Queen's note: Descriptions of Canon typical violence, had to split up this section of the story, it was getting too long last chapter.

Garnets

Chapter Twenty Nine:

Sacrifice

The raw power flowed and mixed with his blood so wonderfully. It sang hot and free and let him move faster than even adrenaline would let him.

Let the invading monsters literally crumble into char in his hands and under his boots. He could see the mark of the Soulless Calling through metal and cloth, letting him see how it was already burning or burnt away the souls of those it was on.

Track down the demons. He could smell the swirling mix of powers and corruption. To rip apart those that lunge desperately at him. To tear the effigies down and shred the bodies so there was no way to use them in the ritual that was trying to be set up around the already large gore nest.

The world pulsed and pulled in a wonderfully way that let only a few things stay in stark focus. Letting him barrel into the larger demons with hands and a cold blue blade. Barely needing or even thinking about his other weapons once pulling his crucible out.

Even the living sword sang in ecstasy as it was freely fed the hell corrupted souls and demonic blood alike. When the tide of demons started to wane he would throw something at the large gore nest in the center of the yard like space. Grinning as it called more demons from hell to feed his blood lust.

The demigod of death let himself go for a few glorious minutes. Or even hours as it was completely dark when there was finally nothing more to kill or rend to bits. The gore nest could not even call another wave even when he kicked it hard enough to bruise the tainted flesh.

Radiating heat in visible waves, even in the faint light, the Slayer stood still. Feeling himself just starting to cool down a little, the grip on the Last Gift was so tight that if it was not a loyal crucible it might have been damaged. Just as the living blade could never hurt him, he was not able to break it.

There was a slight sway to the demigod as he waited for another wave, kicking the gore nest even harder again as he wanted to sate his hunger for blood. Snarling when nothing came out, even when grasping at the orb of power to siphon off the hell energy to try and fill his want.

There was a flicker of movement to his left, the softest of muffled sounds but it had the Slayer's head snapping to it. Staring at it before moving in a prowl like the predator he was.

He walked around the large gore nest, it was curled into itself now to try and protect itself; it was still taller than him. But the movement was to the left and…ground level.

The crucible was lifted, held flat to help light up the form he had thought was another corpse until. Not that he needed that much light right now.

The Slayer leaned over the emaciated form, taking a deep breath to get the human's scent. Not the fear, though that was oddly dulled. Despite the filth around her soul smelled light, curling with an edge of… peach.

He was not sure why the color of peach seemed to fit. The Slayer could not quite remember what a peach was other than a color either.

Shifting his crucible to the left hand, the towering Demigod moved around the curled up gore nest. The glowing blade was sunk into the ground about a half foot. Staying out to light up the area for the human. Pretty sure it was a human female…woman. Girl? Woman. That was the word.

She was dressed in some sort of attempt at a ceremonial dress attempt. Sheets turned into a memory of what some of the Blood Priests wore in hell. With her right arm over her front, the woman had her left up in the air and against the gore nest. It was attached by a handcuff through a chain wrapped on the gore nest and something through her hand. Dark eyes stared up at the Slayer, dulled and on the verge of just giving up as they had been there for at least a few days. Stuck in the bloody pool around the gore nest long enough that it was…gelled around her.

He tilted his head, reaching to grasp her left arm and follow it up to the where it was connected to the gore nest. Not just from the chain but staring at how the nest itself was curling tendrils into the arm. Though there was blood from where her palm was staked into the nest, the coiling veins were missing the main veins.

The Slayer pressed his thumb into her forearm at the joint of the elbow, and watched as there was no reaction. Just being watched as he studded the arm, how the tendril shifted under the skin. Likely working to hook around the bones before starting in earnest on dragging the living sacrifice into the nest.

"...make it stop?"

Those soft words turned the Slayer's head to look at the human. He looked at the overfed crucible that was spilling a pool of blue light in the dark. He got up, moving around to be able to crouch over the human. Turning to press his left knee on the human, hearing a startled sound under him, but the Slayer kept the bulk of his weight off. Just enough to make sure the human was pinned as he grasped her shoulder with his right hand. Pushing his first three fingers onto the skin and watching where the human stopped reacting to the painful motion.

He left bruising lines but the bruising stopped about halfway down the bicep. It made a line of where the progress of the gore nest in the limb. The human under him whimpered as she stared at the hulking form above her, and from the new dull pain. The Slayer flexed his left arm, snapping the blade back out and for the first time since that evening was able to concentrate. Watching the blade glow, then burn off the demonic blood from it.

Moving far too fast to let the human react, the Slayer slammed the blade down. There was barely any resistance that he was used to, the blade rapidly cutting through the thin muscle and bone. The Slayer tilted his head faintly as he then tilted the blade to use the glowing flat to cauterize the wound.

The human was staring in shock as the demigod shifted over her again. As if not able to quit believing what happened as her severed arm fell against the gore nest. She looked up as a large hand was reaching for her head as the blade that delimbed her was swinging around.

…only she was not decapitated, it was no gentle motion as the large hand lifted her head out of the glue-like mess to fit the blade behind her head. There was a swift movement that had the smell of burning hair… but her head was no longer trapped.

The Demigod did not seem to be able to be fully gentle, but he was also giving no alarming reactions as he just as easily ripped the attempt at a ceremonial dress and then pulled the human up out of the mess around the gore nest. She was far too light, and only squirmed a bit in the waves of heat that rolled off him before going limp.

Covered in death ash and blood the Slayer carried the human away from the large gore nest, stopping where one of the bodies had been hanging. There was a now cracked bathtub there that he put the human into. Pressing a hand on her chest and pulsing some of his power into the emaciated form.

The woman gasped as her eyes suddenly sharpened into focus as her back arched at the quick flood of power. For the first time able to really focus on who was over her, to register the details. Grooves in the armor, the crackling of power over his form and raw strength rolling off in waves like a heartbeat.

The Demigod sat up, looked around and pulled a slab of metal from a torn cage over the bathtub. As much trapping the human as covering her. And then getting up to stalk over to the gore nest.

The human was able to lay down and look through the crack in the tub. Unable to look away as the Slayer slammed his right arm down through the 'eye' of the nest with a rolling punch. His arm sank almost up to his own shoulder before ripping the first bloated heart out.

Rosetta could see the heart was human like from her spot in the bathtub. Only bloated with the bulbous yellow growths. There was a second, larger heart still beating in the gore nest, a flood of whispers coming from the mass as it's second, half formed heart picked up its pace as the first one was crushed in the Slayer's hand.

She watched the strangely graceful motions as the demigod pulled the glowing blue opalescent blade out of the ground. With his left hand, twisting it around and driving the blade into the hole already made. There was an inhuman screeching from the gore nest itself as it was ripped into. The sound piercing and echoing with many voices from the vocal cord of the victims used to make it.

The blue blade slicing through burning bright and…cold? It looked like ripples of hot and cold air as something like frost or crystals started growing through the nest where it was cut. Exposing the second heart and stabbing right through it to the ground below, sending a wave of black blood around the Slayer as he leveraged the raw meat of the nest to get the last, much smaller third heart.

The gore nest gave a last, echoed howl of stolen voices as it started to first fold and then implode into itself. Parts of the inside where the crucible affected it did not liquify like the rest but altered into that odd blue sea glass like crystal, then to sand that made the spreading pool of blood shimmer like obsidian.

The Slayer swung to one side, then the other, as if expecting something to spawn out of the air or from behind.

The roar-like sound that came out of the demigod was snarling and angry. Almost human like but… very clearly not. His thirst and craving for violence was not completely sated, enough that he stalked around the area looking for anything from hell. Any possible surviving cultist that was corrupted. Passing into and out of the sole human's point of view several times.

It seemed like an hour of this, if Rosetta had to guess. More aware she was able to note how the overcast sky finally shifted to show the first glimpses of stairs in weeks. The wordless, but still vocal emotional rage and frustration of the armored being finally ebbed about that time as well. She could see him again standing still with only the blue blade. The one on his left arm retracted again.

Rosetta wondered if the man like being that pulled her out was coming down from something like a drug high… or an adrenaline high?

She watched as he finally moved. Tossing the glowing weapon up and catching it by the opalescent blade. Not so close she could hear the creaking of armor, but could see as he squeezed tight the blade.

It should have hurt him, as Rosetta had seen that energy blade cleave through ever stronger demons and the gore nest itself. If anything there were a few green sparks before frost was growing over the hand clutching it. The Slayer was moving to grasp his other hand on the blade, holding tight as if it was somehow going to help him.

Then he used the blade to hit himself. Just once, a firm smack that had his head pressing against the blade just under the hilt and gave an odd rumbling sound. Because at the same time there was a pulse of power and a wave of almost cold air.

Ice crystals formed over and around the Demigod as he used the crucible to help ground himself. To rapidly cool his body back down to something if not human or Agenta normals then something at least not far away. Where he would not burn things and people just by trying to hold them or be near.

Slowly, steadily but slowly the rage was ebbing out of his blood. Settling back into something far more manageable as he took a deep breath. He still gave off heat in waves, melting the ice around him as the Slayer stood up fully.

He rolled his head and neck tension working out of his back a bit. Still felt like there was a massive knot in that certain way that spoke he had torn his own muscles in his back again. It was already knitting back together as he deactivated the overfed crucible. Sliding it back onto his right thigh, listening to its humming in the back of his mind while standing still.

After a few minutes, he stretched and flexed his back, feeling the muscles finally heal where it was not annoying. The helmet turned to look at where he had stashed the human, her soul coming back into focus in his senses. Just able to see the golden like eyes through the crack in the bathtub.

For the first time since that last evening, his memory seemed to kick in. The tiny boy, the just as small girl that signed to him. The shadow he left in the motel.

Lily's lean form sitting in his lap, feeding him watermelon.

The demigod turned, giving himself a good solid shake of most of the gore and bits cleaning to him. Walking back over to where the human was he heard a sharp inhale of breath. Grasping the tub with his left hand and pulling it closer to up as he flipped the heavy slab of metal off the top with his right.

The woman looked back up at him, and the Slayer realized he was not sure what she looked like under the coating of dirt and death ash. But she felt and smelled like human, and did not try to get away as he reached down. Pulling the human out of the bathtub before standing.

He dared not grip, after finding he bruised her legs, but let the woman lay in his arms as he started to walk south. Slowly going into a trance like state, the Slayer nearly retraced his steps through the destroyed blood cult compound, it was a pretty clear path now.

He paused at seeing a shrine, the mark of the Soulless Calling painted in blood and other internal fluids on a shinning silver cloth. He looked down as there was movement for the first time in his arms.

Rosetta lifted her right hand from where it was resting on her middle. Extending her middle finger at the last shrine of the cult that had used her as a living sacrifice to hell.

The demigod let out a rasping, barking laugh at that as it snapped him out of the trance. Leaning forward in a slight hunch he triggered the launcher to activate and fire a plasma grenade at the shrine. Shifting his left arm to shield the human's face, but then turned so that she could see the shrine destroyed and burning. The plasma fire would rapidly spread through the area and was already burning the marked cloth to char.

The Slayer turned with a dark chuckle, shifting the human to be firmly against his lower chest as he lengthen his stride. Able to march through the rubble of the compound as easily as through grass.

Part of him still wanted to find the nearest portal of hell, get lost in the bloodlust again. Yet he was also feeling better from the rampage. His steps slowly shifting from heavy to that quieter predator stalk once back out on the street he had been in before. He paused at a crossroad, turning his head to stare at the humans down the road to his left. Semi-recognizing them from inside the cells in the compound.

He watched them freeze, staring back at him in the middle of the road. Like caught under an unknown carnivore's gaze, and maybe they were. Considering the bloody, gory mess he was, and holding a limp body.

The Slayer turned away, striding towards where these humans had been at the hotel before daring to leave towards the possible ARC location they knew of before being captured.

There were a surprising amount of lights still in this city. Not just the few street lights but from buildings and stores.

Rosetta shifted, looking up from the stump that was all that was left of her arm. Knowing for sure she was in shock in a strangely detached way. She looked back up at the creature…man…being that had pulled her out of the gore nest. Staring at the blood smeared visor until the helmet tilted to look back down at her.

He tilted his head, giving a low growling-snort back at her, but there was a slight quizzical edge to it at the end.

The woman reached up with her remaining arm, her fingers brushing the underside of the helmet edge as her eyes unfocused. "...are…you…real?"

The Slayer chuckled and then rumbled a thunder deep note that vibrated through the human. That mixed with another pulse of his power tipped Rosetta into unconsciousness. Almost as if he had pushed her under the surface of awareness pointedly.

There was a certain sound then from the speakers in his helmet. Almost like an Atlan's voice that drew the Slayer's attention to the left automatically. Able to see the armored form of Valen jogging down the road to meet him. Vega had discovered a new trick.

The Slayer turned to look at the now not so distant motel sign as he walked. Letting Valen meet him there, where at first there was not movement.

Something shifted in one of the shadows.

It made the two tense at first but did not move as the small form ran away from the grasping hands of her grandparents and right down the road. Valen swung his hammer up and over his shoulder, and swifter than anyone other than the Slayer knew he could move. He had the girl up in his arms, marveling at how tiny her form was, as he had not yet seen the human child still in the stasis pod in the Fortress.

The girl was a bit surprised, but with how similar their armor was she started to relax. Lifting her hands to point at who the Slayer held and started to sign.

The demigod started for a long few moments, aware of Valen's voice but not what was said. Vocally or by sign. He walked forward, trusting his Sentinel to deal with the child better than he could.

Not all of those he had freed were here, as there was that other group. The Slayer rumbled at the young man from earlier before turning his back on the group as a portal spiraled open in the street.

"Where does that go?" a voice asked.

The Slayer shrugged, not sure if he signed 'home' or not as he walked through with the unconscious woman. He stopped once clear of the portal on the other side. Staring at his human in the open door of the command room, he was not sure at first what to do before walking over.

"Medical is open," Lily said, looking up at him with wide eyes, glazing at the limp, thin frame he held.

She blinked as the Slayer stopped, making sure not to drop the woman as he carefully pressed his helmet against Lily's head. Able to sense the now familiar pulse and beat of her heart with that little bit of his energy still in her. The Slayer gave a deep sigh and stood back up, walking around Lily to go down to the medical area with a few angry cleaner drones chittering after him in the hall.

Lily lifted a hand, whipping off some of the black blood off her head, surprised as it did not hurt this time. She used one of the tools on the table she set up to wipe most of it off before the Portal flexed again as an older couple came through. The man supported his wife as she limped in, and stopped short. Between the alien like architecture of the room, and the imposing forms of the Slayer and Valen still on the other side. Lily seemed almost surreal standing there with an old towel.

"Welcome home?" Lily offered the two, first in standard then english, motioning them to come over. "Let's get you guys cleaned up, yeah?"

The man broke down as he was barely able to hold his wife up and shuffle forward. Blindly following the first human who looked sane and actually kind. Finding himself sat in the hallway with his wife as a beach towel or blanket was pulled around each of their shoulders. A bottle of not water but…apple juice? Was pushed in his hands, before his face was cleaned.

The young woman that helped then had oddly cool hands, but they were clean and gentle as he leaned on his wife. While their grandchild found them.

Having gotten quite a lot of water from the hotel, the group was not so dehydrated anymore. But the little bottles of apple juice were such a precious gift that the survivors clutched at them. Some downing the needed sugar others just able to sip. Everyone had varying degrees of severity of the hell gasses exposure, even as Vega kept cleaning the air.

The AI was well able to keep the new humans calm despite not having a body, helping Lily organize them as Valen came in last with the last humans. Gently but firmly herding them through the portal as it closed behind them.

The Slayer came back, scanning the huddled bodies before picking up the next weakest to carry silently back to the medical. There was no real pattern as he and Valen would pick someone up to walk off. But at the last few people someone tugged on Lily's hand.

She turned, and the teen asked in a horse voice. "Where are they taking us?"

"To get medical attention." Lily said, sitting on her knees, cleaning the girl's face and offered another bottle of apple juice. Having to open the bottle for her. "It's a bit away so while you guys rest here they're moving someone once at a time."

"...oh." that made some sense to the teen. She finished the bottle of apple juice when that second armor person came and knelt beside her. The teen stared as he offered open hands to her, and after a confused moment reached for the man's hands. Realizing she was the last one to be taken now that she was focused on something other than the apple juice.

The impossibly tall man shifted to hold her with one arm, the metal one as he rested his other hand over her head. The deep voice was oddly father-like as he walked into the medical area as there was a cool pulse of energy. Valen shared just a heartbeat's worth of wraith energy, and it seemed enough to make the human go limp.

"Time to rest." Valen said as he lifted her and placed into the stasis pod. Holding her under just in case but like the other humans was just at the end of their endurance.

Only once that last human was hooked up to the life support and the pod sealed did Valen turn to who was waiting at the door. "Where is he?"

"I think the decontamination shower of his, Vega won't let me in the area." Lily said, looking around the oddly full seeming medical. Ten pods filled and seven berths that had the larger Sentinels sleeping on them. She looked up at Valen as he came over. "Can I have a hug?"

Valen knelt down, pulling Lily against him as he squeezed almost too tight. "I'm going to make sure my king does not need something stitched. The humans will stay in the stasis pods at least for four days, maybe longer for the weakest and youngest."

"Argenta still going to wake up tomorrow?" Lily asked, her head resting on Valen's right shoulder against his neck.

"Likely," Valen let go, the Argenta man turned and stared back at where the younger kids were in the pods. Almost longingly as he stared at the boy. The once Commander took a deep breath and stood to walk to where the Slayer was likely still standing motionless in the cold decontamination chemical shower.

"There is a chance the Slayer will come find you." Vega spoke, warning Lily as she moved to one of the Argenta woman that Valen and her moved while waiting for the Slayer over the last day.

"Probably." Lily agreed as she went back to carefully cleaning the layers of dead skin off the giant woman. Much like she had been over the last few hours. "He wasn't responding to even signs, did you notice that?"

"I believe it's an after effect of his recent fight," Vega answered, "The Slayer always seems in some form of trance once he returns to the Fortress. This is just a severe case. He should start to respond as normal in a day or two, and likely one of his torpor-like sleep states."

"What happened?" Lily asked, looking around the medical area. "On earth to get him to shut down?"

There was a telling pause before Vega spoke, "The Slayer broke apart the cultist compound. He was very angry at what he found there."

Lily lifted a hand to touch where he had pressed his visor to her head. Remembering the pulsing almost like another's heartbeat several hours ago that sent Valen back to earth.

Something told Lily that Vega was vastly understating the situation.

Lily looked at the Argent woman, marveling how the sarcophagus had kept her muscle tone. Then a thought hit her and Lily got back up. "I'm going to get another shower and wait in the gardens after getting something to eat, Vega."

"Would you like a warning when the Slayer is out and moving?" Vega asked, following Lily through the cameras and the monitors of all those in Medical.

"Yes please."

Reviews!

Red Viy: I see there are few things to really, really piss off the Slayer. Someone that got away from him in hell is one of those things, and then finding them exerting power on this version of his home world? The Blood Priests from what I understand too are a whole separate thing from the Hell Priests (Order of the Deag), and who trapped him in the sarcophagus.

XFireStoneX: I think it would, but it salt water itself has the salt... well, dissolved so it works faster.