Ashtoreth, Nyx's children, Loki, Logan and Sabretooth
Ashtoreth surveyed the school from her place in the aether.
Humans. Well, not all humans. There were two angelic signatures and a few demonic ones...odd fluctuations in the demonic ones though. This boded to be interesting.
With a flare of flame she materialised in front of the doors, standing back on the grass.
The kittens all screamed in fear and ran for their fathers.
Loki stood upright, wings flaring as he bolted for the front door and flung it open, sword held ready.
Ashtoreth regarded him with some amusement.
He gaped and took a step back, then stood firm.
"You amuse me...I will not destroy you for the effrontry of challenging me."
Faolan climbed into Mordred's arms shaking with terror.
Serafina ran straight to Angel and clung to his leg, shivering so hard her teeth chattered.
Victory crawled into Sabretooth's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, not as violently affected as the others.
Kanika wailed as she dove into a surprised Logan's arms.
Angel
Angel bent and lifted Serafina into his arms, hugging her close and tucking her slightly under his coat.
"Sera, what's wrong?" he asked, smelling the fear and a new scent of power in the air. The scent was unfamiliar.
Ashtoreth, Loki and Nyx's children
Serafina whimpered and hid her head against his chest.
This scene was being enacted with each of the kittens fathers to some extent.
Loki stared down Ashtoreth. Or tried to.
"Begone from this place!"
"Oh, you're so daring, little winged one." Ashtoreth smiled predatorily and took a step forward, the earth visibly rippling beneath her bare foot.
"Beware me, for I am She Who Must Be Appeased."
"Which one, bitch?"
Ashtoreth laughed, and then Loki screamed as fire wrapped around him, singing his wings. His sword clattered to the ground as his arms flung outwards in a crucified stance.
He rose from the ground, tears of pain rolling down his face as she raised her hand.
"I am...Ashtoreth."
"Oh sweet holy motherf*ck..."
Loki knew that name. They were in deep shit now if something had roused Ashtoreth from her conquered dimension.
Suddenly all the kittens cried out with pain, hands flying to the sides of their heads.
"She burns!"
Angel and Faith
Angel held Serafina close, murmuring soothing words to her as he went to find the rest of the fathers.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Faith said, her hands curled around a sword.
Ashtoreth, Loki, Nyx's children and their fathers
"She's killing him!" Faolan cried out.
"Who's killing who?" Mordred asked, holding his son tight.
"She burns...she's burning him! Singing his feathers away!"
"Loki..." Mordred whispered.
"Burns, burns, burns," Victory chanted, voice getting higher and shriller with fear on each word.
Sabretooth curled her into one arm and rocked back and forth slowly, trying to calm her.
Logan mumured soothing words to Kanika as she wept, carrying her on his hip and pacing back and forth. Funny how he couldn't remember doing this, yet it seemed so familair...
"Save him! Save him PLEASE!" Faolan screamed, tears pouring from his mismatched eyes. "She's burning him and he hurts so much!"
Loki gritted his teeth as flames swayed in front of his eyes.
Ashtoreth made a negligent gesture and he flew backwards through the doors, trailing flames like a comet.
He broke through several sets of doors on the way.
Ashtoreth stepped through the burning frame of the front door and smiled.
"Knock knock."
Loki tried to get up, and collapsed with pain.
Angel and Faith
Angel kissed Serafina's head. "It's ok, it's ok."
Faith's hands tightened around her weapon and went to meet Ashtoreth. "Yeah, why don't you just come in."
Angel looked at the other fathers. "Ok, we can't fight with our kids, if that be the case, but we can't all go. Any ideas?"
Astoreth, Mordred, Sabretooth and Loki
"I 'port, get them all out?" Mordred suggested.
Sabretooth snarled quietly and held Victory closer.
"And that obviously doesn't sit well with him...I could take all the kids and maybe two of us. That's it."
Ashtoreth looked at Faith and tilted her head slightly.
"Slayer...thank you, I think I will. Angels, so rude. So disrespectful..."
She smiled slightly, exposing dazzling white teeth in her tanned face.
"I have come to talk about the one named Glorificus."
Loki staggered to his feet.
"Don't trust her!" He shouted in a hoarse voice.
Flames danced in Ashtoreth's eyes as she frowned slightly.
"Haven't I already put you down enough? Warrior of Jehovah, do not tempt me further!" A ball of fire zapped down the hallway, sending Loki crashing through another wall.
Angel and Faith
"Then take him," Angel said. "Faith will need my help."
Astoreth, Logan, Mordred, Sabretooth and Wesley
Mordred gathered the children around him and put his hand on
Sabretooth's arm. They disappeared.
Logan looked at Angel.
"Let's go find out who's bothering us, bub."
"Be polite and properly respectful, and we won't have any problems,"
Ashtoreth informed Faith.
"I am aware that it's been a long time since I've been here..."
Wesley dropped his cup of tea with a smash as he stared at Ashtoreth.
"Ashtoreth..."
"Oh, would you look at that? He knows my name. Do you know my proper
titles too?"
"Mericiless Defender, She Who Must Be Appeased, She who is brighter
then the heavens, the Blazing Sun..."
"Good mortal."
Ashtoreth visibly preened.
Faith
Faith nodded.
"Ok, well then... let's talk. We're going to kill Glory. Any tips?"
Astoreth
Ashtoreth quirked an eyebrow slightly.
"You do know how much harder it's going to be now she isn't tied to
that male human body, don't you? Glory, Glory...the goddess has
*such* little taste in well, anything. But...she seems to have
generated enough trouble to make me come back here and squash her."
Faith
"So, you can do that?" Faith asked. "Is there any way we can help?"
Astoreth and Logan
"I'm only after Glrificus...you might want to do some clean up
though."
Ashtoreth studied her nails.
"She has a lot of rather slimy minions."
Logan eyed her carefully from a doorway.
"We'll take care of it."
"Brave little man..."
Faith
Faith nodded, then looked at Logan.
"So when do we go?"
Logan and Astoreth
"Soon as we get Mordred back," Logan said.
Ashtoreth looked past him at Angel.
"Hello, Champion. Getting screwed over by the Powers That Be, as
usual? Vampire with a soul...well, that's a new one. The Powers?
Annoyances. All of them."
Angel and Faith
"Ashtoreth," Angel said softly. "The Powers are like that."
Faith nodded. "Alright. So you'll kill her, Ashtoreth? How, exactly?"
Astoreth
Ashtoreth smiled a smile totally devoid of human conscious.
"I'll eat her. How else? The way she's been gobbling down all those
gods...she's going to taste good."
Faith and Angel
"Is she still devouring brains?" Faith asked.
"I don't think so," Angel replied.
Astoreth and Wesley
"Glory's moved up the foodchain. She's eating gods now." Ashtoreth
studied her sparkling red and gold nails.
"She must be much more powerful then before..." Wesley whispered.
"But not more powerful then me."
Ashtoreth looked up.
"I'm at the top of the foodchain here. And Glory's drawn my
attention...silly little goldenhaired girl."
Faith and Angel
Faith nodded and pulled the Dagon's Sphere out. "Will this still
affect her?"
"Where did you get another one?" Angel asked.
"Charmed Ones."
Astoreth
Ashtoreth eyed it carefully.
"Perhaps."
Faith
"Eh, if it works, it works. Our main priority is getting everyone
the hell out of there," Faith said.
Astoreth and Wesley
"It could turn out to be quite messy," Ashtoreth said.
"Could you, oh most beautiful Blazing Sun, perhaps draw Glorificus
away from any mortals?" Wesley suggested carefully.
"I like you. You're cute. If I didn't live in a demon dimension and
you'd be dead in a day, I might take you home."
"Ah...thank you." Wesley raised an eyebrow. I think.
Faith
Faith smiled and raised an eyebrow at Wesley, then tucked her
weapons more securely into pockets.
"Alright... so... you're gonna blast in, hard and fast?"
Astoreth
"More or less..." Ashtoreth said. She walked towards the door, hips
swaying slightly.
"I'll be going now. Tell the children I was sorry I scared them. Nyx
would be rather upset at me."
Angel and Faith
"Uh... thank you," Faith said, looking confused.
"So, we get Mordred back now?" Angel asked.
Logan, Wesley, Mordred and Loki
"Yeah..." Logan said as Ashtoreth burst into flames and disappeared.
"Someone want to get Vort and call him?"
"I'll do that." Wesley disappeared and soon Mordred reappeared with
the kittens and a snarling Sabretooth.
"So, what happened? Exactly?" Mordred asked carefully.
Loki picked himself off the ground.
"Oh, F*CK, that hurts..."
"Don't swear, or you'll be hurting a hell of a lot more," Mordred
shot back.
"F*ck you, mutie."
Faith
Faith looked icily down at Loki.
"Ordinarily, I don't kick someone when they're down... but if you
say one more word, I will hurt you."
Loki and Mordred
"And f*ck you, bitch," Loki snarled as he limped past her and got
his sword. The once beautiful weapon was now a twisted length of
charred metal.
"F*cking gods..."
"I've already talked to you about swearing around my son," Mordred
snarled.
Loki fluttered his black and broken wings slightly, wincing.
"Shut up. I gave you enough time to get your act together by that
crash and burn stunt."
Faith
"Right."
Faith roundhouse kicked Loki to the ground.
"Now go before I do worse."
Loki, Mordred, Logan and Sabretooth
Loki surged back up at her, snarling.
He smacked her head into the wall.
"I was the Angel of Death for thousands of years. You
Slayers...always so F*CKING uppity."
He smacked her head again then dropped her.
Then he walked away, rolling his head on his shoulders.
"See if I get in the way again...f*ck you all."
Mordred and Logan had their hands firmly over their children's ears.
Sabretooth coughed slightly. Victory had heard worse.
Faith and Angel
Faith rubbed the back of her head lightly.
"You ok?" Angel asked.
"Five by five. He hits like B, you know? I'll just call Leo to help
me out. Be back in a sec." Faith waved as she left to go get Leo to
help her.
Angel took Serafina from Mordred.
"Da!" she said, still shaking.
He lifted her into his arms. "It's ok, it's ok."
Mordred, Logan and Nyx's children
Serafina shuddered and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Kanika hid her face against Logan's chest, shivering.
Faolan conintued to make little whimpering noises of distress.
Victory had mostly calmed down.
"So, are we still doing this or what?" Mordred asked.
"We're doing it. We better go get ready," Logan said.
"We just have to remember to stay out of their way...Ashtoreth and
Glory. We're strictly there on a rescue mission."
Angel and Faith
"Ok, if the kittens want to come with me..." Angel set Serafina
down. "Cat form," he told her. "Wesley and I have set up our room,
so it won't be easy to get into."
Faith came back quickly. "We all good here?"
Mordred, Sabretooth, Logan, Nyx's children, Jono, Spike and
Vortigern
Serafina shifted obediently.
"Yeah." Logan nodded. "Let's go get ready. Kanika, go with Angel."
"Faolan, I want you to go with Angel." Mordred kissed his son on the
forehead then set him down. Faolan shifted into wolf form and padded
over to Serafina. Kanika went into her cat form and joined her
brother and sister.
Sabretooth hugged Victory for a moment longer, then put her down.
"I'm coming with you."
"Ok..." Logan looked at the mutant woh had so often been against
them.
"Why should I let you?"
"I'll do perimeter, whatever. She treated me like a dog at her beck
and call. Kinda pissed me off."
"Fine. Let's go."
Mordred nodded.
Jono? Vort? Get everyone together and get the uniforms on. We'll
meet you at the Blackbird.
Orright, mate. Jonothon looked at his friends and stood.
C'mon.
We're going.
They nodded and all headed off to the labs underneath.
"Spike? We're going," Vortigern told his lover.
"Good. Let's go then." Spike kissed Vortigern
fiercely. "Just...don't do anything stupid. I couldn't stand it if
you died."
"If I die..." Vortigern kissed him back. "You have my permission to
turn me."
Spike wrapped his arms around him and wondered if he could make that
choice.
Rogue? We're going.
Vortigern and Spike headed off to find everyone else.
"Guys? Time to go," he told Rebekah and the two new twins.
"Storm, we're going," Spike told the older woman.
Shannon? We're going. See ya, Julie.
"Bobby? We're going."
Storm, Bobby, Angel and Faith
Storm nodded and got to her feet, going out and sitting in the
Blackbird, strapping herself in, eyes determined.
Bobby nodded and took Rebekah's hand, squeezing it slightly as they
went outside, Mariette and Mirabelle behind them.
Angel took the children to the room, and locked the door.
Faith went inside and reappeared seconds later with Gwen and they
went to the Blackbird.
"Ok. Everyone ready?" Storm called.
Rogue, Shannon and Gambit
Rogue, Shannon and Gambit arrived and got themselves settled in the
Blackbird.
"Yep," Rogue smiled.
"Let's do dis," said Gambit.
Shannon shook her head and smiled.
The Mavericks, Displaced, Spike and Logan
"Da." Sergei flexed his hands.
Yeah. The flames played around Jonthon's face, darkening the
hollows of his eyes.
"Yeah." Spike nodded as he looked at Vortigern.
"Ready to go...although, do they have to make these things so
tight?" Mordred complained as he stretched his arms in the X-men
uniform.
Angelo shook his head.
"I think everyone's ready," Octavian said.
"If you'd give the order, Wolverine..." Demetria said.
Logan's claws sliced through the gloves on his hands.
"Take us up, Storm. We got some people to bring home."
Storm
Storm nodded and her hands flew over the controls, lifting the
Blackbird into the air.
"Then let's do it..."