Private Tales Cherry Rose Inc. Reunion

[Urchin]

"Here. Take this and stay behind me." Charity unsheathed her daggers and handed one back to the boy. "If any of these bastards get near you, just start stabbing!"

"Uh... Right..." Urchin mumbled awkwardly, holding the blade up in front of him. He could use it, right? He knew how to use it. He'd used daggers before... Mostly for cutting cheese, but he was sure it was simple enough to figure out. As he looked around the room, he watched as his companions fought tooth and limp against the enemies that attacked them. Charity, Gilgamesh and Isak all slashed and hacked their way through their enemies, fighting bravely against their attackers, while he stood there frozen in fear.

Even Eilerias was fighting... Or... Something was fighting. What the hell was that thing? Some kind of monster protruding from her, attacking those around it without prejudice. It wasn't just the assassins the beast was attacking, it went after Isak too! And... Oh sweet God's, not Charity! But by some miracle, despite being attacked by some kind of evil shadow monster, Isak and Charity remained more or less unharmed. Perhaps Eilerias did have some control over the creature after all... But while the shadow beast might not be able to harm Charity, the assassins certainly could. And now that the beast had knocked her to the ground, one of them was taking this as his opportunity to attack.

Finally, Urchin managed to wake himself up from his stupor. He was not a coward! He was not weak! He could fight too! With a cry of anger, Urchin charged at the assassin with his dagger extended... The dagger never even scratched him. The assassin's sword was longer.

"Oh..." Urchin mumbled in shock, slowly looking down and seeing the tip of the blade impaled in his chest. The assassin quickly pulled his blade out of the boy and didn't even bother to strike again. As far as he was concerned, the runt wasn't even worth the trouble.

Urchin dropped to his knees and placed a hand over his chest where he had been stabbed. Had he really been stabbed? He couldn't have been. He didn't feel anything. If he had been stabbed, it would hurt, right? And Urchin felt nothing at all! But when he pulled his hand away, he could see that he was definitely bleeding... A lot... Yes... Yes, he had definitely been stabbed. "That's not good," was all he could think to say as he watched the droplets of blood drip from his finger tips. "I dun feel anythin'," he said his thoughts out loud in complete bewilderment and fear. "Why can't I feel anythin'? ... Charity?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room until they fell on her. "Charity why dun I... Oh."

The lad leaned forward, leaning on one hand and using the other to cover his wound as best he could. "Oh... I feel it now. It's burnin'," he muttered in surprise. Was it normal? He'd had little cuts and scrapes before and he knew what they were supposed to feel like. It was a sharp stinging pain. Not like this at all. All he could feel right now was heat. "Is... Is it bad? Is it s'posed ta burn like this?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Never better, my daughter. These men are of no consequence, no need to let them leave in one piece."
It was a gentle encouragement and a slight nudge to her power. The more she used it the stronger it became, he was pleased that she didn't run from it when the cards were on the table.

Charity was relieved to see her father was alright. Well of course he was - he was Gilgamesh Briarthorne after all. The strongest man in all of Arethil in Charity's eyes. A powerful man like him wasn't going to be laid low by a band of thugs, highly trained or not.

At her fathers gentle encouragement, Charity felt a slight boost to her power. She welcomed it, sheathing her dagger to relish in the thrill of hand to hand combat.

She was too distracted to notice a shadowy creature emerge from behind the bar and attack Isak. Moments later she felt herself slamming into the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. Charity looked up at the shadow as its hand slowly reached for her neck. Suddenly the power within her flared up. The hand slowed and almost seemed to hesitate, as if it was afraid of the energy coming from Charity. Charity could feel her energy repelling the shadow, and overwhelming it, causing it to collapse and retreat away from her.

A mercenary attempted to attack Charity while she was on the ground. She watched on horror as Urchin tried to defend her, only to get stabbed in the chest. "Urchin!" she cried, jumping to her feet. Charity felt a pang in her heart, as if she was the one who had been run through. Her usual easygoing, aloof nature was instantly replaced by a silent fury. She could feel the power feeding off of her anger, rising to unprecedented levels.

Charity stepped over the bodies strewn across the floor to reach Urchin's assailant. A strong open palm slap violently crushed the side of the man's head. He dropped to the floor like a dead fly as Charity continued to rip through the men surrounding Urchin.

Once the area around Urchin was clear, she knelt down next to him and removed her jacket and shirt. Charity ripped the shirt and did her best to wrap it around Urchins chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Draping the jacket over his shoulders, she wrapped her arms around him.

Charity looked over to Isak, a pleading look in her eyes. "Isak! Get Eile!" she called over to him. "Please... We can't let him die..." Charity said quietly. Tears welled up in her eyes and she buried her face into Urchin. She had promised to keep him safe no matter what, and had failed.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak's magic was powerful, but in the face of a creature so mysterious and vicious as that being made of shadows, he could do nothing but hope that his 'protective hand' could hold off its continuous attacks.

He tried to shout to Eilerias a few more times, but to no avail, his face twisting with worry as he saw her frozen, traumatized. He wanted to use the full extent of his powers to just blast away that creature and tear apart the remaining mercenaries, but Isak knew he would probably bring down the whole club on top of them, turning it into a huge pile of wood and fire.

He could see a few cracks starting to appear on the barrier made by the ethereal hand, and just as the creature seemed ready to deliver a blow strong enough to break it all to pieces, something else caught its attention. Isak could see it from afar, it was looking towards Charity, perhaps taking notice of her power and seeking a taste of it. The shadowkin crawled away and quickly attacked the woman, plummeting her to the ground while Urchin watched in fear. The ethereal hand and barrier that protected Isak had now disappeared, and he called to Eilerias once more, hoping that she could control the creature before it murdered Charity, but it seemed that her own power thwarting it.

Isak felt relieved, breathing a bit easier up until one of the mercenaries appeared suddenly and looked to attack Charity while she was still on the ground, to which Urchin braveously defended her, at the cost of having a blade plunged to his chest. Isak felt the anger surging through his veins again, but before he could set that man in flames, Charity killed him and went on to tend to Urchin, desperately calling to Eilerias for help.

Isak looked to his side to find Eilerias unconscious a few steps away from him, and he rushed to her aid. "Eile! Eile!" He called to her many times, taking her hand and holding her in his arms while the fear and desperation started to take hold of him. She was still breathing, but the effects of that shadowkin lashing out against her control must've greatly exhausted her, and Urchin was still bleeding out.

Isak felt powerless. He was no healer, his powers had always been meant to destroy, to burn things down.

Suddenly, he could hear bits of Bhéron's voice on his head again, and the marks on his wrist began to light up as Isak held Eilerias' hand, but without causing him any pain. He watched in shock as the energy that left the marks gathered in the air as small and shiny pieces, and started to flow towards Eilerias, bringing her warmth and power, like Isak had been transferring some of his own strength to her, enough that would make her open her eyes once more.

Around them, the remaining mercenaries finally realized that they could no longer hold against the Cherry Rose, and fled for their lives, surely with knowledge of what had transpired that evening, but Isak no longer cared. He only wished to speak with Eilerias again, to feel her alive on his arms.

"Eile! We need to save Urchin! Please, my love... Please wake up!"

 

[Amadeus Greywood]

Things were going well, at least for the brief moment that thought entered his head... Eilerias's shadow aura seemed to be wild, attacking anything that moved including Isak and Charity... And that's when mistakes were made... And that was when Urchin ended up bleeding in Charity's arms.

The shadow of Eilerias was dispelled thanks to Charity, but the fight was far from over. The element of surprise was lost long ago and now the outmatched thugs began to look to their fellows, as if confirming whether they should stay or go.
No orders were given, yet everyone seemed to agree that the fight had just begun... Or it wasn't time yet to pull back...
They still had numbers and these remaining seemed more difficult to overcome, their teamwork more in sync as they relied on one another for support in brief engagements only to back off quickly and tag team with another thug.
An exhaustion tactic.

Brave boy though he was, Urchin was down and so was Eilerias. Charity was tending him but she was needed back in the fight.
Gilgamesh had a brief element of surprise when he clotheslined a thug with his cane that was going for Charity's flank and brought the thug to the floor with a sickening crack. He similarly tried to sweep the leg of a second thug but he quickly jumped back, deflecting with his club as Gilgamesh went and covered for Charity.
This wasn't ideal, but it was time for a real edge in this fight, and Urchin have him an idea.

His glove and the coat sleeve of his right arm turned black as tar. He reached over Charity's shoulder and touched the wound in Urchin's chest. The blackness quickly oozed from his arm and into Urchin through the wound.
He then raised his cane over his head, casually blocking another attack from a thug as he spoke to Charity, "That will give him some time."

_________________________________________

Urchin's Perspective​

As the magic oozed into Urchin's body it was like everything slowed down for him. His heartbeat quickened for a brief moment and then... the movement around him, the sounds of combat, blood and debris flying through the air, all of it just slowed down to a crawl to Urchin's eyes.

... His movements were not slowed...

The burning in his chest stopped as his eyes dilated and the adrenaline in his body pumped into overdrive. The blood coming from his wound slowed to nothing and he indeed had more time, more time to stretch these next few seconds into a few minutes and do something.

_________________________________________

Gilgamesh was not idle while he fought for his life... He had to make sure his other assets were safe and he was still in the general vicinity of the Archive.
He had his driver turn the carriage around and go back to the archive as soon as the attack began.
Gwendolyn was the least of his worries but he had to be sure, he made the mistake of underestimating an enemy far too many times in the past, an unknown enemy is the most dangerous which was why he wanted Gwendolyn to look into it.

He arrived at the archive shortly after Cleo left and exited the carriage. He prepared himself to break through her wards and let himself in when he was concerned to find only a weak and weakening resistance to intruders.
He threw the doors open and stormed inside, he immediately began stepping over body parts and corpses but he was only concerned about one body... The one slumped against the wall.

He squeaked and squealed over to her but dropped his cane immediately and went to his knees by her side with a clatter of his leg brace, heedless of the blood staining his pants he gently tended to her. His big hand covered her wound, applying steady pressure to staunch the bleeding.
His face was stony as he stared into her eyes, he snapped his fingers in front of her nose to keep her conscious.
"Gwendolyn, stay awake. Answer me now, how did they wound you?"
He snapped again and spoke firmly and a little louder, "Hey! Stay with me! Don't close your eyes Gwen, look at me. Tell me what you know!"

Whether she spoke or not he wasn't going to leave her on the floor. He took her to a table and laid her on top, tearing his cloak to shreds to start binding her wounds
"They are attacking us at the Raven Club as well, Urchin is wounded, Eilerias magically drained and unconscious, Isak, charity and I are fighting them off but they are proving more troublesome than usual. I see Cleo isn't here, so you must have sent her to aid us."
He would look at her and give her cheeks a firm smack whenever he noticed her eyes drifting closed.
"Focus on me, focus on my voice and listen to my words. You've survived worse and you will survive this. Just focus on me."

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

Blood bubbled on her lips as she wheezed on the floor.

This was getting much worse. She tried to crawl but it seemed too much for her that the given moment.

That was when she heard him enter. While she had little live for the man Gwen was well beyond the position of being stubborn or choosy though she did flinch at his touch as he tried to stop the bleeding...

“Your pants..” She would groaned weakly trying to push him away with such little force it would be almost comical if the circumstances weren’t so grave. Her eyes sliding from focus as the world darkened before her.

"Gwendolyn, stay awake. Answer me now, how did they wound you?"

“Assassin’s blade..After the fight..Stupid..I was stupid..”
Her eyes fluttered open to his snaps as she spoke. “Barely saw them but..” She was out again for a moment “It..Was..It was..” She didn’t seem to want to tell him. A tear forming in her left eye that had nothing to do with her pain.

Gwen never cried.

Only once after her betrayal and once when... She closed her eyes once more. Her sigh sending flecks of blood to splatter Gilgamesh’s perfect suit.

Her body almost grateful for the rest.

She had already been through so much..

"Hey! Stay with me! Don't close your eyes Gwen, look at me. Tell me what you know!"

Her hazy greys reopened almost like he commanded it so. “Where’s Cleo?” She wheezed grunting in pain as her mind drifted.

"They are attacking us at the Raven Club as well, Urchin is wounded, Eilerias magically drained and unconscious, Isak, charity and I are fighting them off but they are proving more troublesome than usual. I see Cleo isn't here, so you must have sent her to aid us."

“An attack..” Gwen came back into focus once more. Her eyes snapping open as she said one word.

“Charity..” She muttered. Pulling herself up quickly and taking a solid few steps before collapsing in the doorway. Still she valiantly tried to crawl to the door.

“Amadeus..We have...to protect our daughter..” She whispered her hands clawing at the stone fearfully. Panic seeming to enter her eyes as she made a connection with dots she had shared with him yet..

“Elirias..Charity..” She finally stopped after pulling herself a pitiful distance leaving an angry trail of red like the small swipe of a paintbrush. “I won’t lose another child..I..Won’t let her take them from me. I won’t..” She said finally letting herself sob for a moment.

Not a sob of sorrow. But a sob of pure pain and frustration. A mother bear stuck in a bear trap unable to protect her Cubs as a predator stalked about.

"Focus on me, focus on my voice and listen to my words. You've survived worse and you will survive this. Just focus on me."

She finally seemed to accept her circumstances after her final outburst and simply nodded. Keeping a hazy eyed focus on the man as he tore his cloak and tended to her. “Angelica has returned master Greywood.” She would finally say after a small rest and letting the man do his work.

...........................

Cleo tore through the sky’s like an angel of death fired from a trebuchet. Reaching the Raven club only to find it..

Under attack as well!?

She growled at the smell of intruders attacking HER FRIENDS as she launched herself into the club with speed so ferocious that the man watching the door way was split almost completely in half by the impact of her tackle.

She would come to a stop next to Amadeus. The man still frightened her but now was not the time for petty fear.

“Sir. The archives are under attack! Gwen is..” She stopped as the fighting grew more intense. Her wings spread like a black shield of steel hardened feathers as she shielded the young boy. She remembered he had been quite taken by her wings the last she saw him. He was a sweet little mortal.

“It can wait. I’ll help you secure the perimeter.” She said shortly to the older man spreading her wings as a massive wall of wind knocked back a few tables and attackers alike.

“Don’t look little one.” She pleaded with Urchin as she was bent over him he would be able to see her true form for a moment and it was never a pleasant experience.

Her teeth pushed from her facade of a face as her blue eyes glowed a sickly red. Then she was simply a blur. Moving, eating, and utterly plastering any resistance along the floor and walls.

Truly a force to behold before a pin prick of silver zipped through the door way and a bolt buried itself in her shoulder.

She squealed in pain her arms and legs going limp as she struggled to pull out the burning bolt before slumping almost lifeless. Her form flickering slightly as she simply lay there.

The fighters that were left closed ranks around one hooded figure. Shorter than most but regarded with the respect of someone who was clearly in charge and dangerous.

“Settle down Cleo.” She said walking over the demon and stepping on her stomach and finally her face, wiping the bottom of her shoe on the demons face before continuing her path. “Your getting fat anyway.”

“Gilgamesh. I have returned.” She said. Her pink eyes never leaving her fathers the entire time. Pulling back her hood to leave long smooth blonde hair to fall to her shoulders.

It shimmered gracefully like another certain brokers usually did.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias remained unconscious as Isak scooped her up deaf to his calls for her to come back to him amidst the fighting. The shadows blocked most of her senses in their domain, she felt nothing, heard nothing. Everything was dark and for once, it brought her comfort.

After bringing Isak out of a collapsing warehouse in Cerak, she experienced a very similar event in which she was left to the shadows, vulnerable to their manipulation and it scared her. This time, she felt as though they were finally working with her rather than against her light. Perhaps they were protecting her. Perhaps they were protecting her child.

Opening her eyes, she could see something in the distance, attempting to penetrate the shadows, it looked like embers or sparks gently floating in the dark abyss towards her. She stood from the cold floor, reaching an arm out to touch one of the embers however something stopped her. The shadows began to pull her back, encasing her in a shimmering purple barrier as though Isak's power was seen as a threat by her body.

She watched out through the barrier as her shadows emerged to fight off whatever remained of the power, bringing the abyss back into complete darkness.

Sleep now, dear Sylvanna. You need to rest. A familiar voice whispered to her in the empty room. She looked for a source, but there was only her and the shadows. You are safe here for now. . .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I should have accepted the invitation when Eile sent them out. I know I barely know them, but it would have been nice to enjoy the dinner and drinks rather than hide up here like a hermit." The girl whined, closing another book she was too bored to read. Lidia paced back and forth, bored of staying upstairs while her friends enjoyed the night. "Maybe I can just stop in for a few minutes, have a drink and go back up. Yeah.... they will be fine with that. I'm sure of it!"

She approached the mirror that stood at the end of the room she had been staying in within the Raven Club since Eilerias and Isak rescued her from Cerak to brush her shoulder length brown hair and touch up her appearance as though she were going to the party. She had been quick to deny an invitation to the reunion given she wasn't a member of their group and she didn't want to feel like an outcast, sitting alone while the others enjoyed retelling fond memories and news from their newest adventures. She had been sitting at her desk for the entire night, at Eilerias' suggestion, working on some new healing spells.

Even with work to do, she stopped frequently to listen in and see how the party was going. She was curious to hear more yelling than she had expected, followed by a long period of silence before they seemed to go back to enjoying themselves.

Only when she finally got back to work was she startled by the sound of things...breaking? Would Isak really allow for his friends to destroy his expensive furniture? Surely not. She thought to herself, slipping on her shoes and sneaking out through her bedroom door. She tiptoed to the staircase to peek out only to see a terrible scene unfolding in front of her. There were people fighting, a woman with wings, an injured child, and the priestess unconscious. There was blood, bodies, and broken furniture everywhere and a blonde woman approaching the man with the cane.

She was unsure of what she should do. She only knew basic healing spells so she could assist the child, but she couldn't help EIlerias nor was she capable of any sort of combat. Quietly, she concluded that standing on the stairs and doing nothing was not an option when someone needed her aid. She approached the child, staying far enough as to not distract the woman with the blonde hair who was speaking with the older man and maneuvered her hands, attempting to heal the boy before going over to Eilerias to check her.

"What happened? What's wrong with her?" She quietly demanded to know, resting her hand on Eilerias' head and then checking her pulse. It was weak, but she was alive. Lidia knew Isak was more useful in these types of situations, so she was quick to grab the priestess from his arms and carry her back behind the bar, resting her head on the cold stone floor as she looked for an origin of injury, stumped as she found none. She tried to cast healing spells, but just like with Isak, her shadows sought to protect her, extinguishing any light that made its way into her so she could rest and recover.

Maybe her darkness was stronger than her light.

 

[Urchin]

Despite his fear and pain, Urchin looked on in absolute awe as Charity completely obliterated the man's face with a single slap. How the hell did she do that? He wished he could do that. If he could do that, he probably wouldn't be laying on the ground bleeding out like a useless prick.

"Isak! Get Eile!" she called over to him. "Please... We can't let him die..." Charity said quietly.

"It's okay..." Urchin tried to reassure her. He was very much in shock and the full extent of how much trouble he was in hadn't quite hit him yet. "I'm okay. It ain't that bad. Just need ta wrap it up is all," he mumbled, taking deep, heavy breaths to try and calm himself down.

Out of the kindness of her heart, Charity opted to use her own clothing to try and bandage the lad, removing both her jacket and shirt and ripping the shirt up to use as bandages, causing the boy to stare in shock for a moment, then quickly turn away and blush with embarrassment. Even with the state he was in, he remembered what little manners he had. He was a boy, and boys weren't supposed to look at... Those.

"No, no, Charity, ya dun need ta do that, I got bandages, look," Urchin insisted as he removed the roll of bandages from his pocket that he kept on him at all times. When he tried to unroll the bandages through, his fingers fumbled clumsily until they fell out of his hands. "Ah, fuck..." the lad croaked with a weak laugh at his own carelessness. "Hands ain't working properly..." He tried to lean forward to retrieve the bandages, but it hurt too much to move. "Fuck it... I think I just need ta rest fer awhile," he said, leaning back and resting his head on Charity's lap. "Oh Gods, it's cold," he realized as he wrapped his arms around himself. "It's so cold."

Unfortunately, it looked like poor Eilerias was out cold, so there was nothing she could do to help him. Luckily, an unlikely hero came to his rescue. Gilgamesh put a hand over his wound and, rather than actually heal him, whatever magic he used seemed to have some other effect. It slowed the bleeding. That was certainly useful... But not only did the bleeding slow, but everything else around him slowed as well. The world went on around him. People still fought and cried and screamed, but it seemed like every second was stretched for 10. Why was everything moving so slowly? Oh Gods, was he dying? Fuck! And things were finally going so well for him!

The nauseously slow movement was making him feel dizzy, and Urchin instinctively moved his hand to his head. What shocked him though was that his hand did not move at the same slow speed that everything else was moving. It moved at his usual, normal speed. Holding his hand out, he waved it in front of his own face to try and figure out what was going on. Something very strange was happening. He had no idea what Gilgamesh had done, but somehow, either everything else in the world had slowed down, or he had sped up. Whichever it was, it was fucking weird!

The boy looked around in a sort of daze. Poor Charity was crying, and somehow that made Urchin feel guilty. If he had been able to fight properly, he wouldn't be in this mess and Charity wouldn't be so upset. Eilerias was unconscious and Isak cradled her in his arms. it was bloody bedlam!

Finally though, something arrived that seemed to be moving at the same speed as him. Cleo! The demon appeared more like an angel, flying into the Raven Club to save the day, splitting a man in two upon her arrival. Suddenly those beautiful black wings of hers spread out like an opening fan, shielding him and Charity from the havoc around them.

“Don’t look little one.” She pleaded with Urchin as she was bent over him he would be able to see her true form for a moment and it was never a pleasant experience.

Sound advice... He did not take it. And in fact, that moment lasted considerably longer for the boy than it did for everyone else. His eyes widened in shock as the teeth protruded from Cleo's face, her eyes glowing red before she sped across the room, tearing the few remaining assassins to shreds. Urchin stared on in horror as body after body was torn apart, sending blood, guts, entrails and broken bone fragments flying across the room in every direction. The lad lifted his arm the shield his face but still got completely splattered with the gore... This was certainly a night he wasn't going to forget any time soon.

Very slowly, a young girl that he didn't recognize came down the stairs and headed straight for him. Urchin could only watch on as the girl waved her hands over his wound. He had no idea what she was doing or how the magic worked, but he could feel that something was happening to him. The skin and muscle that had been severed by the stab wound were gradually weaving themselves back together. He still felt the effects of what happened. The chill, the dizziness, the exhaustion that came with the blood loss... But the wound itself was healed. He wasn't going to bleed to death after all! Everything was going to be alright!

Or so he thought, until some kind of silver arrow flew through the doors, piercing Cleo and sending her falling to the ground. "No!" Urchin screamed, turning to the doorway to see where the arrow had come from, expecting another onslaught of assassins.

What he saw surprised him though. Not a band of mercenaries. Not an army of assassins. A woman. Just one woman. Yet somehow, that one would walked into the tavern with more confidence in herself then every single one of those mercenaries put together. Not only that, but those few remaining mercenaries flocked around the woman as if they were guards and the woman was their Queen.

At first, Urchin only stared, but eventually his hands clenched and teeth gritted in anger as the woman stepped on the fallen demon, first on her stomach and then her face. No. Urchin wasn't going to let her hurt Cleo. Not after she'd saved his life. Putting a hand over where his wound had been (more out of instinct than necessity) the lad got to his feet. He felt very weak and unsteady, so it took awhile for him to finally get himself upright... But, that was only "awhile" for him. To everyone else, it would've happened in an instant.

With no thought other than getting that woman away from Cleo, the lad charged at her, aiming to tackle the her to the ground and pummel her with punch after punch to the face. Now, the boy wasn't particularly strong, and he'd probably end up doing as much damage to his fists as he would to the woman's face. In his regular state, the woman would no doubt have simply side stepped his attack with ease an dodged everyone of his blows. But with his sudden increase of speed... Whether his attack was a success or not depended entirely on the woman and exactly what powers she had up her sleeve.

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

“Ah. I see my father has given you a gift.” The girl would say. An evil smile creeping into her perfect features.

Her glowing pink eyes like twin dots of cutely lit carnage. Urchin would find his first blow caught. His fiat planted firmly in her palm as those around her slowly reacted. It seemed that if he moved almost as quickly as Cleo...

This woman was faster than the both of them.

By a large degree.

Unlike urchin however her strength was there to match.

“But like many of my fathers gifts they often seem very generous..But only get you killed.” She giggled savagely gripping his fist like an iron vice. “Besides it was meant to help you heal. Not fight.” She would lift him up by his fist. His feet hovering just above the floor as she picked him up to eye level.

Her eyes staring into his own.

They held nothing but anger and hatred in them.

“You care for this thing do you?” She asked glancing down at Cleo. Her foot still firmly planted on the demons cheek as she simply whimpered.

The blessed metal burned inside her rendering her paralyzed. “D-...Don’t hurt him..” She wheezed out slowly. “Ha...Hahahaha...Hahahahahaha!” The girl chuckled before it turned into a full laugh as of the more she thought about it the more it brought her mirth.

“This is..cute.” She would say before turning her attention back to urchin.

“You only care for this creature because she wears a pretty little costume and pretends to have a shred of humanity. Every emotion that doesn’t meet her eyes? Every smile...Every laugh..Every cry.. I mean hell Cleo do you even need to breathe?” She asked the demon giving her foot a twist.

“Every emotion she wears like a mask. Nothing she does is real. If it wasn’t for Mother she would eat you. Just like my men.” The woman said. Gesturing about at the gore and carnage.

Cleo remained silent.

“See nothing but a blood hungry monster.” The woman finished.

“Takes one to know one.” Cleo snipped causing the woman to redden slightly.

“I’m nothing like you.” She hissed tossing urchin aside like dirty laundry.

“Go tend to your friend creature.” She would snicker sending Celo skidding after the boy with a kick.

“Now if we’re done with these..Associates of yours father. I have business to discuss with you.” She spat her eyes refocusing on Gilgamesh. “Your a busy man father so I’ll get straight to the pint.” She said approaching him calmly until she was

“Where is my sister.” She said casually as if they were discussing vacation plans but her hands clenched into fists as she spoke the final word.

“I ravaged the archives but mother...Even as weak as she is...Prevented me from looking everywhere. So now I ask you.” She said her tone remains casual but her gaze relaying that she was dangerously close to getting very angry.

Cleo would roll into him as they both came to a halt about the same distance away.

“Thank you human..” She would whisper out gratefully. “When you can manage to move I would ask you to please remove this cursed bolt from my..Umm..my..body..”

She said forgetting what part of her body humans called where the bolt was lodged. In her thigh?

That didn’t sound right...

Elbow? No...Forehead..No...Shoulder! That was it! “My shoulder!” She groaned with a slight excitement that she couldn’t express.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Wha-... What are you doing to him?!" Charity asked with surprise as Gilgamesh reached over her shoulder and applied a sort of black goop to Urchin's wound. She was relieved to hear him say that Urchin was going to be all right for now. But for how long? Charity wondered.

A loud CRASH! echoed though the lobby as a black figure bolted in and started carving a path towards them. Cleo! As much as Charity disliked her mother's assistant, she was more than glad to accept her help. She grimaced as Cleo covered them with her wings and transformed. It was never a pretty sight. Charity embraced Urchin tightly as Cleo obliterated the men around them.

Out of nowhere, a young woman appeared next to Urchin. "Lidia! Thank the gods you're here!" Charity whispered excitedly. She was so happy to see the girl that she felt like she would start crying again. "Please... You've got to help him! My father did something for him, but I don't know how long it'll last." Charity pleaded with the girl.

Now that she was sure that Urchin was going to be alright, Charity stood up and drew her dagger, taking up a position next to her father. Charity blushed lightly as she stood there in front of all those men wearing nothing but a bloodstained pair of pants, and a long strip of cloth wound around her chest just enough times to keep everything contained. Well... There wasn't much she could do about it now. It felt like there was no end in sight of the onslaught, and the power within her was nearing uncontrollable levels.

Suddenly, something silvery zipped through the air and embedded itself in Cleo's shoulder. Charity watched her writhe in pain before noticing a woman walk through the door. The woman sauntered towards them, taking special care to step on Cleo as she walked. Interestingly, the fighting ceased abruptly, and the remaining men gathered around her.

Urchin, being the brave boy that he was, once again took it upon himself to attack the person who had hurt somebody he cared about. Charity closed her eyes and shook her head as Urchin was stopped mid-blow and thrown off to the side. It was sweet that he was trying to protect her and Cleo, but the lad really needed to learn how to pick his battles better.

The woman stood face to face with Gilgamesh and removed her hood. A small gasp escaped Charity's lips when she saw the face of the woman. GWEN?!! At first Charity couldn't believe her eyes, but on closer inspection she realized her mistake. This woman looked very much like Gwen, just younger and shorter. Did Gwen have an actual daughter that she had just never mentioned? More question arose as she called Gilgamesh father. Did that mean Gwen and Gilgamesh-

“Where is my sister.” She said casually as if they were discussing vacation plans but her hands clenched into fists as she spoke the final word.

Charity's thoughts were interrupted as the woman spoke again. Sister?! Charity could only assume the woman was talking about her. Charity had never seen this woman before, how did she know about her?

Bits of information began to connect in Charity's mind. Whoever this woman was, she wasn't after Gilgamesh or even the Cherry Rose. No... she was hunting down his other daughters... But why? Charity didn't have the slightest clue, but she did know one thing for sure. She had to play along and try to get as much information out of this woman as she could. Hopefully all of the years of practice she had with lying to people's faces wouldn't fail her now.

"You know this bitch, Briarthorne?" Charity asked, giving Gilgamesh a sideways glance.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

'Blood... More blood... Have you forgotten... Our pact?'

Even as Isak desperately clung to Eilerias, cradling her on his arms as if he was too afraid that she would slip away. He called her name over and over again, without ever getting any response. That couldn't be happening, he couldn't be losing her now, not when they were going to start their family, not when their future looked so bright, when Isak allowed himself to dream.

He wanted to dream, he wanted to dream of a better place, where he could live happily with Eilerias and their future child, without any of the worries and the troubles they'd face in a place like Alliria. But it was all vanishing now, right before his very eyes. The eyes that were now glowing red again, resembling more of the demon that he fought so hard against, but the voices were only getting stronger. He didn't even know if he was calling to Eilerias, or looking for help himself.

Even amidst the chaos, Isak could see when Lidia came down the stairs, rushing over to Urchin's aid as she sought to heal his wound. Isak felt a slimmer of hope, that somehow her acolyte could help Eilerias now, and so he waited until Lidia approached them, visibly worried about everything that was happening, but even more about the current state of her beloved teacher. She tried to question Isak about that whole mess, but he had no answers himself.

After checking on her, Lidia eventually took Eilerias away from him, carefully resting her behind the bar, away from all that mess. Isak just stood there in shock, still unable to process everything that was happening, still fearing that he could never reach Eilerias again. He almost made no notice of the winged demoness that had appeared there as well, dashing around and killing some other mercenaries with ease, but they were all surprised to see her being taken down with a bolt to her shoulder, fired so suddenly and out of nowhere. Isak was so taken up with that he hadn't noticed the lone mercenary sneaking up behind him as he still knelt on the ground, his sword hovering just above his head and ready for the strike.

The strike that never came, as Isak had turned just in time to witness the strike, his former sword now back in his hand as if it had materialized out of thin air again, the mercenary's blood gushing all over the blade. Isak watched with disdain as the man fell to his knees, the life escaping him as he ruthlessly plunged the blade even further.

'Yes, blood... You still need to pay me in blood, Isak.'

He could recognize the demon's voice calling to him, but it looked slightly different. It was in his head, but Isak could also hear it coming from the blade, as he looked around, confused, wondering if there was anyone else talking to him. There were mentions of a pact, but Isak knew nothing of it, and yet he felt he wanted to massacre the dead mercenary at his feet over and over again, as if his own body begged for it.

For more violence, more blood.

The marks on his wrist began to burn again, and suddenly his sword disappeared as he felt the pain wracking his body. He looked ahead to see the rest of the mercenaries flocking to the entrance, almost forming a barrier as another strange came in, barking orders and demanding to talk to Gilgamesh, who had just tended to Urchin moments before. Cleo was still hurt on the ground and Charity seemed to want to take matters onto her own hands, but Eilerias was all that Isak cared about. He didn't care for all that mess, he didn't care for the pain that made him want to fall to his knees, he only wished to see her opening her eyes again.

Isak could do nothing but watch as Urchin had seemingly been revived from his previous encounter with near death, already rushing ahead and looking for his demise again, before thrown aside by that strange woman. "You fool!" Isak whispered to himself, frustrated about Urchin's lack of self preservation, especially given the fact he had only just faced death moments ago. Charity had also been angered enough to address that woman, but Isak wanted no part of all that drama.

He just needed to check on Eilerias. He wanted to protect her from all that chaos, to protect their child, even though the voice on his head demanded more carnage. He had to fight it back, for their sake.

Slowly, Isak made his way towards the bar, kneeling next to Eilerias as Lidia continued to tend to her, distraught about her vain efforts of bringing her back. He could see the tears of desperation falling down the acolyte's face now, as Lidia was so afraid of losing her friend and teacher. Isak could do nothing but look at Eilerias as she continued to slumber, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

"Please, come back to us... Come back to me, Eile."

Even if he didn't believe in anything regarding matters of holiness, in no deities or miracles, he was still hypocritical enough to pray to any god that would listen to him now, begging for Eilerias to come back to him.

 

[Amadeus Greywood]

“Assassin’s blade..After the fight..Stupid..I was stupid..”
Her eyes fluttered open to his snaps as she spoke. “Barely saw them but..” She was out again for a moment “It..Was..It was..” She didn’t seem to want to tell him. A tear forming in her left eye that had nothing to do with her pain.

What kind of enemy could actually get the drop on her? Gwendolyn obviously fought them off but they dealt a potentially fatal blow had he not shown up.
"... Go on..."
He encouraged her to keep talking, talking would keep her awake but he also needed to know who their enemy was.
He was heedless of the blood splattering his suit, only Gwendolyn mattered right now. One way or another and for many reasons he couldn't lose her.

“An attack..” Gwen came back into focus once more. Her eyes snapping open as she said one word.

“Charity..” She muttered. Pulling herself up quickly and taking a solid few steps before collapsing in the doorway. Still she valiantly tried to crawl to the door.

“Amadeus..We have...to protect our daughter..” She whispered her hands clawing at the stone fearfully. Panic seeming to enter her eyes as she made a connection with dots she had shared with him yet..

“Elirias..Charity..” She finally stopped after pulling herself a pitiful distance leaving an angry trail of red like the small swipe of a paintbrush. “I won’t lose another child..I..Won’t let her take them from me. I won’t..” She said finally letting herself sob for a moment.

Gilgamesh gently soothed her as he followed and prevented her from leaving.
"Don't worry, Gwen. I'm there, our daughters are safe, I won't let anyone harm them... Just tell me who or what I'm dealing with."

“Angelica has returned, master Greywood.”

This caused him to pause while he worked, "... Angelica..."
He bound the wound tightly to stop the bleeding and worked in silence for a while.
Then he looked at her with a start, as if he just noticed her. He needed to keep her conscious.
"I need you to count for me, backwards from one-thousand. Stay awake, you lost a lot of blood, you're powerful but not invincible..." He paused again as if listening for something, "... Angelica is at the Raven Club."

_________________________________________

Cleo's arrival was a game changer. Such a powerful demon could easily destroy such a large group of enemies and with savage efficiency she was almost successful, no club or blade was able to reach her, her wings tearing the thugs to ribbons.

“Sir. The archives are under attack! Gwen is..” She stopped as the fighting grew more intense. Her wings spread like a black shield of steel hardened feathers as she shielded the young boy. She remembered he had been quite taken by her wings the last she saw him. He was a sweet little mortal.

“It can wait. I’ll help you secure the perimeter.”

Gilgamesh nodded his consent, this was the sense of control that he preferred in a battle, like a general giving orders and having those orders followed without fail.
Several of his team were occupied and Cleo provided a much needed moment to breathe. A new face appeared with the gift of healing. His eyes followed her down the stairs and across the floor through the carnage where she applied her healing hands to Urchin and then went to see to Eilerias.
She had a brightness to her, one even more blinding than Eilerias's had been. This girl was untainted by darkness from what he could sense.

The twang of a crossbow, a scream of agony and a crash brought his diverted attention back to Cleo.
She had fallen to a crossbow bolt obviously blessed.
Gilgamesh rose to his feet as he watched the hooded figure emerge from the doorway, the remaining thugs flocking to her side numbering less than twenty.

“Gilgamesh. I have returned.”

When she pulled back her hood he recognized her immediately, even the years couldn't change her so much that he wouldn't know her.

The woman ground her heel into Cleo's face and Urchin... The fool boy suddenly feeling empowered and probably high on adrenaline... Charged the cloaked figure who easily stopped him and mocked them both before tossing and kicking them to the side.
Gilgamesh smoothed a wrinkle in his suit and planted his cane in front of him with both hands on the bloody dragon's head.

“Now if we’re done with these..Associates of yours father. I have business to discuss with you.” She spat her eyes refocusing on Gilgamesh. “Your a busy man father so I’ll get straight to the point.”

Gilgamesh stood impassively, his face revealing nothing of the rage building within him.

“Where is my sister.” She said casually as if they were discussing vacation plans but her hands clenched into fists as she spoke the final word.

“I ravaged the archives but mother...Even as weak as she is...Prevented me from looking everywhere. So now I ask you.”

Charity stood by his side and immediately she seemed to comprehend what was going on. Internally that made him swell with pride, she was smart... Which is more than what he could say for Angelica. She was cunning and conniving, but she could never figure out the truths from his lies. For all her skill and talent she couldn't become a Greywood.

"You know this bitch, Briarthorne?"

She was pretending to simply be an associate of the Cherry Rose, which she technically was. He didn't know if Angelica had learned anything during her years of hiding and evading detection, but it would be interesting if she somehow learned the wit to see through Charity's façad.

Gilgamesh stared at the girl that seemed to share Gwendolyn's features for a moment, "Angelica. I must admit you've impressed me, I never once suspected that it was you orchestrating this. But I'm afraid you've already made some miscalculations. Gwendolyn is already recovering from your attack, and your "sister" had anticipated a raid of some sort tonight. She's out hunting you down but if we'd known that you were coming it truly would have been a reunion."

 

[Urchin]

He couldn't even land a single blow. Even with this immense speed he had been given, this insanely powerful woman managed to grab his fist in her hand, almost crushing it in the process and causing the boy to scream out in pain. She then lifted him by the arm, causing even more agony as gravity bore on him, pulling at the recently healed area where his wound had been and threatening to open it afresh. Urchin grit his teeth, unable to do anything as he looked into the strange, pink eyes of the woman who could kill him on a whim.

“You care for this thing do you?” She asked glancing down at Cleo. Her foot still firmly planted on the demons cheek as she simply whimpered.

Urchin's eyes fell down on Cleo as she begged the woman not to hurt her. Poor thing. Even now she was trying to protect him, though neither of them had the power to do anything. Whoever this woman was, she could probably kill every last person in this room without much trouble if she wished to. Had he any sense, he would've stayed out of her way and not drawn attention to himself, but Urchin had never had much sense. That's why he always ended up in situations like this.

“You only care for this creature because she wears a pretty little costume and pretends to have a shred of humanity. Every emotion that doesn’t meet her eyes? Every smile...Every laugh..Every cry.. I mean hell Cleo do you even need to breathe?” She asked the demon giving her foot a twist.

Yes, he supposed that was true. It was just a mask. A pretty face she wore to fit in with the humans around her. It wasn't real. He'd seen the teeth under the mask. He had no idea what her true form was, but her eyes, her ears, her mouth, her entire body, none of it was real... He didn't really care. "She..." the lad mumbled weakly, giving a cough of pain before he could finish his sentence. "She saved me." Whatever else she might be, she had saved their lives from the assassins that had tried to kill them. That much was real. And if that were true then the rest of it didn't matter as far as the boy was concerned.

Well, perhaps it was for the best that he was practically useless in a fight. Apparently the woman didn't considered him so little a threat that he wasn't even worth the effort it would take to kill him, and instead she simply threw him aside. The lad let out another cry of pain as he crashed into the opposing wall before falling back to the ground once more. Fuck, he'd feel that in the morning. Shortly after, Cleo was likewise discarded, kicked across the floor until the pair were almost side by side.

Urchin looked up to where the woman stood and stared on in disbelief as she started speaking to Mr Briarthorne... So, this woman was his daughter? Damn. No wonder he had adopted Charity. You had to fuck up really bad to end up with a daughter like that. Perhaps he was looking for a do-over. A daughter he could actually be proud of. Well, whatever the case, Urchin kept his mouth shut. However little sense he had, he knew that he didn't want to draw this woman's attention to Charity. If anything happened to her, Urchin would never be able to forgive himself.

“Thank you human..” She would whisper out gratefully. “When you can manage to move I would ask you to please remove this cursed bolt from my..Umm..my..body..”

Weakly, Urchin crawled across the short distance between them, taking a firm grip on the shaft of the bolt. He took a close look at the wound, trying to figure out at what angle the arrow had penetrated her. He didn't want to pull the thing out at the opposing angle and cause more damage. Once he had figured it out, he pulled the bolt out in a single, swift motion, careful not to twist it at all. He then reached for the roll of bandages and pushed the entire roll against the wound. No point trying to wrap it now, the injury was to severe. The best thing to do was to put as much pressure on it as possible and slow the bleeding until Eilerias or Lidia or someone with far greater healing skills than himself stepped in the help.

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

"You know this bitch, Briarthorne?" Charity asked, giving Gilgamesh a sideways glance.

Angelica ignored the girl completely. Her eyes never left her father.

A common gutter blooded slut wasn’t worth her time.

She wasn’t the best at seeing through lies so Charity was safe for now but when it came to a goal she was lazer focused.

And right now her goal was information from her father. Everything else meant little. Cleo had only been targeted to get her own men breathing room, and gotten a bit of extra attention due to their shared past.

This girl had no past to share with Angelica so the blonde paid her as much mind as the body parts she stepped over entering.

"Angelica. I must admit you've impressed me, I never once suspected that it was you orchestrating this. But I'm afraid you've already made some miscalculations. Gwendolyn is already recovering from your attack, and your "sister" had anticipated a raid of some sort tonight. She's out hunting you down but if we'd known that you were coming it truly would have been a reunion."

She did stiffen slightly. Adjusting her posture at the compliment. A small bit of red that had nothing to do with the gore around her. Praise? From her father!? “Well I always was best at keeping to the shadows father! I learned from you.” She would begin to say with a small grin she could barely contain. “Too bad my siblings didn’t pay attention as well.” She would giggle pulling out a list of names. Half crossed out. “Took a lot of torture but like you always say..”

“But..”

She froze as he finished. She never expected to kill Gwendolyn. Her mother was powerful and cunning in a way that scared the girl ,but she never wanted to kill her in all honesty.

To hear she was recovering came as no nothing but expected.

“How!” She spat “how did she know!?” She couldn’t have. To hear her father praise another. Like she was smarter than Angelica! Her father was lying. He had to be!

Her eyes narrowed. “She didn’t know. Not even mother knew! She’s here and I know it. The others spoke about her. Said you had been keeping her close.” She folded her arms.

“You wouldn’t let your precious child wander far in the middle of a raid. Unexpected or not.” She said her own anger building.

Her eyes flicked to Charity once more. Her eyes seeing what wasn’t plain to others narrowing to twin slits of bright pink hatred as they spotted something.

The rune on her forearm. The rune no one ever received.

“You.” She would hiss. Her crossbow lifting to fire almost in slow motion.

 

[Eilerias]

Lidia was fully regretting her decision to come downstairs. This was shaping up to be quite a terrible party, not that she had ever been to one...but what kind of party included fighting and people being eaten? Certainly not one she'd ever want to attend.

She knelt down on the floor, gently shaking Eilerias in some poor attempt to wake her up, avoiding whatever was going on with that strangely beautiful yet angry woman who had come in. "Come on Eile...wake up," She begged Eilerias before hearing the sound of someone being thrown and another kicked. She shook her head as she saw Urchin crawling on the floor. Poor boy was a fool, but he didn't give up and that was admirable.

Eilerias was still alive, that much she was sure of, but there was nothing else she could do to aid the priestess. Slowly, she stood up and looked past the bar scanning the scene. The boy looked to be about her age, sixteen, but for the most part the people were unfamiliar to her aside from Charity, the girl Eilerias had complained about missing for half of their trip, and Cleo, the demon assistant of Gwen who appeared to be bleeding badly from her shoulder after Urchin pulled something from it.

She shook her head, knowing she couldn't help. In all of Eilerias' ramblings she managed to mention...several times...that Cleo was not to be healed. Something about her being a demon made her and healing magic a very deadly combo. She trusted Eilerias and would only look back to Urchin, mouthing the words "I'm sorry" before looking back and listening to the confrontation between the others while she made sure Eilerias stayed hidden behind the bar. She didn't know the strange woman who was arguing with the others, but she hoped, for her own sake, Eilerias had nothing to do with this woman.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Gilgamesh stared at the girl that seemed to share Gwendolyn's features for a moment, "Angelica. I must admit you've impressed me, I never once suspected that it was you orchestrating this. But I'm afraid you've already made some miscalculations. Gwendolyn is already recovering from your attack, and your "sister" had anticipated a raid of some sort tonight. She's out hunting you down but if we'd known that you were coming it truly would have been a reunion."

Charity glared daggers at Angelica as her father spoke. This woman had come in and brought more chaos into an already stressful evening. Charity glanced over at her father again as he admitted that even he didn't know Angelica behind the attack. Gilgamesh was always a few steps ahead of everybody and seemed to know everything. For him to admit he didn't know something was a certainly a shock.

The voices rose in volume as quickly as her anger when Charity heard that Gwen was recovering from an attack. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, trying to use the calming exercises she had learned from Gwen. Charity tried to slow her breathing and imagine being in a peaceful place as Angelica prattled on. "She hurt Gwendolyn..." a voce echoed in her mind, its tone almost daring her to not do something to Angelica for committing such an act. It was no use. A previously unknown mental switch in Charity was flipped on.

Charity's eyes snapped open. Their standard blue had been replaced by a bright scarlet color, and the section of her hair that was clipped off to the side was now a dark reddish brown.

Angelica finally realized that the sister she had been looking for was standing right in front of her. She raised her crossbow and fired. The world around Charity seemed to slow to a crawl as she began walking towards Angelica. She knocked the bolt out of the air with a casual wave of her hand, and the world resumed its normal speed as she wrapped a hand around Angelica's throat.

"What did you do to Mother?" she asked in a dangerously calm voice, her scarlet eyes burning into Angelica's. The voices in her head were now so loud that she could barely hear the sound of her own voice.

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

“How did you..” The girl seemed at a loss for words as Charity seemed to bend the world around her.

The crossbow bolt thudded to the floor.

“You-Grk!” She was cut off as Charity’s hand closed around the assassins throat. Her hands grasping at Charity’s arm trying to fruitlessly pull it off and away from her.

“What did you do to Mother.”

“Go to hell!

The girls fingers dug into the blondes skin. Until she choked out a squeak of pain. “N..Nothing she hasn’t done a million times over to others..” She finally struggled out. Her left leg extending into a kick.

One hard enough to separate the two sisters as Angelica landed roughly.

Picking herself up she would then turn.

“Your strong. That surprised me.” She admitted.

“But I am not even in your league.” Lunging at Charity and tackling her to the ground. Pinning Charitys arms with her knees. “I am faster, stronger, and more deadly than you could ever be. I was raised to be what I am.” She hissed.

Each word enunciated with a blow to. Charity’s unguarded face. “I hope that hurt.” Angelica snickered. Taking a moment to place a hand to Charity’s cheek and gently stroke it. Glowing pink, met glowering red.

Their eyes met and they seemed to connect for a moment. Angelica’s smirk would flatter. Even safe in both her physical position and the knowledge that she was stronger.

Yet she still felt like the one getting looked upon as prey.

“I can see why mother favors you.” She would lean down and give her forehead a kiss.

“Gentle slumber sister.” She would taunt like a nasty older sibling drawing a long dagger and preparing to drive it into her heart.

“I don’t think you should be the one telling anyone when to sleep child.” A calm voice would reach them both.

A hand would be placed on Angelicas shoulder as she seemed frozen in shock. The other quickly slipping the dagger from the young woman’s hands and placing it to her throat.

“I didn’t think you would recover so quickly mother. I was hoping to accomplish my task tonight and avoid a fuss.” She cursed seeming to vanish in Gwen’s arms in a plume of black smoke. As she left the archive keeper knelt clearly wounded.

“Good riddance.” She spat moving to Charity’s prone form. “Are you.. Alright Mrs. Charity. I moved as quickly as I could in my state..” Gwen chuckled. Her eyes unblinking with a smile that didn’t meet them.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity's hand tightened as Angelica refused to answer. "Nothing she hasn't done to others" Angelica spat out before sending Charity flying with a kick. She barely had time to stand, before her sister tackled her to the ground.

“Your strong. That surprised me.” She admitted.

“But I am not even in your league.” Lunging at Charity and tackling her to the ground. Pinning Charitys arms with her knees. “I am faster, stronger, and more deadly than you could ever be. I was raised to be what I am.” She hissed.

Blow after blow landed on Charity's face as she struggled, trying to get Angelica off of her. What her sister said was true. Charity was way in over her head trying to fight Angelica. Grabbing her by the throat had been pure luck.

She stiffened as Angelica stopped to touch her cheek, her pink eyes gazing into Charity's. A surprisingly gentle kiss on the forehead soon followed. Charity glared at her sister defiantly. As strong as Angelica was, Charity wasn't going down without a fight.

Charity continued to glare at her sister as Angelica drew a dagger and prepared to stab her. If she was to die tonight, she didn't want to give Angelica the satisfaction of seeing her beg for her life.

“I don’t think you should be the one telling anyone when to sleep child.” A calm voice would reach them both.

MOTHER?! She watched as the woman snatched the dagger out of Angelica's hand and put it against her throat. Angelica vanished in a cloud of black smoke as she realized her mother had recovered.

Gwen knelt down beside her. Just having Gwen beside her was enough to calm Charity. Her eyes regained their bright blue hue, and the brown streak disappeared from her hair. The voices that had been so deafeningly loud in her head, slowly vanished one by one.

But as the voices receded, one lingered in her mind. "Well done..." it praised her in a deep, strong voice before fading like the others.

Charity lay sprawled out on the floor, her hair and eyes returning to their original colors. She purposefully stared at the ceiling avoiding Gwen's eyes. Charity had all but given up hope of seeing her mother again for a long time.

The woman who had barred her from the archives, and said she had wanted nothing to do with her own daughter, suddenly now decided that she should come save her?

"Why are you here?" Charity demanded, her face hardening as she looked at the woman. "I-I coulda fought her off ya know..." Charity sulked, crossing her arms, and turning her head to face away from Gwen. "I didn't need your help... Ms. Vollmund."

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

"Why are you here?" Charity demanded, her face hardening as she looked at the woman. "I-I coulda fought her off ya know..."

“Um..No I think you might have been killed if I had not intervened.” She glanced at Gilgamesh.

It was he that had given her the order. But Charity acted so strangely.. Oh!

"I didn't need your help... Ms. Vollmund."

“Oh dear..Apologies..” Gwen said with a chuckle. Her form melting away to reveal Cleo. Her steaming wound finally closing. Her wings sprung forth and she gave them a practice flap as they folded back into shadow.

“Angelica respects her father. But she fears her mother. Mrs. Vollmund is one of the few people I can manage..I had forgotten I had not shifted back.” Cleo turned and gave Gilgamesh a nod.

Reaching down and grasping Charity by the elbow and arm Cleo would picking her up to her feet. Placing a hand on each shoulder steadying the young woman.

“Stand up straight. You are stronger than pouting in the dirt.” She would say a bit severely but the expression and movements were tender.

She straightened her hair the way she used to when Charity would come in to see Gwen looking particularly rough. Satisfied she would turn away glancing at Gilgamesh over her shoulder.

“I will take any lingering in the area on my way back to the archives. I am needed there now more than ever. Thank you Mr. Briarthorne.” She would say simply before her wings spread and she was gone.


Off into night.

 

[Urchin]

For once in his life, Urchin had the good common sense to remain quiet and leave this conversation between Mr Briarthorne and his daughter. He might be completely useless in a fight, but at least he could stay here and help Cleo while there was a temporary cease in the fighting. "Dun worry, yer gonna be okay," Urchin tried to reassure her in a faint whisper so as not to bring the crazy woman's attention back to them. "Miss Elie's here. She can make ya all better. An' that girl over there too, she can 'eal. Waved 'er hands over where I got stabbed an' I were better, just like that. They'll fix ya too. You just gotta 'ang in there. They'll be 'ere soon, I promise." If he could just keep her conscious until one of the real healers came to save her then everything would be fine. That's all he had to do, and everything would be okay... But then the unthinkable happened.

"Charity, NO!" Urchin wailed as she attacked the woman. He understood that Charity was angry. He was angry too. But that woman's powers were not natural! No human soul stood a chance against her! And sadly, despite Charity possessing far greater strength than Urchin had ever witnessed before, the assassin overpowered her easily. "No!" the boy screamed out in horror... And not a strong, manly scream at all. A pathetic, high pitched, girly scream. He sounded exactly like what he was. A desperate child witnessing the destruction of the most precious thing he had in this world and completely powerless to stop it.

Abandoning poor Cleo, Urchin started weakly crawling across the floor to where Angelica had Charity pinned to the ground. Charity might not be willing to give Angelica the satisfaction of begging, but Urchin certainly was. "Please, please don't 'urt her!" the lad cried as he edged across the floor closer to Charity. "Please! She's my best friend! I need her! I love her!" Obviously Angelica wouldn't care for the desperate cries of a pathetic child like Urchin... But she certainly cared about the sudden arrival of Gwendolyn... And just like that, she was gone. Chairty was safe.

"Oh, Charity!" Urchin cried with relief, dragging himself across the floor to wrap his arms desperately around his friend. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he told Gwen with undying gratitude as he wept onto Charity's shoulder. "I thought you was gonna die!" he sobbed.

Suddenly Gwendolyn disappeared and... "Cleo!" Urchin declared happily, releasing Charity to throw his arms around Cleo in an extremely clingy hug. "How did ya? ... When did ya? ..." she had been laying on the ground in one moment, and in the time it had taken him to crawl across the floor to Charity's side, she had done this? Cleo truly was a wonder. "Thank ya Cleo! Ya saved us! Ya saved us all!" he declared happily. Charity might think that she could've handles Angelica by herself, but Urchin was under no such delusions.

And then Cleo flew away, leaving Urchin to collapse to the ground, rolling on his back in exhaustion. "What a fucking night," he groaned through heavy breaths. Time to lay down and access how deeply injured he was. His stab wound was healed, but he had still lost a lot of blood. Maybe he should rest for awhile... Not that he had the strength to get up.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Everything felt like a blank around Isak.

It was all a haze - the messy state of his precious and always well kept lobby, the blood flowing to the cracks on the wooden ground, the bodies decorating the place. Isak didn't care for any of that, even with the alluring voice echoing through his head, trying to convince him to... let go.

He couldn't let go. He couldn't let go of himself, nor could he let go of Eilerias' hand as she still slumbered on the ground, right next to him and Lidia.

In a time not long past, Isak would've been furious about his prized possession getting disgraced like that, his own Raven Club being attacked by a bunch of good for nothing mercenaries who were lucky to still be drawing breath, but not now. Now, his eyes wouldn't drift away from Eilerias as she slept, with Lidia seemingly giving up hope that she could be 'healed' from that condition.

He looked away from Eilerias only when he was alarmed of another battle ensuing, with Charity and that mysterious woman exchanging blows, up until the master thief got overpowered and Urchin crawled to her, begging that she would be spared. The poor kid shouted something about love, and it was impossible to hold back the pain in Isak's heart as it reminded him of his own love - the most precious person on his whole life, lying there with no answer, as Isak felt too powerless to do anything but watch over her.

'You can't bring her back. And you can't save your... friends. What purpose do you even serve, Isak? Why not just... let go?'

The voices clawed at his mind again, and suddenly the mark on his wrist started to burn again, with Isak barely able to move his own arm now. He could feel a lust for blood and battle growing inside him by every passing moment, his eyes changing to a fiery red color once more. He could do nothing but watch as the woman seemingly ignored Urchin and continued to hammer away at Charity, and he could do nothing to get Eilerias back.

He really did serve no purpose. And that haunted his head, pushing him more and more towards the edge of the abyss. Isak wanted to kill every last one of those mercenaries, he wanted to destroy all those involved with that attack, but he knew that it wouldn't be him, but the demon assuming control. He would burn them all to ashes, and perhaps everyone else as well, just like the voices were ordering, but something acted faster, and the next thing he knew was that Gwendolyn had appeared, surprising every one, and especially the mysterious woman, who was quick to disappear afterwards, leaving only more questions.

As the immediate threat had ceased, so too did the demon's voice on his head, and with the mercenaries quickly scattering and fleeing at the disappearance of their leader, it felt like that urge for violence was slowing fading away as well. The marks on his wrist stopped burning and the pain also vanished, and Isak finally felt in control again, starting to believe that things could be falling back to normality, if there was ever such thing.

And yet, Eilerias was still unconscious and Isak now held her tightly in his arms, silently begging that she could wake up, so that nightmare could truly end. She needed to return, she had to. She couldn't leave him, not now, not after everything. Isak didn't know if he could resist the demons in his head without her.

 

[Eilerias]

In the Raven Club, Eilerias slept like a rock. Her breathing was slow and she remained still, but not rigid. She almost looked comfortable on the stone floor as her body appeared to rest.

Eilerias allowed the shadows to encompass her as she lie in the dark but she refused to rest. Deaf to the outside world, she listened once more for the familiar voice which had made its way inside. "Hello?" She called out to it, her voice echoing throughout.

Dear Sylvanna why do you insist on ignoring advice only meant to help you? The voice was calm as footsteps began to sound.

It couldn't be...

He was dead...

She killed him.

"Fath...Elyon?" She whispered, trying to force herself upright so she could look for the source of the voice and footsteps. The shadows tightened around her arms and legs, binding her to the ground as the footsteps got closer and closer before coming to a halt. A loud sigh came from the figure before a brief pause as though he were thinking of what to say.

"I'm disappointed in you, dear child." His voice was blunt, losing the parental charm it held only a few weeks ago. "I never thought myself to produce such a stubborn, impetuous child. Yet, here you are, once again." He took a few more steps forward, hovering over Eilerias.

He looked like his normal self again, not like the monster they had killed in Fal'Addas. Why was he continuing to plague her dreams when he was dead? "Why are you here? Get out of my head!" She demanded, still struggling to pull herself from the shadows.

"Stupid, stupid child. I warned you, did I not?" His eerie smile didn't suit the occasion. "The dreams I planted in your head. The warnings I sent. Did you choose to ignore them all or are you truly that stupid? Tell me, what guides you? Certainly not your brain." He chuckled to himself quietly as he turned, pacing as he spoke. "Stupid and useless."

She squinted angrily as he continued to berate her, wondering if there was any point to his speech. Just wake up Eile, it's that easy. Wake up! She told herself.

This made Elyon laugh more. "So incredibly useless because you chose to ignore your shadows. You learned nothing from our lessons it appears." He waved his hands over her eyes, allowing her to watch small snippets of what had happened in the Raven Club. Urchin was stabbed, Cleo had a crossbow bolt lodged in her, and Charity was about to be stabbed by a woman who looked like a younger Gwen. "Perhaps if you paid attention and let go of this comical 'light' you follow, you'd be able to use the shadows and save your friends. But no...so useless your own shadows have to take over to protect you so you 'don't feel pain when people get hurt'" He altered his voice to mock her with the last line.

"Your own shadows know how to protect that child more than you do. Not a motherly instinct about you is there?" She looked away as he spoke. "Oh, did you think I didn't know? I sent plenty of warnings to you. I believe your friends, what were their names, Gwen and Charity? Yes them. They warned you as well. You really don't listen to anyone do you?" He turned and placed a sharp finger on her stomach. "Do you even know, truly, who that child belongs to?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eilerias looked bewildered, wriggling to get free as she snapped at him. "Of course I do-"

"Do you really? How are you so sure? Of course there Isak...but do you think I didn't know about the mimic sent after you in my house?" He jabbed his finger at her stomach, the sharp edge causing pain as he continued. "Or those guards in Cerak? They enjoyed your company." Eilerias went white as a sheet as he spoke, to which he seemed to enjoy.

"How did you know about that?" Her voice was back to a whisper full of guilt. No one knew about that.

"Our shadows are one and the same. If you had taken time to hone your craft, you'd see it all too." He waved his hands and Eilerias was released from the shadow, landing on the ground with a thud. "Stupid child. Try to be less useless next time for my sake. It disturbs my slumber." Eilerias reached out to grab his robes as he turned, but as she did so she seemed to reenter her own body.

Her eyes fluttered open, still containing hints of purple, and she wriggled out of Isak's arms in a panic, determined to help the group fight off....nothing... Had she imagined it all? Was it a mind game Elyon was playing? Just a stupid dream? She had no clue. There were obvious signs of injury that Lidia was already tending to, bodies strewn about, and broken furniture everywhere. The girl, the one who looked like Gwen, was nowhere to be seen.

They did it all without her. She really was useless.

Wide-eyed, she turned back to Isak and clung to him silently. She was confused, ashamed of painful memories Elyon brought up that not even Isak knew, and also hungry. Ravenous, actually. She pulled away after a few minutes and quietly turned, paying no attention to any of the others as she walked into the kitchen, searching for anything to satiate her after she had slept throughout an entire attack. Utterly useless.

 

[Amadeus Greywood]

“Well I always was best at keeping to the shadows father! I learned from you.” She would begin to say with a small grin she could barely contain. “Too bad my siblings didn’t pay attention as well.” She would giggle pulling out a list of names. Half crossed out. “Took a lot of torture but like you always say..”

Angelica took to his praise like a honey bee to sugar water, she was susceptible to her own vanity... Which unfortunately also worked in her favor since her vanity simply wouldn't allow her to accept that someone other than he or Gwen had anticipated her, so that part of the lie wasn't bought and she reverted back to the information she'd gathered on her own.

“How!” She spat “how did she know!?” She couldn’t have. To hear her father praise another. Like she was smarter than Angelica! Her father was lying. He had to be!

Her eyes narrowed. “She didn’t know. Not even mother knew! She’s here and I know it. The others spoke about her. Said you had been keeping her close.” She folded her arms.

“You wouldn’t let your precious child wander far in the middle of a raid. Unexpected or not.”

A fault and a blessing, while her reasoning was a bit skewed she was coming to a correct conclusion. He knew an enemy was tracking down this chapter of the Cherry Rose but didn't expect a raid, if he didn't expect a raid then he wouldn't mind his rising star of a daughter going out and hunting on her own... But still, she was correct. And now her suspicions went directly to Charity.

“You.” She would hiss. Her crossbow lifting to fire almost in slow motion.

Gilgamesh made no move to stop her, even though he could have caught or struck the bolt as it flew past him he instead remained motionless and passive, watching the events with interest... How would Charity handle this?

And she didn't disappoint.

She knocked the bolt out of the air and grabbed Angelica by the throat. Charity was drawing heavily on the new latent power growing inside of her.

"What did you do to Mother?" she asked in a dangerously calm voice, her scarlet eyes burning into Angelica's. The voices in her head were now so loud that she could barely hear the sound of her own voice.

The power was tempting her, goading her and she wasn't refusing, she wasn't saying no like Gwen did continuously.
His daughters separated and Angelica seemed to recover, retaliating with her greater power and experience to almost easily overpower Charity.

When she drew a dagger... And raised it over her heart... The amusement drained from his face. His grip tightened on his cane and the air in the Raven Club immediately grew cold and oppressive, the light dimmed even though the lamps burned bright as ever. His eyes immediately went to Cleo and he delivered a silent command, but she was wounded so he didn't rely on her getting there in time.

However, Cleo, disguised as Gwen, stepped in before he did anything drastic. The air and lights returned to normal and the moment passed so quickly it might have even gone unnoticed by some... But Gilgamesh let out a silent sigh of relief.
Angelica vanished and the remaining thugs retreated almost immediately after.

“Angelica respects her father. But she fears her mother. Mrs. Vollmund is one of the few people I can manage..I had forgotten I had not shifted back.” Cleo turned and gave Gilgamesh a nod.

Gilgamesh nodded in return... A silent thanks to the lesser demon for protecting his daughter.

Things started to calm down... Eilerias seemed to wake up and everyone was alive if not unscathed. Gilgamesh looked about at the chaos of the Raven Club and sighed.
"I think it would be best if this reunion not drag on any longer. We should all go home and recover, it's been a long night."
He started for the door but as he walked by Isak he reached into his coat and withdrew a bag of gold, placing it on the counter of the bar.
"Take all you need for the repairs, this one is on me."
He squeaked his way to the door before pausing and looking back at the group.

_________________________________________

All of this that has transpired he related to Gwendolyn as he continued to tend her wound.

"Charity isn't ready for Angelica... Not yet..."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

When Isak next opened his eyes, all he saw was Eilerias wriggling out of his arms in a panic. He held his breath for the longest second, feeling that moment passing forever slowly as she looked around, confused about everything that's happened. Isak himself couldn't muster up any words to speak, he was just confused as everyone else, and so he just stood there until the priestess clung to him again, still silent.

He had missed the comfort of her embrace, desperately thinking that he wouldn't be able to feel it again, but she was awake now. In that moment, he thought about a million questions to ask her, but Isak feared that she was already dealing with too much in the wake of that attack, having been forced into a slumber due to the use of her darker powers.

Isak heard whispers inside his head again, but this time, he couldn't understand a single word. They were coming and fading as he held Eilerias in his arms, slowly taking notice that the battle had finally ended, leaving behind a trail of destruction that made the lobby of the Raven Club almost unrecognizable, with blood, bodies and broken furniture decorating the floor.

After a few minutes, Eilerias pulled away from him and quietly walked towards the kitchen, leaving behind a confused and silent Isak who now looked towards his gloves, still stained with the blood of the men he killed. It felt good to have killed them, it felt justified. He could still feel a mildly uncomfortable pain on his right wrist, only now realizing the blood coming from his arm.

Charity and Urchin were still recovering from their own wounds with Lidia's help and Isak got back on his feet just as Gilgamesh left a pouch of coin on the nearby bar counter, taking upon himself to pay for the expenses of the Raven Club's repairs. In truth, Isak hadn't even given any thoughts to the cost or the work he would have in restoring it to its former self, his mind had been seized with worry over Eilerias and also by the taunting voice of his demon, much more stronger than ever before.

Lidia looked at him as if Isak had any answers as to why Eilerias had simply up and vanished so quietly to the kitchen. Shaking his head in denial to the woman, Isak watched as Gilgamesh advised them to call it a night before walking towards the kitchen, to find Eilerias eating away at anything she could get her hands on. He didn't know if that was one of the consequences of her sudden fainting from before, but Isak didn't want to press too much in the search for answers. Slowly and silently, Isak approached her and stood there for a moment before she could turn to face him.

He wanted to know what kept her in her shadows for so long.

"Eile... What happened?" He asked with a low voice, his fingers trembling as they moved towards her face, stopping right before reaching it as the blood from his wrist began to drip down from the tip of his sleeve, the pain coursing through his arm giving him pause at the same instant. Isak groaned and quickly held his wrist, fearing that Eilerias would be able to feel his pain so soon as she was still recovering from her own.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him in that moment. He felt powerless, ashamed... and tired.

He had to apologize to her for many things. For the pain, for not protecting her before. Perhaps the demon was right, he was still too weak.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity was shocked as Gwen melted away to reveal Cleo. She speechlessly allowed herself to be lifted to her feet.

“Stand up straight. You are stronger than pouting in the dirt.” She would say a bit severely but the expression and movements were tender.

She straightened her hair the way she used to when Charity would come in to see Gwen looking particularly rough. Satisfied she would turn away glancing at Gilgamesh over her shoulder.

"Thank you Cleo. I know it was impossible for me to fight Angelica. So thank you for saving me from her... And my own foolishness..." Charity said quietly.

Charity knelt down next to Urchin. Tears of relief and joy welled up in her eyes as she gently sat him up. "What were you thinking you dummy? You can't attack an enemy who has a longer reach than you head on!" She tried to sound angry, but her words came out with the joy of a mother who thought she had lost her child only for them to be alive. Charity pulled Urchin to her chest in a tight hug, the tears freely flowing from her eyes. "Please be more careful from now on. I can't lose you... I love you and I'd be lost without you..." she whispered.

"C'mon, let's get you over to Eile. The wound might be mostly healed but you've still lost a lot of blood." Charity said, scooping Urchin up and carrying him to the kitchen.

"I think it would be best if this reunion not drag on any longer. We should all go home and recover, it's been a long night."

After checking with Eilerias that Urchin really was indeed going to be okay, she left to say goodbye to her father.

"I'm glad you could join us Daddy! It was a nice surprise to be able to see you in person!" Charity said cheerily with a big grin. "We'll be okay for now thanks to you and Cleo!" She planted a kiss on Gilgamesh's cheek and hugged him.

"Umm... Daddy... I know you're a very busy man, but if you can find the time at some point, there are some things I would like to ask you about what happened tonight!"

Charity kissed Gilgamesh on the cheek once again and went back to check on Urchin. "Hey kid. How ya doin'?" she asked sitting on the floor next to him.

 

[Urchin]

"What were you thinking you dummy? You can't attack an enemy who has a longer reach than you head on!"

"He were gonna 'urt ya!" Urchin objected. Obviously there was no denying that what Urchin had done was stupid. He had never used a weapon before in his life, and even pinned to the ground by a crazy shadow creature, Charity still had a better chance against the assassin than Urchin did. But that didn't mean that he could just stand there and watch her get attacked. She was his best friend in the whole world. He at least had to try to protect her.

"Please be more careful from now on. I can't lose you... I love you and I'd be lost without you..."

"I love ya too," the lad said, a tear rolling down his cheek and looking very sorry for himself. "I'm sorry Charity. I tried my best. I really did." His best was just utterly abysmal. He needed to learn how to fight, desperately. If Charity or any of his other friends were ever in danger again, he wanted to be able to help them.

"C'mon, let's get you over to Eile. The wound might be mostly healed but you've still lost a lot of blood."

Uh oh. Urchin really should've seen that coming. "No, no," the lad objected desperately, his hand going defensively to his blood soaked shirt, instinctively covering the hole where the blade had gone in. "I'm fine, honest. Ain't nuthin' wrong with me, I swear, I just need ta rest is all." Though there was little Urchin could do to stop Charity as she literally scooped him up like a child and Urchin didn't even have the strength left to wriggle free.

Once inside the kitchen, the boy turned his objections towards the healer. "It's okay Miss Eile, I dun need no 'ealin'. That girl o' yers fixed me up good, I'm fit as a fiddle, I swears," the boy lied. Apparently he really didn't want to receive any further healing for some reason or other.