Devil May Cry: DJIIN [Job | Leila]

OOC: This job hasn't been sent to the Guilds nor the Magic Council, but directly to Vargas, so I'll recruit you ICly, alright?

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The Hell's Gate. That was the name that Shade and Gleam had given the strange, black monoliths that had appeared throughout Fiore not too many days before that moment. The obelisks that served as connections with the Underworld and the human realm, now activated after so long, when something like that should not have happened. Vargas was unsure of what that meant, but one thing was clear... his services were now required. After dealing with the menace in Beanstalk Village, it did not take long for the Devil's Arms user to receive what would be his next assignment regarding this new, demonic threat. It came from one of his previous clients, and actually, the one that also had invited him to that fancy ball... given that he had no stable home yet, he kind of lost the clothes he had been given there. Perhaps he ought to apologize; after all they had been a gift.

The Seig now stood right before the Mysterious Canyon near Rose Garden at night time, with a full moon glowing above him. The area, which was usually calm and peaceful, now featured a much more different landscape. Rivers of fire and lava coursed freely, and even from there, some demons could be seen, although they mostly mimicked with the flames so it was very hard to tell. The black monolith, with something akin to a portal glowing pure red, was also visible from there, thanks to the light the ambience provided.

From the watchpoint, the male's eyes squinted as they hovered over the entire scene. That was going to be one hell of a time, due to the extra difficulty provided by the landscape. What kind of foes might he face that time? He was incredibly excited. With his arms crossed, he continued to gaze over, thinking of the best route to take to the Hell's Gate.

-Heh... this could actually get kind of messy. -he said to himself.

it wasn't often that Leila would take some time just for herself, especially will all the new contracts that were appearing nearly everywhere lately. But her she was, outside of Rose Garden and walking about with no real goal in mind. The little furry creature she called her companion was walking on the ground next to her, sometimes running around playfully, not really having any care in the world's problems. That spectacle alone always managed to make her smile. But today, there was something trying to erase that smile from her face. She felt that something strange was happening somewhere nearby. Her magic was connected to the Earth in a very strong manner, and when something magical or just plain odd happened, she felt it. Today was no different. Her instincts lead her towards the nearby canyon and she followed them, unsure if was doing the right thing. And after few minutes of walking, even Ori started feeling the sudden changes around them. The air suddenly became rather humid, the skies illuminated with a foreboding crimson. Starting to feel the heat underneath her heavy leather coat, she would soon see what was happening here, quickly grasping the gravity of this unusual situation. The structure of canyon had seemingly completely changed from the last time she visited it, the land ruined and ravaged by merciless waves of lava flowing freely. It was as if a volcano erupted right in the middle of this land form, remaking it to it's own image without much trouble. But this was no natural occurrence, that much she knew for sure.

Looking around in panic, she would spot another human figure in the distance, also overlooking the hellish landscape. She could not quite make him out from this far away and she had little in form of choices. Her feet started walking and then running towards this person. And once Leila got closer, she would slow down while analyzing the man. After all, it was possible that he was the one responsible for this mess. Although it was rather hard to believe that a single mage would be capable of doing something of scale this large. Especially someone that seemed so young. Sure, his hair was white with gray-ish shade to it, but that was hardly indication of age, given her own hair coloring. And his body suggested young age as well, along with the fairly stylish attire worth of strong fighter. E...excuse me! Do you know what's going on here? She would eventually gather courage and call out, deciding to draw his attention towards herself. If he was hostile, she would have to fight him. But if he, by any chance, was friendly, she would gain an ally and possibly someone that could explain this whole ordeal. In the meanwhile, Ori clawed his way up Leila's attire and found his way into her bag by himself, not wanting to get in her way or be directly exposed to the heat from flowing lava for too long.

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Status
HP: 200
MP: 100%

Word count: 501

As Vargas's gaze continued to be fixed in the hellish landscape, his Sensory skill allowed him to detect a nearby magical power approaching him. It had only entered his radar a few moments ago, so  he figured out it'd be of his level or so, perhaps a bit above. The male noticed that she stopped there for a moment, as if eyeing him out, probably to see if he was a dangerous stranger or not. By all answers, he turned to look at her with a relaxed stance, and dedicated her a half-smile. The girl had long, silver hair with dark markings, and it seemed to become more transparent the further down it got. He'd then look at her ocean blue eyes with his own grayish blue orbs. She was quite pretty, and he figured out that she'd be around his age.

As the young woman asked him if he knew what was going on there, he approached until he was right next to her, then made a signal with his hand so she'd look at the direction he was pointing: towards the Canyon. -More or less... you see that huge, black thing there? -he questioned, pointing towards the Hell's Gate. After she answered, he'd continue by explaining what little he was aware of. -Those things seemed to have begun appearing throughout Fiore lately. Think of it as a manhole cover; you remove it, and nasty shit comes from the inside. I've already been hired to destroy one, but this time... things could get nasty. See those moving flames? They're probably demons, and I bet they're not precisely nice.

After all, he had been told that the demons there were quite aggressive. While the male took a better look at the scenery, an idea struck him. Even if he had never done a job with other people, there was always a first time for everything. The Seig focused on his Sensory to feel her power, and yes, he could confirm his previous readings. His half-grin widening, he would then offer her to go with him.

-...I guess I could use some help. I can feel that you're a mage, and there's no harm in asking and there's no time to lose stuttering around; so here's the deal. You come with me and help me destroy that Hell's Gate and the demons, and half of the reward from my contract is yours. No tricks whatsoever.

He paused for a moment, and then winked at her.

-Besides, I could use some company every once in a while! -he stated, as laid-back as ever, retaining his usual carefree attitude despite being in the midst of disaster.

It was apparent that the man had noticed her earlier than when she actually called him. He was clearly mage and no ordinary civilian. His reaction to her words was a bit less comfortable that she would have hoped, as he suddenly started approaching her without uttering even a single word. Doing something like that was nothing but creepy, no matter who did it and to whom. Taking few steps back, she was trying to keep at least some manner of distance between the two, but to no avail. He was clearly determined to get a better look at her. Leaving her with not much of a choice, she prepared for a possible sudden attack and let him approach her. And once he did, his hand gestured, trying to shift her attention towards all those amalgamations that were moving about below them. She appreciated that he actually tried explaining it all to her, but there was much he could improve. "I..I see. But was it necessary to compare it with something so disgusting...?" She asked him, her facial expression slightly twisted with discomfort as her body shook, responding to her mind imagining the nastiness he mentioned. But once she managed to get those thoughts out of her head, she made few more steps towards the canyon's edge, looking down at those demons he mentioned. Indeed, she now saw few impish creatures and other manner of otherworldly things. "Demons, huh... that's not good, no matter how you look at it." She informed him of something he said himself just few moments back.

Given the fact that he managed to sense her magic, it was no surprise that this man was here to destroy whatever was causing this small cataclysm. And it was perhaps no surprise that he asked for Leila's help as well. In the end, they were standing in front of literal hellscape. Surely even the strongest of mages would want someone watching their backs in this situation. And since money was indeed involved, she hesitated for only the tiniest moment before she turned towards him and bowed. "Name's Leila Vergious, a travelling mage. Pleasure to meet you." She introduced herself to him, sealing their deal of cooperation for the next few moments. "I assure you we'll have plenty of company in form of demons once we move down there." She answered him little remark at the end, smirk appearing on her face as well. She turned towards the flowing lava once more and slowly loosened her cape, letting it fall to the ground beneath her feet. Revealing her usual attire of black and red, she swiped the sweat from her forehead. "If we're to do this, let us finish quickly...  the faster we get rid of this heat, the better." Fire was one of her greatest enemies after all. This place was probably the least efficient place for her magic and presence, but she was still determined to help this white-haired boy and cleanse the land. After all, she was somewhat protector of nature and these demons were disrupting it.

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Status
HP: 200
MP: 100%

Word count: 511

Once the male began approaching the newcomer, she immediately got defensive, prompting him to rise his hands in a conciliative manner. -Whoa, slow down, babe. I've got enough work to do to begin a fight here. -he began, attempting to make her calm down. Heck, was it so easy to think he was someone evil? Perhaps he should change his attire... hell no. He loved his red trenchcoat, after all.

At any rate, once Vargas had finished explaining what the Hell's Gate was in simple terms to Leila, she seemed to understand, but was also quick to call out on his example, labeling it as disgusting. Well, she did make a fair point. -Heh, but I'm sure you got the concept, right? I suppose I've always been too direct -he'd lazily excuse himself, knowing he had no need to do so. Anyway, the newcomer did agree with him on something: the fact that demons being there meant trouble; big trouble. Thus, she finally accepted his offer, and introduced herself as Leila Vergious, a wandering mage, just like he was.

-Oh, so you're also out of the Guild system, huh? I guess that's something we've got in common -the white haired man would answer, and then let out a laugh when she mentioned he'd already have plenty of company down there, with all the devils. With his own half-grin widening, Vargas would be quick to retort to that comment. -I know, the choice was hard to make, but today I'd rather have you around than them. Just this once -he stated, quite amused by the girl's personality. She seemed rather playful, and he liked that in everyone he came across.

Once she asked him to get down to business fast, Vargas would quirk an eyebrow and tried to tease her. -What, don't like the heat? Well wait until we get down there... saunas and hot springs will be a joke after we get rid of those bad boys -the Seig stated, and then walked towards the edge of the precipice. Standing there, he rose his arms to the sides and looked at her with an excited expression. -So, how 'bout a race? First one to make it to the bottom wins!

With that said, the Devil's Arms user let himself fall backwards, his feet separating from the rocky end of the line, free-falling towards the battle that was about to unfold there. Mid-air, he turned backwards, entered Swordmaster style, and got let out an eager and excited yell.

-This party's gettin' crazy! LET'S ROCK!!!

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OOC: Get another post in and we'll begin rollin' the monsters!

He certainly was a diplomat with the words he chose to use there. But in the end, he was just a free spirit who was clearly not interested in formalities. Which of course didn't mean he should forget all of his manners, but in face of this fiery apocalypse, there was absolutely no point in arguing about anything so trivial. Not to mention, they did have few things in common, mainly the fact that they were both not bound by any of the existing guilds that resided on the land of Fiore. They were both birds that soared high through the skies and did whatever they wanted, as long as it was withing the limitations of law that the magic council created. But having enough of those thoughts, she only looked sideways when he started verbally poking her about her distaste of excessive warmth. Surely he was uncomfortable hot as well, standing this close to molten lava. He seemed human enough, there was no way he would be completely resistant to the heat in this place. Pouting a little, she ignored him and looked away from his face, easily breaking their eye contact as she sighed silently. But he was not interested in making fun of her any longer anyway, as he walked towards the solid edge and looked down, challenging Leila at the same time. And without having even time to properly respond, he just leaned back and let the gravity do it's job. Not really interested in beating him, she just moved to the same spot where he was and looked down. Her eyes carefully observed, fixating on the white-haired mage who was falling to the flaming ground.

And once he managed to safely land, she jumped down as well. Of course, she had a plan of her own, as she already failed getting down before him. And there was a good reason for her to watch where he landed, as she was aiming at that exact spot. After all, his body was big and strong, while her body was pretty small and fragile in direct comparison. And so she landed right at him, using his body as a pillow that made her landing a little more gentle. Though he was probably face planting the hard ground right now. Of course, she moved from his back as soon as she could, giving him chance to get back up on his own feet before enemies approach. "What a gentleman, breaking my fall like that~" She teased him back, a painful revenge for him making fun of her not liking heat. But on that topic, she really felt as if she was thrown into an oven. This place was no pleasant at all, and she was profusely sweating already. If she knew that something like this would happen, she would have brought her swimsuit. At this rate, it was possible that she might melt before they reach that hellish gate. If that actually was possible, that is. For now, she was still capable of holding it together, and so she looked at her temporary partner. So... ready for some baddies? The sooner they would start fighting, the better for her and probably for this entire place, as the lava was destroying everything that stood in it's path.

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Status
HP: 200
MP: 100%

Word count: 547

rollin' dice!

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

As Vargas had jumped down from the cliff, he was already able to see the first group of demons that were right above his landing spot. They were smaller than most demons and did not look to be much of a threat, so among all the demons that he had been informed of, the Seig figured they must be the Imp types. Well, that meant that the initial clash would not be that fierce, for they were typically weak demons. At any rate, if they were easier to kill then he ought to do it fast. Taking advantage of the fact that those beings wouldn't expect a human to come down flying of all things, moved his hand to the right and summoned one of his Devil's Arms, Ghoul.

The cannibalistic weapon pulsed with excitement, since everytime Vargas summoned it, the blade managed to gorge on his foes, a great feast that it was more than happy to receive. The first thing that the white haired male did was to bring the knife down as he fell so the extra force coming from gravity's acceleration, coupled with his own power and the increased damage output from Swordmaster style, would be more than enough to cut through one of them, slicing it in half without suffering any resistance whatsoever.

The creature, being torn from head to the lower torso, didn't even know what happened, only that its body separated and bursted into flames, dissolving into nothingness. The others, however, were perfectly aware, and reacted pretty badly at that display. Vargas fell down and landed in a crouched position, as he looked up. Yeah, that had been a pretty good entrance, in his humble opinion. However, such entrance was ruined by his new mission partner, who landed right on top of him, planting his body firmly onto the ground.

Vargas would let out a groan, more annoyed than anything, but soon shifted to a mischievous half-grin. He had to admit he was not expecting that to happen. Once she pointed out how much of a gentleman he was for stopping her fall while getting off him, the Seig returned the tease with one of his own. -Sorry, chivalry and I don't mix... so don't think I don't expect you to repay the favor from the fall -he sarcastically remarked as he got up, shooting her that same smile before turning his attention to the devils above them.

-More importantly, see those things above? They're about to come in three, two, one...

Almost instantly, the three remaining Imps went down, charging at them. Vargas looked at her with a challenging face, his trademark devil-may-care smile still there. She was already sweating and they hadn't been there for even a minute... On the other hand, he somehow felt pretty comfortable. Why, he was unsure. -There's some water in my backpack, milady -he mocked her calling him a gentleman by emphasizing the last word, all before jumping towards the demons. His small knife Ghoul suddenly twitched and morphed into a great broadsword, with two rows of tusks and the design of a creature's maw. Vargas would then use Consume and Adapt on one of the three Imps...

The poor creature got slashed by the gigantic sword, its flesh consumed by it as if it had been bitten. As the Imp fell down, the other two would rush towards his job partner... but he'd let her handle herself that once; he was curious about how she fought and what magic did she possess. -Alright then, don't make me regret sharing rewards with you!

OOC:
HP: 200/200
MP: 90%
Summoned Ghoul.
Imp 1: (1 D-Rank damage + passive + Sneak attack bonus)*1.5 from Swordmaster = dead Imp.
Imp 2: (1 D-Rank + 1.5 passive)*1.5; Imp is unable to move because of being hit with Consume and Adapt.

Finish them off at your leisure :P

Following her graceful landing was a small groan of distaste as she saw what this guy's magic actually was. While it was impressive to wield a living weapon, it certainly could use some... beautification. Leila just wasn't someone who appreciated flesh as much as some would. Her Eden was all about corrupted grace, not just outright grotesque imagery. But there was little she could do other than just not look at it. Thankfully his witty comment managed to keep her distracted long enough for her to get something else into her attention center. "Why, you had your chance to look up and see what is under my skirt. But you were too distracted, your bad." She informed him that the favor was already repaid without his knowledge. Not she would actually mind all that much if he did look up, these things weighted little to her. At least in most cases. And as he pointed out, they already had company in form of something that she interpreted as lesser demons. With his newly created blade, he took care of the first two in quite unique manner, even trying to tease her some more while doing so. Letting two from four live, only to see what she would do about them, he certainly was something. Sighing deeply, she extended her hands towards the incoming imps, letting the gray bark-like skin cover their entirety and transfer them into monstrous tree claws. In that moment, she probably wasn't all that different from that blade of his that she didn't want to look at too much. Quite ironic for sure.

As the poor imps approached, she started sprinting towards them, jumping and swiping at them. Her hits were connecting without any problems as she suddenly started dancing around, her claws slashing and tearing the lesser demons apart, as they were rather squishy. They didn't even need actual spells, simple transformation was plenty to deal with them. With no chance to strike back, the both fell to the ground with deep striking woulds covering their little bodies. Acting like that probably made Leila look quite cruel, it was almost as if she was bullying poor demons that weren't strong enough to defend themselves and fight back. But she couldn't care less at that very moment, once it was all done, she made her way towards Seig and started hanging on his backpack. "Wateeeeer~" She started suddenly moaning, her legs limp and her entire body weight on his back. Probably not the best situation he was ever in. And it even seemed that her moans and pleas for that bottle of water caught attention of more demons that were nearby. Not that there were any that would not be nearby, this place was infested with them thanks to that hellish gate. Or at least that was what she assumed, it seemed that the gate would be a perfect way of spawning those enemies right onto the battlefield. But she would have to inspect it closer if she was to actually make that her concrete statement. For now she just wanted some water and to kick some demon ass right after, since she summoned more on accident.

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Status
HP: 200
MP: 100%

Word count:
OOC: Feel free to finish your poor little imp too~

Spells used:

The member 'VindStot' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Vargas looked at Leila with a rather amused expression as she appeared to be grossed out by Ghoul's... gorey style for defeating its foes. That was only the tip of the iceberg, for Vargas still had four more Devil's Arms at his disposal, though only one was currently stronger than the ones he initially had; the one he got during his last mission in Spooky Forest. Still, as of that time, as she did her own thing and wiped out two of the three remaining Imps, the other one still wriggling in pain just in front of the Seig.

Once that was taken care of, he retorted her previous comment on him not looking under her skirt, to which he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. -Of course not; a gentleman such as I would never take a peek down milady's skirt -he teased her once more, his tone full of irony, as he shot her a wry smile. -If you insist, though, I'll check it out later. For now... let's do my next favourite thing: fight demons.

The Seig didn't know why, but adrenaline always filled his body whenever meeting those hellish creatures. It was a feeling he could not describe, but honestly, he did not care. He only knew that, as usual, battling made him feel alive; ironic, given that it was a fight to the death, after all. Impaling the badly injured Imp, he let Ghoul take its share and then got up. At the mention of water, Leila would grab Vargas's backpack and began hanging on it, leaning her entire weight on him. Given she wasn't heavy at all, and due to the height difference between them, the scenery was pretty funny: a much shorter girl grabbed onto Vargas's backpack as he walked away, carrying both body weights. Having cleaned that part of the area, there was nothing left to do there.

At one point, she began to moan, which prompted Vargas to stop, take out said water bottle, and give it to her.

-Have a drink. If I let you dehydrate here, I'd have to deal with both the demons and a giant raisin... and I hate raisins -his tone sounded serious this time, albeit he did joke a bit in the end. However, that pause will be short-lived, for more demons appeared. Another group of four Imps, who probably caught on the show earlier... or were just attracted by Leila's cries for water.

-Okay then, Lei. I'll give you the first shot this time. Surprise me -he told her with a half-grin, once she finished gulping down the liquid.

---

OOC: How about we take care of the Imps first? Boss hasn't arrived yet :P
Ghoul: 1 turn remaining (took no offensive action this post).
HP: 200/200
MP: 90%

At least he wasn't uptight or anything. Many people would not act like this in front of someone they just met, especially by answering with comments like that. He was clearing having a good time, even when faced with threat like this. Even though there were demons all around them, he was still talking like back to her like it was no big deal. She kinda liked that, partners that were overly formal or depressed all the time were more often than not unbearable and uncooperative. Not that these two were exactly cooperating, so far they were just halving the pressure from enemy's side. And his comment about 'checking her out later' even made Leila slightly blush. Not that it was recognizable, her skin was already getting all kinds of red from the intense heat all around them. At least he finally finally finished the last enemy that was pestering them at the time. Though he took his time with the water, as he jokingly continued walking who knows where, even after she started holding the bag on his back with her strong grip. Only few moments later he would finally produce the refreshing liquid from his bag and hand it to her. Not waiting for anyone, she forcefully grabbed it from his hand and started gulping, easily emptying a good half of the bottle in no time at all. Hopefully Vargas wasn't too thirsty, because she would need the rest of the water soon if they were to fight in place like this for too much longer. But for now, it gave her enough energy to continue. Standing firmly on her two feet, he pointed out that another group of imps was heading their way. Nothing they should be worried about, those guys were pretty much the weaklings of the demonic world.

But even so, or maybe exactly because of that, Leila wasn't all that interested in fighting them, wasting her energy or something so trivial. But Vargas was faster that her protest and suggested that the girl should take of them by herself. He phrased it in such a way that he might have just said "I want to see what you're capable of" or maybe something along the lines of "I'm too lazy, got and take care of it". That was mildly annoying, but she had a good solution to this problem. Extending her hand forward, she started chanting as a purple magical circle appeared on the ground, spinning and giving a sinister vibe that was making the air around them them chilly, despite all the lava. "Hold it together, birds of a feather, Nothing but lies and crooked wings. Oh. Fly over me evil angel. Open your wings evil angel." And with that, Xiolan the fallen angel, appeared from the circle, enveloped by a bright, purple light. Once summoned, she would look over the demonic boy, even though her eyes were clearly covered by a triangular mask covering the upper half of her head. Her wings, black as night, would open as she started levitating slightly above the ground. "Alright girl, go get them!" Leila commanded, showing her angel a thumbs up with a satisfied smile on her face. With a clear and swift nod, her summon took of and headed straight for those for demon, her flight speed much greater that any mortal's run. Simply flying between them, she grabbed two of the imps by their head with her iron grip, crashing them into the other two imps behind them, sending them all flying into the air as well. And once there, she would fly around them few times, kicking them all back into the ground individually. Since her physical strength was higher than human's, it was probably enough to finish those demons off. And just like that, she started flying back towards the duo.

---

Status
HP: 200
MP: 100%

OOC: Sorry for late reply, I was distracted by the fan art contest and almost forgot about this mission.

Word count: 640

Used spells:

Vargas, after asking Leila to show him what she got, watched how the girl apparently made an enchant, probably to call forth something. To be honest, the Seig was dumbfounded when suddenly, an angel would appear, summoned by her master. It was a strange angel alright, with black wings and a triangular mask that covered its face. The white haired mage had never witnessed such a creature descending right before him; to be fair, if he did know demons existed and actually fought quite a few, why would celestial beings be any different? However, what was even a fairy tale anymore? How many books had told truths that had been ignored before?

Those questions would fade from Vargas's mind as the newcomer entity began its charge right after being commanded by Leila. The speed in which it reacted to her order had been astounding... that was indeed a nice ability to have. Once the creature began pummeling on the Imps, the Devil's Arms user also joined the fray, not wanting to be left behind. While it was him who had asked the other mage to show him her skills, he also wanted to take a shot at the creatures. Knowing that his blade would fade in a matter of seconds, given how it was pulsating, the young man plunged into battle, coordinating his movements to those of the angel. As the being threw the Imps to the air with great mastery, Vargas jumped in, delivering a series of slashes too rapid for a sword of that size.

With the Devil's Arms trumping all laws of physics, that was no trouble for him. Ghoul's tusks ripped through the creatures before the angel kicked them back to the ground, where Vargas would follow by letting himself fall and delivering a downwards swing to the area, finishing them off. Once that was taken care of, the blade faded into nothingness, returning to Vargas's soul, as the Seig looked at Leila with a satisfied face. -That was cool as hell! And a pretty nifty ability to have, too.

However, before he could say anything, and without noticing, a creature came from above, shooting a stream of flames from its tentacles, so hot it was overwhelming even before the flames collided with the ground. The creature would land violently right before both humans and the dark angel, and with its arms' maws still shooting fire, it'd deliver a violent spinning attack towards them.

Vargas, who had not managed to see it coming, got hit by the fire stream before being able to block the impending circular move that would send both of them flying away, if it hit. The white haired mage, colliding with a wall and coughing up blood, having taken a large amount of damage in just a split second.

Lowering his arms, he saw the creature that had just arrived into the battlefield. It looked pissed as heck, for it released an ear-piercing roar from each of its mouthes. Vargas, from his position, clicked his fingers to enter Gunslinger style, and took a deep breath.

---

OOC:

Djiin is here! He's used both a melee attack and an elemental move at the same time, and he's got a sneak attack on us. Its 3 C-Rank from melee and 2 C-Rank from elemental.

HP: 100/200: got hit by both attacks, with his blocking nullyfing part of the damage dealt. However, he's got a bleed effect now, meaning he'll continue to take damage.
MP: 90%
Ghoul faded, 4 posts CD.
Changed to Gunslinger, will begin attacking on my next post.

Vargas really wasn't much of a patient man, clearly. He told Leila to show off her abilities and what she was capable of doing with them, yet the moment she did, he would dash into the battle as well. At least he was trying to cooperate with Xiolan, not that the mighty fallen angel paid him any mind at all. All she cared about was her master's orders, as that was the only actually existing thing for the sealed darkness that this angel was. Though Leila still wasn't quite aware of that and was taking her as... a friend? A sort of one, perhaps. In any case, they were both more than capable enough of dealing with the lowly imps, dispatching them in manner of seconds. At least Vargas used up his summoned blade, making his arms once again not so gross and fairly human looking. That Leila appreciated, even if it was just because the spell lost it's effect on it's own rather than he actually cancelling it. As he got close to her, his expression was on the happy side, as he clearly liked the summon. He even praised it with his words, that was quite something indeed, given his constant teasing. She was actually almost certain that he would mock this ability in some form or another. And maybe he was going to, only he did not have enough time. A terrific roar sounded from above them and in that very moment, Leila's vision became blurry and turning in circles. Xiolan automatically shielded her master in a form of shoving her far away so the attack would not reach. The problem was, Xiolan was now in the same situation as her partner. She took the full force of the attack instead of Leila and was not heavily damaged. So damaged, in fact, that her body started falling apart as the summoning was cancelled.

Now it was back to just the two of them, as the angel took too much damage in that one quick rush. It was most definitely enough to show them, that this demon meant business unlike those imps. He was on completely different level from them, much more threatening and actually fighting back. Or rather, he had the upper hand and it would be the human duo that had to fight back this time. Leila herself had few minor bruises from being tossed around like a rag doll by her own summon, but it was nothing in comparison to Vargas. He probably had to catch his breath, so she would have to distract this thing for long enough. Nodding to herself, she would strip and throw away her shirt, still being covered by the crimson undershirt she always wore. The less clothing, the less would the heat bother her... probably. Actually, there was another great advantage to having someone like Vargas on her side. They were both capable of looking... grotesque. So he probably wouldn't judge her, at least now honestly. He would still probably joke about it, but that was not important right now. Activating her ability, Leila's entire body started quickly transforming, her skin turning gray and rough, almost like a tree's bark. By the end of the change, she actually looked like a walking tree that only had a shape of a woman. And then, her entire body was engulfed in flames. A small power-up that she usually hid as long as it was possible from fear of other people being afraid of her. After all, flaming tree monster probably looked quite bad.

But it gave her strength, and that was what mattered most. It would boost her attack and add a flaming element to her every move, not that that part mattered, as the demon was also quite aflame and probably fairly resistant to them. It was, however, still worth a shot. Quickly sprinting forward, she tapped the ground lightly with her clawed hand, sending out a wave that would rise the ground slightly, as roots traveled underneath it. Once under the demon, they would jump out of the rocky earth and start binding the giant centipede demon, binding it to one place for a moment. Not to mention that those roots had destructive physical strength, and they were covering a big circle of 15 meters all around the beast. Next a plant grew in Leila's path, bearing a flaming fruit that she would pick up on her way, tossing it at the demon that was distracted by his attempts to get rid of the roots. On contact, it would explode into a giant fiery explosion, surely dealing some damage to it. And as finale, she would stop right in front of the monstrosity and smile at it. A giant spike made out of three different roots shot out of the earth right under it, lifting even this it's weight quite a distance into the air. Though she was unable to do her usually trick, this enemy was simply too large for her to be able to force back on the spake and impale it twice. Hoping that her partner was back to his senses, she looked back in his direction, waiting for his attack that would damage the monster further, or even better, finish it off completely.

---

Status
HP: 165
MP: 60% (-10, -15, -15)

Xiolan's HP 0 (-100)

Word count: 878

Spells used:

Now that Ghoul, Vargas's broadsword had vanished, the young man took his time from the crevice the impact with the wall had created. His body hurt as heck, and he knew that he had taken quite a heavy blow. Apparently, the angel that Leila had summoned managed to shield her from the most damaging parts of the devil's attacks. Now that was a pretty powerful opponent, alright. If he had fought him right after getting to Fiore, he would've been dead by that time. Despite this, the Seig had grown quite a bit since he left his hometown, so he could still put up a good fight before going down.

Scratching the back of his head, without losing that laid-back, comfortable attitude that was his main trait, he let a thought come out of his mouth. -Yup... this is gonna get ugly. But I'm not going to let her have all the fun... -the Seig thought, closing his eyes for a second. It was just like with Ren Harrington. He could feel something inside him wriggling, different to the weaponized demon souls his body stored. As had happened the time before, his thoughts could not concentrate on it, but rather, it flowed freely and without any obstacles. Heck, in a situation such as that one... there was really no harm in letting everything out, right?

With a half-grin, that same lust for battle filled his eyes. The thrill of the hunt, of the kill, that at times might've been even inhuman. Now, from inside the crevice, a burst of lightning would emanate, just as Vargas let out a roar. -Making a dramatic entrance and stealing the spotlight... LIKE HELL I'LL LET YA!
The white haired mage, covered in lightning and with a deeper voice, darted from the crevice in a diagonal line. His speed, enhanced almost to double his usual maximum, allowed him to return in a matter of a couple of secodns.

In the meantime, the great demon was focused on Leila, who was doing her best to keep it in check. Though her attempts to root him were well thought, Djiin's incredibly sharp centipede-like appendages tore through the vines as it let out a furious roar, obviously not liking it. The extra fire damage would do almost no good, given that the demon thrived in flames and lava, and was mostly immune to their influence. Still, it would take a bit of damage from it. The explosion from the fruit also did the trick in damaging him, which only made him to be more furious.

What would damage him would be the impaling roots the female mage threw at him. The attack would pierce a bit of Djiin's skin, although it wouldn't be enough to impale it, but it did lift it into the air. The creature let out what could be considered as a laugh as it grappled the attack with its appendages, tearing the vines down, and then fired a gigantic stream of lava towards Leila as it swung at her with the other appendage, trying to slam her down to the ground, as if dunking a basketball.

What it had failed to take into consideration was that there was a mage eager to return the gift from the surprise attack.

Clad in lightning armor, the Seig almost flew above, thanks to the dramatically increased speed and acceleration. With a grin, he reached forward with his hands, and two pistols, one pure white, as a ray of light, and another one black, like the deepest abyss. Shade and Gleam, his pair of twin pistols. Immediately, their voices came out of the weapon.
-Shiro-nee, it's Vargas-niisan! It's been some time since the last time he summoned us, right, right??
-Shut up. We have something to do.

Vargas skillfully spun the two pistols, his torso moving until it was perpendicular to the ground, right above Djiin.

-Alright, time to go to work, girls!

Vargas's body the spun wildly, like a peg-top, unleashing a barrage of bullets from the semiautomatic weapons. The speed in which he fired was astonishing, taking into account they were semi automatic. The salvo of bullets rained down on Djiin, who was still worried about the roots that tried to impale it, and they did the trick.

The creature's large body got struck by all of them, which had to be rather painful, as the bullets mercilessly pierced through skin and flesh. On their own they did little, but the concentrated fire, coupled with the amount of projectiles and the extra damage from shifting to Gunslinger did quite heavy damage to Djiin, who had also taken quite some damage from Leila too.

Once Vargas landed on the ground, he rapidly shifted to Swordmaster style once again. Next, he'd prepare to summon Asag... whenever he was ready. His body, still clad in lightning, gave him a much more threatening appearance, and so did his deeper voice. -Let's get this party over with, princess!!

Despite being heavily influenced by his demons in that state, Vargas still retained his playfulness as he teased the other mage once again.

---

OOC:
HP: 85/200 (bleeding from before)
MP: 90% (used Signature)
Djiin's HP: 7 C-Rank dmg - Vargas:[(1.75 C-Rank )*1.5(gunslinger)] - Leila: [2 C-Rank (your AoE spell, the impaling roots and a tiny bit of fire damage)] = 2.4 C-Rank HP remaining

Unique Abilities:

Lineage:

Spells:

While fighting the demon, her partner finally picked himself back up and join back in the battle. And of course, it wouldn't be him if he didn't enter the fight with one of his remarks, this time about Leila stealing the spotlight while he was hurting and sulking somewhere in the corner after that sneaky attack he couldn't avoid. It was his own fault, if only he had a guardian angel just like she did, it would never happen. But that wasn't the case for him at all, and it got him where he was. "Maybe you should stop having your ass handed to you and finally start taking this seriously, then the spot light would have to be divided!" She screamed back at him with ferocious voice, making sure that he heard what she had to say as well. Though, there was something about him that seemed a bit... odd, to say the least. His voice was slightly different from the one he had before, or at least that was what Leila thought. It was kinda hard to tell in the minds of a fiery battle with a huge boss, as well as the fact that she haven't exactly spent that much time with him. In the end, she dismissed the thought, deciding to focus on the battle that was in front of her. Especially now, after her attack dealt the damage, the demon looked way angrier that before, if that was even possible, and decided to attack back. Leaping back in sudden motion, she extended her hands forward and started shielding herself as she activated another one of her spells. In a flash, it created four gigantic columns all around the demon, marking a square territory that he fit in. Duo to his huge figure, it was a bit difficult for her to create the barrier. She never had to make one this huge and it was really testing the limits of the spell itself as well as her magic and willpower. But she did it, and what more, she did it in time.

The entire attack that was heading her way suddenly stopped, along with the demon as all living entities froze within the space of her spell. Thankfully the flying squirrel of a man, Vargas, was far enough in the air to avoid the barrier. If he wasn't, he would have froze in there along with that monster. But with his ranger weapons, he was far enough and had a perfect opening to start shooting, as he did. Clearly doing some good damage as well, Leila smiled as the demonic presence started wavering, the creature clearly heavily damaged from their onslaught of magic. But it still wasn't enough, it still had the strength to stand and fight the two. Only now Leila felt heat from above. As she looked towards it's source, she noticed that the attack she stopped wasn't completely stopped. The lava was still dripping from it's hideous body right on her. Trying to shield herself again against the searing magma, she used a defensive spell, creating a wood-like armor all around her body. And with a loud splat, she got hit while stumbling backwards some more to get out of it's range. It was rather painful, but she was still in her berserk flaming mode, making fire a little bit more manageable than it would be normally. Still, the lava managed to burn the entire armor away and leave quite the burn wound on Leila's body, dealing some good damage. At least the damage managed to protect her from getting scorched entirely, as it would be rather exhausting to cast spells in that state. With heavy breaths, she would stumble around as her hazy vision returned to normal.

Vargas' words quickly pierced her, completely drawing her attention back to him as he screamed something along the lines of finishing this damn thing along with another thing that was probably meant to tease or upset her in some form. Sighing at his over the top appearance, she would get ready as well. The demon was still paralyzed, even though the pillars were slowly starting to collapse. Normally they would have already burned down at this point, but now they were of the flaming origin as well. Leila never though that she would be this glad for that monstrous ability of hers. And just like Vargas said, it was just about time they finish this business once and for all! "Hit it with everything you got the moment I destroy the barrier, if you do it earlier, your body will get stuck in it as well!" She replied to his words with her own, filled with surprising energy and clear determination. There was something she had to do before the barrier was completely gone. In full sprint, she started heading towards the centipede demon and once near enough, she would jump to one of it's knees and from there to it's body. Heading straight for the head, she would jump into the air and reveal her flaming claws in a quick motion, as they were displayed right in front of the moon from the demon's perspective. "Sorry about this buddy..." She would quietly apologize to her enemy before she started falling and landing the hit. Both of it's eyes were pierced in a single moment, hopefully blinding the creature completely. She didn't see any other eyes, but one never knew. And in that moment, the barrier would fall apart and the demon would be free to rampage again. "Bring it down, now!" She would scream towards her partner, giving him the signal he was waiting for so eagerly and hopefully patiently as well.

---

Status
HP: 65
MP: 35%

Word count: 948

Spells used:

Vargas, though unseen, would smile when Leila retorted to his comment about stealing the spotlight. -Life wasn't meant to be taken seriously!! -the man responded, his altered voice still present. As he shot the monster down, he saw Leila using some sort of spell to create a barrier. Same magic didn't stop Djiin from delivering a lot of damage on her, but afterwards, the creature began getting frozen on the spot, not by ice, but rather, by her magical power. The demonic being fought all the way against the spell, and while its sheer B-Rank power did stop him from getting fully stopped, it still got stunned... that would be more than enough to create a window for them to strike.

Leila would ask him to stay put before she broke down the barrier, or else he risked getting froze in it. However, he should be ready to strike at any moment's notice.  Not wanting to waste the opportunity, the Seig summoned his spear, Asag, and entered a starting stance, similar to that of an athlete just about to sprint 100 meters. As the electricity gathered, loud cracks could be heard, coming from the lightning bolts going wild. Once she gave the signal, he'd be more than happy to oblige. The young woman went towards the demon, leaping and revealing her claws, apologizing before slashing down, effectively taking out both eyes. The beast roared in acute pain, and thus, the barrier broke. She'd then give the signal...

A fraction of a second later, Vargas wasn't there anymore. Instead, his enhanced speed had taken him, in a single leap forward, from his initial position to the devil's. With both hands, he gripped Asag strongly, and drove it up and behind his back.

-Took you long... enough!! -the Seig shouted with a smile, impaling the creature's head with Asag. The Gust Aura, along with the weapon's damage, the electricity from the Lightning Demon and the augment from Swordmaster Style would be enough to finish off the damn beast, who was stopped on its tracks. Vargas leaped back from its head, as the spear faded away, since the job was done. The fiery beast took a step forward, then two, and released a howl to the moonlit skies before collapsing on the spot.

As Djiin's body hit the ground, its centipede-like appendages slowly descending as if they were dying out, both Vargas and Leila would be able to hear the unmistakable sound of a voice, echoing in the area. It was coming from the seemingly feral demon, after being defeated by both mages. Despite its words being hardly as fluid as Shade and Gleam's, Djiin was clearly a creature capable of thinking, speaking, and possibly, planning. -Mere humans... defeat me? Shameful! -the huge beast roared, almost in pain and turmoil. That the fight had been a huge blow to its pride, since he had not even managed to kill any of his opponents, appart from the dark angel... and as a summon, that hardly even counted.

He couldn't fathom that humans could be that strong... how had they managed to acquire power? Much to his dismay, the words uttered by a certain traitor came to mind, warning not to underestimate them. However, not even at that moment would he admit that he had been wrong.
Behind his body, which was beginning to fade, the Hell's Gate loomed over. The gigantic monolith was deactivated at the time, but by previous experience, the Seig knew that the fight was far from over, even if they had managed to defeat Djiin.

Vargas would then sigh, and look at Leila. -Nice work, princess. This guy was tough, but we got him good. -the Seig would approach, although not too much because his electricity aura was still there, and he didn't want to hurt her. If she was able to hear clearly at that time, she'd notice that his voice was, indeed, different. The same bloodlust remained within, though he was clearly doing his best to contain it.

-You alright? I saw you getting hit pretty badly back there -the white haired man asked, concerned about her. Even if she had come with him on her own accord, he still felt a bit responsible, given that it was his own work she got drawn into.

-Well... if we're lucky, and that huge-ass gate doesn't go haywire spawning demons as soon as we attack it... I just gotta destroy it, and we're done here.

However, he'd then notice one of Djiin's appendages rising, its eye-like markings carefully surveying him. So Leila hadn't blinded it, after all... Even if the girl had been the one burning through most of her magic there, the creature knew that her magic belonged to that realm. His, however... -No. That power... Your power... Not human?

Vargas then realized that their foe was still there. Why? -"Oh... that's right". Since little, his father had instructed him to do something after killing a demon... and he quickly remembered what it was, despite not having done it for a couple of years. After all, demons had only begun to emerge recently.

-Hey, princess... wanna see something cool? -the mage asked her. Regardless of her answer, the Seig would extend his arm forward, and opened his hand as if trying to reach for something. The spiritual ashes in which Djiin's body was decomposing would then alter their course, instead going towards the wizard.

Unconnected growls and grunts would follow.
-Soul...? Taken...? -the beast asked out loud, in confusion. No human should be able to do so. Only then he realized. His male opponent had the same white hair, brash attitude, and abilities as that despicable traitor, the one Djiin had sworn to tear apart with his own hands.

-Alastor... -the beast muttered at first, barely audible, but then let out a savage yell.


The roar echoed as  his body finished fading in black flames. From its ashes, a red-orange flaming essence rose, directing itself towards Vargas's hand. The soul would then enter his body...

-One down... and a blast of flames would rise from the ground, a deathly spiral of the same flames and lava Djiin unleashed surrounding the Seig and rising towards the sky like a pillar.

After fifteen seconds, the spectacle subsided, and Leila would be able to see Vargas again. In his hands, he held a pair of twin swords. Their appearance and magic signature would quickly reveal that they were, indeed, the very demon they had just defeated; two weaponized manifestations of its very soul. That was the nature of Vargas's magic.

-...two to go.

Knowing that both of them were quite damaged, and that Leila had spent most of her magic power, as his Sensory skill revealed, the white haired man sighed, reuniting with his partner once again.

-Rest easy... I'll take care of the Hell's Gate.

He was just about to go walking there, up to the monolith, but he half-smiled and gave her a playful look. -...unless you want to come and keep me company? -he joked. Regardless of her answer, the Hell's Gate was just up ahead; it would be her choice.

---

OOC:

Now, all that remains is Vargas destroying the Hell's Gate. After that, we just gotta make the exit post, and we're done! Good job! :P

HP: 60/200 (bleeding)
MP: 75% (Asag, Djiin was auto-summoned, since I just got it).
Asag faded.
Djiin: 4 posts remaining.

Skills/spells used:

Unique Abilities:

Lineage, still active.

Spells:

Accompanying her own attack, Vargas summoned yet another weapon and entered the fray the very moment she would signal him. Along with his words, it would be easy for anyone to judge that he is the type of person that actually loves battle and generally enjoys fighting, at least to some extend. And perhaps, somewhere very deep in her soul, she understood him. But that was about it, she never aimed to kill any human and usually tried to avoid fighting whenever it was actually possible. Shame that this was not an option today, demons usually had little reasoning and fought anything that came into their reach. But they were about to finish this, as Vargas' strong attack managed to pierce the monsters head, dealing massive and hopefully lethal damage. Leila herself landed on the land, trying to avoid the lava flows that were everywhere around the demon. She was already badly burned, certainly didn't need to take another swim in that stupid hot liquid. Thankfully that was the only think she really had to worry about now, as the giant demon was collapsing in front of her, not capable of defending himself or fighting the two mages any longer. Good thing too, as Leila was slowly running out of options. She still had one ace up her sleeve that she could use, but when she didn't need to, she wouldn't. And with that, she also had to deactivate her 'wrath of the nature' mode. As useful as it was, it was mighty painful and in her current state, it could actually kill her as well. After all, it was increasing her damage output at the cost of her own life force, something very barbaric and basic.

As her body stopped producing flames and her skin started to return to her normal, usual human-self, she collapsed on her knees with heavy breaths. This fight was surprisingly... tiring. And as the demon finally laid down on the ground, a strange voice echoed the canyon. It was strange and inhuman, almost as if someone was speaking right into her head. But with a little bit of thought and observation, it was clear that the voice actually belong to the fallen demon. Especially considering the context of those very words. "Never underestimate 'humans' darling... their potential is infinite..." She would speak in a very low voice, perhaps not even allowing the other two who could listen to hear her words. But if they heard them or not didn't really matter, as what she said was but a small wisdom from her father. And as such, those words only really mattered to her alone. Not that she would strictly fall into the category of 'mere humans', she was quite special in many ways and those who knew her past would probably not actually consider her to be one of the human race that roamed the Earthland. Indeed, she was something else entirely, and nobody knew. They didn't need to know it. And at that moment, Vargas was already at her side, his usual self and all. Though he did look pretty bad himself. He did suffer from than sneaky assault alright, it even seemed as if his injuries were still affecting him and bringing him closer to the verge of death, even after the fight was finally over. That certainly would suck, if he was to bleed to death after such a good victory.

"Whatever are you talking about? I'm sure you could take on another ten of these guys if you had to." She would respond to him, smiling as well. And while she was at it, she tried to stand back up. Her legs were shaking a bit, but she managed to find her balance and stood up properly, trying to not worry him, even though he clearly did worry about her well being for some reason. He even asked if she was alright without mixing any remarks into the sentence, that wasn't like him at all. It was... weird. "Just few burns, that's all..." She would respond to him, cutting herself off as she looked at her hands. The gray skin was spread way more than normally, indicating that she was actually injured pretty severely. "I guess Eden is already fixing it... yeah, I'll be fine after a good rest. You've seen better days too." She would respond to his worries, looking over his still electrical figure. He certainly didn't go cheap on the looks with his magic, that was for sure. And before long, he would start talking about some gate. He didn't really mention it before, but with how he phrased it, that gate was source of their trouble. But could he really destroy it in his state? That was a good question and she should probably follow him and make sure he doesn't overdo it. This canyon was too nice to be transformed into rivers of molten lava for good, and breeding ground for demons didn't sound all that nice either. But before they could start focus on the said gate, the voice would continue speaking to them.

And what it said, it certainly caught Leila's attention. In that one moment, she had no idea towards whom the demons was sending his crude words. But... it was possible that he meant her. After all, her magic was from the 'world above', the heavenly garden of gods. It was a lot of thing, but it certainly wasn't human or from this realm of reality at all. However, given Vargas' demonic powers, it was very probable that those words were meant for him as well. At least to her, his magic didn't seem very ordinary either. Summoning demonic tools and weaponry to fight, it was very foreign to her, and she did travel through quite a bit of the world. On with that, she also saw a great deal of magical abilities. But never something like this. It wasn't demonic takeover or reequip. It was much more unique that those magics. With that in her mind, it was probably safe to assume that those words were in fact meant for Vargas. And he accepted them with gracefulness, throwing another question at her. And knowing him, even if she had said no, he would show her anyway. "Sure, go right ahead..." She would answer him obediently and in a tired voice. This whole things was getting rather long so she hoped he was planning on doing something flashy that would wake her up. And as he demonstrated, it indeed was pretty flashy. With the visual representation and the demon's words, it was quite clear that he managed to absorb it's soul, like it was nothing. Now that was impressive. Though Leila imagined souls looking a bit different than that. "Huh, and I though that these demons would have... dark souls."

It was pretty obvious that the demon would not be very keen on his soul being taken in this manner, but the shouting surely wasn't necessary. As the name Alastor sounded aloud, she even jumped a bit at it's sudden volume. Unfortunately, she had no context to it, and thus had absolutely zero idea as to who Alastor was. She could probably ask Vargas, but somehow she suspected that he would either now know or that it would be too personal for him to just share it with a random wood lady. So she did not ask. She would only listen to his words as he transformed the soul into two swords. At least they weren't as gross as the one before, that was some kind of plus. Though she didn't like what he said at all. "Hey, hey... I might be half dead right now, but that doesn't mean I'll just sit around here. Not to mention that it's hot, the sooner I see that source of heat crumbling to the ground, the better!" She would protest, caressing her long hair with one hand, the look in her eyes stern and serious. Even in this state, she was still capable of fighting. That said, she actually had no idea if ordinary mages could even attack that monstrous gate. Maybe only Vargas with his demonic magic could. But that wasn't for sure, so she still had to at least try. Indeed, she wanted to explore every possibility. Refusing to go with him and destroy that thing together would be wasting useful information and experience. And that was absolutely not allowable. "Better my company than the one of demons, right?" She would smirk at him, returning his own words from before.

---

Status
HP: 45
MP: 35%

Word count: 1429

It looked like a lot of the fire and lava came from Djiin, since the Hell's Gate had remained closed ever since Vargas had begun watching it and yet more and more lava had gotten out of somewhere. Well, at the very least, that was one less problem they'd have to worry about. Once the battle was over and the white haired mage made a comment that got a retort from Leila, who said that he probably could take ten more of those guys if he wanted to.

-Heh, you're probably right. This was just a... -he stretched for a second, which couldn't be good for his injuries, but he did it anyway before completing his sentence -...midnight exercise. Gonna sleep like a baby after this workout -the mage finished. When Vargas asked for the wellfare of his companion, she stated that she was mostly fine, just a couple of burnings and other injuries that something named "Eden" would already be taking care of.

When she said she'd be fine after a good rest and commented on his own state, the white haired male looked at his body.

Somehow, the bleeding had stopped, and the wounds, while still gaping and open, appeared to have begun healing. -Huh, how strange. Guess a couple of bandages will do in my case... and what's this "Eden" thing? -the man asked Leila, while still thinking on his healing speed. That was much faster than he had expected it, much faster than for other humans. Dismissing that train of thoughts, assuming that he hadn't been hit that badly, the Seig would take the demon soul, which made the demonic presence fade. Enclosed in the white haired mage's body, this made the heat in the area much more bearable, although now similar temperature was being emitted from his dual blades.

When Leila commented on that demon not having blackened souls, Vargas shrugged. He had never given it much thought, but... -Well, I don't know why would they generically have black souls. They're devils and all, but some of them aren't that bad -the male answered with a smile on his face, remembering his first encounter with Shade and Gleam.

-And I wonder why Djiin shouted that name. Alastor? The heck's that guy? -the Devil's Arms user mused, taking a couple of steps forward before he mentioned that taking care of the Hell's Gate was required. Of course, Leila was not letting him have all the fun, and joined him after he wryly asked her.

He'd then reply to her last comment with one of his retorts. -Meh, don't be so sure... demons can be very entertaining! -the young man gave her a devilish half-grin as he waited for her to go alongside him.

After a bit of walking, the two of them would arrive to the gate, the portal that connected both realms, from Djiin had come out. At that time he recalled that Shiro and Kuro had told him of a demon that opened their gate... could it be behind the appearance of the rest, too? He'd need to investigate, ask the other demons. Djiin didn't appear prone to conversation with humans, so they could've not gotten any information from it.

At any rate, Vargas took a step forward and pointed at the giant monolith with his right sword.

-I know this thing could make tourism skyrocket... but it's bad for the community.

That said, the man, still clad in lightning, rushed forward with his enhanced speed, appearing right in front of the obelisk. He'd then unleash a flurry of slashes from both his swords, going up and down, left and right. The sabers cut through that black stone as if it was butter thanks to their sheer temperature. The monolith would then begin to crumble down as more, and more, and more attacks ensued. Vargas jumped, attacking the upper parts of the structure, making clean cuts and acrobatics in a rather flashy style, typical of him.

He smiled as a lot of parts from the monolith crumbled down, thanks to the power of his Devil's Arm. When only a much smaller part of it remained, the man took a leap backwards, dismissed his twin swords and summoned Shade and Gleam, proceeding to shoot a barrage of those piercing shots that had dealt so much damage to Djiin before. Even if in Swordmaster style, the Hell's Gate couldn't resist the assault, and was finally reduced to mere debris.

The white haired man landed right next to Leila, dust settling, the portal linking the two worlds now destroyed, and the major threat to the Mysterious Canyon, and Rose Garden by proxy, taken care of. The electricity surrounding Vargas faded away, and his voice returned to normal.

-Well, looks like my work here is done -the male stated, and then fixed his eyes on the young woman. -Thanks for the help, princess. Now, I just gotta take care of two more of these bad girls -he pointed to the remains of the Hell's Gate, before continuing -and I'll have earned myself a nice vacation.

Still, that can wait. Could reeeeally use a bit of rest for now. -the male dismissed his twin pistols, and looked up to the sky. After destroying the gate, things would probably return to normal sooner or later. How the lava would be dealt with was beyond his worries, but they could hire another mage to clean up their mess.

-So, I'll be heading to Rose Garden for now. Gotta get my payment and a bit of first aid -he stopped for a second, his fingers running over his wounds, before his expression changed again.

-Oh, that's right. I promised you half of the reward if you helped me -the male mentioned. He didn't go back on his word, and it was true that he had said so. Whatever Leila wanted to do now was unbeknownst to the young mage, but if she wanted the money she'd probably have to tag along until he met his client. Not that it would bother him; as much as he enjoyed wandering free and on his own, it was nice to have someone around.

-...and don't think I've forgotten about the landing before. You still owe me one~ -he commented with a sly look in his grayish blue eyes.

---

OOC:
Well, the main mission is done! Now, we should get the closing posts and we're done here :P Nice work!

Letting few heavy breaths out of her mouth, she felt a little bit better than before. Though, it was still way too hot for her. With death of that demon, the amount of heat generated in the area surely decreased, but the lava itself didn't disappear yet. And if she was to throw away any more articles of clothing, she would probably find herself in a very embarrassing situation, something that Vargas didn't quite deserve, despite his best efforts in the fight. At least he still had plenty of energy to joke around and stretch. It looked quite painful considering all those heavy laceration that were covering his skin, but it was his life. If he wanted die from stretching and exercising, it was his willing choice and she had no right to stop him. But at least he admitted that a good, long sleep was require after that whole ordeal. That one was true for them both after all. But only once they cleaned this mess up completely, it would be really hard to sleep on volcanic rock. It was also nice that all the other demons seemed to stay away from their way after seeing that display of power. Though she might have said too much about that power, as Vargas started asking about what Eden is. She just kinda blurred it out before, there was no way she could properly explain it to him now. Mainly because she hardly knew herself. At least the details, anyway. "Eden, uh... how to say this... is a multipurpose garden?" That was what Eden was in a nutshell alright. A big, grand garden of devastation and whatnot. "Ah, to put in into simple terms... Eden would be my magic." That was probably the best way of describing it. And it wasn't lie either.

Magic that she was born with. Magic that many men tried to control but never managed to, yet here she was standing with this gift that was just... given to her for no particular reason. Or at least she didn't know the reason, perhaps there was one. But explaining all of that to this man, who was still technically a stranger, would most likely be totally pointless and only would bring about a new headache. Not a desired consequence. So she just left it at that. Eden was her magic, part of her body and soul. Moving to another, more lighthearted topic, Vargas would start explaining few things about souls. "Righto, I know that not all devils and demons are actually bad. Sorry, I guess I was just making some kind of reference. You know, like saying that you are the chosen one or something! The chosen undead, that sounds cool!" Though he was far from being dead and even farther from being undeaded. Thank goodness for that too, he would be one annoying zombie for sure. It was kinda fun thinking like that in their serious conversation, it made things way more bearable. Vargas on the other hand did not wait long before returning to a more serious topic. Alastor. That name meant nothing to her, not even a distant bell rang upon hearing it. "Maybe he mistook you for someone named Alastor? And thus screamed the name as you defeated him? But it's kinda hard to imagine that there would be another person with your looks..." She would mumble the last thing she said, eyeing the demonic wizard one more time for a good measure.

And now it was finally time to finish thing for good. They would start heading towards the now revealed gate, towards their final goal. "Oh yes, I'm sure that some of those imps would tell you briliant jokes if you asked them politely instead of slashing them into two." She would respond back in easily detectable sarcastic tone. Since that was exactly what he did. Even against those measly guys from the beginning he had absolutely no mercy. He just kinda denied them their lives and cut them into tiny ribbons, more or less. Not that she did it all that much different, they were kinda in their way, so there wasn't much to do about it. Once they were right in front of their gate, Vargas would not hesitate at all. Pointing his fancy demonic flame swords at the thing, he would naturally make another remark that was probably meant to make Leila chuckle or something. Not really commenting his actions or words, she just simply watched what he would do next, possibly getting ready to help with the attack as well. But that was clearly not needed, as he would rush towards the gate without asking her to do anything. And as a showoff he was, he properly pummeled that thing into dust. It was a bit odd how good he was at destroying structures, almost making her wonder how many times he got into trouble for damage to someone else's property. It would not surprise her if that happened at least few times. Finally switching to his gun again, he finished the job and landed almost exactly where he rushed off from, next to Leila. "Well, that was pretty impressive. But I wonder where that portal actually lead... ah, who cares~" She would dismiss the though, knowing that she would get into a whole bunch of unneeded trouble if she pursued origin of these demons. That was her partner's job, clearly.

Now that all of the threats were gone, he would finally start changing into his usual self, leaving the electric nature behind. And now she was finally able to confirm that his voice was indeed deeper when in that form, almost like a forced puberty of sorts. Funny. What wasn't funny was the fact that he mention two other gates. That seemed like a lot of work that he had to do still. Work that probably didn't involve Leila, who just happened to be at the same spot as him this time. "I take it you can handle them without my help? As nice as this was... there are places I have to be. And things I absolutely have to take care of, no matter what gets in the way." She would explain, looking around. Now that they were done, she would probably have to walk around, looking for the shirt and cape she lost along the way. There was no way she was leaving behind her clothes, they were expensive. And the cape was an important memento as well. At least Ori would have the rest of his walk like this. Surely enough, Vargas mentioned payment and how he offered her half of what he would get. "Ah, right... sorry to be a party pooper, but this whole thing distracted me for long enough. As I said... thing to do. But you can deliver my pay to the room I'm staying in, one of the better hotels in Rose Garden. And I think I paid my 'one' when I helped you slaughter that giant demon. Look at yourself, without me around, you'd be long dead." She would give him another tease before she shared the name and number of her room, hoping he would find it at some point and get her what she worked so hard for. Taking several steps away from him, she would turn toward his figure one last time with a smile. "I guess this is farewell. But who knows, maybe the universe will bind us together some other time. The world might be big, but people usually find their way to one another easily, after all." She left him with a bit of wisdom, waving a good bye and running off to find her damn clothes so she could actually leave the canyon for good. The heat really as getting to her now.

---

Status
HP: 45
MP: 35%

Word count: 1272

OOC: Nice work? We overshot the goal by like 10 000 words. We were too good for this mission! Anyway, nice playing with you and feel free to end the job.

Vargas could see Leila's face adopting a more relaxed and pleased gesture as the heat in the area diminsihed, thanks to them taking care of the demonic threat. Despite having some fire in her magic, she didn't like heat at all, huh? While strange, it was a simple matter of simple personal preference, so he didn't pay further attention to that detail. Still, talking about her magic, when the Seig asked her what that Eden thing was, she'd answer with a somewhat vague reply, though she hadn't lied. Hey, it was her power, and that's all he needed to know. How it worked, he didn't know, but that was a question for any other day; after all, she hadn't asked him how his own magic worked.

After that, once they talked about the demon's souls and how they didn't need to be dark, she made some sort of reference about a chosen undead. The white haired man let out a hearty laugh and dismissed the matter with a movement of his hand. -Hahaha! No way, no way. -he began, and then followed suit after letting out another chuckle. -Undead, me? Nah, I don't want to walk around looking like a beef jerky zombie. It'd ruin my good looks, don't you think? -the man joked, and then moved on to the "chosen" part. -And if I'd be chosen in some way, I'd rather have anyone else take that honor and glory. Being a hero sucks! You gotta behave, play nice, always act by the rules... not for me! -the laid-back man retorted, crossing his arms behind his head and taking a couple steps around as he spoke.

It was true. He had never thought himself as some sort of heroic mage, and he had no intentions of becoming one. Never. After all, he hated having to take care of others... he didn't want anyone to get seriously injured because of his recklesness. In fact, that had almost happened there, but it had turned out well. At any rate, the conversation keep on flowing, this time being about Alastor, that name that Djiin had shouted before its soul was acquired by Vargas as his newest Devil's Arm. Leila also had no idea who that guy was, and theorized that the beast had mistaken him with someone else... despite it being pretty hard to mistake the Seig for someone else.

-Hah! I'll take that as a compliment, Lei -the man stated, checking himself out and letting out a whistle. -Yep, I don't think I'm easily mistakeable for someone else -the male playfully stated. Afterwards, when Leila made her comment on how Imps would probably tell him great jokes if he didn't slice them in half, the male shrugged off. -Hey, as long as they don't fall on my back ass-first, I'll take it any day of the week -he returned the tease with his trademark, devilish half-grin, before setting out to demolish the Hell's Gate.

Once he returned, however, his partner made a comment that was probably meant to be a simple thought, yet made Vargas seriously consider it in his mind. Where in the world did Hell's Gates lead? As Shade and Gleam had told him, they weren't only a one-way passage. Also, they lead to Hell, the Underworld, whatever you wanted to call it. The only thing he knew was that it was infested by demons, and that one of them had opened a Gate on its own. He wasn't sure, but he was quite certain that such a feat would take a huge amount of magical power to be achieved.

Still, he leaned forward as he kept his smile, and answered to her comment. -Who knows? Someday in the future, I'll go check things out in there. Hey, we could actually have a nice picnic there -the male said, although it was clear that he was considering such an incursion. For if a demon was opening the Gates, it didn't matter how many he destroyed, right...? Well, first he'd simply turn the other two to dust, and then they'd see whether that brought more trouble or made things stay calm and quiet instead.

When he mentioned the remaining portals, Leila excused herself, saying that she had to be in other places and whether he could handle them on his own. -Relax, princess. I tend to go solo, so that won't be a problem. You got places to be? Go there. For the time being, having helped me with this one is already enough -the Devil's Arms user responded, clearly not caring whether she could go with him or not. So far, each gate had brought him a new weapon to his arsenal, so the more Arms he acquired the easier it'd be to destroy the rest.

Still, the matter of payment was tricky. She seemed to be staying in a hotel, and couldn't pick it up due to having other things to do, so she suggested that he delivered the payment on his own to her hotel room, all the while saying that, at that moment, it was probably the time to say farewell. Using her own statement on how people usually found their way to one another, the male winked at her and answered back.

-Oh, really? Then I guess I'll give you half the reward the next time we meet each other, instead of having it delivered. I've always liked keeping things personal, you know? -the man stated. Still, with those words, she set off running, probably going to find her clothes. Vargas looked at her while moving his head slowly to the sides, and sighed. -"What a strange woman..." -he'd think, only to turn, heading back to town as the girl searched for her clothes. With the second Gate destroyed, and a new Devil's Arm in his power, it was a matter of time before the threat came to an end.

[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED]