12-08-2020, 11:03 PM
NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — ( TW: gore in paragraphs 3 and 4 )
One might expect Aurum to react with dismay at Vigenere's death. And, deep down inside, the angel did feel grief blooming in his chest, moving throughout his limbs and rendering him temporarily frozen, although his paw still weighed heavily on Barei's back. However, the lion was unwilling to let his grief show. He had already shed far too many tears over shit like this in the past, and he had no intention of doing so once again. So instead, he would focus on getting even. After all, he was no longer an archangel of wisdom, or kindness. Instead, he was an archangel of vengeance, made up of grief and fury and a sense of determination that wouldn't quit. A stubbornness that had previously impressed even Ninazu, as he fought against her again, and again, and again. He was not one that went down easily, having come back from death once before. He had already killed one of his most hated enemies a long time ago, and he would be around to make sure that Stryker ended up falling as well. Perhaps it wouldn't be today, but it would be soon, and that was all that mattered. The other lion had a clock over his head, and a bullseye right in the middle of his beady little eyes.
In the past, Aurum could recall hearing the phrase an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. And in a way, he understood the intent behind it. A cycle of death and revenge wouldn't do anything for anyone, and would only end up causing more pain in the end. However, there was a point where someone forfeited their own life. When they did so many terrible deeds that they no longer counted as a person. Instead, they were just a monster, one that deserved to die. Stryker had definitely hit that point, and so had the Coalition as a whole for following him. No longer were they just people, trying to make ends meet. If that was the case, then they would've come to the other groups for help, instead of killing and taking places over. Instead, they had made their choice, and that choice was what would lead them to their graves, whether it be because of Aurum, or because of someone else. In Barei's case, however, his downfall would come in the form of the angel that stood above him, one steely blue eye focused on Stryker. The other's drawl did nothing but spur him on further.
Flames licked out from the lion's mouth, spreading from between his teeth and causing a pleasant heat through his entire chest. He snarled down at Barei, wrenching the other's head up with a paw, "Sorry, bud. Looks like your leader made the choice for you. Eye for an eye." He then let the other's chin collide painfully with the ground once again. As Barei squirmed beneath Aurum's large paw, the lion leaned down, flaming jaws opening wide until they were positioned over the other's back. There was a moment of silence, and stillness, before the lion lunged forward, his teeth striking down into flesh and muscle, ripping through until he eventually caught Barei's spine. There was a sickening break and a pained half screech half roar throughout the air as Aurum yanked his head up, bringing Barei's broken spine up with him. Blood dripped down freely from the lion's jaws as he released, Barei's limp and dead form collapsing onto the earth, ripped open and stuck in a half curled state of agony. The body was gruesome, and a few of the Wanderers in the crowd backed up, looking either disgusted or on the verge of vomiting.
Without an ounce of sympathy or regret in his heart, Aurum leaned down to pick up the corpse he had made, turning his head and flinging it into the nearby crowd of Wanderers. If the limp structure of death and gore hit someone straight in the head, the angel wouldn't give a shit. They too got to see one of their groupmates die, and know that they weren't invincible, despite what Stryker liked to claim. Shaking off the blood that clung to his pelt and jaws, Aurum then turned his gaze back up to Stryker, looking at him without an ounce of fear showing in his one eyed gaze. There would be time for grieving later, once Tanglewood was free. For now, he just stood there, his claws dug into the ground and his pelt bloodied as he watched, ready for any oncoming attacks from the crowd of Wanderers over what he had just done. Although considering the nauseous look on most of the Wanderer NPCs' faces, the large golden lion wasn't really afraid of any of them.
( permission given by kelp / wag to kill Barei! ) — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.
One might expect Aurum to react with dismay at Vigenere's death. And, deep down inside, the angel did feel grief blooming in his chest, moving throughout his limbs and rendering him temporarily frozen, although his paw still weighed heavily on Barei's back. However, the lion was unwilling to let his grief show. He had already shed far too many tears over shit like this in the past, and he had no intention of doing so once again. So instead, he would focus on getting even. After all, he was no longer an archangel of wisdom, or kindness. Instead, he was an archangel of vengeance, made up of grief and fury and a sense of determination that wouldn't quit. A stubbornness that had previously impressed even Ninazu, as he fought against her again, and again, and again. He was not one that went down easily, having come back from death once before. He had already killed one of his most hated enemies a long time ago, and he would be around to make sure that Stryker ended up falling as well. Perhaps it wouldn't be today, but it would be soon, and that was all that mattered. The other lion had a clock over his head, and a bullseye right in the middle of his beady little eyes.
In the past, Aurum could recall hearing the phrase an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. And in a way, he understood the intent behind it. A cycle of death and revenge wouldn't do anything for anyone, and would only end up causing more pain in the end. However, there was a point where someone forfeited their own life. When they did so many terrible deeds that they no longer counted as a person. Instead, they were just a monster, one that deserved to die. Stryker had definitely hit that point, and so had the Coalition as a whole for following him. No longer were they just people, trying to make ends meet. If that was the case, then they would've come to the other groups for help, instead of killing and taking places over. Instead, they had made their choice, and that choice was what would lead them to their graves, whether it be because of Aurum, or because of someone else. In Barei's case, however, his downfall would come in the form of the angel that stood above him, one steely blue eye focused on Stryker. The other's drawl did nothing but spur him on further.
Flames licked out from the lion's mouth, spreading from between his teeth and causing a pleasant heat through his entire chest. He snarled down at Barei, wrenching the other's head up with a paw, "Sorry, bud. Looks like your leader made the choice for you. Eye for an eye." He then let the other's chin collide painfully with the ground once again. As Barei squirmed beneath Aurum's large paw, the lion leaned down, flaming jaws opening wide until they were positioned over the other's back. There was a moment of silence, and stillness, before the lion lunged forward, his teeth striking down into flesh and muscle, ripping through until he eventually caught Barei's spine. There was a sickening break and a pained half screech half roar throughout the air as Aurum yanked his head up, bringing Barei's broken spine up with him. Blood dripped down freely from the lion's jaws as he released, Barei's limp and dead form collapsing onto the earth, ripped open and stuck in a half curled state of agony. The body was gruesome, and a few of the Wanderers in the crowd backed up, looking either disgusted or on the verge of vomiting.
Without an ounce of sympathy or regret in his heart, Aurum leaned down to pick up the corpse he had made, turning his head and flinging it into the nearby crowd of Wanderers. If the limp structure of death and gore hit someone straight in the head, the angel wouldn't give a shit. They too got to see one of their groupmates die, and know that they weren't invincible, despite what Stryker liked to claim. Shaking off the blood that clung to his pelt and jaws, Aurum then turned his gaze back up to Stryker, looking at him without an ounce of fear showing in his one eyed gaze. There would be time for grieving later, once Tanglewood was free. For now, he just stood there, his claws dug into the ground and his pelt bloodied as he watched, ready for any oncoming attacks from the crowd of Wanderers over what he had just done. Although considering the nauseous look on most of the Wanderer NPCs' faces, the large golden lion wasn't really afraid of any of them.
( permission given by kelp / wag to kill Barei! ) — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.
— Reggan