Lux Locus: Fractured Family
Getting Through

Kormsin dodged a blow from a mace and jumped away when the afol anda pulled it up immediately after their weapon was lodged into the cement. The warrior of Blumarak was smiling through his helmet, and his body had multiple scars healed by the demon flowing through his veins.

"If I didn't have my 'angel' with me, you would have killed me several times," he said between pants.

"You will die and be removed from the progress of human kind," one pillar stated monotonously.

Kormsin scoffed at the comment. "You say that, but you're hurting as well," he pointed out.

The white armor of the pillars were sporting various holes as wide as the blade of the warrior. Despite these, the pillars were not wounded.

"It took me a long time to get through your mana barriers and then through your armor, but now I need to get through your skin?!" he laughed. "What did they do to you?"

"Purification," one said. She lifted her arm upwards. "Blood taken and returned with purifying elements."

Another came forward, punching his chest. "Bones with protective runes carved onto them," he said.

A third stepped forward and put a hand onto her bald head sporting multiple subdermal protrusions. "The skin with protective rites beneath." She pointed to the warrior. "All to kill you, your kind, and your oni."

Kormsin wiped the blade of metal chunks and straightened himself. "That explains why I have a much easier -if not still difficult- time fighting regular pillar scieldan."

He jumped forward, thrusting the hilt of his sword into the face of a sanctified one, pushing them back and taking the opportunity to lift their massive body into the air to use as a weapon. With his strength multiplied thanks to his god of marrow, and the blood demon serving his body, he easily threw the super soldier at a companion with enough force that they were thrown out of the wall behind them and into the long drop below leading to the storage facility.

"Ha!" he cheered. "It's not because you put nicknacks in your skin that I can't defeat y--"

He was interrupted by another afol anda grabbing him by the head and smashing him into the ground, then picking him back up and whacking the warrior into the ribs with their mace. At least, they would have been successful, if the warrior had not blocked with their sword. While he was still jettisoned because of the impact, the warrior did not have their bones shattered into dust.

Tzinma had better outcomes with his fight. The two puwandese of Blumarak were dead, and the followers were too occupied with their corrupted companions to pay attention to him, allowing the magus to sneak past his own companions almost undetected. His presence still brought about the advent of the fat demons with wings from the bright hole in the roof to attack both the regimentaries and the followers of the blood god.

On the other side of the mall were a few of the cultists checking the items they had looted from the stores as well as whatever they could use to continue their fight. Tzinma grabbed one by the shoulder, frightening him.

"M-magus Tzinma!" he stammered. "Wh-wh-what do you want with MY things!" he shouted with an unpleasant undertone.

"I don't care about these tacky trinkets. My aim is the nearest factory so that we may arm ourselves with armored vehicles and take over the planet to make it a Greed Anchor before the followers of the god of bones do the same."

"So...m-more loot?"

"Yes, you chittering rat." He slapped the man upside the head. "Stop doing that. It's creepy." He pointed to the many pillars leading outside to the city with his sword. "Go! We have things to take. Toys to play with!"

The large group of people present hurried along into the distance , eager to loot and pillage more.

Tzinma, on the other hand, shook his head in disappointment. "Fools. All of them. Not even aware of their surroundings. Too excited for immediate 'joy' then the work it takes to acquire true satisfaction."

Zenith and CQ did not appreciate the sight of the city in flames. That being said...

"I must admit that I'm impressed by how much control has been contained within the city. Any other placed would have seen itself in smoke and flames and with multiple sections divided between every cultist present while the regimentaries and law enforcers would have been forced outside of the walls."

"This is the main planet of the Magus Imperators. It is necessary that we maintain high levels of caution, as the forbidden gods are most likely to attack here to try and impress humans. If they can destroy us, what could we do against something with such power?"

The prosecutor turned to the afol anda and raised an eyebrow. "Was that an undertone of sarcasm I could hear?"

"No," CQ answered.

The man narrowed his eyes and nodded. "You continue to impress me with your understanding of emotions. By this point you should have lost the ability to use them."

"Being unable to feel is not the same as forgetting, sir," CQ rebutted.

"Fair enough."

"We're approaching the roof of the factory you design-WOAH!" the pilot yelled.

The passengers, save CQ, were thrown about when the vyrde spun out of control for a moment.

"What's the meaning of this?" Zenith bellowed.

"Look outside," CQ said.

The prosecutor did just that to see thirty floors of a large skyscraper come crashing down onto the ground below, kicking up dust and debris in all directions. The cloud was cast away when the source of the damage appeared: Two greater demons of Blumarak and Mumbass exchanging blows. It seemed a demon of marrow had punched a demon of greed through the building, and the exchange of mana and power of unworldly beings was too much for the skyscraper to handle. Several vyrdes rushed after them, peppering them with bullets and rockets while they crashed onto their handywork.

"I'm going back to the factory. It didn't take any damage from the collapse,' the pilot assured. "You'll be able to secure to enter from above and secure it however you intend to do so, sir."

"Good. Thank you, pilot," Zenith replied through the intercom.

The prosecutor faced the afol anda. "There's a large contingent of law enforcers nearby. My regimentaries are also waiting. When I manage to clear the way for them, they'll rush in to retake control of the facility and race the streets with the vehicles."

CQ pulled her mace out and slammed the head into her open palm. "Then I will be the one to clear your path forward." She looked at the man with uncaring eyes. "Then you have to tell me why you are called 'Night Spirit'," she added.

"That's true. I didn't tell you. Fine. I will share the tale with you if we survive this."

"Survival is irrelevant. The deaths of these cultists are more important."