Name: Lavinia
Race: Demon
Class: Vampiric
Age: Immortal – 81days.
Crystal Essence: [Pink]- Lvl.8— 45.91ESQ
[Available Essence Points— 0]
Faith:30
Agility: 25
Intelligence:14
Perk: {Reais Smite}, {Blood Rush}, {Wave Shot}, {Crimson Blink}, {Inspect}
Soul Bond: Curse Marked; Master Henry Vanavil
***
Lavinia’s arm regenerated in full. She spends days testing her strength with the arm, comparing it by lifting an often unwilling Jonn, heaving metal parts alongside goblins working at the wall and punching out with as much force as she could gather. Only once she was sure the arm had regrown right and perhaps even stronger does she start hounding Seraph for something to do, or rather, something to hunt.
It had begun to irk Lavinia that she was the only one out of the three without a shiny Crimson Crystal and her Soul Crystal’s return to its usual place on her regenerated left arm only served to remind her of how much power she’s missed out on staying in Corym.
To her surprise it doesn't take more than three asks to get Seraph off her chair and yarn to pay a visit to Ulx in his tower. Lavinia isn't the only one itching for a change of pace, Seraph was particularly sick of her probation and guardianship over Lavinia, even though the animosity she harbours for the Vampiric demon has started to wane over the weeks they spent cooped up together. A lot of her frustration came from her need to prove herself worth the same Essence tokens as Lavinia was.
Whatever that meant, both Lavinia and Seraph are disappointed when she returns without a permission for either of them to leave the city. Ulx does order the squad to help watch the wall and promises to have a mission beyond the walls soon.
And so Lavinia, Seraph and Jonn patrol the newly repaired wall alongside Pink Trirax squads and the goblins that seem to function as the city's general workforce and the Trirax’s personal militia. Jonn happily explains that one of the Trirax’s main responsibilities is construction, their beams make useful welding tools for a city reliant on metal and that the goblins are a resource a previous Lord Crimson established.
Lavinia doesn’t care for any of that though, the goblins made fierce fighters and are among the reasons she lost to Seraph that day and they’ve never interacted with her beyond the occasional grunt of acknowledgement when she helped haul for the walls reconstruction.
Glaring into the enchanting forest and longing for the demons that populate it, Lavinia steels herself against temptations to hop off the side of the wall and sprint away. If she wanted to, she could kill Seraph and Jonn before making her escape into the thick woodlands with a simple hop over the wall. It’s a steep drop but with both her arms functioning again Lavinia sees herself scratching down its surface with her claws.
It’s a pleasing fantasy; their deaths and the surge of Essence that would come with it— something tells her adding another level in her Crystal Essence will unveil new Perks— but that’s all she allows it to be, a fantasy. Compared to Seraph, Jonn isn’t so bad to leave alive and he brings her food too, but more than anything the absence of the GroveStaff stifles her thoughts of murder and mayhem.
THUUBOOHHMMM!
The Stelc’s thunderous footfalls scattered her thoughts, rocks, and splashes mud and water from the swamp on onto the wall. Jonn sighs and gathers the cleaning tools each Trirax is provided and starts sweeping away the mess of weeds, dirt water and displaced rock. Up close the Stelc is a mountain towering above even their walls and each time it passes, completing its obsessive orbit around the city and through the forest, Lavinia’s chest tenses and she readies her feet to jump, fearing it’ll tip over from exhaustion and crush her.
Its body is marred with complex runes and sigils, similar to some of the scratches she’s seen on the GroveStaff but far larger, circular and scarred into the massive demon’s flesh— if it can be called that. Recalling what Seraph mentioned about demon scarring Lavinia can’t help but wonder—
“Who did that to it?” She hollers over the creature’s noises, pointing at the spot of flesh surrounded by the obsidian stalactites that stretch all the way under its belly.
Jonn looks up, “Ahh, the Stelc or as we call it, the world clock.” He shakes his head with a chuckle, “It’s not really a clock but it marks the start and end of the day for many here but most demons have forgotten the true meaning to its toil around the city. The Primes do use those runes to teleport items to other cities like Corym, either in Ruishia or on some other realm. There’s a palanquin atop it’s back too so it can be used in a fight. It’s more ancient and powerful than most demons so we try not to piss it off.”
He doesn’t answer her question but the Primes using it for something at all supports Lavinia’s growing theory that Ulx or some other Prime would understand how her curse mark works and maybe how to get rid of it.
“Hey guys!” Seraph calls, panting as she climbs up the rampart hatch albeit with the largest grin on her structured face. Jonn helps her up and Lavinia gathers around her with him to get the update— Ulx had called her to his tower after days of wall watching.
Brimming with mirth she announces, “He’s got something for us!”
“A mission outside?” Jonn presses and Lavinia doesn’t miss the slight hitch in his voice and the outright sigh when Seraph nods with vigour, “Pardon me if I’m not excited. What’s the mission this time?”
Seraph doesn’t let his mood get to her before she starts climbing back down, “I don’t know, he wants everyone there before he spills so let’s go!” She’s down the hatch before anyone can respond.
Lavinia and Jonn look at each other, she grins and a shiver runs through him.
----------------------------------------
They met Ulx in his usual frenzy of floating and reading several books, sheets and crooked objects.
“Very good, Seraph, I’ll be with you soon.”
Those were the token words he’d given Seraph before asking them to wait outside for several hours. Already, Jonn has begun speculating the Lord Crimson had simply forgotten in his haste of very important business and Lavinia’s stomach continues to growl. It is only because it was not yet dinner time that she doesn't mind the wait while Seraph’s strictly believes this is some test of her worth as a Trirax.
Shaking her head, Lavinia endures her growing hunger with a tree of springing thoughts, specifically savouring the lingering flavours from lunch; a wrap of shredded meat and other obstacles Deran had only permitted her a single bite of. It is a popular choice among even the Trirax and in the settlements of the Caldri and Kimpe, but an expensive one as well. Seraph nigh took off her head when she nearly indebted them to Deran for a mere second bite— Lavinia resolved then to put in as much work as four of those wraps called for, Ulx promised Auramotes for service and this should be the start of her rewards.
While Jonn can’t stop pacing and muttering the worst scenarios, Seraph’s an unfeeling statue beside her, single eye boring a hole in the wall and fists clenching down on her would-be giddy knees.
Even if she doesn’t get to have the wrap tonight, Lavinia does wish a word with Ulx. The start of missions means the return of the GroveStaff and though waiting for a guaranteed meal is mildly annoying, being away from her property this long because she was curious is the true test of her patience. With a breath, she calms down the growl that would bubble to the surface, Ulx is still trustworthy— as long as she can see him, touch him and smell him then there’s no need to fear anything he might do because consequences will be quickly applied.
A subtle and sporadic throbbing of her cursed scars remind her where the real trouble is though. Henry Vanavil. His name is the clearest right after Lucy’s and her own but his is the only one that incurs a deepening dread within Lavinia’s waking thoughts and dreams.
Ulx will know. She tells herself, resisting another urge to growl albeit poorly as her stomach lets its displeasure known a bit louder than her disturbed growls would have. Seraph glances at her, offering a strange smile that doesn’t reach her dry eye, “He’ll call us in soon, he will, Lavinia.”
Lavinia shrugs, it would be another day wasted if he doesn’t but at least they’d leave once its dinner time. Blinking, it occurs to her that pacing, panicking Jonn and odd Seraph may not share the same concerns, “Dinner time soon. We’ll leave, yes?”
Jonn pauses, looking relieved at Lavinia’s words as his own imagination of a trip outside devours him, “Yes, yes? Seraph?”
Head bowed and fists curled Seraph belts out a scream and springs to her feet, arm raised to assault Ulx’s tall marble doors only for them to split open and his words sing out, “Sorry for the wait, Seraph Squadron.”
Stumbling into the room, Seraph gapes, “Seraph Squadron?”
Jonn and Lavinia trail in beside her, finding the Lord Crimson’s chambers even more of a mess than when they first arrived— there’s barely a free spot on the floor without paper or splayed scroll or book.
Ulx nods and drawls in a formal tune, “Yes, you have permission to recruit your own demons, Trirax or otherwise to complete your squad and fulfil the interests of your Lord Crimson and Corym’s Primes as need be.” He half-heartedly shares Seraph’s grin before adding, “And yes, you do have a mission.”
The newly christened Seraph Squadron lines up at the far foot of his desk, all hesitant to journey any closer as the mess grows complex the closer to Ulx. The Lord Crimson himself looks like he could do with some rest, all three of his eyes suffer the dark shade of sleeplessness, a sentiment Lavinia can sympathize with as Henry Vanavil invades her dreams of late, interrupting the preferred broadcasts of bountiful feasts she enjoyed in the thick of Ruishia’s forests.
“I’m hungry.” Lavinia says.
Ulx huffs and sinks into his chair, “Then we better get to it then, Commander?”
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Seraph snaps a salute Jonn emulates a second later, the nervousness on his face never leaving. Lavinia sits legs crossed on the ground, though very aware what Ulx and Seraph’s piercing stares want her to do.
“Can we just…let’s…she’s that way, sir.” Seraph says as excuse for Lavinia.
“It’s fine. She wasn’t trained and I’m sure a many of the demons you’ll come to work with won’t be, not all can be Trirax and not all should be. However, it is your job to instill the desired discipline to your recruits, Commander.” Ulx says but in the same breath he leans forward and crosses his fingers as his eyes narrow on stubborn Lavinia, “That said, Lavinia is essentially my recruit and she is key to this mission. Take yourselves to the North-Western part of the forest, and I mean North. Map the area to the best of your capabilities and report whatever you find through your rings if you have to, that said, come here Commander, it’s time you got a direct line.”
He pulls out a ring from his drawer and Seraph happily prances through the sea of paper to exchange the old for new, “Thank you, Lord Crimson I-”
Yanking Seraph close, he taps his head to hers and Seraphs shudders, panting heavy breaths as both her ring and Soul Crystal glow in sync. The light dies abruptly and Seraph stumbles back through the minefield of scrolls and material. She snatches her foot to balance in a hasty salute, “Yes, Lord Crimson.”
Nodding, Ulx inhales and taps his desk, “Refrain from combat engagements where you can but in the end it’s your call to make, Commander.”
Confused, the only thing that makes sense are Jonn’s hesitant mutterings so Lavinia announces his muttering on his behalf, “If we have to fight as an official squadron, does that mean we get protection?”
All eyes fall on her and Ulx lets a sly smile reach his eyes, “Yes, Jonn, of course you do. That doesn’t mean you’re immune though, be careful out there. Meet with Deran and requisition whatever items or weapons you’ll need; don’t forget you’re mapping the area.”
Seraph snaps another curt salute, “Yes sir! We leave…now, sir?”
“Yes, now.”
Seraph turns on the spot, snatches Jonn by the arm and starts marching out with a barely contained smile, “Lavinia, let’s go!”
Lavinia remains seated on the floor, gazing up at Ulx, “Deran doesn’t have the GroveStaff. Give it back.”
As though returning the favour, Jonn adds, “She means that but she also wants to, uh, know about some curses? I think.”
“Yes.”
Looking disturbed Ulx lifts a hand warped in mana and pulls out a dark blade from the seamless pocket dimension, “The GroveStaff is with me, yes, as was this. Lavinia’s gotten her hands on some very interesting weapons and I’ve been studying them.”
His words mean little to Lavinia but he floats out chair to crouch before her with a contemplative stare taking up the scars on her face, “I’ve wondered about this curse too, Lavinia, do you mind?”
He snatches up Lavinia’s chin, his thumb as long as any of her fingers digs into her left cheek as he pivots her face in circles, “A Soul Reaver, you said? Hmm, well, Lavinia, I’ve only read so much about Soul Binding. It’s a topic of conquerors and oppressors, but I’m beginning to suspect we both have some learning to do for our own safety.”
His dark tunes turn cheery as he releases her chin and hovers midway of the tall room, “You’re welcome to share my library, I’m certain you can find something about your-”
“The GroveStaff, where is it? Give it back.” On her feet, Lavinia couldn’t care less about using his library, she couldn’t read anything in it either so it was moot. What matters now was the GroveStaff.
Ulx descends gracefully, his shoulders sag and all three eyes peer down at Lavinia in a pitiful collage, “I cannot trust you to return or abide by our agreement, have the dagger, the GroveStaff will remain with me until you stop sizing up Jonn and Seraph each time you’re annoyed.”
How could he know that? Lavinia’s claws extend as she bares her fangs up at the Lord Crimson. He shrugs, “I have knowledge of Soul Bonds somewhere here and I will ready that for you, Lavinia. I only ask you aid Seraph Squad in their missions and you will have both, the GroveStaff and knowledge of your curse.”
Lavinia’s growls deepened. It is fair enough. She often feasted on them in her thoughts and till now she’s only seen Ulx as a particularly strong prey. She's sure in time and with a few generous meals he would be as easy to subdue as Seraph was. The reality before her is different though, the prey is cautious and those eyes belay the same menace she sensed within Ken.
With a grunt, Lavinia recedes her claws and collects the smoky dagger. She sees no need to protest his demand and it serves her goals in the long term as much as the short— by the time she returns to Ulx, she will be strong enough to have her way and the GroveStaff will be hers by force or otherwise.
Seraph coughs, “Can we…go now?”
----------------------------------------
Lavinia never thought much of the swamp beyond Corym’s walls. When she first encountered it with Seraph as prisoner, she was more concerned with keeping her leverage and avoiding the gases the fat, purple-bulb plants spewed. Now things are different, Lavinia sees the swamp for its beauty, in the fresh ripples of beasts swimming underneath, the soft ground and sand; perfect for tracking down runaway prey.
The swamp smells magnificent and the croaking echoes are the songs regaling its wealth of potential. Lavinia’s excitement at the swamp outshone her disappointments and they were many things that irked her in the past hours.
From Ulx denying her the GroveStaff to Seraph refusing to order the gates open till she put on the new shawl Deran provided. The shawl is heavy, rough and tickles. It weighs down Lavinia quite a bit and sends static through her hair, gradually turning it into a huge blowout of individual strands standing upright on their pores.
It would make for a devastating disadvantage in a hunt and Lavinia expects a hunt on this excursion, perhaps even to reach Crimson as well. To compromise, Lavinia allows Seraph to trim some of her hair and tie it into long, bundled braids. The shawl still pours its magic up her hair but tied up in braids only a few strands fall into its pull.
Along with the shawl, Deran provided boots for Lavinia while Seraph and Jonn got away with tight-fitting leggings that made their slender legs look even more like sticks. Although Lavinia’s first instinct is to refuse the boots, once she has a whiff of them as well as a proper look, she's certain they are made of the same waterborne reptile she hunted for Lucy. She’d only had a bite when it was still fresh before Lucy had her hand it over to cook. She never did finish cooking it.
“Seraph!” Lavinia yells, sick of staring at her boots and thinking of food she could be hunting. Behind her Seraph and Jonn wrap up the details of their Squad’s excursion outside with a particularly large goblin and another Tririax Lavinia’s only seen supervising the wall’s construction.
It’s not much longer before Jonn and Seraph meet up with her at the gate entrance— a heavy metal door welded into the rest of the metal-concrete mix that makes up the wall. Jonn heaves most of the squad’s materials in a tight packed cylindrical bag. Excluding some emergency supplies should they get lost or stranded on their mission, most of the packs contents were full of charting materials of which only Seraph and Jonn know how to work.
Seraph steps out in front of Lavinia, her leggings draw over her body, covering everything beneath the shawl and leaving her single eye and the glinting ring Ulx rewarded her with standing out.
“Alright, one last time, Lavinia.” She starts, pulling on the tight fitting sleeves of her full body darksuit and beckoning Lavinia’s practiced response.
Suppressing a growl, Lavinia searches her memory for the words she’d all but forgotten the moment she stepped out, “No hunting friendlies. No running off one my own. No getting distracted and no bullying.”
Seraph nods in satisfaction as she sets the grip on her shin and forearm guards, another gift from Deran, “Good! Oh, and friendlies are?”
“Grrr. Anything Seraph talks to.” Lavinia drawls.
“Anything Seraph and Jonn speak to.” Jonn stresses, and not for the first time. He hefts the backpack and sighs, “Couldn’t Lavinia carry this until we actually get into a fight? Ulx said we should avoid fights to begin with.”
With a wave back at the Trirax and goblin. Seraph starts walking and they shut the gate behind them. A sound as sweet as the smell of the swamp to Lavinia, the sound of certainty— nothing is stopping this mission now. She falls behind Seraph, eyes scanning around the swamp in search of the closest creature she can turn into prey.
Seraph sets her hand out as they stroll around Corym and Jonn deposits an object in her waiting hand, “Don’t ask me that again or you’re going to get me mad, Jonn.” Seraph says in a singsong tune while poking at the round object Jonn handed her, “Lavinia has to be able to move freely, we’d be sitting ducks if she’s slowed down by luggage in a fight.”
Lavinia’s ears twitch through her braids at her name, but her eyes remain glued to the ground; the Stelc’s massive footprints track alongside the city’s wall and Lavinia counts several paces before the end of each under her breath, marvelling at the demon’s colossal size. Since they’d taken the southern gate out of the city, the squad treks all the way across to northern side and the true start of their destination.
Lavinia’s follows the prints. Some of them are reduced to ponds of swampy water, breeding a variety of frogs and smaller reptiles like her boot is made of, while others are dry dumps of obsidian and other crystals jutting every which way. They look like they’ve fallen off the Stelc but at the same time Lavinia’s eyes couldn’t mistake the reptiles and plants trapped within the dark, smooth crystals for anything else.
“Are you expecting a fight?” Jonn presses, pushing more effort into his step to keep up with Seraph and Lavinia.
Seraph spares him a dry chuckle, most of her attention trained on the round object in her hand, “No, but this is Ruishia and we’re headed to uncharted grounds. Corym’s effect on demons won't be as strong that far out. So, it’s a good idea to expect the worst of a forest full of unhindered demons, don’t you think, Jonn?”
Jonn doesn't put up a rebuttal and trails behind in silence until the squad arrives at Corym’s northern gate; the Caldri held gate. Seraph, in a bit of solidarity, smacked her fist against her head in a rigid right-angled salute. The Caldri are tall, broad and pale demons that share little else save the lack of ample flesh and muscle with the Trirax. The guard’s faces are a copy of each other; skeletal and drawn with tiredness from a long watch at their gate.
They salute back after some delay chatting between themselves. Seraph doesn’t mind though and her focus is once again on the round object in her hand. Lavinia peers over her shoulder for a look at it and finds nothing but glass and a turbulent needle swinging from one side to all sides.
“Get off of me, I can’t concentrate with your drool pouring over my shoulder.” Seraph shakes off Lavinia and continues to head their journey with the object held close.
The northern gate of Corym overlooks less of the swamp and more of the forest. The swamps dark green of flies, croaking and swimming creatures quickly gives way for the forests rich vibrancy that only serves to further Lavinia’s excitement even as Seraph and Jonn trail sluggishly after her.
“We’ve already got this area charted, or at least the Caldri do. This is their map.” Jonn says having unfurled one map from the rest of the bundle he pressed under his armpit. “We can pick up the pace a bit and make camp before it gets any darker. Tomorrow we’ll have more light and make start connecting the two maps together. How much of the Northwest are we charting anyway?”
Seraph doesn’t answer immediately, cutting across the thickening bushes and obstructing vines with one hand and studying that object with another, “Enough with the vague, searching questions already, Jonn. Corym is behind us now, if you want to know, ask.” She shoots him a smile with a crinkle of her eye, though as she comes close to shutting it Lavinia appreciates the full darksuit she has on as it almost disguises her with the charred black trees of the forest.
As of yet, nothing in the forest has summoned the scent of blood to Lavinia’s nostrils, a growing annoyance if it keeps up but she reassures herself there’ll be blood spilt somewhere the deeper they go in the forest. In the meantime, she resists the urge to sprint past Seraph and spill that blood herself— already she’s spotted three creatures ripe for a hunt, yet the quickened pace the squad’s fallen into either alerts the would-be prey or puts her far away from the two Trirax she serves as a guard to.
“At least you’re admitting it. What did he say? Tell me already, also how was it?” Jonn demands.
Chuckling Seraph brushes aside another vine as the forest brings the squad to a river running through it, “How was what? Telepathy?” Jonn nods vigorously and Seraph can barely hide the pride in her voice, “Oh, it was like any other voice giving you orders to save and preserve the Trirax of Corym. Awesome!”
The two bellow into a shriek of laughter that has Lavinia sneering in disgust for their utter disregard for the forests quiet and her hunt— how will she get anything done if they’re this loud?
“He didn’t say that but it that’s what the message felt like it was actually saying.” She says with a shrug.
“What was the message?”
“Well, we’re actually here to continue the investigation into the attack. He’s sure those demons have some kind of camp here, somewhere close enough to Corym to attack and retreat but not close enough to track back so easily.”
“Oh, that’s why he insisted we go North. Wait, how does he know they’re up North? They attacked from the south, at our southern gate.” Jonn argues.
Seraph only has enough time to make a sound before Lavinia leaps out before her, dagger in hand and Essence roaring to life as she stabs at a galloping, horned beast. Blood spills over her hands and Seraph yells, “Lavinia! What did I say?”
Lavinia’s rebuttal comes quick, “This isn’t a friendly.” She tears into the bleating creatures hide, ripping its gut open before snapping its trembling neck.
“Ugh, right to the blood and guts as always.” Jonn groans at the sight but neither of their objections reach her ears or stop her hands from working into the blood pouring out of the animal.
It wasn’t a demon and the hunt didn’t last more than the second Lavinia laid eyes on it and sprinted out to stab it, but it was a start she hoped would improve as they travelled further into the forest and it was strategic as well. Smearing the blood over her hands and even into her hair, Lavinia stuffs her mouth with as much of her hunt as Seraph and Jonn are patient enough to watch her go through.
When they started moving again Lavinia has made sure just about every bit of her has some stain of the animal’s blood— it would have been better to kill it and wait but soaking its blood in her braids and hands would be good enough to lure what other greedy demons were out here and Lavinia was certain there were many.
If only these two would shut up.