Queen's note: I had to rewrite the start of this chapter and then ended up rewriting the whole thing. But I like it now, it seems to fit a lot better with last chapter. Also new headcannon: Demons are scared of the smell of even natural petrichor.

Garnets

Chapter Seventy One:

Rain is Always Welcome

The night air was surprisingly still in Taras Nabad's upper city for the first time in what might be centuries. If not ages, as it had been such a valuable place for so long. Even with most of the sprawling city on the mountains being in ruins or nearly so. It was quiet enough now that the Litch stopped wailing in the distance, that only the sound of the wind was predominant.

Not even the hell altered Gargoyles were in the air or screeching at each other to communicate. If anything any demons still left in this south west section of the upper city were curled up into hiding. Scared to move and attract their only known Predatory at first. That was until it started to rain before dawn.

The exposed, and heat soaked stones that still retained a bit of the Slayer's power gave off the smell of petrichor. Most of the city had that scent though, of hot, wet rocks, earth plants as the rain came in sheets of constant, but small drops in the earlier morning.

The quiet was broken for just a few minutes as the demonic creatures howled in fear. Some finding deeper, darker places to hide, a few blindly panicking off the buildings to the lake below. Then with a last few screaming calls it all sank into the semi quiet again, only the sound of the night time storm predominated.

The only figures that dared to move in the dark were clad in rain-darkened armor, or fur. Having to take the long route around to the old throne room building, with another set of upper bridges down. Taking one of the lower bridges that used to be over the surface of the lake. It creaked alarmingly as two of the argenta had to carry the limp Slayer over, but it held. Not just for them but the others of the group passed two or three at a time. There was a very tall form that another passage and to meet the group in a covered walkway. Taking the lead and front guard once checking the unresponsive form.

The rain was steady enough that the old gutters flushed out old dust, dirt and ash from the roofs until it ran clear in the dim light. Now that new mem tallest reached out a hand into the nearest stream of water. Feeling the strength of the broken downpour spout, then looked around and huffed at those passing him.

"Commander?" A voice asked, pausing in time with the other supporting the Slayer's semi-limp body. He kept having muscle spasms off and on.

"Stop at that section ahead," a deep, gravel voice spoke as the Commander, pointing ahead at a part of the covered path where another drain pipe was curved back from some damage. "Let's try and get our lost Lord cleaned up. At least the worst of the death char and mud off of him to get the Lord Slayer out of his armor. He'll need to rest to recover from… that."

"...have you ever seen him in that state before?" One of the current aids asked only after making sure the armored man was sitting up in the water stream to loosen what had dried and caked due to the heat he had produced before.

"Once," the tall form hummed, settling beside the still unresponsive man. "Before he became the Slayer… my Lord? My King?"

There was no response, the Slayer stayed still, head bowed a bit in the water stream. He did not even move as metal clawed hands carefully started cleaning his back. Both seeing but not seeing as the Argenta Healer that came up to the front to clean the visor of his helmet. Cool wraith gift energy trying to reach past the Praetor suite to the man under. The armor was absorbing most of it though so he stopped and just carefully started cleaning around the helmet and neck.

The Commander took his altered self backwards away as his smaller Sentinels motioned him back. So three could comfortably work on getting the worst off the Slayer. Steadily working with the channeled rain water until the blackened armor was showing as ashen green once more.

"Has anyone come up from below?" The Commander asked, looking around and doing a headcount.

"Not yet, it takes time to get below," the woman that originally greeted the Slayer spoke up. "Can anyone ride those two younger wintherin we saw?"

"They're too frightened to move," the Commander shook his big head, "Those that are likely their riders, the Slayer's guard? They might be able to get themoving, but they are much like our king, if not in an actual coma thanks to the state he had been in."

The Sentinel glanced down at her leg where the glyph was showing through the armor, not just tattooed on the leg under. "I'm surprised it's just them."

"That we know of." The Commander gave a small shrug as he settled low on his heels so to say. It was really the extended balls of his feet. Arms resting on knees he was like this for a moment before settling down into a sitting position. The almost giant reached up to touch the same glyph on his chest, looking down and the wolf-like helmet made it look like he was a giant wolf sitting there. "Those three are likely favored, being his guard, and the closest. I doubt any of us with his mark will be untouched in some way after what he did to the titan."

The silence settled again, filling the air with only the steady background of the rain. Sheets moving in time with the wind and some larger drops coming inside the dry section. The scrape of a knife getting the bigger layered chunks of char off green armor. Letting the calm, mostly quiet of the storm settle around them until the slayer was mostly cleaned up. The three around him had to trade off every half an hour with another set of three because of the heat coming off him still.

Not nearly as bad as it had been, but uncomfortable for those who were used to the cooler energy of their native world. As well as the just cooler temperature of their current mountainous landscape.

A warning chuff from one of the still wolves had several heads looking over. One of the scouts that had left to check on the winthern down below was. They were climbing up through one of the holes in the ground to a level below, helped up through the last part and checked over.

"It's definitely the Slayer's mount, Lord Malum," the scout said once catching their breath. "She's very… ah… grouchy right now. Understandable but without her or her mate letting anyone close, we can't try to fix the wings."

"We need the Slayer then, but she is alive?" The Commander asked from where he was sitting and meditating before just thinking quietly, Malum's eyes opening to look over.

"Very hurt, but alive, the bleeding had stopped by the time we got there. The healer is staying down there with another to still try and get closer." The scout moved to sit by the commander, looking over with wide eyes under their helmet at the demigod (god?). "What are we going to do, Commander?"

The altered man looked down at his hands, then upwards, "Take advantage of the quiet from the demons and regroup. Maybe we can get those unable to fight out of the city by the south, mountain side. Support our lost king until he's able to think again. Or try to get everyone out, but the Corpse Lord will have unrestrained access to the city and the Wraith mother."

"None of us can do that," The scout snorted, getting a low chuckle back.

"No," Malum shook his heavy head. He slowly got up and moved to help pull the Slayer up to his feet from behind. Mosions slow and steady so not to trigger anything, bracing until two others came to pull and arm over their shoulders. The Commander let go once sure they had the king and started moving up the building again. "Come brothers, let's start with regrouping at the vault. Maybe the Slayer's guard will wake by the time we get up."

It was a bit of an adventure to get back up. If not for the unresponsive Slayer they might have been faster, but had to take the longer route still. Walking up surviving stairs and ramping, curved paths until at the higher level of the vault entrance. They did have to pass the two younger wintherin, both having their mother's distinctive stripes.

Both were curled up into surprisingly small, tight balls for their size normally. The bigger and older female, the daughter of the Slayer's mount lifted her head from under a wing to hiss a warning but paused catching the Slayer's scent. The low hiss turned into a confused sound. She looked most like her mother and if not for the ashen tobe and darker striping she might be mistaken for her mother once day once old enough to be the same size.

The group was able to get by her carefully. Though the smaller teal male with dark green stripes barely moved more than tightening up his curl even more. Wings clamped tight around himself, the most the smaller male did was press tight to his sister's side. As long as they left the two mounts alone for now, and no one tried to move the two, they would likely stay until their riders or their site came for them. Definitely would stay here through the storm as there was a faint flicker of light, followed by a roll of thunder some five seconds later.

There was a subtle shifting of the awake Sentinels to be sure they were all under cover. Another drainage pipe was found and with a little finagling it could be used to first finish cleaning the Slayer's form up. Armor carefully pulled off and scrubbed until the death char and ash was cleaned off. The Slayer was taken care of first and the vault stayed open long enough to get him inside and changed into some clothes. With the exception of the armor on his front. The Slayer was not reacting in any way though. To shift to help them, or not moving if he was feeling put off. He could be nudged by the healer until moving slowly.

It was nearing dawn when one of the Slayer's guards sat up from the spot he was laid down on a sleeping mat to rest.

Haco blinked around, at first not seeing what was around him. The man grunted as a large wolven face pushed into his own. Nosing first under his chin and then shamelessly climbing up not just into Haco's lap but half up on his chest as long forelegs wrapped around his neck and shoulders. The man grunted again and he was so shamelessly knocked over with the wolf strength combined with canine-like enthusiasm.

"This is not my wolf, but hello there…?" Haco mumbled under the wiggly massive weight of furry and muscle. Then how big around the already large wolf felt in her middle. "A momma?"

"She will soon be one, brother." a voice spoke in the semi-quiet, before someone knelt down beside Haco. The woman helped pry the pregnant wolf off from almost nesting on the other Sentinel with older armor half on. "Are you alright? How is your head?"

Haco blinked slowly at the ceiling above, as if he had to think about it. "...like I had a bad barrel of bad ale."

It felt like his body was fine, and had healed again but his emotions had been grabbed and twisted about before being wrung out too tight.

"...really bad ale. What happened?" Haco rumbled, squinting around at the… This looked like the Slayer's vault? He had only been here twice before, but it was distinctive enough that even with signs of survivors having been living here. The Slayer had always favored simple, streamlined designs of buildings and it showed move places he had lived. A few exceptions, but also the habit of collecting small things.

The other Sentinel woman shifted to settle beside Haco, trying to coax the big, very round, wolf off of him. "You fell off the winthern's back when you were landing. As far as we can tell you and your two brothers were caught in the Lord Slayer's… effects. He succumbed to his rage."

Haco squinted at the ceiling, debating on what to do with this information. Given where he was… trying to remember what happened. "...Viola, his mount was hurt?"

"Yes, she is a good winthern, saved her rider and her mate saved her." The woman said as she looked over at the lift, then back down as the wolf finally was convinced to settle stretched out beside Haco instead of on him.

"Still alive?" The man asked as he slowly tried to get up again, having to keep rubbing the wolf's rounded side gently so as not to get knocked over again.

"In need of help but alive," the woman nodded, "The healers are trying to get close but they understandably don't want to be bitten in half."

"...that is understandable." Haco allowed as he very vividly remembered being shaken around by the big winthern female. That was here in a tollerrent mood as far as Haco could tell because he had been dropped once she realized he was not the Slayer. "Where is everyone? And Jade?"

"The brothers are there," The woman carefully moved, getting a large paw reaching for her to keep from going away. She too had to offer some pettings with one hand, the other motioning to behind Haco, "You're the first to get up, the geo-witch is helping with the civilians, and the Lord Slayer is in his old room here in the vault."

Haco took the risk to turn and looked back as the wolf was distracted. He was able to spot where Asin and Zanin were still laying down. Like him most of their armor was taken off and set beside them. Then he took in the large space of the vault. It had been ment as a retreat to protect the most vulnerable in sieges in the past, and seemed to be set up now again to house people. A dozen people he could count that had no armor, maybe almost the same of a… type of Sentinel?

"Who are you?" Haco asked, as he could not sense, or smell for that matter, any corruption.

The woman beside him tilted her head, and then shifted as if realizing the lack of interaction. She shifted and reached up to take her helmet off, setting it beside the wolf to be grabbed in forepaws before being sniffed all over. Icy blue eyes smiled up and Haco, she had short dark hair and a copper tone to her skin. The woman was unaltered, other than the burning mark of the Slayer on her leg.

"Sorry brother, I've been going by Lyka now, after my grandmothers." The woman said and put a hand over her chest in a half salut before the big head of the wolf was nosing at her hands for attention. "We are called the Shadowed, by what is left of the Deag, we are what's left of the Sentinels that are both untrapped and still loyal to the Slayer."

Well, that seemed like a title to project their own betrayal from the Deag on others.

"Lyka… I think I recognize you. Or a parent?" Haco considered, before introducing himself.

"You might have known my great grandmother," Lyka considered, "She served the Slayer before he fell… or was lost?"

Haco squinted at the middle distance, getting a large paw planted on his leg. He rubbed the wolf and could not help feeling old as he did place who must have been this woman's great grandmother. "Shadowed Sentinels then. Why not, seems armor has changed."

"It has quite a lot," A deep voice spoke, and Haco turned to where the west of the vault was, and the Slayer's room, his self control to keep from reacting was impressive to Lyka as this once lost Sentinel had his first look at Commander Malum.

Towering over almost everyone at ten, or nearly twelve feet tall, he was heavily altered but what skin was visible was still a healthy tone. Not the gray and blue tones of the undead Murador, or the orange from the im-Hell altered ones. Hunched a bit, he was in just as heavily modified armor to fit this new body. His legs had altered distinctly from the normal to be notable more like a digitigrade leg instead of plantigrade like normal of argenta. Or human for that matter.

Actually.

Had a human taken a look at this person, they would have reflexively called Malum a werewolf in all honesty. Between his form and the fur pelt covering over his back and shoulders it was a pretty accurate description. With Malum's helmet it made the altered face and head look like a Sentinel wolf as well, though that may or may not be a full illusion.

"Not for a lack of trying, but lack of supplies." Malum lifted his empty hands before saluting with an arm over his chest. Head dipping in a half bow motion, "It's good to see you alive Haco, brother. I thought you had Fallen in hell as well."

"Almost," Haco was still studying the other intently. Judging yes, and was not even trying to hide it as Haco tried to sense or see any form of corruption in Malum. He sat back and spoke, "We were sent to secure a Fortress and did. But had to fall back and move it through hell before getting overrun. How did you make it out of Hell? I thought you were trapped in hell with us. Or another section of it."

"I was," Malum admitted, taking a good look at those that were in the vault as he came closer to settle down to sit again. Fighters and civilians both, but none had the brands of slaves or Deag loyal. They were lured to the upper city or just trapped by chance trying to find the Wraith Mother. "I was aside, but found myself near one of the older portal locations. It took a long time but I got through to Exultia and found it under siege again. I've been here since, but have been changing into… this, ever since Exultia."

The current Sentinel Commander spread his arms and motioned to his altered self. "It's still me, just… well. I found out the hard way that we Argenta alter with too much wraith energy, as we can with the lack of it."

"What triggered it?" Haco asked as he leaned over, taking the offered massive, mit-like hand of his once friend. Studying found what seemed like more claw-like nails that could not retract were actually metal claws built into the design of his gloves. The fingers under, though bigger then even still rounded and Argenta like.

"As far as I could tell, it was when we woke a Mother Wraith in Exultia, to get them to leave for the safety of the world spear." Malum gave his best guess, he had gotten caught in the excess of the physical traces of Wraith Song.

"How many others made it out… wait, no." Haco paused as he thought about things as his mind caught up to him. Haco's bead still hurt but he leaned back at catching a sound, carefully smacking Zanin's closer leg to wake him up the rest of the way. "How long have we been out?"

"It was midday yesterday when the Lord Slayer lost himself to rage, and it's been nearly a full night since then." Lyka said from Haco's left, watching him reach for his helmet.

"Not too long then, I'm assuming he has not responded?" Haco asked, looking at Malum as they had both seen the Slayer in this aftershock state at least once before. At getting a head shake back, the man sighed putting his helmet on. "That's what I thought, Vega? Are you their atlan… good. Yes. Can you get me in contact with Lord Valen?"

Malum looked up in shock, his eyes getting brighter. "...Commander Valen is alive…?"

Reviews!

Hawko:
It's turned into a monster of a story for sure! I'm so happy you like my big guy! hopefully you can enjoy the rest of the story!

XFireStoneX:
welll...not really, the Slayer/John does think she died though from his perspective. sorry if the last chapter was confusing, it was supposed to be a bit, because it was from the big guy's nightmare-rage he was stuck in. Always feel free to ask me if you need something cleared up!