[QUEST] The Hungry Caterpillar.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“Uh…” Shinzu had forgotten that he was in the presence of a child. “An investigation is like a… Uh. Treasure hunt? Except the treasure is usually someone I want to beat up.” Or rather in this case, kill. “Melodium? May I call you Melo? Or Melody?” The girl had at last revealed her name. At the very least, it felt like there was now a strong enough emotional connection for Melo to no longer want to run away like last time. “Hey.” Shinzu murmured as he removed his shoes and handed it to the girl. They were probably at least twice her size, however, at the very least, it would take the burden off of her injured soles. “It may be awkward to walk in these, so take your time.”

After what felt like a good while later, Melo would have finally sniffed her way to a woodland area. “She followed a scent? That girl’s nose must be pretty powerful.” The question now, however, was what to do. “That burned down building in the distance… Is that where the bad guys are?” Shinzu needed confirmation before he acted. Although that was the only real questionable landmark in sight, he was far too much of the cautious type to act before thinking.

“Let’s send out a scout.” Regardless of Melo’s answer, a small tennis-ball sized ghost would escape Shinzu’s palm and shoot out towards the house. Whether or not Melo was capable of using magic, she and the ‘bad guys’ in question would most likely be unable to detect or even see the ghoul unless of course like Shinzu, they shared magic related to the underworld.

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

“Uh… An investigation is like a… Uh. Treasure hunt? Except the treasure is usually someone I want to beat up.” The girl stared at him quizzically. Why would he wanna hunt someone down just to beat them up?
"Are you a bad guy?" She mused. "Beating up people is bad. Bullies do that so don't be a bully!"
"Melodium? May I call you Melo? Or Melody?” As Shinzu voiced her name, Melodium just shrugged. She didn't really care what he called her, it was just a name after all. She'd never really been nicknamed something that wasn't an abbreviation to her name other than the word brat.

As the girl took hold of his hand and began to guide him in one direction, it seemed like he had something on his mind from the way he called out to her.
Looking back at him once again, Melodium blinked her eyes. Watching as he removed his shoes and offered them to her, she took them hesitantly and stared at them with a puzzled expression. "It may be awkward to walk in these, so take your time.” he wanted her to wear them? Looking at her feet, she wiggled her toes and then shrugged. It would probably not feel as bad on her feet if she were to wear them. She knew the grass near her house was very coarse and long. 


After a while walking (awkward at that) the building that the girl had treasured so much during her time growing up began to protrude throughout the luscious woodland and the girl felt relieved to see it despite the outside looking so burnt up; it still stood tall. 
"That burned down building in the distance… Is that where the bad guys are?” She turned her head to look at him, nodding her head slowly.
"Yup! That's it. It didn't look this bad when I left it, they're not taking care of it... Those bullies..." She leaned against a tree, hands clasping the bark while she watched it in sadness and longing. "My home... Mama and papa..."
"Mama and papa said they built it so I had the woodland to grow up in and I wouldn't need to grow up in a polluted air like the silly town."


"Let’s send out a scout.” Shinzu suggested. The girl blinked her head as she waited for him to summon or call one, but nothing seemed to happen other than the strong sense of magic that she picked up.
"You're using magic!" She announced, covering her mouth when she realised she may have spoken a little too loudly, lowering her voice she looked at him expectantly. "Are you a wizard? You are!"
----------------------


Inside the burnt down building stood the cluster of the mafia, looking rather smaller than it should be. Sitting around the burnt table; a cluster of the people were discussing. A woman with long black hair, black lipstick and two bright amethyst eyes stood next to a rather bald and round man who had a cigar stuck out the side of his mouth and an eye patch on his eye. Sitting close to them was rather hunched man with a cloak over his body and a rather ragged bandanna while the other beings were wearing masks that took on the several expressions of people in foul moods from anger to sadness.
On the woman's shoulder and the big man's corsair was a grinning mouth that possessed jagged teeth.
"Lucia, I dare say, however, the next people on our hit list are quite a way off."
"You fool, we wandered on these people and look at all the riches we managed to salvage and hide."
"It's a shame you let the smaller one escape, I'm sure she could be used for the slavery. Many people pay big money for young slaves to do their chores and dirty work."
"As enticing as that seems, I don't think they'd take her in the state we left her. From when I last saw her, she was pretty much skin and bones. Poor thing." With that said, the woman threw her head back into a fit of laughter before the laughter instantly cut off.
"Did you hear that? It sounded like a voice outside."
"I didn't hear it."
"Ye, me neither."
"Well, whatever, I can sense magic. We're not alone."

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“Am I a bad guy?” Shinzu voiced the sentence in his head as opposed to out loud. He had no idea how to answer the question. Although now he was less of a ‘villain’ than in the past, he had done little as a means of redemption since escaping his life as a killer. Of course, he had saved lives. Protected a dying guild. Arrested countless criminals. Yet despite all that, deep down inside, Shinzu knew that he was far from ‘good’. “You know who also beats up the bad guy? The town sheriff.” The guild master smirked as he spoke those words. “Things are rarely black and white in life. There is usually a huge grey void.” The meaning behind those words was probably too much for a child to understand. However, they weren’t aimed at Melo. Instead, Shinzu just needed to hear it himself.

“Bullies never leave people alone until someone stands up to them.” Shinzu’s words were cold and his eyes were deep in thought. As opposed to the bloodlust from before, now he just appeared deeply in thought. Almost like a man whose mind was trapped in his haunted past. “Yup.” Shinzu’s brooding expression would change into a genuine smile. Probably the most genuine Melo had seen from her companion all day. “I am Shinzu Hayashi, guild master of Lion Heart. The peacekeepers of Shirotsume. The iron sword of justice.” The guild master would roll back his shirt in order to reveal the lion emblem tattooed onto the right-side of his upper chest.

Moments later, the transparent spectre would return to Shinzu and whisper something into his ear. If anyone in the vicinity had the power to see this, then they would take note of the fact that the ghoul would vanish instantly after fulfilling its purpose. “Hey, Mel. Do you want revenge?” The guild master’s expression would return to blood lust as he extended an arm forwards. “It is your decision, however, regardless of what you decide, stay behind me at all times. I will protect you.” At the end of his sentence, Shinzu would simply take in a deep breath before falling silent for several seconds.

…

…

…

“I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE SCUM! COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE MEN OR I WILL FORCE MY WAY IN AND DEAL WITH YOU LIKE THE VERMIN YOU ARE!”

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

He seemed to have gone quiet when the young child had simply asked if he himself was a bad guy. As she peered up at him with big, curious eyes, he seemed to be deep in thought like he was contemplating the universe.
"You know who also beats up the bad guy? The town sheriff.” He spoke and she blinked her eyes in confusion. His smile gave the girl the creeps. "Things are rarely black and white in life. There is usually a huge grey void.” She stood there thinking his words through before folding her arms and frowning in frustration.
"Then why not paint it the colours? Isn't the world like a canvas and we can paint the colours?" Her question was innocent enough, but she always believed from her parents wise words.


"Bullies never leave people alone until someone stands up to them.” The tone the man gave the child caused her to freeze on the spot and frown. A shiver ran down her spine and her eyes closed for a brief period of time as she took in the words. 
"Should I have stood up to them when they made my family go boom?" The girl asked meekly, fingers pressed together behind her. "Maybe they wouldn't be in this kinda big trouble!" Why was words so hard to say?

As the man summoned something and the girl picked up on the magic, she was more excited than anything else. With a happy gasp and a wide gaze on Shinzu as she voiced her joys at how the man she bagged was indeed a wizard, he seemed to have more than just what a wizard should have.
“I am Shinzu Hayashi, guild master of Lion Heart. The peacekeepers of Shirotsume. The iron sword of justice.” Maybe he was blowing his horn a little too much? Who knew. Melodium barely understood half of the stuff he said. What was justice? She had heard from her mother about a stand-tall guild who had enlisted themselves as Lion Heart in order to protect the town, but a part of the child didn't understand why he or the guild didn't protect her family.
Examining his emblem, the girls eyes widened at the sight of and she moved around to examine it. She couldn't help but marvel at it before sensation the same magic presence return.


"Hey, Mel. Do you want revenge?” He asked her a question that caused her to cock her head and blink. 
"What's... Revenge?" She asked in a hushed whisper. His expression was grave and it scared her and she took a few steps backwards, her feet stepping awkwardly due to the shoes she had been given. Never had she seen such a look on his face.
"It is your decision, however, regardless of what you decide, stay behind me at all times. I will protect you.” With that said, Melodium looked towards the ground and swung back and forth awkwardly while thinking. What was revenge? She didn't know what it was, but it seemed like before she could even say anything; Shinzu took a deep intake of breath.


"I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE SCUM! COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE MEN OR I WILL FORCE MY WAY IN AND DEAL WITH YOU LIKE THE VERMIN YOU ARE!”



-----


With the discussion clearly going nowhere, the cluster of the Mafia sat discussing amongst themselves while Lucia and the boss himself separate with the cloak made their way to a more secluded place to talk, but not before Lucia raised her hand as Shinzu's voice bellowed through the building.
With a quick mother, Lucia transformed into a long serpent and snaked her way towards the window. Peering through the tattered drapes, she caught sight of Shinzu and the all-so familiar expression of the weak, decrepit child.
"Oh boysssss, what would you do if I told you we got company?" 
With every gaze on the snake, they blinked. 
"Meaning you foolsssss go out there and gettt themmmm" Lucia's eyes pierced the Mafia's gaze and it seemed to send a jolt through each of their bodies. The latter of them dove out of the door in clusters and without hesitation leapt towards Shinzu with swords at ready. Majority of them didn't have magic, but needless to say there was a lot more of this Mafia around the building and cloaked. 


"Lucia, what's going on out there?"
"Oh nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over, ssssiirrrr." Lucia hissed as she slithered her way over and taken on her human for again; brushing her hand through her black hair and letting it prop up back over her breasts.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“Hm, I suppose we can.” The statement was in response to Mel’s comment about the world being a canvas in need of some colour. “I was always partial to a little blue.” Shinzu was attempting to defuse the tension in the air. His darker side was beginning to show and at this point, he could only worry that it could scare away the innocent child despite his best intentions. “Do not blame yourself for what happened. Transformations do not always occur over night. I was not always this man you see before you. I did not possess the courage to fight against one criminal, yet alone the whole of Shirotsume. I suppose Lion Heart changed me.”

“Wait… If she can sense my magic.” Shinzu contemplated over the obvious fact he had just missed. “Are you able to use magic too?” He asked with a curious expression. As much as he tried to keep the conversation light hearted, however, things would quickly take a darker turn. “Revenge is… An eye for an eye. If someone punches you, you punch them back. If someone burns down your house, you burn down something of equal value.” The guild master would exhale at the end of his explanation. It was quite the mouthful. “I suppose you are too young for this.” Scratching his head, Shinzu simply returned his gaze back at the house as a cluster of enemies began to form.

“Out of my way fodder.” A multitude of ghosts would begin to bleed out of Shinzu’s extended hand. This river of phantasms would then disperse and bombard the cluster of foes. Anyone able to use magic in the slightest would be unaffected. Those that couldn’t, however, would be possessed by the spirits and left at their mercy. “Fight.” He commanded, causing the possessed goons to start fighting amongst each other. There appeared to be far more possessed fodder than foes able to fend them off with magic. “I will not kill them if that is what you wish. The decision is yours, but at the very least, I will not be satisfied until I have knocked a few teeth out of everyone.”

Once the aftermath of the fighting was over, the possessed goons would begin punching themselves in the face repeatedly to the point where they would be littered in bruises, black eyes and broken teeth. This would continue until the point where they would sustain enough damage to fall unconscious, the act of which would cause the multitude of ghosts to be ejected from their vessels. Rather than returning to Shinzu, however, they simply remained hovering awkwardly in the air. Though they could not be seen, even those incapable of using magic would feel an awkward chill in the air. Almost as if death himself was in the vicinity.

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

“Hm, I suppose we can.” Shinzu speculated. “I was always partial to a little blue.” 
Her expression softened into a smile and she giggled. "Blue like my eyes or blue like the sky? Oh wait, they're the same." She grinned cheekily before her expression changed to a much more sterner expression, especially when she picked up on the tension. 
Shinzu's expression caused the girl to go quiet, watching him cautiously. 
"Do not blame yourself for what happened. Transformations do not always occur over night. I was not always this man you see before you. I did not possess the courage to fight against one criminal, yet alone the whole of Shirotsume. I suppose Lion Heart changed me.” Shinzu explained and the girl blinked her eyes quizzically. She had no idea what he meant.


"Are you able to use magic too?” Shinzu's voice caught her off guard. Hiding up close to the tree, she grabbed onto the bark and looked awkwardly to the side with a reddened face. 
"No..." She lied, looking away with an embarrassed gaze. "I don't use magic..." With her hands on the bark; she couldn't help but feel awkward, a little shaky. Her willpower was fighting the starvation. She had no ounce of magic within her body left at this point. 
Revenge was a word she had never heard before in her life, so it made sense for her to simply ask what its definition meant. Shinzu was quick on the ball, however, and tried to explain it in the best way he could.
"Revenge is… An eye for an eye. If someone punches you, you punch them back. If someone burns down your house, you burn down something of equal value.” Still she barely understood what he meant and felt a little awkward in just saying that she didn't know, so she kept her gaze on him with a curious expression. Why would you want to do something of equal to someone else?
"I suppose you are too young for this.”

It was by that time that something seemed to change in the atmosphere far quicker than the poor girl could get her grasp on. A whole load of people erupted from now only the building, but around them and the poor child wrapped her tiny arms around the tree in order to hold onto it; fingers clutching against the bark.
The sensation of magic grew stronger, emanating from two places at once and overwhelming Melo's senses. She bit onto her lower lip with her teeth. Shinzu reeked of magic and it was enough to make her feel woozy. 
"Out of my way fodder.” Shinzu's voice boomed such an intimidating tone and she found herself gripping on to the tree a lot more tightly, the bark shattering beneath her grasp and splinters entering the tips of her fingers and wedging themselves beneath her long nails.


The fight seemed to end as quickly as it had started and the lower ranking mobsters were busy lunging at each other. Melodium watched it happen with sheer surprise, her lips parted in awe and her eyes filled with wonder. Weren't they aiming to attack this man in front of her?
As the punched and hit each other, it was like they had no intention.
"I will not kill them if that is what you wish. The decision is yours, but at the very least, I will not be satisfied until I have knocked a few teeth out of everyone.”
His voice caused her to squeak and hide more behind the tree, so much to the point she sank down with her arms still erect.
It felt like she was in trouble or she'd say the wrong thing. 
"D-don't kill. Just send them to the police or... Or something and.. - " She cut off and then quickly replaced it with a cry, "Watch out!"


-


The sight of the lackeys being killed caused the three higher ranking members to tremble, Lucia's arm gripped the cloaked figure and she leaned in.
"Lucia, w-what are you...." With that said, Lucia's mouth parted to show two rather large teeth protruding from her upper jaw, growing down and she pressed them right to the man's neck, tearing through the flesh and draining him until he was nothing more than just skin, bones and deteriorated muscle. The corpse fell down lifeless, no blood even leaving his body.
Lucia's body shimmered and took on the form of a two scaly wings, shadowy snakes slithering around her feet and legs while she stood there turning her hands into claws.
"It feels so good to be out of that body, why don't you become my next prey?" Her eyes turned towards the mafia, she smirked as she walked closer. 
"N-no stop, Lucia we had an -" With a blood curdling cry, Lucia devoured the man's body before it was nothing more than the same as the previous kill before she sent a long shadowy burst out towards Shinzu; snakes forming as they flung out of her hands, snaking around each other as they flew head on towards the man outside.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“What about my hair?” Shinzu grinned as he played with a few strands to show off their unnatural blue hue. The focus of the conversation would then quickly shift to Melo’s magic, or rather, the apparent lack of it. “You do not use magic?” The guild master asked with a puzzled look. She was able to sense the presence of the phantasms, which meant that there was no doubt that she had access to magical energy. “Then no one has trained you in using your abilities?” Shinzu did not want to believe that the girl was hiding something, although that was a strong possibility. Instead, he just simply pressed on the fact that the girl probably had some sort of inert magical power that had yet to fully surface.

“As you wish.” Shinzu said, as calmly as possible. By now he was more than well aware of the fact that he was probably scaring the girl. “Lighten up.” He smirked. “I am here for you. If you just want me to arrest these people, then I shall do just that.” Part of Shinzu was relieved that he wouldn’t need to take more lives than absolutely necessary. In fact, being a part of Lion Heart, he probably would of ended up in a lot of trouble if he ended up killing someone without much cause. “Hm?” He questioned as Melo warned of something.

Shinzu had missed some of the events due to his focus on Melo, however, he had glanced back just in time to see the creature devour one of her so called allies. “And what are you supposed to be?” The guild master was cocky after taking on all of the goons. A little bit too cocky. “Requiem.” He murmured, the act of which causing all the surrounding spirits to begin wailing. After a second, they would explode in black light, disintegrating the area around the snake-creature. After having focused the attack in order to avoid damaging Melo’s house, however, Shinzu had unfortunately been unable to stop her foe’s attack.

“D-Damn!” Jumping to the left, Shinzu would avoid much of the brunt. In a moment of hesitance, however, several of the shadowy tendrils would scratch against the guild masters leg, causing three long and rather nasty-looking gashes to appear. “Damn it, she got my right leg.” Shinzu hissed as he fell onto the ground in order to take the weight off of his leg. He would then watch cautiously as the explosions from his own attack stopped to reveal a decimated area and large cloud of dust. “Did I get her… Or?” It was impossible to tell if his attack had even landed. There was simply far too much dust to know for sure.

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

Refusing to admit that she did in fact possess some magic caused the girl to shift her gaze to the side and lie about it, shaking her head to his question about using magic once again.
"Then no one has trained you in using your abilities?” he asked and she shook her head again.
"Nobody trained me. What abilities? What are abililities." More hard words. Great.
The once lighthearted conversation escalated quickly and she found herself crying out towards the man as she picked up the strong sense of magic power which felt corrupted and made her feel queasy and ill just from the strength of it, she kept her clutches on the bark, refusing to let go.

Shinzu seemed to cast something despite getting hit in the process by the mistress behind the building, she didn't even dare want to know about the blood curdling screams earlier. She could hear the beating of wings and the sound of boots hitting the floor before crunching against dead grass. 
"D-Damn!” Shinzu's pained voice caused the girl to sigh, refusing to see what's going on - all she could smell was blood and death and it made her physically sick. Releasing the bark with one hand, she covered her mouth and counted to ten to calm herself down.


"What am I, you assssk?" Lucia's voice quivered as she ran her snake tongue over her lips. "Jussst sssimply a manifesssstation of a once beautiful serpent corrupted by misssssery and darknessss." A black miasma formed a thick barrier in front of her, the ends of the miasma turning into snakes and hissing at the man before forming into miasma.
She grinned, her teeth jagged and the two teeth at the front of her jaw sharper and longer than the rest. Protruding down and overlapping her lower teeth, pressing against her lower lip. 
"They call me Lucia of the Ssssshadow Sssserpentsssss. I've been manipulating the mafia so I thank you for the help," Grabbing one of the possessed men, she ran her forked tongue over their neck and punctured his neck. "Meals sure are delectable." 
She turned her gaze to the building, curling her lip in sheer disdain. "You destroyed my lovely hideout and ruined most of my preciousss little babiesss in the processsss.." She laughed a maniacal laugh.
"I can ssssmell your blood, it sssmellsss divine." She moved her gaze towards the tree where the child was hiding, raising an eyebrow.
"Ssso that brat isss sstill alive. How interessting." Each s was a hiss. "Very well, then. How about a trade? You give me that brat and I'll let you run along and keep your blood in tact." She took a step closer. "Or we can fight and your blood will be mine." 

[Tsundere Shinzu]

Shinzu took note of the way in which Melo was shaking her head. It seemed like the action of a child who wished to avoid the truth, as opposed to someone who just simply wanted to dismiss a fact. Aside from that little observation, however, the guild master had little opportunity to be keeping track of her. “Stay there!” He yelled, referring to the fact that the girl was relatively safe in her current location. After that point, the guild master’s focus would shift entirely onto the snake-demon, though not before he would send out a single ghoul and use it to possess the tree Melo was on. “I know you might be getting bad vibes, but do not worry. I will protect you.”

“Now then, time to deal with you serpent.” Shinzu was beginning to enjoy himself. It had been a while since he could let loose. “Why not go back to being a beautiful serpent? I think I would like you much better that way.” The guild master grinned to himself as he put pressure on his wounds. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to bleed out. “I am divine? I seem to hear that from all of the ladies.” Shinzu was stalling. Though apparently, there was little need for that. The creature that had just revealed herself as Lucia had done a great job of monologuing all on her own.

“I prefer my own deal. I keep the girl. And as for you… I get to rip off your arm and smack you on the head with it. Sound good?” After grinning, Shinzu would raise both hands into the air. “Exanimation.” A large runic circle appeared in the sky and bathed the surrounding area in a purple glow. After that point, both the unconscious and deceased mobsters would spring into life, once again under Shinzu’s absolute control. “I have to end this fast… Controlling this many at once is extremely taxing on my mana.”

Suddenly, all of the possessed vessels would lunge at the snake creature and attempt to subdue her with a barrage of attacks. They would use whatever they could. Weapons, fists and nearby rocks. Much to the enemy’s surprise, even the man she had just freshly sucked dry would once again animate and attempt to hold her down while the others attacked. Lucia would also find that these possessed dolls were much more powerful than the mundane counterpart. They were physically stronger, faster and had little regard for their own lives. They were the ultimate soldiers.

Shinzu would then wait and watch. If his mini-army could render the foe unconscious or at least bind her down, then he would do nothing. If she somehow defeated all of them, however, then he would clasp his hands together and unleash a beam of silver weaponry which would rain down a barrage of swords and polearms onto her.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell Name: Exanimation
Level: B
Range: 50m
Description: By raising both hands into the air, the user may call upon his dark powers to create a large runic circle in the sky. Moments later, the circle will shatter, unleashing a multitude of spirits onto the mortal world. These ghostly apparitions cannot exist in the mortal world for long without a body, which is why they will then immediately seek out some sort of vessel to possess. Not only does this include mundane humans, but also anything that may bear the vague resemblance of a human body, such as a large ragdoll or suit of armour. Upon possession, the spirits will then seek out and annihilate any opponents in the immediate vicinity with total disregard for their own lives. Usually, this will involve using their inhuman speed, strength and numbers to literally overwhelm an opponent.
Drawback: Although physically stronger than most mortals due to their grudges against humanity, the spirits do possess a unnatural weakness to magic. Not only can an area of effect attack of the same rank wipe them all out at once, the cleansing nature of fire is especially a huge threat against them. The spirits are also unable to cast any magic of their own and are unable to force themselves inside of player controlled characters or anyone remotely capable of using magic. Each possession also exhausts Shinzu’s mental will. Attempting to control too many spirits at once will result in him being unable to cast magic or even move should the strain overwhelm him. Anything conjured into the mortal world by this spell can also be coerced into attacking Shinzu instead of the intended target should anyone be able to reason or bargain against their masters manipulation.

Spell Name: Unrelenting Assault
Level: B
Range: 40m
Description: Upon clasping both of his hands together, the user will focus to form a large circle of runes directly in front of himself. On command, the portal will begin spitting out a flurry of different weaponry ranging from swords to halberds. Each weapon possesses an otherworldly tint, which almost hints at the fact that these items belong to ‘the world beyond’. Although individually the weapons aren’t too powerful, it is the fact that a large number of them will pour out of the portal that makes this attack so deadly. There is also the fact that although their trajectory cannot be altered upon being shot out of the portal, the user does possess the ability to tilt the portal at different directions in order to further control where the torrent of weaponry will crash into.
Drawback: Upon hitting the ground, the weapons will harmlessly fade away into thin air, making them of little use to Shinzu. Also, although each weapon is stronger than the mundane equivalent, a magical weapon of the same rank as this spell will always be stronger than each individual item.

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

With little intention to see what's happening, the sensation of warm and protection enveloping her caused the child to shift her gaze to the tree and lower her other arm, placing it to the tree and smiling a little, the sense of nausea vanishing; her dirty hair curled on the floor around her.


“Why not go back to being a beautiful serpent? I think I would like you much better that way.”
"Why, you ask?" With a sneer, Lucia beat her wings and levitated; wings flapping in slow, rhythmic beats. "Because my magic power is not as great as it used to be, I've been feeding off these lowly mobsters malice for years now but I feel more hate and malice coming from you. It's just so delectable." With a purr and a soft moan, she danced side to side; her wings flapping in swift motions. "In fact, I'm enjoying the delectable sensation of your magic as it wriggles through your skin."

The deal, in Lucia's eyes wouldn't cease to happen either way. She craved magic, she NEEDED that magic and this man and that child both possessed great deals of it.
“I prefer my own deal. I keep the girl. And as for you… I get to rip off your arm and smack you on the head with it. Sound good?”  Lucia raised an eyebrow, examining the man's grin before laughing a maniacal and deep, seductive laugh.
"You fool." She mused, running her nails over her body and cutting into her skin. A scarlet trail of blood formed and the miasma began to lash and lick at it, enjoying its taste. 
Watching him cast a spell and summon a circle, the serpent's gaze shifted side to side as she watched all the lackeys stand up on their own and turn to face her. With a laugh, she narrowed her eyes at them. 
"Bring it you lowlife scum."

As soon as she said that, the vessels would then attack with everything they got. With another laugh, the miasma jabbed into all of their bodies like daggers; spiking out in different locations and impaling.
With them now attached to the spikes, the shadows would look and devour them, sucking every ounce of life.
"Ah, the delight. I hope your wound is enjoying its time. You foolishly let yourself get cut." Moving slowly closer towards Shinzu, she was inches away with the miasma still spiking out. "If you're not too careful, you'll excite my minions that are slowly making their way through your magic system." She ran her tongue over her lips once more.
"I'll make the deal again. Your life for the girls, you pick." With her hand out in front of her, she watched him with an evil smile. Her claws standing tall and long. The soldiers he had summoned turning into nothing more than bone dust as her miasma drained the last of their life. Some parts of the miasma was dropping off, falling to the floor and writing like black ghostly worms before turning into dust themselves; having taken a lot of damage and failed to beat back the ghostly presence this man had conjured. 


The miasma snaked itself around her body, trying flicking towards the weapons as they flew towards the caster at deadly speeds. The shadows lifted up and hit up against the weapons; taking them into its clutches and beginning to crush against the despite some getting through but at lower speeds due to the thickness of the miasma's wall. 

[Tsundere Shinzu]

Shinzu sighed in relief. Although he was just joking about wanting Lucia to transform into a snake, he was glad that the foe did not take the bait. It would only make it that much more difficult to keep his promise after all. “If you enjoy my magic that much, then eat your fill!” The barrage of weaponry rained down on Lucia in streaks of metallic-silver. The guild master would curse at the fact that his phantasms were defeated so easily. However, they had managed to reveal a little something about the snake-creature's miasma. “I shall stick to my deal!”

At the end of his sentence, the ghouls would cluster around Lucia’s protective miasma. They couldn’t cause any real damage on their own, however, whatever this miasma was, it showed incapable of effecting the phantasms. In fact, it even seem to weaken around the presence of the ghouls. “Go!” He yelled, causing the creatures to crash into the miasma in an attempt to weaken it. “I-It worked!?” Shinzu gasped. He was unsure of whether his plan had succeeded or whether Lucia was simply unable to keep up with the barrage. Either way, however, her stomach had now bloomed into a metallic flower of swords and polearms.

“Serves you right.” Shinzu would then focus some of his spirits into his leg. Although they wouldn’t heal the wound, they would hopefully destroy any trace of miasma in his bloodstream. Most important of all, they would also grant the guild master the ability to walk on his damaged leg through offering a little support. Though of course, they could do little in the way of easing the pain or stopping the blood from gushing out of his injury. “And now, to keep my promise.” Shinzu would step closer towards the creature and use a stray sword that had never managed to impale her in order to decapitate her right arm. In a rather gruesome fashion, Shinzu would then pick up the severed arm and smack the snake creature over the head with it in order to knock her out. “I am sure this will grow back anyway.” He chuckled, unsure of what Melo would make of this display.

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

"If you enjoy my magic that much, then eat your fill!” Shinzu's cry made Lucia smirk. As she watched a rain metal fall towards her, she folded her wings over her stomach and body with the miasma circling around her protectively in a rage.
“I shall stick to my deal!”
What deal? Lucia smirked, her black lips widening to show her jagged teeth.

Tears appeared in her wings and she spread them wind with a hiss in disgust and hatred. The miasma began to thin itself and she sneered. Her beautiful creatures were dying to this horrendous being. 
Spreading her arms, her claws flexed and she let the miasma lick and lash at her wounds, feeding on it.

Suddenly a pain unlike any other barraged into her stomach sending her back with each hit. She stood there, eyes wide and shifting her gaze down towards the weaponry which sprouted from her stomach. Pressing her hands to the items, she hissed angrily and began to send shadows down them; letting the shadows feed and pull out the weapons while licking the wounds.
"Go my beautiful creatures, go and -" With a cough, blood escaped her lips and fell over the ground. Her beautiful miasma hissed and shimmered in anger.


“And now, to keep my promise.” Missing everything from before, fascinated in the cold sensation that was circling her stomach, she looked up to see her arm get removed and a loud shriek of pain escaped her lips. Birds flew out of the trees, disturbed by the screaming. With blood seeping heavily out of her arm, she gazed at the wound before her eyes moved towards the boy ahead just to watch him raise her own arm and slam it down on her. While her eyes darkened, she found herself falling forward and her miasma began to coil around the arm and the rest around her body, beginning to eat and devour every ounce of flesh that this creature had. The smell of burning, rotting flesh escaped the arm and the body while the miasma snaked around the man's hand in hunger and anger.

----


Hiding behind the tree, the child squeaked and covered her ears as she heard the screaming. Eyes closed tightly and the smell burning her nose of blood. Seconds later, the smell as soon replaced with flesh and she found herself covering her nose and pinching it tightly shut so she didn't throw up despite feeling ungodly ill. Hugging her legs while hiding her nose, she felt like she was in hell. 

[Tsundere Shinzu]

Shinzu scowled as the miasma began to eat away at Lucia. It was like his own ability. The moment the guild master allowed himself to lose control or fall into a weakened state, there was no doubt in his mind that his once loyal phantasms would turn against their master and devour him. “W-What!?” Having been so lost in thought, Shinzu would only just notice the miasma creeping at him as it reached all the way to Lucia’s fingers. “Abomination!”

Shinzu would release his grip on the decapitated flesh, causing it to fall into the clutches of the miasma. He would then take a large leap backwards and turn in order to run towards Melo. Unsure of whether or not the miasma would fade on its own, the guild master simply gestured for his ghoul possessing the tree to act. At that moment, a branch would spring into life and drop beside Melo. After that point, Shinzu would scoop up the girl and step on the branch, allowing it to fling the duo a sizeable distance away from the miasma before it could cause any real harm.

“Tch.” Shinzu whimpered upon landing. Although he would make it without toppling over, the pain in his thigh suggested that he had pushed himself too far. “That’s going to require an amputation…” The guild master would think the words as opposed to saying them out loud in fear of them worrying Melo. Still, it was probably clear from the faint scent of rotting flesh that there was no way that the injured leg was going to survive on its own. “Is the sinister fog gone?” Shinzu would utter the words rhetorically as he glanced behind to see what was going on now that Lucia’s body was entirely devoured.

Quixotic of THQ

[Rii <3]

The miasma would crawl and linger around, snaking its way up over the arm and leaving nothing more than bone as it drained and devoured the flesh of the limb; spiking up and chewing hungrily as if it had never been fed. Hissing and snarling sounds emitted from the lively miasma. As it snaked towards Shinzu, he flung it down and with a sheer flick it snaked over towards its cohorts who were attached to the corpse and feeding on their magic partner until she was nothing left before crawling away into the burnt building; hiding in the shadows and darkness of the building.

It all moved too quickly for the poor child. 
With her fingers pinched over her nose and the other cupping her ear awkwardly, she refused to inhale the god awful smell that seemed to linger around. Her stomach churning and the occasional retching, she wasn't able to regurgitate what she didn't possess, in this case, food. 
It seemed like she lost her bearings because soon after, she was scooped up close to the boy himself. Eyes closed and hiding her face into Shinzu's chest, she moved her arms around his neck and pressed up close; his scent overwhelming the smell of flesh.

The cool air cooled her body down, relaxing her senses and causing her to feel calmer yet she was unaware of what was happening. Before letting darkness take over her body and she fell into a deep sleep against him. Well, more like blanking out. 

[Tsundere Shinzu]

Shinzu began panting. The pain was beginning to get to him despite his high threshold. “Sorry Melo.” The guild master apologised as the girl blacked out. She had clearly been through a rough ordeal. What mattered now was getting back to Lion Heart so that the two could be patched up. Assuming that was even going to be possible in Shinzu’s case.

[Exit]

Quixotic of THQ