Ven Occult Theoretics I: The Occult-Flesh Barrier - Failure

With his recent catch, one took passage back towards Loranthis. Every aspect of the world around them from a new perspective beheld with a new appreciation. From the wilderness bearing fellow kin, having depreciated to a new low in power comparison-- To the commoners and encounters of the Imperfect's city.

White Castle felt so much newer. As though, things he didn't recognize nor acknowledged prior could finally be gazed upon in a new light. Every step down the staircase he had grown so used to, was avoided with a light hover their structure for a smooth transition to their base below.

"It's almost as though I'm visiting for the first time." He commented, passing the guards on by in his search for the one his underlings had brought down to the dungeon's depths.
Cell after cell, he scanned prisoners, old and new with the same light grin plastered across his visage.

They were not to be the focus of his arrival-- No, he had his own catch! Alas, he had found his eyes fallen upon Sitira.
"I imagine you're holding up just fine?" He landed before her cell, arms rested behind his back with fist in hand in a casual... Perhaps, nigh-militaristic composure.
(Venom)
[06:20:57] Her defeat, and foolishness led her into this Dungeon she now awakes in. Hearing that same familiar voice before falling unconcious and being brought to what might be her newfound hell. Turning to face Venom, whom stood just outside of the cell. A question was asked of her, and a question that she didn't come to appreciate or like. Her entire body, ached, and her stomach felt empty. She tried to ignore that, as of now something much worse might come. Approaching the cell bars and staring Venom down. She spoke aloud, sarcasm in her tone.

"I'm doing just fine, thanks. I learned my lesson, I'm so sorry mister. Can you please let me go? I won't do it again. How stubborn and foolish Sitria was, that either would have persuaded Venom or encouraged him to beat her down or perhaps even kill her. She couldn't stop thinking back to that battle, just before everything went dark. How he transformed into a Kaor, a powerful one at that. In the middle of their fight? Defeat was imminent for her anyways, no possible way she could have escaped. Her eyes shifted only to rest upon Venom's person. One thought coming into mind.

I'm gonna get snuffed. .
(Sitria)
[06:29:29] He stared into her cell, silently judging his means of carrying out his intentions. He had to put things together, mentally atleast, before he could go about acting to ensure things went as planned.
He backpedalled away from her cell, on cue for the approach of a telepathically summoned guard from down the hall-- Keys, in hand.

Not a word was said in the endeavor. To her request, the gate to her cell was opened! Was he letting her go so soon? Anti-climactic to say the least...
Thus, he waited.
Waited patiently for her to do the honors of leaving the cell she was placed within.

There was no excess of guards around, nor pooling around the opened cage. Perhaps, this was genuine? Or he was absolutely confident in his ability to control the situation.
(Venom)
[06:39:44] Sitria watched Venom's actions with a curious and frightful expression upon her visage. Seeing a guard come through the door and fork over the keys to the Kaor, the gate to her cell was opened. Backing up into a corner, she seen Venom simply stand there by the gate and waiting. As if gesturing her to leave in a way, was this trickery? A sign of hope that would soon be crushed? Gradually Sitria stood up and inched her way to the gate. Staying on the defensive the entire time as she moved past the Kaor. Is this. .for real?

The only current thought that came in her mind, there were doubts sense yokai were nortorious for deception. Turning to face Venom, Sitria was staring him directly in the eyes. Her tone, sounding very nervous, she wouldn't be calm until Sitria was out of this place. Speaking. "A-Are you serious, Venom? I suppose you yokai aren't so bad. .some anyways. There isn't nothing you need or want from me? No questions? Experiments? I can just get my things and go?

Patiently, she awaited an answer but at the same time trying to keep her distance from Venom. Not entirely sure what was going to occur next, maybe her hopes and dreams were toyed with? Sitria hoped that wasn't the case, all she wanted was to get out of this place alive and in one piece.
(Sitria)
[06:44:51] As expected, she left the cell. However, it was not in the rebellious and spiteful manner that he had come to expect. In fact, it was a lot more tame-- As though riddled with fear of distrust. Though, he couldn't fathom what there wasn't to trust-- As far as he could tell, everything from him had been straight forward.

"Of course I have experimentation to tend to." He sated her confusion with his truth."I simply couldn't be bothered with ordering others to drag you out of your cell."
That was it... Sloth.
He simply wanted Sitria to do half of the effort of complying to his intentions rather than having to put any energy into the whole operation.

"Now then, if you'd do the honors and head this way." He rose an arm to point down the hall-- Not quite for the exit, but a lengthy corridor that lead to an abandoned Warden's office: Now? A laboratory.
(Venom)
[06:55:05] Hearing Venom speak, she felt butterflies in her stomach and everything feeling heavy. A deep sinking feeling of sorrow and fear, thinking that what lies up ahead was death. There was no possible way for her to escape from this place, not with this Kaor right here. She simply wasn't strong or fast enough to outrun the Kaor. Even if she did, what would await for her after she left this place? Guards would pursue her, and she might even get a bounty on her head. Matters would only be worse if Sitria ever did escape. Might as well get it done and over with and she if she does leave this place alive.

Seeing Venom point his arm down the hall, it was down a long corridor that lead to some room. She wasn't sure what it was herself since this was her first time ever being inside this place. Slowly, she made her way over to the room and entered appearing to be some sort of laboratory. Crap. Entering the room and standing still. She awaited further instruction and what was going to happen next. The entire time, she kept her eyes upon Venom to see what he will do. Trying to determine if what his next actions will be either painful, a risk of death. Tears begun to stream down her cheeks, she has never been in this situation before, she was fearful of death.

You're gonna be fine Sitria! You're gonna get ouf of here alive! You can do it!
(Sitria)
[07:07:53] Compliance.
It was surprising how rare he came across that these days, at least from others unlike himself. For once, things were going his way... Even if, at the expense of others. It was only natural for those of his kind, wasn't it?

Down the hall, the open door to the laboratory... It lacked much of a bodily fluid messings, and moreoff magical scathings along its walls and flooring: Clearly, magical practices were at work here from time to time. Following Sitira in, the Kaor levitated past the doorway, pausing to behold the room in its entierty... Lacking.

It was abandoned for a reason. Not many really ever wardened the imprisoned, for the very reason that Venom tried to address albeit was shot down viciously by his superiorities: A severe lack of structure. To think, the moment an individual high in the heirarchy had been vanquished, that all of the Imperfect Lord's growing empire would topple in over itself and tumble over in a depressing domino effect.

"It was here that I was the test subject at the hands of Dumuzid's exorcists for the workings of their unique magics.
Holy Barriers and mana-siphoning plant life." He started, "--and this is where you will help me discover a stronger variant of such within the infinite depths of the Occult." He reached out for a corner of the room, housing a bookshelf.

Refined vision honed in on a book of his choosing, one tailored to his daemonic ilk in particular as to pick at the mind of the authors that studied his kind akin to specimens under their scalpel. A strictly controlled, albeit concentrated vacuum jet of air siphoned up at the tome, prying it right into his open-handed reach.

"Not -quite- Barrier Magic based around the Occult, but the concept of an instance that perpetuates itself through an alien circuit, to empower a construct of another source's arcane."
(Venom)
[07:21:32] Further examination of the room, taking intermitten glances around to see if there was any potential way of escape. All around, it was obvious that there was special magics being used in here or at least experimented on from all of the information she has gathered so far. It seems that this room isn't used very often. Regardless, those thoughts were discarded at the moment of Venom's voice being sent in her direction. Explaining what his plans were and what he was going to do.

Mana-siphoning plant life, she was going to aid Venom in helping him discover a more. .malvolent power somewhere within the occultic arts. Her heart began to rapidly beat at the thought, becoming even more nervous than before. She had to pull through this, stick it out to the end. A gulp was made, before speaking. Stuttering a bit in her tone, sobbing somewhat but trying to keep herself composed. "Str-Stronger occultism? Wha? The kaor was scrolling through books, seeing him grasp the one that he desired, she closed her eyes. Simply accepting what was to come next, what was she going to do? Venom overpowered her. Might as well obey and not have the situation worsen. She stood there, kind of ignoring his words at this point.
(Sitria)
[07:51:24] He had full intent on exercising his experiment akin to that of Serene before him. However, he came across the same issue as before. How was he going to be able to create a medium?
But wait... Didn't he already have one? The perfect medium at that!

A yokai. There were so many in the reach of the White Tower, whether they were sent to minor tasks around the tower, to the wider outskirts of the city. Though, his influence could go far, it was bound to be overshadowed by the Imperfect's. There wasn't reason to give in now...
He reached out to summon forth a lesser beast, generic in fashion from the the sraircase and down the halls.

Just one, feeble albeit sentient enough to stand in Mega-class, soon to join him at his side.
"You're going to be, my source of power. A 'battery', so to speak." An outreached hand stretched for Sitria, but was not aimed for her flesh, nor through the atmosphere she'd breathe. It was with the shadows he could conjure, and his own circuitry he mutually felt-- Attempting to feel out what coursed her natural leylines from afar.

It was an invasive endeavor, allowing the premature chill of the nightly element to sting at her core. "It requires me to feel out your circuit and the mana that courses through it... And build off of it." Selene's practices were not in vain. Despite aiding the Imperfect Lord attain a mysterious gem of Kokb'ael? It also taught Venom the basis for a theoretical casting.

His other untasked arm was soon extended out for the summoned Mega Yokai, vacuuming at their vessel through the arcane of venturamancy to his outreached palm. "-- And this yokai, will be my medium. However, he will need to be in a different form for this... Close to dead, perhaps-- If not outright. His function outweighs his survivability."

Alas, the fellow beast was pulled into his grasp: face-first, between tightening digits, clasping into the flesh.
(Venom)
[08:10:11] Crying silently, cowering in absolute fear unsure what is to come next. A yokai, lesser than Kaor approached and entered the room to stand at Venom's side. Soon after that, she was just informed that Sitria was going to be used as a source of power, a 'battery' in a way. She will have to exert most of her mana then in that case? Allowing Venom to finish his sentence, she was able to get the gist of what was happening. An experiment on using mana to buff yokai? Sitria wasn't positive, but she decided to roll with it and give Venom her mana. She wanted to try and make this less painful, or was this going to be painful? That thought still lingered in her mind.

"So, you're telling me that you are going to use my mana and build off of it so that you can gain power and strength? Buff yourself up? Is that about it? Falling silent, she continued to cower in the corner. Hopefully this experimentation will be over soon and it wouldn't take very long. Seeing the lesser yokai be firmly grasped into Venom's clutches, it went face-first with Venom clasping into the flesh, still somewhat innocent to that type of blood and gore. Opening her eyes, the flesh of the miniture beast was torn apart, it's face was rearranged in a way. Her eyes widened, not sure what was going to happen to her next. Forcing herself to utter these words.

"A-And you just want me. .to g-give you my mana?
(Sitria)

[08:30:40] "No-no, no. You don't understand. You couldn't understand. You're not like the others." He claimed, "You'll have to see for yourself."
The grasp over the captured yokai's head was drenched in a depraved energy that seeped from one's touch akin to a crude substance sliding down the flesh.

The transmundane was near materialized from the excess mana doused upon the lesser, singing the flesh albeit feeding it wholesomely-- Overflowing even. Burrowing into the mind and leaving it sated enough to leave the body fallen limp, not quite fatigued but overindulged in the subsistence that incapacitated it in its raw abundance.

Venom relinquished his hold, allowing his manipulative grasp through the atmosphere to restrain one upright, all the while Sitria still in his previously cast spell.

The multitasking Kaor had stretched the Mega yokai's appendages outward, to mirror a crucified image. An erect finger reaching out to prod with, with tightly swathing gales transforming such touch into one tantamount to a scalpel's incision. A slight cut into the lower-neck region, below the adam's apple and straight down, between the pectorials and abdomen muscularity.

"The yokai body is capable of soaking even absorbing the occultic element, as a means of 'cleansing' the darkness. At the same time, it bears the ability to bend it with explicit ease, allowing us to condone to usages Darkness unlike any other of your kind." He explained to his subject.
"What this yokai is going to do, is recieve new purpose. It is naturally acclimated to the Occult, so I intend to break it down and turn it anew." The skin was peeled open to reveal a yokai's anatomy-- Strangely contorted from that of a human's own, but oddly enough similar for comparison's sake.

This generic one, anyways...
"The table." He referenced behind the woman. "I will need you to be laid down upon it." What was once a near constrictive spell placed upon her was now an outright force intent on ejecting her from where she stood for the table over yonder.
(Venom)
[08:48:35] Venom was correct in his rectification, Sitria had no clue of her current location, what was occuring or what will happen to her. See for myself hm? Upon her observations so far, she has seen that the captured yokai had its skull soaked in depived energies. Its body fell limp, it appeared that it took to much of the substance given to it, causing it to incapacitate. Sitria was still in the previous spell that was cast by Venom a short while ago. The little girl didn't bother to pry her eyes away from the Kaor's current actions. The Mega yokai's appendages and such was stretched outward, its current position gave off the image of a mirrored crucifixtion.

An incision was made below the adam's apple and straight down inbetween the chest and abdomen, carving into the muscles maybe? Further explanations of his current endeavors were made, talking about how a yokai is capable of soaking and absorbing occultism as a way to cleanse the darkness within them, all the while allowing it to bend it with ease, twist and contort it. Sitria wasn't sure or positive of what Venom was going to do or what his intentions and sole purpose of all this was. She wasn't going to ask but can only make an educated guess about it.

Oh, now it was time for the 'fun' part. Being told to lay down on the table, hestiantly she inched here way over to the table. Scuffling over to it, this was probably going to suck. A sudden boost was given, as a force sent her ejecting to the table planting her in front of it. Hopping onto the table, she layed down, inhaling and exhaling attempting to remain calm. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

Stick through it, get it done and over with and maybe you get to walk out of here alive! Working up the courage to mutter these following words before Venom proceeded with. .whatever it is he may be doing. "J-Just. .get it done and over with. .I wanna just get out of here, if being experimented on means my freedom th-then. .just do it. . At least that is what she wanted to believe.
(Sitria)
[09:00:32] Once the human was put down in a manner that provided him with better leverage for his workings, he couldn't help but rethink the entire setup. "Ah. Now that I think of it, 'need' was a bit of a strong word."

An opened up yokai at his side was gutted at his open intestines with an open palm forced into his meaty vessel. The organs still sodden in their overspilling blood, kept together by the Kaor's gracious endeavors. "Regardless... I'm certain you've seen Occultists tear away at mana and flesh to heal up themselves, yes?" He asked of the woman. "Perhaps, how some yokai seem to regenerate faster after consuming a meal?"

An answer towards any of his questions was not warranted, nor did he have the slightest care for response from her. "Well, an extended theory of mine: The siphoning of one's whole being-- Flesh, Bone, Sinew, Mana, and the reverse-siphoning of it, elsewhere. Not quite creating something out of nothing, but moving it from point A, to point B." He went onwards, his digging hand soon flooding the open-body of the drugged yokai in his grasp with his occultic essence.

Raw Depravity enriched its every fibre, before breaking it down and dematerializing it to its base elements and mana, all funneled into the Kaor whom took to forwarding it elsewhere-- Upon Sitria. A mauve stream of matter poured out upon her, reconstructing the beast that was shredded into oblivion in the Kaor's reach. First, his internal organs, grounded up, shredded into a gorey mess and vaccuumed before a single drop of it could go to waste.

It was promptly erased from existence, whilst reintroduced through his body as a medium. Though, none of the being was as it was...
The organs...
The body...
The mind...
It was all changed, twisted by the Darkness that mangled it so callously.

Fed an excess of the Kaor's mana, it took to regeneration... But not according to its own design, but of the enforced memories injected into its mind through a hex of Oblivion. An amalgamation of raw shadow and animated flesh molded itself around Sitria, building off of the table to recreate the yokai in his favored image: An imprisoning tool.

Once lying on a table, now, within a living cage. The light was omit within its hollowed gullet, shifting flesh and ebony smog encircled Sitria from every angle, constantly whittling at her mind in a futile attempt to telepathically link to her. Its malignant effects, waging its wrath upon her mind.
(Venom)
[09:26:08] Sitria was silent, simply laying there atop of the table. The yokai was opened, gutted open like a pig. Intestines were being grasped with an open palm within the kaors grasp. Organs, blood spilling. She seen mostly everything, it scarrred her somewhat. Not having been exposed to that type of blood and gore. Her jaw dropped, a sickening feeling in her stomach, almost as if she wanted to puke, but she ignored that belching feeling. Questions pertaining if she knew how occultists regerate and tear away at mana to heal their own and how yokai regenerate after consuming a meal. A simple nod was given, no words were spoken as of right now. She wouldn't speak unless she felt like it was the correct time to.

Venom proceeded to speak about his theroies, siphoning a person or creature, she never payed much mind to it. Never did she care for those types of theories or anything that was tied in with occultism. Looking around the room, there was only one exit. Before much could be done, the base elements and mana of the creature surged into the kaor and was redirected over to Sitria. A stream of strange matter poured onto her, the beast was being recostructed around the kaor, being grounded up, shredded into a gorey, violent. .words to Sitria that was indescribable. All of it was vaccumed up before a single drop went to wasit. It was all removed from existence, being introduced back througu Venom's body as this 'medium'.

None of the matter was the same, the organs, body, mind, everything was shifted and changed. All due to the darkness that swelled and twisted it. It began to regenerate but not upon the Kaor. It's mold began to take shape and surround itself around the Female Drake. Sitria attempted to fight back the best she could, resist what was swarming her but failed miserably. She let this happen to herself. Whatever smog that was circling around her attempted to telepathically speak with her. It felt more like a mental assault if anything. Fear was all that she felt as of now. Struggling to resist to the best of her ability. Everything felt like it was changing, this shell of what she assumed to be 'yokai matter' locked within a prism of a living yokai meat cacoon.
(Sitria)
[09:44:03] The very first test seemed to operate marvelously! Though, perhaps it was a fluke...
Perhaps, it wouldn't maintain its livelihood for too long. He was certain he fed it more than enough to survive in such improvised state, long enough to induce regeneration back to a stable stature. Though, there was a critical mistake. Perhaps, reforging flesh and bone together wasn't much of the trouble, but rather getting the mind to work as he so desired.

It was addled in the process, too far scattered in his efforts to create an autonomous tool from the bodies of others. "Young one."He acknowledged his creation, expecting a telepathic response-- But to which, he felt blank static.
"Hear me."Still... Nothing...
Perhaps, it was living for now, but none of it worked. It could no longer sustain itself for very long, unable to consume at an alien circuit with is misconstructed anatomy; with a broken mind, it was forced to endure its new vegetative state for the last of its days.

It was disheartening...
Aggravating...
"I must've failed in recreating it exactly as needed."The book referenced prior, dropped to the ground implicitly towards the prelude of his act was picked back up for re-examination.
"These studies..." The hand that grasped the book by the spine, guiding through the pages through venturamancy clasped it shut with a hard pop. One such sound that sought to reign throughout the corridors from the abandoned warden's office.

"All of them, USELESS!"
A book was sent sprawling out the door, meters into the hall to eventually bounce off the cobblestone flooring, and slide by, where the wraith's feet would be.

Soon after, the Kaor exited the doorway, likely intent on departing the dungeons altogether when... Something caught his attention. Perhaps, the many conversations that carried out in the dungeons varied, and were nothing to truly pay any mind to-- But he felt reasoned enough, at least through curiosity to pay it, at least a moment.
(Venom)