Come and See [IC]

[trollthumper]

Death stood before Nick, studying him from crown to toe. The scythe shifted in his hands, as if the great reaper of millions - if not billions - was trying to find the proper grip for the familiar weapon. That dry, brittle croak drifted out from his lips again. "Mercy..."

"Think I heard that one before," Nick said. It wasn't easy to adjust your stance when your hands were covered in hardened ectoplasm - it was a bit like fighting with frozen hand wraps, only a lot more eldritch. "So, you seem to think you're still keen to wear the title. I've just gotta ask - who're you seeking mercy for? And how swift is it going to be?"

The fallen Horseman said nothing. Instead, with silent, mechanical precision, he swung for Nick. The blow went wild, but still managed to throw Nick off of his footing - the blow he'd been intending to turn likewise swung wide. And so the dance continued.

[Avenger Assembled]

Comrade Frost erupted into smoke and frozen mist, the icy chill of his body sucking the life from the unholy abomination's insects. The water froze, the air froze, the temperatures in the glade dropped to Siberia's - and then beyond. And as the Heavenly park became a most unholy frozen charnel house, Frost began to SING. 

 

"My armiyu nashu rastili v srazhen’yakh,

Zakhvatchikov podlykh s dorogi smetyom!
My v bitvakh reshayem sud’bu pokoleniy,
My k slave Otchiznu svoyu povedyom!" 

 

The freezing cold cascaded backwards along the sheets of insects, a creeping, murderous cold that devoured whatever pitiful spark of life animated the beasts, backwards closer and closer as Frost advanced on the now-shivering monster at the heart of the dying swarm, the air around them cold enough to kill any unprotected humans who might draw near. It hurt, it hurt so very, very much, but as the now-ice covered Famine fell to the ground, Frost knew he had made the right decision. 

 

"Slavsya, Otechyestvo nashe svobodnoye,
Slavy narodov nadyozhnyy oplot,
Znamya Sovetskoye, znamya narodnoye
Pust’ ot pobedy k pobede vedyot!" 

 

Standing over Famine's body, he made a decision. 

[KnightDisciple]

Somehow, Gabriel's spear was back in his hand with but a thought. He pointed to the fleeing rabble that had served Conquest, looking to the most senior of the angels at the gates.

 

"Give them a good chase for a bit, then make sure this place is secure, and see about reinforcing the other positions. I'm going to go help the others."

 

Normally a mortal wouldn't dream of commanding the Heavenly Hosts, but today wasn't an ordinary day by any stretch. Gabriel stowed both his spear and his bow, taking his Horse's reigns in both hands, wheeling into the sky at breakneck speed.

 

His voice rang out once more over the shining city, his words, his conviction, his faith, and his hope sparking hope, inspiration, and new strength in the hearts and minds of his allies.

 

"Brothers and sisters! The day is not hopeless! The one who would grind all Creation beneath his twisted iron boots lies crumbled at the Gates, never having set foot inside! 

 

So I bid you once more to stand! Our victory today is assured! You merely need grasp it! If you need my aid you have but to ask, friends! For I stand with you!"

[trollthumper]

War drove forward towards Wander, his blades cutting the air apart molecule by molecule. He had landed a good blow, sending her staggering back, and when he did, his laughter was terrible to behold. It was a raw and bloody thing, punctuated like bursts of artillery fire. He swept in, closing the gap to a millimeter, and brought his blade down on the new horsewoman. But this one did not pierce as far as he thought - indeed, it bounced off, the phantom of a thousand other blades vanishing the instant the core blade bounced off. And, before his eyes, the wounds of the impostor began to knit up.

The fallen angel let loose a roar that would shake the pillars of the earth, and charged forward again.

[Electra]

A heavy blow from War's battleaxe sent Wander reeling backwards, stains of blood blossoming along her right shoulder where her uniform and skin split open. Her arm went numb to the fingers for a moment as adrenaline and endorphins worked to stave off shock until her natural healing abilities kicked in. Between that and the blood running down her arm, she had to switch her sword to her left hand or risk dropping it. The battle continued to rage around her, deafening and disorienting, till she barely had time to raise the sword before he was upon her again. 

 

The clash of sword on sword was nearly enough to drive her to her knees, just the sound of it made her ears ring. With a grimace, Wander threw off his blade, sending it bouncing harmlessly off her chest and away. As she rose, Gabriel's voice echoed through the sky like a cry of victory already won. She wiped her free hand across her brow and grinned at War through a face streaked with blood. "I know something you don't know," she told War, circling to close with him once again. She wanted to check out the rest of the battlefield, see if her troops were holding their own, but inattention right now would mean nothing but a grisly death. Instead she waited, circled, looked for her moment. 

 

It arrived in the least auspicious of ways; one of the skirmishes nearby exploded into a bloody ruin of bodies as a pack of hellhounds scattered a small company of angels. One of the bodies landed at War's feet, and he glanced aside just for a second to smirk at it. That was enough for Wander. Tossing her sword from hand to hand, she leapt a dozen yards into the air like a bird taking wing. At the apex of her leap, she seemed to hang suspended for just a moment, brilliant in the sun, then twisted her body to descend blade-first upon a half-blinded War. Her crimson sword sliced deep into the shoulder joint of his armor, repaying wound for wound as they hit the ground together. "I'm not left-handed." In an instant she was up again. "We could use a little help over here, Gabe!" she called to the sky. 

Edited May 5, 2014 by Electra

[Avenger Assembled]

Despite the icy cold in the Heavenly air, Frost pulled back his hood as he knelt before Famine - frozen, shivering, unable to move as the cold penetrated its very core. "You know," he said conversationally, "some would say it is ludicrous nonsense for me to blame you for the things I have seen. You are avatar of destruction and famine, a natural process like hurricane or Russian imperialism." He put his hand against Famine's insect-raddled face, feeling the still-twitching locusts under the abomination's skin, stroking the frozen monster gently. "But then, I remember what real famine is. You remember Petrov village, no? Little group of Old Believers outside collective farm. Winter of '37, they were cut off by heavy snows for three months until we could make our way there. Storm of century in our little part of Ukraine. We found that, with their food gone, they had begun to eat each other." His eyes turned red and fangs bulged in his mouth. "Do you remember?" His head snapped forward like a striking snake.

[KnightDisciple]

"Ask, and ye shall receive."

 

Gabriel wasn't fooling around; it was only moments after Wander had called for aid, and he was standing there, astride the White Horse, glaring at War's battered form. 

 

"Hm. Yes, I think we should start pushing them back. The Gate is secure for now. Let me see what I can do to aid you here and now."

 

With that, the man in silver and white lifted both his arms, pointing the tip of his spear and the center of his Bow dead-center on the woozy War. He narrowed his eyes just a bit, building up enough sonic energy that most of the nearby angels (and of course Wander) could hear a faint hum...

 

Before twinned bolts of energy flew outward with enough force to make the White Horse take a single step to one side. The two bolts had already struck War head-on, with one striking him in the sternum, and one actually hitting directly on his face, both with incredible force. 

 

Gabriel couldn't help but smile a bit, though it was somewhat lopsided.

 

"Could have used aim like that a minute ago..."

[trollthumper]

The first bolt went through War's head like a .50 caliber round at close range. The head held together remarkably well, if only to show off the neat bullet wound that burned with the light of a black sun. The second bolt veered right before it hit him dead center, tearing through the armor and boring into his heart. War fell to his knees like a topping empire, absolutely silent. He raised his blade, as if to deliver one last futile swing - but as he did, the echoes it left flickered out of existence. All that was left was a rough, nearly rusted, iron sword.

Then the fallen angel hit the ground of Heaven. And as he did, War's band paused, as if a switch had been flipped in all their heads. They now, finally, took account of the battlefield. And they ran as fast as they could to the outer reaches of Heaven.

[Electra]

For a split second, Wander stared in open-mouthed astonishment at the place where War had been standing. She looked to Gabriel and blinked, then seemed to recover her wits all at once. "Well, I softened him up for you," she quipped with a quick grin and a nod of thanks. "Lemme just clean up the rest of this mess." Leaving the rusted sword where it lay, she lifted her own shining blade into the air. "Nobody stops till they're all back in hell!" she shouted to her cadre of angelic warriors, then led the charge into the horde of fleeing demons. 

 

Once the battle was joined, some of the demons turned back and continued fighting, but it hardly made a difference. Wander seemed to be a dozen places at once, sword flashing in the air as she took a head or stabbed a heart with every swing and thrust. The clean economy of motion made her look almost as though she were dancing, the wounds she'd sustained in combat with War now visible only in shredded fabric and drying blood all along her right arm. For that moment, she was War in its purest form, righteous fury poured out to end whatever would threaten the things she loved. The demons really didn't stand a chance.

[trollthumper]

Death was laughing again.

Calling it a laugh was ascribing too much charity to it. It was like somebody had managed to inject mirth into a death rattle. It was, at the same time, cold as an empty gurney and warm as a corpse left to rot in the sun. And it was really getting on Nick's nerves. Dancing around this bastard while the armies of Heaven and... elsewhere surged over one another all around them was one of the most fraught experiences of his life. And, at this point, he was kinda hoping he'd get to have more experiences in his life.

"So... I don't suppose chess would be more your speed, huh, old man?"

That got a reaction - the laughter stopped for just half a second as the scythe lashed out, bouncing off of the spell-toughened leather of his jacket. He struck as well, though Death folded back into himself quickly. But the claws caught on the fallen angel's arm, digging a deep, if horribly dry, cut.

"Damn. Last time I take the movies seriously."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel gave Wander a genuine smile.

 

"You paved the way, Wander. You held the line. Thank you. I'm going to go help Nick, then the two of us will sweep back here and help you, then check on Frost or the Gates. Call out if you need help, I'll try to be listening."

 

With a spur of his heels, he was a white streak through the air until he landed at the edge of the battlefield between Nick and the old Death. He caught Nick's comment about the movies.

 

"Well, I'm no Gandalf, but hopefully this will help."

 

His gaze turned to Death, and sharpened. He pointed his spear at the fallen-sideways angel, and power thrummed at its point.

 

"Where is your sting, oh Death?"

 

And sonic energy lanced out, striking the being center mass with incredible precision. 

[trollthumper]

The dance with Death continued, but as it did, Nick was aware of a distant light on the horizon. He didn't break his stare with the fallen angel, but he did keep the corner of his eye trained on the white beacon - which seemed to be growing larger at supersonic speeds. Soon, he realized it was more like a guided missile, and just where it was aimed.

"So... you know how they say you never hear the one with your name on it?"

Before Death could react, Nick stepped out of the way - and Gabriel made contact, the tip of his heavenly mantle piercing the twisted angel right through his ragged robes. What minute force had been holding the desiccated angel in place fell apart entirely, and the great end of all collapsed into motes of dust.

Nick brushed a few stray motes off of his jacket. "Have to admit, that was kind of epic," he said. "And it always feel weird to square off with death. Usually I like to think of us as friends." He looked out to the greater plains of Heaven. "So, where to --"

He got his answer immediately, as a great cloud of locusts rose high, above even the obscuring celestial fray.

"There's our answer."

---

Closer to ground zero, Comrade Frost had Famine in his death grip. The fallen angel had managed to resolve back into something like a singular form, as more and more of its swarm was dying. If only he could work his way up to the head..

"NNNNNNNO!"

The semi-torpid swarm erupted, as terrible locusts - larger than before, with teeth like whirring buzzsaws that dripped something caustic and volatile - swept over the heavenly host, with a good deal of the tiny insects alighting on Frost.

"YOUR KIN... YOUR FRRRRRIENDS... ALL PRRRRAYED, TO THE VERRRY END! NOT TO HEAVEN... NOT TO HELL... BUT TO ME! AND I AM NO MERRRRZZZIFUL GOD! I AM A CEAZZZELEZZZ DEVOURRRRER! TO ALLLLLLL!"

[Avenger Assembled]

Frost was driven back from his prey by the swarm that bit at his undead flesh, the attacking insects pushing back his hood and revealing the monstrous features of a draugr beneath. With his red eyes, pointed ears, bloody mouth, he looked as inhuman as the creature he fought. Snarling like a wounded animal, he pushed his way through the swarm, feeling their insectile jaws gnawing at his dead flesh. As the vampire's boots dragged on frozen topsoil and the abominable insects swarmed in unholy numbers that would have killed any human nearby, the song of their maddening wings an infernal paen to eternal hunger, the once-Heavenly glade looked like a scene from Hell itself. Frost could feel the insects crawling through the ice beneath his feet as he reached Famine again, and he knew that the monster would soon break free again to threaten all that lived. 

 

He grabbed Famine by the head, ungently this time, and shouted in its monstrous face, blotting out its words with his own. "NEVER AGAIN!" - 

 

----

 

When it was done, Frost walked out of the iced-over glade, leaving behind him the fallen bodies of the insects that had once been Famine's. So the deed is done. Famine is dead. He flexed his fingers, pulling his gloves back on with slow, deliberate care, like a drunken man trying to give the impression of sobriety. But the dead are no less dead for all that. A smile curled his lips, his teeth now human again as he pulled up his hood. As we ever have been. He willed it, and was with his peers again - the girl Wander rather than the men. "Famine is defeated," he said simply, watching the armies of their enemies retreat. "You seem to fare well here." 

[trollthumper]

By the time the others arrived, there was little trace of Famine. There was the occasional cracked carapace and frozen puddle of inner fluids, and a general sense of desperation in the air. But the former Horseman was gone, and his army of beasts and horrors was starting to withdraw, pushed towards the further edges of Heaven by the celestial forces. The thunderous roar of a trumpet split the air as Kushiel surged to the head of the host, atop a steed clad in steel. He turned his eyes towards what little remains there were to Famine.

"Huh," he said. "Not quite how I would've done it, but points for originality. Knew I made a good choice." He turned to the others. "With the generals dispatched, the ranks are starting to fall to crap. But they can still do some damage. I say we show them what happens when you try to breach the pearly gates."

The fight continued on, until the last abomination was driven from paradise. In their misshapen hearts and aberrant minds, the creatures of the abyss felt fear for the first time in a long time. And when the last of them was sent from Heaven's light, a cheer rang out through the realm, greater than any music.

[KnightDisciple]

"Sounds like a smashing idea, Nick. I believe the appropriate expression is..."

 

Gabriel spurred his horse and took to the skies, waving his lance toward what remained of the fighting.

 

"Tally ho!"

 

And so the battle was joined once more by Conquest, and the song of their victory rang like the sound of terrible drums, until their twisted enemies had had their ruins smote down, or had fled to their dark corners of existence. 

[trollthumper]

As the day - and the battle - ended, the other angels rejoined the host from the further corners of the divine realm. Leliel, her eyes burning with righteous joy, held her sword aloft, blood and ichor dripping to the sanctified ground. "Praise to the Host!" she said. "The abominations are driven back! The glory of the Shekinah remains pure! The Apocalypse is --" She looked down and noticed the substitute Horsemen looking at her. "Oh. Forgive me."

"You know, Leliel," said Kushiel, "you're kinda sexy when you're scary."

Eremiel cleared his throat. "The affair is concluded. The forces of the Unspeakable One are driven back. The Horsemen, were they able to regain their composure, could not make it back to Heaven before their point of ingress closes. And... if the stars are correct... they will have a long, long time to stew on their defeat." He looked to the Horsemen. "You have all done quite well. Perhaps, one day, we shall reconsider reopening the offices for reasons other than the Apocalypse."

"Well," said Nick, "when that day comes, give me a call. Hell, I'd be happy to temp --"

"Were you stay in Heaven for so long, you might become... a part of it."

"Then I think I'll just wait until it's time for the long retirement."

"I will see to the steeds," said Jophriel. "If our business is concluded..."

"It is not."

The angels turned as an old man clad in clothes of parchment walked towards them. He seemed small, almost shrunken, but a shadow stretched behind him that could dwarf the sun. Wander saw the eyes - the same eyes as on "Headmaster Summers" - and knew it was Azrael. "There is a promise to fulfill." He turned to Wander. "The arrangements have been made. The gap has been bridged. You may stay to conclude your business."