The Hell Hole that is Home

Cebra tried his best to keep up with Rai as she descended the wall he hoisted another bolt. He could almost feel what is was like to have the bodily strength of a normal human. His muscles started to burn as he winded the winch and turned the ballista to aim at the monstrous creature that was almost upon the city. he may have been worn out but till from his bones his flesh be rent he continued on and squared up the sights on the vulnerable ring section. The bolt shot forth with a great snap and through the ring it struck with a terrible smashing of metal and sparks. Cebra kept going, not taking a moment to even watch his bolt fly. Rai needed him to hit that thing so he'd throw every bit of strength he had in him though he could start to feel the cumulative tiredness setting in as numbness and burning had him staggering. "Come on Rai."

Rai follows the rocking momentum of her mount to haul herself to standing in her saddle, crouched low and scythes poised at her sides. The droning seraphim screaming at her as it illuminates up with holy fire and undead rage. The rings spinning faster until suddenly stalled by a large bolt staking them down near the bases forcing the rings open just as the flames blast out in all directions. Rai finds herself safe due to the bolt stopping the ring’s rotation at just the right angle to have the metal block the torrent, narrowly sending the blasts within three feet of either side of her as she gained speed. The reaver leaps from her saddle and sinks a scythe deep into the ring as it rotates and slamming the second down in a follow up. The dead angel out right screams, pulling against the bolt forcing its channels open. The script along the rings Rai was currently cleaving off go dull and quickly peel away clattering to the ground in shattered pieces.

The core flares to life again as the bolt snaps giving rotation back to the rings just as Rai clips away back to her saddle. Grimmorah had been keeping pace with the rotation, staying within the shadows of the channels. Just as another torrent of holy fire was about to sear the reaver away another bolt flies from Cebra’s balista and jams the channels open sending fire in every direction, except where the rings has been blocking. This created another corridor that let the reaver come in close and cleave another three outer rings off as the flames spudder out and half of the flying storm of silver drop to the ground.


Rai quickly gallops back out of range as the bolt snaps and she finds herself in another stand off with the horrible creature. The army from hell had been beaten back beyond the treeline and an ocean of dead surrounded her on each side. All that was left to do was the send this thing back to the dirt where it belonged. No. Fucking. Further. With another hard kick she takes the risk, galloping into the spinning rings, silver shrapnel flying up into her face and slicing a neat cut from her eye to her jaw spilling blood and ash but she just ducks her head as cebras bolt jams up the rotation once more, however this time she stayed right into it’s now exposed core. She dashes slamming a scythe into the glass-like body of the angel, sending it shattering into snow.

Rai gasps under her breath as the thing falls apart around her. The remaining rings growing dim about their scripts and falling to the side as Rai falls to her knees in exhaustion. Her back was drenched in blood and now blood trailed from her cheek like tears as she just beheld the second death of the angel before her. She blinks back to her mount before slumping back in her saddle. A roar of cheers and excitable horse neighing erupts from the reavers left alive. A team of reavers only half as large beat their shields and screaming praises into the heavens as rai throws her scythe back to the battlement, blinking back to Cebra’s side.

She was breathless for once in her life, back stinging and face still pouring blood into the wood as she sits. “Fuckin hell.We did it.” It was a whisper at first as tears streamed from her eyes. It was through a strange mix of laughter and sobs she all but leaps up and threw herself at Cebra knowing nothing other than what the aftermath of sheer terror and a strange pull she felt to just be held for a moment. “Holy shit we actually did it.” She couldn’t hold herself up any more as her legs gave out from under her.

The legions of reavers make their way back through the gates, some carrying their dead, others with their heads held high in the face of an unlikely victory. Roth and Molly were the last to make it back into the city, Molly with a stained white cloak over one arm and Roth with yet another bag containing their friend. They make their way up the battlements, helmets beneath their right arm.

“Your plan was perfect, redblood. We owe you our lives.”

Cebra watched in disbelief, this was certainly something the Catholic church would say was over the top. But there it was, an angel or something like it. Now it lay smote in ruin, no one was going to believe this back home. Cebra leaned back against the ballista to take a breath now finally letting the exhaustion in, though something was different now. He felt it before it hit him, now that those things and their terrible aura was gone from this place, Cebra felt his abilities coming back online slowly but surely. "Oh, so it was those things that were causing this. Hm." It was then that the battle worn Rai appeared before him. "Rai... That was." Before he could finish what he was about to say Rai embraced him warmly, he was thrown for a moment seeing her show feelings towards him finally. He held her close burying her face in his chest, when her legs gave way he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "Yes, you were incredible. Rest now, everything is going to be ok here."

It took a moment to realize the two were surrounded by Rai's fellow Reavers cheering and praising the two, he looked out towards them and back out to the fields of bodies and fire. What a terrible sight, but all too familiar. "Your city is safe, I did what I did because she asked me. I..." Cebra holds his tongue and quickly changes his words "I think now it's best if we find a means to return to my world. I don't think your church is quite ready to forgive Rai or myself for our crimes, despite our efforts here. Molly." Cebra closes in and whispers in hushed tones "I'm going to find that worm creature, the one that brought us here. I've determined it's movement patterns and I know where it will next strike. I'm taking Rai back with me."

For a few moments there was nothing but peaceful bliss.

Rai had heard pretty much nothing as her ears were still ringing from the wailing angel’s screams.She couldn’t even register the pain she was in or what she’d feel like later. She was still shedding dust and blood at a considerable rate, but none of that mattered for the moment. They had successfully fended off the attack from Terni and had the luxury of surviving it. She found herself in the closest thing to sleep she was capable of, as if she was incapacitated to heal, yet her flesh never stitched together like it usually did. Her ears twitch as she kind of hears Molly and Roth’s voice but she had only been halfway paying attention. Rather she was doing exactly as Cebra had told her to and resting.

It was only when she heard Cebra bring up the church her ears twitch. “Understandable. The church will never rest until they get their hands on her. Last thing they want is a reaver who’s not only aware of their bullshit but can attest to it first hand.” Molly folds his arms looking out onto the past carnage.

“Mol… You sent her with your cloak pin. They’re going to come for you.” Roth blinks as he puts the pieces together. “If they can’t burn her, they’ll come get you so you can’t talk.”

There was a silence for a second and Molly shifts his weight. “Probably. I say it’s worth it. A hundred years of putting up with their bullshit is enough.” Molly gives a light shrug, leaning against the railing of the battlement.

Rai suddenly breathes back to life. “Molly should come with us. Can’t burn him if he disappears.” She mumbles, not even moving to open her eyes before lulling back into the twilight sleep.

“That is an option Mol.” Roth offers.”You should take it.”

There’s a moment of silence as Molly seems to be debating on it. “Yeah. You know. Burning alive sounds like it sucks ass.” He reasons before throwing his arm over Roth’s shoulder. “You not coming?”

“Fuck no! Too much shit left to fuck up here. You got to though Mol, they’ll kill you here. Been a damn good drinking buddy”

“You too Roth. See you around.” Molly waves as he throws his glass figurine to summon in black mare swirling with smoke and haze. “I can give you both the ride out. She looks too tired to ride.”

Accepting the aid from Molly the newest incoming addition to Cebra's world, the trio make their timely get away from the battle scarred city. It would take some time to process all the events that had taken place, Cebra was quiet for long stretches of the journey as looked over Rai. The powers in this world were strange and the laws of physics seemed bent as they could bring the dead back with such archaic means. What was magic? Was it really a separate thing from science? With calm around them Cebra could finally see perhaps a sliver of beauty in this strange sky, maybe he had just been here too long.

They were nearly upon the open field, the place where Cebra had surmised the interdimensional worm was prowling and making it's own territory. However from this point on he was not entirely sure how one would summon such a creature, nor did he have any idea when it would naturally emerge. Details were scant on such matters and only speculated things, for this part of the journey he'd rely on the hope the great disturbance of the previous battle might garner the beasts attention.

"Well... We're here. The only thing we can do now is wait and hope."

“It’ll be here, this thing runs like clockwork. Yet the church still can’t manage to swamp it with enough reavers to kill it though.” Molly gave a light shrug, hands crossed over his saddle horn. The black mare Damballa beneath Molly shifts, elevating a back leg up to the hoof tips to rest as her head hung low.

Grimmorah on the other hand was only somewhat getting used to Cebra behind the reigns rather than Rai. He was chewing his bit with his ears pinned back flat against his neck. Every so often he’d throw his head back at Cebra’s foot in the stirrups, threatening to bite. Rai leaned against Cebra’s back, staring off into space, as if still trying to regenerate wounds that refused to heal. She only moved each time Grimmorah was threatening to relieve Cebra of a few of his toes with a harsh noise in correction causing the stallion to yank his head back straight to the front.

“I hate that we have to let ourselves get eaten.” She mumbles as the ground begins to tremble.  From below the massive worm of time and space erupts with a resounding crash. It’s spines trilled as it made a leap from the ground, headed straight down for the trio. Rai’s fingers grip Cebra’s shirt just a bit tighter as the sinking feeling of traveling the wormhole causes her stomach to flip. After a moment of hurling through an empty void man, reaver and horse are tossed out into the waters of a creek. The horses squeal in anticipation as they find their footing  amongst the water and rocks, Damballa calming down a good bit faster than Grimmorah who was currently still throwing a fit over the new rider.

Molly was immediately on the lookout for some threat before realizing everything was greener, the skies lacked their forever dull gray tinge and the sun actually shined brightly for once. The sound of cars whirring down the nearby road had him staring in wonder at the bridge above them. “Are we in the right place?” He asks, urging Damballa up the creek bank and to the side of the paved road taking note of the street sign which read “Welcome to Graten- 15 miles”

Cebra was used to dealing with unruly animals, many times the stubborn cows have to be forcibly dragged back to the barn. This horse however was proving to be a frustrating opponent, especially in Cebra's current state. Rai's trepidation was within Cebra as well for he had his own experiences with large beasts consuming him, not often in one bite. "Just hold on, this might be a rough ride." The worm came with it's unfathomable mass, breaching the world like some force of nature seemingly unstoppable and devouring everything into darkness. It was unpleasant as the last time, travelling this creatures void of a gut.

When Cebra stopped feeling dizzy and recovered his equilibrium he stood up in the chill waters, immediately h could feel his strength returning to him. Cyco returned to full functionality and Cebra's wounds increased the pace of their healing. "We're back... Shit." Cebra mutters under his breath before climbing off the horse, the colour and vibrancy was a little jarring. It felt like being in a painting that had a tidal wave of life and colour wash over it, like being able to breathe normally. "We're just on the outskirts of Gratten hills I reckon, short walk back into town and back home." Cebra picks Rai up and begins the quiet walk through the black of the forest, his sight guided by a variety of sensors and scanning devices.

Though it was pitch black it was still comforting, the familiar and much more serene lands in the valley giving way to dirt roads. The town was relatively quiet this late at night and the trio could make their way along the main road.. In the distance after an hour or so was the warmth of home greeting the three travelers.