Choking on Halo's || Vertaige & DD

[DevilsDelight]

Arulia fiddled with a lock of blonde hair as she preened over the spellbook, her hands curled into fists as she looked over the swirling texts inside. It was an old book, the leather binding tattered and well worn, yet it held the crinkled yellow pages nicely. The infernal text glowed a faint red, illuminating her delicate features as amber eyes scanned over the old spells, the grimoire being a lucky find she'd knicked from a burning that had been sanctioned by the church. She had been compelled to take it, her nimble fingers reaching inside the fire when the priests had turned their backs, and to her amazement there wasn't any burning upon the tome, further proving it's magickal nature. Thus it had become the best training tool she had when it came to controlling her own magic, and led to her training in the seclusion of the forests just outside the graveyards of the sanctum.

Setting the thick book aside, she drew a small circle into the dirt using red brick dust. Supposedly, the spell was supposed to be a form of divination, a field the woman had dabbled little in. The future to her was something that should be left alone, as it was no fun to see what was to come, yet...There was a feeling she couldn't shake. For weeks now the pastors had been off, and thus their flocks had been told not to worry. Of course the sheep listened, but Arulia was no sheep; she was a wolf in sheep's clothing hidden well among the masses after being raised by one of the decons.

A glint of silver shone in the pale moonlight as deft fingers pulled a athame from her pack. Soon. The time for her to begin was fast approaching, yet still too far. Settling in criss cross upon the cold earth, she took a deep breath. Steeling herself, she takes a deep breath through her nose, her right hand lifting the blade.

"Here goes nothin'!" Her gaze goes up to the skies, her heart pounding as she brings her hands before her, one holding the blade firmly in it's grasp. Sending a silent prayer to whatever would listen, she drags the blade across her left palm, blood instantly pooling in the wound. Exhaling, she closed her fist, feeling a stinging burn as her nails scraped the new wound.

"I call forth the spirit of truth,
And in doing so, sacrifice some youth
So that I may see a scry
Of what will soon befall the sky."

She turned her bleeding fist towards the earth and splayed her delicate fingers, her blood hitting the ground with a small pit pat. No sooner had she uttered those words, her eyes stung, as if bees were stinging. Soon the pain increased and a violent shudder wracked her body, her eyes now burning as her body felt as if it was buzzing. Something was wrong. This wasn't...

Suddenly the world is still, and she opens her eyes to see the forest around her in hypercolor; the rich greens of the trees seeming bathed in a rich golden light. Confused, a hand reaches out, and she notes it's not her hand, but instead it's a large gloved hand of a mans. Eyes widening at the realization, she panics, her heart racing as she wonders just who's body she's inside. Had she accidentally swapped bodies instead of her goal?

"It's beginning soon. All we have to do now is clear out."

The man who's body she's occupying grunts in acknowledgement, lifting himself from the ground wjth ease before dusting himself off. No sooner had he done so, shrieks begin from behind them. The fluttering of wings can be heard, and she swears she sees winged figures descending up on the earth; their bodies twisted monstrosities borne into the air.

Just like that, it's done, and her eyes snap open as she lays upon the earth. She hears footsteps approaching, and in her panic, she sends her grimoire away using a quick banishing spell. Placing the athame in her hand, she conjures an illusory heart, and spreads her own blood over her chest. Satisfied at the crimson smears upon her white dress, she closes her eyes as she lays down pretending to be dead; hoping to get the spring on whomever comes near her.

-----
@Vertaige​

 

[Vertaige]

He awoke in the humid heat of the woods. Not next to a cool slender form in a rather spartan bed. Not on a bedroll in the back of a wagon. No, Veteris Sanguine awoke in the dull wet heat of the summer in the woods on harsh ground. He squirmed a bit, the dull ache of stone and branch under his form. He blinked once. then twice. Looking down he was nude. No surprise he had gone to bed as such.

But not here. Not in this world. He took a moment to think. Then sat up. Around him scorched into the brush and grass a sigil of summoning. Angular lines met harsh infernal dialect, incomprehensible to mortals not versed in Aramaic and Enochian.

"Lovely. I thought I told that bitch to burn the book...." He sounded sour and petulant.

"Said it was the last time...promised too. So much for fostering goodwill." He sat up. no clothes. No priestess or witch there to greet or command. TO do whatever it is mortals figured they needed to do upon summoning a demon. Cracking his neck he huffed a bit as he stood, body fully on display showing a tapestry of scars from aeons of wounds. Bites, burns, slashes, stabs and a few gouges danced up his crimson form in the pale moonlight. His body athletic and harrowed would tell a tale of many things. However the most distinct wound sat across his back.

A brand stood seared fresh on his back. A mark of service, glowing violet as if on fire. Tenderly he touched the wound. His world flashed violet and pain slammed into his chest, knocking the breath from him.

"Fucking Gods Below! Really?! Great. Perfect." He staggered from the impact and gave a deep breath.
He touched his head, horns still obsidian black and spiraled out like a ram. "Well at least I got to keep the horns this time."

Several seconds passed where he waited for the summoner. But nothing...

"Least they can do is bring me a coat and something to eat. Don't they usually have a goat tied up for this?" He thought for a moment. Did the last one have some sort of sacrifice on hand?

No. That was the bitch and she had been a headache all her own. How long had that been? Mortals had a funny concept of time.
After a moment he recognized the summoner wasn't going to greet him.
He crouched as his spine cracked and groaned, his flesh melding to form a more suitable body. Sinew knit new positions as bone broke and regrew. His face the same as his body sloped and spindled out with splayed hoofed limbs. He lowered his face to the dirt and inhaled, taking in the magickal scent and memorizing it.

"Alright. I guess I'll have to come to you. I hope for your sake you have something I can wear or eat."

Shuffling off with a skittering gait he prowled to the source. Not taking too long he arrived at the edge of a clearing and with a few wrenching heaves his body sloughed back together to a humaniod form. He spied her, a small thing in white and swore under his breath,

"Bratzlarg! A child?! Fucking kill me now. I'm not some babysitter."
Her illusion was fair he'd admit but his eyes weren't meant to see the way mortals were. Rather he'd see things as they were from the corners.
He could throw a rock at her. Get her attention...no.
She reeked of magick, not some parlor tricks either. Veteris sighed and walked up to her, naked as the day he was created and simply stepped to her accepting whatever chicanery followed.

-----
@DevilsDelight

 

[DevilsDelight]

A male voice is what she thinks she hears, considering how deep it is. Straining to listen, she catches whisps of words, yet nothing distinguishable. That is until she hears the shrubs near her part.

"Bratzlarg! A child?! Fucking kill me now. I'm not some babysitter."

The woman heard those words loud as day, unflinching as they were spoken. 'Calm yourself. This is exactly like when you pretended to be asleep when the mother does her rounds.' Despite the thought, her finger twitched, something urging her to take the blade into her hand. Careful breaths were taken as she steadied herself, her breath silent to her own ears and shallow enough her body didn't move with it.

When the other stepped close enough, the young witch sprung from her position, the athame in her hand flinging as she swept it at the others feet in an attempt to bring them down using non-magical means. Adrenaline flooded her system, her heartbeat thundering in her ears as she moves. Blade now at his throat, her breath comes out in a shaky huff, a cloud of it visible in the crisp night air.

Glittering golden eyes look to the man, seeing all yet seeing nothing. Her body was moving on auto pilot, her hand pressing the blade firmly against the others neck as her blonde locks fell into her face. "Who the he'll are you and how didja find me?"

Her eyes flick to take in her attacker, to make notes on his appearance in case she needed them later. It's only then that she realizes the man she had attacked is in fact nude, and she has to fight a dusting of rouge from painting her cheeks. "By the maker, why are you naked as the day you were born? You gamble your clothes off or somethin'?"

 

[Vertaige]

Veteris looked flabbergasted. His face annoyed and his stature now a bit more pronounced.
"You're kidding me? You don't even have your sight? What the fuck are you witches doing?!" He leaned in close and gave her a sniff, then a base of the palm smacks her forehead. Fire would curl around his hand. a crackling violet inferno that would scald flesh on her brow, then knit itself back slowly. Pain would lance from the site but subside as a glowing insignia of a single slit eye would softly emerge.
"You don't have anything for me to eat, no clothes. And you summon me without even having the courtesy to look me in the eye properly. I don't know what the witches have been doing to train you but Beasts Entrails, girl, show me some form of respect."
His flesh would turn crimson, his horns now visible as obsidian flecked protrusions and his eyes pupil less with all violet sclera.
"As for your inane questions girl, you reek of magick. Especially mine. It was no effort at all to follow your scent. Again no masking balms or any precautions. Are you even a proper witch?"
The demon looked her up and down again. No garb. No ceremonial robes. Nothing offered.

"Don't tell me you're not a trained apprentice or even a proper practitioner?" He didn't need a response though. She had novice written all across her face and responses.
The slow sad realization sunk in like a brick hitting a still pond.
"THAT STUPID CUNT! I TOLD HER TO BURN THAT FUCKING BOOK! NOT HIDE IT SO SOME....CHATTEL COULD FIND IT!!!"
His face twisted into a rage, claws extended as he struggled to not lash out.
"Name, girl. Tell me who service have I been pressed into!? Do you even realize what I am? Or what you have done?!"

 

[DevilsDelight]

A upper lip curled at the pain that flooded her senses, her pearly white teeth gritting within her mouth to keep from screaming. Gold eyes swelled with tears that she fought against, as she held as steadily as she could. Now seeing the man....no demon, for what he was, she felt her magic surge through her veins as she gripped her blade. She was nervous, as this was her first time truely dealing with a denizen of hell in the flesh. Sure she'd read about them, but never had she considered summoning one forth.

"What on earth are you goin' on about? I didn't summon you, I was callin' forth a vision of the future. However if you're what the future brings, I can't say 'm to happy 'bout it." A dirty hand presses to the place that was still burning upon her forehead, the dried blood and dirt on her palm scratching against her smooth skin. Miffed, her eyes looked to the demon again, eyes slitted as she keeps eye contact. If he thought he could scare her, she had bad news for him, as she was stubborn and was determined not to let this rattle her. She'd read about demoms, yetshe could only hope that the books were accurate. She could also hopetheir horrors couldn't get worse than what her imagination created upon reading the tomes, yet she was steeling herself for the worst as best she could.

"Bold of ya to assume I have a master. I started spewin' magic all my own when i was thirteen an' needed to learn, mostly to save my own skin from getting burned at the stake. Knicked that spell book from a fire the clerics of the sun were hostin' to burn 'Atrocities against god and blasphemous materials'. Her free hand does air quotes as she recites the words from memory. "Whoever owned it last is a mystery to me. 'M warnin' you now, watch that mouth of yours around me. Y'all might talk like that in hell, but a potty mouth is no way to talk to a lady."

Her hand flicks the blade threatenly again, letting her energy coat it. Dealing with a demon meant she'd need a little extra oomph to her punches. The simple utterance wasn't much, but even a small bit could be the difference between life or death. Besides conserving her energy might be a better bet if things got rough. Holding her stance, she feels the balls of her feet dig into the hard earth, her sullied nightclothes rustling with the movement. Flicking her head to the side, her blonde hair pulls itself back into a pony tail at another utterance from her lips. A gentle breeze blows and the trees rustle, the sound of wolves in the distance catching her ears for a brief moment. Wolves near the town? That was uncommon, but not as bad as the demon that was within spitting distance of her."If what I've heard of demons is true, why should I tell ya my name? Besides why does it matter what I've done? The only thing we can do is to figure out how to fix this mess, so I don't have to deal with the stress of sneaking a hell spawn into the cathedral an keepin' him hidden."

 

[Vertaige]

Veteris smirked a bit. Great. A novice and one who had found the book. That meant hed have to go hunting after a bit. "Alright firstly unless you order me to do it, I'm nit going to stop swearing. Second." He said as he snapped his claws. Summoninga rather gaudy and tattered coat that was coatedin dust. He shook it and following that a pair of black trousers that were more grey and equally tattered andd burned. "Good to see she had the sense to hide something for me. Damn bitch...." the words sentimentally spoken with a half reverence and half affection. He dons both leaving his feet and chest bare. The coat was faded and had a destroyed hem like a frayed battle flag. On the back a golden lion roared with splayed wings. Gold brocade trim on the parts where trim survived. "I dont think thatll be a problem staying with you. Dear little chitling, " he attempted to grab her chin and squeeze. "As long as your heart beats I am bound to your service. What you have done by reading from that book, which had been a gift ti a particular preistess some time ago, is chain my phsyical and arcane form to you. Consider me your new partner. I will augment your magick and in return...well we can discuss that after we hash out some arrangments." He then began to circle her...sinking into hwr shadow, the cozy space between the day and night. Between The real and immaterial.

She"d hear his voice in her head. A sinsiter whisper hot and fierce. "I personally dont like this. But unfortunately I am bound to keep you alive as long as i can. So. Since i am not going to be fed and you havw little elsw for me. I'm going to rest. At tommorows dusk I will be back to start teaching you how muvh you have fucked up and hot to properly un fuck us both."

She would feel a very real heat run up from her soles to her brow. A moment of pure warm and unbrideled power. The pact intiated. He would see through her eyes and observe...a feeling like someone behind her always. A soft breath on the neck here and there. Powerful and menacing. "Oh...also maybe read the damn book now. I gave you true sight so it should be within your feeble comprehension. "