Post by Ark on Sept 11, 2008 23:45:56 GMT -6
It had been a month since the Arius Conflict, a month of peace. Unfortunately, Etrah’s tranquility was broken abruptly, as angels began falling from the sky, screaming words of freedom, and wreaking havoc on the world. The warriors who’d subdued the one who’d taken control of Hell were now called back into action to suppress this uprising of fallen angels, who were referred to as Fallen.
However, that was the least of the problems to come. Thousands of years ago, there was a ruler of men, who came to be revered as a God by his people. Reality hit him hard on the day he died. There was a special place set aside for him in Hell, a place of unimaginable torture. For thousands of years, this self proclaimed God was held in his chamber, his captivators torturing him every second he was there. The method of torture was a single spell, given by many high ranking demons. The spell was called Iron Maiden, and forced the target to feel every last bit of pain that they had caused throughout their life. The ‘God’ was a vicious ruler while he was alive, cutting out living hearts, and taking countless lives. During his time in Hell, it all came back on him, forcing him into nothing but sheer agony. His name was Baalaose.
There came a day, when the captive was visited by a former angel. Vurkiel, once the Angel of Shadows, and ruler of the Shadow Realm, had taken a brief visit to Hell while his body was temporarily dead. In his short stay, he was subjected to the very same torture as Baalaose, as demons rarely had the opportunity to have fun with angels. It was at that time that a very strained conversation took place, and Vurkiel agreed to set Baalaose free if he returned to the world of the living. Shortly after, as if on cue, the once angel vanished from Hell, and returned to life, as his body was reconstructed by some very generous people. After offering them a word of thanks, he promptly set out on personal matters that needed to be tended to before he woke Baalaose.
Not wasting any more time, Vurkiel paid a visit to the broken realm of Heaven, finding a body for his new friend in an angel known as Tyriny. He convinced the angel to become a willing sacrifice. Summoning his old cellmate from Hell, he offered the angel’s body to be broken and torn limb from limb. In the end, the ruler rose again, standing in the bloody mess that had, at one point, been a confused angel. This time, Baalaose would not settle for merely claiming to be Etrah’s God. No. This time, he would prove it.
Meanwhile, Mathew, the result of an angel and a demon being thrown into one body, and the one who’d defeated Arius, had forced his way into Heaven, which was aided by the realm’s broken state. As soon as he set foot outside the gates, he was attacked by Guardians, who were quickly cut down by the abomination. The Warrior Angel of Fire, Pyrodeus, had caught wind of this, and made his way through the gates to investigate. There, he found Mathew, standing in a pool of blood that wasn’t his. As Pyrodeus was about to strike him down, the crossbreed explained that they had attacked him, and that he was only defending himself, which seemed to work as an excuse. When asked why he was in Heaven, Mathew responded that he wanted to know who he was, and that he had no recollection of his past. All he knew was that he was part angel, and part demon, so Heaven seemed like a good place to start.
The Angel of Fire took him to Heaven’s Archives, in search of the answers. On the way in, they were ambushed by a small group of Fallen, who were dispatched without too much effort. After a small time of searching, they came across a brief passage that mentioned an angel named Ark, who’d been banished from Heaven some number of years ago. That sent Mathew into a flashback, revealing part of his past. Soon after, the two of them fled the Archives with the helpful book in hand. They ran into another group of Fallen on the way out, which was taken care of by Pyrodeus alone. Deciding that it was a good idea to leave the place, the Angel of Fire teleported both himself, and Mathew, just outside his forge, which was stationed in the Mountains of Secrecy, on Etrah.
Unable to pull any more answers from the book, Pyrodeus suggests a new idea for them. The angel wished to carry out Magres Xerfal. Magres Xefal is a ritual available only to the strongest of angels. The ritual transforms the angel into a demigod of their chosen element, and grants them an immense amount of fire. The only soul to ever carry out the ritual successfully, till this point, was Cryodivus, the now God of Ice. After Mathew agreed to help, the Angel of Fire mentioned that they needed a chalice of blood from his greatest foe, which at the time happened to be the vampire known as Messanger. The two set off in a search.
Meanwhile, Rifel and Jay, the two dimension jumpers who’d sealed Arius away, were taking in Etrahn scenery near Sargis Lake. During their act of tourism, they were ambushed by ShadowSpawn. After a short, but furious battle, Rifel realized that the creatures should not have been appearing so far from the Forest of Shadows. This warranted an investigation, which took them to the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Realm, once ruled by Vurkiel, had been liberated by Rifel, his adopted son Malthius, and their friends Kary and Raid. Leaving on other important issues, he left the other three in charge. Surely they would have been keeping the ShadowSpawn in check.
The three he’d left there were missing. In their stead, a powerful group of shadows lie in wait, pouncing the two as soon as they entered the realm. It was during the fight that ensued that Rifel used his Shadow Drive, a transformation that unleashed his full potential, and an ability he swore to Malthius he’d never use again. This was Jay’s first time seeing his friend in such a form. After discovering the absence of his allies, Rifel takes the investigation back to Etrah. Reemerging in Reyone Field, they decided to walk to the Unnamed City in search of some sort of answer.
Pyrodeus and Mathew, on the other hand, found what they’d been searching for. Messanger was ambushed by the two in the Kryll Forest. As Mathew simply watched, which was a part of the ritual rules, the Angel of Fire provoked the vampire. It took a while, but Messanger was eventually convinced to fight back, rather than just spit insults. He hadn’t wanted to fight at all, seeing no point in it. Even though the vampire had been one of Arius’ men, he had no intention of bringing the evil creature back. The two fighters really had nothing to fight over anymore, and Mess simply wished that he could be left alone. Unfortunately, such was not the case, and a furious duel ensued. The vampire took a beating, and ended up unconscious while Pyrodeus filled a chalice with his blood.
The angel and the abomination returned to the forge briefly to check the next step of the ritual, which called for them to return to Heaven for the actual ceremony. Returning to sacred ground, they dropped the book off at its rightful place, and made for the Sacred Alter of Divine Power. En route, they were attacked by an airborne troupe of Fallen, who were quickly dispatched in mid-air combat. Once at their destination, Pyrodeus transferred Messanger’s blood into the chalice there, and Mathew proceeded to light the golden torches surrounding the Alter. Of course nothing of such importance comes that easily.
Another group of Fallen had taken refuge near the Alter, and were set on stopping this righteous angel from obtaining more power. With the Angel of Fire unable to move during the ceremony, Mathew had to take out the corrupted angels by himself. He’d managed to take out a good number of them before exhaustion set in, leaving Pyrodeus open for the last Fallen’s attack. Cryodivus stepped in then, eliminating the last threat to Pyrodeus’ success. Shortly thereafter, the Angel of Fire was no more. In his place stood the God of Fire, who could only be struck down by his own sword. A sudden wave of energy drew them back to the forge.
Damian, a human artifact hunter, had been standing atop the volcano that Pyrodeus’ Forge was set into. As he examined the amulet around his neck, he witnessed a truly tragic and horrifying sight. Another multitude of angels fell from grace before his eyes, falling like rain. Soon after, he had another problem. The volcano he stood upon erupted, threatening to shower him with molten rock. Thinking quickly, he jumped from his perch, his amulet providing him with wings, and guiding him into the cave that sat at the entrance to the forge, where he ran into the newly dubbed God of Fire and his abomination friend. His acts did not go unseen, however, as Baalaose had been observing the area at the time, and noted the pendant that gave him wings.
After moving into the forge itself, Damian explained that he was not an angel, as the others had believed, but a human with very special artifacts. During the conversation that followed, Cryodivus explained that, through his observation over the years, he knew what Baalaose was, and that he had returned. Pyrodeus took not of the risen enemy, as well as Damian's collection of items and sparked an idea, one that left the God of Ice brimming with rage. The human that they'd only just met was offered the seals of the fallen Warrior Angels.
At first, he was reluctant to take the gift, but he was reminded of the urgency of the situation involving Baalaose, and a tentative army of fallen angels. To counteract the suggestion, Cryodivus, after gaining permission from higher authority, decided to let Pyrodeus know of his son, Visignis. Visignis had been kept a secret from his father for thousands of years, and was a very competent fighter. If they wanted to fight someone who revered himself a God, they would greatly benefit from his help. In addition to this news, Crodivus explained that they should also seek out Drake, a Perceiver. Perceivers were beings with enhanced gifts of prophecy and clairvoyance.
It took a while for the news to sink into Pyrodeus' head. After thousands of years, finding out you had a son would be fairly shocking. After shaking it off, he and the God of Ice set out to find Visignis and the Perceiver. Mathew and Damian, on the other hand, were ordered to begin gathering an army of angels that still remained faithful.
When the angels fell, a divine assassin, by the name of Jaxyl, also fell. Landing, with other angels, among the Appeak Mountains, he found himself a single goal. He would purify the angelic race, and restore them to their place in Heaven. Of course, he had an agenda in doing so. Jaxyl wished for the title of Arch Angel. After suppressing a small rebellion of Fallen, the assassin was encountered by none other than Baalaose, who was still surveying his new kingdom. He felt that this 'God' might help him achieve his goal in wiping out the impure, so he thought it to be a good idea to ally himself, adding one more capable warrior to a very dark army before both went their separate ways.
The demigods had a difficult time pinpointing Visignis, as the half-angel's energy wasn't too present. In the process, the two were attacked by a squadron of rouge angels in the Mountains of Secrecy. During the skirmish, Pyrodeus gave his newfound power a test run, and Cryodivus showcased his own. As fortune would have it, Visignis was being held in a nearby mountain stronghold.
The two gave the medical staff, as well as the security at the complex a bit of a scare when they removed the half-angel from an ice bath, which was what had been suppressing his energy, and revived him from a comatose state. After the situtation was explained, Visignis agreed that it would be very beneficial to seek out the Perceiver.
The group decided to investigate the Kryll Forest first. While Pyrodeus was still getting used to seeing his son as an equal, rather than a subordinate, they were jumped by a group of angels under the employment of Baalaose. The angel were searching for 'the human who'd been granted the wings of an angel.' Needless to say, they didn't survive the fight. In fact, not much was left, other than charred bones and severed limbs scattered among ashes. Amidst the chaos, though, Visignis had managed to find Drake, the Perceiver, who was in dire need of medical attention, which they figured would be best found within Pyrodeus' Forge.
As the group cleared the area, Damian had come by, in search of angels. Finding only ashes, he thought it to be a good place to practice his necromancy. After a few unsuccessful tries, he eventually rose an angel made of pure ash, save for a single, gleaming feather. This angel came to revere the human as his creator and master. Dumbfounded by the coincidence, Damian chose to take the opportunity presented, and lead the angel into the mountains in search of more angels.
Meanwhile, Mathew had gone to Reyone Field to gather faithful angels to his cause. His request was not met, but rejected, quite forcefully. As he was cornered against one of the large stones, Jaxyl came to his aid, calming the Fallen in the area with a swift mind and smooth words. Unfortunately, the peace was very temporary, as Jaxyl recognized one of Mathew's blades, which belonged to the cast out angel named Ark. Ark was one of Jaxyl's marks when he was still a divine assassin, and the only one he'd never quite eliminated. He promptly called out his rival, calling Ark to the forefront of Mathew's personality, and dividing it between the angel and the demon who resided there.
At the Forge, Drake was getting the attention he needed. In the process, he had a vision pertaining to 'Pyrodeus' half-angel friend.' Visignis excused himself to pursue some personal matters, and Cryodivus dispatched himself to check on Mathew. When he he reached the field, Mathew was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found Jaxyl fighting someone who'd seemed to have taken over Mathew's body. He watched the fight commence, but never got to finish it, as Drake had called him back to the forge before the conclusion.
The fight went on without the Ice God, though, and it got very brutal, and quite bloody. In the end, Mathew, now fully under Ark's control, ended up taking far too many injuries to even stand. Jaxyl wasn't in the best of conditions either. Regrettably, he had to retreat to Sargis Lake before he could deal the finishing blow, leaving Ark among a multitude of Fallen who wanted him dead. Fortunately, a crimson warrior came to his aid, removing the threat of the Fallen by encasing him in a shield of sorts. The warrior also healed the greater majority of Ark's wounds, transferring them to an unlucky Fallen. With his work done, the crimson savior, known by his former companions as Malthius, left a message before he left. He wished for Ark to meet him in a realm called Earth.
Rifel and Jay had made their way into a local pub in the Unnamed City, searching for leads on Vurkiel. Sure enough, he'd been there, and had happened to make quite a bad impression on one of the drunkards. The inebriated man told them that their bounty would be found on top of the bank down the street. As the two of them exited, Visignis entered for nothing more than his usual drink.
As the man had suggested, Vurkiel was found atop the bank, fuming about prices to be paid for forgiveness. He explained to Rifel that he would forgive the four people, Kary, Raid, Malthius, and the one he was addressing, who'd taken everything from him. Unfortunately, his price was rather steep. The cost of forgiveness was apparently one's life. The broken angel then smugly claimed to have collected two fees already, and summoned forth Kary's spear, and Raid's sword.
The fight that ensued was a fierce one, and anything but unevenly matched, as Vurkiel took on both Rifel and Jay. The conflict had even caught Visignis' attention as he exited the pub. He wasn't captivated for long, though, as he felt his father's presence near the Appeak Mountains, and rushed to see what the matter was. The fight atop the bank ended in a stalemate, as Vurkiel was too injured to continue, but wouldn't let the two of them beat him. Thus, he fled into the shadows, claiming that he would find Malthius before they did, and that he wouldn't play nice.
As Rifel and Jay wound down, Ark found them, and had an urgent request. He wanted to go to the place called 'Earth,' and he dug through Mathew's memories to find that the two before him were capable of traveling as such. To sweeten his offer, he mentioned that someone in red had called him there. Rifel, jumping to the conclusion that it must have been Malthius, lead the way to the Earthen Realm.
Pyrodeus had visited the ruins of the once proud city, Ferdas, located at the base of the Appeak Mountains. The city was the site of the battle between the Sons of Plunder and the Warrior Angels. It was also where Visignis grew up, unbeknownst to his father. The half-angel found his way to the ruins, following Pyrodeus’ energy as the Fire God went into a deep meditation. It was there, that he reunited with his old friend, Tresdos.
However, Tresdos had changed since his human life time. Most noticeably, he was an angel now, and not a joyous one. He was furious at his time spent in the angelic service, and wanted nothing more than the freedom he now had, thanks the Heaven’s break. After issuing a few unkind words, he disappeared from view, leaving Visignis and his father alone for the moment. During that moment, Pyrodeus thought it a good idea to train his son, and took them both back to the forge. The dark angel, Tresdos reappeared momentarily to see them off. What he’d left out, when addressing his old friend, was that he’d essentially become a Warrior Angel. During his time in Heaven, he’d found the seal for a new Warrior Angel, one created by Azrael, Nocticertus. Thus, this now free angel had become the Warrior Angel of Darkness.
At the Forge, Pyrodeus was training his son’s mind, using the technique of working his way out of an imaginary box. Through this training, Visignis conditioned, and readied his body to allow his full potential. After breaking through the first mental block of ice, Visignis returned himself to the Forge, where he and his father began harnessing his power in various ways, such as enhancing his weaponry.
The pleasant moment didn’t last, though, as Drake suddenly brought their attention to an injured Damian outside the Forge. Damian, who’d been trying to recruit some of the more faithful Fallen, had a rather ill encounter with those who rejected his offer. Offering the human, and his ashen angel, shelter in the Forge, they began to carry out medical procedures. After all the attention, it was the amulet he had that brought him back to safety.
As they all readied for a fight with the unfaithful Fallen, Cryodivus arrived. Unfortunately, he was not the only one. Baalaose had also happened on the area, and he wanted to test these powerful beings before him. He tried to sway the God of Fire to his cause, but was unsuccessful. Damian had even tried to stand up to the self proclaimed God, who was actually making quite the argument for his cause by using the water to wine trick, with rain, then taking it a step futher, and changing it to blood. Unfortunately for Damian, he fell victim to Baalaose’s life absorbing aura.
Harsh words were exchanged, and Baalaose realized that he would have to enforce his argument for the title of a God. Early on, in the fight that broke out, Visignis took heavy injury, incapacitating him. As Pyrodeus and Cryodivus continued on the assault, Baalaose showed them just how useless it was. Taking their life energy through his life absorption aura, he was able to use their own abilities against them. As the fight got more brutal, Baalaose had a chance to use his trump card: The Iron Maiden spell. After so much time of taking its effect, his body was able to learn it, and even allow him to use it as he saw fit. Having shown them the error of their ways, he left his victims to writhe in the very pain that they’d caused to him.
After the initial shock of pain wore off, the group made way back into the Forge. After much consideration, Pyrodeus felt it necessary to give Damian the power of the Warrior Angel seals. After crafting a gauntlet to hold them, he offered the seal of Fulmineras, the Warrior Angel of Lightning. The Ice God, however, did not approve, a fact that he made very prevalent to the human.
Meanwhile, a new threat rose from the depths of Sargis Lake. This new threat came in the form of a powerful demon, known as Leviathan. Jaxyl, who had retreated from his fight with Ark witnessed the being rising from the water, requesting that he offer him some help with his wounds. Being a demon, Leviathan didn’t see why he should help an angel. Through quick thinking, though, Jaxyl was able to convince him otherwise. Baalaose also happened upon the scene, fully repaired from his bout with the demigods and their friends. After a bit of smooth talking, he convinced the new demon to join him in his conquest. He also issued Jaxyl the order of finding strong beings worthy of joining his army. Noticing Leviathan’s passionate hatred for anything not demonic, he sent the demon to the Forge he’d just walked away from.
Messanger had finally come back around, after his furious bout with the now God of Fire, and had made his way to the Soul Stream, where Lotus had decided to reemerge after hiding for so long from Arius. Remembering how the vampire helped the man he hid from, Lotus lashed out in a fit of rage. Trying to get his point across, Messanger donned his holy sword, and matching gauntlet, which were only usable when he wore his gloves, as he was an unholy being himself.
The short squabble was broken up by Tresdos, who was in search of allies against Pyrodeus. He was very persuasive in his arguments, as to why the two should trust him. The dark angel had a plan, but he wouldn’t let anyone know until he was sure who stood with him. Throwing down the gauntlet, he told them to meet him in the Unnamed City if they wanted to know more. Both accepted the offer, and made their way to the rendezvous point.
As all three met at the local bar, they exchanged stories, and reasons that they stood against who they did. After gaining a bit of trust in the vampire, Tresdos asked him to meet outside, so that they may speak without Lotus listening in. The reason for the secrecy was that Tresdos wanted to complete Magres Xerfal. One of the constraints was that only one other entity was allowed to know about the process. For the dark angel, that one other entity was Messanger. The first step was to obtain a chalice of blood from Tresdos’ greatest enemy: Visignis.
At the Forge, Cryodivus came up with the idea of using ordinary weaponry to defeat Baalaose, as he would surely absorb any unordinary qualities, and use them against the users. Pyrodeus then crafted a katana, in which the only special attribute was that it was extremely strong, and nearly indestructible. Visignis offered to test the weapon, and left for the Kryll Forest to do so. Damian also wanted to test his new weapon, and rushed off to Reyone Field. Cryodivus offered to spar with him, but mostly to ensure that the human wouldn’t run off with the seal of his fallen brother.
Unseen to all that were exiting the Forge, was Leviathan, who waited until the doors were left open to approach the establishment. The demon intentionally provoked the demigod, fairly confident that he could hold his own. Surprisingly, he managed to do just that, even as the fight lead deep into the Forge, where the temperature was hot enough to melt a human in half a second. The only thing that kept the fight from getting any uglier than it was, which was nearly impossible to fathom, was Drake interrupting by saying that Visignis had been hurt. As Pyrodeus rushed to his son’s aid, the demon followed, trying to finish what he started.
Visignis had been training with the new sword in Kryll Forest. The display that he gave drew the attention of then angelic assassin, Jaxyl. At the behest of Baalaose, Jaxyl was seeking out allies, and felt that Visignis would make a good one. The brief conversation ended in acceptance of an alliance. It was at the conclusion of their words that Tresdos landed in the area, his accomplices close behind.
As the vampire held Jaxyl at bay, Tresdos and Visignis clashed. After a while, the dark angel had his rival pinned, and requested that Messanger fill the chalice. Visignis offered a retaliatory attack, slowing the progress down, but not enough, as the chalice was eventually filled. Visignis passed out as the dark troupe took a moment to calculate the next steps.
Meanwhile, Damain was squaring off with Cryodivus on Reyone Field, testing Pyrodeus’ gift. The beginning of the bout was surprisingly one sided, in Damian’s favor. That didn’t last long, though, as the Ice God began retaliating. As the fight escalated, Cryodivus managed to land a kick that burrowed Damian’s amulet into his chest. The human retaliated with one of his more unsettling abilities: Necromancy. Damian’s undead minions never got a chance to do any damage, as Cryodivus sensed trouble near where Visignis was, and rushed to help. The mortal took the moment to attempt to wrap his mind around his new gauntlet. It wasn’t long before someone new joined him in the field.
The God of Ice arrived at Visignis’ side first, lashing out at Tresdos and his cohorts. This warranted a safe retreat, leaving Cryodivus and Visignis to wait for Pyrodeus. The Fire God arrived shortly thereafter, administering medical procedures immediately. Once the half-angel was stable enough to be moved, the demigods relocated him to the Forge.
As Cryodivus returned to the field to check on Damian, Pyrodeus tended to his son, with the help of Drake. Visignis wasn’t making it easy, taking out his rage for Tresdos on more of his mental blocks. In his weakened state, the process kept pushing him further under. Pyrodeus did all he could, just to keep his son alive. As he did so, Drake kept him informed on a fight that had developed in the field.
In Cryodivus’ absence, Baalaose had happened upon Damian’s position. He managed to hold off the self proclaimed God, even in his exhausted state. Unfortunately, Leviathan was also drawn to the area, having lost track of Pyrodeus. As the fight began shifting against the human, Cryodivus arrived to even the odds. Soon, the fight was divided in two, with Damian fending off Baalaose, and the Ice God taking on Leviathan.
During the chaos with Visignis, Jaxyl had managed to slip away, finding himself near the stone formation in Reyone Field, a good distance away from the fight in progress. Much to his surprise, there was someone sitting in the oasis in the center of the formation. After introductions, the newcomer had explained himself to be called Taelyrn, and that he didn’t quite know who, or what, he was, let alone where. Jaxyl, in an attempt to see what this new soul was capable of, offered a light spar.
Before the fight even began, they were interrupted by a man named Drixel, who was assumed to be a Fallen. The spar was a bit awkward, as Jaxyl was not very accustomed to close combat, and Taelyrn didn’t know his full capabilities yet. Once he did grasp his potential, however, the fight shifted heavily in his favor, and sending Jaxyl into one defensive maneuver after another. Though, the burst of ability was short lived, and the angel got a good counterattack in.
After taking a moment’s rest, they decided to step it up a notch, and Jaxyl started using knives, as opposed to fists. The hope was to force Taelyrn to tap into his abilities on a more voluntary basis. In that sense, it was a success. However, due to the new ferocity, the angel suffered a dangerous blow that shattered his mask, and revealed his hideous face. That was the final strike of the spar, and Jaxyl took a moment to rest, and attempt to put his mask back together. As Taelyrn accepted his victory, he asked why Jaxyl was so interested in his abilities. It was then, that duty kicked in, and the assassin attempted to recruit the newcomer to Baalaose’s side.
Before the request was answered, Drixel, who’d been watching on the sidelines, wanted to try his hand. Taelyrn accepted the offer, and thus began another sparring round. In a carnal fashion, Taelyrn seemed much more adept at fighting, and was on the offensive for a majority of the fight. The Fallen wasn’t without experience, though, and used the environment to his advantage, literally, as he had the ability to camouflage himself to near invisibility. Ultimately, the fight ended in a stalemate.
The two of them had a few questions for the angel, mostly pertaining to current events, and why they should chose his side. As Jaxyl had expected, they both needed more time to choose. He told them of the current goings on, then made his way toward the Unnamed City. Taelyrn chose to head toward Pyrodeus’ Forge, and Drixel simply traveled to the south, where he would stumble upon another fight.
The fight between Damian, Cryodivus, Leviathan, and Damian had gotten quite brutal, and was still even when Drake arrived, at the request of the Fire God, with a new seal for the human: The seal of Silexops, a being of unparalleled physical strength. At the time, the fight had become Damian’s attempt to stay alive against Baalaose, and Leviathan provoking the Ice God into attacks that were easily countered. Drixel had been watching through his camouflage, only to be called out by Baalaose himself. At first, the Fallen seemed to ally himself with the self proclaimed God.
As Cryodivus and Leviathan fought, the demon seemed to be holding his own, and getting extremely haughty. That pride became his downfall, as he tried to absorb ice energy, just as he had with fire when fighting Pyrodeus. The attempt resulted in his body freezing over, leaving him thoroughly chilled, and motionless. Taking note of that fact, Drixel thought it better to ally with the stronger force, and launched an aerial attack on the frozen demon. Cryodivus also rushed the ice sculpture, connecting simultaneously with Drixel, and leaving nothing of Leviathan but melting ice chunks. Seeing Drake handing Damian a new seal, the God of Ice became furious with Pyrodeus. He didn’t agree that a human should have such power within reach. Baalaose, on the other hand, had noticed his ally get crushed, and began retreating, fed up with doing the fighting himself.
Tresdos and his accomplices had reconvened in the Unnamed City, having escaped from the escapade involving Visignis. After a bit of discussion, they had determined that the next step was to visit Heaven. Being unholy, the vampire and the devil worried about being granted access. Fortunately, the break rendered their worry meaningless. Tresdos opened a pathway to the realm, and the others followed. Lotus, however, did not make it to Heaven.
Tresdos lead Messanger to the Alter where the ceremony was to take place. As to be expected, a group of still faithful angels, Guardians, in fact, were waiting in ambush. They didn’t stand much of a chance, and were dealt with in a matter of minutes. As Tresdos began the chant, and was immobile, Messanger, had to fight off another such ambush, lighting the torches in the process. After the small force was dealt with, the angels sent in one of their big guns, who the vampire had to fight alone. It was far from easy, but it was no struggle, as the colossal angel eventually fell to its own plasma, which was being manipulated be the unholy visitor.
Fortunately, that was the last interruption, and Tresdos successfully ascended to Godhood, his only weakness being a blade of pure light. To thank the vampire for his help the new God of Darkness offered a few gifts. The first was to imbue Messanger’s cloak, making it quite a bit more capable than simple cloth. The second gift was the blood of a demigod, which gave the vampire power that he’d never even knew existed, allowing his an unmatched level of plasma manipulation.
Unfortunately, they did not go unnoticed, as Pyrodeus had left his son to recover in the Forge, so he could track Tresdos down. The Fire God did just that, and now stood before the God of Darkness and his powered up vampire accomplice. Tresdos tried to plea his case that he never intended to do any permanent harm to Visignis, which went ignored. Messanger was given a chance to leave, and took it without hesitation, having had enough with fighting angels. The two demigods argued for a bit longer before Pyrodeus suggested that they move to his Forge, if Tresdos truly wanted to apologize to Visignis.
They made it to the forge just in time, as Visignis had just woken up, furious with the dark demigod. As the son of Pyrodeus lashed out, and attacked his old friend, Tresdos tried to calm him down, pleading his case to a new set of ears. It didn’t work, though, and the only way to calm Visignis down was for Tresdos to allow himself to become impaled as a result of an incoming attack. Of course, due to his recent ascension, there was no permanent damage. After hearing him out, Visignis simply request that Tresdos leave, and that he would be sought out when forgiveness could be given. Heeding the request, the God of Darkness left the Forge, only the father and son left inside.
With acute timing, Taelyrn now approached the doors of the Forge. After simple introductions, he gave Pyrodeus the information that Jaxyl had shared with him. The Fire God offered him a better deal, and his mind was made up almost instantly. Giving this newcomer a sword, Pyrodeus wanted to test the abilities of his new ally, pitting him against Visignis for a brief spar. As they moved outside to avoid heat exhaustion, Visignis got the jump, attacking unexpectedly. After that first attack connected, the duel unofficially began.
As Taelyrn had half expected, he was able to use his abilities when the need for them came. However, he was still unable to use them at will. As the bout drew on, Taelyrn’s two halves, brought upon by his two souls, given him during his creation, began arguing with each other. One half wanted to go a step further, breaking into an actual fight, and kill Visignis. The other half held it back, ending the duel. It was during the debriefing that Taelyrn divulged the information that he’d only been alive for a few days, and didn’t quite know how to use his abilities.
In an attempt to try and find the trigger for his abilities, Pyrodeus suggested another duel, one against the Fire God himself. The bout was severely one sided, but it taught Taelyrn’s two halves to stop arguing with each other, and work together. After a few more attacks, they came up with the idea of focusing on a single point, in order to work together, and eventually become one entity. Taelyrn suggested a sword, and offered the idea to Pyrodeus, calling a stop to the spar.
After a small bit of work, the God of Fire crafted a Tai Chi sword especially for Taelyrn. The weapon was equipped with a diamond, which would allow him to store any excess power that he had. Taking the sword, Taelyrn was able to concentrate on it enough to bring his two halves together, into a singularity. He was now a single entity with two souls. He also knew how to use his abilities. With much thanks, Taelyrn left the Forge, still wanting to know the world he was in.
Not even the town of Rerden was able to escape the chaos. A dark teen, by the name of Maku, had fallen upon it, and he had a lust for blood. His twin brother, Taka, arrived in time to reverse some of the damage, but not all of it. The process of doing so, however, left him unable to stand.
When he recovered, he ran into the demon, Inor. Inor was a demon who’d been exiled from Hell during its break, and was seeking to help the side of good. After introductions, Taka suggested that the two of them work together. The deal was helping him find his brother, and Taka would join him in the fight against evil. After getting a sword for the unarmed demon, they ventured into the Forest of Shadows, in pursuit of Maku.
As they made their way through the trees, they came across a dead ShadowSpawn, left behind by the dark twin. Unfortunately, not all of the ShadowSpawn in the area had run across Maku. The two held their own for a short while before Taka suffered a bite, and they chose to run. As they fled, they unknowingly passed through a rift, and ended up in a city called Manhattan. They didn’t stay long before walking back through the rift, which had moved, setting their exit point to the Unnamed City, back on Etrah.
Tresdos had left Pyrodeus’ Forge, and headed to the port of Thoncir. The city had been overrun by demons, and an important citizen, named Jameson Douglas, was issuing a reward to whoever eradicated them. The dark demigod had managed to slay quite a number of demons, but was having trouble removing the hides, one of the conditions for a better reward. When he had finally succeeded, and attempted to turn in the fruits of his hard work, Jameson attempted to pay him less than he was due, much less. The man nearly paid for his mistake with his life.
Taelyrn had also happened upon the port, disappointed by the lack of activity. That was the point at which he met Tresdos. The encounter was brief, and filled with tension at first, but after Tresdos received his award, the two talked without so much discomfort. The God of Darkness employed Taelyrn in making weapons from the unused demons bones, so they might turn out some sort of profit.
Their progress did not go uninterrupted, however, as Maku had also found his way to Thoncir, and proceeded to destroy random buildings as he saw fit. As he set his sights on the warehouse, the site of the demonbone operation, Tresdos and Taelyrn struck out in order to keep their products, as well as their bodies, safe. Both Tresdos’ and Maku’s first tactics failed, as the chaotic teen was not affected by holy water, and the Darkness God’s heart would not burst open. Taelyrn watched Tresdos slap Maku around a few times before he stepped in, offering the kid a chance to turn around and walk away. Taelyrn’s offer was accepted, and he was issued the same offer by Tresdos, which he regrettably took, heading back toward Reyone field.
Having taken some time to recoup after the run in with Baalaose, the small gathering that was already in the field began parting ways as Taelyrn closed in. Damian and Drake made their way to Kryll Forest to find recruits for their cause. Taelyrn was greeted by Drixel, and introduced to Cryodivus, who instantly recognized Pyrodeus’ handiwork in the Tai Chi sword. After debriefing Taelyrn on the situation, Cryodivus suggested that they regroup at the Forge. Travel by air would have been faster, thus Taelyrn learned that he could use his ability for flight.
In the forest, Damian had misjudged his teleportation ability, and landed in the middle of a possibly hostile group of Fallen. The Fallen were well natured, so it didn’t take much to convince them to join the fight. Drake told Damian to start marching the large group toward the Mountains of Secrecy, where Visignis’ mansion was, then proceeded to rush toward the mansion himself, planning to bring back a small unit of the angels that were already there to protect the march.
Visignis was home, setting up a defensive perimeter with the fallen angels that he’d recruited, when Drake showed up, inquiring as to the safety that the angels would have there. After deeming it to be more than safe enough, Visignis a handful of soldiers to help bring the new additions back safely. Drake led them back to Kryll Forest as quickly as he could.
The soldiers Drake brought back were accompanied by a morale boost, as the large group Damian lead began to pick up speed. Fortunately, the rest of the trip to Visignis’ mansion was rather uneventful. While they tended to the wounded, a grave notion spread through the air. There wasn’t too much time left. They rallied the troops, and made way for the Forge when ready.
Rifel and Jay had led Ark to the destroyed future of Earth, as instructed by Malthius. Now, they wanted answers as to why they had to meet there. He responded that he assumed that it was a safe place, as he didn’t believe that Vurkiel could cross dimensions without the technology to do so on Etrah. He also explained that the once Angel of Shadows had tried claiming the Shadow Realm, and was looking to recruit in the fight against him.
Unfortunately, Malthius’ suspicions of safety were wrong, as Vurkiel had managed to find his way to the ruined wasteland that had been called Earth long ago. He didn’t waste any time summoning his clubs, and launching an assault on the group, who had assembled on the roof of an empty building. A few blows into the fight, and the building came crashing down, forcing them all into midair combat, using falling chunks of the building as projectiles. As the fight landed on the ground again, the combatants continued through the settling dust, Vurkiel hodling his own against fierce attacks.
In the midst of the chaos, Malthius pulled Ark aside, opening a portal for them both to escape back to Etrah. Rifel and Jay were able to keep quite a bit of pressure on Vurkiel, managing to damage his body do a critical state yet again. Taking note, the broken angel retreated again, disappearing into the shadow of a large chunk of rubble as he toppled it over on himself. The two of them took a while to relax, and catch their breath. After all, it wasn’t every day that Jay got to return home.
After exiting Heaven, Messanger landed in the city of Reyone. His new power seemed to prove too much for his body, sending him into unconsciousness in the middle of the street. When he awoke, he was in a strange home, greeted by a family of vampires, who had a request for him. They wished for him to train their daughter, Rory, who he’d saved a hundred years ago, during the massacre that the vampires had brought upon the city. Now, Reyone was overrun with demons, and they had no reliable means of defending themselves.
During a particular session, the two vampires had been patrolling the town, and had come across a rather powerful demon. As Rory was rendered unconscious, Messanger fought off the demon, using the power he’d obtained through drinking Tresdos’ blood. It was a very short, but very bloody fight, and ended with a flattened demon, and a passed out Messanger. It seemed that the power he now held was far too much for his body.
When he came to again, Rory had informed him that the townsfolk had exiled her family, not wanting another Vampire Massacre. They were in the process of relocating to the Forest of Shadows, but Messanger wouldn’t be going with them, even though he’d developed an interest in the girl. He had other matters to tend to, and things left undone. Leaving Rory with his guns, his enchanted cloak, and a kiss, he made his way to Pyrodeus’ Forge, feeling that it was time to earn their good graces after helping Tresdos harm Visignis.
Having safely returned to Etrah, Inor and Taka found themselves in the Unnamed City. They wanted some more help in finding Maku. As luck would have it, a bulletin caught their attention, claiming that anyone willing to pay for assistance could find it waiting in a nearby apartment. As it turned out, the one who’d put it up was a demon that Inor knew, named Rhiath. It was because of that fact that they were able to get the demon to talk to them. Unfortunately, not much was to stay calm for very long.
Jaxyl, who was still set on earning his way to Arch Angel, had been following Taka and Inor since they reemerged in Etrah. He thought it rather odd that such a pure human would travel with a demon, and suspected some sort of possession to be at hand. He’d followed them into the building, and took a moment to rethink his strategy as they took refuge in the other demon’s apartment.
Inside, Taka and Inor were discussing business with Rhiath, and how they wanted them to help find Maku. He was willing to give them a considerable discount, in order to repay his debt to Inor. In the hallway, Jaxyl attempted to lure the demons out, and catch them off guard. What could have been a brief gunfight, turned into a drawn out standoff, littered with slung accusations and name calling, rather than bullets. It was Taka who brought an end to the conflict, claiming that the demons were on his side, and of no harm. Jaxyl still suspected possession, and, though he agreed to stand down, he wished to follow them, in hopes that he could break the teen free from their spell, and execute them. After final preparations, and a few last insults, the group left the city, searching for Taka’s brother.
Lotus had never made it to Heaven with Tresdos and Messanger. Instead, he got lost along the way, and ended up in the Abyss, where Arius had been sealed away. Arius, due to his power, was able to bend the Abyss as he saw fit, making it a sort of surrogate body, as he’d lost his during the previous Conflict. Using this ability, he approached Lotus, and set a very lucrative offer on the table. It was alarming at first, but Lotus decided to hear him out. In exchange for the amulet that Arius had stolen, and the use of his sword, Gaia’s Torment, Lotus agreed to help Baalaose in his conquest. Though part of him still wanted to know what interest he had in Etrah’s furtue God. Arius was even kind enough to open a gate to Reyone Field, showing him the twisted tree that held his sword. Lotus walked through, tore the Torment from its prison, and returned Arius’ hand before wandering off to find Baalaose.
Malthius and Ark reentered Etrah on the Reyone Bridge, and Ark was not happy about the retreat. Malthius was able to calm him down by sharing that he knew Vurkiel would flee, and that the other guys could handle that fight themselves. He also noted that Ark was not fighting to the best of his abilities. As they tried to determine the cause, a group of demons ambushed them, pulling Coryn to the front, placing him in control of Mathew’s body. As the dual breed fought a demon from Coryn’s past, he tore the ambush to shreds, ensuring Ark that he wouldn’t get too beat up. After the carnage, Coryn felt a strong, dark presence drawing what was left of his demonic side to the Appeak Mountains, leaving Malthius to try and keep up.
Tucked away in the mountains, Baalaose had begun his final preparations. He had constructed a castle of black crystal atop the tallest peak. He was knelt in front of his palace, carving some sort of rune, with smaller runes as the building blocks, into a stone at the base of the castle. Lotus found him there, offering his services, as Arius had instructed him. To prove his allegiance, Baalaose ordered him to find him a dragon, that he might absorb its life energy, as well as its strength.
Lotus left, unsure of where he would find such a beast. Fortunately, one found him instead. It was a short, and one sided fight, ending with Lotus standing victorious over a quadriplegic dragon, that had cauterized its own wounds, and was being dragged back to Baalaose. When Lotus returned with his prey, he had to push through Baalose’s now assembled army of Fallen, demons, and other dark beings. The rune being constructed had drawn them their, and was still calling out to all beings of dark nature, thus a few familiar faces showed up. The demons, Rhiath and Inor, Taka following behind, as well as Jaxyl, and even Tresdos and Maku made their way to the dark crystal palace. Vurkiel also came back to Etrah, by way of shadow, to serve under Baalaose. After making Vurkiel the general over his army, Baalaose was able to recruit Tresdos to his cause. Issuing a command for all who followed him to bow before him as their God, Rhiath separated himself from his traveling companions, deeming that it would be in his best interests to do so. Maku also took the offer, but had his own plans in mind. The end of times truly seemed to be upon Etrah.
Meanwhile, at the Forge, Messanger had found the angels who had been nothing but trouble, with the plan of fighting alongside them. He had a reason for doing so, and he would do whatever it took to keep her safe. As the vampire had an awkward conversation with Pyrodeus, Cryodivus, Taelyrn, and Drixel showed up, changing the situation from awkward to tense. Though words were strained, he was able to gain their trust, as well as entry into the Forge. After Messanger had been filled in on the situation, they began formulating battle strategies. One of these plans involved holding him down, and decapitating him. After they had a definite plan of action, the two demigods requested that the others wait outside, and that they might speak in private.
Their request heeded, Cryodivus scolded the Fire God for his follies. He didn’t see why they should enlist a vampire that they both fought with at one point, as well as giving away two seals, to a human. They managed to work out a compromise, allowing the rest of the group back in. At that point, Damian appeared as a messenger, letting them know that Visignis and Drake were on the way with an army of faithful Fallen, and that the time for battle was fast approaching.
Soon after, the army was assembled outside the Forge, and receiving their equipment, emblazoned with holy water, which would hopefully give them some sort of edge. To make up for the time during assembly, Pyrodeus formed a large field, contained within fire, which would allow for mass teleportation. Once those who could not teleport themselves were inside, the force made way for Mt. Baal. It was time for an apocalyptic battle.
Battle cries were sung, and the forces began rushing toward one another. Taking an unexpected approach, Jaxyl began slaughtering troops that were on his side, by order of Baalaose. The plan was to use the trust that he’d earned in Visignis against the enemy. Apparently, he made such a convincing case, that Baalaose had to stop Vurkiel from eliminating him. Tresdos was not as impressed, and began taunting the generals of the faithful. As Visingnis rushed off to help Jaxyl, the God of Darkness approached Cryodivus, who’d been impaled by one of Baalaose’s attacks. Taelyrn was able to save the Ice god from Tresdos’ advance, but seemed to have made himself the new target.
Messanger made his way through the dark army, using his holy weapons for added effectiveness. Rhiath, supporting Baalaose, began shooting into the battlefield, taking out who he could. Coryn landed at the scene, only to catch sight of Jaxyl, and hand control back to Ark. Jaxyl was about to betray Visignis with a bullet to the back of the skull, when Ark distracted him and beckoned him into an airborne duel.
Pyrodeus pulled Cyrodivus from the spike he rested on, and let the Ice God recover near the base of the mountain, then flew up the mountain to be held at bay by Lotus. Malthius, who’d followed Coryn, stumbled upon Cryodivus, and exchanged his wounds into an unlucky demon, completely healing the Ice God. Cryodivus thanked the crimson warrior, and then rushed off to enact revenge on Tresdos, who was engaged with both Taelyrn and Drake. He managed to pin the God of Darkness to the ground with Baalaose’s spikes.
Messanger took up arms against Lotus, allowing his allies to enact their plan. Visignis grabbed one arm and Pyrodeus the other, holding him down. As Taelyrn swung what they were sure would be the final blow, Baalaose thought quickly, bringing Visignis into the line of attack. The force of the strike cut Visignis’ hand off, halfway down the forearm. The demigods were unable to help any, as Baalaose also ensured that they would be unable to move. He’d even occupied Drake with a massive serpent, made of shadows, but capable of doing very real damage. The only thing that saved Taelyrn from his wrath was a blast of energy from Inor, which was promptly countered.
Amidst the chaos, Rhiath decided to simply become a third party, shooting at anything that moved. Tresdos had freed himself, and enacted a vendetta against Cryodivus. Messanger had taken a chance to get Visignis, and his hand, to safety, in a nearby cave, stopping the bleeding as best he could with plasma wielding. When he returned to the fight, his sole target was Baalaose himself. In the process, he’d lost his sword, and had no option but to use the power that Tresdos had given him, which caused his mind to become very one tracked.
Among the hundred of battling soldiers, Cryodivus had locked Tresdos into a duel, and Drake was still dealing with Baalaose’s snake. Soon enough though, Taelyrn was able to offer a hand to the Perceiver. Inor and Drixel began working together, assaulting the dark forces from the sky. Lotus also realized his role in the battle, casting off his allegiance to Baalaose, and slaughtering anything that was still alive, with the hopes of strengthening Gaia’s Torment. Pyrodeus managed to land a critical blow on Baalaose, shattering his spine, and forcing him to take time to recover.
Vurkiel had taken notice of Malthius’ presence, and let his lust for revenge take over, pouncing on his prey with ferocity. The fight was very brief, but very violent, and ended up with Malthius’ head being torn off by Vurkiel’s club. Rifel had been watching through a portal he created on Earth, and lashed out in a fit of rage, focusing on only Vurkiel as he came back to Etrah.
Taelyrn and Drake had managed to finish off the snake, but now had a new threat to deal with: Maku. The dark teen was becoming more and more demonic, as he’d spent the battle taking the lives of many angels. Taka was able to save his brother from death, having caught his fight with Taelyrn and Drake just in time. The pure twin took the dark twin away from the battlefield to begin the recovery process, seeking shelter in the cave that Visignis was already occupying.
Baalaose had managed to bring himself back to full health, and targeted Cryodivus, who had his hands full with Tresdos. As the God of Darkness held the Ice God still, Baalaose was able to consume a vast amount of energy, now able to use Cryodivus’ powers as his own. This did not sit well with the God of Ice, who tapped into his true power, freezing even the light that struck him, and breaking free of Tresdos’ grip as Baalaose became occupied with the others again. The now super powered duel ended with the death of a demigod. The God of Darkness had found his end at a sword designed of frozen light.
As Baalaose took on Messanger and Pyrodeus, more duels began to surface. One was between Rhiath and his friend, Inor. It was a fierce duel, and one of words that both might have regretted one day. Though, neither lost their life. In fact, Inor had convinced Rhiath to join him, with the persuasion of finding Baalaose’s treasures.
In the sky above, Ark and Jaxyl were squaring off in a battle of range versus close combat. Both held their own quite well, but the assassin eventually ran out of ammo, and was slain by Ark’s hand, dying with unfulfilled ambitions. Though, Ark didn’t make it out the fight in too decent of condition either, falling to the battlefield, barely able to breath.
Baalaose had his hands full now, with overwhelming odds against him. To correct this, he summoned a couple reapers, beings that devoured souls, and made use of their opponents’ fear. While most of the others decided to take on the reapers, Messanger kept his focus, assaulting Baalaose as ferociously as his body would let him. In the process, he was cut in half, only able to halt death by keeping himself together with his own ability to bend plasma. That didn’t keep him from staying on the offensive.
Baalaose had managed to absorb a bit of Drake’s Perceiver ability in a brief passing. He witnessed a vision of himself rising to Heaven on angel’s wings. The self proclaimed God made himself a new target: Damian, or rather, the amulet around Damian’s neck. At the time, Damian was engaged in battle with Lotus, as he was one of the few remaining souls on the mountain. It didn’t last long, though, a Lotus made a swift retreat, realizing that he had nothing to gain from fighting.
The reapers had put up a hell of a fight, but were eventually taken down. Unfortunately, they died in time for Baalaose to enact his Iron Maiden spell, forcing everyone to feel the pain they’d caused throughout the battle, which was a lot. With the human weakened, Baalaose was able to extract the amulet from his chest, donning it and beginning his ascent into the sky.
Messanger, on the other hand, was unaffected by the pain, placing his holy gauntlet on his unholy hand, adding to it. He sent himself at the rising ‘God,’ trusting the gauntlet through Baalaose’s chest, removing the heart that lay inside it. At that very point, his body gave way, unable to take on anymore exertion from the power he’d been using. He fell to the ground in two pieces, one of which was still attached to Baalaose’s corpse.
The battle wasn’t over yet, as Baalaose’s heart, still held in Messanger’s gauntlet, began to drain life from a very wide radius, affecting nearly the entire planet. With everyone suffering from the Iron Maiden spell, and now having their lives drained, it seemed that all had been for naught. However, history had room for one more martyr. Taelyrn sacrificed himself, throwing his body onto the still beating heart and surging them both with the energy of two souls. The process created a brilliant shockwave that tore the heart apart, until it was nothing more than dust. The only thing left of either was Taelyrn’s sword.
As the battle concluded, those left alive made their ways down the mountain. Inor and Drixel had decided to travel together for the time being. Cryodivus returned to Heaven, with the plan of repairing it. Pyrodeus took Taelyrn’s sword, and returned to his Forge to make a fitting tribute. Damian reclaimed his amulet, and also made off with Messanger’s gauntlet. Visignis, after waking up in the cavern, grabbed his hand and made his way to his father’s Forge, with a few specific plans in mind. The twins came to an agreement, and made their way away from the battle site together. Vurkiel, after watching his commander fall, retreated into the shadows, but not before Rifel followed him. Rhiath returned home, hoping to be able to make enough money to make up for what he’d lost in the battle.
It’s been a week since then, and the world is far from peaceful. The Fallen are still around, like a plague. Worse than them are the demons crawling out from Hell’s break. However, these disturbances do not go unnoticed. With so much dimensional disturbance, there are forces that have taken interest. These forces have a duty to uphold. The least of the universe’s worries is a Broken Heaven.
-Blades of the Apocalypse
However, that was the least of the problems to come. Thousands of years ago, there was a ruler of men, who came to be revered as a God by his people. Reality hit him hard on the day he died. There was a special place set aside for him in Hell, a place of unimaginable torture. For thousands of years, this self proclaimed God was held in his chamber, his captivators torturing him every second he was there. The method of torture was a single spell, given by many high ranking demons. The spell was called Iron Maiden, and forced the target to feel every last bit of pain that they had caused throughout their life. The ‘God’ was a vicious ruler while he was alive, cutting out living hearts, and taking countless lives. During his time in Hell, it all came back on him, forcing him into nothing but sheer agony. His name was Baalaose.
There came a day, when the captive was visited by a former angel. Vurkiel, once the Angel of Shadows, and ruler of the Shadow Realm, had taken a brief visit to Hell while his body was temporarily dead. In his short stay, he was subjected to the very same torture as Baalaose, as demons rarely had the opportunity to have fun with angels. It was at that time that a very strained conversation took place, and Vurkiel agreed to set Baalaose free if he returned to the world of the living. Shortly after, as if on cue, the once angel vanished from Hell, and returned to life, as his body was reconstructed by some very generous people. After offering them a word of thanks, he promptly set out on personal matters that needed to be tended to before he woke Baalaose.
Not wasting any more time, Vurkiel paid a visit to the broken realm of Heaven, finding a body for his new friend in an angel known as Tyriny. He convinced the angel to become a willing sacrifice. Summoning his old cellmate from Hell, he offered the angel’s body to be broken and torn limb from limb. In the end, the ruler rose again, standing in the bloody mess that had, at one point, been a confused angel. This time, Baalaose would not settle for merely claiming to be Etrah’s God. No. This time, he would prove it.
Meanwhile, Mathew, the result of an angel and a demon being thrown into one body, and the one who’d defeated Arius, had forced his way into Heaven, which was aided by the realm’s broken state. As soon as he set foot outside the gates, he was attacked by Guardians, who were quickly cut down by the abomination. The Warrior Angel of Fire, Pyrodeus, had caught wind of this, and made his way through the gates to investigate. There, he found Mathew, standing in a pool of blood that wasn’t his. As Pyrodeus was about to strike him down, the crossbreed explained that they had attacked him, and that he was only defending himself, which seemed to work as an excuse. When asked why he was in Heaven, Mathew responded that he wanted to know who he was, and that he had no recollection of his past. All he knew was that he was part angel, and part demon, so Heaven seemed like a good place to start.
The Angel of Fire took him to Heaven’s Archives, in search of the answers. On the way in, they were ambushed by a small group of Fallen, who were dispatched without too much effort. After a small time of searching, they came across a brief passage that mentioned an angel named Ark, who’d been banished from Heaven some number of years ago. That sent Mathew into a flashback, revealing part of his past. Soon after, the two of them fled the Archives with the helpful book in hand. They ran into another group of Fallen on the way out, which was taken care of by Pyrodeus alone. Deciding that it was a good idea to leave the place, the Angel of Fire teleported both himself, and Mathew, just outside his forge, which was stationed in the Mountains of Secrecy, on Etrah.
Unable to pull any more answers from the book, Pyrodeus suggests a new idea for them. The angel wished to carry out Magres Xerfal. Magres Xefal is a ritual available only to the strongest of angels. The ritual transforms the angel into a demigod of their chosen element, and grants them an immense amount of fire. The only soul to ever carry out the ritual successfully, till this point, was Cryodivus, the now God of Ice. After Mathew agreed to help, the Angel of Fire mentioned that they needed a chalice of blood from his greatest foe, which at the time happened to be the vampire known as Messanger. The two set off in a search.
Meanwhile, Rifel and Jay, the two dimension jumpers who’d sealed Arius away, were taking in Etrahn scenery near Sargis Lake. During their act of tourism, they were ambushed by ShadowSpawn. After a short, but furious battle, Rifel realized that the creatures should not have been appearing so far from the Forest of Shadows. This warranted an investigation, which took them to the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Realm, once ruled by Vurkiel, had been liberated by Rifel, his adopted son Malthius, and their friends Kary and Raid. Leaving on other important issues, he left the other three in charge. Surely they would have been keeping the ShadowSpawn in check.
The three he’d left there were missing. In their stead, a powerful group of shadows lie in wait, pouncing the two as soon as they entered the realm. It was during the fight that ensued that Rifel used his Shadow Drive, a transformation that unleashed his full potential, and an ability he swore to Malthius he’d never use again. This was Jay’s first time seeing his friend in such a form. After discovering the absence of his allies, Rifel takes the investigation back to Etrah. Reemerging in Reyone Field, they decided to walk to the Unnamed City in search of some sort of answer.
Pyrodeus and Mathew, on the other hand, found what they’d been searching for. Messanger was ambushed by the two in the Kryll Forest. As Mathew simply watched, which was a part of the ritual rules, the Angel of Fire provoked the vampire. It took a while, but Messanger was eventually convinced to fight back, rather than just spit insults. He hadn’t wanted to fight at all, seeing no point in it. Even though the vampire had been one of Arius’ men, he had no intention of bringing the evil creature back. The two fighters really had nothing to fight over anymore, and Mess simply wished that he could be left alone. Unfortunately, such was not the case, and a furious duel ensued. The vampire took a beating, and ended up unconscious while Pyrodeus filled a chalice with his blood.
The angel and the abomination returned to the forge briefly to check the next step of the ritual, which called for them to return to Heaven for the actual ceremony. Returning to sacred ground, they dropped the book off at its rightful place, and made for the Sacred Alter of Divine Power. En route, they were attacked by an airborne troupe of Fallen, who were quickly dispatched in mid-air combat. Once at their destination, Pyrodeus transferred Messanger’s blood into the chalice there, and Mathew proceeded to light the golden torches surrounding the Alter. Of course nothing of such importance comes that easily.
Another group of Fallen had taken refuge near the Alter, and were set on stopping this righteous angel from obtaining more power. With the Angel of Fire unable to move during the ceremony, Mathew had to take out the corrupted angels by himself. He’d managed to take out a good number of them before exhaustion set in, leaving Pyrodeus open for the last Fallen’s attack. Cryodivus stepped in then, eliminating the last threat to Pyrodeus’ success. Shortly thereafter, the Angel of Fire was no more. In his place stood the God of Fire, who could only be struck down by his own sword. A sudden wave of energy drew them back to the forge.
Damian, a human artifact hunter, had been standing atop the volcano that Pyrodeus’ Forge was set into. As he examined the amulet around his neck, he witnessed a truly tragic and horrifying sight. Another multitude of angels fell from grace before his eyes, falling like rain. Soon after, he had another problem. The volcano he stood upon erupted, threatening to shower him with molten rock. Thinking quickly, he jumped from his perch, his amulet providing him with wings, and guiding him into the cave that sat at the entrance to the forge, where he ran into the newly dubbed God of Fire and his abomination friend. His acts did not go unseen, however, as Baalaose had been observing the area at the time, and noted the pendant that gave him wings.
After moving into the forge itself, Damian explained that he was not an angel, as the others had believed, but a human with very special artifacts. During the conversation that followed, Cryodivus explained that, through his observation over the years, he knew what Baalaose was, and that he had returned. Pyrodeus took not of the risen enemy, as well as Damian's collection of items and sparked an idea, one that left the God of Ice brimming with rage. The human that they'd only just met was offered the seals of the fallen Warrior Angels.
At first, he was reluctant to take the gift, but he was reminded of the urgency of the situation involving Baalaose, and a tentative army of fallen angels. To counteract the suggestion, Cryodivus, after gaining permission from higher authority, decided to let Pyrodeus know of his son, Visignis. Visignis had been kept a secret from his father for thousands of years, and was a very competent fighter. If they wanted to fight someone who revered himself a God, they would greatly benefit from his help. In addition to this news, Crodivus explained that they should also seek out Drake, a Perceiver. Perceivers were beings with enhanced gifts of prophecy and clairvoyance.
It took a while for the news to sink into Pyrodeus' head. After thousands of years, finding out you had a son would be fairly shocking. After shaking it off, he and the God of Ice set out to find Visignis and the Perceiver. Mathew and Damian, on the other hand, were ordered to begin gathering an army of angels that still remained faithful.
When the angels fell, a divine assassin, by the name of Jaxyl, also fell. Landing, with other angels, among the Appeak Mountains, he found himself a single goal. He would purify the angelic race, and restore them to their place in Heaven. Of course, he had an agenda in doing so. Jaxyl wished for the title of Arch Angel. After suppressing a small rebellion of Fallen, the assassin was encountered by none other than Baalaose, who was still surveying his new kingdom. He felt that this 'God' might help him achieve his goal in wiping out the impure, so he thought it to be a good idea to ally himself, adding one more capable warrior to a very dark army before both went their separate ways.
The demigods had a difficult time pinpointing Visignis, as the half-angel's energy wasn't too present. In the process, the two were attacked by a squadron of rouge angels in the Mountains of Secrecy. During the skirmish, Pyrodeus gave his newfound power a test run, and Cryodivus showcased his own. As fortune would have it, Visignis was being held in a nearby mountain stronghold.
The two gave the medical staff, as well as the security at the complex a bit of a scare when they removed the half-angel from an ice bath, which was what had been suppressing his energy, and revived him from a comatose state. After the situtation was explained, Visignis agreed that it would be very beneficial to seek out the Perceiver.
The group decided to investigate the Kryll Forest first. While Pyrodeus was still getting used to seeing his son as an equal, rather than a subordinate, they were jumped by a group of angels under the employment of Baalaose. The angel were searching for 'the human who'd been granted the wings of an angel.' Needless to say, they didn't survive the fight. In fact, not much was left, other than charred bones and severed limbs scattered among ashes. Amidst the chaos, though, Visignis had managed to find Drake, the Perceiver, who was in dire need of medical attention, which they figured would be best found within Pyrodeus' Forge.
As the group cleared the area, Damian had come by, in search of angels. Finding only ashes, he thought it to be a good place to practice his necromancy. After a few unsuccessful tries, he eventually rose an angel made of pure ash, save for a single, gleaming feather. This angel came to revere the human as his creator and master. Dumbfounded by the coincidence, Damian chose to take the opportunity presented, and lead the angel into the mountains in search of more angels.
Meanwhile, Mathew had gone to Reyone Field to gather faithful angels to his cause. His request was not met, but rejected, quite forcefully. As he was cornered against one of the large stones, Jaxyl came to his aid, calming the Fallen in the area with a swift mind and smooth words. Unfortunately, the peace was very temporary, as Jaxyl recognized one of Mathew's blades, which belonged to the cast out angel named Ark. Ark was one of Jaxyl's marks when he was still a divine assassin, and the only one he'd never quite eliminated. He promptly called out his rival, calling Ark to the forefront of Mathew's personality, and dividing it between the angel and the demon who resided there.
At the Forge, Drake was getting the attention he needed. In the process, he had a vision pertaining to 'Pyrodeus' half-angel friend.' Visignis excused himself to pursue some personal matters, and Cryodivus dispatched himself to check on Mathew. When he he reached the field, Mathew was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found Jaxyl fighting someone who'd seemed to have taken over Mathew's body. He watched the fight commence, but never got to finish it, as Drake had called him back to the forge before the conclusion.
The fight went on without the Ice God, though, and it got very brutal, and quite bloody. In the end, Mathew, now fully under Ark's control, ended up taking far too many injuries to even stand. Jaxyl wasn't in the best of conditions either. Regrettably, he had to retreat to Sargis Lake before he could deal the finishing blow, leaving Ark among a multitude of Fallen who wanted him dead. Fortunately, a crimson warrior came to his aid, removing the threat of the Fallen by encasing him in a shield of sorts. The warrior also healed the greater majority of Ark's wounds, transferring them to an unlucky Fallen. With his work done, the crimson savior, known by his former companions as Malthius, left a message before he left. He wished for Ark to meet him in a realm called Earth.
Rifel and Jay had made their way into a local pub in the Unnamed City, searching for leads on Vurkiel. Sure enough, he'd been there, and had happened to make quite a bad impression on one of the drunkards. The inebriated man told them that their bounty would be found on top of the bank down the street. As the two of them exited, Visignis entered for nothing more than his usual drink.
As the man had suggested, Vurkiel was found atop the bank, fuming about prices to be paid for forgiveness. He explained to Rifel that he would forgive the four people, Kary, Raid, Malthius, and the one he was addressing, who'd taken everything from him. Unfortunately, his price was rather steep. The cost of forgiveness was apparently one's life. The broken angel then smugly claimed to have collected two fees already, and summoned forth Kary's spear, and Raid's sword.
The fight that ensued was a fierce one, and anything but unevenly matched, as Vurkiel took on both Rifel and Jay. The conflict had even caught Visignis' attention as he exited the pub. He wasn't captivated for long, though, as he felt his father's presence near the Appeak Mountains, and rushed to see what the matter was. The fight atop the bank ended in a stalemate, as Vurkiel was too injured to continue, but wouldn't let the two of them beat him. Thus, he fled into the shadows, claiming that he would find Malthius before they did, and that he wouldn't play nice.
As Rifel and Jay wound down, Ark found them, and had an urgent request. He wanted to go to the place called 'Earth,' and he dug through Mathew's memories to find that the two before him were capable of traveling as such. To sweeten his offer, he mentioned that someone in red had called him there. Rifel, jumping to the conclusion that it must have been Malthius, lead the way to the Earthen Realm.
Pyrodeus had visited the ruins of the once proud city, Ferdas, located at the base of the Appeak Mountains. The city was the site of the battle between the Sons of Plunder and the Warrior Angels. It was also where Visignis grew up, unbeknownst to his father. The half-angel found his way to the ruins, following Pyrodeus’ energy as the Fire God went into a deep meditation. It was there, that he reunited with his old friend, Tresdos.
However, Tresdos had changed since his human life time. Most noticeably, he was an angel now, and not a joyous one. He was furious at his time spent in the angelic service, and wanted nothing more than the freedom he now had, thanks the Heaven’s break. After issuing a few unkind words, he disappeared from view, leaving Visignis and his father alone for the moment. During that moment, Pyrodeus thought it a good idea to train his son, and took them both back to the forge. The dark angel, Tresdos reappeared momentarily to see them off. What he’d left out, when addressing his old friend, was that he’d essentially become a Warrior Angel. During his time in Heaven, he’d found the seal for a new Warrior Angel, one created by Azrael, Nocticertus. Thus, this now free angel had become the Warrior Angel of Darkness.
At the Forge, Pyrodeus was training his son’s mind, using the technique of working his way out of an imaginary box. Through this training, Visignis conditioned, and readied his body to allow his full potential. After breaking through the first mental block of ice, Visignis returned himself to the Forge, where he and his father began harnessing his power in various ways, such as enhancing his weaponry.
The pleasant moment didn’t last, though, as Drake suddenly brought their attention to an injured Damian outside the Forge. Damian, who’d been trying to recruit some of the more faithful Fallen, had a rather ill encounter with those who rejected his offer. Offering the human, and his ashen angel, shelter in the Forge, they began to carry out medical procedures. After all the attention, it was the amulet he had that brought him back to safety.
As they all readied for a fight with the unfaithful Fallen, Cryodivus arrived. Unfortunately, he was not the only one. Baalaose had also happened on the area, and he wanted to test these powerful beings before him. He tried to sway the God of Fire to his cause, but was unsuccessful. Damian had even tried to stand up to the self proclaimed God, who was actually making quite the argument for his cause by using the water to wine trick, with rain, then taking it a step futher, and changing it to blood. Unfortunately for Damian, he fell victim to Baalaose’s life absorbing aura.
Harsh words were exchanged, and Baalaose realized that he would have to enforce his argument for the title of a God. Early on, in the fight that broke out, Visignis took heavy injury, incapacitating him. As Pyrodeus and Cryodivus continued on the assault, Baalaose showed them just how useless it was. Taking their life energy through his life absorption aura, he was able to use their own abilities against them. As the fight got more brutal, Baalaose had a chance to use his trump card: The Iron Maiden spell. After so much time of taking its effect, his body was able to learn it, and even allow him to use it as he saw fit. Having shown them the error of their ways, he left his victims to writhe in the very pain that they’d caused to him.
After the initial shock of pain wore off, the group made way back into the Forge. After much consideration, Pyrodeus felt it necessary to give Damian the power of the Warrior Angel seals. After crafting a gauntlet to hold them, he offered the seal of Fulmineras, the Warrior Angel of Lightning. The Ice God, however, did not approve, a fact that he made very prevalent to the human.
Meanwhile, a new threat rose from the depths of Sargis Lake. This new threat came in the form of a powerful demon, known as Leviathan. Jaxyl, who had retreated from his fight with Ark witnessed the being rising from the water, requesting that he offer him some help with his wounds. Being a demon, Leviathan didn’t see why he should help an angel. Through quick thinking, though, Jaxyl was able to convince him otherwise. Baalaose also happened upon the scene, fully repaired from his bout with the demigods and their friends. After a bit of smooth talking, he convinced the new demon to join him in his conquest. He also issued Jaxyl the order of finding strong beings worthy of joining his army. Noticing Leviathan’s passionate hatred for anything not demonic, he sent the demon to the Forge he’d just walked away from.
Messanger had finally come back around, after his furious bout with the now God of Fire, and had made his way to the Soul Stream, where Lotus had decided to reemerge after hiding for so long from Arius. Remembering how the vampire helped the man he hid from, Lotus lashed out in a fit of rage. Trying to get his point across, Messanger donned his holy sword, and matching gauntlet, which were only usable when he wore his gloves, as he was an unholy being himself.
The short squabble was broken up by Tresdos, who was in search of allies against Pyrodeus. He was very persuasive in his arguments, as to why the two should trust him. The dark angel had a plan, but he wouldn’t let anyone know until he was sure who stood with him. Throwing down the gauntlet, he told them to meet him in the Unnamed City if they wanted to know more. Both accepted the offer, and made their way to the rendezvous point.
As all three met at the local bar, they exchanged stories, and reasons that they stood against who they did. After gaining a bit of trust in the vampire, Tresdos asked him to meet outside, so that they may speak without Lotus listening in. The reason for the secrecy was that Tresdos wanted to complete Magres Xerfal. One of the constraints was that only one other entity was allowed to know about the process. For the dark angel, that one other entity was Messanger. The first step was to obtain a chalice of blood from Tresdos’ greatest enemy: Visignis.
At the Forge, Cryodivus came up with the idea of using ordinary weaponry to defeat Baalaose, as he would surely absorb any unordinary qualities, and use them against the users. Pyrodeus then crafted a katana, in which the only special attribute was that it was extremely strong, and nearly indestructible. Visignis offered to test the weapon, and left for the Kryll Forest to do so. Damian also wanted to test his new weapon, and rushed off to Reyone Field. Cryodivus offered to spar with him, but mostly to ensure that the human wouldn’t run off with the seal of his fallen brother.
Unseen to all that were exiting the Forge, was Leviathan, who waited until the doors were left open to approach the establishment. The demon intentionally provoked the demigod, fairly confident that he could hold his own. Surprisingly, he managed to do just that, even as the fight lead deep into the Forge, where the temperature was hot enough to melt a human in half a second. The only thing that kept the fight from getting any uglier than it was, which was nearly impossible to fathom, was Drake interrupting by saying that Visignis had been hurt. As Pyrodeus rushed to his son’s aid, the demon followed, trying to finish what he started.
Visignis had been training with the new sword in Kryll Forest. The display that he gave drew the attention of then angelic assassin, Jaxyl. At the behest of Baalaose, Jaxyl was seeking out allies, and felt that Visignis would make a good one. The brief conversation ended in acceptance of an alliance. It was at the conclusion of their words that Tresdos landed in the area, his accomplices close behind.
As the vampire held Jaxyl at bay, Tresdos and Visignis clashed. After a while, the dark angel had his rival pinned, and requested that Messanger fill the chalice. Visignis offered a retaliatory attack, slowing the progress down, but not enough, as the chalice was eventually filled. Visignis passed out as the dark troupe took a moment to calculate the next steps.
Meanwhile, Damain was squaring off with Cryodivus on Reyone Field, testing Pyrodeus’ gift. The beginning of the bout was surprisingly one sided, in Damian’s favor. That didn’t last long, though, as the Ice God began retaliating. As the fight escalated, Cryodivus managed to land a kick that burrowed Damian’s amulet into his chest. The human retaliated with one of his more unsettling abilities: Necromancy. Damian’s undead minions never got a chance to do any damage, as Cryodivus sensed trouble near where Visignis was, and rushed to help. The mortal took the moment to attempt to wrap his mind around his new gauntlet. It wasn’t long before someone new joined him in the field.
The God of Ice arrived at Visignis’ side first, lashing out at Tresdos and his cohorts. This warranted a safe retreat, leaving Cryodivus and Visignis to wait for Pyrodeus. The Fire God arrived shortly thereafter, administering medical procedures immediately. Once the half-angel was stable enough to be moved, the demigods relocated him to the Forge.
As Cryodivus returned to the field to check on Damian, Pyrodeus tended to his son, with the help of Drake. Visignis wasn’t making it easy, taking out his rage for Tresdos on more of his mental blocks. In his weakened state, the process kept pushing him further under. Pyrodeus did all he could, just to keep his son alive. As he did so, Drake kept him informed on a fight that had developed in the field.
In Cryodivus’ absence, Baalaose had happened upon Damian’s position. He managed to hold off the self proclaimed God, even in his exhausted state. Unfortunately, Leviathan was also drawn to the area, having lost track of Pyrodeus. As the fight began shifting against the human, Cryodivus arrived to even the odds. Soon, the fight was divided in two, with Damian fending off Baalaose, and the Ice God taking on Leviathan.
During the chaos with Visignis, Jaxyl had managed to slip away, finding himself near the stone formation in Reyone Field, a good distance away from the fight in progress. Much to his surprise, there was someone sitting in the oasis in the center of the formation. After introductions, the newcomer had explained himself to be called Taelyrn, and that he didn’t quite know who, or what, he was, let alone where. Jaxyl, in an attempt to see what this new soul was capable of, offered a light spar.
Before the fight even began, they were interrupted by a man named Drixel, who was assumed to be a Fallen. The spar was a bit awkward, as Jaxyl was not very accustomed to close combat, and Taelyrn didn’t know his full capabilities yet. Once he did grasp his potential, however, the fight shifted heavily in his favor, and sending Jaxyl into one defensive maneuver after another. Though, the burst of ability was short lived, and the angel got a good counterattack in.
After taking a moment’s rest, they decided to step it up a notch, and Jaxyl started using knives, as opposed to fists. The hope was to force Taelyrn to tap into his abilities on a more voluntary basis. In that sense, it was a success. However, due to the new ferocity, the angel suffered a dangerous blow that shattered his mask, and revealed his hideous face. That was the final strike of the spar, and Jaxyl took a moment to rest, and attempt to put his mask back together. As Taelyrn accepted his victory, he asked why Jaxyl was so interested in his abilities. It was then, that duty kicked in, and the assassin attempted to recruit the newcomer to Baalaose’s side.
Before the request was answered, Drixel, who’d been watching on the sidelines, wanted to try his hand. Taelyrn accepted the offer, and thus began another sparring round. In a carnal fashion, Taelyrn seemed much more adept at fighting, and was on the offensive for a majority of the fight. The Fallen wasn’t without experience, though, and used the environment to his advantage, literally, as he had the ability to camouflage himself to near invisibility. Ultimately, the fight ended in a stalemate.
The two of them had a few questions for the angel, mostly pertaining to current events, and why they should chose his side. As Jaxyl had expected, they both needed more time to choose. He told them of the current goings on, then made his way toward the Unnamed City. Taelyrn chose to head toward Pyrodeus’ Forge, and Drixel simply traveled to the south, where he would stumble upon another fight.
The fight between Damian, Cryodivus, Leviathan, and Damian had gotten quite brutal, and was still even when Drake arrived, at the request of the Fire God, with a new seal for the human: The seal of Silexops, a being of unparalleled physical strength. At the time, the fight had become Damian’s attempt to stay alive against Baalaose, and Leviathan provoking the Ice God into attacks that were easily countered. Drixel had been watching through his camouflage, only to be called out by Baalaose himself. At first, the Fallen seemed to ally himself with the self proclaimed God.
As Cryodivus and Leviathan fought, the demon seemed to be holding his own, and getting extremely haughty. That pride became his downfall, as he tried to absorb ice energy, just as he had with fire when fighting Pyrodeus. The attempt resulted in his body freezing over, leaving him thoroughly chilled, and motionless. Taking note of that fact, Drixel thought it better to ally with the stronger force, and launched an aerial attack on the frozen demon. Cryodivus also rushed the ice sculpture, connecting simultaneously with Drixel, and leaving nothing of Leviathan but melting ice chunks. Seeing Drake handing Damian a new seal, the God of Ice became furious with Pyrodeus. He didn’t agree that a human should have such power within reach. Baalaose, on the other hand, had noticed his ally get crushed, and began retreating, fed up with doing the fighting himself.
Tresdos and his accomplices had reconvened in the Unnamed City, having escaped from the escapade involving Visignis. After a bit of discussion, they had determined that the next step was to visit Heaven. Being unholy, the vampire and the devil worried about being granted access. Fortunately, the break rendered their worry meaningless. Tresdos opened a pathway to the realm, and the others followed. Lotus, however, did not make it to Heaven.
Tresdos lead Messanger to the Alter where the ceremony was to take place. As to be expected, a group of still faithful angels, Guardians, in fact, were waiting in ambush. They didn’t stand much of a chance, and were dealt with in a matter of minutes. As Tresdos began the chant, and was immobile, Messanger, had to fight off another such ambush, lighting the torches in the process. After the small force was dealt with, the angels sent in one of their big guns, who the vampire had to fight alone. It was far from easy, but it was no struggle, as the colossal angel eventually fell to its own plasma, which was being manipulated be the unholy visitor.
Fortunately, that was the last interruption, and Tresdos successfully ascended to Godhood, his only weakness being a blade of pure light. To thank the vampire for his help the new God of Darkness offered a few gifts. The first was to imbue Messanger’s cloak, making it quite a bit more capable than simple cloth. The second gift was the blood of a demigod, which gave the vampire power that he’d never even knew existed, allowing his an unmatched level of plasma manipulation.
Unfortunately, they did not go unnoticed, as Pyrodeus had left his son to recover in the Forge, so he could track Tresdos down. The Fire God did just that, and now stood before the God of Darkness and his powered up vampire accomplice. Tresdos tried to plea his case that he never intended to do any permanent harm to Visignis, which went ignored. Messanger was given a chance to leave, and took it without hesitation, having had enough with fighting angels. The two demigods argued for a bit longer before Pyrodeus suggested that they move to his Forge, if Tresdos truly wanted to apologize to Visignis.
They made it to the forge just in time, as Visignis had just woken up, furious with the dark demigod. As the son of Pyrodeus lashed out, and attacked his old friend, Tresdos tried to calm him down, pleading his case to a new set of ears. It didn’t work, though, and the only way to calm Visignis down was for Tresdos to allow himself to become impaled as a result of an incoming attack. Of course, due to his recent ascension, there was no permanent damage. After hearing him out, Visignis simply request that Tresdos leave, and that he would be sought out when forgiveness could be given. Heeding the request, the God of Darkness left the Forge, only the father and son left inside.
With acute timing, Taelyrn now approached the doors of the Forge. After simple introductions, he gave Pyrodeus the information that Jaxyl had shared with him. The Fire God offered him a better deal, and his mind was made up almost instantly. Giving this newcomer a sword, Pyrodeus wanted to test the abilities of his new ally, pitting him against Visignis for a brief spar. As they moved outside to avoid heat exhaustion, Visignis got the jump, attacking unexpectedly. After that first attack connected, the duel unofficially began.
As Taelyrn had half expected, he was able to use his abilities when the need for them came. However, he was still unable to use them at will. As the bout drew on, Taelyrn’s two halves, brought upon by his two souls, given him during his creation, began arguing with each other. One half wanted to go a step further, breaking into an actual fight, and kill Visignis. The other half held it back, ending the duel. It was during the debriefing that Taelyrn divulged the information that he’d only been alive for a few days, and didn’t quite know how to use his abilities.
In an attempt to try and find the trigger for his abilities, Pyrodeus suggested another duel, one against the Fire God himself. The bout was severely one sided, but it taught Taelyrn’s two halves to stop arguing with each other, and work together. After a few more attacks, they came up with the idea of focusing on a single point, in order to work together, and eventually become one entity. Taelyrn suggested a sword, and offered the idea to Pyrodeus, calling a stop to the spar.
After a small bit of work, the God of Fire crafted a Tai Chi sword especially for Taelyrn. The weapon was equipped with a diamond, which would allow him to store any excess power that he had. Taking the sword, Taelyrn was able to concentrate on it enough to bring his two halves together, into a singularity. He was now a single entity with two souls. He also knew how to use his abilities. With much thanks, Taelyrn left the Forge, still wanting to know the world he was in.
Not even the town of Rerden was able to escape the chaos. A dark teen, by the name of Maku, had fallen upon it, and he had a lust for blood. His twin brother, Taka, arrived in time to reverse some of the damage, but not all of it. The process of doing so, however, left him unable to stand.
When he recovered, he ran into the demon, Inor. Inor was a demon who’d been exiled from Hell during its break, and was seeking to help the side of good. After introductions, Taka suggested that the two of them work together. The deal was helping him find his brother, and Taka would join him in the fight against evil. After getting a sword for the unarmed demon, they ventured into the Forest of Shadows, in pursuit of Maku.
As they made their way through the trees, they came across a dead ShadowSpawn, left behind by the dark twin. Unfortunately, not all of the ShadowSpawn in the area had run across Maku. The two held their own for a short while before Taka suffered a bite, and they chose to run. As they fled, they unknowingly passed through a rift, and ended up in a city called Manhattan. They didn’t stay long before walking back through the rift, which had moved, setting their exit point to the Unnamed City, back on Etrah.
Tresdos had left Pyrodeus’ Forge, and headed to the port of Thoncir. The city had been overrun by demons, and an important citizen, named Jameson Douglas, was issuing a reward to whoever eradicated them. The dark demigod had managed to slay quite a number of demons, but was having trouble removing the hides, one of the conditions for a better reward. When he had finally succeeded, and attempted to turn in the fruits of his hard work, Jameson attempted to pay him less than he was due, much less. The man nearly paid for his mistake with his life.
Taelyrn had also happened upon the port, disappointed by the lack of activity. That was the point at which he met Tresdos. The encounter was brief, and filled with tension at first, but after Tresdos received his award, the two talked without so much discomfort. The God of Darkness employed Taelyrn in making weapons from the unused demons bones, so they might turn out some sort of profit.
Their progress did not go uninterrupted, however, as Maku had also found his way to Thoncir, and proceeded to destroy random buildings as he saw fit. As he set his sights on the warehouse, the site of the demonbone operation, Tresdos and Taelyrn struck out in order to keep their products, as well as their bodies, safe. Both Tresdos’ and Maku’s first tactics failed, as the chaotic teen was not affected by holy water, and the Darkness God’s heart would not burst open. Taelyrn watched Tresdos slap Maku around a few times before he stepped in, offering the kid a chance to turn around and walk away. Taelyrn’s offer was accepted, and he was issued the same offer by Tresdos, which he regrettably took, heading back toward Reyone field.
Having taken some time to recoup after the run in with Baalaose, the small gathering that was already in the field began parting ways as Taelyrn closed in. Damian and Drake made their way to Kryll Forest to find recruits for their cause. Taelyrn was greeted by Drixel, and introduced to Cryodivus, who instantly recognized Pyrodeus’ handiwork in the Tai Chi sword. After debriefing Taelyrn on the situation, Cryodivus suggested that they regroup at the Forge. Travel by air would have been faster, thus Taelyrn learned that he could use his ability for flight.
In the forest, Damian had misjudged his teleportation ability, and landed in the middle of a possibly hostile group of Fallen. The Fallen were well natured, so it didn’t take much to convince them to join the fight. Drake told Damian to start marching the large group toward the Mountains of Secrecy, where Visignis’ mansion was, then proceeded to rush toward the mansion himself, planning to bring back a small unit of the angels that were already there to protect the march.
Visignis was home, setting up a defensive perimeter with the fallen angels that he’d recruited, when Drake showed up, inquiring as to the safety that the angels would have there. After deeming it to be more than safe enough, Visignis a handful of soldiers to help bring the new additions back safely. Drake led them back to Kryll Forest as quickly as he could.
The soldiers Drake brought back were accompanied by a morale boost, as the large group Damian lead began to pick up speed. Fortunately, the rest of the trip to Visignis’ mansion was rather uneventful. While they tended to the wounded, a grave notion spread through the air. There wasn’t too much time left. They rallied the troops, and made way for the Forge when ready.
Rifel and Jay had led Ark to the destroyed future of Earth, as instructed by Malthius. Now, they wanted answers as to why they had to meet there. He responded that he assumed that it was a safe place, as he didn’t believe that Vurkiel could cross dimensions without the technology to do so on Etrah. He also explained that the once Angel of Shadows had tried claiming the Shadow Realm, and was looking to recruit in the fight against him.
Unfortunately, Malthius’ suspicions of safety were wrong, as Vurkiel had managed to find his way to the ruined wasteland that had been called Earth long ago. He didn’t waste any time summoning his clubs, and launching an assault on the group, who had assembled on the roof of an empty building. A few blows into the fight, and the building came crashing down, forcing them all into midair combat, using falling chunks of the building as projectiles. As the fight landed on the ground again, the combatants continued through the settling dust, Vurkiel hodling his own against fierce attacks.
In the midst of the chaos, Malthius pulled Ark aside, opening a portal for them both to escape back to Etrah. Rifel and Jay were able to keep quite a bit of pressure on Vurkiel, managing to damage his body do a critical state yet again. Taking note, the broken angel retreated again, disappearing into the shadow of a large chunk of rubble as he toppled it over on himself. The two of them took a while to relax, and catch their breath. After all, it wasn’t every day that Jay got to return home.
After exiting Heaven, Messanger landed in the city of Reyone. His new power seemed to prove too much for his body, sending him into unconsciousness in the middle of the street. When he awoke, he was in a strange home, greeted by a family of vampires, who had a request for him. They wished for him to train their daughter, Rory, who he’d saved a hundred years ago, during the massacre that the vampires had brought upon the city. Now, Reyone was overrun with demons, and they had no reliable means of defending themselves.
During a particular session, the two vampires had been patrolling the town, and had come across a rather powerful demon. As Rory was rendered unconscious, Messanger fought off the demon, using the power he’d obtained through drinking Tresdos’ blood. It was a very short, but very bloody fight, and ended with a flattened demon, and a passed out Messanger. It seemed that the power he now held was far too much for his body.
When he came to again, Rory had informed him that the townsfolk had exiled her family, not wanting another Vampire Massacre. They were in the process of relocating to the Forest of Shadows, but Messanger wouldn’t be going with them, even though he’d developed an interest in the girl. He had other matters to tend to, and things left undone. Leaving Rory with his guns, his enchanted cloak, and a kiss, he made his way to Pyrodeus’ Forge, feeling that it was time to earn their good graces after helping Tresdos harm Visignis.
Having safely returned to Etrah, Inor and Taka found themselves in the Unnamed City. They wanted some more help in finding Maku. As luck would have it, a bulletin caught their attention, claiming that anyone willing to pay for assistance could find it waiting in a nearby apartment. As it turned out, the one who’d put it up was a demon that Inor knew, named Rhiath. It was because of that fact that they were able to get the demon to talk to them. Unfortunately, not much was to stay calm for very long.
Jaxyl, who was still set on earning his way to Arch Angel, had been following Taka and Inor since they reemerged in Etrah. He thought it rather odd that such a pure human would travel with a demon, and suspected some sort of possession to be at hand. He’d followed them into the building, and took a moment to rethink his strategy as they took refuge in the other demon’s apartment.
Inside, Taka and Inor were discussing business with Rhiath, and how they wanted them to help find Maku. He was willing to give them a considerable discount, in order to repay his debt to Inor. In the hallway, Jaxyl attempted to lure the demons out, and catch them off guard. What could have been a brief gunfight, turned into a drawn out standoff, littered with slung accusations and name calling, rather than bullets. It was Taka who brought an end to the conflict, claiming that the demons were on his side, and of no harm. Jaxyl still suspected possession, and, though he agreed to stand down, he wished to follow them, in hopes that he could break the teen free from their spell, and execute them. After final preparations, and a few last insults, the group left the city, searching for Taka’s brother.
Lotus had never made it to Heaven with Tresdos and Messanger. Instead, he got lost along the way, and ended up in the Abyss, where Arius had been sealed away. Arius, due to his power, was able to bend the Abyss as he saw fit, making it a sort of surrogate body, as he’d lost his during the previous Conflict. Using this ability, he approached Lotus, and set a very lucrative offer on the table. It was alarming at first, but Lotus decided to hear him out. In exchange for the amulet that Arius had stolen, and the use of his sword, Gaia’s Torment, Lotus agreed to help Baalaose in his conquest. Though part of him still wanted to know what interest he had in Etrah’s furtue God. Arius was even kind enough to open a gate to Reyone Field, showing him the twisted tree that held his sword. Lotus walked through, tore the Torment from its prison, and returned Arius’ hand before wandering off to find Baalaose.
Malthius and Ark reentered Etrah on the Reyone Bridge, and Ark was not happy about the retreat. Malthius was able to calm him down by sharing that he knew Vurkiel would flee, and that the other guys could handle that fight themselves. He also noted that Ark was not fighting to the best of his abilities. As they tried to determine the cause, a group of demons ambushed them, pulling Coryn to the front, placing him in control of Mathew’s body. As the dual breed fought a demon from Coryn’s past, he tore the ambush to shreds, ensuring Ark that he wouldn’t get too beat up. After the carnage, Coryn felt a strong, dark presence drawing what was left of his demonic side to the Appeak Mountains, leaving Malthius to try and keep up.
Tucked away in the mountains, Baalaose had begun his final preparations. He had constructed a castle of black crystal atop the tallest peak. He was knelt in front of his palace, carving some sort of rune, with smaller runes as the building blocks, into a stone at the base of the castle. Lotus found him there, offering his services, as Arius had instructed him. To prove his allegiance, Baalaose ordered him to find him a dragon, that he might absorb its life energy, as well as its strength.
Lotus left, unsure of where he would find such a beast. Fortunately, one found him instead. It was a short, and one sided fight, ending with Lotus standing victorious over a quadriplegic dragon, that had cauterized its own wounds, and was being dragged back to Baalaose. When Lotus returned with his prey, he had to push through Baalose’s now assembled army of Fallen, demons, and other dark beings. The rune being constructed had drawn them their, and was still calling out to all beings of dark nature, thus a few familiar faces showed up. The demons, Rhiath and Inor, Taka following behind, as well as Jaxyl, and even Tresdos and Maku made their way to the dark crystal palace. Vurkiel also came back to Etrah, by way of shadow, to serve under Baalaose. After making Vurkiel the general over his army, Baalaose was able to recruit Tresdos to his cause. Issuing a command for all who followed him to bow before him as their God, Rhiath separated himself from his traveling companions, deeming that it would be in his best interests to do so. Maku also took the offer, but had his own plans in mind. The end of times truly seemed to be upon Etrah.
Meanwhile, at the Forge, Messanger had found the angels who had been nothing but trouble, with the plan of fighting alongside them. He had a reason for doing so, and he would do whatever it took to keep her safe. As the vampire had an awkward conversation with Pyrodeus, Cryodivus, Taelyrn, and Drixel showed up, changing the situation from awkward to tense. Though words were strained, he was able to gain their trust, as well as entry into the Forge. After Messanger had been filled in on the situation, they began formulating battle strategies. One of these plans involved holding him down, and decapitating him. After they had a definite plan of action, the two demigods requested that the others wait outside, and that they might speak in private.
Their request heeded, Cryodivus scolded the Fire God for his follies. He didn’t see why they should enlist a vampire that they both fought with at one point, as well as giving away two seals, to a human. They managed to work out a compromise, allowing the rest of the group back in. At that point, Damian appeared as a messenger, letting them know that Visignis and Drake were on the way with an army of faithful Fallen, and that the time for battle was fast approaching.
Soon after, the army was assembled outside the Forge, and receiving their equipment, emblazoned with holy water, which would hopefully give them some sort of edge. To make up for the time during assembly, Pyrodeus formed a large field, contained within fire, which would allow for mass teleportation. Once those who could not teleport themselves were inside, the force made way for Mt. Baal. It was time for an apocalyptic battle.
Battle cries were sung, and the forces began rushing toward one another. Taking an unexpected approach, Jaxyl began slaughtering troops that were on his side, by order of Baalaose. The plan was to use the trust that he’d earned in Visignis against the enemy. Apparently, he made such a convincing case, that Baalaose had to stop Vurkiel from eliminating him. Tresdos was not as impressed, and began taunting the generals of the faithful. As Visingnis rushed off to help Jaxyl, the God of Darkness approached Cryodivus, who’d been impaled by one of Baalaose’s attacks. Taelyrn was able to save the Ice god from Tresdos’ advance, but seemed to have made himself the new target.
Messanger made his way through the dark army, using his holy weapons for added effectiveness. Rhiath, supporting Baalaose, began shooting into the battlefield, taking out who he could. Coryn landed at the scene, only to catch sight of Jaxyl, and hand control back to Ark. Jaxyl was about to betray Visignis with a bullet to the back of the skull, when Ark distracted him and beckoned him into an airborne duel.
Pyrodeus pulled Cyrodivus from the spike he rested on, and let the Ice God recover near the base of the mountain, then flew up the mountain to be held at bay by Lotus. Malthius, who’d followed Coryn, stumbled upon Cryodivus, and exchanged his wounds into an unlucky demon, completely healing the Ice God. Cryodivus thanked the crimson warrior, and then rushed off to enact revenge on Tresdos, who was engaged with both Taelyrn and Drake. He managed to pin the God of Darkness to the ground with Baalaose’s spikes.
Messanger took up arms against Lotus, allowing his allies to enact their plan. Visignis grabbed one arm and Pyrodeus the other, holding him down. As Taelyrn swung what they were sure would be the final blow, Baalaose thought quickly, bringing Visignis into the line of attack. The force of the strike cut Visignis’ hand off, halfway down the forearm. The demigods were unable to help any, as Baalaose also ensured that they would be unable to move. He’d even occupied Drake with a massive serpent, made of shadows, but capable of doing very real damage. The only thing that saved Taelyrn from his wrath was a blast of energy from Inor, which was promptly countered.
Amidst the chaos, Rhiath decided to simply become a third party, shooting at anything that moved. Tresdos had freed himself, and enacted a vendetta against Cryodivus. Messanger had taken a chance to get Visignis, and his hand, to safety, in a nearby cave, stopping the bleeding as best he could with plasma wielding. When he returned to the fight, his sole target was Baalaose himself. In the process, he’d lost his sword, and had no option but to use the power that Tresdos had given him, which caused his mind to become very one tracked.
Among the hundred of battling soldiers, Cryodivus had locked Tresdos into a duel, and Drake was still dealing with Baalaose’s snake. Soon enough though, Taelyrn was able to offer a hand to the Perceiver. Inor and Drixel began working together, assaulting the dark forces from the sky. Lotus also realized his role in the battle, casting off his allegiance to Baalaose, and slaughtering anything that was still alive, with the hopes of strengthening Gaia’s Torment. Pyrodeus managed to land a critical blow on Baalaose, shattering his spine, and forcing him to take time to recover.
Vurkiel had taken notice of Malthius’ presence, and let his lust for revenge take over, pouncing on his prey with ferocity. The fight was very brief, but very violent, and ended up with Malthius’ head being torn off by Vurkiel’s club. Rifel had been watching through a portal he created on Earth, and lashed out in a fit of rage, focusing on only Vurkiel as he came back to Etrah.
Taelyrn and Drake had managed to finish off the snake, but now had a new threat to deal with: Maku. The dark teen was becoming more and more demonic, as he’d spent the battle taking the lives of many angels. Taka was able to save his brother from death, having caught his fight with Taelyrn and Drake just in time. The pure twin took the dark twin away from the battlefield to begin the recovery process, seeking shelter in the cave that Visignis was already occupying.
Baalaose had managed to bring himself back to full health, and targeted Cryodivus, who had his hands full with Tresdos. As the God of Darkness held the Ice God still, Baalaose was able to consume a vast amount of energy, now able to use Cryodivus’ powers as his own. This did not sit well with the God of Ice, who tapped into his true power, freezing even the light that struck him, and breaking free of Tresdos’ grip as Baalaose became occupied with the others again. The now super powered duel ended with the death of a demigod. The God of Darkness had found his end at a sword designed of frozen light.
As Baalaose took on Messanger and Pyrodeus, more duels began to surface. One was between Rhiath and his friend, Inor. It was a fierce duel, and one of words that both might have regretted one day. Though, neither lost their life. In fact, Inor had convinced Rhiath to join him, with the persuasion of finding Baalaose’s treasures.
In the sky above, Ark and Jaxyl were squaring off in a battle of range versus close combat. Both held their own quite well, but the assassin eventually ran out of ammo, and was slain by Ark’s hand, dying with unfulfilled ambitions. Though, Ark didn’t make it out the fight in too decent of condition either, falling to the battlefield, barely able to breath.
Baalaose had his hands full now, with overwhelming odds against him. To correct this, he summoned a couple reapers, beings that devoured souls, and made use of their opponents’ fear. While most of the others decided to take on the reapers, Messanger kept his focus, assaulting Baalaose as ferociously as his body would let him. In the process, he was cut in half, only able to halt death by keeping himself together with his own ability to bend plasma. That didn’t keep him from staying on the offensive.
Baalaose had managed to absorb a bit of Drake’s Perceiver ability in a brief passing. He witnessed a vision of himself rising to Heaven on angel’s wings. The self proclaimed God made himself a new target: Damian, or rather, the amulet around Damian’s neck. At the time, Damian was engaged in battle with Lotus, as he was one of the few remaining souls on the mountain. It didn’t last long, though, a Lotus made a swift retreat, realizing that he had nothing to gain from fighting.
The reapers had put up a hell of a fight, but were eventually taken down. Unfortunately, they died in time for Baalaose to enact his Iron Maiden spell, forcing everyone to feel the pain they’d caused throughout the battle, which was a lot. With the human weakened, Baalaose was able to extract the amulet from his chest, donning it and beginning his ascent into the sky.
Messanger, on the other hand, was unaffected by the pain, placing his holy gauntlet on his unholy hand, adding to it. He sent himself at the rising ‘God,’ trusting the gauntlet through Baalaose’s chest, removing the heart that lay inside it. At that very point, his body gave way, unable to take on anymore exertion from the power he’d been using. He fell to the ground in two pieces, one of which was still attached to Baalaose’s corpse.
The battle wasn’t over yet, as Baalaose’s heart, still held in Messanger’s gauntlet, began to drain life from a very wide radius, affecting nearly the entire planet. With everyone suffering from the Iron Maiden spell, and now having their lives drained, it seemed that all had been for naught. However, history had room for one more martyr. Taelyrn sacrificed himself, throwing his body onto the still beating heart and surging them both with the energy of two souls. The process created a brilliant shockwave that tore the heart apart, until it was nothing more than dust. The only thing left of either was Taelyrn’s sword.
As the battle concluded, those left alive made their ways down the mountain. Inor and Drixel had decided to travel together for the time being. Cryodivus returned to Heaven, with the plan of repairing it. Pyrodeus took Taelyrn’s sword, and returned to his Forge to make a fitting tribute. Damian reclaimed his amulet, and also made off with Messanger’s gauntlet. Visignis, after waking up in the cavern, grabbed his hand and made his way to his father’s Forge, with a few specific plans in mind. The twins came to an agreement, and made their way away from the battle site together. Vurkiel, after watching his commander fall, retreated into the shadows, but not before Rifel followed him. Rhiath returned home, hoping to be able to make enough money to make up for what he’d lost in the battle.
It’s been a week since then, and the world is far from peaceful. The Fallen are still around, like a plague. Worse than them are the demons crawling out from Hell’s break. However, these disturbances do not go unnoticed. With so much dimensional disturbance, there are forces that have taken interest. These forces have a duty to uphold. The least of the universe’s worries is a Broken Heaven.
-Blades of the Apocalypse