Divine Inheritance: Chaos

The room was completely void of light as the door sealed behind Atticus. But he knew the blackness that surrounded him wasn't darkness. It was a physical manifestation, like black vapor that filled every open space and stained everything around it.
The Emperor spoke to seemingly nothing "This form does not fool me creature. I know youre here." He put out a hand and suddenly a surge of electricity shot through his hand and cut through the mist in every direction. There was the sound of a voice groaning in agony before the mist dissipated revealing the spacious room in which he stood. It was square in shape with no windows or apparent doors. In the center was a large shallow circular hole on the floor which was stone like the walls and ceiling. In the opposite corner of the room atticus's eyes fell to the person whom he had addressed.
In the form of a woman with brown hair and white marks showing across what was visible of her back. She lie face down, clearly hurt from Atticus's magic though she recovered quickly rising to her knees and turning her head, at an odd angle, to face Atticus. She had the face of Raven though her eyes had no pupil and we're white throughout.
"Pardon me, your majesty. Is this the form you prefer?" The being spoke as she stood and her form broke up once again into the mist which swirled around like a swarm of insects before taking the form of Lilith Newgate. "Or perhaps this?" Her skin parted at both wrists travelling up her forarms as if being cut by an invisible blade. She walked forward as silver blood flowed from both wounds and toward the pit in the center where expanded until it filled it and formed a mirror that was level with the floor.
Atticus raised an eyebrow, Crossing his arms clearly unfased by the theatrics "Impressive how long you've held the human form. It appears you're getting stronger." He stated indifferently before the image of Lilith began to fade back into the mist. Which lingered in the shape of a human being with no features. Atticus smirked "Though not strong enough."
The being, whatever it was, ignored his taunt as it kneeled against the ground, resting a jet black hand against the still present mirror on the ground. "I assume you came not to taunt me, Storm Emperor. You have questions." The surface of the mirror rippled under its touch toward the center and out again before turning black.
Atticus nodded "Indeed. I need you to check again for the location of those I seek, The happenings of the war, And the status of my daughter." He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
The creature was already searching as Atticus spoke as the surface rippled again, brightening to show the image of Lucius and Marcus speaking in the tent. "Lucius has made it to the battle with his your men. The arrangement you have made with him is working to your advantage. He is behaving and has welcomed your general. They discussed the state of the war including the Fallen city, Barisor...."
The image changed to show the face of a blonde woman shouting to a battalion of foreign men "it has been taken over by a powerful demigod who is working to secure the city for the enemy. Her bloodline is that of equal rank to your own. She is competition to your reign, your legacy. If not stopped, she will bring Azureth to distruction...."
Once again the image in the mirror rippled and faded into another scene. He saw Jaxx with her weapon drawn she was fighting someone, the rain fell around her and she was surrounded by other people "Your daughter found her targets. Both of them..." it said this as JaXx took a strong hit from Lilith in the image. Both women fell to the ground. "She would have killed Lilith Newgate had the fight not been interrupted..." suddenly everyone but Jaxx fell to their knees and someone stepped in, attacking Jaxx with great force and knocking her back several feet "... by the one they call thearlier great Titan of the Arena. His strength outmatched her. She will not be strong enough to defeat him alone." Atticus pushed himself off the wall at the utterance of the name, his interest peaked. "She found the so called immortal warrior?"
"Aye she has. And it's lucky he stepped in. Your plans would have died along with the Newgate child, the last of Neptune's mortal bloodline."
At this statement, Atticus was surprised and his eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the creature "You knew this? And yet you advised me to let Jaxx kill her?" His voice was cold with rage. The creature laughed, as the mist expanded to change the form of the creature to a standing position. White eyes met the Emperors "Foolish man. I said you needed her blood, but not instantly. Your haste is to blame."
Atticus shot a bolt of lightning toward the creature who screamed though it continued to laugh "Such delicious rage! Truly it is the only joy to be found in this prison. Keep it up and I will be strong enough to ruin you."
Atticus stopped his attack, furious. Though he calmed himself "I understand now you will not tell me what I need unless I ask you plainly. What do I need to accomplish my goal? And when?"
The creature, who had separated from the lightning, gathered back together before responding "To achieve what you seek, you require the blood of the Three Divine Kings. You will also need the assistance of one who has walked in the realm you seek. These things will need to come together when the planets have aligned."

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Jaxx watched Lilith walk away in anger before turning to Raven and Gerik "I suppose now we should return to Mira. Claire will worry about you." She said to Gerik.
She turned to leave but noticed Raven seemed to not have listened. Her eyes followed Lilith and her group. "Raven?" The word came out more harshley than it than she intended but it worked to get her attention. "Let's go." She repeated.
This time Raven simply nodded looking over Jaxx's injuries. Regardless of how long she decided to stay with the young girl and her companion she decided to at least accompany them as far as Mira to help her heal her injuries. "As you wish." She placed a hand on each Jaxx's and Geriks shoulders. She had never attempted using this spell with more than one person however she reasoned with herself there was no better way to find out if it were to work than to try. She warned the both of them to close their eyes before light expanded from all three of their bodies. When it diminished the spot they once stood was empty.

JaXx felt strange and as she opened her eyes she found that she was no longer where she once stood instead she was inside the city of Mira though they were in a back alley where no one would be around to see them appear. She looked perplexed and spole to Raven "Since when could you do that?"
Raven shrugged "where's the fun in me telling you?" She said deflecting the curiosity. "Now we need to get you somewhere safe where I can fix your injuries. You mentioned another person waiting for our friend here." Referring to Gerik "I suggest we make our way there quickly."

 

Of couse... the lining of the planets cliche Atticus nodded in comprehension, keeping his remarks to thought alone. "How is my daughter fairing now? If the gladiator overpowered her is she in trouble?"
The creatures white eyes met Atticus's for a moment in silence before laughter followed "Such fatherly concern." The statement sounded sarcastic though it kept all other remarks to itself. The mirror disappeared into vapor which few back to rejoin the form of the creature. "I have seen all that I am able today. If your offspring is alive she will be around Mira. Assuming you had her reporting to your men, she will likely go to them."

Later the Emperor sent word to Lucius to send reinforcements to help Jaxx apprehend Voltair and Lilith. But was surprised to learn the order had already been carried out and two assassins were being sent to find Jaxx. Atticus played it off like he knew he had already made that order. But knew he hadn't.

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Jaxx tried not to make any noise or sign of discomfort as Raven helped her sit down on a chair in the room. She couldn't help but grunt through gritted teeth though as her mentour touched her discolored forearm. Her sword holding arm had actually broken from a combination of blocking Liliths and Voltairs attacks. The very idea that her bones themselves were too weak to carry out her task stung her pride somewhat.
Though she heard Claire ask a question, she remained silent. Too angry to even know what to say.
As it became clear Jaxx wasn't going to speak, Raven did to fill the silence. "Hello you must be Claire. Nice to meet you, I'm Raven." She spoke as she stretched out Jaxx's broken arm and began to heal it. The initial movement of her bones coming back together was uncomfortable. JaXx moved to pull her arm away from it but Raven simply held on tighter, roughly pushing Jaxx back against the chair. "JaXx here is hurt because she is stupid. And decided to charge into a bad situation without thinking. We're lucky your friend Gerik was kind enough to help her out. Sorry for waking yo..."
JaXx scoffed "I knew what I was getting in to. And I would have been fine without your help." She pulled her arm free as Raven finished healing it and knocked her hands away.
At this Raven simply rolled her eyes "Yeah, ok princess." Using a nickname she often used when Jaxx was pulling this attitude. She decided it was better to not go into the gory details with Claire present.
She stood up, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. She knew Jaxx had other injuries but for the moment decided to ignore them. If Jaxx wanted them healed she could fix her attitude. "Anyway now isn't the time to argue. You're being rude to your friends." She nodded her head toward Gerik and Claire. She wondered what Gerik had meant earlier in the streets when he commented on her teleportation ability. But decided that was a conversation for another time.

JaXx sighed, partly wanting to point out that Raven started it. But she bit that comment back "you're right I'm sorry. I'm fine Claire. It's just a part of my job." She turned her attention to Gerik "Thank you for your assistance. I may not have accomplished much but at least now I'm more educated on what I'm up against."

 

Jaxx smirked slightly about Claire's comment about Raven, looking to her mentour and expecting a similar reaction to when others commented on her appearance: pretending she hadn't heard. However to her surprise Raven actually laughed slightly. Though she made no other comment, JaXx fond this odd. However to be fair she had never seen Raven around children before at all. She was likely knowing how to behave around them was unfamiliar to her. Finally, something she isn't good at. she thought to herself.

The both of them made an unspoken agreement to not correct Claire about Jaxx being an actual princess. It wasn't entirely incorrect anyway. Besides the comment was more directed at Gerik.

Raven had never, to her memory, interacted with a human child before. Having seen mostly dishonest people and bloodshed over the past five years she couldn't help but find Claire's innocent honesty fascinating.

However Geriks next words caught the attention of both women. JaXx looked to Gerik as he spoke, cringing slightly when she attempted to lean forward only to be met with a painful reminder of her bruised ribcage. "I believe everyone who was there could confirm your words in some way. His abilities and rapid healing being the obvious indicators."
Her mind travelled back to the moment his arm grew back and how casual he had been about bringing everyone present to their knees as though it was nothing. If that was him being lazy she was curious what him actually trying looked like.
"However apprehending him and Lilith-" She decided to not use the word kill in front of Claire when speaking about Lilith "-is my responsibility. I will have to find some way to defeat him in order to accomplish either goal assuming he has decided to join her. With this in mind, any information helps. What is it that you found unusual about him?"

Ravens eyes met the floor as she listened to the both of them speak. Whatever her thoughts on the subject, she chose to simply listen for the moment.

 

Jaxx was very surprised by what Gerik had to say. Remembering how difficult it had been to block his attack, equal even to the blows of Lilith herself. Not to mention his arm growing back and the way he was able to still Lilith and her companions, even breifly. If Geriks words were true, it didn't make any sense. A normal human wouldn't be able to do any of those things. She frowned, "We have a legend very similar here: Evil immortal beings who were imprisoned by the gods. However it isn't possible Voltair could be one of them. Not based on the legends that is." She chuckled "However his title would make sense if it were the case..."

Raven was barely listening. Something Gerik had said struck a nerve in her, immortal beings imprisoned by the gods. The words gave Raven an odd sense of Deja Vu. Almost to the extent she had experienced earlier in the fight with the very person about whom they were talking. Something about this particular emotion was different though, unsettling. As JaXx finished speaking, Raven took the opportunity to step away "As interesting as all of this is..." She spoke up finally "...I've just remembered it's time to cut ties with our mercenary friend."
She spoke as she pushed herself off the wall, stretching as she spoke.

JaXx turned her head to face Raven once again "You mean pay him for protecting her from me." Once again, Raven heard the sting of bitterness in her tone and sighed.
She knelt down next to Jaxx, using her magic to heal the remainder of her wounds "I hired Kable on the night you did the honorable thing by Lilith. As she is now a free woman and you are equals, his work is done. Now I must honor my own integrity by keeping my promise." She explained.

JaXx nodded, once again brought to reason "I understand. However will you join me to report to Lucius? I would like to catch up on where you've been this past month."

Raven paused, somewhat surprised that Jaxx would suggest that considering everything. It wasn't like she could simply waltz into the tent of the leader of the Emperial army without causing trouble considering she was as much a fugitive as Lilith at this point. Assuming Jaxx simply hadn't heard the full story of why she left Sax, she answered carefully. "We do have a lot to talk about. I'll see you again soon."

She stood turning her attention to Gerik and Claire "It was nice meeting you both. However next time I hope it is under better circumstances." With that, she walked out the door and was gone.

JaXx couldn't help but find Ravens sudden exit a bit out of character, like most of her behavior since appearing earlier. However as curious as she was, she knew she was not likely to get a straight answer on what Raven was thinking until she was ready to give one. She turned her attention back to Gerik. "I apologize for that. My mentour can be unpredictable at times but she doesn't mean to be impolite." She spoke on how rude it must seem for Raven to have left mid conversation.

She paused for a moment before continuing the previous conversation. "Anyway whatever he is, it's clear running up to them directly will not work in my favor in the future. With him or her other companions. The mercenary is clearly not all he seems to be either at least... but I digress. Youve been a huge help to me. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

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It didn't take much for Raven to cloak herself as usual as she made her way to the outside of the city toward the abandoned village Kable spoke of. To most, there would be no trace of her walking right past them. Usually she wouldn't worry about the discretion, knowing she could handle any trouble from guards or spies. In this case, though, she would rather avoid being bothered if possible. She had too much on her mind.

She lifted the spell as she exited the city. Having already found her destination once before, it wasn't difficult to find it again. The ghost-town was a short distance from Mira even when walking. It was quite small and didn't take much investigation for her to come to the conclusion Kable had not yet arrived. taking this to her advantage she decided to find a good place to wait. Somewhere high up so she could see him coming, yet decently covered so he wouldn't see her right away. As much as she wanted to believe he was a good person, she always leaned on the side of caution. Especially in the case of Kable's allies and her own recent encounter with him. Both of which had proven to be unpredictable.

Seeing a taller building somewhere in the center of the town she made her way toward it. Even though time and vandals had run the place down, Raven could tell this building was once a lot nicer than a lot of the other ones. It was easily distinguishable as having once been a church though of what religion she wasn't sure. In the center of the church, toward the top, there was a large stained glass window. However it had been cracked slightly. that will do.

 

The inside of the old church was almost more destroyed than the outside. Most of the windows were broken and the aisle was cluttered with displaced books and furniture. There was also evidence of campfires, looting, and vandalism. Raven had seen plenty of strange things in her travels in Azureth but nothing like this. The entire town appeared to have been abandoned for many years. And much like the throne room in Sax, the town had a certain presence that put her on edge. Though, unlike in Sax, she couldn't really put a finger on why she would feel that way. It was obvious something had happened here. But nothing Raven knew about to explain the vibe she got from it.
The church has only one level, so the window Raven had picked out had no ground in front of it to make it more accessible. This didn't present a huge problem, though. The ceiling was very high up and pointed with the roof. to give added support the architects had built a few pillars and beams across it in multiple places. The design was simple, but it provided Raven the height she needed. She sat on one of the beams nearest to the window. Through a large crack in the stained glass she could see far down the overgrown road toward Mira and watched Kable approach for some time.
Once she was decently satisfied he was alone and wasn't being followed by any of his companions she allowed her mind to wander.
Since leaving Sax, she had learned many things about Azureth and about herself. Though she had done her best to avoid learning anything about her identity or her past, being wary of the warning she had received. The teleportation power she discovered seemed to have opened the flood gates to remembering other abilities she had. Ones she couldn't make sense of as she had never considered them possible.
The encounter with Liliths group just then gave her that same feeling, in a way. Like there was something important she had forgotten. And the memories were just barely out of reach. In any other circumstance this would be a good thing. But, considering everything, Raven wasn't sure what to think. It was clear the reminder had come from the one the others seemed to fear: Voltair.
Admittedly he stood out. She hadn't entirely gotten him off her mind. However that could easily be blamed on the oddity of that entire situation. He hadn't even bothered trying to block her attack. From his reaction to her approach she could have even wondered if he knew her. However later, after growing back his own arm, he acted as a normal stranger. Normal being used loosely of course.
Wether or not it was him or something about him that triggered the familiarity, or the memories, it made her cautious. If it was him, learning anything else could be trouble. And even if it wasn't him, something about him still seemed familiar. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted by that if she ever crossed him again.
For the time being, she only knew for sure she cared about one thing and that was Jaxx. She also knew the girl's father gave her a mission that would get her killed. Lilith alone was one thing. But Lilith, Kable, Oryx, AND especially Voltair were to much for her to face alone. Even if she refused to stand behind Atticus, she couldn't knowingly let Jaxx get herself killed. With all these things in mind, she made a decision about what to do from here.
It seemed most of her problems, along by those of many other people, branched off of the Emperor in one way or another. So, it stood to reason he would have to be stopped. Wether by Lilith, who seemed determined to make that happen, or by Raven herself.
With that in mind, she decided to stick with Jaxx. This was the most convenient way to keep informed on what was happening with Atticus, and to keep Jaxx from getting herself killed in the meantime.

Noticing how near Kable had travelled brought Raven back to the present. She watched as he entered the city and sat down not far from her location. Raven allowed herself to fall from the beam in which she had been waiting. She landed on her feet, straightened herself, and made her way toward the mercenary.

He didn't appear to threatening, sitting there on the ground. Raven knew well enough to know this wasn't the case, though. Iron deamon or otherwise, Kable was more than capable of defending himself. Not that Raven would present the need for him to do so. As far as she knew he was only defending Lilith because he was paid to. She wondered if he would continue after this. But even if he did, he was not Raven's enemy personally. Though she didn't trust him, there was something about Kable she liked, or could understand at least. Again, she couldn't really think of a specific reason why she would feel that way though.

He seemed to be lost in thought as she approached so she spoke first, alerting him to her presence "Glad to see you made it. With that whole demonic takeover thing I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore." Her attitude remained light, making her sarcasm obvious.