Blessed Be

In answer, Kaleb jerked his hand upwards and the twister leaped up and onto his outstretched hand, "Unfortunately this is the limit as I have had to train myself."

"I see" Eugene replied "verily thou has trained diligently"

Kaleb sighed as the small tornado dissipated, something was...bothering him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Suddenly, a man cam literally flying through the church doors. On FIRE! Then a child holding a jack-o-lantern came running in and the two new comers immediately started fighting each other.

Eugene moved Alastair behind a pillar and took a defensive stance.

Reacting immediately, Kaleb sprang backwards doing a momentary handstand, then leapt up off his hand, with his right grabbing for the foldable katana that sat within his pocket. He landed perfectly on his feet, facing the combatants.

Jerking his arm backwards, the katana extended fully with a click as it locked into place, his eyes narrowed as he settled into his 'battle stance.'

The flaming one threw punch after punch at the child, but nothing hit! The child cackled and said "y'never give up, huh? I'm not alone y'know! YOU CAN'T WIN!"

((If you don't want to bring in your demon I'll bring in Crawly))

Kaleb watched the scene enthralled. He jumped about a foot in the air when he heard a hissing-like voice behind him, "Aren't you gonna do anything..?"

Reacting, he twirled around to face the source of the voice, only to find a bonafide demon looking at him. Swiftly bringing the katana up, he brought it down on the head of the demon only to find empty air. The tip of the katana hit the ground, sending sparks up into the air, "What the?"

Suddenly there a tapping on his shoulder, "You'll never hit anything like that..." Spinning around, he attempted to decapitate the demon, only to find that the blade bit into thin air again.

A vein pulsed in Kaleb's temple, he was getting frustrated. The air in the church began to stir slowly, only serving to feed the flames of the other one.

((This is going to hurt him more than anything...))

The flaming one finally landed a hit on the child's gut. The child stumbled back as he patted the flames out and said "owie! Cresil, he hurt me!"

((Acrimony would be the equivalent of a 4 year old to the other demons. That doesn't necessarily grant him immunity to their sarcasm and scorn))

"Oh would you shut up?" Cresil snapped.

Seeing his opportunity, Kaleb lunged forwards and managed to nick the demon's side, slicing through what looked like leather, Cresil hissed, "Now you've gone and done it. You ruined my favorite clothesssss."

Lashing out, he scraped his claws along Kaleb's cheek, leaving three scarlet lines.

The vein in Kaleb's temple began to pulse faster; the winds spinning faster in time with the steady tatoo. The winds began to lick at the flames from Henry.

Henry shielded his face from the flames instinctively as fire carried on the growing wind and lit the clothes of the demons on fire. Acrimony patted out more flames and said "oh man! Crawly's gonna be pissed!"

Cresil tried to pat out the flames on his own clothes, "Crawly's the least of my worries! What about the big demon?" He vanished and reappeared at Acrimony's side, "Let's cut our losses here."

Turning to face the Mystics, "We will be back!" He practically screamed over the winds, then he vanished.

"Crawly IS THE BIG DEMON!" Acrimony shouted as he vanished in purple flames from his jack-o-lantern.

Eugene motioned for Alastair to come out of hiding. The formerly flaming one turned to the others and asked monotonously "do you know what the fuck that was?"

"Demons. No question about it." Kaleb fingered the now bleeding gashes on his cheek, when he examined his finger, the blood there seemed darker than what it should be.

He sighed, now he was mystified.

"Hast thou faced these demons before?" Eugene asked Kaleb.

((Be prepared, Crawly will make his entrance with all the demons soon. Just as a sort of introduction that all higher ranks are obligated to do with their 'squad' so to speak))

Kaleb shook his head, "No, but I recognized that...Cresil one from my nightmares. And from the old texts in my old village in Japan."

...Something didn't feel right to him, so he kept his katana drawn, just in case...

Without warning, a winged man in black stood in the center of the church. There were no flames, no gusts of wind. He was simply... there. Purple flames revealed Acrimony, a drop of water from no where became a puddle that a blue haired demon arose from, and Cresil appeared beside the tall winged one.

Cresil simply grinned evilly as he looked up at Kaleb.

Kaleb stepped back a step, katana still in hand, "Demons." He spat.

The tall demon placed a hand on Cresil's shoulder, perhaps the most terrifying thing a high rank demon could do to any demon below them, and said "settle down Cresil. You and Acrimony got ahead of yourselves and forgot protocol." He walked forward, simply letting his hand fall from Cresil's shoulder as he did, and went straight to Eugene. "My apologies," he said "I was late fulfilling The Pact last time" Eugene stepped back, but all the demon did was hold out a ball of pale yellow light. He explained "this does no more that hide your... unique tongue" Eugene vaguely remembered doing this before. Same light, same words, same demon! He hesitantly took the light, which vanished as he drew his hand back, and said "we have... met before" The demon nodded and said "I am Crawly. The others are new to you all," He went back to the group and introduced them as he past them "Cresil, who has been assigned to Kaleb. Acrimony, who has been assigned to Henry. And Hypoxia, who has been assigned to Alastair" Crawly bowed and said "ask your questions now, and aim them at your assigned demon. Any question they can't answer I will answer for them. This formality ends the moment we leave, and is the only time we are forbidden to use what you call 'dirty tricks'"

Kaleb raised an eyebrow to this 'formality' but said nothing, not knowing what TO ask.

"Where do your names come from?" Alastair asked. Crawly chuckled and explained "For the others: their names reveal something about their assigned Mystic. Myself: I am named after the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve"

Cresil stiffened as Crawly placed his hand on his shoulder, he wriggled out from under that hand, "I was named for the demon of impurity and laziness..."

Kaleb stiffened, his banes; being lazy and impure...

((He still abides by many of the teachings from his old village, two of which he took to heart, to never be lazy and to always be pure))

Henry turned to his demon. In a monotonous voice that sent shivers down even Crawly's spine he said
"Acrimony"
"Yeah?"
"You have been assigned to me?"
"Crawly JUST said that"
"Does that mean you can't attack the other Mystics?"
"No, I can attack the others. But I would hafta attack with whoever was assigned to the one I wanna attack"
"Example"
"Example? Uuuuuuh... If I wanted ta attack Eugene, I would hafta ask Crawly an' we would hafta work together"

Kaleb listened carefully, absorbing the information coming to his ears, "So let me get this straight, in basest terms, each demon is only allowed to attack their assigned Mystic, but if the demon is question should desire to attack another, they would have to ask permission from that Mystic's demon and then the two would have to work together? But that isn't my actual question, what is a Mystic?"

The hand that held the katana began to shake slightly from being held still for so long.

Hypoxia answered this time, his voice soft and alluring "You." Crawly and Acrimony tried to contain their laughter.

Cresil sniggered at Hypoxia's answer.

Kaleb shook his head, "That still doesn't answer the question."

"A Mystic is someone who can use MAGIC," Acrimony explained "tha's whachyer tornado thingy is!"

Immediately, Kaleb looked down at the tornado that had reappeared by his feet, "Magic?" He muttered.

"Did I stutter? MAGIC" Acrimony replied with his usual impatience.

A vein pulsed in Kaleb's temple, he was getting tired of this, "I have a question that will wrap up any more I have, why are we Mystics here? What is our purpose?"

Crawly crossed his arms and asked "Do you know about Terra? Tell me what you know and I'll fill in the blanks"

Henry shook his head. He knew nothing.
Alastair looked at Eugene and asked "Is Terra a food?"
Eugene chuckled and said "I don't think Terra is food, but I don't know for sure"