About five hours later, answers were found. And, a group of newly angelic mortal men were able to find their way to Tyrael in Sanctuary. What they didn't expect was for their motives to be already known. Tyrael was sitting at his desk and glaring a touch warily at each new man that settled in his room.
"I know you all were angels. New at this, too," Tyrael said cautiously. "Furthermore, I know you all did this to try and see Anaurael. However, her coming to Sanctuary will be exceedingly rare."
"But...she's a mortal!" a man with light blond hair and baby blue eyes said.
"Yes. But, she mainly belongs to Imperius. He protects her. I am with her to help create mortal children in the form of champions for Heaven. He and I have a very delicate agreement with this. Did any of you even hear them declare their love for each other?" Tyrael asked now.
"We did," another man said with long, light brown hair and green eyes sighed.
"Then what was your main point of doing this? You will now have to cope with your mortal bodies. You'll need to eat, sleep, bathe and do other mundane mortal chores to keep your bodies healthy. It's still hard for me, too!" Tyrael growled. "Did any of you even think this through?"
"Fine. Yes, we did this to be around her," the largest one of them said in his deep tone. He could have easily rivaled a Barbarian in size and stature, but the armor he wore with the others definitely gave him away from the angelic runes all over them. His hair was a shaggy, rich, dark brown, and his eyes were evenly the same color. "We felt there was no other way."
"Imperius now sees all of you as outcasts. Just so you know," Tyrael glowered at them all. At their gasps of shock, he sighed. "If you all wanted to do this adequately, you would have shown up at my doorstep a few at a time. Even one at a time. The lot of you are, quite obviously, newly made from the Song of the Arc. You have no skills or true tactical advantages. I can understand that, since battling the hordes of Hell are exceedingly rare now. So, I'll make this easy on all of you. Yes, you can join my side with the Horadrim. No, you are not going to be anywhere near Anaurael, should she appear. And, no, you are not touching her mother, either. Ilerael will skewer you all."
"Ilerael?! Him?" a man with light red hair and green eyes said.
"I see you've heard of him. So, maybe some of you are not just newly made. But, yes. He was the one that started doing this. Ilerael is Anaurael's father. Lilaurael is her mother, and she is his wife. She will easily kill the lot of you, if any of you attempt to sway her. The two of them are about as old as I am, and they can easily outmaneuver all of you without a second thought. You are all fools for even attempting this. Itherael was already going to search for you all. You saved us the trouble. So, you all want to prove your trust? Fine. Help me with the Horadrim and watch what you do," Tyrael warned again. He noticed that the large man with brown hair and eyes seemed to lead them. The two angelic warriors in the corners of his room clearly didn't trust the group.
"Hey, Tyrael," Ilerael said when he walked in. Then he looked at the group of men with shock.
"Yes, Ilerael. This is the group. They decided to come here to speak with me directly," Tyrael smirked. The protective father scowled and looked at one of the guards.
"Go to Heaven and request a watch on my wife," he said. "Please."
"I shall," the warrior nodded and teleported away. What the guard came back with was more than he asked for. Imperius was not happy.
"Anaurael is safe. I refuse to let her appear," the massive Archangel growled. "And all of you have much to explain for!"
"We will prove our worth," the first man said calmly. "We brought this on ourselves. We shall help Tyrael with whatever he needs."
"Tyrael! If any of them step out of line, you will be held accountable!" Imperius spat out.
"Then take them back to Heaven, and save me from your tirade!" Tyrael said evenly. When Anaurael appeared with Izarius, she moved straight to Imperius's side to help him see clearly. It was even worse from the gown of gold stretch velvet she wore with the corset. It had become her newest favorite gown. The new mortal angels in the room could only cringe at her beauty, but they knew better than to attempt something.
"I don't want you here," Imperius growled lightly at her. At the way Tyrael gave out an irritable sigh, she knew what was going on. She had to put her foot down.
"Hush," she whispered and let him pull her into his arms to hold her up to his shoulders. "I felt your anger. I had to be with you. Tyrael is not at fault. Don't blame him. You have always blamed him. Stop it. Blame the foolish ones before us for not thinking things through. They will be suffering, as it is. I doubt that any of them have eaten on arriving. Much less done other things to suit their new needs. They will learn the hard way. They brought this on themselves. Will they learn from it? Possibly. But, they made this choice. Tyrael is offering to help them. There is only one main rule. Actually, two rules. I am not to be touched. My Mother is not to be touched."
"Anaurael, go back up to Heaven," Ilerael muttered. "Maybe I'll have your mother join you."
"Do you know how cross she would be with you?" she grinned softly at her father.
"She's pregnant with a future sibling for you. I'm being the protective father and father-to-be," Ilerael grunted. When a knock on the door happened, he stepped outside to talk calmly to his wife. She gave out a small gasp, but understood why he was so protective. He walked in with her behind him, and he had her move to stand behind Izarius. The new mortal angels knew they had to prove their trust and see her as a sister. Imperius was not happy at all. When Gurzick appeared, Tyrael waved and gestured for him to hop onto the desk. When the mortal angels noticed how Imperius was showing a form of neutrality to a demon, they were shocked.
"Who?" Gurzick pointed at the new men in the room.
"Angels like me. They removed their wings. But, it was mainly to get close to Anaurael," Tyrael said with a shake of his head. Gurzick thought hard and looked at Imperius.
"I do not trust them. I tolerate you," the Archangel growled.
"Yes!" Gurzick nodded. "They bad?"
"If they don't watch themselves, they can be," Ilerael muttered and felt Lilaurael press into his back. She was finding herself a touch nervous around them, but it was only because she was expecting. The hormones were definitely revealing themselves now. He turned to whisper to her and feel the slight hardening of her belly now. There wasn't much to feel, but it was there.
"Maybe I should go to Heaven," she frowned.
"Do you think we can make a room for her?" Anaurael asked Imperius.
"I would normally decline. But, she is your mother. She is also expecting a new sibling for you. She also respects me, as does Ilerael. Therefore, I will accept this decision. I did agree to her having her own set of personal guards. Azarius and Mithus will instruct them on what needs to be done. If they falter at any time, I need to know," he nodded. "I will see it as a breach of trust, if they fail at any time."
"This is very interesting," Greed muttered out from the crown. "Did they even think it through of the fate they just gave themselves? Or were they acting on impulse?"
"Complete impulse," Tyrael sighed.
"Pathetic," Imperius grunted.
"Now, I do agree with that logic," Greed chuckled. "But, why? Just to see the girl?"
"Who are you?" the massive mortal angel asked.
"Me? I'm Greed! The girl with golden hair is a bit of, oh, my adopted daughter. You could say. I'm quite fond of her," the demon lord giggled.
"Adopted daughter?" Ilerael asked with a raised brow.
"Just do not call her your ward," Imperius warned. "That is what I have called her for the longest time. And do not correct me on the term!"
"I am sure he will not," Anaurael smiled and pressed into him.
"Well, you're no fun," Greed seemed to pout. "How about guardian demon?"
"Remember. I tolerate you. For now," Imperius warned again. Greed simply cackled.
"Just cull it and be done," a man muttered.
"As much as I would agree, I will not. I have a mild pact with this one. As disturbing as it is," Imperius snorted. "And, none of you have given over your names."
At this, they seemed to stammer, but they did give over their names one at a time. Tyrael studied each man to each name. They were all different and easily recognized.
"You. Mitherael," Ilerael said to the mortal angel with the Barbarian looks. "I keep getting the vibe that it was your idea to pull this off. To convince them to do this."
"And what makes you think that?" the man growled.
"Because you are brash and fail to think ahead," Malthael growled from Anaurael. "I am sure that Ilerael is correct in his thoughts."
"It was my idea," a slender man with long, blond-white hair and dark blue eyes said.
"Oh, don't lie!" Greed chuckled. "You say your name was Ikarius?"
"Yes," the man said.
"There is no need to lie to prove yourself to your so-called leader. The lot of you are clearly renegades. Or attempted to be renegades until you were caught," Greed said with amusement. "How many more lies will you spin before Imperius gets overly pissed off at you?"
"Go ahead and answer his question," Imperius growled. "Malthael, I shall ask for your opinion. What should they do?"
"Do as Tyrael says," Malthael mused. "Let them try and prove their worth. If any ask of the girl, they will be culled. There is no need for them to even attempt doing what does not need to be done. In time, possibly, female angelic warriors may shed their wings to help balance the populace. We shall have to see. Until then, all of these new ones should be under heavy monitoring."
"I agree," Tyrael nodded.
"Maybe I can talk to Auriel," Lilaurael muttered to her husband.
"For what purpose?" he asked.
"To see if any of the females would wish to try and live here. We'll have to see what happens, though. I felt safe here before...but now..." she winced. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and squeezed her. Anaurael was a bit surprised at how her mother was acting. She never saw this side of her before.
"Let's go back to Heaven," Imperius said.
"Greed, can you help my Mother with a room? To make it almost like mine?" Anaurael asked.
"Hmm. Ah! I can," Greed said. Gurzick came to and flipped off the new angelic mortals just to show he didn't like them. Tyrael ran a gauntleted hand over his face and laughed in it. Mitherael was unimpressed, but he was mildly glancing at Anaurael from the corner of his eye. Anaurael felt unnerved, and seemed to shudder with relief when Imperius turned his broad back to them to shield her from view.
"When the library is found, I'll get you," Tyrael said.
"Okay," Anaurael nodded.
"I'll take you back, sister," Izarius said to her mother. Ilerael nodded and gave his wife over to him. As they left in their teleport warps, Tyrael now eyed each man there. Gurzick had to leave to help Lilaurael with a new room. Greed was happy he was going to get another treasure vault in Heaven.
"I'm going to repeat the names that you gave me to make sure I got them all. Mitherael. Mathius. Sithus. Iltherael. Tytherius. Dalerael. Ikarius. Ratherael. Borithius. Galithus. Correct?"
"Yes," many of them said together, as others nodded.
"Good. Report to Lorath. He's outside, and he's my main assistant. He will give all of you small chores to do, and he will keep an eye on your health. Go now. But, Mitherael, I want you to stay here," Tyrael ordered lightly. At how many of the men looked at the large mortal angel, Tyrael knew that it was this one that was clearly in charge of them. Ilerael's thoughts were correct about this.
"So, you are not the leader. Hmm?" Ilerael glanced at Ikarius. Even he had looked to Mitherael for permission to leave, and he winced hard at his own blunder.
"Relieve yourself of command of them. Now," Tyrael growled out. "I am the leader of the Horadrim. If you do not show allegiance to me, then you are an enemy."
"Says who?!" the man growled. Then he paused at how neatly and swiftly Ilerael moved to get behind him to press his massive two-handed sword up to the man's back. Ilerael was not as tall as he was, but he was several times more deadly.
"Says me," Ilerael said in a rather dark and protective tone. None of the others could help stop it. Ilerael had moved far too swiftly for any of them to realize what happened. "The Angelic Host called me the Angelic Assassin. My wife was known as the Silver Arrow. I know you've never heard those terms before. They were names awarded to us after saving Tyrael's life and Itherael's life. We were practically guards for the entire Angiris Council back in the day. Even Malthael commended us. So, do as Tyrael says. Give up your leadership. Only Imperius should hold any leadership over other angels! Down here, it is Tyrael. If you don't like it, then say so. Now."
"I spent years getting to where I was," Mitherael muttered out.
"And, what made you think that doing this would increase your power?" Tyrael asked now in a curious tone. "What had you decide that now was the time to test your limits?"
"That girl. With her at my side..." he started. Then he felt the edge of the sword pierce his skin right through his angelic armor. He shouted with disbelief at the pain he felt.
"That girl...is my daughter...!" Ilerael hissed out, grabbed the man by the head of hair he had and pulled his head back. "You thought to steal my daughter away?!"
"And, what do the rest of you say now?" Tyrael asked the others.
"I didn't...realize that this was..." a man with long, brown hair and hazel eyes trembled.
"And now you know, Borithius. Now you see that this one is corrupted. But, now that he is mortal, it may be a different form of taint. I doubt it can be removed," Tyrael sighed and rested his elbows on his desk. He tapped his fingers together in thought. "Ilerael, don't kill him. We'll imprison him for now and see what Imperius wants to do. We, mortal angels, are considered a very rare breed right now. Hopefully, some of our female warriors will choose to come down to give you all some form of equality. Until then, I would steer clear of this traitor."
"He befriended us," a bald man muttered. "He targeted me, because I was feeling disgruntled with my position. It was as though he knew who to look for. Now I feel manipulated."
"I agree," Ikarius sighed. "I honestly didn't know what I was up against. Mitherael promised us quite a bit. A new lifestyle. A better way to live and fight. I...did hesitate when I reached for my wings. I didn't really want to remove them."
"Neither did I," another said bleakly. "But, he promised us that all would be well."
"And, when you saw Anaurael?" Tyrael asked.
"Yes, she was beautiful. Is beautiful," Borithius frowned. "We all knew how much Mitherael wanted her. Some of us even caught him trying to follow her around in Heaven."
"What?!" Ilerael gaped. At the way his sword pressed even further into the man's back, Tyrael could only shake his head at the issue before him now.
"Release him, Ilerael. Before you accidentally kill him," Tyrael sighed.
"It wouldn't be an accident!" he growled. "But, I want to know one thing. Answer this, and I'll let you go. When did you first see my daughter?"
"I saw...Imperius...at the viewing chamber..." Mitherael winced and kept himself from fighting off the position he was in. "I wanted to know...what he was fascinated with. So...I waited...until he left. Then I saw her...sitting in her room...reading..."
"How old was she?" Tyrael asked.
"Fourteen...I think..." he cringed. Ilerael swore, but released the angelic man.
"Do you still desire her?" Tyrael asked now.
"Who wouldn't?" Mitherael grumbled and coughed. He soon found the edge of El'druin at his throat, but the glowing blade was used to lift his chin up into Tyrael's golden, smoldering gaze. Tyrael knew that his sword of Justice would not pierce him, but it would help deliver a stern warning.
"She is my wife here on Sanctuary," Tyrael warned. "If I find you anywhere near her, I will take you before the Angiris Council personally. Only Imperius has clear leeway to her, as per my truce and agreement with him. As for you, I will not kill you. That is not my way. However, I shall let the Council vote to see what will need to be done with you. But, it will only be done if you go against me. Until then, you will work for me. For the Horadric Order. If you fail at any given time, I will make good on my vow."
"I understand," the man sighed.
"From now on, all of you will look to me for answers. Not him. He is as equal as the rest of you," Tyrael said, as his golden gaze swept over them all. They all agreed right then and there. Ilerael was still pissed. Even as the large man left to get treated for his back, the others in the room now realized how grave a mistake they did. They would learn to cope with it and follow Tyrael's guidance.
"I'm sure you all are hungry," Ilerael forced himself to say to calm down. "If not, then you will be soon. Follow me. I'll start a new training session on proper mortal care. And, Tyrael..."
"I know!" Tyrael sighed and grabbed at the apple in the fruit bowl. Ilerael chuckled and gestured for the others to follow. At the way they looked to Tyrael for guidance, he said, "Ilerael is extremely trustworthy. If he says to do something, you do it. I'm still learning from him on how to cope with my body. Don't slight him at any time."
Now that they followed Ilerael out, he turned to see Anaurael appearing and moving to his side. He hugged her tightly to him and kissed her forehead.
"Imperius and I watched everything from the viewing pool," she sighed. "He had to train the troops and told me to go to you. He wants to cull Mitherael."
"Does he?" he muttered, as he held her.
"He is talking to Itherael and Auriel now. I need to go back, but I had to let you know."
"Thank you for letting me know," he smiled and kissed her gently.
"Have you eaten yet?" she asked.
"I was about to," he said. "Would you like to join me?"
"Yes. I need to eat, too," she nodded. Izarius appeared to help barricade the door to let them eat in peace. They were able to discuss what to possibly find in the library should it be found.