#i accidentally made Belial left handed-

[pollopom]

Here begins fate's episode ~

#granblue fantasy #granblue fantasy versus #granblue fantasy versus rising #belial gbf #grimnir #only 3 more days! #the context for this is that stream showcase where the relink dev (Belial main) beat everyone in a mini tournament #you coul hear him hacking away at the stick lmao #i accidentally made Belial left handed-

[degeneratewh0re]

"Do you still have feelings for me?" + copiiia? :]

(Yo I accidentally wrote a whole fanfic for this one lmao, more content for y'all. I hope you enjoy 💕)

Copia had never felt more miserable in his life. He thought that becoming Papa could possibly fulfill the empty feeling in his chest, and he knew what he needed, but there was no way he could ever get it back. Even leading the sermon during mass, he wasn't himself. He choked on his words and the chapel's occupants gave him concerning looks. He merely passed it off as, "Eh, scusi, I fear I may be coming down with something..." and awkwardly laughed it off. Really, he was crumbling on the inside. Suffering with loss. Everyone says it grows easier over time, but that isn't the truth, is it? The more time passes, the more we forget about the person we lost. Copia didn't want to forget Terzo. He couldn't.

He had been missing for over three years. Presumably dead. And though Copia wanted to do everything in his power to search for his lover, Sister Imperator would never allow it. He wanted to peel his skin away, feeling constantly watched. Like he was prey being stalked by an eagle, waiting to dig its claws into him as soon as he made the wrong move...

But, one night, the unthinkable happened.

An anonymous letter left on the windowsill in his bedroom. 'Come to the forest at midnight. It has been such a long time since we've spoken.'

Unsigned, yet the handwriting was deeply engraved in Copia's mind. His heart began racing. This has to be a prank. Whoever was behind it, he would sure give them a piece of his mind. What a cruel thing to do to somebody...

Fine. He'd go. When the hour struck, he climbed out of his bedroom window and quickly ran across the gate bridge as to stay out of sight, silently cursing to himself. He could have been smarter and worn something else besides his slippers. He persevered, despite nearly stumbling with every step, and ran deep into the forest. It had been thirty minutes since he first began his journey. His sleepwear was torn, nicks covering his arms and legs from the thorns and branches he got caught on. Maybe this was a bad idea... what if whoever wrote that letter only wanted to lure him in so he'd get lost? For the worse, kill him? He grew anxious, paranoid. He was lost in the dark and far from home. He wanted to cry, but he was so angry with himself that his body wouldn't allow it. Though.. he saw a strange rope on the ground. It was suspiciously out of place. The more he looked, the more he realized that there was more rope. It has to lead to somewhere...

By the end of the rope, still nothing. Copia buried his face in his palms and shouted. The tears began to quickly fall after a while of holding them back. He felt so stupid. He was going to die here, alone, torn to bits by some wolf or something befitting of his situation-

"Copia."

He froze, slowly turning around towards the voice. Was it...?

It was Terzo. Alive. His hair had grown past his shoulders, and there was no mistaking that chilling, glowing white eye in the darkness. Copia stared at him, wide eyes, and then something snapped inside of him. He shouted and knocked the other man square in the jaw, sending him tumbling back against a tree.

"You motherfucker- how could you- why? Why did you leave me?" He panted, grabbing Terzo by the front of his shirt, angry enough that steam could have comically shot from his ears. Terzo slightly panicked, putting his hands up to defend himself, wincing from his jaw aching from the punch. "Will you calm down? Let me explain before you start beating the shit out of me, belial!"

Copia huffed, and reluctantly let Terzo go. He didn't want to do that.. he wanted- he shook away those thoughts. Terzo was still alive, and hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. Nothing. Copia had been hurting for years.

"Hurry then! I'm cold, I'm torn to bits, I-I-" his breath shuddered as Terzo quietly shushed him, brushing a hand over his cheek, petting him softly. He looked away and gritted his teeth.

"I had to run, Copia. They were going to kill me. I wished I could have told you, but doing that, I would be risking both of our lives."

Copia felt his anxiety spike hearing this. No, no.. this was too much information to process right now. "Why... why would-? Your own father wouldn't kill you." His voice sounded out of breath, broken, hurt. Terzo cooed quietly. Oh, he hated seeing Copia upset... and Terzo felt his heart break whenever Copia began sobbing.

"No, don't cry, bello. I'm here. I'm alive." He wrapped his arms around Copia, letting the Papa cry into his shoulder. Copia trembled beneath his fingers and gripped onto the back of his shirt. Now, he really didn't want to let go.

"Do you..." Terzo never let Copia leave his grasp, but moved his head so he could look down at him as he began to spoke. He wiped away his tears with his thumb, stroking over the faded out freckles on his cheeks. "What is it?"

"Do you still have feelings for me...?" Copia choked out between sniffled. Terzo smiled sadly, sighing, looking his dearest in the eyes.

"I've never lost them. The only reason I came back was for you, caro mio..."

Copia smiled through his tears. His grin big and crooked. He felt the emptiness inside of him slowly being filled again. He cupped Terzo's cheeks with both of his trembling hands, pulling him into a gentle, passionate kiss. Terzo held onto his hips firmly, gently caressing his lover while he returned the affectionate touches.

"I am going to take you far away from here, beloved. I'll make sure they never hurt either of us..."

#copiiia #fluff #angst

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 58: Infernal

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Infernal

Notes: I love writing fighting scenes! It's always such a blast to write the motions and the momentum of a fight! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(-~-)

In truth, the only thing comparable to the creature's horrendous appearance was its sheer size and magnitude. Standing at a size comparable to that of a small building, its stature was domineering. And with wings that dared blot out the very night sky around them, the creature before them was undoubtedly a demon, although unlike anything they'd previously seen. 

Well, that was partially a misnomer. The color scheme matched almost perfectly with that of the devil they had battled against in the subway station with that summoner, both of his devils being very similar in thematic coloration. No doubt they hailed from the same origin point, whatever dark abyss in the underworld they hailed from being one and the same. But even still it was no part of the underworld that either of them was familiar with. Belial and his cronies must have dug deep to locate such foul creatures.

Towering over them and admitting a menacing aura, the gigantic demonic beast was more akin to some sort of sabertooth tiger crossed with a dog than anything else. It snarled and was clearly less than pleased with their presence, but there was a sort of intelligence to the creature that made them wary of simply rushing in and attacking like they normally would. His body was shrouded in a layer of black pulsating darkness that seemed to consist of some sort of flesh, but it was entirely too difficult to tell in these lighting conditions. The same magenta markings marred most of its flesh and wings, and two additional heads sprouted from what appeared to be the shoulders of the beast. A pair of compressed black and magenta wings adorned its back that, if straightened, were probably taller than the building they had just been standing near. All in all, entirely too big of a demon to have accidentally stumbled into the human world. And neither of them needed to wonder if it had been brought there on purpose.

They weren't entirely sure how they had missed something so large initially. Had the devil been laying stomach down on the ground before they had arrived? That was the only feasible explanation considering the fact that they had seen aircrafts smaller than that. Its claws were practically as big as they were, each paw the size of a small family car. And it had four of them. And it had to be said that this was probably the first time either of them had fought a devil with more heads than opponents. If they failed there would be quite the fight between each of the heads to decide who's actually going to eat them.

"So am I safe to assume that you have no idea what this creature is?" V said, putting some room between himself and the creature as it bore down on them. He had no idea what they were up against now, but he was absolutely certain that he was going to need Griffon. He would just wait for the proper time. Perhaps if they were lucky he could use his avian companion to distract the beast while they moved in to fight it. As outmatched as he suddenly felt, he knew that he couldn't leave this creature to roam the city in good conscience. There was self-preservation, and then there was negligence.

A slightly amused look across the face of the man with the red hair as he glanced over his shoulder with a sort of sarcastic flare, seemingly calm and composed and otherwise unworried about their opponent but not quite to the degree that would imply that he considered it an easy fight. He wasn't vain enough to believe that this creature would actually be simple to take down, but he felt somewhat secure in the knowledge that he was able to beat it. He had fought much more dangerous foes in the past, and none of them had managed to overpower him. Perhaps if he was lucky this would be the boost to V's confidence that he needed at a time like this.

"You would be correct in that assumption. I have quite literally no idea what this creature could be. I mean, it's quite obviously a devil for a demon of some sort, but in regards to its place of origin, I couldn't be less knowledgeable. It seems to be something akin to the illustrations and stories that I've heard of the Infernal Devils, but without going through the bestiary that the Ludwig family possesses, I would have no way of being sure." Sirrus seems slightly put off by his lack of knowledge and as to what the creature might be, but he drew his blade regardless, unwilling to even consider the idea of allowing his companion to face such a large and potentially deadly opponent alone. He was not without honor. "I took the liberty of looking into possible demonic species while I was there yesterday, and this seems to be what this might be, but unfortunately, none of those books are exactly in color. Just descriptions of them next to vaguely drawn illustrations, and trying to decipher both the handwriting and translate the language is quite the hassle. You might be worth taking a look at it  yourself after we get out of this situation."

"Okay then, so what happens now, genius? Are we just going to run in guns blazing, or do you have a better idea?" The small voice from within his head spoke, clearly realizing just how far and over their heads they might be. It took the young summoner a moment to register that his familiar with speaking to him, but although he didn't outwardly show it, he did consider the statement.

"By any chance, do you recognize this species?" V asked his familiar, cognizant of the fact that a demon might be able to recognize a demon than he did. Griffon's knowledge into some of these matters was foggy at best, what it was still more than he tended to know. He simply didn't have the first-hand experience in most cases.

A long pause settled between the pair of them before he finally got his response. "Hmmm… I think our red-haired buddy might be onto something. I can't say I know much about the Infernal Devils since they're basically legends, but this might be one. Makes you wonder how they opened a gate big enough to let something like this out, though. We better figure that out and quick, or we'll have bigger problems. If this is an Infernal Devil, this isn't even one of the biggest ones I've heard of. Might be one of their more common devils, but again, I can't be sure.

"Do you have a plan of any sort?" V said calmly as they stared down the devil, content in the knowledge that they would quickly become demonic dog chow if they didn't do something about this soon. They were actually somewhat surprised that it hadn't attempted to eat them yet. Perhaps it'd been left here as some sort of century?

Sirrus shook his head. "Not one that I can say that I have much confidence in, but I do have something. Do you have access to your familiar? That bird?"

V felt Griffon stir within the confines of his mind, somewhat miffed it being referred to as a simple bird. He smirked in spite of himself and his circumstances. "Settle down. Be thankful he didn't call you a chicken. That's a change of pace at the very least."

The young summoner could feel his summons ire as he said that, resisting the urge to chuckle to himself. This wasn't the time, and it certainly wasn't the place, but it seemed that their hand had been forced, and they had to do what they had to do to not only survive but to protect the city. They were going to have to battle against this devil whether they were prepared or not.

As he considered this, the devil lunged forward, sinking its paw into the asphalt in front of them and pulling it up in large swaths. The gash it left in its wake was as wide as he was, something that didn't escape his notice. The last thing he wanted was to be nicked by one of those colossal claws, or worse, to be caught in the maw of such a fearsome beast. He would no doubt meet his end swiftly if it were to succeed in that endeavor.

"Let's go with your plan, then. I'm perfectly capable of improvising."

Noticing that it had most certainly been the threatening gesture of the devil that had coaxed him into such an immediate response, Sirrus took the bold step of going closer to the devil, his blade drawn. Naturally, the creature was not at all pleased by his challenging move and swiped at him, its grip coming up empty. In the wake of its confusion, V managed to slip to the side of it, the devil clearly more fixated on its inability to find its received target than it was with keeping up with the other individual that had accompanied them.

Realizing that Sirrus had probably ducked behind a nearby tree, the devil let out a bellowing roar that shook the ruined ground beneath it, its paw crushing the small sapling under its unyielding weight. Sirrus flanked it from the left, charging in and managing to land a decent slash that pierced its ear and caught the side of his neck. It recoiled back in discomfort, causing it to open its wings and blow debris all around them. Caught off guard by the suddenness of his movement, the red-haired man tumbled backward, his back hitting a tree. The wind had been sufficiently knocked out of him, but from what V could see he had been otherwise unharmed. But that meant that it was now his time to step in and turn the tide of battle. Sirrus's selfless distraction had given him the time needed to charge up a more powerful attack, and he was going to use it.

As the devil flew into a rage, V made the decision to focus his attention on the creature's head, coming to the astute conclusion that perhaps causing it massive cranial damage might be enough to bring it down swifter. Under his command, Shadow leaped forward, cutting a swath up the back of the devil and using her full body tooth attack to clamp onto the back of the devil's neck. It immediately lunged up into the air, attempting to shake the demonic panther off of his back to no avail. The second that it opened its wings, Sirrus clamber to his feet and rushed forward, his aim clear. He leaped forward and, with a strong downward streak, pierced the demonic creature's wing, using his body weight to tear a large cut into it. Sufficiently thrown off balance by the lack of aerodynamics it now possessed, it toppled over, shaking him off and slamming him into the pavement with enough force to shatter the bones of a normal mortal. It was clear to both of them that now the devil was incredibly angry.

Astutely aware of the fact that they were rapidly running out of options, V summoned Griffon and directed him to charge his full strength, manifesting in the form of a barrage of waves of electricity that slammed into the devil and charged it with a powerful surge of right electrical power that toppled it onto its side. Shadow released the devil's neck and returned to her master's side just in time to grab him and snatch him out of the way of its flailing tail. Wood and concrete shrapnel flew everywhere, managing to nick him in a few exposed places, but he was otherwise unharmed. Mud and construction materials flew everywhere as the devil thrashed about in a combination of agony and malice, willing and ready to manifest its true power to decimate them in any way that it could.

Just as Sirrus managed to clamber to his feet, he immediately was set upon by the devil again, being forced to run and dive out of the path of one of his furious swipes, nearly being crushed in the process. As V attempted to mitigate the situation, the tail swung back around and managed to knock him across the parking lot and into the street, sufficiently putting him out of commission for the time being. Shadow ran to his aid, and Griffin attempted to do battle solo against the beast, hitting it with another electrical attack, this one manifesting in the form of a crisscrossing pair of lines that originated from a spherical orb. He then dived in and attempted to pester the beast, trying his best to draw its attention away from his host, but to little avail. It seemed that this particular devil would not be so easily tricked a second time. It stood up and tucked its injured wing in, clearly searching for its prey. And considering the fact that V was still attempting to pull himself to his feet and regain his bearings after hitting the back of his head against the curb, he was in no condition to attempt to defend himself. If Shadow could not stop the beast, then it would be far too late for him.

"Quick! We're going to need an assist on this one! Can you get the string bean out of here? At least long enough for me to subdue the big bad doggy here? My guess is that he hasn't been let out for walkies in a while!" Griffin shouted as he flew higher and higher up into the air, leading the devil to stand up on his back legs and attempt to be able to swipe at him more efficiently. One well-placed swing would be all it would take to put him out of commission, and he knew as much. The only advantage he had in this situation was the devil's inability to actually fly after him, but that didn't mean that it couldn't attempt to. This was a dire situation for the entire group, and if they didn't manage to gain the upper hand quickly, they would not only lose the battle, but they would more than likely lose their lives.

"No worries there, I've got him! Sirrus called over, rushing towards the devil from behind in an attempt to waylay it. He had not managed to make it to his feet again quite yet, but he had faced the devil, and it seemed that he had some sort of plan in mind. With the fierce determination that only someone facing down certain death could muster, V held his hand out towards the devil, indicating for Shadow to do her work. Muttering a phrase under his breath that Sirrus had not quite caught from the distance he stood away, Shadow melded into the very ground beneath her and manifested a wall of crushing spikes just as the devil got within stabbing distance. It slammed to a stop, tearing up the street along with it as the spikes pierced its chest and back. It let out a screeching, barking roar of pain and flailed ineffectually with both of his paws toward V as he recalled his avian companion to his side and was pulled back out of the way.

Realizing that this was his best and only chance to end the fight before things became any more destructive, the red-haired adjudicator jumped forward and leaped into the air, using his right hand to brush the edge of his blade. A sort of black flame coated it momentarily before he put both hands onto the hilt of the blade and used his full body force and the momentum of his jump to bear down on his opponent, piercing its skull with one destructive blow. It let out a single agonized cry before its head slammed down into the pavement, causing V to lose his balance but not fall as the shock wave shattered the street several dozen feet in both directions. It let out a sort of raspy, breathless groan before becoming still, blood pooling through the streets and down into the drains as its mouth flopped open and its colossal teeth we came easier to see. They were longer than both of them were tall, put almost together, but they were now no longer a threat. With that pair of decisive blows, they had managed to bring an end to the devil before it had managed to do any further damage, even if it had come at the cost of much exertion and a fair bit of discomfort and physical harm at their expense. But what was most important was that they were no longer in any form of immediate danger, and that neither was the city.

"Well… that was a bit more than I had initially signed on for," V said with a humorous tent to his voice, breathing heavily from the amount of exertion he had just endured. He wasn't so much tired as he was out of breath and seemingly unable to regain it. But he was just glad that they had managed to actually defeat the creature. Once he'd seen how large it had been, he'd had suffered an immediate momentary lapse in confidence in regards to their ability to actually finish it off alone. But they had done it. And there was a part of him that was quite impressed by that. Perhaps it was best that they had done battle against it after all. "But I think the bigger question is where did it come from? It clearly isn't a familiar. I see no core to destroy, and it hasn't been recalled to its master. Was this creature simply allowed to run streets?"

"And if that is the case, what benefit would there be in causing such needless destruction to private and public property? What is our opponent hoping to gain by orchestrating a situation like this?"  Sirrus I said as he approached the young summoner, extending his hand and offered to help him up. V allowed him to help him up off of the pavement, shaking his head in minor disbelief at how quickly that situation had escalated.

Griffon fluttered over to join them, lighting on what remained of the street post that set almost coiled around a leaking fire hydrant on the ground, an unfortunate casualty of the battle that had just taken place. He was just as flabbergasted by the sequence of events that it just played out as they were, but distinctly, had some sort of idea as to why this might have occurred. "That's a good point you two just made. The only thing that comes to mind is that maybe that summoner from the train station is trying to flush us out. You know, get us to fight these demons so he could figure out where we are. Maybe triangulate our location? Tire us out, maybe? He's after you, isn't he? I mean, he did try to drag you off at the train station. Maybe he's summoning these demons and letting him run amok so they'll catch our attention and he can swoop in and take you. Underworld's got an awful lot of demons with nothing better to do than run the streets and eat cars and buildings. I don't think he's going to run out of kindling to throw at the flame any time soon."

Both of the young men looked at one another and nodded. Yes, that seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation as to what had just happened. If the summoner was indeed working for Belial, then he more than likely had the means and the motive to unleash a few demons on the city in the hopes of flushing them out. That sounded exactly like something a deranged maniac would do, and no human who was in the service of a devil prince could be saying anything but. After all, what did they have to gain by assisting with the takeover of the world? A leadership position? What would there be left to lead or to own if the earth was ruled by devils? Something as outlandish as allowing a human to rule anything in a world owned by demons surely would never fly. He would be snuffed out in an instant, nothing more than another meaningless mortal and no more meaningful to the devils that would be in charge than the legions of demonic foot soldiers that would take over the world in Belial's wake.

"If that's the case, then perhaps we should be wondering where that seminar might be able to watch a battle like this from. Perhaps one of the rooftops?"

Sirrus nodded in agreement, looking around at the futile buildings that surrounded them. If he was going to orchestrate a battle between his enemies and a large demon, then a high point would be the best place to view it from. "I think you may be on to something there, V. I think it might be best that we do some reconnaissance. Griffon, might I ask you a favor?"

The wild bird shook his head. "Nah, but you can ask V and he can ask me."

V shot his avian companion a disapproving look, clearly unamused considering the circumstances. This is far from the time to start being particular about who he obeyed and who he didn't. Well, it was technically true that he did obey V's commands and only V's, he had more than enough fruit will to be able to choose who he would and wouldn't listen to. And as long as his master's will allowed for it, he was perfectly able to carry out the task that had just been requested of him. "Griffon…"

Realizing that he had struck a nerve, the bird fluttered up into the air and flew off down the street. He knew that he was going to do what he was asked to do, but it seemed that he wasn't in the mood for jokes today. Considering the fact that he had just almost been eaten alive by a giant demonic panther dog bat devil thing, he was capable of understanding why he might not be exactly amused by his commentary. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know V. Lighten up, would you ya? I got it. No need to threaten to skin me alive and boil me. I'll go check it out. Hang tight, I'll be right back."

(-~-)

Fun fact: I used text to speech to write this chapter, and editing and writing it only took an hour and 20 minutes as a result! And it's almost a thousand words longer than normal! This is going to be a total game changer! And, I managed to do it on my phone! I have no idea why I never tried that until now, but it was amazing! Anyway, see you on Friday! If it's this quick, I might start spending like 4 hours a day every 2 weeks to knock out several chapters at once! That would be a great way to get ahead! 

Let me know if I missed any glaring mistakes. I went over it with an editing program after, but voice-to-speech has this amazing way of messing up things like unusual names, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed something. I hoped you liked this chapter! See you all in the comments section, and again on Friday!

#Hiraeth #V #Sirrus #My Devil May Cry OC #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU OC's #My Post Devil May Cry V AU Fanfiction #My Post Devil May Cry 5 OC #DMC #DMCV #DMC5 #Devil May Cry #Fic

[the-mists-of-asgaard]

Bands List (Part 12: L)

Disclaimer: My passion and like for the respective bands does not mean that I support them outside of the music-world. I just like the songs, for whatever reason. Also, this took hours of research and mental exercises and checks through older lists I had made in the past, however I might be forgetting some bands, or might have accidentally put the same band twice (blame the human natural error). With this being said, let’s go! L: L'Éclat du Déclin, L'Hiver, L'Impero delle Ombre, L'Infinito Abisso dell'Anima, L'Ordre du Temple, (The) L.A.R.V.A.E. Group, L.O.R.E., La Campa el Espino, La Cuenta, La Division Mentale, La Mer, La Torture des Ténèbres, Laash, Laborer, Laburnum Diver, Labyrinth Entrance, Labyrinthine, Labyrinthique, Lacerated Dominion, Laceration, Laceration, Laceration Mantra, Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens, Lachrymalice, Lachrymanopsia, Lachrymose, LaColpa, Lacrimacorpus Dissolvens, Lacrimae Mortalium, Lacrymae Rerum, Lacrimas Profundere, Lacuna Coil, Lacus Somniorum, Lady Carnage, Lady Luna and the Devil, Lady Lizard, Laetitia in Holocaust, Lagras, Lahmia, Laid in Stone, Laid Wasted, Lair of the Minotaur, Lake Baikal, Lake Natron, Lake of Corpses, Lake of Depression, Lake of Tears, Lakei, Lalssu, Lamassu, Lamb of God, Lambton Worm, Lament, Lament Configuration, Lamentari, Lamentations, Lamentations of the Ashen, Lamentum, Lâmmia, Lamort, (The) Lamp of Thoth, Lampreic Pool, Lance of Longinus, Land of Fallen Dreams, Land of Fog, Landcrusher, Lándevir, Landforge, Landmine Marathon, Lands of Memories, Landskap, Landvættr, Languish, Laniakea, Lantlôs, LanzerRath, Laochra, Laptev's Epidemia, Lara Korona, Lararium, Lascaille's Shroud, Lasen, Laser Dracul, Lashblood, Lashmush, Lasselanta, Last Breath, Last Dive, Last Frontier, Last Heritage, Last House on the Left, Last Kind of Life, Last Minute to Jaffna, (The) Last of Lucy, Last Question, Last Resistance, Last Rosary, (The) Last Savior of God, Last Seen Wearing, Last Shadow, (The) Last Surrealist, (The) Last Three Winters, Last Word, Laster, Lástima, Late, Late Night Venture, Latir, Latitude Egress, Latitudes, Laudanum, Laughter, Lautreamont, Lauxnos, Lavagoat, (The) Law, Law of Contagion, Law of the Tongue, Layment, Lazarath, Lazarus Blackstar, Lazerkaat, Láðspell, Le Chant Funebre, Le Complot des Lépreux, Le Délire des Négations, Le Menhir, Lead Desert Blues, Leannan Shee, Leather Glove, Leave, Leave's Eyes, Lebensgefahr, Lebensnacht, Lebensraum, Lecherous Nocturne, Lectamynol, Lectoblix, Lednik, Leechfeast, Left Hand Path, Left Hand Path, Left Horn of the Ram, Left to Starve, Left to Vanish, Leftmuenang, Legacy of Cynthia, Legacy of Fire, Legacy of Silence, Legalize Crime, Legbah, Legenda, Legio Inferi, Legio Sergia, Legion Massacre, Legion of Doom, Legion of the Damned, Legion of Wolves, Legionary, Legione, Legions, Legions Ablaze, Lehavoth, Lehm, Leichenbrand, Leichenfledderer, Leichenzug, Leikur, Lęk, Lelantos, Lemming Project, Lemp, Lemur Voice, Lemuria, Leng Tch'e, Lengsel, Length of Time, Lento, Leonard, Leper, Leper Divine, Leper Temple, Leporid, Leppe, Leprodermic, Leproso, Leprosy, Leprous, Les Bâtards du Nord, Les Fleurs du Mal, Lesados, Leshy, Lesion, Lesmentor, Leśne Licho, Lesser Life, Let Them Burn, Let Us Prey, Letallis, Lethaeos, Lethal Dosage, Lethal Force, Lethality, Lethargic Euphoria, Lethargy of Death, Lethargy of Silence, Letharia, Lethean, Letheia, Letheria, Lethian Dreams, Lethvm, Letters Written on Dead Leaves, Letvm Leteo, Leucosis, Level 10, Level Fields, Levels of Abandonment, Lever of Archimedes, Leviathan, (The) Leviathan, Leviathan, Leviathan Cross, Leviathan Rising, Leviathans Breath, Levitas, (The) Levitation Hex, Lex Talionis, LH05, Lhind, Li Nus, Liber Necris, Liber Null, Libertatis Amore, Liberteer, Liblikas, Librium, Lich, Lichens, Lichmistress, Lichtblick, Lie in Ruins, Lie Sol, Life in Dive, Life in Vain, Life Is Hell, Life Is Pain, Life Memories, Life of Agony, Life Suffers Defeat, Lifechapters, Lifeless, Lifeless Dreams... Pale Illusions, Lifeless Gaze, Lifelong, Lifelover, Lifetaker, (The) Lifted Veil, Ligeia Wept, Light Among Shadows, Light Being, Light Field Reverie, Light this City, Lightcrusher, Lightless, Lightmaker, Lightning Swords of Death, Lightpath, Ligæder, Likåar, Like a Gossamer, Like Drone Razors Through Flesh Sphere, Like Moths to Flames, Likvann, Lilith's Breed, Lilja, Lillake, Limb, Limb from Limb, Limbonic Art, Limerance, Liminal Shroud, Limos, Lindisfarne, Line of Durin, Line of Scrimmage, Linwe, (The) Lion's Daughter, Lionheart, Lionskull, Liosber, (The) Liquescent Horror, Liquid Graveyard, Liquid Rain, Liquid Shit, Liquid Space 9, Liquid Stones Dancing, Liquid Viscera, Liquorworks, Litany, Lithopaedion, Lithotome, Little Dead Bertha, Little Hole Filled, Livarkahil, Livercage, Liverum, Livet Som Insats, Livhzuena, Lividity, Living Altar, Living Corpse, (The) Living Fields, Living Monstrosity, Living Sacrifice, Living Through Ghosts, Livløst, Livores Mortis, Lizard Professor, Lizzard Wizzard, Liłith, Ljuska, Llung, Llvme, Lo!, Lo-Pan, Lo-Ruhamah, Loath, Loather, Loathfinder, Loathing, Lobera, Löbo, Lobotomist, Lobotomy Dept, Local I, Lochness, Lochrian Poem, Locomotive, Locotus, Locus Amoenus, Locus Requiescat, Locus Titanic Funus, Lodge of the Empty Bed, Loggerhead, Logic Severed, Logistic Slaughter, Logos, Loincloth, Lombolo, Lomera, (The) Lone Madman, Lone Wanderer, Lonely Star, Loneshore, Lonesome October, Long Distance Calling, Long Since Dark, Longbarrow, Lonkkavika, Lönndom, Looking Glass, (The) Loom of Time, Loose Unit, Lör, Lord, Lord Agheros, Lord Almighty, Lord Amun, Lord Belial, Lord Crow, Lord Dahthar, Lord Dead, Lord Dying, Lord Humungus, Lord Impaler, Lord Loss, Lord Mantis, Lord Mordor, Lord Mountain, Lord of Pagathorn, Lord of the Grave, Lord of the North, Lord of the Void, Lord of War, Lord Shades, Lord Thanatos, Lord Vampyr, Lord Vicar, Lord Vigo, Lord Wind, Lord Woland, Lordamor, Lords of Bastard, Lords of Illusion, Lords of the Cemetery, Lords of the High Ones, Lords of Venus, Lore, Lore Liege, Lorg Anfaid, Lorna Shore, Losing All, Losing Skin, Loss, Loss, Loss of Charity, Loss of Light, Loss of Self, Loss Spectra of Pure, Lost Brethren, Lost Conception, Lost Continent, Lost Dreams, Lost Fortune, Lost Hours, Lost in Emptiness, Lost in the Gray Days, Lost Insen, Lost Orb, Lost Realms, Lost Regrets, Lost Shade, (The) Lost Sun, Lost to the Void, Lost Ubikyst in Apeiron, Lóstregos, Lotus Eater, Lotus Sutra, (The) Lotus Throne, Louching, Louded, Loudness of Violence, Louisiana Sadness, Lousy Riders, Love // Paranoia, Love Your Witch, Loviatar, Lovijatar, Low Flying Hawks, Low Gravity, Low Levels of Serotonin, Lowbau, Lowcaster, Lowen, Lower Parts of Human Sludge, Lowered, LowMist, Lowtide, LSDoom, Luce d'Inverno, Lucian the Wolfbearer, Lucid Awakening, Lucid Nightmare, Lucidity, Lucifairy, Lucifer Giant, (The) Lucifer Principle, Lucifer's Cold Embrace, Luciferelli, Luciferian Insectus, Luciferica, Lucifers Corpus, Lucifuge, Lucifungus, Lucky Thirteen, Luctum, Luctus, Ludicrous, Lughum, Lugubrum, (The) Lumberjack Feedback, Lumen ad Mortem, Luminous Vault, (The) Lump, Luna, Luna ad Noctum, Luna Azure, Luna in Sanguinem, Luna XIII, Luna's Call, Lunacy, Lunae Ortus, Lunar Aurora, Lunar Blood, Lunar Ghost, Lunar Hollow, Lunar Kingdom, Lunar Mantra, Lunar Shrine, Lunar Swamp, Lunar Temple, Lunarsapian, Lunatic Affliction, Lunatic Gods, Lunatic Spirit, Lune, Lungbuster, Lungrot, Lungtoucher, Luring, Lurk, Lurking Sorrow, Lûs, Lust of a Dying Breed, Lutavierje, Luthur Kloister, Lutowrat, Luty, Lux Anguis, Lux Ferre, Lux Luna, Lux Morti, Lux Occulta, Lux Serpent, Luxúria de Lillith, LVME, Lwstndrds, Lycanthropic Deathlust, Lycanthropic Winter Moon, Lychgate, Lycus, Lyfordeath, Lying Figures, Lykotonon, Lyon, Lyra, Lyrtos, Lýsis, Lysithea, Lythronax, LΛII. 

#bands list #l #project #metal #metal bands

[the-fox-populi-says]

Written & directed by Fangirl Quarantino

Ao3 has been very Foxphobic in that first I had to wait a whole day for an invite once I decided in the spur of a moment I should really make an account, and then telling me my username did not follow requirements (...it really did?? I swear!). So. Ao3 link might follow when that is fixed but for now, have a direct copy-paste of my latest one-shot. Summary: After an Order meeting runs late during a curfew, Shiro is stuck in Faust Mansion. Mephisto offers to poof him home, but had a few glasses and Shiro does not trust drunk magic. He also doesn't trust drunk opportunist Mephisto conveniently having no guest rooms available, and goes in search of alternative beds. Characters: Shiro, Mephisto, Belial, Ukobach Tags: #There was only one bed #which may have been by design #omg they were curfew mates #adult language #nudity #violence #banter #humour #alcohol #mature #Suggestiveness #no out-right smut #But the Thought is there #and a little #erotic aesphyxiation #never killed anyone #oh wait it did actually #Not this time though #dubious consent #or however you call relocating an unconscious naked person for your amusement but without actually feeling them up #well maybe a little #but with a towel

Enjoy~

“What do you mean, I can't go home?!” Shiro yelled at the unmoved face of the butler.

“Curfew, sir. It's past 9 pm.”

Fuck. That was right- there had been a surge in demon activity lately, and as a counter-measure, the Order had issued a strict no-going-out-after-dark policy. “Oh come on- I'm a professional! Any demon encountering me is in more danger than I am.”

“Even unarmed?” A smug, slightly lilting voice inquired behind his back. Shiro balled his fists, surpressing the urge to use them on the face that voice belonged to.

The same face and voice that had informed him a couple weeks earlier he was no longer allowed to bring firearms to Order meetings. Not since he'd emptied almost an entire magazine into the back of Mephisto's chair after the Osaka incident. Insufficient informants his ass. As if that mission hadn't been payback for the whoopie cushion the week before. As if a round of bullets would even kill the bastard. Wimps.

“Could neither of you have informed me sooner?! I was only sticking around because captain naggy pants over here-” he threw out his entire arm to gesture; “-insisted it would be bad form to leave with all the high-ups still here.”

“Bitte do not yell at my butler- it's not hisch fault you don't know how to use a watch.”

Shiro again considered the use of his fists, but instead opted for a look of Promise over his shoulder at the grinning demon getting up from behind the fancy desk.

“Oh relax, Shiro. I can juscht teleport you home.” “Oh nononono- There will be no. Poofing.” He switched from fists to pointing, and waved a warning finger at Mephisto's raised eyebrows.

“May I ask warum nicht?”

“Because you just had to serve prosecco at your stupid meeting and you have the poorest alcohol tolerance in the world. And a sweet tooth.” The eyebrows shot down, along with the corners of his mouth in an affronted expression.

“I had three glasses!” “Yes, and I can see you swaying from where I stand.”

Not to mention the increased use of German. Shiro folded his arms.

“Last time you looked like that and poofed me somewhere, I ended up in the middle of a rice field because you had sake on your brain.”

Mephisto made a dismissive motion with one hand. With the other he pretended not to grip the edge of the desk for balance.

“I'll juscht concentrate very hard on your apartment, it'll be fine.”

“Oh hell no- I don't wanna end up half inside my shower cabin, or inside a wall. I'm staying here. You have like five hundred rooms anyway.”

He turned around. “Yo Belial, point me to a guest room, would ya.”

No response. The butler looked even stiffer than usual, but bounced his eyes back and forth between the two men as if following a tennis match.

Shiro growled. “What?”

Finally, Belial mustered the courage to speak. “I'm afraid there are currently none available, sir.”

“...What.”

He shot a venomous look at Mephisto, who avoided his gaze and uncharacteristically fumbled with the buttons on his vest.

“I may have... clearedthelaschtonetomakeroomfurmeinecollectionofPokémoncards.”

Of course.

“So make a new one!”

Wrong move. Never order Mephisto around. The somewhat apologetic pout was gone in an instant and replaced by silken lechery.

“Oh now Shiro, you don't want me to use my magic while drunk, do you~?”

“...Seriously.”

“You know, there is another option...” The green eyes briefly slid sideways, returning to the exorcist's face to serve up a very clear and satisfied Suggestion.

Funny, how those three glasses of pink bubbly suddenly seemed to have left his system. Even funnier how there suddenly was a direct, open door from his office to his bedroom.

“...You wish.” Shiro planted his feet firmly on the ground. “Allow me to decline that offer with a resounding Fuck No.”

Mephisto rolled his eyes. “Oh please- I'll likely won't even use it tonight. There's a Voltron marathon on channel 12.”

“Ever heard of the phrase 'tying the cat to the bacon', because that's what me sleeping in your bed would be.”

“You overestimate this cat's interescht in your bacon.”

Waddayaknow. Little bubbly left in there after all. But apparently not so much that he couldn't poof himself into a shimmering baby blue chamber robe.

“Bullshit.” Shiro scoffed. “I've seen you checking out my bacon since the moment it turned legal and probably a good bit before that.”

“Very well.” The demon shrugged, and assumed a leisurely walk towards the pillow nest in front of the tv, with the obvious intent to install himself there for the rest of the night. “You're welcome to find yourself the softest spot of floor, then.”

Shiro sauntered after him, a smirk creeping up on his lips. “Actually, I have a better idea.” The moment Mephisto's satin-clad butt would have touched the pink bean bag, Shiro yoinked it from under him, causing the bony structure to make sudden, harsh contact with the marble tiles.

“Ow! What in-”

“Bed aqcuired. Goodnight.” Bean bag under one arm, Shiro marched off.

Mephisto crawled out of the surrounding pillows, rubbing his back with one hand and carrying murderous intent in his eyes.

“Give that BACK, the show's starting in 2 minutes!”

“If you're so confident about your magic, why don't you make me.”

Wrong move again, yes. But too delectable to pass up on. Shiro grinned, tossing the bean bag back and forth between his hands.

“Unless of course, you feel a bit nervous about your aim while I'm standing right in front of your precious figurine collection.”

A hesitation. Mephisto wavered. Little bubbly left in there after all. ...Dare he? He dared. Shiro stuck out his tongue.

Terrible move. The demon's eyes narrowed, and out of nowhere a yellow rubber ball with red stars flew off a shelf, bounced off the floor and hit Shiro square under the chin. He instantly dropped the bean bag to clasp both hands over his mouth with a pained groan.

“Told you there's nothing wrong with my aim.” A poof, and the bean bag was back in its rightful place: under Mephisto, who took his merry time wiggling himself into the most comfortable position.

“Stop being a crybaby and let me take you home, or enjoy the floor.”

Shiro lowered his hands and scowled at the back of Mephisto's head, and that oh so annoying flippant hand motion illustrating this fight was clearly over and he was the victor. As it should be.

When met with a display that level of self-assured superiority, one can only respond in either of two ways. Admit you lost... Or get petty.

“...Fine, swew you.” Fuck. Difficult to sound convincingly stubborn when his tongue wouldn't work.

“Thewe's bound to be a couch somewhewe. Hey Belial, help me out here, would you.” Finally. “Where's the nearest bed-like structure?”

“Belial, do absolutely not help him.” Asshole didn't even look up, just tapped at the remote.

Belial froze, looking extremely unhappy about being involved in their dispute.

“...Dude, seriously, you're a butler. Helping guests is just as much your job as pampering his childish ass.”

“...” Merely a gaze of concern at his master, and an apologetic look in Shiro's direction, pressing his lips tightly together.

Shiro growled. “Fuckin' bootlicker.”

-Some 25 minutes later-

Mephisto's bedroom doors were thrown open, and a dishevelled Shiro unsteadily leaned against the doorway.

“Back so soon?” Mephisto grinned over his shoulder, a drinking straw clasped tightly between his fangs, but his glee evaporated and he took it out when he caught a better look at the exorcist's state. “What happened?”

Shiro tottered in, bits and pieces falling out of his torn clothes, and rubbing the various cuts on his cheek with the back of his equally mangled hand.

“Wound up in kitchen. Dark. Accidentally knocked over a bowl. Side dish or sum'thin. Ukobach did not appreciate. Told him to calm down. Rain of pasta. You wouldn't believe how sharp uncooked penne can be.”

“Tragic.” The grin returned. “Try not to bleed on any fabrics if you're going to take refuge in here.”

Heartwarming. Shiro was too worn out to dig up some choice insults, but addressed Mephisto with the foulest look he could still muster.

The demon chuckled. “...Or perhaps, just let me send you home?”

Silence. There was probably no alcohol in the glittery cinema soda cup, but who was to say for sure. Also, leaving the mansion somehow felt like a greater defeat than staying in Mephisto's room. Like he hasn't just lost the battle, but was too afraid to even remain on the battlefield.

The demon kept his eyes fixated at the colourful robots on the tv screen, but his ears were perked up attentively, waiting for Shiro's response. When that failed to happen, he closed his eyes and gave another nudge-

“...Or use what might arguably be the best bed in the world~”

Bait? Definitely. But also a lifeline. Shiro bit.

“You mean that bed you do God knows what in? Yuck, no thanks.”

Dramatic sigh for effect before deigning to look him in the eye. “Have you met me? My bed is clean, I assure you.”

Shiro smirked. Such a diva. And a dweeb. “Yeah alright, you probably only ever hump anime pillows anyway.”

The corners of his mouth curled upwards. “Justify your choice however you like, Shiro-pon.”

Boxers and t-shirt wouldn't be too bacon-y for the cat, right? Not while there were still mechas on tv to distract it, at least. Shiro began peeling off his tattered clothes, until Mephisto's ears twitched at the click of his belt unbuckling and he turned sharply towards the exorcist.

“...Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?”

Shiro kicked off his pants and flipped back the blankets. “Using your goddamn bed. Happy now?”

“Absolutely not. Get out.”

What. Shiro stared at the piqued face in disbelief.

“...Are you for real? What the fuck is it now?! In the bed, not in the bed, get in, go away-”

“Oh, you're welcome to sleep in my bed.” Mephisto squinted eyes slid up and down over Shiro's post pasta-fight body and the dirty clothes on the floor in a most disapproving manner. “AFTER you take a shower.”

Shiro's shoulders dropped. “...Really now?”

“Like I said.” He decidly turned back to the screen. “I like my bed clean.”

Shiro had no doubt the demon could sense the middle finger aimed at his back, but there were no bouncing balls or other items interfering with his gesture while he strode into the bathroom and yanked a towel out of the closet.

Frankly, it was not exactly a terrible ordeal to use Mephisto's shower. If he hadn't been that tired, be might have opted to wait for the bath to fill up instead- he eyed the pool-sized structure with a mixture of envy and disgust. Filthy rich bastard.

Filthy rich bastard with a royally equipped shower cabin, though. Shiro turned the knob and waited for the water from the various shower heads to heat up, when a voice from the bedroom yelled over the sound of the streams: “You better not use my expensive shower gel!”

Shiro sighed. “Which one?! They all seem expensive!” They probably were.

“...The gold and pink bottle. Do not touch it.”

Definitely touching it, he picked it up and turned it around in his hand. “Oh lord save me, you know how much I'd like to smell like- vanilla tenderness?? ...Is that how you lure in prey?”

“I'll have you know the ladies love it.”

Shiro snickered. “Oh, I don't doubt that. On them.”

“You bet they do~” The smug retort came drifting from under the door.

Shiro shook his head.

“Are you sure they can't sue you for false advertising, cuz there is nothing vanilla nor tender about you.”

“How would you know?”

...Walked straight into that one.

“...Care to find out~?”

“Eat my ass.”

“Maybe after you washed it.”

Shiro didn't know it was possible to choke on your own tongue while standing. Thank God or whomever that the demon couldn't see how red his face was- though judging by the giggling noises, the shower wasn't enough to drown out his coughing fit.

“Really, you are so wonderfully talented at putting your own foot in your mouth, Shiro~”

“Keep it up and I'll put my foot in your mouth!” He scowled, stepping into the shower while Mephisto burst out in a full-blown laughing fit, fuck knows why. Shiro shrugged it off. This was probably one of those better-off-not-knowing times.

Ah, such a wonderful story~ Heroism, friendship, impossible odds, fantastic machinery... The show had ended and Mephisto zapped away from the commercial break to search for something more interesting. Hm, not much, this late. He shook his cup, the decorative re-useable plastic ice cubes rattling about. All out of drinks. Snacks too. Maybe switch to other entertainment. Come to think of it...

He turned towards the bathroom door. He could hear the water still going. How long had he been in there by now? Five episodes? Seven?

“...As much as I appreciate cleanliness, don't you think you're overdoing it just a scooch?”

No response.

“Don't go telling me you dropped the soap and need help finding it.”

Still nothing. No change in sound whatsoever. Not even one of Deliberately Ignoring You. Odd.

Mephisto rose from his pillow nest and knocked on the bathroom door.

“...Shiro?”

Nothing but the running water. And a strange, light ...grating sound? He opened the door.

“I'd suggest you make yourself decent, but given how much water you're using as well as your general behaviour today that is word obviously not in your dic-”

Oh. Oh dear.

Semi-sitting on the floor of the shower cabin, slouched into a corner, was one sleeping exorcist. Mildy snoring.

Mephisto cocked his head. Strangely adorable, but also annoying. He briefly studied the naked, scratched-up figure. Not a bad look, not at all~ But too easy.

He sighed, and peeled one of his sleeves back to turn off the water. Honestly, rude. He should ask Belial to take care of it. On the other hand... being this troublesome warranted some payback. Payback that would take some effort, but be so much more satisfying than just turning on the cold water right now. Especially since Shiro was known to have a habit of getting violent when woken up suddenly. He didn't fancy risking a cold shower as well. Plus, the mere idea of the face Shiro would make when- He snickered. Yes, a much a more rewarding idea. He snapped his fingers.

“Hmmnnggh...” Shiro rolled over, the filtered light making him vaguely aware that it was morning. He hadn't slept this well in ages, and wasn't planning on letting it end just yet. He pulled the sheets along with him. Comfy. His bed wasn't usually this comfy. Smelled different, too. Did he use a new a laundry detergent? Nope, nope- do not get tricked into thinking just yet. That would wake him. Back to sleep. Savour it.

He pulled the sheets a little more, intent on going full burrito mode. Hm. A little stuck. He groaned at the incooperative blanket, and gave a better yank.

“Don't hog all the covers, please.”

A more effective waking method than a needle in his butt. Shiro shrieked -much to his embarassment- and bolted out of bed. A bed, he now realized, was indeed not of his usual comfort level. In several ways. His embarassment rose even higher when he met the incredibly satisfied eyes of the creature inhabiting the bed. Mephisto's face was about sixty percent teeth as he soaked up the image of the severely shocked man, who was still coming to terms with the fact that no, this was not still part of a nightmare, he was, in fact, awake.

And naked.

Upon that realization, Shiro's brain short-cirquited so completely he did not even attempt to cover himself up. Instead, he just froze, blinking fervently as if hoping the next time he opened his eyes, the lecherous monster, half-dressed in an untied silk gown and lying there as if posing for his portrait as a Roman emperor, would somehow have disappeared.

It took a couple minutes -or hours, by Shiro's reckoning- for the demon to get his fill of this view and bestow the smallest amount of mercy upon him.

“As much as I'd love to hang up a story about tequila, I'm afraid you just fell asleep in the shower. So I dried you off and placed you in here.”

Shiro rebooted.

“You... dried me off??”

“Wouldn't want my best exorcist to catch a cold- or soak my sheets.”

Lanes reopened, the backed-up thought traffic in Shiro's head now started honking impatiently to gain first access to his mouth.

“And you- I- but- it didn't- occur to you- that you could have just WOKEN ME UP?!”

“Frankly I hoped you would wake while I was toweling you off, hovering six feet off the floor... But as usual, you were disappointing.”

Mephisto managed to shrug leaning on one elbow, resting his jaw in his hand. He did not quite manage to look genuinely disappointed.

“You really should work on your comedic timing.”

Shiro's face was bright red, but no longer with embarassment. He was seething, fists and jaw clenched, his white bed hair sticking up as steam rising from his forehead.

“I. am not. your entertainment.”

Mephisto grinned. “Aww, no need to throw in the towel just yet~” His eyes glanced down. “You've got such potential, Shiro...”

WHACK. Instead of a towel, Shiro chose to throw in a pillow. And his full weight and strength to press it over Mephisto's face.

-Epilogue-

Oof. Goodness. Mephisto remained lying down, running a system check on his body. Everything was still there and working, it seemed, but he really should not have let Shiro have his little revenge for quite so long. He had to admit he underestimated the man's strength and how long it would take for his body to pass out from lack of oxygen. Too sidetracked by certain pleasant side-effects, perhaps. He should be more careful about that- Shiro probably hadn't noticed, or he might have indeed woken up with certain parts missing. Or at least damaged. Something still seemed wrong, though. Cold. He sat upright on the mattress. But not in his bed. Or bed chamber.

He blinked. Then shivered. As one tends to do when one wakes up soaking wet, outside. Because someone had dragged the entire mattress, demon included, out to the balcony. In the rain.

“...Oh REAL mature, Shiro!”

He teleported indoors, into a warm, fluffy bath gown, and stared at his expensive mattress through the glass doors of his bedroom. Blasted exorcist. Still...

He summoned his phone, flipped it open, and smiled at his new background picture. Dozens of carefully arranged plushies, and in the middle-

“...Best toy I ever had.”

~The end~

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Curfew: Not at all Corona-inspired~ But isolation makes no sense from an exorcism point of view. However, most demons in canon prefer the dark, so when there's an increase in numbers/reported attacks, a curfew is a logical counter-measure to protect the population. And since exorcists aren't supposed to work alone (*casts stern look at Shiro*), only teams on mission would have permission to walk around at night.

Poor alcohol tolerance & increased German: I strongly headcanon Mephisto's host body is in fact that of the original Faust, and it reverting back to its mother tongue when its language cortex is compromised somehow. I also strongly headcanon all strong demons having an insanely fast metabolism, going by the way Mephisto & Amaimon are always snacking yet skeletal, and this got in fact sort of confirmed by the recent manga chapter where Shiro complains about it in regards to baby Rin. So Mephisto gets drunk easily, but it also wears off rather quickly, unless he keeps drinking.

Don't drink and do magic/ rice fields: For more information, read The End of the Beginning by Superior Dimwit, arc 2: Inferno, chapter 39.

Tying the cat to the bacon: this is a literal translation of a Dutch expression. I cannot justify how exactly Shiro got to know about it, but I sure as fuck can justify its use here. It just fits too well.

Yellow rubber ball with red stars: Also known as a Dragon Ball, of course.

Ukobach: I know he hasn't shown up in the manga (yet), but this is one of those very rare times (maybe the only time) where I think the anime changed something for the better, and there is a good chance Kato is the one who told them the name in the first place, since it's an actual known demon. Either way, Mephisto should totally have some mad monkey five-star chef, in my opinion.

The thing about feet you're better off (not) knowing: Words can have interesting double meanings in other languages. For more information, read chapter 17 of Between the End and the Beginning, once more by Superior Dimwit. Technically, you could argue that the majority of mankind has a foot fetish.

Dropping the soap: I trust everyone to know this one. If not, google it at your own risk.

Violent awakenings: Based on Shiro punching little Shura in the face when she kissed his forehead while he was napping.

Pleasant side-effects of lack of oxygen can include popping a boner and light-headed euphoria. Especially when there's a naked exorcist on top of you. Shiro was right: false advertising indeed.

Plushies & pictures: Y'all remember Rin waking up in Mephisto's bed after going full demon mode in the manga? Although he may have sent his butler to pick up the kid and had the common decency to not him in there naked as he did with Shiro in this fic, there were a number of plushies surrounding Rin when he woke up. All facing up and some placed on top of him. Meaning that they didn't accidentally rolled their way there as he tossed and turned in his sleep- someone definitely placed them there. Cute for now, blackmail for later. Always handy.

#aoex #Ane fanfic #Mephiro #ao no exorcist #fanfiction #mephisto pheles #shiro Fujimoto #scribbles #Fox Populi #oh my god they were curfew mates #Belial #Ukobach

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 30: Recrudesce

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Thirty: Recrudesce

Note: Wow. 300,000 words, and 90 chapters… Thank you. Just thank you! I can’t believe we made it this far, and that you still like reading my story. I’m genuinely touched!

(-~-)

A dull throbbing sensation hit the second youngest of the Dark Knight Sparda’s descendants as he attempted to figure out if he was actually awake or not. His head pounded, and despite the fact that they were closed, he knew his eyes were sensitive to the dim light in whatever room he was in. He could practically see through his eyelids, and the limp soreness that pulsated through his body was easily enough to make him curse the fact that he even had limbs to speak of. He’d had headaches before, but this… this was something else entirely.

Refusing to stay wherever it was that he currently was for reasons he honestly couldn’t pinpoint, V forced his eyes open, and attempted to sit up, only to be greeted by a wave of nausea and dizziness. Did he have a migraine? He’d heard that this was what they were like, but if that was the case, he didn’t want to ever experience another one. Every inch of his body seemed to tingle and sting as though simply touching something sent his nerve endings into a frenzy. It was the kind of thing that you woke up with that made you decide to lay back down and just call it quits, even if you had something important to do. And in truth, he was momentarily tempted to do so, until he remembered something.

Where on earth was he?

In an instant, the memory of his encounter with the prince of darkness Belial came flooding back, and he was gripped with a potent sense of momentary panic that made his heart race. He felt his breath quicken, and his pupils dilate, an involuntary reaction that sent his head screaming into a deafening spiral of searing pain and vertigo as he closed his eyes and attempted to suppress the unexplainable experience he was going through. Was this residual anxiety from their encounter, or something more? He couldn’t explain it any more than he could understand it, but either way, he wanted to leave this room. It was as if the four walls he occupied were closing in on him and trying to crush them with all their might. And despite the fact that he knew that wasn’t the case, he felt a profound need to no longer occupy them.

Pulling himself up all the way into a sitting position, he moaned slightly as the combination of soreness and aching muscles became more apparent. It seemed to radiate from one specific spot, one that he needed to take a look at before he stood up. Actually no, it could wait until he stood. If it wasn’t impeding his movement, then he didn’t feel the need to go over it in fine detail right now. Knowing his mental state at the moment, it would probably just stress and worry him further. Putting weight on it might be a good place to start.

Standing carefully, he couldn’t say that he felt any kind of need to pull his weight off of his side, but he did remember that he had been stabbed in it. Twice, if his memory hadn’t fully failed him. Had he managed to heal from his injuries already? After all, he did tend to heal quickly when he was asleep as opposed to when he was awake like the rest of his family. This could easily be another case of him sleeping for several days, only to awaken and realize that he had quite a bit of catching up to do.

A quick but tentative examination of his side was all it took to confirm that educated guess, if not only partially. After lifting his shirt and peeling down the bandage that covered his side, he realized two things: that he didn’t own the shirt he was wearing, and that he had a large bruise on his side that was probably the source of the radiating pain that he felt in his side. It consisted of several different shades of red and purple, ranging from dark to light, but irrefutably uncomfortable regardless. But in spite of the undeniable soreness that radiated from it whenever he flexed a muscle, he didn’t feel that it would impair him in any way if he attempted to walk.

Thankfully, his assumption proved to be correct as he stepped around the bed carefully and headed towards the bedroom door. Pausing for a moment, he finally took in his surroundings, registering that they were familiar. Very much so, in fact. And he felt slightly unintelligent for not recognizing them. After all, he was in his own house. How could he have been so out of it that he hadn’t recognized that?

Drifting speech permeated his mind as he stepped through the doorway and into the house below. He had been inside of his own bedroom the entire time. He realized that now. But either way, he wasn’t alone in the house. Several recognizable voices could be heard from the floor below as he turned to close his bedroom door, wondering for a moment how long he had been out of commission this time. Had they just decided to leave him be and let him rest in the hopes that he would recover, or had he done so several days or even weeks ago and simply remained asleep? After all, he was sure that that was possible. He had taken some pretty long recovery naps in the past.

Closing the door and heading downstairs was probably the best course of action. He didn’t particularly like to yell, especially in the confines of his own home. It just seemed unnecessary to do so, especially to alert his guests to his presence when he was headed down to join them anyway. They probably thought that he was asleep. Calling down to them would probably only serve to alarm them and send them into a panic to try and figure out where he was and if he required assistance. If they were comfortable, he wanted them to stay that way.

Opting to reach back and close the bedroom door without looking in its direction, he was surprised when his hand touched something softer. Fabric. And to his credit, despite the fact that he had what was easily the worst headache that he had ever experienced (yet another good reason not to yell, lest the act of doing so and the echoing halls only serve to aggravate that.) he was certain that he hadn’t draped cloth over his door. He also wasn’t anywhere near a window, not that the ones on this floor had curtains in the first place. He had seen to that himself when he had taken down the ones in this part of the house to figure out if he would replace or repair them, the sun having done years of lasting damage to them that completely washed out their once vibrant color. But at least the walls had been spared for the most part.

Irrational fear threatened to overtake him as he decided to turn and see who was standing behind him. The young summoner couldn’t pinpoint why he was so worked up, but he was, and if he was going to make a guess, he would say that his recent experiences were probably to blame for that, at least partially. His mind probably hadn’t come down from the adrenaline high and overwhelming sense of mind-shredding terror that he had felt when he had been trapped there with no clear way to defend himself. And that part of his mind was still in high gear right now, grasping at innumerable unknowns as his extended hand was grasped by someone out of view.

The young summoner turned around slowly, both out of caution and the desire to not fall and harm himself further, and out of an unshakable sensation of discomfort that he still felt. He attempted to force it out of his mind, but only succeeded partially, his subconscious firing wildly at nothing as he turned to face the person who had touched him. And to his shock, it was the same answer that it had been when he had fallen to the ground after escaping Belial’s illusion.

“V…” The eldest Son of Sparda didn’t seem to have much more to say than that, seemingly just taken aback by the fact that his oldest son was awake, and that he had managed to get out of the bed and into the hall without anyone else noticing that. His normally rational mind refused to allow him the simple justice of forming anything more meaningful to say, clearly uninterested in the specifics of why he was so utterly relieved and confused to see him awake all at once. He had checked on him for what felt like the millionth time meer minutes ago before stepping away, and he had been dead asleep. How strange that he had awakened so quickly after he had left the room. Had he accidentally disturbed him? “You're awake.”

Staring at the older man nebulously as his brain attempted to try and guess what he was here for before he spoke, V experienced something largely foreign to him. An overwhelming sense of relief. It was like a wave of cool water had rushed over him, cooling off a fever that he hadn’t realized he’d had until then. He couldn’t think of a time previously when he’d been alone with his father and felt so utterly at ease. Or perhaps he could. He’d felt something similar in the brief but overwhelming moment that they had spent together before he had lost consciousness upon his escape with Sirrus. The idea that someone who might be capable of protecting him from his enemy and getting them all to safety had arrived with such perfect timing had been overwhelmingly relieving, and that had never been something that he had experienced with Vergil before. Normally his presence brought with it a slight undertone of anxiety at the concept of what his perception of him and his reaction to it might be, but now he didn’t feel that at all.

“… Father… ” It had been nothing more than a whisper, a quiet thought that he had meant to keep inside of his head. But at that moment, he had allowed it to slip out and make itself known, and he didn’t feel the need to correct that. There was nothing to correct. It was a fact, after all. Vergil was indeed his father. He had just never felt so confused by what he meant to accomplish with such a simple statement before. Maybe he hadn’t meant to accomplish anything at all, and he had simply said what was on his mind for once? Yes, that had to be it. That had to be his reason. He didn’t really require one, either way, but if he was going to form a hypothesis and overthink a situation that didn’t require it in the first place, that was probably his best bet.

“You seem startled.” The Darkslayer said calmly, an almost curious inflection present in his voice as he noticed his son’s barely concealed distress. Magnolia had mentioned in passing that both he and Sirrus might be slightly dazed and confused when they woke up, but this seemed to extend a little bit further than that. He seemed confused and slightly overwhelmed, something that he was sure he could alleviate if he simply knew what was causing the issue.

He didn’t doubt that fact. In truth, he actually had felt afraid until a moment ago. He couldn’t shake that feeling something just wasn’t right no matter how hard he tried, but at least the fear was dissipating now. It was as if a strong undercurrent of uncertainty had shackled him in place, only to keep him rooted on the spot and unable to focus clearly. Perhaps it was due to the headache he had? Or perhaps it was actually a migraine? Maybe he had a concussion? There were so many possibilities, and they were all uncomfortable.

“Nothing I… was just wondering or a moment if I had actually escaped Belial’s illusion or not,” He said tentatively under his breath, his words barely more than a whisper. It was the truth, regardless of if he liked that fact or not, and he didn’t feel that keeping that from his father would benefit either of them. He didn’t know if that made him sound unintelligent or not for not knowing something that might have been obvious, but either way, he was going to speak his mind on the matter and he didn’t really care. No one knew everything, especially not him. He was still relatively new to all of this “did Sirrus…?”

Vergil nodded. “He woke up a few hours ago. You seem to be faring better than he is, in any case.”

Relief was the only word that he could use to describe how he felt upon learning that as he sighed softly, letting go of the pent-up concern that had manifested itself in response to not knowing what had become of his companion.

“I would advise against-” he paused for a moment, shaking his head in disagreement with whatever he had been planning to say before continuing. He had clearly experienced a sudden change of heart. “Proceed. I won’t try to stop you.”

For a moment, V contemplated his father’s rapid mental turnaround as he accompanied him down the stairs. The Darkslayer seemed to be keeping an eye on him as they went, expecting him to lose his balance and fall, but clearly hoping that it wouldn’t come to pass. V considered pressing the issue and asking him what he had been considering saying, but decided not to. He had a feeling that he knew. He probably belonged in the bed, and no doubt, Vergil had been planning to point that out to him, but had probably decided not to for reasons that he could only assume were his own and that he didn’t feel like elaborating on. There was no point in making an issue out of something that wasn’t already one.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, V heard a familiar voice speak, and subconsciously tuned into the conversation, not consciously trying to eavesdrop, but interested in hearing what the topic of conversation was in the very least. He still didn’t know how long he had been out of commission, but he would worry about that once he reached the living room. He had a feeling that Magnolia would tell him herself, if his assumption that she was here proved to be true. He hoped that it would. He enjoyed her presence, and he wanted to thank her for what she had done to help him. Her handiwork was evident in regards to his recovery. From what he knew, she was the only one who knew anything beyond basic first aid.

“Honestly… I’m just not used to being injured. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I tend to recover quickly. Hopefully, this doesn’t prove to be an exception to the rule.” Sirrus stopped suddenly, slowly turning his attention over to V and Vergil as they entered the room, a tired but pleased smile on his face. It was good to see both of them. “V. I’m glad to see that you are awake. I was starting to worry. How are you feeling?”

V stopped, looking around the room as he tried to pinpoint where he was going before he got there. Although his bruised, sore body wasn’t keeping him from moving around, it still wasn’t the most comfortable thing, and he didn’t feel like moving more than he needed to. A hot bath was in order once he had the opportunity and privacy to indulge in such luxuries. “I could be worse. And you?”

Sirrus shrugged. “Likewise, I suppose. It’s the worst I’ve been injured in recent memory, but I’ve definitely been through worse.” A soft, genuine smile crossed his face, something that V was certain he’d never seen before. There was a certain look in his eyes that told him that he meant whatever he was about to say. “Thank you for not abiding by my wishes. Your poor listening skills have saved me quite a lot of suffering. I hope that it does not end up costing you in the long run on my behalf.”

Nodding, V made his way over to the couch and sat down. He was tired and sore, and sitting down would hopefully alleviate that somewhat. A quick look around the room revealed that Magnolia, Nero, Dante, and Lucia were there as well, and they seemed just as surprised to see him as Vergil had when they had encountered one another in the hallway. Nero immediately migrated over to the couch where V was, more than likely wanting to discreetly give him a once-over. He was trying and failing to hide how excited he was to see him safe and sound. 

The eldest of the two found that endearing. How happy he was that Nero hadn’t been there when they had been captured. He couldn’t stand to think about what Belial might have done to him. Did the Devil Prince even know that he existed? If not, it was best that they kept things that way. He had made sure not to mention or think of him very much during their excursion for that very reason. Nero had far too much to lose in a situation like this.

“Good to see you moving around. I was starting to worry about you. You were kind of a bloody mess when I got to Magnolia’s house. You’ve been out of it for about a day now. Maybe a little bit less.” Nero said, leaning over to speak to V. He didn’t even try to hide the little smile on his face. Nero was too good for him, and one day he hoped he could properly explain how much he cared about him. V hadn’t thought much of him when they had first met, but now that he had been given the opportunity to get to know him, he didn’t want to imagine his life without him in it.

“Thank you, Nero. I appreciate that.” V nodded, taking that in. He was sorry that Nero had been forced to spend a whole day wondering about his condition, but the blood loss made his headache, bruising, and general condition made a lot more sense now. Being low on blood was a good reason to experience dizziness. “Have I missed anything important?”

Shrugging, Dante leaned back against the couch adjacent to V. He had a knowing look on his face as he nodded, answering the question for Nero. “Not unless you think visiting Magnolia’s family isn’t a big deal. Because apparently, we're going to pretty soon. Something tells me this is going to be one wild ride.”

(-~-)

This is going to be one wild ride, let me tell you! I’m really looking forward to writing these next few chapters. See you again on Friday, and in the comment section! I hope you liked this chapter! I’ll have more updates on Friday!

#Hiraeth #V #Vitale #Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #Post Devil May Cry 5 #DMC #Nero #Dante #Vergil #Nico #Lucia #Magnolia #Sirrus #My OC #My AU

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 27: Extrapolate

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Extrapolate

 Note: I was today days old when I finally decided to buy an Xbox one S… I just couldn’t say no to the purple one any longer, even if it is used. I just hope it works when it arrives, or there is going to be hell to pay. That eBay bid was EXPENSIVE.

(-~-)

Beat by vacant beat, the young summoner’s vacant little heart searched for the life providing blood that would sustain it, but failed. He could hear the blood rushing through his veins, ears ringing as he gasped for breath that wasn’t there. Every nerve ending on the lower part of his body was crying out in discomfort, and he had no way of seeing or otherwise dealing with his possible injury. Whatever this patently awful sensation was, he just wanted it to stop. It was a severe detriment to his ability to function properly, and it was highly distracting from the task at hand.

So distracting in fact that he didn’t register for a moment that Sirrus had said anything to him.

“V… Oh, that’s a relief. For a moment, I wasn’t sure that you were still alive.” Sirrus said breathlessly as though he were stifling some sort of wince or another source of discomfort. His eyes were heavy, and his breath came in waves as he seemed to try and breathe deeply, only to fail moments later. It was slightly tricky to figure out what was wrong with him, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Of that he was sure. “I’d ask if you were okay, but I know that neither of us is, so we can skip the pleasantries.”

With a vacant glance between the limp hand that clasped his wrist and the rest of the body that it belonged to, the young Descendant of Sparda finally fully registered the fact that Sirrus was there. His entire body had been flooded with enough adrenaline to kill a large mammal the second that he had been touched, assuming immediately that he was under attack and freezing. Everything about this entire trip to the store seemed to be designed to cause him as much distress as possible, his fight or flight instincts running on fumes at this point. He wasn’t sure how much more anxiety he could take.

Looking at his companion carefully, V suddenly registered the state that he was in as he looked him over. There were small lacerations all over him, probably as a direct result of being pulled through a hefty metal door. The fact that an object that was manifested in a place that was basically a figment of another being’s imagination could still physically harm them was admittedly very concerning, and Sirrus’s state wasn’t helping that any. But he would have to worry about that after they figured out where they were, and how they were going to get out of this place. He didn’t intend to stay in this nightmare hellscape any longer than he had to.

“You seem disheveled. I’m assuming that Belial did this to you?” V asked quietly, attempting to stand up and failing miserably at his undertaking. Although the dreaded burning sensation had eased up considerably, that didn’t change the fact that he was still very sore, and he didn’t know where they were. Like it or not, he was still trapped here, but at least he knew where Sirrus was now.

“Clearly. It’s rare that my opponents have the element of surprise. Well played.” Sirrus said breathlessly, forcing himself to sit up all the way. It seemed to cause him a considerable amount of pain to try and stand, and he stopped doing so as a result. “We need to come up with a plan. Did he say anything to you?”

“He had quite a bit to say, actually. But I feel like I might be missing some context in regards to much of it.” V said as he pressed his hand against the bleeding portion of his side. Despite the pain in other parts of his back and side, he couldn’t actually feel anything at the sight of the puncture wound. And while he was still bleeding, he could tell that the flow of blood had slowed down somewhat. His shirt was stuck to the wound, stifling the flow. “He said he would return to me shortly after he finished conducting some sort of business that he had to attend to. I would not like to be here when he does so.”

Forcing himself to his feet with a slight groan, V shuttered slightly. More than ever, he was grateful that he had managed to keep his grip on his cane. Even as he had gone tumbling through the darkness, he had only dropped it upon impact. His encounter with Nightmare a lifetime ago had taught him that it was always an unwise course of action to go into a fight unarmed, and he still wasn’t keen to make his familiars known.

Extending his left hand to Sirrus, V used his cane to help center himself. For a moment, his mind went back to memories that he didn’t like to recall. He remembered being trapped by Malphas, and the sense of helplessness that he had felt when she had stripped him of his familiars and sent him into her shadow dimension. He had barely been able to walk, weak, disoriented, and very much in pain. And although he was leagues better off now than he had been at the time, he couldn’t help feel his blood run cold at the similarities. 

He had refused to die there, and he was adamant that he wouldn’t do so here, either. He had not lost that determination. If he could survive the nightmare that was the Redgrave City incident, then he could survive this. Well, at least metaphorically. He had made it to the end of his journey in that respect, but as far as physically making it out of there alive…

It was best that he didn’t let his mind wander there.

“Can you stand?” V asked, turning over his extended hand to help draw Sirrus’s attention to it. Perhaps he just hadn’t noticed it before? The young summoner couldn’t think of a better reason as to why the young man with the fiery hair would reject his assistance. Perhaps in spite of everything, he was misguided enough to think that he didn’t need it?

“Your thinking about something you shouldn’t be. I can tell.” Sirrus said through gritted teeth as he attempted to stand again without V’s assistance, waving him off gently. No such luck. His body continued to betray him when he needed it most, but he didn’t trust himself to not accidentally yank his companion to the ground. “Talk to me. This might be your only chance to do so until we escape.”

For a moment, V considered pointing out the fact that they didn’t really have time for this, but he decided against it. For all he knew, his past experiences with the Qliphoth might actually prove to be helpful in this situation. Sirrus’s question was not entirely unfounded. It probably wouldn’t hurt them if he took a moment to explain. That didn’t mean that the rest of his body didn’t work in the meantime. He could still look around and try to figure out their next course of action.

“Well… unfortunately, it’s a bit of a long story… ” He said quietly, looking around the endless expanse of darkness around them. Was there even a wall in this place, or was it just pure, infinite blackness that stretched on and on forever? He didn’t want to think about that being a possibility, but he knew that it might be the case. Given his past experiences, that didn’t seem entirely unlikely.

“Unfortunately, we have nothing but time,” Sirrus said with a soft, pained laugh. There was a certain wild look in his eyes that V couldn’t pinpoint as if there was a joke there that V wasn’t getting, but he decided to just let it go. Sirrus was strange as a general rule, but that wasn’t something that V could claim to dislike about him with any sort of honesty. Neither of them fit the typical definition of “normal” so it wasn’t fair for him to single out his companion. And at the end of the day, he had come here to help him out, hadn’t he? That was all that really mattered in a situation like this.

Looking out across the endless darkness, V lowered his head for a moment. He studied the ground below him in silence, pondering. He had always considered himself smart, perhaps not a genius, but intelligent either way. There was a lot of grey area between those two extremes. Above-average was perfectly fine with him. But for everything that he did know about the seemingly normal world that he had spent his entire life in before he had met his family, there were a dozen things that he didn’t have the slightest idea about. He supposed that that was just the way that the world worked, but in situations like this, he just wished that there was more that he could do. For him, one of the worst feelings in the world was to feel useless. Helplessness came at a very close second.

“Quite right. But either way, I’ll make it quick. Time is of the essence.” V said as he examined his side again. He wondered how long he could bleed like this before it became a problem. He didn’t feel quite as weak as he had before, more than likely due to his now much calmer state, but his question still remained, nagging him quietly from the darker recesses of his mind. Maybe the persistent lack of natural light was starting to get to him.

“That’s fine by me. Ready when you are.” Sirrus said as he seemed to adjust his back, turning onto his butt fully before attempting to stretch all the way out and stand again. He made it further off of the ground this time but was still clearly struggling as he moved to sit back down. His breath was shaky as though it took an unfathomable amount of energy and effort for him to attempt to do what he had just done.

“During the Redgrave City attack earlier this year, I was captured by a devil named Malphas. I don’t know if you know much about her, but she was involved.” V said, giving Sirrus a look that indicated that he was waiting for a response to his question.

Sirrus nodded vigorously. “Oh, we knew about her. My superiors have been keeping tabs on her for sometime now. She was quite the powerful sorceress, and as you have noted, her powers are not unlike Belial’s. He is considerably more powerful, however. I’m sure you’ve noticed.” He paused, groaning slightly. He didn’t like knowing that V had been in contact with her. Nothing good ever came with interacting with that devil sorceress. “She dropped off our watchlist some time ago. We have not been able to confirm or disprove her continued existence, but I personally hope that she is deceased. Illusionary magic is a pain, and no one ever seems to use it for anything good. Belial is a perfect example of that.”

V smirked despite everything. “Well, it seems that I can give you at least one shred of good news today. She is, infact, very dead. You have Nero to thank for that. She managed to pin me down, and he did not take kindly to that.”

The look of satisfaction on Sirrus’s face was all that it took for V to know that he had said the right thing. He looked extraordinarily pleased with that answer. “Good. Finally something positive happens. I will have to thank him once we leave this place. Please continue.”

He took a moment to recall what he had been talking about before Sirrus had spoken, finally remembering what had been said. He was quickly developing a headache from dealing with this situation, and he hoped that that wasn’t a result of something more sinister that he couldn’t place the origin of. The last thing that either of them needed was to have their already dire situation further tampered with. It could only lead to negative things.

“A month after the initial attack, we ventured into the Qliphoth, and she stripped me of my “companions” and took me captive. We had made the mistake of splitting up. My prison was not entirely dissimilar to this place, although it was considerably easier to see things in. I can only assume that Belial is making things this dark as a means to an end.” V was admittedly nonplussed in regards to the pitch black environment that he found himself in. There was nothing likeable about how things were turning out for them thus far. “You could walk to the very edge of the area, and then you simply bounced back to the place where it had all started…”

He paused for a moment, frozen in place and thoroughly confused. Sirrus motioned for him to continue, clearly concerned. The young summoner collected himself and continued. “The first night that I was back… I had a dream. Or, at least I think it was a dream. It looked just like this place. I thought that this place was somehow connected to my… “ he trailed off, gesturing towards his tattoos in lue of stating out loud what he meant. Sirrus took the hint, giving him a concerned look. “For the first two times that I was unconscious after my return, I came to a place like this. Now I can only wonder if this is the same place that I recovered them from. And either way, do you think that the same approach I took towards getting out of Malpahs’s trap would work against Belial’s illusion?”

Sirrus seemed to consider his partner’s words for a few moments, thoroughly racking his brain in an attempt to come up with a satisfactory answer to that question. Failing that, he shrugged nebulously, wishing that he had something more profound to say, but willing to admit that he didn’t have all the answers. As much as he would have liked to not have to tell V that he wasn’t sure, he would be lying if he said he was. “To my understanding, basically every illusion of this sort works like that. Once you reach the edge of the boundary wall, you will always “reset” back at the beginning. In our case, that would be the exit and the entrance, which we could very well be heading towards or away from. Either way, we would end up there eventually. Well, that is if Belial doesn’t crush us both to death first. That’s always a possibility.”

A reedy cough escaped Sirrus’s lungs as he wiped his hand across his before clearing this throat and sighing heavily. Shuddering in obvious discomfort, he looked up at the young man that Belial was after. One could only guess as to his motivations for doing something like that, but far be it that he would ever try and understand the machinations of a devil prince. V got the impression that his companion was probably trying to conceal a more grievous injury than he was letting on. “I get the impression that your worse off than you look.”

Nodding, Sirrus attempted to stand again, this time not ignoring V’s offer to assist him. While he hoped that he would not cause the young white haired summoner to fall over and hurt himself, it was the path of least resistance in regards to standing up before continental drift eventually led to the reformation of Pangea. They didn't have that kind of time. “You would be correct. I’m somewhat sure that I have several broken ribs at this point. It’s unfortunate, but it is far from the first time that I’ve had something like this happen to me. You get used to it.”

While he didn’t doubt that, the youngest descendant of Sparda was admittedly concerned for his health. A wound like that was no laughing matter. If one of his ribs punctured an organ or pierced a lung, he could easily die, and that was the last thing that V wanted right now. To see the look on Magnolia’s face if he had to tell her what had happened to her nephew… he sincerely hoped to never have to experience that. And that was to say nothing of the fact that he simply didn’t wish that kind of pain and suffering on his companion. He had done nothing to him to merit that kind of thing, not that deserving it had much to do with it.

“But regardless, I think that we should go. I would not like to continue being his prisoner.” V said calmly, helping to steady Sirrus as he clambered to his feat. His balance seemed to be slightly unsteady as he adjusted his posture, clearly uncomfortable but unwilling to allow it to keep him down. As much as he didn’t like it, there was no time for him to lick his wounds and attempt to better manage his less than stellar condition. He could do that after they were safe, and they were far from it where they were right now. 

“Neither would I. Let’s get out of here. I don’t like cat and mouse games at the best of times.” Sirrus sighed, turning in what he assumed to be the direction of the edge of the illusion boundary. Even as powerful as Belial was, he liked to believe that he wasn’t powerful enough to make an illusion that was too much larger than this. If he was, then they stood even less of a chance than he had originally thought. “Catch and release is only alright when I’m the one doing the hunting.”

Everything within their vicinity began to shudder, the atmosphere around them changing as the very air they breathed seemed to press down on them, making them short of breath. A potent sense of undeniable anxiety overtook them as, from the depths of the darkness, a low, maniacal chuckle echoed off of the walls and a set of five familiar but unwelcome eyes opened just a short distance from them. Dread hit them like a brick wall as they realized that they were no longer alone. Belial had returned. They needed to act. Fast.

“Oh nestling… I think it’s a bit too late for that.”

(-~-)

Ok, so this is really funny, but I have fallen asleep at least three times working on this chapter! I started it on monday, then fell asleep. Got about two pages done, then fell asleep again. Tried to get something done yesterday, but I was busy. And guess what: I fell asleep again! IDK what’s wrong with me! Trying to adjust my sleep schedule is strange.

In regards to an update on the books: The final edits are done, and the cover art is in the process of being created! I got to see the first outline yesterday, and so far, it is BEAUTIFUL! I have a feeling that those of you who frequent Tumblr might recognize the artist… 

Due to legal reasons (you can’t sell fanfiction, even for charity purposes. Not that I was trying to sell it in the first place since I wasn’t taking payment. But still!) I can’t take direct payment for a fic, so what I’m going to do instead is open my kofi account, and if you’d like to help me cover the cost of shipping and creating the books, you can buy me a ko-fi as a “tip” in support of my overall work. I’ll post a chart with the cost of each book type and the cost to ship to each country to give you something to work off of, but either way, it’s optional!

There will be more details on there as soon as I get them worked out, but even if you don’t donate to my ko-fi, I encourage you to find a charity that you care about, and give them something. At the end of the day, that’s what I wanted to do with this fic donation idea! Once I have the book samples, I’ll get you a link of good charitable causes that you can donate to or just spread the word about! Pay it forward, and all that XD See you next Wednesday!

#V #Vitale #Sirrus #Hiraeth #Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #Post Devil May Cry V #DMC AU #V DMC #My AU #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #OC AU