voice; un: stranger

[eightfoldfiend]

(cw: sickness and the frustrated war devil will probably be saying gross, violent things in comments.)


[A guttural wheeze.]

If one more person tells me--

[Sneeze.]

--that I need to calm down and learn to be human I'll burn this whole city to the ground.

[This has been a PSA.]

Comments

[eightfoldfiend]

Don't touch me!

[Yuber squirms as the bone dragon gently takes one arm its teeth and helps Nobunaga toss him on to the bed.]

I'll break your necks! Both of you!

[He's about to get up when his familiar suddenly leaps up to the scattered blankets, sniffs around, then firmly sits on top of him.]

[konpeito_aji]

[Snorts.] Good familiar.

[He's glad his oni doesn't Hideyoshi him to death. One protective loyal insane guardian is enough for multiple universes. Also the only thing having an oni sit on Oda would do... Is make him fight harder.]

[And Nobunaga just summons up all his will, determination, freaking annoyance, and magic. Healing get?]

[It might not work. So far he can't do much, but he's healed scrapes, cuts, minor fatigue, who knows, it might help. And he's making sure to use Yuber's energy for it, so if nothing else, it might put him the fuck to sleep.]

Ugh. I need more sugar. [He hasn't crashed!!! He's just tired from the magic. Magic is stupid, but any weapon is one to use to the fullest.]

[eightfoldfiend]

[Yuber glares wildly at Nobunaga as the magic is summoned and he feels a pleasant coolness settle into his skin.

The cold isn't fully cured, but the mild fever is broken.]

...Tsk.

[He curls a finger into his familiar's ribs.]

A mighty swordsman like you is a healer?

[konpeito_aji]

Demon King.

It's not like I'd use magic for anything else. And Ieyasu isn't here. [He gives no fucks.]

[eightfoldfiend]

Demon King.

Hah.

[A low snort and he lifts a hand towards Nobunaga. His fingertips start to glow with a warm, almost inviting light.]

This wretched world does have a sense of humor, doesn't it?

...Giving demons the power to heal...

[Someone needs to die for this injustice.]

[konpeito_aji]

I don't mind it. [Shrug.] I can murder with guns and swords fine, and healing my soldiers back up is way more dangerous than any of the other magics out there. I mean, blood? Pass.

[eightfoldfiend]

[Yuber shifts around and stares curiously at Nobunaga. There is a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.]

You have soldiers to heal? Here?

[konpeito_aji]

You don't?

[He doesn't have his ARMY, no. But he has some soldiers, yes (and at least one general, but he has the sense not to declare that). And adding to that number is as easy as snapping as his fingers.]

[eightfoldfiend]

My soldiers were left in another dimension. I can no longer call to them.

[The excitement falls away, replaced by frustration. He violently shoves the bone dragon off of him.]

How many soldiers do you have and why? Is there a war?

[It seems unlikely. Even without his powers he would have caught the scent of massive armed conflict ...he hopes.]

1/2

[konpeito_aji]

Oh, with magic? [MAGIC.]

[He waves a hand. He doesn't want to get too into it. It's fuzzy anyway, because anything with Akechi is always going to be.] The war is two-fold. Underground, and with other realms. It's more subtle these days. Worse than dealing with ninjas. [He has no idea how much that means to Yuber.] All information, and even worse politically than what I'm used to fielding. [Weary sigh.] If you haven't met, or heard of other versions of yourself, you could miss the undercurrents entirely. [Oda has declared war... on himself. Don't... don't ask.]

The magic of this realm doesn't translate others' well, so if you're hoping to get it back, don't waste your time. I haven't determined yet if that's natural causes or someone's active decision, but I doubt the latter. Too much to lose with filters like that, and no sense enabling new power if the point is just to restrict it entirely -- at least not without demanding subservience.

It is curious that you got healing without soldiers to heal though. Perhaps because you can already kill with traditional means? [Will. Life. He's thinking.]

[Nope, he's at a loss too.]

2/2

[konpeito_aji]

Shields. [He's 95% sure he's got it now.] So you can guard yourself without soldiers, and play neutral instigator in the wars without allying any direction. Maximum chaos.

[A grin.] At least that's fun, right? [Should he be encouraging a demon to fight him? Probably not, but since that's ALL Oda ever seems to do on the flipside of adding them to his army and expecting them to cut him down 24/7, (see Akechi Mitsuhide) he's just like that.]

cw: mentions of random npc murder

[eightfoldfiend]

[Yuber stares at him through all of this, never blinking. Then...]

Yes. At least chaos is fun.

I've been given far too few chances to partake these days.

[Killing people in dark alleys sates his appetite for a little while. The more talented mages are sometimes even a challenge... But it's not the same as a battlefield.]

[konpeito_aji]

[Nothing's like a battlefield, truly.]

So no greater ambitions of your own?

[eightfoldfiend]

[With a low snarl...]

In this world my only ambition is to escape. To end the stasis, safely restore time and go home so I can finish my work.

[konpeito_aji]

How boring. That's simple enough. Kill yourself. But it's boring.

If you don't like being sick, I can promise it can get so much worse.

cw: talk of suicide

[eightfoldfiend]

[Yuber sits up, eyes narrowing into a focused glare, though bitter amusement tugs on his lips.]

Killing myself to leave this mortal coil is not my intent. I don't want to disappear, I want to thrive.

If the only way to do that is to save this world then so be it. I will save the world, time will flow, we will go home and all living things can rejoice.

And I can finish my work.

[konpeito_aji]

[Oh good, that's more interesting!]

[Literally, only Oda's thoughts on this.]

Oh good. [Rests both his hands behind his neck.] What's your work at home anyway?

[eightfoldfiend]

[Yuber looks up and meets his gaze.]

Who cares?

[konpeito_aji]

Me. Apparently you. Since you're eager to get back to it.

[eightfoldfiend]

...Chaos.

[He answers after a long pause.]

My work is chaos.

[If it seems like there should be more to it than that it's because there is. Yuber doesn't feel like getting into the whole True Runes thing, however. ]

[konpeito_aji]

Good thing you can do that here.

But I assume there's something specific about your home you miss. Aside from being weaker and your shift in magic.

[eightfoldfiend]

[With a low snort.]

Hmm...

"Miss" isn't the right word.

[He sits back in the bed and regards Nobunaga with quiet boredom. The sickness is still there, he can feel it swimming between his ears, but with the breaking of the fever some of his panic-induced madness is gone. The violent intensity that had been blazing in his eyes is now existential exhaustion.

This sort of swing isn't unusual even when he is healthy, however. Many human traveling companions have been frustrated in the past at his tendency to sway between blood-lust hysteria and a deep, dark boredom.]

It's not like I harbor any love for the world I left behind.

[konpeito_aji]

Then what's the problem?

[HONESTLY, Oda Nobunaga is the same exact way, and he doesn't have a supernatural excuse! He's just fucking crazy. Bored to murderous with NO given triggers! So alas(?) he thinks Yuber is more cool/fun/stable than a lot of otherwise "normal" people...]

[eightfoldfiend]

[He shakes his head.]

My world is where my sworn enemy is.

[konpeito_aji]

[Nods! He can understand that.] Do you think the time will be stasis while you're here?

What are the odds of them coming here?