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Hell’s Fury-Dark Armed
Chapter VII
Dragon’s Wings
In a room with a pitch as black as night. Two men stood facing each other. They were having a transaction: a compromise of sorts. One of them lit a candle and placed it on the table. The candle gave both men silhouettes against the brick walls.
The shorter of the two had black hair, evenly cut to his shoulders. On his forehead there was a large silver, V shaped head ornament. He didn’t open his eyes. Two red tattoos ran diagonally under the slits of his eyelids. There was a sly grin upon his face. He was cloaked in black, making it impossible to see his body, even with the still candle lit. There was a trident in his leather, gloved hand. It was gold with a gothic arch upon the melding of it’s prongs.
“Well, now that you’ve captured Creed, what’s next for the great Lucifer?” His voice was shrill with defiance.
The taller being had glowing red eyes. They were truly blue, but the darkness brought an intimidating crimson glow to them. His attire was a black tuxedo. He was overly dressed, but this man had a reputation for style. Within the suit he wore a mauve undershirt, which at it’s neck had a midnight blue ascot. His lengthy cape was not cloaking him, but draped over his shoulders with, as dark as room. The cape was lined with blood, red innards. His flesh was a pale blue as if it he’d been dead, for some time. His hair was golden, several perfected bangs flowing over and framing his face.
The sound of this man, this Lucifer’s voice was cruel. No matter what was phrased, it was plunged into a deadly heave. He spoke strictly to the shorter person. “Creed was not alone, there was a female, with equal power!” He felt betrayed.
In the passing months he had attained both Creed and Xoyel. His unholy scheme involved many demons and the powers that their blood contained.
Rubbing the side of his silver tiara above his head the shorter man acted as if cleaning the piece of jewelry was a greater priority than Lucifer’s complaint. “Having trouble defeating your children?” He teased. “They were delicious weren’t they?” The man chuckled.
“Yes… Creed’s blood especially” the man bared two fangs over his lower lips, they were stained red at their tips. “I require more blood, before I can ignite my powers and become whole again! This time no tricks! Tell me you have another meal in store?”
“Come now, I always have a job for you, Lu-si-fur” He showed that same defiance again, refusing to acknowledge that this man was Lucifer.
“Guile, you wretch! I’m not your puppet!” Lucifer stepped closer. He was growing impatient. His fists clenched, nearly tearing his silk gloves at the seems.
“Perhaps, but it begs to ask the question. Why you, already possessing a body, would require the blood of your own demon children.” Guile knew the prophecy of Lucifer’s rebirth and it stated Lucifer’s body would materialize once all of his children’s blood were collected.
“I don’t need to explain myself to the likes of you!” Lucifer frowned, then immediately spoiled a grin. “It is my destiny to plunge this world into darkness and become king of hell, no human or demon has the power to stop me!” Lucifer ranted on, the egotism of this fiend began to annoy Guile.
A photo came from nowhere. It was printed on a large piece of paper made from grain. Though it seemed like it was floating toward Lucifer it was in Guile’s other hand. The darkness resonating around this person made it impossible to tell.
“This creature is even more powerful than Creed. She should serve your purpose… Lucy fur-” He dragged on the last word, nearly hissing as he phased through the wall, disappearing.
Lucifer knew Guile had left. In his hand was the paper. It was a photo of a young girl. He glanced closer to the image, bringing it to his eyes. It was a female demon with red eyes, jet black hair, with silver strands, horns protruding out above her elongated ears. Her skin was the standard pale of all the children of Satan. Her round bosom was in a tattered tank top. Lucifer grinned, smearing his finger over the girl’s face. The fiery look in the girl’s eyes made his lust for power grow. He knew she would make a delicious meal.
It was a particularly bright night for the moon was full. On a paved road in another ruined city, the shadows of many bickering creatures formed from the moonlight. Since their last battle with Creed in the holy forest Tamoka, AnRak, Shielsia and Yazl had traveled for about a month. The young boy Yazl, the holy woman Shielsia, their strong and bold leader AnRak and Tamoka the female Hellian.
A red faced Tamoka, hopped back to her feet. She was just struck in the face by a metal bible carried by the saint of Tendo; Shielsia.
“Do that again and I’ll-”
“Hmph, meaningless threats thou should not hold a grudge. Turn the other cheek and forgive!” With a smug disposition, Shielsia lectured Tamoka
“My other cheek is red too!”
The girls claws came at Shielsia who wrangled them up with a steel rope from her gown.
“Please stop fighting.” Yazl begged.
With a gentle smile Shielsia kneeled to the boy. “Don’t worry sweetie, this goblin already is a nuisance, even if we don’t fight.”
Tamoka attacked Shielsia. The word ‘goblin’ set off her rage. Surprisingly, Shielsia had a technique for stopping the assault. With a large white bow, made of what seemed to be an indestructible fabric, Tamoka’s wrists were bound.
Tamoka fell forward, kicking back to her feet, but this time AnRak latched onto her whirling tail.
“NOT A GOBLIN…” Her teeth ground together.
This was the behavioral pattern between the two girls. AnRak was growing tired of the routine. “Okay, this stupidity ends today!” He yanked the girl by the tail.
“I agree, it is rather insensitive of that crude being.” Shielsia turned her cheek, crossing her arms.
“You too, both of you must learn to get along!” AnRak lectured them for the umpteenth time.
While these three were bickering, Yazl pulled out a piece of ash. He saved it from the ruins of Worcester. With it he began to sketch drawings on the black top they stood. It was of their whole traveling brigade.
“We’ll never get to the mountain range when she’s so slow!”
“You’re the one who needs a leash!”
The black pictures on the tar were nearly impossible to see, but they were satirical images of all of them. Tamoka was a fire breathing creature. AnRak wielded a shield and sword. Shielsia, well she looked like several black balloons.
Freeing herself from the white bindings, Tamoka noticed these drawings and ignored Shielsia to critique them. “Hey, is that me?” She asked, liking how fierce the dark ash marks looked.
With a nod Yazl explained the whole family. “Here’s you, AnRak and Shielsia.”
“HA! Balloon butt!” Tamoka smirked.
“What, where?” Shielsia’s day time eyes couldn’t grasp the dark images. “I don’t see it…” She whimpered.
“Look closer!” Tamoka pushed Shielsia’s face into the rough cement.
“OWW!! Blo-blood, my nose is bleeding, these stains will never come out…” Shielsia began crying.
“That was just cruel…” AnRak helped Shielsia, giving her a tissue.
“What? Shielsia make Tamoka angry!!! Tamoka can’t help what do when angry!!” Tamoka tried to act cute and stupid like Shielsia, but this gesture really gave Yazl and AnRak the creeps.
After Shielsia’s nose finally stopped bleeding. They discussed their next course of action. They had barely traveled 30 kilometers in the past month. Still they were in England and their destination was a crossed the continents to the Himalayans.
“We’re never going to get there! You humans won’t anyways.” Tamoka grinned, because she didn’t age as fast. “Unless you start learning how to fly. Hell, I’ll go there myself!” She let her wings out getting off the ground about ten feet.
“Who will design your armor?” AnRak grinned watching the girl fall back down.
“Dammit, can’t we just ditch her! I mean she can take care of Yazl at an orphanage or something…” After she suggested this Yazl clung to her hip, he didn’t want to lose her an AnRak.
“Nope, we’re going together.”
“Well unless you got an air ship-”
“I do, so to speak.” He pointed to the south. There was a very ragged looking city half a kilometer. “It’s there in the city of Yubel!”
“Not Yubel!” Shielsia refused to go near that district.
Yubel was a city where outlaws reside, mostly mercenaries who would kill for cheap prize. They constituted themselves in the dank quarry and never let it at night. Some say that the inhabitants of Yubel are human’s possessed by those who went back to Hell.
Against all of Shielsia’s wishes, AnRak led them to dark and dank city. It seemed empty. Tamoka and AnRak were on full alert. As they walked AnRak explained in a whisper his tidings to this city. It was after he left the army and the war had ended, that he spent time with the founder of Yubel: Yugi Kalbe. The two had served together during the war.
Kalbe was a reckless gambler. One time he was in a poker game, bidding his life for an air ship. It was something the man didn’t want, or really need. It wasn’t going well, until AnRak stepped in.
“So you helped him cheat?” Tamoka interrupted the back story with an unimpressed scowl.
They were walking around the center of the dank city. Nobody or anything moved, the place was dead. Suddenly. underneath Shielsia‘s weight the ground crumbled and they all fell in.
Their fall wasn’t long. Yazl held onto Tamoka’s back, clinging to the limbs of her wings. AnRak caught Shielsia cradling her back and legs in his thick arms.
They landed in a dark cavern. The ground was loose dirt, to Tamoka’s toes. She scowled, her eyes unaffected by the darkness, seeing Shielsia saved by AnRak. This gave her the thought that being a useless human had it’s benefits. She then found herself in hate with these hypocritical thoughts, in the name of jealousy? Why the hell was she jealous? She wouldn’t even admit it to herself.
“Is everybody all right?” AnRak asked and they replied in a positive light.
“If you can call being trapped alright… We’re not alone.” Tamoka’s crimson eyes could penetrate the darkness.
“You’re right…” He put down Shielsia drawing his sword, moving in front of her. “Who’s out there!?”
There were several grungy looking men coming toward them slowly. They were invisible, but their collaborated breathing was enough to give them away. One of whom grabbed Tamoka from behind, pulling her wings. With ease she flapped him off, but Yazl was too close to a knife. Tamoka turned to face the adversary, finding more than one. She beat them away with her fists.
AnRak also defended with his sword. He bashed it against pieces of metal that were thrown at him. Each piece making a spark, which flashed the whole cavern brightly, in less time than an eye could blink.
Several overheard lights began to brighten the cavern. The place was as shabby as it felt, a mine. The attackers were barely clothed, properly. Wearing dirty rags and holding any object that could be used as a weapon, baseball bats, frying pans, old pipes.
“Stand back, I say!” AnRak swung his sword, carefully chopping off a pony tail from one of the scraggly men.
“Mah hah, mah boughtiful hair!” The man shouted angrily. He then went to strike, but a loud voice stopped him.
“Enough!”
“yes sah…” The dirt of a being backed down, as the crowd of bandits parted.
“Well, well, well if it isn’t my old friend.” The voice got closer and was with a distinguished form of relaxation and calming clarity.
Tamoka gulped. The voice, the tone. This was Creed! Until at last a being that definitely was not Creed stepped out of the crowd. It was a tall man with a skin tone as dark as night. He had long greasy hair, eyes seemed to lack any sign of a soul, with a small pair of sun glasses clung to the bane of his large nose. He was garmented in a smokers robe, which shown his brawn and furry chest. An earring of the crucifix dangled down to his shoulder.
This person addressed his crowd. “Come now, these are my guests, show them some hospitality.”
“Kalbe…” AnRak knew exactly what the man was up too. There was a bounty on his and Tamoka’s head and by this polite attitude Kalbe was well aware of the pricey reward.
“Not another word friends, come this way.” He led them down a hallway. To his own private chambers.
Here, Kalbe made sure the door was sealed shut and he walked around the people examining them. He gave no heed to the boy or AnRak. As a scoundrel it was the ladies that interested Kalbe. He gave Tamoka a quick glance, sizing up her curves, but the demonic aspect of the girl shriveled his pride. He then turned to the larger Shielsia. Obviously a pure maiden he found this one most alluring, placing his hands on her shoulders in a caress.
“So, I hear you’re in quite some heat, you and this Hellian.” He spoke as if it were a trivial joke. Turning to his desk he found the article put out in the news paper, one that still ran. This paper’s extent was to invite drafts and catch criminals.
“It’s true, we are wanted, but only by association with the disasters. In no way did we cause the tragedy in Tendo.”
“Or Worcester?”
“Yes.”
“Who cares, let’s get down the point. We need your air ship!” The miniscule girl yelled up at the tall black man.
He chuckled at her. “What’s your name sweetums?”
“Swa-sweetums?” Tamoka’s eyes crossed to her nose in confusion.
“Tamoka, that’s Yazl and this is Shielsia.” AnRak pulled Kalbe’s hands from her shoulders.
“Never spoke to a dead woman before… Now I know this is a crock of s**t.” He tossed AnRak the article.
He read it out loud. “Numerous dead in Tendo and Worcester… AnRak Raigeki with demonic accomplish, extremely dangerous…” He skimmed over as he read. “Great losses James and Shielsia of Tendo! The holy parishioner of Tendo and the saint of the forest were brutally murdered by these horrendous outlaws!” AnRak frowned, looking for the articles references, he knew before he saw the name who had poured these lies. The words in gothic italic… Ren.
The twisted grin of that grey fleshed man once again haunted AnRak’s mind. The never ending webs of lies could be seen spinning. This time he saw Ren gingerly sipping a glass of iced tea, while wearing sun glasses. He was conjuring lies for the world to know about AnRak.
“b*****d!” AnRak punched Kalbe’s desk, splitting it in half.
“Hey, that’s made from Rhinoceros ivory!” Kalbe pushed the man off, his strength an equal to AnRak’s.
“Forgive me…”
“Look, I was going to turn you guys in for the reward of one hundred and sixty seven mi…” Kalbe was grabbed by the collar of the smokers jacket. Tamoka couldn’t stand him anymore.
“Give us your damned air ship, we know it’s partially AnRak’s!”
He looked into the girl’s eyes he saw who she was. “Easy, I’m not turning you in and it’s yours under one circumstance.” He got her hands off.
“I get to keep this one.” Kalbe turned to face Shielsia, softly patting her wide rear.
“How dare you!” She swung the bible, Kalbe ducked and it struck Tamoka.
The girl fell to the ground, her face wilting. “Gah, take her please…”
“Absolutely not!” AnRak wouldn’t allow Shielsia to be traded like a common concubine. “She has to go with us.”
“Sheesh, fine… I’ve never been able to fly the darned thing anyways, but I need one small favor in return.” Kalbe smiled to Shielsia. “Don’t worry gigantums, it’s not you.”
Tamoka growled. “Come on, she’s still up for grabs, get her while she’s plump, like a stuffed turkey.” Cruelly she tugged on Shielsia’s garments, getting smacked in the face again with the bible.
“That she had coming…” AnRak shook his head. “So, what is it?” He enquired of Kalbe.
“You guys are probably going to die and I’ve grown weary of just sitting around, ruling over these dirt bags, so how’s about you give me a lift, I could use one last battle.” He gave his usual reckless grin, dusting off these words lightly.
“Where ever she goes, I’ll go…” He took Shielsia’s hands, gazing into her eyes. His hands were cold and clammy. Hers however were so warm against his touch, that steam could be created.
“No! No! No!” Shielsia shook his hands off “I refuse to go anywhere with this sin filled man!” Her wishes however, were once again ignored.
While Kalbe and AnRak discussed travel arrangements, with a sulking Shielsia, Yazl and Tamoka were taken to get new clothes. There was a man guarding the changing room.
This man had yellow eyes, blonde hair underneath a tall, yet raggedy hat. His mouth was covered by a piece of metal, but it was obvious from the scars at his upper cheeks that his mouth was in a brutal state. It seemed that he was walking in a place where he shouldn’t be, but when he was caught in the gaze of Tamoka and Yazl he found it best to escort them.
“Why, hello there. You must be Tamoka.” His voice was cheerful, hardly even muffled by the metal plating.
This greeted as kind as it was didn’t sit right with Tamoka. “How do you know my name?” Her crossed brow unnoticed by her bangs.
“Word got out about you and the others, I am of course Kalbe’s personal consignee.”
Tamoka frowned. “Well, this is the changing room?”
His head bobbed with a nod. Both Tamoka and Yazl went on in. The room was a doorless pit of clothes. The man turned away assuring he would not look. Tamoka helped Yazl pick out something that fit.
“How about this?” Yazl held up a tank top similar to hers, but way to small.
“Umm, that wouldn’t fit me…”
“No, for me dummy!”
She shook her head. “Dummy? You’ll freeze to death at winter.” She picked up a yellow and brown sweat shirt. “This will do!” She smirked forcing it onto him.
“It’s baggy…” He groaned.
Holding a pink hair bow. “Ohhh? Then I’ll just have to add…”
“Gah, that’d clash and I’m a boy!” He shouted at her snatching the bow away from her. He stomped out of the room, a little infuriated, but nothing too serious.
Tamoka smirked with a strange glee. Her eyes grazed over the piles of clothes. The man at the door held out a black tank top.
“Ahem…”
She grabbed it. “Kay, now turn away, unless you want your eyes gouged out.” She undressed quickly her wings veiling her body. Slipped into the top. It had a built in bra, though it was a bit tight, it was nothing compared to her hard armor. It passed. “Thanks guy.” She slipped onto a pair of black cargo shorts, flexing her thigh muscles.
“No need, no need at all.”
Tamoka looked back to him, but he was no longer in the door way. She glared with a sigh of suspicion, but dismissed it.
AnRak explained to Kalbe their destination and the reasons. Kalbe poked fun at creating a temple on Mt. Everest because Shielsia was present. He wanted to tease her, because he enjoyed conversing with her. She absolutely wanted nothing to do with him.
“But building a temple on that mountain… It’s just, ha!” Kalbe smirked, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“Stop that… It is a dumb idea… I want to go back, back to Tendo. I can take James’s place and, and…” Shielsia never wanted to go to Everest anyways and she was now whining to AnRak.
“We’ll be fine, I promise.” The tall leader confined her.
With that being said they gathered everything they could. There wasn’t much to pack. Several of Kalbe’s underlings aided in the packing. Tamoka and Yazl joined them in the collaborations.
They went outside. The night was beginning to fade. Kalbe walked to two giant cords that went into the brightening sky. All the citizens of Yubel came out for the departure.
“Where is it?” Yazl looked all around for the air ship.
“Look up.” Kalbe nudged the kids head upwards, but there was just a giant cloud.
As the sun rose higher, the day light revealed the disguise of the cloud. It had a silver lining, with a giant grey tail. It was a large zeppelin, cloaked in a massive white sheet, so that it would appear as a cloud to the naked eye.
“There it is my friends.” Kalbe smiled proudly. “My metal dragon.”
Tamoka opened her wings and flapped them. She spiraled upwards to the cloud-like Zeppelin. She followed the cords from the base and grabbed onto the latch on the door. She watched those below as they took the airlift. The cords cranked and the others soon joined her. She looked out from the horizon to the sunlit world, the red sky reflected her crimson eyes.
 Shielsia · Tue Sep 21, 2010 @ 12:03am · 0 Comments |
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