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Post by Behax on Mar 13, 2020 16:38:00 GMT
Generations ago a fallen angel broke the seven gates that separated Heaven and Hell from the mortal plane. It was believed that these gates were what kept Heave out of reach from those below, but the truth was more complicated. It also protected the Earth from the greater of Hell’s influence.
With the Gates and their guardians destroyed, the war raging between the above and the below spilled over onto the Earth. Humans who for the large part had remained blind to this eternal war, suddenly found themselves in the middle of it. The land was sundered as the Divine and the Damned warred with each other.
Soon there was little left, and what did remain of humanity now lived in a vast tower with sprawling branches. From its roots which started deep in the below, to its most lofty branches and reach far into the above.
It became known as the tower of Babylon. Most humans resided in the middle. The closer to the bottom you were the closer to hell and it’s denizen, while the closer to the top you climbed, the closer to heaven and it’s residents. Everything outside of the tower was a wasteland where the war continued to rage.
Those who resided in the lower middle or below often had poor lives, if you wanted a better life you have to claw your way up there. This aspect of Humanity never changes.
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It was night, and a lone cloaked figure was being pursued through the streets of a town situated in a branch off of the lower middle belt of Babylon. They ran bare food through wet streets, squeezing between other members of the crowd. They dared not to look back at their pursuers.
Taking a gamble they darted down an alley, turned a corner, then another, then another. But that last one was a mistake, as it led into a dead end. The figure turned, hoping to have time to escape in another direction, but it was already too late. Their pursuers had caught up.
The figure backed away, towards the dead end.
“You got nowhere left to run now boy.”
One of the two men lunged forward and grabbed the figure. At the same time they pulled away. The man got a handful of the cloak and managed to tug it off with enough force that it caused their prey to trip as they stumbled backwards.
The other man let out a whistle.
“Got a pretty one here.”
Their prey, a boy who looked no older than 18 but no younger than 16, with short wavy white hair. Blue eyes which had a ring of gold on the outside. His clothes were simple and white. His ears had a slightly feathered quality to them. There were bandages around his neck, wrists and ankles. Most notable however was the pair of small wings on his back.
He’d finally had the courage to escape from his mother, but it seemed that one thing she hadn’t lied to him about was the danger waiting for him outside.
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Post by Grimm on Mar 13, 2020 20:24:03 GMT
Brahm had been shopping for lack of a better word, shopping for some poor soul to present to his Master. But none of the riffraff he passed came close to his Masters taste…that was until he got a glimpse of a figure that rushed by. He watched two men follow the cloaked figure into an alley way and followed behind them. The trail of fear was easy to follow and pursued with no real urgency in mind. Brahm wasn’t even sure if this was going to pay off, he had only caught a glimpse of those unique eyes.
He caught up to the trio at the dead end just in time to see the cloak pulled off the young man. And that’s when he whistled, and whistled loudly. “My, my….What do you two plan on doing with this delicate looking flower?” Brahm addressed the two predators with the hint of a smirk. Brahms’s eyes were silver and his short rouge hair white as the forgotten snow. He was dressed in a fine red jacket, embroidered with silver thread, a sigil of gold graced the crest of a black arm band; a crest that belonged to a Dark Lord.
He had only hoped that the two pursuers would cause him trouble, he wanted to blow off some frustrations he had after combing the levels for something of interest.
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Post by Behax on Mar 13, 2020 22:42:21 GMT
The loud whistle got the attention of all three of the alley’s other occupants. The two men turned and one tutted as he caught sight of the interloper.
“None of your business, get los-” He was cut off by the other man grabbing his arm. He shook his head before nodding in the direction of the armband on their unwelcome guest. The speaker straightened up a little. He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn’t the dullest either.
He looked back at the boy they’d been chasing. Young, frightened, probably knew what he was but not what that meant. Either too weak or too ignorant to use the powers he had, otherwise he would have by now. And his wings, either they were stunted or mangled otherwise he would have at the very least not been stopped by a mere dead end.
He then looked back to the man who’d interrupted them with a sly, knowing smile.
“We did all the hard word chasing him down, so if you want him, make an offer.”
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Post by Grimm on Mar 15, 2020 3:54:49 GMT
Brahm let his lips slip with a tease, looking between the three of them, sizing up the two vampires and tallying up the preys worth. The white haired man in his fine red jacket, began to unbutton the high collar of his suit, exposing his daring neckline, the lustful gleam in his silver pale eyes. “I’ll take his place, whatever sick things you wanted to do to him, you can do to me.” Brahm smiled unbuttoning even more of his jacket, undressing until his chest laid bare. “After all, why settle for the water downed version...” he let the jacket slip from his shoulders and enormous white wings filled the space, the purity of their feathers like a ghost dancing on the moonlight. “When you can taste the real deal.” The angel touched his slender body and ran his fingers down his chiseled muscles seductively, nicking the edge of his lip to allow the scent of blood to drift to the two vampires.
Vampires were especially easy, since angel’s blood was like a drug to them. Not just giving them the feeling of euphoria but would increase their abilities at least for a little while.
This was of course a rouse and he had no intention of letting them feed, Brahm had no shame using his body or his blood as bait, in fact he had often hunted many of the towers residences for his own pleasure. It made him feel good to extinguish the vermin of hell, even if he was a Dark Lords little bitch.
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Post by Behax on Mar 18, 2020 0:07:57 GMT
The two vampire’s eyed him suspiciously as he began to unbutton his shirt. One of them quirking an eyebrow when the man offered to take the place of their prey.
“What don’t like the Lord you already work for? Looking to whorse yourself to another? We could just take you both if you’re that desperate.” It was the first one talking, clearly not the sharpest tool if he was getting that mouthy.
The other one clearly had more wits, or at least more caution. His mouthy partner was being drawn in even before the angel let his own blood hit the air, but he remained back. Still he was just as much a slave to that scene as his less weary peer, and found himself stepping towards the Angel, whole and true, unlike the prey they had been chasing. The boy was at most a half-blood. Could be even less if it was just a particularly strong line.
Warning bells were sounding in his head. No angel, Dark Lord’s bitch or not, just lays themselves out for vampire’s like that. But the smell, it was so enticing.
The boy however backed away from the three as far as he could. His back soon hitting a wall. His clothes damp and dirty from his scruttying on the ground. He looked for a way out, an escape. But the only way was behind the man who had now revealed himself to be an angel. Knowing this did not bring him much comfort.
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Post by Grimm on Mar 18, 2020 18:22:36 GMT
The blood barely had time to trickle down his chin before the first Vampire was on him. The angel allowed himself to be shoved to the alley wall, but when his wings hit the wall, they dissipated like ghostly fog. The second vampire halted his advance realizing something wasn’t right, his fear outweighing the chance of such an alluring aroma. And it was a good thing too.
The first vampire, while invading Brahms’s personal space had yet to pierce him with fangs, and the angel laughed liked he was amused. He was clearly physically stronger than the vampire as he held him at bay rather easily, he was hardly even flexing his muscles.
“Ah yes, I forgot. Master doesn’t like me giving out the goods for free.” And in an instance Brahm shoved the first vampire backwards. The attacker stumbled backward but quickly got his feet back under him and leapt forward once again. Brahm held out his hand, palm out and an angelic word spilling past his lips. Humans would hear nothing, but Oath would have heard something a kin to singing. The word however beautiful it sounded was ‘burn’ and the lunging vampire burst into flames.
As the first one fell to the ground in a screaming ball of fire, Brahm stepped over the vampire and grabbed the second one, pressing their lips together and forcing a mouthful of blood into his mouth. At first he fought it, but quick embraced the way angelic blood made him feel. He drank as much as Brahm allowed. The vampire grew weak in the knees and Brahm let him fall to the alley floor, taking Oath’s cloak from him. It was clear that the vampire was high beyond anything he had had ever felt, as he sat there in a daze examining the flames that dances on the corpse of his burning friend.
Without missing a beat he walked forward throwing the cloak to Oath. “Cover up and come with me.” Brahm give the boy much room for conversation before turning to pick up his jacket, exposing his bare back to the street rat. There were two large grey colored scars on his back.
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Post by Behax on Mar 19, 2020 0:22:52 GMT
Oath was in a word terrified as he watched the events unfold, watching with scared eyes as the angel was shoved up against the wall. Covering his eyes with his hands when the vampire was suddenly immolated with but a single sung word, however his hands soon slipped to his ears instead to muffle the sound of the vampire screaming, his eyes screwed shut.
He didn’t open them again until he felt the fabric of his cloak softly landing across his legs. He looked up and uncovered his ears just in time to be told to go with the stranger. Oath was hesitant, he knew that being an angel didn’t make a person trustworthy. He watched the man pick up his jacket, noting the scars on his back, and weighing up his options.
None of them were particularly good. If he stayed here too long the remaining vampire was likely to come to his senses and would likely be angry when he did. If he left he would likely catch the attention of someone else and be chased all over again, and he didn’t know the intentions of the man in front of him either.
None of the options were good.
After a while of deliberation Oath stood, and put his cloak back on, hiding his wings, and pulling the hood down enough to hide most of his features from view. He took the few steps necessary to close most of the gap between himself and the stranger, but seemed to stand just outside of what he judged to be arms reach. He didn't say anything, just waited for the man's next move.
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Post by Grimm on Mar 20, 2020 21:00:42 GMT
Brahm had picked up his red jacket and shook off some of the dirt muttering to himself about garments and show. He put it on as fluidly as he had taken it off, keeping an eye on his prize. He allowed the prey to weigh his options, the boy looked quiet delicate and he didn’t want to rough up his catch. Brahm could taste the fear and uncertainty in the air, it was an acquired skill during his time of servitude. Emotions were things his Master craved more than anything, intensity and purity…
“Wise choice.” Brahm fixed his high collar and sleeves, adjusting the arm band so it displayed the sigil correctly. He would lead the young man through the crowds, however many of them cleared a path when realizing that Brahm was coming in their direction. They might not have know who he was, but the house sigil was one they didn’t want to get entangled with. In times when it seemed uncertain, Brahm would gently grasp Oath by the shoulder to navigate him through tighter places until he reached a door. Behind it was a spiral staircase built into the tower, so narrow Brahms’s shoulders would scrap the wall. Brahm herded the half-angel forward up the stairs at a dizzying pace. The wind of the staircase howling past his ears, as the cold air from above was pulled by the warm below, creating a never ending stream of fresh air. Well, fresher air than any of the inhabitants of their surrounding levels had a chance to inhale.
They past a few doors until he came to one that had an iron marking matching the sigil on Brahms’s armband. He opened the door and shuffled Oath through it, revealing a windowless room and a giant mirror attached to the wall and one singular half-demon standing guard. Home’s hidden backdoor.
The half-demon on guard straightened up at first but then relaxed when he saw it was Brahm. However frustration quickly overtook his features. “You’re late!” He said with annoyance holding out his hand. Brahm reached into his jacket pocket and handed him a bag which the guard was quick to inspect.
“It’s all there. Let us through. Like you said, I’m late.” Brahm flashed the guard a smile but it seemed as if the guard was preoccupied with the contents of the bag. “And if I’m late, that means he’ll probably start looking for me rather soon, don’t you think?” He proposed the question to the guard who quickly closed the bag and put it in his pocket. The half-demon guard walked over to the mirror and tapped it with his nail. The reflection shimmered until it became still, but with one remarkable difference. The trio’s reflection was gone and replaced by a singular figure.
It was demon, gold curvy horns that circled back on themselves. His hair was currently a golden wheat color, stopping just shoulder length, each strand sitting perfectly in messy parade down his neckline. He wore an expensive looking suit, however he was missing his jacket, donned a red vest that matched the fabric of Brahms’s jacket.
Brahm was quick to one knee, not caring what his captive did. And it wasn’t respect that brought him to the dusty floor, but fear. “Master forgive my tardiness.” His silver eyes were downcast in submission while golden ones stared back with a face as placid as a statue.
“Dinner is getting cold.” The demon replied back, his golden eyes sliding to look at the cloaked figured Brahm had brought with him. “Come…child.” The demon beaconed the stranger his pet had through with him, holding out his hand to Oath showing there was no barrier between the two rooms.
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Post by Behax on Mar 20, 2020 23:38:22 GMT
Oath followed behind the man, close enough to be his shadow as they moved through the crowds. He noticed how people seemed to get out of the man’s way, that did little to rid him of his unease. When crowds parted either someone was very important, or very dangerous and sometimes even both. He tensed noticeably whenever he was taken by the shoulder. He didn’t trust this man’s intentions after all, and he grew wearier by the second.
He struggled not to stumble as he was hurried up the stairs. His hood had been blown back by the rush of air,and his head was spinning a little by the time they reached the top.
By the time he was being pushed through another door, Oath was realising he probably made a mistake, something that became a bit more of a certainty when he saw the half-demon. Now as he knew not all angels could be trusted, so too did he know not all half-demons were bad.
Oath watched the exchange between the two men without any real context for what was going on, with eyes that occasionally darted back to the door as he gauged his chances of a successful get away. He didn’t rank them very highly.
He swallowed hard when the image in the mirror shifted to that of a single man. A demon. The change in the demeanour of the man he’d been following filled him with unease. He hesitated when told to come, yet something told him that to refuse to get closer would be a worse mistake than doing as he was told.
Reluctantly he stepped forward.
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Post by Grimm on Mar 21, 2020 14:08:41 GMT
When Oath stepped forward into the room with the golden horned demon, his porcelain face morphed into a kind, friendly smile. But the dead gleam of gold eyes made it an unsettling event, like the demon was wearing a mask of his own face.
“Good. Dinner will be delightful with new company.” His voice was a soft velvet and he beaconed his guest to follow him. “Come along. You too Brahm.” He called to his pet still in the other room.
Brahm stood, stepping over the barrier and into the room. The mirror immediately solidified and showed the reflection of the three occupants of the new room. “You’ll have to excuse my cat, he likes to bring all manner of pitiful creatures home to share in our excess of food. My name is Envy and I will be your host for the foreseeable future.” Envy laid out that he intended to keep the young man there for quiet some time.
The three walked through a labyrinth of hallways and rooms, none of them ending up where you expected them to. There was odd life-sized statues of all manner of creatures, sometimes out in a hallway by themselves; or arranged in magnificent scenes in open plazas. Until finally one of the turns came to a door that opened by itself, leading them into a large dinning room. There was a ridiculously large table filled to the edge with food, leaving one side empty. Three seats had been prepared, every inch of decorum was over the top almost gaudy.
“Please, help yourself….but first; wash” He pointed to a lone table with a silver bowl filled with water. To each side were towels to dry their hands. Brahm had a towel in his hands, having washed them as soon as he had come in behind the other two.
Envy didn’t wait as he went over and began to fill a plate with all manner of different delicacies. Fruits, meats, pastries, it really was a waste for such little company.
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Post by Behax on Mar 21, 2020 14:24:31 GMT
Oath could tell the demon’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, and it certainly did unsettle him. He was starting to come to the conclusion that he might be somewhere even more dangerous than what the vampire’s had planned for him. He followed behind Envy as he spoke, occasionally nodding to show he was listening or that he understood, but never once saying a word himself, not even to introduce himself.
As they walked Oath tried to commit the path to memory, but there were so many twists and turns, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about the implication that he would be here for a while. Everything about the place and its host left Oath with a bad feeling.
When they finally ended up at their destination, Oath’s eyes went wide. It was certainly a ridiculous amount of food on display, the sheer amount of it made Oath wery. He worried in the back of his mind about the motives of his host, and of the man that had brought him here. He did not for one moment believe he was being offered this out of any kindness or generosity. Though those were things that were sorely missing from Oath’s life.
He did as he was bid, washing his hands before approaching the table. There was clearly an air of cautions about him. At the same time he was hungry, and by looking at him though he wasn’t starved he likely was underfed. Despite the sheer opulence on display, Oath did not help himself to much before sitting himself down.
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Post by Grimm on Mar 27, 2020 21:15:05 GMT
“Oh my, what a precious thing you are…” Envy was side eyeing Oath through that living porcelain mask. “Brahm usually brings me unmannered riftraft, they stuff themselves at my table, but look at you. A modest amount of food, you haven’t said a word - such a good boy.” Envy’s praising tone was insincere at best. “Mommy must be so proud.” Another unsettling smile while gold eyes studied his cloaked guest. Envy wasn’t just a demon, he was an Incubus and the subtle hints of thoughts and feelings seeped off his dinning partner and just like a cat, he enjoyed to toy with his potential meals. Especially when he was already well satisfied.
Envy set down the plate of food he had collected and placed it in front of Brahm. Brahm was sitting quietly, his attention going back and forth between his Master and the prey he had brought him. And when Envy place the plate down, Brahm made a disappointed frown.
Envy sat himself down, his attention still on Oath. “Did you know Brahm had to keep an oath the while on Earth, he would have nothing to eat but bread, water, and wine. It would show his loyalty to the church he was made to serve. You see angel’s while celestial beings don’t need to eat, but the longer they spend on earth, the more they need things like eat and sleep.” Envy explained to his captivated audience, presenting a roll and tossed it across the room. Brahm without a sigh or a fuss, quietly got up from his seat and fetched the roll from the floor, bring it back to his seat. His silver eyes were turned down as if to study the wood grain on the table.
“Come, come, take off that cloak. Let me get a proper look at you. ” Envy fussed, still with that eerie manufactured friendliness. He wanted to get a better look at the polite boy Brahm had brought before him.
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Post by Behax on Mar 28, 2020 0:49:49 GMT
Something in Oath told him not to trust a word this man said, and he noticeably flinched at the mention of a proud mother. Eny might have felt something akin to regret, guilt and fear from Oath just at that one mention alone, mixing with the boy’s clear unease.
The longer the man spoke the less Oath liked or trusted, but now that he was there he had no means to leave.
It felt a bit rude to eat while the man talked, but Oath was hungry, so he took little bites out of what he had on his plate while Envy made his cruel demonstration.
He hesitated when asked to take off his cloak, however he didn’t want to test the demon’s patience. Acquiescing and staying on his good side (if he had one,) was likely the safest thing to do. Reluctantly, Oath unfastened the clasp at the front and let the cloak fall away. His white hair fell in short curls and ringlets, his eyes were blue and circled with gold. Protruding from his back, through carefully crafted holes in the back of his shirt a pair of stunted white wings.
Oath was undeniably a child born of heaven and earth. Of Mortals and Celestials.
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Post by Grimm on Mar 30, 2020 12:22:57 GMT
“Oh aren’t they adorable?!” Before the cloak even had time to hit the ground, Envy was out of his seat to inspect the poor boy, almost immediately invading his personal space. Touching his white hair and small wings with long slender fingers crowned with golden nails. They trailed through some of his white hair, down to inspect the young man’s exotic ears. Envy’s touch would leave a trail on anyone’s skin, alive as a flame and as warm as one too. Mere physical contact with Envy was like an aphrodisiac and his scent mimicked that which made his prey feel safe.
“Aren’t you just the very picture of heavenliness? You’re filthy, but heavenly. Now what to do with you.” Envy’s golden blond hair almost seemed like gold itself, like the pair of horns that spiraled backwards like a rams. Envy seemed gleeful but anyone that knew the demon understood that his emotions were often not genuine. “I could gobble you up right now…or savior you piece by piece….but that would just be a waste.” The demon thought to himself out loud.
Brahm watched Envy pester the boy, while he pulled pieces off the roll and rolled them into small little dough balls, before popping them into his mouth. It made him feel as if he had more to eat. The angel was slipping a few of the bread balls into his jacket pocket when Envy called him to go stand by Oath. Begrudgingly but quietly he did so, putting the last of his meager roll into his mouth.
“The pair of you are so strikingly different, and yet…” Envy stared at the pair with his golden eyes, first tilting his head to one side, before tilting it again to the other. And in a flash, Envy’s hair turned from gold into a pink color and his posture physically changed. Brahm visibly startled in his place. Envy’s hair was a good way to judge his mood, at least when he had genuine feelings.
“Yes, I like this idea.” Envy clasped his hands together stopping in front of Oath. “If you follow my instructions, you will find that I can give you all manner of things that you wish for. The mother that you left behind, all the things you couldn’t give to her before, you can give to her now. The more you make me happy, the more she will receive.” Envy tried to exploit the complicated feelings he could feel that Oath had for his mother when he mentioned her before. “And if you try to run from here, I will have her brought here and she will grace my halls as one of my many fine statues.” Envy didn’t really feel the need to threaten Oath’s mother, the boy was timid enough that he had obeyed without a word.
“Clean him up Brahm and while you’re at it, clean yourself up too. You reek of streets and vampires. Meet me in the red room when you’re done.” Envy relayed his orders to Brahm who nodded in return.
“I never got your name dear, what do I call you?” Envy sat back down in his chair, his hair still pink with excitement. This time the smile behind the porcelain mimic was real.
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Post by Behax on Mar 30, 2020 14:40:13 GMT
Oath was perturbed to suddenly have Envy so close, breaching his personal space by touching him, and that touch had such an odd effect. Being descended from divinity Oath had some resistance to the effect Envy had in others, but it wasn’t complete protection. The complicated emotions Oath already had only grew more so, as the aphrodisiac effect of Eny’s touch began to stir arousal in Oath and confusion and further unease soon followed.
Despite the relative calm of the scent of rain in summer that Oath could smell on Envy, he maintained a level of weariness, though it abated a little. The demon’s words were such a contrast to how his presence was making Oath feel.
The sudden change in Envy’s appearance and demeanor startled Oath a little as well, his uncertainty growing deeper. His emotions were becoming a confusing mix between the effect of Envy’s presence, and Oath’s weariness at his situation.
He started when his mother was mentioned again, the reassurance and strange arousal caused by Envy’s existence being pushed aside by strong feelings of guilt and regret. Oath was shaking his head in a sombre way before the demon even moved onto his threat. There was a sad smile on his features. A threat like that meant nothing, when the person in question had already passed. Yet Envy would feel no grief from Oath that would indicate such.
Still he didn’t seem likely to run, he had a feeling he would get caught before he got far. Possibly by the very man who stood next to him.
When asked his name, he looked up, he made sure Envy was watching before he answered, because otherwise he was liable to miss it.
“Oath.” His voice was quiet and had a croaky quality to it, like it was difficult or possibly even painful for him to talk.
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