The Sunny Tower Of No Return (Akane)

Sun worshipers. Just uttering those two words caused a somewhat scornful look to cross her features. It was such an archaic form of belief and one that had absolutely no truth behind it whatsoever. So it was with little hesitation that she had agreed to aid in the annexation of a group of them who were currently in control of an area known as Mystic Tower. The job itself had come from a couple, whose daughter had foolishly been suckered in to the beliefs of the mages and had journeyed to the tower in hopes of enlightenment. Honestly, Medeia believed that the girl deserved her fate for falling for such a simple plot but the pair were offering a generous amount of jewels for her safe return, which had been enough to sway the angel. The girl continued to send messages to her parents but they were written in such a way that caused them to doubt whether they were genuine. They wanted her to be returned unharmed and the witch had no particular qualms with that but as for everyone else? Well, they could all be purified for their idiotic beliefs and burnt to the ground. Rather fitting for sun mages, if she said so herself. It sounded to her as though they were simply trying to pull off a brainwashing scheme of sorts, an area that she herself was pretty familiar with.

The trip to the tower itself had been rather uneventful with Medeia deciding to simply use her angelic wings in order to travel rather than use a mortal form of transportation. She always adored using her wings and even more so when she had a passenger, which she fortunately did today. The angel believed that she could have completed the task solo but had decided on a different course of action, instead asking a lovely member of the guild to help her with the job. The two had met at the Errings Rising Ball and Medeia had become rather fond of Akane in the short time that they had spoken. The slaughter that they were going to carry out today would be a nice way of getting to know each other and so she had invited her without a second thought. It would be an entertaining endeavour and the witch was always curious to see the abilities and skills of her fellow members. Well, the female ones anyway.

Eventually, the clouds would part and an enormous tower would come into view, decorated with symbols that clearly made its allegiance to the sun clear. The angel had to roll her eyes at the stupidity of it but they would learn soon enough. Her eyes locking on to a safe landing spot, Medeia would then descend, finally coming to a gentle stop on the ground.

“It is a shame that I have to let go of you so soon, my dear.” She uttered with a chuckle, her gaze turning to look at her beautiful guildmate.

The people around them seemed to have a rather glazed look about them which instantly set the angel off somewhat. A pathetic smile was plastered on each and every face, a look of bliss that caused her stomach to turn somewhat. One of them would even approach the pair and place a hand on his heart. “Welcome to the Tower Of The Sun. If you seek to begin on the road of enlightenment then please visit the…”

His words were suddenly cut off as the angel removed her sickle from its resting place and slashed him across the chest with it. He tumbled to the ground and yet still had that look of ecstasy on his face, even as he lay dying. “Hmm. A powerful form of mind control indeed.” She uttered, raising an eyebrow.

(633 Words)
(633/5000 TWC)

Winds. A gentle breeze despite the speed. It was a rather comfortable and relaxing feeling having it against the maiden's face. She had the opportunity to fly when a member of the group of people Akane will keep alive or keep alive last at least asked for her help in a mission. The name of the group was Errings Rising, the guild she had the privilege of belonging to. The person that asked for help, a guildmate that went by the name of Medeia. She was a lovely woman from what Akane can tell, after having met her at a lovely ball hosted by the guild that liberated her.

The mission in question was infiltrating a cult of sun worshipers in order to retrieve someone's daughter. The thought of a family reunion left a bitter taste in her mouth but she liked Medeia and the prospect of actually freeing people from actual suffering and enslavement. Of course the demons in her head would love nothing more than to wipe out light worshiping fanatics in the process.

The quick feeling of flight had ended and they had found themselves on the Mystic Tower. It was very bright and the banners and decorations all depicting the sun didn't help at all. Colors of yellow, orange, gold, and red were everywhere to celebrate the giant ball of fire in the sky. But what was worse than glorifying a giant ball of fire in the sky was the fact that the place also celebrated life. Suffering. The irony that what they worship quite happily for what they believed to be benevolent is what's also causing bad things to happen sometimes.

The member was simply brimming with life and Akane hated it. Such blind positivity could only be a result of zealotry and Akane's anger kept boiling the longer he stood in their presence, her teeth grinding behind her lips as she struggled to maintain composure for they needed information first. And she certainly didn't want to extract his soul for it in front of his other colleagues. Her hands turned into shaking fists right after the man started talking. Akane closed her eyes so as not to see the man's most definitely annoying face and body movements as he spoke. However, it wasn't only Akane that was feeling the need to end the man's life. She had heard the man stop talking and the familiar gash of the throat. She opened her eyes to Medeia had him clinging to dear life. It alerted  the attention of the rest of the mindless followers that certainly didn't like it when one of theirs were killed.

"Well, I suppose there's no point in going covert now." she mused as she walked over to the dying man, kneeling down to place a hand on his heart to feel it still beating and smiled. "Help me with your rampaging friends, please. We still also have a few questions to ask your more reasonable self." she said to the dying man before lifting her hand up, a ball of black and green slowly growing in her palm that was being trailed by energy leaving the man's body, turning it into an empty husk that had an eerie smile on its face. The trail continued to follow as she got up, making the orb bigger. As she looked to a few of the members of the cult, charging while they power up a fire spell in their hands that she noticed was taking too long. She smiled at them for how seemingly easy they will be to deal with before turning to face the soul orb she had acquired. "Don't worry, at least you're free now." she whispered before putting her hands together, the soul orb getting smaller as the hands grew closer.

Akane then waved out her right hand and fired a soul bomb at the charging group, taking out 4 of them in the process sending them flying away and their souls being sucked to the center of the explosion for Akane's later consumption. She then looked at the confusion she had made with joy, placing her left hand near her right cheek before turning to address Medeia. "Shall we free them?" she devilishly stated with a smirk on her face.

WC: 713
Thread: 1,346
@Medeia

The smile on Akane’s face was somewhat mirrored on Medeia’s. The angel had been intrigued to see how her guild mate would respond to her act of aggression and she had not been disappointed. Anyone could be trained to kill but to be able to take joy and pleasure from it was reserved for only the most unique of individuals. Clearly, Akane was one of those lovely few and the angel knew then that this little task would be far more enjoyable than she had first thought. “Yes, perhaps then they will discover who they should have been worshipping all along.” The only resting place for those who would foolishly believe in such a ridiculous concept was hell, which was precisely where she imagined they would end up.

As she began to lead the way towards the large golden tower, another group of robe wearing figures would block their paths although these seemed a little more bold than the others. There were about a dozen of them in all and rather than simply defend the entrance, they stupidly decided to attack. Knowing that Akane could defend herself, Medeia had no issue with leaving some of the fools for her to deal with while she focused on those closest to her. They still had that same irritating look across their faces and Medeia assumed that these were the lowest on the totem pole. Hardly enough to trouble her and as the first one reached her, his hand glowing with sunlight, Medeia just blocked his attack and backhanded him across the face, causing him to crumple in a heap. Turning to him, she would plant a powerful kick directly into his gut, her foot blazing with flame. The potency of her flames were enough to burn him to a crisp, leaving just a charged corpse behind.

Her show of strength did somewhat slow their attacks and she could see doubt in the eyes of some. However, she was in no mood for mercy and made a circle gesture with her hand. The result of which was the ground beneath her opponents turning to liquid gold and for them to slowly descend into the incredibly heavy liquid. There was nothing they could do and as they sunk, Medeia simply uttered. “Before you meet your maker, know this. The rest of your idiotic band of brainess buffoons will soon be joining you in death. The sun will not be waiting for you on the other side, only pain and torment for not having the mental strength to escape a simple dose of mind control.”

It was fascinating for the witch to see how quickly their behaviour changed. For where at first they would try to aid each other in escaping the golden pit, they swiftly resorted to trying to push each other under, in order to keep themselves afloat. In the end, the result was obvious and soon they were all swallowed, devoured by the pit of gold. Only then would the spell disappear, leaving not only bones behind. It was as if they had never been there at all. She supposed that in reality, that was the fate of all mortals in the end, these men had just experienced it literally.

She was about to turn and see how Akane was getting on when another figure suddenly came charging towards her from her right. Both hands glowing with sunlight, he would swing at her with punches and kicks that seemed more powerful than the previous one. Perhaps he had been trained in such things? Still, his physical strength was not even close to hers and ducking underneath an attack, she would simply draw her sickle once one and unleash a powerful strike at his legs, resulting in a horrible screech as he crumpled to the floor. Following through, she would simply embed the blade into his chest, finishing him off.

When he was defeated, she would then finally gaze towards her guild mate. “How are you getting on, my dear?” She asked.

(670 Words)
(1303 Med WC)
(2016 TWC)

Akane perceived that she and Medeia had reached some form of understanding despite the length of the words exchanged. Passion was indeed clear in the good work they are performing, and as a result even the demons in her head are thrilled and excited for the soul harvest to come. Their anticipation oozed out of her mind and had physical manifestations. Her natural red eyes glowed an even brighter shade and her fangs became more prominent. Clearly the current situation had personal effects on Akane that the demons had tugged on it to elicit far more aggressive emotions from her. Now not only was anger the emotions their enemies felt but also fear. Fear from the sight of the maiden slowly showing demonic features. Though that did not stop the glow from their sun-touched weapons, while others blessed their physical strength with light enchantments. All of that was for naught however, once Akane was filled with the souls of her victims. The power she took from them grew with each one. Not only that, now she had a servant with her. A shade that would do as it was told, because she believed that subjugated souls would do just that. Little did she know that it had more to do with the demons possessing her mind. Every soul that she absorbed would be tortured by the demons into submission before they handed it over to her.

Now, the Shade had taken the front as Akane continued to unleash a barrage of spells with a menacing grin on her face. Her teeth clenched together almost as if they would break each other, her eyes, vibrant as if to look as if they had life of their own, being more prominent under the shade of black hair that had been previously undone from being tied properly. Such a visage was accompanied by a maniacal laughter, its sincerity twisted by the things it found humorous such as death being better than life. Truly, it was as if a demon had been spewed out from the abyss to spread hell on earth. And never had there been a close enough portrayal of that situation, when Akane’s head instantly turned to the golden puddle her partner had made. Several members of the sun cult had been caught in it, all pleading for their suffering to end from the sun that they so worshipped. Hurriedly, Akane went to the edge of the puddle and watched as the poor souls struggled for a way out. The sight was unnerving, Akane was feeling some pleasure from the screams of torment echoing from each of their lips that it caused the deranged maiden to salivate. Of course, such a sight and disregard for the rest of their enemies earned the ire of the rest of the cultists. They charged at Akane only to be stopped by the shade she had summoned. Their former member had grown powerful enough to surpass the powers the cultists had acquired from their worship of the sun. The shade had also mocked his former comrades that they were truly blinded by the cult they had served, that death was better than life. It shook some of them to be sure so much so that the singular shade, an ethereal being with just enough power from its soul and the demonic influence it had been introduced to, was able to shove some of the clutists away, ensuring distance between them and its new master.

The new master in question had taken her sweet time inspecting the suffering of the trapped cultists. Her eyes had begun to widen a bit more as she continued to watch the hope drain out of them. She even went so far as to bend her knees slowly to not only get a closer look, but also to whisper something to them. That it was their foolish attempt to cling on to hope that they suffer, that it was their ignorance in not realizing that death is the true freedom and peace, and life was only suffering, much like they were suffering now. Some were persuaded, tears rolled down their faces and their screams getting softer and softer as the realization donned on them. It was hopeless. They held out their hands and softly whispered that they wished to be freed, to be truly freed. Akane smiled at their answer in earnest, and a giggle even found its way out of it. In reply to this lost flock of men, Akane only had to stand up and reach out her hand gently, as if being cordially invited to a very prim and proper fancy ball. The rest of them, however, tried to tell them otherwise. That they should hold out to hope, that this was but a test to their faith. But it was too late, a couple of the hope-abandoned cultists had reached out their hands, their souls slowly flowing out of them. The process, although slow and eerie, as the sickly green glow began to eminante and flow towards Akane, was quiet; it had no sign or resistance or suffering. In fact, those whose souls were completely sucked out of them, had a faint smile on their faces, indicating that they had died happy. That, in some twisted way, they had found true peace and freedom from suffering as they were promised.

After seeing their comrades experience ultimate euphoria, coupled with their desire for their pain to end, they too pleaded that they be released. And the soul-sucking maiden was more than happy to oblige. Slowly their souls were taken, further empowering Akane, making her grin return and the glow in her eyes intensify. She was brimming with such soul energy that all she could think of was to gain more, as she descended into addiction. She wanted more. She needed more. It was all she could think about. Never before in her life had she carried this much souls within her. She suddenly believed it to be her reward, as her evil grin slowly paved the way to insane maniacal laughter that grew louder and louder. She thought that this surge of pleasure and power was proof that she was doing the right thing, that she was meant to truly save this world from the lie that is life.

She then turned her attention to the group of higher ranking cultists that her shade had been staving off and noticed that it too gained more power as evidenced by its increase in size and density that it was on the verge of gaining a corporeal form. The young soul-sucking maiden wasted little time with these distractions, she wanted their souls right away. She wanted it all. With her new-found power, she enveloped her fists in the glowing green energy from the souls she had “liberated” and dashed towards them with incredible speed. Not only that, she appears to have gained tremendous strength as well, as she easily broke through one the cultist’s guard and easily slammed him to the ground by grabbing hold of the man’s head and pushing it all the way through the pavement. She maintained her hold on the head, causing the man to struggle however weakly as he was having his soul sucked out.

That man’s soul sent Akane to her threshold, so much soul energy was absorbed that most of it gushed out in a violent display of magical energy, slowly manifesting itself as writing and disgusting tentacles made with the ethereal energy of the souls absorbed. The four tentacles intensely wriggled and aggressively flung themselves at the at the last 4 cultists that “welcomed” them into their temple. But being already full, the newly gained souls were simply coalescing in a violent ball of green energy ready to be fired. And Akane had the perfect target.

Another wave of cultists were being sent out through a large golden metallic gate that seemingly would lead to the cult’s inner sanctum. Seeing the perfect target, Akane laughed once more and unleashed all the souls she had within her in a magical beam attack that ravaged all in its path. Disintegrating even those that were even only a little bit close to the beam. The gate’s guard even closed it just in time, but the attack was simply too powerful that it bust it open nonetheless.

Now panting and shuddering, having her high die down, Akane looked over to Medeia that also took care of another group of high ranking cultists. “Well that was quite the welcome party. It felt great! I had never felt such a rush from that many uhm… ‘new friends’ before. But what do we do now? Would you like to question this very helpful shade for some information before we proceed?” She replied tiredly, a break in her voice evident as she tried to catch what little breath she could while still maintaining that pleasured smile on her face, that image of satisfaction and pride from such a thrilling experience.

WC: 1,500
Akane:2,846
@Medeia

The angel was deeply intrigued by the abilities of her guildmate and a smile crossed her features as she watched Akane work. A pleasurable tingle ran down her spine and Medeia could almost feel that same sense of ecstasy that her soul sucking teammate did. An unusual power for sure and it almost seemed vampiric in a way, at least in Medeia’s opinion. She herself could briefly capture the hearts and minds of her foes but take their souls permanently? That was something else entirely. Medeia could not help but wonder as to just how Akane’s powers would develop over time and considering what she could already do, it was a tantalising thought for the angel. She hoped that she would be able to see the results for herself as time passed.

The ace had planned on removing the next wave of enemies herself but Akane had taken the initiative and wiped them out with a potent beam attack, removing not only the guards but the door that they had tried to hide behind. Medeia could not help but chuckle at the display and the hopeless defiance of the guards. There was not the slightest hope for any of them. The only choice they possibly had would be whether they met their fate by hers or Akane’s hands. Not one choice that anyone would want to make, she mused. Still, it was what they deserved for becoming obsessed with such a ridiculous religion.

Turning towards Akane as she spoke up, Medeia would then approach and smile. “I must say that it was certainly lovely to watch you work, my dear. It has been quite some time since I have seen such a vibrant display, you are truly gifted. You must explain how it works sometimes as I admit that I am curious as to how you are able to control and command your ‘new friends’ as you describe them. The ability to manipulate souls is fascinating indeed.” The angel noted both the tiredness and pleasure that could be clearly read on the young woman’s face and so she refrained from having them push on too quickly. Yes, it would give the fools time to prepare for them but it mattered little. The end result would be the same regardless of how quickly they moved on. “Never forget the joy and elation that comes from that rush, Akane, as that is what makes life so enjoyable. Life without that pleasure is a life not worth living.”

The idea of questioning the shade was a perfect excuse to give the two a brief respite from the task they had been given and her gaze briefly flicked to the shade. In truth, there did not appear much to look at as such but she could certainly feel its presence. A being of such beautiful darkness and a perfect companion for Akane in her opinion. She could not help but ponder just what the fools that had died in order to create it would think if they knew that they would end up becoming such a being. An amusing thought indeed and it caused her smile to widen somewhat. It appeared that they had been good for something, at least.

“Very well. We will pause for a few moments while I have a brief discussion with your companion.” She answered with a nod of approval.

Her focus then once more turned to the shade and she began her line of questioning. “We seek a young woman who arrived here some time ago. Blonde hair, blue eyes, named Madilyn. Where is she and what type of mind control have your superiors used on her in order to claim control of her mind?”

“She is here and has gone up through the ranks at a very swift pace.” The shade replied, its voice monotonous and impossible to read. “Madilyn had been stifled and smothered by her family her entire life. She sought an escape from them and that is what brought her to the tower. The master gave her the freedom that she had always wanted and now she has willingly devoted her life to him and the sun. All aspiring members must go through a ritual in order to become one with the sun. It is performed by the master alone and it is the joining of the members' minds to his. Once it is done, there are no more worries, no more fears, only the splendour of the sun. It is paradise for all those who walk the path.”

“That would explain the ridiculous attitude that everyone seems to display around here. A simple use of magical mind control is all this is. Only a fool would believe that what he promises is genuine. Every fool here is little more than a sheep. Tell me, shade, how is this conversion reversed? What if someone did desire to leave? What would the master say or do then?” Medeia continued, her head tilting to one side with interest. “Would he simply allow them to leave?”

“No one has ever desired to leave once they have joined. The sheer bliss that flows through them is so intoxicating that they are unable to fight it off. All they wish is to remain feeling that way. It is like a drug of the most powerful kind. To live life in such a way is impossible to turn away from once it has been experienced. That is the hook that keeps the members here. They do not wish to return to their former lives, as they now live one which is in every way superior. The master has never considered the possibility that someone would wish to leave the island and the odds of him agreeing to such a thing are slim. He is the embodiment of the sun and would never allow a member to turn away from him, even if they wished to. There is no going back.” The shade was helpful indeed and Medeia half wished that her own companion, Armina, was such a fountain of information rather than simply a dirty minded bodyguard.

“So once he dies? What then?” Medeia further inquired.

“The end. For all those who follow the path. He is so entrenched in the minds and bodies of his followers that they simply cannot exist without his influence. They would not be able to function and their minds would shatter into pieces, leaving little more than empty shells behind. Ending him is dooming all of them and that is the reality of what the two of you intend on doing. You cannot take this girl and expect her to return to how she once was. If you take her while he still lives, she will just return and if you kill him, she will just be a soulless vegetable. Those are the choices that the two of you have if you proceed with this.”

It was not exactly the answer that she had wished to hear but the angel was nothing if not adaptable and the cogs of her mind began to turn as she mused. The job had clearly stated for the girl to return unharmed and yet that seemed an unlikely scenario, regardless of how Akane and herself went about it. Perhaps there was an alternative though, one where the two dark mages could have their cake and eat it, as the mortals liked to say.

Turning back to Akane at this point, she would smile once more, complimenting her guild mate's companion. “Your shade is an encyclopedia of knowledge, my dear.”

After a few moments, she would continue with a twinkle in her. “It does seem as though we are going to have to alter our plans slightly though. If we are unable to retrieve the girl without her mind turning to putty then we are going to have to alter the rules of the job. So, how about we play a little trick on the parents? We clear out the place as planned, retrieve what is left of the girl and then blackmail the doddering old fools in exchange for what is left of her? Once they pay up and receive her, we can then wipe them out and rob them of everything that they possess as a bonus. How does that sound to you?”

It sounded reasonable enough to the witch. More jewels, more bloodshed and a little deception thrown in too. A win, win, win scenario as far as she was concerned. Medeia had never been one to truly care much for the rules of the jobs she had taken anyway and why should she? If the fools were stupid enough to hire someone without doing their research first then they deserved everything they got. Hiring two dark mages for a rescue mission? How stupid could anyone possibly be? They would realise their mistake soon enough, much to the amusement of the angelic angel. Still, she desired the approval of her job partner before going forward with the plan, in the spirit of guild unity and all that.

(1512 Words)
(2815 Medeia Count)
(5028 Total Thread Count)