Challenge Submission The Angel, the Witch, and the Vampire

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FEATURING...
️ @microhexa (Asmodeus)
️ @Rissa 1996 (Bonnie)
️ @Elizabeth'sComposition (Vivia)

You waken in a darkened meadow, head aching, with no memory of how you got there or what might be rustling in the bush behind you...​

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In all these years, Asmodeus had never thought that he might wake up in a... meadow. Of all places. Even Hell itself would have been more likely for him to wake up in than... this place. That was where he came from, after all. His very being was forged in the fires of Hell, and-

Something was tickling his nose. He looked up at the sky- no, feathers. Soft, silky... and irritating. Was someone... napping on him? It seemed that he, the terrible Asmodeus, was in fact being used as a body pillow. How odd.

One would have believed him to be too old for this nonsense. Too powerful. Too prone to pulverizing anyone who even thought of carrying him off. Yet here he was with an angel napping on him like she did not have a care in the world. Or perhaps she was passed out. Not that he cared to find out. It was none of his concern.

Damn, she was adorable. He had to admit that to himself. She was simply lying across him as if they had both been discarded here in this meadow like a pile of sacks. He took a long moment to watch her delicate form rise and fall with his chest.

Now, how had he ended up here? His mind drew a blank regardless of how much he strained to recall anything that could have led up to this moment. Thousands of years' worth of knowledge was contained within his mind, and yet not a single sliver of it could help him understand how he might have wound up here. Wherever 'here' was.

Somehow, he doubted that the angel snoring away on top of him knew much more about their situation than he did. If anything, she knew less - considering that she was so blissfully unaware of whose chest she was lying across.

He let out a soft groan and rested his head back on the ground once more. Finally, he rolled the sleeping angel off himself and rose to his feet to assess his surroundings, even as the angel slept like a rock. A critical eye was drawn to the subtle trickle of drool on her chin. He could never comprehend how anyone could happily snooze through such a situation.

He gave the angel a sharp prod with the toe of his boot. "Get up," he gruffly told her. "Whoever you are, we're in the middle of absolutely nowhere."

 

[Rissa 1996]

How the devil had she gotten there in the first place? God knows. The angel had fallen asleep in her usual place of course. It was in her favorite tree., high up off the ground and away from everyone else. To say Bonnie was the world's most sociable being would have been a complete and utter lie. In fact, the dark angel hated most encounters. There were few she could tolerate around her. She had a distrust in everyone.

The female had slipped into a comfortable slumber. Her body had been stretched out across a branch, her face had been turned to the side, using her arms as a pillow. Her legs had dangled loosely below her. Those beautiful black wings of hers on the other hand were folded up ever so neatly across her back.

As the slumber drew on, little did Bonnie know that her location had changed. It had happened in a heartbeat. Now she was lying on top of a being that didn't have one. This meadow was rather beautiful. It was pitch black still, the moon lit up the long blades of grass, creating a rather ambient setting around the pair. Bonnie had stirred on top of Asmodeus, Her long silver hair shimmied under the glare of the moonlight.

How annoying this would be, for Bonnie had deliberately gone out of her way to avoid contact with everyone, now she lay on top of this grumpy vampire. Well, little did he know, the Dark angel could be just as foul as he was. When she was shoved off of him - Quite rudely at that, Bonnie's blue eyes opened She flapped her wings frantically. Had she fallen off her branch? It felt like someone had pushed her!

When Asmodeus kicked her, the vampire was in for a bit of a shock really. It only took her a few moments to realize that for one, she was no longer on her branch and secondly, she had just been kicked for no damn reason. The angel was rather sensitive and the stupid vampire would come to realize this.

Bonnie snarled and in one swift wing movement she knocked him flying onto his back. Her eyes were now a burning red, her fangs were clearly on display and her posture was in that of threat. "How dare you kick me you clumsy oaf! Why am I here and not in my tree!?" Her voice was distorted heavily and the fury on her face showed her lack of reasoning.

Her hair fell over her shoulders and in front of her eyes, those impressive wings of hers were now arched behind her. She would knock this idiot down a peg or two easily. With great pleasure. She waited for his answer.

 

[Elizabeth’sComposition]

Elonwy.

It wasn't the place Vivia had ever thought she'd find herself ruling, or so much as taking care of. Yet here she was. Standing on the balcony of her tower, over looking the small village of the charming forest. It wasn't a kingdom, nor was it any kind of place folks sought to flee to. No, nobody so much as gave a passing glance to the small portion of land. But it was her land. And for three years, she had done what she could to make it sustainable.

She had stumbled on it on accident, of course.

Vivia Uppland had been dealt a bad hand. Cursed by the demon Abbadon, her mother had given birth to her. Her blood ran black, her soul inherently from the deepest pits of hell. The magic that dripped form the pale finger tips of the witch were of a deadly vigor that only the devil himself might design. However, Vivia had managed to use that power for the better of people such as herself.

Elonwy was the home to many whom lived their lives in a misunderstood state. They were practically drawn to it. It was hidden off the main drag of kingdoms in the land. Universities, cities and palace's. A quaint little town shrouded by twisted trees and blackened roses. Everybody that looked to her as a leader had their own suppressions due to their obscurities, but in Elonwy... they were free.

One day, the world around Elonwy shifted. The winds changing and the earth groaned with the arrival of newcomers. Newcomers not of this land, or of any neighboring lands. Vivia knew as such due to the atmospherical shift of the town and forest she so loved and cared for.

That was how the dark witch found herself stumbling through the brush and bristles of the seemingly life-like forest at the crack of dawn. The birds sang on the branches, morning dew glistened as rays of sunshine struck through them. Fittingly, a low fog had settled towards the surface. Her heavy booted feet squished and trudged through the marsh as she wandered about, searching and listening for signs of trespassers.

The woman bore a dark cloak, her hood pulled above her head as she wandered. Only to come short when she heard the sound of a female's voice. Out of curiosity or momentary fear, Vivia immediately came to a halt at a familiar clearing. Where she pressed her back to a large willow tree and listened on for any clues as to whom these two might be.

Or where they might have come from.

 

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When the angel bared her little fangs at him, his own were quick to be flashed as well. His set was considerably larger and intended for inflicting far more damage than her dainty fangs ever could hope to do. Not her red eyes nor her distorted voice could bring him to cower in fear before her. Especially not when she was as short as she was. She posed no danger to him.

In a flash, she was the one on the ground, fiercely pinned there by him. He would show her that he was most certainly not to be messed with, as a threatening growl rumbled in his throat. They were in the middle of nowhere, and this little pest could only care about a damn tree that was neither here nor there.

"I would ask you the same thing, you winged monkey," he retorted. "You're the one with the wings, after all. Shouldn't you be better able to scout out the area than I am?" He scoffed as he eyed her dainty fangs, even being so cocky as to point at one of them. "I've rarely seen such tiny fangs... How are you supposed to bite anyone with them?" He let out a soft chuckle. "You're cute, little monkey. Small and cute. I'll go easy on you this time."

Suddenly, he raised his head to listen intently. He could have sworn that he heard a distant rustle; his extraordinary hearing never deceived him. He was very much alert now. His sly grin had faded in favour of pursed lips and a furrowed brow as he scanned their surroundings.

"It would seem that we're not the only ones around here, little monkey," he softly remarked. He looked back at her. Even now, his tone bore that note of contempt at her inferior size and strength. This angel, as hot-headed as she was, could never bring the great Asmodeus to cower before her.

The last thing he expected was for her to bite him.

 

[Rissa 1996]

She was constantly underestimated by her peers. Another reason why the angel sought out a life of Solitude. All the vampire could do it seemed was mock her appearance. He didn't look any better himself. Seeing as he was so quick to judge others. Upon confronting her enemies they never seemed to understand an appreciate the danger the were in.

An emotionally unstable Dark Angel was quite the force to be reckoned with. Bonnie was on the alert. He had her pinned onto her back but not for a good reason. Her eyes widened as his body collided with her, squeezing shut as she slammed back against the floor. All he had done was fuel her rage even more.

Bonnie growled loudly, a black aura began to emerge from her body, spreading out on the ground around them. It started to kill the grass, making the poor flowers which were residing here, shrivel up and dry out. Oh so they were just little harmless needles were they? Oh she would show him. Who the hell did this vampire think he was?

"You like the sound of your own voice don't you?" She spat, glaring back at Asmodeus. So now she was a monkey?He obviously thought this was some kind of jokme. Now here they were. He was belittling her and Bonnie didn't like it. Not one bit. When he spoke again , her body tensed under him. She wanted nothing more than to get away from him. No one wanted to be suddenly woken up being kicked by a miserable vampire.

When he mentioned then not being the only ones around her, Bonnie scanned the area around them both. How was she supposed to see though with him on top of her? As soon as his gaze moved from her Bonnie lunged, Sinking her fangs into Asmodeus' neck. It was then, the demon released her venom. The pain would be instant and he would be immobilized but about five minutes. This was long enough for her to make a run for it. Whoever else was here she had no intention of finding out. She too had heard the rustles of the lingering woman.

 

[Elizabeth’sComposition]

My wizard, what have I gotten myself into?

Usually, the fools that stumbled into her pasture's were simply that. Fools. It was easy for her to intervene, ask from whenst they came and return them home. Yet, the longer Vivia lingered in the brush, the longer she felt the ball of annoyance boil in her belly. Her fingers twitched at the opportunity to show both the wannabe's up. She had her own land, for crying out loud. If they truly were strangers and were already getting off on that kind of foot...

The moment she saw the dark magic of the angel and the attack upon, what she assumed was a vampire's, neck, Vivia stepped out of her shaded protection and directly into the edge of the clearing. Both hands flayed out on either side of her hips, a dark smog drifting from them as though it was a flood fog. Black as night, the deadly substance circled around them. Trapping herself and the other two... creatures... into the clearing entirely. Should they attempt to escape her prowess they would be met with an unfortunate burn only the deadliest of gas might cause.

Then, the smug witch crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to examine the two newcomers. Silent for a moment, a single perfect brow quirked as her tongue rolled about in her cheek. She looked both of them, up and down, her piercing diamond gaze discerning just who and what they might be. Or how they got here.

Then, she chuckled. A dark, ominous sound that distorted her features in the darkest of ways.

"Here I thought I'd stumbled upon a couple ancient beings, yet I only see two children bickering." She grimaced and her expression grew rather unimpressed as she looked to the vampire who was clearly feeling less than satisfactory as a result to the angel, demon(?), angel's bite. She tsk'd softly, shaking her head as she took a step towards the both of them and set a single hand on her hip, popping the opposite out.

"Now is that any way to treat a stranger? Didn't your mother teach you your manners?" She scolded, harrumphing past the angel, nudging her out of the way and offering out a hand to the vampire. "Allow me to assist you, I can't be having any supernatural beings dying on my soil." She looked to him curiously, awaiting a simple yes or no. With her own force of magic, she was certain she could draw the venom out of his bite. She didn't know much about angels or vampires, but she did know their bites were much like a spiders or snakes. Venomous, and potentially deadly.

"I don't suppose either of you know how you wound up in my pasture?" She asked, glancing to the high strung angel out of the corner of her eye.

 

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Asmodeus growled at the angel as she sank her little fangs into his neck. This was hardly the first time he had been bitten by another person. After all, that was what lesser vampires did when they wanted to get hold of his extraordinarily rare blood and could not be bothered to obtain such power the hard way. But these dainty fangs could hardly do much except pierce his skin and... reach a little deeper than he thought could be possible for her.

He froze when he saw a woman step out into the clearing. So she was the one who had been rustling in the bushes. A smog as black as night swirled around them and seemed to trap them in the clearing. So this woman possessed more power than he initially thought when he laid eyes on her. For now, he surmised that it would be wisest not to touch the smog when he knew so little about this power of hers. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered before, in all these thousands of years. Interesting. It seemed that even now, there was more for him to learn.

...She thought they were a couple of ancient beings? He was far from being the oldest being in existence, even if he was relatively ancient, or so he liked to believe. The angel, the other hand, was so much further from that. She smelled so young and fresh. Delicious, even. But he was more refined than to sink his own fangs into any poor creature he came across. For all he knew, he could be allergic to her blood - as ridiculous as that sounded, it could well be the case. Oh, but how he was sorely tempted to return the favour now that she had drawn his blood... As swiftly as the bite wound healed up.

Now he was even being offered some assistance. Asmodeus had to bite back a laugh at this idea. To be accepting help from such an awfully young being, regardless of how powerful she might be... The mere thought was absurd to him. Even so, he pulled himself together to shake his head at her last question regarding how they got here. There was little to gain from lying about knowing anything about this rather peculiar situation which they now found themselves in, apart from that they had woken up here with seemingly no memory of what actually happened shortly before.

"I'll be fine," he bluntly replied. "This isn't exactly the first time I've been bitten." He stubbornly attempted to get up on his own but instead fell onto a knee beside the angel. His body felt like it was full of rocks all of a sudden. What an interesting sensation for someone who was usually so mobile and could move so unhindered as him.

"...On second thoughts, a little assistance might not be such a bad idea," he reluctantly admitted. Whatever the angel had done to him, it was already taking effect. So much faster than his own venom did, in fact. Her venom had to be incredibly effective in that way. On the other hand, he found it so much more pleasurable to torment a partially paralyzed victim while he could. He would not give that up for anything in the world.

This venom of hers, though... It was as evil as she was cute.

 

[Rissa 1996]

It was obvious they were not going to be getting on. Bonnie was already looking for a way to get out of the situation. When Asmodeus moved off the top of her, to add insult to injury, Bonnie made sure to slap the vampire with her wings as she flapped around frantically to get onto her feet. Once back up again she looked around, a scared look on her face. Which was was home? Nothing looked familiar at all. These lands were different. Much different to the ones she had been accustomed to back at home.

She didn't care about what the vampire thought about her. He would be taught his lesson quite soon. Bonnie hadn't made any aggressive move towards him. But HE had been the one to instigate the first move. Now this self entitled woman sauntered in like she owned the damn place. Her Aura soon faded away around her. The fear was present in the way that the Dark Angel held herself. Perhaps if she could at least leave the place she could leave those annoying beings to it. Bonnie wasn't interested in making friends of any sort. Friends were overrated and stupid.

The fact that she had obviously been lying on top of the Vampire asleep had been disturbing enough. This female stank of magic. Come to think of it, he hadn't seemed to want her on top of him which begged the question. Did he have no recollection of how they got here? When Vivia spoke it certainly struck another one of Bonnie's nerves. She threw the female a filthy look as she moved towards the them both, the confidence radiated from her. Bonnie hated this also.

"All I see is an corpulent and very gobby cow." She retorted. There was still a little bit of venom on that tongue of hers. She had instantly taken sides. She seemed to like the vampire. Bonnie rolled her eyes. She would figure out how to get out of here herself. She had the advantage of flight. Surely if she went up high enough she would be able to get her bearings and gather herself. She stretched out those large wings behind her and flexed them. Looking over her shoulder she smirked at the vampire who was now seeming to have some difficulty.

"I hope you get well soon. This woman will quite happy help out any damsel in distress. I don't need your help to get home. I can take care of myself." She mocked them both. The tensions were high. It could be cut with a butter knife with ease it seemed. She sprinted towards the other side of the clearing, her long flowing black dress fluttered in the slight breeze. Bonnie then took flight, not even bothering to look over her shoulder as she left those two losers behind in the clearing. She had no idea who they were. Bonnie rarely did introductions.

All she knew was that she was going home.

 

[Elizabeth’sComposition]

Vivia flashed the cowering vampire a knowing look when he seemed to reconsider her offer of assistance. Wrapping her own hand around his own before she pulled him to his feet carefully. She then slid his arm around her shoulders and proceeded to hover a hand over the small bite mark on his throat. She rolled her eyes as the angel attempted to insult her, but she had far more concerning matters on her mind. Yet, she did offer her a bit of a snort. Impressed that even in this time of uncertainty, being in an unknown place, the angel was still somehow damned to believe that she was the best out of everyone around her. That much Vivia could simply gather from the way she batted those wings and squared her shoulders.

God, she hated angels.

Using her fingers, humming deep in her throat, she began to withdraw the venom from the bite mark on the vampire's neck. Keeping him steady all the while. The venom oozed out like a stream, before she removed her hand and wiped it on her jacket. She carefully released the vampire, ensuring he would be steady on his feet before putting herself between both the newcomers. Crossing her arms, she furrowed her brows and looked between the two creatures. Then her gaze settled on the angel, a smirk tugging at each corner of her lips.

"Oh, you can take care of yourself, can you?" She took a graceful step towards the angel before she began to slowly pace around her. Like a hunter stalking it's prey. "Then allow me to ask you this, smart ass, if you've no clue where you've fallen... then how do you anticipate returning elsewhere? You should know I have archers stationed on guard towers for miles. Angels and I, well... we aren't exactly friends." She stopped then and tilted her head at the angel. "So, I dare you to try. I'd love to watch your defiance bring you to your end."

Frankly, Vivia was impressed to see that the angel had taken her up on the offer. Watching as the enchanted being practically ran away from both of them and then launched herself into the air without another word.

Stubborn things, they were.

She rolled her head to look over to the vampire then, a particularly unimpressed glare on her face as she took a deep breath.

"You're not off the hook either." She said, though was cut off when she heard the sound of a creature cry above her. She craned her neck then to see two winged monkeys barreling about above the tree line. Attacking the airborne angel. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Are you going to run off too or would you like to actually make it home?"

She wasn't worried about the winged woman in the sky. The monkeys were charmed beings, certainly strong enough to take her down. And if she so much as harmed one of them, well... she would have to deal with the likes of Vivia.

 

[microhexa]

Asmodeus' skin crawled as the peculiar woman seemed to draw out the venom from the bite that had not yet fully faded. She had to be a witch. That was the closest term he could find for someone like her. Perhaps she was even one of their Queens, the vastly superior leaders of witch covens - at least, that was the case where he came from. This was no mere parlor trick. That much was certain. In fact, it seemed to have entirely reversed the effects of this fast-acting venom.

He quietly folded his arms across his chest as he turned his head to watch the angel take off. Quite a magnificent sight, actually. Such a shame that it was not meant to last long. It seemed that she could have the grace of an angel when she made an effort.

Even if it just was to spite the two of them. Now, that angel had quite an attitude for a little lady. How adorable.

"You're not off the hook either." He could almost have laughed at that. That other woman certainly had a thing for reinforcing her apparent position of authority in these lands. Not that he could blame her for it when he would have done the same.

"Well, what do you propose?" he softly asked the enchantress. His voice was smooth like silk... with an edge of ice. Calm yet tingling with danger. With the venom gone, he could stand at his full height once more. She seemed less intimidating now that he was looking down at her, being at little over a head taller than her. As simple as it was, there was an undeniable sense of superiority that came with being taller than someone else. At least, that was the case for him.

 

[Elizabeth’sComposition]

Not even a thank you, huh. Duly noted, vampire.

Vivia narrowed her eyes at the vampire as he used, what she assumed to be, his typical charm and smooth tone to try and break through her own icy demeanor. The look on her face would give tell to her emotions on the man before her far better than any words might. She quirked a brow up at him and practically scoffed in his face. She may be small, which was certainly starting to become far more evident the longer he towered over her, but damn was she mighty.

"I propose, you keep your immortal ass right on my tail, before things get out of hand." She said with a smirk, then gestured over her shoulder as she turned on her heel and began to make her way towards the end of the clearing. Swiping out her hand to remove all toxic essence that she was put there in the first place.

"To be frank, you're guess as to why you've wound up here is as good as mine. However, I may be privy to the knowledge of how." She admitted with a shrug, pushing through branches and inching around boulders and bushes. Yet she did little to hold thing aside for the vampire following her. Instead, she simply allowed the large branches to snap right back into his face for him to handle. "There's a wirzard, broody bastard if I've ever seen one, lives just outside of Elonwy. He's a coot, really. Always running about in the town square going off about the magic he possesses. How one day he'll "rule the land" and "save humanity"." She made a clear point to use finger quotes around the words.

"Just the other day he burst in there looking for vampire's." She shot him a knowing look at that one, then sighed heavily. "Odds are he couldn't get his hands on one, so he pulled some whacky spell out of an ancient grimoire and summoned... you. Unfortunately for him, I got to you first." She gave him a coy grin at that.

"At least... that's my guess. Who knows. Maybe you just pissed off some witch where ever you came from and she wanted to banish you to 'lands unknown', or something like that. Though, that wouldn't explain the angel... demon.. whatever, that my sky soldier's are currently hunting down."

She took a deep breath as she finished up her thesis, then hauled herself over one large fallen tree before breaking into another clearing. Only this time, the clearing was home to a beautiful, crystal clear lake.

"Welcome to lake Iter. The lake of journey's." She paused at the shoreline and turned to face him with her hands on her hips. "All we need to do is say a little chant, give you a little push, then you can be on your way. So, where exactly are you from?"

 

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His immortal ass. This woman certainly had more snark up her sleeve than most people he had met before, Asmodeus thought to himself as he silently followed her. No point in running when his snarky witch could well be his only way out of here. He certainly doubted that he could achieve much more on his own. If these last thousand years had taught him anything, it was that humans were frightfully stupid. Even the vampire hunters that had come for him in the past were no match for his combat prowess. Asking the locals would only lead him to a dead end. He needed someone who actually had a decent understanding of magic and otherworldly methods of transportation.

This woman clearly did not like him in the slightest, as she allowed the larger branches to snap back into his face as they moved through the trees around the clearing.

Out of pure spite, he chose to ignore the branches. He did not flinch as they struck his face, nor when the ends of branches opened bloody cuts that quickly faded away and took the blood with them. Simple flesh wounds were beneath someone like him.

This wizard she mentioned did sound like the shady sort... Personally, he would have wrung the man's neck for him if his spell had yielded the intended results. Assuming that he was the one to bring one of the eldest vampires in existence to this land - in hopes of forcing him into servitude, even. Asmodeus could have laughed at the mere thought. Never was he to serve anyone. While he tolerated many, there were few he truly respected. That wizard already failed to qualify for either category. If it had been another witch on the other hand... Oh, he would have seen to that she suffered the same fate as the wizard would have.

Now, the lake on the other hand... That was indeed a beautiful sight. At this proximity, he could sense the sheer power rippling off it. The witch before him spoke the truth regarding the lake's power. He could be certain of that.

"Where I come from, simply mentioning a place name as part of a spell or ritual won't take you there. Instead, you have to imagine the place before your eyes." He turned to eye her with some curiosity, folding his arms across his chest. "Surely, that is what you meant?" he softly inquired.

It was an honest question. He knew little of this place, or whether he was even in the same world as the one to which he was accustomed. Therefore, he could only leave the understanding of this area's laws of magic to her, considering that she appeared to be so well-versed on that subject.

"I should add that whatever that little monkey comes from, she certainly does not come from my city," he went on. "I keep tabs on every single supernatural being there - even the hybrids - and I've never heard of an angel with dark wings like hers." He let out a quiet sigh and looked back at the lake. "You'll have to ask her yourself. If you ask me, the odds are that she'll be happy with any old tree, as long as she can claim it as her personal property," he added with a hint of disdain in his voice.

He shook his head at how simple-minded that notion was. To be satisfied with a mere tree. That was the beauty of the younger beings, those who were mere infants in comparison to one like him.

 

[Elizabeth’sComposition]

"From where she came is of little importance to me." Was Vivia's simple response as she neared the waters edge, then further crouched down beside it. Dipping her pale hand into the serenity of the lake's contents. She watched with silent awe as it rippled from one end, to the other, a perfect effect. Yes, this was truly one of the more sacred pieces of land in Elonwy. Yet using it often dealt with grave consequences. Not only could the portal be used as passage to other lands, but other times as well. Altering the homeostasis of time and space was something Vivia did not take lightly. However, given her current circumstances, something told her that this vampire and the... angel, would not heed until they are back in their rightful places.

"If she truly desired any assistance she wouldn't have flown off like a child." Granted, Vivia was no elder herself. She may be wicked in some ways, but that did little to her mortality. Eventually she would stop aging, she assumed, much like any other witch or wizard. Yet for now she was still young and beautiful. If only she could remain that way forever... "I have little interest in bargaining with children. As for the spell, yes, you are correct. However, I cannot simply imagine a land in which I've never been... therefore I need your help with that." She added then with a smirk, straightening up and looking across the lake with a curious quirk in her brow as some rustling grew louder and far more noticeable.

With a tongue rolled into her cheek, Vivia's hands planted on her hips as she looked to see an elder wizard fumble through the bushes. The man was wearing an all black cloak, similar to the one VIvia wore, yet older and far less figure flattering. A deep black beard and crows feet eyes. He laughed when he took notice of the witch and the vampire across the way, a twisted maniacal laugh that could be heard as it carried across the calm waters.

"I see you've found my vampire, Vivia Uppland." The wizard drawled out, beginning to make his way around the water's edge.

Vivia scoffed as she glanced to the ancient being beside her. "Your vampire?" She stated, exasperated by the title. "I fail to see how you have any possession over this individual, Grouse. Though that does confirm my suspicions that you... are behind this? Somehow... for some reason?" She tilted her head as she watched the wizard with growing impatience.

"I need a vampire's heart in order to claim the torched area's of this land. You would know that, if you read my letters." He continued as he hobbled closer and closer, his tone mildly annoyed and somehow... disappointed. For someone who so clearly hated the witch, he seemed oddly disheartened to know she didn't care for him.

"Grouse." Vivia said, her eyebrow twitching as her irritation rose. "You are simply the only villain in all the universe that writes their enemies letters to inform them of your evil plans. Truly, you are the worst bad guy in this story." She said with a snort, looking over to Asmodeus then. "I believe the vampire could take you out with a single blow... so perhaps it's best not to test him? Or..." She gave him a small shove on the shoulder then. "Ask him yourself. He's a big boy... I'm certain he can make his own choices."

 

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Asmodeus pursed his lips as he swept a critical gaze over the old man who now approached them from the bushes. Oh, he was someone's vampire now, was he? He could have laughed at that. Especially when this man mentioned requiring a vampire's heart. Surely, this fool realized that being in possession of their own heart brought a great sense of pride to a vampire? To so rudely take it from him would be a terrible insult. Even immortal beings were not exactly fond of being robbed of their own organs, regardless of whether they needed them or not. It was as bad as looting a corpse - except for the fact that this corpse was still very much alive. With a taste for vengeance if robbed.

"This vampire would like to kindly make it clear that he is not in anyone's servitude," Asmodeus coldly began. The way he stressed 'kindly' made it sound more like he wanted to choke the life out of the person being addressed - in this case, the so-called wizard. "Least of all that of a man with a neck that could snap with a single twist. You are of no danger to me."

As Asmodeus stood tall and uttered these words, the steely determination in his eyes said all that was left unspoken. His freedom meant more to him than anything else. No one could rob him of it - he would see to that. Never would be allow himself to be enslaved, especially not by a being so disgustingly inferior to him as this old man.

"Hell, even that little winged monkey poses more of a threat to me," he went on. "At least she has fangs, and some pretty nasty venom to go with them." He examined the man's shabby appearance from afar. "All you have is some old robes," he scoffed. "You know, you're going to claim to be almighty, you could at least update your dress style every now and then... As my old man would tell me, world conquest begins with an up-to-date wardrobe." He shook his head in disapproval.

 

[Rissa 1996]

Now this was quite the moment. The tension were high. This wizard meant business and it seemed like they each had something that he wanted for his own personal use. Bonnie sadly also fell in this category. The female angel had been far from successful on her bid to get home. Her stubbornness would cost her dearly. Those two had been strangers though. She did not trust them and they had not been exactly welcoming. That witch in particular had really gotten on her nerves. Bonnie had been flying around almost aimlessly. How long had she been up in the air for? She did not know, but it was obvious. The female would not be going home this way. Bonnie gave a small sigh and was about to look for a place she could land when they came out of nowhere. No. It couldn't be. Could it?

Her eyes widened as the winged creatures came for her, screeching. They looked like...flying monkey's? Bonnie had to rub her eyes to make sure the starry sky wasn't tricking her. One of them held something in it's hand. It looked like a grenade of some sort. The creature threw threw the grenade at the female, hitting her in the face with it. "WHY YOU-" She was cut off as the smoke erupted from the mini explosive. Her eyes rolled into the back of her skull and the angel passed out up in the air. Her wings froze up and she was about to hurtle down towards the ground when the creatures latched onto her in different places. They flapped their tiny bat like wings, using their long tails to assist with balance.

Bonnie now hung at the mercy of these aggressive unsightly little creatures, when screeched among themselves over which part of the angel they should grab on to. They swept her away in the night sky. Where where they taking her? You could have a pretty good guess.

The wizard had just finished mocking the vampire and Witch when the monkey's appeared in the sky, still jabbering. It seemed they were a rather talkative bunch. Bonnie hung limp, her arms and legs swayed.


"Ah the final piece to my collection as arrived." The wizard looked up. "Okay now drop her."

The monkey's did as they were told. They took it a bit too literal though. They let go of Bonnie and she fell...straight into the lake. There was an almighty splash as her body disappeared under the shimmering waves.

"YOU FOOLS I WANT HER HERE NOT IN THERE!" The wizard slapped his palm across his face.

 

[Elizabeth’sComposition]

Vivia could sense the dark energy of her little beasts before she saw or heard them. Her eyes glancing upwards just as Grouse's own did. Her crystal clear diamond gaze darkened as she saw the small, twisted creatures soar in with the angel in tow. She hardly knew this angel, yet she was irritated just by looking at her. Call it the mere fact that she was the opposite of everything Vivia might ever dream to be. Yet when Grouse attempted to instruct them, a knowing smirked curled onto her face.

Here he thought, the creatures she had created, were in his allegiance? Now that was adorable.

What else did Grouse believe to be true that simply was not.

Yet neither of them anticipated what the monkey's did with the angel. Vivia's own eyes widened with surprise as she stood back and watched the dark winged woman fall from the grips of the monkey's and down to the lake below. The moment her body came in contact with the water, the entire lake burst upwards like a geyser. Vivia herself jumped backwards in surprise, her arm flying out to push Asmodeus away from the water's edge as well. Almost as though she were... protecting him, in some way?

Grouse, despite his rage and disbelief at what the monkey's had just done, still found himself laughing like a maniac. Rolling his eyes as he stared at the roaring rapids of the water before them.

"Where is she going to end up? Hmm?"

Vivia's jaw clenched, but the fear in her eyes was clear enough. Some angelic creature had just been thrown into a portal with no destination in mind. No way of knowing where she might wash up or what the world would do to her. Of course, Vivia was not worried about the girl. She was worried about the world she might wreak havoc within. She glared over to Grouse and her hands twitched and licked with the essence of her power.

"You're a bigger fool than I anticipated." She grumbled, the darkness of her power rolling from knuckle to knuckle, finger to finger. Yet just as she rose her hand to shoot at the wizard, he was retaliating. His own bright blue energy shooting from his hand to meet her own. Vivia's heels dug into the soil beneath her as she grounded herself, shooting her magic at him with all her might. Yet the longer they stood there, the more she was pushed backwards. Despite how hard she tried, she could not keep him entirely at bay. Her feet rising up soil beneath them as she was pushed, inch by inch, towards the water's edge.

 

[microhexa]

It all happened so quickly. One moment, the witch was channeling her own dark magic towards the so-called wizard who turned out to possess somewhat more power than Asmodeus had initially surmised. To make matters worse, the witch seemed to be struggling against this onslaught. Having little knowledge of how their magic worked, he was not particularly keen on blindly intervening.

So he simply stood there.

The pressure began to rapidly grow between the two. The witch was desperate to not end up in the lake as well, especially after what had happened to the poor angel. Now, the power between them was growing unstable at an alarming rate. Before anyone could register what was going on, the air was knocked out of him. A massive shockwave slammed into everyone and everything, ripping plants from the ground and flinging the elder vampire and the witch straight into the geyser.

Everything went black once more.

Asmodeus only knew one thing: That this was shit. Really shit. The witch had literally just declared what made this lake so special. Any idiot could feel the incredible amounts of magical energy rippling off it... and they had just entered this water. Fantastic.

When he came to, his head was aching. No, pounding like a drum. He was lying in a darkened meadow once more. With no memory of how he got here. Again.

...And something was rustling in the bushes behind him. Such a cliché.

Fuck it.