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Chapter 3: Wherein A Demonic Antagonist Reveals The True Motivation Behind His Actions
-L-
He regarded her calmly.
"Would you rather you waited here for Ivarn alone? I don't know when I'll come up with a solution."
-W-
Winter let out a small sigh.
"It's not that I don't want to come. I just don't... I just don't want to be away from home for so long if I don't know how long I'll be gone or what to expect. If we don't know how long you'll take, I think it's better if I stay."
She stepped back. "You focus on the souls. I'll do research on Ivarn and see if I can prepare for when he shows up. I hope we can keep in touch."
-L-
He moved forwards, reaching out for her.
"No. You haven't the faintest idea of what he's really like. If he gave you the Mark, then he kn...F**k."
He jerked.
"Holy hell, I've been stupid. Ivarn sees the future, he KNOWS this is happening; he'll be coming for you! All of you!"
On cue, a slight crack wormed into the wall.
Winter gasped, and he inhaled shakily.
"...He doesn't keep to deadlines either. Go. Out the window, I'll cushion your fall."
He faced the other souls.
"Everyone, follow her. Head AWAY. I'll delay him."
-W-
Winter dropped everything and made for the nearest window. (The collection room was windowless, so the nearest window was in the hallway.) She jumped out without a second thought, hoping she really could be caught.
@#$&#@#$%&*$&. It's one catastrophe after another tonight.
-L-
She suddenly felt as if she'd landed in treacle, a few feet off the ground.
-W-
How does he DO that?
Winter gently stepped off of her intangible landing pad and bolted once again, only to stop several feet from the castle and look back.
Oh God... I hope he's okay...
-L-
"Run, flute-player! Run!"
A pale corgi bolted past, lifting off into the air. They were ALL scattering.
---
"Ivarn," he said as clearly as he could.
"Wait a while, let's talk."
-W-
Winter ran.
She didn't have a clear conscience about running while she knew the cheetah was in danger. And she certainly seemed to care about what her conscience was telling her, which was made all the more unusual considering she'd spent the past year collecting the souls of 148 innocents.
Then she lost her footing, and tumbled down the hill towards the river below.
-L-
She smacked off roots, rocks, bruising, cutting; finally splashed into the frigidly bitter water, cold at this time of year to say the least.
The flow wasn't strong here but it was numbing.
---
The crack widened a little, and he set his stance, repeating himself, waiting for a response.
"Ivarn!"
-W-
Winter managed to climb out of the river, soaking wet and freezing cold. She glanced back at it; the water was now polluted with the paint from earlier, which it had apparently washed off.
I hope I don't catch pneumonia... not like that's the biggest of my worries right now.
---
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time."
A black mist flowed out of the crack and materialized into a form that could only have been Ivarn's. The demon glared at the spirit that had chosen to confront him.
"So you must be the fawn's accountant? I understand there's an issue regarding her dues to me."
For a demon, he was remarkably formal in his tone of voice.
-L-
"Stop stalling," he returned, ears tilting back a little, "You know exactly who I am, and what I've done. I am willing to approach alternatives with you to spare the fawn."
-W-
"Alternatives?"
Ivarn took a step towards the cheetah.
"Our contract was very specific. 150 souls, by the end of next week. If she fails to uphold her end of the bargain for any reason, I take her own soul instead. That's the long and the short of it; there's not even any fine print. I have it in writing-- here."
A paper contract materialized in Ivarn's hand. It had both Winter's and his own signatures at the bottom.
-L-
"Any reason; does that include another supernatural being intervening? I'm the one that is still partially here - I can interact. I'm not like the others."
Ivarn's eyes glinted briefly.
-W-
"Any reason. That does indeed include your intervention."
Ivarn studied the cheetah for a moment.
"I'll agree that you're not like the others. You're worth at least five, maybe ten normal souls. I'd have to consult an appraiser to determine your exact worth, but--"
That was all Ivarn got to say before he was interrupted.
-L-
"What is it, with demons and mortals; souls are not a currency!"
His eyes flickered.
"I'm offering to help do SOMETHING to lift the debt. But unlike the fawn, I know how to scrutinize every point of a contract before you sign."
He straightened.
"Besides; your MARK is worth more than just the fawn's soul. You have an ulterior motive."
-W-
"I don't like your tone of voice."
Ivarn folded his arms, dismissing the contract.
"And as for having an ulterior motive, let me just say that I have seen a vision of the future which revolves around her, and I am taking steps to avert its fulfillment."
-L-
"Does that include you dying?"
He grinned.
"I don't like yours either, so it goes both ways."
-W-
"Not exactly. Perhaps I should show you."
Ivarn closed his eyes, and an image forced itself into the cheetah's mind.
...A slightly older Winter sat in a black throne, wearing the same cloak and scarf she wore in the present. However, she also wore a dark purple tiara with an opal jewel in the front. She also bore a self-satisfied grin.
A lesser demon, definitely lower in rank than Ivarn himself, approached Winter with a sheet of paper. "Supreme Demon Lord Cassandra Winter Rivera IV, I come bearing news--"
"I've told you a hundred times not to call me by my full title," Winter interrupted. "Just Winter will do."
"A thousand pardons. Please allow me to start over." The demon bowed in apology before clearing his throat in preparation to try again. ...and the image broke off there.
-L-
The cheetah blew out an imaginary breath.
He didn't need to breathe, obviously.
"...And you didn't just kill her up front why?"
-W-
"I wanted to see if she really had it in her before I made any rash decisions. She spent the past year using my Mark to subdue innocents and capture their souls, suppressing her conscience in favor of her contract, and she would've made her goal easily if not for you."
-L-
"Yeah! I brought her conscience back; hence the future's changed and you're wrong."
-W-
"You didn't eliminate the possibility altogether; she could always change her mind later. I'm going to eliminate it, and you're going to GET OUT OF MY WAY."
Ivarn shoved his way past the cheetah and made for the same window Winter had exited through.
-L-
He regarded her calmly.
"Would you rather you waited here for Ivarn alone? I don't know when I'll come up with a solution."
-W-
Winter let out a small sigh.
"It's not that I don't want to come. I just don't... I just don't want to be away from home for so long if I don't know how long I'll be gone or what to expect. If we don't know how long you'll take, I think it's better if I stay."
She stepped back. "You focus on the souls. I'll do research on Ivarn and see if I can prepare for when he shows up. I hope we can keep in touch."
-L-
He moved forwards, reaching out for her.
"No. You haven't the faintest idea of what he's really like. If he gave you the Mark, then he kn...F**k."
He jerked.
"Holy hell, I've been stupid. Ivarn sees the future, he KNOWS this is happening; he'll be coming for you! All of you!"
On cue, a slight crack wormed into the wall.
Winter gasped, and he inhaled shakily.
"...He doesn't keep to deadlines either. Go. Out the window, I'll cushion your fall."
He faced the other souls.
"Everyone, follow her. Head AWAY. I'll delay him."
-W-
Winter dropped everything and made for the nearest window. (The collection room was windowless, so the nearest window was in the hallway.) She jumped out without a second thought, hoping she really could be caught.
@#$&#@#$%&*$&. It's one catastrophe after another tonight.
-L-
She suddenly felt as if she'd landed in treacle, a few feet off the ground.
-W-
How does he DO that?
Winter gently stepped off of her intangible landing pad and bolted once again, only to stop several feet from the castle and look back.
Oh God... I hope he's okay...
-L-
"Run, flute-player! Run!"
A pale corgi bolted past, lifting off into the air. They were ALL scattering.
---
"Ivarn," he said as clearly as he could.
"Wait a while, let's talk."
-W-
Winter ran.
She didn't have a clear conscience about running while she knew the cheetah was in danger. And she certainly seemed to care about what her conscience was telling her, which was made all the more unusual considering she'd spent the past year collecting the souls of 148 innocents.
Then she lost her footing, and tumbled down the hill towards the river below.
-L-
She smacked off roots, rocks, bruising, cutting; finally splashed into the frigidly bitter water, cold at this time of year to say the least.
The flow wasn't strong here but it was numbing.
---
The crack widened a little, and he set his stance, repeating himself, waiting for a response.
"Ivarn!"
-W-
Winter managed to climb out of the river, soaking wet and freezing cold. She glanced back at it; the water was now polluted with the paint from earlier, which it had apparently washed off.
I hope I don't catch pneumonia... not like that's the biggest of my worries right now.
---
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time."
A black mist flowed out of the crack and materialized into a form that could only have been Ivarn's. The demon glared at the spirit that had chosen to confront him.
"So you must be the fawn's accountant? I understand there's an issue regarding her dues to me."
For a demon, he was remarkably formal in his tone of voice.
-L-
"Stop stalling," he returned, ears tilting back a little, "You know exactly who I am, and what I've done. I am willing to approach alternatives with you to spare the fawn."
-W-
"Alternatives?"
Ivarn took a step towards the cheetah.
"Our contract was very specific. 150 souls, by the end of next week. If she fails to uphold her end of the bargain for any reason, I take her own soul instead. That's the long and the short of it; there's not even any fine print. I have it in writing-- here."
A paper contract materialized in Ivarn's hand. It had both Winter's and his own signatures at the bottom.
-L-
"Any reason; does that include another supernatural being intervening? I'm the one that is still partially here - I can interact. I'm not like the others."
Ivarn's eyes glinted briefly.
-W-
"Any reason. That does indeed include your intervention."
Ivarn studied the cheetah for a moment.
"I'll agree that you're not like the others. You're worth at least five, maybe ten normal souls. I'd have to consult an appraiser to determine your exact worth, but--"
That was all Ivarn got to say before he was interrupted.
-L-
"What is it, with demons and mortals; souls are not a currency!"
His eyes flickered.
"I'm offering to help do SOMETHING to lift the debt. But unlike the fawn, I know how to scrutinize every point of a contract before you sign."
He straightened.
"Besides; your MARK is worth more than just the fawn's soul. You have an ulterior motive."
-W-
"I don't like your tone of voice."
Ivarn folded his arms, dismissing the contract.
"And as for having an ulterior motive, let me just say that I have seen a vision of the future which revolves around her, and I am taking steps to avert its fulfillment."
-L-
"Does that include you dying?"
He grinned.
"I don't like yours either, so it goes both ways."
-W-
"Not exactly. Perhaps I should show you."
Ivarn closed his eyes, and an image forced itself into the cheetah's mind.
...A slightly older Winter sat in a black throne, wearing the same cloak and scarf she wore in the present. However, she also wore a dark purple tiara with an opal jewel in the front. She also bore a self-satisfied grin.
A lesser demon, definitely lower in rank than Ivarn himself, approached Winter with a sheet of paper. "Supreme Demon Lord Cassandra Winter Rivera IV, I come bearing news--"
"I've told you a hundred times not to call me by my full title," Winter interrupted. "Just Winter will do."
"A thousand pardons. Please allow me to start over." The demon bowed in apology before clearing his throat in preparation to try again. ...and the image broke off there.
-L-
The cheetah blew out an imaginary breath.
He didn't need to breathe, obviously.
"...And you didn't just kill her up front why?"
-W-
"I wanted to see if she really had it in her before I made any rash decisions. She spent the past year using my Mark to subdue innocents and capture their souls, suppressing her conscience in favor of her contract, and she would've made her goal easily if not for you."
-L-
"Yeah! I brought her conscience back; hence the future's changed and you're wrong."
-W-
"You didn't eliminate the possibility altogether; she could always change her mind later. I'm going to eliminate it, and you're going to GET OUT OF MY WAY."
Ivarn shoved his way past the cheetah and made for the same window Winter had exited through.
Suggested Collections
Chapter 1: [link]
Chapter 2: [link]
Chapter 4: [link]
A third chapter, in which things really heat up.
...I just realized that although these are allegedly Sonicverse characters, their relations to the actual Sonic canon are little more than formalities. It's the same with most of the other roleplaying sessions I've been in; the only obvious exception is Agent Topaz. Oh well.
All featured concepts ©
and me
Chapter 2: [link]
Chapter 4: [link]
A third chapter, in which things really heat up.
...I just realized that although these are allegedly Sonicverse characters, their relations to the actual Sonic canon are little more than formalities. It's the same with most of the other roleplaying sessions I've been in; the only obvious exception is Agent Topaz. Oh well.
All featured concepts ©
and me © 2010 - 2024 sonicinterface
Comments8
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This is actually sounding a little like a game I play called Disgaea, and it's whole universe. That's NOT a bad thing either. And yeah, she likes to keep the Sonicverse rps separate from the main characters normally, I all but had to shove them into Zion and Traeh. Man... that story could have gone in SO many different directions.