Queen's note: I apologize in advance. Um….yeah don't kill me please. Please take note of a warning: Big animal getting hurt and reacting to it.

Garnets

Chapter Sixty Eight:

KAR EN TUK

It felt like he was constantly bleeding power, and the Slayer might have tried to conserved a bit if not for the fact most of the excess was not just supporting the broken crucible. Some of that excess energy seemed as if it was boosting his Sentinels as they had to almost literally carve out a path through the mass of demons in the next building. Not so thick of a horde that one could not see the ground of hell, or wade through Titian remains.

The Slayer really did not feel up to doing that again anytime soon. He would if needed of course, but never liked it.

Good thing he was not in hell at the moment as he felt his current shotgun try to buck in his left hand. It was one of the bigger ones he had to fix and modify from Mars, but the recoil did not feel the same. Not as strong as it once did. The Slayer pulled back to reload, purposely using this weapon because it slowed him down so to say. Curiosity burned to see what he could now do, so the Slayer was switching things up to test himself.

It was fun.

It was still fun to fight with trusted Sentinels as well. That dance of experienced hands, sure feet and that fearless willingness to launch into the horde. The trust put in him meant more than faith at this moment. The Slayer was not the only one to slip into a timeless moment that lasted for an eternity.

There were all immortals, and alike just enough to the Slay to have a skewed sense of time. If Jade had not been there, even though she could hold her own with the curved scythe-like weapons, the woman was still mortal and could not keep up with even normal Sentinels for long.

It took an hour as it turned out to work through the tower nearest the Dreadnought's corpse. About half way through Zanin had noticed the flow of demons were coming from below.

The Slayer had to crack through the ground at the lowest point, and a weakest point that Jade could find before she was rushed back to the upper levels of the building. When the horde stopped flooding up and the gorenest was gleefully ripped apart, the Slayer was able to siphon off raw energy from the orb the nest held before doing so. It did not seem like he had that same sort of painful jitters from taking in the raw hell energy.

He could not explain it, definitely could not put into words the difference. The energy still hurt as nearly everything from Hell did, but it was… different.

Maybe it was similar to when the Slayer first stepped out of the divinity machine.

Coming back up to the upper level of the building, it did not take long to track where Haco was standing with Jade. Tilting his head as the smaller of the two male wintherin was back winging to land on a thick pedestal that once had a statue. The pale blue male purred as he saw the other three, not moving from where he was getting a rub at the base of the horn from Jade. Very much proud the shy one was finally giving him attention before the others, even his mother!

The blue male looked up, checking that his bigger mother was not upset. Viola was with the other three doing fly-bys, on the exposed areas that had visible demons, those strung up, living and undead. The wintherin wiggled in place, though kept his head still as he purred.

"I can see the building from here that had your old vault and throne room." Zanin noted as he moved to the left, looking over the visible buildings from this new angle. "The one across from us, I think that was stores? One of the places we had siege supplies."

"The armory propper is between us and the divinity machine to the east," Asin noted, the man's voice thankfully returned to normal. He seemed almost tired now, but more like his normal, and was overall responding.

Vault first. The Slayer signed as he lingered around the broken railings. He peered over the edge at what used to be a slow moving water way inside the upper city here. He remembered seeing lazy, shallow boats way down there once, long ago when he first came to Taras Nabad. There was a larger breach or two not readily visible to them from this building.

The deep lake was dropped in level and moving oddly as it filled and drained almost at the same pace. There was even old docks still swaying between the support pillars, or just attached to one and dangling down over the water.

The Slayer tilted his head and eyed Jade, as a thought occurred to him. If she had her wraith gift, would it be strong enough to do more repairs on the Fortress City as well? The more whole it would be, the better if the engines were working.

If he could not have Taras Nabad, there might be a few more places. Like Exultia maybe?

The Slayer shook himself off those thoughts for now (what about both…?). He needed to get to his vault and find one of those coins if concentrated energy for Sunwalker.

Want!

The Slayer called up at the wintherins still in the air. Watching as they slowed the spiral in the air to catch their breath where it was safe, and starting to glide down to where they were. Turning back to the conversation. Can check other buildings after. Sun-Walker will need to be fed.

He paused coming over to the once statue platform, just in range to catch the scent of a living soul. The Slayer tilted his head and focused on the building across from them, something was familiar about it. That little niggling feeling of knowing he recognized it but not quite able to place it. He only recently had this ability again after so long without, so the Slayer was getting used to it. There was also something else that smelled…dark?

The Slayer made sure the others got on wintherin back, he was just getting onto Viola's back when he saw the rushing movement of something on the building across from them. It was one of the big Sentinel wolves.

A living wolf.

It was running along an upper path and around to jump at one of the open windows. Following the lighting of blue-green torches that were lighting up as if to lead the wolf there into the building. For a moment it was as if the living wolf left an after image of a phantom wolf.

It was looking back, as if surprised at seeing the wintherin. The phantom Wolf that had been running in tandem with the living one now, jumping back and forth for attention before howling as the torches were put out farther away and then brighter. It recognized them as Sentinels, possibly even recognizing the Slayer himself as the phantom wolf called for attention. Wanting help from them and him.

Someone was in that possible storage building?

The thunder of a report of what might be a cannon broke the constant background sound of water and wind.

It happened far too fast, with no warning and too fast for even the new god to keep track. One moment he was leaning forwards and to his right, debating on jumping from Viola's back to that building, then next his mount was screaming in pain as Viola twisted in the air. Dropping as her wings sprayed blood in all directions. The big wintherin screeched, tried to snap at the massive, hell forged metal harpoon that completely broke through her right wing on the down beat and then partly through the left.

Viola gave a panicked bark as she snapped at the air, reaction time just that bit better even in free fall. She grabbed her rider out of the air around his middle and locked her jaws to not bite too hard. Just before the full impact of her fall and body weight hit the reinforced bedrock support pillar. Like a war horse trying not to roll onto their rider as they fell.

The wintherin whined around her person, scrambling to get any kind of purchase as she dropped. Trying to grab at the semi smooth stone with forelegs but her left wing was at the wrong angle. Her hind legs worked to half climb, trying to get some claws into the stone. If she had visible eyes they would have widened as Viola realized she could not stay up, could not get back into the air as something… broke in her left wing as the line connecting to the harpoon was pulling. She swung her head back and forth, neck arched to keep her rider from getting hit against the pillar.

Viola was sliding down and to the as she was dragged. Spotting something, she flexed and launched back up, trying to beat her wings even as they tore more. But she got her head back up to the level of an old dock anchor point. Spitting and shoving her person onto it.

Viola kreeled at him as she watched her person rolling and scrambling to the edge. As if he was going to try and catch her head back, so she jerked it back and out of his reach. Viola knew her person was so strong, but this was not a nest. She needed to protect her rider.

A good wintherin always protects their rider.

Viola was many things, but above all else she was a Wonderful and Good wintherin. Her person has said so himself since she hatched!

The wintherin used her bracing hind legs to launch herself backwards, to keep her rider and person from being dragged down with her. Bellowing out a pained warning to her mate and grown hatchlings. Her mate was a good wintherin too, and used to fight with her. He knew the dangers of harpoons more than their hatchling.

Viola could hear her person roaring, knew he was angry but not at her as she screeched in pain. Her broken left wing twisted more as her whole weight pulled and then was supported just by the line. The wintherin's scream cut off for a moment as she hit another pillar and finally hit the water below as the cord finished ripping through her right wing and mostly through the twisted left one. Struggling to get her head up above the surface as there was cracking of stone and metal scriched far above.

The line slackened as Viola got her broken wings to flex out of the way as her hind feet found the bottom and pushed back upwards. Scanning reflexively to make sure her person was still where the docks used to be, giving an almost mewl sound as she got a breath.

The distinctive mount of the Slayer King tried to trill at her person as the machinery that fired at her fell into the deeper waters, dragging the cord still connected to the harpoon in her broken wing. Viola sank under the surface of the now murky water, still struggling to get free to the sound of a primordial roar of rage.

The bigger male wintherin screamed as he back winged over the spot. Struggling to hover as he screamed again in panic, riderless he plunged into the waters. There were no signs of the big creatures before the male broke the surface several body lengths away. Screaming as a strip of his mate's wing membrane fell out of his mouth before. The pain and distress of the animal echoing across the upper city before he dove again.

He broke the surface again farther into the deeper waters before diving again, using his wings and tail to get down deeper. When the minutes passed he was not seen again until a full ten minutes passed and a heart wrenching, though slightly muffled howling started out of sight of almost every trying to track sounding closer to the far side of the throne building.

The male wintherin was dragging his limp mate onto one of the smaller islands. Having desperately swam holding her head up above the surface. And now screamed out his own rage and pain at what had happened to his long term, bonded mate. Nudging at the pale hide before screeching at the underside of the city. Even the grieving wintherin himself did not noticed the running phantom, the wraith power failing it before vanishing into pale, striped hide.

The grieving calls of the male slowed and then stopped. Leaving echoes of pain bouncing around the upper city until even that faded.

The Slayer could only just stare at the moving waters, the old dock creaking and cracking under his clenching hands as the quiet kept ticking by. Waiting to hear the distinct voice of his wintherin, waiting.

The almost petrified wood of the once dock broke off in chunks under the Slayer's hands before being crushed farther as a mournful, haunting song of the male started. Much lower and not as loud as his screams a few minutes before.

Everything… fuzzed and started to wash out in colors as the Slayer twitched and his hands jerked. Not able to get his hands as something as that low chant that was always in the back of his mind slipped free. That power that always flowed with his blood boiled over.

He was hearing something, loud, edged in gravel. Pain in the voice curled and twisted with raw rage. It lifted to echo under the upper city. It hurt to hear, too much emotion in it-

Oh.

He was screaming.

Not even roaring with that Primordial side.

Just screaming.

He had been fine before if Viola had lost her life to old age, when he was trapped, because that did happen to everyone and all animals. He had done his best to give her all the love and attention when she was younger. He would had even expected, though painfully if she had forgotten about him.

But Viola had not aged out for some reason. She had not forgotten about him. She had been alive and protecting eggs and knew him still so well to be angry at him.

The Slayer could not control the shaking as he slowly got up. Reaching to grab at the pillar, not sure how his hand sank into the stone up to his forearm. The ringing was fading into that ever present background chant.

Maybe it was because he was back on Argent D'nur.

Maybe that it was fresh affection for his mount.

The Slayer walked back around the massive support pillar. Staring up where the blasista like machine had been in the now broken bridge. Locking onto the massive form standing to the side of the building above instead of the way leading back to the titan.

Big enough to see even from the distance between them, broad shouldered and in modified Sentinel like armor. The back lit outline broken really only but the large curving horns and the yellow-orange eyes that seemed to meet burning green.

Rage. Anger. Hunger.

The Slayer felt his stressed, if not bleeding throat snarl the primordial words out. He had a good look at that marauder, he was not so close to catch the scent of its fallen soul. Only partly aware of what he sort of scented before might be it.

The Unchained Predatory turned and started to climb up the support pillar. Arms trembling as he made his own hand and foot holds to make the climb. Not able to rend anything just yet, he had to hold in everything, at least emotional wise. There was visible, rusty red and orange energy bleeding off the form climbing. The world bled away into the mind numbing chant of rip and tear.

All his focus was on the hunt.

To rip and tear. Rip and tear-

Rip out the undead hearts- Rip And Tear-

RIP- tare the demons limb from limb- RIp anD TaER-

-En Tuk- to get his hands on the fleeing imps- RIPandTAER-

Feeling bones breaking- AR- RIP AND TE-

RIP AND TEAR- Rip the softer muscle- KAR EN TUK- shatter them all into char- RIP AN RIP AND KAR EN TUK- TEAR THEM ALL- HUNGER!

The Hell Walker let himself fall into the full, truly all consuming song of rage and hunger of violence and blood as he tore his way back up to the higher levels of the building. No one he could recognize or see to help remind him this was not hell. His roar of hunger following the screaming horde of demons from below as he hunted.

HUNGER-RAGE!

Reviews!

XFireStoneX:
Glad you liked the check in! and I saw you on my WTTW story! I didn't know you'd like fallout!

RavenShichiyou:
That...Is... ADORABLE! I love that Idea!