Fantasy Silent Rapture

[Crazy Trey-n]

Health: 20/20
Damage: 4 to G5

It took Nero a moment to understand that the gargoyle was Harian - the telltale sign being the far more intelligent emerald green eyes - and he narrowly avoided swinging the iron rod over at her at the sight of the bared teeth. He'd been so preoccupied simply eyeing the gargoyle in front of him to even notice her transformation. Now, however, she had most of his attention.
Clearly she and Jophiel knew something he didn't, and his tone was a mingling of confused and curious when he muttered back, "One look at it wasn't enough?" They were in the middle of a fight. Was a pen really that important? Despite his doubt, he reached down and clasped his hand around the pen, ready to give it another look if time allowed.

The hair on the back of his neck rose as he heard the stony rustling of the gargoyle behind him. Harian was the opposite direction, so he had to spin on his heel to face it, only to find it's tail already sweeping along the ground towards his legs. There was no getting away from this one, so he merely swung both hands forward in an attempt to block the beast and was quite suddenly semi-blinded by a flash of red-orange light before him. 'What the...' Nero's thoughts were voiced when his vision gradually cleared and he came face-to-blade with a glowing, silver sword - a sword that was engulfed in flames and within his grip.

"Wait, what-" His immediate reaction was to stay away from the flames, so the sword soon ended up on the ground, allowing the light to illuminate the still-writhing tail of the gargoyle. Apparently the sword had appeared right as Nero was bringing his hands up and had lopped the gargoyles tail right off. It was roaring in pain and 'unhappy' wouldn't be enough to describe it's reaction. "The pen... was a sword?!" Nero overcame his apprehensions quickly and plucked the sword from the ground, keeping his palm clasped around the handle and well away from the flame. The stance he took could only be explained with one word: amateurish. "Couldn't Joph have just told me that the pen could transform? I wouldn't have gone in empty handed!"

Nero's words were almost snappy for once due to his nerves, but a part of him admired the blade in front of him. It was supposed to be a legend, but here it was in his own hands.

SilverFlight Naberius

 

[Lioness075]

HP: 19/20
Damage: 2 (G3)

Before Zoya had much of a chance to respond to Falarion, the topiary gargoyle was back with a vengeance. Falarion gawked as Zoya went sprawling and then he shouted, "No!" before he was charging at the gargoyle. He did not come up with much of a plan and his staff was still somewhere on the ground nearby, so he improvised. He leapt onto a piece of rubble and then stepped off it before going into a flying kick. It ended up looking way better in his head. He struck the gargoyle right in its chest and it did not even stumble backwards in response. Falarion did that for it. He landed awkwardly on his butt and then glanced up at the gargoyle with a sheepish grin.
"I think that's my cue."
And with that, he scrambled backwards and then struggled back to his feet, as he tried in vain to get distance between himself and the gargoyle.
SilverFlight Feywild The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[GamerCarrot]

HP: 13/20
Damage G1: 5

Noticing the gargoyle wanted to back her into a corner and away from the rest of the group as it lunged towards her Hayle ducked out of the way, keeping her clawed hands drawn she smirked at the gargoyle "Got to be quicker to catch me." she chuckled at the gargoyle. Looking around the battle field she noticed the automaton was completely and utterly destroyed giving the others to use that opportunity to attack the other gargoyles and heal those that were badly injured. Looking over at Ayramis she noticed he was looking over at her as well, seems like they were both having a bit of an issue with the gargoyles attacking them. Thinking that maybe once she was done and if Ayramis hadn't defeated his Gargoyle yet she would go over and give him a hand, the quicker they got rid of these beasts the better. But her thoughts about her way of getting rid of the other gargoyles were soon interrupted by the gargoyle she had been battle the entire time started growling at her, turning her attention back to the best she smirked. She ran towards the beast her clawed hand raised and ready to attack as she got closer and plunged her clawed hand into the gargoyle she clawed deep into the creatures side making it let out a roar of pain, she ripped her clawed hand out and started moving back making sure the gargoyles attention stayed on her and didn't try and attack anyone else but her and by the look in its eyes when she clawed its side, it definitely wasn't happy with her.
SilverFlight andujarprime

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel was about to argue but thought better of it. The faster he got the mundane defenses taken care of, the sooner he could help his friends. He would just have to trust Harian and Nero to hold their own. He spun on his heel, and ran full tilt towards the junction box. Luckily, the gargoyles massive fist hadn't done much in the way of damage. He jammed a thick bladed knife into the slit and forced the box open.

Srambling through his pockets, Gabriel fished out a strange gray box with wires sticking out of the back. Using the box and the knife, he set about manually splicing his way past the fairly standard security protocols. He shut off the motion detectors but left the cameras on, instead running them on a 10 minute loop of footage stored on the devices small internal storage space. The work took only a few moments, but it was very crucial he not make a single mistake.

SilverFlight Crazy Trey-n

 

[Feywild]

12/20 hp

Damage G3: 2

“It’s nice to meet you! My name is-“ in the brief moment she hadn’t been paying attention, the gargoyle she’d attacked apparently didn’t like how she’d rather pathetically hit it previously, striking her and sending her flying. “Bitch!” She cried out at the gargoyle when it’s blow struck her, groaning as she now lay sprawled on the ground. A wave of wooziness overcame her as she’d hit her head, this fight was going spectacularly. “Ugh.” Zoya pouted, pushing herself off of the ground, swaying a little where she stood. Slapping her own face, Zoya tried to snap herself back into the fight, ignoring the newest addition of panic that’d been introduced and just ploughing through. Seeing Falarion retaliate rather poorly back at the gargoyle made Zoya cringe, a pitiful laugh escaping her as she watched him fall and then attempt to dash away afterwards. Hurting the gargoyle hadn’t exactly worked well the first time, but seeing someone else have the same amount of success as her made her feel somewhat better.

Feeling intimidated by the hulking figure of the gargoyle, Zoya chose to stay back. Her hands sunk down to the floor where she found a hunk of broken stone, picking it up was a strain on her and she almost toppled over from the weight but she managed to heft it into the air and throw it with all her might. Well it was mainly the lashing winds that launched it at the creature, but maybe she’d been to hasty to throw it as it only scraped the foe and almost hit a fleeing Falarion on the stones sad journey to being a failure. “I swear I wasn’t trying to hit you!” Zoya blurted out with the lightest of blushes tainting her cheeks, an embarrassed smile forming as she shouted her introduction, “my name is Zoya by the way!”

SilverFlight Lioness075

 

[MrBossMan]

Phillip: 20/20
Damage: 5 to G1

When the group arrived at the train station Phillip immediately went to find the nearest bench. Already his stomach was churning from the teleportation of the homebase door. He needed a minute, just one, and proceeded to count in his head. The constant noise of the trains and the strangers echoed in his head. Making it hard for him to clear his thoughts.

When he finally reached the number sixty Phillip opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and forced his way to the others where he last saw them. Seeing the back of Kiyomi ahead Phillip reached in and grabbed her shoulder. The woman who turned around was obviously not the nine tailed kitsune, which made Phillip offer an awkward and depressing apology to the lady before he walked off. He tried scanning his surroundings, looking anywhere for a familiar face, but found none.

Defeated and lost Phillip's hands sunk low into his pockets. "Well fuck," he said aloud to no one "so much for killing the Antichrist." He looked to his side and noticed a small boy sucking a sucker and holding his luggage. The kids face was dumbfounded at Phillip's words. "Ya," he said to the boy "I only just found out the world was ending so don't blame me kid. I'm new at this."

Leaving the station Phillip gripped his chain. It hummed with power, the afflictions of countless people in a cultural hub of humanity. Paris was many things, to Phillip though it was just a shiney rock in the gutter most call earth. He already hated being here. "The bastards left without me," he said aloud as he tried to remember the address of the known Antichrist.

He moved on, the stone Jophiel had given him glowing brighter as he neared the Antichrist. The cursed one continued to walk but with a little more spring in his step. Ignoring the glances and curses as he shouldered past the others walking on the sidewalk. Then he saw it, the big mansion, the group of world savers fighting gargoyles. He was late to the party and deeply pissed for being so.

As he walked through the front gate his hand reached out, pointing towards the nearest gargoyal he could see. It was a cool evening in Paris, yet the gargoyal would feel an unbearable heat deep within its chest cavity. Its vision would blur, its footing would falter and then itd finally sink to the ground. Phillip's chain burned red hot and glowed brightly in the night.

Heat stroke. It was brutal and Phillip just ensured the monster would suffer from one.

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

(I hope I didn't forget to tag anyone. If I did I'm sorry. Also, to everyone now, I apologize for my absence in this thread. Real life matters and such, it won't happen again, or, at least if it does I'll warn you beforehand. I have a bad habit of drifting.)

 

[SilverFlight]

Harian 20/20

Harian -> 8dmg G4

The gargoyle facing Harian tried to flank her but Harian darted back, trying to lead the beast away from where Gabriel was working. Her tail lashed and she bared her stoney gargoyle teeth at it.
"Harian!" A voice called her from over the fence. Jophiel had placed all of the idols. He was waving something at her...it was her gun. He pulled his arm back and threw it.
Harian's wings flared. She ran forward, straight for the gargoyle that Nero had been facing. Using it's back as a launch pad Harian vaulted into the air. One wing beat, two and she was high enough to catch her weapon in one clawed hand. She shifted as she fell, her human fingers finding their familiar placings on the weapon. She hit the ground in a perfect two-foot landing, pointed the barrel at the first gargoyle she saw, and fired, point blank. The beast froze, locked eyes with her. She saw the life draining from them. Then the creature collapsed in a wet heap. Blood seeping out from under the body, soaking the grass.
She looked at Nero, holding the flaming sword and smiled. "Well, that's interesting."
Beyond the fence she could see the bright pride gleaming on the angel's face.
The remaining gargoyle saw its fallen companion and growled deeply.

Crazy Trey-n Naberius

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

Kiyomi
HP: 20/20
Damage: 1 (G3)

Even though Kiyomi could not use the last of her strength to heal him, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as Zoya stepped in and successfully healed Falarion's wound. His gratitude for both of their support brought a gentle smile to her face, white ears perked and hands clasped together in front of her as she bowed briefly.

"You are very welcome. I only wish there was more I could've done to-" The kitsune cut herself off immediately, her white ears flicking back and forth after picking up the subtle patter of footsteps approaching from behind. A flash of white clouded over her eyes, and just as the gargoyle approached, Kiyomi crouched low to the ground and propelled herself straight into the air like a frog, perfectly timing her landing as she briefly landed on top of the gargoyle's head and pushed off of its broad skull to twist herself into a flip. She lightly touched down behind it, dodging effortlessly. The movement knocked its head back and forth, but hardly did anything to the creature. If anything, it was just a minor annoyance for the gargoyle and possibly strained its neck a little bit.

The gargoyle wasn't even phased by this, and much to her dismay, continued to barrel forward. It was headed straight for Zoya.

Her eyes widened and she took a step forward.

"ZOYA!" Kiyomi cried out loudly. But it was too late, and the two collided. The sudden blow knocked her to the ground and before the kitsune could even move another muscle, Falarion was the first to retaliate. Not the most impressive attack, but it did a little bit of damage to the gargoyle. Out of the three of them, Kiyomi had not been successfully attacked once or even harmed during the fight. Knowing this, she racked her brain briefly for a solution as the gargoyle continued to face Zoya, its towering shadow looming over her. With her powers weakened, there wasn't much the kitsune could do.

I need to distract it. That should give Falarion and Zoya enough time to attack.

Her eyes trailed to the ground, spotting a medium-sized rock resting comfortably in the dirt. A smile crept across her lips as she quickly leaned down and scooped it into her hand. She reared her arm back and chucked the rock, watching as it hit the gargoyle square in the back of the head. It bounced off and rolled to the ground.

"Oh my, how rude of me. Did I hurt your ugly head?" She called out, pouting innocently as she faked an apologetic tone. She mocked the gargoyle with a taunting small smile, her eyebrow raised. As long as the gargoyle's attention was away from Zoya, even for just a moment, it would open a window of opportunity for either one of them to strike.

Feywild Lioness075 @ anyone else

 

[SilverFlight]

Automaton: 0/25hp

Gargoyle 1: 0/15hp
Gargoyle 2: 4/15hp
Gargoyle 3: 8/15hp

Gargoyle 4: 0/15hp
Gargoyle 5: 5/15hp

The gargoyle Phil had attacked writhed and screeched in pain. It tore at it's skin and bucked and groaned until finally it collapsed, motionless in the grass, body steaming. Another beast had died.

The Gargoyle facing Ayramis roared in outrage, it's wing a bloody ruin. It swiped at him furiously, but it was weak now, and overbalanced, hitting the ground with a growl.

The third beast snarled, but the noise was cut short as a rock collided with it's head, it whirled around just as another rock bounced off it's shoulder. The beast galloped forward, leaping into the air and gaining momentum with a few strong beats. It collided with Kyomi, the past one to throw something at it, driving jagged teeth into her shoulder.

The last gargoyle at the back of the house shook itself out of its surprise and whirled on Nero. It's tail stump trailed dark blood and it looked ragged, chest heaving. Rage still glowed behind it's red eyes however and as it started forward a wing shot out to catch the boy across the temple.

Harian watched carefully, but did not make a move to intervene yet. She wanted to see what Nero could do on his own. She stood by, but was ready to jump to save him if needed.

Gargoyle 1 -> died
Gargoyle 2 -> Missed Ayramis
Gargoyle 3 -> 7dmg Kyomi
Gargoyle 4 -> died

Gargoyle 5 -> 5 dmg Nero

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

 

[Feywild]

12/20 Hp

Damage G3: 10

Seeing Kiyomi get bit was really the last nail in the coffin, Zoya’s eyes widened as her hand lashed out to blast the creature away from the hurt kitsune. It stumbled back with more force than anticipated, but she wasn’t complaining. No, she would delight in seeing it’s downfall. Hair whipped around her face as she wrestled with the wind, bending it to her will as she began to rise and float, her body harnessing the energy in the world around her as she raised her hand and struck.

The gargoyle didn’t stand a chance. With the simplest raising of her hand, she’d cast it into the sky. Watching it continue to rise rather contentedly before snapping her fingers and slamming it back into the ground below. Left in the heavily dented ground was only the rubble and remains of a hated and ugly gargoyle. Clapping her hands excitedly at her newest achievement, she dropped herself down from the air only to dart to Kiyomi’s side where her face quickly shifted from glee to worry. “Are you okay?” She asked fretfully, brows creased from panic for the other woman, “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it from attacking you.”

SilverFlight The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[Crazy Trey-n]

Health: 15/20
Damage: N/A

The gargoyle's blow sent Nero reeling backwards, forcing him to drop the weapon to the ground as both hands shot up to grasp at the sides of his head. Somehow the creature was lucky enough to hit him in the temple and send a spike of pain similar to that of a migraine through his skull. Somewhere amidst his rattled thoughts it occurred to him: he'd never before been struck to the head before.

The pain and mingling thoughts drove a memory that wasn't his to the forefront of his mind though he quickly shuffled it to the back so that he could focus on regaining his composure. It took a moment, but Nero stood forced himself to ignore the pain. He spun around quickly and for once there was a deep, smoldering anger in his eyes - an anger far beyond what a boy who'd lived in seclusion his entire life could conjure. Unfortunately the sword was between himself and the gargoyle, so he'd have to let events unfold with him as the distraction or wait for another opportunity.

SilverFlight Naberius

 

[GamerCarrot]

13/20 HP
Damage (G2): 17

Taking a breath of relief as the gargoyle that has been causing her so much issue finally died she looked at the man who had helped her and smiled "Thanks." she said before turning around and looking for her next target, she turned around to Ayramis and noticed he seemed to have everything controlled but she figured he could do with a hand. The gargoyle continuously missing him as they tried to attack, she looked over at the the fountain and smiled. Removing the ice from her hands she looked at the fountain and raised her hand at it, the water slowly turning to ice as she concentrated. Once it was entirely frozen she made the ice change its shape into many sharp points all moving and focusing their points at the gargoyle near Ayramis, smirking all she did was just a simple flick of her hand and the ice went flying towards the gargoyle. She made the ice pierce the gargoyles body at every angle she could, turning its body into an ice pin-cushion. Some shards even stabbed into the ground making causing some dust to fly up from the sheer force of the ice. The dust had settled and showed the destruction she had caused to what was once a gargoyle, she felt a little bad and she wasn't expecting her to cause that much damage to it. "Hey Ayramis I didn't get you did I? Sorry about all the dust." She shouted out to him hoping he wasn't hit in the attack.
SilverFlight andujarprime

 

[Naberius]

20/20 HP
2 damage (G5)

Gabriel felt more than saw the impact that rocked Nero. It triggered something in his mind that he couldn't quite place. His feet moved before his brain could formulate a plan, and he found himself running straight at the gargoyles back once more. This time, however, he slid under the thing, between its legs and out the other side. He sprang to his feet, striking it in the side of the head with a spinning kick, the heel of his boot connecting squarely its jaw. Against anything else, it might have been moderately effective. It felt the blow, it just didn't seem very impressed.

"Well. That worked better in my head..."

SilverFlight Crazy Trey-n

 

[MrBossMan]

He heard a thank you over the roaring gargoyals. Turning around he noticed Hayle smiling at him, it would have been nice if suddenly the waterfall behind her hadn't begun to freeze violently. Ice shards cracking apart and being thrown like javelins at the Gargoyal Aryamis was dueling. Phillip heard a muffled whimper as the beast sank into deaths clutches.

Kiyomi's voice made his ears perk up, she was mocking another monster. The sound of a rock bouncing off its head. Phillip spun around and could only watch as the beast slammed into her. His feet began to move, quickly, towards her. He could only see the monster and its large frame, Kiyomi buried somewhere beneath it.

Before he could reach her the wind began to howl, tugging at his jacket. Zoya was in the air hovering above them. Her hand reached out and carried the Gargoyal into the air. Freeing Kiyomi from its grasp. Its wings flapped defensively but it was useless, Zoya mastered the wind, it was a simple pawn. With the flick of a finger she sent the beast down to the ground like a comet. It landed directly in front of Phillip, whom watched closely as the light died in its eyes. He noticed blood seeping from its jaws.

Taking a long step over the crater he walked over to the two of them. Zoya now beside the hurt Kitsune. Walking up to them Phillip noticed the blood on Kiyomi's shoulder, soaking through her clothes. He knelt beside the pair, his hand instinctively reaching for his silver chain. His other hand rested over her wound.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said to the both of them "the station had to many people and I've never been good with crowds."

Once again he pulled the pain from another. The blood would linger but the wound would close up. She'd feel a numbness in her shoulder as the pain soaked up inside Phillip's chain. The chain couldn't hold all of it, a little dripped free and forced it's way into Phillip's being. He felt stone teeth prick at his own shoulder making his jaw clench tight and flex his neck muscles.

He fell back on his ass and rested his hands on his side. Sweat pooled up under his hairline and he moved his shoulder around to dull the pain. He looked around him and didn't notice any more gargoyals.

"Are they dead?" He asked the others "did you kill the Antichrist yet?" He said, not noticing the boy Nero, Harian or Gabriel among them.

The Velveteen Rabbit SilverFlight GamerCarrot Feywild andujarprime

 

[Lioness075]

HP: 19/20
Damage: 4 (G5)

Just as Falarion stood up and recovered from his embarrassment, he heard something whistling towards him and he instinctively hit the deck as the rock flew past him. He slowly stood back up again and looked over at Zoya with wide eyes while she apologized. He had not been expecting any friendly fire in the fight.
Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Maybe don't try throwing anything anymore?"
Falarion perked up again when he finally got the young woman's name though, and he was grinning again as he responded, "Nice to finally meet ya! My name is Falarion."
Ignoring the chaos of exploding and dying gargoyles nearby, Falarion walked up to Zoya and formally offered his hand.

A moment later, the gargoyle was airborne and tackled Kiyomi while biting her. Falarion winced at this was ready to charge back into the fray for her, but she handled herself flawlessly and the gargoyle likely regretted its target choice in the afterlife.
Hail took out the last gargoyle in the front and Falarion relaxed as he realized the fight must be over now. Just as he thought this, he heard the sound of a fight still underway in the backyard. He belatedly realized that the scout team was still back there.
With a determined look, he left Zoya's side and sprinted back to where he had been fighting the automaton earlier. He snatched up his bo staff and then stashed it away on his back before he rushed towards the building and suddenly leapt up. Unlike most people, he did not just go a few feet up and start climbing. Instead, he leapt up and looked as if he was flying without wings. He just kept moving upwards through the air until he suddenly slowed just over the roof and landed on its edge. He leaned forward to get his balance on the slanted roof before he was up again and running along its edges precariously. A lone tile came loose and tumbled to the ground below, clattering noisily against the concrete below.

Just as he got to the back of the roof, he slid to a halt and cautiously peered over the ledge. Down below, he saw one last gargoyle standing and then winced at Gabriel's attempt to kick at it. Honestly, the move had looked awesome up until the kick.
Taking a few steps back, Falarion unsheathed his bo staff, raising it over his head before slowly bringing it down in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Opening his eyes, Falarion tensed and then sprinted forward. With a battle cry, he leapt over the ledge, his arms out to either side and his legs straight behind him. He went into a perfect swan dive with his staff at his side and pointed straight at the gargoyle's head. Seconds before he struck, Falarion suddenly flipped so his feet were heading for the ground first instead of his head. Moving his staff underneath his feet, Falarion let out a whoop just as he landed. His staff struck the gargoyle with a sickening crunch, as nearly half of it went through the gargoyle's head and then into its chest. Falarion stood casually on top of his staff as the gargoyle struggled a step forward before it toppled. Falarion nimbly flipped forward and then landed beside Gabriel. He turned around to look at the dead gargoyle while he patted Gabriel's shoulder and said, "You know, we all have our moments."
SilverFlight Feywild Naberius

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel stared in shocked amazement. Even he had to admit, that was actually pretty badass.

"Nice of you to drop in, Tarzan. Should we take your showing up back here to mean the others mopped up the greeting party out front?"

He shot Falarion an amused smile and gave his shoulder a playful jab. He acted like a kid occasionally but Fal had skill. And, though Gabriel would never admit it out loud, a bit of class.

He walked over to Nero and looked him over. The injury didn't look too serious but the impact may have caused a concussion. Now was not the time to be reckless.

"Hey, you alright? How's your head? You dizzy?"

SilverFlight Lioness075 Crazy Trey-n

 

[SilverFlight]

Harian had been about to leap in, she was afraid of using her gun lest she hit the boy, but in that moment of deliberation. Falarion swooped in to deal with their final opponent.
She was relieved ultimately. The look in Nero's eyes just before the final blow was struck was...worrying. She glanced through the fence at Jophiel, who seemed to share her concern, before he went around to the front to get in.
Harian met him at the front, amidst the smouldering, mangled corpses of the gargoyles, and the molten pool that had been the automaton guardian.
She surveyed the chaos with an approving nod. "Nice." She examined the molten pool. "Who melted the metal guy? This is amazing."

Jophiel stepped around a gargoyle corpse, pulling the hem of his trench coat away from it to avoid getting blood on the edge. He walked up to the door and tried it.
"Blast, locked. We must hurry. I have no doubt our target has known of our presence since the fight began. Be ready for anything."
Harian brushed past him, a tiny dagger in one hand, manifested from a fraction of her essence. She picked the lock with a grace that looked far too practiced and the door swung open.

The liquid metal pool twitched and rippled. Something began to rise from the metal. Harian turned and froze.
Sheets of glittering ore sloughed off from the form, which seemed to be black underneath. A hand, or what seemed to have the vague shape of a hand reached out to grasp the edge of the small crater in which the metal had collected. Black liquid poured from it's body, hitting the ground and turning to ash to blow away in the wind. Black smoke rose from it the more the metal was peeling away.
As the creature emerged, Harian's expression changed to one of horror.
It was humanoid, but there were gaping holes where there should not have been. Its body was slipping and reforming as liquid continued to bleed from it, like someone was trying to keep a sandcastle together as waves ate it away.
The creature that had been concealed in the armour was clearly injured, likely beyond all repair and it posed no threat now, but a word began to bubble out from the ruin of it's throat, and that word was all too familiar:
"HHarian..."

Harian looked about ready to be sick, but she swallowed hard and forced herself to move down the steps to approach it.
"...Zadar." She looked at the others, grimly. "It's a djinn."
The creature made a gurgling noise, which could have been a chuckle.
"I had hoped...we would be on the same side...this time...as before...luck does not follow our species well..."
Harian's expression was pained, despite her trying her best to force it into neutrality.
"There are dark powers at work Harian...they are looking for destruction...they will find it in The Three."
""The Three"?" Jophiel asked, "We can figure out what he means later, Harian if this is a friend of yours we should heal him."
The angel stepped forward to do just that.
"Don't."
The angel turned to look at her in disbelief.
"If you heal him, he'll be forced to fight us again...and again, and again until either he is dead...or we are. The contract is binding, the consequence of failure is unspeakable."
"Listen.." The dying djinn broke in. "I will tell you what I know, but you know what I want in exchange..."
Harian bit her lip and nodded.
"They are planning something...the Antichrist is the key...the key that will open the gate...you must keep them from opening the gate, or the demon you fought at The World's End will seem as a meek lamb compared to what they will unleash."
How had he known? Of course. The demon, the antichrist...they were connected. Harian nodded, and slowly, she raised her gun.
"What are you doing?" Jophiel seemed alarmed. "There has got to be another way!"
Harian wasn't looking at him. She had locked eyes with Zadar, one last familiar connection. "There isn't."
The gunshot rang out. Harian had held his gaze until she saw the green glow die from the ruin of his eyes. Zadar's body hit the ground and dissolved into ash.
She holstered her gun and turned for the door. She didn't speak to anyone, didn't look at anyone. She couldn't without breaking.
"Let's go finish what we came her for."


The house was beautiful. Clearly very expensive and...completely deserted. The stones lead them through a massive living room with a wall to ceiling television. The furniture was almost entirely leather. A set of stairs guided them to the second floor and the stones glowed even brighter, reaching their brightest just outside a door at the end of the corridor.
Jophiel paused just outside it, letting them prepare whatever weapons they needed.
One a count of three Jophiel charged into the room. The door swing wide and slammed against the wall.
The room was dark, but even in the gloom they could make out what it contained...
The walls were covered in murals of tubby, sleeping animals. On a small table there was a lamp, spinning shade sporting stars cut out, which sent a spangled night sky dancing across the room. There was precious little furniture save a chest on one corner, but taking up the center of the room was a tall, squared crib.
The light from the stones grew to brighten the room as the soft whining of a waking baby reached their ears.

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

 

[MrBossMan]

Phillip rose to his feet and walked to the door of the house, beside the angel Jophiel. His shoulder still hurt so he leaned against the wall near the door frame. When Harian picked the lock Phillip moved as if to follow, until the Djnn stopped in the door way. Everyone's eyes were on the metal pool, supposedly an automaton that was slain before Phillip arrived.

It was obvious on Harians face she knew who this was. Djnn....they never gave you a good reason to trust them. And so Phillip listened, to it all, as Harian and this other Djnn spoke to one another. However when this Zader mentioned The Three it was obvious that Phillip knew what he meant. Or at least thought he did, as he visibly took a step back and leaned against the house wall.

"Angel," he said to Jophiel "let her do what she has too."

The gunshot filled his ears and Phillip followed close behind Harian. Walking inside through the door, however he didn't stop. He walked over to the walls and started to look at the various paintings that lined them. They were old and very well painted. His finger tracing the figure of baby on one of the artworks.

Innocence painted onto a canvas.

His head snapped back into reality at the sound of the baby. "Do you hear that?" He asked the others "is that a child?"

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

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel followed the others around the front. He admired the handiwork of their teammates, and was rather impressed with the raw savagery. It was when the metal mass began to speak that he froze. "It's a djinn."
At the words, it was as though ice water had replaced the blood in his veins. In the back of his mind, he had known since that day Harian spoke to him of her kind that this was a possibility. But that did not make it any better. He stared in silent sadness as the gunshot rang out. Now was not the time to offer a shoulder to cry on. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. They still had the main threat to deal with. Inside the house, there could very well be more dangerous enemies awaiting them.

As they approached the final door, Gabriel drew his gun and made sure a round was chambered. He indicated his readiness, and as Jophiel burst through the door, he was one of the first through behind him. He came through like a trained veteran, instantly going in to a 5 point room scan. The reality of the situation took a moment to hit him. It was the furthest thing from what he expected. So much so that his brain struggled to piece it together for a moment. Then he heard the crying from the crib and his eyes grew wide in horrifying realization.

"Oh....gods above..."

He let his arms drop to his sides. They weren't in any visible danger, but he didn't holster his weapon entirely. It was....a lot to process.

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

 

[Lioness075]

Falarion proudly grinned at his friend and went so far as to flex his arms.
"I know, I'm pretty amazing sometimes."
Hearing Gabriel's question, Falarion stopped flexing and nodded.
"A few of us blew up our enemies out front. We've got some crazy strong teammates here."
Falarion laughed when Gabriel playfully punched him, but he stopped laughing when he saw the injured Nero. Before they could share too much concern over the young man, Harian led them all to the front.

They all approached the entrance to the house and Falarion stayed near the back, as he knew nothing of picking locks and was also painfully aware that he would be unable to harm any humans inside. He could only hope that those upfront would be able to handle the situation.
Seconds after Harian picked the lock, Falarion heard the metal pool coming to life once more and he whipped around with his bo staff in hand. He had no idea what to expect, but that monstrosity had nearly bled him out earlier. He was very wary of what may happen next.
Except what did happen was so entirely unexpected that Falarion merely froze in place, staring in shock at the djinn before them. He slowly stood straight and let his staff hang at his side while he forlornly listened to the exchange. He understood the djinn contracts just well enough to know that Harian was right. There was only one way for this to end.
The gunshot echoed in the courtyard and Falarion said nothing as the group grimly moved forward with their mission. While he was a man of many words, Falarion still recognized when it was best to say nothing at all.

Walking through the house, Falarion's mouth dropped. He knew of luxury, but this was on an entirely new level for him. The television alone had him gawking. The grim silence of the group trouping through the empty house reminded him of why they were here and he closed his mouth as he rejoined the end of the group.
When they stopped at the door at the end of the corridor, Falarion hesitated and did not immediately follow the group inside after Jophiel kicked the door in. He heard the faint crying right away and grimaced. Of course it is a baby.
Sighing, Falarion turned away and kept his bo staff handy while he stood guard in the hallway. He was of no use here.
SilverFlight Naberius GamerCarrot Feywild The Velveteen Rabbit MrBossMan Crazy Trey-n

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

As the gargoyle’s angered gaze swiveled around to meet her pale blue eyes, she could do nothing but smirk slightly. This was exactly what she wanted. Its attention was no longer on Zoya who continued to remain injured a few feet away. As long as she was safe, that was what mattered.

The stony creature launched into the air and let out a terrifying snarl, beating its wings heavily against the air to build momentum. It blocked the sun with its large frame, creating a looming dark shadow that cast over the Kitsune standing below. With one last pump of its long wings, the gargoyle pushed itself forward and flew straight into Kiyomi, opening its jaws and sinking its needle-like teeth into her shoulder as they collided. Blood began to spill down her shoulder, staining the gargoyle’s yellow teeth with red and soaking into the fabric of her dress. Kiyomi closed her eyes and flinched as the wind was knocked out of her, pain shooting through her in pulsing waves. A cloud of dust erupted from the impact and hung in the air. Kiyomi managed to hold her ground despite the powerful creature pushing against her, heels digging into the dirt.

Suddenly, the feeling of the gargoyle fighting against her vanished, and a strong gust of wind blew past her, clearing the air of any dust that remained. She fell to her knees and shot a glimpse behind her to see the gargoyle sprawled out on the ground, clearly flustered. Zoya had forced it back with a powerful surge of wind and was holding it there. Soon enough, the gargoyle was flung high into the air and brought back down with loud thump. The impact killed it instantly. Kiyomi let a small smile spread across her face and sucked in a deep breath, exhaling softly. She managed to catch her breath by the time Zoya reached her, no longer feeling like she’d just been hit by a truck.

Kiyomi looked up at her and smiled happily, nodding.

“I’m okay. Please don’t apologize for that. You did nothing wrong. Thank you for helping me, Zoya.” The Kitsune bowed her head with gratitude. She truly was grateful for Zoya’s help and it warmed her heart. It wasn’t everyday that people chose to help her. Kiyomi was known for always helping others before herself, and she was often quite stubborn when allowing anyone to aid her.

Before long, Phil had joined the fray, and Kiyomi hadn’t noticed his presence until he approached her from the side and leaned down. He pressed his palm against her wound and grabbed his chain just like he’d done previously when she was injured. Her gaze softened as the pain left her shoulder and transferred to his own. She leaned over from her collapsed position and lightly rested her hand on his cheek, eyes flitting across his face out of concern.

“I understand that you want to help, but every time you heal me, you’re only hurting yourself.” She continued to cup her hand against his cheek and smiled gently.

“Please... if this happens again, let me heal myself. I don’t want you injuring yourself for my sake.” Kiyomi told him in a soft voice, finally pulling her hand away from his cheek. She rose to her feet and stood up, leaning down to dust herself off a bit. All of the gargoyles were finally dead, but the fight was far from over. The others had moved to the front of the house and were attempting to get inside to find the Antichrist. She followed after them, stopping behind Harian as she leaned down and picked the lock with quick succession. She’d obviously developed a skill for lock picking over the years.

What remained on the other side of the door was something Kiyomi did not expect. A swirling black mass of liquid, sloshing and gurgling, stared back at the group. It spoke to Harian who looked like she was prepared to throw up. Kiyomi could do nothing but clutch her chest with deep sorrow and frown worriedly, listening to the two converse with one another. Whoever this was, they were clearly dying a horrible death. Harian rose the barrel of the gun to his forehead and took aim. Clenching her eyes shut, Kiyomi found the sight too painful to watch. A gunshot rang out with a loud boom and the kitsune winced, slowly reopening her eyes and watching the light die from the Djinn’s eyes. Harian had shown the dying man mercy, and it was the only thing she could do. Kiyomi walked up behind Harian and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before they proceeded forward.

The house was huge and very fancy. Kiyomi couldn’t help but look up at the high ceilings with wonder, calmly admiring the decor around her. She didn’t look around for too long however and refocused her attention on the current situation. The group paused before entering one of the rooms. The kitsune rose both of her arms and spread her hands, two white balls of flame hovering above them as they awaited the approaching danger. Jophiel pushed open the door forcefully, revealing a room inside that was colorful and littered with... toys?

It was a child’s room.

Kiyomi stepped forward as soon as she noticed the crib and the soft cry of a baby emitting from it, her eyes wide. The flame in her hands died down as she lowered her arms.

“The Antichrist... it’s a baby.” Kiyomi whispered, her delicate face twisted into a troubled frown.

She walked further into the room and never took her eyes away from the crib. The Kitsune stopped, glancing behind her to peer over at Jophiel.

“Jophiel... you can’t possibly expect any of us to kill a baby in their crib. Antichrist or not... It wouldn’t be morally right.”
Feywild MrBossMan SilverFlight
@ anyone

 

[Feywild]

“I could list a number of things I’ve done wrong,” Zoya shared a playful smirk, quirking her brows as she carried on, “if you’re thanking me I have to thank you too.” A warmer smile lighting up her face, “throughout the fight you were fantastic, so thank you for being a team player.”

When the battle was over and everyone regrouped, Zoya felt a new surge of dread sink in her stomach. Another Djinn was there, horribly deformed and almost dead. It was a terrible sight to see, though it must’ve been much worse for Harian and if Zoya could comfort her she would’ve, but it wasn’t her place to do such a thing so she could only hope the other was okay, sparing a lingering glance at her before clamping her eyes shut. Clenching her fists, nails cut into her hands as she listened to the exchange, wincing when the shot pierced the gloom and she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. There was nothing she could say, nothing could change the fate of the doomed and the grief of war. It only really hit her in that moment, it was war and anyone could die. She was not a special exception, neither was anyone in the team, even if they were immortal, death was still a lurking shadow, forever following and always prevalent. The voice of death is not a cackle, not a scream, but a hiss, soft like wind passing over dry grass. Perhaps that’s what terrified her the most.

The blonde didn’t have it in her to admire the home, knowing the darkness that engulfed it only made her feel sick. It was certainly extravagant and beautiful, but now wasn’t the time to appreciate home decor. She was contemplative the whole time they walked, musing over how the home was empty and the depression that had fallen over the whole group felt too unnatural and foreign. Hesitation overcame her as they stopped at the door, she could still turn around and run, there was time. She didn’t have to face whatever would be in here, but she never got to flee. The door was kicked in and she felt herself totter forwards on unsteady feet, blinking in surprise when there was no immediate threat in the room. While relief coursed through her, it was cut short when she came to a horrified realisation that it was because the anti-christ was a mere baby. Guilt twisted in her heart, her mouth was agape and brows creased as she apprehended the crib and the cries of the young.

“Why does it have to be a child?” She whispered sharply to herself, hands reaching to toy with her hair to distract her from the prospect of her or anyone from the group potentially murdering an infant.

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

 

[andujarprime]

Ayramis turned his attention to his enemy. His guardian started to step towards it, sword arm raised and poised to deliver a final strike. A pained cry came from off to the side. He noticed another of the gargoyle's go down in his peripheral vision. He turned his full attention in the direction of the downed beast. But it was odd, there were no wounds inflicted. It just seemed to be exhausted, tired of life as it slumped. He was distracted for just a second. Large shards of ice flew straight past his head. Merely inches from his nose, he stood stock still. A surprised expression etched onto his face, and a cry of pain from where his foe had been. He slowly turned to see a gargoyle pincushion with several shards of ice protruding. He chuckled to himself nervously, realizing that a careless moment had almost probably cost him an eye at the least. His guardian lowered it's sword, his enemy having been defeated. Ayramis turned to Hayle and smiled once more shrugging his shoulders. "I'm good, thanks for the help!" He exclaimed as he looked around to see the others having finished off their adversaries as well.

Ayramis made his way to regroup with everyone in quick order. He joined the group as they gathered at the entrance to the house. He hung back to give his guardian orders to watch the perimeter. It nodded silently then turned to face the gates. Ayramis then turned his attention to the rest of the group. Just in time to catch the exchange between Harian and what seemed to be the figure beneath the armor. He realized the gravity of the situation after hearing their exchange. He could only imagine how painful this must be. He did not envy her position. Nor the decision that she had to make. He stood back respectfully as the gunshot rang out. Saying a silent prayer of guidance for the djinn's soul. He watched his old friend as she stepped past the small pile of ashes. He knew there was some deep seeded pain there. Ayramis followed close behind her as they made their way through the house. The stones glowing brighter. Every few steps he would look to Harian. He knew that as a djinn she had been through a lot. Humans weren't always so considerate when dealing with other species. Especially the ones that craved power enough to enslave an entity. So he knew she had been through quite an ordeal. Her hatred for these shackles was pure, and rightfully so. How many horrid deeds had she been forced to commit just to stay alive? How many times had she been summoned and enslaved? Knowing the depravity of corrupt human souls, he could not begin to imagine. So he watched her, watched for signs of breaking. Watched for any odd shaky movement. Anything outside of her normal confidence. Impressed he stood as she continued, seemingly unshaken, pushing it deep down. From the surface at least. But he knew one couldn't go on without truly feeling anything. As long as he'd been around he knew it wasn't possible.

They reached a room in the house where the stones seemed to glow the brightest. He readied himself before charging into the room. His eyes glowing a pale green as his scarf unwound itself from his arm and coiled at his feet. They charged into the room, and instead of the dark fiery pits of hell and stink of brimstone. They were greeted by the complete opposite. It was a room full of cutesy animals and children's toys. The glowing stones lit the room, and the confusion on his face. He studied the walls, and pictures before finally laying eyes on the crib in the middle of the room. He eyed the crib as soft whining noises filled the room. As everyone seemed to stand in a stunned silence, he shifted his feet with a deep sigh of regret.The voices in his head had been drowned out by the adrenaline from the battle with the gargoyle and the tension of the fight to come. But being faced with this, they broke free and started filling his head once more. He took a few steps into the room. Hearing some of the other's voice their discomfort. He looked at the angel darkly, wondering if he or the other angels knew of this beforehand. "Tell me, did you, or any of the other carrier pigeons know of this?" He asked darkly as he made his way around the room. But almost as soon as he asked, he raised a hand to stop. "Don't bother, it really doesn't matter." He turned to face everyone else, a very grim look on his face. He then looked at the crib, his face growing even darker. He stood there for several moments, but it seemed like an eternity. "We, are all here for a reason." He started speaking. "This..."He motioned to the crib."If this absolutely must be done, It would seem to explain why I am here. I would not wish the burden on anyone else." He sighed heavily looking to the angel. "However, this is not a decision to be made lightly, nor hastily. As your friend, boss, whatever you would call him or them may think. I think we should bring the babe with us back to HQ. Maybe we can figure something out. Why it is a key, and what it unlocks." He looked to Harian, using the information that she had to suffer for, then to the others. "Either way, this decision must be made as a group." He finished, placing a single hand on the crib while facing everyone else.

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

 

[Crazy Trey-n]

The intervention of his companions was far and beyond enough to finish off the remaining gargoyle. Had they not, he might not have lasted longer than a few more minutes against it. He managed to give Gabriel a hesitant smile in response to the question. "I'll be fine, but thank you. Lasted far longer on my own than I thought I would."
Nero had murmured his exhausted thanks to Falarion and Harian as well before following behind them toward the front of the house. He arrived on the scene just as the oozing mass of shadowy smoke was beginning to rise from what had been the automaton. A glance around revealed that the rest of the group certainly had their hands full while they'd been in the back; everyone present looked ragged and wounded, be it their pride or physical injury. The thought of being a slave to another being's will was daunting, and the conversation that the pair of Djinns shared set his mind into motion. The Three? A key? Whatever was going on here was just the surface of whatever 'they' were planning. Another observations he made was the kind of emotion that Harian expressed when she shot the other of her kind. It was far more than the physical pain he'd seen often amidst them by now. This was far deeper. Inside, he hoped that they'd never have to do what she'd done to her friend with one another.

Nero trailed the group as they traversed the first floor of the luxurious house. It seemed to be prepared for a host of people, but those people were clearly not here, and perhaps they never had been. He still held the flaming sword and it was held high above his head as Jophiel led them through the house, lighting up the surrounding decor brighter than the stones could.
That was until they reached the room that the stones led them to. They glowed bright enough to illuminate the crib that stood in the center of the room, but unfortunately did nothing to drown out the prominent cries of a baby. "I knew it wouldn't be as they said it would be." Nero hardly had many interactions with children or their infant counterparts, but the few and far between encounters out in the world had always been filled with joy and smiles. Nothing like this. It's whining sent a chill up his spine, though he couldn't place whether the forefront emotion he was feeling was of fear, scorn, sadness, or something far more nondescript.

The voice hadn't spoken in a long time, but it crept up on him now with that sickeningly false cordial tone. 'Familiarity...' The boy pushed it away effortlessly, but noted some sort of emotion that wasn't his own before the presence disappeared. Contempt at the idea of betrayal? It clearly wasn't keen on the sight before them. It felt... unnatural.

Something drove Nero to step forward to the crib just as Ayramis did, though he spoke no more words. In fact, the moment that the other man placed a hand on the crib, Nero's tightened around the sword in his own grasp. He'd never strike one of the group and it was clear that there was a hesitation within the majority of them, but there was some sort of nostalgia in himself that he didn't understand here. He was supposed to want this creature dead. Instead, only an irrational desire to protect the child was there. Unlike Ayramis, Nero didn't hide his reservations. "It's just a baby. How do you know it will grow to be what the others of your kind think it will be?" The question was directed at Jophiel. For once, he was questioning the faith that he thought kept him pure, that he held so dear.

andujarprime SilverFlight The Velveteen Rabbit Lioness075 Naberius Feywild KhazTheGiraffe MrBossMan GamerCarrot

 

[GamerCarrot]

Even though she could see the look on Ayramis's face as the ice flew past him she was a bit worried she was cutting it a bit too close for comfort, she had good aim when it came to these they of things so she'd never hit him on purposed but with the amount of ice she had used she wasn't surprised to see his expression.

After the battle had finally ended Hayle found her way to the back of the building only to see a bleeding djinn reveal all of it's secrets to Harian and to see Harian shoot them dead, Hayle covered her mouth a little in shock. It was unbelievable but yet she knew it was a necessary step to take, she didn't know too much about djinn personally but she assumed Harian wouldn't shoot them if there wasn't a good reason to. A part of her wanted to give Harian a hug for having to deal with something like that but she thought it best they move on from this subject and deal with their next target.

Walking in behind everyone else she kept her guard up, looking through out the building at they walked just in case there were no nasty surprises as they approached the room with the anti-christ in it. Although once she heard a babies cry she immediately felt her heart drop, they'd have to kill a child? Sure she was a demon but she wasn't that heartless. She watched as Ayramis approached the crib and so did another person, she wasn't quite sure if she could approach it if she sees the baby it will just be harder for her. But even though her mind disagreed she still approached the crib, standing near Ayramis and hesitantly looking down at the baby she bit her lip and turned back around to the group. "I don't know... I mean its a baby but also the antichrist? How are you meant to make that decision?" she looked back down at the crib and saw the baby looking up at all three of them. "I don't think I can vote here... I don't know what to do."

SilverFlight