Still standing outside with the others, Shealtiel looks at them quizzically. "Is anyone inclined to follow that act? I thought not. Michael does raise a salient question, however. If the commander of this garrison has any sense, he may agree to bargain with us just to get us out of his city. Or... he could call Saint Acacias to deal with us once more. What sort of man do you think he is, Michael?"

He scrutinizes the young man, still suffering from the effects of the forced healing. "And also, if you take objection to me saving your life, do say so. Diplomacy didn't seem to be getting you very far back there. And as I told you yesterday, my methods of salvation can seem unpalatable to others." His eyes dart over to Jeanne then back to the Artificer.

Lev jumped backward, turning as he did. Iron sights that had been trained on him now swung wildly as their owners tried to escape the impending carnage. For the majority of them, it was too late.

The grenade detonated. The three soldiers within the five meter blast radius were reduced to mere chunks as heat seared them and shrapnel fileted them. Everyone else within fifteen screamed as they were peppered with flying metal. Trigger fingers squeezed down on reflex, firing off entire magazines in a mad reaction to the pain. Lev himself was not spared from the blast, sharp metal ripping chunks from his skin and cooking his unprotected flesh. Steel bits stuck out of his body, wedging themselves in to his flesh. They made messy wounds, digging odd holes and latching in to his muscle tissue. To anything else, the physical pain would have been impossible to overcome. But the physical pain was tied to the vessel only. But for now, he needed this vessel to work.

He ripped what he could from his body as soldiers died around him. The healing process would be easy for him, but it would sap him greatly. Feeling that his lust had been satisfied, Lev lay his head down on the blood and chunk stained floor. His own body was a complete mess, riddled with entry wounds and the nasty gash in both his cheeks. Easily passing for a corpse, he closed his eyes. He decided it would give his host time to rest before he came to. And amongst the carnage, he released his control over the body...for now.

Feenai stood behind Jeanne, trying to look like she wasn't cowering even though that's exactly what she wanted to do. Everyone, and everything, was getting so far beyond her normal scope that she was almost feeling completely detached from everything. Lev...has been eating people and has just blown up several people as well as most of himself... Shealtiel probably was the one who snuffed out that guys soul... Ruebella and Dante are basically criminals...

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. The problem is that it's not really their fault. Lev is possessed by...something. Shealtiel was just protecting himself and, well, probably not anyone else. There's probably several reasons the other two act the way they do. I don't think I should judge them since I've only known them two days. Feenai's mind darted back to her ideas with grenades but she did not feel confident enough to try anything yet.

Michael heard the explosion and the cries of men inside of the armory.
"Let's go. I told them to try to capture, so if we help them, we aren't associated with that monster's actions."
He ran inside and drew his gun at a broken man amidst a carnage unseen by most of the people around since the Eschaton. As more men came around the corner with guns drawn, he let his mental shields drop and let the psychics of the group know his identity.
"The man on the ground had caused this carnage. We'll need to bind him thoroughly if we want to have any sense of security."
Walking outside, back to the group, he called out. "I think it's over. Don't try anything else, and I'll assure you that no harm will come to you."
He eyed Altiel, who broke down the door, and Bella who helped kill the guards back in the alley when he said this.

"That would seem prudent, at the moment." Shealtiel nods to Michael. "Do you know if these men are... superstitious? I could offer my services in dealing with the demon -- I'd like a chance to study it. Something tells me it may not be the course of wisdom to pursue such investigation at this time, however."

Stepping inside with the others, doing his best to look harmless -- which is easy, when one is a gaunt old man with a cane -- Shealtiel notes the gruesome scene, thinking, My, what a spectacular slaughter.

Dante groaned slightly. Ow...my head. And...gunshots? Shit, in this state, I might as well walk up to the gunman or the red psychic unarmed.

He smelled the scent of blood seeping in from the front room. Someone must've gotten eaten again, he thought to himself, grimacing, a small movement that caused the nearest guard to glare at him.

Lev awoke slowly, objects swimming across his vision hazily. They drifted in and out, slowly coming in to focus. He was in pain. Blood was in his mouth. His face felt like it was on fire, and his chest was in pain...he tried to sit up, realizing that his muscles were expended and worn from...from...

Lev screamed. He screamed, and he did not stop. Feral shrieks filled the armory as he grabbed his head, wrenching back and forth violently. Visions flooded his head. Death. Carnage. Perverse gluttony. He wretched as those particular memories came crashing back. Everything that had usually been kept from him had been messily left this time, nothing erased in the demon's haste to retreat deeper inside. To realize what had happened to Lev, what he had done, nearly drove him deeper in to insanity. He began screaming at anyone he could see, shouting at the woman who had hired him in the first place.

"Get away! GET AWAY! Possesses my body! Carnage! I harbor! I harbor!"

He kept shaking, nails of his fingers sinking in to the sides of his head. Blood slowly oozed from his claw marks, mixing with the older blood he had exposed to the light of day. In his current condition he looked crazed, or perhaps even a fresh Dybbuk. His scars and wounds were plenty, and if not for the animation he could easily have been mistaken for a corpse. However, most corpses were not known for their screaming.

"I possess demon!"

As the soldiers raise their weapons at the crazed gunman, Shealtiel speaks to forestall them.

"I would not advise that. Further violence will likely arouse the demon again, especially if the host is threatened. I'd advise restraining him, though. And disarming him."

He walks past the group of soldiers as they approach Lev and goes into the main chamber of the Armory, looking for whoever is in charge. He does not look behind, but he expects the others to follow him.

Not to mention, he'd like to put some distance between himself and the demon, lest it reveal what he is to these men. They must already be suspicious from the way he just advised them.

Feenai followed Shealtiel in, while being in awe of Ruebella's twist on what happened. It was mostly true and despite everyone fighting to save themselves, they did save others at the same time. I even helped a tiny bit with that. Even though she had seen most of the weapons the solders were using before, via the Network, it was far different to see them in person, especially when they were pointed at herself and her friends. There must be something I can do to help us get out of this. ALL of us, even Lev... Feenai dipped her mind into the Network to see if she could find some information about this place that she could use effectively.

Lev thrashed as soldiers approached him, trying to scramble away and failing at it. He knew there was nothing these mere men could do. They didn't understand. Any moment he could revert back in to the monster, back in to the demon that had taken hold of him. The memories just from today were all there. And even though he couldn't remember everything else from the years before, he felt the holes. He felt the gaps in his memories, the once that had been swept away when he had not been himself. Just how many people had he slaughtered in that state? Just how many had he eaten?

Lev stopped thrashing his head just in time to see the butt of a gun flash in front of his face. It struck him across the forehead hard, knocking him out. He went slack, allowing the soldiers to rush in and completely bind him. They wasted no time in binding him as tightly as they could, restricting any possible movement. It was apparent that the rope they used was already cutting in to Lev's skin, but it was better to bruise the monster, rather than let it run loose.

Feenai stepped forward gingerly. "These people have saved my life more than once." Her voice was shaking but stayed loud and clear. "Even that man whom you have restrained has saved me, though his actions seem to dictate otherwise lately. I know it seems terrible, but at the very least we were attacked by some people here in town. That man overdid it but it was out of his control, and he was threatened even though he started by just protecting himself."

Feenai took a deep breath before continuing. "I can't speak for us all, but I wanted to get some supplies before leaving town. That was our plan before we were brutally assaulted inside the town. That man might have caused some carnage but I can't imagine how it may have turned out if we were not all here."

Shealtiel decides to let the others do the talking. There is little he can offer that won't arouse suspicion to himself, and the others will be able to make more persuasive arguments than he, anyway. Given that the proceedings seem to be carrying on in relative peace he begins to doubt the need for his presence here, as the Armory houses little of interest to him. He decides to keep an eye on Lev rather than focus on the Captain.

Dante blinked a few times. It looked like everything had settled down. Dammit, he thought. He should have made his move while the chaos ensued. He wriggled a little. Nah, no matter how flexible he was, handcuffs were made for keeping people in.

"Thank you, captain, and for your information Dante is with me for a reason. To fill in the gap of information for you, he's been working as a hired gun over the past years..." Michael paused to let the captain record the information. If the captain was looking closely, he would have noticed the relief that came over Michael as the time to think came. "He is currently under my employment, as far as I'm concerned. He could have done a better job informing you of the situation but as you can see, he's not the type to visually describe the scene." A chuckle came out from the nearby guards.
"Anyhow, it's time that I pay you back, Madam Red." Michael winked to Bella as he said this. "You heard the captain. Get what you need and get out, before I try to steal you from you husband." Michael kept his gun out until the very moment, and in emphasizing how he holstered it away, he got another chuckle from the guards.
"Now then, captain. I don't suppose that you have a shield here? And by shield I mean interdiction badge, of course."

Feenai tried to not let her breath out too quickly. Despite all that had happened it looked as though they were not only going to get supplies, but also everyone was going to get to leave. I suppose we will just have to leave together to make Ruebella's story plausible now.

Feenai walked up to the captain and started listing the items she thought they would need. "Six magazines worth of obliteration rounds, five dispersion grenades, a psychic flail, three cronostatic grenades, and two weapons-grade lasers." She frantically searched the Network for the type of gun Lev had, just in case he had lost his somewhere or it was just outright confiscated. "Oh, and a PPsh-41."

Feenai wasn't interested in staying here for very long just in case they started picking holes in Ruebella's story. Despite it seeming to be such a nice place when she arrived, Corinth wasn't feeling very comfortable to her any longer.

A grudging click came from behind me, and Dante stood, glared at Michael the best he could, and collected his weapons from the arms of wary soldiers.

He grinned widely, did a mock bow, towards the captain, and mentally asked Feenai, purposefully avoiding the artificer, "Can I get a few new weapons too?"

"Thank you, captain," said Michael as he began to look for the man the captain spoke of. He grinned slyly as he noticed Dante's gaze fall upon him. "Oops, Michael thought. "He heard me."

Shut up human! Listen to me...

Lev's head swam in blackness. He felt awake, possibly. He could feel his body, bind and prone. He attempted to move, to speak, but could not. But for the moment, he had his mind. All of it. Shouting in his head, he called out to the demon.

"Leave me! I am my own man!"

I said SHUT UP! You will be destroyed if they learn what monster you are! The useful one calls you her husband. I will release you, with what little of your mind you have left. You will adhere to this. You are husband, devoted to her. Remember Lev, I am your salvation. I found you on the cross, I tore you down. I entered you, I SAVED you! Your life goes on, but your life is mine! You are indebted to me!

Lev tried to think, finding the words were overpowering his very thoughts. He struggled to be free. He knew he should be a free man. But if he had stayed a free man, he would have been a dead one. But was this life, an enslaved one, worth it? But if he were to betray what he was, he would be shot. For the moment, there were those who relied on him. For the first time, he mattered to someone, even if only it was based on his usefulness. And as much as he hated what he had become, that much mattered to him.

"I...will accept. Release me."

Remember Lev. I am your GOD of second chance! Go!


Groaning, Lev awoke to rope restraining him. He felt the bindings cutting in to him, drawing blood. He called out to the one person that he could remember in his mind, the person he was required to follow. His voice carried pain, worry, and most of all, fear.

"Rue! Where are you? Help!"

Of course, Dante, just think what you want and I will tell them. They don't have to know they are for you. Feenai pushed the thought into Dante's mind. It made her sick to do, and despite it being for Dante's well being she felt like she was violating him somehow by doing so.

Feenai also gave a sideways glance to Lev as he woke up. A quick scan noted that he was back to his pained self, but the ravenous feeling was right there too. It worried her but it just reinforced her want to be out of the city.

Lev struggled as he was untied none too quickly, as the guards were still wary about letting him loose. He rubbed his wrists as he was set free, trying to massage his wounds. He turned to look at Rue, trying to look concerned and loving, which was an odd expression on his face.

"We need to leave. Place is not great for my...my condition...is everything okay?"

He bit his lip a bit, seeming very...different, than he usually did. He seemed timid, almost scared. More prey than predator. He kept rubbing his wrists, as if the pain was genuinely affecting him. He looked back up to Rue, searching for guidance.

Jeanne said nothing during their round of diplomacy; not only was the language unfamiliar to her, she agreed with the Captain. Fortunately the others succeeded, and eventually they were brought to a requisition station of sorts.

'I suppose I ought to take something,' Jeanne thought. Feeling her laser against her side and the side of a thin knife pressing into her calf - it was always strapped there - she wondered what else she would need to survive and couldn't think of anything. And then there was the issue that this felt like stealing...the theurge eyed the door they had come through. She wanted to look for the Wrath Swords and bring them back to the remaining Saint before someone stole them.

Watching the proceedings with disinterest, Shealtiel shrugs and turns to leave the Armory, meaning to get some fresh air -- though all air feels enlivening, with the way his lungs are functioning at the moment.

At the Captain's questioning look, he responds, "I have... everything I require," masking a smile.

Dante suppressed a dance of joy as he was brought what he'd been looking for. Brand...new...I'm actually...impressed, he thought as a Fuuma, two bichawas, flashbangs, and compound bow were shoved none too gently onto the table next to him, the soldier not wanting to make any contact with the alleged murderer. He picked out sheathes by himself and strapped them on for size.

Ah, forgot the arrows... He rifled through compartments under the glare of the captain until he found several quivers of black-flighted arrows for his bow.

He stood with a smirk. Mock bowing again to the now very disgruntled soldiers, he made his way outside. Once safely out of sight, he brought his hand out of his pockets -- pickpocketing, round one, success! Surely the captain wouldn't miss a few hundred.

Lev limped out of the armory, leaning on Rue a bit more than he probably should. After he was out of the armory, he pushed himself away. He stood for a moment, on his own. Holding that brief moment, he tumbled to the ground. Shuffling a bit, he produced his battered revolver from his pocket. He shoved the barrel against his chin, trying to pull himself in to a kneeling position as he did. He smiled sadly in to the sunlight, pulling the trigger. The soft click filled the silence, right before he threw the revolver. It clattered against the ground, skidding a few feet. He turned to look up at Rue, hate filling his eyes.

"I am my own man. I wish to die like one, if not live like one. Not like it matter. Have tried before. Have failed. But at least I try."

Feenai took her new equipment and wondered how in the world stuff so small could be so...heavy. Seeing that Ruebella had picked out some fancy sword, she changed her mind on the psychic flail entirely and gave it back when they had brought out the gear she had asked for. She found a piece of rope to use as a belt of sorts, and clamped all eight grenades to it. The submachine gun had a strap on it so she slung that over her shoulder, and clamped the extra magazines to that. She didn't even know where to put the weapon-grade lasers. I'm never going to be able to carry all this... She sighed inwardly and walked over to Jeanne.

"I'm really sorry for picking up on your thoughts like that," Feenai whispered to her, "but when we leave town you should try sensing for the swords that the Saint had, when he fought out there. Maybe we can find them and return them, so it won't feel so much like we're stealing? Also, why don't you take one of these lasers in exchange for the one you have? It could be useful...considering where all these people want to go."

"Touching, truly," Shealtiel says from where he is perched against the Armory wall. "Though, I must admit, Lev, I find the subject of just what would happen upon your corporeal demise eminently fascinating. Souls are such unpredictable things, when freed from their housing, and yours..." He trails off, his hooded gaze studying the man of Tsavo. His cane taps rhythmically on the wall behind him.

With great effort he stood up, ignoring the pain in his body. He looked between the old man and the privileged girl, gritting his teeth. After a moment he took a few steps to retrieve his gun, shoving back in to one of his many pockets.

"I don't know what takes to repulse demon. I am on cross, dying. I think I died. Before I die, I hear whisper. Then, I feel lightning. I awake, and I am off cross. And...and there are so many blanks! Gaps! What point of life if there is nothing to remember? My body is slave, but mind is molested, is...is..."

He stopped, trying to collect himself. He raised his eyes again, staring at Rue. Straightening his stance, he addressed her directly with the original composure he had possessed when he found her.

"I am Lev Gurevich, Lev of Tsavo. My life is forfeit, but it still can be put to use."

An arrow thudded into the wall a few inches away from Lev's neck. "Lev...I finally know you name," muttered Dante as he showed himself from behind a nearby building. "...Testing its accuracy," he replied to the looks thrown at him. "I haven't used a bow in quite a few years, but I can assure you, Lion of Tsavo, that I can end your life if that's what you want."

He raged briefly to himself on the implications of Rue and Lev being even a pretend couple, and tried to dismiss the thought.

"Ah...I'll be needing the arrow back. Ever so sorry about that." He yanked the arrow from the wall and replaced it in his quiver.

Moving to follow her with a still-surprising energy in his steps, Shealtiel says from behind her, "Speaking of theatrics, my dear, is this really necessary? Who, exactly, are you trying to impress? You're skilled, prodigious even, but if you set out alone... you can't actually believe you would survive long, can you? I know the Whore casts a spell over Babylon that swells the ego of everyone living there -- likely some kind of empathetic psychic bleeding, if we want to be academic about it -- but this is really quite absurd." He admits, inwardly, that an hour ago, he would not have spoken such words, but the energy filling him makes him bold.

Jeanne was startled by Fee's arrival, but not overly worried about her reading surface thoughts. She agreed with finding the Wrath swords, but didn't mention that part; if Fee knew her surface thoughts, she would know her interest. Instead, she nodded slowly, fingering the laser. It had been a gift from her family, but it was true that a weapons-grade laser would be more useful.

Jeanne made her way to the Captain. "Excuse me, but do you have a weapons-grade laser?" she asked. It seemed that he did, as an underling brought one to the theurge shortly thereafter. "Thank -" she began, but he was already gone.

The laser was heavier than her other, probably due to the battery. She found a spot for it on her belt next to her family's laser, which Jeanne took into her hand. Rolling it around, she had to admit that she wasn't ready to give it away.