On Black Wings I Rise, On Black Wings I Fall

Published 7/29/2012 by Ryan Christopher Adams

WARNING FROM THE AUTHOR: This chapter of Hatred's Return involves graphic descriptions of horrendous murders at the paws of a temporarily insane sociopath of a protagonist! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Chapter Seven

My pupils dilated with unrestricted horror. The soulless rage and unrelenting power behind the shell of metal standing in front of me stopped me cold in my tracks as my heart sank into my stomach. The steel skeleton held no gaze of its own; no mind, no thoughts, and no emotions. All it had was a mission; one that it would carry out until either it was dead, or until it had accomplished its assignment.

I could hear a deep, faint, but deep series of breaths billowing from the man of steel. Almost like some eldritch horror sitting at the bottom of a well, biding its time. Snarling even, if one could call it that. My mind willed, screaming for my legs to move, even twitch, but my body stayed, petrified by the monster stationed before me.

I could hear more footsteps closing in on my position. The leaves that lay strewn about the forest floor crunched in every passing second. Steel clanging against the leather sheaths of their owners rang in my ears, sending my hackles arise.

At this point, I had two choices: stay here and risk my well-being, fighting an unknown number of hostiles, plus the gigantic hulking man of metal that for some reason hadn’t already cleaved my body in two, or simply dash off into the forest again, that would end up with me getting pursued through the undergrowth by aforementioned metal man and the rest of the troop of Diamond Dogs.

Deciding that I would have better luck on the run instead of in the fray, I took off. My wings sent wave after wave of air down onto the field, propelling my body into the skies until I could reach a branch that would provide reasonable protection.

As if it was some kind of cruel joke on the rest of my opponents, seven Baraq emerged from the bushes behind me, weapons drawn and primed for the killing. You could probably imagine their faces upon discovering that I had up and vanished, leaving only the behemoth to keep them company.

One of the seven managed to catch wind of my location in the canopy, only for his fluids to be spilt across the footing where his allies stood. Flashing only a wink to the rest of my “unfortunate” victims before starting my escape from the battle-ground all over again.

Jumping, my feet came into contact with a limb about ten feet from my original position. Vibrations shook the branch as I took hold of the gargantuan trunk of the guardian of this forest to steady myself, lest I risk a terrible fall not unlike the one I had taken upon my arrival.

“Found you!” bellowed a voice from behind me. The declaration was immediately followed with the blunt force of a fist hitting my maw. With absolutely no warning, I found myself plummeting back down to the forest floor again, with a dizzying unfocused feeling accompanying me as various shapes moved outside of my hazy vision. My (no thanks to you, gravity) hit the dirt expanse of the battleground with a soft thud, leaving no wind in my lungs after the impact.

Unsteadily rising to my feet, I cleared the dirt from my face with a quick swipe of my paw before coming to face my attacker. Facing me was the leader of the Diamond Dogs; the big cheese; the Alpha male. The fangs of the remaining members of the pack flashed a diseased-ridden yellow spark, the howls of the canines filling the airwaves around me.

“Here kitty kitty.” He mocked as he licked his lips in sickening delight. A grotesque scar sheened with fresh blood, flowing in a river from his left eye down to his snout. The maw of the canine twitched and curled unpleasantly as the half-healed tissue seemed to twist, as if it were infected. “I’m only going to rip your throat out.” the sickening canine continued, baring his sickly charcoal teeth in blood-lust as the terrible odor of decaying corpses filled my nostrils. The smell seemed to stick in my throat, forcing the acidic contents of my stomach into my esophagus.

The charcoal canines of the Diamond Dog snapped forward. My ears fell backward with the screeching howl of teeth against metal with the canines of the canine coming into contact with my blade. Using this moment to my advantage, the steel of my weapons slickly cut through the skin of the jaws it had become trapped in. Blood flew from the new wound, splashing the eyes of the Alpha with his own life juices.

“Ooh... kitty’s got some claws.” spoke the Alpha, his voice poisoned like oily water.

Our eyes locked, both of us crossing one paw over the other, staying in a circular motion, never taking our eyes off each other. In our movements, the Diamond Dog’s blade slowly made its way from it sheath, screeching in its motions and sending my nerves into a frenzy.

“Hey Mr. Cuddlesworth, I’m getting bad juju from that thing. Might wanna stay away from the pointy edge. You know the one that could kill ya?”

Before I could get my chance at a little back-sass, I noticed what the falcon had been speaking of. The front edges of the Egyptian Scimitar had been serrated; this blade was meant for agonizing and unrelenting pain, not death. No wonder Dusk wants me to stay away from that thing.

“Aww biscuits n’ gravy. Now I remember. Sanity’s Pestilence. Oh boy, yeah, on second thought, stay the hell away from that thing.” The fear in Dusk’s voice sent my already frayed nerves into a panic.

The grip on my weapon tightened in fear. A stray droplet of sweat fell from my forehead and dampened the ground beneath me.

“Damn I remember this guy. Last owner I had got laid out for a smorgasbord of sickness cuz of him. Also, the sickness is relative to the hatred of the owner. And judging from the oh-so loving stares that dog’s giving you, I’d say you’re in for a world of hurt.”

‘Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?!’ I responded to my oh-so supportive ally.

“Whaddya think, you overgrown furball?! Rip this sucker a new one!”

Yeah; tell me something I don’t know.

“Oh, and I forgot to mention: if any of your blood gets on that blade, he’ll have complete control of every inch of your body. Your organs, bones, and nervous tissues. And trust me; the nut-jobs who get their hands on this weapon are some really creative torturer enthusiasts.”

The advice, however, had no chance to enter my thick skull, as the serrated edge of the scimitar buried my spear in the earth. My rear end decided to make like a tree and plant itself on the ground, though it did save me from having my jugular sliced for the (hang on)… third time in this bloody arena.

I needed time to plan my next attack. Unfortunately, time had become something of a luxury, and I my pockets were fresh out of dinero. Thankfully, I had a little “trust fund”, so to speak, and of all times, now was the time to cash in that check that’s been collecting dust in my cuirass.

A bundle of oxygen filled my lungs as I focused my thoughts on my oncoming attack. Shifting my concentration to the center of my half-closed palm, my arm thrust itself forward, releasing an invisible force of power that bought me all the time I needed.

The Alpha Dog was suddenly expulsed from my range of clairvoyance, tumbling across the forest floor and coming to a halt with a thud some fifty feet later. I could hear the weapon of my opponent clatter against the trunk of the tree as I rushed to take hold of my own armament.

Plucking my spear from the earth, I prepared a back-up to help push back those that would otherwise harm me. With my blade came eight freshly formed stones, each about the size of the average human skull, and thick enough to cause a heavy amount of trauma to whatever it happened to crash into.

What they were all going to crash into, however, was about ten feet tall with a chest of bronze and buns of steel. Quite literally.

Trees suddenly parted like the Red Sea to reveal the Juggernaut, the weapon of his persona, his gargantuan halberd, firmly in his grasp. Fresh drops of crimson liquid fell to the ground, drop after sluggish drop dripping from the edge of the axe-head.

In a panic of what might become of me should that one-man army get even a foot closer to my body, the boulders in my magical grasp shook as my concentration wavered. The stone grey armor groaned a deep war bellow as the body within shouted, lifting the halberd high in the air with, sunlight nearly blinding me with a cross of light from the head of the weapon.

Moving quickly, I forced the stones forward, the eight magically imbued items speeding towards the Juggernaut, who seemed barely fazed even as rocks the size of melons flew into its armored shell. The stones cracked upon impact before, falling to the floor in a shattered heap, completely useless again the plating of the warrior.

A low growl of frustration escaped my throat at my pathetic excuse for an assault. With nothing else in my mind other than blind instinct, I rushed toward the behemoth, praying to God, Allah and any other supernatural being of a higher plane that would listen to keep me alive in this suicidal move.

The halberd forced itself to the ground, compelled to move only by gravity. As the airwaves wailed as they were severed by the great weapon, my body flew over the head of the weapon as it just barely grazed the dermis of my cuirass. Landing back on my feet, I swung my spear in a horizontal arc, circling back around and striking upward, both swings leaving only scratches on the plating.

The left arm of the warrior swung into my chest, though failed to impact anything but air as I leapt into the skies, flipping over my opponent and jabbing at the small of his back. This only causing him minor annoyance as he turned around to face me, albeit it rather slowly.

The halberd arced to my abdomen. My spear found itself between the weapon’s course and my body, though I had naught the strength to withstand such a powerful blow.

The strike sent me barreling into twin trees. All manner of oxygen was lost to me as I could feel the bones in my legs crack upon impact. I struggled to get back onto my feet, falling back to my knees with agonizing pain washing over me. My body shook with my struggling, unable to support my body and leaving me open to all manner of attacks.

The Juggernaut began to slowly march towards my resting place, stomping each armored foot into the ground. The arena shook as his weight pounded the ground I kneeled on, nearly knocking me back onto my rear end once or twice.

‘Five feet’ I thought to myself as I continuously fought my limits, watching as the hulking statue came that much closer to killing me with every passing second.

‘Four feet’ rang in my head as I began to rise again. My face strained and twisted with pain as the crackling of my bones sent shivers down my spine.

‘Three feet’ I caught sight of the Alpha Dog re-emerging from wherever my magical assault had blasted him off to. He snarled in his rage, trails of saliva dripping from his wavering maw.

‘Two feet’ The Alpha charged, raising the scimitar in his grasp to eye-level, ready to skewer me with that crescent blade of his.

‘One foot’ My wings unfurled themselves, lifting me into the skies above the Juggernaut and over his head. Gliding over the steel soldier, I began to plummet just behind Mr. Alpha, delivering a swift kick to his spine before rolling back onto my feet. LIKE A BOSS.

The blow to the Diamond Dog (you’d better stop thinking that!) sent him tumbling forward, nearly tripping over his feet as he fell flat on his face. Metal clashing against metal rang out in the arena, myself smirking in successes and the Alpha lifting his head, only for it to fall with shock.

The scimitar, Insanity’s Pestilence, had broken through the wound that Dusk had used to mark what would end up being the wound to cease the Juggernaut’s existence. The blade that reeked of rotting graves, burning bodies and lack of personal hygiene had stuck itself in the back of the Juggernaut, cracking open two inch gash as the armor cracked near the killing blow.

The cracks from the crevice continued to spread across the steel, painting the plating in fragility until the armor had become as a broken sidewalk in New York. With the integrity of the armor finally reaching its limits, the steel shattered, falling to the ground in a heap of glass-edged slivers atop the topaz blade of the scimitar.

The Alpha snarled, gritting his onyx teeth as he reached for his blade amongst the shrapnel of what used to be a towering suit of armor. The scar across his snout gleamed in the reflection of the blade, showing twisted lips and foam being excreted from the cracks in his teeth.

The Diamond Dog whirled his body, bringing his blade with him. The yellow steel of the scimitar met the onyx metal of my spear, sending sparks flying as the ringing of steel against steel rang in our ears.

The Diamond Dog shoved the black blade from his path, skimming the skin of my cuirass before returning with a vertical strike. The flat of my blade stopped his as I delivered a swift knee to his stomach to counter, followed by my foot coming into contact with his face.

The canine stumbled backwards, holding his blade up in defense as my spear came down on top of it. My muscle strained as my veins showed through my fur, struggling to break through the defenses of the topaz scimitar. Alas, my onyx blade was forced backwards as I suddenly found myself five feet off the ground to avoid a strike from Alpha that undoubtedly would’ve rendered both my armor and my body useless.

Flipping back to where my field of perception wasn’t distorted by crazy acrobatics, the topsoil froze into a thick layer of permafrost, immobilizing the Alpha dog in his tracks. The canine struggled, twisting his body and even going as to smack his paws with the flat of his blade to crack the ice, but to no avail.

Pointing Dusk forward, as if the blade had become a lance, I charged for the Diamond Dog. My pupils glistened with the thrill of my next kill nearly firmly in my grasp.

A cry of agony made its way into the outside world as the black edge of my blade sunk into the body of the Alpha dog. His organs, veins and muscle squirmed and leaked the precious life-juices as my spear twisted in his body, tearing through his armor and letting the life drain from his systems.

*Schlik*

“AAH!”

I stumbled backwards a few steps, clutching my arm in pain. Crimson fluids ran from the wound, staining my palm a deep red. I let a low growl escape my throat, my victim evilly chuckling as shallow coughs sprayed blood over the earth in front of him.

“Hope… you enjoy… my gift” the Alpha whispered between hacks and desperate gasps for breath.

The light faded away from the canine’s pupils as Death claimed his soul, and his body fell to the forest floor with the rest of his fluids leaking from the open wound.

έχθρα

The amber eyes of the feline warrior quivered in his stillness, Abyss simply standing in the midst of the battlefield. He ears failed to register the mourning howls of the Diamond Dogs around him at the loss of their Alpha, the drawing of their weapons coming soon after their laments.

The pupils of Abyss suddenly grew to maximum diameter, the feline chuckling to himself as he head remained pointed skyward, completely oblivious to the canines centering on his location. The guffaws of the feline grew louder and more rapid; his tone dripped with nothing less than pure insanity. These blood-halting cackles, however, did no good to impede the canines with their ambitions for vengeance.

Three feet from their victim, the pack of Diamond Dogs raised their weapons to strike.

But they would never have the chance to spill the feline’s innards.

One of the Diamond Dogs, the third canine from the right, fell to his knees, releasing his weapon and clutching his skull in agony. Blood-curdling screams, those of which the rest of the pack cringed at, flooded the airwaves above Abyss and the Diamond Dogs. The claws of the one in pain dug into the dermis of his skull, fresh blood emanating from the openings.

The shrieks of the Diamond Dog continued to grow in amplitude, reaching decibel after decibel in sound as sanguine fluids never ceased to leak from the holes in his skull.

Finally, the canine’s cries for mercy, pain and relinquish from this agonizing torture were ended. The Diamond Dog fell to the floor of the forest, unmoving; non-reactant; non-responsive. Abyss unfurled his paw, his face twisting into that of a murder, crazed by the high his fresh kill had transmitted.

With this new found power tightly gripped in his clutches, Abyss’ gaze shot to the remaining canines as the feline selected his next two victims in his torture. The orbs of Abyss chose his new targets, the two Dogs at the ends of the force.

The canines began to uncontrollably walk to meet each other, their pack-mates watching helplessly as they bodies remained stationed where they stood.

The weapons of the two Diamond Dogs, a twin pair of daggers and a chain-whip short-sword, rose to meet each other in front of the gaze of their wielders. The limbs of the canines trembled with fear in the realization of their fates. Single tears fell from the pupils of the warriors as the blades quickly sliced the air beside their steel.

Along with the throats of their wielders.

The bodies of the Diamond Dogs fell into their collapse, the fluids that had sustained the two canines leaking from the fresh wounds. A river of blood flowed out from the two corpses as they continued to convulse in their final moments of life, before the light faded from the eyes of the warrior.

The final three Diamond Dogs, now gaining the attention of the power-drunken Abyss, suddenly snapped to their knees, letting out their own screams of undying torture in an ungodly chorus straight from Tartarus.

Abyss closed his distance between him and his newest playthings with every passing stride, plucking his weapon from the corpse of the Alpha. Not a single drop of blood remained on the blade of the weapon from where it had been in the body of the great wolf.

Standing in front of the three Diamond Dogs, the eyes of the feline flared with a devilish fire, the self-possessed warrior deep in thought in how he would end the lives of these three mutts.

Coming to the first canine, starting at the left, Abyss motioned his arm upward. The Diamond Dog rose to his feet, arms and legs outstretched and awaiting their fates. Abyss swung his blade at the right arm of the Dog, severing the forearm of his enemy clean from its socket. The feline let his weapon rise again, and again it severed a limb; the left forearm of the unnamed Diamond Dog. Abyss twirled the spear in his paws, swinging the staff and slashing the kneecaps of the canine, near-silently chuckling to himself as the Diamond Dog bowed before Abyss once more. The fur of the canine had been mixed with the blood from his wounds, no longer a pure ashen coat, but a misty maroon, just lighter than chestnut.

The onyx metal of Remnant of Dusk shadowed the fields that were once bathed in sunlight, cutting what was once the unyielding warmth of the dynamo cold with the very essence of Death itself.

With one final movement of his arm, Abyss severed the Carotid Artery of the Diamond Dog, draining what remaining fluids that had stayed in his system through the fresh gash in his throat.

Satisfied with his results, Abyss moved to his next victim; the center Diamond Dog.

To begin, the blade of Dusk sank into the earth, Abyss preferring to… “get his hands dirty” for this execution. The feline swirled his tongue around the rim of his mouth, relishing the essence of sweet blood-lust on the edge of his lips. Oh, how he savored ever second of his victims agonizing pain and misery.

The arm of Abyss shot forward, grasping the forearm of the Diamond Dog and sinking his claws into the soft flesh of the canine. The sanguine liquid of the victim poured from the four holes in his arm, Abyss snapping hit backwards and shattering the bones within the limb. Taking hold of the second appendage, Abyss swiftly and unmercifully repeated the act, the never-ending cries of the Diamond Dog silenced with the sheer amount of pain overtaking his body.

The feline lifted his leg to the face of the canine, thrusting it downward onto that of the Diamond Dog. The femur of the warrior was completely broken on impact, increasing the agony of the poor Diamond Dog tenfold. Without any hesitation or room to breathe, Abyss’ leg snapped forward again, shattering the accompanying femur in the leg of the canine.

The Diamond Dog, as he continued to drown, resurface, and begin to drown all over again in the overwhelming pain, looked into the inferno in Abyss’ eyes, begging him to simply stop the pain and let him go.

Oh; Abyss would certainly stopped the pain.

In a flash of hazel fur overlaid with pitch-black stripes, the neck of the Diamond Dog snapped with a sickening crack. The corpse of the canine fell over in a heap of broken bones and malformed limbs, not going through a single surplus movement as the final breaths of oxygen were exhaled from the deceased Diamond Dog.

The heartbeat of the final Diamond Dog, the hound of the far right, echoed in his thick and shaky skull, pounding into his eardrums and drowning out the rest of the outside world. Not even his screams of misery that continued to ring out through the jungle, could penetrate the pure fear that flowed through the canine’s veins.

Abyss faced his final victim with the unnerving gaze of a sadist, not even bothering to pick up his weapon to finish this trifecta of unholy, ungodly and unearthly executions.

“Would you like to know” Abyss spoke to the Diamond Dog. “Why I prefer my paws, over the edge of my blade?” The right paw of the feline clutched the chin of the Diamond Dog, locking his eyes with the canine’s as he continued in his monologue. “Blades are much too quick. You can’t get all the… little… emotions from slitting the throat of your victim.” Abyss released the skull of the Diamond Dog, circling back around and taking a few steps forward. “And, you see, in their last moments, a person reveals who they really are, so, in a way, I know your pack-mates better than you ever did.” A smirk, a sickening, sadistic, sociopathic smirk broke across the maw of Abyss the Baraq. “Would you like to know which of them were cowards?”

The paw of Abyss began to curl itself into a four fingered claw, the talons of the warrior protruding from the peaks of the appendages.

“All of them.”

The skull of the Diamond Dog snapped before it was plucked off the shoulders of its body, the corpse letting the floodgates of death flow outward onto the battleground as the disembodied skull fell to the floor, rolling across the vines and soil before coming to a stop at Abyss’ feet.

The twisted smile that rivaled that of another feline from another world remained on the maw of Abyss. The feline knelt to the head at his feet, snatching from the ground, examining it with meticulous accuracy. He was obviously satisfied with his prize

Though he would not be able to partake in the pleasures of his continuously and rapidly growing insanity.

The cracking of limbs rang in the ears of the maddened feline. His cries for mercy and agony replaced those of the Diamond Dogs that he had so freshly killed. Droplets of sanguine liquid splashed across the grounds of the arena as Abyss fell to his paws and knees. His pupils dilated with his pain as he cries grew silent for a scarce few seconds before they began once again. Abyss’ body whiplashed as the warrior clutched his skull in an poor and futile attempt to end his maddening suffering.

The cracking of bones and the shattering what remained of his mentality was the only thing that Abyss knew of at this point.

“Please! Dear Lord, please! Make it stop!” Abyss cried out into the skies above him. His desperate pleas for sanctuary raced throughout the jungles, resonating of the walls of the arena and returning to feline’s ear-drums.

As if by the will of a being from a higher plane, the unbearable torture that had nearly brought Abyss to complete madness came to a rest. The cries of Abyss silenced themselves, becoming only whispers among the trees and flowers and creatures that lay strewn throughout the surroundings of the warrior.

Abyss raised his head to find Remnant of Dusk, clutching the amethyst atop the blade that held his spirit.

“A monument to all your sins.” Spoke the violet falcon, a new voice joining his before his body sank back into the gem that held the soul of the avian.

Abyss sat at the foot of the weapon he clutched in his defense, ashamed at the atrocities that he relished in committing. He had performed ungodly murders with magic of the darkest origins, simply to get a kick from the high. Lone tears fell from the eyes of the disgraced warrior.

έχθρα

‘How could I have let myself sink so low?’ I thought to myself. I had mercilessly mutilated the bodies of six Diamond Dogs. And I took pleasure in it! For the first time in my experiences in this hell-hole, I felt guilt growing in my heart for taking the life of another.

But I always had another chance. Another chance to make things right.

My unspeakable horrors would not go unpunished. I knew that full well. But I still had a fight to win. If I was going to kill another man in battle, his death would be fitting of the acts that he has committed; nothing more, nothing less.

With my resolve restored and my will regained, I rose back to my feet. Taking my staff in hand, I strove through the undergrowth in the forest, eyes blazing with the fires of war as I prepared myself for my final opponent.

Well, that’s it for this chapter! You all know what’s coming next! Anyway, am I boring you guys with this story? I mean, I want this story to entertain you readers. If I’m not doing my job, what do you want me to change? I value input as much as the next person, so please provide as much as possible. Well, until next chapter

I’m Batman.