Maiden Snatcher

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Haraka placed down the last glass bottle before quirking it than sealing it up with a wax created using a few plant compounds that had been cooked and mashed together. If he was going to make things native to ledo kaimas, it should at least be traditionally packaged and sealed. The 'glass' was a clear substance made from a cooked and worked root, that, when broken into a powder, combined with a liquid, and heated at the right temperature, becomes clear. The only visible difference between it and normal glass was that it had tiny bubbles in it, though there were still normal glasses that had the same look for an artistic effect. Still, there was a reason past tradition and practicality that it was used. It went bad if the wine wasn't stored in the right kind of material, so an old extinct type of glass making process for a drink made of extinct fruits. The pale blue bottles held the frost dragon fruit wine, something that was originally created so that non dragons could eat the fruit without feeling chills go through their bodies. The mixture evens out the fruits weird properties with snow grapes, frost grapes, and a small small bit of lemon. It was fermented using powder from a root that used to grow in the country, it was how all the drinks in that country gained their fermentation.

There was a white clear wine, a more cloudy white colored wine, and a deep blue wine. There were many of each of the four kinds of wines. The country had a few other kinds of wines from there, but these ones had enough fruit in common in lower or higher amounts that it was simply easier to make them together. He would like to say these wines would get sold, but there was also a chance members of the guild would end up drinking them too. Either option was fine, either way it would be sharing his native culture. It wasn't something he had thought of as a possibility until now. Maybe one day he would have his kear di naam, if such a thing was even possible anymore. It was silly to want such a thing though, just having a place to belong should be enough, right? There was no more hiding and he was starting to get used to it. In any case, this task was done. What to do next? Well, there would be no harm in taking a job, right? When did he become comfortable with being near others and working as part of such a big group? Well, comfortable enough for him to briefly wonder how it happened. Well, the wines needed to be sorted and stored before anything else. This was something he worked on doing for a bit, lunch rolling near by the time he finished. The shrimp demon stretched his body a bit, the body making no popping sounds.

It wouldn't make sense to expect the sounds to come, but part of Omaras still wished that it would come. Such an event might help him feel a bit more human, though the reality was that at no point had the man been even an ounce of human. With that done, he walked through the building while ignoring the growing hunger in his gut that said it was time to eat. Going to the job board was easier this time then it had been days earlier. There was no panicking or feeling like the world would end if he picked badly. One day at a time, one task and job at a time. There was a pause in his steps before finishing the short journey to the job listings. It felt a bit confusing to look at it actually... there were so many, the young looking demon started to feel more and more nervous. Though Haraka had told himself to calm down, there was still a moment where the glow around his body had blinded his eyes. This again? Fine, this was easy enough to deal with. There would be no stopping in his attempt to grow and go forward. The light dimmed back to it's normal hue as soon as a blue slate colored hand took a job listing from the board. Why did these terrible nerves make a big deal out of this every time? The first time it was at least reasonable, but this was the second time. Maybe the third time would be different, if this one worked out okay.

This was when he looked at what the job was. A mister Lowell and Misses Henna Baker were missing their teenage daughter and had heard rumors that vulcans had been kidnapping lovely women. It was a rank above him, but would it really be right to pick something else? Even if the man would need help with this job, a guilt would strike the heart if he didn't try to do something. Of course he asked for help. Without help, there would be no way he could even be involved. This was how he ended up near magnolia town the next day, a bag full of basic medical supplies, food, and drink on his back. There was no way to know in what condition the girl would be found, the demon wanted to be prepared. If they had to fight, they had to fight, but it would be nicer if they could find her without anything threatening her well being around. "...Thank you for coming Johann."

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It was fairly early in the morning when Johann woke from his sleep, as usual. The Vice President had always been more or less one for a disciplined lifestyle and a structured day and he wouldn't show any lack thereof in his routine, standing up and getting ready after a short moment to collect his thoughts. A somewhat calm peace had settled in over Divide Island and its inhabitants, including the guild, over the last couple of weeks. Repairs had been completed after the disastrous attacks on the docks and the surrounding residential area and, much to Johann's appreciation, the seemingly unending stream of paper flooding his way had started to become less and less intense and finally returned to its original state, last but not least due to the fact that their administration had gotten a new member, and Johann a new colleague. Some would say that it was too early for the other to rise up in rank, and malicious, envious voices would even go as far as question the CEO's decision. Such dissent would, naturally, not be tolerated, and Johann paid it no mind, he trusted Cirven's decision and saw nothing wrong with it, and had thus quickly come to terms with it.

These thoughts floating through his head he was putting on a formal white shirt, the white fabric covering the small, black runes that were scattered all over the left half of his body with the occasional one on the right, buttoning it up before turning a little to each side, his eyes wandering over it in the mirror. He had gotten used to the unusual markings, and actually learned to appreciate them where they were not just granting him strong and unique powers but also served as a reminder to him. A reminder to his past, his blood, his family and his legacy. His eyes shifted up, looking into their reflection as Johann focussed for just a moment, his left eye filling with black colour, turning the pupil red as the darkness reached it. He closed his eyes, opening them again to reveal two perfectly normal ones, aside from the heterochromia that came with the rune hidden in his left eye. The Vice President sighed. It truly was something peculiar.

Johann, for this day, decided to go with something rather simplistic, at least in contrast with his other official company outfits, a white suit, grey tie and the West Fiore Trading Company pin over his heart. The suit would fulfill the requirements, representing his allegiance to the Company while at the same time allowing for enough freedom to carry his equipment and move quickly, not hindering his reflexes and speed in any way. Upon putting the belt with his weapons around his waist and closing it, the two amulets around his neck and his gloves over his hands he turned, leaving his living quarters and locking the door behind him to head to the mess hall for breakfast, sitting down in the sparsely populated and barely alive early morning mess hall, before him a portion of scrambled eggs with bacon, fresh toast, beans, sausage and sauce. A hearty breakfast, especially for this time of the day, yes, but there was something that was keeping him busy. One of the newest additions to the West Fiore Trading Company had asked him directly for help, and, as the Vice President, he felt obligated to offer a hand. Of course he would help the other, and, as it turned out, it was for a good cause as well. He had no issues with it, and he was confident that he would deal with any threat quickly and efficiently, as always, or at least try to ... .

He finished up his meal and moved on to the next part of his routine. Normally, he would make his way to either the magic training hall and the gym or the nature of Divide Island's jungles for extensive physical training, but he figured that that wouldn't be necessary. He had informed himself about the job, hearing of the supposedly dangerous demons and vicious Vulcans, and it admittedly excited him a little. Life on the island could devolve into boredom quickly, and the newcomer presented him with an opportunity to hunt and an excuse to abandon his duties as Vice President for just a little while ... .

"Thinking of duty" he reminded himself quickly as he took a left turn in the entrance hall, shortly raising his hands to greet Alisha behind the counter before he headed to his office to do the administrative work for the day. It took him a good hour of signing, stamping and writing to finish the paperwork, still, he was rather glad. It was nothing compared to the flood of work of the past weeks, and he welcomed the newly found peace with more than open arms, the stack of finished papers sitting on his desk ready to be picked up as he sat in his chair, a glass of wine on his right hand. He figured he deserved a break, but he also had a word to keep and so, with a large sweep, emptied the glass and stood up, heading to the big mahogany front doors of the HQ after notifying Alisha about the paperwork. The fresh air hit Johann like a burst of life, and it felt good after being inside, even if it was just for a short while.

But it was about time. The other must've already travelled ahead to reach the place they had agreed on, and he decided to take the fastest and most efficient way of transportation, turning into wind in an instant as a chalk white magic circle appeared beneath his feet, reappearing mere moments later just outside of Magnolia, near where they'd meet, wandering over to see that his fellow West Fiore Trading Company mage had already arrived. "Good morning, Haraka. I do hope you had a pleasant day so far" he gave the newcomer a respectful bow "I see you are well prepared, since you are the one who accepted the job ... do you know where to start ? Please, lead the way and I will follow" he smiled to the other, a friendly grin stretching from cheek to cheek.

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Word Count: 1.050
Word Count Total: 1.050 / 2.500

Haraka looked at the older looking man, smiling as gently as he could for someone who could not create real facial expressions. If a stranger saw the two, certainly it would be the one with the pale hair that would be pegged as the older of the two. This assumption would be wrong to make, but it was still an interesting thing to think on. The white of his dress vest and slacks stood out, as no visible piece of the demon was white, not even the sclera. Deep black long hair tied in a ponytail, the only lighter color gracing the thick locks was the deep blue hues that danced where the light shimmered. A lighter hued part of the body would have been his deep blue sapphire horns, but they were so dark that the stone horns were not even translucent. The biggest giveaway that he wasn't human was the slate blue skin, and glowing light blue sclera. "Yes it has been, thank you. Has yours?" There was no reason why his day would have gone poor so far. The weather was good, and getting to the location was easy so far. This was a job that, as far as he was aware, didn't require him to gain new skills. It could if it involved fighting at some point though. Some people may think fighting skills are useful, and they probably are, but the young looking man never had the want to hurt anyone.

In a case like this, if a vulcan had taken the poor girl... Then there would be no other way though, would there? No, he was pretty sure there wouldn't be. Maybe she was just lost, he hated the thought of someone being lost in a forest that didn't know how to survive in one, but even more the idea of them in a possibly very dangerous situation. Would his beliefs get in the way of helping someone that needed help? That was a very grim thought, but it might be a very real reality. He had decent strength from being very willing to doing a lot of lifting and chores himself, opting out of using most technical advances that have come over the years. Being in shape didn't mean that he knew how to pack a punch well though, or even move out of the way in time to avoid getting hit. The body has a natural instinctive pause in registering something is coming, then there is time it takes for the brain to send the message out to move and in which direction. If you train in fighting it can help the mind to realize sooner that they needed to move and in which direction to move in, in what way. Without that training there would be no doubt that his dodging skills would be laughable, but at least he had a good blocking skill. It wasn't like people hadn't tried to hurt him over his long life, there would always be someone who would react negatively towards a demon who presented themselves as he did.

A demon who so believed in no violence and wanted to help others in such a strong way but was incapable of making a real smile sounded ridiculous. But, at the least, he was very good with blocking. Well, nobody knew yet the girls fate. He could very well be jumping the gun and wondering on possibilities that needed no wondering. "Well, the parents gave information on her last known location. My plan is to go there, then look for signs of what happened, if she walked off, or if a struggle or an attack occurred. That would effect how to go about the next step. If she merely got lost, then it's just tracking her. If she was taken by a vulcan, then the tracking would involve having to be much more careful." A lost teen wont be likely to attack random people, but a vulcan they need to take the girl from would. What the land and plants tells them about what happened would decide how to go about the next step. He continued walking, not really having issues with finding his way. There was of course the possibility that an attacker would return to the scene of the crime, but bringing that up might cause needless tenseness. Being aware was something they would already have to do to go there, but being over tense and over prepared could cause a needless great waste of energy. That was energy that could be used on the task at hand.

He stopped briefly when they got to the location where the girl was last spotted. The first thing he did was look at the tops of the trees, then at the general area. Well, it looked safe enough at the moment to look over evidence without worry of an assault falling on his head. The demon slowly took in a deep breath as he moved closer to the ground. The soil hadn't been wet when she was there, she also wasn't super heavy, so the details were harder to see. Still, there was enough for him to figure out what direction to go in. She was going forward on a walk when her direction suddenly strongly shifted. The way it did suggested that she saw something that scared her. Should he say something? Not yet, not until he was sure what happened. She had started running according to the trail so looking at signs on the ground might be harder now, so he looked at nearby plants. Nothing was near enough to have clues, so it was back to following the tracks on the ground, until he stopped. She didn't get too far until a vulcan had grabbed her. It was obvious to him from the mix of signs of her missing from the soil after one point, to a small tuft of fur left tangled in some grass nearby. The color suggested a wood vulcan. Well, that was going to make everything a lot more difficult. "I'm not sure how I'm going to fight a wood vulcan..."

He muttered quietly to himself. Well, that was why he hadn't come here on his own though, right? Also, he would probably talk to Johann? Then again, that man was such a higher rank that it would be silly to assume that he didn't know how to do any of this, or what was going on. He was only here to help because Haraka wasn't a high enough rank to do this on his own. Well he couldn't just stand here and panic, right? His only magical attack was something that took a little time to charge, but thankfully not too much, but what if hes attacked while i's being charged? It was a risk he would have to take when they did eventually run into the vulcan... But carefully. It would be bad if it hit the girl instead of the creature.

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"Very much so" the Vice President gave back briefly, still maintaining his friendly smile while waiting for an answer that followed promptly. He had, despite his outward appearance giving a contradictory impression, prepared himself for combat extensively. On his belt he carried his two weapons, he had brought with him his runed gloves and the black cross-shaped amulet, dangling from side to side as a breeze hit the two, his grey hair bending, following the wind slightly. "Very well then. Indeed, we will have to be ... careful. I suppose, let us begin then" Johann gave back before he brought his hands around that he had held crossed behind his back, following his partner who, seemingly with confidence, turned and made his way to their presumed destination.

Johann wasn't really paying attention to any clues or details, only scanning the area for sudden movement and listening for anything unusual, passively following the newcomer. As far as he could tell, he wasn't here for any precision work or even the things he could do with his more ... unusual side, but rather for the muscle since, apparently, Haraka had the tendency do despise violence where it occurred, a, in Johann's cynical eyes noble, yet naive attitude. He had seen enough of the nature of man to distrust where he could, always ready to unsheathe one or even both of his blades to defend what he thought was his, and that included the demon before him. He has come to view the West Fiore Trading Company as an extended family, his only family after those days of his past, and anyone coming even remotely close to hurting it would be dealt with, without hesitation and mercy.

Lost in thoughts he stopped briefly as the one before him did, his attention shifting back to the task he had taken up as he did like his job partner, his senses calming as he scanned the surrounding area. Haraka seemed familiar, and even confident with what he was doing, moving to the ground as he seemed to find a trace hinting to the solution of this little hunt, Johann slowly following Haraka as the demon followed the tracks until they suddenly took a sharp turn. Johann, his profession being that of a hunter, knew the implication and he mentally prepared for the worst. Yet, at the same time, the thought of a hunt started to slightly excite him. It had been a while since the last one, and an opportunity to use his powers the man would always take, stopping once more as his job partner seemed to have found another detail, Johann getting closer to spot the small tuft of fur.

So it really were Vulcans, that much was clear now, yet Haraka didn't seem too happy with that fact, Johann's answer following the others comment after a short pause. "You don't have to fight if you don't want. Sometimes, though, everyone has to fight. Be it a Vulcan or something e-" His sentence was cut short by the motion he felt as an object caused ripples in the air behind him, a good 50m back, the projectile rushing towards the two at high speeds, obviously aimed at Haraka. To Johann, it was almost laughably slow, and his hand rushed upwards, his fingers closing around the arrow, stopping it mid-flight before he turned, sighing noticeably. It was as he had expected, the group had followed them for a short while, Johann had the felt the pressure pattern of the air shift as they walked, had waited for them to stop before they attacked, from the bushes now emerging a group of 9, no, 10. To Johann's surprise, though, they weren't dealing with regular bandits though, before him a bunch that seemed to be more lizard than human, beings on two legs that had reptilian features and were dressed in cloth, 2 wielding bows, 6 wielding clubs and another 2 bearing no weapons at all, one of them, bigger than the others, the leader apparently, opened his mouth, a set of large, white teeth showing as he did so. The equipment of a carnivore.

"Okay geezer, you know the drill. Give us everything you have and we might let you live", the small group erupting into cackling and howling as he finished. Johann, however, had other plans, breaking the arrow into two with his left hand, the two pieces falling to the ground as his hands went to the hilts of his weapons, the Vice President unsheathing both with a distinct, metallic sound. "Will you be able to handle yourself ?" he asked the other man behind his back as another arrow ripped through the air, the old man knocking the projectile away with a strike of a rapier, awaiting the answer he needed. What the group didn't know was that they, too, had stumbled upon a carnivore. A wolf, to be exact.

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Word Count: 818
Word Count Total: 1.868 / 2.500

If he had any idea of the level of paranoia Johann had, then perhaps the demon wouldn't worry so much about stressing his teammate or causing paranoia. This was something Haraka had no way of knowing yet though, so would continue to fret and worry. Then again, the human also had no idea that the demon out of the duo was far from naive. He was gentle, but also knew possibly deeper levels of the darkness that existed in the world than most ever get to experience without knowing death. It was usually a safer bet that those who smiled and thought positive were ignorant of the pains of the world. Most couldn't smile the same way after experiencing something terrible. In a sense, he was exactly like that. No matter how brightly he shimmered in his heart, it would never be expressed on his face. The closest that would come would be a false smile made with every bit of the face that could be moved. But he wanted to believe in the world. There were so many good and bad things and people in the world, the ocean of time covered in a multitude of ebbs and flows. Each ripple in the water caused by the winds of events in that ocean effected every other ripple near. He wanted to walk back into the flow of time again, rather then hiding from it. This was why he was now having to face waves, rather than watching or hearing them happen and letting history happen around him.

He hadn't noticed the arrow until the lighter haired man had already broken it. It was aimed at him, even though Omaras was a bit further away from that direction than the other? But once the group came into his view, everything became more clear. The words from the leader only solidified his thoughts. But... there was a simpler reason for their aim to be more at him.  "They are using the term of robbery as a cover for their real reason for attacking. I'm a pure blooded demon without a shred of demonic presence, meaning I feel no want to harm anyone in any way. They attacked me first, despite me being further away. They also offered you their false offer to 'let live'. Even being a group of dishonest and violent brutes, they wont even pretend like letting me live is an option they would consider." He didn't like people like them. He wasn't listening to their responses to him, nor did it seem like he had any intention of backing away. His false smile slid off his face, his concern for the girls life washing it away. If this group took too much time away from their search for her, she could get seriously injured. What if something happens that they can't treat? She is with a vulcan. The girls that have been reported to have been napped up by them in this area either all had to be saved by members of different guilds, or were never seen or heard of again. This group had the gull to put an innocent young persons life at risk because of their own egos?

Then they had the gull to not be as upfront, despite what their actions and words reflected. Even if he wasn't a fighter, he couldn't stand this sort of attitude. Honestly, if they hadn't been looking for someone already, Haraka wouldn't have been bothered by any of this. How many times had people became personally offended that he existed the way he did? As if he had no right to live. Maybe he should care that it had happened often enough in his life that he couldn't count it, but there were so many years in his life. It was only natural that the amount was far more than a handful. Of course, there were also ones that thought if they hurt him enough, that rage would suddenly emerge from his spirit to awaken a super secret murderous spirit. Perhaps it was a fantastical imagination some demons had, but Omaras saw a much simpler explanation. When a person sees a certain trait typical of a certain race, some start to expect it. When all their expectations are shattered, there is a need to 'make the world right again'. One with a club charged at him, along with one that had no weapon at all. The young looking demon stepped forward, a blue wind briefly swirling around his body. He cleared his mind of his concern and fear for the girl, focusing on the wind. The wind made sounds of screaming the moment it appeared. Disembodied pained sounds that covered lower sounds.

Under that was faint sounds, some pleading for their lives or the lives of their children, some swearing at a person or a group that the person refused to stop to. The hardest and faintest sounds were the slicing and pounding of flesh, the tear of something tearing meat off of bones, the cracking sounds of those bones, and the sobbing of a child. One might assume the screams were an illusion of sound, and they would be both wrong and right. It was the wind trying and testing the one getting ready to wield it, almost daring them to break focus and be bothered. But this was also its starting point for a reason, he wasn't a sobbing and helpless child anymore. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't ever be able to sob that way again. The blue wind moved between his hands, shaping itself in an oval form. He used it on the first reptilian demon that attacked him, the one with the club being pushed back 1.52 meters by the wind in less than a second. The bare handed one had started attacking him. They said something to him, but Haraka didn't respond with words. How should he respond to someone when they just said something he expected? When they were so focused on trying to take him out. He punched the attacker, but didn't need to be told it was in poor form and he was terrible at attacking. Nobody had to tell Omaras that he wasn't exactly the finest fighter in the world. This didn't mean he would give up though, not in the slightest.

"Johann, I think making sure we get to the girl as soon as possible is more important than any feelings I have on violence."

Wordcount: 1,079
Total Wordcount: 3,265

"Oho, is that so ?" Johann turned his head slightly, peeking over his shoulder and back to Haraka, listening to what the other had to say. He had no reason to doubt his assessment of the situation, he figured it was something the other had dealt with before, and Johann, not knowing another explanation for the small group of lizard demons following them, didn't care too much either. He wasn't here to solve mysteries or investigate motives, but for his more or less strong arm. "So you think these brutes are here for you ? ... I can't let that go unpunished, then. You're family, after all" With that, he turned his attention back to the small group before them, the demons still howling and cackling like savages. "Us or them, it is" he mumbled under his breath before he hurled his body forward, an enormous explosion of air propelling him forward at a speed so great he cracked the sound barrier with its distinct sound instantly, sending an echo through the forest, causing an eruption of dirt, leaves and grass where he had stood just a moment ago.

A mere blink of an eye later he appeared behind the 2 with the bows. Taking out the rangers would ensure that the others had to come into melee range where the Vice President was certain he wouldn't lose a duel, forcing them into defense. Within the fraction of a second, he had separated the head from one of the lizards from his body with a single, sinisterly powerful slash, it hitting the ground with a loud thump as his body collapsed forward. These demons were slow, soft and clumsy in their movement, a walk in the park for the experienced Vice President. He coated his hand in a layer of wind magic as a chalk white magic circle appeared around it, the other ranger still trying to fathom what had just happened, drawing a dagger and dropping the bow to try and defend himself from Johann who, with superior agility and speed, simply ducked down as the insecure sweep went over his head, storming forward as his right hand, which was still grasping the hilt of his rapier firmly, struck the demons chest, launching him off his feet and into a tree as behind him infernal noises whipped through the air, sounds that could make even the strongest knights take a few steps back, voices singing lonely tales of torment.

Johann was, admittedly, taken by surprise, turning around on the spot towards the source of the shrieking, seeing Haraka wield hues of blue winds against his adversaries before he yelled over to Johann. What was that ? Right, they were here for the girl, he couldn't lose his focus now. "Let's get this over with as quickly as possible then", the speed mage replied, sheathing his blades to free his hands. Unsurprisingly, people assumed he carried the weapons because they were more effective than his magic, and that while that had been true when he had first learned how to control and wield the powers of magic, this was not the case anymore. The man, now the Vice President to the most prestigious Trading Company in all of Fiore and, what most didn't know, a Keeper to the infamous mercenary group Black Sails, had grown strong, and, confident in his magical abilities, he raised his hands, another chalk white magic circle appearing beneath his feet. "Pressure Choke", as the words left his mouth a bubble started forming about the remaining 6 before him, quickly removing all oxygen from the area. Johann kept his hands up, the lizard demons slowly breaking down, unable to move before finally losing consciousness. Johann could've kept the spell up and finished the job, but he left it at that. It'd teach them a lesson not to follow him or Haraka anymore.

Letting out a small sigh the Vice President turned to Haraka to see how he was doing with the two remaining ones, ready to step in and help out if needed.

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Word Count: 678
Word Count Total: 2.546 / 2.500

Much like the words the attackers said, Johanns words were herd, but had not yet registered. They slid into the back of Harakas mind as he tried his best to focus on the task at hand. The min d hadn't registered quite yet how quiet everything had become, or that the second attacker hadn't returned. It wasn't that he was especially hurt, but rather... After the mental shock from being pushed back by a wind that screamed like a piece of hell had been entrapped within, the reptilian demon saw what had befallen the others. That was definitely... a bit backwards. A demon without a want to kill, an old man with way more killing power than one might think they should have. "Shit..." With that, they fled without even a word of warning to the other attacker left. Harakas facial expression still looked blank, dead. No amount of hits that he took caused any reaction within the face, though the rest of the body registered and showed reaction that it did in fact cause pain. Even the dim blue light that surrounded the young looking man reacted. It's light flashed ever so slightly with every hit, the patterning it normally had currently now had a more glossed over look to it. His own punches were still as bad as ever, the clear lack of practice or skill with physical combat. Dodging skills were non existent, but at the least he was very good at blocking attacks.

The deep sea demon had no idea that this was information that could be seen, or that it gave away parts of his personality, or that his face didn't react the way normal faces did. It was in one bad punch that he actually did some actual damage to the attacker. The punch had accidentally unfurled in the middle of punching, having caused his pale blue glowing talons to plunge into flesh. It wasn't something he liked seeing, but maybe it was something he would have to do more of. This person wasn't stopping, bleeding but not stopping. That made no sense to him, the joy the other seemed to be having made no sense to him at all. But.. if his nails could do more damage than his crappy punches, maybe that could get things over with sooner. The young girl needed help. If they were too slow than there might not be a girl left to save. He internally winced before plunging talons at the others stomach. The reptilian had blocked it... but badly since it was with their arms. They... briefly got a bit stuck. Both of them backed from each other, likely for different reasons. It seemed like the reptile had been about to say something, but saw a sight that made them go pale and run. Haraka felt a bit nauseous over what had happened moments ago. Someones flesh surrounding the claws... what a disgusting horrible feeling. The blood felt disgusting. It was disgusting.

Now wasn't the time to... wait... Had Johann called him family? Just like that, the words finally clicked in. His mind had stopped blocking things out for dealing with later. Though slightly more intense, his bodies light danced in its patterned dim way again. How does he respond to that? Ignore it? No, that made no sense. . . But the girl needed help as fast as she could get it. That vulcan wouldn't suddenly go sweeter just because he was surprised. Omaras leaned back down, looking back for the trail he had before. It had been a bit messed up, but thankfully the vulcan left a stronger trail than the teen had, so it was easier to trace. The only downside to this was how obvious the trail wasn't new. This could take awhile, but finding her in one piece was all that mattered. Maybe they would get lucky and the lumbering creature would loop back over to near the scene of a crime in hopes of getting another pretty girl. It was back to following the trail, though at least it was easier and faster to track the vulcans... though it was taller than a normal human, this meant they had a bigger stride and easier time going longer distances. "Sorry about my face, it's harder to try to put something on that reflects my mood if I get too emotional... and I'm really worried about the girl, she's only a teenager. She probably hasn't even started to get a full understanding of the world yet.

Never lived outside the protection of her parents, yet now in a very dangerous situation... " There was a pause in his words. That was not what he had wanted to say, but somehow the mind of his had looped to thoughts of his face that probably right now looked like a serial killer should be owning it. But none of that was still addressing the family comment! He needed to do that. "Johann, why did you call me family? Defending... If my troubles aren't as dead as I assumed, then saying things like that will eventually lead you to facing evil... and no, not a difference in opinion or personality, or circumstances. There is a steep difference between circumstances, opinion, and cultural differences with evil. There is a very steep difference. There's a reason I his for thousands of years in fear. There's a reason... for things I can't say... But, I've seen enough people get hurt over my existence."

wordcount: 912
Total: 4177

"Hm, your ... face ?" Johann responded to the other, stepping over the unconscious and lifeless bodies of lizard demons to make his way over to Haraka. "Trust me, you don't need to put on an act for me or whatever it is that you're concerned with" He gave back to his job partner, nodding at what the other followed up with "which is precisely why we will rescue her, right ?", the Vice President asking the newcomer with confidence. He wasn't worried in the slightest and placed great trust in his abilities, certain that the two West Fiore Trading Company mages would have no trouble with successfully bringing the poor girl back to safety. For someone on the outside the scene would've looked like the elder man letting his experience speak for him while in reality, it was the complete opposite and Johann was the naive one out of the two. He had witnessed firsthand that there were moments when you couldn't save people, still, he refused to accept that fact. He had to accept it once before, but the Vice President was determined to never let that happen again, and so, he grew strong, to protect those he considered family.

"So, there's evil after you, but you can't tell, and people will be hurt over that ?" he asked Haraka with a slightly sarcastic tone in his voice, yet free of condescension, to underline his position on the matter "I think that is one more reason to protect you, Haraka. You wear the uniform of the West Fiore Trading Company, you wear its guild pin and its guild mark. I have sworn to someone I hold dear that I will protect the guild, my family, from harm, come what may, with all the power I have. That includes everyone in the West Fiore Trading Company. I have seen enough horrors happen to loved ones, and I will not. NOT. let it happen again." he concluded vigorously, maybe a little too vigorously. He had gotten loud towards the end, and he didn't mean to be rude or angry about any of this, quickly following up "I apologize, this is a very emotional topic for me, but I'm afraid my mindset on the matter won't change." he sighed out loud a little "Sorry for starting this, let's get back to the task at ha-"

The Vice President was, surprisingly and involuntarily interrupted, his sentence ending abruptly as an enormous fist erupted from the darkness of the thick shrubbery behind, simply launching him aside in a destructive sweep, sending him flying into a nearby tree as the impact splattered the massive trunk. "You have GOT to be kidding me" was what rushed through Johann's head as he was there, his broken body stuck in this plight, a small stream of blood running down his forehead as he spit out another small puddle of red liquid. Johann's healing factor kicked in instantly, broken bones shifting back into place, wounds closing in a matter of moments, still, the Vice President was in rage. His left eye erupted into an unnatural black colour, a deeply red and glowing pupil resting in its middle as crimson runes were digging their way across Johann's skin, spreading all over his body as it surged with raw strength, the wave of energy ripping apart the trunk as the VP got back onto his feet and raised his head, his anger-filled eyes fixed on the Vulcan that had now stepped out of the bushes, a sinister grin on its ape-like face.

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Word Count: 592
Word Count Total: 3.138 / 2.500

The light around his body fluctuated with light from shock as suddenly the fellow guild member had gone from talking to rocketing into a tree. It was the wood vulcan, but no signs the girl was with it... But it looked very upset and ready for a fight. That must have meant she was taken by another vulcan, one that over powered it. This probably wouldn't be the best time to tell Johann that, he was just glad the man didn't look like a broken and bloody rag doll anymore. Still, avoiding an angry vulcans wrath on someone who it just whacked would be a good thing. "Hey, shit for brains!" He yelled at the creature before... summoning a hot pepper? A few hot peppers. His nails started shredding the plants, releasing the burning oils inside. The vulcan wasn't looking at him. Damn it! Think, think... Ah! It wanted a woman? So Haraka became one, thankfully how his clothes fit barely changed at all. "Hey!" The female voice definitely got it's attention, as did the body. Seriously? Barely anything changed at all! These creatures, well this was exactly what he expected to happen anyway. There was no point in acting surprised at this point. He didn't struggle when the wood vulcan picked him up. Almost... Ah! Omaras tossed the sliced up hot peppers into the beasts face, backing away as soon as the grip on him was lost. The slight fall wasn't enough to knock the shrimp off balance.

He changed back to a male, back away from the wood vulcan. It was trashing and place, in pain, angry, upset, and blinded. "Do you need any help Johann?" They hadn't even been able to finish their discussion yet. "I think this guy was pissed because he had who we were looking for, but a bigger and more dangerous vulcan snatched her." Should that make him feel better? Because it just terrified the demon. These things had a terrifying amount of power. Still, it meant she was still alive. "This had to have happened recently and nearby! That means she's still alive." Would Johann even be able to hear him over the vulcans cries of pain? Haraka cared more about avoiding getting hurt than the pain he had caused. What mattered most was to make sure everyone in the team made in to the end goal. The corpses from before had stopped mattering for a similar reason. Death happened every day, sometimes it couldn't be avoided. Right now what mattered was finding a way around the vulcans rage. He wanted to say they could avoid killing it, but he really didn't think so. It was so angry that even if they left now, it would take it's anger out on someone, something. It wouldn't rest until it had what it wanted, or until it had calmed down. Who knows who or what would be hurt at that point. "I think that should keep him distracted. Are you okay? I noticed you healed, but that looked incredibly painful."

wordcount: 505
Total: 4682

"No, I don't, but it will be even more upset when I'm done with it" the Vice President responded as he got back up on his feet, a bit of red liquid from the now closed wound still on his forehead, coughing a little as he raised himself up and drew one of his rapiers, Azure SIlver, with his right hand, the blade lighting up with scorching flame as he did so, responding to Harakas comment he had heard over the pain filled cries of the Vulcan only thanks to his heightened senses. "Pain is merely the proof that we are still alive" the man said to himself more than anyone else, not knowing if his job partner had even heard his response. But indeed, while Johann's healing factor was busy restoring his broken and mangled body as he pulled himself out of the tree trunk Haraka had succeeded in blinding their opponent with improvised use of the effects of magic, providing the perfect opportunity for the angered Vice President to strike.

The air around was, as so many times before, compressed explosively with ease before being released with the characteristic, loud sonic boom with Johann rushing through the air at unimaginable speeds, the flaming rapier in his right hand producing a trail of flame as it rushed through the space between him and the vulcan before finally striking the beasts body, the blade piercing it before producing a jet of flame that engulfed it entirely, collapsing a mere moment later as the flames retreated back to the sword, Johann following up by sheathing it and thus dispelling the fire before letting out a noticeable sigh, mumbling "What a pain ..." before his full attention shifted back to the other. "Are you okay ? That admittedly took me by surprise ... we should be cautious, his cries might have alerted other Vulcans to our position" the man spoke out before stretching a bit, his uniform torn or bloody in some, dirty in other places, the crimson red runes shining through the spots in the outfit that now revealed his skin. The Vice President hated it, having to replace uniforms after each and every job. "I swear, if this keeps happening I'll only wear jogging pants and tank tops from now on, white, of course"

"Now, where were we ? Do you think you can still make out the trail ?" Johann asked Haraka, looking around the area that, now more than ever, resembled a small battlefield, lifeless bodies scattered around, broken trees everywhere and even small fires that slowly got smaller and smaller before disappearing entirely. It wouldn't matter too much, if they ran into problem he still had his senses heightened to the point where they surpassed the ones of slayer mages. He could still use them try and locate other Vulcans, hoping to find the one that had napped the girl they were looking for should it come to that.

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Word Count: 492
Word Count Total: 3.630 / 2.500

This was one of the few things he was confident about, tracking. Not the best, but the demon had a little pride in his skills. It was something that reminded him of... "My home country was miles deep snow on top of deep deep ice. I don't think a vulcan can make a big enough mess to make it as hard as trailing things there." A snow free forest? Much easier, even if it involved a mess with broken trees, stirred up soil, and... The sounds really would get more trouble coming, wouldn't it? Johann was right. Taking a break for a bit away from the trail sounded like a nice idea. He personally felt over grabbed enough to last awhile, and Johann looked slightly like their clothes had been shredded by a broken tree, that was actually probably exactly what happened. At least the forest vulcan looked very dead at the moment, or at least taken down for a long awhile. He was pretty positive they looked like a dead meat slab with bones cooking, but it wasn't like Haraka planned to take the beasts pulse or anything. No, he was just going to... look around the edges of the mess to find the trail again. Now, where.. "Here it is." He hurried along, more than eager to avoid possibly more trouble. The dead body should probably both him, but it did basically try to kill Johann because of it was upset over something that neither of them had even played a part in. Now Omaras had a goal, track this trail as fast as he could. This was a determination that blinded him from other things. Running from the mess, the young looking man continued on the trail that had been paused on.

His steps and body was moving in a slight rush, they couldn't exactly stay there. At least it was rushing towards the right direction? But 'what if we run into trouble along the way?' "Would you like to take a break to rest a bit Johann? Somewhere we might be less likely to get at-" That's when he felt his face hit something. It wasn't a tree, nor the trail he had already started rushing on. He stepped back, but didn't get back enough before a huge arm reached out for him. The demon ran backwards, but still wasn't exactly moving all that fast. At least the punch didn't land him into an object? It just... hurt a lot, the impact definitely made him briefly feel like a pebble being skipped, only on the ground instead of water. That was not fun, none of this was fun. It was only after he started moving that a realization came, he had almost passed out for a moment. That was a moment of non movement and a lack of magic use. Haraka first worked on trying to get up. 'I have to get up first, then hide my wings... wait is that a tail? Focus.' "One thing at a time, one thing at a time." What was that, the thing Johann had said barely any time ago? About being cautious? "I... think I let my pride get the better of me and failed on being cautious."

Words: 539
total: 5221

"Huh" Johann nodded with interest as the demon revealed a piece of his past that Johann was, admittedly and to his own dismay, very much unaware of. Now that he was thinking about it, there wasn't much that he knew about his partner at all, really. He, of course, was the Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company, and as one of the more ... enthusiastic people when it came to administrative duties, he dealt with applications here and there and caught a bit of info every time, but never things that went beyond the simplistic information of a personal description. Naturally, some people had things in their past they didn't necessarily want to talk about or would prompt them to suppress memories, Johann out of all could understand as the words "home country" reminded him of his own, his past that he had tried to hide so many years until he met Ruvel while he followed Haraka away from the little ... mess they had created back to the urgent task at hand, the trail, as the shrimp demon had, just like he said, no trouble with finding it again, hurrying after the man when he started following it once more with surprising vigor.

Sadly, it was that vigor that would turn out to cause the demon more than a little discomfort "Uhm, Haraka I think we should sto- ... too late" Johann stopped in his tracks as he watched what came unfurl before him, unable to stop the demon from running headfirst into what looked like another, very much unaware Vulcan, until Haraka "poked" it, that was, only this one was considerably larger than the one from before, easily towering over both Haraka and Johann. He instinctively and without delay drew a rapier, unsheathing one of his two blades with his right hand, but the Vulcan seemed to do something similar, reacting to the stimulus with instinct as Haraka was launched by an enormous punch thrown by the beast. "Well ... shit" Johann had to stop himself from speaking that out loud or sigh in frustration, as they had literally ran into the enemy after enemy while he even failed to do something about the Vulcan that attacked Haraka, a fault that he'd blame himself for. He just hoped that the demon was okay, if it was serious he'd do his best to use the extreme healing properties of his wind magic on the other. The demons brief flight and periodical skimming over the dirty forest ground had looked painful, to say the least, but he had to focus on the threat before them to prevent the beast, that slammed it's fists into the ground while groaning loudly before storming off towards himself, from doing any more damage. Johann reacted quickly, aiming the tip of his rapier at the beast as he was surrounded by a deeply dark and unholy aura, the red rune in his pitch black left eye bursting with bright, red light as he opened his mouth to speak, yet the booming voice that came from him wasn't Johann's as the Vice President's consciousness faded away for a few moments, speaking in a strange, ancient foreign tongue "Sceleratis lux, obscurum quod noctem, desiderium quia sanguinem, ero conceda velle tuam ... emittae furoram tuem iram !"

The dark aura reacted instantaneously, dark black and purple hues twitching around Johann aggressively as they shifted from his body to the tip of his blade, compressing momentarily before a thick, laser like beam of darkness exploded forcefully from the weapon, rushing at the Vulcan before unleashing its enormous power, drilling a hole through the beasts shoulder as Johann awoke from his brief tránce and the monster collapsed to the ground, its screams of tremendous pain filling the air all around. He had aimed for the heart, but obviously missed, cursing a little as the Vulcan raised itself back up on its feet, evidently more than angry as blood dripped from the gaping hole in it's right shoulder.

Translation:

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Word Count: 670
Word Count Total: 4.300 / 2.500

Haraka eventually managed to pry himself from the ground, looking himself over after for a brief time. He looked kind of screwed up, but at least it looked like blood scrapes and some tears in his clothes. It paid to be durable sometimes, though it didn't feel like his body agreed completely. Maybe it hurt him more than it looked, because inside felt a lot worse than it looked outside. He didn't have time to deal with that though, right? He started padding himself down quickly, making sure there was nothing his eyes missed. Oh, it seemed there had been. His hair tie had broken off, likely during the time he had felt much like a skipping stone. It was the greatest sort of insult one could place on him, that was how it felt. The culture that stemmed from was long gone, the reasoning old. Despite that, finding that out felt much like rubbing salt on old festering wounds. 'Calm, just replace it, calm down.' This was what he told himself mentally, but physically? The demon had started running forward. It was a lot easier to think you should calm down than to actually do it. It was when looking at the vulcan for the first time that he realized.. "That thing is huge! How did you even put that hole in it?!" That bit of reality was definitely enough to cool him down a bit. He made a strip of woven cotton, using the fabric to tie his hair back up. This action was a little calming, even if this probably not the time to get calm.

The demon wasn't sure what to do. Why was it still alive? Why did it look so ready to kill? 'how could anything look so active with such a big hole in it? Oh shit it started walking.' But it wasn't at himself, but Johann. That was understandable, but part of the young looking man still felt bitter about the original hairband being broken. This was Omaras did something irrational, run to the vulcan and jump on it. The irrationality continued, using magic to create what would normally be harmless sea salt crystals... but in this case, it was chunks of salt into a large open wound. This was crazy to do, so was rubbing the salt into the wound. What burned inside that caused him to do any of this? To feel so bitter and upset, to purposely harm and piss it off this way. "NOT EVEN BEASTS ARE ALLOWED TO SPIT ON THE DEAD, I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! FUCK YOU!" When it grabbed him? he tossed sea salt crystals into its eyes. Harama only stopped when being dropped... because no amount of upset could change the very unhappy shape his clothes were in, nor his body. With a slight groan, he could feel that it would take a little work to get back up. The bitterness faded a bit, but not not completely. It made it harder to get up, but the demon didn't care. They still fully planned to get up and probably do even more horribly stupid things.

wordcount: 524
total: 5745

"Are you okay ?" Johann called out to the demon behind him who, more than obviously, had received a rough treatment by the angry Vulcan, but his job partner didn't seem to listen to him, instead talking to himself ? There was no time for this, before them still the wounded and raging Vulcan that started a forceful sprint towards the two. Johann braced himself for a high speed dodge, jumping to the side and rolling as the thing got closer but it proved to be completely redundant. Haraka had already started a counter charge ... jumping onto the Vulcan ? Johann kneeled there, the hand with the hilt of his rapier placed on his leg as he watched, motionless and his mouth wide open, as the other had climbed the beast, and now started to summon an array of blue crystals before, with a morbid enthusiasm and under screams of hate, the demon shoved them into the Vulcans gaping wound. With trembling furor and immense pain the Vulcan grabbed Haraka who was quick to react, blinding this Vulcan like the one before by throwing salt into its face before sinking back to the ground. Johann admittedly was in awe. He had never expected such a violent reaction from the mostly very calm, collected and thoughtful individual, and figured that the Vulcan must've made a terrible mistake.

The beast was now blinded and in absolute agony, slamming it's oversized fists into the ground around itself, and while Johann was sure that Haraka wanted to claim the kill for himself for a reason he did not understand at this point the monster posed a threat to the demon while they also couldn't keep wasting time with it, and thus the Vice President reacted quickly. He was up in the beasts face in less than a second, and now that he was presented with a window of opportunity he wouldn't let it pass, the shining metal of Azure Silver digging through its flesh, the blade leaving behind a deep cut across the Vulcans chest which tumbled for a second before collapsing forward, Johann sheathing his blade as the opponents lifeless body impacted the ground with a loud "thump". He rushed over to Haraka who was still on the ground, and for all he knew the other could be heavily injured, Johann ready for medical assistance. "Haraka, do you need any help ?" he asked, kneeling down to check on the other "I have healing magic, if necessary, we gotta get you back up and stay mobile. We still haven't found the girl".

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Word Count: 430
Word Count Total: 4.730 / 2.500

Harakas sat still briefly, looking at the vulcan for that time. The bitterness was still there, but now there was nothing to aim it at. Hearing Johann and looking at them slowly brought the demons mind back, the heated bitter emotions downing a bit. It was still there, but at least not getting in the way anymore. Still., he probably needed to explain something. "It wasn't about getting hurt. Sorry, I..." Omaras finally got up, ignoring the pain. His insides were in agony, but he knew how to cure that. How could he explain to someone an outburst like that? "Having my hair tied up has cultural significance for me. My country has been gone long enough to safely say I might be the only one left that practices it... but, it... I'll tell you if you want to hear it after we get the girl." He knew that without context, what happened made no sense. The stronger guild mate, the vice president, he had no context. People shouldn't be expected to grill through history books until they find the right dead culture from the right dead country in order to understand context. He knew it was too much to ask for, but right now they couldn't really pause to explain things. 'calm, calm down'. He scolded himself internally for the bitter feelings still inside. The issue with bitterness that could make it a bit worse than anger, it didn't go away just because the target was gone.

It felt salty and graded inside, but at least his eyes were now busy scanning for the traces of the trail. Off he went, running up to the point that it started up again. This time? He was a bit more careful. Didn't exactly have hunter eyes, but at the least he wouldn't be walking into any horrors by accident again. But his movements no longer looked calm or collected like it did before, but a jumbled mess of movement crossed with decent walking. That was when the trail became fresher. That area over there had to have been where the girl was taken from that other vulcan. The bitterness was pushed away for concern, the steps sliding back to quieter and calmer movements. He couldn't get the steps to be soundless, but that was because Haraka didn't have that skill, never tried. To walk silently? Someone needed natural stealth, or a lot of practice, or a teacher. Vulcans were great at hearing, so there was a good chance they would hear him before he heard them. But this vulcan was different. One, it had the girl they were looking for, but two it looked fit for a cold tall mountain. The color stood out enough for even the demon to notice. 'Don't let your emotions get in the way. Thank, what can you do to save her?' He had medicines, foods, and supplies in the bag still, but... that was for after they got him.

His one attack would be a good distraction, how long it lasted wouldn't hurt something that huge much at all... but it would be distracting and not harm the girl. The issue? It was a slow attack. Maybe it could still work, the vulcan was so focused on the girl. Also, missing could mean a grippy violent spell latched on someone with no way to get it off. He could swap to his other form? But how likely would a vulcan go after a woman when they already have a girl? She looked upset, exhausted, but at least nothing broken. It also meant she would be dead weight to carry, but he could handle that just fine. . . But this vulcan looked too big for him even consider attacking, that could would be as stupid as... what he did with the last vulcan they had encountered.

wordcount: 639
Total: 6,384/2,500

"Oh, I see" Johann gave back simply, it was true, the Vice President didn't understand entirely, but he could empathize with the demon on some level. He knew that if what he held close to him were to be destroyed ... his hands moved to the silver amulet with the amber inside that was dangling around his neck. "I'm sorry", and he really was, but there was nothing he could do. Ailments of the body were no issue for the miraculous effects of the winds enhanced healing properties, but a broken hair tie ... it was unfortunate, to say the least.

Still, he knew that Haraka would push that aside for the girl's sake, the other promptly getting back up and back to following the trail, Johann closeby, now even more cautious than before. He wouldn't let them be jumped by another threat, but that proved to be unnecessary. After a short bit of walk and following trail, he could see that the demon had trouble while doing so but decided not to intervene since Haraka had rejected medical assistance, they stumbled upon something that could only be described as a brute mountain of flesh, fur and muscle, the enormous Vulcan groaning happily and clapping his oversized hands as he was bowed over a blond haired, unconscious girl. FInally, they had encountered what they had come for. But, naturally, this would be a problem.

Even Johann didn't possess the raw strength to single handedly fight a beast like this, in melee combat at least. The two WFTC members would have to rely on their magic if they wanted to take down this threat, and Johann bit his lip as he crouched behind this bush beside his job partner. He had used the power already, and it would be a while before he could do so again, but they couldn't possibly wait that long. Quietly, the Vice President thought, turning to Haraka to see if the other had a plan.

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Word Count: 330
Word Count Total: 5.060 / 2.500

What could they do? Johann wasn't rushing in, so maybe it meant even he had limits? That makes sense. The vulcan was a tower of muscle with sensitive ears. Maybe they could use those ears to their advantage? But those ears were also why if he said anything, they would both be immediately noticed. His only attack spell took time to charge. Would they have it? Also, it would make some sound. What if it catches their attention? Should he set something up in case the sound catches their attention? The wind would confuse a hulk like that at best, not even budge that bulk. What would he do to trip them up? Pearls could be used like marbles? But they are more brittle, that wouldn't make sense. Fruit? That would be way more noisy and attention grabbing, that's a no go. Clay? It wasn't anything dangerous or all that useful, but at the least? It could slow them down and catch them off guard if there was enough. It would be perfect for a forest, it would blend in perfectly. Wet clay could slow down even titans if there was enough and that was pretty much the only kind he could create. So the demon slowly leaned down, combining plant minerals and water together to start to quietly create wet clay. It slipped over soil and grass nearby silently, slowly creeping around the area between the two guild members and the monster. 'No, it has to be thicker. At this level it wont slow them down at all. Come on, come on, come on...'

Enough yet? No. Now? Almost. Everything inside felt tense, but there was no avoiding that. This was strange trying to do. The only time he ever tried making clay it was in small amounts for working on pots, plates, cups, and the like. Maybe if he worked on this enough it would become good enough to be an actual spell, but this would have to do. It was merely something for in case the massive creature noticed them before the spell was done. It just needed to slow it enough to give them time to move. Haraka stood back up, quietly taking in a long deep breath during the process. Okay, focus. A pale blue electrical light started charging and forming between his hands, looking to wisp from his arms and the air to the gathering point. This would take awhile, but it would be worth it, right? But only if the girl survived. 'Will this attack do anything? It's too late to pull back now...'

Wordcount: 431
Total: 6,815/2500

Johann still crouched, watching as Haraka created an environment that would make it hard for the beast to move. Yes ! that would work. Haraka could immobilize their foe while Johann would ... that might just work out for them. But they would have to be quick and efficient about it, making sure that they would use the advantage they would create to its fullest. While the demon was busy creating his way of trying to stop the enormous Vulcan the Vice President went ahead with his own, the runes on his body flaring up in a violent and sudden change of colour simultaneously to Haraka creating flashes of lightning, the scripture now shining in bright white instead of the crimson red.

"We only get one chance at this. On 3, I'll rush out, when I do, close your eyes" he whispered over to the other as quietly as he could before starting to count down using 3 fingers, lowering one after the other until his hand made a fist, bursting out of the shrubbery the two were hiding behind. He hadn't checked if his job partner had closed his eyes, but he had to do it, right now, the vulcan had noticed him, turned, and with booming steps started to approach menacingly. This was the moment. The pupil in his still black left eye turned from the deeply red glow to a bright white as he raised his blade, pointing his weapon at the sky before, once more, a voice that wasn't his and spoke in a strange, ancient foreign tongue came from his lips. "O lumen radians, ilustram fluvium, qui vos operculus terram, ero liberabit vos, incendio !"

Without delay, his weapon reacted, the blade itself now covered in an aura of bright white before a blinding light exploded from the sword, so a light so bright it bathed everything in pure white for a few moments before retreating back into the rapier, Johann once more snapping out of his trance, breathing heavily. Controlling it wasn't easy, but he had accomplished what he wanted: The Vulcan was screaming in pain, his hands over his eyes as he stumbled back, the beast had been blinded. "Perfect" he whispered to himself, this was their chance. Their chance to finally finish their mission.

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Word Count: 383
Word Count Total: 5.443 / 2.500

Translation:

The young looking demon listened, it was important to do that when you're against a mountain of force. He didn't know why Johann wanted him to close his eyes, but did as was said when the time came regardless. Trust was important, right? Haraka trusted Johann, even the shrimp didn't always hold faith in himself. What was the strange voice? Was it alright to open his eyes now? Ah! Alright to or not, it was now a must to. Soon his spell would be ready to be used, he would have to use it then, the spell would demand it. Seeing everything almost caused Omaras to loose his focus, but the urge to not want to get zapped caused it to remain. The vulcan looked in terrible pain, covering its eyes. That might be connected to why he was told to close his eyes before. But now there was no time to ponder on any part of this situation. How long the blinding would last, what Johann had done to cause it, none of these things could be pondered. The blue lightening was almost ready, so he quietly whispered the right words then tossed it into the vulcans direction. It didn't look amazing or grand, which wasn't surprising with the demons rank. Still, it was painful... and it was continuous. The spell stuck to the vulcan like glue. The combined pain from the different spells caused the creature to... faint? At the least, that meant it was down for the moment. "The child!" The male ran over, a maternal protective emotion taking him. So, this was how the demon ended up as a woman checking the passed out teen girl over.

"No broken bones, minimal bruising, still breathing... Shes just exhausted." The woman picked the girl up carefully, bringing her close. It was only then that Haraka remembered something, the state of her current attire. Not even the fabric under the shirts normally worn by the shrimp person had survived all that well, there wasn't much to cover things up. "Uh... Why don't we return the child and I will explain the hairband thing? I... can try to change back to a man. I'm just a bit gender fluid, it changes naturally depending on which side emotionally... dominant. Just don't look in my direction right now.. much.. my shirt..." If Omaras could blush, he had a feeling there would be nothing uncovered by color on that face. This was something they were very grateful for being unable to happen. Maybe Johann wouldn't notice the slight shake in her voice?

wordcount: 429
Word Count Total: 7244/2500