Purgatory

“Did you hear about the Eastern Angels?” a rugged old man asked another as they enjoyed their cup of tea within the safety of the Inn.
“No, have the heavens finally sent a being to vanquish these demons?” the other man asked, his hand tucked into his forest green tunic.
“No, they’re far worse than any demon. These two . . . , two . . . Well I guess no one really knows what they are. They aren’t human and they definitely aren’t demons,” the old man held his chin as he thought about it, stroking his grey-white goatee. “Anyway, they’re far worse than any demon, they’ve fought off all the eastern lands and claimed them as their own. It’s amazing that there are only two of them. It’s said that they’re making their way across the nation,” the old man sipped his tea as he smiled, concealing his fear.
“Hmm, two of them? Come to think of it, I did hear something of this, but not here in China. A crazy man in Kyoto, said he witnessed seeing someone in armor upon a black horse with red eyes and a woman dressed in a deep blue kimono upon a white horse with silver eyes. There wasn’t anything of it until almost a year ago, I’d heard that every village in Japan has been obliterated as if there had been nothing in the first place and then months later there were the sightings of the demons.” The man sat there still holding his hand in his tunic.
“Well, what do you think is going to happen?”
“To what?”
“This world, because if they keep pressing West they’ll run into all of us and everything will be run by demons, right?”
“Well, the demons pretty much run the world anyway so why would it matter if they run the world later?”
“Well for one we would be dead.”
“Well, old man you should know that everything dies,” the man stood and began to walk away from the table. He thought nothing of the old mans words, only of the words he’d left the old man with. He expected the old man to stop him, but he could smell something in the air that seemed to make everything stop. The man knew this smell, he smelled the same thing back in Japan just before they’d shown up. IT was beginning.

There was a booming sound that seemed to come every few seconds as footsteps through an empty hallway. As they became more violent there was a wild howling as if a pack of wolves had come. Suddenly the bar-side of the Inn came tumbling down, and there stood it. The wild dog, just as big as the man and horse, his eyes like eclipsed moons. Pupils, showing the design of a dragon on its side with a wing flared out. It was the epitome of fear. We all remained, frozen in fear, as the monsters tail swung left and right as if it were excited. With every swing of its tail, buildings crashed down, followed by screams and fire. Yet we in the Inn could not gather the strength nor courage to run we were trapped in the creature’s spell. It was a spell of fear, a glimpse of hell. Then suddenly the wolf stopped, as did the screams, it was as if even the flames of the fire had stopped flickering as the shuffling of reins and hove-steps echoed through the village.
Within the dark shadows of the night the only sight was a woman in a deep blue kimono among a white horse. She stopped at the Inn, coming up to the bartender, in his mind he was running yet his body did not seem to get the message. He stood staring at her in fear, in horror that a mere woman would be the cause of this disaster. She eyed him up and down, her staff’s eight charms jingling as she placed its head on the mans shoulder. Seeming to snap out of the spell, he shoved it off and turned to run. With a flick of her hand she snatched him up within a torrent of wind and ice, it was as if he was frozen within the middle of an icy tornado. She slammed the pole of her staff to the ground and the man burst into millions of icy particles. The particles didn’t seem to move. They just stayed in place. She looked around at everyone, seemingly in disgust, but then she smiled as she looked back at the atomized man affront her. She smiled and winked, the room was set ablaze along with the atomized man and everyone around the man in the green tunic seemed to be screaming and writhing in pain as they were consumed by fire. He stood there watching her as this was the second time he was spared, he thought of what they planned to do with him then he thought of his hand.

The being upon the dark horse, carrying a pole-axe too big to be forged by any normal being. The axe was held in one hand resting across the beings shoulders, both he and the horse were covered in silver armor with a black tint. Everything they’d passed upon their stroll through the village, was consumed by a demonic black and purple fire that coursed through the village in the shape of a dragon. The wolf had lain down and was awaiting them, on the other side of the wolf stood an army of thousands of men, they had yet to attack to the wolf for it had not seemed to be a threat. The wolf perked up as its master had approached, as if it was a puppy reunited with his master, it sat up revealing part of the army along its left side.
“I see you’ve brought someone for us to play with.” The man’s deep voice echoed through the silence of destruction. The wolf howled again, and ran off into the night, as the man climbed down from the horse. He seemed a giant compared to the human men. He took a few steps forward as his axe never seemed to leave his shoulders nor his hand from its pole.
“These are the mere mortals that shall condemn my soul to hell” the man screamed pointing the axe toward the army. There was a scream of charge and the thousands of men came dashing toward the laughing man. He didn’t seem to be bothered by all the men. They stopped surrounding him on all sides.
“So this is the extent of your unified strength?”he laughed, “There are lesser demons who will put up more of a fight than any pitiful mortal.” At that the man swung his great axe in a single circle and the bodies of men fell at his feet, covering him in blood.
A castle stood, what seemed to be directly beneath the moon. The woman and her white horse came walking slowly toward the man as he climbed amongst his dark horse.
“Tenchi, what are we looking for here?” the woman asked as she stopped her horse next to his. She hated raiding without reason, but she loved the killing.
“Neko, what were we looking for in Japan?” he asked bringing his gaze back down to her.
“The soul of Taike-ichi.” She said in question.
“Did we find it?” he asked without blinking, his face was full of death, curses, as if his soul had once dwelled in hell itself.
“How the hell am I supposed to know what the soul of Taike-ichi looks like?” she asked as her horse flicked its tail and they ventured toward the castle. Neko paused, and turned her horse around.
“We have a straggler.” She whispered into the wind her soft feminine voice almost a sword against the innocent wind.
“Him?” Tenchi asked, only stopping his horse, “We should kill him.”
“We can’t.” Neko answered in anger, “We need him, to break the seal with that arm of his.”
“Whatever, just tell him not to fall too far behind.” Tenchi said as his horse stood on its hind legs, and they dashed off toward the castle.
“MAN Don’t slow me down, or you’ll die where you stop.” Neko lashed out at him, as she waited for him to catch up.
“Woman, don’t call me as your servant.” he screamed between breaths, his hand unmoved from its seeming permanent place within his tunic. Neko’s horse, Blade, dashed toward the man, stopping affront him. Neko could smell his fear, as she snatched him up off of his feet by his throat. He gasped for air as it escaped him slowly.
“Remember the words you spoke, for it will be your own fault when death creeps among you.” Neko whispered in his ear as she turned Blade around and walked toward the castle. She stopped in the ring of bloodied bodies that had been dismembered by Tenchi. She retrieved a hand from one of the bodies, and shoved it into the mans mouth wrist first. She squeezed his throat a little, as she climbed back onto Blade with her free hand. Neko again began walking toward the castle.

“Where is it?” Tenchi screamed as he rode through the castle cutting down men and women viciously without thought. His horse, Nightmare, trampling over those in his way. Eventually Tenchi had made his way down into labyrinth like dungeons beneath the castle. He slowed Nightmare down, and walked through. Tenchi could smell blood, and death everywhere. Not from himself and Nightmare but from something else. It didn’t smell human, and the smell was too strong for a demon.
“Show yourself.” Tenchi said resting his great pole-axe across his shoulders and looking around into the dark labyrinth. There was laughter, echoing through the halls. Tenchi tossed his pole-axe down and climbed from Nightmare. He took off his armor revealing his dark scarred skin, and long almost white hair, his bangs falling over his red-yellow eyes that held white pupils. He cracked his back, neck, shoulders, elbows, and knuckles as if he was relieved to be without his armor. He stood for a moment eyes closed, listening to the wind and dwelling in the stench of death.
‘Where are you?’ he thought to himself, he could hear something swiftly moving around him. He opened his eyes, to see only a faded vision of something swiftly dancing about the labyrinth around him. Tenchi opened his right palm next to him, as he watched the thing dance. A purple ball of supposed lightening danced about his hand growing with each pass of time. Suddenly a flash of light came from his hand and the lightening danced from his hand to the thing moving swiftly. The beast stopped, and Tenchi unleashed the ball of lightening upon it. It didn’t kill the beast yet put it in a state of paralysis. Each time the beast moved it was met with an electric shock.
“Where is the soul of Taike-ichi, the killer of gods?” Tenchi asked as a black fog covered both of his hands.
“HA You raise the killer of gods Taike-ichi, you a mere Hellion.” the beast laughed, it only seemed right for it to laugh as it reminded Tenchi of a court jester,
“It would be stupid for you to lose your life over such a petty thing.” Tenchi said kneeling over the beast.
“I, Maru of the devils army shall not stoop to speak with only a grunt as yourself.” he said twitching with every effort of movement.
“Grunt you say, well what makes you so sure that I come of Hell?” he asked Maru.
“Even the blindest demon can see that you bear the signs of a hellion. You are of the only beasts ruthless enough to be born of the flames of hell, and your marks resemble exactly how strong you really are, Tenchi Soul Swallower of Hell.” Maru laughed, as Tenchi grew enraged.
“I see, well Maru is there a use for you? Or should I just send you to your master?” Tenchi asked, digging his hand into Maru’s throat until he could feel the floor on his bloody finger tips.
“Do you have to be so violent?” A soft voice whispered from the hall, followed by slow grunts.
“What took you so long?” Tenchi asked not taking his eyes form the smiling Maru, “Your human is dying.”
“We had to find ways around these cluttered halls, have you found it yet.” Neko said as she threw the human down to the floor, He gasped for air. He’d been suffocating slowly for almost half an hour, the veins on his neck had turned black and his skin pale. It was surprising to Neko that no matter what he’d never taken that hand from his tunic.
“Neko. . .Miko-mura. . .Fallen Angel cast. . .away by. . .God himself.” Maru said between breaths, “Hell. . .Hellion, an. . . And Angel.”
“Where is . . .” a deep growl interrupted Tenchi’s interrogation. Neko, climbed down from Blade and ventured through the labyrinth with the human. She disregarded the Hellion standing before them, passing him. Tenchi twisted his hand and watched Maru’s head roll off to the side. He stood, slowly turning around only to be greeted by a Hellion of great stature. His skin was a light crisped brown, his markings a deep coal black. Judging by his size he was one of the higher ups, he held a mace. His armor the same color as Tenchi’s own, just as they held the same eyes.
“Lets get this over with.” Tenchi said, as the black clouds once again came swarming around his hands. He slowly walked towards the Hellion as it raised its mace high above Tenchi’s head. The Hellion growled as it swung the mace down, the end of the mace split off as it impacted Tenchi. It left no mark, Tenchi continued walking toward the Hellion as if nothing had happened. Tenchi stopped as the Hellion went to swing the broken mace yet again. Tenchi swiftly swatted the air to his side, the Hellion stopped in place. Tenchi’s hands held a silver cloud now, as he approached the great beast. He placed his hands upon the Hellions tough skin, there was a deathly silence. Tenchi’s skin began to turn silver as the clouds around his hand whisked into dragons that bit deep into his soul. Tenchi screamed, as the signs among his body glow bright red as the fires of hell. The Hellions soul came screaming out of its body as it sank into Tenchi’s. The Hellion’s empty shell dropped to the floor as Tenchi’s hands returned to normal, as did his body. He remained hunched over grabbing his head, he could feel every thought and every moment of life the Hellion beast ever had. It coursed through Tenchi’s own mind giving him power and wisdom.
Moments later his head no longer throbbed and he knew his way around the labyrinth. He retrieved his armor and axe, after telling Nightmare and Blade to stay put he slowly ventured his way through the Labyrinth of Lost Souls.