Innocents

[DanteMGalileo]

"Alright, if you have a home outside this place... Please, take your family and hide there."

Talking to another group, William warned them to leave the island. He told himself it was for their own good, that it was so they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire... And yet, as a person who had to relocate to avoid violence himself, he knew how painful it would be. He knew he was trying to convince himself that this was the right thing, but he knew how wrong it was...

"You're doing what's right, Will... Just... gotta keep telling yourself that..." The blonde glanced to the sky, pushing his sodden hair out of his eyes and glasses... Before noting a distinct lack of a flying ship.

William audibly gulped, fearing the worst.

---

"Listen... Alaric, was it? See if you can't find William and Raunen. I'm gonna go after Paul and see if we can't find Kelsey."

Removing his shirt and jacket to allow his grotesque wings to form, Percy took to the sky. Scanning for a trace of blue or pink amongst the grey, his eyes locked on something giving off smoke. "Oh, fuck..."

The brunette shifted course, turning and descending to inspect the wreckage.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"KELSEY!!!"

Paul couldn't help but feel a little selfish charging off the way he did. He was certainly worried about Ranuen and had to wonder what William had gotten up to since they'd split up, but knowing that most of the team was none too worse for wear, his biggest concern wound up taking precedent. As such, he found himself running through the rain-soaked city and towards the outer limits. Towards where he had seen Kelsey tow the angel's ship into the mist...

---------------------------

"BLOODY HELL...!!!"

Mic stared out at the burning shipwreck, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, utterly mortified by the apparent disaster that had taken place. By the time he and Perdix had arrived, the mess that they discovered could barely even be considered a ship. It was more or less a giant bonfire in the middle of this barren field, turning the grey skies black with smoke, the rain insufficient to extinguish flames alone.

"THIS... THIS IS... OH NO NO NO NO NO..." Mic desperately looked between Perdix and the ruins. "PLEASE TELL ME THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF LIFE HERE. TELL ME THAT EVERYONE MADE IT OUT OKA-"

He choked on his words, his heart leaping into his throat the moment he spotted a lone figure marching away from the wreckage...

Kelsey's demonic traits –her claws, her fangs, her horns, her wings– had all receded. All except her eyes, which still glowed an intense, icy, almost unnatural blue against her snakelike pupils. Her expression was cold, carrying an unsettling silent fury, and she held herself high despite her aching muscles, displaying the sort of bravado reserved for action movie heroes as they calmly walked away from explosions no normal human could so easily walk away from.

Suddenly, she came to a halt. Her bright blue eyes could clearly be seen flicking in the two angels' direction.

"Um..."

[ColArana]

Alaric looked at Percy. "Well. I'll try. But I've got other people I need to report this too as well." A warm, wet feeling was felt on his brow, and he reached up and touched it. Blood. He was bleeding. Darn. It must have happened when he'd jumped off the ship with the others. His tumble had stopped him being seriously injured, but. Well. He was still only human afterall. "I'll direct them over to you if I pass them on my way out." He informed Percy, as he looked for an access stairway down. Finding one he pulled it open-- surprisingly easy from the outside, and began to make his way down the stairs.

------

Fortunately for Percy and Paul, Ranuen had reached similar conclusions. After failing to find a consistent way to the roof of the building (granted he could have tried vaulting up the side, but Ranuen wasn't feeling like doing that after a five to six story fall, and a fight with Liderc, that had left him burned and with a fairly unpleasant wound in his shoulder from Liderc's talon. Ranuen was focusing his magical energies on repairing that damage but it'd take some time. Maybe an hour or two? In the meantime he decided to set out for the ship. He was certain that anyone who hadn't made the jump would be there, and if they were there, Paul would be there too. Ranuen set off on a direct course toward the direction he'd seen the ship heading, noting a form flitting in the sky above. Definitely on the right path then...

[DanteMGalileo]

"Ah."

Perdix took in the smoldering wreckage of what was once a fleet ship. A quick scan confirmed... "No survivors. Unsure if actual death or simple retreat." This was the advantage of being a machine rather than flesh- an arrow could fly in front of your seeing lumps and you would not react beyond a blink. And then, the demonic girl that the one who made explosions mentioned- if the energy readings meant anything.

She glanced at the two. And Perdix's computerized brain still did not register fear. It merely assessed their odds.

[SCAN COMPLETE.

ODDS OF VICTORY IN CURRENT CONDITIONS: 1.08325%

BEST OPTION: RETREAT.]

"Ah. One who makes explosions. We should be leaving. My transistors do not handle his moist environment."

---

"Oh shit, oh shit, ship's down, I dunno if anyone was on when it crashed! Guys, you'd better be alive!"

Following the general direction of the black smoke, William rushed through the wet and now-empty streets. "Perce! Kelsey! Paul! Raunen! Alaric! Any of you here?! 'Cuz this isn't the time to d- augh?!"

Percy had swooped in, and grabbed William, the brunette strained slightly from the added weight. "Urk... lay off the okonomiyaki, Will... You're getting fat again..."

"I am NOT fat, Perce! If someone's not making fun of me for one thing, it's an- Perce, you're alive!"

"Damn right. ... Don't let go. I'm gonna fly us towards the smoke."

"I don't fancy being splattered like a pancake either, so I second that notion! ... Uh, is anyone else-?"

"Paul and Alaric are fine. I'm not certain about Raunen, but I think he's fine. We're just gonna look for Kelsey. Alright, plotting direct course for the burning ship..."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Uh... Y-Yeah..." Mic whimpered, backing away from the piercing scowl of the demon. "I-I don't think I want any part of that...!"

The yellow-green angel promptly turned and high-tailed it away from the scene. Considering Perdix couldn't find any traces of life and Mic had already collected all of his belongings, there was nothing to salvage from the wreckage. At least nothing worth remaining in close proximity with that... girl... to retrieve.

Kelsey simply narrowed her eyes as she watched the two angels depart. The taller one didn't seem especially threatening, and the short one... well, he was just the same high-strung inventor from before. She could tell that he would be the least of her worries, especially considering the more dangerous angels were still out there. As such, she opted to let them go and continue her trek towards the city. Right now, retreat was easily the smartest option. For them.

As she marched onward, Kelsey spotted a blue shape among the grey haze. Paul had arrived at the city limits, sprinting towards the flames with a look of desperation. He only slowed when he spotted the object of his concerns walking away from the destruction.

"K-KELSEY!" Stumbling to a halt a few feet away from her, Paul anxiously looked Kelsey over. Fully human save for the eyes, slightly ripped and tattered clothes... and yet not a scratch or a bruise on her. "A-Are you alright? What happened?? How are you-?!"

"I'm fine," Kelsey grunted as she walked past him, her stride unfaltering, grabbing Paul's wrist and hauling him along with her. "We need to get the team together. These sanctimonious a**holes need to die."

[DanteMGalileo]

"Damn, and I thought the buildings back home created a lot of smoke when they caught fire..." Percy said, finally closing in on the ship. "Even the rain isn't putting this out. All right, I'm gonna fly us down, hold tight."

With some flapping noises, Kelsey and Paul would be made aware of another landing. As William's boots hit the ground, Percy angled himself and landed a few inches from the blonde, wings melting back to reform his torso, slipping his shirt and coat back on. William looked around, finally seeing the full extent of the wreckage. "Uh... damn..." he said. "I can't imagine there were any survivors... or did they all jump ship?"

Percy, however, went straight for Kelsey. "Hey, nice landing... Glad to see you're unharmed, too..." And then, the most obvious off trait. "... What's with the eyes, though?"

Oh, I like where this is going.

"I thought you were going to sleep..."

I'm always somewhat awake.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"You guys know anything about these angels?" Kelsey asked Percy and William, the former's question completely ignored. "I know they die when you rip their wings off, but any other information would be useful. Strengths, weaknesses, potential numbers, hierarchy... If we're gonna take down an army, we may as well do it quickly and efficiently."

"Whoa, whoa, Kelsey, slow down!" Paul insisted, wrenching his hand free and placing it on Kelsey's shoulder. "I know we're in a pretty intense situation here, but you don't have to go full-on bloodlust on us! You'd probably think a lot more clearly if you didn't..."

"Paul...!" Kelsey whipped around to face him again, her expression livid. Her words got caught in her throat, however, and slowly but surely, her scowl softened into a wary frown and her glowing eyes dimmed back to their natural cerulean. "I... I can't let this go. Not after all of that. I mean I... I could've ended this here and now! I HAD THE CHANCE TO WIPE THAT SMUG SON OF A B*TCH OFF THE FACE OF THE ISLAND AND... and... and I choked..."

Taking a deep, sniveling breath through her nose, Kelsey sternly faced forward again and resumed her brisk pace. "I'm not letting that happen again."

"Kelsey, you can't claim responsibility for this whole thing," Paul gently insisted. "Even if you'd gone through with it, taking out one commanding officer who was just following higher orders wouldn't have stopped the whole invasion. More importantly, you're talking like you're gonna take down an entire army single-handed-!"

"This isn't about just stopping the invasion, Paul! He...!" Kelsey cast a worried glance over her shoulder. "Even before you spat lightning at that green dick, he very clearly marked you for death. There were bigger threats aboard that ship and he still went after you! And considering I just crashed their ship and you just displayed a power he's clearly weak against... I think it's safe to say we've personally made some powerful enemies."

Paul raised a hand to his mouth and anxiously stared at the ground, obviously still reeling from his shocking new development.

[ColArana]

It took Ranuen a little while, but he arrived at the wreckage of the ship. That crash had really done a number on it. But... something wasn't sitting right. Ranuen wasn't quite sure what it was, but there was something eerie about the wreckage. Call it intuition, from someone who lived through at least one life-threatening event per day. He wandered the wreckage, looking to see if anyone was there. And then abruptly, he heard voices....

Arriving just in time to hear Kelsey's line about making some powerful enemies. "I know, isn't it great!?" He exclaimed cheerfully as he climbed through the wreckage to approach the group. "Good to see everyone in one piece." Ranuen didn't look great, still burned from Liderc's attack, and covered in bruises and scrapes, but all in all, probably pretty good for someone who just fell over five stories onto concrete. "How's everyone?"

Ranuen noticed Percy and William had arrived too. "Well... at least it's looking like everyone who is supposed to be here is here." He commented. "Anyone else getting a weird feeling from this boat?" He asked. He then noticed that everyone seemed to be looking in Kelsey's direction and gave her a second look. "Kelsey.... really good show back there. You alright?" He asked.

[DanteMGalileo]

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" William visibly reeled back at Kelsey's inquiry. "I dunno, man! All I know is that angels used to live on Old Purgatorio and went to war with the demons that were already there! Sheesh, just because I'm from the same universe as them doesn't mean I automatically know everything about- ... nevermind, sorry about the snap." He shook his head. "Honestly, I'm with Paul. Can we tone down the bloodlust? 'Cuz... really, he's the only guy that's reacting normally to this shit."

Percy seemed to be spacing out, unaware of the situation it seemed, absently clenching his hair. William assumed there was some kind of mental conversation going on, and chose to ignore it for now. "Hey, Raunen... Uh, one question. Are you always this enthusiastic when it comes to potentially-life-endangering scenarios? Because man, you're a wee bit optimistic for my tastes..." He turned to Paul. "B-Breathe fire? Hey, bud, you look shocked, what happened up th-"

"G-GUGHK!!" Percy went into convulsions, ultimately ending with his head hanging down, mop of hair covering his face. Before anyone could say something in response however, his head sprang back up, revealing glowing red eyes and markings.

"I heard we were talking about angels. What better place to get information than someone who came from Old Purgatorio, aka Earth, and who fought those feathery hypocrites for his planet?" Imago was out, and he snarled. "Ah, yes. Our spies told us that Earth was just their most recent target. That they routinely conquer and tear apart other worlds. How do they get this manpower? By oppressing their own kind," the demonic boy growled. "There are the Ferroes, or redbloods. They're effectively slave labour and cannon fodder. Charming race, no? Then there are the Plasmises, or yellowbloods. They don't have any special status, but they're free, and are the most common. Next, the Prasinos, or greenbloods. They're the nobility, and each and every one of them is rotten to the core. Finally, there are the Kovaltios, or bluebloods." Was that... anticipation? "There's not too many of them, but they're the royalty of those chirping annoyances. Now, one of our number killed their queen, but judging by this, it seems as though someone else is calling the shots now... Remember how I said all Prasinos are rotten to the core? The Kovaltio are monsters."

William was the first to respond, taken aback. "W-Whoa there, Imago... Kinda opinionated, aren't we?"

"They joined the mobile humans in hunting what was left of us down, used our blood as paint, our cores as power generators, and consumed our bones as aphrodisiacs." Imago glared. "How would my opinion of those things be positive with that shit? I remember one of them tearing out my friends' cores, removing and grinding down their bones, and fucking in my sight."

[ParamountKeymaster]

Paul couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as Ranuen approached, glad to see him up and about after his rough landing, even if the mage's enthusiasm for the grave situation at hand was deeply unsettling. Then Paul turned to William with an anxious frown, unsure how to respond to any of the young man's questions or concerns. As the group reentered the city, making a beeline for the Plaza, it was clear that the dragon man was practically devastated by this turn of events, and the smoke billowing behind them and continuous thunder from the ongoing storm weren't helping matters.

Kelsey, likewise, did not speak. She barely paid any mind to Ranuen's compliments, instead focusing her attention on Imago from the moment he took control of Percy's body. She hinged on every word he said; the angel's history of conquest, their treatment of their own kind, their social castes and the increasing malevolence of each one, their abhorrent actions towards Imago's people that made her feel sick to her stomach... The cold expression on Kelsey's face only seemed to get angrier and angrier with each new detail, but if one looked close enough, they would find a glimmer in her eyes, one of genuine sympathy.

These angels were... definitely very different from the angels back home.

As far as she was concerned, this, on top of everything else, was all the more reason to get rid of them.

"W-Wow..." Paul eventually choked up. "That... That is... pretty horrendous, not gonna lie. I-I'm sorry that hap-"

"Paul, you don't have to apologize for something that wasn't your fault," Kelsey firmly insisted. "Let's just say it like it is! THESE ANGELS F***ING SUCK AND I WANT THEM DEAD!"

"Hey, I wanna stop them from taking over this island as much as the next guy, but these guys are very clearly experienced conquerors! I seriously doubt it's gonna be as easy as you want it to be!"

"Maybe, but so long as it's within my power, I'm gonna take a stab at these pricks! Who better to go toe-to-toe with angels than a vessel for archdemon power?! If I can take on infernal abominations who could shatter reality with a thought, I think I can handle these monsters!"

Paul sighed and rubbed his head. As if he wasn't terrified enough as it was, it was becoming increasingly, painfully obvious that he wasn't going to win this argument. "Can we at least get the whole team together and discuss strategy before we go charging headlong into war?"

[ColArana]

William and Paul seem a little offset by Ranuen's enthusiasm but Ranuen... well. Didn't seem to notice, or if not that then didn't seem to care. "William, I'm human, and I've got less than a century to live, and only a couple of decades before my body starts weakening due to age. And there is nothing that facilitates growth and advancement in power and skill than a life or death situation. If you want to master something... if you want to be as strong a warrior as you can possibly be, like I do... You can't take it slow and easy. Becoming a master-level fighter isn't like climbing a ladder, one rung at a time, it's throwing yourself off a cliff, and having to improve to survive the fall. So... hearing that we've made some dangerous enemies? How can I not be excited about that?" Ranuen replied to William.

And then Percy went into his psycho mode, and let his hitchhiking friend come out to play, being very open with his disdain if not outright hatred of the angels they'd fought.

"Besides it looks like Kelsey and Imago are onboard!" He added, noting Kelsey's bloodlust. "Let's figure out where these bastards are based and take the fight to them!" He proposed. "Imago seems to have some idea of where they're based afterall, right?"

As Ranuen listened to Paul's objections he voiced one of his own. "Paul. I'm not saying it's gonna be easy (in fact I hope it's not gonna be), but Kelsey's right. There's some saying or another-- "All it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing" or something like that. Well. Are you gonna be the one standing by doing nothing? When you have the power to fight? When you have the power to make a difference? I'm not standing down, Kelsey's not, you shouldn't either. But I'm not opposed to gathering the full group if we're gonna make a strike. Not like I want us to fail, or anything."

[DanteMGalileo]

"Well, I'm also human, and seeing as the average life expectancy for someone in my world is sixty, I'd like to die peacefully in my sleep," William responded. "And that's if you make it to thirty. If you don't make it to thirty, chances are you died in your twenties..." He shook his head. "I... guess I'm on board, if only for the sake of keeping you guys out of too much trouble, and that I'm probably on their shit list too."

"I don't give a flying fuck about why you do it," Imago growled. "If you can tear some angelic scum apart, you're fine by me. Personally, I'd love to paint a rainbow in their blood, like they did to us all those years ago..."

"Um... wouldn't that make you just like them?"

"I don't give a flying fuck. So, who else wants to learn how to pai-"

"Gargh!" Percy seized control back, slapping himself, eyes returning back to purple and the red markings fading away. He took in William and Paul's concerned expression, concluding that... "... Gods FUCKING dammit Imago! Next time you want to take over and spout something potentially alarming, would it kill you to warn me first?!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Paul sighed and nervously stared back at Ranuen. "I'm not standing down. Like I said, I want to stop them too. I'm just concerned that we're being too hasty about this. We're not gonna stop an army just by blindly rushing in and busting a few heads. I-I trust that you guys have the capability to take on some pretty heavy caliber challenges, but... I'm not a fighter. I'm strong, tough, pretty good at hand to hand, and willing to do whatever I can to help, but this is a crisis well beyond anything I've had to deal with in my entire life, so... forgive me if I'm approaching it all somewhat hesitantly. Half-dragon or not, I just don't have the same kind of powers that... you..."

Again, Paul awkwardly stared down at himself and brushed his fingers along his lips, realizing with a deep sense of dread that he had proven himself wrong a few short moments ago.

He stuck his hands in his pockets, slumped a little and looked down at the damp ground. "A group our size, regardless of the power behind it, has a small chance at taking down an entire army without some serious evaluation. Both of our enemy and of ourselves."

"Then let's get to it."

Despite the scowl still apparent on her face, the warmth in Kelsey's eyes as she stared up at Paul seemed to convey that she was finally starting to take his words to heart. She clearly wouldn't be swayed from her mission to destroy these angelic forces... but if there was a way to do it efficiently, it couldn't hurt to figure it out.

She sighed and turned back to Percy as he seized control of his body back from Imago. "I know the feeling."

Then, under her breath, she added, "Speaking of, you've been kinda quiet."

"I'm just enjoying the show, dear."

Kelsey rolled her eyes. Then, in silence, she continued to lead the group through the city, anxious to figure out what the hell they were doing.

---------------------------

A young man sat at a table beneath an awning, shielding himself from the rain, trying his best to fathom everything that had happened in the past twelve hours. His tired brain was having trouble making sense of any of it. He was in dire need of sleep, but he felt restless at the same time.

The demon that led him here... the monster that attacked this very location... the ship full of winged beings intending to conquer this land... Too much was happening all at once, and he had a sinking feeling that they were all connected. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but whatever was going on, he felt inclined to do something about it. Lord have mercy, he just couldn't even begin to imagine what he could do.

[ColArana]

Ranuen grinned at Paul and clapped him on the shoulder. "See? That's the spirit! We're gonna take this fight to 'em and we're gonna kick their asses. And then learn about them while we do it so we can kick their asses some more! No better way to learn than experience right!?" He proposed. "So... umm.... Percy. How does Imago tell us to actually FIND them?" He asked. Glancing over at William, Ranuen gave a determined shrug of his shoulders. "If I die before I'm thirty, I die in my prime, and don't have to watch in misery as my body slowly fails me, watch as I slowly become unable to do the things I once did." He commented. "Either way.... suits me fine. If I die like that though, I want it to be a really.... good death. One that people will remember. Not just a consequence of getting in the way of a bus tire while the size of an insect or something."

Ranuen glanced at Kelsey. "Imago's the only lead I can think of on how to learn about them, unless anyone else has any ideas."

[DanteMGalileo]

Percy punched himself. "Oh no, you are NOT doing the whole take-over-my-body-without-warning-me routine again mister. I kinda like being aware of what's going on, thanks..." The brunette scowled, clearly unamused by what the demon in his head was saying. "Imago, we don't have any leads... Yeah, you told me they have feathery wings and usually not-human skin tones, but what else?! ... That ship had a sail not oars!" He fell to his knees, clutching his head. "If you think you can take down an entire army with just Kelsey and Raunen, then why don't you get your own goddamn body back!! I kinda like being alive, y'know, and I'm the one who sustains any damage we take, not you, you stupid bug!!"

As Percy was going on his meltdown slash argument with Imago, William sighed and turned to the rest of the group. "Uh... they've had their fights, but they're usually not this bad. Just... try to ignore him until he's settled, I guess." The blonde shook his head. "I've gotten the civilians to evacuate, but we're likely the main target for now."

"Yes, we're going to do SOMETHING, we're just not going to rush into it! ... You stop looking at me like that!"

"... Well... there is... an option," William gave an awkward smile. "Kelsey, I am so sorry about this. I know two angels who, as far as I know, don't seem to be like those assholes. Who'd know more about an angel than an angel, right?"

From atop a roof, the purple cat from earlier looked down. Hello, my mice.

"Imago, just stop talking! We're trying to do something! We just don't know WHAT yet!!"