Hell and Consequences [Alert]

”I won’t hear that, not from a sniveling little angel!” The voice echoed through the space as the shadows wriggled and writhed, giving themselves shape far more than illusion. ”Faith is useless! You’ll know fear soon enough, you’ll break just like that toy angel!” His cacophonous laughter an echoing sound, one that would likely sting to the ears of regular men.

The congregation of shadows paused however, as the cackling ceased too. Leaving only the distance echoing sound of screams and lamentations. Even while they fought people died. ”No, I know what you really fear angel. Yeah, this’ll be way more fun. How about we play our own game, if Erebus gets to have his.” The shadows gathering into an indistinct form ceased, melting back to their incorporeal state.

”Can you save all these people? Keep them from being butchered by what they should fear?” Suddenly the shape of Jack would form in the distance, thing dangerous looking fingers raising to the skies and swaying as if orchestrating to the sounds of screams. That was followed by something less extravagant.  A familiar form taking shape before him, fearfully and lovingly drawn from the stuff of nightmares across the omniverse.

”Can you stop yourself from killing all of these little lambs?! Let’s see angel!” The fearfully crafted Seraphim, replete in power looked to Michael with a smile and was gone in a blur. The people below however, saw nothing as heads began to be divested from their heads and some were simply ripped to pieces. [darkcolor=green]”Tik tok hero! Times wasting.”[/color] The kill counter began to increase ever rapidly above the city and Jack vanished.

Behind Taliesin with a scythe in hand aimed to remove his head.

--

Jordan could feel the body of Ascendant slowly giving way under his strikes. Each hit took more purchase than the last, as if he were growing weaker or maybe the hits were somehow just growing stronger. Either way the dragon continued to strike, drawing more and more blood in the hopes he would somehow hit him hard enough to do him in. He didn’t enjoy it, killing people and yet something told him the man before him was long since dead. No longer the person who had even destroyed London, but a long since betrayal of that person.

The spell that Deimos attached to Astaroth seemed to cause his muscles to seize, his jaw growing tight and nearly rending his tongue from his mouth.  Another moment of hesitation that gave Jordan what he needed to come around and slam the fist into his temple. Turning vision into a constellation of stars that sent the brick stumbling back.

”How...” He managed to growl, drawing upon whatever reserves he had and slamming a foot forward. The strength alone was enough to crack the street, throwing Jordan’s off his step for the briefest of seconds. ”I refuse to die, not to someone like you.” The fist came barreling forward and Jordan barely had the time to raise his arm, the construct taking the brunt of the impact. He felt the pain shoot through and even rattle his own brain around a little, followed by something crumpling under his body.

A car?

He looked down to see the mangled remains of a car that had further been smashed into the side of a building. His gauntlet used as a shield was beginning to come apart, though willing it to stay together was easy enough. ”Okay, so he’s still got some juice left.” He pushed himself off of the ruined vehicle and looked to the man who was bloodied all over the face, wiping away what had been done to him with the multitude of strikes to the face. With that much blood he was sure the guy wasn’t a zombie anyway.

”Really wishing Jordan’s dad was here right now.” Thinking back to their little spar, all he knew was the guy was fast enough to hit him before he realized it and that might have been good here. He also somehow guessed his weak spot, which was...not good for someone to know.

”Not enough...Beast I need more power!”He sounded almost made, his voice wracked with a kind of strain as he supplicated to the heavens and something answered.  A blackness that rose around him like a smoke and gathered around his fists As onyx gauntlets, jagged like obsidian and radiating a danger that even Jordan could feel. To one touched by potential like Deimos, it would sign death for anyone not holding the fragment he did.

”Fine then! Let’s fucking go!” Jordan slammed his fists together unaware of the true danger.

--

The torrents of undead roved through the street.  They sought out any living flesh they could find and ripped into it. Any who fell quickly rose to join them, the dead of London begetting even more as if they were a manner of malignant cancer spreading without concern for what damage it would cause.

A good portion of people were trying to hide in buildings, loosely barricading doors in the hopes that would dissuade the undead. Even the mages in the city could only do so much to protect the people; secrecy or not. The wards would manage to chase away some of the undead but so many were too much.

There were heroes however.

The waters beneath London rose and swept across the undead. Not simply washing them away but pressure alone ripping through rotting sinew and flesh like nothing. Roving soldiers of ice and snow, some like knights in  armor and others dire-wolves ripping into the undead. A few examples spilling into the areas where Kassondra fought in her own battle.

The one behind all of this watched the warrior with an interest. When she spoke of Olympus his interest grew even more.  What the warrior would note is a form made entirely of water, a living and moving puddle appear from the cracks within the street next to her before fully rising. ”Good to see I’m not the only one trying to save this city.” He looked human enough, maybe very early twenties in a light blue jacket and a bright red beanie only really revealing some hair peaking out from it.

”Did Olympus send you or are you here on your own?”

Seraphim

Among the crowd, a young girl ran with her parents, seeking a nearby shelter.  

”Don’t worry sweetie, the shelter is just up ahead, keep running, we can make it.”

The girl smiled to her father, nodding bravely as they ran. “I know, daddy, we will make it.”

”Oh god, Charles, look...”  

Suddenly, what was a group of survivors, running for safety, suddenly turned into a wave of blood, flesh, and bones as a blur rushed through them. The little girl closed her eyes as she felt something warm splash on her face. She opened them again to see her fathers hand still holding hers. But as she looked up, her eyes grew wide as she realized the hand and forearm were no longer attached to a body, simply ending at torn flesh with a bit of the bone sticking out of a stump.  

”Mommy, d-daddy...” The girl stammered out as she looked at the street ahead, her heart sinking as she saw the bodies, mangled and torn to pieces, the only evidence of it being them, was their heads, twisted in a horrified look, laying bodyless a couple feet away from her. Their dead eyes locked onto hers as she began to cry. “”Mommy, daddy!” She froze as a shadow cascaded over her, shaped like a figure, standing behind her.  

Standing behind her, a twisted, sadistic smile on its face, was what looked like Seraphim, as it stood over the little girl, arms coated in dripping blood and flesh.  

Before the dark clone could make a move, the real Seraphim appeared, driving a hard uppercut into the clones abdomen, forcing him up into the sky. “Run.” The Angel stated to the little girl, but he disappeared into a black and gold blur, dashing after the clone. “So this is the great Jacks plan...” He stated as met with the clone, his hand on his throat as he continued upward. “Not impressed, Jack, trying to ruin my reputation, like it matters to me..!” He slammed the clone hard into the upper part of the barrier, the impact hitting hard enough to cause more cracks, but ultimately the barrier still stood. “All I care about is protecting this world from the likes of scum like you, and Erebus...” He locked eyes with the clones. “And every innocent soul this abomination has taken is on your hands, Jack, and I will make sure you pay for each one!”  

Taliesin

As the Wizard continued his chants, he could see movement in the reflection of the window in front of him. He recognized the slender frame, and the jack o’lantern head, as Jack brought the scythe out, going for a fatal strike.  

But as the scythe would swing, Taliesin vanished from his spot, leaving behind only a disembodied voice that filled the room.  

“Poor Ol’Mad Jack...” The voice spoke out, as Taliesin sat in a room across the building. “Once a name the world feared, reduced to a lowly attack dog, used and abused by his master, while they sit in their little hole in the city, safe and sound...” He chuckled. “How did you let Erebus turn you into such a pathetic joke?”  

Kasondra

As the waters rose up, Kasondra climbed onto the roof of a nearby car, keeping from getting caught in the current as it ripped the undead apart. “By the gods.” She muttered, seeing the Soldiers and Dire-Wolves, as their icy forms ripped into the flesh of the army.  

”Good to see I’m not the only one trying to save this city.”

Water took on the form of a figure, refining itself into a man, wearing a blue jacket and red beanie. Much like Kasondra, the man looked in his early twenties, but given the Demi-god was well over 2000 years old, she was skeptical. She gripped her spear tightly as she locked eyes with the man, his powers making her wary, though she could tell the water he controlled wasn’t sea water.  

”Did Olympus send you or are you here on your own?”

“No one, god or man, sends me to anything...” She stated proudly. “I am Kasondra, the daughter of Athena, and protector of the mortal world...” She pointed her spear at him, less in a threatening manner, and more as an indicator of where she directed her question. “Who are you?”

It was death by a thousand cuts on Astaroth, the card only furthering to atrophy his resistance.

He’d been so far weakened that even Deimos’s spells began to have an effect on the monstrous hell beast before him. There was a sigh of relief growing in the young dragon as it seemed this fight would be over soon enough and they’d just have to do their best to crowd control for 12 hours. There was no other way to handle Erebus other than to play his game and mitigate as many deaths as they could. Astaroth was just an obstacle that stopped them from shielding any of the hellfire that was going to be raining down on London for the next 12 hours whether they won this fight or lost it.

It wasn’t long Deimos had to think on the fact that Erebus was a constant in the equation before the sudden draw from some black corner of the universe pulled him back into the fight at hand. Something in his flared to life almost in the same fashion as when he was tossed through the void. That same pure destructive power, the power to simply cease, was radiating around Astaroth. This power was not something he was sure Jordan could walk off. This was something dangerous as hell.

The fury of the thought of Jordan potentially finally getting put down for once caused a hell of a flip of Deimos’s system. The shard residing in his flared up, burning from within as the stars in the sky began to shake as they bent to the growing emotion or their steward. The patterns beneath his wings glowed with the light of a building cosmos as he suddenly lands. Jordan was ready to fight, but he couldn’t let that happen.

A ring of draconic script glows to light around his feet the moment he hits the ground, a growing halo rotates around as the shadow of draconic horns flicker into reality, glass beads and silver chains glimmering in the shadow of the Tyr. Shimmering starlight shows as his wings spread, marred by a hint of blood. He had to stop Astaroth now or not at all.

“Jordan!” He calls, desprate to get his attention and call him off the fight.

Magic crackles along what would be a typical weakened blast of energy, however this time there was a flash of colors. Colors only a few of which the human mind could comprehend as matter gets pulled off from the outermost ridge of the universe and redirected to build here. It was like space getting filled with the creation of a universe on a much smaller more molecular scale. Cosmic dust binding with atoms and pulling the strings of reality just right to catapult them back into the cosmos just as quickly as they were created only to start the cycle of binding and creation again. It was a power that hadn’t felt his own until now. Until this point, Deimos had felt like something was missing, but now he was one step closer to being whole.

The beam stayed steady, extending from a Deimos who only seemed focused on keeping the assault on Astaroth, unsure as to whether or not the sudden spike in power was actually accomplishing anything. All he knew was if Astaroth somehow came thundering from the light of creation itself, he had to be the one to take it. He was almost certain the void wouldn’t be what killed him if he were hit, rather that the raw force of a punch might be enough to kill him. All he could do was hope that by the time this beam ran out of energy, when there was no more matter to pull from the immediate vicinity of the universe and fill the void within Astaroth that perhaps then he’d be weak enough to finish once and for all.

The shadowed mirror visage of Seraphim smirked, grasping onto the arm that clasped around his throat. He jolted against the black barrier, cracks forming out from the point of impact as they spread further and further. “Reputation?” It croaked, putting the strength within both arms upwards into the mans elbow. “No, you’ not seeing the bigger picture.  Not one of them are innocent. They were evil from birth, isn’t that right?” Pulling fingers free from his throat, he pulled Seraphim in to a powerful headbutt.

The damage was shared between them, the skin of the copies forehead splitting from the impact. “Save them or don’t, it will always be our fault. Ever the martyr I suppose.” In a blink he made distance between Seraphim and himself, black energy crackling and coalescing around clenched fists. “I’ll wipe the earth clean of these creatures. Stains on the almightys earth!” He didn’t stand and fight, instead turning to attack more of the people. To cleave their flesh from bones and render them broken sacrifices to the apocalypse that overtook the city.

It cared not for salvation but destruction.

--

”Big talk for a little wizard scared of mommy dearest!” Jack spat back, shadows and ichor leaking from the jagged and carved mouth animated on his face. Flames burned, hotter than hell within the eye holes on his head.  ”Maybe I’ll need to show you...” His voice had lost the playful tone, but bore a murderous edge. One that formed with the intense aura filled with what could be best described as blood lust.

”How about we try something else little mage!” The room around him began to waver, like vapors in the heat of a sunny day. That was followed by it melting away, revealing something else entirely.  ”If I’m just a dog being an attack dog then lets see what happens when I catch you in my jaws!” They were no longer in the same room before, instead the area had changed.

London burnt to the ground, buildings like skeletal match sticks that stretched out far and wide. ”Let’s see who’s the joke now.” Burnt skeletal corpses crawled up the side of the now ruined building, eyes glowing pin ricks within their blackened flesh.  ”I’ll show you a pathetic joke. I’ll laugh while your mind and soul get ripped apart!” These burnt and living creatures, dozens upon dozens let out shrill cries as they pulled themselves into the room through the massive holes in the walls.

They then all charged.

--

”Protector of the mortal world?” He seemed to question with a dull tone, looking around to the undead his constructs were ripping into. ”You can call me Deluge.” He said simply, more and more of the soldiers seeming to rise from the water that now swirled around his feet, a constant stream for each one that was destroyed somewhere else in the city.

The air itself was notably colder somehow. Rapidly declining with this persons existence, his breath coming out in small puffs. ”There are old dead things under the city. They’ll be rising soon.” As if responding to his assertion the sound of concrete cracking sounded in the distance, followed by a loud roar. A skeletal creature, long snout and wings with decayed membranes between thing bones rose high above the shattered remains of a building.

Black flames beleched from its maw into the sky and then came down to wash over the streets.

--

Jordan was all too ready to fight.

Despite the part of his mind screaming for him to run, there was a deeper part that screamed for him to run away. Those gauntlets were deadly, dangerous in a way that he couldn’t comprehend. Despite that he knew he couldn’t run away. There were people who would die if he ran, who would cease to exist if he did not stand his ground. This would not happen again. London would not be reduced to ash like it had once been.

He focused on that feeling within, feeding it with all the determination he had. It felt like his chest were warm, burning like a small star born. If this man wanted kill him, he’d have to do more than a weird magic item. Slipping into a stance, Jordan prepared himself to launch forward with all the might available to him. The scratch of his shoes against the concrete and the breaking sound of cracks spreading out from where he shifted.

That was when Deimos had his own interjection. One that he did not expect, a desperate call followed by searing light. One that blocked out all shadow and consumed the monster. He had little time to react, holding both hands up and a barrier of void rising to meet the attack. It didn’t last long, lacking the sheer power that came from the dragon. It broke apart like tawdry tissue paper and he was consumed. Followed by a good few city blocks beyond that point.

A burning, smoldering scar carved through the city. Leaving sections of buildings warped and melted, and the black shape of something burnt where Astaroth stood. One arm broke into cinders and blew away in the wind, a dark wrath burned in his eyes.  

”How...dare you.” It croaked,  stepping forward with shaky legs. It was alive but Jordan wasn’t sure how something could survive a blaze like that.