Chapter 48. Something new.
Two days before the start of Jacks vacation
Clark was sitting at his work desk. He was on break and had time to read, looking through a monocle and flipping through pages. "Trouble with a knight for a dad, worrying about said dad, training harder as a knave to be with said dad, dad, dad, dad, such a daddy's boy," He rolled his eyes, continuing to skim, skipping a few entries. "Hm?" Something caught his attention, a description of a battle they witnessed between a demon and angels, the talk of the demon peeking his curiosity. "...Huh…" Continuing on, he read a few more interesting tales from the writer, "No way…" He made it to the final page, finding one sentence placed in bold large letters that made his eyes widen.
"AH!" Stolas yelped, dying again in the game he was playing with Nala.
"I got ya," Nala brought her character closer to Stolas's and revived him.
"Thank you, Seriously, what keeps killing me?"
"You just gotta watch yo-" The sound of Stolas's phone cut her off, "Who could that be this late?"
"Hopefully not Stella, pause please?"
"Sure," She paused to allow him to answer.
Having the chance, Stolas took out his phone. "Clark?" He said with surprise, answering the call, "Hello?"
"Hi Stolas. Sorry I'm calling so late, but it's important."
"It's fine. What is it?"
"I had some time to read a journal from the unknown period and I found something I think is worth sharing with the others."
"What did you find?"
"The reason Heaven, and probably Hell, locked down during so and…some info on who the Ravagers are."
"What!?"
"Something up?" Nala asked.
"How quickly can you gather them?" Clark questioned.
"H-hold on," Stolas turned to Nala to inform her, "It's about something Clark found in a journal, says it's about the Ravagers."
"The Ravagers?" Nala said in shock, "You mean…the Exterminators predecessors?"
"That's the assumption and he wants us to gather but…" Glancing back, he saw Jack laying on the couch, unconscious and sweating with heavy breathing.
"...Put him on speaker," Once Stolas did so she spoke to Clark, "Clark, can you hear me?"
"I hear you," Clark confirmed.
"We're gonna need some time, y'see my brother…he just had an incident."
"What kind of incident?"
"Ysee he sparred with Shred and something surged within him. Right now he's out like a light and…I don't know when he'll wake up and even then…
"No need to finish that sentence, I understand fully. It doesn't have to be tomorrow but it would be better to have it soon."
"I'll make some calls in the morning," Stolas stated, "Once we figure out where to meet I'll contact you."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you," He hung up.
"Well then…did not expect that."
"Do you need to head back?" Nala asked
"I'm not going to make any calls til the morning, so I can stay a while longer," He took the controller and leaned back, "Besides, we have a level to finish."
"Heh, alright," She resumed the game, "Just try to stay alive."
"I'll keep everyone updated," Nala assured Stolas.
"Please do," Stolas remarked, walking through his portal and entering his home. With a stretch and a sigh, he walked down his halls and entered his room, seeing Stella on the bed. He's used to sleeping in the same bed with her sometimes, the one time they sort of get along, but something was off this time. It's not like he always paid attention to her but was attentive enough to know that she never slept in her dress and never left herself uncovered. "Stella?"
"..." Stella did not answer.
"...I know you're awake."
"...What?" She spoke with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"..." He couldn't help but think about earlier when Shred was holding rippers claws around her neck, how unsettled she looked when he yelled and called her a prize child. Carefully, he sat on the bed. "Are…are you alright?"
"...What do you care?"
"I…I just…never seen you so…unnerved before."
"..."
"...Was it…cause of what Shred s-?"
"Dont!" She scowled and scrunched, "Don't you DARE bring up what he said!"
"Stella…Was it really that bothersome?"
"...You don't know a thing."
"I'm sorry?"
"You dont know a thing about my childhood…You don't understand what my childhood was like, nor how I was raised! Don't pretend that just cause we're married you suddenly know me!"
"...Ive been married to you for seventeen years…I think I know enough."
"...In those seventeen years…when have you ever….EVER…seen the first twenty?"
"What?"
"You and everyone else…you all seem to think you know everything about me…spend just a few days, and think you've seen it all," She held herself tight, her breath becoming a bit shaky, "It's so…sickening!"
"Stella…" He's never seen her like this, his eyes gazing behind her in shock.
"I'm NOT what you think…but what do you care?...You already know enough apparently."
"...I…" He reached out, attempting to take hold of her before pausing, thinking about how it would only make things worse, "I'm…" He got up, "going to sleep in the guest room tonight."
"Fine…"
Without saying anymore he left the room, taking one last glance at the peacock on his bed before leaving.
"Sunnuva bitch!" Loona barked in anger, throwing her head back.
"Hey, you got further this time," Poch tried to comfort, leaning back against her. Currently she is playing Doom Eternal, fighting the final boss with him as her guide. This was attempt number seventeen.
"Ugh, I shoulda listened when you said to wait for him to attack before using the BFG."
"You were surrounded, so I don't blame you for going for it," Poch stated followed by a heavy yawn.
"Sleepy?"
"Yeah," He rubbed his eyes, "You gonna keep going?"
"This got personal seven deaths ago, so I ain't ending on this," She said determinedly, holding the controller.
"Thought it was personal after the eighth time. Welp," He stretched, "ready for try number…."
"Eighteen," Shivarna appeared and answered before dismissing.
"Thanks Shiv."
"Oh yeah, this time, his ass is mine!" Loona stated with adrenaline rushed confidence.
"Good luck," Poch wished, making another yawn, albeit a softer one.
Looking down, she noticed how tired he looked. She didn't want to stop there but she didn't want to keep him up either. Softly holding him, she offered: "You wanna go to bed first?"
"Huh?" He gazed up at her with some confusion.
"I don't want to keep you up but…that face is mocking me," She was talking about the Icon of Sin.
"I can stay up for a bit longer," He reassured.
"Let's be honest, this might take me a while."
"...You sure?"
"I'm sure. I'll be right there when I'm done to warm you up," She smiled.
"Heh, alright," He returned the expression, sliding forward and turning to give her a quick kiss, "I'll try not to shiver so much without you," He joked, getting off her and heading to bed.
"I can keep you warm," Shivarna offered, walking behind him.
"Uh, no."
Loona took hold of the controller and took a breath. "Ok…round eighteen!"
More than an hour later.
"Yes!" Loona cheered, "Fuck you, bitch!" She flipped off the boss, watching the final scene, laying back and sprawling her arms out, taking a relaxing breath. The scene finished and the credits rolled, she skipped them and made sure it saved before turning off the system and checking the time. "Fuck its late," Raising, she stretched and let out an yawn, heading to her room where Poch was. Entering the room, she could spot him softly sleeping on the bed, wearing just a pair of boxers and a white shirt, laying on his side, giving her a space to spoon him. With a smile she went to the dresser and removed her shorts, placing them in and keeping her shirt on, glancing back at her boyfriend. Approaching him, she gave his face a gentle rub, feeling a sense of calm at his peaceful slumber. While rubbing his face, she drew her hand lower, scraping her fingers through his fur, slightly moving it over his covered chest. "Hm…"
There was an urge, one she thought best to ignore but couldn't help but follow through with. With a light grip, she pushed him slowly, turning him around to his back, making sure he didn't wake up. Climbing up, careful she didn't cause much motion, she placed herself above him, sitting herself onto his lap. She gazed at his sleeping self, unable to not think about how cute he looked at that moment, grinning and easing her fingers to the bottom of his shirt. There was a slight pause, filled with doubt, before taking commitment and sliding them in. Taking a grip on his sides, pressing tenderly, she slid up slowly, moving her fingers around. He wasn't a muscular hound, a bit thin with barely any muscle definition, but some toneness and a flat but soft stomach. They've washed together a few times before so she's had a chance to feel his body but when they did wash they weren't really savoring the moment, not rushing it unless it came to their bits due to timidness, so this was different. Before she got to his chest, she went back down again, feeling more around his stomach, raking through it, feeling just thin but smooth his fur was there, moving around and raising back up again, lifting his shirt in the process.
His whole body was exposed to her, the goth hound now exploring his chest, brushing her fingers through it. He had some extra fluff there specifically in the middle and like with the rest of him, it was somewhat tone with barely any muscles. He wasn't weak though, Demon Shadow Energy helping with that but even without he was still tough as nails. Before she met Poch, she was always infatuated with big tough hounds with thick muscular bodies but now, she finds Poch's body much more attractive, maybe he uncovered a type she didn't know she liked or it was because she loved him. "Hm?" Her finger went over something on his chest, something covered by his fur. Feeling over it again and determining where it was, Loona was able to figure out what it was and scrunched up. It was a scar. A scar he got from when he got shot by Striker. Remembering that angered her but she remained a semblance of calm, spreading her hands away from the scar, going to his shoulder. She saw an opening and being that she loved his smell, she went for it, pushing her face into his chest and taking a deep breath, wagging her tail and humming to his scent, softly rubbing her nose around.
"That kinda tickles," Poch spoke.
Loona went wide-eyed and jumped back with a mad blush, "AH!"
"Hey," Poch shyly smiled with a blush of his own.
"H-...how long were you awake?"
"About when you started to…feel around my chest."
"Oh…Sorry I wasn't trying to wake you," She apologized, bashfully looking away from him.
"It's fine… What…what made you wanna touch me?"
"Well…I saw you sleeping and you just…looked so adorable," She smiled, "I rubbed your face and I just…wanted to touch around."
"I…see…this about what we talked about, with touching each other more."
"K-kinda yeah," Her blush turned a bit heavier, twiddling her fingers in embarrassment.
Poch took notice of the embarrassment and got an idea to ease it from her. Swallowing a lump down his throat, he spoke: "Ok…M-my turn."
"Huh?" She puzzledly gazed at him.
"My turn…lay back."
It took Loona a second but she got the message. "O-oh! O-o-ok," Moving over to her side, she laid back, somewhat stiff with her arms out.
Nervously, Poch moved over, sitting himself on her thighs. He took a heavy swallow and placed his hands on her stomach. Compared to him, she was more toned, her stomach nice and flat, giving his palms an easy time to move around. Pressing his fingers, he squeezed around her navel spot, giving it a soft massage.
"Mmmm," Loona groaned in approval. She loved his touch, the hound being a master finger worker, another reason she felt lucky to have him. He stopped and she almost whined until she felt his claws press in. Once his nails started to scratch around, there was a tingle that went around her body, tensing it. He was moderate and slow, raking them through. That tingle turned to jolts that made her tremble. "Hmmmng!" She tried to keep her leg still and tried not to smile but it just felt so good. He noticed it too, increasing his speed, making her actions even more unstoppable. Unable to fight it any longer, she cracked, her leg started to kick and she whined with a wry smile, her tongue hanging out as she began to pant and her arms came closer, curling into puppy paws.
'Holy shit…' Poch thought, unable to look away. He did not expect this side of her, a side so puppy like and from belly rubs. Temptation to call her a good girl was there but so was the urge not to get hit. Scratching a bit longer and getting her to groan and whimper more, he stopped, letting her collapse and breathe. "Well…that was unexpected."
"Y-yeah…N-not a word…to ANYONE about that!" She breathed out heavily.
"Course…" While she was breathing hard, he eyed her chest, watching it slightly wobble with her breaths. Extending his reach, he glided his hands toward her chest, going across her middle to them.
She looked down with a snap, watching where his hands were going. Her heartbeat accelerated the closer his fingers got. What she expected was for him to either grab her breasts through her shirt or reach under but he grabbed the bottom of her shirt instead, making her heart spike. It wasn't like it was the first he's seen her breasts but something about the mood and made this feel like first.
With a swallow, Poch pulled up, releasing her tits, ogling at them. She wasn't that big but they were a nice handful for him, coping himself a feel, pressing his palms against her nipples and squeezing gently. He heard a soft moan from his girlfriend, meaning he was doing good. Rotating his wrists and hands, he started to tenderly knead her breast, rubbing his palms across her teats.
Loona was biting her lips, gripping the sheets, and wagging her tail, his hands were so good to her that she swore he coulda been a masseuse if he wanted. She felt lucky to be able to get such a treatment, her inner thighs getting hotter with each tender squeeze and rub. A whine escaped her lips when he let go, but didn't protest or say anything as she felt his fingers glide around, maneuvering around in a different grip, surrounding her areola with his thumb at the bottom and his digits on top, pressing them in. "NNNG!" She nearly jumped, jolts going through her body from contact. Twisting and gripping around her breast was making her body tremble almost as much as the belly rub. She was panting and her tail was wagging non stop, with her mind getting a bit fuzzy. After a few squeezes, he eased his thumb up and pushed them against her nipple. "AH!"
Poch was giving a wry smile, glad he was pleasing her, pushing again. He moved his thumbs around her tits like they were joysticks, moving them in every direction, rolling them around but gently. Her moans felt good to hear and it made him want to keep going but there was a problem. All of this was new to him, something he's never done before, and while he was glad he was doing good he was nervous going forward, nervous and afraid he'd mess up on something. Moving his hands away, he shoved his in, taking in her smell and smoothly motorboating her boobs.
"That…kinda tickles," Loona commented, trying not to giggle and groan.
"..." Poch stopped moving his head, "Um…do…do you want me to keep going?"
"Huh?" She looked down at him confused.
"Do you want me to keep going?"
Feeling a tad of awkwardness in the tension, she asked: "...Do you?"
"...I will if you want me to."
"But do YOU want to?"
"I…Ok," He leaned up, avoiding eye contact, "I've never done this with…any girl in my life…this is all new to me and…it's not like I don't want to keep going, I'm just…" There was a brief moment of looking at her before moving his eyes down, "afraid to disappoint."
"..." She grabbed his face, pulling it towards her, and placed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Once separated, Loona said: "You could NEVER disappoint me," rubbing her thumbs across his cheeks he continued, "I'm really enjoying this but…I dont wanna rush you, If you wanna take it slow…I'm ok with that…this is all new for me too," She smiled, "sorry if I…made this rushed."
Poch returned the smile, nuzzling his head against her chin and neck. "You didn't."
"Heh," She wrapped her arms around him, encircling her tail around his waist, "I love you."
"I love you too."
They cuddled and drifted to sleep.
Elina was humming, setting a small baking dish on the table next to a few others with a plate of rolls in the center with two bowls of chips, one with fritos, the other with tostitos. She sighed in satisfaction, grabbing some smaller bowls and silverware. While placing them down she got a message from Stolas. Once replying, she stood in her living room, waiting patiently. A gateway was opening, but it was slow and a tad unstable, shrinking every now and then before refining and opening up.
Stolas was the first to enter, poking his head out, and looking around. "Well done, Octavia!" He stated, walking in.
The others came in with Octavia slugging in. "That was difficult."
Loona patted her on the back. "You're getting better at it."
"Soon to be a pro," Dundy added.
"Thanks," She managed to smile, approaching Elina, "Hi Elina."
"Hello, little Owlette," Elina hugged before going to Dundy, "and hello," She grabbed onto him and lifted him, "Son!"
"M-mother!" Dundy exclaimed in embarrassment.
"Hmm…" She raised him up and down, "You feel a tad heavier. You aren't getting fat on me are you?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
"You're not trying to get soft are you?"
"Why would I do that?"
"To give Octavia something soft to cuddle against, of course."
"What!?" He blushed.
"You don't have to worry about that," Octavia chuckled, "His feathers are softer than you think."
"How do you know that?" Stolas said with some menace.
"Oh, Dundy can tell you why?"
"Dundy…" His glare went to the owl exterminator.
"Please don't make this worse," Dundy pleaded, "And let me down!"
"Not till you tell me why," Elina smirked along with everyone else.
"Why me?" He facepalmed in agony.
"Now then," Stolas clapped his hands, there was still a fierce aura around him but it calmed down, "Clarks done with work so Im go ahead and bring him here. We can eat and then go into discussions because I believe Solis has something to share too."
"I do, but it can wait til Clark's done," Solis mentioned.
"Great! Octavia?"
"Im…gonna leave this one to you," Octavia passed.
"You sure? It's good practice."
"Yeah but, hell to earth is one thing but earth to earth is another, also I don't know his location."
"It's not that different, but that last part is true. Alright," He reached out and opened his portal, "Come in."
Clark entered the room, wearing casual clothes, "Thank you," Once he came in he entered into his fallen angel form, "Much better," He stated, stretching his wings.
"Is using a disguise tiring?" Shred asked.
"For me it's like covering myself in a second skin, binds my wings and everything."
"Makes sense."
"Now that everyones here," Elina spoke, "let us eat!" She went to the kitchen with everyone following. "Now, I know how weak some of your tongues are, so I made three versions," She uncovered one, it looked like regular chili except there were no beans and bits of sliced bratwurst inside, "Normal sausage version," She got the next, it was a bit saucier with no sausage bits but shekels of corn and green beans, "Vegetable, this with a tad spice, And finally," She uncovered the final, smaller tin, revealing a regular looking chili with burning red colored sauce all over it and a coating of green and red flakes with a bit of parsley, "one of my specialties…the slow volcano."
Those who knew Elina well gulped at it, while those who didn't looked at it with intrigue. Clark didn't know her well but the danger sense he acquired over the time was kicking in.
"Hehehe," She took a bowl and scooped some in, offering it out, "Is there anyone brave enough to try?"
Everyone stayed silent, shaking their heads, except Blitzo and Stolas, who stepped forward.
"I ain't no whimp!" Blitzo stated.
"Quite! We'll go first!" Stolas remarked with confidence.
"Ohoho," Elina chuckled, making another bowl with two small scoops, "Brave boys," She handed them both a bowl and a fork, "But for how long?"
"Im recording this!" Octavia excitedly brought out her phone, starting to record.
Stolas and Blitzo took their first bite, chewing and humming.
"This is good," Blitzo stated, taking another bite.
"Agreed, the flavors mix so well together and this red sauce adds a kick," Stolas added, eating more.
"Huh. I expected a explo-" Poch began to speak before Octavia covered his mouth.
"Shh!" Octavia hushed.
The Goetia and Imp took the last bite of their small portion.
"A little stingy to give us just just a small bit," Blitzo remarked.
Octavia held up her fingers, counting down from five.
"Yes," Stolas said, "Could we have…a….aaaa-" His body stiffened and he started to tremble and sweat.
"Hrng mng grrng!" Blitzo did the same, his face scrunching up in discomfort with his red skin getting redder.
"The reason this is called the Slow volcano," Elina explained while the two felt their tongues start to pop and lips start to melt, "Is because it takes time to…" They dropped their forks and lost grip of the bowls, which Elina caught, their throats going scorched earth, "Erupt."
"HNNNNNNNNG!" There eyes bulged and tears came rushing out and they soon exploded.
*BOOOM*
"Huh?" A middle aged man who was in the park with a friend swore he heard something, "Jimmy, you hear that?"
"Eh," The man next to him shrugged, "Probably just Elina testing someone again."
"Ah, poor saps."
Stolas and Blitzo were kneeling in front of the fridge, both chugging down a gallon of milk with a waterfall of tears and sweat going down them. Octavia was busting out in laughter once they exploded, making sure she kept recording.
"Anyone else?" Elina offered.
"Nope!" Everyone shook their heads.
"Didn't think so," She smiled with some evil.
"Dude," Shred leaned into Dundy, "your moms got a torture fetish."
"This was known," Dundy replied.
"Want a copy?" Octavia offered the video.
"Are you serious?...Of course."
Everyone had eaten a good amount while Stolas and Blitzo laid on the floor half dead and half conscious, so it was decided, without speaking, that it was a good time to speak of what Clark found.
"Ok," Clark raised, taking out the journal, "about what I found. It's about why heaven closed itself off, and what could have possibly let Hell do it too…I also believe there's a second part, one that could contain more info about the writer of that book you all found in the cave."
"Lizel?" Dundy spoke.
"Supposedly. Now do you want me to start to where he first spotted a demon or later on to what led to heaven locking down?"
"Well…seeing as we're somehow gonna be involved in all this, the more we know the better right?" Shelly suggested to which everyone agreed.
"The first sighting then." He opened the journal and went near the end, "I'm going to start where it says about him hearing rumors, rumors of demons among a village. Now back in those times, demon and angel sightings weren't unheard of, but they were more discreet, like seeing them in dreams or like apparitions before them, the appearances he brought up here…well," He started to read an excerpt, "Today I was patrolling lower capitol. There have been reports of a strange creature lurking about, one with stony skin and large wings, with flames coming out their heads. The number of sightings so far have reached seven and most were those of the guard, watching the suspect flee from recent murders dealing aristocats. A pattern is believed and when night came we protected a building where a noble held a gathering, one that was quite loud, some of them men were scared, some skeptical of the so called stone man, but either way, I remained vigilant. That's when we heard screams from the back, we rushed there, and what greeted us was the smell of blood. There I saw the two we had posted behind beheaded, the culprit being a lone man wielding an ax. How he got past the other guards posted was unknown but when he saw us, he smiled and laughed."
"Cweepwy," Blitzo commented.
"He taunted about how easy it was to get through, that the power of his demonics were incredible."
"Power of his demonics…" Shred murmured, glancing at the others who were also thinking the same.
"I was enraged by the fall of my comrades but stifled it and surrounded him. There were about fifteen of us, we were well trained, and we had a Captain among us too, a man not to be trifled with as he had plenty of experience. He was ordered to kneel and raise his hands but all he did was continue to laugh. He gazed at us all with devilish eyes, saying with calm but malice: "You'll need to do so by force." And that's when he changed, his skin hardened and grayed, his legs lengthened and disfigured, his body grew thicker and his eyes turned red and yellow, his black hair turning orange and rising, the locks turning into licks of fire. The back of his shirt expanded out, ripping holes from the emergence of his large stony wings."
"Sounds like a gargoyle," Poch surmised.
"Everyone was shook with fear, shakily retreating, dropping their weapons, even the captain was in disbelief. We outnumbered him still, but were swiftly losing courage. However our captain spoke, rallied us, encouraged us of our quantity and might. With a second wind we charged. In one swing, he dismembered and killed half of us in an instant. I froze again, some of there blood adorning myself. I saw their corpses lie before me and gazed again at the monster. Was this real? I thought. The rest of us stepped back but the captain did not, he raised his sword valiantly against him. He put on a brave face but there was no denying the soft rustles he exhumed. He charged, a duel he planned to fight. It was no duel, his sword broke on first swing, his fists broke on contact, his knee snapped when making contact to his middle, and his head cracked in headbutt. The bravery I saw earlier was turning into desperation and despair. The monster laughed, applauding the captain for his attempt and telling he'd gift the captain with true despair. He formed a halberd with his right hand," Everyone's attention was perked, "and words were written, ones I did not recognize. He spout a word, War Chamber, and something emerged from his shadows."
"That's…" Octavia started.
"A shadow demon," Dundy finished.
Clark continued, "It formed a large grotesque shrine with a gaping hole in the center, a handle coming from it. He took hold and pulled out a deadly sword, stepping forward to our now trembling captain. The swing was soft and slow but enough to cut off his head. Again, he laughed, and went straight to the gathering. All I could do was watch, and hear the screams coming from inside. Those screams will forever haunt me along with his face, his smile, and that symbol on his hand," Clark looked up on the group, "You can all guess what the symbol is."
"Sheesh…so that was one of your predecessors," Shred commented.
"Was he the first?" Dundy asked, "Cause based on how he was describing the whole thing, it was like none of the other knights had seen one either."
"That or he was among the first," Clark theorized, "The knight, oh his name's Gary by the way, and his allies were found the following morning, frozen in fear and, whether on purpose or he was lucky, a survivor from the gathering was found. What was told was hard to believe, unsurprisingly, but seeing the aftermath, they knew something happened. Gary was given some time to rest and he mostly took it in solidarity, staying in his room and only leaving for food and such, barely visiting his castle."
"Mwustve weally shwok whim," Blitzo said.
"Uwndwereswandabwlt swho. Ith dher mwore?" Stolas asked.
"I'm gonna pretend I understood that and keep going," Clark continued, "he took time off, and he mostly just wrote about lamenting but he did also write about what he's been hearing in the towns near the castle, talk about demons reckoning and such."
"Gargoyles been busy," Shred stated.
"Don't assume it was just that Gargoyle, Gary didn't," Clark remarked.
"How do you mean?" Solis asked.
"Based on what he remarked, there's been appearances of other Demons like the gargoyle, not a large amount and they keep somewhat hidden but needless to say a panic was starting. That's when he asked to join a raid to a village some ways away. Some residents of that village had fled because a demon had laid to waste their land and claimed it as his own. Considering previous experiences, they were bringing the best they could for this raid. Gary agreed, though scared and all, but he remembered his father, real daddies boy this one," He remarked with a roll of his eyes.
"Kwinke," Blitzo smirked.
"Ugh," Clark was unamused by the joke but went on anyway, "So he went along for this raid…only to witness the demon they were after fighting an army of angels."
"What!?" Everyone exclaimed.
"Not Angel monsters, regular Angels. By the time the caravan got there this single demon had slain close to what could be counted as over eighty angels, all of their corpses sprawled around with more being added, the imp killing them with ease with the aid of his Shadow Demon. None of that should be a surprise for you, you've seen your abilities. The only one that gave him somewhat of a challenge was an Ars paulina such as myself but when that royal fell, a retreat was ordered. Now that I think is what led to heaven shutting itself off."
"Makes sense. Lot to fear with you guys," Solis commented.
"Normal angels can't even hold a candle to you," Elina smiled, slapping her son on his shoulder.
"What about hell? Anything that could've led to them closing?" Poch asked.
"If so, I wont know in this book. The rest of it is filled with despair and disbelief and the rise of these Ravagers, taking over towns and kingdoms. They could hardly fight back. However in the end…Gary says something about hope, about his father returning with an answer for this."
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't elaborate much, but he says an Angel has come to turn them, the knights, into angels capable of fighting the Ravagers. He ends it by saying that it was his last entry as a human."
"That means the next entry is…"
"When he becomes an angel," Dundy finished.
"You try collaborating this with Albest and/or Rex?" Shred questioned.
Clark mulled about it, "Eh, I reached out to them but they said there's nothing of significance revealed in Lizel's book."
"Really? After all this time there's nothing significant?" Shred said with doubt.
With a shrug, the exiled angel responded with: "Could be some unimportant stuff."
"Fweels wike deyr bweing sweaqy," Bitzo stated.
"What?" Octavia wanted some clarification.
"Hwe swaid iwt fwels wike deyr bwing snweaqy," Stolas spoke.
"I think he said they're being sneaky," Moxxie translated.
"Wes!"
"What's west?" Shred asked.
"I think he said yes," Dundy said.
"You sure?"
"Sorta."
"So what's next?" Solis asked Clark.
"Next, I'll see if my museum has any more journals from Gary," Clark answered.
"Alright."
"Hey hun, wanna tell them what you got?" Shelly asked her boyfriend.
"What you got?" Echo questioned.
"Oh yeah," Solis perked, "Before we got here, my computer decrypted some more and discovered a new base."
"Sweet! Where is it?" Shred asked.
"Better question," Spoke Poch, "What's in it?"
"The file read it as a base for the Disectors, their symbol was DI, and it didn't reveal much other than a floor plan but it seems like a laboratory," Solis answered.
"Awright! Wets pwan!" Blitzo raised with excitement.
"Hold it sir," Moxxie stopped, "Shouldn't we wait for Jack to get back?"
"What for?" Millie questioned, "Vacation or not, he's still benched and can't fight."
"True but he can still use Dust. He could help as a scout and make this raid go much smoother."
"Oh yeah, guess it will…long as someone keeps their phone silent," Millie said with a sly grin, sideying Poch.
Poch opened his mouth to retort but Shivarna instantly covered. "No no, you deserve that one."
"Fuck you," Poch glared.
"Was a blunder there, Poch," Loona added, petting him on the head.
"Hrm…"
"Alright, raid plan when Jack returns," Echo confirmed, "Is there anything else?" Everyone looked amongst themselves, nobody saying anything, "Guess that concludes this meeting. Any more sausage chili left?"
"Plenty," Elina offered.
"Sweet!" Shivarna took his bowl and went to table with Echo.
"Save some for the rest, you glutton," Echo chastised.
"Oh, son?" Elina called to Dundy.
"Yes," Dundy responded.
"Do you mind checking the car real quick? The engines were making a strange sound."
"Sure," He raised and made his way to the garage, "I'll give the old girl a quick look."
"You better mean the car," Elina warned with an elevated brow.
"I definitely don't mean my young mother."
"Good," She smiled, pinching his cheek as he passed.
"Ow," He groaned lowly, rubbing his face.
As soon as Dundy entered the garage, Elina winked and gave Octavia a thumbs up. "Now's your chance, dear!" She said, hushily.
"Hm?" At first Octavia was confused but quickly picked up the signal, "Oh!" Reaching into her bag she took out a slip, following after Dundy, "Thanks!" She said to Elina when she passed.
"Good luck!"
"What was that about?" Loona asked.
"I hwave a fweeling iwt dwas fwor da bwmwuda twiangul," Stolas answered.
"...What?"
Moxxie translated, "I think he said something about the Bermuda Triangle."
"What's in the-" Poch was attempting to ask until he spotted his Shadow Demon taking a spoon of the Slow Lava, "Shiv, no!"
"I can take it," Shivarna assured, bringing the spoon closer.
"Like hell! Put that spoon down!"
"Putting down," He leaned his head back and opened his mouth, looming the scoop above.
"Not there!"
While that was happening, Dundy was taking a peak in the hood of his mothers vehicle. "Hm…" Looking closely, he tried to see what was off.
"See anything?" Octavia spoke, popping beside him.
"Omph!" With a startled jump, he took a breath, relieved to see who it was, "Spooked me there. You're sneaky."
"Hehe, I guess I'm part ninja!" She mocked, holding her hands together in a jutsu symbol. Dundy rolled his eyes and looked back in, prompting her to reinquire, "So you see anything?"
"It looks like the belt gears are loose. Should be an easy fix."
"Wrench?"
"Yes, please."
Heading to the toolbox, the owlette grabbed the required tool and brought it back, "One wrench."
"Thank you," He reached in and started turning bolts.
"...So…any plans after the next Cleansing?"
"Hmm, not really. I was thinking of watching this movie that came out."
"Earth or hell?"
"Hell. It looked like a Rocky recreation but it seemed interesting. Wanna join me?"
"I would but…"
"But what? Have Grimoire training?"
"No no it's just," She nervously held the paper behind her back, swaying from side to side.
"Hm?" He glanced over at her, curiously, "Something wrong?"
"Um…" She brought the paper around, working up the courage to speak about it, "There's this…event going on in the Bermuda Triangle and… I got an invite for it."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, there's going to be gladiator events, games of conquest between royals…etcetera."
"Sounds fun if not a bit stuffy with other royals being there."
"Right? I've never been though, so I'm looking forward to it."
"Well," He grined, "hope you enjoy it."
"Actually…I'm allowed a plus one…"
"Oh?" With a pause, Dundy looked over at her.
"Yeah and…I was hoping…you could…come with?" Shyly, Octavia looked at him with a blush, antsy for an answer.
"..." With a small chuckle, placed down the wrench and held her shoulder, "I'd love to."
"Really!?" She lit up.
"Of course. I've always wondered what was in there."
"Eindrucksvoll!" Happily, she closed in and hugged him.
"Hehehe," Dundy returned the hug, "Your germans gotten better."
"It hasn't gotten that much better, I would've asked you in German if it was," She pulled back.
"Ihnen fehlt das Selbstvertrauen."
"A little."
"You understood that though."
"Well that's only cau-"
They were interrupted when Shivarna rushed in, "Hot hot hot hot!" He opened the fridge inside and took out a two gallon jug of milk, pouring it down his mouth.
"I told you!" Poch could be heard yelling from the kitchen where Elina could also be heard laughing maniacally.
Rex stood near a balcony, looking down in one of the training rooms at Corps Hq when he was approached by Albest.
"Hey Rex, was looking for ya," Albest greeted.
"Yeah?" Rex looked over.
"Y'know that fallen angel?"
"The one Jack met?"
"Very same. Well he called, wanted to know about any information from Lizel's journal."
"What'd you tell em?"
"Nothing significant but y'know…that's a lie."
"Well it's not like we can tell em what we found."
"It's not like we can't give some tidbits or warnings. You that worried about messing up the timeline."
"Well…yes."
"Seriously?" Albest reacted.
"Time's a fickle thing y'know, plus these events are complicated since it happens in the past but are triggered in the future."
"That's…confusing. I know what you meant but still. Even then, we know Toket has a copy, so should we just let him have the advantage."
"Not that simple. He's not involved in it."
"So you say," Glancing down, he noticed Tom sparring with one of the new recruits, "That guys pretty good."
"He's a little sluggish in his movements but I see potential."
"Heh, remember when we did this when we first joined?"
Rex smirked underneath his mask, "I remember. We had an Exterminator trainer but he used his human form."
"He regretted that choice when he sparred with you, nearly handed him back his ass."
"Hah, I remember. It was the first and last time we fought like that."
"You shook him so much he had you focus on the mock power control. Safe to say you got a perfect evaluation from him."
"My mind may not have remembered at that time but my body did."
"That's true."
"Hragh!" Tom yelled, managing to throw down who he was fighting.
"Agh!" The guy groaned on his back.
"Not bad," Tom smiled, giving him a hand up.
"Thanks…that mean I failed?" He asked.
Tom shook his head. "This is not that kind of test. Remember, I'm your trainer, just making sure your body's ready before you change."
"Is it really that much of a difference?"
"I may not be an Exterminator, but I've seen the difference between a brother of mine when he's changed. Do you know My Hero Academia?"
"A little behind but yeah."
"This is like training Izuku before he gets One For All, making your body ready before you change. In that there's controlling Demon Shadow energy, training your mind, and making sure you're physically ready for such a big change."
"Ok, so if I don't do this, I'll blow up."
"Not…that extreme, more so you'll stumble a lot," Tom gave him a pat, "Keep at it."
"Thanks," He walked off, going to one of the dummies.
Tom smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment, until he was approached by Jackson. "Scuse me," He said.
"Hm? Oh, Jackson right?" Tom greeted.
"That's me," Jackson nodded.
"Need something."
"I was hoping we could do a quick spar but…"
"But what?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like you not to hold back."
"Oh, tough guy huh?" He chuckled.
"It's not like that, I just haven't fought someone in a while and you seem like a good challenge."
"I was joking anyways," Tom stretched, "I'm a little curious too, I've seen you on the dummies. Come on," He ushered him to the mat.
Jackson followed and stood across from him at the center. Tom got into his fighting stance and he followed, raising his fist, spreading and balancing his feet apart, and leaning down. "Ok," He took a deep but calming breath.
"Ready?"
"Mhm," He nodded.
"...Go!"
They both charged in, Jackson making the first blow with a hammer fist. Tom blocked it but cringed, feeling how strong he was. Jackson swung more on him and Tom blocked a few but focused more on dodging, barely able to dodge a body shot. Tom retaliated, leaning and tilting over a hammer fist, thrusting his palm on his center. It connected but Jackson mostly shrugged it off, closing in, grabbing Tom's shoulder, and thrusting his fist into his side.
Tom guarded using his elbow but he felt the pain. 'Fuck, he hits like a jackhammer!' Grabbed by the other shoulder, he was pulled in and was about to be kneed in the gut but before contact could be made, he pushed and got out of Jackson's grip.
Rex and Albest were watching in interest, noting how Tom focused on evasion for his defense and Jacksons aggressive style with his strong hits.
"He's pretty good," Albest commented.
"I get the feeling he was in the military," Rex stated.
"Oh yeah? Does kinda look militaristic, his fighting style that is."
"Wouldn't be the first time we got a Military man in the corps."
Tom came in, taking a hammer hit but turning with the hit, grappling Jackson and maneuvering behind, placing him in a chokehold while locking his legs on Jacksons. He held tight but Jackson drove his elbow into his ribs numerous times, forcing him to let go and back off, barely getting a second before he was nearly uppercutted. The students nearby were watching in awe and interest at the intense fight. It was supposed to be a spar but both were giving such intense glares that it was becoming more than that. There was a heat but while intense it wasn't threatening or anything, just competitive.
Tom was avoiding Jackson's attempt to grab him, knowing well how bad it would be to get caught in one, trying a tactic of avoid and hit which helped a little, managing to make a few solid hits. His pattern was found however, Jackson kicking his leg to trip him up, giving him a chance to lock him around the middle but before he could wrap his arms around, Tom pushed up with both his leg and arm to headbutt him right in the chest. It was blocked but it still gave him some distance.
During this fight, Jackson felt something in the back of his mind, a sense of familiarity of a time long passed, giving him some adrenaline. With a roundhouse kick, he made contact with Tom's side. He caused some damage but Tom wasn't one to go down easy, grabbing his leg, pulling it in and double kicking his chest. "Urk!" Jackson blocked it but was pushed back, his stomach open and kicked by his opponent. It hurt but he didn't let that falter him, rushing in when Tom got up, looping his leg around his, tripping him and pushing on his chest to knock him down.
'Oh no you don't!' Before he could be pushed, he grabbed Jackson's neck, pulling him down with him. Once they fell, Tom tried to get up, but was grabbed and pulled in by Jackson, holding tight and aggressively kneeing him on the side and stomach. Tom curled up, shielding himself to the best of his ability, unable to pull away. He wasn't gonna let it go down there, waiting for him to pull his leg back before striking his back arms to loosen the grip and thrusting both palms on his chin to disorient him and let him roll away.
They both got up, Jackson swiftly pulling himself together and Tom gritting through the pain and there was a lot of pain. Both met eyes and both closed in, about to continue until a white blade was thrusted between them, causing them to stop.
"That's enough," Rex said, standing between the two.
"Huh?" They both looked at the Exterminator a bit aggressively.
"We got meds for Exterminators for quick recovery but not for normal humans," He sheathed his sword, "This was a good fight, but take it any further you're gonna get into an infirmary."
"Hm…" They both inspected themselves, noticing their bruises and blood on their lips.
"So take a break. Ok?"
"...Ok," Tom agreed while Jackson just nodded. Rex made his way out and Tom approached Jackson, "Hey, good fight."
"Thanks," Jackson smiled, "You too. You're tougher than I gave credit for."
"You are too, by like…alot. You got an intense fighting style."
"I appreciate that. I'm gonna keep practicing on the dummies if you don't mind."
"Go for it," He watched Jackson walk off and felt his sides, scrunching up, "Fuck… did he break a rib?" He groaned, deciding to get himself looked at.
End.
Next chapter: Crafty opposition