Descent of Nightmare (Chapter Forty)
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saladloveChapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
Map of Kaldriel: https://i.gyazo.com/332b0c0172dcc60acb46
Rough map of Hatu: https://i.gyazo.com/ea4f9f51b9dc7b9d8b86
Chapter Forty
Break the Link
Akrar, Kaldriel. November 17, 2277. Time instance 842N.
When Tac returned to her home with Kallan, she thought that she’d accidentally walked into a circus.
Sylondra was standing in the main room arguing with Shatter and a girl that Tac had never seen before, icy claws on her fingers and eyes glowing faintly with flame. The girl looked annoyed, jade mechanical eye whirring in frustration and chainsaw arm glimmering faintly in the light. Shatter’s wings were half-extended and his feathers were sharpened, accenting the glare he was shooting at Sylondra. Behind them, a boy that looked remarkably like Kyir lounged on the couch, lying on its back and resting his head on the seat, allowing him to watch the goings-on with an upside-down and uncaring perspective.
“What the hell,” Tac finally managed, stopping the shouting and drawing attention to herself. The cyborg girl immediately shot a question at her but Sylondra smacked her arm, snapping something unintelligible.
Tac glanced at Kallen for a translation. His eyebrows had shot up and he switched to Dranonic, asking Sylondra several questions as his hand clicked and spun. He blinked a few times in confusion before looking back at Tac and explaining.
“Apparently Sylondra found two more members of the A-team and now they’re yelling at each other because they can’t get along. That,” he pointed, “is Kaldra Nossurallvaer, and he,” Kallen made a vague gesture, “is Avery Avilena.”
“Kyn theer in neld?” Avery asked, raising (or lowering, depending on your perspective) an eyebrow.
“Kvet, kvet, Ee in reo’thas.”
“Va ‘English’?”
Kallen blinked as if this was an odd question. “Kvet, lei nardek.”
“Well, that’s fucking convenient,” Avery said, this time in English, and slid off the back of the couch to the seat.
Kallen’s eye twitched. “You could understand us.”
“Could I?”
“Yes.”
“Fascinating.” He made a vague hand motion at them. “Who are you people?”
“I’m Tac Avilena and this is Kallen Avilena.” Tac raised an eyebrow. Avery was already proving to be pretty weird and if that didn’t make him fit right in, nothing did.
“Really?” That actually got Avery to sit up. “We’re related?”
“I’d assume so.”
Avery slowly got to his feet and brushed passed Kaldra and Sylondra on his way over, ignoring their snaps in Dranonic and coming to a halt in front of Tac. He looked Kallen over briefly but focused on her, tapping her glasses once before nodding in satisfaction.
“I like you,” he announced, then repeated his statement in Dranonic for the other three. With that, he went back to lying upside-down on the back of the couch.
Sylondra shot him a withering glare and told him something, earning only a shrug.
“She said that’s her couch and he needs to sleep somewhere else,” Kallen translated. “He could have a chair. He seems like he doesn’t give a shit.” He shot Tac a look. “Assuming you’re letting him stay.”
“Of course I am.” Tac looked offended. “Just not these two unless they can’t go anywhere else. Shatter! Where’s Cataclysm?”
Kallen translated and Shatter shrugged. “Dunno. Probably off moping somewhere.”
Sylondra muttered something and he swatted her arm.
“Okay, correction, probably off thinking somewhere.”
Tac sighed. “Okay. Just make sure you go back to him or Emma or whoever you’re staying with before we start looking for places for people to sleep. We’re running out of soft surfaces.”
“I’ve got a couch, don’t worry.”
Kallen nudged Tac after translating and jerked his head at Avery. “Lucy’s going to love this.”
“Lucy can deal with it. I think it’s Cilantro that’s going to have a problem.”
“Sylondra.”
“Cilantro.”
Sylondra looked at her suspiciously but didn’t say anything, preferring to sit down on the couch and attempt to push Avery onto the floor.
Tac sighed and slid into a chair.
What had she gotten herself into?
~~~
Cataclysm was immediately suspicious when Nathan approached him with a smug grin.
It was the same grin that Kyir and Corvus got when they had a devious plan and he was generally not fond of their plans. Adria had been known to get the same look, as well, but the twins were the most famous for it and seeing it on their mischievous and immortal grandfather was enough to make him nearly worry.
“Hello, Nathan.”
“Hello, Cataclysm.” Nathan sat down beside him, on the roof overlooking most of the city. “It was a bitch to find you.”
“That was the idea. What brings you up here?”
“Well, you’re going to be a father soon.”
Oh no. “I kind of already am. I got handed two kids, aged sixteen and twenty, and the universe said ‘have fun!’”
“I mean really a father. Like, Emma-is-pregnant-and-you’re-freaking-out-about-it.”
“I’m not freaking out.”
Nathan put a hand on his shoulder. “You are freaking out. Everyone freaks out. I have two kids, trust me, I know. And let me tell you- Void freaked out when Nixa was born, and then he freaked out again when the twins were born. Kyir lost his shit when you handed him Adria and then fucked off back to Heaven without so much of a word of instruction and he’ll flip out again whenever he and Jase decide to have kids because I’m damn sure they will. It’s not bad that you’re flipping your goddamn shit.”
Cataclysm sighed. “Okay, I’m freaked out. I came up here to try and clear my head but it’s not really working.”
Nathan nodded, smiling. “I did the same thing, except it was on a much taller building in Loren. Have you ever been to Loren?”
“I can’t say that I have. I haven’t even set foot is Kesron, either Major or Minor.”
“Well, that’s ironic considering Emma’s and my own accent, and the one that Kyir desperately tries to hide and Corvus suppresses for his brother’s benefit.”
“I know. You should hear Corvus when he’s upset. It’s this hideous mixture of Major and Minor accents, it’s like someone smashed male Gali and male Emma together and called it a day.”
Nathan snorted with laughter. “Kyir used to be the same way before he started cutting all ties with his father. It’s almost like he’s Skerek-born, and he lives in Akrar of all places.”
“Never would have found him otherwise.”
“No, I suppose you wouldn’t have.” Nathan rolled his shoulders and patted one of the many pockets in his robe. “So, I know you’re worried about Emma going into battle-”
“She shouldn’t be but I can’t keep her out of it!” Cataclysm fumed, tightening his wings against his back and struggling not to sharpen his feathers. “Anni, Shatter, and I have been protecting her as well as we can, and Geek’s necklace does a lot, but I’m worried about her. About them.”
“You can’t keep her from doing what she wants. You’ve always known that.”
“Yeah,” Cataclysm admitted, sighing. “I have.”
“It’s part of why you love her.”
“Absolutely.”
“So you shouldn’t fight her and just try to keep her safe and help her fight.” Nathan’s grin returned and Cataclysm frowned slightly. “I noticed that her biggest problem is that the angels tend to stay out of range, and since she can’t fly she has no way to reach them.” He elbowed Cataclysm gently. “I thought of this myself, after seeing how Talmarian’s bodyguard Shaadhun hooks angels and yanks them out of the sky into killing range. I present to you…”
Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming silver ring, simple in design but carved with faintly glowing runes. “This! It’s enchanted with a spell that draws directly off of the user’s energy, although it’s very efficient in how it does it- Geluu helped, that guy is top-tier, he and I should talk more- and it pulls their opponent directly to them. The spell can be cut off at any time if the target is immune, like if it’s a cyborg, but it’s damn useful and Emma should definitely have it so that she can pull troublesome angels right to her, surprise them, and slice them right in half with Nightbane.” Nathan made a slashing motion with his free hand, mimicking the quiet nyam woosh vryoom sounds that Nightbane was prone to making when swung.
Cataclysm crossed his arms. “Okay. I agree, that would be useful in helping her fight and keeping her safe. What’s the catch?”
“Aaah, well.” Nathan tapped the surface of the ring. “You see, Kyir and I have been talking-”
“-of course you have, and Dare too, probably-”
“-oh, absolutely, but you see, it’s been five years, for one, and you’re now having a child together, for another-”
“-I see where you’re going with-”
“-you should definitely ask her to marry you,” Nathan finished, dropping the ring into Cataclysm’s hand. “Because, seriously, dude. This is not classy.”
Cataclysm buried his face in his hands, trying to hide the creeping red. “Why do you always pick on me?” he asked, muffled.
“I don’t,” Nathan said cheerfully, getting to his feet. “Usually it’s Shawn. Oh, also, Geek gave this to Talmarian who gave it to me when he heard I was looking for you anyway.” Cataclysm looked up and tilted his head at the offered item. He looked it over, noting that it seemed to be a small slip of obsidian, about the size of a bookmark, with the name RATH carved in demonic runes on the surface, all of which glowed faintly red.
“It’s to keep you safe on the battlefield. That is a free pass to Rath, Xela’s half-brother and one of Hell’s best armorsmiths. Geek wants you to go to him-” Nathan pulled out a folded sheet of thick gray paper “-and get measured for a custom suit of armor. Tell him your preferences, try out different materials, and don’t bug him too much.”
“I don’t need-”
Nathan shot him a look, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.
Cataclysm sighed. “Okay, yeah, I probably do need armor. I get the shit torn out of me without it.”
“Yes. You do.” Nathan held out a hand and Cataclysm took it, letting him help him up.
“Thanks, Nathan. For, um, everything.”
Nathan smiled, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “You’re welcome. You get that armor and that wife, hmm?”
“Don’t embarrass me,” Cataclysm groaned.
“Hey, kid, when you became Kyir’s best friend I kinda adopted you. And since I’m younger than I should be and Void hasn’t been around- what the hell is he doing, do you suppose- it’s my job to be the embarrassing father figure.”
“Thanks,” Cataclysm grumbled. “Didn’t get enough of that from my actual dad.”
“You’re so goddamn welcome.” Nathan patted his shoulder. “Off you go, now. You want to get Rath working as soon as possible.”
~~~
Hau’rah paced back and forth across his end of the table, waiting for the other Archangels to arrive. He was troubled by what he had seen and the demon- the angel- he had met earlier.
Raka’met was the first to arrive, sitting in his seat wordlessly and lacing his fingers. He watched Hau’rah pace with his usual impassive look, blue eyes only half-focused and silver wings folded neatly behind him. His focus was on the future, not the present, and he wasn’t even wearing armor as he was the only Archangel not going into combat.
Hau’rah thought the Seers were weak because of this, but he recognized their importance and rarity. They couldn’t risk what few Seers they had out on the battlefield.
Hex’el came in second, red eyes narrowed in hostility as he sat down. “You got me injured,” he spat, “because you were so busy talking to the abomination and the damned Queen.”
“This is what this meeting is about,” Raka’met said softly. Hau’rah didn’t even bother to act surprised- the damn Seers always knew. Hex’el snarled, flaring his gray wings and rubbing his fingers over the Punisher emblem on his chestpiece. He didn’t start a confrontation, though, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat, putting on the air of a much more patient man that he was,
Festra and Undstar came in together, nodding politely to Hau’rah and sitting down in their respective seats. Undtar was bloody, still, not having had time to clean his armor of demon blood. This wasn’t surprising- as the Avenger Archangel, he was always one of the first and last in combat, reveling in destroying his opponents. The excited light in his green eyes had dulled, as it always did out of combat, and his white wings were sticky and red.
Festra, on the other hand, looked nearly pristine and certainly uninjured. She ran her fingers along her well-worn staff, the mark of all Purifiers, and wiped some ash off of its surface. She had been healing and disintegrating demons the entire battle, Hau’rah knew, and he felt a spike of guilt for letting one of her Purifiers die on his watch. Brown eyes and gold wings were tense, focused entirely on her staff, pushing from her mind the horrors she’d seen.
Mostria came in right on time, emerald wings healed from the wounds they’d sustained from the Archdemon Baskon. She looked annoyed, silver eyes narrowed, as she sat in her seat, crossing her arms. She was still bloody and her hair had seen better days, but she was whole enough to show up. She set about magically destroying the blood that coated the Balancer emblem on her chest, grumbling when some stubbornly refused to come off.
Unsurprisingly, it was Jarvos who was last, a Watcher remarkably bad at watching the time. He grinned sheepishly and sat down in his seat, gold eyes apologetic and matching wings folded and lowered. He was fairly bloody, as well, but his feathers were clean and it looked like he’d been taking care of them first.
Hau’rah growled under his breath before sitting down, flaring his wings to draw attention. “Now that we’re all, finally, here, I’d like to bring up what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Please do,” Undstar said, crossing his arms. “I’d love to know what’s so vital that you had to stop us from cleaning ourselves up.”
“The black-winged angel, the feathered demon. He’s Zi’s brother.”
The table erupted into shouts. It took five minutes for the Archangels to calm themselves enough to listen to Hau’rah, who was now standing, wings unfurled and muscles tense.
“He and I spoke on the battlefield, and I looked into his records to confirm what I remembered of him. He remembered a damn nickname that Zi had for me, he was of the right height and build, and his story… thinking to what Zi did, the reason we executed him… it’s plausible.” His fingers gripped the table, tightly, turning white. “Zi killed his brothers, except Zyvren survived. He fell into Hell and they turned him into a demon. Hell can turn angels into demons, and ones more powerful than many of their own.”
The following outburst didn’t end.
The Archangels shouted and argued, looking for a solution to their Cataclysm problem. The news that there were three of these creatures, Cataclysm and two of his spawn, created even more of an outcry.
Hex’el eventually slammed his mace, the one he carried but never used, on the table. “Silence! I know something else of use to us!”
“What is is?” Festra asked, wings tense and face frowning. She and Raka’met were the only ones still seated- the latter, Hau’rah noticed, hadn’t seemed particularly surprised or upset at the news of Cataclysm.
“I have a spy down on Kaldriel, and he knows some details about Cataclysm, although not many. He has kept the last name Calyon, the two spawn appeared as a result of some kind of genetic experimentation done by the aliens that invaded Kaldriel twenty-five years ago, and he has a mate.”
Hau’rah snarled. “What do you suppose we do?”
Hex’el smiled thinly. “Get rid of the mate, and he won’t have any more spawn. Get rid of or take control of them, and it’s only him left, dropped deep enough into despair that he’ll be an easy target.”
“How do you suggest we get rid of her?” Undstar asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hex’el snorted. “I’m the Punisher Archangel, the leader of assassins. I’m sure I can think of something.”
no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 02:36 am (UTC)(Preemptive comment)
Alternatively
No ______, noooo, why'd you have to die to save Emma!
"We're running out of soft surfaces to sleep on." XD
-Observing Anon
no subject
Date: 2017-04-07 10:48 pm (UTC)would I kill one of the main characte-
oh.
um.
nevermind.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-07 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 02:58 pm (UTC)“I’ve got a couch, don’t worry.”
Kallen nudged Tac after translating and jerked his head at Avery. “Lucy’s going to love this.”
“Lucy can deal with it. I think it’s Cilantro that’s going to have a problem.”
“Sylondra.”
“Cilantro.”
Sylondra looked at her suspiciously but didn’t say anything, preferring to sit down on the couch and attempt to push Avery onto the floor.
Tac sighed and slid into a chair.
What had she gotten herself into?
Language barriers are FUN, can insult someone and they don't know XP
Tac I believe the situation you now find yourself in is called parenthood....it's just a complex version of it...
“Hello, Nathan.”
“Hello, Cataclysm.” Nathan sat down beside him, on the roof overlooking most of the city. “It was a bitch to find you.”
“That was the idea. What brings you up here?”
“Well, you’re going to be a father soon.”
Oh no. “I kind of already am. I got handed two kids, aged sixteen and twenty, and the universe said ‘have fun!’”
“I mean really a father. Like, Emma-is-pregnant-and-you’re-freaking-out-about-it.”
“I’m not freaking out.”
Nathan put a hand on his shoulder. “You are freaking out. Everyone freaks out. I have two kids, trust me, I know. And let me tell you- Void freaked out when Nixa was born, and then he freaked out again when the twins were born. Kyir lost his shit when you handed him Adria and then fucked off back to Heaven without so much of a word of instruction and he’ll flip out again whenever he and Jase decide to have kids because I’m damn sure they will. It’s not bad that you’re flipping your goddamn shit.”
Cataclysm sighed. “Okay, I’m freaked out. I came up here to try and clear my head but it’s not really working.”
Parenthood: a major source of freaking out for all those who venture down that path.
Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming silver ring, simple in design but carved with faintly glowing runes. “This! It’s enchanted with a spell that draws directly off of the user’s energy, although it’s very efficient in how it does it- Geluu helped, that guy is top-tier, he and I should talk more- and it pulls their opponent directly to them. The spell can be cut off at any time if the target is immune, like if it’s a cyborg, but it’s damn useful and Emma should definitely have it so that she can pull troublesome angels right to her, surprise them, and slice them right in half with Nightbane.” Nathan made a slashing motion with his free hand, mimicking the quiet nyam woosh vryoom sounds that Nightbane was prone to making when swung.
Emma: *uses new chain hook ability* COME 'ERE!
XD
Nathan tapped the surface of the ring. “You see, Kyir and I have been talking-”
“-of course you have, and Dare too, probably-”
“-oh, absolutely, but you see, it’s been five years, for one, and you’re now having a child together, for another-”
“-I see where you’re going with-”
“-you should definitely ask her to marry you,” Nathan finished, dropping the ring into Cataclysm’s hand. “Because, seriously, dude. This is not classy.”
Cataclysm buried his face in his hands, trying to hide the creeping red.
Been 5 years Cata and you and Emma now have a bunch of children, time to commit.
The Archangels shouted and argued, looking for a solution to their Cataclysm problem. The news that there were three of these creatures, Cataclysm and two of his spawn, created even more of an outcry.
Hex’el eventually slammed his mace, the one he carried but never used, on the table. “Silence! I know something else of use to us!”
“What is is?” Festra asked, wings tense and face frowning. She and Raka’met were the only ones still seated- the latter, Hau’rah noticed, hadn’t seemed particularly surprised or upset at the news of Cataclysm.
“I have a spy down on Kaldriel, and he knows some details about Cataclysm, although not many. He has kept the last name Calyon, the two spawn appeared as a result of some kind of genetic experimentation done by the aliens that invaded Kaldriel twenty-five years ago, and he has a mate.”
Hau’rah snarled. “What do you suppose we do?”
Hex’el smiled thinly. “Get rid of the mate, and he won’t have any more spawn. Get rid of or take control of them, and it’s only him left, dropped deep enough into despair that he’ll be an easy target.”
“How do you suggest we get rid of her?” Undstar asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hex’el snorted. “I’m the Punisher Archangel, the leader of assassins. I’m sure I can think of something.”
What a cataclysmic turn of events...XP
I hope Nightbane can detect invisible assassin angels.....
no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 09:43 pm (UTC)I know about 10 words in German, and half of them are curse words or insults. I'll call my brother some of them when he's annoying me, but I'll half mutter them so he can't look them up. Then when he asks what I said, I say "nothing" and give him the fakest sweet smile I posses.
-Observing Anon
no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-06 06:56 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
no subject
Date: 2017-04-07 10:49 pm (UTC)Dranonic is fun. :D
no subject
Date: 2017-04-07 10:48 pm (UTC)...so is Shaadhun.
JDFSLGJDLFJGH DON'T YOU PUN AT ME
no subject
Date: 2017-04-07 10:50 pm (UTC)*throws Puns at Tana* XD