.^^ Possessed Tiberius ^^

— Adelaide —

I woke up, early, perhaps six thirty in the morning, as the sun hit my eyes, and saw that Seth was gone. "Diana?" I mumbled.

"I saw. Get some more sleep." She pet my hair gently.

"Been 'sleep since ten... 'm up now." I grumbled, and rolled slowly across her, off the bed, and onto my feet.

She chuckled and popped my butt sharply. "Alright, then food! Sleep then food, dem's the rules." She shrugged as if it was out of her hands, and threw me over her shoulder, carrying me down into the kitchen, with all of the other girls following, a giggling train of idiots.

The guys saw the near-naked train of women, all shapes and colors and sizes, but just rolled back over on their couches, covering their heads with pillows to block out the giggles and boisterous laughter which permeated the air.

The kitchen was entirely void of ingredients, but apparently 'Paulie' was a coffee addict, because that was all that was in the cupboard, hundred and hundreds of different coffees, from around the world, and a giant selection of Ashes, labeled by what they came from, which he apparently added to the brew for flavor, as well as actual feeding.

I grinned, and stared three different pots, with three different blends, and putting Ashe into one of them. "Blue pot is sorcerer's coffee, green and red are everyone else!" I called out, and then found the mother of all Keurig's, hidden in a large pantry.

It was two feet tall, two feet wide, silver and black, sleek, and it was clearly labeled with thirty-four different cappuccino creation options, including temperature, foam amount, foam aeration, milk addition, cream addition, and so, so many more.

"Diana... I've found my god... I have found the god I will worship until I die..." I hugged the machine protectively.

She snorted and pulled me off it, starting it up. "Yeah yeah. We'll take it back with us, if you like."

"You will do no such thing, but you are welcome to come enjoy it whenever you like. It's bolted to the wall." Seth appeared, wiping sleep from his eyes.

I blinked slowly. "You're staying here?"

"I like it here. And once it's completely empty of the Thorn's Camp, and replaced with my followers, under strict orders to only eat or contract the wicked, well... it'll be a much more honest city, that's for sure." He chuckled darkly.

"And you think they'll just... do as you say?" Diana asked, snorting disbelievingly.

"A man let me rip his Virgin daughter's head off and eat her corpse in front of him last night, without batting an eye. Yes, they'll obey me." He turned towards the coffeemaker before we could react, then began making himself a cup of coffee, and pouring a giant helping of the Ashe in, once it was finished.

He glanced around, and saw our faces, then hummed. "That... that came out wrong. She was an evil sorcerer who was saving her virginity for... well, me. She offered herself, and I wanted the Arcane knowledge she had, and the Briar wanted her Virgin Blood and power, so we compromised."

I nodded slowly. "And you're cool with the cannibalism?"

"No? It's not cannibalism, firstly, because I'm not eating them, I'm turning them into ethereal Ashe, and breathing it in. Secondly, she was totally evil. I saw her memories, it was a non-stop horror movie." He waved us away casually, and picked up his mug as it was finished. "Anyway! What's the plan?" He sat down at the table casually, watching us.

I made my own cup, and sat across from him. "That depends, really. What's your plan?"

He hummed, looking into his coffee. "It's rather simple, really. I'm going to make Thorn manifest himself into a mortal body, then I'm going to destroy his sacrifices, so he breaks the contract: that means that Tiberius will be in control, and though he'll likely give over the reins, Thorn will be weak, in this form, and unable to feed on something that isn't there."

I blinked. "But he'll get revoked into the Ether, and all you'll have managed is-"

"You're forgetting the rules... if he can't take the sacrifices, he has to either go back, or permanently submit to the body he was placed in... especially because I'll have placed Solomon's Gate on his heart beforehand, as part of the 'Ritual'. And if he chooses to go back, all that we've lost is the element of surprise, because I took out 2000 of his Sorcerers even with the failed attempt." He shrugged.

"So even if we lose, we win, because the Thorn will no longer exist within this City..." I blinked.

He grinned. "Winner winner... and Eldritch Beast for dinner."

I snorted. "Alright, but what if he chooses to stay, Tiberius gives him the reigns, and you can't beat him?"

"Well that's what my backup-plan is for!" He laughed.

"And... that is?" I asked.

"It's a surprise! Now, can anyone get me to the Parlor, without burning in the sun?" He asked.

"Well, you won't burst into flames... it's just uncomfortable, the more powerful you are with the Darkness." I hummed.

"Good. Let's go, then, after we have our coffee. Also, I need everyone who knows stuff about Eldritch Beasts to think about all the different poisons and venoms and magical nonsense that would actually work against Greater Daemons, and gather said things while I work. But don't come near the shop, yet, stay here. Adelaide or me will open up a portal into the shop once everyone is downstairs, so no one sees you come in." He nodded, and gulped down the brew, then walked out.

I took my coffee with me, grabbing my component bag quickly, then following, and caught up as he stepped outside. The sun hit his skin, visibly darkening it, and he growled softly, conjuring sunglasses and covering his eyes. "You're coming with?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm curious." I smiled.

He shrugged. "Alright. Come on, then. It's not far." He started walking, sticking to the shadows, and Tempest the crow landed on his shoulder, making him suddenly invisible.

I stepped closer, grabbing his shoulder, and watched in awe as my body also disappeared, and we walked around the crowds, present even at this time of day, completely unnoticed.

"What, you don't have some sort of invisibility spell?" He asked after a moment.

"Not one as powerful as this one... and I wouldn't be able to see you, that way." I said honestly.

He hummed, and nodded, continuing forward, and finally reaching a nondescript tattoo parlor, which, other than the crowd out front, was basically invisible amongst the other buildings, and the Chinese restaurant above it was thriving, even at this time of morning.

The invisibility dropped, and he walked through the crowd casually, his nonchalant body language belied by the Arcane Scent that filled the air, rolling over us all like a wave of psychic energy.

They all flinched, and moved out of our way, as we made our way inside. The Wraith at the front desk opened the door for us, shutting it quickly behind, and then sat at her desk, trying for casual, as the scent died down a bit, to manageable levels.

"Open the basement." He hissed, his voice grating over my ears and spine.

She swiftly unlocked it, moving out of the way.

"Tell the Vermin outside to scatter, until nightfall... they are making the AIR Foul... when the Vermin known as 'Tiberius' arrives, send him to me." He added, and began walking down the steps.

I followed, closing the door behind us, as she slipped outside, and began speaking to the crowd. "So what are we doing?" I asked.

"Prepping the stage. This circle holds the Sacrifices in stasis, calms them like cows with a blinking light. I'll have them all here, just like what happened to me, but instead... I'll be the one making the Sigils." He grinned, and sat on the Dias, flipping through a small black Grimoire.

I paused. "Where did you get a Grimoire?"

"The Briar has too much knowledge... I condensed some of into a readable format, so my brain could cope with it all." He murmured.

"Oh... that's smart, I guess..." I hummed, and looked at the circle on the ground. Mapping it took time, but it was definitely a Calming Circle, on a level I'd never seen before. In an emergency, even unwilling sacrifices could be used, because this circle would remove their minds, stripping them of anything and everything that made them individuals, and then use their own psychic energy to hold them in place.

I shivered, and stepped out of it quickly, wandering over to the other side. A small door led away from the chamber, into a lounge area big enough for the order to wait in.

I grinned and drew a portal on a wall out of sight from the door, carving it in to make it semi-permanent. It opened in the foyer, where I'd placed my Mark, an ethereal beacon that only I could sense.

Gale looked through, picks ready, and I waved, then put a finger on my mouth. He nodded slowly, and darted off to get the others. He came back quickly, and I whispered through the portal. "Summon your weapon's over there! Any etherial shift here could be very dangerous! Not to mention it would tip them off!"

They spread the message, drawing their weapons, and I lit a slew of candles, on one of the tables, and nearly gagged at the smell of sulfur and lime, a preferred scent of the Sorcerer's of the Thorn Camp.

The scent of silver and black iron, however, was quickly destroyed, so I covered my nose with my scarf, and motioned for them all to stay still, pointing out at the Summoning chamber.

They blinked, and one of them pulled out their phone. 'What?' She texted me.

I sighed, and tagged them all, after they'd silenced their phones, then began the thread. 'Don't leave the room. The candles will block the scent of the black iron. Don't make any sound, or they'll hear. Wait for confirmation before doing anything.' They nodded, and began chilling on the couches, playing cards to pass the time.

When I returned, Seth was drawing on the domed ceiling, complex Runes, while walking nearly upside down, assisted by four literal spiderlegs, sprouting from the middle of his shoulders, like a weird, alt-horror version of the Iron Spider.

"What are you doing?" I asked cautiously.

He turned his head towards me, and I controlled my flinch at the gleaming third eye in the middle of his forehead. His voice was a deeper, richer timbre, which I found pleasant, but didn't match his thin physique. "I am making this room inescapable, and invulnerable to attack. Only the Key can open the Tower of Pain, and I am the only one who has the Keys. This room is no tower, but it'll be as good as or better, when I'm finished."

I nodded slowly. "Okay... the Order is in the back, waiting for your signal... do you need any help?"

He hummed. "Layering the floor outside the Circle of Sacrifice with an Instant Imprisonment Spell, so that the summoned beasts are held still, even outside the circle, would definitely be useful, and appreciated."

I nodded and opened my Grimoire, pulling some red chalk out, and beginning a few dozen Imprisonment Circles, to lock the creatures in place.

A little while later, as I was finishing the last Circles, a middle-aged man was led down, into the chamber. He had silver hair, pale white skin, and shocking blue eyes, and leaned on a cane that smelled like silver on the inside. A hidden blade.

"Who are you, girl? And what on earth are you doing? Graffiti, in this sacred place?" He asked sternly, frowning.

"Actually... I told her to do it. When the battle is over, and the Horn lays dead, I will need... sustenance. These Circles will hold the strongest Vermin your subordinates can summon, held in place for my enjoyment." Seth made his way down the wall, then spider's legs slowly disappearing into his shirt, and he landed in front of us soundlessly.

Who could only be Tiberius stood to his full height, and bowed. "Lord Briar... I apologize for mismanaging your servant. However, if she wished to hold the beasts we will be Summoning for you... they do need a little something." He smiled, and tapped his cane loudly, once.

Each circle began to rotate, the letters switching around, becoming fluid, and arranging themselves into ancient Aramaic, a much more powerful tongue for magic.

Seth hummed. "Impressive... for a Meatsack." He snapped his fingers, and the Circles spun again, turning a deep, burnished gold, and writing themselves in a language I didn't recognize at all.

The man bowed again. "I, of course, defer to your judgment, Lord Briar. My Master has ordered me be here, and do as you bid... and I am to become the Host of a Greater Daemon? A Greater Lich?"

"Yes. Come. The branding will take time, and we must be ready, before midnight." He led the Sorcerer towards the stage, and tapped the tattooing chair. "Remove your garments. Bare your abdominal... or your Dorsal? Your Meatsack Anatomy is far removed from a Greater Lich." He shook his head.

"Easily done." The man nodded, and removed his coat and shirt, setting them to one side, folding them neatly, then sitting where Seth had pointed.

Seth conjured a small dagger, with a frosted tip, and began carving the skin over his heart without any further talking, prompting the man to grind his teeth audibly.

I placed a belt in his mouth reflexively, and grimaced when he glanced at me. "You're going to ruin your teeth." I shrugged, and walked to the other side of the platform.

"Step into the office. This Sigil is not for the Eyes of Mortalkind." Seth glanced up at me.

I bowed, and stepped out of the room, closing the door. 'What's the situation?' One of them texted me instantly.

I sighed. 'Tiberius is here, being branded... with a freezing cold Ice-dagger. Eesh. Containment circles around the edge for bigger monsters. It's nearly time.'

They nodded, after she passed the phone around, and went back to their game of charades, which they were apparently very skilled at. It was simultaneously impressive and depressing.

I glanced out the window every few minutes, but the carving was slow-going, so eventually I decided to begin mixing the materials that the others had brung, in the hopes of killing the Greater Daemon, and create a poison for it.

The office had a decent alchemy set, and with it I began to render down all the ingredients, concentrating them and converting them to liquids and powders, depending on their original form.

The most volatile, I left in powder form, to be metabolized, but the rest I left liquid, in the chamber. From what I'd seen, the Thorn was a Lava Daemon, so causing his body to cool off rapidly would be something of a downer for him.

On that note, I found the chemicals I needed to supercool pressurized magma, and mixed those with the poison, as well as DMSO, so it would soak through the cellular layers, regardless of a heartbeat, which some Daemons didn't have.

The star of the haul was a tiny sliver of Greater Daemon Bone, which I fashioned into a needle, and set at the end of a plunger, full of the solution I had cobbled together.

I checked on Seth again, just as he waved at me subtly, calling me out. I exited cautiously, and approached, stepping onto the stage. "You called, my lord?" I asked.

"Yes... the Meatsack is dying of cold. Revive him, if you would." The Briar hummed disinterestedly, while Seth gazed impassively at the man.

I glanced at him, and gasped. His skin was blue, and the muscle under it was black with frostbite. "Oh! Shit!" I growled, and began healing him, leaving the scars of the Sigils carefully where they had been. Once his heartbeat was steady and the frostbite was handled, I sighed. "That was close."

"It was... but now we're ready to begin. You might want to leave... or maybe not, what do I know?" He chuckled, and then began dripping his own blood into the Sigil, instead of ink.

The Sorcerers began to stream in, marking nightfall, and swiftly, efficiently, began Summoning Demons. With 2000 Sorcerers, they managed to summon things from my deepest nightmares, creatures that would haunt even me, someone who had stared into the Abyss for centuries.

Each of the twelve Circles was filled, then the main circle, as they all packed in the circle, shoulder to shoulder and chest to back, like the most demonic mosh pit of all time.

Around this time, the room started to get hotter. At first, I assumed it was the body heat of all the people, but then it got unnatural. I retreated, off the stage and into the back of the room, leaning against the office doors, as the circle was activated, freezing everyone in place.

The rip opened, as the Sigil began to pulse a deep purple, then slowly turn more red, while simultaneously darkening into smoky darkness.

Peering through was a magma Beast, which reached a tendril through the Veil, and touched the skin of the man, and then turning into smoke, curling and sliding into the Sigil, which pulsed more rapidly, as the body under it writhed and his skin crawled, reshaping itself as what I pictured as a much younger version of Tiberius.

Tall, broad shoulders, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, gloriously bronzed skin, and a smile that could kill. Then, the eyes slowly seemed to melt, and the blue was replaced with a set of burning, liquid gold irises.

"Ahhh... a sacrifice... are you bribing me as an apology for your earlier insult, Greedy One?" He chuckled, his voice echoing eerily in the chamber, which had wicked acoustics that I immediately regretted appreciating earlier.