North Coast Station, Cleveland, Ohio - 2:36 AM

“Sheesh, do I at least get the honor of a name?” I asked as I stood up. I was bleeding from being dragged through the train’s window, but overall my injuries weren’t too bad.

The Amtrak station building had been destroyed, likely during the fight with the Transportation Hub boss, but the North Coast Station just down the tracks was now where the train stopped. I had been casually tossed onto the platform close to the glass and metal building.

I could see the towering Cleveland Browns Stadium across the shoreway. It made for a good defensive fortress for the people of the city. Being next to a massive source of water, Lake Erie, also helped when it came to gathering the essentials.

Since I didn’t expect this to end with a peaceful chat, I prayed to Sara that we wouldn't alert anyone. I knew from experience that some Angels couldn’t be talked down.

The memory of meeting Sara for the first time came to me. She had been standoffish and a little cruel. My attitude didn't help that at all, but I had the excuse of being understandably stressed given my campaign through Hell and all but one of my friends dying during the fights.

“Nephilims do not get answers,” the Angel said harshly, interrupting my reverie. Raising his open hand, he brought it down in front of himself with a wide, sweeping gesture.

His head disappeared behind a closed, faceless helmet with no slits for vision. As he lowered his hand, his white and gold armor became thicker, sturdier, all the way to his feet. Every movement made noise, though it seemed muted compared to how it looked like it would sound.

“I already corrected you because I’m a Half-Angel, but you didn’t like that,” I said, brushing myself off as I stretched. “Can you at least tell me what Nephilims do get if not answers? Because it certainly doesn’t seem like peace and quiet.”

“Abominations get death,” he answered, angry but seemingly unfazed by the fact that he was apparently about to try and take my life.

The Angel twisted his wrist and a wicker shield appeared in his hand. Despite not looking to be the sturdiest of constructions, I knew better than to think it would be easily cut through. A matching gesture with his free hand saw the appearance of a flaming short sword. A very Angelic weapon if I’d ever seen one.

“Well, doesn't that sound like a fun time,” I said, continuing to stretch. “I feel like I should warn you, I'm a bad match for you.”

He didn't reply. The Angel lunged for me with his sword raised high. He was faster than I had anticipated at first for a being with only two wings. Faster than I was by a small margin, though, and I had a solid guess on where he fell in the hierarchy.

Raising my hands, I summoned the Staff of Raphael from my inventory. The wooden weapon caught the blade of the flaming sword without getting harmed at all. I was nearly pushed down from the impact, but held firm. Thanks to my constant aura sight, I could see the Angel’s eyes widened in shock.

“Two wings, heavy armor, that makes you a Powers,” I stated. “Middle of the road Angel along with Dominions and Virtues. Or Principalities, depending on who you ask. Your kind are usually soldiers, which would explain your need to dive right into an ill-advised battle.”

He looked down at me, still wide-eyed as he processed both my weapon and my words. I saw people watching us from within the dimly lit train car, and I nodded at them as if to say there was nothing to see here.

When the Power moved, I saw his wicker shield coming straight for my head. His wings were raised, and I knew that any movement to dodge to the left or right would be met with a swift downward strike. Not giving him a chance, I put my elbows together and jumped.

The shield bashed into my forearms and I went flying backwards. His wings slashed downwards even though I hadn’t fallen into his trap. A dangerous curtain of feathers from both flew towards me like arrows. I knew that the edges would be razor sharp.

Using Drop on my boots, I hit the ground and leapt towards the train. The feathers struck the platform behind me, embedding themselves into the concrete just as I expected they would. My foot hit the car’s window and I jumped off towards the Power.

He had just folded his wings behind him and I could see the feathers regenerating. Raising his shield, he pulled his flaming short sword back to thrust at me once he blocked my next attack. I held the Staff of Raphael over my head as if to bring it down.

I didn't. Instead, I used Orbit to pull three of the feathers out of the concrete and flung them right back at him. His attention was pulled away from me for a split second, which was long enough. If I still had my Heelies of Hermes I would have used Air Step to get over him, but that wasn’t an option. What I could do, though, was make a Force Field and use that to get an extra boost.

The Power expertly slashed through the trio of feathers without hesitation as I stepped onto his wicker shield. I used Drop on it and one of my boots to weigh it down, and his arm buckled. My other foot came flying forward, kicking him in the head.

He went sprawling backwards. I expected him to fall, but he dug the bottom of his wings into the concrete platform to stop himself. As soon as I hit the ground, I adjusted the Staff of Raphael so the spike on the bottom was facing the Power and activated Crash Test.

<<<>>>

[[Skill]]

Crash Test

Pick a direction adjacent to the ground and move up to Dexterity*½ feet in that direction at twice your fastest speed. If any objects are in your way, you violently burst through their space, knocking them away or breaking through them. This deals damage equal to Strength*4. If an object you hit stops you, then you also take that damage. After using this skill, you cannot use it again for 1 hour.

<<<>>>

The Power wasn’t as surprised as I had hoped. Reaching out, he thrust his sword towards my heart. In the short moment I had to react, I used Orbit to knock the weapon away from piercing my chest and activated Shield.

My defense shattered almost immediately, but the ability took the flaming sword even further off course. I grit my teeth as it cut and seared my side. The Staff of Raphael pierced through the Power’s chest plate, but it didn’t make it far despite the power behind the skill. He went flying as I skidded to a stop and I lunged forward, following him.

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The Power was faster and stronger than I, but he was a few centuries behind me in skill. I knew that I had to overwhelm him if I wanted to get back on the train before it continued its journey, and the disembodied voice of the station was announcing that it would be leaving soon. My window was closing.

I took a breath. It didn’t matter if I had to wait for the next train so long as I survived. That was my priority.

Summoning My Golden Bowling Ball, I raised it in time to slide the flaming sword to the side. Immediately returning it to my inventory, I ducked and spun. A wing passed over my head, narrowly missing where I had just been.

Using Orbit on the staff to enhance my spin, I struck the Power in his side with as much strength as I could muster. He staggered towards the train, off balance, and I leaned back. His wicker shield came within inches of bashing me in the skull. I swung, giving myself some extra power with Orbit. The Staff of Raphael hit him in his ribs, sending the Angel flying into the train.

Putting the weapon back into my inventory, I started pulling his feathers out of the ground. If he was going to throw them at me, then I was going to take them for monster parts at the very least. This earned me a powerful glare from behind his visor. To an Angel, every part of their body was sacred.

But Ash could do some good things with them, and I wasn't feeling particularly happy with the way things had gone so far.

What I really wanted was a wing, but that would be too far. It felt a little dirty to take parts from this particular enemy given my relationship and heritage, but the fact that he brought this fight to me with little to no justification made it hard to empathize with him.

“Blasphemer!” he yelled angrily. “Heretic! You profess to be half of what I am, carry a holy relic, yet you do not follow our rules! Nephilims are to be put to death on sight!”

“Half-Angel,” I insisted again. “I am very specifically not called a Nephilim on my status screen, probably for this reason. I am definitely not a cross between a fallen Angel and a Human. Any animosity between us comes from you, not me. I’m willing to call this a draw.”

“A draw,” the Power spat. “You are arrogant.”

“So far it seems kind of warranted, don’t you think?” I asked, ignoring the anger in his aura. “Look, we can go our separate ways. All you gotta do is leave me alone. I’ll even return your feathers.”

“I do not need your pity or your platitudes,” he said, his voice becoming quiet with righteous fury. The halo around his head flickered, and I activated Cheetah Sprint as quickly as I possibly could. Taking the gamble, I jumped.

Every type of Angel had different abilities when it came to their halo. For Seraphims like Sara, the highest rank, it was a defensive tool. It automatically intercepted projectiles and other attacks and warped them to a copy of itself, usually aimed towards the attacker. Virtues used theirs to command elemental powers, while Dominions used them to buff allies.

Powers used theirs offensively.

The halo above his head disappeared and reappeared around me. I wasn’t high enough. Hugging my knees to my chest, I Lifted my clothes to try and get more height. At the same time, I retrieved Vernon's Smash Stick and the Vague Stick from my inventory.

Just underneath me, the halo contracted and collapsed into itself. My heels were caught and sliced by the shrinking circle, and I grunted in pain. On my left, it had only taken the rubber sole, but it cut through bone on my right.

Dropping myself, I carefully made sure that I landed on my toes. My stance was weird, but I couldn’t be bothered by it. I flung myself forward when the halo returned around the Power’s head.

Mentally commanding the Vague Stick into the shape of a sword, I slashed the air between us. The Power raised his wicker shield, nullifying the blow, but he didn’t catch all of it. I used Distant Slice to catch him on either side, the energy ramming into his chest, shoulder, and wing, cutting through some of his feathers. He recoiled and I spun on my toes.

Returning the Vague Sword to my inventory, I put both hands on Vernon’s Smash Stick and used Orbit as I took another step forward. The halo flickered again, but I wasn’t about to give him the time to activate it. The Power raised his shield, and I Pushed it.

The singular ability wasn’t enough to throw the Angel off balance, but it did shift the wicker shield enough for me to do what I needed. Thanks to Orbit, the mandible club I wielded collided with the shield’s edge, breaking it with the power of the Smasher passive.

I lowered myself as the Power attempted to thrust at me, this time aiming to debilitate. He now knew that I was too slippery to get a one shot kill to my heart, neck or head, and changed tactics. It was the smart thing to do under most circumstances. Unfortunately for him, I saw through him.

It wasn’t the Power’s fault; like all Angels, he had been trained in a certain style. One that I knew how to predict and counter. I swung the Smash Stick back towards the flaming sword. There wasn’t enough power to break the weapon, but he didn’t know that, and he took another step back.

There was nowhere else to go. He fell between the train and the platform. His armor didn’t allow him to fall all the way through, and he became stuck.

I wasn’t sure if he noticed or not, but the doors were already closed.

With the Smash Stick already above my head, I jumped into the air and swung. Using Drop to give it a little extra oomph, I brought it down towards the Power’s head. He attempted to raise his wings to protect himself, but they were firmly lodged between him and the train. His sword was raised next, but I managed to keep it away with Push.

The Smash Stick passed harmlessly by his halo. With a scream of rage, the Power’s helmet was thoroughly clobbered. It cracked, though did not shatter, and I took a step back. His struggles didn’t cease, but they became much less coordinated than I had seen before.

I took a step back and waited.

“Your attention, please,” the voice over the intercom requested. “The 2:45 morning train en route to Chicago with intermediate stops at Sandusky, Toledo-”

“Sorry, nameless Power,” I said, interrupting the announcement as I pulled the Smash Stick back into my inventory. “Please don’t hold what happens next against me.”

The cracked helmet looked up at me as if confused before the train started moving. I winced as I heard the armor creak and moan, and shook my head as the Angel was dragged along the platform. He screamed for a few terrible seconds before disappearing underneath the train. The vehicle was fine, of course; the system wouldn’t allow it to derail.

The same could not be said of the Power.

“What a damn way to go,” I sighed as the screen appeared in front of me.

<<<>>>

[[Victory!]]

You have defeated the Roaming Boss [Glaraphel, Wandering Inquisitor]; + 1,800 points.

<<<>>>

“Wandering Inquisitor, great,” I complained, recalling the Staff of Raphael in order to heal faster. “Well, at least it’s a boss kill and there probably won’t be another of him for a while.”

“You hope,” I told myself.

Nodding at my words, I waited for the train to fully leave before jumping onto the tracks. There was no body. Unlike Demons, Angels didn’t usually leave anything behind on death. Their gear and corpse were sent back to Heaven the moment their hit points hit zero.

That knowledge was what gave me pause when I looked at the loot and saw that there was a halo left behind. No book, which was strange, just the head-sized golden hoop. I Pulled it towards me and snapped open the description.

I frowned. The description wasn’t written in English like it should have been but Enochian, the language of Angels. It made sense, the same thing happened to my Status screen when I used Break Free, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

Jumping back onto the platform, I sat down cross-legged and tossed the halo into my inventory. There was no sense dwelling on it because I would figure it out once I was reunited with Sara. Closing my eyes, I began to meditate. For now, unsure as to when the next train would arrive, I was content to wait.