The first thing Aiden could see, after the light had died and he was no longer rising, was Peregrine on one knee, next to Axel's prostrate form. Peripherally, he saw most of the others look around them, checking for the enemy threat. He walked over, beaten by Else, and crouched next to her.
"You saved him," she said, one tear of relief sliding down her cheek.
"I," Peregrine studied the ground. "I couldn't let him die."
Aiden looked at him, noting he had paled, and looked tired. It must have taken a lot. "Thank you."
Peregrine just nodded. This was all so unlike him, it was still confusing. He stood up and stepped away.
"The blue light," Aiden tracked him. "Was that you?"
Peregrine shook his head. "I don't know what that was."
"Aiden," Masanori said uneasily, close to him. "I smell death."
Aiden stood and looked around. "What do you mean? Like someone died recently?"
"No," Masanori settled his gaze to the gate before them. "Something far more sinister. I do not like it."
"I can sense it, too," Peregrine frowned, taking his bow in his hands. "There's something," he took another step back. "Very bad up ahead."
"I don't see anything anywhere," Zariel squinted. "We seem to be alone."
Akio joined them, bringing everyone to the same focus. "It looks like that gate's the only way forward."
"It's so big," Liam blew out a breath. "That's gotta be it."
It was big. Standing four times taller than Aiden, it looked to be made of something very sturdy. And heavy. Gold ornamented its red body heavily, but it did not make it beautiful. Even from here, the designs appeared unnatural and demonic. Something they hadn't been able to see from the ground.
"That's enough standing around," Zariel said impatiently. "Let's go crack it open!"
"What about Axel?" Else asked, standing up from his unconscious body.
"We'll come back for him," Aiden decided. "Peregrine, do you mind staying with him?" It would be good to give Strata a chance to rest. "We'll see what it's like."
"I'll stay as well," Mikhail gripped the yari. "In case something come here."
Losing a third of their forces didn't appeal to him, but Aiden had to agree it made sense. Peregrine wasn't in shape to drive much away that was too determined. "Alright," He nodded. The other five seemed ready, so on he went.
It had seemed they'd landed almost immediately before the gate, but the distance was deceptive, and it took them a couple of minutes to stand in its shadow. It was intimidating, but it was only their beginning. Aiden shrugged and stepped forward to try to open it.
"Wait," Masanori said sharply. He raised the naganita from the semi relaxed position he had been holding it in. "We are not alone."
They looked all around, searching for this perceived threat. Warning bells went off in Aiden's head, and his eyes were drawn to the ground he had nearly stepped on. Did it shift? He stepped back, staring at it.
"Hehehehe," something laughed. It somehow sounded like the rustle of dead leaves, and the mucky sound of quicksand.
They all stepped back further as it rose slowly from the ground, releasing a terrible stench of rot and decay. They couldn't decide if it looked like slime or ash as it moved with them, out of the shadow of the gate, and into the light. An instinctual feeling of revulsion and fear swept over them with a shudder as it raised a dripping morningstar. "I am Deadman," it said in a crisp, yet oozing voice. "I have been waiting," it paused. The light did nothing to lessen the very evil of its presence. The thing's face was skeletal, when the suggestion of its features wasn't hidden by the feathery, floating black particles that were constantly released. If it could smile, it did then. "To claim you."
Zariel was the first to overcome her fear riddled disgust. "Claim this!" She snarled and let loose with the kusari-gama. The sickle end flew through the air and hit the thing. The sharp edge tore through it, swiping away loose, black ash as it finished its curve and came back to her. For a moment, they had been able to see through it's shifting, flaking body, following the path of the kusari-gama. They watched in dread fascination as Deadman's body sifted back together.
"Which of you?" It said in its whispery, cold wind of autumn through dead leaves voice, stepping forward, swiveling it's creaking head to look each of them in turn. "Which of you?" It stopped and straightened, looking past them. "Succulent morsels." He walked towards them, legs moving, but no feet, the ends of its ragged shroud skimming above the ground as he glided along.
Aiden's mind finally woke from its confused stupor, and he realized that whatever it was, it wanted the weak they had left behind. "No!" He shouted, rushing to intercept this strange enemy. He sliced through it several times with the katanas, with the same effect Zariel's weapon had. Deadman was unfazed, and brought the morningstar crashing against Aiden.
Aiden reeled drunkenly away, but was caught by Akio, shivering from a bone deep chill where the mace had connected. The skirmish seemed to reanimate the others, and they sprang into action. Else scratched it with ice frosted claws, Masanori swiped with the naganita to sever its head. Zariel threw the chain end of her weapon low, attempting to bind its legs. Akio came from behind and lodged two kamas into its back.
Deadman did stop moving, and its hovering, disconnected head turned to look around him. "I will taste you soon enough." The thing melted into sludge, and rippled along, their weapons falling empty.
Liam stabbed it as it passed him, but was ignored as well.
"It's after the others," Aiden ran after it, joined by the rest. "We can't let it get to them."
"Any suggestions?" Else asked, trying again to damage the thing, and again having no success.
"Maybe our powers will have an effect," Aiden brought the katanas crackling to fiery life, and sent twin trails of it crawling across the thing. From the sludge, a bony hand rose and grasped Aiden's ankle. The armor began to turn black, and the fearful feel of the thing slipped through, making Aiden cry with terror. Masanori cut through the hand, freeing him.
Only one word had come to his mind. "That's death," Aiden gasped, trying to put weight on his foot. It couldn't take it all. The others hesitated. "Go," he ordered. "Don't let it touch you."
Liam offered to help support him as the others raced ahead.
Aiden waved him on ahead, swallowing. He was starting to get himself back under control. He still shuddered as he thought about the way that thing had felt. "Just go help them, I'll catch up."
Liam looked at where it was almost to the three who had stayed behind, chased and hounded by the other four. "What are supposed to do? Nothing hurt it!"
"I don't know," Aiden hobbled along as quickly as he could. "But there's got to be some way. We'll have to try using the full force of our powers." Using the foot seemed to work some life back into it, for which he was incredibly grateful.
"What if that doesn't work?" Liam frowned. "If it is Death in some form, how are supposed to beat it?"
Aiden gritted his teeth and moved a little faster, hoping Liam couldn't see the same questions on his own face. "We'll find a way." After all the times he had thought they would be dead, they were still alive, and he had decided it was time to stop giving in to such notions.
"What are they fighting?" Mikhail narrowed his eyes, trying to make it out.
"I don't know," Peregrine answered. The bad vibes he'd been feeling were getting worse. "But it's the same thing as I was picking up on earlier."
They watched in uneasy silence for several moments, unable to make out exactly what was happening. Peregrine cheered when it looked as if they must surely have beaten the thing, but it died on his lips as it disappeared. Suddenly, most of them were running towards them, frequently attacking the ground. Still coming closer.
Peregrine could feel it more strongly now. It wasn't the same as the giant and its diabolical aura, but it did have a similarly opposite feeling to his own nature. He hadn't thought it possible, but he was equally repulsed, and this time, there was something so ominous to it, he was afraid.
They could both see the whole party coming closer and closer. Peregrine took a step back, throwing a glance at Mikhail. The Russian stood his ground in front of their unconscious comrade. Peregrine could no longer say he didn't understand why anyone would do that, but another wave of revulsion shuddered through him, and he stepped back again. No way could he just stand there like that.
Up outside of the fortress as they were, the dark clouds were beneath them, leaving the sun to shine on them. It wasn't very comforting, not as it was reflected dirty, oily, off the black sludge rolling up to them like some obscene wave on a stone beach.
Calmly, belying the fear gripping him, Mikhail pointed the jumonji yari at the mass and blasted water at it. The warriors chasing it moved clear of the blast, and watched to see if it had any effect.
Out of the puddle, it rose again. "I am Deadman," it repeated. His skeletal eyes lit on Axel's helpless body, already nearly in his territory. Dry creaking sounded as he turned his head to take in the last warrior, standing somewhat back of the others. "Strata," it turned towards him, gliding just above the ground. "Life virtue. Delicious."
Peregrine shot at it, the arrow passing through harmlessly. "Why does everything want me?" He complained, running to the others.
"Must be your bravery and charm," Zariel muttered as he fled past her.
"I'm an archer," he retorted from the back. "Not a frontliner."
Else had switched to her nodachi, and she and Akio sprinted to either side of the thing. Akio ripped away at it with the kamas, and Else drove the sword of darkness through its heart. It was the last, most vulnerable, place they hadn't tried yet.
"The darkness is good," Deadman leaned closer to her, and laughed. He pushed her backwards, and she landed heavily, gasping, next to her twin, clutching her chest with one hand, the other still clasped tightly around the nodachi.
Deadman turned, his head mostly, as Akio had ripped through most of his insubstantial body, and swung the morningstar at him. Ready for it, Akio darted away, letting the others move in to attack again.
"I'm okay," Else gasped as Mikhail came and knelt beside her.
"Are you sure?" He asked with concern. At her nod, he gave her a hand up.
"Aiden was definitely right," she said, watching the others succeed only in tearing away ashy bits and pieces of the thing. "Don't let it touch you. It feels like death."
Zariel sliced through Deadman's arm, causing it to drop the morningstar. By now, it was almost entirely dissipated by their continuous assault.
"Maybe that will work," Mikhail said hopefully as Liam and Aiden joined them.
"It won't," Aiden said certainly, resting on his uninjured foot. Deadman melted down into the disgusting puddle, and was again poked prodded, and even shot. "We need to try something more." He shouted to the others. "Everyone, get behind me!"
Masanori and Akio instantly obeyed, quickly followed by the others. As Deadman again took form, Aiden unleashed the same attack that had obliterated Takahi. At his command of "Flare up now!", fire engulfed the very air before them, too tall and broad to see anything other than its incredible pillar of destruction. It expired, allowing the heated air to slowly return to normal temperature.
"Even your righteousness, Wildfire," Deadman walked in that glide towards them, as alive as he could be. "Cannot destroy me."
Liam decided to try as well, and let loose with his Snake Fang Strike. The toxic, corrosive whip slashed against the incarnated death spirit, cracking through its body. Deadman seemed to boil and bubble, dripping noxious toxin. Too soon, it slipped through him and hissed as it ate at the ground below him.
"Don't you understand?" Deadman floated towards them. Mikhail picked Axel up, and backed further away, just like the rest of them. "I am a facet of death, you cannot kill me." He brought the mace up, and they noticed the dripping effect was growing faster. "You can only feed me!"
He swept the morningstar in front of him, sending a wave of the black viscous liquid towards the nine of them. It took the form of a raven, flying at them with wings outstretched and its beak opened in a hungry shriek.
"Scatter!" Aiden shouted, bringing the swords up to protect himself, giving the others time to get out of the way. Talons extended, it bore down on him. It clutched at the swords, ignoring the burn as Aiden set them ablaze. It yanked them around, and tried to peck him.
His injured foot couldn't stand up to the balance changes, and Aiden crumpled, still trying to keep the katanas between himself and the unnatural beast. It's breath smelled as the carrion of a thousand wars, gagging him despite the faceplate, as it plunged its sharp beak at his head.
The blade end of the naganita jabbed into the bird. It looked up with annoyance and was pierced again. Heaving up as the blade stuck on the bird, Masanori pried it off his leader, and was wrenched about as the bird tried to fly away.
Deadman paused and spread his skeletal hands, shedding great flakes of ashes. They hit the ground and turned to rivulets, spreading out from him, snaking across the ground in black streams. The Ronin tried not to step in them, but that became impossible, as within moments the entire ground became a network of the black liquid.
"What is that?" Liam shouted. His eyes widened as black, oozing fingers, then hands and arms began to rise from the ground, waving and clutching at him.
No one had an answer for him, and were busy trying to defend themselves and strike back at the bird. Akio picked Aiden up and leaped backwards with him, avoiding a strike of Deadman's morningstar. Landing, the hands grasped his feet and pulled him off his feet.
"Leave him alone!" Aiden swept at them, trying to make them let go.
"Axel!" Mikhail shouted.
The hands had grabbed him and were pulling him into the ground. He was already half gone. Sending his weapon away, Mikhail reached down and grabbed their unconscious comrade, desperately trying to pull him up. Standing still gave the hands the chance to grab him, and he started to sink into whatever they came from. He started to panic
Else rushed in, freezing the area then pulling her brother up and free of the hands. Then she helped Mikhail break loose, and they moved away. But there was nowhere to retreat to.
"We have to do something more!" Akio shouted as he cut through another arm. "We need the armor of Inferno!"
Aiden ducked as the bird flew overhead with a chilling cry, diving clawing at Masanori. "My fire had no effect on him, I don't see how more would help." And, he had time to admit to himself, he still wasn't sure that was something he wanted to do.
"It's far more powerful than any of our individual abilities," Akio argued, eyeing Deadman's advance.
Aiden hesitated another moment. Using their spirits to power an ultimate suit of armor still didn't feel right. But... Mikhail was keeping tight hold of the still unconscious Axel, fending off the raven. Else was next to him, but she didn't look quite as she had earlier. Peregrine was again Deadman's target, and he was firing arrow after arrow at the thing, without success. All the others were carefully assaulting either one or the other of them, but without any more damage done than before. And he had to pull his feet free as the hands caused him to sink again. He knew if he was dragged down, he would never be seen again.
"I don't know how to do it," he said. The path to the raven was clear, and he sent a trail of fire towards it, trying to help make it leave the others alone.
"You'll figure it out," Akio promised him. "Just try."
"Alright!" Aiden snapped. He felt badly, but the apology would have to wait. "Tell the others."
With a nod, Akio quickly left him to spread the word.
AN: And Deadman! I hope you like your character. :) Armor of Inferno, that could be interesting.