Euphoric Malaise

[Anatieyre]

It was an exceptionally odd thing to see in the once beautiful port of Arioles -- amongst crowds of ratty peasants and diseased homeless, surrounded by the dregs and filth of all sorts of races, was a young, aristocratic woman with raven black hair, donning a frilly, tight-fitting gray dress and an obsidian shawl. A gingerly, yet steely smile graced her thin lips, standing in contrast to the sea of pain and woe surrounding her.

How could someone surrounded by so much suffering manage to wear a smile? Simple: she was feeding on it, and to her it tasted as if it were a delicious banquet fit for King Osirus himself. This woman, Mrs. Anna Vendeleur, a lovely literary scholar from the North, was truly Anatieyre, the Yearner of Woe, responsible for countless wars and slaughters, and a new player in the conflict between the forces of Nocens Atrum and the Goddess Lumen.

But that wasn't the only reason she was there, she reflected, briefly breaking from her thoughts to give a friendly smile to a guard she passed, who gave her a smile in return. It was funny, really, how they treated her with such respect and warmth, yet at the same time scowled at the commoners who would pass by them. If she weren't a beautiful woman wearing a fancy dress, that soldier probably would have spit on her. After all, that's how humans are.

Stopping at a fruit stand, she returned to her thoughts as she took a basket and began placing fruit into it. Operating from the North was safe, yet unfortunately, because of recent events, she had to move the operation to the frontier, Alyssus. Things were getting too difficult for her assosicate and adoptive son, Eltana, to handle; running the Blood Chamber, searching for the Swords, sucking up to that twit Osirus -- it was all so much, so she decided to be a good mommy and lend a hand.

"That'll be seven gold pieces, miss," came the fragile voice of the kind old clerk.

Anatieyre payed the man and waved him goodbye, her face the perfect mask of innocence, hiding her true volatile nature beneath a soft countenance and a smile as sweet as honey. Sometimes she really impressed herself with her acting prowess. The walking corpse of a human had no idea whom he just dealt with.

She resumed her walk, ignoring the needy's pleas for pieces of bronze and copper as she sauntered down the path, merely glancing at them and taking in the sorrow and pain on their faces. The sad glint in their eyes, their worn faces, their downtrodden lifestyles -- they were all so delicious. Traversing the misery, Anatieyre couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a great day.

[heavensinger]

"Please... Buttons for bronze....?" A small child waved a pot lid under the pure white figure's nose. Obviously these people took the servant of Osiris as... An angel.
The black eyes looked blankly at the mucky creature, making the girl flinch. With a swift- webbed hand, Miao had the girl by the hair. As the child waved blindly to try and escape from the white females grasp- Miao looked at all the others around her- recoiling in fear and wonder. "Do you know who I am you freak of nature?" Miao had pulled the child from the dusty earth by her hair and as the girl screamed, Miao tossed questions at her which the poor child could not answer- unless she was part of the Osiris hierarchy- "Well you piece of misery and sin? Who am I!?" Miao was now shaking the girl violently. The girl was screaming and screaming. "Who am I? Child of evil, child of sin- child born by maggots for parents- who am I?!-" As Miao screamed an unmistakable 'click' was heard. The child's hands fell to her sides and her eyes glazed over.
Her neck was broken, and a gasp rushed through the crowd of onlookers. "Foolish child, I am Miao- servant of Osiris!- Personal Servant of Osiris, I watch him every day. I see him and I know that only who can be saved- he will only protect a select few- and I am one of them!" Miao's crazed eyes looked at the girl, like she could understand Miao now her soul had gone.

As Miao tossed the corpse into a crowd of females, who immediately began wailing in mourning, she noticed that a young boy had began feeling the hem of her black, velvet cloak. Of course, Miao kicked him in the stomach- which sent him rolling to his mothers feet- gasping in pain.

"You see this?" the woman pulled a chain from beneath her cloak, placed against her heart. Silvery black hair hung from the greying chain by a pink ribbon. "This is Osiris's hair! Have any of you crept into his bedroom at night, taken scissors to the sleeping mans hair? Have you touched the silk mattresses as he slept, or watched his chest rise under ruby sheets as he breathed? No you haven't!" Miao laughed, her usually white skin was turning a rather off shade of blue. "Because your all maggots! I might as well kill you here! Because your going to slowly rot in this hell whole. I saved that girl...." All of a sudden Miao recoiled. Maybe she realised what she had just done.
Trying to convince herself that what she done was right she mumbled to herself- "I saved her... I saved her..." And burst out of the crowd. And along past fruit stands and down paths.

Miao felt the winds rush through her long tendrils, and couldn't quite understand that her love and adoration for the king. Had become an addiction.
Miao couldn't understand that her behaviour had all been because, she couldn't stand being away from him. And that if he were dieing and there was no saving him, on his death bed- she would gladly have him kill her with a sword. Miao had gone mad with love.

[Akikaze Kitsune-Onna]

The strange foxlike woman had been walking through the cluttered streets of Arioles when the sudden commotion reached her ears. Paintbrush in hand, Akikaze came upon the horrid scene. A poor child's neck had been snapped by a...thing. Tears began forming in the kitsune's eyes as she saw the poor girl, among a crowd of wailing and weeping women. Slowly, the fox woman managed her way through the crowd, coming to kneel beside the child. Lifting her frail form in her arms, she began stroking the little girl's grubby cheeks. "Now, now, sweetie..." she whispered. "It will be alright now, you don't have to suffer that monster's torture anymore..." By 'monster', she could've meant many things. She could've meant Osirus, who had let the port town slip into depressing poverty. She could've meant Miao, who had deprived the poor girl of life. Or she could've meant life itself, pressing upon the poor humans who had to struggle to make a living. A tear fell from Aki's eye, landing upon the little girl's cheek, leaving a streak of pale flesh as it tore through the dirt on her face and slipped down to land on the ground. "May Lumen hold you close to her..." Standing, Akikaze Kitsune-Onna held the dead child close to her with one arm. Her emerald gaze turned to Miao, her paintbrush becoming soaked with ink.

"How dare you deprive this poor child of her life?!" She screeched as the white figure ran. With a lightning-quick movement, the kitsune painted a line in the air, the ink myseriously hanging before her instead of dripping to the ground. Muttering something, the line shot forward after the disgusting creature, finally reaching her and entangling her feet. In a burst of violet flame, Akikaze and the child were standing before her. "You called her a child of evil, a child of sin, and a freak of nature," she spoke, her emerald eyes emotionless as they gazed upon the figure at her feet. "But what do I see before me? A murderer. A mindless lapdog to Osirus. A freak of nature." The Kitsune's eyes narrowed. "One who is not worthy to live, as you deemed this innocent child. Murderers like you are sure to be damned in their next life. Nonetheless, I will say a prayer on your behalf..." Tossing her paintbrush up into the air, Akikaze muttered something and the ink that had tied up Miao's feet had disappeared, fixing itself within her brush again. "Now, begone from here, filth of Osirus," she said, turning around and walking off.

"What was that?!" one of the women shrieked as Akikaze returned. She was clutching to the sleeve of the fox woman's beautiful orange kimono, the dirt and grime on her hands rubbing off onto the soft silk.

"I do not know, but she will not bother you again," Aki replied. "She will have me as a target from now on." Both of the painter's arms held the child to her breast, and the tears just wouldn't stop falling. She began muttering an ancient Kitsune prayer for young kitsunes who met their demise early.

"Darkness has pressed upon this young one so early, and has sadly deprived her of life. May Lumen welcome her and keep her in her arms, singing softly to her as she sleeps, wiping her tears away if she weeps. Night has fallen upon this poor child's soul, but the day that will follow will be an unending one, devoid of sadness, of hatred, of sickness, and of death. May she rest forever in peace..."

[Anatieyre]

Looking into the whicker basket she was carrying in her delicate arms, she frowned somewhat, convinced that a basket of fruit wouldn't be enough to sustain her on her long trip to the abandoned Lyaran Temple of Lumen. Even though she was able to sustain herself on the suffering of others, pained individuals were few and far between on the seemingly endless roads of Alyssus, so it would behoove her to pack a decent supply of provisions. She could survive without eating anything for several months thanks to her dabbling in the dark arts, but still, not eating anything for that long isn't exactly the best feeling.

Noticing a bustle nearby, she casually strolled over to the chaos, plopping a juicy cherry into her mouth every now and again as she walked. Anatieyre really loved cherries; not only were they delicious, they had a sensual, elegant air about them, just like her. She quirked an eyebrow at the sight of a kitsune woman casting spells against some strange-looking creature with her paintbrush. Well, needless to say she hadn't expected to see something like that! Then again, she mused, freak fights had been fairly common for the past few hundred years.

But what had instigated the little tussle? Eying the corpse of the child the kitsune was carrying, she quickly answered her own question -- the bizarre white thing, apparently working for Osirus like her son, murdered a child! Why was she not surprised? According to her darling Eltana, Osirus had a penchant for psychopathic, murderous buffoons who enjoyed picking on the weak. So did she - to an extent, but she kept her crazies on a tight leash. Additionally, it would take a lot of convincing for her to allow such an.. unkempt, unrefined murderer into her ranks -- once she re-established her ranks, that is.

But that kitsune greatly annoyed her. Those weren't the hopeless tears of pure agony that she yearned for pouring down her face, but were kind tears of sympathy and pity. Disgusting. Seeing that wench ripped apart at the seams would greatly amuse her, and she intended to do just that. So the girl liked art, did she? Anatieyre fancied art as well, she reflected. It was time to prove who the better artist was.

Resting those unnaturally blood red hues of hers on the deceased child, she invaded the corpse's mind; seeing as how controlling corpses was sort of her calling card, and considering how weak a child's body is, it took absolutely no effort. The deceased little girl's eyes snapped open, pupils missing in a sea of ghostly white, a wide, disturbing smile on her now-veiny face. The poor girl's reanimated body began to transform, now donning bony, fleshy wings and two arched horns. It looked as if it were a demon ripped straight out of Hell -- and, in a way, it was. Anatieyre modeled it after a special type of gargoyle she was studying in one of her ancient texts.

The abomination hovered into the air and smiled wickedly at Akikazi, small wings fluttering in the wind. Anatieyre chuckled inwardly, suspecting that the kitsune would believe Osirus' lapdog responsible for mutating the girl, and assault her in turn. She was right -- it was going to be a great day! She watched from the sidelines, mixed in with a crowd of people, plopping cherries into her mouth as she waited for her 'sculpture' to attack the artist.

[Akikaze Kitsune-Onna]

The look of surprise that appeared on Akikaze's face was enough to show that she was genuinely afraid at the poor girl's transformation. Despite that, she wasn't going to allow the poor thing to kill her. She still had to find her mother, and she wasn't going to allow this setback to prevent her from doing so. Leaping back, she thought to herself what kind of enchantment she should paint. But those thoughts were being clouded over and invaded by that freak of nature...and how she could do this to such a poor, innocent child. The fox woman gritted her teeth together and settled herself on a plan. Twirling her brush, she began painting various arcane symbols in the air. The first, wind, sent a huge gale downward straight from the sky, making weaker things, like rickety stalls, collapse and fall. Hopefully that would send the mutated girl down to the ground. The second two symbols, Pair and Archer, began to glow and they morphed together and twisted themselves to form a pair of archers. At first, there was just a mere outline made of ink, then they began to gain shape to them, making a pair of archers that looked like they had stepped out of one of her paintings. The two pulled back on their bows, releasing a flurry of arrows at the girl. If the gale didn't send the townspeople running, the shower of arrows did.

/If I have to, I'll use the Sealing technique.../ the kitsune thought, /But I'll have to get her covered in ink... Nonetheless, if I could seal her, she would be a useful summon... But for now, she'd leave it to her impromptu paintings, then she would go to her arsenal of powerful dragons, warriors, and even demons. /But that would only show that I'm incapable of taking down a mere child with my power.../ she thought miserably. /What should I do?!/

[enigma]

Then there came a loud battle cry and a woman clad in green armor leaped from behind Akikaze, slashing at the mutated child with a golden blade. Landing before the kitsune, the marax called Marissa turned her helmed head slightly, her eyes obscured by the strange metallic substance that clung to her skin. "I'll take care of thisss..." she hissed, the smirk on her lips looking almost sinister. "Jussst keep painting thossse sssymbolsss..." The snakes on the woman's head hissed and bared their fangs at the girl, making the occasional strike just to be stopped by the fact that they were attached to Marissa's head.

"What a fassscinating creature..." the marax hissed. "How interesssting it would be to report thisss to King Osirusss..." Twirling her zanba-tou, the snake woman tightened her grip on the small Orb of Madness she clutched in her left hand and laughed. "A ssstrange demon appearsss and hindersss me from finding my target..." She had passed Miao on the way to this place, "And it ssseemsss that Miao wasss here too..." From beneath her helm, bright orange serpentine eyes searched for one who may be controlling the beast. Her eyes settled upon Anatieyre for a second, but then the marax closed her eyes. "Imposssible..." Marissa hissed.

[Anatieyre]

A profound frown overtook her face at the sight of Marissa leaping into the fray. This wouldn't do! Her little marionette would not be able to take on both of them. There was only so much she could do with the child's body without completely possessing it, and she was staunchly opposed to doing so, for it would quickly blow her cover. She could ingrain the deceased brat with more of her power, but that could only do so much; if she had a stronger body to control, however, it would be a completely different story.

Realizing the futility of having the abomination battle the marax and the kitsune together, Anatieyre decided to reprogram her 'artwork'. The gargoyle, who had been simply hovering in the air without motion, allowing the hale and arrows to graze its rock-hard outer shell, let out a loud, ear-shattering screech and lunged at a fleeing towns person, knocking the poor young man to the ground and ripping into his torso, ripping the man's heart out with great alacrity, consequently ending his life. It began to do this to as many fleeing commoners as it could get ahold of, quickly moving onto the next after ending its target's life.

Anatieyre had failed to notice that Marissa's gaze had temporarily fallen on her but, having been around long enough to know to take precautions against being found out, had put on the perfect mask of fear. She positioned herself under the awning of a nearby building, clasping onto her shawl in apprehension, false terror shining in her dark eyes. The fact she wasn't running was suspicious, she admitted, but people could assume that she was merely paralyzed with fear.

As an extra precaution and a measure to turn the tables in her favor, Anatieyre invoked the power of Baphomet, the Prophet she had personally murdered and absorbed not even a week ago. She used a diluted version of his soul-swapping ability to invade the mind of a nearby young man. It was the first time she had done it on a human, and was glad to see that she was able to take over his body without having to put up much of a fight. Anatieyre herself had gone motionless, frozen in a terrified pose, eyes partially glazed over.

"Die, you evil fox abomination and your wicked companion! Long live the Shade!!" she shouted through the young man with convincing passion. The boy raised his hands and along with them the twenty or so bodies lining the streets. The newly murdered townsfolk began transforming into gargoyle-like creations, just like the girl had. The creatures circled the pair, their beady little eyes glinting with a lust for murder.

As they all lunged at the two at once, Anatieyre began fortifying the little girl through her temporary host, using her dark magic to attach any nearby debris onto the creature's hardened shell. Feeling her influence over the man waning, she made good use of the time she had left, ordering the mass of demons' hive mind to expel two of their own. The two that were expelled from the battle hovered over to the little girl and merged with her, forming a large, horrifying, winged chimera of dead bodies.

Anatieyre smiled through the young man, impressed with herself.

[Akikaze Kitsune-Onna]

The gargoyle-like creatures all lunged at Akikaze and Marissa at once, just to be blown back by a sudden whirlwind. There, standing in the center of the sudden cyclone, was Akikaze, with a woman clad in a pale blue kimono standing above her. Kaze-Onna, the Wind Woman, one of Aki's favorite paintings. With lightning-quick movements, the kitsune had six more symbols painted.

The first three, Fire, Giant, and Wolf, mixed together and formed a huge wolf with fur of blazing red flames. The huge beast howled, then released a stream of huge flames at some of the gargoyle-like beings that surrounded them. She glanced at Marissa, noticing the orb in her clawed hand. "An orb of madness," the artist whispered. "So you're a marax?"

Not waiting for an answer, the three other symbols, Tiger, Huge, and Ice mixed and formed a tiger forged from ice. Together, the flame wolf and ice tiger blew streams of red-hot fire and sub-zero winds respectively at the mysterious creatures that surrounded them. /I won't lose.../ she thought. /But...whoever is creating these is certainly an amazing artist... I wouldn't mind meeting whoever it is... Maybe even learning a few things about art.../

[heavensinger]

She lay in the foetal position on the floor. Grasping at the blades of grass not far away from her forehead. The image of the girl and the painter, clouded her vision till- if it weren't for her feeble hand movements playing with the green strands, you would have thought Miao to be dead.

In fact it was true, her eyes had clouded over so much that, the figure coming towards her was just a black blur in a dusty and deserted backstreet. "Who are you?..." Is all that she could croak, because the shock of both loosing her rag and the Kitsunes spell had left her as just a heap of shivers. The black blot on the landscape had bent down. Miao could tell that. And were those geta the figure wore on its feet? They were awfully high, half a metre?, give or take. Sun light flashed through the persons silhouette, blinding Miao for a second.

[glow=red,2,300]A rough voice answered. Like he were a chain smoker. "You will not know me. For I am from Gurella... But because of what I have seen. You may call me The Man With No Face..." A long pause followed. He noticed the alien-like woman's ragged breaths, so touched her shoulder. "It was a fright, I am sure" he wasn't sure how to comfort someone. He had never quite been in a position to comfort someone. He watched her nod, blink, and look up to find a face behind the rags which covered it.[/glow]

Miao's vision recovered. It was just shock and fear that made her panic. So this comforting figure must have seen what had happened. Why?- How could he be here? If he had seen everything, why was he here- because what she had done was wrong and for once in her life, Osiris could punish her. Miao rose to her knees and gazed at the male.
She was right, they were geta on his feet- and they were about half a metre high. He wore a dark green kimono, used as a cape over his shoulders. Brown trousers, tied at the bottoms, were a suggestion that he were poor and a grey vest at on his lithe torso. But a more striking suggestion of his lack of wealth would have had to be his Chinese peasant hat. It was worn with age- and pinned to the rim were strips of brown fabric. To hide his face. "Why are you here- with me?" She gazed up at him like he were some higher ranked figure.

[glow=red,2,300]"I am here because... Well I'm here to find my student- Mr Shou, but I am here with you, because I know that this King Osiris may hurt you If you return to his court with nothing in your hand but a meaningless corpse" He breathed in. "So I want you to send him a little message. Tell him that the death- and the scene- was not worthless. You met a man there, who was a danger to both the king and the land around his castle. A bandit, a thief, a rogue, a traveller." Once again, the man breathed in an out- thinking about what she must say and the outcome of each word. "Tell him, that in not too long, I will meet up with my student. By the name of Mr Shou. Purple hair- tell him he has purple hair and I'm sure your king will know who I mean... Roughly... Well I will meet him. Tell the king that I am a serious threat to him... And that if he understands, he should send one of his army to find us..." The man smiled. [/glow]

Miao struggled against this message. "Wha- What do you hope to prove by telling hims this?"

[glow=red,2,300]"I hope to show him that there is a threat to him. If he chooses to negotiate with me, I will be lenient. But if he chooses to not band with me, both he and his little army boy will die... Either by my hand- or the hand of Katsou!" The Man With No Face stood up, happy with his little message.
[/glow]

"And..." Miao rose to her feet. "And what If I choose to not send your message? What if I run away and do-" a flash of light and Miao felt hot metal slice through her elbow. Miao wailed as her forearm fell to the floor.

[glow=red,2,300]"You will tell him..." The man had whipped the sword to sit at Miao's neck. "Or the rest of your arm will be on the floor!" He spat out the words like venom, with his teeth clenched and a vein pulsing in his neck.
[/glow]

Miao ran before he could swing that sword around any more.

[glow=red,2,300]
"Well done..."The Man With No Face stroked the sword.[/glow]