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>>41806562

“We have the advantage of surprise, so it's unlikely that the enemy will have the time to assemble any kind of formation,” the looming demon in front of you snarls. This fine gentleman is Eligor – general of Forneus' army and apparently a master of tactics. You're not even sure why you've been included in the briefing, but you're not complaining. The more you know about Forneus' strategy, the easier it'll be to quit the field without being noticed. “Regardless,” Eligor continues, “The first wave will consist of troll shock troopers, to scatter the enemy and break their resolve.”

You imagine the smell of several ranks of trolls, all pumped up and ready for violence, and shudder. That'd be enough to break anyone's resolve. Still, playing your role as an active and interested part of the demon king's war machine, you ask about casualties. Are many from the first wave expected to survive?

“Not many,” the dimly glowing light of Eligor's eyes twinkles behind his visor as macabre amusement enters his voice, “They are worthless, expendable. By the time I lead the second wave into the fight, their usefulness will have long since expired.” Behind the demonic general, his horse stamps and growls impatiently. It's the first time you've ever heard a horse growl, and you're not eager to hear it much more. The sooner you can be out of here the better. “You, human, you and your kin will join me in taking the prize for ourselves. This is a great honour, and not one given freely to one such as you.”

Ah, well, you're too kind? You're not particularly happy about being hurled into battle with the armoured giant in front of you breathing down your neck all the time, but...

>We will march to glory with you!
>This is a mistake. Forneus wanted us at the rearguard
>Your plan will fail. The enemy is waiting in ambush.

>>41806565
>>We will march to glory with you!
Play the part for now, I seriously doubt Forneus didn't take the time to brag of his ideas to his higher ups...

>>41806565
>>We will march to glory with you!
Yeah, you're right. I still think that we should try to get the humans to flank somewhere so we can escape easier.

>>41806628
>>41806647

You glance round at Cassandra, who had been watching the briefing in silence. Her face is pale, mouth fixed in a tight line that shows only the faintest of trembles. Before being summoned to the general's table, you had sat down with the girl and decided on a rendezvous point, having her repeat the directions over and over until you were satisfied that she had committed them to memory. It was the same rendezvous that Carnby – who, as a non-combatant, would be remaining behind in the barely defended hospital – would be meeting you at. If any of you get separated, the plan was to retreat to the rendezvous. Yet, looking at her pallid face, you find yourself wondering if Cassandra will be able to stick to the plan.

Putting those fears out of your mind, you meet Eligor's burning gaze. You will march with him, you announce proudly, to honour and victory! Of course, you'll also run like hell the first chance you get, but you decide to leave that last part unspoken.

“Excellent!” the armoured demon laughs boldly, “Those dogs won't stand a chance against our might! We'll put them to the sword and claim the prize for ourselves. With the power of a goddess under his control, none shall dare question Forneus' rule!”

Yeah, good luck with that. You just hope you're a long way away by the time Forneus starts poking the slumbering death goddess. In fact, you want to be away long before Forneus has the chance to ruin everything. That's why you tap a corner of the map laid out in front of you. The left flank, you announce, that's where you'll have the most effect. Eligor leans over the map, examining it with a sceptical eye. When the battle is joined in full, you explain hastily, it'll be easier for a small group of humans to slip into the club itself and secure the girl.

“And then strike at their vulnerable underbelly!” Eligor triumphantly smacks his fist into the table, causing Cassandra to flinch. “An excellent plan, I approve.”

>>41806647
True...

>>41806565
Perhaps we can suggest some sort of calvary idea? Use our own summoned demons to come in from a different angle and attack them?

>>41806760

“What about Leon?” Cassandra asks quietly as you slip away from Eligor and start to make your way towards the young man, who is currently busy taking practice swings with that strange axe of his. “He doesn't know about any of this, and...” the devout girl looks at Leon and grimaces, “I think he likes it here.”

You'll tell him your plan, you assure Cassandra, but you're going to wait until the right moment. Any earlier, and you risk him running to Eligor – or Forneus, if you're really unlucky – with the information. He's not going to throw his life away in some hopeless battle, just to appease the massive ego of an equally massive manta ray.

“So when is the right moment?” Cassandra murmurs as she hurries to match your quick pace. You hesitate, certain that she's not going to like your answer.

Right before you make your move, you tell her carefully. That way, he'll be too busy fighting to spread the word of your desertion, should he refuse to come along. Cassandra is quiet for a long time as she ponders the situation. She doesn't like it much – that's clear from her furrowed brow and tight lips, but you do detect a trace of relief. She might not admit it, even to herself, but Cassandra wants rid of Leon.

“He'll probably die if he stays,” she whispers to herself.

>Say nothing
>That's his choice to make. We might all die if he stays
>Then we'll have one less problem later on.

>>41806831
>That's his choice to make. We might all die if he stays

Though if I tell him the Goddess of Death has a good chance if waking up, that self preservation ingrained in him will kick in.

>>41806831
>>That's his choice to make. We might all die if he stays

>>41806864
>>41806896

That's his choice to make, you tell her sadly. You wouldn't force her to stay IN the fight, and forcing Leon to flee against his will is no better. On the other hand, sticking around with Forneus and his gang of thugs is close to suicide in the long run – some slight, real or imagined, is the only excuse that the demon king needs to start taking heads. You can't even risk sticking around to make sure Leon escapes, not without putting yourself in the firing line. Even if the Hellfire Club doesn't get you, some of Forneus' solders might see you retreating.

Besides, you add in an attempt to cheer Cassandra up, once you tell Leon what he might be up against, he'll come to his senses soon enough.

“And...” Cassandra frowns, “What are we coming up against?”

Ah, yes. You never told Cassandra, did you? You see, you tell her carefully, the Hellfire Club MIGHT have a death goddess amongst their ranks. Don't worry, though, she's asleep at the moment, and that's probably how she's going to stay for the time being.

“A death goddess?” Cassandra's face sours at the mention of some filthy “other” god. “Where on earth would they get such a thing?”

You can't possibly imagine, you tell her quickly as you reach Leon, grateful for anything that might offer to change the subject.

>>41807101

You shout a greeting to Leon as you approach, taking a moment to note the heavy pistol strapped into a shoulder holster that he wears. All of a sudden, the armoured vest you stole feels that much more welcome, but the gun pressed into the small of your back feels like a cold weight. It won't come to that, you tell yourself. You'll make it out of here alive, all three of you. Once you've reached the court of the fair folk, you can settle any disputes you might have, without worrying about a deranged monarch breathing down your neck.

“Thought you'd never get here!” Leon greets you with a wild grin. Perhaps it's something in the air here, some contagious enthusiasm, because you can't imagine any rational reason why the young man would look so happy about the prospect of combat – real combat, not some playground fight.

Yeah, well, you were just getting your orders from Eligor. Quickly, you set out your plan to Leon – sneak around the side of the fight and move into the club itself. Leon listens carefully, shifting the weight of his axe – up close, you can see a sickly light playing around the weapon's blade – from shoulder to shoulder. When you're finished explaining, he nods decisively and claps you on the arm with a worrying amount of affection.

“Aye, we're gonna bust in their and cut their damn heads off!” Again, the undisguised enthusiasm in Leon's voice sends a shudder running down your spine, but you brush it off. Yes, there's something not quite right with the young man, but you're starting to think that he's not the only one to be changed. Between Cassandra's neurotic faith and your own scheming, humans don't seem to last long in this new world without going a little mad. Even Carnby has been affected, if his strange obsession with prophecy and the fair folk is any indication.

>Warn Leon about Alice
>Wait for the attack in silence

>>41807189
>>Warn Leon about Alice
A. If she wakes up she could solo Forneus and most the army herself.
B. The battle miiiiiiiiiiight wake her up.

>>41807189
>Wait for the attack in silence

>>41807221
All true but we should wait until we have the distraction of battle to tell Leon.

>>41807189
>Wait for the attack in silence
Not yet, give him less time to mull it over and scheme.

>>41807238
>>41807266

There's definitely something cold and callous in the way you simply nod, letting Leon's enthusiasm get away from him. You'll warn him later, when you need to make sure he understands just how serious the situation is. Yes, later, that's it. That's what you tell yourself, at least. You can feel Cassandra watching you – her eyes hard and yet somehow... not judging you. Her gaze holds no approval, but there's nothing in the way of condemnation either. Interesting.

Instead, you keep silent and watch as the first waves gets ready to attack. You're not sure what you expected from Forneus' “great army”, but you are somewhat disappointed to see that his first wave, the shock troops, consists of perhaps a dozen trolls clad in makeshift armour and clutching whatever crude weapons they could find. One has a park bench, for example, while several have uprooted lampposts to bludgeon their foes with. They're certain to shock the enemy, but only with the poor state of their equipment.

A horn is sounded, and the attack begins. The first wave, that dirty dozen, charges down the streets, trampling over the husks of abandoned cars and smashing aside anything in their way. While your assessments about the crudeness of their equipment were entirely accurate, they look to be effective enough. You frown as you watch the advance – where are the Hellfire Club forces? You were expecting fortifications, defenders... something! There's nothing here, just abandoned buildings and wrecked vehicles, leading all the way to the club itself. Except there is something there, something that glints on the ground like...

Like spilled oil.

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>>41807495

A pair of beasts, strange two-headed dogs, rear up from the cover they had been lurking behind and vomit forth a great volley of fireballs. The blasts splash against the ground and immediately, with a muffled WHUMP that is felt rather than heard, ignite the skin of oil across the ground. The trolls, caught in an open street with nowhere to run but straight ahead or straight backwards – both routes now smothered in fire – shriek and bellow, their charge devolving into a confused huddle.

“Curse those dogs!” Eligor bellows, rearing up in the midst of his elite guard – each demon clad in the same crimson plate and riding a steed of their own. “They think to use fire, but no flame shall tarnish our armour! Knights, ADVANCE!”

“That's our cue,” Leon snarls as Eligor and his cavalry hurl themselves into the burning street. True enough, the flames lick and lap at their armour but leave no mark. Even the horses' flesh seems proof against the burning oil, their iron-shod hooves kicking up puddles of the blazing liquid as they charge. “Fuckin' hell Amelia, hurry up!” the young man shouts as you hesitate, watching the cavalry charge in stunned amazement.

Right, of course. There's work to be done. Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you break into a run and follow Leon. The young man sticks to the left flank, just as you said, cutting down an alleyway and into safer ground. At least the side roads were spared from the burning oil, even if the wind carries the scent of burning troll right to your poor abused nose. You thought they smelled bad when they were alive, but that odour had nothing on the smell of a burning troll flesh. Perhaps you should have taken a gas mask from the police station as well.

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>>41807600

As you approach the club, you have a chance to see the defenders for the first time. Writhing snake-men, armed with stabbing spears and broad shields, have formed a hasty line to meet Eligor and his cavalry, both sides clashing in a riot of metal against metal. The confusion is perfect, absolute, and the buildings shield you from direct view. It couldn't be a better time to make your escape, but Leon is still pressing ahead, blinded by the prospect of violence.

Shout a warning, that's all you need to do. Just one warning, and it's his job to decide what to do next. The words are on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't force them out. That's when you realise that the entire battlefield has fallen silent, even the sounds of blade hitting shield fading to nothing. Some terrible awe has swept through the area like a wildfire, touching everyone with a shimmer of paralysing fear. Then, piercing your ears with its intensity, a great laugh shrieks out.

“She wakes! The young mistress awakens!”

Yet, for all the fearful gravitas, you recognise the voice of Mister Black – Nebiros. Shortly after, a childish giggle rings out, matched only by the moan of dismay that rises from Eligor's knights.

>Get the hell out of there
>Warn Leon. He can't fight this.

>>41807692
>>Get the hell out of there
>>Warn Leon. He can't fight this.
If he doesn't his own idiocy.

>>41807692
>Warn Leon. He can't fight this.
"You do NOT want to be here!"

Then
>Get the hell out of there

It's up to him if he wants to listen.

>>41807692
>Get the hell out of there
>Warn Leon. He can't fight this.

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>>41807727
>>41807730
>>41807776

Damn it. Damn it all! That hellish giggle does nothing but confirm your worst suspicions – not that they NEEDED confirming, after hearing Nebiros' victorious proclamation. Alice, the young goddess of death, has woken from her slumber – roused, perhaps, by the carnage unfolding around the club her faithful servants called their own. Things were dangerous before, balancing the risks of combat and escape, but now they're critical. You don't even want to imagine what hideous power that girl holds – power enough to wipe the entire area clean of life with a gesture? You don't want to stick around long enough to find out.

You cry out to Leon, urging him to abandon the battlefield. All animosity is forgotten, wiped away by fear, as you plead with him to flee. He turns, his furious pace having taken him a good few metres ahead of you, and glares. His eyes are filled with rage and a thirst for blood that belonged in no human gaze but, thankfully, you see a flicker of intelligence cutting though the aggression. Your words have reached him – what he does now, you cannot control. You can only repeat your frantic warning before turning to flee, grabbing Cassandra by the arm and dragging her away down the maze of side streets.

Please choose a character

>Amelia
>Leon

>>41808036
>>Leon

>>41808036
>>Amelia

I'm conflicted. One one hand I kind want to see what he does without player influencing his choices.

On the other I kinda want to see how this battle plays out.

>>41808098
>>41808036
>Leon

Hmm, we probably won't play as Leon often so might as well take the opportunity.

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>>41808049
>>41808118

You were having a pretty good day today. Of course, things had been pretty sweet in general since you crushed your previous boss' head with a piece of lead piping, but today had taken the cake. Not only were you slowly climbing the ranks in your new gig, a growing army under the command of an idiot – the kind of idiot that would be easy to overthrow, given a little time – but you were also about to crush one set of enemies. It wasn't anything personal but, well, it never is. Business comes first. The fact that you loved your job was just a bonus.

You are Leon McGregor, and you're rapidly losing your happy thoughts.

Things were going so well! Sure, the first wave had died in a rolling sea of fire, but that was basically all they were good for. Trash like that lived to be used and thrown away. Even Eligor – some fancy horse riding bastard that claimed to be a mighty general – was going to be old news after this battle. You were supposed to waltz up the left flank and seize the prize. An easy victory, and a fast ride up the career ladder.

And that's when Sister bloody Amelia, practically dragging her puppy dog friend behind her, turned tail and fled. Wretched coward! She had shrieked some whining warning about a great danger, something that you couldn't kill – as if! - but her words had barely sunk in before she had fled completely. Running away from everything you had worked so hard to achieve... was that really what she was expecting from you?

Yet... the rest of Forneus' army seemed to be pretty shaken up by something. Even your enemies – whoever they were – were shaking in their boots. Maybe... maybe there was something to Amelia's warning?

>No retreat, no surrender
>Investigate a little before deciding
>Run. You've still got time to catch up with Amelia.

>Character Sheet: http://pastebin.com/KxKcbsHb

>>41808293
>Investigate a little before deciding

>>41808293
>>Investigate a little before deciding

>>41808293
>Investigate a little before deciding

>>41808313
>>41808329
>>41808450

Aye, no sense in cutting and running before you even know what you're running from. Knowing Amelia, it might just be some lizard bastard with more teeth than normal. You don't even need to summon a demon to fight thanks to the profane magic clinging to your axe – a gift from Forneus himself! The first enemy you see if going to get a damn good taste of cursed steel, and you're going to be the one serving it up to them!

So, ignoring the shrieks and wails filling the air – it's a battlefield, who cares about shite like that? - you stalk further down the alleyway until you reach the club. There are bodies scattered about the place, the smouldering remains of an armoured troll taking pride of place, but the only thing even close to a threat is the pair of figures flanking the entrance. One tall and thin, the other squat and broad, the pair seem oblivious to their surroundings. The don't even have weapons – an easy pair of kills!

Then, you see the third figure emerging from the doorway. A girl – a child! - in a simple blue and white dress, blonde hair spilling down her back and swirling in some unnatural breeze. That's it, you sneer to yourself, that's what everyone is so afraid of? Hell, you'll cut the brat's head off right here and now, show those cowards what humanity is capable of!

>Attack! (D100, highest of the first three results)
>This isn't worth your time. Retreat.

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>41808512
>>Attack! (D100, highest of the first three results)

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>41808512
>>Attack! (D100, highest of the first three results)


Goodbye Leon we hardly knew ye.

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>41808512
>Attack! (D100, highest of the first three results)

>>41808533
Is it bad that I want a mediocre roll?

>>41808512
RIP

>>41808526
The bastard might actually survive this, probably by the skin of his teeth.

>>41808526

Grinning from ear to ear, blood boiling with the chance to exalt in glory while your erstwhile allies flee like the craven dogs they are, you hurl yourself out of the alleyway, axe held high. The two men, dressed in stuffy suits rather than anything practical, look around at your warcry. First they look smug, absolutely certain that you, a mere human, could do nothing to harm them. Then, perhaps when they realise that it's not THEM you're aiming for, their faces fill with panic.

The thought that your target, the sole focus of your wrath, is a child never even crosses your mind as you bring the axe sweeping down. It's a good blow, strong and undeniably on target, but somehow it manages to hit nothing but air. The missed blow leaves you off balance, but a little luck turns your stumbling step into a leaping blow. The girl – now a few feet away without ever moving a damn muscle – watches the incoming blow with curious eyes. Behind you, finally spurred to action, the pair of bodyguards fumble to chase after you.

Giggling, her mouth twisted in an innocent grin, the girl touches her hand to the ground. Blackness pools around her hand and, a moment later, a spear of that same inky darkness launches out of the ground at your feet. Yet somehow your momentum carries you past the blow and it does nothing but scratch across your thigh, chilling cold trailing in its wake. The pain only makes your feral grin wider, urging you on to swing again at the demon child. Again, your blow connects only with air and your taunted by the sight of the girl, unharmed and effortlessly calm, appearing a short distance away.

“I like this game!” she says in a sickeningly sing-song voice, “Mister, will you play with me some more?”

I just want to point out that its hilarious that Amelia, only up for a day after being in a coma, completely destroyed everything Leon was working towards for a month, for her own goals.

We work fast.

>>41808695
Amelia is a lot smarter and sneakier than Leon. it was an unfair fight.

>>41808752
I have to wonder how Leon was able to convince a Baphomet to work for him. Probably just amused him or something.

>-Probably smarter than Leon
Ha

>>41808686

Oh you bet, you snarl, you've got a fuckin' game to play. It took a while, and a good deal of pain from that phantom spear, for you to realise the trick to it. You could spend all day swinging at her and you'd miss every time, but if you figure out where she's going to be next, it should be easy enough to land a blow. With such a thin, frail body, a single blow – even a glancing hit – is all you need to finish this fight.

The girl's muscle have long since stood back, watching the fight with pained expressions. Another futile lunge – making sure to dodge her magical counter-attack – and you start to get an idea. She always seems to blink a few metres backwards whenever you get close, whether you attack or not. If you charge at her, but run PAST the little witch, you'll be in the perfect range to strike. It's a foolproof plan!

“Mister, I'm getting bored!” the girl pouts, blowing a lock of her hair away from her face with mocking calm. Other than that tiny motion, she stands perfectly still.

Just you wait, you growl as you charge at her, just you wait! Boots slapping against the hard ground beneath your feet, you hurl yourself at her and – exactly as predicted – she vanishes. Just a few steps more, you promise yourself, and she'll appear right within your grasp.

…

Where the hell is she?

>>41808805

The first spear hits you from behind, right in the upper arm. It bursts clean through the flesh in a spurt of blood, splattering the hot liquid against your face. It's the heat of it that startles you, not the pain. In fact, there's no pain at all – just a deadly numbness that spreads down the entire limb and robs it off all strength. Sagging, pinned upright by the phantom blade, you let the axe drop from your trembling fingers.

“This is much more fun!” the girl giggles from behind you. You snarl, inarticulate rage boiling over into nonsense words as you struggle as best as you can against the wound.

“Young miss, perhaps it would be best to end this game now,” a haughty voice drawls.

“Awww, okay,” the girl sounds disappointed somehow, but the spear through your shoulder retracts, allowing you to slump down to your knees. If only you had the strength to run! Then, with her voice slipping into your ear from behind – the little bitch was whispering right into your ear! - the girl speaks again. “Won't you die for me?” she asks, her voice the perfect example of polite English manners.

One final burst of rage gives you the strength to twist your body, hands reaching up with the goal of strangling the life from the damned girl. You barely manage to make it halfway around – every movement seemed to slow, so clumsy – before the second spear, much larger this time, bursts from the ground and punches through your chest. The blow is strong enough to lift you from the ground, hurling you up into the air and holding you there, pinned like a bug.

A moment later – but it seemed like an eternity – the spear dissolves and lets you drop down to the ground. You land hard, hard enough to break something inside your body, but that hardly seems important. Your fingers move a little, but that's it. There isn't even a hint of feeling or movement below your waist and now, with the numbness wearing off, a terrible pain begins to circle.

Leon is fucking tenacious I will give him that.

>>41809019

If only his intellect was half as large as his testicular fortitude.

>>41808990

Just let it end, you gasp out, bubbles of blood forcing their way from your nose with every word. At first you think your words fall on deaf ears but eventually, the doll-like of the demon child hovers into view above you. Her face fills the sky, looking down upon you like some malevolent moon, for a long time before she kneels down and takes your head in her hands. This is... comforting, somehow. This is the end – you're not enough of a fool to believe otherwise – but frankly, you can accept that.

Then, touching a slender to your forehead, the girl snuffs your life out in an instant.

>Taking a brief break, then I'll return to Amelia

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>>41809055
Leeeeeeoooon!

>>41809055
GG leon
you tried

>>41809055
rest in peace, Leon. You weren't totally useless.

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>>41809055

You don't look back until you finally reach the rendezvous point, a sigh of relief escaping you as you notice Carnby – the wiry professor weighed down under more bags than you ever thought he'd be able to carry – hiding between two of the looming, distorted building. You picked this spot because it was easy to remember, a popular spot for the Saint Sebastian's students to hang out between classes or after school. It was really very scenic once, yet tourists never seemed to stumble across it.

It's different now, of course. The old cherubs that graced the fountain replaced with leering gargoyles and the circle of buildings bend so severely that they almost covered the sky. A bleak scene, and one that sends a stab of melancholy straight into your heart. It's strange – stupid really – but this sad scene was finally what it took for the reality of your new world to hit home. Fighting against a sudden tightness in your chest and a thick lump in your throat, you slump down against the defiled fountain and struggle for breath.

“Let's... let's just wait a while,” Cassandra murmurs, sinking down next to you as Carnby approaches. The professor looks in a hurry, but you're really not in the mood for his nonsense. You need a moment, damn it, and you're going to have one. When he sees the dark look on your face, Carnby offers a solemn nod and hangs back. Slowly, you get your breathing under control and start to rise, but Cassandra stops you.

“No, we should wait,” she pleads, and it takes you a moment to realise why she's asking.

>>41809760

Leon, you ask her, you think he's coming?

“I don't know,” she sighs, “But please, we've got to wait a little longer. We had a head start, and he might be tired, and, and...”

Cassandra, you begin as you sit back down next to her, you know how she feels. You really didn't want to leave Leon, but you couldn't drag him away, could you?

“We abandoned him,” Cassandra mutters, “And now we're going to abandon him again!”

So that's what this is about. Neither of you is really expecting him – if he's still alive, he's probably busy hoisting Forneus' colours above the Hellfire Club right about now – but neither of you is willing to take the cold, calculated decision to give him up. It was easier before, with the battle raging out of control, it was a matter of fight or flight. Now, with no looming danger, you've got no excuse, nothing to blame for your decision.

“I know this is a hard time,” Carnby speaks up, his voice hushed and solemn, “But we need to keep moving. Someone might have followed you.”

Yeah, he's right. Logically, you know he's right. Still...

>C'mon Cassandra. We've got to move
>We're waiting just a little more

>>41809778
>We're waiting just a little more
Undine, keep a lookout.

>>41809778
>C'mon Cassandra. We've got to move
He wasn't listening to reason when we tried to get him to come with us

>>41809778
>C'mon Cassandra. We've got to move
we never told him where to go
we can't go back and look for him

>>41809778
>>C'mon Cassandra. We've got to move
No we have to be practical.

>>41809778
>C'mon Cassandra. We've got to move
He'll be back as a half-demon soon enough anyway.

>>41809794
>>41809829
>>41809853
>>41809909

Carnby's right, you tell Cassandra gently, there might be demons out there, tracking us down. Leon made his choice – you did everything you could to change his mind, short of bashing him over the head and dragging him out – and now you've got to make your choice. You're choosing to live, you tell Cassandra, you're choosing another day of tough choices, because that's what life means. But, you say at least, you don't want to make those choices alone.

“Hah...” a little laugh, painful in its weariness, escapes Cassandra, “You don't need my help. I need YOUR help.”

No Cassandra, you insist, we need each other. Yet, even as you help the other girl to her feet, a cold voice in the back of your mind whispers: No you don't. You don't need her, that cold voice hisses, so why bother keeping her around? Guilt, you tell yourself with an inward frown, that's all it is. You're feeling guilty about Leon, that's all it is.

Finally, exchanging weary nods, you silently reach your decision. It's time to hit the road. You let Carnby take the lead, followed by Cassandra while you watch from behind. You never even had the chance to tell Leon where you'd be meeting up, you realise. You'd hoped that he would stop, at least listen to you for a moment, but it had been futile. Then again, you hadn't really wasted much time before cutting and running. You could have tried harder, no matter what you tell Cassandra. No matter what you tell yourself.

>>41810001

Carnby seems content to talk, mostly just rambling to himself, as you walk. Honestly, you wish he wouldn't – it's depressing, listening to him pointing out landmarks or places he once knew. Places that are all, without fail, twisted and blackened perversions of the places they once were. Worst of all was when you ducked down an ancient side street, only to find that every single piece of the cobblestone road had been changed, mutated into a grand tapestry vaguely human faces. Most of the journey had found you keeping your eyes on the ground, but that one hellish alley was spend with your eyes fixed on the sky.

Where, you eventually asked to deter Carnby from another slice of nostalgia, are we even going?

“Hyde Park,” the professor declares, “Traditionally, that's the entrance to Fae territory. There's still a way to go yet, although...”

What, you blink a few times and force yourself to sharpen up, what are you talking about?

“Are you sure you weren't followed? I'm sure I heard some footsteps behind us...” Carnby frowns and looks around the darkened street. “Maybe we should change our route, or possibly get off the street. Hiding out in a building might work, but I'm a little unwilling to hang about for too long.”

And what about changing our route? You try to think back to the old maps of London you sometimes checked in your childhood. A month ago, you could have recited them like a well known poem, rattling off street names as easily as your own address, but now... Now, you're not so sure.

“Well, we could either take a longer route, or we could take the underground. The old tube tunnels should still be intact, and they'd be a great place to lose a pursuit,” Carnby begins to study the surrounding buildings, “Or, like I said, we could hide out here for a while.”

>Take the long way
>Take the underground
>Hide out here

>>41810218
>>Hide out here

>>41810218
>Take the long way
Going underground seems like a bad idea. Who knows what things have moved in there.
I don't like the idea of waiting around doing nothing either.

>>41810218
>>Take the long way

>>41810311
>>41810404

Frankly, you'd rather just take the short route Carnby had planned out originally – the sooner you can get some decent rest the better – but the old man's paranoia wouldn't be satisfied with that. If that wasn't enough, it had started some niggling suspicions in your mind as well. Earlier, when you had been looking towards the sky rather than that hateful ground, you were certain that you'd seen a silhouette looking down from one of the taller buildings. You had brushed it off at the time, assuming that it was just some warped statue or a suggestively shaped pile of rubble, but now you can't banish the idea from your mind.

The long way, you decide after a moment of thought. You don't trust the underground to be intact – or even recognisable – but you're not happy with the idea of sitting around doing nothing for a few hours either. So, it looks like it's this way or nothing. Carnby nods, apparently happy with your answer. Then again, the impression he gave was of someone desperate to do anything to avoid whatever he was afraid of. Shouldering his numerous packs, he takes off, leading the way at a brisk pace.

“How are you holding up?” Cassandra asks quietly, turning around to examine you.

You're fine, yeah, you nod. Frankly, you're probably in better shape than she is, even with the lingering coma weakness. At least you had some magical healing – all Cassandra's had since her prolonged fasting was a nap and a few good meals. She's been looking like she was about to pass out for a long time, though, hinting at some hidden stores of resolve. You're about to ask her about her health when Carnby holds up a hand to silence you. Ahead, from a wide street, there is the sound of a horse's hooves.

>>41810599

Despite Carnby's hissed warning, you press yourself up against the wall and peer around the corner. You think of Eligor and his knights, scouring the streets for any trace of you. Does Forneus know of your betrayal, or was he simply looking for anyone to blame for the attack – assuming, of course, there is something to be blamed for. Yes, Alice woke up, but Forneus still had numbers on his side. Could they have overpowered her, perhaps, and won the day? Then his knights would be searching for you as a deserter, a crime equal to treason in the demon king's eyes you don't doubt.

Yet it isn't Eligor you see when you look round the corner. It isn't a demon at all – it's a human, riding an equally natural horse. You can't see much of them from behind, only long red hair pulled back into a ponytail and strange, makeshift metal armour strapped to their body. Still... another human!

“Stay quiet!” Carnby hisses, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you back into the alleyway. “Wait for them to go away,” he glares at you for a moment before peering around the corner for himself. He looks for a long time, before eventually relaxing with a deep sigh. “They're gone. Let's go – it shouldn't be far now.”

You frown at his back as he starts off into the street. They might have been looking for help – they might have been able to help you!

>Say nothing
>You should have let me talk to them
>Don't order me about again, old man.

>>41810742
>Say nothing

>>41810742
"You know something about that rider, don't you? What is going on here? I'm not going any further until I have an answer."

>>41810742
"Do you know that person?"

>>41810772
>>41810787

Still angry at Carnby – angry at everything, really, for a lot of reasons – you push past Cassandra and grab him by the arm. He knew something about that rider, you hissed, didn't he? He knew something, and you're not going anywhere until he tells you exactly what's going on.

“Really? Now?” Carnby groans, “Can we at least wait until we're safe before talking about it?”

What, so you can prepare some conveniently vague answer? So you can find some other urgent issue that takes up all your time? No, you deliberately raise your voice as you snap at Carnby, you're going to explain what was up, and you're going to do it now.

For a moment, Carnby looks disgusted at you. It's a look you've never seen from him, not even when he was a teaching to a class of disinterested students. Yet, it's a look that confirms that there's at least something wrong here. “Grow up,” he spits out, eventually finding his tongue as he shakes his arm free. The urge to pull out your gun and fire it into the air is, for a mercifully brief moment, almost overwhelming.

“I did NOT know that person,” Carnby snaps after a long silence, “I thought I might, but I didn't. That's it. That's all there is to it, so can we just move on?”

That's... he actually sounds like he's telling the truth. So, you ask after a moment, who did you think it was?

“Let me guess, you're not going to let this go until I tell you,” the professor turns around and gives you a sour look, “Right?”

Right, you shoot back, not breaking eye contact.

“I knew a man. He helped work on the DevilSP app – we invented it together. He's... he's dead now, but I thought that might have been his daughter.”

>>41811217

His daughter, you ask carefully, what does she have to do with anything?

“Well, I had my suspicions that Marco... that Doctor Vespucci might have smuggled out a prototype of the DevilSP app and hidden it on his daughter's phone. He told her far too much about the nature of our... work,” Carnby grimaces, “An unforgivable security leak, but one that happened all too often.”

Right, but that doesn't answer anything. Why were you so worried about this Vespucci guy's daughter?

“She, ah...” Carnby looks away, stalling as he tries to think of an answer, “This is ancient history, really, and it's got nothing to do with our current situation. Can't we just leave it at that?”

Oh sure, we'll leave it, you tell Carnby, trying not to smile as he sags with relief. Just as soon as he tells you why he was so terrified at the prospect of seeing this girl.

“Damn...” the professor mutters, all too aware of how guilty he looks, “There was a lot of confusion, just a few days before the, you know, event. A lot of confusion, and no time at all to explain them. I said that Doctor Vespucci was dead, and... I think his daughter blames me for it. It was a lab accident, you see, and I was the only other one there.”

So that's it. You can only imagine the kind of lab accidents that could happen when demon summoning gets involved. If some horrible fate befell Doctor Vespucci, and his daughter held Carnby responsible, things could easily get awkward – especially if the girl had a demon of her own.

“Look,” Carnby announces, changing the subject rather quickly, “We're here.”

He's right. Hyde Park looms before you, looking more like some kind of primordial jungle than the well-manicured park you once knew. It takes you a moment, then, to realise that it looks like something straight out of a Grimm fairy tale. Appropriate, perhaps, but foreboding nonetheless.

>>41811459

And that's where I'm going to finish things for tonight. I'll probably run the next thread on Friday, and I'll answer questions for a while.

>>41811492
thanks for running

>>41811492
So. Im assuming even though hes totally dead. Thats not the last well see of Leon?

>>41811492
Thanks for the run.

Is this the last we will see of our noseless axe wielding psychopath?

>>41811492
Thanks for running!

How badly we fuck up?

>>41811535
I thought that all went pretty well even if we were forced to the front.

>>41811529
>>41811531

Well, there's a month of uncharted territory to cover if I ever need to include flashbacks. Leon's pretty fun to write, so I'll do some thinking.

>>41811535

It would have been very difficult for Leon to fight Alice and win, but at least he didn't embarrass himself.

>>41811590
Does Nebiros know that Amelia was the one to give the warning. Maybe just a hunch?

>>41811647

He knows - Amelia offered to spy on Forneus for them the first time they met. He doesn't know that she was the one who encouraged Forneus to attack though.

>>41811713
Good, good.

>>41811713
So are Alice and her Uncles going to move on Forneus or are they content?

>>41811795

Ultimately, the battle left both sides too drained for either one to move on the other. At the moment, it's a stalemate. Not a truce exactly, but nobody has the forces to make a move yet.