Smiting Flames

The choir mistress seemed to be taking the steps two or three at a time to escape the depths below the ground. As she rose into the sun, soft tears fell down her face as she remembered the images of those poor cursed souls down below. Her heart wasn't built for this but she knew her task was that of the church as she waited for the Hunter to arrive beyond her.

Veltra took his time walking up the steps, the statue keeping it's silent watch over him as they walked. He rather enjoyed the fear and sorrow he could smell coming off the pony that ran up ahead of him. Oh how he would truly enjoy this hunt. He didn't have to do their bidding, but it made it more fun when he ate and massed a small force of thralls while he stalked whatever they wanted him to. Simply being free from that accursed prison was well enough for him. The statue of his mistress of the night and how she was shown as their secondary champion had almost made his blood boil, though for now he planned how he would sink his fangs into that delicate neck of the choir mistress.

It took a few minutes for the choir mistress to hear the solid thuds of the statue of her glorious savior as it proceeded behind the abomination of a pony. She shivered again at simply looking at his blood red eyes before he started to walk up, stopping just before the light before sighing. After the first step she saw as his skin and fur started to shift and change. No longer was he pale and thin as a stick. His body filled itself as she now eyed the rather tall black coated earth stallion standing before her. His robes changed into those of breeches, and a jerkin of a traveler. Long strands of pure white hair flowed down his head, easily collecting itself into a ponytail as a black band of shadows wrapped itself around the base to form a ponytail. If she did not know his true nature, see the blood red eyes he had, and noticed the glint of his fang in the smile he gave her she would say he was the most handsome stallion she had ever seen.

"Ah the light graces your form miss, may the light of it always protect you." His voice was smooth and deep, making her body almost react instinctively to the comfort it gave her heart. Truly he was a monster as she stepped back, scared at how easily his allure to her was.

"B-back monster, your serve the church. Now behave!" She almost shouted as she stood firm, watching the statue drag the pedestal back into place to hide away the stairs and catacombs.

Veltra simply laughed a little before moving to admire the garden around them, noticing how there was no sign of Luna anywhere. The fact that the Mistress of the Night, Queen of Dreams, and Shepherd of the Stars had no representation in even a single symbol among the golden symbols of the bitch known as Celestia. "Well miss, why don't you lead me to your master for you are simply a dog sent to fetch a toy. We both know you are not high enough to cast a vote on things such as this. So take me to thy master wench."

The choir mistress glared at him for a moment, casting her eyes towards the sky as she tried to retain her composure. "You truly are a vile creature without a soul. My name is Holy Harmonics not wench, now behave or else we'll entrap you again and simply call forth another Hunter." Her glare was harsh as she turned away from him, hearing the statue mount the pedestal before returning to it's guarding position.

Veltra almost purred as he watched Holy walk away, his eyes were drawn to her form as a forked tongue flickered across his fangs before falling in step behind her. "Apologies, but I come from a time where mare's place was not standing but upon their knees where they truly belong."

Holy seethed at the comment, watching the other clerics and sisters ward themselves in the symbol of the sun when they passed or got too close. It burned her inside that such a barbarian was bound to her will by the ancient magics gifted by Celestia. Slowly she wandered the halls of the church before arriving at a rather ornate double doors, easily large enough to allow the largest of stallions entry in full armor. This was the Sanctum O Fire, the headquarters for the Holy Paladins of the Celestial Order. Normally two recruits stood guard at the doors, constantly reciting prayers of battle. A chill ran down her spine as she noticed that the pair she expected were gone from their post. Slowly she pushed the door open, having a bit of trouble with the heavy mahogany, enchanted, steel inner lined door.

Veltra rolled his eyes before reaching up a hand to press the door open, though once his hand touched the door he cried out in pain. The sun symbol upon the door had suddenly blazed to life, the flame quickly assaulting his arm before her shoved the door open. It swung easily open, the fire still blazing upon his arm as he looked for the closet shadow. It was rather hard, given almost every surface. There under a bench was the answer as he dove to the ground, quickly shoving his arm under before the flames could consume his bones. He groaned as the flames were engulfed by the shadows, quickly cutting off the air to it. He sighed in relief before pulling his arm back and standing up, looking towards the room as he glared at the door.

Holy looked back at his arm as the bone was black with soot, the muscle, tendons, and skin burned down to the elbow as the bones seemed connected by magic. She watched as his face seemed to focus in on his elbow, watching as the blood that was seeping from the wound started to rush out. It soon coated his whole hand, forming a shape similar to the hand before starting to swirl and bend itself as the tendons started to form, muscles coming soon after. She saw the muscles flex as he curled his fingers as skin began forming over the flesh. It was disgusting as she almost lost her breakfast the second time that day.

Heavy footsteps alerted Holy of someone coming behind her as she turned to see Sacred Faith standing there, his armor scuffed a little as she noticed the dried blood resting upon his pauldrons and down the side of his armor where he lost his eyes. Her throat sealed itself shut as she reached out a hand to softly brush his cheek and see the scar running along his face and through the white milky eye. "Oh my guardian, you are marred by the demon that descended. I pray for you." She closed her eyes for a moment as tears leaked from her eyes before she felt a rough hand upon her cheek, a thumb wiping the tears away.

"My beautiful jewel, your guardian shall always protect you from the world and ensure your safety." Sacred Faith smiled as he leaned in to softly kiss Holy's forehead before standing tall as he stepped past her to view the Hunter. "Ah an Umbrian, you may be just what we need for this prey. Your task in simple, the prey is a fallen angel. One who desecrated this holy church, and slew most of the Holy Paladins of the Celestial Order. Find them and return them to the cathedral, alive, Hunter."

Veltra stared at the stallion before him, knowing that in the state he was and the time of day he stood no match for such a warrior. Even if he were at full strength leading a large force he still doubted being able to win against such a force of nature. Most couldn't see the magic beings gave off, but this man was an angry geyser of magic, so pure was the light from him that Veltra felt weak simply being in his presence. The umbrian simply bowed his head low, touching it to the ground before slinking back from the stern gaze of Sacred Faith. He could feel the burning feeling of the fire on his back as he turned and began walking down the hallways. It was unnerving for a hunter of the night, one who feasted on the blood and the entrails of their enemy. This mighty hunter was simply dominating in his own right, though the one who wounded him must have power equal or even overwhelming compared to him.

Veltra emerged into the streets, feeling the blazing down beat down upon him as the streets were cleared out as the residents had panicked. He could taste the fear and uncertainty on the air, a smile crossed his lips as a long forked tongue flicked over his fangs before they sunk back and turned into normal teeth. His body still the full earth stallion shape, but his eyes slowly turned from red towards a soft blue as he began walking through the streets. He could smell the blood on the air, walking down the back streets as he followed the disgusting taste of a holy man's energy. Veltra still felt a bit of smug satisfaction at the fact that the paladin was injured, though he will savor the taste of that choir mistress. He'll even ensure the paladin surrenders before that comes, and with him powerless he will feast upon the mare.

Veltra stopped at the end of an alley, looking down to see a large group of guards and a few paladins standing around a crater on one side of the street. His eyes flicked a bit as they quickly grew to slits, the auras of everyone standing out brightly in the alley. He noticed that there was a dark red aura in the alley, the trails evaporating at this point but coming from a point in the crater. Veltra smirked a bit as he realized that there was a hell hound here at one point, so who ever he was after had the ability to command fiends and abominations. His eyes blinked as the lids slide from left to right to meet in the middle before his eyes normalized to the light baby blue. He decided to stand by the alley, seeming to shiver and sink down as a homeless beggar. His clothes becoming disheveled as rips appeared in his clothes, his hair becoming tangled and stiff. Finally the odor of his body become putrid, a rat crawling up towards him even seem to scrunch it's face before running back away.

Veltra waited, knowing that a cat who waits patiently shall catch the mouse trying to sneak around. So he sat there, using his ears to focus on the alley for a few moments as bits and pieces of conversation were coming down to him. The usual jokes and arguments of the guards that usually did such. It was interesting to hear a few of them were single, though no quite feminine voices were heard down the alley. It made him frown as it told him that he wouldn't have a bit of fun on his next meal unless he went through the city that had guards on high alert. He even noticed the soft voices of a few paladins and clerics from down there.

"Did you hear, the grand order has only Sacred Faith left." One guard commented under his breath to another as they walked towards the end of the alley.

"Sssh! Glinting Steel, you need to keep your gossip to yourself. I don't want to be caught up in some sort of gossip you heard from eavesdropping on someone of higher rank." The guard seemed to shoulder check his companion before marching off down the street, heading towards the barracks.

Veltra smiled as he watched the guard known as Glinting Steel start to make his way towards the market, seeming to begin a patrol. Neither of them seeming to notice the bum as they walked past, which made his smirk grew even wider before he started to stand up, shape forming into the guard that had walked towards the barracks. He cracked his neck as the new wings seemed to flutter for a moment before he started to walk down the street towards the walls and gate. It was a sad sight seeing no one out and about, a city like this should be awake with life, not doors shut and windows barred from the inside. His eyes even with the normal glare of sun and drain of his power from it could tell all hearts in the area were aflutter with fear and terror. The scent of fear was almost toxic to him and his kind loved indulging in the scent of it from their prey, but when it was this thick and crushing it made his stomach nausea.

A shiver went down his spine as he saw a group of initiates run past towards the site, several of them with several reagents and a few trinkets for a few of the stronger spells a cleric could cast. Veltra could just feel the holy aura coming from all of those trinkets and it just made him fear this hunt a bit more when they had to resort to all of those. It meant this fallen angel was all that more powerful, having taken out almost all the Holy Order and left their leader alive.

Veltra slowly made his way towards the wall, a mighty forty foot tall stone structure made out of solid granite stones easily five feet tall and five wide. Each one easily weighing twenty full men, requiring several strong earth stallions, and a dozen unicorns with the heaviest lifting ability. He moved up the steps carved into the side before he sighed out towards the forest. His nostrils flared as he caught the fresh forest scent, his wings spread wide as they gave a soft flap.

"So the hunt begins, now let's see where the journey will take me." Veltra spread his wings nice and wide, walking towards the edge before stepping onto the battlements. He took a nice deep breath before leaning forward, eventually falling as his wings caught the wind and he started out towards the forest up above the treetops. His form shifting to his original black wide shouldered stallion, his wings a deep blue as his eyes shifted to observe the forest. A smirk crossed his face as he spied a smoke trail several miles out, a dip of his wings started him towards the south from the city.