Descent of Nightmare (Chapter Forty-Four)
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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-Four
Address
Opal Gate, Kaldriel. November 19, 2277. Time instance 842N.
Myrzen saw Hau’rah fall.
He saw Hau’rah take his small group to attack a human and a monster, a creature that must have been related Cataclysm judging by its wings. He saw one of the Balancers shoot a human woman in the chest, throwing her back and onto the street, leaving her unmoving.
He saw Cataclysm appear from nowhere, covered in hellish black armor and screaming his fury.
As much as Myrzen hated to say it, Hau’rah didn’t stand a chance. He had broken formation entirely and had gotten almost no backup, and his attackers were too strong for him to fight off alone. Cataclysm, the monster, the Queen of Hell, and some stray shots from the Queen’s adviser were too much, even for an Archangel’s energy shield. The Guardian Archangel’s shield.
Myrzen cried out when Cataclysm drove a sword through Hau’rah’s chest, and almost fell from the sky when Hau’rah dissolved into nothing. Not a single thought of retrieving the Archangel Core crossed his mind as it fell, his heart in his mouth and his blood racing with fear.
A blue form had streaked out from the battle, and when it touched the Core it changed.
When the new Archangel took took the sky and shouted for the Guardians to disengage, he moved forward without a thought. He hesitated a few wingbeats in, though, turning to face the terrified Balancer and Purifier he had come to know.
“Get back,” he whispered. “Get out of harm’s way.”
He didn’t check to see if they did it, sweeping forward with the rest of the Guardians to block out the sky around their new Archangel. They were shocked, confused, overwhelmed, and even the other angels returning to Heaven without them wasn’t enough to make Myrzen understand what had happened.
We have a new Archangel.
When the Archangel landed, so did the Guardians, folding their wings and watching her in silence. It was unnatural, their silence, as it would seem that they should be mumbling and whispering.
The Archangel leaped up onto a slight ridge overlooking the battle and jerked her head. The Queen of Hell descended and landed beside her, the Archdemons not far behind.
Myrzen gulped quietly, half-expecting them to slaughter her on the spot.
“This was unexpected,” the Queen muttered.
“Only if you didn’t see it coming,” the Archangel said pleasantly, and then spread her wings and turned to address the stunned combatants.
“I am Archangel Elysia Allvaer, although I expect you to call me Sheva.” She paused, silver eyes flitting momentarily to demons to her left. “And I stand with the Queen of Hell.”
That got a reaction.
The Guardians protested in an uproar, a furious ringing sound that made Myrzen want to sink into the ground and not come out for several years. Archangel- Elysia? Sheva? He wasn’t sure- just waited patiently, arms crossed, until they quieted enough for her to speak.
“The Archangels are corrupt, and have been for far too long. This is a rebellion, demanding a change of power and the end to the conflict between Heaven and Hell. You fight because tradition dictates that you do so, not for any real reason- it’s a waste of life, effort, and resources. I aim to change that.” She paused. “I recognize that you will be reluctant to turn against your kinsmen. As a result, you are welcome to sit out the rest of this war as long as you do not aid Heaven in any way until this has been resolved, one way or another.”
More mumbling.
“Any who aid Heaven will be marked as traitors and dealt with accordingly. You do not want to disobey me, Guardians. The consequences will be high. But know that, if you fight, you are fighting for a better future. I will arrange for a camp to be made here for us, but in the meantime, I would like to see all rank five Guardians personally. After that, I will be willing to take some individual questions although I have much I need to discuss with the Queen of Hell. Attend to your wounded and don’t start any conflict. I will not have quarrels with demons.” With that, she stepped back, and the Guardians were left confused and alone.
~~~
Sheva was started to remember why being alive was so inconvenient.
Her heart had been hammering from the moment it started existing again onwards, and breathing seemed so loud after the years of silence. The world had previously sounded almost like she was hearing it underwater, muffled and slightly delayed, so now everything was so overwhelmingly noisy.
She didn’t like it but she supposed it was worth being useful again.
Geek kept looking at her oddly, like she expected her to fade away at any second, and the Archdemons had looked uncomfortable before they had been dismissed to help set up the camp and heal the wounded.
“I would have liked,” Geek said finally, “to be warned before that happened.”
Sheva shrugged. “I wasn’t sure that it ever would happen. By the way, make sure someone sees to Emma. I think she went down earlier.”
Geek’s eyes darkened. “Ixen is already on the case. She’s a top priority.”
Sheva nodded swiftly, turning to look at the five approaching Guardians. “We can talk further about this later. I need to figure out how to properly angel from the rank five Guardians and not show them that I’m completely clueless.”
“Welcome to the club,” Geek mumbled, but she left to give Sheva and the Guardians some space.
As they landed, Sheva looked them over critically.
The first was light-skinned and male, with golden eyes and sapphire wings. He looked wary, looking her up and down as his fingers twitched, aching to hold his weapon but knowing that it was near-treasonous to do so. He wasn’t terribly tall and didn’t look to be anything special, but Sheva knew that looks were deceiving as some mediocre Guardian wouldn’t have made it to rank five. He gruffly introduced himself as Du’ous Harnox, although he didn’t seem happy about it.
The second was taller, with darker skin and white wings. His eyes were silver, similarly to Sheva’s, and he seemed wary but not nearly hostile. He kept glancing at the others, as if trying to get his cues from them. His introduction was quiet but she caught his name- Ortyx Largoss.
The third Guardian looked odder than the others, tall with silver wings and eerie purple eyes. Knowing what she knew about angels, Sheva had to conclude that this angel- Callen Strys- was a damn good Guardian or he would have been shunted off into the Purifiers faster than he could blink.
The fourth was the largest of the bunch, tall and broad and looking for all the world like someone had strapped wings on a tank. He had shining golden eyes, although one was marred by a scar, and his wings were brilliantly silver. He looked to be the most enthusiastic of the bunch, and saluted when he introduced himself as Rei’shar Recthan. A sad note rang behind his eyes and deep within his voice, but he hid it well.
The final angel was short and unimpressive. She had pink wings and light purple eyes- again, an oddity- and seemed almost disinterested in her surroundings. She informed Sheva that her name was Dyva Mek’a and that she wasn’t going to be too easily impressed.
Sheva held back a quiet sigh. These five would not be easy to work with.
“How many of you are there in total?”
“Five,” Callen answered immediately. “We’re all here.”
“Good, good. Well, it’s...good to meet you all.” Okay. Good job, Sheva. Alive for ten minutes and you’re already completely worthless in a social situation.
“You killed Hau’rah.” Du’ous’ voice was accusing.
“No. I didn’t.” Sheva resisted the urge to cross her arms. “Cataclysm did, with the help of his daughter, the Queen of Hell, and her advisor. I simply became Archangel before anyone else had a chance.”
“You had no right to do that.”
“I had every right.” Sheva’s eyes narrowed. “The angels are corrupt. You can all see that.”
“We are not-”
“You are blind,” Rei’shar said, his voice heavy. He turned to look at Du’ous, a deep sadness present in his eyes. “The Archangels have been falling to ruin for years now, Du’ous. There has just been nothing we can do to stop it. I had hoped that… that Hau’rah could break the cycle, but I should have known better.”
“He used some pretty underhanded methods to try and beat Zi back when he was vying for position of Archangel,” Dyva put in. “It was before my time but I still heard about it. How did you not know, Du’ous?”
Du’ous glared at them. “I knew,” he said slowly, “but Hau’rah was what was best for Heaven. Zi would have destroyed us.”
“That he would have,” Rei’shar agreed.
“He killed his own brothers in cold blood because he saw them as holding him back,” Sheva told them. Their eyes widened and they turned to her with shock. Even Du’ous seemed to forget his anger for a moment, startled. “Cataclysm is who was once Zi’s brother Zyvren. That was why Hau’rah reacted to him the way he did. Zi killed Srvliux and Zyvren attacked him. He was thrown into the Pit and transformed into what he is now by Edme Stinng.”
Edme’s name brought a chill to the air. Dyva rubbed her arms and Callen shivered. Rei’shar’s face morphed into disgust.
“Dear Maker,” Ortyx whispered, folding his wings tightly against his back. “Dear Maker.”
“Hau’rah had promise,” Rei’shar mumbled, “but I suppose I was foolish for thinking that he could overcome himself. Going up against such an opponent leaves a black mark on one’s soul.”
“It doesn’t have to,” Sheva told them, feeling more confident as time went on. They’re not so different from us. Even more similar than I’d expected. This shouldn’t be as hard as I’d worried. “It’s only a problem when you focus on them so intently that defeating them becomes your entire purpose.”
Du’ous nodded, slowly. “You are...wise, for a human.”
“I’ve been a lot of things, but a normal human was never one of them. Now, there’s work to be done. Are there any further concerns that must be addressed at the moment?”
None of them spoke up.
“Very well. Go and help set up camp- except you, Rei’shar. I’d like you to stay for a moment.”
The Guardians exchanged unreadable looks before taking off, leaving Sheva and Rei’shar alone on the ridge.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about the other Archangels. I have outdated information I’ve picked up secondhand from Cataclysm, as well as some that’s far more recent from Terok-”
“Terok! He is alive?” Re’shar’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. He’s been staying with Cataclysm, I believe.”
Rei’shar sighed in relief. “I’m very glad to know that he is alive and reunited with his uncle. I’m sorry that he fell but perhaps we can restore him to his former glory when all of this is over.”
“Perhaps. In any case, he had some up-to-date information but it was only from the viewpoint of a lower-ranked Watcher. I need to know what you, a rank five, have to say about each and every Archangel, Hau’rah included. I need to know whose shoes I’m stepping into so that I can properly address the Guardians at large.”
Rei’shar raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”
“I might be making some of it up as I go along.” Shut up, will you? Don’t trust him! Sure he seems fine and both Cataclysm and Terok like him, but that doesn’t mean he needs to know everything! “But I am far more capable than you would assume.”
“I don’t doubt that for a moment, Archangel.”
Sheva nodded, slightly. “Good. It would be best not to underestimate me. Now, tell me about the other Archangels.”
~~~
Neves peered into the room for what was probably the tenth time in the past half-hour and sighed for what was probably the twelfth. Cataclysm was still in there, holding one of Emma’s hands tightly and watching her anxiously. His armor was off, cleaned and resting on the nearby table, allowing him to get anywhere near her. Neves and Scara had both insisted that he clean himself and get that armor off before even touching her, which had pissed him off until Neves had threatened to shoot him which had made him laugh.
As much as Neves hated feeling like he was useless in combat, at least threats could cheer people up.
“Cataclysm.”
Cataclysm looked up at him.
“She’ll wake up when she’ll wake up. You can’t-”
Emma shifted and Neves considered kicking the doorframe. Cataclysm immediately turned back to her, gripping her hand tightly. Neves couldn’t figure out why he was so damn worried- she was almost completely healed, with just some skin damage and soreness, and their kid was perfectly fine- but he supposed it was a being-in-love-thing.
He wondered briefly how much he’d worry if Chris got shot in the chest by a Balancer before quickly dismissing it and focusing on the two people in front of him.
“Emma?” Cataclysm asked softly.
Emma’s eyes slid half-open. “You look hot in that armor,” she mumbled quietly.
Cataclysm blinked a few times. “What?”
“Your armor. It’s hot.”
Cataclysm released her with one hand in order to hold his face with it.
“Emma,” he said slowly, “you almost died.”
“Mhm.”
“And you’re worried about what I looked like.”
“My savior looking nice is important.” Emma closed her eyes. “And I think I got lucky.”
Cataclysm looked at Neves helplessly. Neves snorted and left them alone, shaking his head the entire way down the hall.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-28 07:55 pm (UTC)“Only if you didn’t see it coming,” the Archangel said pleasantly, and then spread her wings and turned to address the stunned combatants.
“I am Archangel Elysia Allvaer, although I expect you to call me Sheva.” She paused, silver eyes flitting momentarily to demons to her left. “And I stand with the Queen of Hell.”
*cheers* You tell them Sheva!
“I would have liked,” Geek said finally, “to be warned before that happened.”
Sheva shrugged. “I wasn’t sure that it ever would happen. By the way, make sure someone sees to Emma. I think she went down earlier.”
Geek’s eyes darkened. “Ixen is already on the case. She’s a top priority.”
Sheva nodded swiftly, turning to look at the five approaching Guardians. “We can talk further about this later. I need to figure out how to properly angel from the rank five Guardians and not show them that I’m completely clueless.”
“Welcome to the club,” Geek mumbled, but she left to give Sheva and the Guardians some space.
Wasn't really a lot of time for a warning Geek.
*sighs* Phew at least someone is tending to Emma, she and her unborn child better be ok.
Geek and Sheva have both been thrust into positions of power they weren't totally prepared for, but you can't really be prepared for everything that life throws at you, (especially in Sheva's case having been dead for a while).
“He killed his own brothers in cold blood because he saw them as holding him back,” Sheva told them. Their eyes widened and they turned to her with shock. Even Du’ous seemed to forget his anger for a moment, startled. “Cataclysm is who was once Zi’s brother Zyvren. That was why Hau’rah reacted to him the way he did. Zi killed Srvliux and Zyvren attacked him. He was thrown into the Pit and transformed into what he is now by Edme Stinng.”
Edme’s name brought a chill to the air. Dyva rubbed her arms and Callen shivered. Rei’shar’s face morphed into disgust.
“Dear Maker,” Ortyx whispered, folding his wings tightly against his back. “Dear Maker.”
Well at least some of the angels below Archangel level now know the truth about who Cata is, hopefully whispers of this will spread among the remaining angels in their camp.
Du’ous nodded, slowly. “You are...wise, for a human.”
“I’ve been a lot of things, but a normal human was never one of them.
True, Sheva's never been standard normal human. *checks things off of list* Human/Visper hybrid, check, Cyborg 7000 unit, check, Shade of Dead Human/Visper hybrid self, check, Momentary blue phantom, check, Guardian Archangel, check.
The Guardians exchanged unreadable looks before taking off, leaving Sheva and Rei’shar alone on the ridge.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about the other Archangels. I have outdated information I’ve picked up secondhand from Cataclysm, as well as some that’s far more recent from Terok-”
“Terok! He is alive?” Re’shar’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. He’s been staying with Cataclysm, I believe.”
Rei’shar sighed in relief. “I’m very glad to know that he is alive and reunited with his uncle. I’m sorry that he fell but perhaps we can restore him to his former glory when all of this is over.”
Yes! Raise my fallen angel son back to his full angelic form! Raise him up!
Rei’shar raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”
“I might be making some of it up as I go along.” Shut up, will you? Don’t trust him! Sure he seems fine and both Cataclysm and Terok like him, but that doesn’t mean he needs to know everything! “But I am far more capable than you would assume.”
“I don’t doubt that for a moment, Archangel.”
Sheva nodded, slightly. “Good. It would be best not to underestimate me. Now, tell me about the other Archangels.”
It's ok Sheva, Rei'shar will protect you make sure to stay behind his shield and stay behind him in battle, he has a soft spot for rookies XD
Also Sheva's internal dialogue is the best XD
Neves peered into the room for what was probably the tenth time in the past half-hour and sighed for what was probably the twelfth. Cataclysm was still in there, holding one of Emma’s hands tightly and watching her anxiously. His armor was off, cleaned and resting on the nearby table, allowing him to get anywhere near her. Neves and Scara had both insisted that he clean himself and get that armor off before even touching her, which had pissed him off until Neves had threatened to shoot him which had made him laugh.
Scara: No spiky hell armour near the patient.
Cata: But I need to check on Emma.
Scara: First take off the armour and take a shower.
Cata: That's my pregnant wife in there!
Neves: I'm with Scara on this, no armour near the patient.
Cata: But...
Neves: No buts unless you want me to shoot you.
Cata: *laughs, clapping Neves on the shoulder* Sure you will *leaves to change*
“Cataclysm.”
Cataclysm looked up at him.
“She’ll wake up when she’ll wake up. You can’t-”
Emma shifted and Neves considered kicking the doorframe. Cataclysm immediately turned back to her, gripping her hand tightly. Neves couldn’t figure out why he was so damn worried- she was almost completely healed, with just some skin damage and soreness, and their kid was perfectly fine- but he supposed it was a being-in-love-thing.
He wondered briefly how much he’d worry if Chris got shot in the chest by a Balancer before quickly dismissing it and focusing on the two people in front of him.
Ironic timing got the better of you there Neves XD
*cheers for Chives*
“Emma?” Cataclysm asked softly.
Emma’s eyes slid half-open. “You look hot in that armor,” she mumbled quietly.
Cataclysm blinked a few times. “What?”
“Your armor. It’s hot.”
Cataclysm released her with one hand in order to hold his face with it.
“Emma,” he said slowly, “you almost died.”
“Mhm.”
“And you’re worried about what I looked like.”
“My savior looking nice is important.” Emma closed her eyes. “And I think I got lucky.”
Cataclysm looked at Neves helplessly. Neves snorted and left them alone, shaking his head the entire way down the hall.
Emmaclysm at it's finest XD
Don't give Neves that helpless look Cata, you married her XD
no subject
Date: 2017-04-29 10:03 pm (UTC)He hasn't married her YET.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-01 01:22 am (UTC)Yet being the keyword. OMG what if Cata accidentally declared his intentions of marrying Emma while he thought she was unconscious and she just opens her eyes looks at Cata and says "Yes"? XD