Angel - 7

"There is no need to mince words, as this will be the first of many, and certainly not the only." Gabriel declared, spitting down with anger at the noble below him.

There were others in the crowd, those dressed in opulent outing wear. Those that looked both shocked and worried, as if they would come next.

Then there were the nobles that were just genuinely shocked, and rightfully worried that this was wrong. That Gabriel's judgment had not rooted out a rightful person but a victim.

"I will tell this only once. I have found an art piece, no, to call it that would be disgraceful to the victims, no it is a horrid abomination. Using the entrails and organs of citizens like you, this man,"

Gabriel points to the bloodied noble below him.

"Has created what he would call an art piece, butchering and torturing the poor souls until their untimely death. Thus I will burn him at the stake, there is no need for me to give evidence, as any that would want to see can do so themselves, and those that despite seeing the evidence, would call him innocent, I am watching."

It might be draconian, against all due process. But to catch the man in the act, to find that he had created that monstrosity. It burned a hole of anger in his stomach.

And all Gabriel could do to fill that hole was to root out all of this.

So without any more dallying, he placed the noble onto a pile of wood. A slight spark that ignited the inferno.

His screams rang through the town with a fury, pleading and asking for help. Even as those morbidly curious went to go see the horrid architecture of the noble's own design.

Even against Gabriel's own warning. They saw it, and ran out to throw up, most didn't make it and the smell below was even greater.

There was a tension in the city that could not be ignored. The commoners looked to all noble's that dared to walk around with suspicion, turning their whole days around just to avoid their eyes.

And even further, there was more, a certain group skulking about at night. Searching for more evidence. To set to rest this affront to the goddess.

…

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…

"May I ask, Lord Gabriel, what the meaning of this morning was?" Vahn asked, his tone as dead as ever. Yet between it there was a bit of praise that could barely be picked up.

"He deserved it, I do not care for the mortal consequences," Gabriel fluttered his wings as if to say that he, an angel, was not weighed down by mortal concerns.

"I see. But there was a better way, you could have brought him to me, I could have cut his tongue in a sharper manner, scried the whereabouts of his accomplices with ease."

Gabriel thought for a moment, but shook his head once more.

"It would have been too easy." Gabriel turned his head to the window his voice trailing off into the background.

Minutes passed just like that, both of them reveling in the silence.

"You know what I see out there?" Gabriel asked.

"No." Vahn responded, his tone equally as quiet as Gabriel's.

"I see panic, the citizens are distrustful of the noble's they once thought protected them. The noble's are wary that there might be a rebellion."

"Yes, that is what I see too, but I also see the damage this has caused, to your reputation. The commoner's might see you as an angel of wrath, bringing forth flame to the infidels, but to the noble's those of real power, they see you as a threat. One that even they can not touch."

"Yes, it would seem like that, but have you considered what this would cause. The butchering of a noble, especially a visiting one as most are, is not seen kindly."

"It is not, they would bring forth an army to hunt you, and seeing as they can not do that currently, not without the assurance of your power, they would resort to finding things about you, about those you associate with."

"How naive" With that Gabriel stood up, walking through the room and to the exit.

"It is one city, and these people do not have much contact with the outside, who would care if they were butchered, after all, it was only one city."

With that final word Gabriel left, leaving Vahn to ponderous thoughts.

He rose from his seat by the window, feeling the smooth wood. His hand ghosted on the window, wiping the stain from it.

"So that's what it was."

…

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…

"You can come out now."

Gabriel's voice echoed through the alley he strode through. 

Rosa was gone, sent towards some errant errands, to grab some things that he had 'forgotten' yet it was only an excuse.

To have her leave in order to catch these people. These assassins thought themselves stealthy.

Gabriel's hand pressed against empty air, power flooded through his veins, filling him with vitality incomparable to before.

Not that he had chosen to level his vitality, no, he was perfectly fine with the amount of health he had right now.

He leaped, and in his place found a silver dagger, attached to some sort of string. A prayer and it exploded. Flooding the alley with smoke.

It diminished the already low smoke. And with it a purple haze that brought forth hallucinations.

But Gabriel merely smiled, he reached over his side and brought to bear his sword. It cut through the air and through the hand of the one holding the strings.

Not that he hand was what he was aiming for. As even with all of his skill, the reflexes of these assassins were still enough to dodge. Even if it was narrow.

Blood poured and stained his tunic. His wings unfurled, shining light through the darkness, and once again he leaped into action. They could not stop him, but neither could they leave.