Sethrine

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

As they entered the tomb, Damien gazed around the interior. It was neatly placed, despite the dust and grime that had built over the centuries of its standing. Even with his status and his distaste for humans, there was something intriguing about how they worshipped their dead with monuments and inscribed stones of the deceased's accomplishments.

"We're looking for something that will open the passageway into the catacombs, perhaps a small nodule in the stonework or-"

To Damien's slight surprise, Genevieve had already found what they were looking for and had opened the passage. Well...that was easier than he had anticipated.

Damien rook the first step into the passage, his action setting off a chain reaction of torches lighting along the walls. He stepped fully through the entrance, looking about the dirt and stone covered walls with narrowed eyes. He had no doubts that each relic would be guarded with some sort of otherworldly magic, but he was unsure exactly what they would be facing up ahead.

As they began walking a good ways in, he could make out what looked to be a split into the cave-like pathway up ahead, both passages dimmly lit with torches separating each other even further down.

"It seems we've reached an impass," he said aloud, his deep voice echoing against the walls. He turned to Genevieve then, meaning to give her a sense of authority.

"How do you wish to go on?"

The Hunter's Night (Darog + Sethrine

Awesome! I'm setting mine up right now, but I think I will wait on my equipment to see what sort of things you put up, just so I get a better feel on what sort of weapon I can use or how to style it and whatnot.

When it comes to the appearance image, do you prefer an animate image or realistic? This will determine if I need to use description, instead. (To be honest, most of my images are cartoonish/anime-esque, but some people don't like those sorts of images. I can stick with description if I need to.)

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

Once Marcus Fortuna's resting place was found, Damien searched over the large gravestone with his eyes for a long moment, quite perplexed at what he was looking at. From his previous research, the grave sight had been described as being a large room-like tomb, something many of the wealthy or important at that time were buried in. Instead, his grave was marked with a single stone, its carvings slightly worn from the many years it had stood over the dead man. He was certain their had never been a tomb for Marcus, though for as many years as he had been gone from this world, the stone seemed fairly new.

"There have been renovations to this resting place," he stated as he knelt beside the grave and ran a hand over the still smooth mass of stone, looking carefully over the surface. As his hand glided over the back, there was a carving of some sort at the very base of the stone that his fingers caught on. He maneuvered to look at the symbol, recalling for just a brief moment having seen the same symbol on another tomb of a young woman and her husband some feet away.

"This way," he called as he moved to the large monument-like tomb that housed Cecilia Bronstein and Lucas Bronstein, a couple that had apparently died in a fire some years before Marcus' s own death.

"He must have had a daughter," Damien stated offhandedly as he looked to the woman's name and found the same symbol as on Fortuna's gravestone. He then looked to the large door that opened up to the actual graves and found chains snaking about it.

With a small flourish of his hands, thin lines of black smoke escaped his fingertips and joined together in one long rope, twisting about the thick metal and filling the keyhole of the lock. After a moment's pause, the lock clicked open audibly, the chains unwrapping from their positions across the tomb and falling with a loud clatter to the ground. The smoke dispersed with the action.

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

They continued to walk for another twenty minutes or so until they made it to the Old Community Church. It was obvious from the vines goung up the sides, the slight cracking of the hangover and the wear of the statues both atop the building and along the bottom of it that it was an old structure. If the research Damien had done was correct, it was one of the oldest structures of the city that was still used and maintained to this day.

"The relic is hidden in the cemetary, but not the outside grave sight that stands behind the building. This church hides the catacombs that once held their dead, as well as several large tombs."

Though he knew where to go, there was just one problem. He was a demon, and though he was of a higher class, he could not step foot into the church without possessing a human. He highly doubted he would be allowed such a formality.

"I cannot enter such a holy establishment, so we'll have to find another way in."

Damien veered off to the left inside the iron gates, taking the longer route behind the church. There was more fencing, though it was more for decoration as well as separation from the cemetary to the church. There was at least twenty to thirty acres of graves and older tombs scattered about the green grasses, some simple plaques and others elaborately decorated stones.

"Look for a tomb with the name 'Marcus Fortuna.' His resting place will give us entrance to the catacombs."

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

As soon as the woman was well on her merry way, Damien was forced back into the alleyway and pushed roughly up against the nearest brick wall. Genevieve was clearly pissed with the course of action he had taken, though he found humor in her anger. She was definitely a fiesty angel and wasn't afraid to throw her higher class power around when necessary. Her flock also seemed alarmed, though it was more at the state of which their leader was in.

When he was suddenly thanked and released from the hold around his neck, he was mildly surprised. Her hand found his once more, and before he knew it, they were all traveling down the path the elderly woman had told them to go.

Damien glanced at Genevieve, his currently green eyes holding a playful twinkle in them despite the bone-crushing grip she had on his hand.

"You're angry with my actions when I could have easily taken advantage of the situation. You say you cannot trust me; you refuse to. While I cannot say I have any sort of trust for your kind, we work for equal goals. You seek the Relics of Asra, and I want nothing more than my freedom. Perhaps you can take ease in knowing that, for the moment, my goal only ends when yours does."

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

Damien couldn't help the small scowl that came with being treated like a pet. It was degrading, but most of all, annoying. If he were any lesser demon, he would have surely snap at her hand as any other crazed animal. When the blindfold was replaced around his eyes, he went back to his relaxed state, allowing Genevieve to pull him around as she pleased.

He was aware they were outside now, the smells of the city coming from all angles and the warm sun beating down on his body both immediate giveaways. In what direction they were going, he was not certain, but when the sun's warmth was taken away by shadow and their motions had stopped, he became curious. They were certainly not at their location, not in such a small amount of time, so what was going on?

Ah, afraid the humans would notice her little hostage situation. It would certainly hinder their progress.

His sight was returned to him once more, though Genevieve kept a strong grip on his forearm. She was struggling to figure out how to keep him close without being seen as someone who was involved in a kidnapping. Damien's eyes wandered around the alleyway and to the opening area, finding a somewhat elderly woman passing by without being any-the-wiser of what was going on to the left of her.

He had an idea.

With a quick flourish of motion, Damien took hold of Genevieve's hand and pulled her roughly along behind him and out of the alley before the others had a chance to do anything. He quickly made to blend in with the crowd of people moving down the street and called out to the woman.

"Miss? Miss!"

The elderly woman paused and turned, her eyes looking from him to the redhead and back to him. Luckily, he had just enough power to change the color of his eyes from a blood red to a bright green as well as pull back the sharp quality of his nails and teeth. He looked much more human than just moments ago.

"Yes, can I help you?"

Damien gave a charming smile, his gaze much softer and almost worthy of being called friendly.

"Yes, I'm sorry to bother you, but we've become rather lost, you see."

He gave a subtle swing of his hand, and the woman's eyes were drawn to the movement. She smiled then, seeing his hand connected with Genevieve's own and immediately assuming they were a couple.

"Oh, you must be new to the city! Are you looking for a certain place?"

"Yes, actually! We were looking for a church a friend of ours frequents. He said it was between Baytown and Lishter?"

"Oh, the old Community Church! Well, you're headed in the right direction, dear. Just keep going about six more blocks, take a right, and then two more blocks out should be about right. If you hit the park, you've gone too far."

"Thank you so much," Damien completed with a grateful smile as the lady gave a single bow of her head and went about her way. He then turned to look at Genevieve, his newer, softer features still in place and a single brow raised.

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

Damien could have snapped at the rough treatment, but why mess up how his plan was unfurling? At the moment, whether Genevieve realized it or not, he was calling the shots. Sure, he was only allowed half his power, and he really could't do too much on his own with just that, but it was all working in his favor.

When the cuff around his left hand was removed, the chain that had connected the two bands instantly disappeared. He could feel the surge of his power flow through him, just a small petcentage having returned. Still, it felt good to be on even, if not higher, grounds with most of the others that currently surrounded him.

"Not so fast, Angel," he spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I promised to lead you and your flock to it. You already know its approximate location, but you'll never find it unless you know where to look."

He glanced out the window, the bright morning light shining down on the quickly bustling city of Atlanta.

"We must go deeper into the city, to the church between the crossings of Baytown and Lishter."

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

Genevieve wasn't going to remove the cuff tonight. While that was a small setback in his plans, Damien could wait. He had plenty of time to waste after the first relic was found. They would need time to figure out the next location. There was a possibility the next clue led to one of the other two relics he knew about, but it was just as likely to be the ones he himself could not find enough information on. Only tomorrow would tell.

As the night progressed, Damien found himself sitting on the floor and against the farthest wall from the cell bars, head bent low in rest. Now that he was without his power, his mere human status forced him into light slumber, something of which was only necessary for major healing and power restoration. In his times of wakefulness, he began thinking through possible scenarios and outcomes that could arise from his current situation. He had to play his cards just right as well as hope for a few advantages to come his way if he wanted things to turn in his favor.

With the morning's light came activity from above, and though Damien was at rest, he was fully aware of the movement of Angels within the higher levels of this place. He could almost overhear several conversations, some of which revolved around him. Of course, he would be the topic of discussion on this day.

When Genevieve entered and called to him, he lifted his head with the barest hint of a smirk to his lips.

"Already? My, how time flies when your stuck in a cage of sorts."

He glanced behind her, more for the action than being curious. He could tell that many of the Angels had already left the building, as the activity from above had lessened considerably. Oh, but there was no need to let her on about that, now was there?

"What's this? None of your flock to aide you in pushing me around? I'd already assumed they'd be dragging me about this wretched city."

He stood from his position on the floor, his movements smooth and almost graceful in nature. He then rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension they had built overnight, the resounding pop they made loud and almost sounding like bone breaking.

"Or perhaps they're waiting for you to drag me out of here? Asserting your dominance as the leader, as it were."

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

She was doubting his words, and with good reason. His kind was not known for their truthful confessions. No, demons were lying, deceitful beings that tended to use any means to get what they wanted. When applied in just the right way, it became more of a game of wits than just simple gratification, and that was what separated the higher class from the lower class in his world. Physical power was helpful on its own, but the power of persuasion could broaden one's horizons and make others question what they knew.

"You don't know. I could be lying, leading you into a trap, or I could bring you to wjat you seek. Take a chance, if you dare. I promise you won't be disappointed."

Genevieve still seemed hesitant to sway in favor of his proposition, but after a long moment, she seemed to concede. The obligatory threat was issued, of course, a simple reminder to keep to himself lest he find himself on the wrong end of a sword.

"Of course, Genevieve. To cross your path with deceit would be certain death on my part."

His smirk was hidden in the shadows, but his words carried the barest hint of a taunt, a last status of his trickery. He would show them to the relics, let them believe they were gaining the upper hand, and when they least expected it, the flock would fall by his soldiers. Everything was coming together perfectly.

He moved closer to the bars, enough for the light to touch his features once more but far enough should the Angel choose to come closer.

"Perhaps...one cuff would suffice?"

An Endless Search (Durachka and Sethrine)

"No need to get so testy, Genevieve," he stated, her name coming off his lips in almost a purr, "after all, you call the shots. I'm merely a prisoner here, a Knight of Hell stuck at the mercy of an entire flock of Angels."

One hand pulled back from the bars as the other remained, the chain pulling taunt between his wrists. She was becoming rather shaken, and he had barely attempted to get under her skin. Well, this would certainly play out in the most interesting of ways.

"All I ask is that I regain some of my power. Obviously, I won't be allowed full access, but enough for simple chants and incantations should suffice. It will be in your best interest, sweet Angel, to take my proposition."

He pulled away fully from the bars this time, taking several steps backward into the darkness of the holding cell. His eyes seemed to illuminate in the shadows created there, the contrast seeming much more menacing than before.

"Whose to say the relic is exactly where it was before? I can lead you to it, even provide whatever sacrifice is necessary to obtain it, and you can be holding it in your very hands by tomorrow's twilight."