The Call of Hunger

Noooooob Posts : 6 Join date : 2011-02-07

It was now two years since Angel and Armand began their long journey. Angel went towards the northern part of where they currently were, Switzerland. They were currently sidetracked, in heading north to find a prey to hunt, as in their state even an animal would suffice and give them enough strength to continue their journey. Only having traversed a few meters into a forest, the vegetation was already so dense that no clear path could be seen. While Armand suggested taking it slowly, Angel somehow managed to walk right through. Though he moved quickly, Angel was on his guard in case of finding a prey, though it seemed for naught.

After several hundred meters Angel had become tired, so he lay in the grass a moment, not knowing what to do for food. Angel had sacrificed his humanity for what seemed to be an insatiable thirst. Even with this, Angel did not regret his choice, as he could no longer bear to live in poverty and at the dependence of the nobles.

Angel always remembered his life before becoming a vampire, a life of misery, feeling betrayed by his own parents, who give him his life. He was forced to flee his own home to remain free. Things did not go as planned, and he become a beggar, forced to rely on nobles, and he just could not stand such ridicule. He was then plagued by despair and shame, since he had lost all of what little dignity he had left by jumping on each piece of bread people threw him to prevent the pigeons from claiming it first. The more he thought of this, the more he was angered.

Angel was suddenly interrupted by noises coming from a few yards away, was it a prey? Angel remained still on his watch, though the creature that emerged was none other than Armand, carrying four dying boars. Tossing three to Angel, Armand turned away, speaking in a low tone of voice.

"Angel... This is where we turn paths. I sense the presence of an old familiar face... I don't think that I'm ready to deal with such. You've asked me to teach you about yourself, and I have. In four days time, you will be met by what I'm expecting won't be too much trouble. Because of this, I'll go on ahead for now. Return to me when you're done here."

Armand turned away, walking into the shadows. He knew good and well what was going to happen, but decided that it would be best to keep it hidden to Angel for now. Angel wanted to protest, but didn't. He understood that Armand had a sort of fourth sight, and knew that this was probably some sort of final test. Armand had pulled a few surprises on him in the past, but a lot of these surprises had worked in his favor. Angel waited for Armand to walk away, before finishing off the boars and continuing his journey. Angel assumed Armand was hiding, in the shadows, and was going to ambush him. Angel couldn't have been more wrong.

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

"I wish for you to go with Xusha To Europe...Selphie...You wish to be leader of the Zetsumei Knights...and so here is one for your first missions...Build it...I want someone That Xusha has mentioned. XUsha only knows where he is. So I wish for you to get him with her and bring him back. And be normal as possible...Your ganna be in public." Said Kyo To Sephie with a smile.

Selphie made what sounded like a growl as she stretched waiting for their items at the airport turnstile that everyone was grabbing their luggage from, "Seriously...I love my mother but damn her for making us get here this way..." People stared at Selphie as she stood there. Hell she really didn't look normal at all. She had black feathered hair with red bangs plus a strange triangle mark under her right eye. She wore sunglasses to hide her Deep scarlet eyes, but her clothes didn't help for her to stand out. Even looking like a 16 year old she wore very reviling clothes, a black and red corset and a bikini bottoms with a belt that had fabric covering some parts. sleeves one shorter then the other on her arms, the shorter side she wore a glove...but that wasnt the reason she was in a bad mood...

Thats when a kennel came down the turnstile, "Noir!" She ran over to the kennel and opened it. People gasped when a black fox jumped out and stretched out and shook ruffling its fur. It barked at selphie and selphie pouted, "I didn't want to do that to you and you know that! Blame Mother when we get home." Selphie then glanced up and saw what looked like a giant coffin, "Here we go." That made people just stop and drop there things watching selphie grab the Coffin and with a thump it landed in front of them. Selphie rubbed her forhead, "Mother...this isn't very normal..." Selphie then glanced over at The women with her. She had a strong dislike for the women because of her obvious love for her mother. But her mother did tell her to go along with er and couldn't go against her wishes. Selphie wanted to be #1 in Kyo's eyes...So she would do as she's told, "Xusha...Help me carry this..." She would say picking up one end easily.

When they would get it to a certain place they could not be seen selphie would open it and Sigh as she grabbed the two pistols inside and strap them to each of her thighs. Then quickly grabbed the double scythe that the blades were actually down, almost against the staff and the staff was short. She hooked it onto her back, "Where to next Xusha..." She said with a slight glare as she slid her sunglasses to the top of her head and reveled her deep scarlet eyes that looked so much like her mothers.

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02 Age : 33

Xusha closed her eyes a moment, collecting herself. She reached into the coffin, silently and grabbed her scythe. She didn't want to scare Selphie of the danger ahead, and she didn't want to get in a pointless argument. Xusha just looked at Selphie a moment, before heading north. After a few hundred meters, Xusha let out a sigh and stopped, looking back to Selphie.

"Selphie... I'll need you to be prepared, alright? Nothing is certain in these dark woods ahead."

The rest of the day had passed without incident for the two. When the night hit, however, the deep forest seemed to change. The trees were twisted, and the smell of blood faintly filled the air. Against this backdrop of dismal picture, gray and dull, stood a mountain, announcing the territory of what appeared to be the undead.
When the night became too much to bare, the two took refuge in a deserted cave, where the stench of a few corpses of animals hunted by other creatures. They earned here a deserved sleep, and even though the air was wet and cold, it was only accompanied by a deathly silence.

Early in the morning, when the golden sun escaped the grasp of the shadows, Xusha was quick to awake. Xusha gathered her supplies, and awoke Selphie. The thought of her past here was slowly coming back, the memories and pain. The undead, though ignored by Death and her family, were a force to reckon with. Xusha wanted to leave as soon as she could.
She held a high alert, and knew that it wouldn't be much longer before the two were in danger in this area. Moving swiftly, Xusha and Selphie moved hastily.

Xusha left the cave, realizing immediately that the cold of the night carried on into the morning as well. The snow fell in large torrents, coating the frozen winter quickly. The paths of snow traced down the veins of the earth itself. The suffering within the area prevented spring from blooming here, leaving only eternally dry grass, as well as a trail black despair in the nature, ensuring that the grass shall never become green here again. There was an odd vibe in the air, but Xusha didn't let it bother her. Reanimated flesh was nothing of her concern, as she had created many of these herself, though this was a fact she wasn't proud of. On the horizon, the activity of evil spirits filled the air. Xusha wondered if Selphie could sense this, or if she was fearful of it.

Looking back at Selphie, Xusha spoke.

"We're close. The target is nearby... I smell his blood..."

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

Selphie was indeed ready. The smells, the feelings...Everything was driving her senses crazy. Even Noir nudged her hand slightly worried. He knew what was coming. slowley but surley she nodded slightly to Xusha And followed her. The area didn't bother her that much. She did live in the forest back at home and that was indeed a scary place fr the average person.

She stretched slightly and looked around, Her fox trotting back and forth in front of her, "Xusha...Do you plan to take my mother away from me?" This was on her mind all the time...She didn't want her mother gone or anything to ever happen to her, "Because if you plan to try and steal her away...I will do everything in my power to have you eliminated..." as harsh as this sounded Selphie wanted her to know. Her mother was her mother, and no one would take that away from her, being from her for five years was hard. But at least she had Noir with her.

Continuing on question answered or not selphie felt it. An extremely strong force. Her fox stood still and growled slightly. Selphie glanced to Xusha, "Mother does want him alive...But will he come with us easily?"

Noooooob Posts : 6 Join date : 2011-02-07

The sun rose slowly in the morning, but by this time a few hours had passed since Angel had climbed the mountain and he walked toward what seemed to be a natural labyrinth. His path was given by a commoner who was more than willing to give him the secret path in exchange for his own life. The idea of his teeth being more fearsome than some of the barbaric travelers that had occasionally passed through amused him. Angel, true to his word, spared the man his life. When outside he became motionless for a moment, and gazed at the horizon. He was even quite anxious to the point of feeling a little lost in a world that he had once knew only through books and the knowledge he had acquired in his life. This area was desolate and decrepit, but the mountains beyond looked so beautiful. The view reminded him of his former life, and his good mood vanished.

Angel walked quickly, finally sensing the presence of something vaguely familiar. The air was slowly filling with an aura similar to that of Armand's own, which almost startled Angel. Armand had said very little of his own siblings in their travels. Angel only knew that Astaroth, being the most demonic of the three siblings, was powerful enough to have defeated Armand seven times, and when Armand spoke of him, that there was a fear in his eyes that Angel found very foreign. His other sibling, a girl named Xusha that Armand almost never spoke of. The aura too pure to have been the fearsome Astaroth, so Angel concluded that it had to have been the Xusha girl. Angel smiled with anticipation, and continued down the long maze, both excited and curious.

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02 Age : 33

Xusha's reaction to the question was both calm and expected. She was expecting to have been asked this for some time, but did not wish to upset Selphie with a completely direct answer. Xusha, lost in her own thoughts for a moment, stopped walking abruptly and stared off into nothing. After a few moments of collecting her thoughts, Xusha laughed softly, turning to Selphie, a slight smile upon her face, and a deep golden glow to her irises. Her voice was calm, and soothing.

"Like you I'm just a humble guardian for her. I come to be amused to note that even Kyo's spawn can have their own vanity, which seems to match the family's beauty at times... I thought that you would have taken the first opportunity that you could to kill her a long time ago. I've never been happier to have been wrong. The only desires I have is her happiness, as well as her safety. Anything beyond would just be my own selfishness. Now... About the target... It seems that he's alone. That's a good thing... I don't think he'd be easy to take down alone, and Armand surpasses us both by himself. If we can work as a team, then we can handle this, though it won't be easy. I'll leave this decision to you Selphie... Should we go around the mountain? It would take a few more days, but we'd avoid any ambushes by bandits and highwaymen, or should we go right through? It'd take a lot more effort dealing with the petty distractions and obstacles, but It'd take a lot less time. It's up to you."

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

Selphie would smile. For once, to Xusha, "I think as fast as possible...Mama wouldn't want us out for too long." She would then run close up to Xusha, "As long as you take care of mama, Then your alright in my book." She then walked ahead. She could feel it...What they were looking for...and so she would head in that direction.

As they walked they would run into bandits, or even some strange creatures...But they were no match for either of the two girl and had been easily eliminated. Selphie would stop a moment and look to Xusha. This woman was indeed a good candidate as Death Princess, even for a ritual born. She was strong, beautiful and in an odd way she could tell cared for others. She had only heard by ear how she joined the Zetsumei so selphie was surprised when her mother allowed her to. But now she sees what her mother saw that day.

Selphie would stare at xusha a moment before her fox noir walked up and sat next to her, "Xusha...This man...WIll we really be able to bring him back?"

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02 Age : 33

Xusha sighed softly, rubbing dirt off of her knees. There was an awkward silence about her, as she looked ahead. There seemed to be a home of sorts ahead, and Xusha was very hesitant in heading in that direction. Looking back to Selphie, she gave off a soft smile.

"No matter what happens Selphie... I will make sure you get through this. I'm not sure Kyo would ever forgive me if your pretty face got messed up. She asked me to take good care of you, and I promised I'd see you through this... As of right now you and Noir are my main concerns. Everything else comes second, even the objective."

Xusha sat for a few minutes, trying to think of a plan. The obvious bet would be to check the building, but knowing her brother... It might not be such a good idea. She contemplated this for a few minutes, before standing, and tossing a small hunk of meat towards Noir. Motioning for Selphie to follow her, she walked towards the building.

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Inside of the building, a man, appearing no more than his mid twenties sat in a chair, his hands covering his eyes. Just a few hours ago, he had been approached by a figure that had demanded a way out of the natural maze of rocks beyond. The man, Abel, had been very hesitant in giving him the information, and even tried to kill the stranger after threats had been exchanged. The stab was perfect, right through the heart. Unfortunately, this didn't work out as planned. It was at this moment that Abel had discovered that the figure was not a human. The creature flashed his fangs to Abel, and reveled himself to be a Vampire. Abel was terrified, as he knew he stood no chance in combat with a creature that could brush off a direct impact to the heart like that. The Vampire promised to spare Abel his life, in exchange for the way out of the mountains. Abel was sworn to protect the path that his Father's had mapped, but gave into these cruel demands. Having lost his pride, and his duty, Abel was considering suicide.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by two girls walking into his home. One of the girls let off a soft sigh, while the other had a fox with her. Having already betrayed his life's purpose, Abel was not afraid, but felt as though he was going to be punished for his misdeeds.

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Xusha and Selphie walked into the door, Xusha worried as to what they would see. When Xusha saw that the resident was both living, and unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief. The man seemed like a guardian of the mountains, but he was pale, and sweating profusely. Xusha tried to talk to him, but he seemed unable to talk. Unable to find a solution, Xusha began to write to the man. After a few rounds of this back and forth writing, Xusha placed a hand on the man's back, and he fell headfirst into his desk.

"In about four hours... He'll awake, remembering nothing that's happened to him. He's been through a lot... And it just... Seems right to give him a second chance. Now... Lead on Selphie. I know you can feel that energy more clearly than I can."

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

Selphie was surprised to see such a house, but she realized it was a guardian by the strange smell, as odd as that was. But as Xusha talked to him she smelled around. There was someone else that was here...The same guy shes been feeling..." Her eyes widened a bit as Xusha had approached her, She had barley heard or saw what Xusha did when she spoke suddenly braking her off, "Xusha...He's near by...He wasn't here that long ago...Noir you have it?!" Noir barked and was suddenly running off, "Cut him off Noir! Just be careful!" The was a bark and he disappeared. Selphie looked at Xusha and grinned showing a fang and looking a lot like her mother doing so, "I'm ready, are you Xusha?"

She would suddenly book out the door. The Chains on her boots clinking as she ran quickly after her fox. She wouldn't draw weapons yet because of the fact that this wasn't an assassination mission but a retrieval. Mother wanted him for the Zetsumei Knights in which Selphie would lead. It was something her mother was giving her. Another gift...Something that would show how much the Zetsumei mean to her...And how much selphie meant to her mother...
Thats when her Eyes caught something ahead...a Flash of white...She walked forward now that she had stopped running. She could hear Noir tramping around as if he lost the scent but she could smell and feel him right there...with his white hair, "Finally..."

Truthfully she hadn't even noticed If Xusha was behind her or if noir knew where she was. But this man...There was indeed something about him that Caught Selphies attention...It was no wonder...with her mothers mysterious foresight that with simply of hearing of him she wanted him in with the Zetsumei.

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02 Age : 33

Xusha had turned to go with Selphie when a curious sight caught her eye. Just out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something in the house. Xusha walked very slowly, in a state of disbelief towards the wall. As she walked, her movements lost their elegance and she dropped to her knees and began crying. Near the wall, an opened jewelry box glistened with the light of the sun coming in from the outside. Inside of the box, a ring. This ring was no ordinary ring however, and had once belonged to her mother. She had given it to Armand for good luck a long time before she died. Xusha felt an odd sense of fear shortly after. If Armand was willing to part with the only possession of his Mother's that had been given to him, then his heart must have been more twisted than she had feared. Xusha immediately shot up to her feet, and took the ring, putting it on, only to realize that Selphie was long gone.

"Dammit... This isn't good... This isn't good at all... I really hope that she isn't walking into a trap..."

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

Selphie truly hadn't realized how far she walked until she realized she was indeed in a clearing of a forest. The man didnt seem to notice her so she was following him. She even lost track of her fox. They then came to a river, "You! Stop!" She ran up making herself noticed and stood there in his presence, "I Selphie Zestumei....Leader of what will be the Zetsumei Knights and Princess of the Zetsumei wish to bring you in for our lady the Death Goddess Kyo Zetsumei..." But he really didn't seem to care...something was wrong...And that's when she realized how alone she was.

Noooooob Posts : 6 Join date : 2011-02-07

As the day drew onward, Angel had continued walking. Using the map provided, he easily traversed the mountain path, one that had supposedly been impossible to traverse. At the end of the path, he reached a broken bridge with a narrow path downwards, and turned to head downwards instead of letting himself be delayed. He noted that there were three forces following him, and that none of the three were together. One was closing in on him rather quickly, and Angel proceeded quickly. He finally reached the clearing of a forest, and took a moment to think. He felt, very far off in the distance, Armand's energy. Even so far away, it was almost unnerving. Closing up on her was what appeared to be the middle of the three other energies, with the weakest somewhere behind, and the strongest even further behind that energy. Angel analyzed the situation, and turned around, walking casually.

He could hear cluttered footsteps as he walked, which let him know how quickly his pursuer was traveling. Whoever it was was traveling at a lustful speed, and would soon close in on him. Angel, loving risks, decided that he would act unaware, and let them get the jump on him. The power he sensed was hardly that of the real challenge further back. Angel continued walking for around a minute before he noticed the footsteps slowing. He cracked his back softly, and continued walking. This was going to be it, and Angel was secretly excited about being charged from behind by such a figure. As Angel came to a river, however, his excitement diminished almost immediately.

"You! Stop! I, Selphie Zetsumei... Leader of what will be the Zetsumei Knights and Princess of the Zetsumei wish to bring you in for our lady the Death Goddess Kyo Zetsumei."

Angel turned back to the figure, only for it to be a little girl. A powerful girl, but still only a child. Her face began to show sings of fear, and Angel walked slowly towards her direction. He studied her a moment, before shaking his head and stretching out his arms, and cracking his knuckles. He gave off a sharp grin, before tilting his head, and collecting his thoughts.

"You would come to me under the alias of death? I know all very well of your clan, and their many failures. I've even had the honor of seeing your Goddess bleed like the pig she is. It's a shame that you all take orders from such a wench."

Angel knew immediately that one of the other figures was Armand's own sister Xusha. From what he knew, this clan held her in check, sheltering her temporarily from her own inevitable damnation. The strongest of the three, must have been their very own leader then. Angel had lied about seeing the Goddess injured, but he was a skilled manipulator. He was fortunate enough to have seen a wanted poster of the lady, and, by the wave of his hand, Angel created an illusion of Kyo fighting faceless foes, before being stabbed by first one, then two, and finally by all of them. She bled, and stumbled away slowly, being pushed around by these seemingly weak enemies. This too, was all artificial, but vivid and seemingly real.

"It's a shame that you let that old hag push you around. Especially since she values you less than the dirt on her own nails."

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

Selphie stood there. This man...And everything he was showing her, "DOnt ever...call my mother a pig..." This cause all her anger to rise. Her eyes seemed to glow. Thats when he showed her. Her eyes widened and to se eher mother bleed like that...and be pushed around. Her eyes suddenly turned all black and visible black power could be seen flowing from her body, "You...I dont understand what my mother sees in you...but she wants you to return with us..." She stepped forward towards him, "Now...Return with us quietly and we wont have a problem."

Yes her temper was getting the better of her but she wasn't going to back down from this man. Thats when she felt Noir. He crept from the forest slowly growling lowley watching the white haired man. Selphie held her hand out to him to hold back and the fox stood there hesitantly.

Selphie then smirked softly, "You yourself have lived a long time...You smell strongly of another male...I must say...is that all you have been doing with you life?"

Noooooob Posts : 6 Join date : 2011-02-07

Angel closed his eyes, and focused all of his energies to his hands. He sensed her anger rising, but remained calm himself. He stepped back a few times, before opening his eyes. His irises shone in a light cyan as his lips slowly stretched out to form a smile. He had been sensing her inner potential all of this time, and had discovered that she wasn't as weak as he'd originally thought.

"You are young, and your strength is still growing. It might be a good idea for you to turn and run now. The reason that your Mother desires me is simple. She wants to embrace her family with someone worthy of the name. Perhaps I'll ask her to join myself... After presenting your head to her. I'm sure she'd like that."

The illusion of Kyo being beaten was still projecting, but suddenly vanished. The sun was still shining, but the sky darkened, as the temperature lowered slowly. After a few minutes of this, Angel's necklace flickered, and ice began to cover the nearby area. As Angel cracked his shoulders, a large icicle, about the size of a grown man, shot at Noir at impressive speed.

"I'd like to see what you are capable of before I kill you."

Noooooob Posts : 18 Join date : 2011-02-02

Selphie's dark eyes widened, "NO!" She yelled. She would never lose Noir...He was her best friend. Her small hand shot out as quick as his did, but instead of Ice, A swirl of black flames erupted and would slam into the ice. A soft hissing from the hot and cold mixing sent out a soft mist once they collided. Even if it didn't melt it, it would indeed direct it off course.

Selphie stood quite tall...even in her shot stature she looked proud, "I'll tell you now...Even if i have to go against my mother's wishes of bringing you back alive...I will kill you..." She said this and her voice seemed to go demonic. At that moment she reached down grabbing both her pistols. They seemed so average, even if a normal human girl her size couldn't handle them because of the caliber, she could...She smirked showing a fang, "Like I said...I will Kill you...Now come quietly...This is my last warning..."

Noir quickly had trotted over to her side and growled, his black sleek fur now standing off and his tail all bushy as his eyes seemed to glow brightly.