~A Final Choice~ (Skephalo)

Chapter 27: Angel Blood

~Bad's pov~

I slowly shuffle through the smoke, careful to keep Skeppy hidden at my side.

Having a bad feeling about this would be an understatement.

Niki wouldn't call me back. I don't believe she would ever do that. Especially using a communication cube.

If this is a warning, thank you for giving me a heads up. I know if it is a warning, you probably didn't want me to come back. 

I can't just leave you there though!

The smoke began to clear up, stripping me of my cover, and throwing me into the open.

"Ah, greetings! I'm glad I caught you in time."

I am left horrified at the scene in front of me.

XD was standing, dead center of the platform, his green cloak parted to reveal the nothingness underneath, to the point of which only his hands and head remained. Beside him, Niki was completely trapped, electric green threads of magic pinning both her arms to her sides.

There is only one possible source of those ribbon at the moment... They are attached to a white, claw-like hand...

"Bad! I'm sorry!" Niki shouted at me, her ocean eyes brimming with guilt, provoking an angry response from the god.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, pulling the strings tighter, confirming that he was in fact the one causing them.

Aside from being completely tied up, she looked horrible. One of her pristine wings was bent at an odd angle, and her white robes were stained with golden blood...

Angel blood...

I take a deep breath, before beginning my response.

"Niki, is Wilbur alright?"

She rapidly nodded, every movement she made seemingly painful.

"Good." I turn my attention to the god towering over me, who was hurting my friend.

"XD, why are you here?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" He taunts, his radioactive gaze baring down on me, as his demonic voice rings out in the angelic tongue.

I bit my tongue, before making a risky decision.

I draw my sword, holding it in a defensive position.

"I told you once before, I'm not going to do that." 

He seemed displeased with my defiance, tilting his masked face to the side.

"Aww, that's adorable. You think you have a say in this. I gave you that chance..."

With that, XD swatted his free hand directly at me, a shower of the green ribbons following it.

I manage to narrowly avoid the attack the tore up the ground we were standing on, pulling Skeppy along with me... But I can move much farther than he can.

~Skeppy's pov~

Bad yanked me aside, both of us narrowly avoided the attack that shredded where we had been standing. But in the chaos, my left glove slipped off, causing Bad to loose his grip on my hand.

The demon landed at least a yard away from me, regaining his balance became his top priority as he skillfully pulled his sword to his side, preparing to make a move.

"Skeppy!"

He turned, and darted towards me, a look of panic setting in on his face. 

As wall of green forms between us, I watch helplessly as, in a flash of light, the green ribbons curl around Bad's upper body. The pressure making his sword fall to the ground with a sickening clang.

"Bad!" I yell, unintentionally slamming my right hand into the green wall. While the gloves and jewels may have dulled the reaction, pain still surged through my body, forcing me to pull my hand back as I stumble back.

I'm trapped... Between a wall of pain and a hole in the ground.

"Aww... That's unfortunate." 

My attention was drawn back to the god, who could very likely be more than twice Bad's height, as he pulled Bad towards him with the tight threads, threads connected to one of his claws.

For a god with two halos, his voice was unnervingly demonic, even more so than Bad's...

"You know, I always knew your kind and protective nature would be you undoing." XD teased. By now, he had stopped pulling at Bad, but the damage could still be seen...

Small specks of a crimson liquid dripped down to the ground under my friend. He seemed to be handling the threads better than Niki, but he is also bigger than her...

I open my mouth to shout something, anything! The small movement, one practically invisible under my box, caught the god's attention, and he immediately turned his head to address me.

"Human, if you know what's best for you, keep your mouth shut. You don't seem to realize how little you mean to me, and how fragile you are. Trust me, I'll deal with you later."

My mouth slowly shut, startled by his statement, and his dead serious tone.

"Don't. threaten him." Bad growled through clenched teeth.

XD didn't pay him any attention, instead, continuing his teasing.

"Oh Bad... Bad, darling... Realize... All of this... Is your fault."

"N-no... it's not!" Bad stumbled, taken aback by the accusation made.

If this wall wasn't stopping me, I would have run over to him. I want to hug him, and reassure him that nothing that has happened is his fault.

XD... had other plans...

"Bad...BadBoyHalo... You couldn't do one thing for me! Let's step into our history, shall we? The first thing I did, for you, was offer you a place on my guard. If you had taken it, none of us would be here... Now, I'm not still bitter about that, I am mature, and moved on. Let look at another thing, I peacefully ask for the human. I came, fully willing to discus his future. What did I get?! Negative backlash... And then you involved Niki! If you had just done as I had asked... My one request from you in over two thousand years... None of us would be here. Your Friend, Niki, is standing here, bleeding and hurt because you disobeyed me."

The evil giggle that came from behind the god's white mask as Bad shuttered, there really is no way to describe it apart from terribly horrific.

"All of this... Is your faul-"

A beam of golden light shot up, making direct contact with the side of XD's head, causing him to grasp the side of his face in pain, as he stumbled back a few feet. There was a fresh crack on his creepy mask, likely cause by the shear force of the blow.

If I had more time to have processed what had just happened, I would have began to grin like an idiot at the sight of someone making him pay for his words, his lies, even in the slightest.

That is, if XD didn't recover so soon, and didn't take action as soon as he possibly could.

He gripped the strings in one of his hands tight, and pulled the angel close to him, close enough for him to grab the back of her head with the same hand.

Niki's hand was still glowing from the attack she had launched, using an arm that she had managed to free when no one was paying attention to her.

"Take that back!" She demanded, "I could never blame Bad for anything that is happening! You, on the other hand, well..."

"I thought I told you to stay out of this." He responded in an annoyed tone "This is not your battle."

"It became my battle the second you decided to take me as your hostage."

His grip on her head became tighter, and his free hand curled into a fist, fury seeming to radiate off of him.

His feelings were cut short however, when a horrifying snap rang out through the rage-fueled silence...