Task Name: Infiltration to the Cult

Arc Beginning Task 1:

It had been a month since Damocles Tenebrous  rescued duchess Clarissa Goldenbaum. from Marcel Au Chevaliers. While some considered Damocles a stone-cold Marine, he wasn't without any sentiments of his own. Hence, out of loyalty and concerning, he stayed his leave and remained under service of the ducal couple. It wasn't without benefit however, he did have access to all the rooms inside the palace and could take to bed any maid, something he didn't really do considering he didn't think it just to take a member of the opposite sex simply because they were available. Instead, until the duchess recovered from her odyssey, the Marine entertained himself hunting down petty pirates and small threats, maintaining the order wherever he could go. It wasn't exactly a particularly lucrative pastime, but it did allow him to afford some semblance of entertainment until he could say goodbye to the woman who he had known since his early days in Dressrosa back when he still lived with his mother and his old friends who mostly dispersed from the homeland under the attack by the World Government all those years ago.

As fate would have it, eventually the day came that the once fragile duchess returned to her former state. Her once gaunt and sickly physique gained back some of it's weight and fill, granting the woman a healthy yet fit look. She had also grown back most of her locks, which now returned to their natural gold color and her eyes gained back their glow, hinting at her well-being. However, her summon to her savior was not one born out of joyous news or merry sounds, instead it was one of grim origins and dark intents. Still leaning heavily on her husband for support, the duchess flared an arm about and called lowly for the marine, to which her own personal maid rushed forth to bring him before her.

Upon entry to the room, the man who wore only a black tank top and a set of jeans, an outfit that did not particularly register his position as a marine, save for the white coat he casually hung over his shoulders, saw about the state of his old companion. He approached the ducal couple with a bright smile, which by itself was one of the rarest of occasions, and compassionately bent down to meet the woman's still somber face with his own worried visage. She, by her part, did not return her friend's kindness and instead rushed down to discuss the reason for his summon.

"Words know not how much I am in gratitude for your service. Alas, I fear I must still hold you down to this kingdom, good Damocles. While I could not impart this earlier, given my frail state, I find no excuse to say this before you." began the duchess as she soon felt a tight grip on her chest that soon reduced her to a coughing mess. Meanwhile, the duke lowered himself and offer his strength to his wife, a gesture she accepted in full. He whispered to her ear a manifestation of his concern, but alas the duchess refuted his words with a strong sentence of he part. "As I was saying, dearest friend, I must inform you of the following. During my captivity, I overheard a plot that was to be orchestrated by my raptor and a cadre of his equals. I know naught who these men are, but I can assure you that they hold no good intentions to this land. I apologize for this, but could you once again answer to my request and end this mchiation? I fear that while I do not know the plan in whole, my ears gained from whispers a combiation of noble forces along with the forces of the Cult of the Fallen God." said the duches before once again falling down to her state.

"I am first and foremost a Marine. If this land is under threat of state, I shall do everything in my power to see it ceased and brought before justice. Rest easy, cherished friend for I shall take up this task without any problem. However, i do have one request of my own." said Damocles as the duke turned to the Marine, enraged at the prospect of a request on his weekend wife.

"Vile viper! Do you not see that my wife is incapable of anything! She must rest and gain back her strength!" answered back the enraged husband with passion in his voice.

"Understand I ask nothing of sort. Rather permission from your highnesses. Could you, by chance, grant me a transporter snail? I must call upon an ally of mine if I am to undergo such task." asked Damocles. Afterwards the duke relaxed and looked at his wife. They agreed upon his request and the Marine was granted a transporder snail immediately. Without revealing the identity of who he was communicating with, Damocles dialed the number and called. Once the connection was established, he spoke up.

"It's me. I know we haven't spoken in some time, but I need your help." said Damocles to the man he called who promptly responded back with his reply.

Leparo wasn't your average joe. He was a very different beast but let alone the same animal. A thought that normally confused people, unless they've actually met him.. Then well they understand. He wasn't doing much right now. Once again he found himself in the Briss Kingdom where he had caused himself some problems a year ago in the wake of losing the love of his life Melissa. Why was he here? Because that damn Pirate Parade was coming up and he wanted to get some extra money in the name of his woman. What was he doing exactly anyway? It involved loud noises... Burning buildings... And lots of dead people wearing a specific color, and it wasn't black. If you guessed funeral you were wrong. The answer was killing marines in the Briss Kingdom. Leparo's Revolutionary past wasn't far removed but sometimes he liked to shout his old cause out.

He was canceling Christmas on these suckers like it was going out of style. With a dodge left and a spin into a mach punch Leparo knocked another marine through the burning wall of a marine building which could be seen set ablaze. He began to walk towards the burning building picking up one of the marines and dragging them towards the burning building where his cries for help could be heard "NO. PLEASE, I'M NOT LIKE THEM PLEASE" screamed the man which caused Leparo to laugh in tears "You're all alike. Every last one of you are pigs. You'll die like my family did.. In flames" said Leparo as he chucked the marine in the flames and watch the fire consume his soul as his voice raged with the fumes. "Welcome home" is all Leparo could be heard saying as he marched away from the fire baring the blood of some marines. He'd pick up two bags worth of loot he stole from the tower before he took it down. He didn't even have to go inside. Idiots left the gas valve open to the public assuming people like Leparo didn't exist.

People looked on wondering where Leparo was going. That was a great question but the answer wasn't far off as he walked in the bar.. The same bar from before. The one he burned down just a year before. His sake on the counter Leparo would grab a seat. "Fun times" he said with heavy sarcasm. He would begin to drink the sake before his den den mushi went off alerting him of the call. "Oi, Damo" said Leparo with a giant smile on his face. Anytime his brother called Leparo's face lit up like a christmas tree because his brother was the only person alive who understood Leparo's pain. They have been this close since they were kids and nothing could break that bond... Ever. He brought up how the two haven't spoken in some time and how he needed Leparo's help which caused an even bigger smile on Leparo's face. "Start everything up, I'll be there" said Leparo who was as eager as ever.

Picking up the sake Leparo grabbed his cloak and rapped himself in it as he picked up his bags of beli and headed outside the bar. Most of the small marine ran town was on fire. Anything the marines had their hand in was destroyed including their base. Heading towards his small raft Leparo set sail towards the specific island his brother was on.

Damocles was sitting on a rock, drinking from the thin, small silver flask he was 'allowed' to bring with himself. Hell, he was a guy who believed in Absolute Justice, but that did not mean he couldn't enjoy a drink or two...or ten. The Man wasn't wearing a Marine uniform at all, meaning that while he worked this time he wouldn't do so as a Marine. Sure he would use a Marine mentality but for now let's just say his uniform had been put away. Instead the young man was wearing his full set of heavy black plate armor complete with leather armor underneath and dark trousers with protective layers of metal on them in order to further his defenses. Over his armor he wore a simple black cape that had a hood to it in order to further hide his presence. His large sword was buried against the ground, next to the rock eh was sitting on and Damocles looked up at the moon as he recalled the last time he had been together with Leparo.

It had been a little less than a year ago. Out of the blue, the blond ex prince called the then choreboy of a Marine that was Damocles and cried out that his girlfriend had left him. While Damocles was first and foremost a Marine, Leparo had a special place and so upon hearing such things he dropped everything and set sail to where his brother had told him he was. Once he came face to face with the former royal, Damocles immediately ran to his side and attempted to cheer the other up. Yet, regardless of how much he tried, the former was inconsolable. Damocles really didn't know much about the girl, but he figured his brother cared greatly about her, hence why he stayed alongside his sad companion for over a month until he returned back to his former, happy-go-lucky self. He still remembered the long nights he spent trying to find a way to get the other to smile back. Booze, women heck even sparring didn't seem to work. Yet for an entire month, a month he could had been out in the seas hunting pirates and increasing his fame, the man with black hair stayed behind. Damocles's flashback however was cut in half, once his blue eyes met that impossible to miss grin that was so stereotypical of the other. Damocles placed the flask next to the sword and afterwards stood up. Once the other got to him, Damocles actually curled up a smille.

"Well I guess giving you a chance to escape was pointless." said Damocles as he stood right in front of the ex-prince who seemed to be just as happy as the marine. "It's been ages since I've last seen you, hasn't it? Lep" continued Damocles as he crossed his arms and cheerfully gleed for his closest comrade. "Although I guess you're still pretty much the same aren't ya? Always causing me a headache when it's time to file the reports." joked Damocles as he gave the other an arm wrestling handshake.

Leparo wasn't the happiest person. Sure sometimes he had this confidence to him that was unmatched but he wasn't happy. In fact he was a broken man these days and filled the void with killing marines not because he hated them, but because they squirmed when he did it.. Fresh off his boat the young pirate began to walk off his boat and around town. He wasn't that specifically familiar with this area and wondered what would come of him here. He know he had some sort of a reputation around these parts and wore his hood as a form of safety to the public not to himself. He continued his way around until he saw the giant castle in the night light.

He would go up towards the castle where he finally reached the top a man answered it "How can I help you sir" said the doorman. "I came for Damocles, I'm his brother" said Leparo as he walked in anyway pass the doorman even through the house. It was night time so he instantly knew where he could find his brother. "Such a typical little bastard you are brother" joked Leparo as he found his way towards the door leading to the beach. A grin overtook the face of Leparo as he heard the words Damo said to him. "Let's be honest Damo, I got away because I'm still the stronger brother" Letting Damo finish his words Leparo accepted their handshake and thought about what his brother said. "It has been awhile hasn't it, I guess what you needed me for must be very important."

Damocles looked up at his brother and laughed lightly at his comment. While it was somewhat true that Leparo would beat him in a fist fight, considering Damocles was not a martial artist, the same was true on a sword fight. "You stronger than me? No way! Last time I checked I beat up more bandits than you during our last adventure." said Damocles as he crossed his arms and grinned widely. "Anyways, as much as I would love to reminisce with you, I do have a legitimate reason for calling you. Tell me, how would you like joining me on a quest that involves killing nobles, religious leaders and a lot of knights?" said Damocles, pretty much giving the other a summary of what was his mission. Still the Marine did decide to inform the other a bit more. "Here's the deal. According to my sources, a powerful faction is trying to overthrow the monarchy and bring down this nation's royal family. I know we weren't capable of stopping the end of your family's kingdom, but maybe we can end the fall of this one. Besides, I hear theres a certain princesses who may or may not be single." said Damocles, knowing such fact would peak his closest companion's interest.

After talking to Leparo, Damocles informed the other about the whereabouts of their first target. According to his sources, their was a mysterious cave just a couple of kilometers away from the castle that supposedly was a meeting place for members of the Cult of the Fallen, the religious entity that worshipped a 'god' of destruction and havoc who were only interested in killing and bringing about chaos. Personally, Damocles had no real feelings towards the cult, but if it was something that would destabilize the peace of the land, well he had to do something about it. Yet it was important to note that while Damocles followed the Marine mentality, he would't act as a Marine for this quest. "By the way, in case you're wondering, I'm not a Marine for this quest. So don't worry it's not like you have anything to fear concerning other Marines springing up. Just please don't kill too many Lep, I do hate having to sit on my ass doing unnecessary paperwork." complained Damocles s he turned around and walked towards his sword. With a single mighty pull, the great slab of metal erupted upwardly. By his own part, the Marine played around with his sword for a few minutes, before sheathing it and adjusting his metallic prophetic arm. While he wouldn't admit it too much, he wasn't fond of his metal limb, given the itchiness that it caused him. Yet he had to sue it or else he would literally be disarmed.

-Timeskip to the actual mission-

Just as the information said, the cave did in fact have some level of mysterious activity. However, unexpectedly the cave was filled with hundreds of cultists who seemed to be common civilians practicing their right to religious tolerance. Damocles was never one to bear a close relation to religion. He really didn't give it too much though. Although he still respected them on their own right, as long as said religion was not trying to take over the world. Given the fact that the pair could not rush off guns blazing  murdering and eliminating every cultist their was, the pair decided to go a bit more under-cover. Before the so-called "Ceremony of the God of Destruction" began, Leparo and Damocles managed to beat up two cultists before they joined the organization and managed to get into the group without rousing suspicion.

The cave was rather dark and damp, two things that Damocles was not particularly fond of, especially the dark. While he was no a grown man, back when Leparo and him were children in Dressrosa, Damocles would often cry out how he was afraid of the dark and would often have to be calmed down by the blonde prince who was the only person who actually knew how to settle down the other's nerves. While he got over most of his phobia, Damocles still shivered a bit as he walked deeper to the cave. "Boy do I hate caves..." complained Damocles to Leparo who was walking next to him as they approached the center of the cave. "Why the hell do caves exist anyways? It's all shit and dirt anyways." complained again Damocles, who tried to show off his machoness by speaking tough.

In little time the pair appeared before a large, circular area with an odd, edged alter standing at the highest point in the area. Laying down on the alter was a girl, no older than sixteen who was bound by chain and kept in a rather indecent outfit that left nothing to the imagination. Usually Damocles would be interested in the girl for all the wrong reasons, but now he was curios to see as to the why of her presence. After a short while, the head preacher of the group, a small man who stood no larger than five feet seven decorated in a scarlet robe and golden jewels, appeared and said something in an odd, stupid sounding language Damocles had no idea of. However, he di notice two things. First, he noticed the way the preacher brandished a dagger and aimed it at the throat of the semi-naked girl. However, while she was scraped a bit, Damocles, who was pushing back on his own sense of justice, witheld himself from attacking, given that he wished to learn more about the whole thing. It wasn't until the blade was struct against the skin of the girl that Damocles growled out, threw off his cloak and rushed up, sword in hand and eyes bulging in sheer anger. The sight took most cultist in surprise and shock, with the preacher gasping at the revelation.

"Let go of the girl and nobody here is going to lose their head, ok?" said Damocles as he took his blade and held it tightly with his two hands. Despite his threat, it seemed it fell on deaf ears since the preacher only snorted and flicked his hands, which made some active members of the cult grab weapons and fight against the Marine. However, since Damocles could not really take this as an act of diplomacy, he instead decided to ignore any morals he had and still decided to chop off one or two heads before a group of cultist appeared.

That large heap of metal slashed hard against another throat, slicing the head off. With his back pressed against that of his brother, Damocles smirked to himself and laughed a bit. "You make the worst comments at the worst possible times, don't ya." said Damocles as he swung his sword again, ending another fanatic's life as he did so. "I'll take the short, ugly one, you can have the mob." said Damocles as he clinched his sword with both hands. "Meanwhile, when I say jump, you jump. I'm gonna make some mess and I wouldn't want my 'little' brother to end up losing a leg." Said Damocles referring to the fact that he was going to use a big technique. Concentratign all the power he had on his blade, Damocles busted forth a considerable amount of strength and squat down. Afterwards, he rose up. At the same time, he swung his blade in a wide, large circle, lobbing off several limbs, heads and chests from the mob. Afterwards, as a product of the amount of strength gathered, Damocles managed to fire off a somewhat large blast of black-colored wind. In reality it was a technique called a flying slash, but while he knew he could pull it off, it did tire him off a bit whenever he used it. Despite this, it seemed as though his offensive worked. The black-colored flying slash plowed through the masses and struck the preacher, smashing him against the alter he had been pontificating on. Meanwhile, Damocles checked to see if Leparo had actually done as he told him to do so, yet despite his attempts, he could not make out that head of blonde hairs from the crowd.

With his path now opened, Damocles rushed through to where the trapped woman was. Yet, much to his surprise, the Preacher stood up from the rubble and aimed a sword at Damocles. "Very well, I'll dance with you." said Damocles as he sprung forward and attempted to break the other's weapon. The preacher crashed his sword hard against the hulking man in black, but given his poor excuse for his weapon, was left disarmed after Damocles's huge sword made contact with the other weapon. The smaller preacher then gasped and ran backwards. His head gaping and his eyes swelling up with tears of hesitation. "Die heathen!" screamed the preacher as he took out a pistol from his robe. While at this range a pistol shot would deal damage to Damocles, since the Marine saw right through him and managed to slice off his hand before he managed to aim the gun, Damocles took comfort in his safety. Afterwards he grabbed the preacher's head and smashed him against the alter, before finally ending the robbed man's life by running the full length of the blade across his chest.

Damocles whipped up a wicked smirk as he removed his blade from the already-dead man and proceeded to look at his brother who had appeared to finished with his own part. "I told you to jump! What part of that didn't ya hear fool!" playfully snarled Damocles with a grin  as he cleaned the blood off his sword. "First, I'm taking the girl with us. Second, I need a drink. You got anything on ya?" asked Damocles as he walked towards the woman who began to scream and freak out as the heavily armored individual loomed over. He tried to shush her, but she just kicked and complained before biting down on the Marine's hand after he removed the bound from her mouth. "Fucking bitch!" snarled the man with black hair who gained huge bulging eyes and growled out. He looked angry, but mostly frustrated that he had just rescued this ungrateful girl. He snarled and complained at his hand. You know, the one that was still made out of flesh and bones and not the metallic one.

Since the girl did not budge, nor did she pipe down and kept freaking out, Damocles opted to just throw her over his shoulder and carry her over to a chair so she could relax a bit. "I guess this proves I'm better than you now, aint' it, lil brother?" teased Damocles who looked over at Leparo. Since most of the cultist were dead or had fled, it was safe for them to rest up on the ruined place, but not before Damocles had enough of the girl. "Look I don't look it, but I'm one of the good guys here. I ain't gonna harm ya, but I won't hesitate to leave ya here alone if you continue." said Damocles who rubbed his temples with his hand. After some time, the girl seemed to chill out and even began to talk to the pair. She told them her name and why she had bene kidnapped. Furthermore she revealed what would possibly be the continuation of the whole conspiracy. She had accused one of the country's most infamous nobles of staging her kidnapping in order to secure some sort of business deal between  him and the Cult. As a marine, he knew better to go blazing at a nobleman before gathering evidence, but he figured it would be worth the effort to at least investigate and find out if the aristocrat was indeed up to something. He summarized the information to Leparo and then threw his own Marine coat, the one he never wore due to his armor, to the girl so she could cover herself up. "We have our heading!"

The memories in the mind of Leparo were stained with that of his love, a woman by the name Melissa. She haunted his every waking moment and he needed to stop thinking about her if he didn't want to die on the battlefield. The sound of metal smashing against the floor snapped Leparo out of his daydream back into reality where he saw his brother standing. He said he was taking the girl with them and that he needed a drink. "Why are you taking the girl? We cleared the way shes safe she can go" Said Leparo who proceeded to pull out a bottle of sake and drink from it very casually before handing it over to his brother who needed it more than Leparo probably did. He began to walk over to the girl as Leparo looked on watching her kick him square in the nuts causing a burst of laughter of the blonde brother. He spit up some of his sake in laughter of the situation. His brother didn't enjoy it quite much as he began to shout words towards the woman causing Leparo to knock him upside the head "THE HELL ARE YOU DOING"

After Damo placed the girl in the chair he played good cop with her which caused Leparo to yawn. "Look I helped you out.. Now I'm going" said Leparo who turned around and began to pick his nose as he walked towards the entrance of the cage. "I got a bounty that needs more zeros in it and a crew that needs more members" joked Leparo who was more than prepared to cause his brother more trouble than he already did "Enjoy the paperwork"

Exit