The Hidden Game

[GamerKale]

"Hey, I have a name!" The cat meowed indignantly. "See?" Maes looked completely bewildered and then she said the word "cat" and Maes recoiled from her as much as he could. "I'm sorry. I just. I can't. I. I. I want? I want. I want to see-" The heat drain as the tops of the two nearest water hydrants exploded skyward and Cecile's voice, from when she was singing yesterday rang through the air. "Cecile." As a few droplets struck Maes, the rain just stopped. It was as though someone had paused a scene from a movie and you were able to walk through it. Maes leaned forward and rested his head against the cool metal of Allraine's gorget, took a deep breath, and spoke very softly and shakily as tears streamed down his face, "Thank you, Allraine. I know it's not worth much to you, but I apologize for all of the trouble I'm causing you and Arianna."

[nekoryuuha]

The armored woman merely nodded back and smiled slightly, most of the fierceness coming off her relaxing away now as she gently pat him on the head. "Just don't give up or run away. Physically or mentally," she replied to him as she released him from the restraining hold on his arm and rubbed his back. Her armor vanished as well at this point, no longer sensing any immediate threats to her well-being. "Do that for me, and I have no problems forgiving you, Maes," she finished before a thought came to her. "...We should probably get going soon before that bodyguard of yours tires of Zorlo and gets suspicious...."

[GamerKale]

Maes nodded and whispered the address to Allraine, and then wiped his face clean of tears, leaving him sniffling a little with puffy eyes. It was then that he noticed the halted water not falling around them and the wrecked sedan. "Did I do that?" He wondered quietly, then he tentatively placed a gloved hand on the glass and gravity reasserted itself and with it came a wave of exhaustion. Maes slumped into the seat and let out a long yawn. He spotted the now depleted ring and a sickening thought struck him.

"You should take a nap, Maes. They do wonders for me." The cat muttered as he lounged in Arianna's lap, quite pleased that Maes had figured out how to speak with other humans. "I'll be ok Morgan, thank you though."

Maes stared down at his rings for several long seconds before he asked, "Um, did I hurt anybody while I was uh... having my episode?"

Claire unbuckled herself and sat in Zorlo's lap when he got in the car. By the time Maes had gotten 1 mile away, the green haired man's chair had been laid flat, her tie was around poor Zorlo's neck, her blazer had been discarded, and her topmost button was undone. She got her clothes back in order and started driving after her charge inside of ten seconds. "Sexy," Claire rested a P90 across her lap, pointed towards his side of the car, "do you know why Maes appears to be being driven away from your apartment?"

[Zorolo]

"What in this universe would compel you to ask me that question? If I knew where or why he was going some place without you, don't you think I'd have warned you prior to this event?" Zorlo asked. It wasn't... TOTALLY untrue. He had some concept, he simply disregarded that fact as an unnecessary bit of information. That, and he wanted to stall Claire as long as he could. At least things had stopped before it had gone too far for him. The green-haired man looked out the window and paused. "You're aware he might be trying to get out on his own... for whatever reason might compel him to do so. You know how kids go crazy in their teenage years, I"m sure."

[Helbaworshipper]

Moving a make up brush against her skin, Cecile listened to the shower. "Is there a reason we're having a meeting in the middle of the club tonight?" She asked while she moved to get some more powder onto one of the brushes. She was making it brighter today to try and please the boss a bit. She stared into the shower when he didn't answer right away.

"He thinks it's best to do good pr, you know." He opened the shower curtain and grasped the towel to dry off. "if we show we aren't doing anything wrong, it keeps the police off us for a bit longer before we have to move."

"It'd be nice not to have to move all the time." She spoke, knowing it meant more than she actually wanted it to. "Still, if we lose the club, we'll have to start from scratch again in another quiet town just to get good money again." She talked business in the morning and feasted on flirts at night, she noticed. It was nice not to have to feast on flirts for one night.

----

Elsa crossed the street two blocks from the office, hoping that her day would be as quiet as she dreamed.

[nekoryuuha]

Arianna shook her head as she looked back at him. "...No. No one's hurt," she replied to him in her quiet voice as she started petting Morgan again and Allrainne got the car started and underway once more. "I think... you destroyed a car though..."

That got a laugh from Allrainne as they unknowingly passed Elsa as she took a shortcut. "I wouldn't say 'destroyed', per se, but someone's gonna probably think that someone hit their car and drove off," she put in before thinking on that. "Actually, that's not too far from the truth, huh?" she added with a chuckle, making Arianna giggle slightly. "I wouldn't worry about it though, Maes. They'll get it fixed and, like my sister said, no one got hurt."

[GamerKale]

"Ok." He said with a nod. At least there's that.

Claire had to try not to pull the trigger, but she did pick the gun up with her left hand and point it towards Zorlo. "No." She said shaking with anger. "I don't. He didn't let me." Zorlo quickly discovered that Maes had learned his uh "aggressive" style of driving from Claire who was quickly closing on Allraine. "And you don't know Maes. He can't go out on his own. Somebody so much as bumps into him and he could go into a panic, they say the wrong thing he goes into a panic, you get the idea? And as of yesterday if Maes goes into a panic, bad things happen. He wouldn't want that, and if he were on his own, he would be the one driving, at these speeds, it can't be him. Also, I can't help but notice that you didn't answer the question, and that makes my trigger finger itchy."

[Zorolo]

Zorlo shrugged. "Perhaps he's looking for that girl from yesterday... Cecile I think her name was. He seemed quite fond of her... and I don't think your ultimatum brought him peace. After all, there was another option... an option neither you, nor she, nor he thought of... well, perhaps you thought of it, but the kids wouldn't have."

Zorlo paused and smiled. In this world, the strong make the rules and decide the fate of the weak. That had been what he was always taught, so if the strong had the power of morality on their side the actions they take wouldn't be senseless slaughter. "You or I could have-" he started talking as he saw Elsa and thought for a moment. A dark shadow and a black winged angel landed behind the girl as Zorlo shot past in Claire's car.

"You'll need to excuse me. That other woman from yesterday, the one that needed the sedative, is in trouble. I am obliged by honor to assist her. I'll catch up with you and the others when I'm done warming up. Good luck," Zorlo said as he opened the door and stepped out, slamming the door as he backflipped and rolled across the pavement as he stood up. The green-haired man rushed forwards towards Elsa.

The Fallen Angel drew a sword of light and smiled down at Elsa as he stepped in front of her. "Hello, miss. Its good to have found one of his Puppets already. I hope you don't mind if I slay you..." he said, cackling darkly as he brought the sword down.

"Oh god dammit," Zorlo stated as he shifted in front of Elsa and felt the blade of light slice through his armor and into his back, leaving a long burn along his back. The knight turned and kicked the man in the chest, pushing him back a few feet as Zorlo drew his sword.

Hey, stupid sword... how long until I can use Exia?

The sword chuckled in his head. About six minutes. You used up a lot of energy yesterday in combat. That and the lack of sleep from the nightmares didn't help.

Zorlo smiled in pain as he held his sword ready. Wonderful. WEll, I just have to last, then... the swordsman thought as he swung his blade to the side and readied his sword. "MIss, you should run. He means business... I'll hold him off, just keep running until you think you're safe... please," he told her, smiling.

[Helbaworshipper]

Elsa was not happy with the situation. However, she felt worse when the angel introduced itself. She looked at the injury on his back, feeling the tears start to flow down from her eyes. She wanted to not be here at this moment, but seeing someone protect her in that way made her a bit hesitant to run. She wiped the tears on her face and put her hands on his back. "If I run there'll just be more." She spoke softly as she tried to focus on what she could do. The tears on her slightly wet hands felt like they were tingling a bit as his wounds were starting to close.

[Zorolo]

Zorlo laughed as he placed his hand on Elsa's cheek and smiled. "No... there won't be... I get the feeling this one has been tailing you for a while. Once he's gone, there won't be anymore," he told her as he rose and pointed at the Fallen Angel. "I'd suggest surrendering. After all, several of your compatriots died yesterday... do you want to join them?"

THe fallen angel chuckled as it regrouped and attacked again. The knight smiled as he vanished and appeared on the angel's other side with Exia on his arm. As he swung his arm to the side, the blade swung back into place and then vanished as he watched the angel fall into two pieces and its body burst into ash. "There, its gone," the green-haired man said as he placed his hand on Elsa's head and smile.

"Anyway, where are you headed?" the man asked as he looked at her. "After all, you and I have some talking we could do about this whole situation. I know that you don't want any part of this... but whether we like it or not, we can't electively simply ignore what's going on. We have a job that, whether we like it or not, is now part of our lives," he told her as he started walking. "We need to catch up to Maes and the others anyway... I don't think they're going somewhere friendly."

[Helbaworshipper]

"I don't know what to do..." Elsa knew that Zorlo was trying his best to sound comforting and firm in a sense, but it was not going to transition. Without going to work she wouldn't have the money to maintain her apartment. She didn't have the time to go on a side job that paid no money other than she got to stay alive for another day or short amount of time. She wasn't shaking but she couldn't really move or explain any of this to a normal person and she was far too confused to be normal. "What the hell do I do now...?"

[Zorolo]

"I asked myself that same question this morning. Yesterday, when I remembered everything from my past, I knew I couldn't run from me anymore. I couldn't be just a guy working a dead-end job, going day to day trying to make ends me. Now i had a purpose again. I'm moving out of my old apartment into a more... fitting apartment building. THe super is an old friend from before I sealed my memories and I"m going to work odd jobs to stay there while I make this crap my major thing so I can keep the rest of you informed on stuff. What everyone else can choose... or not choose, to do is continue on with some sense of normalcy... or join me. Either way, life is gonna be tough for all of us."

Zorlo smiled at her and rested his index finger against her forehead. "You must live a pretty good life though. Still, all the materialist stuff in the world doesn't mean anything if you die. If something comes along and kills you, everything you've accomplished in life to this point has been meaningless, you realize that, right? I'm sure you've got a nice job and stuff, and you need to keep it... but you also need to help us when we need it... you healed my back... somehow, and that's useful. For now, these first waves are just to off center us... this won't be an every day thing... we just need to get past this rough patch and things will become more normal before they become stupid again."

The swordsman cracked his neck and offered her his hand. "SO... come with me and let's go help Maes prevent Alrainne and Arianna from getting shot and bring Cecile back with us. Everyone's got problems of their own, not just you and me. We all need to help each other to get through it, right? SO let's get to it!"

~~~

Elsewhere, a horn blared loudly as the sky rippled. Only those who had been touched by DM and other super natural creatures could perceive any of this, however. Floating, silver armor wielding swords and spears and shields floated down on pairs of silver wings of energy. The angels, created of ethereal light that was encompassed by magical armor to give them a physical form in the real world floated above the sky outside of the den of debauchery. A song that hadn't been heard in generations began to echo through the sky. The world froze for a few moments. Judgement was coming.

[Helbaworshipper]

Elsa knew that she could push him away and hope to god that she never had to see another one of those things. However, if she could at least work, it was possible that she could try and get used to the situation. It wasn't like she was dense enough to believe they'd actually leave her alone. She grasped his hands and hoped he wouldn't drag her where she was going.

----

Cecile had just grasped her purse when she heard the sound from above. Her gaze narrowed and she grasped what looked to be a few items to put into the purse in case she had to use them.

[nekoryuuha]

"...Okay. That is by no means good in any way, shape, or form...." Allrainne said to herself as she pulled up and parked in front of Cecile's apartment before looking back up at the sky.

"What... are they...? Angels...?" Arianna asked as she waited in the car for the moment, petting Morgan as she looked up through her open window.

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised, sis," Allrainne replied as she got out. That's when she noticed they were awful close to Cecile's apartment. Huh... there really close... come to think of it, they're rather focused around here- "Oh Crap!" she didn't even wait to see what Maes was gonna do or think about the ramifications of ther immediate actions as she took a deep breath, turned toward the apartment, and yelled, "Cecile!!! Time to get the hell out of here!!!", her shout actually shaking a few nearby windows.

[Zorolo]

The air vibrated heavily as the woman shouted. The angels, however, didn't seem to pay her any mind. A golden column of flames tore into the building and cut a circular pillar right through the center. STanding in the midst of the golden flames as they vanished, a silver-armored angel with golden wings carrying a mace floated upwards. He was an Archangel, the leader of HEaven's lesser armies. "Destroy these corrupt souls and reduce everything here to nothingness. Sodom and Gomorra were only a start. The Voice has told us to continue our work. The humans must be shepherded towards goodness and order."

With those words, the other angels chanted and raised their weapons before flying off in several directions and beginning their assault on the apartment building. As for the Archangel, he simply began to walk quietly. "I'll find the most corrupt of these mortals and lay waste to them. The master will sure approve."

~~~

Elsewhere, the shaking of the windows caught Zorlo's eyes as he paused and felt the burst of the shout. "I see... I think that was Allraine," the green-haired man said as he swept Elsa off her feet and flushed, looking away for a moment. "Sorry, but in your heels, I'd wind up breaking your leg or something, so let's start moving," Zorlo said as his body flashed and his sheik, stylish Exia armor formed. The ground beneath him burst as he started running towards the source of the newly formed chaos... and as he drew closer, the silver shimmer of the angels' bodies in the material plane caused him to pause for a moment. "What the hell are those?" he asked as a voice spoke to ZOrlo and Elsa... and the others that were in the area that could hear it.

I'd assumed you'd figure that out. Unlike the pathetic Fallen Angels which require human bodies to exist in this world... the lowly parasites of the outer realms; Angels, deities and devils require a kind of power to allow them to affect the physical world. For angels, the silver armor these low-class ones wear are proof of their intention. Their ethereal bodies, which cannot be damaged in this world, are contained within that armor. If you destroy the armor, their incorporeal form will retreat... but know this... they are far stronger than your enemies yesterday. If you go in to fight them as you fought the Fallen, they will kill you all.

[GamerKale]

Claire stepped out of the hummer and pulled open Maes's door. "Maes, you alright?" He looked at her and nodded. "Ok, let's get out of here." She unbuckled him and led him out of the car by his hand. "Morgan, let's go." When she tried to get Maes to get in the car though, he just stood there, staring at the apartment. "Maes, we have to go. Those freaks are too problematic for me to deal with and keep you safe at the same time." "No. No more running." He whispered softly. Claire's mouth dropped open for several seconds. "You're talking?" Maes nodded slowly and stared up at the raging fire. "Cecile." He was breathing rapidly and the air around him was mimicking him. "Help me. Please?" Claire took a deep breath and sighed. "I am so getting fired. Just like I taught you, stay in cover." She tossed her jacket, tie, and shoulder strap holster aside and strapped on a grenade belt and a combat vest with several handguns and magazines attached to it and stood next to Allraine. "That fire's going to complicate matters."

Morgan hopped up onto Maes's shoulder. "You should be able to do something about that, right?" Maes thought about it for a second and nodded. He took a deep breath as he stepped up behind Claire and turned his hands palm up. The two nearest fire hydrants exploded open, and he rained the water down directly upon the raging inferno.

[Helbaworshipper]

Cecile looked towards her boyfriend as he drew out his hand gun. She had one of her own, but she didn't use the item until it was necessary. They ran down the hall towards the stairs. She warned him, telling him to shoot at the exact direction she said when necessary. The angels moved to attack them as soon as the door opened. She concentrated on the door to block the way with a wooden wall with metal spikes. The other side was already swarming as he began shooting. Cecile felt like she was on auto pilot as she kept focusing on transforming anything into a potential roadblock.

----

Elsa was caught by surprise, but gained a serious expression as she looked at the attack on the building. She had been quite correct when it came to the way things could turn out. If she was going to run, it would have had to be through a cowardly means or a suicide attack. It looked like her day job was already gone and her normal life would disappear.

[Zorolo]

"They aren't like the ones that attacked me yesterday or that guy that attacked you today. This is a totally different level of enemy. They have all of their power and goal set on a singular ideal. These angels are attacking the hiding place of society's undesirables," the green-haired man stated. "Although I can't disagree with the destruction of certain members of that group, to wantonly slaughter everyone held within... makes them no better than the Fallen. Their goal of order is a lofty one... but one that has a strong set of values attached... they'll be harder to stop."

Two angels floated down, one in front of Maes' group, and the other in front of Zorlo and Elsa. The angels started at them through their helmets and held a single hand out. "Cease your advance, mortals. Your destruction of Fallen has reinvigorated our endeavor against this world's evils. I trust you shall lay aside your weapons and join our side. Your aid will speed up the landscape of order."

Zorlo sighed as he held his left arm out and let out a sigh. "As nice as a world of order sounds, I can't bring myself to needlessly let an associate in there die," Zorlo said as Exia appeared over him and burst forwards. In a flash, the Angel was in front of Zorlo and back-handed the swordsman away. Zorlo caught himself and slid to a stop as he looked at the dent in his chest-piece. "Ow..." the swordsman stated as he rubbed his chest and his armor vanished. "I'm not faster than he is..."

"These aren't like the lesser creatures you've been fighting. THey aren't bound to mortal laws like your body still is. However strong your human body, they're stronger. However quick, they're faster. That is why you have been given powers... but Exia's powers are still of the mortal world. Its speed and skills are meant for killing Fallen Angels, and the original owner of it had sworn destruction upon their kind. Still, it won't be enough to even harm these creatures."

Even as the sword spoke, Zorlo burst forwards and slashed Exia, watching the sword clash with the angel's armor. As Zorlo's sword vibrated against the hard metal of the armor, a piece of the blade cracked and chipped away. "Insane," the swordsman said as the angel back-handed him again.

Aincrad and Zorlo both paused as the green-haired man rose and rested his hand on his chest. He was in a lot of pain, and this creature clearly wasn't intent on moving. A sigh echoed through Zorlo and Elsa's mind as Aincrad began to speak again.

Green-haired man, if you really wish to fight these creatures, you must awaken to a greater power. Exia's power is still based on the rules of the moral world. The form I felt was most ideal for you... your body wasn't, and isn't, ready to handle. If you wish to ascend and become a greater than mortal sword mage, you must accept that once I unlock this form to you, there is no turning back. You know there is no chance that your life can ever return to normal... but if you unlock this power... you will engage in an unending battle. Stronger and stronger foes will appear until you are slain... if you accept that, then I shall give you this power, even if it threatens to kill you here and now.

Zorlo smiled as he stood up and smiled at the Angel. "Clearly I have no choice. I can't help Cecile... I can't help anyone if I can't hurt creatures like this. LEnd me your power, Aincrad!"

In a flash, Zorlo's body began to glow green. A green robe covered his body and black pants covered his legs. The robe's edges brushed just above the grieves that formed over his shins and feet made of a green metal. Combination gauntlet-bracers formed over Zorlo's hands and forearms as he felt the power began to rush through him. Green paldrons covered his shoulders and a green breast-plate could be seen under his robe.

Along Zorlo's back, a red sheathe with a sword with a black handle appeared with the handle leaning towards his left side. A blue sheathe leaning towards his right side hung with no sword in it as Zorlo looked at the angel. Raising his hand and drawing the sword, he looked at the green blade and smiled. "I feel... unbelievable."

This form is called Tapion. It is the base form for which my other five swords can be unlocked. The broad sword you hold is Tapion itself. The other sheath you carry is called Cromwell, and it condenses magical power into swords. These are forms two and three of my power, but Tapion's true power can be drawn out by you wielding it and the other five forms that can be used with it. Be careful, however. Tapion's ability to throw concussive blade-waves or lightning slashes and Cromwell's ability to create magic swords will drain your magic much faster than Exia's enhancements drained your stamina. If you overuse their powers now, you will die. Keep that in mind.

Zorlo smiled and nodded as he readied his sword and prepared to strike. "Let's continue."

~~~

The Archangel descended quietly to draw near the person he was after. Cecile's boyfriend... a man that corrupted good people towards sin and evil... such a man could not be allowed to keep living.

Although Cecile's powers had stopped a few of his angels, the Archangel came barreling through the halls, shattering her barricades with ease and attempting to chase them down. "Flee not, young woman, for that creature with you shall suffer the pain of a thousand deaths for his sins. This hut of evil will be destroyed and the world will be set right. That is what shall occur!" the Archangel boasted as his voice carried through the building, although only Cecile could hear it. For others, a cold sweat began to drip down their brows... the feeling of death was approaching far faster than most people like.

[nekoryuuha]

When the Archangel descended and commanded the Angels to move, he did more then just hole the building. She felt it pulse all the way through her Freiturnier, the Guardian Stone feeling ...restless... almost. He was strong, Allrainne could feel his strength in that. They needed to find Cecile and clear out. A belief made even stronger As a Supernatural voice explained the Angel they saw before them. Maes, Morgan, and Claire were already getting ready to enter at that time and as she was about to turn to motion for the watching Arianna to follow them when the Angel came down to block their path.
The moment it finished speaking, a blast light engulfed Allrainne as the full Freiturnier covered her, complete with Greatshield, and she charged it. If it was surprised, it didn't show it as flashed forward to backhand her and found itself stopped by her own raised arm. "Hurry up and go find Cecile! I've got this!" Allrainne yelled to Morgan, Maes, & Claire as she and the Angel separated, what was effectively Enchanted Armor staring down what was also Enchanted Armor.

For Arianna, this was her first time actually seeing her Sister's Fully Armored State. It was impressive, to say the least. But as she watched her sister meet the Angel, she had another realization. "...They're...similar..." she murmured to herself as she looked between Armored Angel and Freiturnier Allrainne. At first glance, it could almost seem like two Angels squaring off until one realized that Allrainne didn't have those strange energy wings.

[GamerKale]

Maes stared at the angel, it's words were lost on his ears. He just knew what he felt and saw. The feeling he got from it was far too similar to the fallen, to him it might as well have been the same, instead of gleaming armor he saw a black shroud. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, all he could do was try to escape, but his legs wouldn't move, Don't run away. The words echoed in his brain and so he just stood there, staring for several seconds and then the angel was no longer there.

Finally free of the specter's thrall, Maes slowly came to the realization that the reason his ears were ringing was because somebody was screaming, and then he realized that he was the one screaming, and that the reason the thing had disappeared from his sight was because he had raised a hand and unleashed his second ring's pent up energy in a violent cannon blast, and then he realized he was still firing at where the thing had crashed.
-------------------
Claire hadn't really known what was going on. She was just standing there with a suddenly uneasy feeling emanating from before her. And then the woman next to her had become encased in armour and was attacking something she couldn't see, still even if she couldn't see it directly she knew where it had to be and fired. She noted the score of flashes, like her bullets had bounced off something metal, and was about to move when an angry shout of "No" and a gust of wind about blew her over, and then she had memories of fighting in a sandstorm as the wind didn't really die down and neither did the voice. She stared at Maes who was the one screaming and had his hands pointed towards a crushed volkswagon beetle. The beetle looked like it was slowly getting crushed from this side and there was an angellic figure pressed into the center. Oh, so not only can they fly, but now they're invisible, awesome. Claire emptied the rest of her magazine into the angel and pulled the pins on a pair of grenades that she let the wind carry to their destination. "Everybody down!" She shouted and tackled the still screaming Maes to the ground, careful to point his hands skyward.

Claire looked at the twisted remains of the car and whispered, "Maes, you got him. So it's alright now, you can relax now and stop with the magic, ok?" She placed her hands in his palms reassuringly and slowly pulled him to his feet once the screaming stopped.
-----------
Morgan couldn't see what happened next, but he could hear it and smell it well enough to figure out what had happened. Claire let out a little noise of pain and surprise as something stabbed her in the back, and Maes let out no sound as Claire shoved him away before the point of the sword now coated in her blood and protruding from her chest could reach him, the angel smelled like it was hurt and angry. Morgan let out a snarl as he grew into a massive black sabertooth tiger and leaped onto the thing. He about crushed it's helm with his jaws before it managed to throw him off of itself, he landed deftly on his paws and forced it to decide if it was going to face him or Allraine, ready to pounce and drag it down if it attempted to fly off.