There's no cheering once the battle ends; just dead and wounded perverting the destroyed streets. There are so many dead; a great many of them demon, but that makes little difference in a time such as now. Noah can't help but take a breath as he puts his weapon on his back and wipes his brow. He watches the Angels all but do the same, taking a much needed breather from so much spilt blood.
"Hard to call this a win." Noah muttered as he started walking towards a kneeling angel, their hands resting on one of their fallen brothers.
"Though this battle has ended, the war still continues." The angel stated as she closed her eyes before getting to her feet. "I fear a great many more will fall before this ends."
"That's to be expected though." Noah admitted as he looked at the angel and watched her turn. She's big; 8ft tall big and that golden armor of hers had most of its luster, replacing it with countless scars and dried blood. "I mean, you know what's going on here."
"Yes you are quite right." She stated as she looked down at him. "Still, you have my thanks, child of man." The lady admits as she holds out her hand. "I am Chayyliel, a Warden of the Hellguard."
"I'm Noah, Hunter of the Third Kingdom." Introducing himself Noah held out his hand to take the Angel's only for her to pull him forward and grab his elbow.
"Well met, Child of man." She greeted before letting him go. "Still, you do not carry the scent of a pure human." She states. "Something clings to you; and it is not of the White City, nor of the Dark Kingdom…"
"Yeah well~." Noah paused. "You said you're a Warden, right?" He changed the subject. "As in Storm Warden; the elites chosen by the Archangels themselves?"
"You know of us?"
"We covered a few lessons on you guys in Advanced training." Noah admitted before pausing. "Got to say, I'd actually find this an honor if the situation wasn't what it was."
"Agreed." The angel muttered as she looked at her greatsword stabbed into the earth. "Are there more of you?"
"Humans or hunters or like me?"
"In a way; both I have not seen your kind beyond the dead."
"Yeah well, we got caught by surprise." He admitted. "But there's more of us." He paused. "Hopefully a lot more."
"That is pleasant news." She stated before looking elsewhere. "And you are right, we were all caught by surprise here."
"About that." Noah began as he crossed his arms. "When I first saw you, you said something. You said it was too early, what did you mean by that?"
"Simply that; there is an anointed time for when the Endwar is meant to begin." The Angel stated with a frown. "That time simply hasn't arrived, and was not meant to for perhaps another seven ages."
"Oh." Noah paused. "Well, shit." Noah muttered as he looked elsewhere. "Do you know why it started early?"
"No." The Angel stated as she seemed to think back. "All I know is that the Hellguard were mobilized to come to earth, and it appears we were expected." There was a scream in the distance, catching her attention as her eyes narrowed. She reached for her blade, pulled it straight from the earth before preparing to march.
"You plan on going after the rest?"
"That is the duty of the Hellguard." She said simply. "We are duty bound to bring an end to as many infernal spawn as possible before we fall."
'You go, and they will follow." Noah stated as he gestured to her wounded soldiers. "In their condition, everyone's bound to die."
"I know, but what do you suppose we do?"
"You got a place to rest and heal your wounds?" She turned at that, staring down at him with a blank expression.
"Are you suggesting a tactical retreat?"
"Basically yeah." Noah stated as he sighed. "Heal your wounds, make a plan, survive to fight another day, then beat them into the floor."
"Is that how humans fight?"
"It's one of our methods." Noah stated. "Survive. Adapt. Win." He smiled at those words. "Survive the encounter, adapt to your enemy, win the battle." The Angel just looked at her wounded and made a noise. "Your boys ain't gonna make it another fight."
"I know." The Angel admitted as she raised a free hand to her lips, and whistled.
What responded was not of this world, though it certainly was known in the Third Kingdom. It bore great wings and birds head yet that armored body was that of a lion.
An Ortho, one of the Angelic Beasts that lead to Humanities stories of Griffons.
"Let the wounded rest upon the Ortho." She stated and watched her soldiers gather. "We're returning to Sanctuary." She ordered as she helped gather the wounded to let them rest upon the Ortho's back. Noah helped as well, easily lifting a body clan in Empyrean steel before setting it on the angelic beast's back. When they were done, he turned to the Angel, giving her a thumbs up and got a confused look in return. She and the others took off, the Ortho's following right behind them. Not to be left behind, Noah latched onto it's leg as it carried him off.
The flight is… quiet. He can't hear the sounds of conflict as they fly across the streets, staying just above the buildings as they move as one. "Like the silence before the storm." He muttered before leaning into the armored leg.
"It must trouble you." An angel's voice called to him as he turned to them. "Seeing your world like this; It must weigh heavily upon your heart." The angel states and Noah refuses to answer for a while.
"Not really." Was his eventual answer. "If there's one thing that I've learned from human history it's that both buildings and whole cities can be rebuilt, the trees can be replanted and the blood can be washed away." He sighed. "I'm just wondering how much blood will be spilled before all this ends." He muttered the rest before turning away to look at his city.
Reaching the sanctuary of the Angel's… Noah actually wasn't certain what to expect. Perhaps the roof gardens of the Brooklyn Grange or the Manhattan museum , hell perhaps even one of the parks so the Ortho had some room to stretch their legs.
"I really wasn't expecting a casino ." Noah thought with a snicker as he looked to the rest of the Angels. "Never took angels for gamblers." He joked as they all touched down and he stepped out of the Ortho's shadow. He didn't help with the wounded this time, just walking up to Chayyliel as she seemed to frown and gaze off into the distance."So, what's your favorite pastime here?"He asked lightly. "Blackjack? Slots? Roulette?"
"I… don't know what these things you speak of are." She said honestly as she gestured for the youth to follow her. He did without question, letting the giant of a woman lead him off as the wounded were brought in behind them. "But we simply wait here, taking time to rest and recuperate."
"Well that's better than nothing." Noah admitted as he tapped his foot on the ground and continued following the woman. She leads him further into the back, and he lets his eyes wander, having them turn to the others that are already here. Many are injured, scarred as well but they are healing. "Is this all of you?"
"No." Was the woman's simple reply. "Many are still outside fighting, but we all make up this arm of the Hellguard."
"And the rest?"
"Scattered across the Third Kingdom, fighting as you and I." She looked back at Noah, and his attention turned to her wings. "Do you need rest?"
"That'll be great but I don't need it now." Noah stated. "You on the other hand look like you haven't rested in days."
"Yes, well that is something expected." She muttered before turning to the others.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Several days." The woman stated as Noah crossed his arms with a frown. Several days. Knew angels must have had stamina, but even then she must be running on fumes by now.
"You should get some rest." He told her. "You can't fight a war while you're exhausted."
"I can rest later." She told him.
"If you can do it later you can do it now." The teen muttered as the Angel led him towards an office and took a seat. "You look ready to collapse."
"I am." The Warden states as she sits across from the teen. "But I can rest when reinforcements come."
"That might be a long wait." Noah remarked as Chayyliel shot him a look. "You know what I mean." Noah was met with silence. "Or~ maybe you don't." He sighed. "Look I don't know how things run in Heaven but reinforcements might take a while - or they'll be here by tomorrow, can't say for sure." The teen muttered explaining himself. "Either case you should get some rest while you can, can't lead when you're dead on your feet."
"No, I guess not." Chayyliel remarked as she looked at her greatsword. "I must remain strong for my faction, yet there is still much work to be done."
"No lie there." Noah muttered as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "So what are you gonna do for now?"
"I will try contacting the rest of our forces in Heaven." Chayyliel stated. "As it stands I have failed to get a response for support, I need to know why." She stated as she rubbed her temples.
"Anyway, can I help?"
"Unless you can speak Enochian, I'm afraid you will not be of much help." The Angel stated as Noah chuckled.
"Guess I'm useless then; I haven't learned to speak the language of angels yet."Noah admitted before his smile slipped and he started to think. "I've heard it plenty of times, from both angels and demons." Chayyliel narrowed her eyes at that. "It's a kind of bastardized version but I recognize it." The teen admitted before pausing. "Actually, why is it that Demons speak your language anyway?"
"That is the work of the Betrayer." Chayyliel admitted with a low hiss. "He and his Fallen "gifted" the denizens of the Dark Kingdom with the Enochian tongue long ago. However it is… bastardized as you say." She admitted. "I do not know the full details of why he taught it to them, for the Demons have long since carried their own tongue, one we and his Fallen have long understood."
"Maybe he did it out of pure spite." Noah threw out and shrugged. "You'd be surprised what people teach just to spite someone."
"How true." Noah burned a small tracker into existence as he started tossing it into the air.
"Anyway." He began. "While you're trying to get in touch with the White City, is there anything I can do in the meantime?"
"You still offer help?"
"My job is to protect humanity." Noah stated. "One of the job requirements is that I kill troublesome demons." 'And rogue angels.' He added mentally as he tossed the tracker into the air again. "As a Warden of the Hellguard, I'd say we share a common enemy."
"Indeed." The angel admitted as she looked the teen over for a moment. "I believe you Children of Man have a saying; The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"That's it." Noah states as he takes a breath and made the tracker disappear. "And so long as you don't try "purifying" all humans you come across I'd say we can be friends for a long time." Noah smirked. "Perhaps even more than friends." He stated playfully as Chayyliel raised an eyebrow in confusion. An instant later her pupils dilated as she flourished slightly, and then frowned in embarrassment.
"Don't get your hopes up." She stated firmly as Noah got to his feet with that same smirk. "But if you wish to help us, we need assistance on the western waterfront. A division of the Hellguard have been facing demon attacks there regularly. They need support."
"Consider me support." Noah stated as Chayyliel waved her hand over the table between them; over the map resting atop it as she brought it to life, angelic mana made a 3D model of a destroyed Manhattan while Noah watched.
"You've got to teach me that."
"Here." She pointed at a spot on the map. "They were positioned here." The angel stated as she watched Noah lean over to get a better look. "By foot the travel will be long, so I will lend you an Orthros. They will carry you to the Waterfront."
"Got it." Noah stated as the 3D city disappeared and the two left the room. "Oh right…" He paused for a moment. "I'm hitting up one of your soda machines before I leave." Chayyliel gave him a look.
"What's a soda machine?"