Chapter 12: The Black Death

  --A week ago at the capital, right after Allana took her own life--

  Lord Randal and Declan had presented themselves to King Hans Mendelos.

  "Your Grace" Lord Randal greeted as he fell on one knee, right hand clasped in a fist over his left breast, saluting and bowing before his king and sovereign. He motioned Declan to follow his lead and bow before the king.

  The angel reluctantly bowed, since he will only bow to his master, but he also cannot disobey an order.

  "Stand up you fool!" King Hans Mendelos said in a voice that was seething with rage.

  "Do you really think I am stupid to not realize what you have been planning Lord Randal?! These things that you have been doing as of late must end, one way or another!" Continued the king slamming his fist at the arm of the throne.

  The whole court composed of thirty five nobles and lords from all over the land was silent, none of them dared to speak, none of them wanted to get embroiled in the quarrel of the king and the most powerful lord in the entire kingdom.

  "Your Grace, you got it all wrong…" Lord Randal calmly started.

  "SILENCE!!! I will not allow you to summon anymore abominations like THAT!" King Hans yelled as he pointed his finger towards the still bowing Declan.

  "Five hundred years ago, all of us would have perished because of fools like you who dabble with forces that are too great for men to control. We got lucky that time, but I would be damned if I let another Godsbane war happen during my time!"

  Lord Randal just stood still and silent, he let the king vent out his anger, and took all of the insults directed at him stoically. The king's voice faded from his mind as he was already planning his next move. 

  He already had many nobles that were supporting his cause, these like minded nobles also wanted to obtain the powers of the primordials. But they have a very huge obstacle to their plan; the king himself.

  "May I take my leave then if his Grace has nothing more to say?" Randal said it with such a cold voice that even the king was taken aback.

  Hans Mendelos then waved Randal away, dismissing him from his presence. 

  "Get out of my sight!"

 Randal bowed as he left the courtroom. Making sure that he was already out of earshot, Lord Randal started to casually stroke his mustache. 

  "The king must be removed from the equation then…" and that was a rather pleasant thought.

  A few steps behind him, Declan nodded in agreement.

 The pair started walking along the length of the palace corridors, until they finally reached their destination; the western veranda.

 Turning to face Declan, Lord Randal took out his brass cigar case from his heavy coat inner pocket and started to smoke in the cold night air.

  "We must act now, the best time to strike is when your enemies are caught unawares. We must first eliminate the strongest supporters of the crown, those people will become a bigger problem if they are not dealt with earlier… Let's start with the king's closest friend and champion; Lord Arsenon Regnum."

  "As you command master" Declan replied, then spread his wings and flew up, completely understanding what his master wanted to happen.

  Lord Randal looked on as his familiar took to the skies and disappeared from sight. He then continued to smoke his cigar in peace.

  "You finally made your move, eh Randal?" A disembodied voice whispered.

 "You will have what you want… just remember our deal; I will get you the Key, and you give me the whole kingdom…" Randal replied calmly.

 "But of course…" the voice said as it faded.

   "So it begins…" Lord Randal said in a low voice as he flicked his cigar into the darkness.

                   ......….

  Soaring high up the sky, over the clouds during night time is the only time Declan is truly content, up above with the clouds, a deep sense of tranquility rules his entire being.

 The crisp cold winds biting the leathery skin of his wings like a thousand tiny daggers that pose no threat. The feeling that is similar to a cascading river that flows through the entirety of his body, lungs breathing the cool fresh air, the wind blowing his long black wavy hair, the feeling of absolute freedom under the beautiful canopy of starlight.

  High above the clouds, there is no master, he is his own master, no one to order him on how to fly or how to glide. For a brief period of time when he is up here, he is truly at peace.

  He noticed fire burning down below on the ground. Curious, he dived down to take a much closer look.

   It was a small mining village on fire. He is guessing that orc raiders from the mountain nearby must have discovered that there is a small settlement of miners here that has minimal defenses and is an easy target.

   The Orc raiders descended on the miners like a storm, waving their crude spears and jagged swords, they slaughtered as they went, cutting down the miners one by one.

  Some of those who were quick to react started to mount a defense of some sort. Armed with anything, from mattocks and shovels, they tried desperately to protect their people.

 Declan noticed one particular defender, he was a young man, probably a son of one of the miners, despite being overwhelmed, he kept fighting with just a rusty pickaxe as a weapon. He swung his pickaxe in an arc over his head and embedded the tip of the pick at an orc's skull, killing it instantly. He then replaced his old weapon with the crude sword that the dead orc dropped.

  Declan, got curious about the young man, he knows that sooner or later, they would be wiped out by the better armed and much stronger orc raiders, why not run away instead and save himself, he can obviously escape unnoticed amidst the chaos and confusion. 

  "Stupid human" Declan silently whispers.    

  Tatsu couldn't believe his eyes as he saw his friends being massacred by orcs. He knows he lacks the skill and power to do anything. 

  They are simple folks, poor miners, they don't have the proper education on harnessing their mana and controlling MAGIC nor do they have the gold to hire mercenaries to act as guards at the local guild. They were already miserable to begin with, and now the little they have will be taken from them at the price of their very lives.

  His tears start flowing, not because of fear, but because of his frustration and helplessness. He tightly held the crude sword of the dead orc and with a loud battle cry, he charged straight to the mêlée. 

 Tatsu swings his sword like a possessed man, hacking and slashing at anything that didn't look human. 

  He came across a huge orc with a nasty scar across his face and a yellowed tusk jutting upward. He started swinging the jagged sword at the orc, a thin crimson line formed at the orc's massive shoulder as he managed to connect a grazing slash. 

  He felt elated by the hit, and gained some confidence at the same time. Bolder, he pressed his attack, as he once again slashes the orc, drawing another red line, now across its bare chest.

  This only infuriated the orc. Getting cut by this puny man, he made a counter attack by thrusting his spear towards Tatsu. The young man can only look in terror, as the tip of the spear sped towards his heart and time crawled to a stop for him.

 Declan was amused by the human's tenacity, even though he clearly knew that he was outmatched, he decided to fight on. This is one thing the angel regards above all else. He felt a deep sense of respect for the young man, something that he has not felt since the day he was summoned to this world.

  He saw the orc's spear about to skewer the young man and without thinking, like a streak of pure darkness, placed himself between the young man and the spear.

  "Foolish kid… Don't throw your life recklessly!" Looking behind his shoulders, Declan scolded the young man.

  Tatsu's mouth was agape as he stared at his savior, a man with bat wings, gold eyes "A bat man?" He thought, but he was sure that this person is no ally of the orcs, aside from saving him from certain death, he can speak in the common tongue, and there is no way that someone as handsome as him can be evil.

  Declan's fingernails start to grow longer and sharper, akin to claws. Faster than a blink, he leapt forward to the orc and plunged his claw in it's broad chest, ripping out the still beating heart. Surprised and dumbstruck orc can only look at his own heart before it falls down dead.

  He then proceeded to attack the rest of the orc raiders, like a black death ripping heads and disemboweling every orc he came across. A shower of orc blood has painted the village red. Some of the remaining raiders saw the carnage and decided that this job is not worth losing their lives over, fled away to the darkness, back to whence they came.

 The leader of the raiding party watched the newcomer intently, a powerful orcish shaman, he knew what Declan is, it's very hard to miss the gold eyes of an angel, and he knew that he would be a very serious problem. But he also knew how to handle him.

  The shaman then took out from a pocket hidden in his robes a ring artifact. It has been ages since he used this. It is his trump card in case things like this happens, when he is forced to face a powerful primordial like an angel. 

Artifact Ring of Gerbera

Grants Fevered Strength and Speed

 Wearing the ring on his right forefinger, the shaman orc felt the power of the artifact swelling within him, from his present state of being a tired and decrepit orc, his body started to grow more straight, raising his height up to a full six feet. His body became much younger, ripples of corded muscles started to form.

  His arms swole as huge biceps started to appear, his chest broadened and started to become ripped, as his pectorals became prominent and his abdominal muscles tightened in an eight pack. Feeling an overwhelming strength surge, the shaman roared a challenge to the angel.

  Declan heard the challenge, his right hand still holding the decapitated head of an orc raider, thick blood slowly dripping from it's severed neck. Seeing the shaman, he casually tossed the decapitated head toward the orc's feet. The orc stood at an impressive height, ripped with muscles... a green brute, naked from the waist up, body filled with orcish tattoos that added a sense of menace to his already impressive physique.

 The orc flashed a grin filled with yellowed teeth, eyes glowing red, he then motioned Declan to come closer and raised his fists. 

 He formed his fighting stance; planting his feet on the ground in parallel, his right heel slightly off the ground, his massive left fist held up about a few inches from his unpleasant face at eye level while his right fist was held beside his chin with his elbow tucked against his rib cage to protect his body. His narrow gaze pierced through the angel's soul as he stilled to concentrate for their upcoming collision. It was clear that the orc wanted this fight to be settled with fists.

  Declan loved the idea. 

  Smiling confidently, he retracted his claws and clenched his fists, raising them up with the knuckles just below his forehead, his left forearm pointing towards the orc. His elbows angled out, and his left foot slightly moved back, allowing his stance to become an indirect message that this is how angels take form in close combat.

  The angel and orc slowly circled one another, each waiting for the other to make a move, the tension in the air was so tight that you could almost taste it.

 Suddenly, like a stinging bee, the orc shaman threw a left cross, which Declan easily deflected with his right hand, slapping it away.

  Declan countered with a left, hitting the orc squarely on his massive chest, staggering the brute. He completed a two punch combination by following it with a straight right punch, connecting at the orc's chin, then as soon as the enemy flew back slightly, he quickly grabbed his forearm and with great force, threw him overhead, slamming him on the ground with a thunderous crash.

  The orc shaman, planted flat on his back, all the air in his lungs completely gone was shocked by such a smooth transition of attacks. Looking straight up, he saw Declan about to stomp his foot over his head, with enhanced reflexes, he quickly rolled out of the way narrowly avoiding the descending foot of the angel.

  Getting up, the mighty orc dug the balls of his feet to the ground, he  started to bend his knee and waist until his powerfully massive thighs and back were nearly parallel to the ground. He placed his muscle corded arms in front of him, touching the ground for added support.

  The orc launched himself towards the angel like a crossbow bolt, putting all of his body weight in his right fist as he threw a cracking straight punch at Declan.

  BAM! 

  A small localised shockwave was created as the punch connects cleanly to Declan's face.

 The angel felt the sting of the powerful punch, staggering him. Touching his lips, saw his own blood staining his fingertips.

  "That was fucking strong, I'll give you that..." He acknowledged spitting out the remaining blood on his mouth.

  Declan closed the distance between him and the orc in a split second, throwing a combination of punches towards the body and head of the orc. The orc frantically held up his massive arms to block the sudden onslaught of punches, but Declan relentlessly continued to throw.

   Peering through his defenses, the orc  finally found an opening from the barrage, and with both hands, grabbed the back of Declan's head and drove it straight into his rising knee, so strongly, causing the angel's nose to actually break.

  Declan had enough; breaking his nose made him very pissed, he decided that this game has gone on for too long now and it's about time he finally got a little serious. The angel began attacking the orc once again, throwing a left cross using thirty percent of his true strength. 

  The angel threw a left. The hand speed was unreal, the orc instinctively raised his massive arms to block the incoming attack. The orc shaman was fast. Still, no matter how fast he was, he wasn't fast enough to block the angel's fist as it sped past the guard, landing on the right side of the orc's jaw with a wet and sickening thud. A look of confusion formed at the orc's eye. 

  "Something is not right…" it thought.

   The orc saw the ground rushing up to meet him, and then all was black.

  Declan stared at the dead jawless orc shaman shrank in size as the ring's power loses its potency now that the owner is dead.

   He took the ring from the dead orc's finger and tossed it to the still shocked Tatsu, who couldn't believe what he saw that night.

  "Keep that kid, it may help you in the future. Be stronger if you want to protect what is important to you… this world does not take kindly to the weak." 

  Declan turned away from the young man and spread his wings, ready to take flight once more.

 "WAIT!!!" Tatsu yelled at the last moment, stopping Declan from taking off. 

  "Wait… what is your name?"

  Declan stood still and silent for a few seconds, contemplating.

  Finally he spoke. 

  "I am Declan… The Black Death… but you…" 

  He dramatically pointed his finger towards Tatsu, a handsome grin forming on his face.

 "You can call me Daddy!" 

  With a mischievous grin, amid the splattered blood on his nose, Declan took to the skies once more.

  Tatsu looked on until he could no longer see the bat winged angel. Inspecting the ring on his dirty hand, he vowed to get stronger until fate finally lets him meet the angel again.