NationStates

You think you're safe? a voice asked from the darkness. You are not.

Screams everywhere. Sobek started to ran toward his Vimana, to return back to the surface. Hundreds of his soldiers were still fighting, though the majority had entered the available tombs on the Vimana. They would rest there until reawoken at the surface.

We have an issue, Commander Sobek. one of his soldiers told him telepathically.

What has occurred?

We are to leave many of the tombs scattered throughout the city, operating on magical energy to sustain the hosts, our fellow soldiers. The original plan will no longer apply.

Clarify! he roared mentally.

The monsters have boarded this vessel. the soldier said calmly. I am sorry, sir. But we can no longer return to surface. We are going to set this vessel to self-destruct before they take control.

There are hundreds of other soldiers there! They are still alive!

Our sacrifice will be honoured in the Empire. Goodbye, sir. he said simply. As Sobek watched, the Vimana destroyed itself, exploding in a firey blaze.

The God didn't shed any tears, he simply turned and watched the battle ahead of him. They had already set the island of Atlantis to sink. The best hope they had was to enter a new tomb here and wait for it to open and then find a way to the surface. It could not be too long...

"Sir." one of his soldiers, a man with the head of a crocodile, spoke to him quietly. "We can overpower the current forces we are fighting. But the tombs...I am sorry. They can only open by an outside source. The magical pores were damaged. Automatic reactivation is not an option."

"Then a few will enter the tombs and the rest will wait before letting them out." Sobek growled. "Afraid of what? A little water?"

"No sir." the soldier said calmly. "But we are afraid of the gas." After a pause, Sobek saw it too. A green gas surrounding the whole city.

"The cowards..." he growled in disbelief.

"Sir. I'm sorry. But you must remain in your tomb and us in ours. Some will stay outside."

Now Sobek stared at his subordinate hollowly, destroyed that he could not return to the fight in the foreseeable future. But he slowly entered his tomb as the sound of battle died down, as did the opposing enemies from the gas.

"You will be the voice of our people." his subordinate said in a comforting way as the tomb closed over him.

"I will be more than that." Sobek growled out. "I am the anger of a dead people, demanding blood be spilled for the blood we lost. Only when the last Fae has been destroyed, will my purpose be fulfilled...no other reason to exist."

"Well, what about this Crowley?" Odin asked, tapping a piece of paper. "Human, but no record of his parentage."

"He lacks one." Loki replied. "He was raised by himself until Fixban and Richard took him in."

Odin sighed. "I saw the last mission you sent him on...he saw that whole village die. He could have some serious emotional scars." the one-eyed god pointed out.

"Every good warrior has scars. Crowley's a survivor. Trust me. And he's a good warrior..."

---

Some Time Earlier

"Death closes all." the girl said quietly, staring out at the wall. "But in the darkness...some noble work may yet be done...many great men have strove with and bested the gods."

Crowley looked at this raven haired girl, not understanding. "What is the purpose of besting the gods if I cannot save this village?" he asked quietly, looking out into the burning fields. "They are here now, but I cannot defeat them alone...it's hard enough fighting this. But it's worse knowing you can't save them all."

"There's no way for you to save them all." the girl replied.

"Isn't that just fucking cheery."

"I believe in you, Crowley." the girl said. "I know that no matter what happens, you'll get us through, or die trying. You will fall along the way, for certain. But I believe you will care, you will grow and you will change the world. For better or worse..."

"Worse?" Crowley asked sharply. "Why would it be worse?"

He had no answer. But he did see the meteors begin striking the fields outside the hut, creating small craters in the ground. "What the shit." he whispered quietly.

The three dozen angels emerged from the meteors, confident and ready for the battle. They stood, ready for the fight. Crowley responded the only way he could. This village...he had been sent to guard it. He had been sent to guard the people. And he would.

"COME AT ME YOU MISERABLE SONS A BITCHES!" he roared, stepping out of the girl's hut.

"Surrender now, Aleister Crowley. We hold no quarrel with you." one beautifully formed angel said calmly. "We will forgive your outburst if you do."

"This is my village. I am here to guard it." Crowley said, sounding furious. He turned to the girl, who looked surprised, but pleasantly so. "When I choose to guard something, to love it...I do. Stay in there, Leia." he said quietly, staring at the angel.

"Very well. It is your funeral, Aleister Crowley." the angel replied, sounding almost disappointed.

Crowley roared out at them, a sonic wave blasting out of his mouth and knocking three angels over. He followed it up by blasting fire out of his feet and riding it like a wave, electricity in his hands as he grabbed one angel and shocked it before crushing its neck.

An attack with a sword! Crowley grabbed the sword from the angel and threw it quickly at one of the angels that had fallen to the ground, hitting it dead-on in the chest. He blasted the electricity around like a whip, hitting two more angels and burning them. They didn't react, they merely kept walking toward him, blasting white beams of energy out.

Crowley teleported, appearing behind one angel and grabbing his sword. He stabbed the angel in the chest, then turned around to attack another...then saw the village ablaze.

He had failed. He had failed to keep it safe.

He ran back into the hut. "No, no, no!" he screamed, seeing an angel there, his sword out...and in Leia's chest. "NO!" he screamed, grabbing the angel and slamming his head into the wall, shattering the skull. "May God forgive me." he said quietly, standing there as a tear rolled down his face.

He grabbed Leia's hand. "Stay with me...stay with me...I want more time..." he whispered.

"You did your best, Al...you did your best..." Leia whispered quietly. "I'm...proud of you. I know you'll find something else you'll guard."

"There is no something else!" he roared. "No, no, stay with me! I want more time!"

"It's alright, Al. Life will go on." she said, brushing Crowley's face with her hand. "I always will believe in you..." Then she was gone.

There was a sudden explosion from outside. Even though Crowley's back was turned, he could see the white light. He turned around slowly, seeing him. "Uriel..." he whispered in genuine fear.

"I'm so sorry." Fixban whispered next to him. "I am so sorry I just got here. We need to go. Now."

"NO! FUCK YOU!" Crowley roared. "I WANT MORE TIME!"

"And I'm giving it to you." Fixban replied harshly, knocking Crowley out with a well-applied burst of electricity. "I'm so sorry..." he simply whispered before they teleported out of the village.

---

Odin frowned. "I'll trust your judgement here, Loki." he said.

Loki nodded before teleporting away, to see the boy still completely unconscious and lying on the bed. "He must have been awake for days out there..." Loki said quietly.

Fixban stared at the boy. "If I had gotten there sooner..."

"You didn't fight Uriel?"

"I'm not mad. Not in Crowley's current state. It would have been...suicidal."

"He'll be fine. He'll have shit happen to him, that's for sure. But-"

"How many will I lose?" Crowley asked quietly, his eyes still closed. "How many before it's enough?"

Fixban sighed. "Each of us has to be willing to die. Anything less, and we've already lost."

"I don't want to die. I don't want others to die."

"You killed many angels while you were out there." Loki noted. "Don't give me that look, Valaran. It's true. The boy needs to learn that." he sat down on a nearby chair and spoke to Crowley. "Life won't be fun, Al. But ultimately, we all are victims of death and we all need to deal it out. Sooner you learn that, the better."

"These battles have brought us pain, suffering and loss." Fixban said quietly. "But they're needed. I'm sorry. I'll let you rest." he said, standing up and leaving the room.

Loki stood up, but said one last thing. "Bitching's pointless, mate. Best thing to do? You have to start learning to repress it. People are going to die. You have to see the big picture. Come find me when you're done. We'll fuck a few whores and have a few beers. All is well, man. Just try to focus on that."

Crowley stayed in the bed for a while. After a while, he got up and went to go fuck a few whores and have a few beers. But he stayed in the bed for a while, a while where he kept thinking to himself "More time. God, how I wish I had more time."