Infernal Awakening [Quest]

[Deleted]

Quest Name: Infernal Awakening

Who can participate?: Orobas & Astrid

Quest Time Frame: Absolutely no idea.

Quest Setting: DE

Quest Synopsis: Upon their fateful meeting, Orobas (likely forcibly) takes Astrid under their wing to raise them to the height of power.

Maximum Number of Participants: 2

Overall Goal: Make Astrid Stronger, Conquer France

Number of missions involved: 8

BASIC Synopsis of each Quest mission:

Easy - Find a way to unite Orobas & Astrid.
Easy - push Astrid to unlocking her first stage of Aeterna Delicti.
Easy - Infiltrate the Human World.
Medium - Assault France.
Hard - Siege the Catacombs.
Hard - Fight through waves of Shinigami defenders.
Hard - Take out the Prime Minister.
Easy - Seize France for the Sanctus.

Recommended Class for entry: 8-1

[Deleted]

Spending most of their time around hell has since worked to numb the Akki. After the founding of the Sanctus alongside Alastor, they’d been forced to spend most of their time there, looking over things where it was required. They were the Legatus of the Praeventori Legion, after all. There was always work that needed to be done, as much as they really did not want to admit it. They could only delegate so many tasks to their lessers; a leader had to lead, after all.

Though, that did raise an interesting point in their mind; one they pondered while leaning forward in their crimson throne, deep within Portae Inferi, the Sanctus’ base of operations. They didn’t have a second-in-command. They didn’t have someone to pass their place to, on the off-chance they had fallen. While granted, this was severely unlikely, it was still something that needed careful consideration. They’d need to seek someone out sooner, rather than later. Someone that could be pressed to these extremes, and someone that could - over time - make themselves known within the nine rings.

Unbeknownst to them, this simple thought was the spark of a rather grand adventure. One that would not only lead them to a great compatriot, but one that would truly test the mettle of hell, and show just what hell was capable of. Slowly standing up and stretching out their limbs, Orobas sighed and rubbed their eyes; thankfully, their sight had returned to them over the last month, through extraordinary feats of healing. With their sight back, they were truly ready to bring about the end of the three worlds; with or without the help of the Sanctus. Only time could tell if these efforts were truly going to be in vain or not.

Standing tall and holding their arms behind their back, Orobas slowly made their way through the corridors of Portae Inferi, allowing the clicking echo of the heeled boots they’d been wearing to ring throughout the room. It was a sound they rather enjoyed; one that reminded them they were truly the one in charge here; well, save for Alastor. The two had been equals. That hadn’t mattered to them at the time, though. For now, they were simply basking in their own supremacy over those that lingered in the buildings, and rightfully so. Eventually approaching the main entrance, Orobas simply pressed the doors open, and walked out into the Ninth Ring.

Taking in a deep breath, the Akki decided to speak to themself. ”I’ve certainly got to say,” they spoke, their voice soft yet assertive, ”This icy wasteland will never not be absolutely stunning.” Finished speaking, the Akki continued to walk forward, until they were a fair distance away from Portae Inferi. Closing their eyes for a quick second, they channeled Reiatsu through the area around them. From their body, traces of their own signature began to pour across the area, coating quite a few feet ahead of them, before with a loud burst, they vanished from sight. Their mission was soon to begin.

[Astrid Vess]

It was a typical "day" in hell for Astrid. She'd reconstituted awhile back and because someone had a sense of humor she was recreated within the corpse of a mutated flesh eating plant. And freshly killed no less. Or at least fresh enough that the stomach she was spawned in made sure she was singed from the stomach acid still being productive enough to hurt her on the surface level. When her bindings had finally loosened enough that she could move she began to slowly crawl her way out until she made it to the awkward opening that was the plants "mouth". Really it was just a circular opening with a flap on top of it that under normal circumstances would have tied itself together to trap her within. It was currently in shreds.

Once out of the "mouth" of the plant she took a second to check herself over. Her tendril like limbs were finally able to form coherent fingers, arms, legs, and something reminscient of feet. She nodded seeing all the basic appendages present and usable. A quick glance around revealed to her exactly where she was at. The Suicide Forest. Admittedly her "home" of sorts but also a wild land filled with as much flora, trees, and hell beasts as there were sinners being actively hung, face shaped fruits being eaten despite screams of agony, and bodily fluids all over the place due to constant attacks from various creatures in the area.

Pain to come. Must move. Climb tree, get fruit, hunt after food. Must eat. Must survive. Hide if two headed beast seen. She nodded to herself and quickly ran towards the nearby tree. It had several sinners being hung currently with some dying only to immediately come back moments later. A fleeting painless existence until returned. Some had lashings and were bleeding out, others were partially eaten and screaming profanities as they continued to drop far more internal organs than should be physically possible. Astrid's mouth grew wet with saliva . . . or sap. . . or something. Astrid didn't know what but she knew why. However she wanted the fruit first. They were beings that continued to be recycled in the cycle. If nothing else they were going to nurish her in a way that random organs wouldn't. That wasn't going to stop her from partaking later though.

As Astrid approached the tree she realized, to her relief, it wasn't a living tree. This was simply a torture tree. She could climb it safely and thus she did. Having grown used to the awkward holds and lack of a real "grip" due to her form she eventually manages to get to the lowest level of branches and picks out a couple fruits. They of course scream in fear as she gets closer and one in particular starts crying and begging her to leave them alone. Astrid did not. She took great pleasure in feeling her teeth sink through the skin of the sentient fruit. The sweet juices trailing down her various vines, soaking into the crevices between her teeth. The feeling of several fruit chunks being gobbled up and swalled down. . . something. It was her throat but. . . she didn't know where the "throat" portion was as she had no lower jaw. However it works she felt the fruit grow quiet and go deeper within her body.

The second fruit went down even more quickly as she was utterly ravenous. And it was only getting worse the more she ate. And yet while she ate she got somme sense of relief, however fleeting and brief it was. Astrid groaned happily to herself after the two fruits were eaten. Moments later though she grew frustrated yet again as the hunger within her screamed out. She knew though that it wouldn't consume her since she managed to snag a meal but she knew she didn't have a long time before it got much worse. The pangs grew worse the longer they weren't satiated. Thus without further thought Astrid leapt down from the branch to the ground. Then ran on all fours to the first organ pile she saw and scooped up a couple livers and kidney's. Not her favorite ones but she could get behind having something. Besides the kidneys were like gummies from how small they were compared to the livers. So she could eat those on the fly.

Without further adue she began slowly walking around the forest. She kept to the shadows of the trees and within various bushes and other flora. She kept her distance from the man eating plant life as she'd experienced death a number of times from them. Though she did cast a glance to a particularly interesting species of flesh eater. It was something akin to a red lily from how vibrantly bright it was. And better yet it had some liquid on just the edges of its leaves that tempted her so to partake from. She knew better than to do such deep down but could not help her growing desire to look it over. Maybe she'd feed it to see what it did if it continued to tempt her so. . . which at this rate was highly likely. For now though she simply walked up to it, about 2 feet away, and stared jaw slack in awe.




Before she realized what she was doing Astrid immediately threw her remaining kidney and a liver at the plant. Curiousity taking her by storm as she wanted to see what it could do and give it a nickname from that. What happened was almost instantaneous. For one thing the liquid that looked akin to water. Was HIGHLY acidic and even more so adhesive. Neither organ did anything but stick immediately to where they landed. And within seconds immediately melted away. A smaller tendril akin to a vacuum cleaner quickly came up and sucked the remainder of their bio mass away to what she could only assume was the stomach. "Strong. Pretty. Pain. Must leave." She growled to herself for a few moments as she thought as hard as her beastial brain could manage. That's when it came to her. "You. Pretty. Are now, Bubbles. Bubbles hurt. Bubbles pretty. Go now."

With a small wave and more willpower than she thought possible to muster Astrid continued her trek. Unknowningly walking towards where another monster was going to meet her at. A monster the likes of which the forest had not seen in a long time. And yet with her abilities lacking in all departments she had no chance to realize just whose energy was keeping everything still and silent in fear. She didn't know the swarmlord was taking their trek through. A trek that would ultimately change the world itself as far as Astrid was concerned. Whether she liked it or not.

[Deleted]

Blasting into existence from the "sky" much like one would expect from a very specific Super Fighting Robot, Orobas took a deep breath in order to take in the air around them. With a soft exhale, they gently wiped their red satin gloves along a small handkerchief they pulled from their breast pocket; keeping these clothes in good condition was damn expensive, at least by Human standards. They weren't going to just let their clothes be soiled. Especially their favorite suit! No, that wouldn't do in the slightest. There was a reason they had made sure their suit was red in the first place, getting any unnecessary stains anywhere was not something they were going to tolerate. Perhaps at some point they'd have to develop a way to clean themselves via reiatsu? Only time could really tell on that one.

Placing their handkerchief back and hands into their jacket's pockets, Orobas began to slowly take a stroll through an area of Hell affectionately named the Suicide Forest. With that, followed a tune whistled by the very same Akki, very much akin to their favorite song within the Human World; Mr. Brightside, by The Killers. As of recently they've been growing quite interested in human culture, and have since delved deep into the same practices that most humans today do. After all, how best to keep up a disguise than to practice in order to fit in wherever you are? Surely something like that was going to pay off in the end, no?

Continuing their stroll, Orobas quickly took note of the fact that they couldn't bother to find really anything living nearby. Well, anything that wasn't immediately sent into a state of "cower and hide". Simply put, this began to upset them. They had thought that of all places, the Suicide Forest was likely one where others were going to know hardship; the feeling of constant struggle and fighting with the world, and those around them. Someone like that was perfect for their Dominus, but it seemed as though this was going to be notably harder to deal with than others when everyone was hiding away from them.

Though, that was before they had seen a grassy husk shambling about. Upon noticing that one particular being still remaining active while they were there, they couldn't help but chuckle. Surely this being meant to stay out while they were there, otherwise they were in for one hell of a rude awakening. Nonetheless, the Akki wasted no time and briskly made their way over to this Hason. Though, this wasn't through simply walking; no, that would've been much too barbaric for this; they decided to teleport instead, via Placidus. So, as though queued with a blink of darkness from all around the area - including Astrid, given the proximity - Orobas had appeared before her.

"Well, aren't you an interesting one?" Orobas cooed, their arms crossed directly beneath their chest, "what might I be able to call a little flower such as yourself? You have a name, don't you? Either way, I simply go by Orobas; a name that you'll likely grow to hear quite a bit. I'd like to make a deal with you; perhaps let me take you under my wing? Seeing as you're the only thing still remaining active within my presence, you've quite the aura of bravery about you, no? I'd like to push that and see just where it'll take you. In exchange, I'll teach you all there is to know about being down here; I'll make you into my own prodigy, one that will stand the test of time by my side, and help reign over the Three Worlds. Shall I take your silence as agreement?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}Type: Prodigy, Version 2

[All stats have a 25% boost applied to them, due to Orobas being an Envainar.]

Strength: 100 [42]
Speed: 400 [500]
Reiatsu Strength: 50 [63]
Spiritual Pressure: 400 [1,750]
Instinct: 200 [103]
Senses: 100 [125]
Energy Sensory: 100 [42]
Healing Expertise: 0

Light Aura: 0
Dark Aura: 100

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Pain Tolerance - 3
War Strategy - 3
Charisma - 3
Battle Analysis - 3
Analyzing - 3

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SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Swarms}Reiatsu Pool: 17,300/17,500
-200 for Placidus.

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Active Swarms: 0

[Astrid Vess]

Though it pained Astrid to have to leave the flower, she was not going to get any food from it the longer the stuck around it. In truth she needed to make sure she moved far away from it so that she wasn't food FOR it. Still there was a part of Astrid that didnt exactly mind as much if she died via plant life. At least they were the embodiment of other sinners, simply plant life grown on the blood, visera, and suffering of others. Very rarely did one meet a plant that could actually consume one's soul in its entirety. And even rarer did Hell allow such a punishment come to pass. Still this was all very above where Astrid was thinking. Her mind after a couple minutes of leaving "Bubbles" was back on hunter mode.

But it was strange. There wasn't anything around. Mind you the hell beasts and other rampant sinners of Suicide Forest weren't exactly frequent but you'd be hard pressedd to not run into something whether it was tree, plant, sinner, or beast. And Astrid was managing to find nothing. It was then she noticed the silence. Not a momentary silence, but utter silence. Her eyes widened as she began to look around her in a hurry. Not ok. Run. Now. Kill self . . . worst. The last option was not something she was fond of but she'd rather die by her own hand than someone elses if they had this much power behind them.

Astrid would never even get the chance however. The world would have gone black, causing Astrid's breath to hitch before she let out a loud growl. The next instant Orobas would appear before her. Astrid was immediately put on edge despite being mildly impressed at his opening feat. Yet there was also confusion mixed in. She couldn't sense anything off this man. Now to be fair Astrid had the BAREST of actual sensing capabilities. However most things tended to flare their energy and thus she'd get something of a sense about them. Orobas was not and thus, like the pure silence around them, was far more concerning because of it. Only strong beings or clever ones could hide themselves and it also spoke of a level of mental capacity that was much higher than the beasts she was used to.

As Orobas spoke Astrid took a few steps backwards, mostly out of unconcious fear, as she listened. They both knew she wasn't likely to run just off the bat. She'd likely wait for an opening before making haste to leave. However the longer she waited for the opening from Orobas the more her fear became annoyance and ultimately frustration. Talk. Talk. TALK. You talk. No stop. Hard words. QUIET! Astrid was about to start growling an entirely different tune when she'd finally heard his offer. He was offering her tutelage. In some form or another power and a place at his side. But she would be subservient. Under him. And thats when it finally clicked for her what exactly Orobas was. He was an Akki, his strange form be damned, which . . . he was but still. He was one of THEM.

Before Astrid really thought of anything further her arms reached for the liver and threw it down on his shoes. She then glared at him and growled louder than she'd thought previously capable. This radiating anger furthered only by her vines shaking and wriggling as though they were water having been brought to a boiling point. As she tried to speak she couldn't stop growling making her already curt and rough language just that much more beastial and rugged. Never. You. Slaver. Will not. Akki all slaver! Astrid knew she'd die here shortly. All akki killed her afterall, bigotted fucks that they were. Most for just simply walking before them. She expected no different from this man and was more than ready to be killed for defiant attitude. That said however she wasn't going to go without a fight. Well. . . more a chase. She was not strong enough to fight Orobas head on, even she knew that.

Thus Astrid immediately focused her reiatsu on her right and left vine palms. Drew very simplistic circles and shunt them off in either direction. They were both on different trees upwards of 40 feet away. The left on the lowest branch possible and the right just behind the tree. From here she then revealed there was a sigil underneath her that she'd made with a few tendrils of her right foot. The next moment she disappeared similar to Orobas's own step tech. Almost immediately after her teleportation the sigil she'd made underneath her shattered like glass. Astrid on the other hand was on the left sigil having only made the right to force him to choose where he'd look if he wanted to capture her and kill her. She'd only have a 50/50 chance Orobas wouldn't look in her direction but it was her only gambit and thus she had to take it.

From here she wouldn't even look back at Orobas she'd simply shatter the right sigil and quickly work to create another set of sigils to throw another 40 feet forward of her. If she were lucky she could potentially slow him down, if he followed her, by leading him into one of the living trees. That would have to wait until she could spare a glance however and that was anything but now. She needed to focus on escape. Run. Run fast. Run for tree. Kill self. Last.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}-150 for 3 sigils created
-25 reiatsu for one step

175 reiatsu used

2,400 -175 = 2,225 reiatsu

2,225 / 2,400 remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Stats:

Strength: 50 (35)

Speed: 70 (49)

Reiatsu Strength: 50 (35)

Spiritual Pressure: 80 (240)

Instinct: 50 (35)

Senses: 50 (35)

Energy Sensory: 0

Healing Expertise: 0

LA: 0

DA: 100

350 SP Total


Skill Points:

Sigil - 1

Strength of Will - 1

Pain Tolerance - 1

Stealth - 1

Poison Tolerance - 1

Lack of Fear - 1

Damage Recovery - 1

[Deleted]

As they finished speaking, Orobas simply gave the Hason a sly smile. Truthfully, they had absolutely no idea what she was thinking; they had no way of knowing. From what they've realized over the years, some Hason had taken on a more... pitiful level of intellect upon their rebirth. They knew this fact well, having aided a few in the past in order to bolster the Envainar of Old; now affectionately retitled as the Sanctus. To them, Astrid was no different; someone to function alongside them as a militant for the betterment of Hell as a whole. They weren't exactly giving her a choice, and that was how they intended it.

"Never. You. Slaver. Will not. Akki all slaver!" Astrid's words, affectionately accompanied by the remains of a bloodied liver now resting at their feet and having streaked along their pantleg provoked nothing less than a soft sigh from the Akki. Just ONCE they wanted to have a nice chat with someone, without them immediately assuming they were looking to force the other into servitude. Ultimately, while that might've been the goal, the sentiment still pulled at their heartstrings. Watching as Astrid seemed to draw her little runes, Orobas decided to speak.

"Oh, my sweet summer child," Orobas began, making a lightly poorly-received joke slightly in-line with Astrid's plantlike appearance, "I'm not looking to enslave you. I merely look to aid you; don't you wish to be able to defend yourself against Akki that actually look to put you in harm's way? Wouldn't you like to-" their words were cut short by the fact that Astrid seemed to "boop" out of existence for a short moment. Letting out another soft sigh, Orobas closed their eyes, and used what little energy sensory capabilities they had left over from their time blind to hone in on the residual reiatsu the girl had felt like.

Honing in on that 'scent', Orobas followed in suit and leapt out of existence to once again appear in front of Astrid with a pop. "You needn't run, girl," they cooed, "I seek not to harm you. Much like I was intending to state earlier, I merely wish to aid you. To make you much, much stronger; to unlock your true potential. Don't you wish to be awed at as the dominant force down here? To command respect from any and all that dare wish to so much as gaze upon you? Trust me when I say the feeling is absolutely intoxicating. A very select few are given the option for such feelings, and I've since deemed you worthy to not serve under me, but alongside me as equals. That much, I can assure you."

Gently placing a hand on her 'shoulder' as to try to distract her from continuing to create her sigils, Orobas once again gave her a smile, though this time, much more sincere. "I'd like you to take my offer, child. Should you keep declining, I may just need to take you back to Portae Inferi with me; while I can assure you that you won't be harmed, I promise you that's not an experience I would like to force upon you."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Active Swarms}
Reiatsu Pool: 17,100/17,500
-200 for Placidus.

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Active Swarms: 0

[Astrid Vess]

Astrid was doing what could only be described as "attempted chuckling" given she'd managed to catch Orobas mid sentence. Arrogant as they were Akki loved to talk. And talk. And talk. And continue talking. That was the ONE thing that saved most hellions from being killed on the spot was that they could try and get akki to talk and sneak away. The only issue was Orobas was not the standard akki and while prideful had the power to back it up. This being shown off when he decided to appear yet again by Astrid. The black moment showed up and then there he was. Directly in her way and even stopped her mid leap from another branch onto the one he was currently standing on.

That grip on her shoulder though gentle was immensely chilling. He was THAT certain that whatever Astrid did she couldn't harm him. And that was concerning. Who is . . this? Kill self. . . only choice. . Need bubbles. . Where was? Astrid tried to shake off his hand both out of instinct and to keep up appearances. She wasn't about to let herself be bossed around. She would actually prefer to die outright than work for or with him. Still she had to keep this short game of tag up. And she was severely outmatched in it.

But that didn't stop her mind. In fact it actually reminded her that she was very close to Bubbles. About 60 feet and a few trees away if she could swing it. She'd get away from Orobas one way or another. And if she had to kill herself via death by stomach acid so be it. She just needed to get out of dodge asap. Thus Astrid made her tendrils move again granted she created as small a sigil as possible but they were sadly still a foot in size so easily seen. But unlike her past sigil use she'd only created 1 at a 40 foot distance meanwhile the other was on her chest. The next moment she was gone again and closing in on Bubbles. She had even already prepared the third circle as she lept down from the tree she'd teleported on and ran straight to it.

Within seconds she found it and threw a sigil directly on it's central mouth. Easy pickings for her teleport into and kill herself within seconds. Especially given it was absolutely coated in acid. She would die in the next few seconds. She'd suffer immense agony but she'd at least get away from Orobas. Astrid didn't know the concept of prayer at this point but she was hoping beyond all hope that bubbles would save her. "Bubbles! . . EAT NOW!" Unless Orobas had some means of outright knocking her out or otherwise incapacitating her she'd immediately teleport herself into the flowers central mouth and immediately get stuck to the petals via their acidic secretion. From there she'd rapidly begin to melt away with "Bubbles" miniature mouth coming up to vacuum away her now liquid "flesh" for nourishment. And though she screamed out in utter agony even Astrid had to admit it still felt right. Fuck. . Akki. . . Will not. . AAHHHH!! WILL. NOT. SERVE!

[Deleted]

Once again, it seemed that Astrid had a desire to flee for Orobas. One that they weren't exactly going to go through the effort of chasing the girl over, once they'd seen where and what she was looking to go and do. As she teleported from Orobas' view, they quickly found her making haste toward those same plants that they'd found her vegetating near earlier, and likely with one specific goal in mind. Considering this particular area could easily be seen as quite the dangerous place (as was most of hell, but that was beside the point), she likely had one goal; to off herself.

Sighing softly once more, Orobas gave no chase to the girl as she threw herself into the acidic plant she'd affectionately named "Bubbles". Instead, they sought to carry themselves out of this ring, and back to the place where Astrid was going to make herself present in just a few short moments; the spawning pits. While spending their hellish morning hunting down a Hason once more wasn't exactly something they were looking to do, this was how it had to be. At this point is was more to prove something to themselves, as well as to Astrid that those in power truly did get what they wanted; something they were looking to share with the girl.

Waiting a few moments until they'd figured that Astrid had "respawned", Orobas made haste in glancing off into the horizon above the spawning pits in order to find their favorite (and frankly only) plant monster. When they caught a good view of her, they'd simply teleport over with relative haste, once again through the use of Placidus. This time placing a forceful hand on the Hason girl's shoulder, Orobas simply looked down into their eyes as their own were nothing more than a void of dark lit up by two small, red pupils. Agitation within the Akki was starting to show, and their disguise slowly feigning due to their weakened emotional state.

"Alas," they started, "playing around isn't something that I'm very fond of doing. Especially right now. I apologize, but I seemed to have forgotten to mention the part where you don't have a choice, dear child. When you reach this height; this peak of power, you need not worry about how others feel about your goals; you simply reach the point where you can take for taking's sake. Much like I'm about to do."

Still holding on tight, and preparing to stop the girl's actions before she drew any more of those fancy teleportation shapes, Orobas simply worked a bit of teleportation themselves and took the girl back down to the lowest Ring; down to Portae Inferi. "Much better," they spoke, "I'd like to assume that the layout of the area here is a bit outside of your comprehensive capabilities for the time being. Try to escape once more, and I promise you that I'll continue to hunt you down, child." Once again, they gave the girl a serene smile, looking to get their point across.

Stretching their back, Orobas let out a soft sigh before shouting momentarily. "Arma, please get in here!" As they finished, another Hason quickly made their way inside. He looked very much like what one would've expected from some sort of demonic knight, with a few key differences; namely, the fact that he possessed a flower crown atop his head. "Greetings, sir~" he chimed, "what might I be able to do for you today?" Upon noticing Astrid, he seemed to almost perk up, before quickly looking away. "Oh! My, you didn't say that we were going to have guests today!" Turning back to Astrid, he simply bowed his head, before speaking once more. "It's a pleasure to meet you! The name's Arma, Eques under Orobas here!"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Arma for Reference}

Chuckling to themselves, Orobas decided to speak. "Glad you've introduced yourself, Arma; this is why you're my favorite. That said, I'd like to have you serve as a peace-offering, if you're willing." Turning back to Orobas, Arma perked up. "Whatcha mean?" "Well, you know how hellions are around here; I'd like to sacrifice your current body in order to see what Astrid here is capable of, as well as offer a sort of snack for the girl." Arma seemed to almost pout. "Aww, while I'm not opposed to that, I just made this crown..." Chuckling once more, Orobas simply gave him a gentle pat on his back. "Worry not, I can keep it safe for you if you'd like until your return. You've my word on that." "Oh, well then, gladly! I'm glad to live and die for ya, Sir!"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Swarms}
Reiatsu Pool: 16,400/17,500
-600 for Placidus x3.

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Active Swarms: 0

[Astrid Vess]

Pain. Astrid only felt pain in the darkness. She was vaguely aware of herself and had a sense of satisfaction knowing she'd given the aggravating akki the biggest "Fuck off" that she could concieve. She was content and willing to deal with the pain she was enduring because the longer she was there the longer she was going to be away from the monster that had been trying to chase her down. That's when she noticed something wierd however. She could start to feel again. And with that she immediately opened her eyes and to great shock actually realized she was capable of sight. And guess who or really what in the nince circles was staring her down in the face with that fucking smile. This was when Astrid finally realized what genuine deep seated fear was.

She couldn't express it or really even begin to describe it. But he'd known what she'd do. He'd known that she'd respawn. And truthfully, though she couldn't even begin to comprehend how he'd managed it, she would guess he had a say in the fact she came back nearly as quickly as she did. And that truly frightened her on a level she didn't know was possible until this point. NOTHING. NOTHING as far as Astrid could concieve was that powerful in Hell. Nothing she'd ever interacted with anyway. And yet here he was staring her down. And when he opened his eyes finally and she saw his mask cracking this fear only further intensified.

Orobas might not have been flexing his spiritual abilities but the sheer volume he was letting loose naturally and his subtle anger made it feel like he was flexing his energy against her. Thus when he reached out and grabbed her she didn't move. She couldn't even bring herself to growl at him. Let alone consider running. It was fruitless. She'd get caught when he finally had enough of toying with her. And that time was either VERY nearly upon them or it was happening. Before she knew it though they had been teleported to the Sanctus base. And that's where things got. . . wierd.

Astrid could immediately tell the difference of levels simply due to latent energy. This place had an IMMENSELY denser and more all encompassing spiritual presence. Astrid couldn't tell specifics but she could take a pretty solid guess that the place held way more powerful entities than her prior residence held. If she even tried to escape she'd be caught in no time by whatever was here instead of Orobas. She was trapped in every imaginable way as far as things were concerned. That's when it finally hit her, the stomach shift. Apparently abject terror and fear mixed with initially being subjected to Placidius meant that Astrid's stomach was going to upheave itself. Thankfully for Orobas he'd walked off and thus wasn't subject to the. . . plant matter vomit. . . thing that Astrid spit up. It wasn't a pretty sight in all honesty.

Still all things considered her only vomiting out once was more than enough merciful in it's own way. Because she adjusted immediately after. And that's when she realized it. There was another. Smaller, weaker being. Similar to her it felt like. Well more accurately looked like. And he smelled GREAT. The scent of fresh flowers was like a chef's pantry of spices to her. It was soft, sweet, and mixed in with his own. And he even had just a touch of beast clinging to him. Not that she'd known from what. And frankly it didn't matter. While Arma and Orobas were talking Astrid let her stomach take the reigns. With it now open for anything and everything it could get and her already lingering curse of eternal hunger she didn't even begin to hesitate. With the sigil still imprinted on her chest she simply threw one under Arma and teleported herself over.

Within seconds after she moved she immediately grappled him with all the strength she could wrapping her limbs around his torso and giving an extra loop to his shoulders and thighs. Once she was secured to her prey she went straight for his jugular with as much ferocity as she could manage. If he screamed out or cried or even said anything hell even if Orobas did anything that wasn't directly intervening to save him Astrid was going to consume his neck in it's entirity. Like a wanton whore she'd just keep tearing flesh out of him armor be damned, she'd eat it all! Consume every last fiber to him if she was given the time and opportunity. She was starved, she was a monster, and she wasn't stopping for anyone. From his throat she'd immediately start coiling her fingers into appendages and start tearing at his chest. Specifically the upper right portion. And from the neck she'd start moving down into his shoulder and then his breast and then dig right into his chest cavity. Her claws scraping against his body and ripping it apart to make sure she got to the ribcage.

She was after something special now. Her hunger was abating for the time being but she wasn't done eating. Not by a fucking long shot. She'd just keep going and going until she finally found his liver. The stomach was her second on the list but the acid in it would need to be drained first and she didn't have the patience for it. But the liver? Easy pickings. She just needed to reach it. By this point she was already well through revealing his ribs and was actively trying to break them apart so she could effectively climb inside his chest cavity and go to town. Thus was Astrid's mission for the time being. Though a small part of her mind that was slowly recovering did hope that she wasn't about to get killed on the spot for this. There was a moment of fear, a slight moment of hesitation and then her hunger came back in spades and she immediately succumbed to it again. Hunger would not lose out to reason and until she'd finally finish consuming Arma she wouldn't consider anything else from here on out.

[Deleted]

Watching as Astrid did what she could to utterly tear through Arma's own metallic skin with seeming ease, Orobas simply placed a hand on their chin and observed with relative interest. "Uh, boss?" Arma started saying, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he was being devoured alive, "things are going, well... a bit unexpected here." Orobas simply nodded, making note of the fact that Arma seemed to continue to talk despite no longer having a neck. "I seem to be bleeding out, please make sure none of this gets on that crown! I should hopefully be back soon sir!" Once more, Orobas nodded. "Godspeed, Arma, you've served well thus far."

As time continued, and Astrid kept going on to consume the Hason put before her, Orobas couldn't help but keep up a smile the entire time. "Well," they spoke, "someone certainly seems to be a bit hungry. Anything else I could get you for the time being, dear Astrid? Perhaps another snack might do you well? Though, I assume you're still unable to understand me? Hmm... I might just have something I can do about that." Taking a deep breath, Orobas held both of their hands out, with nothing more than a devious smirk still persisting on their face.

With a tremendous booming of reiatsu throughout not only the city-sized building, not only the ring, but throughout most of Hell itself, Orobas had released. "Congratulations, Astrid," they said, releasing swarm after swarm of stag beetles, each seeming to fly from their sleeves, back, and through the legs of their pants, "you're the first to truly bare witness to this form of mine. None thus far have ever had the luxury of making note of my form; I hope that I can dig into that little mind of yours in order to see what I can do about making communication between us... a bit easier."

As these beetles continued to fly forth from Orobas, they made their way over to Astrid with a rather impressive amount of speed, and began to bite away at the young Hason. She'd feel no pain from each of these bites, but they'd be absolutely endless in number, or so it would seem. It'd take upward of a minute or two, but about five thousand stings would assault the girl's body, should she do nothing to contest it. Even if she did, more insects would simply spawn from the Akki, doing what they could to secure her fate.

Upon finishing these stings, Astrid would likely quickly find her mind absolutely flooded by thought. Though, interestingly enough, this thought was likely not to be her own, yet it'd feel familiar; as if it were coming from her. Thought that wouldn't require her own knowledge of the language Orobas spoke, rather something that felt... instinctual. Innate. "Greetings, Astrid, and welcome to the hivemind. We hope you enjoy your stay. Effects are merely temporary, yet you should still exercise a level of intellectual control over your own thoughts here. I'm interested to see if you've intellectual freedom, as opposed to being locked into that bestial little body of yours."

QUEST STEP COMPLETE!
Easy - Find a way to unite Orobas & Astrid.: 200 TP for Quest completion.
Enemy Defeated: Arma - Class 4. 90 QP and 1,500 Ryo earned.

Quinta Etapa: 1/8

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Swarms}Reiatsu Pool: 15,900/17,500
-500 for Quinta Etapa.
-5,000 for Stag Beetle Creation x5,000.

----------
Current Swarms:

Swarm A:
Stag Beetles - 1,000

Swarm B:
Stag Beetles - 1,000

Swarm C:
Stag Beetles - 1,000

Swarm D:
Stag Beetles - 1,000

Swarm E:
Stag Beetles - 1,000

SPOILER: Click to show

{Quinta Etapa - Spreading the Hivemind}
Spreading the Hivemind is a technique revolving around the idea of Orobas spreading their influence across the world around them. While in Quinta Etapa, every insect bite will leave a target with a debuff known as Hivemind Infection. What this does is slowly drown out their thoughts until nothing but the will of the Hivemind remains. Each bite or sting will inflict one HI. At certain intervals, certain effects will begin to occur, driving those afflicted closer and closer to insanity. When considering Healing Expertise, every point of Healing Expertise someone has requires another 3 stings in order to meet these thresholds.

At 1,000 stings, the will of the Hivemind will slowly begin to creep its way inside someone's mind, and gently guide them to perform certain actions, dictated by Orobas. At this point, whether or not they follow through is up to them, but these whispers will grow ever distracting, requiring a Battle Focus 1 to keep fighting without any problems.

At 5,000 stings, the will of the Hivemind will continue to drive someone toward follow certain actions, and more assertively guide them to perform certain actions. At this point, a Strength of Will 1 is required to resist this drive, while a Battle Focus 2 is required to continue to fight through these distractions.

At 10,000 stings, the will of the Hivemind will grow to dominate someone's senses. Orobas' own will shall begin to press on their very psyche, twisting their auditory sensory abilities to nothing but whispers from the mad Akki. Strength of Will 2 is required to resist these pressing drives, while a Battle Focus 3 is required to fight through this.

At 20,000 stings, the will of the Hivemind will reach its peak. Orobas' will shall be the only thing those afflicted are able to hear, see, and feel. Written commands will begin to flash before their eyes, as though the words of Orobas' commands are being written in the air in front of them. The whispers from the Akki will consume their ears, driving them to insanity should they not surrender to their will. A Strength of Will 4 is required to resist these actions, while a Battle Focus 4 is required to fight through these distractions and resist these insanity effects.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Release-Based Afflictions}
Astrid: 5,000 stings. Hivemind Infection: 5,000.

[Astrid Vess]

Arma was something else. Seriously. Astrid had many things prior but Arma was literally unlike ANYTHING ELSE she'd ever had the pleasure of consuming. Perhaps it was because he was a fellow hason? Maybe it was simply him being more powerful than the shinigami Astrid had eaten prior. Honestly Astrid couldn't know. Wouldn't know. All she cared to know was that he was a fucking meal unto himself and that was a very literal interpretation given she was eating the fuck outta him. That was however until Orobas decided to let loose.

See Astrid is many things. A beast. A hunger induced maniac. And absolutely a fucking cannibal both when it suits her and when it doesn't. She was also still an incredibly weak hason, especially compared to her others in the forest and outside it. And that fact was almost immediately reminded to her when Orobas decided to actually let loose a bit of his power. The fact the room let alone the building was still standing was actually quite the impressive feat. Yet it wasn't one that had any chance of crossing Astrid's mind. Instead that deep seated fear was rrising up and quickly stomping out the remaining hunger pangs and cohernt thought that was slowly returning.

What she saw was something she'd never forget. Orobas's skin looked like it was moving and crawling. And from literally everywhere came bugs. Bugs Astrid had never seen but that she had to admit by themselves looked pretty underwhelming. If they had been alone that is. Instead there was already a small swarm of hundreds being summoned IN MERE SECONDS. Astrid if she could have, would have literally shit on the ground from how utterly horrifying the prospect was. Especially when the stray thought came to mind that Orobas had these inside him. . . and they didn't stop.

Orobas didn't need to introduce her to the hivemind to know exactly what was going through her head at the moment. NOPE. RUN. FAR. NOW!! Astrid without even thinking attempted to summon something. Anything from within her and that's when her mind went to the Hason she'd just consumed. She didn't know why but she felt a response from deep within. A very familiar very unnaturally friendly response. From the tree on Astrid's back a bright pink flower bloomed and then the petals broke away. Resting between Astrid and the now insanely large swarm of insects. From the small pile blossomed out Arma who simply looked at Orobas and waved. Well before he pulled up a sword and started slashing the insects as best he could.

Sure a few got killed in the process, there were literally thousands inside the space of a room but Arma was drastically underpowered and overwhelmed by Orobas's sheer number of insects. Still for one reason or another Astrid had the good sense to run to the door and managed to even open it. She had no fear in abandoning Arma. Hell she didn't even realize she'd summoned him anyway. Again, not that it mattered. However as Astrid was about to run down a surprisingly nice hallway she felt something on her leg. Scratch that a lot of somethings. With a casual glance down at her legs she quickly found that it was a portion of the swarm that was rapidly growing in number.

And that's when the nightmare fuel became readily apparent. Astrid was immediately dragged right the hell back by a force she had yet to feel in hell. And worse yet the door shut before her. Within seconds she was completely enveloped and unable to do literally anything. That did not stop Astrid from having the fear of god put in her however as her insides were being crawled on by insects and rapidly stung. She didn't even have internal organs and it just felt horribly horribly wrong. Seriously, she'd take dying to a full body spa in an acid lake, being burnt alive in pitch, and even being beaten up, tortured and ultimately eaten alive before EVER enduring this again. At least if she had any say in it. Fun fact, she likely wouldn't and she DEFINITELY didn't currently.

Before she knew it however Astrid was deep deep into her subconcious in a void of no light, no matter, hell she didn't even know if ANYTHING was present in here. Even that insissant hunger was gone. "What a relief." That's when she realized she could speak clearly and easily. In fact her thoughts were far more complex and apparent than they had EVER been barring. . . a long time ago. It was only just dawning on her that Astrid had been in hell an incredibly long time and just hadn't realized it until now. "How in the f-" That's when she noticed that there was another present and it took the current form of Orobas she'd seen prior to his insect spawning nightmare fuel.

She narrowed her eyes at him and backed up slowly. She surprisingly only growled lightly which while she wasn't certain if she'd done out of habit or instinct. Still she glared at him and didn't let him get any misunderstanding that while he did force himself into this void he sure as hell wasn't welcome. "I'd say I'm pleased however we both know I'm anything but. Still if I've you to thank for . . . this mental clarity then . . . I'm appreciative. But would it kill you to NOT have insects run rampant within my chest cavity? I understand it's open and there's nothing in there but can you IMAGINE what it's like to have hundreds of bugs in there?" Astrid shudderedfor moment before putting the frankly PTSD inducing thought aside.

"Anyway. . . you've seen me talk to you. More clearly than I've been able to prior surprisingly and with other memories to boot it seems. So what else if anything do you want. . . what was it? Orobas? I think that is what you called yourself, yea? Or do have some other pretentious title or name you'd prefer? Nevermind forget I asked, I really could care less."

[Deleted]

Seeing Astrid try to act about certainly brought a smile to the Akki's face; more so than anything else that's happened thus far. Whether it was due to the fact that they seemed to thrive off of Astrid's own misery like the sick fuck they were, or whether it was due to the fact that Arma seemed to come back almost instantaneously due to some power the girl seemed to have, they couldn't be certain. One thing was certain, though, and that was that Orobas was enjoying every waking moment of their time with this Hason.

As they released their beetles from every corner and inch of their own body, Orobas watched as Arma tried to make a few attacks against them. If nothing else, it was certainly good effort. Not that it mattered much, though; Arma wasn't the primary target, as odd as it may have been that he was there for the time. No, that was Astrid; a target that Orobas was not going to miss out on. Within a few short moments, as planned, their bugs had completely and utterly encapsulated the girl, entrapping and biting into her flesh in order to spread around a sort of pseudo-disease.

That's when things seemed to halt. As the girl stopped putting up a semblance of a fight, Orobas dispersed their bugs, returning them to themself for the time being. There wasn't any need to keep them out, after all. Surely that'd be down the line, but for right now, posing a threat to the girl wasn't the best option. As the last few bugs had returned to them, Orobas heard a soft ringing throughout their own mind; seemed Astrid was looking to speak. "What a relief." With a mental chuckle, Astrid seemed to remain confused, and then continue to speak.

As she spoke, Orobas couldn't help but chuckle. "Dear girl, there's no need to thank me over something like that; I was merely looking for an easier method of communication with you. To say you've interested me is an egregious understatement; especially with that little 'bringing back the dead' trick you've just pulled with my Eques. I'll absolutely apologize for the display that had just been put before you with my insects, the intention was never to freak you out; merely to... open your mind, is all."

Letting her finish, Orobas simply maintained the smile they had thus far. Oh, this was going to be fun. "Orobas alone is fine, dear girl. Though, I'm inclined to ask your name; what might that be?" Waiting for the girl to introduce herself, Orobas took the time to continue. "Well, Astrid, it's a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with you. If I can ask it of you, I'd like you to put your disdain for Akki aside; I'm not here to subjugate you, torture you, or anything of the like. I'd merely like to make you an offer that seeks to benefit the both of us."

"You've got... potential. That much has made itself evident by the fact that you've just summoned a lieutenant of mine. I'd like to nurture that power of yours; do what I can in order to allow you to grow. It seems that your little confrontation with Arma has gone to aid that fact, as well! So, if you're willing, I'd like to take you into the Human World; tear apart a country. So long as you agree to stand not as a lesser, but as an equal to me, I'm more than willing to do what I can in order to assure your growth is nothing short of perfect.

[Astrid Vess]

Astrid wanted to gag or more accurately choke herself out until she was completely unconcious. She would prefer to choke out Orobas herself if that were even a possibilty. Fun fact though, as usual, it was not. Not with Orobas anyway. Maybe she could do that to someone else if she could manage. For now though she simply needed to just. . . deal with him. He wanted to talk and she could stomach him and his speeches moreso now. By a suprising margin even, enough that even Astrid was quite surprised by it. Still at least here there weren't any of those godforsaken insects. As long as they were kept away she'd be willing to keep talking to him. If not, she'd immediately run off into the deeper recesses of her subconcious if only to ensure he wasn't there.

Still the longer Astrid had to listen to the man the more she realized that patience was wearing thin rapidly. Turns out hunger or no hunger pompous narcissists still made Astrid want to rend them in two. Or get something that would given she never had the strength to do such in the first place. That didn't mean however that she couldn't pick out things that were curious however. Orobas made mention of her ability to ressurect Arma which was. . . curious. She didn't recall seeing Arma post consuming his body. Perhaps it was an instinctual thing though. She'd have to ask since he was the one to point it out and it wasn't like Arma was here to tell her for himself.

"Let's get one thing clear Orobas. Now that I can think clearly enough to speak my mind you are by far the MOST arrogant fuck I've ever had the displeasure of meeting in this godforsaken pit. And I've dealt with many a fucking akki and hellborn demon and neither shut the hell up! I mean seriously do you ever get to the goddamn point?! Stop with the fucking pet names. Stop with the flowery language. Just tell me what in the 9 hells that you want! For fucks sake even that other akki. . . the flamboyant yet skinless one didn't even talk as much as you. And in case you know him the fucker has gold damn near pinned into his body. It's like he compensating for something. Probably a lack of capability. Either way he understood who or what? Whatever he understand what was going on with me."

"I suppose you eventually got the point since we're in here now but fuck did it take awhile. Still all of you akki are just. . . fucking infuriating. Just you wait until figure out how to knock you ALL down a fucking peg. ARGRHH! " Astrid found herself fuming yet again. She really tried to hold herself back from losing it again but Orobas just pushed all the right buttons to just piss her the hell off. Still she had to get a grip on her intense anger and severe dislike of Orobas and akki in general. She just. . . she just needed to forcefully grip the damn emotion in her mind and well for lack of a better idea choke it the fuck out. So she did, if given a moment or several. She eventually just calmed herself down while muttering and thinking out blasphemous and curses that would make most of hell blush. Eventually though she calmed down enough to look at the man and speak to him. His only response as asking her name.

Astrid rolled her eyes and just told him outright. Though as she said it she was. . . surprised she knew that. For the longest time she didn't know she had a name. ". . . I didn't realize I had a name until now. How did I forget? Isn't that something inherent to a person? I'm going to need to remember this." She shook her head and took another deep breath before listening to Orobas speak again. Seemed his name was simply Orobas so good to know. And then he immediately asked her to put aside her anger. She couldn't say yet but she did nod at him. The understanding being she'd try. It likely wouldn't all be gone but she would try. Still as he talked she could tell he was a slimy bastard. "Not here to subjugate", then what the hell was that insect shit?! Still he seemed just as interested as Astrid was about her power. Against her better judgement she'd have to ask about it and a couple other things once he was done monologuing again.

When he finally finished she sat down on the "ground". Not realizing in the mental space she could materialize a chair. Still she really didn't need it given she was still hunched over at 3 feet tall. If anything she was now just cross-legged on the "ground". Once there she started speaking to him again. "Your offer sounds two faced. You and I both know I'm nowhere near your level and no akki let alone higher end Hason or hellborn demon will acknowledge it. All you've said is flowery words to persuade me to enter a deal with you. One I'm not going to agree to. Still Arma was it? I think you mean the hason I attacked without regard, when did he come back? Or how? He should be in the process of being revived somewhere. Or considering your authority in Hell he should have revived somewhere nearby. Usually in a painful way."

"That aside, if you even know what's going on, which I assume you have some idea since you act like you do. What makes you think I'd even begrugdingly agree to follow you somewhere? I've died more than enough times in more than enough gruesome ways. Your bugs gave me a scare yes but that's likely not the last time I'll deal with something like that. So even if you threaten "torture" you're not going to get somewhere with me after awhile. So why would I follow? Especially if it's YOU I have to deal with? Because from where I stand you're using me for entertainment or worse as a tool. And then when you're done you'll hide me somewhere no one can or will find me. If only to keep up that pretty little image you've got with your fancy ass clothes. And I've no intention of dealing with that at any point in time, assuming I have any say in the matter."

SPOILER: Click to show

{QP / Ryo current totals}
90QP - Arma's death

1,500 Ryo - Arma's death

Myriad of Many Faces learned and maxed at Proficient Status

Class 3 tech -> 80 TTP / 2 Due to cinematic nature -> 40 TTP

80 QP -> 80 TTP

80 TTP -> 0 TTP total due to learning and being proficient in Myriad of Many Faces

Final Ryo and QP totals

QP: 10

Ryo: 1,500

[Deleted]

"Let's get one thing clear Orobas. Now that I can think clearly enough to speak my mind you are by far the MOST arrogant fuck I've ever had the displeasure of meeting in this godforsaken pit." "Four-hundred and twelve." "And I've dealt with many a fucking akki and hellborn demon and neither shut the hell up! I mean seriously do you ever get to the goddamn point?!" "Seven-hundred forty-six!" "Stop with the fucking pet names. Stop with the flowery language. Just tell me what in the 9 hells that you want!" "Fourteen fifty...three? Four?" "For fucks sake even that other akki. . . the flamboyant yet skinless one didn't even talk as much as you." With a soft clap, Orobas smiled. "Ooh, only twelve! Nice one there, Astrid!" Assuming she proceeded to ask as to why they were counting, they'd happily reply. "Spending eternity after eternity down in hell is rather tiresome... I've taken a liking to counting the number of times I've been insulted. Helps to keep me sane in these trying times."

As she continued to speak, and subsequently shouted, Orobas let out a soft sigh. "Finished getting out your aggression, dear?" With a chuckle, they simply started to sit down on the air, quickly finding themselves held up through a rather large number of stag beetles that flew from their coat, and worked to serve as a chair of sorts. Crossing their legs, Orobas simply smiled at the girl in front of them, continuing to make the offer they'd originally intended to make. As they finished, and watched Astrid take a seat, they started to listen intently to what the girl had to say about their words. As she called them out for an apparently falsified deal, Orobas feigned being hurt over the situation. Still, though, they continued to hear the girl out.

As she finished, they simply smiled and spoke themselves. "Dear, it'd be one thing if you said I, as you put it, 'don't shut up', and followed your own example. Given that little... tangent you've just went on, I don't think you've the room to speak on that matter." With a chuckle, the Akki continued on with their point. "With that said, though, I've no intention to deceive you. For starters, Arma's return was by no means me; that was all you, dear. You were the one that brought him back; something that's beginning to truly make me wonder what your upper limit of strength is going to be." With a devious smirk, the paused for a short second, in order to let Astrid process that bit of information.

"As far as us working together, though; there's a particularly insufferable piece of Akki shit that had found herself joining the ranks of the Legatus within our fair organization. It's not in good faith with the rest of the organization if I simply assassinate another one of our leaders; Hell or not, that doesn't exactly send a good message for the legions we're looking to have willingly follow us, you know? So, I'd like your help. I suppose you could say I'm using you, and that wouldn't be entirely wrong, but you've so very much to gain from something like this. If I challenge her, it'll be an overstep of power. However, if we challenge her, and you take a position of power amongst the other Legatus and myself, then it's just a run-of-the-mill Usurpation, if you're catching my meaning. As a show of faith, though, I'll gladly teach you how to get your own... how did you put it? 'Pretty little image with fancy ass clothes'? If you desire a more.... attractive form, that's one thing that I can help with. I am the fleshwarper amongst the Sanctus, after all."

[Astrid Vess]

If Astrid had blood she'd be able to feel the blood pressure rising throughout her body. Instead she simply had vines, roots and tendrils with the occasional piece of bone matter. And with the numbers that kept getting spoken she kept getting more angry. Especially once she caught onto why Orobas was counting. This was neither the first time nor the last time he'd be insulted and he'd made the damn thing into a fucking game. One Astrid wished she could just flip on it's head and throw back at him given he was so FUCKING self assured that he was going to get his way. Which meant that even if Astrid attempted to betray him at some critical moment he'd be more than expecting it. And given what had brought her to this mental plane he was the one capable of calling all the shots given she was otherwise preoccupied with being knocked the fuck out.

Her anger however DID take a dip, namely when she started to see insects again. For all her talk and bravado there was a part of her that wasn't keen on dealing with them again. But that core spark of anger in her was unrelenting and would not let fear consume it. Instead she shivered for a moment before immediately losing a portion of control over her body as it continued to wriggled and flex on it's own. Her instincts were screaming at her to attack him. Consequences be damned. Still if nothing else his insufferable comment about her also speaking up a storm while a fair jab back did cause her to mentally sit the fuck down. Thankfully Astrid did not have a tongue with which to bite off otherwise she most certainly would have bitten it in order to actually give the waste of space a moment to speak. Not that she EVER wanted to talk to him again but he was correct she was following in his footsteps already and it was on accident.

And for once biting her "tongue" managed to give her something to work with. SHE had summoned Arma. Her consumption of him had instigated something that allowed her to summon him. And it wasn't just a replica she got. It was the actual individual soul. That meant that anything she'd eaten including the rare few hellions in her past might be up for grabs to call forth. . . And scarier yet. . . the past she couldn't remember meant she'd have SEVERAL races of other beings to summon. Because she may not HAVE the memories yet but she knew she had consumed a great many beings prior to her condemnation as a hason. Thus she'd need to look into this when she could. Preferably once she was without the all encompassing hunger. But the only way that worked was when she was here. . . with him. Someone she'd rather kill herself several times over than deal with.

Still this is where the truly interesting point of note came to be. As Astrid continued to listen she realized several things. 1. Someone SOME FUCKING INDIVIDUAL managed to get under Orobas's skin. Past the bugs. And managed to genuinely piss him off in a way Astrid hadn't seen prior till now. 2. There was an organization. Which now made sense given she wasn't hunger dominated. Especially considering what she remembered of the room they'd been teleported into. 3. He wanted said hellion replaced utterly by her. Likely consumed given what he'd learned about her in their short time seeing one another. 4. Lastly to have her join not just him but this organization. The reward? A chance to change her form. Power, supposedly. And last but not least Authority. And from the sounds of it a lot of it over you name it. If it's in hell she'd likely be in charge of it.

And yet all of it sounded like shit. Oh no doubt Orobas wanted to kill off someone. All akki did. Hell she wouldn't be surprised if they'd kill their own parent and have no regrets. Something that sat. . . unwell on her person for some reason. Moving past it however she knew if she agreed to this he'd simply use it as a means by which he controlled her. Just because she was a "legatus" didn't mean he wouldn't hold sway over her. Didn't mean she wouldn't be thrown away like trash once he was done with her. Whatever goals he was aiming to achieve that is. Orobas to Astrid's clearer sense of self didn't seem like an individual that stopped at being king. She might not have known what he wanted to do but she was certain it wasn't just being a Legatus. Whatever the fuck that was or meant. And that's why Astrid simply smiled at him. Dark and mocking like he wasn't in on the joke. And if anything in this case he wasn't. He may have started the talk here but he wasn't the one who could stop it.

"Well Orobas you've made a fair point both on me talking too much and on your deal. But I think you've let out too much information. So let me tell you something that likely no one has said to you. If this shitsain managed to get to her position while disregarding your say in the matter I'd rather serve her. She's clearly far more CAPABLE than you or the other akki. Because for all your "authority" she still did something you wanted and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. And you know what that makes her? Better. Than. YOU. If not in all ways than at least in one way. And I hope for your sake she doesn't catch on, lest she stomp you like the insignificant INSECT you are." Astrid started laughing to herself as she stood up to her full height of 5 feet and just mocked Orobas further. She genuinely hoped this individual stuck around. She NEEDED them to stick around if only to ensure this façade of an individual continued to be pissed off because she was his bug spray.

"No Orobas. I will not serve. I will not join you. And I most certainly WILL NOT kill off the only thing in your life to make you so desperate as to talk to HASONS in order to change something you don't like. You can torture me with as many insects as you want but I'll never willingly or unwillingly aid you. Hehe it's like watching a crying child wailing about how unfair life is because something didn't go their way. Welcome to your personal hell Orobas, I hope you hate your stay because right now for all your "might" and "authority" you're still lesser than the woman you hate. And it's never going to change." Astrid opened her arms wide exposing all of herself with the smile of a dead man. Nothing Orobas did would make her any less certain of she said or believed. If it pissed him off in the same way the other akki did it was well worth it.