Lute x vaggie, tales from the extermination
(Just gonna repost some fics for anyone interested.)
âHow many times are we doing this, Vagatha ? Try againâ Lute stated sternlyÂ
For hours, her and Vaggie went back and forth with wooden sticks, emulating and practicing the aggressive offense of an exorcist. Vagatha stood with feet wide apart, hunched over, and heaving breath through her mouth in desperation. Though Vagatha had been through the ringer of basic training; Lute wanted to spend some extra time squeezing every ounce of effort within her. Always a swing too slow or a sidestep too sluggish, she stuck out awfully amongst the other girls. Despite such flaws, Lute didnât waste opportunity, like a butcher doesnât waste scraps of meat.Â
Vagatha stepped forward, striking downward towards Lute, the stick easily being blocked with a simple defensive motion. It was predictable, exposing, and only for a spectacle. Their eyes met through the intense lock of the practice swords, both sets of eyes being very telling of their mental state. Lute pushed Vagatha out of the friction-filled state with just enough force, swinging the stick to her exposed shoulder. Rather than smacking Vagathaâs shoulder hard, she lightly tapped the shoulder at the climax of swinging downward; as a way of subtly letting her know the mistake of her strike.Â
âJust because you are tired, does NOT mean being reckless is excusable.â Lute stated firmly, Vagatha nervously glancing between the floor and her.
âIf a resilient sinner uses a sword like object to defend themselves, you cannot drop your guard after an agitated shove like thatâ stating just as firmly as before while tapping Vagathaâs shoulder, and beginning to circle her.Â
âThe other girls are aggressive, but gauging when to strike or defend yourself is just as important.âÂ
The intense practice continued, Vaggies muscles aching and flimsy from the extensive combat. Her brain pulsated with mental fatigue, but too focused on getting her defensive technique down to even notice the pain. A particular stance was eventually reached, both girls slowly circling each other around the spare training room, blades at the ready for whoever struck first.Â
A light clatter tapped amongst the stone floor.
Lute had dropped her stick.
âYou should get ready for tomorrow, Vagatha .â Lutes tone was authoritative, yet a casual and satisfied smile pursed upon her lips.
The training arena was going to be left dark, dark for the next few days. Energy conservation and mental focus took priority over everything before extermination day. When Vagatha eventually made it to her barracks, her callused and aching soles nearly gave up on holding her up. Leaning in through the doorway, a few other girls laid idly in bed, staring at the ceiling in contemplation. The gray plaster walls always seemed to give off the seemingly endless quantity of time, where one minute could feel like ten. Vagatha moped and struggled to her bottom bunk, falling onto the mattress backwards. Her limbs all spread slightly apart, palms facing downward with a clear enough mind to worry generously about tomorrow. A handful of girls talked amongst themselves, mostly describing how much pain they were in, or rumours passed through the grapevine regarding exterminationÂ
A pair of innocent, almost gleaming eyes swung over to Vagathaâs blurred view
âWell what was that about? You made me socialize with everyone else with your absence.â
Mary was Vagathaâs top bunk. An incredibly upbeat, positive, and high pitched exorcist. Her country twang and can-do attitude gets her in trouble more often than not, especially in a strict program like this. Vagatha tolerated Mary as much as possible, but couldnât help when her frustration influenced the tone of her words when conversing.Â
Lute.. doesn't.. Didnât think I was exorcist readyâ Vagatha uttered in a sarcastic, but mostly disappointed tone
Maryâs large and almost cartoon-ish eyes dilate impossibly more, as if she was a mother disappointed by the way other kids treat her daughter at school. A set of arms hang down beside Maryâs face, belonging to her of course. She remained lopsided and upside down on her top bunk, taken aback by Vagathaâs clear state of discomfort.
âI mean.. You did fall out of line pretty often I guessâ Mary remarked almost innocently, Vaggie pushing out a disgusted, offended face, before bringing her own palms to the sockets of her eyes.
âJust.. shut up Mary.. for once..â
The disdain in Vagathaâs voice pushed whatever response Mary was forming back into her body. Her mouth opened agape to respond, before deciding not to stoke the fire any more. A few glances from other girls came throughout the Vagathaâs bickering, the room quieting just a tad in response to her mood. Vagathaâs sour odor bled into her mattress, her body refusing to stand up and bathe. With mind and body depleted of all energy, she softly closed her eyes, with no intention of opening until the following day
The long, following dayâŠ
With the length of a finger snap, Vagatha awoke slowly, a foggy haze glazing over her eyes. She pried both arms and legs from the mattress, superglued by weakness and comfort. A jug of room temperature water sat under the bed, before quickly bringing it to her calloused lips. Chug Vaggie did, and although her greedy body desired a few more gulps, the bottle's volume wasnât infinite, nor attached to a water tower.Â
This years extermination started in the morning, so Vagatha already rose to her feet to change. Each mask that was worn by the exorcists was given out on day one. It secures tightly and firmly around the head. With enhanced tailored vision for each individual. The hole each exorcist put their head through was adjustable. Using buttons on the side to configure the tightness. The material was malleable yet firm, like a leather cap with the duration of a steel helmet. Itâs firm presentation standing on itâs own was terrifying. An unsettling and adjustable smile displayed upon the front screen of the helmet, accompanied by a rough pair of obsidian horns on the top. Inside felt like a pair of virtual reality goggles, with enhanced sound and vision.
Vagatha leaned under her bed to retrieve the steel black crate under her thin bed frame, and punched in the 4 digit code. When opened, the mask looked just as well made as day one. Expected, yes, but still taken aback by the quality and caliber of the equipment. She hugged the helmet into the corner of her arm, holding it firmly. Her rear pushed off from the edge of the bed, following other members towards the open door. The wide hallway outside of the barracks was lined with inspirational posters, advertisements to join the exorcist legion. Vagatha felt an uneasiness course through her body, the pressure of performing such undoable and unforgivable actions so casually was settling in, mere minutes before sheâd perform them. The stone ceiling and walls combined with the swarm of exorcists walking all over, her breath became hitched in seconds. Motioning her hand to slick back some hair behind the ears, hoping for a greater state of clarity from the simple action, she forced a stern expression before her face.
The bleak tunnel eventually reached an end, leading to the golden clouds of heavens natural outside. An elevated stone podium stood 50 feet before her and the crowd of exorcists, murmurs thinning out once Lute arrived at said podium.
âBefore we open the portal to the festering rathole of sinners, and before you all cleanse Pentagram City of the trash itâs absolved in, Adam will give you some encouraging words.â
Lute pivoted to the right, letting Adamâs large and imposing figure loom over. His hands caress the sides of the podium with confidence, his sunshine grin plastered across his face.
âWhatâs goin on ladies! Are we ready or are we ready?!â
The crowd hesitated for a moment, before erupting in a war-chant scream.
âAw man that never gets old⊠How many of you are nervous? Be honest, I wonât judgeâ Adamâs tone leaning incredibly casually, with an upbeat frat boy confidence
A few hands raised regarding the question, Adam nodding at a handful of people who admitted to it.
âIt goes away, I promise. Once you slice up a few worthless losers, itâll be like youâve been doing it for years. Which you were, yâall were meant to be the biggest baddest bitches in all of Heaven, am I right?â His volume increased exponentially, the crowd roaring in response to his macho attitude. Vagatha did the same of course, but was still partially distracted by her nerves. Maybe everyone else was good at hiding it, but the devil on her shoulder wanted to tell her that wasnât the case, that she was the only one here scared to death over slaughter. Lute side eyed Vagathaâs lack of participation in comparison to the other girls, with Vagatha taking notice, and adjusting her attitude accordingly.
âItâs time ladies, time for you to bring the hammer down and KICK SOME ASS!â Adam screamed in an almost harmonus tone, another wave of roars rupturing from the crowd. His right arm swung to the side of him, pointing at the forming portal
âWe like to send you in one by one on your first time, ok? Question is, whoâs gonna have the balls- lips! To take the first plunge, hm?â A smug look displayed before him
The silence was impressively eerie, the only noise coming from the actively forming ring, a red fog appearing on the other side of the portal. Others looked side to side, unable to flinch from the nerves. Turns out, everyone was big talk up until shit got real. Vagatha avoided eye contact, hoping someone would go first to start the line, then she heard her. A large gust of wind blew to Vaggies face, a pair of wings cast a shadow over her, before descending mere feet before her. Lute gently touched the ground, her wings retracting while adjusting posture. Vagatha almost froze at the sight of her, the idea of her being called out creeped in her mind, but never did she think it would come into fruition.
âVagatha⊠I think you need to take the leap of faith first, wouldnât you say?â
âI-uh⊠yes ma'am..â
âAll that extra work you did is about to pay off..â
Lute uttered under her breath, as Vagatha is led to the fully formed portal. Adam loomed right by her, nonchalantly handing her an angelic tipped spear. Her hands grasped its rough base, yet lightweight handling, the etching on the razor sharp edge was beautifully hand ingrained, reflecting off of every angle of light. Vagatha met Adams eyes, his smug smirk never leaving
âSo whatâs your name, hot stuff?â
âVagatha.. Itâs Vagathaâ Vagatha struggled to maintain eye contact, caved in mentally by the pressure.
âI like it, but itâs a bit too.. Old sounding, yâknow? Thatâs my fuckin grandmas name. So how about Vaggie for short.â
âYes sir.. I am Vaggie..â
âSounds good Vaggie, and what sounds even better is you kickin some fuckin ass! Take the leap babe.â Adam motions towards the portal with an iron clenched fist, waiting for Vaggie to take the leap.
Vaggie took a few quick breaths, composing herself for the audience watching, before stepping back, and running to the portal. Those few feet felt like miles, but all she needed was some confidence. Her hands gripped the spear tightly, pushing off the ground at a high speed, and watched the fluffy golden cloud of heaven disappear, being welcomed by deep red clouds.
Wind roared past her ears while descending, other exorcists coming into view, traveling faster downward. Screams of Calvary came from the other exorcists, feeding off the rush of the moment. Seconds later, the clouds subsided and a clear view of the city below grazed Vaggies eyes. Bright lights and constant moving cars drew in the other exorcists as well, most spreading their wings to begin guided flight. Vaggie eventually tilted her body upward, expanding her wings slowly to make her approach. A moment of unexpected silence persisted over the next minute, everyone concentrating on making the approach, and trying not to hit any of the obnoxiously tall buildings.Â
There was no game plan for the first timers, which you could argue was incredibly irresponsible on regards to conditioning or training, but it had proven effective in prior years. Letting the new girls roam free to get a feel for unrestrained violence was what kept most exorcists on the team. To know that moments of carnage were very possible to bring to reality made any undecided exorcist think twice about putting down the spear, it was too much to resist. With that thought in mind, Vaggie continued to weave through the city quickly, a few straggling sinners scouring below, trying to find a shelter from the rain. A few screams filled the air while Vaggie elevated to a higher plane to get a better look. Uncertainty filled her heart and mind, the screams of others chopping sinners to bits made her stomach do cartwheels. There was no point in holding back, she was here, and she had a job to do.
Below a street lamp lies a panicking sinner, swiveling his feet from side to side, unable to decide where to go.
