Soldiers of Light 2 ch. 1 "Prison Break"
 

Talkatz stared angrily into the viewing portal created by a small demon beside his throne. The vision he saw was that of his demon army being massacred by the human and Kimono homunculi resistance. He slammed his fist into the arm of his twisted throne, creating several cracks in the finely carved obsidian. His black eyes were beginning to glow a harsh red.

“Damn them! Why won’t they just die!”

He struck out and smashed the little demon into the opposite wall, breaking the vision. He reached up with his clawed hand and scratched lightly at his twisted horns. The elemental orbs imbedded in his chest were fluctuating with his anger. He got up from his throne, and walked along the finely polished stone floor to a grand glass window. He stared out with contempt at the battle that ensued outside.

“How dare they resist me? I am the King of Demons! There isn’t a single demonic being in this world that would dare even look at me wrong! And these mortals, these weak bags of flesh and blood, come to my home to challenge me? They will pay for that mistake. They will pay dearly.”

As Talkatz surveyed the battle, his eyes caught a movement in the sky. A winged being was flying quickly toward the window. The flyer was carrying something. When it got closer, Talkatz could see what it was, and his eyes widened. It was Pyros, that filthy flame angel, and he was carrying Kurama! The Raigaki could be seen glowing brightly in the hand of the samurai. With a throw, Pyros tossed Kurama toward the window. Talkatz had but a moment to step back to avoid being hit by Kurama bursting through the glass and rolling into the room. Once he regained his balance, Kurama stood and entered an offensive stance. Kurama had a smug look on his face.

“Talkatz. We finally meet in the flesh.”

Talkatz was not nearly as cheerful. He growled slightly, his lips peeling up to reveal his fangs in anger.

“Genkai. You and your family have been a thorn in my side for centuries. I’ll be happy to rid my new kingdom of your seed.”

The silver orb on Talkatz’s chest glowed. In a nearby corner a metal light stand suddenly began to move and twist, becoming a large sword. The sword flew to Talkatz’s hand. Kurama was only startled for a moment.

“The Negative Sphere of Metal.”

Talkatz nodded with a slight hint of arrogance.

“Yes. The Negative Spheres. Through them, I can control each of the elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Metal, Wood, and Void. You have no chance of defeating me.”
“Maybe not, but I can sure as hell try!”

Kurama lunged forward and struck with the Raigaki. It met with Talkatz’s sword, and bounced off. Talkatz countered with a horizontal swipe, but Kurama ducked beneath it. It went on like this for an hour. Each attacked, blocked, and countered in succession. Finally, Kurama seemed to gain the upper hand. With two quick strikes, he knocked the blade out of Talkatz’s hand. The Demon King was now defenseless.

“KAMA!”

A blade of light erupted from the Raigaki. It flew forward and sliced into Talkatz. He stumbled for a moment, and then fell to the ground in two pieces. Kurama started to catch his breath while he looked at the corpse. Suddenly, the Raigaki seemed to react to something. It was glowing bright, then dim. The sphere in the center of Talkatz’s chest was glowing a black light. In a disgusting show of healing, strands of muscle and tendon popped to each piece, and began to fuse together. Within moments, the Demon King was back on his feet and ready for more.

“Surprised? The power of Void holds many surprises. You did not think you could kill me so easily, did you?”

Kurama was clearly shocked, and the Raigaki almost fell from his hands.

“But…I killed you! The Raigaki cut you in half! You should be dead!”

Talkatz shrugged.

“The Raigaki also killed me over a thousand years ago, and yet here we are, having this conversation. The sword is only a tool, boy. When held in unworthy hands, it’s not the ultimate blade of purification.”

“But humans are the only ones who can wield it. Humans are pure, and as such can use the Raigaki without getting hurt.”

“Pure? You naïve little twit. Humans may be purer than demons, but you are far from pure. If your filthy race was pure, then you wouldn’t have hate. You wouldn’t have crime. You are basically weak demons with limited life spans.”

Kurama looked down at the blade. Humans were unpure? That went against everything he had been raised to believe. But it was undeniable. Talkatz still lived, and the Raigaki was dim. It was the blade of purification, and only a completely pure fighter could wield it at its full strength.

It was then Kurama did both the most creative and stupidest thing he had ever done in his life. He had made himself pure.

He placed the point of the Raigaki on his chest over his heart, and pushed. The blade tore through his skin, pierced his heart, and traveled through to his back. He dropped to his knees as blood from the blade dripped onto the floor. He could hear Talkatz’s laughter through the darkness.

“So, you wish to commit honorable suicide, eh? A bushido to the end, I guess. If anything, I have to give you humans credit for sticking to tradition. It’s amusing. However, if I remember correctly, another warrior must behead you now. I’ll be more than happy to help there.”

Talkatz took his blade up, and raised it over his head. What he didn’t notice was the blood on the blade. It seeped into the symbols, and the blood gave off a small glow.

“Goodbye, samurai.”

The Demon King swung downwards with his blade, waiting for the coming sound of metal rending open flesh. However, he did not hear that sound. Instead, he heard the sound of his blade being shattered. He looked down, and his eyes burned. Kurama was now glowing. His black hair had turned white, and his blue eyes had become nothing but sockets of light. He pulled the blade from his chest, and the wound miraculously healed. Kurama stood up, and held the Raigaki out. The sword seemed to sing now that it was in the hands of a pure human.

“There is no escape for you this time, Talkatz. Today, you DIE!”

Talkatz roared, and lunged forward with his claws. Kurama held up his hand, and the demonic limb dissolved in the light. Talkatz stepped back, looking with horror at the smoldering stump where his arm used to be. When he looked up, he saw nothing but Kurama striking forward with the Raigaki. The blade pierced the center sphere. The demon’s face froze, and dribbles of blood ran from his mouth. Kurama got in close. His face was near Talkatz’s, and he whispered.

“Feel what it’s like to die Talkatz. Feel fear for the first time. Understand what you never could. There’s no coming back. You wished for a time of darkness. Well, enjoy your darkness for eternity.”

Kurama twisted the blade. Talkatz shook, and then crumpled to the ground. Kurama stood above the remains of the once great Demon King. With a quick slice, the horns of Talkatz were severed from the head. Kurama picked up the horns, and walked outside. Outside, the battle was still raging on, though both sides were considerably smaller. Kurama held the Raigaki in the air, and a grand beam of light appeared. Both sides stopped and stared. Upon seeing the light and the horns of Talkatz, the battle ended. The demons hid in their secluded spots, and the humans cheered in joy. His friends gathered close around him, making comments about how cool he looked with white hair, how he could have been less dramatic about the entrance, and how the horns would make a great trophy. Finally, Kurama released the pure form. His hair turned black again, and his eyes were blue. He then crumpled to the ground, and for the first time in ages, slept peacefully.

*Two Years Later*

A small group stood outside a strange boat in the middle of a grand mountain range. They were staring at a map and talking amongst themselves. They finally agreed on one spot on the ground. They stood back as a seemingly young man carrying a staff stepped forward. He stuck his staff in the spot the group had agreed on, and began to rub the stone on top. He muttered a few cryptic words under his breath, and the stone began to glow a yellow light. The light faded at certain points, which made some people swear or look in the sky at the placement of the moon. The mage was beginning to sweat from the concentration he was putting into his work. The difficulty of casting the spell was simply another effect of the times. Finally, the stone glowed a bright yellow, and the ground it was stuck in opened up to form a hole just large enough for a person to fall through. When the others looked in, they could see the hole went at least a mile underground. One by one they jumped in. The first one to jump in was a samurai with two swords on his left hip. He was followed by a gaijin with a blindfold covering his eyes. The others gave the first two a head start before they jumped in as well. As they plummeted down the hole, the gaijin took the sword from his back and stuck it into the soft earth walls of the hole, slowing his fall and allowing him to be ready to land. The samurai with the two swords struck out with his left hand and did the same as the gaijin, only he used his fingers in the earth instead of the sword. A quiet whirring sound was heard from the arm.

After a few minutes of falling, they finally reached the bottom. The hole opened up into a large complex deep underground. It was about three miles wide in a circular shape, and was a giant maze. Two years ago, it was filled with Talkatz’s prisoners. Now, it was empty save for some weak rock demons that used it as their home. It was not the rock demons that interested this group, however. A friend of theirs was locked up here, and they were getting him out.

The samurai and gaijin landed, and opened a small map. It was the directions to the maze, and they were not very far from their target. Quietly, they ran in the direction of the cell. The samurai ran in a quiet but somewhat awkward stride. In the necessity for stealth, he had tied his sandals to his belt and wore a pair of thin slippers. He was used to running on sandals that held him about an inch and a half off the ground on two small stands, not running on the actual ground. But he managed to keep up with the gaijin who, even though he was blindfolded, didn’t run into a single obstacle.

They finally reached their destination. They peered around a corner, and saw three demons standing outside a door. The stone surrounding the door was different than the rest of the stone in this place. It was made to hold in spiritual energy. Which meant they had found the right place. The samurai tapped the gaijin on the shoulder, and whispered into his ear. The ninja nodded, and silently bounded off into the shadows. The samurai looked up onto the ceiling to make sure that everything was ready. When he saw a figure that wasn’t the ninja clinging up there, he knew they were ready. They only had to wait a few moments, and…

The demon on the farthest left gave out no sound as two hands reached out from the shadows to cover his mouth, and a blade was shoved through his chest. The corpse was dragged into the shadows. The samurai turned the corner and, with his sword glowing, launched a blade of light from the sword. The light blade flew quick and silent, severing the demon into two pieces. The sound of the dropping pieces alerted the middle guard demon, but before it could say anything, the figure clinging to the ceiling went into action. A slightly decomposed figure with outstretched wings dropped from the ceiling, and with a twist, snapped the neck of the last demon. The samurai ran quickly into the now clear room, and up to the door. The gaijin rested against a wall while the strange winged creature began to absorb small orbs of energy that was sprouting from the dead demons.

Behind them, the rest of the group arrived. The first to enter was a monk in robes. After him was another large samurai in red armor. The samurai had the mage slung over his back. The gaijin gave a questionable look, and the armored samurai shrugged.

“He was too slow.”

The samurai with the glowing sword took his blade and walked up to the door. He could feel the aura about it, and felt the aura of the man inside. He held the blade up, and pierced the metal of the door with the blade. The purification magic in the sword cleansed the aura from the door, and allowed them to open it. Inside was a friend they had known from years ago. He seemed to be in bad shape. The monk rushed inside and began to check him. After seeing the condition, the monk held his hand up and pressed it against the man’s face. A small light was seen, and then nothing. The monk coughed a rough cough, and stood up looking a little weaker.

“He’ll be fine in a bit.”

The samurai with the glowing sword nodded.

“Good. Let’s get him out of here, before the big demons show up.”

A roar could be heard echoing through the maze. The sudden appearance of the imprisoned man’s soul-sucking aura was angering them.

“Well. This could be hard.”

(OOC: There are seven ‘grand guard’ demons. These are the demons that captured Suzume and locked him in here. Also, rock demons live here and don’t like visitors. We have a map, so we just need to get out.)

Suzume woke up as someone touched his face, and then slowly, somehow, began to feel better. With a small groan, the demon hunter opened his eyes, adjusting to the light that was entering his once-dark cell. While the monk in front of him was unfamiliar, someone behind him stood out significantly. It was a samurai. And his sword...

"Kurama?!" Suzume rasped through his parched throat.

Was he just hallucinating again? It was so vivid though... it couldn't have been. Getting up shakily, and starting to walk forward, Suzume found his chains were broken, cut apart by the Raigaki. Flexing his hands, he could feel some strength return to him, and his gauntlets blinked a few times in response Whehter they were waking up with him or not he could never quite figure out.

Walking forward a little and out into the open hallway, Suzume breathed in the musty, dank air deeply. It was bad, but it wasn't what his cell had been like. He was actually free...

"How in the hell did you find me...?" Suzume asked Kurama almost grimly. He'd decided that he wouldn't ever hunt actively again while he was in there after seeing what he'd, but he also thought he would just rot in there. "I didn't actually plan on escaping," he added bluntly after a couple of seconds.

Drak practically ghosted into the room. Even with his eyes blindfolded, the glare could be sensed.

"And we never really planned on rescuing you. Funny how things turn out, huh? Now stand up, and let's be on our merry way."

Draped in black, it was a simple matter for Drak to step out into the hall and slide up against the wall. There was a guard demon coming towards them. In an imitation of the kill he'd seen earlier, he stealthily got himself up onto the ceiling. Then he dropped behind the demon, sword drawn, and cut it off at the knees. It began to fall backwards, and Drak two handed the neck. The head popped off and flew a few feet away.

"Preferably before more come, please."

Exactly 4 hours before They bust out Suzume.
 

Raze had heard many stories in his life, and quite a few of them were farfetched. None were as farfetched as his own, and since then, he has begun to believe many of them.

One such story was off a great prison, used once by the Demon Lord Talkatz, which contained barriers that could hold even the most powerful demons. Talkatz used it on those who betrayed him, and mortals who were unlucky enough for him to decide that they should continue living.

Possibly these barriers still remained, and if so would be quite useful for containing the dark entity. And if there was a possiblity that they would be able to help Raze's beloved, Raze would stop at nothing till he had them. But first he needed to feed.

The old hunger was back within him, and with it came violent base instincts, much like a savage animal on the hunt. He could control himself still, but even that got harder as the hunger grew. He decided it was best to feed now, lest he come to hours later with a sated appetite and dead corpses abound.

He climbs up the walls of the biggest house with his demonlike claws, his ceremonial wings stretched out. They were both merely by products of the curse, grafting pieces of deceased demon body parts onto him to tarnish him. The claws were your average demon's claws, possibly a fire or hoovehanded demons, black as they were. The wings were frayed wings like a harpy's, black as well, apparently to match the curse. They were big enough for a smaller demon to fly on, but too small and too thin for Raze's body, even as wasted away as it was now. He could however manage a glide from them.

He did so as he leapt from the rooftop, and grabbed the ends of his wings to support them. He glided quietly through the night sky toward his target: An open window.

An Err that would prove fatal for it's owner.

Raze timed his approach, and came near the window at it's bottom, allowing him to silently grab onto the ledge and pull himself over. He entered the room slowly and gave it a quick survey. It was a modest bedroom with little furniture besides a bed and a few decorations. Within the bed lay a normal man, sleeping in the nude. Raze couldn't help a sigh at this. Many of the cutures he had seen since he left on his journeys (living and undead), could be wonderfully civilized and have interesting and exotic culture, yet would still show a side of barbarism.

Suddenly, the man stirred. The sigh was a bit louder than Razed wished, for soon the man was awake, and looking about his room.

He sat up in bed, and looked about the room. He saw nothing, save for the darkness, and the moonlight coming from his window. He was just about to shrug it off, when suddenly a small piece of his cieling fell and hit his shoulder. Before he could look up, a strange distorted voice that seemed to have no echo or loudness yet still fully understandable, entered his ear.

"...Forgive me. I must feed...."

The man looked up, and saw glowing green eyes.

Before he could scream, Raze dropped from his position on the cieling and pounced. His left claw grabbed the man's face, muffling his scream. He pinned the man's legs down with his feet, and pushed down with his left arm, pinning his victim to the bed. He readied his right arm, stretching out his claws to their deadliest potential. The man watched with horror as Raze's right arm came down in a blurring movement, seperating the man's chest from his organs. His heart now clasped firmly within Raze's claw, he had a few visible convulsions, and died.

Raze stepped back and watched. He had seen it many times before, and he was one of the few in the world who could see it. Pouring out of the man's body was a strange non physical mass that had no shape or solidity to it. It squirmed free of what remained of it's flesh and floated above it. A soul.

It was lost and confused from it's sudden departure from it's body, and dazedly floated around the room, spinning and zig-zagging here and there. Soon, it would use up all of it's energy and drift into the spectral plane. Raze could not allow that. He had use for it hear.

With a swift motion he unwrapped the rags that covered his neck and face, revealing his missing jaw and what was left of his tongue dangled freely. With a strange wheezing noise he forced his rotten lungs to exhale all the air within them, and began to breathe in. An otherworldly vaccuming noise filled the room, and the wandering soul was pulled toward Raze's throat. It didn't like this, and managed to gather the will to move away. But it was futile. It was already too close, and the suction overpowered it's feeble attempt at escape.

It disspeared down Raze's throat, and immediately Raze felt stronger, his body became more corporeal, and his eyes glowed far brighter.

....Yessss....Sustenance....

He had fed. This had ceased his hunger pangs (for now anyway) and now it was time to get on task. The prison was to the west, and his beloved needed whatever was of use in there. He leapt out the window and glided out into the night.

Addition:(OOC: I swear, I'm so generous I'd let Raiden get away with MURDER!)

4 hours later:
Raze found himself outside the entrance of the prison, facing other Men and demons.

Without a need for souls, Raze felt them no ill will. They asked him for his reason to be out, and he asked them for the way to enter it. They weren't apparently caretakers of the prison, but they were wishing to enter it as well, they explained. They knew of a way in, but the prison itself was heavily guarded by those who wished someone inside to remain imprisoned.

They were friends with this imprisoned man, and this place was the only place that could imprison him. Raze was unable to smile, but you could pick out he was pleased to hear this.

Raze was no powerhouse, and storming a prison wouldn't be impossible for a being that can return from the dead, but at most very difficult and lengthy.

"...Very well then. Perhaps I can be of some service to you..."

Within a few moments, Raze found himself feasting on souls as the others broke out their friend. He was ragged and weak, but apparently had been fed. These demons were not the inhumane sort. Raze particularly eyed the chains which bound the man and the the doors that led into the room would fit nicely over the seal back in the shrine.

Just as he thought these thoughts, what was left of his ears picked up something. His glowing eyes peered into the dark,and could see movement far down the hall.

"...They are approaching... "

One of the men quickly got up against the wall and imitated Raze's earlier kill. While it was not part of Raze's character to glorify his kills, he crossed his arms.

"...Copycat..."

After putting the mage back onto the ground and apologizing for his roughness, Joukei scanned the area to see if there was any demon hiding away. Satisfied that after that blinded guy killed that demon no more were in the immediate area, he walked over and offered his hand to Suzume.

"Stranger, since we don't really have time to talk I'll just be blunt: Either you can walk or I'll carry you out."

How humiliating. Carried. Carried because I was too slow. Dammit, I'm a guardian. Oh well.

Garud was not too happy about being carried and being dumped on the ground did not sit well with him either. But he had to put up with it.

Garud stood up and brushed himself off. Ever since the defeat of Talkaz, Garud had felt drained and lathargic. He had thought about going into retirement but scrapped that idea. Just because he was tired, does not mean he should just quit what he was doing.

Whispering quietly, he spoke.

"We should hurry up. Those demons will be alerted at any moment now, if not already."

Garud gripped his staff in sweaty palms. He was anxious to leave this place in a hurry, but would fight his way out if needed. Footsteps were heard ahead, and Garud gathered his will...and fired silently into the darkness. However, the steps continued.

Why didn't that work? It worked two years ago.

Garud kept trying, before a stone demon came into sight. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he let another burst of energy fly, which made the demon stagger. It opened it's mouth to call the other guards but Garud had promptly put a blade through it's neck. The demon slumped to the floor.

Why is this happening? It's like my power is diluted or something. What is going on?... No matter. I'll deal with it later. Right now, we have to get out of here.

"Let's move."

Kirakiri waits patiently. In the time since the disastrous final battle between Kurama and Talkatz, barely two years now, he had waited. Creeping into the throne room he had found Talkatz's remains and destroyed them, beginning the formation of a new power base. When he had judged the rumours he had seeded ripe, he had declared himself the ressurected Talkatz and gathered together a sizable force of the disorganised and splintered demon armies.

With the shaowy presence of their 'Resurrected Emperor' leading them, they had carved out a new realm and within the first year, the bloody battles of reunification were mostly over. He is now one of the most potent forces amongst the demons who had grabbed at the flapping reins of power with Talkatz's demise.

He had orignally lent his aid to Talkatz to attempt to prevent the foretold age of technology coming to pass. He had been on of the few to realise that the dawning of the new age meant the end of the age of magic. Talkatz had been a necessary evil to avoid this. But Talkatz had proven himself a fool and Kurama too determined. The new age was here.

Still, Kirakiri had not spent the last two and a half centuries creating one of the finest intelligence networks in Japan for nothing. He devoted the efforts of his Mist Clan ninjas to finding if there is yet a way to return the age of magic and now, after two long years of searching, he believes a way has been found. Thus he has sent his messages out, seeking potential allies for this quest. His waiting is almost at an end.

Outside where he waits, a small number of demons gather. They had each been sent a cryptic message from the Mist Clan, requesting their presence in this neutral location. It is nothing really to look at, simply a cave with rough seating arrayed in front of a raised platform. It has been prepared for weeks in advance, as secure as it can possibly be made. All is ready.

He walks out in front of the demons, two ninja clad in blue-grey at his side. Every demon sent a message had been carefully picked. All are of potential use to him. Some wait before him alone and some with a small number of bodyguards and other servants.

The babble of speculation dies down as he addresses them, "I am the Grand Master of the Mist Clan and it is I who have called you all together today." He is no stranger to enhancing his own performance - the lighting of the cave clearly illuminates him and his rich robes of blue and pale grey, even giving him a slightly otherworldly air.

"As you all know, with the accursed wielder of the Raigaki having emerged victorious against Talkatz, the age of magic is ended and magic is in decline. We are in decline. With each passing second, the magic recedes further."

"But this need not be so. This is why I have called you all here. The changing of ages is not absolute. I have set my every resource to discovering a way to restore mana. Over a long and arduous two years, we of the Mst Clan have found this way. To ensure its success I have deemed it necessary to gather allies."

"The path we have been set upon can be changed. This I know. The world need not continue in this spiral of decay. Join our enterprise and we shall ressurect the Earth!"

OOC: You can decide whether your character was invited to this meeting or not. It is probably a good time to ask questions of him too. On a side note, as far as anyone knows, Kirakiri died during the final battle.

Kurama took a moment to pat Suzume on the back.

"It's been a while, friend. You didn't think I'd leave you to rot here, did you? And don't mind Drak. He's been reading plays by some english playwright, and he seems to have taken a personal liking to them."

Kurama then walked to the end of the room near the entrance to the maze.

"But pleasentries will have to wait. We have a map, so we should be able to get out. Just in case, everyone stay together. One wrong turn, and we'll be wandering through miles of maze."

As he turned, a rock demon formed itself from the ground. It struck out with a massive paw at Kurama's leg. He stepped back, and struck out with the Raigaki. The flatside of the sword smacked the Rock Demon in the face, leaving a scorched burn mark where the sword had touched. The demon cried out in pain.

And not just any cry. The roar echoed out through the maze. The sound of scuttering could be heard. Kurama quickly put his left hand to his hip and unsheathed his second sword. The blade seemed normal, except a few cracks in the material glowed a dark red. He thrusted forward, and the blade pierced the demon's neck. It dropped to the ground in a pile.

"Well, no sense in staying quiet now."

In a quick movement, Kurama flicked his slippers off and put his sandals on. It felt better that way. He twirled his two blades in his hands, and nodded his head forward.

"Joukei, stay close to me. We'll stay near the front of the group and fend off any oncoming attackers. Drak and Garud, you make sure that we don't get flanked. Onem, help Suzume. If anything gets too close for comfort, take them out."

Kurama looked over at Raze.

"And I guess you do what you do."

"Protect yourself. I'll be fine," Suzume whispered to Onem, not really feeling like saying that out loud.

Suzume could feel the various souls of the surrounding demons go toward him and into the gauntlets. He was beginning to hate that feeling now, but he could live with it.

"C'mon, you won't like the others here. Not exactly the merry type," Suzume announced before starting off. He didn't care if he was in front, back or in the middle, his instincts were telling him to get out of here, and he was listening to them as so.

In a small flash of blue fire, Suzume's weapons came into existance. Two intricate, light blue katanas that had many intricate markings and designs to make them look unique. Not exactly the Raigaki, but they had some pretty nice looks to them.

"I may not want to kill in cold blood, but they'll be killing others to get to me. I can't allow that," Suzume thought, reassuring himself that he could actually kill these things for once.

OOC: From now on, I'll just say that he'll only kill if people are being threatened or killed. Basically, he's gone from hunter to defender in his alone time.