Uriel

It took Uriel several minutes to reach his destination. The trees had been happy enough to take him as far as they could, but their reach only extended so far, and they were hesitant to venter too close to this place. There was a wrongness here. It permeated the air like poison choking the grass and trees while sickening the land as it seeped into the soil to taint the waters below. He could feel it sucking at his power, making the beasts' hackles rise, as he followed a dirt road to the massive building situated within a dead patch of forest. The darkness of night masked his approach but there was little to hide from. A lone guard sat watch outside and was quickly dispatched much to the beast's delight.

Still, it wanted more.

Inside he found the first floor empty of anything save a hand full more guards. Unlike their dead friend, they held no weapons and had a disturbing lack of attention. They lazed about, their massive bodies leaning against walls or pilers, staring out at nothing with vacant eyes. The reason why quickly became evident.

It was unnatural and wrong.

The beast writhes with agitation, pushing a hiss past Uriel's lips.

One puppet twitched.

It turned its head toward him, face lifting as if to scent the air, then was till once more. Drawing on the beast's senses Uriel entered the space and cautiously made his way to the elevator at the center of the large room. He was halfway there when the first one struck. Without warning it leaped at him, hands extended, and fingers curled in impossibly long claws. Uriel spun, withdrawing his daggers from the sheaths strapped to his thighs, and impaling it just before it could sink its talons into his arm. It fell convulsing to the floor, as the others swarmed.

With a snarl, he let the beast loose.

Using his hands- his body became the predator it was meant to be, slashing, and clawing through the guards. It tore into them, lapping up the power of their death flares with vicious delight. It fed on the power of the soul, but these spellbound men with their broken minds had been measly morsels. When it was finished it turned its attention to the closest source of substance.

more.

It's needed more.

At this moment, Uriel's eyes saw the world as the beast did and there, just above them, was a well of power. And surrounding that power, flares of dimmer, weaker sources rushed about. It was tainted with corruption, but the beast was too starved to care if it was poisoned.

It wanted more.

Heedless of the battered bodies around him he strode to the elevator and smashed the button. The doors swished open and he stepped inside. It seemed to take an eternity for the doors to close and the elevator to move.

The beast snarled in frustration.

Uriel griped his daggers.

The doors slid open.

The scene before him was a picture of panic. Mage rushed around a small room scraping any evidence they could get their hands on. Behind them, large windows overlooked rows of mechanical contraptions, each containing the body of a small human. Empty husks now that the soul they once housed had been drained.

One of the mage pulled a gun when he caught sight of the man. A dagger pinned his head to the wall before he could pull the trigger. Another slit the throat of a second mage reaching for his own weapon. One of the mages tried to leave through a door off to the side. Uriel grabbed him by the throat. A quick twisted, snap, and he was dead. Only two mages remained now. One was female, her scent enticing the beast's more primal urges. He approached her lowly. This one stood her ground. Leaning in, he inhaled and snarled. She reeked of Skyglass. It seeped from her pores and pumped through her veins, reminding him of his purpose.

So, this was Viper's little problem; A few greedy idiots sampling the goods.

Out of the corner of his eye saw the last mage attempting to reach the exit. Uriel reached out with his power and griped the mage's mind. He jerked to a halt, his body no longer under his command

"Who," he hissed "brought the machines?"

"I don't know what-"

He slammed her back, blood and bone exploding against the wall as her death flare sent a wave of energy through his skin

Turning to the last mage he prowled closer.

More.

The beast wanted more.

"Who," he asked again "Brought the machines?"

The mage gurgled a response and the beast pulled at its restraints.

Uriel loosened his grip just enough for the mage to use his vocal cords.

"Nobody."

Uriel dug into the mind of the mage.

The mage let out a strangled groan.

"I will not ask again."

"No-nobody. They were here when we took over."

"How did you know about this place?"

The mage flinched.

Interesting.

Digging in deeper, Uriel searched the mage's mind for his answer. The mage screamed. Blood leaked from his orifices as his body jerked and twisted, protesting the inner invasion. Uriel quickly sifted through memories, discarding one after the other until he found what he sought. A recollection so pristine, he would be a fool not to recognize it for what it was.

A forgery.

Still, he studied it carefully

It was of the mage walking down a crowded street. A woman holding a wailing child, light reflecting off buildings, details laid out meticulously with nothing to tell where the memory was formed. There was someone with him, but they altered with each step. A jovial youth became an elderly woman who shifted into a scruffy middle-aged man. Uriel grasped the ever-changing image, looking for the face beneath. Instantly the memory began to rot.

Disgusted he let go of the mage's mind, letting the beast devour it with one swift stroke.

A quick seep of power told Urielthere were no others left in this place, human or mage. The threat is gone; he pushed the beast into its cage. The beast resisted but he forced it back, carefully weaving the locks on its gate.

He left the room, exiting through the door and down a short staircase leading to the factory floor. He moved slowly past the machines and their tiny victims. he let his hands trail idly along the short walls splitting the room into sections as he walked down the silent rows, pulling in the energy that saturated the building. With it came the pain and fear of those it had been stripped from. The memory of their cries echoed in his mind and made his skin crawl, but he walked on because, with each pull, every nerve in his body thrummed with the intoxicating rush of raw power.

He pulled and pulled.

He pulled until he was full of the twisted, corrupt energy.

And still, the Beast wanted more.