The Hell's First (WAR and TRUTH 2.4)

[Enizo]

Kazan's trap seemed to work perfectly and in mere moments Enizo found himself on the ground, unable to lift his arm. "Shit!" Enizo yelled as he tried to move his arm, "I can't believe you just did that!"

He gritted his teeth, getting low to the ground while watching Kazan carefully before suddenly jumping in his direction by kicking himself off with a thrust of magic that punched a hole in the ground. At the speed and power Enizo was moving at they'd go right through the entire mansion.

[vincent]

Through the trees by the two young women, Jasmine would have recognized a highly familiar voice that spoke out in response to her question to Sahir.

"I'm sure if she needs help I'm the right man for the job!" Vincent Loque announced as he marched in with several Ignisian soldiers who carried on in through Heaven's Last while the captain kept his focus on Sahir with a sly grin, "you come with me, gorgeous and I'll keep you safe, get you out of those clothes and into something a lot more warm and even a little fun--"

He then went pale as he realized the other young 'fine' thing he hadn't addressed yet standing by Sahir was actually his own daughter.

"--hi, pumpkin! It's a really strange coincidence to see you at Daddy's work!" his tone suddenly took to an embarrassing higher-pitched one as he gave a little wave to Jasmine.

[glitters]

Jasmine couldn't believe what had just come out of her father's mouth (which meant she hadn't heard the worst of it yet), though the stories she'd heard previously from her mother didn't really surprise her. In response to him she put on the most dramatically large grin and threw her hands around like she was a little girl speaking to her father.

"Ooooh, is this really what Daddy's work is like?! Is this truly what it is like in the day of the life of the honourable soldier?! It's soooo wonderful~" she spoke with really enthusiastic sarcasm and let that moment hang for only a few half seconds before she dropped the act, glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

"You CREEP! What game are you playing, here?! There are people dying and where's your mind!? What would Mother say about this?!" she snapped.

[vincent]

Uhhh oh. She was making a scene out of it.

"Now now, sugar muffin, this is why Daddy didn't come alone. See, we were given an anonymous tip that something big was going on here so I was given orders to investigate. I'm just checking for the survivors and offering the proper aid for all of them," he gave her a fake smile as he looked back to Sahir, "she looks like a lady who could handle a good, solid....joke."

Vincent chuckled for a moment while he glanced between the two girls, finally giving up and giving Jasmine a stern look.

"I'm your father, don't you talk to me like that!" he shot at her, leaving her no room to respond as he suddenly marched off like he was supposed to do here for something a lot more important.

"What are you people all doing here, who's in charge of...this mess...?" he sighed, eyeing the destruction and circus of people around them, not very many of them looked to be very...uh....leader material.

[Kazan]

Boom

Enizo suddenly burst through the wall of the mansion, sliding across the grounds, he eventually came to a halt as Kazan, who had deftly side-stepped his powerful attack, stepped from within the hole that Enizo had made, his body covered with a pink, crackling energy. Kazan had quickly channeled all of that power into his own system, heightening his own reaction times and strength by stimulating his own muscle mass. His shoulders were heaving as he looked at the blonde new-comer who had arrived.

"He is." He said, pointing to Enizo. "He's the one in charge here..." He motioned to the corpses of the now dead Guardians who had been slaughtered in the previous battle. "He's the one in charge here, despite how much he refuses to accept it." He stepped down from the hole and walked up towards Enizo, crouching down, squatting on his haunches as he lowered his voice so that only his fellow Guardian would here.

"And more will die if you don't get your act together."

[Enizo]

Once again Enizo found himself surrounded by dead Guardians. As he looked around, seeing the faces of the living and dead, he felt Kazan's word strike a truth within him...

Enizo stood up and looked over at Kazan before nodding slowly to the Guardian. Enizo whispered back, "...I know..."

Turning his gaze back to Vincent and spoke, "I am the Mentor. I'm running this operation."

[The Other]

Well well, did we miss a party favour left by Duo after all? Curiosity piqued as the sound of mortar and brick crumbling echoed across the corpse-ridden field. Strolling over to the side of the mansion that overlocked much of the battlefield the Other was saddened to see not only a lack of foes, but a lack of pretty much anything but more talk.

"Ugh, if you children are quite done destroying your own building do you think we could perhaps get a move on? I was told I was coming along on a quest to see this Duo character, and frankly if you can't do that can you at least spare us all the mournful sentiments? Congrats on moving up the chain of command boy, usually you have to kill to get that kind of promotion." The Other gave Enizo a couple quick pats on the shoulder before flashing him a sinister grin. "Ain't it grand when someone does the work for you?"

[Sahir Masbrati]

The sudden sound of another near her flustered Sahir, and in response she whirled around and tried to put herself between the newcomer and destruction she had wrought on the land before her.

"Ahahah, ahh no I'm fine." She laughed, a little too loud and a little too awkwardly to be the least bit convincing. It didn't help that her face was still red and puffy from the tears she'd cried. "I'm just, you know, surveying. Seeing if I can do anything in all this uh, aftermath I guess."

Of course, her attempt to reassure Jasmine was put on hold with the introduction of the copper-skinned man that appeared from the tree line. Sahir had almost wondered for a moment if Dios had come back to jab at her some more, and was all too ready with Umbravox in hand before seeing he was someone else. For better or worse his innuendo flew over her head, leaving her more than a little uncomfortable as Jasmine and Vincent had their spat right in front of her. She remained silent, her eyes merely darting back and forth between the two wondering if she should stay or go till the man thankfully left in a huff.

"Umm, well, you should probably go after him. I'll be here, you know, surveying." Sahir shrugged, hoping the angry girl would leave her alone. Yet like the walls of the mansion her hopes of such a thing were dashed as Enizo came flying out onto the battlefield. Things got only more complicated as more people seemed to gather, one in particular which set her eyes wide and fearful.

"Dear gods above what is that?" She pointed to the massive black creature that so casually approached the boys and Vincent. "It's coming right for them all, why isn't anyone drawing their weapons?" She gave Jasmine only the briefest glance to let her know she was addressing her specifically before she turned back with terror at the beast before them. "Is it, is it talking to them?" Sahir saw the Other pat Enizo on the back, an act she might expect from a couple of friends or brothers-in-arms, and was left grasping for words.

"I-I-I don't...I don't even know what's going on anymore."

[Enizo]

"We remain where we are until all the dead have been laid to rest..." Enizo said giving a brief glance over at the Other, "No leads to go on, anyway."

Enizo took a couple steps, slowly approaching a wounded enemy soldiers. He got down on his knees, looking at the whimpering soldier in his eyes before saying, "King Other, would you figure out any and all information this man may be holding...?"

The wounded man whined out in fear, his words falling to deaf ears as Enizo looked over at an approaching Guardian.

"But Mentor, where would we even put all the bodies?"

Enizo was well aware that the graveyard wasn't large enough to hold the many dead. But than Enizo noticed it, the Tree of Guidance still stood tall on the small hill away from the training center. "We'll bury them all under the Tree of Guidance." Enizo directed, "Begin making preparation right away."

The Guardian saluted the Mentor before vanishing from Enizo's sight.

[vincent]

Vincent looked at Enizo and waited for the real answer to his question. Ha, like some kid was honestly...

Oh wait, he was serious, Vincent could see it after waiting several long moments after Enizo spoke. Oh boy. Literally, boy. Vincent heavily resisted the urge to shake his head at the kid as he looked around at the destruction and dead bodies littering the ground. Now would have been the best time for a drink, he couldn't believe his eyes and ears, and his own daughter was involved in it as well.

"Good to know, uh...Mentor. I'm Captain Vincent Loque from Ignis, I'm here on orders to investigate an attack we were tipped off about," he spoke to Enizo, wincing as he caught sight of the mansion, "I'm ashamed to say we've received that tip too late, but my squad and I are here on behalf of Ignis to assist in any way we can, if you'd be willing to brief me on what's gone on here so we can help prevent further casualties."

And speaking of which, he eyed the Other and couldn't help but throw in the question aloud, "You wouldn't have had anything to do with any of this, would you?"

Ugly thing. Seriously. Bodies everywhere, kids in charge, and this monster just walks around like he owns the place. The hell?

[Enizo]

"The Other had nothing to do with this," Enizo corrected, finding it weird that for once he was defending the creature, "And if you so wish to help, have your troops coordinate with the Guardians on gathering the bodies. But if it's tactics you wish to speak of, perhaps we should speak somewhere in shelter?"

But really, unless this man had more tips for him to go on, they were once again at square one of this entire thing.

[glitters]

Jasmine opened her mouth to argue with her father as he stormed by but quickly shut it, grumbling to herself about how 'immature' he was acting. Sometimes she had no clue how her mother managed to be happily married to him.

Her attention was quickly brought back to Sahir when she encouraged Jasmine to follow him, looking back to the tan-skinned girl and saw what creepily seemed to be a mirrored image of her short of two years ago. The young girl was bad at hiding tears, and that desperate attempt to make it look like everything was okay hit home to Jasmine in several ways that for a moment she herself wanted to cry. She knew what it was like, and she felt bad for her.

Her head casually turned in the direction of The Other engaging in conversation with the boys and she sighed as though it were just some everyday annoyance, but the look in her eyes did show a lot more concern along the line of Sahir's as she answered, "He's...a really long story. He's violent and cruel, highly immature and horrid, and insists he comes along to fight Duo but has no intention of helping any of us."

"He's the king of Ariadelvento, 'Other'. I think it's best we just avoid him as much as we can..." Jasmine warned, looking back to Sahir and taking this as the perfect opportunity to flash the girl a warm, friendly smile, "the rest of us need allies, if not a friend who can help us overcome such fearful things and just be there so we don't have to experience this alone."

Her eyes widened suddenly then as she stared at Sahir, realizing she kinda missed something important and in doing so shot her hand out at the girl as she blurted in quickly, "O-oh gosh, I'm sorry! I'm Jasmine Loque, a mage from Crepusculum."

[vincent]

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Enizo and The Other, not so sure he was entirely convinced that the obvious beast didn't have a single thing to do with murdering anyone on the field here but until he had a reason to act against him he shrugged. His thumb jutted out to the bodies and he hollered to his men to start joining in the haul.

"As for tactics? I'd be more willing to discuss it as well as get my answers--what happened?"

[Enizo]

"What does it look like?" Enizo asked, raising his eyebrow to the man. The fact he suddenly marched in and started demanding answers from Enizo put him to the point of infatuation, "There was a gods damn fight. Duo's forces broke through the wall but we forced them out. Now do you want me to draw you a picture of what happened or can you give me some news to work with?"

This guy clearly didn't think of Enizo as a leader - something he himself had trouble thinking - but Enizo had no time to play catch up. After the burial people will want blood... Enizo needed to know where to point them.

[vincent]

Vincent crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Enizo and his childish ranting, the air about him trying to show the kid that he wasn't easily startled or even felt the least bit threatened by him. He'd heard of the Allorum Guardians and their might, but he wasn't about to bend for one.

"You can either accept my help or shove it, kid. Your call," he spoke flatly, "I need to know these things if you want Ignis in your fight. Because my intel may have very well have told me that a platoon was heading north of here. Or...it might have been east. Maybe west, even."

To Vincent, no, Enizo wasn't a leader because he was a kid. Regardless of what the guy thought of him though, Vincent still expected the kid to discuss tactics like a big boy rather than emotionally lashing out on him like a crying girl.