He smiled up and I me and through a bloody grin I could see that somehow I had managed to knock a few teeth out. I guess he had hit the ground harder than I had thought.
I rolled my eyes and started walking with a Russian man clinging to my leg. Let me tell you something, pulling around two-hundred pounds with you is not fun.
I wasn’t able to get to Doofus in time, though. Remember how I said he was backing up to the wall where I had come into the room from? Well I could see some rigging on it now, which connected up to the ceiling. He must be planning an air attack, I figured, except he had miscalculated something within that plan of his.
Do you remember what had come with me into this room?
A huge ass wolf.
Doofus was laughing at this point. He must have thought everything was going dandy. Idiot was holding me up pretty well so that Doofus would have enough time to get on the rigging.
Behind me I could hear other terrorists guys yelling at Doofus. I’m sure somewhere within their yelling was his name, but I hadn’t been able to catch it. Too much Russian in its midst.
Doofus turned around just in time to see the snapping jaws of the wolf engulfing his head. I looked away as the wolf easily pulled the head off the body, using his paws to keep the body from lifting off the ground. I felt Idiot’s grip on my ankle slacken. I more so heard him run away than saw anything.
I looked back down on the ground where he was. There was a small puddle of yellow liquid just casually sitting there. Looks like he peed himself in fright.
I turned back to the nameless guy. Erik was now lying unconscious next to Darkstar and nameless dude had his mouth wide open. There were two other men with him besides the captives.
“Who’s next?” I asked casually. The other two men ran toward the cars.
I approached nameless. “Well? Guess it’s just us. Can you give me your name now?”
“M-Mikael.”
I nodded my head. “Nice to meet you, Mikael. Want to go follow your men?” He slowly nodded his head before chasing after them. One of them was kind enough to open a door as they drove away, and Mikael jumped through it, landing in the safety of the car.
I heard the clicking of claws as the wolf came up next to me. He was close enough that his fur brushed against my shoulder.
A thought once again occurred to me. Where the hell had this wolf come from? I doubted that they bred them here in Russian. From my understanding, the wolves in Calsh were rare, and Earthen wolves were the size of large dogs. Pretty much dwarfed by this one here. I still couldn’t help but feel the nagging thought that I had seen this wolf before. This wolf exactly, not just a look alike.
I shrugged. “Thanks,” I said, smiling at the wolf. He still looked at me like I was retarded and I rolled my eyes. Nice to see I was appreciated.
I walked over to my friends and checked their pulses. Both going pretty steady, though I wasn’t sure how I was going to get two unconscious men out of here. All the cars had been taken, and even if they hadn’t, I wasn’t the best at hot wiring cars. That was Ice’s job.
Erik’s car was still down the road quite a ways too.
I checked my watch. Seven p.m., so I still made it to my goal of eight. I had three hours to get them wherever the hell we were going. I think I would even have to be a chauffeur and get Mr. Moscow from his office. Pleasant.
I started nudging Darkstar with my foot. Waterstar had woke him up last by kicking him in the ribs. I was a bit nicer than her at times, but still, this was sort of a dire situation.
The wolf walked past me and started licking at Dark’s face. That got him up. He rubbed at his face, muttering what the hell when he saw the beast looming over him.
“Uh, Firestar? Where did you get this little beastie?” he asked casually as he stood.
“I think you need your vision checked. He isn’t that little,” I laughed before explaining what had happened three floors above us. Darkstar in turn shared what had happened here, once again mentioning the cavern he had been trapped in.
I nodded my head in agreement when he said that it was an unusual place. That was for damn sure. We tried to rouse Erik, but the Russian wasn’t budging, and the wolf didn’t seem to feel like licking him. I think out of the three of us, Darkstar was the only person he liked. As long as the wolf didn’t eat me, I was fine with that.
I hoisted the Russian onto my shoulder and grunted at the weight. He definitely wasn’t light, probably had more muscle than fat. Don’t know how useful it was if he couldn’t fight too well when he needed to.
Dark, the wolf, and I walked back down the street to the car. I could see the sun approaching the horizon now, getting closer and closer as expected when time moves. I guess I should just be glad that I wasn’t going to have to try and make my way back to Moscow’s building in the dark.
After a single attempt, we decided the wolf and Erik wouldn’t both fit in the backseat. The wolf didn’t seem to mind as Darkstar told it this, stroking its furry face. He seemed to already be getting attached to the beast, and I was worried I would have to tell him he wasn’t going to keep it in our room back on Calsh.
Darkstar joined me in the car. “He said he’ll keep pace by running next to us.”
I looked at Dark like he was mental. “He can speak?”
Darkstar shrugged and avoided my glance. “To me, at least. We’ll just have to deal with people seeing him. Oh, he says his name is Alvair, though Fang works just fine.”
It didn’t escape my notice that those names were completely different. I mean, it was pretty obvious. Not even Waterstar would be able to miss it.
Speaking of Water, I wonder how she is doing. By now, her, Icestar, and Mr. Beijing should be on a plane to Rome, if everything went well. Down in China though, there were demons. We had miraculously avoided them here because of the weather and all.
Oh well, we would be seeing her soon enough.
I actually ended up following Fang. He knew the way to Moscow’s building better than I did, and we left destruction in our wake. People didn’t seem too thrilled to see a huge wolf running down the street, and a few people screamed out “Demon” which was apparently one word out languages had in common.
Darkstar assured me that Fang wasn’t a demon, but there wasn’t really a way to tell everyone else. We had more important birds to kill. I thought about asking him to ask the wolf about my feeling of familiarity, but decided I was just being silly about it. I mean, where the hell would I have seen Fang, especially since he wasn’t a demon, and therefore wasn’t in the Underworld.
Fang got us back to the office building by eight. Evening traffic was terrible in Saint Petersburg, though having a wolf chase off a few cars here and there certainly helped. Fang even abided by traffic lights. It’s kind of funny seeing a huge wolf patiently wait for a light to turn green.
Moscow rushed out of the building with his advisers streaming after him. One of the advisers said, “You’re alive!” and I automatically had a knife to his throat.
Moscow shouted, “What is the meaning of this!?”
Darkstar explained for me. “He gave the Russian terrorists information about us, trying to get us killed. We just spent the last couple of hours held prisoner, Erik and I that is, while Firestar tried to break us out. With Fang’s help.” He motioned at the looming wolf who was sitting a bit away from all the people.
Moscow rubbed at his eyes. “Wherever Calsh is involved, mayhem follows. That is what I have learned from you people. Will you let my adviser go, please? I’ll put him in the care of Erik and Alexei for now.”
I rolled my eyes and stepped back. “Alexei, more so. Erik took quite a beating while at the terrorists.” Darkstar and I pulled him out of the car and his brother came running out of the building. He helped us put the unconscious Russian man on a couch in the waiting area by the front desk.
“I’m sorry that we weren’t able to protect him that well,” I said to Alexei as we walked back outside.
�
�No, no. Not your fault. Erik should learn to be a better fighter.” Alexei smiled at me and opened the passenger door to the car. Mr. Moscow was already sitting in the backseat and Darkstar was driving. It seemed like Fang would still be our escort.
I could hear Mr. Moscow muttering about the lunacy of this as we drove toward the airport. I wondered for a second how Fang knew where all of these places were, but then again, Fang was pretty unknown regarding everything about him.
Just your average atypical day in Star Rebellion.
Chapter 24: A Word from Firestar
FIRESTAR
Planes are an entirely different entity to me, it would seem. I clenched onto the armrests of my seat as Moscow's personal jet rumbled and took off, gaining altitude astonishingly quickly. Darkstar was sitting in the back of jet, while I took the front. We would guard it as thus, in case there were any terrorists who were still incognito.
The last few hours were catching up to me, and I was rethinking some of the things that were going on. Why did all of this chaos surround Star Rebellion, and more specifically Water, Dark, and I. We got ourselves into trouble, and never had a second thought about it, but look at where that had now gotten us? Demons were plaguing humanity, and really, there wasn't anyone to blame but ourselves. We never thought of anyone besides ourselves and the Rebellion. We had known the possibility of demons emerging from the mission, but we had brushed it off as unimportant. We were young, and naive, and selfish.
Why the sudden epiphany, you may ask. It was just... the things that had happened while fighting the Russian terrorists were starting to get to me. They were considered extremists, and so was Star Rebellion. We openly acknowledge that, but what I had seen there. It sent a shiver down my spine just thinking of it again. To be lumped in with such cruel people was not a confidence booster.
I stared out the plane window and saw a white abyss, ending and starting nowhere. The demons were our fault. We had condemned humanity, and no matter what we tried to do to save it, all the deaths would be on our shoulders. Who knows if it could have been prevented, but we were the catalyst. Here and now, I am making a resolution. You are my witness. I will right what has been wronged, and in the future I will make a difference for the better. I refuse to be associated with those inhumane people I had fought today. I refuse.
I slammed a fist against the armrest, not caring about the strange look I got from Moscow's guards. Life wasn't that simple. Just saying I would change meant nothing, not unless there were actions to prove the words. I may be able to see the future, but there was nothing I could do to change the past. No one had that privilege. But the demons... outside of the ones we had encountered on Calsh, I have not seen what they have done. But I could see what happened. Visions had taken my mind at times, showing me innocent families sitting down to eat from plates of food, and demons crashing through front windows, tearing them apart. I could see the blood that was left in their wake, the flaming cities and crying, orphaned children. I could see what the chaos made people do, neighbor turning on neighbor all in the name of survival.
In some neighborhoods, guns killed more than demons. People stole food from the houses of the family they just murdered. Others raided banks and stores, stealing money. Why, when if the apocalypse was near, money would be irrelevant. Others took food and supplies from stores, only slightly more moral than those who killed then stole. Everywhere, though, everywhere there was blood and fear. Fear invaded the smallest of hearts, the kindest of people. People who didn't deserve the chilling dismemberment from the demons had to suffer. The demons had no conscious. They killed and feasted, burned and infected. The only thing I can give them credit for is that there was no rape. Not from them at least. Others I cannot say are as decent. I saw visions of people who were worse than the demons. They forced others to do as they wished, saying they would be protected if they did. As soon as their use was up, the master would throw them into the streets. Laughing at their gullibility.
Moms tried to protect children, using their own bodies as shields. Lovers held each other until death's embrace. Humanities darkest traits were shown as the demons invaded. The demons were the tripline. What this has taught me is that no one can resist the urge to live.
No matter how much I apologized or tried to right my wrongs, those deaths would haunt me through my life. I would be remembered as the one who helped set the demons loose, whether on purpose or not. And not just the deaths caused by demons. Sunstar. Oh Sunstar, she I would never forget, her dying screams echoing in my dreams. She may have been the one who walked off the path, but I was to blame. I convinced her and the others to make the journey with me into the Underworld. If I had never done that, she would be alive. Icestar would not have been injured. Demons wouldn't be here. Waterstar and Darkstar probably would not have continued past Vladimir's chamber if I hadn't shown up. How would they have expected to beat Cerberus and Lucifer with just the two of them? It was my fault that we continued, it was my fault the demons were here, it was all my fault, and I would have to live with it.
From now on I swear I would not just consider myself, nor my team, nor Star Rebellion. Anything big, anything with consequence, I would consider all who are involved. I would view the morality of what happens, and I vow to do what is best for all of those involved. A momentous feat, one that would be hard. I will carry the burden of the past, and try to make the future better. I had to. It was the only way I would be able to live with myself from now on. I would not be like the Russian terrorists, or like the selfish members of the NOPCW. I wouldn't be the greedy businessmen, or like the arrogant soldiers in Star Rebellion. I would be hope.
Chapter 25: When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do
WATERSTAR
I was shaken awake by Icestar as the plane lost altitude to land. I groggily opened my eyes and yawned, all the while not realizing that I was leaning against Icestar. I sat back up and muttered an apology while threading my fingers through my hair. Icestar barely smiled and shook his head before pointing out the window.
I followed his gaze and peered into the dark landscape. As we lost altitude, lights started popping up everywhere, until we were in the midst of all of them.
My first impression of Rome was that it was huge. I hadn’t seen much of Beijing when we had flown out of it, but here… here it was incredible, and beautiful. It looked like everything was made out of stone.
I looked at my watch and almost had a panic attack before I remembered the time difference. After doing the calculation, I realized that we had actually made it here early. Barely, but still early.
I was definitely cheerful as we got off of the plane until Mr. Beijing asked us where we were supposed to go. I paused for a second, grasping for any memory. I knew Arctic had told us, but I just couldn’t remember where.
Icestar’s hand touched my wrist briefly before he answered. “Within Vatican City, near the Pope’s lodging.”
Mr. Beijing nodded his head and smiled at both of us before commanding one of his men to grab a taxi. I wondered if Chinese and Italian were somewhat similar or if we were all at a language loss now.
In the end, we needed three taxis, and it took quite a lot of arguing on my part to convince Beijing’s guard that Ice and I would be the ones in his taxi. They certainly were not happy about it, but I didn’t trust any of them as fighters. Beijing was more important than their happiness.
I wondered if Arctic was already at the rendezvous spot and if someone from the Divine team was with him. I kind of hoped that Vladimir would be there, but the most logical person to send would probably have been Foreststar. He was human after all.
The cars were slow, and I was able to puzzle together that we were only taking a quarantined path. What gave this away the most was when one of the wooden barricades had been broken down and three demons swarmed out. The Italian guards were automatically on them and our cars were speeding away before I had a chance to join in the tussle. The Italians really seemed good at this sort of thing.
Icestar smiled once again at my sullen expression since I hadn’t been allowed to participate in the fight.
When we finally got to Vatican City, it was pushing ten o’clock, and when I voiced this aloud, Beijing said, “Patience, my dear.”
I remembered how last time he had called me a child and decided that this was at least a bit of an improvement. I didn’t really have time to be angry with him because I could already see the silver of Arctic’s hair.
Icestar and I exited the car first, and Beijing took a place between us. I was in the lead, and I could hear the angry shouts of the Chinese guards that I had already started approaching Arctic without waiting for them.
There was no greeting. “Fire and Dark?” I asked hesitantly.
“Here,” Arctic chuckled as I sighed a dramatic sigh of relief. “They are already in the Apostolic Palace, resting from their journey. They have refused to tell me what exactly happened in Russian until you were here to hear the story, but just so you know, Darkstar brought back a Direwolf.”
I swear my eyes were gleaming by the time Arctic finished this. I had always wanted to see an actual Direwolf. I sprinted off toward the palace and heard the heavy footsteps as Icestar followed. I wasn’t even going to wait for directions; I’m sure someone inside could point me to where the boys were. It was kind of hard to forget about a giant wolf and fiery-haired guy.
As I ran at the double door entrance, I really hoped it wasn’t locked. I wasn’t slowly down, and I hit the knob on the right and sent a thankful thought to whomever it concerned before running into the palace.
It was even more beautiful than Rome.
I can’t even explain how beautiful it was, from the ornate glass to the lighting fixtures, even the decorations of the walls were astounding. Or maybe it was because I had lived my entire life in Calsh where luxurious things were too impractical for the savage land.
Either way, one in about five brain cells were wasted on admiring the décor before I dashed down a hallway, looking for someone. Finally, I came across a man dressed in a red robe with white accents.
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