Wings & Warriors (Dead Again parts 5 & 6)
Jun 10, 2023 20:25:35 GMT -5
Ezra Gideon and Lycana like this
Post by Jim Caedus on Jun 10, 2023 20:25:35 GMT -5
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CAEDUS REWIND: Jim's spirit had safely arrived in Purgatory proper following the destruction of the Guardian of the Schism (holding him captive in "The Space"). Upon arrival, he discovered his strength of spirit had translated in regained physical form to that of a literal giant standing several meters taller than all but allegedly Yahweh- or God -Himself. There, surrounded by a mysterious mist populated by fellow spirits, Jim was introduced to Joseph and Brooklyn, the latter charged with orienting newly arrived souls. After a brief conversation, Brooklyn informed Jim that his soul was currently unwelcome and would need to return to "The Space". Jim's reaction was not quite what she'd expected...
CONTINUED DIRECTLY FROM "DEAD...AGAIN p.4"
adambarker1981.proboards.com/thread/16093/brookey-butt-fucked
SLAM!!
Jim drops his massive booted foot down onto Brooklyn, naught but her head and arms jutting from beneath.
"The only thing that can stop me is me. Not Yahweh. Not Joseph. And certainly not Jim Cae-"
Jim grinds his foot, mashing her. Fragments of spirit illumination drift and dissolve into the ether.
"Dumb fuckin' cunt."
"Hoooo boy. You're in trouble 🙂"
"Whatever."
"DEAD...AGAIN p.5"
~QUATTOR EX QUINQUE~
"It's not 'whatever', Jim. You just extinguished a spirit."
Jim turns to regard Joseph.
"Yeah? So?"
"You're in Purgatory."
"...............oKAY!?"
"Purgatory is the first stop for every soul in the afterlife. This is where all serve their time, repent for their sins, to allow passage into Paradise or...not...and instead pass into the Underworld. You just perpetrated one of the seven deadly sins and whilst HERE no less. There's no repentance for that. You're going to Hell 🙂"
"Am I. Then why am I still here? Where's God t'cast me down?"
"Not how it works; He's a busy deity. He has others to carry out the menial tasks..."
"Uh-huh. Let 'em try. If that Guardian or whatever an' that scrawny bitch couldn't stop me, neither will whoever it is yer' talkin' 'bout."
"I don't know how you smote the Guardian but Brooklyn wasn't appointed to wage war, unlike Yahweh's soldiers. They've been blessed with a power no human spirit can possibly overcome. ....Where're you going," Joseph queries as Jim starts walking away?
"T'find a way outta here."
"There IS no way out of here. You go where Yahweh commands."
"I don't care whatchoo claim, I WILL find a way outta here. I have t'get back t'my daughter."
Laughs. "Ive gotta see this for myself. Mind if I tag along?"
Jim pauses. The miniscule spirit is indeed annoying but he seems to know an awful lot about Purgatory.
"Do whatcha want," Jim replies, walking on.
Joseph jogs to catch up.
"So where is this anyway?"
"I told you, it's Purgatory."
"I mean here, with all this fog."
"The Ring of Mists."
"How creative."
"Oh la-dee-da, smartass 🙂 Sorry we can't all be as brilliant as you naming a chokehold submission 'Hold Your Breath'."
"...How'd you-?"
"Everyone knows everything in the afterlife. All secrets are revealed."
"Then why don't I know everything?"
"Like Brooklyn said, you're not supposed to be here."
The two continue on in silence, passing several nigh invisible wispy spirits appearing to be frozen in place.
"What's wit' them? Why they look like...ghosts?"
"Those are The Lost; the souls that refuse to accept they've passed on. They exist simultaneously here and not here. The longer they remain conflicted, the more "ghostlike" they become; a reflection of how they appear back "home"."
"Why aren't they moving?"
"They focus all of their energy on their former lives. On Earth they move. Here, they don't. They're trapped."
As if on cue, a massive cage roughly 45 meters (150 feet) in height, width and length materializes around them.
"A remarkable coincidence you now find yourselves trapped as well."
"Oh God, The Four!"
"Hold your tongue Joseph. Take not the Lord's name in vain."
Before Jim and Joseph stands a quartet of men within the cage as well, a glow of inferno radiating outward from the sheaths seen rising from their backs and backlighting them, tainting the surrounding mist with an orange hue.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"I am the Bane of the sinner."
"I am the Mark of the righteous."
"I am the Outcast of Hell."
"I am Giovanni of the Divine Word."
"James O'Connor-"
"Caedus."
"By your true name shall you be addressed. You are an interloper here and you've broken the sixth commandment; thou shalt not kill. And you, Joseph, have egregiously broken the third commandment; taking the Lord's name in vain. Judgment has been cast, you are both condemned...to Hell."
"I've been meaning to ask: HOW, for Christsake, is what I'VE done worse than MURDER!?"
"Blasphemer!" The Bane places a hand on The Mark's shoulder, staying him from advancing.
"Your place is not to ask...but to obey. Now...you both shall come with us. Brimstone awaits."
"If you want me gone, send me back to my body on Earth. Take Joseph if y'want but send me BACK."
"Gee, thanks asshole 🙂"
"Judgment has been made. By His command, your fate is sealed."
"Come."
Jim tenses.
"Fuck yerselves, I ain't goin' nowhere wit' you."
"I do so enjoy when they struggle."
"Brothers--"
A sudden flash of brilliant light forces Jim to shield his eyes, followed closely by a wave of incredible heat slamming into his form like a brick wall and seemingly starting to suck away at his strength via it's oppressive nature. Forcing himself to look between slitted eyelids he beholds all four men baring their swords, the blades belching flame, an expansive set of wings spread outward from each of their backs.
Turning to gauge Joseph's reaction, Jim catches a glimpse of the dwarf hoofing it at high speed away from the engagement toward the furthest inner wall of the cage, then turns back to The Four.
"--take them."
As a unit, The Four charge, gaining speed on the run before they leap and take flight, leaving the ground to sail in directly at Jim. The Bane and The Mark zip by to his right, slicing into the flesh of his upper right thigh, The Outcast and The Divine Word mirroring on the left.
Searing pain sees Jim teeter on his feet, glancing down at his wounds to view his skin flayed wide open, yellowish-white fatty tissue bubbling out like foam.
Quicker than he can react, The Four have circled back around and sliced again from both sides, this time targeting the lower portion of torso above the hips, the sight of large intestine beginning to burst free. Jim's icy blues widen in horror. Though his form be much taller, much larger than that of The Four, Joseph was right: the power bestowed upon these holy soldiers is indeed staggering.
Again and again The Four circle and cut, circle and cut. Jim is brought to his knees in agony.
As shock sets in, his view blacking out from the sickening sight of his body getting hacked apart, a snippet of his daughter Elora at a year old, cherubic marshmallow, sparkling eyes and bright smile for da-da, dominates his mind's eye.
A roar fills his ears before he realizes it's his own. He can feel the cooling wetness of his own tears on his cheeks battling the overwhelming heat surrounding him as it bakes his face. Jim stands, the odd sensation of itching skin around his wounds snatching back his vision and he watches as they close, damage reversing in short order.
The Four swoop in yet again--
--and Jim raises his fists to hammer down a split second later, dropping them all midflight from the impact. They skid into the ground leaving furrows in it's surface as they screech to a halt.
Swiftly rolling over, their heads cock to locate an opponent who's no longer there on ground level then look up as a quickly growing shadow cuts off the sunless illumination from above--
--to see giant Jim dropping from beneath the roof of the cage like a rock. Both feet crush down atop The Divine Word and The Mark as The Outcast and The Bane hop back into the air, their wings flapping frantically to gain speed and increase their distance from Caedus.
Jim stabs his huge hands out, catching both by a leg each and swinging them into eachother with a crack of force that sends feathers scattering from their wings before they hit the dirt, losing their swords which extinguish upon release.
With a strength defying their smaller size, The Divine Word and The Mark force Jim's mammoth booted feet up off their bodies just enough to wriggle free--
--Jim kicks at The Divine Word, connecting and sending him rocketing over 20 meters into the wall of the cage. He drops motionless beside a terrified Joseph. The Mark meanwhile hacks at Jim's knee only to receive an angry stomp in reply, the ground cratering beneath his punished frame.
Before Jim can breathe easy however--
--a flaming sword needles into his back. He growls in pain, spinning to see a fifth body held aloft on blazing wings phasing through the bars of the cage to enter the fray.
"How dare you defy the will of God."
"DEAD...AGAIN p.6"
~QUINTUS~
The Bane and The Outcast, battered but conscious, look to the new arrival with hope...
"My captain."
"The EXILE," Joseph exclaims in fear!
The Exile extends an arm, flaming sword pulling further into Jim's back as he screams in anguish and stabbing out through his stomach, the wound gushing blood before sealing as the sword exits and flies to it's owners hand, flipping to present it's hilt.
The Exile is already blasting towards Jim, a contrail of smoke and flame behind him, having caught the sword midair and aiming the point now directly for Caedus's heart--
--Jim spins with a Purgatory Punch, timing impeccable, his elephantine fist smashing into the angelic projectile.
The Exile, losing his sword, careens off to the side, blowing a hole through the cage and missiling off into the inky blackness of the nothing surrounding the planetoid.
The Bane of the sinner closes his eyes with an exhale of defeat.
The cage dematerializes.
The Four vanish.
Jim's goliath chest heaves. He turns to Joseph, still cowering in position.
"You.. you beat them. It's... That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible."
Joseph rises and closes the distance between them.
"I can't believe it."
"Believe it."
"You saved me."
"I saved myself."
"I..."
For once the dwarf is at a loss for words. He kneels before Jim, bowing his head.
"Get up. I'm sure I remember one 'a the commandments bein' no false idols an' I ain't one t' worship, Joseph. Just wanna get back t' my body an' my daughter."
"I'll do everything I can to help you accomplish that, Jim."
Joseph stands.
"So who were those assholes? Angels?"
"The Four who trapped us are called Archangels. They're Yahweh's soldiers."
"Archangels. Like Michael?"
"Yes. But The Exile...The Exile is none other than a Seraphim. He's one of a higher order, extremely powerful...and you...you swatted him like he was a gnat."
"Nothin' will stop me from returnin' to Elora."
"I can see that."
Jim nods to a number of The Lost, still stationary. "They didn't budge an inch durin' all that."
"I told you Jim, they're trapped. They care only for the lives they've lost. ......Anyway, we'd better get a move on. There's uh...there's something I need to show you. It's not far from here."
"Lead the way."
The companions travel onward, heading for the border of the Ring of Mists.
-----------------------------ELSEWHERE----------------------------
The Exile's forward momentum slows.........slows...........slows...........then ceases.
For an inordinate amount of time he hovers in the darkness, unconscious, until finally his eyes open sluggishly.
"Where... Where am I?"
His memory flashes.
A human soul. A human soul had done this. Achieved the unthinkable.
He felt broken.
It wasn't possible.
"Forgive my failure, my Lord. Please, forgive me."
In pained shame he wraps his wings around his body as a cocoon and surrenders to sleep. He needed to rest. To heal...
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
CAEDUS REWIND: Jim's spirit had safely arrived in Purgatory proper following the destruction of the Guardian of the Schism (holding him captive in "The Space"). Upon arrival, he discovered his strength of spirit had translated in regained physical form to that of a literal giant standing several meters taller than all but allegedly Yahweh- or God -Himself. There, surrounded by a mysterious mist populated by fellow spirits, Jim was introduced to Joseph and Brooklyn, the latter charged with orienting newly arrived souls. After a brief conversation, Brooklyn informed Jim that his soul was currently unwelcome and would need to return to "The Space". Jim's reaction was not quite what she'd expected...
CONTINUED DIRECTLY FROM "DEAD...AGAIN p.4"
adambarker1981.proboards.com/thread/16093/brookey-butt-fucked
SLAM!!
Jim drops his massive booted foot down onto Brooklyn, naught but her head and arms jutting from beneath.
"The only thing that can stop me is me. Not Yahweh. Not Joseph. And certainly not Jim Cae-"
Jim grinds his foot, mashing her. Fragments of spirit illumination drift and dissolve into the ether.
"Dumb fuckin' cunt."
"Hoooo boy. You're in trouble 🙂"
"Whatever."
"DEAD...AGAIN p.5"
~QUATTOR EX QUINQUE~
"It's not 'whatever', Jim. You just extinguished a spirit."
Jim turns to regard Joseph.
"Yeah? So?"
"You're in Purgatory."
"...............oKAY!?"
"Purgatory is the first stop for every soul in the afterlife. This is where all serve their time, repent for their sins, to allow passage into Paradise or...not...and instead pass into the Underworld. You just perpetrated one of the seven deadly sins and whilst HERE no less. There's no repentance for that. You're going to Hell 🙂"
"Am I. Then why am I still here? Where's God t'cast me down?"
"Not how it works; He's a busy deity. He has others to carry out the menial tasks..."
"Uh-huh. Let 'em try. If that Guardian or whatever an' that scrawny bitch couldn't stop me, neither will whoever it is yer' talkin' 'bout."
"I don't know how you smote the Guardian but Brooklyn wasn't appointed to wage war, unlike Yahweh's soldiers. They've been blessed with a power no human spirit can possibly overcome. ....Where're you going," Joseph queries as Jim starts walking away?
"T'find a way outta here."
"There IS no way out of here. You go where Yahweh commands."
"I don't care whatchoo claim, I WILL find a way outta here. I have t'get back t'my daughter."
Laughs. "Ive gotta see this for myself. Mind if I tag along?"
Jim pauses. The miniscule spirit is indeed annoying but he seems to know an awful lot about Purgatory.
"Do whatcha want," Jim replies, walking on.
Joseph jogs to catch up.
"So where is this anyway?"
"I told you, it's Purgatory."
"I mean here, with all this fog."
"The Ring of Mists."
"How creative."
"Oh la-dee-da, smartass 🙂 Sorry we can't all be as brilliant as you naming a chokehold submission 'Hold Your Breath'."
"...How'd you-?"
"Everyone knows everything in the afterlife. All secrets are revealed."
"Then why don't I know everything?"
"Like Brooklyn said, you're not supposed to be here."
The two continue on in silence, passing several nigh invisible wispy spirits appearing to be frozen in place.
"What's wit' them? Why they look like...ghosts?"
"Those are The Lost; the souls that refuse to accept they've passed on. They exist simultaneously here and not here. The longer they remain conflicted, the more "ghostlike" they become; a reflection of how they appear back "home"."
"Why aren't they moving?"
"They focus all of their energy on their former lives. On Earth they move. Here, they don't. They're trapped."
As if on cue, a massive cage roughly 45 meters (150 feet) in height, width and length materializes around them.
"A remarkable coincidence you now find yourselves trapped as well."
"Oh God, The Four!"
"Hold your tongue Joseph. Take not the Lord's name in vain."
Before Jim and Joseph stands a quartet of men within the cage as well, a glow of inferno radiating outward from the sheaths seen rising from their backs and backlighting them, tainting the surrounding mist with an orange hue.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"I am the Bane of the sinner."
"I am the Mark of the righteous."
"I am the Outcast of Hell."
"I am Giovanni of the Divine Word."
"James O'Connor-"
"Caedus."
"By your true name shall you be addressed. You are an interloper here and you've broken the sixth commandment; thou shalt not kill. And you, Joseph, have egregiously broken the third commandment; taking the Lord's name in vain. Judgment has been cast, you are both condemned...to Hell."
"I've been meaning to ask: HOW, for Christsake, is what I'VE done worse than MURDER!?"
"Blasphemer!" The Bane places a hand on The Mark's shoulder, staying him from advancing.
"Your place is not to ask...but to obey. Now...you both shall come with us. Brimstone awaits."
"If you want me gone, send me back to my body on Earth. Take Joseph if y'want but send me BACK."
"Gee, thanks asshole 🙂"
"Judgment has been made. By His command, your fate is sealed."
"Come."
Jim tenses.
"Fuck yerselves, I ain't goin' nowhere wit' you."
"I do so enjoy when they struggle."
"Brothers--"
A sudden flash of brilliant light forces Jim to shield his eyes, followed closely by a wave of incredible heat slamming into his form like a brick wall and seemingly starting to suck away at his strength via it's oppressive nature. Forcing himself to look between slitted eyelids he beholds all four men baring their swords, the blades belching flame, an expansive set of wings spread outward from each of their backs.
Turning to gauge Joseph's reaction, Jim catches a glimpse of the dwarf hoofing it at high speed away from the engagement toward the furthest inner wall of the cage, then turns back to The Four.
"--take them."
As a unit, The Four charge, gaining speed on the run before they leap and take flight, leaving the ground to sail in directly at Jim. The Bane and The Mark zip by to his right, slicing into the flesh of his upper right thigh, The Outcast and The Divine Word mirroring on the left.
Searing pain sees Jim teeter on his feet, glancing down at his wounds to view his skin flayed wide open, yellowish-white fatty tissue bubbling out like foam.
Quicker than he can react, The Four have circled back around and sliced again from both sides, this time targeting the lower portion of torso above the hips, the sight of large intestine beginning to burst free. Jim's icy blues widen in horror. Though his form be much taller, much larger than that of The Four, Joseph was right: the power bestowed upon these holy soldiers is indeed staggering.
Again and again The Four circle and cut, circle and cut. Jim is brought to his knees in agony.
As shock sets in, his view blacking out from the sickening sight of his body getting hacked apart, a snippet of his daughter Elora at a year old, cherubic marshmallow, sparkling eyes and bright smile for da-da, dominates his mind's eye.
A roar fills his ears before he realizes it's his own. He can feel the cooling wetness of his own tears on his cheeks battling the overwhelming heat surrounding him as it bakes his face. Jim stands, the odd sensation of itching skin around his wounds snatching back his vision and he watches as they close, damage reversing in short order.
The Four swoop in yet again--
--and Jim raises his fists to hammer down a split second later, dropping them all midflight from the impact. They skid into the ground leaving furrows in it's surface as they screech to a halt.
Swiftly rolling over, their heads cock to locate an opponent who's no longer there on ground level then look up as a quickly growing shadow cuts off the sunless illumination from above--
--to see giant Jim dropping from beneath the roof of the cage like a rock. Both feet crush down atop The Divine Word and The Mark as The Outcast and The Bane hop back into the air, their wings flapping frantically to gain speed and increase their distance from Caedus.
Jim stabs his huge hands out, catching both by a leg each and swinging them into eachother with a crack of force that sends feathers scattering from their wings before they hit the dirt, losing their swords which extinguish upon release.
With a strength defying their smaller size, The Divine Word and The Mark force Jim's mammoth booted feet up off their bodies just enough to wriggle free--
--Jim kicks at The Divine Word, connecting and sending him rocketing over 20 meters into the wall of the cage. He drops motionless beside a terrified Joseph. The Mark meanwhile hacks at Jim's knee only to receive an angry stomp in reply, the ground cratering beneath his punished frame.
Before Jim can breathe easy however--
--a flaming sword needles into his back. He growls in pain, spinning to see a fifth body held aloft on blazing wings phasing through the bars of the cage to enter the fray.
"How dare you defy the will of God."
"DEAD...AGAIN p.6"
~QUINTUS~
The Bane and The Outcast, battered but conscious, look to the new arrival with hope...
"My captain."
"The EXILE," Joseph exclaims in fear!
The Exile extends an arm, flaming sword pulling further into Jim's back as he screams in anguish and stabbing out through his stomach, the wound gushing blood before sealing as the sword exits and flies to it's owners hand, flipping to present it's hilt.
The Exile is already blasting towards Jim, a contrail of smoke and flame behind him, having caught the sword midair and aiming the point now directly for Caedus's heart--
--Jim spins with a Purgatory Punch, timing impeccable, his elephantine fist smashing into the angelic projectile.
The Exile, losing his sword, careens off to the side, blowing a hole through the cage and missiling off into the inky blackness of the nothing surrounding the planetoid.
The Bane of the sinner closes his eyes with an exhale of defeat.
The cage dematerializes.
The Four vanish.
Jim's goliath chest heaves. He turns to Joseph, still cowering in position.
"You.. you beat them. It's... That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible."
Joseph rises and closes the distance between them.
"I can't believe it."
"Believe it."
"You saved me."
"I saved myself."
"I..."
For once the dwarf is at a loss for words. He kneels before Jim, bowing his head.
"Get up. I'm sure I remember one 'a the commandments bein' no false idols an' I ain't one t' worship, Joseph. Just wanna get back t' my body an' my daughter."
"I'll do everything I can to help you accomplish that, Jim."
Joseph stands.
"So who were those assholes? Angels?"
"The Four who trapped us are called Archangels. They're Yahweh's soldiers."
"Archangels. Like Michael?"
"Yes. But The Exile...The Exile is none other than a Seraphim. He's one of a higher order, extremely powerful...and you...you swatted him like he was a gnat."
"Nothin' will stop me from returnin' to Elora."
"I can see that."
Jim nods to a number of The Lost, still stationary. "They didn't budge an inch durin' all that."
"I told you Jim, they're trapped. They care only for the lives they've lost. ......Anyway, we'd better get a move on. There's uh...there's something I need to show you. It's not far from here."
"Lead the way."
The companions travel onward, heading for the border of the Ring of Mists.
-----------------------------ELSEWHERE----------------------------
The Exile's forward momentum slows.........slows...........slows...........then ceases.
For an inordinate amount of time he hovers in the darkness, unconscious, until finally his eyes open sluggishly.
"Where... Where am I?"
His memory flashes.
A human soul. A human soul had done this. Achieved the unthinkable.
He felt broken.
It wasn't possible.
"Forgive my failure, my Lord. Please, forgive me."
In pained shame he wraps his wings around his body as a cocoon and surrenders to sleep. He needed to rest. To heal...
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞