For he is Legion (Closed for Legion and Du Lac)

[Du Lac]

February 2012

It hadn’t been the first time Celestine had traveled to Hong Kong and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. The metropolis was rich, colorful – it had the smell of opportunity and strangely enough: freedom. Despite its towering skyscrapers and buzzing inhabitants it offered you the chance to do anything you wanted…even if that meant enabling you to cross over into Hell. The Miasmic Complex, Hong Kong’s dark twin, gigantic black market where warehouses, smuggler’s dens and other places where the dark and dangerous lurked neighbored each other. As much as Celestine like the former she despised the latter. The complex, with its box like caverns that were difficult to navigate through, made her feel enclosed, trapped. Here she wasn’t the hunter. She was the hunted. Still, there were reasons to come here and one of them was the endless library that encompassed everything. She had been here not too long ago…it had been one of the last trips she had embarked upon together with Sebastian before his…his…No, no time to think about it. The blonde woman shook her head to banish the thoughts from her mind and braced another set of stairs that lead her into another empty cavern.

So far she had been lucky, only two lesser demons had crossed her paths and those had been taken care of swiftly – and silently. Traversing the empty room the exit spilled her onto a ledge from where she could choose her direction. Everywhere buildings and boxes loomed as shallow flames cast eerie shadows. Again Chloe shook her head. She had never liked this part of Hell in particular. The tight spaces, the shadows…normally they were allies, places to hide and retreat to, but here…They were vicious and…alive. The young woman turned on her heel to peer upwards, judged the distance before vaulting, grabbing onto the edge of the ceiling above her before pulling up in one swift motion. With the lack of light it was impossible to see who was – or wasn’t – watching her, yet her gut instinct remained calm. There was no imminent danger. Imminent. Her right hand twitched and the fingers closed as if gripping the hilt of her katana tightly but the French soldiered onwards. Getting to the library was simple, all you had to do was ascend.Simple, but not easy. the woman reminded herself in thought as she was forced to gather her strength to run alongside the wall for a stretch that was too far for any human athlete. But here she was no mere human. Jumping sideways into the gaping darkness the slender fingers found a cold chain made of iron to which she clung before pulling herself up.

I am close, I can feel it. Having reached the entry to another warehouse – so enormous in size that the woman could barely make out the other end – Celestine felt that perhaps beyond that door was what she had come to seek. Her heart fluttered and a tingling sensation set in the moment she stepped across the threshold. Not alone… Her left hand made a commanding motion and a black katana seemed to materialize out of thin air. Steadying breath and heart-rate the woman scanned the interior. Old machines and metal crates littered the area while above there seemed a second level that consisted of a spider’s web of metal walkways. With little effort the huntress jumped the height and balanced on the small railings. Her eyes could see nothing but it felt as if another being was here…was that the noise of rattling chains? Chloe fixated upon the other door and swiftly was on her way, ready to strike.

Tap, tap, tap her boots made the only audible sounds now yet the sensation grew stronger until an almost overwhelming urge to turn around gripped Celestine’s heart. A heartbeat. Another. Now. Chloe whirled around and drew her blade in one swift stroke, tearing through the very fabric of a dimension. The grotesquely formed creature that consisted to equal parts of teeth and poorly stitched wounds tried to scream in agony but before its putrid lungs could for gather the needed air the head left the torso, tumbled down the walkways and hit a crate, noisily ringing through the entire warehouse. Immediately Chloe’s senses went haywire. “Merde.” She burst into a sprint, jumping over gaps and twisting through equipment that blocked her way before finally reaching the door and brutally pushing it open with her shoulder. The moment Celestine turned to kick the door shut she could make out dozens of red eyes gleaming at her; one hand was foolish enough to reach out for her and was caught between the door and the frame. The blink of an eye later it hit the ground, severed from its limb. Sheathing the sword once again the blonde took a deep breath and turned around. “Ahh…” A sound of amazement. A sigh of relief. She had reached one of the libraries.

[Legion]

Of all their creations, of all their inventions and innovations there was one that Legion was proud of more then any other. Yes, they may have created Monsters that defined human nightmares, and they may have created beauties to make even the most jaded of souls weep. It was true that their weapons where among the most deadly ever seen, and it would not be a lie to say that they had created great music with the screams of the dying. But even with all that their was one thing, one great idea that over shown even their own darkest creations. It had changed the world, and continued to change the world and while their other creations had been used to kill, they were but sticks when compared to their greatest joy. What would that be you ask? What creation would bring tears to an Archdemons eyes? It was simple. Legions master piece was the simple written word. Nothing else in the history of humanity had created as much strife, love, hate, and war as writing. Yes, it was through them that all the great works of the world had been created,  it was through them that all holy book were able to be printed(An irony they found most delicious) and it was with their blessing that all holy wars had been waged.

It was through their most holy of gifts that man had conquered the world, it was with their blessing that they had flourished and kindled the flame of knowledge. And what made this sweet for the creature known simply as Legion was that mankind did not know. They didn't understand that with ever book printed, with every word spoke and with every library created they worked ITS will with in the human world. But for all their numbers and knowledge they had gathered they still had nothing. Humanity did not  know the truths of the universe, they could not understand the great cosmic dance. They did not know the colors of sound nor the tastes of words. They didn't comprehend the science of death nor the great mystery of life. But what more they were unable to, so limited were the minds of most mortals.

But for Legion there where no such mysteries, no for they were the ones that had guided the hands that had made the universe, they were the ones who had fallowed the blue prints for creations... And they were the ones that had witnessed the coming of death. Here, in the great libraries of Legion, one could find the recounting of that event. There one could find the lost scrolls of Alexandria. There you could see the first words put to a cave wall. Yes, they had collected it all and it was for this reason that fools sought them out in their great black halls. And when a new fool entered their domain they knew. They knew what they sought, they knew what they wanted, and they knew that they would not leave but for their grace.

Deep within the complex it self, in a room not unlike any other with in the shadows stirred, and soon that seemingly empty room was filled with a presence that any who knew that realm knew and feared. It took on no shape, for Legion had no shape. It cast no shadow, for darkness had no form.

That darkness flowed then, and through every room it moved more shadows seemed to coalesce, flowing into and becoming part of the moving wave of darkness that washed over the Enclave like a rising tide. They knew that the one that infringed on its most holy of places would sense their coming, just as they knew that they would not be able to escape it. In a sense they were already there, surrounding her on all sides, watching her every movement, drinking in her every sound. IF they wanted... They could have ended her life, as they had ended so many others. But that would not be her fate.

They drew closer, and they knew she could hear them. The voices that made up this dakrness, the faceless souls that they had devoured over the eons. Some sang, they knew, others screamed over what had been done to them. But one and all were now part of them. They had saints among them, they had devils. They had children and mothers and fathers. They had sisters, brothers, heroes and villains. Legion was none of those... Legion was all of those and more besides. And as they drew near the hapless mortal that had made her way into their domain, Legion did not mask them. And as the rolling darkness neared they let them grow louder. The voices of Legion screamed. And then out of that darkness stepped a solitary figure, nether male nor female clad in what seemed to be the shadows them selves. As for the face? There was none... And then again to many to count. Facial features flowed into one another,causing the face of the creature to ripple like a pound. The clouds of murk swirled about it, and those voices could still be heard though they where now muted, as if being muffled by something. The creatures eyeless gaze came up and with out moving.... It was suddenly there. In front of the girl. And with a voice marked by the absence of sound it spoke.

"Do you have a library card?" The answer of course... Was no.

((OOC Tell me what you think when you get a chance ^^)

[Du Lac]

The library was just as she had remembered it. Dark and packed with knowledge that started in the time of the andals, the first of men, and went on until, quite possibly, the future. “I have been here before...,” Chloe reminded herself and began to walk through the corridor: “The trick to this library was to know what you’re looking for…” She turned right on instinct and then left, her fingertips softly brushing over the thick covers of old and new books alike. Celestine paused. “And I know what I am looking for.” Her icy eyes wandered up, up, up. Seven meters high next to an ancient version of Grim’s fairy tales and yesterday’s Cosmopoliton stood the ancient thing she had longed for. Quickly and skillfully the blonde scaled the shelves until she was able pull the tome from the rest. It was comparatively small, leather-bound and adorned with a simple title and emblem. L'histoire de l'Du Lac was not larger than a modern pocket book, but when flipping through the pages one quickly discovered that there were many more inside than the appearance let on – and should be possible. Thrilled by her discovery Celestine dropped back to the ground, her coat sweeping softly alongside of the other books. I got it, I got it! Her mind was ablaze. After trip after trip, month of tracking and searching she finally held the complete records of her family between her finger tips! In there would be the secrets to any kind of demon ever encountered by her family, information on the rulers of hell and on hell itself, she was sure of it! “Now all I have to do is get back home.” Swiftly the woman stored her new possession in the pouch on her belt and turned right. Only to freeze solid. The hair at the back of her neck stood straight and her senses went haywire. “Oh no,” Celestine whispered, eyes wide in frantic panic. “No, no, no, no.”The sound of her boots echoed through the corridors as the woman sprinted past never ending rows of books in order to escape the unspeakable horror that seemed to grow behind her.

She could feel it – or them? Chloe shook her head and urged her legs to run faster. Unsure what kind of demon was prowling these parts of the library it had to be one of the higher castes – perhaps even elite – to make her senses act up this much. Sudden dread gripped her heart and Chloe’s feet missed a step, causing her to tumble and fall. What was this feeling? It was a weight beyond everything she had ever encountered. It was greater than the dark angel she had seen before, greater even than Sebastian. And then all light was blocked out by shades. Celestine did not dare to turn around yet when her body did she almost shrieked away. The living shades before her wove an intricate and enigmatic pattern, they were there and gone, they were one and many. They were…Legion. [color=blue]”Non, non, non! Je vous en prie!”[/blue] Chloe scrambled until her back was pressed against the wall. Desperately she looked around in disbelief as if that could make him, her, THEM disappear. The creature without face and yet with many faces came closer and closer, accompanied by the moans, groans and screams of all who had ever encountered it. The echoes of the past grew to a numbing crescendo until everything became so surreal that even a demon hunter such as Du Lac wanted to do little more than to embrace herself and cry. Then, with the disturbing visage directly in front of her she felt a voice. The absurdity of it was breathtaking.

Celestine fell to the side and struggled to her feet, never taking her eyes off of them. Is it, is it, is it, is it the thought was racing in her mind. “This is your library,” she finally realized – or acknowledged to herself? “You…you are..L-Legion.” The fight and guts that had impressed so many and saved her so often were failing completely. Faced with one of the princess of hell she felt so small, so powerless, so insignificant. Remembering the question the childish notion of an explanation rose within. “I-I simply came to b-borrow, yes, yes! A book about my f-family.” With trembling fingers Chloe procured the book and held it out like a token of appreciation an offering even. The complete history of a proud and famous clan of Demon Hunters offered to a prince of hell to buy the life of their powerless heir. What blasphemy. What irony.

OOC:
I like it, I simply hope I can bring across how terrifying a Prince of Hell is, even when you kill demons for a living. It's much harder than playing a DMC Dante badass I find.

[Legion]

Legion was as close to all knowing and all seeing as any being was likely to get with out becoming god. They had eyes all across the world, both worlds in fact. They had foreknowledge of the future, a perfect recollection of the past... Yet with all that power, with all that knowledge they could not keep pests from their library. They could not understand  how their defenses failed. Legion had placed around this most sacred of places more demons, more traps and more hazards then most other lands could gather. They where an elevated being that knew the ins and outs of mortal minds... Yet for what ever reason at this simple task they failed even with all their precautions. They had to wonder if it was a joke played on them by God... Or worse yet, the Light Bringer. IT would have been like him. But, having visitors had its perks of course. So Legion while annoyed by the prospect of chasing off would be borrowers, they were also somewhat entertained by the antics of those who came to "barrow" his books. Because, when your only company is your self... One tends to get bored.

So as they gazed at the woman that had dared to break into their bastion for nothing more then a book, a sort of admiration grew in them. Not many who had faced them had enough wits to try and speak their way out of the situation. It was a rare demon hunter that tried appeasement,  though they supposed this girl could have been to slow to be properly afraid. But the Host doubted that, for they knew this girls history. They knew her life, and they knew her maybe better then she knew her self. "Oh my dear Celestine, you should know better then to lie to us." Their voice was that of thousands of people, all seamlessly weaved together to form something that was at the same time angelic and hellish to hear. "We would have thought that Sebastian would have taught you better..." Their face swirled, and where there had been a blank canvas appeared the face of Chloe's one time mentor, and with his voice they spoke. "But it's to be expected we suppose... After all, you are a disappointment."

A long thin tentacle flowed from their back and coiled around the proffered book and gently, almost lovingly drew it away from the woman. With a shudder the Host began to split, and where one demon had been now stood two. Both of which looked exactly alike. The one with the book turned and walked away into the darkness , holding its prize like a mother holds her newborn. "Though we must ask ourselves... What will you do now?" The face of Sebastian smiled and their arms folded as they awaited her move. If she ran they would give chase, and after they had hounded her to the edge of insanity they would take her into them. If she fought, they would take her more swiftly but leave her consciousness intact as they took her body back across the rift and would force her to watch as they did horrible, unspeakable things to people with her body... And if she stayed? Well.... They would have tea and talk of the book she so desperately wanted and in the end they would leave her alive if broken of body as a reward for entertaining them. The choice of course was up to her.

(OOC: Sorry for the wait, I got caught up in some stuff xD))

[Du Lac]

“H-how do you -“ Celestine started but swallowed the words. Of course they would know. The master of words, lord of the grandest library to ever exist with records spanning eons into the past and possibly future…the question rather was why he hadn’t erased her from history yet. While the demon spoke it sounded like a wicked orchestra of souls and the ever changing visage that seemed blank and yet not seemed to slowly tear away at her sanity, bit by bit. Simply standing in the vicinity of a Prince of Hell was more than any soul was made to bear it seemed. The woman swallowed and had to remind herself to keep breathing, as if the sheer presence made her forget what living was like, preparing mind and soul for the inevitable: death. Legion’s multiple faces seemed to swirl faster before blanking out completely as they called a single name. “No,” Chloe whispered, almost whimpered: “No, no.” The features of a man she knew all too well formed. White hair, icy blue eyes. ”You are a disappointment.” She knew it wasn’t real, this wasn’t the man who had lectured, tutored and taught her everything she knew, this wasn’t the man that had given her a new life and died for her this was merely a remnant, less than a memory. But why did it feel so real. Why did it capture the look of disgust so perfectly the way she remembered it, like it haunted her in her dreams? “NO!,” Celestine whispered, tears welled up inside her eyes as she backed off further. Legion just stood there, wearing the face of a loved one but inside all this madness a small voice inside her head whispered This is Sebastian. This is exactly what he was like. He despised you. And you are to blame for his death. You. Are. A. Disappointment “NO,” Du Lac yelled out: “I am NOT a failure!”

The woman desperately clutched her family’s records to her chest as from shadows one birthed many. The new figure, so identically they might as well have been the same – and most likely were – took the book from her. Chloe wanted to resist, she urged her body to turn and run, but it wouldn’t move. Weakly her fingers gave way as the second body cradled the book like a baby and walked off, no doubt to return it to its rightful place. What to do, what to do!? Her thoughts were racing. If I run I’ll be cut, if I fight I’ll be cut, I DON’T WANT TO DIE. Again the woman swallowed as if that simple act could somehow stall long enough for her to wake up. “I-I need the book,” she tried again: “Please, you…you are Legion. You know what is inside it wont be missed for long.” The hilarity of the situation was missed on Chloe. A mortal trying to tell a god he had so many books one wouldn’t be missed.

Don’t plead. Don’t beg. You’ll bore him and die…BUT I WANT TO BEG. I WANT TO GO HOME. Hush! The icy blue eyes that had thrown her off earlier now were the only thing that kept her steady. The voice of reason inside her head sounded exactly like the spite her mentor had showered her in when she was younger. Desperately Chloe clung to that memory. “I-I just want to know where I am from. What’s my fate…I, I…” she was grasping for words. Faced with one of the lords of hell she was trying to entertain him long enough to just stay alive, even though she knew not what to expect to happen after blinking. “You are many, I am always one. I need to learn who I am.” Though why would he help her? “You have existed for eons and will continue to do so, but wouldn’t you too like some change in the world? A challenge? Let’s play a game, Legion?”

Ooc:I am a liiiitle out of my mind atm, but I at least wanted to post before I retire ^^ If its too confusing I fix it tmr.

[Legion]

It Always astounded them that so many beings both demonic and otherwise did not understand what they were, what they represented, and what they where capable of.  Legion was a creature composed entirely of knowledge, their very being was dedicated to its gathering and preservation and in a way they where the library they stood in. Or was it that the library was them? Legion no longer knew nor did they care in the slightest, in the end it all came back to be the same thing... Though they did find it humorous that out of everything in all the worlds they understood their own existence least of all. "No!" the girl yelled and the face of the man that was equal parts mentor and tormentor broke into an even wider grin. "I AM not a failure!" With an almost rueful shake of their head the creature that was Legion let out a a dry chuckle that was in fact a perfect mimic of mans who's face they currently wore. " But my dear... You are." The humor in their voice would have been impossible to mistake. "We can only guess what your ancestors would think to see what their noble line has become." They stepped forward, their soft soled black shoes echoing softly about them with each of those small steps, and with a single hand they reached out and let a finger trace down the line of her jaw.

"You look like him you know. The set of your jaw, the color of your eyes... Yes the his blood runs through your veins." The sneer they had worn vanished, only to be replaced with a soft smile most often associated with day dreams. "Yes, he was as great as any mortal could rightfully be... Greater even, it could be said, then he whom which he served." A sigh escaped Sebastian's lips and for but a second an almost rueful look passed over the demons features. "But that as they say is the past. And its best to let sleeping ghost rest... Isn't that so Celestine?" They let their hand drop back to their side and once again their unfathomably deep eyes met those of the woman who would have raided their home and robbed them of their treasure.  “I-I need the book, Please, you…you are Legion. You know what is inside it wont be missed for long.” It was good that she sought knowledge, it was good that she longed for what they could provide... But Legion was not one to share. At least not freely. "We all need something child, but for most of us fate does not smile down upon... Why should it be any different for you?" The face of Sebastian vanished and in its place was that of a kindly looking man, whos hair was grey with age and dark eyes filled with kindness. "What makes you so special that I would allow you to walk away with what we hold most dear?"

"The answer is simple... Absolutely nothing." They shook their head and glanced back to the shelves they had spent eons protecting. "Not even your progenitor dared walk into the center of OUR to steal from us. But we guess its true what they say... Youth is wasted on the youn for they know not what they do." Lancelot had offered them a something in return for the knowledge they sought... And He had lived up to his side of the bargain.  “I-I just want to know where I am from. What’s my fate…I, I…” With a roll of their eyes Legion sighed. "We will give you this advice... Worry not about the future, for your death is drawing ever closer and it makes little sense to dread what cant be stopped. The ticking of the clock will never be halted." It was true, and God, Their Father had made it so... Through them He had worked his evil deed and let death sweep into the cosmos. “You have existed for eons and will continue to do so, but wouldn’t you too like some change in the world? A challenge? Let’s play a game, Legion?” A game? The Lost Host's ears picked up at that... It had been all to long since they had played a game. "A game? With you?" The thought was laughable but... They where intrigued. "What do you have in mind child?" Their voice matched their kind face, and any who heard it would not have been able to guess that behind the voice hid the source or mortal nightmares,

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