dusk

"Who do you think you are?"

The question would fall flat in the air for a moment as dusk mused the question. A smile began to form his face. "I'm just a man that enjoys knowing things. When I want to know something I simply can't resist seeking it out." Those silver eyes bore into the Chimera although took note of the woman scribbling in a dark notebook behind him. "Like the falling of an apple from the tree, you sprout from the whims of Beelzebub. As the most recent of his offspring, it is you that carry the most relevant information. Tell me, what is he trying to do?" 

The chimera would grit his fangs, a glare to contest dusk's cool stare. "Like hell I'm going to tell you anyt-" His voice would suddenly become a shout of pain as a silver disk severed Kruren's leg from his body. Grasping the weapon on its return, a dark glare would look down on the mob. "You'd think twice about refusing me. What is Beelzebub doing?" The monster's health would slowly regenerate along with its leg once again. Curiously, this one seemed to have natural healing. It was something it shared with its sister, Lilith, although her healing related to the bleed effect. "I honestly don't know." the mob would reply, fire in its eyes. It seemed that it had grown weary of him but should he push it too far it would react just like the other 3 had. 

"Why are you protecting this place? Where is Beelzebub's lair?" The second question was more than likely not going to be able to be answered. None of the others had the slightest clue. While Beelzebub had been the easiest to track, wherever he went to hide on the fourteenth floor was a complete mystery. Chances were it was a place in which players could not inhabit. "I'm protecting this place because my Master informed me to. I don't know where he goes." 

Same things he had heard from the others before they were filled out. Lilith wouldn't even begin to answer such questions now. "Has it ever occurred to you that you are simply a tool created for Beelzebub's purpose? You'll be used and discarded here." The man already knew the monster wouldn't be able to tell him a thing he didn't know already. Now, all that remained was to see what kind of abilities Beelzebub had created for it. It seemed his taunt was already becoming effective. Kruren looked enraged.

"Sam, A forewarning that he is going to pounce." 

Beelzebub would adjust the spectacles that rested on the ridge of his nose before turning away from Kruren. "I hate to cut our conversation short, but I do have other matters to attend to. Try to lighten up, you will do nicely in your new position. I am counting on you." No words would respond from the other. Light would flare from the room as flame consumed the Devil, leaving ashes to litter the air. dusk's sigh would match Sam's, revealing his distaste. Beelzebub's lackeys were much less interesting than the anomaly himself. All of the minions were just creations of their master, trying to paint a story as he saw fit. They would serve no help in discovering why the anomalies had come to exist or... subjecting them to his will.

"Sam," the voice whispered to him and Silver eyes would peer in the direction the girl was hiding. Was this the sort of place to be exchanging pleasantries? What would it serve her? "Kage,"  he would reply, his voice sounding cool and calm. Although she hadn't heard it before, the voice would be reminiscent of something she had heard before. "Come," he would tell her before moving into the room, his footsteps making no sound as he moved forward. His eyes would train on this 'Kruren'. 

A flash of silver light would fling through the air before returning to dusk's hand, a cry of pain from the creature before the pair. "What the hell!?" The anger from the beast was obvious. The monster would turn on them, his eyes falling to the object that had hurt him. A pair of silver chakrams rested in dusk's hands. "Should you answer my questions, I will let you free without pain. Should you struggle..." The calm and emotionless voice was somehow threatening. 

Baring fangs, Kruren would stare at the pair with ill-intent. "Who do you think you are?" The arm of the beast would suddenly twist, growing back from where dusk had cut it off. 

It was this part of his plan that was flaky. Just how could he take the reflection of the demon and bind it? He had but one idea, a strange one. What if the demon were to be killed by the reflection? Would then the reflection be trapped to the glass? That was his only hypothesis. 

dusk would slam the glass into the demon's right in between the horns that jutted from his head. "Let's hope this works. I only get four chances." The demon would struggle against him but dusk's hand held its head down firm on the ground. It would lay there until it died amongst all of the corpses he had witnessed in his life. dusk found it to be an ironic ending for the demon. Suddenly, his hand pushed forward onto the ground, cutting himself with the glass in the process. Shards of data littered the air but he didn't pay attention to it. Instead, he searched the glass. It seemed he had gotten lucky with his guessing. The true reflection of the demon he had just ended was painted within the glass. All the extra work he had done had not been put to waste. 

The whirl of a blade returned to him and the man would catch the silver circle in his hand. He almost felt bad for the demon, assuming he was correct: it would never get the chance to have a will again. dusk watched as the creature began to grotesquely regenerate his arm. Disgusting. His free hand would reach to his other side finding yet another chakram. Twins the weapons were. Throwing them both at one, the blades would hiss through the air until they had both met their mark and ripped the demon's legs from underneath it. dusk would push forward, catching both weapons out of the air before using them to slash off both arms as well. Planting his foot into the demon's chest he would topple the creature and dusk would stand over it victorious. 

dusk's voice hissed at the creature, "Stay absolutely still. I need to try this." Pulling a shard of a reflective surface, he would point the mirror at the creature. "Here in this world you do not truly exist. Though, the reflection you see is your true self and can be tethered to the other side of the waterfall. All that you require... is a medium." dusk's silver eyes would close and a smile crept onto his face as he brought up a trinket that appeared to have been carved from bone. 

Shuffling was heard behind the man as the girl moved in front of him. Foolish wasn't this little flower? Internally, he sighed but if the girl's life was lost it was of no consequence to him. People died every day, perhaps he would at least get some data out of the fight that ensued? Perhaps Beelzebub himself would join the fray? 

The girl would notice very odd things from the figured in front of her. One of them had been known to the public before while the other was completely new. The voice unknown to the girl would speak more, protruding from a man with sharp features and golden spectacles. His most prominent features however, were eyes that glittered like diamonds and a silver spiked tail. "Kruren, you are going to be the one to maintain my northern dominion. It's a very important job. You should be honored, its a position specifically designed for you. You may do as you please as long as you see your duties through." The man would take a few steps back from the table that stood between him and the other, the pin on Sam's map moving slightly with it. Suddenly, the little blip would vanish entirely from the girl's map. A sigh would escape the lips of the other creature. This other creature was an odd one, with wings of a griffin, snake for a tail, horns, claws, and the hooves of a goat. "If it is what you would want from me, of course I will do I do it but I really think I can use the abilities you gave me to help you more." A grin of sharp pearly whites came from Beelzebub. "I can assure you that your ability will be put to the absolute test. People will come: specifically for this place. It will be your duty to apprehend those that would come for the treasure within."

dusk's eyebrow raised from around the corner. A treasure? Had Beelzebub been designing some for of fetch quest in this strange world lore that he was shaping? The devil was truly the most odd out of all of the anomalies that had been sighted. To pay so much attention to a singular floor? 

The scene that flooded his eyes caused him to simply close them. Corpse's lined the room in front of him and included in them was the bodies of both of those that were responsible for his upbringing. A cackling laughter filled the air of the room, echoing off of the walls. 

'Wish you didn't have such acute senses now don't you? You're frozen in fear with your eyes closed aren't you? This was far easier than I thought!'

The sound of a footstep would once again become audible throughout the air. Silver eyes snapped opened and a circular blade was pulled from his belt. Hurling the weapon forward, it would serve perfectly to slash off the weapon-hand of the demon before him. A screech pierced the air as the demon writhed in pain. Taking a moment to observe the creature he would find it to have pale skin and a pair of piercing red horns. In what way was this to symbolize one of his inner demons? He felt a bit cheated. 

His eyes would become trained on a basic black door, one that hadn't existed in the room back in the real world. He had noticed it instantly upon arriving. Something out of place that obvious was more than sure to catch his trained eye. Stepping forward, a hand would reach to the silver chakram at his side much like that of an officer having his gun at the ready. Pushing through the door, he would find himself in an utterly black room. The door he entered closed behind him leaving him in total darkness.

"I can hear you there if you're trying for some sort of sneak attack." 

His words were cold and voiced blindly at the darkness. While he may not have been able to see, various searching skills had his other senses on overdrive. The approaching steps faltered for a moment. It was then that the voice would be heard, echoing throughout the room. 'It seems that little escapes your acute eye. Even in complete darkness you're able to discover me. Perhaps I'll just return the room to normal then huh?' 

Sudden light filled the room and a horrible smell met his nose. 

Stopping on a small stone slab, silver eyes would peer into the water's depths. Certain a serene view but nothing stood out to him as why this waterfall would be different than any of the others. Slowly, he would take a seat on the small slab of stone he stood silently on. What had the rumor been? Meditate on the rock? Closing his eyes and clearing his eyes, he focused entirely on himself instead of the world around him. After a short while of doing this he would find himself pleasantly surprised that it had worked. 

Silver eyes opened to a familiar scene. An incident room. His eyes almost naturally drifted to the board with a large map of an area with several tacks pinned into it. Sticky notes with various clues would also line the board. However, when he looked closed each of the notes would tell him to enter the door. Of course something reminiscent wouldn't have been shown here. Only obvious game information would be afforded to him. 

Passing through the jungle trees. He would wade through the plants and foliage as if they were a river. Garbed in black, silver eyes would peer forward in search of the waterfall he had heard of. Unlike many other players, he was uninterested in playing the game at its base level. Quests, floor bosses, events, they all disinterested him. He would leave the others to their work, he wasn't the hero after all. No, instead he would hunt down and destroy the shadows at their roots. 

The sound of flowing water was the first indicator that he had drawn near. The Waterfall of the Sage was a place that one could connect with their inner mind and deal with their own personal demons. He was still unsure how the waterfall allowed this but he wasn't going to question what would inevitably help him. Most people came here to defeat or expel their demons. He was here to answer the question: what if one sought to control their demons? Bring them back to beyond the waterfall? A shard of reflective glass in hand, he stepped forward. 

[   d u s k   ]   Hide contents notes Thank you so much for making this look good, your formats are godly arabelle♥ dusk | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4  equipped [Starter Chakrams]   Claws  T1 Vanity            A pair of Black Basic Chakrams. item#2 item#3 battle-ready inventory item#1 skills   Hide contents • Claws [I X X X X] : +3 DMG • • data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

Demons. Creatures created from the grudges, desires, and sins of humans. Normally when referring to such creatures he would mean the anomalies that traveled the floor of Aincrad. However, perhaps the anomalies should be referred instead as 'devils'. Out of the three known, Beelzebub was the only one to have made much of a move. The other two simply waited quietly on the twenty-third floor, hardly ever moving. Unlike Beelzebub, however; they did move between the floors. The anomaly residing on the fourteenth floor seemed more interested in building his own world instead dealing with inter-floor business. 

Today's mission was interestingly enough not related to them. Instead it was the pursuit of another wall of knowledge. Other than Miraak on the 13th floor, no other large mentions of Demons, Devils, or Fallen Angels had been discovered other than the sixth floor. Demons born and created directly from a person's heart. Strange that a simple game could replicate such a thing. Of course, he doubted that it had any connection to the anomalies but what better way to fight fire than with fire?

The wind picked up, blowing ash into there. This floor was difficult to breathe in, much less see in. Disgusting. He hated it here. The sound of the wind would not however drown out the sounds of the falling footsteps that drew ever so near. Turning his head ever so slightly, he would watch as a feminine figure raced past him. Silver eyes watched on as she entered the Shattered Orrery. A flare of annoyance would rise inside of him. Who was this girl and why was she carelessly getting in the way? Not to mention, her haste would surely alert the monster within should she not learn to tread lightly. 

Following the girl in, he would watch as she made her descent down a set of broken stairs which had crumbled to the point that it had become a leap to get to the next. She had gotten lucky that the monster in question hadn't been lurking within the entrance. Most likely it was in one of the deeper recesses of the ancient unknown structure. If the girl was lucky, the monster wouldn't have any guests with it. Silently and seamlessly, dusk would bound down after her. 

* * *

He would arrive several flights down the structure landing only a few feet behind the girl. Should she had heard his fall and turned to him he would greet her with a smile. If not, a quiet snap would be audible to gather her attention. Lifting a finger, he would place it over his lips in a shush motion. Taking a few steps forward, the man would pass the girl and take the least. From here on, there seemed to be a long winding corridor. Should the two get into the wrong battle here, there wouldn't be much room to make an escape from the attacks. Silently, dusk would creep forward. 

After another couple of minutes walking, the two would hear a voice beginning to carry through the stone corridor. The voice sounded much like that of an arrogant teenage man. "HUH!? I have to stay here? How is that going to be of any use to you at all my lord?"

dusk's silver eyes would narrow. It sounded as if the two had struck gold and not just any gold... the kind of gold that would kill you on the spot once you found it. 

[   d u s k   ]   Hide contents notes Thank you so much for making this look good, your formats are godly arabelle♥ dusk | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4  equipped [Starter Chakrams]   Claws  T1 Vanity            A pair of Black Basic Chakrams. item#2 item#3 battle-ready inventory item#1 skills   Reveal hidden contents • Claws [I X X X X] : +3 DMG • • data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

Hidden away at the northern limit of the floor of red skies rested a peculiar mechanism. A mechanism as to which there was yet no explanation. While the floor itself still continued to progress itself as Beelzebub continued to craft a story, the man would watch it progress. Simple as that. Beelzebub's actions may be known to him, but they didn't quite make much sense as of yet. For now, he would look on in wait as he attempted to discover the meaning to the madness. 

Footprints would remain left in the ash-covered ground as he stepped up to the unknown construct. The Shattered Orrery had recently undergone a change thanks to the works of his enemy. Long tied back black hair would wave with the wind and flick the air. A pair of solid silver eyes looked on at the tower. The change wasn't a difference in the structure but instead a beast lived here. Another one of Beelzebub's prized possessions. What did the creature add to the story Beelzebub was leaving behind? There was more than a good possibility that he was following a trail that led to nothing, but the chance that there was something would leave his search ongoing. Beelzebub was the only one of the three that never moved from his floor. 

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