Absolution: Chapter 8 v2

Opening Shots

To say that Kalwarna was having a shitty day would be the understatement of the century as she found her camp attacked from all sides. Monsters of all shapes and sizes poured into the fallen angel encampment, catching everyone off guard as they found themselves on the defensive for once as they fought off against the demonic host. Despite the numbers that descended upon them, it would have still been an even match if not for the thick billowing smoke that followed the horde.

She coughed, wheezing as her lungs filled in with acrid tobacco smoke. Each breath was a struggle as she stumbled through the pitch black darkness surrounding their camp. She was by no means a stranger to tobacco, being a casual smoker herself, but this was different. It was far heavier and harsher, smelling more like battery acid than the relaxing scent she was used to. Its cloying scent scratched away at her lungs, sapping her very strength the more she breathed it in as she was forced to fight their attackers in such harsh conditions.

Blood and sweat poured down her forehead as she fought on with only the dim glow of their tents burning and the radiance of the weapons used by all Fallen Angels serving as illumination for the battle at hand. Not even with the harsh light coming from the spear she wielded could help her see past her own hands. It was frustrating that she was pushed back as she tried to fend off the monsters attacking them.

She was by no means a slouch in terms of combat, being a field operative before she was effectively grounded, but she was finding it difficult to fight these demons in such a dark and hostile environment. She struck out at them with her spear of light, aiming at the creatures crotchs’ and bellies’ but the blows did not find purchase as they slid off their skin. The very same mist that blot out the light serving as their armor. With such powerful protections surrounding them and the monster's own considerable physical capabilities, she was forced on the back foot.

Still, they were not fully invulnerable as her strike had gouged through the misty armor revealing mortal flesh beneath. She stabbed through the kinks in it, driving them deep before pulling away and letting her spear detonate inside them. An expensive use of her own waning stamina, but seeing just one of them getting ripped apart from the inside out made her spirit soar.

However, even as their bodies burnt and flaked from the damage they received, they did not slow down. They only seem to become even more frenzied, driven by some bestial instinct to fight to the very last breath. What was worse was not that they came in droves but who accompanied them.

Former allies and friends, brothers and sisters who had just earlier joked and made merry with them now turned against them. They, along with robed magicians, led the ceaseless horde as they flooded from beyond the mist. She stood there, covering her comrades, unable to strike the traitors hidden behind the wall of flesh they called their minions. Their grim and saddened gaze made her blood boil. It was as if they were the one betrayed and not those they were cutting down.

“Hold your ground! Don’t you dare turn your back or I’ll personally castrate you myself!” Kalawarna shouted, rallying those who managed to shake off the initial surprise and fight back. As much as they struggled to fend them off, she had to admit that they couldn't have picked a better time to strike. With their leaders away and their camp in the middle of packing up, they could not muster an effective defense. Their enemies caught them with their pants down and they struck hard.

The first lesson that any Grigori would teach to those who had just recently fallen was that discretion is the better part of Valor. They should just retreat, abandon the camp and regroup so they can fight another day. If only that was possible as she had to dodge a falling body as it landed inside their defensive circle, their form withered and dried out. The smoke was already bad enough but the barrier made escape impossible.

It kept not only them trapped inside but the smoke as well. There was simply nowhere for them to run. WIth their back against the wall, all they could hope for was to stem the tide and last long enough for reinforcement to come but that was getting harder and harder to do as their enemy flooded their camp.

They seeked not their destruction but their capture as these creatures dragged those away who fell in battle. She, along with all those who could fight formed a tight perimeter as they were assaulted from all sides.

“There’s too many of them!” One of her brothers cried as he threw a spear at the creature’s leg, pinning them down, holding them down for just a second for her spear to jam right inside the roof of their mouth; their skin might be iron but their insides were all the same. The demon shuddered before it fell slack, its brain turned to ash as it fell forward.

“They have us surrounded! They’ll just cut us down if we flee now!” She shouted as she took another step back. Even if they wanted too they couldn’t as any who flew too high would find themselves hitting a dark wall, “Just hold on! Mittelt’s going to come back with reinforcements any second now!” she cried out before a shrill cry caught her attention.

There at the edge of the haze, just out of reach from her formation, was one of the younger girls surrounded by the beast who tore at her with their large, steak-like teeth. The girl howled in pain as one bit down on her calves before roughly pulling her away, dragging her into the fog.

“Oh no you don’t!” She roared out as she pushed forward, slicing through the ceaseless horde but there was no end to them. Like a hydra, cutting one down only seemed to spawn two more to take its place. Like an endless tide, they crashed against her and her cohort, pushing them back with the young one being pulled further away.

“No! Get away! Help!” The girl cried out, reaching up to her with bloodied and raw fingers as she clawed at the ground. For all of Kalawarna’s power, she could not reach her. All seemed hopeless until a rallying cry rang out from above them.

“To arms!” shouted a lab gown clad angel with five sets of wings as he threw the brightly burning spear in his hands at the creatures dragging the girl. The deadly comet streaked through the air before it pierced the skull of the creature, detonating into a deadly sea of holy fire which left the young one unharmed while those around her were reduced to ashes.

She cried out, raising her reformed spear above her head and answered his call, feeling strength return to her limbs as she grabbed the wounded girl before pulling her back to their line. Things were finally looking up, for once they were actually killing more than demon’s reinforcement could replenish their numbers. That hope however would soon turn to horror as a bright bolt of magic crashed against the winged form of Sahariel, downing them in just one hit.

She cried out in horror as she watched him fall as a robed figure stepped out from the shadows, one hand still steaming from the magic while the other holding on to a grimoire with the face of a laughing man carved into its cover, along with none other than Kokabiel himself.

“Capture as many as you can. Even if they betrayed the cause, they will still have use for us,” The thrice damned traitor commanded, sneering at them as he kicked the unconscious body of Sahariel over to the feet off the hooded figure. She could only watch in horror as the magician opened up a dark portal from which a large clawed hand reached out before dragging the fallen inside.

“You bastards, I’m going to kill you!” She roared out, launching herself at the attacker before she could even think as pain and anguish filled her heart. How could he? How could he! How could he even excuse himself for what he had done. Kokabiel turned on them, selling them out for what? Whatever it was, she’d just had to beat it out of them.

It was then that the hooded figure noticed her and aimed his palm at her. Before she could even react, her world twisted before she found her face to face with the massive fist of the demonic beasts attacking them. Her vision swam as she was launched at the side of the burning packing crater, wincing as she felt her nose broken but she did not have time to mourn as the same demonic beasts leapt at her.

Her world exploded into pain as the creature hammered its fist down her stomach before more attacked her, mobbing her and cutting her off from the rest. She held out her right arm only for the creature to bite down hard, breaking bones as they left her dominant arm a mangled mess. She was unable to fight back, forced to curl up and protect herself.

Eventually, they stopped as the fight left her and she was dragged away along with the rest. Even with her swollen eyes, she could still see her brothers and sisters fighting, but it was a losing fight. As she passed by Kokabiel, all she could ever whisper now was a simple question, “Why?”

The man turned, hearing her question before gesturing to the beast to stop. They promptly dropped her by the traitor's feet, a broken and bloody mess. He knelt down, gazing upon her with pity in his eyes as he whispered back, “I wish it didn’t have to end like this Kalwarna, I really do.”

Disgust welled up in her guts as she was forced to listen to the man’s rambling, “All I wanted was for our peoples’ freedom, yet our brothers were willing to throw it away all for a promise. Everything that we have achieved outside of heaven, everyone we lost, all down the drain. We were the masters of our own fate, yet the allure of returning to heaven, to be forgiven by a despicable man, was too great for Azazel.”

She gazed away, refusing to acknowledge his point. Yes, they were effectively surrendering but they had their reasons. They were a mere shadow of what they once were. This had him grinning as he pressed on, “He is a fool, blinded by the Tyrant’s words, but I will not be swayed. I can see it in your eyes, the pain, the anguish, the false king up in his throne, he caused this.”

Reaching for her chin, he forced her gaze up to him, letting her see the bottle of phoenix tear in his hand. “Join me Kalwarna, stand by my side. Do not listen to his words. They will lead you astray, they will shackle you and bind you. Stand tall, refuse to bow down,” He offered her, holding the bottle so tantalizingly close.

Hands shook as she gazed upon the vial longingly, the sharp pain in each and every breath she took reminding her of her mortality. She hated it, she hated being so weak. She could simply give up, give in yet…

“The only one who betrayed the cause was you!” With the last of her strength, she formed a blade of light in her left hand and struck with all her might, aiming it at the man's temple. It was all for naught as the man easily caught her hand, the blade trembling in her hold as it hovered just inches away. The man's beautiful face twisted into a scowl as her left arm snapped under his grip. She laid there screaming as agony coursed through her veins, crippled and unable to fight any longer.

“You shouldn’t have bothered. You know how it was going to end anyways,” A hooded figure said as he stepped out from the shadows, the stinking scent of brimstone clinging to his form.

“True, but I could have been always wrong,” The man casually replied as he reached down and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up to the air. She kicked at the man’s chest but all it did was make her run out of breath faster as he tightened his grip, “I tried my best to convince more of you to join my side, but you’re far too blinded with Azazel’s guile to think. It was a shame really, you were one of my favorites.”

Kalwarna was many things. She was a slut, a corrupter of holy men, a sadistic bitch, but she was not a backstabbing whore. If it meant that she had to die by this monster's hand, so be it. She stared back defiantly, glaring at the man even as her vision faltered, the darkness creeping in as he slowly crushed her neck.

“Just make this quick, we have places to go. Also, as good as stray devils are, I doubt they can put a dent in the old man,” The man then said as he walked away, leaving her and Kokabiel alone.

She struggled as hard as she could, flailing her broken arms yet the man's grip was like iron, cold and unyielding. Panic overcame her sense as the reality of the situation started to sink in, fear gripping her chest as she could not get him to stop. As much as she wanted to pull away she was far too weakened and injured to do so. Eventually, even her limbs grew too heavy as they dangled beside her.

So this was the end? Was this how her tale was to stop? To die like a dog by the hand of someone she once looked up to? Were all of her struggles worth it? As her limbs hung down at her sides, her body getting colder while her heart struggled to beat with no air to fuel her body, she realized she was going to die here. She could only bitterly smile as she gazed up at the heavens above. In the end, she didn’t amount to much but at least… She managed to buy her brothers and sister a few seconds.

As the darkness closed in, she saw a little twinkle of light up in the sky, cutting through the darkness as it shone down on her. Was this the light at the end of the tunnel that mortals spoke off? She never knew it could be so pretty and so warm. She closed her eyes and she felt warmth wrapping around her body, surrounding her in its entirety before a loud roar filled her ears. She felt herself floating as a force slammed down upon from above, yet all she felt was bliss as it washed over her. The pain melted away as the voice of her creator spoke to her once more.

“I AM HERE!”

-x-x-x-

Absolution gritted his teeth as he knelt down and picked up the broken form of the angel after knocking her out of Kokabiels grasp. The fallen in question laid on a large crate at the end of a long furrow, groaning as smoke wafted off his form. Despite the damage however, he remained whole, his clothes singed but his body protected by the smoke and shadows that quickly started wrapping around his form once more. While the Fallen was a bit worse for wear, the other could not be said for his companion.

He frowned, noticing the figure beside the fallen still standing despite half their form having been blasted away. Their form shifted like smoke as they became once whole once more, giving away their true nature. An illusion? Too early to tell especially with how the smoke was messing with his senses. Still, he could sense the demonic taint from his as well as the particular taste of ash and trickery wafting from the grimoire they held.

“I’d be lying if I said that I did not expect a being like you to betray your own kind but here we are Kokabiel,” Uriel spat out as she landed beside him and was quickly followed by Azazel and the other with the hole in the barrier behind them, shutting out the light from hell's own skies once more, leaving him as the sole source of light strong enough to beat back the dark.

“Y-you! You can’t be!” Kokabiel hissed out as he pried himself from the hole he was buried in, his form shaking as he tried to get to his feet.

They had arrived just in the nick of time as his wayward children looked like they were barely holding on. Any later and more children might have already died. Grimacing, he did his best not to let his heart dwell on it for too long as he made his presence known. Reaching inside himself, he let his light shine brightly, warding off the encroaching darkness, pushing it back even as it clawed at him, reaching out and pushing at his light.

He clenched his fist as he felt a presence in the field, the scent of tobacco and blood clinging to the very air itself, trying to snuff out light itself, but he pushed back. He flared his Light, ignoring it for now as he focused on the women he held.

“It’s all right, you can rest now. Let me handle this,” He whispered as placed his hands upon the girl's forehead before pushing his Light into her. The woman gasped as she was made whole once more, her wounds closing and her limbs healed. The darkness in her wings was pushed away as a pulse of light then radiated out of her. It washed over the field, making the demons rear back, the fallen who turned against them scream in pain, and those they’d hurt found their strength returning.

“Father, our forces are alerted, they are already on their way,” Uriel told him as they landed behind him along with Azazel and the others before she scowled, as she then added, “However, the devil who’s land the Fallen are technically squating on is causing quite the fuzz. We still have treaties to uphold and they have their rights. We have alerted the Satans of this incident, however, and they’re sorting things out,” It was unfortunate but it was their land. Even if he was there to save his children, his actions could still be viewed as that of a trespasser. He needed to open dialogue now.

“Good, make sure to emphasize why we’re here and why we need them here as well,” He replied as he glared at Kokabiel who groaned as he pulled himself out of the crater. Thanks to this incident, he was forced to make contact with Hell earlier than he expected, but he needed them for this. His presence was just too much to ignore and it was best to tell them why he was here.

The fallen met his glare as his features twisted into a scowl. Pointing at him and practically foaming at the mouth as he screamed at him, “You! Why couldn’t you just have stayed dead! Why do you wish to torment me, why do you wish to take away those I cherish!”

He frowned, his grip on his weapon tightening but before he could answer, Azazel interjected as he stomped forward, “You fucking rat, you’ve really done it this time!”

This only served to infuriate Kokabiel as he screamed back, “You’re the one I should call a rat! I can see how you’ve already abandoned our cause and sided with him!” The man raved, veins bulging at his temples as he lambasted them, “Why did you accept him! He was our tormentor! Our enemy, but you forgave him!”

Spreading his arms around, he then shouted, “Did you forget everything we worked for! Everyone we loved! You’re going to throw it all away!”

All Absolution saw, however, was the desolation he’d made. All this pain, all this suffering caused by one man alone. The girl in his hands, nearly dying because he wasn’t fast enough to get here in time. Why didn’t he see this? Why couldn’t he have stopped this. He should have foreseen this yet he did not. Kneeling down, he laid her down and her comrades came to pick her up. He could feel their revenant stare but all it felt to him was like he had ashes in his mouth; he did not deserve their worship.

Kokabiel then flared his wings wide, their form as dark as the night as their shadow seemed to stretch behind them. An aura of smoke surrounded him as he drew a sword from the very darkness itself. Gone was what little was left of anything holy in him as he fully embraced the light, rejecting Absolution with every cell in his being. There was no longer any connection between him and Kokabiel.

“I never forgot them Kokabiel, but I did not let my grief consume me; unlike you,” Azazel hissed back as he drew his weapon, his blazing spear taking on a harsh white glow as his wings were spread wide. He let all see his snow white wings as they glowed against the darkness surrounding them, his armor once again whole as he stood there not as a Grigori but a Seraph renewed.

Pointing his weapon at Azazel, who took a step back, he asked him, “If you believe the cause so much, then what the hell are you doing?! Look around you, look at all the destruction you’ve caused, all the blood you spilled when you betrayed us! And for what? To satisfy your vengeance? What is this Kokabiel? Tell me!”

The man snorted, dismissing them as he replied, “I’m doing my best to save them by taking them away. If they don’t listen, well, they’ll have their uses once I hand them over to my partners.”

WIth shaking hands, he looked up to Kokabiel, his light burning as he felt a familiar all consuming rage bubble its way up his chest. He flared his light and in turn, the darkness responded. Even as Absolution’s ight blazed into life, the shadow behind Kokabiel stood still, defying his radiance as it loomed around Kokabiel like a great predatory beast. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly stood up.
“Huh, so that’s what I’ve been smelling all this time. So, who’s your new master? Is he the guy behind you?” Absolution asked Kokabiel as he schooled his feature, hiding away this ugly hate and anger inside his chest.

Kokabiel bared his teeth, his knuckles turned white as he pointed his sword at him and barked out, “I have no master! I am my own-!” His word would be cut short as Absolution lifted his spear before throwing it with all his might.

The battlefield stilled as Kokabiel reared back, raising his sword to block Samael. He could see every individual shard of his weapon melting away as it shattered, Kokabiel’s face twisting into horror before the spear stopped just inches away from the fallen’s eye. The man stood there, trembling as a bloody emaciated hand reached from the shadows and grabbed onto the haft of Samael.

As Samael ripped itself out of the hand's grasp and returned to his hold, Absolution finally came face to face with the one pulling Kokabiels string. The scent of blood lingering in the filled became heavy, almost palpable to the point he could taste it. Then came the laughter, cruel and sadistic, promising nothing but pain and misery for all those before him.

The shadows shrunk, coalescing to a hunched form behind Kokabiel. The same boney hands reached out for Kokabiel, grabbing him as the figure ripped itself from the walls. The fallen choked on his own words while sweat dripped down his face as the jade colored skull mask peered from behind him. A man whose skin was covered in ash gently pushed the angel aside as he stood there, his blood red eyes glaring at Absolution.

The feathers of his mask gently bobbed against the unseen wind while the pelt covering his form wrapped around him, hiding the man’s deceptively thin frame. A black shield with a mirror center was strapped to his arm, its smooth surface drinking the light as not a single ray of it bounced off its surface.

The being’s gaze then turned to his other hand and there he held a heart, still beating, the bright light inside all angels still burning inside it. Holding the organ to his lips, he opened his sharp toothed maw before chomping down, savoring the organ like a fruit. “Mmm, refreshing,” the man laughed out as he grinned at him.

Uriel growled, about to leap at him for the transgression he just made. Absolution held out his hands, holding back his angel from jumping straight into danger. Absolution wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off their face, to beat it in until only a bloody pulp remained but he refrained himself for  he knew what stood before him was no mere monster but a god in truth.

“It seems that I’ve been found. You don’t have to worry about this any more, Kokabiel, let me handle this,” The god chuckled darkly as blood dribbled down their chin. Pointing at Absoluton, he then commented, “For a god who danced with death, you are still quite sharp.”

Absolution tilted his head, refusing to let the man see anything from him as he replied, “All I took was a power nap and you guys thought I died. And they call me the melodramatic one.”

“I’ve got this under control! You can’t-!” Kokabiel tried to reply but a simple glare had him closing his mouth as the gods' malevolent stare bore down on the fallen.

“I can and I will, so be quiet,” The man ordered harshly before turning back, his severe features lightening as he apologized to them, “Forgive my junior partner here, he is still new to the job. Extermination can be quite lucrative, no? I’m glad a boy like him knows that it’s far more beneficial if he teams up with the big boys for jobs like this, but he has to learn when to shut up.”

“A job huh? Who paid for it?” Azazel asked, his voice tense and his form guarded, ready to explode into action any moment.

“The master of these lands of course!” The man laughed, spreading his arms out wide.

Absolution’s eyes narrowed, knowing full well the man was lying, yet there was doubt in his heart. The masters of this land could have allowed them in, but he chose not to dwell on it any longer. Not when he didn’t know everything about the situation yet and not while this man was still left standing.

Slinging Samael over his shoulder, he then asked, “Before I beat the hell out of you for touching my kids, who do I have the pleasure of talking to here?”

“Just a god you failed to kill, Invader,” The being cryptically replied, his smile turning into a scowl as he crouched down low; His form reminding him of a jaguar about to leap and attack its prey. “You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now, I’m here to claim the pound of flesh owed.”

“... Do you know how little that narrows things down?” Absolution fired back.

The man’s hackles raised as he blustered, his teeth gritted as he shouted in disbelief and outrage, “You didn’t even remember me!? 1521 of your year, when your… you know what, nevermind. It’s not like it’ll matter once I drive this knife into your heart.”

Kokabiel stepped forward with his sword raced while the mysterious figure flipped through the pages of their book, forming complex magical circles behind them. Uriel, Azazel and his angels raised their weapons as well while he slammed his spear down on the ground, gripping it tightly to hide his shaking hands. Despite the anger he felt, Absolution knew fear. He felt its cold grasp against his chest as he forced himself forward.

He was no longer facing his followers nor someone who was willing to listen and open their hearts, he was now facing his enemy in the field of battle. Even as his body stood confidently, doubt was seeping in his mind. The man before him was no mere being but a god, a lesser one, but still one of the divine. He could feel it in his bones, their anger, their hate, their very being clashing against his light. It was terrifying, mind numbing but if he backed down, his angels would suffer. He could not back down, he wouldn't run away.

Turning to Uriel and Azazel, he whispered, “I’ll deal with this clown, you four deal with Kokabiel and the Hooded Guy.” He gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw to stop his teeth from chattering.

“Don’t you dare die on me now,” Azazel whispered as he gave him a nod. His children looked up to him, looking for guidance and he was there to answer it. With so many of them counting on him, he had to fight.

Raising his spear up high, he shouted, “My Angels! To arms!”

The Grigori, no, his Children all roared as one as they launched themselves at their enemies once more. The battle reignited as their forms were renewed and made whole once again.

Kokabiel and his horde roared back in challenge as they surged forward, a tide of fangs and spears aimed right at him.

Uriel raised her sword as she and the rest of the host rushed past him, her fiery form streaking across the air before crashing against the tide with an explosion of fire and light. Azazel and Kokabiel locked blades as the others led the angels, guiding them to the battle. Absolution was about to join in as well when he noticed the robed figure from before aiming a blast at Uriel.

“Uriel, no-!” His cry of warning would be cut short as his senses blared, screaming at him to dodge.

“Don’t get too distracted! This is a battlefield!” The god shouted as he launched himself with reckless abandon, striking at him with surprising speed.

Absolution’s body moved, long ingrained instincts and muscle memory kicking in as the fight began. He blocked the man’s blade, flakes of obsidian flaking off as it struck Samael. He fended him off, keeping distance and taking swipes at the man with his blade. The man proved to be far nimbler than he expected as he danced around the strikes, leaning and almost folding himself over as the blade aimed at his neck sailed past his head.

The battle was now at hand and it was now up to Absolution to finish things. The only thought now rings in his mind as their weapons clash was if he had what it takes to overcome this challenge before him.

A/N:

This chapter is a two parter. The other parts still being written as I have a whole new host of stuff prepared for it. I do apologize for not being able to get it out fast enough as I have to make a trip to visit my grandmother but reassured that we're not cycling out of Absolution just yet. Ch 9 will be released before I moved on to the next fic I need to update.