Ashlandil


I shoved Cronus, sending the giant fuck staggering back several feet and crashing into some machinery, sending it toppling over as well. I glanced around the hanger, looking for something, anything, I could use to finish the asshole off.
His skin was too tough to pierce with just my hands, I'd already tried ripping his heart out; I needed a new tactic.
Quick.
I eyed him as he crawled to his feet, his black blood seeping out of different points on his body, making it look like steam was rolling off him as it evaporated, sizzling into nothing. He growled at me as he finally staggered to his feet, and I was pleased to see he was limping.
I could see Kenali standing by the beam he'd tossed her in to out of the corner of my eye, glaring at Iriel, her hands clenched in front of her; she seemed okay, so the toss apparently didn't hurt her too badly. I'd been worried but she'd popped up perfectly fine.
If I could kill Cronus, we could team up on Iriel and finish him off and be done with this bullshit. We could live our lives normally.
For the most part anyway.
My eyes flicked over Cronus as he shook his arm, and I heard a popping crack --- well shit.
His arm was officially twice as long now.
Motherfucker.
I tensed, digging my heels into the concrete as I waited for him to get closer. He might be bigger then me, but I was older and quicker and I'd killed more of our kind then he could have imagined.
I was more worried over Iriel taking Kenali while we were distracted, of hurting her again or killing her for that matter. He apparently didn't care for any of us, we were just pawns to him or instruments to be used for "the greater good" of humanity.
Well, fuck humanity.
I wasn't human, I didn't give a shit what happened to their race, I had My own to worry about.
My own family.
My eyes flicked to Kenali again, one last time before Cronus was close enough to do any damage --- no!
"Kenali!"
She was moving before I could even speak. I watched in horror as Iriel appeared in front of her, faster then any of us could have ever moved, and she gasped as his hand closed around her throat, literally lifting her off the ground.
Ken ---.
I growled as Cronus grabbed me, his nails shredding through the front of my suit as I narrowly managed to dodge him, dancing back another few feet. I twisted away beneath his fumbling reach, and took a run for Iriel, putting all my focus into getting to him before he hurt her.
I slammed into him so hard something cracked, and he bellowed as we tumbled to the side, Kenali dropping to the ground instantly with a yelp. I cursed as we landed, skidding to a rolling stop against a forklift, my head knocking into the metal lift.
Fuck, man!
Ow!
I grimaced, trying to scramble to my feet as quickly as possible, seeing Iriel grasp his head for several seconds before he did the same.
"Don't fucking touch her!" I snarled, spitting the blood from my mouth. "Or I'll rip your arms off!"
Iriel glared at me, his head steaming as his blood evaporated. "You arrogant fool! If that child lives ---."
"It'll be fine! Fuck, if it turns out evil what difference will it make? Do you think she became pregnant with his child just for kicks!?" I bellowed, tossing my hand in her direction. "No! Obviously there was a reason she conceived! If it was such an abomination our Father would have not allowed it to be Created! Or hell, maybe he's ready for the fucking end of the world, it's not like all of us don't deserve it, you self-righteous fuck!"
Iriel glowered at me, cracking his fingers and shaking them out. He didn't say anything immediately, so I glanced at Kenali, seeing her eyes were warily on Cronus, who wasn't making any moves towards her at all --- in fact he was even edging away from her, his eyes on the floor.
He really didn't want to be doing this.
He was being forced.
But hell, if Seraphine had decided to help us, then maybe she wouldn't kill his son if Iriel so demanded it. She didn't seem to like his dumbass plan anyway.
Hmph.
"Cronus," his eyes went to me immediately. "Seraphine has your son, right?"
He didn't answer, but I was pretty sure she did.
"Seraphine is helping us," I continued, watching Iriel out of the corner of my eye. "She's the one who told me where to find Kenali. If she's on our side she's not going to hurt your son, there's no point. She wants Iriel dead as much as we do. Your kid is safe, man. You don't have to do this."
Cronus frowned, his eyes meeting mine for the first time, obviously mulling my words over. I could be calling bullshit to get him on our side, or I could be telling the truth and he wouldn't have to hurt us.
I just had to get him to believe us.
"Please," Kenali croaked, her hand on her throat as she looked at him. "Cronus, my baby...."
He frowned even more, but his arm was slowly retracting to its normal length, and he sort of shook it to get it to pop back in place with his shoulder.
"Fuck," I heard him mutter.
Wait, so he could speak after all? I'd never heard him say more then a couple words here and there, although he and Kenali had gotten along well enough.
.... Obviously.
"Cronus," Iriel had a warning in his voice. "Your son ---."
"No," Cronus interrupted, shaking his head. "No more."
Fuck yeah!
I perked up as Cronus turned traitor, and I grinned as I looked at iriels tight, suddenly strained face.
Yeah plans didn't always work out like he wanted them too.
Asshole.
I took a step towards him, and that's all it took for him to make a break for it, sprinting towards the open hangar doors.
Fuck!
I'd never seen anyone, human or angel, move so quickly! I had barely managed to turn as he got to the large open wall, and I cursed, knowing he was going to get away.
But then he didn't.
I watched in surprise as Iriel went sailing backward, his long robes fluttering as he shouted, only landing after he crashed into a supporting beam and cracked it. My eyes trailed after him as he tumbled to the ground, gasping and groaning when he finally hit.
Well that was convenient.
"I always did hate it when they run."
Well I wasn't surprised.
I briefly glanced at the door as Seraphine stepped inside. She was twirling a lock of hair around her finger, her heels loud on the floor as she cockily strode towards us, smirking at iriels crumpled form as I approached him.
"Sorry, Iriel, but I don't like being told what to do." She chuckled as he cracked his eyes open, looking dismayed. He raised up to his hands, a biting comment on his lips until I knelt down in front of him.
"I never did like you," I grunted, and then shoved my hand into his chest.
Iriel sucked in a tight, shocked breath as my hand closed around his heart, giving it a good painful squeeze I made sure he felt before I ripped it through his chest, his bones snapping audibly. I watched the blood blood spew from his body and lips, that expression of surprise never leaving his face as he crumpled. I glanced at my hand as his lifeblood oozed down over my tattoos, sizzling and evaporating into steam as his heart gave a final beat.
Iriel crumbled into ash, and seconds later so did his heart, leaving nothing but a pile to be swept away in the morning by upset pilots and the hangar workers when they saw the mess we'd made of their place.
I'd taken care of the cameras when I'd first arrived.
We were never here.
And so it was done.
I let the ash pour out of my hand and into the pile, and rose to my feet with a sigh, rolling my shoulders.
I dusted my hands off with a final feeling.
That took care of that mess.
"Ashlan," Kenalis strained voice called to me, and I looked at her, seeing the relief on her face, a grin rising to mine. I darted to her side, pulling her tightly into my arms, smothering my face into her crimson hair as I rocked her back and forth.
I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest and I could finally breathe. Everything was going to be okay now. No one else was going to attack us. Maybe we were all safe now.
Or at least her and the baby.
"You're okay," I whispered, -feathering her face in kisses as I held it between my hands, her hands grasping tightly at my ruined suit. "You're both okay, you're okay!"
She shook her head mutely, swallowing hard before pressing her face into the curve of my neck, clinging to me. I pulled her securely against me, comforted when I caught a wif of strawberries.
Oh Kenali....
"Where's my son?" I heard Cronus ask after a moment, his voice almost cracking.
"Oh. Yeah, about that --- he's kind of dead."

Notes