Nyxx "Hu...go." The human name did not roll easily off Nyxx's tongue. "My name is Avanyxx." Demon names had power. He could not attack this child now it knew his name. He could only defend himself if it attacked him. "I won't kill you. Please... help me. Help me get this thing off." He didn't even care that the human child stank of angel. Everyone in these parts smelled of angel. Surely the alarm would have been raised by now if the child intended to cause him harm. He kept his tail and his wings slack and let his shoulders slump. That was incredibly difficult. Demons did not display non-threatening body language. Not in angel territory. He bowed his head again - a submissive gesture - but kept his red eyes, with their slitted pupils, fixed on the human's form. Humans were faster than demons. If the child decided to attack - unlikely, but possible - Nyxx was too slow to be able to react quickly enough to defend himself. If he kept his eyes on the human, it was less likely to attack, and if it did, he had that little bit longer to react. "This is a Bind of Banding- no, Band of Binding, apologies. Its magic always leaves me tongue-tied. They don't have to be around the neck. I've seen them on fingers. Wrists, arms. Ankles. Even around the waist. On horns. On the tail. Around the base of the wing - a slot is cut in the membrane, then. That bitch-" he jerked again as the band delivered another jolt for his disrespect "-Lilith uses them to control her troops. She forces me to serve her through it."
Hugo Millery Hugo hesitated. He was startled to hear Avanyxx reply at all. Slowly, he took a step forward, his hands raised to shoulder height, his palms facing outward. Then he took another step, still trying to display that he meant no harm. He could almost count the wrinkles in Avanyxx's skin now, he could see the creature's slow, uneasy breath. His stomach turned against him, and tied itself into a knot. Icicles seemed to stab at his innards, but he remained. "I'll try..." He gulped another time, unable to contain his anxiety. "I'll try to get it off now." He didn't want to do anything unexpected to avoid upsetting Avanyxx. A shiver went through his arm when his skin touched that of Avanyxx. His skin felt raw and rugged. Hugo investigated the band, there was no visible knot, it was as if the band had been glued to Avanyxx's skin. He tried to tear the band, but the cloth was too thick. "I have something else," Hugo muttered. He backed off, his eyes remained fixed on Avanyxx. He opened a drawer in the far corner of the room and retrieved a scissor. Again, he approach Avanyxx. He slithered the cold steel underneath the band and cut it loose, then quickly backed off. The scissor hanging uselessly in his hand.
Nyxx Nothing Nyxx had done in all the time that thing had been around his neck had damaged it. His claws could slice through titanium and still he had been unable to cut the band. And a human child with scissors made of steel had cut it. That quickly, that easily. Lilith had clearly not thought of the possibility of one of her subjects seeking help. Of course not. Getting help was a foreign concept to most of his kind. And how many humans would willingly help a demon? He growled and set the scrap of cloth on fire with a wisp of demon magic. It burned vigorously, with a blue-white flame, but nothing else caught alight. There was a loud bang when the flame went out. "Thank you, Hu-go," Nyxx said awkwardly. Thanking was another concept he found strange. "We should not stay here. Nor should we return. I am sorry." He looked around the simple room. "The place the Band was removed is the first place Lilith will search." Word tended to get around quickly, from demon to demon. The last message Nyxx had received through his band was that Death had possession of Raphael's Seraph blade and would give it to the most worthy contender. What he would do with a Seraph blade if he were the one to win it, he had no idea, but he was a demon. There was a powerful and valuable thing for the taking. He wanted it. "I should not stay within angel territory much longer," he said. "If you would like to travel with me, I would appreciate the company. We are social by nature, human. Much like you. I will assist you in your quests willingly. You know my name, Hu-go." That last sentence was said with a hefty, significant tone. Offering one's full name to another was a gesture of submission. The boy had a chance to be the master of a fairly powerful demon. It was also a gesture of friendship. He had told Lilith his name was simply Nyxx. Not a lie, but not the whole truth. This boy was the only being on the planet who knew he was Avanyxx.
Hugo Millery Demons are deceivers, mum had said, some good seven years ago. They are evil creatures who only want to destroy. Hugo couldn't help but be reminded of those words as Avanyxx offered him companionship. His breathing still hadn't calmed, and the red glow in Avanyxx's eyes unsettled him. "We should not stay here. Nor should we return. I am sorry." He looked around the simple room. "The place the Band was removed is the first place Lilith will search." Hugo remained silent. With the exception of Talahari, it had been a long time since he'd been in the company of somebody else. He had to dig deep into his mind to find any words he could fire back, and even then he wasn't confident if talking back was the right thing to do. Luckily, Avanyxx took it upon himself to resume speaking. "If you would like to travel with me, I would appreciate the company. We are social by nature, human. Much like you. I will assist you in your quests willingly. You know my name, Hu-go." Hugo kept his distance from Avanyxx, his heartbeat finally began to slow down. It seemed that Avanyxx was being honest, but then again, demons were deceivers. A light frown came to his face, "Who's Lilith?" Hugo rested his eyes upon the band, "did she do this to you?" He hadn't heard of a Lilith before, nor did he know why Avanyxx's name should be so important to him. He wondered what Avanyxx had done to be forced to wear a band and obey orders. He considered how lucky he'd been that the band didn't work properly, or he would've been a pile of flesh and blood sprawled on the ground.
Nyxx He couldn't help the defensive growl when he heard Lilith's name spoken. "Lilith is the Dark Queen. Her Blackhearted Majesty. Queen of Demons. Mother of the Nephilim. She has many titles. She Banded all her troops, not just me. The more powerful the demon - and the less obedient - the more powerful the Band she uses. Red ones like mine denote a powerful, disobedient demon." It was blackened now, from the magical fire, but whatever. Really, Nyxx should have explained the power of a demon's name. And what it meant when a demon willingly offered his name. In full. Especially to a human. But he wasn't sure he really wanted this human knowing exactly what it could do with him. Even though he would not hesitate to do it if he was asked. Somehow he didn't think the human would believe him. His kind had a bad reputation. A reputation for lying. Of all things - lying! It was ridiculous. Fear-generated lies to justify persecution. Not that it really needed justifying in the first place. Most of his kind reveled in the blood and chaos of war. Lilith was a perfect example of the norm for his race. Older and more powerful than anyone else, but a demon through and through. Control, killing, blood and tawdry carnal encounters were what most demons lived for. Nyxx could feel the same urges, but they were either not as strong in him, or he was more like a human than a demon, despite his particularly demonic appearance. Self-control and morals were stronger than the baser urges. They were wasting time. Nyxx wanted to growl, to order Hugo to hurry up, but both growl and words stuck in his throat. Instead he huffed out a sigh. "I can explain more later, but Lilith works quickly. I would be unsurprised if her forces were already on their way."
Hugo Millery Hugo listened to Avanyxx's explanation. Hugo knew every word Avanyxx said about Lilith was true, he knew who she was, and had always known. Avanyxx had passed his test, so at least he wasn't lying. The information about the bands however, was new to him. He listened carefully to what Avanyxx said, because to Hugo, knowledge was power. A sigh escaped his mouth when Avanyxx informed him that Lilith's forces would come looking for the demon. How convenient, he thought to himself. He wasn't sure what to do next, he couldn't carry all his belongings with him in one go, nor did he want to abandon his hideout. It had served him well the past few months and came closest to a home since the war had started. Hugo was still weary of the large demon, but dared to venture one step closer. He cocked his head slightly as he let his eyes slide over Avanyxx's fiercesome claws. "I am not leaving, this is my home," Hugo said, trying to sound as brave as possible. He stepped towards the Band and picked it up. "This is what they are after, right?" His eyes met those of Avanyxx. "I could drop it off somewhere else unseen, then return here," he suggested.
Nyxx Nyxx shook his head slowly. "No. They are after me. When the Band is broken, so is its magic, and it is nothing more than a scrap of cloth." He paused, then shrugged. His wings twitched with the movement. "Stay if you wish, but Lilith's forces will have been ordered to kill anybody thought to have assisted in the removal of the Band. I cannot see you lasting long against a team of demons strong enough to bring me into custody. As I said, this is the first place they will look. It would not be a clever hiding place. Lilith's trackers would find you in seconds. You are human, therefore fast compared to a demon, but nobody can run forever." The demon glanced around the room. "If this is about your belongings, I am strong and can carry great weights. I could carry all your furniture, you, my weapons, and wear full armor. I would be unable to fly under such a burden, even by magical means, but it would otherwise not hinder me." He set the Band alight again, this time with a green flame. It would warm Hugo's hands, but not burn them. Most importantly it would incinerate the scrap of cloth. Demon fire had many uses. The blue-white flame burned traces of magic. Green was selectively destructive and controlled by intention. Red was indiscriminate and most often used in war. Yellow would burn flesh and bone to nothing, but would not touch anything non-animal in origin. Purple flame was the most interesting. It was held in the hand, and through it, the demon could persuade nearly anyone to do nearly anything, so long as he had that person's name. Nyxx had not yet mastered the art of the persuasive flame. Out of all demon fire, purple was the hardest to use. All demon fire was an adequate torch to light the way, though that was unnecessary given the exceptional low-light vision the slit pupil gave his kind. "That will make an especially loud noise when it goes out," he commented. "It'll sound like a gunshot."
Hugo Millery Hugo wasn't sure if he liked the idea of travelling with the demon, but he didn't have much of a choice. For a second he regretted ever freeing the beast from his burden. He realized that he would've need to move either way, Raphael had seen him and the High Seraph wasn't quick to forget or show mercy to anyone that did wrong, even petty thieves. he smiled faintly at Avanyxx and began packing his things. He grabbed the linnen from his bed and started wrapping a plethora of tools, knives, mechanical parts, pieces of wire, ropes and all other kinds of curiosity into it. He then wrapped the linnen together and tight a knot in it, making it a knapsack. It didn't weight a lot, but since their travels were probably going to take a while, Hugo was glad that Avanyxx had offered to carry some of the loads. "There is one more thing, but it isn't here," Hugo said. He headed toward his overlook outpost and prayed that whatever Lilith would be sending their way, wouldn't arrive within the few minutes it would take him to retrieve a set of binoculars.
The Marksman Archer made his way to the back office of the former council chambers. He had an appointment with his current employer, he was getting his payment. He strode down the hall towards the office, passing a few of his employers ‘muscle’ standing guard of a door. He didn’t even bother to stop and knock or announce his presents before barging into the main office. These were humans he was dealing with and he cared nothing for their misguided sense of authority and power, besides he was Nephilim and the only reason he was here was to collect what was owed him and nothing more. He stopped just in front of the desk that sat in the middle of the room. A man with a scar across his left cheek sat behind it flicking through some papers. He was wearing a pinstripe navy blue suit with a matching hat, a pink shirt and black tie. The room was decorated in deep reds and dark wood with a liquor cabinet in one corner. At the far end of the room was a window that over looked a rundown street but none of these details had any effect on Archer. He cared not for this man’s show of ‘power’ and just to prove it he walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out the oldest scotch he could find and poured himself a glass. With glass in hand he walked over to the window and looked out, back turned from the man at the desk. “Ah Bulls Eye, your lack of subtlety never ceases to aggravate. By all means help yourself to my finest scotch; I had no plans of drinking that.” The scarred man stood and poured himself a drink and made his way to the window as well. They stood in silence for several moments, both waiting for the other to make the first move. As always, Archer won that fight of wills. “So to business then. As we discussed, the other half of the payment on completion of the job.” He clicked his finger and a woman brought a case into the room, put it on the table and opened it. “You will find it all there as promised. Feel free to count it if you don’t trust me.” Archer had no intention of counting it now, mostly because he couldn’t be bothered but also because if he found he was short what he was owed he would revile in the chance to hunt this man down later. He turned, finishing the last sip of scotch, and put the empty glass on the desk. He looked briefly at the contents of the case to be sure the contents were at least what they had agreed upon. Satisfied, he closed the lid and picked it up. “You know the consequences of trying to rip me off Scar. Until next time.” He strode out without even looking over his shoulder.
Nyxx BANG! Though he'd been expecting it and knew it was going to happen, Nyxx jumped at the sound of his green demon fire going out. One hand went to the butt of his axe before he reminded himself that the noise was normal. "Blast it," he growled. "That was a bad idea." It was always a bad idea. Every angel within hearing range would guess what had made that noise incredibly quickly. It was always either a human letting off a firearm, which was bad news, or a demon's fire going out, which was worse, from their point of view. Demon fire was useful, but it had its drawbacks. Especially this far behind enemy lines. He folded his wings against his back and got up, wrapping his tail around the handle of his warhammer. Then he lumbered as fast as his legs could carry him out to where Hugo's scent led. "Hu-go. I made a mistake. A big one. I didn't think. I'm sorry." Apologizing was starting to become a habit. Unusual for a demon, but then, this particular demon had pledged himself to the human to whom he spoke. Something about the pledge - the giving of the name - changed the giver. Nyxx had chosen a human master. He had already noticed himself becoming more human in manner. Oh. There was one thing he had forgotten. "I must ask you to call me Nyxx in company. Demon names have power. Now, please, we haven't much more time!"
Hugo stopped and turned as he heard a loud bang. Then Nyxx came stumbling after him, he could tell by the hammering of his clawed-feet against the ground. The floor creaked in pain with every step that Nyxx took. Hugo had just reached the balcony and waited for Nyxx to catch up with him. It struck him that size wasn't everything, Nyxx was apologizing to him like a child to his parents. Nyxx still looked fiercesome, but there was a submissive glint in his eyes, almost friendly. His posture had changed from bold and threatening to a slumped, low-threat walk. Hugo flashed a faint smile at the large demon when he apologized, but it faded when he let the works sink in. If a demon was frightened by the consequences of a mistake, then he should be absolutely terrified by whatever was to come. He observed Nyxx, the demon had good reason to be afraid so deep in angel territory. "I must ask you to call me Nyxx in company. Demon names have power. Now, please, we haven't much more time!" "Power?" Hugo frowned, how could a name have any power at all? But Nyxx was right, now that he had so kindly let the world know where he was, they'd better run. Hugo signaled for Nyxx to wait, "Just a sec," he said before hopping of the balcony onto a lower roof. He sprinted to his outpost through a maze of rooftops, ledges and balconies. He grabbed his binoculars, pulled the string over his head and jogged back. He was panting by the time he had climbed back onto the balcony. Sweat trickled down his forehead, his hair had darkened even more and a red flush brightened his cheeks. "Ready," he breathed whilst resting his hands on his kneecaps.
Nyxx Axe in one hand, halberd in the other, warhammer gripped firmly by his tail, Nyxx let out a long, low snarl. He could smell the angels coming. "Get on my back. Hold on tight. It won't be fun, it won't be comfortable, you'll end up bruised from my wings, but we won't survive this any other way. There might be a battle while I'm flying, so make sure you have a strong grip." Having the strength and coordination to wield three heavy weapons at once was very much a demon thing and only possible because of the prehensile tail all demons had. Some demon-made weapons even had a slot into which the demon could slip the barb of his tail, making it all but impossible to accidentally drop them. It made up for their comparative lack of speed. "Come on, come on, hurry up. I'll explain about the name thing later," Nyxx said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He stared downwind, relying on his sense of smell to alert him to anything that tried to come from behind or the side. His massive heart thundered in his chest and his breath came fast and shallow. He was ready. Ready to fight, or to run.
Inside Famine bubbled with glee, 'Games, challenges and gruesome deaths; I love when we play these tricks' they were headed to the old human mansion. Famine had seen some old movies from before the war and old mansions seemed the favoured place to lay traps and pull pranks. Collapsing floors leading to stake lined pits, tripwire chandeliers, exploding mirrors, paintings with spring-loaded spears concealed behind them, fireplaces that lead to catacombs, catacombs filled with the walking dead, pools of blood that sucked you down like quicksand, pressure pads that trigger pendulums of death, statues that aren't statues, suits of armor that follow you around when you aren't watching... Famine was so excited that the emotion almost showed, only Death could tell how buzzed she was; Life was withering around her and she was playing 'ride of the Valkyries' in her head... This was going to be so much fun!
"Come on, come on, hurry up. I'll explain about the name thing later," Hugo rolled his eyes. Nyxx wasn't giving him much of a choice. He must've looked particularly vulnerable if Nyxx thought he needed help. A bolt of annoyance shot through his veins, he could handle himself perfectly well, he had done so for almost a year now. It had been ever since Talahari and Nyxx had crossed his path that things went had gone downhill. Part of him wanted to rush off alone, but he couldn't carry all his belongings alone and still be as quick and quiet. Relucatantly he complied with Nyxx's will and climbed onto the creatures back. He tried not to look disgusted, but only partly succeeded, it wasn't so much the smell that put him off, but rather the odd texture of Nyxx's skin. He sighed quietly to himself, if he hadn't made that run for the shop, none of this would've happened. He could've been soundly asleep by now, after a minimal, but satisfying meal. He decided on parting from Nyxx as quickly as possible, not just for his own sake. "I'm ready," he said.
Talahari was just about to drop into the courtyards for announcements when the deafening bang reached her ears. Shouts of alarm and fear came from the humans below, and she watched the angel guards tense, grabbing for their weapons. Curse it! The humans know better than to let off any guns here -but what if- her stomach dropped and her blood ran cold as she realized it might be a demon. A demon in the city. Surging upwards with a powerful stroke of her wings, Talahari focused on her magic to sense the heat emanating from the demon's body, sweeping the ground with her eyes. They were hotter than even young humans or angels, marking them out easily for her. The moment she spotted the thing her heart stopped. The boy was with it. ON it's back! "Halt!" she shouted, stalling in mid-air as she rapidly drew her daggers, preparing for her trademark move, the Hawk Scream. "Don't move if you wish to live!"
Hugo Millery Hugo recognized the voice of Talahari immediately. His stomach seemed to plummet towards the center of the earth. Not her, out of all people, please not her. He could only imagine what it looked like. She had let him go once, and now he was fleeing on some demon's back, with a large knapsack tied to his body. We must look like a duo of vicious thieves, Hugo thought to himself. "Stop," he demanded from Avanyxx. He deemed it best to submit to Talahari, an idea already began to stir in his mind... "She won't hurt us," Hugo said, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was true.
The promised time had arrived... An interlude to the pain... A prelude to the insanity... Ivalna smiled fixing her glance to the vast sky above her... A monlogue came from her mouth, or perhaps was she talking with someone? "Now then I wonder.... Who shall come victorious of this clash??..." "The creatures from the lands of the abyss?... the reign of fire and chaos commanded by the figure of dark shaped into the demon queen?.... wouldn't that be boring??" "The heavenly host, beings that belongs to paradise... blessed by the great will, commanded by one of the high seraph??.... Hah! a predictable outcome for the fanatics.." "Then the third option... the weak but filled with will, the mortals, easy to deceive, made to be poisoned, tools to be discared once broken....." "Hoh?... but am I not a human too?... Is my duty to side on the weak... yet they are fearsome.... Creatures so powerful, able to adapt to any situation, surpassing even the angel in occasions, creatures so vile, able to commit atrocities that would leave a demon speechless.... " "What is the world of demons?...a land of pain and punishment..... What is the world of angels?... a land of ruling and peace..... Both are despicable... Humans would somehow bring and entertaining mix of different flavours... " "And then what would happen to the Nephilim?... abominations born out of a tragic insolence... they have no place... on either side they'll find rejection.... Yeah, creatures made to be on waste, made to be on suffering......." "So is good to be a human and thus be sided with the most promising.... I won't be bored..." And then the lady of the silver hair jumped out of the rooftop that belonged to the remains of what once was a large skyscraper... The wind stroke her hard, waving her long hair, but she didn't flinch at all... Slowly a black ooze was born from inside her clothes and covered her feet, making her to land softly on the ground... "So... where shall I begin?..."
Talahari spread her black-tipped wings wide to catch a wind, avoiding burning up any more of the precious energy she had already spent flying through the city. A bead of sweat ran down her face, and the sun glared off of her golden armor. The demon had halted -and she couldn't believe it. Soldiers appeared on all sides then, jostling for position as they aimed bows, pikes, any sort of weapon towards the abomination. Alarm shot through her as she realized that they would kill the boy just to get at the demon. "Stop! In the name of Raphael stop!" she yelled, sheathing her blades and dropping out of the sky like a bullet. Before the demon could even look up she was landing right in front of him, spreading her wings wide again as a shield. Back to the one thing she should fear most, Talahari's heart hammered wildly in her chest. She knew the thing would be able to smell her fear, but she figured it would be smart enough not to attack the one thing that kept it from being wiped off the face of the earth. "Attack me and there will be no hope for you-" she hissed at it, then realized that it was a good foot taller than her. Oh, she was not meant to be in open battle at all. She'd never been close to one before, just poisoned their food and run for her life. Now with one this big, so close . . . Get a grip! she scolded herself as fear nearly made her legs cave out. Swallowing, she focused on Hugo's face. "Hugo . . . can you please explain what is going on?"
Hugo hopped off Nyxx's back, hands raised in surrender. "Hugo . . . can you please explain what is going on?" Hugo stumbled towards Talahari, the angels would kill Nyxx no matter what he did, wouldn't they? But Talahari seemed to lead them, as long as he could convince her to let them go, it would all be fine. Hugo picked a spot between Nyxx and Talahari. With his hands still raised, and his heart hammering against his ribs he looked up Talahari, his blue eyes wide with innocence. "Nothing, I..." then a frown came to his face, "How'd you know my name?" He did not recall telling her. A storm of thoughts rushed through his mind. Who she have looked him up? Was that even possible? And if so, why?
Death Humming along softly to Famine's mind-song, Death danced from room to room, setting all manner of clever traps. But it wasn't just traps that the first challenge was about. No, not at all. It was about cleverness. It was about finding a route. She locked all the doors with a thought - Horsemen could phase through walls, it wasn't going to be an issue that she'd locked a door between her and Min - and grinned. They would have to find the right secret passageway out of several that led out of this room. All of the doors and walls were strengthened. Even the strongest of demons could not hope to break them down. Besides, had she not told the demons that brute strength would not win them this prize? This was a test of cleverness. It would probably be a human that won in the end. Humans were physically and magically inferior, but oh! Were they ever intelligent! Now, if they would get over their fear of the unknown, and work with the angels and the demons, that would be a most fascinating game. In very short order, Death found herself cackling with vicious glee, as she jogged down the passageway setting traps and illusory temptations. The illusions were clever. They would show anyone who saw them the one thing they desired most in life. She emerged into the second room still cackling madly and glanced around. This room could be the test of fighting ability, but she would not yet summon up the souls. When Death summoned a soul it was given corporeal form for as long as it was willing to stay within a certain distance of her, as long as it was willing to do her bidding. The more tortured the soul, the less likely it was to behave itself, but the more powerful it was in combat. Happily for Death, she and her sister could watch in spectral form. Nothing corporeal could touch them when they were spectres. A badly behaved soul attacked anything that moved. There would be souls that fought smart, souls that fought hard, and souls that fought with a happy medium. Nyxx Nyxx stood frozen. He was utterly unable to move. Hugo had ordered him to stop, and by the power of his name, he had to. It was not a choice at all. He didn't mind. He had chosen to serve. It was difficult to remember that, in the heat of the moment, with the stench of angel burning his nose. He could smell the adrenaline, a deeper, earthier scent. The smell of fear and of bloodlust. The beautiful scent of battle. But he would not attack until he was ordered. With that resolution he regained control of his movements. His body language was defensive, protective and possessive. That was his master the angel was talking to. His. If she hurt Hugo, Nyxx would hurt her back. He rumbled out a laugh. "Hmmhmmmhmmm. I can smell your fear, angel. I take it you have not seen a demon up close before. Hu-go cannot explain. He does not know. But you, you do. You are an angel. As familiar with demon lore as I am. Search your knowledge and you will find the facts." His wings flared, just enough that the dressing on the torn wing membrane was visible for a fleeting moment. Hugo had had nothing to do with either the injury or dressing and cleaning it, but using it as an implied reason as to why he would choose to give this human his name made a lot more sense than the real reason. Nyxx had given Hugo his name because he felt he had a lot in common with the human child. He wanted to help Hugo as much as he had wanted Hugo to help him.
"Isn't this a strange sight?..." The voice of the woman came right behind them, yet no one was there.. "What event is being unfolded here?.." said the voice, and then the figure of the woman showed right behind them, apparently coming from nowhere, as if it where to be just simply existing there on that moment, without having existing not even close before. "Thou a human siding with the creature from the abyss?.... Thee demons on the side of the mortal?...." She then fixed her two notorious eyes upon the horde of heavenly beings.. "What wrought thee here?, the stench of the demon... or the acts of the mortal?..." She then raised her hand and deposited her chin upon it, deeply reflexing in silence... "Nevermind... It mean naught for now... What fill thy minds now is just thy hunt.... It hath become mine desicion to only side with what I consider to be the most entertaining.... " She then turned to Hugo and Nyxx... "And on this event, I think more curious about thy relationship than just the boring play of the angels..." She then waved her hair and with a smile continued... "And as I found thee curious..... Whither thou goest, I shall go..." said doing a reverence... "And thus, I shall turn into my duty to help thee to break through any obstacle.... Just remember... I shall favor those I found the most interesting development.... So don't bring me boredom please"... Coming out of nothing Stating it's thoughts out of nothing Forcing herself as a teammate out of nothing.. Swearing to protect them as long as they keep her entertained out of nothing That was Ivalna, a very strange human within this doomed world.
The Marksman Archer strode up the hall of his apartment complex, his quiver and bow strapped to his back and the case in hand. Once he reached his door he slid open a small panel in the wall down to reveal a key pad. He entered a numbered sequence onto the pad, which was preceded with the sound of bolt sliding free of a lock and the door clicked open. The panel slide shut as he pushed the door open and entered the one roomed apartment. It wasn’t well decorated but the furnishing that was present had a certain classic elegance to it. It was all made of dark wood and looked like it came from the 18th century. It consisted of a tall posted king sized bed, a dresser with a mirror on top, a leather padded couch and a large liquor cabinet. The walls were painted deep beige and the floor was polished timber with a large red rug in the centre. The only other piece of furniture was a coat stand with an extra attachment. Archer took off his bow and quiver and hung them off the modified coat stand before removing and adding his jacket. He made his way towards the only portrait on the wall and pushed it aside to reveal a safe. He opened the case and started to empty its contents, placing them gently into the safe. Some of it was much sort after cash, there were a few small pieces of gold and some odd blocks wrapped in paper. He counted it all as he went, just in case, but it was all there, as promised. Once everything was all locked safely away, he walked over to the dresser, placed his glasses in their case headed towards the liquor cabinet. He pulled out a crystal decanter half full of scotch and poured it into a matching crystal glass. Whilst sipping on his drink he walked over to his one large floor to ceiling window. It looked out over one of the better parts of town with several high rise apartment buildings and offices. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance but something caught Archer’s keen eyes. Something was happening on the street below. Archer focused his vision and almost dropped his glass at what he saw. There was a group gathering around the boy that had broken into the shop earlier that day. The same angel that had dragged him skyward was also there, along with a demon and a few other people he didn’t recognise. As he watched a woman also entered the unusual circle, seeming to favour the boy who looked like he had teamed up with the demon. If only I could hear what was going on, he thought taking another sip of his drink.
Death and Cigarettes Falling......... Falling....... Oh fuck! I'm falling!!!! The man was closing in on the ground......falling from heights that most plane would not have dare flown. The sheer speed he was falling was making it hard for him even to take in a single breath. His wide blue eyes filled with terror and confusion. His suit jacket was torn from his shoulders and the tie he wore from his neck. Come on.......um think.....think! You're gonna die! As the ground came closer his mind raced for ideas. He didn't know who he and he certainly didn't know how he got in this situation was but he did know he wasn't normal. So as if it came naturally to him the man stuck out his hands towards the ground. "Do something!" He shouted in a very high pitched tone and suddenly the palms of his hands started to glow a bright orange. Flames started to circle around his hand's as he kept plummeting. Then as if acting on the man's fear the fire lashed out at the ground below. But this was no ordinary fire....it was hellfire! The demonic flames built up under the man acting as a blast to cushion his fall. It didn't burn anything below him oddly enough but more worked to cushion his fall. The blast he fired was in the form of giant ball which stopped him from becoming paste. He was thrown to the left his body slamming into the hard ground. His white button shirt getting torn to pieces and his clothes. He could feel his shoulder dislocate as he continued skidding on the gravel. As the man finally came to a stop, he was covered in cuts, bruises and a few broken bones to top it all off. In his panic and pain. He failed to realize the woman approaching him. Death stared at the human who had just fallen from the sky. What. The. Fuck? She had seen some strange things in her time but a human male who could use hellfire had to top the list. Humans simply weren't that magical. Then there was the fact that he had... fallen from the sky. Yeah. That. Death was Nephilim; she'd seen angels and demons fall plenty of times. But humans? What was she supposed to do with that? Reap him? Grant him absolution and end his suffering? No. Too... drastic. He was not mortally wounded. She could perhaps heal him? Not completely, no, she was too magically exhausted for that. But enough to set the broken bones. She leapt from her horse. Deathsong morphed as she landed, changing from the armor the sentient dress liked to be when she was riding into a ballgown. The bodice of the thing wasn't so bad. Just a nice corset. But the skirt was just plain ridiculous. The hoops were huge, and there were so many petticoats she didn't even want to try to count them. "Fuck you, Song," Death growled at the dress. She could have sworn it laughed at her as it changed again, this time into a more reasonable skirt, though the bodice stayed the same. She pulled her scythes from their holsters at her hips and flicked them open, then touched the blades together. They merged into one large scythe. Best that this man know that today was the day he stared Death in the face and survived. "Congratulations," she drawled, leaning over him. Her cleavage almost spilled over the top of the corset. Song morphed again to keep Death's ample bosoms securely inside the dress, hissing a rebuke in her mind. Well, don't give me a corset that barely contains them, then! "Today is the day you cheated Death. Hold still. I'll heal you. Don't worry." She paused, and an evil grin crossed her face. "It won't hurt a bit." That was complete bullshit. It would hurt a lot. But it was better not to warn them of that fact beforehand. They always tensed and made things worse for themselves if they knew it was going to hurt. The Conduit of Death smiled again, a friendlier expression this time, and laid one long, cold, pale hand on the man's forehead. He wasn't convulsing in pain if she had any say in the matter. She opened the void and willed the souls within to heal this human, specifying to each one which part of the body to heal and how much. It would be a shame to waste this body of hers. It was the first Nephilim body she had owned and by far the best out of all of the forms she had taken over the millennia. The man's eyes started to open slowly. The first thing he took note of was the woman above him. He was able to conclude she had healed the damages to his body. Which is why it was only slightly painful to sit up. He didn't really understand what she was saying about being Death. He'd met a lot of people who had death in their names or left death wherever they went.....he was one of them. Then pain! Dexter gritted his teeth as he felt the souls move around inside his body and his spirit. Burning sensations raced through him and as his bones mended he started to cry. Wait! His memories started flooding back to him. All of them! The man was speechless for a moment........."Ha." He chuckled. "HAHAHAHAAHAHAH!" He started laughing uncontrollably even as tear slipped out of his eyes. He didn't know whether to be happy or furious. Either way the pain was starting to fad---- Vomit poured from his mouth along with small traces of blood as he felt his ribs reconnect. He finally collapsed on his side. To tired out to stand. "T....t...that fucking hurt......bitch." He said blinking away the water in his eyes. This of course was probably not the best thing to call the grim reaper....... Death barked a short laugh. "Of course it did. Would you prefer I left you to heal the long way? Soul-healing is an imperfect art, difficult at the best of times. I've not healed you fully..." she trailed off, leaning on her scythe. She had still done too much. A cough, the strange taste of Nephilim blood in her mouth - bitter, sweet, acidic, and very salty, with a metallic tang. "I would kill this body if I tried to do any more. Get up. You are the healed, not the healer. You think you are exhausted. Please. Don't make me laugh." The scythes separated neatly with the push of a button hidden in the grip, and she folded them and slipped them into their holsters. Song morphed again, from dress to armor, as Death approached her spectral horse. Since she hadn't banished it, she didn't have to expend any more magic on retrieving it. The horse knelt so that she could mount more easily. "I will ride. You will walk. This horse will not carry two. I would have to banish it and summon another, and I haven't the magic left for that today." Useless mortal bodies. As long-lived as Nephilim were, there was always a limit to how much magic could flow through the body on any given day. The truly immortal would have made the most worthy vessels for the Four. Unfortunately it was notoriously difficult to gain control of a truly immortal body. She was going to have to stick with this one. With an irritated sigh, Death settled herself in the saddle and urged the horse back to its feet. "Slowly this time," she murmured, absently stroking the ghostly neck in front of her. "Slowly. We must keep pace with the human." The man got up and raised an eyebrow. "Wow! Wow! Wow! Look I'm not your damn servant. I got to figure out where I am." He said looking around. "Well I'm guessing this is Earth....but when?" He sucked in a breathe and his eyes lit up. "Ha! I'm not a zombie anymore. Perfect. To be honest I didn't really enjoy being a decomposing piece of flesh." He turned his attention back to Death. This man was only slightly taller then most humans, his messy blonde hair had a lot of sticks and dust falling from it and his facial features were relatively young. At least 30 maybe 31. He wasn't really all that impressed with her as he should be. "Oh and for the record. If you'd of healed me properly then I wouldn't still have pain in my shoulder." He went on. "Besides I have the right to be tired. I've had rough few years." He said as he started going over things in his head. "Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is day 210 of the year 26773. And trust me. You don't know tired until you've over-used soul magic." Death coughed again, then spat a gob of blood onto the ground. Nephilim blood really was odd - black, like demon blood, but with faint swirls of silver. "Not my servant? Foolish human. Every being on this planet is an instrument of the Four." She paused. Sighed. Coughed a third time, spat again. "Come. Have you any questions, I will answer them on the way." The man sighed as he started following her. "Fucking South Wales? This place has become a complete toilet.....well it always was. Now its just a toilet with shit in it." He muttered and then glared up at the woman. Death's face was suddenly hit with nicotine smoke. The man had a cigarette in his mouth. He dropped an empty box that said 'Camel' on the ground. "What the hell are the Four?" He asked. "I'm a assume that we are in some sort of decayed future. Like Mad Max. You ever seen Mad Max Beth?" Death's fists clenched. "Get. That thing. The fuck. Out of my face." If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was tobacco. Foul stuff. Her body had the sense of smell of a demon - incredibly sensitive - and there wasn't much that smelled worse than tobacco. "The Four, numbnuts! God, you really are stupid. Don't just look. See. In front of your eyes is Death, on a pale spectral horse, wielding a scythe. You will only meet one of my sisters at this point in time. Neither War nor Plague have a Conduit yet." "Oh that's nice." The man said actually not that surprised. Nothing ever surprised him anymore. Instead he was more outraged at her tone. He complied by turning the cigarette away from her. "Hey watch your tone babe. As I said I ain't your servant and I'm certainly not a man to be had as an enemy. I've been known to put a wrench in a lot of peoples plans. I know all about you Four....at least where I'm from. Oh well same song just a different chorus am I right?" He looked thoughtful and let a grin spread across his face. "Though considering your name you could probably kill me pretty quick. Meh I've died before not that bad." He mumbled to himself. This human was really very odd. Death hissed at him, looking and sounding incredibly demonic in that moment. "Who do you think you are, to speak at Death with such little respect?" She chose 'at' rather than 'to' deliberately; he was not speaking to her at all. Even those who hated her could muster more respect than this. The man took a moment to contemplate this. "Don't you know who I am? Probably not. I'm not speaking to you with disrespect. I just talk to everyone like that. I'm a storm that has many names. I've fought with gods, demons and concepts. Seen events that have happened on such scales that violate every known law in order and chaos." He spoke was if nothing was out of the ordinary as if the speech was becoming regular. "The name's Dexter......but most people call me..........Dexter."
Lilith and Lucy Lilith paused as she entered the dungeons, the clank of heavy iron chains capturing her attention for a moment behind the closed door at the end of the hall, but that was not what had grabbed her attention. Turning to the cell to her left, the Queen eyed the small girl crouched in the shadows. These were her personal torture rooms. How had she gotten in there? The little girl was adorable despite being dressed in rags. She had that very round face that every 5 year old seemed to have her hair was long and dark brown. It looked damp with various mud and grime as if she'd been in the dungeons for a long time. Many of her finger nails and toe nails were chipped or simply gone as if they had been torn off. She smelled terrible. Soap and water had obviously not known her for quite sometime. But despite all this she was smiling at Lilith with wide dead pale blue eyes. "What are you doing here?" Lilith growled, sensing the powerful aura of magic surrounding the little one. That was no ordinary child, and she knew it. Extending her claws, she strode towards the door and flung it open, preparing a ball of black magic in her open hand. As if in reaction to the magic, a deep roar echoed from the end of the hall, making the earth tremble beneath its rage. It's hatred. It was the roar of an animal that wanted nothing but death. "Lilly hot blooded as always." The little girl said as she stood up from her knees. Her tone was friendly. Whoever who she was she was used to calling the Queen by that pet name. "Here I come to pay you a visit and you want to kill me." She said showing no signs of fear at the display of power from Lilith. The Queen paled and backed up a pace. "Lucifer . . . I should have known. Why do you come at this time? I'm busy." she hissed, glancing towards the cell at the end of the hall. Raw magic sizzled in the air, a magic neither of light or darkness, but of emotion. Unpredictable and powerful, she licked her lips as she longed to tap into that power and use it against her enemies. "No reason. Its been long awhile and I was in the area so I decided to drop by. Do you like the form? I was thinking Lilith would just love if I dressed up as a tortured little girl." She said happily as any child would. Lucifer looked thoughtful for a moment. Lilith using his name as he was at the moment just seemed......wrong. "Please call me Lucy." The little girl surprisingly simply pushed open the cell door and walked up to the Queen. "I also came to inform you." Lucy spoke as her vision's went to the end of the hallway like the Queen's had. "Vex seems excited." She muttered. That brought out a dark chuckle from the Queen of Demons. "Yes. He hasn't nearly acted up this much since your last appearance here." she sighed, looking artfully sad, "Poor thing -he's the last of his kind, and he won't show off that power. If only i could persuade him to fight without trying to destroy us first." Walking towards the door, waving for Lucy to follow her -ugh he always came up with interesting names didn't he?- Lilith flicked her wrist and the stone grated inwards, finally settling with a loud boom. There was a huge camber ahead -its size unguessable as it almost immediately dissapeared into shadow. But at their right, a creature hung chained to the wall, his wings leaking a sickly blue blood at the joints where nails pinned his wings to the blood-red stone that mirrored his own crimson scales. http://keitsumah.deviantart.com/art/Destruction-Incarnate-383866072 "You know, I would consider releasing him to fight, if he would only obey me . . ." Lilith messed with a Band of Binding that hung loosely from her wrist, and the creature's eyes narrowed with hate, lip curling to reveal yellow fangs. A growl made the room vibrate. His current form was deceptive, for had he been in his true form as a bull dragon, he would have utterly destroyed the entire building above them. Lucy blinked a few times and smiled at Vex. He wasn't terribly impressed......well nothing really impressed him anymore. "You won't win you know?" The little girl said as she locked eyes with the demon queen. The queen burs tout laughing at that. "Oh. Won't win will I? As Death said, ti is just a matter of cleverness. Angels are full of honor and malarky -while we demons are in charge of every description in the book about deviousness! I will-" she shrieked as magic snapped across her vision. That damned Nyxx had somehow broken the Band of Binding! Fists clenching in anger, Lucy and Vex were suddenly gone in her mind. She needed to find that brat and make him pay for his disobedience! That was the last straw! Rushing out of the room and slamming the door behind her, the demon queen rushed upstairs, forgetting the two creatures she had left inside. Vex turned his great horned head towards Lucy, his eyes blazing with a mad flame. "Is Hell better than this, or worse?" he asked with a deep, rumbling voice.
Lucy Lucy shrugged her small shoulders at Vex. "Worse in my opinion. But if you are asking for the simple reason because I am he. You are sadly mistaken. I do not oversee any of hell's affairs. I'm bound to this planet and have been for sometime now." There was a hint of cheer to her voice. "Nonetheless is there something you want of me?" Lucy unsurprisingly enough was not against doing favors for people. If they price was right that is.
