The wooden stairs creaked under the heavy weight of Wars boots as he made his way upwards.

The building seemed like it had once been a Hotel or something similar as many same looking rooms occupied with rundown beds and rotten cupboards filled the sides

of the floor when he decided that he had climbed high enough.

Broken doors and shattered windows where widespread as he walked through the hallway.

When he passed a bigger intact window in front of a piano conquered by dust he risked a look outside and could still make our the demonic ship and its hunting dog's

searching the streets for him while the poisonous rain it had created came down even stronger.

In the shape he currently was in it was probably best to wait this one out.

The sun had set a few hours before, come morning his powers and life-force should have regenerated well enough and if he was lucky his hunters would have given

up their search for him and make it easier for him to make a clean escape and get back to his siblings.

He turned from the window and looked at the open instrument beside him.

Not far of a human skeleton sat on chair that looked like it had once belonged in front of the very same piano.

The hands of the corps sat peacefully on its knees and its eye sockets looked at the ceiling, it seemed like the human's death had been neither sudden nor brutal.

War stepped over in front of the instrument and swept parts of dust aside with his gauntlet.

There were no notes on the rack or anything, but in a strange moment of curiosity War carefully pushed one of the keys.

The sound that came out was dull but still had some of the original tone as far as the Warrior could tell.

He never had been one to learn many instruments, but then again, if one lived for so many millennia's to the point that it was difficult to keep count, one couldn't help

but pick up the one or other talent.

Still, the only reason why he even knew the basics of a Piano was because of the one Bet Strife had made and Fury had roped him into it in an attempt to prove their

brother wrong.

They had never appointed a true winner to that bet, but then again one could have said that all went according to Strife's plan either way.

And it was not like his plans always ended in disaster.

War sighed and moved his pained shoulder slightly before he pushed another note.

The tone rang out in the empty building and when his lips tugged slightly upwards upon remembering how the bet had ended.

He decided to take the risk and pushed five more notes in quick succession.

Beside the dullness of the sound the melody remained intact and soon lost itself in the corridors once more.

Just when he straightened up he noticed that something had changed.

Ever since he had set foot into this building he had felt that something was off.

But the previous battle had left him tiered and exhausted, his powers mostly vanished and himself just a tad bit off guard.

But now he felt that the danger had been closer than he had anticipated.

He barely managed to turn around, draw Chaoseater, and sidestep the first blue energy blade that zoomed towards him and only missed by a few fractions of an inch.

Instead the piano was cut in two with such sharpness that it didn't even bother to fall apart.

The next energy attack was blocked by Wars iron fist as he moved into the corridor and into the way of his attacker.

The darkness of the hallway did not allow for a very good view, but he already felt familiarity with the attacks and especially with the determinedness his foe

approached.

Three more energy blade attacks flew towards him in quick succession and with each attack his enemy came closer.

Each new attack came from a new direction, trying to find an opening in his defensive while he remained static in the middle of the corridor.

As much as it hurt his pride, he had good reason to play this one battle safe.

With five energy blades came the last attack, Chaoseater blocked the first two and deflected a third, while his iron fist caught one aimed at his shoulder and he moved

his right leg out of the way of the last.

The instant after his attacker jumped forward with an overhead attack.

Having his leg moved his stance was no longer properly balanced and he decided to take a calculated step back as her sword crashed down in blue energy and cut

through the floor.

Another blade might have gotten stuck, but hers was made by the best smiths in the White City, it simply cut trough wood and concrete all the same.

With the smallest of nods he acknowledged her existence as Uriel stepped into the light and began to assess the enemy before her.

In the quick moment she took he did the same.

Most prominently she was missing the golden artificial wings on her back, walking on her own feet instead of using them to float and maneuver.

Understandable, after all, the rooms of the hotel were small and her wings and flight would have only hindered her if she had tried to make use of it here.

Just when he was about to notice that something else was different about the angel she struck like a wolf that smelled blood.

And he knew, even if she was lacking her pack, the mother wolf was no one to be taken lightly.

He grabbed Chaoseater in the middle with his iron hand to shorten his reach in the tight corridor and increase his reaction time by a few nuances before he moved the

blunt side of his sword into the way of her stabbing attack like a second option shield.

She had known that her attack would be thwarted and stepped back in an instant, only to strike again at his left leg, which was defended in the same way, before she

shot a blue energy swing aimed at his head up close and slashed at his right tight.

He defended himself from the first attack as well, but as he moved just a slight bit too much to avoid the second one Uriel tried to get past his defenses on his left.

Her sword was reached dangerously close to his torso as his Iron fist swiftly reached out and grabbed her sword arm and twisted it.

In response she simply threw her weapon out of her hand into her other on and thrust it with one motion forward towards his face.

She was certainly determined to take of his head this time.

War removed his grip from Chaoseater in an instant and leaned backwards, moving his head out of the way of her strike before he grabbed her tight with his free

hand and threw her over his shoulder and into the piano.

One part was completely smashed under the force of the impact, but the other just toppled to the side in defeat.

Uriel however jumped straight up and threw a new energy blade at him before jumping forward and striking down with her sword.

He deflected her energy with his iron fist and swiftly grabbed Chaoseater before jumping back as the heavenly sword came down and cut through the floor once more.

For a few moments she drove him a few meters back with a combination of energy and sword attacks, into the direction she herself had came from.

But it didn't take long for the Warrior to regain his composure and the hasty withdraw turned into a calculated retread, becoming slower by the moment before it

nearly stopped.

Uriel knew what was happening, her eyes betrayed her to him when they became more frequent in their search for an opening in his defenses.

He could make out just a hint of tiredness and panic in those golden eyes just when her unwavering determination slipped from her face in one quick moment of

realization.

But just nearly when her push came to a standstill her eyes lit up and she threw another series of attacks at him before hoping to use a quick breach in his defenses

to jump past him in a small opening on his left side.

She grazed the hotel wall while doing so and ripped it open, falling into a dust of rubble as she landed behind him, rolled herself to the side and tried to get up.

Chaoseaters wide vertical backwards swing missed her only by a couple of centimeters as she was halfway up before the sword crashed into the opposite wall.

War ripped his weapon out of the wall, now to his right, as Uriel took the chance and tried to attack him one-handed once more up close.

But her attack to his chest was methodically blocked by his artificial iron fist before he tried to use it to bash her sword out of the way and open her up for a strike with

Chaoseater.

But much to his surprise she kept control over her sword by closing her left gauntlet around it as well and instead moved to the side into the current blind spot of his

sword.

As Chaoseater crashed down without finding his mark she tried to stab at his head once more only to find his artificial hand in her way just like before.

So she changed sword hands once more, she lost the right grip but still pushed against him with her left, only to strike at his chest with her fist.

Many lower races believe that demons in general are physically far stronger than angels, and seeing some demons, one could certainly understand where this idea

came from.

But on the other side Angels were certainly not lacking as far behind as some might think.

Her first fist punch was aimed at his upper chest and with a combined effect of her strength and her position she managed to make him stagger backwards just

enough for a follow up strike.

Something that could be recognized as quite a feat, even if War was in a weakened state.

Her second punch however struck directly at the still open wound at his side and forced him to move backwards and sideways to face her completely.

He barely had time to release a pained grunt as Uriel immediately lunged forward and crashed into him with force.

They broke through the wall that had already been weakened by Chaoseater strike before.

He could feel his wounds all over again as he landed in debris and with her on top of him.

Despite the chaos both combatants immediately recognized their proximity and increased their efforts to speed up the others demise.

Uriel tried to move up her sword to strike again, but War was faster.

He grabbed her left hand and twisted it with his artificial limb while this way holding her sword in place as well.

She hissed at the pain as he forced her of him, pinned her down and readied his gauntlet to strike at her face, Chaoseater lying on the ground beside him.

But just as he was about to strike she threw up her right arm at his side and send a high amount of saved up lightning energy trough his body.

He grunted at the pain and reeled backwards, only barely managing to get up.

She caught her sword and got up as fast as she could, despite the protest of her legs.

Just when she was certain that the lighting energy was still cursing trough his body as he was leaning on the opposite and still intact wall he proved that that was not

going to stop him.

His Iron fist first blocked her sudden sword attack then simply bashed it aside before he slapped her across the face with his gauntlet followed up by a head on hit

against her torso with his artificial arm.

Hit by a force like that she was thrown back by a couple of meters, and landed painfully on the floor.

War still felt the lighting energy crackling trough his body as he picked up Chaoseater while Uriel got to her feet and summoned her sword to her hand.

He moved his head hoping to lose the irritating pain as Uriel moved into fighting position, still coughing from the hit she had taken and ignoring the fact that his strike

at her face had left bloody wounds on it that remained wide open.

War nodded, so there was certainty.

They both were in similar bad shape as it seemed.

He walked towards her, and swung his sword without breaking stride.

This time it was Uriel who was forced to retreat, and while War had managed to stop her own advance before, it became clear that this was not an option for her.

She tried to evade his strikes and attacked whenever she thought to see an opening, but soon she was mostly trying to keep pace with the Warrior as he advanced

ever faster.

They still moved into the direction Uriel had made her entrance from, and with each moment they came closer to the dead end of the corridor her attacks became more d

aring and dangerous.

He took a cut to the throat and another to the leg when she attacked even more desperate.

At first he thought it was because she knew that the dead end would mean her end as well, seeing how he had her effectively cornered.

But he knew she was a fighter, and her panicked face was not something that suited either of them.

Regardless she looked backwards twice, and seemingly not at the wall itself or the closed door, and more at what was behind it.

With her back getting closer to the wall her only option was to find a hole in his defense otherwise she was trapped and her fate sealed.

Knowing this with certainty she tried one last time with a forwards jump, aiming her sword at his head, only for him to doge to the side and crash full body into her

jump.

He had only waited for her last attack and rammed his shoulder into her abdomen as she was in the air, grabbing her and charging into the wall behind them.

The human building gave in under the weight of the two supernatural fighters as both crashed into the next room.

Uriel was flung forward and War lost his balance.

This time it took them several seconds to get up on their knees, Uriel calling her weapon into her hands from the hallway and War grabbing Chaoseater from the ground.

Uriel coughed and spat blood onto the floor as War used his weapon to assist him in getting up on his knees.

The two swordfighters sat on the ground several meters apart from each other, eyeing up their opponent.

It had been difficult to determine in the sparse lightning of the hallway, but now closer to a ray of windows and the now shining moonlight War could see that Uriels

Armor was damaged in several places.

Her right arm was bandaged and with the pressure of the fight the tiredness in her eyes had grown from a glint to spreading across her face.

The mask of determination was slightly cracking, pain and even fear distorted her features as her eyes shot from War to the room around them.

War on the other hand could feel his wounds all over as he followed her glances.

He had thought it would be something similar.

Three heavenly bodies where laying in the room, two in the big bed at the far side of the room and another on a generous sized couch close to them.

Only two of them still had the glint of life in their auras while the one of the third on the couch had already faded.

War nodded towards them.

"Your soldiers?" he asked, the strain of the fight letting his voice sound even gruffer than usual.

Uriel nodded in affirmation.

"Might have simply missed you if it hadn't been for them." She acknowledged, her eyes pricing him with anger.

Without a doubt she saw nothing more than a thread to her men in his question.

Who could blame her? Any other demon that attacked her would have followed the same line of thought.

Only that he wasn't a demon.

"We were here because of you, got a tip that you would use a portal to this place on earth. It seems like the demons got a similar one since they were here before us,

and with a larger force than our three hundred."

Uriel explained bitterly.

"I noticed the remains of you're fallen on the battlefield. It looked like a harsh fight for all sides." War acknowledged.

"They set a trap for us and we nearly walked right into it.

By the time we figured just how much ordnance they were brining against us I had already lost nearly a quarter of my men.

I still managed to get most of the others out of here.

Regardless we gave them on hell of a fight."

Uriel said, seemingly stalling for time to find her breath.

"So, those three here are the ones who didn't make it in time with the others?" War asked.

Uriel only nodded grimly.

"One of them is dead, and the other two are in bad shape as well." He stated truthfully.

Uriel hissed in pain as she stood up, gripping her sword tightly.

"Well, if you would do me the favor and die already I could go back to caring for them again." She pointed out bitterly.

"I won't." he replied and stood up as well.

"I figured as much." She quipped and readied her weapon.

"But I could help you."

Her sword halted.

"What?" she asked perplex.

"Your soldiers are in a bad shape. And if I take you out, they will have virtually no chance of staying alive before help arrives." He pointed out the obvious.

"I am here under orders from the heavenly council, to bring you in or kill you. The charred council demands it, and I know you won't accept the first option and won't

present me your neck for the second.

You have no way of helping me that doesn't include throwing your live away.

And why in hell would you care about what happens to my men?"

She priced him with an angry glare, but also unsure about what to make of his offer.

Like a mother wolf that had been driven back and was now trying to protect her pack her hostility had only increased.

Despite that he could see in her eyes that she feared to fail, to die.

Not because she wasn't ready, but because it would mean the two last soldiers that had been placed under her command would die as well once she did.

"I think I know how to help you to get your soldiers into stable condition.

I have taken care of fallen warriors before and sometimes a second pair of hands can be in your favor."

War offered a way out with only the smallest pause of hesitation.

"I know how to cure the wounded as well, I have already tried!" Uriel hissed still defensive in response.

But she knew that he was right, even if she had tried almost everything she was able to with her limited resources, with the help of a second she might be able to do

more than one being alone was able to.

Her next question was more calm and only a single word.

"Why?"

For a moment it seemed like War wouldn't react and for a matter of seconds his eyes looked past her.

"I know what it means to lose your brothers in arms as well." He simply pointed out.

For a moment the warrior and the soldier locked eyes and in a moment of understanding Uriel dropped her sword and walked over to the two angels that were still

alive.

War left Chaoseater in the ground and did the same without hesitation.


Author Note: Sorry for the long delay, was actually hoping to update this sooner. I am not so sure how I feel about this one either. Still need to write about "Human Realm" as well but I try to make this one priority right now to get something to an end. One chapter missing. Hope you enjoyed this either way.