father. They're afterall irrelevant, especially now that he is...dead, isn't he?"

, the Nixbeast replied as though it was the simplest conclusion in the world.

"The members of the Ordo come here to forget their old lives and any connections to their past so that they can fully devote themselves to serve me. Well, another me but I am sure even a mortal like yourself can understand the idea."

The forest proved to be as dead as it looked, not a living thing moving within it at first glance, the dead trees' branches outstretched like fingers, trying to hold on to her, the bark seeming to have morphed into gruesome faces of despair and terror. Occasionally Angelika would come across bones. Human at first glance yet at second glance more likely to be Exilvanian if the fangs were anything to go by. Though there were also other, more bestial bones. All of them bore marks of a blade and/or scorchmarks.

Eventually Angelika would see a bright light shining inbetween the dead trees, so bright it was practically blinding to her and would only become moreso the closer she got.