Fantasy Silent Rapture

[andujarprime]

Health: 7/20
Damage: 3

Ayramis flinched then winced as Gabriel flew past him. Past him and past the demon, landing with a loud crash in the darkness beyond. He sighed as his staff’s glow dimmed. He began to refocus on his bindings, the demon turning and screaming in pain. Ayramis couldn’t regain his focus in time, his bindings snapping and dissipating in a green flash. “Damn it!” He yelled in frustration. His bindings formed once more at his neck. He began to focus for another attack, trying to shut out the noise from the battle, and the shrieking demon. He jumped out of the way of his swipes, but when the corrupted icicles exploded out of him, he was already slowing down to focus. His concentration broke as a shard of ice grazed his cheek, and another pierced his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He tumbled over a few times, the shard chipping as it stood fast lodged in his shoulder. He heard the Jackal let out a menacing bark and a growl as it ran in. It’s eyes glowing an angry green. Teeth bared, it avoided the demon’s stomps before launching itself at the demon’s back. It’s claws tried to find purchase amongst the demons skin. It only sloughed off beneath it’s paws, until the Jackel twisted, and went for the wings. It’s claws tearing into the leathery appendage. Ripping several strips as it fell to the ground. The Jackal rolled and came back to it’s feet, bounding over and standing protectively over Ayramis’ wounded body. He managed to sit up, but he couldn’t move to fast. He winced as he felt up the shard sticking out of his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s gonna leave a mark i bet”

SilverFlight and everyone else

 

[Lioness075]

HP {17/20}
Damage {4}

Chaos continued to unfurl around Falarion, as their imprisoned angel was freed and then the demon began to react angrily to everyone's attacks. Most everyone reacted quickly, as they continued to fight back and Falarion stood in awe for a few seconds. They were quite the capable group, except a number of them were looking haggard now. As he surveyed the scene, Falarion watched as one man attempted a beautiful attack on the demon, but ended up sailing past and into the darkness beyond instead. Hearing the resonating crash, Falarion winced and then pitied the man when a few of the women began laughing at him despite everything. Amused by this, Falarion cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, now, guys, stop monkeying around!" He grinned at his joke, but the grin faded as others were injured once more.

One after another was felled by the demon's myriad of attacks and Falarion was spurred into action when he saw the demon sink its claws into one of the women. He needed to figure out who was who, but the lighting was terrible down here and there was really just too much going on. Just as Falarion began to sprint over towards the demon, a leathery wing seemed to come out of no where and slapped his back. With a grunt, he face planted into some mold and even slid a few feet before he meekly got back to his feet. Sheepishly, he glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, but most everyone seemed too distracted and he was on the outskirts of the main fight.

Steeling himself, Falarion took a deep breath and then began sprinting once more. He was mindful to avoid the rampaging demon, as he flipped and zig-zagged around the area to avoid any more attacks. Just as he was drawing out his staff for another attack, the ice shards flew around the room causing him to duck and halt. As he stood back up, Falarion saw Harian struggling with a shard embedded in her shoulder nearby. Just as she pulled off an awesome move of firing at the demon, it reacted in kind. Gritting his teeth, Falarion took a flying leap, putting his true strength into it, and cleared half the room before he landed on one knee with a heavy thud in front of Harian. With a quick spin on his feet, Falarion took a balanced stance and then both his eyes and staff began to glow. Even his tail seemed to flash brightly as he lunged forward and attempted to impale the demon's side with his staff. More blood gushed from the demon's new wound and Falarion snarled at it while his staff sunk into the demon's side with a sucking noise. Falarion belatedly realized he was now in danger of being burned by the demon's blood, as it dropped around him and was beginning to coat his staff.
SilverFlight @ everyone else

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

HP: 19/20
Damage: 8

Hino quickly picked himself up after activating his sigil, slicing a few more rats in the process. Suddenly, a beam of light in the opposite corner shot up, then another, and another. All four sigils had been activated, and now it was only a matter of using them against the demon. The latter was proving to be more challenging as the bartender had just announced that she hadn't the faintest clue how to use them. However, as if they were waiting for their divine power to be challenged, the sigils being ringing in unison. The rats scurried into back into the shadows and silence fell over the room. From the shadows, being pulled by the light of the sigils, emerged a terrible horned demon.

The Thunder God spun on his heels to face the beast. It's disgusting features coiled as it snarled at the group. It was large and it looked quite strong, but surely it was no match for a group of... divine... beings? He dropped his hands from a defensive position in shock. Hino had only assumed they were divine after seeing bursts of flame and wind as well as effortless attacks come from the group. But after scanning the room, it appeared that calling them "divine" might be a stretch. Several members of the group were already fatally injured while the other members were in the process of getting themselves injured trying to save them. He was quite positive that none of them even knew each other, which might seem heroic and stupid except for the fact that it's incredibly stupid. Anyone of these "people" could be a threat, or perhaps the threat, that they have been warned about. After all, it seems odd that a very powerful demon just happened to end up in the basement of the exact bar where a group of powerful people had been invited to save the world. It also appeared that the group was unintelligent in more ways than one. Some of the members of the group seemed more preoccupied with making a pun or cracking a joke than actually fighting the demon.

Hino couldn't help stare at the action with his mouth slightly open, puzzled at what lay before him. Fire was raging, a literal fox with far too many tails was running around, a second demon had appeared but seemed to be quite friendly, a booming voice that somehow sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once echoed around the room, and a white boy with a monkey tail was jumping around. At one point, although due to it's bizarre nature he wasn't sure if it actually happened, a man launched himself at the demon only to miss and violently crash in the darkness. If this was the best the earth had to offer, then perhaps the world deserved to end.

"What... is this?" He muttered to himself in the chaos. Oh, how he longed for his isolated cabin in the Red Woods.

On several occasions, he considered jumping into the action, but he found himself unwilling to fight for these people. He had yet to receive any information as to why he was here in the first place, which made him reluctant to help out. He didn't know them, nor did he trust them, so why should he risk his life for them? It was only after the demon had broken free of the makeshift restraints that Hino decided to step in. The demon had launched a particularly effective ice attack against the group. One of the shards of ice had even hit him in his arm from across the room. It had left quite a deep cut. Hino was not impressed.

"That is it. Enough with this nonsense." He pocketed his long knives and reached behind his head for his bow. Removing it and three arrows from the sheath, he loaded made his way towards the demon for a clear shot. Before he lined up his shot, he stopped in front of a young blonde woman who he had watched take the brunt of the demon's attacks. She had gotten up despite being inches from death and was apparently making her final stand. He pushed her gently to the ground, knowing it wouldn't take much due to her condition.

"You're sidelined until further notice," He said bluntly, "There no need for anyone to die today. Except maybe him." He raised his bow and aimed at the demon with his trio of arrows and let loose. All three struck his chest and embedded themselves into his flesh, inches apart.

Feywild @ anybody else

 

[Naberius]

7/20 HP

"I am 110% done with this asshole...."

The beast had been preoccupied, and the damage to its form hindered its movements. It moved slower, leaving openings in its defense that were easily exploited. Gabriel summoned what was left of his inner reserves, tugging the wispy threads of Adrestia's divine power back into place. His eyes burned a fiery red. He closed the distance between them almost in an instant. The others had provided all he needed to end this quickly. Seizing a fallen shaft of ice along the way, he sent it flying. The projectile flew true, punching through the bend of the monsters right leg and halfway out the front. It fell to it's knees as he approached. Leaping high over the things head, Gabriel seized the demons horn, slamming its face into the ground with the momentum of his descent. He ripped the horn clean from its head, driving it through its eye with a sickening squelching sound. It roared in pain, a booming noise. The pained, cruel cry of a beast mortally wounded. With a tremendous surge of physical might powered by the gifts of a god who sought not but the death of her enemies, Gabriel planted his foot in the back of the demons neck. He reached down with both hands, wrapping them around its throat and pulled. The sound of tearing flesh. He tore the head from the beast, tossing it to the side. He stepped from it's back, covered in blood and gore.

"Well, that was fun. Let's never do it again."

He fell back against the still warm corpse with a pained sigh.

I am going to need the worlds longest shower.

SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

The demon's head jerked at Gabriel's rock made contact. It provided just enough time for Hayle's ice spear and Ayramis' jackal to land hits. The demon staggered, barreling straight into Falarion's spear. With a snarl it tried to draw back, tried to pull itself free, but it's body jerked, once, twice, three times as the thunder god's arrows found a home in it's chest.
Harian watched this all from her place on the ground. Her gun poised to fire again just in case.
There was no need. Gabriel had recovered, and Harian watched as he dispatched the creature once and for all. Tearing its head clean off its shoulders. She had gotten up as he stood there, drenched in demon blood. As decapitations went, she had only seen the same level of brutality when a sorcerer managed to botch the re-binding circle for a marid that had been enslaved for 200 years. In her eyes, it was understandable.
"Oh that stuff is probably not good for you..." She muttered.
The demon's body collapsed in a gush of thick ichor and at the same moment, something barreled into her. "Harian watchout!"
The monkey god collided with her and all she could managed was a shocked "Gahh!" Before collapsing under his weight.
Harian sat up and threw him the foulest of looks before shoving him out of her lap.
"Get the heck away from me peanut breath!" She snapped and got up to try and dust mould off her trousers.
Naberius andujarprime GamerCarrot Lioness075 KhazTheGiraffe

She made her way over to the demon's corpse, and the exhausted human slumped against it.
Harian didn't say anything. She simply offered him a hand.
Naberius

*~*~*

Suddenly the stinking body began to smoke, as did the mould they were surrounded by. The space began to shrink as well.
Harian watched as the demon crumbled in upon itself, turning to ash to blow away on a non-existent wind. Just like that, they were all sitting in the middle of a very ordinary pub cellar.
A small glass orb clinked as it rolled out onto the concrete by Gabriel's hand. It had been held by the demon, or embedded in it. Harian crouched to examine it more closely. There was a fine black residue in it, and Harian could tell just be being near it that it was magical; though not entirely demonic, it felt...wrong. More than evil...just...wrong.
"Don't touch it."
Jophiel was behind them now. Clutching a shoulder. His tan trench coat was all but ruined, soaked in slime and dusted with mould and debris. His hair colour could no longer be determined.

"You look like Hell." Harian remarked. "But you're alive. I'm glad...when that demon hit you I...I was worried."
Jophiel looked touched. "Oh? You do care then." It got the reaction he wanted. Harian's lips thinned to a line.
"Of course not fool. I'm under contract to keep you alive. If you die, my life gets very painful." She crossed her arms and turned from him.
"So what the heck is that thing anyway?" Harian was already looking around the room. It was only then she noticed the two deteriorated corpses of the unfortunate humans who had been the first to discover the demon. There wasn't much left but blackened outlines, though, miraculously there was a phone, seemingly untouched in the ash.
"It looks like it contained some sort of liquid...or...magic? It could have been what charged the demon with so much power. We should take it back and examine it."

He turned from Harian and the orb for a moment to address everyone in that (now small) room.
"I owe you all my life." Jophiel said, the gratitude apparent in his voice.
"I am the one who asked you here. I need your help, and from the looks of how you fought that demon, I think I have chosen very well. My name is Jophiel. Mostly, I am considered an archangel. The archangel of wisdom."
"Debatable." Harian added under her breath.

"There will be ample time to explain, but for now, I think we could all use a rest. Harian? Do you still have the portal key?"
Harian smacked her forehead. "You know? I would, but being dropped down a hole made me lose all my stuff."
There was a silent exchange between them, Jophiel looking patient, and finally Harian groaned.
"I'll start looking."
Without another word Harian shifted down into a little black squirrel and began squirming between boxes and under shelves, leaving the rest to pull themselves off the ground and regain some small portion of their senses after the intense battle.

Lioness075 MrBossMan andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crocodile Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot The Dark Wizard Feywild

 

[Naberius]

"So is this the part of the AA meeting where we introduce ourselves and tell everyone why we drink our problems away? Because mine just kind of turned into smoke."

Gabriel stood, looking over himself and the others. Other than a few exceptions, they all looked like they had been thrown into a giant tumble dryer full of rocks and needles. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his pack of smokes, noticed they were now crushed, swore under his breath, and tossed them away.

"Everyone okay? Some of you need medical attention pretty badly."

He smiled, but his eyes gave away just how worried he was. He didn't even know these people, but his heart wouldn't let him disregard their well-being.

Lioness075 MrBossMan andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot Feywild
SilverFlight

 

[Feywild]

Zoya fell to the ground too easily, just from a gentle push, adding to her embarrassment as she clenched her teeth. “You can’t sideline me! I’m perfectly capable of still fighting.” She stuck her chin out determinedly, pushing past how her voice wavered as her hands latched onto her hair, fiddling with the strands as her fingers trembled. Then the demon was finally slain, Zoya couldn’t help but be impressed. The human who she’d seen fall twice had ended it all and she couldn’t help but let out a cheer as her mood was suddenly lifted at the sight of that ugly beast being dead. When the room shrunk, Zoya felt immediately uncomfortable and even more so when two blackened bodies were left and wholly indistinguishable in the rubble and ruins of the pubs cellar.

She remained on the ground as she mused on whether she should ask for healing or offer it to others, pouting as she thought before stumbling up to her feet and folding her arms at the latest man who’d pushed her down. “How come you’re barely hurt but me, ice girl and the demon slayer are?” She frowned confused, surveying the group with a now piqued interest before honing in on said demon slayer when she heard his comments, “you should get some healing yourself, you fell a few times in that fight after all darling.” Now she was grinning wickedly, her tone teasing as she snickered to herself, but he was right that some people needed medical attention. Her whole body was stiff, bloodied and certainly in need of some help but she would never admit it.

KhazTheGiraffe Naberius

 

[Naberius]

"You took a nastier fall than I did, feathers. I'll be fine. I heal quickly."

He winced slightly at her reminder of his horrid embarrassments earlier in the conflict, but still managed a weary smile. His tone was light and teasing, but more tired than he would care to admit. He glanced over to the ice caster, eyeing the nasty wound she had suffered. It didn't look good. He walked over closer, trying for a better look. Realizing that he was acting rather strange and didn't exactly make for a grand sight, as covered in demon bile as he was, Gabriel stopped short. He gave a sort of half-wave towards her injury.

"Hey uh... you gonna be okay? That doesn't exactly look like it's a fun time. You should probably get it checked out. I can't do much about the taint. Sorry about that."

The others all seemed to be on their feet, at least, which was a good sign. Confident that the worst was over, at least for the moment, he blopped himself down on a chunk of rubble and allowed his muscles to relax. His hands were still shaking from the adrenaline. He stared down at his gore covered boots, head hanging slightly.

It was a close call. Too close for some of us. No one here is used to working in a group. This could have easily gone far worse than it had.

Feywild GamerCarrot

 

[Lioness075]

Just as Falarion was preparing to mention how Harian was quite the damsel in distress, one of the men rushed the demon from behind and decapitated it. Falarion blinked at this and then cried out at Harian just as the demon's body began to collapse over him. Releasing his staff, Falarion leapt away from the demon and side tackled Harian to the ground, shouting, "Harian, watch out!"

With a grunt from both of them, they landed a few feet away. Abruptly, Falarion was shoved off of Harian and he harrumphed as he landed on his back. As he sat up, Harian quickly left him behind and he sighed with an arm draped over one of his knees. "Man, what does it take to get some appreciation around here?" He asked this to no one in particular.

Jophiel began conversing with Harian while a number of the others slowly began to gather and collect themselves after the fight. Frowning at the number of rather mangled individuals, Falarion suddenly wished he had some way to heal them beyond offering band-aids. Then he remembered the poisonous nature of the demon's attacks and he stood up to survey the group with his hands on his hips. With a grin now, he declared, "If any of you suffered some kind of poison from that demon, I can help purge it from your system." Grimacing a bit, he added, "But I can't really heal any of your more grievous wounds, sorry."

Gesturing for those needing it to circle up with him, Falarion offered his hands to anyone who approached and said, "Just hold my hand and I'll do the rest!" He really hoped someone took him up on his offer merely so he could tease them about not taking him out to dinner first.
SilverFlight @ anyone needed a cleansing

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

Hino drew another arrow and prepared to fire once more, but there was no need. The man who had embarrassed himself earlier had managed to get the drop on the demon and performed quite the finishing move to remove its head. It was impressive, to say the least. He turned his head to face the man who identified himself as Jophiel. He was covered head to toe with what seemed to be the entire contents of the bar cellar. Jophiel thanked the group that had managed to fight off the demon and went on to give yet another vague explanation of why they were all here. He huffed in annoyance; it appeared that he would have to wait even longer if he wanted answers. Jophiel finished with telling the group that he was an angel.

"Christians," He grumbled under his breath, but it was clear he couldn't hide his disdain. Hino was starting to feel his blood boil. To be dragged all the way out here to a placed he swore he would never visit by an angel?! He shook his head. Sky Mother be with him. It was then that the woman he pushed down earlier began pestering him.

“How come you’re barely hurt but me, ice girl and the demon slayer are?” She asked.

"Because unlike the rest of you, I didn't charge at a greater demon without a strategy or regard for my own safety," He stated sharply, "I also don't know any of you, and I don't know why I'm here. So forgive me for not wanting to injure myself for you people. You're welcome, by the way, for stopping you from killing yourself."

SilverFlight Feywild

 

[GamerCarrot]

Still clutching her wound as the demon died she let out a sigh of relief that it was all over and now she could finally rest, unfortunately for her the wound in her shoulder throbbed with pain she needed to be healed but she wasn't quite sure who she could ask at this point. As the man that had spectacularly missed kicking the demon in the head but who was also the one to kill it approached her she smiled at them, seeing the worry in their face as they asked if she was okay she got up to her feet and slightly nodded. "I think so? Nothing a little healing can't fix but there are other people who are a lot more hurt than I am. Don't apologise for not being able to heal I can't do it either... well that is unless you want frostbite instead." She smiled and chuckled at her joke, even though she was concerned about her own wound she still cared about the well being of others before her own. "What about you are you hurt?" she asked with concern, here eyes even looked over his body just to make sure he wasn't in the same situation as her and tainted from the demonic essence. She couldn't see anything like that but he was wounded considerably "How about you go get healed first? Can't have the man who basically saved us all dying." She gave him a small wink. Just realising she had never actually introduced herself to anyone here except Harian she held out her other hand whilst the other clutched her wound "I'm Hayle by the way. It's nice to meet you."

Hearing the man she had bumped into earlier offer his own healing expertise when it came to removing the demons poison she hesitated a little not quite sure if she should go up to them or not and ask them to help her, the poison hurt but she was a bit too worried about the divine aspect of being healed and how it would affect her.

Naberius Lioness075

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

Kiyomi
Health: 9/20
Location: The World's End - Basement
Interaction: Zoya and @ anyone

As a few others joined into the fray, the putrid sac confining Jophiel finally burst free and splattered a thick green liquid onto the floor like an abstract painting. The beautiful white fox couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when Nero leaped forward and took the mysterious man into his grasp, carrying him to a safer location. These people were strangers to her, but Kiyomi couldn't help but care for their well-being. She took the time to peer around, quickly inspecting each person to make sure no one was fatally wounded. Everyone was either injured or completely fine, much to her surprise. Her eyes returned to the towering demon in front of her, hearing it snarl with rage with every attack it received. An attack from Hayle seemed to send the dark creature over the edge and it began squirming in pain, flailing its arms and breaking free from the sacred bindings.

Almost immediately, Kiyomi zeroed in and prepared herself, white eyes glowing dimly.

The demon reached out with its long, scaly arms and protruding wings, attempting and succeeding in hitting a few others nearby. Kiyomi, however, had already studied how this demon fought from the sidelines and had already foreseen this attack. She ducked swiftly underneath its powerful swing, feeling a surge of air rush past the top of her head as its arm flew by. Kiyomi returned to a defensive stance and never took her eyes off of the demon. Seeing the ice shards, she prepared herself for another attack, watching the demon rip the sharp icicles from its chest and suddenly fling them forward at the group. Unable to tell who was the real fox, the demon had unluckily picked the wrong one, and Kiyomi's illusion received most of the blows. It faded into existence, the shards instead lodging themselves deep into the ground where it once stood.

A tiny sliver from the icicles had managed to pierce her shoulder, and she winced at the radiating pain. She reached over with her head and carefully placed her jaws around the shard, managing to tear it out easily. Even though it was removed, she could feel a stinging sensation circulating around the small wound before it slowly began to dissipate away. She noticed a few of the others had gotten the worst of it and her eyes widened, concern evident in her expression. The fox jumped forward and positioned herself behind the group in case of an emergency. Everyone took turns attacking the demon and soon it fell to its gruesome demise, the body of the creature jerking violently before collapsing to the ground in a pool of its own blood; headless. Kiyomi was impressed by the group's feat and she trotted closer to them. The demonic presence had vanished and the air felt much lighter, much to her relief.

A blob of white light appeared and began to grow brighter by the minute, consuming Kiyomi's form entirely while she padded forward. As it began to fade away, a beautiful white-haired woman stood in the fox's place, wearing an elegant red silk dress that swayed as she walked. Two pointed ears protruded from her head and nine tails extended out from behind her. There was a gentle smile on her face as she approached the group, stopping beside Harian. She heard someone mention healing and her ears perked up.

"I am glad everyone is safe. I can heal as well, however I can't heal any more fatal wounds for today. I'm afraid I'm too weak at the moment, but I would still like to help." Kiyomi spoke in a soft voice, tilting her head to the side and inspecting those around her with worried eyes. There was a puncture wound on her shoulder that she was clearly ignoring for the time-being, as well as a few burn marks streaking the pale flesh of her arms. As Jophiel began to speak, she couldn't help but listen in, hanging off every word. She could sense he was of angel descent the moment she fell into the basement, so this was not surprising to her. After he finished speaking and turned to Harian, the kitsune surveyed the area again, her pale gaze settling on a familiar face. It was the bird woman who had dropped her earlier. Despite their earlier altercation, it seemed Kiyomi harbored no ill feelings towards her, and instead looked rather concerned as she noticed her wounds.

Furrowing her eyebrows and frowning worriedly, Kiyomi took a step forward in her direction.

"You're hurt. May I?" She asked quietly, approaching Zoya more closely now. She outstretched her hands and held them there, her palms beginning to glow with a heavenly white light while she awaited Zoya's response.
Feywild @ anyone

Spoiler: :3

 

[Crazy Trey-n]

All confidence that Nero had rallied in order to help rescue the being from the cocoon had immediately given way to a trembling fear as his body froze in place. The others had thrown attacks at the demon, but in it's rage it threw the attacks right back with double the intensity and had at some point turned it's attention to him and Jophiel. He had no time to check on anyone else or protest the person's protection - he merely stood there gazing up at it helplessly. It flung Jophiel's body aside like a sack of potatoes and soon after had it's gnarled claws cutting through his own flesh effortlessly. All he could do was clench his teeth to suppress the shout that threatened to rise from his chest and wonder if this was where he was going to die.

The loud crack of Harian's gun nearby was what saved him. It tore the beast's attention away, sending it into yet another fit of rage, but this one was quite short-lived; his companions launched their assault on the creature with staff, claw, ice and arrows, and Gabriel managed to viciously tear the thing's head right off in the end. As quickly as it came, it was over.

Nero glanced around the room in awe when it shrunk back to 'normal' size. The being they'd saved introduced himself as Jophiel - an archangel, no less - as Nero slumped into a crouch and tore the tattered sleeve from the shoulder that had been impaled, wrapping and tying his injured shoulder up to stop any bleeding. While the wound had a painful burn to it, he didn't want to bother any of the others into healing him a second time around, moreso when he realized that they'd saved him multiple times that night. He instead quietly set himself to the task of inspecting the room around him.

The young man wandered, eyes drifting curiously over the contents of the room. Upturned tables, destroyed barrels and toppled shelves littered the ground with no apparent pattern. Something terrible must have happened even before they'd all arrived, and it was clear that the thing had been there for a while. Eventually, he ended up standing above the remains of the people who'd been unfortunate enough to end up here before them. There was nearly nothing left of them, but gazing down at the decayed bodies was quickly drawing Nero into a reverie. His vision was receding and it felt as though he was being pulled to the back of his mind, into his unbridled, endless stream of thoughts. The bodies and something to do with death... he was remembering... he remembered-

A sudden and unfamiliar noise at his side drew him from his senseless mind. Whatever he'd been thinking about was now gone, replaced by yet another odd noise at his side. He looked this time and saw the object: a small, rectangle bit of metal that vibrated against the ground one last time. Nero stooped to one knee, stared at it intently for a few moments to be sure that it wouldn't move again, then carefully picked it up between two fingers. The object was held away from his body while he walked back toward the group.

"Er... does anyone know what this thing is?" Nero asked in regards to the phone in his hand, looking at every member at least once.
They were a peculiar group and he had many questions about all of them. Their names, who - or what - they were, and more personally, why he was there with them. The angel had known his name to his surprise and had put himself in danger to protect him, but the answer to why those things were would have to wait.

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel was suddenly very glad his face was partially covered with dirt and dried blood as he began to feel a warmth in his cheeks. He accepted her hand. It was like ice.

"Oh uh... I'm Gabriel...I didn't really do all that much, really... And I'm just covered in bumps, bruises and scrapes. You were slightly impaled."

He stood there for a moment, holding her outstretched hand awkwardly. Once he noticed just how long he had stood there quietly, he quickly let go, slightly embarrassed. He wasn't at all used to introducing himself or talking to people outside of his usual comfort zones.

"Uh, sorry about that.... I'm just gonna... Go help Harian look for... Whatever she's looking for."

He began to walk away stiffly, almost mechanically. His own body weighed down with his utter stupidity and lack of social graces.

Gabriel made his way over to where Harian was busy digging around searching and sat down nearby.

"Hey. You Okay? That bite was pretty nasty. And before you say anything, I'm allowed to worry about you. Get used to it. I worry about everyone. It's a bad habit."

He tried to make it sound like he was joking around and just messing with her, but failed miserably to hide how concerned he was. Though she may not understand why, he was genuinely worried about her well-being.

"So, what exactly are we looking for? I'll lend a hand. You helped me do some searching before, so it's time for me to repay the favor."

GamerCarrot SilverFlight

 

[GamerCarrot]

Hayle shook Gabriel's hand, slightly worried that he was going to be bothered by the cold but as they both just stood there as he held her hand she could feel a strange feeling of warmth on her cheeks. As he suddenly let go and stiffly walked of she giggled and couldn't help but think how adorable it was, which made her eyes widen in shock that she had just thought that someone was adorable even though they had only just met. She actually wanted to hit herself, covering her face until the blushing stopped she calmed herself down before turning around and looking over at the person she needed help from.

Taking a deep breath she exhaled and approached the man she was hesitant in approaching for healing, shyly smiling she removed her hand that was covered in dry blood and chuckled. "Think you can help a wounded lady, I don't need much just a bit to get rid of this poison." she was acting a bit shy about the whole healing thing. Maybe she would be fine if they left the poison alone? She was a demon after all maybe it didn't affect her the same way it did for other people. She contemplated turning around and telling them to forget the whole thing but it was a bit too late for that now that she had opened her mouth. Hesitantly holding out her clean hand towards him she bit her lip a little not knowing exactly what was going to happen when she was healed.

Lioness075 Naberius

 

[SilverFlight]

"'Saved us?'" Harian The Squirrel repeated indignantly, poking her head out from a shelf at Hayle's comment. "How many ice spears did you put in that thing? We did all the work! The demon was practically dead when he killed it." She vanished again in a puff of dust.
GamerCarrot

Harian's injury did hurt her, but pride would make sure she kept well away from Falarion, that and the prospect that he might touch her again. She preferred crawling through cellar dust.
Popping out again in the corner of the room she was just in time to hear Gabriel's babbling at the ice demon. When he came over the squirrel, standing on a crate of beer, was chuckling, the grin somewhat disturbing on the face of a rodent.
"Heheh, I could watch you mess up all day justicar."
She turned back to the crate and began looking around it. Gabriel adamantly insisted on asking if she was okay, that made her stop. She turned back, her little squirrel forearms on her little squirrel hips as she stared up at him through tiny black eyes. The wound on her shoulder was evident even through the thick, glossy fur.
"Look...Gabe right? I appreciate the sentiment. You're not the worst human out there, I'll give that to you." She paused briefly, looking at his determined face and deflated a little.
"Your concern is going to do us both better if you put it somewhere else."
It may have been hard to take her seriously as a squirrel.
"My schtick doesn't lend itself well to attachments."
He offered to help her find the key and Harian took it was a welcome topic-change.
"Um well, it's sort of like a hotel key card. It's got a circle on it with some runes. It's blue."
Naberius

Jophiel turned at the anger in Hino's voice. There was a sadness in his eyes then. There would be words that needed speaking there, but it wasn't the right time to bring up past pain.
"You have my gratitude. Hino. And, a right to your anger. I was foolish trying to bind it myself. I didn't realize just how powerful it had become. I put you all in danger." Jophiel addressed him directly.
"Damn right you did!" Harian called from somewhere behind another crate. Jophiel tried to ignore her.
"I know it is hard to see what you all have in common, but please, let me assure you, you all need to be here."
Jophile turned back to Nero as he approached. There was no small amount of relief in his eyes.
"It is painful?" His eyes were on the massive claw marks in the boy's shoulder. "I can ease some of that pain for now if you like, and we'll get you sorted just as soon as Harian finds that key."
KhazTheGiraffe Crazy Trey-n

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel smiled despite himself. Her teasing didn't have quite the same bite as it used to.
Did she just use my real name?

"Careful there Harian, we might start thinking you actually care."

It was a light hearted jab. Regardless of what she said and how she acted, it wasn't hard to see that underneath that frost and armor was someone who legitimately cared about others. She was just too proud to say as much.

She really is the entire direct opposite of me, huh?

He set about rummaging through the detritus and rubble, content to let the silence prevail and busy his mind with the task at hand.

Without realizing it, Gabriel had begun to hum a light tune. It wasn't really something that came from a song or show, just a steady rhythm. Rummaging through the wreckage of what used to be a bar floor was a much more enjoyable experience than nearly dying, falling on his ass twice and being kicked into a wall. Despite everything, he couldn't help but occasionally glance over and notice her wince in pain every so often.

Too damn stubborn. Heh. Maybe not so different after all.

SilverFlight

 

[Feywild]

At the tall mans reply to her accusing question, Zoya’s face soured, “well it’s not like we had time to prepare some battle strategy. We had no idea what was coming.” She said a little irked, shifting her gaze to rest on the rubble where she settled a glare onto that as she didn’t want to look at the man. “So forgive me for wanting to attack something that attacked us first,” She glowered with a huff, raising her narrowed eyes to glance at him shrewdly, “And I didn’t need stopping, I don’t have a death wish and if something like this happens again you can stop me or even better actually do something before the very end.” Zoya finished her rant, sending her supposed saviour a pointed smile before her attention gravitated towards the kitsune she’d thrown and she winced.

She was ready to fire out a barrage of apologies, never getting to say them in what she assumed would be a jumbled mess as the other woman spoke first and took her by surprise. She stared a little dumbstruck for a moment, before nodding her head slowly at her question. “That would be nice actually.” Zoya admitted a little embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her neck, she’d ended up the most wounded out of the rescue team they’d formed, comparable to the angel they’d grouped up to save. “I’m sorry for throwing you earlier, I got mad.” She laughed awkwardly, genuinely feeling bad for what she’d done in her rage.

KhazTheGiraffe The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[MrBossMan]

The battle was over.

It didn't take long for the Archangel to disappoint, offering gratitude but no answers. Phillip sighed, clearly annoyed but not wanting to start a confrontation. He looked at Zoya, the woman he'd tackled, and walked away before he could get stuck in a conversation.

Two dead bodies lay on the floor, the boy Nero standing over them seemingly lost in a distant memory. As the others saw only two dead bodies Phillip saw past that. Two shadows emerged from the corpses, Phillip's eyes turned black, dead black. He walked over to them after Nero left and knelt beside them. Phillip traced his two fingers over their eyes and closed them.

With the demons hold over them now gone they could wander freely to the afterlife. They simply needed help. Phillip grabbed both of their hands gently, he said some words under his breath, then just like that the shadows which once lingered over them disappeared with a draft breeze.

"Travel lightly," he said to the spirits as he rose to his feet once again.

Remembering Nero and his injury Phillip began to walk over to him. Rejoining the others as he did so. He stopped next to the Archangel Jophiel, listening in on his words.

"They'll be no need for that," Phillip said to the angel "I'm sure you're weak and tired from your lone encounter with the Demon." Then he looked over at Nero and grabbed his shoulder where the claw sunk in. His other hand went to his silver chain which dangled close to his neck. "Look into my eyes boy" he said to him "and don't look away until I'm done."

With that Phillip siphoned the pain out of his shoulder. The wound seemed to heal in reverse, Nero's skin being stitched back to normal. Phillip's chain glowed a deep shade of blue all the while. Humming with power as it soaked up the boys wounds. There was always a price for such cursed magic. When the chains power died down the blue light of Phillip's chain could no longer be seen. Instead the blue light could be seen through Phillips leather Jacket, on his shoulder. The pain grew immensely and Phillip was forced to drop his hand from Neros shoulder. He could feel the bruise underneath his clothes, a dull throbbing pain took over his arm.

He took a step back but rubbed his own shoulder.

"There kid, you should be fine now."

Crazy Trey-n SilverFlight

 

[Lioness075]

Falarion was delighted when at least one of the injured individuals approached him. Except when he turned to face her, his delight ebbed. It was the ice cold woman and he was already beginning to feel the chill from her again. He did not understand why, but the cold she emanated gave him a bad feeling about her. It was like something was off about her and he could not place it. He did not like this kind of feeling and he had to resist the urge to take a step back, away from her.

Falarion forced himself to keep grinning, trying his best to avoid looking like he was forcing it. He did still want to help the injured as best as he could and so with the slightest hesitation, he took her cold hand. Immediately, he shivered at the contact and his grin faded for a moment before returning. "All right! One quick heal coming right up!" He said this with hopefully enough enthusiasm to cover up his hesitation. His eyes began to glow more softly outside of the battle and then he could feel the toxins inside of the woman being dispelled by his divine touch. A moment later and it was over, the woman now cleansed of the toxins.

As Falarion's focus returned and his eyes became normal once more, he carefully took back his hand without rushing to do so. As much as the woman was off-putting to him, he really did not want to upset her over it. Sheepish now, Falarion quickly tried to come up with a good reason for why he could walk away from her and he then remembered that Harian had been impaled by an ice shard as well. Almost immediately, he was grinning again and turned away from the woman while he said to her, "I hope you feel better, that's about all I can do for anyone!"

In the midst of everything, Falarion heard Jophiel introducing himself and then declaring he was the archangel of wisdom. At that, Falarion paused and quirked his head. Even as Harian responded, Falarion felt like there was a lot of irony in play here. Though, if an archangel had called the team together, Falarion figured there was no opting out of this now. All he could do was play the game and take this time to get to know some of those who were on his team with him.

Overhearing Harian's voice in one direction, Falarion headed that way and then paused when he found the man who had been exterminating rats left and right near the beginning of the fight. If Falarion's memory served him right, this man had also sailed past the demon and crashed rather unceremoniously mid-fight. This made Falarion snicker and then he tried to cover it up by joining the man's side and saying, "Hey there! You did a great job of killing rats during that fight. Those were some nasty buggers."

It was only then that Falarion realized he did not know anyone's names except for Harian and Jophiel. It was really weird to have experienced a life-threatening situation with complete strangers. Glancing around when he heard Harian's skittering in the debris nearby, Falarion sighed and added, "What a night!" He stretched out his arms a bit behind himself before continuing, "I only really know Harian and Jophiel there, so I guess introductions are a bit overdue, yeah?"

Turning now to face the man, Falarion offered a hand and one of his typical smiles, as he said, "Name's Falarion, what's yours?" He had overheard Harian mentioning something missing and could tell that this man was trying to help her out. Not wanting to just stand by the man without doing anything, Falarion began digging in some rubble beside him while he waited for the man to respond.
SilverFlight Naberius GamerCarrot

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel looked up as the newcomer approached, cocking his head and flashing him an amused grin.

"'Monekying around'? Really? That joke hurt almost as much as being kicked into a wall by a demon."

He laughed lightly, taking the offered hand.

"Names Gabriel. Yes I see the irony in someone named Gabriel helping free an archangel. We're going to get along just fine. Until Harian kills us both for our terrible sense of humor."

This time, Gabriel remembered to actually let go of the person's hand before making an utter fool of himself. He went back to digging through the detritus, glad for the company. Though, he secretly felt sorry for Harian for having to deal with BOTH of them at the same time.

Lioness075

 

[GamerCarrot]

Hayle chuckled at Harian's response from her trying to compliment the man who had ultimately screwed up and sailed past the demon late into the fight but she did appreciate Harian commenting on her handy work with her ice "I put in a few that ended up stabbing a few of us, I don't think it quite helped Rocky!" she joking she yelled back at Harian who had seemed to disappear.

As Falarion healed the poison in her blood she was quite pleasantly surprised to know it didn't hurt one bit, looks like she got too concerned about her demonic side and didn't even think about the difference between attacking and healing. "Thank you..." she said as he pulled his hand away from hers, she had noticed the hesitation in his actions but she brushed it off as her cold abilities. As she went to go apologise about it he seemed to have run off to help Harian, which she couldn't blame him for that she too was impaled and did need healing. She didn't mind his hurried movements but she wouldn't lie if she thought it had something to do with what she is but then again no one here but Jophiel and Harian knew what she truly was underneath the glamour, all anyone else knew was she was someone that could control ice and had glowing markings. Moving her hand to her hair she double checked to make sure the glamour in place hadn't disappeared during the fight, to her surprise it was still there. Her horns concealed from everyone's sight.

Overhearing the angel talk to someone else that helped with the fight Hayle approached the two of them carefully it seemed like they were having an argument of sorts but the angel was quick to apologise and realise his own faults that brought them into this mess. But his words saying that they all needed to be here stuck with her, she wanted to speak up about her being here but since there was someone else here she stayed silent and smiled instead "It's good to see that you are okay..." she spoke softly not wanting to interrupt Jophiel talking to the other person too much but she thought she'd just see how he was and possibly ask him a question later when there wasn't so many people.

Lioness075 SilverFlight

 

[Crazy Trey-n]

There wasn't any time to even consider the healing from either of the men as Phillip's hand was suddenly on his shoulder, forcing the boy to stare into his eyes as he bid it. This was the same man who'd fearlessly gone after one of the sigils and cracked a length of wood over the head of the demon even though he seemed altogether very 'regular.' Perhaps Nero had something to learn from him. That sentiment was strengthened as he caught a sense of limitless time and experience behind those color-shifting eyes.

"What are you-" He cut himself off as the throbbing in his shoulder began to suddenly ease away until it wasn't there anymore. He unbound the makeshift wrappings as Phillip stepped back and was shocked to see that the gaping hole was no longer there, his skin only marred by his own blood and previous minor scars.

Nero looked at Phillip with a newfound sense of gratitude - the man may have made a heat-of-the-moment call earlier in the fight, but he was clearly trying to make amends one way or another. "You have my thanks, kind sir."

With the phone extended as though it were some sort of small, wild animal, Nero now turned towards Jophiel, his head cocked curiously to one side. "I don't know if this will help any, but I found it by the bodies of those who came before us. It... moved." His face was contorted into an expression of unease until Hayle arrived beside the archangel. Patiently, he waited until she'd spoken to Jophiel before speaking in kind to her, "Your icicles were what allowed me to tear open the last of the cocoon, so many thanks to you as well."

The young nephilim was once again wearing that sideways smile and he calmly clasped his hands behind him, stepping back and bowing at the waist ever so slightly beside the three beings in front of him. It was the best way to show respect that he'd read up on before; he'd seen people shake hands in the past, but he'd never done it himself and these beings didn't seem like your average humans. Far, far from it.

"My name is Nero. Pleased to meet you all."

SilverFlight GamerCarrot MrBossMan

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

Kiyomi
Location: The World's End - Basement
Interaction: Zoya

Despite Zoya's injuries, there was a calmness surrounding Kiyomi that was almost contagious, and she smiled gently as the woman accepted her offer. The sight of dried blood and dirt streaking her skin did not bother the kitsune in the slightest and she intertwined her hands with Zoya's, the light beaming from her palms glowing brighter as Kiyomi's eyes fluttered close. Little twinkling lights as small as specks of dust appeared out of thin air, dancing like fireflies in a grassy marshland around them. The cool air suddenly felt a bit warmer and the light from her palms spread forward, engulfing Zoya's entire being. Every wound the light touched, it healed, and as the light crept down to Zoya's ankles, it released itself into the air and floated away in a cloud of glowing sakura blossoms that dissipated into the darkness. Zoya had gone from the most wounded out of the group to looking like she hadn't fought at all.

Kiyomi reopened her eyes as the light faded away, a small smile on her face. She released Zoya's hands from her own and took a step back.

"Well, your face was being burned off by poison after all. I would be angry too." Kiyomi chuckled lightheartedly and tilted her head to the side, ears flicking back and forth. If anyone could forgive someone for a mistake, it was her. It was incredibly hard to make the kitsune angry. A hand reached out, resting gently on Zoya's shoulder.

"There are no ill feelings between us, so do not worry, Zoya." She reassured her once more, flashing her a soft smile. Although Zoya had never told the kitsune her name, Kiyomi already knew it, just like she knew everyone else's names. Being a 1,000 year old kitsune had its perks, and she had gained the power of omniscience after receiving her ninth tail. This was likely surprising to Zoya, but Kiyomi wasn't phased by her reaction in the slightest, and instead brought her hand back to its side. The white-haired woman suddenly laughed softly, placing a hand over her lips as she realized a mistake she'd made.

"Oh, how rude of me. I never properly introduced myself to you, did I?"

Kiyomi suddenly bowed deeply before Zoya, eyes closed and long white hair draping forward. The movement was performed with a natural grace not many possessed.

"I am Kiyomi, a servant of Inari." She looked up and smiled a lovely smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Feywild @ anyone

 

[SilverFlight]

Jophiel put his hands out to Nero protectively when Philip grabbed him, but he withdrew and watched with a tentative frown. When Philip had finished healing Jophiel marveled at the work.
"I don't believe you were on my list." He stated, giving Philip a curious look. "But you seem like you belong."
The angel looked down at the phone proffered by the young man and took it gently.
"This must have belonged to one of the two people I found down here. The demon got to them before I could help them..." There was a distinct note of guilt in his voice. He put the phone in his pocket.
MrBossMan Crazy Trey-n

"Found it!" Harian the squirrel dove onto a section of floor, which contained the card she had dropped, and her own phone not too far off. She grew back into her human form and pocketed the phone carefully before taking the key to Jophiel.
She was about to hand it to him when suddenly there was a low hum that reverberated through the cellar floor.
A thread of light appeared against one wall and it split and opened into a doorway. Spilling white light everywhere. Harian shielded her eyes and ducked behind the angel for good measure.
Probably a good thing because another angel stepped from the portal of light into the room, followed by a man with dark skin, eyes lined with Khole. He was dressed in denim and a brown leather jacket, the eye of Horus about his neck. The next man was a portly ginger with a thick, full beard. He spun a battle hammer around in one hand idly as he sauntered out behind the other two. Finally a woman stepped out, deep brown hair curled and put up on the top of her head. She carried a shield with an owl reliefed in silver, wings spread and following the curve of it.
"Gabriel!" Joph cried. "Horus, Thor, Athena. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
Horus saw Ayramis and waved happily at him, putting his hand down after a glare from Athena.
"Glad to see you cleaned up the mess." Gabriel said curtly. "We're here to collect the remnants for examination."
Jophiel looked puzzled. "Ah, but, we have that well in-hand. My team did an incredible job defeating the demon, we'll be taking the glass orb back to the base I built and--"
"Sorry Joph, you won't." Gabriel cut him off. Thor was already moving, and with an apologetic look, took out a small container and scooped of their only piece of evidence.
"This is out of your hands. We'll take it from here."
And that was that. Gabriel stepped back through their portal and the others followed. It snapped shut behind them, leaving Jophiel gaping and Harian fuming.

"What the shit?! We do all the work and they just swoop in and help themselves?"
Jophiel looked miserable. "Well, Gabriel does have seniority..."
Harian harumphed. "I like ours better."
Then something dawned on her. "Wait...Joph...are we...are we the B team?!"
Jophiel steepled his fingers sheepishly. "Well, not quite...there are ah, a few more teams with stronger entities."
"Like how many?"
"You have to understand, this is the fate of the world, everything. They can't leave it in the hands of just a few human and immortals. But, if I had to estimate...we'd probably not even make it onto the alphabet."
"...Wow." Harian was not amused.
"You know what? Let's just show them the base." She held up the card and walked to a small door that lead to the stairs. As soon as she placed the card close to the handle, a slot appeared, glowing and ethereal. It took the card and suddenly thr entire door lit up with intricate glyphs. Harian pulled the card free and opened the door and...it did not leads to a set of dingy pub cellar steps...

*~*~*

There was a small flight of steps that lead from the doorway up to the central floor, which was tiled in grey and white marble. The walls were white and set with intricate mouldings and a crustal chandelier hung from the ceiling. To the right, through a wide archway was a television room with a massive big screen set beside one wall and a set of huge bay windows, complete with a reading seat big enough for six people. Outside the windows were rolling green fields filled with flowers, and a sky so blue and clear it almost didn't look real. They were definitely no longer anywhere near London. The kitchen was across the hall and it was huge too, a pair of islands in the center of more counter space than three master chefs could ever use. Mahogany cupboards and countertops of polished granite. the finest copper pots hung from pegs over one of the islands and the oven could have fit a grown man (Not that Harian had ever considered it).
"Follow me please! Don't forget to take your shoes off, and Welcome to the Heaven's Door Hotel!" Jophiel bounced up the steps and continued down the hall.
"I did not agree to that name!" Harian yelled after him as she followed, her own shoes just vanishing off her feet.
The hallway was wide, and set with mirrors down the length of it. The end of the corridor lead two ways, one to a flight of steps that lead to a second floor and the other to a door. This Jophiel opened and lead the way inside. It was a pool, but not just a pool. It was three tiers of white stone, set with brass fountains in the shapes of elegant hippocampi, water pouring from their mouths. The top tier steamed invitingly, the middle and lower tiers were much larger and sloped, with seats embedded in the rough stonework. The aura of the pool could be felt from the doorway. This was a place of healing.
"I had the water brought from a healing spring in Lucern, Switzerland. It should make you right as rain in about twenty minutes."
On either side of the room were doors that lead to changing rooms, and on shelves outside of them were towels and bathing suits, each with the names of each guest neatly embroidered in a subtle place.

Harian ran for the edge and leapt, changing into a sea lion in mid-air before splashing into the bottom pool. She resurfaced with a big smile on her snout. the wound on her shoulder already looked better.
"Oh I missed this..." She sighed. "Well? What do you want? A red carpet? Get in! The water's perfect."

Lioness075 MrBossMan andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crocodile Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot The Dark Wizard Feywild