The evening light bathed the ruined City in an auburn glow, as the shadows of the remaining buildings stretched eastward to meet the horizon. A chill wind blew in from the south, carrying dark clouds and ill omens with it. A being of unspeakable evil would soon unleash a cataclysm upon the ruined land. However, there were those who wished to stop it. Three defenders, each with their own motives, stood against a common enemy. Diabolus, The Maul, would be upon the city within seconds; the dark southern clouds were already gathering together, swirling above the spot where the Behemoth would appear. The surrounding buildings moaned as the wind picked up, jarring a few panes of glass loose from the higher windows, dropping them down to shatter on the pavement below. The beast was going to appear in the center of the city, where wide, five lane streets bordered massive skyscrapers. Littered with debris and derelict vehicles, the streets were far from clear and would prove difficult to maneuver in.

The battle would soon start, leaving the defenders with but a few brief moments to prepare themselves before the onslaught.

The white mage stood on top of a skyscraper looking at the clouds as the shifted and grew dark. His robe blew in the wind around him, and a silver chain with a cross hung from his left hand. He threw the chain aside and slammed the bottom of his staff into the ground. A circle of hite energy appeared around his feet and his robe blew outward around him.

"Diabolus, maul of desolation. I shall defeat you and my name shall be recorded in the annals of history. All will know of Free!"

Shen's claws dug into crumbling concrete and thoroughly rusted metal as he climbed his way up the side of the skyscraper, fast and agile like a large green ape. He could already hear it, the distant hammering of a giant creature's footsteps. Soon the demon would be here, and he would fight it to the death to finally end its reign of slaughter. Whether he killed the beast or died trying, he would be freed from this blood-stained curse... for a time.

Upon reaching the top, he spotted the robed man. He figured there might be others around here, some heroes were all too eager to throw their lives away against an abomination like this. "Mage." he grunted as he pulled Usurper from the sheath on his back. The blade sang its violent song of bloodthirst, revelling in the approaching battle, a song only Shen could hear. "I assume we share a common cause. If you don't get in my way, i won't get in yours." He positioned himself at the edge of the building, awaiting the arrival Diabolus.

He could feel the portal forming, feel the foul energies swirling as they coalesced into a gateway from one world to the next, allowing the demon passage. He could feel the demon too, though only distantly now, as the portal was not yet fully formed and his sense of the other side was clouded. He'd spotted the two on one of the impossibly tall building a moment earlier, and wondered what it was they were going to do from up there. They couldn't simply be bystanders, not armed and clad the way they were, and yet they'd chosen a vantage point dozens of levels taller than their enemy was going to be. Perhaps they possessed ranged weapons or magic and were planning to rain their power down on it.

Regardless, Ahven himself had chosen a much shorter point to make his perch, a mere six floors from the ground and on the opposite side of the portal from the other two. For now, he ignored them and focused instead on the portal and its hellish cargo, waiting behind the pane of sheer glass for the monster to make its appearance.

As the clouds condensed into a black orb and the winds stopped, bolts of black lightning struck the ground beneath it. From within the ball, large armored hooves started to show themselves as the Beast began to drop from it. In one swift motion, the orb dispersed and the massive form of Diabolus dropped onto the streets with a thunderous clap, shattering the rock and asphalt and sending tremors through the surrounding buildings. The force of the fall dropped it to its knees and arms, its massive clenched fists impacting the ground as more glass and small debris fell from the skyscrapers around him. Diabolus sat still for a moment, then with a low pitched guttural sound, the Demon groaned and pushed itself onto its feet. The Beast's massive cranium turned as it surveyed its surroundings.

"FIGHT!" The Demon roared from beneath its helm. Its voice was loud and booming, calling out to anything that could hear it. Holding its fists out to the side as a challenge to all life in the city.

Ignoring the man who had scaled the building Free smiled. "Finally it has begun." Free said with determination. The light around him ceased and the crystal on the top of his staff began to glow. He was charging magical energy to make his initial assault. If the man who had talked to him previously took the offensive all the better, it would allow Free time to charge for a greater attack.

"Heh, let's do this." Shen said as he saw the black steel monstrosity appearing down below. Without further hesitation, he stepped off the edge of the building, falling several yards before catching himself on a big rusty pipe that creaked and screamed under his weight. From there, he pushed off against the wall, launching himself across the gap between this building and the next. A few floors lower, he landed on the concrete roof of the shorter building, unharmed due to his superhuman physiology.

Against a foe that could tear down buildings, it’d be wise not to both be standing on the same one. In fact, if Shen could pull the monster’s attention to himself, perhaps the other man would be able to flank it. It seemed like a more viable plan than attacking the demon straight-on and hoping to get through its armor. Thus, he turned to the nearest rooftop unit and, with a little effort, tore it loose from its platform. He then lifted the heavy steel box above his head, moved to the edge of the roof and flung it down towards Diabolus. It wouldn’t harm the beast, he had no illusions about that, but it might be enough to get its attention.

The beast dropped out of the portal and landed with a thunderous crash on the street below, shattering the glass in every window within fifty feet, including the one in front of Ahven. The hunter smiled as he pulled the mask over his nose and mouth, then began sprinting toward the building's edge. When he reached it, a single powerful leap would carry him far out over the street to land squarely on the Demon's outstretched left arm, and from there he would reach the monster's back in two quick strides, each step taking him farther than most humans could jump with a running start.

Once on the demon's back, he would anchor himself in place, ignoring the (presumable) impact of the large metal thing that had fallen, or perhaps been thrown, on the shoulder next to him. With any luck, the demon hadn't noticed his presence yet, and wouldn't until he made himself known via some offensive manner.

The crash of the metal unit impacting the armor rang out and the Demon turned his attention to the source. Spotting the figure atop the smaller building, and letting another low roar loose from his enclosed throat. Without the ability to feel through the thick armor, Diabolus stayed unaware of the existence of the hunter positioned on his back. Taking a few heavy steps, the Beast positioned his body to face the building, lowering his stance and aiming the flat of his helm towards it. Kicking off with his hooves and subsequently digging shallow trenches in the earth, he put his weight into a charge. Within a few steps, he reached his dash speed and impacted the side of the building with his head. The concrete and steel buckled under the force, causing much of the remaining glass panes to break out of their frames. The structure shook violently and the impacted side began to sag ever so slightly, but did not collapse completely.

With his head buried in the side of the building, the Demon raised his arms to grasp the remaining steel supports within reach. He seemed to be preparing himself to free his entangled horns from the now twisted steel of the structure.

Free smiled as the other warrior took the offensive causing the demon to bury its head in the building. Chargin his magic he noticed another warrior leap onto the beasts back and latch on. I hope they aren't planning on trying to steal the glory this one is mine. Free thought to himself. His energy coalesced around him giving off a magical aura.

Shen stabilized himself against the violent shaking of the building below his feet as he watched a third fighter emerge and position himself on the demon's back. Whoever he was, Shen hoped he could take advantage of the distraction provided. Feeling the building sag, he knew it wouldn't stand much longer, so he charged off to the right, jumped once he reached the edge of the roof and crashed into the next building right through the glass window. The shattered glass left tiny cuts across his skin, but he didn't flinch.

Now that the fight had begun, he knew he had to get on more even ground to do any damage. Figuring that the demon's bull charge into the wall will have gained him some time, he left out the same window that he came and began making his way down to a lower floor by going from lintel to lintel.

Ahven dropped lower on the demon's armor as it rushed toward the building, latching on again once he was out of the way of the pieces of building that would be scraping along the top of the beast. He ignored the shards of class that rained on and around him, none of them were large or sharp enough to penetrate his hooded armor, and simply remained where he was until the demon made its next move.

Wrenching his head from side to side, Diabolus tore the steel loose from his horns. Taking a step back, the Beast freed himself from the side of the building. Turning his head to survey the damage, its eyes caught a glimpse of Shen leaping downward from building to building. Turning his massive body towards his new target, he bent down and picked up an abandoned vehicle. His grasp alone buckled the metal frame and shattered any remaining windows. He raised the car above his head and tossed it at Shen. The force of the throw caused some of the doors of the car to jar open, flailing at the mercy of its spiraling trajectory.

Free grimaced at the beast's strength."Damn its just like i figured I'm gunna have to use everything I've got to get that thing down. Hold on a little bit longer guys I've gotta charge before i use this technique." he thought to himself. His magic was now a tangible aura around him. White smoke like tendrils swirled around him and lifted off him. The crystal on his staff glowed brightly as he continued to charge his magical power. "Just a little more and i can use it" He said.

As Shen was nearing ground level, he didn't expect the demon to be all too watchful of him, but kept his eyes on the beast anyways. When it bent over to effortlessly pick up a ruined car, he knew he had to be quick. He let go of the window sill he was holding and fell down the last 60 feet to the ground, getting out of the way right before the car crashed into the wall above him. He grunted and went through his knees when he hit the ground, but was overall unharmed. From there, he dashed to the side to avoid the falling debris that would soon follow.

Seeing that the other man was still on the demon's back, Shen figured that giving him a chance to attack was his their best shot. "Come get me, you cow!" He yelled at Diabolus to pull its attention, while keeping a safe distance in anticipation of a charge.

When the demon brought the car back, Ahven followed it forward across the armor, running straight between the horns before dropping off to the left side, directly in front of the massive left eye. As he moved, his right hand gripped the appropriate pistol and pulled it free of its holster, aiming it squarely into the demon's eyeball and pulling the trigger before it had a chance to blink. At best, Ahven figured the bolt would travel through the comparatively unresistant tissue of the eye itself and then through the skull as well before ending its journey in the brain. At worst... well at least the monster would have one less usable eye.

The Beast tracked Shen as he fell, lowering his stance for a charge. However, by the time he caught the flash of a man and a pistol in view of his eye, it was too late. The projectile pierced the red orb that rested in the socket and a thick, black substance spewed out of it, spraying into the air from the back pressure. Diabolus flung his head to the right in recoil, letting out a loud groan as he dropped onto his left knee. Slamming his right fist into the ground to support himself, he reached up with his left hand to swipe at the area Ahven stood before the Beast was shot.

Charging his energy he could feel his power rising and it felt immense. The aura became thicker almost like fog, and hung heavy in the air. Free began to shape it and he could soon use it to his whim. He would show this demon the true power of a magister.

Seeing the beast's attention pulled by the other man, Shen decided to prepare an attack in return. He backed off, just in case, and raised his hand as a ball of flame formed in his palm. He would charge it for now to put more power into it, while waiting to see the demon's next move.

Ahven fired the pistol once more, hoping that the second bolt would penetrate deeper and into the creature's brain now that the carapace of the eye was out of the way, then climbed higher and wedged himself between the monster's horn and it's head, using the horn to provide protection from the blindly swiping hand. Briefly, the thought of crossing the head to put out the demon's other eye flashed through his mind, but no. That would be beyond foolish. A monster without one eye had a blind spot, but a monster without two would go into a blind rage and lash out at anything within reach, decimating far more of the city than it otherwise would.