~The War of the Three~

---

It is said that war is the ultimate solution, the final escalation to conflict and strife. To many, the concept of war is the last resort in bringing the end of dark times and the beginning of a new age. A new order. But for those of a special bringing, war is all they know. Conflict breathes into their hearts, gives them life, and invigorates them to stand and fight. There are whispers, shadows of doubts, hushed through the ages of worlds describing one particular war that is waged forever. Never stopping, never ceasing, never once ending. Always conflict and forevermore. A war so massive and great, those enacted by beings of a lesser nature paled in comparison to the horrors of this conflict.

In a long ago time best forgotten, the Triumvirate ruled their domain in peace. Inhabiting the Nexus, a place to connect all worlds, the Triumvirate was given warning of a Great Danger, one so potent that it threatened to destroy their lives and civilization. The bonds of allegiance were strengthened in the face of this Great Danger and the factions who comprised of the Triumvirate were quick in their preparations for a war that might never come. In a streak of deep irony, the Triumvirate became poisoned with mistrust among one another. With the paranoia that comes with the end of days, so too is bred doubt and lies. Before long the Triumvirate's once held stability and peace between one another broke up, leaving behind three mighty factions to war with one another.

What was intended to be the greatest army in the cosmos was now reduced to civil war among each other. The conflict continue to roar across space and time, ripping apart whole dimensions and creating new ones in their place. The heavens are burning, the lands are sinking, and the once proud coalition that was the Triumvirate finds itself standing divided. And the Great Danger looms ever closer. With each battle, each victory and defeat, the final annihilation of everyone creeps more and more into the heart of the never ending war.

That Battle of Dianex had begun. Or rather, it was perhaps more accurate to say the conflict was well underway. A great siege had taken place in the vast Valley of Dianex, a mighty expanse of land that left the battle fortress known as Elicitor a walking target. Reports of the Machina stronghold containing a valuable tool of power that would give them a stronger foothold in this war had been leaked out by demonic spies.

Whether this was an intentional ploy by the demonic forces of Hell was uncertain but it wasn’t long before news of this found its way to Heaven’s Gates. Thus, plans had been drawn out and tactics had been prepared. No one was sure what the Elicitor was carrying, not even its Machina masters. But the bare facts were that it was cause enough to fight for it because that was a purpose worth fighting for. Some fought for much less in this war.

Even so, the Machina were no fools. They were fully aware that entering the Valley of Dianex would leave them open for assault by angels and demons alike. It was the quickest route to the Machina Homeland; given the importance of their package, they sought to reach High Queen Eos as soon as possible. After all, they were confident in their own superior firepower to play the waiting game, fighting on the defensive against their opponents.

Their cold, logical ways of course let them overlook the obvious flaw within their plans. Because in this endless conflict for dominance and power, one must always have plans within plans. And that drawback to the Machina’s plans was the failure to realize each faction had their own ace in the hole for this particular confrontation.

For the Demons, it was the many sleeper agents moving about within the Elicitor’s hull, ready to turn on their robotic masters with the flick of an order, long corrupted some time ago by demonic influence. For the Angels, it was the call of the Valkyries, their might strong enough to enact an aerial assault and scorch the earth with their bombardments. For the Machina, it was the Elicitor itself, its functions unknown to the enemy and thus both Demon and Angel alike were oblivious to its capabilities of digging through the very earth itself.

But whether these advantages would be used now or in a more tactful manner was up to the beings who fought firsthand in this war. Because as soon as the Elicitor stepped into the Valley of Dianex, all sound left the world. The only noise to remain was the heavy clunk of the fortress’ footfalls, its weight bringing rumbles to the ground.

Now was the time to make the first move. Now was the time to strike. As if holding its breath, the Nexus waited in patience for the first shot to be fired. Until that time would come, the Elicitor would continue to move through the mist of the valley. Clunking like a steel ghost of the dark.

It was quiet. Too quiet. For Grafdakka, it felt like it was only moments ago that he was enjoying the musical of war, firing his twin-linked vulcan cannons at an oncoming fleet of angels. Seeing them drop from the skies like like the bombs of Machina aircraft. Or cutting through drones of demonic vermin, slaying hundreds, if not thousands of whelps with a single slash. Perhaps that was just an exaggeration of Grafdakka's feats, but there was no denying that as a machine of war, he was one of the most powerful. Maybe he couldn't hold a candle to the likes of High Queen Eros, but he could certainly put down any Demon Champion or Angel's Chosen.

But it was too quiet right now. Grafdakka had been ordered to protect the Elicitor, a mobile fortress of great importance to the Machinas. What sort of importance, Grafdakka didn't know. Didn't really care. Some may have found it strange that the towering titan of guns and steel had chosen an escort mission of all things, as oppose to a deep strike or even being put on the front lines, but Grafdakka knew that the Elicitor was going to be attacked. The power within, and it's sheer size, made it impossible to hide. And if it was as powerful as the commanders say it was, then both demons and angels would bring their full force to claim it. And Grafdakka intended to be there when they came.

Despite his colossal stature, Grafdakka chose to station himself on the Elicitor. While his size and equipment prevented him from being able to traverse the entirety of the craft, it was still vast enough that even the giant robot could maneuver freely. Rarely has Grafdakka ever been able to actually ride on a war machine and be this mobile. More often than not he'd have to be in a dormant state and redeployed somewhere more open. Having this open space would allow Grafdakka full maneuverability to fight his enemies, whether he's swinging his angel-steel saw or firing a bunker-busting rocket.

Grafdakka moved to the stern of the mobile fortress. He looked at where they had come from, expecting a horde of monsters at their heel. He aimed his rockets to the distance, and from his metal body came a deep booming echo.

"KABOOM."

Grafdakka pretended to shoot one of his rockets into the forest, but merely returned to his patrol. He must remain vigilant of intruders and attackers. He knows they're here. He just doesn't know where they were.



"What a day, what a lovely day!" Fran shouted in excitement as her demonic horde was waiting. Well, not her horde per say. Just the horde she was part of. There was word that demons were needed to reclaim some sort of ancient weapon from the hands of the Machina factions or some such, the details eluded Fran. The important thing however was that there were words of Valkyrie appearing at the battle. Valkyries! These were no mere warrior angels. Beautiful and strong women who would whisk away the souls of brave warriors, now here to do battle against the forces of demons and machines. Fran had only heard and seen these angels in tales, but she knew one thing was for certain: she was going to have her way with at least one of them.

Sighing, Fran pushed away a slave who was helping Fran prepare for battle. Just some human the demons had captured in a battle with the machina's not too long ago. But humans were so... Simple. They had three holes and one stick, and some of them didn't even have a stick. Those where women, and while they were entertaining they just couldn't satisfy Fran's lust. The idea of having an angel in her clutches, at her mercy, dominating the holy warrior and piercing the shield maiden with Fran's own demonic spear... It was a fantasy that could not simply be satisfied with the mouth of babes. So setting the child aside for the next demon to entertain, Fran went out a bit.

Currently the horde was lying in wait. They would know what their objective is and they would attack it headfirst. It was sure to be suicide and many demons will die from the opening attack. But they were merely a distraction for the sleeper agents within the mobile fortress, serving to make all hands in the super weapon busy and unaware of those who have already infiltrated. Fran was offered the chance to sneak in, but she refused the opportunity. She wouldn't be able to fight the Valkyries from inside the fortress, and Fran was confident in her ability to get to the fortress anyways. Like any demon, Fran could jump a great high. Perhaps not high enough to jump on the deck of the Elicitor, assuming the information on the fortress was accurate, but she was certain she could find a way.

Going to a watch post, Fran could see the lumbering colossus in the distance. Already she could hear the demons begin mobilizing, so now it was time for Fran to move. Jumping down from the post, feeling the breeze between her bare loins, Fran landed on the ground none worse for ware. She called her axe, the Love Tap, to her hand and quickly joined the demonic forces in their march. There was very little organization for this rag-tag army of the lowest thieves and whores, but what they lack up discipline they'd make up for in eagerness and numbers.

"What a day, what a lovely day!"

Standing high over the mist that enshrouded the Dianex, hovering slightly of the top one of the many spikes of stone that surrounded both sides of the mighty valley, Victoire Bordeaux -The Bloody Countess- observed the incoming Elicitor, an ugly, hulking mass of metal whose very steps crushed the land bellow its feet, leaving nothing but rubble as proof of its existence, as well as the chaotic mobilization of the troops of lesser Demons.


Victoire said to herself, as she considered the fact that the most obnoxious of the pests, that is the Angels, hadn't appeared yet on the battlefield. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife but nothing of this fazed Victoire she arrived on the Dianex after news that the Machina fortress held a treasure of immense value and certainly planned to obtain it, no matter the effort she had to go trough.

Though, it was very much probably that Victoire wouldn't have to put any effort at all on this battle. As one that specialized on terrain control, a battle in a narrow place such a valley was when Victoire was at her best. As proof of that, any who dared thread the ground of the valley would find themselves stuck in a huge field of blood-red roses as well as their vines, covered by dagger-like thorns that could tear flesh from bone with ease. The sweet fragrance of the roses was layered over by the ferrous smell of the blood of countless victims of Victoire's dark hunger, having potent corrosive toxin effects that would burn one's lungs from inside out or, melt even the toughest metal as it chipped always with the impending rust. The fact that the mist made the fragrance sticky and more concentrated was a boon that Victoire was more than willing to take without complaints.


"The moment you chose a battlefield like this one, the outcome had already been decided. Just die already and spare my time of hunting down any straggler." Victoire said to herself, again, as she took a sip of a cup of steaming blood-red tea, regarding the battlefield with the same interest of one who contemplates the struggles of ants.

~Silana Delacroix~

~Battle preparations~

Unlike the loud excitement Fran was showing, Silana was much quieter about her enthusiasm. Oh certainly, she was excited, but there was no need to shout or draw attention to themselves. It would be a very bad idea if the humans got wind of their location, after all. That massive fortress of theirs, Elicitor would be troubling to deal with no matter who it was fighting. It was a fortress, after all, and she was no fool. Attacking it was a risk in and of itself, and there would certainly be so much...delicious bloodshed.

A smirk formed on her features as she thought about it, flipping a page in the unholy book that was in her grasp.

Excitement.

Anticipation.

So many things she wanted to do with the false angelic beings and the foolish little humans. So many, many, fun things. Mutate. Decay their fragile bodies...rend their flesh...make them her loyal playthings. But she was patient. The dead could wait for an eternity for their victory. The living, only moments. The angels would have to attack sooner or later. There would be no reason for them to not, even if they were aware of the demons presence. The battle would be here soon, and when it did...she would see to it this...this offensive creation would no longer stand.

She would let them kill each other, and then use the opportunity to assure her - or rather, the demons, victory.

She looked up from her throne. Which was less of a throne, and more of a massive amalgamation of flesh. A flesh Golem of sorts, standing at least twice as tall as a man, and filled with unholy magic and given strength. Its flesh was obviously sewn together in many places, with metal weapons fused with its arm. She was currently sitting on its shoulder, legs crossed as she used it as a fairly comfortable seat.

"Fools..." She grumbled. No tact, thought, or anything aside from 'Bloodthirsty as demons were though, there was no helping it. They were at least tolerable compared to the ignorant humans and false ones calling themselves angels, and she had thrown in her lot with theirs.

"Hmm...at least the more of them that die, the more materials I shall have to bring this...abomination to its knees." She closed the unholy scripture book, humming quietly to herself. No doubt her dear Francisca would be one of the ones engaging the fray to start with as well. It was always a pleasure to see that horny succubus in action, painting the battlefield such a pleasant shade of red. She doubted this battle would go well for any side, even that monstrosity, as big as it was.

Machines were weak, after all. So very weak, and easily destroyed. Rust. Corrosive acid...she just had to get inside of it, and bring it to its knees. Like a plague, she would infect it with her undead horde. Weaken it from the inside, and make those foolish mortals and false angels bow to her.

"Stay here, dear Maurice." She commanded the being. "I shall summon you if I have need..." The undead merely groaned in reply to its master as the small girl jumped off, lowering herself gently onto the ground.

Across the ground, a floating a few feet above the landscape she moved towards the fortress, intended to infiltrate the place from below...corroding a hole in the bottom of it large enough to slip into should not be that difficult.





Above the valley, a host of angels waited, shrouded by the clouds high above. Most of the Valkyries were still stationed above, awaiting to be called into the battle. One, though, was leading a host of lesser angels in the initial assault. Gwynn. She served as a commander for the Valkyrie and often led strikes such as this. It was nothing new to her, and it was nothing knew to the angels she was currently leading. The Valkyrie Commander could see nothing through the clouds and thick mist below, but for now that was being used to her advantage. The machines of man, and the demonic hordes below likely wouldn't detect them just yet so it gave her and her men some time to prepare.

The chestnut haired Valkyrie flapped her wings, turning to look at the angels gathered. Those she was about to lead into battle. Despite what some might say about most angels, she didn't want to see a single one of them die here today, but she knew that such a thing was likely impossible. She'd just have to fight regardless of the results, and kill twice the number for the ones fallen. And that was something she would do, no matter her opponent. Human, Demon, it mattered not.

She would wipe these creatures sinful existences off the face of the Nexus.

She looked over at one of the angels next to her, taking a breath. Nothing more needed to be said. They had their orders, after all. Kill any humans and demons that stood in their way, and retrieve that artifact. Raising her halberd to the skies, she shouted, signaling the start of the assault.

"Victory, or death comrades!"

Nothing else was said. She pulled down the face plate of her helmet, and dove, followed by dozens of other white-winged angels, their wings carrying them at great speeds towards the surface of the hulking mechanical contraption. They were upon the humans and Machina within moments. Angels began firing what holy magic they could that would be effective against the humans and their machines, before landing and engaging those that they could in swift, close quarters combat. The sudden assault was likely to catch quite a few of them off guard, though she doubted they went completely unnoticed.

Gwynn herself was right there with them. What use was a commander who cowered behind their allies when they were shedding blood? She would fight right there with them, and take all the risks that entails. Her halberd shone with a brilliant, radiant light as she engaged the humans, burning its divine radiance into their memories.

On the bridge of the Elicitor, Endian surveyed the surrounding valley as she took in multiple data feeds from different sources, to paint a better picture of what was around them. She knew the cargo they were transporting was important, and that meant that sooner or later the Demons and Angels would show up to try and take it. She would not rest easy until they had made it to their destination with the cargo in one piece.

'All units be on high alert,' she noted aloud through audio and electronic communications networks. 'This is the last chance an enemy will have to take our cargo. Do not give them that opportunity'

At the moment she was ready to fight, not clad in hard armor but with her levitation unit equipped and projectors online. This sort of battle would be simple really. They merely had to defend until the Elicitor arrived. The Angels and Demons were the ones who had to attack, and there was the added benefit of the fact that the two would probably fight each other as much as the Machina, to ensure their foes dd not get what was being transported instead of them.

Then the assault began, suddenly and with a fury. The sky filled with signatures, incoming angels that decided to strike first. "All units, open fire!" The battle had begun in earnest, and now it was just a matter of time.

The fortress practically erupted in smoke and belching fire, quad cannons launching time fused shells into the sky that would explode in the air, casting shards of iron all about to rip and tear at any angels nearby. Machina opened fire from the decks as missiles popped into the sky and tracked approaching targets, shooting everything they could aim at. Other Machina prepared melee weapons to engage on the decks, to drive back the attackers and protect the fortress.

Let the fire rage, for the enemies of man would find that this fortress had it's name for a good reason. They would not fall so easily.

Cries of battle and high alert from the commander told Grafdakka all he needed to know. The angels had come. Turning towards the skies they came in quickly. Already they had landed onto the deck of the Elicitor. A few patrolmen were caught off guard, but Grafdakka was always prepared for a fight. Immediately Grafdakka was assaulted by a pair of angels, flying well out of the reach of his saw and bombarding him with holy magics. But his steel chassis would not buckle underneath their flashy attacks, and he returned fire to them with his twin vulcans. Merely a second after he opened fire and Grafdakka was obscured by a cloud of bullets. Even for the hulking giant, the amount of bullets he had pumped out was great enough to create a fog that would hide his entire body. By the time he stopped shooting, the only remains of the angels who attacked him were their torn up weapons and armor.

Grafdakka set out to find the commander of these angels. He enjoyed carving through waves of foes well enough, but he would find the greatest concentration of enemies around their leader. However these angels were agile fighters; while many had landed to engage the other soldiers on deck, Graf figured they would attempt to maintain air superiority. And all these angels were highly ornate, making it difficult for Grafdakka to figure out which shiny looking warrior was suppose to be their leader.

”NO MATTER.”

If Grafdakka couldn’t find their leader, than their leader would do well to find him. He went to where the fighting was thickest, and when he arrived he fired his twin vulcans into any angels above. They may have thought to control the skies thanks to their wings, but so long as Grafdakka stood standing, the only thing that would be in the skies were bullets and corpses. As he his cannons roared over the battlefield, his song blared over the speaks on his body in an attempt to draw attention of the angel’s commanders to him.

---

Now it was time to fight!

Signaled by the approach of the angels, Fran ran alongside the demonic horde towards the Elicitor. They had to take the long way instead of taking it head on, thanks to the Blood Countess. Her seeds were spread all over the valley, and now her innocent roses melted the the hearts and soles of the Machinas. By the time the demons met them they too would suffer the agonizing bliss of being torn to shred by the Countess flowers, but they were merely distractions. Those fortunate enough to somehow survive would get the pleasure of boarding the fortress and tearing it apart from the inside, and the right to be little the fallen.

Fran dashed ahead of the army, wanting the first glimpse of the enemy before her. It wasn't long before she spotted the massive battleship, but what she saw nearly made her soil herself.

”VALKYRIES~♡”

Fran could see the golden winged Seraph do battle with the men of Machinas. Whatever Frans original objective was, she disregarded it for the chance to grab an angel and ravish her right then and there. But the height of the Elicitor and the Blood Countess’ poisonous roses were going to be an issue. Fran would be too weak to fight if she had to go through the field of roses. She'll need a lift.

Slowing down Fran hopped onto one of the more hulking demons. He seemed offended at being used as a platform but Fran didn't care. She just needed to be somewhere high, and when the time was right, she jumped into the air, fifty feet high.

That which said 'I Am' looked upon the assembled masses of demons marching toward doom and glory without a care. It wasn't like death held any permanence in this Nexus they called their battlefield, but they still fought all the harder to evade it nonetheless. Being a hive of creatures joined under two bodies in a sort of direct democracy left her rather desensitized to the idea of dying, but there was always her pride to consider.

"So much to do, so much to eat, and so very little time to do it all...Chirada, was this valley always so noxious?" The Corpse Puppet bearing the likeness of a once proud angel shuddered in the still air, an affirmation in the negative. A physical or verbal response between the two was entirely unnecessary, but Suparna liked the sound of her own voice dearly. "I see...hmm, the acidity in the air must be from that then. An enterprising demon from the taint of it."

It was difficult not to scowl at the sea of roses below, warping the land in ways that would leave it unusable for Suparna to feast upon the dead without suffering for her troubles. As Suparna chewed on a hunk of meat that belonged to a lesser demon who would no longer be participating in the battle, it couldn't be said that hunger was her primary concern but it was the opportunity to feast that she had wanted amidst the valley that she desired, and now found herself denied. The incessant backstabbing amongst demons could prove itself infuriating, even if Suparna had eaten a far share of her detractors for doing far less than this, but this development wouldn't spoil the entire meal. Undoubtedly the Elicitor itself was filled to the brim with crunchy Machina, ripe for Infestation along with the great Fortress itself. Suparna had it in her mind to paint the Elicitor in her colors and claim it for the demons intact, a nice perch to look down upon the world while plotting her ascension to the Heavens above.

For now though it was time for a literal ascension in altitude, Chirada opening down the middle of it's chest to reveal the bones and innards crawling with larva, maggots, and rather alarming tentacles for further restraint. The Lolita approached and slipped her arm between the ribs to hold herself in place, an unspoken command that sent the corpse puppet rocketing into the air with the Elicitor as it's target. They had hoped to fly above the mist and evade the poison completely, but the Angel choose then to attack the fortress and revealed their aerial superiority. Chirada was forced to fly low, skimming above the demon army to avoid the interest of the Anti-Air guns as well as the Valkyries engaged in pitch battle.

They would have flown straight to their target and infiltrated the lower decks amidst the chaos, but Suparna couldn't help but notice a familiar, voluptuous form leaping into the air as though calling for a ride. Her displeasure with the current state of affairs abated after finding Fran, the succubus Suparna found to be very agreeable company and wasn't so simple as to think she could dominate the Queen of Carrion with her sexuality alone. Puppet and Lolita zoomed in close to the succubus before Suparna reached out and snatched her arm out of the air, pulling her aboard with the aid of a few tendrils from Chirada.

"You should have called if you were so desperate for a lift. I left a few of my kin on you for a reason you know." Suparna chided as they accelerated past the army and approached the Elicitor. "I'm not even going to ask where you want to be dropped off, so happy hunting and if you take a few extra alive I can add them to Chirada~"

Nearly at their target, the Corpse Puppet rose sharply and the both of them released their hold upon Fran to fling the axe wielding demon straight into the throng of landed angels in order to fulfill her carnal desires. Chirada spread its wings wide to halt their acceleration and shower the upper deck with a rain a maggots to ravage the wounded before devouring them from within. Meanwhile the pair settled themselves down upon a lower catwalk, ignored as that monstrous Grafdakka drew the eye of all Angel, so they could infiltrate the Elicitor and feast to their heart's content.

~Silana Delacroix~

This mist was absolutely...pleasing. Ever so pleasing. The corrosion. Decay. It pleased her. It would decay the corpses of the fallen to be sure, but...mix that with her own abilities, and perhaps she could get creative? Bestowing her own corroding blood into her minions had always failed in some manner, as it was tied directly to her soul, and could not last all that long outside of her body. She had created undead corroding zombies before using other means...but...hmm...

She'd have to speak with whoever owned this mist. Perhaps something could be gained from a brief collaboration.

But those weren't thoughts that one should ponder whilst on the field. The mist was of little concern to her and her undead horde for the moment. An afterthought. Nothing more than a fly trying to bother a dragon. Certainly it would corrode their bones, but it mattered not. She could heal them with her magic. The tireless undead would march regardless of the environment, however slowly, unceasing. Soon, they would reach their target regardless of time.

And she arrived at her destination: The feet of the Elicitor.

She looked up at the massive structure. Annoying creation. It offended her very being, and she would see to it that it was going to fall.

Wordlessly, she levitated herself up swiftly, flying alongside the edge of the feet in order to help not be seen. Not that it would matter if she was seen, she'd simply bolster her ranks with the undead for every kill she had. And soon, she had reached some lower catwalks alongside the lower half of the huge landship. It helped that something above was drawing the attention of most angels.

So foolish of them, incredibly so.

She lighted gently upon the catwalk, making no noise as her body landed.

And then she just so happen to notice...someone? Something? Along the catwalk with her. It definitely wasn't human or angel, so that meant it was possibly demon. And not one of her undead, either.

"...Hello~" She said in a fairly sweet, quiet and unassuming manner to Suparna. "You are...not one of my precious undead, are you?"





It of course, didn't take long for the humans to notice their presence. The fortress opened fire with their guns, making flying somewhat difficult. Not that the angels couldn't avoid a few measly guns. Just who did these humans think they were dealing with, after all? Just one...problem. Gwynn, likely being the strongest one here could see the entire battlefield. The mist was turning red, blood red. Likely the result of the demon interlopers.

"The demons intended to interfere! Stay above the mist!"

Her command was however, barely heard above the loud bellowing of some unholy mechanical contraption. What in the name of the great Imperator was that cacophony of noise?! It was accompanied with a hail of bullets that shredded many an angels wings, and it was enough it was enough to momentarily catch the Valkyrie off guard. Gwynn's eyes narrowed, momentarily stopping her assault with holy vengeance as she looked for the perpetrator. And easily found her target. A giant, hulking machine.

She could feel the other angels dying around her. She grit her teeth, steeling her resolve. For every angel they killed, she would kill a dozen more.

"Do not yield men!" A brilliant radiance of soft, warm light, radiated from Gwynn, healing all the angels nearest her. "I will handle this monstrosity! Focus on the demons and machina."

With that the Valkyrie summoned the Holy Lightning in her left hand. It arced, sparked with divine radiance. It took the shape of a halberd, similar to Gwynn's. Without a word, she tossed it towards Grafdakka. More specifically, towards one of his Vulcans, in hopes of cutting a hole right through it, and granting the angels above some reprieve. She dove behind it, readying her own halberd as it arced with holy radiance.

She aimed the strike right at the top of the monstrous contraption, bringing the weapon down upon it in a swift, almost lightning fast motion. Hopefully, it would hit and cause some serious damage to the contraption. Failing that, it would at least distract him enough to focus on her to let the angels focus more on the other humans and machina. As soon as the strike was completed, she'd somersault off, giving an impressive display of acrobatics as she landed on her feet.

Victoire had a faint smirk on her face as she overlooked the battle that raged on in the distance. At this point, it was but a game of waiting. No Machina made by men could stand the corruption of the demonic powers for long, even a mighty fortress like the Elicitor was bound to fall eventually.

That was a battle between strategists, whoever commanded commanded the Elicitor and Victoire and, right now, the vampire had the upper hand because, not only they lacked any feasible means to defend such a behemoth against Victoire's beloved roses but, they would have a hard time finding Victoire, a lone vampire girl, standing atop one of countless stone spikes around the valley would be hard to find with conventional vision and, given that Victoire was an undead, they couldn't even try to track her non-existent heat signature. It was David versus Goliath and everyone knows how the legend ends.

That said, the downside of such a strategy was that it included friendly fire to the demonic army that marched on Dianex's ground, not that Victoire cared for their well-being in any shape or way but, having a crippled combat force wasn't in Victoire's best interests. Those who were still inside the bloody mist would begin to feel its corrosive effects at any moment, even if the Denizens of Hell were resistant to their own corrupting nature, they would eventually fall prey to the Demon Roses.

The real problem were those annoying Angels,flying above the battlefield, at least until the Elicitor was toppled and they were forced under the cloud of death as well. Victoire decided to lay another piece into the board as a challenge to the Machina commander.


As Victoire cast her next spell, the very shadows that lined every nook and cranny of the Dianex came to live, spawning shapes that resembled packs of wolves and flights of bats all hunger for prey, as they dashed toward the Elicitor. Victoire's grin widened as the wave of darkness rushed forth like a relentless winter night, howling and screeching a melody capable of putting terror on the heart of the bravest knight. To finish her maneuver, the Blood Countess used her magic to amplify her voice, causing it to echo all through the valley, for all to hear as she said, "Hordes of Hell as well as those who dare oppose us, this is Victoire Bordeaux or, as some of you might recognize better, the Blood Countess. This battlefield is under my control and none who does not submit to our forces will be spared, my children and beloved roses are just the beginning of the horrors I have to unleash upon you. It is about time for our Danse Macabre to begin. Ahahahaha!"

If there was one thing that the Blood Countess couldn't do was cast her pride aside and let some pretender steal her spoils. If this would come to bite her back or not, only time could tell.

Grafdakka cut down scores of angels, or at least made them avoid his hail of gunfire, as he acted as the lone anti-air artillery piece. Other Machina fighters had come out to help defend the Elicitor, but it was Grafdakka who ensured that the angel's were dealt with. A few thought that they could flank him, try to get pass his machine guns and get him from behind. These angel's were cut down by Gran's saw, feeling the taste of holy steel tainted by the machines of men. And it was fortunate that Grafdakka took the time to turn and attack these angels, because while his back was turned he was struck but some sort of heavy force. Though it left a visible mark on his chassis, his steel plate still stood strong. Turning to face this new enemy, Grafdakka focused his killing intent on this angel.

Grafdakka turned just in time to see the creature attempt to land on him, but he wasn't so slow that he'd allow this. Using his jetpack, he thrusts himself forward and avoided the angel's initial strike. Then he swung his saw right where she was going to land, but alas, by the time he turned to face her she had already repositioned herself. Although she glowed with a holy light, this warrior looked different from the others. She seemed more... Commanding. Perhaps the strike commander. Or maybe even the leader? If Grafdakka had a face he would smile. But even without one, he was happy. Their strongest had come to him.

Whatever was said by either the angel or his other enemies, including the demon announcing her presence with magic, was blocked out to Grafdakka thanks to the extremely loud music, followed by the roar of gunfire. Grafdakka fired his vulcan cannons at the angel, immediately hiding Grafdakka behind a thick cloud of smoke and bullets. However he knew that the angel may be able to dodge him even at this range. So while he fired his cannons at her, Grafdakka did the unimaginable: He jumped, using his jets to help him propel himself further into the air, and readied his saw to cut the angel out from the skies. Because despite their wings, they weren't the only ones who could reach great heights.

---

"Suparna, my lovely Lolita! So glad to see you, and thanks for the lift!" Fran hugged Suparna as she was picked up by the humanoid nest of maggots and other creepy crawlies. Not that it bothered Fran knowing this. As far as the succubus was concerned, Suparna was a cute little girl who just happened to be fascinated with corpses and bugs. The succubus nuzzled her friend and gave her a peck on the cheek before they departed. "This looks good! Thanks for, eh heh... Dropping me off!" Fran was tossed towards a group of angel's utterly decimating a group of unprepared guardsmen. A normal demon may have hesitated charging such a large group of elite holy warriors, but Fran wasn't a normal demon. She was a succubus; she relishes a challenge, and loved being rough.

One of the angels may have heard moaning in the midst of battle. Sexual, inappropriate moaning that somehow was able to be heard over the screams and gunfire. By the time the angel turned and saw Fran, the first thing she would lay eyes on was Fran's massive dong, standing at attention. She would raise her weapon in an attempt to attack the crazy, partly naked shemale, but her blade was deflected by a giant axe. The demon moved fast; far too fast for someone so small, swinging such a large weapon. One of her sisters didn't even manage to get her shield up when she was knocked into the wall and fall to the ground. The angel lunged out and slashed at the exposed parts of the demon, but her blade seemingly bounced off the vile creature's member. The demon proceeded to dance around the holy warriors, picking off each one-by-one. Every time one of her shield sisters would even try to strike, the demon would take her out of position and either slam them against the metal hull of the fortress, or kiss the warrior, causing them to fall to the ground. "Retreat! Fall back and-"

But everything happened too fast. As the angel tried to take to the skies, the demon pounced on them. One of her sisters managed to get a good stab on the demon, piercing her armor and sticking her blade into the demon's shoulder. But the crazed creature merely gave a noise that sounded like she enjoyed being stabbed, and proceeded to bring the lesser angel down and kiss her, causing her shield sister to drop her weapon and shield and lay still. A righteous fury overtook this Valkyrie, and even as her sisters were trying to remake her formation she charged the perverted monster.

The demon swung her axe as the Valkyrie, who raised her shield and intentionally let it go. The axe's blade sunk deep into the shield, but instead of throwing the warrior woman into a wall, it allowed her to get close to the succubus. Holding her sword with both hands, the warrior thrusts her sword right towards the demon's face. But instead of sure victory, the holy warrior only saw the face of horror as the demon was able to dodge the point-blank stab to the face. The angel and the demon stood face-to-face, the tip of their noses just inches away from each other. The last thing the angel saw before her sight went black was the demon's feminine lips touch her own. The look in her eyes made it easy for the Valkyrie to know what her fate was.

The demon was not angry. It was not furious. It was not scared. It was horny.

Fran had managed to take out a good few of the angels, and she didn't even kill them. Well, except the males. Fran had nothing against them, but she was saving herself for the soft touch of a woman. And while these were no Valkyries, Fran would satisfy herself with them for now. She tried her best to hold back, as she wanted to make sure they still had a pulse when she took her spoils of war. The guardsmen who were here had already treated, but were so gracious as to leave a door open. Eager to indulge, Fran took the painstaking time to drag each of the angelic bodies into the doorway and searched for an fairly empty room within. The first one she found was actually filled with cowering humans, to whom Fran chose to mercifully kill on the spot as oppose to taking them prisoners. As much as she would have enjoyed it, she was a bit pressed for time. But once Fran had managed to carry away each of the unconscious warrior...

Fran would later leave that room sometime later, very satisfied. She would have to remember to tell Suparna or Sil where she had left the angels and corpses as well. They may be interested in what they would find: holy warriors in a state of euphoria, too weak to stand but eager for company. Though it was evident that Fran had already entertained them, the succubus was hungry for more. She was hearing some deafening gunfire not too far away, so perhaps the demon would go investigate...

Loud. Everything was too loud. Why was everything so loud. Falz dragged himself out of his temporary workshop inside one of the Elicitor and made his way onto the deck. The moment he opened the door his ears were assaulted by loud gunfire, music and screaming, two of which were the norm for a battlefield of this scale. He looked towards the source of the music, spotting the autonomous battle mech 'Grafdakka' engaging a wave of angels. The mech seemed to be handling them just fine and wasn't in any need of immediate assistance. Taking a look in the other direction, Falz spotted something falling onto another section of the fortress. He couldn't make out if it was a demon or angel from here. As much as he would've liked to ignore it and go back into his workshop, the cargo the Elicitor was carrying was too valuable to risk infiltrators finding it. He turned back inside and ran down the hallway leading towards where he saw the figure drop in. Alone he'd have no chance against someone that was confident to infiltrate the fortress on their own, he'd need Shii'Ell. He was about to open up his terminal to call her when algamation of Demon and Machina suddenly sprinted up from behind, running next to him. It almost creeped him out how she always knew to show up even before being called.
"Shii, I saw someone drop onto the fortress farther down this way. I don't know if it was just wounded angel or an infiltrator but either way they'll need to be taken care of. Arm yourself and be ready."
Shii'Ell nodded, holding out her hand and summoning her spear.
"Understood, stay behind me and keep safe."
The two continued to run down the corridor, slowing down as they got close to the area where Falz saw the figure drop. Provided the intruder had entered the Elicitor as soon as they landed they should have entered near here. Shii'Ell readied her spear and took her position in front of Falz, who was grabbing a handful of blue capsules filled with combat nanobots.
"There aren't any guards here, but there isn't any blood either... They must've fled. Keep your eyes open Shii."
Shii'Ell gave him a nod as the two slowly made their way forward, hopefully ready for whoever had dropped onto the Elicitor. Shii'Ell was more then combat ready and could deal with any demon or angel, but having to protect Falz at the same time put her at a disadvantage. She wanted to tell Falz to retreat back to the workshop but she knows he wouldn't listen. Instead she kept quiet, slowly moving forward and keeping an eye out for the intruder.

The Queen of Carrion gazed upwards from the catwalk as the melody of moans seemed to overpower the chorus of battle for a brief time, Fran enjoying herself as only a carnal warrior could. It brought a smile of sadistic delight to watch the succubus at work, the maggots that had joined her on the deck telling the Whole everything it wished to know. While Fran had busied herself carrying off her victims for a quickie, the maggots crawled after her for the easy prey she would leave behind. A room full of defeated Angels eager to throw themselves at the first creature to walk through the door.

Their screams of pleasure as her maggots crawled amidst their brains and puppeted their bodies made Suparna sigh in rapturous delight. The Angels may have been exhausted from their brief captivity, but the flesh was still willing wear the mind and soul were weak. They shambled out of the room in a hoard of moaning Angels, their armor rent by Fran's promiscuous affairs and only a scant few able to recover their weapons along the way, but they still trundled on deeper into the Elicitor. If they were so desperate for affection then they could claim it from the Machina crew by force.

A figure alighted beside her without noise or animosity, one that she was vaguely aware of through a mutual friend she just threw into battle. "Hello to you as well, necromancer. Contrary to belief, Chirada and I are very much among the living. Though seeing as you are here, we'll be courteous and try to leave the 'bones' of our Machina and Angelic foes intact for you." Suparna said courteously to the necromancer as she directed Chirada towards the door leading inside. "There isn't an issue if you want to rot the whole crew, but do try not to destroy the whole fortress. This place would be a marvelous nest for my carrion, and what is good for the maggot is good for the corpse, as we like to say."

Chirada had nothing to contribute to this conversation, unable or just unwilling to speak, and set about smashing down the door with a swipe of its wings. The steal buckled and flew off the frame, skidding along the floor with an ear grating racket and flying right between a waiting scientist and his Machina minion. "Oh, the first course presents itself. I suppose carrying Fran along exposed us earlier than I hoped, but there is nothing to be done about it. Chirada, see if you can take the Succubus Machina alive. I smell a pure human and it's making me hungry."

They stood framed in the doorway, ready to leap forth as the light dwindled to nothing behind the. A surge of vampire bats poured through the open doorway as they shrouded the Elicitor in a mass of flapping wings black as pitch, courtesy of the Blood Countess. Suparna smirked victoriously, not even needing to attack up close. Her arms spread wide and spilled her carrion forth through her sleeves to be carried away on the backs of bats and rain onto Machina pair, all the while Chirada zoomed through the storm of beating wings to strike the Succubus across the chest while she was blinded.

~Silana Delacroix~

Battle against an annoying, lower life form

"Hello to you as well, necromancer. Contrary to belief, Chirada and I are very much among the living. Though seeing as you are here, we'll be courteous and try to leave the 'bones' of our Machina and Angelic foes intact for you."

Courteous? For...just the bones? Silana tilted her head in slight displeasure. If she wanted it, she would take it. This 'Chirada' couldn't stop her from doing so, after all. Of course, such an act would not be beneficial to her at the moment. So...a temporary alliance, at least until their mutual goal was accomplished would work best. All would be reduced to bones and lifeless husks in time, and she could wait an eternity for her goals.

"There isn't an issue if you want to rot the whole crew, but do try not to destroy the whole fortress. This place would be a marvelous nest for my carrion, and what is good for the maggot is good for the corpse, as we like to say."

...what? She would bring this place to its knees. Rot, decay, rust...it would not last here by the end of the day. The fact this creature would likely attempt to stop such an act, made her dislike her a great deal. However, before she could confront the maggot about the affair, it seemed they were greeted by a human and a machina. A cold, lifeless looking thing almost. Almost. She could...feel some organic life under those metallic parts.

"Oh, the first course presents itself. I suppose carrying Fran along exposed us earlier than I hoped, but there is nothing to be done about it. Chirada, see if you can take the Succubus Machina alive. I smell a pure human and it's making me hungry."

Silana simply stared coldly at the Scientist and his creation. Blue, lifeless eyes gazing at them with a cold displeasure. Waves of bats began filtering in through the now open door, and Chirada spread her maggots upon them, right towards the scientist and his creation. She summarily ignored them, deeming both the bats and Chirada's actions useless. Well, she might as well pull her weight here. While Chirada attacked the succubus, she would move for the Human.

"Your existence...offends me." She raised a hand towards the Human. It was too narrow of quarters here to do anything particularly flashy without collateral damage to herself, but she wasn't going to completely hold back either. Such a thing was not something she was known for. If Chirada got harmed during the process, well, that wasn't a concern to her at all. She had no reason too, as Chirada was simply deemed another annoyance for the moment. "Rot, you worthless creature. Mordax est magica: Titulus Abaddon."

The only warning the human would have, was a the ground beneath his feet bubbling a few seconds before it erupted into a pillar of a thick, concentrated, sticky black substance. It blasted from the ground, coating the immediate area in the corrosive muck, sure to at least cause severe burns to unprotected flesh. Metal would take much longer to damage, but they would at least likely receive some small damage. It was simple, and carried no psychological effects that some of her other magic would carry. She simply wanted to turn him into a black puddle of goop at the moment, after all.

---

Her surprise attack failed, then. Nothing she couldn't handle. As soon as her blade struck the metal hull of the ship, she did as she intended, jumping away from the strike zone with an impressive display of acrobatics and aerial might. It seemed this hulking mass of metal was more swift then she gave him credit for, however. As soon as she landed he fired a volley of bullets at her. Instead of avoiding them she planted her feet firmly onto the ground, raising her shield strapped to her left arm. It absorbed most of the bullets, sending them ricocheting off of the holy metal in every direction. He then did something Gwynn had not thought possible for something of his size. It propelled itself into the air using its jet pack.

Over the noise of din of battle, she was vaguely aware of a demon announcing their presence. Victoire Bordeaux, the Blood Countess. The valkyrie, however, would have none of it. She would end this swiftly, and mercilessly. As the bullets flew at her, she dodged to the right. A large flap of her wings carrying her to the side, out of an immediate line of fire. She had to be swift, and could not linger long on staying unfocused. It seemed he made an error in judgement, thinking she would resort to her aerial superiority. She needed to capitalize on this.

"I shall stay here and fight this monstrosity! Find those impure demons and destroy them!" A risky move, to be certain, as she effectively would be alone in this fight. But as it stood, they were at a slight disadvantage here. The bats, the Machina, demons...she would end this herself, if she must. An angel nearest her nodded, giving the order to find this 'Blood Countess'

She landed, facing Grafdakka's side while he was still in the air.

"I shall join the search when I deal with this abomination." that was all the focus she could spare at the moment. With one swift motion, she charged her own body with holy lightning, and propelled herself behind the massive machine. Urokkelig, charged with holy lightening and glowing with brilliant radiance...she threw it at the machine. It cackled with cleansing radiance, aimed right for the creatures jetpack. With any luck, it would completely disable the device.

The angels around her, finished with their cleansing of the Machina pulled out, and began actively searching for demons to cleanse, though they still stayed above the mist in order to avoid being caught in its corrosive corruption.

As the battle raged, several pale beams of light shone down on one of the nearby mountains, flanking the valley. At the very core of these pillars of light orbs travelled at staggering speed. Burning with the golden aura of angels. With thunderous noise, they struck the stone just below the summit of the mountain. From the crashed orb and the pale light pillar, Azaezel stepped. First, his shape made of pure, sacred light. Which soon solidified in his true form. He marched to the edge of the nearby cliff, next to the summit, watching down on the overcast, fog filled battlefield. A thousand stenches hit his nose, giving his already unfriendly face a scowl. “Filth.” He muttered.

Behind he appeared his apprentice. Cathetel was a promising angel. With talents, much like Azaezel had when he was her age. At the age of only 500, she managed to impress the arch-angel already. “It would seem the forces are evenly matched.” She noted. “But the demons will soon topple the fortress. Then they’ll have won.” Azaezel nodded at the wise observation. “Very true, young one. But you forget. The fortress should be toppled.” The apprentice looked up, temporarily confused until she understood what her master meant. She returned her gaze down to the battlefield. “Snatch the demon’s price.” She did not ask it, she just stated the thoughts of Azaezel, showing how well she knew her master. “Indeed. But the Valkyries seem to be distracted. They are only engaging the machines. Fools, the humans are doomed no matter what. We must weaken the demon hordes!” With that, he turned around. Looking at his forces. A small band of powerful mages. Each had brought their apprentice.

Azaezel first spoke to the apprentices: “Disciples of the Ordo Magus! As long as the demons hold the ground with their fog, they will win once they toppled the metal titan. You must render the very ground to ash! Burn it all! Leave no poisonous plant untouched!” The little ones nodded, with fire only younglings could have in their eyes. They formed a circle and began their chant. Soon embers would spread over the field of roses. Which would crawl towards one another. Turning into bushfires. But from that point, the flowerbed would be doomed. As fire would search fire the storm would come suddenly and totally unexpected. Two of the mages remained near the apprentice. Serving as protectors. The rest followed Azaezel to the summit. Where they had the clearest view of the battle. “Sunder the earth, my brothers and sisters! Burn away the wickedness! Cast light over the shadows and cleanse the sinners! With fire and light!” With that, the mages opened their artillery barrage of spells on the demons writhing on the ground below. Rays and beams of light were cast towards the shadow bats. Lighting arched through the flying pest’s cloud. While balls of blue and red fire reaped the lives of lesser demons on the ground. But all spells paled compared to Azaezel’s golden balls of fire. Falling down upon the earth and instantly evaporating all wicked demons it hit.

"Whatever fell either stayed outside or went deeper in, we should find a security force or-"
Before Falz could finish his sentence, Shii'Ell delivered a soft kick to his gut, knocking backwards and onto his ass. A moment later the door next to them blasted outward past between the two, flying through the area Falz had just been standing. There was a moment of silence as both Falz and Shii'Ell looked at the two figures that stood in the doorway, the light behind them quickly fading. Before either of them could react they were assaulted by a wave of bats, blinding and limiting their movements. Shii'Ell instinctively took a defensive position as the bats swarmed around her, knowing that the two targets would most likely capitalize on this to attack her. Sure enough, the attack came. With limited sight should couldn't block the attack fully but she managed to stop it from being a serious blow, damaging her armour and knocking her back a bit. Still blinded, she made a wide swing as a counter attack, hoping it would connect with her attacker. She would have to rely on blind counter attacks for now.

Meanwhile, Falz was still on the ground, covering his eyes. He needed to deal with this swarm of bats and... he didn't want to think about whatever else it was dropping on him. He could've sworn he heard someone talking but the sound of bats drowned out their voice. Looking down toward his coat's pocket, he grabbed a handful of blue nanobot capsules. He was about to smash them on the ground when he noticed the ground bubbling below him. Whatever it meant it couldn't be anything good, he quickly rolled out of the way when a geyser of... something, erupted where he had been sitting, burning his right arm. Falz let out a pained cry as he smashed his burned hand onto the ground, releasing the nanobots. The swarm of nanobots took flight, immediately combating the swarm of bats and maggots that assaulted Falz and Shii'Ell. He knew that there was no way his nanobots would be able to combat them all but at least they'd get some breathing room. Standing up, he opened up his terminal and took control of the nanobots, giving them two priorities. The bats didn't need to be fully taken apart, that would take too long, they only needed to be disabled. Their wings. It would mean a lot of squirming bats on the floor but it was better then nothing. As for the carrion and maggots, they'd need to be deconstructed completely to prevent whatever diseases they could be carrying.
"Disgusting creatures... Shii, I'm going to create a bubble for us. Stick close to me."
He spoke through the terminal, ensuring that she'd her him. He grabbed another handful of nanobots and released them as well, giving the previous group reinforcement. It wasn't long until the nanobots cleared the immediate area around Falz and Shii'Ell, but it was a small area. They couldn't see the walls of the corridor but more importantly, they couldn't see their attackers. It was a bad situation, they couldn't escape and they couldn't attack. They had to play defense for now, hoping that Shii'Ell would be able to hit their attacker on a counter-attack.

Endian

The battle raged apace, he angels making inroads in spite of the force that had been thrown up against them. Of course, the Machina defenders were not going down without a fight, guns hammering away, missiles flying away to explode and unleash cluster munitions, beams ripping through the sky in a technicolor spectacle. the war had been joined in full, and only the prospect of victory could assuage it now.

Of course, Endian kept track of it all from the bridge, taking in reports and distributing reinforcements, managing from afar. She was pleased to see how well Grafdakka was doing, even if slightly annoyed by his insistence on making himself the biggest target that could be found. But if it took pressure off the Elicitor then she would be more than willing to allow it.

"Keep up the fire," she reiterated as guns continued to hammer away with a seemingly endless supply of ammunition, courtesy of the nanomachine cache within. Machina grappled with boarders on the decks, overwhelmed individually in some cases but otherwise falling back in good order to protect the more valuable portions of the fortress. Automatic defense systems activated as well, turrets springing to life to provide accompanying fire, adding an extra dimension of fire that the Angels might not expect.

Not too long after though alarms sprang up, damage reports and sensors going off to indicate that things were less than optimal. Frowning, Endian scrolled through said reports then activated exterior camera feeds, finding the Elicitor in a field of what appeared to be acidic flowers of some kind. It might take a while, but eventually they would eat through the legs for the mobile fortress, rendering it immobile.

Fortunately the Angels were already contributing to remove it, presumably seeing the threat to their prize. Well, if they were doing so then she would too. "Retarget for area bombardment," she commanded. On the Elicitor large guns shifted and rose, focusing on the area that had been marked out. After a few moment they fired, with a loud roar in the air as the shelling began, mortars launching shells to add to the bigger guns. Explosives shells slammed into the landscape, added to by white phosphorous rounds, hammering the rose field in an attempt to break it down. And if some Angels were hurt in the process, then too bad.

Shortly thereafter, alerts popped up. "We have intruders on the lower levels. security is responding," she noted. Bulkheads would begin to slam down, to affect infiltrated areas as automated defenses activated. Machina moved through the halls, rerouted to cope with the incursion before it could spread too far. The Machine were not done by a long shot.

---

Tartys

Above the battlefield, Tartys grimaced as she dodged exploding shells and lasers in the air, noting the arrival of the demon horde below that heralded their attempt to seize the artifact as well. Fortunately some of the angels diverted to deal with them, making sure that they wouldn't be denied their prize once they had won the fight

Diving lower herself, she brought her spear to bear and focused, energy gathering at the tip before it lashed out, smashing into one of the emplacements shooting at her comrades. Their armour was tough, but she did her fair share of damage in the process. Every bit helped, especially in a battle such as this.

"Let's go," she said to no one in particular. "The sooner we get it, the less chance there is of the demons doing so." Twirling her spear, she held it aloft to fire downwards once again. They would not lose out to a bunch of demons!

---

"Oof! Sometimes I'm really glad I'm so small. Why the human did such a small air vent, anyway, was their budget low or something?" Diana thought as she dropped from an air vent that lead straight inside the Elicitor's cargo bay. Once she was in, Diana took the time to scout her surroundings, padding along a high catwalk as she searched for and recorded the movement patterns of the drones that took care of most of this section. If there was a place to hold their cargo it would have to around here, somewhere. "First, I need to get a cargo manifest. That human there should have one." Diana approved the human from above, before drop kicking him for a good few hours of sleep and stealing the cargo manifest with easy.

"Now, let's see, where you are?" Diana said to herself as she crept around the shadows once more, toward a suspicious area.What she would find was a rather large container kept in what was the heart of the Elicitor. Looking at it now, one had to wonder what this so called prize was. A weapon? If that was the case, it was big given the amount of space it needed. Perhaps it was some kind of living creature? A monster or goblin or devil who could make the skies tear open and rain blood with the corpses of its enemies? Perhaps it contained a trickster, one who could change the tides of wars with words alone. Whatever the case, it was unguarded for now, most Machina personnel were scattered all over, defending the base from attackers. So then, that left it up free for grabs, the Machina apparently not factoring a spy infiltrating their defenses. What could possibley reside in this cage that had prompted High Queen Eos to obtain it so badly?

"Never look the gift horse in the mouth and all that..." Diana said before getting close to the container. She looked around it for any traps, pressure triggers, lasers (which she actually could see with her draconic eyes), even the good old booby traps that no Machina in their right mind would do. When she was satisfied with it, Diana came back to the container's door, gasping when she noticed that it had a digital lock. "I should have thought so. Well, I don't have time to lose, so I'll have to do it the old way." Diana simply jammed Ascalon on the pin pad before using her draconic powers to pump some electricity on the circuits, hoping that it would open, or at least fry the lock.

To her luck, the lock was overcharged and released with a heavy thunk on the ground, allowing Diana to open the doors freely. What she would find inside was not a weapon, nor a beast, but a single person. It seemed someone had put a cage within a cage, a metal one to be specific that housed a single individual. She wore nothing but a straight-jacket that kept her arms to her side, the upper edges of the material raised up to cover her mouth, disallowing any kind of speech. Furthermore she wore a pair of white pants, as if she was a patient from some kind of hospital. Chains shackled the ankles of her bare feet to the floor while a tight leather band was coated over the prize's eyes to blind her. The girl that everyone was fighting for was silent, unconscious, occasionally rustling and moving aside her dark hair.

Diana was surprised when she found out the cargo to be a person, apparently a human of all things. At a first moment she doubted if it was a trap or not? But, soon enough, she was convinced that the right thing to do was set this person free whatsoever. She had been on a similar situation once and never felt the urge of taking lives needlessly for the Angelic forces in this war. The dragon couldn't help but feel some sympathy for whoever this person was.

With a swing of Ascalon, using her inhuman strength, Diana sliced the bars clean before cradling the girl on her arms, though Diana hesitated to remove the restraints, wondering if they were there for a reason. "Hey, you? Are you well? I'll help you get out of here, just tell me if you can walk or not, right?" Diana said as she cut the restraints on the girl's feet and mouth.

"Wmpf?" the girl mumbled before clanging metal woke her up. She shifted around slowly, as if caught from a long drunken stupor of stillness before turning in the direction of the dragon girl. She was being carried? Why couldn't she move? That wasn't dwelled on for too long because Diana took quick care of her metal restraints while also slicing open the straight-jacket clean down the middle. That allowed the girl to speak freely, while her blindfold also fell to the floor. Blinking, she looked up at her savior with a confused expression, giving the dragon girl a good look at the prize's eyes. One red. One blue.

"Who are you?"

"I-I'm Diana, but that's not important now. I have to get you out of here, you seem to have fallen victim of someone from the Human Realm. Don't worry, I'll protect you until you are safe."Diana cut the remainder of the restraints, knelt before the girl and caught her into a piggy back ride, making sure that she was safe before beginning their retreat. "So, do you have a name?" Diana asked while trying to recall the Fortress' schematics, for the fastest way out of there.

"Oh! Um, my name's....I think Bastion? I'm pretty sure that's what I'm called," the girl said, more surprised that this Diana was giving her a piggyback ride. Her restraints were gone but she kept the remainder of her straight jacket on for modesty, using it as a...literal jacket. Well then. What was so special about this girl that the Machina saw interest as to kidnap her?

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Standing in the middle of the hall was the twins, the mecha maids, Heal Bot and The Iron Maiden, Hibiki and Shizuka Meido. They were running maintenance within the Elicitor when they were under attack. The sisters were heading towards their equipment locker when they heard a loud breaking noise right where the important cargo. Not that the girls knew what it was per say, but they knew it was important enough that if they couldn't bring it back to High Queen Eros, it can't fall into the hands of the demons or angels. Both sisters had their pulsar pistols aimed at Diana and Bastion, not knowing that Bastion was within the giant container.

"Return our precious treasure and surrender peacefully! We promise you fair accommodations and perhaps even gentle, lover like treatment if you drop your weapon and submit." Hibiki was just joking around, she has no idea what her leaders would do to Diana if they captured her. Shizuka positioned herself between Diana and Hibiki, knowing that without their armor or even their weapons, they weren't going to be that much of a threat. "Sis, don't joke around. This is a serious situation." Shizuka just hoped that they could gun down Diana before she killed them or destroyed the Elicitor from the inside. How she managed to get past all the defenses was a mystery to the sisters, though they'll have to bring it up to their leaders once this battle was over.

---

Scores of angel wings blanketed the sky as if they were the amalgamation of purity. The angels face was emotionless yet somewhat peaceful, despite the horrors going on below them. Hidden by the clouds of the sky, they were presented with the land below, a land astonishingly beautiful, like a child sleeping under her puffed duvet of white. She could never be more beautiful, more enchanting, more delicate. Unfortunately, that beauty was marred by blood, machine, and evil.

They didn't speak, nor did they feel. Hundreds of thier comrades were ripped apart, eaten, reanimated and even raped. It was a sight to behold, and only added fuel to the funeral prier of many. Demons, Machina, both would receive the full fury of not only the angelic forces of heaven, but of its leader, or one of many.

From a steel grey cloud, melting into the newly monochromatic landscape, came a brilliant flash that flickered and died. Upon a throne of divine brilliance was the one and only Seraph of Judgement. His very presence on the battle field was only a warning of the untold destruction to come. Just to be in the midst of him was difficult. Raziel, the Holy Bolt, embodied an aura that commanded respect, fear, and utter devotion from his subordinates. Standing at six feet, two inches, his tremendous height was only built upon by the knowledge that his power exceeded that of any other individual on the battlefield at that moment--and not by a trivial amount. It made him seem as if he was titanic. The way that he carried himself, with absolute confidence and conviction, holding his posture perfectly in a domineering, statuesque way, imposing his authority on those around him like a general pacing in front of his army. The most ignorant of demons could recognize his status from these qualities alone.

The Holy Bolt's face was rugged, much like his well-toned body, with sharp, angular features that betray the heritage of a normal Seraph. Everything from his jawline, which could cut diamonds, to his powerful brow was shaped with strength, as if he had been chiseled from the bedrock beneath the plains of the earth. His naturally tan skin was reminiscent of clay, and without a scar anywhere on his body, it remained a testament to his holy armor and the man that it protected.

Despite the countless dangers of the battlefield, with its treachery and unforgiving combatants, Raziel's light brown eyes remains the most intimidating feature of the timeless realm. Taken alone, they were unspectacular in their appearance, with a hue similar to cinnamon--a common enough color for them to remain rather average. When coupled with the man to whom they belong, however, they become piercing and unforgiving, holding back judgment so swift that they shaped an entire war to better serve their vision.

The events bellow, was like anathema to his eyes. Disgusting. Vile. Rubbish. Both Demon and Mankind were nothing but maggots in his eyes, both deserving of his ultimate judgment. Death. And the the Holy Blot would bring it.

Hundreds of Valkyrie sat itching to engage in battle, waiting for their generals order, but he remained silent, ever watching. It seemed he was contemplating a mode of attack, when in reality, he unleashed his torrent of emotion, and used it to fuel him. All those on the battlefield would feel the fury of the Lightning General.

A young Valkyrie took her place at the feet of her general, bowing low in respect. "The first attack force as taken on many casualties from both Machina and Demon alike. Thier commanding officer is on the deck, fighting a rather large Machina. Demons have taken the surface and making thier way up the hull, only one is on the deck." Raziel listened silently to the words of the Valkyrie. He knew of the demon she spoke of, the rapist, the shemale, and demon that was especially deserving of his judgment.

Turning to the legion of angels behind him, he bellowed; "Worry not for your fallen comrades, they have been judged accordingly. But those who oppose us, the beings of the heavens, shall be judged, and put to death!" he proclaimed. It was encouragement, not an order, his plan didn't require them at the moment, not the Valkyries.

"My Cherubs, to me! he bellowed, and instantly, hundreds of armored, four-winged angels appeared by his side, ready for battle. He already had air superiority, time to secure the deck, and provide reinforcement.

For those who fought underneath the clouds, a bolt of lightning came, a brilliant shock of gold in the graphite sky, forking silently to the unsuspecting deck - the thunderous boom always calling its warning too late. Behind the Valkyrie Officer stood the Seraph of Judgment, holy light arcing off his body.

The Holy Bolt had arrived.

Grafdakka slammed into the ground, his saw cutting into the deck of the Elicitor. Ideally his opponent would have been underneath the blade, cut in twain, but alas she was a slippy foe. Grafdakka felt something hit him from behind, nearly tipping him over. However he was able to regain his balance easily enough, but he was unaware that his jetpack had been critically damaged. While not utterly destroyed, there was no telling what it'd do if he tried to use it again. But he ignored the damage, knowing that his enemy was right behind him. She seemed the type who wouldn't dare face someone like him head on, so he'd have to adjust his tactics accordingly. While this open space would allow Grafdakka to have full mobility, a small willy enemy like this angel was far more maneuverable and would simply dodge out of the way of his attacks. he needed to drive her into a corner, a tight space, where she'd have no choice but to engage Grafdakka directly.

As he turned Grafdakka opened fire, his bullets ricocheting off the Elicitor hull. While the ship was certainly taking damage, it was made of far sterner stuff than even Grafdakka himself. Thus the bullets fired from his twin vulcans went everywhere, many hitting him as much as they could be hitting the angel. But Grafdakka didn't care; his only objective was to kill this angel. But Grafdakka's gunfire did serve an unintentionally second purpose: repelling the swarm of bats coming in his direction. Shadowy demon spawns, more of a threat to angels than for Grafdakka. While their claws and teeth would no doubt shred him with time, they alone wouldn't harm the mech in a meaningful way right now. In fact, he stopped shooting at the bats and instead aimed into the skies were more angels were gathering, allowing the demon swarm to overtake him and the angel for now. He would rely on his sheer durability to outlast this angel. And just to further complicate things amidst the chaos, Grafdakka even charged through the bat swarm towards the Valkyrie. But when he was within melee range of her, he did not swipe with his saw or even redirect his fire at her. No, instead he shot the ground where she stood on with his rocket, to catch the both of them in the resulting explosion.

---

Not as many corpses on deck as Fran would have thought. The skies were filled with angels and there were a few dead bodies here and there, but Fran figured that most of the Machina's soldiers must have retreated inside to set up killzones. That would prove to be difficult even for Fran to break through; while she could easily slaughter a room full of Machina's finest, waltzing right into a trap was only going to give her what she deserved. Fortunately for Fran, a solution to her problem came from the Blood Countess's own pride and ego; her bat swarm. What a better buffer against bullets than these dark mammals? All they needed was an opening, so Fran went about knocking down every door, breaking every window, and even smashing through a few walls if she could, just to allow the bats to ravage the innards of the ship.

However as Fran continued to break down entrances, she noticed that some new walls dropped down. These walls were thick, and while her axe was able to leave cuts into them, it would take far too long for Fran alone to break through these walls. Hopefully enough of the bats had managed to sneak in to do some serious damage. Seeing that Fran was still alone on deck, the rest of her demonic allies likely haven't made it to the legs yet. Either they've been getting themselves killed by the flower beds or the Machina artillery. At least they were serving their purpose as distractions. For a moment Fran took cover in a blow out room, debating her next course of action. And of course, that would be to face off against the angels. Sure she would be outnumbered, outgunned, and likely killed on the spot rather than taken prisoner and thoroughly tortured for her amusement. But it would be fun!

Past the smoke and swarms Fran could see more angels high above the clouds. If she wished to challenge them she'd need to be somewhere equally high. The Bridge of the Elicitor seemed like a good spot. However it was a gauntlet of turrets and other nasty mortal weaponry. No doubt Fran would have a few extra holes by the time she got up there. Still, she didn't want to keep her lovelies waiting. She'd just have to smash the turrets as she found them. So with a mighty leap, Fran jumped from the deck to the top of one of the buildings, narrowly avoiding getting perforated by turrets to move to the next level.

"C'mon, keep up! Shoot your load right into me, I can take it! Let's go let's go!"