The Arcane The Arcane. "People look at me as if I were the bad guy... Each step I leave behind is followed by another death. How is that my fault?" The hooded man began. "Each step gets me closer to my goal." "And what is that?" The interogattor asked, in a calm and relaxed tone. "My goal?" "Yes." "That's not of your concern." He said simply, looking up breifly to the interogattor then to the mirrored glass behind. "Nor their's... Mr Likes." The man who sat opposite the hooded figure seemed to stifen at the mention of his name. "Draken, yes?" Mr Likes started. "We simply want to know your goal, what it is you hope to accomplish." Silence. Not a word spoken. "We found you in the middle of Times Square surrounded by stone spikes that had burst from the ground, impalling 13 people." Again, no anwer. "They want to execute you. They think you are something inhumane and dangerous." "They're right." Draken said still hidong his face beneath the shadow of the hood. "And why's that?" The air in the small room then seemed to become colder and much more chilling, the metal table had begun to grow hints of frost around it. "What's going on in there?" Another man's voice asked as he stood behind the glass but his sight through the glass was ghen blurred as a thick layer of ice covered it. "God damn it, Wilson start explaining now." There was a moment of silence before the ice around the glass melted and revealed Mr Likes frozen and Draken gone. "Fuck! It's them again! That's the 4th time!" The man shouted out and then stormed off, gesturing for some men to get inside the room and unfreeze Mr Likes. "What the hell?!" Draken screamed as he held athis stomach, resisiting the urge to vomit from the sudden happening. The young Victorian looking boy scurried back and stood behind the white haired pale girl, she had shoulder length snow white hair with blue streaks, however her eyes blazed a cold blue and her skin seemed so healthy yet so pale and cold. She wore a black hoodie over a white shirt and tight jeans along with black sneakers. "What did you do?" Draken piped as he began to recover. "Me? Uh... Nothing, well...except I did freeze that guy." She said thenran a hand through her hair. "Man... He's not going to like me for that." "W-what?" "Oh right, uh... You've made yourself pretty noticed... Azralian?" The girl asked. At first Draken seemed utterly confused but then the name rang a bell. "Yeah..." "What's an Azralian doing outside of Azreal?" She smirked then looked back to the boy behind. "Hey Tick... Can you go get Marcus or Orion?" The boy who she called Tick then scurried off through a corridor behind her. "Oh shit... I'm not with the Arcane am I?" The girl thn grinned and shrugged. "I guess so if you'll call us by our old names." "Which one are you?" "Sarax Green, at your service!" She smirked. "I take it you're a Arcane?" He murmured dusting himself off. "Jeez... No one uses those names anymore but yeah." She said quite surprised. "And that boy was one of your Arman?" "Yeah." She said tiredly. "Look I got other stuff to do right now instead of small chat so once Orion or Marcus come over i'll leave ya." "Fine." Draken said simply and waited not long until a blonde well coiffed man in a very formal looking suit walked in. "Thank you Sarax... I'll look to him now." He said in a thick German accent and the girl saluted to him and left hapilly. "So you're my new baby sitter?" Draken laughed darkly then his expression turned dark as he looked to the man. "Another Arline... What's your element?" "I doubt I would want to give you the priveledge of knowing." Marcus smirked then gestured for Draken to step out of the small room and head outwards. It took a few seconds but Draken then reluctantly left the room but froze in spot as he looked to his surroundings, kind of indoor city, it was enormous with a glass roof that was under a bright blue sea. The inside had corridors just about anywhere leading off to another area or room. There were also small buildings against the walls, the middle of the entire place was clear of any obstacles as it was used as a path, the ceiling was madeof glass but the ground seemed to be made of a beautiful white marble flooring. There were collums keeping the ceiling up and they seemed to be madeof either a blue or pink spiral crystal mineral. "I never thought I'd see Ferolan in my#life." Draken breathed in awe as he watch either the people walking along the place or the different animals doing erands. "You know our old names?" Marcus said quite impressed. "We ourselves have come accustomned to what the mortals have named us." "I heard, those names are terrible." Draken scoffed as she then walked out and began heading down the main passage, heading to a large set of blue crystal doors. The hooded man himself couldn't help but look up to the ceiling and all the sea #life that swam above the very thick layer of glass. But when Draken looked closer it seemed to be made out of a clear cystal instead of glass. "Are you still under the rule of Anivia and Zathrian?" He asked loking back to Marcus. "Anivia yes but Zathrian has passed on, he still remains dormant... Hs body lays beneath." He said looking breifly to hs feet. "Zathrian may be dead but if ever Ferolan would have need of him he'd be awoken." "Anivia's alone then? I mean like she's alone in power... She's keeping all of you alive alone?" He asked quite stunned. Marcus nodded but then didn't answer. "You may have to ask her yourself." The blonde man lead Draken through a smaller corridor where blue and pink crystals merged to create a glistening passage. "An here we have him, the troublemaking Azrealian." The proud noble voice of Anivia spoke out as she approached Marcus and Draken as they entere the room. Seeming as large as a church, ceiling was high up and at the end of the room was a kind of platform upwards that also looked over a seemingly endless crystal lake with different colored jems bursting from any conrer of the lake. "Anivia, the Queen on the Arcane... How have you been?" Draken ased crossing his arms. "Fixing the problems your little adventures are making. Draken, this is not Azreal... You cannot kill at your own leisure." The woman said firmly, she wore a long robe that split in pink and blue on each side, along with her hair, one side being blue and the other pink. She looked very healthy and had tanned skin, her eyes a dazzling violet splendor. She looked at least to be in her 30s to 40s. "Marcus... Do you mind finding Zerlian?" She asked softly and the man nodded with a humble smile across his face as he headed out the chamber. The Queen's expression darkned as she looked back to Draken. "What on earth are you doing in the Mortal's world?" "What? Is there a rule not to?" Draken scoffed. "There is a law that any being of Azreal, Ferolan and Relik are forbidden to spill mortal blood." She said with venom in her voice. "Calm down, lady... They were just 13 people." "Including those outside of New York?" "Fine... 36." "47." Anivia corrected. "Big deal." he rolled his eyes. "It is in fact a 'big deal' as you, Draken Forthound, are now a convict of the Deleros." She said. "The Deleros?" He repeated but then smirked. "Woah, real scary..." Anivia seemed more and more irritated by the man and took a deep breath. "Perhaps this is out of my buisness." She said and the man was about to comment in agreement. "Maybe in Phy's." At this, Draken seemed to freeze as he grimaced. "The Mind-Imposter?" Anivia was quiet as Marcus stepped in with a fairly younger man. "Hello Draken, now then..." Th man said then held both hands out towards the hooded fellow, his breathing slowed as his mind was erased of anger or any negetive feelings. "Take him to Phys, find out who he was working for." Anivia sid waving them off as she turned to face the lake. "This'll be fun." The one named Zerlian chuckled as he pressed a hand against Draken's shoulder and gently pushed him towards the door. "Wonderful..." Draken said emotionlessly. "This the lad?" A purple robed man laughed as he ran a hamd through his ginger hair. "I met him back at Retch!" "Phys, please... Just begin." Marcus said. "Give the dude a minute." Sarax said with a smug grin as she had joined them. "Yes! Golly, no need to be hasty!" Phys said, pouting. "Just get to it!" Marcus said, his impatience growing. Phys rolled his eyes then took a seta opposite Draken who was sitting on a stool still under Zerlian's influence as he stood behind him. "Right then, what am I looking for?" He asked as his eyes began the turn pink from a golden brown. "Who he was working for or what his plans were." Marcus said. "That's it? I could get that ou of him by freezing his ba-" Sarax was quickly interupted by Marcus's glare. "Ok, ok... Fine!" The purple robed man looked straight into the tired eyes of Draken, then as if a kind of cold blow erupted from Phys, Draken's skin went entirely blue as if frozen. It wasn't very long until the blue color faded and Draken fell back panting for breath, seeming he had held it in during Phy's spell. "So?" Zerlian asked as he focused on calming Draken down. "Oy..." Was all Phys said for a while. "What?" Marcus asked quickly. "The fellow works for Azreal himself." "The big guy who looks like the devil and had a supernatural country named after him? By golly, I wonder why I'm not surprised!" Sarax said running a hand through her white hair. "That can't be right though... Despite Sarax's issues with the man, he was one of the Nobles who signed for the Deleros..." Marcus said. "Well it's not wrong." Phys said crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Oh come on, the man is super tall, skin like a burnt tomatoe and masisve horns, this man is basically the Devil! How can you be so surprised that he sent people to kill humans?" Sarax said. "It's completely true and obvious!" "Sarax, shut up! Azreal knows of the law, Azreal being one of the countries partaking in Deleros!" Marcus said sternly. "What more evidence do we need than this?" Sarax laughed, not from humour but completely surprised that Marcus wasn't convinced. "Phys, are you certain?" He sighed looking to the man. "As sure as anyone can be!" He said. "Well fuck!" Sarax said in a grin as she clasped her hands together. "You should know better!" Sarax cried out in laughter, seeming untterly surprised. "What the hell are you on about?" Marcus snapped. "You're going after Azreal on your own now?" "Yes!" "And you see nothing wrong with that!" She laughed stepping infront of the man, reaching out and straitening his tie before looking up to his face. "You should know." "What?" The German man asked quickly. "Soldier, who'se Azreal in this fight?" "The man I am going to kill!" He barked with venom in his voice. "He's the core, the main thing... The General!" She said tappingher temple. "So tell me Soldier, what does a General controll?" Marcus sighed as he crossed his arms and figured to play along. "I don't know." "An army." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Marcus frowned but nodded slightly to tell her to continue. "Like Draken, eh? He's just another soldier... Now what's Azreal's goal?" "To... To overtake Earth." "And how will he do that?" "With an Army." Marcus nodded. "Exactly... But..." "But what?" "My past experiences with him have taught me he's a coward. Especially against Anivia and being a General makes you be pin point pricked, basiclaly we'll do our best to find him. The General." Sarax murmured. "Yes... Which we shall." "Although a coward, he's smart. If he is in this then he would have guiven army power to someone else so as they were the one targetted." "So he'd staying out of the fight?" Marcus asked, disgusted. "It's a thought but i'm not sure." She said although this gave Marcus enough of an idea as he headed off to inform Anivia. ~~ The Arman, Blaze, Corla and Brett had been watching over a small town in northern Norway, they were guarding it from Azreal's pets however most of the inhabitants of the small village had fleed, Corla had manaded to get them to go, she convinced them enough although at first when they wern't some were brutally killed, blood spilled everywhere. However now, everything was quiet... The only thing heard was the sparks of fire that would from time to time burst out of Blaze's hair, his hair was messy and short however his face was built and had a stern look, he had a stubble aswell, dark as his hair, bright red eyes that would occasionally seem to glow. Corla was a young girl,seeming much like she was near 20, she had wavy blue hair that constantly seemed to move like water, her eyes a broght green and her face was very pretty, she had a young and docile look, her skin slightly tanned but obviously healthy. Brett on the other hand seemed very normal, he looked as normal as anyone could be with black hair that was well coiffed, a goatee and thick black eyebrow, his eyes seeming just as dark but overall he looked much kinder than Blaze. "More coming." Blaze then whispered quickly as he lifted his chin up and caught a strong scent of rotting flesh and burning. "Excellent..." Brett sighed quietly in his feint Spanish accent. In a few instants, there seemed to be a kind of rupture in the air, followed by a cold sad feeling of pain and misery, from the crack in the middle of the air leapt out 5 small canine looking creatures however they stood on their hind legs and their fur seemed to have been peeled off revealing simpe muscle and bone. "Revolting..." Corla remarked as she looked to Blaze for his plan. He scrutinized each demonic being carefully before concluding that they were another squadron, a smaller one... Perhaps a simple scouting troop. "Let them come through and get the bigger ones out..." Blaze murmured, the two nodding as they watched the demons scurry about for a good while before running back through the crack in the air. Within seconds enormous creatures climbed through, at least 3, however having to take turns to get through as e crack was too small for all at once. They looked like gigantic centipedes but had spikes across their entire body and their heads where large and heavy, obviously with multiple layers of teeth inside. "Come on." Blaze said before jumping from the space he stood, in mid air turning to a black wolf with bright red eyes and a fiery tail. Corla followed, she also turned to her wolf form, instead of having fur it seemed much more like water. Brett looked to the two and to the demons, seeing them all and examining a way to kill them off easily, once he planned something he dashed down, leaping into the air and becoming a black cheetah as he pounced upon the demons. "So what do you suggest?" The little girl asked, she looked up to the Queen with admiration in her blue eyes as her blonde curly hair was tied in a bun. "I'm not sure... Perhaps I may have to face him directly." Anivia murmured as she paced across her chamber. "Maybe... I should get ready for if that is the case..." "You're not suggesting-" The girl began. "Yes... I should and must be ready for if it were to come to that, Angel." The noble woman said. "Who are you going to tell?" "No one... For now until I am certain." "I respect that." Angel nodded but then looked over her shoulder briefly. "They're back." "And hurt, go help them." The Queen said firmly and the little girl ran off and headed straight to the part of Ferolan where the ground seemed to made of diamond in a circular pattern. She paused a moment upon seeing the three, Brett was struggling to keep the other two standing, each of them in human form but seeming incredibly hurt, Brett's knees gave in as he collapsed, dropping the two beside him. "What happened?!" Angel asked in astonishment as she looked to Blaze, his face having a deep cut from his forehead to his cheek. His clothes also torn and bloody, his own blood. Corla also seemed just as bad, many cuts here and there but instea dof blood ppuring out, a gold liquid. Brett himself manadged to hold himself up though parts of his body looked to have been burnt off, or ripped off. "Azreal's... Mercenaries... New fighters." Was all he manadged before falling flat on his face. Angel then didn't take another moments hesitation to start healing them, focusing on one at a time, slowly but surely each cut was fixing itself together. "Mercenaries?" A soft yet dark voice asked from behind as he watched Angel work on them. The man stood firmly, overlooking them each, his eyes a violet color and across both his eyes was black marking, like a raccoon's. He wore average looking clothes, walking around in baggy trousers and a large shirt and socks. He clasped his hands together and nodded. "Mercenaries of the Trenches?" "No..." Angel piped as she was still healing them. "Sane, you've finally lost it." "I doubt so, however with those acid wounds from Brett and the cuts it's quite clear. Azreal has actually managed to get the Mercenaries of the Trenches." Sane chuckled. "So now we have to worry about the Mercenaries of the Trenches?" Anivia asked, having an expression filled with distress and worry. "Seems so, that's what Sane guesses..." Angel murmured. "And he rarely ends up being wrong..." A woman who wore a white leather ring leader suit, she had short pink hair, her eyes matching the colour of her hair, her eyes also seemed to be rimmed black, like having quite a lot of make up on but seemed etched into her skin. "That's true Harley, so I suppose we should do one thing." Anivia began. "Get a team to focus of the Mercenaries and another on the mortal world's protection." "And this team for the Mercenaries?" Harley asked. "I suppose you shall be the leader, Angel should stay here to heal any injured, the second team for the mortals should be run by Orion." The noble Queen said. "I'll go tell him then?" Harley asked. "And I'll tell Marcus!" Angel piped happily. "I suggest doing so now then." Anivia said with a smile looking to the two. "The team leader?" The black haired warrior asked raising an eyebrow. The man himself seemed to be in his late 20s, having a dark beard stubble, his eyes a dark maroon. He had a strong physique and looked very healthy, he wore black pants with metal armor plating around his knees and ankles, he wore a black tank top, however had no armor plating from his thighs up. "Yeah, Annie wanted you to." Harley said as she sat opposite the greek man who was busy sharpening a silver dagger with a bright white handle. "She knows I cannot lead a team." "Orion, you can but you just need to want to. You chose your fellows, then I guess report back to Anivia to see if you go to Azreal and face the Mercenaries." Orion's features darkened as he briefly glanced up at Harley. "Trenches? Well... I'll need the best." He nodded then pulled himself up, holding the dagger tightly as in his hand it morphed into a silver ring which he put on his finger. "It's your choice!" Harley smirked as she also stood. "Ideas?" "Dana, Minx, Sarax, Fenrir, Struck and Dyno." He said with a content nod. "Only?" "They are strong but I don't want to bring too many in case things don't go as planned, I don't want to bring too many deaths." He said. "Understood!" Harley nodded. "I'll go see who Marcus finds best." Orion had gathered his chosen team, each doing their own things, Dana was quiet and simply waiting for orders, Sarax and Struck were playing along to a harmonica, Minx was trying to block out the sound while the triplets Fenrir each paced around, the boys were identical in each way except their eyes, they were all called Fenrir but the others would call each by their eye color. Dyno himself was sorting out plans with Orion. "Where exactly to do go?" He asked. "Retch, behind the mountains lay no-man's land, chances are that the Mercenaries will be there if anywhere." "And if they're not?" "Then they're in the mortal world, where we'll go after them!" "Hey, we should pass through Mercy, they'll know about the Trenches!" Struck called out. "Have you forgotten what's happened to Mercy? The Harling's ruined them!" Minx snapped. "Yeah well not all of them took that drug, the Sheriff for example!" Sarax said happily. Minx glared at the girl but didn't say anything, having an unsaid hatred for her and her Arman so instead she looked to Orion. "So what do we do?" She asked. "Struck's right, we pass by Mercy and we'll get whatever news we can, then we'll go through Retch to the Trenches." He said. "That sounds perfect." All three triplets said but then the yellow eyed one spoke. "However, we cannot be certain-" "The Mercenaries haven't-" Red interupted however it all seemed to come from the same voice. "Taken Mercy either." Green finished. "True, but we'll just have to hope for the best!" Struck laughed. "We'll manage." Dyno said. "If they did then they would have only left scours behind." "So we're fine... Hopefully." Dana murmured. The teleport was abrupt and sudden, just as Orion's feet hit the ground, his knees collapsed under the sudden pressure, the time portal seeming to weigh tons as it hovered above him but once everyone had been tossed out of it, the portal disappeared allowing those under pressure to get up. "Seems like we're stuck in the middle of Me-" yellow began. "-Rcy's southern desert." Green finished. Orion nodded as he scanned the area, they were in the scorching red sanded desert which wasn't doing much good for Sarax who's skin began melting, the colour turning from a normal beige to blue and then once the droplets detached form her skin, seeming just like water. "This sucks." She then remarked as she kept her movement steady and moving the least she could. "Won't last long, once we get to Mercy the atmosphere there's much less hotter and humid." Yellow filled in as he looked to the girl. "Bad idea choosing her then." Minx murmured. Dana looked to Minx with a scolding glare but she didn't say anything, then returning her gaze to Orion for his orders. "We'll move up to Mercy, see whatever information we get there and then past Retch over the mountains, down to NoMan's land." The man said jet before setting himself and the rest on the course to move forth. There were no complaints during the journey although the occasional swear from Sarax in the back and Struck's cynical remarks from time to time before they then saw a Western looking tow further ahead. It wasn't long till they stepped through a kind of bubble, once inside the air was much less humid and warmer, insead a cooler and tolerable temperature. Sarax though still finding it hot but she wasn't dripping as much. The town was empty, any building nearby were boarded up and closed down, there was #life on the roof tops though no faces were seen. Eventually they reached a larger wooden saloon, the Sheriff's office. On the porch sat a smokey figure, seeming at first like a simply white mist but when seen closer you could make out the aspects of a person with notable features, a moustache, a tall hat, the boots, all of those things. "Morning sir." Orion began as he took a step closer to the smokey figure who then cocked his hat in greetings. "Ain't been see in' many of you folk 'round here for a while." THe man spoke although his voice was feint as seemed to whistle like the wind. "What bring the Arcane to Mercy?" "Trenches." Orion then said simply, however the word then seemed to msake the man tense. "I think you know what is going on, hm?" "Yeah, I do. THey been passin through here a few days ago." "So they're gone?" Dana then asked although shrunk back to her place after being oven a foul look from Orion for speaking out of turn. "Yeah, sure have. I ain't the one who saw it though, ou can go ask my son." THe Sheriff said then cocked his head to the building opposite. "Dean should be in there, he the one who saw it all." "Where were you when it happened then?" Orion asked before gesturing for Dyno, Sarax and Red to go to the other building. The Sheriff himself seemed confused by the question before looking down. "I had some stuff to do with some of the Harlings." Orion nodde dbut had a skeptical look on him, he then steppe doff the porch and waited for the other three to return. "Huh? Oh I remember that! Passed through here like a god damn locomotive!" The ghostly figure that was Dean chuckled. He seemed much younger, the mist he was made of seemed easier to identify his features. He was guarding a few prison cells inhabited by some other misty figures. "Damn…" Sarax sighed as she looked between the bars. "You telling' me! I was in here and the monsters go straight through the field! I was confused as hell! Then next thing you know… 4 of them nearly destroy half'a Mercy!" "Who so?" Dyno asked. "Well you seen 'em! They're bigger than God! Runing through like a stampede, man… some Harlings got killed but that's it." "Harlings?" Red asked quietly. "S'what we call the people addicted and corrupted by it, we ain't gunna kill them but we leave them alone. They're like rats, s'long as you don't get on their bad side you'll be okay." Red was about to open his mouth to another question but fired there's a time and a place. "And where did they go?" Sarax asked turning back to face Dean. "Well, I don't know… The Mercenaries passed through here for only a few minutes and they were gone but they were heading North." "Straight to the bridge!" Dyno groaned. "Whch bridge?" Dean asked. "The one leading to Havem." Sarax murmured quietly. Dean went quiet then, he didn't know exactly what to say so then made sure to confirm it. "The Sky city?" "The one and only." Red piped sadly. "So evidently they're takign the path through Havem, I was wondering how else..." Harley said firmly as she paced around beneath the platform where Anivia stood. "Obviously they can't get in to the mortal world from theirs without teleportation which they have been comfiscated of, only us and the Angels have that." "Why would they not come here then?" Anivia murmured in thought as she tried to puzzle it all together. "Maybe they knew we were stronger?" Angel suggested. "Doubt that, if they have every warrior in Azreal then we wouldn't stand a chance." Harley pointed out as she then pulled out her whip and ran a finger on the thin rope. "Maybe they want us to go after them?" "Unlikely, why would they?" Anivia sighed as nothing really was fitting. "To leave Ferolan open to Azreal's taking." Phys said as he stepped in, earning some questioning looks. "Before we sent Daken off to his hole, he had been hiding a little detail in his mind. I nearly missed it until he felt that he got away and let the mental barrier down for a second!" Anivia then stepped down the crystal stairs and went to Phys. "What exactly was it then?" "Azreal wants the elements... He's quite desperate for them." "Why?" Harley then asked. "Perhaps because he wants to use it for something or he just wants the power." Phys then shrugged. "Well, as long as I stay here it shall be fine and he shall not lay a hand on Ferolan, what we need to do now is diminish their numbers before they cause true harm to the mortals." The Queen said firmly as she returned to her post, gesturing Phys to leave. ~~ However a lot of damage was already dealt; "Ooh! Here's a good picking!" Chark giggled chldly as he pulled out a rib from one of the many corpses of humans scattered across Nova Scotia. Chark was one of the Mercenaries, a Mercenary of a mercenary, hired by the Trenches. Chark was a Hando, a very humanoid thing seeming exactly the same except their large black beady eyes and sharp fangs, their skin was snow white and most of the Hando's had tiny pricks as hair. Millions spread across their heads and looked much like a hedgehogs. "Bullseye! Another!" Chark's brother, Reil, laughed as he threw another sharpened human bone at a corse that had been tied ip. "These mortals ain't half bad!" Chark grinned as he licked a rib clean. "So long as they ain't screaming and begging for their lives!" Reil mused as he then looked back to the rest of the Hando's either killing off some or feasting on those already dead. "So what do we do now?" "Orders where to keep anyone else out, we see something that ain't us or trenches then we kill em!" Chark said hapily as he then skipped over a few bodies and looked southward. "Working our way down! Mortals don't stand a chance with their lil toys!" "Explosions and small metal shells is all they have!" Reil teased as he joined his brother. "The Angels are down, Valecia's #life if hanging by a thread and whne the Arcane try something then we'll have the perfect oppurtunity!" "Duuh, so what you hoping for?" Chark smirked. "'Hoping'? I'm getting it, I'll have teleportation." He said proudly. ~~ "Holy shit..." Sarax said in horrow as she looked upon the scene of Havem that was once a beautiful place. Now the white...