Dedicated to Dalleena. Check out her amazing story : The Soul Reaver (1) Night of Souls
"No."
Joan was already striding across to where Satan stood when Avander grabbed her by the wrist to pull her back.
"Joan, don't you dare!" He shouted, but she was ready. With surprising force she pulled her to him until they were pressed close.
"Joan is no more." She whispered before she blasted him off his feet. Avander was sent sprawling backwards.
"Stop her!" Gabriel ordered. At once, the angels swept downwards, many a spell spewing from their tongues in hopes of continuing her. But their magic and enchantments proved to be ineffective. With the Devil's power pulsating through her being, she only had to raise her hand and scores of angels were swatted aside like flies. The First Faction were readying themselves for another attack when a single, crescent shaped disc came slicing through the air, leaving a trail of light in its wake. Like a boomerang it arched in Alastair's direction and the pathetic prisoner could only gape wide eyed as it came closer.
There was the sound of wind whistling and the next minute Joan had placed herself in front of the wretched man, blocking the strike with her arm. The glowing crescent dispersed into a million flecks of light and Satan chuckled, gazing up at the sky.
"So the Second Faction decides to grace us with their presence as well."
Many flashes of light announced the arrival of Heleon and his angels, the number of winged, white clad men swelling greatly. Heleon appeared at the head of his own angels, beating slightly crooked wings as he flew down .
"We did not wish to miss out on the fun." Heleon commented dryly. He turned to Gabriel, locking gazes with the other angel.
"While we are not on the same side and our goals differ, however the Second Faction is willing to aid you today. We must not allow the Guide to complete her transformation." He announced reluctantly as took in the surroundings. Gabriel nodded at once, knowing that an alliance would prove useful at such a time. The two angels signaled to their armies, who responded with a heavy flutter of their wings. Today, for the first time in a while there was no First or Second Faction. There was only a single force of Heaven.
"Do you have a plan of sorts?" Heleon turned expectantly towards Gabriel with a brow arched.
"We must capture that man in chains and get him away from the Guide." Gabriel murmured. "Capture only, do not kill. That is the only way we can stop her." Heleon seemed not to like the idea of capturing the man, but he nodded nevertheless. Gabriel had already turned to Avander and Heidi now.
"Can I count on the two of you to keep the Guide away long enough?" He asked.
"Yes." Heidi answered. "No one else should intervene. Avander and I are the only ones who can make her see sense."
"Very well then. Heleon, if you would lead the first attack."
"My pleasure." He smirked, smashing the end of his scythe onto the stone of the ramparts. That action alone sent a thunderous wave rippling through the building, more powerful than any battle cry. There was the sound of steal against leather, the brush of feathers against the swirling wind and hundreds of angels spiraled down as one magnificent beast.
"This should be interesting." Satan commented, rising into the sky and taking a seat in mid air. He waved a hand at his own army down below, watching with amusement as many shapes took the sky while other bounded across the battle field at breakneck speed. In minutes, snarling demons were swarming around, but they had not rushed forward to engage in a fight just yet. They formed a tight knit circle around Alastair first, closing any gap that existed and making it impossible for anyone to break through and harm the prisoner. They would not allow it, not when he was Joan's to kill.
The demons at the borders of the circle peeled away to greet the angels while their fellows guarded and attacked from behind, charging forward into the great white wave of beating feather and brandished weapons. The demons met the oncoming tide head on and they collided, breaking into a melee. Angels stabbed at the demons blocking their way to the human at the centre. Ferocious demons with inch long claws and fangs cut down every angel they could reach. It was a fierce, bloody fight, limbs and flesh and whole bodies falling everywhere, quickly trampled underfoot by those still standing.
Heidi and Avander were on the move, fighting their way through the chaos to find Joan, who seemed to have disappeared in the sea of bodies. Heidi had switched to her Godling form and conjured up a shield for any stray attacks or surprise assaults that may come their way. Beams of light flew overhead and Avander glanced up to see the familiar form of Heleon dance above him, his scythe a silvery whirl as he struck down demons left, right and centre. Avander did not like being on the same side as him, but for now he had more important matters to deal with.
"Watch out!" A voice called and someone flashed by. Avander stopped for only a split second to see Lucifer decapitate a vaguely familiar demon's head, catching his eye and nodding before disappearing again into the fight.
Avander lashed out as a demon lurched towards him, grinning madly. He dodged it and spun around to face Avander. "Look who we have here." The demon remarked. "Are you an angel's pet now Avander?"
Avander did not stop to listen to anymore of the demon's insults, running the creature through with an angel sword he had picked up. He left the gurgling demon behind, killing another by ripping off her head without a second thought.He cast the twitching body aside as he caught a glimpse of a white haired figure walking through the mass of unearthly beings.
"There she is!" Avander shouted. He was on the move at once, flashing past many a pair of fighters with Heidi hot on his heels. Joan seemed to have sensed their approach, for she raised a hand as if to strike. But Avander acted faster, sweeping past her attack and grabbing her. He dragged her after him, off the edge and into the air. He plummeted towards the ground with Joan's thrashing figure wrapped tightly in his arms. The fall was not great however and Joan freed herself, landing gracefully below in a cat like stance. Avander too touched the ground and faced her, Heidi swooping down to join him.
The sound of battle was still too close for comfort . However, while demons and angels danced a deadly tango overhead, they were well away from the centre of it all, as well as Alastair. Ignoring the clash of metal against flesh, Avander took a step forward.
He took in the deranged grin that marred her beautiful face, the once reddish pink of her eyes now as black as coals, the whites nonexistent. He could feel the menacing aura that flowed off her in waves, a shadow hanging over. Her very presence was ominous, unwavering, hinting nothing of the person she had been only a few minutes ago. But neither the crazed look nor the threatening presence stopped Avander and he stepped closer, his gaze never leaving her face.
"Joan." He called softly. "Stop this now. You have to control yourself. We have a job to do and your losing sight of it."
"Nothing matters more than my revenge." She snarled, spreading her arms wide. Black fire erupted around her, following the movement of her hands as she directed it in Heidi and Avander's direction. The great fiery beast surged forward, thrashing across the ground and burning away the snow that caked it. It surrounded them at once, roaring and growing in height, blazing brilliantly with the heat and ferocity of a thousand fires.
Within the circle of flames Avander and Heidi raised their hands to protect themselves from the heat. The air itself was boiling, as impossible as that was. The flames licked closer with the intention of cooking them alive. Avander could feel his skin tingling because of the high temperature, but he was accustomed to the wrath of the fires of hell and endured it. However, he could see the burns and blisters erupting across Heidi's skin. No matter how much he tried to blast a way through the firewall, the flames ate up his attacks like a hungry beast, taunting him by growing in height and intensity.
Heidi reached forward, her eyes screwed up and jaw clenched as the flames caressed her skin with its fiery touch. Avander cried out to stop her, but saw the golden streaks racing up her arm. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to not yell out. The fire seemed to fold and roll upon itself, twisting and then becoming a funnel shape. It quickly twisted and vanished into Heidi's palm.
Their skins cried out from the touch of the cold winter air, but found they had no time to get their bearings. Joan came for them with a volley of attack, balls of energy zipping like bullets through the air. Avander shielded Heidi and swept them back with a wave of his hand. But the moment the pulsating orbs were cleared away, Joan appeared in their wake, nailing him square in the chest. Avander reeled, but blocked the next strike, twisting around the one that came after. She never relented however, her wrath translating into lighting fast punches.
Avander evaded as many as he could, slipping past a wall as her fist rammed into it. The brick work shuddered and collapsed behind him.
"Joan, just listen!" He shouted desperately. She did not, swinging forward with another fist, this time crackling with energy. Time seemed to slow as Avander leaned his body back, angling his neck further and feeling the attack rush by, inches from his skin. He felt the raw energy graze his face and ignored the searing sensation that followed, using the momentum of the assault and his own strength to twist her around, locking both her hands behind and wrapping a strong arm around her. His grip restrained her movements, his chest pressed against her back. He hissed quickly in her ear.
"We don't have time for shit like this." He said urgently. "Snap out of it Joan, this is not you. You need to fight those urges. Don't let your revenge blind you. Please, don't let him take you."
His last words had been softer, unable to keep the plea from his voice. He felt her still suddenly, shoulders slumping as she drew ragged breaths. Avander waited for an attack, but none came. Instead Joan spoke softly, her voice cracking.
"I-I can't." She stammered, sounding close to tears. "I can't do this on my own. Help me Avander, I need you."
His grip on her loosened involuntarily and she freed herself at once, spinning around and jabbing her finger into his chest. She channeled her power into him. Avander yelled out in pain, feeling his insides being torn apart. Bones shattered, arteries ruptured, muscles reduced themselves to shreds. His whole body screamed, the agony running all through his bloodstream and clouding his thoughts. His animal instincts begged him to tear himself away, but he could not get his limbs to move. They seemed jammed in place, paralyzed by Joan's awesome power. Any minute now, she would damage something major and he would be finished.
Light skirted across the stone walls and Joan was forced to wrench herself away from him, rolling across the ground to narrowly avoid Heidi's sudden stream of blinding energy. Avander collapsed, drawing labored breaths and coughing up blood. His senses were going to take a moment to return his body still convulsing from the shock, insides burning and wrestling to get out. He watched helplessly as Joan turned her attention to Heidi, stalking closer like a predator with a feral glint in her onyx like eyes.
Heidi was prepared for the surprise attack, erecting a glowing shield before her so Joan's strike bounced off. The shield disappeared and Joan struck again, the black blade appearing in her hands, manifesting out of thin air and trail dark wisps behind it. Joan angled it down to slice off Heidi's arm, but she caught the attack with her glowing hand, her slender fingers gripping the dangerously sharp blade without wavering, or bleeding.
"Joan, I believe in you." Heidi said gently, her red and blue eyes trained on the girl before her. "Please fight it. Please free yourself from these shackles that hold you down. You are my friend Joan; I don't want to see you destroy yourself like this. Please, you must let go of you anger!"
"Never." Joan roared, barring her teeth like an animal as she wrenched the blade free to strike again. But Heidi held up her hand, a pained look on her face as she blasted Joan back.
"Please Joan; I don't want to hurt you. Neither of us want to." She cried as she watched Joan pick herself up. "We want to help you Joan. We know there is a better side to you than this. Fight this evil within you."
"I told you." Came an animal's growl. "Joan Hale is dead!" Her growl grew throatier until it became a deafening roar, the air electrified and the wind swirled around her. The dark aura enveloped her and darkened, now pulsating with flashes of red. Heidi watched as her mark bearing arm trembled. Joan reached over to her shoulder and tore the fabric away, expensive cloth peeling from her skin to reveal the black lines racing up her arm, giving of a dark glow,. The veins twitched and crawled further up the side of her face and collar bone, reaching hungrily for her eyes.
She took a menacing step towards Heidi, the ground shuddering under each step.Shadows snaked across the ground towards her and she made to take to the sky. But the shadows reached up in the form of a giant hand and grabbed her by the middle, dragging her back down. Joan cackled wickedly when the hand squeezed, causing Heidi to cry out due to the bone crushing force. Fortunately Joan was at that moment tackled to the ground by shadowy figures. The hand sunk and Heidi returned to the ground, holding herself upright painfully. Avander appeared beside her, concern etched in his eyes.
"Are you okay?' He asked and Heidi nodded. Just then there came a bloodcurdling howl and Avander's shadows dissolved, allowing Joan to get to her feet again. The psychotic grin was still intact but there was fury flickering across her features now.
Avander summoned very last reserve of strength, feeling his body protest. His earlier ordeal was still showing it's effects, but he did not care. His purpose was to somehow save Joan.
But as he watched her draw closer with the heinous, blood thirsty look in her eyes, a part of him began to wonder if there really was anything left to save.