Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 16+)

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Raphael
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#676 Post by Raphael »

"Atta girl Vickie, put those troublesome boys in their place." Upon getting a death glare from Talia, Tobias chuckled and waved defensively "I'm only kidding m'lady, trying to keep the mood bright if possible." Upon closer inspection of Talia's mate, however, he saw the outcome being different "Though that may not be the case in this matter."

Raphael glanced over at the second ring, the suicide forest. For years in this god-forsaken land he imagined himself hanging from one of those trees or falling into a dagger grove and impaling himself, and almost forgot why he didn't act on those thoughts. A gentle touch on his shoulder reminded him of how he survived. The mortal senses, the pure emotions; love, joy, it was his soul that kept him going. Clinging onto his soul was the one thing that kept him from taking his life, denying Lucifer's [censored] of a son the one thing he couldn't gain through free will. And with the link severed, he would do everything in his power to keep that forever out of the demon's reach "Raphael?" "...I'm fine Talia...Thanks..." He looked over at Andrew, his very expression emphasizing the seriousness in his words "I don't think you were far off Andrew...The suicide forest may harbor lost souls intent on inflicting fatal wounds on themselves, but it isn't without its predators...Considering how far in we've gotten, I'm surprised we haven't had the privilege of encountering a few 'upper-class' predators..." He looked back the way that they came, thinking about previous events and encounters "I mean hell, we passed Asmodeous' home back between Pride and Lust's Domains...Remember that large ruined mansion? That was where he went when he felt like 'sleeping'..."
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#677 Post by foxlord »

Vickie smiled at Tobias appreciatively, putting a hand on his shoulder, concern in her eyes, a pistol in her free paw defensively. "There are many who lurk within the trees of the damned or cowardly... caution is good, but paranoia is dangerous. If we see anything, we'll be ready" she replied.

Lily blushed, tilting her head a bit and kissing Helen on the lips. "You're too good to me." she said honestly, an appreciative smile on her face, nuzzling into her neck a bit with a soft purr. She hadn't expected that response, or, truthfully any at all. She kept forgetting her kind could read thoughts... mostly because she wasn't very good at it, and kept getting read thoughts mixed up with her own. She was still learning how to use her powers, given they'd been neglected so long she barely remembered how to, beyond ones she used to get her old 'work' done. "I'll keep it tame... but thank you." she whispered back, looking over as the boys voiced their concerns.

Matashi for the most part ignored the forest, still lost in thought. How was he going to keep balanced the deeper in they went? He was running out of heavenly objects of his own, and the further unbalanced he got, the more problems it would cause up ahead. There was one measure he had left if it got critical but... he really really didn't want to go through with that unless he had to, because that had its own problems. Best not use that.
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#678 Post by Pyromancer »

Andrew kept gazing out into the Grove. The feeling had disappeared, but he kept watching in case it returned. "I don't know... Whatever it was, I got the distinct impression that it wasn't friendly in the slightest. Like it had a personal vendetta against one of us."

Helen smiled down at Lily and pulled her a bit closer, then turned her eyes to the shoreline. She didn't dare extend her powers blindly into the Grove, not with all the suicidal souls around. That left only her five mundane senses to watch the forest.

((I know, not much, but I just got back from vaca. Sue me.))
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#679 Post by Raphael »

After such a long time on the river, Charon finally reached the group's destination, resting the sides of the boats against the shoreline and waiting for everyone to depart "And here we are, the suicide forest, stray not from the path to the third ring, lest you fall prey to your sinful urges. It will take a strong will to survive down here, but if many of you are like our rogue assassin general here, I find it doubtless you will fall so easily." Lifting up the boats and hanging them over his back by the chains, he turned his eyes down toward Raphael, who calmly met his gaze almost as if there were no hatred in his eyes "This is where we part ways, Master Felidae, I wish you safe passage." "Thanks Charon, take care of yourself." Summoning up his cursed blade, he slowly made his way towards the pathway into the forest "Alright, let's move everyone, and stick together at all costs. Some of us may be able to come back to life down here, but it's not worth acting on your own and getting yourselves killed." By experience, He had seen many demons fight to the death to settle even the tiniest of arguments, only to result in more fighting after they came back to life. He was only glad that he was never dragged into those pointless battles, K'or being charged with keeping Belial's 'pet' alive.

Talia shuddered as she wallowed Raphael into the forest, sticking as close to her lover as possible *Raph...I can't even imagine the horrors you must have gone through while you were down here...*

Tobias walked close to Matashi, almost concerned. The veteran warrior may be riding a powerful demon steed, but his struggle for balance still worried him "Will you be alright, Matashi? We aren't going to need to worry about you, will we?
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#680 Post by foxlord »

Vickie departed the craft, nodding thankfully to Charon as she did so. Staying together seemed like a very good idea... especially when they were so close to the forest. Down here, she took no chances. This place was no place for them, and she knew they knew it. Whatever was out there was not friendly, and hearing Andy's message did nothing to help dissuade her from that line of thought. "Everything down here has a vendetta against us..." she muttered, cocking the Beretta in her paw.

Lily left the boat, her fingers interlocked with Helen's. The forest always sent a shiver down her spine, she'd seen Daddy throw more than a few souls in those trees for disappointing him, demon or not. The shrieks they gave were horrible... all those lost souls, seeking release or... well, she didn't know what they sought, but they'd fight a Wendigo to get them. Not fun memories.

Matashi glanced back at Tobias as he stood beside his steed. "I am fine my friend... worry not for me, but for the safety of the group. That is what matters. If our group is weak, one soul does not matter, for we will all be unsafe." He knew it would not make the most sense, but many things weighed on his mind, most of them based on where they were. It was very corrupted down here, they were nearing the heart of Hell, and his holy magics would only hold out for so long...
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#681 Post by Pyromancer »

Andrew had gotten out a moment before Vickie, and lent his hand in helping her out. He cast another look at the forest before replying. "Yes, but this felt... different, for some reason. More personal, perhaps. I'm not sure."

Helen let Lily help her out of the boat and, feeling Lily's nerves and fear, sent a feeling of reassurance to the feline. *Calm down, Lily. Noone here will let something like that happen to you. I won't let that happen to you.*

((At long last, I POST!!!))
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#682 Post by Raphael »

Raphael stopped just at the entrance, looking up at the tall, deformed tree trunks and clenching his sword tightly. A simple hand on his shoulder from Talia snapped him out of his frozen state, and, giving her a nod, walked inside with the group "Let's get through this place as soon as possible, the less time we spend here, the better."

Tobias wasn't too convinced, but he knew Matashi too well to know he could be quite stubborn, walking in stride with Keke to stay close to the vulpine hybrid "Acting tough again I see. Every soul matters, Matashi, the smaller our group, the more dangerous it will be for us near the end of this little road. We lost Hirano a few levels back, and things were a bit more difficult since then."
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#683 Post by foxlord »

Vickie tilted her head as she heard Andy's comment. "What do you mean?" she asked, interlocking her free paw in his as they walked, following after Raphael. Did they know someone down here? Was something following them? Best not keep those thoughts in one's head, lest it be manifest somehow... This was Hell after all!

Lily nodded and squeezed Helen's hand a bit in thanks, though the reassurance would only last so long. "I know... just creeps me out." she whispered so only Helen could hear.

Matashi sighed and looked over at Tobias as he spoke, not saying a thing. What Tobias said was true, but he was missing the point. "Hirano was a fool all told. His missing status is a shame, but the group matters more than one soul. If it comes to the group versus me, save yourselves".
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#684 Post by Pyromancer »

Andrew gently squeezed Vickie's paw. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it... The feeling was more focused than what I've felt before from Hell."

Helen returned the grip, looking out over the forest. *You, me, and most of the other denizens of Hell, Lily. This is a no-go zone even for demons.*

Andrew took a minute to look over the path through the forest before glancing back to his followers disembarking from their boat. "Excuse me, Matashi? You wouldn't happen to know some way for us to get these people," he gestured to the tribe, "through the forest without them attracting undue attention, would you?"

((My muse is being way too finicky... Sorry for being late.))
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#685 Post by Raphael »

Raphael's ears darted left and right, noting every foreign sound that came from outside of the path to the next ring of this circle "...We'll worry about it if and when it chooses to confront us...Right now, let's just focus on getting out of this forest..." Talia had been sticking to Raphael's side like glue ever since entering the forest, her head turning left and right like it was on a swivel "...I really don't like this place, can we speed things up a bit?" Raphael rubbed Talia's back softly "Just try to stay calm, we have to be cautious when going through this trail, or we risk getting into a fight that we don't need..."

Tobias looked back at Matashi sternly, like he was speaking blasphemy "Stop speaking nonsense, Matashi. You're one of our strongest fighters, if we lose you, we're in worse condition than when we started. There's no way I'm going to let you sacrifice yourself like you're some means to an end, if you stay behind so we can keep going, I am going to fight by your side, and make sure Vickie doesn't end up an only child."

Raphael could hear Tobias and Matashi arguing, and turned his head slightly to pay attention to the details "Talia, hang back with Andrew and Vickie for a while, I'll be right back..." Nodding, Talia slowed her pace to match with Andrew and Vickie's, keeping stride with them. Meanwhile, Raphael was walking beside Matashi, facing forward as he gripped his heavenly sword tightly as he kept monitoring the surroundings "...You're not throwing your life away, Oha...Is your spiritual balance tipping too far?"
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#686 Post by foxlord »

The old warrior snarled. "It is not a plan lads, just a comment. Warriors fight for honor, dignity and country. If I must be left here to get us to victory and back out whenever that time comes, so be it. I am the best of us, and I'll hold off the whole army myself if need be to protect my family and friends and you won't stop me. I mean to get us to victory, you hear me? Do not doubt my motives! I am a man first and foremost, a warrior second and I am your lord. I have fought countless battles and I know what I am doing!" His voice rose higher than he intended, and it had an odd, double-voiced twang that made it seem like an echo was caught in his throat. Hearing noises, he drew his blade and moved ahead, his heavy mail doing little to keep him stealthy as he did so. He spoke not of his condition, avoiding it intentionally. He would get to Andrew once those sounds died away... He felt a fool for attracting attention, but he would deal with his mistakes himself.

Vickie looked up at him. "Focused how?" she asked, holding up the pistol she carried, not liking the sounds she heard.

Lily was very on-edge, this place bringing unbidden memories she really didn't need at a tense time like this... It would make her jumpier and less able if something sudden went down. She tried to force it all down through various training methods and succeeded, though her heart kept beating like a war drum the whole time.
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#687 Post by Pyromancer »

Andrew shook his head. "It's hard to describe... I've never really felt anything like it before..." He was silent for a few moments. "... You know that feeling you occasionally get, that someone's watching you from somewhere that you can't see? It's kind of like that, but with the sensation also conveying that the person doing the watching hates you on a personal level for some reason. That's really the only way I can describe it." ((OOC: AKA Stop asking Fox. It's not a feeling easily put into words.))

Helen continued to rub Lily's shoulder and tried to project a feeling of calm onto the feline anthro. Wariness was one thing, but Lily's fear risked making her a bit too trigger-happy. Not a good prospect with her sort of weapon.
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#688 Post by Raphael »

Raphael growled irritably and transferred himself in front of Matashi, stopping him in his tracks "Let's get one thing straight, gray fur...You may be the leader of our squad, but never...never call yourself 'your lord' to me! I put up with thirty [censored] hell years of your father pulling that [censored] on me, and I'm not going to put up with you doing the same." Raphael's eyes were slitted, his fangs bared as his anger was starting to get the better of him "So I'm going to warn you once and only once...If you ever use that title around me again, I will punch you so hard your jaw won't heal for a [censored] month ARE WE CLEAR!" While they were elongated, he was still short of going full feral. Sensing the anger welling inside Raphael, Talia flew over and got between the two quarreling warriors, staring Raphael down sternly, but clearly showing her concern <Raphael, Please! You have to calm down before you lose control again...> Contacting him mentally, she hoped it would have a greater effect than if she tried to get through to him verbally.

Thanks to Talia intervening, Raphael was actually able to calm himself before the beast inside of his subconscious could overwhelm his rational mind "...You take pride in your honor as a warrior, I get that. But I go by a different code, Matashi...I was powerless to stop Belial from killing my family, my best friend, and the woman I was going to share the rest of my life with, I refuse to let my past repeat itself." His eyes back to their humanoid state, he stared the 'old warrior' down, that same fire in his eyes showing he wasn't going to back down "...You're not staying behind to fight an entire army, Oha...Not by yourself...No one is left behind..."

Talia turned to look at Matashi, hands on her hips "That goes for me too, Matty! We're a family, and if there's one thing my mother taught me before she died, it's family always comes first! If you stay behind, we stay behind too!"

Tobias walked over to Andrew, arms crossed as he observed Raphael's odd, split-personality like behavior "There's something that's been on my mind regarding your friend, Andrew. I have witnessed many of the anthropomorphic race awaken their animal instincts when under pressure, but he seems to be different than the others. I have never seen such displays of uncontrolled feral rage such as this, what do you think could have caused such an imbalance in his mental state?"
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#689 Post by foxlord »

Matashi stood still as stone as Raphael barked at him. His gaze was unblinking and he did not back down. On the contrary, he advanced slightly. "I understand your feelings young one, and I empathize, but if you EVER challenge my authority or make demands of me again, I will not hesitate to put you back in your place. You do not have to use that title with me, and I will try to remember your... tendencies, but I hold rank here, and you will respect that. I am not my father, but I do demand respect and you would do well to remember that. Lastly, I'd like to see you hit me. You'd only harm yourself. My bones are calcified and harder than stone... yours are not. With enough force, you'd break to pieces and leave me standing here to collect them". His words held no emotion, and were given in a matter-of-fact, yet slightly forceful manner. Turning to Talia, he nodded. <That was merely last-resort planning dear one, nothing more. Though I warn you, if I give an order to retreat, you will follow it. I will not having soldiers pulling rank on me. They've never in the past, and they will not now. Are we understood?> Turning back to Raphael, he smirked slightly. "Your rabid dog act will not scare me boy... there are few alive who can. Calm thyself, and think before you act. If you need to be contained, I will aid you in that".

[the only reason I kept asking is because the way you'd explained it made no sense E :p That's all]
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Re: Redemption; Journey Through the Nine Circles (for ages 1

#690 Post by Pyromancer »

Andrew glanced over to Tobias for a moment, then watched Raph and Matashi argue while considering the question. "Well... Given how he acted like this back on Earth as well it's not the atmosphere of Hell... If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's because he possesses the Wrath title while still being a mortal. The past possessors of the titles, to my knowledge, were all demons. I have no idea how to test that theory, though."
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