The sun shone brightly as dawn broke. The world was bathed in a soft pink hue of light, casting the trees in a soft and ethereal glow that made it difficult to look at them. Birds chirped loudly on their branches, waking up to the new day as they prepared themselves for yet another beautiful day spent in the company of friends.
That's what Derrick loved the most about being outdoors, the utmost beauty of nature all around him with nothing but green hills and mountains to keep his eyes from wandering. As such, the morning sky was always full of life and colour, making it a great time for anyone out and about to see everything there is to see.
Derrick inhaled deeply as he took in the aesthetics before him. A frown appeared on his face as he remembered it was up to him to save all this beauty or else it'd be nothing but grey rocks and distant memories. "Good morning Derrick, I trust you slept good?" Wrath asked as he came out from the car where they had parked.
"Hey Wrath." Derrick replied in return as he gave him a smile. "I'm not used to sleeping in cars." he explained, stretching his back. "What are you even doing outside this early?" Wrath asked. "Just admiring the beauty of nature man." Derrick said closing his eyes as he inhaled. "Oh yeah, well, better get strapped up because we've got one hell of a journey ahead of us. And if I know our luck, it's going to take longer than usual." he added sarcastically. "Get ready everyone, I'm driving." Wrath said as he jingled the car keys.
It was a silent ride. Everyone was staring out the windows lost in their own thoughts. The silence didn't last long, though. "Why did he call you Moloch?" Derrick asked as he looked at Pride. "Huh?" Pride replied startled. "When Michael held you by your neck he called you Moloch, what name's that?" Derrick asked again curiously. "Well technically I guess it's the name Lucifer gave me... It means... Ego" Pride said unsurely, trying to remember when he received it. "But Lucifer wasn't exactly known for his naming sense." Pride chuckled. "How would you know, you weren't exactly given a lot of choices." Envy grumbled bitterly. "Alright then." Derrick shrugged, turning back towards the window. "So what name did he give the rest of you?" Derrick questioned. "He called me Satan, Sloth's Belphegor, Asmodeus's Lust, Belzeebub's Gluttony, Mammon's Greed and Leviathan is Envy. " Wrath said from the driver's seat. "Leviathan... sounds sick." Derrick said as he earned a chuckle from Envy.
Once the group arrived, they headed to the site where Michael's Lance was supposed to be. Once they got close enough, they were greeted by a large gate surrounded by tall wooden pillars and metal gates. The gate itself was made of iron bars and chains which bound together in a thick chain. The only way through was by foot. "This is the place, I hope." Derrick said as he got off the car. The place was huge; the ground floor consisted of a large area filled with several small ponds. Each pond seemed to reflect some different type of element that could be found along their banks and ponds. There was even a waterfall at the far end with a small stream rushing below and a waterfall coming out above. All in all, it wasn't too bad.
Wrath led everyone inside, taking the lead so that they all wouldn't lose each other in the maze of halls and rooms that lay within the building. "I don't mean to be a fan but... Michael's got taste!" Greed said as he looked around the place. "I agree, I mean all this just so you can hide what? A stick?" Sloth said as he eyeballed a hammock that sat on the balcony. "Or a book!" Lust said as he picked up a book and opened it up to check its contents, revealing that it was written in ancient Enochian.
They continued looking around and complimenting the place till they reached a staircase that led to a brick wall. "Anyone thinks that's the chamber of the Lance or is it just me?" Derrick said as he pointed to the staircase. "One way to find out is to open it." Gluttony said. As they all looked around for a hollow brick or something that could trigger the wall before the staircase to move. After they searched for a while everyone decided to get a break as they went to the lobby, as Derrick proceeded to move he stepped on a brick that gave way, instantly causing the brick wall before the stairs to rumble and eventually shift until a wooden door could be seen. "Jackpot!" Derrick said as everyone ran back to the doors. As Derrick pushed the doors open he was greeted with a steel arrow to the He fell backwards and landed on the floor. "Damn it!" He exclaimed as everyone started cackling at his misfortune. "So NO ONE THOUGHT TO MENTION IT'D BE BOOBY TRAPPED!" Derrick said as he pulled the arrow out of his neck as it healed instantly . Wrath laughed as he removed his gloves and tossed them aside. "Sorry, rookie mistake." He said as he offered a hand to help Derrick up. Derrick took the proffered hand and allowed Wrath to help pull him to his feet, both men grinning at each other. "I guess it is." Derrick said. "Well then, let's get a move on shall we?" He said as the gang set off into the room that held the Lance of Michael.
As they entered the room there seemed to be nothing in there but the walls were lined with bookshelves filled with books. However, as they moved further inside the room became more unearthly as different symbols began to glow on the walls, causing the demons to feel disoriented. "Of course, a classic Devil's trap." Lust said as he remained fixated on a spot, unable to move a muscle alongside the other demons. "What's going on?" Derrick asked confused at the demons inability to move a muscle. "It's the symbols on the walls, That's the Devil's Trap. Used to keep any and every demon under it at bay." Gluttony replied as he strained once more to move his legs. "You need to go Derrick, find it quickly before Michael gets wind of our presence here." Envy said. "Don't worry about us, hurry up!" Wrath said impatiently with a nod of his head. Derrick looked over at Lust who was staring intently at the symbols and then looked at the rest of the demons before turning to face them."What way do I go?" Derrick asked as he stared into the darkness. "It should be down the pathway, keep going till you hear running water." Lust said as he pointed forward. "Okay then, stay safe!" Derrick told the demons, making them chuckle.
With that Derrick set off in the direction Lust had pointed and found himself in a large room full of bookshelves filled with books. At the end of the room he could hear the sound of water gushing from a large fountain. Walking closer, he stopped dead on his tracks in awe . "Wow..." He couldn't help but say in awe as he stared in fascination. On either side of the water stood two angels, one holding a large bowl, and the other holding an enormous cup of water.
The Angel of the Death: Uriel.
The Angel of the Revelations: Gabriel.
The Angel of Travelers and the Blind: Raphael.
And the great captain of the angelic hosts: Michael.
Derrick walked slowly toward each statue until he stood in front of Michael's statue . His expression was one of awe, it seemed to be a simple figure but there was something about it that made him want to take in every detail, from the angelic wings that stretched out from his shoulders to the bright golden halo resting upon his hair. "Michael's wings... Wow..." He said awestruck. As he adored the stone figure he noticed a golden staff that shined brightly from Michael's hand. It was the Lance of Michael, the staff that was , the weapon he wielded against Lucifer in the first battle. "Well I'll be damned." He whispered to himself as he took another step forward as the light of the staff reflected in his eyes and blinded him momentarily.
Reaching forward, he gently touched the staff, he was astonished at how warm it felt, especially since he'd never touched anything holy before. The feeling of the cool metal gave him goosebumps as it radiated warmth from the touch. As he took it out of the statue's hands he felt the ground beneath him crumble. Before he could look behind him, before he could react in anyway, the floor he stood on completely vanished beneath him, sending him plummeting downward. He gasped loudly as he fell deeper than he had ever fallen before, falling fast until the world disappeared beneath him leaving him alone, falling down and down and down. "Oh no!!!!!" Derrick screamed as he looked around scared to find a way out, as he plummeted to the ground he thought about Pride and the rest of the demons and in an instant, he fell hard on the floor where the demons remained stuck under the Devil's Trap. "Woah! Where'd you come from?" Sloth said with surprise laced in his voice. "I... I don't know, I just thought of you guys as I fell and now, I'm here." Derrick stammered as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you alright?" Wrath asked as he looked at his friend concerned. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine, just kinda shaken up." Derrick said as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well uhh, we're still kinda stuck and we've got some kinda ancient temple-ish place that's about to crash on us so unless you all wanna be mashed up and boneless I suggest we find a way to get out of here!" Lust said with panic. "But how? Only an angel has the power to break off the trap." "Wait... an angel can break this right? I think i have a plan." Derrick said as he took the Lance on his hand and began scratching out a symbol he saw on the wall. As he did so, the symbols all began to twitch, letting out tiny sparks as the demons were set free. "How... how did you..." Greed said with surprise. "I don't know, it just popped in my head." Derrick said as he stared at the staff in marvel. "Quick! We gotta go now! Think you can boom us out of here Derrick?" Greed said out loud. "Umm yeah, one sec." Derrick said as he held hands with the demons as he closed his eyes. As they fluttered open they all were outside the building as it crumbled completely to the ground.