| “ | But spawning Dragons in addition to Therions... you think they'll figure out a way to make humans, too?
— Magilou
|
” |
The Abbey is an organized offshoot of the Church of Midgand, created by Artorius Collbrande after the Advent to give the three-hundred-year-old Exorcist order more stability. Officially named Exorcist's Abbey of the Church of Midgand, the Abbey quickly rose to prominence thanks to its military achievements in slowing the spread of daemonblight. The Abbey preached order, reason, and utilitarianism, attempting to suppress the Malevolence that is the true cause of daemonblight.
The Abbey also worked in secret to awaken their god, Innominat, who would strip all living beings of their emotions. To this end, they bound the supernatural beings known as Malakhim, suppressing their will in a method known as "tethering." While they are successful in manifesting Innominat, their plans are foiled by Velvet Crowe and the rest of Magilou's Menagerie.
Velvet kills the entire Abbey leadership and seals away Innominat, removing the abilities of most Exorcists. The Abbey is then taken over by another member of Magilou's Menagerie, Eleanor Hume, who reforms the organization to truly be the peacekeepers they had masqueraded as.
Battle vs Class Zero (by Leolab)[]
Ch. 1[]
Class Zero: Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Eight, Nine, Jack, Queen, King. 12 remaining.
Abbey Forces:
- Orderlies: 360
- Praetors: 10
- Malakhim: 381
- Commanders: Shigure, Melchior, Oscar, Artorius
- Total Remaining: 754
Class Zero spills out of a small grate in the corner of the Abbey compound, gathering in a circle one by one. They put a set of four maps in the center, each showing the rough layout of the compound they were to infiltrate.
“Twelve of us and four maps,” Ace says, “So groups of three, like normal.”
“I think the usual splits are a good idea,” Queen says.
“Looks like there’s four rooms marked as ‘important,’” King says, pointing, “One in the center, one off to the side, and two in the back.”
“I am hesitant to lend credence to the veracity of the elucidation this ‘traitor’ of theirs provides,” Trey says, “Hence, I –”
“Let’s have two teams meet at these ones first,” Cater interjects, ignoring Trey’s crestfallen expression, “I call dibs on the center.”
“Ooh, Cinquey wants to go there too!” Cinque says.
“I guess that leaves us and Ace’s team for the side,” King says, “We’ll head there separately, to get as much Phantoma as we can.”
“Keep your COMM on,” Ace says. The rest of Class Zero nods, splitting into their groups and running out one of the four exit doors. Ace, Queeen, and Deuce emerge into a long hallway, and are almost immediately spotted by a pair of Orderlies.
“Hey! We’ve got intruders!” one of them yells, and the two send out their Malakhim. A fireball and a blade of wind streak towards the trio, only for Deuce to cast Wall, stopping them short. An Orderly sees the air shimmer in front of him, and barely has the time to scream as Queen stabs upward. The thin sword slips under his helmet, ripping into his throat. Queen tears it out the side as his companion turns to face her. She stabs forward, skewering them through the heart before ripping the blade down and out.
A cluster of playing cards fly above her head, tearing out the heart of the spear-wielding malak behind her. They swerve, beheading the other as the first falls. The four bodies over in the air, strings of dark blood connecting them to each other and to Deuce’s outstretched hand. She clenches her fist, and they explode into a red mist, and four colored lights flow into her. They sprint to the end of the corridor, where they see a group of ten Orderlies in a half-circle, pointing spears at them, alongside a Praetor and their respective Malaks.
They immediately cast Wall, though the three barriers shatter under a barrage of spells. Deuce starts to play her flute as a Malak charges her, only to get knocked back by a large ball of light. Queen uses Speedrush again to close distance, not doing much against the shields of her foes but throwing them into disarray. She blinks over to the Praetor, and the two women slash at each other for a few seconds before Queen dashes off again, disrupting another attempted charge. She kicks off one of the shields and creates a burst of wind as she jumps back.
“Do not falter!” the Praetor yells, putting some fight back into her subordinates, “Malakhim! Attack the sword girl!”
At her command, three hammer-wielding Malaks follow Queen to the air, only to be blasted out of the sky by a trio of lasers. As Queen Speedrushes out of the air to the Praetor, Ace fires off another pair of Jackpot Triads, sending more three-pronged lasers to deny the Exorcists free movement. A cluster of cards knock an incoming Malak’s spear out of the way, but fail to intercept a blow from another’s blunted rapier. Ace jumps back, and meets Deuce’s eyes.
“Queen!” he yells, and his classmate ducks under a swipe from the Praetor, creating a large cross of light under her. As the Exorcists are startled by the cross, Ace fires a Jackpot Shot. The massive laser rushes over Queen’s head, obliterating the Praetor’s torso. The cross of light starts to spin, and those it catches stagger in pain as Deuce starts to play her flute once again. The Requiem of Ruin washes through the room, causing the Orderlies and Malakhim to collapse. Another sweep from Divine Judgement kills them, leaving barely a mark.
At least until Ace collects their phantoma, causing the corpses to explode in a gory mess.
Ch. 2[]
Class Zero: Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Eight, Nine, Jack, Queen, King. 12 remaining.
Abbey Forces:
- Orderlies: 281
- Praetors: 9
- Malakhim: 298
- Commanders: Shigure, Melchior, Oscar, Artorius
- Total Remaining: 592
Elsewhere in the compound, Seven wraps her whipsword around a Malak’s neck, lashing it up into the air and flinging it at Eight. He grabs the Malak out of the air and slamming it into the ground. He slams his foot through its chest and leaps out of the way as another Malak slams a hammer down, pulverizing its comrade before an ice bullet from Cater freezes it solid. Eight shatters it as an Orderly’s spell vanishes, and Seven extends her blade out to impale her foe in the throat.
“This is Seven,” she says into her COMM while Eight ducks inside an Orderly’s swing to punch his foe in the throat, “Kill the ones in colored fabric first. The grey ones with helmets can’t cast spells if their friends die.”
Message done, she flicks her whip, ripping out the throat of another Orderly who had just finished casting a fireball. Cater shouts in pain as it hits her and sends her flying. Eight rips off the arm of the Malak he’s fighting and sprints towards Cater, quick-casting Cure as he runs. He leaps, catches her, and spins in midair as she fires her pistol, ripping open the chests of the Malak and Orderly chasing them.
Eight sweeps his leg out as he lands, tripping an Orderly and allowing Cater to shoot the Exorcist in the back of the head. He gives her a look of concern, and Cater lightly taps his head with hers and gestures to the still-fighting Seven. He sets her down gently and dashes of to aid their classmate, a cluster of shots clearing his way.
A few rooms away, Cinque ragdolls an Orderly with her mace, pulping his Malak on the follow-through. An arrow flies past her and through the eye of an Orderly, who collapses. Trey charges his bow, firing an arrow into the sky. It splits in midair, and a hail of arrows rains on the field. Jack parries and ripostes another Malak, striking again to take advantage of Killsight. As the room falls silent, Trey extends his hand before clenching his fist, causing the corpses to explode.
As the Phantoma flies into his body, the opposite door opens, and a flood of Exorcists and Malakhim pour in. Trey takes aim with his bow and nods at Jack, while Cinque just starts to spin with her mace, herding her foes into one massive group. Trey fires, using Grand Delta and creating a massive sigil under the massed enemies. On cue, Jack uses Deliverance several times in succession, dashing through the crowd in seconds, felling them all with a quick strike each.
Oscar paces in his makeshift command room, alone after sending several Orderlies to coordinate the defense. The large map in front of him had several lines drawn on it, marking the rooms lost to the invading force. He turns as he hears rapid, armor-clad footsteps approaching the room.
“Lord Oscar!” and Orderly yells, running into the room, “The intruders are –”
The Orderly cuts off, scrabbling at his throat and the short segments of a sword drawing blood from it. He convulses as the sword electrifies itself before falling to the ground, still discharging small shocks into the air before he explodes into a mist of blood.
Oscar’s jaw drops at the sight, and he barely manages to regain his composure as a trio of teenagers walk through the door, paying the mess no mind. When they see him, however, the boy steps in front of the girl with a gun, while the girl with the sword takes a combat stance.
“So you are the ones causing so much trouble,” Oscar says, “In the name of the Abbey and Lord Artoriu–”
“Oh shut up,” Cater says, firing at him, “Just send out your weird mask guy like the rest so we can kick both your asses.” Oscar draws his sword, blocking the shot with the flat of the blade. Cater frowns, as do Seven and Eight.
“I alone am enough,” he says, and uses his tethered Wind Malak to augment his speed. In a flash, he appears before Eight, who punches him in the shoulder. The younger boy takes a graze on the arm in exchange for having enough room to roll away from the next strike as Cater slides backwards. Oscar slices to the side, knocking away Seven’s whip as he ducks under a shot from Cater.
He surrounds his blade with wind and swings, causing Eight to wince as blades of wind cut into his body. He drops into a seated position with Quickbolt Stance, ducking under a swing, and closes his eyes as he heals his wounds. Seven flanks Oscar, trapping his sword with her whip-sword, and flicks upward to rip the weapon out of his hands. He spins and gestures, forming a thin green blade in midair that fires a blast of wind at Seven, who is forced to retract her whip back into a sword. Oscar catches his blade and leaps back, dodging a shot from Cater, and lunges forward, his sword wreathed in a flaming vortex.
Seven blocks it, and the two enter a contest of strength until Eight punches Oscar in the face. The Praetor rolls as he hits the ground, dodging a follow-up punch that shatters the floor. He turns as the other door to the room slams open and leaps out of the way of a jumping strike from Cinque, grimacing as three more enemies enter the room.
“Very well,” he says, “I will give no quarter!”
“Hm? Will he give us a nickel, then?” Cinque asks as Oscar begins to glow, his sword vanishing as parts of his uniform turn green. He levitates into the air as six blade-like crystals manifest behind his back.
“Behold, the Armatus!” he yells, charging back in and kicking Trey in the face. Oscar’s wings move to block a shot from Cater, while a blast of wind knocks the charging Jack and Eight back. He then grabs Seven’s whip-sword as she extends it, pulling it to swing her in a short arc into Cinque. As the two girls go flying, he dodges and weaves through another barrage from Cater, turning to face her.
He charges in, aiming a kick which gets blocked by Eight. Jack, recovering, sinks his katana deep into Oscar’s shin. The Praetor creates a blast of wind under his foe, sending Jack flying before slamming him down with more magic. As Jack struggles to heal, Oscar raises his fist, only for it to be trapped by Seven’s whip. Cinque, also recovered, charges in with a yell and slams her mace into his knee, shattering it. Oscar lets loose a blast of wind, scattering the melee fighters and redirecting an arrow from Trey. The gale does not block a shot from Cater, however, which mangles one of his arms.
Oscar strengthens his wind magic, flying higher and gestures with his last functional limb. The storm around him intensifies, splattering his blood around the room as a swarm of green daggers materializes from the air. He points at Cater, sending them at the gunner. Eight shoves her out of the way, taking the brunt of the attack. The rain of daggers pierce through his body like massive bullets, gouging massive wounds as they slam past flesh and into stone.
“EIGHT!” Cater yells, charging cure as she runs to the boy’s side. Her classmates grimace, knowing she was too late.
“Had you followed reason and surrendered, this would not have happened,” Oscar says, “Give up, and his will be the only casualty.”
“Still thy tongue, cur,” Trey yells, firing an arrow that simply gets blown away by the gale.
“Trey’s right for once,” Cater says, “You really need to stop.”
She fires her gun into the air, sending out a spray of grey bullets. Oscar moves his crystalline blades to block the barrage, only to freeze as Stilling Shot stops him from moving. The surviving Classmates Zero step back, allowing her to approach Oscar and fire an Explosive Shot at point-blank range, bisecting the Praetor at the waist. She shoves her hand forward as the two pieces fall, and they hover in midair before she clenches her fist and they explode.
“This is Seven,” Seven radios on her COMM, “The center point is clear, but we lost Eight. The rest of the Abbey should be less organized.”
“Queen here. Trey’s team, make your way towards one of the points in the back. Seven, let Cater rest a bit.”
“I’m fine,” Cater says, “I’ll just make sure they pay.”
Ch. 3[]
Class Zero: Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Nine, Jack, Queen, King. 11 remaining.
Abbey Forces:
- Orderlies: 124
- Praetors: 3
- Malakhim: 136
- Commanders: Shigure, Melchior, Artorius
- Total Remaining: 266
Sice slides backwards, dodging an oddly-shaped spear. She quick-casts Wall, blocking a shot of flame from a malak, and lashes out with her scythe. The blade hooks around the Orderly’s shield and lops off the Exorcist’s hand as King shoots the malak in the face, the bullet easily penetrating its mask. As it falls, Nine leaps into the air, crashing down onto the Praetor leading the group. As its remaining Malak clutches its head, body emitting purple wisps, King fires into its chest. Flinching as each bullet hits, it falls quickly.
King reloads as Sice collects the phantoma of the fallen before moving on, paying little heed to the blood-soaked floor as they head to the next room, spotting Ace, Deuce, and Queen entering at the same time. All six stop short as they spot a large shirtless man drinking out of a cup of sake in an otherwise empty room.
“Yo,” Shigure says, rising after finishing his drink, “Finally made it here, huh?”
“If you knew we were coming here…” King mutters.
“Exactly. I gave you those maps.”
“Why?”
“Because you lot think you can take on Artorius,” Shigure says with a grin, “So I figure you can give me a nice challenge. Morgrim! Release my bindings.”
The cat behind him sighs and complies, causing the Classmates Zero to grimace and step back, feeling the surge in power. King and Ace attack, sending a barrage of bullets and cards Shigure’s way, but a swing from Stormhowl scatters the projectiles. Shigure vanishes, appearing behind King and swinging down. Metal clangs on metal as Nine leaps in, blocking with his spear. Shigure puts pressure on his blade, and Nine’s shins start to splinter.
Shigure notices a buzz in the air and lets up, taking a half step back to avoid being skewered in the throat by Queen. He turns to her, readying an overhead swing when his blade is suddenly locked in place by Sice’s scythe. He leans to the side, dodging Queen’s second strike, kicking her away as Deuce starts to play her flute to heal her allies. He pivots, facing Sice and thrusting his sword forward before she can react. It pierces her heart, and a quick follow-up slice cuts off her head before Deuce’s music worked its magic.
Deuce changes her song as Nine stabs forward, only for his spear to be beaten aside. Shigure spots a mote of light heading towards him as King fires a barrage to force him to block, and a swing from his sword slices Ace’s cards in half. The mote of light hits him, causing him to stagger and take a cut across the nose from Queen. He turns to face the source of the light, only to grimace as a bullet passes through his shin.
Shigure, glares at King and charges, slowed by the wound. A swing to right slams into Queen’s attempted strike, knocking her back, and a swing to the left does the same to Nine. He spins and ducks, a shot from King whizzing over his head, and swings, bisecting the gunner as he rises. He spots Nine leaping out of the corner of his eye and steps back.
He moves a fraction of a second too slow, and the youth’s spear pierces through Shigure’s knee, pinning him to the floor. The swordsman ignore the pain and strikes, chopping Nine in half. He looks to the side, seeing more motes of light closing in from Deuce’s flute, and slams Stormhowl into the ground. He yells as he leans on it, using its leverage to inch the spear out of the stone.
The lights hit him, however, causing him to seize in pain. Ace uses the opportunity to loose a cluster of cards, which tear through the Exorcist’s neck.
Queen struggles to her feet, exhausted, as Deuce changes her song again, this one healing and refreshing her and her allies. She sighs, looking at her dead comrades, and then sharing a glance with the living ones.
Then, a cry of alarm sounds through the COMM, causing them to sprint out of the room and towards their other classmates.
Ch. 4[]
Class Zero: Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Seven, Jack, Queen. 8 remaining.
Abbey Forces:
- Orderlies: 52
- Praetors: 1
- Malakhim: 50
- Commanders: Melchior, Artorius
- Total Remaining: 105
Cater ducks under an icicle, firing at the Orderly who failed to kill her. Seven’s whip-sword flicks over her head, tearing the throat out of the Malak powering his spells, and Cater fires again, hitting the Praetor commanding the battle. The remaining Orderlies scatter, demoralized, as the Praetor’s lone remaining Malak looks around, clearly confused. A few seconds later, an old man in white robes materializes out of the air, glaring at the three.
“It is always the same,” Melchior muses, “Fools who oppose reason, and fight their proper place.”
A purple orb manifests in his hands, which he fires at the Malak. It screams in pain, its form twisting and growing wings. The dragon roars, drawing the attention of the two Classmates Zero. Seven immediately steps in front, lashing it with her whip-sword while Cater fires a flurry of shots from her pistol. They roll aside to dodge a burst of fire which singes Seven’s leg.
She grimaces in pain, not stopping her assault. She uses Thunderlash, scoring a solid hit on the beast. While it cuts into its hide, the wound is shallow. The electricity causes the dragon to seize, however, letting Cater slide under it while letting her pistol charge. She fires a full-power shot at the dragon’s claw. It raises its foot in pain and roars, giving Seven an opening to extend her whip-sword in a straight stab. It pierces through the beast’s tongue, and another jolt of electricity causes it to convulse.
Cater slides out from under it, leaving a small mine of pink magic in her wake. Seven pulls her whip, crashing the dragon’s jaw into the ground as it fails to dislodge. The mine under it explodes, leaving it to look helplessly as Cater levels her pistol at its eye and fires an explosive shot. The beast groans, putting all its energy into its wings. Cater is blown back by the wind as it takes off, Seven still pulled by her weapon. She dismisses it into a burst of light, but the dragon breathes fire at her as she falls.
Unable to dodge in midair, the heat kills her instantly. The beast roars in victory before pivoting in midair to the remaining girl. It swoops down, jaws open, as she carefully aims her pistol and waits. She fires at the last second before dodging to the right. She tumbles, the dragon’s wings clipping her, as the shell explodes inside the dragon’s mouth, finally killing it.
Cater staggers to her feet, avoiding looking at Seven while casting Cure. She heals her wounds before collecting the phantoma of the dead, running towards the back of the compound.
At her destination stands Melchior, stroking his beard in front of the door to the innermost sanctum as six schoolchildren run out of the two other entrances to the room. Four of them point weapons at him, while the fifth draws a playing card and the sixth puts a flute to her lips.
“I cannot allow you to go any further,” he says, the Exorcist moving towards his foes at a deliberate pace. Curiously, the six in front of him seemed unimpressed. Perhaps they were high on their prior victories, assuming they followed reasonable thoughts at all. He lets a brief smile pass across his lips before his illusion fades and his Arte is cast.
The six Classmates Zero feel the chill behind them and roll, mostly dodging the burst of icicles that shears through the room. Jack is too slow to dodge, however, and gets caught in the face. His body falls before Deuce can play her flute and heal the other five. Melchior turns to her, gathering energy in the crystal ball floating in front of him.
The ball, however, is pierced by an arrow. Melchior grits his teeth, holding his palm up towards Trey and Cinque while charging a Seraphic Arte. Deuce changes her tune, the soothing and light melody quickly turning into dissonant wails as the flute itself protests being played in such a manner. Melchior staggers, his vision turning to static as his second illusion dissipates.
The icicle, poised to stab Deuce in the back, falls from his hands as he gasps for air. A barrage of arrows falls around him, freezing him in place by inflicting Stop. Queen simply turns and slashes with her sword, decapitating him as Cater jogs through the open doorway.
“Oh, you killed him already,” she says, sounding disappointed.
“We would have waited, but…” Ace says, gesturing to Jack’s body.
“Ah. Seven didn’t make it, either.”
“So it’s just six of us left,” Queen murmurs.
“Yeah. Let’s go avenge them,” Ace says, and the six remaining Classmates Zero walk through the large, ornate doors at the back of the room.
Ch. 5[]
Class Zero: Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Queen. 6 remaining.
Abbey Forces:
- Orderlies: 0
- Praetors: 0
- Malakhim: 0
- Commanders: Artorius
- Total Remaining: 1
The remaining members of Class Zero run into the deepest part of the temple, finding their final target: Artorius Collbrande himself. The man turns, looking impassively at the intruders before dramatically planting the sheathe of his sword into the stone ground.
“So. Not even Melchior and Shigure could stop you.”
“Nor will you,” Ace says, glowering.
“Why do you think birds fly?” Artorius asks.
“Well,” Trey says, “Clearly it’s to hunt. Were they not capable of flight, most avian life would be unable to find food, escape from predators, or even continue their biological line. They…”
“That’s not the kind of answer he wants,” Queen says, “but you’re correct. Birds fly because it gives them an advantage.”
“An advantage… that’s at least different,” Artorius says, “but incorrect. Birds fly because they must; because they are born birds, they have no choice but to spread their wings and take to the skies.”
“But what about flightless birds?” Cinque asks.
“Flightless… birds?”
“Yeah, like… you know… penguins.”
“Penguins aren’t birds.”
“Ah, but here you are incorrect,” Trey says, “The musculoskeletal structures of Spheniscidae reveal a morphological similarity to flighted avians, and their classification under Aves indicate a common ancestor. They…”
“Penguins. Are. Not. Birds.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Cinque says, summoning her mace to her hand, “there’s no negotiating with a meanie penguin-denier.”
Artorius draws his sword as she runs in, ducking under the telegraphed swing and launching himself forward, skewering Trey in the throat as he summons his bow to his hand. He rips it out the side in time to turn and parry a strike from Queen. The two exchange a flurry in the blink of an eye as Deuce starts playing Concerto. As he parries and strikes, he weaves his head to dodge a fully of cards before disengaging to avoid a magic shot.
As he steps back, Cinque slams her mace down, hitting his sword. He lets go as it slams into the floor and sidesteps Queen’s thrust, catching her sword arm with his usable hand. He shifts into a throw, hurling her over his head and transitioning into a kick as she hits the ground, catching Cinque in the face. As she falls, he ducks under a flurry of cards from Ace to grab his newly-freed sword, beheading Cinque in a single stroke as he rises.
Artorius bats a stream of cards out of the way and slides backward to avoid being shot, slicing Queen’s neck as he moves. He slashes forward, unleashing a wave of ice at Ace and Deuce as he turns towards Cater. He dashes towards her as the other two dodge, only to be halted be a searing pain behind his knees. He twists as he falls, seeing a resurrected Queen, holding her sword in a reverse grip and not a spark of sanity in her eyes.
She drives her knee into his stomach as he lies on his back and slashes at him with her sword, only to be parried, Undaunted, she simply roars and strikes again and again as Artorius desperately fends off the rain of steel. He ignites his sword, weakening hers as he barely keeps himself alive. The girl’s sword snaps, allowing him to attempt to spear her through the chest. His arm is immediately blasted off by a shot from Cater, the sword clattering to the side as Queen turns red, inflicted with Killsight.
She roars as she slams the broken shards of her sword into Artorius’ face, repeating the motion until he lies still. She rises, breathing raggedly as she adjusts her glasses and fixes her skirt. Sanity returns to her eyes as she glances at her sword and the dead opponent in front of her.
“Did I…”
“Yes, but it saved me,” Cater says, making Artorius explode as she collects his Phantoma.
“Class Zero,” Ace radios in, “Mission complete.”
Casualty Report[]
Class Zero: 9 dead
The Abbey:
- 360 Orderlies
- 10 Praetors
- 381 Malakhim
- 4 Commanders
- Total Abbey Losses: 754
Expert’s Opinion[]
Class Zero has faced overwhelming numerical odds before while infiltrating heavily-guarded bases. The Abbey has notably struggled against small groups of insurgents, and not even the unusual presence of Exorcists in force made enough of a difference. Their biggest threats, their four commanders, also tended to work separately rather than together, hurting the possibility of a cohesive and resilient front.