(This is a joint post starring: TheLoneGentleman and Cinia Pacifica.)
Louise strolled across the city of Raltese - with her disciples - feeling disdain towards the grim and unclean area that she came to; she felt disgust for the first time in this town. Many cursed soldiers laid bare - with mad and twisted faces - in the alleys, streets, and any nook and cranny they could find. They’d be longer provide any threat to anyone due to their current condition. Just rocking back and forth, or screaming nonsense that no one would even bother to comprehend, but Louise sensed something else about them. Their minds were scrambled - she had a feeling that she could scavenge information out of the crazed lot.
With a corner of her lips raised - Louise grinned. “Alright, restrain every one of these felons, on the double. I wish to see them gathered before me,” Louise commanded, shoving her smile aside, she showed a more serious face befitting of a professional leader in the battlefield. With the battles of Raltese finally meeting their end - Louise had her own - extra - share of battle to fight; the battle which regarded the psyche.
Her followers - abiding by her order - immediately spread out. Priests and priestesses used magic to forcibly restrain the ugly figures temporarily; giving enough time to allow the assisting soldiers to tie the wicked crowd of warriors from across the streets. The soldiers gathered their strength to carry and drag the remaining cursed people before Louise - as instructed.
Her smile reappeared. “Good work,” Louise praised the work of her Scion underlings. Nodding - pleased with how they were rounded up rather quick - Louise approached them. “I have some questions to ask of you gentlemen, if you don’t mind,” in return for politely asking with the most possibly kind and gentle expression - Louise received glares that shot curses, fury, and foul words from the bounded bunch. Her ears caught something from †˜as if!’ to †˜no way!’. She gave a terse frown before remaking her saintly expression.
She didn’t expect it to be so easy. Regardless, she needed to try. “May I have you warriors tell me about your kind? Anything that you know? I may consider sparing your lives - if you speak, so to say,” Louise offered with a delicate smile.
“I ain’t telling you nothin’!” One of the mad men yelled out in anger. Some of the others yelled along; protesting. It was futile.
Louise circled the group, asking around. She spent around five minutes; interrogating. It did not yield any result till someone seemed to be saying something...
“They are always watching! Always. We have eyes everywhere! Especially in MAsaRiOOOooo!” Screamed the man. The person was clearly out of his mind. He was mentally unstable - Louise didn’t require herself to sense such a simple fact out. She could deduce it from his twisted face alone.
“Oh, I thank you. Albeit it being obvious - it’s always a well-received surplus to receive a confirmation.”
Louise then tried to converse with many other ghastly men. Becoming the victim of cold and deathly stares. Frowning, Louise was rather displeased. She was certain that she’d gain at least a few answers if she graced them with her beautiful and appeasing form. She took the liberty to consider for a moment. Composing herself, Louise shoved her feelings of irritation aside; replacing the cranky expression with a smile. “How about I… ” she begun, pointing her wand in a flash after drawing it out towards the nothingness beside her. The air sliced apart to reveal an entrance to a dimensional, shining oval-shaped entrance. Looking at it closely - the prisoners were able to take a glance towards the forest. It was typically the vision of the trees alongside a lake; just outside Raltese. Outside the fortified veils. Outside the city - without a doubt.
“H-High Priestess?! What are you doing!!” One of the priests yelled from behind her.
Paying no heed, Louise didn’t turn her gaze from the tied up warriors of darkness. “Let you escape - here and now - if you answer me faithfully? Any piece of information is fine. In return; you gain freedom. Not a bad deal, yes?” Louise offered, knowing full well what the possible consequences could lead to. However, she ignored those possible repercussions for now.
“T-Traitorous!” A scion soldier brashly claimed, stuttering. Louise could feel her reputation crumbling. She had to do this right.
“Take this as your final ride - straight back to life - otherwise, prepare to face your end - oh-cursed-ones. I promise. If I receive an information, I’ll not harm you - in any way," Louise confidently smiled as she claimed; making herself appear reassuring. “So, anyone?”
“Never trust a man who can change his face…” said a man who seemed to have taken up on Louise’s offer. Perhaps he was enchanted by her beauty, or desperately wished to take up on her offer. Looking at his face, she assumed that it was the latter in this case.
To this new information, Louise gave a smirk. “Excellent. You may pass via the door I prepared,” it was no lie, Louise had been using her magic to continually support the existence of the magical gate. She ushered with her hand, one of the soldiers reluctantly cut the tough ropes with a sharp knife; granting freedom to the man Louise seemed to be grateful towards.
Smiling, the man stood up. Much to the surprise of Louise’s subordinates - all of whom seemed to be losing their faith in the new High Priestess - the man started walking weakly towards the conjured portal. Hope welled up in his face, he was not corrupted with madness to the fullest. He held on to the will to live.
The man could attempt to attack Louise as he passed just by her - with all the eyes at him - but he didn’t; perhaps he was truly fixated in wanting to save his life.
The corner of her lips raised; revealing a sinister smile, as one of the soldiers took the initiative to behead the man just as he crossed by the rift - glistening blood rolled mid-air and spilled forth in the streets of Raltese - painting the lush green grasses on the other side - as the passage to the other side momentarily closed.
His head was left behind, with the rest of his body now on the other side.
“Rest assured, I didn’t harm him; as promised.” Louise held a truly darkened smile - victorious. It was a sinister grin. Receiving stares of surprise and glares of hate and disgust at the same time as a result. “I must say, I am impressed. Even at the very last moment; none of you budged to cling onto the final ray of hope to life that I provided,” Louise said, expressing her honest opinion as everyone stared with blank surprise. “Don’t get me wrong, I have to use strict measures if I want information. This is war, my dear friends. Sparing someone is not quite an option to me, either. Letting one of them go would mean that they may report back to the land of the cursed and inform what information we’ve gained now,” curling her lips into yet another confident smile, Louise attempted to justify herself - she was truly a cunning priestess; vastly different from how one would imagine her to be. “This went according to the plan I devised, regardless, we are now done with them.”
“Do it,” Louise signaled as she turned away; taking her leave of the grotesque sight. The priests and priestesses raised their staffs and wands towards the rest of the cursed beings; casting countless holy magics at the same time - banishing them from the world in a single moment; turning them to nothing but ash.