Time for the fight with the Griever, let's go!
(As a note, Sora sees the Griever as 'it', while War knows the Griever is a female. So…yeah.)
[Also, rest in peace Akira Toriyama – you were a big inspiration to both me and my sister. And farewell, Rooster Teeth. Here's hoping we see the end of Red vs Blue, and that RWBY would be in better hands. As well as your other shows.]
The path in the tunnel is dark, but War had no need for a light source when he could just make his own. His body blazing like a fire that lit up around him for a few feet. He never let up on his sprint as he charged down the tunnel. The Horseman could still hear the boy crying out and making other sounds further ahead. He saw a hole ahead and jumped down, rolling to his feet and pivoting to dash through the next path.
An odd instinct had him be able to keenly follow down certain paths in the labyrinthine tunnels, managing to keep track by hearing the boy.
Soon enough, he saw a shimmer of light ahead. Getting closer, he saw the light as the barrier around the human, who is holding onto his Keyblade for dear life. Miraculously, the boy had kept the barrier up despite the number of beatings it took despite the creature trying to shatter it.
The monster the tongue belonged to, however, got impatient before it started to draw in the barrier towards its mouth. Narrowing his eyes, he tensed his legs before he launched himself into the air. As soon as the barrier is 'sucked' into the mouth, the Horseman followed right after, managing to latch onto the barrier as it swallowed the two of them.
He heard the boy yelp in surprise while the two were practically swallowed…but as he felt the two going down the esophagus, feeling constricted as the muscles contracted and convulsed against him, he found himself thinking that it was a good idea that he had earlier extinguished the fire from his body, as he would rather not lose the young human to be eaten when the barrier inevitably fails; and it was not the first time he was swallowed alive and he felt that this may not be the last. But if he does not do something, then the two would drop into its stomach and become digested. He could barely move his limbs, but what he COULD manage to move had slowed their descent downwards, but not for long.
It was at that moment that the boy recognized him from the limited light his barrier had provided, uttering out a surprised, "War?" His voice still distorted from behind the barrier. "What are you doing here? ? Or wait- what are you doing? ? We'll both be eaten alive!"
Midway through the human's cries, War grunted out, "Cease your whining!" He could feel himself slip a little, with the fluids forming to try to make it easier for them to go down. The boy went silent from the Horseman's demand, so he could at least hear himself think. Inhaling through his nose to calm himself, he turned his gaze to the young human. "Just…stay calm. I will get us out of here." After a moment, and he had no idea why, but he adds, "Do you trust me?"
He could make out the boy's surprised expression, while he kept his own face straight and stern. He isn't going to let the boy panic and lose control of his magic. This moment is pivotal, for the both of them. He has to be calm in order to have the boy calm himself. After a moment, he saw the boy slowly nod.
The Horseman exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes. Right then. No going back from this. Especially with what he's about to do. He briefly remembered when he had used his other form when the premature End War occurred, of how the humans had screamed and panicked in fear of seeing a humanoid man turn into a massive monster. On top of being suddenly invaded by demons and angels at the same time, it was a figurative Hell on Earth. So he understands how the boy would react if he transformed. Rather, when he transforms, really. Because…
He shifted his hold on the barrier…once he transforms, he would be holding it in one hand anyway.
As practiced by many millennia whenever he needed the form – tempered by time, diligence, patience and practice – he concentrated on channeling his inner rage towards his center. The inner chaos he felt within his veins also flowed towards the center, flowing through the pulsing ventricles and atriums of his thundering heart. When both combined, they ignited a spark directly at his core. He felt his body burn up and then grow.
He felt the muscles press tight against his body, but not for long. He felt them convulse rapidly as well, as they were forced to stretch out. He held out his right hand, making his sword manifest before he used it to cut open the way. He heard the death cry of the beast as his clawed feet touch the ground. The transformed Horseman rose his head as he felt the flames fizzle out and his body became hardened, gazing over to the monster. The body was twitching as the head was severed from the body. He gave a snort. Must be one of the Griever's adult offspring.
War soon turned his gaze to the barrier in his left hand, that had faded out, with a small clatter heard. From the limited lightning of his body, he can see the boy staring up at him with his eyes wide in fear. He isn't surprised, as it's a normal reaction for his species. The very natural instinct they have is fear, and fear can cause them to lash out. It's understandable on their end because it isn't truly out of hate. He merely waited to see how the boy respond to him.
After a small while, the boy eased himself. "Uh…that…that's still you…right, War?" He asked, nervous.
Even though his head isn't a humanoid shape, somehow the Horseman's expression managed to make a slightly annoyed and slightly insulted look at the question. Flicking his long tail, he huffed.
After a long moment…the boy visibly relaxed, sighing. "That's…that's a relief," he admits. "For a second I thought…" The boy looked over at the form. "I mean, this form is new. I don't think I've seen it before."
The Horseman gave a grunt. Of course the human wouldn't have known. He didn't have this form until Samael helped him unlock a small portion of it. Though because it's only a small portion of that power, this form lasts only for a short time, to the state where it acts like a temporary transformation. They merely let the energies they have within run their course for a short amount of time until they reverted to normal. It had taken each of them some time to figure out how much they could put into the forms, how much energy, how much power, and when they are necessary. Back then, when War first attained the form, the flames were never ending. His skin barely hardened, forcing him to quickly learn to dim the flames to make them harder, controlling the density to make himself take less damage. And even had to limit some of his abilities to prevent collateral damage.
But enough about that. It seems the boy had taken to his form rather well. Good. He would rather not have a panicking human on his hands, especially with where they are currently.
The boy regarded him. "I guess you don't talk in that form," he muttered. The Horseman's face shifted into a bored one, as if to say, 'you think?'
Sounds of another large beast reached his pointed ears, making the Horseman look up sharply. Scraping and roaring echoed throughout the tunnel. The Horseman narrowed his eyes before he soon regarded the human. He COULD just leave the boy behind, but who knows how many of the Griever's brood are within the tunnel. Yet the boy also shouldn't stay around him while he's in the form. He has to find the Griever and take its heart.
However, he knew he had little time to weigh his options. Grumbling, War moved his arm to place the boy behind his head, ignoring the boy's yelps. He made sure his head and upper back had cooled down so that he wouldn't accidentally burn the human.
"Uh, okay! I guess I'm not going anywhere," he heard the boy. Then the boy muttered, "Not that…I could figure a way out myself…"
The Horseman snorted before he walked through the tunnel.
~o~
Sora stayed silent as the transformed Horseman trudged through the tunnel, allowing him to think back on a few things. He glanced over to the Keyblade that he had a tight hold over. He felt bad that he had lost it, but…it came back to him. War of all people was the one who brought it back to him. And the Keyblade had saved him once more.
He hadn't expected to be saved like that back there. Not just once but twice. And by the Red Rider himself.
The boy sighed silently to himself. He must have been a great inconvenience to the Horseman, by coming into the subway and landing them all in trouble. And the Horseman most likely thinks he is weak by not having control of his own emotions back there. But he couldn't stand the Watcher, after feeling guilty and misery for endangering Uriel the whole time. He didn't need the creature's mockery on top of everything. He knew he didn't like some of the people he had the displeasure of encountering, but the Watcher is just one of those people that he does not like. At all.
Yet he still feel weighed down even after he said his actual feelings. A part of him knew it wasn't fair to blame himself for what happened earlier. He had no idea he would be attacked by the Abyss Creature nor of the intensity of his power.
In fact, he still had little idea of what exactly happened when he partially snapped. That power had manifested again, but as a force of some sort. It alleviated his headache but not fully.
As for the Keyblade, the Kingdom Key, while he knew he isn't the original wielder, he had SOME idea that it's sentient but…not to the point that it can erect a barrier on its own like that. There is so little he knew about the weapon, but it had saved his life a few times in the past.
As for the Horseman having it, while he could attribute it to him being…kind; after what he had heard from certain sources, he most likely would have ignored the weapon entirely. So why would the Horseman bring it with him?
There were a lot of things he want to ask him, some things to thank him…but at the moment, it's best to be silent for a while, giving a look around to at least help the Horseman. Yet with the limited light around them emitted from the transformed man, that might be…difficult.
Instead, Sora looked over at the current form the Red Rider has. Seeing him transform into this massive beast was a shock and a surprise. It was almost as if his new body was made of magma and lava itself, feeling the small amount of heat leaving the body under him. The body nearly looked identical to the Trauma demons or those massive flaming beasts they shot down on their way to the Cathedral a while back, yet with some minor differences. The massive wings sprouting from the back have no membrane to speak of but are shaped akin like an angel's. The horns sprouting from the back of the Horseman's head, curving up and around like how the bulls look in cartoons he had watched. A thick tail is behind him, slightly off the ground and swaying slightly behind the Horseman.
Sora briefly wondered if this is something that all Nephilim could do, or if it's something only the Four Horsemen are able to do.
After his small observation, Sora raised his head to look around. It was rather silent…where was the Watcher? It would be out to do its mockery on him about now. How 'he was lucky to be saved by the oversized key' or 'not expecting him to survive here for so long'. Something like that.
Yet a part of the boy is glad that it's not around at the moment. He does NOT want to put up with its mockery. Especially after the amount of crap he had gone through until now. How does War even put up with it?
Sora suddenly remembered the other weapon in his other hand. He had entirely forgotten he had it. It's probably better to put it in a safe place for now until he can return it to Uriel. He pulled an arm out from the loop and opened the flap, stuffing the 'dagger' into it before he closed it and placed it back on.
A scraping sound had his and the Horseman's head perk up. Sora looked behind them, seeing nothing. Nervousness trickled in, but he held it back for his own sake and War's, slowly turning his head to look forward. He felt his body tense once more, reminding himself of the very real danger they were in. Especially with those creatures around. Under him, he heard the Nephilim's throaty rumble, with Sora's eyes shifting around in the dark up ahead.
He isn't afraid of the dark, not since he was little (mostly because he swears that there was a monster in his closet when he was little until he got a little older), but you don't know what lurks in the darkness. Especially if they have actual, terrifying monsters.
The boy nearly jumped out of his skin, trying to silence a gasp as some rocks fell from the wall. He heard the Horseman grumble a little under him, with Sora lowering his head. "Sorry," he muttered, thinking it was a reprimand.
The Horseman said nothing else, continuing to travel through the tunnel…until his head perked at something. Before Sora could see what it was, War had swiftly moved to the side. Sora yelped yet held on tightly. By the time he realized what happened, he heard a nasty sizzle, a roar of pain before he visually took in the Horseman grabbing another by its tongue and having a firm grip on it. Then the Horseman sliced that tongue off with his wicked, flaming sword, slicing through it easily. A sizzle is heard as the monster roared, quickly retracting its tongue back towards itself. The sliced part was tossed to the side, where it wiggled around in erratic spam. Sora quickly turned his head away from it before he looked ahead. The monster is similar to the one that nearly ate him, roaring with its tongue lashing around. The area around it shook as it started to retreat.
It slams it head onto the ground, with it cracking…and starting to split.
There was light coming from the crack, showing the ground a distance away.
"I hope the landing's soft," Sora muttered as the Horsman kept himself stable…before he soon jumps down. Sora felt his stomach drop as the pair fell down, and Sora held on for dear life as the two fell. He inhaled sharply to keep himself from screaming, bracing himself for the impact. Once the Horseman landed, the boy grunted as he thumped heavily onto the transformed Horseman's back.
After a moment, Sora pushed himself up before he looked around. "Okay…now where are we?" He muttered.
It appears they're in a new room with a large hole on the ceiling. It seems to be another part of the subway with rails on the ground, a large fan overhead, and as Sora observed, both ways had caved in. Either side of the area had railings leading to further below (he assumes). It either leads to where trains are stored or just another part of the subway. Perhaps, the deepest part. There were also massive crystals dotted here and there, as if they had formed in the areas naturally.
At least it's better than the caves, Sora thought. MUCH better.
Suddenly, he heard another sound. He looked up, just in time to see the Abyss Monster roaring before swinging into the room.
"Oh come ON! Not you!" Sora complained. Under him, War growled lowly at the creature. The transformed Horseman shifted into a stance. The boy noted it. "Wait, you're gonna fight it?" He got a rumble in response. Sora raised his head to stare up at the creature. "Huh. So I guess this is important to your mission after all…" Sora pursed his lips. He could get back onto the ground and go for cover to let War handle this…however, he may end up getting the creature's attention onto him mostly, being a human and all. He looked over the massive Horseman before he adjusted himself. "Okay. I'll try not to get in your way," he said to War.
The Horseman grumbled under him.
(Both didn't notice faint blue lines forming under Sora's hands from where they are placed on the Horsemen.)
~o~
With the limited space around the two, the Horseman figured he would have to do as much damage as he could until he's forced to revert to his original form. The Horseman eyed the crystals around them before focusing on the Griever. Sora clambered up a little to peer over the top of the Horseman's head, the latter making that area harden to have the human stand properly.
Sora looked around as the Griever screeched. His eyes looked at the crystals before they shifted to the one on the abdomen. He recalled how it turned red before it fired its laser…
As he thought that, the crystal started to turn red with him noticing. "It can fire lasers!" He warned the Horseman. "Maybe we can use the crystals to block it."
The Horseman heard the boy and took note of the glowing crystal. He recalled seeing that when he had the Redemption Cannon to shoot at it a while back. The young man had dealt with the Griever a bit longer than he did and would have the most experience. And from his own prior experience, it would utilize the laser for a certain amount of time. Still, it would be annoying to be impeded by the laser.
Grumbling to himself, he regarded the crystals dotted around. With enough force from the Tremor Gauntlet and the Black Hammer's own force, they shattered under it all. Perhaps…
Heeding Sora's advice, the Horseman got to one of them. Using all his strength, he yanks it from the ground before using it as a shield against the laser. The heat doesn't bother him, thanks to his own form, and just waited it out. Once it was done, the Horseman regarded the crystal on the Griever's abdomen as the glow started to recede.
Most of the Abyss Monster's carapace is durable. It would take him a while to try to pierce even Chaoseater through. And he isn't sure if he could easily break through it in Chaos Form. But that formation is rather strange…could it be?
Half of him is tempted to physically rip the crystal embedded into it. Another to throw a crystal with all his might to shatter it. However, it's likely where the heart is. And he needs the heart in an impeccable condition. So, ripping out the crystal it is then.
With that, the Horseman tossed the crystal in his hand for a little bit before he threw it. The Griever noticed it and jumped to the side to dodge- but was left defenseless when he quickly and suddenly charged at it (ignoring the boy crying at the sudden speed) to quickly take it off balance. He grabbed the crystal at the abdomen and yanked.
Sora had barely managed to hold onto the Horseman when the latter suddenly 'zoomed' towards the monster. For something so big, he moved so quickly!
He pulled himself together to witness War gripping the crystal on the abdomen and yanked with all of his might. Blood started to squirt out before the Horseman practically tore it off. Sora winced as the monster roared shrilly, hearing a slight ring in his ears. He didn't care about the blood that was squirting wildly from the wound the Horseman made – cause he had seen enough thus far – though once he realized there was some on his face, he let out a disgusted groan. He tried to wipe it off until he braced himself when the Horseman staggered off from the monster when it managed to wretch the massive form off of it. It soon tried to use its claw-like legs to claw at him, with the Horseman moving to block yet seem to remember his passenger before pivoting backwards to dodge. Sora had to hold onto one of the horns to not lose his balance.
'Okay! Holding on tight!' the boy thought as he held onto the back of the Horseman's head as tight as he could, spreading his arms as much as he could to hold most of the Horseman's head.
Why does he move so quickly in this form? ?
The Horseman felt the boy trying to cling tightly to the back of his head but paid him no mind as he focused on the Griever, spreading his arms as the Griever readied its claws.
(Randomly, Sora thought that he was in a sort of a kaiju fight, and he's riding one of them.)
The Griever lunged quickly, the transformed Nephilim bracing himself before he parried an arm aside before grabbing the other arm as it tried to swipe at his blindspot. With a growl, the Horseman yanks the Griever out of its 'cubby' to throw overhead to slam it onto the ground. For an added measure, War placed a burning foot onto the Griever's chest…and practically ripped the limb off. As it screeched and thrashed around a little, War tossed the limb aside. The Griever wiggles its legs to ensure the Horseman wouldn't get close before getting up. It roared in fury before the holes on its back blared out like horn…and soon enough, a large swarm of green bugs came pouring out not just from the holes but from the many openings around the area.
"Uh oh!" Sora yelped out after he looked around quickly. Under him, the Horseman grumbled as he regarded the insects himself. Sora sticks his tongue out, rolling his arm. "I got this." What spell should he use? He could use Fire magic to 'spin' around him to burn up the bugs. Or he could use Aeroga to use the wind to clip their wings and cut them up. Hm…the latter could do. With that decided, he adjusted himself. "War, bend over!"
The Horseman slightly turned his head a little to look at him, but wordlessly complied, getting onto his knee. This allowed the boy to adjust himself to stand on War's shoulder blades, green wind magic flowing through his Keyblade.
With a wordless cry, he sent out a strong blast of wing magic that cut through the bugs. The majority of them were torn apart by the winds, while others had their wings damaged, falling to the ground along with their sliced-up brethren. But there are still plenty of them that were wise enough to not be in the way of the attack. While he could have used another Aeroga attack, he needs the remainer for later. So another one could do. With another wave, he used Thundaga, stunning the majority of them to have them fall to the ground.
War glanced down at the ground before grunting, pushing himself up without warning, hearing the boy yelping as he nearly lost his balance. Better finish them off quickly before targeting the Griever. He ignored the boy's protest over standing up quickly, focusing instead on the heat within his body. The boy most likely noticed what he was doing and yelped- before the Horseman emitted a strong blast of fire around his body. The little screeches, the crackle of fire when it catches alight on something reached his ears first before the stench of burning insect flesh hit his nostrils. He did not hear the boy screaming in pain, nor smell the burn of human flesh (thankfully), so the boy set up his barrier in time before he sent out a blast of fire.
On his back, Sora panted a little as he has a barrier around himself. He looked around a little before lowering it. Before he could complain to the Horseman about warning him about what he did thus far, his eyes watered and a horrific smell hit his nose. He groaned in disgust, waving his hand in front of him. "That's awful!" He complained.
The Horseman gave a snort, yet quickly returned his focus onto the Griever- that had disappeared! He was alarmed, silently cursing himself for being distracted by that small swarm. He carefully looked around, even as he heard the boy ask out loud, "Hey, where did it go?"
His pointed ears picked up on the sound of scraping rock and sharply moved his head upwards, ignoring the boy yelping. There is the Griever, above them on the ceiling, breaking down the larger chunks of rock with its beam. He heard the boy murmur to himself, regarding the Griever. It soon became apparent to the boy on its intent as chunks of rock began to fall. "Ah!" Came a yelp from the boy. The Horseman growled lowly, being forced to try to evade the falling debris. Yet, the room is limited in the area. He's bound to get hit regardless.
Fortunately, the boy erected a barrier above them. It's at least big enough to protect their heads (or in the boy's case, body). The Horseman also hardened his body to repel the falling stones a little better, butting them off him and away. Heavy clinks filled his ears, and a couple of cracks were heard followed by the boy's strained grunts.
Soon enough, the rocks had stopped falling. Sora slouched a little, panting as War carefully raised his head. He had noticed the shadow over them before he had to grab the boy behind his head- the Griever had landed on him, forcing him onto his back.
Sora yelped as he tumbled out of the Horseman's hand when the latter had fallen. He quickly rolled to his knee, seeing the Red Rider holding the monster back as it tried to snap it's jaws at him. "War!" He called out, getting to his feet. He looked around, trying to see if he could do anything before he looked at a crystal shard. Raising his head at the two, he soon gazed back down to the shard.
(Abyssal Creatures are also attracted to human blood, right? It did try it's best to eat him…)
Sora inhaled through his nose before he picked up the shard. He gazed down at it, narrowing his eyes.
War growled as he kept the upper body of the Griever away as she tried to snap her jaw at his face. With her missing an arm, the creature couldn't get far as he kept its other arm away. Insufferable beast! If it weren't for the fact he had to retrieve the creature's heart, he would have ran his sword through the abdomen! The fight would be over much earlier if he could just…
Suddenly, the creature stopped snapping her jaw at him. She took a couple of sniffs in the air. Once the Horseman had inhaled through his nose, he soon found why. A new scent is in the air. His eyes shifted before he turned his head to the source.
The 'source' being the boy who had used a shard of a crystal to make a cut into his arm, making blood seep out, a small bit trickling down his arm. The Keyblade he has attached to his back. His face was in a grimace before he raised his head. "Like the smell?" He asked as he lifted the shard from his arm. "Then come get it."
The Horseman could only stare incredulously. What is the boy doing? He felt the weight of the Abyss Creature lift off him. His eyes shifted upwards to the Griever as she moved towards the boy, a bit of drool coming from her mouth. The Horseman made a low growl to himself. What is it with humans and them being so reckless?! Is it just this boy or…?!
Noticing that it had fully gotten off him, War quickly rolled over and grabbed the two 'legs' and YANKED. It made the beast topple over on the front, allowing him to get back onto his own feet and pull it back.
Sora had been slowly backing up as the Abyss Creature got off of War and started to approach him. He had been fully prepared to make himself bait to rescue the Horseman, fully prepared to bolt to safety and quickly heal up his self-inflicted wound, yet he wasn't expecting it to try to lunge at him quickly. He yelped out in panic, dropping the piece he used as he backed away. However, it stopped in its tracks and fell forward. Noticing it, he looked up to see the Horseman on his feet once more as he pulled the creature. It tried to use its single claw to stop itself from being pulled back but to no avail.
Feeling the blood trickle down his left arm, he remembered the cut and quickly went about to heal it. He kept himself calm, yet his eyes couldn't help but shift upwards to the Griever as it tried to struggle out of the Horseman's grasp. He returned his gaze back to his cut, focusing on healing it up. He inhaled through his mouth as he heard it screech, his body tensing. It had only healed to a shallow cut before had to wipe the rest of the blood on his pants. It wouldn't bleed as much; the cut isn't THAT serious. Something Donald had taught him before Aerith taught him properly (with her being an expert in healing magic and all to a degree).
Not to mention that he felt a little light-headed…
He shook himself a little, willing himself to stay active. He raised his head in time to see that War had adjusted his hold onto one leg before he threw it over his shoulder to slam it onto the ground. Adjusting himself a little, the Horseman hefts it up before he began to spin around. Gaining momentum, the Griever was lifted off the ground before he threw the monster to the wall. It crashed heavily upon impact before slumping to the floor.
The Horseman growled lowly…before he suddenly staggered and fell to his knee. The next thing Sora knew, there was a brief intensity of the heat exploding from the behemoth's body, hotter than the desert of Agrabah, followed by a searing flash that left him seeing a large 'spot' under his eyelids. He rubbed his eyes, not at all expecting it before he blinked rapidly through squinted eyes. After a couple, in the place of the behemoth is the Horseman himself in his humanoid form, kneeling and appears exhausted.
If Sora had to guess, the form had ran out of juice and the Red Rider is back to normal. Sora casted a glance at the creature warily before he soon approached the Horseman.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Sora asked him before he slowed to a stop. "That form didn't do anything bad, did it?" In a blink, the Horseman suddenly had his large hand around his left arm. He didn't even see the arm grabbing his. Sora yelped as his arm was swiftly pulled for the Horseman to inspect his wound. "H-Hey! What gives? ?" The boy yelped out.
When the Horseman noticed the human approaching him, he took the opportunity to get a look at the cut. A quick snap to grab it before he pulled it down to scrutinize the cut. He isn't an expert on treating wounds nor to tell how bad it was, but he knew the basics over the years. And staring down at the cut, he saw that the boy had managed to heal it enough to where it's just a small cut. It isn't deep, yet some cuts can make it appear worse than it looks. (Never mind the variety of faded cuts, from claws, sharp blades, and there appears to be burns and scarring from lightning.)
It did not change the fact that the boy had done something so remarkably idiotic to endanger himself!
His face naturally went into a scowl as he leveled the boy with his eyes. "Do you have any idea of what you could have done?" The Horseman began as he got to his feet.
Sora was surprised by the expression. After a bit of time being around him, the scowl seems to be his natural façade. Yet for some reason, this expression is different. "H-Hey," the boy began, intimidated, "I know better than to just let it get to me."
War's eyes narrowed. "That is not the point," he began, sounding as if he is scolding a petulant child. "You should not endanger yourself for my sake." He unconsciously squeezed the boy's arm, noticing the boy's wince before easing it. War shifted his grip to have the small cut shown. "Finish healing this up. Make sure there is no blood. Even a lick from the ground would be enough."
Sora didn't expect to be scolded just for helping, and the squeeze had him wincing from the pain from where he had cut himself until the Horseman eased up on him. And then essentially told him to finish healing it up and make sure there's no blood. That was just…what?
Sora shook his head to clear his thoughts before saying, "Wait, hold on," he wiggled his arm but found that the Horseman had quite a grip on it. "Why are you even worried?"
"I am not worried. Just stating some facts," War responded curtly. "One of them, is needlessly injuring yourself."
Sora frowned. "Well, I had to think of SOMETHING to make that thing get off you!"
War's expression hardened. "You do not need to concern yourself with my safety."
"But I was just trying to help!" Sora retorted. "I just can't let anyone else die because of me!" Why couldn't the Horseman understand?
"Why would you assume that their death would be caused by you?" War questioned him. "It would not be your fault."
Sora stared at him in surprise before he shook his head, frustrated. What is WITH the people of this world? Why did they act as if everything they did was normal?! That whatever happens to them is…normal?! While the Horseman may have a point but…!
"It's-!" Sora cut himself off, groaning. "What's wrong with all of you?! I mean, don't you care if you just…!"
War had watched the child carefully, tilting his head a little, somewhat puzzled by him when the boy had cut himself off. Under the darkness of his hood, his eyes slightly widened in realization. "…We are…not like humans," War carefully reminded him. "In more ways than one."
The calm and careful answer the boy received – and he honestly wasn't expecting an answer at all – was not what he expected. However…when it sank in, Sora's eyes widened before he looked up at the Horseman in surprise. For once, the Horseman is thankful for the darkness of his hood, so the boy wouldn't see his own expression, feeling his heart twist. (It reminded him so much of- No, this is not the time and place.)
"…You…" Sora began softly, and yet he didn't know what else to say. The sentence implies a lot of things, and recalling the fact that the Nephilim were unwanted for being half-demon and half-angel, something they had no control over, was…
A loud, unnatural crack had both their heads look towards the Griever in a snap. The body is still, however. Unnaturally still.
"…Stay here," War said to him silently, releasing the boy's arm before he cautiously approached.
For once, Sora stayed where he's ordered, watching the body in concern. When he had heard the crack, he felt something…unusual. Dark. Demonic dark. But what does it mean? Why would demonic energy come from an abyssal creature?
Yet before he could ponder more about it, his ears picked up a new sound. Like…something heavy hitting against something? He looked around for the source… he looked to his right to see a part of the caved opening expanding out…before it shattered with dust and rocks billowing out. The rocks blown out clattered onto the ground as the dust slowly settled…
The Maker hefts his hammer over his shoulder, smirking. "Told ya this is a shortcut!" He boasted to Uriel who peered in, glancing around.
Sora blinked in surprise upon seeing them. What are they doing here? Wait, why are they still here? "H-Hey! Why are you here? ?" Sora asked them in surprise. He snuck a glance to the creature before he risked approaching the duo.
"Well, just needed a means to get out of this blasted place," Ulthane answered him. "But are you all right, lad?"
Sora nodded to him. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."
Ulthane gave a grunt. "Guess he made sure you're alive," he muttered under his breath. He shouldn't be surprised that the Red Rider would fulfill his task to the end. He's punctual if anything.
"What's that?" Sora asked him.
"Bah, it's nothing," Ulthane waved it away. "Don't worry about it lad."
Sora gave a small grunt, tilting his head. However, when he glanced over to Uriel, he noticed an expression on her face. It was rather blank, but the look in her eyes…they were cold. He felt a chill run up his spine upon seeing it. And she wasn't even looking at him.
In the back of his mind, he had a feeling that she must have heard all of that earlier. Between himself and the Watcher. She most likely heard all of that – and why wouldn't she? They were loud after all. To make this worse…
He couldn't even say a thing. It didn't change the fact that he had lied to her. He could excuse it as a little white lie, but…it didn't make the guilt go away. It was due to guilt that he had to turn his head away to avoid looking her in the eyes.
With the Horseman, he had ignored the sounds, and hearing the Maker's voice helped him know who it was. He gave a roll of his eyes at the Maker's tenacity. A part of him DID wonder why he came all this way – then again, with what he had seen earlier, he would have to assume that the two had crossed paths before. Though what is with the Maker's worry for and desire to protect the boy? The Black Hammer is mostly a solidary and reclusive sort. If his suspicions about the Maker's involvement in this mess aren't high enough, it's most certainly over the line. Yet he will interrogate the Maker soon enough. For now though…
Once he was at a safe distance, near the body to get a good look, but also at a distance to avoid or guard against surprises, he scanned the body of the Griever. The body is unnaturally still…and seem a little paler…tentatively, he reached out to touch the nearby leg. His finger curled back quickly, yet his body nearly went stiff in shock when the skin shattered and showed a visible hole. Was this…?!
He felt something drip onto his arm. His eyes shifted quickly to see that it was a line of drool. At the same time, he noticed that the area around him was darker. His mind had already connected the dots by the time his head snapped up to the ceiling. Latching on, with the shell having a more noticeable sheen, and having grown two more new claws, is the Chosen herself. Somehow, the Abyss Creature had molted and gained a new form. But…how?
The Horseman shifted his body to the other occupants. They had let their guards down, the fools! "Maker!" He bellowed, with the three's heads turning to him in surprise. "Take the boy and go!" He hadn't finished his order before the Griever chose that moment to launch herself from the ceiling onto the floor, showcasing her new form to all. However, something was immediately off when it just roared and thrashed about wildly. The crystals around broke off and hit the walls, a couple of them shattering under the Griever's impacts, sending fragments and shards everywhere. One of the crystals was sent flying towards the Horseman, who barely had enough time to brace himself before he barely caught the crystal. He dug his heels in to keep himself from flying away with it. But at this rate and power, he would be flattened! He quickly maneuvered himself to jump and kick the crystal away somewhere. It landed somewhere, causing a large car (without the cab) to fall in from somewhere, with the Horseman noticing.
Meanwhile, as the Griever was flailing about, swinging its arms around, the crystals it smacked against were either sent straight to the wall right off the roots or just shattered upon impact. Ulthane quickly shielded both the Angel and human with his arms, with a couple of them sticking to his tough skin. Under him, Sora and Uriel were startled and barely had time to act until they were covered by the Maker. Once that was done, Sora looked up at Ulthane in surprise as the Maker gave an annoyed grunt. "Cripes, the creature's going insane!" The Maker grunted.
"Ulthane, what's happening?" Sora quickly asked before the three were knocked aside by a strong swipe.
The Maker landed a bit away, bouncing on the ground a little before he landed on his front, while Uriel and Sora landed a bit away themselves. Sora pushed himself up, before staring up at the creature that was just flailing about in a frenzy. What is going on? What's happening? Were the questions flowing through his mind. Did it have something to do with that power he felt? Does demon energy not mix well with Abyss Creatures?
Soon enough, however, it ceased its flailing before it turned its gaze…onto the prone angel. Sora looked back, noticing that Uriel wasn't moving. "Uriel?" He called out to her in worry. Why isn't she moving? Did the attack knock her out? Or what? Sora quickly looked back at the Griever, seeing that it was staring at the angel. Realizing its intent, his blood ran cold. He could see the drool dripping from its mouth…
His heart was set on what he needed to do.
Sora's body started to move on its own, pushing himself up to dash to her just as the Griever pounced. "Uriel!" He screamed, holding his hands up as he stood before Uriel.
And then…
A blue barrier formed around the two, with the Griever landing on it. The force of it caused the ground under the two to cave in, making a small crater. Sora grunted, forcing his arms up even as they shook, his hands glowing with blue flames. The Abyss Creature seemed to have noticed something before it peered down under it. It growled before it started to try to smash the barrier, trying to use its weight to do so. When that didn't work, it got off before it started to use its arms to attack it. Yet no matter how many attacks it did, the barrier isn't cracking, nor is it letting up. It was as if Sora was holding it up by sheer force of will.
Under the barrier, Uriel started to come to, having been knocked unconscious for a little while. She briefly pondered what had happened before she noticed the barrier around her. She then stared up at the young human, forcing the barrier up around them. "…Sora…?" She muttered under her breath in surprise.
At around that time, Ulthane, who had started to recover from the surprise sucker punch, was about to come to the aid of the two when he had seen what happened. The Maker was surprised. He knew that Keyblade users were capable of their own unique magic and the like, but he had never seen anything quite like this. "Lad…?" He muttered under his breath.
As the three were distracted – with the human keeping a barrier up to save himself and the angel from the rampaging Abyss Creature – the Horseman had been busy moving the old train car onto place. He had firmly dislodge it from its place by using a backward handspring to kick the car out, before jumping up to grab it. He landed on the ground, with it hefted over his head. Now that he could fully look, he turned his head, seeing the barrier. Yet not the usual one he saw the boy often make.
…And disturbingly familiar…
War mentally shook his head. The strength he had had began to wane, and time was of the essence. He has to end this. Now.
Turning his head to the Maker, he barked out, "Ulthane!"
Getting the Maker's attention, he made his adjustment onto his hold. The Maker had a puzzled look before his eyes lit up. Ulthane soon brought out his hammer, prepping it as energy filled the hammer head. The two waited for the right moment. And that moment soon came, as the Griever tried to slam all three of its arms onto the barrier. That was the moment they needed for Ulthane to throw his hammer as hard as he could. It hit the Griever, knocking it off balance with the surprise attack. Then the Horseman came in, wielding the car as if it was a bat, and smacked it away back towards its cubby hole. The impact shook the room, with some rocks falling between the barrier and the hole the Griever is now within. The Horseman planted the car onto the rail near him before he soon rushed over. Slowing himself, he summoned the Tremor Gauntlet to his right hand to use it as a means to puncture through it's skin to get to the heart. However, it tried to puncture him with its claws, forcing him to jump back away. The Griever started to get up…before War looked over at the nearest leg.
Right then. If that's how it wants to do it…
Wordlessly, the Horseman charged up power into the gauntlet, before he punched off the leg, breaking it off to force it to lose her balance. He merely glanced over at the she-bug, turning instead to the car. The Griever tried to get up, but the horn on the back got caught up under the metal in the hole, making her stuck.
The Red Rider placed his hands onto the car, getting a grip on it…before he used it as a battering ram to break its jaw. Then he rams the Griever's head twice, thrice, four times against the cranium. Then…he pulled back on it…and with all his might, SLAMS the car onto the head the fifth time. The impact made the car's back wheels fly up into the air before landing back down with a heavy slam. Most likely, the Griever has a cracked skull, suffering from blunt force trauma.
Good, a vindictive part of him thought as he approached where the Heart would be.
Using the Tremor Gauntlet, he soon broke through the carapace, ignoring its roar of agony as he reached for the heart and grabbed it. Then he yanks it out. The Heart is still in good condition. Entirely in one piece. Passing it into his left hand, he soon 'crushes' it to store it away, the Griever's body burning away. It's done, the second Chosen's heart is claimed.
Now to find a way out of here.
~o~
Uriel's head was swarming with all that had happened in the short span of time.
At one point, she and the young human were fighting side by side against the Grappleclaws, so close to escaping. And the next thing she knew, witnessed and heard the boy and a creature arguing with each other…and she heard the things the young boy had said.
An Outsider. The boy is an outsider. Not from this world.
In her years alive, she had never heard of a time there were any that had come to this world, or to any of the Kingdoms connected to it. It had never happened before in each of their history. And yet, here is one.
To add in more of this unusual situation, the Outsider is also the wielder of a Keyblade. She had heard about the weapon, but not much. Only a few words here and there. That many innocent lives were lost thanks to the key-shaped weapon. She didn't pry into it much, only hearing musings here and there. She had actually pitied the lives that were lost, in all honesty.
However…
Just because she may have pitied them, does not mean that they should freely come to this world. Outsiders were strictly forbidden for a reason. It would allow the enemy to utilize the hole they made to slip out, or to try to interfere with the Third Kingdom or any of the kingdoms – Keyblade users have a habit of interfering with the affairs of other worlds, as they say. Yet with the pre-mature End War, they would just get in the way and end up making the demons stronger as a result.
Yet how do you do away with someone like that? This had never happened before. She had heard of the barrier around the world and connected to them, no one should have found it. Yet somehow one did.
These thoughts ran through her head as she followed the Maker to where the Griever's nest is, the area he claimed the secret exit is. He had admitted to her that he had done it in order to keep an eye on the Griever and to destroy the eggs she would lay. The Griever's 'children' are like that of an invasive species, and he worked once a year to try to quell them. If the 'stranger' managed to kill the mother, then quelling the small population the Griever was making will become much easier. Though he would need help in dealing with the older offspring, as they have a chance to become a queen and start the mess all over again. The extra problem is that they seem to grow rather quickly, depending on the environment and what they eat. The area the old subway is at is the perfect place for the Griever to lay her eggs. Beings like her don't need a mate and can asexually reproduce.
The Maker isn't sure what will happen if an Abyss Creature eat a human, but he would rather not find out.
Though considering how she had seen the Maker express worry for the human, there may have been more to it. At the moment, however, it isn't her concern.
Arriving to the room in question, it appeared that the Griever had been finished with the Horseman approaching it. The boy had stood in place apparently, looking in their direction with a surprised look. The boy cast a wary glance at the Griever before he approached them. He seemed surprised to see them, as if he wasn't expecting them to arrive.
Uriel stared straight ahead, keeping her expression carefully blank. She still isn't sure how she would react around the young human. Though she did catch his expressions. The widening of eyes before his face shifted into guilt, turning his head to not look at her. An admission of guilt.
The Horseman suddenly hollering out to them caught her off guard, but apparently it was to warn them because the Griever isn't really dead. Uriel didn't get a look before she was protected by the Maker, but shortly afterward, got knocked out briefly. A part of her was certain she was going to die, and briefly, she felt a sting of guilt at the thought of leaving the Hellguard without a leader once more, but she also felt acceptance of her death, even when she felt regret.
(Forgive me my lord, I had failed you.)
(She couldn't avenge the man she loved…)
…However, she was surprised when she soon came to. She had thought she was going to die. What happened…?
When she opened her eyes, her vision was a little blurry, but she noted a blue energy by her. She squinted her eyes, looking around as she noticed that it seemed to be a barrier of sorts before she noticed a figure before her. Turning her head, she stared until her vision cleared up, revealing it was Sora. "…Sora…?" She muttered, confusion in her voice. The human had his arms up, said arms shaking as if from the stain of holding the barrier up.
The roar of frustration from the Griever had her head snap upwards, where it was trying to smash through the barrier the boy had up. She noticed that the ground around them had sunk a little, which is what brought her out of her state of unconsciousness.
Has Sora always been able to do this? She asked herself, before looking back up at Sora.
Even though the Griever was attacking the barrier, trying frantically to break it, the barrier held strong. Sora groaned from the onslaught, his arms shaking as his body shifted as if he was really holding it up. The Griever had stopped trying to crush the barrier under its weight and is just now using its three arms – it appears there were supposed to be four but one of them were torn off – to destroy it. The onslaught had lasted for a while, and she was too distracted by it to notice the Maker and the Horseman making their own moves until the Maker's hammer slams into its face before the Horseman used a metal with wheels only to smack it away from the barrier with enough force to send it flying back. It caused large boulders to be knocked loose to land between the two, but not massive enough to block either way.
A moment after all that happened, Sora seemed to have noticed that it stopped. The barrier around them glowed and dispersed into blue particles of light. The human's arms went slack, his posture slouching over, panting as if out of breath. He turned his body slightly to look down at Uriel.
In all of her years, she never once had to stop herself from flinching at the sight of the blood running out of his nose and his eyes. His eyes squinted at her, trying to see her. "…Uriel? You okay?" He muttered.
Before she could answer, he fell over on his side. It seemed he had fainted. She began to push herself up to stand, but as she got to her knee, she jerked to a stop when she heard a wet crunch and roaring. Her head shot to the wall. She stared at it for a while until she heard another crunch, followed by three heavy hits with something large and heavy. And a moment later, another slam, with the back ends of the contraption flying up into the air before it slams back down onto the ground.
A shadow passed over her, with her turning her head to the source. It was the Maker, who made a grimace at the wall as there was a sick crunch and the Griever wailing in agony. "Ugh…heard he can be like that but still," he uttered. He soon turned his attention towards the human, grimacing again. "Aw, lad…" Uriel followed his gaze. The young human didn't rise from his sleep, despite the loud sounds that were heard. In fact…he's panting a little.
The angel stood up fully, as the Maker got onto his knee. He pulled out a cloth before he lifted the boy's head to wipe his face to clean the blood. The Maker removed the cloth. There's some smears of blood on the boy's face…but his cheeks seem a little red. The Maker grunted. "I'd rather not leave you alone but…just watch the lad. I'll be back soon," he told the Angel as he stood up. He soon hurried off to the side of the room. She watched him go before she stared down at the prone human.
The thoughts from earlier flowed back into her mind. Despite what happened, and what recently happened, it did not change the fact that this young human had broken the law. While she does feel terrible for what she will do, especially to a human…she pushed aside her own feelings to do her duty.
The least she could do is give him a quick and merciful death while he's out.
Silently, she called forth her sword. She held it in both hands, raising it up over the human.
Momentarily, she wavered…until she took a deep breath through her nose, steeling herself. She heard heavy footsteps approaching. She needs to be quick. She thrusts downward.
But it barely moved when something stopped it.
"I did not expect a member of the Hellguard raising their blade to a defenseless child." Uriel's head snapped up to the Red Rider. She didn't even hear him approach – she had assumed it was the Maker. She did not expect the Horseman approaching. He had used the massive left hand to stop her blade from going further.
Indignation flared from her chest, at the words the Horseman said to her. As well as the disappointment in his voice. Not to mention the hypocrisy.
She wrestled her sword from his grasp, which he released voluntarily. The angel jumped back a couple of feet, before pointing her sword at him. "Why do you defend the Outsider?" she questioned. "Do you not want to protect the balance from interlopers like him?"
The Horseman leveled her with a stare from under his hood. "If you were listening from earlier, his arrival here was an accident. He has been attempting to escape for some time since landing. He did not chose to come here."
"Even so…there are laws we all must uphold," Uriel retorted. "People may say that you were the one who had caused the End War, Horseman, but there is one crime you had committed that you will be personally judged for."
The Horseman clicked his tongue. "I did not kill Abaddon, if that is what you thought."
Anger surged through the Angel. "That may be, but you put him in the position to BE killed!" She barked. "The Demons were running rampant over the city! Why did the Charred Council only send you and not all four to contain the mess?!"
Silence fell. It stretched for a while so one could hear even the tiniest of sounds. The Horseman lowered his head. "I…could not say," he responded softly. "All I knew is that a call was sounded out. I had not seen the other three since."
Uriel quirked an eyebrow. She did not expect to hear the confession. The Horseman truly did not know? She had assumed that the four, being the last members of the Nephilim, were close. Then again, her encounter with Death years ago played in her mind; did the eldest never inform everyone of what he is doing? Though, she did not want to share the information with the Red Rider. Nor did she feel like doing it. A spiteful part of her prompted her to do so.
A snort escaped her. "A Horseman who knows nothing…ironic," she said.
The Horseman merely ignored her, turning his gaze to the human. Then, she watched in bafflement as he kneeled to the human, lifting him by the back. "What is wrong with him?" He questioned her.
Uriel stared for a little while, before her eyes shifted. "He fell over after he formed the barrier around us." How would she know what's wrong with the human?
The Red Rider didn't respond, yet he started to lift the young human with both arms, adjusting his hold to press the human's forehead to his. After a moment, the Horseman moved away. "He's running a fever," he muttered before placing the child over his right shoulder. "Must be the result of overusing his power." He glanced over to something before he drew Chaoseater with his left hand. He plants it onto the ground, where she noticed some blood was on the ground, where it sizzled before evaporating away. He soon removed his sword from it to easily slot it over his shoulder.
Uriel watched him suspiciously. "…Do you know something, Horseman?" she questioned.
His head turned to her, before he asked, "And if I do?"
Uriel felt herself gritting her teeth, clenching her sword tightly as frustration boils within her. "Just…why?" She points her sword at him. "I do not understand you. You were the one who usually follows the orders and the rules of the law. Why are you not doing anything to…" she gestured her other arm to the human over the Horseman's shoulder, "the Outsider?" Just…why isn't he…?
The Horseman regarded her, before he said, "You assume that I am but a mindless drone who blindly follows orders. You know nothing."
"Are you mocking me?!" Uriel snapped; the Horseman's attitude was REALLY grating on her.
"You assume that I am," the Horseman responded calmly.
Burning anger flared in her chest. She nearly saw red. "You have nerve, Horseman," she said vehemently. "To act as if it does not concern you. What had happened, especially back then!" The Horseman was silent, but she continued regardless, "You were allies with him! You fought alongside each other! So why…why did you do nothing when he was killed!?"
Her hand clenched tightly over the hilt of her sword. "That day, we had lost our leader. I was ready to die for him! To die as his equal!" Her throat burned for some reason, but she didn't care. "I was prepared for death, up until that day. And yet, after that day, it feels as if we were punished for a crime. We were fulfilling our duty to face the dregs of hell when they invaded Earth without provocation!" She inhaled. "…We had lost Abaddon that day. And we are paying for the failure of protecting mankind by being stranded on this world. No matter what we did, no matter how long we had fought, we could not gain a foothold. Any ally from the White City ended up just as stranded or ended up getting killed as a result. The White City left us for dead…"
She just couldn't breathe for some reason. She didn't register anything else around her. (Not even the tears on her own face.) Yet the burn on her chest, which had been burning for a few minutes, refused to leave. She lowered her head, refusing to look at the Horsemen, feeling ashamed at herself for being vulnerable around the Council's Enforcer.
There was silence for a good while, as she struggled to keep herself together. She could not afford to look weak in front of him. But then:
"So you blame me for what happened to you," the Horseman began slowly. A pause. "Killing me will not help you with what you are feeling."
Something snapped in her. The audacity…!
Her eyes shifted upwards. The Horseman seemed to have more to say…
(A perfect opportunity…)
In a burst of speed, she shot off towards him, sword reared back. She didn't even think. All she felt was anger and burning hate. She thrusts her sword. It ran through something solid.
For a moment, a sick sense of satisfaction flowed through her. She had managed to be faster than the Red Rider's infamous reflexes! She managed to land a hit!
…However, the feeling soon fades away when everything else faded back in within her mind. She did ran her sword through something…but it was not the Red Rider himself, but his left hand. He had sidestepped slightly and let his hand take the hit. There was no blood, but it sparked a little. She turned her head. Up close to the Horseman, she could make out his expression.
He looked…rather disappointed. (Yet she could have sworn she had seen a sympathetic expression beforehand.)
"…I had thought you were better than this," she did not expect the soft words uttered from him. "As I had said, killing me will not help you with what you are feeling…nor would it bring Abaddon back." And then, astonishingly, he adds: "Nor will I kill you."
She froze, shocked at what she heard. "…But, why?" Uriel questioned. "I had attacked you."
"And give you what you wanted, to be with him?" Uriel was surprised to hear that from him. Just as surprised to hear him say next: "Is that what he wanted?"
Other than the sparks from his hand, there was silence. And yet, it was damning, a flush of shame and horror flooding through her in waves. Her head moved away on its own, too ashamed to look at the Horseman in the eyes now. Nor could she stand to see the look he was giving her, feeling her with guilt. The fight had left her body, releasing her sword to let her arms fall limply to the sides.
She heard the Horseman make a soft sigh, before she heard him remove her sword from his arm, tossing it to the ground. She felt the weapon return to her in an instant.
A few moments later, heavy footsteps were heard before the Maker announced himself:
"All right, I checked the path! I hadn't used it in a while, so I had to clear the way." The Maker suddenly stopped. "Uh, did somethin' happen here?"
"No," the Horseman answered curtly. "Nothing happened."
"Is the lad okay?" The Maker asked, reminding Uriel of the young human. Her head turned slightly to look at the human.
He…looked so fragile and weak in that state. Panting while his cheeks are red.
Another surge of guilt washed through her, reminding her for what she nearly did not just too long ago. What…what in Heaven's name was she thinking? Was she really about to kill an innocent child? One who didn't mean to come to their world?
Suddenly, everything that had happened hours ago, how he had reacted to her and the Hellguard being stranded, made sense…they were alike, in some way. Stranded on a war-torn world, and one is not of his own will, hoping and praying and fighting desperately to survive another day.
And she did not think she had ever seen, nor heard, the Red Rider ever killing anyone who is innocent, or defenseless…
Has she…misjudged the Horseman? Was she wrong?
She…doesn't know.
"Oi!" The Maker barked, regaining her attention. She had been into her thoughts that she did not pay attention to anything else around her. She turned her head to the Maker. "C'mon, let's get out of this bloody place. I don't wanna spend the night in this Stonemaker forsaken place!"
Right. The main point of coming here is to escape this place.
She will deal with her thoughts, and her emotions, later. She just…need to get out of the subway. And back to the Hellguard.
She gave a nod before she silently followed the two towards the passage.
-End of the Hollows Arc-
Now, you probably figured that Uriel seemed…well, out of character around the end. You know, I always thought that Uriel could have SO much more potential in the game. You only fought her twice, before you entered the Hollows and her being the penultimate boss. Once more, I feel like it was a cop out that we didn't get to see a full-on character development between both times. What caused her to want to have a death match with War to gain the Hellguard's honor back? I didn't really think about it until a while back. So…this is kind of Uriel's arc in the story, which would come to its conclusion as this story progresses. She's out of character here at the moment because she had thought Sora was deceiving her on purpose for his own uses, which is to survive. And…Keyblade users don't really have a good reputation as the self-proclaimed defenders of the Realm of Light. What, with them jumping to worlds and messing up the 'order' in the pursuit to eliminate darkness. I would figure that the Angels would take a few things to the extreme in order to exact justice on those they deem 'sinful', with them ironically nothing more than major hypocrites, and probably slightly narcissistic…? Who can say. In the end, Uriel realized she nearly made a huge mistake and almost destroyed her own moral integrity. She's still confused with her emotions, simping for Abaddon and whatnot, but she will take the time to sort through them.
Onto the other bits…
You'd figure that, with four of the Chosen having a bit of Samael's power in their hearts, in certain situations, they would use that power to 'boost' themselves. That's what happened to the Griever, who underwent an evolution to be stronger. However, it wouldn't work for all of them, and it wouldn't work well. The Griever has the least amount of intelligence, thinking more on 'eat' and 'make babies' than anything else, so that power made her go bananas. Tiamat never got the chance to do the same herself, since she didn't realize she could. So, there's your explanation of 'why' the Griever 'evolved' like that. There's one other creature that figured it out, and, uh…they had time to figure out what they could do. I'll leave it at that.
Finally, for Sora, as he had figured, his body isn't used to the new power he has. The worst he got were headaches, but the more he strains himself to use the stronger variants without training, he ends up…let's say, 'hurting' himself. As a result, it made his body pretty weak, and he's a sick boy now. And man, is Sora the goodest boy ever, eh? Willing to put himself into danger to safe people, an anguished to hear how desensitized some people are in regards with death. I nearly forgot but the Horsemen and the angels, especially the Hellguard, are soldiers. And until a year ago, Sora was a civilian. He may be willing to risk his own life, but his heart is too big. He really is a bleeding heart, so for them, it felt weird to have someone literally care about their own well-being. Especially those who had been alive for so long.
I took some liberties with how Chaos Form worked. I mean, War had thousands of years to learn how to control that form. So why wouldn't he be able to do that? And I made use of dem legs…yeah…
Uh, anyway, here's the new chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. Leave a review and I hope you have a good day, wherever you are.