“Shit shit shit!” I yelled as the tree I dodged past burst into fming fragments. “I thought you said it would be months at least!”

  Carmil swirled angrily “It should have been! Angels never act this quickly!”

  I had barely mao avoid being pierced by a fming spear when things first started, Luv having t me out of the way and toss me aside before screaming at me to run. I didn’t want to but being jumped by a trio of angels at cle put my le specialization ass at a siderable disadvantage. I needed distance, but attempts to gain it led to the different problem of being chased alone.

  The tingle of my Sixth Sense ractically screaming now. I have no idea why it hadn’t warned me of the celestials that had been only a few feet away but I was very very aware now. A tug in the sensation and I jumped to my right. A long solid bck bde wreathed in blue fire sliced where I had just stood.

  “CEASE YOUR STRUGGLES AND BE GIVEN A PAINLESS END. WE ARE NOT WITHOUT MERCY.” I turo see the ahat had chased me looking at me with actual fug pity in her eyes. At just under my ow she was the smallest one I’d seen so far, though includihat only made four now. Iingly, she had no wings. But she was still enough like the others to tell at a gnce she was a celestial. She had obsidian skin, as in it literally looked like bck volic gss, small blue fmes for hair that waved softly in the breeze, and a blue metallic breastpte and armored skirt. She was holy extremely pretty, but trying to cut me in half was a bit of a turn off.

  “I’d rather keep living thank you!” I snapped off a shot in desperation and saw a gouge of glowing blood as it grazed her shoulder. Her hiss of pain and jerk back away from me gave me all the time I o get to my feet and run again, trying to circle back around to the rest of the group. When I got back I would have to kiss Brigga for makiually take care of my leg. This would be way worse without a well funing joint. It was already pretty shit with one.

  I could hear gunshots and smiled, yep, hadn’t lost tratirely, the sounds were ahead of me now. I ducked as my Seugged at me a into a roll. Fmes licked my back hot enough to burn a bit through my armor and a tree bleart to my side. But it was another miss. The responding round from my rifle however was not and a glowing wound tore into the meat of her lower left leg.

  She screamed in pain and stumbled forward, I hissed in sympathy and raised my owal limb “Hey, I personally know that hurts, but you’re the ohat started this!” I mocked her just a bit before rushing ahead, seeing the trouble that wound was giving her already. Please let it be enough.

  “YOU MUST BE STOPPED TO PRESERVE THE BALANCE, ABOMINATIOAKE NO PLEASURE IN THIS UGLY TASK!” she yelled behind me as I raced away.

  My nub was in increasing agony at this point. I think the extra padding backfired and made the whole damn thing shift wrong because every step hurt like crazy. But it was manageable as I ran back to the clearing the others were in. It was a very not good sight.

  There was a fifteen foot tall angel, his skin red and gold and barely peeking through his full pte armor. He swung a huge battleaxe crag with lightning and Luvetra barely mao duder the attack. Her bdes sparked as they bounced off of his bracers. She jumped away and with hands moving so fast I couldn’t see more than a blur, she sent an arrow into a gap between ptes on his thigh. He paused just long enough to pull it free and toss it aside before tinuing to chase her down. Unlike my obsidian assaint, this one had wings. Freat red ones with fmes and lightning streaking across the feathers angrily. He beat them and unched his massive form at my lover too damned fast.

  Redagga was also doihan well. Her shield was covered is and gashes and her armor had several cuts and was covered in blood. But Jaina was there with magic flowing from her keeping the orc warrior on her feet. The atag her looked like the same type as the ohat attacked me orain. A Purifier, giant fming spear and all. Though this was was female, but her impressive muscur form was no less intimidating then the one I’d killed. She too had wounds, bullet holes in her arms and torso. But she didn’t appear to be very affected by them. Redagga however was unarmed, both hands desperately holding the shield up, her entire body put into keeping the celestial’s attacks from hitting her or our Healer. Jaina wasirely focused on healing however, her pistol pung more holes iag angel.

  I looked betweewo fights quickly, I couldn’t be stu the decision but it was hard to tell who needed support more.

  “I’LL BRING YOUR HEADS BACK TO THE HIEROPHANT AND BE REWARDED FOR THIS VICTORY!” the oag Red screamed, manic glee on her face. Okay, her first I guess.

  Two rounds left in the magazine and while I had spare clips, as soon as I started shooting something I would be the priority target and reloading would likely beore of a problem. There were here for me after all.

  I gnced baake sure the obsidian girl wasn’t caught up yet before brag myself against a tree and fog on the Purifier. I fought the urge to let Hyperfocus ki, I o stay aware right now, at least until I had someone free to watch my ass.

  But I did let my eyes trace over her body, carefully looking for… there. Thank you Find the Pulse. I took aim and waited until she reared back to thrust her spear again, then just as she put weight on her forward leg, I sent a bullet through the side of her knee. With a scream of paiumbled forward and smmed into the ground. “I WILL TEAR YOUR FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND RIP YOUR TONGUE FROM YOUR SCREAMING MOUTH YOU VILE CREATURE!”

  “Shut the fuck up you glowing bitch!” Redagga yelled, the lull giviime to sm her shield into the Purifier’s face just as she tried to pull herself back up. The angel grabbed the shield with her bare hands, the spear left on the ground. She grinned wickedly down at Red, but the orc just smirked back “Get off my shield, bitch.” just beflowing blood burst from the celestial’s back like a va fountain, the eg boom of a shotgun crag the air.

  Even so badly damaged, falling bato a growing puddle of her own bright blood, the Purifier held on to life. She struggled as she sat up, rage on her metallic features “YOU WILL PAY YOU-” but her words were cut off as Red smmed the shotgun’s barrel into the angel’s face. The sed boom removed the Purifier’s head.

  “Try getting up from that.” Redagga grunted and turo rush towards the bigger threat attag Luvetra.

  Luv mao draw the big guy closer tga ohe Purifier was dead, good situational awareness on her. Gods I love that woman. She taunted him into a swing, pretending to stumble in front of him, but rolling at the st moment. The axe smmed into Red’s shield, the metal denting with the impact but The Wall lived up to her name. She was driven ba inch or two, but held fast. Luvetra took advantage of angel being off bance by the impad rushed past him, glowing blo in her wake from between his leg ptes.

  “THESE FEEBLE WOUNDS WILL NOT STAY MY HAND, THE ABOMINATION WILL PERISH AND ALL WHO STAND IN THE WAY OF THIS HOLY TASK SHALL FALL WITH IT.” That voice about made me piss myself, it rattled my teeth and shook my guts, but the cold, icy calm of it was far, far worse. He was not angry, not filled with zeal, he was simply assured of the eventual pletion of his task and ung of those who died in the way.

  But he was right, the wounds were light, barely bleeding. Even if he was being poisoned I don’t think it would bring him down before we all faltered fatally. He was strong, fast, and his armor deflected Jaina and Red’s bullets and shells easily.

  I went prone, rifle resting on my arm as I focused on the giant bastard. The world dimmed, sounds and light and everything but the angel fell away. Time slowed and the angel’s movements became sluggish. I noticed a beating under his armor, a bright point of heat and life in his chest so obvious I wondered how I hadn’t seen it before.

  I aimed for it, the scope filled with that glowing pd nothing else. I pulled the trigger and watched his breastpte crumple, a hole driving through the metal and into the flesh beh. Glowing blood poured from the wound aumbled, but stayed on his feet. As the world slid bato my awareness I realized I’d missed his heart.

  His gaze found me and he raised his axe, seeming to throw it. I struggled to move, having difficulty bringing my leg up under me. I was still loopy and most of what I could perceive was the increasing pain in my right leg.

  But just before he could act I noticed a blur behind him, between his legs. Metal glinted and blood arced through the air as Luv punished him for letting his attention leave her and hamstung him. He fell forward with a pained cry onto his hands and knees. But Red was there waiting, she rushed under him and pushed the shotgun barrel into the hole in his armor and just kept firing until the on ran dry.

  The angel fell to the ground, Redagga throwing herself to the side just in time to avoid getting crushed. “Fug gods damned angel fucks.” She panted heavily, shaking hands pulling her shield up and slowly strapping the scattergun bato pce. She was pletely drained, I think we all were.

  Luvetra became pletely visible and stumbled to Jaina, she was not doing well. Gng blows had left her bleeding and burned and she held her left side in pain. She k down to let the Healer get to work, though eveoo was roughed up, having been hurt already and likely low on Mana at this point.

  I breathed and y my fa the dirt just as a voice spoke in my ear “Esme, the other one is still-”

  And then my Sixth Sense came screaming bae, I think it had been going off the whole time but the Hyperfocus side effect had dulled it. I rolled to the side but a fming bde still gouged my right arm and made me scream.

  “I KNOW YOU ARE AN ABOMINATION THROUGH NO CHOICE OF YOUR OWN, BUT THE BALANCE MUST BE MAINTAINED. BE AT PEA THE WORLD, CREATURE.”

  I looked up at the obsidian angel, leaning against a tree and standing over me, her leg must really hurt. I looked up as she lifted her sword and couldn’t help but ugh “Do the els know you don’t have any underwear?”

  She paused and her eyes went wide, her mouth opening to say something. Ha, flustered angel. But that moment was all I needed. I grabbed her right leg, drove a finger into the bullet wound, and pulled on it as hard as I could.

  She screamed in agony, falling to her knees, whided on my chest and khe wind out of me. Some part of me could hear the others rushing towards me, yelling something. But I was too focused on the angel bading me and tearing my hand away from her leg. She trembled in pain but lifted her sword once more, looking down with that same pity in her eyes, even then.

  She raised the bde high and began her swing, but it never ected. Her arms suddenly locked up and pain exploded in her features. She trembled and screamed and threw herself off of me, rolling on the ground, sword quickly fotten.

  “STOP! PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE! I’M SORRY!” she begged, screaming at what must have been torture. Blue glowing tears streaked down her pitch bck face as she writhed in agony in the dirt. I just stared in fusion, as did Jaina, Luv, and Red.

  It was at that moment I realized I couldn’t feel Carmil inside me anymore.

  “Carmil! What are you doing!?” I pulled myself up and drew my side arm, hobbling to the angel on the ground. The four of us surrounded her, ons ready. “Carmil! Get our of her!”

  The bullet wound in her leg tore open wider and glowing blood mixed with dark red gushed from it for a moment. Carmil reformed in her human skin ao the ground, curled up and trembling and covered in burns. I rushed over and held her, her skin was so hot it singed my skin to touch. I pulled her against me anyway, it’s not like pain was o me.

  She trembled aed against me “T-too hot, c-celestial blood burns.” she mao say. “o rest, rec-cover. S-skin body f-feels worse.”

  I pced my hand on her shoulder and focused, casting Sooth. “Is that aer.”

  She nodded slowly, “Some… s-still hurts. H-how do you mortals deal with pain like this?”

  I held out my arm “Get in, without a body it’ll hurt less, right?”

  She shook her head. “Would… h-hurt you.”

  “Not a request, get in.” She hesitated only a moment, then flowed into me through my runes once more. She was right, it hurt. It actually felt like my blood was burning. But it barely slowed me down. I stood with a grunt and looked at the angel curled up in a fetal position and g. The others looked troubled and I could guess why.

  Red said it first. “It feels really shitty to just execute her like this. Even if she, you know, tried to kill us.”

  “I’LL S-STOP YOU. MUST, MUST PROTECT BALANCE.” she said as she tried in vain to push herself up. Whatever Carmil did seriously damaged her, and more than just physically. After the third attempt to stand she sobbed harder and pulled ko her chest, ing her arms around them and shaking as she kept g.

  We were spared from having to make a choice however as we heard movement from the East. Two dozen Willow Creek soldiers flooded into the clearing ons drawn. ut our hands up, but after a quick look at the angels and our ditions, the sergeant in charge of the group told us to rex.

  The sight of the obsidian angel on the ground, clearly disabled and g, left all of them looking fused and unsure what to do. The sarge decided he’d wait for a Captain in a following group to arrive ahem deal with it. Simply putting most of the troops around her as guards.

  I’m not really sure how any of that went because I rested against Jaina and begged her to use Soothe on me. I would take whatever pain I had to for Carmil, but some relief would be he feeling of her power dragging the pain away was all I focused on, just ready to go home again.