Of Blood and Loss

XI. The Angel

Morgan was awoken by a soft conversation, he was unaware of what they were talking about but couldn't help fight an unease. The fire softly cackled at his back, softly lapping waves of warmth over him. He opened his eyes and trailed the crater edge. He felt as if he was being looked down upon, until finally.

A dark red figure.

This tall silhouette stood distant, and it forced Morgan awake. The two chatted away, and for a second the figure seemed docile. Morgan forced himself up and took a closer look. His eyes were adjusting and slowly saw more and more detail. It emanated a vermillion shade, it pulsed and flickered yet no amount of brightness could illuminate whatever the thing was or what it wore. Morgan even struggled to see the source of the light; there was a strange light coming from above he couldn't make out. His eyes moved to the face of the moon, it sat huge, high above the Crater. He could see so much detail, he could see huge marks and scars, valleys and ravines; yet when his gaze met the figure, it appeared his eyes failed him. He studied the body, he found intricate patterns. A criss-cross, mesh pattern coated it in black, concealing the glow. Morgan narrowed his eyes and found one of the sources of the Claret shade. A nice, small halo softly hovered above its head. The boy also found two curved horns protruding from the temples and arcing outward, and then skyward with a sharp turn. The charm of the Halo ran out fairly quickly as he also discovered the face that sat under the seraphic artifice was a skull, and everything made sense too quickly.

He found himself inert as the beast raised its paw. Unlike the undead, the Angel was very slow in its movements. It softly lifted its arm until it was raised about its head, and from there a soft symbol appeared; a summoning circle beguiled in the same Claret that sat inside the Angels' patterns, the same Claret that hummed above its head in a pseudo halo; and the same Claret that pierced through Morgan's eyes with its own. Red orbs softly sat inside the cavity where the eye should've sat. Morgan was no longer warmed by the fire. Hercules' voice became very clear. "Boy, you best get the fuck up into the hold." But Morgan was paralysed yet. The glow held no pupils yet the boy can tell it was staring right at him. Morgan tried to get up but he wouldn't dare avert his eyes. The Angel suddenly, yet entirely silently, released a slow ball of fire. It softly blazed up, lighting up the sky. The dark grass and flowers, to even his bed, was no alight with the soft glow of a rising fireball. Rising higher and higher, until the Angel gently lowered its arm toward the boy. Morgan leapt up, no point in staring it down anymore. Hercules and Venus have now run into the Keep, and the boy was keen to follow. He outpaced the fireball by quite a distance, but when the softly moving blaze reached the cold bedding, it exploded out, setting the encampment on fire. "Where's the fucking Revolver?" Venus screamed.

Achilles, who previously was sleeping up in the tower, was woken up. He ran over to the side of the tower overlooking the entrance, and saw the tents and logs ablaze. Suddenly he danced his gaze to the figure on the cliff. It was towering, 7-8 feet tall, slender and a mix of Midnight and Cherry. A bloodied black skeleton. Achilles moved swiftly, he set his hands into the lightning position and shot out a bolt as fast as he could, but the Angel took the hit and was undamaged. Achilles shot three or four more yet the Angel only began its descent. Despite having legs, the creature didn't walk. It hovered, ever so slightly off the ground. The beasts eyes flared, and faded again; yet Achilles launches himself to the side, as a thin beam of flame ripped through the air. It snapped one of the supports of the small roof, and then the constant beam shifted causing the rest of the wood to emblaze. The man took great care in killing the flames, using a flame position and some knowledge to make the fire die down. He let out a damn it as he glanced over at the Angel. The summoning circle had appeared in front of it, and reached in through it. And as the being slowly pulled something from the hellish ring, a javelin of fire rested in its bony palms. It gently rose it to its shoulder, and as quick as a flash; yet as quiet as a mouse, the fire javelin was ripped from its gentle owner and forced into the keeps wall. The three witnessed as the stone wall cracked and a rod of flame sat inside. Hercules grabbed Venus and Morgan by the waist, and tackled them both to the ground, just before the Javelin twisted and exploded into an inferno; destroying tables, chairs and banners. "Keep moving" The Orc bellowed, as the two ran off deeper into the keep.