FOR SALVATION .

TEMPERANCE REVERSED . an isola affiliated original character. housed in: CONDO 401

[divinedevourer-a]

VANTH. — original character.

「 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋, i've been climbing my whole life.  but perhaps i can look at this ruined future & lay a flower of hope upon its grave.  even now, i'm still praying,  still connected,  still dreaming.」

BLOG WARNINGS FOR: cannibalism, violence, child abuse, drowning, alcoholism, & religious references.

a little guy in a big world with so many problems.

meet gluttony, aka vanth (formerly liam bosley.) he's one of several pactbearers, or as you might know them—the deadly sins.

gave up his vessel to what he thought was the angel yophiel. except actually it's beelzebub. sike! you're possessed, pal.

wanted salvation. ended up in his own personal hell.

it wasn't supposed to be this way. liam was originally meant to be one of the four human virtues, temperance, and beelzebub's real target happened to be awfully close by. turns out virtues have mirrors, and their shoes can still kinda fit. cinderella step-sister style.

and with enough mental torture elbow grease, you too can make your own host! sign up here for yophiel's free seminar.

vanth is that unfortunate product of yophiel's creation. he's a lean, mean, people-eating machine.

menace extraordinaire. humanity's number one hater. (so he says.)

also extremely hydrophobic. don't submerge your vanth in water.

he's got enemies! lots of them. one of them is his ex-bestie/lover turned pactbearer turned enemy. and that isn't even the worst of them!

it's ok tho. yophie's his best friend. or was. it's gotten complicated.

but now he's making more friends. wuh-oh. that's not part of the diabolical plan!

and we stay silly. really silly. okay, maybe a little too silly, please put the knife down...

[divinedevourer-a]

Oh, he's so boned.

[lostclematis]

∞ Did he think he was being sneaky? With her functionality restored, being able to tell that someone was trying to sneak up on her was child's play. She couldn't help but roll her eyes, making sure to angle her head so that she could see the eyes illuminated on her face's screen do just that.

out of my head loser. Words not spoken, but displayed on her screen instead of eyes. Drones often used their panels to converse without speaking this way. How was he in her head? She didn't have a brain, even though it was true she still processed thoughts through her computer. Either way, she wasn't playing ball with how he wanted her to communicate.

The words on her visor changed. nd hands off unless u wnna get torn up. Flesh and blood being were the easiest to cut up if she wanted to. She had a lot of experience with that. But she wasn't really in the mood and was trying to be a better person or whatever. could just cut em all down. ez.

[divinedevourer-a]

To his slight surprise, then amusement, her eyes vanish. In their place, little LED words of her irritation start traveling across what he now realizes is a panel—Vanth waits, reads, and finally releases her. He stands back with arms held up, matching the tone of voice that once again enters her mind.

<<<My b. I thought you were defenseless. Those tend to be screamers, you know? Suuuper annoying.>>> Cut 'em all down, huh... Vanth leaves his cleaver stuffed between his belt and pants, tendrils of black smog collecting silently around his feet. They will be his weapon of choice: he need not even move to use them. <<<Cool eyes, by the way. And sorry 'bout your head, but it's the only way we can chat. Now, take your pick...>>> His index finger raises, pointing to one half of the Glitched, then sweeping smoothly across to the other. <<<Left... or right?>>>

[kleinstar]

His entire body's breaking onto sweats, rising to uncomfortable temperatures while his shoulder stains his clothes.

Eiden wonders just what is it about him that brings him into situations like these. He'd like to ignore their first meeting, in fact he'd just like to ignore the whole guy and pretend like there wasn't there at all. Maybe then he'd disappear, maybe the wound would too.

Thing about wishful thinking though - it is what it is. The poison won't act any slower no matter how many scenario's were Veoc's there for his rescue instead. He'd come here picks him up and get the poison out as if it was a setting in a romantic novel.

But no. It's this guy. He doesn't even know his name.

" Simple and yet you're here to make it all complicated. Asshole ", Eiden spats.

" Out with it then. What do you want? Money? Canine's birthday standee? Candle lit dinner for two? "

[divinedevourer-a]

❝ Because it is complicated, stupid. ❞ Vanth's expression abruptly hardens as he withdraws his hand to gesture loosely at them both. ❝ For me, it's not as simple as sucking a little poison out of your shoulder and we both falalala on our merry way or whatever. ❞ He expels a ragged breath, slumping heavily against the sheet metal of the building's air conditioning unit. Hidden away in this alley, they're far from the ongoing bloodshed beyond, yet Vanth's hungry stomach emptily twists in on itself. Having an open, gushing wound so close to him is like chum in shark-infested water—Vanth is the shark, and the stranger has no idea that he is the bucket of flesh and bone that tempts him. Yophiel insists on control so powerfully his vision tries to blacken, and its vessel swipes at his nose as if already expecting blood to come away from it. To his relief, there isn't; he continues. ❝ I could end up killing you. ❞

❝ Think of me like... I dunno, a vampire or something. My instinct right now is to make you my meal. ❞ And I don't really want to do that. ❝ So you take your pick: you either have 100% chance of dying from the poison, or a 75% chance of me losing it while trying to help you and killing you instead. ❞

[gullytine]

At first the voice makes Weston do a double-take, but he's quick to adapt once the bodies start falling, dodging corpses left and right until their killer strides into their midst.

Seeing Vanth in the flesh gives him mixed feelings--first because he'd met him as some weakling waif in a back alley, secondly because of Juliyah spilling the beans on his actual identity.

"Where're we supposed to run now?" he glances at his partner, then at Vanth.

"Thanks? Oi, this isn't a warm-up before we start hackin' at each other, right?"

@vcinglcry ⤑ @divinedevourer

[vcinglcry]

"What the hell are you doing here?" Juliyah was actually genuinely surprised to see Vanth here. "Thought you'd be holed up with your prince charming or whatever the fuck."

Vanth won't be getting any thanks from him!

"I think we don't have time for any of that," Juliyah pointed in the direction of some more coming their way. Luckily, they're not quick. "We should really find a place to rest up."

[divinedevourer-a]

❝ Wowie! Who pissed in your cereal? ❞ Vanth snorts, taking a few laugh-staggered steps toward them. Between his fingers, a butcher's cleaver weaves in and out—the very same he'd fled Sebastian's apartment with. ❝ Jules, you gotta work on your people skills! Not everyone's gonna be— ❞ Splat! The heel of his boot stomps into the skull of one of the fallen Glitched as he passes over them. He continues his stride with an easygoing brand of glee, roughly scraping the gore from the rubber sole as one would spat-out gum on the street.

❝ —as nice 'bout it as me~! ❞ It becomes obvious Vanth overhears their murmuring when his eyes dart to Weston like two burning laser dots. Playfully, his ear bumps into his shoulder with a giggle. ❝ Oh, don't you fret, sweetheart… I'm not here to hack you up! I'm here to help you! Though I am curious to hear how you two know each other… Last I knew, you were just some average Joe Schmoe doin' a good deed! ❞ Slow and purposeful, the pactbearer drags his gaze to Juliyah: his supposed 'rival' in power. ❝ When someone refuses to show all the cards in their hand… I think others should start throwing their own into the ring. So what do you say? Care for a plus one? ❞ The sound of many feet shuffle closer. Vanth clucks his tongue like the hand of a clock. ❝ Time's a-tickin'… Choose your enemy wisely, yeah? ❞ @gullytine → @vcinglcry

[gullytine]

"You don't think they made a bigass pit in the middle of the wards for nothin', do you?" Weston argues back. "Tch, whatever."

He catches Gully's chakram as it flies back, using it alongside his blade to support Juliyah's massacre.

"Don't things like these have weaknesses or somethin'? Prayers? Garlic? It's damned annoying cuttin' them down."

"I want a break, dammit!"

@vcinglcry ⤑ @divinedevourer (whenever)

[vcinglcry]

"Didn't we see in those lame ass movies?" The head was the way to go! Though, it didn't seem like hitting them anywhere, really was enough as long as it was fatal.

"Shit."

Weston wants a break and quite frankly, Juliyah could use one too!

"Wes, we're making a run for it. When there's an opening we'll go." Clearing the way and getting out of this small and overwhelming situation was priority, lest they ended up getting GOT.

@divinedevourer (wanna come and save them hero?) @gullytine

[divinedevourer-a]

<<<An opening?>>> The voice comes from no discernible outside source but their minds instead. <<<Say no more!>>> Like a scythe sweeping cleanly over mere blades of grass, black inky tendrils shoot forth, lashing at neck after neck until all the poor undead bastards fall to lie in heaps on the ground. With the path cleared, a figure stands at its end. And it howls with laughter as it walks into view, revealing Vanth with a wild set of eyes and clothing stained by blood. ❝ Gee, Jules! I didn't take you for being a damsel in distress! ❞ As the pactbearer turns his eyes on Weston, recognition faintly ripples across his features, though not enough to lessen his smile.

❝ Or the type for having friends! Congrats, hehehe! That probably took a lottaaa work. ❞ @gullytine → @vcinglcry

[divinedevourer-a]

i'm a god, just of another name from birth, i'm stained, a creature, all of us one in the same feel free to organise, i pray a different way by doing what i want and never ever feeling shame get on your knees and pray to me the problem child becomes the only god you'll ever see you made me believe that i was never mine i made my goddamn self, a product of my own design

[anghexescu]

Klaus nods silently, agreeing to the unfinished sentence that Vanth finished instead.

"But I don't think you're tainted," he answers quietly. "We're just two opposite beings from each other." He briefly looks at Vanth. Green eyes tries not to look at him TOO deeply, considering how vulnerable one may feel. He looks away, focusing with the wrapping.

"Klaus. I prefer Klaus. It's the name i lived with for the longest." The cleaning and wrapping is done and Klaus gently lays Vanth's hands down and pulls his own back.

"It's quiet, isn't it?" He asks, eyes looking out the window from where they sat.

"It doesn't do much being here, but it's a little more quiet than out there with the busy streets of the cities."

@divinedevourer

[divinedevourer-a]

But I don't think you're tainted, the angel replies aloud. Vanth's eyebrows raise. It's too specific to be coincidental. He almost forgets he can't project his thoughts to someone else at the moment, which leaves it to one of two assumptions: ❝ Could you hear that? ❞

❝ Or are you just an expert at guessing at what someone's thinking? ❞ The angel—who prefers the name 'Klaus'—turns to gaze toward the window once Vanth's hands are sufficiently cleaned and bandaged. His red eyes join him a few seconds after dully examining the wrappings around his knuckles. ❝ I'm not sure if I like it, ❞ he bluntly admits to Klaus. ❝ I've never been anywhere but the city. Noise is… ❞ As he briefly trails off, his skull seems suddenly like a hole. The absence of Yophiel, whose sound is ever-constant, is eerie when paired with the thick silence of the forest around them. ❝ It's what I know. ❞ Vanth lowers his gaze, staring at the wooden wall space below the window until it blurs into a smear of warm brown. ❝ Why here? This is your home or something, right? ❞

[prxmrosx]

@divinedevourer

There's a noise that makes Hanabi uneasy. She's holed up somewhere, hiding from an earlier group of those glitches. That's what people are calling them, right? They remind her of zombies from a few of the movies she's seen back at home, like Train To Daegu.

The noise is drawing in closer, and she's pushing herself in, in hopes of making herself smaller. She's ready to attack, though if need be!

[divinedevourer-a]

Well, this isn't good. He initially ducked into the back of this shop for shelter from an approaching horde, but one peek into the rest of the building revealed it to be a minefield of countless horrible freaks. The only realistic option he has, seeing he is injured and low on power, is to take the search for escape above. Climb into the air vents, avoid the Glitched lurking dangerously underneath, and bail once finally in the clear. One thing he unfortunately doesn't account for is the noise. At first, he moves too carelessly, sending a resounding metal clang through the shop space below. A few mental cursings to himself later, and Vanth treads more carefully. He clinks quietly past the Glitched, spotting the split in the vents leading into the office space beside the shop, but just as he's within reach— ❝ SHI— ❞

He plummets, failing to see the grated opening beneath him. As he stifles a shout, the world flips while he blindly careens downward. When Vanth at last opens his eyes, its to a supply closet, his body lodged partially into a janitorial trashcan. And there in the dark, tucked between brooms, mops, and trash bags, he sees her. ❝ Hn- ...Augh, hhh—Hanabi…?! ❞

[sanguinedevotion]

"That may be, but you should still show it care." There was a reason Silas's hair looked as good as it did. However, that wasn't the point he was trying to make. His expression was one of frustration, but when Vanth addressed him quietly, that expression changed. "...Hm? Oh..."

He set the brush down, still holding some strands of Vanth's hair in his hands. "Well...you shouldn't have gone." He was prepared to start lecturing, but as he looked down at the slumped figure before him, he just couldn't.

"....Although, I probably would've done the same thing. I wanted to." He paused, then put his hand on Vanth's shoulder. That was the vampire's way of letting Vanth know he'd been forgiven.

"You needn't dwell on it."

[divinedevourer-a]

A sigh. Vanth knows Silas is correct, as he often is the voice of reason. It is the driving force behind this sigh—a surrender to the other man's logic, unable to find a fault in it himself. ❝ Guess that's why your hair looks so good, ❞ he mutters with consideration. The frown on his lips pulls deeper as Silas continues after setting down the brush, with Vanth already prepared for a lecture. It's not undeserved—he has been waiting for it since he and Sebastian brought him home. The air between them sits thickened by words unsaid. Yet no reprimanding comes. Instead, Silas agrees with him. And Vanth can't help but turn as his hand rests reassuringly on his shoulder, meeting those eyes that remind him so much of his own. ❝ You've forgiven me… just like that? ❞ It is a concept he struggles with—forgiveness. The people here give it to him so readily that Vanth seldom knows what to do with it. Faced with it again, he quiets, lowering his gaze in solemn thanks. Then it lifts again, still sensing more.

❝ But... I kinda feel like that's not all you wanna say. Is it? ❞

[divinedevourer-a]

❝ These guys— ❞ Thwack! ❝ —are a little different than the rest! ❞ Hack! Two swift strikes from a cleaver send the Glitched to the ground—the first aimed at its legs and the second straight for its neck. He stands a monument of death above a scattering of several more of its kind, their twisted shapes motionless as they run rivers of crimson at his feet. His spine is arched, hair hanging limply behind him like a willow weeping to offer a smile toward the Heavens. Briefly, he watches the souls invisibly ascend, up into clouds that swallow them into their grey color like moisture from the air. And then Vanth drops his arms as dead weight at his sides to cackle like a raven, staggering and raspy and crackly with exhaustion. The back of his hand attempts to clean his face of their blood, but instead, it smears across his jaw like army paint worn in the wrong place for the wrong reasons, red rather than black. The moans of other monsters lurk nearby. Inside his fist, cold steel hungrily awaits them.

❝ Hope you got somethin' sharp on youuu! 'Cause otherwise, you're shit out of luck! They'll just keep coming, babe! Hahaha!!! ❞ @lunareprisal — death space.

[divinedevourer-a]

❝ We're pretty high up… ❞ Vanth observes at last, now that they've put enough distance between themselves and the Glitched. From the roof of a several-story building, his view of them doesn't seem so abnormal. They still look like people shuffling about down there, going about their day. Only instead of errands to run or people to meet, it's carnage they're after. ❝ I think we're good here until we figure out somewhere else to move. ❞ A quick teleport had placed him and Balduran safely away from the chaos for the time being, allowing them both a moment to catch their bearings. Vanth needed this downtime, anyway—he'd been burning through his abilities faster than he meant to. He's about to move away from the roof's edge when something starts to stand out to him as strange. The Glitched—have they begun breaching the building below? Warily, his eyes thin.

❝ …But we should prooobably get to figuring out where that 'somewhere else' is gonna be. ❞ @astrallithid — they're looking.

[divinedevourer-a]

❝ Well, it's pretty fucking easy to understand, ❞ Vanth says of the wound. He remembers this guy quite well—their run-in was ages ago, but he's sure that funny acrylic stand is still proudly posing on his shelf even amid the apocalypse. Meeting him again in a scenario like this is far from what he expected: both of them injured, though the other much worse off—and poisoned, too. It's a gnarly bite the other is sporting on his shoulder. Vanth pokes beneath the bloody mess to drive home his next point, knowing the toxins flowing from it must be excruciating.

❝ One of us sucks out the poison, or you die. Simple as that. ❞ @kleinstar — p is for poison.

[divinedevourer-a]

He has to act quickly. Out of the dark, an elbow hooks around her shoulders, stopping her in place as his hand reaches to smother her mouth. Her metallic body does not feel human in his arms—Vanth has captured enough of them exactly in this manner to make the distinction—but she seems sentient enough to not be a threat. Not like the Glitched standing motionless in the pitch black halls ahead. <<Don't scream,>> enters her mind, sharply shushing her. Vanth cannot guess whether she'll hear it given her differences to him, but trying is necessary for their survival. <<They're up ahead, but they can't see. If you want to make it out of here, just think your answers back to me. Got it? Or you'll blow it for both of us.>>

@serialvx00100000 — blind run.

[divinedevourer-a]

❝ Ugh, I can't see shit out here… ❞ No amount of squinting seems to help—this fog is so thick not even a knife could cut it. The rest of his senses don't amount to much, either. The stench of blood and rot is everywhere, and pinpointing anything by smell alone would be like using a compass near the earth's poles. Haywire.

Hearing fares somewhat better. It tells Vanth where to avoid, at least. Shuffling means 'danger' while slow groups of many feet demand 'turn back.' Deeper in the haze, he hears a set of footfalls closing in. Vanth focuses, weighing whether he should bail or fight. And then, legs are tangling over his shoulders the next moment, sending the airborne culprit and himself to the pavement. ❝ THE FUCK— ❞ He roughly knots his fingers into the first grabbable part he finds—hair—and rips them away from him. When his vision makes sense of whatever it is, he sees a familiar face staring back at him, looking strikingly human despite their surroundings. Immediately, he halts his next blow as his eyes narrow. ❝ It's you? Where'd you come from?! The sky??? ❞ @imnotdracula — ick, crimson fog!

[gemmyicons]

@sanguinedevotion @divinedevourer

It was only just a moment after he had woken, brought Vanth back as promised, that the world had fallen into some sort of chaos. He's grateful that he got to his Dove before anything, and he's even more grateful that he was able to return to Silas before anything.

While he was still not fully recovered and the phantom pain of what had transpired a few days ago still lingered, Silas was in no way ready for combat. Not as he was now.

It was his job to make sure his progeny and his devotee were both safe from harm's way.

[sanguinedevotion]

Silas and Vanth’s reunion had been unfortunately disturbed by a terrible racket at the door. Silas was the first to check one of the windows, only to see some kind of shambling zombie trying to claw its way into their home. 'A witch must have lost their familiar.’ He commented with annoyance, and surprisingly he didn’t take it as much of a threat at first. Not until more of them showed up ..

He glanced back at Vanth, looking quite serious. “I’ll wake Lord Sebastian. Don’t open the door or try to open a window."

@divinedevourer

[divinedevourer-a]

He doesn't need to be told twice. Vanth back-steps slowly into the kitchen while his attention flicks between Silas and the door. The banging has grown more numerous and insistent in these short ticking minutes. His hand blindly opens the cutlery drawer, fishing out a cleaver. ❝ Roger that. From the sound of it, there's more of those weird fuckers at the door… ❞ I don't imagine bunkering down here is in the cards, either. They exchange one final determined look as Silas sets off down the hall, and then Vanth stands alone with the creatures beyond the walls. Ten seconds pass… Thirty seconds… The windows begin to whine with pressure. The sound of nails against glass joins the racket of fists against wood.

❝ Hey— ❞ The vessel urgently calls toward Sebastian's room. ❝ If we need to bail, I've, uh—shit—got us covered! ❞ @occultacarne → @sanguinedevotion

[sanguinedevotion]

@divinedevourer

It seemed like everything had finally settled down. Vanth had been returned home, and Sebastian was recovering from his own death. Now, Silas and Vanth finally had a moment together. Not that the vampire knew what they were going to discuss.

Admittedly, Silas had things to say, but was unsure of how to speak them outloud. So instead, he put his focus into his chores and doting on Vanth's well-being first. "Sit still. You have knots in your hair. Squirming will only make it hurt."

[divinedevourer-a]

The slight kick of his legs stops as he wills them still, though their muscles continue to burn for motion. It's much like their first talk—Silas tending to him, himself fidgety—only Vanth is in better shape. After all, he's had time to heal. ❝ You could just cut them out, ❞ he suggests nonchalantly. ❝ Hair's hair. It'll grow back. ❞ The choppy ends on top make more sense, implying a similar kind of uncaring. It's only hair. It'll grow back. They're just bones. Yophiel will mend them. Saving the strands by painstakingly undoing the knots one by one seems like a waste of one's time. Doesn't it? Vanth becomes silent. One of his ankles tries to sway. ❝ Hey, Sil... ❞

❝ I'm sorry. You know... for not coming back. ❞