What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Summoning the fireball with her trinket, Syn felt the device steal her energy to perform the task. The imp quickly backed off in a panic, giving her the chance to attack. The rest fell in a panic as well, the other imp holding her arm suddenly letting it go in fear of the same happening to her before they both fled behind cover of the bridge. Leaving the third one caught in Syn's grasp if she did indeed grab it.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Success! Clearly the glove didn't care so much about where the fire ball was made. Longer distance might be taking more energy, she wasn't sure,but she definitely was feeling the drain. Not something she'd want to rely on too much if she could help it, it was hard enough to get energy around here without ending up to your eyes in debt.

Grabbing the first imp, the other two darted beneath the bridge for cover. Syn growled, and took this one and pinned this one under her boot, before crouching down and listening intently as she ran her hands over the bridge. Once she thought she had an idea of where the two imps were planning their next move, she reared back a bit before putting her strength to work to punch through the bridge and try to grab them both and yank them up through the resulting holes.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Even though what Syn was attempting was rediculously hard to do given her total lack of awareness given her lack of magical knowledge given her death removing her memory likely given due to some mistakes she made in the past... She did it.

Through the bridge her hands went, and she punched so hard that when she pulled the two of them back up, she broke the middle support of the bridge and caused the wooden planks to fall. Though on the bright side, she now had two imps in her hands. Most of the bridge was still there, but it was now unsafe to walk on. The dullahan just jumped over the gap, and Sparkle simply flew over with her wings. Syn was perhaps in a pickle as she did not know how to fly or empower herself to jump as the other dullahan did. She'd just jump normally and fall into the pit of acid.

"Are you coming, Syn?" Sparkle inquired with a giggle.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Well this was a pickle. And of course, the other demons could just go past. Given the absurd weight of her armor, there was little chance of her being able to just shimmy along the side. But a possibility presented itself. She shifted one of the imps into the crook of her arm, pinning her against her chest, before reaching down and grabbing the one pinned beneath her foot.

"Alright then... Now you girls seem to have quite the magic tricks. Enough magic to keep me from being able to move, and I can put a lot of force out. Way more than enough to lift my armor, so that means your telekinesis enmass must be more than enough to lift me, right? So here's the deal. You girls lift me to the other side of the bridge. Now, I know you're probably thinking, what stops you from just dumping me in the acid? Well, answer is I am not letting go of you til I'm on the other side, so you'd be coming in with me. And if I feel magic trying to break my grip, I start making fires. Bigger fires. So, can you do it, or do I need to go uproot a tree and do this the hard way?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

The imps panic a bit, before seeming to have an idea. "Will you make us your familiars?" the imps inquired. Syn would be well aware of what they spoke. Familiars were weak minions able to take care of tasks that their master cannot be bothered to, and live without being destroyed by obeying their master in exchange for sustenance. Their weak existence gets to thrive, and their master gets to have all nuisances taken care of. "We promise not to drop you, if you enlist us!" one promised. "Yes! And we can help you with other... Related problems!" one followed up. "In exchange, give us lots of soul candy!" and the third finished.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Familiars huh. Could she even afford to pay them? She was in debt as it was. Well. She'd have to figure something out. Chances were she wasn't paying this off normally anyways. Everything seemed designed to ensure she was in debt perpetuity. Even Sparkle was in debt. Well, she supposed she shouldn't be shocked really.

"Fine, you're mine. Now get me over there. And then your names. If you're sticking around, I need something to call each of you. And don't expect to have a cakewalk. I'm not going to give you jobs I don't think you can handle but I do expect you to pull your weight.," says Syn firmly. Long as they held up their end, she'd keep them safe as best she could. And if she couldn't use magic on her own very well, perhaps their tutorship would be what she needed. And until she was capable, they could be her magic until then. Hm. Possibilities arose, but she;d need to talk to those more adept first. Which meant getting this job done first.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

"Yeeeees, master!" they said in unison, as if a hive mind, before they worked together, and slowly lifted Syn over the chasm. "Our names are Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" the three introduced themselves one at a time. Lock was an imp with blue hair and dress, Shock was yellow haired with yellow dress, and Barrel was red haired with red attire. They almost looked like anti-superheroes.

Sparkle in the meanwhile, was very amused. "Well done, Syn! While certainly your lack of ability to cross over a simple gap like this is something to be ashamed of, you're already making off like your very own Demon Lord. Why, you even gotten your own minions, who will never pester me at this bridge again~" she cooed, apparently making use of Syn to get rid of a frequent problem, as if it was her purpose the entire time. "Come, let us proceed." she indicated, marching forth with her troop.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Syn considered her new minions, nodding in appreciation as she was carried over to the other side. "Well then, Lock, Shock, Barrel, I am Syn. You can sit on my shoulders while we go if you need to rest your wings."

And there it was. Yeah yeah she sucked, alert the town cryer that nothing was new. Not that she'd voice it. She simply stepped back into formation and continued once directed. She may suck, but at least she could improvise so to speak. She might be pathetic but at least she was alive, and that's what mattered.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

The girls giggled and acknowledged her offer. One on each shoulder, and another riding on the back of Syn's head while pressing her weight down from above, actually helping to keep Syn's head on her shoulders. Should Syn ever turn around, she'd see that the bridge was slowly coming together. Reconstructing itself. Just at the same time, Sparkle was weaving her fingers around. Meaning: Sparkle could have rebuilt the bridge at any time, she just wanted to see how Syn would cross it without one. The imps were oblivious to this fact.

Moving on, the group eventually came across demon nobility wearing green gowns apparently on a walk through the now purple moon giving a very surreal light to the red dirt and gray gravel road they traveled. Three demons to be exact, all similar enough to likely be of the same group. "Oh my~ If it isn't Sparkle~ Here to pay off that loan you owe for taking in that broken Dullahan?" they inquired, before noticing Syn. "Oh my~ There she is right now~ Is she apart of your guard now? That's cute~" they all giggled.

Sparkle actually laughed. "Ah, you see, I was going to do something like that. But you see, I don't have the money." she explained, and the demons only giggled at how pathetic Sparkle was, befitting of her new guard. That's when Sparkle's win grew into a wide, murderous one. "Tell me, how much do you think you three scumbags would ransom for?" she inquired. The three demons immediately reacted to the threat, firing off blasts of magic each, which were deflected by her dullahan knights. Sparkle just giggled at their deflected attack. "... Want to help me find out?" she asked them.

While the three demons looked regretful for walking into this situation, they also looked ready to fight as Sparkle glanced back at Syn. "I want them alive, Syn. Rip out their souls from their bodies if you have to, just don't destroy them." she explained her orders. "This is your trial period. Don't fail me." she said coldly, as if everything else before was just a game.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Syn noted the bridge being repaired. She had little allusion otherwise, as she and her three riders moved along. She appreciated the extra aid whomever was on her head was providing.

Soon they came before other demons. Syn found a strange irony in Sparkle being treated much like she was treating Syn. Of course, unlike Syn, it seemed Sparkle had a far bigger temper. She supposed Sparkle was strong enough to get away with it. That or her minions loyal enough.

Course, she was being put on the spot now, and Sparkle seemed serious for once. Syn nodded, stepping up. "Lock, Shock, Barrel, keep your distance, but use your magic to deflect their magical attacks on me. If they start aiming for you guys, bail out and regroup with me afterwards, but until then I expect your support.," she said quietly to the imps.

The imps had took a modicum of cunning before, but these were real opponents. They wouldn't give mercy, and she would expect none. She wasn't too worried about accidentally destroying their souls. That took some doing and she doubted she was that capable. Bodies though...

Time to get creative. She used her glove to suddenly generate a ball of flame in front of their eyes. She wasn't going for heat, she wanted brightness, as bright as she could make it, to hide her crouch, before kicking off the ground to close the gap as fast as possible. She couldn't afford to allow them range supremacy or the opportunity to escape.

If she closed to one, she swiftly went for a blow to the neck. Killing a demon through structural damage took a lot of doing, she doubted it'd work out, but it didn't mean they didn't have to worry about certain vulnerabilities and instincts. Not to mention the time it took to repair certain structures.

"You three should just surrender and save us all a tedious encounter. You get paid off, you go free as you are. If I need to rip your shells off though, well, don't think we're going to pay to put you in new ones. So really it's in your best interest to give up now."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Causing a bright flash, the demons reacted for a brief moment, but their eyes didn't need to adjust like a human being's. So the moment she charged Syn found a wall of ice erupt in front of her as a chill quickly followed. Then, the ice split at the bottom, before the demon from behind it sent it falling forward to crush Syn who stood right underneath it.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Damn. Seemed like a good idea but she had to remember fighting demons wasn't like fighting humans. They didn't have vulnerabilities to exploit because they didn't really have bodies in a sense. She had to view them more as incredibly dangerous bricks rather than people.

With ice falling towards her there was no time to really stop her charge, so she went with her other option and jumped up and tried to knock the wall back the other way with sheer force. That or smash it, either or at this point. Hopefully the momentum worked to her favor. Though she really wished she had a helmet right now.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Hitting it very hard, the ice shattered into pieces, because this was Syn's last resort. The blow left her standing right in front of the demoness, who was already conjuring up a follow-up weave, but was a second too late to beat Syn to the literal punch. Time seemed to freeze to allow Syn to decide her mercy or fatality.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Syn cracked through the ice, leaving her target exposed. Demons were far too durable to knock unconscious. It was ironic that their durability only allowed for "lethal" tactics if they did not surrender. Well. She already voided her chance at that. She'd warned them to surrender. And they had spurned her offer. Perhaps the others would reconsider with an example.

With those thoughts, she struck out hard, aiming to crush the demons shell outright. She'd take her head off if she had too. It wasn't like one could punch a soul out of existence after all. Well, not for someone like her anyways. And ultimately that was the only part of the demoness that mattered it seemed.

"I offered you a chance to surrender and you spurned it. I won't ask a third time. Surrender now, or I'll break you too.," she growled aggressively, as she shifted to turn on her next target.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Destroying the demon's shell seemed to cause a menacingly red energy to gather and flow outwards, like a soul that Syn could only barely see with her mind's eye. If she wished, she could grab the know vulnerable soul. Meanwhile, the other demonesses were all defeated by the other dullahan.

"Well done, Syn~" Sparkle cooed, touching Syn on the shoulder. "If not for a lack of magic, you still have the strength of a dullahan at least." she said. Then, before Syn could even reply, Sparkle rose her hand and fired a hellish, fiery blast that completely disintegrated the other two remaining demonesses. "No witnesses, I say. Or at least, I don't feel like trying to make them my vassals. What are you going to do with that one, Syn?" she inquired at the remaining soul. It quivered with fear.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Syn grabbed swift hold of the soul. She was a bit surprised to see the other Dullahans had gotten involved suddenly though. So much for all three being her test she supposed.

Or maybe Sparkle had just forgotten her own plans. Syn winced as she watched Sparkle casualty annihilate the other two's souls. "What happened to holding them for ransom? I mean... I guess anyone who could lose to me wouldn't get offered much for, but any amounts more than 0, isn't it? Eh. Carry her around I figure. Way I see it, if she's destroyed this was a big waste of time. I rather show mercy and maybe she comes in handy. At worst I can always change my mind later, since I can already beat her clearly. I mean, it's always the way, you get too much stuff and you throw some out or give it away, and after that you always need it. Always. So guess I'm hoarding demons. Truly this is the best collection. The Indebted Legion, marching onwards."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Sparkle pointed her finger at Syn with a nod. "Bingo. They were so pathetic that I'm certain Avarice wouldn't care one bit to see them gone. They were probably just a group of friends more than anyone who might have connections. Their magic couldn't even stand up to your raw might, so I won't waste my time trying for ransom and walk into Avarice's hands. It seems to me like we're going to have to do this the hard way." she theorized. "As per usual, Syn, I want you in front. It's the perfect place to show us what you can do, when you're going first." she explained. Though, what was being said didn't match their grins as it was spoken.

The path ahead was what was to be expected in hell. Nothing was clear cut, they only knew the direction based on the unmoving red moon in the sky and the various other odd colored spheres in the sky. To anyone else, it'd be a most bizzare sight, but anyone who's invaded from Hell using their own magic would know that Hell exists in close proximity to other worlds. So, they would use the lights in the sky as their guide through the ever changing chaos. Soon coming upon what seemed to be a gigantic palace in the distance. "One of Avarice's estates, certain to have lots of goodies inside. I hope you're ready to repay your debt to me, Syn. We're robbing the most influential demon in Hell."

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

"And a good way to have the most disposable take the brunt, yeah yeah. I'm not that dim obviously.," shrugs Syn as she takes the front, carrying her new soul along.

Wandering the chaos wasn't all that new to her. For some it was confusing and unnerving. For Syn it usually meant one could just disappear for the most part when one wished too, wander in a direction and always be somewhere new. Rarely better, but always new.

This time, new was one of the deadly sins palaces. And here she was, the sacrificial pawn. Well. Not like she had much choice right now. "Well my understanding is it'd take me robbing about ten of these to pay off my debt, so not really. Assuming you haven't been lying. But I am ready to go, yes.," says Syn wryly, "I hope our plan isn't to just walk through the front doors though. I doubt there's a safe entrance, but still."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

Sparkle giggled. "I apologize, but I find myself a good judge of character. I just have this inkling that your best role is the... Defensive line." she chuckled. Though, when Syn mentioned her debt, Sparkle laughed again. "You're an amusing one, indeed. You inspire me to pick on you and torture you to no end, with that fragile personality you possess. It's like you both understand and accept that your lot in life is to be ridiculed~" she cooed, as if she found that trait endearing. "As for the matter of your debt, if you survive this, I will have no further use for you. You can of course, continue to serve me, but if this haul is what I expect, then you will no longer be essential to me. After all, I wouldn't want my dear elite guard losing their lives. You already died at least twice so far, once when you were beheaded, and twice when you fell into my hands. So, you can just die as many times as it takes, right?" she inquired with a sadistic smile. "At least, until you learn to be useful."

Then, she got to the plan. "Your lack of understanding of magic is apparent. Since we're all here, avoiding detection is impossible. We're going to bust right in and if my information is correct, there will be a single guard protecting the entrance to the vault, with a patrol of various numbers outside. The singular guard is not a push over, so I'll deal with her personally. Meanwhile, if you could just distract their main force, I'd be much obliged. I don't want those peons poking at me from the back. Try not to die until we're all done collecting the cache, either. You should still have the durability of a dullahan, even if you cannot protect yourself worth a damn." she nodded. "Got it? It couldn't be a simpler task, just do not let them inside that vault room. Do. You. Understand?" she questioned Syn slowly. "If you run or fuck up, I'll sell your rights back to Avarice to get my wealth back, and you can enjoy being hunted again. However, succeed, and I might see about hammering some knowledge of weaving into you~"

 

[Zilrax]

Re: What you Could have Been (Syn;Zilrax)

"I can live with defense.," shrugs Syn before rolling her eyes a bit, "Well let's look at my options. We both know my capabilities. I can either accept my position in the grand scheme and try to get better. Or bluster and bravado and then get stepped on harder by things bigger than myself. You're probably going to torment me regardless, because you can. So what difference does it make? At least this way I don't need to waste energy on pretenses. And yeah, good at dying. Few more times, maybe I'll achieve mastery in it."

Syn nodded and heard the plan, shrugging. "Threatening me is really not necessary. I've got nowhere to go really. Who else would bother with me, really?So, distraction force. I suppose that's manageable. Course, they don't know me so I guess pretense face on. Might avoid them just running past me. Whenever you're ready then."