The Ruiners

By Cameron McCurry

**Flaming
Feather**

In the early 1980s, a pre school had come under legal investigation. The mother of one of the children there had filed charges of child molestation and abuse against the staff. The horrible nature of the crime led to media frenzy.

Christopher's emotional state as he read these reports was quite dangerous. Child molesters who get the attention of the Archangel of Children have a lifespan measured in milliseconds. He sent a Seraph and an Elohite in Roles as legal aids for the accused. They would be able to gather more information on them to assist in the final kill.

The report came back within thirty minutes of the initial meeting and shocked Christopher as it came in; all three of the accused were completely innocent of the charges. The interview had revealed that the woman who had filed the complaint was an alcoholic and a schizophrenic who had been detached from reality for many years. To make things worse, many children were being coerced into giving false statements about abuse that had never happened.

The Archangel of Children fought back as best as he could; he sent in Soldiers that were child psychologists to counter the damage that was being done to the children, he rallied his angels to get the facts out and clear the names of the day care workers.

But it was futile at this point. What had begun with humans was now in the hands of the combined forces of Media and Fate. Nybbas had a spectacular opportunity to get long running news story and Kronos latched onto a rare chance to seal several Fates at once. By the time the case was over, the accused were destitute, the accuser had died from alcohol poisoning and dozens of children were mentally scarred.

Christopher was enraged beyond reason once things had settled. He stormed out of his playhouse and many in Heaven feared that he was on the edge of a Fall. He flew to the one being that could help him make sense of all of this.

Michael took him into the Groves and let the Archangel of Children say what was on his mind. He listened silently to what Christopher was feeling and thinking about what had happened. When he was done, the First Seraph spoke bluntly about what went wrong.

Christopher had been too quick to judge and hasty to believe that his charges were in danger. Devotion to a ward was the lifeblood of a Cherub, but he had gone too far. The Archangel of Children had also forgotten that Hell would fight viciously on any battlefield without regard to who got hurt. The Archangel of War counseled Christopher to remember the pain of this defeat and figure out a way to turn it back on Hell ten fold.

Christopher remained silent for a long time after Michael had spoken. The power of the Truth behind his statements broke through his murderous state and caused him to reflect. He suddenly had inspiration about how to fight back in such a way that Hell would tread lightly around him.

The Ruiners were born from that moment.

The Ruiners are a group of Christopher's angels that are dedicated to taking out Hellsworn and demons in a very unconventional manner. They use the hysteria caused by abuse of children against their targets. Once the Ruiners have chosen a Soldier of Hell or a demon, very few things will save him.

The methods used are quite varied and used for the greatest shock value. In one recorded instance, a Malakite with a Body Bag and the Vessel of a nine year old girl arranged to have the girl's body found in a demon's house while the other Vessel, as an "innocent passerby", phoned the police about it. Another case caused the suicide of a Hellsworn when computer records showed "proof" that he was a member of a child pornography ring.

The Ruiners show no mercy towards their victims. They make sure that the media finds out about these "crimes" and then step back to watch the end results. They destroy Roles, ruin lives and then cheerfully Soul Kill the remains.

Membership in The Ruiners is primarily Elohim and Malakim as they are the angels most capable of handling some of the more distasteful aspects of this work. Because what they do involves actively creating an untruth, Seraphim are discouraged from joining but they are welcome in support roles with Cherubim and Ofanim. Mercurians are used to gather information on the target, but tend to stay out of any situations that could lead to violence against Hellsworn humans. Kyriotates usually make sure that the police or a reporter happens by the area when things get ugly for the target.

The existence of The Ruiners is more than a little controversial with Heaven. The tactics they use have brought them under close scrutiny by the Servitors of Judgment. Christopher responded by allowing Dominic's angels access to their information and the right for them to stop a mission as long as the reasons are explained. To date, only one target was saved but only so The Game could destroy him. Servitors of The Media have a particular loathing of The Ruiners; although they provide good news stories, they are using their tactics against Hell.

As for Christopher, he watches the actions of The Ruiners and knows that he has learned a harsh lesson.

**Flaming
Feather**

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