It's dark out now, Joshua looks out the window.

  He can't see the bird, but he wonders if it can see him.

  The dull ping of a notification, and an unfortunately familiar box of text appears.

  [Something turned it's gaze upon you]

  He doesn't know if it's being dramatic with each new variation of “RUN” that comes up, but he doesn't care.

  A pale light shines from his cross, it vibrates against his chest.

  “Jophiel! Gabriel! Get to the basement!”

  “Oakie dokey!”

  Acknowledgement.

  He gets up from his crafting table and starts hastily walking to the basement, adjusting his inventory along the way.

  Joshua is a bit more prepared this time.

  With his diamond pick, he's collected a meter amount of obsidian which he pns to use to repce the walls of his bunker. Only reason he hasn't is because it takes a long ass time to obtain.

  Aside from that he has his gun, the revolver, which is currently being hoarded by White Horse.

  What else…

  Armor, weapons… bed? Bed.

  Joshua pns on spending tonight decoding the enchanting table “nguage”; he figures that he might as well, since there's not much else to do in the bunker.

  “Let's see… hm? The hell is she doing?...”

  He stops, catching a glimpse through the window in the hallway. It shows his front yard, with the fenced in perimeter and excessive amount of crosses.

  Joshua sees a familiar shade of white, and a particur fvor of Horse. It's pitch bck out, but the light of the torches makes the form of Jophiel stand out, even beyond the fence.

  Beyond… the fence.

  His heart sinks.

  He immediately drops what he's doing and bolts out the door, smming it open with a sm that cuts through the silent night.

  “Jophiel! What the hell are you doing?!”

  “Pony” She responds, looking at him with unconcerned eyes.

  What is she doing?

  Collecting apples? They should be fine though.

  “Love, we need to get in the bunker, now. Did you not hear me?”

  “Ponyta” She nods. Looking down, she seems to have her hoof stuck in a tree root.

  He holds back his irritation and holds out his hand, a section of the fence disappears into his inventory and he walks out, head snapping around as he looks for threats.

  Joshua really shouldn't be out like this. But he's not leaving her out here. Not his-

  Dull purple eyes meet his.

  Why is his cross vibrating so hard?

  Pulling an axe out of his inventory, he suddenly feels a tug at his mental link.

  Concern.

  He stops for a moment.

  “Shouldn't take long, love. It'll only take a second”

  Confusion?

  “It's a tree, it will be fine”

  Another wave of confusion.

  Then, something that makes him freeze in his tracks.

  “Belov**, whe** ar* y*u?”

  “...”

  He suddenly feels very, very cold.

  The realization sets in.

  He recalls his first house.

  He recalls the scratches in the door.

  Despite everything in his body saying not to, he turns his gaze onto the stuck mare.

  “Pony?”

  His grip on the axe tightens.

  It smiles.

  A quirk of the lips, creeping up ever so slowly like flowing oil.

  Eyes that don't change, but there's… something. Something wrong.

  The bright affection and conviction he normally sees in Jophiel's eyes, cheaply made by lifeless marbles that only capture its colors.

  Her- no, it's coat is rugged. Unlike the smooth, streamlined fur of the original, he can see the rough clumps like an old carpet.

  And her smile.

  That is not her smile.

  Joshua doesn't know what's more horrifying. The image of the… not Jophiel…

  Or the fact that these things are learning.

  It's hooves tense, pupils shrinking onto him.

  Joshua moves.

  *CLANK*

  “FUCK”

  His shield materializes just in time, an attack he couldn't see sms into the wood and iron.

  “Pony?”

  The cheap, monotone copy of his companions' call is all he hears. Contrasting with the viciousness of this… thing.

  *CLANK*

  Another attack, making him stumble at the weight. He peeks over his shield, he can't note anything besides how long its limbs are.

  The axe in his hand swings up.

  It clips something, a hollow grunt (pain?) comes from the thing.

  There's a constant sizzling in his ears, he quickly realizes what it is.

  It's… entering. It's entering the cross' range!

  Flesh burning, a type of burn that even these things fear. What is it doing?! He's been backing up into the radius, but it's not slowing down!

  Is it… trying to kill him before it dies?

  Bull. Fucking. Shit.

  Joshua grits his teeth.

  He doesn't know where the ember started, maybe it was the first time he saw this thing, maybe it was the first moment he appeared in this nightmare.

  But a deep, deep anger was slowly growing. Embers fed, cultivated, like a tide slowly ramping up. And along with that anger, comes excitement, closeness.

  To walk in the footsteps of Christ.

  To be in his image.

  This… isn't wrath. Not a blind, aimless rage that one associates with it. There's purpose behind it, direction, and control. A furnace compared to a wildfire.

  Righteousness.

  This… thing. Dared to use the image of someone he cares deeply to trick him.

  He remembers this quote from somewhere, not scripture, but he's pissed enough to not care.

  “Oh heavenly father-”

  The thing, the deceiver, makes the closest thing to a growl he's heard from it.

  “Please look upon your son, lend me your gaze once more, and…”

  His shield snaps, durability reaching zero.

  “Bear witness to the strength of your creation”

  Joshua raises his axe.

  *THWACK*

  He cleaves down, and then there's sound, a sickly wet snap followed by a ghastly screech.

  Fire runs through his veins, his mind feels clear.

  He whispers prayers into his cross, feeling the comforting presence that follows.

  The… thing, crawls along the grass, screeching and gurgling. An axe sticks out of its head, body burning with never-ending pale fmes.

  Joshua never got a chance to really look at it until now. But he wishes he didn't, elongated limbs, skeletal, like an emancipated giraffe in the vague image of Jophiel.

  And yet, he isn't disturbed.

  He's disgusted.

  “Where are you going?” He asks the beast in mock interest. It cws at the grass, slowly crawling away.

  Can't have that.

  He pulls his sword out of his hotbar, it shines blue as the diamond reflects the light.

  *SHLICK*

  He stabs down, through its back and impaling it into the ground. It screeches once more, but Joshua can't help his heart from beating in some strange form of anticipation.

  Joshua watches it writhe in agony as the fmes consume the beast, cwing at its skull and back to remove his special gifts to it.

  Hm. It's taking a little long to di-.

  *BANG*

  He jumps. A crack through the air startles him as a bullet gorges itself into the beast's side, making it writhe even more.

  “Love?”

  Acknowledgment.

  *BANG*

  *BANG*

  *BANG*

  Round after round hits the beast, its back starting to tear as it pulls into the sword's bde, holes are bsted into it with impressive accuracy.

  *BANG*

  *BANG*

  *CLICK*

  Jophiel grumbles, looking disturbed at her cheap doppelganger but beyond that is just cold determination.

  She puts the revolver away, and her horn ignites. Psychic energy swirls upwards and sparks at the tip of her horn before bsting out.

  This time, the beast is covered in psychic fire as well. Jophiel lightly prods his leg, and after some intense worrying and checking that he's okay, she goes back to watching the beast burn.

  “...you know what?”

  “Wha*?”

  Joshua looks at his inventory and grins as he moves something to his hotbar.

  It was the third thing he found on that corpse in the cavern.

  With an almost maniacal smile, Joshua pulls out a fmethrower.

  The beast can't even respond as a third type of fire envelopes it. You would think as a demon they'd be fine with burning like this, but if Joshua was completely honest.

  He's gd they aren't.

  [ Virtue of the Dove With Seven Names increased ]