Link Fangirl01: Adamai is fine, I just wanted to concentrate on other characters for awhile. I was hoping to get some good character development in for both Flopin and Elely, and intend to continue that arc.
Author's Note: So Originally I put a complaint right here about not having enough time cuz work, but literally the next day I got a super short day and lots of time to write. So short on money boo! But writing time yay! Also I have begun work on Aether realm, which is the story from which Seraphin and Achron come, I'll be uploading the first chapter of that to Fiction Press soon of any of you are interested in reading it, probably by the end of the week.
Chapter 22: Fallen Angel
It didn't take all that long for the soldier to wake up, five minutes or so, Yugo was stron, but not that strong. The reptilian humanoid being opened his eyes to see the young Eliatrope crouched on top of his chest, behind him was a large hulking demonic creature and a glowing orange human.
"Blah!" The replite uttered "Get off me filthy Mammal!" A blue sword of pure energy pushed itself against the reptilians throat
"You're not in a position to make demands." Yugo said in an uncharacteristically cold voice.
"What's a mammal?" Percedal
Rubilax slapped his face with his hand and even Yugo turned and gave the iop a backwards glance.
"For someone trying to prove their race isn't a group of idiots," Rubilax said "You are failing."
"What," Percedal said innocently," did I miss something?"
"You could say that." Rubilax replied. "He's gonna try something Yugo." The demon switched gears, pointing to the reptilian alien. Yugo turned his head to look and the lizard like creature stopped moving.
"Back to business." Yugo said "I'll let you live, if you tell me where your commander is."
"Go to hell!" The reptile replied
"Wrong answer," Yugo said, he stood and got off the reptile. "Rubilax." He said simply. The demon slammed one fist into another, cracking his knuckles, a motion that sounded more like stone scraping against concrete than knuckles cracking.
"He must really want that info." Rubilax said.
"Yeah," Percedal replied "He doesn't usually let you have your way Rubi."
The demon shot Percedal a look "Call me that again and I'll crush you instead." He said in mock intimidation.
The reptile watched all this in horror, his life was about to end, this couldn't happen now, the Achronians had never lost before, sure some people died in the battles but, never this far into their lines, he should've been safe.
"Alright, alright!" The reptile said "I'll tell you, not it'll do you much good."
Yugo help up a hand to Rubilax
"Aw," Rubilax said in mock disappointment "I was really looking forward to crushing him."
The Reptile gulped, "He'll be near the Luxian core, trying to disable this ship." He said "But you'll never get there, there are demons worse than him guarding that room." The reptile pointed at Rubilax when he said 'him'.
"Alright," Yugo said "You get to live."
"You really should kill him Yugo." Percedal said
"He's actually right for once." Rubilax put in.
"I gave my word," Yugo said "And I'm not going to break it."
The eliatrope opened a portal beneath the reptile and another in front of the door to the teleporter room. The reptile briefly felt like he was falling into nothing before his center of gravity changed and he was thrust upward suddenly, he re-entered the world and his gravity changed again plopping him down on the cold floor.
The reptile was disoriented and felt like gagging and vomiting, his organs quickly trying to re-center themselves in their proper places. Before he could even realize what had happened the eliatrope was on him and picked him up with strength his small mammalian body should not have possessed. The door to the teleporter room opened and he marched in holding the reptilian up with one arm. He placed the dazed and confused soldier in a teleportation cylinder and turned to the man at the desk.
The man was very confused as he looked at the reptilian soldier in the cylinder. He looked at Yugo and cocked an eyebrow.
"Teleport back to the flagship," Yugo said "Tell them he's a prisoner."
"Okay." The man said. He punched a few buttons into the desk and the reptile disappeared as the man commed the Valorous letting them know about the prisoner.
Yugo returned to the other room and walked through the door with Percedal and Rubilax.
"So do you know where this core thing is?" Rubilax asked
"No, but It's guarded by demons," Yugo said "Can't be that hard to find. The trio encountered a door blown open and could see battle happening on the other side, the crimson armored soldiers were winning against the golden armies.
Yugo smiled "Time to work." He said.
"Time to crush some armored bugs," Rubilax said.
Alarms had begun to blare in the observation deck, Flopin still didn't understand what the annoying sounds meant.
"People are anxious," Elely said flatly.
"I wonder what's happening." Flopin said.
"We should check it out." Elely said.
"I don't think that's a very good isea," Flopin said "We should stay here. Where it's safe."
"Safe is boring." Elely said.
"But we can watch the battle." Flopin countered.
"I'm bored of watching," Elely said "I wanna fight, like daddy!" The Iop girl rushed towards the elevator, Flopin followed yelling that they shouldn't Rosaline noticed their movements but was unable to stop them before they got in. she commed the teleporter room since that was where the elevator was still programmed for. And to her horror she heard the sounds of battle and the comm. Officer dying in a pool of his own blood.
"No!" She yelled rushing at her top speeds towards the elevator, but she was half a second late as the doors closed and the glass cylinder descended. The orange haired one waved at her with a smile on her face, the expression only doubled the officer's horror, for she knew what they would emerge into.
"That was mean." Flopin said.
"So what?" Elely said "She was getting on my nerves, watching so closely like that."
The tube moved quickly and soon came to a sudden stop making a whirring sound as some system FLopin didn't understand took hold and the doors opened. What greeted them was beyond either's expectation. Soldiers in gold armor were impaled above the ground by black spikes like a graveyard without graves. In the center of this horrific vision was a black shadowy figure who held the comm. Officer up in one hand. The figure was massive, far beyond the scope of anything they had ever seen. Bigger than rubilax had ever gotten before them.
The shadow dropped the officer and turned it's head towards a cylinder that activated, a reptilian in the crimson armor of the Deum Bellum was there, he appeared to unconscious, then he turned, his yellow eyes focusing on the two children that had enetered the room.
Flopin was afraid beyond words, he had never seen so much blood before, and he knew that this being was far beyond them, but he also knew they would no longer be able to run, now that the being had seen them.
"They send children to battle me?" The shadow said in a deep guttural voice. "I suppose they might make a good snack. The figure turned to face them, he targeted the orange haired girl first.
Flopin could see the monster's intent even before he began to move, he couldn't understand why exactly, he just knew, he knew the beast meant to devour his sister leaving nothing left in this world. Elely was clearly afraid, the darkness that oozed from this creature was far beyond her, she had not expected this.
"Before I end you're pitiful lives," The beast said "I will offer you my name, that you may tell the angels who sent you." The shadow spoke with spite when he said 'angels' "I am Uriel Toblacain, The former angel of death."
It happened in a moment, Flopin had not ever tried to use his powers in battle before, he hadn't even been aware he had them until Echo had said something. Elely had retreated into herself, the girl who was so confident before was shaking and trying to run, she could feel the black hole void of any emotion that this being possessed. Flopin wasn't sure how to explain it, but he could see that hole. He could seethis being's body in it's entiretly and without meaning to, he knew exactly where to strike.
Flopin pulled in bow and ran forward, the fallen angel's gaze shifted looking at the boy, but not registering hi threat, the door opened and Rosaline and several gold an blue clad elites of Seraphin's forces stood in awe, again the officer was too late, but this time FLopin pulled back on his bow, he concentrated all his power into the arrow and as he slid beneath Uriel's shadowy body he released it into the beast's gut. The arrow pierced the angel's body and blasted out the other side.
Uriel's eyes went wide and he coughed out black blood, his head turned and looked at the blonde boy with horror. "How?" he managed to utter before breath left him and he collapsed onto the floor bathed in the blood of the soldiers he had killed so mercilessly as he died the shadows receded from his form and flopin could see briefly the beauty the being once held before he decayed into noting, his black spires disappearing with him, dropping the bodies to the floor.
Rosaline's mouth opened and shut a few times like a fish gulping water before she took a few steps forward. She could see how shaken the boy was, adrenaline flooded his veins and his heart beat like a stampede of Moogrs. His eyes were wide and breathing was ragged, he had never truly fought before, it had always been training, it had always been safe, he hadn't really been ready to face death head on, quite literally.
Elely blinked, she stared at her brother as sweat beads ran down his face and he kept staring at the stain on the floor that used to be the angel of death. Rosaline crouched and put her hand on his shoulder, he flinched and jerked his head up see kind eyes.
"You are very brave son of Iop." She said "Not many mortals can stand before a personification of death and calmly do what must be done. Even your sister for all her bravado was struck numb by his very presence."
Flopin looked at his hands and his bow, then back to the kind eyes of the admiral.
"It just happened…" he said "I didn't really think, I just did."
Rosaline smiled "Perhaps you'll have a better understanding of your sister's outlook on life now; your Father's too."
Flopin just nodded mutely, he was clearly traumatized, but that all changed a moment later when his sister ran up and hugged him tightly. "I was so scared!" Elely said "I thought I could… I thought I would…" She couldn't finish a sentence.
Flopin had never seen his sister like this before, sure he had occasionally made fun of her for her bravado, said things like it was fake or stupid, but he hadn't meant it, nor had he thought it true. This must've been terrible for her, she was supposed to be a warrior woman, a iop devoted to action, and yet she had fozen stiff and her cra brother had taken the action instead. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes tight.
"Now do you understand why we told you to stay?" Rosaline asked. "That being was merely a platoon commander, not very high up in the hierarchy of Achron's troops." She continued "The being's like your friends are fighting are far worse than him."
"I think we've both had enough adventure for one day." Flopin said as he clapsed his sister tightly in his arms. "Please take us back to other room."
He had nearly lost his sister, he had never really considered mortality before, his own, or those around him, he had kind of just assumed they would be there forever. Now faced with a literal incarnation of death the brevity of life had become all too clear to him. He would need to cherish those close to him, he should be kinder to his sister and his parents and not make life so hard on them.
Achron was a flurry of black as he engaged the white winged seraph in battle. His forms altering every few moments, one second he would be a slender ninja, another a bulky warrior, and yet another his original form. He changed them so fast, it was hard for Seraphin to keep up. He was just testing the Seraph's defenses and the white winged combatant knew it.
Seraphin had to work hard, he had to make it appear as though he had no opening to be taken advantage of, at least until Achron got tired of testing them and chose a more powerful form. All the while he was slashing with Luminex, not connecting all that often, but often enough to the dark lord bleed.
Achron had existed for far longer than Seraphin, and knew far more of the omniverse's secrets. It was likely that the black clad emperor had a good deal of patience more than he did.
"You aren't bad at cloaking weakness little seraph," Achron said "In fact, you're getting too good too fast."
That wasn't good, he had had to try and pace himself, purposefully hiding his true power so that the dark lord wouldn't find him a threat just yet. He needed more time, he wasn;t powerful enough to win against the dark lord yet.
"You also excel at hiding strength I see." Achron said
Now Seraphin was nervous, he really couldn't let Achron see how strong he was yet, if the dark lord knew where his power jumps were coming from he'd end the Seraph's life without a second thought.
He would have to show some strength however, or Achron would be upon him. He clapped his hands together ans spread out his wings his mouth moving as he uttered chants in the ancient Aetherian language.
Achron stopped and retreated backing up to where he believed was a safe distance, good, the dark being wasn't aware of his full strength yet. Seraphin continued his chants and heraised luminex, the blade glowing yellow, Achron realized his mistake too late. The seraph lunged at speeds greater than the dark lord could dodge, he managed to deflect the worst of the blow but the primordial blade of luminex dug into his side and left him with a bleeding gash that he could not heal quickly.
The Dark Lord screamed in a bloody mixture of pain and rage, he had already been angry, but he was now doubly so.
"No more games!" he shouted "I have been underestimating you little seraph," he said angrily "That stops today!"
The Aetherian's form began to change, his grey skin receded as though it was made of scales, flaking off like a thin armor, beneath the armor was a peach color skin, his hair looked as though black bled into it from his head and he cast aside his bronze armor as though it were cardboard.
"It's been a long time since I've used this form." The enraged voice of the dark Aetherian rang out "But it's Ironic" his face twisted into a sick smile "The last time I used it, I killed the bearer of that sword, it seems history is destined to repeat itself."
"No such luck today Achron!" Seraphin said
"I wouldn't bet on it." Achron said "I don't suppose Ryllik ever told you how I killed Leonus did he? You aren't the only one with a special sword like that."
Achron reached behind him and pulled a long black katana from a small black sheath on his back, a sheath that had been hidden in the folds of his armor before
"Meet Black Heart," Achron said "The primordial blade that buried Leonus and his ptitful Dynasty!"
They now stood on even ground, both betting their lives on the outcome of the battle, rarely did such combat ensue between two Aetherians, but they would be fighting this time with real skills that would end in death for one of them, and victory for the other, so had fate cast her die.
Author's note: So short for me, but I really wanted to concentrate on Flopin, I feel like he didn't get enough screentime during the OVA series and we really didn't get to know him very well, but Elely got a lot of character development. We are getting close to the end, I need to move Yugo and the gods around a bit though, so there is still more.