Open Heaven's Protégés

[Black Yoshi]

Heaven's Protégés

A chill air passed through the cavern, accompanied by the sound of muffled wind. The cavern’s torches flickered, as though nervous they’d be overcome by the sheer cold blowing in from outside. Bits of snow found themselves wandering through the entrance of the cave, riding the wind, and touching the hard rock floor inside the chamber.

Accompanying the breeze were the sounds of steel clashing, and men shouting at one another. A method of keeping warm in the frigid air, high in the mountains. One of them, a tall and unkempt man with feathered wings, laughed and made jests as he easily parried and dodged every attempt from the other young man. The younger was of your standard, expected proportions, and his muscles expanded, his veins pronouncing themselves as he pushed his body further and further. He wore little more than a sleeveless white shirt, despite the cold, pants, and shoes. His taller winged friend was wearing loose-fitting white clothes, without sleeves as well, and heavy boots that hit the ground hard whenever he stepped.

“Surely this isn’t your best!” The tall one jested as he deflected another move without any effort.

“Shut up!” The smaller shouted as he lashed out. He released a brutal series of attacks, with uppercuts, slashes, and thrusts, but every one was knocked down with no effort.

“You’re getting too sloppy, Scott. Rest.” The Angel laughed. Scott nodded, a puff of steam appearing as he panted. He staggered back a moment, then fell to a sitting position, his sword clattering to the ground.

“Alright,” He panted. “So what exactly is going to happen once the ‘others’ get here?” The Angel laughed.

“We stop Armageddon. Satisfied?”

“Like hell I am.” Scott sniffed. The cold floor felt good on his arms, back, and chest, but his nose was already feeling frozen.

“They should be arriving any moment.” The Angel took one of the torches from the wall. There twenty in total around the chamber. “While you were on your last break, I went ahead and carved the Trinity marker by the entrance. It should notify them. That this is the correct spot, if they doubt my directions at all.”

“Do you know who’s coming?” Scott asked, getting up and walking over the frozen pool of water in the back of the chamber. He rubbed away the frost on the ice, and stared at his distorted reflection in the nearly black ice.

“Hardly. I know the faces of other Abdal, but not having names to identify each other with is something of a bother if you don’t like surprises. They most likely don’t even know it was me that sent out the location, or that it was me who originally gave notice for this little afternoon social. Whichever of the Abdal they are, I won’t be surprised if I’m in debt to them.” The Badeel folded his arms and thoughtfully stared at the cavern roof.

Scott moved again, picking up his sword. He leaned it up against the wall of the cavern, right next to the club he kept with him. “Let’s just hope that we can get out of this cold weather soon. The sooner they arrive, the sooner we get to go crusading on some holy mission or something. Bet that’ll at least be warm.” He blew air into his hands and rubbed his fingers together.

A voice came from a darkened corner near the frozen pond. “Y-y-y-yeah, tell m-me ab-b-b-bout it… Jerks c-c-c-can’t pick half d-decent places to st-stay…” The voice was high pitched, hollow, and yet incredibly immature and childish in tone. The horrid little creature that spoke shivered, huddled in a corner. He had the legs of a goat, a long, thick tail and three-clawed hands that rubbed up and down his arms in an effort to bring himself warmth. He had sharp, crooked, uneven teeth, black eyes with white pupils, and a crown of small horns surrounding his head. His deformed nose and droopy ears were tinted from the cold. Scars covered his entire body, from centuries of punishment at the whip.

“Well, sorry that you’re sensitive to the cold, Verrine, but we’re not going out of our way to satisfy the needs of an Imp.” The Angel looked down at the three-foot-high creature, who made a pouting face in return. “By the way, you should probably hide yourself.”

“Yeah, the new people might not be ‘appreciative’ of you supposedly turning over a new leaf. They might, you know, lop off your head.” Scott put in. The little devil’s jaw dropped.

“Bu-but where am I supposed to hide?!” The angel and human only looked at the entrance. The Imp realized what they intended. “No! Too cold in here, waaaaay too cold out there!”

“Well, you’ll be fine so long as you don’t get your head chopped off or caught in an explosion, right? You are a demon, after all.” Scott said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“Devil. Not demon, devil. Satan is a devil, but there is no such thing as THE Devil, who is Satan. Get it right, you twat.” But the little devil objected no further, his arguments dispelled. He went outside, and quickly buried himself in snow, shivering.

“Alright, hopefully those others get here soon.” The angel began rubbing his arms, now. “It’s getting cold, even for me.”

 

[Spatz]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

~Kyle

Kyle was humming along with the music he had playing, something along the lines of new age heavy metal. His right foot was on the accelerator, and he was driving along an empty highway to his destination. Earlier that evening Meridia had shown where on a map the 'Apprentices' were meeting, and within an hour Kyle had packed himself up and was off, leaving a message on his parents' answering machine, letting them know that he had gone on a road trip, and may not be back for several weeks.

"I don't know how you mortals can stand such a racket!" Meridia remarked loudly, ensuring Kyle could hear her over the music.

"Simple, each person has their own opinion and tastes, in some cases, it's listening to somewhat angry music, kind of like a release." Kyle replied simply, as the song changed. The 1984 Dodge Charger pealed down the blacktop, the evident modifications in it's performance being well applied.

"I also don't see the point of these autommobiles, walking, or even using a bicycle is much more practical." Meridia complained, under her breath. She knew that it quite obvious as to why they where driving, and why the vehicles were present, but needed something to fume about, as the music was starting to edge on her nerves. A quick glance at the GPS on the dash told Kyle that the turn to the gravel road was soon. With a shifting of gears he set the car into a more suitable four wheel drive as he turned onto the gravel road, slowing the car down notably, as navigating the less then safe mountainous road required care and precision. Kyle was keeping a decent pace, rounding bends and following uphill roads with a skill that seemed like a second nature, somewhat accurate due to his driving and gaming experience.

"Almost there." Kyle announced after a couple of hours. One could hear the gravel being spat by the rear-wheel drive as they approached the end of the road, a small place where Kyle could park the car, and turn it around for departure. Kyle ensured that all safeties were on, including the emergency brake. Locking the car Kyle grinned, the car's lower body hadn't been painted much, as Kyle had a habit of hitting dirt roads closer to home, and thus the underside had the funny gravel and dirt streaks. Kyle followed Meridia up the narrow path, Kyle's hiking boots coming in quite handy as the finally arrived at the small cavern entrance. The two of them entered to see another man, younger than Kyle, as well as a much larger man, likely the young man's Badeel.

 

[Thorne]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

"You never told me I would have to be prepared for this kind of weather."

"The bitter wind that bites your eyes is as dark as the shading behind the mask of the man with no face."

"Yeah, whatever you say."

There were two individuals walking through the snow, one impossibly tall man wrapped in blankets, and the other was short but still rather tall, and had a tuque lowered over his face.

"The illusion of a star lies painted upon the face of rock." The taller of the two said.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" The shorter of the two sneered back, obviously annoyed by the weather and his companion's mad raving.

"It means whatever you want it to mean."

"So does it mean we're there yet?"

"Yes."

Raising his hat to the position it was meant to be worn at, the shorter man looked around and saw a cave entrance. He shrugged, and entered.

 

[Coroxn]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

The circle of steel bit into the wall of ice, held, and Tadhg hoisted himself up a little higher. His embedded his left chakram slightly above, and pulled himself up a precious few inches. The cycle of right and left was as endless as the steel circles that were facilitating the ascent, and even more so than the amount of time he seemed to be climbing. The ground was far below him, hidden in the swirling cold that slipped through his black coat, his jumper, his t-shirt, his skin, and into his very bones. He'd looked down more than once. A single slip and this hero would become nothing more than a moderately heroic bloodstain.

Not that Tadhg felt any great fear or worry, not with his Badeel so close. It wasn't that She would catch him, or as if She were helping him in any real way, but the fact that She was here, watching him climb and not doing anything to stop it, it confirmed her assent, confirmed her belief that She thought he could do it. Her confidence gave him his own.

"There was a road, wasn't there. We're just climbing because you enjoy causing my suffering."

The monstrosity above him merely shrugged Her deformed shoulders. Four gigantic spider legs spread out from Her hips, where Her human legs should have been. They gripped and scaled they icy wall with ease. For Her, it was no different than walking on a flat surface.

"The reasons we are taking the vertical approach are many and varied. It is not my fault you do not have a machine to take us up here. On foot, we would be days. Days, Tadhg, days. This is the quickest way we have. Also, I like climbing, and yes, your discomfort is delicious."

"I hate you."

"I really care. This blank, emotionless face, it's my hurt face. Your rapier wit has left me devastated."

"I hate you."

"Broken records aren't any fun to play, Tadhg."

Tadhg shrugged, mentally, that is, and continued his climb. As he hauled his way up by inches, he muttered a great many things, inspiring chants to help him forget where he was and focus on the destination. Minutes passed. He couldn't be sure how many, and he continued to chant absentmindedly.

"What was that lyric again?" She called from above, shattering the swirling silence.

"Erm...My hands are soaking in the blood of angels, on broken wings, they collapse, will I see the light of day...Why?"

"You've been mindlessly repeating it for quite a while now."

"I have?"

"You have. We're here?"

"What?"

Her monstrous form suddenly disappeared over the edge of the cliff, and Tadhg pushed harder, throwing himself up the last few feet. The white mist swirling overhead seemed the same as it ever was, but suddenly the chakram latched onto the corner, and with a final heave, he pulled himself up. Panting heavily, he allowed himself a few minutes of rest before he stood. He cheked his home. It had been only half an hour since his feet touched the ground. It felt like an age.

She was human now, an old and elegant woman, striding ahead of him towards a cavern. He ran to catch up, chakrams twisting as if of their own accord in his hands, his weapons that accustomed to him. The cold of the outside retreated slightly as they entered.

 

[Coloursfall]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

The rhythmic thumping of her badeel's feet in the snow was soothing to Emiline, as the pair raced over the rocky landscape, her perched on the huge greyhound's back, her hands clutching his collar. Her breath clouded in the chill air, and her face was kind of cold, but otherwise she was fine - Guinny had told her to dress warm, so she had. The soft faux fur coat was a bit bulky, but warm, and she was wearing heavy boots and jeans for once. The makeshift saddlebags contained her normal clothing, and her sheathed rapier was strapped to her back securely. The goggles kept snow out of her eyes, and earmuffs were a nice bonus. Guinny didn't seem to mind the cold, but he did have fur.

The place that he was headed to seem to be approaching fast, since his greyhound body was capable of running at nearly 40 miles and hour. Emiline spotted the sliver of an entrance of a cave on the side of a great rock, and patted Guinny on the withers gently, and he nodded, not slowing down for an instant.

She leaned closer to his back, since it looked like a tight squeeze, and he slowed to a trot before slipping inside the cave.

 

[Ulqi-chan]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

"... So, um, Cyrus... Are we there yet?"

"We're close, Vera. Remember that patience is of value," the aloof Badeel replied, focusing solely on the way to the others. He was running through thin air, striding high above the clouds. Vera was hanging on to him tightly on his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. She squinted as the cold moisture from the clouds and the atmosphere itself flung into her eyes, so she had absolutely no earthly clue where Cyrus was taking her. He gave vague hints every once and a while, but none were really much help.

Finally, as the Badeel began to descend to the ground again, Vera felt her heart beat faster and faster. What was in store for her? Was it beneficial, or rather was it hurtful? The girl really didn't know what to think.

Softly landing on the icy ground, the Badeel let go of Vera's legs and the girl hopped to the snow, shivering instantly. Thank God Cyrus forced her to bring her heavy fur coat; she would've been frozen solid at this point. She glanced back at Cyrus and noticed he was already trudging forward in search of the cave. Instantly she followed, snuggling close to his side in an attempt of getting warmer. "So where is this place, exactly?" she asked him, hugging herself tightly.

The Angel blinked his cat-slit eyes over at her. "It is closer than you may think," he answered, scanning his eyes across the snowy front for even the slightest detail implying where the cave was. Suddenly, he grabbed Vera's arm and began to run forward with incredible speed. The girl assumed he found the cave, and as the Badeel slowed down to a leisurely walk, she prepared herself, both physically and mentally, for whatever she was about to face.

As the two entered the cave, Vera felt her breath get caught in her throat. She clung to Cyrus's arm and hoped for the best.

 

[Black Yoshi]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

Scott looked up at the sound of feet. The first one he spotted was a man with a scar over one eye, and a nasty little chin-beard. He looked back at one of the many flickering torches. His Badeel, on the other hand, was a bit more displeased upon this person's arrival. Scott could only assume that it was this man's Badeel that was with him, in robes.

Scott's Badeel squinted his eyes at the robed girl-make that robed Badeel. "Oh. It's you." Was all he said, folding his arms, and looking up as though unimpressed. Scott rolled his eyes. For beings that were several thousand years old, the Abdal sure seemed to handle things immaturely.

Others entered, like a man in a ratty monkey suit, a tall man with a slop of hair, a small girl with a big, big dog, and, finally, a 'wonderfully endowed' girl with multi-colored hair. Scott's Badeel was unhappy with about half of the Abdal present. Apparently he did know them from somewhere, and he did owe them something. Or maybe they owed him.

His Badeel walked briskly to the center of the chamber, and when he was centered, spun on his heel to face the little group. "Looks like this will have to do. I'm getting sick of this snow." He grunted. "Alright. We all know what we're here for. We're not the only ones who have started to gather, not the first and certainly not the last. You've all brought your apprentices, and I assume you have them up to speed already with current events and such." He kicked at a rock, and watched it bounce off the ceiling, chipping into two pieces, and then clatter to the ground before going on.

"The Archangels say that we are to do whatever we can against Hell's Legions until the armies are organized. A time which is, currently, to be announced. So, I have a proposition for you." At this point, a sly smile touched the Badeel's lips. "Our apprentices are only a few among the many that will take part in this fight. We will ensure that they will be the ones the devils will fear, they will be the ones whose names inspire fear in the black heart of Satan himself! These six will be the ones who stand out against 350 others like them."

At this point, Scott had taken a seat, and was listening more to the sound his sword made when he spun it on its tip. He had heard this speech in rehearsals almost a dozen times.

The Badeel didn't wait for anyone to agree or protest, only going on as though he had already won everybody over. "The first thing in order is a test of ability. Easily done. I hope this won't be the first time that your apprentices encounter a devil. There are reports of... 'events' at the base of a nearby mountain. They happen to match exactly with past records of Oni groups. I think that's our best move, don't you all agree?" He didn't wait for an answer before continuing.

"Oni are mindless beasts, even among Hellspawn. But they more than make up for it with their strength. According to reports, there should be about four of them. At least one will be armed, with a kanabō, probably. I'll lead everyone to the highest activity point. Sound like fun?" He grinned. Scott's jaw hung open.

He had tried to fight an Oni once before. It nearly killed him, and he was only saved by his Badeel. He looked at his new companions, unsure of what to think at this point. He wondered if they had been given the same training as him. He was told that he had almost no time to train, and so he would have to learn to fight devils from the get-go. He could crush Imps with no problem at this point, but an Oni?

 

[Spatz]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

~Kyle

"Still as overconfident as ever. Nice speech though, I think you would've convinced them if it weren't for the expression upon your Apprentice's face." Meridia mused, her attention more focused on Scott, an expression of thoughtful amusement upon her face.

"I suppose next you'll tell us that this'll be a walk in the park, eh? I've read on Oni, big nasty muscle-bound maniacs. But, as the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall." Kyle remarked, indicating his Kusari-gama wrapped around his torso, from shoulder-to-side, his posture and expression unfazed with the proclamation of their first goal. "I suppose it's a good thing I managed to find a nice out of the way parking spot for my car, I probably won't be able to use it for a bit then..."

 

[Coroxn]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

Tadhg leaned against the cool cave wall and looked about at his fellow Apprentices. There was quite a group, a lot of new names would need to be learned. The blades in his hands danced at the thought of Oni. He had taken on one before, and it had gone rather well right up until the point where it had backhanded him with it's gigantic club, and She had ended the exercise with a swift blow. He figured he wouldn't be in too dire straights, so long as he didn't stop to make any more puns in the heat of combat.

He snorted as the robed Badeel made some remark against the Angelic Badeel's apprentice. He could tell he was just going to love being around her. Her apprentice didn't seem so bad, if a little...generic. Really, that line was just atrocious. It was something out of a stupid anime show. He voiced his own opinion:

"Oni. Big, strong, stupid, slow. All of us against four of them? We'll be perfectly fine, if we're all up to speed."

His Badeel, for her part, was silent and watchful, each eye split up into four little segments, each segment trained on a different part of the room. She took in every deail that was immediately obvious about the Apprentices, and, more importantly, the Abdul in charge of training them. she recognised many and held a strong dislike for most, and her form was stiff and rigid. This would not be a pleasant experience, most likely. The things she did for this trifling little joke called humanity. Her eyes caught the Winged Badeel's Apprentice, and they fixed with such a potent dislike, the kind of which she had rarely sought need to use. This one, to a Badeel so powerful? Blasphemous.

 

[Black Yoshi]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

Scott did a double-take. The freaky Badeel was glaring at him. Quite a dirty look, if he said so himself. He tried to shrug it off, but he couldn't figure out why heaven would make any breed of angel so creepy. And then he heard one person claim the Oni would be no problem. His anger built up a bit. Easy? Easy? He stood up, leaning the sword on the wall. He got closer to this person. He looked him up and down, examined the weapon he had briefly, then sighed.

"Was it a newborn Oni? They're the only slow ones, you know. No smaller, no smarter, no weaker, but they tend to be a bit stiff. Sounds to me if you were able to beat one all by your lonesome, he'd have to pretty fresh." He folded his arms. "Even if you are so talented as to think a full-blown, limber Oni is easy, I'd say you're getting a bit too cozy." He cycled through the seemingly endless hours of lessons taught to him by his Badeel. He picked the one that had always stood out the most, and had been recited to him at least a hundred times. "Never underestimate your opponent, whether it's Satan himself, or some Toddler in a diaper."

Meanwhile, his Badeel looked at the robed one. "And I see you're just as overly-critical of me as ever. And as for my apprentice, I don't think his face is the most reliable. So you can just take your criticism and throw it at someone who needs it." Then he turned to her apprentice. He had read about them? The Badeel began laughing. "Yes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the harder they are to cause to fall! You've never faced one, eh? You should find this interesting."

And then, outside, Verrine, the Demon, or rather Devil, of Impatience lived up to his name. He pulled himself out of the snow, and grumbled to himself as he walked into the cave, brushing snow off his shoulder. "Alright! I'm getting sick of waiting in the snow for- Oh." He slouched down when he entered and saw the ten newcomers, half of which seemed to be Abdal. "... Maaaaybe I should just be... Gone." He stepped back a bit, his hoof clicking on the stone.

 

[Ulqi-chan]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

[Holy crap. Let me post on this...]

Vera glanced from the two as they exchanged words about some creature called an Oni. She looked up at Cyrus as her hand fell back by her side. She didn't feel as nervous or shy anymore; all the people here seemed pretty nice. With the exception of that freaky looking one, but she reminded herself not to judge a book by its cover.

Cyrus scoffed quietly as he looked at Scott's Badeel. "As confident as ever, I presume," he supposed, crossing his arms. "... But I must agree with the mortal. Despite how wretched, if the mortals can relate with that, those Oni are, there are more of us. Thus the fight's end is obvious... If they are of some strength, of course." He looked down at Vera with his strange eyes and blinked. "But I assume there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Vera looked over at the winged Badeel's apprentice and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. He seemed... at least a bit astute. Unless he was reciting what his Badeel had pounded into his mind. Nonetheless, he spoke the truth, and Vera looked back at her feet.

 

[Coroxn]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

"Well," the Spiderwoman spoke. "We should get going, then? Time wasted here is time we must make up later on. And besides, some of us are coldblooded, and would best be leaving a place so cold. Have our apprentices shed some blood, cut out any who can't, and be on our way." Just then, a cold win burst through the cave, chilling her further, and three small spiderlegs slid from her abdomen and pulled her thin silks in tighter.

Tadgh shuddered at the display, still not totally used to Her transformations yet, and called to agree with Her. "Sure. If this is all there is, onward is where we should be headed, unless we're going to valiantly freeze and hope the armies of darkness laugh to death at our thoughtful ice sculptures."

 

[magnemite]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

Myrrh knew where to go, knew when she should've been there, and got there early. But Myrrh isn't a "meet-n-greeter", so she stayed in a tree nearby the whole time. She'll present herseelf when she needs to.

Maybe I'll get lucky and a monster will attack and I can use my archery skill to reveal myself... I don't like crowds. I'd rather meet people in battle and judge them then. She sighs as she can't wait to get this fighting over with.

Well, they may have a right to know about my presence... nah, I'll just wait. These people look like they can take care of themselves, but I'll join when a moment to be an obvious help arrises. the angelic sniper thinks over as she unruffles her wings.

 

[Luxcario]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

"There...are Oni?" Maria asked her Badeel, who she had nicknamed Silver.
"Yes. Good way to test your fighting skills, Maria." came the reply.

The two figures climbed up into the icy cave. Maria yawned, then sat down on the freezing floor.

She reached into a small satchel inside the pocket of her fire-red dress, and pulled out two little discs. One had a ruby engraved in it, and the other a sapphire.

Maria then pressed the ruby and the sapphire down simultaneously, and out rolled two long swords, one from each disc.

"Planning to do any training?" came the voice of her Badeel.
Maria nodded.

She then proceeded to cut a huge rock out of the stone wall with the ruby sword. It looked like it was burning the rock out of the wall with red-hot light.

She took the sapphire sword and slashed the rock, causing it to be blown right into the cave wall and explode spectacularly.

"You're getting good at this." commented Silver. "Now leave it at that for now, we're about to go soon."

 

[magnemite]

Re: Heaven's Protégés

Since nothing seemed to be happening for what seemed like weeks, Myrrh decides to go down to the group of similar angel-looking people.

"So..." she trailed off, not being able to think of anything to say, she pipes up and slowly moves to the back of the group, trying to repel any attention she attracted.

"Why isn't anything happening???" Myrrh thinks as she stands in the back, waiting for something, ANYTHING interesting to happen...