[IC] HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

[thewizardguy]

Far above the marshlands floated a figure, clawed feet treading on a carpet of runes, forming some form of barrier for him to stand on. His nearly translucent pearly skin shimmered in the faint sunlight of the red sun around which the planet orbited. A pair of bright blue eyes searched below, as he growled. It was a deep, guttural sound, not at all pleasant. It quite accurately depicted his opinion of his current situation.

The thick mists this planet generated clouded the surface from his eyes, and some kind of powerful natural energy flowed through the swamp. Most likely the presence of some local nature deity, or perhaps a pantheon of spirits. Whatever it was, it was messing with his senses, and pinpointing his prey had become quite a hassle. If he continued to rely on arcane vision he'd never find them. Within such an area as this, it would be nearly impossible to find even the most obvious of targets, and it was quite possible that these people were versed in stealth, hiding from his eyes. Anyone who a being like Genocide considered to be a threat would be a dangerous opponent, with the appropriate combination of intelligence and power. He couldn't touch down to the ground for fear of a sneak attack on him, but from the sky he couldn't find his prey. Truly he was face with....

Then he spotted a massive glowing angel fly past, practically wearing a neon sign.

For a moment, Cosmos simply stared. Then he simply shrugged, and made the assumption that they perhaps had more brawn then brains. Even someone stupid enough to do something as obvious as fly around in the sky on glowing wings while attempting to hide could be dangerous, provided they had enough raw magical or physical power. It was, in fact, Toguro's entire purpose in life to be the incarnation of that brawn. However, there was a reason he was the strategist of the group, and he would make sure to know his opponents better before facing them this time.

Manipulating the wind was an easy feat, and in doing so he shrouded himself in mist. Now that he had a lock on on the angel, following him was a piece of cake, and also led to the discovery of the red-clad humanoid. Both of them were pieces of work, contracted to higher beings, invisible magical chains placed on their minds and bodies. Were they aware of these chains, of the limits that had been placed upon them? It did not matter. They were a pair of zealots, admittedly for different Gods, but their devotion would make them difficult. Such people could often not be intimidated, persuaded or bribed, and would die before losing face for their goals. But this also shone some light on an excellent strategical opportunity.

Just from a glance, Cosmos could tell that the red-clad humanoid worshipped a far more bloody god. His Contract felt ancient, it felt like a primal being, most likely more of a spirit than a God. The Angel, however, reeked of righteousness and purity, a God of Order and Absolutes. A far more morally strict deity, most likely presiding over a pantheon of lesser deities and worshipped by an advanced society. Both were 'divine' beings, but that was perhaps the only comparison that could be made, and it was in this contrast that he would find his strategy. He would turn the two against each other, and as they fought, he would defeat the weakened victor. Then, the Dark One would be his for the taking, for whatever purpose Genocide had in mind.

he trailed the figures through the marsh. In this environment, hiding his presence was an easy feat. Occasionally, the red-garbed man had turned, and sniffed the air, as if attempting to catch his scent. Cosmos had taken notice of this, and altered the wind around him to prevent the humanoid from sniffing him out. The Angel, in typical fashion, remained completely oblivious to the danger, lacking the hunter-prey instincts of the red-garbed humanoid. The Dark One, unformed as it was, was impossible to judge, and even if it had sensed Cosmos, it's indecipherable motives did not cause it to warn it's current guardians. Had it known Cosmos was there, would it have been intelligent enough to realize the danger, or would it even care, seeing as how it personally would not be endangered? Cosmos decided to save these questions for a later time, when he was more at liberty to experiment.

With patience, Cosmos stalked his prey into a settlement. The locals were a primitive group of amphibious humanoid creatures. Cosmos could instantly tell the Shaman apart from the rest of them. This individual had some form of connection with the vague magical entity that encompassed this swamp, similar but also different from the Contract that bound the zealots. He would be wary of this individual. However, he would not be sufficiently skilled nor versed in the ways of magic to counter Cosmos, regardless of the power of this local deity. Power was useless in the hands of those who did not know how to use it.

After quite some time, something quite interesting occurred. The red-garbed humanoid came out from his tent, blades in hand. Bloodlust was clear in it's eyes, and yet it appeared to be headed away from the camp. It was easy to figure out what the purpose of this little excursion would be, and it would be all the more fun to exploit it to his advantage. With a simple gesture, Cosmos changed the wind, as the fog suddenly turned to a wall before strygwyr. He then ladened it with spells of misdirection, to remove one's sense of way and, particularly, smell. Anytime Strygwyr would attempt to leave the camp, he would find himself turned around, heading right back in.

Soon, he would have turned all of them against each other. Even now that the red-garbed zealot knew he was being meddled with, there was little he could do without targeting Cosmos, who was careful to hide himself from smell, sight, and arcane sense. From this point on, turning them all against one another would be easy, and once the majority of his possible opponents were dead, his job would become a walk in the park.

[thewizardguy]

Far above the marshlands floated a figure, clawed feet treading on a carpet of runes, forming some form of barrier for him to stand on. His nearly translucent pearly skin shimmered in the faint sunlight of the red sun around which the planet orbited. A pair of bright blue eyes searched below, as he growled. It was a deep, guttural sound, not at all pleasant. It quite accurately depicted his opinion of his current situation.

The thick mists this planet generated clouded the surface from his eyes, and some kind of powerful natural energy flowed through the swamp. Most likely the presence of some local nature deity, or perhaps a pantheon of spirits. Whatever it was, it was messing with his senses, and pinpointing his prey had become quite a hassle. If he continued to rely on arcane vision he'd never find them. Within such an area as this, it would be nearly impossible to find even the most obvious of targets, and it was quite possible that these people were versed in stealth, hiding from his eyes. Anyone who a being like Genocide considered to be a threat would be a dangerous opponent, with the appropriate combination of intelligence and power. He couldn't touch down to the ground for fear of a sneak attack on him, but from the sky he couldn't find his prey. Truly he was face with....

Then he spotted a massive glowing angel fly past, practically wearing a neon sign.

For a moment, Cosmos simply stared. Then he simply shrugged, and made the assumption that they perhaps had more brawn then brains. Even someone stupid enough to do something as obvious as fly around in the sky on glowing wings while attempting to hide could be dangerous, provided they had enough raw magical or physical power. It was, in fact, Toguro's entire purpose in life to be the incarnation of that brawn. However, there was a reason he was the strategist of the group, and he would make sure to know his opponents better before facing them this time.

Manipulating the wind was an easy feat, and in doing so he shrouded himself in mist. Now that he had a lock on on the angel, following him was a piece of cake, and also led to the discovery of the red-clad humanoid. Both of them were pieces of work, contracted to higher beings, invisible magical chains placed on their minds and bodies. Were they aware of these chains, of the limits that had been placed upon them? It did not matter. They were a pair of zealots, admittedly for different Gods, but their devotion would make them difficult. Such people could often not be intimidated, persuaded or bribed, and would die before losing face for their goals. But this also shone some light on an excellent strategical opportunity.

Just from a glance, Cosmos could tell that the red-clad humanoid worshipped a far more bloody god. His Contract felt ancient, it felt like a primal being, most likely more of a spirit than a God. The Angel, however, reeked of righteousness and purity, a God of Order and Absolutes. A far more morally strict deity, most likely presiding over a pantheon of lesser deities and worshipped by an advanced society. Both were 'divine' beings, but that was perhaps the only comparison that could be made, and it was in this contrast that he would find his strategy. He would turn the two against each other, and as they fought, he would defeat the weakened victor. Then, the Dark One would be his for the taking, for whatever purpose Genocide had in mind.

he trailed the figures through the marsh. In this environment, hiding his presence was an easy feat. Occasionally, the red-garbed man had turned, and sniffed the air, as if attempting to catch his scent. Cosmos had taken notice of this, and altered the wind around him to prevent the humanoid from sniffing him out. The Angel, in typical fashion, remained completely oblivious to the danger, lacking the hunter-prey instincts of the red-garbed humanoid. The Dark One, unformed as it was, was impossible to judge, and even if it had sensed Cosmos, it's indecipherable motives did not cause it to warn it's current guardians. Had it known Cosmos was there, would it have been intelligent enough to realize the danger, or would it even care, seeing as how it personally would not be endangered? Cosmos decided to save these questions for a later time, when he was more at liberty to experiment.

With patience, Cosmos stalked his prey into a settlement. The locals were a primitive group of amphibious humanoid creatures. Cosmos could instantly tell the Shaman apart from the rest of them. This individual had some form of connection with the vague magical entity that encompassed this swamp, similar but also different from the Contract that bound the zealots. He would be wary of this individual. However, he would not be sufficiently skilled nor versed in the ways of magic to counter Cosmos, regardless of the power of this local deity. Power was useless in the hands of those who did not know how to use it.

After quite some time, something quite interesting occurred. The red-garbed humanoid came out from his tent, blades in hand. Bloodlust was clear in it's eyes, and yet it appeared to be headed away from the camp. It was easy to figure out what the purpose of this little excursion would be, and it would be all the more fun to exploit it to his advantage. With a simple gesture, Cosmos changed the wind, as the fog suddenly turned to a wall before strygwyr. He then ladened it with spells of misdirection, to remove one's sense of way and, particularly, smell. Anytime Strygwyr would attempt to leave the camp, he would find himself turned around, heading right back in.

Soon, he would have turned all of them against each other. Even now that the red-garbed zealot knew he was being meddled with, there was little he could do without targeting Cosmos, who was careful to hide himself from smell, sight, and arcane sense. From this point on, turning them all against one another would be easy, and once the majority of his possible opponents were dead, his job would become a walk in the park.

[kishin asura]

thewizardguy said
Far above the marshlands floated a figure, clawed feet treading on a carpet of runes, forming some form of barrier for him to stand on. His nearly translucent pearly skin shimmered in the faint sunlight of the red sun around which the planet orbited. A pair of bright blue eyes searched below, as he growled. It was a deep, guttural sound, not at all pleasant. It quite accurately depicted his opinion of his current situation.The thick mists this planet generated clouded the surface from his eyes, and some kind of powerful natural energy flowed through the swamp. Most likely the presence of some local nature deity, or perhaps a pantheon of spirits. Whatever it was, it was messing with his senses, and pinpointing his prey had become quite a hassle. If he continued to rely on arcane vision he'd never find them. Within such an area as this, it would be nearly impossible to find even the most obvious of targets, and it was quite possible that these people were versed in stealth, hiding from his eyes. Anyone who a being like Genocide considered to be a threat would be a dangerous opponent, with the appropriate combination of intelligence and power. He couldn't touch down to the ground for fear of a sneak attack on him, but from the sky he couldn't find his prey. Truly he was face with....Then he spotted a massive glowing angel fly past, practically wearing a neon sign.For a moment, Cosmos simply stared. Then he simply shrugged, and made the assumption that they perhaps had more brawn then brains. Even someone stupid enough to do something as obvious as fly around in the sky on glowing wings while attempting to hide could be dangerous, provided they had enough raw magical or physical power. It was, in fact, Toguro's entire purpose in life to be the incarnation of that brawn. However, there was a reason he was the strategist of the group, and he would make sure to know his opponents better before facing them this time.Manipulating the wind was an easy feat, and in doing so he shrouded himself in mist. Now that he had a lock on on the angel, following him was a piece of cake, and also led to the discovery of the red-clad humanoid. Both of them were pieces of work, contracted to higher beings, invisible magical chains placed on their minds and bodies. Were they aware of these chains, of the limits that had been placed upon them? It did not matter. They were a pair of zealots, admittedly for different Gods, but their devotion would make them difficult. Such people could often not be intimidated, persuaded or bribed, and would die before losing face for their goals. But this also shone some light on an excellent strategical opportunity.Just from a glance, Cosmos could tell that the red-clad humanoid worshipped a far more bloody god. His Contract felt ancient, it felt like a primal being, most likely more of a spirit than a God. The Angel, however, reeked of righteousness and purity, a God of Order and Absolutes. A far more morally strict deity, most likely presiding over a pantheon of lesser deities and worshipped by an advanced society. Both were 'divine' beings, but that was perhaps the only comparison that could be made, and it was in this contrast that he would find his strategy. He would turn the two against each other, and as they fought, he would defeat the weakened victor. Then, the Dark One would be his for the taking, for whatever purpose Genocide had in mind.he trailed the figures through the marsh. In this environment, hiding his presence was an easy feat. Occasionally, the red-garbed man had turned, and sniffed the air, as if attempting to catch his scent. Cosmos had taken notice of this, and altered the wind around him to prevent the humanoid from sniffing him out. The Angel, in typical fashion, remained completely oblivious to the danger, lacking the hunter-prey instincts of the red-garbed humanoid. The Dark One, unformed as it was, was impossible to judge, and even if it had sensed Cosmos, it's indecipherable motives did not cause it to warn it's current guardians. Had it known Cosmos was there, would it have been intelligent enough to realize the danger, or would it even care, seeing as how it personally would not be endangered? Cosmos decided to save these questions for a later time, when he was more at liberty to experiment.With patience, Cosmos stalked his prey into a settlement. The locals were a primitive group of amphibious humanoid creatures. Cosmos could instantly tell the Shaman apart from the rest of them. This individual had some form of connection with the vague magical entity that encompassed this swamp, similar but also different from the Contract that bound the zealots. He would be wary of this individual. However, he would not be sufficiently skilled nor versed in the ways of magic to counter Cosmos, regardless of the power of this local deity. Power was useless in the hands of those who did not know how to use it. After quite some time, something quite interesting occurred. The red-garbed humanoid came out from his tent, blades in hand. Bloodlust was clear in it's eyes, and yet it appeared to be headed away from the camp. It was easy to figure out what the purpose of this little excursion would be, and it would be all the more fun to exploit it to his advantage. With a simple gesture, Cosmos changed the wind, as the fog suddenly turned to a wall before strygwyr. He then ladened it with spells of misdirection, to remove one's sense of way and, particularly, smell. Anytime Strygwyr would attempt to leave the camp, he would find himself turned around, heading right back in.Soon, he would have turned all of them against each other. Even now that the red-garbed zealot knew he was being meddled with, there was little he could do without targeting Cosmos, who was careful to hide himself from smell, sight, and arcane sense. From this point on, turning them all against one another would be easy, and once the majority of his possible opponents were dead, his job would become a walk in the park.

The girl watched on. Taking another bite out of her apple. Her eyes moved. Alternating between the spells cosmos had cast, to cosmos himself. Analyzing both. She grinned and snapped her fingers. An action which caused the fog to disappear. She then threw the half eaten apple to the ground and walked toward cosmos. Knowing whatever magic he had wouldn't give her position away
((Given that the thread is starting to die, I think I might just start wrapping things up))

[kishin asura]

kishin asura said
The girl watched on. Taking another bite out of her apple. Her eyes moved. Alternating between the spells cosmos had cast, to cosmos himself. Analyzing both. She grinned and snapped her fingers. An action which caused the fog to disappear. She then threw the half eaten apple to the ground and walked toward cosmos. Knowing whatever magic he had wouldn't give her position away((Given that the thread is starting to die, I think I might just start wrapping things up))

((Btw I didn't bring najimi back......yet))

[Teoinsanity]

thewizardguy said
The large metal gate bursts open under the heavy blow, the large piece of metal skidding into the next room. A bright green glow provides a welcome relief from the encroaching darkness of the hallway, until Leeroy's eyes adjust. Chained to the walls are a series of men and women, of various shapes and sizes. Some sport several sets of arms, others are more insectlike than anything else, with no distinguishable gender. Several of Mia's zombie servants look up, bright green goggles turning and focusing, as the newcomer entered the room. Blood dripped to the ground, as eyes sunk deep into faces look up, too weary for screams, too tired to even exclaim at this unexpected turn of events. These were the newcomers to Mia's domain, those who retained their sanity, tortured only through 'conventional' means. Said conventional means are raised as one of the creatures charged Leeroy, only to be briskly slapped aside and to smash into a wall, it's metal-reinforced skeleton shattering and it's goggles cracking open. A green, slightly luminescent fluid leaks from it's wounds, even as the lights begin to flicker.\Mia simply smiled, as she layed a finger on Teo's nose. A single bright red nail pierced the skin, a drop of blood dripping down the course of his face from the slight scratch. The point seemed to be sharper than a needle, which brought unpleasant images to mind. "Alright then, now I'm just going to have to inject you with something to stop you from dying, and then we're good to go. I'll track him down, give you the tools, and you people can go on to save the entire universe! Won't it be fun? And I'll be helping you the whole time. We'll be the best of friends, I'm sure." Turning around, she gestures, as the large metal entrance opens. Surprisingly, it seemed to now look out over a vast empty chasm, a large gap where previously there had beena hallway. Far below, a faint red glow can be seen, and even up here the hot currents from the lava flows can be felt on the skin. "Now, shall we wait on the large member of our little part? He'll be here in a little bit. In the meantime, of course, I'll have you two prepared and ready to do my dirty work, and maybe teach my little toys some discipline."

"what do you mean by "dirty work?"

Teo says quizzidly,he then spins and is in a mechanic suit

"possibly ya all mean that ya need a mechanical eccxpert?"

he says in a sourthern accent

[supertinyking]

thewizardguy said
Far above the marshlands floated a figure, clawed feet treading on a carpet of runes, forming some form of barrier for him to stand on. His nearly translucent pearly skin shimmered in the faint sunlight of the red sun around which the planet orbited. A pair of bright blue eyes searched below, as he growled. It was a deep, guttural sound, not at all pleasant. It quite accurately depicted his opinion of his current situation.The thick mists this planet generated clouded the surface from his eyes, and some kind of powerful natural energy flowed through the swamp. Most likely the presence of some local nature deity, or perhaps a pantheon of spirits. Whatever it was, it was messing with his senses, and pinpointing his prey had become quite a hassle. If he continued to rely on arcane vision he'd never find them. Within such an area as this, it would be nearly impossible to find even the most obvious of targets, and it was quite possible that these people were versed in stealth, hiding from his eyes. Anyone who a being like Genocide considered to be a threat would be a dangerous opponent, with the appropriate combination of intelligence and power. He couldn't touch down to the ground for fear of a sneak attack on him, but from the sky he couldn't find his prey. Truly he was face with....Then he spotted a massive glowing angel fly past, practically wearing a neon sign.For a moment, Cosmos simply stared. Then he simply shrugged, and made the assumption that they perhaps had more brawn then brains. Even someone stupid enough to do something as obvious as fly around in the sky on glowing wings while attempting to hide could be dangerous, provided they had enough raw magical or physical power. It was, in fact, Toguro's entire purpose in life to be the incarnation of that brawn. However, there was a reason he was the strategist of the group, and he would make sure to know his opponents better before facing them this time.Manipulating the wind was an easy feat, and in doing so he shrouded himself in mist. Now that he had a lock on on the angel, following him was a piece of cake, and also led to the discovery of the red-clad humanoid. Both of them were pieces of work, contracted to higher beings, invisible magical chains placed on their minds and bodies. Were they aware of these chains, of the limits that had been placed upon them? It did not matter. They were a pair of zealots, admittedly for different Gods, but their devotion would make them difficult. Such people could often not be intimidated, persuaded or bribed, and would die before losing face for their goals. But this also shone some light on an excellent strategical opportunity.Just from a glance, Cosmos could tell that the red-clad humanoid worshipped a far more bloody god. His Contract felt ancient, it felt like a primal being, most likely more of a spirit than a God. The Angel, however, reeked of righteousness and purity, a God of Order and Absolutes. A far more morally strict deity, most likely presiding over a pantheon of lesser deities and worshipped by an advanced society. Both were 'divine' beings, but that was perhaps the only comparison that could be made, and it was in this contrast that he would find his strategy. He would turn the two against each other, and as they fought, he would defeat the weakened victor. Then, the Dark One would be his for the taking, for whatever purpose Genocide had in mind.he trailed the figures through the marsh. In this environment, hiding his presence was an easy feat. Occasionally, the red-garbed man had turned, and sniffed the air, as if attempting to catch his scent. Cosmos had taken notice of this, and altered the wind around him to prevent the humanoid from sniffing him out. The Angel, in typical fashion, remained completely oblivious to the danger, lacking the hunter-prey instincts of the red-garbed humanoid. The Dark One, unformed as it was, was impossible to judge, and even if it had sensed Cosmos, it's indecipherable motives did not cause it to warn it's current guardians. Had it known Cosmos was there, would it have been intelligent enough to realize the danger, or would it even care, seeing as how it personally would not be endangered? Cosmos decided to save these questions for a later time, when he was more at liberty to experiment.With patience, Cosmos stalked his prey into a settlement. The locals were a primitive group of amphibious humanoid creatures. Cosmos could instantly tell the Shaman apart from the rest of them. This individual had some form of connection with the vague magical entity that encompassed this swamp, similar but also different from the Contract that bound the zealots. He would be wary of this individual. However, he would not be sufficiently skilled nor versed in the ways of magic to counter Cosmos, regardless of the power of this local deity. Power was useless in the hands of those who did not know how to use it. After quite some time, something quite interesting occurred. The red-garbed humanoid came out from his tent, blades in hand. Bloodlust was clear in it's eyes, and yet it appeared to be headed away from the camp. It was easy to figure out what the purpose of this little excursion would be, and it would be all the more fun to exploit it to his advantage. With a simple gesture, Cosmos changed the wind, as the fog suddenly turned to a wall before strygwyr. He then ladened it with spells of misdirection, to remove one's sense of way and, particularly, smell. Anytime Strygwyr would attempt to leave the camp, he would find himself turned around, heading right back in.Soon, he would have turned all of them against each other. Even now that the red-garbed zealot knew he was being meddled with, there was little he could do without targeting Cosmos, who was careful to hide himself from smell, sight, and arcane sense. From this point on, turning them all against one another would be easy, and once the majority of his possible opponents were dead, his job would become a walk in the park.

As the creature Cosmos watched, and beheld the angel, and the crimson terror, he saw something else, with the angel, a small pit of darkness, flying beside him.......and to Comso's arcane senses, he beheld a creature with exceptional magical potential.
The dark one had been watching, and had been doing something...learning. It had grown large, leathery wings, making it look like a bat-snake-bug now, and on its waist, held there by a skin belt, is a small, stone spear like weapon. The dark one had also grown rapidly, going from three year old size, to ten year old. Already, it was growing...and it was rapid.

[Wraithblade6]

Strygwyr began to pick up the pace. His clawed feet left large, doglike prints in the wet earth behind him. The thirst was growing quickly like a primal need, suppressing his rationale and bending his mind into that of an animal. It called to him louder and louder as each moment went on, thundering the divine demand in his ears. '...blood...' Something akin to instinct told him he should be there by now. Something was wrong. The wind shifted and the fog thickened in front of him unnaturally, causing him to stop and sniff around him. Fangs bared in bridled fury, and behind them, the bloodseeker's wrath longed to be unleashed.

Suddenly, a small, furred creature darted up the trunk of a tree, only to be swiftly sliced in half against it. Its warm blood splattered against the wood and ran down into the grass below, a pathetic sacrifice. "When I find you..." Strygwyr knew he was being toyed with, "...I will drain you." His threat would be heard.

He sniffed again and listened a moment, pitting his senses and the will of his gods against Cosmos' magic. Finally, direction returned to him, leading him toward the amphibioid people's settlement, but on the other side from where his friends were supposedly sleeping. This was the place he had been trying to get to all along. The sense of slaughter came from here. He launched forward intently.

On this far end of the forest-swamp, a large, fairly elaborate hut of wood stood as the home of the chieftain and his family. It was marked by totems and various sacred paraphinalia and was guarded by several warriors all through the night, of which there were a few more than usual on this night. The guards warily scanned the surrounding wilderness, unnerved perhaps by the unusual winds, or was it something more? A soft rain began to fall. The sound of drops falling would provide excellent cover...

The first guard spun around with the reaction time of a trained warrior, as if he had been expecting an attack all along, yet, the marked mask and gleaming blades racing at him in a streak of red shocked him completely. Surely he had expected something else.

"BLOOD CALLS TO BLOOD!"

The primal, feathered beast was on him, wounds already open on his arms and chest. The warrior opened his frog-like mouth and bellowed some call of distress. The other warriors around the chieftain's house echoed similar calls and came bounding, spears and blades in hand, to kill this attacker.

Now on top of the body of his first sacrifice, Strygwyr inclined his head slowly and eerily toward the oncoming fighters, the most joyous and bloody smile on his face.

Eclipse shot bolt upright in bed, as if from a terrible nightmare. "Madre sacre dios!" He was saying in his own language. He looked quickly at the girl, then at Strygwyr's empty cot. Eclipse's jaw dropped, and he gasped. "Oh no.... Light no! Stryg took his weapons!" Throwing the bed coverings, Eclipse was enveloped in a flash of light which instantly and miraculously donned his armor. "Stay here!" He told the girl. "By Iomedae's grace I will stop him!" Feathers flew as the half angel exited the tent.

Only moments later, the tribal fighters were beginning to realize the power of the beast upon them. "Terror" had bloody new meaning to those still alive around the chieftain's lodge. The red creature was unstoppable, as wounds seemingly meant nothing to it. All the faster it moved as more blood spilled.

"Bloodseeker!" A white flash and a booming voice announced the paladin's presence as he landed with a crack of lightning in the front yard. His eyes and sword were glowing, and he radiated an intimidating righteousness. "How dare you turn on the people who gave you their aid! You will pay for this vile dishonor. Retribution!"

Strygwyr, possessed with bloodlust, laughed as he pulled a spear out of his own chest. "The Twins thirst for blood! And so, I give it to them." He stood up and glared down at the angellic paladin, tonfa-blades in each hand. "It is an honor to die for the Twins. They are the greatest of Gods."

"Damn your cursed gods, savage! They are devoid of honor. Their thirst would drain the world!" Fueled by his passion for the fallen beings around him, Eclipse ran straight at the blood priest. A terrible shreak sounded as their holy blades met, metal slicing against metal, edges grinding against each other like nails on chalkboard. Trading attacks, Strygwyr finally caught the angel's sword in an x-block bewteen his own weapons and pressed Eclipse back with incredible strength.

Eclispe Wouldn't back down. He took the opportunity while they were closely facing each other to trade a few words. He shook his head in disdain, "You do only what they command you... Ergh. You dog! I have to kill you, Strygwyr."

Stryg growled at the self-righteous paladin, oblivious to those crystal blue eyes. He hated Eclipse for insulting his gods and being nothing more than a servant of a lesser god himself. "You know nothing, priest of Iomedae. It is you who are blind!" With that he pulled his two blades apart, making two cuts in the edge of the angel's sword and casting it back in a show of sparks.

Eclipse's wings shot out as he grabbed the air behind him to pull himself up and away. Retreat was the only tactical option until he could make a clean strike. Holy light coursed through him like a cannon preparing to fire just as he felt sharp pain shoot through his right wing, which had beat forward to facilitate his movement. Nonetheless, Eclipse shouted as he thrust his point forward to cast the energy bolt though his weapon. Blood sprayed off his white feathers as he landed on his feet once again. His power attack hit Strygwyr, forcing him back, but surly the fiend would attack again immediately. Eclipse quickly brought up his sword in preparation. He would put up his forcefield shield too if he had enough time. His wing was cut.

In the raining darkness of night, Strygwyr seemed distracted by the angel's blood, savoring its scent as if he had no fear of his opponent whatsoever.

Eclipse hesitated, eyeing the doglike seeker. The Flayed Ones had a history about them, one known only among gods, and it involved the most heinous suffering and carnage that divinities could endure. Power was not Strygwyr's reason for serving them, and Eclipse knew that much. Short of destroying the twins themselves, there was no stopping them, not forever. Like divine vampires, their thirst was inevitable and ever returning. If Eclipse killed this Bloodseeker, he would only be reborn, and there were others as well.

The angel felt the sadness of the beings around him, their suffering and fear, the pain of betrayal by their welcomed visitors, their mourning already beginning. It struck him deeply. The truth was, he didn't want to kill his former friend, whom he had already influenced so much, even if Strygwyr didn't realize it.

Leaning forward and lifting his weapons, Strygwyr approached again, threateningly. "It is I who will kill you, white one. Your blood is rich with essence. It will feed much."

Truly, the angel had been the one to join the battle involving a bloodseeker. He was fair game.

It was then that Eclipse knew what he had to do. There was only one way to save these people and stop the bloodseeker. He had to placate the Flayed Ones. Although he did not understand the details nor the full history that was involved, Eclipse knew it would at least buy time. Maybe his bond with Iomedae gave him some kind of insight, maybe it was like a jedi's connection to the force, but somehow, this answer came to him. He had to die.

"So be it, Strygwyr." Pointing his sword to the sky, Eclipse saluted to the heavens. "Put your faith in the light, and all is possible!"

Thunder rolled as the now, heavy rain fell from the sky. Eclipse never put up his shield.
High above the clouds, a star fell from the sky.