[h3][i]The Road East to the Lady of Demons[/i][/h3]
Despite how the group had met a Divine, something that was surely a once in a lifetime experience, there was no time to waste. The way east was waiting, and they very quickly followed Richard as he set the pace and guided them on their path. [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3437450]Though he, Etsuko, and Calypso had certainly experienced the way before, everyone else was experiencing this specific route through the mountains for the first time.[/url] For many of them it was the first time they experienced the winding, overgrown path, the gathering trees, and the thickening mist. It was the first time for many of them to be that cold, except for perhaps for Thuraya.

The breaking through from the fog and suffocating forest into the apparently eternal night that the Lady of Demons' mansion stood in. Suddenly emerging from the stifling fog into the red moonlit grounds of the mansion was a shock for multiple reasons, from the size of the moon to the fact it shouldn't have been night at all. The beauty of the mansion may have been initially lost thanks to this beginning surprise, but it had plenty of time to set in as they passed through the gates and walked down the long paths to the door, with gardens and fountains on either side.

After they all dismounted Richard continued to lead them all the way up to the front doors, which he opened easily with a gentle push. Stepping to the side he once more bowed to them all, holding one hand up to his chest as he did so and spoke. [b]"Welcome to the home of the Lady of Demons, Karin Renata... Oh my."[/b] The reason why he said those last two words and the curious sort of eyebrow raise came over his face wasn't apparent at first, but soon they would all feel it; the ground and entire mansion was rumbling, lightly at first, before rapidly picking up in strength to the point that many of them, including Cyril himself, would have trouble standing.

[b]"What the Hell-?"[/b] The Prince asked to no one in particular, even as he staggered to the side and ended up tumbling down onto one of the stone benches. Slowly, a long, unending shout could be heard as the rumbling continued, having apparently started even before they could hear it properly:

[i][b]"... uuuuuuuuuuEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"[/b][/i]

Those closest to the open doorway could see the golden blur that shot into sight from one of the many hallways. They would be able to see how, as it turned towards the doorway, it shot up and around, travelling from floor to wall to ceiling to opposite wall all the way back to the floor on its path out. It was almost too fast to track for some of them, and soon it was shooting past the doors and into the group, shooting back and forth in between them. Even as it shot through the group, it ended up heading right for Christopher-

[b]"SON OF A BITCH!"[/b] The young man dove to the side then, heavily hitting the ground. This caused the blur to miss him entirely, and it instead crashed into Etsuko, taking the poor Diviner off her feet with ease. Down the path they sailed, almost all the way back to the gates as they eventually hit the ground and rolled to a stop. It was in this moment that the blur finally became a recognizable shape, being that of the surprisingly young appearing girl with beautiful blonde hair and big red eyes.

[b]"Guests are here again already-!! Wait! Etusko?! YOU'RE ALREADY BACK!"[/b] Back and forth Helle rolled with Etsuko, not releasing her as she beamed with clear excitement.

Etsuko knew it was coming, however the magnitude of it all wasn't something she could predict. She wasn't quick enough to dodge the blur like Christopher, so her entire world went upside down as Helle crashed into her. The Diviner yelped loudly and her eyes were reduced to swirls that even the Wanderer would be jealous of (maybe not). She could barely let a word out as she rolled around with Helle, her world never really returning to equilibrium.

[b]"T-That I am, Lady Helle..."[/b]

She tried to pat her head. She missed and patted the ground.

[b]"Yay! We can play again! Buttercup missed you, so-!"[/b]

In that moment, Richard cleared his throat slightly before calling out, [b]"Lady Helle, if you don't mind helping Ms. Tanaka back, we shouldn't keep your sister waiting for much longer."

"Oh, right! Come on then!"[/b] With that Helle was up in a flash, pulling Etsuko up by her hand and dragging her along back through the group, all the way past them up to the front doors. Once there she came to a stop thanks to Richard's guiding hand, but she didn't let go of Etsuko. For those who didn't already know her the butler introduced her in that moment:

[b]"This is Lady Helle Renata, the sister to the Lady of Demons."

"Oh, hello!"[/b]

Etsuko still wasn't settled and had propped herself up against the door as she tried to keep the world from spinning even more.

[b]"Hello again..."[/b]

Giving Etsuko (and everyone who had been knocked down thanks to Helle's rapid approach) a moment to recover, Richard soon turned and passed through the open doors, leading them into the hallways. The front doors closed behind the last few people on their own, and soon they were all passing through those twisting, confusing, and should-be physically impossible hallways. Despite how confusing it was, Richard led them on quite calmly, all the way to the double doors that Etsuko and Calypso could have recognized as the ones to the dining rooms. Once there, Richard turned to face the entire group the same way he had faced Etsuko and Calypso when he had first introduced the owner of the house, and in fact said the same words:

[b]"Allow me to present the Lady of Demons, Karin Renata."[/b]

When he turned and opened the doors to step through everyone was able to see the dining room with its long table. They were also able to see the massive windows at the end, with the impossibly large red space of stars and haze slowly spinning around in a wide vortex. It was a sight even more shocking than the moon and the night outside, but when they were able to eventually get beyond it they would see how the long dinner table was set up with the exact number of places for everyone present.

They would also see the Lady of Demons herself, sitting at the end of the dining table in the dark of her chair, her startling red eyes glowing from the shadow and her silver hair shining ever slightly as she leaned forwards some. Already in front of her she had a tea set, and she brought her cup up to take a sip as she said, [b]"Welcome, all of you, from the Prince and Princess, to the Sentinels, to their companions. Enter, take a seat, and get comfortable. We might be here for a little while."[/b]

Even if Helle had appeared childlike it still would have been surprising to see such a feared and respected (save for those who doubted her existence) individual in such a small and young appearing form. However, despite this, the Lady of Demons still exuded an almost overwhelming sense of power, one that pervaded throughout the entire room. After just a moment of hesitation Cyril led the way, taking his sister along with him all the way to the end of the table, to sit in two of the seats closest to the Lady. Helle, meanwhile, dragged Etsuko down the opposite side of the table to similarly close seats, which meant that Calypso followed along quickly as well.

As everyone sat down in their seats, something else surprising happened; food began appearing in the plates in front of them. However, it certainly wasn't the same meal between them all; no, each meal was customized to be the favorite of each person, no matter how complicated, simple, or strange it may have been. This sudden appearance of food didn't surprise the Lady of Demons in the slightest, and she simply rested her cheek in her hand as she smiled, looking towards Cyril in particular.

[b]"Thank you for arriving on such short notice, Prince Serio. You made quite good time, all things considered."

"Yes, of course Lady Renata... We're very grateful you're offering us shelter."

"Of course, Prince. But I plan to offer much more as well."

"More? What do you mean?"

"I plan on getting you ready for a war that's been going on for a very long time, yet you've known nothing about. However, now you can't avoid getting pulled into it, no matter how much you try."

"Lady Renata, with all due respect but I was alive during the last war with H'kela-"[/b]

The Lady of the Demons gave a sudden and dismissive wave, cutting off the Prince with the motion. [b]"I'm not talking about your affair of nationalistic violence with Gartian and his predecessors. I'm talking about a long conflict fought through subterfuge and manipulation, that's finally coming to a head. Your true enemy isn't Gartian, as that man is just a pawn being manipulated by the Advisor; and yet at the same time she is merely a pawn as well."

"The Advisor? How could she-?"

"Even the least magic sensitive of you all must have sensed that she has great power, more than Gartian certainly. It also certainly doesn't take a lot of perception to tell that Gartian certainly isn't stable enough to keep control of her, nevermind run an entire nation. No, at this point he's just a figurehead, albeit a violent one; the Advisor is the true opponent, but even then she's just the lowest level of the enemy. A peon compared to the rest."

"Then... Who are they?"[/b]

The Lady of Demons didn't answer initially, even as it was obvious just how confused and concerned the Prince was. Instead she took her time to fix another cup of tea, pouring herself a new cup before adding milk, sugar, and more than just a little bit of a thick, dark red substance (what it actually was being quite obvious). Stirring briefly, she soon brought it up for another sip, gently blowing it before actually partaking, only speaking afterwards.

[b]"You humans have a habit of romanticizing everything. From your rulers to your soldiers to your battles, you always try painting them with the brightest of lights. Not even the Gifted or Divineborn are immune to such glossy treatment, and you often forget that many are just as likely to be villains as they are heroes. The enemy has used this to their advantage, so very few know of the organization of Divineborn known as the Manu Propria, who have manipulated much of the going ons in the world."[/b]

In that moment, a few of the older members of those at the table reacted; the Paladin looked up ever slightly, the Direwolf raised his eyebrow, and the Wanderer bristled some, for example. The Prince, however, didn't notice any of it, only blinking in surprise as his focus remained entirely on Lady Renata. [b]"A group of Divineborn? There are that many?"

"Immortality certainly can be boring for some."[/b] She shrugged, taking another sip of her tea. [b]"The Manu Propria, on the other hand, keep themselves as busy as they possibly can. From the influencing of Kings to even creating the God Kings, they've filled their time turning the forces of the world to their own advantage. Individuals on the lower level like the Advisor are the most active while the leader and their servants, the Crux and their Aspects, manipulate and keep watch over everything, while directly acting for the greatest moves such as the God Kings."[/b]

It was the mentioning of the God Kings that got the Prince to pale, him tensing some. [b]"H-how could someone-"

"So powerful exist? It happens more often than you might realize."[/b] Karin shrugged in quite a nonchalant manner. [b]"It doesn't matter how they exist though, not to you at this moment. What matters is how you, your family, your friends and your allies are now their targets, and you must prepare yourselves for this conflict."[/b] She gave another casual shrug, as if this was nothing unusual. [b]"That is why I brought you here. In the coming days, I'll give you the tools to survive the initial skirmish. Beyond that, well... I'm a very busy woman. I won't have the time to hold your hand the entire way."[/b]

Silent for a moment, Cyril quietly said, [b]"I understand, Lady Renata..."[/b] This prompted the Lady of Demons to chuckle slightly, giving a shake of her head.

[b]"No, I don't think you fully do yet. So if any of you have any questions, then I'd advise you to ask them now while you can. And if not, well, then enjoy your meal, and the gifts to come.”[/b]