Fantasy The Dying World Beneath (IC)

[Daniel Reaving]

Ariela looked around quickly before looking to the stranger and grabbing his hand. "hurry come with me we can make it there quicker if we take the path." she said as she pulled him towards the ship. "cartographer! open a portal to the disturbance! brulis you and a small platoon are coming with us!"

Spoiler: cartographer and brulis

she yelled to the general with the staff and the other giant brute like general. her cartographer quickly nodded and whispered words as a white and black portal like sphere appeared near the ship. "come mister danto we need to make haste." she said quickly as she pulled him towards the portal as a group of about 50 of her crew rushed off the boat and took place by the portal with her general who now carried a giant shield just taller than he was in his right hand (mind you he stands about 7'8") and a giant cub that seemed to match his armor in his left
PanOtterPus

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Viriel smirked softly as she stood not far off to the left of the demon lord. listening softly as he and the hell hound spoke to one another. then there forces charged into the surrounding city leaving her, the demon lord, and the hell hound in an open circle. letting out a soft sigh Viriel moved to the demon lords side and spoke softly as she looked up to him. "Do you really plan to waste your energy on such a puny hell hound my king?" She asked in a soft seductive tone as she looked up to the taller demon before back to orthrus. "Tsh he is like an old sick animal compared to some of the beasts we have today. Why dont you leave him to me my sweet?" She asked Aeshma with a soft smile as she leaned up against his leg as she rested her hands on her hips a little before standing up straight once more beside him and bringing up her arms and crossing them up under her chest as she eyed Orthrus. She couldn't see how this old dog ever hopped to stand against any demon greater than a common minion let alone the leading demon of this invasion and the most dangerous demon in history. He looked like nothing more than a light snack and a small toy she could play around with for a while until it breaks then cast it aside. "I can simply taste your fear little doggy and it tastes mmmmm delicious." She said softly as she licked her lips and stared straight into his soul. gently she brought her hands down to the hilts of the rapiers that adorned her hips and waited for a reply.
PanOtterPus Rustic DergTheDergon
(hope yall dont mind how I brought her in, it was the only way i could see bringing her in. if you guys need or wish me to change it all i will just let me know! ^-^)

 

[Verdas]

If hotdog-related frustration and boredom could be accurately measured in numbers, what Caroline felt would most certainly go above and beyond nine thousand. Everything seemed to be going perfectly fine, but of course, like a jenga tower, it all ended up toppling in the end. Not only had she failed to catch her prey persuade Chase into making some extra raw hotdogs with her, but she also lost her favourite stash of toys. Childish as it may seem for an adult, she still preferred to play with toys in her spare time. However, she could not for the life of her remember where they were, and was thus forced to buy new ones. Her bullshit sensors still went off when she thought about that day.

Nevertheless, daily maintenance and fondling of her various trophies, plenty of eyescream, and the occasional stalking of one Chase Hauer, had all managed to keep her schedule full. One of these things was partly responsible for her being on leave, as it required more time and effort than others. Unfortunately, it appeared that she may not be able to carry on with one of her newest hobbies today due to a notice she received. She had largely ignored it, as it involved volunteering for mental torture, and would have continued to do so if not for this one, simple reason.

Haphazardly throwing away the cheap binoculars she had on her person (for reasons that shall remain unstated) and getting up from her table in a cafe fairly close to the guild building, she began to make her way to the dreaded place to join in the fun of pretending to listen whilst mentally screaming and begging for salvation to come. Of course, not all 'meetings' were this bad, although the good ones may still end up with something begging to be released inside, as was typically the case when making extra raw hotdogs.

It was well past nine, but she might as well drop by and see what happened. Her clothing was rather innapropriate casual considering it was a meeting, but he honestly couldn't care less. It was never much of a problem, at it naturally attracted eyes to her. Still, hesitation had suddenly gripped her from* behind as she reached for the door. 'Gah, I just wanna make hot dogs...' She complained in her head. Making hot dogs with mayonnaise was the best thing ever, and she could be out there looking for 'experienced cooks,' yet here she was, about to attend what she was assuming would be an utterly dull and pointless meeting.

Technically speaking, she didn't really have to do this, did she? However, after a couple seconds (minutes**), she easily beat it back with the reasoning that things she had hesitated to do or try in the past usually turned out to be pretty good. Such as BDS- That, and the meeting may most likely have something to do with hunting supernaturals, in other words, money with legs. There was no way she would miss out on even a slight chance to earn big bucks. Thus, she rudely flung open the door in her excitement, having forgotten herself for a moment, imaginary drool running down her chin at the thought of money. A small part of her hoped that her superiors would forgive something as little as this. If she could forgive little things for acting too soon, so could they.

DergTheDergon

 

[Rustic]

The white-haired angel, Zerah, could feel his spirit lift as his appeal to the tall dragoness was heard, but it quickly sunk as he looked out toward the scene unfolding. The portal had already begun to produce it's awful spawn, and they were everything he could have feared. Not just a demonic force, but a whole army had been lying in wait, and now they were unleashed. He paled as he his fears were further confirmed by the deafening sound of a general's cry to arms and an ensuing blur of massive, hulking bodies rushing out to answer it. His pulse, however it existed, quickened, and his mind started to struggle to keep himself and his body calm and in check. This was it. He had said as much before when it had only slipped out of his mouth, but now he felt sure this was irrevocably the beginning of an ending. This was a grisly coming of prophecy. An end of days. He focused, for a moment, on keeping himself still. To get a grip on his panic that was, like this situation, threatening to spin out of control. And then he breathed deeply.

If this was a time to mourn, to feel fear, or to be reluctant, it was not his. The woman from before quickly switching into action seemed to feel the same. Her suddenness did not startle him anymore than the current proceedings already had, but it still brought him back to reality. He forced his body and his expression to soften from it's tellingly stiff look of shock to something more neutral as she laid out what she wanted from him. Her words were curt and surprisingly brazen, especially considering what he presumed the two of them already knew about him, but he simply nodded in understanding. She had a right to the harsh feeling that prickled off of her like burs brushing along his skin. It was not his place to judge her, regardless. Once she had finished, once her partner had answered back with a singsong, "I'll try my best," he stepped forward toward her and once again outstretched his hand.

As he began, his eyes softened, and his lips curled into a light smile. "Thank you."

It was only a subtle shift in atmosphere at first, but like a faint wind had begun to blow from under him, his hair and his clothing began to weakly float. From an outsider's view, that would've been the only demonstrable change, if there had been someone to watch. However, there was still a tide of chaos washing all around the them; everywhere people scrambled, in preparation for battle or in hopes of fleeing. Only the three of them were unmoving, a small island of sanity amidst a sea of confusion. If at first the contrast proved distracting, than it did not stay that way for long. An invisible thick, covering presence began to creep over, and gradually, the world around them too came to a halt. It was palpable: a soft, impossible stillness.

The scene would seem to darken in Xaira's vision, then, but what was really happening would quickly be evident. The sun, or some other light, behind the angel was what had brightened. It quickly grew in intensity, to such a point the young man's silhouette was the only thing to eclipse it. The only thing keeping her from fully witnessing what might've otherwise been blinding. His palm, still pointed toward her, fell to face the sky, in invitation to bring her hand to his. The tips of his fingers caught just a flash of that luminescence as she came close, but, in the brief moments as their hands began to meet, the light reached. It moved - to cover his whole hand, to then her fingertips, to then to her whole hand, where it suddenly flashed, and overwhelmed the world in white.

With that, it abruptly ended. Once Xaira could see again, the world was as it had been before, like what she had she had seen had not really occurred. Indeed, the position of the people around spoke to that - even in the crowd's panic, nobody had moved, and even more than that, nobody had looked their way. Even Naomi was inert, still staring in the same intent and uneasy way she had been before, apparently still waiting for the effect. The only thing that had truly changed, and only slightly, was the look on Zerah's face. It had shifted into something tellingly exhausted, and somewhat pained. There was suddenly something missing inside him now, something he couldn't place. And yet, in it's place came an awash of a comforting, budding feeling of warmth. He opened his mouth to speak and watched as Naomi gripped onto Xaira a little tighter, seeming to understand something had passed.

"A blessing," he said, softly. He smiled, even as his eyebrows knitting together suggested it was an effort for him. But he paused - for as briefly as the haste they needed allowed - and blinked. He wanted to better explain what he had done, but... he couldn't find the words. Not ones specific enough to satisfy them, anyway. He assumed that she felt more invigorated in turn for his feeling worse, but beyond that, he honestly didn't know what effect it would have. There was at least one thing he knew he knew, though, and that was what he decided to offer her.

"When it is needed most, 'they' will bring it to you." His eyes were hopeful, but he gritted his teeth imperceptibly. He only wanted to say more - to tell her like he did most that this would pass, that all things did - but that no longer knew he could say so in earnest. Not with hell at their door. He kept his regrets close, though, and impassively tried to offer his hand to the reluctant lilin with eyes a shade mirroring his own.

"Would it be useful to me?" she asked, reluctantly. "Safe?"

His lips pursed at this, his fingers instinctively retreating slightly back into his palm. She had a habit of asking difficult questions. He didn't know that, either. He wasn't sure a blessing could hurt even an unambiguous servant of hell, let alone a lilin woman who had likely never even seen it. "I don't know..." he impulsively answered honestly, looking inadvertently confused.

She doesn't audibly sigh, but Zerah knew enough about the subtleties of expression to know that the way her eyes closed and her chest rose harshly politely suggested the same emotion.


"...Right," she said. That seemed about right to Naomi; that this man didn't even know the effects of his own magic.

He looked a little disappointed at her reaction, but he would have to be. Fallen angels were the type to play fast and loose with the truth, and frankly, she could imagine he was no different, just from what she'd seen of him. It was entirely possible that what this had amounted to was some ostentatiously manipulative way of offering reassurance. But, whatever the case, it at least seemed hiis heart was in the right place, in wanting to do something like that at all. So, she let it go, looking instead to Xaira. There wasn't time for much in the way of a debriefing, so instead of fussing over her for it, she leaned in closer to her partner and quickly stretched herself up for a kiss.

"That's my blessing," she whispered affectionately with a wink. There was so much more she wanted to say as she looked into Xaira's eyes. But beyond she saw the oncoming horde, heard the sounds coming closer that signaled the need for urgency. Oh, she was out of her mind with worry. This was something out of her actual nightmares - the idea that hell would one day come to claim Deepvale, to reclaim lilin. But having Xaira close made her feel what she had never been able to muster in her nightmares before: courage. So, she grabbed onto her tighter, and stood herself behind her in firm solidarity.

"Let's go."


Zerah watched, then, as the two women made their way to the battlefield. Sure enough, it's presence called to him, too. Even if hadn't, the fight would be upon him soon, regardless. Still, even knowing what he had to do, he found himself uncertain of how he would proceed. Would these demons know the presence of an angel when they saw one? Would he be able to fight them off, if they knew he was something to be targeted? There was no way for him to know. That fact made his hands shake with a restlessness even his faith could not still. Was it really wise for him to engage? God was righteous, surely, but Zerah was only his servant. It was his own job to ensure his survival, not Theirs. He had already failed once; being fallen, having a memory that only stretched back for two years, was a mark of that.

But his eyes fell, unexpectedly, to the Hound of Hell now shadowing high above the crowd. Staring down two menacing demons who were, despite their stature in comparison to him, of an obviously high rank. A thought couldn't help but cross his mind as he saw this: Did this Hound of Hell stand feeling as if his makers were watching? Or did he stand against these forces regardless of that? In any case, the hound was also just a servant, and yet had still found it in him to stand against this army as he truly was. To make himself known, even knowing what the cost of his failure here would truly be. Knowing that, seeing that, Zerah felt a sharp pang in his heart. It was obvious, then, what he had to do.

Lights mimicking wings grew out along his back, and in a flash, dissipated, leaving only the real white, feathery articles in their wake. Much the same happened as he curled his hands - a beam appeared as he willed and shaped itself into what looked to be a spear. It was all he could confidently create for the moment, afraid for the others stuck in this crowd, but he still raised himself off the ground surely. He would do the same as that Hound, then. Not only for the God, and the Creators', but for Deepvale as well - for the only place he yet knew. The people around him who weren't already engaged could only watch in disbelief as he rose above them, brandishing his weapon toward the demonic horde before him.

"For this sin," he said. He forced his muscles to stiffen as he doubled down with as fierce and authoritative a tone as he could muster. "You will perish here!"

And, with that, he dived straight down, spear ready to take them. All of them. As many as he needed to.

DergTheDergon

 

[PanOtterPus]

Danto’s mind was racing. Who in the heck was this ninja kisser? Who the heck was this demon intruder that the vampire felt like he should know? Why the hell was Orthrus so ready to shift so suddenly? What the fuck was going on!!

Only one question was answered. As the demons rushed, it became evident that Orthrus was ready for the inevitable battle. And now this woman was opening a portal straight to the heart of it, and she was pulling him along. Great. He watched in awe as Ariela's men ran to action, readily willing to bend to her every order. It was impressive. Not that Danto would ever admit it. Nope. Never. "Impressive." Hm, well, maybe just this once.

“Since I have no say in the matter, lead the way,” he drawled, as Ariela pulled him into the portal before them. His last thoughts before stepping through were hopeful that this fight would be more exciting than the last. Danto needed an outlet form the steadily growing frustration within him. He planned to have a good long sleep after al this effort he had been putting into helping this city lately. Perhaps the coma incident would be forgotten....

Daniel Reaving

 

[DergTheDergon]

*Fifer, still in shock at the absence of her scars, found herself staring into her reflection in her boss’s compact mirror with a wistful expression, coming back to reality only as she heard Gabe’s voice, his tone betraying both mutual surprise at her new look, and… a new appreciation for her, perhaps? She found herself blushing, and looking into his eyes deeply. Unperturbed by his speechlessness, and in fact deeply flattered by it, she simply met his eyes with deep affection. ‘Yeah… wow….” She said, giggling a little in response. She leaned forward in the moment and hugged him tight, her boss allowing her to do so for a few moments before clearing her throat loudly. “I apologize for interrupting your moment, you two, but I’ll need your attention on me and your comrades. Be prepared to leave.”

Fifer rolled her eyes at this comment of her boss’s, before looking around the room after the initial shock faded. In doing so, She gathered herself just enough to actually become aware of the expressions on the faces of others besides Gabriel.

As Chase suddenly fell from his chair, Fifer found herself moving to catch him just as Gabe was doing, only to find that he seemed fine, if… different, now. Strangely enough, that seemed to be the very moment he had picked something, either that or he accidentally pressed the option he chose while falling. Chase was known to possess uncanny dexterity in his hands, Fifer then remembered, and then decided to believe that the former theory. He form he chose caused her to smile. It made him look kinda cute, honestly, in an adorable little puppy sort of way; literally. “I like it, chase,” she said, not even a hint of deceit in her tone. Honestly, this sight made her think; she sort of thought of chase, she realized, like a loyal pet dog. Either that, or a younger brother. Not in a sense that she looked down on him, but in more of a sense that she trusts him with her life and wants him to succeed, but feels that he needs a bit of guidance to truly do great things. If anything, this mission was going to provide opportunities to her to provide that guidance. She could feel it.

Then, it was Gabe’s turn. After petting Chase between the ears just to see how it would feel (and see what his reaction would be, in all honesty) she then turned towards Gabe, arching an eyebrow in silent wonder as to what he’d disguise himself as. All she knew was, it more than likely wouldn’t be sexier than the man himself. Fifer was pretty damn sure that was impossible, actually.

Her breath nearly caught in her throat in anticipation (and a bit of worry as to the possibility of something going wrong in the transformation process, as she observed the digital overlay transforming into… something else entirely. Her eyes widened as she saw before her a catlike version of Gabe, a panther’s fur coat adorning him. She simply took it in for a few moments, a smile slowly forming on her face. “I think I could get used to this…” she finally said, still a little breathless. She reached out a hand and grinned as she felt the soft fur on his arm. “Yes, I definitely could.” She scooted closer to him and leaned into his now-furry body, enjoying it quite a bit.Elizibeth cleared her throat again, thus garnering Fifer’s attention. “Unless the two of you would like to sit on opposite sides of the table for future meetings, I require your rapt attention. This isn’t high school.” Fifer rolled her eyes a little but made sure to keep her gaze on Elizabeth, even while her arm remained around Gabe.

Just when everyone was suited up and miss Crowne opened her mouth, a commanding gesture on her face as she prepared to give as rousing a pre-mission speech as she could, a sudden, unexpected presence graced the room. Fifer’s reaction was one of first surprise, then a split-second glare, then a smirk followed by snuggling up closer to Gabe’s side. She doubted Caroline had heard that they were together, and she couldn’t help but want to see the look on her face.

Miss Crowne’s response was, of course, far more polished and professional. “Aaaah… Agent Hauser. How delightful of you to drop by. I believe you are just in time.” Her tone was deadpan, verging on sarcasm, however she smiled after getting over her initial annoyance regarding the young lady’s attitude, feeling relief as she realized that, despite her near-angering entrance, there were four when there had been three. Besides, Miss Hauser was indeed capable, and to be honest, The boss herself felt like the young hunter added to the chance of the mission ending successfully, despite her attitude and her rather… unprofessional reputation regarding her love life, stories of which having reached Miss Crowne’s ears time and again ever since Caroline joined. Ignoring Caroline’s disrespectful words, as the last thing Elizibeth wanted was to cause Caroline to second-guess shortening her leave all of a sudden, she simply allowed the woman to sit down and quit spouting her mout; she even said as much, in her usual businesslike, slightly snarky manner. “If you’re quiet finished, Agent Hauser, I will debrief you, You’re no doubt confused by your comrade’s new appearances.”

Elizabeth then produced another of the prototypes, and explained once more what the mission was and what these devices entailed exactly. She spoke fast, curt and to -the-point. Being able to near-effortlessly speak as such whenever it is necessary was one of the skills that earned miss Crowne her prestigious, well-paying job. “Now, in order to remain incognito down there, you’ll need a disguise. Every known humanoid Supernatural is represented within the options. Once you’ve chosen, I’ll send you all on your way.”

With that, likely every eye in the room turned on Caroline, which unbeknownst to Fifer and Miss Crowne, was probably less stress-inducing to her and moreso arousing. Once she had chosen, Elizibeth would near-immediately dismiss them, deciding to forgo her planned speech in order to capitalize on the time. It would take quite the journey to make it down as far as the city was estimated by the Guild’s scientists to be located.

Verdas PanOtterPus Rustic

 

[Rustic]

After announcing he was finished, he heard Gabriel's amused, encouraging comment from two seats over. Though, it didn't really register as 'encouragement', in his mind. He cracked an uncomfortable smile in response to it anyway, trying not to show that he wasn't sure how to take it. The man had meant it in a sincere way, right? There were a brief few moments where he wasn't sure, where he almost thinks he should be panicked, but Fifer's kind interjection of agreement on the subject was enough to put those stray thoughts to bed. Actually, it made him feel dumb for even worrying. His attempt at small smile became earnest, then, and he looked up to Gabriel, and then Fifer, shyly but gratefully. This situation was still irrevocably awkward and terrible, but at the very least, it was reassuring they he at least had the two of them to face it with.

The comfortable feeling lasted until about the moment he could feel a hand near his two new ears. Before he could manage much of a protest, something kind of strange happened - someone started scratching them? He kind of wanted to stop this immediately, because he had just gotten the dog thing off his mind, but the sensation was kind of... gratifying? Like someone unexpectedly running their fingertips across his skin, but... his ears were being scratched. Not what he would've expected from some fakey-fake magic technology, but it only horrified him more to know that it felt so real for some reason. But it still felt really good though? His conflicted emotions were obvious along his face reddening face as he tried to keep his composure by burying his head in his hands.

"It's so weiiiiird...." he moaned quietly, as his new appendages only betrayed him once again just by making it obvious that was somehow enjoyable - his tail waving back and forth in delight and his ears soaking up the attention just by leaning in to the touch. He could only say he was relieved when Fifer finally stopped to devote her full attention to the same process finally starting to take effect on Gabriel. Chase was more than happy to leave them to it, too, just sort of trying to focus on something else while it took place. It was only when Miss Crowne piped up did he regain focus on what was going on, and only thought to give the two of them a glimpse and they pulled themselves apart somewhat. Not entirely, if their hands on each other meant something. What was up with...?

He didn't time to finish his thought before, out of nowhere, he heard the door behind him open with a slam. The sound of the unexpected disturbance was almost enough to make his heart leap from his chest, and instantly there was a question on his lips. Who? If he had had time to consider it further, he'd probably have decided he didn't want to know, but his head automatically jerked toward the sound anyway in a quick bid to satisfy his curiosity. And what he saw, too, made him feel as if he knew he'd made the wrong decision. Standing at the door was Caroline Haurer, who might definitely be the last person he wanted to be walking in at this exact moment. Not that any other time would've been better, but he could at least get a moment to try and compose himself, right?

Instead, all he could do is hurriedly bury his head in his arms on the table, in a timid attempt to hide the evidence that he'd was a monster. Not that it helped; even covering his ears as best he could, there was still, obviously, the anxiously swishing tail he had going crazy behind him. And, as he thought about it, Gabriel and Fifer were also in plain view... So, after a few seconds, he raised his back up, if reluctantly.

"Heeey...!" he trailed out weakly, impulsively, trying again to smile as he lifted his hand up to wave. Very smooth. Definitely inconspicuous. His mouth wanted to fumble for some other words, but it seemed that Miss Crowne was already ready to get busy, alluding to wanting to start her briefing, so he gladly let her get to it, staring at Caroline for a few moments more, and where she decided to sit, before absently staring off toward Miss Crowne, trying to look alert while thought over the situation a little better.

He hadn't done something wrong right? He knew he liked her, but it had seemed too quick for that... and it had been hadn't it? He wasn't sure, but it had still seemed like she had been okay with him saying no, at least. But then, he hadn't really... talked about what had happened with her. He wasn't so good at that, because he really didn't do it? When people had problems with him, he usually just avoided them. That sort of thing tended to sort itself out. But, three weeks out now and minutes away from the start of a very long mission, he still wasn't sure where he was with her. And, now that Miss Crowne was getting to the end of her impromptu lecturing for Caroline's sake, it felt imperative that he said something. He didn't want to make her feel awkward about something that was his fault, if she did. So, in an attempt at continued good will, once the Headmistress did finish, he got up from his chair to close the distance between them a little more, and leaned against the table.

"You're... back!" he said jovially. He lingering reluctance was somewhat plain in his voice, in a way that made it clear he wasn't entirely up to it, but it was also evident he was trying his best to show he meant what he said anyway. He looked over to the device that had been slid her way. "Do you have an idea of what you might wanna be?" It was kind of something said just to have said something, but he was curious. And honestly sort of worried. What was Gabriel, even, when he had looked? He purposefully tried not to look too hard when he saw some unusual colors and spots in place of the man's usual skin tone. He could only hope she didn't have seriously altering choice in mind like that. He didn't want to have to squint to look at her comfortably. He liked looking at her. Wait...

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus Verdas

 

[DergTheDergon]

Othrus’ speech of defiance towards Aeshma was met with nothing but a plethora of hateful glares, growls and threats of death from the demons beyond the deep red gate, a glimpse into the dark depths of hell. This was what would swallow the world should this horde not be stopped. However, neither Orthus nor any of the diverse supernatural beings gathering behind him hesitated. This honestly made a few of the demons hesitate, as they felt that they should instill great fear upon all who looked at them, no matter what. However, they underestimated the power of many hearts, faces and voices joining together as one in honor of a cause they all believed in, amplified further by a brave soul who steps forth to lead them. However, the Demons had thier own dertmination and all doubts any of them may have had soo vanished. They shook off the doubt and charged, led by the long, piercing growl of fury from the maw of the dreaded, dastardly Demon Lord Aeshma. That very enraged cry of challenge marked the beginning of the war for the earth, that as of now, the billions of humans above the surface were not at all aware of.

Thankfully, the words exchanged between the two demons was just enough time for Deepvale’s denizens to brace themselves for the coming battle, grueling as it would be. Danto, Ariella and her crew would arrive just in time, though their sudden arrival at the portal was met with gasps and other sounds of mixed shock, fear and suspicion. However, many of those present quickly turned their attention back towards the impending Demonic invasion fully, upon noting that these strange secondary invaders seemed to not be attacking them, as well as advancing towards the demonic army themselves. Whatever they were here for or how they got here, it was not to aid the demonic forces; that much was clear.

Then, time seemed to slow down for both the demonic forces and the residents of Deepvale as the former horde began to spill through the portal, masses of crimson-skinned, bloodthirsty killers charging in. It was clear from the outset that the Deepvale forces were quite outnumbered indeed.

Accepting Orthrus’s challenge with dark, sadistic glee, Aeshma chuckled as he advanced upon the hound of hell, silently cracking his neck, rolling his shoulders, and reaching for the massive axe he kept strapped to his massive back, completing his menacing look in tandem with his cloak, his armor underneath (both garments pitch black in color) and the burning red of his eyes. Upon his itch black chest plate was an insignia that all current or former denizens of hell would know was the symbol of Lucifer’s second-in-command. He hadn’t just risen up the ranks, he’d risen up them all.

The moment before he would be in reach of Orthrus, however, the familiar sound of a certain demoness’s voice, and the subsequent feeling of her body brushing up against his leg (her entire body, in fact; he truly towered over all his subordinates) he halted, turning towards her and glancing down at her. Her words pleased him, as did her actions of course. She had a way of commanding even his attention; after all, she was excellent at both getting her way and letting him have his, no matter how sadistic and/or carnal the desires of either. However, ocne he realized that she was trying to dissuade him from killing Orthrus himself, he turned away from her and back to Orthrus with Vile hatred. It seemed clear that he wanted to personally deal with him no matter how much he agreed with Viriel’s taunting statements. He found himself grinning again at her taunt “Viriel, much as I’d delight in watching you make him squirm in his final moments, I’ll have to settle for making an example of him myself, and celebrate by utterly ravaging you afterwards as a reminder of your place, woman.” With a sadistic grin, he callously pushed her aside, axe in the other hand as he meandered towards the main event: Orthrus. He knew Orthrus was fast when he wanted to be, and so Aeshma wasted no more of his time than he felt Viriel had wasted.

He’d been waiting for far too long to kill him, and now was his chance. He took full advantage of it, swinging his axe in a rage towards Orthrus’ head, with more than enough force to cut it clean off. The hound of hell had tricks of his own up hi sleeve, but the cocky Demon lord wasn’t worrying about them at the moment: he felt like the traitorous mutt was as good dead starting at this very moment.

The mysterious fallen angel took this moment to do what he was intending to do, Xaira standing there, arms crossed and expression a mix of curiosity and slight suspicion. She nodded curtly when he thanked her, her foot tapping impatiently as she took a deep breath, trying to center herself despite the chaos enveloping her and Naomi’s surroundings.

. However, she realized in the next moment that she did not need to center herself at all… it seemed that part of the effects of whatever this mysterious man was doing was centering her as she simply stood there and gazed wide-eyed at the man in awe, her hand grasping for Naomi’s tightly, the dragoness utterly speechless. there was no chaos around them. A strange, blindingly-bright light seemed to envelop the three, Xaira closing her eyes at first until the intensity was weakened by Zerah’s now-floating body. Just what on earth was he doing? Opening her eyes, she began, slowly, to understand that whatever it was, it seemed that perhaps even fallen angels could be true miracle workers.

Even as demons rushed past them and began engaging, chasing and/or brutally murdering anything that moved, they did not seem to acknowledge the trio engulfed by this surreal, nearly indescribably, yet very serene atmosphere. Serenity amongst an invasion from hell…. How about that.. Xaira’s eyes widened once she’d begun to grasp just what was occurring here. She’d never even heard of magic like this before. She had heard holy magic can do some amazing things but… something like this seemed like a fairy tale, even though she knew that all fairy tales were real to a degree. When the angel, silhouetted in the bright light he was creating, stretched back downwards towards her, she shakily took it, heart pounding, closing her eyes as she braced for whatever may or may not be to come from the incoming contact. Her heart beating rapidly like a pounding war-drum, she felt something, some sort of overwhelming energy, envelop her hand. She found herself squeezing her eyes shut as yet another blinding flash of brightness assaulted not only her eyes, but seemed to warm and emposs her entire being for a moment.

Before she knew it, however, it all had faded. In fact, she felt scarcely different than before Xerah had done… again, whatever he’d just done. The sudden loss of these powerful sensations made her wonder for a moment if she had died, but opening her eyes and taking in the battle field before her, her senses gradually coming back to the true present, washed away that doubt, that fear, in an instant.Regardless, the otherworldly, net-positive experience did leave her with a deep, calm sense of purpose and a clearer mind, which was a blessing in itself, perhaps. Xaira, at Naomi’s apt-as-always question, rolled her eyes and sighed a bit more audibly than her lover did. It figured… it seemed like mystery was par for the course for all divine beings, in just about every way.

Xaira was then recentered fully within the moment by the soft touch of Naomi’s lips on her own, as the beautiful Lilin herself decided it was time to move forward. After their lips parted, she stared into her eyes, saying as many of the things she wanted to say here and now, which she knew there would be not time for, via the loving look in her eyes and the tightening of her grip. “Well…’ he said for a moment, still looking into Naomi’s eyes but tilting her head in Zerah’s direction, “I certainly feel better, andit seems like you sacrificed some of your energy for us, I can feel it. Whatever this is, if I needed confirmation that you wouldn’t try to trick us, I think I’ve got it. Whoever ‘they’ are, I trust that whatever they will bring will be useful. Fight well, fallen Angel. Naomi… let’s go.” Reluctantly releasing Naomi’s hand so the both of them could fight, Xaira brandished her blade. “Fight well, Naomi… I don’t think I have to tell you to stay by my side, though.” A loving smile played on her face for a moment, replaced by determination as a few demons, likely feeling the growing aura around the pair as they geared up for battle, charged them, greedy for the honor of taking out one of the toughest fighters deepvale’s impromptu defense force seemd to have, judging by energy output alone. Xaira caught one off guard, immediately slicing clean through his chest. ‘Who’s next?” She growled, her breath hot with building dragonfire.

Of course, this did not phase the other demons, who continued to rush for the pair as their brethren engaged every able-bodied soul within a one-hundred-mile radius, brutally hunting, raping, capturing and slaughtering the weaker beings as they desired. The demons were many, and the situation was dire… however, they underestimated both the strength and will of those they were facing, not to mention the numbers as foreign beings opened another portal, coming through with a Dark Elf in tow. There was even an Angel among them. Fallen though he was, his holy energy disorienting the deomns surrounding him as he dovebombed into the fray. With all this in mind, there was a very small chance of success for the population of Deepvale, the world itself hanging in the balance. Little did they know, the arrival of four humans of all things, though they did not seem as such as they were, may be what was needed to turn the tide, if it was truly possible at all.

Rustic PanOtterPus Daniel Reaving Halexia Pinconious Verdas YAAAAAAAAAAAAS! I FINALLY DID IT! Do lemme know in the comments whatcha thought, and if there is anything ya feel I still need to address. I do hope it was worth the wait, peeps. ^^ )

 

[Halexia]

Xander looked at his friend his eyes wide with dear he noticed that Rick seemed to be distracted "G...Go" he said "f...find out whats g..going on, I...will be fine... I will catch you up, I just need a moment" he held onto a nearby fence for support and attempted to stop his impending panic attack by slowing his breathing something he did on a regular basis, he didnt really want his friend to see the frightened scared little fox that he could be he was still young and but had seen a lot in his life that had caused him to have panic attacks and also learned him how to calm himself down

Pinconious

Tyra noticed Orthrus eyes fall on her before he made the shift, something about that look told her he was saying goodbye to her, her fears were somewhat confirmed when she saw the axe heading towards his head, up until that point she was scared now she was angry really angry "no!" she screamed "you are not saying goodbye to me not now" she was aware that her size was nothing compared to the demons attacking the man she was surely falling for but she didnt care, if she was gonna die here and now it was for something she believed in, someone she believed in, she shifted into her wolf form and stood next to Orthrus, tiny compared to the large hound beside her, even tinier compared to the demon but the actions of the demon had made her more willing to fight than anything she had ever encountered in her short life she growled loudly to her but feebly into comparrison to everything else around her and bared her fangs ready to dive at the demon

PanOtterPus DergTheDergon

 

[PanOtterPus]

The couple seemed to be in their own world, observing the changes that had very swiftly happened to them. Gabe was in awe of the plain beauty before him. Sure, he had always found Fifer to be an attractive woman, looking past the scars so many others shied away from, as if the scars made the person. However, it was something entirely different to behold her in her truest form – minus the elven features, of course. Fifer herself seemed quite taken with his own new look, much to his surprise. Though he should have learned by now that the pair were perfectly ready to accept each other in any way, shape or form they decided to arrive in. Bliss.

Gabe chuckled at Fifer’s reaction to his new appearance, ignoring Elizabeth’s attempts at parting the two – Fifer’s still attached arm evident of her intent to do the same. Just as things were about to swing back into more professional action, Caroline burst into the room, somewhat literally. At first she didn’t even seem to notice the clear changes made to her team members. The only real reactions to begin with were Elizabeth’s once again snarky attempts at sarcasm, and Chase hiding his head in what appeared to be shame? Gabe couldn’t fathom why, but this wasn’t the time to ask. Maybe later.

All eyes were now turned to Caroline, wondering what their not-so-sharp-shooter would make of the news they themselves had only just begun to swallow. Gabe knew the group would be able to handle anything thrown their way, especially as their unit of four, but this mission was asking a lot of them. Though with all the danger before them Gabe still couldn’t focus on anything other than his pondering what creature Caroline would choose for herself...

---------------------------------------

The Hound knew he had staggered the demons – they were so used to feeling nothing but fear for their current leader, to see anyone stand up to him was a completely new experience to them, only gaining their sense of duty again once Aeshma had grasped his axe. Though, for others, Orthus’ act of defiance seemed nothing more than a game. He had to stop the groan from leaving his lips as a demoness drawled out meaningless threats in her sultry fashion. Orthrus had heard of this she-demon before, though he’d never met Viriel. Her hand drew his attention to Aeshma’s breastplate, dawning an insignia Orthrus had seen a thousand times both in person and in his dreams.

His nightmares were a reality after all. The demon before them hadn’t just climbed the social ladder, he ruled it. He didn’t just command one battalion, he owned the whole fucking army. Well, shit. Here was Orthrus, two headed demon hound of hell, standing up to Lucifer’s favourite and being called a puppy by his woman.

As his reputation predicted, Aeshma dove straight in, wasting no time on foreplay. He swung his axe to kill every time. Orthrus was no exception. Growling loudly, Orthrus wouldn’t be put down so easy. He leapt back, the axe barely missing his neck. "Nice try," he smirked, as he watched more and more demons run past the pair. He so wanted to be able to turn and help the others from the onslaught, but no way was he allowing this creature to pass. He’d die first. With this in mind, and Tyra now at his side, he did his best not to panic, sparing a second to yell at her in a fashion he would usually not allow. “Tyra, you fool, help the others! This foul beast is mine and mine alone!”

Orthrus dove forward, leaving the she-wolf behind, and lunging straight for Aeshma. Two could play at the insta-kill game, and Orthrus didn’t have the time to waste – as such he bared his fangs, aiming for the demon’s throat. A generic rule in both the human and supernatural world was that you couldn’t live without your head. However, at the sound of Danto’s voice, Orthrus’ blood ran cold and he did the one thing he never thought possible.... he faltered.

-------------------------

'Shit.' Pretty much the only word that seemed to be floating around Danto’s head. He stepped through the portal just in time to be oh so wonderfully greeted by an onslaught of demons, straight from hell, with none other than Aeshma leading them. 'Shit..... shit shit shit.'

There seemed to be very little time to process anything. Almost immediately he found himself drawing his rapier – which he saved for very special occasions – and swinging into action. Demons rushed towards him, attacking head on, some flying right by, attacking in wave after wave, making their way into the city. Deepvale couldn’t be their only goal, not for an army of this magnitude.

The vampire swung his sword, he tore out necks with his fangs, ripped out hearts with his bare hands, fighting alongside Ariella and her men as best they could and still the waves kept coming. At least he got his wish. This fight was definitely more challenging than the last, and by the sounds of the struggles behind him he wasn’t the only citizen to think this.

As Danto pulled his sword from one of the attackers, he took a split second to check his blindspots behind him. And then he saw it. The small alley that led out of town, up a short hill and to the.... Oh for shit’s sake!! He spun, eyes searching out the Hound, finding him locked in battle with Aeshma. He swung his sword as yet another demon came for him, and screamed, louder than he’d ever screamed before... “THE GATE!!”

 

[Halexia]

Tyra stood stunned she could see what was going on around her but she couldnt seem to focus her emotions were raw, and the young wolf was unsure what to feel, anger, fear, sadness, she had heard Orthrus shout at her and deep down she knew the hound was trying to keep het safe, and another voice screaming it seemed to be echoing in her head 'the gate' she had a vague memory of a gate earlier in the day, she turned her head towards the sound of the voice and the world that (until that point) seemed to be in slow motion once again righted itself and she took in the carnage going on around her then back to Orthrus now fighting to (possibly) keep his life. Unaware of whether the hounds hearing was strong enough to hear her small voice she quietly pleaded "don't die, please don't leave me, I need you" she sighed shakily turning back to the fight behind her and threw herself amongst the others tearing into any demon and every demon she could.

 

[Rustic]

"No kidding..." It was embarrassingly confident, in a way that made her smile in her usual sheepish sense of reluctance. She wanted to qualify it, too, to say something more 'cool', or maybe even just dignified, but it all felt too frivolous. Her smile was indicative of something else - an almost paralyzing, overwhelming fear. She knew she could work past it, with Xaira so close, but it threatened to overpower every other feeling as the invading force arrived. She just wasn't made for this. That felt crushingly obvious as she saw Xaira make her first, decisive move, managing to fell an overeager peon with a one fell swoop. It easily showcased the evident difference between the two of them; she, a mere songbird, in the trust of a mighty hawk. Both overrun by coyotes. The image was clear in her mind as she herself was forced to make an opening move. The demons around were somewhat stunned by such Xaira's early achievement, but that did not make Naomi's job much easier as she darted up to the closest demon in their surroundings. Despite her fear, she knew what her options were. If she didn't fight here, she'd be at these demons' mercy anyway. As things stood, it was apparent they had none to spare her.

So, she swung. All she had were her fists, but it would have to be enough. As one flew forth, it changed - nearly imperceptible in it's motion, but as it made contact, and the demon before her was brutally sent a ways back, it was easy to see how it'd changed. It was now noticeably alien against her porcelain skin; strange, misshapen, and auburn - aligned at the knuckles with a myriad of grotesque but natural and scaly-looking spikes. What lied underneath them? Bone? Something more sharp? Those unfamilar could surely only hazard a disturbed, squinted guess, but Naomi knew perfectly her new anatomy as she recoiled back. There were certain perks to a succubi's history of strange clientele, as it were. Meeting a menagerie of odder, more exotic underground species was one of many. And these new, ruthless fists belonged to just one of the many races she'd seen - and had been 'seen with'.

She smirked, bittersweetly, in recollection of an old, related memory as she watched her freshly downed foe wince with pain at his newly opened face. Or maybe it was shock? She certainly had not expected to mar such a severe looking injury into the savage's face - to burn through such sinewy muscle, to be able to reveal such a finely cracked jawbone. But, In any case, it was a small victory. A small, but unexpected and very sweet victory, if she did say so herself. In her next breath, her eyes flashed to her other opponents, with a deadly sure look. Despite what she'd done, it was still a somewhat feigned confidence - something she'd always been able to pull together, when she had to - but a triumphant one, all the same.

"I guess I had something in me after all," she remarked nervously but proudly to her draconic lover, shaking off her fists in preparation for the next.

More rushed for them, then, but she was ready. She didn't let herself fall into a trap of chasing any of them forward, even as they advanced, even as her adrenaline coaxed her onward. She stayed levelheaded at Xaira's side, covering what amounted to crowd control as best she could. Though she felt a little modest about her contribution, it seemed she was actually doing quite fine for herself - more than an inexperienced fighter could usually say, anyway. What she couldn't manage in skill, she at least accomplished with firepower. The adapatation she had made to herself, thanks to her transformative magic as a creature of disguise, was something akin to brass knuckles in it's effect. Born of a beast of a highly reclusive and combative nature, she'd altered her appendages into something just as acidic as it was iron strong.

She... hadn't forseen the night she'd met the creature in question to eventually end up so fortuitous (considering it had been at the time... awkwardly touch and go, in a literal sense) but she certainly wasn't complaining now. She was starting to feel honestly invigorated as she threw it toward further underlings. In fact, it seemed like her night with Xaira was certainly helping that out. She could feel a warmth and power coursing through her that she knew wasn't just the thrill of battle. She'd neglected it so often it almost felt foreign to her, but she knew too viscerally to totally ever totally forget it - this was magic. If the Wrath Demons weren't keeping her so busy, she'd likely would have blushed at her previous obliviousness to it's lack of presence the night before comparatively. But then, there was nothing like a good night of rest to cast a dark shadow over days spent sleepless, was there?

Exciting, was what it was. Positively, and anxiously, exciting. Oh yes. It was frightening, but equally thrilling, to cause such destruction to such disgustingly irredeemable scum. The battle raged with her at Xaira's side, and however long they were able to easily hold the horde off was how long it took for an uneasy arrogance to form. If the two of them were at least managing to stay afloat and drive back foes like this, then maybe it'd be possible for the rest of Deepvale? She knew she was maybe getting too eager as she wondered that, but that proven easily not too long after. For, Xaira was doing far better than she was. Where Naomi was just forcing them back, Xaira was generally the one truly finishing them off, and in essence, 'picking up the slack'. That translated to movement, too. Where Naomi lacked the training and finesse to truly move without danger to herself, as much as she tried, it was her partner's quick footwork that generally managed to cover for any devastating flaws in positioning. Desperate, greedy droves inched closer with every every foray, but Xaira was enough to stand between the two of them and a more disastrous fate.

These were, however, not just insignificant pawns. These were fearsome combatants with deadly experience - all trained and hungry for a taste of serious resistance. Naomi knew this, but could only feel it more as more as they continued to to thrust through. Every pair of eyes she met were fresh, every face unmarked, every body almost dizzingly indistinguishable. Whatever difference did mark them failed to bleed through her brain's panic induced indifference - they were all targets, only useful in showing potential dents still seemingly growing demonic army. But she couldn't see them. As far as she could see was infernal, and at her back the oasis of hope. The rest had already found itself swallowed; her fellow citizens were out of range of her frantically busy sight. Too busy keeping up with the exponentially growing difficulty of battle to truly peruse around. Her mistake came then. In trying to get a better glimpse of the world upon a resounding call of a certain vampire in reminder of the gate. Her attention slipped for just a moment, but that was all it took.

Searingly hot hands on her shoulder. She felt them only a moment before she could feel herself shot forward - pushed, as forcibly as possible, off into the crowd, directly away from Xaira. There wasn't even time to shout before she could feel her partner's presence gone - replaced with innumerable hands, ravenously reaching for skin - covetously, savagely, or otherwise, but all mercilessly. No. She cringed, paled, and retched at the feeling, but the further she tried to force back, the more they moved to drag her down.

"Xaira!" she forced the yell of her lover's name through her mouth as hard as she could utter it, making it sound more like an instinctive, choked noise. Endless hands continued to move to cover her - thrusting forward through any empty space, grabbing for anything they could grip. Skin, clothing, wings; it didn't matter what. This mob was only a chaotic hunger, and she was in it's mouth. This couldn't be happening - as scared as she had been, she could've never imagined it'd become reality. And yet, it was.

"Xaira!" The name tore through her throat again. It was dire, raw, primal. Naomi's mind was awash with fear. Every square inch of her body felt was helplessly permeated and smothered by it, and even as she drove her to struggle against the current like prey fighting for life, she couldn't help but feel like she was drowning in a sea of predators. Every unwanted brush of skin against her own felt were teeth. They wanted to eat her alive. To tear, to gnash, to rip her apart, until there was nothing left of 'her' but meat. Bodies engulfed her - blocked away even the light of the sun. They spoke in a cacophony of disgusting, wretched noise and thought, and churned it out only successively more horrifically as they continued to hurriedly push her to the ground, trying to completely swallow her into their bottomless abyss of abominable need. There was nothing she could do.

'No!' A single, coherent thought finally cut through her veil of terror. Before she had the chance to write herself off as a lost cause, she forced herself to reach into herself again. This would not be how it ended. Not at someone's feet again. She gasped hard for air as she forced the resolve within her to take form to save herself. The latent magic swirling through her, truly feeling her will, exploded into change again. This time, without her specifically calling a change forward, it happened regardless. Her wings, before flapping uselessly through the attempts to keep her down, exploded forth. They stretched unnaturally, like new appendages, and threw away the hands by wrapping themselves around her like a shield. And then, like a battering ram, forcing themselves out, forcing the demons away, and forcing space for her to breathe again. To stand.

Unstable transformation, like this, was difficult magic to upkeep. Sometimes confusing and taxing on even experienced magicians. She was not even that. She was just a woman wildly doing anything she could to keep intruders at bay, only a body's distance from them and closing again as they continued to try and push their way through. Still, she shouted, one more time into the distance, hoping to give her recipient enough time to reach her. She was still desperate, but with her voice carried her love. Her hope. Not just for her partner, but for herself.

"Xaira!"

DergTheDergon

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Danto’s mind was racing. Who in the heck was this ninja kisser? Who the heck was this demon intruder that the vampire felt like he should know? Why the hell was Orthrus so ready to shift so suddenly? What the fuck was going on!!

Only one question was answered. As the demons rushed, it became evident that Orthrus was ready for the inevitable battle. And now this woman was opening a portal straight to the heart of it, and she was pulling him along. Great. He watched in awe as Ariela's men ran to action, readily willing to bend to her every order. It was impressive. Not that Danto would ever admit it. Nope. Never. "Impressive." Hm, well, maybe just this once.

“Since I have no say in the matter, lead the way,” he drawled, as Ariela pulled him into the portal before them. His last thoughts before stepping through were hopeful that this fight would be more exciting than the last. Danto needed an outlet form the steadily growing frustration within him. He planned to have a good long sleep after al this effort he had been putting into helping this city lately. Perhaps the coma incident would be forgotten....

Daniel Reaving

The couple seemed to be in their own world, observing the changes that had very swiftly happened to them. Gabe was in awe of the plain beauty before him. Sure, he had always found Fifer to be an attractive woman, looking past the scars so many others shied away from, as if the scars made the person. However, it was something entirely different to behold her in her truest form – minus the elven features, of course. Fifer herself seemed quite taken with his own new look, much to his surprise. Though he should have learned by now that the pair were perfectly ready to accept each other in any way, shape or form they decided to arrive in. Bliss.

Gabe chuckled at Fifer’s reaction to his new appearance, ignoring Elizabeth’s attempts at parting the two – Fifer’s still attached arm evident of her intent to do the same. Just as things were about to swing back into more professional action, Caroline burst into the room, somewhat literally. At first she didn’t even seem to notice the clear changes made to her team members. The only real reactions to begin with were Elizabeth’s once again snarky attempts at sarcasm, and Chase hiding his head in what appeared to be shame? Gabe couldn’t fathom why, but this wasn’t the time to ask. Maybe later.

All eyes were now turned to Caroline, wondering what their not-so-sharp-shooter would make of the news they themselves had only just begun to swallow. Gabe knew the group would be able to handle anything thrown their way, especially as their unit of four, but this mission was asking a lot of them. Though with all the danger before them Gabe still couldn’t focus on anything other than his pondering what creature Caroline would choose for herself...

---------------------------------------

The Hound knew he had staggered the demons – they were so used to feeling nothing but fear for their current leader, to see anyone stand up to him was a completely new experience to them, only gaining their sense of duty again once Aeshma had grasped his axe. Though, for others, Orthus’ act of defiance seemed nothing more than a game. He had to stop the groan from leaving his lips as a demoness drawled out meaningless threats in her sultry fashion. Orthrus had heard of this she-demon before, though he’d never met Viriel. Her hand drew his attention to Aeshma’s breastplate, dawning an insignia Orthrus had seen a thousand times both in person and in his dreams.

His nightmares were a reality after all. The demon before them hadn’t just climbed the social ladder, he ruled it. He didn’t just command one battalion, he owned the whole fucking army. Well, shit. Here was Orthrus, two headed demon hound of hell, standing up to Lucifer’s favourite and being called a puppy by his woman.

As his reputation predicted, Aeshma dove straight in, wasting no time on foreplay. He swung his axe to kill every time. Orthrus was no exception. Growling loudly, Orthrus wouldn’t be put down so easy. He leapt back, the axe barely missing his neck. "Nice try," he smirked, as he watched more and more demons run past the pair. He so wanted to be able to turn and help the others from the onslaught, but no way was he allowing this creature to pass. He’d die first. With this in mind, and Tyra now at his side, he did his best not to panic, sparing a second to yell at her in a fashion he would usually not allow. “Tyra, you fool, help the others! This foul beast is mine and mine alone!”

Orthrus dove forward, leaving the she-wolf behind, and lunging straight for Aeshma. Two could play at the insta-kill game, and Orthrus didn’t have the time to waste – as such he bared his fangs, aiming for the demon’s throat. A generic rule in both the human and supernatural world was that you couldn’t live without your head. However, at the sound of Danto’s voice, Orthrus’ blood ran cold and he did the one thing he never thought possible.... he faltered.

-------------------------

'Shit.' Pretty much the only word that seemed to be floating around Danto’s head. He stepped through the portal just in time to be oh so wonderfully greeted by an onslaught of demons, straight from hell, with none other than Aeshma leading them. 'Shit..... shit shit shit.'

There seemed to be very little time to process anything. Almost immediately he found himself drawing his rapier – which he saved for very special occasions – and swinging into action. Demons rushed towards him, attacking head on, some flying right by, attacking in wave after wave, making their way into the city. Deepvale couldn’t be their only goal, not for an army of this magnitude.

The vampire swung his sword, he tore out necks with his fangs, ripped out hearts with his bare hands, fighting alongside Ariella and her men as best they could and still the waves kept coming. At least he got his wish. This fight was definitely more challenging than the last, and by the sounds of the struggles behind him he wasn’t the only citizen to think this.

As Danto pulled his sword from one of the attackers, he took a split second to check his blindspots behind him. And then he saw it. The small alley that led out of town, up a short hill and to the.... Oh for shit’s sake!! He spun, eyes searching out the Hound, finding him locked in battle with Aeshma. He swung his sword as yet another demon came for him, and screamed, louder than he’d ever screamed before... “THE GATE!!”

Ariella immediately launched into battle once they were through the portal, her men hacking and slashing through the demons without fear. Ariella on the other hand stayed back and watched for a tiny bit before she smiled. Slowly holding her hands out as her eyes turning a pale white as a small snow storm started to pick up as demons surrounded her. Then they all started to scream as shards of sharpened ice came falling down on them, Shredding through there skin and flesh as the hail of ice spikes rained down on the horde that had surrounded her

Othrus’ speech of defiance towards Aeshma was met with nothing but a plethora of hateful glares, growls and threats of death from the demons beyond the deep red gate, a glimpse into the dark depths of hell. This was what would swallow the world should this horde not be stopped. However, neither Orthus nor any of the diverse supernatural beings gathering behind him hesitated. This honestly made a few of the demons hesitate, as they felt that they should instill great fear upon all who looked at them, no matter what. However, they underestimated the power of many hearts, faces and voices joining together as one in honor of a cause they all believed in, amplified further by a brave soul who steps forth to lead them. However, the Demons had thier own dertmination and all doubts any of them may have had soo vanished. They shook off the doubt and charged, led by the long, piercing growl of fury from the maw of the dreaded, dastardly Demon Lord Aeshma. That very enraged cry of challenge marked the beginning of the war for the earth, that as of now, the billions of humans above the surface were not at all aware of.

Thankfully, the words exchanged between the two demons was just enough time for Deepvale’s denizens to brace themselves for the coming battle, grueling as it would be. Danto, Ariella and her crew would arrive just in time, though their sudden arrival at the portal was met with gasps and other sounds of mixed shock, fear and suspicion. However, many of those present quickly turned their attention back towards the impending Demonic invasion fully, upon noting that these strange secondary invaders seemed to not be attacking them, as well as advancing towards the demonic army themselves. Whatever they were here for or how they got here, it was not to aid the demonic forces; that much was clear.

Then, time seemed to slow down for both the demonic forces and the residents of Deepvale as the former horde began to spill through the portal, masses of crimson-skinned, bloodthirsty killers charging in. It was clear from the outset that the Deepvale forces were quite outnumbered indeed.

Accepting Orthrus’s challenge with dark, sadistic glee, Aeshma chuckled as he advanced upon the hound of hell, silently cracking his neck, rolling his shoulders, and reaching for the massive axe he kept strapped to his massive back, completing his menacing look in tandem with his cloak, his armor underneath (both garments pitch black in color) and the burning red of his eyes. Upon his itch black chest plate was an insignia that all current or former denizens of hell would know was the symbol of Lucifer’s second-in-command. He hadn’t just risen up the ranks, he’d risen up them all.

The moment before he would be in reach of Orthrus, however, the familiar sound of a certain demoness’s voice, and the subsequent feeling of her body brushing up against his leg (her entire body, in fact; he truly towered over all his subordinates) he halted, turning towards her and glancing down at her. Her words pleased him, as did her actions of course. She had a way of commanding even his attention; after all, she was excellent at both getting her way and letting him have his, no matter how sadistic and/or carnal the desires of either. However, ocne he realized that she was trying to dissuade him from killing Orthrus himself, he turned away from her and back to Orthrus with Vile hatred. It seemed clear that he wanted to personally deal with him no matter how much he agreed with Viriel’s taunting statements. He found himself grinning again at her taunt “Viriel, much as I’d delight in watching you make him squirm in his final moments, I’ll have to settle for making an example of him myself, and celebrate by utterly ravaging you afterwards as a reminder of your place, woman.” With a sadistic grin, he callously pushed her aside, axe in the other hand as he meandered towards the main event: Orthrus. He knew Orthrus was fast when he wanted to be, and so Aeshma wasted no more of his time than he felt Viriel had wasted.

He’d been waiting for far too long to kill him, and now was his chance. He took full advantage of it, swinging his axe in a rage towards Orthrus’ head, with more than enough force to cut it clean off. The hound of hell had tricks of his own up hi sleeve, but the cocky Demon lord wasn’t worrying about them at the moment: he felt like the traitorous mutt was as good dead starting at this very moment.

The mysterious fallen angel took this moment to do what he was intending to do, Xaira standing there, arms crossed and expression a mix of curiosity and slight suspicion. She nodded curtly when he thanked her, her foot tapping impatiently as she took a deep breath, trying to center herself despite the chaos enveloping her and Naomi’s surroundings.

. However, she realized in the next moment that she did not need to center herself at all… it seemed that part of the effects of whatever this mysterious man was doing was centering her as she simply stood there and gazed wide-eyed at the man in awe, her hand grasping for Naomi’s tightly, the dragoness utterly speechless. there was no chaos around them. A strange, blindingly-bright light seemed to envelop the three, Xaira closing her eyes at first until the intensity was weakened by Zerah’s now-floating body. Just what on earth was he doing? Opening her eyes, she began, slowly, to understand that whatever it was, it seemed that perhaps even fallen angels could be true miracle workers.

Even as demons rushed past them and began engaging, chasing and/or brutally murdering anything that moved, they did not seem to acknowledge the trio engulfed by this surreal, nearly indescribably, yet very serene atmosphere. Serenity amongst an invasion from hell…. How about that.. Xaira’s eyes widened once she’d begun to grasp just what was occurring here. She’d never even heard of magic like this before. She had heard holy magic can do some amazing things but… something like this seemed like a fairy tale, even though she knew that all fairy tales were real to a degree. When the angel, silhouetted in the bright light he was creating, stretched back downwards towards her, she shakily took it, heart pounding, closing her eyes as she braced for whatever may or may not be to come from the incoming contact. Her heart beating rapidly like a pounding war-drum, she felt something, some sort of overwhelming energy, envelop her hand. She found herself squeezing her eyes shut as yet another blinding flash of brightness assaulted not only her eyes, but seemed to warm and emposs her entire being for a moment.

Before she knew it, however, it all had faded. In fact, she felt scarcely different than before Xerah had done… again, whatever he’d just done. The sudden loss of these powerful sensations made her wonder for a moment if she had died, but opening her eyes and taking in the battle field before her, her senses gradually coming back to the true present, washed away that doubt, that fear, in an instant.Regardless, the otherworldly, net-positive experience did leave her with a deep, calm sense of purpose and a clearer mind, which was a blessing in itself, perhaps. Xaira, at Naomi’s apt-as-always question, rolled her eyes and sighed a bit more audibly than her lover did. It figured… it seemed like mystery was par for the course for all divine beings, in just about every way.

Xaira was then recentered fully within the moment by the soft touch of Naomi’s lips on her own, as the beautiful Lilin herself decided it was time to move forward. After their lips parted, she stared into her eyes, saying as many of the things she wanted to say here and now, which she knew there would be not time for, via the loving look in her eyes and the tightening of her grip. “Well…’ he said for a moment, still looking into Naomi’s eyes but tilting her head in Zerah’s direction, “I certainly feel better, andit seems like you sacrificed some of your energy for us, I can feel it. Whatever this is, if I needed confirmation that you wouldn’t try to trick us, I think I’ve got it. Whoever ‘they’ are, I trust that whatever they will bring will be useful. Fight well, fallen Angel. Naomi… let’s go.” Reluctantly releasing Naomi’s hand so the both of them could fight, Xaira brandished her blade. “Fight well, Naomi… I don’t think I have to tell you to stay by my side, though.” A loving smile played on her face for a moment, replaced by determination as a few demons, likely feeling the growing aura around the pair as they geared up for battle, charged them, greedy for the honor of taking out one of the toughest fighters deepvale’s impromptu defense force seemd to have, judging by energy output alone. Xaira caught one off guard, immediately slicing clean through his chest. ‘Who’s next?” She growled, her breath hot with building dragonfire.

Of course, this did not phase the other demons, who continued to rush for the pair as their brethren engaged every able-bodied soul within a one-hundred-mile radius, brutally hunting, raping, capturing and slaughtering the weaker beings as they desired. The demons were many, and the situation was dire… however, they underestimated both the strength and will of those they were facing, not to mention the numbers as foreign beings opened another portal, coming through with a Dark Elf in tow. There was even an Angel among them. Fallen though he was, his holy energy disorienting the deomns surrounding him as he dovebombed into the fray. With all this in mind, there was a very small chance of success for the population of Deepvale, the world itself hanging in the balance. Little did they know, the arrival of four humans of all things, though they did not seem as such as they were, may be what was needed to turn the tide, if it was truly possible at all.

Rustic PanOtterPus Daniel Reaving Halexia Pinconious Verdas YAAAAAAAAAAAAS! I FINALLY DID IT! Do lemme know in the comments whatcha thought, and if there is anything ya feel I still need to address. I do hope it was worth the wait, peeps. ^^ )

Viriel shrugged when Aeshma said he would handle the old dog. "Fine then. Just don't take to long." She said gently brushing her hand against his leg as she started walking away. "Oh and make his death a good one. You know how gore turns me on. do good my sweet and maybe ill give you a surprise when we get home." She said happily as she looked back to the two with a seductive smile as her wings rapidly grew 5 times there original size and she took off into the air and into to the town to have some fun of her own

 

[DergTheDergon]

Locked in a hateful gaze-duel with Orthrus, Aeshma leaned back just far enough to avoid the lash at his neck, grinning. The rush of battle… this was what he lived for. That an another kind of rush, one that it was likely rather clear Viriel satisfied for him. Her sultry words were left echoing in his head, sending his blood pumping. He had said, “oh ,you don’t have to worry, my dear… the mut’ll be all entrails and blood when I’m done.” Viriel was his favorite toy, that was for certain; aside from beings such as Orthrus, but he was only good for momentary pleasure until he was dead and disemboweled, as far as Aeshma was concerned. Ruthlessness was his middle name; this was one of the many reasons that he was who he was now. The demon lord grinned from ear to ear as he saw the look on Orthrus’ face the moment it lingered on his chest, having no further goading words for the wolf at the moment, only more ruthless axe swings.

Or, at least, one more ruthless axe swing for now until something caught his attention: a woman rushing towards him, clearly coming to Orthrus’ aid. He found himself chuckling as he threw out this particular blow, not expecting to land it, yet not not caring now. From the way this werewolfess came to the hound’s side, and the way that, even as he fought with utmost intentsity, Orthus bid the Lycan to stay back, an idea came to the warlord’s mind. It seemed like Aeshma had found a way to play with the hounds’ emotions, make him slip up; just what he needed to get this slaughtering over with.

“Should I kill your pathetic bitch first, mutt?” The towering, crimson-skinned brute asked, chuckling. “So precious…. So willing to die for you, yet so obedient when you ask her not to. It’s a shame she’s too frail to survive one night with me…. I’d enjoy making her mine.” With a maniacal laugh, he swung again…. Just as, in the distance, someone cried out to wtch the portal. This made aeshma, of all who could ever possibly do so, falter just enough himself for his deathly swing to miss Orthrus’ neck, instead digging into the hound’s torso, above the heart… a non-lethal blow. It was in that moment he realized, seething with anger, that he’d forgot one thing in his lust for bloody conquest.

He’d left the damn gate unguarded. Even worse, as he looked towards where the voice had came from, he noticed the sheer size of the foreign army that seemed to have evaded from another world by the energies they emitted. The faceless, armored warriors were cutting a swatch straight through his subordinates, getting dangerously close to the portal. While made of obsidian, the strongest rock there was, and imbued with demonic magics of the utmost power, it was not indestructible. Enough force, the force of these heavily- armored brutes perhaps, could crumble it given enough time and enough effort focused on weakening the obsidian arch that held the portal together.

He had a choice to make, now, as even then, every single nearby able body answered the cry of the new arrival, rushing for the gate with weapons in hand. Spawn of demonic magic or not, the gate was us invincible. If the portal’s frame collapsed, it was lost, and there would be no more reinforcements. A few deepvalians that had been fighting nearby had already made it there, beating on the arch with all they had in answer to Dante’s cry. Gritting his teeth, Aeshma growled and did the last thing he’d ever expected to do: he doubled back, swiftly gliding towards and then effortlessly disemboweling those poor creatures preoccupied with attacking his gate, members of several races all working together, now in vain. Orthrus wouetld be too weak to follow at the thurnderous pace the demon lord set, beating his massive red wings back towards the portal, gliding his way there. The hound would still be conscious though, if just barely, a massive gash upon his chest, bleeding profusely.

“PROTECT THE DAMN GATE, YOU WORTHLESS PAWNS!” With their leader’s cry, all demons closest to the portal, including those locked in battle with Tyra and Zera, doubled back to the gate, huddling around it with weapons drawn. The gate could not fall, or his army could not be replenished. As much as he wanted Orthrus dead, there were more important things to worry about. He’d go through and slaughter them all later, he reassured himself, paying extra-special attention to orthrus. His wound had likely left him unable to properly fight at the moment, either way. Grnning in his reassurance, he braced himself to kill anyone that even tried to come close to his portal, as more demons poured through and huddled around. “Charge only when I say,” he said. His plan was simple: build up numbers and send weake demons forth to thin the herd of Deepvalians and weaken their strongest, while keeping all the strongest forces near the goal most had in mind right now. Ruthlessness hadn’t been the only thing that earned him his place; cunning and patience were also necessary. Besides… it was quite fun to watch the hound suffer. In fact, like this, perhaps Aeshma had the ability to goad ol’ Orthrus to his death, the thought amusing him. Himself and every high-ranking demon in his ranks gathered just a hundred feet or so away from where Orthrus was, any single Deepvalian rushing towards them would be essentially commiting suicide, garunteed.

“Mutt!” he called, “what are you going to do now? It’s only a matter of time before my army is large enough to swallow this place whole, right here and now. I’ll make a deal: you make this easy for me, I won’t ravage your bitch before I kill her. Personally Killing a creature foolish and desperate enough to fall for the likes of you is non-negatioable, however, after I deal with you of course. So, what’ll it be? Hmmm?” He laughed manically, ready for everything from being called a coward right through Orthrus doing exactly what he wanted. He didn’t care what happened, as he’d done what had gotten him where he was now: regained control of the situation at any cost. As far as he was concerned now, Orthrus and everyone around him was as good as dead anyway.
However, he’d failed to take something very important into account: a certain dragoness, imbued with holy power by a certain angel, that was about to receive the blessing this town needed to have a ghost of a chance in the long run.
---
As Xaira fought, her lover’s nervous words before the two began fighting the horde with gusto making her smirk a bit even now, she made extra sure to cover Naomi’s back. Her eyes darting towards her Lilin lover whenever she had a moment to spare for it. However, more and more demons swarmed as she sliced one’s head from its shoulders, kicked another’s ribs straight through and pierced its heart with her talons, and kept up this deadly dance as best she could. It was becoming harder and harder to concentrate.

Thankfully, the Lilin seemed to have a few tricks up her sleeve. Xaira’s eyes widened more every time she was able to glance over at her lover in between staving off demons from her direction, as every single time, she seemed to have changed, a new part of her anatomy shifting as she fought better and better. In response Lilin’s humble, yet cheeky comment, Xaira chuckled, even as she buried her sword deep into another demon’s chest, pulling it out swiftly before moving to cover Naomi’s oither side. “Heh, I knew you did, babe. Maybe I don’t have to worry so much. You’re a baddass.”

Xaira then allowed herself to focus on the demons that were swarming her. for just a few moments, only then realizing that one of them could’ve gotten a very nasty blow in right to her chest if she’d shifted focus just one moment later than she did. However, as much as Xaira wanted to believe she could, she couldn’t have predicted that at this very moment, Naomi could need her back up the most, despite how well she was doing just a moment ago.
Naomi’s sudden, panicked utterance of her name, barely heard over the din of demons screeching, battlecries sounding, Deepvalians screaming and weapons clashing, instantly stopped the dragoness in her tracks. “Naomi!” She began to cut a swath, as fast as she could, through the demons that had appeared in her way to Naomi’s voice, but only then did she realize that there were suddenly far more. Enough for Naomi to scream twice more without Xaira even seeing her in the sea of demons surrounding her, Xaira meeting each with a resounding cry of the Lilian’s own name.

On the third, Xaira suddenly felt overwhelmed by something even stronger than the fear she felt for Naomi’s life. There was a strange, powerful feeling bubbling uo inside of her, this intense warmth that felt like fire, yet it was not simply hot. It felt… empowering. Lightening. Hope-giving. As Naomi’s name tore from her throat, a strange aura of bright, golden light, a hot wind accompanying it, tore through the crowd of demons, disorienting them, as she felt a change coming on.

The very moment that Naomi’s wings stretched and unfurled, hurling her assailants aside, Xaira’s true form took over. She’d never lost control of her transformations before, yet this time ,there was no stopping it. She was saving her full dragon form, as taxing on her as it was, for an absolute last resort, but honestly, if she weren’t so panicked she would’ve thought to transform anyway.

When Naomi called out to her again, she was met by the, booming, deep voice of a 15-foot-tall green Dragon, eyes glowing a deep golden. The voice that ripped from her was a roar. Yet it still carried the soft relief of her love. “NAOMI!”

As she bounded toward her lover, a voice echoed in her head, a soft male voice that calmed her with its very presence. “Xaira. Listen well, for we haven’t much time. I am The Archangel Gabriel. I have giveOn my backn you the blessing of the heavens, which you must release through your breath attack at the highest point in the cavern ceiling. I will use that burst of holy energy to open a portal to Heaven, and let spill forth the Lord’s angels. Once it is open, you must beseech with your draconic voice for all your people to retreat underneath the portal, where holy energy will prevent trespass and you will be escorted to safety. We cannot win now, but we can save those of you still standing and work towards the defeat of hell after rebuilding our strength.”

The Archangel’s voice brought with it a clam, a clarity, that Xaira had never experienced. She understood completely. Understood that this needed to be done, that they could not win as they were.
“Naomi! Fly with me! Now!” Xaira beseeched to her love, knocking more demons aside with her wings. Oncce they were both airborne, she locked eyes with the Lilin beside her, love pouring out of them in the truest form it ever had, golden light streaming from her, Naomi able to feel an immense warmth and peace radiating from her. Below, demons attempted to glide after the pair, yet found their wings did not work once they’d gotten closer to the aura now radiating from Xaira. Once she was certain they were safe, Xaira spoke as softly as her form could, her voice deep and echoing. “I have to reach the ceiling… I’m going to open the way for help to arrive. Just make sure none of them get close, babe. I’m… I’m glad you’re alive.” A large , shimmering tear fell from her draconic face, and only then did she realize she was crying as she lifted her head towards the ceiling, flapping her wings with increased gusto every moment, opening her mouth as a bright golden light emenated from it. Strangely, this light did only good for Naomi as well, invigorated her. This was because the light repelled those with dark hearts and uplifted those with good intentions. Neither one’s race nor one’s past sins did not matter to it.

Aeshma looked up at the form streaking the magically- created “Sky” and he cursed under his breath. He could feel the holy energy from here. God’s influence was clear… he shouldn’t have been aware of this. Angrily, Aeshma ordered all forces still in hell to stream out of the gate at once, thousands and thousands escaping, amassing and charging every moment. He was going to need everything he had if, somehow, Heaven’s forces arrived.
---
As this battle raged far below starting long before it had begun, Elizabeth finished briefing her agents and quick;y sent them on their way, as promised. The entire guild seemed to be revolving around this operation right now, and they essentially were. Workers loaded supplies, equipment and rations into a van which a high-ranking officer of the guild drove like an absolute maniac, speeding and cutting corners. The streets had even been blocked off… wait, couldn’t only the government authorize that?

. The man gave his warm regards to the brave four once they’d arrived at an abandoned church before promptly ushering the four of them into the building’s basement. The space was filled with high-grade computers and surveillance tech of all kinds, and among those already gathered near the massive hole it was clear the hunters would have to step into were some of the highest ranked Military officers in England. It was clear that whatever was down there had caught wind of the powers that be. The officals stood in awe as Guild members showed them the energy readings they’d seen from their sensors deep in the tunnels, explaining that they were off the charts, and supernatural in nature.

Fifer, stunned and overwhelmed by all this, felt as if she had to be dreaming. Government officials were shaking her hand and that of her comrades left and right as they wished the four of them luck, sending their thoughts their way. She;d never felt so under pressure in her life, and once again found herself wondering, why? What was so special about four Hunters like themselves that now even the Queen herself seemed to acknowledge the guild far beyond the amount she had before? The answers to these questions were simply beyond her, and she didn’t even have time to think about it. Before she or her three campanions knew It, they were saddled up with heavy backpacks full of everything they were estimated to need for a while, and told to keep comm channels open, before being unceremoniously sent down the hole via a crude-looking, yet clearly advanced elevator that lowered the four of them ever so slowly down, down, down, the sturdy flashlights they’ve been given all the light they would have once they reached the bottom. For the whole ride, Fifer held Gabe’s hand, offering Chase reassurance Via gentle touches to his shoulder should he need it.

“Well…. We’re deep in it now..." Fifer said bluntly, taking a deep breath once the vast expanse opened up before the four intrepid hunters. “No sense in wasting time… gotta keep in mind there’s a good reason they sent us down here.” That statement was as much to reassure herself as it was to reassure her companions.
The journey down, down, down over days was unrelentingly dark, quiet and haunting. What kept the hunters sane through it all was the constant relay of information from the surface and back. However, Fifer was having difficulties the farther the hunters trekked. The energy readings from below were building massively every moment, especially in the last few hours of their trek. She held onto Gabe’s hand tightly, having to stop and take breaks just to breathe and keep her migraine under control. At one point, something massive sent her senses haywire, causing her to bend over. ‘There’s…. a lot of supernatural energy down there… we should’ve brought a fucking army.” Even as she said that though, this sudden wave of energy began to calm her, her headache fading. In fact, she wasn’t the only only one feeling this one. All of the hunters felt it: it was the holy energy radiating from the portal Archangel Gabriel himself had helped make in the ceiling. Fifer didn’t really register this calm, however, focusing on just getting through this and warning the generals about what she’d just felt.

Except, the communicator on her wrist had shorted out… the blast had destroyed it, it seemed like. “Shit….” Fifer said, trying to catch her breath as the four of them finally stood in front of a large chamber. The sight before her stopped her, and undoubtedly her three companions as well, right in their tracks. They had a distant view of all of it: thousands of distance creatures locked in battle, the sounds of the war echoing all the way over here, likely a mile or more away. And in the center of it all, a collassal pillar of light, winged beings pouring from an opening in the ceiling. Fifer simply stared slack-jawed, having no words for this. It was… way, way more than she thought she’d ever see, something that seemed to truly be made of fantasies despite nearly always knowing that myths were real.

“What…. What the hell are we supposed to do here?!” She finally exclaimed, taking Gabe’s hand again and squeezing it for mutual comfort. “All I know is…. We can’t just let this happen… this is… bigger than we thought. Guys… “ she turned towards her companions. “This is the big, hard, dangerous part. Stick together like glue and watch our collective backs like a hawk. We’ve gotta go in.” taking a deep, shaky breath, she advanced forward. “Looks like we’ve got much bigger problems than an arseload of monsters… I sense demons… a lot of demons…” she added, shaking. “I think… I think maybe that light’s our best bet.” With that, the final leg of the journey was ahead of them, the light ahead their beacon.
Daniel Reaving Halexia PanOtterPus Rustic

 

[Rustic]

It was surprisingly in-and-out after everything was said and done. Chase felt almost kicked out the door when it came time to actually leave headquarters. Were they all really in that much of a hurry? Sheesh. But in a way, he did appreciate it. It left much less room for chit chat about the whole situation, and the obvious awkwardness that would come with it. Even better was the fact that they were rushed into a really fun car ride, which he made sure everyone knew he appreciated. He felt bad momentarily for Fifer amidst all of it, who didn't seem to enjoy it as much, if her own driving was an indication, but he was too quickly swept in his own exhilaration for their driver's devil-may-care speed and finesse to express it. Whoosh! From his seat behind the driver he laughed hysterically all the way there, temporarily losing himself in the simple thrill. Just because he wanted to, and maybe also partly because this trip would've otherwise been stressful. Dealing with leaving home for however long and his own growing interpersonal drama? No thanks. He was just fine yelling in delight along with the bumps in the road and backseat driving to such an obviously kindred spirit.

To that end, it felt almost like a crash when the trip was all over. He said his ecstatic farewells and 'thank yous' to their speedster chauffeur with a light heart, but every step he took away from the experience weighed on him down more and more. There was just so much going on. He had to suppress a sigh as he walked through to the basement of the church only to see it packed with people. Not that it was hard to pack a room like this one, already filled with weird lights and electronics, but still, it wasn't ideal. People turned to look at the four of them, too, as they all came through. It should've made him happy to see people looking happy to see him, but really, it was sort of grating. He couldn't really place why at first, either. He didn't like government officials, sure, but these people seemed nice enough, reaching for his hand and wishing him well like this. No, there was something else. He realized, amidst his daze of quiet compliance in going along with this whole charade, that was just moody. He was going to be going into a boring hole for hours on end only to start doing something forever that promised to suck.

If 'ugh' was an emotion, it was the one he was hit by just then. But, he knew there was hope in it, too. He'd already thought up of all the potential positives, and though that list was comparatively smaller, it was something. And, well... this mission was important, anyway. The people here were people who wouldn't know about this stuff under less dire circumstances, so this was probably the most important thing that'd happened to the guild in awhile. Maybe ever? Knowing that made him happier him a little happier. Yeah. Everyone would appreciate this. He might even be, like... a hero? He even managed to break a smile, imagining that. It was such an impossible, far off thing, but like... it also felt, in a way, feasible, too! Yeah! He breathed in deeply as they helped him put on some strangely heavy equipment. It was just a small change in looking at things, but he felt loads better from then on, and actually started to bother to be curious about everything going on again. Not that he had much time to ask about anything, but, it was good to feel good before he had to put on a brave face.

All too soon, even that moment was over. Before he knew it, he'd been shuffled into some shoddy-looking elevator and they were off. Pros and cons. He'd just managed to get away from the crowd, but now he was stuck with something worse - a small, dark, enclosed space. A real test of his positivity. As they started to descend, he tried to remember all the things he'd learned about making this a little more bearable. The first thing he did was ask one of the guys over the intercom about turning on his light, but no, they said. Better to conserve batteries, they said. Dumb. Instead, he was just stuck with the light from his phone. Which was good enough, he gussed. It wasn't like he could do much else with the thing at the moment, anyway. He tried to think other happy thoughts, too, while he tried to chat up Caroline. In the end, though, he didn't have a lot to say, what with things between them still being weird. Things fell silent, until at some point, he felt Fifer's hand on his shoulder as he sat on the elevator floor.

Could she tell this was hard on him, he wondered? That made him feel a little worse. It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed her own uneasiness. She'd been moving around the elevator pretty much the whole time they'd been in there. Even after she'd tried to reassure the group, he could still see her wandering around every time he peered up from his phone screen from fiddling with useless settings. They were all restless, sure, but she seemed especially so. Or maybe it was just what he noticed the most, with nothing else to notice. In any case, he had to actively dissuade himself from watching her deal with this, if only to focus on keeping himself sane. Every minute felt unbearably long, and every second he wasn't filled with a deep-seated anxiety was one he spent painfully bored. That's why he was almost startled to his feet when something actually happened to them all. Which was Fifer, doubling over in what was probably pain. His alarm, though, was surprisingly short lived. She managed to get out an explanation through her predicament. A lot of energy? An army? He wasn't sure whether to be excited or worried. Or at least, worried for her; the prospect just sounded thrilling to him.

He couldn't really manage much of either emotion though. He did still decide to stand, in still sensing something serious had happened, but he wasn't really upset by any of this. Actually, he was pretty calm. In fact, for the first time today, he felt like he could breathe easy. Which definitely wasn't the right response for him... which led him to thinking about asking about it to someone at the other end of the line... which led him to realizing there he couldn't hear anything. He didn't even have to test the mic to be sure; he knew just from the silence and Fifer's bothered expletive what had occurred. And, err, she was right. If he wasn't so confused and calm, he'd be concerned and angry right now. But his confusion only grew at realizing that'd they'd just reached their destination. Right in front of him was the floor they'd been waiting for - accompanied by a sight in the distance he couldn't even describe. Like Heaven itself had been ripped open onto some large battlefield. Actually, that made it like one those paintings he liked! His eyes widened, and he couldn't help but "Ah!" in stunned appreciation at it, even as Fifer began to freak out.

He did, a bit confused, eventually switch his attention over to her, though. When he heard her complaint, he had to admit, he shared it. As cool as it was and all, what were they expected to do here? He instinctively reached for the mic near his face again, but... nope, still wasn't working. "This is the big, hard, dangerous part," Fifer said to them, too. Was Caroline snickering? He wanted to look over at her to check, but he continued to give Fifer his attention anyway. He was even happier at her verdict of needing to go in, even glossing over the numbers. ...Or he was, for a moment, before he realized she had mentioned demons, too. Oh. But he nodded emphatically at her final judgement, and looked to the rest of the group with a decisively confident look.

"Let's get to it!" he blurted out thoughtlessly, raising his arms out in an manically eagerly look. He seemed ready to - like he had said - get to it, putting one foot forward as if he was ready to sprint, but, he stopped himself and looked, without warning, suddenly more thoughtful. And then, sheepishly, he stepped back to his original position, and swung back his arms behind his back.

"Oooor, let's take it at a..." he cleared his throat somewhat before continuing, "...reasonable pace?" He broke his surprise with a grin again, but this time it was a little more tempered, with him trying to keep calm. His friends were, ah, probably more reluctant. That was understandable. He didn't want to rush them - especially when they miiiight have a good point to be. He just looked between them all again, but this time in an attempt to be reassuring.

"Together," he settled on, affectionately.

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus Verdas

 

[PanOtterPus]

Orthrus, spinning to face the demon after his missed shot, let out a guttural growl, disgusted at the pair talking so casually at a time like this. It simply showed just how little they worried about this fight. Aeshma’s pride would be his downfall, or so Orthrus liked to imagine – that the demon would completely underestimate him and his fellow citizens somehow. It was a beautiful dream, one that kept him going. That and the lingering sound of Tyra’s voice as she threw herself into the throng of battle.

Orthrus’ eyes burned the hottest red at the mention of harm towards Tyra spilling for Aeshma’s lips. The Hound let out a warning dark enough to chill even the sun itself. “You will not touch her. You make that mistake, and you’ll never make another.” He was preparing to dodge once more, but the demon’s arm faltered as the familiar voice sounded, however, it served to distract himself too. Orthrus let out a small cry as the blade met his flesh, both heads recoiling in pain. In doing such, Orthrus’ eye was caught by the unfamiliar figures fighting alongside Danto on the other shore. He also noted Aeshma’s panicked face. Now, what would worry this creature?

Unable to follow, he watched as Aeshma made a snap decision and fled back to the gate. He was worried the damned thing would break. So much so that he seemed to be making the underestimation Orthrus had dreamed for. Well, as far as the Hound was concerned. Orthrus did something he never imagined himself doing. He gave Aeshma a two headed smirk before turning his back on him, smart enough not to fall for the bastard's trap. He forced his body to carry him to Danto and his new friends. It was slow work, adding in the factor of having to stop and work to kill a few measly pawns, but he was getting there.

When he was close enough, Orthrus yelled as loud as he could. “Get to the portal! Take it down! We destroy that, they can’t get through!” Once his orders were out, he couldn’t do much more than watch in horror as and amazement at the events before him – Danto streaming past as he ran for the portal, Aeshma’s army flowin through while a light of sorts formed high above. He hoped they listened, he hoped they were enough, he hoped Tyra was ok.

-----------------------

For the first time in all his career, Gabriel felt sick to the stomach. All this official business and hand shaking made the whole thing feel like a goodbye somehow. Special perks had been put in place for them to ensure the mission ran smoothly – or as smoothly as it could – perks that included official government intervention. Everything sort of came in blurs. One minute they were testing their cloaking devices, then they were meeting with higher-ups to discuss plans, all of a sudden Gabe was being helped with his backpack of gear. In reality, all he wanted was to be at a shooting range, taking shots at targets with Fifer standing beside him, shooting her own.

Gabe stayed silent as ever, appreciating the small squeezes from Fifer’s hand in his, as they were lowered down, down, down. The days could have been nothing more than minutes for all they knew. The only confirmation of actual days passing came from HQ. Even Chase seemed to have some of his mojo sucked from him. The further they went, the tighter Fifer's grip seemed to get... she could feel something. Finally, she confirmed their fears. They were seriously underprepared. All he could do was offer her reassuring hugs as she struggled to focus.

All at once, in unison, the whole group felt what she felt – something big was happening. As they lowered further, communications now impossible, they finally saw it. A war. What the fuck had they gotten themselves into? Gabe barley took in a word Fifer and Chase had said, he was stuck. The creatures were in two masses, locked in battle, and here they were about to throw themselves in. There were creatures below that Gabriel had only ever read about, never having been confirmed as even being real.
All at once, his resolved snapped back. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the now. “All right,” he nodded, finally facing the others. “I’m with you Fifer. You’re right, we came here for a mission, but I don’t think this fight is likely to stay below the surface if the wrong side wins here, so, mission's changed. We have to do something. As Chase said. Together.”

DergTheDergon Rustic Halexia Daniel Reaving

 

[Rustic]

As it turned out, there was not just one thing that had given Naomi hope. As she rose against the swarm of bodies beating down against her, she could acutely feel something distinctly 'other' begin to surge into the air. It was not, however, something she could put much focus on. Not when, just after Xaira's name had left her lips for the last time, she'd finally heard her own returned in same. And not just that, either. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something bursting up from the demonic crowd around. She, at first, assumed it to be someone taking flight, feeling it accompanied by a familiar lukewarm wind blowing her way. But, as she strained to view the sight over the tall crowd of demons surrounding her, she realized it to something more. Much more. In fact, in what seemed to be no time at all, a mighty, winged beast had appeared, twice the size of even hell's soldiers. Maybe even three times her own. And as she strained to better see it in the light of the sun, as it's piercing gold eyes met her own, she could see it's mouth open to furiously cry out... her name? Or... rather, it repeated it. Because, the voice she heard echoing out in that instance could be no mistake. That resounding, beautiful roar was Xaira's.

All she could do was stare up in awe. The weight of those she was still holding off seemed to just vanish as she took in the sight. She could see, maybe it was because around her, her attackers were preoccupied by it, too. Did even creatures like these care about such impressive displays? She didn't know. She could only be taken in by it herself, could only attempt to process it. It was one thing - to factually know your girlfriend was also some prolific creature you'd only ever seen studying over textbooks - but it was another to really see that truth in action. She grinned.

"Naomi!" She heard her name again, and immediately, somehow, just knew why. Her body, as if it had been waiting for the sound, burst into motion. She clenched her teeth hard, and readied herself for one more, quick burst of transformative energy. Her wings, in turn, strained themselves, larger, wider - as far as she could push them, barreling over the unsuspecting footsoliders around her. Armed and trained, they were going to be quick back to their feet, but it didn't matter. The instant she had enough room to takeoff, her expanded wings gave her one final, resounding push upward before snapping back to form, and she was off, into the sky. Xaira followed easily behind, her large body's easy liftoff sending demons to their knees without even the an effort. Her heart swelled in seeing it. Seeing some of the demon's wings move to follow them almost replaced that feeling with a sharp, deep fear, but even that was only for a second or two, before both parties realized the new situation. Naomi's smile couldn't help but widen at that, her deep sense of relief drowning out everything else.

All that mattered now was her and Xaira, and as the figures on the ground began to fall further and further away, she looked to her partner confidently.

"That was so good!" she laughed. She hadn't been expecting to laugh either, so it made her cough a little, which only made her laugh even more. She just felt so alive! She'd cheated death with her impossible, miraculous girlfriend, and came out on top! She'd made it! She could just feel herself shaking with pure joy and adrenaline, and if she weren't still faintly aware they'd have more work to do, she knew could just very well lose herself to an even more hysterical relief, right here and now. Instead, after giving herself a few more moments to really enjoy it, as they were starting to truly look free from their pursuers, she started to calm back down. She was still riding high, but now she was starting to feel conscious enough to wonder: how this came about, what would happen for them next... that sort of thing. Xaira spoke, as if to answer.

Naomi was almost too distracted by the charm of Xaira's wild, mystical-sounding, voice to really hear her words, but, she sobered up as she did. Right. She... couldn't really understand why, or how this plan had come to her girlfriend in the first place, or why everything felt so right and everything looked so gold, but she had no intention of challenging any of it. Any plan was better than no plan, after all. But more than that, she trusted Xaira, anyway. Naomi nodded to her instructions.

"I will!" she yelled out, confidently. The usual hesitation was gone from her voice. She meant it. There wasn't a 'try' this time. It had to happen. Her own eyes couldn't help but tear up, though, at seeing her partner's. She wanted to be strong for what she had to do next, but gods - seeing the sentimental expression of Xaira's relief made her feel almost soppy. That didn't really feel like too much of a bad thing, though, quickly dabbing at her face with the crook of her arm. 'Just makes it a little harder to see,' she thought, a little bittersweetly. Her head turned back up a little, at Xaira's last thought. "I’m… I’m glad you’re alive.”

"Me too!" she blurted out mindlessly in response, face flushed with emotion. She was so caught up in everything that was happening that it even took her a moment to register what she had said. Her face lit up a little in a wave of embarrassment.

"You too!" she clarified, hurriedly. Despite the set back, after a moment of shock, she only continued to smile, trying to keep even herself at laughing at her timing. It wasn't that hard, knowing what the both of them were about to do, but she finally smiled warmly, a sense of purpose in her heart. "Us too."

But it was time. Once Xaira began to fly forth, Naomi turned her back on the sight of her partner, and instead, looked back toward the crowd below. The two of them had managed to make a short period of respite for themselves, but in that time, it seemed they had been scheming. There were a large portion - she realized - focused in on the gate, but the comparative few who had been fighting Xaira and Naomi before were hellbent on catching them. They'd closed the foot distance, and were now not too far below. Even more than that, they were still very much armed, and still very much out for blood. Maybe even more so, in the wake of the escape. In any event, in their rage, projectiles came shooting on up, right towards the both of them.

She would not have it. She was already starting to feel drained, but in the heat of the moment, it didn't occur to her - her body already began it's shift, as if on call. Her hands, still the monstrous, scaly way she'd left them, began to change again. In fact, the lower half of both of her arms did. They grew even further, stretching out to make her hands almost like a giant's mitt, and changed once again in texture, taking on even sturdier, steelier look. She wished, just by her nature, that this meant they were impenetrable, but no - this would only take her as far as her magic would last, and that didn't promise her much longer. It was enough. Her now colossal hands come down together in front of her resolutely and blocked the way, to create something of a small wall. The projectiles came flying, but she stood firm against them - darting and forcing her arms through their paths, looking to block them all.

It wasn't easy work. She didn't have much time to think, between batting each one through the air, but the thought still crossed her mind, as she swatted through them, just how quickly taxing it was. Her body had felt fine enough, but with so much magical energy being tossed around on such extravagant changes, she was quickly starting to feel worse for wear. Not to mention the physical effort she was going through, on top of it. But just as she was truly starting to feel winded, something else happened. Through everything else that was going on, she'd barely thought to pay it serious mind, but once the light Xaira was creating began to flood the sky around her, she truly saw it for what it was. At first, it's gold tinge worried her - she now clearly recognize it to be some sort of divine magic - but as she felt it's power flow through her, it was actually... comforting.

Energizing, too. She could feel herself feeling more and more different. There wasn't much of a way to describe a magic she'd never felt the tinge of before, but it was a good one, for sure. It flooded her, exponentially quicker and quicker, with a real sense of power. Of righteousness? Not only did her limbs feel much lighter, and more capable then ever, but her heart, too, felt lifted. She couldn't help but, for a moment, to turn her head back, to see what her partner had created. And not only had Xaira caused this beautiful light, but it also seemed her help had arrived with it, if the shining, bright hole in the ceiling was any indication. It all made Naomi positively giddy. She looked back towards the hoard below with a newfound certitude. Her arms stretched to one of the weapons being tossed from below, catching it.

"Welcome to-" she started saying it, mostly to herself, as she hurled the weapon in full force crashing back down to the cavern floor, "the Beneath!"

DergTheDergon

 

[Halexia]

Until she had heard his yell Tyra had feared the worst had happened to Orthrus his voice was her strength right now, he was still alive and his orders were to take down the portal, she would have to use cunning to get there 'keep talking' she willed Orthrus 'I hear your voice I know you are okay, and if you are okay I will keep fighting' she couldn't see the hound, she couldnt really see anything amidst all the beings around her, she got low to the ground creeping towards the portal, or at least she hoped it was the portal, it was where everyone else seemed to be heading. Then she saw him, the demon who was hell bent on destroying her hound, bounding towards the portal but she didnt see Orthrus, a feeling of the worst dread imaginable hit her, she begged to any god who would listen that he was okay, her heart felt heavy but she had to keep going, she couldnt let this beast win, especially if her beast was gone. She looked at Aeshma grief taking over "coward" she yelled over the crowd "you think you can destroy him and leave, when there are those of us here who fight for him, for our world, one thing you demons underestimate is the power of love, and I did love him, I do... that power is far stronger than anything you can throw at us, love never dies"

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Viriell
Location: In town
Mentioned: Rustic DergTheDergon

Viriell had soon landed in a nearby square. smirking seductively as she looked around the baron Square. "This will surely do." She said with a smile as she held out her hands. The winds started to pick up and blow her hair around as she closed her eyes. Then a magical circle appeared on the ground in front of her as she chanted, her voice becoming echoed and transcendent as she spoke.

Spoiler: The circle

"Vombiate rio Ut la varienalashhhhh. Sssssanago rienthorunu. Bashhhhh alasan Agidi!" She chanted as the circle glowed brightly before creatures started to manifest from within it. 8 Massive beasts standing around 8 feet tall, With glowing red veins, Horns and four arms came first all roaring with blood lust though perhaps the most peculiar thing about them was that each had a glowing pink symbol on either there face or chest.

Spoiler: The mark and beasts

The mark glowed brightly in a seductive pink shade as well as the beasts eyes glowing the same color as they stood waiting command. Smirking Viriel spoke to them. "Go forth my pets. Bring me some new playthings. tear the innocent from there homes and bring them to me so that i may Dominate there minds, Destroy there souls and take them for my pleasure." She commanded as her cheeks turned a faint pink as the beasts roared with happiness and rushed off first into the buildings that made up the squares boarders, Tearing through homes and ripping up the surrounding area. "All this rush of excitement. Oh i do hope he finishes with that puny mut soon or i just might not be able to wait for him." Viriel said to herself as she brought her hands to her cheeks a seductive look on her face as her hips swayed a little before she turned back to the portal like circle and held her hands out once more. "Vashanagiate! Bor orun gasshhhhh a turii!!" She chanted which soon brought along another beast, Much bigger than the last ones and much more intimidating when it came to size, Though still had the glowing pink eyes as well as the glowing mark smack on the middle of its forehead.

Spoiler: The demon

The massive beast stood just over 20 feet tall in size and growled viciously with blood lust. "Go and help weaken the human forces, Break there bones and make them scream for me." She commanded the giant as her look turned to one of insane happiness as it complied with its masters wishes and roared before charging off down a street towards the fighting.

As if on que one of the first seven demons came back and with it Viriel's first victim. It was a young and beautiful woman, Naked and terror filled as the beast forced the girl to her knees at Viriel's feet. Smirking Viriel bent down and grabbed the girl by the hair forcing her head up with a wimpier of pain from the human. "Mind if I play with you for a while?" Viriel asked before she pushed the woman onto the ground and climbed onto her smiling happily as the woman struggled but ultimately failed as Viriel brought her left hand to the woman's chest which immediately brought out a scream. After a few seconds the woman went silent as smoke rose from her chest. Under Viriels palm the mark the other demons she had summoned formed on the girls skin, Her eyes soon being over come by the pink glow as her mind was besieged, Tormented and dominated by Viriel's powers as she took over the girl. Soon Viriel stood up and stepped to her right. "Rise my sweet." She said softly and the woman did exactly as told. Her magic had been completed, just like the rest this girl was under the dominion of Viriel. This woman was now nothing more than a mindless slave and the beasts were starting to show up with more.

Meanwhile the big demon Viriel had summoned quickly made its way to the fighting, rampaging through the city it soon came out just behind the front lines of the humans and charged in at there left flank, Easily killing a dozen or more before others became aware of the new enemy and adjusted accordingly as the beast raged on through the humans
(Sorry its so late)

 

[Rustic]

All around Zerah, demons moved back. They watched as he shot down into their ranks to slice sliced through some solider unfortunate enough to have been under him. A clean, searing hole burnt it's way through and the smell of burnt flesh followed as he easily pulled back his weapon back from the new corpse. Disgusting. He found no joy in this act, as necessary as it was. He could only stop himself from lamenting it by quickly pulling his attention back, looking over the new foes around him. In the brief moments it took for him to decide who next of them to attack, he could feel his fear start to eat away at his stomach in sight of them. He knew if he didn't keep moving, it would catch up with him. So as they stumbled forward to retaliate, he met them at their blades, feeling their immeasurable strength as he contested it. Of course they were strong; they were beings made solely for the purpose of torture and damnation. But at their core, they were just creatures of sin - the very thing his existence was made to stave off.

Had he fought like this, then, before he had fallen? He couldn't help but wonder that even now, as he struggled just to keep these beasts off of him. They tried to combat the holy aura around him by brute forcing their way through, but that only made them easier to pierce through. It seemed brutal, just how efficient he was in doing so. It wasn't an easy fight, but without having to look around, he knew he was doing better than most. He could feel the suffering of so many souls leaking out around him, wrapping around his peaceful aura, bleeding it like thorns. Even as his spear burned through another fleshy red body, it only seemed to invigorate the brutes all the more. They seemed to just enjoy the threat, happy to have food they could actually chew on amidst a buffet of easy meals. He could not imagine himself as a person that could suffer this sort of hellscape for so long, someone who could regularly dealt with such wretched scum.

At the very least, respite came upon the demon's general's call for reformation around the portal. Zerah watched, stunned, and the demons before him suddenly disengaged. It made him hurriedly pull his spear back from the beast it was currently buried in, but once he did, that had already run off. They were surprisingly fast, too. There were still demons around, but one look at them told him that they were not worth trifling with. Not while still so many were pouring out. It left him almost at a loss for what to do. He didn't think he could fire toward the guard as they were - not alone. Even for him, drawing their ire seemed like an easy death for him alone. But then, was he was to do? He debated going through with his plan regardless before he attention was grabbed by something else.

His head jerked away from the portal as, off the distance, he heard something roar. Loud, feral, booming. The sort of voice that chased sinners in their nightmares. He looked to see it - a huge demon standing feet above the crowd, plucking residents from where they stood with four hands at a time to drag them off. But that wasn't the half of it - this scene was repeated as far as he could see, with beasts identical, down to the pink runes they bore on their neck, doing the same. Some of them were even lumbering around the rest of the town. He watched, in horror, as one of the ones near him started to try to enter into a nearby house, tearing away the bricks and wood like if they were paper.

"No!" In his panic, the word simply slipped out of his mouth, drawing the attention of some of the demons left nearby. He didn't notice. Without thinking, he dropped his spear and raised his hand as quickly as he could in the direction of the massive demon. White light engulfed it in almost half his arm in a flash, and wide beam of light it instantly fired off from it, hitting the beast almost dead-on. The force of it sent him stumbling back toward the low level demons around, but in turn they too found themselves hit, the energy sparking off like firework easily burning them up, too. He immediately gasped deeply at the force, the unexpected effort to control something so potent taking his breath away. Even as he stumbled, though, he forced his head back up, to see for himself what he'd done.

The demon was crumpling to the ground, the force enough to have apparently burnt it way through. He hadn't been trying to do that - but then, he hadn't been trying to do anything. He hadn't even been thinking. He breath sped up a bit further, and his eyes widened, at what else it had wrought. The demon's destruction, combined with the force of his blast, had caused a good portion of the building to start to crumble down. He could feel his heart at the sight of it. His wings forcibly pushed him off the ground, insticively moving to prevent this tragedy however he could, but his flight stopped abruptly less than halfway to his goal. The people inside, having been standing near the door when the demon pulled it off it's hinges, began to rush out as quickly as they could, making it onto the street before it totally came crashing down. He only felt his heart restart once his feet were back on the ground, once he saw the people inside were safe. He gripped the fabric over his chest hard. They were safe. He could swear he was about to have a heart attack.

He chastised himself as he gave himself a moment to recompose. It was only by the Lord's better nature that the people inside were safe. It was not thanks to him, using such a power so carelessly. They would've been fine if he'd waited. He'd couldn't let himself get so caught up again. After a few seconds, he forced himself to continue looking around, still trying to fix his shallow breathing. Indeed, now that he had taken a moment to really examine the scene, he could see these behemoths still mindlessly making their way down the streets. Maybe toward a common destination? He couldn't see where they were going from here, but there was no time to waste. His wings took flight once again, sending him careening to wherever they were all headed.

He certainly hadn't been prepared. If the beast from before had caused him alarm, then this sight was almost enough to send him into shock. In a formerly empty square was now a giant pink summoning circle, and smack dab in the middle of it all was a tall, interestingly proportioned demoness. The one he'd seen earlier, standing beneath the Hound. She seemed impossible in comparison to what she had obviously created, standing diminutive next to her pets, but it was clear between them who was the master. She busy, happily throwing an utterly defenseless looking woman to the ground. The demoness didn't even flinch as her hand fell to the woman's chest, utterly distracted by her own pleasure to notice Zerah looking on the scene with horror. He didn't think he could face a woman like this - so utterly evil, with such an utter disregard for disregard for this woman as she screamed out in horror. Hearing her fall silent wasn't even a relief - his hand made a shaky, furious fist as he saw the smoke start to erupt from the mark that had been made.

The same mark the demons had been on them. He didn't know he was more fearful or livid. He began to step forward as he saw the woman rise again anew to her feet. Or, rather, the empty shell this demoness had created. There was nothing in the woman's eyes anymore - either her soul had already left, it was still trapped, smothered beneath this woman's absolute might. What kind of monster was she, to have such absolute command? It a feat which had alluded magicians for centuries was as easy for her as branding a cow. And that was all this exercise seemed to be for her. Demons were now lining up in front of her - no doubt to arm her with fodder to continue her little game. This demoness was not just part of an army - she was an army. Deepvale was giving it their all, trying to destroy the portal before them, not even realizing the demoness who had become one all to herself.

But there was hope. The sky above inexplicably began to grow, holy energy trailing across the sky. What was making it, he did not know, but he had a strong feeling of what it foretold. Nothing in Deepvale, not even himself, could make a magic so strong. No fallen angel could utterly engulf the sky with such a righteous light. He could even feel it's power from here - it was potent, lifting his heart up not only with it's magic, but with it's warmth. This was truly holy magic - the kind only made by that which was connected to God. It meant He was watching. It meant He was truly there with them. He had never, in his memory, felt so close to his God.

"How long has it been since your last confession?" he asked her.

Long, golden chains of light began to pour out from his fingers, and with a swing of his hand, he whipped them toward the distracted demoness. They continued to extend until they wrapped themselves around her, and with another jerk, he attempted to pull them tight. A few bands sizzled out of existence just in the presence of her overwhelmingly dark aura, but the ones that remained he continued to infuse stronger and replace as fast as he could. The ground beneath him began to glow, his own energy attempting to cleanse the ground of the mark beneath it. He didn't think he could stop her - not by a long shot - but if he was going to do anything today, it was impede her for even a minute. And that was probably very literally how long he'd hold out before she threw him off. Still, he tried to hold her tightly in his grip, even as his hands shook in such a way he hoped she only chalked up to the effort this magic took.

"You have a lot to answer for," he said. Swallowing hard as he essentially bluffed. He kept his face as rigid as he could, but even still, it was flush with effort. He couldn't even look at her, worried his fear of her would only worsen meeting her unrepentant gaze. So, he deceptively looked past her - to the golden sky, to the angels that flew beautifully across. He wasn't sure which sight would break him first.

Daniel Reaving DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Fifer’s growing pit of despair the longer the four hunters ventured down, farther down, and yet farther down still seemed reflected in her teammates in their own respective ways. Chase’s plummeting enthusiasm was the most immediately noticeable. Even in the car ride on the way, fifer’s erratic driving (that she suspected she wasn’t pulled over or otherwise karmatically punished for simply because the road was hers alone for the drive) only excited the adrenaline junkie of a young hunter. From the way he yelled and wooed as if he were on a roller coaster (which, honestly, Fifer’s driving did compare to that day), he’d clearly forgotten his anxieties relating to this mission, if only for that short trip that was made as such by speeding and copious amounts of illegal shortcuts. Now, however, even he seemed to feel the bleakness Fifer and Gabe both felt themselves.

However, once the three of them had seen the surreal battle-cum-war spread out before them in this vast cavern, the bleak loss of spirit was replaced, in each of them, by a mi of great fear and equal determination, considering the dire nature of this situation. The latter was very apparent indeed within cahse and Gabe, due to their inspiring words, that together filled fifer’s heart with more determination than she’s ever felt, which was certainly quite the feat.

Realizing, despite the inspiring words her teammates had said, that she was still simply standing there, Fifer reluctantly let go of gabe’s hand and pulled her trusty weapon free of its holster, checking the ammunition then cocking the trusty smug and turning around to face the group. “I know we’re going to come out of this, together… your words have been evidence enough of that, guys… let’s kick some ass.”

She grinned, only slightly, though her face was otherwise very serious at the moment, for an obvious reason. She found herself pulling Gabe in for a long, forceful, passionate kiss just before she rushed in, not thinking to mind present company until after she’d pulled away and the daze the kiss caused her had subsided. Her currently elven, scar-free face was instantly flushed with red as she reached over to chase and ruffled his hair, a nervous expression on her face. She wasn’t sure if he comprehended that her and Gabe were together, or how he’d react if he was made aware by that kiss, so she just looked over his face for a moment before nervously saying “l-let’s go. We’ve got this.” The nervousness seemed to be more related to the kiss than to throwing herself into danger, considering she was far more used to the latter at this point, a calm determination behind the awkwardness she’d been struggling with in regards to her first real love, Gabe.

The group still would take hours to get up close and personal with the action, Fifer leading the group through the least visibly path through the city she could, marveling at what the supernaturals had built down here. “All of this has been down here for thousands of years, and we never knew?” She questioned aloud, disbelieving of this entire situation now. As they cautiously stepped closer to what looked like (and truly was) Heaven and Hell at war, the four’s weapons drawn, Fifer found herself slowing her pace a bit. She then suddenly said something she normally wouldn’t say, usually rather content indeed to simply rush into battle.. but she knew that wouldn’t work here. “We need a plan ,you three,” she began, “I say we try to approach from where I feel most of the supernaturals are gathering and blend in as best we could. If anyone asks, we were making sure our families were safe before rushing out here to fight. It’s going to be damn strange to fight alongside supernaturals, but, even though I don’t like it… there’s a much bigger threat here. It feels like my temples are about to split, that’s how strong the demonic presence here is. Everyone good with that?”

Before anyone could answer, it became clear that the hunters had come close enough to the ensuing chaos to be caught up in it. From the darkness above, 8 crimson-skinned winged Demons, demonic claws reaching out to maul and kill, swooped down from the direction of he fight. “Stragglers! Kill!” One shouted, the others cackling in agreement. There were a lot of them, a venerable force, and this wasn’t looking good at all as despite their efforts, several of the demons came within inches of reaching their targets, claws ready to rip, tear and maim.

Suddenly, the red-skinned assailants were all were pushed back by some kind of golden light, thick and smog-like in appearance. It spread a sudden calm over Fifer as its golden warmth spread over her. Whirling around to see what was causing this phenomenon, she gasped as she was met with the sight of a towering, white-winged man wearing golden armor, and brandishing a large, ornate cross that seemed to be emitting that strange light. “Back, foul denizens of hell!” He commanded, before landing in front of the group of likely confused supernaturals, or what seemed like supernaturals at a glance, though there was something rather off. He didn’t feel supernatural energy radiating from them as he felt he should. Regardless, he had a task to complete, deciding to save the matter for later.

Landing before the four of them and ensuring he sheathed his sword, the angel then spoke. “I am glad I found the four of you before you were overwhelmed. Come with me, it is least safe out here away from the others. You will all get your chance to fight, but for now please allow us to protect you. The survival of as many denizens of this place as we can muster is paramount if we are to have a chance, they are too strong. Come, I shall lead you to heaven itself, but worry not, it is not your time… as it is not the world’s time. “

Fifer was speechless and frozen, but the angel beckoned to the four of them, causing her to sigh and decide to follow. Angels, after all, were the only supernatural creature known to have good intentions. “Let’s follow him, guys… not much choice.” Fifer took Gabe’s hand again and began walking, ensuring that the other pair were following with a quick reassuring glance towards Chase, and a nod towards Caroline. The four of them then followed the angel, Fifer still alert but her gun to the side for now, though she reluctantly let go of gabe’s hand again to resume firing. She’d need to give the angel some cover, she figured, once they got closer to the source of the action. As the angel led them, he called behind him. “If any of you have questions, speak fast..” Fifer was far too mentally muddled with the steadily intensifying assault on her sixth sense to figure out anything to ask him, as much as she wanted to.

---

As the airborne lovers rose higher and higher in the magically-augmented night sky, Xaira’s gaze was drawn towards Naomi’s wings. They’d grown larger, and now seemed to The lightness, the joy Xaira felt in this moment at knowing her amazing girlfriend was alive, found herself laughing along with Naomi as the pair soared higher and higher towards the ceiling together. “It really was.” Hearing her lover laugh even in such an intense moment brought a warmth to her heart that heaven itself seemed to smile upon, as the golden light around her grew because of it.


Xaira did not know where the words from her head that she then repeated had come from, but they felt… right. However, she was internally worried that Naomi would not trust these words, as to her they likely seemed to come from nowhere, as if Xaira was just making things up as she went along. There would be times she would do just that, but this was not one of them. She was following the guidance of a voice that gave her a deep comfort unlike anything she’d felt before, yet closest out of all the things she had experienced in life to the comfort she felt having naomi beside her right now, and having her there to begin with, ever since last night after that first, amazing kiss. This was why she decided to trust the mysterious voice, and just when she was beginning to doubt it, Naomi replied with an affirming “Will do.” It was clear by everything about the very way she said these words that the Lilin meant them with every fiber of her being.


Xaira found herself grinning with amusement, if only slightly given the situation, at Naomi’s hasty agreement that she was glad she was alive. “Of course you are,” she teased, her luminescent, booming voice echoing through the cavern air slightly She grinned even more, heat heart warming along with it, before she sent another snarky, yet booming comment her way. “I know what you meant babe, thanks.” Naomi’s subsequent ‘us too’ caught her off guard, though, a full on toothy grin spreading over her maw. Xaira found herself glad that her full Dragon form couldn’t blush in this moment. “Naomi… if I wasn’t… like this right now, I’d kiss you so damn hard. Just you wait until after all this is over.”


With that final quip, the currently golden-eyed, brilliantly bright Dragoness sped up even faster towards the ceiling. Behind her, she felt Naomi’s magic aura grow in strength, and could feel her lover taxing herself to stave off the assault coming at them from below. As she let loose an arcane torrent of her own energy, she could feel herself draining immensely as well… though moments later, as right before her eyes, the bright golden flame she’d breathed upon the rocky ceiling seemed to spread along it rapidly as if the stone was flammable, leaving behind, in place of a wide circle of numerous stalactites, a massive, warped, and twisting golden circle. Its center held a view of a strikingly beautiful landscape of gold and alabaster… heaven. Angel began to stream from it, and out of respect, Xaira backed up. “Good, my child,” the soothing male voice within her mind praised. “Now, you must turn around and let that roar of yours be the call of the heavens.”


Xaira whirled around in the magic-made sky, now facing the ground. She was met, first and foremost, with a lovely view of Naomi below her, the Lilin beauty somehow stemming the venerable stream of projectiles that came up her way. The words that the voice in her head, which she was beginning to understand really had to be an angel, wished her to say flowed smoothly from her booming voice, the divine light working to protect Naomi’s ears from the high-decibel roar that Xaira issued forth from her maw.


“People of Deepvale, I beseech you! Heaven has come to aid you against the forces of hell, but do not grow hasty! They are still too many, and their cowardly action has ensured that we will not be able to stem their evil tide, not here and now. Instead, I beg of you to retreat! Retreat towards the great column of light, and welcome the arms of any angel that wishes to assist you. The demons cannot cross, not even Aeshma himself.” As this speech echoed from her gaping maw, all around her flying from emerged hundred and hundreds of angels every moment, streaming from the golden circle a mere handful of metres above her. All of them, armed to the teeth and blessed with a similar aura of gold, dove down to fly down towards the battlefield ,most angels flying down to retrieve weary fighting Deepvalians while others landed around the areas where fighting was most concentrated to engage the demonic horde.


With that, Xaira blinked her eyes, and the golden glow in them was gone when she next opened them, leaving behind two familiar, though larger-than-life emerald pupils. “Naomi,” she said, her voice still booming but closer to her normal tone now, “we’re done here. Let’s get down there and help clear the way from the angels, yeah? Hop on my back.”


“Not so fast, Dragoness,” a deep voice from behind her said. A rather familiar one at that. “You have aided us well already. I bid you and your compatriot to join us in heaven. Do not worry, we will unsure that as many of your people escape as possible. You both need rest, I can tell that you have both expended much energy. Come, we heave readied healers at Heaven’s gates to treat what ails you.” “Naomi, I think we should take up their offer,” Xaira said after a sigh, feeling rather as if she was abandoning her people but knowing it was wise to rest as she was. She had a feeling she might fell right asleep if she laid down anywhere right now. An earthly dragon was not meant to carry the holy flame as she had just done, after all. Flying down just far enough to gently rest a couple of massive talons upon Naomi’s shoulder, she said “let’s go, Naomi,” as angels surrounded by shields of that same golden light flew down below Naomi to aid the pair’s escape.


Once she yielded, Xaira flew with Naomi up through the bright circle in the ceiling, the beautiful scene beyond already tangible. As she crossed the gate, she realized something: she was now in her humanoid form, without a normal transformation having taken place. Reading her mind as she stared down at herself, a beautiful, feminine angel answer her, causing her gaze to life towards her. “Your draconic form is kept at bay by holy magic here, in order to ensure you do not cause any havoc. Neccesary precautions, I do hope you understand.”


“I do, yes, thank you for the explanation,” Xaira said. “I save that form for emergencies anyway.” With that, she turned to Naomi, and without warning, brushed her long, wavy red hair aside and then planted her lips onto her lover’s, earning a surprised gasp from the nearby angelic healer. Her lips linger there until she could barely breathe. She then pulled away, and after gathering her breath for a few moments as she stared deeply into Naomi’s eyes, she said “ I told you that kiss was coming… and I’m not even satisfied yet.” True to her word, she then grinned and went in for more, intending to keep her lover there for a while, as flustered angels tried to keep from looking upon the amorous spectacle all around the pair.

---

Around the base of the column of golden light treaming from the portal in the ceiling, a ring of angels hundreds in circumference landed in unison, beating demons back from around it as they shouted for surrounding denizens of this place to come hither. Hundreds of weary Deepvalians flooded the circle at once, as a constant stream of angels came down on one side of the circle to take them up to the safey of heaven on the other side.


A certain high-ranking battalion of angels flew down towards where they could feel the presence of powerful dark magic, in order to deal wit hthe perpetrator of such foul energies. What they found, to their surprise, was that she was being bound by another of their kind, more specifically a fallen angel, as they could sense while flying closer. The binds would quickly sap at Viriel’s energy, allowing the binds to hold her for a few more moments as a platoon of angels surrounded her, two of them moving to immobilize her whilst the others stood guard, engaging her constructs and other demons as need be. Their very presence dispelled the seals upon the innocents, causing them to drop to the floor in order to be collected by the angels so that the poor, unconscious souls could be treated in heaven.


As this was happening, an angel with the insignia for Archangel, which Zerah would be able to read, landed in front of the fallen one as his kind worked to further restrain Viriel. “Well done, fallen one,” he said, “my brothers will take care of the vile demoness. She might prove as a useful weapon to turn back against her lord, in one way or another. Regardless, my son, God himself has decided that you are redeemed. Come with me to heaven.”


As this was happening, Aeshma seethed on the other side of the battlefield. He took in the angel streaming down from heaven over his forces ahead of him, glaring with deep hatred at each and every one of them. Still, he laughed at Orthrus’ words, which he felt were far too boastful. “Why don’t you prove it then, mutt?! Hmmmm/?!” Orthrus only answered by turning his back, doing something far, far wiser than Aeshma had expected him to and retreating instead of giving into his goading. “That’s it, run! Your people have no chance in the end… I will ensure you all as lifeless corpses on this cold stone floor!” His threats seemed as if they did not reach the hound’s ears.


However, just when he was about to strangle whichever lackey of his happened to be closest to him to death, a voice that barely reached him from the crowd caused him to grin, his sick sense of humor causing him some reprieve from his anger. Heh, she believed he was dead… and she was spouting nonsense about ‘love” winning them the battle, he thought. He felt it was time for some dramatic Irony. One of the things he was best known for was just how well he could throw his trusting throwing axes. Lining one of them up to just the right trajectory to hit where her voice was coming from though he couldn’t quite see her through the masses of fighting beings in front of her, he said “You couldn’t save your hound…. Let’s see your ‘love’ save you from this!” With that, his axe began its arc, and true as his aim was, fell straight for tyra’s back, lade-first. However, Aeshma didn’t anticipate the angel that saw what was happening and dove for Tyra the next instant, coming to a stop just above her. The axe found itself boundcing off of the golden aura shield he had wrapped about his person, flying into a nearby lesser Demon instead and chopping him right in half for dramatic irony. Aeshma shook with anger at seeing this, yet another sight that streaked above him through the sky made him angrier than he remembered being before. He saw a pair of angels lifting Viriel towards heaven, the demoness seeming too drained to stop them. “VIRIEL! NO! ONLY I AM ALLOWED TO TOUCH HER SO, YOU COWARDS!” Of course, the angels did not listen to him, and that was when he had had quite enough.


“AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGH!” Aeshma bellowed in rage. “DISPERSE, FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD REGIMEN! KILL EVERY FEATHERED NUISANCE YOU SEE AS BRUTALLY AS YOU CAN! CARPET THIS DAMNABLE PLACE WITH BLODDIED FEATHERS! GO!” With that, tens of thousands of pent-up demons sprang forth from around the portal, the sudden reinforcements overwhelming a few of the fighting forces nearest to the gate, only for a similar number to flood out from it, replacing them with a defending force of similar strength in mere moments.


Meanwhile, the angel above Tyra looked into her eyes with love, outstretching his hand. “Worry not, Tyra, I will ensure you are no longer harmed. You will be happy to know that your love is alive, and still fighting. I can feel him thinking of you… our kind can sense the bonds of love in all beings. Come with me. We will ensure that you are both reunited, alive and well.


The moment that Orthrus shouted towards the group of armored, foriegn fighters and the mysterious vampire accompanying them to storm the gate, a venerable platoon of angels floated down in front of their path. “No, it is too dangerous,” their leader bellowed., directing his gaze at the female that clearly seemed to be their leader. “Even now, many thousands of demons are fanning out in this direction, yet more replacing them around the gate. Your force, however venerable, will be torn apart by that many. We angels are seeking to evacuate all fighting the demons as quickly as we can. Will you come with us? Even you, hound of hell,” he said, then turning towards Orthrus. “We can sense a defiance towards hell and a love for the beings of this place within you, and thus are willing to welcome you in heaven with the others. Either way, even we angels plus all of you are not enough to stem the inevitable tide of hell as we are now. We will need to regroup, and gather more aid from all over both the beneath, and the surface. If you wish to fight another day, allow my brothers to take you to heaven and treat your wounds. I can feel the love of a woman reaching out to you across this battlefield, and yours back to her. I will have you know that she is safe, and you will see her again very soon should you join us.” Four angels readied themselves to carried his injured, massive canine form to heaven, waiting for Othrus to give them his blessing to do so.


All throughout the battlefield, Deepvalians rushed through the gate, demons spreading out and slaughtering as many unfortunate stragglers as they could, they not being the kind to allow retreat. Aeshma sent more and more demons for the other side, ordering more and more of his men out of the gate to surrounding it once more in a desperate attempt to prevent as many from retreating as he could. Everywhere above the now-ruined city of deepvale, angels rose with citizens in their arms, their shields taking a heavy beating from thrown weapons and dark magic from below as they flew with all haste towards the gate, the deepvalians now largely on the retreat. The gate was enchanted so that the moment the last angel had gone through it an their was no more holy presence here, it would close in an instant, leaving the remainder of the demons here to regroup.

Halexia Rustic PanOtterPus Daniel Reaving

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Viriel was definitely caught off guard by the fallen angels presence but quickly was prepared for him as she turned to face his direction. "Awwww how cute a fallen one trying to please he who cares not for you?" She called teasingly to him just before the golden chains shot out at her catching her a little off guard as well as the heavenly light, but she knew this energy she knew she had to run, she had to flee back to Aeshma but by then it was two late. The chains already started to wrap around her body most breaking within seconds of touching Viriel which gave her confidence as she called back to the fallen angel. "Your right I do sweetheart, But at least im not as lowly as you. HAHAHA how pathetic do you feel knowing that you use to serve him? knowing you failed so miserably that the one and only god threw you from his halls and stripped you of our honor without a second thought hmm? How do you feel that you are worth less than even the most lowly of demons? That the dirt underneath your feet is more valuable that your pathetic life? That you are nothing. Absolutely nothing." She said with sinister happiness as her demons dissolved into pink energy before disappearing as Viriels magic was sapped, They being sent back to her domain in hell as more chains broke and more tried to bind her.

If only she had a few more seconds she would have been free and gone, but just before she could free herself angels swooped down only reinforcing the chains and holding her draining her of her powers. The civilians she had caught suddenly had fallen seemingly out of her hold. The first girl she had dominated fell straight into the chest of an angel who caught her. Groaning quietly as she came too and slowly looked up to the angel, her eyes filled with joy and happiness at the sight but quickly widened to a look of pain as she seemed to start choking. Pushing the angel away she fell to the ground and started to seizure her eyes wide with pain as her mouth opened and let out one last scream as she froze up where she was. Then her veins quickly grew black and tainted before the body imploded in a black light leaving nothing let but a smirk on Viriel's face as more of her previous victims started to do the same seemingly a fail safe Viriel had devised. Looking up to the archangel she smirked. "ah ah ahhhhhh. you've failed to remember that not even your divine magic can heal a demonic soul." She said as a sinister chuckle started to come from her as all but one of her victims were annihilated, there souls having been tainted beyond the point of return as they died and were sent to Viriels realm. The one that didn't die having been a little girl... Who's mother had been taken by Viriel.

Then before Viriel could say anything more she started to feel the effects of the golden chains on her and grew weak, her eyes heavy as she fell limp in the chains which started to singe her skin as she was lifted towards the heavens. She knew what was gonna happen, She was to be purged, utterly destroyed as soon as she hit the holy light they carried her towards. The last thing she could remember was hearing Aeshma's screams of rage at the angels as they took her from him then nothing. Had she hit the holy light and turned to ash? was this the afterlife of demons? she did not know all she knew was the blackness and a sensation of floating. Maybe it was what the afterlife was for demons, just nothingness, Floating through an empty void of nothing.
Rustic DergTheDergon

 

[Halexia]

Tyra heard it before she saw it an axe heading in her direction, she was about to see her love again, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the pain and the instant relief that would follow but it never came, instead a warmth and love such as she had never felt instead... was this what death felt like; Tyra dared to open her eyes a bright light before her and what could only be described as an angel, he was telling her Orthrus was alive, tears of happiness came to her eyes, he was safe... he was going to be okay, Tyra transformed back into her human/vampire form "where are we going?" she asked "and how soon can I see him?" she was eager to be reunited with Orthrus, to tell him how she felt, she wasnt going to let anything else happen before she got to tell him, the blood she saw everywhere told her she was not dead, she was still in deepvale still breathing, she checked herself over to make sure that there was nothing that could indicate she was dying "I am still alive arent I?" she dared to ask "you are not here to claim my soul?" and finally "where is Orthrus? you told me he was okay but I cant see him, and he is big enough to see believe me" after minutes of babbling she took the angels outstretched hand although slightly gingerly, she expected this was how the humans felt when confronted with a supernatural, frightened, anxious yet at the same time excited, but one feeling she had right now the humans confronted by supernaturals wouldnt and that was the feeling that, although terrified, she felt completely safe, like nothing could harm her no matter what would come her way

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Ariella

Ariella and her men fought through the demon ranks with great precision. the fierce soldiers combined with there queens vicious rain of ice shards was simply to much for any demon that came into there path. As they carved there way towards the front line Ariella barely noticed the shining light or the beings with wings coming down to save the ​

innocent. It wasn't until a wall of them stopped Ariella's path that she noticed. Hearing there words Ariella stepped forward and spoke. "But we are so close to victory! these beasts stand no match against us why retreat?!" She argued before sighing and nodding a little. "We will come with. though i will not leave without the rest of my crew or my ship." she informed the angels confidently
DergTheDergon

 

[Rustic]

Chase's grin only widened as he listened to Gabriel's statement of resolve. He was just so excited they were going, but, also really happy. He could feel his face warm and his ears ever so slightly as he ruminated over it. Yeah, he was really happy he'd met everyone. He didn't wanna get too overwrought, though, so he continued to focus on his excitement as he watched the two of them check her weapons. When Fifer seemed satisfied, his eyes lit up alertly, and too her strong battle cry, he pumped his fist up strongly into the air and silently mouthed a triumphant cheer. 'Woo!' But they weren't there yet. He was going to save the full force of his enthusiasm for then.

He... thought that might be harder to do, but, as he opened his eyes and started to fix his posture he was stricken by sort of a weird sight. That was Fifer suddenly moving in to chew Gabriel's face off. Ah... huh. His eyes widened, his brain not really sure what to do with that information. After a few seconds, his eyes seemed to decide they didn't want to see it, because they looked away, awkwardly off to the side. It was like, maybe he shouldn't be here? He looked back at Caroline, who looked at him, but it wasn't like either of them had anything to say. This was what was happening, apparently. So when Fifer turned to look back at the rest of the group, he didn't have an emotion to convey to her. He looked back at her blankly, albeit with a vaguely puzzled expression. She said it was time to get going. Okay. He shook his head, trying to clear away his hesitation, before deciding just to continue on.

He wanted things to not be any weirder for that happening. After all, nothing would have changed if he hadn't noticed. But as they slowly walked closer to the light, the image of it in his head bugged him. He didn't know what it meant. He didn't know... where it left the team. If it changed anything at all. Or, most of all, why it was even bothering him so much. So, in trying to keep his mind away from it, he spent most of the trip walking with Caroline. The things she commented were as vaguely concerning as they usually were, but, strangely enough, they still made him feel more comfortable. Not that thing she casually mentioned about what she apparently did last Tuesday (even if it was a joke), but everything else was fine. He felt a little better by the time Fifer got around to commenting about how old the place was, so he chimed in for himself.

"Yeah. It's kinda freaky." His excited tone didn't match the sentiment, but that was to be expected. By this time the four of them were getting close and ready for the good stuff. He could feel his pulse, the stiffness of his muscles as they to enter the fray. His tail was inadvertently swishing, and he had to do his best to temper grin on his face. He was already into it. When Fifer stopped them all, he felt almost betrayed, but he tried not to make a big deal about it. Whether or not she'd chosen a bad time, she was generally worth listening to. Unfortunately, his dog-ish ears were going crazy, twitching with motion as they tried follow everything. The battle wasn't close, but it was near enough to be loud, and it was hard to devote his attention to her when the fighting was so enticing. By the time she had finished, he was worried he'd have to ask her for it all again, but before he could...

Demons. The red skinned freaks from the video, coming in from out of nowhere. They took him by surprise, but he immediately leapt to the ready, his eyes narrowing in sight of them all. When their leader cackled for to kill, he licked his lips.

"Let's play!" he shouted, jumping out to attack gleefully. He was the first to break formation to strike at them, so eager to get back to the action that he'd immediately bucked any notion of playing defense. He quickly found out just how well that was going to work out, though. In response, the demon closest to him just happily scoffed, knocking him back while mimicking his predatory grin. Only the one this guy wore it insufferably smug, like a cat batting around a mouse. It was absolutely intolerable. Chase wanted to rush forward again, but by that time, the four of them were starting to be surrounded, their numbers more than he had realized. His next instinct was to try and push them back, but there wasn't really a way about it - they were sturdy as hell and armed to the teeth, their claws and weapons creeping closer ever second. He bared his teeth fierce defiance of them, his eyes circling them all. He was going to plant a knife in each one of their hungry eyes, one at a time. One lunged for him.

He'd been expecting the demon to come forward. Even when it didn't, Chase's hand was already halfway through slinging his knife out. He had to quickly tighten his grip on it to keep it from flying, though at first, he wasn't sure why. The assailants were immediately gone - thrown back by some mysterious force. A rolling gold fog, coming in all around them. His eyes went wide as he processed its existence, all his hostility from before vanishing into thin air. Which only left him with questions. He was in a bit of a daze, so he was thankful when Fifer spun around, as it gave him the cognizance to do it himself. To greet who was, apparently, behind them.

It was some angel. Surprisingly tall, even to Chase. He looked up in awe, temporarily distracted from everything else by his curiosity and amazement over the man. Less over the holiness, and more over the rad gear he was sporting. It's only upon hearing the guy call out to the demons to run that he snapped back to attention, turning back toward the retreating beasts with glee.

"You heard him!" he shouted. "Get running!" He was happy to be seeing them go. They didn't play fair. He couldn't see past the golden fog to throw a knife off at them, so he decided to throw up a peace sign for good measure. Then he turned back toward the angel, mind suddenly buzzing with questions. Most of them were about the sword the man was sheathing, but he decided as the man began to speak that those could probably wait.

He found himself conflicted by what was said. He almost worried about the part about fighting until the angel mentioned actual literal heaven, which made Chase's head spin. Wha...? There had been too many things that had happened that had made his head fry today. He had pretty much the same attitude as Fifer, so he followed in line with her response, automatically getting to walking so he could think through everything. His mind looked like truly blown as he walked, until the angel offered to answer their questions, which seemed to light Chase's fire again. He sparked back into motion and launched into a sudden rant.

"Heaven's real?!" he yelled out exasperatedly. He didn't look very pleased or disappointed about it, just upset that he apparently hadn't gotten the memo.

"I mean, I guess, yeah," he said, starting to calm down just a little bit, deescalating from shouting, but not from his newly fervent way of speaking. "We knew about angels and demons and stuff, and you're here, but still?" He took a long breath, stopping in his tracks for a moment to compose himself. "Wild."

That out of the way, he seemed to even out some more, but not by much. He moved in closer to the man and headed into his next line of questions, words spilling out like train of thought. "Like, I dunno... what's going on? Here and in general? And - oh yeah, why is there evil? In general. Though, yeah, here too..." He walked fast to keep beside the angel's long stride, only a pace behind out of respect. He just kept talking. Apparently, even with the magic of the fog, he still managed his usual enthusiasm.

"I'm not going to hell, right?" he asked. His eyes widened for a moment at his own words, almost like he'd hit a sore spot. Before he just threw out his arms out excitedly.

"'I'll wrestle an angel if I have to! Like Jacob!" He looked pretty proud of himself, thinking of that. But without much warning, he then decided to playfully pounce on the man, his tail going wild all the while. He wasn't very serious about it, though he did secretly want to test to see how he might fair. Just in case.

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus