Utterly Mad

"Yeah, right." Eric takes the vest off, tucking it under his arm.
"Do you guys have any heavy-duty vehicles? My rig is quite a heavy one."

(( Green and Helen section written with Wilson, rendezvous and Aurelia sections written with Salt. ))

Green had sprinted the entire way along the road to the bridge, reaching the river before the vehicle had even passed by and stopped nearby. Before the caravan of bandits, masquerading as traders had neared the area.

"Fuh... fuh... is she even-" The young man, stooped over along the shore, went from panting to coughing. "awh fu-huh-huh-uuuck!" Helen had just finished up something in The Hall, having stepped out to draw some water from the shore for something, when she saw Green there, wheezing a bit. "Hello?"

Green looked up at her, the woman in a strange cloak of scales, and immediately guessed she was the person recommended to him. "Hi...jus' sec." he said almost breathlessly, coughing again. "Fuck I'm outta shape..."

Helen carefully approached, looking him over as she gave him a moment to catch his breath. If Solomon had been out there at the moment, he would've been considering the suggestion of atropine in the absence of albuterol, but Helen simply leaned in to check on him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, literally sprinted here...distance running ain't my forte." Green answered, his voice more normal and less wheezy. "I got weird shit and I was told you were a weird lady." he added, and Helen gave a concerned glance at him.

"I...um. A weird lady? I assume, or at least hope, you mean my experience in the arcane?" she asked, unsure what to make of that. "Magic? Yeah." Helen smiled a bit at the answer. "I have experience with such, yes."

It wasn't long before she, having asked Liam to come along to observe as well, soon ascertained that Green was aware that magic existed and very little about the practical effects, showing her a pair of gems. One round gem made of smooth peridot, and the other a carefully cut and polished quartz. Both gave off a very faint radiance, the former a faint diffused green. "Okay uhhh... I got this green gem that glows and this quartz that also glows."

"I see. Can give it a look, then demonstrate for you how this artifact works, and how these two items work if I'm familiar with them." she answered, taking out her mask, with its plain steel and copper decoration representing the hair framing the face it depicted, putting it on. He simply gave her a confused glance before nodding. "I'm pretty sure these rocks are magic. But I dunno what they do."

"Understandable." she said, the features of the metal mask contorting from a neutral expression to a glower, eyeholes seeming to momentarily give off a faint red glow. She gave a quick glance over the two gems, and it became immediately apparent the green one caught her attention more than the quartz.

"Yo what the fuuuuck?" Green said, staring at the mask in confusion. Helen, rather than answering, simply regarded the gems. "The quartz is a rather basic sort of storage device for essence. The other one...I'm not as familiar with, but it seems to be incomplete. Like it was removed from an artifact it was made for."

Green ran a hand through his dreads, "Er, it was attached to a stick. Had a shit-load've carving on it. It was broke to shit though." At that Helen nodded some, before the mask's features reverted to its normal appearance. She removed it before offering the mask to him. "Might be useful to take a look for yourself."

Green looked confused for a moment, before removing his sunglasses, giving a noticeable squint as he grabbed the mask for himself and put it on. Helen in turn reached to activate it, and Green's perception was filled with the strange sensations it brought. The sense of "seeing" his surroundings all around, faintly perceiving the general layout of the buildings through the walls, and sensing the various auras of the people and magic items nearby. All in exchange for the sight he took in fading into darkness beyond about 50 meters, save a faint glow far in the distance, to the north.

Green's eyes widen as he lets out a "woaaah..." completely in awe. "This is fuckin' trippy..." The other thing he noticed was how that usual irritation that bright light caused was absent, to his relief. Helen just smiled at that, and he'd not only see her aura, but also the shimmering patterns of an aura surrounding the cross-and-hammer symbol around her neck. Recognizably similar to the appearance the white gem, though a bit brighter. Likewise different sorts of glows enveloped her cloak, the odd golden talisman at her side, and emanating from her body, faint yet distinctly different from that of her aura.

"Should be able to see that the quartz has similar properties to what I've converted my holy symbol into." she explained. "As for the other one, seems similar to some transformative effects I've seen, but it has..." She gestured to the side of the gem where it would've been socketed into its mounting on the stave, where the glow surrounding it was noticeably weaker. "See how it looks incomplete? Most of the effect is bound to the gem itself, but it likely can't activate without being a complete item."

Green took the mask off and put his green-tinted raybans back on. "Yo that's fucking cool as hell..." he said again, a wide smile on his face. She nodded before opening the door for him. "Can go ahead and see what it'd take to get it back in working order, maybe ask Solomon to make some tea?" she offered, leading him into The Hall itself for now.

---

The group had been expecting some degree less formality than before the cataclysm, but this was quite a bit more relaxed that they were prepared for. They were expecting a battle-weary group, still on high alert and expecting potential counter-attacks. They weren't expecting this air of calm. Though the lieutenant commander personally suspected the presence of a war-machine, that likely outmatched anything God's Army could throw at it, made a counter-attack much less likely.

With most of the men and women at ease, the lieutenant commander took a seat before speaking up. "I'm surprised to see things are so calm here, but that's a relief. Had the colonel not been expecting most of Maine to still be a warzone, he would've been here as well. My apologies for that." he said, before giving a nod. The majority of the group, being sent from either Maryland or the frigate, didn't seem particular perturbed by the "bishop" among the Canadian's ranks, more concerned by her appearance than worried. Larion however, though not having direct experience fighting God's Army just yet, knew what to look for, and his gaze reflected that. Sizing her up, from the looks of it.

Kringle sized them up carefully, taking the measure of the group. "They're calm because I'm calm. Really, I wish some of them would shape up a bit. Still, we've got pickets set out a ways to warn of incoming attack. You know, I really expected you to bring the Iron Marshal with you. To show off a little? I suppose I'll have to wait until my visit to the center. Coffee or tea?" The final question came as a bit of a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. They sat and sipped in silence, the Leader of the Canadian force even go so far as to offer real cream and brown sugar. As they were finishing up the opening pleasantries, Brynna made her reappearance looking much less like a housewife who's had a few too many run ins with the stairs or the door knob, and more like someone who's done a good deal of brawling.

"Alright Kringle," she huffed, "What are we discussing first?"

The bluster was just a show, one that she wasn't good at. It was also a bit obvious that she had been given something strong for the pain. The ugly book had been stowed for the time being.

"Sit down Ms. Knight, you look like you're about to fall on your face." Kringle said, gesturing to an empty plastic chair at his right.

"A fall on my face would be an improvement to how I feel." Brynna retorted. She took the chair anyway and accepted a cup of tea when it was offered. "You look older Danforth."

"I don't feel it. That doesn't matter anyway, these people have come to speak and so we will speak. I suppose you lot will want an itinerary?" Kringle said.

The lieutenant commander shook his head at the initial remarks. "The Iron Marshal would make the wrong impression, nevermind that he is a civilian contractor." he answered. "Though I am aware of rather conflicting records regarding Mr. Lowe's history of service, for reasons that would seem ridiculous if not for the rest of the center personnel vouching for it." he added, before regarding Brynna curiously.

It was Larion however who spoke up. "Marshal would likely run her over on sight anyway. A bishop defecting is something none of us have heard of before...that is what you are, correct?" he pointed out, prompting a concerned look from the lieutenant commander. "That's enough, private. Unheard of does not mean impossible. And that's correct sir, I also have a message from the colonel regarding his present objectives." he added, retrieving a small folded sheet of paper from his front pocket.

"He does doesn't he? In the early years, we tried to judge exactly how the remaining population was faring south of us. Once the residents of that farm moved in and we started losing eyebots rather consistently, we had to learn more. I doubt you'd be interested in discussing data collection though. We were just under the impression that the man preferred to meet strangers with guns first hand." Kringle elaborated, taking another sip of his coffee. A little more cream was added to his cup, and he took another.

"Most bishops are given what they want." Brynna said simply. An assistant brought Brynna a pair of small orange pills and she waved them away. Another accepted it and passed it to the General.

"Goddamn fumble fingers..." He mumbled as he struggled with the paper, "Aubrey, I'm not too proud to ask for help. Can you unfold this for me?" With that, they settled in to discuss the plan, and the message laid out in the note..

---

Elsewhere at the foot of Mount Katahdin, Aurelia gave a little sigh as she surveyed the map and the places marked on it, glowering a bit at the various scribbles surrounding the region around Bangor. She soon stood, slinging a messenger bag over her shoulder after a shift of that cloth-bound wing. She'd already set aside some goods obtained during her travels, traded for a few more useful supplies. Much of what she had traded off was ammunition for weapons she lacked, retaining only a plain revolver and a half-empty box of .38 Special.

"It's late enough in the afternoon that it might be a long journey if I wait too long." she remarked. "Besides, if your friends are busy giving this 'God's Army' a hard time, there's no better moment for someone to travel alone." she remarked. "I am however thankful for your hospitality."

"We are, but that only handles the human element. They can always make more warwalkers." One of the men said, another kicked into the conversation saying, "A long journey need not be unpleasant. You sure you wanna leave? At least stick around til after lunch?"

"If you're sure," said the first one, rising to his feet, "Steer clear of Abaddon. It's what God's Army calls the outskirts around New Bangor. Mostly the old Bangor suburbs. Northern section is subject to regular artillery strikes, and the areas south are crowded with plant critters."

Aurelia considered this before regarding the map, shaking her head. "No intention of going near Abaddon, but I think now would be a better time. Regardless, thank you." she said, soon making her way out to pack her things and head down the road.

---

Meanwhile, a few miles from the center...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hPyi4LlFfhnSoHFE3qe9l85OZg8yWqEfj1nhGd9RhyM

The tank had finally pulled in after crossing the path through the forest, an old caravan trailer in tow with it, Hector getting out to unhitch it before getting back in to pull the tank out of the way. "Alright, that should do it...Quinn, don't forget to stop by the center on the way, since you have someone waiting for you."

Lolita Leita demanded to know if Curtis's caravan had butter. Curtis would have demanded to know if she would blow him for it, had he not bit back the remark and asked instead, "Beef lard okay?" The french chef let out a heavy sigh of relief and told him that it would do perfectly. For ten pounds of it, she traded a fancy looking class ring and told Curtis that if he ever met a man named "Renault Lapierre," to tell him that "If I see him again, I'll cram his blue lobster so far up his pig fucking ass, he'll taste brine."

She seemed like a rather angry lady to Curtis, but he figured she was entitled to it. What with all the hardware she was sporting. The next "customer" was one of the grey furred rodent faced folks who called themselves "Mislings" like they were any different than anybody else. Big Smoke came out to look at them from a distance, despite the danger of being recognized. The rodent guy wanted a carpenters square, which Curtis actually had four of. The Smoke Marshals mingled, the tension quickly easing when they didn't get shot at. These immigrants were newcomers to the area, no reason to shoot the Marshals out of hand even if they didn't know about the Hell's raiders. Curtis passed over the square for a can of creamed corn and a handshake. Then a kid of about sixteen came to him and traded three rolls of duct tape for a kinetic battery for his MP3 player. A brown rodent chick, most definitely a rat, gave Curtis and the Smoke Marshals four AR-15 assault rifles and tuned one of their bikes for nothing more than two bars of chocolate and a ziploc of chocolate covered pretzels.

A little after concluding that last deal, Curtis felt the tap on his side.

"What's up old dad?" He said. Curtis felt a little blissed. Trading was a thing he didn't do often, but he thought perhaps there was a future in this sort of thing.

"The sister of the maw." Big Smoke said simply, watching Catnip go. "Stabbed Chief Big Dog in the side, saw it withy own eyes."

Curtis watched her go, examined the oddly skulky way she moved among the crowd. Every Hell's raider knew about the assault on Big Dogs war camp. Fatalities across the board for the raiders, and only two on the side of the farm. The Iron Marshal and the blade of Sodom had done for him, but they would have had a harder time of it had the rat who'd just bought the Marshals chocolate not stuck Big Dog in the kidney.

"Where's the kid?" Curtis asked, suddenly curious and feeling a bit flighty.

"Broke column as soon as we cleared the bridge, along the river bank and, I assume, around behind the fortifications. In fact, he should be somewhere inside by now unless he got stuck in the mud or overturned his trailer."

---

Mica stirred, the smell of redscarves was stronger, getting stronger. We're they attacking? She thought so. Redscarves were dumb. If it had been the blue crosses they would hit struck already, but it wasn't. Redscarves were always up to some stupid trick. The resin built up in her joints from her rock tossing creaked and snapped. The protective film over her eyes pulled up, clearing the fog from her vision and confusing her for a moment. Mica didn't know a lot, but she knew that it took longer than a couple days for dust to accumulate to any great degree. She ran her hand down her face, and there was dust. Heavy dust that fell away from her hands like it was being repulsed by them.

"Eh?" She groaned. Maybe she was wrong, maybe it was the amount of visitors putting it in the air. She didn't know and right now, it wasn't important. Right now, there were redscarves coming and she had to tell someone. After the telling, she would meet them head on. Mica rose from the bed and her knees popped like a pair of muffled pistol shots. The chitin around her joints protesting the sudden activity. The door between the workshop and the bedroom swung open, striking the wall with a clap as Mica clumsily rushed through it, just as the front door did the same. Mica had more dexterity and a better reaction time than Dee but was still sluggish from coming out of hibernation. She and Dee collided like two people not watching where they were going.

"Lizard!" Mica croaked, trying to cling to him before she could bounce away.

"Oof." Dee said, allowing himself to be clinged to. She was trying to babble, but all that came out of her mouth were weak little croaks and hisses. He could feel the weakness in her and just looking at her made him feel like a grade A, prime cut asshole. "Sorry I was away so long, I-"

Movent from under his work bench caught his eye and drew it to the shifting blanket beneath and the maid trying to crawl out from under both.

"Oh, hey Kat, what are you-"

"You're mean!" Kathrine shouted. She was still trying to pull herself up, but her tail gave her the balance necessary to point an accusatory finger at him. Mica jerked him away from her, suddenly full of strength and the weakness in her replaced with stridence.

"Mean lizard! Why did lizard leave My-ka all alone!? Eh? My-ka looked ev-ree-where for lizard!"

"You went looking for me?" Dee asked, not really surprised. Curtis had already informed Big Smoke about his own encounter with Dee's woman, and from Big Smoke the news got to Dee.

"So did Mr. Hector and Ms. Roxanne." Kathrine put in, and now Dee could hear the barest hint of how upset she was over it. A younger Dee would have addressed it, would have argued with it, but that just wasn't him anymore.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I had to think about some things. Alone. I guess it was kind of selfish, but... I don't know. I uh... Hey Kat, could you uh..." Kathrine squinted at him, and Dee could almost see the word "meany" shooting out of her eyes and stitching the word into his brow while her still pointing fingers threatened to peirce his heart. Mica pulled him a little closer, regaining a little more strength from his show of sincere regret.

"What lizard got to say to My-ka, lizard can say in front of morsel." She said teasingly, "Morsel is My-ka's friend." She took a little pleasure in the uncomfortable way he was shifting about, but didn't see what Kathrine saw. Mica was focused on his face. As upset as she was, she'd already forgiven him and was ready to rain hugs and kisses on Dee, if he asked. Kathrine though noted the way Dee's hand fumbled around in the front pocket of his faded hoodie, and her breath stopped when he removed it.

Dee put on his best winning smile, cleared his throat awkwardly, and held up the tiny box he'd recovered from the thieving Jim John. Mica eyed it with confusion and a growing awareness of the giddy keen rising up from the slightly vibrating maid. The box opened with a click and Dee showed it to her. The simple angular silver of the ring he'd had made by a Hell's raider artisan. Medeina's fingers, perfect replicas of Mica's, used as the model. Metal and stone taken from a prospectors supply store safe.

"Wanna get married for real?"

Isaac shrugged as he said “I doubt that knight would be willing to haul a big rig with his tank but your more than welcome to ask him if you can find him. Just uh..don’t wear that vest till you get that cross taken care of.” before noticing the granola bar. Taking it he said “How in the hell did you find these? I haven’t seen one since..four years ago maybe..or was it five. Either way thanks kid.”

Meanwhile Gregory sighed as he flipped through the invites in his hands before shakily starting towards Walkerville. Soon he met a guard and asked who was the boss here. He and some friends had a carnival to setup afterall! After a few seconds of talking with one of them he was pointed in a direction.

Soon enough he was pointed in the direction of where Catnip was. Moving there he nervously adjusted the invitations. Maybe, dressed in a blue coverall and purple shirt with a carnival mask on, he’d convince her to let them throw the carnival here with all these people.

Elsewhere Alexei noticed the three men walk in. On top of that he noticed the insignias on their jackets and the tattoos.Tattoos and insignias reserved for certain members of the local sect of a Russian mob family..well back before the cataclysm at least. And now they were in his bar.

As they started towards him he came to a rather singular decision. He turned and ran down the hallway to the back. As he did so the three men retrieved pistols from concealed holsters as they gave chase. Slamming through the back door as one of the three lost his footing and slammed into a wall. The other two made it out the door and leveled weapons at Alexei’s retreating form before firing a round each. One went wide and slammed into a tree.

The other was more on target. Slamming through Alexei’s leg it caused the man to fall to the ground for long enough that the captain shouted at his men for harming the man they were after. To which they responded with “we thought  we were supposed to kill him.” before following orders to haul him inside to patch him up.

Irene showed up with a somewhat elderly russian woman. “Since they’re patching up my stillman I won’t shoot you. Yet.” before walking away.

The woman sighed as she looked down at Alexei. In return he was glaring up at her but not reaching for his weapons. “I’m sorry. I hoped our meeting would have been a bit more..pleasant. Well without you getting shot I suppose. I always knew you’d run from me.”

Alexei rolled his eyes as two of the men helped him up. “Of course I would. After spending seven years in jail for you so you didn’t go to jail I’d imagine anyone’s son would be bitter. At least tell me you took care of Babushka.”

The woman nodded as she said “Yes, and she’s being brought out this way. For the time being let’s go find somewhere to sit and talk.”
Alexei sighed, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice. He just hoped this wasn’t going to be as long of a conversation as he thought it was going to be. At least he hoped it would have plenty of vodka.

      Lucian glared hard at B23, before realizing something. "I've made a mistake, clearly... I've changed my mind on bringing you on a job, but for having you stay. You can stay until you're better, but that's it. Once you are better, you're leaving. Am I clear? I apologize for wasting your time. Go." He said, frustrated with himself, gesturing B23 away.

Five men were walking through the town near the tower plague and co called their headquarters; as a matter of fact they were heading there directly. The man leading them went by the name of Richard; he was a former GA templar who had acquired an artifact from one of their fallen bishops. The artifact had told him many things like how GA was being slowly replaced by the bots, how astor didn’t have their stated goal as his own and many other things. After a particular raid Richard stole said artifact, a shield that seemed to be woven straw but was made out of steel; it was the shape of an isosceles triangle and when it was held correctly the point that was not like the other two pointed down. It was thanks to what this shield told richard that he was able to rally a few men of GA to get the hell out after the raid and follow him. Many of those men were now dead and now only four remained.

There was Mike, Richard’s right hand, he was a no nonsense skeptic who had only joined GA because they seemed like a more legit organization than any others that offered the means for him to contribute to rebuilding civilization; besides, he had gone to church every now and then so he could pretend believe. There was Tommy; he was a very silent man but very proficient with a rifle. If anything needed to be killed in a single shot Tommy was your man; he didn’t ask any questions, he simply did his job. Then there was Erick; he was a gearhead who believed human technology could fix the “curse” that was mutants. He didn’t want them killed but sought to “cure” them and bring them back to humanity. He was an eccentric man and his gadgets were weird but he proved to be helpful in more than one occasion. Lastly there was Jack, he was a coward who joined GA for the same reasons Mike did but out of cowardice. GA offered protection and the power he craved; he felt like a tough guy wearing the sigil of the blue cross and welding a rifle. His little encountered with Plague had taken that away and he now reverted to how he felt before GA.

The shield told Richard to be careful, machines of war now controlled almost autonomously seemed to hunt them, warhunters; these were seemingly specially made to hunt down deserters and anyone GA wanted gone but weren’t that much of a threat to send the proper warwalkers. In GA’s heaven city they would be fine but outside those walls there were pray to these machines. Thankfully none seemed to be present so they walked the streets of the town they were in unimpeded towards Plague’s tower. Richard lead them with Mike by his side, Tommy and Erick keeping careful watch at anything that might sneak up on them while Jack watch the rear. Things were going smoothly so far for them since they left their little temporary base.

“So, just what the hell is the plan again?”, asked Mike.

“The shield says the man who killed the men with Jack are there. Says he is an old acquaintance of hers.”, responded Richard.

“Wait, her?”

“Yes, the shield is a she Mike. Her name is Trinity, be nice.”

“...Alright, so what does ‘She’ want from this man.”

“Apparently a powerful artifact known as ‘Coalescence’ resides there. It masquerades as a man by the name of Plague but Trinity can see beyond that. She is worried about this artifact and what it has been doing lately.”

“And that is? Just what the hell are we getting into…”

“She says it’s a long and complicated story. Trinity wants to talk to Plague and find out what is going on and go from there. Nothing too out there you see?”

“Nah, just talking artifacts with names that apparently know each other. It’s all good man…”

“I mean fair but still… Just follow my lead ok? Trinity has been nothing but truthful and has proven she has our interests at heart too. We are almost there anyways, just a little longer. Get ready for a fight...”

The groups was approaching a particular intersection. In the days before the cataclysm you would go through here daily to get anywhere in town and as such many businesses made their home here. When it all went to shit many of the people were here and this was the place in town with the most zeds. Richard knew this so he ordered his men to get ready to fight their way through; once they did it was a smooth walk to the tower. The group crossed the corner to expect many zombies charing at them but instead found something unexpected.

“Hey… Rich...I don’t like this one bit…”, Jack expressed out loud.

“Calm down...it’s just one instead of a horde… just remember your training…”, Richard responded

Where the horde of the dead should be there was only corpses. Many of them were dismembered; scattered limbs all over the place. Some of them were also partially eaten and the vast majority were too injured to get up even by the will of a zombie necromancer or lord. In the middle of it all was a figure wearing what looked to be a gray jumpsuit eating the corpse of a zombie hulk right in the middle of the intersection. Richard stood his ground with shield in front and his one-handed longsword deployed and ready to strike. Mike and Tommy at either side aiming DMR style experimental rifles at the creature; Erick and Jack each had experimental bullpup rifles of a rather powerful cartridge ready to provide support fire if needed. Jack was obviously very nervous but he held his ground embolden by his companions.

“What the fuck is that? Should we just shoot it? Rich? Hey, what are your orders?”, Mike said with an increasingly worried tone.

Richard did not as much budge or take his gaze off what he saw. Trinity was speaking to him again and what Richard didn’t like what he heard one bit. The creature turned around after it was done with his meal to reveal it was once a man; but it hadn’t been that for quite a while. The sight made the men recoil back a bit with Richard standing his ground and Jack losing his poster.

“Richard what the hell?! Fucking let’s just shoot it already!”

“No…”


“What?!”

“Hold your fire...no, lower your weapons…”

“Have you lost your fuicking mind?! That thing was eating a hulk!”

The creature looked at the groups in confusion as it tilted its head; then it smirked as he adjusted. His smiled contorting his face in ways that did not look natural. The appearance of the creature was that of a human who had begun to decay after death, then soaked in water and finally polished smooth again; no visible wounds despite this so it suggested it was still probably alive. It took a single step making the sound of gunfire erupted behind Richard who simple held his ground.

“Fuck fuck fuck! This thing is going to kills us all! We need to run!”, Jack exclaimed

Jack lost it at the moment, he witness as round after round of gunfire connected with the creature and it simply stood there. The same scene had happened yesterday with Plague who Jack knew as “Anomon” and he knew how that ended up. After every round had been exhausted and the echoing of gun fired ceased the creature simply twitched as it regenerated.

“My turn...He who shall awaken...”

The group witnessed in horror as the creature suddenly started to grow claws on his fingertips; one foot then two then three and still growing. They were trying to reloaded their rifles as Richard started to walked towards the creatures.

“What the hell are you doing know?! Get back here you crazy son-of-a-bitch! We don’t have time for this!”, Mike screamed

“Take the others back to the safehouse and wait there…”, Richard responded back.

“Wait what?”

The creature spoke again, “...Am the artificial fragment who stole the power from the broken god...” It’s claws started to grow after they had glown to their full size; each three yards long and they looked rather sharp. The creature had them pointed up and crossed in front of his face.

“I will hold this thing off… Trinity knows what it is… get back to the safe house now!”

“Richard god damn it! You can’t take that thing alone! Look at it!”

“We are loaded sir!”, Shouted Erick at the other two.

“See! We can take it together Rich!”, Mike said with a hint of desperation.

“...I scoff at the union and envy the awakened...”, The creature’s eyes started to glow the same way his claws did as he stared right at Richard… and he stared back.

“No...I have to do this alone. Only I wield the power to stop it, your rifles will do nothing against it.”

“Why do you always have to be the fucking hero?! Listen to me for once damn it!”

“...I am bio-weapon omega, the culmination of humanity's power and will...” It then assumed a peculiar stance; it kept it’s pose low while his massive claws now pointed forwards halving the distance between him and Richard who stopped walking and assumed his own stance with shield and sword ready once more.

“Don’t you trust me? I will be back...and I will have back up ok? Trinity will guide us all, we just need to trust her... “

“Rich...fucking hell I hope you are not wrong…”

“...And I shall show you the nature beyond divinity... Artificial Overdrive!
” The creature gave an ear deafening roar louder than that of their weapons; their simple electronic earmuff they used to shoot their guns safely proved no match and as such they ditched them to be able to cover their ears. Once the roar stopped the creature rushed towards Richard who held his shield high.

“Just fucking run for now! Go!”

Jack didn’t have to be told twice as he was the first to book it. Tommy and Erick looked at each other and quickly followed suit after a quick nod. It was Mike who lingered a bit too long. He saw as the shield blocked Omega’s massive claw perfectly. Richard looked back and smiled. “I will be fine, now go!”

Mike gave a salute to his superior and hesitantly retreated. He didn’t look back; he kept running. He ran as he heard Omega roar again, as Richard shouted in pain, as the creature did the same soon after. Mike ran towards the safehouse where he would wait for Richard to return.

---

Lucy walked up the stairs and looked down the hall; Plague’s office was at the other end of it. She wanted to go and pay him a visit to check how he was holding on but something seemed strange. She felt watched...and as if Plague was expecting her. However, unlike most people Lucy simply smirked and shrugged it off. She was the devil after all; only a few beings were powerful enough to match her power and none of them would do such a thing as stalk her as they had no need to. As for Plague, that damned sword had nothing on her either, even if all the pieces were combined Anomon was no big deal. She was the 7th mage who helped sealed the now broken god and she could do it again. With all of this in mind, Lucy walked towards the office, opened the door once she got there and let herself in closing the door behind her.

“Hey there ‘Plague’, how are you doing?”, Lucy asked.

Plague was looking out the window with his hands behind his back. The sword of coalescence in its scabbard that he wore on his hip. He gave a deep sigh at Lucy’s words before answering her; he did so without as much as looking back.

“What do you want know? Come to take something else away? Let me guess, you are going to give me a curfew too…”

Lucy couldn’t help but laugh at his little quip. “Still sour over that? Listened, it’s not like I am your mom...wait, I technically am aren’t I? One of 7 parents. Well, as your 7th mom you are grounded young man!” She smiled and could tell Plague was having none of it.

“This is just a joke to you isn’t it? All of it is. How could it not? This era will pass for you like many others have. What are my ambitions are just obstacles for your own way of life.”

Her laughter stopped but she still smiled as she heard this. “Well, you are not wrong in any of that. Anomon is one of the few beings powerful enough that I broke my vow to not interfere in this world’s will. Astor is another and I don’t need both of you running around. That is why I told you to at least halt this for a while; we can have our final battle in a few eons from now.”

Plague stood there silent not saying a word; Lucy’s smile was now gone and sense of worry started to creep over before she spoke once more. “Besides, we are in a delicate position. We are in a crossroads with other worlds and the wound in the veil is getting serious. I doubt the many other beings making their presence here would appreciate that. Just why do you bring this up again?”

“The veil… the myriad of other beings fighting for this place… why should I care for any of it? I destined to become Anomon reborn, rule over this world and if that means defending it from them so be it! Why should I care about this balance nonsense?! And you! You have stood in my way for the last time!”

He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Lucy who just stood there perplexed. There was a pulse of energy on the veil that threatened to expand the wound; anyone in tune would feel it and as such Lucy did as well. She slowly started to walk towards Plague with worry now having taken over.

“Plague...no, Coalescence, listen to yourself. Don’t do something you will regret. We had a deal ok? Don’t make me your enemy, it won’t end well for anyone…”

More silence, Lucy continued walking towards Plague; when she was close enough to touch the blade she stopped and spoke.

“Do you really think you can take me on kid? I am the fallen one, the oldest being on this reality. This is your last chance, stand down now!”

He chuckled a little. “No no, I know I can’t take on the devil herself. I am not powerful enough...yet. No, I am not trying to stop Lucifer...I am going to stop the 7th mage...” Suddenly six cloaked figures appeared in the room around Lucy; they resemble divine spirits with their face concealed by their hoods but they had normal hands rather than blade. Lucy looked around her as her eyes widen.

“What did you do?! You mad man! Do you realize what you just done?!”

“Silence!” At Plagues shout another surge of energy could be felt in the veil making Lucy stand down for the moment. “You are in no position to say anything. You will now hear my demands…”

Lucy glared at him but soon enough she smirked. “No, I won’t. I won’t be staying here for long. Know that what happens from here is your choice. I don’t know what the hell happened for you to suddenly take this route but I have my guesses… You might have just started a war… Next time we meet shoot first...”

“Get her!” At Plague’s command the cloaked figures rushed towards Lucy but before they could touch her a puff of smoke appeared and she was gone; a smell of sulfur lingered behind. Plague chuckled to himself; the cloaked figures looked at him awaiting orders.

“Oh well, it was a long shot that we would catch her. Doesn’t matter, we got what we wanted anyways; we can no freely advance with our plan. Omega has made himself know… all we need is a single piece... “ He stood there for a minute thinking something through, then his authoritarian tone returned as he started to issue orders to the figures. “Two of you gentile swordmen go and investigate Omega’s whereabouts; the other four come with me, we need to have a team meeting…”

---

Victor was in Helen’s quarters running a few diagnostic test on the flesh weapons after returning from having grabbed a bite to eat.; some from memory but the majority being re-discovered from his journal. Not once did he touched them as there was no need to; they just sat there as spell after spell was made after all the precautionary wards were set in place. Arcane wise this thing seemed to have an aura of its own and exhibit properties of a cursed soul rather than an item that was enchanted. Now he did not know how in the world someone was able to keep something like this alive; that was not his area of expertise. After jotting down his findings he ran one last test; this one would take a while to complete so he simply put them back in the warded drawer and called it down.

After putting his journal away and making sure everything was neatly put away Victor went and checked on Thomas. The crib suddenly being made out of wood surprised him but Helen hadn’t been screaming out of her mind and the baby seemed to be doing ok, arcane and other wise. “Hey there little guy, how are you doing? It’s your dad, remember me?” He reached into the crib and carried him in his arms. “There we go. Come here. I certainly remember you know. It’s funny, we probably remember about each other mostly the same amount.”

“Well, you have all the time in the world for you two to get to know one another don’t you think? It’s good to see you are taking this seriously now.”, said a mysterious voice behind Victor. He turned around to the source as he held his close out is instinct. He found behind him was now a woman with red hair that matched her eyes; her outfit was a business casual attire with a blazer and tie and the color of it all also matched her hair and eyes.

“And who the hell are you? Explain your presence!”, Victor demanded after giving one step back.

The woman laughed at his reaction and his words. “Oh my, where have I heard that before? Anyways, I go by Lucy; don’t worry, I am not here to hurt you. If I wanted to I would’ve done so already.”

“Lucy huh? And what are you here for?”, Victor warily looked at the woman and then noted Thomas looking at her with childish glee and laughter in his face.

“See? Your son seems to be ok with me, can you maybe trust me enough to talk a little?”

Victor’s was still warded but he was more calm by what she said, Thomas looked at him with a smile and he smiled back before looking back at Lucy. “Alright, we can talk. But any sudden movements and I will not hesitate to fight back.

Lucy grinned at his statement rather amused by it. “You are holding your kid, do you really think you can take me on?”

It was now Victor’s turn to grin at her. “No need to, don’t you notice something weird about this room?” Lucy gave him a confused look. She looked around and eventually spotted what he meant; the entire room was devoid of any shadows and a peculiar presence could be felt. It was nothing she couldn’t take on but she was still rather impress by his resolve.

“Touche, there will be no need for that. So, why don’t we exit the room real quick?”

“And why do you want to do that? We are already here…”

Lucy gave a loud sigh, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Victor… Just trust me ok? I know that’s weird coming from a woman who just appeared in your room but… look into my eyes and see that I don’t have any ill will.” He did just that; Victor looked at Lucy right into her eyes and then felt a strange sensation. Her look was disarming, she seemed like the most trustworthy person in existence and any reservations he might have had about her were dispelled.

“Oh, right… Sorry about that. Yeah let’s...let’s go outside.”

Lucy smiled returned this time a bit mischievous. “See? That wasn’t too hard. Ladies first, after me Ironwood.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

The two exited the room and stood outside for the time being. Arcane effects and wards echoed in the room. The flesh weapons were secure and he had placed a seal on the drawer just in case; no one but himself or Helen would be able to open it. This seal was one he recalled from his memories Roxanne had shared with him; he seemed to use it alot so it must be really secured. With the peace of mind that brought him, he spoke up after he and Lucy stood by the door.

“So, what are you here for? You never did answered that.”, Victor remarked.

“Can’t a lady just come and visit an old acquaintance?”, Lucy answered.

“Wait, we know each other? Are you another one of my friends I can’t recall?”

Lucy chuckled to herself. “Don’t flatter yourself. We aren’t close or anything. I just happen to remember you from a certain incident and come here to repay something.”

“An incident? What type of incident.”

“Well, you tried to bargain with me after going through the trouble of summing me directly rather than one of my many servants. I got to say that really impressed me. In the end I could not help you but as a token of appreciation I promised you I would help you out one day. You know what? Explaining this is pointless. Come, hold my hand.” Normally Victor would be question such a request but he was still in a trance-like state from looking into her eyes. He nodded and offered his hand which she took into her own. “Close your eyes.”

Victor knew exactly what was happening; she was sharing a memory with him. The feeling was the same as when Roxanne did this but this time he didn’t have someone literally inside his body mucking around with his aura. However, he soon realized this wasn’t his memory unlike with Roxanne but the memory of Lucy. He was in it but it was from her perspective. There he was after having completed a ritual; Roxanne was there? Or was it the alt he kept hearing about. The memory went on revealing what had happened; Victor was quite surprised and when it was over he pulled back as if he had woken up in a cold sweat holding Thomas protectively while he took a step back. Lucy opened her own eyes and smiled in Victor’s direction.

“So, what did we learn from that?”, Lucy asked in a teasing tone.

Victor looked at her as he proposed what he had just “seen”. He finally spoke up when he found the correct words. “D-did I make a deal with the devil?”

“That you did. Sorry I couldn’t help you there but be safe assured you solved it yourself quite recently.”

“I did? It seemed serious… And was that…”

“No, she this version of Roxanne, the one you were friends with pre-cataclysm. The one you currently know if from another world. Complicated but it doesn’t really matter anymore. And before you ask, no, you didn’t lose your memory solving it those two are separate events.”

“...So the literal devil has come to pay me a visit… And you said you came to grant me that favor? The one from the memory?”

“Yes, I am here to do that. Now, I won’t be able to stay for long. I detect the signature of a certain ice-cream loving woman here and I really don’t want her finding me… so let’s cut to the chase…”

“You mean Illiana? She kept talking about vanilla ice cream when I met her.”

“Yes yes her… don’t have anything against her personally but given her job she might not be too please at my past and future actions...  Anyways, this isn’t what I am here for.” Lucy cleared her throat before speaking up again. “Well, I am here to do a few things. First things first. Can I hold your baby? He is so cute!”

Victor gave her a look of disbelief. Was she being serious? With this eldritch beings he couldn’t be sure anymore. The effect of the enchantment from looking into her eyes lingered but he was a bit more lucid now. “Sure, just be careful... “ He carefully extended his arms for Luct to hold Thomas.

“Relax, I am good with children.” Lucy took the baby from Victor and and started doing funny face as him. “How’s a cute baby? You are, yes you are.” She placed a finger close to his face witch he grasp with his hands as he gave the typical baby laughter. “I can see the resemblance with you. Hopefully he inherits his mother’s common sense as well…”

“Wait wait?”, Victor said in genuine confusion.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past now.” She played with Thomas for a bit more in the same way a typical middle aged woman would when one of her friends had a baby. “You are the next generation little one. Grow strong and healthy for me ok? Take care of your mother and father, specially your father, and make them proud. Now, here is a little something from me.” Lucy flickered her fingers and light red particles trickled down into Thomas; he laughed to which she smiled in return.

“W-what did you just do?”, asked Victor a bit concerned.

“I just sprinkled him with my essence; in the same way animals mark their territory with with their scent, I have just marked him as being under my personal protection. No hostile being would dare lay a finger on him less they be willing to face the my wrath… It should also give him a slight affinity with the arcane so teach him well.”

“Uhhh, I am not so sure about this… what will Helen say when she uses her mask?”

“Don’t worry about that. This doesn’t change his aura or anything. It is only detectable by those things that would want to cause him harm in the first place and I doubt his own mother would do that. This is my first favor to you.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Well, I have an interest in humanity increasing their numbers you know… it’s not fun just having a bunch of undead and aliens wobbling around. So I have a personal bias in making sure this goes well. Plus with so many people being alive I can afford to get to know a few; and like I said, you caught my eye all those years back with your bold action. Skipped all the red tape and called the manager directly. Secondly, this ties back to my second favor… I come to give you a warning and some advice…”

“A warning? That can’t be good if it’s coming from you...what is it?”

“Victor, another incident is coming. The whims of an arcane being have put me in an uncomfortable situation and it will eventually come knocking on your doorstep. Now this is my advice… don’t answer. You will be tempted to respond but it’s not worth it. You have a family now, your responsibility is with them first. Let the world burn down to the ground; it is my job to prevent that from happening.”

Before Victor could respond his Aura Spell detected something in their Quarters. He was about to rush over but he was stopped by Lucy by placing her hand on his shoulder. “Let it happen. Your son is safe here with us and that is all that matters. This is the first time it will knock on your doorstep and also the most direct. Stay here with me, with Thomas.”

Victor clenched his fist at her words; she was telling him to just stand idly by as something was rummaging in there. He then let loose and his expression was that of shock. “I-is that…”

“It is, let them. It will be ok.”

“B-but why would they?”

“Everyone has their reasons. If I do my job you will never have to find out.”

Thomas was quiet, not scared or anything but very curious at the scene in front of him he could not understand. Lucy smiled at him and gently pinched his cheeks making him laugh slightly again. Victor then felt a certain seal be broken and he panic a little; so now understood what they were here after and that confused him even more.

“They are taking them! I can’t let them get in the wrong hands!”

“Shhhh, stop worrying about every little thing. It’s fine. Trust me ok?” The way Lucy spoke was rather nonchalant; she held Thomas and played with hi while she did so. It was as if the scene in the other room wasn’t happening at all. Eventually, the aura of the thief along with what they took disappeared from Victor’s Aura Spell. He stood there perplex wondering is what had happened was not just some illusion.

“Good job Victor. You did the right thing. Come on, let’s go back inside.”

Victor didn’t know what to think so he simply followed Lucy back inside the room. She carefully set Thomas back on the crib as Victor looked around the room. He eventually saw the drawer the two flesh weapons had been in and he sighed; it was opened and the two weapons gone. Lucy waved her arms around Thomas and he quickly fell asleep.

“I took the liberty of feeding you son and check if anything was wrong with him.”

“Do I have to ask?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Another sigh escaped Victor’s lips as he crossed his arms looking at Lucy. “Not to be ungrateful but...what now?”

“Live your life. Next time you see Helen give her a hug, spend time with her and your son. Of course, you don’t have to do any of that but it is what I recommend. Remember, this incident will come haunt you again and I will not be there to stop you.”

“And what about you? I take it you are leaving now.”

“Yes, I am. Have to get started with somethings. But before I go, take this.” Lucy materialized what looked like a business card; it was a black with white text giving her basic information. On the right corner a semi-circle in golden font.

“Lucifer Morningstar, Personal Assistant.”, Victor read out loud before looking at Lucy, “Your business card? That title seems too underwhelming.”

“Well, it works given I don’t specify in one thing. Feel free to contact me sometime; even eldritch beings get lonely sometimes… I would like to meet Helen some time, haven’t dealt with the Cleansing Flame all that much, should be fun.”

“And how would I do that? This has no contact information.”

Lucy chuckled and pointed at the circle on the corner. “We do it the old fashion was of course. A drop of blood in circle and the contract is sealed.” She winked at him and then laughed. “I am just kidding. The drop of blood is to just know who is summoning me so I can find them. Anyways, it’s been a pleasure seeing you again but I must be off. Au Revoir!”

With that being said, a puff of scarlet mist enveloped her and once it dissipated she was no longer there. Victor sighed one more time and pockeded the card. “And just what the hell am I going to tell Helen?”

---

On the way back to the farm from the trailer park Roxanne felt a familiar sensation once again. That same nagging feeling from the mall and yesterday, but this time it was different; it was calling for her but it seemed to be trapped, for a lack of a better word. This though lingered in her and it was anything she could really focus on so the entire trip back she seemed distracted and lost in thought.

Eventually they got back and she bid farewell to Quinn and Hector as they got off the tend to the trailer. “Well, it’s been fun guys but I have to take care of some stuff that came up; it’s uhhh, ghost stuff, yeah. Anyways, be seeing you guys later.” And with that she took off not waiting for their reactions.

She was now back at the farm and she noticed something was different; new vehicles? New people? She couldn’t tell or cared at the moment. She needed to get back to her room and take care of this nagging feeling. Roxanne walked back to her room and didn’t bothered opening the door opting to simply cross it as the bracelets made her momentarily incorporeal. This would be quite the sight for anyone who happened to walk by the back side of Roxanne’s room.

Once inside she got to work on something she hadn’t done in quite a while. Roxanne closed the blinds on her windows, turned on two three tier candelabras and began to undress carefully setting her garments on the bed. Inside her stash under the altar was the robe she put on when doing this particular ritual; she put it on and kneeled in front of her altar. The ritual was well known to her but this time she had no “tribute” to accompany it; and even if she had she would be unable to consume it. Roxanne hoped her calling alone would suffice.

And suffice it did. The nagging feeling in her grew stronger and stronger; it soon became almost painful but it never reached that point. Instead it too a different form, a voice; the voice was at first a whisper but then it too grew louder and more coherent with time. Roxanne stayed silent with her eyes closed and listened and when she could finally understand it the candle light turned off and then the flame relit itself with a purple flame. She opened her eyes, eyes that were now an ever-changing hue of pink; just as her eyes as a mutant did with the color green.

“There you are… finally got through to me did ya?”, Roxanne said out loud. The voice responded and she smiled. “I see, no no, I summoned you so it’s fine. But I have to warn you, you are not the first to have come to me; I know how to deal with you kind. Now, tell me why you have seeked me out?”

There was silence for a moment; the voice spoke to Roxanne in private. After few moments Roxanne interrupted the silence with her laughter. “I appreciate your honesty; I like that. Ok, but you must understand there I am quite comfortable right now. Besides, I have gone through a rather dramatic change and I am still getting used to it. Will you be taking me by force?”

More silence only filled with Roxanne’s audible reactions. “Oh? An offer I can refuse? So you are going to try that tactic? Alright, tell you what? I will allow you to muse me but if I don’t like what I hear I will expel you out. Seems fair? Good. Now, what is this offer of yours?”

What could a spirit offer someone that would cause them to give up to the whims of said spirit? Victor had offered his soul to a spirit of harvest to attain power from a higher dimension; Plague was took wielded a weapon that offered enough power to rebuild the world in his image and paid the price of assimilation. What would you give up for power? For some grand ability? For wealth or health? Well, Roxanne was offered no of these things. What was offered to her was much simpler; something she did not expect to hear. Roxanne stood up from her position and exclaimed her response lossing any facade of sophistication.

“Bullshit! There is no way you could poss-” Her words were interrupted by another voice, one that confirmed what the first one said was real. Roxanne collapsed onto the ground. “I-it really is you… after all these years… you are still alive?”

There was more silence; this time for a solid five minutes before Roxanne answered again. “You want to talk? Sure… if what you say it’s true then I will be there… just give me the rest of the day please… I need to do a few things… See you in the morning.”

The voice went away and so did any feeling it might have given her; the candle light went out again and it returned to its normal orange glow. Roxanne stayed on the floor for a couple more minutes simply thinking things through. She eventually picked herself up, composed herself and then started to get to work. First she took of the robe and put back on her outfit; the black dress a golden rose on the left side of it as well as a pair fancy dress shoes that were she was rather mobile in. Also her two golden bracelets she received as a gift.

After she did so she went through and packed items she would need; her journal, some material for arcane rituals and a couple outfits. Both her red divine cloak and robe of discovery were packed inside as were her laser rifle and laser pistols. She also packed a coupled books for the road and the last of her RX-12 as well as some red potions; not like either would do any good on her. This contents were put in a couple of duffle bags; she put them on and she then grabbed the gift Catnip had given her: the desert triffid known as Little Jim.

Roxanne went to her APC making sure no one spotted her. Once inside she put the contents of her duffle bag in their appropriate cargo section. When she went to open the driver’s compartment she laughed at its contents: A couple of playboys, some cocaine, a vibrator and an atomic lamp. The tools of the trade from herself not too long ago. She took them out of there and put inside some books, the RX-12, the potions and her journal; the previous items properly organized in the storage as well. With that being done Roxanne carefully got off the APC with only Little Jim in hand. Making sure not to be followed Roxanne made her way into the woods up north to a certain clearing she liked. The day was still young but it wouldn’t be long before the sun would start to go down.

After about 30 minutes of walking, Roxanne reached the clearing; the hurricane had changed it to make a small and thing stream go through the middle of it. The plants here bloomed as the soil was rich and they had a constant source of water. Roxanne smiled and got to work. She burned a little circle using her divine flames to burn any plants inside said circle to the root; this way nothing would compete with Jim for nutrients and the ashes of the burned ones would serve as nutrients for him. Then she dug a hole inside the circle with her hands and gently placed Jim inside of it covering the whole with the soil. Once he was secured Roxanne petted the him as it gave a yawn.

“Grow strong for me Jim ok? I will come back for you one day so make sure you get big and healthy until then. I am sorry I can’t take you with me but maybe this is for the best. This isn’t goodbye but a until next time…” Roxanne facepalmed and laughed to herself. “What a I doing? I am saying farewell to a plant…” She stood up and gave a final glance to Jim “Plenty of food for you here. See you later.” And with that Roxanne turned around and headed back to the farm.

She made her way back and boarded the APC again. Should she leave a message? Nah, why would she? Catnip left for an entire year and Dee bailed on Mica out of nowhere so no one had any reason to judge her if she just got up and left. Besides, she had already left a note for Hector in her room stating she was going a little trip; that should buy her a few days. There was no time to delve on it, she had a destination in mind; but first she had to make a stop. After sitting on the driver’s seat, Roxanne turned on the silent electric engine of her APC purposely not turning the loud diesel one. She drove the APC out of the parking space and headed for The Hall; hopefully Victor nor Helen would be a problem…

It didn’t take long before she reached the Hall; she got off the APC who was till on the road and left it running; she wouldn’t be here long. Roxanne snucked her way inside Helen’t room after her sense told her it was empty. The voice had said something about special weapons made out of flesh? Roxanne searched but nothing matched their description. Eventually the only place left to look was a drawer but it wouldn’t budge. After some examination she noted it was sealed off but luckily she knew how to get it open. Unknow to Victor was that the seal he had used was a special drop zone seal used but member of SoA to leave supplies on the field for other members to open. As such it didn’t take long for Roxanne to open revealing the price inside.

“Oh Victor… never change… makes things easier for me.” Roxanne grabbed the weapons, looked around and went back to the APC; for some reason the effects of said weapons didn’t seem to affect her, not that she would know they had any effects in the first place.

Once back in the APC Roxanne examined the sickly looking sword and rifle made out of flesh. She didn’t know what to make of them but if the voice wanted them then so be it. Roxanne put the things in a special compartment and then got into the driver’s seat. She gave a sigh of relief and then started to drive towards her destination; it would be a long drive.

Clapping the man on the shoulder Isaac started off for his old hunting trail. He had been thinking of bringing Alice but she was training with that sword of hers. Checking his rifle as he walked towards the trail.

A short while later and he found himself settled in a spot eyeing one of the giant frogs in the area. He didn’t notice the man appearing behind him with a knife in hand. Slowly walking towards Isaac the man almost wished he didn’t have to do this. At least in this manner, he prefered having his time to kill someone. But if this made his master happy he’d do it this way.

_______________________________________________________________
Mikhail slid a white glove encased finger over the top of a locker. Inspecting the finger once he finished Mikhail nodded in approval before turning to the next man. Every recruit in the room wore a uniform that was primarily a pebble grey. It was accented by a rather nice Sangria red including the Duke’s symbol stitched onto the front of the left shoulder. Shirts were tucked into pants that led down to black boots with Sangria laces.

These were well trained men as far as he could tell. Weapons were ready for war and uniforms for parade. Still they would have another month of training before being shipped out. A short while later and he found himself standing at the end of the line of recruits. Giving them one last look over he said “Congratulations. You pass inspection. Not only that but you’ve earned a reward, tomorrow will be a half day, then we’ll have you all taken out to the beach for a nice day trip. Dismissed privates!”

With that said he left the building with the officer in charge of the training facility in tow. Moving at a steady pace he gave a small smile at the way the training officer had a bit of trouble keeping up. He sometimes pondered how a sixty year old man who was more held together by cybernetics than actual good health was more capable than those younger than himself. Still the man had proven capable in training soldiers for the Duke’s army.

Mikhail twitched a muscle in a specific manner which activated a secure radio built into his cybernetics. Speaking as his guards fell into step in a manner that caused the officer that had been following to have to stop for a moment Mikhail spoke in a tired but inquisitive tone “Vassiliev, what exactly did you find that made you feel the need to contact me?”

The man on the other end, a member of the Duke’s cabinet and a trusted member of his military, sounded equally tired and angry enough to have forced himself to continue his observation for the past three days “An ill omen arises brother Mikhail. According to what I’ve found out over the past..three? Has it truly been three days? Regardless it would appear one of the cabinet members desires to take a final step up in the ranks.”

Mikhail knew his comrade was eyeing something through a scope as they talked, it was always the case when he was on one of these tasks. Stepping into his armored humvee Mikhail had to ask “Who are your suspects brother? I know many who are loyal to the Duke, none who would dare attempt a coup.”

Vassiliev was stowing his rifle and walking down the steps of the grain mill as he said “Two men. His Exalted Priesthood Maximilian. Evidentally he wants a church state. The other is..she is unfortunately a sister Mikhail. Lauren Hemsburg.”

He almost winced at Mikhail’s response “A sister! Have you gone mad Vassiliev? No one in the Duke’s Army would ever betray him. He has given us so much, provided us with the faith, in ourselves and in the state, to continue to fight against the false king!”

Vassiliev shrugged to himself as he pulled the hood of his cloak down over his head and stepped into the rain. He mixed in with the crowd as he said “Brother I was in disbelief as well. But I cannot deny the facts that point to her.”

Mikhail sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and replied “Very well. I’ll speak with some of my trusted men, for now make sure you were never there.”

Vassiliev was already halfway out of the town, the only thing he’d left would point to a grain farmer having a smoke in his mill and he’d only done it because the man actually did smoke in there. Regardless there wouldn’t even be a DNA trace of him in there. “Yeah I did. For now I’m going to disappear for a time. I’ve need to keep up appearances after all.”

Mikhail smirked as he said “Appearances of not showing up to Cabinet meetings?”

Vassiliev rolled his eyes as he continued walking. Cutting off the transmission with a farewell standard among the Duke’s Army he made his way away from the town to a position he knew he’d been reported being near. This would be a fun few days he thought.

Elsewhere a man wearing the Duke’s Army uniform accepted the dagger from the person in front of him. The individual was hidden in shadow and the man was incapable of making out their face. All he knew was that he was to follow their orders to the letter.

Which is what he would do. His instructions were simple and concerned a traitorous member of the Cabinet. One of the members from the Holy Administration. The Army and the Ministry, as the Holy Administration was referred to, did not get along very well. But that was the way of how things went when one organization was accustomed to the use of violence while the other preferred the way of pacifistic advance.

Sliding the dagger into a hidden sheath sewn into his jacket and bowed his head to the figure before turning. No one gave him a second look as he opened the door of the office and stepped into the hallway and mixed into the flow of men carrying papers or moving to deliver a report. The manilla folder he carried was enough of a disguise that not even an officer would question if he was busy. And of course the shadowed figure disappeared without a trace.

The private, named Jack, walked towards the exit. Sliding the folder into a door slot as he went Jack then retrieved his ID badge from his breast pocket. Holding it open as he walked to the door the guards gave it a quick scan before opening the door. If they had taken time to give it a proper once over they’d have noticed that Jack was part of a penal batallion, as such not allowed to leave without the written consent of an officer.

Of course if Jack had needed to he could get the written consent of an officer, and he knew one would cover for his absence, but this was faster. Walking across the concrete runway Jack retrieved a cigarette and lit it before tossing the now burnt out match away. Nodding to a few men that were walking this way and that Jack smiled, he knew how to accomplish his task.

While that was happening a woman stood next to the eight foot tall monstrosity of a man. The man’s build was muscular beyond what one would think a man could achieve while still allowing him perfect mobility. A battle scarred face clashed with oddly kind eyes and a tired look. Nodding to another private as he checked off another crate of aid supplies the man waited for the next one to step forward to retrieve a box.

The woman followed him as he moved to observe the men handing out supplies. Water and food was being distributed as the woman asked “So what’s the Butcher of the East doing here handling aid supply shipments?”

The Butcher, more commonly referred to as Juggernaut, checked another thing off his list as he looked over the scene. Armed and armored men handing out supplies to people whose clothes could probably use a good wash and some patches. Looking down at the woman he said “Because these are my people. It is my duty to take care of them, the fighting can come later. Besides the Russians have left us alone for the past year and the fight has taken a turn towards our own people. I will better serve here.”

The woman nodded as she watched the men. A friend of hers had gotten her this assignment with Juggernaut at her request. She’d always dreamed of working with the man. This just cemented that feeling.

-------------------------------

4 days later

Jack pulled the patrol cap a bit lower on his head as he passed through Ministry hallways. The knife was still in its sheath waiting for the right time. The badge that a member of the ministry had given him was pinned to his chest. He couldn’t help but to smile as he walked towards Father Maximilian’s quarters.

He had much to atone for but killing a priest wasn’t that big of a thing compared to some of the others. Entering the unlocked room Jack slid the knife from his jacket. He hoped this would be quick and clean enough for him to leave without a trace of blood on him.

Calling for Father Maximilian Jack adjusted his grip on the weapon. When he received no response he wondered if the Father was in. Sliding the weapon back into it’s hidden sheath Jack sighed. A cleric walked in, bowing his head as he said “I apologize, Father Maximilian was delayed in Harronfeld, we’ve only been informed just now. A wave of residents of another town were being brought in and the Father desired to stop and speak with many of them and to insure that they would receive aid supplies.”

Jack sighed as he asked “And how long will it be until he returns here?”

The cleric bowed again as he said “No more then three days. I can have word sent to your superiors that your stay has been extended due to issues concerning the availability of the Father.”

Jack nodded as the cleric motioned for him to follow. “Yes, that will be fine.” Was the only response he gave the man as he followed. Soon they’d make their way to the guest quarters where he would be staying until Father Maximilian was there.

Elsewhere, atop a hill overlooking one of the barren and abandoned towns, Vassiliev watched the men that were moving through it with his scope. Activating the cybernetics built into his ear he heard something that almost made him turn. A chant.

Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.

Shifting where he was looking to the hill on the other side of the town he soon saw the banner flying high in the sky as a single templar planted it in the ground. Soon hundreds of men wearing plate armor, Footmen, moved over the hilltop.

Fiat pax in virtute tua: et abundantia in turribus tuis

The first line of Templars opened fire as they moved forward. Bullets tore into the King’s Militiamen below them as they continued to chant. Vassiliev switched the safety on his rifle off as the army of Templars only seemed to grow.

Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.

As their brothers fell the next line of Templars let their weapons loose. Their lines broke to find cover and vantage points but the chanting remained unbroken even by those dying on the hillside. The few knights among their ranks held swords in turned with the flat facing towards them as they chanted and moved ever onward.

Propter fratres meos et proximos meos loquebar pacem de te

The King’s Militiamen began to pull back as they saw just how many Templars were marching over the hill. Even the Duke’s finest would buckle under what Vassiliev saw. He’d only heard tales of what had happened five years ago, but now he believed them.

Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.

Standing as he saw the battle was over as quickly as it had begun Vassiliev started towards the town. Adjusting the collar of his uniform to reveal a Templar cross as he neared he joined in the next part of the chant as a Knight approached him. “Propter domum Domini Dei nostri quaesivi bona tibi.”

Bowing to the Knight as the chant came to a close without finishing Vassiliev waited. The Knights sheathed their weapons as one said “And what brings you back to us Brother? Surely you are not here to desert your Duke.”

Vassiliev shook his head. “No, I was here to observe the King’s Militia movements in the area. I didn’t think I’d witness a crusade.” he said as he looked at the army of templars. Footmen and Knights alike waited on their commander.

“Well, you have been witness to it. A stranger is coming, and we must aid him in his duty here. To do that though..we must take measures that require substantial force. Now go back to your Duke, we must continue on. The commander said before turning to continue his march.

Vassiliev decided he’d need to report this. Turning to walk away to his vehicle he wondered what the Duke’s response would be. Well when he got the report in a few days.