After the War

The borders of Lastwall were finally secure after years cataclysmic war with the return of the Whispering Tyrant, the land had been ravaged yet it's heart and soul remained in the people who steadily rebuilt, as once plowshares had been turned into swords once again they returned as did the remaining soldiers to their homes and families. The few heroes who survived the climactic battle with the dark minions of the lichlord had little time for revelry even with the relative safety granted by the Armastice of Belkzen and the Angel of Gallowspire was no different. Almost fully healed after her service to the Whitestone legion the girl barely twenty summers of age bid a good afternoon to the last of her faithful flock as they returned to there homes, "May the gods be with you my friends, your righteousness is rewarded and in time we will all heal."

Slowly the priestess closed the doors to the newly reconstructed chapel, turning around and looking up to the statue of her lord Ragathiel she let out a heavy sigh "My war is over my lord" She says closing her eyes, "And now I try to lift the burden of loss from many, how simple it was for me to slay those behind my past, avenge those I lost, and yet for them its not so simple... The shadows in their minds will feed off their suffering and how am I to drive them out with only kind words and bright promises." As her eyes opened she saw her bastard sitting upon the alter before her, once an instrument of violence and bloodshed now a symbol of peace to those whom idolized her, shaking her head she brushed some loose golden strands of stray hair behind her ear, "I should not worry so much, the gods are with us." she gazed outside the window to the scaffolded structures soon to be New Transmere with a smile, watching the younger men aiding the elders in the reconstruction.

With the whip-crack of dark magic the sky above Adrasteia turned black with only the edges of the horizon before the looming mountains visible "What darkness is this?" she whispered to herself and her god as her blade slid silently from her fur-lined sheath, "His Phylactary was destroyed and soul purged, how could he return so soon?" Every muscle in the Paladin's body tightened instinctively, having been ravaged by the unholy power of Tar-Baphon before she was no stranger to evil, and yet this was different. Lights appeared above more numerous and brighter then the stars in the sky growing in strength and brightness until it consumed all she could see, the heat struck her before the great force swept her from her feet and into the chapels walls cracking the freshly built wood above the ground before collapsing to her hands and knees surrounded by the rubble of her new home leaving her blade on the ground before her. Looking through the splintered chapel front all Adrasteia could see was destruction, the bodies of what was once her flock now lay charred in the streets mangled beyond comprehension, the lucky ones ruined and un-moving while few remained as whimpering piles of flesh and blood barely clinging to life in suffering.

Suddenly lightning struck coming from the clear darkness above, from where it struck stood a large figure surrounded by black metal-clad warriors with bearing horns akin to demons and toothed swords like Adrasteia had never seen before, all standing still as statues before the central figure raised a darkened blade, moving unnaturally as if it cut into the astral plane with every movement. In unison all the horned warriors set out towards the quivering innocents laying in pieces on the ground, Adrasteia saw a young boy reach up towards the thing before him only to be confronted with a pistol like she could never imagine, firing once and removing the boy's hand a second time and his arm and a third his head in rapid succession, Adrasteia's vision clouded as fury boiled inside her like she hadn't felt since the war's climax.

For a moment all she heard was the sound of hard leather on stone as she charged the hulking figure, the horned warriors turning and facing their weapons towards her and taking aim only to pause and watch as if waiting, her holy blade held in both hands nearly singing as it cut through the air only to be stopped by an invisible force, letting out a fervorous cry she continued to hack at the being as he turned around to face her each time her blade was pushed away with no trace of impact upon the bulky armor. "A survivor?" His voice was deep, filled with enough malice to make even a devil consider it's choices. "I am glad there is something on this feudal world with the gall to stand before me, now don't waste my time little girl." Adrasteia held her sword defiantly before her holding a defensive stance like her old master had taught her "Return to the hell you came from." she growled through clenched teeth, with a smirk he thrust his fist towards her twisting as blades of energy slipped past his gauntleted knuckles entrapping the blade and driving its edge back towards the Paladin. Adrasteia was quick, but not quick enough to avoid both her own blade and the hulking hand coming towards her, as the steel cut clean through her hair the ensorcelled claws grazed along her cheek cutting deep and sending her reeling backwards. The last thing she saw was the beast's back once again and the pommel of a toothed sword bludgeoning her between the eyes.

When she awoke the air was cold around her and more still then she had felt even in the depths of the Hungry Mountains, her vision blurry and her hands and feet unable to move while chained together keeping her in a kneeling position, the ground beneath her felt like the shaped stone of a cell though as her sight returned more and more Adrasteia saw figures around her, all robed with metal protruding from within their flesh. Only now aware that she had been both disarmed and disrobed she heard the figures speak"-no energy signals coming from their Centre, Obsidan Lord." Their voices were inhuman, as if spoken by something deprived of both emotion and feeling. Again the voice of malice echoed from behind her, sending shivers down her spine "Of course not, the land around it is populated only by thralls to some false gods, continue the scan." This was not a cell, metal walls flanked the paladin while before her a vast window displayed Lastwall before her though from an impossible height above, "Ah, our captive has awakened, surly she can point us-" He paused, stepping closer towards her, while she couldn't see him Adrasteia could feel his presence coming closer "-In the right direction." Shock and pain burned from her scalp as she was hoisted by the remaining long half of her hair to face out the window, "You are not the first righteous soul to stand against me little girl, I know how to handle your ilk. Tell me where to find the Starstone Cathedral or I will spill more blood then you could ever imagine." Wincing Adrasteia futilely tried to turn away, barely had she begun her resistance as the Tyrant raised his other hand, "Let it burn." he uttered without a hint of pause or remorse, the land Adrasteia saw in the window suddenly lit up like she had seen before fading first to smoke and dust then into a smouldering crater of glass and ash, "I don't have time for insolence whelp, now let's try again. Where is the Starstone Cathedral?"

The ground outside moved away from what was once Lastwall at impossible speed, over the great lake Encarthan to what she recognized as Andoran following the river Foam until she could see another population centre, blinding fury grew within the woman as her hands and feet shook uncontrollably as the world around her came to a near halt, "This was not in our plans my Daughter, once again I need you as you need me, be my righteous sword once again. Kill the Demon." The voice unseen now was not inhumanly baleful but stern and comforting, a comfortable warmth washed over her body as her bindings melted away, her naked body encompassed by a white flame solidifying around her vitals and within her hand, slowly she drifted back to the ground with her feet elegantly landing without a sound, "No." Adrasteia's voice echoed around her as wings spread from her back, their buffet sending a wave of force away from her, knocking the robed figures through unknown machinery and her captor back, turning around she saw him dragging his clawed hand through the stone floor to catch his balance and keep his footing. "Your evil stops here, Demon." With great speed and unearthly elegance she dashed at the armored man, blade of fire and light plunging forward straight and true through his invisible shell, the Armored Tyrant moved with unholy speed, his blade drawn in time to meet hers "You will not stand between me and my destiny, little girl."

As their blades met repetitively in their trade of blows the air around them shook with force and electricity, fearful for their meager existences the robed thralls cook cover from their master unleashing his power pushing the angelic woman back slowly to the glass frame, "Where was this strength before? You could have saved so many lives... You could have fought back sooner." A hint of humor within his malice like a diamond surrounded by burning coal nearly caught Adrasteia off guard, "Your kind are all the same, too little too late." As her back foot touched the glass the figure lunged his hulking shoulders forward pushing her body through the glass, in an instant she felt a great force pulling her back as the remaining thralls were sucked out of the room past her their clawed metal hands scraping along the stone floor looking for anything to cling to fruitlessly, the only thing standing still was their lord standing on the precipice of the room feet planted firmly on the ground, blade planted next to him and his mouth shut in a smirk as he reached out and grabbed her by the waist. Frantically Adrasteia swung her blade at the man lodging it into his right arm exhaling with the blow and trying to inhale, only to find no oxygen to breath. Immediately her vision began to distort and blur as strength drained from her body, even trying to remove her blade proved to be too much as she was dragged back inside and through a metal door, upon crossing the threshold to the other side she could feel air returning to her lungs, but it was not enough.

As she was thrust to the ground with immeasurable strength the Tyrant loomed over her, clenching her armored waist until the solid fire shattered leaving her naked body like sparks from a fire, moving one hand up to the woman's neck his other stretched out calling his sword back to his hand momentarily before driving it into her feathered wings pinning them to the cold stone ground, "One way or another you will give me what I need." Writhing in pain under his grip the blood from her wings seeped underneath her making struggling more and more difficult as what little friction she had became slippery, "Don't bother holding still, I like it more when you fight." With a click and a hiss the armor around his right arm fell away letting the fire sword fall to the ground it too shattering into sparks while Adrasteia kicked up trying to push the enormous man away from her to no avail, quickly claws emerged from the remaining gauntlet and were driven down alongside her bare legs trapping her left ankle between its fist and the floor, again in a swift motion he did the same to her right arm leaving her pinned threefold to the ground, standing up and looking down at her half-useless body as a flicker of perversion crosses his face, "Now don't go anywhere, ill be back when you're ready."

Minutes passed in unnatural silence as Adrasteia lay on the floor the blood draining from her wings slowly turning black as the unholy blade burned within, while her body could barely move her mind raced, "Ragathiel, what do I do? My war was over?" She mutters, holding back her tears for fear of the Obsidian Lord's return. "It is easy..." A warm comforting voice echoed back to her, "Join me, take him to the Starstone Cathedral my Daughter, and complete the tests before he does, only then will you be able to defeat him. And you may join me ascended." Closing her eyes with her prayers answered she nods, "As you will... Ragathiel." In her agreeance the dark blood of her wings spills further turning more of the red into midnight black.

When the Tyrant returned he was enshrouded under a robe akin to his thralls though pink in trim, following behind him were two beings less then half his size in pink and purple robes bearing with them an assortment of needles filled with fluids unknown, "Inject her, I don't want her laying still until she is dead." A wicked grin crossed his face as the cloth draped around his body slipped off revealing his massive muscled body rippling with enhancements black carapace showing through thin scar tissue across his torso, one hand grasping around his superhuman cock and the other reaching down for her, "Do it, I don't wish to wait any longer." Frustration clearly built within him in his absence, "When you meet your end you will do it with the name Zharak in your ears." As the thralls plunged the needles into the braced sections of Adrasteia's body she felt a sudden surge of energy, her free leg spasming up to push at the naked being above her, with little effort he grabbed it and swung it away from her other exposing the pink virgin skin of her pussy, the sudden movement caused her to yelp and swing her other arm towards him but with her back pinned she couldn't move it far, slowly Zharak slid his hand up her slit brushing against every inch and feeling her quiver beneath it "The Rose will make you feel more then you ever have before, don't let your mind fall to it's allure." While the malice remained it didn't unnerve Adrasteia like it had before, all she could feel was the pleasure of touch as Zharak's hand grasped her shoulder his thumb rubbing down her chest toying with her supple breasts before resting on her perfect nipple, suddenly she was pulled down upon his hard cock, it's tip pushing inside her effortlessly while her lips struggled to accept the rest of his girth. Adrasteia's whole body quivered at first in pain as she stretched as wide as he was thick and then in pleasure as he fit inside touching her everywhere she had never felt before, her free hand reached down to push him back from atop her only to push him with great ease almost like he let her push him out only to shove himself back inside, sending more waves of ecstasy through her.

Having her resting upon his enhanced cock Zharak pushed himself further atop Adrasteia he pinned her leg up between his chest and hers, leaving his hand free to grab her other breast holding her now stiff exposed nipple closer to him, leaning down he bit down upon it with his sharpened teeth forcing another yelp out from his captive only it was followed by a moan Adrasteia never thought would leave her lips, finding it hard to think straight let alone fight back she tried again to push Zharak back but with her hand stuck under her leg all she did was push herself further upon his enormous shaft touching his tip to her womb. Overcome by ecstacy all she knew was she wanted more so again she pushed, again and again until the cock within her pulsed more and more rapidly, gasping for air between moans of pleasure, unable to hold her head up anymore she lay looking to the blade entrapped within her wings realizing no longer did she feel pain from it nor her stretched pussy but only pleasure and burning desire, as Zharak's shaft pulsed more quickly she clenched down upon it with every muscle she could muster in her torso, letting out a grunt of relief the enhanced cock stiffened more as it shot its warm contents deep inside her, taking in what pleasure he could he thrust into her a few more times draining what he could before removing himself from atop her, white liquid leaking from her ravaged and panting body.

When she finally came to her senses Adrasteia was still naked, trapped within a smaller cell with barely enough room for her body and now black wings with nothing inside but a needle containing the Rose liquid inside, "Today" The warm comforting voice echoed within her mind "We will show him what he wants to see." Nodding and bowing her head in prayer while feeling the scales forming along her back between her wings, "And today we will take what we deserve, our war will be over and we will be free." she muttered under her breath injecting herself with the Rose in preparation for Zharak's return.