A Wizards Misadventures

~~Level Seventeen~~

AN: This is a pretty long series of interludes, though there's only three of them. I think I got a lot done in them and gave a lot of perspective on characters other than Abyss, namely Taylor, Remnant's current happenings, some details on the cult, and how most people perceive Abyss. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with this. Next chapter is some DxD stuff and I think I wrote it really well.

[|||| =LEVEL 17= ||||]

[|| =!BONUS LEVEL!= ||]

The Faustian

"I have decided that I have made a mistake," it said out of the blue. Taylor stiffened and was silent, her hands freezing. Her heart raced and she felt a panic setting in. It was in her room… It was in. Her. Room. Just yesterday she had been helpless to watch as it… slaughtered Lung with her body. She could feel it's oppressive mind, an alien thing vaster than hers could ever be, rip control of her body through the back of her head. That tether chaining her to it. "You think I am some sort of monster, don't you?"She hesitated, which apparently said enough for it to know how afraid she was of it.

"I am sending you one of my most ardent followers. I've told her not to preach to you but, well… you'll see. She is poor with her aura just as you are but she is deadly in nearly any other aspect of combat. She will be your tutor and friend if you will allow it. Hopefully this will incentivise you to find me a foothold on Earth Bet quicker."

There was a sound behind her, something between a crunch and a thump. She froze for just a moment before her mind screamed 'MOVE' and she leaped away. Ice collected in her hand to make a crappy dagger, more of an icicle really, and she crouched down like Vicky had taught her to fight the intruder.

She was tall, taller than most humans at least. Purple eyes, seemingly shining with some unearthly light, stared out of a clearly professional helmet, most of the other features shadowed by the poor light of the room and the helmet itself. Everything below that was a dark modern armour with pale metal plates attached to vital organs. It was simple but clearly effective with how much of the warrior's body it covered. But most intimidating was the axe hanging at her side, its head made of bone for some reason, paired with a wicked looking black dagger on the other side of her waist. She looked like some sort of knight, modernized and ready for war.

Her hands came up to her helmet and she pulled it off before whipping her head, freeing a long intricate golden braid of hair and exquisite features on tanned skin. Taylor was dumbstruck at her intruder's… everything.

"What is up my fellow champion of Abyss?!" Irisai grinned toothily and raised a gloved hand for a high five.

Taylor stared, her mouth a little agape. She closed it and forced herself to put the 'dagger' away, the ice hissing as she sped up its evaporation. Her heart felt like it was in her throat and her mind was a mess. Hadn't she been folding her clothes a minute ago?

"Okay… no high five then!" The warrior's hand lowered and her smile turned down a little. "So I'm Irisai! And you're Taylor, right?" She didn't answer, her mind a mess. Seconds ticked by as she gathered some composure

"… Taylor Hebert," she said to the stranger. A surge of insecurity went through her as the woman smiled, making her feel like the sun had shined for the first time in years. It was like Vicky's aura turned up to the maximum with a nice hug.

She hated it.

"There you go! He said you might be a bit antisocial but I knew you had it in you!" The intruder, Irisai, walked over to her bed next to the folded laundry and sat down gently. Still, the wood groaned under the woman and her plate armour. How much did that armour weigh? How strong was she to effortlessly walk around in it? "Sooo, I don't really have a place to stay right now besides yours. But since we serve the same god it appears accepta-sorry, it's cool, right? I'm still learning modern slang from Elsyria but uh, I'm kinda old fashioned. I still slip back sometimes when I'm nervous." That confident, sunny grin grew sheepish but Taylor had no doubts that she was anything but confident in herself. Nervous her ass.