The Rio the Darkness Saga Remastered
Rio the Darkness 2
Chapter 14: Coordinated attack
Hey guys, we are back with chapter 14. Just a quick notice: for the next couple of chapters, the lengths are gonna be a bit inconsistent. For example, next chapter might be shorter than usual while the one after is longer. You'll see what I mean, but until then, enjoy chapter 14.
Author shout out: Sorrelwing
And going by our traditional shout outs, today's author is Sorrel wings. An author who begun during the 2014, the era of Rio 2, Sorrel has since written multiple Rio stories, primary focused upon the second movie. I have only read one story myself that I have yet to go back and review, but from what I gathered, Sorrel's stories are excellent. Similiar to Khallie, Sorrel's story don't focus primarly on Blu and Jewel. Instead, they focus upon the blue macaw kids, specifically Bia. Props to you Sorrel for making a different focus work.
Sorrel's stories are excellent, they are very detailed, consistent with Rio's tone and overall heartwarming. For her writing style, Sorrel has a great combination of detail and dialogue, keeping a perfect balance between the two. Personally, I have only spoken to Sorrel in brief conversations, but she seems like a nice person and a great writer. Overall, Sorrel has produced some excellent work and I hope they continue to do so. Sorrel has multiple stories, all of which are connected in some way. I recommend starting with "The Outcast" as that is the first story published. However, I noticed in the author's note, Sorrel mentioned that was third Rio FanFiction so I am uncertain if she deleted any previous stories. Either way, enjoy reading them, you won't be disappointed.
With the Angelus stunned and weakened from their ambush, the team of six finally made their move. As the Angelus stumbled around and desperately waved away the smoke, Blu lunged forward and tackled her down onto her back, keeping a tight hold of her legs. Meanwhile, Rafael stood on one of her wings while Nico and Pedro remained on the other, forcing her to the ground.
"Hold her down!" Andre yelled as he unbuckled the dark rope from his best. "This'll only take a second!"
Though her vision was blurry, and her mind was in chaos, the Angelus recognized the familiar sense of dark essence. Refusing to lose, she threw her wings forward and pushed away her three attackers. Raising one wing, she blasted Andre away before he could subdue her. The crazed macaw collided with a nearby tree, landing with a sickening thud.
Leaning up, she freed one talon and kicked Blu away despite holding onto her with everything she had. Scrambling to her feet, she prepared to continue her onslaught, but the large talon of Kipo slammed her back to the ground, keeping her pressed hard.
"I got her!" Kipo announced. "Hurry!"
Though his size and strength appeared to give him the advantage to the untrained eye, the Angelus' power far surpassed his own. Even with all his might, she had her talons pressed against the ground and was beginning to push herself back up, against all the weight pressing her.
In a matter of seconds, she spread her wings and pried away his talons, freeing herself. Grasping his leg in both wings, she threw him forward and into a nearby tree. Hitting the tree hard, he slammed onto his back and fell in and out of consciousness, rendering them without another member of their team and reducing their chances of winning.
Recovering his footing, Blu channelled a small amount of power into his wings, giving the tips a glowing, purple appearance. Charging forward, he begun to throw a fury of punches to which she begun dodging and blocking in rapid succession. She briefly caught his wing and prepared to break it once more.
Unwilling to fall for this a second time, Blu raised both talons and double-kicked her away. As she stumbled, he lunged and tackled her down a second time, pinning her down. He placed both wings and talons against each of her own. She grunted while he desperately used all his might to keep her down.
"I should have known you would use trickery and deception!" the Angelus growled before she was beginning to slowly push him away.
Blu focused all power he had, but his abilities had reached their limits. With one final push, she threw her whole body forward and pushed him away yet again. Enraged, she threw her wings forward and prepared to fire a dual beam attack. As her energy prepared to fire, her vision was suddenly compromised as a mango splattered into her face.
Rafael followed his attack with a strawberry to her face before he grabbed a small branch and struck the blunt object directly against the Angelus' back. Not only did she tank the hit full, but the branch broke upon impact. "Uh-oh."
Wiping the fruit from her eyes, she raised her talon and kicked him away. Fortunately, her temporary weakened state lowered her damage, preventing Rafael from suffering more than she intended. "My burden is not with you, just the host!"
Her aggressive outbreak was met with a strong attack by Kipo's wing. Caught off guard, he was able to knock her into the air before throwing his wing down a second time and slamming her to the ground. "You mess with my friends, you mess with me!"
Hitting the ground with a small thud, this only further enraged her. With a gentle press from her talon, she launched into the air with one wing raised and punched him directly under the beak, knocking the large bird to the ground. As she shifted her attention back to Blu, her vision was blocked yet again as Nico and Pedro jumped onto her head, placing their wings over her eyes.
While momentarily distracted, Blu lept upwards with one wing raised, channelling most of his inner energy into his single fist, sacrificing the rest of his body to enhance it. He lunged upwards and finally landed one good hit directly into her stomach. The Angelus tumbled over with a loud groan as her stomach was winded, leaving her without a breath.
"Guys, move!" Blu ordered as he had that same wing raised for another attack.
Unwilling to get hit, the duo moved away as Blu struck her a second time in the face and finished with a kick to her back. His enhanced strength knocked her to the ground, landing flat down upon her stomach. The three of them dived down to continue their assault, unwilling to give her any breathing ground.
As they were seconds away from colliding, the Angelus thrust her wings outwards and released a wave of energy in every direction. The wave hit the three and knocked them away towards the air. Further enraged by their persistence, she jumped after them midair and kicked both Nico and Pedro into separate directions.
Grasping her talons around Blu's throat, she begun to choke him midair as they rolled towards the ground. Along the way, Blu tried to punch his way free, but his hits seemed to be doing less damage now. Her strength was beginning to return. Less than a second from the ground, Blu spun them around to force the Angelus against the ground first. His strategy worked, and she released her grip. Now it was his turn.
Positioning himself on top, he placed both talons around her throat and squeezed with all his might, trying to choke her into submission. His grip was firm, his toes dug into her neck and her breath shortened. Placing both wings against his stomach, the Angelus retaliated with ball of light, launching Blu all the way across the area until he collided with a tree. His enhanced durability caused him to dent the tree upon impact, shattering many pieces.
The Angelus stood to her feet and had both wings raised, preparing to counter any more of their assaults. Only silence remained. Blu was barely standing, the duo Nico and Pedro were nowhere to be seen, Rafael was down and Kipo remained unconscious. Their coordinated attack had failed. "Foolish."
Blu grunted while he remained on his feet, barely keeping himself together as she approached him. He raised his wing and fired a small purple orb towards her to which she calmly sidestepped.
"I admire your determination," the Angelus praised as she cupped her wings and positioned herself into an all too familiar pose. "Your desire to stop me is commendable, but this is where it ends. For your bravery, I will grant you a swift death. Rest assured, Jewel will stay safe with me. Luz… Felixe-"
She stopped herself short as a soft feeling was placed against her back. Turning her head around and shifting her focus, Andre stood before her, one wing against her back while he wielded another smoke pellet in the other.
"Dodge this!" Andre shouted and slammed the smoke pellet directly into her eyes.
The pellet exploded directly into her sight, rendering her blind as she screamed in agony. She threw her wings around in a panic, trying to fight away her enemies as they relied on her blindness. "Do you think I need my eyes to fight you?!"
Unfortunately, this is where she was wrong. An attack that strong and powerful had distorted her mind as well, unable to use her senses to pinpoint where they were hiding. Weakening her once more with additional impact, the others jumped up and flew over, relying on their adrenaline to fight through the great pain inflicted upon them. Blu arrived first and slammed her to the ground stomach first before positioning himself on top of her, holding both wings to her back.
It was not long until the others joined in too. Rafael grabbed the rope and made haste to get over. Nico and Pedro grabbed both of her legs and helped keep her down. As for Andre, he raised one wing in preparation for an energy attack, fearing she would escape once more.
"Blu, catch!" Rafael pleaded and tossed the rope to his blue macaw friend. Meanwhile, he jumped to the front and helped hold her down, placing both wings firmly against her head.
The Angelus, while clutching her eyes from the agony, squirmed around as much as she could. But her strength had faltered to the point her powers no longer surpassed their own. "Release me!"
Catching the rope within his beak, Blu did not hesitate to bind her fast. He placed the single line of rope around her torso and tightened hard, restraining her wings to her sides. The dark essence burning against her flesh immediately caused great discomfort for the Angelus. She screamed as her body weakened from the darkness, desperately thrashing herself around before it was too late.
"Don't let her go!" Blu pleaded. "We almost got her!"
Seconds felt like an eternity as the Angelus fought them, but it was too late. Finally, the dark essence took full effect and she was subdued. Exhausted, her body calmed as she ceased struggling, panting with fatigue. She was finally beaten.
Everyone sighed in relief while slowly releasing their hold over her, stepping back with caution. She remained flat down against the ground, winds bound while her eyes remained shut from pain. No longer was she putting up any more resistance. She couldn't even open her eyes to face them, let alone fight them.
"We did it," Andre said between pants, holding out one wing for a high-five. "Nice thinking, Blu."
Blu returned the gesture. "It was your fake surrender plan that really sold it."
"Amigos, either way we won!" Rafael cheered and begun to dance in victory.
The Angelus continued to groan as the smoke cleared from her eyes, allowing her healing abilities to restore her sight. Unfortunately, this did not give her more strength to break free. She couldn't even stand under her own power. "Free me…I demand you…Free me…"
Blu shook his head as he marched over towards her, forcing the Angelus to roll onto her back while he placed his talon against her. "It's over. Surrender Jewel back to me, now!"
Though her body ached, and her mind was in chaos, the Angelus refused to obey his demands. "Do you think I fear you? I will never yield to the likes of you! Now free me!"
Growing frustrated, she gathered her remaining energy, pushed her assailants away and jumped to her feet and began pulling with all her might, desperately writhing around to break free. Nico and Pedro released their hold of her legs, fearing she was going to harm them. Yet no matter how strong her light powers enhanced her strength; the dark essence power was simple too much for her to bare. Exhausting more of her energy, her efforts were in vain as her struggle had not given her leeway.
Andre approached and placed one wing against her back, forcing her down onto her knees. "She's not going to cooperate with us, her will is too strong for that. If there's one thing to know about the Angelus, she fears no one."
"Can you do anything?" Blu inquired. "Anything at all?"
"I have an idea," Andre admitted, but his expressions hinted he was unsure. "Hold her."
Blu stood behind her and held her still, refusing to give her anymore comfort than she deserved. As she was still, Andre placed both wings against her head and closed his eyes, concentrating harder. The Angelus tried to pull away, but her captors and restraints prevented this.
It was not long until Kipo had finally returned, recovering slowly from his previous injuries. He rubbed one wing under his beak while the aching pain from her last attack continued to ache. "You got her!"
"Shh!" Andre hissed. "Everyone be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate here."
In compliance, everyone remained silent as they waited. Blu couldn't deny his excitement to finally have Jewel back, but until she was safe and held close within his wings, he remained cool and continued to hold the Angelus in position. With a slow whisper, he averted his attention to the yellow warbler. "What exactly are you doing?"
"I'm trying to get through to Jewel," Andre explained while his eyes remained closed. His telepathy abilities allowed him to communicate with others via their minds. "Her subconscious is trapped within the Angelus' mind. If I can get to Jewel, I might be able to overthrow the Angelus' control over her. This might take a little while."
With more concentration than he had previously utilized, Andre dug deep within her mind. However, the process was tougher than he thought. She was strong, very strong indeed. The Angelus could feel his presence trying to enter her mind, no doubt seeking to influence her hold over Jewel. Though she could no longer fight him in the physical world, the power within would prevent him from entering her mind.
Noting her barrier between them, Andre raised more power to break through, to which she showed some discomfort towards. Her superior training and years of experience allowed her to teach her mind to resist such an attack. But with her strength lowered, this was causing her more difficulty than before. It was taking everything she had to keep him out.
"Blu, any chance you could help out here?" Andre requested. "She's so strong."
Unsure on what he was asking, Blu examined her weakened state. She was dazed and barely conscious, what more could they do? Before long, he had an idea, one that may lead to consequences. Raising one wing, he slapped her on the back of her head, harming her more than he intended.
The impact of his strength did not hurt in terms of physical damage, but it was enough to break her concentration. Quickly, Andre focused all his efforts to continue his mind attack. Finally, he broke through before she could put up another barrier between them. "I'm in."
"Can you hear Jewel?" Blu questioned.
Andre softly shock his head. "No, I see…Something. Memories, but not Jewel's. I see the Angelus' past…Someone get my notebook, I want to write this down!"
Though this was hardly the time and place, Rafael pulled said notebook from his harness and prepare writing down any notes. "Why are we doing this?"
"The more we know, the better," Andre explained. "I see…A world…A world of light and dark, a beautiful one. There's another being standing next to the Angelus…He's dark, a black bird. They're both standing over a city. He seems calm, but…Focused…Concerned."
As Andre described the sights before him, it was beginning to cause great distress to the Angelus. She tried pulling away, growling with frustration as hidden memories were beginning to surface. "Get out of my head!"
Ignoring her demands, this only made Andre more curious and continued to dig deep. What was she hiding than was so concerning? Why was this causing her more harm than good? "She's talking to the bird…They're talking about their people…The black bird is talking about how they're responsible…No…They're fighting. The Angelus and the other bird are fighting. It's going blank! I…I hear names! Salthidel…Merkael…Nexus…"
Those final words had pushed her to the limit. Enraged, the Angelus had suddenly screamed and slammed her head forward, knocking Andre to the ground. Blu tightened his hold, but it was in vain as she jumped to her feet once more and threw him away. "NEVER!"
"I think she's mad!" Pedro exclaimed.
Triggering her memories had infuriated her more than ever before. Standing firm, a flaming aura of light surrounded her while she squirmed around, pulling her wings around as much as possible. The others remained still as Blu and Andre recovered, holding their heads from her previous attack.
"This ain't good!" Nico admitted.
"Relax," Andre reassured casually. "She's not gonna get out of that!"
Her past trauma strengthened her rage, allowing her to access part of her powers despite her limitations. With some struggle, her wings spread wide and her binds snapped, finally free from her restraints. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as she turned towards them, her aura still raised as a stern expression remained tight on her face. Now she was mad.
"Okay, I take it back, she got out," Andre gulped. "Take her down!"
Although they no longer had the element of surprise or anymore restraints, everyone nevertheless moved to subdue her. With a loud growl, she lunged forward and attacked each of them with incredible speed before any of them could get close. She uppercut Rafael, grabbed Kipo's leg and threw him away, double-kicked Nico and Pedro and caught Andre's wing before throwing him into Blu.
Blu spread both wings and caught him, saving Andre from certain doom. "What do we do now?! Andre, how do we stop her?! HOW?!"
"I don't know!" Andre yelled. "You want the truth?! I don't know how to stop her! She's too strong, too powerful! We…We can't beat her! We…It's no use."
Certain defeat was upon them. The rest of the birds gathered behind Blu and Andre as the Angelus slowly marched towards them, her footsteps creating large dents within the ground. They barely held their own moments ago and now she had unleashed more of her power. Andre inspected himself to retrieve a weapon. To his surprise, his final pellet had dropped off at some point. He threw his wings down in anger. There was nothing they could do.
"This is it?" Nico questioned. "We're gonna die?!"
"I don't wanna die!" Pedro agreed. "I love life too much!"
"Eva, my love," Rafael added softly. "Doesn't look like I'll be back before dinner this time."
"Goodbye Rio," Kipo whimpered. "It was nice knowing you."
Andre examined their terrified looks, saddened to see them so distraught over their certain end. None of them deserved to die this way, not after everything that had transpired. All of them selflessly risked their own lives to save Blu, they followed him without question and hesitation. Their bravery should be noted by many. They didn't deserve this at all.
Greetings once more, fellow Rio authors. Thanks for reading chapter 14. The feathered friend's coordinated attack failed and the Angelus is now furious than before. What fate awaits for our friends? Tune in this Thursday and you will have your answers. Until then, tchau.