[Leo] Chapter 1: Clio's Great Library

[Throndir]

《Character Sheets

Chapter 2: A Trade Deal 》

《Chapter 1: Clio's Great Library》

Location: United States - Colorado - Ruins of Denver City
Date: 2012 - December 21st - 11:59 PM

Death was instantaneous. You didn't feel a thing.

Location: ???
Date: ???

Oblivion did not feel like you think it would. You felt something hard beneath you. You slowly started to stir. It was a wooden table; smooth to the touch. When you eyes opened, you noticed rows upon rows of wooden shelves full of books. A soft warm glow from the windows highlighted the room, making the place peaceful. It was a library. You had been sitting on one of the chairs on the desk, and judging by your position, you were sleeping on the table.

"Hello there!" A beautiful girl, with an unnatural fuchsia-colored hair greeted you. Her amber eyes were piercing. But she had a mischievous smile, and didn't seem threatening.

"Congratulations on round one! You lost!"

[Lance]

http://www.youtube.com/v/UwwX0pUbwV4&autoplay=0

Humanity's last soldier slowly opened his eyes, never remembering having closed them in the first place. However, he was immediately taken aback by the sudden change in his surroundings. One moment he was peacefully star-gazing in the battlefield, then one grand flash of light later, he found himself in this strange place filled with a warm glow and a tranquil atmosphere. Had they succeeded? Leo was dying to know. Had their struggles achieved peace, had they finally managed to drive the demons back, or had all their sacrifice and hard work come to naught?

"Hello there!" A cheerful voice appeared, cutting into his thoughts. It was different from the sounds he had grown accustomed to of late: the roars of hungry beasts and the pitter-patter of endless rain. It was the voice of another soul.

"Congratulations on round one! You lost!"

The follow-up reply sort of ruined the moment, but Leo could not help but smile wryly anyway. It seemed like ages since he last heard the sound after all, but his smile was short-lived as he remembered his unique circumstances.

He was dead, right?

Gone was the pain in his side, his right arm was fully capable of movement, and he could even see from his now-functional left eye! He was held briefly in a mixture of amazement and relief, before turning his attentions back to the girl in front of him.

She possessed an unnatural fuchsia-colored hair color and amber eyes. Wings of pure white sprouted from her back, while a dangerous smile adorned her front. Altogether, her appearance was a welcome reprieve from the visual onslaught of the demons he had faced mere moments before. Leo thought she looked quite pretty... at least when compared to a demon. The soldier immediately resumed his wry smile and waved his greetings.

"Hello yourself!"

After all, there were many beliefs about afterlife where he had come from, and though Leo himself was not too knowledgeable about the topic, he at least knew the basics. Was this heaven? Perhaps it was hell? Barring that, there existed one other glaring possibility.

Was this another world? It was a topic he had often been writing about back in his past, even gaining world-wide recognition on several of his works. But if so, what had happened in his previous world? Judging by the girl's response, however, it seemed like things didn't go so well after all.

"Congrats, me," Leo laughed in hollow mimicry of the girl's reply. He had given humanity's last-ditch effort his all - but sometimes 'his all' was not enough.

Turning to the girl once more, Leo began to introduce himself. "My name is Leo Grancea," he said simply, before a mischievous grin of his own crept onto his lips.

"Are you the Devil?"

[Throndir]

"Yes I am! That's why I brought you here!" Her eyes scrunched up slightly in mirth.

"Of course not! Jeez! Calling me a devil." She puffed up her cheeks in feigned anger.

"I'll have you know, I'm the Great Librarian of this Great Library! Clio!" She winked as she put up two fingers in a 'V' across one of her eyes.

"But... That's not what I brought you here." Clio said continuing to smile, but even you could tell that it was forced.

A moment later, she took a seat across from you. In her hand was a book that she placed in front of her then.

"Here's what happened Mr. Grancea." She waggled her fingers, and the pages of the book began to flip by themselves. Finally the flipping stopped, and Clio began reciting the entry.

"The Magitech bomb of 2012 decimated 652,723 demons. The rift in what was once Denver had closed as well, preventing more demons from coming through. The world celebrated. But it was brief. New rifts began to appear throughout the world. Two more in North America. Three in South America. Two in Europe. Four in Africa. One in Australia. Five in Asia. Each rift produced hordes upon hordes of the monsters."

She paused as she looked up at you. She read the final line in the entry.

"Within a week's time the human race was extinct."

[Lance]

The man grinned at 'the Devil's' reply. "I knew it!" He exclaimed aloud, nodding his head in exaggerated glee, but stopped upon hearing the sudden rebuttal. "Come now, don't be shy, the Devil," Leo pushed. Admittedly, even he was beginning to grow curious as to why the Devil would want to hide her identity. Evidently, It seemed as if the young girl had actually come up with a new secret identity, Cleo the Librarian! She even went so far as to pose a giant 'V' to better sell the image.

However, all thoughts of the girl's identity flew from his mind as he listened intently about what she had to say after. At first, he was speechless. With so many drastic events happening one after another, Leo was hard-pressed to even know where begin. He had always been writing about such rapid developments happening to his characters with hardly a thought, but to have the same happen to him really changed his perspective on things.

"Ms... Clio?" Leo spoke tentatively, as if having trouble enunciating the name. His face really scrunched up, making very exaggerated and varied motions before finally settling down in defeat. "I'll just call you Clio-Clio, for short," he murmured dejectedly.

"So Clio-Clio, did I really take down all 652,723 demons? Now that's GOT to be in the Guinness Book of World Records, Clio-Clio," the soldier joked brightly to buy time as his mind raced to process these newest developments. It had been exactly as he had feared, or maybe even worse. Leo inwardly sighed. He had always felt that humanity really had a decent chance after his actions. Thus, it was slightly disheartening to hear about the end result despite all the hard work and sacrifice they had put in. But like they say: there was no use crying over spilt milk. The Devil herself had brought him here for a reason after all, one that he was absolutely dying to find out.

"So then, why did you bring me here, dear Devil?" Leo asked plaintively, before making his hopeful inquiry: "And did you bring the others too? If so, are they well?"

"...However, if all you want is my soul, then I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed."

[Throndir]

"Meanie!" Clio puffed up her cheeks again. "I don't want your soul! I even told you what happened to your home world! Meanie!" She stuck her tongue out.

A second later a thought popped up in her head, her eyes glinted evilly.

"I was going to reincarnate you here and now, I would have even told you all about your friends! But, if I were actually the devil, you will stay here with me for another decade! Well, hmm? How do you like that, Mr. Grancea?" She crossed her arms, confident of her winning the argument.

[Lance]

Leo's eyes glinted, a mirror of the girl's own. "I like it here just fine, but thanks for asking anyways, dear Devil." He sank back onto the chair from which he lay and a long awkward moment passed between the two.

The soldier utilized this time to initiate a sudden, deep staring contest with the devil before him. If nothing else, he took great pride in his willpower, a facet of his being that allowed him to persist even when he held nothing else. Thus, his arms were similarly crossed at his side and a smug expression soon settled across his face; no way was he going to be the one to blink first.

"In any case... I don't suppose you've got any board games laying around?" Leo finally said at length, eyes twitching yet never blinking. "After all, a decade's an awful long amount of time to just sit here chatting."

[Throndir]

"Oh, you're staying for a decade now are you? And who told you could do this?" The ire was apparent in her voice.

"You wont even last a day! Yup! No board games! As if I'd make it that easy! We're going to sit here for a whole 10 years! Hahahahaha!" She continued to laugh, but she noticed you were staring at her intently.

"A staring game is it? Two can play at that!"

[Lance]

"Oh, you're staying for a decade now are you? And who told you could do this?" The girl had said. Was she testing him?

"The Devil." Leo replied matter-of-factly.

Already, it was growing difficult to keep his eyes open, as the urge to blink threatened to overwhelm him. However, he kept his eyes fully trained on the girl and his grin remained. Even his twitching had come to a complete, inexplicable stop. Though he was having certain difficulties, he refused to show it.

"Well, how is it, Clio-Clio? Do your eyes not water, does not your sight begin to sting?" The man intoned, a faint hint of worry dying his inflection as his eyes took on a somber hue. "But must you suffer needlessly? You can change all that, you know," he continued sweetly, deciding it was well past time the Devil received some temptation herself.

"Merely close your eyes, blink for just one moment... and your pain will all go away."

[Throndir]

"Juuuust a little bit more, and I swear there'll be too many red marks you won't even get to see my face!" The girl yelled at him.

"I'm not going to lose you.. you little brat!"









One hour later.

"I... can't... lose."

[Lance]

http://www.youtube.com/v/yhe741zDd3w

"What's the matter, Clio-Clio?"



"Don't tell me... are you beginning to tire?"

Because I certainly am! Leo inwardly yelled. Just what was WITH this girl!? Who actually withholds a blink for one entire hour!? But perhaps this was to be expected of the devil; it seemed as if she carried a tenacious spirit that was as strong, if not greater, than his own. The soldier was actually beginning to worry that he'd lose the contest, as his will gradually began to falter. For even his iron-clad mask, which had held strong till now, showed faint signs of breakage.

Things were in dire traits, but thankfully the writer-turned-soldier was struck by a sudden epiphany. That's right! Leo thought excitedly. Just like when he fought demons, if his attacks were proving ineffective then he only needed to change the angle of his attack!

His stare intensified, seeming to bore right into the girl's face, unable to let go of even an inch. If her physical endurance was too strong, then it was time to go mental!

"Cleo, you've got beautiful eyes..." he began with the age-old adage. There was no stopping his insidious scheme! Will she even be able to look me in the eye? Leo wondered, now confidant in his victory. Perhaps she'll turn red as a tomato? Maybe she'll even surrender outright? However, this was the Devil he was talking about, so there was no way he was about to take any chances!

Thus, he began pouring out as many compliments as he could think of in a manner not unlike a machine-gun. He wouldn't even give the girl a chance to react! Therefore, not even the Devil will be able to resist! He continually belted out compliment after compliment from his heart and soul, as his eyes bored deep into Clio's own.

"Your strange ear puffs are weird, but they suit you!"
  "You've radiant hair! I especially like how it tries to avoid you."
    "Your halo is sharp and probably makes for a good weapon!"
      "You smell nice!"
        "Your skin's so white, it's become white space!"
          "Actually, you smell weird!"
            "You've a beautifully disproportionate face!"
              "You look cute with all those red marks!"

"And your wings make me think of BBQ!"

[Throndir]

1 Heroic Action Point Gained

"B-beautiful eyes?" Clio almost blushed. Almost.

"Your strange ear puffs are weird, but they suit you!"

"You've radiant hair! I especially like how it tries to avoid you."

"Your halo is sharp and probably makes for a good weapon!"

"You smell nice!"

"E-eh?"

"Your skin's so white, it's become white space!"

"Actually, you smell weird!"

"You've a beautifully disproportionate face!"

"You look cute with all those red marks!"

"And your wings make me think of BBQ!"

"Mister Grancea." Clio fumed.







Magic circles of light then appeared all around you, as Clio herself stood up as what could only be called a dark miasma filled the immediate area.

Closing her eyes and preparing to cast her spells, she slowly opened them to face the annoying man.



"Any last words?"

[Lance]

"You blinked."

The soldier may have failed to stop the demons from destroying his own world before, but here, in this very moment, he had beaten the Devil herself! "My people..." Leo somberly prayed. "You have been avenged."

However, was the Devil now angry? Talk about a poor sport, Leo thought dryly. Even after all those compliments too... no,wait. The soldier grinned. So that's how it was. He understood now. The Devil was acting this way because she wanted MORE compliments! Who knew the Devil was so sly?

"But... I really do think you're cute and beautiful, Clio," Leo spoke with eyes ashimmer. "Is that so wrong?"

[Throndir]

"Y-you... you..."

"IDIOT!"

TL Note: Bakaaaaa!

Clio didn't know how to respond. Anger from all the teasing. Shock from losing the game. Embarrassment from being called cute? When has she been last called cute? Clio was visibly reddening, but it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment, or perhaps both.

"F-fine!" Clio said, still blushing furiously, as she started to run away, disappearing once she turned a corner.

[Lance]

http://www.youtube.com/v/UwwX0pUbwV4&loop=1&end=118

"Leo: 1"
"Devil: 0"



The man grinned, as he waved brightly at the receding figure. "I think I'll be keeping a running tally."

Leo immediately closed his sore eyes and stretched his limbs after making sure the girl couldn't see him. Honestly, he was quite impressed with her endurance. She was able to match pace with the last soldier of an army backed by an entire world. The Devil was truly fearsome indeed!

Still, with the Devil now gone, he was finally left to his own devices. Thus, Leo began tidying up the areas around him that had been soiled by the latest encounter. After all, if he was to be here for a 'whole ten years,' then taking care of the place was only a matter of course. Hence, he brought order to the misplaced chairs and tables, straightened out loose fabrics that were blown off by the Devil's stench-like miasma, and replaced fallen books onto their matching bookshelves.

As he was a former writer, Leo naturally treated the books with care and felt at home in the unnaturally large library. Only after basic maintenance was complete did he begin to move on, however, his eyes continually scanning the many titles he passed. Did the Devil properly stock up on the novels he had written himself? The soldier wondered. Maybe she was even a fan.

Leo grinned at the thought. He had to ask that the next time he saw her. For now, he was content in touring his new home.

[Throndir]

Continue playing the song above for added effect!

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid stupid." Clio continued to mutter to herself as she stormed away to a little private room that she had for herself in the corner of the library.

She was absolutely furious! Of course she was. A mere human could think he could just invade her place! This was her domain after all. She couldn't believe that she accepted the challenge in the first place. She couldn't believe that she even lost. Her anger and ire was continuing to rise and swell. That man was an idiot! A trickster! A crafty idiot!

But then she stopped. Something dawned on her.

When was the last time I got angry? When was the last time someone riled me up so much that I lost my cool? When did I even last play a game? Any game? When did I even last talk to anyone at all for that matter?

The thoughts continued to race in her mind.

For over a millenia she stood by recording the events of all human history. From every world and iteration. From the day mankind began, to the many ways it can end. This was something she chose for herself; something she truly did enjoy. But it came at a price as well. She always found it silly when some of her own compatriots would assume mortal form in the realms below. One particular god even made children! That spawned off countless stories and tales in and of itself.

She almost laughed at the thought. Almost. Instead she smiled. She understood.

She held up her hand then, and a book appeared.

It was a stupid title. Just like the annoying man himself. But...

"Maybe..." Clio hesitated as she stared at the book.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all."



After another hour of sulking, Clio finally perked up.

"You better earn your keep, you hear?!" Clio called out as she hesitantly walked out of her private room.