Erinyes are one of the few devils that are not truly infernal in origin; instead they are corrupted angels or decedents of fallen angels who joined either the infernal or abyssal forces. As they originally had many different kinds of angelic beings they differ in power and skill sets as individuals though tend to be more powerful than most other fiends. They lack the weakness to sacred holy magics while at the same time are no longer susceptible to dark magic as they were as angels. They often are able to use both an angelic power as well as an infernal or abyssal force.-Common Monsters
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Adrian
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The room is silent for a moment before someone asks, “how did you deal with that monster?”
The man’s answer brings a frown, “we didn’t. When we tracked the man down he was being attacked by another negative body for causing problems with ‘mortals’ if the conversation they were having is to be believed.”
“All the more reason we need to cage or kill these things” the gun nut general states as if it were fact.
“Something that you and your guns are unable to do” I respond flippantly.
“And how else do you solve a monster problem? Wait, there isn’t another solution because its kill or be killed.”
“In war, yes. In battle, again yes. But what of those that would rather talk or work together fighting a third monster? Isn’t that why you aligned with some dictators to fight communism in the cold war?”
Many of those in the room nod, ally with a lesser evil to deal with the greater. Nothing new to these people even if it is not quite what I am going for. Do I want them to kill the Althaen, yes but there are others I don’t want to see killed.
“Is that what you were trying to tell me yesterday?” asks General Fuller.
“The idea was proven faulty by project Twilight” interrupts a woman in a blue suit.
“In theory or in application?” I ask.
“Application, the idea was to infect soldiers with lycanthropy and use them as supersoldiers to counter the Soviet’s own attempts at creating such creatures. Infecting and getting through the physical transformations was successful but every subject went mad and became irrational near mindless beasts.”
Well shit, where did they get a strain of lycanthropy? Would K be mad about something like this happening?
“Lycanthropes who are not natural or born as lycanthropes tend to have such problems. I don’t know why just that that is how it is. There is also another flaw in that application if my guesses are right; the participants were not willing, were they?”
“No, the idea was to prove viability on death row inmates before moving onto volunteers within the special forces.”
“So you turned people that already hated you into monsters and then had trouble controlling them? What if they were willing and already had control of their power?”
“That could be possible.”
“This is ridiculous, they are abominations and invaders. They should be exterminated and I won’t stand for anything less” nearly shouts the gun nut general.
“Then you want to kill your own citizens?”
“No monster is a citizen of the United States of America.”
“Really? What of me?” As everyone is confused I wave my hand and document after document about me appears on the table. School records, birth certificate and driver’s license; more than enough to prove the point of my citizenship.
“What? How?” more than one person asks as they begin to ask before I answer the question.
“Magic, supernatural power. You found these negative bodies and lycanthropes, the supernatural was already here. Did the monsters break the peace or ruin the world before? Now more are out in the open. Fighting all of them is stupid and will only get our country destroyed.”
Gun nut draws a side arm as he stand up, pointing the gun at me “are you threatening us?”
“That isn’t going to work against me, and no I’m telling you the obvious. Guns are good but they don’t work well on the undead or demons.”
The man’s gun only clicks as he pulls the trigger; as I deny fire the ability to function within the room by warping reality.
“See, guns don’t always work. Violence is not always the best or even a viable option. Would you mind sitting back down.”
The man only looks at me and back to his gun before trying it again, then another of the generals gently takes the gun from him and forces him down into his seat.
A man who was siting silently at the edge of the table finally speaks “I think your point of we have to work with some of the supernatural to survive. Any recommendations as to who?”
I smile, I somehow managed to get to the place I wanted.
“Indeed I do, though more about who not to work with. The first on that list of who not to work with is the Althaen. They are slavers, women have no standing in their society. They despise everything that is not them, and see themselves as entitled to everything they see. The only thing that they respect and way to get them to acknowledge you is to be a powerful mage.
They enslaved everyone in my hometown, and tried to do the same thing to my friends and family. What society they do have is corrupt and they will try to enslave or kill anyone that they can, and they are responsible for the conjunction of our world with their own. Which was done for the purpose of using us as fodder”
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I take a breath, not wanting the venom of my words against the Althaen to roll over into the other groups.
“I have met people from two other groups and consider the three of them family; a pair of sisters from the elven people and a werewolf.
The elves are not very numerous as they after working with the Althaen to deal with the demonic invasion of their world were betrayed and sacrificed to try and call soldiers from other worlds to fight for the Althaen.
Kythia, the werewolf I know, likewise has little left of her pack after the Althaen decided to attack the to try to get more power. There may not be much left of either group but if you treat them well they would be good allies.
I noticed that there were dwarves at the gate when we entered, that was the first of the dwarves I have seen. They were greedy and loved the money they got from me but that’s how they are. They will keep their word and while they will probably try to take advantage of us I doubt that they will betray us.
For the other groups, I haven’t met them. If what I have read is accurate then they will have trouble trusting us as most humans in Althrá are Althaen. They only seem to work with the Althaen because of the lack of an alternative.”
“So having dealings with the Althaen Houses is a mistake?”
“Very much sir, they will betray you given time and opportunity.”
“Other than the dwarves how would you suggest getting along with the others? And I assume you omitted the multicolored ugly things that keep trying to storm the city on purpose?”
“Offer them a home, let them immigrate. Give them hope and let them fight to defend it. If you mean the orcs and other goblinoids, yes they are hostile; there is no need to talk about alternatives to fighting them, or the demons.”
“Is there any other advice you would give us about the otherworlders?”
“Don’t underestimate what they can do with magic, otherwise no.”
“Then you may go. I expect to see you when you are called on to defend your country.”
I make a grasping motion as I use Translocation Grasp to rapidly collect the documents before returning them to Void Cache, and say “I’m too young to be drafted” as I walk out the door. I hear them beginning to converse as soon as the door closes, its thickness keeping me from hearing well enough to understand.
My walk back to my room is uneventful, I didn’t run into a single person aside from passing a few soldiers who are guarding the conference room.
I am disappointed to find that my girlfriends were awake and dressed when I enter the room; I was hoping for more resting. They immediately turn to me and smile, Talia speaks up first.
“We are in a safe town right?”
“I believe so, why?” I respond.
“We want to go buy clothes.”
“Ok? Do you need money or do you have enough?”
“No, can you come along to help?”
“Why would you need me to find clothes?”
“Because I would like it.”
I can only guess that the skepticism on my face convinced the other two to jump onto the idea that ‘Adrian needs to go shopping with us’.
“Come with us” Lysan says with a tug on my hand, K grabbing my other arm as she too pulls me back towards the door.
“You need more clothes too” she says.
Before I know it we are all out on the street and I am stuck trying to find stores.
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General Fuller
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As the young man named Adrian leaves, the tension that had filled the room dissipates.
“That man is a threat” Director Talmage says.
“He isn’t an enemy” Secretary Jasmine counters.
“He is an abomination, just like those invaders” General Talbert says with hate leaking into his voice. How stupid do you have to be to try to shoot a man who walked out of the ruins of a town and through a small army?
“An abomination he may be, but he is also a citizen of our nation. A potential asset to our ability to deal with the current crisis. Jasmine would you please get us all up to speed on what we know about the man we just met.” Director Talmage counters.
“Yes sir. We first took notice of an electrical storm in southern Missouri on the fifteenth of this month, it was unnatural. From satellite images, the storm started centered around what we had identified as a camp of Althaen. Here are the before and after pictures of the camp.”
Secretary Jasmine proceeds to display several pictures of buildings the prior damaged but the after was covered in corpses, burnt and charred; the buildings themselves now in shambles. The only thing that could be considered living is the youth unleashing the destruction.
“See that creature should be put down!” shouts General Talbert.
“Be silent or you will be removed from this council” states Director Talmage.
“I will not be sil. . .”
“Remove him.”
The two people sitting next to General Talbert grab a hold of him before a third knocks him out with a blow to the temple. Then he is dragged out of the room as we all wait for the two who did so to return. Once they are once more seated Director Talmage motions for Secretary Jasmine to continue.
“As we can see, this youth Adrian is capable of immense destruction. This is however not the only event we were able to find of this young man. There are three others, on the seventeenth the NSA while compiling a list of threats found the youth again. This time rather than slaughtering other people he was riding a wolf monster before killing and then eating a red lizard that fits the description of a dragon. We are unaware of what the silver wolf is or where it came from.”
Images of the youth standing in the dragon’s fire and using blueish flame against the creature. Images of the youth eating the flesh of the dragon follows, then she speaks again.
“The NSA found multiple other creatures similar to this dragon, though larger, destroying and then staying at various locations around the country. All attempts at retaking those locations and places have failed. The third takes place just a few hours after the youth had eaten the flesh of the dragon he had killed.”
Secretary Jasmine then plays a video of the youth I just saw before me physically turn into a giant winged lizard with black scales before a woman with silver hair climbs on his back and they fly away.
“The woman was one of the giant wolves that fought that dragon, Kythia is apparently her name. The fourth event that we know about is after these two flew back to the others in his group and carved their way through one of the hostile bands of goblinoids.
From what we can tell he is able to create and command fire and electricity, teleport objects, transform into a dragon, breathe some sort of laser weapon and corrosive black energy, as well as heal himself from even lethal injuries. He is traveling with others who all seem to have their own supernatural capabilities save for his immediate family. We have confirmed that he is sleeping with the werewolf and the two elves he travels with; however he does not exhibit the physical transformation nor madness that project Twilight participants all had.
Mentally he is highly intelligent and was breezing through school before the appearance of the monsters with no psychological problems. He seems to have adapted poorly to the life threatening situations since the advent of the monsters. He is now unstable though he seems to ground himself with the members of the group he is currently traveling with.”
“What are the chances of him turning against us?” I ask.
“Were we to choose to move against all of the otherworlders, including those he is traveling with, one hundred percent. If we go with the advice he gave us, it would be unlikely so long as those he seems to be anchoring his sanity to are nearby and safe.”
“What other solutions to the advent of monsters has been found?” Director Talmage asks and the room is silent.
The only other options we have found have been associated with the Althaen, the very people who make me want to exterminate all of the otherworlders. Truly I don’t like any of these options, but we need to find a way to deal with some of the tougher problems.