Rescue Mission (Michael's gang)

[devante]

The sky darkened with rain clouds as thunder roared across the mountain, rolling like a drum giving way to the final act. Rain heavily thudded down on the snow and soil as an echo of a feint high pitched noise chimed through the air. The noise grew steadily louder, crescendoing into a fine tune. Right slap bang in the middle of the Son's of the God Of Chaos and Lucifer, in the middle of the now sizzling camp appeared an old fashioned bath tub filled with pink bubbles, rubber ducks and a man with a shower hat on. Attached to the bath was long railings for a shower curtain with the pictures of Daisy's vertically decorating them. "-I'm singing in the raiiiiin, ooOo I'm singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling, I-.. OooO!!!!" The singing soon released a shrill overly girlish scream as Devante stood up hiding behind his curtain shower blushing brightly. Looking directly at Lucifer Dante glared with his golden eyes before shrilly remarking "How rude!" With that he moved behind his curtain fully, the rain stopping as a rusty noise of him turning off his shower could be heard along with a thud as if a drum had been dropped. "Be with you in a moment, oh my I am so sorry, I wasn't expecting visitors!"


Suddenly stepping out from behind Lance cladded in fine Victorian Gothic clothing Dante fixed his glove into position before pointing to a blackboard that just appeared, as things did around Devante. It wouldn't even come as much of a surprise as things appeared, more of a cause for confusion as to why one hadn't noticed it. "You see... -Sir- Lucifer, Or madam? I'm sorry I'm terrible with gender identification when it comes to men with curves. This here..." He'd trace a long cane across the board creating high pitched noises with every flick of his wrist drawing a fat rounded stick man with two horns and a french mustache. "This is you...And these.." He'd turn back to the drawing board creating a stunning two minute drawing of the four men locked in battle as if staring out at breaking dawn ready for combat. "These are your judges. Now.. who would like to tell me whats different about this picture?" Spinning the board around he'd show the four men drawn in triumph as the fat Lucifer stick man sprawls out on the floor like a turtle on its back bawling its eyes out.

As he looked for an answer casually Devante's top hat would be lifted in a very slow manner that it would be rather unnoticeable until two bright orange webbed feet are revealed on the darkly cladded mans raven crown, belonging to a small penguin that is known as Jeremy. The top hat would shrink to fit the penguins head as it hopped down onto Dante's shoulder seemingly just woken from a slumber. The top hat shockingly raised it's lid saying in a deep bellowing voice "He's fallen over!" Dante spins around and points to thin air as the penguin had moved with him "Yes! Thus knowing his place! Gold star to the man in the pink turbine!"

The wry smirk that is always shown of Devante's face soon falls into a slanted cocky grin. Everything about this man is carefree and annoying, but he took mockery to a whole new level. Instead of reaching to his beautifully crafted black guns holstered at his side he'd reach up and grab Jeremy by it's webbed feet holding it out like a sword at Lucifer. Jeremy straightens it's body pulling down a pair of thick shades producing a large rocket launcher from under its wing pointing it at Lucifer.

"Hasta la vista .. baby..." The voice from the penguin perfectly mimicked that of the terminator. It's small wings pushed down on the gun's trigger letting out a rocket, which in turn flew in the sky making a pretty rainbow colored firework. The game begins!

[James]

A thin beam of light shone through the clouds as Devante finished his excentric display. It made contact with the earth at Lucifer's feet and grew larger, eventually enveloping the daemon. A flurry of white feathers fell like snow around him, for above him descended an angel wreathed in light holding an ancient, leather-bound tome with the clear symbol of the crucifix upon its cover.

"My, my, my Lucifer...even your own fantastic work of fiction makes you out to be a failure. No wonder these boys are having such an easy time mocking you." Léona announced as she flicked through the pages of the bible. She closed it suddenly as the book proceeded to errupt in flames. She let it fall to the ground, though most of it turned to dust before it landed. Léona smiled around at her allies, and frowned as she looked over at Thomas, though she knew that he was not the enemy she was still wary of him as she spotted the cross around his neck.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but I'm having dinner with my son this evening, and I don't want to be late. So how about we get this underway?"

Without waiting for a response as usual, being the impatient and headstrong woman she was, Léona spread her wings and flew higher in the air, her characteristic blue flames appearing and forming the image of a dragon around her before she swooped down at high speed, aimed directly for Lucifer.


Meanwhile on the cliff, Joseph stood in awe of what he was seeing. His spirits rose with each Immortal that appeared, and he had last regained hope of victory. Rather than get in their way, he simply cheered as Léona initiated the attack upon Lucifer.

[thomas]

Thomas stood open mouthed, staring in shock at the assembled immortals. What was happening was so far beyond what he was used to that he had no idea how to react, and by the time Devante appeared he had reached the conclusion that he was either delirious, dreaming or insane.

Deciding that it made no difference what he did at this point, he simply aimed his crossbow at Luicifer and emptied the clip, not caring wether the bolts hit their mark (though unless the daemon avoided them they likely would). When he was finished he stepped back and simply watched. Even if he was hallucinating, he intended to see this particular fight to it's end.

[Brett]

Lucifer smirked as Leona began proceedings. At the last minute he moved, a blur of speed leaving a violent sonic boom of force as he fell down upon the youngest of the group, Lance with his gladius-like sword aimed at the boy's chest. Lance raised his rapier only to have Seth'ryal throw his foot violently into Lucifer's side, throwing the daemon lord sideways and thus saving his little brother from the onslaught. Cyarno, who was standing with his claymore upon his shoulder in the direction Seth'ryal kicked Lucifer, brought the large blade down toward the daemon-lord with murderous intent clear in his purple eyes.

A lot of pressure was on the eldest son of Isaan's shoulders, he knew Cyarno was used to battle and could handle himself but the youngest, Lance had only ever faced one fight and his father, mother nor little sister would forgive him if Lance were killed on his watch. When Lucifer regained his composure and avoided Cyarno's large blade swinging down toward him, Seth grit his teeth and turned his head toward Lance with a serious look on his eyes that made Lance recoil a bit, rarely seeing his brother looking so far from light-hearted.

"Stay close to me, Lance." he said, no ordered in fact. "I know you want to prove yourself, but this isn't the kind of foe you just throw yourself at."

Lance looked mutinous, but looking up to see Cyarno and Lucifer clashing blades he gave a curt nod to show he understood. Cyarno moved surpisingly fast for carrying such a massive blade, at this moment the bolts from Thomas' crossbow lanced into Lucifer's side and he gave off a bitter chuckle, feeling the poison filling his blood. Thomas was no of high rank enough for his blood to affect Lucifer in such small doses, but if he kept firing it may well slow Lucifer down eventually. But Lucifer wouldn't wait for that, he would nullify the poison now, suddenly he disappeared and Cyarno's blade stopped mid-swing to emphasise the sheer control he had on the large sword.

"It would appear I am at a disadvantage," he said, his voice filled with mock anguish. "But come now, this is not how immortals do battle. Now the... true way."

Suddenly there was a burst of power from Lucifer, as one of the true blood immortals among the daemons, he natrually had a true form like any immortal. His body began to change, his feet turned from a more natural human-looking set to two, large talon'd feet instead. His hands did much the same, though they still had fingers to grip his sword which was morphing and mutating into a hideous blade of fire and molten rock. Seth'ryal widened his eyes and spun toward Cyarno, a look of desparation in his face because he knew the mortals present could not be allowed to see the full transformation.

"Cyarno!" he called, gaining his younger brother's attention. "We need a thick fog, now!"

Cyarno understood immediately and with a small motion of his hands made into some form of symbol, he burst into a thick fog that blanketed the area to the point you could barely even see in front of you. Being his immortal power, Cyarno made it possible for his immortal comrades to see through this thick fog so that they could continue fighting, but it shielded the mortals from the view of Lucifer's true form which would have seen them turned to ash. Thomas was allowed to see through the fog too, for of course the immortals knew one of their own, even if he did not know he was one of their own.

"Joseph!" Chris called, reaching out to grab the boy's sleeve and pull him closer so they could see one another. "Don't go too far. Zhey are saving our lives, but zhey are also opening us up to attack."

Michael knelt down beside Sarah, lifting her up and breathing fresh air into her lungs, performing thirty pumps a minute on her chest to get the smoke out of her lungs and replace it with oxygen. He looked up when the fog surrounded them, narrowing his eyes as he could barely see dark figures moving in it in the distance, this was dangerous and yet also necessary. He withdrew his glock and placed it next to Sarah where he could reach it better if they were ambushed, then returned to performing CPR on her. In the mist, Seth'ryal, Cyarno and Lance stood ready to fight.

"I think if he's going to play the true form card, we should too." Lance suggested, looking at Devante, Leona and his brothers.

[devante]

As a beam of luminosity fell from the heavens and pallid feathers descended in the atmosphere, the elevated gentleman benevolently stepped back grabbing a hold of Jeremy hiding behind Lance with a grim expression painted on his face, watching each feather glide around the area as if a single touch would poison him. "Egad!" Finally as the angel descended wasting no time to take up Devante's declaration of the playoffs commencement he visibly recoiled to the point of hiding underneath Lance's legs showing more horror of this woman's presence than of when he glanced at Lucifer. With an outcry Devante clutched Jeremy and his top hat stating so that only Lance and Jeremy would hear in the commotion "Curses that Ninny hammer has shown up yet again to cause Coccydynia to us Jeremy. I think it best you do not Be cumber her this time Jeremy, it seems she is fooled by the Corpulant Demon over yonder." Scurrying out from beneath Lance's legs cautiously Devante quickly brushes his clothing down with the back of Jeremy leaving the dirt on the small penguin's back gaining little reaction from the small creature other than a dark glare.

By this time Lucifer had decided to change into his 'true form' with the noise of Devante groaning in exaggerated annoyance as he knew what was going to happen next in the background, slightly ruining the atmospheric horror it would normally place on the witnesses. The groan was repeated as Lance suggested what he hated the most, though Jeremy seemed more than happy about this development. Stiffening his body Devante released his own true form, feathers of wholesome black budding from his skin, each individual feathers standing on edge until he had been enclosed in the soft material. His feet alike Lucifer had turned into talon's dug into the ground at the change of weight. Sprouting from between his shoulder blades in all their glory raised to the sky arched two soot coloured wings with the wingspan of 18 feet to support his tall and now rather muscled body. His clothing had also changed into black plated armor like that of the Roman period showing the emblem of Dragos Midnight upon the chest plate allowing him extra maneuverability. Stretching out a hand towards Jeremy the small penguin let out an anguished howl of pain as it's small body turned into a large scythe not made of any metal but of hardened blood. The red scythe glistened in the moist air, the bottom of the pole was a large curved spike with two arrow heads at the top of it pointing left and right. The main head of the weapon had the largest curve spike following by one on the opposite side to balance the weight and three others above it. A long chain trait to all of Devante's weapon slung around his arm and connected to the middle of the scythe, though the chain looked much like it was strung out muscle. Finally the last thing to note was blood soaked ripped cloth that hung around it slung out in the soft wind. Sagging with a sigh Devante spoke with a low growl "This is so ungentlemanly.. "

His wings began to flutter in the air as he kicked off the ground soaring high up awaiting his brethren's mark.

[James]

Joseph didn't resist as Chris pulled him by the sleeve. He grasped at the other boy, pulling himself closer. As much as he was confident that the Immortals could protect them, he still felt fear as the mist swirled around them. Without being able to see anything, Lucifer could easily ambush them. Their lives were truly in the hands of their Immortal allies now. He hugged himself close to Chris' chest, gripping him quite tightly. "Don't let go, Chris. Whatever happens.."

Meanwhile, Leona stood up from the crater which had formed from the impact of her attack which Lucifer had dodged. She scowled as the Daemon Lord began his transformation, knowing full well the ever increasing dangers he posed to the mortals present. With a blink of her eyes, she teleported the short distance to Michael and Sarah and smiled down at them. "Come on, let's get you both to a safer position."

Without waiting for any words of protest, she knelt down and placed a hand on each of them and teleported them to the cliff where Joseph and Chris stood. She took a short moment to provide some healing to Sarah, passing her hand over her body as it glowed with golden light. She then disappeared from their sight, teleporting back into the fray.

Her body began to change shortly after she reappeared, standing next to the A'vron brothers and Devante. In her true form, she appeared much like the others, though her feathers were a brilliant white and her five wings glowed with Angelic light. She wore golden plated armour and held a long wooden staff, the tip of which was fashioned into a claw holding an orb of blue fire. She stood at the ready, this time waiting for a more coordinated plan of attack.

[thomas]

The sight of immortals shifting forms was overwhelming for Thomas; he was not even aware he had a true form beyond his misshapen wings, and while Lucifer was obviously demonic he was no longer certain what the others were. At that point, something clicked in his mind and cut out the shock. Deal with the immediate threat, learn about the news ones later.

While he almost never used his devil powers on account of his misguided religious beliefs, he was entirely capable of them and deemed that the current situation called for them. Able to enchant his weapons temporarily, his sword blade took on a faint purple glow as he channeled his energy into it and rushed at Lucifer, aiming to slash at his side while he was focused on the other immortals.

[Brett]

Lucifer spent much of the battle avoiding the blows of his adversaries in rapid succession, he was indeed a master combatant and his speed was too fast for him to be classed as a lesser immortal, he was clearly on par with at least half of the high gods in the immortal realm. For some reason he was not striking back, perhaps because facing so many foes he could not, or otherwise he was gauging each of their fighting forms and preparing a strategy to deal with all of them swiftly. Eventually he stopped avoiding blows and looked upon them all, their true forms ablaze with power in the thick fog.

"You all use similar forms," he said, looking upon all of his half-dozen adversaries. "With the exception of that one."

He pointed at Thomas, he felt weak compared to all of the others as though he barely realized his immortal powers were there, or perhaps otherwise tried to reject them for some ridiculous reason. But it was obvious why they all used similar forms, while the movements may be different in practice, the basics always remained the same - they all gained their training in the arts of immortal combat from the same original source, Isaan A'vron, either through time serving Dragos Midnight or direct training. It was like a family bond through master and apprentice, or through training and learning from example.

"I'm going to wager a guess..." he began, looking at Leona and Devante mainly, he knew the three brothers were A'vrons. "You two are also of the A'vron family, either through marriage or branch of the tree."

"Divine Sealing Art Number Ninety six: Seal of the Devil's Shackle," A voice came through the fog, nobody could see the source even those Cyarno was allowing to see through his fog, but there was the distinct sound of someone being struck and Lucifer stumbled backwards as an undeniably Devil sealing symbol appeared on his chest and then spread through the area. All of the immortals were suddenly forced back into their more humanoid forms, and Cyarno's fog even dissipated. Seth, Cyarno and Lance looked around confused until their eyes fell upon the figure stood across from Lucifer on the rocks he had taken the high ground upon.

"You!" Lucifer snarled with hatred.

Isaan stood with his arms crossed, wearing his old Dragos Midnight attire but without the tabard, a black cloak draped over his shoulders which drifted in the mountain wind. His fiery red hair made a stark contrast to his pale skin tone, which in turn clashed with all of the black he was wearing, the immortals present would notice he undeniably was not an immortal in whatever current form he had taken. On his left his twin wazikashi were sheathed as they used to be, and held on his right shoulder was the sleeping Saraneth, his granddaughter who had been observing the going on from the Underworld's throne with him.

"Just to clarify, you're damn right they're all part of the A'vron family, you filthy cretin. Now I'm going to put you back in your fucking hole." he said, slowly letting his granddaughter down to curl up on the ground safely where he stroked her hair briefly, then stood back up.

"How do you intend to do that?!" Lucifer laughed loudly, "you've come here as a mortal, why?"

"I'm an elder god, I'll take whatever form I like." he shot back, and then looked at the other immortals present while crossing his arms over his chest. "But really, I'm just here like this because I think while their hearts were in the right place, the immortals who came went about this all the wrong way."

"How's that?" Lucifer asked, momentarily curious.

"If you're looking to raise the morale of mortals, you shouldn't be showing them how immortals will come to their rescue in a pinch." He said, pointing at Lucifer and smirking in a classically Isaan manner, not everything had changed as he matured. "You should be showing them what a mortals are capable of on their own."

Lucifer blinked, but didn't get time to ask whatever question burned at his tongue. Isaan tugged on two thin, invisible wires from inside his cloak and from two pouches on either side of his belt a pass of throwing knives came swinging out, flying directly toward the daemon opposite. Once they had all released the wire retracted on itself and disappeared up Isaan's sleeves, Lucifer, who did not percieve a threat from simple mortal weapons stood his group until his eyes widened with surprise as each throwing dagger suddenly exploded upon contact with him and the ground around him.

Lucifer stumbled and fell as the rocks under him crumbled away, as he did Isaan was already beneath him and had unsheathed both of his wazikashi, and when Lucifer landed on the ground and thrust them both into the daemon's wings and pinned him there. After that he he crouched over Lucifer and looked down at him, those purple eyes of his so cold and filled with calm focus, he was not the wild and impulsive Isaan he had been thousands of years ago facing down Baelze and the like.

"Why? Why these mortals?!" Lucifer cried, the swords being made much like Michael's sabre, were managing to hold the daemon lord down. "What are they to you, what are you to them?!"

"Well, this is Japan..." Isaan said, smirking and suddenly slamming his hand down into Lucifer's chest and suddenly the gateway to hell opened beneath him and Lucifer fell in while Isaan caught his swords. "So I guess for the foreseeable future, to them I'm 'Isaan-sensei' and they're my apprentices. While I train them all to fight your kind properly." The gateway closed and Isaan ran his fingers through his hair, sighing to himself with frustration but also a clear gleam in his eyes at being in some action again.

[devante]

As the immortals reimbursed to their innovative forms the single gangly chap rapidly retracted into the obscurities looking perceptibly sick at the sight of Isaan, though he would resemble him in disposition clearly there was something foreboding his happiness to the ingress of his Grandfather and little sister. Jeremy quickly skimmed on his stomach across the damp sludge and slush to Devante’s side, as they both hugged the mountain rock they somehow had managed to get war paint upon their cheeks. Slowly the cameo turned their heads exchanging feverish glances, a slender brow quirking in acknowledgement before Devante commented in his regal mannerism “We do not tell him about the laxatives Jeremy!" The small Penguin stared up at Devante with clear uncertainty. The man stooped down and picked up Jeremy shaking him violently "No Jeremy! No!" The penguin shakes his head from side to side crying in anguish and distress much like that cat from YouTube "Nonononononononono!" Embracing the poor creature to his pap he would at a snail's pace move closer to the assemblage going to wake his younger sister, but that is when he entered the circle. Violent sneezes and coughs erupted from the gentleman, all the while he would accusingly glower at Isaan. "I can't accept this as true we do not have any pills left Jeremy.. This is so unprepossessing." It was a well known, yet hard to believe truth that Devante was in fact allergic to his Grand Father. Nodding meekly towards the man instead of showing proper respect, he'd simply have a crooked wry smile and a handkerchief to his nose. "Nothing against you Grand Father, as always.. it's just your smell. Ladies and the Gentleman of the Jury this man is my death." He would spread his hands as tears run down his snow white complexion, pointing to the his Grand Father as he said -this man-. Upon the last word death, Devante would explode into a mixture of flowers that fall down to a grave stating 'Here lies Devante; A Gentleman's Gentleman, and clearly the only guardian of Michael.' After around a minute this would disappear meaning that Devante has left the building. Little to their knowledge he was choosing his room on Michael's ship.

[saraneth]

The small sleeping child awoke with a squeeked yawn upon the ground rubbing the sleep from her eyes unaware of the snow ashes in her flaming red hair. Slowly sitting up she'd widen her eyes at the sight of the small grave letting out a shrill scream, the teddy at her side emberces in flames revealing a Demon-like bear wrapped in circles of unholy black flames, roaring loudly to match the girls distressed scream. Slowly the clumbsy guardian would pound over to the girl and simply hug her saying in a voice made to match her father's "Hush little Sarie, baby Prophet." This would instantly quiet her cries, rubbing her eyes once more she'd smile sleepily. Turning to see her Grand Father she would squeeze out of Tibbers the Demon bears grip and skip towards her Grand Father awaiting to be picked up, staring at him with her unwordly innocent large eyes, much larger than a normal girls. She would be dressed up in a panda one piece suit with the little tail at her lower back. The tattoo marking her forehead would light up as she comments in her child like linguistics "Grand Father there are too many here. The girl should wake unsettled."

As the glow fades from her tattoo or 'birth mark' she would yawn and tug his trouser leg clearly if she isn't picked up she'll crumble to sleep.

[James]

"Nice to see you, Isaan." Léona smiled. Having spent so much time in Xion lately, she rarely got to see many of her old friends. She walked up to the God in mortal form and gave him a quick hug. "As much as this has been fun and all, I'm afraid I must get back home. I left Krell uhh...let's just say he's rather 'tied up' at the moment. A promise is a promise, though, and I told these mortals I would aid them when they needed it, so I came as quickly as possible. Anyway, toodles!" She smirked before disappearing in her characteristic burst of blue flame, leaving scorch marks where she once stood.

Meanwhile, Joseph, having been holding tightly around Christofer's waist the whole time, let go of his companion as he realised the mist had cleared. He ventured gingerly towards the edge of the cliff and instantly noticed Isaan. He let out a cheer when he saw no sign of the Daemon Lord, concluding that Isaan had showed up and defeated him. His joy at not dying overtook him and he ran back to Chris and threw his arms around him, standing on his toes in order to plant a passionate kiss on the other boy's lips. He blushed as he realised what he had just done and stood back looking incredibly bashful. "Uhh..sorry, I didn't mean to..ahem..uhh.." he coughed and smiled a little.

[thomas]

After Isaan's disposal of Lucifer Thomas backed away from the site of the battle, uneasy with the situation. Keeping his weapons drawn, he darted his eyes between each of the others present, ready to react if any should attack him. He had too much experience with demons and not enough with immortals to relax in the company of beings clearly more powerful than himself. Out of habit, he murmured under his breath "Requiescat in pace." and touched the cross around his neck.

[Brett]

Michael knelt beside Sarah, thanks to Leona's healing she should be sitting up by now, his hand was on her back and he was looking down the ledge the four of them were on at Isaan and Thomas below. His eyes rose when he noticed Joseph had moved quite quickly, giving Cristofer a fairly passion filled kiss, making him shake his head and return his gaze to Sarah with care and concern. "You'll be fine, the angel's healing did the trick." he assures her, smiling reassuringly and trying to help her back to her feet. "I was nearly too late, I'm sorry I didn't reach you sooner."

Cristofer grinned at Joseph's act of passion, he had returned the kiss up until the boy pulled away, his eyes seeming to gleam with mischief. "Oh, 'ow bold of you." he teased, licking his lips and going to lean down and kiss him instead, but they are all interrupted by what sounds almost like a sonic boom as Isaan moves with unnatural speed to a position that everyone still present - Thomas included - can hear him. His cloak has changed to a long, sleeveless black haori, with a purple talon surrounded by a purple circle on the back and several purple diamons at the bottom.

"There will be time for whispering your sweet nothings later," he said, his voice cut through the air with a commanding presence. "For the time being, there is a nightmare I wish to share with you."

Their surroundings began to fade away and all five of them were torn from the Earth they knew by Isaan, into a barren wasteland of hellfire and brimstone with blackened ash for the ground and the snarl of daemons all about them. They were stood in what looked like Sydney, Australia - at least that was what could be made out from the large opera house nearby, which was like some bastardised form of itself as though in the grip of decay. Isaan stands before them, a hot breeze that blows the ash back and forth causing his short red hair and haori to drift slightly, all of them would have a fine layer of ash forming over them as they stood there too.

"Welcome to my nightmares," he spat, bluntly. "Foresight is one of the curses of my bloodline, this future has been plaguing my dreams for over a hundred years but only now have I managed to find the root of this outcome."

"What... what caused zhis?" Cristofer asked, horrified and his hand found Joseph's and clutched it tight.

"It's obvious," Michael said quietly, "We did. Otherwise he wouldn't have brought us here."

"This is the horror the Vaticanus will unleash upon you. But when they come you will not be ready, you will hesitate, and just like that..." He clicked his fingers, "You let them take the Earth away from you."

Isaan turned his head toward Thomas and walked toward him, stopping a short distance and staring at him through those deep, purple eyes. After a while he rubs his chin between his finger and thumb, then lets out a deep sight of frustration - it made him sick to see a daemon stuck in the grasp of a religion created for daemon worshippers. He wouldn't hear the end of it from Cecila at the next meeting of the elder gods, if she found out one of his kind were on Earth convinced he was some abomination, worshipping a daemon cult.

"You are a christian..." he mused, "I will put this in a way you can understand. And hark, a true god did sayeth, this is all a load of bollocks and your God doesn't exist - and lo the angels did laugh and piss themselves over the devil who thought he did."

The apocalyptic view of Earth's currently most likely future faded and they were, rather than on the mountain side, stood on the bridge of Michael and the gang's ship. Of course, Isaan just being here had shifted the possible outcome heavily already, that was the first law of those with the gift of foresight - to remember that even the slightest act could have massive ramifications. He was sure if it were not for his rank in the divine order, he would be getting carted to a hearing before the divine council for interferance, but as it was he wasn't and that was good enough for him.

"What are you proposing?" Michael asked, clearly he was shaken but trying not to show it.

"My proposition is simple," Isaan raised one finger, "I will mentor all of you for one month. One month and in return, Michael, when the battle is over - I get your sword."

[sarah]

Absence of light, everything was darkness. Darkness wasn’t an entity; for humans and Sarah alike, their most sensitive sense is sight, but now in the dark, she had lost her greatest faculty for perceiving what's around her. The pixelated canvas of shadow, harsh black nipped at Sarah’s core as she hesitantly confronted the emotionless embrace of death’s fingers licking her heart, cooing it into giving up. In the distance of the blinding fog Sarah received the susurrated voices that seemed so distant fitting to the silhouette of figurines she knew, individuals she didn’t and societies she recalled. It was as if her unabridged form was angling backwards and the fearsome thought swam across her churning mind “Who will catch me…” Although she identified she was being scorched alive, why did it feel so cold?

At the core of the dark landscape Sarah fixated in her dazed state towards a small object descending with elegance down, it would be swallowed up by the darkness. As her subconscious moved towards the object it became superior, taking shape of a white glowing feather; something you’d expect to have fallen from a dove no... an Angel. The feather seemed so fragile it reminded Sarah of the insubstantial life of a human, of her life. Then it occurred to her groggy state “I don’t want to die…” She wanted to be with Michael, she wanted to stop being in this shadow, the shadow of her, of what has already been written. Reaching out with her tanned hand that seemed to in turn produce a warm light she grabbed the feather pulling it to her left pap over her heart. With that simple action the feather shone more brightly than any light she had witnessed and began to produce waves of warm unwavering light destroying the darkness around her.

As weight reimbursed to her lissome frame, so did sound return to her ears, she heard the voice she had craved for what seemed like eternity, fiery tears forming at the corner of her eyes. ‘I'm sorry I didn't reach you sooner.’ A rasped exhale escaped her ashen coloured lips as her sealed lids shakily pried open revealing emerald iris’s that seemed far too tired and fragile for her age; sprawled out on the dishevelled ground she would appear like only a shadow of her former self. The blurred figure of Michael leaning over her slowly came into view and as if someone had strings attached to her body she was sitting up with her strong arms interlocked around Michael’s torso, though no sound, no shaken cries escaped the females lips. The heavy burden of what has been weighing her shoulders down for now was lifted and all that plagued her mind was embracing Michael. After what must have been five minutes Sarah turned her gaze slowly towards her surroundings noting the battle was over to her relief and dismay. She’d not be able to live down how she had failed.

With little time to recuperate from her crumbled state the group; Michael’s group was confronted by the immortal Isaan she had only met briefly. But as was Sarah’s nature she stood up against her own aching body and soul putting on her brave face as a new nightmare showered her vision. She would confront her actions.

As the vision ended Sarah turned to the group, a fire roared in her eyes as something new had awakened in her body. “I don’t know what you all feel on this matter but strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” Her pale lips seem to brighten as she smiles the smile only achieved by Sarah, the smile of inept strength and leadership. Something in her had changed, and it wasn’t just courage.

[thomas]

Remaining tense throughout Isaan's vision, Thomas kept his sword drawn until he found himself on Michael's ship and even then he kept his crossbow ready. He brushed off Isaan's insult entirely. He didn't know exactly what was happening but the most likely theory in his mind was that this was some sort of test of faith; that, combined with the obvious threat to Earth assured his loyalty.

After the others finished speaking he cleared his throat quietly and not knowing who to address. spoke to the whole room.
"I feel it is my duty to help you in this venture. If the captain of this vessel will permit, I would like to bring a number of personal items from my own craft aboard."
He kept his eyes on Isaan the whole time, watching for any hint as to what he was.