Queen's note: thank you to Quetzalcoatls (...LENTILS=D) for editing this and the last chapter. Enjoy a very angry Valen. Grandpa is not playing around right now

Garnets

Chapter Eighty Seven:

Finding Strength Again

It was a strange sensation being almost in one mind with another. They were twined? Valen was not sure what the right word was currently, maybe after some time had passed he might be able to vocalize it. Feeling the other soul willing, if not happy to work with and for him as they had the same goal. It was almost alien but not? Definitely explained a few odd quirks the Slayer had in regards to the crucibles.

Kill. It. The Last Gift seethed in the back of Valen's mind. The almost uncontrolled rage an echo from its, his, normal bonded wielder. Let me sink my fangs in it Valen! If it wants to eat my daughter then I will devour it myself!-

Valen pushed his will forward as he dodged a massive hoof that was edged in sharp metal. He would kill the Baron, but Valen refused to be blinded by the crucible. He had not lived for unknown centuries inside of Hell itself by being blinded by anger. Valen tightened his grip, feeling the flow of both hot and cool energy that crackled against the edges of his now reinforced wraith gift as he adjusted how he was fighting.

It was a curious sensation of feeling part of his energy, both an edge of Valen's own tattered soul and his wraith gift being fed to the living weapon. Then the gorgon power being offered back, though not as strong as what likely happened with the Slayer. Just enough to let Valen understand a few more things about Crucibles from a wielder's perspective.

It was also a sharp reminder that Valen would not be able to keep this up. He had to be smart about the fight, not let what was left of Frederick's fear and rage take over. He whistled again for his wolves to come out and harass the demon as Viola had to pull back to get space after a blow to her shoulder.

The man's preferred hammer was still on his back, but Valen had taken out the secondary weapon he did not use as often. Nonetheless it was taken care of as well, if not better, than anything else he had. Something he had personally made with all his skills back then, every fine detail he knew by heart. Knew each scar, shallow and deep, that scarred it, even the ones he filled in. The familiar tingle of energy from the blade that had been fed and flushed with the Wraith Gift of who it once belonged to.

Almost like Tolin was there beside him, and Last Gift, as the blue and silver blade flared almost as bright the Crucible he held. The two blades caught and diverted the momentum of the glaive-like weapon of the Baron. It forced him to move, slide on the beach before twisting out of the range of both demons, and an eruption of wintherin fire at his back. Going under the demon's guard before the flames died to swing the ax into the Baron's middle, off center.

Only to rip it back off, taking a meaty chunk with it. Valen had the Crucible at an angle as he moved, using it to cut through the green sea glass like growth on the back of the demon's thigh. Feeling the hunger of the Crucible spike as it was given a moment to drain energy.

Then they were both moving. Last Gift laughing in the back of his mind at getting another taste of demonic blood.

Valen was forced to give his trust to the Last Gift, to keep the breaking green shards from impaling him. Keep the eerie gorgon infection from him, but Valen still kept his head to not get scratched around his neck and head. No splinters as the Last Gift sliced through the coating on the Baron's back, not to hack it off but push the Gorgon Crucible to take over the growing crystal armor.

Valen had noticed how that happened earlier on in the fight. Unlike with the Slayer, Valen was not trying to cut deep into the Baron itself. It was frustrating the Last Gift, a lot really. Valen's will was pushing just that much more to keep control until there were almost as many blue patches on the demon as green sea glass like armor.

Valen smiled in his helmet. Feeling the burn of demonic blood as a phantom pain in his robotic arm as it was soaked in black blood from the latest cut. It did not stop Valen from his next swing, burying the axe into the Baron's left arm. Twisting the blade free only to quickly drive the Last Gift into the same spot. Just a fast slice compared to what it wanted to do. Valen had to keep moving to avoid the following blow from the demon. Then he had to dodge the Baron's hooves again and saw an opening.

Valen took it, surging for the unguarded leg as the demon staggered with the missed blow, and then had to deal with the phantom wolves. Bringing Last Gift up and around to not just cut against, but go through the achilles tendon. Hearing the demon roar in pain as the muscles were properly severed and it was falling.

The once commander, still very much a capable fighter, was going up the legs of the Baron. Bringing the crucible up again to drive into an already weakened spot, cutting through the rest of the way through the muscle enough that it gave out. As fast as elder demons could heal, even the Slayer's own impressive healing, completely severed muscle took time. Not impossible for it to eventually heal, unlike with normal mortals, but still would take time that the Baron did not have in a fight.

It also had the demon staying down for another few critical moments, even with it lashing out with a massive hand. The short glaive weapon dropped as Valen dodged, using the crucible to dig into its back between the shoulders. Letting go of the Last Gift inside its back, to use both hands on the axe.

"Hit-eth oovv wor-mth!" The Baron shook himself, trying to snap out words with a broken jaw hanging at an odd angle, but the words came out slurring. The demon was surprised as the Argenta stayed on his back as it tried to reach back.

Valen growled, feeling the coating on his armor starting to stiffen a bit without the physical connection to the living weapon. He pushed his own wraith gift to the weapon in hand though. The all too familiar echo pulsing back, even after centuries of separation. It was not really an awareness of the weapon like some, but an imprint of the original owner of the weapon. He knew this feeling of stubbornness, of excitement and thrill of a challenge, of the under current of care that drove the once owner. The clear echo of strength that Tolin always had in all of her, one of the many, many things Valen had fallen in love with his late wife.

Unlike in Hell, there was no excess drain of the energy from the blue-silver blade as it burned through the Baron's shoulder not a few inches away from the Last Gift. Finishing severing another muscle the other blade had begun to.

For just a moment, a flicker in time that was just a few heartbeats long, something Valen treasured the few times it happened. He could feel Tolin again beside him, in the strong echo of her wraith gift. Moving with him as they once fought together on the rare occasions she was not on wintherin back. A moment that almost lasted an eternity between heartbeats. Valen was not sure if there really was another phantom hand grasping the axe a moment before he closed his hands back around both blades.

Be strong, my Sentinel.

The world and time snapped back into place with that whisper from the echo, Valen using the axe blade as an anchor. Holding its handle firmly as he shifted the grip on the crucible, carving out larger chunks of the armor off the Baron faster than its gift could regrow. The scattering spots of blue mixed with the green were now over powering. The coating on Valen himself was getting a little thicker and returning to the oddly flexible state. The Baron's jerking motions were slowing, enough that he too noticed and grunted before seeing the once green sea glass on his arms were flushing blue, and stiffening.

There was a pause, as the soul inside the Last Gift was surprised out of its blind hunger and anger. For a moment like Fredrick was looking over Valen's shoulder to watch how the older man was now using the blade to push and manipulate with blue growths of crystal out of the way.

Valen had to be smarter to win this fight, and just lucky enough that his bet based on how the Last Gift was used before could be used now. It exposed the now vulnerable spine of the demon after locking it up in the once gifted armor. What covered the Baron's torso, shoulders, upper arms and down the thighs were now not responding to it, under the Crusible's power now instead of the gorgon in hell. Thus, the coating would do what Valen wanted as he used his will.

The man drove the Last Gift into the exposed gray skin, breaking the spine in the middle. Feeling the Demon roar as the living blade was fed the demon's energy. He then ripped out the crucible and drove into another spot higher up, Valen paused to let the Baron fall forward still locked in the blue sea glass. He grinned and yanked out Tolin's axe, then found another spot to drive both energy blades into the bone and nerves. Using the glowing blade to pry out several vertebrae and tossed them in front of the wordlessly howling Baron to see before jumping off himself.

There was a pause, Valen stretching his own back as some of the outer layers of the coating on him started to dissolve into sand. Coating one of the vertebrae in that sand, stopping them from charring for now. The once Commander grinned as he looked back the way they had come from, the rest of the main fight on that first island. Kicking one of the other charred bones away from him and into view of the trapped demon, "Enjoy the air, behemoth. Your jaw will heal before any of those severed nerves will."

The baron hissed trying to bite the air, as the crucible pulsed a lighter tone of color. A more teal shade, Valen glanced around, seeing the male wintherin he had jumped off of, was back winging into the air from… from the entry to the stairway to the throne room building. Just seeing a glimpse of several of the Shadowed sentinels backing up into the passage. A rear guard.

Lily was safely in hands that knew how to take care of her.

Valen turned back at movement, feeling the spike of hunger from the living weapon. He had to focus on the gargoyles flying over, but spotted something. On another pillar was something almost Imp-like, only bigger, with a mottled gray and brown colors that was almost alike to the stone but for a few flickers of purple. Valen recognized the scout, cursing as he nearly forgot about the trouble they could cause.

"Atlan, target that Prowler!" Valen said to Vega, knowing he was listening and watching. "I can see one of your drones coming down from the south side near it. Do not let it out of your sight if you can. We can not let it get to a portal!"

There was a two second delay before the demon he was seeing flashed in an outline on Valen's display as some more of the blue coating was flaking off the argenta man. "I have the demon marked. Should I look for any others like it on the underside of the throne room?"

"Yes, there are two Barron's hordes here, thinned as they are now. There's likely another messenger." Valen was looking up, keeping a distance from his imprisoned demon as Viola was walking back with a snarl. Shaking some more of the now flaking armor coating. Not all at once as it was the outer layers that were turning to shining sand as Valen touched his chest plate in curiosity. "Try and use what drones you have access to, track any prowler from here. Even if they do not go to a portal, it might lead to something important with the Corpse Lord."

The big female wintherin hissed as she walked back. Tattered wings held back, but the limbs themselves still healed. She hissed at the demon, hesitating to let out another gout of wintherin fire at seeing the massive demon trapped in the blue sea glass like crystal. The paralyzed Baron hissed as it tried to move, but between the hardened armor and a few missing bits of, well, it's spine that was proving to be hard.

Viola sniffed, snorted and hissed again at the demon, jaws open wide as if debating on biting it. Only to let Valen's metallic hand push her jaws away, making a face at the shimmering blue sand that came off him. It distracted Viola for a moment to melm at the air to get the grit out, there were no flakes or splitters coming from the crystal growths of the Last Gift. Valen noted that but he was also still tracking something above. "Watch him, Lady. The demon will feed your rider."

"Verrr?" the Winthrin head tilted, some of the aggression lifted.

"Vra-at?" The Baron gargled, struggling again, but what movement there was, it barely rocked his paralyzed frame. The demon tried to twitch and flex arm or hand, red-ish orange eyes rolling to look at his left hand. For a moment the demon looked confused, then worried at the following words from the Argenta.

"I hope your jaw heals in time to answer his questions." Valen said walking by, chuckling darkly as the male wintherin was flying back to this island. He turned, Valen watching the demon as its left hand was getting a paler gray as if starting to wash out.

Valen shifted his grip on the Crucible, pushing his will to have it retract. To stand down.

…where…? The words were not fully formed anymore, Last Gift was struggling to hold the connection with Valen. Suddenly spent between holding his phantom form before and then exerting energy to take over the other crystal.

Valen glanced over at the small entrance to the stairs well. There was nothing there now but he kept the image of seeing Asin's massive frame taking something small from the healer on the wintherin back. Valen refused to say aloud near the demon, but put full feeling into his thoughts. She's safe.

Tired-hungry. The living weapon was hungry, but was trying to detach from Valen's gift and self. The Last Gift had gotten used to the Slayer's constant burn of energy, but was starting to recognize Valen's soul was not the same.

Valen glanced at the trapped Baron as the now very dark gray wintherin male landed on the island. Hissing with gaping jaws away the demon before rising up to his back legs. The creature letting out a stream of 'fire' back into the air, a few traces falling on the trapped demon.

"Will it hold?" Valen asked the aware blade as the demon roared in pain.

Reassurance. The Last Gift pulsed pride and amusement. Nothing short of his bonded wielder could break his crystal holding that demon. Valen almost slipped off the side of the wintherin he was climbing. For just a moment he got a glimpse, so to say, of the scarier side of reality. The Crucible was hungry and if it was anyone else's soul inside it might have either started to feed in Valen's own broken soul, or become overwhelming.

One was not chosen by if they were strong enough to wield a Crucible. You were chosen because you could stop it. Valen almost slipped control, holding the holy tightly, the blue blade collapsed down. It took all of his willpower to hold the thread thin control as he settled in the saddle. Hold control of the Crucible long enough for it to settle back down. Let Valen pry stiff fingers off the bare hilt and attach it to his side. Hoping the familiarity of a simpler spot would trigger habit, even with a living weapon, to get Last Gift to rest.

By a miracle, it worked.

Last Gift let go of its last biting hold on Valen. On his wraith gift and the edge of his soul. It was a relief he did not know that was as needed until the metaphorical fangs detached. If Valen was in any other place with shelter he might have allowed himself to sag, a moment or five to recover. Yet he could not, did not have the luxury to do so as Valen settled in the almost too old and aged wintherin saddle. He glanced at the trapped demon and gave a darker smile, it did seem the taken over crystalline armor would keep hardening. With the exposed back and spine it was vulnerable to Viola if she was set off. Yet the big girl seemed to realize that it was for the Slayer.

Valen looked up, seeing a moving dot on the display of his helmet. Tracking it he saw the prowler from before, and shifted to get the wintherin up in the air. It has been centuries but old, ingrained habits from ages ago still proved true. Spending an age married to a wintherin rider you learned things, even if Valen might be a bit rusty. The male wintherin was just experienced enough to understand what was wanted, flying up as Viola stood guard over the paralyzed Baron.

From the air, Valen could get a view of what was happening. The progress of the other horde's purging, Valen not able to hide the flicker of pride at seeing the Shadowed Sentinels finishing picking off the smaller demons while the bigger if the two Baron's was being distracted by the Slayer. The Sentinels were turning their attention from the death ash to the Baron as well. Surprised a bit to see a harpoon and line being fired at one of the bigger demons legs and hauling it off balance to give the Slayer a greater advantage.

"Let the Slayer know of the Prowlers, atlan." Valen spoke to Vega, and now that he was in the air and safe to speak, "How is she?"

"I shall let the Slayer know and," there was a few seconds pause before Vega continued. Watching and checking through at least Asin's helmet. "Pax, the healer has just stopped the bleeding. He seems confident she will be able to walk again despite the likely nerve damage. I am not sure how, but I can see her legs twitching in Asin's hold."

"Likely from the residual blessing from the Wraith Mother." Valen was relieved, feeling a flicker of added relief from the Crucible, "They'll likely take her to Mother Bastet before the Slayer gets to the stairs. Or finishes the fight."

"That seems to be what is happening. Commander Malum is holding Lily at the moment." Vega seemed relieved a moment, "They are agreeing that Miss Lily should not leave the throne room building."

"Not until portals are out of the Litch's control." Valen agreed, feeling guilty and sick that he might be the sole reason his charge was in this greater danger and pain. He shifted the hold on his wife's old battle axe, watching the climbing demon, knowing it was fleeing because it was under orders to let someone else know what happened. Let someone else know that a mortal, gorgon soul had been spotted.

"I know," Valen spoke softly, almost as if to himself, "I know I failed her, I do not ask for forgiveness from you, Vega."

"You are not at fault," Vega spoke after a moment, "It is very clear Lily wanted to help, even with my drones I could not tell there was the horde coming. She is safe now. Please make sure Lily stays safe, Valen."

"I will," Valen vowed more to himself as he felt the axe come to life again. Getting up on the saddle of the wintherin, using the bridle strap to get it at the right angle. The axe charged to full life, another moment was there. Feeling his late wife's Wraith Gift against him, against him. Just for a heartbeat he could close his eyes and remember with his whole body how she taught him to move on Wintherin back. How to rise and get up, to keep balancing on the saddle, feeling the rumble of the beastie below.

This had to be a surviving winthern from Torin's command. Or had learned from Viola, but how it moved, Valen was sure Tolin had trained him. The man was focusing on the demon he wanted, the prowler flickering in and out of sight. The male winthern took a breath and let out a stream of 'fire' to start burning through gargoyles that were detaching from the stone.

Now my sentinel.

It was like barely whispered words, fainter than faint but mixed with the feeling of the echo of Tolin's wraith gift. Valen stood and took a step on the wintherin back, trusting the echo of his wife, feeling the creature bucking the right way as trained. Giving Valen a boost as he jumped off.

Then the wintherin seemed to belatedly realize he just helped toss his rider off and back winged with a startled sound. Turning in the air in time to spot and dive after Valen and the demon he had grabbed off the underside of the building.

Valen grinned again in his helmet, satisfied as he buried the glowing battle axe into the back of the Prowler's shoulder. Using momentum to rip the demon into the air, Valen swung leg forward, foot planting on the stone to help push off away from the bedrock stone. In free fall away from the stone the demon could hold onto, and with that freedom of open air, Valen had a bit of an advantage.

The Prowler was screaming as they, the demon on the larger size of Argenta. Had it been standing it would have been able to look Haco and Asin in the eyes. The white haired man grabbed at the purple and burned looking arm or the Prowler. Grunting as the demon lashed out to scrap claws on Valen's chest, then clamp its split jaws over his left arm.

There was a bit of unexpected satisfaction as the demon's fangs started to chip and break as it was trying to dent the reinforced prosthetic arm. Valen shifted his hold, grabbing the Prowler by the head, hearing it gargle with a protest as the man wrenched the ace around to the front. Planted a foot in its gut and with a bit more experience with open air fighting, Valen used all his strength to bury the battle axe into the demon's chest. Twisting the axe back out and cleaving through the demon as it screamed at him. Trying to get away but Valen had a hold on its head and jaw and would not let go, seeing the false eye like optics good enough to tell nothing was possessing the demon to watch through it.

Valen had hopefully gotten to it in time, so the prowler could not alert whatever it was supposed to report to.

A massive shadow was passing over the two in freefall, the wintherin male almost matching the pace again of the falling pair. The dragon like creature snorted at the death char. Winthern fire flickering in its jaws before snapping at the dying demon tossed up to it. Grabbing the prowler and shaking its head while letting out a burst of pale fire as the demon was thoroughly burned and made sure it was dead.

The winthern spat out the large chucks of death char, angling his wings and dipped a bit in the air to put his head under Valen. The man turned in the free fall, the blue glow of the axe vanished and was attached to his armor. Valen reached out to grab the curving horns of the wintherin, swinging his legs around behind the head to hold on as the mount started to slow them down. Matching speeds and then altering their path back into true flight.

"Good boy," Valen called over the wind, one hand holding a back curving horn, the other scratching at the big head. He grinned at the clear complaint from the winthern, starting to move back down. "I'm sorry for frightening you, let's go back to your mate and the Slayer."

"Brrrooorroo," The wintherin male crooned, twisting his neck to be sure that Valen was back in the saddle and holding the bridle strap. Then turned to make his way back to the islands. He took several deep breaths, the mount feeling tired but still willing to keep help as the wintherin tracked the straggling gargoyles flapping the air. With Valen helping to guide him, they were able to strafe and clear up the last of the horde as the bigger baron was charging around the Slayer himself. As if it had fallen back on him while dying.

Valen had the wintherin land to the side of the first island, the back winging stirring up the now thick layer ash all around. The dragon-like beast snorting and hissed in the direction of the last demon alive under the throne room. Still thankfully paralyzed, though it was exchanging snarls with Viola.

Hunger-Anger.

The primordial words rumbled out from the Slayer as he shook thick bloody ribbons off himself. He reached up to smear most of the caking gore off his visor until it was clear enough to see better, bright glowing green eyes landing on Valen as he dismounted.

Want. Mine.

"She's with your Sentinels," Valen said, feeling a familiar, almost all consuming heat. It was almost like it was coming from hell itself while rolling from where the Slayer was. Valen held his ground as the Slayer waded through the ash and gore towards him, "She was injured, but I saw Pa'x working on her. Vega said she was healed, and I suspect that they will bring your Flower to the Mother Bastet."

There was a wordless rumble from the Slayer, he paused and reached down. Grabbing a handful of thick death ash to light and scrub at his helmet. The motion had Valen relaxing a bit for now, the heat he did not mind. Not after ages of his self banishment to hell.

Hungry.

"I saved you something." Valen tilted his head to the other island with the trapped Baron. While at the same time carefully reaching down to pick up the Last Gift off his side, "And I have your crucible. It's likely hungry, but I would rather not go through feeding it again."

Amusement.

The Slayer could see again and walked over, reaching to take the crucible hilt, feeling the living blade drawing on his power. Hungry and guilty, the Last Gift was still very bonded to the Slayer himself but had let Valen wield and use it. Guilty but not regretting it as it meant their daughter was safe. The Slayer hummed, flooding power into the blade to feed it, but he was not mad about that. He attached the blade to his armor, even with the gore before reaching out to grab at Valen.

The motion was a bit rough, but Valen was not resisting as he was inspected. Checked over for damage, getting a few bloody handprints but checked over non the less. The Slayer rubbed his thumb over a hardened line of blue crystal that was filling in an old bite mark. This was acceptable, the Slayer did not mind that on his Sentinel.

He turned his attention to looking over at the other island, able to see the path roughly that had been taken from the wintherin and his human.

The Slayer focused on the trapped demon, growling lowly as he focused wholly on it, remembering seeing it walk away. Seeing the green sea glass like armor forming. He walked to the wintherin, lifting a hand to catch a big muzzle before swinging up into the saddle.

He wanted that demon.

reviews!

RavenShichiyou:
trying very hard to do so friend. hopefully you like grandpa's moment, and soon! soon there will be puppies I promise, and not in a hellhound way

XFireStoneX:
Ooooh they are, the Slayer King's flower got hurt. time to fall back and form up ranks.