Private one on one thread

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel


It was a risky plan but better than their other options.

“That should work. The demons are probably expecting a reaction from me. They want an excuse to kill me and have one fewer angel to move. The guard you are talking about is probably being set up by the others. He should be easy for me to overpower. “

Cassiel tried to remember enough about the compound to find them a place to hide. He hadn’t paid that much attention when he was dragged from the cell and back. He could remember a large room the demons used for training and more extravagant amusements. It was made out of a natural cavern and he had looked up at the ceiling many times. The upper levels seemed to be full of natural caves and vents. He wouldn’t be able to reach them, they were several stories up, but if Skylar could lift him, they could probably get up there and hide from the demons. Then they could figure out how to free the other angels and get out themselves.

Seeing that the younger guard was watching him, Cassiel stroked Skylar’s wing and leaned closer.
“The second guard will be the one we need to worry about, but the two of us should be able to take him on. You’ll find to find a way to mess up the shock collar though. Otherwise they will activate it as soon as they figure out you and me are loose. But I know a place we can run to. If we go left along the hall outside the cells, there are some caves we can get to if you fly. “

Cassiel readied himself. Once Skylar finished his “death throws” the guard would probably come over and once he was inside the cage Cassiel would strike. It would not be hard to find the rage necessary to kill him.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Hearing then that the second plan was the one they were going to try, Skylar slowly nodded his head to show that he understood. "Alright, just do me a favor and try not to get yourself hurt alright? Holy water doesn't work on you and I only have a few bandages and supplies so just be careful alright?" he whispered softly in concern. After all, if Cassiel got hurt because of his plan, Skylar would never lead another angel for the rest of his life.

Shaking his head at the thought, Skylar then slowly reached down and removed the loose stone from his hiding place. The strap to his bag had rubber on it and if he could tuck the strap under his collar without being noticed, Skylar knew he should be fine. As he worked quietly and quickly to tuck the strap underneath his collar, Skylar looked up at Cassiel then and nodded his head when he heard which way he was supposed to go once they escaped. "Alright, so we go left then when he get out of the cells. Sounds like a plan to me." he said making sure that the strap was securely around his collar then and out of sight before he started phase two of their plan.

Forcing his body to start to shake uncontrollably from 'loss of blood', Skylar forced a small gasp of pain before his body slowly went limp and his one visible wing slowly drooped over his body to make it look like death had finally come to claim him. From outside the cage, the demon noticed this and couldn't help but smirk slightly. "About time that damn angel died. He was really starting to get on my nerves." he said unlocking the cage then and making his way inside to collect Skylar's body.

Noticing Cassiel in the way though, the demon frowned slightly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Alright pal. Move it. Unless you want to be joining your friend in death."

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel considered the best possible attack. He glared at the demon but backed off slightly, letting him move forward to pick up Skylar’s “body”. Once he was parallel to Cassiel in the cage, Cassiel launched forward, pushing the demon into the bars. Cassiel found the place inside him where he had been keeping all his anger and frustration for all the indignities he had suffered and seen in this horrible place.

He grabbed the demon by the shoulders and brutally pushed in into the bars again and again and again, cursing in angelic and demonic. He didn’t stop until he felt the demon go limp in his hands, and then with a swift motion, wrapped his arm around the unconscious demon’s neck and pulled back.

There was a sickening snap. The demon was truly dead now. Cassiel felt his anger subsiding but continued to act as if he was out of control. He continued to beat the body of the now dead demon, pretending to be in a mindless rage. He was waiting and soon heard footsteps behind him. He braced himself. The second demon guard, larger and stronger grabbed him from behind by the hair. He released the dead demon’s body and it slid to the floor.

“You’ve killed him. “ the demon growled his ear. “you will pay for this angel.” The demon grabbed one of the tips of Cassiel’s wings and pulled back, breaking the fragile bones. Cassiel tried not to cry out. It didn’t matter, the wing was already useless, but it hurt. He struggled to try and free himself from the demon’s grasp, trying to keep the demon’s attention firmly on him and not on Skylar who was in doubt readying his own attack on the demon.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

From where he was laying on the ground, Skylar could hear Cassiel snap the demon's neck and even if he had heard that sound before; it was still enough to send a small shudder down the base of his spine. Death was one thing that Skylar was used to but the sound of it was something that he didn't like to hear. Biting his bottom lip at the thought, Skylar soon became aware that another demon had entered the cage just as they had predicted he would.

Daring to open one of his eyes then, Skylar looked up just in time to see the demon breaking the bones of the tips of Cassiel's wings and his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. Silently, Skylar slowly rose to his feet and once he was in striking position; he reacted swiftly and efficiently knowing that time was of the essance.

Quickly wrapping his own arms around the demon's neck, Skylar jerked his neck roughly to the righ causing a sickening snap just as Cassiel had done to the other demon. Once Skylar was certain that the demon was dead; he dropped the dead body then and looked over at Cassiel and frowned. "Alright, time to go." he said reaching out then and gently taking the other angel's hand in his before he quickly started to guide him out of the cage as fast as his legs could carry him.

By now the adrenaline was running through him and Skylar knew that this was their one chance at freedom. As he started making his way towards the entrance of the hall, Skylar looked back at Cassiel and bit his bottom lip in slight concern. "How are you doing back there?" he asked knowing that it must have been awhile since Cassiel had ever had to run and he wasn't sure how far the other angel could run before his strength gave out.

Managing to make it to the entrance of the hallway then, Skylar dared to pause a moment before dropping Cassiel's hand from his and kneeling down in front of the other male with his back facing him. "Come on. I'll carry you from here. It will make flying a whole lot easier as well." he said moving his wings slightly so that Cassiel would have some room to hold onto. At least that way, Skylar wouldn't have to worry about Cassiel falling behind which was something that Skylar would not allow to happen.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel felt the demon gripping him go slack and heard the snap. He knew the demon was dead and their plan was working. He felt a surge of adrenaline that he had not felt for a long time. He turned to face Skylar and took his hand. Together they ran into the hall, Thankfully it was empty, though Cassiel knew that it wouldn’t be for long, but if no one saw where they went it would take longer for their hiding spot to be discovered, if it ever was.

He forced himself to run, ignoring the weak feeling in his legs or the throbbing pain in his wing. He had endured worse, but his legs were starting to feel numb and he was terrified of tripping and falling behind. The hallway to the open cavern was further than he remembered, or perhaps time just seemed to stretch in his mind.

Skylar turned back and when he asked how he was doing, he gasped “fine” and motioned for him to keep running. They couldn’t afford to stop right now. The demons were bound to discover the bodies of the guards soon.

Finally they reached the cavern. Skylar seemed to understand what was necessary without him asking. Cassiel was grateful for that. Asking Skylar to carry him would mean he had to admit his weakness. He wrapped his arms around Skylar as gently but firmly as he could. He needed to hold on until they reached the ledge and he only hoped Skylar was strong enough to carry them both. He didn’t think, no matter how much he might beg that Skylar would leave him behind even if it meant they would both be recaptured. He could hear the sound of demons coming down the hall. “Fly.. quickly” he said.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

For a moment, Skylar was afraid that Cassiel would refuse his offer of carrying him but it was the only way that he could help get the designated hiding spot without anybody falling behind. Once he felt that the other angel was holding on, Skylar quickly flapped his wings as fast as he could and before he knew it, they were both airbourne and flying to what appeared to be a huge hole in the side of the cave wall.

As fast as he could, Skylar flew towards that hole like both of their lives depended on it. Which technically they did because if he didn't get them both to that crevice then the demons would surely spot them and both of them would be in serious trouble. Not that Skylar was used to trouble or anything like that but he preferred to stay as far away from it as he could.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Skylar landed them both gently down on the ledge with sweat covering his face. Carrying another angel was certainly a lot harder than he thought but the good news was that they had both made it to the ledge without being caught.

Gently setting Cassiel down on the ground then, Skylar then turned around to look at Cassiel with a triumphant smile on his face. "Well, I'd say that...part one of our plan...went rather smoothly don't you think?" he asked gasping slightly for breath. It was amazing the effects of fading adenaline would do to a body. Slowly slumping down then onto the cool rocky ledge, Skylar wiped the sweat from his brow then before looking up at Cassiel with a look of slight concern on his face. "How's your wing by the way? Is it bothering you?" he asked reaching into his shirt then to pull out his little small bag he had managed to grab during the commotion and started to root through it looking for some bandages.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel


When they took off Cassiel was relieved. The centuries of captivity had made Cassiel much thinner than he had been in his prime but he and Skylar were a similar size and Cassiel knew it must be hard. He forced himself to concentrate on hanging on though the sensation of flying again, even if not under his own power was amazing. He felt a small twinge of envy at Skylar’s wings, but more gratitude that Sklyar had never had to endure the agony of having wings and not being able to fly.

They landed safely on the ledge. It was a large vent , high above the natural cavern. It twisted back down from where they were narrowing a bit but still wide enough that both of them could sit far enough back from the ledge to escape the view of any demons looking up from below. They would be safe here for some time.

Cassiel sat his back against the wall. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his wing tip throbbed with pain. When Skylar asked him about it, Cassiel pulled it forward to examine it. It was bending at an off angle, the bone clearly broken but it had not broke the skin under his black feathers. It would be a far more serious injury if he could actually still fly. He wondered for a moment if it was worth the pain of bending it back to its proper shape and finding some way of bracing it. If it healed crooked, it would make no real difference to Cassiel. He would never fly again any way and a straight or crooked wing tip wouldn’t make much difference to that.

“It hurts a lot.” He admitted to Skylar. “But it will heal. I”ve been through much worse.” He shrugged. “ How much food and water do we have?” They had to start thinking about what they would do next and he wanted to know how much time they had to make their plans.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Moving back to sit beside Cassiel, Skylar looked over at the other angel and couldn't help but wince when he noticed the crooked angle of the black wing. Skylar couldn't imagine what it must be like for Cassiel not being able to fly because those damn demons had clipped his wings. Clipping an angel's wings were unforgivable in Skylar's eyes and if the demon who did that to Cassiel was still alive; he was going to make sure that the demon died a slow and painful death for doing that to his hero.

Shaking his head at the thougght, Skylar slowly reached out then and gently took the injured wing in his hands then and gently ran his finger over the broken bone to try and get a feel of the injury. He was debating on whether or not he wanted to heal the bone or not. After all, healing took a lot of Skylar's energy but if it meant helping Cassiel out if only for a moment, he was willing to heal the broken bone without a second thought.

As he sat there examining the wing, Skylar bit his bottom lip as he looked over at Cassiel then when he heard the other angel's question about their food supply. "Well, I didn't have time to grab the bread that you stashed under the rock but I still have a full loaf of bread and then another half. As for water, all I have is a canteen filled with water and that's about it." he said as he looked back at the injured wing then and sighed softly as he made his mind up then. Skylar was one of those angels who couldn't stand seeing his fellow angels in pain and so closing his eyes then, a golden glow slowly radiated from his hand and began to absorb into Cassiel's wing.

About five minutes later, Skylar slumped back against the ledge wall utterly exhausted. At least now though Cassiel's wing was fully healed and the other angel wouldn't be in anymore pain. Although, Skylar decided that from now on he wouldn't use his healing powers unless absolutely nessicary because it seemed that the deeper he was in demon territory the harder and more straining it was on his body.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Skylar took his wing and before Cassiel realized what he was doing or could stop him he healed it. Cassiel felt the warmth flowing from Skylar's to his injured wing and suddenly the bone mended and it didn't hurt any more. Cassiel sat for a moment in shock. He knew that Skylar had wanted to spare him further suffering but it only made him feel worse than he had before knowing what had been wasted for his comfort. He tried to find a way to explain this to Skylar without hurting his feelings. If they were to help any of the other angels here, they would need to be very careful with all of their resources.

“Thank you. I appreciate what you are trying to do, but never do that again.” Cassiel said. “You need to save your strength and your powers for angels you can save. Not waste them on me.” Skylar would need to accept the reality of their situation. As a fallen angel, Cassiel would never be able to return to heaven and as an angel that could not fly, his ability to fight the demons was severely limited.

“We have enough supplies to last us a day up here. After that we will either need to explore the vent, or sneak down into the complex. We probably only have a day or two before the demons start to move everyone else. Right now, we only have our skills. I'm a little rusty, but you are pretty capable. We might want to see if we can find some weapons though. “ Cassiel closed his eyes for a moment concentrating.

“We should probably try and get control of the shock collar controls first. Once we do that, we can free all the angels still wearing them. They will be stronger, and they will be able to fly. With them, we can come up with a plan to free everyone else. Do you remember anything at all about entering this place?”

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar's wings drooped slightly when the other angel told him to never do something like that again. All he wanted to do was help Cassiel seeing as how he was technically first in command and Skylar knew that as long as Cassiel was in peak condition; they had a chance of freeing the other angels. Looking away from the other male then, Skylar wrapped his wings around his body and let out a small sigh feeling slightly ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry. I just figured that since you're going to be leading this campaign, you have to be in the best shape that you possible can." he muttered quietly.

As much as it pained him to think about it, Skylar knew that even if he and Cassiel were able to free the other angels and return them to heavem, Cassiel would not be able to return. Unless of course God decided to give Cassiel a second chance. Even if he didn't, Skylar wished that he could at least give the gift of being able to fly back to Cassiel so that the fallen angel could go wherever he wanted.

Listening then to Cassiel's plan, Skylar slowly nodded his head as he closed his head then and rested his head back against the wall. "If you want to get control of the shock collar controls, your best bet is to try and find the demons that have them and kill them one by one. These caverns are so big that I'm sure it's not that hard to hide a demon's body." he said as he let out a small yawn then feeling slightly exhausted.

"The only thing that I remember about entering this place is that there are several guards at the entrance of the caverns and that they have...strange looking dogs with them. Eventually, we have to deal with those creatures as well because they are just as cruel as the masters that control them." he muttered quietly as he slowly started drifting off to sleep.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel let Skylar sleep. He needed to regain his strength. If they were going to take on the demons, one by one to get the shock collar controllers, he would need all of it. Skylar was the better fighter now. He had been able to take out the demon in the cage, but only because he was inexperienced and weak. The other demon would have torn Cassiel apart with no trouble at all. If hadn't been for Skylar, Cassiel wouldn't have been able to last. And the most experienced guards usually had the controllers.

Worse than that, they'd probably figure out fairly quickly demons with controllers were going missing. They would be hunted mercilessly. Their only chance of success lay in the hope that every angel with a collar they managed to free would become an ally of their side, and hopefully they would be strong and recently captured, more like Skylar than himself.

Thinking of that made Cassiel better than he had in years. How many angels could they save here? Even if it was a handful it would be worth the risk and costs. He felt more like the soldier and less like the slave. He remembered what Skylar had said. Skylar expected him to lead. That thought sunk through his optimistic feelings like a stone. He wasn't fit to lead anything.

Fallen angels were not part of the armies of heaven. He might fight demons until the day he died, but he would never go back to heaven. The best he could hope for was a warrior's death. There was no other reward waiting for him. He might be able to pass on his experience to Skylar but he could never again lead angels to fight. Skylar, not him, would need to be the leader once they had other angels on their side. Skylar was second in god's armies still. Cassiel was nothing but a memory and he would rather keep it that way.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar wasn't sure how long he had slept but when he finally opened his eyes, he couldn't help but smile a little when he felt completely re-energized. It was amazing what a little rest could do to restore one's spirits. Letting out a small yawn then, Skylar slowly looked around then looking for Cassiel. He figured that the other angel was probably doing the same thing he had done and that was getting some rest. After all, Skylar couldn't imagine how tiring it must have been for Cassiel to run so fast and so far after spending centuries trapped in that horrible cell.


Skylar knew personally that there was no way he would have been able to stand being tortured for so long and probably would have been in the same boat that Cassiel was in by turning his back on God. Skylar didn't know why but he was positive that if this plan worked out and they could save at least some of the angels then God might accept the other angel back into heaven. Something that Skylar wished for with all of his heart.


Cassiel had seen things that other angels could only have nightmares about and Skylar didn't think that it was fair for the fallen angel to be punished for all the years of hardship that he was faced to endure. In Skylar's eyes, Cassiel was still the once powerful angel leader that he remembered him to be and he always would be. Cassiel was by no means the weak and pathetic angel that he thought himself to be and Skylar knew that the other angel would prove it one way or another.


Shaking his head at the thought, Skylar slowly stood up then to stetch his now stiff wings and arms. As he stretched his wings then, Skylar once again looked around then for Cassiel. Where did the other angel disappear to? Was he keeping an eye on the demons down below? If he was, Skylar felt slightly ashamed of himself for resting when there were more important things that needed to be done. Shaking his head at the thought, Skylar wrapped his wings around himself then and looked around the ledge then wondering what to do now that he was awake and able to think straight.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel had been exploring the vent to see how far down they could go. It opened up into a natural cavern a little ways down, with plenty of room to put supplies and for a number of angels to rest. It was also hidden deeply within the rock and it was likely even if they did not manage to get shock collar controllers, the signals would not be able to penetrate the thick rock and until they could find a way to disable them, an angel could hide there.

Cassiel returned back up the vent and found that Skylar was awake. “I did some exploring while you were sleeping. There's a natural cave back this way. It will make a good staging point if we manage to rescue some others. We can also use it to keep any supplies we manage to steal from the demons.”

Cassiel looked at Skylar. He was so strong and determined. He was truly a worthy replacement for him. It made him glad that he had been able to spare him of the worst of the demon's plans for him. Skylar would never be broken as Cassiel had been. If they were able to succeed in their plans, he would not be the only one spared the horrors of this place. There would be others too. If they could escape back to heaven, that would be enough for Cassiel. What happened to him was not important if others could be saved. But he needed to prepare Skylar for that. “When we rescue others, you will have to lead them. I can give you advice, even fight by your side, but I cannot lead. Not any more. Any angels we can rescue will be yours to lead back to heaven. I won't be able to follow you that far. “

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Watching as Cassiel returned from exploring the layout of the caves, Skylar nodded his head in understanding when the other male explained to him what he had found. At least that would give the angels some time to group together and plot their escape without having to worry about the demons. Skylar was certain that if they could raise the angels spirits up, they could easily take down the demons from the inside out and crushing their enemies right then and there.

"How many angels and supplies do you think we could hide in the cave? Surely enough to cause the demons some serious casualties." he said tugging at the collar around his neck gingerly finding that it appeared that the damn collar would be around his neck until they managed to get a hold of one of the controls.

However, when Skylar heard what Cassiel had said, he froze instantly and the hand around the collar tightened slightly as he turned to face the elder angel. Eyes narrowing slightly, Skylar shook his head knowing that there was no way he was going to lead his fellow angels when a stronger leader was sitting right next to him. All Cassiel had to do was open his eyes and realize that. Just because he was a fallen angel didn't mean he was still that once great leader he had once been. "The hell I'm going to lead them. You're the best angel here that can lead us. I am nothing compared to the leader that you are Cassiel. If anybody is going to be the leader here it's you. I will not enter heaven without you. What happened to you down here cannot be forgotten but I'm sure that if you lead the angels to freedom, you can be forgiven and join your fellow angels in heaven again." he said trying desperately for the other angel to understand just how much he meant to him even if Cassiel didn't feel the same way.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."