The Red Hand

Interlude 21 – The Angel of Death.

"It's too bad those Ogres chose such pointless deaths." Rehael said as she stood among a mountain of Ogre corpses. She'd come to one of their many mountain villages looking for information on a group of nesting Dragons who lived on the northern edge of the Tindal Mountains but was told to leave once she demanded information. Most the Ogres immediately understood that she was looking for trouble and their good relationship with the Dragons meant that they were not inclined to sell them out. "If they'd just told me what I wanted then they would still be alive, oh well." She said as she spun her bloody scythe to remove the blood from its blade, scattering it onto the rocky ground below. "Mortals are mostly useless anyway, and it's only a matter of time before I find the Dragons even without their cooperation." As she spun her scythe its blade began glowing red as some kind of energy-based connection formed between it and the corpses that surrounded her. "I suppose, if nothing else, their life force will serve as useful fuel for Father's plan, and for my own purposes." She chuckled as the bodies began to wither and drain, fading into dust as their energy was absorbed into her weapon. Her Sycthe, Oblivion, was a Demonic weapon that she'd stolen from one of the most powerful of the Arch Devils, Sariel, long ago, and among its many abilities was the power to drain the life force out of mortals.

{While they're not my favorite slaves, Ogres will make a good addition to my forces. They're stupid and hulking, but that makes them excellent minions, and it never hurts to have a bit more muscle, especially if I'm going to be sent to finish those foolish Heroes' job.} (Rehael)

"I think that will suffice for now." Rehael said as she canceled her Scythe's draining power. "That much energy is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what we will need, but it's always appreciated." She snapped her fingers, and a moment later the countless ogre corpses groaned and moaned as they slowly rose to their feet. Their eyes showed no signs of life, and most were glassed over. "You lot can join the rest. I'll be needing you for when we lay waste to that foolish world for daring to resist my Father's plans." She slashed the air, creating a gash in reality that revealed a black abyss. "Come on, get in. And don't worry, there are plenty of others in there to keep you company." She smirked as the Ogres lumbered into the gash one by one until they'd all disappeared, before closing the portal behind them.

"I suppose it would be best to clean things up here. Can't have people wondering why an entire Ogre village mysteriously disappeared. Otherwise, people will start asking questions, and then I'll have to go shut their mouths." Rehael lifted Oblivion into the air above her head and began to spin the Scythe around at high speed. "Whirlwind!" She called out an attack name as black power gathered around her, causing a massive black tornado that engulfed the entire village, flattening it and removing all traces of its existence. "There, now there's nothing and no one left." She said as she slowly brought the Scythe under control and looked to the peak of a nearby mountain.

{The information I got before leaving Father's Realm said that the artifact was being guarded by a mated pair of Dragons at one of these nearby peaks. I'd rather not go searching endlessly up here if I don't have to, but I've no choice but to find them. Perhaps I can force them out? If I create enough of a disturbance, they'll have to come check it out.} (Rehael)

Uninterested in a slow and methodical search of the countless nearby mountain peaks, Rehael decided that the most effective way of finding her prey was to attack and exterminate as many of the nearby Ogre tribes as she could find. The Dragons of the Tindal Mountains had a good and symbiotic relationship with the various Ogre tribes, and she figured that after bumping off a few dozen or so, one or both Dragons would show up in an attempt to stop her.

{Oh well, that's what happens when you get so attached to others.} (Rehael)

“I've been told that this Demon Lord has subordinates, I see she's making the same mistake. No doubt Father will begin by removing those pests first.” Rehael giggled before moving on to the next village.

*BOOM* *SLASH* *BURN* *CRUSH*

One by one, the Angel of Death slaughtered, drained, and enslaved the different Ogre tribes that she came across during her trek through the mountains. There were hundreds of Ogres that lived this high up in the mountains, and among them there was no one who could even put a scratch on the Reaper herself. Rehael was never one to shy away from bloodletting when it served her goals, and that she held most mortals in disdain meant that she cared little for the suffering that she was causing. Not to mention the fact that as one of Gale's creation she was a step above other Demi-Gods, with some speculating that there was more to her than what it seemed.

After days of slaughter, and the extermination of nearly a thousand Ogre lives, Rehael's plan worked and got what she was looking for as a massive black shadow flew over her head just as she finished torching a village.

"Finally, I was wondering when you'd show up." Rehael laughed as she sat on a large rock, watching the massive Blue Dragon land in the center of the freshly destroyed village. "You took far too long, you know?. If you'd just come to me a bit sooner then I wouldn't have had to go through all the trouble of destroying all these Ogres. Look what you made me do.” She smirked.

"You... I know who you are..." The Blue Dragon's deep voice echoed throughout the mountains. It was a massive creature, though considerably smaller than Hishya in her Dragon form, but powerful nonetheless. "You are the one called the Reaper. Lord Gale's murderous child of death. His abominable experiment." Her reputation tended to precede her, and even most Humans avoided her out of fear.

"Knowing who I am speeds this up greatly." Rehael replied as she lazily checked her nails. “And maybe this means we can conclude this matter without further time wasting?”

"Why have you attacked the Ogres?" The Blue Dragon growled, slamming its forearm to the ground and causing a quake. "They are of no threat to anyone and have nothing to offer you. Are you here on Lord Gale's orders? I cannot fathom why he would order such a thing, and this action makes no sense. Even for someone like you it seems excessive, so answer me!"

{I have a feeling I know why she's here, and if its what I'm dreading... Then...} (Dragon)

"Its not exactly complicated, the death of the Ogres was merely my creative way of getting to Father's real goal." Rehael said as her eyes locked onto the Dragon, who became convinced that his worst fear had come to pass.

"I will not hand over the Crystal to you!" The Blue Dragon snarled. "It's far too dangerous for anyone to use, let alone someone like you and that disgusting man you call your Father!" As he roared lightning crackled from his lips. “Leave now, and forget about the Crystal! None should possess its power, not even the Gods!”

"This is a request from a God." Rehael retorted with a glare. "You do not have a choice in the matter." She flashed a scary smile as she pulled her scythe from her back. "So turn it over without resisting, and I may just be persuaded to allow you and your mate to live."

"You will not dare threaten her!" The Blue Dragon roared, causing the air to vibrate, cracking the very ground around him. "I know not what you want the Crystal for, but my master tasked me with keeping it from ever being used again. So even if I must defy the Gods I will uphold my duty and protect it!" As he roared a well of energy surged from inside of him, showing his power and age.

"A pity." Rehael sighed as she hopped off the rock and walked toward the massive Dragon. "I was always led to believe that Dragons were intelligent beings, but the fact that you've chosen death proves that you're nothing more than a mere beast."

"Mock me all you want, monster, but this beast is smart enough to know that allowing you access to the ancients' technology will not be good for anyone." The Dragon prepared itself for a fight, one that it was not certain that it could win. "The fact that even the Gods didn't want that power to fall into the hands of mortals shows just how dangerous it really is, and the last time one of you fools dared to tamper with it, it nearly caused this world's destruction." He was referring to an event a few centuries prior that resulted in a huge swarm of corrupted creatures appearing on the Western continent and doing significant damage to civilization there. It was only thanks to the timely intervention of Halifax and some other key players that it was stopped, but it proved once and for all that the technology left behind by the advanced empire that spanned the globe was too dangerous for anyone, even the Gods, to use.

{The Crystal my Master tasked me with protecting is even more powerful than the condite they unleashed those centuries ago and it contains forbidden knowledge that NO ONE should have. I can't allow her to take it, for who knows what kind of horrors Gale would inflict upon this world.} (Dragon)

"Don't you dare go comparing me to those disgusting mortals!" Rehael hissed as her entire body became cloaked in thick black energy. "I'm nothing like those things! The blood that runs through my veins is of a higher origin than those lesser creatures! How dare you put me in the same category as them!" She flashed her Scythe at high speed, sending a black slash toward the Dragon that seemed to warp reality.

"GAH!" The Dragon screamed in pain as blood gushed from his body, his torso sliced open as a massive gash scatter blood on the ground.

"You know what, I take it back." Reheal's eyes went slightly crazy as she shot more slashes toward the Dragon, slicing its body up even further. "There will be no mercy for you! Only death! Death for you and that mate of yours!" She cackled as the Dragon screamed in agony, enjoying its pain and allowing her anger to fuel her power.

Blue Dragons were by no means weak, and this one was old very old, and was the kind of creature that only Heroes of Legends could beat. However, Rehael was no ordinary Demi-God, and due to some tweaks that Gale had made, she was far more powerful than most non-Divine beings to the point that even Halifax would have to take a fight against her seriously in order to stand a chance of winning. The two had clashed a few times during their shared existence, but never for real and it was never truly clear who would win.

“NOW DIE! DIE LIKE THE INSECT YOU ARE!” Rehael screamed as she continued to slash away at the Dragon, cackling like a madwoman as he was torn to shreds by her attacks. She was deliberately holding back to keep him alive for questioning, still needing to know the location of the Crystal, but before she was able to land a decisive blow, she sensed an incoming attack from above and was forced to leap away as a massive blast of white Dragon Fire crashed into the spot she'd been moments prior, melting the rocky floor to lava.

*WOOSH*

"I see the Princess has finally turned up." Rehael laughed as she looked up at the, very angry, Silver Dragon, that drifted down and landed next to her heavily wounded mate.

"El-Ordina, why have you come?" The Blue Dragon asked her, weakly. "Flee while you still can. You must protect-"

"I will not just abandon you, Aleron." The Silver Dragon spoke as she put her forehead against his, healing him with magic. "We've been together for far too long, we shall fight her together."

"W-We have no chance of winning against that thing." Aleron said as he slowly stood up, blood gushing from the partially healed wounds on his body. "It's not just a child of a God, it's a monster."

{A monster born from-} (Rehael)

"Aww, it's nice to hear you think of me that way." Rehael laughed as she spun her Scythe around in a flourish. "But flattery won't get you anywhere at this point, though perhaps if you cooperate I'll reward you with a quick and painless death."

"It was not a compliment." El-Ordina hissed as silver and white fire spilled from her mouth. "You are truly a disgusting creature. At least the Demon Lord of old had the excuse that he was created to cause destruction, but you? You have no such excuse. Your actions are for nothing more than entertainment and destruction. To think that the child of a God could find the suffering of others enjoyable, even one created like you were. It makes me sick." She shot more Dragon's fire at Rehael, but the Angel easily sliced it away with her Scythe, spinning it rapidly to deflect and dissipate it.

"What's so wrong with enjoying the extermination of insects?" Reheal grinned as the fire stopped. "After all, mortals are just parasites feeding off this world, and they offer little in the way of value. That they get to live at all is a blessing, but few seem to be grateful for my Father's kindness."

"You truly are lost if you think that way, child." El-Ordina replied, not surprised by her words but still disturbed to hear them. "To believe that beings not born of Divinity are lessor than you... It reminds me of the arrogance that brought our master's people to destruction."

{And of the reason for Vikes' rampage.} (El-Ordina)

"Those Eridal fool's biggest mistake was in thinking that they could rise to the status of Gods." Rehael scoffed at the comparison. "It was only right that their own hubris destroyed them in the end. Mortals should never aspire to divinity, its unnatural."

"And yet you seem to share that same destructive trait." Aleron said as he used some kind of magical ability to heal his wounds a bit more. "For all your claims of being better than mortals, you seem to share their penchant for vanity, pride, and self-importance. Ironic, don't you think?" He laughed. “Though I suppose that shouldn't be that unexpected considering you're not quite Divine yourself.

"Whatever." Rehael was done with this conversation and had no interest in debating morals with him. "I was going to beat the two of you into telling me where the generator was, but I think I'll just pull that information out of your corpses instead!" She leaped forward, ready to duel and defeat the two Dragons, her eyes filled with rage.

"Then allow us to make that as difficult on you as possible!" Aleron and El-Ordina roared as they joined together to battle Rehael in a desperate, yet futile battle.

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"Ah, there it is." Reheal smiled as she stood in front of a massive floating red crystal that was held in place by equally massive chains. The amount of energy within it was far more than even she expected, and the Angel could tell that it was just the right tool to complete her Father's ultimate plan. "Now to bring it back to Father and we can begin the next phase of the project." She quickly slashed away the chains with her Scythe and used a bit of her power to take it out of the cave it was hidden in, floating it behind her as she gathered up the numerous documents within the cave. From the metallic walls and strange machines it was clear that this was an Eridal workshop of some kind, though Rehael didn't know much about the technology other than that it was powerful. Akagi or any of the others from Earth would've instantly recognized it as a laboratory with items that vaguely resembled computers and other similar objects that existed on Earth in the present day, but the Angel had no way of knowing such a thing.

"I suppose that wasn't too bad, and the acquisition of some useful pawns in my army does make me happy." Rehael smirked as she exited the cave, where the zombified El-Ordina and Aleron sat waiting for her. “So all's well that ends well I suppose.”

{It won't be much longer. Once I deliver this to Father he can start the incorporation process, and then it's only a matter of time until he attains the power he needs to deal with that Demon Lord.} (Reheal)

"And in the meantime, I can take my time showing that world of hers what it means to defy a God." Reheal said as she boarded the Blue Dragon and prepared to fly back to the Holy City, starting a path that would take her on a collision course with Earth and bring about a great change that even Akagi couldn't fully predict.