God Save Us || Druig

Two

5,000 B.C  Mesopotamia

The first creature of this new planet that Agil saw was a bird. It was a thing of white feathers that seemed to glide weightlessly on the wind as the Domo descended through the sky. He did not know what type of bird it was at the time, nor it's name. (Later he found that it was a ancestor to the modern day albatross. A bird who could glide for days in the currents of the sky. Utterly free). But it was the first creature he saw and the first thing his powers mimicked. The gold energy condensing around him and taking form in the air until a bird made of glittering gold light was gliding round his room. Since then his fondness for birds stuck.

It was easy, when Ajak called those with combat powers to go down ahead of the rest of them to kill the Deviants threatening a small clifftop settlement, for him to take that image of the bird and use it. The air was open between where the Domo hovered and the waves crashing below. Calling for wings was instinctual and he was stepping off into the air in an instant. Only slightly behind Ikaris as the man was the first the take flight, his abilities obviously not needing anything to keep him in the air. The wings formed in shimmering gold of celestial magic and they caught him on the wind before he could fall further than a few feet. They extended out from his back and draped out on the currents like he had been doing this his whole life, although he could not remember it. Golden feathers blinding under the sun as he soared.

Below five Deviants had stalked from the sea and were making their way for the settlement. Ikaris had taken one and Agil looked down to see Thena falling down to spear another. A fourth was climbing from the surf when a shriek made him look up. A deviant with wings was diving for a group of humans fleeing across the clifftop. Agil tucked in his wings and dove right after it. The wind whipping his long hair round his face and tugging on the skirt of his armour as he plummeted.

They collided in midair. The deviants screeching at the sudden weight knocking it off it's course and away from the people. Agil felt the magic condense round his feet and kicked the deviant in the chest, talons made from golden strands ripping through it's flesh and tearing the life from it's body. His wings caught him as he let the creature go. The purple coiled muscles of the beast falling limp as it hit the earth, black blood soaking the grass. A flap of his wings and he landed gently on the ground. Feet hitting the soil of this planet for the first time as his bird features dissolved into nothingness. With a pleased smile, Agil turned and walked over to join his teammates as the human's stared in wonderment. Ajak smiling at him.

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He found the stairs hiding in his broom cupboard and took the coiled retractable ladder out to place on his balcony where it unfolded and expanded until there was a full staircase leading up from the ground. Phastos' handiwork recognisable in the golden gears and decorated metal. Agil didn't wait to see them start to climb it, he was already heading back inside his small studio apartment and putting the kettle on the stove. Fingers tugging his dark hair from the small ponytail on the back of his head to retie it since some of the escaped strands were starting to annoy him. One in particular was brushing his forehead and he huffed at it as it instantly slipped from the clips again. As the kettle began to bubble, he slipped off the sandals he tended to wear while painting and replaced them with slippers.

A clatter from the bedroom made him jump and he scowled as he glanced out through his little window. Thena was just reaching the door, the others behind her. As she pulled it open he dove for his bedroom. "Kettle's on!" He called as he pulled open his bedroom door and slammed it shut behind him. "Hey", he forced himself to put on a fake smile as he met the daze of the half dressed man on the bed. He was a tall dark skinned man with killer cheekbones and even better muscles. Agil couldn't recall the guy's name for the life of him. "I've had some old friends drop by unexpectedly. I need you to leave".

The man sat up with a frown but began grabbing for his clothes. "Okay I get it. I'll be out of your hair baby". Agil watched him as the guy pulled on his shirt and buttoned his jeans. "My shoes are in the hall".

That was when Kingo's voice called out audibly from the other room. "Did I just trip over a pair of underwear?"

Agil sighed deeply as the hookup from last night gave him a apologetic smile. "Just go please".

The man held up a hand. "Going. Going. I had fun last night though. Give me a call if you want to do this again", that was shared with a slow flirtatious smile. Agil sent a brief smile back before bustling the man from his bedroom. The taller man stumbled as he pulled on his socks from where they littered the living area and grabbed for his shoes. Agil snatched up the pair of boxers from the floor and flung them at the man as he went for the door leading to the lift on the side of the building.

Agil ignored the curious stares of his family as the lift rose. The hookup grinned and leant down to press a deep kiss to his lips. Agil responded for a second before pulling away as the lift doors opened. "I'll give you a call", he lied as the man stepped in.

"You'd better baby!" Then the lift was taking him away.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Sprite's voice was bored.

"I don't even remember his name", Agil shrugged as he returned to the kitchen. "Tea anyone? Also please take off your shoes". He took the now whistling kettle from the stove and began bustling round his small blue kitchen fetching teabags and mugs as the requests went up. Each person taking the time to take off their shoes and leave them by the back door where they had come in. It was only once he had gotten everyone seated round his little living room with cups; Sersi, Ikaris and Sprite on the sofa, the rest of them on chairs some of which he had moved from the kitchen table and set round the oak coffee table. That he sat back and narrowed his eyes at them.

"Now what the hell do you mean? How can Ajak be dead?"

"Deviants", Ikaris stated.

"But I swear we killed them all". Agil blinked in surprise. Then he thought. "Unless... we missed a few. I mean, that is possible. Some could have frozen in the artics and since the ice caps have been melting then they could have gotten free. If that's the case then we could have missed dozens of them".

"That's not good", Kingo muttered. It wasn't good.

"And here I was hoping we could return to Olympia soon", Agil frowned with a disappointed sigh.

"Never mind where the deviants cane from", Sersi spoke up. "Ajak is dead and she chose me to lead us. I am afraid that I have even worse news. We won't be returning to Olympia. Olympia doesn't exist".

Agil gaped. "Come again?"

Sersi gave him a sad sigh. "Olympia never existed. We were created by Arisham in a place called the world forge. We are creatures of celestial energy and mechanics, created to aid in a process called the 'Emergence'. We have no planet".

Agil stared at her for a few more seconds then began laughing.

unedited