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Post Info TOPIC: Avenging Angels 2 - Destinys Call


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RE: Avenging Angels 2 - Destinys Call


(Ok then I just gotta wait until after the battle at Luca)


 


Keiji and Neji arrived at the deserted Demon world, a world of black and red rocks, nothing stirred in this empty hell hole, all traces of life long extinct, the spirits sucked out and forced back to there physical forms to serve Penance’s army. Keiji’s heart raced, the air felt thin a tremendous weight pushed down on him and he struggled even to stay steady on his feet, he panicked and started to breath heavily he couldn’t stand another minute in this empty, heavy pit, Keiji looked at his father who stood unfazed or troubled from the enormous pressure forced on them and Keiji new he had to be strong, he couldn’t give up refusing to let down his father.


 


“Ok Keji, this is the real thing, no Melina to nurse you’re injuries and hug you, no Retala to go easy on you, no Zell to support you, just you and me in extreme conditions doing proper training you have to get strong fast, it will be tough which is why I will give you this chance and this chance only to back out,”


 


Keiji stood, his innocent face looking strong and brave, “father I will not back down, so many people are relying on me and I don’t want to let anyone down,” Neji smiled in response.


 


“Well done son, ok as you relies the demon worlds living conditions are far more extreme than Spiras, gravity is 10X higher than that on Spira, season cease to exsit some days it can be freezing cold, then change to a scorching hot, so lets start with getting you used to the gravity, we are going to go for a little jog, follow me and try to keep up,”


 


Neji set aside his weapons and Neji nodded to his son before jogging off, Keiji following behind, struggling to move let alone jog, his feet were heavy and he slowly jogged behind Neji who seemed untroubled by the weight. They jogged for sometime; Keiji was ready to give up as Neji began to disappear into the distance moving at a steady pace. Fatigue took a strong effect on Keiji, first his legs ached and stiffened he struggled to even take a step, eventually he was dragging his feet sweat pouring from his head, he gasped for breath until eventually he made it to where Neji sat waiting clapping his hands as his son drew closer.


 


“Well done Keiji, you didn’t collapse,” Neji laughed, Keiji to weak to reply looked at his father, not a trace of sweat or fatigue showed on his face.


 


“Rest now, when you wake up you will feel the difference,” Keiji collapsed onto the ground and quickly feel asleep, Neji scooped his son up and sat him comfortably, before going off to do his own training.



 


 


Keiji slept for sometime, eventually waking to see his father not insight. Keiji to his surprise got up with out trouble, he could breathe easier and the weight around him lessoned.


 


“Ah you’re awake,” Neji voice said from behind


“Father I know what you mean when you said I’d feel the difference, I feel stronger already,”


 


“Good but you’re training has just started, I will push you harder, but don’t worry you’re demon blood heals you quickly so you shouldn’t, die, anyway I went back to Spira to get us some food, and other supplies,” Neji dropped a large sack on his back, opening it up, he handed to Keiji some bread and a canteen of water, Keiji grabbed both and began to feast.


 


“I also picked us up some clothes, try these on,” Neji handed Keiji a set of clothes the same to his battle clothes yet they felt different; Keiji threw them on and immediately felt a great weight.


 


“What the…” Keiji said


 


“They are made of heavy material and enchanted by elves, they weight far more than you’re previous training clothes, but enough chat, lets continue our training,” Neji started to gather rocks “I going to throw these at you, and I want you to dodge them, after that I want you to do basic work out exercise, then after that we are going to work on you’re technique fighting and flying, we will continue these exercise no matter what the weather and then when I see good enough improvement we are going to tap into you’re hidden power and control it, then master that energy, that is you’re true strength. Understand?” Keiji nodded in reply and readied himself as Neji picked up one of the rocks. “It will take a few days, but don’t worry everyone else; a day there could be said to be the same as a year here,”


 


“Is that even possible?”


 


“Keiji we are in another dimension all together things are different, there is no sun, stars or moon, which means no day and night, no dates, no time, the only light coming from the ever growing, uncontrolled energy above, things move slower here, although you are unaware, why do you think demons are so strong, and you want to know something, they never train fighting is natural to them and the harsh conditions means even weak demons have the potential to be strong, Diablos was the only one to ever train himself, and look, he conquered this place,”


 


“If that’s the case then why not have everyone come here to train,”


 


“Not possible, and I did consider that but the energy ever existing in this place would slowly destroy them we can survive cause part of us is demon, the only way any other race would survive in here is if they carried an amulet, enchanted with demon energy to protect them, you should know of these, the oath keepers, but they have been buried with Melina,”


 


Over the next couple days Keiji and Neji trained hard, Neji pushing Keiji beyond his limit, at first he struggled with every excise coming out beaten and brushed, eventually it came to the point Keiji could dodge every rock and stone thrown at him, his basic work out excises although tough at first became easy as Keiji felt his strength and speed increase, the technique training turned into full blow spars between father and son which shook the land, through the blazing heat and frozen winds Keiji trained his father keeping an ever watchful eye on his sons progress until finally the day came to control Keiji’s true power.


 


“Keiji it is time for you to control the power you’ve been so afraid of,”


 


“Father I don’t think I want to control the power, I nearly hurt Tsunami with it, I could have killed many that day,”


 


“but you didn’t, you managed to over come it and gain back you’re sanity, that power now floats around and if you don’t show it who runs that body and who the true demon is, it will take over again and you may not control it,”


 


Keiji fell silent, “ok father, please help me control it,”


 


“Very well son, please sit, relax and close you’re eyes,” Keiji did as commanded “can you feel the power in you,”


 


“No,”


 


“Then search for it, show that it can not hide from you!”


 


Keiji concentrated further, he soon fell into a self consciousness, searching his mind, looking through the blackness of his power, it was then he found it, himself in demon form, it turned round to look at him, his yellow eyes glared at Keiji and he leapt towards him grapping his spectral form with clawed hands. On the outside Keiji yelled he went onto his knees, pain shooting through his body, Keiji gripped his chest as if something was try to burst out.


 


“You are letting it get the better of you Keiji!”


 


“It’s to powerful, I can’t hold it!” Keiji began to morph his skin began to grow black and then change back to his normal form, constantly the changed between forms as each tried to surpass each other.


 


“Father help me!” Keiji shouted in a voice that was not his.


 


“It’s you’re body Keiji, only you can control it, release yourself from its grip,”


 


“I can’t it’s to powerful, I’m too weak! I can’t go on!”


 


“I did not raise a coward! Tsunami did not fall in love with a coward! And Melina did not die for a coward!”


 


Keiji knew his father was right, he was not weak, he was not a coward, and no longer a boy today he would become a man, by conquering his evil and using it to become stronger.


 


“Draw strength from those you love, you’re friends, you’re family, you are doing it for them, show them all how powerful you have become!” Neji yelled as one final moral support for his son. Keiji roared, deep in his self conscience he grew to a tremendous size breaking out of his evil sides grip, his great hand grabbed the evil and started crushing it, it struggled as Keiji tighten his grip.


 


“Good Keiji! Now take the energy in, become complete!” Keiji’s evil form shattered in his hand and drifted into him. Suddenly he burst out of his self conscience state of mind gasping for breath.


 


“You did it Keiji, I am proud of you,” Keiji smiled and gave his father the thumps up, it was then he felt it, he felt complete, stronger, faster, he could feel a new power flow in him to call upon when he needed. “Ok then, let’s test this power, come at me, fight me at full power,”


 


“Ok, but before we do, could I ask you something father?”


 


“Go ahead,”


 


“When you went to fight Penance, what actually happened to you? I’ve also noticed you actually appear younger?”


 


“Penance was far more powerful then I had ever imagined, as I last resort I attempted to seal Penance in the demon world again, but ended but getting thrown in myself, but also Penance cast a spell on me as the portal closed, he cast Bring of Darkness on me and for three years I floated in the illusion, until I finally figured it out, I snapped out of illusion and decided to train here for a few years and the reason I look younger is because of Diablos’ it’s the same for Sonya, Kobie and Fariel we aged and grew old to a certain extent and then stopped the reason I appeared older was because I chose to age but when I was sealed here I had to go young again, my true form its no doute a power was receive from out aeons, but then I felt you in danger and rushed to help, besides I couldn’t stand to stay in this cold oblivion any longer and I reopened the portal,”


 


“Just like that?”


 


“Just like that, you see in order for you to be sealed in here the one who casts the spell must lock the seal it of course couldn’t, that’s also why it took Penance, 5000 years in are time to escape, he had to wait for the previous angels lock to wither, but during that time Penance absorbed the energy floating in here, making him stronger luckily he didn’t train his body or we could really be in trouble you see he is the only ever cross of half Atellian half Demon before sealed he released his Atellian side to become full demon to survive and absorb the energy in here, the result being the energy in Tsunami, now then enough talk, I want to see you’re power,”


 


One year had passed in the demon world and all of Keiji’s hard work and Neji’s tough training could show, now 18 Keiji was now stronger than ever his body was more toned yet still skinny, but the biggest change was in the appearance of his face, gone was his innocent look, he now looked more like a young warrior, a stern, rough and handsome face. (similar to the change we see here in Gohen in Dragonball Z after his true power was awakened, before Training https://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n243/grantmaster/g7.jpg, After training https://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n243/grantmaster/gohan2.jpg


 


“Shall we return son?”


 


“Yeh I want to the others again,”


 


“good,” Keiji changed back into his normals closes and tightened the band round his head, Neji with a wave of his hand opened up a rift and together they walked into the light.



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(Ok awhile back)


Ellessar woods stood at an eairy sillence, the elves were gone, and The Shadow had long jetted off into the ditance. Laconfir stood in this bright wood and felt the pain on lonlyness, even the creatures had fled sensing the aproaching danger.  Laconfir approached his temple and placed his hand upon the wooded door.


"The last temple of the elves, the one we hid to protect, our greatest secrets hide within these walls, yet this temple only held us back, the elves will rise again, and I shall bury these secrets so we can start a new,"


"We can't allow that," a sinister voice said from behind, Laconfir spun round and standing behind him was Shuruk’jaar and Soren, an army at there backs which filled the entire Ellessar woods.


"Penance would like these secrets therefore we must savour them for him,"


Laconfir smirked "Is Penance so much of coward that he sends his lap dogs to do his bidding,"


"So there is still some lip in that old body of yours, tell us where are the other elves?"


"You will meet them all once again,"


"I look forward to it, now then High Priest I would like to kill you now and help myself to the secrets of the elves,"


"I will not allow the elves secrets to fall into Penances hands!" Laconfir yelled as he slowly began to glow white, the soilders surronded Laconfir and ran in for the kill. "ULTIMA!" Laconfir shouted and a great sphere of white soul fire spread out from his body and enguffed the surronding enemys slowly spreading outwards to enguff more and the temple. Xipetotec and Soren protected by Penance's power brought of powerful sheilds which barely survived the attack. The light faded and nothing stood where Laconfir was, the soilders around him lay on the ground slowly withering away.


"Stupid Elf," Soren retored before looking up where the temple was, his eyes widened and Xipetotec cursed. The temple was no more, the attack completely wither it away to smoking pile of rubble.


"Search the ruins!" Xipetotec ordered, yet the soilders came out empty handed, everything within the temple had vanished in that massive blast of magic along with Laconfir.


Laconfir last words passed through his mind and into the hearts of all elves, the angels, and all those who would play a major role in this battle.


"Live on friends, protect Spira with your lives and bring in the new age of light..."



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Trevor Stead had been right - so far war had not come to Luca, but news had travelled quickly from the refugees fleeing Bikinel Sands and Kilika, and the tension in the air was almost palpable. People went about their business, but in a subdued, nervous manner, and the Guard police forces occasionally had to arrest and carry away doom-prophets who marched the streets shouting that the end had come, lest they cause mass hysteria.


After recounting every detail of the last few days to her worried but proud parents and then again to Tanis, who seemed greatly concerned by Ghede’s leeching of Tsunami’s power and returning it to Penance and announced he needed time alone to think, Eevee was at a loose end. There was nowhere she could make herself useful - there was really nothing the Angels could do until they heard more news - and she couldn’t even burn off her restless energy by her favourite cure of Alarielle’s combat drills, as no-one could be seen carrying weapons if they didn't want to be arrested by the Guard. The calm before the storm, she mused wryly. She hated it. Anything was better than this tense waiting.


She went back into the inn the elder Angels had bought temporary lodgings in, and found Tsunami alone in one of their rooms, deep in thought. She looked up and smiled.


“Oh, hello Eevee.”


“Heya,” she replied as she shrugged off her coat and sat down at the table opposite Tsunami. The one addition to her travelling gear after Bevelle was a satchel containing food for the day and more than enough gil to buy plenty more when they reached Luca, which Trevor Stead had insisted on giving them. She put it down on the table and carefully removed a small loaf of bread, wrapped in paper, and glanced over her shoulder to check that the door was shut and the off-duty Guardsman at the bar couldn’t see before pulling one of her daggers from its concealed sheath and beginning to cut the loaf into slices.


“Sandwich?”


“Thanks,” said Tsunami, before looking at her strangely, “Should you really be cutting that with a dagger?”


“Probably not.” Eevee shrugged, sweeping the crumbs away with her hand and beginning to layer meat and cheese onto the sliced bread. Expensive stuff, but again Trevor had insisted. There were advantages to having friends with millionaire parents, she reflected, then grinned to herself. Aeons, I sound like such a sponger.


She passed a finished sandwich to Tsunami and began making a second for herself.


“You okay, Tsu?” she asked. Tsunami was looking out the window distractedly. She started as Eevee spoke.


“Sorry,” she said, picking up her sandwich and taking a polite bite.


“Don’t worry,” Eevee said with that carefree, optimistic smile of hers - it wasn’t hard to tell what, or rather who, was on her friend’s mind, “I’m sure Keiji won’t be away long, especially at a crisis time like this.”


Tsunami laughed.


“Yes, he just can’t resist getting into the thick of it, can he?”


“And besides,” Eevee went on with a knowing smile, “Even his dad couldn’t keep him away from you for very long.”


This time the older girl blushed.


“Come on, it’s blindingly obvious he’s crazy about you.”


“I know…” said Tsunami, her eyes misting reminiscently.


“He used to be a really quiet one - trying to talk to him used to drive me nuts - but, I don’t know, he just hit it off with you in a way I’ve never seen before. Nice one is all I can say.”


“Oh stop it, Eevee.” Tsunami replied with an embarrassed laugh.


“Well,” Eevee went on, still grinning broadly, “You can’t say he isn’t…”


She raised her eyebrows suggestively.


“Okay, now really, stop.” Tsunami laughed.


“Oh don’t worry, he’s all yours,” Eevee said, putting her hands up defensively, “Not really my type.”


“Oh?” said Tsunami, leaning forward across the table, “And what is, exactly?”


But at that moment there was a commotion outside. Eevee put down her half-eaten sandwich and grabbed her coat as she stood up, Tsunami following her out of the inn.


* * *


“I wonder what’s up?” Eevee wondered as she and Tsunami joined the crowd gathering at the Luca dock. Slightly shorter than Tsunami, she stood on tiptoe to try and see over the people in front. A group of small, battered boats had moored at the quayside and people were disembarking. They looked like they had been through hell and back - some were being carried out on bloodstained stretchers, others were walking wounded, limping along supported by companions. All were pale and drawn. There were no more than two or three boats that had made it back to Luca.


A hush fell over the crowd as a figure stepped down from one of the boats and stood apart from the other refugees, flanked by several others. Lady Yuna.


“People of Luca,” she began in a soft but clear voice, holding up her hands, and everyone listened. Yuna was revered throughout Spira as the summoner who had delivered them from Sin.


“Besaid has fallen to the armies of Penance.”


A murmur of collective shock and fear ran through the crowd as she spoke. Lady Yuna’s voice rose above it.


“His next target will be Luca, and we have little time to prepare. All civilians must lock up their homes and leave the city immediately, heading out along the Mi’ihen Highroad towards Djose Temple. It will be safe there. Take only what you need. The Guard and the Youth League must stand ready in case the enemy arrives before the evacuation is complete - I will be meeting with General Beni of the Guard shortly to discuss how best to defend the city…”


Be careful what you wish for, Eevee thought to herself wryly. It looked like the waiting was over. The storm was about to break.


<ooc - Faber vs. Hartlock coming soon>



-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 16:33, 2006-12-21

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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
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The battle in calm lands was starting to look grim, the seemingly tireless forces of Penance charged blindingly into the hail of bullets and enchanted arrows of the combined elf and Yevon forces eventually pushing into the front lines slaughtering many, the Yevon forces being left in aw of the martial skills of the elves who force the enemy to retreat allowing the human forces to catch there breath before the next furious charge of the enemy.


Behind the thick lines of the alliance troops Retala and Nooj stood planning how to counter the enemy, it was then a scout rushed to there sides.


"Sirs, something approaches from Mount Gagazet,"


"I will go," Nooj said taking his leave and boarding a Machina hover bike.


Nooj backed up with a group of a 200 men jetted to the slopes of Mount Gagazet, marching down the slopes came a group of about 500 Ronso's lead by the mighty Kimahri. The Ronso had stood there ground after three mighty waves but were forced to retreat.  Nooj looked back up to the mountains to see Beelzebubs army march over.


Nooj returned to Retala's side with the cheif Ronso Kimahri together they planned new statigies now with the added muscle of Ronso.


"We must now defend from two fronts, Retala do you really think we have a chance,"


"I hope so, I can push for more Elf mages to the front lines we were planning on conserving our mana but now..."


"That could work for now until we get reniforcements from Bevelle, Kimahri how are the Ronso,"


"We are fighters do not be afraid to put us to the front the fighting at Zanarkand was in short bursts, we have plenty energy,"


The three leaders nodded when yet another messenger arrived, "More eneies are approaching from the direction of Bikanel Sands,"


"Damn! we must counter these enemies before they can land,"


"Impossible we can't afford to remove anyone from the front lines, we have to mount a defensive on that flank,"


"Then our lines will be too spread out,"


The three leader thought while around them fighting erupted as Ghede ordered yet another charge, repelled by the mighty Ronso.


"Pull everyone back, we will cluster closer to Bevelle, on the slopes, its closer to Bevelle so a full retreat is more pluased if nessercery and we can send our wounded to Bevelle easier, also the slope of Bevelle will be much easier to defend, we should have plenty troops to defend there for some time," Nooj suggested


"but that would allow the enemy to cluster together," Kimahri argued


"Have you a better idea?" Kimahri had to admit defeat in that debait.


"Ok then, pull everyone back,"


The order was given and the alliance forces retreated without insicdent and on the slope of Bevelle they prepared, fresh troops arrived consisting mainly of surviving Al'bed from home eager for revenge they brought with them serveral Hovers and many weapons. The four leaders Nooj, Retala, Sid and Kimahri gather at the front lines mixing with there forces and motivated there troops and gave them one objective. Fight with all there strength. Retala gazed out over the Calm Lands upon the mass cluster of demonic troops which filled the calm lands.



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On board the Dagger, Soven and his recently created army, were heading East, towards Penance's island.  The nine ships were flying in a "Duck" formation.  Soven called it the "Duck" formation for 2 reasons: 1 - he thought it resembles a flight of ducks and 2 - he didn't know the proper name for it.  Tara's airship was in the lead, which is the airship Soven decided to ride in.  Soven was a back room going over what he had and what he remembered about Penance's island.  His final count for his army was 513.  All nine airships had a full crew of 40, each band of bandits had 16 men each, 63 were in the Hanging Guard and they brought an extra 22 warriors.  Most had their own weapons and the few who didn't were equitped from Tanoj's weapons supply.  Grenades were handed out among the gunners and the potions were given to everyone who would be fighting.  Although the airship crews make for the bulk of his forces, Soven wanted most to stay on board to man the ships and give support to the ground elements.  Soven decided that 10 from each ship would do, so his count for a ground fight army was, 193.  Smaller then Soven hoped for but his key to fighting was the airships. 


Soven was making battleplans when he heard a knock at the door.  Soven didn't bother turn around, he just said, "In you come."


SOven heard heavy foot steps behind him and a deep, rumbling voice say, "You said you wanna talk wi' me an' the others?"


Soven looked behind him and saw Tara, the gaint captain of the Dagger.


"Yes, Tara.  I need to speak to you and the other captians."


"I'll get a link to the others set up."  She nodded her head and started to turn away when Soven stopped.


"No.  I need to speak to them before the rest.  So send a message to them all that I want a private line set up and they're to speak with me in private."


Tara thought this over and nodded.  She turned to the door and walk slowly through it and closed the door.  Soven, hit his head for forgetting.  He looked around for a... thingie that let him talk to his friends.  He saw on the wall the thingie that Tara tried to explain about about Soven lost interest.  He remembered her saying that if you spoke into, he would be heard all over the ship.  Soven hauled himself out of his chair and reached to thingie.  It looked like a light switch but Soven knew very little about macina so he just went ahead and used it.


He saw that it was a single switch so he reached out and grapped it.  He flipped it down and started to speak when the lights when out.  Soven paniced.  The powers out!  The ship was dead!  Soon they were gonna fall into the ocean and all drown.  Soven quickly decided to do something so he pulled the doot open and ran out.  He ran as fast as he could to the steps that led down to the bridge when he noticed something.  The lights were on.  But how?  The power had died, the lights couldn't be on....


Soven yelled at the top of his lungs.  "A LIGHT SWITCH!!  THAT BLOODY THING WAS A LIGHT SWITCH!!!!"  He started to punch the walls and kicked anything as hard as he could.  How could he have been so stupid?  Soven was furious with himself.  But luckily no one saw so Soven stumped back to his room.


Later, when the others had arrived, through Tara (of course), Soven had regain his composure.  Tara had a pair of crew set up a large screen on a wall.  Soven, Tara, Tanoj, Promise and Nina where in the room staring at the large screen.


"Right!"  said Soven.


Everyone waited silently for a few minutes untill Tanoj said, "Aye?"


"What?"


"Ya said 'Right' so, wha'?"


"OK! Well, uh.... Tara how in Yevon do you turn the thing-am-bob on?"


Tara raised her amazingly large hand and passed a botton in the wall.  She rumbled slowly, "Captians, Soven wants to speak to ya's."


The screen suddenly split into 10 even size sectians, 8 sectains filled with the other airshop captians and the last 2 spaces were left empty.


"Right!.......... Tara, can they hear me?"  Tara slowly nodded her head.  "Goody.  Right!  Captains, in a little while we'll reach the island I told you all about.  I've been thinking on what we need to do when we get there.  However, I don't have enough imformation, so we'll have to wing it for awhile.  From what I can remember, the island is quite large, and has very little natural light, you know, sun, moon, that sort of stuff.  But you can still see, I don't know how or why ut you can, ok?  So first point - no natural light, but can still see.  Now, we should assume that Penance has a good number of soldiers so the fighting is gonna be tough when we get there.  Our battleplan is most this:  the airships are to land, drop the ground troops off and take off again, then the ground troops will take care of the soldiers but I want all but 2 airships to scan the whole island, I don't know if the emeny has anythin' that can fly so move quickly and dont take chances.  Every airship is to remain in constant contact with each other and myself, as I will be on the ground.  When your scanning, I want everthing unusual reported to me.  You know, weird alters, glowin' buildin's, that kind of stuff.  When I call for back up, I 2 airships to stop scannin' and get to us and when I call for evatuation, i.e. save our arse, all airships are to pick us up and if an airship is not pickin' up then they will provide cover will we run, ok?  Anyone not gettin' this?"


The eight figures stood silent, one or 2 shaking their heads.


"Goody.  Tara, how far away is the island?"


Tara looked down at a panel as she moved slowly to hit bottons.  She spoke in her quiet rumbling way, "Jus' look outside."


Soven marched over to a small window and saw the island that almost killed him.


"Right!  Tara has sent you all the location of our drop, or if you don't know, it's by the ugly tower.  Let's go!  Let's kick some ass!"


The captians nodded and turned off the screen.  "Tara, tell everyone to get ready.  It's show time!"


SOven picked up his large sword and one of the grenades.  SOven wasn't sure how to work it but he was positive he didn't need it.  He jogged down the ramp to the back of the airship where the ramp gets lowered.  When he got there he saw all of his warriors were already there plus an extra 10 from Tara's crew.  Soven shoved his way through the mass of men to make sure he was the first one out, when he heard a little voice say, "Watch it!"


He looked down and saw Promise by his side, he was about to ask her something when he heard Tara's voice over a speaker say, "There's an 'irship, down there.  It's a big 'un too.  Should we destroy it or wha'?"


"No, don't attack it but don't take off when you drop us off.  Tell another 2 captains to stay as well, incase we need them."


"Aye, aye, boss." 


Soven felt the Dagger go down so he shouted, "Stay together!  Gunners take the rear and the sides, fighters stick with me!  Ready, your weapons!"  There was blur of activity as everyone pulled out their weapon of choice.  The craft shook and Soven pulled his sword free and was ready to run.  The ramp slammed down quickly and they charged through.  The men gave a war cry as they ran down the ramp.  Into the gloomly island they stormed and the almost bashed into a group of men staring at them, then suddenly they blurred with activity as they readied to fight.  Shouts were thrown back and forth as the evil people surrounded the smaller group, they shouted at Soven's army to throw down their weapons whereas Soven's men reaplied throw down your weapons.  SOven saw that something was wrong with all this and the constant shouting was annoying him.  "EVERYONE, SHUT UP!!" He bellowed.  The 2 groups stopped shouting and Soven's men created a path for Soven to through so he could closer to the smaller group.


2 men marched out ahead of their group.  One was tall and had tanned skin, Soven guessed he was an Al B'hed.  He looked middle-age and up and had no hair.  The other was no more then a boy, by the look of him, but he had an air of command around him, but still he failed to impress Soven.


"Lads.  Hmm, by the look of you I'd say you were human so you might live for more then a minute."


The younger man said, "What?  Who are you?  How dare you speak to us like that, you look nothing more then a pirate."


Soven smiled and nodded.  "You've got a good eye.  Indeed I am a pirate.  I'm Soven."


The paired stared blankly at Soven.  He sighed, "You never heard of me?"


The both shook their heads.  "Damn!  Oh, well.  I'll only ask once: are you with Penance or Demon?"  They both said who?  "Oops.  Sorry.  Forgot about that.  I meant to say Neji."


The younger one said, "You know Neji?  Wait a minute!  Do you work for Penance or Neji?"


Soven garled.  "I work for NO one but myself.  I told Penance to stick his offer up his arse and I owed Demon a favour, which I repaid already.  Huh, all I had to do was stop his kid from dyin', but that took quite alot of work, seein' as he was dumb enough to take 3 on at the same time.  Then again, farther like sone, heh heh."


Soven glanced behind him and we he looked back the pair, Soven saw a machina gun pointed at his face, aimed by the older man.  "Speak more kindly of Neji, or speak no more!"


Soven laughed, "Why do good guys never have a sense of humour?  Relax, old man, jus' seein' whos side your on."  Soven pushed his finger in his ear and started to speak when he felt a tug at his leg.  "Hold on a sec.  Tara, you and the othe airships can go now but tell the other two to say behind and be our cover.  Do get me?"  Soven waited for a reply but didn't get one.  "Bah, I mate machina. Never understood why anyone bothers with it.  Hey kid!  Ran back to Tara and tell-"


Soven had turned and saw that Promise was standing with the machina device that Tara gave Soven.  Soven spun around.  "Don't anyone dare LAUGH!  Or you'll find out what a burnin' blade up the arse feels like, ok?"


Soven snatched the thing out of Promise's hand and popped it into his ear.  "Tara, get lost but tell the other 2 to say for cover, got it?"


"Aye, aye boss."


Soven's eyes narrowed.  He said through gritted teeth, "Do I hear... laughing?!!!"


"No boss."  Soven could hear the smile in her voice.


"DAMN!  Right, everyone stop scarin' the goody-goodies, and get moving.  Those with guns take the left and right, everyone else the front and rear."  Soven watched his men getting into position,  he said over his shoulder, "Yous can come too, but don't get in my way, or I'll cut my way through you.  Oh, and by the way, you'll follow my orders."


"WHAT?" screeched the younger man and Soven laughed.



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Gau gripped his fist in anger, Soven looked no more than a thug with no leadership skills, and yet here he was saying that he must follow his orders. Gau was about to challenge Soven when Cid grabbed his shoulder pulling him back.


"Calm my boy, don't do anything reckless, I know of this Soven character and he is one dangorus and powerful man, proberly able to stand toe to toe with Neji,"


"No way,"


"I don't expect you to know about his legend but let's just say its full of murder and various other crimes, he was known to our early crew we were treasure hunters, this man is a pirate and we were thankful we never crossed paths with him we would of gotten slaughtered,"


"Then why are we going with him, he might kill us,"


"I don't think so, I feel something differn't with him, and besides we need allies,"


"But..."


"don't worry many years ago he could of slaughtered us but things are differn't now, I think he knows of Neji's power but he holds a sort of hatred to him yet a little bit of fear, I don't think he will turn on us,"


"Ok ok but I still refuse to take back seat, I am the captain of the Shadow,"


"Stay here Gau,"


Cid approached Soven. "Soven I have decided to let you borrow my men, but I can tell trust might be a problem, there for I feel I should stand in second in command,"


"I don't need a second in command old man,"


"Then you will not have us as allies," Soven looked at the group of men around the shadow, then looked at his army.


"I don't think we'll miss ya,"


"We share the same enemies and have the same goal, we should help eachother,"


"Than get in line gramps!"


"I don't trust you in command of my men,"


"Then get to ****, I don't really need you guys anyway,"


"really? Behind me I have 60 more than capable soilders fully equiped, all trained and approved by Neji, or Demon to you," Soven raised an eyebrow, "Also we have a powerful airship, but none of this will be yours unless I can get a say in what you do with my men,"


Soven smirked "I have plenty airships, incase you haven't noticed,"


"This airship isn't just any airship," Gaus voice came from behind Cid. "This is the shadow, the single most powerful airship ever to be made and proberly the most powerful weapon in Spira to date,"


"I have 9 airships with me, don't get ****y kid,"


"9? please, this airship could run circles round 20 of you're average airships, this thing is the fusion of Ancient Atellian tech built by the greatest minds of the ancient capital of Atellier to combat Penance, it has since been repaired and modified, mixed with other Atellian tech and Machina by the brilliant Zell, cheif engineer of Neji,"


Soven thought for sometime, "what the hells Atellian?"


"An ancient race, what do you think Penance is, and I know you saw the one Keiji fought,"


"What say you? Soven the Unbeatable," Cid said to close there arguement


"Like I said before you can come to, just don't get in my way, and oh yeh, you're still following my orders kid but the old guy you can ride in front with me, now get you're men in line and that airship in the air, before I change my mind,"



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SOven marched on with his army around him and the goodies near by, trying to look as tough an menacing as Soven's men.  All it did was make Soven smile.  But he was far from a fool, he knew, dispite their pathic attemps to look evil, that they were all warriors and moved well in a group.  Maybe I shouldn't kill them... yet, Soven thought.


"HEY!  Old man, walk up from with me for a bit I need some info!"


Soven glanced over his shoulder.  He saw the old man speak a bit with the punk, who was trying so hard to look tough.  Soven prayed to Yevon, that he would try to fight him, it would be so much fun.


The old man caught with Soven and ask what he needed.


"We'll get to that.  First, I wanna know something."  Soven looked back at the little punk.  "Is he gonna try to fight him any time soon or can I kill him know?"


He coughed.  "I'm afraid that he does want a fight, but I've told him to try not too, I've heard a few things about you and I don't want him to prove them.  And my name is Cid, not old man."


"Shame, but it's nice to know people still remember me.  Ever wandered what made me so strong and why I was so evil when I was younger?"


"I have, yes.  Care to shed some light on your mystrious pass?"


"Certinly.  I guess to fuller understand we need to go back a long time ago, to the only thing that I have ever truely feared."  Soven looked around him and whispered.  "Remeber... SIn!"2


Cid's eyes went hard and he nodded.  "I remember the first time I ever saw him.  I was 6 at the time.  My mother, my brother and I were in a large town when he came.  It was terrible.  He struke so fast and he destroyed everyhing... and everyone in his path... I was so scared.  I broke down in tears and begged Yevon to save me, send it away.... save me.  My mother picked up and carried me away.  When Sin was gone, so had my tears.  My mother held me the whole time, she... made it bearable.  I owe her so much for that little motherly act. 


"Any, a while after I came to the conclusion that I didn't like to be scared, so I was determined to never fear anything again.  I would walk into areas where fiends were plently with nothing more then a knife.  Ever time a fiend came near me I would gut, spilling it's blood everwhere.  I grew faster and deadier with each day.  I became so good that all fiends stayed away from and soon the whole reigon was fiend free.  It dawned on me then.  I became Sin to those fiends.  They feared me.  I felt strong but it wasn't enough.  A fiends fear was pointless if something more dangerous didn't fear me.  People. 


"When I turned 16 I left home to become so feared by people that they would run from the mention of my name.  We lived near the Thunder Plains so I moved south, looking for victims.  Notice my blade.  Looks normal doesn't it?  Trust me it's not.  If anyone other then tries to lift it, it might break their arms from the wieght.  Well, one night.  I was gettin' ready for bed when an old woman stumbled across me.  I pulled my sword out and told her to stay still.  I patted her down for money but she didn't have any.  I was gonna kill her but she told me, in return for her life, she would make my sword sharder then any other, the strongest and that only I can wield it.  She told me she was a summoner and that she could bind my life to my sword.  I told her to explain, she told me that as long as I live, my sword would be the greatest blade in Spira and when I die, the sword would shatter.  I told her, if you can prove it, you'll live.  She starts to mumble and waving her arms and all that then told me to try it.  OK, she told me that it would be stronger so I tried to snap it over my knee.  I couldn't bend it.  Next I tested it for sharpness, I chopped through a think tree with one swing.  I let her live for she made me invincable.


"Now, to be feared I had to be daring.  Attacking fortivied villages, fighting armed men in daylight, and so forth.  For a time I did very well.  Some rich people hired a lot of soldiers to kill me.  But I killed them all in a valley somewhere.  It was called... Va-..Veg-.. Varran's Valley!  That was the name of the valley."


"Varren's Valley?!  But that impossible!  More then 2000 bodies were found!  You couldn't have killed them all!"


Soven laughed loudly.  "Trust me, ... Cid.  It's true.  Anyway, after I killed that army a couple of other folk sent more and I butched them all. 


"I was the King of the region.  Until... Demon.  I was in a clearing in a forest when he came to me.  Sayin' that I was a monster and I had to die.  I told him, that he was right, but you can try to kill me but you won't.  I pulled my sword out and charged at him.  I was gonna slice him right down the middle.  But... he grapped my blade in midair and with his free arm grapped my neck.  Easy hold to get out of but I could't.  Not because his grip was strong, he locked me with his eyes.  His eyes didn't see me, they went right to my heart.  Demon saw my past, he saw the really me and... I cried.  He let me live, never makin' me promise anythin' but he knew that the evil in was gone.  I hated him for that and I still do.  I stared to drink heavily and my brother took me away, callin' himself a hero for takin' me back but I was really drunk at the time.  I was locked away for 6 years.  There you go, old man you know me, but if I hear it bein' repeated by your guys then heads will roll.  Yours first."


Cid was left gasping.  He was speechless.  He felt sweat over his face and whipe it away.  Soven was either the greatest lier or the most dangerous human who didn't belong to the Avenging Angles.  Cid needed to tell the others.


(There you go, Soven's history if you wanna know it.  enjoy)



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<ooc - This battle scene is heavily inspired by H.G Wells’ WOTW (which I’ve been thinking about way too much lately coz I got the DVD for Christmas) :P and is dedicated to the poor little ship that didn’t get a mention in either of the films>


Night had fallen over Luca, and the city was still a hive of barely-organised activity. Civilians laden down with various boxes and bundles were cramming most of the streets and a long column was already snaking out along the Mi’ihen Highroad, making its way slowly out of the city with a minimal escort of Guardsmen. The rest of the Guard in Luca were stationed at the dock, throwing up makeshift barricades and organising the city’s defence as best they could. It was clear to all that the Guard peacekeeping force was no real army, but it was the city’s only line of defence and had to somehow hold back Penance’s landing forces while the civilians were evacuated. Lady Yuna had reasoned that, as the wide bay in which the Luca docks were situated led right into the heart of the city and given that Penance’s attack would almost certainly be amphibious, the docks were where the first blow would fall and offered the people of Luca their first, best and possibly only chance to turn back the enemy. Many Lucans were pinning their hopes on a naval battle, and the fleet based at Luca preventing a landing, but “fleet” was an overstatement of the naval forces at their disposal, which consisted of only one capital ship and a handful of escorts. The cruiser Thunderchild, pride of the Al’bed shipyards though she was, was still only one vessel. Nevertheless the dark silhouette of the streamlined cruiser gave hope to people otherwise on the brink of despair as it patrolled slowly up and down the mouth of the bay, searchlights sweeping the horizon while Al’bed crewmen stared intently at the sweeping light bars of flickering radar screens. Around the slow-moving cruiser, a continuous convoy of steamers and hovercraft teeming with refugees left the docks and sailed up the coast towards the safety of Djose temple.


Against the milling backdrop, grim-faced Guardsmen took up their positions around the docks, or scanned the horizon nervously from the vantage points of the Al’bed artillery batteries that had been set up along the cliffs. The Angels waited with them, discreetly finding viewpoints among the defences where they could watch for the coming invasion.


A light winked into life on the horizon across the eerie calm of the moonlit sea. Another came, and then another. Suddenly the horizon was covered with the sinister glow of warship searchlights.


“Here they come…” someone whispered, and the word travelled swiftly along the line and across the city. The milling of refugees became more urgent and shouts of panic rang out, the voices of the Guardsmen rising above them as they tried to keep order.


Looming out of the gloom came Zell and Xipetotec’s invasion fleet, a mixture of both sleek Atellian and twisted demonic ship designs, and including several huge tanker-like troop transports. In the lead was Zell and Xipetotec’s flagship, alongside a dozen other landing craft.


“Fire at will, commander,” Zell growled softly, and a demonic officer next to him punched his fist skyward to shoot out a pillar of demonic fire as a signal to the rest of the fleet. There was a roar of appreciation from the ranked demons aboard the landing craft as a jet of flame stabbed up from the leading vessel, followed by a ripple of gunfire all along the line. Hydraulic gantries pistoned upward on the larger ships and the now-elevated missiles mounted on them shot skyward, wreathing the firing ships in smoke. The sound of gunfire made one continuous boom as the fleet discharged weapons both machina and demonic towards the city.


The rolling crash did not carry as far as the shore and the Lucans watched as the sky was briefly lit by lurid flashes, which faded in silence again just as creepily. There was a few seconds pause, then shells and missiles began to fall in a screaming whine, ordnance and demonic lightning sending vast geysers of water containing up from the bay as the first salvo fell short. This put some heart into the defenders and they cheered as the batteries up on Mushroom Rocks returned fire, sending shells screaming back towards the attackers. A plume of water sprayed up no more than 10 yards abeam of Zell’s ship, showering the vessel in spray, but he and the others pressed on, cutting swiftly through the water and unleashing a second volley. Again huge splashes churned up the bay, but this time the defender’s didn’t get off unscathed - a missile corkscrewed down and fireballed into the stern of a civilian hover, flipping it over forwards and sending screaming refugees flying from the buckled deck as it ploughed into the sea in a cascade of spray. Explosions lit the night as some shells found the outskirts of Luca, hurling people to the ground and showering them with a lethal rain of masonry as houses caved in under the barrage. Windows shattered in the ringing concussion, sending razor shards of glass scything through the streets.


Eevee and Tsunami crouched down and covered their ears as the bombardment continued, sheltering next to Feyd, Sonya and Tanis in a house near the dock. Half deafened by the explosions and the blasts of the Lucan artillery’s return fire, they cringed as the screaming of the civilians became higher and more immediate - outside the explosions that tore through the streets hurled men and women into the air like dead leaves in a winter blast. Firestorms were already raging in the outskirts. There were yells and screams as a demonic fireball screamed down and scored a direct hit on the Al’bed battery on the cliff, smashing the big guns to scrap and sending men and equipment flying in a fiery explosion.


On his landing ship, Zell laughed at the distant carnage. Then something caused him to turn and focus on something nearer. At the mouth of the bay a sleek Al’bed cruiser was powering up, its turbine engines rising to a deafening roar as it swung about and powered straight for the invading fleet. The Thunderchild’s double-barreled turrets tracked round in unison as the warship turned broadside on, coming to the rescue of the threatened refugee ships and putting itself between them and Zell’s fleet.


Zell and Xipetotec swore as they saw the cruiser’s guns swing round.


“New target! New target! Maximum firepower!”


The thunder of the Lucan ship’s guns rose defiantly above the fire and explosions as they went off two by two, the ship itself disappearing behind the smoke blasting from its weapons. A series of shell splashes fountained up at the front of the invasion fleet and a landing craft in their path disintegrated in whirling tatters of black metal, pitching demons and Unsent into the churning water. The invaders returned fire with a seemingly unending broadside of heavy guns and it seemed to Zell that surely nothing could survive the barrage, but although the Thunderchild was bracketed by exploding pillars of water from near misses, it continued to zig-zag through the smoke and spray and drove on towards Zell’s flagship. Though the occasional hit flared against its grey hull, the cruiser’s heavy armour plating withstood the battering, and now its guns spoke again, shells smashing into one of the big troop transports. A chain of explosions ripped through the hulking ship as weapons and ammo caught fire, splinters of decking flying upward, its masts and funnels collapsing. Zell could only watch and curse as several hundred of his demonic servants were consumed in the firestorm or hurled into the water, the wrecked tanker itself slowing to a halt and heeling over sharply to one side.


On the shore people were cheering as the Thunderchild wreaked bloody havoc on the lightly armoured transports, while the missile cruisers supporting them were forced to cease fire as the Lucan cruiser closed the range. Though it was staggering now under a rain of shells and demon-cast fireballs, the Thunderchild was still steaming at full speed and most of its gun turrets were still in action.


“ENOUGH!” Xipetotec hissed in a high-pitched screech, rearing up and increasing in size until he loomed above the mast of his own landing craft. The guns of the Thunderchild sounded through the battle smoke, and Xipetotec reeled back, nearly crushing his ship’s conning tower as two shells exploded against his armoured chest, blood spraying. For a second it looked as though the mighty demon would fall, but then he rose again, his eyes blazing as his reptilian form began to reknit itself, the gaping wounds sealing in a halo of demonic energies. Xipetotec raised a clawed hand and a jet of green light shot out at the Thunderchild bearing down on him, lancing into its armoured prow. For a second the metal glowed red, and then there was a blinding white flash. The Thunderchild didn’t sink - it exploded in a firestorm of demonic flame. Gun turrets and superstructure leapt upwards in a deafening roar, disintegrating into metal fragments, but the blazing wreck continued to drive through the water, bearing down on the flagship, and his leering smile changed to an expression of wide-eyed horror as he and Zell realised it was going to hit. Xipetotec reduced his size and threw himself overboard and Zell did likewise as the wreck of the Thunderchild slammed into the landing craft, its molten hull still travelling fast enough to cut right through the enemy warship, breaking its back even as the Lucan cruiser’s bows crumpled upward, and the two ships went up in a huge conflagration.


As the light of the Thunderchild’s final defiance faded to leave a twisted, sinking wreck, a temporary silence fell over the battlefield. The Lucans stood in stunned silence as their best hope of victory slowly disappeared beneath the waves with all hands. The refugee ships had already escaped over the moonlit horizon.


In the glare of the still-burning troop transport, Zell and Xipetotec were hauled aboard another landing craft, angry snarls on their faces.


The bombardment began again, and this time no-one and nothing could stop the invading army from reaching the docks.


* * *



The Angels were still crouched down in the house by the dock - Feyd with his arm protectively around Eevee, Tsunami huddled into Sonya while the older woman kept a protective Shield spell over their heads - when the thunder of the attackers’ guns suddenly stopped. Their ears were ringing, but soon enough the screaming and sounds of burning came back into hearing.


“They’ve stopped…” Sonya whispered.


“So they don’t hit the landing craft as they close in.” Feyd answered grimly. Sure enough as they looked out through the shattered windows, they saw small ships, waves of them, coming up on the beach. Some were blocky, functional and ominous, whereas others were more twisted and demonic, with threatening spiked prows adorned with trophy racks of skulls.


“Are you alright?” Tsunami asked gently of Eevee, who was crouched next to her.


“I could think of a few things I’d rather be doing,” she admitted with a thin smile.


“Looks like they’ll reach the docks,” Tanis broke in as he watched the approaching attack craft, and in response the Angels readied their weapons; Feyd clenching his fists to extend his Atellian bracers into their sweeping blade forms, Tsunami gripping her staff tightly in both hands, Eevee flick-extending her force lance, while Tanis himself slowly drew his katana and twirled it in his hands.


All except Sonya.


Suddenly she was up and running down towards the water, first Tanis then Guardsmen yelling at her to stop. She skidded to a halt on her knees at the water’s edge and punched her right fist into the water, her rune-etched Atellian ring glowing bright as she yelled “Anistara!”


A stream of ice crystallised on the water around her hand, rapidly spreading out and snaking towards the approaching attack craft. The small ships ground to a halt as the wave of ice swept round them, pulses of blue light sweeping outward across it from the point of origin as Sonya poured more power into the spell. The hulls of the landing craft cracked and groaned under the crushing pressure of the ice. One buckled and twisted, disappearing beneath a stream of white. But then a purple light rose up, and another and another, and the ice began to shatter and fall away as Xipetotec’s demon mages worked to counter the spell. Sonya fell backwards with a gasp of pain as the ice sheet blew apart in a purple fireball, to be caught by Feyd as he ran up behind her.


“Come on,” he said softly, helping her back up out of the kill-zone that had been prepared in front of the docks and into the safety of the barricaded streets. Bullets and other, more exotic missiles screamed overhead as the two sides traded fire in the last seconds before landing.


A bazooka missile landed right in the middle of an open-topped landing craft, hurling ragged bodies up in an explosion of fire and blood as the craft buckled and blew apart. A pintle-mounted autocannon on the bow of one ship fired in a sweeping arc, shattering the foundations of a tenement block near the dock and bringing it crashing down on screaming Guardsmen below in an avalanche of dust and rubble.


The defending Guardsmen had little more than small arms but they opened fire nonetheless, whipping up the water with bullet-splashes as the landing craft drove up the dock and smashed the jetties to matchwood. Bullets ricocheted from the metal sides of the boats. Here and there a twisted figure that appeared above the gunnels of the landing craft wound be snatched back with an inhuman scream, but then the defenders were forced to duck as the attackers returned fire with pulses of light from force lances and balls of purple fire hurled from demonic hands, sending splinters flying from the barricades.


“Stand fast!” someone yelled out on the defenders’ side. The civilians were still being evacuated, and the knowledge that they were the only thing standing between their families and Penance’s unspeakable minions steeled the defenders’ resolve.


The first landing craft grounded, the bay door on its bow crashing down with a sharp metallic ring to disgorge a snarling wave of Ghede’s twisted creations. The Guard stood up and the crack of automatic rifle fire filled the air. The howling monsters staggered forward as the bullets flayed into them - one continued to lurch hissing towards the defenders even with its torso shot ragged until a final shot blew out the back of its skull and pitched the still-writhing body forward onto the ground - but the confined space of the landing craft turned it into a shooting gallery and the unholy monsters could only sink down screaming in a welter of blood as the bullets slashed and spun them round.


But even as the first wave thrashed and died, more and more landing craft were reaching the shore, demons and Fiends leaping out to engage the defenders, and some were supported by demon mages who used Dark Encampment Wall spells to shield their comrades from incoming fire as they closed with the Lucans. Snarls and screams both human and inhuman rang out as the battle at the dock spilled out into a murderous close-quarter firefight.


<ooc - And the invasion of Luca is well and truly underway :P I’ll write Faber vs. Hartlock tomorrow coz it’s half past sodding 11...>



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<ooc - Long overdue...>


“****.” Faber said matter-of-factly as the Guard helijet came screaming towards him, the bases of its stubby wings stuttering with white flashes. Twin trails of bullets whipped up the snow on the runway, sweeping towards him. Instinctively Faber punched a button on the bracer covering his right forearm. A shimmering translucent disc of green energy sprang into life on his arm like a shield and he ducked behind it, crouching low to hide as much of himself as possible behind it even as the bullet-trails reached him. Sparks hammered against the disc as autocannon shells vapourised on contact with it, and Faber swept the shield over his head to keep it between him and the helijet’s murderous hail of fire as it screeched over him, the hot air from its screaming engines knocking him to the ground as it past. Yelling in pain, Faber picked himself up as the helijet swung round for another pass. He cursed silently as his energy shield flickered, drained by the heavy battering, before pulsing back into life. His eyes opened wide with shock as he saw what looked like a spinning disc detach from the helijet and corkscrew towards him, rapidly getting bigger. A missile. Heading right for him. Frak.


He threw himself to one side but despite his fast reflexes his world still exploded into fire and smoke as the missile impacted, followed by another trail of bullets tearing through the snow where he had been a second before. Burnt and blinded, Faber fell heavily into the runway, cracking his head against the exposed ice so that a trickle of blood flowed into the snow. Stunned, deafened and with his vision temporarily whited out, the only thing that saved his life was the sudden appearance of two of his fellow Kebelites. Shouting wildly, they skidded to their knees in the snow and shouldered double-barrelled bazookas - a piece of Al’bed tech they definitely weren’t supposed to have. Rocket-propelled grenades whooshed up towards the helijet, and the aircraft pitched wildly, swinging round in the air to only just avoid the two missiles that shot past its fuselage and forcing it to abandon its attack run on Faber. Though they had missed, the two Kebelites grinned as they saw the helijet pilot flinch behind her ****pit canopy.


The humour didn’t last long. With a screaming whine the helijet powered up again and came round for another pass. Faber came to just in time to see the aircraft scream over him, spitting fire, and one of his rescuers scream out as the helijet’s vicious autocannons blew fist-sized craters in his chest. The Kebelite’s second missile corkscrewed wildly into the air as he fell back in an explosion of shredded flesh and bone.


“Faber!” the other yelled as he landed in a diving roll - throwing a long tube towards him. Faber caught it automatically and after blinking to clear his seared vision recognised it as his shock rifle. He slammed in a fresh clip from his belt and turned to thank his companion, but suddenly he too was gone in a red mist as a missile landed square between his feet.


“NO!” Faber yelled in pure anger as the helijet swung round towards him again. He raised the rifle as the helijet’s weapons began to whir into life again. Through the bulletproof glass canopy, Faber saw the pilot smiling slantedly at the uneven standoff. That soon changed as Faber’s first shot punched right through the windshield, sending white cracks snaking out across the glass from the central hole. The aircraft’s nose jerked up, throwing off the aim of its twin autocannons as the pilot involuntarily yanked the controls as she ducked down beneath the dashboard. The volley of fire from Faber’s rifle riddled the canopy with bullets, shattering it completely, raining broken glass down on the pilot and sending sparks flying from the metal superstructure.


* * *


Hartlock pulled her forearm away from her eyes and flipped up the cracked visor of her helmet, fighting with the controls as her helijet swept over the Kebelite on the ground, wobbling erratically in the air. She felt a slight jolt as another armour-piercing bullet impacted harmlessly against the helijet’s armoured belly, then glanced back in horror at one of her battered wing mirrors to see the Kebelite lob something at her. It stuck to the underside of her starboard wing, blinking with a red light. An LED display was just visible in the mirror. Numbers. Counting down.


Oh ****!” she yelled.


She scrabbled frantically with the eject lever. It wasn’t working. The ricocheting bullets had hit something vital and shorted it out. The counter reached zero.


Nothing happened.


Hartlock laughed and hauled the flight stick to one side to swing the helijet round and bring its firepower back to bear on the Kebelite. She shouted triumphantly through the shattered windshield at him


“Dud grenade, mother-f…!”


But she was cut off as the sticky bomb suddenly pulsed with white light, and all her consoles exploded into sparks. The helijet heeled wildly over to one side as Hartlock fought frantically with the controls, but nothing responded.


EMP! The bastard had frakking EMP’d her!


She looked up from her useless controls at the Kebelite, an expression of pure terror on her face.


* * *


Faber smiled wolfishly as the pilot’s eyes met his, all her bravado and confidence suddenly vanishing. On his shoulder was the vapourised Kebelite’s rocket launcher, one of its twin barrels still loaded and ready. He had flinched only momentarily when he had picked it up and removed the severed hand still gripping the handle, and now he levelled the blackened, bloodstained weapon at the reeling helijet.


Smoke surrounded him, and the barrel of the launcher pulled up sharply as he squeezed the firing lever but the RPG itself flew true, flying through the splintered canopyand exploding the ****pit in a whirling blast of metal confetti. The front of the helijet blew out in a great orange fireball, the fuselage lurching back like a wounded animal. Smoke poured from the decapitated aircraft as it went out of control and with a screaming whine, turned over and plunged downwards, nosediving into the already shattered edge of the runway and bringing even more rocks and ice down with it as it vanished into the ravine.


Faber shouldered the smoking rocket launcher and waved sarcastically as the helijet disappeared.


* * *


Through a red haze, Kerek dimly registered something falling through the snowstorm towards him, something huge wreathed in smoke and flames, breaking apart as it fell so that chunks of metal mixed with the shattered rock whirling around the shape as it hurtled down from above.


“Oh…frak…” the Ronso choked out from between crushed lips. Any scream that followed was smothered by a roaring blast as the helijet slammed into the ground and went up in a huge expanding fireball.



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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
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Penance sat in an overly large chair.  It was midnight black with demonic carvings, stranger symbols and demons feasting on, fiends, animals and people.  Penance created this chair for himself but it was too small to be a throne.  He used it when he wished to learn how his war was going.  A number of a different demons were reporting the progress of Zell and Xipetotec in Luca.  What Penance was told created a dreamy smile that clung to his lips like an owl and it's nightly catch.  Only, Penance's food was more valueable then a feild mouse and made his lips more watery.  From the demons report it seemed that the invasion of Luca was down and dusted.


"Good."  Penanace stated.  "Tell the generals to move into the next stage of the plan.  Now, leave me be."


The demons fell to theirs knees then rose and marched of Penance's room.  All except one demon.  The demon was a tall green demon that closely resembles the common snake.  It's eyes were glowing blue and it's tongue slipped out every moment or so. 


"What do you want?"


"My Lord,  (hiss) I brring a messs-sage from Generral Shurruk’jaar.  He demandssss the head of Generrral Ssssorren."


"Does he?  I'm slightly surprised, I thought they would get alone so well.  What is Shuruk’jaar's complaint?  It better not be trival."


" (hiss) I'm afrraid that it issss not hugely imporrtant but Generral Shuruk’jaar ssssaysss he hasss grrown wearry of Generral Ssssoren'ssss sssself imporrtancssse.  General Ssssoren holdsss ssseromiess whicsh he perrforrms but cutting deeply (hiss) into a human's chessst, rremovesss the hearrt and drinksss the blood that ssspourrtsss out.  He claimsss to God-hood and conssstantly insssitsss he be called Holy Soren.  The demons dessspissse him and the Atellian plot hisss downfall.  (hiss) He isss only human.  We do not need him.  My Lorrd, may I rreporrt to Generral Shuruk’jaar that Sssoren'sss head may rroll?"


Penance mulled the throught over, picturing Soren being eaten alive pleased Penance that he burst out laughing.  "NO! My demon, you may not!"


Penance stood out of his chair and walked over to a wall and he waved his arm over it.  Like a quilt being whipped on a bed, the wall rippled and whipped to reveal a a huge map of Spira.  Penance stopped in front of the map and spoke.  "Soren is insane and only a skilled fighter through my arts, but his insanity works for me.  He is human and, unlike Ghede's creatures, he is truely alive.  I made Soren believe he was a God, so he could open the gates of Bevelle.  Bevelle has never fallen, it's walls are almost impregable.  No matter what I throw at Bevelle, I don't know it'll fall or not.  I will not risk my armies not breaking through the defenses.  That's why Soren lives.  I planned to attack Bevelle  when it is full with refuges, filled with terrified humans.  Human are very simply.  When face with something they can't beat they look for two things: a hero to save them or a God to sheild them.  Soren will appear before Bevelle and will guantree safety to who ever opens the gate.  They'll be so foolishly hopeless that hundreds will throw the gates open, just for a chance to be saved from my wrathe.  Bevelle will fall, by the very people they tried to protect."


The demon silently hissed in amazement.  Then he suddenly thought of something.  "But My Lorrd.  What if the human rrealissse Generral Sssoren's purrpossse?  Won't Neiji and the otherrssss kill him beforre we rreach Bevelle?"


Penanced laughed loudly.  "Not likely.  They will bearly notice Soren.  His insanity protects him.  Neji and his pathfitic angels won't realise that he is the key to Bevelle untill Bevelle is overrun.  However, I do wish that Soren's half-brother Soven took my offer rather then Soren.  HA!  Now there was true evil.  Soven has spilled more blood then 10,000 humans can provide.  And he did with pride, enjoyment!  He would love it at my side rather then against me.  I wonder why he refused me.  I knew he was silently warming to the idea of joining me when it snapped."  Penance remained silent for several moments, remembering.  Penance's eyes went wide.  "NEJI!  Somehow me made Soven reject him when I memtioned killing Neji's brat and his bitch.  Then again, I do remember Soven thinking about "Blood Debt", but what does that mean?"


Penance spunned around to the demon.


"Keiji!  Soven saved Keiji when Kiba tried to kill him!  That it!"  Penanaced laughed long and hurt.  "I've got you Neji!  Once Soven defects to my side, I remove your most blood thrist ally.  Soven will kill thousands upon thousands.  Then I'll place him as my very own bodyguard.  I will be unstoppable."


"My Lorrd.  What iff Ssssoven refusssess?"


Penanced stopped and stood still.  It was possible that Soven would refuse again... as long as his brother lives.  If I give him Soren he may join but I can make sure that he doesn't join me then he will be more of threat then help to Neji.  Once Soven kills Soren I will offer a place at my side but if he turns me down again then I'll break his mind, just like Soren.  Except, Soren loved himself a great and Soven loves to kill, instead of a wanna-be God, I'll unleash a mindless killing machine, incapable of growing tired, needed to eat and he will slaughter all those around him.  And if I'm lucky, the angels will be the first to die."


Penance laughter echod so loudly that Soven was sure he heard someone laughing.



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(board so i thought i would write this, it takes place during the training in demon world)


Neji wondered down a flaming field, the sound of burning flames and screaming people came at him from all angles, yet there was no one inside, the screams were high pitiched and ghostly sounding. He called out through the flames yet the screams only got higher, then sudden a voice he reconised caught his attention.


"Neji help me!" she shouted


"Melina! Melina! where are you!?" he yelled but his only reply was the same distressed voice shouting. "Neji help me!"


"Melina!" he yelled and then he heard a painful scream. "MELINA!" Neji pushed through the flames searching the burning land yet could not find anything, he sprinted in the direction where the screams seemed loudest pushing through flames, taking over him came a pitch blackness, slowing his pace he panically continued to look for Melina when something grabbed his leg, he gazed to the floor and found himself standing above a prison where a thousand screaming souls called to him for help, then Melina's scream again he looked up to see a bloodied Melina chained to an invisible her clothes all torn and dirty, her long hair messed up and hanging limply down covering her face.


"Melina!" Neji yelled running towards her, but then there came a sisister laugh and one he reconised. "Penance!" he yelled into the darkness, Penance faded in from the darkness, human form but oversized. Neji roared and drew his swords, leaping towards Penance and swinging angerly at his face, but Penance disappeared in a flash and all that could be heard was his evil laugh, which slowly began to change to a less dominate and more mocking laugh, Neji also reconised this laugh. He looked towards Melina and standing mocking Neji stood a great figure weilding a huge sword.


"Kiba..." Neji and snarl appearing on his face, the memorises of Melina dying by his hand seemed to never fade away, and everytime Neji closed his eyes he saw her lying dead in his arms. Kiba clicked his fingers and sprouting from the below Melina shoot up green flames. Melina screamed in pain. "Stop it!" Neji yelled charging towards Kiba, but when he was about to swing his sword they faded away into nothing leaving Neji unarmed. Kiba laughed and Neji soon felt sand crawl up his body, before it covered his face the last Neji saw was Melina's agonising face, she looked at him and softly wispered. "Help us."


Neji awoke in a cold sweat breathing heavily. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair as he settled his breathing. Ever since Melina was killed he had, had the exact same dream of her torture at the hands of Kiba everytime he slept, reaching into his clothes he took out a picture of Melina, smiling in Bevelle one day, the sun at her back, he touched the picture softly running his finger down it, he couldn't beleave she was gone he struggled to let go even though Melina would want him to move on, yet he still felt bound to her, those dreams ment something, something was wrong in the farplain and Melina was calling for help. Neji looked over to Keiji the tired teenager sat spread on his makeshift bed after the hard training. They only had three monthes left and Neji determinded to head to the Farplain as soon as he could.


(Basically what is going to happen is Neji is going to go to the farplain and it turns out Penance has already taken over the helpless souls of the dead and leave Kiba in charge (since he came from the farplain, Lets say Kiba is already there after Home fell he left his troops in the hands of Ghede), those who refused to join Penances army were tortured greatly before being forced to join his army against there will, and Melina is one of them, but Kiba wants to have fun with her first, the Farplain is going to be where Neji and Kiba have there final epic battle)



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Faber didn’t realise he was being watched as he turned and limped back to the hanger. Jacen kept the crosshairs of his rifle sight centred on Faber’s head for a second, then sighed and lowered the weapon.


“Why not?” Kerr asked from beside him. They were both crouched in a small alcove in the cliff face about halfway up the rocky spur opposite the hanger, and had been watching the battle unfolding there closely. Kerr had looked shocked as the unexpectedly tenacious Kebelites had pushed back the Guard storm troopers, looked still more incredulous as Faber took on a helijet and won, and now he cast a questioning frown at his younger brother.


“Because he doesn’t have to die,” Jacen replied grimly. He had watched with horror as the carnage had developed across the ravine, “None of them had to die. General Beni promised me he would only use non-lethal force!”


He had not wanted Faber or Dante or any of his other friends to come to harm on Fariel’s account. She was the only one who had to pay.


“The Kebelites started it - you saw them draw first blood. What else could the Guard have done?”


“Fariel might deserve death, but these people shouldn’t have had to pay the price for her.”


Jacen shook his head in disbelief as he surveyed the bloody scene.


“Fariel sends unwitting pawns to fight her battles for her. What does that tell you about her? This isn’t your fault, brother - forget about it.”


Jacen still looked unsure, but he had no time to argue the matter further - Guard reinforcements were arriving in the form of two more helijets and a second airship but, shaken by the failure of their first attack, they were keeping their distance.


“We need to help things along a bit,” Kerr commented, “We won’t be able to lure Fariel back if the battle is going too well for Kebel.”


He ****ed an eyebrow at Jacen. Jacen swallowed and took the bullet that Kerr handed to him, a special explosive round etched with runes of demon magic. Aeons knew where he had got hold of it, but Jacen wasn’t about to question his brother. He chambered the round and raised the black rifle to his shoulder. He scanned the smoky hanger for a target, his trained eye skilfully penetrating the haze. His rifle followed the movement of his eyes and came to rest trained on one of the airships.


No, he thought, like they’d really fill a military airship with explosive gas. More likely inert helium - no good.


He moved on, and this time his eye came to rest on a half-collapsed pile of oil drums that had been overturned during the fighting. Some were dented and bullet-scarred, and one had a small puncture-hole from an armour-piercing bullet from which thick black liquid seeped. Jacen smiled.


The first thing the Kebelites recovering in the hanger and preparing for the next wave knew was the roaring concussion as several oil barrels flew into the air in flames. In seconds the others had gone up too in a great whoosh of flame, and then the fire reached the metal ammo crates stacked nearby for the defenders’ use, prompting a firework display as ricocheting bullets and exploding grenades filled the air. Fire leapt from airship to airship, the windows of the cabins and decks blowing out one after the other in a chain of explosions, fireballs rippling along the hulls and blowing them apart. Within the space of 15 seconds the Kebelites’ defensive position had become a hell of flame.


The helijets swooped in to investigate and, facing no return fire, grew bolder. The reeling Kebelites were either fleeing the hanger in a limping daze, supporting burned or stunned comrades, or dropping their weapons and surrendering as Guardsmen began to flood the hanger from the second airship as it touched down outside.


“Now that’s more like it…” Kerr said in satisfaction.


* * *


“The hanger’s fallen, Larek!” a badly-wounded Faber shouted as he staggered into Larek’s impromptu command post in the caves.


“What!? Oh frak…” Larek cursed and redoubled his efforts at the radio.


“Fari! Fari! Can you hear me!?”



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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
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Nuisance

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My turn


(occ - So i wrote something down quickly, but it sucked, and then Nathan pissed me off so now i'm in a bad mood. WHich is probably why i just mauled a bunch of airships for the hell of it XD LOL Hahahaha. Anyway. Yes, more to come! :D lol LAter! But this obviously happened just after Fariel , Eevee, Tsu and Keiji got back. Cause i'm a few hours behind you lot! XD LOL)



Fariel swooped down and landed gracefully atop one of the cliffs bordering the calm lands, she had taken to the skies in a bird form when she first saw signs of The Guard in the area, it hadn’t been long since Eevee and the others had disappeared from sight.

Changing into her normal form upon landed she narrowed her eyes at the Gagazet range, airships and smaller cruisers hovering upon her home like prying stalkers. She growled as she heard the constant booming of explosions, gunfire and screams. Smoke was rising now, but from her position she couldn’t make out which sector of Kebel it was. But she could take a good guess that it was somewhere near the hanger.

“I don’t care how you found our home, but damn you for forcing me into this position.” She muttered, spreading her wings again and launching into the skies at a quick pace towards Kebel.

oo0oo

“Sir, we have incoming on the port side.” One of the bridge crew reported from his console, the captain turned to him and ordered it on screen, he involuntarily flinched as it zooming in and the speeding blur of Fariel Oreen.

“Warn the fleet!” The captain ordered the man by his side who was working the different radio links from the other ships, “Lock on to her and shoot her down! Don’t let her near Kebel! The moment she makes it there…I don’t even want to think about it!”

“Yes sir.” All the men and women responded.

oo0oo

“Fari! Fari! Can you hear me!?” Fariel heard the crackled communication from the radio on her belt, snatching the small object she held it closer to her ear to hear who it was, “Fari!” Larek yelled again.

“Thank the aeons…” She breathed, relieved to hear his voice. “Larek!” She replied.

“Fariel?!” Larek yelled his voice full of thankful joy, “You have to help us Fariel, the hanger has fallen and we are being pushed back!” She heard his explain through a mess of other shouts and voices of others on the radio wave.

“Get the hell out of there now, take everyone and evacuate! I’ll handle The Guard.”

“This is our home too, Fariel, we will not abandon it.” Faber protested, Fariel smiled as she was overwhelmed by cheers from others listening in on the conversation.

“You lot…honestly…” She smiled and went serious again, “I’m on my way, just none of you go dying!”

oo0oo

“Target locked.” One of the men reported.

“Fire at will.” The captain replied.

In an explosion of smoke, missions launched from the front ports of the airship and screamed towards their target, “You underestimate me.” Fariel stated.

The bridge crew and captain watched the screen as the missiles collided with Fariel in a hail of smoke and fire, they all cheered as the man on the left console stated it was a direct hit. “Good work…?” The captain stuttered with his sentence as from the explosion Fariel shot through the sky towards them completely unharmed, a trail of smoke was left in her wake as she drew her wave swords that blazed with a blue fire.

“You invaded my home and killed my brothers and sisters. This is an unforgivable act and you will be pay the price with your own blood!” Fariel growled, “LEVIATHAN!” She yelled out just before meeting the airship.

oo0oo

The other airships watched the short battle with Fariel from their own screens and where horrified when they saw the ship break in two and fall to the quiet calm lands far below in a fiery mess, pyraflies whizzing away from the wreckage as it spread out in pieces on the meadow.

“SHOOT HER DOWN! SHOOT HER DOWN IF YOU WANT TO LIVE! FIRE AT WILL! FIRE!” All the airships near Fariel’s position moved opened fire, a sphere of shimmering water surrounded Fariel as she danced through the onslaught.

“Your in my way.”

oo0oo

“She’s mauling them!” Larek laughed as he heard the multiplying explosions coming from the calm lands, “Faber, head out with the others, you are in no state to fight.”

“Larek!” Faber protested.

“Faber, you’ve done your part, it’s our turn now.” Larek winked and ran down the tunnel.

“Even with Fariel’s help, there are still so many. This battle could go either way, Larek, I hope you realise that.” He departed in the other direction.


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RE: Avenging Angels 2 - Destinys Call


<ooc - I’m going to write about the Kebel battle for a while to bring the timeline back in sync with Luca>


“That’s her!” Jacen suddenly said as Fariel made the full force of her presence felt, airships spiralling down in flames one after the other.


“Right, we’re on,” Kerr replied, a grim smile creeping up his face, “I’ve waited too long for this revenge…”


Jacen shouldered his rifle and followed Kerr as he began to climb down the snowy cliff with spider-like agility. At Fariel’s appearance a new fire and determination had gripped his brother, and it was infectious. Jacen headed down after Kerr, leaping from rock to rock.


“This is it, Jacen,” Kerr growled as he landed crouched with a soft thud on the snow of the ravine floor, “Now Fari’s here it shouldn’t be too hard to get her attention and bring her down here.”


“She’s not stupid. She’ll bring backup.”


“No. She’s also arrogant.”


“Remember she can shape-shift, Kerr,” Jacen warned his brother, “She’s a lot more powerful than she was sixteen years ago.”


Kerr’s leering smile was almost frightening.


“So am I.”


* * *


Fariel laughed as she cut a swathe through the Guard air fleet.


“Yo, Larek!” she called over her radio as she barrel-rolled through a wave of missiles, “It’s time to hit back at these bastards! Roll out the mech-suits and gather up the team - we’ll need Sheana’s magic and Dante’s big guns. Call out Jacen as well, we could use a good sniper.”


“That’s a problem, Fari,” Larek’s reply crackled through the speaker, distorted by the gunfire and explosions going off around her, “We can’t seem to find Jacen anywhere.”


“Frak, he’s not been killed or captured has he?” Fariel asked in a worried voice. She had been starting to like the young sniper.


“No I don’t think so,” came the static-distorted reply, “But no-one’s seen him since last night.”


“Then where the frak is he? He can’t just have disappeared! Who saw him last?”


She couldn’t think of any reason why Jacen would have just buggered off, and she wouldn’t have expected him to duck and cover when his new home and friends came under attack. There was a muffled conversation she couldn’t make out as Larek exchanged words with someone nearby.


“Dante says he was in one of the computer labs looking up maps to try and find his way around. Hang on, if the memory banks weren’t wiped by that EMP they hit us with there might be a surveillance camera recording I can upload to your wrist-set…”


Fariel frowned in confusion, then an incoming missile jolted her back to the present. She threw up her water shield to meet it and flew clear of the expanding fireball as the missile detonated against it.


* * *


“Right,” Jacen said grimly, shouldering his black rifle and tightening the scabbard-straps of his concealed daggers, “I’ll get to a good sniping position.”


“So you can take her out first?” Kerr mocked him gently, a slanted smile on his face.


“So I can cover your back.” Jacen responded.


The two brothers clasped hands momentarily.


“We’ll right this wrong, brother,” Kerr said, “And we’ll do it together.”



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Nuisance

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"So this is happening just as Luca starts getting invaded. Beni and Fariel's arguement could have been better but i havn't slept in a week. I may rewrite it later but maybe not. Anyway. That's The Guard buggering off, this is were Fariel will run into Kerr and find out the truth about what happened. And when Penance is mentioned and Kerr dies, again, she will seek out the other angels and help fight Penance to avenge the deaths of her family.)



“General, the first reports from Gagazet are in.” A young soldier knocked on the general’s office door and walked in after being welcomed by the older man.

“Let’s hear it.” Gerald didn’t look up from what he was working on.

“It started well, they caught the residents of Kebel off guard and took down their main exit’s without too much resistance, though in the last hour the odds have turned against us. It was reported that all of the enemy…just started to cheer, sir.”

“To cheer?” He looked up with a quizzical look upon his face.

“It was about a minute before Fariel Oreen arrived in the Calm Lands and single handily destroyed several of our airships and cruisers.”

“WHAT?!” The General yelled as he rose from his chair, “You mean to tell me she wasn’t even in Kebel when we started to attack? Where the hell was she? It was her we were supposed to be catching off guard you fool!” He ranted and began to pace.

oo0oo

(I can’t remember what happened, I need to reread it, but this is where the first part of the Luca invasion starts and the General has a fit XD LOL hahahahahahaha)

oo0oo

“General!” A lieutenant burst in through the door and interrupted the younger mans report.

“What’s the meaning of this?” The General snapped, aggravated by the news he had received.

“All hell is broken out, we need to evacuate the city to a safe place immediately, all the defences posted at the beach and harbour have been torn down.”

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” The General yelled out in frustration, “This is not what I wanted. Call back our forces at Gagazet, the safety of the civilians here are more important then the destruction of Kebel. And someone get a message to Fariel from me, I want to talk with her.”

“Yes sir.” They both replied and hurried out the room leaving the General to fume alone.

oo0oo

Fariel swirled through the skies to dodge the next wave of attacks from the airborne vessels. “Your uselessness never ceases to amaze.” She commented flatly but narrowed her eyes as the attacks stopped their attention elsewhere from her. The noise of gunfire and explosions from Kebel ceased as well and the aweful feeling of dread that Kebel had fallen and she was the last one remaining started to pour in.

“Larek!” She spoke to the radio.

“I know…they’ve all stopped. I, I think they are retreating!” He said slightly shocked.

“Don’t be fooled, it could be a trick. Remain cautious, I’m on my way.”

“Sure thing Fari.” Larek laughed, Fariel smiled, knowing that they were all still alive, even if they weren’t completely safe yet.

“FARIEL!” A voice boomed from one of the airships, a projection of Gerald Beni appeared before her as she hovered in the sky, “I must speak with you.”

Fariel’s eyes narrowed, even a holographic representation of the man made her annoyed, “I have no wish to speak with you!” She replied confidently.

“I’ve ordered for a cease fire among my troops, I’d like it if you did as well.”

“My brothers and sisters where only acting in self defence, if you do not shoot they will have no reason to shoot back.” Fariel smirked.

“Fariel, Luca has fallen prey to an invading army, our defences are not holding against them. I am calling my men home to protect the citizens of Spira. I wish to ask you if you will band together with my men to fight off this invasion.”

“You wish us to WHAT?! How DARE you ask this of my people when not 2 minutes ago you were slaughtering them like fiends!” She hissed, “You have no right to ask us of anything after the way you have treated us. You and your miserable city can rot. The ‘citizens of Spira’ that want our protection can come to us themselves; I will not negotiate with you or join you. We will not get involved in your problems!”

“Fariel, this invasion will soon reach Kebel and you will have no choice but to fight back, just like you did just now when my men invaded you!”

“That’s very true, but that doesn’t mean that we have to join forces. So you can shove your offer up your arse because this discussion is over. Withdraw your men and leave us in peace! I have to fix the damage you caused and help my family that you wounded!” The general took a breath to object but she cut him off, “LEAVE!” She roared, “Leave now or I will destroy the rest of your fleet!”



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(This should of been after Home is defeated)


"My lord the last of the Al'bed hiding in home have been captured,"


"Excellent Kiba,"


"What shall we do with the prisoners?"


Penance smirked "Follow me," Kiba followed his lord down the blood stained metal corridors of the once great underground city of the Al'bed, dead bodies littered the streets and Penance's troops hastenly gathered them as food. They came to the hanger where some 200 Al'bed surviors guarded by upstanding Atellian troops lined the floor on there knees, hands tied behind their backs and each baring a black blind fold. The sound of wimpering echoed the room as many men and women pleaded for there lives. Penance smiled at Kiba before grabbing a cowering Al'bed, he kicked and thrashed as Penance dragged him out from the rest.


"I want to start a collection," Penance said throwing the Al'bed to the ground and with one mighty swing of his sword sliced off the his head, holding the dripping head a loft Penace shouted out to the quards. "I want all these Al'bed head's to roll, feed the bodies to those who wish but keep the heads! and Kiba, follow me I have a job for you," A wicked smile creeped on the Atellians faces as Penance left the room, leaving behind the sounds and paniced screams and the spray of blood.


"Kiba, it appears a soul of strong will is currently fighting against my influence in the farplain, you came from there so I want you to go and silence this nuisence," Kiba dare not ask questions bowed and left.


********************


"Holy!" Melina shouted and bursting out her hands came an overwhelming blast of light, the evil souls screamed as slowly they dissolved into nothingness. Melina took a deep breath.


"That should be the last of them," she said turning to the thousands of souls at her back. Together the weak souls cheered for there saviour.


"Thank you my lady,"


"You're our saviour,"


Melina embarringly laughed "I'm just playing my part, but we still have work to do," Melina looked around to the once beautiful farplain, now a rocky, desolance, burning land of suffering. But at least now she wasn't defined by the screaming souls of the unfortunate souls to be tortured endlessly for good knows how long.


"So then you continue to be a mere nuscience," Melina froze as if suddenly taken by an artic wind, she knew that voice yet refused to beleave it, slowly she turned round and gazed up to a rocky platoe. Melina's eyes widened as her worst fears came ture, Kiba his sword planted into the ground with his hand resting on it smiled at her.


"We meet again,"



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Got carried away!


(occ - typed this up this morning, omg plot twist, i guess i didn't do what i planned on doing but ah well. That's Kebel nearly up to date with the rest of Spira. Sorry its long :p I suppose i got a bit carried away! XD HAHAHAHA Anyway, yes. Enjoy :p lol so many typos and grammer problems but oh well ^_^ lol)



“This is stupid, she’s right in front of us! It’s a clear shot! Captain?!” The bridge crew had started an uproar in protest as they finally got a chance to take down their enemy.

“Stand fast soldier, the General ordered a cease fire.” The captain on deck yelled.

“Frak that!” Another soldier yelled out and drew his side arm, aiming it at the captain.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” He objected.

“We’re doing the General a favour; you’re relieved of duty Captain. Lieutenant, shoot that bird out the sky.” The man smiled.

“Yes sir. Locked on.”

“I hate her as much as the rest of you but you are soldiers, you have been given your orders! FOLLOW THEM!”

“Fire!”

oo0oo

“If you don’t have your fleet leave soon, there won’t be anything left of Luca for them to defend.” Fariel scowled as the holographic representation of the General remained and the fleet didn’t move.

The air was filled with a barrage of gunfire and missiles launching. Fariel spun and threw her arms up in defence, her shield of water spun up around her and protected her as the hail of attacks hammered into her.

“WHAT?!” The general roared, “I ORDERED A CEASE FIRE, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!” The general boomed, successfully hiding the pleasure the image in front of him brought, “Oreen, are you alright?” He asked with a slight bit of concern for what would happen if she thought he had ordered the attack.

As the smoke cleared Fariel turned back to the General and growled, “You need to keep a tighter string around your puppets, Gerald, withdraw immediately or your fleet will face the consequences of that attack!”

“All units, return to Luca immediately, that’s an order! Raven Craft Three bridge crew, report to me as soon as your back, I would like a word.” The general ordered and all the airships started to withdraw and leave Kebel’s air space. “Oreen, I hope you reconsider my offer.” The hologram disappeared and the ship left.

Taking in a deep breath Fariel turned to look at her mountain home, it was still smoking in places but the roar of cheers was a little better then gunfire and screams.

oo0oo

Kerr strode into the open flat that made the centre of the honeycomb of caves, the walls littered with doors that led to various caves. One by one upon entering the flat he had disabled the doors and waited in the centre, he could see Fariel approaching, obviously expecting someone to be waiting for her, but obviously not him.

“FARIEL!” Fariel veered up and hovered as she heard her name yelled, echoing through the area.

“That, voice?” She muttered and flew onwards again, swooping down and landing on a high point, she looked down at the flat and the single person in its centre.

“I’M HOME!” The men yelled again with arms outstretched, “DID YOU MISS ME?”

oo0oo

Jacen watched Fariel through the scope of his rifle and smiled at her horrified expression as she realised who it was yelling at her, “I bet you didn’t see that one coming.” He followed her as she stepped off the high ledge and floated down to the flat, landing a safe distance from Kerr.

Feeling around beside him without looking out from his sight his hand landed on a small box with a cone like instrument attached by a wire beside it. Taking the cone he placed it up in front of him and then went on to press a button on the box.

“Let me guess what your thinking, ‘your supposed to be dead, I killed you, though here you are and you are the one that led the Guard here,’ yes?” Kerr smiled, Fariel just stood there and refused to reply. “I’ll take that as a yes, be advised Fari, the bond between brothers cannot be broken by the likes of you.”

Fariel scowled, “What have you done?”

“Ah there we go, finally you speak, I was beginning to think you were ignoring me.”

”You seem to make a task as easy as that, difficult. Answer my question.”

“Don’t you want to catch up, Fariel, Avenging Angel of Water, host to Leviathan, leader of Kebel?” Fariel’s mood darkened, “I guess that’s a no.”

“Of course it’s a no, you sick, sadistic bastard! Look at what you have done!” Fariel yelled losing control of her temper.

“Whoa, Fariel, calm down. There is no need for name calling. Besides, I didn’t do anything but show my little brother the truth, the rest was his doing, he’s the one you should be mad at.” Kerr smiled, Jacen’s eyebrows knitted together as he listened, how could his brother sell him out like that without a care?

“You haven’t changed at all.” Fariel hissed.

“Oh but I have! Penance has given me a new life, I’m stronger now! So I can kill you to repay the favour from all those years ago.” A dark aura started to seep out of him as his wolfish grin widened.

“Do you think I wanted to kill you?! Do you honestly think I wanted to kill my best friend?! You forced me into that corner because you let your dark side control you!”

“Maybe so, Fari-“ He was going to continue but Fariel cut him off.

“You know as well as I do that you were skilled enough to break out of that cell in Guadosalam! It was just a warning from teacher to student that thieves don’t turn on each other!”

“I know.” Kerr smirked, “but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use that as an excuse to be rid of you and claim the top spot for myself.”

“You…You tried to kill me for no better reason then you didn’t want competition?!” She yelled in disbelief.

“In the beginning yes, but after every failed attempt to defeat you it became my personal goal to prove that I was superior, prove that I could kill you.”

“Being able to kill your friends doesn’t prove anything but that your disturbed; friends are who help you improve yourself.”

“No friends drag you down and get in the way, use Jacen as an example, you befriended him and he betrayed you, no? Isn’t that the lowest level a thief can go, betrayal?”

Fariel drew her swords, “DAMN YOU!” She charged at him, water spiralling around her ready to form a shield if need be “How can you be so cold?!”

oo0oo

Jacen’s finger on the trigger of his rifle was shaking now, he watched, confused as Fariel charged towards him, was his brother lying to him…?

oo0oo

Kerr left his weapons sheathed, Fariel leapt up and slashed down with her sword but it bounced off an invisible shield, instantly her shield surrounded her as she recoiled from her failed attack. She glared at him through the water. “You got some new tricks then. Penance obviously knows how to spoil his minions.” Fariel sneered.

“I am not his minion!” Kerr yelled, Fariel gasped as his hand broke through her shield and wrapped around her neck.

“No!” she yelled as she noted the small dispel symbols written around his wrist, her shield shattered, she dropped her swords as he lifted her off the ground, she scratched at his hand but to no anvil, “Your just Penances bitch.” She choked with a smile but hissed as his grip tightened.

“Maybe your right, maybe I am just doing what he wants me to, but at least I can enjoy watching the life leave your eyes, like the way it should have been all those years ago. And once you’re out the way I will kill all your little Kebel friends.”

“I won’t let you!” She growled as she struggled, “I will not let you lay a finger on any of them!”

oo0oo

“No…they don’t need to die. You never said anything about killing them, they did nothing to you.” Jacen ground his teeth together, “Fariel’s right, you’re a monster.”

“Oh, I just remembered, Jacen is one of your little Kebel friends too, right? I guess he’ll have to die too!” Kerr laughed.

“You will not touch him either!” Fariel yelled, “You already controlled him into causing this mess but he’s nothing like you and doesn’t deserve to die!”

“You’d forgive him even though he has the blood of your brothers and sisters all over him?”

“You made him do it, it wasn’t his fault!” Fariel objected, hoping she was right.

oo0oo

Fariel gasped for air as Kerr’s grip didn’t loosen, “BLOOD TIES RUN DEEP, RIGHT BROTHER?!” Fariel looked out the corner of her eye and saw Jacen standing up on a high ledge. Kerr smiled.

“This is your end Fariel.” He smiled, Fariel tried to raise her water shield but Kerr was preventing her from doing so.

“Leviathan…” She whispered.

“I’M SORRY FARIEL!” Jacen yelled again and pulled the trigger of his rifle, Fariel finally raised her shield of water with Leviathan’s help and broke free of Kerr’s grip.

A few seconds past, he had fired, but nothing hit her shield, looking at Jacen from where she had fallen to the ground gasping for air she saw him fall to his knees.

Looking to Kerr she froze as she saw the hole in the side of his head and the glazed expression, he crumpled to the floor and her shield dropped, she scrambled back from him, tears coming to her eyes.

oo0oo

Still clutching his rifle she forced himself to move, he quickly made his way to Fariel’s side and knelt beside her, “Fariel…are you alright?” He paused as he saw that she had grabbed one of her swords and gripped the hilt, she stood up and he followed suit. “Fariel?” He asked again.

She pushed into him and rammed him backwards into the cliff wall he ground his teeth as the rock hit his back, there was a crack in his ear, he dared to look out the corner of his eye and saw her wave sword stabbed cleanly into the rock, millimetres from his head.

Fariel punched him weakly in the chest and he grabbed her as she fell to her knees and cried, the pair of them sat there, Fariel punching him again, “Damn you…” She growled.

“I’m sorry Fariel…”


-- Edited by [BOSS]Asreal at 09:45, 2007-01-16

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Forgot a bit


(occ - so NOW Kebel is up to date. Whatever your lot are doing, Fenix, Fariels gonna drop in, cause she's pissed off now XD HAHAHA)

“FARIEL!” Larek yelled jumping down into the open flat, having failed to get through by the caves. He gave Kerr’s body a wide birth as he ran past it and went straight to Fariel who was sitting leaning against the wall beside Jacen who was avoiding eye contact. “Fariel, are you alright?” Larek hugged her and looked her up and down, the blood from her fight with Ghede covered her clothes and she had scratches on her neck from tearing away from Kerr’s grip.

“I’ve been better.” She muttered, “Gerald won’t be bothering us again, get everyone that evacuated back home and start rebuilding. We’ll have a burial for our fallen tonight…” She paused, contemplating her next words.

“You’re going to go help the angels aren’t you?” He said it first.

“I’m still bound to my duty as an Avenging Angel, our friends will not have died in vain. They died because of Penance and so Penance will be the one to pay.”

“Once your ready, go, I’ll take care of things here.” Larek assured her, hugging her again.

“Fariel…” Jacen spoke as Fariel stood to leave, “I’m sorry for being so weak and causing you so much trouble.”

“It’ll take a lot more then a sorry, Jacen, but it’s a start. Do what Larek tells you and I hope you make a happy life here. Larek…” She turned from Jacen to the older man, “If I don’t come back I want you to know that I love you and your in charge now, take care of everyone and yourself.”

“I love you too Fariel, keep her safe Leviathan.”


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RE: Avenging Angels 2 - Destinys Call


<ooc - A small snippet of the chaos that is Luca...>


The solid mass of Unsent pushed their way up the narrow street, some of Ghede’s multi-limbed creations scuttling spider-like across the building walls to either side. The Guard in their path fell back, firing steadily. Some Unsent pitched backwards and dissolved into Pyraflies, while others staggered but kept coming.


“NOW!” the sergeant, a deep gash spilling blood down one cheek, roared as a burst from his automatic caught a mutant in midleap, dropping it thrashing at his feet. There was a thunderous roar as a chain of pre-laid explosives ripped apart the road and suddenly the Unsent were gone, reduced to red shreds that rained sickeningly down on the Guardsmen in a reek of burnt flesh.


In another part of the city some Guardsmen, having fallen back to their second-line of garrisoned buildings, blazed away from smashed windows at the demons swarming the streets below them. Their first line had been forced, the survivors sent fleeing back as an exceptionally powerful demon blew apart their makeshift barricades in a purple fireball, throwing metal girders and screaming Guardsmen in all directions.


Demons who sprayed jets of fire from their hands forced their way into the lower floors, and stalwart defenders were reduced to screaming casualties as the rooms and corridors became hells of flame. A Guardsman on the second floor, reloading as his comrade blazed away out the window, heard the screams and turned to see a snarling demon appear in the stairway, striding through the flames as if untouched by them.


“They’re in the building!”


His automatic snarled in short bursts and the demon vanished in a swirl of smoke and Pyraflies. He turned to see his companion jerk and twist in a grotesque danse macabre as he was hit by repeated force-lance blasts from the street below. There was a shuddering crack from the roof beams overhead and the Guardsman looked up in horror as a rain of plaster began to fall from above. He sprayed bullets into the ceiling but the mutant burst through all the same in an explosion of dust, its fanged jaws closing around the Guardsman’s face.


A rolling blast emanated from the dock as a demon mage swept a stream of twisting purple energy across the promenade, a row of buildings caving in one after the other to give easier access to his warriors. Mutants and demons swarmed over the rubble almost before the dust had settled to take the Guardsmen still defending the port in flank. Atellians swooped and wheeled overhead, bringing swift death to anyone in the open with blasts from their force lances.


On the other side of the dock, the Angels ran through the chaos, darting across the street from the inn as it collapsed in flames behind them. A firefight raged in the street ahead of them, Guardsmen sheltering behind barricades and in doorways rising, snapping off short bursts at the mutants trying to force their way up the already corpse-choked street and quickly ducking back, while demons and Atellians laid down a storm of suppressing fire from their own cover. Eevee stumbled as Tsunami and Tanis dived through the open door of the blast-scarred tenement block opposite after the others. As she picked herself up, crouching instinctively from the bullets and energy bolts scything overhead, she momentarily froze at the sight of the carnage around her. The battle outside the mansion had been desperate enough, but this was just brutal. An Atellian darted out of cover, firing from the hip as he strafed across the street, but a spread of bullets blew red holes in his armoured chest and spun him to the ground. A Guardsmen peeked out from his crouched position behind a doorframe and lost his head to a force-lance blast, a smoking red crater all that was left of his face as he keeled over and died with a horrible spasmodic shudder. Sobbing casualties caught in the open crawled towards cover leaving trails of blood in their wake, more than one finished off before he could make it by the merciless opposition. Suddenly swirls of flame erupted behind the barricades, right in amongst the defenders, and then the screaming really began as horned, red-skinned demons materialised inside the flames and began swinging wicked double-headed axes.


Eevee heard someone scream her name as one of the monsters leapt towards her, its axe held above its head in both hands and unfroze, her force lance spinning up as the demon came down. A blast of white light speared through the demon’s chest in midspring and the demon howled as it toppled onto Eevee, knocking her down. It was her father who had shouted, and now Feyd was pushing the dissolving demon off her and pulling her by the hand out of harm’s way. Sonya was behind him, and she screamed in elvish as she punched her fist towards the melee. A white shockwave swept across the street, the demons screeching and incinerating as the Banishing spell destroyed their hold on reality.


“Fall back! Fall back!” Tanis yelled as mutants began to swarm the street. Behind them the more disciplined Atellians advanced in a leapfrog, some providing covering fire for their comrades as they dashed forward to the next available cover.


The Guardsmen, not knowing who Tanis was but rallying behind anyone who seemed to know what they were doing in the confused maelstrom, obeyed and turned to run before they were cut off. One, cut through the head by a demon’s axe, staggered a few paces with his hands over the gushing wound, then collapsed in a pool of blood to be trampled by the pursuing mutants.


Bringing up the rear, Feyd and Tanis turned to face the oncoming horde, and in a stuttering blaze twin streams of lightning lanced from Feyd’s Atellian bracers to rake bloody furrows through their ranks. Three more burst into Pyraflies as he swept past in a blur of motion before Timeshifting away. Tanis drew his katana and waited as the first snake-headed mutant rushed at him with its mouth gaping wide. At the last moment he sidestepped, his katana flashing upwards in a glittering arc, and the mutant fell to its knees as the front half of its head slid away. A minotaur demon reared up behind Tanis in a swirl of flames, but it too fell with two diagonal cuts across its torso before it could even raise its weapon.


“Tanis, get out of there!” Feyd yelled as he Timeshifted to safety.


“Get out of the city, I’ll buy you some time!” the half-elf shouted back. He smiled as mutants and demons surrounded him, pouring from the underground sewer network and scuttling down the sides of buildings. His body began to glow as he prepared to cast Ultima.


<ooc - And this is BEFORE the wave of flyers arrives, then they’ll really be in trouble…next bit might be airborne and stormtrooper reinforcements arriving from Kebel way to offer a glimmer of hope before the flyers hit, and there’s the last stand at the gate still to do>



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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
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“Taking heavy fire, sector zero seven gamma!”


“We can’t hold them! Fall back!”


“Echo One - contact!”


“Hold the line, you bastards!”


“Go, go, go!”


Luca was burning, and the screams and shouts of battle rose above the crackling roar as the combat spilled out further into the dying city. Penance’s forces had a foothold on the dock, ship after ship grounding and disgorging waves of nightmarish warriors into the fight, but the defenders were making them pay for every step forward. Outnumbered and outgunned by an enemy far more experienced in battle than themselves, the Guard were still putting up a brave fight - using their knowledge of the streets to create ambushes and kill zones. But although their losses were mounting, the numbers and raw power of the attackers were slowly and surely winning the fight. Not far away a horde of demons charged home with a deafening roar, baying for blood. A few minutes later and a trickle of wounded, terrified Guardsmen streaming away from the overrun position were the only indication that the city block had ever been held.


Xipetotec strode through the burning streets, past a group of demons responding to the roared order of their horned, bat-winged leader to fire the buildings, and past a ruined tenement block turned charnel pit haunted by Unsent who clawed through the debris, tearing at the fallen with reddened teeth. He did not stop as the windows of the buildings ahead exploded with gunfire, dismissively throwing up a Dark Encampment Wall as bullets and grenades hammered against his demonic defences. He threw wide his arms and let out a hissing snarl, purple light strobing from his scaly hands. The storm of fire heading his way abruptly ceased as the Guardsmen lurking in the ruins and barricades fell to their knees, screaming, their hands over their heads. Blood burst from between their fingers, gushing from mouths, noses and ears. Now Xipetotec strode alone down an alley full of twitching corpses, blood running in thick rivulets into the gutters and pooling in the street. He extended a whiplike limb and kicked aside the now unmanned, red-stained barricade blocking his path with one blow of his foot, hissing contemptuously as he continued. His goal was the main gate, whose great arches rose up in the distance now half-hidden by smoke, which led out onto the Mi’ihen Highroad.


* * *



“Sir, this is not looking good. If we don’t get reinforcements from Mt Gagazet soon we’re finished.”


In the Guard headquarters, in a sector of Luca still free from fire and death, General Beni nodded at his aide’s grim report as he gazed numbly at the wall screen in front of him. The cold, clinical icons flashing red and blue across the streetmap of Luca did little justice to the horror playing out just a few blocks away. Communication was getting ever more unreliable as some radio channels became filled with gunfire, shouts and screams, while others simply went dead. It was barely an hour since the landing began, less than two since the first enemy ship had appeared on the black horizon, and Luca was dying.


“How’s the evacuation going?” he asked slowly, trying to focus on the objectives.


“There’s no way we can make an accurate count, but the small force we’ve got holding the gate reports that the flow of civilians out the city gates has pretty much stopped. Either everyone’s already gone, or…” the aide swallowed before continuing, leaving the end of the sentence unspoken. Or anyone still in the city can’t get out.


“The ships who made a break for it during the battle in the harbour are on their way to Djose, and report no enemy contact. The refugee column and the rearguard are heading down the Highroad as fast as they can.”


Beni nodded again. Though “rearguard” was a rather pretentious description of the handful of Guardsmen and Hovers covering the mass exodus. If any real attempt was made to engage the refugee column then the civilians were surely doomed.


“General! Incoming transmission!” a young Guado comms officer called from across the room. He sounded wildly excited, the first upbeat voice in the command centre since the loss of the Thunderchild. Normally Beni would have frowned upon the young officer - this was a military base and information was delivered in person, not shouted in the general direction of its intended recipient like at some sort of cattle market - but this was neither the time nor the place for such trivialities. He strode over to the comms station.


“Report.”


“It’s Major Ciaphas, sir - the Kebel task forces are approaching Luca and will be available for action within the hour.”


The mood in the command post lightened considerably - with Ciaphas’ crack stormtroopers and their airship support, they might have a chance of turning back the demonic attack. Beni shattered it with his next words.


“Tell them to break off and head to the rendezvous point at Bevelle. Have them meet up with and cover the refugee column.”


“Sir?” the comms officer replied, his smile wavering.


“An hour? The city will be lost within the hour! Even with Ciaphas we couldn’t turn back this horde! The civilians are safely out of the city and now we need to extract what’s left of our forces before they’re surrounded and overrun.”


Silence greeted his solemn words. A couple of senior officers who might have the authority to question him looked ready to object, but he cut them off.


“Homes can be rebuilt, but I can’t replace the men and women who are fighting and dying down there to give their families a chance of escape! Order a fighting withdrawal towards the gate."


He paused, fixing each and every one of his subordinates in turn with an intense stare.


"Any of you who want to leave do so now. The rest of us are staying to coordinate the retreat for as long as possible.”


Not one Guardsman moved from his station. A few looked as though they wanted to, but angry growls from their companions changed their minds. Or maybe the growl was just his command staff giving voice to their defiance in the face of Penance’s nightmarish horde. They held the General’s gaze for a couple of seconds, then turned back to their posts.


“Sir…” the voice of another junior officer broke the silence.


Beni didn’t have to look at the wall screen, where flashing icons were suddenly flaring up all over the city map; he just had to look out the armoured glass windows of the HQ building. Like a dark shadow against the softer black of the night sky, a swarm of winged demons and Atellians were descending swiftly upon the city, almost blocking out the stars with their numbers. Beni took one look at the second phase of Zell and Xipetotec’s master plan and knew there would be no orderly withdrawal. This would be a desperate struggle to reach the gate before they were hemmed in on all sides by warriors drawn from their darkest nightmares. They’d be lucky if any of them got out alive.


* * *



The Angels ran through the burning streets, swept along in the rush of Guardsmen fighting their way back to the gate and their only way out of the doomed city. Force lance blasts and demonic fireballs strobed overhead, and several Guardsmen turned and snapped a few covering shots back the way they had come as their comrades ran past them. Suddenly a cry of fear and dismay went up as a shadow fell across the city block. Looking up they saw a score of demons descending on leathery wings, coming down a short distance ahead of the group to bar their path.


“Keep going! Keep going!” Sonya shouted as she and Feyd stopped in the middle of the street, Guardsmen milling past them. They looked at each other for a second, and then Sonya brought up her hands and began chanting in elvish as she drew on Tritoch’s power. A glowing sphere of white light began to spin in between her hands, growing in size until she drew her right hand back and then thrust it upward, sending the glittering missile arcing up towards the demons with a tail of white light. Seeing it the demons began to screech and recoil in the air, but it was already too late. Feyd raised a blade-sheathed gauntlet and blasted a long, stuttering stream of Ramuh’s lightning up to connect with Sonya’s spell.


Upon contact it burst outwards in a shimmering white disc, temporarily banishing the flickering shadows in the firelit streets as it lit up the night sky with its power. The demons screamed and disintegrated as the white flash swept through them.


Tsunami, Eevee and the Guardsmen looked up in awe at the display until Feyd yelled at them to keep running, while Sonya stayed behind for a few seconds, weaving her hands into an Anistara spell so that great sheets of ice rose up before her, crystallising into a glittering wall that blocked the street behind them.


“That ought to hold our pursuers up for a little while…” she said to Feyd, hoping that her elvish spell was capable of resisting the monstrously-powerful demon magic, “I wonder what’s happened to Tanis? He should have caught up with us by now.”


“He’ll be alright, he always is.” Feyd reassured her, taking her by the hand and sprinting up the street. They ran to the head of the Guardsmen squad, ready to clear a path for them if necessary, Sonya stopping every few blocks to scry the safest route with Tritoch’s Farsight as they fled towards the square inside the city gate.



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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
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“Echo 3, change course away from the square - there’s Unsent moving to cut you off.”

General Beni barely waited for the acknowledgement before switching frequencies, his eyes constantly sweeping the wall screen.

“Keep moving Delta 6. Delta 7 be advised, hostiles closing on your position.”

“That’s almost all the teams out, sir,” an aide reported, “Just us and Foxtrot 2, who are on their way to the gate along with some civilian mages.”

Beni frowned.

“Civilian mages?”

Then he looked up as an alarm light began flashing - approaching enemies had tripped the perimeter sensors. On the wall screen red enemy icons were converging on the command post, and looking out the window he saw Atellians and winged demons descending.

“Close the blast shields.” Beni ordered, and with a low grinding sound grey sheets of metal began to slide down over the windows, blocking out the demon-infested sky and the distantly glowing light of a city in flames, before the attackers got close enough to smash their way through them into the control room. The General strode through a side door into his office, the automatic doors hissing closed behind him. On his desk lay an ornate scabbard sheathing a fine sabre. He picked it up and slowly ran his fingers over the grip, pommel, and hand guard, with their intricate whorls of gold filigree set into the metal. He hadn’t picked up this fine sword since his time in the Crusaders, where it had been presented to him upon his promotion to Captain. A long time ago, and after the defeat of Sin he hadn’t thought he’d ever have to use it again, not with his largely administrative command of the Guard. The weapon made no noise as he drew it carefully from its scabbard. Clean, oiled, and still sharp even after all these years. His face stern, he stepped back out into the control room, where more alert lights were strobing. There were red icons all around the headquarters now, the first wave of the massive army advancing inexorably across the city. Suddenly several consoles flashed red, and a klaxon wailed into life. Penance’s troops were inside the building.

“Time to go, gentlemen.” the General said grimly, leading the way out of the room as his command staff drew sidearms. As soon as they were a few steps down the corridor they heard the snarls and warcries of demons below them. Sure enough, half way down the metal stairs they ran into Penance’s men coming the other way, led by a red-eyed, black-skinned demon wielding a great double-edged axe. An officer following Beni fired his pistol, and a demon behind the first was snatched back with purple blood misting the air around its shattered head, but the first came on, roaring a challenge. Beni raised his sabre to attack, aiming for the demon’s head. The burning metal shaft of the axe rose to parry it. Beni swept his weapon round and down, slashing across the demon’s ribs beneath its upraised arm. With a howl the demon was spun round and fell, disappearing in a purple flare as Beni reversed his sabre and rammed it down through the demon’s heart without breaking stride.

<ooc - Just a quick post...now I've got to go back to my ChemEng report *rolleyes*>



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<ooc - Huge post and loved every minute of it :D Skipping ahead a bit so Sean can post. I know you’re dead on your feet lately, Bryn so I hope you don’t mind LOL>

“Go, go, go!”

The Angels and the last squad of Guardsmen sprinted into the square before the city gate. The arched gate itself was still standing, looking forlorn among the gutted ruins of the buildings around it, like a gaunt marble epitaph for the doomed city. The Guardsmen began running down the steps towards the Mi’ihen Highroad before the Atellian flyers swept over and cut them off. Feyd and Sonya stopped and spun round as they reached the gate, Sonya moving one hand in circles in the air before her as she chanted softly in elvish. First her hand began to glow, then a swirling nimbus of light appeared in front of it, following the movement of her hand. Then she swept her arm back across her body and threw it out to one side, her eyes flashing gold. The nimbus became an expanding shockwave of fire, ice and lightning that sent tremors through the ruins with its passing. Some distance away it stopped with a flash and the impact threw up a sheet of dust and rubble. As it fell back down to earth the ground heaved and a wall of magically-summoned rock rose up in its place to form a crescent-shaped barrier around the square. Though Eevee and Tsunami gaped, Feyd and Sonya just looked at each other grimly; against the kind of magic they were facing, they had bought time and nothing more.

* * *

Extending his sinuous limbs over ruins and barricades, Xipetotec was just a few blocks away from the gate when the ground quaked and the magical wall reared up ahead to block his path. He paused and looked up at the impassable obstacle, residual magic sparking in lightning arcs from its surface. While the lesser demons swarming around him pulled up sharply, snarling in anger and dismay, Xipetotec just smiled in amusement. He knew that the Avenging Angels were in Luca, and this was a spell worthy of Tritoch’s chosen - for it was Tritoch, he knew; he recognised the style of magic as he had fought the Angels alongside Penance before. But it was still no obstacle to a demon of his power.

“Good, but not good enough, Angels,” he hissed in his sibilant voice, “Your heads will be my gift to Penance…”

“Wait,” a voice said behind him and Xipetotec whirled angrily, lightning sparking at his fingertips ready to flay the soul of the demon who dared to question him, but paused when he saw who it was.

“Allow me, Lord Xipetotec.” the one behind him said, and Xipetotec smiled so that his snakelike fangs glinted in the moonlight.

“Very well then…”

* * *

Eevee stood with her parents on one side of her and Tsunami on the other, a confused mix of emotions whirling through her head. First there was the sick rush of adrenaline and fear, the images of the savage streetfighting still fresh in her mind, and the haunting memory of the leaping demon who had so nearly split her head from crown to collarbone with his huge axe. She swallowed and looked up at her parents. Was this how they’d felt in their first battles? And now they stood, tall, defiant and unyielding, ready to face whatever horrors Penance could throw at them. Here they were, shouldering the burden that destiny had placed on them, standing their ground alone against an army so that the last Lucan survivors had more time to escape to safety. And here she was, standing with them. It was almost surreal now it hit her - she had always dreamed of going with her parents on one of their adventures, becoming the Avenging Angel the elves said she was destined to be, and now here she was. It was not at all like she had imagined it. She swallowed again. As if sensing her thoughts, her mother standing beside her glanced in her direction and smiled, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

“Your father and I are proud of you, Eevee.”

“You know me, mum. Up for any challenge,” she replied with a smile and a confidence she did not entirely feel; her jokey nature still shining through in spite of it all. She glanced at Tsunami, who was gripping her cross staff so tightly that her knuckles were white.

“Scared, Tsu?” Eevee asked her gently.

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

Tsunami managed a smile before they both turned back to the rock wall opposite them, serious once again but more reassured than before as they waited for the inevitable breakthrough. Already they could hear spell-blasts from the other side as demons attempted to break through using their magic. Eevee glanced round again, and saw the last of the Guardsmen make it down the steps onto the Mi’ihen Highroad. A short distance ahead of them were a knot of staff officers.

And a figure she recognised.

“Mum! Dad!” Eevee shouted, tugging at Sonya’s sleeve and pointing. They turned to look and saw the same as her - a wiry, blue-haired woman with her head and shoulders framed by the two great eagle’s wings folded behind them.

“FARI!” they all shouted together.

Fariel turned and with a sweep of her angelic wings soared up into the starry sky to wheel round and glide down towards them. She landed softly in front of them in an easy crouch, then stood up to favour her friends with a slanted smile.

“Figured you guys would be here too.” she said wryly.

“Fari, where in Spira have you been?” Feyd asked her incredulously.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down Old Man,” Fari replied, raising her hands defensively. Feyd smiled slightly at the name, a standing joke between them, and Eevee giggled, “I’ve been busy saving my home from a Guard attack which Penance was behind, and that bastard better watch out coz I’m here now and I’m one pissed-off bitch. Where’s Neji and Junior?”

Feyd and Sonya were about to answer but there attention was drawn away by a tall Guard officer with a bloodstained sabre who came running back up the steps towards them. They recognised the man’s sharp hazel eyes, neatly-trimmed beard and stern face, and inclined their heads.

“General Beni, sir,” Sonya addressed the Guard supreme commander respectfully, “I think you’d better join your men and get them out of here as fast as possible. We’re going to hold off Penance’s troops for as long as we can to give you time to get away.”

“The five of you?” Beni looked in disbelief at the three standing calmly side by side and at the two younger girls beside them, looking equally determined. He knew Fariel and her formidable powers, but not the others and theirs, “Against an army? Who are you people?”

Feyd looked the General steadily in the eye.

“We’re the Avenging Angels.”

The name didn’t seem to mean anything to Beni, but a look of respect crossed his face. He brought his right fist up to his heart in a Crusader salute to the Angels.

“Good luck.”

Then he turned and was gone down the steps to the Highroad.

* * *

The Angels turned silently round to face Sonya’s magical wall as it began to show the strain of repeated hits, chips shearing off the rock face and falling to the ground. Feyd slowly drew back his bow, his thumb touching the Thundara rune on its shaft and a dimly-glowing arrow nocked on its string. Fariel cast her water shield and three columns of water in the shape of serpents began to circle slowly round her. Sonya flexed her fingers and brought up her hands ready to cast, Tritoch’s power surrounding her in a bright halo as, for a second, the Balance Bird appeared as a shimmering golden phantom above her. Eevee drew her force lance from inside her jacket, flicking her wrist to extend the weapon into combat position, while Tsunami levelled her now-glowing cross staff towards the wall in front of her as they dimly heard someone beyond the wall roar at his companions to step aside.

The three older Angels had been forewarned by their clairvoyant Aeons where the attack would come, and almost before a portion of Sonya’s wall exploded inwards in a ground-shaking concussion Feyd released his arrow, which turned into a crackling lightning bolt mid-flight so that the first demon through the breach and several others behind him burst into purple fire and disappeared as the missile swept through them like a scythe.

In a heartbeat Feyd had drawn another missile from his arrow bag, nocked, aimed and loosed, so that yet another demon was transfixed by a fire-wreathed arrow as he charged through the breach. He threw back his head and his roar of anger and pain echoed off the rocks and ruined buildings as he was Banished in a swirl of purple smoke. Eevee pulsed energy bolts from her force lance into the scrum of demons around the breach and Sonya hit them with Firannon after Firannon in a constant barrage of incandescent lightning, but now the wall was crumbling in several places and the demons were pouring through. Seeing they were going to be over-run, Feyd and Fariel leapt forward towards two new breaches in the wall, Fariel using her wings to glide over in a graceful bound while Feyd shouldered his bow and Timeshifted forward.

Fariel kept her wings in constant motion as she danced from one opponent to the next, her wave swords slashing and spinning in a lethal and continuous attack, demons incinerating in her wake. Feyd extended just the sweeping side blades of his bracers as he arrived in time to meet the first demon forcing his way through the breach - a horned nightmare carrying a huge double-edged sword that he nevertheless whirled easily above his head as he attacked. Feyd jumped back as the demon lunged, the huge blade slicing down to send chips of rubble flying in a small shockwave as it struck the ground. But the demon had overextended himself in the attack and Feyd stepped forward to slash one blade down through the demon’s wrist, disarming him as both hand and sword fell to the ground. The other blade punched forward through the demon’s chest a heartbeat later, and the roaring monster disintegrated into flame around the glittering metal. Feyd retracted his side-blades and extended the forked Dragon Claw blades as a second demon came forward, and blocked its sword thrust by trapping the blade between his, knocking the demon’s weapon aside just enough so that it hissed harmlessly past his left shoulder. He spun round inside the demon’s guard with his right claws still engaged and backhanded the demon with a sweeping blow of his left. The twin slashes across the demon’s chest sprayed blood for a second, then it disappeared in a purple flare.

But in the time it had taken Feyd to defeat the two demons, five more had come through the breach. Leaping into a Timeshift he corkscrewed upwards in a huge jump, calling on Ramuh’s power to send lightning flashing down all around him in a cyclone of coruscating electricity. As he came out of the Timeshift and dropped to the ground, he landed crouched amidst the dissipating fireballs of Banished demons.

“Feyd! Fari! Look out! Get back!”

Sonya’s voice flashed in his mind and he knew she was projecting herself into his head using Farsight so that her voice would not be lost amidst the howls and battlecries of the demons. The demons were swarming the square now as the last remnants of Sonya’s wall collapsed in smoke and ruin, and if they stayed where they were Feyd and Fariel would be isolated. Feyd saw Fariel react immediately and leap skywards to rejoin the others, and he could see the others now engaging the demons also. Eevee was spinning her force lance around her as she ducked and weaved through the demons, parrying or dodging their attacks but unable to counterattack because of the numbers of her enemies. Tsunami was backing up steadily and keeping the demons away from her with graceful sweeps of her cross staff. Wherever it touched a demon it left a glowing white slash in its wake, and the demon would scream and disintegrate in a burst of flames. Sonya was pirouetting through the melee, dancing around the demons’ weapons and counterattacking by punching her magic-wreathed hands, palms open, towards them so that they were blasted backwards by shockwaves of energy. She was trying to fight her way towards Eevee and Tsunami to help them, but Feyd knew he could get there first and so backflipped away from the demons moving to surround him. He used Timeshift to increase the jump, extended all three blades on each Atellian gauntlet, and fell upon the demons surrounding his daughter in a white flash so that when he reappeared out of the Timeshift her attackers were reeling back and bursting into flames.

“Kickass, Dad!” Eevee grinned, then they turned and ran to help Tsunami.

Menawhile, Sonya weaved her hands in front of her to summon a corona of energy in spinning concentric discs. She pushed her hands forward and the wall of energy rings followed the movement, sending the demons before her flying back. Having given herself breathing room, Sonya took a second to draw on Tritoch’s power, her magic-channelling Atellian ring glowing brighter.

Dyann Ra!” she cried in elvish. Guardian Light.

The elven Shield spell flew out from her in a glowing golden hemisphere, expanding to envelop the other Angels and throwing back the demons. They screamed their anger as they recoiled, blasting demonic fireballs into the magical Shield to try and break it down, but it held firm.

The Angels gathered in the centre of their glowing sanctuary, breathing heavily. No-one had been hurt so far. But then a new figure stepped into the square - a sinister figure in black Atellian armour streaked with red and blue decoration. His face was hidden behind a sophisticated helmet, and from beside his right ear the red beam of a laser designator pierced the darkness, playing over the five Angels half-visible behind the elvish Shield. He advanced silently towards them, the rubble crunching beneath his armoured tread. He spun a wicked-looking rifle with raking spikes adorning its barrel and butt in one hand, but he did not raise it - instead he clamped it to his back with a hiss-clank of electromagnets and drew two pistols from his belt as he approached the Shield. He raised them and fired each one once, and Sonya gasped in horror as the shots tore right through her Shield, the portion between them and their mysterious attacker swirling and coruscating as it collapsed in magical sparks. The armoured man advanced slowly and purposefully through the crackling rent in the Shield and let it close behind him. Still he made no sound. Then he raised his twin pistols again.

* * *

Fariel growled as she stepped towards the stranger, her water shield now coursing around her in an unbroken hemisphere, but yelped as once again the armoured man’s unholy bullets tore right through the magical defence and whistled past her ear. Only the water partially obscuring her from his view and refracting her image threw off his aim and saved her life.

“I thought only Neji’s guns could break Shield spells!?” Fariel yelled in disbelief as she and the other Angels dived for cover amongst the ruined buildings, bullets chasing them across the ground. Eevee and Tsunami ducked inside a partially-collapsed block of flats which had been ripped apart by the invasion fleet‘s ordnance, Eevee returning fire with her force lance from a blown-out window once they were inside. The armoured man spun round and blazed away, his shots blowing holes clean through the thick brick walls so that Eevee and Tsunami had to dive flat and nearly fell through the gaping hole in the splintered floor into the basement below. Nimbly side-flipping and landing in a diving roll to avoid the various attacks of the other Angels, the armoured man looked up at the teetering floors above Eevee and Tsunami and drew yet another snub-nosed gun in one fluid motion.

“Is that a Mana Gun!?” Tsunami stammered in horror as she peeked out through one of the glowing blast-holes. She had seen one or two of those fabled weapons pass through the hands of her father’s corporation before, and if Penance’s men were using their awesome power…

“Oh frak!” Eevee yelled, realising what the man was about to do. With a roar a demonic fireball blasted from the man’s Mana Gun, and slammed into the building’s upper floors. The perfectly-placed shot brought the walls, floors and fire-gutted furniture crashing down in a lethal rain of wood, glass and masonry.

Dyann Ra!” Eevee yelled desperately, but her Shield was nowhere near as powerful as her mother’s. The falling rubble smashed the magical defence aside and hurtled towards the two horrified girls in a grinding roar. At the last second Tsunami leapt forward, dropping her cross staff and wrapping her arms around Eevee. As she brought her wings around them both as if to shield them, they began to glow.

But then they were lost behind a pall of smoke as the building came down on them in a roaring crash.

* * *

“Eevee! Tsunami!” the Angels shouted together as the two teenagers disappeared under the collapsing rubble and were instantly hidden by a cloud of brick dust. They began to run towards the fallen building but the man in armour blocked their path.

“YOU!” Sonya shrieked at him in a voice full of maternal fury. There were tears in her eyes. She leapt at the armoured figure, Bisingr fireballs roaring into life in each hand. A similarly enraged Feyd ran beside her, his Atellian claws blazing white hot as if mirroring his own incandescent hatred. The mask of their opponent’s visored helmet betrayed nothing as they came at him, but as Sonya sent the twin fireballs screaming towards him he ducked behind one arm, letting the red crystal set into the back of his gauntlet absorb and nullify the attack. Nevertheless the force of the twin fireball still rocked him, residual flames licking across his armour. Though they did no real damage, the impact caused half of his visor to shatter and blow out, making him twist his head aside with a yell. He clawed at the helmet and threw it aside, turning furious eyes on the Angels. His hair was damp, plastered down with sweat, and a trickle of blood ran down his cheek from a small nick beside his eye, caused by the shattering glass.

The Angels stared at the man’s newly-revealed face.

“Zell…?” Sonya stammered.

They were still staring in horrified disbelief when Zell flipped his hand round to reveal a second crystal on his palm. With a pulse of light it unleashed a powerful Mana shockwave towards the Angels. Sonya, who was closest, was still trying to cast as it swept into her, the half-raised Shield spell not preventing her from being thrown backwards. Feyd, who had a little more warning, was able to jump and somersault over the shockwave, but as he landed he saw Zell raise his rifle. Fariel too had leapt over the shockwave with a powerful sweep of her wings, but even before she could land Zell had aimed and fired. The bullet tore through one of Fariel’s wings and she dropped agonised to the ground, blood spraying. Feyd saw the shockwave slam into the base of a tall building, gutted by fire but still standing, behind him. It teetered and then began to fall towards them, disintegrating as it collapsed. Feyd saw broken masonry hurtling towards him and instinctively leapt into a Timeshift.

As the world around him slowed to a misty crawl, he turned back to look at Zell. Zell still had his rifle up and it was pointing towards where Feyd had been a split-second ago, before he had Timeshifted. No, not where he had been any more, where he was! At him! But that was impossible - no-one could react that fast! Too late, Feyd saw the small, spinning device attached to Zell’s shoulder, saw the ripples of displaced time which abruptly ended about half a meter away from him. And that was all he saw, because suddenly his world exploded into a blinding white light which turned blood red. Then, slowly,

Everything

Went

Black.

* * *

Eevee opened her eyes, and wondered if she had, for it was still completely dark. Then hazy shapes began to come into view around her as her eyes began to adjust. She tried to piece together what had happened. Had she fainted? Quite probably, as for the last…how long? she had been drifting through darkness through which the occasional nightmarish dream surfaced. She closed her eyes and saw again the injured Guardsman reaching pleadingly towards her with a gory hand, right before an Atellian’s force lance blast had slammed into his back and snuffed out his life. She saw the armoured stranger with his Mana Gun raised, right before he brought the world crashing down around her. She saw the roaring demon leaping towards her with its axe held high in both hands, and this time she didn’t unfreeze in time and the axe came down… She moaned softly.

“Sweet Aeons…”

“No, just me I’m afraid.” said a voice beside her. Eevee started, then relaxed as her eyes fell upon a familiar silhouette in the gloom. At least it was over now. Already all those horrible images were beginning to be covered over, as if by scar tissue. She knew she’d be okay…eventually.

“Are you alright?” Tsunami asked her. She had been standing near a hole high up in the wall and peering out, but now she crept quietly down to kneel next to Eevee. Looking around, Eevee saw that they were in the basement of the building the armoured demon had dropped on them, obviously having fallen through the hole in the floor during the collapse. She was lying in the middle of a clean, circular space that that was the only bit of floor not covered by fallen bricks. Wood beams and masonry slabs blocked the hole they had fallen through, and every now and then a puff of dust would drift ominously down as the rubble shifted a little.

“I’m fine, but - do you have any water?” she whispered, suddenly realising that she was terribly thirsty. Tsunami shook her head apologetically. Eevee shrugged and after raking around in the debris as silently as she could, found an unbroken mug amongst the wreckage and waved her hand over it, whispering “Ishara,” as she did so. She sipped at the now-full cup gratefully, holding the cool liquid in her mouth for a second before swallowing, then offered the cup to Tsunami.

“Are you alright?” she asked Tsunami in turn as she sat down next to her and hugged her knees, pulling her dust-covered overcoat around her.

“I’m okay, thanks.” Tsunami replied.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t hold off the falling debris - my Shield spells aren’t strong enough.” Eevee added sadly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tsunami said comfortingly.

“But what was that spell you used?”

Tsunami thought, then frowned.

“I…I don’t know. It was like at the mansion - Eden just told me what to do.”

She shrugged helplessly.

“I remember your wings started glowing,” Eevee said slowly, “And I couldn’t see any Shield, but it created a sort of invisible bubble around us that kept the falling brickwork off us even though the floor gave way and we fell down here. That must be why there’s a clear circle in the middle of the floor. And when you wrapped your wings round me…I felt…I don’t know, sort of…safe. Secure, you know? Like I knew nothing was going to hurt me.”

She shrugged awkwardly.

“But after that, I dunno. I must have passed out…what’s going on outside?”

“It’s been quiet for a while. The demons moved on pretty quickly after the fight here. There were a bunch of Unsent creeping around upstairs earlier and it was horrible, I was terrified they’d find a way down and find us, but they’ve gone.”

“They’ve all gone? Frak, how long have I been out of it?”

“I don’t know, my watch stopped. But it’s still night-time.”

“Where are the others?”

“I don’t know. I heard some brief fighting after we fell down here but then - nothing. And the demons moved on.”
Must’ve been in a hurry to catch up with the civilian refugees, Eevee thought. She considered trying her self-taught Farsight to try and contact her parents again, but she had no idea where to project her mind. And she didn’t want to try an indiscriminate telepathic shout like she had at the mansion in case there were any demons still about. But on the other hand, as she crept silently up beside Tsunami and looked out the small hole in the brickwork that gave a limited ground-level view of the street outside, all seemed quiet enough.

“We have to find them.” Tsunami whispered, giving voice to Eevee’s thoughts.

“Where’s Keiji when you need him?” Eevee joked. That’s good, she thought, At least the old me’s still here.

Tsunami smiled, then they both turned serious again.

“But how are we going to get out of here?”

<ooc - Post away, Sean...>



-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 20:30, 2007-01-27

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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
Farseer Taldeer: You should have looked beyond your mirror then.



Nuisance

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Bwahahaha we got crushed by a building...


(occ - hahaha brilliant Fenix, that was so funny!  Also, prior warning, this post is so badely written it actually hurts! HAHAHA  I'm tierd so you can't really blame me, i'll just go drop down dead over there for a while.  Anyway, this is me saving Beni's arse, hahaha so badely written...anyway, the end of this is where your last post begins basically, Fenix.  So we are all back in time with each other!)

 

 

Fariel kept high as she flew towards Luca, it hadn’t been long since she had past the General’s fleet doubling back to Bevell.  Though at the speed’s she was moving at she probably didn’t look like anything but a blur, possibly not even that.  The winds were strong at her altitude but she used her magic to rocket herself through them.

Before leaving Kebel she had changed into an adapted ranger’s uniform, red and black with a light armour across most of it.  The back of her torso was missing to make room for her wings which the tops of had been covered with a lightweight scale like, metal mesh to protect them.

She wore her waves, daggers and a large collection of throwing knives all coated with various poisons.

The gates of Luca were in view now, but before she even saw them all she could see was smoke rising from flames, the giant march of people leaving the city up the Mi’ihen highroad in a less then organised convoy.  There were still yells coming from the city itself.  Beni probably hadn’t withdrawn all his troops yet.

The first thing that came to mind was to find Sonya and Feyd, Eevee or Keiji, she really wasn’t too picky, then she remembered that Tanis was with them, it would probably be better to find him first, he stands out more.  Mind you, she thought to herself noticing the big shield of ice that blocked off half of Luca from the invading army.

Something more interesting caught her attention though.

oo0oo

Beni and his team fought valiantly past the demons that had infiltrated the Guard building; between his marksmanship and his men’s aim as they fired, it didn’t take long to get to the exit.  It was a sight for sore eyes but still demons were coming in, Beni waved his sword at them and there was a crack of gunfire from behind him.  “Stick together men, let’s get to the gate.”

They all filed out the exit and paused in a huddle as they realised that they were surrounded by flanks of demons, grunting and snarling with weapons raised.

oo0oo

“That man is suicidal…”  Fariel laughed to herself as she quickly swooped down towards them to help, “Can’t have Kebel’s number one pain in the ass dying now can we?”  She laughed, “It would make life far too easy.”

Water spiralled up around her as she sped down towards them, Beni had his hand behind his back and was issuing his plan in hand signals.  “That’s one way to go.”  Fariel grinned as she recognised his plan, he was ordering them to stick in one group and charge to the left, break through after making a hole in their line and carry on down the street to the gate.

From the sky Fariel could plainly see that more demons were coming, even if they took down the ones around them, their ranks would soon refill and overrun them.  Beni either didn’t know or was just hoping he didn’t.

As she neared the rooftops balls of light appeared in her open palms, she spun down into the street leading to Beni, his men and their attackers.  The lights became clusters of ice shards, she threw her hands forwards one at a time the clusters shot forwards, she followed it with another handful and then drew her swords.

“RUN!”  She yelled to Beni as she got within ears reach.  The clusters of ice hammered into the ranks surrounding the men and women causing them to stumble sideways injured.  Spiralling through them she finished the job with her swords and them doubled back to follow the quickly retreating group of soldiers.

She had only temporarily cleared a path for them but they managed to get through, they looked slightly shocked at the sudden aid and probably didn’t see who she was as she careered past, but Beni knew.

“BENI GET YOUR MEN OUTA HERE!”  Fariel yelled up to him as he led his men down the street, “I’LL CATCH UP IN A SECOND!” 

“HAVE FUN YOU LUNITIC!”  Beni was almost laughing.

Fariel veered up and spun around, rows of demons were chasing after them now, they were faster then the soldiers and would catch up quickly.  Putting her hands together as she hovered just above the rooftops, she slowly drew them apart, a light flashed to life between her hands and water spiralled around her arms and hands as she combined the two elements together.  “Say hello to Penance for me when I send him to join you in the farplane!”  Fariel yelled the strange unity of elements shot down the street.  The screeches and cries from the demons fizzled out quickly as they all fell dead; Fariel grinned and spun around to follow Beni.

It didn’t take long to catch up with them and she flew slightly ahead of them, leading them through a safer route around the main majorities of demons that had managed to make their way through the city.

“Nice of you to accept my offer, Fariel!”  Beni yelled to her.

“This has nothing to do with that pitiful offer Gerald; I have a meeting with Penance to attend that I wouldn’t want to miss.  Though, I thought I could spare a few minutes to save your ass!”

“I never knew you cared so much!”  Beni laughed



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RE: Avenging Angels 2 - Destinys Call


Soven, the good guys and Soven's Army, were marching side-by-side in an uneasy truce.  Soven's Army was made up of bandits, thugs, murderers, basic evil folk, where-as the good guys placed themself on the moral high ground because they believe they fight for better reasons then Soven's guys.  The attitude of the goodies annoyed the crap out of the evil people and the arrogance and basicly what they are, pissed the goodies off, badly.  Surely there would be a bloodbath, if it wasn't for two people.  The goody old man, Cid and the evil Soven. 

The goodies and the badies had marched down a well trampled, dirt path.  A strange smell hung over this alien island.  The smell of something dying, but trying to live.  The mid-point of death, as Soven preferred to think of it.  The whole island, though looked normal, had an unmistakable sense of death.  To Soven, the island was made, not from rocks, sand or any other island stuff islands need, but from pure and simple death.  Although, most people would be terrified when they came to this realistion, Soven only smiled.  Death had gone hand-in-hand with Soven since his first fiend bloodbath when he wasn't even 10 years old.

Some think Soven insane, while others try to think he didn't exist.  Soven didn't blame those who pretended he didn't exist, he simply pity them.  Most people go through life, from birth 'till death, doing nothing extremly remarkable.  Soven had achieved more in his life then any other living creature.  Soven knew that he would die one day, but his name will remained feared burned into the hearts of fiends and humans alike.  Soven had spilled more blood then the Machina War, over a thousand years ago.  Soven was mortal but his name will be timeless.

The goody captain, Cid, had sent a couple of his men ahead as scouts, not long after Soven spilled the true of his blood soaked past.  Soven cast a quick glance at the old man.  He was whispering to the fool, Goo or something, Soven couldn't care less about his name.  Soven was thinking of something to say to make the idoit fight him when the goody scouts came running round the bend.  The goodies snapped thier weapons up, aimed down the path, behind the scouts.  Cid stepped forward, in front of his guys.  Soven smiled and stood next to the old man.  The scouts ran straight to Cid, looked sideways at Soven but they decieded to ignor him.  One did a dumb salute to Cid and said, "Sir!  We found... a-a....an..."

Soven laughed, "Come ON!  it can't be that bad that you need to piss yourself about it."

The scout stared hard at Soven and spoke quietly, "We found...an Aeon."

Everyone gasped, looked around them, weapons at the ready.  Cid started barking orders but Soven stepped in.

"SHUT UP!"  The two groups fell silent.  "Right!  Heres the plan!  Everyone wait here, I'll have fun.  See ya."

Someone behind Soven laughed.  "Yeah right!  An Aeon would tear you to pieces, you pig.  We need everyone here and The Shadow to take one down.  But you claim to kill it yourself?  You'll be dead within seconds."

Soven looked over his shoulder.  Surprising (not) it was Goo or something who spoke out.
Soven grinned an evil grin.  "Little boy.  Of course you'd think that.  Your weak, so your not use to people doin' the impossible. Ha!  I'll make you a bet kid, if I kill it you have to kiss my bare arse and if I lose, you can lead my men for awhile.  How 'bout?"

Goo (something) muttered.  "Idiot."   Louder, he said "Sure, you'll die anyway so I've already won,"

Soven threw his head back and laughed at the sky,  "You'd wish!"  With that, Soven walked quickly down the path and past the bend.

(I know what your think, but read the next post carefully I can explain the truth about the aeon)

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(Stupid dog jumped on the laptop while typing this, lost everything and had start over again so its not as good as what it could of been)

Xipetotec held aloft a struggling Guard officer foolish enough to emerge from his hiding place and attack him. Xipetotecs hand gripped his throat and he listened in delight the sound of his victims neck crumble and his desperate gasps for breath. Xipetotecs attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps come from behind.

"I trust you were successful,"

"Yes the angels and the kids have been delt with,"

"All of them?"

"No I was disappointed, Neji, Keij and the elf Tanis were not there and Neji was the one I wanted,"

Xipetotecs attention was drawn to his victim again, having been distracted he failed to notice he was crushing mere dead weight releasing his grip the unfortunate late guard officer hit the ground in a heap.

"Still to defeat 3 angels plus two others...impressive you have become very powerful Zell, too powerful and too fast..." Xipetotec turned to Zell, yet Zell simply cast aside his glare. "You just remember who you're master is,"

"Penance preyed on my fear and gave me a terrible power at the cost of my emotions and memories, I could never forget him,"

"Yet you seem to remember the names of the angels and of Neji,"

"I know only what I've been told, Neji was once like a father to me therefore I must kill him to leave my past behind," Xipetotec gave Zell an unconvincing look, but pressed on none the less.

"There appears to be survivors,"

"I will stay behind and deal with them,"

"No, you catch up with our forces and chase down the refugees, leave the survivors to me,"

Zell bowed and took his leave, leaving behind a blood thristy Xipetotec.

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

Eevee and Tsunami slowly crept of the ruined building which had almost been there grave, the cautously examed the streets but they were all enemy free, guard soilders and civillians helped eachother to the exit leaving behind the homes they tried so hard to defend. The pair eventually came across a young girl weeping the streets, down her leg was a nasty wound porberly from a fall she had while escaping, she was desperated raking through shoutinf for her mother who must of been in the building the moment it collapsed. The scene was heart breaking and the two teenagers could not help but feel like they have something in common with her, Eevee had no clue what became of her parents and they seemed no where to be found, Tsunami to had no information on her father or what the situtation was like in Bevelle. Silently they helped her rake through the ruins until finally they came across the mother who was unfortunatly already dead.

Some minutes had passed, the child had calmed down and Tsunami had healed the wound on her leg.

"Well well, what do we have here," a sisister voice came from behind. Tsunami's eyes widened as she immediatle reconsised the voice. Eevee jumped up and extended her force lance. "It appears that some rats where able to hide in there holes,"

"Yo-you!" Eevee said

Xipetotec laughed "Well well, looks like today won't be an entire bore,"

Tsunami gripping her staff whispered to Eevee, "What are we going do Eevee?" Eevee paused for a few seconds before finally answearing.

"Tsu, grab the girl and run,"

"What? I can't leave you behind,"

"What are you talking about? I running too!" Tsunami spun round and scooped the young girl up and made her way down the street, Eevee following behind. They weaved through the ruined streets dodging piles of rubble and dead bodies, until eventually the came to the town center. They stopped gasping for breath, Tsunami letting the girl.

"Did we lose him," Eevee asked between breaths. Tsunami examed the area carefully, there was no movement from any direction, and the only sound she could hear was the sound of hers and Eevee's pounding hearts.

"Yeh I think we lost him,"

"Thank the aeons, I really did not want to fight at a time like this,"

"Oh thats a shame, I was looking forward to it," Xipetotec's voice rang from all directions. The girls jumped and readied there weapons.

"Damn he found us!"

"Found you? I never lost you!" Xipetotec laughed

The girls examed all around them, they could hear him yet not see him, the tension in the air grew and grew into a deadly silence. Xipetotec was silently torturing there nerves. Then the ground began to crack inbetween them, Tsunami grabbed the girl and threw her aside, as Xipetotec burst out the ground bring up a cloud of dust and rubble. Eevee sprang the action Xipetotec had already closed the distence between them so and using magic at that range is espiecally with a young girl around, so instead Eevee swung her force lance, Xipetotec grabbed the lance, and returned Eevee swing with a fist to the face, she released her staff and feel to the ground lapsing in and out of conscieness, Tsunami to pounced forward, her staff glowing, Xipetotec blocked Tsunami's staff with Eevees and followed with a kick to the stomach, Tsunami doubled over as all the air in her lungs was forced out. Xipetotec laughed and turned to the young girl attempting to run away, stretching his arm forward he grabbed her by the back of her dress and pulled her in close.

"Where do you think you are going?" Xipetotec said lifting the girl to his height and hissing in her ear.

"Put her down!" Eevee yelled getting to her feet, Xipetotec strectched his arm towards Eevee and grabbed her by her top, drawning her daggers and casting a spell on them she drove them into Xipetotecs arm, he roared in pain the blades burning him from within. "Tsu now!" she yelled. Xieptotec looked to see Tsunami come at him, her staff blazing white. Xipetotecs eyes widened knowing full well the power of Tsunami's staff. Xipetotec was forced to drop the girl and through up a dark encampment wall. Tsunami collided with dark shield the power throughing her back.

"Nearly had you there," she smiled, a smile which angered Xipetotec.

"I'm going to kill the pair you!" he yelled in rage. throwing his fist towards Eevee who still held his other arm with enchanted blades. She released her daggers and dropped to avoid the attack, Tsunami charged once again, she swung wildly yet the nimble Xipetotec dodged every blow. Eevee came from behind, spinning her daggers in her hands. Caught between the two Xipetotec was forced to leapt in the air, the teenagers passing under him. Tsunami and Eevee paused, Xieptotec appeared to have vanished before them. The looked up to see him come down both feet, crashing into the ground, between them, Xipetotec swung the back of his hand colliding with Tsunami and knocking her back, Eevee swung her daggers but Xipetotec dodged, then grabbed her by the throat and immediatly began to squeeze.

"No Eevee!" Tsunami yelled charging only to run into Xipetotecs foot. "No I won't give up, Eden help me here,"

Tsunami was suddenly taken by a bright light, she could feel a strong wind whisk around her, Xipetotec turned to look in disbelief, Tsunami had changed, her staff changed to a silver sword, he hair blew around her shining white, her eyes glowed and a strange pair of lines came down her face, her wings spouted from her back and grew to twice there length, and a thrid wing appeared inbetween.

"Release her now," Tsunami said in a dominating and mystic voice. Tsunami charged forward, propelled by a gust of wind causing Xipetotec to panic and drop Eevee, he backflipped to avoid to searing blow. "HOLY!" Tsunami shouted. opening one hand towards Xipetotec.

"Holy, you know that won't work on me," as expected the blinding light engulffed Xipetotec harmlessly, but then he felt something, the energy began to push him before explouding and blowing him back. Xipetotec flipped mid air to land on his feet, shaken and burned.

"What the hell?" he complained "Holy shouldn't effect me?!" Xipetotec was too distracted to notice Tsunami cast another spell.

"Binding chains," she said and four chains appeared from the ground and air and lock around Xipetotecs limps.

"What!? Impossible! me?!" Xipetotec yelled in rage.

"It's over Xipetotec," Tsunami's sword flashed into a bright light and she charged forward for the finishing blow. Xipetotec struggled and roared.

"NO! NO! NO!" he yelled explouding into a fenzy of power, then he heard a crack, one of the chains was giving in, and in one mighty heave the chain around his right arm shattered. Xipetotec clenched his fist and brought it down to collide with Tsunami's cheek. Tsunami bounced of the ground, back in her normal form. The rest of the chains turned rusty and crumbled into nothing around the victorius Xipetotec.

Eevee ran to Tsunami.

"Tsu, are you ok?" Tsunami mumbled before opening her weakend eyes.

"You little brats, you are far more trouble than you should be, I'm going to enjoy killing you two,"

Xipetotec took a step back before charging forward fist clenched.

"Prepare to D-" Xipetotec roared before his sentence was suddenly stopped when a knee to the face intercepted his attack and threw him back, Xipetotec flew the air back flipped and landed on one knee, he wiped a treacle of blood from his lip looking forward with a snarl.

"Who dares?" he yelled, Keiji landed softly to the ground a stern look on his face.



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<ooc - This happens approximately while Eevee and Tsunami are still wandering around Luca, before they see the girl>

Feyd drifted through a dark haze, unsure whether he was asleep or awake. Sometimes he would stir closer to consciousness and begin to see vague shapes slip in and out of focus around him, but as he did the pain in his head would intensify and he would slide back into oblivion. Now he floated in a dreamlike state through complete darkness, seeing and feeling nothing, but then a fuzzy outline appeared ahead, steadily growing sharper against the inky blackness. He thought he must be hallucinating.

“Sonya?”

She seemed completely healthy and unharmed, despite the battle they had just been through.

“Feyd? Is that you?” the phantom image of Sonya asked, squinting at him and apparently having similar difficulty focussing.

That seemed a strange thing for a dream to say and Feyd began to wonder if he was actually dreaming. They continued to float together through the blackness and, dream or not, Feyd couldn’t help reaching out and taking his soul mate’s hands in his. He kissed her forehead.

“Is this the Farplane?” Sonya asked as they drew apart, “Are we…dead?”

“No.” came a familiar voice from behind them.

They turned and were immediately blinded by a dazzling white light radiating from above them. Shielding their eyes, they saw a figure silhouetted at the epicentre of the light, which as their eyes adjusted resolved itself into a regal figure with flowing white hair and sweeping pointed ears - High Priest Laconfir.

“I do not have much time, Angels,” the High Priest said, fixing them with the same penetrating yet gentle stare he had used in life, “When I passed to the Farplane many fate-lines that were hidden to me became clear, but Penance’s minions run riot across the Farplane and I do not know how long I can maintain this connection. I have come to warn both of you - you must not confront Penance.”

Feyd and Sonya stared at him uncomprehendingly.

“Not confront Penance? But master, if not us, then who? You told us we were destined to destroy him!”

“It is the destiny of the Avenging Angels to finally defeat Penance, yes. But it is not written on your fate. You were destined to vanquish Sin, but it is the fate of other Angels to fight Penance.”

“Other Angels? But…”

They stopped as the realisation sank in.

“No. Not Keiji and Eevee! They’re still just teenagers!”

“I am sorry, Angels, but I have seen the twisted skein of fate and its many possible futures, and this is the only way. They must confront Penance, and they must do so alone.”

“NO!” Sonya shouted, the only time she had ever raised her voice in anger to the High Priest.

“You can’t ask us to let our daughter to confront Spira’s worst nightmare!” Feyd backed her up, “She’s talented yes, but you can’t ask that of a 16-year-old girl!”

“She and Keiji must confront Penance. It is their fate. You cannot help them.”

Sonya shook her head, tears in her eyes.

“No. I’m not going to let Eevee have to face him. I can’t lose her.”

“We defeated Sin and we’ll defeat Penance!” Feyd added defiantly. Laconfir shook his head sadly.

“If you try to confront Penance, you will die. I have forseen it.”

“No. Prophesies have been wrong before. We’ll fight him. You can’t ask us to put our little girl in that kind of danger.”

“You must not fight him! If the Angels perish then all is lost and Spira will fall to darkness.”

The light surrounding Laconfir began to flicker and pulse erratically, and the elf winced as if in pain.

“Master,” Sonya called out desperately, “You said…Penance’s servants are in the Farplane?”

“Kiba,” the High Priest gasped, “Kiba is here - Melina and I are fighting him but…we…cannot…aaaaargh!”

Abruptly the light imploded and Feyd and Sonya were sent spinning down through darkness.


* * *

In Kebel, Larek and Jacen walked together through the deserted lower levels, which had been cleared of bodies but was still full of debris; the desperate battle that had been fought there was still all too evident. Larek saw Jacen turn away, tears in his eyes, as he headed towards the one still-functioning shuttle that traversed the tunnel between Kebel and Luca, Whisper jogging at his side. He had been restless all night, and finally decided he could take it no longer - he was damned if he was just going to sit here while Fariel ran into the mouth of hell. Jacen had got up wordlessly and followed him as he announced his intentions, and that thought drew his attention back to the tortured sniper beside him.

“It’s going to hurt for a long time, Jacen, and it should. But I’m going to do what I can to make it easier for you. I’m not going to tell anyone about the part you played in this.”

He had seen the security camera recording of Jacen downloading the defence schematics and then pocketing the disc when Dante, too drunk to notice, had wandered in, but he had deleted the file hoping that no-one else would see it.

Jacen nodded his thanks numbly, then leaned back against a wall as Larek and Whisper climbed into the shuttle train. Its engines rose to a whining hum as it sped off down the dark tunnel, and as the sound faded into the distance Jacen slid to the floor, his head in his hands.

<ooc - If we’re writing scenes to music, this is where you fade up Evanescence’s Away From Me>

Larek’s offer was far more generous than he deserved, and he knew it. He couldn’t face the other Kebelites, the friends he had betrayed, with the knowledge of what he had done. He looked down at his hands, and in his mind’s eye he could almost see them stained red.

He lurched to his feet. He couldn’t stay here. He didn’t know where he would go, and he didn’t care. He saw himself reflected in some shattered glass that was strewn on the floor, and felt as if he didn’t recognise the face he saw there. He turned back the way he had come, wandering in a detached silence as he made his way through the maze of tunnels towards one of the cave entrances and the long descent from Mt Gagazet. It was almost as if he watched himself through someone else’s eyes as he approached the bright light of the cave mouth with the sound of wind and snow howling outside.

Three men blocked his path.


* * *


Feyd let out a groan as he lapsed back into consciousness. He tried to sit up but the world spun around him as soon as he began to move and he abandoned the attempt. The concrete around him was coated with a red glaze of blood. His hair was matted with it, and as he tried to sit up again, much slower this time, the half-congealed vitae peeled stickily away from his face as he moved. A sharp pain shot through the right side of his head, temporarily blinding his left eye with coloured blobs. He probed the wound gingerly, wincing in pain. He had been lucky - the bullet had merely winged him, creasing his skull. With an effort he focussed his vision and looked around. He was surrounded by rubble, and a large metal column hung a few feet above his head. It had been stopped a split-second before crushing him by another large stone next to his head. There was a small shaft of light, about half a metre square, shining through a partially blocked hole in the piled rubble above him. He tried to push the slab of bricks blocking it aside but his head exploded with pain, so he just dug as many stone and metal chips away as he could with his hands and wriggled through. Nails bleeding, he at last stood shakily in the moonlit ruin of the square, which was almost completely covered with debris. The great arch of Luca’s gate had been torn down, and shattered marble lay broken and scattered. Like the hopes of its people.

A gaunt quiet lay over the dead city like a shroud. Feyd shouted, calling for Sonya, for Eevee, Fariel, anybody, but the echoes of his voice faded without reply. Then he saw a pile of debris to his right shift, rubble slowly rising up and rolling aside as Sonya used her elemental control of rock to free herself from the ruins. Feyd stumbled over and grabbed his wife’s hand, helping her up and embracing her.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, anxiously.

“Frak, Feyd, you’re hurt.” was Sonya’s reply, and she cast an elvish healing spell on him, sealing the bullet-wound on his scalp and siphoning off the blood that matted his hair and covered half his face.

“Where’s Fariel?”

They soon found her half-buried and unconscious under a heap of wreckage, pinned by one wing beneath a thick metal pipe. Together they heaved it off her then Sonya pressed her hands down gently on the soft but bloodstained feathers of her wing, healing both the bullet-wound and the bones broken by the pipe’s crushing weight. They knelt by her and spoke her name softly, but though her breathing was steady she did not stir.

Feyd and Sonya stood up, wondering what to do. Everything else, from why Zell was fighting for Penance to where the demons had gone, had flown from their minds in the wake of their shared vision and Laconfir’s dire prophesy.

“Eevee?” Feyd asked, and Sonya closed her eyes to let Tritoch’s Farsight carry her high above the desolated city, sweeping over empty ruins and corpse-choked streets, until she spied two figures stumbling through the ruins about half a mile away. It was Eevee and Tsunami wandering through the streets, their heads turning left and right as they scanned the ruins for signs of life.

Sonya opened her eyes and found her vision blurred with a film of tears. She had ended the spell not only because she feared Eevee and Tsunami would sense her presence if she flew too close, but also because she couldn’t take the sight of her daughter’s anguished face as she called in vain for her mum and dad without breaking down.

“They’re alright, they’re both alright,” she sniffed after a moment, “And there aren’t any demons around that I can see.”

Although, she thought, it might be possible for a more powerful demon to mask itself from her scrying. She pushed the uncomfortable thought away, trusting in Tritoch’s power.

“If we’re going to try and confront Penance,” Feyd said slowly, his voice sounding strained, “We need to go now. Eevee can’t know. We can’t let her find out.”

“She’d try to come with us.” Sonya agreed quietly.

“They’ll look after each other, and Fari will take care of them until Neji and Keiji get back.” Feyd said.

Sonya nodded again silently. They stood hand in hand for a second, summoning the courage to go through with one of the hardest things they’d ever have to do.

And then they turned and walked out of the square, and out of Luca, down towards the Highroad where Sonya could summon Tritoch to carry them to where they needed to go.

To confront a monster.

Leaving their friends and their daughter behind them.



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Captain Thule: We have yet to meet our betters, alien. All we have seen are deluded tyrants, heretics and alien scum.
Farseer Taldeer: You should have looked beyond your mirror then.



Nuisance

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(occ - After the baby angels beat the hell out of Xipo, Fariel will waltz in.  And Eevee can make a stupid joke about how she’s late too!  Also, I’ll write a bit about Jacen getting the crap beaten out him later)

 

Fariel came to slowly, her vision was blurred and dark, she coughed as she inhaled the dust filled air, “Where the heck am I…?”  She murmured then remembered the fight with Zell before the building came down.

She could feel a slight ache in her wings and back but it didn’t compare to the headache.  Looking around she contemplated why she wasn’t six feet under rubble but dismissed it, “Where the frak are you Zell, you’re in for a beating?!”  She growled as she got to her feet but everything was quiet, her anger disappeared as she realised she was all alone.  “How long was I out…?”  She laughed dryly.

Fariel you must hurry and help the angels.  Leviathan appeared in her head

”Which ones and where?  It doesn’t look like anyone’s left in this ruin.”  She continued to scan the area as she walked across the street of rubble but then heard a loud crash and yelling.  “Eevee?” Was the first thing that came to mind, “Eevee!”  She yelled running towards where she heard the yelling coming from.

“Fariel?!”  Was the quick reply but it was a mans voice not a females, Fariel spun around and looked down the street branching off from hers, coming through the smoke of a dying fire two figures appeared.

The first one came speeding towards her quickly and jumped up into her arms sending her falling backwards, “Whisper?!”  She laughed at the sudden appearance of her wolven friend, which meant the other figure could only be one other person.  “Larek!”  Fariel smiled, Whisper stepped off her and let her up only to get wrapped up again in Larek’s arms.  “You silly man, what are you doing here?”  She hugged him warmly; she half knew that he would come after her even though she told him not to.

“Someone has to watch your six.”  He smiled.

They both looked away from each other as they heard yells, “Frak, c’mon!”  Fariel took his hand and ran down the street Larek in tow and Whisper running ahead.



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Nuisance

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(occ - how much does this suck?  I'll probably edit it later and give jacen a few more bruises but you get the jist of what's going on :p lol  Anyway, post away Sean.)

 

 

Jacen stopped and looked up at the three blocking his path, three injured and bloodstained men with angry glares looked back.

“How could you do that to your own kind, Jacen?”  Zeke hissed, “We accept you in and that’s how you repay us?” 

"You’re more like your brother then you know.”  Faber who stood a step in front of the two younger men glared at him.

“I…”  Jacen’s clenched his fists, “I’m…I’m sorry.” 

“Saying sorry isn’t going to bring back our friends!”  Dante objected and marched up to Jacen.

“Don’t you think I know that?!”  Jacen yelled back defensively, Dante growled and back handed him across the face, Jacen staggered sideways and nearly fell.  Faber normally would have stepped in but anger clouded his judgment and he remained where he stood.

“I could kill you right now, but that would be too easy!”  Dante kicked him as he tried to regain his balance, causing him to fall to the ground.

“Dante,” Faber started, Dante half turned to see what the older man wanted, “your making too much of a display.  Take him downstairs and throw him in the brig.”  He added dismissively and left.  Zeke remained to help his brother haul Jacen to his feet and force him downstairs.

Though it didn’t take a great deal of force, Jacen went without objection.  No doubt the whole of Kebel knew what he had done.  He was probably better off dead.

“Get in.”  Dante, after stripping Jacen of anything he could use to escape or harm himself with, shoved him into a small cell and locked the door.  “We’ll be back later, do us a favour and drop dead before then.”  Dante stormed off with clenched fists, he felt partly responsible for not noticing what Jacen was doing when he was looking at the maps in the machina room.

Zeke looked into the cell at Jacen who had lent against the back wall and cursed, “I know you wouldn’t have done any of this, your not the sort of person, your brother must have been controlling you...but I’m sorry Jacen, I can’t forgive you, I’ve lost too much to be able to forgive you.”

“I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

“Zeke, c’mon!”  Dante yelled from upstairs somewhere and Zeke ran after his brother quickly.



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“Y-you again!? Boy you are becoming a real nuisance!” Keiji looked at Xipetotec with his now fierce eyes.

 

“Keiji! Bout time!” Tsunami said getting to her feet

 

“You’re through now Xipetotec, no way can defeat all three of us,” Eevee boasted

 

“Tsunami, Eevee, get back and leave him to me,” Keiji ordered turning his head towards Tsunami

 

“Keiji! Do you remember what happened last time!? I won’t leave you to fight him alone!” Tsunami yelled defiantly in response

 

“Oh my god you’re such a guy,” Eevee laughed

 

Keiji smiled turning back to Xipetotec, “Don’t worry, I can handle it,”

 

“Typical…” the girls said taking Rosie away from the battle.

 

“We’ll be close Keiji,” Tsunami said a worried expression on her face.

 

Keiji steadily paced towards Xipetotec a confident smile on half his face, Xipeototec showed his teeth in a massive amused grin.

 

“So you want fight me?”

 

“fight you? No, I want to kill you”

 

Keiji stood before Xipetotec dwarfed by his height and bulk.  Xipetotec nearly burst into a laugh, but before Xipetotec could  Keijis foot moved slightly clipped his foot with enough strength to knock him off balance and catching him by surprise.  Keiji spun round and collided with Xipetotecs cheek with the back of his clenched fist, Xipetotec staggered to one side yet the experienced warrior stayed on his feet, he brought his head round, now a bitter snarl as the blow was surprisingly painful. He looked at Keiji who now had his back turned in a show of confidence.

 

“Turn you’re back on me!? I’ll show you!” Xipetotec snarled pouncing forward he threw his fist, in a blink Keiji had spun round and grabbed his wrist with a firm grip. Xipetotec continued with his bitter snarl, but Keiji’s expression changed to a confident smile, he rose his foot and kicked Xipetotec under the chin, his head whipped back and he began to fall, Keiji followed up with an steel like punch to his stomach forcing Xipetotec’s eyes to widen and bulge in pain, Xipetotec spat blood stepping back several steps before doubling over and clenching his stomach, he looked up to see Keiji start his charge and before he knew it Keiji was flying through the air and stabbed Xipetotec’s stomach with his foot breaking through his last minute guard, kicking off Xipetotec and remaining in the air Keiji spun round and kicked him across the cheek the force caused Xipetotec to twirl before crashing into the ground. Keiji back flipped twice and stood waiting for Xipetotec to get back on his feet.

 

“How!? How did he become so strong!?” Xipetotec roared spitting blood to the ground as he got shook off the dizziness.

 

“What happened to you’re smile,” Keiji laughed, Xipetotec roared in response and fired a mighty Dark Dragon Bullet, Keiji moved to one side the black dragon flying past him harmlessly then the second came spinning towards Keiji’s head, ducking slightly it passed harmlessly over his head.  “Looks like you missed Xipetotec, your aim must be off,” Keiji said with a mocking smile.

 

“I’ll make you pay!”

 

“Go ahead make me pay…”

 

Xipetotec yelled and in a frenzy of rage he threw many demon balls, each was bang on target and Keiji began to disappear under a thick cloud of darkfire explosions. Xipetotec breathed heavily getting to grips with his rage, when the smoke settled and Keiji stood unharmed behind a black fading wall. “But if that’s all the power you got you’re going to have trouble collecting,”

 

Xipetotec roared and charged in throwing many punches and swinging his legs. His fists were flying at the speed of bullets but Keiji drifted smoothly dodging every punch with ease, tilting his body so they flew past him, ducking under and leaping over kicks. Keiji was however forced to block two punches and then kick before he grabbed Xipetotec’s fist in mid flight and crushed it, Xipetotec roared then jumped back holding his clenched crushed fist. Keiji charged forward a mysterious force propelling him, Xipetotec attempted a punch but Keiji blocked it with his open hand following up with another steel like punch to the gut, Keiji continued to work on Xipetotecs gut with rapid piston punches with both hands, Keiji dropped and sweeped Xipetotecs legs, but as Xipetotec fell Keiji followed up with a knee to the side of Xipetotec’s head setting him up to his feet again, twirling round Keiji kicked him back, Xipetotec flew through the air and scrapped along the ground before coming to a halt spilling over a broken sales cart.

 

Xipetotec staggered to his feet amazingly but he only opened himself up for another beating, Keiji charged forward leaping into the air drove his knee into Xipetotecs face, and by propelling himself with an unseen force ran his knee once again into Xiptotec’s face, Keiji landed smoothly and using his entire strength did an uppercut with enough power to launch Xipetotec into the air. Xipetotec launched in the air from the inhuman attack and flew high above the tallest building in Luca. Keiji gathered his energy to his feet and propelled himself up after Xipetotec who was soaring in the air flat on. Xipetotec opened his eyes in time to see Keiji appeared at his side high in the sky and with one jump, Keiji lifted his knee and crashed into Xipetotecs back a strike which would of propelled him higher had Keiji not been there both hands clasped together to smack him back down to earth. Like a meteorite he crashed into a building causing it to cave in on him. Keiji landed next to the rubble that once was a building, the dust still settling.

 

“Come on you bastard, that has to be you finished,” Keiji said to himself examining the ruins. He stood in a tense moment watching for any sign of life, yet there was none. Satisfied Keiji turned around but then the earth began to shake he turned to the rubble shaking rapidly and then suddenly bursting out sending rocks and chunks of building in all directions Xipetotec emerged in his giant form, roaring as he ascended higher to sky.

 

“KEIJI! YOU HAVE MOCKED ME TO LONG! NOW YOU WILL DIE!”



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Xipetotec boomed and in a blind rage began rampaging through the ruins smashing buildings. Keiiji drifted back into the many streets and alleys of Luca retreating to a safe distance.

 

Keiji sat in an alley hidden from Xipetotec’s rampage thinking deep to himself, he looked around for back up, but there was none, Tsunami and Eevee had left and so had his father, he didn’t know where his god parents or Tanis were and he doubted that Fariel would appear to save him like in Ghede’s tower. It was all up to him, this time no one is going to arrive and save him. Keiji gathered his nerves.

 

“Ok, here goes,” whipping his energy underneath him he launched himself on top of a building. He looked over to Xipetotec who continued his rampage not to far away. He had no clue on Keiji’s where abouts giving Keiji an advantage he couldn’t let slip away.  Keiji let loose his bat like wings and gathered his energy to propel towards Xipetotec. Burning with power Keiji rocketed over Luca and fast approached towards Xipetotec, he let loose a mighty roar catching Xipetotecs attention, Xipetotec twisted his head to late and Keiji drove his fist into his cheek, putting his body and power behind the attack nearly knocking Xipetotec off his feet.

 

“THERE YOU ARE MAGGOT!” Xipetotec yelled facing towards where the attack came from but Keiji was not there and then suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his side, Keiji powered his foot into his side causing him to nearly fall. Xipetotec looked down to see Keiji on the ground gazing back up at him, stretching his fist he threw it towards Keiji but the fist hit only the ground as Keiji jumped out the way, suddenly appearing in front of Xipetotecs face, he gathered a white demon ball and threw the blazing white black ball. The ball collided with Xipetotecs face burning it and blocking his sight behind a haze of white smoke. Xipetotec staggered clutching his face. Keiji landed confidently between Xipetotecs legs on one knee and leaping slightly in the air he spun round swinging his leg and kicking the back of Xipetotec’s foot causing the giant to be swept off his feet and collide with a group of buildings before crashing into the ground. Keiji jumped back to atop of a building as Xipetotec angrily got to his feet.

 

“Ok! Now or never” Keiji said to himself, he spread his arms out and began to channel energy into his palms, he slammed his to wrists together and his open palms aimed at Xipetotec, “Mana Blast, don’t fail me!” he shouted releasing a massive amount of magical energy in a bright concentrated beam of raw energy bright yellow in color. Xipetotec turned around to late and the blast collided with his chest and forced him to be thrown back into many buildings, covering his massive body in dust and rubble Keiji cancelled the stream of energy and took a deep breath.

 

“It’s not over yet!” Keiji yelled, and he leapt to the air and twirled round, he clasped his wrist with his hand and out of his open palm launched a further three beams in steady bursts. The blasts crashed into the dust cloud bring up more dust and rubble until the area exploded. Keiji landed directly in front of the burning area.

 

“Keiji! You did it!” he heard Tsunami’s voice call out.

 

“Well well Keiji not bad, although you didn’t have to make such a mess and show off,” Eevee mocked.

 

“Tsunami, Eevee, I thought I told you get out of here, you could of gotten hurt,”

 

“Don’t lecture me about taking risks,” she replied angrily, placing her hands on her hips, Keiji smiled before his attention was taken to the child hiding behind Tsunami clinging to her clothes. He smiled gently but she cowered behind Tsunami more.

 

“Tsunami, he has the same wings, as the monsters,” she whispered, causing Tsunami to smile.

 

Tsunami turned to the child “Yeh they aren’t the most attractive things I agree,” Keiji scowled at Tsunami but faded away his wings so not to alarm the child anymore. “But don’t worry he’s a nice man,” The child slowly came out from behind Tsunami and smiled but the expression soon turned to terror. Keiji spun round to see a dark dragon bullet charge towards him, to late to dodge Keiji raised his guard yet the blast did not hit, instead collided with a white barrier from Tsunami.

 

“No way! How could he survive that!” Keiji yelled lowering his guard as Xipetotec burst out of the ruins still in his giant form, surrounded by a purple lightning like aura, he was now taller and far more evil looking, his face with an unforgiving snarl. Xipetotec roared and stretched his massive arm with a clenched fist. Tsunami brought up another barrier but to her shock the fist shattered the barrier like glass and continued its collision course. In a last minuet attempt Keiji tensed up and with both hand open flat raised them to meet the attack, the impact caused the ground around Keiji to crack and he felt himself dig deeper into the concrete yet he managed to old the heavy fist.

 

“Everyone! Go!” he yelled pushing back with all his strength. Tsunami grabbed the childs hand and lead her away. Xipetotec withdrew his fist and roared clasping both hands together he viscously slammed them towards Keiji, with no chance of blocking this attack Keiji leapt to the sky, calling out his wings he charged at Xipetotec, but it was in vain, now faster Xipetotec twisted his body and Keiji flew harmlessly by. He swung his fist but Keiji managed a last minute dodge but was unprepared for the follow up, Xipetotec’s other hand in an open palm swatted Keiji towards the ground, causing him to land hard into the pavement, bouncing slightly as he collided. Xipetotec let out a spine chilling laugh, so vicious it shook the land.

 

“Xipetotec, you bastard,” Keiji said as he rose to his feet, suddenly he struck with an instant pain, his vision went blurry and Keiji suddenly felt himself falling to one knee, placing his hand forward to stop the fall. “Wha…What the hell?” Keiji spat blood, “This much damage from one hit?” Keiji shook his dizziness and stood up once again, the last attack although it had a kinda late reaction did a fair number on Keiji and his body began to ache. “Keiji refused to believe that this was all down to Xipetotec’s power, something else was making him stronger, it must have been Penance’s power. Keiji caught his breath, “I have to end this quickly, he has become to powerful,”

 

“WHATS WRONG KEIJI, AFRAID? ARE YOU SCARED BECAUSE YOU NOW SEE MY TRUE POWER?”

 

“No chance Xipetotec! You could never scare me,” Keiji rose to the sky raising his hand up high. Xipetotec looked puzzled but was eager to see what Keiji was planning, and then dark energy began to form above Keiji’s hand, and suddenly a great black ball formed.

 

“DARK MESSENGER?” Xipetotec said almost laughing, “EVEN THAT COULD NEVER BEAT ME?”

 

“Maybe you’re right but I have to try,”

 

“Keiji!” Tsunami’s voice called, Keiji looked to his side to see Tsunami stand next to him her staff held strong.

 

“Tsunami?”

 

“Let me fight by you’re side Keiji,” Tsunami pointed her staff upwards and it began to glow, slowly it drifted from her hand and floated in mid air bursting into a ball of bright white energy. Keiji smirked.

 

“Thank you…Dark Messenger!”

 

“Light Messenger!” The pair shouted throwing down there attacks. The blasts traveled side by side. Xipetotec stepped back but stood strong, placing his hands forward he began to push back against the balls of energy, until the balls slowly faded into each other creating a whole new ball of energy, one with the perfect balance of light and dark, Xipetotec was overwhelmed the ball pushed him to the ground before exploding and engulfing Xipetotec.

 

“We did it!” Tsunami shouted jumping towards Keiji and wrapping her arms around him. Keiji smiled in relief returning the hug, side by side they landed on ground where Eevee stood waiting.

 

“Well done guys,” she smiled, Keiji and Tsunami smiled turning to each other, before there attention was drawn to the child, now hiding behind Eevee. She emerged looking up to Keiji smiling greatly. Suddenly Keiji felt a breeze pass between him and Tsunami, and the child’s eyes widened, as something passed through her, tearing through her body, the child didn’t even have time to scream, everyone froze all eyes fixed on the her, the child looked down to the long arm which pierced through her body, the hand withdrew and the child dropped heavily to the ground.

 

“No,” Tsunami said dropping down a scooping up the little child, but it was to late, all traces of life had gone, fighting back the tears Tsunami gently closed her dead eyes. “She was so young,” Suddenly Tsunami and Eevee were encased in a black prison.

 

“How can you still be Alive!?” Eevee shouted looking towards a figure none of them ever thought they would see again, Xipetotec stood before a burning ruin in his normal size, his body torn and bruised yet still holding together, however there was change in him an aura of even greater evil was present around his body far more violent than before, but the biggest change was in his eyes, all signs of sanity had vanished as he smiled widely, often s******ing. Xipetotec silently muttered something under his breath and a great pain fell upon Tsunami and Eevee, they screamed as all muscles in there bodies cramped until finally they passed out, the black prison fading.

 

“You…monster,” Keiji said to himself still staring down at the child now with a passed out Tsunami and Eevee next to him.  “You attack cities killing all in sight, you destroy home and shops,” a look of disgust appeared on Keiji’s face, “you even take the lives of children,” Keiji said calmly looking towards the ground, “I won’t let you get away with this,” Keiji said angerly, he tensed his body gathering up so much demon energy that an invisible windy aura whipped around him causing his clothes to shake and a gust of loose energy unleashed his full power the power he previously could not control, Keiji relaxed and readied for battle.

 

“I’m Glad Tsunami is not conscience…I could never let her see this fight,”



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