173 – You’re Going To Jail

“What the hell is this?” Fargo thought to himself as a sensation of delight caused his body to tremble. His knees buckled for a brief moment, and his lips curled into a lip biting smile. The sensation lasted only for a moment, but Fargo was beginning to wonder if he had lost his mind. It almost felt like the makings of sexual pleasure.

His senses dulled during that period, allowing the vermillion haired succubus to move closer towards them. Her lead hand was ablaze with the same pink flames as pink as her fury filled gaze.

*This isn’t going to end well.* Fargo thought as he sank lower, his blade at the ready to parry another blow.

*I need to knock her out.* He thought, taking in a deep breath before shifting his weight forward in anticipation. To his left Glint lingered in his shadow and to his right Rena had gotten to her feet.

*With the right distraction...I can end this quickly.*

Agni lunged forward, materializing her halberd in her free hand while conjuring pinkish flames within her other. And then there was nothing but brightness. A white, pure power that forced everyone near to close or cover their eyes.

“Lay down your weapons.” A voice echoed, it seemed to come from the center of the blinding light which was positioned in the middle of all involved parties. Fargo could feel something akin to pressure on his shoulders, it was overbearing more than heavy and it easily forced him down to one knee.

He could hear the grunts of Glint and Rena respectively, even the succubus seemed to be putting up a fight.

*Fuck. Just what we needed.* Fargo thought inwardly. He dropped his weapon, making sure to allow for a loud clanging sound and relented to the pressure exerted upon him. The moment he submitted it was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The bright light receded in a short time, revealing the countenance of a skinny blonde man. His hair was one of the first things Fargo noticed, for the sides of his head were shaved while the top had long curls which curved over into a wave-like pattern.

The second thing Fargo noticed were the ethereal wings which slowly faded out of existence at the shoulder blades. Fargo’s eye twitched, partially out of repulsion but he managed to keep his reaction in check.

*Something about them just...makes my skin crawl. They look so...unnatural..*

Blonde hair, blonde eyelashes, eyes like the sky and just as deep. The man’s skin was fair and pale (almost albino), blemish free and he was dressed in a draped, flowing garb. Despite this his chest, back, thighs and arms were almost completely exposed.

*That’s so damn...corny.* Fargo averted his gaze and hung his head. Following his lead, Glint and Rena did the same. Only the succubus continued to struggle.

*Dammit girl. How pissed off are you? Just relax.* Fargo thought, daring to glance towards the succubus who was now pinned to the ground. She struggled to push herself upwards, her tail flailing wildly in a somewhat comical manner. Her hips were thrust upwards towards the sky, her chest pushed down against the ground itself.

The Angellus on the scene seemed unperturbed at the devil-kin’s futile struggling. He seemed more interested in the other three who knelt in faux-reverence -- though the Angel had no way of knowing their intentions.

He stepped towards Rena, the closest of the three and asked her to lift her gaze. In that moment she felt the pressure on her shoulders ease, allowing her a more free range of movement.

Rena lifted her head to see that most of the nearby people stood silently, some in awe others attempting to hide their faces as they looked upon the scene. Moments later the man’s long fingers were pressed against her brow. For a second Rena was puzzled as to what the Angel was doing. After all, she’d only heard of them -- never seen one before. Adventia’s peacekeepers, enforcers of the law -- the Angellus.

Then her sight faded away, giving rise to a sense of panic. This didn’t last long, however. Her own memories began to replay through her mind, backwards as if she was watching her own life’s movie in reverse. Memories flashed through her head, her attempt to flee and the events that lead to it. The sensation was strange, as if she was a bystander to her own memories as seen through her own eyes.  She was also keenly aware that someone else was viewing her thoughts.

Then, just as quickly as it began , Rena’s sight was restored. The Angellus had already moved onto the next person. First Fargo, then Glint -- though the man only lingered for a second or two , to Rena it seemed much longer.

The tall Angellus then turned to the last person involved in the incident, the succubus. She had not stopped her struggling, in fact she had somehow managed to get to one knee. The Angellus’ face remained motionless, that is until he noticed Agni’s defiance. A twitch flickered at the corner of his eye and he pressed his hands together, forming a triangle shape. Within the space inside his palms an orb of light began to flicker into being.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” He asked, his voice sounding surprisingly feminine despite his male features.

“Yea. Fuck off. This is between me and those snatchers.” Agni grunted, though she was being oppressed, the Angellus’ eyebrow lifted. He shook his head and pressed his palms together, squeezing the ball of light  and causing it to burst from his hands. The ray struck the succubus in her chest, forming a halo-like circle which expanded around her body then closed in to constrict her.

“You’re a demon. You should know better than anyone that you can’t resist an Angellus. You must be..new. No matter, I’m willing to be lenient with you.” And with that the Angellus’s wings flashed into existence once more. The light was sudden and all encompassing, those who watched covered their eyes due to the intensity. Some knew what was coming and turned their faces. Regardless, within the blink of an eye both the Angellus and the Succubus were gone, leaving the trio of “snatchers” at the scene of the scuffle.

“Well. I guess that worked itself out..” Fargo said as he got to his feet and smirked at his partners. Rena seemed uneasy and laughed nervously, while Glint wore a displeased expression.

“If she ever sees us again she’s going to be even more pissed that she got arrested--you know that , right?” Glint asked as he shook his head.

---------

“Stop struggling.” The blonde haired man said as he stood before Agni, who was now bound by a ring of light. Realizing that she had been transported to a foreign place in just a matter of seconds, Agni did just that. She glanced around, her anger temporarily subsiding as she did so. There was the unmistakable scent of salt water in the air, sand beneath her and a clear blue sky for as far as the eye could see.

“Have you calmed down enough to talk?” The voice came from behind Agni this time. She was unaware of the man ever having moved, yet as she shuffled to turn around Agni found herself free of restraint. The feeling of oppression was now gone, she was free to move -- free to run if she dared. Yet somehow, a sort of calm pressure alluded that fleeing would be folly.

She quietly studied him for a short while, searching his face for some sort of answers. Ultimately she would find none and decided to try discourse.

“Yes.” Agni replied. She kept things short and to the point, her gaze belaying the cautiousness which filled her.

“Good.I’m..tired.” The blonde man said as he took a seat, his legs crossed before him, directly opposite Agni.

“Where am I?” Agni asked as she glanced around. In the distance the waves lapped the sand gently, like a caress.

“I thought you were more astute than that. If not this might be a short conversation.” The Angellus said, his emotionless face faintly twisting into a smirk.

“Fair enough.” This was all Agni could say, despite the fact that ‘the beach’ didn’t quite cover it. She couldn’t help but feel...silly, so she resigned herself to choosing her questions more carefully.  Still, despite this it was as if the man could read her thoughts and he offered up more information.

“Good to see you have a sense of humor. This is the Southern Shore region. It’s several hundred miles away from Grenvale. I come here sometimes...to think. It’s quiet. Peaceful even, well discounting the Grimlock.” The blonde stared out into the distant ocean, as if searching for something on the horizon.

“I have questions. And unless you’d like me to leave you here to work out getting back to the city, you’ll answer me truthfully. And I warn you, I have ways to tell if you’re lying.” The Angellus man said as he directed his gaze back at Agni.

“I don’t really have a choice do I?” She replied. Now that she got a good look at the man she realized something strange, she couldn’t read his adventurer rating. She knew him to be an Angellus, that much was apparent from his appearance. Yet his rank was a complete mystery, the harder she peered, focusing to reveal the info --the more the letters and numbers distorted.

“You can’t comprehend what you can’t comprehend. Do you have a name?” The man said, a slight smile forming across his lips.

“Agni.”

“Good. Agni. I am known as Egolas.” The Angellus remarked, tapping his chest lightly with one hand.

“Tell me about today’s incident from your own perspective.” He then said, shifting his stance so that both hands rested on his folded knees.