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Post by mugenginga on Sept 16, 2010 21:46:44 GMT -5
The ticking clock in Abel's room had driven Seth to the brink of insanity and back again over four hours ago. The clock was now resting in the King of Bel's trashcan in several pieces. That four hours ago it had given its last tock before Seth had stood up and smashed it over his knee. If there had been pain then, he hadn't noticed it. He didn't know how long he had waited before rolling up his pants and giving a dull glance at the black, red, and purple mass that covered the top half of his knee and a full inch up. Seth wasn't sure how long he had been sitting on his twin's... his king's bed. He had dealt with the clock and hadn't opened his COMP since returning to the hotel.
He had followed Atsuro back. He didn't know where Cain was. He suspected he had at least spent some time with Abel. He hadn't come back to the hotel all day or any of the night. Seth knew it was night because it had been dark when he'd destroyed the clock. He was in his king's room because Atsuro hadn't wanted company. Whether it was a result of jealousy over Abel, a result of needing to be alone, a result of their bond having never been as strong as Seth once believed, or a result of any combination there of, Seth didn't care much.
What the Prince of Bel cared about was how useless he was to the throne. He cared about the shell Atsuro had retreated into. He cared that while any fool could see he wasn't the same person he'd been four months ago, he still hadn't become useful to his king. He cared that he could both see and feel the morale of the Court of Bel collapsing around him. It wasn't just the humans, either. The demons were beginning to show signs of unrest too.
Seth knew he was the weakest member. What would it do for Abel if he could prove he wasn't weak? What would it do for Cain if he could prove that Abel's weakness wasn't his fault? If Abel could fight without feeling the need to protect him? Seth looked towards the wall that separated Abel's room from his own. His own room from Atsuro's. Atsuro hadn't made a noise all day. Seth knew he had become a bother to Atsuro. That cold shoulder couldn't be entirely from Kaido's fate. How could he prove to himself he wasn't as worthless as everyone thought of him as?
His expression shifted. He gave a grimace and looked towards the COMP on Abel's dresser. If he was worthless, he needed to die. Just that thought, that realization, lifted a weight that had been hanging from his chest for over a month. Cain had recently told him that if he wanted to die, he needed to jump off the top of the Hotel. That was a waste. Seth reached for the silver COMP and pulled it to himself looking at it with distant eyes. To simply kill himself would be a waste. This... didn't feel like it. If he could kill whatever had killed Kaido, he knew he'd never feel worthless again. If the weight dragging his king down could prove himself useful, even the dissension in the troops would vanish.
The Prince of Bel stood from his king's bed and stepped through the door. He pulled the handle so that it would close with only a faint click. If Atsuro wasn't asleep, he didn't want to wake him. Cain had told him about the thing that was targeting his king and the court he was a member of. Seth knew the position he held in that Court. He tightened his grip around the COMP as he headed down the stairs. He pulled it out as he headed out of the hotel.
Was it a death wish? Pretty much. However, he had no doubt as he slipped into the alleys that his reason for leaving the hotel would meet him. If he died, Abel would be rid of a nuisance he should have never had to deal with. If he lived... if he lived, he'd know he actually had a place in all this. He still believed in Hell, but if he had to go there it might as well be of a fate of his own choosing.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 16, 2010 22:09:45 GMT -5
Abel's search for Kaido's killer had been fruitless. Of course it had been. He knew now that this "Hitoshura" was playing with them, simply because it had met Cain and Kaido the day before. It had actually showed its human form to them, and it hadn't given a damn. And because it was playing with them, Abel knew it wasn't going to target him first. Quite the contrary. It worked for Lucifer, and it had called him a "coward", so it knew he actually cared about his court. And because of that, it would want to cause him the most pain possible.
The pain had grown as the day went on. Abel didn't doubt Cain's words now, and almost wished he'd allowed Cain to make those incisions, but his cowardice (how often that word came up in his thoughts) then had caused him to run away. He was also wearing gloves, something that wouldn't have been odd considering the weather if it weren't for the fact that Abel had left the hotel without any on.
Abel honestly had intended on continuing his search through the night. The way he was heading toward the hotel was merely coincidence; he actually intended on heading toward a different part of town. He didn't sense Seth, being only focused on any nearby demonic presences.
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In truth, Naoki had been watching the hotel. Every time Abel had come that direction, he'd carefully muted his energies so that even that inexperienced but still powerful demon king couldn't sense him. He was aware Cain hadn't returned to the Hotel, but the man would return soon enough. Cain was really the most threat out of all of them. Naoki held confidence in his ability to hold Abel off so long as Abel continued to act as human as he had been, and Seth was the weakest member of their group. The only purpose Seth served was to prolong the life of Abel's human personality. Atsuro was of no worry either. Like Seth, he was an inexperienced normal human. Cain would come back, but killing him now would deal a huge blow to Abel.
When Seth left the hotel, Naoki very quietly began following after him. Right now, he was just observing. But he already was planning out an attack strategy even as he followed Seth.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 16, 2010 23:40:14 GMT -5
Cain had, in fact, spent a day just as busy as Abel. Despite the way his younger brother had reacted in response to his earlier suggestion, Cain could see that a crossroads were coming soon. It was quite possible he had this "Hitoshura" and Kaido's recklessness to thank for that. After Abel had recoiled from what could only be called a power high, he had dropped to a point lower then the strength he'd borne when he'd called himself Keiichi. The actions of the Hitoshura had pushed things to the final breaking point.
The first child of Adam and Eve had often wondered how much of Abel would remain in his little brother's essence once he wore the crown. It was not a question of the King of Bel, but of the one he had called his brother so many millenia ago. That point he had wondered about had not shown itself at many moments since Babel was summoned and subjugated. Cain wasn't worried about his position in the Court once that final point finally shattered. The King of Bel was not an idiot, and Cain had the knowledge humanity's growth over five thousand years. As long as he didn't drag his King down, he would have a position in the true battles to come. As for Atsuro and Seth... if would be unfortunate if they got themselves killed, but it would be no large loss.
That coming point had been the reasoning for Cain's excursion. Foremost, he had been attempting to lure this Hitoshura to him. It seemed the demon preferred to wait for easier prey. It was of no consequence, Cain was certain that the demon would face him before Abel. It seemed it truly wanted to fight Abel with no restraints, and angering the King of Bel was a viable enough method to get that. Given how that had played, Cain was also quite certain Hitoshura was acting at least in relation to Lucifer.
The secondary reason had been an attempt to track down Lucifer and Nyarlathotep. Given Abel's accounts on the latter, Cain saw no reason to think the outer god had forsaken its observance of the Bel Court. If this Hitoshura was operating in conjunction with Lucifer, there was little reason to believe Nyarlathotep was not as well. It had not been a complete waste of time, either. Lucifer seemed to be somewhat active still, and he'd gotten some information that implied some "unknown" demonic activity had centered on the apartments around two days ago. There'd also been information regarding some Egyptian deities, which could hardly not be associated with Atem.
As a result of a small lead he had received, Cain was now in the same basic area of the city inhabited by both Seth and Abel. The man was aware of the former for the COMP. Given the reactions earlier, it seemed likely his youngest sibling was attempting to prove himself. It looked as if play he'd hoped to save until Seth looked like something other than a teenager would be presenting itself tonight. It couldn't be helped, and chances were high it would be the final push the King of Bel would need...
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Seth was sitting on a crate a fair ways into the alley system. His butt was cold and damp from the thin layer of snow he hadn't bothered to wipe off. The most he'd done in regards to preventing that was seep his cloak under his legs when he sat. It hadn't done good for long. He rubbed his hands on his arms a few more times as he glanced around the alley. Deserted, as it should be. As it should be if he wasn't a member of the Court of Bel. He let out a dry chuckle that lasted the better half of a minute before he gave a bitter mutter under his breath.
"Figures..." he let out a bit more of a chuckle, this time sounding almost broken, "Even coming out here alone I'm too useless to notice..."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 17, 2010 18:23:11 GMT -5
Naoki had stopped a fair distance from where Seth had sat down. With how he was muting his energies, none of the three of Abel's court he could sense in this general area would sense him, nor would their COMPs recognize him as a demon. He was watching the youngest of the three brothers very carefully. It seemed very possible this one was bordering insanity, or at the very least was breaking. Just from the way he had chuckled, Naoki got that feeling.
He waited for Seth's chuckles to subside and him to finish speaking before stepping out of the shadows. For the moment, Naoki looked perfectly and entirely human. His shoes made a rather noticeable crunching noise on the snow, and he was standing just outside of the shadows so Seth could notice him.
No words. Naoki was waiting for Seth to notice him. He already knew the youngest of the three siblings would know who he was just from the way he had stepped out of the shadows. He had already calculated how long it would take the other two siblings to find him. Cain was close by. Abel would take another fifteen minutes at most.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 17, 2010 19:23:08 GMT -5
Naoki didn't even have to wait a full second before he received his reaction. Seth was on his feet before Naoki had put his weight down on his lead foot, before the first crunch of foot on snow completed. His cape had moved a bit oddly for the damp spot it had developed, but Seth still managed a bit of an impressive look for how he knocked it out of his way with his left hand. The COMP had opened in that same swift movement and was in his right hand.
Seth's pulse had shot through the roof as he leapt to his feet. The manhandled control of his fear brought it down within the ranges of normal. It was clear he didn't feel safe with Naoki's presence, nor did he care that his COMP was reading the man as human, a series of question marks where his name would be. Seth was convinced who the person was. The drop in his pulse had been an exercise of control, not a sign he wasn't bordering terrified.
"You're the one going by Hitoshura?" Seth asked.
His voice was stable, thank the stars for that. It was a strange feeling as he kept the stare he hoped was at lest defiant on the new arrival's eyes. Strange because deep down, he knew he was looking his death in the face. It hadn't sunk in until just that moment, but Death didn't always have to ride a pale horse... Seth gave a firm swallow while maintaining his pulse and awaited an answer.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 17, 2010 20:47:56 GMT -5
Naoki nodded, and that was the only answer he gave before allowing his markings to shine through. The glow was visible through his jacket, and then the glow began to cause the jacket to tear and tatter in several places before it finally just fell away from Naoki's body in several shredded pieces.
It was at this point that Seth's COMP would finally reveal information about Hitoshura. Probably most concerning would be the weaknesses the COMP would read. Everything would come up as "Null." Unlike with Kaido, when Hitoshura had hidden his weaknesses, here he felt that knowledge would send Seth into more of a panic.
Hitoshura concentrated a large amount of Almighty energy in his head, particularly his eyes, before shooting it out at Seth in what could only be described as a laser. It was really more of a concentrated bolt of Almighty electricity, but either way, it was a very powerful attack. The attack was practically guaranteed to hit. It was all in the name, after all: Freikugel. Marksman.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 17, 2010 22:27:46 GMT -5
Seth pressed the confirmation button on his COMP as Hitoshura more than answered his question. It wasn't just the nod by any definition. It was the way his clothes shedded from power so strong even a human like him could feel it. Most humans could sense demons, after all. The hairs on the back of one's neck seldom rose for no good reason.
As the few pieces of clothing that didn't get swallowed up by energy hit the snow, two demons materialized at Seth's side. Shiva to his left, and Norn to his right. Both demons were on instant guard from the deluge of demonic energy. The screen of Seth's COMP displayed the usual information once both demons were materialized, and he gritted his teeth in response. It wasn't the reaction of panic Naoki had been aiming at. If anything, it seemed the Prince of Bel was frustrated. He was, over not expecting that.
"Your highness!"
Seth's eyes shot up just in time to see Shiva stepping in front of him. To be more precise, in time to see an absolutely massive bolt of energy flying his way and Shiva attempting to block him. Shiva may have well have been a human attempting to catch a boulder for the good it did. The energy ripped through the demon and branched out from behind, hitting both Seth and Norn. The true effect it had carried was shown as Shiva fell to the ground and vanished from the scene. The true effect was that both Seth and Norn were still standing... although not in the greatest condition.
The Prince of Bel's shirt was on the ground in two pieces, and there was a slight burn that covered his entire chest. His sleeves were still on his arms, the edges showing signs of having been burned off. Norn's levitation was wobbly and there was a crack down the front of her clock face. Seth's eyes were wide that one of his demons had gone down that quick. They were wide with the realization that if it weren't for the COMP he had a death grip on, that attack may have vaporized him.
Norn, on the other hand, wanted to beg Seth to flee. She might have even done so had it been an option. But the demon that stood before them wouldn't let him. She narrowed her many eyes and before sending out a healing wave to both herself and the Prince. Affection took place and Seth realized he had a slight opening. If he was going to be seen as useless, maybe he could at least prove that the Bel Court weren't going to simply lay down and die.
He pressed another button on his COMP and a Doppelganger appeared before shifting to Seth's shape. In fact, to the human eye it would be indistinguishable. Hitoshura was no human, and Seth was quite aware of that. He was also aware that everyone underestimated his intelligence and skill, and there was a chance his opponent thought he'd do something stupid. He turned towards Norn and shouted.
"Norn, ahead! Create some confusion as to which one of us is the real me! Don't question it, just do it!"
Norn had actually begun her objection when Seth finished up the command. Surely Seth didn't think a demon of this power would mistake him and the demon functioning as his double!? However, she chose to comply, and for about a second Hitoshura's human view of Seth and the Doppelganger would be concealed. He wouldn't see Seth mouth a few words to the demon and if he had been human, he would have been hard pressed to guess which one was the real Seth as the two ran from behind Norn, each with a dagger in both hands.
Seth knew very well Hitoshura would know the one on the left was the real him. But he had a guess. Hitoshura was trying to kill the demons first. So maybe he could at least get a cut in via the Pierce he had loaded on his COMP after Kaido's death. He didn't expect to win or live... at this point he'd be happy with blood.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 17, 2010 22:39:27 GMT -5
Hitoshura had done a bit of research on the COMPs the Court of Bel used. There being no real concept of time or space in the "world" he came from had helped with that. He knew that the COMPs the Court used were only really capable of summoning two demons at a time that the summoner could directly control. The Harmonizer the COMPs possessed would keep Seth alive for some time, but their power levels were so vastly different that wouldn't even matter.
That Harmonizer was something Hitoshura was keeping in mind as he summoned a large energy blade, which he then slammed into the ground, sending a wave of extremely powerful energy out at his three opponents. The way he had channeled his power had made it so that only Norn and the Doppelganger Seth had created would be killed. Seth would only be injured.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 17, 2010 22:57:46 GMT -5
Seth wasn't sure what Hitoshura was thinking as the large blade of light appeared in his hand. It didn't seem he was going to target either him or his demon clone. He got a faint idea of what was going to happen as the blade was lifted into the air, point down. There just wasn't time to get an order of any sort out before Hitoshura's demonic speed slammed it into the ground. The force of energy shot out in three directions.
The strongest was easily the center one, shooting forward and exploding up around Norn. There was enough force behind it that the ground even rose up and cracked a bit. Seth and Doppelganger were hit at the same time, but even as he was being thrown into the wall behind him with the force of the energy he could hear the same sound Abel's clock had made when he smashed it earlier. Norn vanished, and the blow towards the fairly low powered Doppelganger had been a bit in the way of overkill. Seth's back arched up and he came into a landing on a pile of trashbags.
A few rats scurried out from around where Seth had landed. They were all clearly terrified, flight syndrome in full force with their hiding place exposed. Seth still had a deathgrip on his COMP, which functioned in terms of the despite being snapped closed. He tried to push to his feet with his free hand, his focus on the situation allowing him to easily ignore whatever mush his hand was pushing down on. He realized his angle made getting up hard, and in a fight like that just that few seconds delay... his eyes widened and he looked towards where Hitoshura was at. Right now, he could only hope it was fast, couldn't he?
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 17, 2010 23:10:25 GMT -5
Hitoshura took a few slow steps toward Seth. Abel had sped up and started heading this way once he finally sensed his energy. It would still be some time; he'd headed too far away in the time it had taken Hitoshura to finally attack. If he wanted Abel to fight at full strength, he needed to kill Seth in front of him. He frowned down at Seth, the most emotion he'd shown all night.
"Perhaps if you had been a demon, things wouldn't have come to this," Hitoshura stated. The way he was standing over Seth meant it wouldn't do much good for him to retaliate or even try to escape, though Hitoshura doubted he would do that. The man seemed to have a death wish.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 17, 2010 23:27:56 GMT -5
Seth closed his eyes and looked away as Hitoshura advanced on him. The way his eyes were squeezed shut made it clear he was expecting the final blow. His expression softened a bit in confusion as the footsteps stopped, and when Hitoshura spoke the blue haired young man turned back with open eyes. He wasn't moving beyond his position, and for half a second, half a fleeting second, Seth could have sworn he saw some kind of emotion. Seth wasn't so stupid as to think it regret, but... was it pity?
"Are you going to torture me?"
It had been just yesterday the thought of that had locked Seth up. When faced with the prospect of being tortured to death by Dark Malik, it had interfered with his ability to function in that encounter. Now, however, it came out as a simple question. There wasn't fear inherent in it, one might have thought he'd asked if it was gonig to rain tomorow for how flat it was. Hitoshura hadn't killed him in this position when he could have easily done so. As far as Seth could figure, that was the only alternative. If he was dead either way, he might as well be informed.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 17, 2010 23:39:40 GMT -5
Hitoshura seemed almost surprised at the man's question. Thinking back, he would realize it was a natural question to ask considering how he'd gained those horrible scars he could now see, but at the time, the question confused him. He slowly shook his head.
"I will kill you in front of Abel," Hitoshura said quite simply and emotionlessly. "You are the literal manifestation of the humanity he cannot let go of. You die, so does Kimura Keiichi."
Hitoshura had decided early on that his goal would be not to teach Abel a lesson, but get him to let go of that humanity he stubbornly wished to hang onto. Hitoshura knew things would resolve themselves on their own once Abel could let go of his humanity, and the only way Hitoshura knew to make him do that would be to cause as much pain to him as possible. Once Abel was taken care of, he could move onto the other issue Lucifer had wished him to take care of.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 18, 2010 0:08:45 GMT -5
Seth's eyes widened for a moment at the delayed response. A second later his eyes fell and he looked away. That made sense, it had always made sense. Abel needed to let go of his humanity. He was pretty sure that it had taken Kaido's death to let him see it.
"I... see," Seth managed to get out. The reality of things... he was sure it wouldn't sink in until the last second before he died. A few breaths of bitter laughter escaped. They sounded almost like they could be tears, "Hey, can I make an arrogant request?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Sept 18, 2010 0:14:39 GMT -5
Hitoshura seemed to consider Seth's question. If it was unreasonable, it wasn't like he had to follow it. He gave another slow nod.
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Post by mugenginga on Sept 18, 2010 0:31:46 GMT -5
Seth seemed surprised at the nod. Surprised enough it seemed to delay the continuation of what he was saying. He glanced away from Hitoshura for a moment before taking a deep breath. He returned to looking at the man's emotionless face.
"Kill me with one blow."
Now that he thought about it, maybe he didn't need to say it. This man was impossible to read, but given how Abel was likely to react, it would be the safest way to play it. It came out a bit differently then he'd originally intended. He was going to ask to be killed quickly. This was better... Seth looked down at his COMP again in consideration and pushed the power switch up with his thumb, shutting it off. With that, it wouldn't even be a challenge.
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