The sun rose to its midday position glistening off the white snow that covered the base. A winged man with chestnut brown hair spoke to a red headed female. He spoke grinning asking, “So, what did you do to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere on an advance post like this?”
“Got caught sleeping in the library while I was studying runes. What a pain. Yourself?” The woman sighed resting her hands on her hips. Before the man could speak a sharp crack filled the air. Both angels looked around unsure hearing it repeated. The sound of metal against metal caught their attention and both rose into the air with no sign of effort.
The pair each drew their swords, their minds filled with stories of the 'Dragon reborn' that had been plaguing the area. They saw a single figure with a pair of swords hitting the gate with the blunt side of his swords. The man stood with his yellow eyes betraying his identity. The two angels dropped down keeping their distance with their swords drawn. The red haired woman asked sharply, “What business do you have here, halfbreed?
Chris let out a sharp exhalation and stabbed both swords into the snow. He raised his arms into the air showing himself unarmed before he spoke, “I'm here to offer an exchange. Free passage for my compatriots in exchange for my surrender.” The angels edged towards him slowly each one taking up one of his swords. Chris looked to each angel asking, “So, can I take this as an acceptance of my offer?”
“Silence, beast!” The man ordered moving to hand the woman both swords before pressing his hands on the man's wrists and ankles. Chris closed his eyes suppressing a hiss from himself his body repulsed by the golden chains on him once more. Both angels grasped his wrists lifting him over the walls. The building showed obvious signs of neglect with broken windows not covered and the vehicles covered in thick snow that had not been disturbed.
The trio landed and the woman gave a sharp whistle to the others about. The main school's doors swung open releasing a small group of similar beings. Their  wingspan allowing only one at a time until the courtyard filled. Chris felt a hard hit land on his back forcing him to kneel in the snow. The suppressed hiss escaped him as he glared back to the woman who had struck him. A second blow landed on his face by the hilt of her sword knocking him into the snow while the man lifted him back into a kneeling position.
His eyes watching the procession he started taking a mental count of the surrounding angels. Once the angels had filed out into the courtyard Chris tried his best to double check his numbers but was interrupted by the woman's declaration, “We have the foolish Reborn dragon here asking for mercy in exchange for his surrender. Should we accept his plea for mercy and bring down the weight of judgment upon his head?” The surrounding angels cheered loudly for his judgment. The pair of captors looked down at him and the woman knelt down bringing her face close to his.
Their eyes locked and the woman spoke through a sadistically curved smile, “This is for my brother who fell to your blade, halfbreed monster. Beg for his mercy while the flames of hades burn your soul into nothing.” The woman returned to stand above the man and raised  her long sword in a smooth motion. The cheers became deafening as the woman held her sword at the top of her arc.
A sudden scream silenced the crowd leaving them stunned. The red haired woman was sent backwards. The group could all see the source of her final scream and fall was the dagger planted deeply into the front of her skull. United the angels looked to the knife's owner sitting on the wall with a leg lazily swinging off the side. Remar smiled down at the group holding a gun in his hand  and raised to the air. He pulled the trigger sending a red smoke flare into the air as he shouted down, “Phase two!”
Several angels quickly armed themselves with their swords taking to the air. Their  wings pushing for every bit of speed the angels went after the grinning elf who rolled backwards off the wall. The angels who followed quickly cleared the wall before their bodies collapsed into the snow on the other side of the wall in a sudden burst of gunfire. While the angels stood unsure of what to do a sudden crash of metal brought the front steel gate down to roll beneath the truck's treads. The back of truck was covered in a set up of various  speakers that began to pump out almost deafening rock music. The sudden noise offered Chris a distraction to call his blades by having them vanish and appear in his hands that quickly broke the chains.
Taking advantage of the chaos Chris began cutting into the surrounding angels keeping to the almost inhumanly fast beat of the thundering metal. The training of the angels kicked in shaking off the shock and fighting back, their swords blocked the man's swords.  The angels quickly moved forming a circle attacking Chris from every angle taking deep cuts at his legs and arms trying to cripple him. A sharp pain rocked his body as a first blade drank deeply of his thigh sending him to kneel.
The long eared man threw his head back letting loose a draconic roar that shook his surroundings. The angel all held their swords ready for the kill but halted their advance as a return roar shook the air. The white winged beings looked around unsure as the roar repeated, the source more evident as the blonde man standing on the truck that had broken down the door. Arthur flashed a grin showing his fangs pushing himself into run across the courtyard to attack the nearest angel. Chris smiled to himself admiring the flashy entrance before joining the fray to help prevent his partner from becoming overwhelmed.
The fight continued with the angels taking turns trying to separate the pair of dragon reborn. Chris's strokes were swift and he quickly countered each attack but being forced into a stalemate due to the sheer numbers. Arthur easily knocked aside the swords with his strength cracking bones on every hit but unable to to make a kill as another angel would jump in to block him. The fight dragged on until the sound of gunfire filled the air. A row of angels fell into a bloody pile looking up to the school to see people armed with guns in the windows.
“Wow, he wasn't kidding you low rank angels have a short attention span. But, I suppose this is checkmate,” Chris spoke with a half laugh in his voice. The angels realizing their positions remained unmoving in their fighting stances. The man let out a sigh of hot air which dissipated quickly in the cold air, “Now surrender lest YOU be judged!” The surrounding mob of angels quickly split into two groups. The first charged Chris and Arthur while the second drew their bows aiming at the people who hid in the building.
The sounds of the battle roared with the angels firing burning arrows into the windows in volleys while the soldiers fired back in return. The shouts of clips and movements to change rooms could be heard trying to outflank the airborne winged beings. On the ground Chris and Arthur separated  driving themselves into the thick of battle. Chris's wounds rapidly closing as he cut leaving long open wounds on torsos, arms, leg or whatever part her could reach. Arthur's maces could be heard with each contact by the screams of agony from his victims.
The music still thundering throughout the area as an Angel raised a six pointed star pendant from his neck to the air. The pendant gave off a flash of light as a voice over the speakers called out, “Phase three, get ready!”
An arch of steel raised out of the ground. It stood as tall as the school with a single figure followed by many more angels stepped into the bloody snow. The leader distinguished by his black hair and much larger wings as well as the golden sash adorning his robe. The man drew his longsword and began barking orders to his subordinates, “Three men into the building! Five to silence that noise! Kill them all for this insubordination! No prisoners! The rest of you after the reborns! I WILL HAVE THEIR SKIN THIS TIME!”
The angels began their work. The truck was hit first, the music silenced with a few sword strokes destroying the equipment. A soft clinking could be heard and the Angels looked about between themselves before being thrown back from the explosion that destroyed the entire vehicle. The commander bit his lip seeing the soldiers had been killed by a booby trap before refocusing his efforts onto the school ordering reinforcements into the building.
The exchange of fire between the people and angels had not let up as the Commander worked to keep people moving away from the windows so they wouldn't be shot. His eyes stinging from the sweat as his gun kept on target dropping another one from the air before falling away to reload from the pile of ammunition on the carpeted floor. A voice crackled over his radio, “We've got guests inside. Moving upstairs!”
“Shit,” The commander muttered to himself looking over at a man clutching the arrow buried into his shoulder. A sharp scream accompanied his attempt to remove it unsuccessfully. Commander Anderson grumbled to himself  and  pointed to the injured man for someone to help him. His mind racing over his position on the third floor. They needed an ambush point to hold the inside intruders as well as the outside angels. He nodded shouting, “Two of you with me! The rest of you clear my skies!”
The soldiers silently followed him down the stairs practically slipping on the slick tile but using the railings to get to the second floor. He smiled to himself already seeing three people setting up barricades facing the only stairwell from the first floor. He assisted in piling the desks into a way to  be a shield. They saw the first angel before they heard him firing in controlled bursts sending him backwards. The commander looked outside hearing the large explosion of the truck and running to a window to check. He saw the angels laid out from it and nodded to himself hearing a second burst of gunfire from the hall. Giving a final glance down to Chris and Arthur he returned to the defense pushing off another fool from advancing.
The Angelic commander made a show of raising his blade causing the angels to part giving him access to the two men still fending off their assaults. Arthur let out a mocking laugh taunting, “Whats wrong? Afraid to fight us yourself so you'll sacrifice your army?”
“Of course, it's always the way with higher ups. They want you to do what they say but too afraid to face the same dangers themselves,” Chris added ducking under an angels wide swing cutting him from the belly up and kicking him into the snow.  Arthur continued laughing landing a hard crack across one angel's chest leaving it a bloodied mess.
“All of you stand down! I'll show them the extent of their meager power,” The head angel spoke. The angel extended a fist before turning his arm across his chest. His forearm was wrapped in a white light as he let out a sharp breath. A large triangular shield appeared strapped to his arm. The leader of the angels relaxed keeping his shield facing the two men as the Angels formed a large circle giving wide berth to the combatants. Chris and Arthur stood facing one another before focusing their attention on their enemy.
Chris took the lead in their attack swinging beneath the shield to cut open the man's legs but was caught off guard by the fluid speed of their opponent. Before he could finish his move the Angel charged forward slamming his shield's lower point into his collar bone sending him flying back. Arthur managed to dodge his skidding partner to bring both weapons down on the silver shield only to be stopped dead in a display of strength exceeding his own. Unable to push forward the man let out a surprised grunt.
His eyes looked down trying to process what he saw. Though the pain was there his mind had trouble understanding the blade buried deep in his stomach. The double edged sword protruded from his back and the man could only watch it. The head angel turned his blade before cutting out of the man's side. Arthur collapsed limply to the pavement, the blood quickly pooling about him.
“Medic!” Chris cried out his hands tightly both swords. His eyes clenched as he watched the man's body shudder and spasm. The armed man felt his anger rise and charged through the snow, his swords dragging along the ground letting sparks fly. The angel took his position with his shield up to prevent the man from making any critical hits but holding his ground. Chris let out a roar  before leaping to hit the shield with his full weight and power. Impaling his swords into the steel blocking he managed to pin the angel beneath him.
Remar seemed to appear from nowhere in the crowd holding a knife casually in his hands. Stepping out from the ring he crossed the distance with silent fluidity driving the blade into the angel's throat. The motion was repeated until the lead angel fell still. Without another look to the dead leader the elf moved to the bleeding man placing his hands above the wound wrapping it in a reddish orange light.
Chris slowly edged towards the companions edging slowly. He looked down to Remar asking, “Didn't you say they'd retreat once the commander was dead?”
“They do,” Remar said tersely looking up seeing the crowd closing in like predators around them, “Normally. This isn't good.” The elf returned to his work and let out a sigh saying, “I'm sorry but you have to protect us for a few minutes unless he'll bleed out and just pray for those inside.” Chris nodded and making wide strikes trying to slow the angel's advance while sending a worried glance to the school hoping the sound of their gunfire would not let up.
Inside the angels continued pressing their attacks taking to using their bows to return fire to the humans. The commander growled looking at the dwindling stack of clips for their guns. They had been forced up to the third floor when the angels outside managed to break a window on the second floor and flooded in. The red hot arrows pierced the surroundings and set their makeshift blockades aflame.
“Commander! We need to get these men out of here!” Lucy cried out unloading her handgun's bullets into an angel which lingered a second too long in the doorway lining up his shot. The winged man slumped but another stepped out into the hall firing an arrow that flew slightly to the right of Lucy as she ducked back to cover.
The commander and two other soldiers stepped out into the main hall firing into the bold angel to cross the hall. Before falling the angel released an arrow piercing one of the soldiers cleanly through his throat causing him to collapse releasing his rifle. The commander Anderson gave Lucy an annoyed look asking, “To where? There's no medical facility in any sort of distance and our numbers have been halved. It's only a matter of time before we're overrun and killed. All we can do is hope our allies can drop that son of a bitch and they'll fuck off.”
Lucy gave a nod moving to the windows to check on the fight outside. She let out a sharp gasp seeing a single angel lock his eyes on her. The woman turned letting out a warning cry as the sound of the protective glass breaking flooded the room, “Incoming!” The shards of glass cut deeply across her skin and back. The angel shook off the impact and stood unharmed and undaunted at his dramatic entrance. The other angels took advantage of the distraction to push forward but were held in place by a new round of gunfire.
Lucy scrambled back to the others while pulling her gun to shoot. The angel raised his sword and moved to cut the woman as she struggled to reload her gun. Her eyes went wide as she felt the new clip slide in seeing the sword come down to strike. A sudden blur of motion and a spray of blood appeared in front of her.
Her eyes held the image of the soldier who had thrown himself in front of the sword. The angel's face being spattered with his life blood while  the sword ripped across his chest and stomach. Not to be denied his kills the angel made a backstroke sending the man back into the wall with the force of his stroke. The angel's mouth curled into a sadistic smile as he prepared a second blow to the horrified woman. The man coughed up a fit of blood slumping over and spoke through labored final breaths, “I did love you.”
The angel raised his blade as high as the ceiling allowed and swung downwards to make a clean cut along the woman's chest. As he did his blade hit nothing but air as the woman simply vanished from sight. The angel stood bewildered looking around for the woman before taking a deep breath to shout. The attempt was blocked by a long dagger pressed to his throat as a cold, loathing voice spoke, “Be silent!”
The thumping sound of his head crashing to the floor came between volleys as the soldiers looked over to see the woman. She slipped off the white coat and shirt revealing her bare breasts  what caught everyone's attention were the two large black and yellow butterfly wings that now extended from her back. The woman looked at her comrades and vanished from sight. The next few seconds were filled with muffled screams and cries before a final voice cried out, “Fairy reborn!” The halls became still as the woman walked slowly down the middle of the war torn hallway.
The soldiers watched as the woman walked over and placed a tender hand to touch the cheek of the man killed by the rogue angel. Kneeling before him she placed a soft kiss to his lips and whispered softly, “Thank you, Lyell. I always knew but, I was afraid. Look what my fear caused. I'm so sorry.” The commander walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder giving a look to outside to see Chris fending off the angels.
His legs feeling exhausted and his arms weighed down Chris  looked to see the remaining angels continuing to close in. Remar remained focused on his task before beginning to chant, “By she who spans the light and dark.  In the name of the one who sees the all and in between.”
Chris closed his eyes as well feeling something stirring in him. He raised his blades pointed out to the enemy feeling the chant take form on his lips, “For this humble servant calls upon your wisdom and begs you to show me the path.” The pair continued their chant repeatedly causing the angels to back away slowly. Runes seemed to carve themselves around each chanter in a circle regardless of the ground they were on. The runes completed the circle and Chris let loose a new roar.
The angels began to go into full flight but in a sudden burst of speed Chris pointed both swords while releasing a ball of water and throwing it to the Angelic commander's body. The head angel  rose to his feet, his body no longer injured from the mortal wounds. Chris raised a hand to the fleeing angels and the head of the angels took to the air. In savage display of skill the now traitor angel killed the others using both bow and sword. Once his work was complete the angel knelt down before Chris silently.
“Most skillful, I must admit you do good work brother,” Remar commented. Chris turned back to the elf to see Arthur laying still, the wound scarred but no longer bleeding.
The man nodded and let out a sigh, “Thank you, but I'm not sure what I did. I just felt that chant was familiar.....what the hell am I?” The elven man stood up from his patient placing his hands as strongly as he could on Chris's shoulders.
“Right now, focus on gathering everyone and getting back to your base. Once we're safe, you'll get plenty of answers but the smell of blood is thick and will be drawing beasts soon. We are all exhausted and not in a condition to fend them off. So, take your new servant and get to work,” Remar spoke with a calm assurance. Chris gave the elf a soft nod moving into the school with the angel leader following silent but for the sound of his sandals against the slick blood.