Ramiel
The weavers of causality have once again begun to show visions of the supposed future, these ones proving to be more problematic compared to the rest. He will find himself in a pickle, caught between two choices that could very well decide whether he lived or died.
Normally I wouldn't concern myself with these types of situations. However, exceptions do tend to seep through the cracks occasionally.
"Discard the plan. Enter through the southmost entry point and find the little archangel." I commanded my partner with an imposing tone.
"Why would there be a need to scrap a perfectly choreographed sequence of events, that you yourself approved off, not twenty minutes after its conception?" He sighed out, his eyes squinting ever so slightly through his hood.
"Are you questioning Father's plan?" Almost immediately, his posture shifted. As though he had been injected with a sense of "awakeness".
"No sir." He cowered, flapping his wings and flying off into the opposite direction.
I had no intention to follow after him, quite the opposite, not after seeing those images. Veering off north, I cloaked my limbs with the barest amount of lightning, allotting me enough speed to blitz past the forest landscape and into the greater field, dispatching the stationed guards with ease.
The first step has been accomplished. Initializing phase two.
…
Sarthorael
Weaponry with longer reach. Numbers that don't ever seem to stop. And a persistence to achieve their goal no matter the cost.
The onslaught of demons had yet to stop, even after cleaving through droves of them. They were like a hydra, when I killed one, two more came to replace their fallen brethren. It was a bloodbath, streaks of red filling my vision, cuts littering my body at an alarming pace, with a few of their horn-like spikes jutting out from where they stabbed me.
It was absurd. To have this many foes come fighting me so early on. My reserves were gradually depleting, at a hastening pace. The battle was quickly taking a toll on both my body and mind. Eventually, my sense of awareness decreased to the point where a hand was able to latch itself onto my body, trying to pull me away from the carnage.
"We have to run. There isn't a point to this endless chaos, it isn't even part of our mission." Muriel shouted as she flew back. "You have to learn to pick your battles or else you'll get swarmed in that vile cesspit. Leave now and we'll be able to finish the objective with our bodies intact."
Forking over control of my body, the older woman whisked me away, flying off into the never-ending darkness, having seemingly abandoned our sole light source. That didn't stop the legions of abominations though. Not one bit.
They took chase, navigating the halls as if they knew them better than the back of their mutated hand. Complete terror took hold of my mind as I tried to take my thoughts elsewhere. Until tragedy struck.
Out from the dark flew a javelin, clipping my partner's wings, and hindering her speed. Then another two hit, damaging more of them on her left. This was enough to cause an imbalance, forcing us to make a crash-landing, as curses spewed out of her mouth in rapid succession.
Worry, stress, and pure unadulterated dread wrought my mind, leaving me clueless on what to do next. The location was far too dim for me to see, and with my energy exhausted, there was nothing I could do to help.
"Run, I'll hold them off." She muttered, pushing me to the side as she swiped at the being to her right. "It won't take long for them to catch up to us! At least with me they'll be preoccupied. Just go!"
Noticing the urgency in her voice, a fire was lit under me, my legs moving on their own as I watched them swamp her, a beautiful dance of light tracing her movements, swirling with grace before ultimately dying down.
She was gone now, and I was all she had to show for her sacrifice. Damn it! I am still useless! Hehe… Hahahaha! "Skittering all about, and the only thing that can propel me is fear. This has to be hell!" I shouted into the abyss, the pounding of their heavy footsteps growing closer with each second.
Pushing myself beyond my limits, it too started to fail. My legs dragged behind, the sound of the wind passing through my ears softening, as the clattering echoed directly into my ear.
This was it, the final stand. Removing the weapon affixed to me, I could do very little other than simply pushing ahead in the emptiness, the labyrinth soon trapping me within a dead-end.
The end was nigh, I could almost taste it. The familiar feeling of death, it was cold, uncaring even. Blood gushed out of my body without restraint, a sick grin adorning my face. Curving downward as the first strikes impacted my body.
One after another, it never stopped. Until, from the corner of my eye, came a shining light, speeding past my assailants and dispatching them with a cruel efficiency. I was saved(?) By an angel no less. Muriel must have called in for reinforcements at the first sign of conflict.
I left her there to die, simple as that. Though we might have only known each other for but mere hours, her sacrifice was still fresh in my mind, the image of her getting overwhelmed by those mindless beasts, forever seared into my memory, a reminder of what I failed to do.
"Come with me if you want to live." My savior uttered, heaving from the ordeal. "This- place isn't safe. Take my hand, and hold it tight. It won't take them long to return."
"R-Right." I shakily replied, grabbing his stretched-out appendage. "Did you find someone else further back? Muriel to be exact."
Turn to face him in the flickering dark, his expression turned solemn. "Sorry, but I haven't. This place is a maze, with several winding paths. In fact, it was only by chance that I happened to come across you."
"I see… Where's your partner?"
"Ramiel? Up and left without another word. I would say he's gone insane or rogue, but I have enough faith in him not to do so."
It was just the two of us, while not ideal, certainly was better than being by my lonesome. Still, with the halls reverberating the loud cackles and maniacal giggling of those unfeeling monsters, it was best we steer clear of that sector of the base. For now, it was best to retreat and regroup with the others. Perhaps we could even stage a rescue for my fallen comrade, if she still lives.
Though at this point, the chances of her surviving until the end seemed bleak, I nevertheless clutched onto the slightest hope she survived.
…
Leliel
"Only Sarthorael was extracted. There were far too many daemonculaba staged within the compound for me to recover his companion. I apologize for my incompetence." Verchiel reported through the line.
"You did what you could, and got out safely, that is what matters. As for everyone else, reconvene at the centermost point. Make sure to avoid any encounter until an exploitable weakness has been located. If a situation arises where a confrontation can't be avoided, finish them off swiftly, lest more ambush you. Do I make myself clear?"
""Yes, ma'am."" They all answered in unison.
Now that I was alone, I didn't have to bother playing with appearances any longer. "Damn it!" Slamming the wall next to me, it all but crumbled under the force. "Alright, calm down. We won't get anywhere without properly seeing the big picture."
"When it was your fault in the first place? For crying out loud, you could have picked Yeshamiel, but noo~."
"Shut it! You don't get to talk when we both agreed to the decision. Besides, the connection between us is still there. Granted, it is faint, and flickering by the second, but alive nonetheless. Let's just regroup, head to her current position and kill the devil children that did this to her, simple as that."
"So, it's just going to implode on itself like the rest of your plans? Che, if we weren't the same person I would have taken you for someone on the tipping edge of desperation. Oh wait, you are."
"And you are a constant reminder of my failures, so what?" Bickering with the voice, a tired sigh escaped my lips as the sounds further into the base echoed, reaching my ears. "She'll be safe soon, I'll make sure of it. Nobody is going to die on my watch. Not again."
"Are you really sure about that?" The voice asked in a heavily mocking tone. "You know what they do to those who enter their tight grasp, yes? Hmhmhm~, you've even witnessed it firsthand. The dead look in their eyes, bodies either drowned in their abhorrent seed, or utterly mutilated after the-"
"Not another word with you!" I yelled out into the open air, throwing a hard-light dart at a far-off demon.
"Or what? Gonna kill me like everyone else? Well boohoo~, can't do that when this is all in your head." It taunted, striking particular nerves that invoked wrath in me. "Oh? What's this? Ms. Dominion's wings are turning black! Careful now, we both know Father is particularly merciless to those who have fallen."
Taking a deep breath, I returned to the shadows, doing my best to ignore the pest that polluted my mindscape.
…
Sarthorael
Healing. That was something I desperately needed.
My wounds were mending, but at a slower rate than what was ideal. Something had infiltrated my system, a poison in all likelihood. It didn't restrict me too badly, but it did mess with the regenerative properties that came with being made out of energy.
Letting out a drawn-out hiss, I did my best to stitch my flesh back together, being met with varying outcomes at each turn.
"I -ha- I think we lost them." He tiredly stated, slumping on the ground. "I'm sure you heard of what leader announced, correct? There's one problem with that: neither of us know where our current location is."
Endless wandering was going to do us no good, but so did taking inaction. What now?
"Verchiel?"
"Yes? Is there something that you request of me?" The man asked, gasping with every other word.
"Indeed, I might have a solution for our little problem."
"Would it entail flying around until we found them? Because frankly, my wings won't last much longer without rest."
"Not exactly… maybe."
"Uuurgh~."
"Hear me out here, try placing your hand on the wall." Giving the suggestion, he did as told, walking over to the right side and sending me an expectant look. "Pulse your energy through the wall-"
"And expunge all of it!?" He interjected. "That would leave us sitting ducks in a pond filled with alligators. Not only that, but your uncertainty in this leaves me skeptical on the validity of it functioning properly. Are you really sure you want to do this?"
"No, no I don't. But I don't see a better option out there for us. So now, we're left with three choices: fight until the bitter end, run away without a clue in the world where we need to go, or we can try an experimental technique that might give us the barest glimmer of hope."
Weighing out the options, a look of contemplation arose on his face, as cries and moans echoed in the background, bringing a sense of urgency to the situation. "Come on, we don't have all day here. The worst-case scenario is this fails, but acts as a beacon for those around us, making everyone privy to our location. Naturally, that would also include those mutated abominations, but at the very least, our comrades would be only a turn away from aiding us in battle."
"But-"
"Look, you have more experience compared to me. Knowing more of the ins and outs when it comes to a topic such as this. I have faith in you to let your better judgment guide us to circumstances that are more favorable than the one we are in currently."
"I uhh…"
[A/N: Will Sarthorael's plans fail? Will they succeed? Will he rescue Muriel? And will Leliel make true of her promise? Find out on the next chapter of "Be Not Afraid"!
I always wanted to do that. Copy-paste stuff below. Please enjoy.
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