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Jun 26, 2023 16:07:22 GMT -5

Post by Daru on Jun 26, 2023 16:07:22 GMT -5

Tension has already risen just a minute after Daru and Sayah arrived, the former pressing very unusual accusations at General Gong. Daru and Gong shared an intense stare down while Sayaha awkwardly stood in the background. Seeing Gong getting flustered and having his guard up was an unusual sight. Just the fact that he lost his cool was also foreign to witness. Usually he was calm, collected, and doesn't let anything even remotely try and bring him down. It was unsurprising that the one person he was very close to would barge into his workplace and force him to convince he was responsible for a conspiracy that may not even be true. But what if it was true? No, Sayah didn't want to believe it. It can't be.

Daru and Gong refused to step down, and it looked like things might get heated in just a blink of an eye. Not unless Sayah stepped in. She didn't think Gong had anything to do with the death of the demon's parents, but Daru was sure of it. She wasn't sure to side with Gong or Daru, and she had heavy doubts that being neutral wouldn't get this atmosphere far in improving. However, Sayah cleared her throat and spoke up, choosing her words carefully. "Uh, surely that can't be the complete case, General Gong. We've had cases where slaves made their escapes, and as far as I know, being with her as much as I was, she's never been called in for anything like that. Only when her parents escaped did you call her. I'll admit, and even I didn't want to admit at first, but, it's a little suspicious." She said.

Sayah took Daru's side. Even Daru herself wouldn't think she'd participate at all in the conversation, but she was grateful for the back up. Gong's attention transferred onto Sayah, who, on the other hand, shook his head in disappointment when the girl jumped in. "It is quite odd... usually you're the more... energetic one, whereas Daru always had her composure in check. Now all of a sudden, things have changed, the roles have reversed! Is this some sort of prank you two are playing?" He exclaimed dramatically.

"Don't you dare try to pivot, you know very well Sayah's right." Daru snarled. The more Gong denied, the angrier the demon became. Her patience was already wearing thin, a very rare instance. She felt manipulated somehow, Gong clearly has knowledge about her origin as she hailed from enslaved demons, yet he thought she was clueless enough for him to claim innocence. She expected him to continue with his deflection, but that wasn't the case much longer.

Instead of more denial, Gong took a deep breath and shook his head. "Let's say I did somehow manipulate you into murdering your parents. Isn't what you did a good thing?" Sayah's eyes widen in shock as she heard Gong. He was kidding, right? What he just said must've been some sort of cruel, sick joke with terrible timing, right? Did he just say that Daru killing her parents was somehow a positive for her? That sounded completely out of character for him to claim such a thing!

"I'm sorry, good thing?" Sayah echoed those two words in confusion.

"Why sure." Gong answered. He pushed himself out of his chair and paced around Daru. "To be frank, you were weak when I first took you in. I saved you from sharing the terrible fate your parents had. Why? Because you had potential. You let little words and mockery bring you down, and that is no way for a PTO soldier to serve and live. So you fought, fought, and fought for the respect that you deserve and commanded... it worked for a little bit, but it wasn't enough." His words were soft, almost as if he was a father comforting his daughter to make her see things clear. "So two slaves, who happened to be your parents, people you had no real connection to outside of blood and clan... 'escaped', somehow. And who else to do that job than the daughter of those slaves? Now how she handled it... how she handled it would decide how the faction as a whole, to see if there would be fear in their eyes whenever just her own name would be brought up in conversation, or even within their heads." He said.

Daru stared straight ahead, not even sparing Gong a passing glance as her face went from anger to neutral, almost treading onto understanding; understanding of what was going on. "...They didn't escape... you released them and made it seem like they did." She faintly spoke the words into realization.

"What?" Even Sayah herself began to catch onto what was going on, and she couldn't believe it. Gong, someone that these two looked up to, was just like everyone else in the organization; always willing to back stab those that they care about; or seem to care about initially. And he knew. He knew Daru had an itch to try and get that respect through drastic measures, going as far as to murder her own parents. "C'mon Gong... say it ain't so. Tell me you're just fucking with us." She said, a step taken forward.

Gong held his hands behind his back and shook his head, though he ignored Sayah and held his attention on Daru, proceeding, "Like I said, I had no intention of driving you to do what you had to do to your parents. All I am saying was if the choice was up to you, you had two options, take them back in or murder them if they were to try and use lethal force against you. Clearly, you had another agenda in mind to carry out. And guess what? You did! And look where it got you? Look what it made you. You've became a strong, both in power and willpower, young woman who can do nothing but get stronger by the minute? Is that not what you wanted? Were the respect and recognition you've gotten not well deserved?" He said.

That was the one question Daru started to struggle with. Was it really well deserved? Was it at all... worth it?

WC: 1,039
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A continuation of Funeral (SOLO)

44

POSTS

Daru

POWER LEVEL

65,889

Tech Points

4/18

Forms

Demonic Rage [x5]

Zeni

5,344

Demon

Jun 27, 2023 9:55:08 GMT -5

Post by Daru on Jun 27, 2023 9:55:08 GMT -5

Silence. There was nothing but silence that tensed the air. Daru's state was practically unreadable with how calm she became and Sayah was in pure shock. The girl never thought in a million years that someone that the two considered to be a father figure, out of nowhere, would pull something like this; to inevitably drive Daru over the edge. She knew the PTO had a lot of scumbags that were praised for their backstabbing methods and had no qualms in using them on their closest allies, yet here they were, General Gong dropping a revelation on her and Daru. He always seemed so different with how caring he was while still maintaining a frame as a strong individual.

Daru's rage wasn't as blinding as Sayah thought it was. Sayah's eyes hovered to Daru, who only remained still in her spot. She became increasingly worried for her mental. "What... b-but..." Sayah didn't know what to say. She didn't even know how to react properly. Anger on behalf of her close acquaintance? Betrayal that Gong would pull off something so despicable and tasteless? Distrust knowing that Gong could also come after Sayah for his own twisted glory and disguise it as help? Before she'd know it, these two would erupt into a brutal brawl, and Sayah would be more than likely to not get caught in the crossfire.

But Sayah wasn't going to abandon Daru. After what was revealed, she couldn't do it. This whole time, Daru was right. Gong was responsible for the death of her parents. Even if he wasn't technically directly responsible for the murder of the demon's parents, he knew how much it pained the demon that the status of her parents was almost her demise and somehow saw murdering her own parents as the answer? Granted that Sayah still thought Daru should bear some responsibility for committing the action herself, which she did to a degree, General Gong, the entire time, was the mastermind.

"You twisted son of a bitch..." Sayah growled in anger. "To think that we trusted you... you took us in as your pupils! You were like a dad to us! And look what you did! Driving Daru to kill her own parents! And you think somehow you're the good guy in all of this?!" It was the first time Sayah really took participation in this distorted situation. She couldn't help but be angry. To think that this man was special, different from the rest of the PTO soldiers who were selfish, conniving, narcissistic, and cruel. Gong was like a fresh breath of air. Now? He was like the rest of them, if not worse.

The creature stood tall as he stopped in front of Sayah. The emotion in his eyes changed as she was able to take a closer look in his glare. Tranquility and composure left him. Instead, it was his own rage, rage that Sayah saw in Daru earlier. It spooked the girl a little bit as she stared back. "Of course I'm the good one in this! Do you really think you two are any different from the rest of us? Do you really think we're above all else to the despair everyone in PTO spreads throughout the universe?!" He yelled. "Daru could've been a slave if it weren't for me! If it weren't for me, she still would've been in a weakened state, crying to herself because she couldn't handle a few bad words thrown at her! If it weren't for me, she would've still been the fragile creature that could've ended up like her parents!" He yelled.

Sayah's own hand curled into a hardened fist as she took in what was being said. No... no one gets to talk down on Daru, not while her close acqua- no, screw that, her friend was around. Daru still may not see Sayah as such, but it didn't matter. Daru was her friend, and she wasn't about to let this man talk down on her friend anymore. Without a warning, she quickly drew her fist back and propelled it forward. Her knuckles successfully connected with Gong's chin, punching him right on the jaw!

The man jerked his head and trembled to the direction he was punched from, clearly taken by surprise from the sudden attack. His eyes were wide in shock as he gathered his composure and shot a menacing glare at Sayah; almost in pure disbelief Gong dared raise her hand against her. Sayah, who remained determined and firm in her spot, only stared back. "I won't lie, you did help us a lot, you made us improve in ways we never thought we could in not just power, but attitude, how we fight, all of that. That stuff, I won't deny. And there's something else I can't deny... you're no different, and we should've saw that coming. And what I won't let you do is continuing to run your damn mouth-"

Interrupted, Sayah's face was roughly grabbed by Gong, the pressure on the grab hardening by the moment. She yelped from the sudden grab and tried to wiggle free, but Gong was too strong. "You filthy ANIMAL!" He roared. "You dare try to bite that hand that fed you?! BOTH of you?! I give you my wisdom, my teachings, watched you grow into powerful warriors and valuable assets to this faction, and this is how you repay me?!" Gong was now off the deep end as he was entangled in his own fit of rage, the same rage Daru was in. In a way, Gong felt as if he were betrayed. He saw potential in these two women, wanted for them to excel, only for them to make him feel like they could just walk all over him.

But Sayah remained silent. Despite the pain she was experiencing, she dared not to utter a word. It wasn't out of fear, but to showcase how much she no longer cared for Gong. After snorting, she spat directly at Gong's head. "Fuck you." were the only two words she had to say to him after the spat.

Now filled with desire to murder in his eyes, Gong raised his free hand as a dark green energy sphere hovered over his palm. Sayah tried her best to wiggle free, but it was no use. He was too strong and she wasn't strong enough. She tried to see if Daru would step in, let alone move from her spot, but she couldn't tell with Gong blocking her view of the demon and unable to move her head. Was this the end for her? Was she really going to die right here on the spot? Was Daru about to let her... perish? After sticking with her from thick and thin?

Gong was ready to thrust the ki sphere right on Sayah, the girl closing her eyes as she was ready to meet her fate. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, she heard a surprised grunt that then transitioned into a pained yell with a few cracks of what sounded like bones. She felt the grip on her face lessened, almost loose now. Relief washed all over her face as she was able to breathe properly, and of course, quickly assume that she wasn't going to meet her end. Though she was curious... what the hell was going on right now?

"...Huh?"

WC: 1,230
TWC: 2,269

44

POSTS

Daru

POWER LEVEL

65,889

Tech Points

4/18

Forms

Demonic Rage [x5]

Zeni

5,344

Demon

Jun 27, 2023 18:34:58 GMT -5

Post by Daru on Jun 27, 2023 18:34:58 GMT -5

Sayah moved her head to see what was going on and was taken back by what she spotted. "Holy..." She whispered to herself as the sight was taken in before her eyes. Behind Gong was Daru, who grabbed his entire hand and held it at an unnatural angle, clearly dislocating his entire arm. The young demon had a tight grip on his hand, Gong unable to snatch his hand free. She watched Gong's mouth left open in silent pain, soft whimpers escaping from his mouth. He stood right in place while his arm was entrapped in Daru's grasp, unable to move unless he was willing to cause more excruciating pain to himself.

Her gaze went from Gong, who was still in major discomfort, to Daru who appeared as a completely different person. There was a change in her appearance that she never noticed up until her reveal. Her eyes were filled with pure hatred, yet mixed with calculated madness within her menacing stare. Her left eye's sclera was completely bright blue as the pupil was replaced with a singular dot with concentric circles surrounding the entire eye. On the same side as her affected eye was black markings that covered her face in a flaming style. Her canines slightly grew and became sharper. Her eyebrows were lowered diagonally into a twisted look, ready to devour anything that was in her way.

Sayah was in a state of shock. Even though she was free from Gong's grasp, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was this the same Daru she knew? No, that look... that look in her eyes... the real Daru was pushed back and this new form of her took control. She's never seen the young demon like this before, so she was all but anticipating something like this to happen. Daru's inner demon was unleashed for the first time, or has it always been there? She wasn't even confident if Daru would attack her too. Her power level skyrocketed; Sayah never felt something this strong before from the young demon.

But it looked like her attention was more on Gong. Thank goodness.... yet who was to say Sayah wouldn't be next? Before she could contemplate any further on the possible outcomes that may come her way, Daru roughly yanked the man's arm down as another sickening crack bellowed in the room, this time a blood-curling scream shrieking in the air. Sayah could feel goosebumps pop up all over her body as she witnessed the young demon continuing to toy with Gong in the state he was in now; completely helpless and at the mercy of Daru.

"D-Daru...-" As Gong tried to call for the young demon, Daru slung him up by the same arm she broke and flipped him in the air. She then dragged him back and flung him right against the wall. The force was so vigorous it caused Gong to crash through the wall with a thunderous boom from the impact. His office was about three stories high from the ground floor, resulting Gong falling to a nasty landing, or so Sayah thought. Sayah, though, could only watch on in horror as she viewed Daru calmly levitating in the air and following the direction where Gong fell.

Sayah had no idea what to do. She didn't have a plan whatsoever. She mentioned she would leave the moment things went south, but she didn't think she could. She had no idea how far Daru was going to go in her new form, let alone if she had any sort of rational sense in her with the amount of rage that built up inside her. Damn it, the least she could do was stalk Daru and see what she was up to.

Running up to the large hole on the wall, Sayah jumped through it and used her flight technique to levitate her way down to the ground. When she arrived, Gong was found kneeling on one knee as he held onto his dislocated harm. Right in front of him was Daru, who had both hands engulfed in flames as he stared down at the injured creature. No, was she about to kill him? Sayah can't let that happen! Not because she cared for him, at least not anymore, but the PTO held veterans like Gong dearly, so if they found out about his disappearance, or worse, discover his burnt corpse, it would be all on Daru. Who knew what would happen to her? Better yet, who knew what she was going to do? She had to stop her!

"No! Daru!" Sayah ran towards Daru and wrapped her arms around her as tight as she could. She didn't know if Daru was going to hurt her, but she had to prevent any more injuries on Gong. "I know this asshole drove you to your parents' death, but murdering him is not worth it! Trust me! It'll bite you in the ass harder than you think!" She pleaded as sincerely as she could. Surprisingly, Daru didn't even flinch when Sayah came up from behind and touched her. She didn't know whether or not she was at all in the right head space, but she had to keep trying.

"You may not see me the way I see you, b-but you're a friend! You're someone I care about. We've been together for who knew how long! You're the only person I know that can set me straight without even trying to lift a finger! Please, Daru! I can't afford to lose you!" Sayah felt herself tearing up, but she furrowed her brows in determination to not let her emotions get the better of her. She closed her eyes shut and continued her plea. "Don't do this! Please!" She yelled. Sayah was given silence and the extreme warmth that radiated from the young demon's body. However, she felt the heat slowly subside to its usual temperature that Sayah was familiar with. She peeked one eye open and slowly looked up to look at Daru.

"Daru..." The markings were gone, her left eye went back to normal, and her canines were back to normal. In return, Daru stared back at the girl, who then flashed a gleeful smile at the demon before she pulled her in for a hug. "Daru!" Sayah held back a choked sob as she squeezed the young demon tight. She didn't care whether or not Daru approved of her invading her personal space; that wasn't important.

Gaining her friend back was.

WC: 1,084
TWC: 3,353

44

POSTS

Daru

POWER LEVEL

65,889

Tech Points

4/18

Forms

Demonic Rage [x5]

Zeni

5,344

Demon

Jul 1, 2023 11:11:04 GMT -5

Post by Daru on Jul 1, 2023 11:11:04 GMT -5

Bewildered by the sudden affectionate hug, the young demon stared at Sayah while the girl continued to squeeze her as tightly as she could. Usually, Daru would instantly try to break out of the hold and scold Sayah for doing something without her permission. Instead, she only resumed staring at what looked to be a Sayah who cried. Wait, why was she crying? Was she genuinely concerned for the young demon's mental state? Concerned that she was going to be in hot water with the higher ups if they found out she killed General Gong? It was actually an odd experience to take in.

Daru never had anyone care about her, or rather to the extent where they'd shed tears and call out for the young demon to snap out of her transformation. As a matter of fact, this was the first time she saw Sayah actually cry, the same way she witnessed Daru break down in tears for the first time. Daru never really knew how to deal with such vulnerability, especially when it came to someone that she knew; may not hold them dearly, but still a figure she recognized and was familiar with greatly. She didn't feel disgusted or anything negative, but just confused. She wasn't necessarily the comforting type, but there was an odd feeling of remorse when she witnessed the tears and the emotional state Sayah was in.

Daru slowly held her arms awkwardly as she took a step towards Sayah. Also perplexed by whatever motion the young demon tried to do, Sayah shot an arched brow while she tried to maintain her sniffling attack. What happened next completely took her off guard; a hug. Daru wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and pulled her close for a platonic and comforting embrace. "W-Wha..." It was clear that this was an action Sayah didn't expect nor thought would ever happen in a million years. She knew Daru wasn't someone to give out hugs, let alone show any form of affection or even allow herself physical contact beyond a simple, professional, and firm handshake.

"No need to cry. I'm not sure why you did, but... it's fine. I won't do anything that'll jeopardize my position." There was sincerity in her voice as she attempted to calm and soothe her close acquaintance, an infrequent thing ever done. She didn't know whether or not she was doing it correctly, but it felt like it was the right thing to do. It almost made Sayah want to cry more from how sincere Daru sounded, but she promised herself to hold it back, for now.

Sayah was able to pull away from Daru's embrace, but maintained the distance. She watched the young demon's features as she then broke into an innocently sounding giggle. "Funny how fate works. You broke down in front of me, then I bawled in front of you. Isn't that something?" Her attempt of a joke fell flat as she noticed Daru's lack of laughter, or not finding the attempt funny at all. However, she caught the subtle smirk that cracked on her lips. Good enough, she thought.

"Indeed it does." Daru agreed. Speaking of fate, her attention turned back to General Gong, who still kneeled. It looked like the damage she did, although minimal, was more than enough to satisfy the young demon. Her revenge wasn't completely filled, but it was the most she could do if it meant keeping him alive. It ate her alive, knowing that she had no choice but to spare him. The consequences greatly outweighed her need for revenge, and the last thing she'd want was for Sayah to get caught in the crossfire just from association alone.

"You mentioned you would leave the moment things got heated, yet you still stuck around." She pointed out as she turned her attention to the fact. Daru expected Sayah to run off the moment she transformed, or at least when Gong came clean with the truth. She was surprised that she decided to instead stay for Sayah. Perhaps she had a change of heart and had weary doubts about how she imagined things went down.

Sayah only shrugged her shoulders with a weak smile. "Don't be surprised, but I think my conscience told me to suck it up and stop you before things get ugly more for you than me. We may not be friends by your standards, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. Could only hope you feel the same with me." She said. Before any of them could go on, her eyes wandered back to Gong's weakened state. "So... what are you going to do with him?" She asked.

"Not sure yet. Obviously I can't do what I preferred, but maybe we can reach some sort of agreement." Daru answered.

Sayah eyed the young demon suspiciously, but decided to give her the nod. Whatever she was going to do, Sayah trusted Daru. "Fair enough. You still need me around to deal with him?" She asked.

Daru shook her head. "You're more than welcomed to, but it's not needed. But... I do appreciate you staying to the end. It means well to me." She said. She wouldn't admit it just yet, but she was touched with Sayah's loyalty. To think she would abandon her, and understandably so since Daru did force her from her blindness of revenge, but she decided to stay with Daru. If it wasn't for her, Daru would've snapped Gong in an instance.

"Hmm... you know what, I'm still here, and I think it's for the best if I continue to do so until the very end. There's no turning back on this one, not going to lie. Plus, I can play good cop while you play good cop in... whatever the hell you're going to do with Gong." Sayah said. That, and, well, Gong obviously knew that Sayah played a part in this, even if she wasn't as heavily involved.

As odd as that sounded to Daru, she nodded in agreement. "Fair enough. Come on." The young demon turned around and approached Gong with Sayah right behind her.

The girl was curious with what Sayah planned to do with Gong, or what she was going to do with him if not end him right then and there, but whatever it was, Sayah was there to support Daru... and attempt guide her to rationality in case she gets off track.

WC: 1,074
TWC: 4,427

44

POSTS

Daru

POWER LEVEL

65,889

Tech Points

4/18

Forms

Demonic Rage [x5]

Zeni

5,344

Demon

Jul 1, 2023 18:11:26 GMT -5

Post by Daru on Jul 1, 2023 18:11:26 GMT -5

Gong looked up as the two women approached the heavily injured general. They didn't know what exactly to make of him. There was anger, pure hatred in his eyes that can melt through brick walls as expected. On the other hand, there was something else in his face. Almost like pride; as if he was impressed with the outcome of the situation even though it was clear he was at a burdening disadvantage. He knew. He knew all along... he knew that he'd stay alive. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but Daru couldn't kill him off like she yearned for. They both knew the repercussions wouldn't be in her favor if she dug him his grave. Still, there were other ways of dealing with him.

"Couldn't bring yourself to do it, can you? Even if you weakened me, have an advantage over me, have more power than me to just snap me in half... you still couldn't do it. Whether you'd like to admit it or not... even with all that I taught you... you're... still... weak... just like... ugh... your parents... who you slaughtered in cold blood... heh..." Gong was trying to play mind games with Daru, hurt her own pride and ego, especially with the low blow of her parents, yet the resolve on Daru's face didn't alter. Instead, she took a few steps closer to the general. Her palms were relaxed and her steps were at peace compared to when she first confronted Gong.

When she stood directly in front of the general, she bent her leg and shoved her knee in Gong's face, directly kneeing him with enough force to knock him on his back with a pained grunt. Instantly, green blood poured from nose whilst he moaned in agony. "I uh, wouldn't try to piss around with Daru if I were you, especially when you know you're already in a fucked up spot, y'know?" Sayah advised Gong with a mischiveous chuckle and crossed arms against her chest.

"G-Gah... damn it..." Gong hissed to himself. "Then what the hell do you two want? Daru can't do what she wants with me because she knows better.... well, better than what she would've done if she had her way. If you came to gloat, I'm afraid it won't do you much better anyway." He asked.

"A command." Daru responded. "Forget any of this ever happened. Come up with whatever excuse you want, but if anyone finds you in this condition, we were never here nor involved. I didn't get all of what I came to you for, but it's enough for now." She said.

Gong choked out a bitter laugh before shaking his head. "You? Commanding me?! HAHA-" Before he could laugh any more, Daru stomped on the man's chest, causing him to yell out in pain again followed by a harsh cough.

"I may have all in the power in my corner and you may see me as weak for refusing to use it all, but remember, you're the one under my boot. And like I said, it's a command. Not a request, not a favor, it is something you WILL do." Daru threatened.

"And if I don't comply?" Gong asked.

"You die, placed into a space pod, then your corpse is off wandering around the cosmos. You only get to live not necessarily because of Sayah convincing me out of it," Although it played a major role, but Daru wasn't going to admit it. "But because it would be a shame if someone of your caliber died to a woman that was born from slaves. You will be mourned for, but only for a few moments before everyone forgets you. No legacy, nothing to remember you by... just another general that bit the bullet. So, what will it be?" She said.

"....Fine." Gong muttered.

WC: 640
TWC: 5,067

23

POSTS

thyria

UNSORTED

thyria

Jul 1, 2023 19:48:43 GMT -5