by R. E. Graham
"Marth, where is Seneca?" Varius asked as he stood up and headed deeper into the building. He shot three rounds into another agent that popped up around a corner.
"He was moved below to level three" the AI said before she displayed the map on his gauntlet.
Both the Keeper and the Inquisitor continued to clear the hallways as they made their way to the stairwell that would lead them to the internal depths of the KoP facility.
They opened the door to a room full of agents that opened fire. Liberty used her body to shield Varius and the two moved to cover.
"Let me deal with this" she said as she stood up to her full height and let go of her rifle. It disappeared in a puff while two smaller laser pistols formed in her armored hands.
As a flash grenade rolled into the room, the Keeper punted it back into the room then charged in. As the agents started to open fire, Liberty dodged to the right and rapid fired her pistols dropping multiple agents. Suddenly the flash grenade exploded and filled the room with an intense brightness that temporarily blinded everyone but Liberty who proceeded to use her hammer to deal with the remaining agents and incapacitate them.
"All clear!" she called out.
Varius stepped around the corner with gun up just in case. He checked the map to know where they needed to go next.
"They should be down this hall and to the right."
The pair dealt with any other agents that got in their way until they finally arrived at the door of the room.
"Here we go" Liberty said as she hit the door panel and the thick metal door slid open.
Without warning, the Keeper was blasted backwards into the wall so hard that she lost consciousness.
Varius stood stunned at such a devastating attack, then refocused himself.
A voice called out from within the room. "Welcome Damien."
Instantly the Inquisitor knew who it was.
Shadow Man!
Varius knew that he didn't have many options of how he could enter the room without risking being shot. So, he instead thought he would try something else.
"Shadow Man, is that you?" he said as he pressed his back up against the wall.
"It is."
"Is Titus and Seneca with you?"
"They are."
A moment passed before the Shadow Man spoke again. "Damien, you still must choose. Will you become Wrath?"
Varius didn't answer, but he could hear Titus inside ask, "Sir, forget him. He is weak. I will become Wrath. Choose me to take up the mantle."
"It is not within my power to bestow the position of Wrath. But, you want the chance Alexander?" the Shadow Man asked calmly.
"I do. I won't fail you" Titus said eagerly.
"Damien, would you like an opportunity to kill Alexander here?"
"Very badly" Varius said loudly.
"Then enter and fight your fellow inquisitor. The victor shall decide how we proceed" the Shadow Man said as Titus stepped forward with a cruel grin on his face.
"How do I know I won't be shot as soon as I go inside?" Varius asked, giving himself some time to think.
"You don't" Seneca said with a smirk.
Titus sighed before he tossed his sidearm to the side. Varius recognized the clank sound of the pistol on the floor.
The corrupt Inquisitor began unfastening his gloves and tossed those to the side as well. "Varius, know this. I am going to beat you to a bloody pulp." He then began to undo his uniform and removed his top and upper body armor.
"You think so Titus?" Varius asked before he leaned in briefly, long enough to see that his foe was ready for the two to melee fight.
"You have been the poster boy for the order so long it disgusts me. I've been waiting for this for a long time" Titus said as he stretched his arms then got into his fighting stance.
"Yeah I bet you have."
"You have always held yourself as though you were better than the rest of us. Now come in here and I will..."
Suddenly, bullets ripped through the wall and several of them hit Titus in the chest and arm. He fell to the ground in a growing pool of blood.
The Shadow Man grinned cruelly at the sight of the corrupt inquisitor bleeding out. Seneca on the other hand was shocked by the attack. He raised his own gun and fired into the wall multiple times. In a fury the Shadow Man smashed down on the Director's arms causing the pistol to fall to the ground. He grabbed the other man by the hair and chopped down onto his head.
Seneca fell to his knees while Titus cried out in pain.
"Are you still with us Damien?" the Shadow Man asked.
"Still here."
Titus tried to crawl away from the door but the Shadow Man turned towards him. "You said you wouldn't fail me."
"Pl...please..." the Inquisitor begged through bloodied teeth.
Without another word, the Shadow Man raised his left hand and the dying Inquisitor was hefted into the air. He dangled there for a moment before he was blasted into the wall and his spine was broken.
"Damien, I want to present you with the man who helped cover-up your family's death...as a show of trust" the hooded man said aloud.
"What do you mean?" Varius asked as he gripped his pistol tightly.
"Seneca here helped ensure that your family's killer was never found. Not to mention, he was the one who pulled the trigger on your new love interest."
There was a long pause before the Inquisitor spoke up again. "What do you want?"
"You know what I want Damien. I want you to choose. I want you to become Wrath!"
"Does it mean I get to kill Seneca?"
The Shadow Man smiled. "Yes, yes it does. But, no gun."
Varius tossed his pistol inside the room then slowly entered the doorway. "Oh, I don't want to use a gun."
Seneca’s eyes were filled with terror at the sight of Varius as he walked over to Titus' uniform and retrieved a knife. The older man tried to stand up, but the Shadow Man placed his hand on the Director's shoulder and held him in place.
"No, not like this. You told me I would be rewarded" Seneca begged.
The Inquisitor slowly walked over but stopped just short of the pleading man. His mind raced with pleasant memories the two shared together over the cycles, over the course of his career in the order.
"Why? Why did you do it?" Varius asked. He needed to know, if for nothing else, maybe it would give him a lead to the actual killer.
"I was just following orders" Seneca said with a frightened voice. "I was just following orders..."
The Inquisitor felt an overwhelming sensation of rage course through his body. He gripped the knife in his hand so tight that his hand began to shake.
Seneca opened his mouth to speak but Varius had enough. In a flash he moved up and slashed the older man's throat. Blood sprayed all over the floor as the man fought to breathe.
"That's for Eva!"
The Shadow Man shoved Seneca forward onto the floor, and within seconds he was dead.
Varius breathed heavily as he looked down at the bloody knife.
"Excellent. Now, will you accept becoming Wrath and help me bring down Envy?" the Shadow Man asked with open arms.
The Inquisitor's mind was a blur. He shook his head to think clearly but it didn't help. "What about the man who killed my family?"
The question seemed to surprise the Shadow Man as his smile faded. "By becoming Wrath, you will be able to find the one who took their lives and so much more."
"More?"
"Yes Damien. By joining the Vices you will be given unimaginable power. You will transcend your limited existence as a man and become so much more."
"All I want...is to kill the man who took my family away from me..."
Out of nowhere, a loud voice filled the room. "Then that's what you shall have."
Envy appeared beside the Shadow Man, who turned to him in shock. Before the Shadow Man could respond, Envy grabbed the back of his head and kicked behind his knees, dropping him to the ground.
Varius' mind cont
inued to be flooded with a storm of thoughts to the point that he wasn't able to think clearly.
"Here he is. The one who killed your wife and daughter!" Envy said boastfully.
The Inquisitor looked at the Vice, then down at the Shadow Man and glared with renewed fury.
"Yes, it was me Damien. I did it. But I was forced to by Envy!”
Varius looked over to the Vice, but Envy seemed bored by the accusation.
The Shadow Man continued to plead, “You would have been on this very course to lead you to this very moment regardless. You are the embodiment of Wrath in every way. Join me and we can get your revenge" the Shadow Man said boldly despite being on the ground.
Seneca's blood still dripped off the knife in Varius' hand. Envy spotted the knife then scoffed. "A blade like that will not kill someone like the Shadow Man." He held up his free hand in a fist. A burst of dark energy sparked from his hand and in it he held a wicked looking knife. All but the blade was entirely black. The edge of the blade glowed bright red.
The Shadow Man's demeanor changed to that of worry at the sight of the bladed weapon. “No! You can’t Envy. I’m sorry. I renew my loyalty to you!”
Varius tossed the knife he held aside then accepted the gift from Envy. It was surprisingly light considering it was larger than a normal knife. A chill ran through his body as he inspected the blade's handle. It was covered in what looked like people being tortured by dark creatures. Just before the blade stood a winged man holding an orb of light.
"That knife was specially crafted to fight beings in the supernatural realm. While your weapons could maybe kill the Shadow Man's physical body, the daemon that possesses him would simply find another person to possess."
"Please don’t kill me…" the Shadow Man cried out now in full fear for his life. "This wasn't part of the plan."
"Do it Damien and take your place by my side as Wrath. You will be able to dispense your justice on anyone you choose. No law, ruler, or army will be able to stop you" Envy said with a despicable yet tempting tone.
Varius held the weapon in his hand then gripped it tightly. His gaze turned back to the Shadow Man who continued to beg for his life.
"Envy, you have betrayed me into the hands of this man. Why? Why would you do this?"
The Vice just grinned. "Do it Damien. He took your family away from you. Now take his life. Get your revenge."
Varius took a step forward then lifted the hood off of the Shadow Man. He remained silent as he looked into those blackened eyes of the pleading being before him.
"To kill him you must destroy his mind. A possessed body can remain functional from any other injury except decapitation or destroying the head" Envy said as he watched the Inquisitor closely.
There was no remorse or regret in his body as the Inquisitor grabbed the Shadow Man's head and thrust the knife up through his jaw into his brain.
A dark light glowed from the injury as the Shadow Man gurgled on his own blood. Varius yanked the blade free and watched with pleasure as the blackness disappeared from the other man's eyes and his body fell to the ground.
Envy's smile grew exceptionally wide. "Marvelous Damien. Now you are ready."
The Inquisitor held the blade in his hand but kept his eyes on the Shadow Man's corpse. "Who was he?"
"Who?" Envy asked, entirely confused.
"Who was he before he was possessed?"
The Vice looked down to the body and shrugged. "No one important I assure you. It was the daemon who possessed him that made him into the Shadow Man."
Still keeping his eyes fixed on the body, Varius continued, "He told me that the Lucem brothers made a choice. That they weren't always possessed. They actually welcomed something in."
"Yes, in a way that is true."
"What's to stop that from happening to me?" Varius asked.
Envy took a deep breath and smacked his lips in thought. "I don't understand. You have come all this way, killed all of these people, for what? To worry about miniscule details?"
The Inquisitor's voice rose sharply. "I want to know that if I join you, will I become possessed? Will I be just like this poor bastard here?"
"All power comes at a price, Damien" Envy said as he placed his hands behind his back.
"A price..." Varius whispered.
The man tightened his grip and tried to move as fast as he could to slash at the Vice. Envy however could move much faster than he could and caught his hand before he could get close with it.
"Now you wish to fight me? You really are the embodiment of wrath" Envy said angrily.
The room began to get darker around the Vice as he started to crush the bones in Varius' arm.
"Aaaah!" the Inquisitor cried out in pain. He fell to his knees as the dark creature towered over him.
"Join me now or I will kill you!"
With all of his remaining effort, Varius looked up into Envy's black soulless eyes. "Never!"
Envy drew his hand up to strike the Inquisitor when suddenly a bright flash of light filled the room. The Vice released Varius' arm as he hissed in agony.
Gladriel stepped out of the tunnel of light and it closed behind him. "You have lost Envy!"
The Vice formed a sword of black fire in his hand and he flew forward. Gladriel's own fire sword formed in his hand and the two exchanged attacks at one another. Envy swung angrily and with too much blind effort to actually strike down the guardian. Gladriel on the other hand simply deflected the attacks then pushed his hand forward blasting the Vice all the way across the room.
Envy looked to Varius who remained on his knees. "You may have won this round Gladriel, but I will kill you one day!" the Vice twisted in place and his tattered cloak flipped up into the air, then he vanished.
The guardian walked over to the Inquisitor and gave him a nod of approval. "I am so sorry for what you have been through Damien. But you have chosen wisely to refuse his offer."
Varius looked up to Gladriel but spoke with spite in his voice. "Where were you before?"
"I have strict rules for how I can be involved in this realm Damien. You still had not made a decision on whether you would accept Envy's offer, so I had to wait until you did. If you chose to become Wrath, I would not have been allowed to intervene."
I can think clearly again...it must have changed as soon as Envy left.
"Do you mean to tell me that all of these people died because I didn't make a decision fast enough?"
"This life is full of choices and opportunities that impact this realm greatly. It is how it has been since the beginning, and how it will remain until this life passes away" Gladriel said as he released his sword and it disappeared.
"So, now what?" Varius asked feeling defeated inside.
"You have delivered justice to those responsible for many people's deaths, including your own family."
"But what of me?"
The guardian reached down and helped the man up to his feet. "You still have a choice to come."
"What does that mean? I have been labeled a fugitive and all of my witnesses are dead" Varius said confused.
Liberty finally came to and noticed the being of light next to the Inquisitor. "Varius?"
Without looking towards her, Gladriel began to walk backwards slowly. "You still have one more choice to make Damien. You will be able to save many more lives very soon.”
The Inquisitor reached out but then the light tunnel appeared again. He shielded his eyes as the guardian stepped inside and turned back to the Inquisitor. “Oh, and Eva asked me to tell you to have faith" he said before he vanished.
The Keeper rushed into the room. "What was that?"
"A guardian" Varius said as he turned and headed for the door.
"Like a real actual guardian?"
"Yeah..."
Liberty looked around the room and saw the dead bodies. "Wait, you did it. You killed all of them?"
Knowledge interrupted the conversation as he connected with Liberty over their private communication
channel. "Lib, I am going to need you two to hurry up. Reinforcements have arrived, and I am drastically outnumbered."
"Got it, we are on our way topside. Mission accomplished. Varius dealt with all of them."
"We'll throw a party later, right now I need help!"
Liberty realized that Varius was just staring at her. "Sorry about that, I was talking to Kay. He said that reinforcements are here and that he needs our help."
Varius grabbed his pistol and reloaded it while Liberty formed another rifle. The pair exited the room and made their way back up to their mechs.
Chapter 37
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 1
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Downtown Lucifer
No one inside the structure had attempted to halt their exit as the pair reached the stairs outside and both rushed to their Spade. Varius could not see the fighting within the compound but could hear the steady fire of a Sierra's cannon to know it was close. Flashes of light from explosions reflected off the remaining glass of the towering skyscrapers as Varius climbed up his crouched mech and hopped into the cockpit.
By the time Marth reconnected to itself the hatch was sealed and pressurized. He fastened his harness and gripped his controls as the Spade powered up.
"Incoming!" Liberty shouted over her speakers.
The Inquisitor barely had time to dodge to the right as a barrage of ripper missiles rained down where he was just standing. Debris and dust blew into the air followed by thick black smoke.
Varius switched his optics over to thermal and spotted the closest enemy between him and the Keepers. He alternated ammo from scatterfire to slug and fired his scattergun three times disabling the advancing mech. His Spade rocked from a direct hit to his torso almost causing him to lose his balance.
Liberty was nowhere to be seen as multiple KoP mechs closed in. Suddenly they stopped their advancement and stood still. The Inquisitor looked back and forth until he spotted the reason why. A scarred Enforcer came in from the right. "Inquisitor Varius, surrender now and I promise for a quick death" Aquilas said over his speakers, his voice booming across the smoldering compound.
"How were you connected to Titus?" Varius asked.
