Not like any other hunter. (Thalia.)

Madeline only grew more and more concerned as Thalia’s grunts and howls of rage filled the chamber. The tiny demon was a thinker not a fighter, but despite this she always tried to prove herself. She excepted the impossible task of hunting down renegade demons because she wanted to help. She wanted to be useful. Madeline tightly clenched her metal fist and began to slowly pace towards the shadowy being. The furry in her eyes was all he need to see in order to know that she wasn’t going to be playing anymore games. Seeing the mighty queen approaching him, the being began to summon wraiths in Madeline’s path. As each one appeared she simply ignored them and continued her march towards the shadow.

The wraiths attacked the queen with their scythes and claymores, but their blows bounced right of Madeline’s body. “Hiding behind a wall of minions? How unlike you. What ever happened to that proud and noble young man who came to me in his time of need. Where is the man who with the strength I granted him, was able to take on armies single handedly?” The queen barked.

“Oh thats rich coming from the one person who saw throwing bodies at a problem was the only way to fix it! You’re nothing but a damn hypocrite!” The shadow retorted. The queen was right though. The being found himself questioning his resolve for just a moment. He wielded untold power but here he was standing behind a wall of minions. The queen’s words cut deep and it angered him. He began to clutch his chest and then began to laugh. As he pulled his hand away from his chest an amulet would appear in his clutches.

Madeline’s eyes narrowed. She had never seen such a relic. It definitely wasn’t one of hers. So where did he get it? And what was he planning on doing? The answer to that would become clear in time. All the wraiths that had been summoned began to sink back into the puddles from which they had crawled out of. Without an enemy to fight, Thalia’s mismatched eyes sought out her next target which happened to be Ash and Madeline. Upon hearing the little demon’s battle cry echo throughout the chamber. Madeline quickly spun around to see Thalia in a dead sprint.

The shadow knew that Madeline and Ash would both turn to face the rampaging ball of fluff. He also knew that his attack wouldn’t hurt Madeline….But it would hurt Ash. He quickly summoned the frosted blade in his free hand and attempted to trust it into the mans back. With lightning fast reflexes the goddess of war would reach over with her metal hand and would throw Ash to the ground. At the same time she’d throw her normal hand backwards and would catch the sword by the blade. While this took care of the shadow, it did nothing to stop Thalia. Luckily Madeline knew just how to stop the little terror without hurting her.

Thinking fast, Madeline would wave her metal arm in Thalia’s direction and a wave of ice would shoot up from the ground and trap her. With her entire torso encased in ice, the little hunter flailed about and hissed in anger. “Don’t worry. That’ll keep her from interfering, and it’ll give her time to cool off.” She slowly turned to face the shadow, her face taking on a more stern expression. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for far to long. It’s time I did the smart thing and locked you away for good.”

The figure would relinquish his blade and take a large leap back. He held the amulet tightly in his clutches. If he was going to make his move, now would have to be the time.

Ashford did not have the ears to listen to the two bicker while he fought. If that meant he didn't have the focus or he was missing a ear or two, he wasn't sure, just that a sword had come a little too close to his head once or thrice. Still, he was at least getting closer to the two, which meant he would be able to deal with the main threat more directly then anything else. However, just as he dug his claws into a wraith, he noted that the two leaders were silent, and just like that, the wraith he was facing and every other creature that had come from the shadowy pits, returned to the shadowy pits.

Left confused for a moment and unsure what to attack, Ashford found he still had some hearing when the roar of a little hunter he knew echoed throughout the chamber and he found his eye drawn to Thalia, who without something to fight, had moved on to other targets, and seeing as he was in between the Shadow and Thalia, he had an idea. And with his attention on Thalia, he had no clue what was happening behind him, but he got an idea when he felt a hand push him to the ground. Again.

Looking up, he then saw the little hunter, now covered in ice and held still. Madeline's voice in his ear. Cool off... Cool off. This Queen ether had a thing for puns or that meant this state was not forever. Ash let out a breath at the thought, his worries were misplaced. So was the Queens based on her previous action. Standing himself up to turn and face the shadow alongside the Queen, Ashford flexed his clawed fingers. Demons had been punished for less then trying to boss this woman around.. He always knew he had a bit of a mouth. "Don't worry about my safety next time. I'll survive anything he throws at me." Huffing, he then lowered his voice. "Talking about throwing, mind pitching me in his general direction?"

Ashford said as he took a few slow steps. He wasn't as fast as the Queen, so if he got in close fast, distracted the bugger of a being hidden under that cloak of darkness. She could deal with him... Or, he'd ignore the man, Ashford would crash into the wall... Then he'd be the one behind the Shadow, ready to surprise attack the bastard. One way or the other, Ashford hoped she listened rather then ignored him and did her own thing, otherwise he was going to be doing a bit more running to catch up and somehow. Being thrown sounded nicer.

“You really shouldn’t discuss battle plans aloud.” the shadow said grinning at Ash. Madeline found herself rubbing the bridge of her nose out of sheer annoyance with the being. “Fuck it, why not. What’s the worst that could happen?” the queen shrugged, before giving Ashford a very forceful shove from behind. The man would no doubt fly forward much faster than he had expected. The shadow of course, saw this coming from a mile away and burst into a swarm of bats and dashed forward.

The swarm would flash forward with incredible speed and attempt to reform behind the demon queen. As the shadow began to take shape, a metal arm would lash out and catch him by the throat. It immediately began to constrict with tremendous pressure. It was a good thing for the shadow that he didn’t need to breath and that he theoretically couldn’t die. Being caught in Madeline’s grasp was a place he didn’t want to be, but all the kicking and flailing he tried had no effect on her. The goddess’ eyes narrowed in anger. Despite her expression, when the queen spoke, she did so in a much more somber tone. “What happened to you? We share so many fond memories with one another, yet you chose to turn your back on everything.”

She knew she’d not get an answer, her grip on his throat was too tight and she wasn’t about to ease up either. She extended her arm out and dangled the shadowy being out in front of her. Extending her free hand to her side, Madeline would once again summon her swordspear. Her grip tightened around it as she prepared to drive the spear through the shadow, but something was holding her back. The shadow began to chuckle at Madeline’s hesitation. “After all these years. Even with the curse on my soul, you’re incapable of striking me down.”

The demon queen let out a low growl but quickly composed herself. “I may not be able to….But they can!” she said, nodding her head in Ash and Akhenaten’s directions. Looking over her shoulder to Ash, Madeline would wave the spear around. “Care to do the honors?”

The shadow’s struggling became more frantic and wild as what appeared to be his demise drew close. He knew this wouldn’t end him for good, no, he’d wake up eventually in the middle of nowhere if he were to fall here. It wasn’t the death that bothered him, it was the defeat at the hands of Madeline’s puppets that really stung. His grip tightened around the amulet he had summoned earlier. If he was going to use it, now would be the time.

Every shove from the Queen before this one really understated just what she could do to him. Still, as Ashford found himself almost flying towards the Shadow, who did have enhanced hearing in the end. He knew his plan wasn't exactly going to work now. Clearly the Shadow hadn't forgotten about him too much.

Still, as Ashford flew past the swarm of bats, his metal arm stretched out to catch himself on the wall he was about to collide into, he knew that when the Shadow did turn into that swarm, he did so to get close. And so far all close encounters with the Queen had gone in her favor from what the man saw, so his plan at least would make something happen.

Hitting the wall with his hand first, it would crack under the considerable pressure as Ashford slowed down a little, not enough to stop him from crashing his body from smashing into the wall as well, having to twist his body so his shoulder would crash next into the wall instead, which ended with a resounding crack echoing though the chamber. But the crack was not because of Ash, but the wall breaking even further, seemingly his coat did more damage this his metal arm colliding with it.

Falling to the ground, Ashford twisted so he at least landed on his feet and hands, allowing him to stand back up to head back towards the Queen, who had indeed, taken the Shadow and held him in a vice grip that he seemed unable to escape from. So he moved closer to the two, noting that the Queen seemed hesitant. Ex it was. Most certainly with how the Shadow proceeded to mock her about it, but Ashford had to give the woman credit. He would not have hesitated, yet she could. He somewhat envied that.

And he was happy to do the Queens dirty work for her, holding his chipped metal hand for the spear, which he hoped would do the job as needed. "By the way. I apologize, but I am not one of those champions you keep thinking I am. I'm just a concerned peasant." Ashford grunted out, knowing this being had often thought him a champion of this Madeline.

Glancing around, Ashford thought of where to strike. His eye moving over the form, he took notice of a few things. That necklace he had, his chest region. Ashford thought about his own necklace, hidden under his clothing, how it was magical... Kept him magical in some senses. That was where he was stabbing then. Aiming for the necklace and the chest of the Shadow, Ashford would attempt to thrust forward the swordspear to skewer the item and the pain in everyone's neck. Hopeful he could end this now so he could put his attention on more important things, like Thalia.

Nether Madeline nor Ash could have predicted what was about to happen. The shadow did, and it was all to cheerful to embrace the fabled swordspear. The second the tip of the goddess’ weapon came into contact with the amulet, the shroud of shadows vanished. Beneath them was a pale man appearing to be in his mid thirties with a lean muscular build. His hair and beard were almost as black as the shadows he had used to cloak himself, and his eyes were a blood red. This would be the only glimpse they’d be able to get of the being for now.

In an instant a very powerful burst of air shot out from the man and his amulet. Despite her impressive strength and her tight grip on the man’s throat, Madeline was blown back several feet. The skidding of her boots filled the chamber as she braced herself. Her amber eyes looking back to the man. This was Sulyvahn, her first champion and the first mortal she had ever fallen for. He looked just as he had the last time the two had seen one another. The curse placed upon his being prevented him from dying, and prevented Madeline from claiming his soul.

There was no time to reminisce as something was now happening to the first champion of Arcadia. His whole body became pitch black and devoid of any detail. Sulyvahn’s body would then rocket high into the air high above the resting chamber in a single beam of darkness. There high up in the cavern, his body would release another powerful shock wave as it contorted into the shape of a massive shadowy dragon. Madeline stared in awe of the magnificent silhouette. If her fist love hadn’t been such a thorn in her side as of late she’d actually commend the sight. It was when Sulyvahn reared his head, that Madeline knew what was coming. “GET DOWN!” she shouted to Ash.

Like a bat out of hell, Sulyvahn plunged back down to the earth. Time seemed to slow down for Madeline in that moment. This was an extremely shitty scenario she was faced with. She knew it, and Sulyvahn knew it. There was no way for her to move fast enough to protect everyone. She was unsure if the barrier holding Akhenaten would be able to withstand what was about to happen. Though she figured that after all these years it would get the job done. That just left Ash and Thalia. It was an obvious choice for her.

Lunging forward and into a roll, Madeline would make her way to Thalia’s side. The little demon was still encased in ice and flailing about. Raising her arm up to the air, A massive spartan style shield would materialize. As if Madeline feeling bad for leaving Ash unguarded gave her divine intervention, the massive rock titan Club mowed down a nearby wall. His glowing eyes only caught Sulyvahn just as he came into contact with Madeline’s shield. “Shit” was all he managed to mutter before leaping forward to shield Ash from the blast. The massive blast caused by the collision between Sulyvahn and Madeline’s shield leveled everything in a mile radius around them. The small chamber had now become one with the sprawling underground cavern that had swallowed it whole in the first place. As predicted, Akhenaten’s barrier and everything behind it survived the blast.

Lowering her shield, Madeline rose from her crouching position to assess the damage. There was no sign of Sulyvahn what so ever. Despite this, Madeline knew this was just a parting gift and that she’d no doubt be seeing more of him later.

“Welp I can honestly say I’m glad I didn’t have to see his ugly mug for long.” Club stated as he rose up. “You good Tiny?” he’d growl, while turning his attention downward to see if he had managed to shield Ash from the explosion in time.

Ashford decided to take note. One. Do not catch things thrown at you by the bad guy, no matter how casual the throw may be. Two. Do not stab obvious magical enchanted items that the bad guy is holding. Actually, that might be put on hold. Sometimes it worked. Didn't here.

Being thrown back by the sudden blast of air was never a nice thing, Ash could attest to that for the numerous times it had happened. having it happen, however, taught him to tumble well enough he could find the ground and roof and stop himself. Just in time to see the Shadow as a man. A man that surprised Ashford a little, right till he became a monster of sorts. Beautiful.

Heeding Madeline's warning, Ashford ducked low and dug his claws into the ground. Expecting the two to clash in such a way that could very well be bad for him. An unlikely savior however, came in the form of the massive Thomason reminder that was Club. His massive form shielding Ashford from the storm.

When all was said and done, Ashford cracked his neck and stood up, letting out a breath as he looked for the Man, Shadow, Champion thing, only unable to find him. "Perfect. Also. I kept my promise... Sort of. Tried too." Ashford grunted out as he looked to Thalia, moving past the Knight to get to the hilt of the black rapier, which seemingly had been untouched during the whole encounter, grabbing it by the hilt and pulling it out of the ground with ease.

Turning back to Madeline, Ashford bowed to her a little, now that he was finally given a moment to show respect to the Queen. "Queen Madeline. My name is Ashford Narric. A pleasure to meet another War God. You seem nicer then the one I know anyway." Ashford coughed out at the end. letting the silence of this whole encounter just wash over him. He really should stop self doubting himself. Even with a possibly shattered back, they... Survived the situation the battle. Not that they got the bastard. But they were alive. That was better then nothing.

“ugh my head.” mumbled the tiny little demon. She attempted to move her body but found it extremely limiting. That’s when the chill from Madeline’s makeshift ice prison set in. “Its….its so c-c-cold.” Her mismatched eyes began to look around the chamber. It was a lot more spacious that she remembered. “What h-happened here?” She asked with a slight bit of concern.

Madeline hovered over the demon popsicle with a stern look on her face. “Well Thalia, you’d know if you’d stopped using those pellets like I told you.” Her foot came crashing down into the ice, causing it to shatter and freeing Thalia. With a small thud, the little hunter landed on the soft sand. She refused to look her queen in the eyes. Instead she looked away in slight embarrassing and began to rub her eyes as if she were about to cry. “I…I..I’m sorry. I just wanted to be useful.” she said whilst holding back tears.

The goddess knelt down beside her little clone and brushed her metal hand across Thalia’s cheek. “Look at me! You are not useless. You are the bravest little demon. You are my knight. Now pick yourself up and wipe away your tears, its unbecoming of you.” Madeline rose to her feel and held out a hand to lift Thalia up. Thalia sniffled as she took Madeline’s hand and rose to her feet. Her demeanor seemed to shift as she saw both Ash and Club. “YOU’RE OK!” she shouted before running over to Ash with a big smile on her face.

“What am I, chopped liver? He’s only alive cause I saved him.” The massive rock titan mumbled while kicking a small pile of sand with his foot. “Yes, yes you are. You’re late as well. I remember specifically calling you well over ten minutes ago.” Madeline barked while looking over her shoulder to Club. Her attention shifted back to Ash as he addressed her, and complimented her on being the nicer of the gods he’s met. A slight groan escaped her lips. “Ugh again with the queen stuff. For the love of all that is me, why can’t people just call me by my name.” she buried her face in the palm of her metal hand before looking back up.

She thought about things she could say in response to the ‘nice’ comment, but she’d choose to let it slide. Madeline’s attention would shift from Ash as a low rumble filled the vast cavern. Akhenaten had begun to stir again. The massive explosion had roused him from the sleep Thalia had placed him in. Madeline trekked through the sand and over to the dim barrier holding the great champion back. The massive being raised it’s head, it’s burning eyes meeting with Madeline’s. A sorrowful moan echoed from behind the barrier as Madeline placed her metal palm on it. “I don’t know if you still understand me. I know you’re still in there somewhere. I just want you to know that it pains me to leave you in such a state…..my dear Akhenaten.”

With her words new life was breathed into the barrier and it began to glow as bright as the sun. The mighty Champion behind the barrier began to drift back off to sleep. The demon goddess of war would turn away from the ancient champion and make her way over to Thalia and Ash. “You’ve proved to be useful today. And it seems Thalia and Club have taken a shining to you. While I’m still not entirely convinced you’re worth it….Perhaps I could interest you in becoming a champion after all?” she asked with a sly smirk and arched brow.

Ashford smiled to himself, getting a reaction he hadn't fully expected from the woman. Madeline. Right, her name. She preferred it. And while he was happy to see Thalia had gotten better, and was berated for doing whatever it was she did to incur herself into that state. Ashford felt his smile droop.

What now? Was the question on his mind. The entire reason he was here was because of Lucian and she was a no show. While he suspected that itself would change given some time, he had that to look forward too, and he wasn't sure Madeline would care much for his problem. Her focus was on Thalia, the giant rock named Club and the little hunter. He was a stranger.

Which was why Ashford looked a little surprised when, he made his way over to the little hunter to perhaps, say farewell, found that the Queen took time to directly speak to him again. And not just that, but offer this, status of champion. What Akhenaten was... What the Shadow probably was. Giving the woman a one eyed look, Ashford sighed, patting the coat lightly. "As much as the offer honors me. I'm a done deal I'm afraid. Already have three people who own my soul. And the coat I wear is one of them. Has majority share holder. Literally." Just to show, he attempted to take the coat off, but it was very noticeable that the coat stuck to his skin almost as if it was apart of him.

And it was moments after that. A portal made of fire and darkness opened close by, and out stepped a red skinned woman, long black hair, two horns, one seemingly broken off on her forehead and a fancy business suit as her attire. A mug she carried, came with the waft of the smell of coffee, but a coffee no one but Ashford knew the smell of, and it was a sweet, inviting smell.

Staring at the large rock of a man, the little hunter, Ashford and the Queen, Lucian looked confused then slightly annoyed. Sipping at her coffee for a moment before sighing. "Oh for the love of... Me. Ashy, what the void is.... This." Her black rimmed eyes settled back on Madeline, before squinting, almost as if she recognized the Queen, but then, she did.

"Lucian, I'd turn back now-" He was cut off by Lucian turning the mug and pouring it's contents on the ground. The coffee seemed endless as it continued to pile, brown, liquid runes came together and slowly began to rise, take shape. Solidify.

"Madeline, is it? I hear, you're a famous War goddess. Well, use to be. I really do apologize but I came here for Ashford... However... I always wanted to test my toy... Against another War god. Have fun." She punctuated the words by dropping the mug and stepping back into the portal, vanishing along with it as the mug hit the ground and continued to pour.

Ashford paused. He was going to be left alone was what he got out of all of that for the first few seconds. Then his mind registered what she just said. Her toy. He was her creation once. "Aww nuts." Was all he had to say as the coffee became flesh and clothing, till it was gone, and in it's place was a man. A very tall man.

Nearly seven foot tall, the man was scuff looking, a beard nearly hid his lower face and his hair, messy, came down to his neck, near shoulders and just above his nose. A scar cut clean though his left eyebrow and to his cheek, but beside from all that, his face was almost... Too ordinary. Plain. Dressed in a almost royal tunic with chain-mail in places that seemed stuck to his skin with a pair of trousers, no shoes or gloves, the tall man looked to everyone.

And then proceeded to drop to a knee, bowing his head in the direction of Madeline. "I. Am sorry. But as a lesser creation of the War god. I must fight you." The beings voice boomed, before he rose to his full height and waited, as if he expected someone in this room to challenge him.

"As much as this is my fault and I'd like to fix it. I can't fight King. Even a weakened form of him. And he can follow us anywhere. A hunter never loses his prey." Ashford warned whoever decided to fight him, be it the massive rock of a Club, the small hunter, the other War god in the room. It was going to be bad for anyone. Sure, they could leave him alone, but if Lucian had any control of this clones mind, his focus would be what she wants. And she wants a god on god. Because of fucking course she does.

As Ash demonstrated that he was all but taken already, a familiar warmth filled the air. Madeline’s brows furrowed in confusion. She didn’t remember calling for back up. She slowly turned to see an unfamiliar demon step out of a fiery portal. Her confused look turned to that of a stern annoyance. The smell of her coffee quickly make Madeline sick. It was quite sweet and pungent. Everything about this other demon’s entrance tugged at Madeline’s very being. It took every ounce of her strength to restrain herself from lashing out.

The fact the demon even dropped a line Madeline spouted and poured her coffee on the ground of this sacred place, was more than enough for her to level this impostor on the spot. Still she caged her emotions and allowed the fiend to speak. What she had to say wasn’t very much and as a matter of fact, she was gone before anyone knew it. She was in an out so fast that it actually left Thalia and Club at a loss for words. Confusing still, was the fact that her cup of coffee continued to pour itself out.

It seemed this was how she intended to call forth her ‘toy’. Strange really. Madeline scoffed as the coffee gave form to a very tall man. His appearance left much to be desired that was for sure. Especially when matched up against any of Madeline’s champions. Perhaps it was for this reason, that Madeline chose to ignore what Ash had said about the man. “King, is it? Sounds like your god is a bit of a coward.” Madeline addressed the man. The ground shook as Club began to step forward. “Allow me the honor my queen.”

Madeline looked into the rock titans eyes with a stern look of disapproval. Her gaze then shifted to Thalia, who also seemed ready to jump right into a fight. The queen shook her head at Club’s request. “Not this time I’m afraid.” After her exchange with Sulyvahn and what she had said to him, she’d seem like a mighty big hypocrite if she didn’t fight this battler herself. She was ready to step forward, but immediately stopped. She had just had a terrifyingly devious idea. Her amber colored eyes glanced over at the barrier holding back Akhenaten.

It was something of a gamble. Worst case scenario, the ancient king would go rogue and start unleashing hell upon the world. Best case scenario, he stayed complacent with Madeline there. A wicked smile crept onto her face. What kind of benevolent being would she be if she never made a gamble. Raising her metal hand to the sky and snapping her fingers, the barrier holding Akhenaten back would shatter. The magnificent king stirred. His burning gaze fixated on Madeline. The two stared at one another for quite some time. Madeline wasn’t sure how this was going to go. It appeared as scenario two was what they were all going to get.

Despite his decent into madness, Akhenaten proved that love was eternal. The great king would rise from his throne. As he rose he’d unleash a mighty wail. As if on command, the sunlight trickling into the cavern became much more intense. The sunlight gleamed off his golden armor making him appear as though he was glowing. Holding his hand out to his side, the sand would stir and then suddenly shot up into his hand. The sand would form a golden spear with an engraving of the sun upon it. “Well there you are. There is your opponent.” the queen said with a sly smirk.

Ashford frowned at Madeline's words. The war god of his realm was no coward, the massive man had proven such long ago, before he became such a god. The very power that made him a god resided in the coat Ashford wore now. But a history lesson was not for this time, nor cared about by anyone, including Ashford. He instead, kept his eyes on the male War god, who glanced at him for a moment, his black eyes were almost sad.

But then as if that sadness sunk away, the tall man tilted his head to the left, a multitude of cracks echoing as if he was bored by everything happening. While Ashford stared at the release of this champion that had seemingly been locked away and had been attempted to be kept such, finally released. The War god simply gave the old champion a narrowed eyed look, before holding his hand out to the side, as if gripping an invisible hilt.

"The real reason I apologized. Madeline. Was that I could not offer you a true battle. I am but a image, a creation by the broken time lord that replicates an old creation of hers she no longer owns, despite what she thinks." As he spoke, flames engulfed his hand and began to spread around him, the fire seemed to swirl and dance as the flames in his hand became liquid and formed into the hilt he now held, before growing more, and more. Soon, the tall man held a even taller golden great sword, one that was almost as wide as he. Strangely, it had a multitude of cracks in it, ones that produced a faint, orange glow, as if something resided in the sword.

He returned his sight to her, the dead look in his eyes almost beginning to glow to life, as if he was growing excited, but then a look of pain flashed his face, and he returned to the dead stare. "Daughter of trade, give me... No.. I suppose you can't... If you do not wish to fight me, Madeline. I will fight your champion... I hope you do not mind when he is injured. It is not my intent to kill anyone here today. Hopefully. Not that I could with this piece of crap." And as soon as he said that, he brought his hand to the sword and flicked it, causing the great golden god weapon to shatter into a thousand pieces, right before they became bits of coffee that now stained the floor.

Turning fully to the champion, the tall war god held out his hand, before clenching it, going into a rather simple but elegant combat pose, his eyes closed. "Your home. Your move."

Ashford moved himself closer to Thalia, feeling a little out of place and she was the only thing that didn't make him want to turn and walk away out of both annoyance and shame. Here he was, among gods and Champions and what was he, just a unlucky, lucky asshole that just caused a problem for everyone here, sure he involved himself in their problem and he was okay with that, it was what he did, but they didn't ask for his. "I want to say again. This should be my problem. If I wasn't here... Well. I am sure Thalia would have been fine on her own, but this problem would not have met any of you... Just. Even a fake. Do not take him lightly. It is only because Lucian is not a true void walker that King of Wolves is... This." Not that this was... Pathetic. The god hadn't yet done a great deal many of things he could do.

Madeline cracked a smile at the apology King had made to her in advance. To be quite honest as much as she wanted to prove that she was the superior god of war, there was an underlying reason as to why she had released Akhenaten. It was for the very reason King was apologizing to her for. She was incapable of raising a hand to any of her champions in a manor to do harm. It was the one reason the ancient champions had remained locked in their resting places. None of her current champions or knights were strong enough to bring the champions down.

Madeline saw this opportunity in two ways. One it would solidify her status and if it didn’t, well then at least her and Akhenaten would be reunited once again. “Believe me when I say that you should be worrying more about yourself than him.” Madeline stated. She looked back to Ash who also seemed to be in the habit of apologizing all of a sudden. “Is it a god of war you serve, or a god of apologies? You have nothing to be sorry about. As a matter of fact, I’m quite grateful for the assistance you provided my little heart.”

She gave both Ash and Thalia a wink before looking to Club and simply nodding at him. The massive golem knew all to well the strength Akhenaten wielded. Things were about to get rough, too rough for Thalia and Ash to remain out in the open like they were. With a few thunderous steps, Club moved into position and knelt down. He’d position his arms around Thalia and Ash to form a makeshift barrier. “Please keep all arms and legs inside the Club circle at all times.” Once the two were secure he’d turn his head back to his queen and nod.

“Well then. Without further ado, I suggest we get this little soiree moving.” Almost as if Madeline’s words word a command, Akhenaten began to move. King offered him the first move and so he’d take it. He’d test the waters so to speak with the weakest of his abilities. With a wave of his hand, a series of sand soldiers would spout forth from the ground. They sprung forth in a u-shaped pattern. This partially encircled King. With another wave of his hand, a row of more soldiers would appear behind king. They were lined up tightly together and wielded shields. In the same motion that they were summoned with, they would rush forward. The move was an attempt to drive King towards the first set of soldiers who waited with their spears drawn.

"Serve him? I serve my Qu-" Ashford stopped himself from going any further. Right, she was a Queen herself. And she wasn't Abi. Sighing, Ashford straightened himself up, even when the large rock man decided he and Thalia needed some more protection. "I serve my leader, served my leader. Sometimes. Honestly it was on and off, I did my own things, sometimes I did what she wanted."

Meanwhile, King stood still. Waiting as the slowly raised army came at him. He almost seemed surprised at the fact that people were here. But it only was for a moment till he began to look bored again. So bored in fact, he began to walk forwards, right into the spears as they seemed to bounce off his chain mail and skin. If any got in his way, he simply walked into them and knocked them aside. "Sheesh. In the four worlds I have lived in. I've led two army's. Not many go to war." As he passed the blockade. He almost seemed to grow in size and evidently, he was. Growing till he was as tall and wide as the Champion.

"Frankly, I never led them, never fought. Just gave them a rune that melded them into a pack. It was boring. The now larger man said, stopping for a moment to inspect the old champion. Before tilting his head till it cracked again and took a step closer to the big man.

"The last real battle I had. Was with a metal dragon, thrice the size of you and me. More." With the final word, the large war god quickly threw his fist forward almost like a quick snap, the wind pressure created and pushed at everything as if his fist moved the air right out of the way as it came towards the old champion. "And I snapped his neck in the first minute of fighting. The first move actually."

Madeline found herself yawning as King spoke. His monotone voice and dull approach to an otherwise serious fight left the queen wanting. She had half a mind to climb atop Clubs back and fall asleep. Akhenaten seemed as equally unimpressed with the man as he simply ignored the sand soldiers. As the foreign man grew to Akhenaten’s size, the ancient champion found his boredom mounting. If things didn’t pick up soon he was about to turn his focus elsewhere. The great king found himself rolling his eyes as King continued to monologue. Then something exciting happened! Oh wait no it didn’t. A rush of wind washed over Akhenaten and left him unfazed.

The force of the wind behind King’s punch served to do nothing but tickled the champion. The sand and dust resting on his armor seemed to be the only thing effected by the wind pressure. This fellow seemed to like to boast. Akhenaten on the other hand preferred to be silent. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure if he could even speak anymore. He had been locked behind that barrier for what seemed like eons. Sure he had the occasional visit from Madeline to keep him in check, but the two never really exchanged any words.

Akhenaten’s burning eyes seemed to flicker as he stared King down. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He honestly didn’t feel like he needed to waste any energy on the man before him. After all he had said he wasn’t here to kill, and from the punch that had just been thrown, Akhenaten doubted he could do much more. His hesitation resonated with Madeline. She knew just how her love felt. She was quite sure had she been on the receiving end of that punch her reaction would be about the same. This kind of posed a problem now, however. If Akhenaten grew to bored, would he turn his sights on something else, or would he behave himself in the queen’s presence.

“Impressive feats or not sweetie, you’re going to have to do a better job of impressing him. There’s a lot more to my champions than meets the eye.” Madeline shouted from Clubs back. When she decided to climb up there was anyone’s guess, even Club didn’t notice his queen sitting atop him.

The mood was growing sour, even Ashford himself felt like something that should be happening, could have happened. He wasn't so sure as to why King was being so... Slow about this. Sure, he had met another one of these clones. Kinda.. Two of them. One of Four and the other of... The true Four. The true Four had the power of the real Four and he felt it. Somehow survived it long enough to somewhat please a void walker. If this clone was made to fight Madeline then...

That was when Ashford figured it out, from the clones previous comments. To what he was told to do. He was born, to fight Madeline. And yet he hated what he was. Weak, ineffective. And now he was being distracted from his purpose. Of course. It made sense now. But before he could voice anything, the head of the war god turned in the Queens direction. Whatever boredom she felt, he seemed to mirror it, almost more so. "Impressive? No. I use to think that, but in reality, I was still a puppet, and I was going to win that fight even if I flicked the dragon. But now I am merely... Dissatisfied. I talk when I am bored. But. I'm just also annoyed."

Letting out a breath, the god seemed to flicker for a moment before he just vanished from sight and appeared to the side of Akhenaten. Twisting, he proceeded to kick the large beast of a man in the ribs. With enough force, moved or not, the wind pressure in the general direction of the kick seemed to be much more powerful then the test punch before. Well, in the War gods mind, it was more a test then anything, to see how weak his weakest and slowest punch could be. "Frankly I'd rather fight the other God in this room. But instead she throws her scraps at me. Think yourself greater or not. I don't care."

On the other hand, Ashford moved himself to better be able to escape the small shield that was the massive rock called Club, and pulled his rapier out, keeping himself silent about it. When King got angry, he tended to burn everything. And the sooner he was dealt with, the better, he just needed to wait for the right moment.

Akhenaten continued to be unfazed by King, though he did get miffed when referred to as scraps. This man, this thing, had no idea just how strong Akhenaten was. As King shifted to Akhenaten’s side, the ancient king didn’t even budge. The moment the kick collided with Akhenaten, he’d explode into a cloud of sand. The mighty king would reform in the spot King previously stood. His burning eyes stared at the stoic man. Without a single motion or quiver of muscle, the sunlight bathing the chamber would grow stronger and stronger. A beam of sunlight would rain down upon King from the heavens.

Whether the beam hit the brute or not, it made no difference to Akhenaten. The ancient king was content with dragging this fight out. He had been trapped behind that forsaken barrier for what felt like eons. He had sat upon that sandstone throne seething with anger and finally he had a target to unleash that on. Yet he felt he couldn’t or rather, he wouldn’t. Madeline watched from her perch. She could see the lack of conviction behind Akhenaten’s eyes. He just didn’t seem like he wanted to fight.

To be honest she couldn’t blame him. She had reached that point in her life long ago. The difference between them however was that war was a part of her. It was more than a part of her, it was her. When King stated he had hoped to actually fight her over the ancient champion she began to think. It was kind of beyond the point of withdrawing Akhenaten to take his place. She nearly had half a mind to enlist Ash’s help once again. No, she couldn’t do that to Akhenaten, he deserved better.

Akhenaten turned his burning gaze to Madeline then back to King. He grip tightened on his spear. With a skillful twirl of the large weapon, the king would slam it into the sand near his feet. A burst of incredible pressure would fill the room. The air became quite heavy. It wasn’t hard to breath by any means, but rather, it felt like it had weight. This actually drove Thalia to her knees and drew out a few grunts from her. Club’s stony head dipped down to check on the little clone. “Uh…Madeline!”

The concern behind Clubs voice was enough to get Madeline to leap off his back. She hopped over his arms and slid over to Thalia’s side. “Grab a hold of me little one.” She she through Thalia’s arm over her shoulders, her amber eyes shifted to Akhenaten. “I hardly feel like this is necessary!” she shouted. Her words would fall on deaf ears however. Akhenaten continued to flex his power, causing the air to continue to grow heavier and heavier.

The king tilted his head to the old champion, as if intrigued. Seems it would be hard to keep a hold of this being. Not many could take this kind of form. The king was already finding it annoying. Intangible.

Walking towards where Akhenaten stood now, he did not notice the way the sun seemed to brighten, and too late he was struck by the beam of fire and light. Stood still, the bare shadow of the now large man could be seen inside the beam, it went for some time, and even soon, it lasted longer then perhaps it should have. But when King became visible, he was covered in raging fire.

Not an inkling of flesh could be seen, nor any features. He was a ball of fire the size of Akhenaten and he didn't seem fazed by this flex of power. But he was not so narrowed focus that he didn't witness what was happening to the others. He sure could feel it, the power. Perhaps not even the extent of it. And the way he walked suggested that he was bored of it still. No... Not bored. He found it silly. Beings who could do this. It was silly. Whatever happened to just a good ol fist fights.

Talking about fist fights, King pulled his arm back, clenching his hand into a fist, only his fist seemed to be growing. Rather, a fist was growing above his fist, increasing in size till it was twice as big as he and Akhenaten. "Oi. If we're gonna fight. You fight with me. You don't bring anyone else into this." The fire covered war god roared out as he brought the large fist of fire towards the being.

But before it could even come close, the fist exploded into a rain of fire, splashing everywhere along the ground except for a few areas, mostly, the throne and around the others, but nearly every other space was covered in a blazing, white hot fire. And King was charging Akhenaten, as it rained fire, throwing several flame covered punches at the Sand king, the gods stance an almost boxer like form, his punches quick and devastating jab like and unlike the previous punch and kick, these held no wind pressure, yet if any one connected, it would be far more powerful then the two combined.