Advent of Chaos

6

A Warlock with a gleaming winged helmet and ancient, Hive-worn robes watched through the scope of a sniper rifle, studying the large wings and bodies of the relkan-- not quite knowing what they were. He turned to his fellow Warlock to his right, further into cover than he was. He was wearing the same helmet, and robes marked with the symbol of the iron lords, fur and chainmail lining most of the armor piece, and a matching pair of gauntlets and boots.

"Your ghost getting any of this, Ankou?" The first guardian pulled in closer to cover, feeling the eyes of more than a hundred beasts lock on their position.

"Toryn." Ankou said flatly, his thick English accent barely a whisper against the thrum of power that slithered into his ears.

"What?" Toryn lowered his weapon, leaning in closer to his friend. Even the COMMs were interrupted by this mysterious force.
"He isn't responding to anything." Ankou continued, holding out the dark shell of his ghost-- who looked dormant in those moments. Not even a flicker of light manifested around its core. Toryn shook his head, the gesture something nervous-- unhurried. He proceeded to summon his own ghost to his hand, but the mechanical companion merely fell into his palm as if it had never been alive to begin with.

"The hell--" Toryn began turning to Ankou again, but a loud roar had them both alert, aiming their snipers in the direction of the beasts again. But when they peered out of cover, three of the large winged beasts were already in the air, the clearing emptying gradually as each and every single one took to the skies. Their leader, the darkest, most gargantuan one-- with the largest and most beautiful wings as dark as the night sky-- held an adamant sphere, utterly unbreakable. It appeared to serve no purpose, but Toryn knew better than to assume something like that. The simplest things had once before been the most important.

"Get out, get out. Now. Cover is useless." Ankou nudged Toryn viciously, forcing them both out of cover. And so they went toppling off of the grey rocks-- easing their way down with swift glides. Each grunted with fear, until they once more realized that their ghosts were down. They had no way of summoning their sparrows.

So Toryn turned to Ankou once more, mouthing the word like a forbidden spell. Run.

They were fast, too fast to evade, the pair realized as two monstrous, rotted bodies slammed into the ground-- making them both stagger back. Toryn was instantly back on his feet, unsheathing from his back a large, fiery sword. Its spikes flickered hungrily, as if longing for something to scorch-- and the gleaming ember gem sent out responding waves of fiery desire. Ankou was at his side not even a moment later, the cool, purple void energy manifesting along the blade from the Dark Drinker like tendrils of smoke.

"Little fighters, Mallus!" The one to the left hissed, his long, gore-rich tongue hung out of a gash in his jaw. He might as well have not had a jaw at all, as the rotting leathery flesh had suggested-- lining his chin with hot ichor. His brother wasn't nearly as rotted as him, dark spikes lining his jaw in place of his brother's decay. They exchanged hungry glances for not even a moment as they stared directly into the souls of the two guardians.

"We've hungered for battle every millennium that passed. Each and every endless day, dormant---" The one called Mallus was interrupted by his anxious brother, and growled in response as he spoke.
"A little girl woke the master not even a day ago~"

Ankou shifted with his Dark Drinker, stepping forward to speak.
"Little girl? What did you do with her?"
"Nothing, the boss let her go. She looked just like you lot, but innocent gold orbs-- they looked very delicious." Gold orbs? Eyes, eyes, Ankou quickly assumed.

Ankou held his sword further out, and ignored Toryn as his friend pointed out a faint whirring.
"What even are y---"

The left beast seemed to suddenly lose his grasp on sanity, lashing out and spreading his wings with hunger. With thick, iron claws-- he threw himself at Ankou, but Toryn threw himself at the beast, flaming sword pushing him back in a powerful swing. The two warlocks were instantly on the second, void and solar energies combining in a spiral as their swords came down as one.