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 Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:14 pm
Zelcion did not like the sound of that. Fighting as a group might be necessary soon. And not just soon, very soon. It made Zelcion's skin crawl. Whatever Xelloss was up to it was something big... and it might very well be hinging on their cooperation.
"Xelloss..." Zelcion couldn't think of anything else to say or ask. He wouldn't answer questions. There was no point.
"Let's go find the last ones. There were only a few left." He called to the others. The only way to get the answers he wanted was to see this through. He didn't bother to mention that one of the remaining few was that winged demon wolf. He also idly wondered if chasing them off would count as defeating them not looking forward to a battle.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:20 pm
Zelcion was the smartest of his children, to question him so. It made Xelloss proud, though also a little irritated. "I saw movement west of here not long ago," he told them, flipping a wing open in the direction he'd spotted soquili in. "You've done well, but do try to be a little more careful around cliffs. I'll see you all soon, I'm certain." He winked at them, and then took to the air. He flapped back in the direction of the waiting mazoku lords.
It was time to set the final part of his plan into motion.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:26 pm
Zamiel could hardly believe he was doing this. The six-winged wolfish hunter was shouldering most of the weight of the injured angeni. He'd come across her staggering along with another mare named Ijn. They were looking for safety, but the angeni had seemed close to collapse. Angeni were always before enemy to him. Now, he helped one. He inexplicably couldn't let himself leave her there, not when they were all pawns in this disgusting game.
He was a hunter, but now he didn't know he wanted to be that anymore. He just wanted to leave this place.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:29 pm
The bleeding had mostly stopped, but the pain had not. Verity's whole world was consumed by that agonized throbbing and every step just made it hurt all the more. She knew she would lose the one wing. She had stopped being able to feel the tip of it long before and knew dead flesh when she saw it. Zamiel was unexpected help and she knew she owed her life to him. Still, she slowed.
She didn't come to it easily, but she made a decision. "Leave me here," she said, voice tired and distant. "Save Ijn, but leave me here. You two will be faster on your own." She wished she was able to unbind the stallion's wings, but the rope was beyond what her teeth could cut.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:31 pm
What she said made sense, but Zamiel stubbornly didn't want to listen to it. He didn't know why, but he knew he wasn't going to leave her here. "I don't think so," he growled. "The little mare can run off on her own if she's in a hurry to be somewhere."
It was the wing, he decided. That was what swayed his opinion of her. All other angeni were perfect, unreachable. The destroyed wing made her flawed, and flawed things were more worthy of saving.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:32 pm
"All right," sighed Verity, knowing that it wasn't her decision to make for the stallion. "But the kalona will find us again at this pace."
She was correct. It would not be long.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:41 pm
Xelloss landed apart from the mazoku lords. He spotted the wolf Gort first, and took the wolf aside. "Find the other mazoku," he told the wolf. "Tell them to return here." By the time the wolf ran out, delivered her message, and everyone returned, it should work out perfectly. The wolf didn't question him, dashing off after the scent of the various fighters that day.
After that, Xelloss walked to where the lords stood waiting. He looked at them, from "his lord" Ruby Eyes to Beastmaster Xellas, the one he had served all his life. This was the part that was most difficult to him, but it was crucially necessary to perform.
"My lord Rezo," he said, feigning a bow to the unicorn. "There is a situation to the east which requires a heavy hoof. The angeni have banded together and are becoming... problematic." He was sending Beastmaster away. He hadn't thought he'd ever defy her, but here he did. She would be his master no longer, though she deserved far more respect than Rezo in his treatment of her.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:45 pm
Rezo understood Xelloss' meaning immediately. "Go see to it," he told Xellas. "Kill the angeni and whoever is assisting them." He didn't know what sort of trick Xelloss was attempting now. Perhaps it was the truth, even. Whatever it was, he was feeling too sickened to question it and knew that while Phibrizzo remained by his side he would have more than enough protection to keep Xelloss at bay.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:48 pm
Xellas acknowledged the order with a rumble and a nod. She began to lumber her way to the east, but not before giving Xelloss a long look. She thought she knew her servant, but she did not recognize him now. He was up to something. Now that she looked back, she saw that he had been up to something for quite some time. She hesitated, lupine eyes boring into Xelloss. Then, she moved on.
Whatever her most prized servant was up to, she would not stop him.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:01 pm
Phibrizzo quirked an eyebrow at Xelloss's announcement. Stranger still was that Lord Ruby-eyes was sending Xellas to handle it. Was Xelloss not the lowest ranking of those present? He was no weakling either. Surely between him and his brood they could handle two measly angeni, so why send Lord Beastmaster.
Phibrizzo sneered slightly. There was something dark afoot here. He should have seen it earlier. Xelloss had hatched some scheme right under their noses and he was not about to be part of the fallback. If Rezo had any sense he would get out of there before whatever was happening came to light.
"Lord Ruby-Eyes, if the situation is dire enough to warrant the attendance of Lord Beastmaster perhaps I should accompany her." Phibrizzo said, sweet as sugar.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:08 pm
Rezo stared flatly at Phibrizzo. Apparently his last support was not so excellent a fallback as he had hoped. He would deny him. He would command him to stay, and then-
"I think that's wise, don't you, Lord Ruby Eyes?" said Xelloss, a reminder that Rezo's will was no longer his own.
"Yes," grated Rezo. "Do go attend to that." He sensed a noose tightening. Phibrizzo was potentially even more treacherous than Xelloss. If he commanded Phibrizzo to stay, he risked the wrath of both combined. At least Xelloss could be reasoned with, so he let the Hellmaster leave.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:13 pm
"And so I shall." Phibrizzo said before shrinking down into his smaller size and all but vanishing from sight. He wouldn't really go to assist Xellas. She was more than capable and to be fair he doubted that there was any real trouble anyway. He would leave and go off to scheme on his own. It had been foolish for the lords to stay together for so long anyway. Hadn't that been the point of birthing five lords to begin with? To ensure that they could spread terror over great distances. They could do that once more.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:21 pm
And so he was left alone with Xelloss. For a time Rezo said nothing, eyes fixed upon the distant horizon. So long he had been without his vision that even the simplest sights could still bring him great peace. He searched for that peace now, knowing he might not have many left.
"So, Xelloss," he asked lightly. "Is this when you tear out my throat and call yourself Ruby Eyes in my place?"
"No," said Xelloss, gaze equally distant. "You were never Ruby Eyes, and I won't be either. Ruby Eyes died a long time ago." They had been so foolish, chasing after a demon long dead. They had to be the demons in the world now, not wait for some insidious resurrection.
Far off, his children were finding their final prey.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:44 pm
Zenoskelis was no longer in the lead. That job he now happily let others take on. He had already enjoyed his brush with death, and he still hadn't forgiven Tythoss for leaving him to die. He couldn't forgive himself for his failures and cowardice facing death either, but that was another matter...
Xellra did feel a little strange at his part in the mess that had happened on the cliff. He hadn't intended to take Zenoskelis down with the kelpi. He would have dwelled upon that more if he hadn't been so curious about his father's doings. What was going on? What was the meaning beyond these exercises?
Tythoss thundered ahead frustrated that Zenoskelis still drew breath. His mind wasn't changed. Zenos should have fallen to the rocks and died just like the kelpi. Tythoss might have picked a fight with Zenoskelis and Zelcion right then and there if there wasn't already the promise of more bloodshed ahead. The trail was as clear as day, marked by the delightful scent of angeni blood. They grew close and soon there would be more death that day.
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 4:04 pm
Zelcion hung back close to his son. He wanted to ask what Xelloss had told him on the cliff but he resisted for two reasons. The first was he wasn't sure he wanted the others to hear what had been said. The second was he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on at all. That was a lie. Of course he wanted to know. He just didn't know if he wanted it weighing on his mind while they were charging off to hunt more dangerous pray. Remaining were two regular mares, the two angeni, and the pawed mutant, assuming his count was correct. The odds of finding all of them were slim but Tythoss, the b*****d, had picked up an angeni's trail. They were gaining on her was all Zelcion knew, and all he really cared to know. He was present, that was enough to keep Xelloss happy and things on track, he didn't need to get into the thick of it unless things went bad.
Liliel hadn't forgiven Tythoss for his actions earlier either. She was plotting her revenge against him but wouldn't strike just yet. She would wait for the wee hours of the morning one day, make sure he was fast asleep, and then slit his throat. They couldn't depend on him for support, that was clear as day, and while they all had their own reasons and methods of spreading fear it wouldn't be good having one nearby who would let you die. Liliel completely missed the irony that she was currently planning to betray Tythoss in a much more direct fashion.
There wasn't time for irony. She could see soquili up ahead. "Get them!" She screeched barreling forward, not bothering to take in exactly who was around. That was the angeni that had kicked her, she was weakened now and Liliel wanted her head.
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