Rebirth of Destruction Chapter 3: Soliloquy of Death
 

Royal guards gathered their pikes, men of honor and strength. Men who had given their entire lives to this point defending the royal family stood before the creature that was a god as he moved, inexorably, toward the imperial palace within the center of the city. They readied their spears and hunkered beneath their shields, as arrows flew through the air toward the avatar of destruction.

The beast stopped as the arrows of hundreds of archers blotted out the sun, bathing him in a comfortable shade. He closed his eyes, his expression one of serenity as he connected to the world about him--and then the wind about him swirled with power. He opened his eyes once more, a terrible malice shining from within as his mouth broke into a terrible, jagged, smile.

He was encased in a tempest, the winds plucking the arrows from the sky and swirling them about the god, until his form was completely obfuscated by his enemies' arrows swirling about his body, but never striking. Then the wind changed, blowing toward the men in front of him, and the arrows followed. They flew straight and powerful, tearing through steel and flesh as though they were cutting through the air--and, when all was said and done, there was naught but pulpy flesh left for his ever shrinking feet to stomp through.

"Unless anyone here happens to be able to manifest as a god on will, I think its time we take our leave." Kecrik spoke up. Where he came from, who the freak knows. Its clear that by the not-damage he has, he had never actually gone into the front-lines. Kecrik watched the onslaught of Alucard before he had shown up, so he had made up his mind not to get in his way.

He had noticed one thing. That Alucard was heading towards the center of this city. "Anyone have any idea why he is heading towards the center?" Kecrik asked, not knowing anything of this city, he would have to rely on the information given to him. What need did an avatar of destruction have that would be in the center of this city.

What else was odd was the slight barrier presence when the beast first entered the city. It tore through it easily enough, but it appeared for nothing else. Like it was erected simply for him. How very odd. However he prayed the others in this party would have an answer, as Kecrik found he hand none.

In which Freeny discovers a shiny dragon.
 

"...Shiny..." Freeny spotted a very shiny thing floating above him. It's beauty was beyond any of his other treasures and his longing for it brought him to a semi-conscious state, but not out of his stupor. Sitting up Freeny noticed the others around him, but vaguely, the shiny floating thing held all the attention he could muster.

Holding the ogre head between his body and the view of the gathering group, Freeny slowly stole up behind Gem...

"Of course, of course..." Asidhara inwardly and outwardly sighed with a certain, queer form of exasperation at both Gem and the Paladin's assertations. None seemed overtly interested in actually stopping or observing Alucard anymore, but she couldn't blame them.

"There remains the motives of our destroyer, however." She points out to those seeking to leave. The Thri-Keen at least, showed curiosity. Asidhara had little to slake such a thirst with, but the willingness to learn itself was a star amongst void.

"Alucard is destroying the city because he can. His restraint, and his movements however, lead me to believe that he is not entirely free... The Alucard of old would not allow us to escape with our souls intact, nor would he leave any buildings standing within several miles. His goal is not to destroy, but yet it is. A clever paradox."

This, of course, puzzled her. Alucard's goal was always destruction, but he wasn't doing it properly this time. Something was there, elusive... That she needed to learn. If Alucard was suffering some sort of weakness, it was very likely the only hope of stopping him.

(I got a better one....)

"If the only thing he understands is destruction then there must be a non-violent way to deal with him, to seal him away once more. The only place I can think of that would have the way they sealed him away is in the royal library and of course no one would have access to it but the royal family." Kharlen turned to the fae. "Would you have anything that might give us access? Some sort of spell? Glamor won't work against him it seems." He walked out in to the middle of the crowd. "If no one can think of any other way to stop him we might as well abandon the city now."

The paladin only made it a few steps before Dagan's body erupted into spasms and sizzles of flesh, the creases and insignias on the silver armor wrought into the man's chest. Unable to struggle equally alongside his savior, the paladin's already tenuous grip weakened into an open withdrawal, unceremoniously dumping Dagan's already tortured body onto the earth. The utterances of pain had now been escalated, metamorphised into horrible shrieks and yelps that threatened to drown out the nearby conversation on how to stop a literal god.

"Howabout we figger a way to kill-die dis body? last time I checked dat's a good way to stop someone from doing something, den he can be God of da ghosts or somefink..." Skitterleap piped up as he squirmed out of a crack in the ground.

"Mebbe dere's somefink in tha liberry 'bout dat?"

"Dammit woman, who cares what his motives are!" Anim shouted, raising his voice over the werewolfs cries. "Did you see what that thing can do?! We don't stand a chance against it! I say we run before he turns around and destroys us, like only a God of Destruction can do!"

Anim was beginning to panic. They weren't seriously going after that thing, were they?

Aetheor sighed, looking down his nose at the pathetic state Dagan was in. For a moment he wondered why the man was wretching in such agony...then the memory of just moments ago flooded back. Apparently, the shock of getting hit so hard had momentarily shaken his memory, and he was previously unable to recall Dagan being anything but a human.

"Obviously this man is a lycan. Instead of standing here and arguing, grab him and let us go!" Aetheor stepped up to the bickering group of inhuman swine, unsheathing his short sword in his left hand and drawing himself to his full height.

"I hope I am not being ignored here. Now is not a time for childish bickering, but a tactical retreat."

"Human magic?" Asidhara chuckled to the knight whom suggested the royal library to her with a great deal of humor. "Don't bother. It was human magic that allowed him to break through the city's wards in the first place." She sighed... Perhaps, perhaps her former slip into bedlam had spilled off onto those surrounding her, for they acted even more terrified than she, moments before.

The Werewolf, and then the Xodar, and then the other's bickering and whailing seriously began to disturb the faerie's tenuous calm.

"You're right, Xodar!" She threw her arms up in frustration, "What's a few thousand human lives to me, anyway? Alucard has better targets now. Let's go."

Pah, a coalition against the lord of destruction once more? Sickening, and judging by the reactions of those present, impossible. Asidhara began to make for the obliterated city gate, and off... Somewhere. She hadn't decided yet.