Conquest Of The Fallen: Dark Dominions

"YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTY," called the Commander of the [Black Guard] Escort again, "shall we engage?" The hard tone he employed said he really wanted to. But as a bred soldier of the elite Queensguard, he awaited the go-command of the Empress. The other gallant officers behind his flowing green cape all had their longswords out. He had a deadly javelin. He stood at ease.

About three quiet seconds passed and all the emerald-robed soldiers took poses to attack, their silver armor glinting in the fading evening. The scratchy voice of the Commander echoed once again up the deserted streets; mist scattered at his call. "High Empyrean, night is soon upon us. Allow us to rid the streets of this humongous freak so as to continue your cruise."

He pointed his brass spear at the great Titan in the streets. "He may be 10ft tall. But my queen, you have the strength and speed of six [Rank A] silver knights and four [B ranks]. And our unflinching duty. Grace us this opportunity to prove ourselves to your imperialty. For your glory and the glory of Eldoria."

Inside the warmth of the [shuttle wagon], the young Empress raised a hand as if to give the silent command to engage combat with the red-eyed giant yonder. But then she only tapped the side of the car; her signal to be let out.

A fetching Squire—whom was also a [B Rank] Mecha put out both his hands and the floating wagon dipped and dropped to the ground. He controlled the [cosmo] powering up the car, recalling the sunfire back into himself. Steel steps appeared at the door and the squire bent his head as the Lady of the Queen's Court stepped out first. He kept his head bowed. And Aya Naamah turned and helped the Empress out of the shuttle too. As Ravenna took her hand, she gave her friend a weak smile—she still had the feels in the spot on her thigh where Aya had touched her.

"Shall I summon Corazon?" Aya asked Ravenna. "I do have her mana signature as Revenant. She could disappear and reappear; be here in less than two seconds. And you know she is S-rank now. You do not need to lift a finger to …whatever that is." Aya chucked her head to the ghostly Titan in the mist.

The only female Field-and-Fight Commandant of Fort Sandringham, Corazon Mortimer was among the known ten [S Ranks] in the city. The kingdom had another fifty more scattered across the Nine Realms, working to keep the peace in their various provinces. It turned out being murdered, and then resurrected into a [Ghost Girl] by the Archlady of Hel came with perks; the [Resurrection Card] dealt Cora by Lilith was so immense in mana it shot up Corazon's magic level from [B Rank] at her death to reawakening as [S Rank].

Ravenna said to Aya, blinking her forest-green eyes, "No. Let our dear friend be. She has much to deal with at the Fort. I bet she's avoiding us for the same reason we are." At the same second, a shirtless hot bod Israfel filled the minds of both girls. Ravenna continued, "I think my current escort of [A Ranks] and [B Ranks] should do against him."

She nodded at the colossal figure in the mist.

"Commander! Go see what he has to say. And keep your spear bloodless—for now."

The stout soldier grinned widely when he heard the Empress give the order. The loose cobblestones of the streets leaped at the clashing of their battle-sandals in their march forward. The [Black Guard] moved as a trained unit, knowing well not to underestimate the speed of an enemy that big. Aya stood beside Ravenna in front of the halted caravan. They watched together.

Clip!

She clicked her fingers. A rushing evening breeze came suddenly, dispersing the mist.

"Better. Thank you, darling." Ravenna told Aya, sending her a smile at her gales summoning, a Skyling ability she had picked up one of her trysts with Rafel and Corazon—back when he was still in the Capital.

Aya dropped her head, coloring sweet pink in the cheeks. Ravenna tossed her head to the bowed squire. "What's the rank of their armor?" She asked about the soldiers marching forward, their green capes billowing in the wind, the crest of the Raven House embellished under the final rays of sunlight. "Epic Grade, My Empress," replied Aya softly. "Good," said Ravenna. The day had come into twilight and though Aya's conjuring had put away the fog, the true proportion of the massive man in the shadows was still a silhouette.

All the streetlamps were out.

Only his demonic crimson eyes shined out starkly in the bluish darkness.

Yonder, the Escort had reached the large man. The [Black Guard] Commander stretched out his weapon arm eight feet away, his javelin arrowed out upwards to the furrowed skin between those red [Oni] eyes. He barked:

"Who are you to stand in the way of Her Majesty's caravan? STATE YOUR PURPOSE, CUR!"

From their station few metres away in front of the carriage, Queen Ravenna and Lady Naamah were granted good vantage to watch the events unfold.

The red-eyed giant seemed unaffected by the Commander's spear pointed up at his forehead, nor the apparent cursing of his form.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He moved out of the surrounding shadows. A man mighty; of great height and girth. His musculature was as the forger god, Vulcan. If he spat fire, no one would be surprised. His head breached over the middle storey of the Inn he passed by. Windows cluttered shut and Ravenna then knew where all the people of the Undercity went: they had run at the appearance of this titan. His thunderous footfalls shook the streetlamps. Blackness seemed to shadow him—the way she had seen the night flow around her Beloved. But even at his super-might, this beast could not compare to Israfel. Ravenna was almost tempted to finger the nick upon her neck—which she knew was actually a [Protection Rune] that Rafel had bit upon her during their last fuck before his leave.

He had been rough that morning, and how she had loved it.

The red-eyed adversary kept pumping forward, his blown muscles heaving. The squire at Ravenna's side trembled at his footfalls. Yes, this entity was quite terrible. But Ravenna knew if she should wield the [Protection Rune], Israfel would be walking out a teleportation pillar the next second, ready to reduce this giant to ash with the Hellfire coursing in his body.

Her fingers only grazed the love nick. To know he was close was enough.

She was glad though that her [Black Guard] stood their ground.

"NAME THYSELF, BLOATED CUNT!"

The Commander roared. The larger enemy was close enough that the tip of his steel spear touched the skin on his heavily bearded chest. The Commander had to gaze two meters up to meet the crimson eyes. Ravenna for sure knew there were no Giants in her Capital city. The Titans were forever shut-up in great canyons underwater. And their offspring, the Nephilims were put to work in the mines thousands of leg-miles outside their golden gates. And as far as she knew, no Giantess had put to bed in Titans Landing the last three dacades. Thus, from what furnace of corruption did this one arise?

Her soldiers were probably wondering the same when the mighty man opened his mouth in a bellow that rocked the doors of the lowly homes of the Undercity.

"I. . .AM. . .SCOURGE!!! SCCOOOURGGGGGE!!!"

The force of his howling caused a gust of wind and tremor that caused the [Black Guard] to stagger on their feet. Few [B Ranks] were pushed back but the Commander only put his free hand over his eyes. He did not lower his javelin an inch. Even though the monstrous man before him looked like a Saber-tooth had fucked a dumb Giantess—and he was the result nine months later.

Scourge had a mane of red and white. It flowed down to his hairy back and chest. His rippling arms and legs were ended in sharp white claws. And his only covering was a loincloth. His canines were evolved and larger than his other tooth. When he spoke it was a roar. His scarlet eyes looked like they could see through the armor of an [Iron Force] samurai, and his tongue looked like it could scrape meat off a butcher man's table. Now that he was out of the fog and shadows, Ravenna and Aya could see that he was more Critch than human.

Not that she had anything against the [Critch] species. But it wasn't until much later she would know he had been a normal man, of normal height, once upon a time.

The [Black Guard] Commander belched back in his leonine face. "Your purpose, Scourge?" He let the name slither out like an insult. "—or do you just desire the pole of my spear shoved up yer ars—"

The Commander didn't have a chance to finish.

Scourge ripped a hole inside of his head.

The attack was lightning. Too fast to follow, or even anticipate.

Scourge's big fist exploded out the back of his head, in a spray of wet blood, bits of skull, dropping brain, cut tongue, shattered teeth, and some other gray tissue that made Ravenna feel bile rush up her throat where she stood. The Commander's javelin cluttered to the cobblestones. Blood ran in rivulets down his smashed face, staining his wonderful jade cape and silver armor.

His arms flailed at his sides. His body was held up only by Scourge's paw inside his face.

The Commander went from alive to corpse in less than a second.

Scourge, growling low, pulled out his hand.

Squelch!

He dropped off most of the Commander's face into the dirt. Ravenna saw his red eyes gleam through the massive hole in the soldier's head, where his brain had once been. If this beast could take out her [A Rank] knight like it was nothing, then he probably had to be [S Rank] himself. Her other officers were having the same thoughts because one of them screamed: "ATTACK! TAKE DOWN THE BASTARD!"

BOOM!

With a sweep of his left hand Scourge sent two officers flying; one through a tavern's brick wall, the other smashing into the hanging sign. The poor man was impaled on the fish hook twelve feet off the ground.

Seeing this, the Squire dropped to his knees in front of Ravenna.

"Your Majesty," he said, "perhaps we depart this awful place. The Undercity has always been accursed grounds."

Ravenna didn't even look at him. "I am not runnin' away, boy. This is my city. It shall not be home to such rageful titan. These people need me more."

The [Empyrean] did not flee, even as she watched Scourge run through her [Black Guard] ranks like crickets in a field. He broke, bent, and murdered them all. And in the end, he stood heaving and coated in blood, from his hairy chest to big toe, in a mess of limbs and rolling heads.

"I AAMMM SCCOOOUUUURRRGGE!!!" He roared. He began stomping around.

BOOM!

"…Child of Blood Mother!"

BOOM!

"…Giver of New life!"

BOOM! BOOM!

"The mortal Messiah. She Who Births Miracles. Her blood divine. Her essence celestial. The Good Mother, Racquel Serpent. I am her Firstborn. The spawn of her glorious tits! I, SCOURGE! I AM HER FIRST REVENGER!"

Several feet from the prancing giant man, Aya Naamah pulled off the pins on her dark hair. Twisting, silver horns instantly rose high from the tops of the tumbling inky waves.

"Enough of this." She pulled the shivering Squire behind her.

Ahead, Scourge turned with bloodlusted eyes and started crazily for them. He was yelling his name on the tops of his lungs as he did, barely breathing. He rushed out with a colossal blow aimed directly for the Empress. "BLOOD REBIRTH: Juggernaut's Fury!" His fist took on a lethal yellow glow as he rushed in for the kill. In the space of a nanosecond, just as his blow would connect, Aya slipped in front of her Empress.

BOOM!

Scourge's mighty punch landed. His crimson eyes gleamed in evil pride. But when the ensuing dust cleared up, there was Aya Naamah, still in front of Ravenna—very much alive. She had caught his punch, despite his closed fist being the breadth of her whole body. "Huh?" Scourge cocked his head in disbelief. Aya gave him an unimpressed look. With her left hand—which had caught the blow head-on—she pushed his fist to the side and swiftly, her right arm went up. She touched his forehead with one finger, whispering in mythic tongue,

"Dark arts, [Flame of Pentecost]!"

A violet light started at that fingertip of hers, bathing the entire streetside in an otherworldly glow for almost one minute. The night flourished under her magic. Scourge was on his back at her feet. Her heel lay on his great stomach. He was out cold. Aya Naamah, red-skinned, horned and sensuous beckoned to a struck Ravenna in a sweet whisper: "My Queen."