answers to reviewers questions and statements:
Harbinger of Kaos: Well here he is for the time being.
superpierce: Yep.
Fenrir44: Not sure yet.
Hbarrera98: Yeah, she's like that ex-girlfriend that was with him for so long that she ain't having it.
Guest 8991: It's implied that they were lovers before the events of the first game as in the comics she clasped his hand and spoke to him in a manner that was far beyond that of unrequited. I won't say Peter's the most powerful Spider, but he's the definitely the Tribunal's most trusted and capable enforcer. He's also more... flexible, in certain areas.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel, Doom or Darksiders characters seen, mentioned or used.
"You seem nervous" Uriel commented as the lift they stood in slowly took them down farther and farther into the fortress of the Knight's Sentinel.
It hadn't taken long for Uriel and Peter to reach the elite order's fortress despite the fact that it laid on the very outskirts of the White City and stood in stark contrast to a vast majority of the buildings present. It's walls and towers while fashioned in the same sense as most cathedrals and palaces scattered about the Angelic Kingdom, though the stone and glass used in it's construction was a ominous black color. It was also far more militarized than even the Hellguard's fortress, boasting ramparts upon ramparts of all manner of Angelic artillery and wards that would allow the fortress to stand against nothing short of the full might of Hell itself.
Peter blinked at this and turned towards Uriel with a confused look on his face, his mask's lenses reflecting the ominous white-green light that the lift projected "What? Me, nervous? Pfft, what do I have to be nervous about? All I'm doing is meeting with the one being in all of creation that Hell actually fears almost as much as its Dark Prince himself... probably even more"
"So you are nervous" Uriel said with a small grin.
It was always amusing for her to see the inflammable Spider of the Tribunal on edge.
"Well, maybe a little" Peter said before he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the glowing lights on the wall that showed how far they've traveled already "So, why do you think the Slayer will know where Abaddon is? Last I heard, the two couldn't be any more opposed of one another than a Demon and a Angel. And that's pretty opposing if you ask me"
Uriel's silence to his question caused him to quirk a brow and slowly turn his head towards his former lover and waited to see if she'd explain. When he received no further answer, he hummed.
"Interesting... that complete lack of an answer was exactly what I needed to hear" he commented as the lift slowed before stopping, they had arrived it seemed.
"Just keep quiet, let me do the talking" Uriel said quietly as the doors began to slide open to reveal a surprisingly bright if empty hallway that three angels could walk down side by side with plenty of room to unfurl their wings.
"If it means getting the chance to hear the melody that is your voice, than by all means light of my heart" Peter teased as he followed after Uriel down the large corridor.
Uriel's response to Peter's statement was a growl as they passed walls with depictions of ancient battles and wars fought by the White City against the armies of Hell, Nephilim, and ancient horrors of the Abyss. Some of the scenes Peter recognized, having been involved in one wat or another, and others alien to him. He thought he recognized a few of the carvings of certain Angelic warriors of the distant past, one in particular stood out because his image was marred with scratches and cracks, but the near eroded stone made it difficult for him to confidently identify the individual.
'Wonder if that was Him from when he was still counted among the First Kingdom' Peter thought as he and Uriel continued down the empty hall.
Despite the obvious lack of any other beings seen, Peter and Uriel could both sense that they were being watched very carefully, their bodies scanned by hundreds upon hundreds of wards embedded in the walls, ceiling and floor. Peter had no doubt that by the time that he and Uriel were halfway down the hall, their bodies had been so thoroughly cataloged that the number of cells could be counted in them.
"Peter, may I ask you a question?" Uriel said after some time of walking in silence.
"You may" Peter said as he looked ahead of them and saw in the distance, perhaps a mile away, stood a lone doorway constructed entirely from metal.
"Is Hell planning some sort of offensive anytime soon?" Uriel said as she spared a side glance at her companion.
Peter almost faltered mid-step before he glanced at the Angel with a quirked brow under his mask "Uh, what?"
"Our scouts have noticed an increase of Hell's military build up. Their breeding some of their more powerful slaves and war beasts like their an endangered species and rumor as it that the Dark Ones are seeking out warriors from other realms to train and improve upon their forces" Uriel said before she shrugged "I'm simply wondering if you and your Fellow Spiders or even the Tribunal might know why"
"Maybe they are or maybe the Dar Prince is planning another culling of Lords, who can say?" Peter answered with a shrug.
"Really?" Uriel said with a skeptical look on her face "Is Samael planning to make his move?"
"Again, who can say" Peter repeated, this time turning his head slightly to stare down Uriel with his unblinking lenses "End this conversation Uriel, before I do"
Uriel's eyes narrowed in anger briefly before she huffed and they resumed their trek in silence.
This wasn't the first nor would it be the last time that the Angels of Heaven have tried to pry some sort of information on Hell's movements and plans from the Spiders and by proxy, the Tribunal, though it was beginning to happen with greater and worrying frequency. Peter supposed he couldn't blame them too much given that the Frist Kingdom and the Living Tribunal's relationship was more... cordial, compared to that of the White City's and the Charred Council. Though that was because whenever the White City stepped too far out of line, it usually meant that the Council had to become involved and deal out the punishment, somewhat leaving the tribunal's hands clean.
Though it wasn't always so... and Peter's seen first hand just how harsh the Tribunal's judgement can be if push comes to shove.
'I think that aside from Azrael, there isn't an Angel left alive in all of Heaven that remembers a time when the Tribunal maintained Balance throughout Creation' Peter thought as he and Uriel finally arrived at the end of the hall and stood before the large gateway that Peter saw earlier.
The metal was smooth, shiny to the point it was almost as reflective as a glass mirror, but by far more studier. It lacked any guards, visible at least, and the walls along it's edge were lined with hundreds of rice grain sized runes and inscriptions that Peter knew to be some of the White City's finest defensive barriers and fortifications.
"So do we knock?" Peter asked as he gazed at the gate with a quirked head as he tried to see any sort of way through the gate.
"No" Uriel said as she folded her hands behind her back and simply... waited.
"Ring a bell?" Peter asked.
"No" Uriel said again, her posture rigid and still as a statue.
"Paw at it like a wee lamb trying to get in from the rain?" Peter joked before he noticed Uriel was gazing at her own distorted reflection in the gate.
With a sigh Peter fell silent and simply occupied his time by looking around for something to occupy his time while Uriel did... whatever it was she was doing. Though given the lack of anything within the massive hall they just walked, Peter was hard pressed to keep his hyper active mind distracted.
'I wonder how long it took someone cleaning this place to make it so shiny and clean' Peter thought before he nearly jumped at the sudden 'CLING' sound that seemed to echo throughout the hall and reverberate in Peter's very bones.
The gate's surface shimmered briefly before it suddenly vanished and a smaller, narrower hall was revealed on the other side to the Spider and Hellguard commander. It was made in the same style as the hall that Peter and Uriel walked, same stone like material, same lighting and ancient images of battles won and lost on the walls, the only real difference however was that this hall had actual inhabitants in it...
Dozens of them... all armed to the teeth.
"Now we may enter" Uriel said as she stepped through the portal with Peter close on her heels.
The Knights Sentinels were perhaps the most extreme and viscous warriors that Heaven has ever produced in it's long war against Hell. The Angels who found themselves in the elite warriors ranks were clad in dark silver armor lined with glowing pale blue runes that gave the warrior's appearance and ominous look. They also lacked any wings that every Angel possessed, having them ritually removed upon becoming a Knight Sentinel. Peter wasn't sure the origin of the mutilative practice, though he assumed it was connected to the fact that their leader, the Slayer, had his ripped off centuries ago by a Demon.
"You ever thought of joining these guys?" Peter asked as he and Uriel passed a squad of Knights, all armed with swords with their blades being made of pure Holy Light, sending a shiver of dread up and down the Spider's spine.
"No, I have not ever considered joining... them" Uriel said with a look of mild distaste on her face.
"Well personally I'm happy you never did" Peter beamed as he reached out to run a hand along Uriel's feathered wing "I like your wings too much to see them gone..."
"Touch them and I'll remove your hand" Uriel threatened.
Peter grumbled as he retracted his hand from the feather limbs of his former love and continued to trail after her as they descended down several floors, passing dozens of Knights and rooms stalked with Angelic Weaponry, before arriving a simple wooden door.
Uriel knocked once and waited several seconds before she gestured for Peter to follow her into the room. The Spider took a deep breath and steeled his nerves as he stepped through the doorway and into a small room with it's only furniture being that of a simple metal desk that's seen better days, covered in parts of various Redemption and Salvation canons. Sitting behind that desk, almost religiously cleaning what appeared to be a shotgun of some sort, was a armored being cladded in a mostly green armor with light brown shoulder pauldrons and faded brown armored boots and pants.
Behind the armored being was an entire wall of bladed and ranged weaponry ranging from Angelic and Demon, to Maker, Nephilim and...
"Hey I've seen those things before" Peter said as he pointed towards a device behind the armored being that Uriel had never seen before, some sort of machine with a long blade with some sort of teeth along it's edge.
Honestly, it looked like some sort of weapon a Demon would use thought it lacked the cruel colors, materials and shapes of most Demonic devices.
"You have?" Uriel said with a raised brow.
"Yeah" Peter said with a nod "It's a chainsaw. Humans use them to saw stuff. Guess the Slayer found something else to use it for instead of wood"
"Human...?" Uriel said with her brows furrowing in confusion before they rose and she shot a glare towards the armored being "You've been to Earth?"
The Slayer said nothing, he merely stared back at the Angel with a unreadable expression under the semi see through faceplate of his helmet. Uriel's eyes narrowed in anger as she took a step towards the near legendary warrior before Peter put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her dead mid-stride. The Angelic beauty glared over her shoulder at Peter but the Spider simply shook his head before gently pulling Uriel back. Once he was certain that she won't lunge at the Slayer, he returned his attention to the still being.
"So anyway, would you happen to know where the 'great' and 'all powerful' Abaddon is by any chance?" Peter asked the infamous Angelic warrior before him "Uriel here doesn't know and neither do any of Abaddon's other little yes men"
The Slayer's response was a slight shake of his head before he returned to tinkering with the Angelic canons before him.
"Great" Peter said with a dejected sigh.
The Slayer said nothing as he continued to tinker with his weapons with a sense of focus and zeal that was almost religious. Peter turned to leave before he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Peter looked to see that it was Uriel, looking at him with a frown.
"This mission your on, is it time sensitive?" she asked.
"Not really..." Peter said with a slow shake of his head "But it'd be better for a lot of people if I get it done quick"
The sooner Peter can find and eliminate this long lost Nephilim, the better. While the Charred Council won't be alerting the Horsemen to it, there's a chance that someone somewhere in the greater universe will see this 'Goblin' recognize it for what it is, start talking with others and slowly but surely, those rumors will reach one of the Four's ears. It could take months, years or even centuries, but eventually word will get to them.
Uriel nodded at this before she gestured for Peter to follow her back, leaving the Slayer to his work.
"If that's the case, I suppose that we'll just need to speak with Azrael" Uriel decided as the two began the long trek back to the lift "He might have an idea of why the Hellguard was sent to Zorgrist"
"Worth a shot" Peter said with a shrug.
Personally Peter doubted it, and in reality he wasn't too curious as to why Abaddon was sending out Angels to long abandoned Nephilim battlefields, but it would give him an excuse to see Azrael and see if he could help him with picking the Goblin's trail back up. Since Zorgrist was a bust, his leads on where to go next in his hunt for the Nephilim were slim at best. Perhaps the Angels kept a few records on Nephilim strongholds during their mad crusade on creation. If they did, Peter could try and see if this Nephilim has retreated to familiar surroundings. Of course he'll likely have to pay Lilith and Morrigan another visit, mainly so he can cross reference the Mother of Demon's information with the Angels' to see if they missed anything or perhaps reveal a few locations that even the scribes of the White City missed-
"How have you been these past few centuries?" Uriel's voice drew Peter from his mind and back to the world at large.
The Spider blinked as he realized that he and Uriel were now back in the lift, slowly rising back to the surface.
'Huh, time flies when your busy mentally mapping out your next seven moves' Peter thought before he answered Uriel's question "Fine"
"Just fine?" Uriel said with a slightly raised brow.
"I'm not dead" Peter answered with a scowl of mild annoyance "And nothing major has happened in centuries. Given that, my life has been fine"
Uriel hummed as the lift began to come to a stop as it neared the surface. Once the Spider and Angel had disembarked from the lift and made their way down a long dark corridor back into the open air outside, the two used their respective means of transportation, wings and webs, to depart from the Knight Sentinel's fortress. Peter's method while faster than simply walking, was a bit restricted given the White City's layout.
While there was a number of towering spires to swing from, along with a few floating islands here and there on top of the city being belt in 'levels' and 'layers', they were largely spaced out, forcing Peter to utilize a less than ideal route towards the Argent Spire. Uriel didn't seem too bothered a she casually flew beside Peter, partly as an escort and partly to make sure that he didn't get up to anything. While Heaven and the Tribunal were on far better terms compared to that of the Charred Council, very few were willing to allow a Spider to roam about unsupervised.
'And Peter has a knack for drawing in trouble like metal to a magnet- by the Light!' Uriel thought as Peter suddenly turned and swung past her, down towards one of the White City's lower levels.
The Angelic Warrior quickly corrected her course and flapped her wings to try and catch up to Peter. When the Spider wanted to move, he could move, leaving a Angel in flight such as herself struggling to keep up.
"Peter where are you going?" Uriel called out to the Spider.
Peter didn't offer a response as he swung over, around and through the various narrow streets of the White City, nearly hitting a few Angels in flight and causing them to give out shouts of surprise and outrage at the passing Spider. Uriel did her best to keep pace but even she was finding if difficult to match Peter's breakneck pace though such a confined area. Eventually the chase led to one of the White City's... less economically stable areas, it was mainly home to the city's non-Angelic residents. It wasn't some sort of slum or ghetto littered with trash and homeless denizens, in fact the neighborhood that Uriel and Peter were in surpassed most civilizations with how clean and nice it was. But by Angel standards it was low quality at best.
"Where is it, where is it, where is it, oh there it is!" Peter said as he found the place he was looking for and swung down to a unassuming three story building with a small red sign hanging above the door.
It was written in Angelic script, but Peter knew it's name by heart at this point.
The Bar with No Name.
"Why did you come here Peter?" Uriel demanded as she landed behind Peter and stopped him before he entered the building.
A couple of young Makers noticed the sudden presence of a armored angel and Spider and quickly turned around and began to move at a brisk pace from the street they were inhabiting. Uriel payed them no mind as she stared into Peter's lenses, waiting for his response to her question. She recognized this bar, it held a rather infamous reputation among the denizens of the White City, more so because of it's owner than anything else.
"I'm just here to see if this place's owner knows anything is all" Peter answered with a shrug as he opened the door "He has a knack for that kind of thing"
"What makes you think HE'LL know?" Uriel asked as she reluctantly followed Peter into the establishment.
"Just covering my bases is all" Peter answered as he and Uriel entered a dimly lit bar.
Despite the fact that it was considered late afternoon within the White City, many of the bar's tables were already occupied by a number of Angels, most of them fairly young, and even a Maker here and there. A thin cloud of smoke floated above the tables, smelling of whatever tobaccos was being burned by some of the bar's patrons as they downed mugs of darkly colored alcohol. To Uriel's relief, none of the Angel's she saw present were warriors, it was bad enough she herself was here, even if it was on official business. The last thing she needed was for word to spread that she was seen at a establishment that Abaddon has forbidden any warriors under his command from ever visiting unless it was to drag it's owner out on to the streets and sever his head from his body.
Peter looked around the room for a moment before seeing who he came here for an gestured for Uriel to follow him.
"He's in today, and he still looks sober. Must be my lucky day" Peter joked as he and Uriel passed several tables of already intoxicated Angels playing some sort of game with a few empty glasses and some napkins.
"Lucky isn't the word I'd use for this place" Uriel made a face of disgust as she and Peter approached the bar where it's owner stood, handing drinks out to any already at the counter... a Demon by the name of Patch.
Peter was certain it wasn't his actual name, but the Demon's never offered an alternative no matter how much he's pestered him about it. In fact, now that Peter thought about it, Patch didn't offer much in the way of personal information about himself to anyone, which was a bit understandable given his nature and location.
"Hey Patch, how's business?" Peter waved at the Demon when he and Uriel were close enough.
"Fine" Patch replied in a gruff voice as he eyed Peter and his Angelic companion up and down.
Contrary to most Demons of Hell, Patch wasn't very tall or broad, or even the monstrous looking to begin with. He stood a little taller than Peter yes, and a bit more muscular in the torso, but other than that he could almost past for even a wingless Angel at a distance. Assuming of course one overlooked his pitch black hair that always seemed to be in need of a combing, a metal eye path over his left eye that was ripped out eons ago when he still dwelled within Hell, and his near constant scowl of annoyance and anger.
"Well that's good" Peter nodded before he slapped his forehead and stepped aside and gestured towards Uriel "Oh where are my manners, Patch, I'd like for you to meet Uriel-"
"I know who she is" Patch said with a sniff, his lone remaining eye narrowing slightly at the scowling Angel "She's the one that left ya for Abaddon, right?"
Peter's brow spasmed under his mask a little "First of all, she didn't leave me, I left her. Second, you know this. Third, fuck you!"
Patch grunted at this before he glanced at Uriel with a frown "You'll forgive me if I don't seem all that happy to see you given your boy toy keeps trying to have me thrown out of here"
"I can only imagine why" Uriel said, doing her best to keep the disgust out of her voice and refrain from drawing her blade and cutting this creature down for even daring to live within the White City.
"I have some questions for you" Peter said as he reached up and removed his mask before stetting it in a pocket inside his coat and taking a seat in one of the bar's stools.
Uriel opted to remain standing and simply turned her attention elsewhere as Peter seemed to entertain conversing with the wretched being.
"If your asking for pointers on how to get your girl back, the answer's no" Patch said with a snort as he pulled out a glass and began to fill it with a ember colored liquid that seemed to be bubbling.
"Oh ha-ha-ha-ha, that's so funny I almost forgot to laugh" Peter scowled at the Demon as he accepted the drink and took a sip of it's contents "Ooh fruity... anyway, no I'm here to see if you perhaps know where Abaddon has scurried off to. No one seems to know"
"Probably cooking up another scheme to provoke Hell into attacking" Patch said with a shrug as he picked up another glass and began to clean it with a rag "You know how he is"
"Trust me, I'm fully aware" Peter said with a eye roll as he rested his head in one hand while he used the other to raise his glass to his lips and take another drink "I'm usually the one that's sent in to correct him before it goes to far and the Charred Council sends one of their answers to handle it"
Though Peter wouldn't call that a lost exactly if that were to happen.
"I really hope I live to see that day" Patch said with a chuckle before he noticed the glare that Uriel was giving him "Something on your mind sweetheart?"
"You'll do best to mind how you speak of Abaddon demon" Uriel snarled at the creature before her, her hand drifting to the handle of her blade.
"Or what, your gonna throw me out?" Patch said with a scoff before he glanced at Peter as the Spider downed the last of his drink "Starting to see why you left her"
"She was nicer back than" Peter said as he licked his lips before setting the glass down and withdrew his mask from the confines of his coat and slipped it back on "Put that on my tab will ya?"
"Already did" Patch said in a dry tone "Now unless you have anything else to ask, or more importantly buy, I have a legiteament business to run"
Before Peter could offer up a response to that, a heavily armed and armored Angel suddenly burst through the bar's front door sending splinters flying everywhere and causing a number of patrons to throw themselves to the ground to avoid them. Uriel had drawn her blade at the sound of the door shattering and turned, her sword at the ready, to meet the supposed threat before she stopped herself and saw it was one of the Hellguard.
"Your paying for that" Patch said with a deadpanned look aimed at Uriel as she lowered her sword and stared at the Angel with confusion.
"Captain Argeon, what is the meaning of this?" Uriel demanded as she sheathed her sword and approached the other Angel with a glare of annoyance.
"It's our fortress at Valiant Stand my lady" the Angel stammered with wide, terrified eyes "It's under attack!"
"By who, demons?" Uriel said as Peter glanced at Patch and used a head gesture aimed towards the two, causing the Demon to shake his head in response.
"N-No my lady..." the Captain shook his head "Worse"
This caught Uriel by surprise "What could be worse than Demons?"
"It's... it's..." the Angel seemed to be struggling to find the words to describe what was attacking the angelic outpost.
"CAPTAIN!" Uriel snapped at the Angel's hesitance to reveal the identity of the attackers.
Even before the words were said, Peter just somehow knew what or more precisely who it was that was behind the attack.
"It's... it's the Nephilim!"
...
And done.
Next chapter, The Battle of Valiant Stand...